Chapter 222: Blurring Pearl (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance! )
Chapter 222: Blurring Pearl (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance! )
On Dragon Fish Island.
The morning light was faint.
Zhong Hong Yu emerged from her cultivation chamber, stretching leisurely towards the morning glow, and began sweeping fallen leaves and dust with a broom.
In the fish farm, Zhong Qi, his hair completely white and looking ancient, chuckled as he held a bucket of fish food, feeding the Green Jade Carp.
In the spirit herb valley, Xiahou Zun called out to the spirit farmers, who began their diligent labor. . .
None of them had discovered the changes of last night.
It seemed. . . as if no bandit cultivators had attacked Dragon Fish Island last night.
In fact, that was precisely the case.
This was the terrifying aspect of the forbidden grand array!
Had Fang Xi not wanted to stretch his limbs, he wouldn't even have needed to show his face; merely relying on the array's own power would have been enough to effortlessly toy with this group of bandit cultivators until their deaths!
In the forbidden area of Dragon Fish Island, beneath the Demonic Tree.
Fang Xi grinned, looking at the two-tier puppets that were half-destroyed, and began to repair them, replacing damaged parts. . .
“Sigh. . . I've only studied half of this Heavenly Wolf Howling Moon Grand Array. . . Even if I make the demon beasts stand like pillars to cast spells, the backlash is a bit too strong. . . ”
This wasn't a mobile array, merely a semi-mobile one. Its advantage was ease of deployment, but its drawback was that the demon beasts had to 'stand guard'; if they moved, the array risked collapse. . .
“Also. . . the array flags and array plates aren't sturdy enough. . . It would be best to use third-tier materials, otherwise they'll break after only a few uses. . . The spirit stones should also preferably be superior-grade. . . Where am I supposed to find superior-grade spirit stones? ”
“The Heavenly Wolf Howling Moon Grand Array created this time can barely be considered quasi-third-tier. Even if it'll be scrapped after two or three uses, it's already quite good. . . ”
......
After finishing with the previous batch of two-tier puppets, Fang Xi then looked at another batch of wooden puppets standing beside him, resembling walking corpses.
These wooden puppets were all missing arms and legs, and the two leading them were surprisingly at the early Foundation Establishment realm!
They were precisely the bandit cultivators he had captured last night!
Although they were missing limbs and looked terrifyingly dead after the quasi-third-tier Heavenly Wolf's strike, for wooden puppets, these were not issues!
As for those who had died too horribly and were too fragmented, Fang Xi simply used them as fertilizer, burying them beneath the Demonic Tree.
He gazed at these two Foundation Establishment-tier wooden puppets, then suddenly pointed at one of them.
The expressionless middle-aged man stepped forward directly, formed hand seals, and spit out a white pearl from his mouth.
This pearl was only the size of a longan, surrounded by a dreamlike mist, continuously emitting a hazy white light; it was clearly a rare treasure as well.
After Fang Xi took the pearl, the man's face twitched, and he surprisingly transformed into a burly man with a bristly beard and furious eyes, a formidable appearance that Fang Xi was quite familiar with.
“Li Lei? ! ”
He glanced at it, not surprised, merely muttering to himself: “This Spirit Sky Island really has bad feng shui, a natural bane for Foundation Establishment cultivators. . . First Yu Lingzi, then the Yan Family Patriarch, and now it's Li Lei's turn. . . It's only been a few years? ”
“Next time, if I dislike someone, I might as well give Spirit Sky Island to them. . . perhaps it'll have a miraculous effect, who knows. ”
Fang Xi didn't take the pearl spat out by Li Lei with his hands; he directly swept it with his Divine Consciousness, then refined it with his magic power, and a piece of information emerged—the operational incantation that came with the treasure.
“Blurring Pearl? Legends say it's related to the'mythical clam-dragon' (mythical clam-dragon), most adept at manipulating'mirage-mist' (mirage-mist) to create illusions. . . capable of deceiving even cultivators. This Blurring Pearl was taken from a'mirage-clam' (mirage-clam) with several hundred years of cultivation, and after a cultivator refines it, it can conceal one's appearance and one's magic power aura? ”
“For me, I have the Martial God Transformation and the Hundred Illusions Art, so it seems redundant. ”
“Moreover, I always conduct myself openly and honestly; I have no enemies! ”
Fang Xi sighed with emotion, carefully put away the Blurring Pearl, and placed it in his storage bag.
Rustle! Rustle!
The Demonic Tree trembled, letting down root tendrils that lifted the puppets.
Fang Xi sat cross-legged beneath the Demonic Tree, beginning his daily cultivation of the 'Longevity Art'.
Streaks of verdant wood-element qi connected through the root tendrils, entering the Demonic Tree tattoo on his back. Only after undergoing a purification process did they circulate throughout his entire body.
“Last time, when planting the tree on Peach Blossom Island, the progress of my Wood Spirit Body was illusory due to the Demonic Tree's innate influence. . . This time, I'm truly experiencing its difficulty. . . ”
“But I'm not in a hurry; my lifespan is long anyway. . . I can continue to expend it. ”
As Fang Xi inwardly observed, he found that the silver seal script representing the 'Wood Spirit Body' on his Azure Wood Spiritual Body was mostly complete, and he nodded secretly.
“At this rate. . . in at most ten years or so, I'll be able to achieve the 'Wood Spirit Body'! ”
“Before that, I might even break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage first. . . ”
Moreover, during this cultivation session, he felt a very strong feedback from the Demonic Tree.
After all, he had buried a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and several late Qi Refinement and Perfected cultivators as 'tree fertilizer'.
“My lifespan has increased quite a bit again. . . ”
“I wonder. . . if I were to bury that Liu San Qi, who seems to possess a wood-element spiritual body, how much feedback would he bring me? ”
“However. . . he hasn't become my enemy; that wouldn't be right. ”
Long after, Fang Xi stood up, feeling the vigorous vitality emanating from his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Evergreen Pavilion.
Fang Xi emerged from the Demonic Tree forbidden area and went straight to find Zhong Hong Yu.“Island Master. . . ”
Zhong Hong Yu curtsied nervously, her legs trembling, thinking Fang Xi had discovered her whispered conversation with Xiahou Ying, and she didn't know how he would punish her.
“How is your cultivation progressing now? Any problems? ”
“Though I don't know much about the 'Profound Sound Art', I have a Foundation Establishment friend; don't miss this opportunity. If there's anything you don't understand, I can write to him and ask for you. . . ”
Fang Xi's expression was exceedingly amiable as he asked Zhong Hong Yu many questions.
The Black Heaven Sect had a vast enterprise and might receive many disciples with special spiritual roots every year, but he was different.
It was rare to encounter a void spiritual root, so he naturally needed to study it thoroughly.
‘In reality, the grade of the spiritual root is what matters most. A low-grade Five Elements spiritual root is inferior to a low-grade anomalous spiritual root, but a low-grade anomalous spiritual root is still inferior to a mid-grade Five Elements spiritual root. . . ’
Fang Xi asked a few questions, and upon learning that Zhong Hong Yu had made considerable progress in 'Flash Void Art', he immediately became interested: “Show me a demonstration. . . ”
“Yes! ”
Zhong Hong Yu came to the open space in front of Evergreen Pavilion, formed hand seals, and chanted incantations under her breath.
The next moment, a layer of silver-white light enveloped her entire being.
Then, as if traversing through the void, her rapidly charging figure vanished, reappearing dozens of meters away.
“Phew. . . Phew. . . After performing this Flash Void Art, my magic power is depleted by ten to twenty percent. . . ”
Zhong Hong Yu panted slightly, and a fine sweat appeared on her forehead.
Even if 'Flash Void Art' were cultivated to the grand accomplishment stage, one could only flash a hundred meters at a time, whereas a Foundation Establishment cultivator manipulating a spirit artifact could cover that distance with a single attack.
“Magic power can be slowly accumulated and become profound. . . but mastering this art will be more than enough for self-preservation in the future. ”
Fang Xi was quite satisfied. He beckoned Zhong Hong Yu forward, extended his fair, slender wrist, and placed two fingers upon it.
A layer of Foundation Establishment magic power immediately spread along Zhong Hong Yu's meridians, followed by his Divine Consciousness.
Zhong Hong Yu's ears turned crimson with embarrassment.
After all, allowing a cultivator to probe one's magic power like this was akin to revealing everything; it was several times more humiliating than being seen naked.
If it were a rogue cultivator who had grown up on their own, encountering such an invasion of privacy would immediately lead to a furious, life-and-death confrontation.
However, Zhong Hong Yu had been accustomed to Fang Xi doing this since childhood. . .
Now, she was merely slightly shy.
‘Indeed. . . I still can't comprehend it! ’
Fang Xi sighed inwardly, his expression softening slightly. He gave Zhong Hong Yu a few more pointers on her cultivation and even bestowed a 'Wood Blade Talisman' upon her.
Only after Zhong Hong Yu bowed and withdrew did he fall into contemplation: “A cultivator's spiritual body is very subtle, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to detect. . . The same goes for spiritual roots. . . Even with me inputting magic power and probing inch by inch like this, I still don't feel any difference between this girl and ordinary cultivators. . . ”
However, this was also normal. If the void spiritual root were truly a treasure, the Black Heaven Sect would have already come to claim it.
In reality, although void spiritual roots, blood spiritual roots, and other anomalous spiritual roots appeared extremely rarely, the Black Heaven Sect's Spirit Seekers always managed to find some periodically.
Moreover, if they lacked suitable cultivation methods, their paths were not as smooth as those with Five Elements spiritual roots or anomalous spiritual roots like wind, lightning, and ice.
Furthermore, even Core Formation ancestors had not managed to research anything substantial from these void spiritual roots or blood spiritual roots.
Over time, few people bothered with them anymore.
After all, Fang Xi possessed the 'All-Heavens Precious Mirror' and was extremely interested in the power of the void, which was why he kept Zhong Hong Yu by his side and supported her cultivation.
However, despite observing day and night, he couldn't comprehend the marvels of the void spiritual root.
In terms of gains, it was even less than the insights he gained from studying the void-shifting capabilities of a three-tier array!
“However, my smooth progress in the path of three-tier arrays might also be due to my constant observation of the 'All-Heavens Precious Mirror' and the void spiritual root. . . ”
Though Fang Xi himself didn't know what exactly he had comprehended.
But he vaguely felt that when contemplating the restrictions of void-shifting in three-tier arrays, it seemed easier than before, and breakthroughs came more readily with sudden flashes of inspiration.
“Right now. . . Zhong Hong Yu, at the Qi Refinement stage, doesn't seem to be of much use to me. . . ”
“Perhaps. . . I should help her achieve Foundation Establishment? And then observe from the side? ”
“When a cultivator breaks through a major realm, it's the easiest time for their foundations to be exposed! If I can observe her more closely then, perhaps I can gain something? ”
Fang Xi stroked his chin, pondering silently.
With his current wealth, assisting a cultivator to break through to Foundation Establishment before their sixty-year lifespan limit was not too heavy a burden.
At worst, once she reached Qi Refinement Perfected, he could directly bestow that 'Black Wind Evil Qi' upon Zhong Hong Yu.
This girl was, after all, a mid-grade spiritual root. After obtaining a Foundation Establishment spiritual item, she would still have a slight chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Even if she failed, Fang Xi wouldn't feel any heartache.
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