Chapter 727: Two Thousand Years of Longevity (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)
Chapter 727: Two Thousand Years of Longevity (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)
After a round of bargaining, Fang Xi finally reached an agreement with the Grand Shopkeeper, completing this transaction.
As he placed the box containing the Drunken Immortal Grass and Immortal Jade into his storage bag, Fang Xi couldn't help but quietly ponder:
‘Over these past five hundred years, most of the resources I earned have been invested in Body Cultivation and in feeding the Demonic Tree of Primordial Beginning and the Taisui. . . '
‘Now, my Body Cultivation has achieved minor success, and I'm at the mid-stage of Return to Void. . . Normally, I could at least contend with late-stage or even Perfected Return to Void cultivators. . . though, that doesn't hold much meaning. '
If my main body truly wanted to kill, even a Perfected Return to Void cultivator would fall in a single move. . .
‘The amount of Immortal Jade I've stored exceeds five thousand pieces. . . Perhaps it's time to drastically accelerate the growth of my Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm? '
Cultivating to the late-stage of Return to Void in two to three thousand years was merely Fang Xi's estimation for the natural growth rate of the Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm.
This process could, of course, be accelerated.
At such times, one needs to consume pills! Or refine the immortal qi within Immortal Jade!
According to Fang Xi's estimation, if an early-stage Return to Void cultivator continuously used Immortal Jade for cultivation, their progress would undoubtedly far surpass his own.
They might even reach Perfected Return to Void before turning five thousand, significantly increasing their chances of advancing to Void Amalgamation!
Of course, the Immortal Jade consumed this way would be an astronomical figure.
Even Void Amalgamation or Great Ascension cultivators' disciples might not be able to afford such luxury. . .
If one truly possessed such a vast amount of Immortal Jade, it would surely be exchanged for various Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items, to be refined into pills and consumed.
The power of pills is more gentle, and cultivators' absorption and utilization efficiency is higher.
Return to Void cultivators refining Immortal Jade would still waste a considerable amount after all.
For high-level cultivators, this is an unbearable loss.
‘However, I have the Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm, so Immortal Jade is absorbed one hundred percent. . . there's no waste. . . '
‘If I could freely spend Immortal Jade on cultivation, at my current progress rate. . . I could probably break through to late-stage Return to Void in a few centuries? And achieve Perfected Return to Void within a millennium, with a chance to attempt Void Amalgamation? '
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Even if Fang Xi assumed multiple identities and traded resources within the human territories.
But being a Return to Void cultivator, and not wanting to alarm Void Amalgamation forces, there was a limit to the volume of each transaction.
Wanting to cultivate by wantonly using Immortal Jade was virtually impossible.
However, occasionally using a few pieces to accelerate could significantly shorten the growth time of the Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm.
‘But there's no need to rush. By my current calculations, I'm only a mere two thousand years old. . . yet my lifespan exceeds sixty thousand years. . . '
‘Even if I do nothing, within five thousand years, I still have hope of attempting Void Amalgamation! '
‘Those with long lifespans need not concern themselves with such small amounts of time! '
‘Everything for stability! '
Fang Xi secretly made up his mind that after this transaction, he would go to the Human World to reside.
There, it was his true home ground, safe and stable.
"Elder Fu. . ."
At this moment, the Grand Shopkeeper seemed to have finally made up his mind and asked, "Have you ever been to Three Realms Mountain?"
"Three Realms Mountain? Could it be that the Demon and Monster races have changed again?"
Fang Xi was slightly taken aback.
His External Avatar was currently developing new territory in the Celestial Brahma Domain, so he truly might not be fully aware of the latest situation on the three-race battlefield.
"Precisely. . . It is now rumored among the upper echelons of the human race that the reason the Demon Race and Monster Race have ceased fighting is that they are fully dedicating themselves to cultivating a certain Demon King and Monster Race Great Sage, pushing for the Demon Ancestor and True Spirit realms. . ."
The Grand Shopkeeper sighed.
Demon Ancestor and True Spirit were equivalent to the Great Ascension stage in the human race!
‘Your news is a bit delayed, I already knew this. '
Fang Xi grumbled inwardly, but his face wore an expression of attentive listening.
"Among our human race's high-level cultivators, perhaps some are also secretly advancing to the Great Ascension stage. . . Alas, I only hope that in the future, the human race will dominate, or that the three races maintain a balance; otherwise, if war breaks out again, life will be utterly devastated. . . " the Grand Shopkeeper said mournfully.
‘Three-race war. . . '
Fang Xi's expression also turned serious. Previously, the conflicts could only be called small-scale skirmishes.
A true three-race war would be ten or a hundred times more brutal. . . Historically, there have been instances where the Three Realms Mountain defense line was breached, and the Monster Race or Demon Race invaded human territories, leading to the fall of several or even dozens of domains.
Of course, the human race had also invaded the territories of the Demon and Monster races, but they were later pushed back.
The three parties maintaining a balance and seesawing back and forth in Three Realms Mountain was the mainstream of the war.
‘Sigh. . . living long has this one drawback; I'm definitely going to live to see this three-race war. . . and perhaps even experience it several times, or even countless times? '
Fang Xi blinked.
"Currently, the three-race war is stable, and Three Realms Mountain is not as dangerous as it once was. . . Our merchant guild also has a branch in Three Realms Mountain, and we recently acquired a piece of intelligence. . ."
The Grand Shopkeeper's expression brightened from gloomy, and he chuckled: "In a certain hidden place in Three Realms Mountain, 'Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flowers' are growing. . ."
"Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flower? " Fang Xi was slightly surprised: "Could it be the legendary Sacred Medicine for Body Cultivation? The unique spiritual herb rumored to only grow where the essence blood or even buried bones of Void Amalgamation Dragon Race and Void Amalgamation Heavenly Phoenixes have fallen?"
He actually knew more.
Because this "Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flower" was an indispensable item for those who wished to cultivate the 'Heavenly Demon True Body' to grand accomplishment!
However, it had always been extremely rare among the Monster Race, and Fang Xi hadn't expected to obtain it.
He had only planned to send his External Avatar to wander through the Monster Race territories when he had leisure in the future.
"Such news. . . why would the Moonlight Merchant Guild tell me?"
Fang Xi raised an eyebrow.
"Naturally, we wish to cooperate. . ."
The Grand Shopkeeper said: "While the three-race war is currently calm and the battlefield is not as dangerous, we can go collect the spiritual herb. . . At that time, we will need Elder Fu's 'Small Void Teleportation Talisman' for assistance, and furthermore, the growing place of that Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flower is extremely hidden and strange. It's actually within a fragmented piece of void turbulence. . . Without sufficient attainments in the void, it might be difficult to locate. . . But with Elder Fu's mastery, capable of refining 'Small Void Teleportation Talismans,' there will naturally be no problem at all."
"A fragment of void turbulence? That is indeed extremely dangerous. . ."
Fang Xi naturally knew the dangers within the grand void, but only such peculiar locations could hide from the numerous cultivators on the battlefield.
"That disciple of our merchant guild merely caught a fleeting glimpse of this spiritual herb during a void collapse. . . As long as Elder Fu is willing to help, once the matter is concluded, we will split the spiritual herb equally."
The Grand Shopkeeper bowed, showing full sincerity.
As a guest elder of Moonlight Immortal City, Fang Xi was actually well-versed in the details of those Return to Void cultivators, knowing that none of them had profound attainments in void laws.
"Splitting the spiritual herb equally, hehe. . ."
He suddenly smiled: "As far as this old man knows. . . there should be a top-tier sixth-stage puppeteer in Moonlight Immortal City, correct?"
Upon these words, the Grand Shopkeeper's expression subtly changed: "Elder Fu is truly well-informed. . ."
"One naturally needs to thoroughly investigate their trading partner. . ."
Fang Xi smiled faintly: "Within void turbulence, many rare materials can be crushed to powder. . . Since an isolated island can form within a void fissure, and even grow spiritual herbs like 'Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flower,' it is highly likely to have condensed from the remnants or even a portion of the essence blood of a seventh-stage Heavenly Phoenix and Flood Dragon. . ."
If it were ordinary ground or even treasures, they would have long been torn into countless fragments by the void turbulence and storms.
Only the physique and void divine abilities of a seventh-stage Heavenly Phoenix could possibly survive!
"Therefore, your merchant guild is only giving this old man half the spiritual herb, yet there's a high probability of acquiring the remains, and even some essence blood, of a pair of seventh-stage Heavenly Phoenixes and Flood Dragons. . . Perhaps you could even give these materials to that Grandmaster of Puppetry and refine quasi-seventh-stage puppets. That would be a huge profit indeed. . ."
Fang Xi chuckled, but this was also normal.
Even in cooperation, a normal person would certainly aim for greater benefits.
The rest was merely continued negotiation.
"Then, what does Elder Fu propose?"
The Grand Shopkeeper couldn't help but feel that the matter had become troublesome.
Who would have thought that this Elder Fu not only understood the hidden means of Moonlight Immortal City perfectly but could even guess most of the truth!
"I want all of the 'Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flower'. . . Furthermore, if there is essence blood from the Heavenly Phoenix and Flood Dragon, I must also receive a few drops. . ."
Fang Xi chuckled: "Since you all have started seeking external help, it means you've tried various void artifacts and secret arts. . . I'm afraid that location is indeed extremely difficult to find, and requires this old man's personal intervention."
To locate an isolated island within void turbulence required extremely high attainments in the Dao of Void.
Fang Xi estimated that at least a Void Amalgamation-level Heavenly Phoenix would have a slight chance.
In fact, he could have made an even more outrageous demand, asking for a seventh-stage remnant first, and then slowly waited for them to haggle.
But at this point, both sides were essentially showing their cards, so Fang Xi gave a straightforward price.
"This matter. . ."
The Grand Shopkeeper quickly pondered: "I can agree to it, but we must sign an Immortal Spirit Document to ensure confidentiality. . ."
"Agreed, but the contract must also include a clause: your esteemed colleagues shall not seek any other external assistance!"
Fang Xi smiled faintly.
If it were just these Return to Void cultivators from Moonlight Immortal City, he was fully confident in eliminating them all, so cooperation wouldn't be very dangerous.
Even the Immortal Spirit Document's contract, relying on the 'All-Heavens Precious Mirror's status and his current strength, might not incur much backlash if violated.
...
A moment later.
Fang Xi walked out of the Moonlight Merchant Guild, and with a flash of escape light, he left the Immortal City.
"Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow Flower. . . Dragon and Phoenix essence blood. . . If there's an opportunity, I'll naturally acquire them."
"But to lure my main body to take such a risk with just this temptation is wishful thinking. . ."
With a flash of silver light, he had already returned directly to the Human World!
Fang Xi had thought it through clearly; he would just let his External Avatar handle it.
After all, his External Avatar was also proficient in the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art, and being essentially himself, it would not violate the Immortal Spirit Document's contract at all.
In the Human World.
Since Ancestor Shui's ascension, the Soul Transformation cultivators of Penglai Immortal Island began to adopt a contraction strategy, abandoning their operations in the Northern Plains and Western Desert, and focusing only on the East Sea and the central lands that bordered the East Sea—which, though now recovered, still had a relatively weak cultivation world. Their rule was as stable as a mountain.
Conversely, after the Penglai Immortal Island forces left, the Western Desert and Northern Plains immediately erupted into new rounds of chaos.
In the cultivation world, mutual slaughter for the sake of opportunities was commonplace.
Even when Shui Lingxin almost unified the Human World back then, it was impossible to completely prohibit such occurrences!
The translation is complete and follows all instructions.
- All text within HTML tags translated.
- HTML structure, tags, and attributes preserved.
- « and » replaced with " and ".
- Paragraphs not shortened or deleted.
- Glossary terms used as specified (e. g. , Demonic Tree of Primordial Beginning, Taisui, Return to Void, Void Amalgamation, Great Ascension, External Avatar, Heavenly Phoenix, Flood Dragon, Heavenly Demon True Body, Immortal Jade, Immortal Spirit Document).
- Tone consistent with a Chinese webnovel (e. g. , internal monologues, common cultivation tropes like "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items," "consuming pills," "Grandmaster of Puppetry," "Dao of Void," "astronomical figure," "long lifespans").
- Native English speaker level, aiming for published novel quality.
- Original paragraph structure and flow maintained.
- Metaphors (e. g. , "stable as a mountain"), direct speech, and narrative style adapted.
- No Chinese/Korean characters or comments in the output.
- "Drunk Immortal Grass" (Drunk Immortal Grass) was correctly identified as a common noun phrase not in the gloss's specific proper nouns, and translated literally.
-"Grand Shopkeeper" for `Grand Shopkeeper` was used as it's not a proper name in the gloss.
-"Elder Fu" for `Fu Lao` was used as a respectful address not a proper name in the gloss.
- "Moonlight Merchant Guild" for "Inviting the Moon Chamber of Commerce" was used as it represents an organization, distinct from the "Moonlight Immortal City" which is a place in the gloss.
Comments