Chapter 184

The two of them quickly crossed Mount Tianwu and arrived at the edge of a great river near Jiangzhou Prefecture City.

Gazing at the surging river before him, Fang Xu's soul power began to spread outward in all directions.

He did not know why the girl had brought him here.

Nor did he know whether there might be an ambush nearby.

"Wait for me here."

After speaking, the girl leapt directly from the back of the horned horse and jumped straight into the great river before her.

After a long while, Fang Xu felt a faint tremor coming from the ground beneath his feet, and then a strange vortex appeared on the river surface.

Within the vortex, the girl's body appeared alongside a rising platform.

"Come up."

"Bring the horned horse over as well."

Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, then immediately leapt forward, his Blood Qi Power wrapping around the two horned horses as he landed steadily on the platform within the vortex.

"Is this the stronghold of the Dark God Temple?"

The girl said nothing, merely pressing lightly on a protrusion beside the platform, whereupon the platform began to descend slowly toward the riverbed.

In his perception, Fang Xu sensed that the platform had descended several hundred meters before gradually coming to a stop.

Around them, there was no longer any river water; instead, a vast passageway lay before his eyes.

As soon as the platform steadied, a strange figure darted out from the passageway.

The figure moved with great speed; before Fang Xu could react, it had already pressed itself directly in front of his face.

Huh!

A mist carrying a strange fragrance exhaled from the figure's mouth, and Fang Xu instantly felt his body go numb, his hands and feet losing all sensation.

But then came a sudden agitation among the divine servitors within his body, as some of them swiftly broke free from his five viscera and six bowels, beginning to wander about inside him.

"Xiao Hua, did this brat really see Lord Yan Shen?"

The figure seemed utterly confident in its poison, and after spraying it at Fang Xu, it let down all guard, walking straight up to him, extending a pair of slender hands, grabbing his collar, and preparing to drag him deeper into the passageway.

At this moment, the strange toxin within Fang Xu's body had already been completely devoured by the divine servitors, and his body had fully recovered.

Yet he did not resist, simply allowing the woman to drag him forward.

"Aunt Yu, he carries the aura of Lord Yan Shen—I can sense it."

The girl called Xiao Hua spoke up from beside her.

"Hmm, you are of Lord Yan Shen's lineage, so you should be more familiar with his aura."

"But this brat does indeed bear the aura of our temple members—it's just more complex, possibly having received inheritances from other temples as well."

"Just to be safe, let's bring him back and take a look."

Fang Xu heard every word of their conversation clearly and could confirm that this place was certainly a stronghold of the Dark God Temple.

The woman referred to as "Aunt Yu" possessed formidable strength; Fang Xu faintly sensed that her cultivation was not inferior to Jiang Feng's.

Being dragged through the long passageway, they arrived at an underground palace, where the woman casually tossed Fang Xu to one side.

"Go call Old Xuanji and the others."

Xiao Hua nodded and hurried off down another passageway.

Shortly afterward, an old man in gray hemp clothes, short and stout, with disheveled hair, arrived in the main hall under the escort of several strange figures.

"Yu Mei, is this the brat?"

The elder approached, glanced at Fang Xu lying on the ground, then chuckled: "Yu Mei, as a Dark Night Guard of the God Temple, your vigilance is getting worse and worse."

Upon hearing this, the woman blinked slightly in surprise.

At that moment, Fang Xu on the ground suddenly sprang up, his body shooting forward as he put distance between himself and the crowd.

"Hey!"

"Did this brat not get poisoned?"

Seeing Fang Xu's movement, the woman immediately expressed surprise.

"Hehe..."

The elder chuckled, glanced at the woman, then turned his gaze toward Fang Xu not far away.

His face showed a hint of excitement as he said: "Truly, it is the aura of Lord Yan Shen, and even his inheritance."

"Little one, you came from Sanshan Island, didn't you?"

Fang Xu eyed the several people before him warily, somewhat puzzled: "I've never heard of Sanshan Island."

Upon hearing this, the elder was also stunned for a moment, then seemed to recall something, muttering to himself: "I must have forgotten—perhaps that place is no longer called Sanshan Island now."

"Kid, does the place you came from have a Mount Tilan?"

Mount Tilan?

Fang Xu felt a secret shock in his heart—it seemed the elder before him knew something about that land of Yu State.

Seeing his silence, the elder spoke again: "You bear the inheritance aura of Lord Yan Shen, so you may be considered one of our God Temple people."

"But if you truly wish to join the God Temple, you still need to undergo a trial."

"What if I don't want to join?" Fang Xu asked directly: "Will you let me leave?"

The elder looked at him with a squinting smile: "This stronghold was built by our Dark God Temple at great cost—what do you think?"

Fang Xu realized he now seemed to have only two paths before him.

First, fight his way out of here.

Second, if he cannot win, then join and become a member of the Dark God Temple.

"Little one, you don't need to resist," the elder said in a flat tone: "Besides Lord Yan Shen's inheritance, you should also carry the inheritances of other powerful ones from our Dark God Temple."

"With these two inheritances, walking the lands of Zhongzhou, even if you do not acknowledge it, others will still regard you as a member of the Dark God Temple."

Fang Xu heard the words and felt somewhat doubtful.

Besides the Inheritance of the Yan God, do I also have other inheritances from powerful beings of the Dark God Temple?

How is that possible?

"Alright, no need to think too much. Join the Dark God Temple, and from now on, we will be one family."

"Come with me, old man."

The old man paid no attention to Fang Xu's doubts and directly led the people forward along the passage they came from.

Watching their backs, Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, but still decided to follow and see what was happening.

Because from the very beginning, he had felt no killing intent from this group of people.

Following the group, winding left and right through the passage, they soon arrived at a huge stone chamber.

The walls of the stone chamber were carved with numerous relief murals, and in the center stood a massive stone statue.

The statue had a human body and a serpent's tail, holding a giant axe, appearing extremely eerie.

Seeing the old man stop, Fang Xu looked around and suddenly noticed a very familiar figure on one of the murals.

"That is none other than the Yan God."

Seeing Fang Xu staring at the mural in a daze, the old man slowly spoke.

Yan God!?

Fang Xu was somewhat startled!

The reason he felt the figure on the mural was familiar was because it resembled the mysterious powerful being that had flown up from deep within the Ti Lan Mountains earlier, helping him resist the will of heaven and earth.

If that mysterious powerful being was the Yan God, then everything seems to make sense now.

Having obtained the Yan God's inheritance, I am practically his half-disciple.

And the will of heaven and earth wanting to erase me— the Yan God stepping in to stop it is entirely justified.

It's just that I never expected the Yan God's strength to be this great, actually able to oppose the will of heaven and earth.

"Alright, let me check you over."

The old man said kindly.

Fang Xu turned around, facing the old man's pure eyes, and for some reason, a sense of warmth rose in his heart.

Upon first meeting, he found himself inexplicably trusting the old man before him.

Following the old man to the front of the human-bodied, serpent-tailed statue, Fang Xu looked up at it.

Only then did he notice that the statue's entire body was inscribed with many ancient and mysterious characters.

These characters somewhat resembled the oracle bone script of his past life, looking somewhat familiar, yet not matching any script he knew.

The old man took out a dagger and handed it over.

"Take a drop of blood and drip it into this incense burner."

Taking the dagger, Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, then directly cut his finger and let his blood fall into the ancient incense burner before him.

The blood was instantly absorbed by the incense burner.

Afterwards, the incense burner gradually began to emit strands of divine resonance.

Immediately after, among the three complex characters on the statue's head, the leftmost one slowly lit up.

Then, a mysterious symbol on the left shoulder also lit up.

Hum!

Hum!

After the two symbols lit up, the statue actually began to tremble slightly!

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, a strange red glow appeared atop the statue's head, within which a more profound symbol flashed and vanished!

"This..."

The woman beside noticed this, her face full of astonishment as she looked toward the old man.

The old man's body trembled, and then he looked at Fang Xu with tear-filled eyes, gently pulling his hand.

"This isn't your original appearance, is it?"

Fang Xu froze for a moment, feeling the old man's emotion, he slowly removed his disguise and restored his true appearance.

Seeing his appearance, the old man suddenly smiled.

"Like..."

"Really like..."

Saying this, he quickly pulled Fang Xu in front of the woman: "Xiang Ling, take a look..."

Yu Xiang Ling also stepped forward to face Fang Xu, examined him closely, and said somewhat sorrowfully: "It's the bloodline of the second brother..."

Fang Xu was left somewhat confused by the two's strange words.

"Two seniors, what do you mean?"

Yu Xiang Ling and the old man exchanged a glance, then both burst into laughter.

"Little one, what is your real name?"

"Fang Xu."

Now that my true appearance is revealed, there's no need to hide my name anymore.

"Fang Xu..."

"Is your grandfather named Fang Yuan Shan?" the old man asked again.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu's heart instantly surged with tremendous waves.

He never expected that the old man before him actually knew his grandfather!

"Fang Xu, your grandfather is my junior brother."

We are all disciples of the Xuan Gate of the Dark God Temple.

The old man is called Xuanji, and he is the eldest senior brother of the Xuan Gate.

These words directly left Fang Xu petrified on the spot.

He knew his grandfather's identity was strange, and there must be an extremely mysterious organization behind it.

But he never expected that his grandfather's true identity would actually be related to the Dark God Temple of the Central Continent!

Child, welcome home.

Yu Xiangling gently walked over and embraced Fang Xu in her arms.

Fang Xu was completely dazed, and just let Yu Xiangling hold him like that.

After a long while—

Two seniors, I still don't quite understand what you're saying...

The old man Xuanji raised his hand to interrupt him and sighed: This matter, I will tell you later; now there is something you need to tell me.

Fang Xu was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: Please speak.

Xuanji said: You still have a lineage of the Dark God Temple called Qitianshu on your body—how did you obtain it?

Qitianshu is also a lineage of the Dark God Temple?

This...

Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, then briefly explained how he obtained Qitianshu.

Indeed, the Three Fingers of the Xuan Gate have all declined... After hearing this, Xuanji felt somewhat moved, then looked at Fang Xu and said: During this period, what's the deal with the bounty causing an uproar in the Tianxuan Realm?

Also, how is your grandfather doing? How have you and your grandfather lived these past years?

Upon mentioning these matters, Fang Xu felt many emotions in his heart.

Senior...

Call me Uncle Master! Xuanji interrupted with a stern face: You are the grandson of Yuan Shan, so you are my grandson!

Calling me grandfather is fine, calling me Uncle Master is fine, what's with all this senior stuff!?

Fang Xu gave an embarrassed smile: Uncle Master.

Xuanji nodded: Continue.

Fang Xu continued: Uncle Master, after my grandfather died, I joined the Ascension Immortal Association...

He roughly recounted his experiences over these years; upon hearing Fang Xu say that his grandfather, Fang Yuanshan, had already died, Xuanji's face showed deep sorrow.

After hearing about the matters of the Yanshen Sect, his face filled with indignation, and he cursed angrily.

Then, upon hearing that Fang Xu had joined the Ascension Immortal Association, whose immortal island was driven away, he fled to the Central Continent, and then was inexplicably bounty-hunted, Xuanji's face became solemn.

Yu sister, do you have any information about this from the Dark Night?

Yu Xiangling shook her head: The Dark Night does have some clues regarding the Ascension Immortal Association.

According to the temple records, there might truly be an ancient divine beast beneath that immortal island, but as for who attacked the immortal island, I am also unclear.

Moreover, I will report Fang Xu's bounty situation to the leader as soon as possible, so he can send people to investigate.

Saying this, she looked at Fang Xu doubtfully: With your identity and strength, you are fundamentally not worth the opponent offering a bounty of one thousand top-grade spirit crystal marrow.

Unless the opponent knows you carry the inheritance of the Yanshen Great One.

Fang Xu shook his head: This should be impossible.

After coming to the Central Continent, I have been staying in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, that is, I just came out of the mountains recently.

At that time, the assassins of the Earth Net organization had already received the bounty and gathered at Huangya Town.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiangling also furrowed her brows.

Since the news of Fang Xu carrying the Yanshen inheritance has not been exposed, what else on him could be worth the opponent offering a bounty of one thousand top-grade spirit crystal marrow?

It seems this matter needs to be investigated thoroughly.

Old fellow, I need to report this to the leader as soon as possible and have him order an investigation. Yu Xiangling spoke.

Not urgent. Xuanji pondered for a moment and said: Even if this is reported upward, the Elders' Council won't take it seriously.

Xiangling, I think we should first report upward that Fang Xu is the inheritor of the Yanshen Great One.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiangling was stunned for a moment, then furrowed her brows and said: You want to let Fang Xu compete for the position of the Temple's Divine Son?

Xuanji narrowed his eyes slightly: As the inheritor of the Yanshen Great One, shouldn't he compete for that position?

Yu Xiangling said nothing, turned to look at Fang Xu and said: This matter we cannot decide; we still need to see your own wishes.

If you are willing to compete for the Divine Son position, I will report this to the Elders' Council.

After hearing this, Fang Xu did not immediately respond, but turned to ask Xuanji: Uncle Master, what are the benefits of becoming the Divine Son of the Temple?

Xuanji's expression turned solemn: Great benefits.

The Divine Son holds a noble position in the Temple, second only to the Temple Master.

Furthermore, barring any unexpected events, the Divine Son usually becomes the next Temple Master.

After hearing this, Fang Xu felt somewhat disappointed.

He does not place much value on these empty fame and privileges.

Moreover, the Dark God Temple is now the public enemy of the Tianxuan Realm; becoming the Divine Son of the Temple does not necessarily mean one can be very glorious.

Even the head of rats is still a rat.

Are there any more practical benefits? Fang Xu asked.

Compared to status and identity, what he currently wants most is still a benefit that can enhance his own strength.

Practical? Xuanji gave a light smile: The Divine Son has the right to mobilize the vast majority of the Temple's resources for his own use—does this benefit count as practical?

Furthermore, although the Dark God Temple has lost its former glory, it has nonetheless been passed down from ancient times to the present, and was once the master of the Tianxuan Realm; the resources it controls are absolutely beyond your imagination.

These resources, with the identity of Divine Son, can almost all be used at will.

Fang Xu heard it and instantly smiled.

"Master Uncle, you should have just told me this directly earlier."

What's the point of status and empty fame compared to real, tangible benefits?

"So, you agreed?"

Yu Xiangling asked.

Fang Xu nodded.

"Alright, I'll report this matter right away, old man. You hurry up and explain the godson election to him."

After saying that, Yu Xiang turned and left.

Xuanyi then brought Fang Xu into a secret chamber.

"Fang Xu, old man knows you still have many doubts in your heart now, but these matters can be discussed slowly later."

"Right now, old man mainly wants to tell you about the godson of our divine palace."

As Xuanyi spoke, Fang Xu gradually came to understand some things about the Dark Divine Palace.

According to Xuanyi, the Dark Divine Palace was once the ruler of the Tianxuan Realm, and the palace worshipped ancient gods.

The divine palace has three strongest factions, namely the Derivation God, Moon God, and Ancient Tuo God.

Besides these three factions, there are many other smaller factions.

Xuannmen is also one of those many factions.

Originally, the Dark Divine Palace was not a sect, but rather like a cultivator alliance, uniting the forces of the entire Tianxuan Realm to jointly explore the ultimate limits of cultivation.

Later, the Great Expansion Dao Sect rose up and strongly declared war on the Dark Divine Palace, dragging all the forces of the Tianxuan Realm into this battle.

Many small forces, fearing extermination, plus the fact that the Great Expansion Dao Sect seemed to have received support from the so-called Heavenly Earth Will at that time, caused many forces originally attached to the Dark Divine Palace to feel that the Great Expansion Dao Sect was the most orthodox force in the Tianxuan Realm.

A great war lasted countless years, and as many forces defected, the Dark Divine Palace gradually declined, eventually falling to its current state.

Many persecuted disciples of the divine palace scattered and fled; for example, Fang Xu's grandfather, Fang Yuanshan, escaped to a remote corner of the Tianxuan Realm, hid his identity and name, and dared not show his face.

From Xuanyi's mouth, Fang Xu also learned that the title of the Three Gods is fixed, and the strongest of each faction can obtain the title of Three Gods.

Now, he wants to obtain the godson position, which means he must compete with the existing heirs of each faction in the Dark Divine Palace.

According to Xuanyi, the godson position has been vacant for many years, and the elders have already decided to open the godson selection in three years.

At that time, each faction can send their strongest disciples to participate.

Fang Xu's main competitors this time are naturally the inheritors of the Moon God and Ancient Tuo God factions.

Besides those two, there are also inheritors from two other factions who should not be underestimated.

Although Xuanyi did not say it outright, Fang Xu roughly gathered that among the candidates competing for the godson position, someone has already broken through to the Phenomenal Realm, and not just one.

But fortunately, in the godson selection, cultivation level is not absolute.

Because to become the godson of the divine palace, comprehension, combat power, strategy, and character are all indispensable.

Comprehension and combat power need not be said.

Every candidate will not be too weak in these two aspects.

Strategy and character have become Fang Xu's key to turning the tide.

Xuanyi focused on explaining these two points.

After hearing it, Fang Xu's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Master Uncle, I might need to go out for a trip recently."

Hearing his words, Xuanyi felt some doubt, but seeing Fang Xu's confidence in his eyes, he did not ask further.

"Go quickly and return quickly; there are still three years until the godson selection begins."

"Your weakness is cultivation level; as for combat power..."

Although Xuanyi saw that Fang Xu's cultivation was only at the third level of Martial Sovereign, he had seen that wanted poster and knew Fang Xu's true combat power had already reached the mid-to-late stage of the Elemental Martial Realm, placing him in the middle-lower tier among the candidates.

"As for character, old man will help you move around during this period."

Fang Xu nodded, chatted with Xuanyi for a while longer, and then left this stronghold.

After leaving the stronghold, he appeared in a manor in Jiangzhou Prefecture.

This manor was bought by a merchant inside the divine palace; this merchant does not cultivate the divine palace's techniques, and on the surface is just an ordinary person, so no one would notice him.

After coming out, Fang Xu once again disguised himself as the image of Hu Ertu, then hurried back to Huangya Town without stopping.

The first thing he needs to do now is to bring out the Ghost Face Army hidden in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and Gu Qiu and others.

In the godson assessment, character means letting each candidate recruit martial artists on their own to become their guards.

The age of these guards must be under one hundred years old, and the upper limit of their number is five thousand.

After training, let these guards become his dead warriors, carry out assessment tasks, and earn points.

After learning this, Fang Xu's first thought was the Ghost Face Army.

After all, the current Dark Divine Palace is like a rat crossing the street; other candidates wanting to recruit enough guards is absolutely not easy.

They must also ensure loyalty, control age, and guarantee combat power.

Fang Xu, who possesses the Ghost Face Army, already holds an absolute advantage in this aspect.

This is also one of the few advantages he has compared to other candidates.

In the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, Fang Xu was leading the Ghost Face Army to prepare to leave when Bajie Yan suddenly came forward and bowed, saying: "Young Master Fang, this old one has a request."

Fang Xu curiously glanced at her: "Grandmother, please speak."

Bajie Yan glanced at the people of the Hundun tribe behind her, then bowed to Fang Xu and said: "Young Master Fang, the Hundun God has abandoned the Hundun tribe; this old one hopes you can take these children out."

"It can also be considered leaving some bloodline for the Hundun tribe."

Located in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, the Hundun tribe itself is not a strong tribe.

Now that the Hundun God has abandoned them, in the near future, even if the Hundun tribe does not die at the hands of demons and poisonous insects, it will still be annexed by other tribes.

Bazhuoyan wanted Fang Xu to take some people from the Hunyu tribe away, leaving some bloodline for the Hunyu tribe.

Fang Xu frowned upon hearing this.

The population of the Hunyu tribe is indeed over ten thousand, and their strength is not high either.

I can barely protect myself now; taking them all out is simply impossible.

"Grandma..."

Seeing Fang Xu's dilemma, Bazhuoyan said: "Young Master Fang, I know this request is rather demanding."

"I don't even dare to hope you can take most of the tribespeople away; just these young children, taking them away would be enough..."

Huangya Town.

Fang Xu and his group appeared in the town.

They numbered only over a hundred on this journey, and the Ghost Face Army soldiers accompanying them had at this time also put away their Ghost Face Armor, disguising themselves as ordinary martial artists.

Under Fang Xu's orders, they purchased three thousand sets of ordinary male and female clothing in batches, secretly sending them back into the Daban Mountains.

Afterwards, the remaining Ghost Face Army soldiers and the youths of the Hunyu tribe dispersed in small groups, leaving the mountains in batches, then disguising themselves as merchants, carrying many medicinal herbs and ores gathered from the mountains, heading toward Jiangzhou Prefecture City.

Time flew by, and two months passed.

A group of over six thousand people finally arrived safely at that manor in Jiangzhou Prefecture City.

After instructing everyone to rest temporarily in the manor, Fang Xu came again to the hidden stronghold beneath the manor.

Seeing Yuxiang Ling and Xuanji, Fang Xu directly informed the two of them about the Ghost Face Army and the Hunyu tribe.

After hearing this, Xuanji, although somewhat uneasy, still allowed Fang Xu to bring them into the stronghold.

Upon seeing these people in person, Xuanji's expression immediately turned somewhat strange.

Three thousand Ghost Face Army, three thousand one hundred members of the Hunyu tribe, plus Old Ape, Changlong, etc., their cultivation levels ranging from Yuanwu Realm to Wushi Realm.

Such strength obviously cannot compare to those selected by the major sects' candidates.

"Fang Xu, there is one thing I forgot to tell you."

"The selection of the Divine Son has loopholes; although each candidate cannot recruit guards from within the Divine Temple members, for the position of Divine Son, they have long begun laying groundwork, secretly cultivating many powerful martial artists."

"During this period, I went out to inquire, and the guards recruited by those people are mostly existences above the seventh level of Wuzun Realm."

"Among them, the guards recruited by the inheritors of the Ancient Tuo God and the candidates of the Moon God have Yuanwu Realm cultivators accounting for seventy percent, while the rest are all existences of Wuzun Ninth Level and Wuzun Great Perfection."

"You these..."

Fang Xu gave a bitter smile: "What can be done?"

"Who let me jump in halfway?"

"Uncle Master, do you have any good news on your side?"

I originally thought that in terms of character, having the Ghost Face Army gave me an advantage, but I never expected they would not observe martial virtue and had already laid groundwork in advance.

My chances of victory now seem even smaller.

"Good news... well, sort of." Xuanji said: "Because of the status of the Yan Shen adult, as an inheritor, I have applied to the Elder Council for you to obtain an additional special opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu became somewhat curious: "What special opportunity?"

Xuanji gave a light smile: "Within two years, if you can pass the Three Gods Trials, the Elder Council will make an exception to allow you and your guards to enter the God's Fallen Land once more."

Fang Xu looked completely puzzled.

What is the Three Gods Trials?

What is the God's Fallen Land?

Xuanji knew he did not understand these, and patiently explained: "The Three Gods Trials are very difficult; among the candidates participating in this Divine Son selection, only three have passed the Three Gods Trials."

"Each Divine Temple disciple who passes the Three Gods Trials will receive a Divine Treasury reward."

"The Divine Treasury is random, but even the worst among them is a bone artifact."

"You should know, that is something made from divine bone, possessing tremendous power."

Speaking of this, Xuanji's face showed a hint of gloom: "Unfortunately, the Three Gods Trials can only be participated in by Divine Temple disciples under a hundred years old; I tried three times in my youth and still failed to pass."

Shaking his head, suppressing the regret in his heart, Xuanji continued: "As for the God's Fallen Land, it is one of the many secret realms mastered by the Dark God Temple."

"The God's Fallen Land contains abundant opportunities, of course also many dangers."

"But the greatest benefit of entering the God's Fallen Land is time..."

"Because it is a secret realm, the flow of time in the God's Fallen Land differs from the outside world; one year outside equals three years inside."

"That is to say, if you can pass the Three Gods Trials within two years, you can also bring them to train in the God's Fallen Land for another three years."

With these three years of time, as long as they do not fall in the God's Fallen Land, they can completely close the gap between them.

Fang Xu nodded after hearing this.

He knew that the God's Fallen Land had already become his greatest reliance for a comeback.

The Ghost Face Army possesses armor transformation ability; after full armor transformation, each person's strength should reach around the seventh level of Wuzun Realm.

Now, there are still three years until the Divine Son selection; factoring in the time flow speed of the God's Fallen Land, that is to say, I still have at most nine years.

But he should currently be unable to pass the Three Gods Trials.

Assuming he can pass the trials in two years, then the time left for the Ghost Face Army would be five years.

In five years, their strength should be able to increase considerably, right?

The premise is that I must have a large amount of resources to supply them during these five years.

Thinking of this, Fang Xu looked toward Xuanji and said: "Uncle Master, can the Divine Temple exchange cultivation resources?"

Xuanji nodded: "Naturally."

Seeing this, Fang Xu silently calculated and decided to first upgrade the Ghost Face Armor of the remaining Ghost Face Army.

When on the Immortal Island, the Divine Armory Hall's Ou Zhang only upgraded the Ghost Face Armor for one hundred of the Ghost Face Army soldiers; now there are still two thousand nine hundred Ghost Face Army soldiers without full armor transformation capability.

Such an upgrade also requires a large amount of resources.

How am I supposed to gather enough resources now?

"Senior Uncle, take a look at these things of mine—how many resources can they be exchanged for?"

Fang Xu thought for a moment, then took out everything from his Qiankun bag that he had no use for.

These things looked decent enough when I was in Yu State, but after coming to the Central Continent, they are clearly somewhat useless.

Just like many treasures, compared to the spiritual artifacts of the Central Continent, they are not even in the same league.

After examining them, Xuanji shook his head and said: "Although there are many items, their quality is too poor; they cannot be exchanged for many good things."

"On the other hand, these medicinal herbs are of high age and should still be decent."

"However, instead of exchanging them for resources, it would be better to use them yourself to refine pills."

"Also, these monster cores are all good ingredients for medicine."

Upon hearing Xuanji's words, Fang Xu immediately had an idea arise in his heart.

"Senior Uncle, I have a matter I would like to entrust to you."

"They wish to rapidly improve their cultivation and strength in a short time; tell me what they need, and I will trouble you to list them out."

"Also, I may need to return to Yu State... that is, the Three Mountains Island you mentioned. During this time, they still need you to look after them."

With resources severely lacking, the only method Fang Xu can currently think of to quickly obtain resources is to raid the Blue Mountain Relics.

These are the relics left behind by the Yan God; I have only explored four levels so far, with three levels still unexplored.

If this time I thoroughly search the remaining three levels, I should be able to obtain quite a few good things.

Xuanji does not understand why Fang Xu is returning to the impoverished Three Mountains Island at this time, but he has made clear the urgency and importance of the matter; I believe Fang Xu himself has already made a decision in his heart.

This time, departing from Jiangzhou, Fang Xu took along Changlong, Liuxin, and Kongjie.

Liuxin's current strength is at the peak of the Martial Venerable realm, just one step away from breaking into the Martial Emperor realm—lacking only the soul's descent.

Meanwhile, Kongjie's strength is at the middle stage of the Martial Emperor realm; after fully unleashing the power of her Xuan Yang Sacred Body, she can reach the late stage of the Martial Emperor realm.

The reason for bringing Changlong is simple: having him saves a great deal of time when traveling back and forth between the Central Continent and Yu State.

In the sky, Changlong soared freely and joyfully.

Fang Xu and the two others sat upon Changlong's back, gazing at the distant Central Continent; Liuxin's expression showed a faint fluctuation.

"You two are both from the Yu State branch?" Kongjie asked curiously.

Liuxin and Fang Xu exchanged a glance, and both nodded slightly.

Kongjie asked again: "Is the Yu State place really that formidable, to have cultivated you two monsters?"

During the Immortal Island War, Kongjie had also witnessed Liuxin's strength.

Moreover, she had once been defeated by Fang Xu; thus, she has a deep understanding of the terror of the two.

"Are there any other formidable people in the Yu State branch?" Kongjie asked.

Fang Xu and Liuxin both remained silent.

Perhaps the presence of their foreheads can be considered a kind of accident.

After all, aside from the two of them, the strongest back then was Yushan Tianyi; but compared to the majority of core disciples of the Ascension Immortal Association, Yushan Tianyi still falls short.

At least in Fang Xu's view, even if Yushan Tianyi had not died back then and entered the Immortal Island, he would quickly be lost among the masses.

【Your friend Zhao Wují died; as a friend, you may randomly inherit one of Zhao Wují's three legacies.】

The three were chatting idly when, suddenly, a virtual panel popped up before Fang Xu.

Upon seeing the virtual panel, Fang Xu's mind and spirit were violently shaken!

Zhao Wují died!?

This man, who was famous throughout Yu State as the Slaughter Grand General, died!

Suppressing the shock in his heart, he turned his gaze to Zhao Wují's three legacies.

Legacy One: 【Quality Unknown, one extraterrestrial meteorite】Inheritance risk unknown; the extraterrestrial meteorite was obtained by Zhao Wují by chance, containing extremely pure killing intent, vicious and abnormal; after obtaining it, please handle it properly.

Legacy Two: 【Purple Legacy · Mental Attribute 100 points】Inheritance carries no risk, but requires touching Zhao Wují's corpse to obtain.

Legacy Three: 【White Legacy · Zhao Wují's Assets (equivalent to thirty-five top-grade spirit crystal marrow)】Inheritance risk relatively low; as a grand general of Yu State, Zhao Wují fought for many years and gathered many good things; now that Yu State is on the verge of collapse, if the host does not mind the trouble, they may freely loot.

Upon seeing the third legacy, Fang Xu slightly shook his head.

One's perspective determines everything.

If he were still in Yu State at this moment, he would certainly feel that Zhao Wují's legacy is a vast fortune.

After all, in Yu State he was but one person beneath others, yet above ten thousand people—the Grand General!

Over these many years, the Yu Emperor's rewards, plus his own plundering—how much wealth could this be?

But now, converting these things into top-grade spirit crystal marrow amounts to only thirty-five pieces.

Not even as much as the cultivation resources given to him by the Immortal Island.

After clicking the inheritance button, he watched the three legacies roll before him, then gradually settle.

【Congratulations on obtaining Legacy Two!】

【Touching Zhao Wují's corpse grants this legacy.】

100 points of mental attribute?

Not bad.

My current mental attribute is 145 points; adding these 100 points brings it to 245 points.

Zhao Wují being able to contribute 100 points of mental attribute indicates, from another angle, that this person's comprehension is very high—a pity.

"Fang Xu?"

Noticing Fang Xu's strange expression, Liuxin asked curiously: "What's wrong?"

Fang Xu gave a faint smile: "Nothing."

"Just suddenly thought that Yu State should now be at war with Senior Brother Jiang and his group."

Kong Jie listened and was stunned for a moment: "Yu State? Dare to declare war on the Ascension Assembly?"

Fang Xu nodded; Kong Jie probably hadn't paid much attention to these matters before and didn't know that Li Cangwu and the others had already formed ideas about the Ascension Assembly.

"The immortal island has disappeared, and I don't know if Senior Brother Jiang and Master can hold out." Liu Xin showed a hint of worry on her face.

He didn't know Jiang Feng's specific strength, nor did he know that Zhao Wujì had already died in battle.

Fang Xu glanced at the friend list deep in his sea of consciousness and discovered that Li Cangwu and Ming Hun Dao's Juyuan Suo now had only single-digit life points remaining.

This indicates that the two are not far from death.

"Junior Brother Liu, are you worried that Jiang Feng kid can't hold up?" Kong Jie sneered: "You know that kid is best at hiding his strength."

"Just tell you this: when I fought him, the odds were six to four."

"I six, he four."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xin's usually calm face showed some surprise.

When he noticed that Fang Xu's expression hadn't changed much, he couldn't help but ask: "Junior Brother Fang, do you also know Senior Brother Jiang's strength?"

Fang Xu smiled and nodded: "Senior Brother Jiang at least has the strength of mid-to-late Yuanwu."

Liu Xin gave a wry smile: "Now I understand."

"However, this matter shouldn't be taken lightly." Fang Xu spoke again: "Li Cangwu and the people of Ming Hun Dao have been in contact, and after the immortal island disappeared, I always feel something is off."

When the immortal island disappeared, the three of them weren't present, and they don't know how those besieging the immortal island fared.

The people of Ming Hun Dao appeared near the immortal island, and after its disappearance, they are very likely to have fled to Yu State.

Jiang Feng's strength is formidable, but if other members of Ming Hun Dao intervene, the current situation is hard to predict.

As of now, Zhao Wujì is dead, and it seems the Ascension Assembly has gained the upper hand.

But the specific situation will have to wait until we reach Yu State to be clarified.

"Chang Long, speed up." Fang Xu said.

"Ang!"

The long dragon beneath him let out a resonant dragon roar, and electric light instantly flared across its body, greatly increasing its speed!

Since Fang Xu helped him activate the thunderous power in his bloodline, the long dragon's mastery of thunder over these years has become increasingly proficient, even touching the edge of the law.

Though possessing dragon blood and having lived two or three hundred years, the long dragon previously lacked awakened intelligence, existing in a state of muddled confusion.

Since gaining awareness until now, it has been only about seven or eight years in total.

Achieving this level in seven or eight years is enough to prove its great potential.

……

Yu State.

Huayang Mountain, Ascension Assembly interior.

Jiang Feng gazed at the elders and stewards before him with a somewhat pale complexion.

Beside him stood a woman in white robes, her hair full of silver, standing silently and coldly.

"Master, your wound..."

Below, Yan Wu spoke with some concern.

"It's fine." Jiang Feng forced a faint smile, then said: "I don't know what happened on the immortal island side; the distress signal sent out has received no reply so far."

"Although Bai Shan helped a few days ago, repelling the Ming Hun Dao people, I still decided to initiate the Xin Huo Plan."

Upon hearing his words, Chu Ren Di and the others below all stared in shock.

"Senior Brother Jiang, although our Ascension Assembly is currently at a disadvantage, we haven't reached the point where we need to initiate the Xin Huo Plan, have we?"

Jiang Feng shook his head, turned to look at the white-clad woman beside him, and then said to Chu Ren Di: "Bai Shan has a hidden illness; I left her in the mountains to recuperate years ago, and when we acted a few days ago, her hidden illness flared up again."

"Chu Junior Brother, don't forget: in the royal city of Zhongzhou, there are still two Ming Hun Dao elders who haven't made a move."

Upon hearing his words, the assembled stewards all fell silent.

On the same day the immortal island erupted in battle, Li Cangwu began moving against the Ascension Assembly.

He first sent Zhao Wujì to lead a large army in a lightning strike against the Fu Shan State Ascension Assembly, slaughtering all its disciples!

The injured and fallen Fu Shan State Ascension Assembly chief elder Gong Wanrong fell into the sea, and to this day there has been no news.

Afterward, Zhao Wujì's large army began sweeping through the Ascension Assembly branches across Yu State.

Ultimately, they besieged Huayang Mountain.

Jiang Feng originally planned to directly storm the royal city, slay Li Cangwu and that Ming Hun Dao Juyuan, and thus end this chaos.

But that Juyuan actually used soul-attaching technique to forcibly extract the souls of nearly half the common people of Zhongzhou and attach them to Li Cangwu's body.

While Li Cangwu's strength greatly increased, he also bound his own life and the lives of millions of Zhongzhou's common people together.

Jiang Feng dared not act rashly.

Afterwards, the two sides stalemated for a period, until just as he was considering joining forces with Bai Shan to act again—without harming Li Cangwu's soul and spirit, to trap him and then find a way to dispel the soul-attaching technique—a group of Ming Hun Dao martial artists suddenly appeared on this land for no known reason.

This group of Ming Hun Dao martial artists is very strong!

Just the Yuanwu realm martial artists among them number four!

Both sides erupted in multiple skirmishes, until a few days ago, when Bai Shan suddenly struck, giving him the chance to slay Zhao Wujì and two of the Ming Hun Dao Yuanwu realm strongmen with one sword.

But he himself was also wounded in soul and spirit by another Ming Hun Dao strongman.

"Chu Junior Brother, everyone, quickly select the elite disciples from your respective halls and send them out to sea first."

"The remaining disciples should then try to send them out as well."

"As long as they are there, my Ascension Assembly still has a chance."

Jiang Feng spoke.

"Master..."

"Report!"

"The overseer, all the stewards, a huge flying dragon demon beast has appeared in the sky, and it is fighting with the people of Minghun Dao!"

"Flying dragon demon beast?"

Jiang Feng slowly stood up: "Let's go take a look."

A group of people arrived at the summit of Huayang Mountain and saw several figures fighting in the sky.

"It's Kong Shijie!" A flash of joy crossed Jiang Feng's eyes.

"That's Fang Xu!"

Chu Ren Di immediately spotted Fang Xu in the sky.

"Liu Xin, that foolish boy, is back too!"

Jiang Lu's face showed joy.

The surrounding disciples of the Ascendant Immortal Society, seeing the battle above Zhongzhou City, also began to discuss it.

Some older disciples, although they had never heard of Liu Xin, were extremely familiar with the name Fang Xu.

"It's Senior Brother Fang!"

"So strong!"

"That old woman fighting him seems to be the mysterious powerhouse who recently besieged the overseer!"

"Is the one holding the axe Senior Brother Liu Xin from the Ascension Platform?"

"And who is that youth? Just looking at him, he seems incredibly strong!"

……

In the crowd, a white-robed Yun Wan raised her head to gaze at the sky, where a figure like a deity stood, and she couldn't help but lift the corners of her mouth.

"You've finally come back..."

"I thought I would never see you in this lifetime."

"Fang Xu gege..."

"Fang Xu..."

Familiar people, upon seeing Fang Xu, all had smiles on their faces.

"Bai Shan, you guard this place, I'll go help them."

Seeing that Fang Xu and his group were evenly matched against the Minghun Dao people, Jiang Feng, suppressing the pain in his soul, prepared to seize this opportunity to strike suddenly and weaken the enemy as much as possible.

The towering Heaven-Reaching Sword Bamboo shot up from the ground!

Vast amounts of bamboo leaves transformed into a sky-filling sword rain, flying toward the few Minghun Dao individuals!

The sword rain formed from bamboo leaves swiftly gathered, turning into a green sword qi river, straight toward the Ju Yuan among them!

The soul-attaching technique on Li Cangwu's body was cast by him; kill him, and the soul-attaching technique will naturally be undone.

"Not good!"

"Jiang Feng has also arrived!"

Feeling immense danger, Ju Yuan, who was fighting the long dragon, immediately tried to dodge!

And the long dragon also saw Jiang Feng bringing a killing move, directly waving his hand to unleash a huge bolt of lightning, sealing off all of Ju Yuan's escape routes while fine electric arcs numbed Ju Yuan's body!

Whoosh!

The green sword river seized the opportunity and directly pierced through Ju Yuan's body, along with his soul, grinding them to pieces!

One strike!

Ju Yuan, this martial artist of the Elemental Martial Realm, died!

【Your friend Ju Yuan has died; as a friend, you may randomly inherit any one of the three portions of Ju Yuan's estate.】

Estate One: 【Purple Estate · Soul Secret Art "Hun Shang"】 Low inheritance risk, one of Minghun Dao's core secret arts, primarily attacks the soul, cultivation difficulty is high, requiring extremely high soul standards.

Estate Two: 【Yellow Estate · Mental Attribute 60 Points】 No inheritance risk, but requires touching Ju Yuan's corpse to obtain.

Estate Three: 【Unknown Quality · Mysterious Sea Map One Copy】 Low inheritance risk, obtained by Ju Yuan by chance; the sea map records the secret of how he accidentally came to Yu State.

Meanwhile, Fang Xu was currently battling a Elemental Martial Realm disciple of Minghun Dao; upon seeing the virtual panel pop up, he directly selected inheritance and then paid no further attention to anything else.

At this moment, relying on the law of power, he could already suppress one of Minghun Dao's Elemental Martial Realm strongers without even using the Three Transformations of the Magic Ape.

Under his attacks, this Elemental Martial Realm martial artist struggled to defend.

Fang Xu seized the opportunity and directly blasted out a cluster of purple flames!

Seeing this, the Elemental Martial Realm martial artist quickly unleashed a huge punch force, preparing to shatter the purple flames!

But he did not know how much trouble he had brought upon himself with this strike!

The purple flames were shattered, and numerous tiny fire sparks splashed onto the two senior brothers beside him!

Divine Flame fire ignites upon contact with the body!

Both flesh and soul suffered the attack of the Divine Flame fire, causing the two to instantly feel unbearable pain!

And he himself fared no better.

A cluster of purple flame stuck to his fist, rapidly burning upward along his wrist.

Seeing this, Fang Xu, who was exchanging blows with him, pressed his right hand's ten fingers and middle finger together, and a sharp sword qi shot straight toward his face!

The terrifying sword qi sliced his cheek, also causing the Divine Flame fire to rapidly burn his arm and upper body!

"Uncle-master!"

"Save me!"

"Ah!"

The three let out mournful, tragic cries.

But how could Liu Xin and Kong Jie let such a good opportunity pass?

The two, using various methods, instantly slew their respective opponents on the spot!

Fang Xu also had a kind heart, a sword qi slash beheading his opponent, so he no longer suffered the pain of being scorched by the Shen Yi flames.

The battle ended, and only then did Fang Xu have time to attend to Ju Yuan's inheritance.

【Congratulations on obtaining Inheritance Three!】

【The mysterious sea map is currently in the National Preceptor's Mansion in the Imperial City; please, host, go obtain it.】

National Preceptor's Mansion?

Fang Xu was hesitating when Kong Jie beside him glanced down at the Zhongzhou Imperial City, preparing to charge up, but Jiang Feng stopped her.

"Kong Senior Sister, there are two Elders of the Ming Hun Dao inside; it's not advisable to act rashly."

Kong Jie froze for a moment, then also refrained from acting impulsively, directly following Jiang Feng back to Huayang Mountain.

Before the sect's main hall, numerous Ascension Society disciples watched Fang Xu and his group, their faces all showing admiration.

Yun Wan in the crowd also smiled at Fang Xu at this moment.

Seeing him being the focus of ten thousand gazes, she felt greatly relieved in her heart.

Fang Xu noticed her, walking slowly past the admiring disciples.

"Long time no see."

Yun Wan chuckled, nodding firmly.

Seeing her slightly pale pretty face, Fang Xu directly opened his arms and embraced her.

In the field, many Ascension Society disciples and attendants, seeing this, all showed smiles.

Yun Wan struggled a few times, unable to break free from that strong arm, and could only whisper: "So many people, I'm dying of embarrassment..."

Fang Xu released her, smiling: "What's there to fear?"

Saying this, he again took Yun Wan's hand and came before Chu Mu.

Chu Mu wrinkled her nose, then lunged forward, embracing Fang Xu's neck: "Fang Xu brother..."

Fang Xu helplessly glanced at Yun Wan beside him, then patted Chu Mu's back: "You're already this big, not shy at all."

Chu Mu shook her head: "I don't care, you hugged Yun Wan sister, so you must hug me too."

……

After a while of intimacy with the two, Fang Xu then came before Chu Ren Di, clasping his hands: "Master."

Chu Ren Di rarely joked: "Finally remembered your master?"

Fang Xu gave an embarrassed smile.

Sect Main Hall.

After Jiang Feng and the others heard about the matter of the Immortal Island, they all looked astonished; no one had ever thought the Immortal Island would actually grow legs and run away!

"Jiang Senior Brother, how many enemies remain inside the Zhongzhou Imperial City?" Fang Xu asked.

Jiang Feng pondered for a moment and said: "The other enemies are fine; it's just those two Elders of the Ming Hun Dao who are somewhat troublesome."

"Those two have the strength of late Yuan Wu; I once briefly exchanged blows with one of them, and he was very strong."

"But with Kong Senior Sister and you all here, it should not be a problem."

"Jiang Feng, your wound..." Bai Shan beside him suddenly spoke.

Fang Xu curiously glanced at her, and the long dragon beside him whispered in his ear: "She is of the Dragon Clan..."

Jiang Feng at this moment also spoke to introduce Bai Shan's identity to them: "This is Bai Shan, whom I rescued from the sea when returning from the Immortal Island back then; these years she has been quietly recuperating in the bamboo grove behind the mountain."

Fang Xu suddenly realized, the zither sound he had heard earlier must have been played by this Bai Shan.

"Jiang Senior Brother, I will take on the two Ming Hun Dao Elders with our four; you deal with Li Cangwu." After thinking for a moment, Fang Xu spoke.

Jiang Feng is injured; dealing with Li Cangwu should be no problem.

As for the two Ming Hun Dao Elders, Kong Jie can hold off one, and the three of us can handle the other; there should be no issue.

(End of Chapter)