Chapter 744: Setting Out
Chapter 744: Setting Out
"What a pity. . . this battle formation only possesses the might of a Void Amalgamation cultivator, yet it is quite cumbersome for pursuing enemies. . . it is only suitable for large-scale cultivation wars."
Fang Xi mused inwardly, then listened as the Grand Elder meticulously arranged various matters.
After clarifying all the miscellaneous affairs, Daoist Shi Xianzi finally spoke: "I truly still find it hard to believe. Our human race's 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellations Northern Dipper Grand Array' is a quasi-ninth rank immortal array, and with two of the Five Sons and a Mahayana rogue immortal personally stationed there, how could it have been defeated directly? And so. . . so miserably defeated? "Upon hearing this, many Return to Void cultivators involuntarily looked towards the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder coughed, a bitter smile on his face: "I do not know much about the inside story. . . but it should be related to that newly advanced True Spirit Phoenix. . . We all know that Mahayana cultivators have no early, mid, or late stages; once one enters Mahayana, it simply depends on their divine abilities and magical power. . . And a quasi-ninth rank immortal array is, after all, not ninth rank; it still belongs to the eighth rank. . ."
"Could it be that the newly advanced True Spirit Phoenix possessed astonishing divine abilities, comparable even to a peak eight-tribulation Mahayana?"
Among Mahayana cultivators, those with the deepest accumulation were the eight-tribulation Mahayana cultivators, having survived eight tribulations.
Because the ninth tribulation was the Immortal Ascension Tribulation!
One either passed it and ascended to the True Immortal World, or instantly turned to ash and vanished. . .
"After that battle, the whereabouts of the Hunyuan Great Sage and our clan's Senior Che remain unknown to anyone. . ."
The Grand Elder concluded.
Fang Xi, however, knew that this person's guess was mistaken.
That Hunyuan Great Sage was definitely not some ruthless individual who could fight seasoned Mahayana cultivators right after entering the Mahayana stage; perhaps it would be closer if it were the Fang Xian Dao Lord.
His main reliance was the Phoenix Rebirth Art of the Phoenix Abode, which merely delayed his Mahayana Immortal Lightning Tribulation for a period.
In terms of aptitude, he was somewhat lacking compared to the Mahayana cultivators of various races; he did not possess true Mahayana potential.
The high probability for his crushing defeat of the human race this time was that, during his fight against Senior Che, he unleashed his tribulation-evading secret art, sacrificing his own life to perish together with Senior Che and that quasi-immortal array.
But these matters, involving the seventh-order Green Luan secret transmission, were not suitable for open discussion.
After the gathering in the Moonlight Hall dispersed, Fang Xi sought out Fairy Shi Xianzi: "Daoist Shi. . . for this array deployment, this old man will follow your lead."
Fairy Shi smiled gracefully: "Daoist Wang, why be so modest? Just by observing the array talismans Daoist displayed during the last breakout, one knows that your array mastery far surpasses mine. . ."
Secretly, she transmitted: "No matter what, after this crushing defeat, the human race's territory will surely fall into chaos. Moonlight Immortal City is ambitious and seeks to trouble the Heavenly Demon Society. Being able to stay out of it is a good thing. . ."
Fang Xi fully agreed.
He returned to his lake island cave abode and saw that the Wang family members were still there.
"Deliver a personal letter from me to Wang Lingying. . ."
Fang Xi waved his hand, tossing out a jade slip.
Inside, he detailed the recent drastic changes in the human race, of course, attributing all the information to the higher echelons of Moonlight Immortal City.
Presumably, Wang Lingying would make the correct choice.
Judging from this Wang family member's performance during the last opening of the overseas immortal abode, he was definitely adept at the way of self-preservation through wisdom, so there was no need to worry too much.
...
Celestial Brahma City.
Throughout the streets and alleys, the topic of discussion among cultivators was also the matter of the demon race.
"Geographically speaking, Celestial Brahma Domain is quite far from the Three Realms Mountain. As long as the super teleportation array is guarded, there should be no major issues. . ."
"Of course, that's true for ordinary frontier cultivators. For the Celestial Brahma Army, however, they will likely still have to go to the battlefield later."
Fang Xi calculated that he could sell all his materials and spoils of war, exchanging them for Immortal Jade to support the growth of his main body's Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm.
After all, with war imminent, every bit of strength was crucial.
"Although my main body can hide back in the Human World and is unlikely to be affected even if the situation worsens, I still wish to act freely, settling scores, and at the very least, seek opportunities while resisting the demon race. . ."
Although the External Avatar cultivated the 'Myriad Manifestations True Demon Arts' and seemed to advance by leaps and bounds, there were actually underlying issues.
For example. . . as an external avatar, the main body must first break through a realm for the next realm to have no bottleneck for the avatar.
Otherwise, if the cultivation advances too rapidly, it's easy to suffer cultivation deviation.
To give an example, if a Divine Transformation demonic cultivator practicing the Myriad Manifestations True Demon Arts were given an unresisting Return to Void demonic cultivator puppet of the same origin, while their cultivation would indeed advance rapidly, if they couldn't suppress their inner greed and broke through repeatedly, the outcome might not be good.
At this moment, observing the gradually tensing atmosphere in the city, Fang Xi transformed into a streak of black demonic light, leaving Celestial Brahma City and returning to Penglai Immortal Pavilion.
Penglai Immortal Pavilion was located in the wilderness, making travel convenient and allowing for easy response to any situation.
When Fang Xi arrived, he found that the arrays here were indeed fully activated, clearly having received some news.
However, since he was one of their own, Shui Lingxin directly activated the array, allowing Fang Xi to enter.
"Alas. . . in this situation, one truly doesn't know what to say."
Yunxi Xianzi manifested her physical body and offered Fang Xi a bitter smile.
"One must look to the actions of the various Mahayana rogue immortals and the Human Race Five Sons. . ."
Fang Xi actually wanted to know the true battle situation, for instance, whether Jin Gangzi and Long Qingzi had died in the battle at Absolute Heaven City that day. . .
However, at this moment, it was better to remain calm.
He had plenty of patience; he only needed to wait a few years, a few decades, and everything would naturally be revealed.
...
Several years passed in a hurry.
On this day.
In his cave abode at Penglai Immortal Pavilion, Fang Xi held a jade slip containing various intelligence reports about the human-demon war, purchased from Celestial Brahma City.
"In the great battle at Absolute Heaven City that day, many cultivators escaped. There is both good news and bad news. . ."
"The good news is that Jin Gangzi is still alive and is currently mobilizing the Celestial Brahma Army to organize resistance. . . The bad news is that Long Qingzi also didn't die. . ."
As for the whereabouts of that Mahayana rogue immortal, 'Senior Che'? His condition was the highest secret of the human race and remained unknown.
Perhaps after several more decades, there would be a result.
"Furthermore, that True Spirit Phoenix is confirmed to have died under the Immortal Lightning Tribulation, with most of its magical treasures, essence blood, and feathers recovered by the demon race. . ."
Upon reading this, Fang Xi's eyes lit up.
The True Spirit Phoenix's life-bound feathers were excellent items; if they could be refined into the 'Five Fires Seven Birds Fan', the fan's power would surely ascend to a higher level.
This fan currently only possessed a few tenths of the power of an Immortal Abode Rare Treasure fragment. If one True Spirit Phoenix feather could be refined into it, its power would likely surpass most Immortal Abode Rare Treasure fragments, becoming equivalent to a larger Immortal Abode Rare Treasure fragment!
It would be second only to a damaged Immortal Abode Rare Treasure, which was the Qing He Sword (Fifth Generation) in Fang Xi's possession!
"Speaking of which. . . in Long Qingzi's memories, there are also several incredibly potent artifact refining methods. . . if they could be forged, their power would also be considerable, easily serving as trump cards for Void Amalgamation cultivators. . ."
"Unfortunately. . . the required materials are far too precious. . ."
Fang Xi sighed with emotion.
Suddenly, he frowned, waving his hand to activate the array.
A transmission talisman condensed from water vapor landed in his hand.
After listening to a few sentences, a look of interest appeared on his face, and he transformed into a black streak of demonic light, flying out.
Penglai Immortal Pavilion.
Outside the grand array.
"Hmph! Junior Sister Yunxi. . . is this how you taught your good disciple? To actually turn away a Senior Aunt. . . how can there be such a way of hospitality in this world?"
Inside a Precious Lotus Fragrant Carriage sat a richly dressed noblewoman, her head adorned with various hairpins and jade ornaments.
Her cultivation was around mid-stage Return to Void, though her face was slightly pale. Behind her followed two teams of maidservants and disciples, serving as an honor guard.
Upon seeing Shui Lingxin within the array, her expression turned rather displeased.
With a thought, the elemental energy of heaven and earth churned, descending as if carrying the power of the Nine Heavens.
That layer of water mist array instantly crumbled, revealing the buildings behind it, and Shui Lingxin's slightly pale face.
Her retinue of disciples found it even harder to resist the might of a Return to Void cultivator, each almost fainting.
"So it is Senior Sister Baolian!"
A flash of Nine Nethers Yin Qi, and a solidified figure appeared—it was naturally Yunxi Xianzi.
Seeing her disciple's complexion, a flicker of indignation crossed her face.
"Junior Sister Yunxi, you've finally shown yourself. . . I heard you switched to cultivating the ghostly path and barely managed to break through to the Return to Void realm. You truly are lucky!"
Lady Baolian chuckled, her expression then turning icy: "When the sect was in crisis, you stood by and watched. Now, one of your disciples dares to turn me away? Where have the sect rules gone?"
Yunxi Xianzi's brow furrowed.
It wasn't that she found Lady Baolian's attitude poor; as an ascended cultivator, she had experienced all sorts of human conditions and faced countless situations.
But she keenly sensed that Senior Sister Baolian's intentions were malevolent. She immediately replied coolly: "This place is my disciple's cave abode and sect. My disciple has not joined the Heavenly Charm Sect, so this 'Senior Aunt' title is not truly applicable. . ."
She was shrewd, cutting off Lady Baolian's potential excuses from the start.
"Junior Sister is truly formidable, having just advanced to Return to Void, and already has a disciple outside the official lineage. . ."
Lady Baolian's words choked, then she said coldly.
"Senior Sister misunderstands. This girl is a disciple this Junior Sister took before entering the sect."
Yunxi said: "If Senior Sister has no further business, then Junior Sister will bid you farewell."
"Even if this place is your disciple's mountain gate, that Nine Nethers Absolute Malevolent Yin Vein was discovered by you when you were a Heavenly Charm Sect disciple. As a sect disciple, one belongs to the sect in life and in death. This Yin Vein naturally also has half ownership by the sect!"
Lady Baolian finally revealed her true intentions!
"Senior Sister, acting like this, aren't you afraid the sect will blame you for seizing by trickery and force?"
Yunxi Xianzi finally grasped Lady Baolian's objective and her expression changed.
"The sect. . ."
Fairy Baolian sneered.
Just then, her expression shifted as she looked towards the cave abode below.
Whoosh!
A burst of demonic light flickered, carrying powerful mid-stage Return to Void magical power fluctuations, suddenly pressing down.
The demonic light flashed, revealing a cold and stern young man in black: "Daoist Yunxi. . . it seems you have an unwelcome guest!"
"Mid-stage Return to Void cultivator? !"
Lady Baolian was abruptly startled, inwardly crying out, 'Not good! '
She had originally intended to seize this spiritual land as her base. In the Earthly Immortal World, there were quite a few arrays that could convert Yin Qi into spiritual energy.
And Yunxi Xianzi was only early-stage Return to Void, and moreover, the weakest ghost cultivator!
With her mid-stage Return to Void strength, she was confident she could control her!
But she hadn't expected Yunxi Xianzi to be hiding a mid-stage Return to Void associate!
"Daoist Yunxi. . ."
Fang Xi saw the scene unfold and sneered: "I just received news that the Heavenly Charm Sect closed its doors, and recently its mountain gate was breached. . . a group of cultivators fled. This Lady Baolian, I fear, has no place to settle and wishes to seize Junior Sister's foundation."
"Nonsense!"
Lady Baolian's expression changed: "This is an internal matter of my sect! What right does an outsider like you have to interfere?"
"Internal? Whether the Heavenly Charm Sect even still exists is truly debatable. . ."
Fang Xi shook his head. Abruptly, a black demonic light appeared, transforming into a crescent moon-shaped blade arc that flashed and was gone!
"How dare you!"
Lady Baolian frowned deeply, and a golden lamp appeared in her hand.
A wick within it burned fiercely, emitting a strange fragrance.
Then, the golden lamp transformed, suddenly splitting into two, then four, then eight. . . In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of golden lamps flickered, forming a grand array of golden lamps.
Dark fragrance wafted all around, a kaleidoscope of colors.
That crescent arc of light struck the Golden Lamp Grand Array, trembling abruptly, then collapsing with a crash. . .
Golden lamp artifacts or magical treasures also appeared above the heads of Lady Baolian's disciples, merging into the grand array, both amplifying their magical power and enjoying the array's protection.
"This. . ."
Yunxi Xianzi was surprised by this sight: "This array is clearly derived from the Heavenly Charm Sect's cultivation methods. Why was I not taught it after reaching Return to Void?"
"That is naturally because Daoist has already been treated as an outsider."
Fang Xi chuckled.
After all, converting to a ghost cultivator and practicing ghostly cultivation methods was not considered being one of their own.
For the Heavenly Charm Sect to act this way was not unreasonable.
"So this sect's method, upon reaching the Return to Void stage, involves refining golden lamps. . ."
Fang Xi could feel that within this Golden Lamp Grand Array, each golden lamp carried its own peculiar fragrance, filled with lamp oil refined from mortal world aura.
When many golden lamps combined, there was the profound mystery of the scent of all living beings within them.
'I wonder if the final stage of the cultivation method truly possesses the miraculous effects of charming heaven and earth. . . and weakening lightning tribulations? '
Lady Baolian's phoenix eyes were filled with murderous intent. Holding a golden lamp in her hand, she suddenly pinched a spark of golden fire from the wick and flicked her finger.
Roar!
A golden flame savagely spread in the void, transforming into a golden scorching sun that hurtled towards Fang Xi.
Within this golden scorching sun, countless ancient seal characters were also contained, and terrifying spiritual pressure overflowed.
Upon seeing this, Fang Xi sneered, opening his mouth to unleash six streaks of demonic flames.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The six demonic flames rotated through various colors, finally turning pitch black, like an arrow, shooting forth instantly.
Pfft!
The black arrow pierced through the golden scorching sun, then violently expanded.
Those six streaks of demonic flames actually began to devour the golden lamplight.
In the blink of an eye, that golden scorching sun transformed into a black great sun, smashing towards the Golden Lamp Grand Array.
Boom!
Infinite flames flickered, and the surrounding temperature instantly soared, even burning a bottomless hole into the nearby ground.
Within the Golden Lamp Grand Array, streaks of golden light continuously dissipated, causing Lady Baolian's face to instantly turn pale.
She had actually fled when the Heavenly Charm Sect's mountain gate was breached, and not only was her life-bound magical treasure damaged, but she had also suffered a great loss of vitality.
This was why she had to resort to the idea of recuperating in her junior sister's spiritual land.
But she hadn't expected that one of her junior sister's associates would possess such divine might!
"This array is not bad!"
Fang Xi, having already witnessed the operation of the Golden Lamp Grand Array, suddenly let out a long cry.
Wuwah!
Amidst a piercing sword cry, the Divine Infant Sword appeared in his hand.
He held the sword with both hands and slashed fiercely!
Chichichi!
Infinite crimson Divine Infant Sword light erupted fiercely, reaching from the highest heavens to the lowest Yellow Springs, threads of red crisscrossing, completely obliterating the mortal world aura.
Whoosh!
Shui Lingxin saw a streak of crimson light, like a wedge, plunging into the Golden Lamp Grand Array.
The golden lamps instantly stopped operating, and golden lotus petals drifted down, each petal bearing a distorted face, seemingly weeping. . .
Wuwah!
Accompanied by a shrill sword cry, the Golden Lamp Grand Array shattered with a crash.
The golden lamps above the disciples' heads dimmed, their faces turning pale as they each spat out a mouthful of essence blood.
Lady Baolian reacted incredibly swiftly, pointing a slender finger, causing the elemental energy of heaven and earth to vibrate, protecting their surroundings.
Then, a white jade phoenix flute flew out from her long sleeve. A pure white light flashed on it, turning into five colors.
A white phoenix flew out from the jade flute, its sound like heavenly jade chimes, cleansing the heart.
Swoosh!
The void flickered, and the Divine Infant Sword appeared, striking heavily upon the white phoenix.
These two Return to Void treasures intertwined, emitting infinite colorful light.
Then. . .
Accompanied by a phoenix's mournful cry, the white phoenix was pierced by blood-colored sword energy and vanished with a crash.
A crack appeared on the jade flute, falling into Lady Baolian's hand, causing a look of heartache to flash across her face.
"Stop!"
She quickly cried out: "I admit defeat. I shall leave now and no longer covet Junior Sister's cave abode. . ."
"Daoist comes and goes as she pleases. . . how can such an easy matter exist in this world?"
Fang Xi chuckled, holding his sword.
At his signal, Yunxi Xianzi also conjured ghostly mist, beginning to seal off the surroundings.
"What do you want to do?"
Lady Baolian's hair was disheveled, her heart filled with even more regret.
She couldn't even defeat Fang Xi alone, let alone the two of them working together.
Fang Xi's face was cold, but he didn't deliver a killing blow.
After all, he wasn't a maniac, and Lady Baolian was still Yunxi Xianzi's senior sister. Although the Heavenly Charm Sect's mountain gate was breached, their Void Amalgamation patriarch might not have fallen. . .
"Since Senior Sister is willing to stay at Junior Sister's cave abode, Junior Sister will naturally sweep the floor to await your presence. . ."
After transmitting messages to each other, Yunxi Xianzi said with a beaming smile: "However, since Junior Sister is providing the spiritual vein and Daoist site, Senior Sister should also show some consideration. . . for example, by helping Junior Sister guard this place together. . ."
"This matter, it's not entirely unnegotiable. . ."
Lady Baolian's expression immediately softened: "After all, we are fellow sect sisters. . ."
"Precisely! So please, Senior Sister, sign this 'Netherworld Blood Contract'!"
Yunxi Xianzi smiled sweetly, taking out a black-green contract document.
Fang Xi, having seen her cultivation method, naturally knew that this 'Netherworld Blood Contract' could only be refined by ghost cultivators above Return to Void, and it possessed great binding power over Return to Void cultivators.
Once violated, the cost would be extremely heavy.
"Yunxi. . . you truly are a good junior sister!"
Lady Baolian's tone grew heavier. Her divine sense swept over the contract content, and she let out a sigh of relief.
On the Netherworld Blood Contract, besides stipulating that she must advance and retreat together with Yunxi and guard this spiritual vein and Daoist site, there were no other major restrictions.
After all, she was a Return to Void cultivator; this much face had to be given.
Otherwise, if they fought to the bitter end, there would be even less gain.
"Fine. . . consider it my misjudgment today. Having lost to you, I have nothing more to say."
Lady Baolian spat out a ray of light, containing a drop of her essence blood, which landed on the Netherworld Blood Contract document.
A light flashed in the corner of the dark green paper, and a human face suddenly appeared, then eerily vanished again.
"Alright, since Senior Sister has come, we are all one family now."
Yunxi Xianzi said with a beaming smile: "Lingxin, why haven't you paid respects to your Senior Aunt?"
"Greetings, Senior Aunt!"
Shui Lingxin was now extremely obedient, showing none of her previous mischievousness of first rejecting her Senior Aunt and then secretly informing Fang Xi: "Now that the sect's spiritual land is limited, why not ask Senior Aunt to perform the Art of Moving Mountains and Filling Seas to first relocate a mountain peak to serve as a residence?"
'So I have to personally build this cave abode. . . '
Lady Baolian felt depressed, but squeezed out a smile: "That would be excellent. . ."
She looked at Yunxi Xianzi and her disciple, then at Fang Xi, steeling her resolve inwardly: 'These master and disciple can be so arrogant only because of this Daoist. . . Wait until later. . . Hmph! '
...
Moonlight Immortal City.
After Fang Xi and Fairy Shi completed their inspection of an array node, they floated on a cloud boat, brewing a pot of clear tea.
Fairy Shi smiled gracefully, presenting several plates of pastries, all of which were favorites of the Wang Family Ancestor.
As the two of them enjoyed tea on the cloud boat, the atmosphere became somewhat strange.
Fang Xi took a sip of the spiritual tea, feeling even more inwardly exasperated.
During this period, he and Fairy Shi had inspected and repaired arrays together, and even though he had held back considerably, he still displayed remarkable talent and ingenuity.
Especially Fairy Shi, working alongside him, could sense it even more.
Now, there was even a growing inclination of admiration.
'Could it be that this Fairy Shi prefers older men? '
However, Fang Xi also knew that for cultivators, outward appearance was merely a skin, and could be changed at will.
It was the inherent demeanor, acquired cultivation, personal strength, and mastery of various cultivation arts that truly served as elements of mutual attraction.
From all these aspects, the current Wang Family Ancestor's competitiveness was indeed not bad.
Attracting so much attention was understandable, quite understandable. . .
As for Fang Xi himself, his preferences remained unchanged; he simply liked young and beautiful women.
Just then, both sides suddenly looked up, sensing the intense fluctuations of heaven and earth elemental energy.
"To the city gates!"
Fang Xi controlled his spiritual boat, arriving at the city gate, where he saw tens of thousands of cultivators, densely packed in different formations, outside Moonlight Immortal City.
Squads of Grand Yin Dao Soldiers, clad in black armor, were expressionless, their skin pale, exuding a killing aura.
Limitless magical power converged, forming a gigantic phantom image of a three-headed, six-armed divine demon in mid-air.
Within the divine demon's skull, a Return to Void cultivator seemed to be personally stationed.
Heaven and earth elemental energy surged down, creating an extremely astonishing momentum.
Suddenly, the three-headed, six-armed demon god moved, soaring into the distance.
"This is. . . the battle formation is complete. Are they preparing to attack the Heavenly Demon Society?"
Stone Fairy murmured.
"I'm afraid it's a feint!"
Fang Xi shook his head with a smile.
To pursue an enemy with a battle formation, aren't they afraid that the formation will fall into disarray upon pursuit, leading to a counter-attack from the enemy?
He guessed that Dong Qiuzi's quasi-seventh-order puppet must have been refined, and this grand army's expedition was merely a smokescreen.
Stone Fairy looked at the Wang Family Ancestor, feeling even more that this ancestor was unfathomable, and her gaze grew softer. . .
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