Free Web NovelChapter 336: Chapter 271: The Death of Tuoba Ye
This speculation filled Fang Qingyuan with worry. Recalling the wretched sight of Huo Hu’s fall to the demonic path, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t imagine himself becoming like that. Would he fare any better?
Gripped by this fear, Fang Qingyuan quickly inspected his entire body. He sent his Soul Power surging through him but found nothing amiss.
Only then did Fang Qingyuan finally understand a crucial question: when a Cultivator falls to the demonic path, is it merely the physical body that becomes demonic, or does the soul follow suit?
It now seemed that upon falling, the soul underwent a transformation as well. In fact, compared to the physical body, the soul was the true source of demonic corruption.
Recalling his recent killing spree, Fang Qingyuan felt a pang of regret. In his haste to improve his Spirit Root’s aptitude, he had killed a great many people—some who deserved it, and some who didn’t.
Although every Outer Sea Cultivator’s hands were stained with the blood of their peers and no one was truly innocent, among the twenty or so Foundation Establishment Cultivators Fang Qingyuan had killed, several had certainly not deserved to die.
The Cultivators of Red Crab Island, in particular—what was their crime, other than protecting their home?
Of course, Fang Qingyuan felt no guilt over it, but now it seemed the Demonic Qi had come for him.
’What is the essence of Demonic Qi?’
Fang Qingyuan wondered silently. ’Could it be the power of karma?’
’But that’s a doctrine of the Buddhist Family. What does it have to do with my Beast Taming Sect? Is it a Heart Demon? Or perhaps it’s the will of this world’s Heavenly Dao, the collective consciousness of all living things?’
Fang Qingyuan pondered many possibilities. Only when the Longevity Vine lost interest in him and stopped swaying back and forth did his mind regain its composure.
’Judging by the Longevity Vine’s reaction, I must be just a hair’s breadth from falling. This won’t do. I can’t continue to indulge my desires so recklessly.’
Besides, after conquering Red Crab Island, there were no suitable targets for expansion left near Golden Turtle Island. It was time to halt his advance and properly manage these three islands.
Having thought things through, Fang Qingyuan fed the Longevity Vine, collected the Life Source Liquid, then deactivated the Array in this area and left the Immortal Mansion.
After burying the bodies of the six Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Red Crab Island within the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan quietly waited for his Spirit Root to improve.
Taking advantage of this period, Fang Qingyuan made a trip back to Iron Wind Island to meet with Tuoba Ye.
Tuoba Ye reported that there was nothing wrong with the cultivation site he had previously chosen for Fang Qingyuan.
A look of relief appeared on Fang Qingyuan’s face. It seemed he could continue cultivating his Five Elements Undying Body, which would add a few more life-saving trump cards to his arsenal.
But this was no time for Tuoba Ye to rest. Fang Qingyuan offered a few words of praise before ordering him to take Old Mo and travel to Fire Melt Island to investigate the location where the Longevity Vine had been found.
To this end, Fang Qingyuan offered a bounty of three hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones to recruit several Foundation Establishment Cultivators to assist Tuoba Ye.
These men would accompany Tuoba Ye to Fire Melt Island to conduct a thorough exploration.
Although Fire Melt Island had been scoured several times by the Beast Taming Sect’s main force, and numerous Loose Cultivators had gone to pick over the remains, Fang Qingyuan still felt an inexplicable danger lingered there.
He had always been a cautious person. Even when he stirred up trouble as Xiao Sanyan, it was backed by complete confidence in his own strength. Notice how he never provoked factions led by Golden Core Cultivators—that was a sign of his self-awareness.
Fang Qingyuan had personally trained Tuoba Ye, who also possessed Innate Divine Techniques. With him leading a few other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Fang Qingyuan believed he could bring back some useful information.
Even if Tuoba Ye were to meet an untimely end, Fang Qingyuan would, at most, feel a moment’s regret. It was impossible to expect him to seek revenge.
After conquering Red Crab Island, Fang Qingyuan chose to lie low for a time. For one, he feared that continuing his slaughter would risk his fall to the Demonic Dao. For another, further expansion of his territory would easily draw the attention of Golden Core Cultivators.
Three islands in the Outer Sea was the absolute limit a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could control. He couldn’t expand any further unless he broke through to the Golden Core Stage.
Thus, Fang Qingyuan entered a quiet period of consolidation. Meanwhile, the three islands under his control began to change in an orderly fashion, all according to his designs.
「One day」
As Fang Qingyuan was cultivating on a mountain peak on Golden Turtle Island, a fiery red Talisman abruptly materialized before him.
It was a Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman. Compared to an ordinary Sound Transmission Talisman, it was far more valuable, its price measured in Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Before Tuoba Ye departed, Fang Qingyuan had given him five of these Talismans, instructing him to use one to notify him if he made any major discoveries.
Now, it seemed, one was being put to use. It appeared Tuoba Ye had truly found something significant.
The Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman could pierce through space. Instead of flying the entire distance, the sender simply had to input a destination, and the Talisman would randomly appear within a few miles of that location.
Fang Qingyuan drew the Talisman into his palm and infused it with a strand of Magical Power, causing the message within to surface.
"Master, thirty li deep inside the underground caverns of Fire Melt Island, we’ve discovered an abandoned Demonic Dao altar. There are traces here of Demon Summoning Soil production."
Just a few short sentences—that was the limit of what this Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman could carry. As Tuoba Ye’s voice faded, the Talisman automatically disintegrated into dust.
Three Top-grade Spirit Stones, gone just like that. But Fang Qingyuan felt no regret at all; his heart was currently filled with elation.
’The production site for Demon Summoning Soil... This is a massive discovery! If I can figure out how to produce it myself, the Longevity Vine will provide an endless supply of Life Source Liquid.’
’Then I’ll have an abundant supply of Blood Life Pills, and Top-grade Spirit Stones will pour in like a river!’
Just as Fang Qingyuan was celebrating, a second Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman arrived.
"We’ve found remnants of the Demon Sect. Preparing to engage. The situation looks grim."
Tuoba Ye’s voice was heavy. It seemed he had run into a formidable foe. ’Remnants of the Demon Sect? But didn’t the Beast Taming Sect Members already scour this place clean?’
Before Fang Qingyuan could ponder it further, a third Talisman appeared.
"Three Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators and one Fake Pill Cultivator. We’re outmatched. We’re going to try and break out separately. Master, take care!"
After that message, there was a long silence. Fang Qingyuan sat in his Quiet Chamber, his expression grim, his heart filled with unease.
’It seems Tuoba Ye stumbled right into their nest. They’ve been hiding for so long, only to be found by him. I wonder how they managed to escape the Beast Taming Sect’s initial purge.’
What Fang Qingyuan didn’t know was that Tuoba Ye’s awakened Qi-Seeing Golden Eye could not only observe the fluctuations in a Cultivator’s fortune but also trace the flow of Earth Vein Spiritual Power. It was by leveraging this very Divine Technique—meticulously following the currents of Earth Vein Spiritual Power—that Tuoba Ye had managed to lead his team straight to their lair.
However, Tuoba Ye had only just reached Foundation Establishment, while his opponents had a Fake Pill Cultivator. The odds were stacked against him; his survival was unlikely.
At this moment, Fang Qingyuan was tens of thousands of li away from Fire Melt Island. He was powerless to intervene.
So, Fang Qingyuan could only wait patiently for new information.
After a long while, the fourth Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman appeared. Fang Qingyuan’s focus sharpened, and he immediately pulled it into his hand.
He activated it, only to hear an unfamiliar voice:
"So, you’re this kid’s backer? The little brat wasn’t half bad, he actually managed to take one of my men down with him. But that’s all he could do. I’ve killed every last one of your people. Here’s a piece of advice: stay away from my territory if you know what’s good for you."
As the Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman crumbled to dust, rage filled Fang Qingyuan’s heart. ’Tuoba Ye must have unleashed the full power of his Golden Pupil Divine Technique—a lifetime’s accumulation—to kill one of their men. But judging by that man’s tone, apart from Tuoba Ye, the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators I hired inflicted no damage whatsoever.’
’And Old Mo... Mo Youqian... he must have perished as well.’
The fact that the Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman had fallen into the enemy’s hands made Tuoba Ye’s fate all too clear.
’A pity, losing such a determined subordinate.’ Fang Qingyuan closed his eyes and began to review the gains and losses from this venture.
Tuoba Ye’s team had served its purpose. They had sprung the trap for him, saving him from a sudden confrontation with that Fake Pill Cultivator and the three Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators.
From what he now knew, the enemy consisted of Demon Sect remnants on Fire Melt Island, hidden away in underground caverns. They had somehow managed to evade the Beast Taming Sect’s initial encirclement and annihilation.
But five years had passed. The group must have grown complacent and started moving about, which led to Tuoba Ye discovering their hideout.
However, Tuoba Ye’s cultivation level had been too low. Even though he had managed to take one enemy down with him, it hadn’t changed the outcome.
Furthermore, the enemy had sent that arrogant message, clearly looking down on him. They obviously weren’t worried about him reporting them to the Beast Taming Sect either.
’Now that their hideout has been exposed, this group of Demon Cultivators is bound to relocate. Even if the Beast Taming Sect investigates now, they’ll just find an empty nest.’
’So, did I lose Tuoba Ye and Old Mo for nothing? Am I walking away with no gains from this operation?’
’No. I now know the location where they produce Demon Summoning Soil. Even if they’ve fled, they must have left some traces behind. Even if I don’t go to Fire Melt Island in person, I must find a way to investigate it.’
’Also, I gave Tuoba Ye five Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talismans. Only four have been used. The last one is either destroyed... or it’s still on that Fake Pill Cultivator.’
’The Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Talisman has my spiritual imprint on it. Maybe... maybe I can use that to remotely sense his location.’
At this thought, Fang Qingyuan shot to his feet. He summoned a Spiritual Boat and sped toward Fire Melt Island. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Arriving at an unremarkable spot several hundred li from Fire Melt Island, Fang Qingyuan recalled his Spiritual Boat and plunged into the water.
Using a Water Avoidance Technique, Fang Qingyuan dove to a depth of a hundred zhang. He then released his Water Spirit Black Tortoise Aspect to stand guard while he submerged his soul into the Immortal Mansion.
Once inside the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan went straight to where he kept the Iron-Seeking Rats. The wooden cages there held over a thousand of them.
These Iron-Seeking Rats were the elite survivors of many years. Some had even mutated into Rat Kings. The most powerful among them had auras equivalent to the Late-stage Qi Refining.
Nourished by the abundant Spiritual Power in the Immortal Mansion and having survived hundreds of near-death experiences that pushed them past their limits, these Iron-Seeking Rats were practically a different species compared to their counterparts in the outside world.
Coupled with over a hundred generations of selective breeding, these Iron-Seeking Rats were now each the size of a large dog. The biggest among them were as large as calves, their auras as feral as rabid hounds.
Fang Qingyuan opened the wooden cages, releasing all the Iron-Seeking Rats. He then summoned an equal number of Scorpion-tailed Bees to appear before them.
At Fang Qingyuan’s command, each Scorpion-tailed Bee suddenly burrowed into the body of the Iron-Seeking Rat before it, coiling up in its abdomen and entering a state of suspended animation.
The Iron-Seeking Rats showed no sign of pain as the fist-sized Scorpion-tailed Bees bored into their bodies. To them, such a sensation was now trivial.
"Voice of All Things, one origin for all things, all things are complete within me."
Fang Qingyuan murmured the words, and a thousand green points of light instantly bloomed in his mind.
Simultaneously, the varied expressions on the faces of the Iron-Seeking Rats smoothed into a calm blankness. All one thousand of them turned to look at Fang Qingyuan in unison, the corners of their mouths curling into faint, eerie smiles.
