Chapter 695: Celestial Brahma Domain (Bonus Chapter, please subscribe)
Chapter 695: Celestial Brahma Domain (Bonus Chapter, please subscribe)
A plain.
On the ground, pale arms sprouted forth, each palm bearing more than ten fingers, resembling strange, gnarled tree branches, all pointing collectively towards the sky.
“Perish! ”
A streak of black light flashed across, drawing forth the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transforming into countless black flames that rained down like countless drops.
Sizzle!
A single black flame landed upon one of these eerie 'arm-branches,' and like a spark meeting boiling oil, it swiftly ignited.
In mere moments, tens of thousands of acres of the bizarre arms turned to ash.
“It's a Soul Transformation Venerable! ”
On the ground, from within the few caravans almost completely surrounded by human-like hands, numerous cultivators flew out, overjoyed, and bowed in salute.
The black light receded, revealing Fang Xi's figure.
His gaze was indifferent as he coldly swept over the caravans below, finding every person to be a cultivator, with not a single mortal among them.
Yet most possessed meager cultivation, with Qi Refinement cultivators being the most numerous, followed by Foundation Establishment, and the highest cultivation only just reaching Core Formation!
“This 'Forest of Ten Thousand Hands' dies at dawn and revives at dusk. To pass through, you must be swift. . . Thirty thousand li east of this forest, you'll reach 'Blackrock Market'! Be off with you. . . ”
Having spoken, Fang Xi transformed into a streak of light and vanished instantly.
When these cultivators heard that the strange hands could regenerate, they shuddered, then quickly set off across the ash-covered plain, as if fleeing for their lives. . .
Ten thousand li away.
Fang Xi stopped his escape light and suddenly sighed.
Several years ago, he had followed the Celestial Brahma Army, taking a super teleportation array that transported them to this untamed wilderness.
At that time, he had even personally witnessed a battle of Integration stage cultivators!
Several Integration stage cultivators from the Celestial Brahma Army had taken action, driving away the Integration-level primeval savage beasts living in this wilderness.
Immediately thereafter, they had even established an array formation, possibly eighth-tier, which encompassed an entire region.
That battle of Integration stage cultivators and the arrangement of the array formation had truly broadened Fang Xi's horizons, making him feel that the trip had been well worth it.
However, after that, it was their turn, as captains and soldiers, to endure hardships.
This region was temporarily named 'Celestial Brahma Domain. ' If its development succeeded, it would certainly establish a major Buddhist sect.
Because the area was vast, all Return to Void and Soul Transformation cultivators had been dispatched, beginning a frenzied effort to kill savage beasts, eradicate dangerous areas, then sort out spirit veins, and establish cultivation cities—which were gathering points for cultivators.
That Blackrock Market was presided over by a Return to Void cultivator, assisted by Fang Xi and other Soul Transformation captains.
Daily tasks, besides developing the wilderness, included clearing surrounding dangers and simultaneously guiding lower-tier cultivators. . .
“It feels like. . . this development is very rushed. ”
He chose a cloud, directly hid inside it and lay down, propping his legs up. He was just short of having a foxtail grass in his mouth, brazenly slacking off. . .
At the same time, recalling the various aspects of the development, he had a strange premonition.
Fang Xi had, after all, experienced the development of the Thunder Marsh Great Wilderness, so he was familiar with the process.
At first, high-tier cultivators would certainly take action. After the area was largely safe, then lower-tier cultivators would migrate, and finally, mortals. . .
But this time, the Celestial Brahma Army's progress was too swift.
He had only just confirmed that there were no major Soul Transformation-level threats within ten million li of Blackrock Market, yet dangers like the 'Forest of Ten Thousand Hands', capable of threatening Core Formation or even Nascent Soul cultivators, still existed.
As a result, lower-tier cultivators had already begun to migrate.
If he hadn't happened to intervene just now, those lower-tier cultivators would likely have all perished!
“Although this place is rich in resources, with many natural spiritual materials, it's not to this extent, is it? ”
Fang Xi had discussed it with Yunxi Xianzi and a few other fellow Daoists, but none could make sense of it.
After a period of slacking off, he checked the time, then transformed into a streak of demonic light and returned to Blackrock Market.
...
Blackrock Market, as its name implied, was a massive cultivation city entirely constructed from a certain kind of dark, black rock.
Though called a market, it was in fact already a 'city. '
Furthermore, this unique 'black rock' was actually part of the bodies of a local species of Return to Void-level savage beasts—the Black Mount Giant Spirits!
These Black Mount Giant Spirits, upon reaching adulthood, were already at the Return to Void cultivation. Their bodies were immense, their strength boundless, and their hide incredibly thick and tough, making them difficult even for Soul Transformation cultivators to harm. In the past, Integration stage cultivators had even taken action to suppress them.
Of course, once they perished, the 'black rock' formed from their bodies wasn't of much use for artifact refinement, but it was excellent material for building cities.
It was said that while individual pieces of this black rock were ordinary, once they accumulated to a certain scale, they naturally possessed a 'spirit-expelling' power. Both evil spirits and savage beasts in the wilderness would instinctively keep their distance from areas made of black rock.
Fang Xi personally tried it a few times, he found the legend to be quite credible.
At the very least, since the market's establishment, no evil spirits had caused trouble.
He landed on the Black Rock city gate. The soldiers guarding the city, seeing him approach, all bowed in salute, addressing him as 'Captain. '
There was no need to queue; he could enter the city directly.
Blackrock Market was divided into three layers.
The outermost layer was naturally for the lower-tier cultivators, while the inner layer was for the low-tier soldiers of the Celestial Brahma Army stationed there, serving as Core Formation and Nascent Soul cave-mansions.
As for the innermost core, it was naturally the secluded cultivation place for Soul Transformation captains and Return to Void commanders.
In terms of size, the cave-mansions here were much smaller, far less spacious and convenient than the Sumeru Traversing Mountain.
But there was no alternative.
Fang Xi deactivated his escape light, not returning to his own cave-mansion, but instead heading to another location.
As soon as he entered the array formation, his nostrils caught a rich aroma of wine.
There, amidst a scene of wine and meat, sat a mountain of snow-white flesh—it was none other than Kuang Tao Jushi!
“Fellow Daoist Fang. . . have you returned from your patrol? ”
Xu Qingzi, by his side, smiled.
“Indeed. ”
Fang Xi calmly took his seat, and Pu Xianzi, who was nearby, offered him a cup of fine wine.
He took it and drank it in one gulp, then sighed, “Earlier, in the Forest of Ten Thousand Hands, I rescued a caravan. Otherwise, I fear they would have been entirely wiped out. . . ”
“The Forest of Ten Thousand Hands is a persistent problem, difficult to eradicate. Each time, we only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. For lower-tier cultivators, it's still advisable to take a detour besides high-tier cultivators. . . ”
Xu Qingzi sighed, then smiled again, “However, those who are forcibly migrated are mostly cultivators from various declining sects and rogue cultivators among the human race. If one batch dies, there's always another, so it's not a big deal. . . ”
At these words, Fang Xi couldn't help but fall silent.
So-called development was, in essence, about using cultivators' lives to slowly wrest land and spirit veins from the wilderness. . .
“With so many people, all arriving via a super teleportation array, the consumption must be enormous. . . ”
Pu Xianzi suddenly spoke.
“Perhaps they migrated directly from nearby domains? ”
Kuang Tao Jushi said, “The Celestial Brahma Domain originally borders the human territories. . . As long as there's an Integration stage grand expert overseeing it, migrating hundreds of thousands, even millions of cultivators at once, isn't difficult! ”
Hearing this, Fang Xi pondered the geography of the Celestial Brahma Domain.
This place was located to the south of the human territories, bordering the 'Fiery Flame Domain' and the 'Azure Green Domain. '
However, the borderlands separating them were plagued by terrifying dangers.
Otherwise, these two domains would have long since actively developed into the wilderness; it wouldn't have been their turn to do the pioneering work.
‘It is said that traveling from the Celestial Brahma Domain to the Fiery Flame Domain requires passing through a terrifying desert, where the sky's gales are unbearable even for Soul Transformation cultivators. . . And 'Soul-Dazzling Winds' often blow, causing even Return to Void cultivators to lose their way if they're not careful, vanishing completely into the desert's depths. . . Furthermore, a strange kind of sand beast inhabits it, capable of reaching the Integration stage, making them extremely troublesome. . . ’
‘It's closer to the Azure Green Domain, separated only by a mountain range. . . However, within that mountain range, savage beasts suspected to be True Spirits reside. . . ’
‘Therefore, most of these lower-tier cultivators were led by Integration stage cultivators, traveling through the desert and migrating from the Fiery Flame Domain. . . ’
True Spirit-level savage beasts were comparable to Mahayana Loose Immortals!
Those Integration stage cultivators would rather get lost in the desert and face encirclement by sand beasts than risk venturing into the mountain range.
“Fortunately, the Celestial Brahma Domain has already constructed a super teleportation array. . . We only need to persevere for a few more years, then we can apply to return for recuperation. ”
Fang Xi smiled slightly.
“Haha. . . precisely. ”
Kuang Tao Jushi seemed to have thought of something delightful: “Today, there's enough savage beast meat for everyone. . . This batch of savage beast meat was personally butchered by me; its taste is truly exquisite. Coupled with Fellow Daoist Fang's culinary skills, it will surely leave everyone thoroughly satisfied. . . ”
Fang Xi heard him and didn't refuse.
He walked up to the hanging 'meat forest,' selected a few good cuts, took out numerous pots and pans, and began to cook. . .
The savage beast meat, originally incredibly tough, had already become incomparably tender after being prepared with his Six Paths Demonic Flames.
Now, after boiling it three times in the pot, a strange aroma immediately wafted out.
Xu Qingzi's eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the bronze cauldron artifact in Fang Xi's hand, looking as if he were about to drool: “Fellow Daoist, your path of spiritual culinary arts is progressing quite swiftly. . . ”
“Previously, my cultivation struggled to advance, so I had no choice but to divert my attention to culinary arts. Unexpectedly, I gained some insights, and by drawing parallels, I broke through my bottleneck in one fell swoop. . . ”
Fang Xi smiled slightly.
This was also an excuse, but a quite effective one.
When cultivators reached a certain realm in their cultivation, if their magical power could no longer advance, it meant they had encountered a bottleneck.
If they couldn't break through, they might remain ordinary for the rest of their lives.
Hearing that he had broken through his bottleneck by drawing parallels from the path of spiritual culinary arts, and seeing Fang Xi's indeed rapid cultivation progress, even Kuang Tao Jushi couldn't help but feel immense envy.
“Haha, then I must certainly have a good taste. . . ”
Kuang Tao Jushi burst into hearty laughter. . .
...
Just as numerous cultivators in the Celestial Brahma Domain were either fighting in bloody battles, cultivating diligently, or indulging in pleasure.
Celestial Brahma City.
This city was the core of the Celestial Brahma Domain; the most important super teleportation array was located here.
That night.
Screech!
Accompanied by the piercing cry of a bird that tore through the clouds, a Celestial Phoenix, covered in five-colored feathers and exceptionally majestic, suddenly appeared beneath the night sky!
“Integration stage. . . a Celestial Phoenix? ”
The cultivators of Celestial Brahma City, sensing the cultivation of this fierce bird, cried out in alarm and frantically tried to escape for their lives.
“Amitābha! ”
At this crucial moment, accompanied by a Buddhist chant, golden Buddhist light shot up into the sky.
Amidst a sky full of golden flowers, an Eight-Armed Arhat Golden Body appeared.
This Arhat, eyes wide with fury, let out an enraged Wisdom King's roar. Each of its eight arms held a different Buddhist treasure—prayer beads, an alms bowl, a Zen staff, a Buddhist sword, and others—as it crashed down with a mighty rumble.
Bang!
The Celestial Phoenix's cry and the Buddhist chant seemed to merge into one.
The void twisted, and a spatial storm suddenly erupted, sweeping over the super teleportation array at the city's center. . .
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