Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art

Land of Ancient Shu.

"Just as I thought... this place is nothing but a shit pit of muddled heavenly secrets."

Having crossed over once more, Fang Qing frowned as he inspected his magical artifacts one by one. The most crucial was that second-tier "Heavenfrost Ice Blade Talisman"!

With his current mana, supplemented by divine sense, its power would definitely far surpass anything a Hua Family cultivator could unleash. He could even control its direction somewhat, avoiding accidental injury to himself.

"I wonder what level of power this talisman, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator's full-force strike, would have here? A Dao Foundation cultivator's full-force blow? A casual strike? Or perhaps somewhat weaker?"

He had naturally come here because he had received a signal from Dark Candle Adept, that old fox of Fallen Phoenix Mountain, confirming that they could trade.

For the Great Sun Violet Qi cultivation method, he had no choice but to make this trip.

Unfortunately, the heavenly secrets in Ancient Shu were tangled and muddled. Even with the Dao-Born Pearl, Fang Qing could only barely calculate his own fortune and misfortune.

And according to Plum Blossom Divination, this operation was "danger hidden within fortune, fortune hidden within danger"!

After interpreting it for quite a while, Fang Qing felt that both beginning and end pointed to fortune. It should merely be a false alarm, so the trade still had to proceed.

He simply needed to make his equipment more complete.

"That old fox's cultivation is only at Qi Ingestion... one second-tier talisman will be enough to kill it."

"It shouldn't be hiding its cultivation level to prey on the weak. Otherwise, the hexagram would definitely have said 'great misfortune'!"

"Forget it. I'll play it by ear."

"At worst, after pulling off this job, I won't use Fang Shui's identity anymore. I'll make up another one."

Late at night.

As the moon set and crows cried beneath a dead tree.

Fang Qing gazed at the entwined old vines and remained silent in thought.

Several points of emerald-green foxfire emerged from the darkness, followed by a bone-white skull, as though some demon ghost were walking the night.

Only upon closer inspection did he realize it was an old fox wearing a skull atop its head.

"Dark Candle Adept, you finally came."

Fang Qing lowered his voice.

"Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist. Ba Commandery has been somewhat turbulent again lately, so I arrived late."

Dark Candle Adept pressed its two little paws together in greeting, looking utterly guileless and endearing. "This old man had thought I would see Fellow Daoist again at that exchange meeting..."

Knowing that Shabby Daoist was suspicious, why would I go anywhere near him again? Was I looking to die?

Fang Qing grumbled inwardly, but instead asked, "What happened in Ba Commandery?"

"It seems Fellow Daoist has been in seclusion all this time. There is no need to mention the affairs of Ba Commandery's mortals; the cultivation world has grown chaotic again recently."

Dark Candle Adept sighed.

"Oh? Why has it become chaotic?"

Seeing the old fox ramble on and on, while neither his Plum Blossom Divination nor the Dao-Born Pearl gave any warning, Fang Qing casually continued the questioning.

"Because... someone has come down from the cliff," Dark Candle Adept said faintly.

"What cliff?"

Fang Qing looked puzzled.

"This Ba Commandery, this Land of Ancient Shu... hehe, there are so many cultivators, yet only Dao Foundation cultivators count as regional powerhouses, while Purple Mansion cultivators dominate an area and may be called feudal lords... But Cloud-Touching Cliff is the sky of Ancient Shu! Don't be fooled by how the Pu Family of Yulin and the Black Blight Sect are fighting like raging fire and boiling oil. So long as a single word comes down from the cliff, the Purple Mansions of those two families must obediently kneel and heed the decree."

The old fox spoke leisurely.

"A force above the Purple Mansion?" Fang Qing was enormously surprised. Then, thinking of something, he probed, "Could it be... similar to the Fallen Phoenix Mountain where you reside, Fellow Daoist?"

"Hehe, indeed, quite similar... except their tradition was passed down by the one above [Di Earth]."

When Dark Candle Adept said this, Fang Qing suddenly sensed all manner of mysterious phenomena in the void, as though connected to an omnipresent yet illusory fruit of office. Shadows of countless plagues and insects emerged.

"Merely mentioning it causes such a reaction..."

His heart turned cold. Deliberately, he said, "So Cloud-Touching Cliff is a tradition left behind by a great being like [Year Guardian]?"

"No, no, no! Ascending to the Golden Seat makes one a Golden Core True Monarch, but not every Golden Core True Monarch is a [Year Guardian]..."

Dark Candle Adept hurriedly shook its head. "[Year Guardians] govern the manifestations of the months. In theory, they are stronger than other Golden Core True Monarchs, but in truth... who knows how many times those twelve positions have changed hands by now, or how many remain in office?"

"Is this the kind of thing minor cultivators like us can talk about?"

Fang Qing's scalp went numb, afraid that lightning would strike him the next moment.

"Still, above Purple Mansion lies Golden Core? This is clearly entirely different from any Core Formation Patriarch... perhaps it is even far stronger than the Nascent Soul of the Qi Refinement Way..."

"Enough. Let's return to the matter at hand. Someone has come down from the cliff, so the Pu Family and Black Blight Sect most likely cannot keep fighting. Yet before matters are settled, things will instead become even more chaotic."

The old fox seemed to think of something as well and covered its mouth.

"Is Li Rulong... about to be harvested?"

For some reason, Fang Qing had already watched one familiar person after another fall upon the path of seeking immortality.

Zha Zhu, Huo Tianhuo, Li Yusu, Hua Lian...

Yet when he thought of Li Rulong about to walk into a dead end, his heart was still filled with emotion.

"Enough... let's discuss proper business. Where is the Great Sun cultivation method?"

Ever since learning that Shabby Daoist was likely a Purple Mansion cultivator, Fang Qing had somewhat regretted asking about cultivation methods at the previous exchange meeting.

But time could not be reversed. Shabby Daoist had since shifted his attention elsewhere, so that was that.

"The cultivation methods... After receiving the task last time, this old fox hurried back to Fallen Phoenix Mountain overnight and searched through Langhuan Library. I found no fewer than three for Fellow Daoist! Three cultivation methods from the Great Sun Tradition!"

At the mention of this, the old fox immediately grew excited, even the whiskers around its mouth bobbing upward.

It spread open its paws, and three booklets unfolded one after another like a fan.

The strikingly familiar sight made Fang Qing's mouth twitch.

And when he saw the names of those three cultivation methods, he nearly failed to maintain his expression.

"Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art? You're trying to fool me with a Secret Treasury Domain cultivation method? Is that something a human can cultivate?"

Fang Qing was indignant, nearly grabbing the old fox by the fur on its neck and demanding answers.

"Hey, hey... let's talk this over. This Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art is indeed a Secret Treasury Domain cultivation method..." The old fox spoke smoothly as a lotus flower bloomed from its tongue.

"So... if I want to cultivate it, do I first have to find a guru to empower me?" Fang Qing sneered.

"No, no, no! The Secret Treasury Domain follows the Great Snow Mountain tradition and is actually divided into two branches. One branch does not require disciples to undergo Qi Ingestion; they cultivate by relying upon a guru, placing their very lives completely in another's hands. It is called an 'outside-the-teachings special transmission.' How great their future fortune may be depends entirely on how far their guru can go, as well as whether that guru is willing to promote them..."

"The other branch, however, consists of the cream of the crop among true disciples. Great Snow Mountain calls them 'personally transmitted secret-vehicle disciples.' Like us, they must also undergo Qi Ingestion to enter the Dao... This Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art can be entered either through empowerment from a guru who cultivates the same art, or by consuming Great Sun Violet Qi..."

"So the Secret Treasury Domain tradition has such distinctions?" Fang Qing was half-convinced and half-doubtful.

"This Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art is incomplete and only reaches Dao Foundation. One of our Demon Race cultivators killed a red-robed monk from the Secret Treasury Domain and casually seized it... The Qi-Gathering Formula for Great Sun Violet Qi has long since become useless. This old fox only brought it as a reference for Fellow Daoist, merely a reference..."

The old fox pointed to the second book. "This one is different. It can still be cultivated even in the present age!"

Fang Qing looked deeply suspicious. "<Rhapsody of Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Union and Great Bliss>? Why does this cultivation method sound so improper?"

"Hehe, this method is greatly famed among the demonic path. It is the entry-level art of the Harmonious Bliss Sect... As everyone knows, the Great Sun can transform into three yangs: sun yang, primal yang, and lesser yang... Great Sun Violet Qi has long been severed, so this great demonic sect opened another path, using a man's 'primal yang qi' for cultivation. If Fellow Daoist cultivates this method, you can condense True Qi of seventh-tier quality or above. Purple Mansion will be within reach in the future... And after entering the path, you can directly go to the Harmonious Bliss Sect's mountain gate to acknowledge a master!" Dark Candle Adept inadvertently revealed more secrets.

"What hidden dangers does this cultivation method have?" Fang Qing looked suspicious. Recalling Shabby Daoist's earlier advice, he suspected that most of the methods the old fox was selling had problems!

"Hehe... it is nothing major. This <Rhapsody of Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Union and Great Bliss> involves the secret of yin-yang transformation. It cultivates [Room Sun], with Dao Foundation 'Walk Along the Ground'... After entering the path, cultivators are prone to yin-yang transformation."

The old fox looked embarrassed.

"Yin-yang transformation? In other words... men become women, and women become men? What kind of vile art is this?"

Fang Qing's mouth fell open.

He had originally thought Secret Treasury Domain cultivation methods were already drenched in demonic aura, bizarre beyond measure.

He had not expected the Harmonious Bliss Sect's cultivation method to open his eyes even wider today.

"What about the last one?"

Fang Qing looked toward the last booklet in the old fox's paws. It was dark red, and its name was Great Sun True Interpretation!

"This was only discovered in a corner when this old fox was making the final cleanup—a genuine ancient cultivation method... If one is ruthless enough, <Rhapsody of Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Union and Great Bliss> can be entered through Qi Gathering, while Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art can still be cultivated by going to Great Snow Mountain and finding a guru of the Great Sun Tradition for empowerment. But this ancient cultivation method is not only obscure and difficult to understand; its requirements for Qi Gathering are also incredibly stringent. Basically no one can enter the path with it... unless Fellow Daoist is a born cultivation genius and happens to find Great Sun Violet Qi left behind from ancient times in some ruin..."

The old fox grinned, clearly expectant. "Fellow Daoist... which will you choose?"

"I naturally..."

Fang Qing no longer hesitated. With a sweep of his hand, he took all three secret manuals. "I want them all!"

"All... of them? Then the spiritual materials promised last time... must be doubled twice over!" Dark Candle Adept was plainly stunned.

"What difficulty is that?"

Fang Qing directly took out a string of gourds and tossed them to the old fox. "I also have several gourds of spiritual water that can enhance the mana of those in the late stage of Qi Ingestion. They're yours as well. Is that enough?"

"Enough, naturally enough."

The old fox was overjoyed. It hurriedly accepted the gourds, sniffing this one and tasting that one like a little fox drunk on wine.

"Spiritual materials in this world... truly are scarce."

Fang Qing said no more. Taking the manuals, he left directly.

Caw! Caw!

A pitch-black crow had appeared atop the old tree at some unknown time, its beak gleaming like refined steel. "Dark Candle Adept, 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?"

"Hehe... did this old man not wish to rob that person? Though the chance was so tiny it was nearly impossible, there might still have been a portion of Great Sun Violet Qi."

Dark Candle Adept shook its head. Its fox face watched the direction in which Fang Qing had departed, its expression incomparably grave. "But when I drew close just now, I sensed that person was extremely dangerous. The last time someone gave me such a feeling was at the exchange meeting... Either this person has concealed his cultivation, or he possesses Dao Foundation, perhaps even Purple Mansion methods. We cannot afford not to be cautious!"