Chapter 257: Foundation Establishment Perfected (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Chapter 257: Foundation Establishment Perfected (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Zhang Zhu Sheng's headless corpse fell from mid-air, suddenly exploding into a ball of lightning.
Zap!
With a flash of lightning, Zhang Zhu Sheng's figure reappeared not far away, albeit missing an arm. He gazed at You Kun with an incredulous expression: “You. . . you actually dared to betray your heart demon vows? ! ”
Within the blue escape light, Old Ghost Qing also arrived beside Zhang Zhu Sheng, sneering, “This old man dared to invade the State of Yue, and naturally, behind that lay the Ethereal Valley Sect's assurances. . . Now it seems, all of this was planned by your Ethereal Valley Sect long ago, wasn't it? ”
With a wave of his hand, the illusory forms of a magical short staff appeared all around, forming a defensive layer. He then said to Zhang Zhu Sheng, “Now, we should join forces. ”
Zhang Zhu Sheng's expression was grim as he stanched his bleeding, not uttering a word of protest.
For Core Formation ancestors, interests always came first. It was a natural and common occurrence for former enemies to become allies.
“Demonic cultivation's 'Transformation Tribulation Secret Art'? What a pity indeed. . . ”
In that brief moment, Zhang Zhu Sheng had already stopped his bleeding and even quickly communicated via divine consciousness with Old Ghost Qing. His expression turned incredibly ugly as a result: “Old Ancestor Qing. . . I even suspect that the downfall of White Peace Immortal City earlier also had the Ethereal Valley Sect's dark hand behind it. . . This sect had always remained stable in the State of Wu, leaning towards neutrality, but who would have thought they would have the ambition to swallow the cultivation worlds of the three states this time! ”
After all, as Core Formation ancestors, even if momentarily deceived, they could quickly sort things out once the truth was revealed.
“Heh. . . sects with less than a millennium of history, it's pointless to explain it to you. . . ”
Fire dragons roared around You Kun, and the surrounding temperature continuously rose, as if one had arrived in a fiery red hell.
“You Kun. . . ”
Zhang Zhu Sheng watched his surroundings with extreme vigilance. His powerful divine consciousness pierced through the void, yet he could never find the source of that traceless, invisible sword light. His heart grew even warier: “Your Ethereal Valley Sect, acting like this, where do you place your sect's reputation? ”
“Coincidentally, my Green Wood Sect also has an alliance with the Ethereal Valley Sect, and we too exchanged grand heart demon vows. ”
Old Ghost Qing sneered as he watched You Kun.
“Hehe. . . I've been trapped at the Core Formation bottleneck for many years, long having given up hope of forming a Core. . . With my mere Foundation Establishment cultivation, being able to pull down two Core Formation ancestors is already a huge gain. ”
Seeing this, the expressions of the two Core Formation ancestors became exceptionally grim.
At this moment, the cultivators from both the Green Wood Sect and the Black Heaven Sect below had naturally ceased their fighting, exchanging bewildered glances. . .
Not far off, gigantic flying boats continuously appeared, almost blotting out the sky as they pressed down fiercely. The banners displayed the Ethereal Valley Sect's insignia. . .
The Ethereal Valley Sect's grand army had arrived!
...
Dragon Fish Island.
Inside the secluded cultivation chamber.
Fang Xi opened his eyes, a layer of verdant green and earthy yellow qi alternately flickering across his face.
“Core Formation. . . so that's it. . . ”
He casually put down the Core Formation insights from Zhan Tu, muttering to himself.
Although these insights were rather brief, for a rogue cultivator like him, who was utterly in the dark, they undoubtedly provided a clear and concise path forward.
Of course, Fang Xi would never fully trust Zhan Tu. When it came to forming his Core, he would definitely rely primarily on his own experience.
“Counting the days. . . the Green Wood Sect must have nearly worn down White Peace Immortal City's formations by now, right? The cultivation world is about to descend into chaos. . . ”
Fang Xi sighed, then pulled a bottle of qi-enhancing pills from his person. He casually poured them into his mouth, closed his eyes, and continued to refine the spiritual energy contained within.
Due to the changes in the external environment, he had no choice but to try his best to enhance his strength.
Coincidentally, Liu San Qi had another batch of spirit herbs mature. Fang Xi requested all of them, and combined with the precious spirit materials from White Peace Immortal City brought by Yuan Feihong, he gathered the necessary ingredients for several rare pill recipes. He then refined a large quantity of qi-enhancing pills and began to consume them continuously.
And the 'Wood Spirit Body' truly lived up to its reputation as a spiritual physique; not only did it absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with extreme speed, but it could also neutralize all poisons, especially those related to pills!
After several attempts, discovering that the 'Wood Spirit Body' possessed such efficacy, Fang Xi threw caution to the wind with his pill consumption, continuously refining his qi.
This had continued for several years now.
After cultivating the 'Withered Glory Chant' for an unknown period, Fang Xi opened his eyes once more.
Through his divine consciousness's internal vision, he saw that within his dantian and qi sea, three hundred and sixty-five drops of liquid qi had condensed into a mass, subtly taking on the form of a pill. It displayed both verdant green and earthy yellow hues, with even ten percent of it having already solidified!
“The limit of the 'Withered Glory Chant'. . . is three hundred and sixty-five drops of liquid qi. Having reached this point in Foundation Establishment, his cultivation could no longer advance further! ”
To cultivate the qi of the late Foundation Establishment stage to a point where it could no longer advance further, that was Foundation Establishment Perfected!
Next, only Core Formation awaited!
“One hundred and seventy-four years old, Foundation Establishment Perfected. . . ”
Fang Xi gazed at the wisps of liquid qi that were still continuously solidifying, falling into deep thought.
Whether it was stated in the Core Formation insights or observed by himself, the continuous solidification of this liquid qi was naturally of great benefit to Core Formation.
This was also the several-percent chance of Core Formation inherent to the 'Wood Spirit Body. ' “Currently, only ten percent of the liquid qi has solidified. . . this process is still ongoing. . . Unfortunately, aside from Core Formation Spiritual Items, other pills cannot accelerate this process; one can only rely on the 'Wood Spirit Body' to continuously purify and compress the qi. . . Once the liquid qi in the qi sea dantian solidifies to its limit, then one can begin to attempt Core Formation. ”
Calculating that the day of Core Formation was not far off, Fang Xi emerged from seclusion in a rather good mood.
Immediately, he saw more than a dozen sound transmission talismans, all buzzing like headless flies, blocked outside by the seclusion chamber's restrictions.
“This. . . it seems something major has happened. Could it be that the Black Heaven Sect and the Green Wood Sect have decided their victor? ”
Fang Xi stroked his chin, lost in thought.
The next moment, he picked up a sound transmission talisman. After listening for a moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face: “So that's it. . . this is truly interesting. . . ”
...
Several hours later.
The top floor of the Evergreen Pavilion.
Zhong Hong Yu, Tai Shu Hong, and Yuan Feihong were all present, their expressions somewhat anxious, gazing at the jade talismans and letters on the table with faces full of unease.
“Has the Island Master not emerged from seclusion yet? ”
Tai Shu Hong murmured, “This major affair ultimately requires His Elder's decision. . . ”
“Didn't you and I send several sound transmission talismans in a row? ”
Zhong Hong Yu said helplessly, “Don't you and I understand the Island Master's temperament? If anyone dared to force their way in while he's in seclusion, I'm afraid they wouldn't get a good outcome. . . ”
As they spoke, both looked towards Yuan Feihong.
Yuan Feihong could only wave his hand helplessly: “I am merely a guest elder. . . please excuse me from such a task. . . ”
“Oh? It seems this matter is truly troublesome. ”
A clear voice drifted in, causing the Foundation Establishment cultivators to involuntarily turn their gazes towards the main entrance.
They saw a young man in a green robe walking gracefully towards them. His aura was both ancient and youthful, his eyes seemed weathered by experience, yet also held the innocence of a child. . . like a Twin Sala Tree, half withered and half flourishing, giving off a strong sense of contradiction.
“Greetings, Island Master! ”
Yuan Feihong was the first to break free from this peculiar aura, offering a bow.
Immediately after, Tai Shu Hong and Zhong Hong Yu quickly followed suit, offering their respects.
However, Yuan Feihong carefully scrutinized Fang Xi for a few moments, then asked uncertainly, “Island Master. . . have you perhaps reached Foundation Establishment Perfected? ”
Fang Xi was currently not using a qi concealment art to hide his qi fluctuations, so Yuan Feihong, being a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, could easily discern it.
“Ah? Congratulations, Island Master. . . you have finally reached the last step of Foundation Establishment! We wish the Island Master great success in forming his Golden Core! ”
Zhong Hong Yu quickly bowed again, offering her congratulations.
“Enough. . . great success in forming my Golden Core? How could such a simple matter exist in this world? ”
Fang Xi gave a wry smile and asked, “First, tell me about the battlefront? I've been in seclusion for several years; why does the outside world seem to have turned upside down? ”
Zhong Hong Yu quickly nodded. She, too, felt that the recent changes had been overwhelming. Hearing Fang Xi's question, she immediately recounted the intelligence she had gathered: “According to rumors. . . several months ago, the Green Wood Sect's grand army, after a prolonged siege and assault, finally shattered White Peace Immortal City's third-tier formation. . . However, just as the two Core Formation ancestors were locked in battle, the Ethereal Valley Sect's Old Ancestor You suddenly emerged, nearly grievously wounding and slaying both ancestors. . . Immediately after, the Ethereal Valley Sect's grand army suddenly appeared, utterly routing the Green Wood Sect and Black Heaven Sect's armies. . . Not only that, the Ethereal Valley Sect then even split its forces, invading the State of Yue and the State of Mu separately, sweeping through them like a hot knife through butter. . . ”
“Wait. . . ”
Fang Xi first had Zhong Hong Yu pause: “The Ethereal Valley Sect's grand army split into two, and they could still sweep through like a hot knife through butter? ”
“Yes, that's right. The cultivation world of the State of Wu has always been stable, with an orderly succession of power. The number of cultivators there originally surpassed that of the other two states. Then, the State of Yue and the State of Mu suffered heavy casualties from years of continuous warfare. Even facing the split forces of the Ethereal Valley Sect's army, they still retreated step by step, and many commanderies and counties have already been captured. . . ”
Yuan Feihong explained with a bitter smile: “However, there are many peculiarities within this matter. . . ”
After all, if one inferred from who ultimately benefited, he even suspected that the change in White Peace Immortal City back then might also have had the Ethereal Valley Sect's covert hand behind it. . .
At the very least, it tied down his master's friend, preventing him from coming to their aid!
“Never mind all that. What happened to the Core Formation ancestors of the two sects? ”
Fang Xi immediately grasped the crux of the problem.
For wars in the cultivation world, the victory or defeat of the top-tier combatants was often far more critical.
“This. . . we don't know the full details. After all, the situation was too chaotic at the time. . . rumors were flying everywhere. . . But what can be confirmed is that Old Ancestor Zhang and Old Ancestor Qing did not perish. Both have returned to their respective sect gates to hold down the fort, though they seem to have suffered a great loss of vitality. . . Oh, and by the way, the Black Heaven Sect has now announced an alliance with the Green Wood Sect, with both sects jointly resisting the Ethereal Valley Sect! ”
“Truly, the banner changes atop the city walls. . . the shifting alliances and rivalries between these cultivation forces are quite interesting! ”
Fang Xi stroked his chin, a glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at the letters on the table: “You rushed me out of seclusion just to deal with this matter? ”
“Indeed, Island Master. . . emissaries from the Ethereal Valley Sect, the Black Heaven Sect, and even the Green Wood Sect will soon arrive. . . My Myriad Islands Lake, without me realizing, has become the target of all sides. ”
Tai Shu Hong said with a bitter smile: “Now that the three major Core Formation sects are at war, with the Ethereal Valley Sect invading the State of Yue, they naturally need to send people to win over Myriad Islands Lake. Ideally, they'd want us to stab the Black Heaven Sect fiercely in the back, disrupting their rear battlefield! ”
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