Chapter 774: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)
Chapter 774: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)
Following this, Fang Xi took out a fine tea set and engaged in a discussion of Dao with Fellow Daoist Luo while enjoying tea.
Fellow Daoist Luo, on one hand, wished to ascertain Fang Xi's true capabilities, and on the other, was keen to befriend this newly advanced Void Amalgamation cultivator. Thus, he readily agreed, sharing many important points regarding early-stage Void Amalgamation cultivation.
Though these were common issues, Void Amalgamation cultivators still needed to slowly explore them to grasp their true meaning.
To reveal them all now was, naturally, a gesture of goodwill.
Madam Qin Yin, standing nearby, proactively took on the task of pouring tea and water. Her every movement was as fluid and natural as flowing clouds and water, imbued with a dignified and elegant temperament, clearly indicating professional training.
And as she listened to the two Void Amalgamation cultivators discussing the Dao, she naturally gained considerable insights.
Several months later.
Both Fellow Daoist Luo and Madam Qin Yin departed.
Of course, this was only on the surface.
When the sect next opened its gates, Shui Lingxin would undoubtedly be plagued by joyful dilemmas.
Cultivators wishing to join a Void Amalgamation sect would be as numerous as carp crossing a river.
There would certainly be another bustling scene then.
Fang Xi watched Fellow Daoist Luo depart, thinking to himself, "So, among Void Amalgamation cultivators, the news of Fang Xian Daoist's failed challenge against Five Elements Child and his subsequent demise has already spread?"
From Fellow Daoist Luo and Madam Qin Yin, he had learned quite a few high-level secrets.
The most crucial among them was that the position of the Human Race Five Sons remained vacant!
Originally, after Fang Xian Daoist's demise, a Mahayana cultivator had favored Shen Suanzi.
However. . . Shen Suanzi and the surging Sword Son had both been lost on Trapped Sky Island, and other candidates failed to garner widespread approval. Adhering to the principle of "better none than mediocre," the position of the Fifth Son remained empty. . .
Fang Xi simply took note of this information; he would never, like Fang Xian Daoist, hastily jump out to seize a position.
Even if he were to contend for it, he would have to wait until his External Avatar achieved Void Amalgamation before attempting anything. . .
...
Trapped Sky Island.
"Invincibility. . . how lonely it is."
With a flash of silver light, Fang Xi's figure materialized.
He gazed at the somber gray sky and murmured a single phrase.
Indeed, even after advancing to Void Amalgamation, he wasn't planning to immediately seek out Zizai Tianmo Wang and Long Qingzi's trouble.
Time was his good friend; if he could just stall for another thousand years. . . he might even reach Mahayana himself!
Wouldn't it be even better to casually deal with his enemies then?
Seeking revenge now, at the early Void Amalgamation stage, would be falling into the same mistake as Fang Xian Daoist.
Long Qingzi and Zizai Tianmo Wang might not be Fang Xi's match, but what if they had Mahayana cultivators backing them?
If he encountered Mahayana cultivators with extremely long lifespans, or was besieged by several Mahayana cultivators, Fang Xi would currently be in danger!
Even if he had a high chance of escaping by relying on the All-Heavens Precious Mirror, he would inevitably expose his greatest golden finger, which a wise man would never do!
"I'll let you live another thousand years!"
Fang Xi gazed into the distance, his eyes cold.
However, while he could lie low in the Earthly Immortal World, on Trapped Sky Island, he could unleash his full power!
The highest cultivation here was merely Void Amalgamation!
Even if all Void Amalgamation cultivators attacked him together, they couldn't exhaust Fang Xi's eighty thousand years of lifespan. . .
Given this, what was there to be concerned about?
"I am invincible here. . . Forget it, don't jinx it by boasting. . ."
"First, I'll go find the Sword Son and settle our scores."
Fang Xi pondered for a moment, then formed a hand seal, activated the 'Turtle Breath Secret Art', and reverted to the appearance of the Wang Family Ancestor at the mid-stage Return to Void realm.
'The Sword Son has seen the Wang Family Ancestor and confirmed that I carry fragments of the same Immortal Abode Rare Treasure. . . '
'Now that he has advanced to Void Amalgamation and is arrogant, if he discovers the Wang Family Ancestor's whereabouts, he will certainly pursue and kill me. Furthermore, because it concerns an Immortal Abode Rare Treasure, he won't rely on others. . . even if he has made acquaintances with other Void Amalgamation cultivators, he will deliberately conceal it from them. . . '
To be safe, Fang Xi decided to employ the tactic of luring the snake out of its hole.
In this vast sea of people, rather than seeking out the Sword Son, it was better to have the Sword Son actively come to him!
'The Sword Son has cultivated a secret sword heart, allowing him to conceal his own heavenly secrets. . . Additionally, his sword Dao is incredibly strong, his sword intent astonishing, and he wields a fragmented immortal abode sword. . . Finally, he also possesses a damaged inkstone, suspected to be an immortal artifact. . . '
All information about the Sword Son surfaced in Fang Xi's mind.
'Aside from that crucial, suspected immortal inkstone, everything else is fine. . . '
'This battle can be fought. . . '
...
Across Trapped Sky Island, large and small gathering points were scattered, where virtually all major exotic races could be found, including humans, demons, and devils. The largest among these was, naturally, the Black Market.
Beyond that, some major clans held sway over their own territories, occupying large swathes of land, such as the Stone Clan.
Tiansheng City.
This city was constructed by high-level human cultivators. While it didn't prohibit the movement of other races, it was primarily inhabited by human cultivators, with only a few friendly exotic races at most.
On this particular day,
Fang Xi, in the guise of the Wang Family Ancestor, swaggered into Tiansheng City, entering various shops to collect numerous rare spiritual herb seeds and secret techniques. . .
—For the Wang Family Ancestor, he naturally didn't know the Sword Son, nor could he detect the Sword Son's previously subtle Divine Consciousness.
Hence, he had no idea that such a terrifying enemy was lurking in the shadows.
Inside a certain shop.
"This Six-Leaf Sword Grass inherently contains the true meaning of the sword Dao. After it matures, the patterns on its surface are sword patterns, and it can be used to forge sword artifacts, specifically wood-attribute swords. . . With a medicinal age of a hundred thousand years, it is truly exceptionally rare. It's only a hundred Immortal Jade, truly not expensive."
An exotic shopkeeper, wearing a scarlet conch-shell hat, opened a box and introduced a stark-white spiritual herb within.
This spiritual herb was entirely pure white, straight as a sword, with streaks of golden, sword-scar-like patterns running along its body.
"It's a bit expensive, but I'm most fond of studying exotic flowers and strange grasses, so I'll take this Six-Leaf Sword Grass. . ."
Fang Xi frowned slightly, but still took out Immortal Jade to complete the transaction: "I reside at the 'Welcoming Guests Pavilion'. Shopkeeper, if you collect any exotic flowers and strange grasses, or special seeds, you can come find me. When it comes to Immortal Jade, I won't disappoint you."
He put away the box containing the 'Six-Leaf Sword Grass' and headed towards the 'Welcoming Guests Pavilion'.
This pavilion was specifically for high-level cultivators to rest in Tiansheng City; the price required was steep, but the spirit energy within the immortal's cave was indeed abundant.
The shopkeeper with the scarlet conch-shell hat watched Fang Xi depart, then immediately closed the door.
He pulled out a jade slip from his storage bag, seemingly making a comparison: "Indeed. . . mid-grade Sixth-stage. . . the appearance matches. He's the one they've been searching for."
At this thought, he no longer hesitated, taking out a copper basin-shaped artifact.
The exotic race member removed the conch-shell hat from his head and poured streams of scarlet viscous liquid from it into the copper basin, muttering incantations all the while.
A layer of strange light flickered, and an image actually appeared within the copper basin.
"You are. . . the shopkeeper of Tiansheng City. Why have you activated such an urgent communication?"
On the other side, a figure slowly spoke.
He appeared middle-aged, and his cultivation should be at the late-stage Return to Void realm.
"Reporting, my lord, I have discovered the whereabouts of the individual on the 'Tier A, Number Three' wanted jade slip. . ."
The shopkeeper bowed.
"What? Are you certain?"
The middle-aged man's expression changed, even tinged with a hint of excitement.
He naturally knew that the Wang Family Ancestor was someone a great Void Amalgamation human figure had specifically sought to apprehend.
Their merchant guild had been secretly investigating and gathering information to curry favor with that Void Amalgamation sword cultivator. Ultimately, they had only learned that the target had once appeared in the Black Market, but seemed to have offended the Black Market Master and was secretly pursued by the Black Heaven Pavilion.
And after the Seven Treasures Secret Realm opened, there had been no further news.
That Wang Family Ancestor seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Now, his unexpected reappearance was a pleasant surprise.
"I dare not conceal anything. He came to my shop today and traded for a stalk of 'Six-Leaf Sword Grass'. . ."
The exotic shopkeeper immediately recounted the entire incident.
The middle-aged man made a swift decision: "You've done very well. . . Since he wants to acquire exotic flowers and strange grasses, he clearly won't leave immediately. . . I will grant you authority to mobilize the nearby merchant guild's inventory. Make sure to bait him with a rare species every so often, keeping him there until reinforcements arrive. . . You must gauge the situation yourself and act naturally, as the other party is also a Return to Void cultivator, and an old fox at that. . ."
"Yes, please rest assured, my lord."
The exotic shopkeeper bowed.
...
Neither of them noticed that, beneath the shop's floor tiles, a cricket-like demon worm puppet was silently lurking while the exotic shopkeeper made his report.
Only after the shopkeeper finished did it slowly crawl towards the outside.
Whoosh!
A layer of azure light appeared, revealing the shop's defensive formation.
However, on the demon worm's back, a miniature formation emerged, bearing wisps of silver patterns, hinting at the nature of a 'Breaking Seal Talisman'.
It opened its mouth, directly gnawing a tiny opening in the formation's light barrier, and then flew straight out.
The formation continued to operate, swiftly mending that small flaw.
If there hadn't been a Grandmaster of Formations currently manipulating the array, it would have been nearly impossible to detect this subtle change in the formation's power.
"Indeed. . . they fell for it?"
A moment later, the demon worm puppet landed on Fang Xi's shoulder as he leisurely strolled through the streets.
He chuckled softly: "I originally only intended to catch one, but I didn't expect the Black Heaven Pavilion to rush to their own demise. . ."
For Fang Xi, the Sword Son was a target to be killed, and the Black Heaven Pavilion's previous invitation to explore the Seven Treasures Secret Realm was clearly ill-intentioned.
Now that so much time had passed, he had naturally heard the news of the Black Heaven Pavilion's heavy losses during their expedition to the Seven Treasures Secret Realm.
If he had truly been just the Wang Family Ancestor, his fate would certainly not have been good.
Now, if the other party also sent people, it was time to collect on this debt.
...
Several months later.
Welcoming Guests Pavilion.
Inside a certain exquisite and opulent immortal's cave, Fang Xi sat cross-legged, a faint smile gracing his face.
He knew that the Black Heaven Pavilion and the exotic elder's schemes had converged, both utilizing rare exotic species to entice him to stay.
Fang Xi was naturally happy to play along, occasionally emerging from seclusion to gather exotic flowers and strange grasses, and in the process, collecting most of the rare species from both factions.
'By now, on Trapped Sky Island, aside from the Void Amalgamation cultivators' trump cards, I've pretty much plundered everything, haven't I? '
'If the Black Heaven Pavilion and the Sword Son intend to make a move, the best time would be when I leave Tiansheng City. . . Hmm? '
His Divine Consciousness stirred, and he suddenly felt a sharp aura rapidly approaching; clearly, the newcomer meant no good!
"The Sword Son is indeed the Sword Son. To actually come knocking with a drawn sword. . . As expected of a sword cultivator's temperament, direct and decisive! They pay no mind to rules at all."
As a human city, Tiansheng City still had prohibitions against fighting within its bounds.
But to the Sword Son, what were these rules?
Void Amalgamation cultivators already possessed the power to overturn the chessboard!
Rules only needed to be obeyed if they were advantageous; if the Wang Family Ancestor became careless due to the city's prohibitions, it would be the perfect opportunity for an attack!
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