Chapter 550: 522

“Before I told you about this, young brother, the only ones who knew about it were the Sect Leader and myself. There was no third person.”

“So, young brother, you must keep this secret for me,” said Sister Zhao in a mysterious tone.

A deadly crisis suddenly surged in Li Fan’s heart.

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through his spirit consciousness. His body momentarily became rigid, but quickly returned to normal.

He stroked Sister Zhao’s smooth and fair back, as if it was only natural and said: “Of course. When I first heard the news, I was shocked, and found it hard to believe.”

“Not to mention the elders. If they knew about this, they would certainly come forward to stop it.”

“Even with the aid of the Sect Leader, compared to the old folks, our power is simply too weak, Sister Zhao. We should accumulate strength, keep a low profile and strive to prevail in one fell swoop,” advised Li Fan, who was deeply involved in the matter.

But Sister Zhao was silent, lying quietly in Li Fan’s arms, unmoving, as if she was asleep.

“By the way, Sister Zhao, how did Sect Leader Ji suddenly come up with the idea of passing his position to you?” After a long silence, Li Fan could not help but ask.

“Who knows? The thoughts of these old antiques are always so unpredictable. Perhaps, he is on the verge of achieving immortality and doesn’t want to deal with the mess of the Great Taoist Sect anymore,” said Sister Zhao in a languid voice as she changed her lying position.

“After all, the world is becoming more chaotic. What the Ten Great Immortal Sects hold in the eyes of an Immortal expert is more of a fetter than actual value…”

Gradually, Sister Zhao’s voice dwindled until it was barely audible.

Seeing that she didn’t seem to want to continue, Li Fan didn’t dare to press further.

He simply resumed his cultivation.

Indulging in a moment of joy.

—————–

Li Fan knew that since the day Sister Zhao walked out from the Sect Main Hall, she had been a little different.

But this was merely a vague intuition, without any concrete evidence.

In the following days, which were filled with daily routines and companionship, he didn’t notice anything abnormal about Sister Zhao, whom he had accompanied for hundreds of years.

But…

Li Fan was still very sure that something about her was changing slowly over time.

However, where did this persistent sense of crisis in his heart come from?

Even if Sister Zhao was keeping something from him, it appeared that her feelings for him were genuine.

If she became the Sect Leader of the Great Taoist Sect, he would be her Dao companion.

This was not just any small Daoist faction, but the prestigious Great Taoist Sect that shook the entire Immortal Cultivation World.

Then, he would truly be second only to one person, and above countless others.

Even in his previous ambitions, he had not dared to hope for such a position.

Now, riches and honor were within grasp with the help of Sister Zhao!

Where did things go wrong?

Li Fan subconsciously felt that he seemed to have forgotten something important.

But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t remember.

All he could do was to live an ordinary life while secretly investigating.

Time flew by, and three years passed.

During these three years, thanks to the joint efforts of many cultivators from the Immortal Dao Ten Clans, a method was finally found to eliminate the [Immortal Plague] that was lingering in heaven and earth.

Thus, a large-scale “clearing action” began.

Each of the surviving Daoist sects had to send cultivators to various places in the Xuan Huang World to perform the task of eliminating the [Immortal Plague].

The duo of Sister Zhao and Li Fan, who had always been doing tough jobs, simply because Sister Zhao was already confirmed as the next Sect Leader candidate, were naturally not sent down the mountain by Sect Leader Ji.

Instead, another team of five true disciples was sent out.

Li Fan, who got a free ride, stayed in the sect and enjoyed the peace.

As time passed day by day, even being in the sect, Li Fan could sense that the environment in the Xuan Huang World seemed to be getting better.

“After great calamity comes great governance. I hope the Heaven and Earth Tribulation will pass soon, and we can welcome the flourishing era of cultivation once again!”

Inside the sect, Li Fan could occasionally hear the disciples making such a wish.

As the [Immortal Plague] gradually dissipated, Sister Zhao also got busy.

It seemed that she was about to formally take over the position of Sect Leader of the Great Taoist Sect, and she kept attending various meetings.

All attendees were respected Elders inside the Great Taoist Sect.

Getting their approval was not easy.

Li Fan often saw some elders leaving the meeting with furious expressions on their faces.

But Sister Zhao told Li Fan not to worry.

More and more Elders were being persuaded to agree to her succeeding the position of Sect Leader.

“Soon, I will become the real Sect Leader of the Great Taoist Sect,” smiled Sister Zhao.

Regarding this matter, Li Fan was not even slightly worried.

Instead, his long-standing fear became more intense.

Not only in Sister Zhao, but in the entire Taoist Sect, something that made him feel uneasy and indescribable was happening.

Even though he sensed what might be happening, Li Fan was unable to get to the bottom of it.

Thus, Li Fan, powerless to make changes, became increasingly restless and agitated.

Sister Zhao, who slept beside him, naturally noticed his emotional changes.

Luckily, Li Fan chalked it up to the increasing number of falling stars in the sky.

Originally, they thought that after the [Immortal Plague] was cleared, cultivators would be able to live a peaceful life for a while.

Who would have thought that not long after, there was another anomaly in heaven and earth.

Before, the “death proclamation” that Li Fan and Sister Zhao had seen would only randomly appear in the sky whenever a cultivator fell.

But now, the “random” was turning into some kind of “inevitability”.

Moreover, the scope and impact of the anomaly were slowly strengthening.

When an Integration Cultivator fell, the resulting scene could almost cover tens of thousands of miles of sky.

What was even more terrifying was that the anxiety and unease in the hearts of all the cultivators who witnessed the “death proclamation” were being constantly stimulated.

Even those who had already given up on cultivating and only wanted to muddle along and live to their last days.

After day by day, witnessing the phenomena created by fallen cultivators in the sky above their heads…

Various emotions began to breed in their hearts.

Sadness over others’ misfortune, resentment, confusion, anger…

When even within the Great Taoist Sect, there were cultivators falling due to their lifespan runing out…

A bizarre atmosphere started to spread within the sect.

It was under these circumstances that Sister Zhao officially succeeded and became the Sect Leader of the Great Taoist Sect.

All seventeen Elders unanimously agreed with the decision of the previous leader, Sect Leader Ji.

This astonished many disciples who were prepared to watch the drama unfold.

At the same time, the unease in Li Fan’s heart reached its peak.