With Elder Tianding returning to active duty, Fang Qing imdiately slipped back into his previous leisurely life of letting the horses graze in the southern fields.
Of course, that sense of ease belonged only to him.
In truth, outside the Blue Sea Sect the entire world burned with chaos and bloodshed.
Battles between cultivators erupted without end. The cultivation realm descended into utter disorder, allowing bandit cultivators to flourish unchecked and leaving low-level rogue cultivators to suffer miserably.
Inside the Mystic Jade Cave.
Qin Ruxue sliced a piece of spirit fruit and brought it to Fang Qing's lips. "Young Master... how is that Xiang Dahu working out?"
"Acceptable enough."
Fang Qing swept his divine sense outward and saw Xiang Dahu diligently laboring in the spirit fields outside the cave residence.
Because this man had shown no ulterior motives even when Fang Qing appeared down on his luck, he had passed the test.
Not long ago Fang Qing formally bestowed upon Xiang Dahu a bottle of Long-Awaited Sweet Rain water to help repair the damage to his foundation.
Crunch!
The spirit fruit entered his mouth and lted into a pure stream of icy sweetness that lingered on his teeth and tongue, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste.
"This Ice Spirit Fruit truly deserves its reputation as a specialty of Taibai Island. In the past only the Zhong Family Ancestor and direct-line mbers could enjoy it. Now it has flown into the hos of ordinary cultivators."
He took another bite and could not help praising it aloud.
At that mont Qin Ruxue brought over several transmission talismans. "Young Master, there are sect transmission talismans here. One of them is from Cui Zhe."
"Cui Zhe? Isn't the Punishing Evil Hall Master busy overseeing external battles? He actually found ti to send a transmission talisman?"
Fang Qing was mildly surprised. "Read it."
Qin Ruxue scanned it with her divine sense and imdiately sighed. "Senior Brother Cui was ambushed by Sea-Destroying Alliance cultivators and suffered grave injuries. The reason he sent the transmission talisman is to apologize. The disciples dispatched from Pill Island this ti—Gong Susu, Hua Liansu, and others—all perished in that ambush. Also... Cha Hongye t the sa fate."
"Dead? This is what cultivator battles are like—lives as cheap as grass."
Fang Qing sighed once and let the matter drop.
Since he had already stepped back, outsiders could hardly suspect him of ordering Cui Zhe to poison anyone.
"But Cui Zhe is our sect's foremost sword cultivator. His combat power nearly rivals late Foundation Establishnt. Could he have encountered True Personage Heiyuan?"
He frowned in puzzlent. "No... if it were True Personage Heiyuan, Cui Zhe would never have made it back."
"The Sea-Destroying Alliance reveres True Personage Heiyuan as their leader and teaches demonic techniques to many of its cultivators. The one who ambushed and gravely wounded Cui Zhe was none other than Lu Qianfan, a remnant of Tianxin Linked Island! This man is a second-rank puppeteer at mid Foundation Establishnt. Recently he must have broken through to late Foundation Establishnt using so demonic secret thod. Leading several second-rank puppets and a group of demonic cultivators, he set the trap for Cui Zhe."
After all, Cui Zhe was only at mid Foundation Establishnt. Facing a late Foundation Establishnt cultivator backed by second-rank puppets in a siege, escaping with his life was already fortunate.
"This is what it ans to stand out like a tree in the forest. Cui Zhe rose as the most renowned young Foundation Establishnt cultivator in our sect, with superior spiritual root aptitude and status as a Core Formation seed. Naturally he receives special attention."
Fang Qing shook his head indifferently. "If one truly wishes for long life and immortality, the best path is to hold fast within the sect like you and I—avoid making enemies, avoid needless battles."
Qin Ruxue covered her lips and laughed softly. "Young Master thinks himself a master of caution, yet he is not. To my knowledge the Sea-Destroying Alliance has placed bounties on our sect's high-level cultivators, offering Foundation Establishnt Pills, Core Formation techniques, secret arts, spiritual artifacts, second-rank bottleneck-breaking pills, and more. This 'black list' has already spread across the entire Minor Huan Sea. Both you and I are on it."
As high-level production talents within the sect, they were bound to be targeted.
This ca as no surprise.
Fang Qing took the jade slip recording the black list and swept it with his divine sense. Imdiately he fell speechless. "This is too much! Among all the second-rank alchemists on Pill Island, my bounty is only slightly lower than Elder Tianding's. How am I supposed to go out in public after this?"
"Young Master need not worry. Late Foundation Establishnt great cultivators are rare in the Minor Huan Sea, even rarer among rogue cultivators and aristocratic families."
Qin Ruxue spoke with complete confidence.
She understood Fang Qing's strength better than anyone.
"Hehe..."
Fang Qing rely smiled without replying.
He dared not boast about the Qi Ingestion path, but in the Minor Huan Sea his Plum Blossom Divination remained more than sufficient.
Even strolling the streets, he could sense impending danger through sudden intuition and avoid fatal threats like True Personage Heiyuan.
"Now that you ntion it, this is the perfect chance to go out and gather so rare dicinal herbs."
In the past such rare herbs had been hoarded by Foundation Establishnt aristocratic families and rarely circulated.
But with war raging, so family islands had been directly overrun while others exhausted their hidden reserves, desperate to trade for talismans, artifacts, and other items that could temporarily boost combat power.
Overall, opportunities had multiplied—though so had the dangers.
"By the way, Young Master, regarding the main ingredient you instructed to find for the second-rank superior Barrier-Breaking Pill formula—one clue has surfaced."
Qin Ruxue continued.
"Oh? Which one?"
Fang Qing imdiately perked up.
The sooner he gathered materials for a pill that aided breakthrough to late Foundation Establishnt, the better.
"It is the Qionghua Branch. The Lingbei Zhou Family's dicine garden has one plant. They had originally agreed to trade it with , but these past few days they suddenly changed their mind. They now plan to consign it to the black market auction on Sanyuan Island, likely hoping for a higher price."
As the current master of Array Island, Qin Ruxue had countless cultivators currying favor with her. Her network had grown vastly different from before.
"Black market auction? I wonder who is bold enough to host it."
Fang Qing's eyes brightened. He quietly perford a divination in his heart and imdiately grew interested.
"It should be several Foundation Establishnt powers joining forces, perhaps with late Foundation Establishnt combat strength guaranteeing security."
Qin Ruxue added, "Young Master, shall I go and bid on your behalf?"
"If you go out, you would likely draw even more attention than Cui Zhe. True Personage Heiyuan might personally set an ambush. Better not. I will go myself."
Fang Qing took out the Mirage Pearl from his storage bag. Wisps of mirage qi erged and combined with his disguise technique, instantly transforming him into the sword cultivator Fang Jin who had once appeared in Ancient Shu!
Not only his appearance changed—even the mana within his body shifted completely. If Ruan Zhixuan stood before him now, she likely would not recognize him.
"I will not use the main gate. I will slip out through a gap in the array. Rember to leave the back door open for ."
At present Qin Ruxue fully controlled the sect's grand array. The Seven Mysteries Blue Wave Array was practically his private backyard—he could co and go as he pleased.
Thinking about it this way, if he truly beca the master of Pill Island, the threat he would pose to the Blue Sea Sect would be far too great. No wonder he had faced covert resistance.
Several days later.
Fang Qing wore a green robe, his sword-like brows sharp and straight, his heavenly court full and prominent. He piloted the Wolfbreaker flying sword in flight.
Having converted to [Lou tal] mana, he had beco a pure sword cultivator. Executing the man-sword unity technique, he transford into a streak of sword qi as hazy as mist and smoke, darting freely through the sky with unrestrained delight.
In terms of escape speed, this sword escape thod surpassed even the full-powered flight of a late Foundation Establishnt cultivator by a notch.
Its agility far exceeded that, and its concealnt was quite impressive as well.
Fang Qing's destination this ti was Sanyuan Island. The island sat at the forr border where the Blue Sea Sect, Tianxin Chain Island, and the Taibai Zhong Family had once t. It already hosted the Sancai Marketplace.
With war raging, business at Sancai Marketplace had grown even better than before.
Even this black market auction had been arranged nearby.
"Co to think of it... aside from that great battle last ti, I really have rarely left the sect."
Fang Qing gazed at the scenery of the various islands along the way and fell into thoughtful silence.
It had to be said that ever since that forr great spirit-plant master passed down the thods for cultivating sea algae and sea rice, ordinary mortals in the Minor Huan Sea had achieved basic food security. Life remained fairly decent for them.
Even during major cultivation wars, unless blood-path demonic cultivators were involved, no one deliberately targeted mortals.
Thus the mortals of the Minor Huan Sea lived reasonably well.
Of course, shipwrecks and sea demon beasts remained common hazards.
Overall, they grew sturdy and resilient, much like wild grass.
Naturally, the greatest event in the Minor Huan Sea right now was the war between the Blue Sea Sect and the Sea-Destroying Alliance.
Both sides used Verdant Jade Island and Tianxin Island as their respective strongholds, dispatching large numbers of cultivators to skirmish and kill one another while vying for resource point after resource point.
Fang Qing's divine sense now extended fifty zhang. Wherever his gaze fell, he spotted a group of cultivators locked in combat.
Several wore the standard blue robes of the Blue Sea Sect—clearly sect disciples—yet they were now fleeing for their lives.
The one pursuing them was a black-robed Foundation Establishnt cultivator whose cultivation appeared to be only around early Foundation Establishnt.
In the past such a cultivator would have ranked among the Sea-Destroying Alliance's core figures.
But now? rely average.
It was said that True Personage Heiyuan had brought a large supply of Foundation Establishnt Pills and recruited widely. He commanded quite a few Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
Of course, in total numbers the Blue Sea Sect still held the advantage, which was why they retained enough strength to occupy Taibai Island.
"Hmm? Among those Qi Refining disciples, there is actually an acquaintance—Wei Gutong from the Immortal Destiny Assembly back then?"
Fang Qing's divine sense spotted an elderly man, and his heart stirred.
When he had advanced to true disciple all those years ago, this man had presented him with generous gifts.
Never mind. After all, they were fellow sect mbers.
He quietly converted a trace of [Ji Water] mana. The sword light shifted course and arrived behind the Foundation Establishnt demonic cultivator. With a soft shout he said, "Fellow Daoist, please hold!"
"Hmm?"
The demonic Foundation Establishnt cultivator who had been in pursuit heard the voice. For so unknown reason, he actually halted his escape light.
"Why did I stop?"
He felt dazed. Turning his head, he saw a sky full of stars and a streak of sword light flashing like lightning and mist.
Whoosh!
The sword light flashed once, and the man's head tumbled from his shoulders.
In sword cultivator battles, life and death often hung on a single instant.
Moreover, Fang Qing had secretly used his innate talent of "eloquent tongue" to stun the opponent for a mont. The man had no ti to draw a defensive spiritual artifact and relied only on his mana-ford protective light shield. Naturally, it was easily pierced by Wolfbreaker.
The sword's first ti being unsheathed had already tasted Foundation Establishnt blood. Not bad at all.
Fang Qing thought to himself. With a flash of sword light, he flicked the storage bag from the headless corpse into his grasp.
This early Foundation Establishnt cultivator was quite poor. The storage bag held few valuables—only several black jade slips carrying an unsettling aura, clearly demonic path transmissions.
He could study them later.
Just as he prepared to leave, he noticed the Blue Sea Sect disciples had halted their escape light. One elderly man bowed respectfully. "This humble one is Wei Gutong. Many thanks to this senior for the rescue. May I know senior's honored na? Upon returning, this humble one will offer daily incense and worship in gratitude."
On the great flying boat, Wei Gutong bowed deeply, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
When had such a terrifying sword cultivator appeared in the Minor Huan Sea? With a single sword he had slain that Foundation Establishnt fiend! Soone capable of effortlessly killing an early Foundation Establishnt cultivator could only be a late Foundation Establishnt great cultivator or even a Core Formation ancestor!
"Even Hall Master Cui probably falls far short of this person...".
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