Chapter 702: He Transforms All Things
Chapter 702: He Transforms All Things
"Xiaochong, what are you looking at?"
"How many times have I told you? Things aren't like before; the less you go out, the less danger you face!"
Behind the sturdy-looking little boy, a woman in her thirties, clad in a red dharma robe with a terrifyingly fierce pattern on her chest, emerged.
She tugged on Xiaochong's ear, scolding him, her eyes constantly darting towards Fang Xi's hillside.
Upon seeing the black flying sword, as large as a door panel, her expression subtly changed. She grabbed Xiaochong and hurried him indoors, a loud spanking sound echoing shortly after.
"Mom, why are you hitting me?"
Xiaochong rubbed his bright red buttocks, his small face full of grievance.
"You've started Qi Refinement now and are about to become a cultivator. If you don't keep your eyes sharp, I'm afraid you won't survive. . ."
"Mom, I want to be like him and become a cultivator no one dares to provoke!"
Xiaochong's eyes lit up.
Whack!
His answer was a taste of the bamboo stick. The beautiful woman was furious and swore, "You little brat, at such a young age, you're not learning anything good. Is that the kind of cutthroat you should be learning from?"
"But. . . we cultivators have to fight, otherwise, we'll just be bullied."
Xiaochong's voice was low.
Hearing this, the beautiful woman paused, her eyes reddening. She hugged Xiaochong and began to cry, "Why are our mother-and-son lives so bitter. . ."
...
Fang Xi withdrew his Divine Consciousness, feeling that the widowed mother and child were indeed quite pitiful.
They had been living well in the Flaming Domain, but for some reason, they were brought here to reclaim land.
And even after starting the reclamation, it turned into an isolated island midway, with constant life-or-death crises.
This was acceptable for cultivators, but for ordinary mortals, they would have long since died or gone mad. . .
However, for now, his own matters were more important.
He sat cross-legged, silently recalling the divine abilities and secret arts of the Return to Void chapter in the 'Myriad Manifestations True Demon Arts'.
Though this demonic art carried endless hidden dangers, its power was genuinely formidable, and it was easy to learn.
The 'He Transforms All Things' secret art, which manipulated the world's elemental energy to form wild beasts, was quite practical.
After silently contemplating the secret arts and divine abilities he was about to cultivate, Fang Xi patted his storage bag and took out a few items.
These naturally included the inner core of the Scorched Snake, as well as a stack of 'Myriad People's Paper' and brushes, ink, and an inkstone. . .
"The Thousand-Claw Beast's inner core was taken by my main body. As for talisman paper? In the Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm, there's a stable output of 'Golden Cicada Molt,' which is probably better than Myriad People's Paper. . ."
Fang Xi toyed with the inner core for a moment, then, not having decided how to refine it, put it away and began to cut the Myriad People's Paper.
He cut them into sheets according to the specifications for talisman paper, which could then be used to create talismans.
He first drank a cup of spirit tea before calmly grinding the ink, then picked up his cinnabar brush. . .
Morning.
Fang Xi looked at the burning Myriad People's Paper before him, sighing slightly: "Indeed, Myriad People's Paper also cannot bear the Dragon Script?"
"Only materials containing the power of time can bear Dragon Script talismans. . . This is truly exceedingly rare."
"This batch of top-grade talisman paper can only be used to create Phoenix Seal Script talismans."
As he mused, he suddenly frowned.
A knock came from outside.
He walked over, opened the door, and saw a portly cultivator.
His cultivation was around early-stage Foundation Establishment. His Divine Consciousness instinctively swept the area but couldn't detect any abnormalities within the small cave dwelling. Instead, he was startled by Fang Xi's late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and cupped his hands, saying, "Fellow Daoist, I am a steward of the Tianfan Gang. I've come to inform you that these few pleasure quarters in the east of the city, along with the residential areas, are our Tianfan Gang's territory. . ."
'So, he's here to collect protection fees? '
Fang Xi chuckled inwardly, then glared: "So?"
The steward retreated a few steps, his face somewhat pale: "I'm here simply to inform Fellow Daoist. Please abide by the Tianfan Gang's rules. . . As for rent, our Tianfan Gang does not collect it."
"I see. . ."
Fang Xi nodded: "I understand. . ."
"That's good."
The steward stepped back a few paces, then came to the widow's door and kicked it fiercely: "Widow Liang, it's time to pay this month's protection fee!"
'Alright, so it's not rent, but protection fees. . . '
'Is this how gangs bully the weak and fear the strong? Or are they unsure of my background and daring not to act rashly? '
Fang Xi leaned against the doorframe, watching the steward collect a mid-grade spirit stone as a protection fee from the family.
Interestingly, when it came to the Nascent Soul cultivator who was recovering from injuries, the steward also found an excuse to chat for a few moments, then departed.
And that Nascent Soul cultivator's displayed cultivation was only around mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and he was even an alchemist!
No wonder he received preferential treatment.
'Either you're strong, or you have a special skill. Otherwise. . . why would anyone tolerate you? '
Fang Xi inwardly scoffed, then set up an iron pot and began to cook snake stew.
He had cut off a good portion of the Scorched Snake's meat.
Now, using the Path of Spiritual Cooking, along with various seasonings, he added the washed and cut snake sections and slowly simmered them over a low fire.
Several hours later, the soup was pure white, and a rich aroma spread outwards.
Fang Xi stirred it with a spoon, tasted a mouthful, and revealed a satisfied expression.
Out of the corner of his eye, he then saw a small figure dart out from the wooden house by the river, hiding outside, drooling.
"You are. . . Xiaochong, right?"
Fang Xi looked at the sturdy-looking boy and asked with a smile, "Where's your mom?"
That Widow Liang's appearance could only be described as decent, but her ample chest left a deep impression.
"Gulp. . ."
Xiaochong swallowed, involuntarily saying, "Mom. . . went out to earn a living. . . Uncle, what kind of soup are you cooking? It smells so good. . ."
"It's snake stew. . . You can't taste it yet, or you'll get a nosebleed."
Fang Xi chuckled, serving himself a bowl.
The wild beast meat in the city, after being processed by alchemists or spiritual chefs, had its potency greatly weakened, making it barely edible for low-stage cultivators.
But this snake meat was truly a great tonic. If this little brat, who had just barely begun Qi Refinement, ate it, he would likely explode and die immediately!
As for Widow Liang going out to earn spirit stones, Fang Xi could only sigh at human nature.
With a mere thousand or so people in this city district, even one wild beast's meat would be enough to feed them.
Unfortunately, as far as Fang Xi knew, most of the wild beast meat and spirit rice were currently in the hands of the Tianfan Gang and Thunderfire Hall.
These two factions had no intention of aiding disaster victims. Instead, they continually hoarded goods, causing market prices for food to remain high.
It was ironic, really!
Since Black Stone City had fallen into ruin, the wilderness had become extremely dangerous, and no one dared to go out to reclaim land or farm.
For these low-stage cultivators, eating and dressing warmly had become a huge problem.
And as time passed, this problem would likely become even more acute.
At that time, resources such as spirit stones and dharma techniques would continuously centralize in the hands of the two gangs' higher-ups.
'It's a method of exploitation, alright. . . '
Fang Xi picked up a piece of snake meat with a pair of jade chopsticks.
The meat was pure white and had been stewed until tender. Its taste was fresh, savory, and silky, and combined with the rich broth, it was endlessly flavorful.
"Hmm, next time I can make some cured meat. . ."
He finished the snake stew in a few gulps, then served himself another bowl. When he looked up, Xiaochong was still standing outside the fence, not daring to enter.
Fang Xi didn't bother with the little brat and finished the entire pot of snake stew on his own, then began to stare blankly outside.
In reality, he was secretly cultivating a secret art and divine ability.
'He Transforms Freely, He Transforms All Things. . . '
His mind was deep in thought, as if he had entered a profound state of cultivation.
The next day.
Fang Xi began to dry the snake meat by smoking it, then selected a piece to roast and eat.
During this time, Xiaochong came again. Seeing that Fang Xi had no intention of inviting him to eat, he could only stand outside and drool.
Creak.
Another cave dwelling in the distance opened, and the heavily injured Nascent Soul cultivator emerged.
He wasn't one of Fang Xi's former subordinates, but Fang Xi had seen him once; he seemed to be from Fairy Pu's team of Nascent Soul cultivators.
For some reason, after that night, he returned to this city.
For Nascent Soul cultivators, although the wilderness was dangerous, gambling on it presented an opportunity to reach Celestial Brahma City.
Most cultivators from Black Stone City, if they escaped with their lives after the array broke, likely fled to nearby markets or directly to Celestial Brahma City.
"Fellow Daoist, why not come over for a chat?"
Fang Xi smiled and extended an invitation while roasting the snake meat.
The Nascent Soul cultivator paused, then walked over.
His face was aged, and he wore a simple hemp robe, carrying an aroma of medicine. His features were thin and refined, making him look like an ordinary Foundation Establishment alchemist.
"My name is Fang Yuan. I recently moved here to establish this cave dwelling. I hope we can become closer in the future. . ."
Fang Xi said with a smile.
"Zhou Jun, a second-order alchemist!"
Zhou Jun replied indifferently, his tone polite but distant.
This was normal; cultivators didn't easily open up to others.
"Grandpa Zhou. . ."
Xiaochong, on the other hand, immediately broke into a smile upon seeing Zhou Jun and rushed over.
"So, it's Xiaochong. You ran out again without listening to your mom. . . It seems I shouldn't have given you that 'Concealment Talisman' last time."
Zhou Jun stroked Xiaochong's head and sighed.
Whenever Widow Liang went out, she would use an array talisman to guard the wooden house and, incidentally, keep Xiaochong inside.
An array talisman could be considered a single-use array, with the power of the array inscribed onto the talisman. Although it could only be used once, its power was certainly not as great as an array plate or array flags, but it was simple and quick.
In the Earthly Immortal World, first and second-order arrays were often made into array talismans, and they sold very well.
But for third-order arrays, ordinary talisman paper struggled to bear the array's power, and the resources consumed to make an array talisman ended up being more expensive than buying a set of array flags and an array plate.
'Concealment Talisman,' as the name suggested, was a talisman that could conceal oneself and enter or exit low-level arrays.
Fang Xi glanced at Zhou Jun, feeling that this person seemed to value the boy quite a bit.
Although, his spiritual root aptitude was merely upper-grade.
—Even in the Earthly Immortal World, Heaven-grade spiritual roots were exceptionally rare and would be sought after by Divine Transformation sects.
However, Fang Xi's main body's spiritual root aptitude was now difficult to precisely categorize.
He had once used Kyushu World technology to raise his wood spiritual root to the Earth-grade level. Afterward, due to immense consumption and the fact that raising Heaven-grade spiritual roots was only theoretical and practically immature, it had been delayed. . .
But after cultivating the 'Eternal Evergreen Body,' Fang Xi noticed his wood spiritual root slowly growing again.
After accepting the Earthly Immortal legacy and achieving Return to Void, it no longer mattered.
Return to Void cultivators achieved unity in all their practices, and the limitations of their original spiritual root aptitude virtually disappeared.
Furthermore, Earthly Immortal cultivation was only related to the spiritual realm, having little to do with one's original spiritual root aptitude.
One could say that after reaching Return to Void, apart from a few legendary Immortal-grade spiritual roots and special immortal physiques, the constraints of aptitude on a cultivator almost vanished.
Of course, before Return to Void, especially during the Qi Refinement to Nascent Soul stages, spiritual root aptitude remained an important criterion for selecting outstanding disciples.
For Zhou Jun to become a Nascent Soul, his aptitude must have been either Earth-grade or Heaven-grade.
Perhaps he even possessed a spiritual body. But Fang Xi looked from left to right and didn't see any spiritual light emanating from Xiaochong. It could only be said that. . . they got along!
Fate, or simply a good first impression, was a truly wondrous thing.
"No, Grandpa Zhou, that talisman is very useful! Xiaochong still wants to come out and play more times. . ."
Xiaochong said with a face full of dismay.
"Sigh. . ."
Zhou Jun sighed.
Fang Xi knew that with his Nascent Soul Divine Consciousness, Zhou Jun could easily ensure Xiaochong's safety nearby. Thus, he was merely teasing the child.
Furthermore, he couldn't recognize Fang Xi at all.
Although this person had seen 'Commander Fang Xi,' his appearance had been altered through disguise and was no longer his original look.
Once Zhou Jun and Xiaochong finished their playful banter, Xiaochong reluctantly returned to his house.
Zhou Jun then pointedly said, "The Liang family's situation isn't easy. . ."
"Oh? I've just moved here, so I don't know much about my neighbors. I'd be glad to hear more. " Fang Xi showed a look of interest.
Zhou Jun sighed: "Low-stage cultivators who are relocated to fill the frontier wilderness are either those who have committed grave mistakes and been sentenced to 'exile,' or those who have simply been caught in collateral damage, with their sects and families destroyed. To prevent their enemies from wiping them out entirely, they 'voluntarily' sign up for reclamation. . ."
For cultivators, once they become enemies, eradication is usually the goal.
Fortunately, there were still some rules in the Earthly Immortal World. For example, as long as one voluntarily joined the reclamation, their former enemies could not obstruct or pursue them.
This decree came from the human race's high-level figures, and ordinary sects dared not violate it.
What's more. . .
Low-stage cultivators simply didn't have the ability to cross an entire domain, so there was no need to worry about them returning for revenge.
Even if there were exceptionally talented cultivators among the remnants of their descendants, that would be hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years later. . . The advancement of a cultivator's realm was the most difficult to cross. Even peerless geniuses had to proceed step by step, without the slightest slack.
And for the human race's high-level figures, merely issuing a decree allowed them to gain a continuous supply of cannon fodder to fill the border for reclamation, a win-win situation.
As for the lives and deaths of these cannon fodder, they were not overly concerned.
After all, most cultivators were quite independent. Only those who survived were the true reclamation cultivators that the human race's high-level figures desired.
"Sigh. . . Fellow Daoist Liang and her husband were originally disciples of a small sect in the Flaming Domain. Unfortunately, their sect went to war with a hostile force, her husband died in the war, and the sect was defeated. . . To survive, they had no choice but to accept reclamation and become pioneer cultivators. Who knew they would encounter such a situation again. . ."
Zhou Jun sighed: "We will struggle in this Celestial Brahma Domain our entire lives, and even if it's passed from father to son, son to grandson, it will ultimately be difficult to return to the human race's main territories. . ."
His words carried an endless sense of desolation.
"Sigh. . . Perhaps those high-level figures of the Celestial Brahma Army are currently opening up the super teleportation arrays, and reinforcements will arrive soon. . ."
Fang Xi couldn't help but offer a word of comfort.
"Heh. . ."
Zhou Jun scoffed several times: "High-level figures of the Celestial Brahma Army? High-stage cultivators' perception of time is different from ours. . . For Return to Void or even Void Amalgamation cultivators, decades or centuries are but a blink of an eye. But for mortals and even low-stage cultivators, that could be their entire lifetime! By the time those great figures remember us, perhaps Xiaochong will already be a grandpa. . ."
The human race was a species with incredible vitality.
Cultivators even more so!
Fang Xi believed that even without external influences, after tens of millions of years, there should still be humans living strongly on this wild land!
However, whether they would degenerate into savages who ate raw meat and drank blood, or transform this place into another human paradise, was hard to say.
...
'This person. . . seems to be testing me, and also warning me? '
Watching Zhou Jun's retreating back, Fang Xi sneered and returned to his cave dwelling.
After closing the cave dwelling's door, a restriction immediately materialized.
With his mastery of formations, even a casual setup was enough to block the prying eyes of Nascent Soul and even Divine Transformation cultivators.
In the divine sense of these cultivators, this cave dwelling was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator's abode, with nothing suspicious about it.
"The current situation is unclear, so waiting has little downside. . . However. . ."
Fang Xi took a spirit beast bag from his waist and casually tossed it.
A circle of green light appeared, like a gate of light.
From within the light gate, a young girl in a green feathered robe gracefully emerged. A feather ornament adorned her forehead, and her expression towards Fang Xi held a hint of resentment: "Master finally remembered Little Green. . ."
As a fifth-stage Divine Transformation demon cultivator, Little Green's strength was no less than that of the Celestial Brahma Army's Divine Transformation commanders.
Unfortunately, the enemies Fang Xi faced were either too weak to require Little Green's assistance, or too strong, making her useless against Primordial Wild Beasts or Great Heavenly Tribulations. Thus, she had been awkwardly kept in his spirit beast bag.
Compared to the previous Mountain Sea Pearl cave dwelling, no matter how good a spirit beast bag was, it certainly couldn't compare. The look of resentment on Little Green's face inexplicably made Fang Xi feel a little guilty, as if he had done something to abandon her.
Fortunately, he was thick-skinned; this peculiar feeling lasted only an instant before he dismissed it.
He took out a letter he had already written and handed it to Little Green: "Go to this place and contact Fairy Yunxi and Liu Xu. It's best to get a reply and bring it back with you!"
As a fifth-stage Green Fire Luan, Little Green's strength was not bad. At least with caution, she could traverse the wilderness.
And she was already familiar with the two girls, so there was no problem with trust.
She was the perfect choice for a messenger!
"Hehe. . . Green bird delivery. . . This is somewhat like the stories of talented scholars and beautiful ladies in the Human World's novels. . ."
Little Green took the letter and was about to skip out of the cave dwelling.
Seeing this, Fang Xi immediately instructed: "Be careful in everything, and remember to conceal your aura and escape light (escape light). . . I don't want anyone to discover I live here, and even less do I want anyone to discover anything unusual."
Little Green pouted but obediently formed a hand seal.
Streaks of silver Phoenix Seal Script appeared, wrapping around her body.
The silver light suddenly flared, completely enveloping her.
Then, her figure vanished into the void, becoming impossible to detect.
'Good. Since advancing to fifth-stage and being taught Phoenix Seal Script by me, Little Green's comprehension in the path of the void has truly progressed by leaps and bounds. . . '
Fang Xi nodded secretly at this sight.
Little Green's true form was a Green Fire Luan, possessing a strong trace of the True Spirit Green Luan bloodline!
Although not comparable to the Little Black Tortoise, the Green Luan bloodline was inherently skilled at manipulating void power, and combined with Phoenix Seal Script, it was truly a perfect match.
Her progress was now rapid, but compared to his main body, who constantly studied the All-Heavens Precious Mirror, it was still far inferior.
After finishing these minor tasks, Fang Xi went to the artifact refining room.
With a flash of light in his hand, various materials from the Scorched Snake appeared.
"Voodoo Qi. . ."
As a dharma spell was cast, a thin, grayish-white mist emerged from a section of its stark white fangs.
And within the mist, human faces twisted and screamed. . .
"This Qi seems like it could be integrated into the Netherworld Banner to increase the power of its poisonous dragon mist. . . But that's the lowest-tier method."
Fang Xi fell into contemplation.
After reaching Return to Void with the Myriad Manifestations True Demon Arts, one could cultivate the 'He Transforms All Things' secret art, which had a flavor of myriad transformations.
He now possessed all the essence blood, bones, and inner core of this wild beast. . . He understood it thoroughly.
Next time he cast the spell, he might even be able to conjure a completely new 'Scorched Snake'!
Furthermore, the ultimate purpose of the 'He Transforms All Things' secret art was not merely to manipulate the world's elemental energy into forms without substance.
Instead, it was for oneself, based on the 'Myriad Transformations Divine-Demonic Body', to not only simulate various demonic physiques but also to simulate all things in the world, so that no divine ability or magic power could ever restrain him again!
For example, when encountering an enemy who uses water techniques, one could transform into a water-element wild beast.
And when facing an enemy who feared poison, one could transform into a 'Scorched Snake'!
With a Return to Void cultivation, simulating a Scorched Snake should be able to push this beast's might to the sixth-stage, reaching the level of a Primordial Wild Beast!
This was the true terror of the 'He Transforms All Things' secret art!
Of course, Fang Xi's current cultivation in this secret art could only be described as having just begun.
Being able to transform the world's elemental energy into various tangible but insubstantial wild beasts was already his limit.
If he were to simulate a Scorched Snake now, it would at most reach its original fifth-stage level.
Directly transforming into a sixth-stage Primordial Wild Beast would be extremely difficult.
This not only required cultivating the secret art to the grandmaster level but also an extremely profound understanding of the species being simulated.
"He Transforms Freely, He Transforms All Things! So it's also a supreme divine ability for disguise and concealment. . ."
Fang Xi thought of Zhou Jun and Xiaochong, whom he had met today, and his figure suddenly shifted.
The next moment, he transformed into the appearance of 'Zhou Jun,' from bloodline to magical energy aura, with not the slightest difference. . .
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