Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists

"It seems to be a Heaven Grade Spiritual Root, the talent is indeed not bad..." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Fang Xi looked at Feng Yingyue, deep in thought.

"Prime Taoist Mu, what do you intend to do?"

The Supreme Elder of the Feng Family, surrounded by several treasures, stood protectively like a mother hen, shielding Feng Yingyue behind her.

If not for the blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth, she would have looked even more imposing.

"Nothing... I merely wish to borrow the Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead for a moment."

With a thought from Fang Xi, a pitch-black seal swiftly returned to him.

But around the valley, without anyone knowing when, a layer of five-colored fog had appeared, filled with tumbling runes, clearly an impressive array had been set up.

The Supreme Elder of the Feng Family tried to use several magical instruments in secret, only to discover that all methods of communication and Secret Skills were unable to reach the outside world, causing her heart to sink inevitably.

"Well then... Take the bead, you may have it!"

Now a fish on the cutting board, she, a cultivator who had achieved Integration, indeed knew when to choose her battles wisely.

"I’ve heard... that this bead simply cannot be activated without the special Secret Skill of the Feng Family’s bloodline?"

Yet Fang Xi brought up another issue.

The Supreme Elder of the Feng Family’s face turned pale, realizing that this Prime Taoist must have been eavesdropping on her while she was instructing her juniors all along.

Did that not mean if he wanted her dead, it would be as easy as flipping his hand?

"Unless you swear not to harm a single member of my Feng Family, I will never hand over the Secret Skill," the Supreme Elder of the Feng Family said fiercely.

"You have no chips in your hand and yet you dare to threaten me?"

Fang Xi chuckled, "I could simply destroy your physical body and then search your soul... mere Divine Thought Prohibitions, they cannot stop me."

Feng Yingyue couldn’t help but turn pale upon hearing this.

"Enough..."

No matter how much the Supreme Elder of the Feng Family racked her brains, she eventually spoke with bitter resignation, "I will give you the Secret Skill and send someone from my clan to follow you. How about that?"

"There’s no need to pick anyone else; she will do," Fang Xi pointed at Feng Yingyue: "You seem to have realized something, and to prevent you from speaking indiscriminately, only by having this girl by my side will you be sufficiently cautious."

"No!" The Supreme Elder of the Feng Family flatly refused.

"I will go!" Feng Yingyue, biting her silver teeth, said to the Supreme Elder, "Great Ancestor... this is the best solution."

"Haha... Don’t worry, it’s just a departure, not a death." Fang Xi laughed heartily, "Within a hundred years, I will surely release this girl... and as for this pill, consider it as my apology."

He lifted his hand, and a purple jade bottle shimmered, arriving in front of the Supreme Elder of the Feng Family.

The radiance of the treasures couldn’t even block it!

The Supreme Elder of the Feng Family looked at the purple jade bottle before her, knowing it was not just an apology but also a show of power!

If she continued to refuse this gesture, the next thing coming her way would be a strike from a magic treasure!

With a sigh in her heart, ready to accept even a Primordial Energy Pill meant for Qi Refining disciples, she inspected the bottle with her Divine Consciousness and was suddenly startled.

Inside the bottle was an extraordinary pill, its purple pattern was extremely dense, almost containing ten thousand patterns.

A powerful force of vitality spread out, causing her to take a deep breath involuntarily.

"Although you appear young, Sir, the life force within your body is fading, and I’m afraid the end is not far..." Fang Xi spoke, "This ’Purple Pattern Longevity Pill’ can greatly extend the lifespan even for those at the Integration stage, so I’ll give it to you."

The Supreme Elder of the Feng Family’s time was indeed running short!

That was precisely why she valued Feng Yingyue so much!

"Ah... well then."

With a flicker in her eyes and a bitter smile on her lips, the Supreme Elder of the Feng Family threw a jade slip to Fang Xi: "You may leave now..."

...

Whoosh!

A bronze chariot, transforming into a streak of light, sped across the sky.

Within the carriage, a Great Hall was immensely spacious.

Feng Yingyue stood at the edge of a bronze pillar, so massive several people could embrace it together, feeling like nothing more than an ant.

And the great villain himself was sitting atop a bronze throne at the summit of ninety-nine steps, examining a Buddha Blood Scroll.

"You had better master the control of the ’Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead’ as quickly as possible."

All of a sudden, a voice arose, startling Feng Yingyue.

"Yes... Yes!"

She jerked, quickly bowing in respect.

Fang Xi gave an order and paid her no further attention, simply saying, "Inside this Bronze Palace, there are many Cultivation Quiet Rooms and the spiritual energy is quite abundant... Here are a few bottles of pills, I grant them to you as a reward."

This bronze chariot was naturally part of Old Meng’s treasured collection.

It was not only incredibly fast and impressively defensive, but it also had a Cave Heaven refined within, offering considerable comfort.

Fang Xi naturally did not hesitate to make use of it.

"Prime Taoist Mu..."

Feng Yingyue seemed to regain her senses and asked, "Where are we going?"

"We’ll visit the Monster Clan first, then the Demon Clan..."

"And if there’s a chance, I actually wish to visit the territories of the Alien race, but alas, they are far too remote... however, there should be a Super Teleportation Array within the Monster Clan, so it’s not entirely hopeless," Fang Xi said with a slight smile.

Artifacts and Secret Skills that aid in transcending calamities are of course held by the Monster Clan, Demon Clan, and even the Alien race.

And since he was merely an external incarnation, traveling did not interfere with his true self’s cultivation.

By the time he had gathered enough, his true self would likely have also achieved Perfect Integration and would be ready to ascend to the Mahayana level.

...

Several years later.

Monster Clan, Wanfeng Cliff.

As the stronghold of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, even with the True Spirit phoenixes at the frontlines of the battle between monsters and demons, this place still had many high-level Monster cultivators guarding it.

On this day.

Tens of thousands of Heavenly Phoenixes, Azure Luans, and Dapengs took to the sky, emitting mournful cries.

"You thieving sod, how dare you?"

Accompanied by a sharp rebuke, a bronze-colored Escape Light swiftly flew out from Vanfeng Cliff and morphed into a bronze chariot.

A Prime Taoist wearing a vine-wood mask stood atop the chariot, gazing at a Five-colored Heavenly Phoenix behind him.

"A seventh tier superior-grade Heavenly Phoenix, you left such combat power to guard your home during the great war. The self-interest of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan is indeed great..."

Fang Xi’s hands were casually tucked into his wide sleeves as he spoke unhurriedly.

"Human... hand over the Phoenix Essence Crystal! Otherwise, my Heavenly Phoenix Clan will not let you off!"

The Five-colored Heavenly Phoenix roared, and countless birds flew out from Vanfeng Cliff, coalescing into an Array.

The gales howled, and the cyan Wind Blades seemed as though they could cleave the Void.

This was the ’Myriad Birds Facing Phoenix Formation’ of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, and at this moment, how could the number of high-level bird Monster cultivators that had joined be merely ten thousand?

With such a formation, even the Five Sons of Human Race would need to avoid its sharp edge for the time being.

"Hehe, our two races have long been in a life and death struggle, why bother with so much idle talk?"

Fang Xi chuckled, then said to Feng Yingyue trembling behind him, "It’s up to you now."

"This junior... this junior will do her best!"

Feng Yingyue’s face was extremely pale, but she mustered the strength to respond.

She had been diligently practicing the secret skill passed down from the Feng Family in recent years. Fortunately, this secret skill was quite compatible with the Feng Family’s bloodline and heritage, so she learned it fairly quickly.

"Begin!"

Fang Xi looked up at the heavens, just in time to see the Wind Blades gathering and forming a massive cyan phoenix, poised to strike.

Simultaneously, he secretly clutched the Five Fires Seven Birds Fan.

Of course, Fang Xi would not place all his hope on one person. If Feng Yingyue really couldn’t cope, he would have to take action himself.

After all, he had previously gathered intelligence and verified that the True Spirit Phoenix was tied up on the Demonic Beast battlefield.

Moreover, with his original self ready to assist at any time, leaving should not be difficult.

Along this journey, he had wreaked havoc upon many of the Monster Clan, amassing a vast amount of resources while naturally also leaving behind numerous Void Coordinates...

If he encountered a Mahayana-level interception from the True Spirit, he could always make a quick escape.

"Speed!"

Feng Yingyue formed seals with her hands, forcing a drop of blood from her fingertips.

The drop of blood fell onto the Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead, which immediately emanated a crimson glow.

On the cyan bead, an intricately dense chain of runes appeared, which seemed to be made up of countless blood-colored inscriptions.

A spark of understanding flashed in Fang Xi’s eyes as he intently watched everything unfold.

Crack!

When Feng Yingyue’s bloodline touched the Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead, a small phantom of a Nine-Origin Bird appeared.

It pecked gently, like a key inserted into the lock, and the crimson rune chain unlocked directly.

Hum!

The Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead rose into the air, with a mysterious fluctuation spreading out from it.

"The Power of Rules?!"

Fang Xi saw this scene and felt a stir within, immediately nodding to himself, ’Indeed... what other mighty force besides the Power of Rules could dissipate all Divine Wind Skills?’

The next moment, he witnessed an astonishing sight!

The howling winds abruptly stopped!

The bird, made entirely of cyan Wind Blades, cried out in grief and its body instantly crumbled to dust.

All kinds of Monster wind, strange wind, and even Divine Wind Skills... disappeared without a trace.

Where the ripples of the Wind-Controlling Bead passed, the storm calmed!

A plethora of birds screeched, seemingly having their wings suddenly taken from them, plummeting from mid-air...

Feathers fluttered like rain.

"Worthy of the Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead!"

Fang Xi exclaimed in admiration as he rapidly drove the bronze chariot away from the harrowing scene, "Let’s go ..."

...

Inside the carriage.

Feng Yingyue’s face was still pale as she silently handed the ’Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead’ back to Fang Xi.

"You did well..."

In his hand, Fang Xi was meticulously carving a humanoid Puppet, which was dressed in palace attire and bore a vague resemblance to Feng Yingyue.

Seeing the Puppet’s black gemstone eyes, Feng Yingyue felt a sudden emptiness in her heart.

Then hearing Fang Xi’s praise, she quickly bowed her thanks, "This is but this junior’s duty..."

Smack!

A jade bottle appeared before Feng Yingyue’s eyes, "This bottle of pills can replenish Primordial Energy and will benefit your current condition."

"Many thanks to the elder," Feng Yingyue accepted the medicine, listening as Fang Xi continued, "Having witnessed the prohibitions on the Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead today, I’ve gained some insights...With my current methods, it’s indeed challenging to remove the prohibitions on the Spirit Pearl without injury..."

Fang Xi smiled, then spoke, "However... circumventing this prohibition is not a problem, and now it rests on this ’Human Puppet’."

"Human Puppet?" Feng Yingyue felt even colder inside.

"This Human Puppet is fashioned after you, and I have imbued it with your bloodline... Moving forward, you must keep it by your side day and night, constantly imbuing it with your aura... In a few years, or perhaps a few decades, it can be perfected, indistinguishable from you, and it will serve as an excellent vessel for a substitution technique to evade tribulation!"

Fang Xi was quite proud of himself for completing this Puppet, which not only signified a further improvement in his Puppet skill, but also represented a great breakthrough by using the art of Puppets to resolve dilemmas in Array Taoism.

When he faced the Mahayana Immortal Tribulation, he naturally could not trust an unreliable outsider to be by his side.

At that time, this Human Puppet could replace Feng Yingyue to manipulate the Wind-Controlling Immortal Bead and attempt to counter Beifeng’s Calamity.

’Even if it truly doesn’t succeed, Beifeng is an External Calamity, which can be endured head-on without much issue...’

Fang Xi sent Feng Yingyue away and began practicing the ’Six Consciousness Heart Scroll’, a Secret Skill of Divine Consciousness originating from the Buddhism Sect. Based on the six senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—it refined the Divine Consciousness, expelling external demons and potentially effective against the Heart Demon Tribulation.

He had been diligently cultivating this technique during any leisure time in recent days and had begun to get the hang of it. He had to admit, there were indeed commendable aspects to Brahman Sect’s cultivation methods.