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Unfortunately, neither held much use for Fang Xi.

He preferred obtaining the spacious bag of holding instead!

“Golden Flood Dragon Hammer?!” Ruan Xingling seemed surprised, as she had initially expected him to choose the set of spirit armor.

However, she didn’t voice any objections and swiftly completed the distribution with Fang Xi.

“The Island Lord must have other important matters upon return today. I won’t disturb further; please do visit Jade Cliff another day, my hospitality awaits!”

Surveying the surrounding wreckage, Fang Xi bowed respectfully before taking his leave.

Lu Guo closely followed behind Fang Xi, both ascending onto the Black Feather Boat which transformed into a streak of light, vanishing swiftly into the distance.

“Master!”

Ruan Dan approached, her arm severed and eyes reddened with distress.

“Idiot!” Ruan Xingling’s delicate brows furrowed sternly, her tone icy cold. “I clearly gave you a Yin-Yang Sensing Talisman. Why did you not use it? If not for hearing about the incident at Black Sand Island, your master might not have rushed back in time. Even achieving Foundation Establishment would have been overshadowed by lifelong regret…”

At Jade Cliff.

Within the underground cave.

‘After all, they contributed the most effort. Taking the highest value items right away would be quite tactless…’

‘Besides, I already have spirit snake armor.’

Beneath the Demon Tree, Fang Xi sat cross-legged.

Suddenly, he slapped his bag of holding, revealing several blood-soaked corpses - all from today’s Calamity Cultivators encounter.

Rustle!

From the Demon Tree, numerous aerial roots descended, piercing into the corpses and suspending them aloft.

As this occurred, the bodies rapidly withered, transforming into swaying mummies.

The scene appeared exceptionally sinister and terrifying.

“Indeed… cultivators’ flesh is rich in spiritual energy, far surpassing even spirit rice or Beefwood for the Demon Tree…”

Sensing the mixed emotions of joy and craving emanating from the Demon Tree, Fang Xi’s expression remained unsettled.

He hadn’t yet reached desperation; using humans as fertilizer was best avoided whenever possible.

After some thought, he finally produced the corpse of the second-in-command, who was at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement.

“What a pity! If it were the elder Kou Clan leader’s body, I definitely would’ve made him into a puppet. With his third-stage Body Refinement, he’d be akin to a humanoid mythical beast…”

However, considering the ‘Silver-armored Demon’ was Kou Clan’s leader, his corpse might need to be handed over for investigation, so Fang Xi never considered using it.

Now, gazing at the second-in-command’s body at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement, he decided after some thought to let the Demon Tree absorb it.

As the Demon Tree consumed the flesh and blood of an eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, its branches wildly thrashed with increased fervor.

Plop!

Suddenly, one of the pneumatophores descended and pierced into Fang Xi’s back.

“Ah!” Fang Xi sighed contentedly, feeling deeply satisfied.

With this infusion, he sensed that his longevity had increased by at least thirty days!

Over these past few years, as the Demon Tree consistently consumed high-quality Beefwood, the daily supply of life force provided to him had steadily grown stronger…

Currently, Fang Xi could vaguely discern his maximum lifespan, which now approached approximately two hundred years.

This already rivaled some Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Bloodlust flickered in his eyes, fueling an insatiable desire within him: “Kill…and devour! As long as I devour enough…I will achieve…immortality!!!”

The Demon Tree, filled with excitement, its vines and branches swayed wildly, even extending beneath the houses of Widow Wang and Hai Dagui. With just a single thought from Fang Xi, they could…

“No!”

In the next instant, Fang Xi forcefully commanded the Demon Tree to retract its tendrils, his expression turning grimly troubled. “Was that… almost a qi deviation, or something else?”

Had he followed that impulse, it might have escalated uncontrollably, potentially leading to the absorption of every cultivator on the island!

Such actions were not aligned with his nature or intentions.

“What’s happening…to me?” Fang Xi immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the Everlasting Spring Art.

As a refreshing sensation permeated his body, the previous inner restlessness swiftly dissipated.

He severed the pneumatophores connected to him, gazing at the massive Demon Tree with a clouded expression. “Is this the…instinct of the Demon Tree?”

This spirit plant seemed inherently cruel by nature.

Initially, after refining it, there appeared no issues, but gradually, subtle influences started surfacing.

Several days later.

In the courtyard, Fang Xi sat beneath a peach tree, sipping his spirit tea leisurely.

Since that unusual incident, everything had remained calm with no further occurrences. Despite multiple attempts to comprehend the ‘Longevity Technique’, he found no solution to his predicament.

Thus, adhering to the principle of balancing work and rest, he decided to pause his cultivation for a few days. Each day, he indulged in tea drinking as a form of self-care, focusing on nurturing both body and mind.

Taking a light sip of the spirit tea, he suddenly waved his hand.

Instantaneously, three gleaming high-grade magical artifacts appeared on the table - a blade, a sword, and a hammer!

The sword was his Golden Flood Dragon Sword, which held sentimental value after years of companionship, now fully repaired from its previous damage.

“Fittingly, I’ve collected the Kou Clan’s trio of golden flood dragon artifacts… Although they aren’t particularly useful,” Fang Xi remarked sarcastically.

These three renowned high-grade magical artifacts were widely known in Qingzhu Mountain Market. He never imagined there would come a day when he’d possess all of them.

“Guess it satisfies my small collecting habit somewhat… Wait, something seems off?”

With a sweep of his divine sense, just as he prepared to return the items to his bag of holding, he noticed something amiss.

As Fang Xi examined the three artifacts closely, he sensed a hidden intricacy that intriguingly aligned with the concept of ‘combined magical artifacts’ from his artificing legacy.

“Could it be…?”

Fang Xi’s eyes lit up as he picked up the Golden Flood Dragon Blade and noticed a groove on its blade, perfectly matching the shape of the Golden Flood Dragon Sword…

Similarly, the Golden Flood Dragon Hammer seemed to have separable components…

“This isn’t just a set of artifacts, but rather…a single artifact! Wait…”

After a moment, Fang Xi combined the trio of Golden Flood Dragon artifacts, revealing a brand new magical tool before him.

It was a massive pair of shears, adorned with golden scales, emanating a profound aura and dazzling spiritual light.

“Not just any magical artifact, this is…a spirit artifact meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators!”

“A low-grade spirit artifact—the Golden Flood Dragon Shears!” Fang Xi’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Unbeknownst to him, years ago, the Kou brothers had accidentally stumbled upon a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s immortal’s cave, obtaining numerous opportunities, one of which included this very low-grade spirit artifact!

However, Qi Refinement cultivators typically struggled to use spirit artifacts. Upon studying it, the Kou brothers discovered that this particular spirit artifact was unique; it could be disassembled into three high-grade magical artifacts, allowing them each to utilize a portion.

Now, these three artifacts finally reunited!

“A spirit artifact usable only by Foundation Establishment cultivators?!” Fang Xi’s interest piqued as he channeled Everlasting Spring Art’s magical energy into the Golden Flood Dragon Shears.

Soon, a strained expression appeared on his face, while the shears began to emit a faint glow and levitate, radiating powerful spiritual fluctuations.

‘The potency seems comparable to Ruan Xingling’s unique treasure?’

‘But the energy consumption is significantly higher; I don’t recall her struggling this much… Even though she was at the great circle of Qi Refinement, just one level ahead of me…’

‘It confirms that spirit artifacts truly aren’t suited for Qi Refinement cultivators.’

Fang Xi had heard that within Foundation Establishment cultivators, their magical energy condenses into a liquid state, vastly different from the gaseous form possessed by Qi Refinement cultivators!

Even with merely a single drop, they can unleash tremendous power when casting low-level magic spells, effortlessly annihilating Qi Refinement cultivators!

“The inherent strength of their magical energy transforms ordinary spells and artifacts into marvels.”

His desire for reaching Foundation Establishment grew stronger.

Simultaneously, he couldn’t help but envy Ruan Xingling. Her unique treasure clearly consumed less energy yet delivered greater impact, making it far superior to these battered shears.

Thinking about Ruan Xingling, Fang Xi sighed once more.

In that crucial moment, she arrived just in time and killed the Silver-armored Demon. Although it appeared as a victory, in reality, they had lost…

As he pondered, Fang Xi sensed something amiss, his expression shifted abruptly. He stored the Golden Flood Dragon Shears away securely and proactively opened the formation.

Shortly after, Ruan Xingling gracefully entered.

“Greetings, Island Lord!”

Fang Xi casually bowed with clasped hands and smiled, “Please, have a seat and enjoy some tea!”

Ruan Xingling sat across from Fang Xi, picked up the teacup, took a delicate sip, and couldn’t help but express her admiration, “Your tea artistry has truly improved, Fellow Daoist Fang. Out there, I often miss the fine teas and exquisite wines here…”

“How is your disciple doing?” Fang Xi asked nonchalantly while retrieving pastries.

Mentioning Ruan Dan, a mix of anger and sorrow surfaced on Ruan Xingling’s face, “Her physical magic body suffered severe damage; the prospects for reaching Foundation Establishment now seem dim… Hmph, during the rampage of the Silver-armored Demon, where was the Thirty-Six Islands’ law enforcement team? I must seek justice from the alliance regarding this matter!”

Judging by Ruan Xingling’s demeanor, she intended to pursue formal channels for redress within the Thirty-Six Islands Alliance, rather than having Peach Blossom Island break away from it!

The implications were significant. Once leaving the Thirty-Six Islands Alliance, they would become enemies! Even if justified, their position would turn untenable.

By pursuing formal channels for appeal instead, it signaled unwillingness to escalate tensions - maintaining harmony and ensuring mutual benefits. Consequently, those above must provide compensation and appeasement!

From this response alone, Fang Xi recognized that Ruan Xingling remained composed and rational.

“This time, I truly owe you a debt of gratitude; Peach Blossom Island might not have endured until my arrival otherwise…”

Ruan Xingling stood up, performing a graceful bow.

“Please don’t overstate your thanks, Island Lord…” Fang Xi waved his hands repeatedly, then poured another cup of spirit tea for Ruan Xingling. “Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask about… Foundation Establishment!”

Having steadily accumulated strength, he finally broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, making it reasonable for him to inquire about Foundation Establishment matters now.

As for revealing his true cultivation base?

With the Demon Tree storing his magical energy, Ruan Xingling couldn’t detect it at all. After all, she lacked divine sense abilities.

“Foundation Establishment…”

Ruan Xingling’s face involuntarily twisted with a bitter smile. “To the Yue Kingdom cultivation world, Wan Island Lake is considered barren, with very few opportunities for Foundation Establishment… As for those chances within the entire Yue Kingdom, most are controlled by the Profound Sky Sect. Even the seven great clans and Five Great Sects struggle to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills… However, they occasionally manage to secure secondary-grade Foundation Establishment spirit items, ensuring their family legacies continue.”

“On this journey, I traveled extensively before finally settling in Bai Ze Immortal City, preparing for my own Foundation Establishment. But upon hearing about Black Sand Island’s destruction, I had no choice but to return…”

Fang Xi’s expression grew solemn. The news of the Silver-armored Demon annihilating Black Sand Island had spread widely throughout the Yue Kingdom’s cultivation world, and it was clear without guessing that the mastermind behind it was linked to Wan Island Lake’s Foundation Establishment powers.

Their aim: to thwart Ruan Xingling’s path to Foundation Establishment!