Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

A month has passed.

In early summer, a thin layer of mist floats on the surface of the northeastern sea.

Fang He stood at the bow of the ship, the sea breeze making his robes flutter.

After reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, the liquefied spiritual energy within his body circulated more freely, giving him a more acute perception of his surroundings.

"Assistant Fang, today's patrol route has been completed according to the triple composite array positions you set."

Zhao Hengdao walked behind him and handed him a patrol log.

Fang He took the record and glanced at the paper.

Twelve voyages at sea, zero casualties.

This achievement would have been unimaginable two months ago.

The rules he set.

The principle of "better to be slow than chaotic" has become deeply ingrained in the patrol team.

"The density of marine mammals is higher than last month."

Fang He looked up at the distant sea and said, "That group of swordfish just now was almost three times the number of the usual ones."

Zhao Hengdao nodded: "Master Qian is right, the anomalies in the sea are becoming more and more frequent."

Fang He's heart sank.

He only learned of the information yesterday from Qian Zhenshi that the Dark Abyss Pavilion's beast-driving formation had increased its operating speed by 20%.

The purpose of setting sail today is to verify this intelligence.

"Continue advancing northeastward."

Fang He put away the notes. "I want to check out that deserted island myself."

Zhao Hengdao was taken aback: "A deserted island?"

"I've seen that island before when Captain Chen and I were patrolling. It's in a remote location, rarely visited by people, making it the perfect place to hide the core of the formation."

Fang He's gaze was deep and unfathomable. "Today, I will use my divine sense to scan it all."

After reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, the perception range of the [Divine Sense Warning] increased by 50%, far exceeding that of ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

This is the source of Fang He's confidence to approach and conduct reconnaissance.

The fleet continued on its way.

About an hour later, a deserted island appeared on the horizon ahead.

The island is small, only a dozen acres in circumference. It is overgrown with weeds and has jagged rocks, making it look unremarkable.

Stop the ship.

Fang He raised her hand, "You all stay here and keep watch, I'll go ashore alone."

Zhao Hengdao hesitated, but then remembered the rules set by Fang He.

Obeying orders, he could only nod and say, "Please be careful, Assistant Manager Fang."

Fang He leaped off the ship's side, stepped on a few rocks protruding from the water, and landed on the deserted island in a few leaps.

The island was eerily quiet.

There were no seabirds, no insects chirping, only the sound of the wind and the waves.

Fang He activated [Divine Sense Warning], and his divine sense extended outwards like invisible tentacles.

Thirty feet... fifty feet... eighty feet...

As his perception range expanded, Fang He "saw" the undercurrents beneath the reefs and "heard" the sounds of fish swimming in the distance.

Then, an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy came from the back of the island.

It is not an ordinary sea creature.

The fluctuations carried the rhythmic pulse unique to formations, as steady and powerful as a heartbeat.

"Found it."

Fang He concealed his aura and quietly crept towards the back of the island.

After crossing a low, rocky ridge, the sight before him made his pupils shrink slightly.

On the back of the deserted island, in a depression near the waterline, dozens of array plates are neatly arranged, forming a huge array.

The spiritual patterns between the array plates are interconnected, slowly absorbing the spiritual energy of the surrounding sea.

The spiritual energy gathered into a visible pale blue stream of light, extending towards the deep sea.

This is the core node of the beast-driving formation.

It was several times larger than the array previously discovered on the edge.

"No wonder the unusual activity in the sea has intensified..."

Fang He was secretly alarmed. "If this node is fully activated, the number of sea beasts it can control will be at least three times that of before."

He activated his [Array Mastery] skill and carefully analyzed the array structure.

The array consists of three layers: an outer layer for alert, a middle layer for gathering spirits, and a core layer for driving.

If seven or eight array plates in the core layer can be destroyed, the overall efficiency of the array will be greatly reduced, and the beast tide plan can be delayed by at least one or two months.

The problem is, there are people around the formation.

Fang He's divine sense detected a faint aura behind a boulder thirty feet behind the formation.

His aura was profound, indicating he was at least at the late stage of Qi Refining.

"Reporting to the Zhou family would take at least half a day round trip."

After weighing the pros and cons, Fang He said, "Half a day is enough time for them to move their positions."

He made the decision.

Destroy first, then retreat.

After quietly retreating back to the rocky ridge, Fang He took out the array materials from his storage bag.

The counter-strategies taught by Master Qian came to mind.

A backdoor is reserved in the interference pattern so that it can be detonated at a critical moment.

His fingers flew, gathering spiritual patterns at his fingertips, and he quickly inscribed a small interference array on the ground.

The [Spirit Rune Inscription] function was activated, and the speed of inscribing the array runes was several times faster than before.

In less than half an incense stick's time, an interference array capable of briefly disrupting the operation of the beast-driving array was formed.

Fang He took a deep breath and activated the formation.

hum-

The interference array flashed slightly, and an invisible wave spread towards the core of the beast-driving array.

Almost simultaneously, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded!

Oops!

Fang He suddenly looked up and saw that the warning array plate on the outer edge of the beast-driving formation was lit up with a dazzling red light. The figure behind the formation had already stood up and was rushing towards them at high speed.

"Reacted so quickly?"

Fang He's heart sank, and he quickly adjusted his plan.

Since a sneak attack failed, the only option left was to fight head-on.

Several dark figures emerged from various corners of the island, making a total of four people, including the initial figure.

The leader was dressed in black and wore a black veil; his aura was so powerful it was suffocating.

"A lackey of the Zhou family?"

The man in black sneered, "You've got some nerve. You think you can ruin my Dark Abyss Pavilion's grand plans just by sneaking in here?"

Fang He cupped his hands in greeting, his tone calm: "I was merely passing by on patrol and had no intention of offending you."

"Inspection? Who are you kidding?"

The man in black's gaze was sharp as a knife. "You've crept this far to disrupt the beast-taming formation, haven't you?"

Fang He stopped arguing: "Since you know, I don't need to hide it from you. This formation is harming Qing'ao Island and will be destroyed sooner or later."

A hint of amusement flashed in the man's eyes: "Will it be destroyed sooner or later? You're the first to say that. But you'll also be the last."

Fang He secretly activated his [Divine Sense Warning] to carefully perceive the opponent's strength.

Peak of late-stage Qi Refining.

The spiritual energy was far more abundant than his own, and there were even faint signs that it was approaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

A direct confrontation would be certain death.

But Fang He noticed a detail.

The black-clad man's spiritual energy fluctuated slightly, as if he was distracted by manipulating the formation, or perhaps... his old injuries had not yet healed.

There's no chance of winning, but there's a chance.

"withdraw!"

Fang He suddenly roared, ordering the team members behind Reef Ridge, "I'll cover the rear!"

The team members hesitated for a moment, then immediately obeyed the order and retreated towards the ship.

The man in black sneered, "Trying to leave?"

With a flash, a black sword aura slashed towards the retreating team members.

Fang He did not pursue the man in black, but turned to face the beast-driving array plate!

The liquefied spiritual energy within his body surged wildly, and [Flame Control] was operating at full power.

A blazing white fireball condensed in his palm, a full size larger than before his breakthrough, and its temperature soared several times over.

"Trying to stop me? Try asking my fireball first!"

Fang He flicked his fingers in quick succession, and three fireballs shot out, accurately hitting the core area of ​​the array!

boom--

boom--

boom!

A burst of fire erupted, and seven or eight array plates were engulfed by the blazing white flames, revealing obvious cracks in the array patterns.

The light stream absorbing spiritual energy suddenly became disordered, and the transmission of spiritual energy extending towards the deep sea was largely interrupted.

"You're asking for it!"

Enraged that the formation had been destroyed, the man in black turned and lunged at Fang He.

Black sword energy slashed down like a torrential rain, each strike potentially fatal.

Fang He dodged to the side, the sword energy grazing his shoulder, leaving a bloody gash that stung painfully.

He didn't linger in the fight, and used the momentum of his escape to leap towards the sea.

"Still trying to run?"

The man in black gave chase, moving faster than expected.

Without stopping, Fang He leaped into the sea.

Amidst the surging seawater, he activated [Water Spirit Affinity], allowing him to move nimbly and freely in the water, like a fish in water.

He can even briefly manipulate weak water currents to make his body descend faster.

The man in black chased them to the beach, and upon seeing them, sneered: "Go into the sea? A mere seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator thinks he can escape my pursuit underwater?"

He indeed did not chase after them into the sea.

Fang He dived dozens of feet underwater and looked up through the murky seawater. The man in black stood on the reef, his cold gaze sweeping across the sea.

"You're lucky to be alive."

The man in black spoke coldly, "But you've ruined the Dark Abyss Pavilion's grand plan, and sooner or later someone will take your life."

After saying that, he turned around and returned to the direction of the formation, his figure quickly disappearing behind the reef ridge.

Fang He waited underwater for about fifteen minutes to make sure the men in black were not lying in ambush before slowly surfacing.

He landed on the other side of the island and ran around to the direction of the ship.

Zhao Hengdao and the others were already anxiously waiting on the ship.

Upon seeing Fang He, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Manager Fang! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Zhao Hengdao quickly stepped forward, "That red-robed cultivator..."

"Not in red."

Fang He shook his head. "Black-clad and masked, people from the Dark Abyss Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, the patrol team members' expressions changed drastically.

"Dark Abyss Pavilion? Was that beast-driving formation really set up by the Dark Abyss Pavilion?"

"No wonder the sea monsters are behaving so frequently..."

Fang He raised his hand to stop the discussion: "Let's go back to Qing'ao Island first, and we'll talk about it in detail on the way."

On the way back, Fang He picked up a few fragments of array plates on the edge of the deserted island.

These fragments still bear the patterns of the beast-driving formation, which may be of research value.

It was dusk when I returned to the pharmacy.

Su Yun'er was arranging medicinal herbs in the main hall when she saw blood on Fang He's shoulder. She quickly put down her work and asked, "Manager, are you injured?"

"It's a minor injury, nothing serious."

Fang He placed the fragments on the table. "Prepare hot water and clean cloths for me. I need to treat my wound."

"Yes."

Su Yun'er hurried off to prepare, while Fang He sat at the table, took out a healing pill, and swallowed it.

The wound on my shoulder wasn't deep, just a superficial injury. The burning sensation subsided quickly after the medicine was taken into my stomach.

After Su Yun'er brought hot water, Fang He quickly cleaned and bandaged her wounds before beginning to examine the fragments of the array plates.

He infused his mental energy into the fragment, and the array patterns on the fragment appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

The patterns were intricate and exquisite, each stroke containing the core essence of the beast-driving formation.

Fang He had an idea and tried to extract these array patterns.

[Retrievable historical traces detected]

[Item: Fragment of the Beast-Driving Formation Disc]

[Historical Imprint: Beast Taming Array Pattern (White), Record of the Core Array Pattern of the Beast Taming Array of the Dark Abyss Pavilion]

【Whether to extract? 】

"extract."

Extraction successful

[Acquired Attribute: Beast Taming Formation (White)]

[Effect: Understanding of beast-taming formations +20%]

Fang He's lips curled up slightly.

The effort to obtain this fragment was worthwhile.

With the [Beast Driving Array Pattern] in hand, I now have a foundation for researching beast driving arrays or setting up counter-arrays in the future.

"Shopkeeper, the hot water is ready."

Su Yun'er stood at the door and said softly.

Fang He put away the fragments, stood up and straightened her clothes: "Thank you. I'm going out for a bit, don't wait for me for dinner."

"Going out so late?"

"Report any urgent matters to the Zhou family."

When Fang He arrived at the Zhou residence, Steward Zhou and Zhou Tieshan were discussing matters in the study.

Upon hearing that Fang He was requesting an audience, the two quickly invited him in.

"Manager Fang's visit so late at night, is there something important?"

Manager Zhou, observing Fang He's serious expression, knew something was wrong.

Without wasting words, Fang He went straight to recounting the findings of today's inspection.

The core node of the Desert Island Beast-Driving Formation.

The Dark Abyss Pavilion envoy appeared.

He destroyed the array plate himself to escape.

In detail, without reservation.

After listening, Zhou Tieshan's face turned ashen: "The core node of the Beast Driving Formation... these people have been hiding so well right under our noses."

"What is the envoy's cultivation level?"

Manager Zhou asked urgently.

"Peak of late-stage Qi Refining."

Fang He said in a deep voice, "The spiritual energy is far more abundant than that of ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and may even be close to the threshold of Foundation Establishment."

Zhou Tieshan and Steward Zhou exchanged a glance, both with solemn expressions.

"The envoy is only at the late stage of Qi Refining..."

Manager Zhou murmured, "Just how powerful are the people behind the Dark Abyss Pavilion?"

Fang He stated his judgment: "The Beast Driving Formation is massive in scale, covering a fifty-mile stretch of sea. It could not have been set up by just one or two Qi Refining cultivators. There must be a higher-level figure in the Dark Abyss Pavilion overseeing it behind the scenes."

"Manager Fang is right."

Zhou Tieshan stood up and walked to the window. "This matter is more serious than we thought. I will report to the head of the family and suggest that we immediately strengthen the port's defenses and increase the frequency of patrols."

Manager Zhou nodded: "Assistant Manager Fang, how long will the core node you destroyed delay the beast tide?"

"At least one or two months."

Fang He replied, "But the Dark Abyss Pavilion will definitely be repaired, and may even be activated ahead of schedule. We cannot let our guard down."

"clear."

Zhou Tieshan turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Fang He. "Assistant Fang, you have rendered a great service today. If you hadn't acted decisively, by the time we realized what was happening, we would probably be in deep trouble."

Fang He cupped his hands in greeting: "It's my duty."