Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 1199 - 1053: Old Fox Digs Graves

Chapter 1199: Chapter 1053: Old Fox Digs Graves

"The way of transcendence in this world seems to be based on ’consumption,’" Fang Xi mused. "It’s difficult for human bodies to cultivate, thus it requires consuming various types of spiritual materials... Hmm, indeed, it has a bit of the flavor of Mortal Skills."

Cultivators of Mortal Skills, who rely solely on their own hard work, likely only reach their bottleneck at death.

Humans are considered the most spiritually advanced among all creations because they are masters of utilizing resources.

Fang Xi naturally had no aversion to this concept.

However, the Taoist Path of this world was somewhat mysterious.

Moreover, it mostly related to ’deities,’ although these gods, in Fang Xi’s view, were not like the divinities of the Incense Divine Path but rather more akin to demonic beings.

"Worship gods... Just by worshipping, one can break through levels and achieve immortality and enlightenment?"

"Even the Incense Divine Path isn’t that forceful..."

Thinking this, Fang Xi couldn’t help but sigh, knowing that such a path must have a terrible price.

At that moment, amidst the desolate graves, a cool breeze suddenly began to blow.

Under the greenish light of the grave flames, shadows flitted about, creating a creepy and secretive atmosphere.

Woohoo!

The cry of a fox resounded.

Fang Xi, with sharp eyes, spotted through the phosphorescence a white fox larger than ordinary wild dogs, with red eyes and long claws, digging through a grave!

It seemed very old, its fur slightly slack, but its movements were not slow at all. Its claws were exceedingly sharp, effortlessly slicing through any brick or coffin like tofu.

In the wilderness, an old fox digging graves!

This scene was indeed quite chilling.

"So, it’s a Corpse-eating Fox... Look at its white fur, it’s terribly aged."

He sighed, then turned and ran.

Before, such an old fox would not withstand a single sword strike from him.

But now, with just a mortal body, although he still retained some experience from the Qi and Blood Martial Arts, he hadn’t yet started practicing it.

He could only say he was experienced enough to use every bit of strength in his body.

Unfortunately, the innate quality of this body was just so-so, and even when fully exerted, it might not be a match for demonic beasts!

Swoosh!

Fang Xi was very fast, his footsteps light, making no sound as he quickly took advantage of the darkness to escape far away.

The old Corpse-eating Fox was busy eating and didn’t seem to pay him any attention, as if it did not notice him; thus, Fang Xi left the Chaotic Burial Mound.

"Phew... That was close."

At the foot of the mountain, seeing a few farmhouses not far ahead, Fang Xi finally took a deep breath.

Now his strength was low, and dying at the hands of such a low-ranking demon would be quite a joke.

’Hmm... This body I possess now doesn’t have any special talents, its strength is even lesser than an ordinary adult... But combined with my Martial Arts experience, fighting several strong men wouldn’t be a problem...’

’Given some time to nourish the Qi and Blood, I should be able to go deeper...’

As for whether he could use Martial Arts to attain transcendence, that was hard to say.

But protecting himself within a mortal city shouldn’t be a big problem.

He reviewed his own innate talents and couldn’t help but shake his head, "It seems that after awakening the True Spirit, only one ability came with me, which is the ’Endless Lifespan’ of the True Immortal... Though immortal, one still suffers from the trials of warfare and disease... Yet being eternally youthful is quite nice."

The city he was in was called ’Black Marsh City.’

Nearby, a river flowed by, tinted somewhat black, hence the name ’Black Marsh.’

As Fang Xi passed by the Black Marsh River, he pressed his brow, assaulted by memories of death.

This time, the suffocation and pressure of being close to death couldn’t affect him.

But vaguely, he remembered more about that incident.

"Even though I fell into the water, I’m actually a decent swimmer... The reason I almost drowned alive was because of a monster attack!?"

"That monster’s strength underwater was several times that of a normal human... Lucky for me, it wanted to stage my drowning. Otherwise, if it had attacked directly, I’d have been truly done for..."

Fang Xi recalled the appearance of that monster, somewhat like a human, somewhat like a shark; very mysterious.

It might even be the rumored ’Water Monkey.’

"My predecessor always searched for mythical legends; I never imagined I’d almost die by the hands of a legendary creature... All these magical beings right beside us, could this be what they mean by ’Ye Gong is fond of dragons’?"

Moreover, the more Fang Xi thought about the aquatic creature that was both simian and shark-like, a growing sense of fear and madness emerged within him.

It seemed the vague patterns on its black fur and scales were transforming into mystical Taoist talismans, conveying different meanings.

In the night sky, the bright moon hung high, and the surface of the Black Marsh River glittered, seemingly concealing thousands of Snake Dragons.

The ripples on the river were all reflections from the backs and scales of numerous snake fishes.

’Somewhat bizarre... but it cannot shake my spirits.’

He sensed some dangerous aura and did not approach but instead left far away, finding a place in the wilderness to hide.

...

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The dawn broke with the crowing of a rooster!

Accompanied by the high-pitched crowing, thin morning light appeared, smoke rose from the farmhouse chimneys in the distance.

The morning mist was heavy, but the dangerous aura in the Black Marsh River had dissipated quite a bit.

Seeing people already queuing at the city gate waiting to enter, Fang Xi went over to wait as well.

Half an hour later, the city gates opened, and many farmers, carrying poles with freshly harvested fruits and vegetables, entered the city one by one without any fee.

Fang Xi blended in with them and entered through the great gates of Black Marsh City.

As far as the eye could see, there was a street paved with blue stone slabs.

The street was not wide, accommodating only two horse-drawn carriages side by side.

Trash littered the roadside everywhere, carrying a faint stench.

Meanwhile, in the street-facing shops, attendants were opening doors, cleaning the front areas, and removing the door panels.

At the breakfast stands, which had already set up their tents, several broken tables and chairs with missing arms and legs were set up to attract business.

"Selling pancakes, a big coin per pancake!"

"Knife and scissor sharpening, pot and pan repairing..."

"Selling boiling water, just boiled..."

On the streets, groups of people started appearing, those selling breakfast, peddlers weaving through the streets, and citizens hurrying about, forming a bustling marketplace scene.

Fang Xi took a deep breath, feeling that he hadn’t experienced such a lively atmosphere in a long time.

’After all, I am a cultivator. A single retreat often lasts decades or even centuries. Normally, I wouldn’t interact with these mortals who might drop dead with just a puff...’

He chuckled silently and shook his head, feeling his mood stabilize somewhat and even his stomach started rumbling.

’A prime Taoist master, starving in a foreign land... How tragic is that?’

Fang Xi thought sardonically, walking towards the house he remembered as his own.

Turning a street corner, a large courtyard with bluish brick and stone tiles emerged, standing out among the surrounding civilian houses with its expansive grounds.

At the entrance, there hung a sign bearing the golden letters "Martial Ancestor Temple."

This was a temple dedicated to the Martial Ancestor.

But who the Martial Ancestor was, no one could really say.

His former self had visited to offer his respects, and inside the main hall, there was no statue of the Martial Ancestor, just a big local character—Martial!

It was said that the temple keeper knew a bit of martial arts, and if you gave him a silver or two, you could learn martial arts for a month—without meals or accommodation!

"Martial arts?"

Fang Xi shook his head internally, "Not even a dog would bother!"

Although he still inhabited the same body as before, his mastery over it was intricate, far surpassing any martial arts master.

He also had a terrifying accumulation of martial arts experience.

While he might not be able to cultivate the vital energy of Qi and Blood Martial Arts, just in the level of techniques relying primarily on physical strength, he was certainly far superior to this temple that charges a silver or two per month.

Unless this temple also taught supernatural skills, he had no need to learn from them.

But then again, if a silver or two could teach extraordinary martial arts, his former self, who loved bizarre tales, would have already spent a year or so learning...

A silver or two wasn’t a small amount.

Currently, the most circulated currency was still the "Mysterious Profound Currency," and a thousand coins were worth one silver.

At that breakfast shop earlier, the piping hot pancakes, tough and made from old flour and about the size of two adult fists, were enough to stuff the stomachs of the dock workers with one or two for breakfast—all for just one coin.

One liter of top-quality rice, around two kilograms, was only about seven or eight coins.

A silver could buy over two hundred kilograms of rice, enough to feed a family of five or six for over a month.

At this moment, Fang Xi looked towards the Martial Ancestor Temple with a hint of wariness: ’Worshipping gods...’

The path to transcendence in this world started with consuming certain substances, practicing extraordinary powers, and then, to delve deeper, it was inevitably linked to these peculiar deities.

Fang Xi, wary of engaging further without a thorough understanding of the details, naturally kept his distance.

He passed by the Martial Ancestor Temple and turned down another street, arriving at an alley.

This alley had a locust tree planted at its mouth, hence it was named Old Locust Alley.

The alley housed about a dozen families; at its deepest part stood a courtyard with six or seven rooms, a patio, and in the backyard, there was a sweet water well—his predecessor’s last heritage.

Fang Xi came to his own gate and pushed it open directly.

Creak!

The door opened.

A burly young man in his twenties or thirties with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a simple expression walked towards Fang Xi. On seeing Fang Xi, he immediately yelled, "A ghost!"

"Ghost, your big head ghost!"

Fang Xi didn’t indulge him, slapping him across the face.

Smack!

The young man immediately fell to the ground, a fresh red handprint on his face.

"Song San, you bastard, burying me in the Chaotic Burial Mound was bad enough, but to use just a straw mat..."

Fang Xi sneered.

This Song San, his ancestors had been servants of the Fang Family, and he stayed even when the family fell into decline, supposedly out of loyalty.

In reality, he took advantage of his former self’s ignorance, swindling him, and secretly emptied what little was left of the family fortune.

This time, he was most likely colluding with those distant relatives, planning to completely strip the estate.

"You..."

Song San tried to struggle, but Fang Xi immediately stepped forward, grabbing his joint and easily twisting it.

Crack! With that, Song San’s limbs were dislocated, and he fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

"Hmph, that’s what you get for betraying your master!"

Fang Xi walked into his home, knowing his way around, and entered a room. There he saw a bookshelf cluttered with various books and many strange objects.

These were collected by his predecessor.

Having an affinity for weird tales and gathering them over many years, even if he was frequently swindled, occasionally there were genuinely valuable items among them.

If not for these items and a legal identity and wealth, Fang Xi wouldn’t have come back.

’There are some risks involved...’

’After all, whoever is behind this managed to lure a monster to kill me once, they could do it again...’

’But if I can find the path to transcendence, there’s nothing to fear.’