Chapter 696: Chapter 660 Old Friend (Full Promotion Added More)
Qingyin House.
Gazing at a cultivator before her clad in black robes, with a stern expression, and carrying a dark-black iron sword on his back, Fairy Luan Bing wore a bitter smile, "That spirit stone mine is critical to the rise and fall of Qingyin House. Please forgive me for not being able to yield it..."
"Fairy Luan Bing, my ’Star Iron Sword Sect’ is quite sincere, and the spiritual vein is adjacent to ’Sword Peak Mountain,’ which has been chosen by the elder of our sect as a site for his residence, where he will build his palace to live in... Could it be that you plan to allow a group of miners to disturb the elder’s cultivation day and night?"
The cultivator carrying the iron sword snorted coldly.
The ’Star Iron Sword Sect’ was indeed a Returning to Emptiness sect, with several cultivators at the Returning to Emptiness stage, far more powerful than the previous Dragon Controlling Sect!
Previously, when the overseas Immortal Mansion emerged, the great elder, who was at the mid-stage of Returning to Emptiness, also came here. He then ordered ’Prime Taoist Tiejian’ to establish a power base here in wait for the day the Immortal Mansion would open.
Now although the Immortal Mansion’s prohibitions were strict, they only weakened cultivation levels.
As long as one was willing to disregard life and death and send Foundation Establishment and Core Formation disciples inside, they couldn’t reap the benefits of the core area, but they could still occasionally mine things like ’Immortal Jade.’
For a great power at the Returning to Emptiness stage, establishing a branch on the side near the Mysterious Dark Abyss was a matter of course, a trivial task.
However, it was bitter for the original Transcendent God forces.
The best marketplaces and spiritual veins near the Mysterious Dark Abyss were naturally taken by the Star Sect. ’Star Iron Sword Sect’ types could only choose nearby areas, which happened to lean toward Qingyin House.
Fang Xi also saw this and had no intention of immediately rebuilding the Wang family.
At this time and place, wouldn’t that be like voluntarily becoming a target?
"I wouldn’t dare..."
Fairy Luan Bing’s expression froze as the pressure from the Star Iron Sword Sect was incomparable to that from the Dragon Controlling Sect.
If it weren’t for her blood oath taken in the ancestral hall when she started on her path, vowing to revitalize Qingyin House, she would now be tempted to flee.
"If the fairy finds this proposal unacceptable... why not consider merging Qingyin House into the ’Comfort Sword Branch’ I established?"
Prime Taoist Tiejian made another suggestion.
In his view, the sect only needed enough Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cannon fodder to explore the secret realm, and didn’t insist on nurturing them itself.
Annexing other sects was even more time-efficient and effortless.
Of course, for Prime Taoist Tiejian, sects too small were not worth his attention, only Qingyin House was barely acceptable.
"Although the ’Comfort Sword Branch’ is just a sub-sect of the Star Iron Sword Sect, you can still receive the protection of my sect... You really wouldn’t lose out on this deal, Fairy."
Prime Taoist Tiejian persuaded.
Fairy Luan Bing’s body trembled, then she replied, "Sir, I appreciate the kindness, but Qingyin House has been passed down for dozens of generations. If the lineage breaks during my time, would I not be a sinner of the highest order?"
Prime Taoist Tiejian’s expression turned cold, he was about to say more, but his Divine Consciousness suddenly stirred.
Following that, Fairy Luan Bing also seemed to notice something and looked toward a certain part of the sky.
They saw an old man, with a leisurely demeanor, sitting cross-legged on a giant turtle, meandering forward.
"The Wang Family Ancestor!?"
Fairy Luan Bing exclaimed in surprise.
"Mid-stage Transcendent God realm, and a rank five Spiritual Pet?!"
Prime Taoist Tiejian was focused on another aspect.
The danger level of this ’Wang Family Ancestor’ in his mind had skyrocketed.
"Haha, I have been in seclusion for a long time. I’ve finally made a minor breakthrough in my cultivation. I wonder how Fairy Luan Bing has been doing lately?"
Fang Xi jumped off the back of the Little Mysterious Turtle and casually posed the question.
Upon hearing this, Fairy Luan Bing could only offer a bitter smile.
She had realized early on that something was not right, but she lacked the courageous decisiveness of the Wang Family Ancestor. Even though she tried hard to maneuver among various forces, she was unwittingly forced into such a predicament.
In contrast, the Wang Family Ancestor was unaffected by everything. His cultivation even made consecutive breakthroughs, and he had stumbled upon an incredible opportunity, taming a rank five Spiritual Beast!
Turtle-type monster beasts have incredibly long lifespans, making them ideal for family inheritance or sect protection, capable of safeguarding for tens of thousands of years!
The Dragon Controlling Sect was the perfect example, and turtle-type monster beasts were mostly calm and mild-mannered, unlikely to cause trouble like that wayward Flood Dragon.
"Since Fairy Luan Bing has guests today, I will take my leave for now... As for the proposal, I hope the fairy will give it some thought."
Prime Taoist Tiejian and Fang Xi performed a courtesy to each other, and then he proposed to depart.
After this man transformed into a dark sword light and left, Fairy Luan Bing solemnly thanked Fang Xi, "Thank you, Sir, otherwise I wouldn’t know how to deal with that man..."
"I’m merely delaying. You still need to make a decision soon,"
Fang Xi sighed and sent out a magic spell.
The Little Mysterious Turtle transformed into the size of a child’s palm and he began to play with it in his hand.
Fairy Luan Bing led the way and ushered him into a waterside pavilion.
The outside of the house was graced with a gently flowing waterfall and stream, a quite suitable place for cultivating one’s character and temperament.
Fang Xi was also quite familiar with this place.
He had been invited for a visit in the past, and the dancers and singers trained by Qingyin House were quite talented.
Fairy Luan Bing asked Fang Xi to sit and her expression seemed to carry a trace of deep feelings, "Did Sir come to inquire about reviving the Wang family? With your current strength, you are fully capable of doing so, and might even reap benefits among the upper sects..."
If she had Fang Xi’s strength, perhaps she would also be tempted to try bargaining with a tiger.
No other reason, the path to advancement in this territory was just too difficult.
If not for the overseas Immortal Mansion, basically no other Returning to Emptiness cultivators would bother to give it another glance.
"The situation is unpredictable at present, and I truly have no such intentions... I just want to hear about the fate of some fellow cultivators,"
Fang Xi smiled, listening to all sides to understand the full picture.
Moreover, since this woman had wide connections, she must know some hidden secrets unknown to others.
"The Dragon Controlling Sect has fallen, what else is there to say?"
A trace of sorrow flashed across Luan Bing’s face.
"For example... the Profound Mystery Trade Association!?"
Fang Xi said.
"Indeed, I had forgotten that your Wang family has always had dealings with the Profound Mystery Trade Association, and this time you’ve really bet on the right treasure..."
Fairy Luan Bing’s words carried an indescribable tinge of envy, "The Returning to Emptiness Individual Cultivator, Master Zi Feng, is the backer of the Profound Mystery Trade Association, and there are even rumors of a Star Sect background..."
If she could secure a connection with them, her resolve to refuse Prime Taoist Tiejian today would have a few more ounces of confidence.
With this thought, the look in her eyes towards Fang Xi grew even more fervent, feeling that the Wang Family Ancestor was truly in his prime, his mighty aura undiminished by age.
For the high-ranking cultivators of the Earth Immortal Realm, the physical body was just something that could be easily changed; it was the formidable strength that intoxicated them even more...
...
Several days later.
Fang Xi rode on Little Mysterious Turtle, leaving the scope of Qingyin House, heading straight into the Mysterious Dark Abyss.
His Divine Thought swept through the surroundings, ensuring there were no traces or marks following him before he stretched out his hand and called forth Little Mysterious Turtle into the Mountain Sea Pearl Dongfu, casually forming a Magic Spell.
In a flash, a rich and profound Demon Qi emerged from Fang Xi’s body.
Even his aura and appearance altered slightly, taking on the guise of ’Qing Hezi’.
’Qing Hezi’ cultivated the ’He Transforms Freely Heavenly King Governing Ten Thousand Spirits True Demon Scripture,’ so it was not so much an act as an embodiment when played by the original person—thus, there was no flaw to detect.
’Qing Hezi’ flew all the way, heading straight into the Mysterious Dark Abyss.
Fang Xi had no intention of visiting the overseas Immortal Mansion; after all, that Immortal Mansion was a target of public criticism, and he would not gain any advantage by going there, potentially exposing his tracks.
Fortunately, even for Nascent Soul cultivators, the Mysterious Dark Abyss was a dangerous place, and aside from occasional fishermen, rarely any cultivator’s Escape Light could be seen.
His journey was uneventful, and soon he arrived near Ghost Gate Reef.
As per the arrangement with Mo Yinqiu, Fang Xi came to a specific rock.
This rock was slightly curved at both ends, resembling two crescent moons or a pair of ox horns.
"It should be here then."
Fang Xi touched his Storage Ring, retrieving a small box from within.
Upon removing the seal on the Talisman, the lid of the box popped open automatically to reveal a small black bird Puppet.
He released a bit of Magic Power into the puppet, and its eyes lit up before it started fluttering its wings, flying out.
The Puppet bird circled the rock a few times, then headed straight towards a certain direction.
Fang Xi followed behind, and after not too long, he arrived at a certain part of the Mysterious Dark Abyss.
The black bird Puppet hovered and cried over a spot on the sea surface before diving straight into the water.
Sizzle!
The Mysterious Dark Heavy Water began to corrode the Puppet, and a shadow flashed through the water as a Mysterious Dark Beast struck, reducing the Puppet to pieces.
Seeing this, Fang Xi’s face remained expressionless.
The Earth Immortal Realm is vast, and the greater the distance, the more difficult it is to communicate.
For instance, a Thousand Miles Communique Talisman would be useless once the distance exceeded a thousand miles, ten thousand miles, or even a hundred thousand miles, million miles, or billion miles...
Secret Skills and magical treasures that allow communication within the Mysterious Dark Abyss are indeed rare and precious.
And if one could communicate at will within the Star Domain... then the ’Star Sect’ would have united the entire region long ago.
The range of rule is the extent to which information can be transmitted!
As for a communication channel across the entire human race territory, even spanning numerous treacherous terrains and Arrays, connecting the human race with the Monster Clan and Demon Clan... well, Fang Xi had never heard of such a thing.
This Puppet was the contact token Mo Yinqiu had given to Qing Hezi years ago.
Now it seemed that the Mo Sect had completely withdrawn?
Fang Xi’s eyes flickered as he released a cluster of dark clouds and calmly sat cross-legged upon them, closing his eyes to rest and recuperate.
...
Half a month later.
His eyes suddenly opened, and he saw a monstrous fish with eight tentacles emerging from within the Mysterious Dark Heavy Water.
Fang Xi transformed into a streak of Escape Light, entering the midst of the monster beast.
"I didn’t expect... that your Mo Sect could imitate my bio-mimetic Puppets so excellently," he said with his hands behind his back, curiously surveying his surroundings, speaking to a person in front of him.
Bio-mimetic Puppets were Nine States technology; their technique wasn’t anything special, so for the Mo Sect to imitate them was not unusual.
This person was the leader of the Mo Sect, Mo Yinqiu!
He appeared several years older than before, and on seeing Fang Xi, he could only give a bitter smile, "Ah... years of scheming, all gone like water under the bridge..."
He was mourning the loss of the overseas Immortal Mansion, but in this moment, he felt an even closer connection to Fang Xi, after all, Qing Hezi had slaughtered a fifth-order Flood Dragon that had fled.
And Mo Sect and Dragon Controlling Sect were mortal enemies!
"The world changes, merely a matter of a few thousand, tens of thousands of years; who can truly comprehend what is advantageous?"
Fang Xi replied with a smile, knowing from Mo Yinqiu’s presence in the Mysterious Dark Abyss that the Mo Sect still harbored ambition for that Immortal Mansion.
Mo Yinqiu sighed and suddenly bowed solemnly, "Previously, when exploring the Secret Realm, I had some inklings, but it was only a guess; now I can confirm it’s a legacy of an Immortal Mansion..."
This was in fact a lie, but Fang Xi didn’t mind.
If it had been him, he would definitely have concealed this crucial information too!
After all, it was an Immortal Mansion legacy!
Even Changqingzi had risen suddenly only after obtaining the legacy of an Immortal Mansion!