Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 456 - 454: A Sword Comes from the South (Celebration for the alliance leader’s diligence in reading)"_1

Chapter 456: Chapter 454: A Sword Comes from the South (Celebration for the alliance leader’s diligence in reading)"_1

"The Conversion Array must contain ’Sky Demon Qi’!"

Fang Xi’s eyes sparkled.

Currently, heretical Nascent Soul cultivators are still laboriously conducting tests with ’Demon Qi’, at most producing some results and gaining some fame.

But there’s a vast distance from the ’Heavenly-Earth Primordial Energy Particle Map’.

After all, compared to Sky Demon Qi, ordinary Demon Qi is like the difference between charcoal and diamonds!

If he could obtain even a strand, the research in The Nine States would surely make a breakthrough.

By then... he could also benefit from it, and perhaps he wouldn’t even need the ’Eternal Green Body’ to achieve Transcendent God status!

"This war is indeed unavoidable. To think I just wanted to plant trees and raise fish... How did it come to this..." Fang Xi said with emotion: "This must be the significance of the existence of the ’Green Barley Sword’, right?"

He got up and walked to the base of the Ancestral Demon Tree.

Shasha!

The Ancestral Demon Tree, having experienced the lightning tribulation, grew more lush and luxuriant.

Over the emerald green leaves that resembled jade, there were patterns studded with gold and silver, looking extremely mysterious.

"I have to bring the old buddy along for the journey this time," Fang Xi murmured, stroking the bark of the Ancestral Demon Tree.

After that, he released Hei Wei.

Tendrils of Qi Roots fell down and wrapped around Hei Wei, hoisting him straight into the canopy.

Huala la!

Countless tendrils and Qi Roots, like the most intricate mechanical arms, began to modify this Four-stage Demon into a wooden Puppet.

Regardless of how powerful its flesh was, resistant to magical weapons, it was no match for the Qi Root tendrils...

Fang Xi, now at the peak of the third rank as a Puppet Master, combined with the knowledge gained from The Nine States, found crafting wooden Puppets to be a breeze.

It was even smoother and more fluid than when he last crafted one for the Five Elements Qilin Tribe...

"But this Monster Bird doesn’t seem to be as good as that Green Horned Demon Beast... after all, the other awoke the Kirin Blood... it is royalty among Demon Beasts, while this Iron Wing Eagle only has a middling bloodline... Of course, no matter what, it’s still better than the Land Mountain Turtle by a bit..."

Time passed indiscernibly.

Eventually...

A massive black eagle Puppet with widespread wings and a ferocious appearance was slowly lowered by the Demon Tree.

After examining the Iron Wing Eagle, Fang Xi made some minor modifications, then installed its original Demon Pill...

Boom!

A Four-stage Demon Qi soared into the sky!

"Transform!"

Fang Xi made a hand gesture, and the Iron Wing Eagle was enveloped in Azure radiance. When the light faded, it transformed into a human figure.

There were no wings on its back, and its hooked beak-like features had also vanished...

After all, he didn’t want to attract too much hostility on the battlefield.

And turning the Monster Clan into Puppets would undoubtedly provoke even more animosity...

"With this..."

Fang Xi looked at the Puppet and suddenly reached into his Storage Ring.

Accompanied by a flash of silver light, two Puppets appeared.

One had Green Horn Silver Arm, a cold complexion, and hideous stitches on its body.

The other had an eagle’s head and a human body, with one arm resembling a bird’s claw.

"Three Fourth-stage Puppets, combined with those Core Formation Puppets... Even a mid-Nascent Soul Stage cultivator would have to flee upon encountering them... That’s the power of a Puppet Master!"

Fang Xi made a hand gesture, activated the ’Thousand Changes’ Secret Skill, and a thought from his Divine Consciousness emerged, sinking into the wooden Puppet.

After finishing the Puppet, he turned around to see the Demon Tree starting to shrink...

Since breaking through to the Fourth-stage, although it couldn’t transform into a human yet, the Ancestral Demon Tree could still change its size at will with some Divine Skills.

"Mountain Sea Pearl... open!"

The Tattoo of the Mountain Sea Pearl on Fang Xi’s hand shone, morphing into a blue pearl that opened a door.

The Ancestral Demon Tree burrowed inside and swiftly expanded and took root...

Right after that, Fang Xi’s ’Longevity Skills’ seemed to encounter some stagnation.

"The spiritual energy in the Mountain Sea Pearl’s Dongfu can’t compare to the Fourth-stage energy on Jade Island..."

"Fortunately, my ’Longevity Skills’ haven’t been interrupted..."

Ever since he noticed changes in his ’Yi Wood Magic Body’, Fang Xi maintained his ’Longevity Skills’, though so far, there hadn’t been any results...

In fact, Fang Xi always felt that the Ancestral Demon Tree might just be his most formidable subordinate!

If it really came down to a fight, probably creatures like the Land Mountain Turtle, Xiao Qing, and those Fourth-stage Puppets... wouldn’t stand a chance against it!

Wuwu!

After losing the Ancestral Demon Tree, the crack where the Underworld Earth Vein was located reappeared.

But this time, with the ’Five Elements Prohibition’ Fang Xi set up before, those streams of Yin Qi from the Earth Vein were very obedient and didn’t assault the seal.

At the same time, the entire Jade Island trembled, and the Fourth-stage ’Nine Nether Profound Wood Array’ began to degrade into a peak Third-stage ’Profound Wood Formation’!

"There’s a lot of my possessions on this island... Not to mention the batch of Spirit Medicine and fertile soil transplanted to the Evergreen Hall, there’s also the ten thousand acres of Spiritual Fields, as well as the cultivated Blue Water Winged Snakes and Wind Thunder Horned Pythons..."

"It seems I should leave the Land Mountain Turtle behind... With its Fourth-stage strength, it should be able to handle any troubles."

Fang Xi was prepared to bring both Daqing and Xiao Qing with him.

It wasn’t for the grandeur of a Dragon and Phoenix Carriage, but the words of Gui Shan had stirred something in his heart.

Could this third-tier Green Fire Luan that was Xiao Qing be used as bait to ambush the Heavenly Phoenix Clan?

After all, given its bloodline talent and the awakening of the Azure Luan fire, its excellence was truly unparalleled.

Unfortunately, when Fang Xi had subdued this Spirit Bird, he had already refined his Heterodox Nascent Soul. Though the Azure Luan fire was wondrous, he had not made much use of it.

Unless... once the Green Fire Luan advanced to the fourth tier, the power of the Azure Luan Spiritual Flame would surely surge dramatically!

By then, Xiao Qing, even in the Nascent Soul Stage, would likely be invincible with this Spiritual Flame alone.

...

Several days later.

Gong Ling and Feng Bingxian bid farewell and departed, both expressing their willingness, as leaders of the Three Kingdoms League, to relocate their Sects into the three countries and join the big family of the League.

Fang Xi treated them equally, allotting two territories in the Martial Kingdom, treating Feng Bingxian and Gong Ling with the same courtesy.

Before long, a luxurious carriage pulled by a Dragon and Phoenix entered the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.

"Your servant pays respect to the master!"

Within the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, a streak of light flew in respectfully and knelt down—it was Gui Shan!

Today, for some reason, the old creature had become much more deferential.

Could it be because he witnessed how Fang Xi had dealt with the Iron Wing Eagle, a creature even stronger than himself, as easily as slicing vegetables?

Even Gui Shan reckoned that he was no match for Hei Wei, and once the latter employed his flight technique, he wouldn’t even be able to run away.

Yet such a Transformed Great Demon was just slain by Dragon Fish Island’s Lord Master...

A sense of awe grew in the old creature’s heart, practically regarding Fang Xi as a senior cultivator at the late Nascent Soul Stage.

"Hmm, I am going to visit Jiang Country... during this time, I’ll leave Jade Island in your care," Fang Xi said, patting Gui Shan’s shoulder with a friendly tone.

"Please rest assured, master, your servant will protect Jade Island at the cost of his life if necessary!"

Gui Shan immediately thumped his chest in assurance.

"Not bad, not bad..." Fang Xi said with a face full of praise, yet inside he thought cynically, ’I’ll believe that when I see it... If the enemy isn’t strong, you’ll surely step in when necessary, but if the enemy’s too powerful... you old turtle will surely prioritize your own life... but never mind.’

If Jade Island encountered an enemy during his absence that even Gui Shan could not handle, Fang Xi could only chalk it up to bad luck...

At most, he would exact revenge for his subordinates by annihilating the foe in the future...

...

Yuan Country.

Dozens of ’Wind Chasing Falcons’ were wreaking havoc in the sky, occasionally swooping down to peck at a group of cultivators attempting to escape.

Among these cultivators, there were those who split up to flee.

But whenever this happened, a Wind Chasing Falcon would swiftly descend and kill them thoroughly.

The surviving cultivators were plainly aware that they were being toyed with by the Monster Beasts, as this flock of Wind Chasing Falcons were all third-tier Monster Beasts with quite some intelligence.

Despite this, they could only huddle together and flee under the birds’ direction.

Or rather... be herded!

"Damn those Wind Chasing Falcons, I’m going to fight them!"

Within the group of cultivators on the ground, upon seeing several fellow stragglers pecked to death by a Wind Chasing Falcon, a young Foundation Establishment cultivator could no longer endure and reached into his chest.

In his chest was a ’talisman treasure’!

This was his family’s ancestral trump card, which, if it caught the falcons off guard... could at least severely injure one!

"Wait!"

A senior cultivator beside him grabbed his hand tightly, "Don’t be impulsive..."

"But... these Monster Birds are just toying with us!"

The young Foundation Establishment cultivator’s eyes were bloodshot, "My Taoist Companion, my younger brother... they’re all dead..."

"Haha, who can’t be desperate? The key is to do it when it’s worth it."

The senior cultivator opened his robes to reveal a string of Thunder Pearls, "I’ve been a Monster Hunter for a while and am familiar with the habits of various Monster Beasts. The behavior of these Wind Chasing Falcons is very abnormal... It’s obviously about driving us, and I theorize they’re either taking us to the nest of young birds, or feeding us to a bird king that’s about to advance... Our flesh and blood, rich in spiritual energy, truly is a supreme delicacy for Monster Beasts."

"Why don’t they just kill us, then?" asked the young man, puzzled.

"That must be the perverse taste of the Monster Birds... Anyway, when we get to the nest, bring out whatever trump card you have!"

The senior cultivator’s face grew grim, "Ideally, kill the eggs and young birds, give them a taste of cutting off their lineage..."

The line of cultivators, continuously being driven, arrived in front of a cliff dyed green.

On the cliff, there were indeed huge nests.

"This isn’t right... there’s no sound of nestlings, oh no..."

The Senior cultivator smiled bitterly, "This place should be home to a bird king on the verge of advancement, needing us for nourishment..."

With the means they had, a desperate strike might kill some nestlings, but dreaming of injuring a third-tier peak Monster Bird was quite another matter.

Screech!

The Wind Chasing Falcons circled in the sky as an enormous wing shattered half of the cliffside, extending directly from the mountain.

The overwhelming third-tier peak Demon Qi began to suffocate the group of cultivators.

Just then, amidst heaven and earth, another extremely clear sound of a sword’s cry rang out!