Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 304 Cultivation at the Lushan Branch is Like Fire
Dongfuzhong.

Fang Shu checked the items he had prepared for this foundation-building process, which were stored in his stomach.

Right in the center of his hands were three bottles of pills.

These three bottles contain elixirs for nourishing the body, replenishing vital energy, and nourishing the soul, respectively named Golden Crystal Glazed Elixir, Three-Return Qi-Gathering Elixir, and Tiger Heart Soul-Nourishing Elixir.

It can enhance the essence, energy, and spirit of immortals when they break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, thereby increasing the chances of a successful breakthrough. It is the most superior breakthrough pill in the temple.

Each bottle contains only one pill, and each pill requires one act of merit, making it unaffordable for ordinary people.

Although Fang Shu believed that the probability of successfully establishing his foundation was extremely high, this kind of elixir was also a top-quality nourishing medicine that could greatly enhance his essence, energy, and spirit.

His foundation-building process this time is neither sitting nor walking. The amount of qi, blood and true energy required during the breakthrough may far exceed that of ordinary people. Preparing such pills in advance is better than nothing.

Besides the pills, there were also five array flags placed in front of him, each in a different color: blue, white, red, black, and yellow. These were spirit-gathering arrays of the seventh tribulation level within the Five Internal Organs Temple.

Although the spirit chamber in the white pool at the mountain peak had its own spirit-gathering effect when the foundation was built in the temple, according to Fang Shu's impression, it was not impossible to set up another spirit-gathering array inside.

In addition to its ability to gather spiritual energy and its portability, this formation also has the functions of isolating the inside from the outside and eliminating interference from the flow of energy.

With this formation, as long as the spiritual energy supply is sufficient, even a Qi Refining Immortal can break through it in at least half an hour if a Foundation Establishment Immortal of the Seven Tribulations attacks, even if the opponent uses all their strength.

In addition to the array flags, the exchange for this array also includes a manual on array formations that allows users to set up their own arrays.

The book not only records how to use the array flags, but also the corresponding steps for repairing and re-refining them.

Even so, Fang Shu hesitated for quite a while before exchanging for this formation.

The reason is simple: although the temple is friendly to disciples who are on the verge of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, it will not give away scriptures for nothing.

The reason why the steps for crafting the array flags were specifically included is because the array flags for this array are extremely easy to damage and are purely consumables.

Even if no bandits attempt to break through the formation, this formation will only last for three years under normal use.

Three years later, the flags will wear out and their effectiveness will gradually decrease. No matter how carefully they are maintained, they will inevitably be completely destroyed and unusable within ten years.

Fang Shu fiddled with the array flags, his gaze shifting again.

Now we have the necessary pills and formations for Foundation Establishment, as well as the common "talisman".

He also prepared one.

In the mahogany box to his left was a silver talisman, only the size of a palm, resembling a silver mirror. There was no mark in the center of the talisman, but there were secret characters flowing beneath the silver mirror, like fish fry, which was quite strange.

This talisman is called "Clear Mirror Talisman". It is also made of seven-fold material. Its function is to guard against inner demons, soothe the mind and body, and even pull the immortals out of the demonic obstacles when the wearer goes astray.

In other words, by possessing this Mirror Talisman, Fang Shu not only gained greater peace of mind and body during his breakthrough, but also had an additional means to repel demonic obstacles.

These three elements—elixir, array, and talisman—provide comprehensive protection, encompassing essence, energy, and spirit; gathering spiritual energy to protect the body; and warding off inner demons.

Fang Shu checked and realized that his preparations for this foundation building were thorough and complete, with nothing missing.

Of the nine merits he could use, after deducting the three he needed to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Spirit Chamber, he still had one merit left.

The merits Fang Shu earned were not the finished products from the temple.

On his right were five colorful talismans, each covered with insect eggs of varying sizes.

These are the raw materials for refining the five types of Gu worms in the temple. As long as one has the corresponding techniques, the Gu Dao immortals can cultivate the five poisonous Gu worms based on these five types of insect eggs. Once refined, each Gu worm becomes a foundation for building a Seven Tribulations Foundation.

This time, he will likely use the Gu Dao as his guide. He has prepared the eggs of the Five Poisonous Insects in advance, which may come in handy!

Of course, the main reason for choosing insect eggs as a backup, besides being cheaper, was that the recipe for refining the corresponding five poisonous insects was hidden in Fang Shu's seed bag.

This technique was created by the Dragon Maiden Immortal based on the ancient Gu formulas and left in the temple.

Furthermore, Fang Shu suspected that the Five Poison Gu formula in his possession was far more effective than the Gu formula in the temple, and was a more refined formula.

Besides these four most important items for the Seven Tribulations, Fang Shu also prepared a lot of other miscellaneous things.

Inside the cave, he took out these items and carefully counted them.

A full hour later, Fang Shu finally finished his inspection, without showing the slightest impatience.

He rose and paced back and forth on the indoor altar, pacing for a long time, full of self-satisfaction, thinking to himself:

"Everything is ready, it's time to set off!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he gathered all the items on the altar into his sleeve, then vanished from the cave and sped toward the location of the Five Internal Organs Temple.

Not long after.

Upon entering the main hall, Fang Shu went straight to the entrance where the temple's spirit chamber was maintained, and displayed his identification badge:

"Please allow me to access the spiritual chamber for the purpose of establishing a foundation."

The disciples of the household hall behind the gate were drowsy and had been bored and anxious lately. But when they suddenly heard someone coming to ask for the spiritual chamber foundation building, they were instantly jolted awake.

Upon seeing Fang Shu, the disciples of the Household Hall immediately recognized his identity.

The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Although the Foundation Establishment Conference ended halfway, it may not be impossible for it not to be held again in the future... Brother Fang, do you really want to use your merits to exchange for a spiritual chamber in the temple?"

Fang Shu cupped his hands in greeting and said:

"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist. Please help me exchange it."

Now that he has witnessed the five sect leaders being devoured and the impending turmoil is clearly visible, Fang Shu has already made his judgment.

His foundation building should not be delayed any longer; it should be done sooner rather than later!

Seeing that Fang Shu was serious, the disciple of Hutang immediately shut up, but after bowing, he said, "This matter concerns the Foundation Establishment Spirit Chamber. It is a matter of great importance. I must go and consult the immortal elders in the hall."

Fang Shu nodded and watched the other person leave, not finding anything amiss.

Such exchanges that consume merit points, apart from the old alchemist from last time, are not something that Qi Refining Immortals can decide; they all require the approval of Foundation Establishment Immortals.

In particular, he intended to throw all three merits onto it in one go.

Just a short while later, when the disciple of the household returned with a somber expression and quick steps, Fang Shu encountered an unexpected situation.

The other party respectfully greeted Fang Shu and uttered:
"Reporting to Brother Fang, according to the elder in the hall, there are currently no spiritual veins available in the temple, and all the spiritual veins are needed to maintain the mountain-protecting formation and suppress the mountain gate. There is no time to allocate spiritual veins for disciples to establish their foundation."

Fang Shu's eyelids twitched, and he barely managed to suppress his anger, without taking it out on the disciple in front of him.

He said in a deep voice:
"So, even with accumulated merit, one still can't reach the Foundation Establishment stage?"

The disciple nodded and reassured him, "Brother Fang, please forgive us. It's not just you; all the disciples in the temple are in the same situation."

The man was still forcing a smile:

"However, with so many spiritual vein positions available in the temple this time, and I've heard that new spiritual veins are being created, with Brother Fang's strength and achievements, you will definitely have a place in the future, but you will have to wait a while longer."

"Perhaps... by tomorrow or the day after, the elders of the Three Capitals will have reached an agreement and allowed us to occupy the spiritual veins for Foundation Establishment."

This explanation left Fang Shu feeling a pang of sadness.

He naturally knew about the closure of the mountain gate and the raising of the great formation long ago, and he also knew that apart from the last time he went to the Foundation Establishment Conference, no one else could enter or leave the mountain gate.

At least on the surface, there was no one left.

However, he never expected that closing the mountain would affect his important foundation-building process!
Fang Shu thought to himself, "I thought that closing the temple to the mountain was a good thing, as it would provide me with a safe environment. But I didn't expect that closing the mountain and setting up the formation would also affect the supply of spiritual veins within the temple."

For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh at his own bad luck or at the fact that the Foundation Establishment lineage was so restrictive that it would prevent its disciples from breaking through in order to protect the mountain formation.

After being stunned for a long time, Fang Shu chatted with the disciple of that household hall for a long time before quickly leaving the place.

But they left the main hall.

Instead of obediently returning to his cave and waiting for orders from the temple, he tried every means to leverage his connections within the temple to inquire about the temple's closed-door cultivation and foundation-building activities.

In addition, Fang Shu even thought of one of the three temples in the temple—the Deer Cart Earth Immortal.

He wondered whether he should go up to the other party directly and ask for an opportunity to cultivate in seclusion and establish his foundation.

But after thinking it over, he realized he shouldn't be so hasty, and his thoughts suddenly fell on a certain family in the temple.

This business, located within the temple, is quite large, and it also owns numerous businesses outside the mountain.

He and the other party had a deep connection, so he decided to ask them first and test the waters.

Immediately, Fang Shu went to the main hall, first sending a message to Jin Duobao, and then headed straight for the Duobao Hall of the Jin family.

Before long, they arrived at the Jin family's Treasure Hall. The various attendants in the hall all looked rather grim, seemingly due to the turmoil in the mountains within the temple grounds. However, upon seeing Fang Shu, they all recognized him immediately, their faces beaming with smiles as they repeatedly invited him inside.

The person who greeted him was an old acquaintance from back then.

"Please wait a moment, Immortal Master Fang. I will go and fetch the young master."

Tong Cou spoke and quickly walked into the hall.

Less than half an hour later.

Jin Duobao rushed over in a flurry, and upon seeing Fang Shu, the other man greeted him with a broad smile.

The man bowed respectfully and then extended his hand in invitation: "This is not a good place to talk, Brother Fang, please come with me."

After entering a secret room, Jin Duobao, holding the token at his waist, laughed and said:

"Upon receiving Brother Fang's message, I made time for him. I just didn't expect Brother Fang to arrive so quickly. Fortunately, it didn't take too long."

"Brother Fang, what brings you here today?"

Fang Shu bowed respectfully and, without beating around the bush, directly recounted his experience of being rebuffed at the household hall.

He asked in a deep voice, "May I ask, Brother Jin, has the temple placed any restrictions on the spiritual veins this time? If so, when will they be lifted?"

Upon hearing this, the slight smile on Jin Duobao's face vanished instantly.

After a few moments of contemplation, the young man shook his head and uttered a bitter sigh:

"This is indeed the case, but as for when the ban will be lifted, I truly do not know. As for the reasons behind it... I will not hide them from you, fellow Daoist."

We, the five of us, had just returned to the temple after descending the mountain and tried to communicate with people outside the mountain, only to find that most of the people inside and outside the mountain had lost contact.

For example, my Jin family only received a few words yesterday, which bypassed the Kingdom of Qiong and came directly from the Immortal City of the Vast Sea.

Only then did I realize that the eyes and ears of my Jin family in Qiong had been cut off, and not only my Jin family, but also the eyes and ears of the five sects of Lushan outside the country had been either deceived or eliminated.

Of course, with the Five Sects' methods, even if they were deceived and eliminated, they couldn't be completely eradicated. San Du and the others should have known as soon as they descended the mountain.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu frowned, and a thought quickly came to mind.

He said in a deep voice, "May I ask who did this, daring to cut off my communication route to Mount Lu?"

Jin Duobao's voice:
"Nothing more than the floating mountains of Qiong Kingdom."

Not only is it believed that demons are currently marching towards Mount Lu, and the various local deities scattered around the temple have been greatly harassed, even killed, and some ordinary towns have even been devoured by the demons.

This answer left Fang Shu with mixed feelings.

He quickly realized something else: if there were no people from the Xuanjiao sect backing him up, how could Fudang Mountain have learned of the unusual activities of the five sects of Lushan so quickly, and how could they dare to do this!

According to what he had occasionally learned in recent days, since that goose demon cast his spell, most of the territory of the Qiong Kingdom had indeed been affected.

Fudang Mountain is not far from Lushan Mountain, and the same applies.

"Are there other forces involved behind this, such as the Witchcraft Sect, the Mysterious Sect, and so on..." Fang Shu asked.

Upon hearing this, Jin Duobao immediately looked surprised and blurted out, "So Brother Fang also knows this!"
When I first heard of such things, I didn't quite believe them, but now it seems they are quite credible.

Immediately, the young man stopped hiding his true intentions and frankly revealed all the facts he knew:

"It is rumored that a envoy from the Western Altar of the Moral and Profound Sect has arrived at Fudang Mountain. First, he renamed Fudang Mountain to Fudang Mountain. Then, he took a fancy to my Lushan territory and attempted to open another courtyard to establish a branch altar in Lushan."

Whether it was the envoy from the Western Altar of the Xuanjiao who came west on his own, or that old pig from Fudang Mountain who sold himself for personal gain, or whether they had already formed an alliance long ago, we are not entirely clear at this moment.”

Fang Shu remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"At such a time, we are beset by internal and external troubles."

In other words, the sect's grand formation must be stabilized; its importance far outweighs our Foundation Establishment stage, and there will be no relaxation of its efforts anytime soon.

Upon hearing this, Jin Duobao nodded, but then quickly reassured him:
"Brother Fang, please rest assured. This great formation is designed to protect us. We are all safe and sound within it. Whether we have reached the Foundation Establishment stage or not is not a major concern."

Furthermore, with the turbulent times, once a major war breaks out, the temple will not delay our foundation building process; on the contrary, it will provide assistance and would be happy to have more foundation building immortals in the temple.

We just need to be a little more patient.

Fang Shu remained calm upon hearing this.

But a fire seemed to be burning in his heart.

After leaving the secret realm and descending from Mount Lu, his foundation building was already fully prepared and ready to be launched.

Now is the crucial moment, the time to seize the opportunity and press on with full force. How can we afford to hold back any longer?

Moreover, in such turbulent times, if someone doesn't even have a Foundation Establishment cultivation level, no matter how promising their future may be, they could be easily crushed by someone.

"Only by establishing a foundation can one ensure safety!"

Fang Shu felt reassured and was no longer willing to hold back.

Even without any spiritual veins, you can break through directly!
Fortunately, this matter did not put him in such dire straits.

In the secret room, Fang Shu changed the subject and began to question Jin Duobao:

"May I ask, Brother Jin, is there any way to leave the mountain at present?"

Jin Duobao stared at him in astonishment, hesitating to speak.

Fang Shu remained expressionless, cupped his hands, and uttered:
"Now that we have come to Fudang Mountain, I, Fang, still have relatives and friends at the foot of the mountain. I would like to bring them up the mountain. Even if I cannot bring them back, it would be best to go back and visit them and make some arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Jin Duobao finally understood.

The young man offered a few more words of advice: "Brother Fang, you don't need to worry about that. The villages and towns destroyed by the demons were just ordinary people's villages and towns. Besides, I heard that the old boar from Fudang Mountain also killed those groups of demons afterward."

The various things in the immortal town below the mountain are certainly unharmed. Even if things go wrong, there's still the Xuanjiao envoy; they're extremely concerned with their reputation and their techniques won't tolerate demons devouring humans.

Fang Shu simply asked again, "Is there a way down the mountain right now?"

Seeing Fang Shu's persistence, Jin Duobao hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

This answer made Fang Shu's eyes light up with joy.

He quickly straightened up, cupped his hands, and said, "If I receive this help, I will never forget it."

Jin Duobao sighed softly and began to offer kind words of advice again.

The person first said that going down the mountain was easy, but going up was difficult, and that there were various attacks from monsters outside the mountain. Later, he mentioned:

"To be honest, many immortals in the temple felt that it wouldn't be a bad thing to become a branch altar of the Xuanjiao sect after hearing about the news of that Xuanjiao envoy."

Many immortals were still discussing the matter, so they decided to divide their belongings and go to their respective homes to avoid delaying the return to those guys at the Dry Bone Temple.

"Brother Fang's Gu Hall is facing the Dragon Maiden Earth Immortal, and if you, as her direct disciple, also leave, I fear that when the family splits up, all of the Gu Hall's assets will fall into the hands of outsiders."

Fang Shu raised an eyebrow at these words, but still spoke up decisively:
"Brother Duobao, please help me descend the mountain."

Seeing his firm attitude, Jin Duobao had no choice but to nod in agreement, saying that he would come to find him in an hour and a half.

If we miss today, the earliest we'll have a chance to go down the mountain is three days later.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu felt no urgency whatsoever; on the contrary, he wished he could immediately descend the mountain and head straight for Little West Mountain.

It should be noted that his excuse of going down the mountain to visit relatives was just that—an excuse. His real purpose was to borrow the spiritual veins in Xiaoxishan.

However, Fang Shu was not in such a hurry as to sit idly in the Duobao Hall and wait.

As Jin Duobao had said, he spent an hour and a half dealing with some miscellaneous matters in the temple and then told Fang Lu and Er Daiyuan about his plans to go down the mountain.

In addition, he spent a large sum of spirit stones at the Jin family's expense, both to show his support and to make more preparations for his own family.

An hour and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

That night.

Fang Shu, following the Jin family's connections, indeed quietly left the mountain without any apparent incident.

As soon as he left the mountain, he rode on peach blossoms and clouds, bidding a hasty farewell to the Jin family and others.

After circling around a few times and confirming that no one was following him, he arrived at Xiaoxishan without any trouble.

(End of this chapter)