Chapter 498

Chapter 498

Li Fan squinted his eyes.

Seeing the vast discrepancy in the itemized list that Zhou Kebao, this chubby man, sent him, Li Fan suppressed his initial urge to act out and instead calmed himself.

A slight adjustment had led to a 50% discrepancy in quantity.

This only meant that the actual number of materials was far greater than what he had in hand.

Although there had been some corruption and embezzlement within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance recently, everyone at least made an effort to cover it up—putting on a facade to conceal their actions.

But to be this blatant, to the point of being utterly shameless?

Rebuilding a whole Immortal City is a huge task. Yet, for someone like Zhou Kebao to skim off the top so blatantly, right in front of Li Fan, the acting Island Lord, and with such large quantities...

There could only be one explanation: the people behind this were targeting Li Fan directly.

That’s right. Li Fan’s appointment as the acting Island Lord may have been legitimate and lawful.

However, that doesn’t prevent someone from exploiting this, launching a conspiracy against him the moment they learned of his appointment.

Perhaps it was for him personally, or perhaps for the massive amount of contribution points associated with him.

Up until now, everything Li Fan had done—from trading rare Samantabhadra True Leaves to gathering and reinvesting the contributions of other cultivators—had been in the open, not intentionally concealed.

Except for his dealings with the empire, every transaction he had made was traceable.

It didn’t take precise calculations; even a rough estimate would reveal the staggering amount of contribution points currently in Li Fan’s possession.

With so much at stake, it was no wonder someone had taken notice of him.

Aside from wealth, there was also resentment.

Tantai Can, who suffered a loss during the Samantabhadra True Leaf speculation incident, might also be fanning the flames in this situation.

People often act only after thorough planning. As his thoughts raced, Li Fan’s gaze swept back over the list.

After a while, he nodded slightly and carefully put the list away.

At the same time, he asked casually, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, besides this list, is there anything else you need to hand over?"

"No, nothing more." Zhou Kebao smiled broadly and shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing this, Li Fan sneered inwardly.

However, he didn’t confront him yet. Instead, he cupped his hands and said, "Rebuilding the Immortal City is a matter of great importance, involving many aspects. It’s extremely complex. I need to carefully consider the specifics."

Li Fan pretended to ponder for a moment, then said, "How about this: I’ll make some preparations first. When it’s time to officially start the work, I’ll contact you, Fellow Daoist Zhou!"

Li Fan had encountered many of these people before. He had always assumed they were just ordinary wandering cultivators, not realizing they held official positions.

Most of the nodes had dimmed, indicating that these cultivators had either perished or were out of contact.

But the number of active cultivators remaining was still quite substantial.

"It seems the main force for rebuilding the Immortal City will have to come from this group."

"However, the quality of these people varies greatly, and I only know most of them in passing. How can I select the right ones?"

Li Fan frowned, eliminating from consideration the cultivators who had already been captured by the Five Elders Association.

He carefully reviewed the remaining cultivators.

Suddenly, his gaze paused on one of the cultivators.

"Hmm, this person..."

An idea instantly formed in Li Fan’s mind.

---

In a hidden cave somewhere in the Congyun Sea.

Gao Yuan, who had been in seclusion, suddenly woke up from a nightmare.

The other day, the Five Elders Association had attacked the Congyun Sea, forcibly taking the Ten Thousand Immortals Island and causing the deaths of hundreds of cultivators.

Gao Yuan had narrowly escaped the disaster by being away on business at the time.

However, the terrifying scene of those cultivators’ deaths had burned into his mind, becoming his inner demon.

"I didn’t expect the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to be so incompetent. They couldn’t even defend an Immortal City from being taken, and instead, they locked down the Congyun Sea and vented their frustrations on their own people."

"And to think I’ve been loyally guarding the gates of the Ministry of Governance for decades..."

"Maybe I should join the Five Elders Association instead..."

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Gao Yuan couldn’t help but think this way.

Just then, the official communication talisman, which he had assumed would never activate again, suddenly lit up.

Gao Yuan’s heart raced. He thought his treacherous thoughts had been discovered so quickly.

But when he nervously picked up the talisman and checked it, his face showed an odd expression of excitement.

"Acting Island Lord Li Fan?"