Free Web NovelChapter 254: Chapter 252: Breach and Opportunity
’To think I became a Tier Three Alchemy Master just like that. It was a bit too easy.’
In the alchemy room, Fang Yang waved his sleeve, storing away the Pill Cauldron and other miscellaneous items before him.
He had reaped great rewards from his last bloodline dream.
Among those rewards was becoming a master of the dual schools of lightning and fire.
From that moment on, he knew the Dream World would be the key to pulling ahead of Sen Wei and Sen Yue.
Therefore, he was currently strengthening himself in every possible way.
In terms of magic, techniques, and so on, the improvement in his Pill Master skills had come so abruptly, yet felt completely natural.
[...]
[In order to obtain the final inheritance of the Shuangxiang Mountain Blessed Land, Fang Nian robbed and plundered. His demonic techniques gradually took shape, and his aura became chaotic and sinister.]
[Due to his near-unrestrained actions, his infamy spread far and wide, drawing sieges from numerous righteous path cultivators, while also attracting the admiration of villains from the Demon Dao.]
[Because of the frequent battles, he raised a group of Thunder Carp, Fire Eagles, and Frost Horses. He used Magic to forcibly enslave these battle pets, not seeking a perfect bond, but merely a convenient, disposable tool.]
’He frantically swapped out battle pets, replacing one after every major fight.’
Fang Yang’s expression was calm. "Using Magic to treat battle pets like disposable Talismans, burning them out completely... that’s actually a highly cost-effective path."
He felt no discomfort about such matters.
After all, he had treated the White Feathered Eagle the same way at the beginning.
It was only the arrival of a creature born of providence and the White Feathered Eagle’s own efforts that had changed his mind.
But Fang Nian didn’t have such good fortune, so he could only carve out a different path.
...
Within Shuangxiang Mountain lay a Blessed Land Mini World, a legacy left behind by a Saint.
Only those who passed through numerous trials could inherit the Blessed Land Mini World.
Among them, those who possessed an Inheritance Token could enter early to participate in the trials.
Furthermore, the destruction of the Blessed Land Mini World depended solely on the whim of the Earth Spirit.
For this reason, the Saints of the Desolate Realm had a tacit understanding not to conquer it by force.
And the Earth Spirit, though formed from a Saint’s residual will, was no longer a Saint itself—just a simple, lingering obsession.
To explain it with a term from Earth, it was like a program.
As long as one met the Earth Spirit’s criteria, one could gain its recognition and become the master of the Blessed Land.
Right now, that criterion was to be the first person to pass all the trials.
Coupled with the age-old saying that there is a distinction between saints and mortals...
Thus, when news spread that the Shuangxiang Mountain Blessed Land was about to open, a storm began to brew around the mountain, with powerful figures gathering in the shadows.
"Shuangxiang Mountain... its front is a Fire Tiger, its rear a Thunder Flood Dragon."
At this moment, Fang Yang, like many other cultivators, stood outside Shuangxiang Mountain.
He gazed at Shuangxiang Mountain, awaiting the appearance of the Earth Spirit.
To his surprise, the terrain of Shuangxiang Mountain was extremely peculiar, concealing the true meaning of the Dao.
Because a Fire Tiger and a Thunder Flood Dragon could form a powerful killing move: the Art of the Dragon-Tiger Joint Strike!
Thus, he began to wonder: was this inheritance related to the Blissful Demon Venerable, the Eternal Life Daoist Venerable, both, or neither?
As he was pondering, the crowd nearby grew, and a cacophony of voices rose.
"That Fang Zhengde is completely insane! He actually slaughtered the Qingliu Sect!"
"The Qingliu Sect’s Leader, Zhou Ludu, is a peerless beauty of heavenly grace. She has long been admired by the ’King of Great Strength,’ Hu Chong. Fang Zhengde has really stirred up a hornet’s nest this time."
"Not only that, I heard Master Faci is also hunting him down, seeking to bring justice to our brethren of Cloud Lake."
"With Shuangxiang Mountain opening, Fang Zhengde is bound to show up. There’s definitely going to be a good show to watch..."
In the southeast corner, a few people were chattering amongst themselves.
The so-called Demon Dao meant forsaking good karma, killing, and committing arson.
Intolerable to heaven and earth, an enemy to the whole world, yet still indulging one’s desires without restraint.
Thus, in the eyes of most, Fang Zhengde was already a dead man walking!
Amidst the condemnations and eager anticipation for the drama, a different voice cut through.
"What’s the righteous path? What’s the Demon Dao? A real man should be like Fang Zhengde, living freely and without restraint!" someone said coldly.
Fang Yang’s ears twitched, and he glanced in the direction of the voice.
He saw a young, four-winged humanoid clad in a blue robe, a look of longing on his face.
Noticing Fang Yang’s gaze, he asked, "My name is Lan Yu. What do you think of that sentiment, fellow Daoist?"
"Heh, perhaps," Fang Yang said, not elaborating.
Before long, a strange sound filled the sky.
Streaks of rainbow light and divine glows shot across the sky, heralding extraordinary arrivals.
A blinding blaze shaped like a ferocious tiger burned fiercely among the clouds.
A heroic and extraordinary general stood proudly, holding a feather fan.
"It’s the ’Fire Tiger Scholar General,’ Zhang Zongheng! I can’t believe he came too," the crowd murmured in shock.
Countless rays of greenish-blue brilliance suddenly appeared, forming the shape of a lone skiff that seemed to pour down from the heavens.
Looking closely, they saw a tall Daoist in a cyan robe, a simple, ancient sword hanging from his waist.
At that moment, the Daoist was raising a gourd to his lips, taking deep gulps.
"Hiss—that’s the ’Little Wine Sword Immortal,’ Zhang Ya! He’s come out of seclusion... could he be here for Fang Zhengde?" Many of the Demon Dao cultivators looked horrified.
The ’Fire Tiger Scholar General’ Zhang Zongheng, the ’Little Wine Sword Immortal’ Zhang Ya, the ’King of Great Strength’ Hu Chong, Master Faci...
One famous figure after another appeared, making the atmosphere in the area increasingly intense.
Fang Yang stood to the side, watching the streams of light in the sky with Lan Yu, silently observing these powerful experts.
At the same time, Fang Yang was mentally assessing the strength of these experts.
The more he assessed them, the more the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curve into a slight smile.
The foundations of these so-called experts were far from perfect. Barely any of them could even be considered top-tier!
Within the same realm, any expert from the Heaven, Earth, and Man rankings could have absolutely swept them aside.
At this moment, Fang Yang finally understood what a Venerable’s Dao lineage truly meant.
Compared to cultivators from ordinary lineages or Loose Cultivators, the cultivators from a Venerable’s Dao lineage had an endless arsenal of techniques—it was practically a higher-dimensional assault.
No wonder the world was so shocked whenever a peerless prodigy emerged from the ranks of Loose Cultivators.
"If only I could become a top-tier expert like them one day, how wonderful that would be..." Lan Yu said, looking up with a heart full of yearning.
Lan Yu’s words were very soft, as if he were muttering to himself, but they made Fang Yang narrow his eyes.
Extrapolating from this small detail, one could imagine how the cultivation hierarchy, formed by the Venerables’ Dao lineages like the Golden Clan, the Daoist Mansion of Eternal Life, and the Red Flame Demon Country, had sealed off the path of advancement for countless Loose Cultivators.
Over time, ordinary cultivators had surely accumulated an ocean of resentment and anger towards these established lineages.
If an outlet for that frustration ever appeared, the resulting force would be enough to remake the world and shake the very heavens.
And that outlet, that opportunity, was the intersection of the Dream World and the real world, which would free Loose Cultivators from their struggles for inheritances and resources.
’So a great era is coming. Is this why Huanwu the Great Saint told me to cultivate diligently...?’ Fang Yang mused to himself, remaining silent.
RUMBLE...
A quarter of an hour later, the sky and earth changed color.
A magnificent celestial palace gradually rose from the base of the mountain. With its purple pillars and golden bricks, its splendor was a massive visual shock.
And above this magnificent palace, the shimmering image of a strange creature appeared.
The creature had the body of a tiger and the tail of a flood dragon. Its form flickered between a body of purple lightning and one of orange fire, looking extraordinarily divine.
It was the Earth Spirit of the Shuangxiang Mountain Blessed Land—the Tiger Flood Dragon Earth Spirit!
Its appearance immediately caused an uproar, the crowd surging with excitement.
In that instant, the Fire Tiger Scholar General, the Little Wine Sword Immortal, and others all activated their Inheritance Tokens, rushing to enter the trial one step ahead of everyone else.
"One step ahead, always a step ahead. Of those with an Inheritance Token, it seems Fang Zhengde is the only one who hasn’t arrived."
Lan Yu was filled with envy. "Even with the risk of death in the trial, it’s completely worth it. If I could become such a great figure one day, it would be worth dying for."
Hearing this, Fang Yang gave a faint smile.
Then, he took out his Inheritance Token and instantly activated it.
The Inheritance Token dissolved into a mist of purple-gold light, enveloping Fang Yang’s body.
This sudden development made Lan Yu’s eyes go wide, and he froze on the spot.
Even after Fang Yang had departed, Lan Yu still couldn’t snap out of his daze.
’The great figure from the Demon Dao that I admire... was right beside me this whole time?’
Once the realization hit him, Lan Yu’s body trembled uncontrollably, and he remained stunned for a long, long time.
