Free Web NovelChapter 391: Chapter 305: Path of Infinity (Part 2)
Fang Qingyuan still had many fragments of the golden light barrier from the Golden Reng Bear Owl Beast, along with the Geng Metal Forest Dao Fruit that Lechuan had given him before. Fang Qingyuan planned to give all these treasures to Jinbao to help him break through to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.
However, for now, he would let Jinbao stabilize his new realm. After a few more years of accumulation, his chances of advancing would be much higher.
Jinbao’s body had grown larger again; he was now over thirty feet tall. Even squatting on the ground to eat his Spirit Rice, he looked taller than a small building.
When he considered Jinbao’s size-shifting Divine Technique, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t begin to imagine how terrifying the beast would be when truly angered.
The only drawback was that when Jinbao used this size-shifting Divine Technique at full power, his Spiritual Power and stamina drained incredibly quickly. It reminded Fang Qingyuan of that giant hero from the island nation in his past life—just like Ultraman, he could only maintain his powered-up state for about three minutes before becoming exhausted.
After Jinbao finished eating, Fang Qingyuan had him shrink down. He nodded in satisfaction when Jinbao was about half his full size. A thirty-foot-tall body was inconvenient for moving about in the outside world; fifteen feet was far more suitable. At this compressed size, Jinbao’s daily expenditure of Spiritual Power was sustainable. Any larger or smaller, and it would throw him off balance.
Jinbao didn’t awaken any new Talents this time. Fang Qingyuan felt that he had simply strengthened his existing Divine Techniques, but he couldn’t see any immediate changes.
Not awakening a new Divine Technique was a minor issue; Fang Qingyuan was content as long as Jinbao’s advancement had been smooth. After Jinbao had eaten and drunk his fill, Fang Qingyuan took him outside, letting him frolic freely in the lands surrounding the sect’s entrance.
The disciples of the Qingyuan Sect cheered when they saw Jinbao. To them, it meant their Mountain Guardian Divine Beast was once again standing watch over the sect.
Shortly after Jinbao awoke, the Bee Queen also lazily opened her eyes. She glanced at the Fire Fox Fur draped over her, then buried her face in it, letting out a contented coo.
Sensing the new complexity in her soul’s fluctuations, Fang Qingyuan knew the Bee Queen had awakened. However, he couldn’t enter the Immortal Mansion to check on her just yet. He was currently with Lechuan, who was giving him the latest news about Zhao Liangde.
"Ten years ago, I paid a steep price to ask Martial Uncle Di Yuanpu to dispatch one of his Golden Core Cultivators. Together with Heiye, they set out to hunt down the scoundrel who murdered Liang De. For a decade, that man and two beasts—three Golden Core-level combatants—tracked him without rest. At every stop, they requested aid from local Golden Core and even Nascent Soul Sects. Now, after ten long years, their efforts have finally paid off. They found that Demon Cultivator in the Outer Sea."
As Lechuan spoke, his eyes grew red. His affection for Zhao Liangde was undoubtedly genuine.
Fang Qingyuan quietly waited for Lechuan to continue. For now, he had to ignore the Bee Queen’s calls from within the Immortal Mansion.
Lechuan paused for a few breaths before continuing:
"After they found the fiend’s trail, Heiye and the others intended to capture him immediately. But the local Nascent Soul Sect that was assisting them reported the matter to the Great Zhou Academy. The Academy then urgently dispatched a Nascent Soul Cultivator to aid in the capture. At first, this seemed like a good thing. But once the Demon Cultivator was caught, the people from the Great Zhou Academy took him away.
Their actions are completely unreasonable! I, your master, cannot tolerate this. I called you here to tell you that I’m returning to Zongshan to rally support. I will personally go to the Great Zhou Academy and demand an explanation. A decade of hard work cannot be for nothing, just to line someone else’s pockets! While I’m away, I need you to help look after the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. Your senior brother, Zi Qing, is diplomatic, but he lacks a firm hand. I’m worried he won’t be able to command respect without me there."
Fang Qingyuan could only nod silently after hearing Lechuan’s words. Lechuan had been diplomatic when speaking of Ling Ziqing, clearly unwilling to show his full disappointment in front of Fang Qingyuan. The Vice Sect Leader of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect could manage as long as Lechuan was present, but Lechuan worried he wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure on his own.
"Master, how long do you expect to be gone? If the Spirit Wood and Li Huo Sects try to cause trouble, how far should we go in our response?"
Fang Qingyuan finally voiced his concern. Lechuan thought for a moment before replying:
"I’ll be gone for half a year at the least, two years at the most. That Demon Cultivator was taken to the Northern Domain Inspection Bureau. I need to return to the main sect, pull some strings, and then go deal with the situation. It will all take time." He snorted. "I’ll take Liang De with me and demand justice in person. As for the Spirit Wood and Li Huo Sects, don’t worry about them for now. If they really make a move, I trust you to handle it as you see fit."
With Lechuan’s blessing, Fang Qingyuan took his leave. He didn’t plan to meddle in the daily affairs of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect after Lechuan departed. He would only intervene when trouble arose. Regardless, since Lechuan had entrusted this matter to him, Fang Qingyuan was determined to see it through to the best of his ability.
After returning to his own sect, Fang Qingyuan entered his Quiet Chamber to check on the Bee Queen. She was a little sulky that he hadn’t come to see her right away, but after a few words of coaxing, she was back to her usual cheerful self.
The Bee Queen’s appearance hadn’t changed much with this advancement, except for two small bumps that had formed on her back between her shoulder blades, as if she were about to sprout wings.
Fang Qingyuan worried, though. ’Even if the Bee Queen does grow wings, with her current size, will she even be able to fly?’
The Bee Queen hadn’t awakened any new Talents this time either. However, Fang Qingyuan could feel that the All Things Heart Sound Divine Techniques he borrowed from her had been significantly strengthened. The most obvious effect was that he could now perceive the emotions of other living beings with much greater clarity.
This enhancement was a considerable boon to Fang Qingyuan’s theory for Core Formation. Yet, he was now beginning to have doubts about using the Voice of All Things as the foundation for his Path.
Sometimes, as he meditated alone in his Quiet Chamber, he would wonder, ’Longevity, the Five Elements, the Soul Dao, the Seven Emotions, Liu Yu... must I choose only one of these great Paths?’
’Is there a single Great Path that encompasses all the paths I already have access to? If possible, I don’t want to commit to a single road until the very end. What if that path leads to a dead end? Would that mean my own Path is also severed?’
’I have the Immortal Mansion and a long life. As long as I don’t do anything reckless, my future is full of potential. With such a great fortune in my hands, I refuse to become a mediocre Cultivator after Core Formation.’
’Perhaps my true Path lies with the Immortal Mansion itself. In a way, the Mansion is like the initial stage of a universe, undergoing infinite evolution after its creation. How many people in this world ever get to witness such a phenomenon? A Path like that would be on a much higher level than any of the others I’ve considered.’
Fang Qingyuan entered the Immortal Mansion once more. He didn’t seek out the Bee Queen or any other living being. He simply rose into the air and quietly gazed down at the world below.
Gazing at the scenery across the fourteen-hundred-mu Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but recall the day he first arrived. Back then, it had been a desolate wasteland without a single weed. The space was only a single mu, surrounded by an endless, dark void. He could see no future, no hope.
It was dark and deathly silent, devoid of life. There was no wind, rain, thunder, or lightning, nor were there a sun, moon, or stars. Calling it an Immortal Mansion had just been a way for Fang Qingyuan to comfort himself. ’In reality,’ he thought, ’it was a prison.’
But now, the Immortal Mansion was a different world. Purple bamboo and Qinglian shone in harmony. Tender shoots poked through the soil of the eight-hundred-mu Spirit Fields. Apes and swarms of bees chased each other playfully. A hundred flowers bloomed in the Spirit Plant Garden, and a stream trickled into a lake. This magnificent paradise was the fruit of Fang Qingyuan’s painstaking labor. The path he walked within the Immortal Mansion had already been with him for two-thirds of his life, and it was set to fill the rest of his future.
He had already walked deeper and farther along this path than any of the others he had considered—Longevity, the Five Elements, the Soul Dao, the Seven Emotions, Liu Yu. And his journey had been far smoother.
At some point, the seed of an epiphany that had been a mere fleeting thought in Fang Qingyuan’s mind began to blossom, filling his heart. He looked out at the Immortal Mansion, his emotions surging like a tide. As he continued to cultivate, the Immortal Mansion would continue to evolve, undergoing infinite transformations according to his will.
’An infinite future, infinite hope... this must be my Great Path! The Path itself is infinite, and I shall cultivate the Infinite Evolution Path!’
