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Chapter 255: The Transaction (For the Silver Alliance Leader)

Chapter 255: The Transaction (For the Silver Alliance Leader)

Ever since signing the peaceful trade agreement with the Black Heaven Sect, the tense atmosphere on Dragon Fish Island had considerably eased.

Even more cultivators wished to relocate to Myriad Islands Lake to avoid calamity.

It's worth mentioning that the Long family, with their thick-skinned persistence, eventually leveraged their relationship with Mo Guan Feng and Hai Da Niu to settle on Dragon Fish Island.

Fang Xi no longer held much affection for these two descendants of his old acquaintances. He summoned them only once, offered some guidance on their cultivation methods, and then plunged back into arduous closed-door cultivation.

Now, with his Wood Spirit Body achieved, and his Withered Glory Chant refined and improved, it had become a miraculous technique within the cultivation world.

It was precisely the time to exert himself!

Withered glory cycling, oblivious to cold or heat. . .

In the blink of an eye, several more years passed.

On Fang Xi's body, alternating green and yellow hues shifted continuously, a truly magnificent sight.

After a long, long while, he slowly concluded his session, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes: "Within my Dantian Qi Sea, my liquidized magic power has reached three hundred drops. Even with a peak-grade cultivation method, this should be the limit, yet I have still not reached the perfected stage of Foundation Establishment. . . It seems the improved Withered Glory Chant indeed far surpasses ordinary peak-grade methods."

"Coupled with the aid of the Wood Spirit Body, the speed of my magic power's advancement is incredibly swift!"

"Counting the days, I am only one hundred and sixty-nine years old, yet I am already a third-order formation master, a quasi-third-order talisman master, and a second-order superior-grade alchemist. . ."

"The path of cultivation ahead holds immense promise!"

"Alas. . . the Longevity Art has yet to show its effects. Is the Eternal Evergreen Body, the legendary immortal Dao Body, truly so difficult to achieve?"

With a hint of vexation, Fang Xi exited his seclusion chamber.

Outside the chamber, a sound transmission talisman was erratically flitting about, like a headless fly.

He casually took it, listened for a few moments, his expression subtly shifting. He then effortlessly pulled out another sound transmission talisman, and after injecting it with magic power, a brilliant light began to flicker upon the talisman.

"Come to Evergreen Pavilion and see me!"

He spoke, then tossed the sound transmission talisman away. The talisman pulsed with spiritual light, transformed into a streak of fire, and vanished in an instant.

Not long after, a Foundation Establishment-level magic power aura rapidly approached, arriving at the top of Evergreen Pavilion in the blink of an eye, revealing a middle-aged man in a dark robe.

He ascended to the top floor and, seeing Fang Xi seated in the main position, immediately bowed: "Tai Shu Hong. . . respectfully greets Island Master!"

"I didn't expect you would dare to take this step. This Island Master is somewhat impressed by you."

Fang Xi looked at Tai Shu Hong, a touch of emotion stirring within him.

After breaking through to the Great Perfection stage of Qi Refinement, this man hadn't sought out any Foundation Establishment spiritual items or Foundation Establishment Pills. Instead, he continuously refined his magic power, and ultimately entered a death seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment!

And he even succeeded in Foundation Establishment!

'I thought the three major families would slowly wait, until that surge of black fiendish energy formed over a decade later, before coming out to contend for it. . . '

Fang Xi looked at the exceedingly respectful Tai Shu Hong, light flickering in his eyes: "You are good, very good!"

Those who dare to attempt Foundation Establishment independently are ruthless individuals. Although failure leads to an extremely tragic end, success naturally brings rich rewards.

At the very least, cultivators who establish their foundation independently possess remarkably sharp magic power, yielding excellent results during combat and when breaking through bottlenecks.

It is widely recognized in the cultivation world that those who establish their foundation independently cultivate very quickly during the Foundation Establishment stage, not to mention Tai Shu Hong possesses a superior-grade metal spirit root!

'This person can already be compared to Luo Gong of White Peace Immortal City back then. . . '

A wave of emotion stirred in Fang Xi's heart. With a raised hand, he bid Tai Shu Hong rise: "Now that you've established your foundation, you are a fellow Daoist. There's no harm in calling each other so. What are your plans after Foundation Establishment?"

Tai Shu Hong's face was filled with trepidation: "This one's ability to establish a foundation relies heavily on Island Master's great benevolence. From now on, I am willing to serve Island Master diligently. . . This one finds it difficult to leave his homeland, so I humbly request Island Master not to dismiss me. . ."

By the end, his words were truly heartfelt and moving.

"So be it. . . you may continue to manage the spirit herb valley."

Fang Xi rummaged in his storage ring, casually pulling out a spirit artifact gourd and tossing it to Tai Shu Hong: "Since you've established your foundation, consider this low-grade spirit artifact, the 'Muddy Water Gourd', my congratulatory gift."

"Many thanks for Island Master's generous gift. . ."

Tai Shu Hong was overjoyed and bowed in thanks. Only then did he take the gourd, departing with a heart full of joy. . .

Ten-odd days later, a special envoy from the Black Heaven Sect arrived for a visit, bringing with him a talisman trade.

As a sect master, Xuan Xuan Zi naturally couldn't attend to every matter personally.

The personnel he dispatched to Dragon Fish Island for trade were mostly Yan Chang Kong and Zhan Tu, as both had significant connections with Myriad Islands Lake. It was simply a matter of dealing with familiar faces.

"Fellow Daoist Zhan, we meet again."

Upon seeing Zhan Tu arrive, a radiant smile immediately bloomed on Fang Xi's face.

For some reason, he always felt a little apprehensive towards this Island Master from his hometown.

Furthermore, this Island Master of Dragon Fish Island seemed to have grown much more enthusiastic towards him recently.

One must understand, he was a native immortal seedling of Dragon Fish Island back then, yet he hadn't received much attention, being directly sent to the Black Heaven Sect. After that, he was always treated indifferently, even after establishing his foundation. . .

Even though he later achieved mid-stage Foundation Establishment peak through his own efforts and gained a fortuitous encounter on Emerald Island, slaying several cultivators of the same rank and earning him the title of 'Seven Sons of Black Heaven' alongside six fellow disciples, lauded as the Black Heaven Sect's future hope—he still paled significantly in comparison to a veteran expert like the Island Master of Dragon Fish Island.

Who in the State of Yue didn't know that the Island Master of Dragon Fish Island not only possessed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation but also wielded the Wood Spirit Divine Lightning Sword Array, a technique that shook the four directions and allowed him to overcome even Foundation Establishment Perfected cultivators! ?

Moreover, under his protection, Dragon Fish Island had remained remarkably peaceful throughout the years of war, eliciting envy and jealousy from countless rogue cultivators.

"Island Master, let us proceed with this transaction first. . . This time, I've brought three superior-grade spirit stones, three blocks of 'Evergreen Wood'. . . The talismans Island Master provided last time were of no small assistance to my sect in the previous great war. I must thank Island Master again. . ."

Zhan Tu produced a storage bag and handed its contents to Fang Xi.

The 'previous great war' he spoke of was naturally the counterattack launched by the Black Heaven Sect earlier this year, after they had recovered from the Green Wood Sect's invasion!

It was said that they had gathered a good number of Foundation Establishment experts in one go, completely routing the Green Wood Sect's invading forces in the vicinity of Thunder Roaring Plain.

Zhan Tu was also there at the time, personally witnessing the sect's high-ranking members continuously deploy several high-grade talismans, successively slaying mid-to-late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Green Wood Sect. Even a Foundation Establishment Perfected Core Formation seed had fallen. . . greatly wounding the Green Wood Sect.

Among them was the 'Immortal-Slaying Talisman' sold by Fang Xi!

The might of that talisman truly made his heart tremble with fear.

"Mhm, I also have two new 'Immortal-Slaying Talismans' here, along with a batch of second-order superior-grade and peak-grade talismans. . ."

Fang Xi smiled, took out several wooden boxes, and handed them to Zhan Tu.

Zhan Tu took them, meticulously inspected each one, then inquired: "Within the sect, there's actually a need not only for offensive talismans. We also wanted to ask, can Island Master draw defensive talismans and escape talismans?"

This was not merely a request, but also a subtle probe.

"Unfortunately. . . the third-order talisman inheritance I obtained is incomplete; I only possess the method for crafting one type of offensive sword qi talisman. . ."

Fang Xi shook his head regretfully, looking at Zhan Tu: "If your esteemed sect could provide a third-order inheritance, it shouldn't be difficult for me to research it and provide other types of third-order talismans. . ."

Zhan Tu immediately donned an awkward yet polite smile: "Island Master jests. A third-order inheritance is the core of a Core Formation sect; even ordinary true disciples cannot access it. This one cannot make such a decision and can only relay the request back to the sect. It depends on whether the sect will agree. . ."

"Is that so? What a pity. . ."

Fang Xi shook his head, yet he gave a mysterious smile, then retrieved another wooden box from his storage ring and pushed it towards Zhan Tu.

"Island Master. . . this is. . ."

Zhan Tu asked, somewhat puzzled, as he had already confirmed the talismans he was purchasing.

"Open it and see. . . This is a third-order escape talisman I inadvertently purchased during one of my travels. Its life-saving effect should be quite good. . ."

Zhan Tu internally grumbled, "This Island Master of Dragon Fish Island has never left the island since I was born. Where did he get this 'travel' of his? "

However, seeing through it without exposing it, he opened the box and gazed intently at the golden-yellow talisman.

"This talisman is called the 'Earth-Traversing Golden Light Talisman'. Once activated, it can carry one hundreds of miles in an instant, even enough to save one's life under a Core Formation ancestor. . ."

Fang Xi picked up a cup of spirit tea and leisurely took a sip.

Zhan Tu's expression, meanwhile, repeatedly shifted, and light flickered in his eyes.

He naturally desired this kind of life-saving talisman. After all, with the current volatile and dangerous warfare, even he would undoubtedly perish if he faced an enemy Core Formation ancestor.

"This talisman, it seems, isn't within the scope of this transaction? " Zhan Tu tentatively asked.

"Indeed, this is a private transaction between us. . . You are, after all, a cultivator from this island, so this Island Master naturally has to look after you a bit. If you wish to take it, then present something that can impress this old ancestor."

Fang Xi chuckled.

"Something to impress Island Master, you say? May I ask what Island Master requires? " Zhan Tu, with immense willpower, set down the wooden box in his hands and solemnly inquired.

"Core Formation Spiritual Item. . ."

Fang Xi deliberately spoke thus, and only after seeing Zhan Tu's slightly changed expression did he continue with a smile: "You probably don't have it, and even if you did, you wouldn't offer it for trade. . . Then, do you have any Core Formation insights, or third-order inheritances for talisman crafting or alchemy?"

"Core Formation insights and third-order inheritances—in terms of value, any one of them far surpasses a mere single third-order talisman!"

Zhan Tu replied decisively, yet his gaze continued to flicker.

"Knowledge is priceless. If you have a piece of knowledge and teach it to me, then we'll both have two pieces of knowledge. . . But there's only one talisman, and it can save your life at a crucial moment! " Fang Xi chuckled. "If you don't even have your life, what good are other things?"

Zhan Tu's expression suddenly turned blank: "Island Master, aren't you perhaps thinking too highly of me?"

Fang Xi maintained his smiling composure, secretly having already contacted the Demonic Tree of Primordial Beginning and activated the Nine-Nethers Profound Wood Grand Array. Even if Zhan Tu were a Core Formation ancestor, he wouldn't be afraid: "Ah. . . This Island Master was just mentioning it casually, as I do with every trader. The talisman is here anyway; if you gain this fortuitous encounter in the future, you can come and exchange for it anytime!"