Return (Please Recommend)

Inside the temporary cave dwelling.

"Ugh..."

Fang Qing clutched his forehead and jolted awake, gasping harshly for breath.

He touched his nose and found two streams of blood running down. He could not help but smile bitterly. "This is... excessive Spiritual Sense consumption? Good thing I have First-Order high-grade Body Refinement, or I'd probably fall seriously ill and suffer grievous damage to my vitality."

With the Dao-Born Pearl empowering him, and in an environment like Jade Island where the Heavenly Secrets were so clear, the thrill of divination was simply beyond compare.

After Fang Qing calculated the Second-Order Horned Serpent and saw the threads of Causality entwined around it, he could not resist calculating Flying Fish Island as well.

After calculating Hua Lian, he saw Zha Zhu involved and could not help making another deduction...

The result was that he sank deeper and deeper, nearly exhausting his mind without realizing it!

"Sigh... Does this count as a kind of Heavenly Secrets backlash? A troublesome sort of happiness. If only things could be like this over in Ancient Shu."

The Heavenly Secrets in Ancient Shu were still a cesspit. Even with the Dao-Born Pearl's support, Fang Qing could only barely calculate his own fortune and misfortune.

As for Li Rulong's matter, it was even more muddled than mud. The only thing he had calculated was that if he got involved... great calamity awaited!

"What kind of rotten place is this... I can even glimpse a hint or two when calculating Core Formation ancestors, yet I fare this badly when I encounter a Purple Mansion cultivator..."

"Forget it. Better to go there less in the future."

Fang Qing swallowed a healing pill, and a little color returned to his face. He pondered inwardly, "According to the previous deduction, that Second-Order peak Horned Serpent will advance soon. Perhaps there will even be a spectacle to watch."

"No, since I've confirmed that the Azure Sea Sect isn't in much danger, I should return to the sect first and establish the image of a fiercely loyal man... Otherwise, if I only return after the disaster has passed, I might be placed on a separate register."

Azure Sea Sect.

The azure-green Seven Profound Azure-Wave Formation resembled a gigantic bowl, securely sheltering the sect within.

As another flying boat descended, many injured cultivators emerged.

Most were pale-faced from excessive blood loss. Some had lost arms or legs, their faces ashen as death, clearly aware that their Dao Paths had been severed.

And with their arrival, an unsettling piece of news spread:

"Our side suffered a crushing defeat in the Kui Ri Sea Region. Even three Five-Tusk Warships were sunk!"

"Among the Rogue Cultivator battle formations hired by the Zhong Family, there were not only many Rogue Cultivators skilled in combat, but even puppet beasts appeared... They are clearly people from the Heavenly Heart Chain Islands, wearing a layer of Rogue Cultivator skin to attack us!"

"Little Wave Reef has fallen... The Zhong Family army can land on Jade Island at any time!"

"And on Jade Island itself, the Zhong Family's elite cultivators are wreaking havoc everywhere... It is said that an inner sect elder has already fallen into a trap and perished, body and Dao alike extinguished..."

The Qi Refinement cultivators were deeply unsettled, and many of the wounded who had returned felt even more anxious. "If I'd known... I should have found a chance to run on the way back..."

"Hm?"

When Fang Qing arrived riding the Profound Ice Wheel, this was the scene he saw.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Above the harbor, a squad of law-enforcement cultivators watched Fang Qing approach alone, their faces wary.

"A disciple of this sect—Fang Qing! I previously accepted the mission to garrison the Red-Scale Fishery!"

Fang Qing formed a hand seal with one hand, and a streak of spiritual light wrapped around his disciple token as it flew into the law-enforcement squad leader's hand.

The captain accepted it and cast a spell onto it to verify its authenticity. "He truly is a disciple of this sect... But I recall that the Red-Scale Fishery fell long ago..."

"Precisely! I was pursued by a Late Qi Refinement cultivator and suffered grave injuries. By a fortunate chance, I used the terrain to take his head, but my injuries were too severe for me to move... That is why I was delayed until today before returning."

Fang Qing's expression did not change as he took out Zhong Wufu's Zhong Family identity token.

No matter how long he had been "recovering," if he could return after killing a Late Qi Refinement cultivator, there was no way he would be punished for it, right?

The law-enforcement captain hesitated. "Wait here first. I will report this to Elder Heavenly Punishment..."

Fang Qing naturally had no objection. Under the strange gazes of the other disciples, he made his way to the Hall of Punishing Evil.

After waiting at the entrance for a long while, he suddenly sensed a strand of Spiritual Sense sweep over him. His heart stirred slightly, but his face remained perfectly calm.

"Pill Island inner sect disciple Fang Qing... The elder summons you!"

Not long afterward, a disciple of the Hall of Punishing Evil walked out and glanced at Fang Qing.

Fang Qing nodded and strode inside.

Before long, he met Elder Heavenly Punishment, who wore blue robes and had a fierce-looking face.

Elder Heavenly Punishment held a case file in his hand. "Fang Qing... inner sect disciple, accepted the mission to garrison the Red-Scale Fishery... Tell me the course of events again."

"Yes!"

Before coming to the sect, Fang Qing had already calculated matters out. He recounted in detail how he had garrisoned the place, encountered Zhong Family cultivators, and fortunately killed Zhong Wufu.

Apart from the earlier portions, which had too many witnesses for him to alter and which he recounted truthfully, he made slight changes only to the part where he killed Zhong Wufu.

"Hm. No wonder you were able to kill Zhong Wufu. So you had already advanced to Late Qi Refinement, and you also possess some Body Refinement cultivation."

Elder Heavenly Punishment nodded slightly, believing that his earlier Spiritual Sense scan had seen through everything, including the cultivation Fang Qing had "concealed."

In truth, if Fang Qing had not chosen not to hide it with the Dao-Born Pearl, Elder Heavenly Punishment could have gone blind staring and still never discovered it.

Late Qi Refinement!

This was the flaw Fang Qing had deliberately revealed beforehand!

After all, a Mid Qi Refinement cultivator killing one in the late stage was somewhat too shocking.

But if he normally concealed his cultivation, suddenly erupted, and after a bitter battle killed a fellow late-stage cultivator at the cost of severe injuries, then it was far more reasonable.

"If I hadn't used the Dao-Born Pearl to convert most of the cultivation from the Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art, wouldn't you be even more astonished if you saw my current First-Order high-grade Body Refinement?"

"Still, my current middle-grade Body Refinement cultivation is already quite decent."

There was another reason Fang Qing revealed his late-stage cultivation: the sect was in urgent need of people!

Late Qi Refinement disciples were not cabbages. Even within the sect, they counted as elites.

So long as they still wished to use him, they would not punish him too severely.

"And I calculated in advance that the Horned Serpent's Core Formation tribulation will be tomorrow... Whatever dangerous mission comes, I'll accept it. Once tomorrow passes, none of it will count anyway."

As he was grumbling inwardly, he heard Elder Heavenly Punishment say, "You slew a powerful enemy. You have merit and no fault. But why did you choose to return to the sect at such a time? You should know the sect's situation outside. It is not very good."

Fang Qing immediately put on an indignant expression. "I was born the son of a fishing family, and it was the sect that raised me... Now that the sect is in danger, how could I abandon it? Elder... I returned to contribute my meager strength to the sect. Whatever mission there is, please command me!"

This impassioned, self-sacrificing posture instead left Elder Heavenly Punishment at a loss. "Fine... It is rare for you to return to the sect. Rest for one night first. If there are any missions, go claim them yourself at the Palace of Miscellaneous Affairs on Myriad Treasures Island..."

"This disciple takes his leave!"

After Fang Qing departed, Elder Heavenly Punishment watched his receding back with uncertainty in his eyes. "Is that truly the heart of an innocent child, or is he as cunning as a fox?"

"Hehe... Heavenly Punishment, what are you looking at?"

Blue light flashed, and a gaunt-faced Foundation Establishment cultivator in blue robes appeared. He was none other than Sect Leader Linghu of the Azure Sea Sect.

Elder Heavenly Punishment immediately told him of Fang Qing's affair.

Sect Leader Linghu merely smiled after hearing it. "That boy's luck is not bad. The matter will be decided tomorrow."

"What?"

This news was clearly highly confidential. Even Heavenly Punishment had only just learned of it, and he could not help being startled. "Tomorrow...?"

"That is precisely the desired effect. Within the sect, only the ancestor and I know the exact date of the tribulation. Now there are you and Myriad Treasures as well... Remember to adjust the formation and guard several important locations."

Only after giving these most important instructions did Sect Leader Linghu have the mind for casual conversation. "A Middle-Grade Water Spirit Root, yet he advanced to Late Qi Refinement only a few years after entering the sect. That is somewhat fast... But which of this sect's True Disciples does not have some small opportunity? So long as the sect remains strong, they can only add bricks and tiles to it. Opportunities, fortune, cultivation arts... like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, they gather into our sect. The sea does not reject its waters; only then can it achieve its depth..."

"Indeed!"

At this mention, even Elder Heavenly Punishment's face gained a few traces of ruddy light. "Once the spirit beast successfully crosses its tribulation tomorrow, our Azure Sea Sect can wipe out the Zhong Family and the Heavenly Heart Chain Islands, unifying the Lesser Vast Sea Cultivation Realm from then on... No heaven-favored genius will escape the palm of our sect!"

"I didn't expect... to pass the test so easily?"

Pill Island.

Cold Spring Peak was desolate and quiet.

Fang Qing swept his gaze over it before returning to his own cave dwelling.

The Little Maze Formation was still operating normally, and the Spirit Pool shimmered with mist, carrying a trace of watery vapor.

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion and let out a long breath. "As expected... the folk customs over here on Jade Island are much simpler..."

After sighing with feeling, Fang Qing took out a book on alchemy and began reading it carefully.

After reaching Qi Refinement Seventh Layer, the effects of Ginseng Green Spirit Water were no longer very good when he cultivated.

If he wanted to continue advancing valiantly, he still had to take pills!

Luckily, now that his Spiritual Sense had taken shape, he could quickly master First-Order high-grade pill formulas.

At present, he was studying a kind of Qi Refining Powder, said to be remarkably effective at increasing the cultivation of Late Qi Refinement cultivators.

"Hm... I've more or less mastered these alchemy techniques. They aren't that difficult, are they?"

With the aid of his Spiritual Sense, Fang Qing recalled how he had once been completely bewildered by pill formulas and could not help smiling. "I've gathered almost all the main ingredients. For this first furnace, I have a seventy percent chance of success!"

Even so, he did not immediately begin. Instead, he lay down and went to sleep, preparing to watch a fine show tomorrow.

What a joke!

Tomorrow was when the Horned Serpent would cross its tribulation. If he refined pills, not only might he miss the spectacle, but what if lingering aftershocks caused his pill refinement to fail?

Though he had divined that his own safety should be unharmed, even the slightest oversight during pill refinement could lead to failure. It was better not to gamble.