Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 285 Bait and Fishhook
While Fang Shu and his companions were risking their lives in the secret realm, some hanging by a thread while others were reaping rich rewards.

Beyond the secret realm, above the entrance.

Five divine senses slowly intertwined and spread across the Five Elders Peak.

The five Earth Immortals residing on the mountain peak all seemed to sense something, their expressions solemn, and they dared not look around anymore.

Some of the immortals who were originally indulging in pleasure hurriedly restrained their outrageous behavior, fearing that they would be scolded if they were late.

After surveying the area below, the five divine senses didn't say much, but instead began to converse among themselves:

"How long has it been? Is it almost over?"

"Indeed, it's almost March. Judging by the days, it's just a matter of the next few days."

"Tsk, this generation of youngsters has really stumbled upon a stroke of luck this time."

Originally, these five divine senses were just chatting idly, when suddenly one of them spoke:
"Speaking of which, the opening of this secret realm has revealed the auras of so many predecessors. It seems that many of those immortals from the past will be able to return."

"Haha! Not necessarily. Who knows, maybe one of these younger generations will take the bait and spit out the hook."

But then a cold laugh rang out: "The opportunities of this world are not so easy to obtain. Especially for these young Qi Refining cultivators."

Rather than hoping they won't take the bait, wouldn't it be better for us, their teachers, to proactively remove the hooks for them? What do you all think?

If the disciples and others in the secret realm were here and heard these conversations, they would surely feel a chill run down their spines.

Especially square bundles.

Because what these five divine senses said was remarkably similar to what he had experienced in the secret realm. All the inheritances within this secret realm turned out to be carefully laid plans left by predecessors, not just his wild guesses.

However, when the topic of whether to handle the aftermath for their disciples came up in the sky above the Five Elders Peak, the five divine senses remained silent and did not utter another word.

Seeing this, the one who had been sneering felt bored and sighed:

"So be it. The prosperity of Mount Lu is inextricably linked to these predecessors. If we ruin their plans, it will be unfortunate, and we might even suffer divine retribution."

As soon as this was said, some people immediately agreed:
"Indeed. Moreover, if these youngsters cannot even break free from the schemes of their predecessors, how can they possibly shoulder heavy responsibilities and become the seeds of the Golden Elixir Dao of Mount Lu?"

“Brother Kugu is right. You should know that the five of us here have all come from a life of scheming. These youngsters are only facing dead people.”

Now, despite the drawbacks, if we could do it all over again, and be given another chance to choose... I'm afraid you would all still gladly accept it and die without hesitation.

I second that!

A series of greetings, some blank and some wistful, echoed in the air above the Five Old Men Peak.

The Foundation Establishment Immortals below, though unable to hear what the True Immortals who had achieved the Core Formation were talking about, were able to sense the fluctuations in the True Immortals' emotions through changes in their divine sense.

They all stood obediently on the mountain peak, motionless like quails, just like when Fang Shu and the other Qi Refining disciples met them.

………………

On the secret Golden Mountain.

After chatting with Jiao Lulu for a while, Fang Shu learned about all the cultivation techniques and spells she had practiced in the past, only to discover that she was not a sword cultivator.

The subjects of immortal studies he studied leaned more towards the Five Elements Thunder Magic, and he did not learn them superficially, but rather developed his own unique insights.

Having understood this, he pondered it carefully and ultimately declined the other party's request for spiritual communication.

The reason for this was twofold. Firstly, he and this woman were neighbors, and their families were now in Guling Town, so they were practically family friends. In particular, Old Lady Jiao had almost become like an elder to his second uncle, Yu Le, and had helped him a great deal.

That small house certainly needed a discreet old woman like her to keep things under control. Therefore, given this relationship, as the elder brother, he couldn't very well scheme against her or take advantage of her.

Secondly, since this woman is not a swordswoman and is not particularly skilled in this path, if this sword cultivation inheritance were given to her through her divine soul, given Jiao Lulu's foundation, she would most likely be deeply affected and directly switch to sword cultivation later.

In this way, the woman will fall into a trap and go astray.

"This, this..." Jiao Lulu's face fell upon hearing this.

She could understand that Fang Shu's words were quite sincere, not a lie, but a genuine concern for her, which was why she hadn't agreed to the matter of transmitting the divine soul.

But in doing so, the girl secretly thought to herself:

“I had a premonition that this mountain was connected to me. I thought that seeing Brother Fang meant I was destined for him… but now it seems I was just overthinking things?”

Suddenly, Fang Shu saw the woman's expression turn somber and chuckled softly:

"The matter of soul fusion is off, but I can still give you some cultivation techniques and incantations."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Lulu was immediately invigorated and quickly came back to her senses.

Fang Shu first took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, then suddenly had a thought, put the paper back, and took out a nail-headed arrow from his sleeve instead.

With a whooshing sound, two spiked arrows darted about atop the golden mountain, slicing off streaks of stone dust.

Exquisite characters appeared on the stone walls and altars at the mountaintop, describing the techniques and incantations from the sword cultivation inheritance that Fang Shu had obtained.

Seeing Fang Shu's actions, Jiao Lulu was delighted, realizing that Fang Shu was actually still going to pass on the magic to her, but he wasn't going to take the route of soul fusion.

Not only this woman, but Zong Qingxue next to her also looked slightly taken aback.

She couldn't help but look at what Fang Shu had written, but then hesitated, feeling as if she were secretly learning something.

Unexpectedly, Fang Shu noticed her movement and said frankly:
"Fellow Daoist Zong, please also correct me."

These techniques were derived from the swords of our predecessors, but now that the inheritance has been taken by you and me, and the swords of those predecessors have been destroyed, we no longer know some of their subsequent instructions. It is a good opportunity to carve some stones here to preserve these techniques for future generations, thus settling the matter of cause and effect.”

"To leave something for future generations..." Zong Qingxue heard these words and chewed on them, looking at Fang Shu with surprise in her eyes.

The woman did not immediately agree, but couldn't help but say:
"Fellow Daoist, are you truly willing to part with it?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu smiled slightly.
"Just some cultivation techniques and secrets of sword cultivation. Who knows how many years it will be before future generations come here again? We can't let them make a wasted trip."

He blinked, "Of course, having just obtained the secret technique, even with divine transmission, I cannot replicate many of the secret characters. I can only hope that future generations can use the formations in this golden mountain as a reference to complete the technique." Even as Fang Shu spoke, Zong Qingxue, watching the two constantly moving flying nails and absorbing the profound sword cultivation incantations, was still deeply moved.

The woman, looking ashamed, solemnly bowed to Fang Shu:
"It was Zong who judged a gentleman by the standards of a petty person."

With these cultivation techniques and incantations, and this Golden Mountain Formation constantly gathering metallic energy here, this place is truly a sacred ground for us swordsmen! Fellow Daoist, you are too modest.”

That said, no matter how reasonable Fang Shu's previous words were, in Zong Qingxue's view, his suggestion to merge his soul with hers was inevitably frivolous and dissolute, and even implied that he was taking advantage of her misfortune.

But now Fang Shu is not only facing the two of them, but has chosen to directly inscribe the inheritance incantation on the mountain, opening the door to convenience.

Such a move is undoubtedly grand and magnificent, almost like the work of a master.

Jiao Lulu was also standing to the side, nodding repeatedly.

Seeing the two women's behavior, Fang Shu didn't say anything more. He simply sat down cross-legged, focused his mind on the two nail-headed arrows, and wrote rapidly, making sure all the words in his mind were written out.

Actually, aside from the reasons given to the two women.

The reason he wanted to leave these techniques on this golden mountain was because after obtaining those divine inheritances, he vaguely sensed that these inheritances were rather hot to handle.

He had an instinctive urge to send it out as soon as possible.

Fang Shu initially thought that there were still some hidden dangers in the divine sense inheritance that had not been completely removed by the Dao talisman, but after checking repeatedly, he found that his physical body and soul were normal.

And when he had a sudden thought and suggested passing on his skills to the two women, especially Zong Qingxue, the "burning" feeling in his heart immediately lessened, as if a large stone had been lifted from his shoulders.

All of this made Fang Shu realize that this was a "whim" of his, a feeling he had sensed in the darkness and wanted to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

Now he chose to carve the technique directly on the mountain, and sure enough, as the words were written, he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders, and the feeling of stagnation disappeared.

As well, because of writing down the incantations of the cultivation method, Fang Shu couldn't help but become immersed in it.

Even without the blessing of dragon energy, he was as if divinely aided, and his understanding of this sword cultivation inheritance, especially the sword formation, was immediately grasped.

Strands of metallic energy rose slowly from the golden mountain, enveloping his body and making him glow like a god.

This scene caught the attention of Zong Qingxue and Jiao Lulu, who were both astonished and filled with awe.

The two women then realized that practicing swordsmanship and learning magic on this golden mountain would provide some kind of enhancement. So, like Fang Shu, they slowly drew upon the metal energy and began to comprehend what they had gained.

Compared to Fang Shu, the two women paled in comparison, appearing as insignificant as green leaves.

For three whole days.

Fang, in one breath, engraved all the text and images he had obtained onto the golden mountain. As for the remaining text that he couldn't engrave, he was temporarily powerless to do so, since he himself hadn't yet been able to comprehend it.

However, the sword formation on this golden mountain still exists, and as Zong Qingxue said, if future generations are truly gifted, they will be able to comprehend the complete inheritance from it.

After finishing his writing, he glanced around, his eyes filled with a strange light.

The characters landed on the mountainside, and wisps of metallic energy naturally adhered to them, making each one appear as if it were plated with gold.

These densely packed characters spread out on all sides, inadvertently creating a mysterious feeling.

As Fang Shu gazed around, a faint sense of joy and satisfaction welled up in his heart, almost like a pleasant buzz.

After a long while, he came to his senses and found the two women beside him.

One person was holding a sword and relentlessly forging it, seemingly possessed; another was chanting incantations, with thunder rumbling around him, also completely absorbed in his studies.

Fang Shu smiled faintly at this.

He immediately stepped forward, gently retrieved his Foundation Establishment Drum, and took the swallow-hook storage bag, taking most of its provisions. The rest he divided into one large and one small, and tossed them beside the two women.

Having done this, without waiting for the two women to regain their senses or saying hello, he turned around and leaped away from the golden sword mountain.

When it came, it was cautious and deliberate, taking each step carefully. But when it left, it floated out gracefully and freely, crossing hundreds of feet in no time.

After descending the mountain, he looked back at the strange golden mountain.

The chilling feeling in Fang Shu's heart had completely dissipated, and he sensed that there seemed to be some kind of energy gathering at the mountaintop in the secret realm.

This sight reminded Fang Shu of Erdaiyuan in the Blood Lake Palace.

He felt a chill run down his spine, vaguely realizing something.

"It seems that the inheritances here are indeed all owned by someone, or rather, they have all been targeted by someone for a long time?" he muttered to himself.

However, he didn't think about it anymore and turned to leave, heading towards the center of the secret realm.

In any case, Fang Shu benefited from both of these inheritances, and the benefits were considerable.

But the true successors of that generation are all others. Even if it involves some kind of scheme, the person behind it should not be him, but Er Daiyuan, Zong Qingxue, or even Jiao Lulu.

The next few days passed.

The protective energy within the secret realm was becoming increasingly thin, and even in the central area, several passageways were emerging that allowed entry.

However, these energies did not disappear; instead, they coalesced into a column of smoke, standing majestically and towering above the secret realm, appearing from afar like a ladder to heaven.

This scene clearly informed the immortals still surviving in the secret realm that the exit was about to open, and everyone would be able to leave soon.

Upon seeing this scene, the remaining immortals were all deeply moved:
"Finally, we can go." "It's finally over!"

Some people looked happy and relieved, while others had shifty eyes, as if they were plotting something.

As Fang Shu wandered through the secret realm, he noticed this and slowly exhaled, pressing his hand on the storage bag at his waist, his face full of ambition and anticipation.

This trip to the secret realm yielded not only two priceless inheritances, but also a wealth of other spiritual resources, making it a truly fruitful journey.

Once he returns to his stomach and receives the sect's reward, he can establish his foundation, ascend to the Dao, and become an Earth Immortal!
(End of this chapter)