Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 1104 - 958: Facing the Calamity

Chapter 1104: Chapter 958: Facing the Calamity

The stars shifted and the constellations turned.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

In the Shu Area, at the Fang Residence.

Fang Xi’s face was suffused with a radiant inner light, clearly reaping great benefits.

For over ninety days, he had devoted himself to the beginning Chapters of the "Earth Origin Gold Book," abstaining from meat, fish, vegetables, and grains, and relying solely on sealwort, ginseng, and Spirit Ganoderma to stave off hunger. After such a prolonged period, he felt immeasurably robust, his body was cleansed as if all impurities had been washed away, refined to a nearly perfect state.

"If progress continues at this rate, just seven more days and it will be a hundred days of successful Foundation Establishment, absorbing Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy to temper it into ’Earth Chakra Origin Truth’..."

Although Fang Xi was aware of this, there was little joy on his face.

"The net of karma and destiny in this world is incredibly tight..."

"Even Xin Hongyun had to give up ten lifetimes of good deeds to gain Lord Ziyun’s inheritance... Such inheritances and treasures are all intertwined with karma; whoever takes them will inevitably be affected. The debt must be repaid, or calamity will ensue!"

"Recently, I’ve been feeling an increasingly severe premonition, a clear sign that an External Calamity is approaching, and it will strike before the completion of the hundred-day Foundation Establishment!"

"Without the power of magic, it is ultimately challenging to divine the specifics of the External Calamity, such as the particular enemy involved, their methods, and so on... thereby making it impossible to resolve it in advance."

Fang Xi had chosen to Establish his Foundation using the techniques from the "Earth Origin Gold Book" mainly to solidify his base.

He was also betting that he could succeed in cultivating magic power before the calamity arrived, then deduce cause and effect to solve each problem one by one.

Practitioners from the mysterious sects prefer to resolve their calamities before they manifest or to specifically cultivate corresponding treasures or elixirs... Regardless of how overwhelming the calamity may seem, they could remain calm and unaffected, effortlessly overcoming it.

This was also a form of extremely high achievement.

But now, this approach was clearly not applicable.

Besides that, when calamity strikes, one has to break through it with force—this is how some cultivators from the sidelines and the Demon Path operate.

’As for possessing great magical prowess... I’m far from it...’

’To break through calamity with the sword, it would likely require my true self to take action, deploying an accomplished Externalization...’

This was in fact quite simple, because with his incarnations’ thoughts interconnected now, a mere thought from him would bring powerful reinforcements!

What’s more crucial is that the "Treasures of All Heavens" can conceal the Heavenly Secret, making it impossible for anyone to deduce anything, an undoubtedly perfect trump card!

"Unfortunately, if it acts on my behalf too often, it will surely leave traces... Even without methods of divination, mere mortal investigators could unravel clues and find my trail... That would indeed be troublesome."

Fang Xi shook his head, "Of course, the first few times should be unproblematic, but it would be too excessive to use it on such a trivial calamity... Better to conserve it for future use."

To act without being discovered, there must be a limit to the number of interventions.

Otherwise, if one’s cover is blown, it might even attract the attention of the Heavenly World and beings above Prime Taoist Masters, and even the "Treasures of All Heavens" might not be safe.

Using it on a mere Taoist Entry External Tribulation would be far too much of an overkill.

It would be more appropriate to use it to intercept a True Immortal of Origin Soul!

"This can be considered as a last resort."

"Apart from that, there’s taking the initiative to meet the calamity... but from where will it come?"

After pondering for a moment, Fang Xi knew that if it was an External Calamity, there must be a reason.

It could only be due to some past karma, either resulting from conflicts within the Martial World, as the Central Shu Sword’s rise to power had offended many, or perhaps the Old Crow Temple sought to reclaim the sect’s scripture and treasure, or the Shu Mountain Sect discovered he had secretly noted down the "Earth Origin Gold Book"...

"If the calamity comes from the Martial Arts World, it might be manageable, but if it’s from other cultivators, that could be troublesome..."

He stepped into the backyard, casually stretching his arms.

In every stillness and movement, there was a pervasive, unstoppable force.

In the midst of engrossed practice, he suddenly let out a clear cry and a long sword materialized in hand, as he executed the Thirteen Swords of Flowing Cloud.

Unbeknownst to him, a figure had been standing outside the arena, watching—Yan Jia.

Yet at this moment, as he watched Fang Xi’s swordplay, he felt as if each stroke was a divinely inspired stroke of a celestial brush, dazzling to behold and sweating profusely in awe.

If Fang Xi chose to target him, it would likely be a matter of a single sword strike: ’The young master’s martial arts have greatly improved; he has now reached an unfathomable realm...’

"What’s the matter? Has something happened outside the residence?"

Suddenly, the dazzling display of sword light ceased, and Fang Xi stood with his sword, asking indifferently.

"Indeed... the master of the ’Poison Hand Scholar’ from the past, ’Yan Tie,’ is rumored to have broken through the peak of Martial Arts, greatly increasing his power, and it seems he wishes to seek trouble with the young master over the matter of the Poison Hand Scholar..."

Yan Jia bowed as he reported.

"The Poison Hand Scholar?"

Fang Xi let out a derisive laugh, "As I recall, Yan Tie is a notorious figure among the evil sects, famed across the Martial Arts World for his ’Poison Iron Hands,’ known to be callous by nature. How could such rumors emerge? It seems someone is taking the opportunity to make trouble, seeking to bother me? Has anything significant happened in the Martial Arts World recently?"

"The young master is indeed astute. Based on reports from our spies, influential figures from the Central Shu ’Six-star Sect,’ including Grandmaster Gong and several noted heroes, have proposed holding a Martial Arts Conference in Shu, to elect a strong and youthful leader who can stand against the ’Evil Monarch’..."

Yan Jia bowed as he spoke.

"Above the Martial World, the path fades while demons rise..." Fang Xi lamented.

Recently, the Martial World in Central Shu was anything but peaceful, with the rise of the Demon Sect’s forces. Their leader, known as the ’Evil Monarch,’ possessed unfathomably deep martial arts skills and had already annihilated several martial arts schools, dominating the scene for a while.

The Six-star Sect, famous for its use of gunpowder and hidden weapons in Central Shu, had always been in control of the righteous path of the Martial World there.

To counter the forces of the Demon Sect, holding a Martial Arts Conference seemed to be the right course of action.

However, such conferences were always rife with hidden daggers and sword shadows, full of deceit and treachery.

"Could it be that the Six-star Sect or some other school plans to push a young hero as the leader of the Martial World... and I just happen to be in their way?"

Fang Xi never shied away from suspecting enemies from the worst perspective, "So they sent this Yan Tie to eliminate me first, or at least to injure me beforehand?"

Although he wasn’t necessarily afraid of Yan Tie alone, if the latter interfered with his hundred-day Foundation Establishment, the loss would not be worth it.

Even if he were to kill his opponent a thousand times over, it would not make up for it.

’Shall I evade for seven days first, and plan my next move after I’ve developed my magic power? After all, I still have several safe houses in Shang Yong Mansion...’

A glint flashed in Fang Xi’s eyes, but then he shook his head, ’But that won’t do... Maybe Yan Tie isn’t my fated tribulation, but by retreating, I could run straight into my real deadly tribulation... Such are the troublesome entanglements of karma.’

’It seems, then, that I must maintain my stance and adapt to any changes. If the tribulation truly cannot be averted, I might as well break through it with sheer force!’

...

In a daze, seven days passed in a flash.

In the quiet room, Fang Xi’s expression was neither sad nor happy. After swallowing a Ginseng Pill, he began to cultivate in silence.

He was at the critical final stage of his hundred-day Foundation Establishment. The Primordial Energy he had accumulated over these hundred days was constantly refining his furnace, aiming to solidify into a flawless Taoist Foundation, which in turn would temper his True Qi Mana.

Illusory strands of gold thread appeared all over his body, carrying the weighty essence of the earth and enveloping him as if dressing him in a layer of gold.

Outside.

The moon was bright, and the stars sparse; the crows cawed into the night.

A tall figure, moving with lightness and speed across the rooftops, made no sound at all as he moved, like a giant bat.

His frame was slim, reminiscent of a bamboo pole; his nose was sharp, his cheeks haggard, and his palms, under the moonlight, emanated a metallic luster, with twisted, worm-like patterns on them.

This man was none other than ’Poison Iron Hand’ Yan Tie!

In his youth, by chance, he saved a different person.

This individual was a sword immortal from an offshoot sect, who, seeing Yan Tie had no qualifications for cultivation, gave him a manual for ’Poison Iron Hand’ as thanks for saving his life.

’Poison Iron Hand’ took some ideas from the unconventional talisman forging process, focusing on repeatedly tempering one’s palms with various herbs and even toxic metals, to fortify the palms against blades and fire, impervious to harm. Even minor accomplishments could establish a formidable reputation in the Martial Arts World.

Yan Tie practiced this technique diligently for over ten years. Initially, when he roamed the Martial World, he was invincible, gathering a group of followers and becoming a feared ringleader.

Eventually, he encountered the Great Hero of the South, Xin Guihe. During their battle of nearly two hundred moves, Yan Tie lost by a slim margin to Xin’s ’Great Zhou Heavenly Qi Palm,’ which broke through Yan’s ’Poison Iron Hand.’ Disheartened, Yan Tie withdrew from the Martial World to live in seclusion in the Shu Area.

Although older, he was more venomous than ever, hard to kill like a centipede. During his seclusion, not only did his injuries heal completely, but he also perfected his Poison Iron Hand technique, making his palms as lethal as the sharpest divine weapons of the Martial World, and even infused them with the intoxicating poisons of the Miao territory, making his ferocity boundless.

After his skill reached its pinnacle, he initially planned to leave seclusion and seek revenge on the Great Hero of the South.

However, he was informed that the Great Hero’s daughter was lingering in the Central Shu Sword Mansion and was offered to assassinate Central Shu’s Sword in exchange for a thousand taels of gold, ten beautiful maids, three pecks of pearls, and eight blocks of jade...

Naturally, Yan Tie readily agreed and set out for the Fang Residence.

As his robe fluttered in the wind, he entered the Fang Residence, where he saw groups of well-armed retainers.

"Who’s there?"

A retainer shouted, and the crowd parted to reveal the bowmen behind.

Thwack, thwack!

The bows thundered like startled strings!

Fang Xi, facing his enemy, wouldn’t be polite. He had already secretly called his men, turning his stronghold into an impregnable fortress.

Yan Tie, witnessing this scene, simply sneered, "Trifling tricks!"

A circle of energy surged around him, like that of a porcupine, causing any arrows that came within a yard to snap instantly!

"Innate Gang Qi? Invincible within a yard?!"

Behind the archers, two rows of shield-bearers stood with Yan Jia in the center staring at Yan Tie’s palms, a solemn expression crossing his face, "Are you Yan Tie?"

"Correct, and today you all will die here."

Yan Tie’s expression was ferocious, and suddenly his figure flashed.

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out, and the shield-bearers screamed as countless swords and shields flew into the air, each marked clearly with a palm imprint.

In an instant, Yan Tie’s tall figure stood before Yan Jia, his face twisted with a sinister smile.

Yan Jia roared, his fists ready to burst with power, but before he could react, he was sent flying with a slap from Yan Tie.

Spewing a mouthful of Essence Blood, Yan Jia watched in fury as Yan Tie broke into the guarded quiet room!