Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 942 - 798 Black Cloud Mountain

Chapter 942: Chapter 798 Black Cloud Mountain

Panlong Lake.

The lake was vast and wide, spanning five hundred li, surrounded by various villages and some well-known taverns, such as "Panlong Tower" and "Yulong Tower" among others...

Panlong Tower stood over ten zhang tall, and from its peak, one could take in the view of Panlong Lake with its vast fog and waves.

It was now dusk, the setting sun dyed the lake a deep red.

Fishermen sang at dusk, their boats returning to harbor for the night.

Fang Xi was holding a gourd of wine, leaning casually against the railing, enjoying the view of the lake.

Although he had already attained Long Life, he also needed to enjoy the pleasures of the moment.

After all, Cultivation was not about turning oneself into a stone devoid of sentiment and passion.

"Young master!"

With clothes fluttering, Mei Changkong appeared behind Fang Xi at some point.

"Speak!"

Fang Xi took a swig of Green Bamboo Wine, saying casually.

"The noted mountains and rivers near Panlong Lake, such as ’Huilong River’, ’Three Pass Mountain’, ’Fulong Mountain’... all have their masters, especially ’Fulong Mountain’, which is the site of Dongxuan Temple, and the god of Fulong Mountain is also the ancestral master of Dongxuan Temple... It’s said that this ancestral master once assisted the founding of the current dynasty, and later received a title, achieving the status of the god of Fulong Mountain, protecting the Taoist lineage for generations..."

Mei Changkong presented the situation near Panlong Lake clearly and in an orderly fashion.

In a world where the God Path was pursued, it was indeed too low a station for any famous river or mountain not to have a spirit deity.

Even some lesser hills or even an ancient well might have deities vying for control!

So, to become a god, one would inevitably conflict with some local power.

Now it depended on who the conflict was with.

"Besides, the Xu Family that young master wanted to inquire about has already shown some clues... The Xu Family has always been interested in the Black Cloud Mountain territory, previously even trading lands to acquire quite a few fields on the mountain..."

Mei Changkong continued.

"Plains’ upper fields in exchange for mountainous lower fields?" Fang Xi laughed upon hearing this: "Clearly, they have other intentions."

"Indeed..." Mei Changkong also smiled: "This old servant used some means to find out that the god of Black Cloud Mountain was penalized for a crime twenty years ago, and now the position of the mountain god is vacant..."

This kind of news was top secret for ordinary people, but with a little effort, it could be uncovered.

And the benefits atop Black Cloud Mountain were very much coveted.

Some noble families might have ancestral spirits and hold official titles, but they were only considered ’family gods’.

If they could take this step and become the god of Black Cloud Mountain, the pattern of their influence would greatly expand.

This could be the foundation for hundreds of generations, and even if it meant bashing one’s head out, it was to be expected.

"Looking at it this way, it seems that these nearby families will start turning on each other with envy..."

Fang Xi chuckled.

"The young master has a discerning eye, indeed... After the deity of Black Cloud Mountain was punished, neighboring big households like the Zhang Family, Wang Family, and Xu Family have all started acquiring land on Black Cloud Mountain. There have even been armed conflicts resulting in deaths, and everyone’s intentions are clear as day. Of course, externally, they claim the feng shui on Black Cloud Mountain is good and they plan to relocate their ancestors’ graves there..."

The corner of Mei Changkong’s mouth held a slight smile.

This method was also one way of seeking a Godhood Position.

First, take over territory to create a fait accompli, then quietly spread incense offerings, and afterward seek recognition and enfeoffment from the Taoist Court, thereby solidifying the Godhood Position.

This was like boarding the bus first and then buying a ticket.

However, such maneuvers, if one’s relations with the government were not strong enough, carried risks of being denounced as a ’demon worship’ shrine.

But the Xu family came from a legitimate Jinshi background, holding a Taoist Record, with a network of relationships deeply entangled with their peers and mentors of the same year, so they were most likely to pull this off and were thus exerting all their effort, holding the advantage in this competition.

But now, Fang Xi had arrived...

Just as Fang Xi was preparing to inspect Black Cloud Mountain first, a young man in the guise of a noble son approached, "This brother, please wait... I am Xu Yunlang. Seeing that you are drinking alone seems rather dull. Why not join me for some poetry and conversation?"

"No thanks!"

Fang Xi couldn’t be bothered to engage and poured himself another drink from the gourd.

Seeing this, Xu Yunlang’s face showed a moment of embarrassment, shooting a discreet glare at one of his senior attendants.

This old attendant was a Martial World warlock nurtured by his family, without any real magic but just a cultivated spiritual sight.

According to this old servant, the wine in the gourd carried by the young master was no ordinary brew but imbued with a touch of spiritual charm.

It was an excellent choice for ’Sacrificial Wine,’ which, if offered to a deity, would greatly please the spirit.

’As family sacrificial rites increasingly exclude me, if I can acquire an excellent offering, and leave an impression on my ancestor, my ascent to glory will be but a moment away...’

With this thought in mind, Xu Yunlang’s face softened again, stressing his words, "I am from the Xu Family. There are quite a few local talents in the booth. Don’t you want to make a couple of acquaintances?"

"I don’t."

Fang Xi clearly intended to kill the conversation.

Xu Yunlang found it awkward to proceed, as the serving staff behind him were already gearing up, ready to defend their master’s honor against this ignorant youth at the slightest command.

As Fang Xi remained indifferent, Xu Yunlang felt a chill in his heart and asked, "May I know which Family does brother hail from?"

"You don’t need to ask about my background, just look at this..."

Fang Xi couldn’t be bothered with pretensions and performed a hand seal. A Talisman phantom appeared in his palm.

An indiscernible divine force flickered upon this Talisman.

"To think I’m before a distinguished official with a Taoist record! My apologies, I’ll take my leave now... Whatever entertainment young master enjoys at this establishment, put it on my account..."

Xu Yunlang’s expression changed as he immediately retreated.

His entourage turned the corner and entered a private booth. The old attendant was so frightened he knelt down: "I deserve death, I should have foreseen that a person with Spirit Wine must have a significant background. That’s a ninth rank ’Supreme Court Official Instrument,’ this person may very well hold a Jinshi title."

If it were merely a mere Supreme Child Spirit Official Instrument, this Young Master Xu wouldn’t have cared much.

But a ninth-grade Taoist Record, already listed in the Taoist rolls, with an official title to its name, is not only a hassle in itself but also has a huge network of relationship issues due to its peers and mentors.

The Xu Family couldn’t possibly affront such figures just for the sake of a son from a side branch.

He felt a suffocating frustration in his chest, almost wishing he could kill the old servant who had caused him such embarrassment, but remembering he still needed the man, he couldn’t help but force a slight smile, "This isn’t your fault... I will still need your efforts, Old Xue..."

...

"This Taoist Record is quite useful,"

Fang Xi sipped his Green Bamboo Wine, smiling secretly to himself.

With the Taoist Court ruling the world, probably no one would have thought that someone would dare to forge a Taoist Record?

This Taoist Record was naturally the result of Falling Sky Island, created with the power of deities, split from the eighth-grade Supreme Court North Dipper Secret Papyrus.

This was the inspiration Fang Xi had gleaned from observing a certain county magistrate providing Taoist Records to numerous scholars.

Unfortunately, it can only be done from the top down.

For example, from an eighth-grade Taoist Record, one could split out ninth-grade records and the more common lower-ranked Scholar Talismans.

But to break through upwards, transforming into a seventh-grade ’Supreme Court Appeal Secret Order,’ remains impossible.

According to the most recent developments, Godhood Positions can similarly be split and expanded downwards, as long as there is sufficient divine power, but promotion upwards is still difficult.

The constraints of Divine Rank still exist.

However, Fang Xi found this method of splitting quite interesting, so he made a ’Supreme Court Official Instrument’ to disguise his identity.

In reality, this Taoist Record is just an empty shell, not listed in the rolls, hence a mere fake certificate.

Apart from that, he also replaced the unfortunate Well Dragon King’s record with a ’Supreme Child Spirit Official Instrument’ to avoid being tracked.

At this moment, the unlucky mudfish was still inside his Demon Banner artifact.

The reason for keeping the Well Dragon King was not only because Fang Xi found the creature’s misfortune rather amusing, but also as a small maneuver to keep Gan Yu in check.

After all, the karmic laws of this world are nothing short of extraordinary.

Gan Yu undoubtedly owed the Well Dragon King a huge karmic debt.

If he later wanted to bring misfortune upon this person, releasing the Well Dragon King would definitely achieve a remarkable effect.

Of course, this was mainly for the purpose of understanding karma.

Fang Xi was also quite interested in the laws of karma...

...

Black Cloud Mountain.

This mountain stretches for a hundred miles, as a branch range of the Lianyun Mountains, and reaches east to the shores of Panlong Lake.

Fang Xi, together with Mei Changkong, took a stroll around Black Cloud Mountain and found it to be quite a pleasant place.

The location boasted clear mountains and clean waters, brimming with vital energy.

Compared to the thin fields laboriously cleared by the mountain folk, most parts of the mountain were still uncultivated wilderness.

Wild boars and wolves roamed freely, and there were even some mountain spirits and demons, making it a forbidden land for ordinary mortals.

Suddenly, from deep within Black Cloud Mountain, a layer of mist began to surge forth.

This mist expanded continuously and eventually enveloped a mountaintop.

However, it’s normal to have fog in the mountains, and in such a rarely visited place, even if woodcutters or hunters saw it, they would think nothing of it.

It’s only if one were to get deeply trapped within it and find it difficult to escape that they would start to panic.

In a cave within the mountain peak shrouded by the Array,

"This looks like the right place..."

With a flash of Escape Light, Fang Xi arrived inside the cave.

This cave had no pathway connecting it to the outside world; one would need proficiency in Earth Escape Skills to enter.

After inspecting the cave, Fang Xi was quite satisfied, and with a flip of his hand, the ’Mountain Pearl’ emerged.

This pearl was the core of a seventh-grade black market, easily refined into an Externalization.

Moreover, it had endless marvelous uses and would naturally master a few innate Divine Skills related to the earth and mountains.

In this God Path world, what kind of fruit would it yield?

After contemplating for a moment, he sat cross-legged and formed hand seals.

As the Demon Skills coursed through him, a sudden expression of pain appeared on Fang Xi’s face.

Subsequently, a dark wisp of Demon Soul entered into the Mountain Pearl.

In just an instant, like a sponge absorbing water, the Mountain Pearl drew in the wisp of Divine Soul, its earthen-yellow light flashing explosively.

Boom!

As the Mountain Pearl fell to the ground, it immediately merged with the earth’s ley lines.

With a sweep of his Divine Consciousness, Fang Xi vaguely sensed something akin to an earth dragon.

This earth dragon resembled a giant yellow python but had two bulges on its head, the very essence of the ’Black Cloud Mountain’ spirit of the land.

At that moment, the Mountain Pearl vanished into the mouth of the earth dragon like a dragon pearl.

Inside, it began to slowly melt, barely outlining the form of an embryo.

"The Externalization... is complete."

Fang Xi closed his eyes.

Although the sensation from that wisp of Divine Soul incarnation was still very vague, it certainly held some unusual enlightenment...