Chapter 119: Ninth Level (For Platinum Supporter! )
Chapter 119: Ninth Level (For Platinum Supporter! )
Underground cave.
Rumble!
As a mature Demonic Tree, after discovering that the underground cavern was starting to become too narrow, it had already learned to continuously dig downwards with its roots, while simultaneously throwing large amounts of soil into the lake.
Fang Xi didn't bother supervising the Demonic Tree's new architectural endeavors. He merely pointed out a few places, instructing the Demonic Tree to ensure proper support and reinforcement so as not to collapse Emerald Cliff, then let it do as it pleased.
At this moment, he was observing the "human puppet" before him!
This human puppet was in the likeness of Mu Wen, with a grayish complexion and even some woody textures visible on its skin.
From time to time, tree roots could be seen drilling in and out of its seven orifices.
"Stand up!"
"Jump!"
Fang Xi was not proficient in puppetry. He was merely utilizing the Demonic Tree's ability to control demonic servants for a secondary form of control.
It was akin to a Bug King commanding its enslaved insects, feeling rather sluggish and unresponsive.
"Execute technique!"
But at this moment, Fang Xi's eyes flickered, and he issued a command.
Mu Wen made a hand seal, and a layer of spiritual light appeared on his body, erupting with a surge of spiritual power at the fifth-level Qi Refinement stage!
"This person's cultivation was originally at the sixth level of Qi Refinement. After being made into a puppet, his realm dropped to only the fifth level of Qi Refinement!"
Fang Xi pondered for a moment, then issued a new command.
Whoosh!
Mu Wen performed another hand seal, and the black dagger artifact hummed, transforming into a streak of black light that shot out, embedding itself deep within the rock wall!
"He actually retained his cultivation, and even the ability to manipulate an artifact?"
Fang Xi was immensely surprised by this.
Doesn't this mean he could control a vast army of "human puppets"?
If numerous late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators formed a battle array, they could even contend with a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
But the next moment, Fang Xi noticed something amiss.
Mu Wen's manipulation of the artifact was extremely stiff, lacking agility and variation, which was a fatal flaw in combat.
"This feeling. . . even if he has fifth-level Qi Refinement, he might not be able to defeat Hai Da Gui. . . and constantly needing me to issue commands is too troublesome."
"His attack power is at the fifth-level Qi Refinement stage, but his defense is too poor. After all, it's a human body, and it doesn't even know how to dodge. I'd have to constantly monitor it. . . but I'm controlling it indirectly through the Demonic Tree, and this delay is fatal. . ."
Fang Xi now also sensed the difference between his wood puppetry and orthodox puppetry.
Orthodox puppetry inheritances not only included methods for creating puppets but also techniques for manipulating them in battle!
Among these, the techniques for controlling puppets were even more crucial!
After all, a cultivator's Divine Consciousness or spiritual sense was limited; a non-puppeteer could at most control one or two puppets.
But a puppeteer could split their mind and spiritual sense, controlling an entire puppet army!
They could even inject a 'puppet soul' into advanced puppets, granting them a certain degree of intelligence!
"Actually, powerful Divine Consciousness greatly enhances puppetry. Unfortunately, I've never managed to acquire a puppetry inheritance. . ."
Spirit Sky Island market might have it, but Fang Xi couldn't go there right now!
After a series of experiments, Fang Xi confirmed the detailed data for the human puppet Mu Wen. He shook his head, feeling quite regretful.
The attacks were too rigid, and there was a delay in issuing commands. . .
Compared to the precise control of puppets by an orthodox puppeteer, it was like heaven and earth.
Moreover, once transformed into a "human puppet," there was no further possibility of cultivation or advancement.
"After all, I'm controlling it indirectly through the Demonic Tree, so I can't perform many of the fine manipulations that a puppeteer can. That's understandable, understandable. . . I can find a puppetry art to practice in the future, which might compensate. . ."
"But this 'wood puppetry' is not without its advantages. Firstly, the sheer number – as long as there are enough Demonic Tree seeds, I can control as many as I want!"
"Secondly, the materials are simple – any complete corpse will do. . . forming an army of cultivators won't be just a dream in the future."
Fang Xi rubbed his chin, feeling that if he continued down this path, he would undoubtedly plunge into the demonic cultivation path never to return, eventually becoming an outcast in the cultivation world.
"Actually, I can think about it from another angle: the human puppets created by cultivators aren't very good quality, but the 'beast puppets' made from demon beasts are excellent!"
Because demon beasts are mostly tough and thick-skinned, with higher defensive capabilities, these characteristics can be retained when they are made into puppets!
This way, the commands transmitted can also be kept as simple as possible!
Moreover, demon beast materials are sturdy and not easily damaged, which means a higher tolerance for error!
"An army of beast puppets? That's a direction. . ."
Fang Xi rubbed his chin: "I also need to consider the issue of Demonic Tree seeds leaking out. I could use puppetry to create some mechanisms inside the puppets, so that if a puppet is damaged, the Demonic Tree seed is directly destroyed?"
"This plan is quite good; all I'm missing is a puppetry inheritance. . ."
Even though the Demonic Tree seeds had been downgraded, Fang Xi still didn't want them to leak out.
Thinking about it now, he suddenly felt that there was great potential and decided to list this plan as a reserve option.
After all, he couldn't go out and collect a large number of fresh demon beast corpses right now.
"As for you?"
Fang Xi looked at Mu Wen, allowing the roots within his body to emerge and intertwine on his face, forming a vine-wood mask.
"From today onwards, you shall be called 'Jia Yi', and you will be solely responsible for guarding the underground cavern."
Jia Yi immediately stood by the cavern wall, like a statue. . .
......News of the Mu family head soon faded from attention on Peach Blossom Island.
The cultivation world was quite realistic; a defeated individual who had fled to a distant land would slowly be forgotten by everyone, unless one day they staged a glorious return.
And after a portion of the Mu family left Peach Blossom Island, while some family members continued to struggle on Peach Blossom Island, they had reverted to a state of rootless wandering. . .
More infamous than Mu Wen, without a doubt, was the "Silver-Armored Devil"!
This individual's notoriety grew increasingly due to repeatedly escaping from Foundation Establishment cultivators, even forming a bandit cultivation force that frequently clashed with the Thirty-Six Islands Alliance's joint enforcement team, resulting in numerous casualties!
By now, his fearsome reputation was enough to stop children from crying at night!
But for a cultivator who deliberately holed up and never visited a market, no matter how great the infamy, it was just that.
On the other hand, Hai Da Gui was still worrying day and night for his friend Lu Guo, praying that he wouldn't directly confront the Silver-Armored Devil. . .
...
Five years later.
Inside the cultivation chamber.
Fang Xi silently circulated the 'Evergreen Art' cultivation method, feeling the spiritual power surge within his Dantian Qi Sea, automatically overflowing and opening new circulation channels.
This breakthrough was natural, smooth, and seamless.
"Cultivating the tree for twenty years, I'm forty-three years old this year, and I've broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement!"
Fang Xi was quite satisfied with his progress.
Breaking through one level of cultivation in five years was mainly due to the drag of Emerald Cliff's spiritual energy environment.
Emerald Cliff's spirit vein was merely unranked, and even with the "Spirit Gathering" effect of the Small Cloud Rain Array, it barely managed to raise the spiritual energy environment inside the cultivation chamber to low-grade first-order.
However, for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, at least a superior-grade first-order spirit vein was considered suitable for cultivation.
Aside from this, Fang Xi had not consumed many pills to increase his spiritual power.
After all, taking too many pills could lead to an unstable foundation, which might have a slight impact on future breakthroughs to major realms.
"Furthermore, my alchemy has steadily risen to superior-grade first-order, but my formation skills are still lingering in the mid-grade, stuck at a bottleneck."
Fang Xi felt quite helpless about this.
When delving into formations, he encountered a difficult problem and could only ponder it painstakingly.
Alchemy, on the other hand, as long as the materials were sufficient, given his current Divine Consciousness realm, he could easily push through, at least for Qi Refinement level pills. . .
Therefore, in recent years, Fang Xi had primarily focused on alchemy, placing formations in second place.
As for the Dao of Talismans? It had unknowingly advanced to mid-grade first-order. He wasn't sure if it was the effect of daily contemplation of the silver, incomplete runes condensed by the Wood Spirit Body, but Fang Xi felt particularly talented at drawing wood-element talismans, with a higher success rate than other talismans.
His artifact refining skills remained unranked. . . having been completely abandoned.
Fang Xi stepped out of the cultivation chamber and looked at the Blue-flower Golden Scarabs. Now, the insect chamber was filled with jade-green, blue-flowered beetles, with no trace of the Black-striped Golden Scarabs left.
Even the Insect King, due to long-term consumption of "beast feed pellets," had advanced to mid-grade first-order!
The wine cellar was also full of various spirit wines, with vintages ranging from one year to several. The oldest batch, impressively, had already aged for twenty years!
Such spirit wine, amber in color, could almost be picked up with chopsticks, and was a favorite among cultivators who indulged in drink!
Even if its grade wasn't high, its flavor alone could make it stand out and sell for a large number of Spirit Stones.
On Emerald Cliff, a total of twenty mu of various spirit fields had been cultivated, along with five mu of medicinal fields.
Among them, the oldest batch of 'Blood-generating Grass' and 'Snake Orchid Fruit' were already ten years old, ready to be sold for Spirit Stones, or to serve as auxiliary materials for mid-grade or even superior-grade first-order pills.
"So, cultivators, as long as they possess a spiritual land, and don't engage in fights, but instead diligently cultivate, can actually accumulate resources quite quickly. . ."
After inspecting all areas, Fang Xi came to the edge of the pond, a fierce glint in his eyes.
The Big Green Fish, even now, was still mid-grade first-order!
"The ten-year period has arrived. If you can't seize this last chance, you can only blame yourself!"
He drew his Golden Flood Dragon Shears, about to send the Big Green Fish on its way with a single strike.
Suddenly!
The Big Green Fish leaped, its entire body radiating demonic qi, drawing the surrounding spiritual energy to form a small vortex!
"This is. . . advancement?"
Fang Xi's eye twitched slightly: "It really only broke through at its absolute limit? Is this fish even more reclusive than I am?"
As he was contemplating, the Big Green Fish devoured a large amount of spiritual energy, its body swelling to over two meters long, and even its species seemed to have changed, now resembling a slender catfish or eel more closely, its two green dragon whiskers growing ever longer. . .
"A first-order superior-grade Green Jade Carp King, nicknamed 'Little Green Dragon'. . ."
Looking at the Big Green Fish, now even more like a green water snake, Fang Xi revealed a sinister grin: "Finally advanced. . . I've been wanting 'Green Dragon Soup' for a long time!"
Splash!
The Big Green Fish, triumphant in mid-air, was dumbfounded, dropping directly into the pond and splashing a large amount of water.
Didn't they say that advancing would spare its life?
Why was it being prepared for soup instead?
Was this its fate? !
Compared to the cunning human, it was still too naive!
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