Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 609 Reunion with Song Tianren! Betrayal!

Chen Fan stood still in the hall, neither kneeling nor bowing, but simply cupping his hands slightly towards Li Jiuyuan, his posture arrogant and nonchalant.

Far from being angry, Li Jiuyuan looked him over with interest, his voice low and hoarse as he spoke: "So you're Gui Muzi? You certainly have an unruly nature. Pei Qian has already told you what I meant. Of those people you've killed on the outskirts these past few days, some were my spies planted on the reef island. Originally, I intended to send someone to take your life, but Pei Qian said you were a promising talent, so I changed my mind. Demon Abyss Island is currently experiencing some friction with another force, and we're in dire need of manpower. I need someone like you. As long as you're willing to stay on the island, I will never mistreat you. Cultivation techniques, elixirs, demonic artifacts—whatever you want, I'll give you."

After listening to him, Chen Fan was silent for a moment, then grinned and said, "The island lord is so kind to me, it would be ungrateful of me to refuse. Alright, I'll stay. But I'll make it clear beforehand: if the island lord ever needs my help, please don't hesitate to ask. But I don't like being bossed around, so please don't send anyone to bother me."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuyuan laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Good! I like straightforward people like you. Pei Qian, take Gui Muzi to the East Hall to choose a good cave dwelling, and provide him with all the treatment befitting an elder."

Pei Qian bowed and accepted the order, and was about to leave with his men.

But then Chen Fan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His face still wore that arrogant expression, but his divine sense had already spread out silently, catching a sense of unease in the direction of the side door of the main hall.

That aura was restrained yet sharp, like a demonic blade hidden in its sheath, so sharp that no one dared to approach.

Song Tianren.

Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged, but as he turned around, he glanced in that direction out of the corner of his eye.

The side door was half-open, and a figure as black as ink stood behind it with his hands behind his back, his indifferent black eyes scrutinizing him with a half-smile.

Their eyes met in mid-air for less than a moment before Song Tianren looked away, clearly treating Gui Muzi as just an ordinary rogue demonic cultivator and not paying him much attention.

Chen Fan followed Pei Qianchao out of the palace without changing his expression, but his heart was already churning with turmoil.

What is Song Tianren doing here?

After his cultivation was selected, he went straight back to the Boundless Sea. Was his visit to Demon Abyss Island a side trip or did he have another purpose?

If it's just passing by, that's fine, but if it's coming specifically for me...

Chen Fan walked silently behind Pei Qian, his mind racing through all sorts of possibilities.

It's a bit too much of a coincidence that Song Tianren appeared in Li Jiuyuan's lair shortly after he accepted the mission to kill Li Jiuyuan in the capital of Zhao.

He had been a eunuch in the palace for decades, and the last thing he believed in was coincidence.

Behind every seemingly coincidental event, there is an unseen hand manipulating things.

He was almost certain that Zhao Yu had tipped him off.

After learning that he had accepted the mission to the Boundless Sea, the vengeful fourth prince most likely informed Song Tianren in secret.

Song Tianren came to Demon Abyss Island not to reminisce with Li Jiuyuan, but to wait for Chen Fan to walk into his trap.

Li Jiuyuan's eagerness to recruit him was probably not entirely due to his admiration for his methods. For an island lord in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm to treat a rogue cultivator in the early stages of the Core Formation realm with such courtesy was already somewhat unusual.

If Li Jiuyuan already knows Chen Fan's whereabouts from Song Tianren, then the purpose of recruiting Gui Muzi is obvious!

Demon Abyss Island is currently at odds with another force and is in dire need of manpower. The more capable rogue cultivators there are, the stronger the fighting force will be.

More importantly, Li Jiuyuan may not have been unaware that Gui Muzi was a potential candidate for Chen Fan.

Having figured out these key points, Chen Fan was no longer flustered.

He was never afraid of being schemed against; he was only afraid of not knowing what others were scheming against.

Now that we've guessed seven or eight out of ten, things will be much easier!

The enemy thought they were in the shadows, but in reality, it was Chen Fan who was hiding there.

He infiltrated Demon Abyss Island under the guise of Gui Muzi, keeping a close eye on Li Jiuyuan and Song Tianren's every move. As long as he didn't reveal his true identity, this cat-and-mouse game could continue.

Afterwards, Pei Qian arranged for him to stay in a rather spacious cave in the East Hall.

The cave was filled with demonic energy, and the layout was quite elaborate. Several fist-sized luminous pearls were embedded in the stone walls, and a futon woven from demonic vines was placed in the corner. A small demon-gathering array next to the futon was slowly operating, continuously drawing in the surrounding demonic energy.

Chen Fan casually set up two isolation barriers at the cave entrance, and then secretly added an invisible trapping array using the Fixation Technique before sitting cross-legged on the futon and closing his eyes to rest.

……

For the next two days, Chen Fan stayed secluded on Demon Abyss Island, meditating and cultivating every day, occasionally venturing out to wander around the island and familiarize himself with the terrain and formation layout.

The demonic cultivators on the island had varying attitudes toward this newly arrived guest elder. Some were curious, some were wary, and a few foolish ones tried to test his background, but they were all turned away by his aloof and unyielding demeanor.

Pei Qian had visited twice, bringing some pills and magical artifacts. He was quite polite in his words, but he was also subtly trying to find out about his background.

Chen Fan brushed it off with the common excuse of rogue cultivators from the Boundless Sea, and Pei Qian didn't ask any further questions.

On the evening of the third day, Chen Fan opened his eyes from his cultivation, and his divine sense quietly spread out.

Centered on his cave dwelling, all movements within a radius of several hundred feet could be sensed. In the council hall on the other side of the palace, Li Jiuyuan and Song Tianren were talking.

The two used a soundproof barrier to conceal their conversation, but the barrier was useless against Chen Fan's word-fixing technique.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, a wisp of grayish-white light silently pierced through the barrier, transmitting every word of their conversation into his mind.

"Is the Chen Fan that Fellow Daoist Song mentioned really coming to my Demon Abyss Island?" Li Jiuyuan's voice was deep and hoarse.

"He accepted the mission to kill you in the Hall of Offerings, and the contribution points are not low. Your head is probably a piece of fat meat in his eyes. Based on my understanding of this person, since he dared to accept the mission, he will definitely come. However, he is cautious and may not swagger onto the island head-on. It is more likely that he will disguise himself and sneak in, waiting for an opportunity to strike." Song Tianren's voice was still lazy, but it revealed a sense of certainty.

"Oh?" Li Jiuyuan paused for a moment, then laughed. "That's interesting. I just recruited a rogue cultivator a couple of days ago, named Gui Muzi. He's ruthless and eccentric, somewhat similar to Chen Fan, whom Fellow Daoist Song described. However, Gui Muzi cultivates authentic demonic arts; his demonic energy is incredibly pure, unlike a righteous cultivator in disguise. Why don't you take a look yourself, Fellow Daoist Song?"

Song Tianren said calmly, "No need. I've already seen that Gui Muzi once, and his demonic aura is indeed genuine. He's probably picked up demonic traits naturally from spending too much time in the rogue cultivator circle, so there's no need to make a fuss. Besides, isn't the island lord currently short of manpower? This kind of ruthless person is exactly what we need. As for Chen Fan... Island lord, rest assured, I came to Demon Abyss Island specifically to wait for him. If he doesn't come, fine, but if he dares to come, I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive."