Chapter 205: Chapter 204: Treasure Planting Jue (Requesting guaranteed monthly tickets at the beginning of the month!)_1
In the past, when planting trees on Peach Blossom Island, Fang Xi still needed to stealthily dig a cellar and hide the existence of the Taisui and the Monster Tree.
But on Dragon Fish Island, as the Island Master, he had no need to hide at all.
After the Taisui advanced to the second rank, Fang Xi directly allocated an area behind the Evergreen Pavilion at the center of Dragon Fish Island as a restricted zone, protected by the Yimu Divine Thunder Array Method, and ordered his sect disciples and subordinates not to come close.
Then, he straightforwardly placed the Taisui there.
He was already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and his combat power was comparable to the later stages of Foundation Establishment despite being at the mid-stage, which was enough to fend off many prying eyes and keep some secrets to himself.
And when it came to Core Formation in the future, even if cultivators from all three countries suspected that he had some fortuitous opportunities, what of it?
They would still be nothing but sycophants trying to ingratiate themselves with a Core Formation ancestor!
Those who become high-level cultivators all have their own secrets!
Unless it was the tremendous fortune of forming a Core before fifty and a Nascent Soul before two hundred years old, one might attract the attention of Nascent Soul old monsters from distant lands!
"Even the Monster Tree... This time I don’t need to conceal it; I can plant it openly... After all, nobody recognizes it."
"The high-grade, second-rank array method I have conceived was prepared just for this!"
Having obtained the Array Skill Inheritance of the third-rank array from the Song Family, Fang Xi’s mastery of array methods had made another breakthrough.
Furthermore, apart from the third-rank ’Sky Wolf Howling Moon Array’, the inheritance from the Song Family also included three high-grade, second-rank arrays.
One of these, the ’Profound Wood Formation’, required a living Spiritual Root as the core for setting up the array.
Fang Xi was very fond of it, as it resonated with his own idea of using the ’Monster Tree’ as the core to shape an array.
’After all, once the Monster Tree grows, it will naturally carry a Demon Realm... comparable to a quasi-third-rank forbidden Great Array!’
’With the Monster Tree as the core, with the Demon Realm as the main and the array as the auxiliary... it’s entirely possible to build an array comparable to a third-rank, without the need of third-rank Spiritual Vein support... After all, the main body is the Demon Realm created by the Monster Tree!’
’This array could be called the ’Nine Nether Profound Wood Array’!’
’The Song Family, relying on a third-rank array method, flaunted their power in Yue Country for hundreds of years... In the end, it was only with immense effort that the Mysterious Heaven Sect barely managed to break through...’
’I’m just a homebody who knows how to plant trees, it’s not like I’m likely to incite divine and human wrath, with the Mysterious Heaven Sect’s Jia Dan ancestors coming to risk their lives against me, right?!’
’Even if the Mysterious Heaven Sect wants to challenge me, Prime Taoist Mu is definitely not going to side with them this time...’
’With this array for protection, I can definitely plant trees with ease... and even form my Core peacefully!’
’However, the third-rank Great Array is too ostentatious. It’s better to show the high-grade, second-rank ’Profound Wood Formation’ to the public... and when the situation becomes critical, immediately transition into the Demon Realm, transforming it into the third-rank ’Nine Nether Profound Wood Array’, catching the enemy completely off guard...’
...
Inside the secret chamber.
Fang Xi’s expression was solemn as he looked at the four Monster Tree seeds in front of him.
For these seeds, the Martial God Sect suffered heavy casualties...
And the Monster Tree Tattoo on his back was constantly sending out cravings, wishing to annihilate these sibling saplings and absorb their nutrition.
"The seedlings of the Monster Tree come with a cruel gene... Or rather, is this the true meaning of ’heaven and earth are not humane, using everything as straw dogs’?"
Although he knew this was not the actual meaning of the Taoist scripture, one’s understanding of ancient texts depended on personal interpretation.
Fang Xi chose the seed with the most abundant vitality, preparing to refine it first with Demon Refining Skills and Longevity Skill.
Now that he had mastered divine powers in Martial Arts and established his foundation in Immortal Path, he was no longer the Qi Refining novice he once was.
Furthermore, in the Greater Cold Martial God Sect, Demon Refining Skills had also undergone considerable development and improvement.
With this dual approach, he ensured that not even the slightest trace of the Monster Tree’s instincts would remain unrefined!
...
After dealing with the Monster Tree seeds, Fang Xi took out three segments of the Monster Tree branches.
These three segments were from the main body of the Monster Tree, covered with pitch-black bark and scale-like patterns.
Instead of growth rings, the trunk contained blood-colored patterns.
"I wonder what uses these Demon Wood pieces might have for crafting Talisman and forging artifacts... but at least, they can be absorbed by the new Monster Tree saplings, enhancing their foundation..."
"Besides that..."
Fang Xi pondered for a moment as two jade slips appeared in his hands.
One of the slips recorded his main cultivation practice, ’Green Wood Longevity Skills’, which could be cultivated all the way to Core Formation.
It also included several methods for forging life-bound magical artifacts.
After all, after reaching Core Formation, one would need to refine a life-bound magical artifact.
When a Core Formation ancestor displays their life-bound magical artifact, that’s when their true power as a third-rank artifact is unleashed, commanding respect from thousands of cultivators.
And the earlier the magical artifact is forged, the better it is to be nurtured in the Dantian for a long time, the longer the time, the greater the power.
Ancestor Jiang’s ’Vermilion Bird Ring’ was not only a top-tier magical artifact but also had been nurtured with Dan Qi by this Core Formation ancestor for hundreds of years. Its immense power was evident even from the Talisman.
Regrettably...
"The ’Green Wood Longevity Skills’ can only be considered above average, and the magical artifacts it details are far from top-tier artifacts like the ’Vermilion Bird Ring’..."
At the end of Green Wood Longevity Skills, there are only three magical artifact forging methods: ’Green Wood Seal’, ’Divine Wood Whip’, and ’Primordial Wood Shield’.
Originally, Fang Xi was fond of the ’Green Wood Shield’, a defensive magical artifact because he already had a minor magical artifact, the ’Green Barley Sword’, for attacks.
This magical artifact required a mix of several third-tier or higher Spiritual Trees for refinement, and wasn’t particularly demanding about the types of Spiritual Trees used, which was perfect for incorporating the fourth-tier Spiritual Tree ’Phoenix Nesting Wutong Wood’ to increase its power.
However, after killing Song Qing and carefully going through his memories and various jade slips, Fang Xi had a better choice in mind.
Among the jade slips in his hand was a record of magical artifact forging methods collected by the Song Family over the years.
Among those related to the Wooden Element were ’Divine Demon Cauldron’ and ’Hundred Poison Pearls’.
The ’Divine Demon Cauldron’ was a top-grade magical artifact. It was said to emit a fragrance of grass and trees, a Divine Skill of the Wooden Element that boasted miraculous effects in healing all kinds of injuries. It could even grant cultivators an unparalleled self-healing ability, making something like regenerating limbs a trivial matter... and in its later stages, it would lead to the rumored ’Immortal Body’!
As for the ’Hundred Poison Pearls’, they specialized in poison, requiring the extraction of various rare poisons from the Cultivation World. Once unleashed, the area touched by the poison zou would turn any Foundation Establishment cultivator to bones in an instant, with a wide-reaching effect.
"It’s a pity... the materials and techniques required to forge these two top-grade magical artifacts are quite harsh..."
Fang Xi had no intention of forging either of the top-grade magical artifacts, as the materials were too scarce.
What really caught his eye was a method within the top-grade Wooden Element magical artifacts called ’Treasure Planting Jue’!
This method emphasized planting the embryo of a Wooden Element magical artifact into a spiritually connected Spiritual Tree and nurturing it over a long period, allowing the magical artifact to grow and achieve greatness on its own!
It was only suitable for cultivating Wooden Element magical artifacts and also had very strict conditions.
For example... the main body must be forged from the same kind of Spiritual Tree before being planted back into the same type of tree.
Thus, the higher the grade of the Spiritual Root and the longer it was planted, the more powerful the magical artifact would be!
"The ’Divine Demon Cauldron’ requires the legendary Spiritual Tree ’Longevity Tree’ as the main material, while the ’Hundred Poison Pearls’ need a poison attribute third-tier Beast Inner Dan... both are hard to forge," he mused.
"But this ’Treasure Planting Jue’ is very suitable for a cultivator like me who spends a lot of time cultivating!"
"Perhaps, it could be used in magical artifact refinement..."
"Unfortunately, the Green Wood Shield won’t work, as it requires a blend of at least three kinds of Spiritual Trees to be forged, and therefore can’t be planted within any Spiritual Tree..."
"Besides that, there are only the Divine Demon Whip and the Green Wood Seal left... both of these require only one type of Spiritual Tree as the main material!"
The Divine Demon Whip was redundant because he already had the Green Barley Sword with the same function, while the Green Wood Seal was a compromise, a combination of both attack and defense, able to smash opponents and block attacks.
Naturally, the spirit materials Fang Xi prepared were wood from the Ancestral Demon Tree!
Using it as the main component to craft a magical artifact, and then planting it in a genetically identical Monster Tree would be no issue at all!
And given the bizarre growth rate of the Demonic Tree, the future power of the magical artifact was beyond imagination!
"I was originally planning to cultivate offspring of the Monster Tree and then use materials from the spot, but the materials from the Ancestral Demon Tree itself are obviously better..."
"Although my Talisman forging ability is weak, simply carving out an embryo and then leaving it to nature and the Demonic Tree to capitalize on the power of time should not be a big problem..."
...
After sorting out his thoughts, Fang Xi emerged from seclusion with a smile on his face.
’The young master has been in a good mood recently, could it be because of that fisherman’s daughter?’
Xiahou Ying saw him and inwardly worried, fearing that Yan Hongxue might steal his favor.
"Go call Zhong Qi and your clan brother over..."
Fang Xi didn’t care about the little maidservant’s thoughts and straightforwardly gave the order.
Soon, both Zhong Qi and Xiahou Zun arrived, unsure what the Island Master was about to command.
"From today on, all of the island’s harvests will be first concentrated in the warehouse for my personal disposal..."
Since he was planning on planting trees, most of the Spirit Fish and Spirit Rice would be used to supply Taisui, realizing a self-sufficient production cycle.
As for explanations?
What a joke!
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the master of an island, Fang Xi can store resources for his use, or even burn them all without a problem; why should he explain to Qi Refining cultivators?
"Yes!"
Both Zhong Qi and Xiahou Zun had no objections to this; otherwise, it would be as if they were admitting to wanting to take control of the trade for their own gain.
Fang Xi would have eradicated them on the spot!
"Furthermore, Spirit Medicine Valley will focus on planting Spirit Rice. Open a few more Spiritual Fields and plant ’Profound Pearl Grass’ and ’Spotted Tear Bamboo’!"
Both of these spirit plants were main ingredients for forging low-tier talismans.
Fang Xi was beginning to prepare for a long tree planting career.
He had some talent in the Way of Talismans, particularly with Wooden Element talismans, and of course, he wanted to use his time wisely.
Unfortunately, the paper required for tier-three Spirit Talismans was too precious, made either from third-tier Spiritual Trees or the hide of third-tier Monster Kings, making them very hard to come by.
When he waved the others away and they had left, Fang Xi quietly considered:
’Finally... do I need to refine the ’Vertical Ground Golden Light’ spiritual instruments? But it’s somewhat difficult... and currently, if I need to use the Vertical Ground Golden Light Treasure Pattern to escape, it means the tree planting has failed... If the tree planting fails, I can still flee to Great Liang for my life. I’m not short on escape methods.’
’Sigh... it indeed seems that for a cultivator who finds it hard to give up their base, escape techniques are of little benefit...’
’It’s a pity that ’Treasure Planting Jue’ isn’t suitable for magical artifacts of other elements...’