Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 225 The Merit of the Dragon from the Ancient Dead Sea
Beneath the vast sky, withered grass covered the ground, the earth was cracked, and the atmosphere was lifeless, with not a trace of green in sight.

Fang Shu and Protector Bai, both wearing cloaks, were making their way through the area with difficulty.

They also suppressed all their spiritual power and walked only on their legs.

Although the speed was slow, it was actually fast once they arrived in this remote border region, allowing them to evade the pursuers behind them.

"This border region is already so harsh and cold, with thin spiritual energy, and black winds and white hairs often blow, bewitching the mind. I wonder if the vast sea region is even more desolate and difficult to live in... Protector Bai, are you really determined to leave the vast sea and never return to Fudang Mountain?"

Fang Shu wore a veil to protect his face from the wind and sand, and spoke in a muffled voice.

The other party heard it, but spoke calmly and composedly:
"What Fellow Daoist Hu said is both true and false. The reason why the road out of the border is so difficult is related to the great war in ancient times. For example, the place ahead is called the 'Dead Sea'. It is said that it was caused by the spell cast by the ancient Taoist priests, which caused countless immortals to perish here. To this day, life is cut off and spiritual energy is nowhere to be found. It is very ominous. Moreover, there are also mindless and ferocious water ghosts in the water, which are extremely terrifying."

But once you cross the 'Dead Sea' and reach the vast desert, although life is still scarce there, oases are scattered throughout, spiritual energy flourishes, and there are hidden paradises within.

Fang Shu nodded upon hearing what the other person said.

The "Dead Sea" and "water ghosts" mentioned by the woman are precisely the reasons why the two chose to walk here.

In such a place, casually displaying one's spiritual energy is like being the bright moon in the night sky—conspicuous and easily attracting danger. Conversely, concealing one's spiritual energy not only helps avoid danger but also makes it difficult for pursuers to track one's trail.

However, the White Protector still did not explain why he would not return to Floating Mountain.

Now, a whole day has passed, and the ominous Dead Sea is faintly visible in the distance.

Fang Shu no longer concealed his intentions and asked again:
"Protector Bai has not yet explained why he would give up the promising path to immortality in the Floating Mountain, or the foundation-building opportunity he promised."

As soon as he finished speaking, he paused slightly, his gaze fixed on the white-clad protector to one side.

The White Protector walked with her head down. She noticed Fang Shu's attention, and a slight smile appeared on her face under the veil, as if she were speaking. Fang Shu finally couldn't hold back any longer.

The woman did not answer immediately, but pointed to the Dead Sea ahead and said:
"Let's walk a few more steps and rest there. I'll then discuss this in detail with Fellow Daoist Hu. Fellow Daoist, you can then consider whether or not to travel this waterway with me to the vast ocean."

Fang Shu glanced over; at their pace, even without using magic, it would only take them the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to walk there.

He nodded silently in agreement, but he also secretly tightened his grip on the Hundred Gu Banner of the Dragon Spine.

Although they rarely travel with others, moments like these, when they are about to part ways or embark on a new journey, are often the times when they turn on each other and engage in fierce battles in many stories or travelogues.

We must learn from the lessons of our predecessors!

Fortunately, after a cup of tea...

The two finally strolled to the shore of the Dead Sea, but did not fight during their journey.

A cold sea breeze kept blowing from the dark water.

As soon as the white protector arrived at the seaside, he quickly lifted the golden birdcage, which was wrapped in burlap and covered with talismans, and carefully placed it in the waters of the Dead Sea.

A hissing sound, like corrosion, immediately rang out from the birdcage, and the spiritual energy on the birdcage began to flicker.

Without needing to ask, Protector Bai muttered to himself:
"The waters of this Dead Sea are said to lead directly to the Netherworld, and are unfathomably deep. Moreover, the waters contain Taoist curses and divine blood, making them extremely sinister. Apart from the evil water ghosts that are trapped in it, anyone who enters it will lose their vitality and spiritual energy. Even a goose feather cannot float, and birds cannot fly over it. It is impossible to swim across."

Furthermore, many magical artifacts and talismans, once they fall into the Dead Sea, will also be severely worn down, turning into scrap metal, which would be perfect for wearing down the restrictions on this birdcage artifact.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu looked surprised.

He pondered for a few moments, then asked, "There is also spiritual energy on magical artifacts. Aren't you afraid that the spiritual energy in this birdcage will be lost, attracting the evil water ghosts from the Dead Sea?"

Protector Bai shook his head: "The evil creatures in the sea only lurk in the depths and never come ashore. The ferocious beasts on the shore beyond the Great Wall are extremely wary of the evil creatures in the sea and will not come here easily. So this coastal area is just right in the middle of the two, neither of them are involved, so it is a good place to rest."

As she spoke, the woman even removed her cloak, revealing her entire face. She then removed the light veil from her face and took deep breaths of the damp, cold air outside.

After the veil fell, her delicate features were revealed, making her quite beautiful. As a demon, she possessed a bewitching charm that was quite eye-catching.

However, Fang Shu only glanced at it once more, taking a good look at the other person's crimson eyes, before looking away.

He followed suit, pulling off his face mask to let some air in. However, he kept the fox fur cloak he was wearing concealed, not wanting to reveal his face.

While the two were catching their breath, the rabbit demon in the golden birdcage was hopping around in the cage with a look of disgust on its face, and sounds were already coming from it.

Clearly, this birdcage has indeed been corroded by the waters of the Dead Sea, and the restrictions on it are breaking down.

"Hey! You lot, why aren't you lifting me up? How dare you continue to keep me submerged in this filthy, black water?!"

The dragon rabbit in the cage let out a high-pitched cry.

Fang Shu frowned slightly at these words, but the White Protector beside him straightened her expression and immediately bowed to the dragon rabbit in the cage, explaining in a serious and methodical manner:

"Your Excellency, this cage must bear the tracking marks of those thieves. I am too weak to break it. Please be patient, Your Excellency. Once the barrier is broken, I will immediately release you from the cage!"

These words reached the birdcage, infuriating the dragon rabbit, who exclaimed in exasperation:
"How hateful! This lowly worm dares to plot against me. In that case, I will endure it for now."

After cursing for a while, the dragon rabbit changed its tone and suddenly began to awkwardly try to appease Fang Shu and the other person:
"Rest assured, you two righteous men helped me escape from danger today. When I return to the Dragon Palace, I will repay you handsomely!"

It said arrogantly, "I am no ordinary mud-legged dragon. My father is from the Western Dragon Palace, and I was not born through the Dragon Gate, but as a dragon son and grandson born within it. If you can send me back to the palace, I will grant you the opportunity to establish your foundation and let you serve as my companions, so that we may be ruler and subject together for a long time!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu was surprised. He hadn't expected that the little creature in the cage would have such a background, directly connected to a dragon palace. It truly had an extraordinary origin!
Fang Shu secretly glanced at the White Protector beside him and saw that the White Protector was bowing respectfully to him, saying, "Thank you, Dragon Seed. I swear to protect the Dragon Seed with my life!"

So he followed suit, bowing respectfully and saying, "Thank you for the great kindness of the dragon!"

Meanwhile, Fang Shu secretly used divine sense to quickly inquire of Protector Bai:
"Fellow Daoist Bai! Is what this rabbit says true? Is the opportunity for Foundation Establishment that you speak of the 'merit of following the dragon'?"

While settling the dragon rabbit in the cage, the White Protector responded:
“Indeed. It seems that Fellow Daoist Hu also knows a thing or two about this matter, and it seems that you have quite a background.”

These words gave Fang Shu a moment of excitement, but his eyes also became conflicted and flickering.

The so-called "merit of following the dragon" refers to the merit of such dragon offspring in helping others escape the difficulty of becoming dragons before they enter the sea and cross the Dragon Gate. It should be known that although dragon offspring are rare and precious in the world, once they awaken the dragon's appearance, a broad and smooth path to becoming a true dragon lies before them. If they successfully cross the Dragon Gate, their foundation is almost secured.

However, even such things blessed by heaven are not immune to hardship.

Before they crossed the Dragon Gate and entered the Dragon Palace, their bloodline was impure, their magical power was average, and they were easily coveted by others, leading to many dangerous situations.

According to what Fang Shu learned in Erjia's library, the Dragon Palace seemed to have a "testing" mentality towards this matter. As long as the dragons were not imprisoned and kept in captivity, they would not care even if they all died on their way to sea.

Only after crossing the Dragon Gate will the so-called dragon offspring be regarded as dragon sons and grandsons, and will no longer need to disguise themselves as white dragons or suffer repeated hardships, and the Dragon Palace will take the initiative to protect them.

The immortals and demons who help the dragon species cross the Dragon Gate stage will all be regarded as the dragon species' retainers.

Those of the highest rank will be promoted to sons and grandsons of the dragon, and like chickens and dogs ascending to heaven, all the ministers in the former residence will also climb the social ladder and gain great benefits, and may even be taken into the Dragon Palace, a blessed land.

Now that Fang Shu and Protector Bai have successfully rescued the dragon rabbit from its confinement, they have already earned a merit for following the dragon.

Moreover, according to what the Dragon Rabbit said, the other party has its own background in the West Dragon Palace. Once they arrive in the West Sea, the probability of them stepping through the Dragon Gate is probably a hundred times that of ordinary dragons.

Fang Shu only needs to continue accompanying Protector Bai to deliver this dragon rabbit to the West Dragon Palace to gain the opportunity to marry into a powerful family!

However... this plan to go to sea was completely outside of Fang Shu's plans. He hadn't even considered going to the vast ocean with the other party.

Fang Shu couldn't help but secretly transmit his voice: "Fellow Daoist Bai's purpose for this trip is not the Vast Sea Immortal City, but the Western Sea?"

The other party replied, "Indeed."

After a pause, Protector Bai went on to explain his plans in detail:

"The reason why I did not travel directly from Qiong Kingdom or other places to the Western Sea by taking a cloud ship across the continent is that I wanted to go to the Immortal City of the Vast Sea before taking a cloud ship out to sea."

Without the woman needing to elaborate further, Fang Shu knew that she was worried about being stopped by the snake demons when traveling by boat within the territory of Qiong Kingdom.

However, it would be far too dangerous for the other party to actually attempt to cross the Dead Sea directly and walk to the Immortal City of Vast Ocean, rather than simply hiding here.

It should be noted that the risks of traversing the Dead Sea are considerable; it is rumored that even immortals who build their foundations may perish there.

Fang Shu's expression remained calm, but his heart was pounding with unease.

"This woman dared to abandon her family business on Fudang Mountain and travel to the vast ocean, so she must have made her own preparations. Although there are risks, they should be manageable, it's just that it will be difficult."

"If we wait a little longer, escorting the dragon seed to the Dragon Palace, we can reap the rewards of serving the dragon and gain the opportunity to establish our foundation... Doesn't that sound pretty good?"

Fang Shu's thoughts were churning.

The dragon is the most powerful type of immortal in the world.

Even if the dragon rabbit's merit in following the dragon cannot directly provide the two with the opportunity to establish their foundation, it can probably be exchanged for a large amount of resources, increasing the chances of establishing their foundation.

And since this man surnamed Bai is so willing to part with it, the background of the dragon rabbit is probably genuine, and this merit of following the dragon is likely even greater than that of ordinary dragon species.

Seeing that Fang Shu remained silent for a long time, and having settled the restless dragon rabbit in the cage, Protector Bai immediately bowed to Fang Shu:
"Fellow Daoist Hu, you deserve immense credit for rescuing the dragon seed this time. If you have nothing else to attend to, I hope you will accompany me. I will certainly not disappoint you!"

She looked at Fang Shu expectantly.

In Bai Yangyang's opinion, Fang Shu was skilled in both formations and Gu insects, and possessed solid true energy, making him a truly rare talent for immortality.

If she could get Fang Shu's help, her trip to sea to find a living would definitely be more secure.

And once she arrives at the West Dragon Palace, with this helper, she will be able to deal with the dangers more calmly!

But in the silence, Fang Shu finally let out a long breath and slowly shook his head.

He sighed softly, "This achievement is good, but it is not what I want."

After much deliberation, Fang Shu ultimately prevailed due to reason and vigilance.

While such merit as following the dragon is commendable, it cannot be directly enjoyed, the risks along the way are unknown, and the situation in the dragon palace is also unknown.

Besides, no matter how nicely you describe a dragon, it's still a monster.

Fang Shuke was different from the White Protector in front of him. He was a perfectly healthy person with not a trace of demon blood on his body. Yet he went to mingle in the lair of monsters. No matter how you looked at it, he was dancing on the edge of a knife, a lamb entering the tiger's den.

Fang Shu's answer stunned Protector Bai for a moment, and his expression became quite hesitant.

Even the dragon rabbit that had just settled down in its cage became restless again, sneering and shouting:

"You fox-headed devil, I gave you the opportunity to enter the Dragon Palace, but you don't know how to cherish it."

"If it weren't for your merit in saving my life, I would never have uttered such a word. You are so ignorant and arrogant."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu did not refute, but merely bowed perfunctorily.

However, his gaze narrowed slightly, and he immediately felt that this creature was of low character, possessing only the appearance of nobility but lacking any true refinement. He then resolved to part ways with it.

Immediately afterwards, the White Protector spoke up again to offer a few words of persuasion, but seeing that Fang Shu did not seem to want to negotiate, but rather genuinely did not want to accompany him, he could only sigh.

For a moment, the atmosphere between the human and the demon became quite silent.

On the shore of the Dead Sea, only the damp, cold sea breeze was still howling.

Seeing this, Fang Shu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was on high alert, fearing that the other party might turn on him immediately and fight him if they realized that they had different values.

After all, his turning away carried the risk of revealing the other's whereabouts. If the man surnamed Bai was ruthless, he probably wouldn't have let him leave so easily.

(End of this chapter)