Chapter 767: Chapter 730: Spirit Stone Heaven City
After Brother Chu left, Li Fan pondered over his words, a playful expression on his face.
Li Fan seemed to recall that his family, the Ji, had sent many of their kin into different sects. Li Fan could almost be sure that the lack of contact over the years was nothing more than a ruse.
Ji Zhaoyuan must be a spy sent by the Ji family to the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Perhaps referring to him as a “spy” isn’t exactly appropriate. After all, the World Commerce Association doesn’t have a real conflict with the Heavenly Sword Sect.
“Merchants travel the world picking up all manner of secrets, which are vital. It’s probably through such methods that the Ji family swiftly gets wind of various happenings in the Xuanhuang World, thereby profiting.”
“By that logic, the news of the Heavenly Sword Sect forging the Riftforge Celestial Armament might not be widely known. After all, the nature of a merchant is to leverage information for profit.”
“[Essence Gold of the Primal Source]…”
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed.
To end the scene in the Fallen Immortal Realm, he had to find the master who maintained this space of lingering desires and resolve his obsession.
From the clues he currently had, it seemed that Ji Zhaoyuan was the target.
“What is his obsession?”
Li Fan quieted his mind, recalling the various emotions attached to his body.
When recalling the Ji family, the deep-seated feelings of resentment and the desire for revenge were keenly captured by Li Fan.
“Forced to leave home from a young age, such feelings of resentment aren’t surprising.”
“It is worth giving it a try.”
His thoughts quickly shifting, Li Fan immediately thought of a method to seek revenge on the Ji family.
The next day, Li Fan again contacted Brother Chu.
“Oh, have you finally come around, Junior Brother Ji?” The other party appeared to be excited.
Li Fan nodded.
“That’s better. We are all family. There is no grudge that cannot be overcome. I will prepare right now and head back to the headquarters of the World Commerce Association with you.”
“When you become the Sect Leader one day, don’t forget about me.” Brother Chu changed from his previous arrogant attitude, even appearing a bit flatteringly.
Before too long, under the guise of a mission to seek out [Essence Gold of the Primal Source], the two of them left the mountains of the Heavenly Sword Sect to head towards the Ji family.
To avoid arousing suspicion, following Brother Chu’s suggestion, they took a circuitous route.
Half a month later, they finally arrived at their destination.
A celestial city built purely from Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Floating over a bustling market. Cultivators and merchants were coming and going endlessly, everyone who looked up to notice the city of Spirit Stones in the sky had an envious expression in their eyes.
The city of the World Commerce Association was enveloped in an Array Technique, prohibiting flight by cultivators and requiring a certain fee to enter.
As soon as they entered, the extremely pure Spiritual Energy rushed towards them. It was even richer than at the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Unable to resist praising, Brother Chu said, “As expected of the top business association in the world, how magnificent.”
Taking Li Fan through numerous shops, they finally arrived in front of a grand mansion at the center of the city.
The plaque at the top bore four large characters: [Ji Travel the World].
Seeing Li Fan and Chu approaching, a Golden Core Cultivator dressed in a brocade robe at the entrance came to stop them.
With a pleasant face, he asked, “Do the two of you have invitations?”
Brother Chu snorted coldly, “Invitations? You have no discernment! Do you need an invitation to go home?”
The brocade-robed cultivator was stunned and took a closer look at Brother Chu.
“What are you looking at me for? It’s this one beside me!” His face filled with annoyance, he pointed at Li Fan.
The brocade-robed Cultivator then shifted his gaze.
He didn’t seem angry but rather furrowed his brows, as if pondering over something.
After a short while, his face was filled with shock.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
He hurriedly walked into the Ji’s Mansion.
In no time, a middle-aged cultivator with a large square face leading a group of cultivators came out.
His gaze fell on Li Fan, but no changes could be seen on the square-faced cultivator’s expression.
“Zhao Xuan, why have you come back? Did you violate any rules and got expelled from the sect?” Instead of showing the joy of seeing a long lost relative, he rebuked him.
Brother Chu was about to smooth things over, but heard Li Fan directly retort, “Who are you? I have been away from home for so long, I don’t remember you!”
The square-faced cultivator turned furious, “How dare you! How could you speak to your father this way!”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged, “How do you prove it?”
The square-faced cultivator’s face turned crimson almost instantly.
The pressure emanating from him was like a volcano ready to erupt.
The cultivators of the Ji Mansion who were standing behind him all wore strange expressions, scrutinizing Li Fan.
But Li Fan maintained his composure. With a light sigh, hundreds of differently colored Sword Energies flashed out and hovered around him.
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Brother Chu quickly intervened, “Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! Everyone, calm down!”
“I am Chu Zongyi, a true disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Junior Brother Ji and I were on a mission and were passing through the city. Since this is Junior Brother Ji’s home, we thought we could visit.” He hastily explained.
The father of Ji Zhaoyuan paused when he heard this, glancing at the hundreds of Sword Energies hovering around Li Fan, his eyes filled with intrigue.
Slowly suppressing his aura, he snorted, “Come in.”
Only then did Chu Zongyi give a sigh of relief, dragging Li Fan along as they entered the Ji Mansion.
After a winding route, they finally arrived before a splendid inner hall in the depths.
Ji Zhaoyuan’s father was seated at the top, dismissing everyone else, before sternly asking, “Speak, what brings both of you here?”
Just as Chu Zongyi was about to respond, he was cut off by Li Fan.
“You’re not qualified. Let the old patriarch come.” Li Fan said this expressionlessly.
Upon returning to the Ji family, the dust-covered memories seemed to be gradually awakening as well.
Li Fan knew that Ji Shiwen, Ji Zhaoyuan’s father who was seated before him, was merely in charge of the World Commerce Marketplace. He didn’t actually hold significant authority in the Ji family.
The real person in control of the Ji Family was their patriarch, Ji Wangxian.
He had already become an Integration Cultivator several years prior, single-handedly built the World Commerce Association, and whose real cultivation was incalculable.
“You…” A twinge of barely suppressed anger flashed in Ji Shiwen’s eyes.
However, when he saw Li Fan’s emotionless gaze meeting his own, he felt a sudden chill in his heart.
After a long contemplation, he finally managed to suppress his anger again.
“Wait here.”
He snorted, and with a swift stomp of his foot, he transformed into a beam of light and flew to the Spirit Stone City in the sky.
“Junior Brother Ji, after all, he is your father, don’t you think…?” Chu Zongyi asked quietly.
Li Fan just smiled, “By doing so, doesn’t it make us seem more confident?”
Seeing Li Fan not seeming to care at all, Brother Chu awkwardly smiled, not knowing what else to say.
While waiting, Li Fan observed that the patterns inside the hall looked familiar.
“Hm? They resembles those from the real world Wanfa Commerce Association. But there are some differences.”
Li Fan contemplated.
“It seems that there is a connection between the two.”
After a short wait, Ji Shiwen returned.
“Follow me.” He said with a gloomy face.