Chapter 294: Preparing to Flee (Bonus Chapter—Seeking Moon Tickets)

"Hmph!"

Fang Xing's true body let out a cold snort; a surge of blood qi, like a blazing sun, erupted instantly from the cave dwelling.

With his current martial will, Mu Wanzhang and Mu Mu Qingshi collapsed at once.

Even the White Crane Daoist, a Core Formation expert hovering in the sky, fell into daze.

But a crimson dot flickered at his third eye, and he recovered swiftly—clearly possessing some artifact or secret technique to protect his spirit.

"Protector? Kill!"

After regaining clarity, the White Crane Daoist immediately raised his hand, and a talisman materialized.

The talisman was entirely pale green, bearing only a circular emblem.

This was a fourth-rank "Talisman Treasure," acquired during his greatest stroke of fortune.

Within it was sealed the power equivalent to four-tenths of a Spirit Treasure—deadly against ordinary Core Formation cultivators!

But such Talisman Treasures are exceedingly difficult to forge, requiring not only the depletion of a Spirit Treasure's power, but also weakening its spiritual essence.

Thus, only Nascent Soul True Lords at their wit's end would ever bother crafting one.

Moreover, without the foundation of a fourth-rank Talisman Master, one could not forge a Talisman Treasure at all.

Hum!

Beneath a swirl of crimson and green light, the talisman burned instantly, transforming into a ring of interwoven crimson and green.

A powerful magical force erupted, rivaling that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

The ring spun rapidly, water and fire energies rising upon it, merging seamlessly—flames flowed like water, while water burned fiercely.

Roar! Roar!

From the ring's center emerged a water-fire dragon, radiating the terrifying aura of a fourth-rank transformed beast, lunging with a single claw!

Screech!

Fang Xing's Golden Core domain was utterly shattered; his chest garment ripped apart, revealing a crimson-golden chest.

Ding!

The water-fire dragon's claw struck his chest, unleashing a deafening crash.

Ice-cold flames and scorching waters surged over him—this dual realm of ice and fire, capable of obliterating any third-rank body cultivator—felt to him like a gentle breeze.

Boom!

Countless water and fire forces exploded, then vanished in a thunderous collapse.

The talisman, having exhausted its power, turned to ash.

Behind him, the White Crane Daoist stared at Fang Xing—clothes torn, body glowing crimson-gold, radiating perfect completion—and his face contorted in horror: "A fourth-rank body cultivator? Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!"

Bang!

Before he finished speaking, Fang Xing was already before him, claw outstretched!

The White Crane Daoist's defensive artifacts and true energy shields shattered like soap bubbles beneath Fang Xing's golden fingers.

Then, Fang Xing's palm passed unimpeded through the Daoist's chest, unleashing terrifying force that obliterated the old man's Golden Core.

"My Great Golden Body… they mistook me for a fourth-rank body cultivator?"

"Seems a bit stronger than Wei Wei Shentong..."

Fang Xing murmured.

He had previously condensed the Purple-patterned Wanshou Golden Core, whose primordial foundation was extraordinarily profound.

Later, he perfected the "Dragon-Elephant Golden Immortal Body Technique," and upon breaking into the Golden Body realm, he immediately achieved the Seventh Turn Body.

Then, after ten years of refining himself within the Nine Sword Academy's Obelisk, he fully fused the indestructible substance with every inch of his skin, every bone, every drop of blood.

Thus, he instantly attained the Great Golden Body!

Overall, he was slightly stronger than Wei Wei Shentong.

But the Ninth Turn Great Golden Body inherently represented perfection and the ultimate limit, so he wasn't vastly superior.

"Actually… that water-fire dragon ring talisman did cause me some injury… but I recovered too fast, so it's as if I wasn't hurt?"

Fang Xing smiled faintly, then returned to the cave dwelling.

For him, the most important thing now was still protecting his cultivation avatar's Nascent Soul formation.

If he indulged in killing and went out to hunt enemies, he might fall for a decoy tactic—and that would be disastrous.

Boom! Boom!

Above, the sky was now choked with dark clouds, countless purple lightning serpents entwined, exuding terrifying pressure.

This was the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation!

Inside the cave dwelling, the cultivation chamber.

"Where's my heart demon? Where's my huge heart demon?"

"Come out, you coward!"

Fang Xing opened his eyes, his gaze crystal clear, his entire sword intent without outlet—he felt as if he had obtained something useless.

Just as during his previous breakthrough to Core Formation, he encountered no Nascent Soul heart demon this time either!

"Indeed, I'm just too strong!"

Fang Xing sighed: "Even seeking a glimpse of a heart demon is beyond my reach..."

He was, after all, sharing the same consciousness as his true body, whose martial will had risen another level after training the Will Inscription.

Even facing the true form of an Outer Realm Demon God, or the corruption of a pillar-level demon god, he remained utterly unmoved.

And theoretically, a Nascent Soul heart demon in the main universe is merely an eighth-rank spiritual corruption!

If a Great Golden Body martial artist could be shaken by such a level of corruption, Fang Xing's martial arts masters since childhood ought to hang themselves in shame.

"Fine, no heart demon, no problem."

Fang Xing looked up—he could already feel the heavenly tribulation's authority locking onto him, unavoidable.

In his Lower Dantian, the Sword Nascent Soul had already condensed, but remained in its initial, weakened state, needing consolidation.

Of course, he could force an attack—but that would harm his primordial energy.

This was precisely why many Nascent Soul cultivators feared the tribulation: they had just passed the heart demon trial, their spirits even weaker, their condition worse!

Moreover, the tribulation could not be shared—only the cultivator himself could endure it!

"Indeed… I can only rely on myself."

Fang Xing's expression turned solemn; he pulled out the Nine Infant Pearl and transformed into Mu Wansong's appearance: "Wanfa Ghost Infant, Jiaowei Qin—attack!"

The Jiaowei Qin, a Spirit Treasure, had reached fourth-rank middle grade.

But its spirit was stubborn; unless Fang Xing assumed the Mu family bloodline, it refused to cooperate.

Previously, his true energy had been insufficient to subdue the Jiaowei Qin's spirit.

Now that he had truly ascended to the Nascent Soul stage as a Sword True Lord, he could attempt to unite the Wanfa Ghost Infant and forcibly subdue the spirit—without damaging the Spirit Treasure's power.

But refining a Spirit Treasure was no overnight task; for now, he still needed to wear Mu Wansong's mask to fully unleash the Jiaowei Qin's power.

Boom!

Above the nine heavens, thunder rumbled like ten thousand tons.

A purple lightning bolt crashed down, radiating the majesty to annihilate all life!

Zheng!

A melodic string note rose, accompanied by a clear phoenix cry.

A Jiaowei Phoenix emerged from the fourth-rank cave dwelling, its feathers magnificent, wings spread wide to meet the heavenly lightning.

"Shriek!!!"

The Jiaowei Phoenix opened its beak and swallowed the lightning bolt whole.

"Master…" On the ground beside the cave, Mu Mu Qingshi opened his eyes, murmuring: "I think I heard our Spirit Treasure's string sound..."

Mu Wanzhang opened his eyes: "I saw it too..."

His expression was deeply complex as he watched the figure of "Mu Wansong" burst from the fourth-rank cave, the family's ancestral Spirit Treasure—Jiaowei Qin—floating before him.

"Elder Ancestor… you've deceived us terribly."

Mu Wanzhang smiled bitterly inwardly, even a chill rising in his heart.

According to the Elder Ancestor's earlier words, the Jiaowei Qin Spirit Treasure had been stolen by an unknown body cultivator—how could it appear here?

Could it be… that everything was a lie?

Had the Elder Ancestor conspired with that unknown quasi-fourth-rank body cultivator in the blessed land, murdered Mu Mu Qinglan, seized the Nascent Soul opportunity, and stolen the family's Spirit Treasure?

But such suspicion was too dark—murdering the family's peerless prodigy, seizing opportunity…

It was too filthy!

Yet Mu Wanzhang knew: if the Elder Ancestor succeeded, he would be the hero of the Mu family, his name sung for ten thousand generations!

As for Mu Mu Qinglan, he would merely be a poor soul who perished in a secret realm—soon forgotten…

"But… the Elder Ancestor's past nurturing wasn't fake… why kill him?"

"Was it just for the Jiaowei Qin? The family controlling a Spirit Treasure is different from one person possessing it… but that still doesn't make sense..."

"Could it be… Mu Qinglan possessed an even greater opportunity, and the Elder Ancestor secretly murdered him to steal it?"

Mu Wanzhang's mind churned with countless thoughts, complex and hard to articulate.

He had not linked the Nascent Soul Sword True Lord in the blessed land with Mu Wansong—he did not believe Mu Wansong was that Nascent Soul Sword True Lord, for they had appeared simultaneously in the same place, one a Core Formation True Person, the other a Nascent Soul True Lord—completely different!

Mu Wansong was still forming his Nascent Soul—how could he be the Nascent Soul Sword True Lord from the blessed land?

Even if the Nascent Soul Sword True Lord had impersonated Mu Wansong afterward, it was unlikely, for both cultivation factions had confirmed he had long been a Nascent Soul cultivator—how could he now be forming his Nascent Soul?

Boom! Boom!

At this moment, the second and third lightning bolts struck in succession, easily blocked by Fang Xing with the Burnt Tail Qin.

"Indeed… though my Sword Nascent Soul has yet to pass its vulnerable phase, I have the Ten Thousand Methods Ghost Nascent Soul—plus two Spirit Treasures… If I still cannot survive the Nascent Soul Lightning Tribulation, no one can."

Fang Xing, wearing Mu Mu Wansheng's face, remained unharmed beneath the lightning storm.

He even had the leisure to cast the "Green Yang Demon Lamp," enveloping himself in a "Green Yang Shield."

As for the risk of exposure?

It mattered not at all—he planned to return to his sect after forming his Nascent Soul anyway.

So what if they learned Mu Mu Wansheng was Feng Shangren—or a quasi-fourth-rank Body Cultivator?

Beneath his disguise lay yet another disguise!

BOOM! BOOM!

After wave upon wave of heavenly lightning, the dark clouds finally dispersed reluctantly.

Fang Xing felt a profound sense of bodily ease: "From today, I am a true Nascent Soul Sword Lord!"

"Fifty years of cultivation—finally, I have reached the Nascent Soul Realm!"

Fang Xing's heart swelled with joy as he felt the vast, sharp Nascent Soul energy within him, his spiritual sense rapidly expanding.

Fifty li… eighty li… one hundred li!

Upon entering the Nascent Soul Realm, both his energy strength and spiritual sense range surpassed his own peak during the Ten Thousand Methods Ghost Nascent Soul phase!

At that moment, his spiritual sense caught a fleeing aura—a Cultivator with a Golden Core, a demonic cultivator.

The man was fleeing in panic, desperately escaping the range of Mount Mount Baihua.

Seeing this, Fang Xing's lips curled slightly, then he transformed into a blade of light and gave chase.

Sword Flight was already the supreme among all flight techniques!

Now that he had ascended to the Nascent Soul Realm and his Rusty Iron Sword had become his True Spirit Treasure, he was using Fourth-Rank Sword Flight!

Added to that, the "Great Freedom Dark Golden Sword Scripture" was famed for its unparalleled sword speed.

His blade-light now outpaced even the flight aura of most mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.

Soon, he caught up to the dark demonic aura, revealing a large-headed demonic cultivator.

Seeing Fang Xing approaching, the large-headed cultivator panicked, gritted his teeth, and pulled two white skull heads from his storage bag.

Red light flared from their eye sockets, biting off his two fingers and chewing them rapidly.

Then they landed beneath his feet, becoming a pair of white bone wind-fire wheels, drastically boosting his flight speed.

"Heh. Stay!"

Fang Xing swept his sleeve, and a blade of light appeared.

After condensing his Sword Nascent Soul, his True Spirit Sword had merged with his Nascent Soul—he still used Sword Light and Sword Shadows.

But their power was now extraordinary.

With a single sweep of his sleeve, the sky filled with starlight; a white-golden sword shadow flashed once, piercing straight through the large-headed demon's Lower Dantian.

He screamed, and Fang Xing seized him with a massive spiritual hand. "Great Elder, spare me! I was just passing through—"

"Heh… who would believe that excuse?"

Fang Xing chuckled, skipped interrogation, and immediately initiated Soul Search.

Moments later, he casually tossed the large-headed demon's corpse aside, fired a Soul-Eating Demon Fire at it, and in an instant, it turned to ash.

"The demonic sects' reach is long—instead of cultivating Golden Core demons, they've planted moles right in the orthodox sects…"

Had I not formed my Nascent Soul, the White Crane Sect might have broken through Mu Family's formation—and I'd have crushed them one by one…

Well, the outcome was about the same.

Even for the White Crane Sect, losing only one Golden Core True Cultivator might be considered a win…

Fang Xing swept his sleeve, turned his blade-light, and returned to the Mount Baihua Mountain cave.

"Congratulations, Supreme Elder, on condensing your Nascent Soul—henceforth, eternal life awaits!"

Mu Wanzhang and Mu Mu Qingshi hurried forward, faces flushed with excitement.

They had believed that after Mu Family sealed their mountain, decline was inevitable.

Yet they never imagined the Supreme Elder had endured so patiently, occupying the fourth-rank spiritual vein cave, all to condense his Nascent Soul!

Though they grumbled internally that the Supreme Elder had deceived even his own kin, he was now a Nascent Soul True Lord—his words were law.

"I shall enter seclusion to consolidate my cultivation. Do not disturb me."

Fang Xing's face cold, he returned to the cave and sealed its entrance.

As for those two fake Golden Cores? They wouldn't dare storm in even if given ten lives.

"Enough. Pack up. Let's go."

Fang Xing was ready to leave—before Nascent Soul True Lords from both orthodox and demonic sides arrived, it would be awkward.

First, he went to the alchemy chamber and retrieved the Wan Hua Cauldron, then headed to the beast pen.

The Treasure-Seeking Rat was still at mid-third-rank—after all, not everyone cultivated as swiftly as he did.

Seeing Fang Xing's Nascent Soul aura, the rat immediately stood on its hind legs, clasped its paws together, and bowed as if in salute.

"Heh… good boy. Reward!"

Fang Xing casually pulled out a vial of third-rank pills and tossed it over.

The rat instantly thrilled, swallowing every pill in one gulp.

After ascending to mid-third-rank, it awakened a new innate talent, which Fang Xing named "Rumination"—it had carved a small space within its belly to store items.

Instead of developing a grand technique like "Sleeve of the Heavens," the rat preferred to swallow mountains of rare herbs and treasures, then slowly regurgitate them one by one when idle.

"Sigh… acts like a starving ghost. Such a habit."

Fang Xing found the rat's new talent utterly baffling, but still chanted a spell and sealed it into his Spirit Beast Bag.

After tidying the cave, he used Earth Transit to descend to the basement, where he found Wu Hun Mo, guarding the unconscious Mu Mu Wansheng.

(End of Chapter)