Chapter 934: Golden Bamboo Sea (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes)
Chapter 934: Golden Bamboo Sea (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes)
Fang Xi naturally harbored no ill intentions.
He merely wished to safely and steadily pass through his tribulations and cultivate to become an immortal, that was all.
As for the upper-echelon struggles of the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, he had no desire to participate, nor was he inclined to bother.
Once he achieved immortality, all these matters would seem utterly laughable.
As long as his hard power reached a certain level, could his corresponding treatment possibly be withheld?
Upon realizing that Blazing Sun Immortal City was no longer a suitable place for cultivation, he immediately chose to pack his bags and make a swift exit.
The reason he chose this 'Golden Bamboo Sea' mission was purely because it posed no danger and offered a sufficiently long duration!
“Ten thousand years. . . ”
Fang Xi was a man of action.
Since he had decided to leave, he was not one to dither in the slightest.
He immediately returned to his cave abode and began the process of terminating his lease and handling other matters.
For instance, he first sent Yong Yunmian a large quantity of Item-Storing Talismans and a breakthrough pill of the Return to Void level.
Beyond that, he also sent a letter to acquaintances at Azure Sky Academy and Sword Grinding Mountain, explaining his decision and subtly offering a few hints.
As for whether they could grasp the meaning, or if, after grasping it, they would possess the resolve to make a painful sacrifice, that was their own affair.
...
Several days later.
“Brother Huang, no need to see me off. ”
Blazing Sun City, its main gate.
Fang Xi cupped his hands in a gesture of farewell to Huang Jing, Yi Zhengxing, and the others who had come to see him off.
“Daoist Brother, travel safely. ”
Huang Jing, Yi Zhengxing, and the Feng-surname cultivator from Sword Grinding Mountain all cupped their hands in return, feeling immensely grateful to Fang Xi for his subtle hints.
Although they might secretly grumble that Fang Xi was a bit timid, being able to offer such a warning was already more than many fellow Daoists would do.
Fang Xi swept his Divine Consciousness, and in a shadowy corner of the city gate, he caught sight of a familiar skirt hem; he couldn't help but smile, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished. . .
...
The Golden Bamboo Sea was located in the extreme western reaches of the North Star Immortal Domain, already very close to the Western Paradise Profound World.
Though this place was named 'Sea', it contained not a single drop of seawater, but was instead a massive basin.
Within the basin, the most prevalent feature was a type of golden bamboo, which was exceptionally sturdy, making it suitable as raw material for artifacts like flying swords.
A flash of azure light streaked across the sky.
Fang Xi controlled his escape light, traveling discreetly, while muttering to himself, “Indeed. . . I'm no protagonist. ”
“Under normal circumstances, if this were the protagonist of one of those pulp novels, after discovering Blazing Sun Immortal City was a massive vortex, even if they painstakingly managed to escape, they would still encounter various events, then be unwillingly drawn back in, completely embroiled, and have many unspeakable stories unfold with numerous beautiful female cultivators, then meet true formidable enemies. . . constantly showing off and putting others in their place, ultimately saving the world. ”
“But I actually escaped so easily, without even encountering a single marauding cultivator. . . ”
“In truth, that's how things truly are in the world: if you don't stir up trouble, unless you're extremely unlucky, trouble generally won't come knocking at your door. . . ”
He simply wished to cultivate discreetly for now, at least until he achieved immortality!
After all, the True Immortal World's waters were too deep, and a Mahayana cultivation was simply insufficient to navigate them!
Fang Xi flew for an unknown duration, until a spiritual mountain gradually appeared before his eyes.
It was a golden mountain range, bathed in countless golden lights, like a golden ocean.
With rays of rosy light illuminating the sky, and golden light snaking wildly, it also carried faint Buddhist chants, which, upon hearing, made one feel their mind become ethereal and all distracting thoughts dissipate.
A vibrant wave of immortal qi, mixed with spiritual energy, immediately surged forth.
“Golden Bamboo Sea, finally reached. ”
Fang Xi murmured, seeing vast expanses of spirit fields and buildings below, where the spiritual energy was extremely dense, but none of this truly amounted to much; at most, they were like satellite towns of the spiritual mountain, or villages near an ancient city.
It wasn't until he reached the spiritual mountain itself that the world suddenly transformed. A wave of immortal qi, even denser than that in Blazing Sun Immortal City, permeated the air.
Countless figures, riding spirit beasts like lions and white elephants, or stepping on flying swords and sitting cross-legged on lotus platforms, were moving in and out of the golden spiritual mountain.
“What a massive immortal vein! ”
Upon seeing this scene, Fang Xi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Although it was a place of exile, the Golden Bamboo Sea was by no means a remote location, but rather one of the North Star Immortal Domain's notably prosperous areas.
The spiritual mountain was vast and did not reject visitors.
Thus, there were no city gates, nor were there formations designed to keep people out.
Fang Xi directly employed a flight technique, and entered the spiritual mountain's territory.
It was only then, as he observed the situation below, that he couldn't help but slightly gasp.
He saw towering buildings, over ten thousand meters tall, rise from the ground, divided into small, pigeon-hole-like compartments, almost completely occupying every inch of space on the spiritual mountain.
Return to Void cultivators, as numerous as ants, flew in and out of these buildings, extremely busy.
In terms of cultivation, there was actually not a single one below the Return to Void realm!
‘After all, this is an immortal vein, and only after reaching the Return to Void realm can one refine Immortal Jade and immortal qi. . . Such an immortal vein would be a complete waste if given to cultivators below the Return to Void realm. ’
A glint flashed in Fang Xi's eyes, as he recalled the origins of this 'Golden Bamboo Sea'.
Once upon a time, this place was truly a sea, and its scope was immensely vast. Countless sea beasts lived within it, and there was even a Dragon King!
It stirred up winds and waves, causing widespread harm!
In an era so distant that its years were uncountable, one day, from the direction of the Western Paradise Profound World, an old monk arrived. He made a grand vow, swearing to convert the Dragon King, and so, the two parties engaged in a magical battle over this very sea!
Although the old monk's strength surpassed the Dragon King's, the latter repeatedly escaped by relying on the terrain's advantage, making it difficult to subdue him.
The old monk then made another grand vow, to convert this entire sea. Thus, he first used a formation to seal the sea's 'eye', and then, year after year, he drew water from it.
After expending an unknown number of tens of thousands of years, he finally transformed what was once a great sea into a basin.
The Dragon King, who could contend with Immortals, had nowhere left to hide. He could only be converted, and became a Heavenly Dragon Protector of the Buddhist Sect!
From this, the spiritual mountain was greatly opened, and the Buddhist cultivators of the Western Paradise Profound World could be said to have formally extended their reach into the North Star Immortal Domain.
‘After expending an unknown amount of time, is this what an Immortal-level magical battle entails? Or is it pure boredom? ’
‘Forget it, such thoughts are best kept to oneself; one shouldn't speak them aloud, after all, the protagonist of that story is probably still living quite well. ’
Swoosh!
Fang Xi transformed into a streak of azure light, and according to the address provided in the mission, landed on the rooftop of a skyscraper.
The cultivators here never used the lower passages; they all proceeded downwards from the rooftops.
He entered the main door, and his brows immediately furrowed.
Narrow, cramped. . .
From occasionally opened doors, one could see the interior space, which was merely a few square meters.
Even these mere few square meters of space sometimes housed multiple cultivators.
The purpose of this was to save on rent, and to gain access to the hard-earned qi of the immortal vein!
‘To refine one's cave abode into a cave-heaven, in the True Immortal World, would at least require the intervention of a nine-rank Immortal Formation Master. . . This was destined to be a luxury for only a very few individuals. ’
A nine-rank Immortal Formation Master was a profession even more sought after than a True Immortal Talisman Master.
Fang Xi keenly observed this business opportunity, yet he had no intention of pursuing it.
...
“Come take a look, come take a look! Divine Abilities Pavilion's grand promotion! Minor divine abilities: buy one, get one free! Buy one, get one free! ”
“Just one Divine Ability Seed, and you can immediately cultivate your divine ability spell to the Great Completion stage! ”
“And there's also the latest version of the Buddhist Sect's 'Eight Treasures Heavenly Dragon Grand Divine Ability', personally refined by the 'Golden Cauldron Arhat', its power is boundless, enough to let a Return to Void cultivator defeat an Integration stage cultivator! Only nine-nine-eight, nine-nine-eight! Take this grand divine ability home! ”
Within the alleyways, one shop after another competed for attention with their flashy displays, countless glows from restrictions flickered, transforming into a bizarre and fantastical scene, making Fang Xi feel a light pollution even more terrifying than that in the Kyushu World's Cyber Zone!
“Joyful Pavilion VIP card, now with the new 'Cloud Mist Illusion Realm'. . . ”
A pretty little nun, with a charming smile, blocked Fang Xi's path, and asked with a grin, “Senior, would you like to have some fun? ”
“I've long heard of the Western Paradise, how does it compare to the Grand Illusionary Realm? ”
Fang Xi pondered for a moment, and then stopped.
“Amitabha, we monastic renunciates do not lie, it naturally far surpasses it. ” The little nun, seeing Fang Xi's intrigued expression, immediately began to speak eloquently: “The Grand Illusionary Realm, compared to our Buddhist Western Paradise, is practically nothing. . . Amitabha, this humble nun has transgressed a verbal precept again. ”
“However, this statement is indeed true. The Grand Illusionary Realm still uses our Buddhist sect's outdated restrictions, employing formation spirits to conjure various characters. Furthermore, a single formation spirit often has to manage hundreds of millions of characters. . . Inevitably, there are omissions and deficiencies, and it is still difficult to truly capture complete human nature, which is its biggest flaw. ”
When discussing her own business, the little nun spoke as if counting her family treasures: “Our Buddhist Western Paradise is different. Daoist friend, you are a high-level cultivator, and what you will enjoy is different from what ordinary mortals and low-level cultivators experience. Our Joyful Pavilion guarantees that every character, Heavenly Maiden, Bright Consort you encounter. . . will be portrayed by real people, and there might even be a trace of Divine Consciousness from a Great Bodhisattva of the Joyful Lineage descending to make a physical offering. . . ”
Fang Xi pondered for a moment, and then understood.
No matter how good the Grand Illusionary Realm was, it always carried a sense of artificiality.
The Buddhist Western Paradise, was truly akin to a real world.
Not only that, but formation spirits were like AI; no matter how human-like they appeared, they were ultimately not human.
Even if they could deceive 99.99% of cultivators with their disguises, they couldn't deceive him.
And for the high-tier Western Paradise, using real people directly, that was truly luxurious.
“To actually have such a guarantee, who are these real-person characters played by, I wonder? ” Under his curiosity, Fang Xi asked another question.
“Amitabha, naturally, they are those entangled by karma from the eighteen layers of hell. ” The little nun replied with a solemn and dignified expression: “This is for them to atone for their sins. . . ”
Fang Xi rubbed his chin, and said nothing more.
If his guess was correct, the origins of these people. . . hehe. . .
Those mortals and low-level cultivators, who indulged in a stupor of pleasure within the low-tier Western Paradise controlled by formation spirits, would indeed ultimately have to pay their debts.
“Hmm, I have matters to attend to today. I will certainly come another day. ”
When Fang Xi was in Blazing Sun Immortal City, he was a regular patron of the Grand Void Hall, so naturally, he wouldn't refuse now. He exchanged communication talismans with the little nun, and took a VIP card.
He then continued downwards, passing several hundred floors, finally arriving before a shop.
This shop was only about ten square meters in size. Its shelves were filled with common items from the cultivation world. Stacks of talismans were neatly arranged, but it had a deserted air about it.
“Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce? ”
Fang Xi looked up, seeing the shop's name. The corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly: “Indeed. . . The location is good, but the mission is truly a trap. . . ”
“Esteemed guest. . . ”
An elderly cultivator, yawning behind the counter, saw Fang Xi enter. Just as he greeted him, he saw Fang Xi display a white jade token, and his expression immediately changed. He bowed and scraped, saying, “So it's Guest Elder, sir! News has already arrived from the Chamber, that from now on, this shop will be managed by you, sir. . . This old man, 'Qi Hou', greets you, sir. ”
“Tell me about the situation here. How many cultivators are there in total? What are the expenses? How many spiritual items remain in the storeroom? Also, why is business so desolate? I see this place connects two major immortal domains, with flourishing trade; it shouldn't be like this, should it? ”
“Alas. . . ”
Upon hearing this, Qi Hou could only offer a bitter smile and say, “This shop is desolate precisely because it's too close to the Western Paradise Profound World! ”
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