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Chapter 663: The Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella (Bonus Chapter, Please Subscribe)

Months later.

The Return to Void old dragon and the Ink Gate had been annihilated, causing barely a ripple in the Xuanming Abyss. Most cultivators had no idea that the wicked dragon, which had fled into the Xuanming Abyss, had long since perished.

Inside the Mountain Sea Pearl's grotto-heaven.

Fang Xi leaned against the Ancestral Demonic Tree, a scroll of ancient beast hide in his hand. This was the Dragon Taming Sect's inheritance of beast-taming arts. Though seemingly an ancient beast hide scroll, it actually contained far more text and images than a typical jade slip.

“A sixth-tier beast-taming inheritance. . . ”

He murmured, his gaze falling upon the final section, the secret method for crafting the Blood Soul Token.

“To cast such a secret art, the subject must first willingly cooperate by splitting their divine soul. . . then, their divine soul and essence blood are sealed with a special restriction upon a unique blood-wood, creating the ‘Blood Soul Token’. This item can then be used to track their location, and even torment their divine soul. Should the token be destroyed, the subject's soul will scatter and be annihilated, never to reincarnate. . . ”

After a quick perusal, Fang Xi understood the pros and cons of this ‘Blood Soul Token’.

The advantage, naturally, was that with the Blood Soul Token in hand, even a Divine Transformation cultivator could forcibly command a Return to Void cultivator! Provided that Return to Void cultivator feared death, that is!

And the downside?

‘This item can only restrict their life, but not their heart. . . For instance, harboring discontent, or secretly resisting. . . all of it is possible. If the token's master fails to discover it, they might suffer a backlash. . . ’

The intelligent heart of a sentient being is the most unpredictable thing! If a person outwardly submits but harbors inner discontent, the ‘Blood Soul Token’ would not detect it. Nor would it forcibly brainwash them, or imprint a loyalty seal, or cause them to suffer a backlash for having ill intentions throughout their life. . .

If that were truly the case, the Return to Void old dragon would have had no way to betray them. . .

‘It can only mean that this dragon had been feigning obedience all along, and then seized a heaven-sent opportunity to reclaim its Blood Soul Token, thereby allowing it to act so presumptuously? ’

‘This beast-taming inheritance still has its shortcomings. . . ’

Fang Xi sighed slightly, thinking of that Return to Void old dragon. The best subject for this art was already dead.

The Ancestral Demonic Tree couldn't even refine Divine Transformation-level wood puppets, let alone those at the Return to Void tier.

“With my current divine abilities. . . I wouldn't fear an ordinary human Return to Void cultivator, but demon cultivators would be somewhat difficult. . . ”

Even with the ‘Supreme Pole Star Life-Ending Divine Light’, when Fang Xi currently cast it against a Divine Transformation cultivator, it consumed one year of his lifespan to reduce ten years of the opponent's lifespan. But when facing a Return to Void cultivator, it would take ten years of his own lifespan to reduce merely one year of theirs.

As for Void Amalgamation? Even a mighty divine ability could not suppress the backlash when spanning two major realms!

That purple jade flood dragon was originally on the verge of its lifespan's end, which forced it to risk a breakthrough, advancing to the mid-stage Return to Void realm to extend its lifespan by a thousand years. After several centuries, it was besieged by numerous Return to Void cultivators, suffering severe injuries and greatly depleting its lifespan. As of today, it had only about five hundred years of lifespan remaining, which was still quite long. After all, for human cultivators, five hundred years of lifespan was exceedingly precious, even for Divine Transformation and Return to Void cultivators.

Fang Xi continued to study the beast-taming inheritance, lost in thought. “The Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm, in the end, should develop into a complete world. . . not only with spiritual plants, but also spirit beasts. . . even mountains and rivers, sun and moon, stars, and even embryonic forms of all heavens. . . ”

“Therefore, this beast-taming art might still be useful. . . ” Rearing some powerful spirit beasts within the spiritual realm could also help in combat, so it wasn't entirely useless.

After a long while, Fang Xi put down the ancient beast hide scroll and pulled out the Return to Void old dragon's storage ring.

His divine consciousness entered it, and he retrieved a jet-black jade bottle. The jade bottle's material was peculiar, seemingly continuously absorbing ambient light, causing the surroundings to appear slightly dim. Inside the jade bottle were dozens of drops of clear liquid.

“Heaven Heart Liquid. . . it also seems to be mixed with a bit of Dragon Saliva Spirit Incense. ”

“It's a spiritual item that resists inner demons. ”

This counted as a small pleasant surprise Fang Xi found within the Dragon Taming Sect's treasury. It was a Return to Void sect after all; it still had some foundation.

“In comparison, that Earthly Immortal was truly poor. . . there wasn't even a single Immortal Jade left in their reserves. ”

After breaking into the Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm back then, Fang Xi learned from Long Qingzi's memories that most of his treasures hadn't been transferred in time and fell into the hands of his second primordial spirit. The small portion he brought to the lower realm was also consumed in establishing Green Emperor Mountain and in his self-healing. By the time Fang Xi went there, it was already completely depleted.

However, even if it only left behind the ‘Earthly Immortal Legacy’ and the ‘Qing He Sword (Fifth Generation)’, these were supreme treasures whose value far exceeded that of ten or even a hundred Dragon Taming Sect treasuries!

“There are also a batch of rare spirit pills in the storage ring, which should be enough to assist cultivation to the Divine Transformation Perfected stage without much issue. . . ”

Fang Xi contentedly put away the iron ring. With a flash of light in his hand, the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’ and its fragment appeared once more.

The artifact spirit of this fragment had been in his hands for quite some time, long since "trained"—no, completely subjugated. It was now very obedient. After all, if he didn't agree, the artifact spirit would never be able to return to the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella's main body in its lifetime.

At this moment, Fang Xi waved his hand, and a wooden wheel, covered in intricate wood grain and emitting a verdant and golden radiance, appeared in mid-air.

Streams of Withered Glory Chant magical power continuously flowed into the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella, beginning its refinement.

Swish, swish!

On the umbrella's surface, black, white, gold, red, and green colors rotated, corresponding to the Five Elements, giving rise to streaks of shimmering, colorful restrictions.

Suddenly, this five-colored radiance transformed into a single hue of primal chaos.

“The Hunyuan Heavenly Luo. . . truly extraordinary. ”

Fang Xi's divine consciousness spread out, allowing him to clearly observe a repaired mark on the umbrella's surface. Although the previous owner had used numerous rare materials like ten-thousand-year profound silkworm silk, it still couldn't compare to the umbrella's original fragment, giving it an air of awkward imitation. Many of the Five Elements restrictions also operated inefficiently at this spot. It was foreseeable that if he used this umbrella in battle and its flaw was discovered, he would surely fall into a disadvantage.

“Go! ”

Fang Xi had long since refined the fragment and its artifact spirit in his hand, commanding it to recognize him as its master. With a casual toss, the palm-sized fragment immediately rumbled as it settled onto the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’, covering the repaired area.

Fang Xi's hand seals continuously shifted, and a clear resonance erupted within the grotto-heaven. Immediately, his body fell silent, and a flash appeared above his crown. Within a verdant glow, the main Nascent Soul's figure emerged, opening its small mouth, and a stream of infant-fire began to refine the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella.

During this refinement process, he could clearly sense the artifact spirit cooperating with him. While controlling the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella's various restrictions, it simultaneously expelled all traces of the previous owner's magical power imprint.

“As expected of Heavenly Demon Qi. . . if I had to refine it myself, who knows how much trouble it would be. ”

Several days later, Fang Xi withdrew his magical power, a satisfied expression on his face. The Heavenly Demon Qi that the Return to Void flood dragon had left within the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella had been completely expelled by him.

At this moment, gazing at the few strands of twisted, dragon-like dark green Heavenly Demon Qi in the void, Fang Xi pondered for a moment, then took out a jade bottle and began to chant softly. Inside this jade bottle, there was actually a hidden ‘Two Modes Tube’, perfectly suited for collecting this type of Heavenly Demon and True Demon Qi.

The few strands of dark green essence entered the bottle and were properly sealed by Fang Xi.

“To perform the ‘Three Qi Fusion’, I need far more Heavenly Demon Qi than just these few wisps. . . At least a whole bottle! ” he murmured, a hint of worry in his voice. Immortal Source Qi was relatively simple, but Heavenly Demon and True Demon Qi were truly extremely troublesome.

“Indeed. . . I still have to go to the Three Realms Mountain, don't I? ”

Fang Xi sighed with emotion, opening his eyes.

Boom!

The Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella had now been refined by him to operate perfectly. Its canopy opened, settling above his head, and streams of five-colored tassels draped down from its edges.

“This layer of protection would be incredibly difficult for an ordinary Divine Transformation cultivator to break through. . . Moreover, I haven't even reached the Return to Void realm yet, so I can't fully unleash this umbrella's peak power. ”

Fang Xi held the umbrella handle. With a thought, the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’ subtly changed its form and radiance, resembling a green oil-paper umbrella.

There were quite a few umbrella-shaped treasures in the cultivation world. Now that he had altered the treasure's appearance, any cultivator not intimately familiar with it would basically fail to recognize it.

“A Return to Void treasure, capable of transforming lightning. . . ”

A flicker of excitement crossed Fang Xi's face: “This is probably the most precious treasure I possess, aside from the All-Heavens Precious Mirror and the Qing He Sword (Fifth Generation)? ”

With this treasure in hand, he now had a greater degree of certainty in overcoming the grand heavenly tribulation of Return to Void.

In truth, for many cultivators in the Earthly Immortal World, having Fang Xi's current preparations for a breakthrough was already quite remarkable.

However, Fang Xi preferred to act cautiously. He would definitely gather all the components for ‘Three Qi Fusion’, and additionally refine the ‘Two Forms Void Breaking Pill’, to maximize his chances of success.

“Once I break through to Return to Void, the ‘Supreme Pole Star Life-Ending Divine Light’ will already be able to threaten Void Amalgamation cultivators. . . I'll be able to act with more impunity in the Earthly Immortal World. . . ”

A hint of anticipation appeared on Fang Xi's face.

...

Spring passed and autumn arrived.

Three years flew by in a flash.

At the Eye of the Sea.

Splash!

An indescribably enormous Giant Kun leapt forth, severing clouds and shouldering the heavens. . . boundless Profound Nether Heavy Water flew into the sky, transforming into the ‘Profound Nether Rain’, one of the three great natural disasters of the Xuanming Abyss!

Beside this Giant Kun, there was also a True Armored Whale, over a dozen miles long, constantly crying out pitifully, like a giant child weighing billions of tons. The heaven and earth vital energy churned, transforming into boundless immense force, crashing down heavily.

Splash!

The boundless Profound Nether Heavy Water fell, but was entirely blocked by a green oil-paper umbrella. The oil-paper umbrella gently spun, its five-colored radiance shimmering and transforming into a Hunyuan qi, firmly protecting the green-robed cultivator below, who somewhat frantically escaped the Eye of the Sea.

“Calling for backup when you can't win, how truly petty. . . ”

A million miles away, Fang Xi muttered, holding up the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella.

Over the past three years, he had traveled through the Xuanming Abyss. This time, his luck was finally good enough to encounter a True Armored Whale. Both sides were Divine Transformation cultivators, so he chose to test the waters and gauge its strength. Who would have thought this True Armored Whale would call for help when it couldn't win!

Fortunately, Fang Xi was no longer who he once was; he could still retreat completely intact.

“There's not much hope for the ‘Dragon Saliva Spirit Incense’ here. Better to return, better to return. . . ”