Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 185 - 184: Rumors (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance!)_1

Chapter 185: Chapter 184: Rumors (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance!)_1

Whoosh!

The Green Barley Sword transformed into a stream of light, piercing through the vital point of the second Thunder Horn Python.

Thud!

The enormous python corpse slammed heavily onto the ground, almost causing a small earthquake around it.

Even so, the already dead snake’s body continued to twitch, retaining a strong life force.

"Thank you, Fang, for your assistance!"

Prime Taoist Huangsha straightened his disheveled robes, gave Fang Xi a solemn bow in gratitude, and said with some surprise and uncertainty, "Could it be that you’ve already broken through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage?"

Otherwise, how could he have so easily slain two Grade 2 mid-tier Thunder Horn Pythons?

"Haha, I am of course still lingering in the early stage... All credit goes to the two of you, anyway. These two Thunder Horn Pythons had already been battered to the brink of exhaustion after fighting against you; I merely picked up an advantage from the side..."

"Moreover, monster beasts of the same rank often fall short when compared to us Immortal Cultivators."

Fang Xi waved his hand dismissively, his expression as calm as a gentle breeze amidst serene clouds.

"No way, no way..." Prime Taoist Huangsha didn’t believe it for a second, his face brimming with a smile, "The slaying of these two Thunder Horn Pythons was solely Fang’s doing. I, Huangsha, will not take a single cent from the monster materials..."

’Not bad, the old man knows how to deal with people.’

Fang Xi neither agreed nor disagreed, scanning with his Divine Consciousness, and after confirming that these two Thunder Horn Pythons had not cultivated a Demon Pill, he lost interest.

Of course, he wasn’t particularly concerned about Prime Taoist Huangsha, the ugly ghost.

"Fairy Ruan, how is the situation on the city wall? Are you injured?"

"I am fine. Master Bai Feng suffered a sneak attack, but he responded appropriately, and his injuries may not be serious. Master Ouyang managed to muster a fraction of the power from the ’Kui Cattle Drum,’ a Grade 3 magical artifact, to plug the breach in the wall, so that shouldn’t be a problem..."

Ruan Xingling responded gracefully, maintaining her composure before others.

Prime Taoist Huangsha glanced at Ruan Xingling, then back at Fang Xi, and fell silent.

Ever since Fairy Taoling became famous, she had numerous admirers and suitors, but she was always indifferent to all of them.

Her current affable demeanor made many things clear.

But considering the sword strike from Fang Xi just now, Prime Taoist Huangsha felt that no matter how those admirers competed, they were likely doomed to fail miserably.

"Oh? Is it really so?"

Fang Xi looked towards the ravaged southern quarter of the city and sighed sentimentally, "My properties are still there..."

Dumbstruck, Ruan Xingling thought about the location of the Pill Tool Pavilion, certainly not far from here, and was at a loss for words.

...

With Ouyang Zhen’s outburst, the Fairy City was ultimately defended for the day.

At nightfall, the outer southern district was a sorry sight, with the occasional appearance of Grade 1 monster beasts causing the Cultivators tasked with enforcement to run off their feet.

Individual Cultivators suffered heavy casualties, some perishing at the hands of monster beasts, others in the chaos—after all, once the Fairy City fell into disorder, the normally obedient Individual Cultivators could transform into cultivation-robbers at any moment!

If Prime Taoist Huangsha had not been guarding his own shop, it would have certainly been looted clean!

The corpses of Cultivators were gathered, covering half the square with a layer of white cloth, beneath which blood continued to seep and drip.

Within the surviving households, cries of grief could be heard everywhere.

The outer city’s enforcement crews were busy hunting monster beasts and cultivation-robbers, while Array Masters were occupied with repairing the walls.

Inside the Inner City, however, it was quite calm.

Peach Blossom Pavilion.

"Today’s events truly terrified me..."

Jin Ling spoke of the day’s events, still visibly shaken, "I’ve lived in the Fairy City for so many years, never having seen the walls breached... Thankfully, the Inner City remained relatively safe today, and following Senior Ruan Dan’s emergence from seclusion, deterring the criminal elements... Yi Xi and I were unharmed."

Given the scale of the incident, Ruan Dan had no choice but to end her retreat prematurely.

With her presence, Fang Xi’s prepared contingency—the Azure Horn Fish Dragon—remained unused, continuing to pretend death in the pond.

In the Peach Blossom Pavilion, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators convened, their expressions grave.

"The Fairy City’s Grade 3 Great Array is still quite strong; it was only because of the continual assault by a large number of monster beasts and some excessive depletion of Spiritual Power that the Grade 3 Monster King found an opportunity to destroy a section of the wall. Yet a majority of its power remains intact, deterring the Monster King from rashly entering... Once the Array Masters have completed their repairs, there shouldn’t be any significant issues moving forward."

Ruan Xingling offered her cautious opinion.

"The biggest issues now are the condition of Master Bai Feng—if he’s injured and how serious it is... and exactly how many Grade 3 Monster Kings are lurking in the outskirts..."

Fang Xi sipped his Green Bamboo Wine, contemplating the underlying bitterness, "And... if the battle turns against us and White Peak Mountain forcibly conscripts all Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Ruan Dan, how will you manage?"

Ruan Xingling had already gone to the walls to battle, while Fang Xi was a rear support Cultivator.

The one who really needed to ponder that question was Ruan Dan.

"Naturally, I will join my master in battle against the monster beasts!"

Ruan Dan replied with unwavering determination.

"Hmm..."

Fang Xi noncommittally sensed a disturbance in the Array and discovered that someone had come to his Dongfu.

He deactivated the Array to see a lithe female Cultivator walk in, bowing to him, "Senior Fang, sob sob sob... my husband... he fell in battle..."

"What? Luo has actually..."

Fang Xi recognized the woman as Luo Gong’s twenty-seventh concubine; he had even attended their wedding feast once.

But with so many Cultivators fallen that day, he hadn’t expected Luo Gong, a mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator, to be among them!

"Tell me the details!"

Ruan Xingling spoke up from the side.

"Yes... I only heard it from others. Today my husband showcased godly bravery atop the city walls, acting a little too recklessly. By the time the walls were breached... he found himself surrounded by several Grade 2 monster beasts and, in the end... no part of him remained..."

The concubine cried tearfully, "With my husband gone, many of his other wives directly packed up his inheritance and fled... I took it upon myself to set up a mourning hall on account of our past relationship, to ask the esteemed seniors to preside over a just resolution..."

"Alas..."

After a long while, Fang Xi let out a deep sigh, feeling the Green Bamboo Wine in his mouth grow even more bitter, "Luo was a man of dignity in life... I naturally ought to pay my respects, but as for upholding justice? That’s a matter for the White Peak Mountain, no need to involve me."

Luo Gong had excellent qualifications and had achieved Foundation Establishment on his own, with a vast future ahead.

Perhaps... there was even a glimmer of hope for Golden Core in the future!

But now, a dead genius is no longer a genius.

’Constantly pushing forward bravely and diligently is not the way...’

Fang Xi silently warned himself, ’Succeeding in risking one’s life once or twice doesn’t mean there will be a third time. Continuing to gamble like this, one is bound to lose everything eventually!’

’Even... "When a tree stands out in the woods, the wind will destroy it"...’

’This person, in his fifties or sixties, had already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Even if not speaking of Core Formation, there would surely be no issue advancing to the late stages of Foundation Establishment... In the Fairy City, how much envy and jealousy would that attract?’

’His death today may not be without its hidden schemes...’

After sending away the little concubine, Ruan Xingling and Ruan Dan looked at each other, at a loss for words.

"This Predecessor Luo, I have also heard of his great name. Back in the day, he was brave and diligent, with magic power above his peers..."

Before, Ruan Dan was full of ambition, but now he finally calmed down, "Even the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment is like this... I have just entered Foundation Establishment..."

"That’s the danger of war and fighting. That’s why I have always disliked strife, because once you enter the fray, there is a chance of losing!"

Fang Xi sighed again, poured out another cup of Green Bamboo Wine onto the ground, commemorating his old friend.

Objectively speaking, although Luo Gong was a bit too showy, he was still a good Sir.

At least with the several tasks he was entrusted with, he did them with all his heart and effort.

And previously, he had even tried to secure for me the opportunity to refine Foundation Establishment Pills...

"Pity, sorrow, lamentation... With death in a single morning, the Taoist path turns to nothing..."

...

In the following days, rumors abounded in Baize Immortal City.

Most of them were not good news.

For instance, ’Master Bai Feng and two Monster Kings were all severely injured’ or ’Baize Immortal City is short of troops, and will forcibly conscript all Individual Cultivators’, and so on.

The most outrageous rumor was that ’Master Bai Feng has passed away in meditation, and the lineage of the White Peak Mountain is preparing to abandon the city and flee’!

In short, the streets were filled with a sense of panic, and the shops of various large businesses were all closed up tight, giving off the impression that a great calamity was imminent.

"Even a Fairy City can have such a day, eh?"

After going with Fang Xi to pay tribute at Luo Gong’s memorial hall, Ruan Xingling recalled the scene of the remaining concubines fighting and being competitive amidst their grief, and upon seeing the battered state around, couldn’t help but feel contemplative.

"Although Predecessor Luo loved beautiful women, he left no children behind, for he was entirely focused on the Taoist path. He used secret skills to lock his Yuan Yang and that’s why his cultivation was able to progress leaps and bounds. Now that he is gone... even if I want to help, I don’t know who would be right to assist..."

"Is there truly anything in this world that lasts forever and never perishes?"

Fang Xi also seemed to be full of contemplation.

Ruan Xingling cast a subtle glance at Fang Xi and felt that he was not much different from Luo Gong...

Upon returning to the Peach Blossom Pavilion, they discovered someone was still waiting at the door.

"Dongmen Ying pays respect to the two Seniors!"

The man turned out to be Dongmen Ying, but he looked haggard, with bloodshot eyes.

"It’s you. What brings you here today?"

Ruan Xingling asked curiously, "Surely it hasn’t been ten years since the lease?"

"Not to conceal from the two Seniors, my Dongmen Family suffered heavy losses during the recent calamity in the south of the city..."

Although Dongmen Ying looked worn, his Cultivation had clearly reached the peak of Qi Refining, "After much thought, I’ve decided to enter seclusion for Foundation Establishment... I am still lacking a large amount of Spirit Stones to purchase military exploits..."

Although Baize Immortal City had issued strict orders, privately trading military exploits was something impossible to curb.

"Oh? You want to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Fang Xi looked interestedly at Dongmen Ying.

"Indeed... Fairy Taoling is renowned; if she is willing to lend three thousand good deeds, I’m prepared to exchange with the deed to the shop!"

Dongmen Ying expressed his determination.

"The deed in exchange for military exploits?" Ruan Xingling was somewhat surprised.

That’s like selling the hen that lays golden eggs for cash, seeming quite a loss.

But she quickly realized why.

The Pill Tool Pavilion was also located in the southern part of the city and had been affected by the recent monster surge. Coupled with the sense of panic, its value had plummeted.

Moreover, Dongmen Ying was a man of ambition. For his own Foundation Establishment, the sacrifice of his family’s future earnings was not impossible.

"Three thousand good deeds is indeed too much..."

Ruan Xingling was actually tempted and began to bargain.

"How about two thousand five hundred?" Dongmen Ying hesitated for a moment, then actually conceded.

Seeing this, Fang Xi’s eyes flashed with a keen light, "Three thousand good deeds then, but you must swear an oath and tell us the truth. Otherwise, interference from the Heart Demon during Foundation Establishment will surely lead to failure!"

"What?"

Dongmen Ying was startled, "Why should I need to swear an oath on the Heart Demon? What truth?"

Watching this unfold, Ruan Xingling felt a chill in her heart as well.

"Your reaction has already explained a lot of things, perhaps by tomorrow, all this talk of military exploits and deeds will be nothing but worthless paper..."

Fang Xi appeared completely unperturbed, "Tell us everything you know now, and we can proceed smoothly with the deal, isn’t that beneficial for both? We can assure you, we will absolutely not leak a word of this matter!"

Compared to them, two external Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the Dongmen Family was deeply rooted in Baize Immortal City. Perhaps they had access to more insider information, with secret connections that could lead to important news from the upper echelons!