Chapter 734

Chapter 734: Confidence Gets Slapped

“What is this Heavenly Spirit of the headquarters?” Xu Fan asked, puzzled.

“Master, this Heavenly Spirit is like the Heavenly Way’s Will of the Elder Council headquarters, but it’s controlled by the Council and far less intelligent than I am,” Grapes’ voice echoed in Xu Fan’s mind.

“Ah, I see. So we can haggle with this Heavenly Spirit to get a better deal for Master Qianling,” Xu Fan said casually.

“Of course, no problem.”

Soon after, the shopkeeper turned to Master Qianling with a strange look and said, “Elder, I’ll add another twenty percent to the existing Contribution Points.”

“Ha! Now that’s a fair price!” Master Qianling laughed.

Afterward, the two strolled through the streets.

“How did you know Grapes could negotiate with the Heavenly Spirit?” Xu Fan asked curiously.

“Grapes and that Heavenly Spirit seem no different to me—if anything, Grapes might even be stronger. Haggling should be no issue,” Master Qianling replied with a smile.

“It’s rare to run into the Grand Elder. Let me treat you today—we’ll go to the best restaurant in town.”

“Perfect timing. Third brother is here too; let’s invite him to join the Grand Elder.”

“Sure,” Xu Fan nodded, pleased to bump into a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.

As they walked, Xu Fan suddenly had a flash of insight and brushed past a cultivator carrying a sword box.

Master Qianling and the Third Grand Elder of Qianling Sect accompanied Xu Fan to the finest restaurant at the Elder Council headquarters, where they feasted heartily.

Master Qianling and the Third Grand Elder indulged, while Xu Fan found the food rather bland.

The spiritual vegetables here paled in comparison to the dishes prepared by the Gourmet Disciple of the Hidden Spirit Sect.

“Why is the Third Grand Elder out with Master Qianling?” Xu Fan asked curiously.

“I was sent by the big boss to keep an eye on the second brother, making sure he doesn’t wander off and returns when it’s time,” the Third Grand Elder chuckled, waving the Avatar Jade Talisman in his hand.

Seeing the talisman, Master Qianling’s expression soured.

“Did the elder get whipped again?” Xu Fan asked with a laugh.

“Ha! This time, the second brother’s beating was partly because of the Grand Elder.”

“Boosting others’ morale while dampening our own. The big boss swung that whip so hard it nearly turned into a windmill,” the Third Grand Elder joked, unable to hide his glee.

Master Qianling snorted and turned away, refusing to engage with the Third Grand Elder of Qianling Sect.

After the meal, Xu Fan returned to the cave dwelling arranged for him by the Elder Council.

The cave was lavishly decorated, with stunningly beautiful maidens attending to him.

Amid such beauty, Xu Fan quietly cultivated through the night.

The next morning, all the materials Xu Fan needed arrived, and he began setting up the grand formation.

“So this is the boundary of the cultivation world,” Xu Fan remarked, gazing at the chaotic-colored border.

“Great Master, is this spot suitable?” a supervisor from the Elder Council asked.

“This will do. It’s perfectly aligned with the Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation in the demon race,” Xu Fan nodded, then summoned tens of thousands of formation-setting puppets. Under Grapes’ control, they carried the necessary materials to their designated spots.

Xu Fan was primarily focused on designing the core formation to disrupt the Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation.

Three days later, the disruption formation was fully set up, and Ming Kong personally came to inspect it.

“Grand Elder, if the demon race activates the Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation, where exactly will the Golden Winged Roc’s avatar end up?” Ming Kong inquired with curiosity.

“That’s up to chance, but rest assured, it will be very, very, very far from our cultivation world,” Xu Fan replied.

He emphasized “very far” three times to highlight the effectiveness of the disruption formation.

Ming Kong nodded, pleased with the explanation.

Then, Xu Fan turned to Ming Kong with a question of his own. “Did Upper Zun leave any backup plans before ascending?”

Given the long-standing rivalry between the human race and the beast race, Xu Fan found it hard to believe that the humans hadn’t prepared for such scenarios.

Ming Kong gave a bitter smile at the question.

“Indeed, he did. In fact, Upper Zun even foresaw that both he and the Golden Winged Roc would be forced to ascend.”

“According to his plan, his avatar was supposed to return to the cultivation world within a century after their forced ascension.”

“But things have gone awry. We can’t reach the upper realm using the celestial tool Upper Zun left behind, not even with the help of the Master of the Artifact Hall.”

Ming Kong’s tone was tinged with frustration. Without this setback, the human race wouldn’t be so apprehensive about the Golden Winged Roc’s avatar.

“So, there’s been a complication,” Xu Fan mused, understanding the situation.

Xu Fan then gestured lightly towards the air, creating ripples that spread out like waves on water.

The disruption formation sprang to life, its intricate lines glowing vividly in the Extreme Void Domain.

“The formation is now locking onto the Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation at a specific frequency. All we need to do is have someone periodically replace the used spirit stones,” Xu Fan explained.

“That’s manageable,” Ming Kong agreed with a nod.

As they were preparing to leave, the disruption formation suddenly flared up, emitting a series of unusual waves in a different direction.

Xu Fan quickly turned his attention back to the formation.

“This is odd. Based on my calculations, the beast race shouldn’t be able to complete their Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation for at least five more years. How are they initiating teleportation now?”

“Great Master, has the disruption formation been activated?” Ming Kong asked urgently.

“It has, but the energy waves it’s emitting are definitely not normal,” Xu Fan replied, his expression serious as he scrutinized the formation.

Just then, a sharp, clear sound, like shattering glass, echoed through the air.

The disruption formation then completely shattered.

“The Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation has been enhanced by a higher power. It’s likely that the Golden Winged Roc’s avatar has already descended,” Xu Fan stated calmly, acknowledging the unexpected turn of events.

The disruption formation, which had just been completed, was now utterly destroyed in an instant.

Ming Kong sighed deeply.

“It seems we have no choice but to activate the second contingency plan left by Upper Zun.”

“Great Master, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“Go ahead, Elder Ming Kong,” Xu Fan nodded, his gaze lingering on the remnants of the disruption formation, his mind racing with thoughts.

The power required to obliterate the disruption formation so easily must be at least at the true immortal level or higher.

Meanwhile, within the demon race’s Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation, the Golden Winged Roc, in human form, emerged slowly.

Outside the formation, all the beasts knelt down, bowing their heads in submission.

The Purple Jade Flood Dragon and the Golden Devourer Tiger, leading the group, were visibly thrilled.

During the Golden Winged Roc’s absence, they had struggled against the human race.

With the avatar’s arrival, the beast race’s dominance over the two realms seemed imminent.

“Setting up a Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation took you this long? What use are you?”

“If it weren’t for a senior from my Golden Winged Roc clan passing by, who knows when I would have descended—perhaps not until the next monkey or horse year,” the Golden Winged Roc said sharply, his gaze sweeping over the assembled beasts.

“You’ve done well over the years; you’ve even managed to lose my unhatched child.”