Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

After leaving the Heavenly Immortal Pavilion, Fang Xi equipped himself fully and adjusted his mentality before returning to Qingzhu Mountain.

The mountain was lush with verdant bamboo, still as vibrant as ever—but the people were long gone.

Fang Xi arrived at the shantytown where Ling Nong had once lived, only to see that it was now a field of ruins, as if this place had been abandoned for some time already.

“Indeed, it’s no longer safe outside the market, nor is there any Foundation Establishment cultivator to deter crime… Who would be willing to come here and farm?”

With a sigh, he found his own little log cabin.

This too was a site of ruins; perhaps because of some conflict, large sections of the house had collapsed.

Crack!

Fang Xi grabbed a ceiling beam and forcefully lifted it up. His strength was astonishingly great these days, so under his exertion, a massive amount of wooden boards and debris flew upward, revealing broken tables, chairs, stools, and even some mysterious fragments of bone.

“Fond…” Fang Xi sighed regretfully, finding the location of the cellar he had excavated in the past.

The entrance to the tunnel had long since been buried beneath layers of soil, looking indistinguishable from other parts of the area.

Fang Xi produced a ghost-headed blade, using it like a shovel, and quickly unearthed the original cellar.

“I left in such haste back then, I didn’t even bring my belongings…”

He went to a corner, easily digging out a small sake jar.

Opening it revealed a sour smell.

“How unfortunate…”

Fang Xi glanced at the label—the jars were from when he had attempted to set up a control group while experimenting with winemaking.

After two years, it was now clear that his attempt had failed. He continued digging out jars of spirit wine; most had either broken seals or spoiled aromas. Yet as soon as one particular jar was opened, Fang Xi’s eyes lit up.

Crack!

The clay seal shattered, releasing a burst of fragrant liquor.

“Is this…a success?”

Sighing wistfully, Fang Xi hurriedly checked the label and jotted down the original formula. He took a sip, then frowned slightly. “The taste is far too poor… And there’s barely any effect from the spirit rice.”

According to Fang Xi’s initial plans, his spirit rice wines should have been palatable, even incorporating the functionality of the appetite-suppressing pills.

But it seemed he had underestimated how simple winemaking actually was.

“Ai… How many ancient events end up being but material for future ridicule…”

Fang Xi rubbed the cellar walls, his expression dazed as he recalled those bygone days. Then, he lifted a sake jar, holding it upside-down before tilting it toward his mouth, allowing the contents to flow forth.

The taste of the wine was average, bordering on bitter, yet perfectly matched his current mood.

Clunk.

When he finished drinking, Fang Xi tossed the jar aside, letting it smash against the wall and shatter into countless pieces.

“There’s no need to return here again.” After exiting the cellar, Fang Xi gave it one last look before turning around and striding away.

---

At Qingzhu Mountain’s market entrance, Fang Xi looked up at the newly erected gateway with great sorrow.

Now he had taken on Fang Leng’s appearance and wore a bamboo hat to conceal his identity as well as a long green robe.

“Welcome, fellow Daoist! To enter the Green Bamboo Market, please pay one spirit crystal!”

Below the gateway stood two cultivators who charged admission fees from those wishing to enter the market.

These cultivators’ cultivation bases were not high; they were only in the middle stage of Qi Refining, wearing uniforms of green with a mark of interlaced bamboo on their chests that identified them as members of the Cyan Bamboo Society.

“The old Green Bamboo Mountain Market never charged for entry…”

Fang Xi grumbled inwardly but did not refute anything. Following local customs, he paid a single spirit crystal to receive a wooden token bearing an identifying seal.

“This token will allow you to remain within the formation for twenty-four hours. If you exceed this time limit, it will inevitably trigger a counterattack!” As he handed over the token, the cultivator from the Cyan Bamboo Society warned him, “This formation… is likely tier-2, but I cannot identify its nature…”

“I understand!” Fang Xi cupped his fist respectfully, hung the token around his waist, and walked through the gateway into the interior of the formation.

“This formation… must be tier-2, but I cannot recognize its type…”

Although Fang Xi had diligently studied An Introduction to the Dao of Arrays, unfortunately, he could barely be considered a low-rank first-tier array master, much less recognize the origin of this market’s protective formation.

He could only confirm that it was not the same as the Skies Azure as Water Formation from before.

To think this Cyan Bamboo Society has connections enough to acquire a tier-2 mountain-protection array…

Before long, Fang Xi arrived at the interior of the market.

As soon as he entered, his ears were assaulted by a cacophony of lively sounds. He looked around and found that the layout of Green Bamboo Market had undergone significant changes; two additional streets had been constructed branching off from the original main street, and the open-air plaza for vendors had doubled in size, making the entire place seem even more imposing.

“Apparently, the leader of the Cyan Bamboo Society is quite resourceful.”

Fang Xi made his assessment quietly within himself.

Over the past two years, one Foundation Establishment clan after another had fallen, causing major shifts in power dynamics and leaving behind numerous opportunities. Rumor had it that some rogue cultivators seized this rare chance to successfully reach Foundation Establishment!

The Cyan Bamboo Society took over Qingzhu Mountain, transforming the local market into a black market, which attracted no small amount of traffic. However, most of the cultivators engaged in transactions wore masks or other disguises, their bodies emanating intense murderous auras—they clearly weren’t good people.

Hmm… Guess I’m not exactly a righteous individual myself…

Fang Xi rubbed his cheek and strolled through the market to get a general sense of prices for magical artifacts, paper talismans, and medicinal pills.

Then he began carefully noting down potential places to sell his goods.

Indeed, when the Qingzhu Mountain Market was razed, he had profited from it as well.

The youngest of the Three Kou Brothers’ bag of holding contained quite a few valuable items, such as the Golden Grain Pills that Fang Xi couldn’t use himself—so he’d sold them during this opportunity.

Furthermore, there were three bags on Elder Fang Xi’s person, each filled with various materials collected over the years from mythical beasts.

“Heavenly Talisman Hall is gone, and so is Hundred Skills Pavilion… It’s normal that these two families behind those establishments suffered heavy losses in the Blackwater Pond incident…”

Hundred Skills Pavilion’s backers were the Foundation Establishment Qi Clan, who lost one great cultivator, while Shen Clan, whose backing Heavenly Talisman Hall, met an even more tragic fate, having been completely exterminated.

Only Mingqing Pavilion remained open. Fang Xi recalled that Goddess Yunmeng’s surname seemed to be Xu; she hailed from the Verdant Xue Clan!

The Verdant Xue Clan was the Foundation Establishment force behind Mingqing Pavilion.

But at present, Fang Xi had no desire whatsoever to go drink tea.

Upon recalling Goddess Yunmeng, he couldn’t help but think of Shen Haoran—oh, that one was probably doomed.

And then there were Chen Ping, Lu Zhi, Nine Profound Reverend, Di Qi… These former companions’ fates remained unknown to this day.

Fang Xi sighed and steadied his mind. Based on past experience, he headed toward the largest and most extravagant shop in the market: Vast Seas Building. He had already confirmed that it belonged to the Song Clan!

The Song Clan held great renown within the Yue Kingdom, wielding influence over all other cultivator clans save for the Profound Sky Sect itself! Other Foundation Establishment clans had to be distinguished by their surnames.

Within the entirety of Yue Province, there was only one Song Clan.

Rumor had it that within the Song Clan stood a great elder who had reached the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, as well as more than five Foundation Establishment cultivators altogether!

It was precisely due to such formidable strength that even the commandments of the Profound Sky Sect could be disobeyed with impunity—and yet, during the recent campaign against Red Leaf Valley and the Situ Clan, they had profited handsomely.

“The larger the sect, the greater its emphasis on reputation… Until confronted with massive gains, they’re relatively trustworthy.”

“Does the Song Clan’s threshold exceed that of Hundred Skills Pavilion?”

With these thoughts, Fang Xi stepped inside the Vast Seas Building.

“Good customer, what can we do for you today? Our Vast Seas Building has everything from magical artifacts and medicinal pills to spirit talismans and formations, not to mention spirit pets and alchemy cauldrons—whatever you desire!”

A waiter clad in a sky-blue robe promptly approached.

“This humble one wishes to sell something; please bring someone who can make decisions.”

Fang Xi scanned his surroundings within the Vast Seas Building, then frowned. “Also…this place is far too crowded and noisy.”

“Good customer, please come upstairs to our private rooms,” the waiter readily invited, leading Fang Xi up to the second floor.

The room was large, with a fragrance burner on the table that released a soothing incense smoke. Before long, a servant girl entered and offered him spirit tea.

This Song Clan truly is quite wealthy.

Fang Xi sniffed the air, feeling his internal magical power subtly fluctuate, and couldn’t help but sigh.

However, he still refused to partake.

After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, the door opened once more, and a male cultivator walked in wearing navy blue robes and a jade crown, his sharp features framed by straight brows. He bowed first. “I am Song Qing. May I inquire after this Daoist friend’s name?”

“I am Fang Leng!” Fang Xi replied coldly.

“Oh, it’s Fellow Daoist Fang. I wonder what brings you to my Vast Seas Building?” Song Qing had received obvious specialized training in interacting with others; his every movement was performed with propriety.

Yet there was also a faint hint of arrogance between his brows.

This was perfectly normal—after all, he was from the prestigious Song Clan.

Moreover, cultivators ate this sort of thing up like hotcakes.

“I’ve come to sell some things and purchase others.”

After reaching the third stage of Body Refinement, Great Liang’s martial path, as Linghu Shan had explained, had reached its limit for advancement, so Fang Xi naturally needed to change tactics.

With spiritual roots as pathetic as his, if he wanted to improve his Everlasting Spring Art, he’d likely have to resort to taking pills.

“Oh, then today we shall open our eyes to new things.” Song Qing sat down and took a sip of spirit tea, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Then he watched as Fang Xi produced a medicinal bottle from within his bag of holding and set it on the table.

Song Qing picked up the medicinal bottle, opened it, and sniffed inside. “Mm… high-grade tier-one spirit pill, Golden Grain Pill. Suitable for use by a cultivator with metal elemental spiritual roots in Late Stage Qi Refinement wishing to enhance their magical energy. One pill costs twenty low-grade spirit stones, and these five are still potent. This building will accept ninety spirit stones for them. What does Fellow Daoist think?”

“Good.”

Fang Xi thought for a moment, then took out some spiritual ingredients from his bag of holding to dispose of.

Back when that Kou Family third brother had killed and robbed him, he’d also casually stolen a number of miscellaneous things, none of which were useful to Fang Xi, so he decided to sell them all together.

After Song Qing finished appraising them, they amounted to sixty-five low-grade spirit stones at most.

“In that case…the total cost will be one hundred and fifty-five low-grade spirit stones.”

Song Qing finished counting, then swept up the Golden Grain Pills along with everything else with a wave of his sleeve, leaving only a pile of colorful low-grade spirit stones on the table. “Daoist friend, please check the count yourself to ensure accuracy.”

Fang Xi nodded, meticulously beginning to count them.

At this sight, Song Qing’s smile widened further. “Does Fellow Daoist wish to purchase anything from our establishment? We have every manner of rare treasure here, surely something to meet your needs.”