Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 367 - 365: Returning to the Island (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance)_1

Chapter 367: Chapter 365: Returning to the Island (Congratulations to the Silver Alliance)_1

North of Yu County in Yue Country.

Above the vast fog and waves of Thousand Island Lake, everything remained unchanged.

Dragon Fish Island.

In the great hall of Evergreen Pavilion, where matters were discussed.

An Escape Light descended, its glow slowly retracting to reveal the person who came.

Clad in a sky-blue robe embroidered with copper coins, his face shining with the gleam of oil, he looked like a prosperous merchant from among the common folks—it was none other than Hai Danaiu.

He took two steps forward, looking at Zhong Hongyu who stood at the head of the assembly, "Young Island Master... Could it be true, the news that the old master has really returned?"

With her appearance unchanged thanks to the frequent consumption of Wrinkle-Resisting Pills, Zhong Hongyu seemed much more composed, merely closing her eyes to rest her spirit, "Not everyone has arrived yet; let’s wait a little longer..."

A moment later, another golden Escape Light descended, revealing a person of middle age, carrying a long sword on his back, and with a trace of evil qi on his face—it was Taishu Hong!

This genius, once possessing a top-grade Jin Ling Spiritual Root, had now reached the culmination of the Foundation Establishment stage, even surpassing Zhong Hongyu, who was in the later phase of the same stage.

After all, Zhong Hongyu only had a mid-grade Spiritual Root, and even if it were a Void Spirit Root, her cultivation was somewhat incompatible.

"Young Island Master..."

Taishu Hong greeted her with a calm bow, "I’ve heard that the Island Master has returned?"

"Indeed... the news came from Mysterious Heaven Sect; it can’t be wrong," Zhong Hongyu opened her eyes, her gaze at Taishu Hong carrying a trace of complexity.

"Since it is so, why don’t we go to the Mysterious Heaven Sect to pay our respects?"

The gaze of Taishu Hong was sharp as lightning, pressuring, much like the sword techniques he cultivated.

"Sir Taishu... the Young Island Master has her own considerations, doesn’t she?"

Hai Danaiu hastily interjected to smooth things over, turning his eyes to Zhong Hongyu.

"Because along with the news from Mysterious Heaven Sect, there was also an order from the young master... he instructed us to just wait... How swift is the traveling speed of a Core Formation ancestor? Heading to Mysterious Heaven Sect by ourselves, we might just cause trouble!"

Zhong Hongyu slowly explained.

"If that’s the case, it seems the Island Master will return soon, so there’s no need to go back. We will just wait here," Taishu Hong said with a slight smile, found a seat on a meditation cushion, and simply sat down cross-legged, silently cultivating his technique.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, sitting in silence for several days was not an issue at all.

Zhong Hongyu and Hai Danaiu exchanged glances and couldn’t help but shake their heads, feeling helpless.

...

After three days.

A streak of azure light approached the skies above Dragon Fish Island, revealing the grandeur of a Dragon and Phoenix Carriage.

The Profound Wood Formation appeared as fragile as foam, completely incapable of stopping even a bit, allowing the carriage to directly enter the island and arrive at Evergreen Pavilion.

"Dragon Phoenix Carriage, the Island Master has arrived!"

Taishu Hong transformed into a beam of golden light, flying out of the Evergreen Pavilion first to bow in midair, "Greetings, Island Master!"

Zhong Hongyu and Hai Danaiu, a step behind, followed with some awkwardness, arriving next to Taishu Hong to pay their respectful tribute, "Greetings, Island Master!"

The carriage remained silent.

After a long while, a Divine Consciousness Transmission resounded by the ears of the three, "Come to the graveyard!"

In the Peach Blossom Forest near the Evergreen Pavilion, there were several graves.

By the time Zhong Hongyu and the others arrived, they saw a lithesome youth standing in front of a green rock tombstone, his appearance no different from before, though his face bore a trace of a sigh.

"Young Master... You’ve finally returned!"

Zhong Hongyu’s eyes were slightly red.

"Enough..."

Fang Xi looked at the gravestone, reading the words ’Grave of Yuan Feihong,’ and felt somewhat rueful, "How did Yuan Feihong pass away?"

"Mr. Hong... No, Yuan Feihong died a peaceful death in meditation."

Zhong Hongyu hurriedly answered.

Previously, Yuan Feihong had come to Dragon Fish Island to avoid misfortune, adopting the name Mr. Hong, but there was certainly no one left to call him to account now.

"I see..."

Fang Xi calculated with his fingers, realizing he was now 267 years old. Those of his generation who had not achieved Core Formation, if they were still at the Foundation Establishment, could easily meet a predictable end.

He looked at the gravestone reading the names of several people, some familiar, some not, and could not help but feel that time passed too swiftly.

"What’s the situation in Thousand Island Lake? Has she... sent any letters back?"

After a simple offering at the grave, Fang Xi turned to ask.

"There has been no news from Elder Ruan on Maple Leaf Island... Before Elder Ruan left, she appointed ’Ruan Xiuxiu’ of the Ruan Family as the successor, and now she has successfully established her foundation, becoming the master of Maple Leaf Island..."

"Liu Sanqi from Golden Turtle Island passed away in meditation. He had no disciples, leading to great chaos, and Golden Turtle Island was taken over by our Dragon Fish Island..."

"Yan Dongqing, the head of the Yan Family of Ling Kong Island, perished unfortunately while exploring ancient cultivator ruins with others... Now, the Yan Family no longer has any Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they still control Ling Kong Island..."

"The Ghost Cultivator of Jade Island, for some reason, has been very well-behaved these past decades, seldom venturing outside..."

Zhong Hongyu quickly recounted the changes that had occurred over nearly a hundred years at Thousand Island Lake.

"Ah... old friends are half gone." Fang Xi sighed deeply.

As for the Ghost Cultivator of Jade Island? Put simply, after two Core Formation cultivators were eliminated, it was natural to become much more well-behaved.

He returned to the Evergreen Pavilion and found its arrangement hardly changed, particularly his closed-door cultivation room and Dongfu, which clearly had been unoccupied for a long time, yet the outside was immaculately maintained.

"You’ve done well, very considerate of you."

Fang Xi encouraged Zhong Hongyu with a few words, then dismissed the three Foundation Establishment cultivators and made arrangements for the Dragon Phoenix Carriage and the Green Fire Luan.

Daqing returned home in resplendent glory, excited as can be, letting out a howl before flying back to the fish farm to bully his own subordinates.

The Green Fire Luan let out a disdainful cry and flew off the island to find some fun on its own.

With the Soul Pact in hand, Fang Xi wasn’t worried about it escaping his control.

The night wind was cold and brisk.

Fang Xi climbed to the top floor of the Evergreen Pavilion alone, gazing at the stars in the sky and the peach forest not too far away.

Pop!

He took out a green-skinned gourd, unplugged the stopper, and poured a gulp of Spirit Wine into his mouth.

The wine was Green Bamboo Wine, and it was second-tier.

This wine had a tart aftertaste, yet it also had a unique flavor...

"Finally... I have returned."

...

Maple Leaf Island.

"Island Master... the old Island Master of Dragon Fish Island has returned," a Qi Refining servant girl respectfully informed Ruan Xiuxiu.

Ruan Xiuxiu was still as before, likely due to taking Wrinkle-Resisting Pills, but now she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, exuding an air of authority.

"Family Head... If you knew that the Master of Dragon Fish Island has returned, and even became the number one cultivator among the three countries, you would be happy, right?" Ruan Xiuxiu murmured before giving her orders, "Prepare a generous gift, I will personally go to Dragon Fish Island to pay my respects to Senior Fang!"

The same scenario occurred throughout Thousand Island Lake and even in the nearby schools.

Those Foundation Establishment cultivators, however, did not have the standing to visit personally; they were elated just to have someone deliver gifts to Dragon Fish Island’s service gate and relay a message.

Ling Kong Island.

Within the Yan Family’s cemetery.

Rows of tombstones stood tall, with evergreen trees planted all around, lush and green, creating an atmosphere of solemn reverence.

The old Family Head of the Yan led several Yan descendants, walking from one grave to the next, pointing at the names on the tombstones.

"This one... belongs to Old Ancestor Wu Xu..."

"Our Yan Family was once just a Qi Refining family, it was only after Old Ancestor Wu Xu successfully achieved Foundation Establishment that we became one of Yue Country’s notable cultivator families..."

"This one... belongs to Ancestor Dong Qing... After Old Ancestor Wu Xu passed, the family was in decline, it was Ancestor Dong Qing who turned the tide, plotted for the family, and after taking advantage of the ruins on Jade Island, successfully opened the Ling Kong Island market to earn a vast number of resources for the family. He also succeeded in Foundation Establishment and became the reviver..."

The old Family Head of Yan, leaning on a walking stick, gasping for breath, introduced each one in turn.

Among the many graves, naturally, those belonging to the two Foundation Establishment ancestors were the most extravagant and imposing.

But not far off there were two graves only slightly less prominent than those of the Foundation Establishment ancestors, yet still surpassing those of past Family Heads.

"This one... is Ancestor Hongxiu’s..."

The Family Head of Yan pointed at a tombstone: "Back then, our Yan Family had lost a Foundation Establishment ancestor and was in turmoil... it was all thanks to Ancestor Hongxiu being favored and chosen to serve in the Evergreen Pavilion that we could endure until the day Ancestor Dong Qing succeeded in Foundation Establishment."

"This one... is Grandmother Yan Ying’s... Unfortunately, after her, our Yan Family’s relations with Dragon Fish Island were severed..."

The old ancestor of the Yan Family turned to face the Yan descendants.

At this moment, they realized that those following him were all young ladies, and their appearances somewhat resembled Yan Hongxiu and Yan Ying.

Clearly, these girls had been specially selected.

"During this visit to meet the Master of Dragon Fish Island, you must show your very best selves... If the old ancestor favors you and selects you to serve as a maid in the Evergreen Pavilion, it will be a tremendous fortune. The rise and fall of our family will be in your hands," the old ancestor of the Yan said, solemnly addressing the girls.

The old ancestor threw down his walking stick and bowed solemnly to the young ladies.

"Family Head, rest assured, we will succeed," the lead young lady said, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes, bright as stars, filled with determination.

...

Of course, Fang Xi was unaware that his arrival had already caused undercurrents throughout Thousand Island Lake.

But even if he had guessed, he simply wouldn’t have cared.

After a few days of minor adjustments, he came to a clearing and let Taisui out.

He had obtained a third-tier Beast Taming inheritance from Mysterious Heaven Sect. Though it was quite ordinary, it contained several unique secret skills and Pill Recipes for nurturing Spiritual Beasts.

As Mysterious Heaven Sect had been in decline, the Jia Dan cultivator Zhang Zhusheng could not acquire much in the way of resources, and wasn’t able to cultivate even a single third-tier Monster Beast.

This, of course, was not an issue for Fang Xi.

Before returning to the three countries, he had considered this and purchased a considerable amount of unique cultivation resources from Yuan Country.

Together with the Spirit Medicines he had obtained from Yiling Valley, gathering enough ingredients to concoct a few batches of pills mentioned in the secret techniques that could significantly aid Monster Beasts in advancing wasn’t much of a problem.

Meanwhile, Fang Xi flipped his hand and opened a box, revealing four Demon Pills inside.

One of them, glowing with speckles of light, was a gift from Old Yan, while three came from the three Monster Kings.

He directly took out one wood-attributed Demon Pill, a look of contemplation on his face: "Using a mid-grade, third-tier wood-attributed Demon Pill to concoct pills... the effects would definitely be stronger than just swallowing it raw... I wonder if Taisui could break through with this?"

"If it still can’t, then I’ll just feed it all three Demon Pills at once; that should be enough... After all, it has already devoured many Demon Pills and various kinds of pills before," Fang Xi sighed, feeling this was retribution for previously cutting off too much of Taisui’s flesh.

But for the sake of the ’Crossing Extinction Pill,’ there was simply no other way...