Chapter 734: Sky City Of Spirit Stones

After Senior Apprentice Brother Chu left, Li Fan mulled over his words, a thoughtful expression on his face.

In his memories, the Ji family had sent many of his peers to different sects. Li Fan was almost certain that the story of having no contact for years was nothing more than a cover.

Ji Zhaoxuan was undoubtedly a spy sent by the Ji family to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Perhaps "spy" wasn't quite the right word. The World Commerce Guild had no real adversarial relationship with the Heavenly Sword Sect.

To trade with people across the world, secret intelligence is crucial. The Ji Family likely uses such methods to quickly learn of events in the Xuanhuang World, and profit from them.

Seen this way, news of the Heavenly Sword Sect forging a World-Breaching Divine Armament might not spread to everyone. Price-gouging and profit above all else are the true nature of merchants, after all.

Taiyuan Essence Gold...

Li Fan's eyes narrowed.

To complete a scenario of the Fallen Immortal Realm, he needed to find the master of the spacetime of lingering obsession and resolve their obsession.

From the clues gathered so far, Ji Zhaoxuan seemed to be the target.

What was his obsession?

Li Fan calmed his mind and searched through the emotions embedded in this body.

When he recalled the Ji Family, he sensed a deeply buried resentment and a hunger for vengeance.

Forced to leave home as a child... that alone could breed resentment.

It’s worth a try.

His thoughts raced, and within moments Li Fan had devised a plan to take revenge on the Ji Family.

The next day, Li Fan contacted Senior Brother Chu again.

"Oh, Junior Brother Ji, have you finally come around?" The man sounded somewhat excited.

Li Fan nodded.

"That's the way. You are family after all; there’s no need to keep holding onto grudges. I'll prepare immediately, and we'll return to the headquarters of the World Commerce Guild together.

"When the time comes, if you successfully become sect leader, don't forget me, eh." Senior Brother Chu had shed his earlier arrogance entirely, turning almost sycophantic.

Not long after, using the excuse of searching for Taiyuan Essence Gold, the two left the Heavenly Sword Sect's mountain gate and headed for the Ji Family.

To avoid detection, they took a roundabout route at Senior Brother Chu's suggestion.

Half a month later, they reached their destination.

A city in the sky, built entirely from top-grade spirit stones, floated above a sprawling market district below.

Cultivators and merchants came and went in an endless stream, and every eye that lifted toward that gleaming city carried a trace of envy.

The World Bazaar was sealed by an array that barred flight, and entry required a fee.

The moment they stepped through, spiritual qi of exceptional purity washed over them, richer even than that of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Senior Brother Chu let out a sigh of admiration. "Worthy of the number one guild under heaven. Truly magnificent."

He led Li Fan past countless shops until they reached a grand mansion at the very center of the market.

The plaque above the entrance read: "The Ji Family Traverses the World."

A Golden Core cultivator in fine silk robes stepped forward to block their path as they approached. "Fellow Daoists," he said pleasantly, "do you have an invitation?"

Senior Brother Chu snorted coldly. "An invitation? Look more carefully. Why would someone need an invitation to return home?"

The silk-robed cultivator blinked, then studied Senior Brother Chu with care.

"What are you looking at me for? It's this person beside me!" Senior Brother Chu snapped, his expression darkening as he gestured toward Li Fan.

The cultivator shifted his gaze.

He didn't grow angry. Instead, a slight frown creased his brow, as though he were trying to place something. Then his eyes widened.

"Please wait here."

He turned and hurried into the Ji Manor. Before long, a middle-aged cultivator with a square, broad face led a group of cultivators out. His gaze landed on Li Fan, his expression carefully unreadable.

"Zhaoxuan, why have you come back? Don't tell me you violated the sect rules and were expelled?" His voice carried no warmth, no relief at seeing a family member after years apart. Only a flat, direct reprimand.

Senior Brother Chu moved to smooth things over, but Li Fan spoke first. "And who are you? I've been away too long. I don't recall."

The square-faced cultivator's composure cracked. "Insolent wretch! Is that how you speak to your own father?"

Li Fan's eyes narrowed, his face unchanged. "Prove it."

The man's face flushed crimson. Pressure rolled off him like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Behind him, the Ji Manor cultivators traded uneasy glances, studying Li Fan with open curiosity.

Li Fan remained entirely unmoved. He exhaled softly, and in an instant, over a hundred streams of sword qi blazed out in every color, circling him in a slow, luminous halo.

"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Everyone, please calm down!" Senior Brother Chu threw himself between them, waving his hands.

"I am Chu Zongyi, a hereditary disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Junior Brother Ji and I were carrying out a mission outside and passed by the World Bazaar. Since this is Junior Brother Ji's home, we thought to stop by and visit." He got the words out in a rush.

Ji Zhaoxuan's father paused. His eyes moved to the hundreds of sword qi streams still circling Li Fan.

Slowly, he withdrew his aura. "Come in."

Chu Zongyi let out a quiet breath of relief. He took Li Fan by the arm and followed him into the manor.

They wound their way deep through the compound and arrived at a side hall well within the interior.

Ji Zhaoxuan's father took his seat at the head of the room, dismissed the others, and asked in a low voice, "Speak. What is the real purpose of your visit?"

Chu Zongyi opened his mouth to answer, but Li Fan stopped him. "You are not qualified to hear it," Li Fan said, his face expressionless. "Send for the Patriarch."

Standing again in the Ji family home, long-buried memories stirred in him. Li Fan understood that the man before him, Ji Zhaoxuan's father, Ji Shiwen, was merely the supervisor overseeing the World Bazaar. Within the Ji family itself, he held no real power.

True authority rested with the Patriarch, Ji Wangxian, a cultivator who had reached Dao Unity years ago and built the World Commerce Guild with his own hands. His true cultivation level was beyond imagining.

"You..." Ji Shiwen's eyes flashed with barely suppressed fury.

But when his gaze met Li Fan's, an involuntary shiver ran through him. That gaze was utterly still, utterly emotionless.

After a long silence, he swallowed his anger back down.

"Wait here." He grunted, stamped his foot against the floor, and shot upward as a streak of light toward the spirit stone city in the sky.

"Junior Brother Ji," Chu Zongyi said quietly, "he is still your father. Was that really necessary?"

"It only makes us look more confident," Li Fan said with a faint smile.

Chu Zongyi laughed awkwardly and let the matter drop.

As they waited, Li Fan's attention drifted to the patterns carved into the walls of the hall. Something about them tugged at him.

Wait. These resemble the emblem of the Wanfa Trade Association back in the real world. Different in some ways, but similar enough.

There must be some connection between the two.

He didn't have long to dwell on it. Ji Shiwen returned, his face dark.

"Follow me."

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