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Boom!

Suddenly, a slab of green stone lifted away, revealing a cellar below.

Fang Xi held the Golden Flood Dragon Sword in one hand and a paper talisman in the other as he cautiously poked his head out from above.

Upon seeing that everything beyond the cellars was as it had been, with few changes since before his departure, Fang Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ve finally returned here.”

He took a deep breath, intoxicated by the spiritual energy unique to this region of the southern wilderness.

“Only I could have succeeded… If another fourth-step martial scholar were to attempt such a feat under the siege of Three Origins City’s experts and military forces, even if they managed to break through, they would likely be surrounded and cornered.”

“At least I achieved what I came for.”

“Breaking through to True Astral Martial Saint is equivalent to reaching the third stage of Body Refinement in cultivation; you’d be comparable to a late-stage Qi Refinement grandmaster!”

“Even though the chaos surrounding Qingzhu Mountain’s market has yet to end, we’ll still be able to protect ourselves.”

When Fang Xi first escaped Qingzhu Mountain’s market, it was because he feared the ensuing chaos—but now, he found himself eager to take part. After all, chaos provided the best foothold.

“No, I must remain cautious,” he thought. “Right now, my priority is finding people and gathering information on the current situation!”

Fang Xi looked up at the sky, then chose a direction and swiftly departed using his movement techniques.

Yue Kingdom.

Jiahe City.

This was the nearest mortal city to Qingzhu Mountain.

Within the best restaurant in the city, Heavenly Immortal Pavilion, which stood at the center of Jiahe City, where rent was extremely expensive and every inch of space was highly valued, construction had been carried out with great elegance.

Most notably, its highest floor was typically reserved only for esteemed guests, though even the employees working there might not know who these honored customers were.

“Grandfather, rumor has it that the true owner behind Heavenly Immortal Pavilion is someone so powerful, even the mayor treats them with utmost respect,” the girl said curiously, her eyes shining as she glanced around the room. “I wonder just who this divine being might be?”

On the second-highest floor of Heavenly Immortal Pavilion, a luxurious and refined young woman sat within a private dining room, door wide open, asking her grandfather questions with eager curiosity.

“Heh heh, you’ve come to the right person…” The old man chuckled, stroking his beard thoughtfully, then finally lowered his voice under the girl’s repeated requests. “The only ones worthy of receiving such deferential treatment from the mayor must be Xian Shi…”

“Xian Shi?” At this, the girl’s eyes lit up, darting left and right as if seeking a path upstairs.

Unfortunately, the highest floor’s entrance seemed to be elsewhere.

At this moment, another youth clad in teal approached the second floor and looked around. Then, as if having settled on a direction, he headed toward a wooden wall adorned with a painting of an ancient woman dressed in formal attire.

“This is it…” Fang Xi murmured, walking through the door.

Flash!

A burst of light engulfed him, swallowing him whole.

Fang Xi had studied An Introduction to the Dao of Arrays, so naturally, he recognized this as merely a minor restriction meant to deter mortals; it was completely ineffective against cultivators like himself.

“Grandpa…”

The girl tugged at her grandfather’s sleeve, gazing after his disappearing figure.

The old man’s eyes were glazed over, and even when wine spilled onto him, he didn’t notice. Only after several seconds did he turn back to his granddaughter. “Yunyun, you’re very fortunate. That teal-clad youth must have been some great Xian Shi.”

“A Xian Shi…,” the girl echoed, her eyes gleaming with admiration.

Beyond the restrictions lay wooden stairs.

Fang Xi climbed step by step until he reached the highest floor of the Heavenly Immortal Pavilion.

The interior was elegantly decorated, with every item perhaps beyond mortal reach; the view was also exceptionally expansive, offering a panorama of Jiahe City’s scenery.

There were few seats, and only a handful of people sat within.

“Heh heh… This Daoist friend is Gao Hongdan, honored proprietor of the Heavenly Immortal Pavilion!” A rotund man dressed like an ordinary mortal smiled broadly as he cupped his hands respectfully to Fang Xi. “This establishment welcomes all cultivators, so please feel free to stay and enjoy yourself here. All manner of common goods are provided free of charge.”

“Such generosity!”

Fang Xi returned the gesture.

Gao Hongdan laughed heartily. “I’m fond of making friends myself… To be perfectly honest, it’s also because Prince Eight of Yue Kingdom has been supporting me. If you would tell me your place of origin, I wonder if you might be willing to join us at the palace as a spiritual advisor? As long as you’re willing to come, there will be no shortage of spirit stones, and whatever else you desire from the mortal realm, whether it be gold and silver, precious gems, beautiful women, luxurious residences, fine horses, or rare antiques…all will be provided!”

“Many thanks for Gao-daoist’s kind offer, but unfortunately this humble one is still young and wishes to continue struggling along the Dao path.”

Fang Xi politely declined and promised, “Once this humble one grows old or loses heart, I will definitely come to visit, and at that time, I hope Daoist friends will accept me.”

“Haha, of course, of course.” Gao Hongdan didn’t force him further; he had seen many young cultivators like this before—each one more proud than the last—and their hearts were set on lofty ideals.

Old cultivators who had reached their sixties, however, were his true target. Those whose Foundation Establishment aspirations had faded away could establish a family among nobility, or pass down their bloodline, provided they found themselves in the right circles. In such cases, riches and glory would naturally follow.

‘Excellent, just as expected. All these weaklings.’

Fang Xi scanned the crowd and discovered that aside from Gao Hongdan’s Middle Stage Qi Refinement strength, most customers were at Initial Stage Qi Refinement.

In other words, he could slaughter everyone here with ease by himself, ensuring his safety. He couldn’t help but relax. After some thought, he sat down near a window to enjoy the scenery outside.

On this floor, some cultivators held bottles of spirit wine, drinking alone, while others enjoyed delicacies, and yet others conversed amicably.

After waiting for about an hour, Fang Xi heard newcomers next door discussing information he sought:

“Ah…another refined corpse has appeared near Jiahe City. Old Song and I joined forces to defeat it, but he accidentally ingested some corpse poison…” A young man in the third layer of Qi Refinement took a sip of wine, his expression filled with resentment. “Even if the Situ Clan was annihilated, their evil deeds harmed many!”

Fang Xi’s heart jolted at these words, and he walked over.

“This Daoist friend is most courteous. My humble name is Chen Mo. May I ask what brings you here?” The young man seemed somewhat nervous as Fang Xi approached. After all, he was only in the third layer of Qi Refinement, and his friend beside him had an even lower cultivation base, in the second layer. Both were on edge.

Most cultivators who mingled among mortals tended to be like this, cautious and self-conscious due to their low-level cultivation bases.

“I’ve been cultivating in seclusion for the past two years,” Fang Xi said as he sat down rather casually. “Just now, I heard about the destruction of the Situ Clan. What exactly happened?”

M Chen relaxed visibly. “The Situ Clan committed countless atrocities against Red Leaf Valley, so they were ordered by Xuantian Sect to be annihilated… That occurred just two years ago.”

“Oh? How exactly did that happen? Which forces were involved?” Fang Xi continued questioning him.

Meng Mo was somewhat surprised, but this information was public knowledge and no one cared much about it. “The Baiqiao Qi Clan, Qingye Xu Clan, Tianfu Shen Clan, Huangfeng Long Clan, and Song Clan all joined forces… Everything went smoothly when they razed Red Leaf Valley and Qingzhu Mountain Market, until they reached the Situ Clan’s headquarters at Blackwater Pond, where they suffered heavy casualties!”

“What kind of heavy casualties?” Fang Xi showed interest.

“Ah… The Situ Clan was notorious for its tyranny, but we only learned afterward that it was actually a demonic force descended from ‘Situ Jiu,’ a demonic cultivator who once terrorized their neighboring country. This ancestor excelled in corpse refinement techniques… Unfortunately, the Blackwater Pond meridian is rather weak, and the region is plagued by poisonous miasma; the only noteworthy aspect is a narrow yin meridian suitable for raising corpses… When the Situ Clan settled here, they must have spent considerable effort on reconnaissance.”

“On the day of the battle, cultivator armies slaughtered their way to the Situ Clan, which emerged with coffins raised in combat. Hundreds of coffins poured forth from the gates, countless ancestral corpses rising from their graves to join the fray, slaughtering the attacking cultivators until blood flowed like rivers… Tsk, tsk. I’ve heard that the Situ Clan has a clan tradition wherein any cultivator descendant must be buried within the corpse-raising grounds after death, becoming part of the family’s capital. This display certainly shocked the attacking cultivators; rumor has it there were five or six Foundation Establishment-level flying corpses among them, not to mention the leader, who had already reached late-stage Foundation Establishment!”

“However, Profound Sky Sect sent cultivators to supervise the battle, and it was only after the family cultivators deployed the Divine Heavenly Fire Formation that the Situs were finally forced to surrender after months of fighting. But the most elite members of the Situ Clan had already escaped, transforming into demonic cultivators and wreaking havoc on their former territory… And the attacking cultivator clan, also mostly comprised of Foundation Establishment cultivators, suffered heavy casualties as well. Baiqiao Qi Clan lost one of their patriarchs, while the Shen Clan’s Foundation Establishment cultivators were wiped out entirely, demoting them to Qi Refinement status. In the end, the remnants of the Situ Clan slaughtered the surviving members of this clan, sparing no one…”

“Instead, although the remnants of the Situ Clan still retained some Qi Refinement level refined corpses, Blackwater Pond became the favorite haunt for exploration by Yue Kingdom rogue cultivators.”

Having spoken at once, Mò felt his throat dry, and he took a sip of tea.

“How unexpected!”

Fang Xi listened with surprise as well. He hadn’t expected the desperate struggle and counterattack of the Situ Clan to be so fierce and decisive!

But the Situ Clan didn’t die completely, did they? Were any of their descendants able to escape? I wonder if Situ Qingqing made it out alive? Even if she did, I’m afraid she would have been turned into a demonic cultivator…

Fang Xi found something fishy about the final battle, and he suspected it was likely due to the involvement of Profound Sky Sect, which used its influence to ensure both sides emerged victorious, leaving the spoils of war for itself.

But there were plenty of clever people in the cultivation realm; everyone could see what was happening, but no one dared to say it aloud—after all, Profound Sky Sect had a Core Formation patriarch.

“By any chance, how did things end up at the Qingzhu Mountain Market?” Fang Xi pondered briefly before asking about his most pressing concern.

“I do happen to know,” Gao Hongdan said as he walked over with a smile. “The Qingzhu Mountain Market originally fell under the control of the Situ Clan, but later, the Long Clan patriarch broke through their defenses… During the subsequent siege on Blackwater Pond, the Long Clan suffered heavy casualties and were forced to relinquish much of their profits. The ownership of Qingzhu Mountain changed hands several times during this tumultuous period, and for a while, the entire area became a battleground where Plunderers slaughtered and robbed at will, selling mostly counterfeit goods… As a result, many cultivators nearby fled.”

“Afterward, several rogue cultivators who had reached the great circle of Qi Refinement formed an alliance called ‘Qingzhu Union’ and took over the management of the market. After some more purges against the Plunderers, they managed to somewhat stabilize the market, though only just. They could guarantee peace within the market itself, but disputes outside its walls remained unchecked… Nevertheless, the market has become a rare location for disposing of stolen goods within Yue Kingdom’s cultivation circles, so it has gained quite a reputation.”

“The cultivation world’s black market?” Fang Xi murmured to himself, finally understanding the situation.