The land of ancient Shu.
“As expected… it’s a cesspit of heavenly secrets.”
Fang Qing, who had crossed over once again, frowned as he checked his magical artifacts one by one. The most important among them was still that second-tier “Heavenly Frost Ice Blade Talisman”!
With his current magical power, coupled with the assistance of his divine sense, its might would absolutely far surpass what the Hua clan cultivators had unleashed. He could even control its direction somewhat, so that it would not accidentally injure himself.
“I wonder what level of power this talisman, equivalent to a full-power strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would amount to on this side? A full-power strike from a Dao Foundation cultivator? Or just a casual blow? Or perhaps slightly weaker?”
He had come here, naturally, because he had received the signal from that old fox An Zhuzi of Luofeng Mountain, confirming that a trade could be made.
For the cultivation method of the “Great Sun Purple Qi,” he had no choice but to make this trip.
Unfortunately, the heavenly secrets on ancient Shu’s side were muddled. Even though Fang Qing possessed the Dao-Generating Pearl, he could only barely divine his own fortune and misfortune.
As for this operation, according to his Plum Blossom Divination, it was “auspiciousness hiding misfortune, misfortune hiding auspiciousness”!
Fang Qing interpreted it for a long while and felt that both the beginning and end were auspicious, so it should only be a false alarm. Thus, the trade still had to proceed.
He merely had to prepare his equipment more thoroughly.
“That old fox’s cultivation is only at Qi Ingestion… One second-tier talisman is enough to kill it.”
“It shouldn’t be hiding its cultivation to fish for prey. Otherwise, the divination would definitely have been ‘great misfortune’!”
“Forget it. I’ll adapt to the situation.”
“At worst, after finishing this job, I’ll stop using the identity of Fang Shui and make up another one.”
……
Late at night.
The moon had set, crows cried, and beneath a withered tree.
Fang Qing gazed at the lingering old vines and remained silent in thought.
In the night, several points of emerald-green foxfire appeared, then revealed a ghastly white skull, like a demon or ghost traveling by night.
Only upon closer inspection did one discover that it was an old fox with a skull perched on its head.
“An Zhuzi, you’ve finally come.”
Fang Qing lowered his voice.
“Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. There has been some more turmoil in Ba Commandery recently, so I arrived a little late.”
An Zhuzi brought its two little paws together in a bow, looking extremely simple and endearing. “This old one thought I would be able to see Fellow Daoist again at that exchange meeting…”
“Knowing full well that slovenly Daoist had a problem, why would I go near him? To seek death?”
Fang Qing grumbled inwardly, but instead asked, “Ba Commandery? What happened there now?”
“It seems Fellow Daoist has been in seclusion all this time. There is no need to speak of mortal affairs in Ba Commandery, but the cultivation world has recently fallen into chaos again.”
An Zhuzi sighed.
“Oh? Why is it in chaos?”
Seeing that this old fox was pulling the conversation this way and that, while neither his Plum Blossom Divination nor the Dao-Generating Pearl gave any warning, Fang Qing casually continued asking.
“Because… someone from the Cliff has come,” An Zhuzi said faintly.
“What Cliff?”
Fang Qing looked puzzled.
“This Ba Commandery, this land of ancient Shu… Heh heh, there are so many cultivators, but only Dao Foundation cultivators can be considered local powers. Purple Mansion cultivators dominate an area and may be called feudal lords… But ‘Moyun Cliff’ is the sky of ancient Shu! Don’t be fooled by how fiercely the Yulin Pu clan and the Black Chong Sect are fighting. As long as a single word comes down from the Cliff, the Purple Mansion cultivators of both families will have to obediently kneel and receive orders.”
The old fox spoke leisurely.
“A force above Purple Mansion?” Fang Qing was utterly astonished. Then, thinking of something, he probed, “Could it be… similar to the Luofeng Mountain where Fellow Daoist resides?”
“Heh heh, indeed, it is rather similar… It is just that their family’s lineage was passed down by that one above [Di Earth].”
When An Zhuzi said this, Fang Qing suddenly sensed all sorts of wondrous phenomena in the void, as if they were linked to an omnipresent yet illusory and ethereal fruition. Shadows of pestilence and insects emerged one after another.
“Merely mentioning it produces such a manifestation…”
His heart chilled, and he deliberately said, “So Moyun Cliff is actually a lineage left behind by a mighty being like [Year Warden]?”
“No, no, no! Ascending to the Golden Seat makes one a Golden Core True Lord, but not all Golden Core True Lords are [Year Wardens]…”
An Zhuzi hurriedly shook its head. “[Year Warden] governs the imagery of the months. In theory, they are stronger than other Golden Core True Lords, but in reality… Those twelve positions have changed hands who knows how many times by now, and who knows how many still hold their seats…”
“Are such matters something we lower cultivators can discuss?”
Fang Qing’s scalp went numb, fearing that a thunderbolt would strike down in the next moment.
“However, above Purple Mansion is Golden Core? This is clearly completely different from some Core Formation Ancestor… It may even be much stronger than a Nascent Soul of the Qi Refining Dao…”
“All right, let us return to the original topic. Someone has come from the Cliff, so the Pu clan and the Black Chong Sect will most likely not be able to keep fighting. It is just that before things are settled, there will instead be another bout of even greater chaos.”
The old fox seemed to think of something as well and covered its mouth.
“Li Rulong… is about to be harvested?”
For some reason, Fang Qing had already seen one familiar person after another fall on the path of seeking immortality.
Cha Zhu, Huo Tianhuo, Li Yusu, Hua Lian…
But now, thinking that Li Rulong was about to walk onto a dead end, he still felt extremely emotional.
“Enough… Let’s talk business. Where is the Great Sun cultivation method?”
Ever since learning that the slovenly Daoist was suspected to be a Purple Mansion cultivator, Fang Qing had somewhat regretted asking about the cultivation method at the previous exchange meeting.
But time could not be turned back. Later, the slovenly Daoist had already shifted his attention away, so that was that.
“The cultivation methods… After receiving the task last time, this old fox rushed back to Luofeng Mountain overnight and searched through the Langhuan Book Pavilion. I found a full three for Fellow Daoist! Three cultivation methods of the Great Sun lineage!”
At the mention of this, the old fox immediately became excited, the whiskers by its mouth twitching upward.
It spread its claws, and three booklets opened in sequence, like a fan.
This scene, which gave him an intense sense of déjà vu, made the corners of Fang Qing’s mouth twitch despite himself.
And when he saw the names of those three cultivation methods, he nearly failed to keep his expression under control.
“‘Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art’? You’re using a Secret Treasury Domain cultivation method to fool me? Is this something a human can cultivate?”
Fang Qing was filled with righteous indignation and nearly grabbed the old fox by the scruff of its neck to interrogate it.
“Ah, ah… Let us speak calmly. This ‘Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art’ is indeed a Secret Treasury Domain cultivation method, that is true…” The old fox spoke glibly.
“So… if I want to cultivate this art, do I first have to find a guru to empower me?” Fang Qing sneered.
“No, no, no! The Secret Treasury Domain is the lineage of the Great Snow Mountain. In truth, it is divided into two kinds. One kind of disciple does not need to ingest qi. They rely on a guru to cultivate, placing their life and fate entirely in another’s hands. This is known as a ‘special transmission outside the teachings.’ How far they can go in the future depends entirely on how far the guru himself can walk, and whether he is willing to promote them…”
“As for the other branch, they are true transmissions selected from the best of the best. Over at the Great Snow Mountain, they are called ‘personal disciples of the Esoteric Vehicle.’ Like us, they must also ingest qi to enter the Dao… This ‘Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art’ can either be initiated through empowerment by a guru who cultivates the same art, or by consuming ‘Great Sun Purple Qi’ to enter the path…”
“So the Secret Treasury Domain lineage has such a distinction?” Fang Qing was half-believing and half-doubting.
“This ‘Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art’ is incomplete, only reaching Dao Foundation. It was something a demon cultivator of my race casually seized after killing a red-robed monk from the Secret Treasury Domain… The qi-harvesting formula for ‘Great Sun Purple Qi’ has long been useless. This old fox merely brought it for Fellow Daoist to use as a reference, just a reference…”
The old fox then pointed to the second book. “This one is different. Even in the present era, it can be cultivated!”
Fang Qing looked suspicious. “‘Ode to the Great Bliss of Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Union’? This cultivation method… why does it sound improper just from the name?”
“Heh heh, this cultivation method is exceedingly famous in the demonic path. It is the entry-level art of the Joyous Union Sect… As everyone knows, the Great Sun can transform into the Three Yangs: the Supreme Yang, the Origin Yang, and the Lesser Yang… Great Sun Purple Qi has long since been cut off, so this great demonic sect found another path and cultivates by taking men’s ‘Origin Yang Qi.’ If Fellow Daoist cultivates this method, it will be enough to condense true qi of seventh-grade quality or above. In the future, Purple Mansion will be within reach… After even entering the path, you can go directly to the Joyous Union Sect’s mountain gate to take a master!” An Zhuzi inadvertently revealed some more secrets.
“What hidden dangers does this cultivation method have?” Fang Qing looked suspicious. He also thought of the slovenly Daoist’s earlier guidance and suspected that the vast majority of the cultivation methods this old fox sold had problems!
“Heh heh… It is nothing major. This ‘Ode to the Great Bliss of Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Union’ involves the secrets of yin-yang transmutation. What it cultivates is [Fang Sun], and its Dao Foundation is ‘Walking Beside the Earth’… After entering the path, cultivators are prone to yin-yang transmutation.”
The old fox looked embarrassed.
“Yin-yang transmutation? In other words… men become women, and women become men? What kind of evil art is this?”
Fang Qing’s mouth fell open.
Originally, he had thought the Secret Treasury Domain cultivation method was already sinister and demonic, bizarre beyond compare.
He had not expected that the Joyous Union Sect’s cultivation method would broaden his horizons once again today.
“What about the last one?”
Fang Qing looked at the final booklet in the old fox’s hand. It was dark red, and its title was “True Explanation of the Great Sun”!
“This was something this old fox only discovered in a corner during the final cleanup. It is a genuine ancient cultivation method… If one says the ‘Ode to the Great Bliss of Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Union’ can be used to harvest qi and enter the path as long as one steels one’s heart, and the ‘Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art’ can still be cultivated by going to the Great Snow Mountain to find a guru of the Great Sun lineage to empower you, then this ancient cultivation method is not only obscure and difficult to understand, but also has extremely stringent requirements for harvesting qi. Basically no one can enter the path with it… Unless Fellow Daoist is a born cultivation prodigy, and happens to find ancient ‘Great Sun Purple Qi’ left behind in some ruin…”
The old fox grinned, clearly somewhat expectant. “Fellow Daoist… which one will you choose?”
“I naturally…”
Fang Qing no longer hesitated. He stretched out his hand and took all three secret manuals. “Want them all!”
“All… of them? Then the spiritual resources promised last time… you will have to pay twice more!” An Zhuzi was clearly startled.
“What is difficult about that?”
Fang Qing directly took out a string of gourds and tossed them to the old fox. “I still have several gourds of spiritual water here that can increase magical power in the late stage of Qi Ingestion. I’ll give them to you as well. Is that enough?”
“Enough. Naturally, it is enough.”
The old fox was overjoyed and hurriedly accepted the gourds, sniffing one and tasting another, like a little fox drunk on wine.
“Spiritual resources in this world… are truly scarce enough.”
Fang Qing said nothing more and left directly with the secret manuals.
Caw, caw!
Atop the old tree, at some unknown point, a pitch-black crow had appeared, its beak gleaming with a color like refined steel. “An Zhuzi, why didn’t you make a move? Didn’t we agree that you would give the signal and we would slaughter the fat sheep together?”
“Heh heh… Do you think this old one did not want to rob that man? Though the chance is so small it is almost impossible, perhaps he really does have a portion of [Great Sun Purple Qi].”
An Zhuzi shook its head. Its fox face looked in the direction Fang Qing had left, its expression incomparably grave. “It is just that when I drew close just now, I sensed that man was extremely dangerous. The last one who gave me such a feeling was at the exchange meeting… This person has either disguised his cultivation, or carries Dao Foundation, even Purple Mansion methods on him. We cannot afford not to guard against him!”