Starry Sky Professional

Fang Xing had indeed thought about taking the flawed Foundation Establishment Pill first.

After all, with the Wan Hua Cauldron, he could easily enhance this inferior pill into a genuine one!

Then he could retreat to seclusion, establish his foundation, and once he became a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could return to confront the Zhou family ancestor.

Yet, that approach seemed too late, leaving him feeling unsettled.

“You would have me take the Foundation Establishment Pill and leave, aren't you worried I’ll succeed and come back for revenge?”

Fang Xing asked coldly.

Zhou Yuantong was momentarily stunned, then replied, “Not to mention that the probability of establishing a foundation with a flawed pill is significantly lower than with a genuine one, even if you miraculously succeed, I would simply claim my poor performance and make a heavy apology. In Ziyuan Immortal City, I still have some connections and a little influence…”

Besides, by that time, the Zhou family might boast two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

“Truly like a cultivator, acting without regard for consequences, beyond deliberation…”

Fang Xing chuckled, “Fine, given that you showed some integrity by leaving me a flawed Foundation Establishment Pill, I will only kill those present here this time. No need to destroy your entire family in Ziqingtan!”

“You intend to annihilate my Zhou family?”

The burly man at the peak of Qi Refinement was furious, ready to unleash a top-grade magic tool, the Violet Thunder Awl, when his expression suddenly changed!

A brilliant crimson as fiery as flame emerged abruptly from the pill room, sweeping across with ruthless force!

Such power, far exceeding the first level, even made Zhou Yuantong's face change drastically, “The Bing Fire Divine Thunder?”

He swung his spirit tool-grade fan, and immediately, a dense azure light shield appeared to protect him securely.

Second level—Bing Fire Divine Thunder Talisman!

This, of course, was Fang Xing’s doing.

And it was not to kill, but merely to buy time and create a diversion.

As the thunder light swept past, the pill room collapsed with a thunderous crash, bricks and tiles shattering!

Yet the pill furnace, too, manifested a blazing red light shield to block the thunder light.

The astonishing fluctuations of magical power rippled far and wide, only to be entirely absorbed and blocked by the earthy yellow barrier within the Zhou residence… making the outside appear untouched.

“A second-level Bing Fire Divine Thunder Talisman? If that’s your trump card, you are overly arrogant.”

Zhou Yuantong waved his fan lightly, summoning blades of wind and flaming dragons.

The wind augmented the ferocity of the flames!

The fire dragons became even more rampant, baring their claws and fangs as they pounced towards Fang Xing!

Under the strike of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, any Qi Refinement cultivator would be reduced to ashes!

Roaring sounds filled the air as the fiery dragons coalesced before exploding into wisps of black smoke.

“You...”

Zhou Yuantong saw a young man in peculiar attire standing in front of Fang Xing.

It was this person who had just dispersed the fiery dragons with a single slap.

“A second-tier body cultivator?”

Zhou Yuantong's expression became exceedingly serious, a silver-white token appearing in his hand: “I apologize for the offense. Zhou is willing to make amends. Fellow Daoist, please...”

As he spoke to buy time, Zhou Yuantong shared the same curiosity.

Clearly, he had already activated the 'Thick Earth Array' to cover the entire Zhou residence, so where did this second-tier body cultivator come from?

Why was there not the slightest trace of magical aura on him?

Such an astounding breath concealment technique!

Zhou Yuantong was already beginning to regret.

With such formidable backing and protection from a second-tier body cultivator, this Qi Refinement cultivator indeed had significant connections, and he had underestimated them, engaging in petty schemes he should not have.

But now it was too late, and he could only hope to delay the opponent long enough for Xiao Liu and others to subdue the Qi Refinement cultivator, so that they might negotiate...

Just as Zhou Yuantong was activating the power of the Thick Earth Array to suppress Fang Xing, two sizzling sounds were heard!

Two beams of light pierced through the protective barrier, melting the heads of two late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators from the Zhou family, leaving their headless bodies to fall to the ground.

“Sixth Uncle?”

Zhou Xin exclaimed in shock, unable to believe that the Zhou family's Foundation Establishment seeds had perished just like that.

Under the power of firearms, all are equal.

Fang Xing followed up with another shot, creating a gaping wound in Zhou Xin's chest.

"Ah... how dare you kill my descendant?"

Zhou Yuantong, witnessing the scene, was driven to madness. He infused his entire might into the silver token and gave a slight wave towards Fang Xing's true form.

Boom!

A mountainous earth-colored illusion materialized in the void, oppressively bearing down on Fang Xing.

Zhou Yuantong's hands spread wide, a second-level spell forming and ready to claim Fang Xing's life.

"A mere mountain dares to crush me?"

Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter.

Fang Xing's true form shimmered with golden light, as if clad in an armor of gold thread. Twin sparks of gold danced in his eyes, and his back straightened like a mighty dragon, rising with a deafening stand.

A shoulder carrying the mountain!

Boom!

The earth trembled, and the surrounding formation nodes emitted a groan from the unbearable weight.

"A near-third-stage body cultivator?!"

Zhou Yuantong, witnessing this spectacle, was filled with deep regret. "Why did I covet that Foundation Establishment Pill? Spare me, my friend, I am aligned with Master Ziyuan..."

Roar!

With the mingled cries of dragons and tigers, an overwhelming martial will surged directly into Zhou Yuantong’s sea of consciousness, causing even this Foundation Establishment cultivator a moment of daze.

Fang Xing's true form leaped forward, crossing the distance as though space contracted beneath him, arriving before the Zhou family patriarch. His fingers spread, delivering a resounding strike!

Snap!

The protective shield of liquid mana condensed by Zhou Yuantong, a Foundation Establishment practitioner, shattered instantly.

Thud!

Zhou Yuantong's corpse flew backwards, colliding into a wall of ruins.

Silence enveloped the surroundings.

"Sigh... I just wanted to peacefully cooperate and refine pills. Why force my hand?"

"The conduct of cultivators in this world is truly deplorable..."

Fang Xing shook his head and approached the pill furnace nearby.

After losing its master, the spiritual glow atop the alchemy furnace dimmed instantly.

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar, after a brief exploration, injected a sliver of mana and caused the furnace to rumble. A hidden compartment opened, and a blue pill shot out—it was a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill!

He searched Zhou Yuantong's body and retrieved the inferior Foundation Establishment Pill from it.

"These two pills can both be placed into the Myriad Transformation Cauldron for nurturing. Eventually, one will turn out to be of supreme quality, and the other a genuine quality... I'll consume the supreme one myself, and as for the genuine Foundation Establishment Pill, it's hard currency wherever you go... Didn't you see a Foundation Establishment ancestor died for it?"

Fang Xing sighed, and then began his work—no, corpse looting.

The big prize was naturally on the Zhou family ancestor. His storage bag contained around a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, a mid-grade spiritual artifact fan, and a crimson alchemy furnace.

"This Tier 2 alchemy furnace must have cost quite a few spirit stones..."

Fang Xing, being knowledgeable, immediately took out his bronze ring and stored the furnace inside.

Otherwise, with the common storage bag's capacity in the cultivation world, it would be difficult to fit it.

Apart from that, the few Qi Refinement stage cultivators were quite wealthy.

There were even two storage bags!

"As expected of family cultivators, wealthier than wandering cultivators..."

Storage bags are rare commodities, and selling them could recover quite a few spirit stones.

According to Fang Xing’s estimation, the majority of the Zhou family’s wealth was here.

"Sigh... It's not what I intended."

He cleared the Zhou family mansion thoroughly, leaving no chickens or dogs behind, then came to the main entrance. A dense earthen yellow light screen enveloped the entire estate.

"The Tier 2 Earth Barrier Formation, known for its defense..."

Fang Xing’s true form felt tempted to land another punch to see if it could be completely shattered.

But he thought the commotion might attract law enforcement cultivators or even Master Ziyuan, which wouldn't be good.

Although he had legitimate reasons for killing, local cultivators always valued power and connections over reason.

The cultivation avatar rummaged through the items, retrieving a silver-white token.

After infusing a bit of mana, a plethora of information surfaced.

"Indeed, this token is the control center of the Earth Barrier Formation..."

Ordinary cultivators aren't formation masters; they only have the ability to set up formations. To manipulate a formation flexibly, such a restrictive token is indispensable.

After Fang Xing eradicated the mark left by the Zhou family Ancestor, he completely refined the token, gaining control over the Thick Earth Formation.

He immediately decommissioned the formation, then excavated different parts of the Zhou family estate, unearthing three earth-yellow formation disks and sixteen formation flags.

"Almost missed out... This entire set of low-tier second-grade Thick Earth Formation apparatus is worth at least a thousand low-grade spirit stones..."

Securing the formation flags and disks, Fang Xing left the Zhou residence, feeling an odd sense of time having passed in a blur.

"Now, where should I head to?"

He pondered briefly: "Why not... proceed directly to Foundation Establishment? Since I've reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, I can begin the process with the Foundation Establishment Pill. Given my Heavenly Spirit Root, success is almost assured..."

In a different location, he might not find the environment provided by a second-grade spiritual vein.

Fang Xing, with his true self, headed to the City Lord's mansion, where he sought to rent a cultivation cave.

“Fellow Daoist, are you here to rent a cave?”

The steward, surnamed Wang, who managed rentals here, was a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. It was said he had once attempted Foundation Establishment when younger but failed, severely depleting his spiritual energy and ending his cultivation path. Ever since, he managed the marketplace rental business here, noted for his shrewdness and effectiveness.

“Give me a cave with top-grade second-tier spiritual energy.”

Fang Xing tossed over a few mid-grade spirit stones.

“Are you aiming for Foundation Establishment?”

Steward Wang's heart tightened, and he congratulated him, “I offer my early congratulations on your success in Foundation Establishment.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Fang Xing, after exchanging courtesies, accepted the cave token and proceeded to a cave endowed with top-grade second-tier spiritual energy.

Situated near the City Lord's mansion, the cave was enveloped in mist-like spiritual energy, incomparable to the first-rate caves on the outskirts.

Boom!

Fang Xing activated the thick stone door using the cave token, revealing a more intensely charged spiritual atmosphere than outside, complete with a living area, a meditation chamber, and a garden. Though simply furnished, it exuded an antiquated charm.

Satisfied after a glance, he used the token to seal the cave.

“While other cultivators might set up a protective formation inside the cave, I don’t need to.”

The cultivation avatar glanced at his true self, breaking into a slight smile as he entered the meditation room to adjust his state and prepare for Foundation Establishment.

Anyone attempting to force their way in would only meet death!

Fang Xing yawned and sat cross-legged, waiting for his avatar to succeed, filled with a sense of idle anticipation.

(End of Chapter)