Life Spring

Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.

One day, as the sun was setting.

Inside the thatched hut, spiritual light shimmered around Fang Yang. The glow was brightest three inches below his navel, where his Bitter Sea blazed like a rising red sun.

Compared to when it had first been opened, his Bitter Sea had changed beyond recognition. It had expanded to the size of a walnut, and streams of divine power now swirled within, no longer a place of utter stillness.

His Bitter Sea was like a living volcano, filled with an aura suppressed to its very limits, ready to erupt at any moment.

Fang Yang immersed his mind in it, holding Pure Source in his hand to draw in its essence as he circulated the Lesser Brightness Scripture, seeking to enter the next realm.

He had recently been drinking Divine Spring water steeped with Bodhi Leaves, and had long since gained a thorough understanding of the Lesser Brightness Scripture.

In cultivating the Sea of Bitterness Realm, the first secret realm of the human body, only two problems limited the speed of his progress.

First, a Mortal Body was inferior to a special constitution. Even with Pure Source in hand, the efficiency with which he refined the essence of heaven and earth was far from impressive.

Second, cultivating the Other Shore Realm required one to see through the Calamity of Lostness. Fang Yang had little confidence that he could complete the nine transformations of the Other Shore without a hitch.

Setting those two problems aside, his cultivation speed was astonishing. Within the tiny world of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven, he had made progress at a pace never seen before.

A faint sound reached his ears.

The oppressive aura within his Bitter Sea faded, replaced by a mighty Divine Spring surging from the newly opened Eye of the Life Spring.

Upon reaching this realm, cultivators gained a few supernatural abilities, such as stepping through the air and flying.

On a whim, Fang Yang employed a profound art from the Lesser Brightness Scripture. Divine power surged from the Life Spring in his Bitter Sea, rising into a dazzling Divine Rainbow that lifted him out of the thatched hut and carried him soaring through the sky.

"So this is the Life Spring Realm!"

Fang Yang rose five meters above the ground, feeling the divine power within him and the restless flow of his blood and qi.

During this period, he had refined most of the resources he had acquired, including the Nine-Orifice Golden Pill and the Essence Pill. His body had undergone a complete transformation, becoming far stronger than that of other cultivators at the same realm.

Even though Fang Yang had only just opened his Life Spring, he could match cultivators who had lingered in this realm for a long time—and might even defeat them.

What's more...

Fang Yang took out the Replica of the Supreme Emperor Sword. Its blade no longer shone with dazzling light and looked like an ordinary longsword.

After all his effort these past few days, he had finally refined a sliver of this powerful weapon and could draw out a little of its might.

"With the sword in hand, I can slay my enemies."

Fang Yang's thoughts stirred.

Elder Han had surely learned of his existence by now.

When he had intervened in Han Feiyu's probing last time, he had undoubtedly earned the other man's hostility.

If so, Elder Han was his enemy.

Then it was time to test whether provoking an enemy and killing him afterward would earn him Fate Points.

Fang Yang took out the Snake Talisman and clasped it in his palm. His figure vanished from the spot.

Unlike the disciples of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven, who started out with nothing but a thatched hut, the elders could freely choose a cave dwelling in an area rich with the essence of heaven and earth. Various Dao patterns were carved into these dwellings, providing defenses and soundproofing.

That day, Elder Han was in a towering rage:

"Useless!"

"You're all useless!"

"The Sacred Fruit! It's my last hope. Even if I have to die, I'll get my hands on it!"

His decrepit body had left Elder Han with nothing but a desperate fear of death.

As an elder of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven with exceptional alchemical skills, he had a wide network of connections. Those he met and associated with were all elders.

Although the master of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven had learned that he sent Han Feiyu to test the two, Elder Han had faced no real punishment. He had only been strictly forbidden from laying a hand on the two Immortal Seeds.

"Ye Fan... Fang Yang!"

Elder Han ground his teeth.

If he could, he would shove all three lucky souls who had consumed the Sacred Fruit into the Pill Furnace and refine them into a Divine Pill that seized Fortune from heaven and earth.

As a cultivator in the Divine Bridge Realm, he had lived for over a hundred years, and his blood and qi had long since withered away.

Although he had thoroughly understood the cultivation method he practiced and was confident he could break through to the Other Shore Realm, his decrepit body kept him from making that breakthrough.

The Soul-Returning Pill was Elder Han's last hope.

Ye Fan was his first target.

If Ye Fan alone wasn't enough, then even if his whole Han clan had to suffer for it, Elder Han would find a way to shove both Immortal Seeds into the Pill Furnace.

Between life and death lay great terror!

"Come in."

Suddenly, the restrictions on his cave dwelling were disturbed. Elder Han opened the door, having already sensed that Han Feiyu had arrived.

Han Feiyu entered with his head lowered. Gone was his usual arrogance; instead, he was deferential, every inch the polite junior.

"Granduncle, Ye Fan hasn't emerged from seclusion, but I've found out that he'll be heading to the Primal Ruins for training soon."

"Good! Well done!"

Elder Han's voice was like that of an old ghoul crawling out of Hell, hoarse and eager.

"This Green Wood Pill will help improve your cultivation. Make the most of your time and cultivate. Fang Yang is exceptionally gifted. You should take him as your goal, but remember not to provoke him again."

"If possible, do your best to smooth things over and make friends with him."

"His path is destined to lead to the Yao Guang Sacred Land, where he'll shine like the sun. He's on a different level from cultivators like us, trapped in a corner of the Yan Kingdom."

At Elder Han's instructions, Han Feiyu nodded in assent, still perfectly respectful, and reached out to take his granduncle's Green Wood Pill.

What he was really thinking, though, was something no one could know.

Say what people want to hear, and tell ghosts what they want to hear.

That was a skill any mature clan scion ought to possess.

Whoosh!

A sword's keen ring rang out without warning, startling both Elder Han and Han Feiyu.

"Who swung their sword?"

Han Feiyu turned his head to the left. Several dragon-shaped sword auras were already flying away, vanishing deep into the cave wall.

Huh?

Why was it going the wrong way?

The next moment, Han Feiyu's awareness faded. His head fell to the ground, and hot blood sprayed across the stone floor.

Elder Han met a very different fate from his grandnephew.

Not only was his head severed, but all four of his limbs were cut off by the sword aura. Another strand of sword aura swept through his chest, turning his organs into a bloody pulp.

[After killing enemy Elder Han, Fate Points +300]

[After killing enemy Han Feiyu, Fate Points +10]

Hidden in a corner, Fang Yang was dumbfounded.

Earning Fate Points was a good thing, and 310 points was no small amount—enough for three single draws.

But after these two cultivators had been killed, the Fate Points they gave him were somehow fewer than what Liu Yunzhi's group of mortals had contributed.

Without giving it much thought, he began looting the treasures from their bodies.

Killing and taking their loot went hand in hand.

Though Fang Yang had a piece of Pure Source, he understood the value of living frugally and would not waste a single scrap of resources.