Chapter 98: Return to Great Liang

‘Could this person… be a disguised Foundation Establishment cultivator just playing along?’A chilling thought emerged simultaneously in Master Lu and his companions’ minds.

To swiftly dispatch two Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivators was a terrifying feat even most Peak Qi Refiners couldn’t achieve!

“Dammit, today either he dies or we do!” The old man stepped onto a peculiar black crow-like bird and soared into the air. “His movements rely on drawing power from the earth; use aerial flight devices!”

Master Lu and the grim-faced middle-aged man, who had remained silent throughout, quickly awakened from their shock and ascended using their flying magical artifacts.

“Hold nothing back! Use our trump cards, kill him now!” The old man shouted hoarsely, clearly consumed by fear.

In a moment of foolish recklessness, they had provoked such a formidable enemy. If he escaped, their clan’s future would likely…

“You’ve found me?”

Fang Xi looked up with a chuckle, activated a newly purchased ‘Flight Talisman’ on himself, and swallowed a ‘Raging Blood Pill’ to replenish his blood qi!

Instantaneously, the previously dormant astral energy erupted once more from his body!

Qi Circulating Body!

Three-inch Sword Aura!

Flight Talisman!

Having achieved the rank of Great Grandmaster, Fang Xi’s body cultivation base already rivaled that of Peak Qi Refiners in the cultivation world!

He transformed into a swift black blur, effortlessly darting past the old man as he reached for something in his bag of holding.

A blood-red line appeared on the opponent’s forehead, swiftly extending down across his nose, chin, and even through the mythical beast beneath him…

“Dammit! Die already!” The grim-faced middle-aged man roared furiously, finally revealing his trump card.

In his hand, he swiftly activated an intricately crafted yellow paper talisman with flickering electrical sparks.

Boom!

A bolt of earth-toned lightning descended straight from the sky, striking Fang Xi immediately after he dispatched the old man!

The astral energy around Fang Xi burst, while the spirit snake armor offered minimal defense against this divine thunder, seemingly ready to disperse itself!

This was a tier-2 low-grade Earthly Fifth Divine Thunder Talisman!

Being predominantly earth attribute, it effectively countered water attribute defenses like the spirit armor!

“It worked?” Master Lu showed signs of excitement.

Based on his understanding, even a rogue cultivator at the third stage of Body Refinement would likely be incapacitated by such a lightning strike…

Pfft!

In the next instant, two golden beams resembling scissors suddenly attacked from either side, engaging fiercely with his protective shields.

A figure descended from above, slicing through the last shield with a Black Iron Sword before cleanly severing Master Lu’s neck.

As Master Lu’s head flew off, only one thought crossed his mind: “My final creation, the spirit snake armor…its defense is unexpectedly so…strong?!”

Little did he know that the true strength lay not in the high-rank first-tier spirit armor but rather in Fang Xi’s astral energy cloak. Combined, their叠加防御力防御力 multiplied exponentially!

With a thud, Master Lu’s head splashed onto the lake surface.

Fang Xi turned to gaze at the stern middle-aged man who had earlier unleashed the Earthly Fifth Divine Thunder Talisman. “Any more tier-2 paper talismans? Feel free to give them a try…”

The middle-aged man remained silent, summoning a black flying boat and frantically fleeing towards the Treasure Ship Market.

He now fully realized that this opponent was among the elite few below Foundation Establishment rank.

Despite being five Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivators, they had exhausted all their trump cards only to be decimated, with four already slain!

If he didn’t escape now, would he simply wait to be killed?

“Die!” Fang Xi’s expression hardened as he relentlessly pursued the fleeing man.

“I am an honorary guest of the Zhong Family! I’ve sent a communication talisman; the Foundation Establishment Protector of the Treasure Ship Market will arrive soon!” the middle-aged man shouted desperately over his shoulder.

“Feh!” Fang Xi ignored him, his arms swelling visibly, muscles bulging like tumors, as he poured his last reserves of true astral energy into the Black Iron Sword.

With a swift motion, the Black Iron Sword became a streak of pitch-black lightning, instantly striking the middle-aged man’s flying boat.

The opponent let out a blood-curdling scream as his figure plummeted.

Fang Xi unleashed both the Golden Flood Dragon Sword and Blade, swiftly closing in for the kill!

“Foundation Establishment? Oh, how terrifying!” he mocked internally, showing no mercy in his actions.

The Golden Flood Dragon Blade tore through the middle-aged man’s defensive aura, allowing the Golden Flood Dragon Sword to pierce directly into his chest.

Fang Xi grabbed the corpse, retrieved the man’s bag of holding, and then dove deep into the lake, reclaiming his Black Iron Sword along the way.

In the next instant, Fang Xi vanished without a trace.

Shortly after, a figure soaring on wind currents approached from the direction of the Treasure Ship Market. Upon seeing the floating corpse of the middle-aged man, their expression turned grim.

Their powerful divine sense swept across every inch meticulously, but the assailant had already disappeared without a trace…

In the Great Liang World.

On a desolate mountain.

Within a hastily carved cave on a cliffside, Fang Xi suddenly materialized.

His expression shifted sharply as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, then gritted his teeth and removed the spirit snake armor from his body.

Shockingly, burn marks were visible across his chest.

Scattered within the cave lay piles of numerous spirit objects and paper talismans, collectively worth far more than a thousand spirit stones - a fortune enough to make any Qi Refinement cultivator envious.

However, Fang Xi paid them no heed, immediately seeking out healing medicinal pills. After consuming one, his complexion gradually improved.

Next, with both hands forming intricate seals, he channeled his blood qi, causing mysterious patterns to emerge on his skin.

“Essence Restoration Secret Art!”

This secret technique mimicked the regenerative abilities of ‘devils’, utilizing a martial practitioner’s blood qi for rapid recovery.

He had acquired it after rescuing Dugu Wuwang, earning commendation at the Zongshi Association meeting.

Moments later, layers of blackened dead skin peeled off Fang Xi, revealing new flesh beneath.

Combining the effects of cultivation spiritual pills and the martial arts secret technique, his injuries rapidly healed…

After some time, Fang Xi exhaled deeply, thinking, ‘I took too great a risk this time. Someone concealed a tier-2 paper talisman specifically targeting the spirit snake armor…’

If not for his peak third-stage Body Refinement physique and the initial protection from astral energy, the injuries would have been far more severe than just being heavily wounded.

‘The middle-aged man mentioned that a Zhong Family Foundation Establishment cultivator is on their way…’

‘Maybe it’s best to lay low for a few months during this next crossing, waiting until things settle down…’

Fang Xi doubted that a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with the crucial duty of guarding the market, could leisurely stake out in the wilderness for several months!

“Perfect timing anyway; once I start practicing the Longevity Technique, I can’t stray too far from the Demon Tree, nor will I be able to cross over…”

“It’s probably wise to tie up loose ends here in Great Liang first.”

As Fang Xi thought about Mu Piaomiao, Lily, Qing Sang, and others, his facial expression softened noticeably.

In the next moment, he entered another room within the immortal’s cave.

This chamber was filled with large quantities of food, the floor covered in dirt.

He reached into the soil and pulled out a massive white fleshy blob—Tai Sui!

“Old friend, it’s time for the southern wilderness!”

Gazing at this beneficial creature, which was also the first mythical beast he encountered, Fang Xi murmured with a hint of smile, “But before we go…”

With a flash on his hand, a blood-red document appeared - it was the ‘blood contract deed’!

“Go!”

In the next moment, Fang Xi sliced open his finger, extracting a drop of vital blood.

As the blood landed on the deed, wisps of black smoke rose, causing the entire document to spontaneously ignite without fire.

Fang Xi chanted under his breath, channeling magical energy and pointing towards Tai Sui.

Whoosh!

The strands of black smoke coalesced, forming a hidden crimson rune that swiftly merged into Tai Sui’s body.

Throughout this process, Tai Sui remained passive like a vegetative being, showing no resistance whatsoever.

“A true plant-based mythical beast indeed!” Feeling the established connection through the completed contract, Fang Xi couldn’t help but feel highly satisfied.

Tai Sui’s minimal resistance exceeded his expectations, making the formation of the blood pact remarkably smooth.

Now, with this blood pact, he could instantly control Tai Sui’s life or death at any time!

Unless Tai Sui managed to break through to tier-2 Foundation Establishment, there would be no way for it to resist!

Currently, Tai Sui was merely a low-tier first-rank mythical beast, although technically now it should be considered a spirit beast.

Among cultivators, uncontrolled mythical creatures were generally referred to as mythical beasts. However, those tamed as mounts or guardians of sects were termed spirit beasts!

Upon entering Three Origins City, Fang Xi immediately sensed something amiss.

The city gates were sealed, and martial law had been imposed.

The streets were unusually sparse with pedestrians, filled with an air of unease.

“What’s happening here?”

Fang Xi headed to Yuanhe Mountain’s residence within Three Origins City, producing a blue crystal token casually given to him by Linghu Shan.

“Greetings, Elder!” The gatekeeping disciple paled upon seeing the token and promptly escorted Fang Xi inside.

Soon after, a portly middle-aged man approached, bowing respectfully, “Hu Buwei greets the elder.” Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Despite his well-fed appearance, his eyes revealed sharp acumen and a commanding presence, indicating he was indeed a skilled martial artist!

“I haven’t visited Three Origins City for some time. What events have transpired?” Fang Xi casually asked while seated in a taishi chair.

Since he traveled exclusively on the Black Feather Boat, often encountering no one along the way, he naturally remained uninformed about recent developments.

“Ah… recently, there’s been some turmoil in the imperial court. The old emperor passed away, and the new emperor ascended at just six years of age. Consequently, the Grand Preceptor has taken control as regent, leading to significant conflicts with the imperial harem and court ministers…”

Hu Buwei sighed bitterly. “Ding Province itself was relatively peaceful initially, but near Big Barrier Mountain, a band of roving rebels gained unknown support and rapidly grew in strength. They’ve been consistently seizing cities and territories, now reaching the outskirts of Three Origins City… The Dingzhou Army engaged them once but suffered a crushing defeat!”

“Even the Dingzhou Army was defeated?” Fang Xi sounded somewhat astonished.

This couldn’t be attributed to him; although he had killed two officers of the Dingzhou Army, their overall power remained largely intact.

“I heard…” Hu Buwei lowered his voice, “There are multiple zongshi commanding the rebel forces!”

“So that’s how it is,” Fang Xi nodded in understanding. After asking a few more questions, he leisurely took his leave.

At Baiyun Dojo, Mu Piaomiao now served as the dojo master, with Zhang Mingding and other disciples assisting her.

Inside the main hall:

“Shijie, due to the ongoing conflict, many disciples have returned home. The city’s food prices have skyrocketed… Our dojo’s funds will be depleted by the end of this month,” Zhang Mingding said, worry evident as he held the account ledger.

“Sigh…” Mu Piaomiao shared his concern before gritting her teeth. “Sell all my jewelry, and let everyone contribute what they can. Buy as much food as possible with whatever resources we have.”

Having endured hardship once in Blackstone City, she vowed never to face starvation again.

“Heh, well done, little shimei! Money is insignificant; wealth comes and goes!”

Suddenly, a young voice echoed from outside the door.

“That voice sounds familiar…”

“And that dismissive tone about money… Da-shixiong?!”

Seeing the newcomer, Mu Piaomiao couldn’t help but tear up. “You’ve finally returned…”