Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 291 The Grand Ceremony for Building the Foundation of Fortune at Mount Lu
After the group from the Five Internal Organs Temple departed first, the other four immortal sects also roared and soared into the sky.

Before long, the once bustling Five Old Peaks became deserted.

Even those rogue cultivators either followed Rongyan Palace away or quickly disappeared into the mountains and forests.

Although they no longer possessed any thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, the fact that they were able to emerge from the secret realm meant they must have considerable wealth, and they needed to hurry back home.

Otherwise, if they were killed on the way, even if Rongyan Palace avenged them afterwards, it would be of no use.

Once everything settled down, the Five Old Men Peaks became no different from any other ordinary mountain peak in Mount Lu.

Some birds and beasts finally dared to venture into this place to forage for food and water.

Suddenly, another earth-shaking event occurred, startling birds into flight and causing wild animals to scatter in panic.

The cause of this commotion was none other than the five adjacent mountain peaks themselves—the Five Old Men Peaks.

Click, click!
Huge rocks continued to peel away, revealing five enormous spiritual figures—red, yellow, blue, white, and black—that emerged from the mountain. These figures were hundreds of feet tall, and some might even have reached a thousand feet.

Five enormous deities, some wearing tall crowns and wide belts, some wearing crane cloaks, and some with bald heads, both men and women.

"The matter of the secret realm has been concluded, and the destiny of Mount Lu is destined to flourish."

"Many traditions have already appeared in the mountains. The revival of the Taoist lineage of Mount Lu is imminent, and we can finally wash away the name of heretical sects!"

The buzzing sounds echoed continuously through the mountains and forests.

All the beings who heard these words and saw these divine beings bled from their ears, had their eyes rotten, and suddenly died.

However, outside the Five Old Peaks, the situation was quite peculiar. Even sparrows and insects were unharmed and were not disturbed by the huge commotion that was so close at hand.

As the five colossal deities spoke, each nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, the destiny has been set, and the time is ripe. We are just waiting for our generation to unite and refine our spirit, which will be the time for our Lushan lineage to come together."

At that time, the order of the five sects will be temporarily determined based on the results of today's secret realm exploration.

As they spoke, the voices of these five divine beings grew increasingly loud.

The one with the tall hat and wide belt burst into laughter:

"Gentlemen, the achievements of our predecessors over thousands of years will surely be realized in our generation!"

The day after tomorrow, when all disciples begin their foundation building, will be our opportunity to refine our spirit. I hope you will not hesitate to seize this opportunity.

Upon hearing this, the other four deities' expressions changed at first, but they all responded one after another:
“Yes.” “Excellent.”

Some people sighed, "Years of accumulation and cultivation, success or failure hinges on this one day, how can we be stingy?"

The man in the tall hat and wide belt nodded upon hearing this, and then bowed to the four people in front of him:
"May we all achieve our goals."

After bowing to each other, the five deities transformed into streaks of light, splitting into five directions and rushing towards various parts of the Lushan mountain range.

And their destination was exactly the same direction that the five groups of people from the Five Internal Organs Temple, the Dry Bones Temple, the Four Limbs Temple, the Skin and Flesh Nunnery, and the Beauty Palace had just gone.

After the five enormous deities departed, the area within several miles remained deathly silent, with only broken rocks remaining, and the Five Old Peaks were no more.

After a long time, once it was confirmed that there was nothing else amiss, many birds and beasts from the mountains came again and began to devour the lifeless creatures that had remained on the Five Old Peaks.

at the same time.

Surprised and suspicious faces appeared in the nearby mountains and forests.

They gazed at the direction the five divine beings had departed, and at the desolate Five Old Peaks, where all life had ceased. After a long while, their expressions tightened, and they immediately rushed out of Mount Lu.

Among these people was the bearded halberd-wielding man that Fang Shu had noticed.

This person has a square face and a rather dignified air about him, which is definitely not as simple as his apparent identity as a rogue cultivator.

………………

the other side.

The disciples of the five sects of Mount Lu were unaware that the matter of the secret realm had ended; for the five sects, it was only the beginning.

After they returned to their respective mountain gates, everyone except those who had lost relatives or friends was overjoyed.

For example, in the temple of the five internal organs.

Upon landing, the three capitals joined forces to activate the mountain-protecting formation, prohibiting all disciples from going out on their own. They also sent a message to everyone, telling them to rest for a few days, some to heal their wounds and others to comfort them.

All the disciples injured in the secret realm will have their medicine and other expenses paid by the temple, without the disciples having to spend a single spirit stone.

Furthermore, the various halls within the temple, including the alchemy hall, scripture hall, weapon hall, and beast hall, are open to all disciples of the secret realm, regardless of whether they are from the inner or outer sect.

Everyone can exchange and purchase medicinal herbs, minerals, seeds, etc., obtained by gathering them in the secret realm, according to the corresponding list.

In particular, those who harvested the thousand-year-old medicinal herbs already had their corresponding merit points recorded on their identity tags.

This merit is different from Dao merit; it is a numerical measure used within the temple to evaluate the achievements of Foundation Establishment Immortals. A thousand-year-old spiritual herb yields only one merit, and one merit is enough to qualify one to access a spiritual vein and attempt Foundation Establishment.

The Three Merits means that one can attempt to establish a foundation three times, which is the maximum number of times that a Qi-cultivating immortal can attempt.

As for the three merits, their effects are slightly reduced, but generally one merit can be exchanged for a seven-tribulation cultivation technique, or a seven-tribulation pill, spiritual material, magic weapon, etc., and can also be used to offset various tasks in the temple.

Among them, Lu Che Di Xian and others made a pointed remark:

"Merit is hard to come by. You are only at the Qi Refining stage now, and your vision is not broad. Apart from things that are truly tempting, it is best to wait until you have established your foundation before spending money on them."

"Know that merit is not erased if it is not used. You can use it now, you can use it in the future, and your descendants and relatives can also use it."

These words were clearly directed at several outstanding disciples, especially Fang Shu.

"Your disciples have learned much!" Fang Shu and the others bowed respectfully.

After a few more instructions, the Deer Chariot Immortal shouted:

"Eighty-one days later, the temple will hold a foundation-building ceremony to transmit the Dharma and bestow talismans. Don't miss it!"

Upon hearing this, all the disciples pricked up their ears and stared intently.

However, the three, including Lu Che Di Xian, only smiled and did not say anything more.

Immediately afterwards, the Foundation Establishment cultivators began to call their friends and disperse one by one, still discussing among themselves as they left.

Fang Shu and the other Qi Refining Immortals also began to follow suit, greeting their colleagues.

Fang Shushen was the one who obtained the most spiritual herbs and earned the most merits during this trip to the secret realm, naturally attracting the attention of all the Qi Refining Immortals.

Whether they were fellow adventurers venturing into the secret realm or immortals remaining in the temple, they all stared intently at him.

Especially when these people heard that the extra merits earned by Qi Refining Immortals could be used to promote their relatives and friends, the female immortals' eyes practically wanted to devour Fang Shu.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, let's go have some drinks together."

"Brother Fang, I've long known you were no ordinary person. And look at you, you've made a name for yourself!"

"Immortal Fang Shu, do you still remember me? I once ate with you and asked you to refine Gu!" Beside him, all sorts of people rushed forward. If Fang Shu hadn't cast a protective spell on himself to keep them away, these people would probably have clung to him directly.

Faced with such a powerful force, Fang Shu was at a loss for what to do. After all, these people were all fellow disciples and were inside the temple, so he couldn't very well kill them all.

Moreover, being inside the temple, it wouldn't be appropriate to be too arrogant and refuse everyone's invitations.

So he looked around at the crowd and suddenly spotted a face looking at him with extreme envy.

"Brother Duobao!" Fang Shu called out to the man.

The man's name was Jin Duobao, a direct descendant of the Jin family's Duobao Hall. The fact that he could be named "Duobao" shows his status within the Jin family.

This person also participated in this trip to the secret realm, but unfortunately, after witnessing the brutality within the secret realm, he has been hiding on the outskirts of the secret realm ever since.

As soon as the exit of the first-class secret realm opened, Jin Duobao rushed out without stopping.

Even when he left the secret realm, he was robbed. It was only because the robbers saw that he had no thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in his bag, but he had a lot of ruthless weapons in his hand, that they let him go and only took some gold and silver.

If Fang Shu was a grassroots youth who stood out during this trip to the secret realm, then Jin Duobao was a spoiled brat who revealed his true colors and completely exposed his true nature.

Therefore, this person saw Fang Shu's imposing presence on the Five Old Men Peak and at the entrance of the Hall, and couldn't help but feel extremely envious.

In Jin Duobao's view.

He used to be able to call Fang Shu his brother, and even implicitly act as an elder brother to him. But from now on, it would be quite remarkable if he could still claim to be a classmate with him.

"Unless I can also establish my foundation and become an Earth Immortal..." Jin Duobao murmured to himself.

"Brother Duobao?"

When Fang Shu heard that there was no response to his calls, he assumed that the noise from the surrounding crowd had prevented the other person from hearing him. So he immediately pushed through the crowd and quickly walked forward.

When Jin Duobao saw Fang Shu walking towards him and heard him clearly say "Brother Duobao," he immediately felt a jolt.

The man's eyes initially showed a hint of surprise, but then he realized something, and immediately perked up, quickly cupping his hands in a respectful gesture towards Fang Shu:

"I dare not accept such praise. Duobao greets Brother Fang."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Fang Shu nodded in return and smiled, saying:

"Today we have returned to our clan together, and we are fortunate to have survived. We should celebrate this moment."

After a pause, Fang Shu added, "Perfect timing. We've finally made a little money here, which is enough to pay off some of the spiritual debts we owed to Guitang back then."

The debt has been overdue until today, and I hope the nobleman will not take offense.

Jin Duobao was stunned.

He racked his brains before finally remembering what Fang Shu meant by "spiritual debt".

This debt was originally a sum of money that Fang Lu guaranteed for Fang Shu to cultivate his spiritual root.

If Jin Duobao remembered correctly, he had only heard the clan steward mention it briefly; this amount was only 1,200 second-grade spirit stones.

At that time, Fang Shu was already an inner disciple. 1200 second-grade spirit stones were not even worth a meal for Jin Duobao, so he didn't care much about it and didn't even bother to mention it!
Hearing that Fang Shu was actually offering to repay the debt, and that it wasn't a sarcastic remark, Jin Duobao felt a surge of heat and became even more excited.

He then quickly looked ashamed:

"Not at all. It's just a little money, yet Brother Fang has been holding onto it for so long. It's my fault for not handling things properly and for not informing Brother Fang that this matter has already been resolved."

Jin Duobao quickly bowed and said, "Please give me a chance, Brother Fang. I will definitely prepare a fine feast to apologize."

As he spoke, a thought struck him, and he looked up and glanced around at several familiar faces in the crowd, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Those familiar faces were Jiang Linfeng and the other inner disciples of the temple. They were much more successful than him, having at least obtained a thousand-year-old spiritual herb.

Especially the black rat, who also came from a humble background and had worked as a servant in the past, has now earned three plants in one go, which is also quite eye-catching.

Jin Duobao wants to invite these people to a small gathering, but he is worried that they might look down on him.

What warmed his heart instantly was that Fang Shu, standing beside him, proactively cupped his hands in a salute to Jiang Linfeng and the others, smiling and saying:
"Fellow Daoists, we have been through thick and thin together."

So, today, Brother Duobao and I will host the dinner. Anyone who would do us the honor is welcome to come along; just let Brother Duobao know.

Jin Duobao's face was rosy, and he even spoke up:

“Alright! In three days, my Jin family will hold a grand banquet. Not only colleagues, but also all your relatives and friends are welcome to gather at my Duobao Hall.”

Our restaurant will be closed for seven days. Private rooms and dine-in service are available; we await your presence!

Fang Shu smiled when he saw that this boy knew how to take advantage of the situation.

He secretly transmitted a few words to the other party, entrusting the matter of hosting the banquet to this person, and informing him that he had something to attend to and needed to return to his cave first.

Immediately, Fang Shu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, cast a spell, and vanished from everyone's sight.

As Fang Shu disappeared, the disciples in front of the hall withdrew their gazes and continued their lively activities.

Immediately, someone raised their hand: "Count me in too!"

Fang Lu and other surviving disciples of the Gu Hall were among them. They were the first to step forward and recognize Jin Duobao.

Black Rat didn't want to meet Fang Shu again before he reached Foundation Establishment, let alone have a private gathering.

However, with so many Qi Refining cultivators eagerly participating, and considering that he was a contemporary of Fang Shu and Jin Duobao, it was really inconvenient for him to refuse, lest he attract even more of Fang Shu's attention.

So, this guy reluctantly agreed, planning to go through the motions three days later.

As for Fang Shu himself.

After jumping out of the crowd, he hurriedly ran towards the woods outside the hall, his steps and figure unsteady.

Instead of heading straight to the cave, he first took something from his pocket in an inconspicuous spot, buried it deep in the ground, and then did some tampering around it.

This item is the storage bag containing the Luan Tong'er's wondrous fire.

This strange fire is called "Charming Soul Stealing Yang Fire," bestowed by the First Yang Earth Immortal of the Sexual Hall. It's hard to guarantee that the other party won't be able to sense it even through the storage bag.

Fang Shu had originally planned to use this fire when he was chasing Hui Yi, but he didn't have time to use it or deal with it.

Furthermore, since he remembered that Chuyang Earth Immortal was one of the Earth Immortals who stayed behind to guard the mountain gate, he boldly took the opportunity to lead the immortal out of the secret realm.

Now that he's back at his sect, he should take advantage of the fact that Immortal Chuyang hasn't yet emerged from seclusion and casually place this item on the ground. If nothing comes of it, he can retrieve it later.

Having dealt with the matter, Fang Shu cleansed himself of all his scents, breathed a sigh of relief, and then took a detour back to his cave.

Upon entering the cave, he quickly ascended the altar, waving his sleeves repeatedly.

One could see that the storage bags inside his robes opened wide, spewing out large amounts of spiritual resources, which piled up in all directions.

Buzz!
Fang Shu looked around at the suddenly full and gleaming cave, and was lost in thought for a long time.

(End of this chapter)