Chapter 144: Array

Chapter 144: Array

"Sigh... I don't go looking for trouble, but why does it always find me?"

In the cultivation world, by the Drunk Moon Pool, Fang Xing leaned against the railing, casually scattering fish food as he let out a sigh.

"Now that Weishentong has his eyes on me, it won't be long before I have to undergo another internship... Most likely, I'll be sent to the secret realm battlefield. While the treatment is better than that of a soldier, it's still extremely dangerous."

"I must improve my strength as soon as possible!"

"In the secret realm, it's all about having low cultivation but high explosive power... Those warriors have the highest survival rate, and if one possesses strength far beyond their current realm, they can traverse it with ease and face little danger."

The secret realm rejected technological weapons and imposed realm suppression.

Warriors who entered would only encounter enemies of the same realm or at most, one realm higher than themselves.

If one could master strength far beyond their current realm, their safety would be guaranteed.

"Now that I think about it... Gu Jian Tong has been suppressing his cultivation and hasn't broken through to the External Vision realm. Aside from consolidating his foundation and wanting to create his own martial arts, he might also have this aspect in mind. He's quite the little clever clogs... Or perhaps he's received guidance from a major power?"

"That's right, after all, he's from one of the three major education planets and has a strong backing. He won't have to worry about being pressured by Weishentong."

"In fact, for some university students, getting in touch with these factions early on could be an opportunity... These major powers often possess many treasures, such as the 'Universal Yin-Yang Qi' and other rare items that enhance one's Golden Core foundation... Without access to such resources, one can only rely on their own martial arts training, and the peak of their Golden Body in the future would likely be seven revolutions of the Diamond Body..."

"Actually, seven revolutions of the Diamond Body isn't bad. It greatly increases the chances of breaking through to the Martial Saint realm and even provides some hope of becoming a Martial God..."

Although the Universal Yin-Yang Qi was available in the treasure vault, its exchange price was exorbitantly high!

Even for a typical genius, it would be enough to make them despair.

If joining a major power meant gaining access to such treasures, many would surely make that choice.

"But Weishentong is different. He only talks about responsibility without offering any benefits. He's blatantly taking advantage of me because I'm new to all this."

In truth, Weishentong was merely trying to recruit geniuses for his faction at the lowest possible cost.

The discussion of benefits could come after they signed their lives away.

Unfortunately, this attitude only served to irritate Fang Xing, and the negotiations fell through.

"In the short term, I can't break through to the Martial Arts Golden Core. The Sun True Yang art is something to keep in mind, but it's not my top priority..."

"The first priority should be finding a pill or spiritual object like the Bodhi Saliva, which can promote the advancement of the Great Vajra Prajna Divine Power!"

If he were to go to the battlefield with only the Martial Arts Golden Core realm, he would undoubtedly be sent to the even more dangerous secret realm! It would be far more beneficial to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Vajra Indestructible Divine Power!

Fang Xing had already reached the Master level in the Dragon Elephant art, and if he could raise the Great Vajra Prajna Divine Power to the same level, achieving the Dragon Elephant Vajra Indestructible Divine Power would be effortless.

"Once the Great Vajra Prajna Divine Power reaches the Grand Master level, the effectiveness of the Bodhi Saliva drops significantly..."

"Perhaps... I need a higher-level body-forging pill, or even... a third-grade one?"

"There's still no news from Zheng Qian. I guess the Purple Kite Immortal City is indeed too low-level."

With that thought, Fang Xing gently plucked the 'Windsnow Sword' in his hand.

With a resonant sword cry, his entire body shot up into the sky!

A Foundation Establishment cultivator could fly with their physical body, but long-distance travel was extremely exhausting, and it was more efficient to rely on spiritual artifacts.

At this moment, he was barely able to fly with the sword while attempting to merge his body and sword into one.

"The Windsnow Sword isn't specifically designed for flight..."

"And the path of a Sword Cultivator is a difficult one... Even though I've collected some Sword Cultivator books from the market, most of them are only first or second-grade."

Sword Cultivators!

They were a classification among cultivators, renowned for their astonishing battle prowess.

Rumor had it that at their peak, they could 'Break Ten Thousand Laws with a Single Sword'! It wasn't enough for a cultivator to wield a flying sword to be considered a Sword Cultivator.

"The foundation of Sword Cultivation lies in refining a flying sword that is attuned to one's life force... Once the flying sword is achieved, one's life and cultivation are intertwined, and progress in both sword energy and combat techniques accelerates tremendously..."

"It is even said that Sword Cultivators don't condense a Golden Core, but a 'Sword Core'!"

"In other words... If I want to become a true Sword Cultivator, it would be best to do so before forming a core. Otherwise, I can only be considered a part-time cultivator in this path..."

In the vastness of the sky, the gale winds were biting cold.

Fang Xing's body moved like a dragon, and the Windsnow Sword transformed into a beam of white light, piercing through cloud after cloud.

"This body possesses a Heaven-grade Golden Spiritual Root. It would indeed be a waste not to pursue the path of a Sword Cultivator."

The spiritual energy he cultivated now carried a sharp and piercing aura.

If he could transform it into sword energy, it would only become stronger!

And the path of the Sword Cultivator was all about making the strong even stronger!

"The path of the Ancient Sword Cultivator has four major realms—Qi, Gang, Yi, and Shi!"

The first realm of the Sword Path was 'Condensing Sword into Qi'!

As long as one cultivated sword energy, they were considered to have entered the path.

This step was simple, and even Fang Xing managed to achieve it.

With his current Gengjin Sword Qi, an average Qi Refining cultivator would perish with just a graze.

Fang Xing's thoughts stirred, and the Windsnow Sword emitted a pleasant sword cry, transforming into a sharp and peerless golden sword qi that tore through the air in front of him, causing his flying speed to soar once more.

"The second realm of the Sword Path is 'Refining the Sword into Gang'!"

At this step, it was like trying to see flowers through the mist. Although he knew that once he condensed sword gang, the power of his flying sword would increase exponentially, making it an almost invincible technique even among Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Yet, he couldn't seem to grasp the concept.

This wasn't a matter of talent or aptitude, but a lack of guidance from a cultivation method.

Furthermore, he also lacked a true life-bound flying sword.

"The third realm of the Sword Path is to comprehend the Sword Intent... It seems somewhat similar to a warrior's will, yet also different. I should have an advantage in this aspect, but I haven't even cultivated the sword gang yet, so it's like building a castle in the air."

As for the fourth realm, 'Sword Intent Manifestation', it existed only in legends.

Moreover, the Sword Path continued to evolve.

In the present day, there were many branches, such as 'Unification of Sword and User', 'Sword Qi Thunder Clap', 'Refining Sword into Silk', 'Enlightenment of the Sword Heart', and so on...

This was why modern cultivators were not necessarily inferior to their ancient counterparts.

However, these were all supplementary techniques for their respective realms. The four major realms of the Sword Path were likely Qi, Gang, Intent, and Manifestation.

One had to cultivate sword qi to exhibit the Sword Qi Thunder Clap technique.

By condensing sword gang, one could refine the sword into silk and differentiate the sword light!

Lastly, one had to comprehend the 'Sword Heart' to achieve enlightenment and manifest sword intent.

This was what Fang Xing had gleaned from a Sword Cultivator manual he had come across.

Unfortunately, it only provided a general introduction to the realms and lacked specific cultivation methods.

As Fang Xing made his way north toward the City of Departed Immortals, he casually wielded the Windsnow Sword, attempting to comprehend the 'Sword Qi Thunder Clap' technique.

'Sword Qi Thunder Clap is supposed to empower the sword qi, making it not only denser but also vastly increasing its speed...'

'Once cultivated, one would be unmatched among Qi Refining cultivators. It might even allow a Qi Refining Sword Cultivator to threaten a Foundation Establishment cultivator...'

'This implies that the sword qi produced by the Sword Qi Thunder Clap of a Qi Refining Sword Cultivator could potentially breach the defensive barriers of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.'

Fang Xing casually unleashed several strands of Gengjin Sword Qi.

While they were indeed formidable, they were not accompanied by any thunderous sounds.

"As expected, I'm missing a Sword Cultivation technique... Perhaps I should join the Celestial Sword Sect when I arrive in Qi Country? Being named after the sword, they should have many Sword Cultivators..."

After playing around for a while, Fang Xing recalled the Windsnow Sword and performed a set of hand seals.

The Windsnow Sword instantly transformed into a giant sword that was several feet long, allowing him to ride upon it and fly through the skies.

'This behavior is actually quite wasteful... The Windsnow Sword isn't a true flying artifact...'

'To be precise, it's only slightly better than a Foundation Establishment cultivator's physical flight...'

Although Zheng Country and Qi Country were neighboring nations, the distance between them was still considerable.

According to Fang Xing's estimation, even with his current speed, it would take him almost six or seven days to reach his destination.

He traveled during the day and rested at night, finding a place to settle down and recover his spiritual energy.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and he arrived at the eastern border of Zheng Country.

There, he saw mountains surrounding the area, with the scattered residences that used to be there now nowhere in sight. Occasionally, there were traces of demonic beasts, making it a desolate and treacherous place.

It was impossible for ordinary people to cross the border.

Even large caravans had to follow predetermined safe routes, and despite their precautions, Qi Refining cultivators might still encounter dangers and suffer casualties.

It was precisely because of the treacherous journey and difficult communication that many merchant guilds were able to profit!

However, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could fly, traversing the mountains was effortless.

Fang Xing ventured deep into the mountain range, and before long, his brows furrowed.

He noticed a dark cloud at the edge of the horizon, rumbling with muffled thunder and emitting intense spiritual power fluctuations.

"A formation?"

"Are there cultivators dueling, or are they hunting a demonic beast?"

As he drew closer, he discovered that it was indeed a formation, and his heart immediately became vigilant.

"It's best not to meddle in other people's business. I should just leave directly..."

Fang Xing immediately manipulated the Windsnow Sword to fly far away from that place.

However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

The dark cloud seemed to give birth to a powerful suction force, rapidly expanding and swallowing him whole!

...

A moment ago.

On a mountaintop.

Senior Brother Lian was guarding a pitch-black formation flag along with his junior brother.

The flag was black, with a thunderbeast embroidered on it, devouring thunder and exuding a mighty and ancient aura.

On other mountaintops, there were faint signs of other formation devices.

The combined power of the numerous formation patterns transformed into a dark cloud that enveloped the area for several miles.

Within the heart of the dark clouds, there seemed to be a figure with purple hair, constantly struck by thunderbolts.

They wielded a violet light treasure, emitting a purple divine glow, barely holding off the thunderbolts.

And yet, there was a skinny old man, standing on top of a second-tier high-grade flying snake with fleshy wings, wielding a pitch-black longsword treasure, relentlessly attacking.

With the combined might of the array and the old man, the purple-haired figure was in a perilous situation.

"Excellent! Now that Elder Zong has joined the fight, we will surely take down that despicable man!"

Senior Brother Lian witnessed this scene and burst into laughter. "It wasn't in vain that we laid in wait for so long. Even our ancestor deliberately went to the wastelands to lower this despicable one's guard... The Purple Kite Immortal City will soon belong to the Lian family and the Myriad Beast Sect."

The one being besieged was none other than the master of the Purple Kite Immortal City - the Purple Kite Immortal!

"Hmm... Soon, our sect will control a significant source of wealth, and countless disciples will benefit."

The late-stage Qi Refining junior brother smiled, his eyes holding a strange meaning. "Fortunately, our sect was able to accurately grasp the Purple Kite Immortal's whereabouts, which made this ambush possible."

"Hahaha! Our Myriad Beast Sect aims to dominate Zheng Country. How could we not be prepared? There are definitely people from our sect within the Purple Kite Immortal City!"

Senior Brother Lian laughed loudly, "The foundation is about to crumble, and the secret connections we originally used to transmit messages are now willing to do more and bring in more people..."

"So that's how it is... Oh? There's a cultivator approaching... It's a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

The junior brother took out an array plate and saw a light spot approaching, his expression changing.

"Hmph, those who understand the situation will scram... How dare a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator enter our sect's 'Ancient Thunder Thousandfold Array'? They're just asking for death!"

The monk with the surname Lian pointed with his finger and continued chanting incantations.

On the array plate, the light spot grew larger, revealing a young cultivator in silver robes riding a sword. He was indeed carefree and unruly. At that moment, he was preparing to detour far away.

"It's actually this guy?!'

Senior Brother Lian burst into laughter, "This is truly effortless... The Ancient Thunder Thousandfold Array has the ability to expand. Let's immediately extend the range of the array and pull him to the center of the array... With the might of this quasi-third-tier array, suppressing a Foundation Establishment cultivator is as easy as flipping a hand... We'll make him spit out all his opportunities!"

He had already regarded Fang Xing's Foundation Establishment opportunity as his own and made this decision without hesitation.

Even if Fang Xing had already used up his Foundation Establishment opportunity, the belongings of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, including their storage bag and spiritual artifacts, would still be enough to make up for it.

"This... Isn't this inappropriate? It's not wise to create complications during our current undertaking."

The junior brother hesitated.

"This time, I'm in charge. Do as I say, and I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

Senior Brother Lian took out a token and forcefully injected his spiritual power into it.

A corner of the Ancient Thunder Thousandfold Array, the mass of dark clouds, suddenly surged and swallowed Fang Xing's figure...

"What's going on?"

The other disciples in different directions saw this scene and turned their gazes towards him, "So it was Senior Brother Lian planning to catch some wild food... But a Foundation Establishment cultivator? They can be crushed with a flip of the hand."

...

"Hmm?"

Just as Fang Xing's eyes lit up, he found himself on top of a small hill, with countless thunderbolts above his head.

And right in front of him were two very familiar people.

"Hahaha! You, with the surname Fang, have finally fallen into my hands. Let's see who will come to save you this time..."

Senior Brother Lian laughed heartily, preparing to mock and taunt Fang Xing, venting the triumph in his heart.

Being able to dominate the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator with his Qi Refining cultivation indeed made him feel proud.

Swish!

Before he could finish speaking, the Windsnow Sword transformed into a beam of white light, slashing towards him with full force.

Shriiik!

A lightning net appeared, blocking the sword energy of the Windsnow Sword.

"Now that you've fallen into the array, do you still think you can turn the tables?"

Senior Brother Lian's smile widened.

Facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had naturally made thorough preparations.

With the protection of a quasi-third-tier array, even if most of the array's power was focused on the Purple Kite Immortal, it would still be a piece of cake to deal with a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator...

Swoosh!

His eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of a sword glow.

The sword glow was icy cold, with a hint of gold, shaking the lightning net and barely cutting through it.

And then...

There was a flash of light.

Senior Brother Lian's head melted instantly, and his corpse fell to the ground.

The junior brother beside him had a terrified look on his face, and before he could react, his head also disappeared...

"I wasn't planning to look for you, but you dared to deliver yourselves to my door?"

Fang Xing smiled indifferently. Before the other disciples could finish shouting in anger, he pointed his finger.

Swish!

The Windsnow Sword transformed into a beam of white light, slashing heavily at the array flag on top of the hill!

Boom!

The entire Ancient Thunder Thousandfold Array trembled violently!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end