Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 302 The Caged Bird's Desperate Path to Heaven

On the five-colored mound.

Hearing the shouts and chants of the disciples of Mount Lu, the goose-headed half-human became even more annoyed.

Bang bang bang!
This beast drew upon its magical power, using its two enormous goose wings to strike the five-colored mound.

In an instant, gusts of wind swept across the area for miles around, and sand and stones flew everywhere in the mountains, causing countless birds and beasts to perish.

Even so, the five-colored mound remained completely undamaged.

Upon seeing this, the three elders, including Lu Che Di Xian, initially tensed but then relaxed. To appease the surrounding crowd, they feigned composure and spoke calmly:
"It will also let you, Goose Demon, know that since this hill was set up for you, a deity of the Xuanjiao sect, it will not be easily destroyed."

"Haha! That's right. This hill has been infused with the fortune of my Mount Lu. It can be said that as long as the hill exists, the mountain exists; if the hill dies, the mountain dies."

"If you, you goose demon, wish to destroy this hill, you must first ensure the complete annihilation of my entire Lushan clan and the severing of the fortune of Lushan. Otherwise, don't waste your energy."

"Goose Demon, Goose Demon, quickly enter my Lushan Secret Realm."

Seeing that his attack had failed and he was instead mocked by some Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment ants, the goose-headed half-human was even more furious.

It let out a fierce cry, about to unleash more of its magic, but with a thunderous roar, a crimson bolt of lightning suddenly struck its body.

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly came from the mouth of the goose-headed half-human, and its white blood splattered everywhere, turning its feathers charred black.

Within a dozen or so breaths, the power of the thunder in the sky had surpassed that of before, and it was no longer something that could be withstood.

And it is foreseeable that the thunder over Mount Lu will become increasingly powerful over time, until it transforms into a calamity, either leveling Mount Lu to the ground or reducing it to dust.

Meanwhile, the goose-headed half-human remained firmly imprisoned on the summit of Mount Lu.

"A bunch of ants, how dare you bully me!" The goose-headed half-human was both anxious and agitated.

The thought of calling for reinforcements immediately flashed through its mind, but it rejected it the next moment.

The Xuanjiao sect left behind a deity in the Western Continent to suppress the world. Although it was not the only one, one of the immortal beings was an old man who never cared about worldly affairs and would not pay any attention to it. The other one was not on good terms with it. If it were summoned, it would most likely stand by and watch, and then devour it completely, at most leaving a wisp of its spirit to reincarnate.

As a deity of the Xuanjiao sect, it could also summon other Xuanmen deities from the Western Continent to come to its rescue, but the danger posed by their arrival was even greater than that of its colleagues.

Lost in thought, the goose-headed half-human looked up at the sky, watching the lightning turning from red to blue, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart:
Even if they are upright and dare not harm me, by the time they come and go, it will be too late.

After much thought, he could only look down at the Lushan Secret Realm at the foot of the ancient Lushan Mountain.

For now, it seems that He truly has no choice but to hide in this secret realm, barely clinging to life, and avoiding the backlash from Mount Lu's fortune.

A strong sense of resentment immediately rose between the chest and abdomen of the goose-headed half-human.

The beast's face was ferocious, and its eyes suddenly widened in horror, its aura surging upwards.

Upon seeing His actions, Fang Shu and the others tensed up, thinking that this Fiend had some other trick up his sleeve and was about to unleash it.

But the next moment, a bolt of blue lightning flashed.

It landed squarely on the goose-headed half-human, striking it until its face stiffened and blood flowed from its seven orifices, dripping onto the ancient Mount Lu.

The man was struck so hard he couldn't even scream. His whole body was paralyzed, and only his consciousness, like a raging wind, was still swirling and howling on the mountaintop.

Therefore, He dared not delay any longer, for fear that further delay would damage His immortal body.

By then, the chances of turning the tide will be even slimmer.

"The secret realm of Mount Lu, is it? How do you know that this secret realm might not be the perfect place for me to retreat and cultivate, to properly digest the ancestors of Mount Lu and the fortune of Mount Lu?"

Despite the growing fear, the goose-headed half-human's beak was still no less formidable than a human's.

With blood streaming from his seven orifices, he looked down at Fang Shu and the others, grinning maliciously: "This secret realm, I will take it."

Whoosh!

The goose-headed half-human completely gave up resisting, and even used its magic to summon the Lushan Secret Realm to manifest outside and sweep towards it.

A vivid and lifelike scene of a secret realm immediately enveloped the ancient Mount Lu, with dilapidated palaces and buildings, as well as barren deserts and lakes, all clearly visible.

This scene is like a heaven beyond heaven, an earth within an earth.

The secret realm has been fully revealed.

At this moment, the goose-headed half-human only needs to cut off his own sword, suppress his cultivation, and leap into the secret realm to avoid being struck by heavenly lightning.

At this critical juncture, everyone in Lushan held their breath.

Some people stared intently at the goose-headed half-human, afraid of missing any detail; others lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at it, afraid of disturbing the goose-headed half-human's decision, and only dared to steal glances at the beast out of the corner of their eyes.

In mid-air, the goose-headed half-human began to shrink its body. Its 100,000-foot-tall immortal body shrank to 10,000 feet in the blink of an eye, and its aura suddenly weakened. And it was not over yet.

Soon, its ten-thousand-foot-long goose body shrank to a thousand feet in size.

By this time, the aura of this beast had already fallen to the level of Dan Cheng (丹成, meaning "Complete Core Formation"). Although there were still many strange phenomena around its body, the sense of oppression it gave to everyone was no longer as strong as before. It was only comparable to the five sect leaders of Mount Lu before they refined their spirit.

This sight greatly surprised Fang Shu and the others.

They all secretly wished, "Let's cut ourselves a few more times, until we reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and then the Qi Refining stage!"

However, after the goose-headed half-man's body fell a thousand feet, he lowered his face and looked at the crowd on the mound with a mocking smile.

"Do you really think that I, an immortal, must sever my aura to the Qi Refining stage in order to borrow your secret realm?"

He sneered, “A bunch of down-and-outs who don’t even know the origin of this secret realm. What kind of Lushan descendants are you? You’re just weeds growing wild on this mountain.”

As he spoke, the goose-headed half-human swayed its thousand-foot-long body, like an ink blob sinking into water, and slowly merged into the secret realm.

The white immortal blood and refined spirit energy within its body spread like ink, rapidly permeating the entire secret realm.

Such a scene made it seem as if this fiend was not forced into the secret realm, but rather, as it claimed, invited to refine this Lushan secret realm in return.

"What...what's going on?"

This change left Lushan and the others looking surprised and bewildered.

"Isn't it rumored in the mountains that this secret realm was left behind during the ancient war between the immortal veins, and that even immortals who enter would be trapped inside, their bodies and souls destroyed?!"

Someone said hesitantly, "Could it be that time has passed and this secret realm is too dilapidated to retain its former power?"

But if someone knew what the goose-headed half-human was thinking at this moment, they would know that this ravenous creature was not as unrestrained as it appeared on the surface. On the contrary, it was quite wary, even fearful.

"You son of a bitch, I can manage to squeeze into this secret realm, but why the hell are you draining my immortal power!"

The goose-headed half-human cursed inwardly: "A bunch of bloodsucking thieves!"

Although it was using the power of the Refining God, it wanted to refine the entire secret realm in return.

However, the entire secret realm seemed to have captured a rare and precious fresh food, and was eagerly absorbing its immortal power to repair itself.

As the two sides went back and forth, as long as the Goose-Head Half-Man had not refined this secret realm for a day, it meant that the secret realm was reaping great benefits!
In an instant, the goose-headed half-human understood the malicious intentions of the five sects of Mount Lu.

He was somewhat regretful. Had he known this would happen, he might have taken the risk of informing the old immortal in the Western Altar of the Xuanjiao sect, who might have actually taken care of him.

But what's done is done, and there's no use in regretting it now.

His only option now is to immerse himself in the secret realm of Mount Lu, spend time and energy vying with it, and strive to make this secret realm his own.

In this way, He could not only escape his predicament but also gain immense benefits. Perhaps he could even establish a branch of the Xuanjiao sect on Mount Lu, create a Xuanmen, become a sect leader and ancestor, and live a carefree life! "However, this process will take a considerable amount of time, at least a hundred years..."

After mentally assessing the time, the goose-headed half-human first frowned, then relaxed:

"But thankfully, a hundred years is just one or two periods of seclusion for us cultivators of the spirit realm. Even if we were to seclude ourselves for about three hundred years, it would only be considered a long time."

This period of time was not particularly difficult for Him. Even if the Xuanjiao knew that He had not returned, as long as He had not left Xizhou and the thousand years had not yet passed, they would only assume that He was delayed abroad or was enjoying his freedom.

Of course, this situation is based on the premise that His true condition of being trapped in Lushan was not leaked out...

After much deliberation, the goose-headed half-human had already lost most of his body in the Lushan Secret Realm, completely falling into the ambush set by the Palace Master Rongyan and her group.

This scene delighted everyone at Mount Lu, and some impatient people even started cheering.

"This immortal cultivator is sealed within the secret realm, but one day when the realm opens, we will be able to enter and take this fiend's life!"

"The key to refining the spirit lies within. It's just a pity that we haven't yet formed our cores, otherwise we would really like to risk our lives to enter now and kill this fiend directly."

Fang Shu, being present at the scene, naturally felt his heart pounding.

However, he was far less impatient than those who were discussing it so enthusiastically.

After all, he still had some self-awareness. Although he was almost certain of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he hadn't actually achieved it yet. Even if he had, there were still many hurdles to overcome before reaching the Core Formation stage, let alone the Spirit Refinement stage.

Even so, considering that the five sects of Mount Lu have gone through hundreds of generations without success in refining their spirits, one can imagine just how difficult it is to refine one's spirits in this world!
Especially considering the fate of the Palace Master Rongyan, in this outer world, if one has no foundation, one is likely to be targeted by a Refining God Immortal the moment one breaks through to the Refining God realm, and be devoured by them.

In such a cruel world, thanks to the blessings of the ancestors of Mount Lu, these disciples of Mount Lu at least have a glimmer of hope for the future!
Fang Shu pondered, "But if it concerns the matter of the Goose Demon, and outsiders find out about it, or if someone within the sect leaks it out, and it attracts the attention of people outside the mountain, it's hard to say whether this opportunity in the secret realm can still be enjoyed exclusively by me in Lushan."

Just then.

The goose head, which had not yet been taken into the secret realm, suddenly opened its beak wide and made a vomiting motion in its throat, which was filled with sharp teeth.

With a whoosh, a golden token appeared and flew out, landing in the hand of the half-human on the goose's head.

This fiend coldly looked down at the group from Mount Lu and said:

"I thought that we would not need to do this to a mere dilapidated Lushan Mountain and a remote little country. We could have swallowed you whole and saved the trouble of this forbidden land and sky passage order."

"It seems fortunate that I carried this with me; it will prevent you from leaking the news and ruining the reputation of my Xuan Sect."

These words left everyone bewildered.

Even the well-informed San Du and his companions, after scrutinizing the token in the other party's hand, couldn't discern anything amiss. After all, a treasure that even a Refining God Immortal wouldn't dare to use was far beyond the comprehension of those at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.

Although they couldn't figure it out, that didn't stop the disciples and immortals present from mocking and retorting:
"Your Excellency has already entered the secret realm with most of your body inside, so why are you still making such boastful remarks?"

“We are protected by the fortune of Mount Lu, and are immune to all magic. How could you possibly harm us?”

Upon hearing this, the goose-headed half-man remained indifferent, merely uttering:

"The cicada is ignorant of spring and autumn; it is foolish."

next moment.

The fiend then raised the golden token in his hand, dipped his hand in blood, and shouted:
"The immortals and mortals are separated, and this writing is forbidden; it shall not be uttered by any six ears… So be it!"

The token swayed as it buzzed.

Its body elongated, suddenly transforming from a few inches in size into the shape of a silk scroll, and then, like a golden ribbon, it swirled and coiled in mid-air, inscribed with mysterious and complex secret characters.

After releasing the token, the goose-headed half-human laughed.

He didn't say another word, but just looked at the people of Mount Lu with a mocking smile, and issued a decree back to the Xuanjiao sect, informing the disciples of the arrangements for what to come next.

Immediately afterwards, this fang sank completely into the secret realm of Mount Lu and ceased to exist.

When the goose-headed half-human imprisoned himself inside, the thunder suddenly ceased.

However, in Fang Shu and the others' perception, the entire Mount Lu trembled, and the images blurred, as if the secret realm of Mount Lu could not contain the goose-headed half-human.

In their shock, the group soon realized that it wasn't Mount Lu that was moving, but rather their hearts, their eyes, and their brains that were trembling.

Whoohoo!
An invisible force seeped into the five-colored mound, but the rich aura and spiritual light outside the mound did not hinder it in the slightest.

Moreover, this invisible force quickly swept across all directions, starting from the ancient Mount Lu. Its speed of spread was similar to the speed at which sunlight falls when the sun rises, spreading thousands of miles in an instant.

In an instant, all living beings within Mount Lu, and even most of the Kingdom of Qiong, regardless of size or mortal status, trembled as if time had stopped.

Those with keen spiritual senses or considerable magical power merely raised their heads as if sensing something, looked up at the location of the ancient Mount Lu, and then froze in surprise.

We are currently on the top of Mount Lu.

Fang Shu was astonished by what he saw.

Strands of light emerged from above the crowd's heads, then dissipated, and the writings left by the crowd on the mound also wriggled like snakes and insects before vanishing completely.

Furthermore, the jade slips used to emulate this grand gathering, regardless of who made them, all shattered into dust with a crack.

Of the tens of thousands of people, only Fang Shu was able to move.

But he dared not move, because he could clearly sense that the memories in his mind about refining the spirit, especially those of the Palace Master of Rongyan and the goose-headed half-human, were rapidly fading and dissipating.

"This is erasing our memories..."

A bewildered yet lucid expression kept swirling in Fang Shu's mind.

Within his mind, the Dao talisman was trembling violently and radiating light, while his true energy was rapidly being depleted.

Every time a bit of Fang Shu's memory is erased, a bit of the Dao talisman will be transmitted to fill the gap.

As they struggled, Fang Shu's consciousness grew increasingly blurred, and he was about to lose consciousness.

As he drifted into unconsciousness, he only vaguely heard a few groans and cries:

"No, no..."

"I can't remember, I really can't remember!"

Its sounds and appearances were terrifying, as if it were witnessing something indescribable.

I don't know how much time has passed.

When Fang Shu slowly came to his senses, most of the people on the mound were already able to move their eyelids, and many were looking around blankly, as if they had just woken up from a dream.

Among them were disciples of the Five Internal Organs Temple and disciples of the Dry Bones Temple mixed together.

After a moment of confusion, the two suddenly recognized each other, and with expressions of surprise and suspicion, they retreated with wary hostility.

Even Lu Chesan and the others either frowned deeply or didn't know whether to laugh or cry:
"Huh, why do we look like we've been crying..."

Some of the earth immortals seemed to remember something and hurriedly looked at the ground or their own sleeves, but all they saw was blankness, which only made them more confused.

Fang Shu stared at the scene before him and suddenly snapped out of his daze.

He realized what had just happened and was immediately plunged into an ice cellar, terrified.

But a sense of relief and secret joy, which he could not speak of to others, quietly arose in his heart.

(End of this chapter)