Chapter 163: Making a Move (Requesting Monthly Votes)
Chapter 163: Making a Move (Requesting Monthly Votes)
[Reporting to Honored Master, Ruan Xing Ling has successfully achieved Foundation Establishment and is about to return to Peach Blossom Island! ]
The old man used blood to write a line of text, about to fully activate this 'Ten Thousand Li Messaging Talisman'.
The next moment!
A green spiritual power palm suddenly appeared, snatching this jade talisman!
"Hmm?"
The old man jumped back as if startled, artifacts and talismans appearing in his hands.
But when he saw who the newcomer was, a hint of bitterness appeared on his face: "Young Master. . ."
Standing before the old man was none other than Fang Xi!
With Fang Xi deliberately following him, his Divine Consciousness swept through, rendering the other party's anti-tracking and disguises a joke.
"I didn't expect Young Master to pay so much attention to a small fry like me. Lu Guo's defeat is not unjust. . . I just don't know why this is."
Lu Guo let out a bitter laugh.
"Naturally, Island Master Ruan Xing Ling instructed me to keep a close eye on you before she left. . . Your tracks were exposed long ago, but you just didn't realize it. Otherwise, why would the Island Master specifically bring you along when she left? " Fang Xi looked at the man, suddenly recalling Peach Blossom Island decades ago, and the infant in swaddling clothes: "Do you know. . . why I named you Lu Guo?"
"'To correct one's mistakes if one has them? '" Lu Guo scoffed. "What mistake have I made? To make Young Master treat me differently for decades as if it were still the first day?"
Fang Xi clasped his hands behind his back and fell silent for a moment: "Your mistake, perhaps, is. . . that you're still too weak!"
"Yes, I am too weak. . . " Lu Guo gave a tragic laugh. "I had already resigned myself to fate. . . but I didn't expect to be discovered again on Dragon Fish Island, and forced into espionage. . ."
He had actually long ago given up his hatred for the Ruan family, as the disparity was too great. . .
Yet, during the last battle on Dragon Fish Island, he thought he had hidden himself well, but in reality, that Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator was merely toying with him!
After plundering the Zhong Clan's treasury, they dragged him out and asked him if he wanted to live or die.
Lu Guo had no choice at all.
Fortunately, the other party was quite generous; as long as he provided some intelligence about Peach Blossom Island, there would be abundant rewards!
It was precisely by relying on the other party's bestowments that Lu Guo was able to shake off the hidden danger of his damaged foundation and advance to late-stage Qi Refinement!
"Oh? Who is forcing you?"
Fang Xi already had a guess in his heart, but he still intended to confirm it.
"It's. . ."
As soon as Lu Guo spoke the words, his expression suddenly changed, and he clutched his own neck.
A dense network of blood threads emerged on his skin, causing his eyes to bulge and his face to fill with terror: "Sav—"
The next moment, the man collapsed to the ground, his breath ceased.
"It seems a special restriction was planted on him unknowingly, preventing him from revealing any information?"
Fang Xi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face as stern as ice.
Boom!
Not long after, a fireball shot out, turning Lu Guo's corpse into ashes. . .
...
Fang Xi, clad in a green robe, stood like a pine tree for half a day, then suddenly pulled out a jade slip.
This was precisely the "Profound Sound Art" manual that Ruan Xing Ling had given him that day!
At the end of the manual, beside the instruction to keep an eye on Lu Guo, there was also a small line of text—"Peach Blossom Island is in turmoil, urgently needs Green's assistance. . . will compensate with Core Formation secrets. . ."
"This woman, afraid I wouldn't go, actually tried to tempt me with the secret to increasing Core Formation chances?"
Fang Xi stroked his chin.
Although his Foundation Establishment was relatively smooth, he didn't possess a Heaven-grade spirit root, so he still had some doubts about Core Formation.
Even a true successor of a Nascent Soul Grand Sect who achieved Foundation Establishment wouldn't dare claim they would definitely succeed in Core Formation.
Even adding a tiny bit to the probability was good.
"Are this woman's words. . . credible?"
"With over forty years of acquaintance, this woman still has her integrity."
"Then, there's the question of danger. . . I know the dangers of Myriad Islands Lake; it's the remnants of the Situ Clan. The Situ Clan couldn't even produce Core Formation or False Core combat strength when their entire clan was annihilated. . . So, it's likely only Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, at most, plus a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Ye San Ren. . . I need to be careful of demonic cultivation arts and sinister refined corpses. . ."
"This deal. . . is still worth it!"
The next moment, he took out a second-order flying puppet and directly jumped onto it.
"Birdie, take me to Myriad Islands Lake!"
Shriek!
The second-order flying puppet let out a long cry, flapping its black wings flecked with gold, transforming into a streak of light and vanishing into the sky.
...
Myriad Islands Lake.
The night was hazy, and the lake surface was vast and indistinct.
Fang Xi landed his escape light early, releasing the Big Green Fish: "You dead salty fish, come out and work!"
The Big Green Fish blew a huge bubble, enveloping Fang Xi completely, and together they silently submerged into the lake water.
After all, this dead salty fish was a first-order top-tier demon beast, and its water escape art was quite good.
Spending most of the night, it swam all the way from the lakebed to the vicinity of Peach Blossom Island, then drilled into the underground cavern through the water channel where the demonic tree at Emerald Cliff used to catch fish.
This cavern, now devoid of the Taisui and the demonic tree, had long become incredibly spacious.
"I can't believe I've actually returned. . ."
Fang Xi ran his hand over the marks he had personally polished on the damp rock wall, a slight sigh escaping him.
He dared to come this time, naturally, because he was confident in his life-saving abilities.
After all, the Heaven Extermination Alliance only amounted to a few paltry figures, with their highest cultivation being merely Foundation Establishment. Even if he couldn't defeat them, he could still escape.
Moreover, he was only here to lend a hand once; it was impossible for him to remain in the murky waters of Myriad Islands Lake indefinitely.
If the worst came to pass, he could just cross over to the Da Liang world and cultivate his tree until all his enemies died of old age!
Anyway, with the demonic tree in Da Liang, when it came to cultivating the tree for longevity, even Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't outlive him!
After a bout of emotion, Fang Xi followed the secret passage back to his courtyard house's cultivation room.
With a creak, the room door opened.
Fang Xi stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the small courtyard where he had lived for over thirty years: "Wei Yi Xi has managed this place quite well."
He activated an 'Invisibility Talisman', walked out of the residence, and his Divine Consciousness swept over, seeing Hai Da Gui again.
This tenant farmer was meditating, his face faintly glowing, his cultivation appearing to be around mid-stage Qi Refinement.As for Widow Wang, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Hmm. . . My second-order puppet is too fast; it returned even earlier than Ruan Xing Ling. . . Now I still have time to set things up."
Fang Xi flipped his hand, taking out the 'Wood Spirit Divine Lightning Array' that had been repaired once more!
The 'Small Cloud and Rain Array' on Emerald Cliff was personally set up by him; he was intimately familiar with every inch of the geography here.
At this moment, setting up a 'Wood Spirit Divine Lightning Array' within the 'Small Cloud and Rain Array' was merely a matter of lifting a hand.
However, after setting up the formation, he did not choose to activate it immediately.
This 'Wood Spirit Divine Lightning Array' was already damaged, its concealment function lost. Once activated, its momentum would be immense, and even the 'Small Cloud and Rain Array' might not be able to conceal it.
The next day, Fang Xi stayed in the courtyard house and, while he was at it, opened a bottle of peach blossom wine from the wine cellar.
Outside the door, Hai Da Gui was still diligently working, not daring to rashly intrude upon the main residence.
Night.
Mirror Moon Lake.
A streak of rosy light flew over, landing within the Ruan family estate.
In the peach blossom forest by the lake, a wood puppet, parasitic within a peach tree, silently watched this scene.
"It's beginning. . ."
Inside the courtyard house, Fang Xi took a swig of peach blossom wine.
Ching!
Inside the Ruan family estate, a pipa's sound suddenly rose, high-pitched and resonant, carrying the aura of clashing weapons and thundering hooves.
Rumble!
A building shattered, and two streaks of escape light ascended into the high sky, one after the other, startling countless low-level Qi Refinement cultivators below.
"It's a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator. . ."
"That one holding the pipa, is that the Island Master? The Island Master actually achieved Foundation Establishment?"
"Who is the enemy confronting the Island Master?"
Large numbers of Qi Refinement cultivators stared at this scene, their mouths agape, then hastily activated their formations to save their lives.
In a Foundation Establishment battle, for them to simply save their own lives was already an extraordinary feat.
In fact, just a casual plucking of the pipa by Ruan Xing Ling had caused many early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to fall unconscious.
"Good. . . I didn't expect that besides achieving Foundation Establishment, you'd also prepared a spirit artifact so early. This Venerable truly underestimated you."
Opposite Ruan Xing Ling, a black-robed figure stood with hands clasped behind his back, perched atop a dark cloud, a golden belt tied around his waist, his voice strangely distorted.
"Situ Jia, you flatter me. Any cultivator dealing with demonic cultivators like you must always keep a trick up their sleeve."
Ruan Xing Ling held the white jade pipa, her delicate fingers lightly plucking its strings.
Like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate, countless sound waves, akin to sharp blades, cut through the surrounding darkness.
"Rarrgh!"
A flying zombie, clad in black armor and with rotting skin, was forced out of the darkness, numerous wounds appearing on its body, as if slashed by some invisible blade.
Its fangs protruded, its pupils scarlet, as it let out a defiant roar at Ruan Xing Ling.
"Clever girl, how did you recognize this Venerable? " Situ Jia formed a hand seal, recalling the flying zombie to his side, and asked with interest.
"This humble maiden is not talented, but I remember everyone's voice very clearly. . . Even if you deliberately changed your tone, your timbre is still unforgettable. After all, you were one of the few in the Situ Clan most likely to break through to Foundation Establishment back then. . ."
Ruan Xing Ling let out a delicate laugh, her jade hands continuously plucking, launching invisible sound wave blades one after another.
Situ Jia hid behind the flying zombie, using this refined corpse as a shield.
The flying zombie was tough-skinned and thick-fleshed; even if it was cut, it could quickly recover afterwards.
"Not bad, not bad. . . This Venerable is truly a little reluctant to part with you."
Situ Jia let out a strange laugh, rubbing his hands together, igniting a ball of pitch-black flame within which thunderous crackles resounded.
With a gentle lift of his hand, the black flame transformed into a bizarre bird, emanating powerful spiritual power fluctuations, and swooped towards Ruan Xing Ling.
Before the strange bird even reached her, the searing heat seemed to curl the very ends of Ruan Xing Ling's hair.
Her expression shifted slightly as she took out an azure talisman.
Upon activation, the surrounding hundreds of meters seemed to plunge into the depths of winter, the temperature plummeting as ice formed, transforming into a thick ice wall!
"This Venerable's demonic flame is not something a mere 'Ice Wall Art' can withstand. . . Hmph!"
Situ Jia formed a hand seal, and the black flame bizarre bird pecked at the ice wall with its beak!
Shatter!
The center of the massive ice wall was instantly burned through, forming a hole!
Ruan Xing Ling's expression changed, and she frantically infused spiritual power into her pipa, letting out a clear chime.
An invisible ripple sliced through the black flame bird, splitting it in two.
"To be honest, you truly exceeded this Venerable's expectations. To possess such combat strength right after achieving Foundation Establishment, what will you become in the future?"
Situ Jia suddenly let out a sinister laugh, forming hand seals: "Blood Curse, manifest!"
Ruan Xing Ling's expression changed, the spiritual power within her body fluctuating repeatedly as blood-colored patterns emerged on her body!
"Since you accepted our funding back then, you should have known this day would come. . . It's time to pay up!"
Situ Jia let out a whistle, and the second-order flying zombie beside him lunged forward, its sharp claws tearing towards Ruan Xing Ling.
Poof!
The pitch-black zombie claws futilely swiped through an illusion.
"'Illusion Body Talisman'? Impossible. . . She actually managed to break free from this Venerable's 'Blood Curse Heart Seal'?"
Situ Jia was greatly alarmed, and carefully sensed again: "No. . . She only broke free partially, she's over there!"
He transformed into a streak of black light, frantically pursuing her eastward.
Not far ahead, Ruan Xing Ling, holding her pipa, her silk ribbons fluttering, resembled a Dunhuang Apsara. The two, one pursuing and one fleeing, covered a distance of over ten li in the blink of an eye. . .
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