Chapter 614: The Wolf Has Come

Several days later.

Qingyu Hall.

Fang Xing took a paper crane and smiled: "So… after Min Zinong advanced to Foundation Establishment mid-stage, he couldn't hold back anymore?"

Foundation Establishment mid-stage is a mandatory requirement for deputy head of the Qingnong Hall.

Unless nearly all Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect have perished, it will not be changed.

"To be honest, I don't even want this deputy head position—if not for planting the tree…"

Fang Xing sighed.

Faced with such Shitan, he had countless ways to respond—but now? The simplest brute-force approach would suffice.

He stood, transformed into a streak of green light, and arrived at a pavilion on the lake's center.

The pavilion resembled jade; inside sat one man, brewing tea in the water—it was Minister Min himself!

"Young Master Fang… you?"

But Minister Min's calm expression shattered the moment he saw Fang Xing: "You…"

His teapot trembled, a few drops splashing out: "... ou've broken through to Foundation Establishment late-stage?"

At this moment, Fang Xing slightly adjusted his Concealment Technique, releasing the aura of Foundation Establishment late-stage.

Minister Min's face turned pale with shock.

If Fang Xing had truly advanced to Foundation Establishment late-stage, the deputy head position was now as solid as iron and bronze.

He could even try to push Min Zinong out and take the head position of Qingnong Hall himself!

"Heh… I've been meditating on the Fundamental Diagram of Divine Art, and by chance, I've made progress."

Fang Xing waved his hand casually, and a green lingzhi mushroom materialized in the air, emitting healing and enhancing effects.

"Congratulations, Young Master! You've mastered the Divine Art 'Rou Tai Sui'!"

Minister Min, recognizing its value, immediately rose and bowed.

"Haha, thank you…"

Fang Xing sat down lazily: "I never expected someone nearly dead to break through—advancing to Foundation Establishment late-stage has extended my lifespan, and from this pseudo-divine art, I've uncovered a secret technique called 'Rou Zhi Yan Sheng'… though it won't extend lifespan, it may slowly repair some of the lifespan lost from origami techniques."

He wasn't lying—he possessed too high a vision and understanding of divine arts to deceive ordinary cultivators.

And 'Rou Tai Sui' was inherently oriented toward healing and restoration… it indeed held such potential.

Though it couldn't repair much, and its healing effects varied by individual.

"Young Master is truly a prodigy…"

Minister Min marveled repeatedly; their conversation flowed pleasantly.

After Fang Xing left, Min Zinong hurried into the pavilion: "Uncle… how did the talk go?"

"How did it go? He's already advanced to Foundation Establishment late-stage—this position is now cast in bronze and iron…"

Minister Min glared at his nephew, then comforted him: "In the sect, cultivation level reigns supreme. You… just had bad luck. I'll help you secure another position."

"How is it possible he reached Foundation Establishment late-stage?"

Min Zinong was stunned—advancing from mid-stage to late-stage was incomparably harder.

"Could he have used a secret art to devour another's Foundation Establishment? No… in the past decades, no one in the sect has ever mastered Rou Tai Sui…"

Min Zinong was utterly dejected—he knew full well his uncle had likely traded him away for Fang Xing's favor.

Moving him out to show he had no intention of touching Fang Xing's deputy head position.

In return, Fang Xing wouldn't contest the head position.

Even knowing this, he had no choice but to accept it.

After all, among cultivators, strength is always supreme!

…

The minor turmoil in Qingnong Hall passed quickly.

Fang Xing's advancement to Foundation Establishment late-stage shocked many—but that was all.

Unless he ascended to Yin Spirit True Immortal, such matters among Foundation Establishment cultivators were only reported to a few Yin Spirit True Immortals.

The lofty Yang Spirit True Sovereigns had greater concerns—they were playing a grand game.

On a peak veiled in white clouds.

Qingmu the Ancestor, clad in green robes with wild, knotted hair and beard, sat cross-legged.

Before him lay a white jade Go board with nineteen lines.

On the board, white and black jade stones resembled two great dragons, roaring and clashing fiercely.

In certain regions, the board was shrouded in swirling mist, obscuring the flow of the game.

Pah!

Qingmu the Ancestor pinched a white stone between his index and middle fingers and placed it deliberately.

With this move, the board shifted dramatically—the white stones seemed to lock victory, about to unleash a "Great Avalanche."

"So the Killing Sect has decided to send a detachment to the Outer Lands?"

Qingmu the Ancestor's words during the game were earth-shattering.

After all, nearly all lower-tier cultivators in Qingmu Ridge believed the Killing Sect would never return.

Yet after shouting "The wolf is coming!" too many times, the wolf truly arrived!

His opponent across the board was none other than a member of the Killing Sect!

The Killing Sect, led by its Grand Master, had two Envoys and four Guardians.

The one playing against Qingmu the Ancestor was the Southern Guardian—the "Black Dharma King"—also a Yang Spirit True Sovereign!

"Our previous attacks and victories were merely for better defense."

"The Outer Lands are said to be beyond the reach of divine influence… a natural barrier, a stronghold."

The Black Dharma King picked up a black stone and replied with a smile.

The Zhou Shenchao venerates many deities of the Heavenly Court, and legends say divine eyes see everywhere.

Yet in the mortal realm, certain places can still block divine sight.

The Outer Lands are such a strange place—not only beyond divine vision, but even attracting followers here demands far greater power.

Thus, the Outer Lands became a lawless zone, and also the Zhou Shenchao's "place of exile," nearly a "waste dump."

Similarly, the ten orthodox and evil sects without divine backing have thrived here.

But the Killing Sect? It answers to a true god.

"Our main body remains in the Zhou Shenchao, but a clever rabbit has three burrows—this land is teeming with life, so why not consider it?"

The Black Guardian chuckled: "And if our Killing Sect becomes the top sect among the ten in the Outer Lands, your Qingmu Ridge won't fare well…"

Pah!

The black stone fell; the once seemingly cornered black dragon suddenly found breathing room, even gaining potential for a soaring ascent.

"You're from the Killing Sect—and yet you still honor agreements?"

Qingmu the Ancestor seemed surprised, hesitating over his next move.

"Of course not…"

The Black Guardian replied frankly: "I came here to ignite war… the more death, the more destruction, the more it pleases my Lord… even if my Lord receives only one-tenth of the sacrifice, and grants only one-tenth of the reward… yet…"

He grinned wickedly: "Lowering the difficulty from the start is still worthwhile. So I'll still devour your Qingmu Ridge… Qingmu, what will you do?"

With Qingmu Ridge as a base, conquering other major sects would be easier.

The strategy of cutting flesh to feed a tiger—when faced with a true tiger—is just meat buns thrown to a dog…

"Old man…"

Qingmu the Ancestor sneered: "Since the Sword Gate and the Upper Divine Palace have abandoned me, I naturally turn to…"

He suddenly hurled his white stone, scattering the board, and sneered: "Not just Qingmu Ridge—I, my disciples, even myself, can all join the Killing Sect, becoming one of its halls. What do you say?"

Qingmu the Ancestor had struggled to maintain Qingmu Ridge after defeat, opening his vaults and preserving the sect, precisely to package and sell it for a high price!

He was even willing to join the Killing Sect himself—abandoning all ancestral titles, lineages, and teachings!

"Haha, Qingmu, you're truly ruthless—I like it."

The Black Dharma King laughed loudly: "Our sect has four Guardians, all at Yang Spirit early-stage. With your level, you'll eventually become our Green Guardian… once we gather the Five Directional Guardians, we can blood-sacrifice the entire Outer Lands and ascend to immortality and godhood!"

At these words, Qingmu the Ancestor's expression turned greedy.

But the next instant, the Black Dharma King suddenly surged forward, snatched the board, and slammed it down onto Qingmu the Ancestor's head!

Splash!

The mist dispersed—Qingmu the Ancestor, horrified, realized the unnamed peak where he'd chosen to play was actually part of a vast cosmic Go board!

As the Black Dharma King swung the board, the entire heavens and earth seemed to reverse in that instant.

Heaven as the board, stars as the stones—who dares to play?

Boom!

In that instant, heaven and earth seemed sealed—the Black Dharma King's board, carrying the force of the cosmos, crashed onto Qingmu the Ancestor's skull.

Splash!

Half of Qingmu the Ancestor's body shattered; his head was crushed into pulp.

But a flash of green light—his body rapidly regenerated.

Yet the restored Qingmu the Ancestor's face was crisscrossed with deep wrinkles, like bark on an ancient tree.

Two beams of emerald light shot from his eyes, a vast, warm aura surging skyward: "Black Dharma King! I swore sincere allegiance—why did you do this?"

In the heavens and earth, a colossal green tree giant appeared, roaring.

"Hah! Our Killing Sect has never needed dogs."

The Black Dharma King laughed loudly: "Greenwood Ancestor, if I capture your Yang Shen and perform the sacrifice in the Zhou Shenchao, I might ascend directly to the middle realm of Yang Shen!"

The chessboard artifact in his hand flashed with light, and suddenly, nineteen vertical and horizontal lines of light appeared across heaven and earth.

They intersected downward like a vast net, enclosing the entire Greenwood Giant, which was composed entirely of thoughts, within its grid!

Worse still!

Beside the Black Dharma King, a white, slender silhouette had appeared without warning.

Together, their power surged higher, two vast, yang-bright thoughts rising into the sky, faintly forming the shape of a Taiji Yin-Yang fish, suppressing the Greenwood Giant.

"White Dharma King?"

From the crumbling Greenwood Giant came Greenwood Ancestor's startled cry: "Even you are here?"

"Hehe... I bid you farewell, friend."

With a soft voice, the heavenly chessboard collapsed inward, trapping a faint green light within—this green light struggled briefly, then dimmed and went out...