Chapter 225: Stone Storm Monument
Chapter 225: Stone Storm Monument
Within Fang Xing's Sea of Consciousness, a small grayish-white beast charged in, crashing through without hesitation.
The ability to shape one's Divine Sense into a physical form to this extent was no less impressive than a typical Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Demon Dao excelled in rituals, communicating with various powerful entities, and summoning their power or projections, often resulting in surprising victories of the weak over the strong.
However, as this grayish-white beast rushed into Fang Xing's Sea of Consciousness, it was startled.
A crimson sun descended, resembling a melting furnace.
The terrifying high temperature enveloped it, and countless flames similar to the true fire of the sun, but even more demonic, surged forward.
The grayish-white beast roared, its body emitting a vast amount of grayish-white light, transforming into numerous oddly shaped runes that guarded its entire body.
But it was useless!
The runes encountered the scarlet flames and crumbled upon contact.
Then, that tiny scarlet flame landed on the grayish-white beast, as if igniting a 'torch'.
Numerous scarlet flames enveloped the beast, causing it to emit painful roars.
These roars followed a distinct pattern, seemingly an ancient language.
But Fang Xing had no interest in deciphering it.
Due to the nature of the Great Sun Buddha Incantation, as it burned this intruder, it automatically gathered some information:
"Stone Storm Beast... Ancestor from the True Demon Realm... Proficient in Void and Petrification techniques..."
"The main body wanders in the void's fissure... Thousands of years ago, it was accidentally discovered by a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Nine Infants Sect, and after communication, it obtained a portion of the worship ritual..."
"That's it?"
"It's too brief, and the Great Sun Buddha Incantation isn't very interested, so it's just average fuel..."
Countless events occurred within the Sea of Consciousness, but in the outside world, it was just an instant.
Stone Daoist, upon seeing the grayish-white beast rushing into Fang Xing's Sea of Consciousness, couldn't help but feel excited.
He had borrowed the power of a powerful demon beast, and even if it were a high-level cultivator like Righteous Son, as long as they didn't dodge or have a defensive treasure for their Divine Sense, they would suffer a severe loss, and might even face death.
However, suddenly, the joy on his face vanished, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. With a terrified expression, he stared at his Soulbound Magical Treasure Stone Bowl.
On the bowl, a crack had appeared at some point.
"Backlash from the contract? No!"
Stone Daoist let out a howl, not only suffering injury himself but also sensing a terrifying malicious intent and anger.
It wasn't just him; in the future, no one in the Nine Infants Sect would be able to communicate with that terrifying demon beast through the array ritual again.
It was as if a portion of the sect's foundation had been damaged by him, and he would undoubtedly face severe punishment upon his return.
If... he could even make it back alive!
Bang! Fang Xing's palm pressed down, and the Heaven-Blocking Palm covered the sky, directly hitting the stone bowl.
Various lights flashed across the stone bowl, and the original crack continued to expand, eventually splitting it into two halves.
From one half of the stone bowl, crimson blood flowed out.
Stone Daoist spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and his aura quickly withered.
A cultivator's Soulbound Treasure was intimately connected to their life force, and it was only natural to suffer severe injuries if it were destroyed.
Not only that!
The countless stone demon beast faces gradually regained some clarity in their eyes, but they were filled with crimson. Suddenly, they cried out, ignoring Fang Xing, and directly returned, surrounding Stone Daoist. It was a backlash from the demon technique!
"What are you doing? Ah..."
The light of the talismans around Stone Daoist was relentlessly erased and broken through by the countless stone demon beasts, unafraid of death.
Then, countless bat-like human heads with flapping wings surrounded him, constantly gnawing at his flesh and blood.
If it were an ordinary Core Formation cultivator, they wouldn't last long before dying.
But for Stone Daoist, who cultivated both his physical body and his soul, death was a luxury.
His powerful physique allowed him to endure the backlash for a longer time, as if he were enduring a thousand cuts and ten thousand slashes, even his soul suffering the same fate...
As the screams gradually faded, those human-faced bats also turned into stone statues, falling from the sky and shattering into pieces.
A sword beam swept through, retrieving a stone seal and a storage pouch from the remains.
"Let's go!"
Fang Xing muttered, transforming into a sword beam and instantly carrying his main body away.
...
At the Nine Infants Sect, nine peculiar mountains rose abruptly, surrounded by a poisonous swamp.
It was said that these nine mountains were not naturally formed but were moved by the founding ancestor, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, using his divine abilities to shift mountains and fill seas, taking them from other families and sects.
At that moment, within a cave dwelling filled with fourth-rank spiritual energy, a stone tablet depicting a strange beast suddenly shattered.
This tablet had been standing silently, surrounded by eight other tablets shrouded in pitch-black demonic energy.
"Hmm? Why did the Stone Storm Monument break?"
Before long, an elderly man in a green robe arrived at the stone tablet, extending his aged hand, which resembled a chicken claw, and caressed the broken pieces.
He held a sound transmission talisman, and soon, several rays of light appeared at the entrance of the cave dwelling. They were Core Formation cultivators from the Nine Infants Sect, all kneeling and addressing him as Elder.
"The Stone Lan Stele shattered... Who was the true inheritor of the Petrify Demon Technique?" The Green-Robed Elder asked casually as he stepped out of the cave.
"Reporting to Elder, it was Shi Qi's true inheritance... Just now, the Hall of Life and Death informed us that Shi Qi's Life Plate also shattered..." The Sect Master of the Nine Infants Sect, a late-stage Core Formation Cultivator wearing a beast robe with peculiar divine demon patterns, hurriedly replied.
"Useless!" The Green-Robed Elder snorted coldly, "Not only did he die, but he also dragged down the sect, causing the loss of a powerful demon beast projection..."
Upon hearing this, the few Core Formation Cultivators nearby couldn't help but show a trace of schadenfreude.
In the Demonic Path sects, internal conflicts were even more intense and often out in the open.
These Core Formation Elders had long wished to bring down the Sect Master.
"Elder... Should we conduct a new sacrifice and offer blood food to the Stone Tempest Beast? Perhaps we can re-erect a Demon Stele..." The Sect Master of the Nine Infants Sect suggested, his face stiff.
In truth, he was well aware that after such an incident, very few powerful demon beasts or monsters would be willing to accept blood food and continue their contracts.
It was even possible that during communication, they might launch an attack, venting their original anger onto them! But they still had to try to salvage the situation.
Otherwise, their standing in the Green-Robed Elder's eyes would plummet.
In the Demonic Path, the treatment of failures was always cruel.
Not to mention those who not only died but also dragged down their sect.
"Where was Shi Qi recently?" The Green-Robed Elder asked again.
"Shi Qi encountered a heart demon and has been in seclusion in Mo Yun Immortal City... Judging by the days, he should be returning to the sect soon. I wonder what kind of mishap he encountered." The Sect Master of the Nine Infants Sect replied immediately.
"Investigate! Find out everything!" The Green-Robed Elder rasped, "Just right, let Huo Mo Qing go... Isn't he one of the Six Great Magicians of the Demon Dao? If he can uncover the truth, this old man will grant him access to the Nine Infants Blood Pool once..."
Upon hearing this, some of the Core Formation Cultivators showed joy, while others were shocked: "Elder..."
"Enough, my decision is final." The Green-Robed Elder returned to his cave abode and promptly sealed the entrance.
The Core Formation Cultivators exchanged glances, feeling helpless. They could only bow and retreat.
However, in the shadows, their eyes continued to communicate.
The Nascent Soul Cultivator's divine sense was so powerful that it could cover a hundred li in all directions, even allowing them to eavesdrop on others' divine sense transmissions.
So, they could only communicate through their eyes:
'The old man actually offered the Nine Infants Blood Pool, which increases the chances of Nascent Soul condensation for those cultivating our sect's techniques by ten percent after soaking in it, but it can only be used once every few hundred years... It's a rare Nascent Soul Spirit Artifact. What is the old man up to?'
'Could it be... that the old man's lifespan is coming to an end, just like the rumors?'
'It's said that during the last great war, the old man encountered a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Profound Heaven Sect and suffered greatly, severely damaging his vitality and inevitably affecting his lifespan...'
Many Core Formation Cultivators of the Demonic Path had mixed thoughts, and several of them even went straight to Huo Mo Qing's cave abode.
The Six Great Magicians of the Demon Dao were a group of young demon geniuses formed by the Demonic Path to rival the Five Sons of the Righteous Path.
Each of them was a renowned young demon lord with the potential to condense a Nascent Soul.
Especially to outshine the Righteous Path, they even formed a group of six, one more than the Five Sons of the Righteous Path!
Huo Mo Qing was one of the Six Great Magicians of the Demon Dao. He had exchanged his contributions from the Daoist-Magical War for resources to break through to the late-stage Core Formation. He was also an Undying Golden Core Cultivator and was considered a Nascent Soul seed.
The Core Formation Elders aligned with him naturally went to curry favor.
Those who were in opposition to him needed to quickly return and devise countermeasures...
...
The chaos within the Nine Infants Sect had little to do with Fang Xing.
After killing the three Core Formation Cultivators, he immediately fled a thousand miles away and found a place to inspect his spoils.
In a cave.
A wild bear's corpse lay on one side, while his cultivation clone was roasting meat.
Fang Xing's main body first took out Wood Old Daoist's storage pouch.
After a brief refinement, he removed the divine sense imprint left by Wood Old Daoist and entered the storage pouch.
"It's actually a Ten Directions Storage Pouch, with a combined storage space of about ten cubic meters. Truly impressive..."
He scanned the storage space with his spiritual power and smiled in satisfaction.
Although storage pouches were considered luxury items among Qi Condensation Cultivators, they were a necessity for high-level Cultivators like Core Formation Cultivators, and each one had a considerable capacity.
"As expected, this Core Formation Early Stage old cultivator is indeed the poorest. No wonder he was the first to be taken down by me... Hmm? A Middle-grade Magical Treasure, the Vermilion Phoenix Banner? So, it was him? Instead of staying at home and enjoying his golden years, he went out to risk his life... Isn't this a disaster?"
Fang Xing shook his head and then noticed several pieces of Third Rank Spirit Wood, which he was relatively satisfied with, and set aside this storage pouch.
Next, he opened the storage pouch of the Nie surname lady, searched through it, and first took out the shell containing the 'Thousand Year Stone Milk': "This item is fated for me. With this amount, I won't have to desperately run around trading for Thousand Year Stone Milk; I can find a place to directly attempt Core Formation... This Nie Dao You is truly a kind person."
Additionally, this Nie surname female cultivator seemed to be an Array Master, as her storage pouch contained various array flags and array disks.
Fang Xing also found several Third Rank Banishing Talismans and even a Fourth Rank Pulse Breaking Orb, which was an unexpected delight.
"Hmm, there's also a Near Fourth Stage Binding Array... It's probably prepared for Righteous Son. Luckily, I didn't let her set it up calmly, otherwise, I might have had to slap her to death, wasting a strand of Great Sun Buddha Nature..."
"Hey? What's this?"
In his hand appeared a token like white jade.
This token was very peculiar; the front had a section of cloud-like inscriptions, while the back constantly flashed with one phantom after another.
Within the phantoms, one could vaguely see mountain peaks, lakes, dense spirit energy, and a corner of a jade palace.
"It's like an ancient object, with an extraordinary aura... I'll look into it when I get back."
Fang Xing put away the white jade token and picked up a stone seal.
"This treasure has a strange and ancient design, not quite like those made nowadays. It should be an ancient treasure... 'Heart Guard'?"
He looked at the ancient seal script at the bottom of the seal, deep in thought: "A rarely seen Divine Sense defensive treasure. Although I don't need it, my cultivation clone can use it."
The main body was already proficient in Martial Dao Will and had the Great Sun Buddha Incantation suppressing the Sea of Consciousness, so he had nothing to fear.
However, the cultivation clone was just an ordinary sword cultivator with a slight weakness in Divine Sense, which could be supplemented with a treasure.
Fang Xing let the cultivation clone refine the Heart Guard Seal while he examined the scattered Golden Armor.
"It should be a set of Demon Dao armor with a strong Demon Dao style..."
He used his Martial Dao Golden Core to convert his cultivation, and strands of it entered the armor. Instantly, he sensed a difference.
This set of Superior Third Rank armor seemed like a living creature, exuding a bloodthirsty feeling.
Fang Xing casually picked up an arm guard, and suddenly, a row of reverse spikes appeared on the inside of the arm guard, as if wanting to pierce the wearer's body and absorb their blood.
'This is exactly like the Iron Nail Coffin I saw in the Evil God World! If I wear this set to a battle, I must be crazy!'
He shook his head, understanding why Stone Daoist, a body refining cultivator, chose not to wear this Superior Grade Demon Armor.
Because it wasn't meant for humans to wear!
"However, a complete set of Superior Third Rank Spirit Armor... Its value is astonishing, even more expensive than several Third Rank Magical Treasures combined... It can be compared to a complete set of Third Rank Flying Swords and Sword Array..."
"It's a bit of a waste to leave it unused."
"After I advance to the Great Vajra Realm, my physical body will be flawless and invulnerable to treasure damage... I should be able to wear it, at least for an extra layer of protection, even if it's ordinary..."
"No, wait, why would I wear a Corpse Armor? I might as well just sell it..."
Fang Xing shook his head and casually named this set of armor 'Corpse Armor' before tossing it into the storage pouch to gather dust.
"This Stone Daoist is indeed a true disciple of the Nine Infants Sect, with many good items on him! Of course, Nie Dao You isn't bad either... As for the remaining one, he can only stand in the corner."
He rubbed his hands and finally opened Stone Daoist's storage pouch.
The seal on this storage pouch was the most powerful, but after a short while, it opened with a boom.
"Whoa... This Stone Daoist indeed has many good items on him."
Fang Xing first scanned through a pile of jade slips but didn't find the Petrify Demon Technique he was looking for.
Most of them were ordinary cultivation techniques and letters.
"This old man... even hid a bottle of Thousand Year Stone Milk. What a profiteer!"
He sorted them one by one, and suddenly, a black jade slip appeared in his hand, causing him to fall into deep thought.
This jade slip didn't contain any cultivation techniques but had over ten types of Corpse Refinement Techniques.
Among them was the Blood Corpse refined by Stone Daoist, named Heavenly Slaughter Blood Corpse, which was one of the simpler ones.
"If I refine a Demon Corpse, this Corpse Armor might be reusable?"
Fang Xing stroked his chin, falling into the same line of thought as Stone Daoist.
(End of Chapter)
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