73: Retreat and study the Dao

The Grand Elder's token, carved with ancient cloud patterns, felt warm to the touch yet seemed to weigh a thousand jun.

It wasn't power, but a promise.

A promise from Qingyun Sect's highest echelon to Saint Lin Fan.

Zhao Linger, supporting Lin Fan, could clearly feel something ignite within his 'severely injured and dying' body when he accepted the token.

It was a flame suppressed beneath ruins, refusing to be extinguished.

The Sect Head and Grand Elder's figures vanished at the entrance, taking with them a monstrous killing intent capable of toppling a Sect.

Inside the Alchemy Room, silence returned.

Only the rich scent of medicinal herbs and a faint smell of blood remained in the air.

"Senior Brother Lin..."

Zhao Linger looked at him, wanting to speak but hesitating.

She wanted to tell him to rest.

But in Lin Fan's open eyes, there was no weakness from severe injury, only a chilling stillness, like the most oppressive moment before a storm.

Lin Fan didn't look at her; his gaze fell on his blood-soaked clothes, his voice dry and hoarse.

"Help me up."

"But your injuries..."

Zhao Linger's eyes reddened; she saw fresh blood seep from the bandages on Lin Fan's chest with every breath he took.

"It's fine."

There was no room for discussion in Lin Fan's tone.

With Zhao Linger's support, he struggled to sit upright.

This simple action instantly covered his forehead with cold sweat, and his face grew even paler.

He leaned against the headboard, panting heavily, his figure thin as if he could be blown away by the wind at any moment, yet his spine remained perfectly straight.

Zhao Linger's heart clenched fiercely.

She quickly took out her most precious 'Heart-Calming Soul-Nourishing Pill' and carefully offered it to Lin Fan's lips.

"Senior Brother, stabilize your Divine Soul."

The Medicinal Pill's fragrance was refreshing.

Lin Fan looked at her eyes, full of worry and heartache, and remained silent for a moment.

He opened his mouth and took the Medicinal Pill.

A cool, warm current flowed into his Sea of Consciousness.

Of course, it was merely an embellishment.

He still managed a barely perceptible, extremely weak smile at Zhao Linger.

"Thank you."

The two simple words, coupled with his pale yet resolute face at that moment, made Zhao Linger's heart skip a beat.

She frantically lowered her head, not daring to look anymore.

"Senior Brother, what... what are you going to do?"

"Sect Treasure Vault."

Lin Fan's voice wasn't loud, but each word was like iron.

"Now?" Zhao Linger suddenly looked up, her face full of disbelief, "You're so heavily injured..."

"Precisely now."

Lin Fan repeated, his gaze resolute and beyond question.

All of Zhao Linger's words of persuasion were stuck in her throat.

She knew she couldn't dissuade him.

This man harbored a kind of madness she couldn't comprehend deep within his bones.

She could only silently rise, fetch a clean outer robe, and gently drape it over him.

Her fingertips accidentally touched his cold skin, and Zhao Linger's body stiffened slightly.

"I'll go by myself."

Lin Fan's voice interrupted her thoughts; he pushed away Zhao Linger's supporting hand and, with an extremely slow yet incredibly firm posture, stood up.

Each step was like treading on knife points.

He turned his back to Zhao Linger, dragging his shaky figure, and walked step by step towards the sunlight outside the Alchemy Room.

Zhao Linger stood rooted, watching his solitary back, tears silently falling.

She didn't understand what kind of hatred could make a person so persistent even when on the verge of death.

She only felt that his back made her heart ache so much she couldn't breathe... The Qingyun Sect Treasure Vault, deep within the main peak.

When Lin Fan, dragging his "severely injured body" and holding the Grand Elder's token, appeared before the colossal bronze gate.

The doorman Elder, dozing off, twitched his eyelids.

His cloudy old eyes swept over Lin Fan, finally resting on the token in his hand.

"The Grand Elder's token?"

The old man yawned and slowly stood up.

"Go in, the innermost layer, choose three items."

With a casual wave of his hand, the colossal bronze gate, weighing tens of thousands of jun, silently opened.

A Spiritual Qi so dense it was almost tangible rushed out.

Lin Fan walked inside.

Within the treasure vault, there was another world.

On rows of ten-thousand-year-old cold jade shelves, treasures glowed.

Long sabers shimmering with lightning, jade swords radiating cold Qi, and precious armor burning with fierce flames.

Each item was enough to drive a Foundation Establishment Cultivator mad.

Lin Fan's gaze swept calmly over them, not lingering for a moment.

He walked straight to the deepest part of the treasure vault.

In the shadows, a Divine Thought constantly enveloped him.

It was the Grand Elder.

He was very curious what this Saint, with his firm Heart-Nature, would choose for revenge after experiencing such a devastating calamity.

Would it be the 'Breaking Army Divine Crossbow' that could unleash a Golden Core strike?

Or the 'Profound Turtle Sea- 鎮海 Shield' with its unparalleled defense?

Lin Fan's footsteps stopped in a corner.

On the shelf, only three inconspicuous items were displayed.

A dusty human skin mask.

A crudely carved wooden Puppet.

A yellowed, incomplete ancient book.

Lin Fan reached out and took these three items, one by one.

The Grand Elder, observing from the shadows, felt his Divine Thought suddenly halt.

Confusion.

He completely failed to understand.

The 'Thousand Illusions Mask' could only change appearance and aura, rendering it useless before high-level Cultivators.

The 'Substitute Puppet' was a low-level consumable, a one-time use item that couldn't withstand a Golden Core strike.

As for the ancient book, 'Elementary Guide to Formation Dao Concealment,' it was merely a crude introductory trick.

These three items were essentially trash.

"This child..."

A trace of pity and heartache flashed in the Grand Elder's heart.

"In the end, was he truly frightened by the killing?"

"He no longer believes in sharp attacks, no longer believes in solid defenses, only thinking about how to hide, how to gain an extra life..."

That tragic ambush, after all, left an indelible shadow on this resilient Dao Heart.

The Grand Elder sighed softly and withdrew his Divine Thought.

So be it.

As long as he was still alive and his spirit hadn't dissipated, the Sect would naturally clear all obstacles for him... Lin Fan, holding the three "worthless items," walked out of the treasure vault.

He returned to his Holy Son Peak.

Before his Immortal Cave, Zhao Linger had already been waiting for a long time.

She had changed into a moon-white long dress, her beautiful face bathed in a soft glow by the setting sun.

"Senior Brother." She greeted him, carrying a food box, "I've prepared some calming medicinal cuisine for you."

Lin Fan looked at her, then at the meticulously managed Immortal Cave, and a barely perceptible ripple stirred in the cold calculations within his heart.

He nodded and walked directly into the Immortal Cave.

"Starting today, I will enter secluded cultivation."

Lin Fan sat cross-legged, his voice still weak.

"I need to set up some Formations around the Immortal Cave."

Zhao Linger arranged the medicinal cuisine and asked softly, "Do you need my help?"

Lin Fan glanced at her: "Alright, you can set up a few basic concealment Formations on the outer perimeter."

He picked out a few of the simplest Formations from the 'Elementary Guide to Formation Dao Concealment' and told Zhao Linger about them.

Zhao Linger immediately began to busy herself.

Under the setting sun, the two were outside the Immortal Cave, one giving instructions, the other acting.

To embed a Formation cornerstone into a groove in the mountain wall, Lin Fan had to stand up, walk behind Zhao Linger, reach out, and grasp her soft hand holding the cornerstone.

"Three inches off."

His voice was right by her ear.

Zhao Linger's body instantly stiffened.

A rush of heat spread rapidly from her earlobes to her entire pretty face.

Lin Fan's palm was broad and strong, steady unlike that of a "severely injured and dying" person.

He held her hand and firmly pressed the cornerstone into the correct position.

Hum.

A faint light flashed, and the Formation activated.

"Done."

Lin Fan released her hand and casually stepped back.

"I'll handle the rest myself."

He turned to Zhao Linger and said, "This secluded cultivation might take a long time."

"If anything changes in the Sect, you must be careful."

He flicked his finger, and a jade talisman flew towards Zhao Linger.

"Take this; it can save your life in a crisis."

Zhao Linger instinctively caught it; the jade talisman was warm, and the runes on it were tens of thousands of times more complex than the Formation just now.

This wasn't something from the Sect Treasure Vault.

It was his.

"Senior Brother..."

"Go."

Lin Fan didn't give her a chance to speak again, turning and walking into the Immortal Cave.

Rumble.

The stone door closed, separating inside from outside.

Zhao Linger held the warm jade talisman, standing stunned for a long time before lightly biting her lip and turning to leave... Behind the stone door was another world.

All weakness and fatigue vanished from Lin Fan's face instantly.

In their place was absolute calm and indifference.

He casually tossed the three "worthless items" into a corner.

The props for the act had served their purpose.

With a thought.

A phantom blue virtual interface unfolded before him.

【Gou Dao Point Mall】

Several high-quality deaths had accumulated an unprecedentedly terrifying number of Gou Dao points for him.

He immediately looked at the expensive rare items he had once dared not dream of.

【Myriad Phase Aura Simulation Mask】

【Grade: Dao Tier (Upgradeable)】

【Effect: Perfectly simulate and switch to the aura of any living being you have come into contact with, including Spiritual Power fluctuations, Divine Soul imprints, and Karma traces.】

【Price: 300,000 Gou Dao points】

"Bought."

Lin Fan didn't hesitate.

That trash item from the Sect Treasure Vault was only fit to be a disguise for this divine artifact.

His gaze continued downwards, and soon, it was firmly fixated on an item emitting an ominous aura.

It was a Puppet made of withered straw, embroidered with twisted dark red runes, and two black buttons serving as eyes, emanating an eerie chill.

【Karma Grafting · Hatred Transfer Scarecrow】

【Grade: Forbidden】

【Effect: Select a target with 'Karma of Hatred' with you to bind. Any killing intent lock, Divine Soul curse, or heavenly secret divination targeting the host will be transferred proportionally to that target. Note: Transfer ratio is adjustable, up to 99%.】

【Requirement: 1. Requires a 'Karma token' containing the target's core aura. 2. The higher the target's hatred value, the more stable the binding.】

【Price: 500,000 Gou Dao points】

Lin Fan's pupils suddenly constricted.

His breathing even hitched.

This thing... this was no longer just Gou Dao.

This was the ultimate scapegoat technique! Let the enemy take the deadliest blows for himself!

"Buy!"

Lin Fan's heart bled, but he gritted his teeth and paid.

With a flash of light, the eerie scarecrow appeared in his hand, cold and rough to the touch.

All was ready.

"Target of hatred..."

The resentful face of the Xuan Yin Sect Master appeared in his mind.

There was no more perfect shield than him.

"Karma token..."

Lin Fan sneered, taking out the token from his Storage Pouch, the one given by the Xuan Yin Sect Master himself, which he had obtained from Zhao Wuji!

Perfect!

He sat cross-legged, placing the scarecrow in front of him, with the token on its chest.

A drop of his essence blood was dabbed on the scarecrow's brow.

Forming hand seals, the binding ritual began!

The light within the Immortal Cave twisted, and a cold, eerie, malevolent aura permeated the air.

An invisible line of hatred extended from the scarecrow, piercing the Void Realm, spanning thousands of miles, precisely connecting to a certain direction...

At the same time, in the Xuan Yin Sect.

Sect Master Gu Tianxie was looking at a row of extinguished soul lamps, his face ashen.

"Qingyun Sect! Lin Gou!"

He was closing his eyes to meditate, preparing for the impending great battle.

Just then!

He suddenly opened his eyes!

A sudden, bone-chilling coldness enveloped him without warning.

He felt as if he had been targeted by the most vile and malicious thing in the world!

It was as if something was frantically defecating and urinating on his Luck!

Pfft!

His mind was severely shaken, and his Spiritual Power flowed in reverse.

A mouthful of hot blood suddenly spurted out.

"Who! Who is ambushing me!"

Gu Tianxie roared in shock and anger, his Divine Thought frantically sweeping, yet he found nothing... Qingyun Sect, Holy Son Peak Immortal Cave.

Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes, a chilling curve forming at the corner of his lips.

He could vaguely sense the other party's embarrassed spitting of blood.

Resurrection was a trump card, disguise was armor, but shifting blame was the essence of Gou Dao!

He put away the scarecrow and mask, preparing to continue studying the System.

Just then.

Rumble—!

The entire Qingyun Mountain shook violently without warning!

An ancient, desolate, and utterly evil aura, not belonging to the mortal realm, surged skyward from the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground in the back mountain!

The smile on Lin Fan's face instantly froze.