Chapter 541: Chapter 539: East Sea (Cannot Bear the Leader of HW Alliance’s Congratulations)_1
Sacred Fire Sect.
Fang Xi followed Jue Yanzi as they entered the mountain gate of the Sacred Fire Sect, where his gaze immediately fell upon a towering peak that seemed to pierce the clouds above.
The mountain base was lush with verdant greenery, while only the summit was covered with pristine snow.
From atop the peak, streams of radiant light cascaded down, illuminating the whole area with brilliance!
"Is this the Bright Peak? Indeed, seeing it for oneself is better than hearing about it a hundred times!"
With a sigh of admiration, Fang Xi knew that the luminance originated from the ’Three Yang Holy Fire’ at the apex of Bright Peak!
That fire, after countless years of nurturing and contribution by the cultivators of the Sacred Fire Sect, had certainly reached the fifth order!
At that moment, he reached into his chest, calming the ’Five Fire Worm’ housed within the Mountain Sea Pearl.
This worm, having devoured the Three Yang Sub-fire, would naturally react upon encountering the mother fire.
"Correct, this is indeed Bright Peak... This peak is not only the foremost spiritual energy sanctuary in the Western Desert but also the secluded practice site of our sect’s ancestor... In terms of strict defenses, it even surpasses the ’Piaomiao Peak’ where the ancient teleportation array is located!"
Jue Yanzi said proudly.
Lured by the ’Nine Flames Ganoderma,’ it didn’t take long for Jue Yanzi to contemplate and then agree to vouch for Fang Xi, allowing him to use the ancient teleportation array once.
Of course, Fang Xi would have to bear the cost of Spirit Stones and other expenses himself!
Piaomiao Peak.
This peak was unremarkable, its spiritual energy rather sparse, but throughout the void, chains connected it to several White Jade Platforms.
The dark chains emanated faint coldness, their surfaces engraved with numerous runes.
’Millennium Cold Iron... and these White Jade Platforms... they must be part of an array... a top-notch fourth order? Or perhaps even higher?’
The Sacred Fire Sect’s Mountain Protecting Array should be of the fifth order.
However, since Fang Xi dared to come, he naturally had something to rely on. Even if the Breaking Array Bead failed, there was still the ’Treasures of All Heavens’ as his last resort.
As long as he could traverse to The Nine States and then shift his coordinates outside the Sacred Fire Sect, that would suffice.
’No, wait... If it comes to that, why wouldn’t I directly cooperate with The Nine States, bringing in three True Lords to overthrow Ancestor Huo and annihilate the Sacred Fire Sect? That way... I could even get the Kylin Blood!’
Fang Xi mused inwardly.
But unless driven to a dead end, he would not resort to that.
What business is most profitable? Monopoly, of course!
If cultivators from both sides could communicate, what would become of his role as a middleman?
Perhaps in the future, once he fully controlled The Nine States, he might consider it, but for now, it seemed implausible.
He and Jue Yanzi passed through layers of Jade Platforms and chains to arrive at an ancient bronze hall located halfway up Piaomiao Peak.
Boom!
As Fang Xi entered the grand doors of the palace, a peculiar light burst from the mirror hanging on the door, sweeping over his entire body.
With an unchanged expression, Fang Xi walked into the Great Hall, where he saw two huge ancient teleportation arrays on either side.
And between these two arrays, a disheveled cultivator in hemp garments sat cross-legged, with his cultivation level around the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
"I pay my respects to Brother Sang..."
Jue Yanzi greeted first, "Junior brother has brought someone for teleportation. Here is the written guarantee!"
With that, he passed a fiery red jade slip.
Brother Sang slowly opened his eyes, which revealed unusual double pupils and a cultivation of an exotic eye skill, "Since he could pass through the main doors and the ’Illusion Form Mirror’ raised no alarm, there should be no change in appearance..."
He eyed Fang Xi, "He has no Demon Qi... and with junior brother’s guarantee, I naturally have peace of mind."
Brother Sang stood up, "May I inquire the esteemed name of this cultivator and the destination you seek?"
"I am Qinghezi, heading to... the Eastern Sea first," replied Fang Xi.
"Good, you know the rules."
Brother Sang nodded, then saw Fang Xi hand over a Storage Bag.
After a quick scan with his Divine Consciousness, he discovered it contained twenty percent more than the stipulated amount, which surely was a gratuity for him. His face revealed a genuine smile, "Qinghezi, correct? Keep this identity token safe. The teleportation array on the other side is also guarded by our sect’s Nascent Soul. Without this proof, you could be in big trouble. And, take this ’Teleportation Talisman’ as well!"
Brother Sang handed over a token and a bright yellow Teleportation Talisman to Fang Xi.
"Thank you for the advice,"
Fang Xi bowed in thanks, then said to Jue Yanzi, "Thank you, daoist, for the guarantee. As agreed, please accept this."
He immediately presented a jade box.
Jue Yanzi accepted it, scanned it with his Divine Consciousness, and was very pleased to tuck it into his Storage Bag.
Fang Xi stepped onto the teleportation array headed for the Eastern Sea, watching as Brother Sang inserted Spirit Stones and activated the array.
"May your journey be smooth, Daoist Friend!"
Brother Sang saluted, activating the array completely.
The next instant, Fang Xi’s figure vanished from the teleportation array!
...
With a flash of silver light,
Fang Xi’s form emerged, and with a brief sweep of his Divine Consciousness, he saw a large array engulfing the teleportation formation.
The air was filled with a fishy ocean scent, and the sound of waves crashing against rocks carried over from not far away.
He seemed to be inside an open-air cave on the cliff of an island.
"Do you have your proof, Daoist Friend?"
Opposite Fang Xi, a fierce-looking Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator was watching him with a trace of vigilance.
"Certainly!"
Fang Xi responded with a slight smile and tossed out the token given to him by Elder Sang.
The fierce Nascent Soul cultivator caught it, swept it with his Divine Consciousness, and couldn’t help but nod in acknowledgment, "So you are Daoist Friend Qing He... This place is already ’Wanhua Island’ of the Eastern Sea Cultivation World. If you wish to return to the Western Sand Cultivation World, you can go back from here, though the fee is the same as in the sect."
He then returned the token.
"I see..." Fang Xi nodded with a smile and asked, "I wonder if you might have a map of the nearby sea areas?"
...
A moment later.
A streak of blue light flashed, quickly leaving Wanhua Island.
The sky was a vast expanse of blue, with white clouds dotting it, and the boundless sea stretched below; the cry of seagulls could be heard high in the sky.
"A brand-new Cultivation World!"
Fang Xi felt elated in body and spirit as the blue Escape Light transformed into a giant sword, piercing straight into the water.
Before long, he had caught a large crab.
After playing with it in mid-air, he nonchalantly tossed it back into the sea.
"A childlike heart is inherent in everyone..."
He murmured to himself, feeling that if he cultivated the ’Seven Emotions and Sorrows Script’ in this state of mind, he would likely make progress; he immediately formed a hand seal.
A chill emerged, and the surrounding sea water froze into ice, forming a drifting ice floe about a dozen meters in diameter.
Fang Xi sat cross-legged, set up a few protective Prohibitions, and not wanting to waste this rare epiphany, he began to circulate the ’Seven Emotions and Sorrows Script’.
Rustle! Rustle!
The sheet of ice drifted with the waves, and in the blink of an eye, a day and night had passed.
By the time Fang Xi opened his eyes again, he saw a star-studded sky with faint auroras stretched across the firmament...
At this moment, he flicked his finger.
A hair-like Sword Qi entered the seabed and not long after, he had caught a monster fish.
This fish was ferocious-looking with a row of sword-like sharp bones on its back, and its aura was around a second-order level.
Fang Xi casually shook his hand, and the Taiyi Green Wood Divine Light flew out, skinning and deboning the fish before selecting the best piece of meat to roast and eat.
"The taste seems quite good, quite sweet..."
After eating a few bites of the fish, satisfying his cravings, he took out a blue jade slip.
This was gifted by the Nascent Soul cultivator guarding the teleportation array; it contained part of the Eastern Sea Cultivation World’s sea map and some of the latest major intelligence.
Fang Xi probed into it with his Divine Consciousness, and the first thing he saw was the Transcendent God battle from six Jiazi ago!
"Well... for a Nascent Soul cultivator, sixty years ago isn’t that long ago."
He twitched the corner of his mouth but continued to read with interest.
"In the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, cultivators occupy spirit islands and claim territories in the sea... First-rate forces include Penglai Fairy Island and the Four Seas Sect..."
Fang Xi vaguely remembered that the Thousand Mechanism Palace Master seemed to have originated from the Eastern Sea Cultivation World.
However, the Thousand Mechanism Palace probably only had one or two Nascent Soul cultivators and perhaps had already been destroyed by now...
Since the essence of the puppet skill was already in his hands, he felt too lazy to investigate further.
"The attackers in the Eastern Sea are not Flood Dragons but the Crocodile Dragon Clan... This clan claims to also possess True Dragon Blood. After all, dragons are lecherous by nature, and there are countless dragon species... Well, it should barely be usable."
Fang Xi’s lips twitched as he continued, "The ancestor of the Crocodile Dragons fought with a Transcendent God cultivator on Penglai Fairy Island and was later repelled... If it was wounded, there’s a high chance that Essence Blood was left behind."
He glanced at the map and immediately decided on the first place he needed to go: Penglai Fairy Island!
This island consists of three islands, with the main island being the site of the Penglai Fairy Sect’s sect, which is always heavily guarded. However, the other two islands are frequently open to the public, one specializing in renting cultivation caves, while the other often holds various auctions, making it one of the most commercially bustling places in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World!
Even if there was no Essence Blood of the Crocodile Dragon ancestor on this island, Fang Xi was determined to collect some of the Eastern Sea Cultivation World’s unique rare materials and Secret Skills.
Having made his decision, he immediately transformed into a streak of blue light and flew towards Penglai Fairy Island.
The Eastern Sea was vast, and some lower-level cultivators even relied on various medium and long-distance teleportation arrays to travel.
But for the speed of a Nascent Soul old monster, it was not a big deal.
Fang Xi occasionally transformed into a Core Formation cultivator to enter one of the spirit islands passed by, learning the unique language and script of the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, trying his best to wash away the markings of a foreigner from himself.
After three months, he was almost indistinguishable from the native cultivators of the Eastern Sea.
By this time, at the horizon of the sea and sky, three islands bathed in radiant twilight also came into Fang Xi’s view.
Penglai Fairy Island, here we come!
Fang Xi looked up and saw three beams of light shooting into the sky, magnificent and vast.
Beneath the beams of light were islands blooming with five-color radiance, abundant with spiritual energy, with numerous Escape Lights flitting back and forth, exotic beasts in plain sight, and cultivators of various colors brushing shoulders -- a truly bustling scene.
He identified them briefly and then headed for Yingzhou Island, which was the main center for commercial transactions.
It was said that the largest trading house on this island was the ’Ends of the Earth Ocean Pavilion’, supported by the Penglai Fairy Sect and home to countless treasures of the Eastern Sea.
Fang Xi still bore the appearance of Qing Hezi but now put on the hat that could block Divine Consciousness probing as he landed at the entrance of Yingzhou Island.
"Yingzhou Island welcomes this senior!"
Numerous immortal boats were moored on the dock.
A cultivator resembling a scribe, upon seeing Fang Xi’s Escape Light descending and unable to detect his exact cultivation level with Divine Consciousness, was struck with awe and took the initiative to greet him, "Senior... Here is the Yingzhou Island Passage Token, please keep it safe."
As he spoke, he passed over a white jade token with the utmost courtesy, not even mentioning the collection of Spirit Clams as a fee for entering the island.