Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 274 Ear Worm: Taking Stock of the Benefits
While Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan were hiding inside the underground palace digesting the Blood Lotus Saint Child, the conflicts between various immortal factions outside the palace intensified.

And just as the patriarch of the Nar family casually mentioned, the Blood Lake is not the only place in the secret realm where opportunities for inheritance can be found.

Some immortals, like the ancestor of the Er family, planned ahead before entering the secret realm. After entering the secret realm, they went straight to their destination, hoping to obtain the corresponding benefits.

For example, in the western part of the secret realm, there exists a golden mountain.

Its color is yellowish-white, and it exudes a metallic aura. The mountain peak rises abruptly from the ground, with only one peak, shaped like a broken sword.

This place has attracted many immortals, with the five sects of Lushan gathering together and wild cultivators from outside the mountain flocking in. They have been fighting each other for many days, leaving the gold and stones in the mountain stained with blood.

Fang Lu and two other women, traveling together, happened to arrive at this place to join in the fun.

However, the three of them learned from Shen Yin's lesson, knowing that there were always people more powerful than themselves and things beyond their understanding within the secret realm, and they had no intention of venturing deep into the mountains to search for treasure. They simply wandered around the outer perimeter, hoping to collect some rare minerals.

One day, after the three men finished mining a mine, they encountered a woman in white on the road.

The other person's robes were stained with blood, his face was full of fatigue, and he was holding a scabbardless sword with cracks all over its blade.

When the two met, Fang Lu recognized the woman and immediately cupped his hands in a gesture of respect from a distance.

The woman in white paused her gaze on Fang Lu and the other two for a moment, then nodded slightly.

The woman also transmitted a message: "This place is not safe to stay any longer. It has been occupied by the Rongyan Palace, and they are already plotting to kill you. You would be better off leaving quickly to avoid losing your lives here."

The other person's voice also carried an undisguised weariness, but it was extremely cold and stern, causing Fang Lu and the other two to feel a chill inexplicably in their hearts upon hearing it.

This imposing aura caused the three women to exchange bewildered glances, especially Xiao Lili and Du Yu'er, who looked at Fang Lu with puzzled expressions.

Fang Lu snapped out of his daze and immediately raised his voice:

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Zong. I will keep it in mind!"

The woman in white did not turn around; she dragged her sword and continued walking alone in the mountains.

Once the woman's figure had completely disappeared, Fang Lu and the two women discussed a few words, and the three of them immediately made a plan. They believed that those who knew when to yield were the wise ones, so they turned around and ran towards the outside of the mountain without delay.

As they walked, Fang Lu briefly introduced the white-clad woman's situation:
"This woman is named Zong Qingxue. She is a notorious jinx in our temple in recent years. It is said that when she fights with someone, once she makes a move, it will either kill or injure them. During the great battle between the two sects, she has taken the lives of many disciples of the Kugu Temple."

Du Yu'er and Xiao Lili's eyes lit up with realization as soon as they heard the name "Zong Qingxue".

"So it was this woman. No wonder she exuded such a menacing aura, making her seem unapproachable."

"I've heard of this woman in the nunnery. She's a well-known Foundation Establishment seed in the Five Internal Organs Temple!"

The three women chatted amongst themselves, feeling relieved that they hadn't had a conflict with Zong Qingxue.

In addition, the three women felt a sense of urgency, so they quickened their pace until they left the area of ​​the golden mountain and the metallic aura around them faded. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

Even Zong Qingxue believed that the secret realm of Jinshan was a dangerous place and advised them to leave. The danger there must be far greater than they had ever seen, and it was by no means ordinary!

After leaving Jinshan, the three women continued to gather herbs together in the secret realm.

Because the three women joined forces, they gained quite a lot along the way. They not only fought off many immortals who coveted their wealth, but also took the initiative to snatch things from others several times.

This day.

The three of them finally found another thousand-year-old spiritual herb. Its color was crimson, and from a distance, it looked like burning clouds. When they got closer, it was clearly a crimson-colored Ganoderma lucidum.

However, a number of immortals had already gathered near this medicine, and several corpses lay on the ground, with no one taking the storage bags from their waists.

Fang Lu stared intently at the medicine, gritted his teeth, and with the support of Xiao Lili and Du Yu'er, he joined the competition and ultimately succeeded in obtaining the elixir.

However, during the retreat, a powerful immortal followed, whose aura was imposing and who was not from the Five Sects.

This immortal wielded a large halberd with both hands, his blood and energy were strong, and he was not afraid of the three women's joint attack at all.

They were immediately alarmed:

"What an extraordinary hermit cultivator from the mountains!" "So there are such figures outside the mountains?"

Seeing that the sisters were losing more and more as they fought, and that the bearded halberd-wielder had endless strength and showed no signs of exhaustion.

To prevent the three from suffering losses, Fang Lu did not hesitate any longer and immediately took out the Foundation Establishment Gu worm that Fang Shu had given him, and crushed the amber shell that was encasing the Gu worm with a snap.

Boom!

As soon as the insect appeared, a muffled thunderclap echoed in the sky above the secret realm, clearly caused by the insect's energy.

Then the Gu worm spread its wings, revealing itself to be the shape of a cicada, with a pale golden color. It could also change size, suddenly growing to the size of a human head, with three pairs of wings growing on its back, giving it a rather fierce appearance.

As soon as the Gu worm appeared, driven by Fang Lu, it immediately pounced on the man with the bushy beard and large halberd.

What was expected to be a fierce battle turned into a shocking surprise when the arrogant, bearded immortal's expression changed upon seeing the golden cicada, and he exclaimed, "Three-winged Golden Cicada!"

Immediately, the man simply swung his halberd and smashed it at the golden cicada, then strode away without looking back, no longer asking for the thousand-year-old elixir.

Upon seeing this, Fang Lu was momentarily stunned, completely unaware that the Gu worm sent by Fang Shu was so powerful that it could repel the enemy simply by showing itself.

She snapped out of her daze and quickly stopped while she was ahead. She ordered the three-winged cicada to return and, holding the amber shell in her hand, hurriedly cast a spell to seal the worm back inside.

"Such a powerful Gu worm cannot be lost in the secret realm. When we encounter Shu Ge'er again, we must return it to him."

Fang Lu thought to himself.

Unexpectedly, the Gu worm returned to her side, circled several times, and instead of obeying her commands, it suddenly landed on the red Ganoderma lucidum in Fang Lu's other hand.

She had prepared this Ganoderma lucidum in case she needed to cut off its tail to save herself or throw it away to escape at any time.

Without any hesitation, the cicada inserted its mouthparts into the Ganoderma lucidum and began to suck up the juice.

Upon seeing this, Fang Lu initially wanted to drive it away, but firstly, he was concerned that this creature was a gift from Fang Shu, and secondly, he was unsure whether it was ferocious or not, so he allowed it to consume the spiritual medicine in his hand.

Fortunately, the cicada only ingested a small portion, merely dimming the medicinal herb slightly, before stopping in time and wobbling as if it were drunk.

Fang Lu knew that this was most likely because the insect had been affected by the poisonous spirit in the elixir. She put away the elixir and immediately tried to forcibly seal the golden cicada to prevent any further mishaps.

As a result, the cicada suddenly shrank its body, becoming the size of a grain of rice, buzzing around in mid-air like a fly, and then pounced on Fang Lu.

In the blink of an eye, the insect disappeared from the three women's sight.

However, the buzzing sound of wings in Fang Lu's ears did not disappear; on the contrary, it became even clearer. She belatedly touched her right ear and released her divine sense to probe into the cave.

Sure enough, the cicada had taken up residence inside her ear canal, folding its wings to rest.

Because Fang Lu's divine sense was scrutinizing it, the golden cicada impatiently flapped its wings, humanizing itself as if to say, "Don't bother me."

Then Du Yu'er and Xiao Lili suddenly noticed that Fang Lu's face first showed unease, and then surprise and bewilderment.

"Based on what I've learned in the Gu Hall, Gu worms are born with little intelligence, and Gu masters will not allow Gu worms to become sentient. This is precisely the biggest difference between raising Gu and controlling beasts."

Why does this Golden Cicada Gu appear so full of spirituality, seemingly a Gu yet not quite a Gu? Fang Lu subconsciously thought that he had just seen things wrong.

Once she was sure she wasn't mistaken, she thought to herself:
"This insect is peculiar; it is definitely not an ordinary Gu insect. It must be a precious treasure bestowed upon Shu-ge by the Dragon Maiden Hall Master. Could it be that Shu-ge has overlooked it and mistakenly thought it was just an ordinary thing?"

She made a decision once again: once she found Fang Shu, she would definitely return him.

Next.

Fang Lu continued to roam the secret realm with Du Yu'er and Xiao Lili, and collected many more spiritual items.

As for the cicada in her ear, after its initial display of power, it never emerged again. It was extremely lazy and seemed withered and dying, not even flapping its wings once more.

Without using his divine sense to investigate this object, Fang Lu would inadvertently forget that there was a Foundation Establishment Gu worm hidden inside his own ear canal.

………………

On the other side, the Blood Lake Underground Palace.

For more than ten days in a row, Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan were immersed in the practice of taking the medicine and did not separate for a moment.

One of them resembled an old monk in deep meditation, while the other was like a vine clinging to a tree.

The surging spiritual energy continuously cleansed their muscles and bones.

Suddenly.

Fang Shu, one of the two, slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at Erdaiyuan right in front of him with a complicated expression, and after thinking for a while, he chose to slowly withdraw, ending his own cultivation.

Erdaiyuan was still in meditation. Because of Fang Shu's departure, her body involuntarily became attached to him and she did not want to let him go.

Fang Shu carefully positioned the woman in a lotus position, which helped her regain her balance and prevent her from falling, allowing her to continue her cultivation.

After more than ten days of taking the medicine and replenishing her energy, Er Daiyuan's body had completely absorbed the spiritual power and medicinal properties of the Blood Lotus Saint, with not a trace remaining outside.

Therefore, Fang Shu was unable to extract the medicinal power from the other party's body and had to end this opportunity.

However, Erdaiyuan's own benefits are not yet exhausted, and much of the medicinal power in her body still needs to be digested!
This is precisely why Fang Shu's expression was so complicated just now.

Even though the two were intimately connected, the benefits he received were truly minimal, just a small portion. The real lion's share went to Er Daiyuan.

However, the thought that the Blood Lotus Saint Son had wiped out almost the entire immortal family of the other party made Fang Shu feel slightly more at ease.

He stopped looking at the woman in front of him, who was as beautiful as a white jade statue, and instead turned his back to her, sat cross-legged alone, and began to take stock of his gains.

Immediately, a feeling of excitement rose in Fang Shu's heart, and even with his eyelids slightly closed, the joy in his eyes could not be concealed.

In the section on spiritual roots in his Daoist talisman, the quality of his spiritual roots had clearly changed:

[Spiritual Root: Medium Yin-Yang Spiritual Root]

Upon seeing this, Fang Shu thought to himself, "This ancestor of the Er family is truly not deceiving us!"
This precious medicine from the Blood Lake truly has the power to cleanse one's spiritual roots and elevate one's aptitude.

This alone made him want to leap up and pace around a few times. To avoid disturbing Erdaiyuan, he restrained himself and repeatedly examined himself to prevent the Dao Talisman's assessment from being wrong.

After observing for a while, he confirmed that his acquired pseudo-spiritual root had been elevated to a medium-grade innate spiritual root.

The most obvious sign was that the cordyceps spiritual root that was originally planted on his forehead had now completely disappeared.

But it wasn't stripped away; rather, it dissolved into Fang Shu's flesh and tendons.

In short, the compatibility between him and the Cordyceps spiritual root far surpasses that of the past. It has transformed from formless to intangible, as if he had possessed this spiritual root since birth.

This change is a qualitative leap.

From now on, Fang Shu's cultivation speed will increase exponentially.

If his cultivation speed used to be between one and two, then his current cultivation speed has firmly reached four!
As he pondered, Fang Shu thought to himself:

"Those with inferior spiritual roots can refine Qi. Those with medium spiritual roots can establish their foundation... The spiritual root is related to the probability of breakthroughs in each realm of immortals."

His mind stirred, and he focused on the amount of his own true energy:

[True Qi: Ninety-Nine Toads]

His original ninety-six toads of true energy increased by three toads after he cultivated with Er Daiyuan and took medicine, leaving him only one toad away from the perfect hundred toads.

In other words, the probability of Fang Shu successfully establishing his foundation is now over 90%.

If we also consider his medium-grade spiritual root, it has probably reached 95%, which is practically a certainty!

Looking at the "ninety-nine toads" of true energy in the Dao talisman, Fang Shu examined it for a long time, and sighed in his heart: "It's a pity that it is not the perfect hundred toads after all."

Fortunately, he was not disappointed by this; he only had a brief emotional outburst before he got over it.

This is because after obtaining the collection of books from the Er family patriarch and Master Longgu, Fang Shu already knew that the so-called Hundred Toad Perfection True Qi actually had a high threshold.

The closer the true energy of a Qi-refining immortal is to the Hundred Toads, the more one ascends to a higher realm with each toad.

Of these, the spiritual roots of heaven and earth can be cultivated to perfection relatively easily.

Those below the level of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots who wish to cultivate the Hundred Toads need either a special medicine to increase their true energy or a superior spiritual root to achieve this.

If Fang Shu can take the Blood Lotus Saint Child on his own, he should be able to achieve it easily.

Unfortunately, he did not take it himself, and the most important function of the Blood Lotus Saint Child is to change one's physical constitution, not to nourish one's true energy.

The Three Toad True Qi that Fang Shu obtained was actually something he had refined himself over the past few days using the remaining half of the thousand-year-old spiritual herb, rather than being directly promoted by the Blood Lotus.

Inside the underground palace, Fang Shu lowered his gaze and composed himself.

He possesses a medium-level innate spiritual root and the true energy of ninety-nine toads.

These were the two major benefits he gained from his trip to the Blood Lake, aside from the external things.

Although it was not perfect and far from being a spiritual root of heaven and earth, it still made him feel that the trip was worthwhile and not a complete waste of time.

Besides all of these, he actually has another benefit that cannot be told to others!

Buzzing.

Fang Shu's mind trembled, and numerous images, texts, and secret characters surged in his mind like water, showing that the connection between his physical body and soul and the Dao talisman had become even closer, and the memories stored in the two were now completely indistinguishable.

On the mysterious surface of the Taoist talisman, the two characters "deduction" shone brightly, their function far beyond the ordinary.

(End of this chapter)