Outside Black Stone City.
Near the trade route.
Suddenly, thunder boomed through the void!
Bang!
A black giant wolf, standing as tall as two men and bearing two heads, crashed to the ground.
Linghu Yang drifted lightly to the ground, and his two enormous palms instantly returned to their fair, jade-like appearance.
"Uncle-Master Linghu's Five Thunder Hand has grown ever more profound."
Chunyu offered her congratulations in a gentle voice. "To think you slew this Yao Wolf with a single strike!"
"With time, Uncle-Master Linghu will certainly become an elder of Yuan He Mountain. He might even have a good chance at the Sect Master's position..."
Qiao Wuchang beamed.
"It's merely the lowest-grade minor demon among the Exotic Demons... Nothing worth mentioning."
Linghu Yang waved his hand, his expression indifferent, as though this was nothing worth taking pride in. "Clean this place up. I'll head back first... Yao creatures have been appearing outside the city with increasing frequency lately. There may be something going on. I need to write a letter and ask the sect about it."
Chunyu exchanged a glance with Qiao Wuchang, and a chill crept up their backs.
These Exotic Demons, which had originally inhabited the deep mountains and ancient forests, had suddenly fled their territories. Perhaps... a stronger Exotic Demon had appeared in their territory—or even... a fiend!
But when they saw the Martial Hall Masters assisting nearby, the two exchanged another glance and said nothing.
After Linghu Yang left, Qiao Wuchang gazed at the foul-smelling corpse of the Yao Wolf and disgustedly waved a hand beneath his nose. "You... prepare this Yao Wolf properly and send it to Yuan He Mountain. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Your orders!"
Several Martial Hall Masters exchanged glances. Although they felt somewhat humiliated, they still agreed.
This cleanup of the Exotic Demons had been organized by the government, which had issued the order, while Linghu Yang of Yuan He Mountain served as the main force.
These Martial Hall Masters usually strutted around the city with great authority. Now that their Martial Arts and power were inferior to others, all they could do was handle odd jobs and be ordered around.
Fortunately, preparing a Yao Beast was merely dirty and tiring, not dangerous. They could even take some scraps as a benefit.
"Brother Feng, let's get to work."
As the people from Yuan He Mountain gradually disappeared into the distance, a Martial Hall Master in black robes spoke.
"Mm. This beast is quite heavy. I'd say we can get at least several thousand jin of good meat from it."
Brother Feng smiled, secretly calculating how many jin of Yao Beast Meat he could skim off and how much silver he could sell it for.
The hide, fur, blood, and flesh of this Yao Beast were incredibly tough. Even ordinary Martial Artists at the Three Changes of Qi and Blood might not be able to pierce them. Only a Martial Hall Master could make any use of them.
One after another, they stepped forward to skin and dismember it, working with great enthusiasm.
"Sigh... Yuan He Mountain is Yuan He Mountain. Just look at this Five Thunder Palm—the force is as fierce as heavenly punishment..."
Brother Feng peeled a piece of wolf meat from the wound. He was in the middle of saying something when he suddenly cried out, "Oh no!"
"Hm?"
The other Martial Hall Masters were startled and hurriedly retreated several steps, assuming fighting stances.
"There... There's something... moving!"
Brother Feng's back was turned to them, and his words came out in broken fragments.
On the wolf corpse lying on the ground, a bizarre scene was unfolding.
One black, vine-like thing after another wormed in and out of the Yao Wolf's corpse. It seemed to have replaced its blood vessels and bones, propping up the flesh anew.
Crack, creak...
The teeth-grating sounds rang out without pause. The vines were gnawing at the wolf's bones, gradually replacing them bit by bit...
"Awoo!"
In the blink of an eye, the Yao Wolf, which had already been dead, shakily rose to its feet. Blood still dripped from its wounds, yet it let out a roar, its dead-white wolf eyes staring blankly at everyone present!
"Hehehe..."
One Martial Hall Master's face turned pale. "Brother Feng, what... what do we do?"
"How... would... I know?"
Brother Feng turned around. Fine roots had sprouted from his mouth, nostrils, and ears...
He looked just like some kind of plant, its roots spreading everywhere!
There was no doubt that he had fallen victim as well.
"Not good, Brother Feng too..."
"Wretched beast, behold my Rushing Thunder Hand!"
Various angry shouts rang out one after another, then turned into successive screams.
In the end, every sound vanished, leaving only the faint noises of gnawing.
Then one incomplete human body after another swayed unsteadily to its feet. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the wolf corpse, they gazed toward Black Stone City, their gray-white faces pulling into stiff smiles...
Fang Xi had no idea what had happened outside Black Stone City.
He had already returned to the Southern Barrens Cultivation World.
Whether cultivating Martial Arts or the Evergreen Art, the environment in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World was better.
When he arrived at his own courtyard, Fang Xi saw Chen Ping, who had just returned from outside.
Hmm. The other man's steps were unsteady, and for some reason, his figure made Fang Xi think of Old Mai Tou.
"Fellow Daoist Chen."
He greeted him first.
"Fellow Daoist Fang."
Chen Ping returned the greeting. A look of satisfaction appeared on his face, along with a trace of gratitude. "That Red Bee Fairy really is considerate... I must thank you for telling me about her last time."
"Not at all, not at all."
Fang Xi exchanged a few polite remarks with him, then they discussed their experiences with each other. He immediately felt that their relationship had grown much closer.
"I've wanted to become better acquainted with you for a long time. Unfortunately, I've always been a loner and couldn't bring myself to swallow my pride..."
Fang Xi finally voiced his own troubles as well.
Hearing this, Chen Ping immediately laughed loudly. "I know several fellow Daoists in the marketplace. When the time comes, I'll introduce them to you, and we can all..."
Watching the man's back as he entered his room, Fang Xi nodded, then shook his head.
Actually, if Chen Ping could transfer his infatuation with Fellow Daoist Lu Zhi to the Red Bee Fairy, that would instead be a good thing... Probably?
After all, it would be a case of one willing to fight and the other willing to endure, wouldn't it? It would just cost a few more Spirit Stones.
Spring passed, and summer arrived.
When summer thunder exploded across the sky, Fang Xi, dressed in a straw raincoat, arrived at the lush Green Bamboo Forest.
"Spring Wind Rain, let all things sprout and flourish—go!"
In the bamboo forest, Fang Xi looked solemn as he formed a hand seal.
As his Spiritual Energy rapidly dissipated, a seal emerged in his palm, gradually becoming clear before flying into the air.
Clouds of mist appeared out of nowhere, enveloping this one-and-a-third mu of land before threads of rain began to fall.
Fine and wispy, like a dream and like mist.
The Spring Wind Rain Technique!
This technique could not only summon rain. The rain also contained faint Spiritual Energy, effectively promoting the growth of Spirit Bamboo.
Rustle!
The rain imbued with Spiritual Energy fell upon the earth, rapidly seeping into the soil and penetrating the roots of the Spirit Bamboo.
Beneath the ground, tenacious vitality broke through the soil. The tip of a bamboo shoot had just emerged.
"Spring comes and summer arrives; all things sprout and flourish. Truly wondrous beyond words..."
Fang Xi spread his arms and even raised his head, allowing the rain rich with Spiritual Energy to strike his straw raincoat and splash across his face. Satisfaction filled his expression.
It was now time to plant the summer Spirit Bamboo Rice.
As a Spirit Farmer, he had to come every so often and cast the Spring Wind Rain Technique to provide nourishment for the Spirit Bamboo shoots.
This was closely tied to next year's harvest. No Spirit Farmer dared to neglect it.
Including Chen Ping!
Although he was extremely reluctant, according to what he had said, he had recently reduced the number of times he met the Red Bee Fairy by quite a lot.
There was nothing he could do. His talisman-drawing skills were not yet sufficient to support his cultivation, so for now, he still had to rely on farming the Spirit Field to make a living.
"The Qi Refining Third Layer is still far too weak."
After casting the spell once, Fang Xi sensed that more than half of the Spiritual Energy in his body had been consumed, and his expression turned extremely ugly.
The high consumption of the Spring Wind Rain Technique was one factor.
Another was that his cultivation was too low, and the level of his cultivation method was too low as well.
This resulted in him being unable to cast the spell more than a few times.
"What a pity... Changing cultivation methods is simply too fanciful. I can't even scrape together a single Spirit Stone right now..."
After returning to the shack, Fang Xi could not help giving a bitter laugh.
He went to the cellar. In one corner, several wine jars had already been stacked up.
This was the main sink for his recent Spirit Stone expenditure.
After visiting the Pill Cauldron Pavilion earlier, Fang Xi had come up with the idea of brewing Spirit Wine on his own.
The Spirit Bamboo Rice was readily available, and by chance, he had purchased a small bottle of Spirit Wine Yeast from a vendor at a marketplace stall.
Although he had no recipe, he began experimenting with brewing anyway.
Of course, Fang Xi was no reckless fool. He controlled the variables in every jar and made several groups for comparison.
He also used very little Spirit Rice in each jar. Even if they failed, the loss would not be too great.
That way, by next year, he might be able to work out a relatively suitable Spirit Wine recipe.
'A single lump of yeast cost me one Spirit Stone.'
Fang Xi gazed at the wine jars and solemnly buried them again.
This was an important harvest for the coming year. If he accidentally knocked over even one jar, his heart would ache to death.
He picked up the last jar of wine. After examining it carefully, he flourished his brush across the sealing paper and left a line of small characters:
"Spirit Bamboo Rice Wine. Two jin of Spirit Rice, one liang of yeast, early-spring snowmelt... Summer thunder hidden deep, awaiting the spring dawn of next year..."
After burying the last jar underground, Fang Xi let out a long breath.
Once he finished these miscellaneous chores, he began devouring Taisui Meat before cultivating the White Cloud Palm and Red Snake Leg.
During this period, relying on the Taisui Meat, Spirit Bamboo Rice, and the Spiritual Energy environment of the Cultivation World, his accumulation of Qi and blood had advanced by leaps and bounds. He had long since left Mu Piaomiao far behind.
Now, merely hearing the summer thunder faintly stirred signs that he was about to break through!
'There are too many experts in the Cultivation World. If a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator happens to pass by and their divine sense catches me breaking through, it won't be easy to explain...'
'I wonder how great the commotion will be when I break through the Martial Hall Master realm. But safety comes first.'
With a thought from Fang Xi, the world around him abruptly changed.
When he looked again, he had already arrived in the Great Liang World, at Fang Manor!
Before you continue