Chapter 231: A Warning

“Oh?” Lu Fang asked urgently: “Are you certain it’s this kind of ore?”

The Five Precepts monk studied it again carefully, then nodded firmly: “I’m certain it’s this strange ore, but aside from being extremely hard, it seems to have no special use.”

“And since the vendor had so many Wanda Stones, I didn’t buy any.”

“You can go to the Ghost Market deep in the Scorched Lands—maybe you’ll run into that vendor again. I saw at least a dozen pieces on his stall.”

“Thank you,” Lu Fang said, and after exchanging voice-mark talismans with them, the four parted ways.

Learning the whereabouts of the hard stone was an unexpected boon.

Lu Fang planned to head first to the Ghost Market deep in the Scorched Lands—he had just learned such a place even existed.

According to the Five Precepts monk, several major factions had jointly established a kind of exchange known as the Ghost Market.

There, anyone who paid a fee could rent a stall to sell rare treasures gathered from the depths of the Scorched Lands.

But before going to the Ghost Market, Lu Fang intended to visit the Undying Army’s encampment—he had gained much during his time in the Lesser Upper Realm, especially at Baoshan, where he used his authority to acquire numerous ores.

To him, these precious ores were of little use.

But for the newly formed Undying Army, they could be immensely valuable.

“Aren’t you going to seek out the Qi of Punishment?”

Mo Xin asked, noticing Lu Fang’s direction.

Lu Fang nodded: “After what happened in the Lesser Upper Realm, I’ve come to realize—seeking Punishment’s Qi isn’t urgent. I’ll find some hard stones, forge them into a weapon, then go after it.”

Previously, he had wanted to confront Punishment’s Qi because he thought it was still weak, and he wanted to test its strength.

With his extraordinary abilities, even if he couldn’t win, escaping was no problem—but Mo Xin briefly seizing control of his body jolted him awake.

Perhaps he had underestimated Mo Xin’s power—and Punishment’s Qi’s power as well.

If Punishment’s Qi was now strong, he’d be walking straight into his own death.

Lu Fang had no need to rush. Punishment could regain strength, and so could he—and now, he had hooked the Journey to the West.

Even if writing it was slow and difficult, once the Journey to the West began serialization in the Da Zhou Cultural Gazette, if even one person read aloud one of its transcendent powers, his strength would leap beyond comparison.

Why should he fear Punishment’s Qi?

He didn’t believe any being in this world improved faster than he did.

Looking back, he admitted he’d been subtly influenced by some of Mo Xin’s words.

He had expected Mo Xin to object—but to his surprise, it said nothing, only: “That’s fine.”

It likely knew that seizing control of Lu Fang’s body without asking in the Lesser Upper Realm was a deeply taboo act.

And since it could no longer absorb his cultivation base, its tone had softened somewhat.

Mo Xin couldn’t perceive the Ink Brush Realm’s spirit, but after suddenly losing the ability to absorb Lu Fang’s cultivation base—right after it had seized his body—it suspected he had done something.

This method was uncanny.

Mo Xin had always trusted its perception—but now, it had sensed nothing at all. It was growing fearful: afraid that Lu Fang, with his strange cultivation base and numerous transcendent Wen powers as the Marquis of Da Zhou Cultural Crown, held unknown trump cards.

What if he truly had a way to erase it?

Lu Fang pondered briefly and understood Mo Xin’s likely thoughts—but he was still dissatisfied with the current state. This was the perfect chance to properly discipline Mo Xin.

That way, it would be more cautious in the future.

“You can’t absorb my cultivation base anymore, can you?”

Lu Fang said coolly.

Since Mo Xin had probably guessed the reason anyway, he might as well speak plainly.

“Hmm,” Mo Xin ventured cautiously: “Probably due to heavenly restrictions.”

Lu Fang smiled faintly: “I’ll tell you the truth—everything you did in the Lesser Upper Realm displeased me, so I’ve temporarily blocked your ability to absorb my cultivation base and restore your strength.”

“Oh, I see,” Mo Xin replied, puzzled: “But did you really do this? Do you even have that ability?”

Lu Fang nodded: “I don’t just have the power to block your absorption—I have the power to erase you. Do you believe me?”

“No!” Mo Xin said firmly: “If you claimed you could block my absorption, I might believe you a little—but erasing me? That’s impossible to accept.”

“Why not believe it?” Lu Fang asked.

Mo Xin chuckled: “It’s simple. Given how much you hated me before, if you truly had the power to erase me, you’d have done it without hesitation.”

Lu Fang smiled lightly: “You’re wrong. I truly can erase you—though the cost is high. But it’s not beyond sacrifice. I simply don’t think it’s necessary—you still help me a great deal.”

“I know that without proof, you’ll remain skeptical.”

“But it doesn’t matter—I can’t produce proof. Yet I do possess the power to erase you.”

“Think about this: after you briefly controlled my body, my reaction wasn’t as fierce as you expected—because I wasn’t afraid of you at all.”

“At that moment, I thought: if you pushed even a little further, I’d pay that high cost and erase you.”

“Fortunately, after I blocked your absorption, you became more restrained. After all this time together, you should know my nature.”

“If I had no way to control you, would I have agreed to coexist peacefully with you?”

Mo Xin said gravely: “No.”

Lu Fang smiled: “Exactly. Even if you told me we were one being—if one dies, both die—and that you posed no threat, I’d still seek a way to erase you.”

Mo Xin: “So when you returned to the Capital from Luo Sha Kingdom, you stopped seeking a way to erase me because you temporarily trusted me?”

Lu Fang said flatly: “Yes. At that time, I did trust you—I simply misjudged you. Your power has grown stronger than I ever anticipated.”

“I say this not to threaten you—we can coexist peacefully and benefit each other. But next time you plan to overstep, consult me first. Otherwise, I’m not without means to deal with you.”