Chapter 139: Chapter 138: Baize Immortal City (Congratulations in Silver!)_1
The characteristic of demon skills is that magic power progresses especially swiftly!
Moreover, they possess powerful killing strength and carry various strange secret skills!
The side effect is that it easily causes cultivators to experience drastic changes in their nature, and may even lead to deviating into madness!
Fang Xi wasn’t too interested in the "Blood Fiend Demon Art," focusing only on several secret skills that came with it.
The "Blood Demon Slash" required magic power cultivated through the Blood Fiend Demon Art as a foundation, which Fang Xi couldn’t achieve.
But another skill, the "Blood Burning Escape Skill," could consume one’s essence blood to transform into a streak of blood light and flee at an incredibly fast speed. It’s said that, when used by someone in the Qi Refining Stage, they could escape from the hands of someone at the early stages of Foundation Establishment. Fang Xi felt he could learn it.
After all, he was currently at the fourth layer of body refining, with an abundance of the power of Qi and Blood. His essence blood was plentiful and he didn’t fear consumption.
"It’s a pity... there’s not the kind of secret skill I imagined, where one could gain formidable power by consuming their lifespan..."
Fang Xi felt somewhat regretful.
He currently had a long life and did not mind the consumption, after all, he could plant trees later on!
"Perhaps there is such a thing in Baize Immortal City, I’ll have to keep an eye out in the future..."
Furthermore, included in the back of the Blood Fiend Demon Art was a Chapter on Corpse Refining Skills, which Fang Xi found quite fascinating.
The ancestor of the Situ Family—Situ Nine, was originally a renowned demon cultivator specializing in the Corpse Refining Skills!
Even the heritage of the Situ Family consisted of a batch of refined corpses, among them were even those comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage known as Flying Rigidity!
Although Fang Xi wasn’t fond of refining corpses, truth be told, because of the Monster Tree, he had considerable experience in this area.
Demon Servants could be said to be puppets, and in fact, they weren’t much different from refined corpses.
Although the Corpse Refining Skills that Situ Ying studied on his own did not receive the true transmission, the methods of controlling the corpses he presented did give Fang Xi a moment of enlightenment.
A Puppet Master controlling a large number of puppets and a demon cultivator commanding numerous refined corpses have their parallels in ingenuity.
The stronger the Divine Consciousness of a cultivator, the greater the benefits in this area!
He had never forgotten his Puppet Army Plan!
Moreover, in the future when killing demons to extract their cores, there would inevitably be a large amount of Foundation Establishment monster materials left behind. It would be a real waste not to exploit them with the Monster Tree.
’Once I establish my foundation, and have a group of Foundation Establishment puppets... I should be able to assert dominance in the nearby three countries, right?’
’Forget it, forget it, dominating and tyrannizing isn’t my style... Focus on foundation establishment first, establish the foundation first...’
...
After half a month.
Having proceeded with stops and detours, deliberately making a large circle, Fang Xi finally arrived at Baize Immortal City, which is adjacent to the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range according to the map’s guidance!
Within a thousand li of this fairy city, the land is a vast wilderness, with very few villages cultivated by mortals.
After all, it’s too close to the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. Occasionally, monster beasts that slip through the net emerge, making for an extremely harsh environment unsuitable for mortals to live in.
As Fang Xi flew his Black Feather Boat over a mountain peak, he suddenly stopped.
In front of him lay a vast fairy city, situated at the end of the horizon, emitting five-color Xia Light!
Sequence upon sequence of city walls, built around the central snow-white mountain peak, the walls covered in all sorts of talisman imprints and traces of spiritual light.
A throng of immortal cultivators, some on foot, some on magical artifacts, and some on Spiritual Beasts, formed a bustling crowd at the city gates.
For a moment, it almost made Fang Xi feel as if he had returned to the mortal realm.
This is a city composed entirely of cultivators!
"Third-rank Spiritual Vein—White Peak Mountain?!"
Fang Xi looked at the snow-white mountain peak at the center, muttering to himself.
Just by getting closer to Baize Immortal City, he could already feel a sort of oppressive force coming in waves.
Without a doubt, it came from the Sect Guarding Array of Baize Immortal City!
"A third-rank array has fully integrated with the local spiritual veins, possessing the ability to form its own world..."
Fang Xi recalled phrases from his Array Skill Inheritance, comparing each with the environment of Baize Immortal City.
Within a third-rank array, one could easily lock down spiritual veins, assign different concentrations of spiritual energy to various areas, and even move cultivators through space!
The array path, after reaching the third rank, begins to produce extremely terrifying changes and leaps!
Take for instance, the Sect Guarding Array of Baize Immortal City. Because it has fused with this world, any damage that could be caused by a third-rank Prohibition-breaking Talisman would be minimized to a very low extent.
Even if one set off an explosion inside the array, it wouldn’t have a significant impact.
A third-rank talisman, however powerful, what is it against a world such as this?
This is the terror of a high-level forbidden array!
...
As Fang Xi approached closer to the walls of Baize Immortal City, he felt a subtle pressure on him, gradually getting heavier...
"Space Restriction?"
He smoothly descended from his Escape Light, retracted the Black Feather Boat, and walked towards the main gate of Baize Immortal City.
"Ladies and gentlemen... The entrance fee is one low-grade Spirit Stone per person. After nightfall, those without a fixed residence will be expelled from the city!"
At the city gates, there were patrolling guards in spirit armor, each with a cultivation level of the later stages of Qi Refining!
Fang Xi lined up obediently, waiting to enter the fairy city.
"How should I address this Sir?"
When it was his turn, Fang Xi directly reported his real name.
Anyway, he had no outstanding cases against him, nor was he a Demon Cultivator. His background was clear, and it was perfectly reasonable for him to come to Baize Immortal City in search of an opportunity for a breakthrough.
"So, it’s Mr. Fang. This is your identity token, please keep it safe!"
After receiving a Spirit Stone, the guard immediately provided a token engraved with Fang Xi’s identity information and allowed Fang Xi to enter Baize Immortal City.
"Phew..."
As soon as he entered the city area, Fang Xi felt that the surroundings were filled with pure spiritual energy, of a first-grade, superior rank, far surpassing his own Jadeite Cliff.
"It is said that Baize Immortal City is divided into three major areas: the Outer City with a spiritual energy concentration of first-grade, superior rank; the Inner City about second-grade... and the most core White Peak Mountain is a third-grade Spirit Land, tsk tsk..."
Fang Xi sighed and began to wander aimlessly within the Outer City of Baize.
Even though it was just the Outer City, the crisscrossing streets were much more bustling than the average market town.
One after another, shop after shop appeared in front of him, and Fang Xi just glanced around and saw several familiar signs:
’Hundred Tricks Tower’, ’Mingqing Loft’, ’Ten Thousand Seas Tower’...
"The Hundred Tricks Qi Family, Green Leaf Xu Family, and even the Song Family... They are all one of the seven great Foundation Establishment noble families of Yue Country. Oh, that’s not right, now there are only six left..."
Fang Xi silently recited the backing Foundation Establishment powers of these shops in his heart: "They are all... acquaintances!"
Qi Yingsong from the Hundred Tricks Tower once plotted for wealth and caused death, Fairy Yun Meng from the Green Leaf Xu Family captured Chen Ping, and that ’Blood Talisman Spirit Body’ genius’ current situation is unknown.
As for the Song Family, the ’Longevity Skills’ that Song Qing once gave did benefit Fang Xi a lot, but the other party definitely did not have good intentions!
’I wonder how many of those old faces from the market towns are still alive...’
’As for Shen Haoran from the Heaven Talismans Hall of the Shen Family... I’m afraid it’s likely that he has perished along with his family.’
However, apart from the shops set up by the Yue Country Foundation Establishment powers, Fang Xi also saw many more establishments selling elixirs, magical tools, and talismans.
After all, Baize Immortal City is situated at a tri-country junction, not merely doing business with the Cultivating Immortal Families of Yue Country!
Besides, within the Inner City, there are major commercial firms, some of which have backgrounds from the Mysterious Heaven Sect, Green Wood Sect, and Yiling Valley!
Exactly because it’s a place where fish and dragons are mixed, it’s all the more suitable for Individual Cultivators to survive, as well as for unloading illicit goods!
Fang Xi did not visit the shops first but went to the place in the city responsible for renting Dongfus, and leased one in the Outer City for ten years.
The business of renting out Dongfus in Baize Immortal City was always handled by the disciples of Master Bai Feng’s lineage, which meant they made money without much effort.
Especially the second-grade Spirit Lands of the Inner City, they were truly a mine of gold!
...
"Smoke Willow Lane, house number eighty-seven!"
With the talisman and map in hand, Fang Xi made his way to a lane in the Outer City.
This area seemed to be a Dongfu district, with courtyards scattered around, separated by tens of meters, each with its own unique entrance and dwelling. Each was shielded by its own array, ensuring excellent privacy.
’Cultivators all value their privacy, so this makes sense... it’s just that the land utilization rate is a bit low...’
Fang Xi mused to himself, found the eighty-seventh residence, and used the talisman to open the array.
He then pushed open the gate.
The courtyard was very quiet, with a small bridge over a stream, a beast pen, a warehouse, a cultivation room, a kitchen - all fully equipped.
"The array isn’t very impressive, just first-grade, inferior rank, at most hiding from outside eyes..."
After looking around, he planned to go back and set up his own array, as the standard one wasn’t of much use.
He also checked out the other furnishings and pondered the items he needed to buy before stepping out of the residence.
At that moment, the next-door residence happened to open, and two Cultivators stepped out.
One of the male Cultivators had reached the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, with a youthful face and crane-like hair, his face glowing with health and vitality.
The other female Cultivator was quite adorable and seemed to be around the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
The pair behaved intimately, resembling a grandfather and his granddaughter.
On seeing Fang Xi, they both paused.
"Greetings to both of you. I’m Fang Xi, just started renting here; from now on, we’ll be neighbors..." Fang Xi greeted them with a smile, cupping his hands in a fist salute.
Meanwhile, he internally marveled, feeling that Baize Immortal City indeed had hidden dragons and crouching tigers, even in the Outer City area.
The cultivation that he revealed on the outside was around the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, not too high nor too low, which ought to prevent others from underestimating him.
Since he had completely refined the Demonic Tree, Fang Xi found that the previous method of storing Magic Power still worked and was even more convenient; naturally, he chose to conceal part of his cultivation.
He had stayed at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Stage for quite a long time, so it made sense for him to advance after leaving Peach Blossom Island!
"So you are Mr. Fang. I’m ’Su Lie’, and this is my Taoist Companion—’Jin Ling’!"
Su Lie introduced warmly, appearing to be the affable old gentleman.
"So it’s Sir Su and Miss Jin Ling..."
Fang Xi’s expression remained unchanged, but internally he scoffed at the considerable age difference between Su Lie and his Taoist Companion.
However, in the Cultivation World, it’s quite normal to see older husbands with younger wives, or younger husbands with older wives.
With elixirs like the Youth-Retention Pill on hand, there was no concern over ’old bulls grazing on young grass’.
For instance, he looked handsome and suave, spirited and dashing... without a direct mention, others wouldn’t know he was nearly fifty-four!
Indeed, Fang Xi always preferred to keep a low profile and did not enjoy flaunting his fame.
If possible, he would prefer to reach the Foundation Establishment stage by sixty, attracting as little attention as possible.
After all, it’s widely accepted in the Cultivation World that the chances of reaching Foundation Establishment after the age of sixty significantly decrease...