The moment the Five-Tusk Warship flying the Azure Sea Sect's banner rammed its way into the Four-Directions Heavenly Water Formation with brutal, headlong force, all of Flying Fish Island began to stir.
Countless Hua Family cultivators wore expressions of panic and despair.
As for the spirit farmers, mulberry farmers, fishermen, and retainers employed by the Hua Family, they hurriedly dropped to their knees and kowtowed. "We are willing to surrender... Esteemed superiors, please hear us out—we truly have no connection to the Hua Family!"
A few bold Rogue Cultivators had already impatiently begun attacking the Hua Family's old estate, hoping to make a killing while proving their innocence.
"Hmph, you don't know whether you're alive or dead... You dare pick up scraps from my family?"
With a raised hand from Hua Tianfeng, a golden scissor-shaped Spirit Artifact appeared. Its enormous phantom merely closed once, severing the waists of those troublemaking Rogue Cultivators.
The bisected Rogue Cultivators did not die immediately. Their howls as they writhed on the ground were enough to make one's skin crawl.
After casually dealing with those Rogue Cultivators, Hua Tianfeng looked toward the Five-Tusk Warship that had already reached the formation's core. Despair filled his face. "Our secret has been exposed..."
He looked at Hua Zong beside him and secretly transmitted through Spiritual Sense, "This must be because our family's covert dealings with the Zhong Family have come to light... There is no room left for maneuvering. You and I are both on the Azure Sea Sect's kill list. We cannot escape. Immediately have the several Foundation Establishment seeds in the family take storage bags and flee far away! Let as many escape as can!"
"Send the signal. The clansmen we secretly sent to the Heavenly Heart Chain Islands must immediately conceal their names and identities... So long as the Azure Sea Sect remains, they must never bear the Hua surname again."
Only after seeing Hua Zong agree did Hua Tianfeng burst into laughter and point a finger.
The golden scissor Spirit Artifact suddenly blazed with light, like two golden flood dragons carrying him into the sky. "I am Hua Tianfeng, ancestor of the Hua Family! Who will take this old man's head?"
"I will!"
Cui Zhe became one with his sword, transforming into a streak of jade-green sword light that met the two golden flood dragons.
A Foundation Establishment battle was on the verge of erupting!
Meanwhile, even more Hall of Punishing Evil enforcement disciples descended from their spirit boats without expression and began sweeping through the Hua Family members on the island.
"Listen up! Do not let a single one go!"
The enforcement disciples were all Late Qi Refinement cultivators. They cultivated exquisite arts and possessed abundant combat experience; the Hua Family cultivators stood no chance against them.
Several Qi Refinement Great Completion cultivators even exchanged glances before rushing directly toward the Hua Family's underground cavern.
Clearly, they had long coveted the Profound Wind Baleful Intent.
Whenever a sect exterminated a Foundation Establishment force, it was the best opportunity for these enforcement disciples to make a fortune!
Southeastern waters of Flying Fish Island.
The autumn sky was high and crisp, while the sea breeze carried a slight chill.
A small skiff drifted with the waves. Fang Qing lay on the deck with one leg crossed over the other, a fishing rod resting beside his hand.
Splash!
Suddenly, the sea surface broke open, and a large, foolish-looking green fish was flung onto the deck, its tail still thrashing nonstop.
"Haha... Got one."
Fang Qing laughed, then suddenly kicked the large green fish back into the sea.
Standing atop the Profound Ice Wheel, he flew toward the horizon.
In Fang Qing's direction, a Hua Family cultivator drenched in blood was fleeing in panic.
This Hua Family cultivator had ordinary features, the sort who would disappear into a crowd and never be recognized again. He possessed no distinctive bearing either, and his cultivation had only barely reached the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer.
When he saw the Profound Ice Wheel beneath Fang Qing's feet, his eyes lit up. "Are you a Zhong Family cultivator? I am from the Hua Family. Please save me at once..."
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, Fang Qing visualized the Horse-Head Vajra Guardian. His Spiritual Sense transformed into a Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle and smashed directly into the man's sea of consciousness.
The cultivator immediately felt as though his head were splitting apart. Before he could activate the talisman in his hand, he saw a fist rapidly enlarging before his eyes.
Bang!
Great Vajra Divine Strength erupted. Fang Qing's punch shattered a Black-Iron Magic Shield and landed on the cultivator's head.
"You called out so warmly on the surface, yet you were hiding a talisman behind your back?"
"Good heavens... It was even a Second-Order talisman? Even if it didn't kill me, it would have skinned me alive!"
He reached out, took the talisman from the Hua Family cultivator's hand, and inwardly grumbled:
"You identified me as a Zhong Family member just from a Profound Ice Wheel flying artifact. Are you stupid, or do you think I am? The Azure Sea Sect has fought the Zhong Family for so long—how could we possibly not have seized ice-attributed artifacts? You were obviously trying to bluff me on purpose!"
A moment later.
A headless corpse fell into the sea, while Fang Qing swiftly departed with a storage bag.
"What a haul!"
With the aid of Spiritual Sense, he easily erased the magical imprint within the storage bag.
When his Spiritual Sense entered it, the first thing that astonished Fang Qing was the storage bag's capacity!
Ordinary storage bags were merely equivalent to carrying an extra suitcase.
This storage bag had clearly been specially made. Not only was its surface covered in intricate patterns, but its interior space was as large as a room!
In one corner of that room sat a pile of spirit stones, mostly low-grade, with an occasional few mid-grade ones. There were likely more than four thousand in total.
Besides that, there were bolts upon bolts of silk woven from Dragon-Soaring Silk.
At certain times, this might be hard currency even more valuable than spirit stones!
There were also many fine magic artifacts, high-grade talismans, medicinal pills, books... and...
Light flashed in Fang Qing's hand, and a white jade bottle appeared.
After removing the stopper, he saw a snow-white pill inside. A spirit pattern lay across its surface, and an icy chill instantly spread outward.
"A spirit pattern? A Second-Order spirit pill?"
"Hmm... Judging by the pill manuals I have read, it should be an Iceheart Meridian-Guarding Pill... This is a spirit pill that can assist with Foundation Establishment! And it is a Zhong Family specialty!"
"Sure enough... At a time when a family is being destroyed, a Foundation Establishment seed fleeing with its accumulated foundations can be described in one word—fat!"
"This is only one of them. If I caught the others... or even the branch families that were arranged to leave earlier?"
Fang Qing shook his head, laughing at his own insatiable greed.
The destruction of the Hua Family on Flying Fish Island was such a major event that it would certainly draw attention from all sides.
If he intercepted every last one of them?
Then even to the ends of heaven and the depths of Yellow Springs, they would hunt him down.
"With these gains, plus this Second-Order talisman, it is enough."
He was not greedy and directly flew back toward the sect.
As he flew, he examined the Second-Order talisman in his hand.
Clearly, that Hua Family cultivator had never believed he was from the Zhong Family. Everything he had said was merely to lure Fang Qing closer, then use this trump card to give him a vicious blow.
What he did not know was that Fang Qing was even more underhanded. The moment they met, Fang Qing had greeted him with a Spiritual Sense secret art, then killed him in a single strike without giving him the slightest chance to activate the talisman.
And now, as he touched the Second-Order talisman, Fang Qing felt that his earlier actions had been entirely correct.
"Second-Order... Heavenfrost Ice Blade Talisman?"
"Once used, it will not only release intense cold to freeze the surroundings, but also summon three ice blades to slice apart everything ahead..."
Fang Qing merely injected a thread of magic power into it to test its activation, yet he felt as though a vortex within the talisman were about to suck away more than half of his magic power.
"Sure enough... For Qi Refinement cultivators like us, Second-Order talismans are still far too excessive. The magic power they consume is difficult even for Late Qi Refinement cultivators to bear... More importantly, once activated, they seem somewhat incapable of distinguishing friend from foe."
Without Spiritual Sense, it would likely be difficult to precisely control the directions of the three ice blades. At that point, one could only leave it to fate.
"When that Hua Family cultivator used it earlier, why did it seem more like a move to perish together?"
"Of course... After escaping layers upon layers of pursuit, he must already have been at the end of his rope, with his oil spent and lamp extinguished. This Heavenfrost Ice Blade Talisman was likely his final trump card."
"I cannot allow myself to fall into such a state. I must take it as a warning."
Azure Sea Sect.
"The resources obtained this time are enough for me to attempt refining Second-Order pills dozens of times... But I cannot explain their source, so I will have to act secretly. The best option would be to refine pills with my own Spirit Pool."
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
A Second-Order Spirit Pool was standard equipment for a Second-Order alchemist. The best few spring eyes in particular had long been occupied by Clouddrift Adept and the other Pill Island elders.
Even an ordinary Second-Order Low Grade Spirit Pool required one to be at least a First-Order High Grade alchemist before one qualified to apply for its use!
"If only the Spirit Pool in my cave abode were Second-Order... Unfortunately, that would require a Second-Order geomancer and formation master... With my current connections, I simply cannot hire them."
"So the best course is still to successfully certify as a First-Order High Grade alchemist, then apply?"
Fang Qing returned to his cave abode and saw a sound-transmission talisman fluttering about.
He casually caught it, and Hua Lingsu's voice sounded beside his ear. "Junior Brother Fang... The First-Order High Grade alchemist assessment has been arranged. Please come to the Pill Hall in half a month."
"Oh? The First-Order High Grade alchemist assessment is about to begin?"
Fang Qing felt faint anticipation. "I wonder which examiner they will assign me?"
In truth, at his present level, the possibility of failing to refine First-Order High Grade pills was infinitely close to zero.
Half a month later.
Pill Hall.
"You are the one taking the First-Order High Grade alchemist assessment? Good, very good... Pill Island truly produces talents in endless succession."
An elderly man with an aged appearance, a head full of white hair, and an ebony hairpin looked at Fang Qing.
"Fang Qing greets Elder Han!"
Fang Qing bowed. He had also seen this elder when attending lectures at the Cauldron Altar.
It was said that he was a Second-Order Mid Grade alchemist, and his pill-refining skill was quite extraordinary.
"Mm... To advance to First-Order High Grade alchemist, you must refine three different First-Order High Grade pills. You will have three attempts for each kind."
With a wave of his hand, Elder Han handed a storage bag to Fang Qing. "Follow me!"
Fang Qing followed Elder Han all the way to a spot halfway up Cold Spring Peak.
This place was shrouded in mist year-round and concealed by a formation.
When Elder Han took out his elder's token and formed a hand seal, a patch of dense fog dispersed, revealing a Spirit Spring.
"A Second-Order Low Grade—Cold Marrow Spring. You may draw from it as you please for one month. How about it?" Elder Han asked casually.
"Yes!"
Fang Qing lifted a thread of water and sensed its properties, then nodded slightly. "This junior wishes to refine Qi Refining Powder, Qi-Replenishing Pills, and Origin-Restoring Pills..."
Looking at the surroundings concealed by thick mist, he inwardly praised it. If I can rent a Second-Order Spirit Spring like this later, with a formation protecting it, that would not be too bad...
But the next instant, Fang Qing's mind became still and profound. He took out a Qi Refining Flower, a main ingredient for Qi Refining Powder, and tossed it into the Cold Marrow Spring.
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