Cultivating To Immortality

Fang Hong didn’t know who Great Master Zhang Ling was, but in his estimation, he was likely a Core Formation Cultivators.

As for High Heaven Sect, he was aware of it; it was a major Cultivation sect in Sand Country, no weaker in strength than Danxian Valley, where he belonged.

"The starting bid for a Level 4 puppet is one thousand spirit stones, with each increment not less than one hundred."

The Elderly man in Confucian robes said no more and immediately announced the starting bid.

"Eleven hundred!" A slightly gaunt Foundation Establishment Stage Late-Phase Cultivator was the first to shout, his eyes fixed on the puppet on the display stand.

"Twelve hundred!"

"Thirteen hundred!"

...

The atmosphere on site began to heat up, and many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, in their eagerness to acquire the Level 4 puppet, successively called out prices, causing the puppet’s price to soar wildly.

Fang Hong sat quietly in his chair, his expression calm; while the Level 4 puppet was good, in his opinion, it wasn’t something he absolutely had to have.

Moreover, there were many Foundation Establishment Stage Late-Phase Cultivators participating in the bidding, and these individuals were powerful; it was simply not worth being targeted by them for a single puppet.

The Cultivators frantically drove up the price, and the puppet’s value skyrocketed.

Ultimately, this Level 4 puppet was purchased by a Black-Clothed Man for the high price of two thousand five hundred.

"Alright, this trade fair concludes here. Thank you all once again for your support."

The Elderly man in Confucian robes said with a smile, clearly very satisfied with the results of this trade fair.

"If anyone still has items they didn’t get a chance to put up for auction with us, you can also trade among yourselves here; the venue is provided free of charge."

The Elderly man in Confucian robes added, and then left the hall by the stairs.

As the Elderly man in Confucian robes departed, many Cultivators also rose to leave.

However, quite a few Cultivators remained, enthusiastically setting up small stalls around the circular display stand, selling various strange and rare items.

Fang Hong didn’t leave immediately; he paid a little attention to the Black-Clothed Man and saw that he had left the venue directly.

The Black-Clothed Man hurried away, his figure quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Seeing this, Fang Hong no longer paid him any mind, hoping this person would be sensible and not come to cause him trouble.

Fang Hong began to wander around the display stands, his eyes constantly scanning the various stalls to see if there was anything good.

Suddenly, he saw a stall surrounded by many people; curiosity piqued, he approached and saw that it was the Blue-Clad Girl who held the Four Symbols Formation, and she hadn’t left either.

Many Cultivators were seen taking out various pills and talismans, attempting to exchange them with the Blue-Clad Girl for the Four Symbols Formation, but she refused them all.

Soon, the Cultivators gathered around the Blue-Clad Girl, seeing that they couldn’t acquire the formation, could only shake their heads and sigh in resignation, then left one after another.

Finally, only Fang Hong remained standing nearby.

"Senior, if you don’t have detoxifying spirit medicine like clear spirit grass, I won’t exchange the formation."

The Blue-Clad Girl, seeing Fang Hong approach, spoke first, her mood a little low.

"Fellow Daoist, you seem to urgently need detoxifying spirit medicine. Could it be that someone in your family is unwell?" Fang Hong asked with a curious tone.

The Blue-Clad Girl looked at Fang Hong, her face troubled, and remained silent.

"I don’t have detoxifying spirit medicine, but I can go and gather clear spirit grass for you," Fang Hong said after a moment of thought.

"What? Senior, you’re going to gather clear spirit grass for me?" The Blue-Clad Girl’s pretty face instantly showed surprise upon hearing this.

"Of course, it’s not free. I’ll definitely charge a reward," Fang Hong said with a faint smile.

"A reward? What reward does Senior want?" The Blue-Clad Girl’s smile gradually faded, and a hint of wariness appeared in her eyes.

"The specific reward, I haven’t decided yet. I want to know why you urgently need detoxifying Spirit Herbs?" Fang Hong asked again.

Sighhhh.

"To be honest, Senior, my mother was poisoned, which is why I urgently need detoxifying spirit medicine."

The Blue-Clad Girl sighed softly, her expression turning sorrowful.

Fang Hong listened, remaining silent, understanding the situation; it turned out her mother was poisoned.

"Senior, could you come with me for a moment?" The Blue-Clad Girl looked at Fang Hong with an expectant face; since Fang Hong came to her, it meant he also wanted the formation.

Fang Hong was momentarily stunned. After a brief thought, he nodded, signaling the girl to lead the way.

Subsequently, the Blue-Clad Girl led Fang Hong out of the Black Sand Trade Fair hall.

However, what Fang Hong didn’t know was that just as he left the trade hall, a small black bird on a nearby rooftop was quietly watching his movements.

The Blue-Clad Girl led Fang Hong all the way towards the northwest of the city.

Along the way, they conversed, and Fang Hong learned that the girl’s name was "Xiao Xue," her mother’s name was "Xiao Yue," and she was also a early stage of foundation building Cultivator.

To earn spirit stones and sustain their Cultivation and lives, Xiao Yue had to venture into the dangerous desert to hunt Demonic Beasts.

During one such hunt, Xiao Yue was unfortunately stung by a poisonous scorpion. The scorpion’s venom was extremely potent, quickly invading her body and afflicting her with scorpion poison.

Soon, Xiao Xue led Fang Hong to a two-story stone house. This stone house appeared quite spacious, presumably Xiao Xue’s home.

Fang Hong immediately noticed faint fluctuations of a protective formation around the stone house.

Although this formation seemed simple, it concealed clever design, indicating that this mother and daughter were skilled in setting up formations and had a certain level of attainment in the Dao of formations.

Xiao Xue took out a jade slip from her Storage Pouch, and after infusing her own magical power, the protective formation slowly opened a gap.

She looked back at Fang Hong, motioned for him to follow, and then led him into the stone house.

Upon entering the house, Fang Hong saw a beautiful woman lying on the bed.

The beautiful woman’s face was pale, her eyes tightly shut, and white cold Qi emanated from her body, clearly indicating she was ill.

"Mother." Xiao Xue’s pretty face changed upon seeing the cold Qi. She quickly went to the bedside and infused magical power into a jade pendant nearby.

The jade pendant emitted a gentle golden light, which caused the surrounding cold Qi to recede, and Xiao Yue’s complexion eased considerably.

Xiao Xue breathed a sigh of relief when her mother’s condition stabilized, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

As if suddenly remembering something, she knelt before Fang Hong with a thud, her eyes full of pleading, and her voice choked with tears, saying.

"Senior Fang, I know you have the ability to gather clear spirit grass. As long as you can save my mother, I’m willing to do anything." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"My mother’s condition is getting worse and worse. The alchemist said that if the poison in her body isn’t removed in time, she’ll only live for half a year at most."

Xiao Xue knelt on the ground, tears welling in her eyes, crying piteously.

Fang Hong was slightly moved. Looking at the sorrowful girl before him, a hint of pity arose in his heart.

He helped Xiao Xue up and said, "I’ll save your mother, and you give me the method for setting up the Four Symbols Formation."

"The method for setting up the formation." Xiao Xue’s heart jolted upon hearing this, and her initially expectant gaze instantly flickered with a hint of hesitation.

This formation setup method was a treasure passed down through the Xiao Family for many years, far more valuable than the semi-finished Four Symbols Formation artifact.

For Fang Hong to propose this as a reward at this moment, in her eyes, was undoubtedly a blatant overreach.