Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 1201 - 1055: Qi Refining Knight (Additional Release Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chapter 1201: Chapter 1055: Qi Refining Knight (Additional Release Seeking Monthly Votes)

Night had fallen, deep and oppressive.

Fang Chengdong’s face was even more menacing than the night sky, with Song San trailing behind him.

Song San wore a flattering smile and prattled on, "Many thanks, Master Fang, for escorting me to Qinglu Clinic... That Doctor Xue is known as ’The Divine Needle.’ His bone-setting skills are truly unparalleled."

"When did my stupid little brother become so formidable?" Fang Chengdong suddenly stopped and asked, "You’re saying he subdued you in an instant?"

"Naturally, I never expected him to have learned a bit of martial arts..." Song San couldn’t help but show a hint of fear on his face as he recalled the day’s humiliation.

Seeing this, Fang Chengdong sneered to himself: ’He truly is a coward...’ His face, however, brightened with a hint of a smile as he comforted, "Even if he has learned a bit of martial arts, how could he possibly stand against the water monster? We will find Upper Yin Master again, and that man will surely have no place to be buried."

The two turned into a narrow alley and stopped before a courtyard.

As Song San kept watch, Fang Chengdong went up and knocked on the door.

The door creaked open to reveal an old man in black robes, gaunt-cheeked and pale-faced.

"It’s you two, come in..." The elder’s dead-gray eyes swept over them and he stepped aside to make way.

Upon entering, they were assaulted by the stench of fish.

Fang Chengdong observed the various dried fish hanging in the courtyard and couldn’t help but frown at the sight of the fishing nets.

"Old Yu... you were certain that the man would surely drown."

Unable to hold back, Song San blurted out, "But today, he came back alive!"

Old Yu’s eyes flickered, and then he responded without much expression, "The water envoy of Upper Yin Master would never make a mistake... Enough, follow me."

He led them inside, lifted a plank from the floor, and revealed a hidden passage.

Old Yu entered first, bending down to crawl through.

Fang Chengdong and Song San followed him.

The trio quickly arrived at an underground cellar that was very damp and seemingly connected to an underground stream, with plenty of moss growing along the walls.

At the center of the cellar was an altar, a chaotic heap of black stones topped with a face smeared in bloodstains.

The visage was not human-like but seemed to be screaming, wailing...

With just a glance, Song San and Fang Chengdong found themselves inexplicably wearing mad, twisted smiles.

"Have you arrived?"

Along with the voice, a cloaked figure emerged from the corner.

"Upper Yin Master..."

Old Yu quickly stepped forward and narrated Fang Xi’s affairs.

Upper Yin Master pondered for a moment, then spoke, "...Since that person is still alive, it must be because the water envoy had my command to fake the drowning without leaving injuries... With tied hands, there are always some concerns, which might have prevented a definitive death."

In front of Old Yu, Fang Chengdong and Song San could hold their composure; but, faced with Upper Yin Master, they knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing, "We plead for Upper Yin Master to take action once more!"

"This time, we don’t seek disguise, we want Fang Xi to die at home..." Fang Chengdong’s face twisted with savagery. "He began collecting debts today. It’s either him dead or my demise! Even if he doesn’t die tonight, I will spread the word tomorrow that he has returned from the dead and is no longer human, but a monster! Let everyone burn him or drown him in the pond!"

"Heh heh, true to a scholar, always scheming." Upper Yin Master praised, then said, "However, doing so will surely draw the attention of the Strange-Suppressing Bureau’s agents, which might backfire... Let my water envoy take action instead."

With those words, he moved to surround the altar, contorting his body in a grotesque dance.

Upper Yin Master’s limbs twisted crazily, as he uttered a continuous stream of deep and piercing notes.

The garbled notes merged into a mysterious chant, carrying a mystical power.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Suddenly, a cold wind coursed through the cellar, prompting an involuntary shudder from the three men.

Song San, with keen eyes, glimpsed beneath Upper Yin Master’s occasionally exposed robes, which no longer resembled human form.

At several spots on his arms, pitch-black scales like those of fish appeared, surrounded by tufts of black hair.

He hurriedly covered his mouth to stifle a scream.

Drip, drip! The sound echoed within the now thoroughly soaked cellar.

Whoosh! A faint sound of waves seemed to play.

Shadows on the walls contorted, revealing an extra silhouette.

No! That was not a person, but a monster standing on two legs!

It had a humanlike torso covered in blue-black scales, with copious hair growing out of the gaps in the armor.

The scales seemed to bear intricate, ancient patterns.

Just the sight brought a severe mental shock.

Old Yu knelt fervently, while Fang Chengdong and Song San were left with a dazed gaze.

As for how a water monster appeared in this sealed cellar, it no longer concerned anyone.

It seemed as if everyone assumed the creature could traverse the void at will.

"My water envoy may be weakened away from the water, but it’s more than enough to deal with an ordinary Martial World’s inhabitant who is not a Ninth-rank warrior," said Upper Yin Master, looking at Fang Chengdong with a chilling tone. "But deploying the water envoy requires a blood offering, a rule you’re well aware of..."

"This is natural."

Fang Chengdong took a step back and pushed on Song San’s back with his right hand, "This is the man..."

Song San, in a daze, was seized by the water monster by the arms and couldn’t help but let out a scream of agony.

Then, he saw a gaping maw filled with terrifying fangs, growing larger and larger before his eyes...

...

Old Locust Alley.

The moon sets, and crows caw mournfully.

"The Netherworld..."

Fang Xi was stroking the ’Bone of the Yin Dog’ in his hand, his thoughts shrouded in deep contemplation.

In a trance, he seemed to glimpse the existence of another realm, independent of the present world.

That place was a land of death, but within death, it also fostered a variety of bizarre and uncanny lives.

The Yin Dog was just one of the most inconspicuous among them.

At this moment, with the Bone of the Yin Dog, Fang Xi faintly touched upon the Netherworld.

’The laws of this world are indeed a bit strange... Even ordinary mortals, as long as their Divine Thought is strong enough, may perceive the Netherworld through various mediums...’

’Even... directly link with many dreadful entities.’

Fang Xi’s mind reached far and wide, sweeping through the Netherworld, seeing all manner of strange creatures.

There were Bone Dragons with diamonds growing on their skeletons and footless nether birds...

And even more, were the dim and rotting rivers that flowed through the Netherworld...

’It’s a pity... I can only vaguely perceive it, unable to harness the power of the Netherworld...’

’The power of the Netherworld is the power of the Law...’

Alas, Fang Xi had no cultivation base recently, and could not possibly move the Law.

Even if one entered the ranks, if their rank wasn’t high enough, rashly invoking such high-order power would have grave consequences.

His perception of the Netherworld was due to the special rules of this realm.

’The Netherworld...’

’What kind of powerful existences lurk in its depths?’

Fang Xi’s thoughts delved deeper, and suddenly, he felt as if he was gazing into a pair of dark and gloomy eyes.

Boom!

A terrifying aura erupted.

He immediately closed his eyes, with traces of blood seeping from the corners.

Terrible thoughts surfaced in Fang Xi’s heart, bringing him various pieces of knowledge about the Netherworld, while also tempting him to fall and transform into a creature of the Netherworld.

’Heh... Not even the Heavenly Path could transform me, let alone the mere Netherworld...’

After quite some time, Fang Xi opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

It was just him; any other cultivator might have turned into a Taoist Transformation Monster by now!

Indeed, in Fang Xi’s view, this kind of assimilation was virtually identical to the transformation of Immortal Cultivators.

However, he rubbed his brows and recalled the knowledge gained from the contamination, pondering thoughtfully:

"An Outside Entity? They greedily covet this world but find it difficult to enter in their true form... yet their tendrils reach everywhere..."

"The invasion of power from an Outside Evil God causes endless rumors of strange creatures in this world..."

"That being is an Evil God of the Netherworld. I didn’t even draw Its attention, just came into contact with a thought formed from a wisp of Its aura... and it was already this serious."

"If I were to meet Its true form, I wonder what rank the entity would be? An Immortal? Or a Prime Taoist Master?"

"The Yin Monarch?"

Thinking of the information accompanying the contamination, Fang Xi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

"Worshipping gods... I see, such higher-dimensional beings, merely witnessing their true form can leave a frightful impact on weaker beings... If used properly, this influence can indeed cause rapid progress in strength, but the cost is steep... one might even stop being human."

He thought about it and gripped the Bone of the Yin Dog in his hand.

"Cultivators of this world must choose a path to follow, then struggle continuously against the influence of the Evil God..."

"But I am different, worshiping gods is not as good as worshiping oneself!"

Fang Xi mused, "By analogy, my true self may also be an Outside Entity like the Yin Monarch, or even more powerful..."

"Their power can permeate this realm, manifesting in a unique form, and the power of Immortal Cultivators can do the same!"

Light flashed continuously in Fang Xi’s eyes as he prepared to use his knowledge of the world’s truths—garnered even from the Netherworld—to analyze the possibilities of Cultivation in this realm.

’In this world, where there is no spiritual energy, Cultivation involves ’foreign powers’, and one must also consume Secret Medicine to step into Qi Refining... I need to compose a Secret Medicine suitable for Immortal Cultivators to achieve Ninth-rank Qi Refining Knight...’

’Of course, by doing this randomly, even with my own foundation and insight from the Netherworld, I might still derive a dead-end path, unable to progress beyond the eighth, seventh, or even the sixth and fifth ranks...’

After all, Fang Xi had only recently arrived in this world, and the original design at the beginning might have taken a wrong turn.

But it didn’t matter to him, as long as the initial ranks were mostly correct. When it would be time to wield the power of the Law, such ranks would become irrelevant.

Fang Xi immediately began to use his own foundation to deduce the Secret Medicine he needed.

’Ninth-rank Qi Refining Knight, still the old method, based on the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth or Earth-Fire Wind-Water... It might be common, but at least the foundation is solid and foolproof.’

’As for other main and auxiliary materials... I still know too little about the spirit materials of this world.’

Fang Xi touched the Bone of the Yin Dog in his hand with a sense of loss: "Or, take this bone as the main material, along with one kind of Yang-attributed spirit material, using Yin-Yang as the basis, which is also the Tao..."

After all, he was a high-order alchemist, and deducing these things was almost like creating a new first or second-rank Pill Recipe, presenting little difficulty.

Just then, Fang Xi’s expression shifted as he looked towards the courtyard.

Drip-drop! Drip-drop!

The sound of water echoed, and in the courtyard’s Sweetwater Well, an arm covered in scales and black fur suddenly rested on the well’s edge!