Chapter 231 - 176: The Coming Storm

After leaving the Celestial Seal Society, Fang Qingyuan’s thoughts still lingered on Huang Xuejing. That Foundation Establishment Female Cultivator was a true talent.

Aside from a rather serious gambling habit, her skills were impeccable. Whether in talisman crafting or Artifact Refining, she could be considered a master.

Fang Qingyuan had discussed several talisman designs with her, and Huang Xuejing was able to grasp his meaning quickly. Then, after only a few breaths of contemplation, she could produce a preliminary prototype of the talisman. This truly amazed Fang Qingyuan.

After paying a deposit, Fang Qingyuan and Huang Xuejing agreed that he would return in half a month to pick up the Talismans. Once these Talismans were crafted, Fang Qingyuan planned to head to the Qi Yun Territory to find an antidote Elixir Pill for Jiang Kui.

This matter couldn’t be delayed any longer; it had to be resolved. Over the years, Jiang Kui’s fight against the encroaching poison had caused her cultivation to drop significantly. If this dragged on, her future on the Great Dao would be fraught with difficulty.

Fang Qingyuan planned to set out with Jinbao in half a year at most, once he had finished gathering all the necessary supplies.

Although the Qi Yun Territory was the safest place in this world, where fights between Cultivators ended at first blood, he still had to make the necessary preparations. He couldn’t relax his vigilance or let his guard down.

With these thoughts in mind, Fang Qingyuan took his newly acquired Talismans and returned to Celestial Gate Mountain. A sect assembly was waiting for him.

.....

Inside the Grand Council Hall, Lechuan’s expression was dark. The two dead Foundation Establishment Cultivators were both from the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, core pillars of strength that had been painstakingly nurtured. To have them die so easily, without even knowing who the killer was—how could he not feel aggrieved?

Sensing Lechuan’s mood, everyone below remained silent. Finally, Zhao Liangde spoke up:

"The situation at the Black River Secret Mansion is more complicated than we imagined. But now that it’s come to this, we need to make a decision. Should we continue to press deeper and get involved, so we can claim a share of the benefits?"

As he listened to Zhao Liangde speak, Fang Qingyuan began to analyze the situation regarding the Black River Secret Mansion in his mind once more.

Though called the Black River, the area was actually more of a Death Swamp. However, people were more familiar with the name of the eight-hundred-li Black River, so the secret mansion that appeared there came to be known as the Black River Secret Mansion.

The Black River Secret Mansion was rumored to be the place where a Nascent Soul Cultivator named Daoist Guangwei passed away four thousand years ago. Daoist Guangwei was a First-rank Loose Cultivator with no sect or descendants, so no one had jumped out to claim it as their ancestor’s legacy.

Of course, even if such descendants did come forward, it was likely no one would care. In fact, if they ran into someone malicious, they might even be captured and forced to clear a path inside.

The secret mansion Daoist Guangwei left behind was quite large. Moreover, the Array he had set up, though four thousand years old, was still active. It suppressed any Cultivator stronger than the Foundation Establishment level who entered, preventing them from using even thirty percent of their power.

As a result, Golden Core Cultivators, who were above the Foundation Establishment realm, dared not enter rashly, fearing that their enemies would seize the opportunity to ambush them inside.

Meanwhile, the nearby Nascent Soul Cultivators, such as Chu Hongshang of the Nanchu Sect, had no interest in this kind of secret mansion. Daoist Guangwei’s arrangements were clearly designed to select a successor and pass on his lineage. As a Nascent Soul Cultivator, she naturally had no desire to get involved.

Firstly, she couldn’t afford the loss of face. For a Nascent Soul Cultivator to compete with a group of juniors over an opportunity—if word got out, she would be ridiculed by her peers.

Secondly, the secret mansion clearly held no treasures that would tempt a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, a cultivator’s path is already set. The foundational theory for one’s core, which they began preparing back in the Foundation Establishment stage, would only become more aligned with their personal path by the Nascent Soul Stage.

Chu Hongshang cultivated the Fire Anger Path, which sought to incinerate everything. Daoist Guangwei’s lineage, on the other hand, was completely unrelated to hers; the two were utterly incompatible.

This was all common knowledge among cultivators. The only secret, known to Lechuan, was the specific nature of Chu Hongshang’s Great Dao.

Other Nascent Soul Cultivators felt the same and didn’t want to get involved. Even if a shameless Nascent Soul Cultivator did decide to go, they would likely be stopped by their peers, who would insist that such opportunities be left to the younger generation of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Cultivators.

Thus, the main fighting force exploring the secret mansion consisted of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, though many Qi Refining Cultivators could also participate.

And it was under these exact circumstances that the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect had been killed by an unknown cultivator inside the mansion.

’Speaking of which, why did they split up?’

Fang Qingyuan looked at the stern-faced Ling Ziqing, a sardonic thought crossing his mind. ’Don’t tell me he deliberately set them up.’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan’s heart grew cold. ’You can never be too careful of others.’

After Zhao Liangde finished speaking, the Cultivators in the hall began to break into discussion. Fang Qingyuan, however, remained silent at the very edge of the group.

’I hope this assembly ends soon. I still need to hurry up and continue refining the Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner. Otherwise, it will never feel natural to wield.’

Besides, Jinbao was very reluctant to stay inside it. According to Jinbao’s description, while the space inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner wasn’t small, it was completely empty. Upon entering, Jinbao would fall into a dazed, drowsy state, as if constantly waking from a dream, which was very unpleasant.

’This was probably intentional on the part of the Cultivator who first refined the banner,’ he mused. ’Otherwise, if the various Spirit Beasts sealed inside the banner remained conscious for too long, wouldn’t they be driven mad?’

"Qingyuan, are you willing to go with me?"

Hearing someone ask him a question, Fang Qingyuan replied reflexively:

"I’m busy with other matters, so I won’t be going."

He looked up and saw that it was Zhao Liangde asking. Seeing Fang Qingyuan’s refusal, a look of disappointment flashed across Zhao Liangde’s face before he regained his composure.

Seeing Zhao Liangde’s reaction, Fang Qingyuan could only apologize in his heart. ’I really don’t want to go to the Black River Secret Mansion.’

"Then Zhao Liangde will take Ling Ziqing’s place and lead a team to the Black River Secret Mansion," Lechuan declared. "The rest of you, just manage your own affairs and give me some peace."

After saying this, Lechuan turned and left. Fang Qingyuan moved closer to Zhao Liangde and said:

"Senior Brother, I really am busy with important matters. I won’t be able to accompany you on this trip to the Black River."

Zhao Liangde smiled and said:

"It’s alright, Qingyuan. I wasn’t trying to force you to go. I just thought this would be a good opportunity for you to gain some experience, which would benefit your future cultivation. After all, you can’t grow into a towering tree by cultivating in seclusion alone."

Listening to Zhao Liangde’s guidance, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but wonder. ’Why did this greedy little old man seem more concerned about my growth than Lechuan? Judging by his actions, he was more like a responsible elder than my own master, Lechuan.’

Fang Qingyuan was somewhat moved, but being moved was one thing. There was no way he was going to explore the Black River Secret Mansion.

"I just reached Foundation Establishment. There will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future. It won’t be too late to get experience once I’ve reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm."

Fang Qingyuan expressed some of his true thoughts. ’If I can cultivate safely to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment realm, that would be the most prudent course of action. Why should I get involved in all this when I’ve only just reached Foundation Establishment?’

After Fang Qingyuan made his feelings clear, Zhao Liangde offered a few more words of reassurance before leaving to begin his preparations.

This time, he would be leading three Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over a hundred Qi Cultivation Disciples deep into the Black River to continue the exploration of the secret mansion.

Just as Zhao Liangde had said, the goal this time was not to harvest a great number of Spirit Stones or treasures from within. The main purpose was to give the disciples experience, to let these Beast Taming Disciples see more of the true face of the outside world.

「Three days later.」

Zhao Liangde led the team and set off. With Heiye secretly accompanying them, everyone felt at ease. However, in less than half a month, Fang Qingyuan received news: Zhao Liangde was gravely injured, and Heiye’s whereabouts were unknown.