Chapter 307: Planting a Tree (8th owed chapter)
Chapter 307: Planting a Tree (8th owed chapter)
Fang Xi, ever the good person, saw it through to the end.
Not only did he bestow upon Zong Wu a stalk of 'Yin Corpse Grass,' he also commanded the Black Fire Demonic Corpse to safely escort the couple out of the Black Water Pool.
“I’m leaving now. . . I’ve been here for three years, yet why do I feel no attachment whatsoever? ”
“Perhaps it’s because I was mostly holed up inside the Mountain Sea Pearl, wasn’t I? ”
“Having a portable cave-dwelling and spirit vein truly is extraordinary! ”
Fang Xi sighed with emotion, his figure abruptly vanishing, leaving behind only a blue spherical pearl where he stood.
The External Avatar remained oblivious to this, still sitting cross-legged, refining the Yin Vein energy of the Black Water Pool.
...
The original topography had long since changed drastically; a Demonic Tree, dozens of zhang tall, obscured the sky and blocked out the sun, rooted behind the cave-dwelling.
A massive mass of Taisui lay beside it, lazily unwilling to stir.
The Green Corner Fish Dragon, meanwhile, was so frightened it hid to one side, trembling uncontrollably.
Ever since it witnessed how the Demonic Tree fed, it had lived in fear that one day its master would feed it to this very Demonic Tree.
Fang Xi couldn't be bothered with that lazy good-for-nothing, merely giving it a deadline: if it couldn't advance to third-order before he reached Core Formation Perfected, he would directly feed it to the Demonic Tree!
“Ah, this Demonic Tree. . . it truly is wondrous beyond compare. . . ”
He approached the Demonic Tree, reaching out to caress its thick trunk, murmuring to himself.
Fzzzt!
Fang Xi sat cross-legged beneath the Demonic Tree, a Demonic Tree tattoo appearing on his back, its spiritual roots connecting to the tree, drawing life essence.
In that moment, he felt a little bit of his lost lifespan return. . .
Naturally, this particular tree wasn't the Progenitor Demonic Tree, but rather a seed Fang Xi had intentionally left behind before his previous tree-planting endeavor.
Back then, when he came to the Black Water Pool to refine two great demonic corpses, he had a sudden idea: to plant a Demonic Tree within the Mountain Sea Pearl and then cast the 'Longevity Art' outside the Mountain Sea Pearl, to see if the connection remained.
To his surprise, an astonishing scene unfolded!
Even when his main body was outside the Mountain Sea Pearl, he could still feel that 'Great Cosmic Cycle'.
Everything that followed was logical; Fang Xi continued his grand tree-planting endeavor.
And what's more, he was planting trees within his personal dimension!
Not only did he plant a sub-strain Demonic Tree, he even used the secret art of the 'Planting Treasure Art' to re-seal the 'Life and Death Seal' within it, increasing its power while simultaneously conserving his own Core Formation essence.
The 'Life and Death Seal' had only just been refined, yet it had already earned a word of praise from the Saint Son, clearly demonstrating its extraordinary quality and power.
If it were nurtured for much longer, it likely wouldn't be inferior to the Saint Son's third-order, supreme-grade 'Ten Thousand Souls Banner'.
There was even great hope for it to advance to a fourth-order spirit treasure in the future!
“Although both the spirit vein grade and the Demonic Tree grade here were insufficient, making it impossible to cultivate the 'Eternal Evergreen Body,' it could still nurture artifacts and extend his lifespan! ”
“As long as I have ample lifespan, among Core Formation cultivators, I shall be invincible! ”
Fang Xi's expression was invigorated.
Strictly speaking, the 'Longevity Art' didn't actually have the effect of extending lifespan.
The lifespan increase a wood-element spiritual body could provide its master was, in the eyes of many high-stage cultivators, not worth the cost.
For instance, the 'Wood Spirit Body' required planting a tree for a thousand years!
Even Nascent Soul cultivators would be slowly exhausted to death by it!
However, the lineage of Green Emperor Mountain possessed some exceedingly rare and precious methods that could accelerate the growth of spirit roots, making this matter somewhat hopeful.
But at most, this only shortened the thousand years to a few hundred, and even after cultivating the 'Wood Spirit Body,' the lifespan gained was merely a few hundred years.
As for the 'Eternal Evergreen Body,' which required ten thousand years of tree-planting, it was enough to exhaust even Soul Transformation cultivators to death, with not a glimmer of hope in sight.
“The 'Withered Glory Chant' and 'Longevity Art' from Green Emperor Mountain were indeed complementary cultivation methods. . . but the lifespan they added was limited, making it even less worthwhile for other cultivators. . . ”
“Only the Demonic Tree! Could possess heaven-defying growth speed while also granting its host the ability to extend their lifespan! ”
“This tree truly lives up to its unique status in Da Liang, being the sole wondrous spiritual plant there; I even suspect it could be considered a rare and exotic treasure even in the Earthly Immortal World. . . ”
“It feels like. . . the Nine Leaves Sect's legacy, whether it's the 'Withered Glory Mystic Light' or the 'Longevity Art,' is a little incomplete. Perhaps there's a hidden story behind it. ”
Fang Xi stroked his chin. This mystery could only be answered by that old ghost. Unfortunately, after he reached mid-stage Core Formation, he had attempted to secretly infiltrate the Black Heaven Sect, only to find that Zhan Tu had disappeared. Otherwise, he would have quite liked to gauge the old ghost's divine abilities. . .
He had also returned to Dragon Fish Island once, seeing that everything was fine, save for Liu San Qi, whose lifespan had been exhausted, and who had passed away in meditation, leaving him with some lingering emotion.
“Now. . . all that's left is a high-grade spirit vein. ”
He felt a profound sense of regret.
Inside the Mountain Sea Pearl, the spiritual energy was only around second-order, at best comparable to Dragon Fish Island, only enough to cultivate the 'Wood Spirit Body'.
“A high-grade spirit vein, or at least a third-order one. . . that's too difficult. He needed to find an even higher-grade spiritual eye treasure! ”
Fang Xi, having read the relevant information, naturally knew that whether natural or man-made, spirit veins involved the profound mysteries of creation. Once formed, they could only be destroyed, not relocated!
Otherwise, he would have long since excavated the spirit veins of both the Black Heaven Sect and the Green Wood Sect.
Just by observing the Saint Son, who despite his Core Formation Perfected cultivation, could only acquire a single spirit eye spring to establish a second-order spirit vein, one could gauge the difficulty involved.
If spirit veins could be relocated, with his cultivation, not to mention a fourth-order spirit vein, he would surely have moved several third-order spirit veins into his own cave-dwelling.
Spirit Stones couldn't be dug out of spirit veins either; naturally, Spirit Stones could only be produced from spirit stone mines. . .
‘Perhaps there truly are secret arts for extracting spirit veins in the cultivation world, but their grade is too high for me to access. . . and wielding them would require Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, or even higher cultivation levels. . . ’
‘To increase the spiritual energy density within the Mountain Sea Pearl, I still need to find supreme-grade Spirit Stones and spiritual eye treasures to fill into the spirit vein grand array. . . ’
‘Within these Three Kingdoms, it's simply impossible. I must still venture into a broader cultivation world. . . ’
‘Wait, speaking of high-grade spirit veins. . . Emerald Island seems like a possibility. Its founding ancestor was a Nascent Soul cultivator, so there might even be a fourth-order spirit vein on the island. Even if I can't move it into the Mountain Sea Pearl, I could simply plant the Progenitor Demonic Tree outside. . . ’
‘Unfortunately, the late-stage Core Formation ghost cultivator on that island, bolstered by the Netherworld earth vein, is almost comparable to a Core Formation Perfected cultivator, and their lifespan is exceptionally long. . . I don't have the confidence to take them down. ’
‘Still, it could serve as a backup option for future tree-planting. ’
Fang Xi still preferred the ability to plant trees on the move; he wasn't keen on being confined to a single location.
Aside from the feeling of being imprisoned, the security would also be significantly inferior.
Being trapped in one place as a target was far from a pleasant experience.
He was now two hundred and thirteen years old. Having used the Green Wood Sect's spirit vein to cultivate to mid-stage Core Formation, and then waiting for the Great Demonic Tribulation, he had reaped many benefits. . .
With such strength and profound reserves. . . he finally had the confidence to venture out and explore.
After gaining a significant increase in lifespan, Fang Xi looked at the Taisui, which remained docilely still to one side, and pondered further, “Compared to that lazy good-for-nothing, perhaps I should first raise the Taisui's cultivation. . . If I cultivate it to third-order, it would still be the main force for planting the Progenitor Demonic Tree in the future! ”
As he pondered how to enhance the Taisui's strength, he entered the Five-Colored Cave Mansion and began reading the classics collected by the Saint Son in the study.
He merely skimmed over the culture and geography of the Minghuan World, but he read carefully through the descriptions of various heaven-and-earth spirit treasures, as well as cultivation methods and incantations, finding it quite eye-opening.
...
An unknown amount of time passed.
A figure flickered.
Fang Xi emerged from the Mountain Sea Pearl once more, seeing his External Avatar still sitting cross-legged.
The Black Fire Demonic Corpse had also returned at some unknown point, standing like a guard to one side.
“The demonic corpse just returned to report; those two have already been sent off,” the External Avatar replied, opening its eyes, a green light flickering within its pupils.
“Good, it's time for us to depart as well. ”
Fang Xi picked up the Mountain Sea Pearl, chanting an incantation under his breath.
A ball of green magical power enveloped it, then settled onto his left arm, transforming into a blue, spherical pearl-shaped tattoo.
“This secret art of the Green Wood Sect truly isn't of much use. . . This magical technique merely seals the treasure temporarily within the body for concealment, that's all. . . ”
He pursed his lips, appearing slightly displeased.
The External Avatar, meanwhile, formed a single-handed seal, then tossed its storage bag, releasing a flying chariot that appeared to be forged from pitch-black metal.
The chariot was roughly the size of an ordinary horse-carriage, entirely black, emitting a metallic luster, and adorned with patterns of fierce demonic beasts on its surface.
“This 'Magic Dragon Chariot' was the Saint Son's personal conveyance, you know. . . With its long-distance flight capabilities, it can save a considerable amount of magical power consumption. Now I can indulge myself a bit. . . ”
Fang Xi likewise patted his spirit beast bag, releasing the Demonic Blood Dragon.
This flood dragon had long since been turned into a wood puppet. It shook its head and wagged its tail as it moved to the front of the chariot, fitting perfectly into the metal rings connected by iron chains, pulling the flying chariot as if it were a seamless part of it.
“It seems things have come full circle. . . You little flood dragon, perhaps you used to pull the Saint Son's chariot like this, didn't you? Now, not only are the carriage and beast ready, but even the charioteer is all set. . . ”
Fang Xi chuckled, retrieved the Black Fire Demonic Corpse, and slipped into the carriage.
The External Avatar moved, coming to the front of the carriage, sitting in the charioteer's seat, and commanded expressionlessly, “Rise! ”
The Demonic Blood Dragon roared, black qi swirling around its body, and abruptly transformed into a pitch-black stream of light, pulling the Magic Dragon Chariot as it vanished into the horizon.
In terms of speed, it was indeed lightning-fast!
“This is only a quasi-third-order Demonic Blood Dragon. This flood dragon was once a third-order, mid-grade demon king, you know. . . its speed should be even greater. ”
Inside the carriage, Fang Xi watched the scene, then frowned, “It's just a bit too flashy. . . ”
The External Avatar, seated in the charioteer's position, immediately formed hand seals with both hands and let out a soft command.
A dazzling light completely enveloped the carriage. Subsequently, whether it was the flood dragon, the carriage, or the flight light, they all seemed to flicker in and out of existence, like chameleons, completely blending into the surrounding environment.
This was not a spell belonging to the Saint Son.
In truth, after the Saint Son's death, Fang Xi could at most utilize his body cultivation perfected physique; as for his original demonic arts and spells, most had naturally dissipated.
What the Saint Son was now employing was the concealing ability of the 'Six Desires Heaven Mixing Demon'.
This demonic corpse had previously hidden itself in the void to ambush Fang Xi, leaving a very deep impression on him.
“A flood dragon pulling the chariot, with the Saint Son as charioteer. . . ”
“Among the Primordial Demon Sect, perhaps only a Soul Transformation ancestor could command such a display. . . primarily because the charioteer is noble enough. ”
“Generally speaking, Soul Transformation cultivators only wish to ascend as soon as possible, and largely disregard sect affairs. . . According to the Saint Son's memories, even for the Primordial Demon Sect, establishing contact with the upper realm is extremely difficult. . . ”
In the Minghuan World, people ascended every few centuries, but it wasn't exclusively from the Primordial Demon Sect.
Ascended cultivators also existed among the orthodox path, the Buddhist sect, and even rogue cultivators.
Truly speaking, the Primordial Demon Sect had not produced an ascended cultivator for a thousand years, nor had it established contact with the upper realm for a thousand years.
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