Chapter 272: Old Man (For Alliance Leader june123! )
Chapter 272: Old Man (For Alliance Leader june123! )
“This matter is of great importance. . . please allow me some time to consider before giving Fellow Daoist a reply. ”
Fang Xi was slightly moved, yet also somewhat conflicted, before he replied.
“Heh heh. . . that is only natural. This old man intends to stay on Dragon Fish Island until Fellow Daoist's Core Formation celebration; you may give your reply then. . . ”
Zhang Zhusheng naturally knew the allure of a third-order spirit vein to a Core Formation cultivator. Thus, he was in no hurry, answering with a calm, 'fishing from a boat' demeanor.
“Mm, come, prepare immortal abodes for the Fellow Daoists of the Black Heaven Sect. . . ”
Fang Xi rose, seeing Zhang Zhusheng and the others off one by one.
His gaze fell upon Zhan Tu, who was the last to leave. He smiled faintly and transmitted a message with his Divine Consciousness.
With the might of his Divine Consciousness, even Ancestor Zhang was unable to detect it.
...
Late into the night.
A figure arrived outside the Evergreen Pavilion. The shimmering, fluorescent restrictions around the pavilion offered no resistance, allowing the person to enter freely.
Inside the pavilion, the lights were ablaze, illuminating the figure's face—it was indeed Zhan Tu!
Zhan Tu took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart, and ascended to the top of the Evergreen Pavilion.
“Young friend Zhan, you've finally arrived. . . ”
Fang Xi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, by the window, seemingly observing the stars at night. Upon seeing Zhan Tu, he immediately smiled.
“I dare not accept the title of 'young friend. ' Senior, you transmitted a message with your Divine Consciousness and summoned me late at night; may I ask the purpose? ”
Zhan Tu first bowed in salute, his hand tightly pressed against the 'Ground Leaping Golden Light Talisman' hidden in his bosom.
Alas, this provided him not a shred of security.
After all, standing before him was a Core Formation Ancestor, and simultaneously, a third-order formation master!
Trapped within the opponent's grand formation, no distance he ran would be of any use.
“Kid Zhan. . . don't be impulsive. . . ”
Old Ghost's voice transmitted: “You are now a turtle in a jar; you won't escape. Why not let me have a chat with this person. . . ”
Zhan Tu took a deep breath, his expression becoming incredibly complex as he looked at Fang Xi. Suddenly, he made a hand seal, and a layer of gray mist enveloped his face.
He closed his eyes, his entire being seemingly entering a state of feigned sleep.
The next moment, when those eyes opened once more, they carried a dull, yellowish glow.
Fang Xi met those eyes, and instantly felt an emptiness in his heart, his own expression turning grave: “Senior. . . how should I address you? ”
“Heh heh. . . This humble one is merely a remnant soul; there's no need to mention past names. You may simply call me 'Old Ghost'. . . ”
A hoarse, dry voice emerged from Zhan Tu's mouth.
“Senior Old Ghost, could it be. . . a Ghost Cultivator? ”
Fang Xi's expression shifted: “Are you from. . . Emerald Island's Nine Leaves Sect? After all, I interacted with this person many times before and never noticed anything amiss. It was only after returning from that ruin during the auction that there were some abnormalities. . . ”
At the mention of this, Old Ghost also felt somewhat vexed: “This old man misjudged. . . Although I found Dragon Fish Island's formation somewhat interesting back then, I never expected it to reach the third-order level, nor that it would routinely operate at full power. . . How many brilliant talents there are in the cultivation world. . . ”
Had he discovered the secrets of the 'Nine-Nethers Profound Wood Grand Array' earlier, he definitely wouldn't have let Zhan Tu participate in the auction and subsequent events.
Even if he had participated, he would have concealed his aura and wouldn't have frequently transmitted messages to Zhan Tu, thus exposing no flaws.
Regrettably, this person was careful and cautious before Ancestor Zhang, yet underestimated Fang Xi, who was merely at Foundation Establishment back then, and thus suffered a great fall.
“Heh heh. . . Senior, you still haven't answered my question. ”
Fang Xi's eyes turned cold and sharp.
The highest cultivator of the Nine Leaves Sect was merely Core Formation, and now only a wisp of a remnant soul remained, only able to possess Zhan Tu's body. With the aid of his formation, Fang Xi naturally felt no fear whatsoever.
Even if, by chance, he couldn't win, he could still make a run for it. . .
“I am neither human nor ghost, nor a Ghost Cultivator; I am merely a wisp of remnant soul from the Nine Leaves Sect. . . ” 'Old Ghost' replied through Zhan Tu's body, his face as if wearing a mist mask, only his eyes flickering with yellow light.
“To think you could survive for so long? ”
Fang Xi was greatly astonished. If not a Ghost Cultivator, how could a cultivator's soul endure for such a prolonged period?
“It was merely by relying on a secret treasure and employing a secret art to seal myself away. . . Though to the outside world thousands or tens of thousands of years seemed to pass, to me, it was merely akin to taking a nap. . . ”
‘Old Ghost’ chuckled.
“Senior, you are residing within this person; could it be that you wish to seize their body, or even. . . perform body snatching? ” Fang Xi tentatively inquired.
Although it was commonly acknowledged in the cultivation world that Nascent Soul body snatching was the optimal method, incurring the fewest after-effects.
However, regardless of the orthodox or demonic paths, there were many secret arts through which Core Formation cultivators, after paying a massive price, could perhaps achieve a similar effect to body snatching!
It was merely that such 'body snatching' often came with extremely harsh conditions and severe after-effects.
Only by forming a 'Primordial Spirit Nascent Soul' could one freely snatch bodies, or even undergo Corpse Liberation to reincarnate, truly becoming a grand divine ability user!
Precisely because of this, forming a Nascent Soul was not only incredibly difficult but also entailed numerous tribulations.
For instance, Nascent Soul lightning tribulations and heart demon tribulations!
On the other hand, when condensing a Golden Core, at most some celestial phenomena would appear. Aside from that, there were no lightning tribulations nor any heart demon tribulations.
From this, it was clear that only by entering the Nascent Soul realm did one truly step onto the threshold of defying heaven for longevity!
The so-called lightning tribulations and other calamities were merely means generated by this world to restrict cultivators.
If heaven and earth did not actively restrict you, how could it be called 'defying the heavens to become an immortal'?
In ancient times, one also had to condense a Nascent Soul to truly step through the gates of high-level cultivation!
Fang Xi's thoughts drifted, connecting many ideas in an instant, when he heard Old Ghost reply: “No. . . This old man's current form is fundamentally incapable of body snatching. I merely wish to use this person to fulfill some aspirations. . . Once these aspirations are fulfilled, I will still have to disperse my soul, returning to heaven and earth, hoping to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. . . ”
“So that's how it is. ”
Fang Xi neither stated belief nor disbelief. He merely secretly communicated with his grand formation and his life-bound artifact, observing Old Ghost, his Core Formation inner mana held in reserve.
“Fellow Daoist, you summoned me; may I know the purpose? ”
The light in Old Ghost's eyes flickered a few times, then he suddenly spoke.
“To be frank, may I ask if Fellow Daoist possesses the cultivation method for the 'Withered Glory Chant' beyond the Nascent Soul realm? ”
Fang Xi sighed.
“Heh heh. . . So you cultivate this sect's supreme profound art. Not only does this old man possess the Nascent Soul cultivation method for the 'Withered Glory Chant,' but even the subsequent Soul Transformation chapter! ”
Old Ghost chuckled, his tone astonishingly grand.
“The 'Withered Glory Chant' was actually created by a Soul Transformation cultivator? ” Fang Xi was truly taken aback.
“Naturally. Does Fellow Daoist know the origins of my 'Nine Leaves Sect'? ”
Old Ghost stood with his hands clasped behind his back, displaying the demeanor of a true master.
“I only know that the Nine Leaves Sect was once the overlord of this region in the State of Yue; as for the rest, please enlighten me. . . ”
Since the other party wished to put on a show, Fang Xi reluctantly played along a bit. It cost him nothing, and he could still hear many secrets.
“Hmph! In ancient times. . . this continent wasn't called Southern Barrens yet; it was even the center of this world. Grand divine ability cultivators, while not omnipresent, were certainly not rare. My 'Nine Leaves Sect' has a long and venerable history; our Ancestral Master once apprenticed at the largest sect on this continent — 'Green Emperor Mountain. ' Only later did he come to the ancient State of Yue to establish our lineage and found the 'Nine Leaves Sect'! ”
“This 'Withered Glory Chant' was the cultivation method brought out by our Ancestral Master from the 'Ancient Green Emperor Mountain'. . . Legend has it that 'Green Emperor Mountain' was truly extraordinary! Back then, it had Soul Transformation cultivators guarding it for generations, and its heritage even originated from Immortals, making it a true Immortal Dao lineage! ”
“An Immortal Dao lineage from the Immortal Realm! ”
A doubtful expression appeared on Fang Xi's face: “Could it be that in ancient times, the Immortal Realm was able to communicate with our world? ”
“Naturally, it was possible. . . The divine abilities of ancient grand divine ability users far surpassed your imagination. Back then, communication between the two realms was not particularly difficult, and there were even rumors of exiled immortals descending into the mortal world. . . ”
Old Ghost said: “As for the 'Immortal Realm,' the correct term should be — Earthly Immortal World! Don't ask me why; it is written as such in the Ancestral Master's notes. ”
“Earthly Immortal World? Could it be that there's still a Celestial Immortal World above it? ”
Fang Xi rubbed his chin and smiled thoughtfully.
“Perhaps. . . In any case, you should know that this cultivation method has an astonishingly grand origin, and it includes the Soul Transformation chapter. . . Heh heh, if you cultivate to Soul Transformation Perfected, perhaps you can even ascend with your entire abode, entering the Earthly Immortal World and becoming a true Immortal. ”
Old Ghost said with a smile.
“You've thrown out so many secrets, of unknown veracity, just to inflate your own worth. . . There's no need for us to pretend anymore. ”
Fang Xi suddenly became expressionless: “I require the cultivation method for the 'Withered Glory Chant' beyond the Nascent Soul realm. May I ask how Fellow Daoist is willing to trade? ”
“You should have said so earlier! ”
Old Ghost's voice also became incredibly calm: “This cultivation method is the supreme heritage of the Nine Leaves Sect, exquisitely profound. It contains many crucial points that are only passed down orally. The cultivation jade slips circulating outside. . . heh heh, they lack many critical details. If Fellow Daoist cultivates to a profound realm, you will find that many obstacles will needlessly appear during your cultivation, making it highly probable that you will be trapped at a certain bottleneck, unable to advance. All these critical secrets, this old man can impart to you without reservation. . . And Fellow Daoist only needs to give a single promise in return. ”
“What kind of promise? ”
Fang Xi countered.
In his heart, he already felt that the 'Withered Glory Chant' had too grand an origin and involved too many complexities. . . He was somewhat inclined to abandon it and switch to cultivating the 'Evergreen Wood Longevity Art'.
In any case, as long as he proceeded steadily, forming a Nascent Soul shouldn't be a big problem; why bother taking such risks?
If Old Ghost were to make him swear a heart demon oath or something similar, Fang Xi was prepared to directly refuse.
But if it was merely a promise, he might as well see what kind of scheme Old Ghost was cooking up?
“I need Fellow Daoist, when you reach late-stage Core Formation, to accompany me to a certain ruin to retrieve an item! ”
Old Ghost chuckled: “To show my sincerity, this old man can first present the Nascent Soul chapter of the 'Withered Glory Chant,' which allows one to cultivate all the way to late-stage Nascent Soul. . . It also comes with many secret arts and cultivation essentials! ”
“Oh? ” Fang Xi was genuinely surprised this time: “Fellow Daoist actually trusts me so much? ”
“Fellow Daoist will know once you see it. ”
Old Ghost smiled mysteriously, pulled out a jade slip, imprinted it with his spiritual sense, and then tossed it to Fang Xi.
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