Chapter 374: Join forces

The blue sea, the waves are not rising.

A stream of light flashed, revealing a white-haired old man.

His aura was mysterious, without the terrifying pressure of other high-level cultivators, but he had a strange feeling of "body merging with heaven and earth", and the person was incomparably harmonious with heaven and earth.

"Ming Qian Qian Kun Dao... is just ahead."

The old man muttered.

Although there is a transmission array on the island, what if you fall into a trap if you transmit it rashly?

Even if there is no trap, this kind of sudden arrival at the territory of a fellow Daoist is also a very offensive behavior.

He raised his hand, silver light flashed in the void, and a sound transmission talisman flew out, flying towards Ming Qian Qian Kun Dao at an extremely fast speed, like a silver stream of light.

Before long, a young man with sword eyebrows and star eyes stepped into the air.

His aura was ethereal, and even between his walks, there were wisps of silver

"Power of the Void!"

The old man, who also mastered the power of the void, was shocked.

He was the Spirit Severing Venerable of the Ethereal Xiangong—Venerable Gu. Even though the Ethereal Xiangong was famous for its expertise in the Dao of the Void and possessed many cultivation techniques and secret arts, it was only after reaching the mid-stage of Spirit Severing, through immense hardship and the assistance of a supreme treasure for contemplation, that he had managed to grasp a trace of the power of the void.

And yet... this newly ascended Spirit Severing cultivator before him had mastered it directly?

Once one masters a trace of the power of the void, after reaching the peak of Spirit Severing, there is a possibility of attempting the breakthrough to Void Refinement.

Although, the chance of failure is very high.

"Are you Venerable Gu of the Ethereal Xiangong?"

Fang Xing raised an eyebrow.

The image of this person was deeply etched in the memory of Great Zhenjun Huang Zhu, as he was a Spirit Severing cultivator from a hostile faction.

"It is indeed this old man. Hehe... I have yet to congratulate you, Fellow Daoist, on your successful Spirit Severing; you have a promising future for ascension."

Venerable Gu smiled and presented a purple jade bottle: "Inside this bottle are three 'Phoenix Cry Pills,' which are quite beneficial for enhancing the magic power of cultivators like us. I offer them specifically to congratulate you, Fellow Daoist!"

"Many thanks."

Fang Xing took the purple jade bottle and sighed inwardly: 'Do you have to be so polite? With you acting like this... I will feel quite embarrassed later on.'

'However, the Ethereal Xiangong inciting the Flying Immortal lineage to rebel is an act of enmity against my Sword Sect. As the one carrying forward the legacy of the Primordial Yuan Shen Jian Zong, it is only reasonable for me to show up at their doorstep to demand compensation... these few fifth-grade pills can only be considered interest.'

Although he thought this way, one does not strike a person who is smiling.

Fang Xing still invited Venerable Gu to Master Mingkun Island for tea.

Venerable Gu remained smiling, showing not a hint of the arrogance expected of a Spirit Severing Venerable.

After all, they were both cultivators of the same rank. They began to discuss the subtleties of using the Primordial Spirit and their insights into contemplating the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. For a time, the two of them chatted quite happily.

"Your insights into the Dao of the Void, Fellow Daoist, are truly thought-provoking and have benefited me greatly."

Fang Xing spoke with a pleasant smile, but inwardly he was certain: 'The Void Refinement legacy of this Ethereal Xiangong seems to be more profound and extensive regarding spatial laws than the "Lingkong Sword Scripture"... I must take a look.'

This was also normal.

Although Void Refinement legacies inevitably involve the Dao of the Void, the depth of that involvement is hard to say.

The "Lingkong Sword Scripture" focuses more on various sword techniques, leaning towards combining the Dao of the Void with swordsmanship.

And the "Nine Strategies of the Heavenly Demon," needless to say, leans towards various demonic secret arts and divine abilities...

Only the "Ethereal Void Scripture," which directly takes the void as its name, studies the void most profoundly; the various spatial structures it records should be the most numerous among the three.

"Haha... You are too modest, Fellow Daoist. To be able to master a trace of the power of the void at the early stage of Spirit Severing, could it be that... you possess a Void Refinement legacy?"

Venerable Gu spoke suddenly, causing Fang Xing's expression to change.

However, this was also within Fang Xing's expectations, as this was a part he had deliberately revealed.

Mastering a trace of the power of the void at the early stage of Spirit Severing could perhaps be barely explained by being naturally gifted or having some kind of void constitution.

But during their discussion just now, Fang Xing's insights into the void were too systematic and comprehensive.

A rogue cultivator exploring on their own would certainly not be able to say so much.

To this, he merely smiled and took a sip of spiritual tea, maintaining an inscrutable appearance.

A flash of light appeared in Venerable Gu's eyes: "... Is the cultivation technique you practice, Fellow Daoist, the 'Lingkong Sword Scripture'?"

"Hmm?"

Fang Xing was truly a bit surprised now: "Why does Fellow Daoist know this?"

Now that his strength was extraordinary, he didn't mind being known at all.

"Hehe... The Ethereal Xiangong is, after all, a holy land power. Within the Wuji Hall, we naturally have arrangements... Do you know, Fellow Daoist, that Meng Laomo Meng already knows the identity of your elder?"

Since the Wuji Hall had spies in the Ethereal Xiangong, the Ethereal Xiangong naturally had moles in the Wuji Hall as well.

When Venerable Gu said this, he still found it somewhat unbelievable.

A tiny Master Mingkun Island, where the Great Island Master is a Spirit Severing cultivator and the Second Island Master is a fifth-grade body cultivator... it was truly hard to imagine.

Back then, that Southern Fire Gate, who knows what wrong medicine they took to dare to make things difficult for these two?

'Oh? It seems Meng Laomo Meng indeed has secret arts, knowing about some of the things that happened during the siege...'

'And then, my recent breakthrough to Spirit Severing has attracted attention from all sides; various intelligence reports will surely appear on the desks of the major high-echelons... My true appearance cannot be hidden... Of course, I also disdain changing my face.'

Fang Xing's heart stirred; he already knew the reason for Venerable Gu's visit. The enemy of an enemy is a friend; since the Wuji Hall was preparing to move against the Ethereal Xiangong, the Ethereal Xiangong naturally needed to strike back and win over allies...

'If this were a mortal lobbyist, the first sentence upon meeting would certainly be something like "Your Excellency, great disaster is not far off"...'

Fang Xing remained silent, continuing to wait for Venerable Gu to speak.

Venerable Gu said: "Meng Laomo Meng will inevitably move against you, Fellow Daoist. My Ethereal Xiangong is willing to join forces with you, Fellow Daoist, to jointly resist the demonic path!"

"In addition, our Palace Master is very concerned about the whereabouts of Yu Tianzun Yu. Does your elder, that body cultivator, know anything about it? Now that you, Fellow Daoist, have inherited the orthodoxy of the Primordial Yuan Shen Jian Zong, my Ethereal Xiangong will certainly support you with all our might. Even if you wish to build a new holy land in the future, it is not something that cannot be discussed."

"A holy land? At the very least, it requires a fifth-grade spiritual vein."

Fang Xing spoke indifferently.

Now that he had ascended to Spirit Severing, he had no pills to assist his cultivation and had returned to the state of a bitter cultivator absorbing the energy of spiritual veins to cultivate painstakingly.

The spiritual vein of Master Mingkun Island was already far from sufficient; at the very least, a fifth-grade spiritual vein was needed.

Of course, if there were a sixth-grade spiritual vein like the one in the Ethereal Xiangong, that would also be excellent.

'In the Vast Sea Cultivation World, fourth-grade spiritual veins are still quite abundant, but fifth-grade ones are extremely rare, controlled only by some major Nascent Soul powers...'

The major Nascent Soul powers of the Vast Sea Cultivation World have at least several to over a dozen Nascent Soul True Monarchs, as well as Great True Monarchs at the late Nascent Soul stage sitting in command, and some even have ancestors who were Spirit Severing cultivators, possessing the foundation of Spirit Severing!

But sixth-grade spiritual veins, apart from the Ethereal Xiangong, only exist in the former mountain gate of the Primordial Yuan Shen Jian Zong and the Wuji Hall.

"With your means, Fellow Daoist, a fifth-grade spiritual vein should not be difficult."

Venerable Gu said with a smile; after all, these were two Spirit Severing combat powers.

And now, the conditions were laid out; it just depended on how this Venerable Master Mingkun would choose.

"The whereabouts of Yu Tianzun Yu... my elder does not know either. He left a step early due to matters, and upon discovering it later, a terrifying void storm had occurred..."

Fang Xing sighed, but his heart stirred.

Although the Wuji Hall confirmed the fall of Yu Tianzun Yu, it might not have been something the Ethereal Xiangong did on purpose.

Being swallowed by a void storm, 99% of the time, one would die.

But if one's cultivation is high enough and one's luck is extremely good... it is not impossible to survive.

For example, falling into another lower realm, or a crack in the void.

It is just like a shipwreck survivor happening to be sent to a desert island.

Although the probability is low, it is not non-existent!

'Items like soul lamps that confirm life and death can theoretically be sensed no matter how far away they are, but if there is the obstruction of boundary power, and the person themselves is severely injured, their life is like a candle in the wind... then it is truly hard to say; there is a possibility of it extinguishing.'

'Is the Ethereal Xiangong saying this to deliberately blur the life and death of Yu Tianzun Yu to maintain deterrence, or is it truly the case?'

Fang Xing thought for a moment, and then his own conclusion was... it doesn't matter!

With his strength at this level, even if Meng Laomo Meng and Yu Tianzun Yu besieged him, it would just be a matter of him putting on his armor and fighting.

Even if someone came from the upper realm, with the suppression of boundary power, they might not necessarily be his match!

After all, his own cultivation was too low, so the suppression he received was relatively small...

"As for the place with the spiritual vein, fifth-grade is too low. How about sixth-grade?"

Fang Xing smiled.

"Sixth-grade?" Venerable Gu's expression changed drastically: "I wonder what place you have your eyes on, Fellow Daoist?"

"Naturally, the place where the Wuji Hall is located."

Fang Xing answered with a straight face. Now was the perfect time to wipe out the demonic holy land in one fell swoop, seize the Void Refinement legacy and a large amount of resources to supply his cultivation clone.

Compared to killing the chicken to warn the monkey, he had always preferred killing the monkey to warn the chicken.

At that time, using this to threaten them, he would probably be able to make the Ethereal Xiangong hand over the "Ethereal Void Scripture" without a fight.

Although some cultivators value orthodoxy highly, between life and death, the bottom line of most cultivators is very flexible.

"Wuji Hall? Are you preparing to join forces with my Ethereal Xiangong, Fellow Daoist?"

Venerable Gu was overjoyed. Although this Spirit Severing cultivator was tight-lipped about the affairs of the Primordial Yuan Shen Jian Zong, as long as he was willing to join hands to deal with Meng Laomo Meng, the matter was more than half accomplished!

"Meng Laomo Meng, I can handle him alone... I just need you to provide an opportunity to lure his true body out of the Wuji Hall."

Fang Xing said indifferently.

Such a holy land grand formation, in all likelihood, was just like the Primordial Yuan Shen Jian Zong's, a sixth-grade one.

With a Spirit Severing cultivator presiding over a sixth-grade formation, it was truly like a turtle shell; even for a Void Refinement combat power, it would be somewhat difficult to break.

After all, a sixth-grade formation is already of the same rank as Void Refinement.

The Ethereal Xiangong possessed two Spirit Severing Venerables, even if one was early-stage Spirit Severing and one was mid-stage, but if they held their ground in the formation, even Meng Laomo Meng would be helpless and could only continuously erode the peripheral forces of the Ethereal Xiangong.

This is the reason why major wars between cultivators often last for decades or even centuries.

Fang Xing naturally did not want to make things so troublesome, so he needed to divide and conquer.

It just so happened that the Wuji Hall no longer had a second Spirit Severing Venerable; as long as Meng Laomo Meng was lured out and killed, all problems would be easily solved.

Lacking a Spirit Severing Venerable to preside, even with a formation spirit, facing a Void Refinement combat power, the result would not be very good.

'Speaking of which... that Ancient Demon could also be considered to have extraordinary strength. Perhaps when he attacked the Primordial Yuan Shen Jian Zong back then, he had already recovered his Void Refinement combat power? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to achieve such results... It's just that he was severely injured later, sealed for many years, and fell back down...'

(End of chapter)