Chapter 133: Inventory and Departure (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Chapter 133: Inventory and Departure (Seeking Monthly Votes)
“Though the troubles have just passed, there's still quite a bit left. . . ”
After a sigh, Fang Xi returned to his cultivation chamber via the secret passage.
No sooner had he opened the cultivation chamber door than he heard Widow Wang's voice: "Ma. . . Master. . . It seems there was an earthquake at Emerald Cliff just now. . . I. . . I think I saw many tree roots emerge from the spirit fields. . ."
"Hm?"
A glint of fierce light flashed in Fang Xi's eyes as he glanced at the moonlight outside.
Due to the protection of the Small Cloud Rain Array, the minor earthquake at Emerald Cliff had not affected the outside world.
So. . . the only witness was Widow Wang?
His figure flickered, appearing behind Widow Wang.
Widow Wang's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
"Congratulations. . . 'Night Raid on the Widow' achievement unlocked!"
Gazing at the collapsed Widow Wang, Fang Xi muttered a quip to alleviate his killing intent.
In any case, the underground cavern no longer contained the demonic tree, and the Taisui had also been sent back to Da Liang, so his current state of mind was quite good; he wasn't afraid of any secrets being discovered.
"However, just in case. . ."
Fang Xi extended his right hand, and a vine-like root emerged from his sleeve, binding Widow Wang and drawing her before him.
Ever since completely refining the demonic tree, Fang Xi felt as though he had gained a demonic tree servant, possessing all of its abilities.
But. . . the demonic tree was also completely dead, having lost its vitality, unable to be planted in the ground again, and thus unable to cultivate the 'Longevity Art'!
From Fang Xi's perspective, refining the demonic tree with the 'Demon Refining Method' was like a cultivator using spiritual wood roots to craft an artifact!
Once crafted into an artifact, it naturally couldn't be planted in the ground again to regain its life vitality!
But only by doing so could he curb the harm this demon posed to his own will!
"However, it's not without alternative methods. . ."
Fang Xi made the vine instantly bloom, and then a seed appeared in his hand.
This was the demonic tree's puppet seed! It still carried a trace of vitality!
Yet Fang Xi felt that he could easily command it to die, never to sprout again!
"What a pity. . . this is a third-generation seed, always one rank lower than my demonic tree, and two ranks lower than the Progenitor Demonic Tree!"
"Planting this third-generation seed again wouldn't be very meaningful. It would be better to go to Da Liang later and search for the Progenitor Demonic Tree. . ."
He looked at the puppet seed, thought for a moment, and still decided not to plant it in Widow Wang. Instead, he employed another secret art.
This secret art was somewhat similar to the 'Soul Confusion Art' he had obtained from Jiu Xuan Shang Ren back then. Combined with the demonic tree's abilities, temporarily altering the memory of a low-level cultivator was not a problem.
Fang Xi continuously chanted spells, and plant roots emerged from his sleeve, piercing into Widow Wang's acupoints.
She opened her eyes blankly, meeting Fang Xi's gaze.
Then, dazzling green light erupted from Fang Xi's eyes, piercing into Widow Wang's pupils.
This green light seemed to spread, causing a trace of pain to appear on Widow Wang's face, then her pupils also began to emit green light, before she fainted once more. . .
"It's done."
Fang Xi carried Widow Wang back to her own home, then sat leisurely beneath a peach blossom tree.
...
Time passed unknowingly. A morning sun rose from the east, and wisps of Grand Profound Purple Qi gently descended.
Fang Xi, who had been constantly introspecting and observing his own condition, opened his eyes:
"Thirty years of planting trees. I am now fifty-three years old, at the Qi Refinement Perfected stage, with my martial dao True Vigor having manifested, comparable to a Body Cultivator at the fourth level of Body Cultivation. . ."
"Both my array dao and alchemy are at first-order superior-grade, spirit planting and beast taming arts are also first-order superior-grade, and talismans are first-order mid-grade. . ."
"My 'Green Wood Spirit Body' has been achieved, and my 'Wood Spirit Body' cultivation fell short, but there seems to be some residue. Now, my spirit body has the effects of preserving youth, extending lifespan, and amplifying spiritual roots and wood-element spells. . . My lifespan limit has at least reached three hundred years!"
"One large storage bag, countless other storage bags; one low-grade spirit artifact 'Golden Flood Dragon Shears', superior-grade artifact-level Spirit Serpent Armor, Profound Iron Sword, Green Origin Shield, Green Reaping Sword, Black Feather Boat. . . and a batch of stolen artifacts, plus over two thousand Spirit Stones."
"A cellar of spirit wine, a large quantity of pills, a moderate quantity of talismans; a first-order superior-grade Blue-Patterned Golden Scarab Beetle King with a swarm of insect demons; and finally, a lazy salted fish that won't break through until its lifespan limit is nigh. . ."
"One Emerald Cliff cave dwelling, twenty-five mu of spirit fields. . ."
...
"So, without realizing it, I've accumulated such a substantial fortune! Time truly is the greatest magician!"
After taking stock of his assets, Fang Xi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
He felt a slight regret about completely refining the demonic tree to death, but he didn't regret it.
If he hadn't refined that demonic tree at the time, who knew who would have refined whom in the future.
Such demonic plants of heaven and earth are indeed quite dangerous!
As for the 'Wood Spirit Body'? There will be opportunities to cultivate it again in the future!
"But. . . without needing to worry about the 'Longevity Art', I am free. . . I am free. . ."
Fang Xi spread his arms, as if to grasp the air named freedom.
"Perfect, now that I've regained my freedom, it's time to plan for my Foundation Establishment. . ."
"At the same time, I'll escape the vortex of Myriad Islands Lake."
"Sometimes in life, one needs to take a step back."
Fang Xi secretly plotted.
Foundation Establishment! It's the first major hurdle of the immortal path, requiring breakthroughs in essence, qi, and spirit!
"With my Martial God body, the Blood-Qi hurdle is no problem!"
"The Evergreen Chant is a common, mass-produced cultivation method; even if cultivated to Qi Refinement Perfected, its magical power isn't strong, so this hurdle will be a bit difficult. . ."
"The Divine Consciousness hurdle should be fine. . ."
"According to rumors, cultivators with mid-to-low grade spiritual roots find Foundation Establishment difficult, while superior-grade spiritual roots offer some benefit to Foundation Establishment. . . Earth-grade spiritual roots inherently provide a thirty percent chance of Foundation Establishment, and Heaven-grade spiritual roots have no bottlenecks whatsoever before Core Formation! "
As for spirit bodies, they are mostly beneficial for Foundation Establishment, significantly increasing the success rate.
The reason? Fang Xi knew it well.
For example, his 'Green Wood Spirit Body', on the day it was fully formed, directly helped him awaken his Divine Consciousness!
It was akin to cheating to bypass the third hurdle among essence, qi, and spirit, naturally increasing the success rate significantly!
"But even if I have seventy to eighty percent, or even ninety-nine percent hope of Foundation Establishment success, as long as there's a chance of death upon failure, I must still take a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
What's more, Fang Xi now felt that his Evergreen Chant's magical power was relatively weak, requiring the strength of pills to push him through.
Despite this, he didn't regret not having switched to cultivating the 'Azure Wood Art' back then!
After all, the Azure Wood Art might not be without its traps!
The Evergreen Chant, on the other hand, being a common, mass-produced cultivation method, had no major issues apart from its mediocre magical power.
"Foundation Establishment Pill! White Peace Immortal City!"
Fang Xi silently made his future plans.
Just then, Widow Wang's voice came from outside the door: "Master. . ."
"Come in. . ."
Fang Xi's expression was calm.
Widow Wang entered and bowed: "Master. . . Last night, it seems spirit beasts caused trouble in the spirit fields! They ruined quite a few spirit seedlings!"
"Hm, it was a rare plant demon, already slain by me. You were affected by its demonic qi, so you'll feel dizzy and muddle-headed for a few days. Just take some pills and you'll be fine. . ."
Fang Xi nodded, casually tossing a bottle of pills over.
"Thank you, Master!"
Widow Wang had long forgotten the events of last night, but vaguely recalled something about spirit fields and tentacles, so she accepted the explanation. She happily took the pills and left, but secretly intended to save them for Xiao Hu instead of taking them herself.
...
After sending Widow Wang away, Fang Xi whistled softly and leaped towards the cliff.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
After leaping off the cliff, the strong winds roared wildly in his ears.
Just as Fang Xi was about to plunge into the lake, a large, greenish Big Green Fish, resembling an eel, suddenly leaped out of the water, allowing Fang Xi to step onto its head.
"Let's go, let's explore the surroundings!"
Fang Xi's playful mood soared. After all, he had been forced to be a tree-planting shut-in for thirty years; now that he had regained his freedom, he had to vent a little.
The Big Green Fish blew bubbles, wondering why its master was so excited today.
And usually, he barely ever left Emerald Cliff, didn't he?
But it couldn't refute. It could only carry Fang Xi, rushing here and there, advancing through the lake like a speedboat. It even had to follow Fang Xi's instructions, deliberately creating large waves to act as a surfboard, allowing him to ride them. . .
...
The sun set in the west.
Wei Yi Xi stood on Emerald Cliff, watching a young man in a green robe, stepping on a spirit beast, riding the waves towards her. She couldn't help but reveal a charming smile: "Uncle. . . you've always hated going out, haven't you? What brings you out today?"
"Haven't been out for a long time, decided to take a stroll today."
Fang Xi replied calmly.
Now, he no longer had any weaknesses, and he felt much more relaxed.
To Wei Yi Xi, he appeared even more radiant!
"Oh, right, Uncle. . . I heard the cultivator allied army has already attacked Dragon Fish Island. . . If you hadn't held me back, I would have made a name for myself in the cultivator army by now. Jade Bee Fairy, what do you think of that title?"
Wei Yi Xi had originally wanted to participate in the battle, but Fang Xi had held her back.
According to this 'Uncle', others risked their lives in battle for spiritual lands and resources; you have both, so why would you still go to battle? Are you out of your mind?
"Why not 'Jade Bee Demonic Witch'!"
Fang Xi smiled faintly, then said: "By the way, it's good that you came today. I have something to tell you."
"Tell me what? " Wei Yi Xi suddenly had a bad premonition.
"This uncle's Emerald Cliff, and the cave dwelling, and that cellar of spirit wine, I'll have to trouble you to look after them for a while. . . You can take fifty percent of the spirit field's profits!"
Fang Xi uttered words that greatly astonished Wei Yi Xi. She quickly scrutinized Fang Xi from head to toe, finding that he didn't look like he was nearing his end, and hastily asked: "Uncle, are you going on a long journey?"
"Precisely. . ."
Fang Xi had no idea how this little demonic witch was slandering him in her heart; otherwise, he would definitely have given her two flicks on the forehead: "This master is at least a late-stage Qi Refinement expert, but I'm already fifty-three years old now. I need to go out and seek opportunities for a breakthrough, after all. . . while I'm still alive, this uncle still wants to attempt Foundation Establishment!"
"Foundation Establishment? No, don't go. . . Uncle, if Foundation Establishment fails, you won't die, but you'll be gravely injured! Please don't go!"
"This is the Dao of us cultivators!"
Fang Xi slowly but firmly pulled his hand free from Wei Yi Xi's grasp: "As for the Island Master, you can speak on my behalf. Also, tell her to take care of herself!"
Ruan Xing Ling seemed to be entangled with the remnants of the Situ Clan, but Fang Xi didn't want to get too deeply involved, so he could only offer a subtle reminder.
After Wei Yi Xi tearfully agreed, Fang Xi returned to his cave dwelling once, put the necessary items into his storage bag, clasped his hands behind his back, stepped onto the Big Green Fish, and departed into the sunset: "Yi Xi, the Green Reaping Sword and the Blue-Patterned Golden Scarab Beetle King in the cave dwelling, I'm entrusting them to you. . ."
Before attempting Foundation Establishment, he planned to make a trip to Da Liang.
Separated for thirty years, he wondered how his old acquaintances were faring?
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