Chapter 186: Chapter 185: Change of Situation (Seeking Monthly Tickets at Month’s End!)_1
A moment later.
Peach Blossom Pavilion.
"Brother Fang... How credible do you think that person’s words were?"
Ruan Xingling looked worried, "Master Bai Feng actually used a desperate secret skill, causing severe damage to his Primordial Energy? Even, even..."
"Hasn’t Xingling’s heart wavered?"
Fang Xi’s expression was as grave as water, "We are considering defeat before thinking of victory... Perhaps, we should start preparing."
When the great battle comes, the four gates of Baize Immortal City will be sealed, with a third-order Array in place, making it hard to leave.
Unless... one obtains a trust talisman from the Bai Feng lineage! Or wait until the city falls, taking advantage of the chaos to flee for one’s life!
"Xingling has little contact with the Bai Feng lineage."
Ruan Xingling’s expression showed difficulty.
"I do know the youngest of the thirty, Yuan Feihong... but there’s no need to rush. With the strength of our three Foundation Establishment cultivators, can’t we escape when the city falls? Seeking trust talismans now, isn’t that abandoning the Bai Feng lineage? If they recover later, that wouldn’t be good either."
Fang Xi pondered a moment then settled down, "If things can be delayed, they can be resolved... Let those rumors fly for a while longer."
"What about the trade?"
Ruan Xingling blinked.
"Naturally, it continues, exchanging three thousand battle merits for a shop is actually quite appropriate."
Fang Xi smiled, "Just so happens I have some battle merits saved up from alchemy, we can partner up to purchase..."
After all, those battle merits didn’t really mean much to him.
...
Inside the closed-door cultivation room.
Fang Xi sat cross-legged, his Divine Consciousness connecting with the ’Treasures of All Heavens’.
After merging and communicating with the split thoughts and ideas, the events that had occurred in the Fragment World these past few days were clear in his mind.
Danya, the Witch King, usually governs her tribe, mediates disputes among the smaller tribes, and then has nothing to do.
After all, she had reached a point where she could no longer advance in Cultivation.
It was actually thanks to Fang Xi’s gift of alchemy and half a Talisman-making Inheritance that she studied with great interest. On the path of making talismans, she seemed to have a talent and was quite good at it.
As for the sultry scenes when bathing and changing clothes, those were simply little diversions that Fang Xi never took to heart.
"Sigh... I originally learned alchemy, hoping to accumulate some battle merits to exchange for powerful Cultivation techniques for the Shaman Race..."
Fang Xi reflected on the arrangement of the Fragment World; if it was indeed a high-level Demon secret realm, it must have an upper limit restriction, not allowing native Yuan Ying True Monarchs to emerge.
Therefore, the best way to break the situation was simply to give them a technique that allowed Cultivation to the level of Yuan Ying.
Using Arrays to hide them was merely a temporary solution, not a cure.
Unfortunately, such Cultivation techniques were too high-end, requiring a lot of battle merits.
The battle merits Fang Xi had earned from alchemy were hardly enough!
’However, I have another backup method, that is... to give them the "Five Extremities Primordial Demon Skill"... This Cultivation technique is fierce and enigmatic, very powerful, and should allow one to cultivate all the way to forming a Nascent Soul...’
’The only thing, this Demon Skill is a top-tier technique, which is quite different from my original intention of just offering trash techniques...’
Yet, that day, Danya seemed to be different.
After much contemplation, she finally came to the treasury, took out a crystal, and placed it in front of the fragment, "Mirror, mirror... does this ’Vertical Ground Golden Light Treasure Pattern’ meet your requirements?"
Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness overflowed, swiftly scanning over it, and joy rose in his heart: ’Another great Treasure Pattern!’
’Seems like delaying the transfer of the Cultivation techniques did indeed work.’
This ’Vertical Ground Golden Light Treasure Pattern’ was composed of the ’Vertical Ground Spirit Mark’ and the ’Golden Light Spirit Mark’, famed for being the fastest in flight!
A Witch King branded with this Treasure Pattern can transform into golden light, traversing hundreds of miles in an instant!
’I’m someone who keeps his word...’
After memorizing the ’Vertical Ground Golden Light Treasure Pattern’, Fang Xi immediately revealed the subsequent part of Chen Ping’s Talisman inheritance.
He guessed that Witch King Danya must have found herself particularly attuned to the way of talismans and thus was determined to obtain this inheritance.
Indeed, Danya’s eyes lit up, quickly memorizing the later parts of the inheritance.
When Chen Ping’s Talisman path inheritance was complete, Fang Xi thought about it and still released the ’Five Extremities Primordial Demon Skill’ technique.
However, he only wrote it up to the Core Formation stage, and also left out a series of Secret Skills like ’Primordial Demon Stab’ and ’Pill-Stealing Skills’.
Even so, Danya was captivated as she read, "Cultivation? An entirely different method of Cultivation from witchcraft? It goes further than the previous body refining, even reaching the level of Witch King... And this is only half of it?"
"If there is a second half, could it possibly break through realms above Witch King? Then... would it be able to deal with the century’s Sky Demon Tribulation?"
"Mirror, mirror, what do you require to tell me the second half?"
Light flashed on the surface of the bronze mirror, and a line of text appeared —[Sacrifice a Treasure Pattern composed of Metal Spirit Patterns to get the subsequent Cultivation technique inheritance]!
...
"I only said I’d give the Cultivation technique, I never said anything about providing the accompanying Secret Skills..."
Inside the Cultivation Room, a slight smile surfaced on Fang Xi’s lips as he calmly engraved the ’Vertical Ground Golden Light Treasure Pattern’ into a jade slip.
With these resources, he was very confident in becoming a third-order Array Master in the future, even if just a highly specialized one!
"Besides, the most powerful things in the Demon Path are the various Secret Skills... These can completely be withheld and exchanged slowly over time..."
Although the ’Five Extremities Primordial Demon Skill’ was good and could even be Cultivated all the way to a Nascent Soul, Fang Xi belonged to a righteous force and didn’t want to get mixed up with someone on the widely condemned Demon Path.
Moreover, the process of cultivation was extremely bloody and brutal, not quite suitable for him, so it was better left to the Shaman Race.
After all, they were quite adept at various live sacrifices, which could be regarded as their area of expertise.
"The most crucial point is that Demon Skills allow for rapid advancement, as long as one is willing to risk blood sacrifices and hidden dangers..."
In fact, Fang Xi was not at all optimistic about the Shaman Kings’ rebellion.
After all, how powerful must the Demon Path sects be if they could domesticate a multitude of Witch Kings or even an entire continent?
Adding one or two Nascent Soul warriors might not even be useful.
’But, as long as you can provide Treasure Patterns, that’s good enough...’
’If the rebellion fails, there’s still the array hideaway plan as backup... then it’s time to gather a few more Treasure Patterns!’
Fang Xi immersed himself in cultivation.
Meanwhile, on the outside, as various rumors intensified and the situation became ever more grim, the entire Baize Immortal City was plunged into panic.
Countless people were preparing to abandon their foundation, seeking ways out of the city, and even began to view law-enforcing cultivators who obstructed their escape with hostility.
Until this night!
Cheep!
The piercing cry of a bird, so loud it penetrated numerous arrays, reached Fang Xi’s ears.
"This is..."
His face showed a shocked expression as he transformed into a streak of light, bursting out of his closed-door cultivation room.
Above the Peach Blossom Pavilion, beneath the dim southern sky, one could clearly see a divine bird engulfed in flames, its wings spread wide as it dove into the group of monster beasts in the maelstrom!
"Vermilion Bird Fire!"
Fang Xi, gazing at the silhouette of the Vermilion Bird amidst the flames and a vaguely visible circular ring-like magical treasure, guessed the identity of the newcomer.
"What has happened?"
Ruan Dan, who had been meditating in the Bi Bo Cave, was also startled, her eyes filled with shock as she beheld the flames nearly tearing open the dark night sky.
"It’s the South Ming Suzaku Ring... Ancestor Jiang from the Mysterious Heaven Sect has arrived!"
Fang Xi said with a touch of emotion.
Crackle!
The Suzaku Fire burned across the heavens, feathers of many birds fell down, revealing the third-order Golden Crowned Thunder Roc Demon King within them!
Whoosh!
A white light surged from within the city, and in an instant, multiple layers of array prohibition appeared, enveloping the third-order Monster King who had brazenly attacked in the dead of night, penetrating the city’s defenses.
"Master Bai Feng thanks Ancestor Jiang for his assistance!"
A streak of brilliance flew out from White Peak Mountain, exuding a terrifying magic power wherever it passed, and a plain-looking elder could be seen, laughing heartily.
"It is nothing compared to your forbearance, Master Bai Feng, feigning injury and luring the Monster King into the trap!"
From within the fiery clouds came the unhurried voice of Ancestor Jiang. The Vermilion Bird Ring in his possession pulsed with immense power, and with one strike, it blew off half of the Golden Crowned Thunder Roc’s wings!
"It’s a pity... the earth-traveling Monster King is crafty and didn’t fall into the trap, we only captured one."
Master Bai Feng sighed, his body shimmering with spiritual light as he poured his energy into the Great Array.
Colorful chains emerged from the Void, wrapping around the Golden Crowned Thunder Roc.
With the combined efforts of two Core Formation ancestors and a third-order array for support... the fate of this Monster King was sealed!
...
It wasn’t until the next morning, when a tired yet joyful Ruan Xingling returned, that Fang Xi and Ruan Dan learned what had actually happened the night before.
"So it turns out that the injury Master Bai Feng sustained was a ruse, intentionally spread as false information to sow chaos and confound the Monster Clan’s spies!"
Ruan Xingling said with a face full of emotion.
"Monster Clan has spies too? Have cultivators been controlled by Monster Kings?" Ruan Dan was shocked.
"Monster beasts of the second order possess a certain level of intelligence, and by the third order, they are hardly different from cultivators..." Fang Xi explained.
"Exactly... The Monster Clan has long infiltrated Baize Immortal City with spies. This time, Master Bai Feng feigned injury, creating turmoil in the city. Some cultivators intended to sneak away last night, causing a breach in the array and attracting the Monster Kings to make a nocturnal raid... then they fell right into the trap. We, having the upper hand, and with Ancestor Jiang from the Mysterious Heaven Sect providing clandestine support, managed to slay the Golden Crowned Thunder Roc... What a pity the other Monster King escaped..."
Ruan Xingling recounted the events.
"Last night, besides the Monster Kings, a great number of second-order monster beasts were lured into traps and slain... With this victory, Baize Immortal City will soon see the end of the beast tide..."
While speaking, Ruan Xingling looked thoughtfully at Fang Xi’s face and couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Brother Fang, what are you pondering?"
"Oh, I was thinking about how to distribute the spoils of war... A third-order Demon Pill, that’s enough to foster the emergence of a Master Jia Dan."
Fang Xi smiled and said, "I suppose that’s why Ancestor Jiang, despite his gravely wounded state, came to assist. It must’ve been for that third-order Demon Pill, right?"
And within the Mysterious Heaven Sect, there surely would be no shortage of cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
No doubt, before long, a Jia Dan cultivator will emerge within the Mysterious Heaven Sect.
’With such an orderly inheritance and the ’Earth-shaking Array’ at hand... Yue Country’s Cultivation World is far from being at peace after the beast tide passes.’
Fang Xi’s eyes gleamed with a dark light.
A gentleman avenges wrongs, even after ten years.
For an Immortal Cultivator seeking revenge, a hundred, a thousand years is not too long!
The ones who had made it onto his list would eventually be sent off to the Western Paradise, and he would dance on their graves, bullying their descendants and disciples—if they had any left!