Chapter 604: Beauty Fades Easily

The Five Cloud Friends were merely minor figures from Yunlai Alley.

Five low-talent hermits who could never touch the edge of establishing their Dao foundation in a lifetime.

But one of them seemed to possess some hidden bodily talent; after death, he was forged into a Dao Foundation Corpse—somehow lucky.

Fang Xing pursued the gray-white aura at a leisurely pace, his thoughts racing:

'Lin Xu's corpse must have fallen into the hands of the Xie family of Shanyin… under the influence of the Corpse-Driving Sect, yet now it's being used as a trap to lure me… Could the Corpse-Driving Sect be allied with the Blood Shadow Sect?'

'This is bad news for Qingmu Ridge…'

'Aren't the Corpse-Driving Sect and the Flying Sword Sect locked in major battle? It seems they've gained the upper hand and still have the bandwidth to make moves on the periphery?'

'The Flying Sword Sect's top ranking among the Ten Greats has some water in it…'

He smiled inwardly.

Had his perception not been extraordinary, he wouldn't have noticed Lin Xu was a forged corpse.

And their trap clearly aimed to lure Fang Xing out of Poison Dragon Slope before striking.

Why lure him out of Poison Dragon Slope before striking?

They must have suffered there.

Perhaps they even deemed Poison Dragon Slope so dangerous that it must conceal some secret—and thus were eager to capture Fang Xing.

'Wait… there's one more point: how did they catch the brief window when I returned?'

Fang Xing's gaze turned cold: 'Unless… the Blood Shadow Sect has a spy in Qingmu Ridge—or one of its own cultivators deliberately betrayed me!'

This was perfectly normal.

While others fought to the death on the frontlines, he remained safely behind, farming and accumulating massive merit—clearly drawing envy.

Though disciples and nephews of the Yin Spirit Realms and Yang Spirit Lords enjoyed the same privileges, ordinary Dao Foundation cultivators dared not resent these Immortal Second-Generations—only those on their own level.

Fang Xing, with no background, yet aggressively earning merit and exchanging it for Divine Art blueprints, naturally stood out.

'Preying on the weak and fearing the strong—that's human nature.'

'I hope the traitor shows up too—then I can execute him openly…'

After all, conspiring with the Blood Shadow Sect to ambush Qingmu Ridge's Dao Foundation cultivators is outright treason.

'Though I focus solely on farming, kindness invites bullying… I must still display some combat power, or others will covet me.'

'The best combat power? Naturally, Origami Art!'

After all, those who cultivate Origami Art are all madmen!

Cultivators, like ordinary people, fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who won't spare their lives.

…

'Lin Xu' halted above a swamp, motionless.

Fang Xing stared at him, then smiled: 'Should I call you Lin Xu—or "Xie Songshan"?'

'Oh? You recognize me?'

Xie Songshan blinked in surprise.

'Of course… Lin Xu vanished during the Xie family's war, and you yourself once possessed a Dao Foundation corpse, ambushing the Fei family's patriarch.'

Fang Xing said: 'Your Dao Foundation ability must be something like "Twin Souls" or "Corpse Guardian," allowing you to split your spirit and possess Dao Foundation corpses?'

'Not surprising for a hermit who ascended to Dao Foundation—you're sharp.'

Xie Songshan chuckled: 'I'm most satisfied with this corpse—I've completely concealed its corpse aura, yet you still saw through it… But if you knew it was a trap, why walk into your own death?'

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before he finished speaking, aura trails appeared, sealing Fang Xing on all sides.

One man wore a crimson robe, his demeanor aged—he must be Xie Songshan of the Xie family.

The other three were Blood Shadow Sect disciples.

Their leader was a red-browed giant, his cultivation at the peak of Dao Foundation Mid-Stage.

Another Dao Foundation Mid-Stage Blood Shadow cultivator was a pale-faced elder.

The Dao Foundation Early-Stage old woman gave Fang Xing a strange sense of familiarity.

'Huh?'

He studied the old woman, barely recognizing traces of familiarity in her features and expression.

Yet she stared coldly, as if facing a stranger.

'Blood Shadow Sect's Shadow Puppet Line—Red Brow Elder.'

Fang Xing nodded, turning to the other two Dao Foundation cultivators: 'You two must be from the Origami Line?'

'Correct… Fang Xing, I never expected a runaway from Paper Slave Valley like you to reach Dao Foundation.'

The Dao Foundation Mid-Stage elder chuckled: 'Had I not been the former overseer of Paper Slave Valley, and had you not kept your name, I might not have recognized you.'

'So that's it—who is this cultivator?'

Fang Xing turned to the old woman.

'Heh, this is my consort—Tao Hong. She too was once a paper slave. Do you know her?'

The elder grinned proudly.

'Five Dao Foundation combatants… You've honored me greatly.'

Fang Xing nodded, then suddenly unleashed his aura.

No longer Dao Foundation Early-Stage—he was now Dao Foundation Mid-Stage!

'Dao Foundation Mid-Stage?'

Red Brow Elder's face changed as surrounding tree shadows shattered, becoming hazy and dense.

It was the superior Dao Foundation—Yuchonglong!

He tore open his robe, revealing a strange beast tattooed on his chest.

But before his shadow puppet could possess him, a sharp wooden thorn pierced his dantian.

'You… aren't an ordinary Dao Foundation Mid-Stage!'

Red Brow Elder tried to speak, but was swallowed by waves of tree shadows.

In an instant, this fearsome brute perished, his Dao extinguished.

He was simply unlucky—he was the strongest, yet not from the Origami Line, so Fang Xing targeted him first.

After securing the first strike, Fang Xing used countless tree shadows to obscure vision, forcing each cultivator to fight alone.

Plop! Plop!

The elder from Paper Slave Valley wore paper armor, wielding a paper blade, flanked by two paper guardians. After tearing through the tree shadows, he saw a sight that made his eyes bulge:

'Ahh!'

A Dao Foundation Late-Stage paper general had appeared on the battlefield, riding atop Lin Xu's Dao Foundation corpse, spearing upward and impaling Xie Songshan whole.

Rustle! Rustle!

The paper general shook his spear—Xie Songshan's corpse shattered into pieces.

'Dao Foundation Late-Stage paper general? To achieve such power, you must have sacrificed sixty years of lifespan?'

'How could you have forged such a monstrous thing? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!'

The elder's expression turned frantic.

'Oh? Sixty years of lifespan?'

Fang Xing gave no reply.

He suspected either his Master-Level Origami Art and Wanquan Hand, or his reaching Druid Level 15, had drastically reduced the lifespan cost of his paper sacrifices—far less than the Blood Shadow Sect's Origami Line.

'Go!'

He pointed—immediately, the paper general spurred his steed, moving without hindrance, spearing one paper guardian after another.

As the elder tried to flee, a sheet of white paper suddenly covered his face—he froze mid-step: 'Wretched woman…'

Fang Xing saw clearly: after the elder's two paper guardians fell, Tao Hong used a secret technique to ambush him.

'Fang Xing… it's been many years.'

Tao Hong finished her act, looking up at Fang Xing, her wrinkles and age spots starkly visible.

'Yes, many years. You've aged too.'

Fang Xing sighed: 'But I don't think our past connection justifies you betraying your own consort.'

'Consort?' Tao Hong's face twisted: 'Better to say I was his elixir vessel… That bastard cultivated the Dao Foundation "Yin-Yang Grievance," using sex to drain my lifespan…'

'I see.'

Fang Xing's expression was calm—as if he'd already guessed the truth.

After asking two more questions, he learned Tao Hong had once received substantial aid from him, lucked out, and caught the eye of a Paper Slave Valley overseer, escaping the valley.

But after joining the Blood Shadow Sect, she, as a slave-turned-cultivator, still faced discrimination.

Later, this elder helped her ascend, allowing her to eventually forge her Dao Foundation.

Yet the elder had ulterior motives—he had her cultivate the "Turn Jade Wheel," the counterpart to his own "Yin-Yang Grievance."

In truth, even when he was still an overseer in Paper Slave Valley, he had secretly selected outstanding female slaves, cultivated them, and turned them into vessels for "Turn Jade Wheel."

His "Yin-Yang Grievance" could drain lifespan through sex, but only with specific female Dao Foundation cultivators.

Of all the selected female disciples, only Tao Hong succeeded in forging a Dao Foundation.

'He treated my lifespan as his own property… He even forbade me from learning paper puppet techniques, fearing it would shorten my life…'

Tao Hong's face was filled with venom: 'Had he not needed to drain lifespan slowly, I'd have aged to death long ago…'

'So the Blood Shadow Sect's Origami Line Dao Foundations are all like this—types that extend lifespan or reduce its consumption?'

Even so, the Origami lineage is so short-lived...

Fang Xing felt deeply moved.

But he thought Tao Hong's luck was still decent.

The other paper slaves from their batch are probably nothing but dust by now.

To still be alive is fortune!

"Fang Xing..."

At this moment, Tao Hong seemed slightly embarrassed: "Given our past hardships together, could you give me this man?"

"Oh? What do you want him for?"

Fang Xing looked at the old man, his face covered in paper, now resembling a walking corpse, with curiosity.

"I've secretly cultivated a secret art that can reverse yin and yang, reclaiming his lifespan... but such lifespan-stealing methods always incur losses. Even if I drain all his lifespan, I still couldn't match the lifespan of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Tao Hong spoke through gritted teeth—clearly, this tough, weed-like woman had been waiting for a chance to turn the tables.

"Is that so? That could work... but first, I must interrogate this man with my Mind-Confusing Art, and also extract the Origami Scripture from him."

Fang Xing nodded.

"Of course—that's fine. After he reached Foundation Establishment, he took as master an Invisible Spirit True Person and received the Blood Paper Secret Scripture..."

A flicker of interest crossed Tao Hong's face; she clearly found this secret art intriguing.

"Hmm. Besides this, someone in Greenwood Ridge must have aided in this trap. Do you know anything about it?"

Fang Xing asked.

"I don't know—but all contact with that person was handled by this old bastard. He must know everything!"

Tao Hong pointed at the old man, a gleeful smile flashing across her face.