Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 1079 - 933: Golden Bamboo Sea (Extra - for monthly votes)

Chapter 1079: Chapter 933: Golden Bamboo Sea (Extra Chapter for monthly votes)

Fang Xi certainly didn’t have any ill intentions.

He simply wanted to quietly overcome his calamities and practice cultivation to become immortal.

As for the upper echelon struggle of the Abundant Karma House, he had no interest in getting involved and was too lazy to be bothered with it.

Once he became an immortal, all these things would seem utterly ridiculous.

With sufficient strength, would the corresponding treatment still be withheld from him?

Upon realizing that the Fiery Sun Immortal City was no longer a good place for cultivation, he immediately chose to grab his bucket and run.

The only reason he chose this ’Golden Bamboo Sea’ mission was because it seemed free of danger, and the duration was plentiful!

"Ten thousand years..."

"According to the secret methods in the ’Evergreen Skills’, I could overcome the Immortal Thunder Calamity once every millennium at the fastest... After ten thousand years, I will have become an Earth Immortal."

Fang Xi was a man of action.

Once he had made his decision to leave, he did not hesitate at all.

He immediately went back to his Dongfu to start the process of termination and take care of other matters.

For instance, he delivered a large amount of Storage Talismans and a breakthrough pill of Returning to Emptiness level to Yong Yunmian.

Besides that, he also sent letters to acquaintances at Sky Blue Academy and Sword Grinding Mountain, explaining his choices, while discreetly offering a few pointers.

Whether they could understand it or even if they had the determination to make the difficult cut after realizing it, that was their own business.

...

A few days later.

"Brother Huang, no need to see me off."

At the gate of the Fiery Sun City.

Fang Xi bowed in thanks to Huang Jing, Yi Zhengxing, and others who had come to bid him farewell.

"Sir, take care on your journey."

Huang Jing, Yi Zhengxing, and the cultivator with the surname Feng from Sword Grinding Mountain all returned the salute, grateful to Fang Xi for his discreet pointers.

Although they might have silently criticized Fang Xi for being somewhat cowardly, the fact that he had given them a tip to this extent already surpassed many others.

With a sweep of his divine thought, Fang Xi saw a familiar swath of skirt in the shadowy corner of the city gate. He couldn’t help but smile, and then he turned into a beam of light, disappearing from sight...

...

The Golden Bamboo Sea was located in the far west of the Beichen Immortal Domain, already very close to the Western Bliss Profound Realm.

Although it was called a ’sea’, there was not a drop of seawater in it but rather a vast basin.

The most abundant thing within the basin was a kind of golden bamboo, which was very sturdy and suitable as raw material for treasures such as flying swords.

A flash of blue light in the sky.

Fang Xi was traveling low-key with his Escape Light while muttering to himself, "As expected... I’m not any main character."

"Ordinarily, if I were like those protagonists in stories and novels, after finding out that Fiery Sun Immortal City was a big whirlpool, even if I managed to escape by expending great effort, I would encounter all kinds of events, then unwillingly get sucked back in and become completely involved, having numerous unspeakable stories with many beautiful female cultivators, and then meeting real enemies... Showing off and slapping faces all along the way, eventually saving the world."

"But I actually managed to escape so easily, without even encountering a single cultivation-robber..."

"In fact, this is how the world is. If you don’t start trouble, unless you’re extremely unlucky, trouble won’t come looking for you..."

He just wanted to cultivate quietly, at least until after becoming immortal!

After all, the waters of the True Immortal Realm run too deep, and a Mahayana cultivation base simply couldn’t control it!

Fang Xi flew for an indeterminate time, and a Spirit Mountain gradually came into view.

It was a golden mountain range, bathed in countless rays of golden light, resembling a golden ocean.

A mid the myriad rays of rosy clouds and wildly dancing golden snakes, there also echoed traces of Brahma Sound Chant, which made one feel mentally clear and free of distraction upon listening.

A vigorous Immortal Qi, mixed with spiritual energy, surged forth immediately.

"Golden Bamboo Sea, finally here."

Fang Xi whispered, seeing below him vast expanses of Spiritual Fields and buildings with extremely dense spiritual energy. But these were nothing more than satellite cities of the Spirit Mountain or villages near ancient city walls.

It was only after arriving at the Spirit Mountain that the world suddenly changed, a more rich Immortal Qi than that of the Fiery Sun Immortal City spread out.

Countless figures riding spiritual beasts like lions and white elephants or standing on flying swords and sitting on lotus stands were coming and going among the golden Spirit Mountain.

"Such a large Immortal Vein!"

Fang Xi couldn’t help but exclaim as he witnessed the scene.

Although it was a place of exile, the Golden Bamboo Sea was never a remote location, but one of the bustling centers in the Beichen Immortal Domain.

The Spirit Mountain was vast, not refusing visitors.

Therefore, there was no city gate, nor any prohibition arrays to keep people out.

Fang Xi directly entered the territory of the Spirit Mountain through an Escape Light.

Only at this point, upon seeing the situation below, did he slightly gasp in astonishment.

Building after building, towering more than ten thousand meters, rose up, forming pigeon-like compartments, using up nearly every space on the mountain.

Like ants, countless Returning to Emptiness cultivators were bustling in and out of these buildings, incredibly busy.

In terms of cultivation, there was not a single one below the Returning to Emptiness level!

’After all, this is an Immortal Vein, and only after reaching Returning to Emptiness can one refine Immortal Jade and Immortal Qi... Such an Immortal Vein, given to those below Returning to Emptiness, would simply be a waste.’

A glint flashed in Fang Xi’s eyes as he recalled the origin of this ’Golden Bamboo Sea’.

Once, this place was indeed a vast sea, inhabited by countless sea beasts and even a Dragon King!

It stirred up wind and waves, causing great calamities!

In an era so distant that its antiquity is indeterminable, one day from the Bliss Profound Realm, an old monk appeared. With grand vows, he swore to enlighten the Dragon King, and thus the two waged a magical battle above this vast ocean!

The monk, though more powerful than the Dragon King, was repeatedly eluded by the latter, who took advantage of the local terrain, making it difficult for the monk to capture him.

Therefore, the monk made another grand vow to enlighten all beings in this ocean. He began by blocking the sea’s eye with arrays, then year after year, he drew water from it.

After countless tens of thousands of years, the once great sea was finally turned into a basin.

The Dragon King, once able to contend with immortals, had nowhere left to hide and could only be enlightened, becoming a protector dragon of the Brahman Sect!

From that time on, Spirit Mountain flourished, and the cultivators of the Bliss Profound Realm formally extended their reach into the Beichen Immortal Domain.

’Having spent an unfathomable amount of light and time, is this the level of battle between immortals? Or is it purely boredom?’ Fang Xi thought to himself.

’But let’s not speak carelessly—after all, the protagonist of the story is likely still alive and well.’

Whoosh!

Fang Xi transformed into blue Escape Light, arriving at the address given in his task and landing on the rooftop of a towering skyscraper.

The cultivators of this place never used the lower passages, always descending from the roof.

He stepped through the entrance, his brow immediately furrowing.

Claustrophobic, confining...

Just by glancing through doors that occasionally opened, one could see that the interior spaces were mere few square meters in size.

Even these tiny spaces sometimes housed multiple cultivators.

All for the sake of saving rent and the precious Immortal Qi from the Immortal Vein!

’To turn a Dongfu into a Cave Heaven in the True Immortal Realm, one would need at least a Ninth Order Immortal Array Master... this is destined to be a luxury that only a very few can afford.’ Fang Xi thought.

A Ninth Order Immortal Array Master’s services were even more in demand than those of a True Immortal Talisman Master.

Fang Xi, keenly aware of the business opportunity, had no plans to pursue this path.

...

"Look here, see for yourselves—the Divine Skill Pavilion’s grand sale is underway: buy one small Divine Skill, get another free, buy one get one free!"

"Just one Divine Skill seed and you’ll master a divine skill technique to the Mahayana Realm!"

"Also available, the latest version of the Brahman Sect’s ’Eight Treasures Dragon Mastery Divine Skill,’ personally refined by the ’Golden Tripod Arhat,’ with boundless might. It’s powerful enough to fight against those in Returning to Emptiness and Integration. Only 998, 998! Take a Grand Divine Skill home with you!"

Within the alleyway, shop after shop competed for attention, their countless prohibitions flickering and shimmering, creating a dazzling scene of bewildering lights, making Fang Xi feel like he was witnessing light pollution far more terrifying than in The Nine States’ cyber-district!

"The Bliss Building’s VIP Card—recently added to it is the ’Cloud Smoke Illusion Realm’..."

A charming nun with a beguiling smile stopped in front of Fang Xi and coyly asked, "Sir, would you like to have a go?"

"I’ve long heard of the Bliss World in the west. How would it compare to the Void Illusory Realm?" Fang Xi inquired, pausing in his tracks.

"Amitabha, those who have left home for monastic life do not tell lies—naturally, it far surpasses it," The young nun replied with a lotus bloom of a tongue when she saw Fang Xi’s interested look. "Compared to our Buddha’s Bliss World, the Void Illusory Realm might just be a ’bird’... Amitabha, this poor nun has once again broken the precept of right speech."

"However, it is true that the Void Illusory Realm still uses our Buddha’s outdated prohibitions, creating various characters with Array Spirits. A single Array Spirit often has to manage billions of characters... it’s inevitable there would be omissions and deficiencies, meanwhile, it’s difficult to completely capture the full scope of humanity, which is its biggest shortcoming," the young nun explained, eloquently speaking of her business.

"Our Buddha’s Bliss World is different. As a high-ranking cultivator, Sir’s experience will not be the same as those common people and low-ranking cultivators. Bliss Building guarantees that each character, fairy, and celebrated concubine you meet is portrayed by a real person, and maybe even a divine thought from a great bodhisattva of the Joyful Lineage might descend to offer corporeal charity..." Fang Xi thought for a moment, then understood.

No matter how good the Void Illusory Realm is, there’s always a sense of falsehood.

The Bliss World of the Buddhism Sect, on the other hand, is truly like a separate world.

And, while Array Spirits are akin to AI, no matter how human-like they may be, they ultimately aren’t human.

Even though they might deceive 99.9% of cultivators, they couldn’t deceive him.

By directly using real people in the high-grade Western Bliss World, that becomes quite extravagant.

"With such a guarantee, I’m curious who these real characters are played by?" Fang Xi asked, intrigued further.

"Amitabha, naturally, these are the souls burdened with karma from the eighteen levels of hell," the young nun solemnly replied. "This serves as their redemption..."

Fang Xi stroked his chin and said no more.

Just as he suspected, the origins of these people... heh...

Those commoners and low-ranking cultivators, intoxicated by the dreamy life within the low-grade Bliss World managed by Array Spirits, would indeed have debts to pay in the end.

"Hmm, I’m busy today, but I’ll definitely visit another time," Fang Xi said.

Having often frequented the Void Temple when in Fiery Sun Immortal City, Fang Xi naturally didn’t reject the offer. He exchanged contact talismans with the young nun and took a VIP card from her.

He continued downwards, walking down hundreds of levels, until he arrived in front of a shop.

This shop was no more than ten square meters in size, with shelves filled with common items from the Cultivation World. Stacks of Talismans neatly arranged gave off a desolate vibe.

"Abundant Karma House?"

Fang Xi looked up at the name of the shop, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Indeed... the location is excellent, but the task is really a trap..." he muttered.

"This guest..."

An elderly cultivator who was yawning behind the counter saw Fang Xi enter. He began to greet him, but upon seeing the white jade token Fang Xi flashed, his face changed, and he bowed eagerly. "So it is a guest Master. The shop has already been informed, from now on you’ll be in charge of this place... I ’Qi Min’ have seen Master."

"Tell me about the situation here. How many cultivators are there, what are the expenses, what remains in the Warehouse, and why is business so dismal? This place connects two great Immortal Domains and is bursting with merchandise. It shouldn’t be like this, should it?" Fang Xi took back the token and asked leisurely.

Checking the accounts and inventory of the Warehouse is always a top priority during a handover, lest one be tricked by their predecessor.

"Alas..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Min could only smile ruefully. "The lack of business is because we’re too close to the Bliss Profound Realm!"