Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 683 - 653: Spreading Beans to Summon Soldiers (Congratulations to the alliance leader Xingqing Buyu!)_1

Chapter 683: Chapter 653: Spreading Beans to Summon Soldiers (Congratulations to the alliance leader Xingqing Buyu!)_1

Fang Xi never liked the repetitive routine of face-slapping.

Things like hiding one’s identity, allowing Lord Wanbao to escalate the situation, and then a reversal... actually quite dull.

In his past life when he read novels, he saw protagonists and villains engaging in endless concealing tactics, evolving from small disputes to complete loss of face, seeking revenge for being humiliated, escalating to life-and-death enmity, and then inevitably, one side would be annihilated. He felt this was utterly nonsensical...

Oftentimes, it was all about trivial matters escalating into mortal foes—what’s the necessity?

Not to mention that villains would see their entire families perish; even the protagonists would at times sustain injuries or exhaustion, possibly even suffering the revenge that results in the death of friends and family...

Better to just reveal one’s identity outright; chances are, animosities could be dispelled with a mere smile.

To many villains, losing face in front of commoners is intolerable. However, if they lose face in front of someone of equal or greater power, then it’s just accepted as a setback, just like having to swallow one’s teeth and blood—it’s just like that.

It also saves a lot of trouble.

Nowadays, Fang Xi is a person who greatly dislikes trouble.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator from Li Gou Immortal City, Lord Wanbao naturally had met Master Zhui Yue.

Even if he did not recognize the person, with his eye skills, he should naturally recognize these prayer beads.

"How about it? Still want to continue?"

Fang Xi gently twirled the prayer beads, smiling and asked, not minding leveraging Master Zhui Yue’s influence at all.

"This... should indeed belong to you, Sir!"

Lord Wanbao finally recovered from his shock, his forehead covered with dense cold sweat.

The next moment, he quickly took something out of his storage bag and, holding it with both hands, came before Fang Xi: "Previously, I noticed you liked this item and specially purchased it to present to you..."

Seeing it, Fang Xi couldn’t help but smile; it was the fifth-order fragment he had taken an interest in earlier.

"Not enough!"

He pondered for a bit and through secret transmission added, "Give me a copy of your eye skill as well, and we can let this matter go..."

Lord Wanbao’s cultivation was average, but his eyesight was exceptional.

Fang Xi wanted to experience his Spiritual Eye Skills, as he might really find a bargain in the future.

"My Treasury Eye Skills?"

Lord Wanbao was shocked, but looking at the prayer beads in Fang Xi’s hand, he gritted his teeth and took out a blank jade slip, pressing it to his forehead: "This minor technique, I hope Sir will appreciate it..."

"You’re not bad, really not bad... Haha!"

Fang Xi laughed heartily, collecting the fragment and the jade slip, and headed towards the grand auction venue.

Watching his figure disappear, Lord Wanbao finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his robe soaked with cold sweat.

The surrounding cultivators who were eager to watch the drama did not see a dispute but instead saw the famous Lord Wanbao bowing his head, prompting them to speculate about the identity of that young Core Formation cultivator...

...

"Three million seven hundred and twenty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"This ’Five-Hole Cloud Crystal’ now belongs to the honored guest in private room number thirty-seven beginning with ’Jia’!"

On the auction stage, the leader of the Free and Unfettered Alliance, who was in the late Nascent Soul stage, personally oversaw and conducted the auction.

Fang Xi lay in his private room, casually bidding and purchasing the items he was interested in.

During a lull, a light flashed in his hand, and he took out that ’Gold and Silver Pot.’"

This jar looked just like ordinary household items used by mortals, with no special significance at a glance.

But Fang Xi could see the fragments inside emitting a golden-silver luster.

"Typically, it takes about ten days to convert a few pieces into gold or silver... a supreme treasure to mortals, but something cultivators would throw away..."

He took out a small piece of gold, feeling its substantial weight in his hand, and pondered.

Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t notice, but he could see that these stones were impregnated with the energy of the five metals and transformed into gold and silver objects.

In other words, although the jar was ordinary, it must contain an object with extremely concentrated five-metal energy.

It was just unknown why there was no spiritual pressure or fluctuation, and it even blocked Divine Consciousness from probing—if not, it would have been discovered long ago.

With that thought, a layer of blue light appeared in Fang Xi’s hand, pressing upon the jar.

Hum!

The jar roared, instantly turning into a layer of powder.

The powder, scattered by the wind, revealed a pea-sized, brass-colored seed within...

"What is this..."

Fang Xi extended his index and middle fingers, pinched the object, and even felt the Kuyong Skills within him stir slightly, prompting a sharp focus in his mind.

If it could affect the ’Kuyong Skills’ to such a degree, it surely must be a seed of a top-tier Spiritual Root!

"Inconspicuous by nature, with not the slightest trace of essence... However."

Fang Xi made a hand gesture, channeling a stream of Kuyong magic power into the brass pea.

Outside, all sorts of rare and exotic treasures were continuously presented on the auction stage, making the auction atmosphere grow more and more intense.

Inside the private room, the green and yellow magic powers alternated, suddenly turning into a wisp of purple, and entered the brass pea.

With Fang Xi’s current Transcendent God stage of magic power, combined with the top-tier Wooden Element cultivation method ’Kuyong Skills,’ the effort was naturally overwhelming.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had refined the seed.

Various pieces of information emerged, causing a slight movement in Fang Xi’s heart, prompting him to take out the ’Taiyi Sutra.’

Soon, he found the relevant description amongst the vast array of data, and his eyes lit up, "Could it actually be this item?!"

On the ’Taiyi Sutra,’ a description came to light: [Gold and Silver Bean Mother, top-tier Spiritual Root, produces beans every thirty years, the bean seeds can continue to be planted, or can be refined into Taoist Soldiers...]

"It’s actually a Taoist Soldier Spirit Plant!"

Fang Xi had naturally heard of the grand divine skill "Sowing Beans to Conjure Soldiers."

And immediately, he thought of the Heavenly Wood Spirit General within the Earth Immortal Spiritual Realm!

Under his command, the Heavenly Wood Taoist Soldiers formed a Battle Array which was quite powerful even amongst Transcendent Gods.

If it were not for someone like himself who arrived with the Mechanism City, ordinary Transcendent Gods wouldn’t even be able to reach the Green Emperor Palace!

The Earth Immortal Spiritual Realm is actually quite compatible with plant-based Taoist Soldiers.

Fang Xi looked carefully and discovered that the "Gold and Silver Bean Mother" actually didn’t have a fixed rank; it entirely depended on how many years it had grown.

If it was only a thirty-year-old bean, it could only be used to sacrificially refine a first-turn ’Yellow Bean Strongman,’ equivalent to a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

Whereas, a mother plant that had grown for a full sixty years could produce seeds that could be refined into second-turn ’Copper Bean Armor Warriors,’ equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Next, there would be the third-turn ’Silver Bean Dao Soldiers,’ each of whom was rumored to be a match for a Core Formation cultivator.

After that, there were the fourth-turn ’General Gold Beans,’ comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators.

For a bean mother that had lived for ten thousand years, there could even be the possibility of cultivating fifth-turn ’Divine Bean Spirit Generals,’ which were terrifying existences on the level of Transcendent Gods.

"Recently, I’ve only obtained the ’Gold and Silver Bean Mother,’ but I don’t have the Taoist Soldier methods..."

"However, the related Taoist Soldier methods are within the Earth Immortal Heritage, and there might even be something better than the ’Divine Bean Spirit General!’"

"Only after the Spirit Realm is built in the future and the Gold and Silver Bean Mother is planted, at least there could be a group of loyal laborers and puppets..."

For an Earth Immortal, the Spirit Realm is the lair, which cannot be valued enough.

Fang Xi’s Array Path, Puppetry, and even Spirit Plant cultivation could all be integrated into it!

"Originally I was also thinking of gathering some Wooden Element Taoist Soldiers in the Earth Immortal Realm; this Gold and Silver Bean Mother is quite suitable..."

Of course, even so, Fang Xi still planned to continue collecting some Wooden Element Taoist Soldiers and Spiritual Roots.

After all, with matters like servitude and puppets, the more varieties there are, the less likely they are to be countered by an enemy.

Considering that the highest rank among these ’Gold and Silver Bean Mothers’ is the Divine Bean Spirit General, which only reaches the level of Transcendent God, it is, after all, a transitional item that will inevitably be marginalized later on.

At this time, the outside world finally introduced the star lot of this grand auction event:

"The first star lot of this auction – one Three-hole True Pill!"

The leader of the Free and Unfettered Alliance, clad in purple robes, maintained a solemn expression as he formed incantations with his hands.

Streaks of purple light shot into the sky, transforming into a cage that protected the entire auction platform within.

"Is it actually a Three-hole True Pill?"

"This pill can assist mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in breaking through to the late stage bottleneck... In the past, it could serve as the final auction item. Now that it’s brought out first, I am even more looking forward to the items to follow..."

The auction house was ablaze with excitement.

Fang Xi watched this scene, but he frowned slightly.

The caliber of this star auction lot was still a bit low and didn’t quite meet his expectations.

...

Outside Li Gou Immortal City.

A pitch-black banner enveloped an area, making it appear completely normal to the outside world.

Min Hongru, accompanied by his junior brothers and sisters, looked across at several old Demons who were at the Transcendent God stage.

Among these old Demons, there was also a charming young girl, barefooted and with a dazed expression.

"Elder Devil Gong, it’s been a long time since we’ve met... Have you not ascended yet?"

Min Hongru spoke to an old demon across from him, who appeared to be on the brink of death due to his chicken-skin and crane-hair appearance.

"Heh heh... As long as you, Old Min, are still here, for the sake of my Sect not suffering your bullying, I naturally have to endure a little longer..."

Elder Devil Gong spoke up, his voice as hoarse and unpleasant as a cracked gong.

"Elder Devil Gong, you must be almost two thousand years old by now, right? Aren’t you afraid that your lifespan will suddenly come to an end and you’ll die in the Lower Realm? That’d be quite the joke."

Min Hongru sneered.

The relationship between the Taiqing Sect and the Primitive Devil Door was never good; their disciples even fight to the death upon meeting, so just a couple of sarcastic remarks now were already very polite.

"Hmph... To think this time we must actually work together," Elder Devil Gong snorted coldly, then glanced left and right, "Where are those monks from Guang Thunder Temple?"

"Master Guang Hong has not come..."

Min Hongru sighed.

"A few people are missing..."

Elder Devil Gong’s expression turned unsightly, "Could it be that their ascended Ancestral Masters have not sent any decree?"

"As far as I know, that’s exactly the case..."

Min Hongru replied, and even had a vague feeling that Guang Thunder Temple’s backing in the Upper Realm didn’t get along well with the support of his own Ancestral Master Sect.

Of course, these things didn’t need to be mentioned.

"Now that we’ve confirmed that person is in Li Gou Immortal City, as long as we ensure they don’t leave, all we need to do is wait for the envoy from the Upper Realm to arrive..."

Min Hongru said, "It’s just a pity that Master Zhui Yue doesn’t belong to an Ancestral Master Sect; otherwise, just by extending the grand auction for a few more days, it would save us from not knowing how much effort..."

But with too many people involved, since Master Zhui Yue and Yun Jiezi shared a good relationship, he didn’t dare take any risk, so naturally, he acted without informing this female monk...

"That’s easy. According to the custom, after the common grand auction, there is a private exchange meeting for high-level cultivators... We just need to inform Master Zhui Yue that we want to hold a small-scale exchange meeting for Transcendent God cultivators, just delaying it for a few days will do."

Elder Devil Gong, with a voice like a cracked gong, heh heh laughed.