Chapter 38: Preparing to Depart

Expressionless, Fang Xi reached back and swiftly pulled out the earth spike lodged in his flesh.Having achieved mastery in Primordial Strength, he was equivalent to a cultivator at the second layer of Body Refinement. Even spells from a Mid Qi Refining cultivator might not necessarily kill him, let alone one merely at the initial stage?

After penetrating his skin, the opponent’s earth spike had been firmly trapped by his True Force-enhanced bones, unable to advance further.

“Spare me!”

The shorter cultivator dropped to his knees, pleading loudly, “It’s Qi Yingsong from Hundred Skills Pavilion who wants you dead… We were just following orders…”

“How did you track me down?” Fang Xi asked coldly.

“Yingsong,” the short cultivator hastily responded, “he placed Three-Day Fragrance on your teacup. This scent is nearly colorless and odorless; only specially trained individuals can detect it. It lingers for three days without dissipating…”

“Aha, I see!” Fang Xi nodded, then suddenly darted forward like lightning, pressing his palm onto the short cultivator’s head.

Instantaneously, the cultivator collapsed, his skull shattered and life extinguished. As his hand opened, several black bone needles rolled onto the ground.

“One-time magical artifacts, ‘Bone Piercing Nails’?”

Fang Xi, intrigued, carefully collected them.

Fang Xi showed no mercy towards enemies like venomous snakes.

After briefly searching the shorter cultivator’s body, he found nothing particularly valuable. Next, Fang Xi retrieved the dusty bag of holding from the taller cultivator’s waist and meticulously examined both corpses once more.

Then, he picked up the ghost-headed blade which had lost its owner’s magical infusion, now dimmed without its previous glow. With two sparks flickering, he incinerated the bodies to ashes before swiftly departing the scene.

“Damn Hundred Skills Pavilion… attacking me over just a few dozen spirit stones?” As Fang Xi walked away, he continued grumbling inwardly, “Luckily there were no Late Stage Qi Refinement experts; otherwise, I’d have been in serious danger…”

“A few dozen spirit stones indeed only attract such caliber of adversaries…”

He felt increasingly convinced that his decision to enhance his martial skills before engaging in cross-realm trade was truly wise! Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“And… I was too impulsive before, not cautious enough.”

“This time, I must be far more prudent.”

Instead of returning to the shantytown, Fang Xi headed straight for his spirit bamboo grove. With a flash, he disappeared from sight.

No matter where on Qingzhu Mountain he hid, there was always a chance of being discovered. Only in the other world could he find absolute safety!

“Sigh… this Demon Tree has grown even taller and more imposing.”

In an abandoned house, Fang Xi looked up at the towering Demon Tree, its branches stretching towards the clouds with monstrous entities dangling from their ends. He sighed once again.

If not for the urgent situation here, with the Demon Tree on the verge of advancing, he wouldn’t have hastily sold large quantities of Beefwood meat, attracting unwanted attention.

“The cultivation path is truly fraught with thorns. Fortunately, this time, victory is mine.”

Only now, after reaching safety, did Fang Xi find the leisure to calmly examine his spoils of war.

First among them was the low-grade magical artifact—the ghost-headed blade!

The blade, entirely pitch-black, measured three feet long and half a foot wide. Its hilt was wrapped in yin silk, culminating in a grotesque, fanged demon head at the end!

“Not bad, not bad. The internal restrictions of this magical artifact are intact; it nearly sliced my Qinghe Sword in two… It should fetch at least ten spirit stones!”

Fang Xi had long felt that the Qinghe Sword was quite unsatisfactory due to its damaged state. With this new acquisition, he finally found a suitable replacement.

Apart from the blade, there were also three single-use magical artifacts—Bone Piercing Nails!

These artifacts could only be used once but were highly insidious. Despite being one-time attacks, their power could potentially reach the upper limit of low-grade magical artifacts, making them remarkably potent.

“Unfortunately, body cultivators fear such tricks the least. With their superior survivability, they have the highest margin for error!”

Fang Xi’s face beamed with delight, showing no trace of his earlier disdain for low-tier body cultivators.

Next, he retrieved a dusty little brocade pouch.

“It must be a bag of holding… The shorter cultivator had neither valuables nor medicinal pills; everything was likely stored in the taller one’s bag.”

“These Calamity cultivators had weak cultivation bases and crude magical artifacts, not even a single defensive item. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have defeated them so easily. Clearly, they were at the bottom rung among Calamity cultivators!”

Although Fang Xi had never used a bag of holding before, he knew enough from observing others.

Holding the bag with both hands, he channeled the Everlasting Spring Art through them, infusing strands of magical energy into the bag to erase the original owner’s imprint.

To Fang Xi’s surprise, his magical energy was exceedingly feeble, requiring a full ten hours just to barely wipe away the previous owner’s magical imprint from the bag of holding.

With a rumble!

As soon as Fang Xi sensed that the original magical imprint had been dispersed, he swiftly imprinted his own energy onto it.

Using the bag of holding, his spiritual sense seemed to extend beyond his body, perceiving another dimension altogether.

Inside, he found a gray space measuring approximately three feet by three feet in each dimension.

Within this storage area were numerous small items, including a pile of gold, silver, and jade trinkets, thirteen low-grade spirit stones, along with various bottles and miscellaneous objects.

“Truly remarkable for a bag of holding!” Fang Xi couldn’t help but fondle it appreciatively. “Just as I’m planning to relocate, such a treasure arrives… these two brothers truly are like celestial messengers bearing gifts…”

In reality, without considering that broken banishing talisman, Fang Xi was far poorer than these siblings!

“Cursed Hundred Skills Pavilion, even robbing someone as destitute as me! One day, you’ll answer for this!”

Although based on their confessions, these desperate Calamity cultivators might not have been directly sent by Qi Liu or Qi Yingsong.

Considering Fang Xi’s understanding of the shopkeeper, his operations were usually meticulous, making it unlikely he would employ such amateurs.

Nevertheless, Fang Xi squarely blamed the Hundred Skills Pavilion for this incident.

As for Yingsong, if they ever crossed paths again, there would be consequences.

“However, my current strength is insufficient to challenge such a colossal entity. For now, I must bide my time and focus on self-improvement…”

Fang Xi decided to lay low in Great Liang temporarily.

Coincidentally, this presented an opportunity to attempt evacuating people from Blackstone City. After all, those at the dojo had some connection to him, and witnessing them perish here would indeed weigh heavily on his conscience.

Of course, once the escape route opened, Fang Xi intended to be the first one out, leaving the fate of the others to chance. If the Demon Tree’s Demonic Domain proved too formidable, allowing only a few to pass through, they could blame their own destiny!

At the Baiyun Dojo’s quarters:

“Gongzi went out again; I wonder when he’ll return?”

Lily stood by the door, vigilantly watching outside.

As Fang Xi’s strength and status steadily rose over recent days, the dojo members became increasingly courteous towards her, leaving the young girl feeling overwhelmed with unexpected favor.

However, Lily was well aware who had elevated her to this position, and she remained dutifully respectful in front of Fang Xi.

Earlier, Fang Xi had once again found a pretext to leave, and unable to stop him, she could only anxiously wait at the door each day.

In the next moment, a figure appeared at the end of the street, seemingly approaching.

“Gongzi…”

Before Lily could finish her joyful exclamation, her expression abruptly changed.

The ‘person’ staggering down the street emerged from its entrance, with tree roots coiling around their shoulders, as if their entire body had transformed into a haven for vines and tendrils.

“A monster!” Lily’s shrill cry instantly echoed throughout the dojo.

“Prepare torches!”

“Defend against the enemy!”

“It’s a wooden figure, quickly summon the Dojo Master!”

Chaos erupted across the City Gate District.

Multiple dojos were under attack, suffering immense casualties.

It seemed that the numerous monsters previously confined within the inner city had suddenly lost their restraints, now advancing madly towards the Outer City and even encroaching on the City Gate District!

“Die, you fiends!”

Mu Canglong swung his staff, knocking a cursed being off the wall. Observing several dojos under attack nearby, his expression darkened gravely. “The range of demonic servants’ activities is expanding again… At this rate, within three days, the entire Outer City will fall! I wonder when Fang Xi will return?”

As he pondered, two wooden figures leaped over the fire wall directly towards him.

In mid-flight, countless tendrils erupted from their bodies, forming armor-like structures.

“Haha… Bring it on!” Mu Canglong’s hands turned pitch-black as he fearlessly charged forward.

After just a few exchanges, he was sent flying, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Wooden figures were far stronger than cursed beings; even dojo masters struggled against them, risking easy poisoning with any misstep!

“Dad!”

Mu Piaomiao waved her torch protectively in front of Mu Canglong, despair filling her eyes.

“Ahh!”

Despite being well-guarded earlier, once Mu Canglong himself faced life-threatening danger, no one could spare attention for Lily anymore.

She fell to the ground, watching helplessly as a cursed being slowly approached, its face covered in incantation markings. Overwhelmed by despair, she murmured, “Gongzi, Lily can no longer serve you…”

“What did you say?”

A familiar voice echoed nearby. Lily, who had resigned herself to death with closed eyes, suddenly opened them and saw Fang Xi standing there.

With a swift chop from his right hand, the cursed being’s head soared into the air.

“Hold on, I’ll deal with you later!”

Leaving these words behind, Fang Xi charged towards the two wooden figures.

Although these wooden constructs were formidable, they still fell short compared to True Strength martial artists. With each strike of his Primordial Strength, he shattered them effortlessly.

“Da-shixiong, you’ve finally returned!” Tang Xuan exclaimed joyfully.

“Indeed!” Fang Xi scanned the area, swiftly moving to assist wherever needed.

After nearly an hour, the monsters retreated once again.

Exhausted, members of Baiyun Dojo collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath without any concern for their appearance. “We survived! We made it!”

Tang Xuan noticed Fang Xi holding a torch and igniting one of the wooden figures, feeling curious. “Da-shixiong, what are you doing?”

“Just a small experiment, nothing much.” Fang Xi watched intently as after burning the roots, two seeds emerged amidst the charred remains.

“One seed per wooden figure, perhaps?”

He carefully collected the seeds, intending to study them further at a later time.

“Sigh… Fang Xi, if it weren’t for you this time, we might have lost many more lives at our dojo…” Mu Canglong, supported by Mu Piaomiao, approached with a face full of lingering fear.

“The monster’s activity range is expanding; we can’t stay here any longer.” Fang Xi looked around at everyone, his voice somber. “Prepare yourselves… We’re leaving immediately!”