Chapter 334: Chapter 332: Encounter (Seeking Monthly Tickets) _1
Half a month later.
Three escape lights flew out of the White Yuan Market.
The one in the lead was naturally Fang Xi, followed by Palace Master Feng and Jiang Ling, both of whom had complex expressions.
Jiang Ling looked at the tall and broad figure in front of her and couldn’t help but recall the scene from half a month ago when the palace master accompanied her to visit this man.
The second demand he made was beyond her expectations, but the palace master agreed to it immediately.
After all, even the palace master had sold herself, so what was she, a mere newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator, in the face of the sect’s survival and the inheritance of the Taoist system?
In fact, upon careful reminiscence, Jiang Ling noticed that it might not have been without reason that the palace master specifically brought her along.
Then, this ’Yun Jiezi’ senior apparently saw something and openly accepted her, this ’nail.’
With this thought, her heart sank slightly, but she quickly perked up.
Being a servant to a Core Formation Master might even lead to gaining his favor and being accepted as a disciple later on—a fortune countless Foundation Establishment cultivators would seek but never find.
...
Thousands of miles of ice, snow fluttering in the sky.
Fang Xi’s escape light suddenly stopped, and he looked toward Feng Bingxian, "Palace Master Feng...Have you invited any other fellow Daoists to see you off?"
"Fellow Daoists...Core Formation Ancestors?" Feng Bingxian’s face instantly turned pale, "Of course not, how could I dare to do so at a time like this when my Profound Ice Palace is in a life-and-death crisis?"
"Then it seems that you’ve leaked your whereabouts when you came here?"
Fang Xi sighed, taking out a magic treasure.
No one knew which unlucky disciple of the Demon Sect had left this behind, but it was also a third-rank low-grade object, a pitch-black sphere!
He formed a magic spell with his hands, and his early-stage Core Formation magic power poured into the sphere. Immediately, a dusky radiance appeared, shielding the three of them within.
"Haha...Could this be the newly advanced ’Yun Jiezi’ Sir?"
Not far away, a dim green escape light approached, revealing a Core Formation cultivator whose face was hidden in the green light.
Judging his cultivation, he should also be at the early stages of Core Formation.
"This person...doesn’t seem to be Lord Xuan Bing."
Fang Xi looked at Feng Bingxian, "Could it be that your Profound Ice Palace has other enemies?"
"No...I don’t know this person either," Palace Master Feng replied anxiously, her face turning even whiter.
"Hehe...Palace Master Feng truly has a short memory. We’ve communicated before through the ’Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman’. How could you forget so quickly?" The figure in the green light spoke in an ancient voice.
"Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman? So it’s you!"
Palace Master Feng’s complexion changed rapidly.
"Palace Master Feng...who exactly is this person?"
Fang Xi looked toward Feng Bingxian, his face smiling, but with a hint of sinister Qi, "Shouldn’t you give me an explanation for this?"
"Please, Supreme Elder, do not be angry... I have never met this person before, but we have communicated through a transmission talisman. I only know that the disappearance of the former Supreme Elder Mu Yu seems to be related to this individual...He belongs to a mysterious organization, always secretive in their actions. Later, I grew weary of our connection and seldom communicated with them anymore," Feng Bingxian immediately communicated through Divine Consciousness Transmission, quickly explaining the situation.
"A secretive organization that has Core Formation cultivators? It seems their ambition is great..."
Somehow, Fang Xi was reminded of the female cultivator in the StarMoon Market, Xue Family Old Store, who tried to recruit him.
’It seems that even in the seemingly balanced Cultivation World of Yuan Country, there are still many undercurrents...’
Fang Xi felt quite emotional as he looked at the Core Formation figure in the green light, "I am indeed Yun Jiezi. May I ask who you are?"
"Hehe...My humble name is not worth mentioning. Are you sure, my friend, that you want to get involved in this messy situation?" the figure in the green light chuckled strangely.
Fang Xi glanced at Jiang Ling and the other woman, who had clearly become nervous, and sighed, "If you had asked me half a month ago, perhaps I would have refused them, but I have never gone back on my word once I’ve given it."
"Just in time, I also would like to gauge the extent of my friend’s newly advanced Core Formation divine skills..."
The Core Formation cultivator in the green light rubbed his hands together, then a sweep of his sleeves sent out two thick strands of Core Formation spiritual power, which grew upon contact with the wind, transforming into two winged, serpentine creatures with scales and feathers that seemed alive, opening their gaping maws to snap at Fang Xi!
"Go!"
Fang Xi’s expression unchanged, he pointed at the pitch-black demon pearl.
A puff of refined black radiance, like fine black threads, rushed towards the winged serpents coming to attack.
After a few soft thuds, those two winged serpents were directly dismembered, turning into clumps of green Qi that dissipated.
The black threads, unabated, enveloped the foreign Core Formation.
"A life-bound magical artifact?!" The foreign Core Formation cultivator exclaimed in shock, "You’ve already secretly refined or inherited a life-bound magical artifact?!"
He opened his mouth wide, spitting out an object that seemed to be a green inkstone.
Once filled with powerful magic power, the inkstone swelled in the air, sprinkling droplets of green liquid like rain.
Hisss! Hisss!
The green liquid touched the pitch-black threads, instantly creating large amounts of white smoke.
And a large number of black threads vanished without a trace amidst the smoke.
Little did the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator know that at this moment he was also stomping his feet and cursing his luck. The intelligence had reported that it was a cultivator who had only just achieved Core Formation, so how could he possibly have a magical treasure?!
As both were early-stage Core Formation cultivators and had each refined a life-bound magical artifact, he knew it was simply impossible for him to defeat the opponent.
"A green inkstone... It seems that no Core Formation cultivator within our country possesses such a magical treasure..."
Palace Master Feng looked on at this scene, her eyes slightly narrowed, murmuring to herself.
"Your magical treasure is quite interesting..."
Fang Xi’s smile remained unchanged as he continually infused streams of spiritual light into the pitch-black Demon Pearl.
The surface of the Demon Pearl shone with light that suddenly intensified, and a door made of light vaguely emerged from within.
Roar Roar!
Accompanied by a piercing roar, a beast resembling both a lion and a tiger burst forth from the light door, its mouth sporting two long and sharp canines that shimmered with lethal cold light, and around its neck was a pitch-black collar.
"It’s a ’Lion Tiger Beast’!"
The unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator recognized the fierce beast, his tone revealing an undeniable wariness.
"Indeed, it’s a third-tier Lion Tiger Beast!"
Fang Xi sneered coldly as he sent a magic spell into the Demon Pearl before him.
Runes began lighting up one by one on the black collar around the Lion Tiger Beast’s neck, causing the beast to thrash and paw at the ground in pain as it let out an agonized roar.
"You beast, won’t you obey? Go!"
Fang Xi pointed at the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator.
With a roar, the Lion Tiger Beast’s figure flashed, employing the legendary Wind Escape skills as it vanished into the howling winds, only to reappear instantly in front of the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator with its tiger claws fiercely slashing down.
Bang!
The unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator formed spells with both hands, positioning the green inkstone in front of himself.
A muffled sound was heard as the green inkstone was knocked flying, while the Lion Tiger Beast staggered back several steps, looking at the green liquid on its claws with a mix of pain and fear.
"Charge again!"
Fang Xi, undeterred, executed another spell, continuously uttering Sky Demon incantations.
The Lion Tiger Beast, left with no choice, roared. Blood-red runes flickered on its sharp fangs as it furiously pounced forward again.
"Damn it!"
The unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator rubbed his hands together, and dozens of green fireballs appeared, striking the Lion Tiger Beast.
The Lion Tiger Beast, its ferocity incited, saw its two sharp fangs suddenly break off and turn into two streaks of black and red Sword Light, fiercely entwining around the green inkstone!
Crack!
Following a grating sound, the Lion Tiger Beast staggered back several steps, its fangs flying back into place, though one of them was now slightly shorter.
Meanwhile, the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator grunted and recalled his magical treasure, looking at the crack on the green inkstone with a pained expression: "Sir, your magical treasure is sharp... and you seem to be quite reckless with it, I am convinced..."
"Heh heh!"
Fang Xi lasheed out a series of spells, situating the pitch-black Demon Pearl above the Lion Tiger Beast’s head, casting down rings of pitch-black light, momentarily halting the creature’s movements, and responded with a cold laugh: "I’m not particularly gentle with it because this magical treasure was obtained from a fortuitous encounter... It’s not my life-bound artifact. But if you keep on clashing like this, your life-bound artifact might just be destroyed, Sir..."
The unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator fell silent for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh, "Sir, with all your magical treasures and divine skills, you’re no ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivator. It seems I was overreaching."
"Oh? Is there perhaps more to this story?"
Fang Xi didn’t continue to attack, feigning surprise as he asked.
"Alas... I and Fairy Mu Yu are close friends, and I have even helped her avenge a great injustice... I just couldn’t bear to see the Profound Ice Palace fall into decay, so I offered myself... Yet it seems Palace Master Feng may have misunderstood my good intentions," the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator sighed.
"So it turns out you’re an old friend of Mu Yu..." Fang Xi feigned enlightenment: "Then I really must apologize..."
"Haha, now that I see an old friend’s school guarded by a Core Formation cultivator, my wish is fulfilled, and I will take my leave. Take this with you. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me," he said.
No sooner had the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator finished speaking than he transformed into a streak of green light, shooting away into the distance and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
A strand of green light flew out at the same time, its interior vaguely enveloping an object. It was entwined in a tuft of pitch-black Demon Light and then fell into Fang Xi’s hands—it was a green jade token!
"Master, this person... Could he truly be an old friend of Supreme Elder Mu Yu?"
Jiang Ling looked on at this development, somewhat bewildered.
"If he’s an old friend, why skulk about so? Hmph... If it weren’t for Supreme Elder Yun Jiezi lending his strength, Profound Ice Palace could have ended up in the hands of outsiders this time, and who knows what perilous tasks it would have been co-opted for then!" Palace Master Feng was clear-sighted about the situation, realizing that the unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator had ill intentions, but since Yun Jiezi had powerful magical treasures and was quite adept in a magical duel, the cultivator was left with no choice but to retreat.
Clearly, Fang Xi had seen through the other’s bluster, but in the end, he took the opportunity to gracefully withdraw.
After all, he had no intention of truly fighting to the death for the Profound Ice Palace.
Now, turning around, he looked at Palace Master Feng expressionlessly as the spiritual pressure of a Core Formation cultivator incrementally increased...
Palace Master Feng immediately broke out in a sweat on her forehead: "To report to the Supreme Elder, this was indeed an oversight on my part. Upon returning to the palace, I will accept punishment... I guarantee that besides this incident, Profound Ice Palace has no other secrets from the Supreme Elder..."
"Enough, add two more maidservants, and we’ll consider the matter closed..."
Fang Xi toyed with the green jade token, his face reflecting a thoughtful expression.