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

Chapter 98 Clearing Out Qing Shi Island

Before dawn.

The sea off Qingshi Island was as dark as ink.

A fast boat cut through the waves, its long, narrow hull leaving an almost invisible white trail on the sea.

Fang He stood at the bow of the boat, letting the sea breeze caress his face, his gaze fixed on the blurry outline of the island in the distance.

The ten elite team members sat in the cabin, each exuding a restrained aura.

Zhao Hengdao sat at the front, his hand on his sword, the hilt wrapped in linen that had turned black from being soaked in seawater.

He had the highest cultivation level and was responsible for the frontal assault.

Fang He chose the path of diving into the sea.

"Counselor Fang, we'll be at the landing point in a quarter of an hour," a team member whispered.

Fang He nodded slightly.

no respond.

【Water Spirit Affinity】was slightly warming up in Fang He's sea of consciousness, and he could clearly perceive every texture of the underwater currents.

Three months at sea gave him an intimate knowledge of the waters in this area.

They know exactly where the reefs are, where the ocean currents are, and where the water is deep and shallow.

"Everyone, get ready," Fang He said calmly.

Ten words, and no one asked any further questions.

The landing point is behind an inconspicuous rocky reef on the back of Qingshi Island.

This is a dead end on the island; the people of Dark Abyss Pavilion would never expect anyone to come ashore from here.

The speedboat slowly approached the reef.

Fang He was the last to jump ashore. With a light touch of her toes on the rocks, she disappeared into the dark crevices of the shore.

This isn't a spell, but rather a talent effect brought about by an attribute.

His presence became extremely faint in the darkness, like a stone that would go unnoticed.

"Stay close," Fang He whispered.

The group slipped into the darkness like ghosts.

The underground stronghold on Qing Shi Island is located beneath an abandoned Shi family ancestral hall.

Fang He had been here once before.

That was to save Zhou Xiaolan.

This time, however, he will use a completely different approach.

They stormed in through the main entrance.

No, it's about penetrating from the level of the formation.

When they were still thirty paces away from the stronghold, Fang He stopped.

The underground stronghold three hundred feet away clearly appeared in his mind as a three-dimensional array structure diagram.

The outer layer is a warning formation, the middle layer is a trapping and killing formation, and the inner layer is a core protective formation.

The three layers are nested together, like three iron cages locked together.

"Interesting," Fang He thought to himself.

This triple-nested array structure is indeed not something that ordinary array masters can set up.

It seems there are indeed experts in the Dark Abyss Pavilion.

But for him...

"That's all there is to it."

Fang He's lips curled up slightly.

That feeling was just like the first time I used [Formation Master] to analyze the formation set up by Qian Laosi.

However, his skill level now is more than ten times greater than it was back then.

An invisible wave emanated from Fang He and spread outwards in all directions.

That wasn't spiritual power, but a direct interference with the essence of formations.

In the first breath, he locked onto the node of the outer layer of the warning array.

In the second breath, he analyzed the flow of spiritual energy in the middle-level trapping formation.

In the third breath, he found the only dead end of the inner core protective formation.

"Found it."

Fang He opened his eyes, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

"Operation begins."

Meanwhile, on the front of Qing Shi Island.

Ye Shuanghua, dressed in snow-white robes, stood on the sea.

Behind her stood twenty elite Qingyuan Sect warriors, arranged in an attack formation.

Zhou Tieshan sat on a warship at the rear, holding a command flag.

This was the first time he had commanded a campaign of this scale.

"Deacon Ye," Zhou Tieshan said in a deep voice, "Should we wait for Fang He's signal?"

"I won't wait," Ye Shuanghua said calmly. "Now that I'm here, there's no reason for me to wait."

She raised her hand, drawing her long sword.

"attack."

"boom!"

The first explosion occurred on the outer wall of the Qing Shi Island stronghold.

Then came the second, the third... Twenty elite Qingyuan Sect members attacked simultaneously, unleashing fireballs, wind blades, ice arrows, and all sorts of spells like raindrops onto the stronghold's defensive shield.

The defensive shield of the Dark Abyss Pavilion was trembling.

"Enemy attack!"

The alarm blared shrilly inside the outpost.

At that very moment, Fang He moved.

"Now."

Fang He rushed out.

The main gate of the stronghold is the entrance to a three-layered defensive formation.

But Fang He didn't go through the main gate at all.

"break!"

Outer layer of alert formation—Break!

An invisible shockwave struck the node of the warning array, and the thin, transparent shield couldn't even last a second before shattering like broken glass.

Next came the middle-level trapping and killing formation.

"Break through again!"

Fang He was too fast; it would take at least three breaths for the formation to detect the anomaly and activate its response.

And those three breaths were enough for him to do a lot of things.

He forcibly disrupted the flow of spiritual energy in the trapping formation, turning what was originally a deadly killing array into a sluggish, broken net in an instant.

"Walk!"

Zhao Hengdao, wielding his sword, charged ahead of the pack.

He cleaved open the gate of the stronghold with a single stroke; the sturdy stone door was as fragile as tofu under his blade.

Ten elite soldiers followed closely behind.

Fang He.

"Where is the central hub?"

He quickly found the most central location.

"Northeast corner, fifteen zhang underground."

Fang He leaped into the air and disappeared into the darkness like a fish.

The Dark Abyss Pavilion's stronghold, its central core.

Shi Potian stood in the center of the array's core, his face ashen.

"Enemy attack! How many are there?"

"Young Master! There are at least twenty people in the front, and... there's also a small team that infiltrated from the seabed. I'm incompetent and failed to detect them in time!"

"waste!"

Shi Potian shoved aside the reporting guard, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"Order everyone to abandon the outer outposts and assemble at the central defense."

I'd like to see how long they can keep fighting!

"yes!"

Shi Potian looked at the mid-grade magic weapon "Stone-Splitting Hammer" in his hand, his eyes flashing with cold light.

This was a magical artifact personally chosen for him by his father, Shi Lie. It weighed three hundred jin (approximately 150 kg), and with one strike, even a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment would have to temporarily avoid its power.

"You want my life..."

He sneered, "Come on, give it a try."

Fang He was very fast.

The passageways within the stronghold held almost no secrets for him.

There's an ambush on the left.

Fang He paused, then dodged three arrows that shot from the darkness.

There's a trap on the right.

He dodged again, stepping onto a safe path.

A distance of fifteen zhang would take an ordinary cultivator half an hour.

Fang He only took thirty breaths.

"stop!"

A loud shout came from ahead.

Fang He stopped and looked up.

At the end of the passage was a huge stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber was a complex array platform, with dense array patterns spreading like a spider web across every wall.

In front of the array platform stood seven or eight cultivators dressed in black robes.

The leader.

"Shi Potian?"

Fang He raised an eyebrow.

"You know me?" Shi Potian sneered. "If you know me, you should know that this is Qing Shi Island."

"This is Shi family territory, not a place you can come and go as you please!"

"The Shi family?" Fang He smiled slightly. "The Shi family is from Qing Shi Island? I seem to remember the Zhou family here?"

Shi Potian's face instantly darkened.

"The Zhou family...it's the Zhou family again!"

He raised the stone-splitting hammer, and a faint yellow light emanated from its surface.

"Since you're courting death, I'll grant your wish!"

"Let's do it."

Fang He didn't waste any words.

Zhao Hengdao charged forward first, drawing his sword and unleashing a cold light that slashed towards Shi Potian.

"Well done!"

Shi Potian roared and swung his stone-splitting hammer horizontally.

"boom!"

The sword and hammer collided, and the shockwaves from the collision of spiritual energy spread in all directions.

The array patterns in the stone chamber flickered wildly under the impact, and fine cracks appeared on the ground.

"What incredible strength!"

Zhao Hengdao took a step back, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He is at the late stage of Qi Refining, specializing in swordsmanship, and his combat strength is among the top in his level.

But in that collision just now, he was actually at a disadvantage!

"Body cultivator?" Zhao Hengdao narrowed his eyes.

"Excellent!" Shi Potian said proudly, "My Shi family's body-refining technique is unmatched among those of the same level!"

With each step he took, a deep footprint appeared in the ground.

He was like a tiger descending a mountain, his aura was astonishing.

"Attack together!"

Six Dark Abyss Guards attacked simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of spells at Zhao Hengdao.

Zhao Hengdao wielded his sword, deflecting all the attacks one by one, fighting seven opponents without being at a disadvantage.

And Fang He—

He didn't move from the very beginning.

He stood there, quietly watching Shi Potian.

They weren't observing Shi Potian, but rather the central hub of this formation.

To others, it was just an ordinary stone chamber.

But in Fang He's eyes—

"It's actually the Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array."

Fang He was secretly alarmed.

He had seen records of this formation with Qin Wujiu; it required at least three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to operate.

And this central array was actually based on the entire Green Stone Island, connected to a...

"ceremony?"

Fang He's pupils constricted slightly.

The "Ritual" on Qing Shi Island is the core conspiracy stronghold of the Dark Abyss Pavilion and the Deputy Sect Master's faction.

Now he understands.

This is not a simple summoning ritual, but rather...

"A formation that plunders one's destiny." Fang He felt a chill in his heart.

He had seen this kind of formation in an ancient book.

Based on an island, it plunders the island's fortune and spiritual energy to continuously supply the users of the formation.

In other words, the reason why Qing Shi Island has become smaller and smaller and its spiritual energy has become thinner over the years is because of this formation!

"Shi Potian!"

Fang He finally spoke.

"How long have you been activating this formation?"

Shi Potian paused in his movements.

"you……"

His expression changed.

How did you know?

"Looks like I guessed right." Fang He said calmly, "Your Shi family actually used the entire Qing Shi Island as a sacrifice in order to pledge allegiance to the deputy sect leader's faction."

That's really bold.

Shi Potian's face turned extremely ugly.

"You understand formations?"

"Just a little bit." Fang He smiled slightly.

He stopped talking nonsense.

"break!"

The entire underground stronghold on Qing Shi Island trembled violently at that moment.

The array patterns of the Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array in the stone chamber flickered wildly. The originally orderly flow of spiritual energy was disrupted, reorganized, and reversed by Fang He in an instant!

"No!"

Shi Potian was horrified to discover that he had lost control of the formation's central core!

This feeling is like someone suddenly discovering that the creature they raised has turned against them.

"Who...who exactly are you?!"

"I?"

Fang He walked step by step toward Shi Potian.

"Zhou Family Councilor, Fang He."

"Fang He..." Shi Potian murmured, then his expression changed drastically, "It's you! The one who killed Zhao Xuanting!"

"Not bad," Fang He said calmly.

Shi Potian gripped the stone-cracking hammer tightly, his arm trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear, it was anger.

"You want my life..."

He roared, raised the stone-splitting hammer high above his head, and charged towards Fang He like an enraged lion.

"Then come and get it!"

Fang He stood still, motionless.

Just as the stone-splitting hammer was about to fall—

"Backlash from the formation."

He uttered four words softly.

"boom"

Shi Potian was struck by an invisible force, and he flew backward, crashing heavily into the wall of the stone chamber.

"puff!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, and Shi Potian knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"This...this is impossible..."

He has practiced the Shi family's body-refining techniques for many years, and his physical strength far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level.

He used all his strength in that hammer blow, but it was easily deflected by his opponent!

Is this even human?

"You've lost," Fang He said calmly.

He walked slowly toward Shi Potian.

"Shi Potian, I'll give you a chance."

"Surrender, and the safety of the core members of the Shi family will be guaranteed."

"otherwise--"

Fang He's gaze turned to the array platform in the center of the stone chamber.

"If this formation is broken, the fortune of Qing Shi Island will rebound back."

At that time, not a single member of the Shi family will survive.

Shi Potian's body trembled violently.

He looked up, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes as he looked at Fang He.

"I……"

At this very moment—

"boom!!"

A deafening roar came from deep within the stronghold, causing the entire underground stronghold to shake violently, and dense cracks appeared on the stone chamber walls.

"What happened?!"

Shi Potian's expression changed drastically.

That's the location.

"Thirty feet underground, there's a sealing formation." Fang He slowly opened his eyes. "What is your Dark Abyss Pavilion sealing?"

Shi Potian's face turned extremely pale.

"No...it's impossible...that's..."

"An awakening ritual..." Fang He said coldly, "You used the Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array to plunder the fortune of Green Stone Island, not to supply the Vice Sect Master's faction, but to awaken some being!"

Shi Potian fell silent.

But his silence was the best answer.

Fang He looked into the depths of the stronghold, where the aura emanating from was growing stronger and stronger.

The seal is loosening; something is awakening.

"Interesting," Fang He murmured.

He turned to Shi Potian.

"This is your last chance."

Tell me, what lies deep within the seal? I might consider sparing your life.

Shi Potian remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he raised his head.

"Yes……"

"puff!"

An arrow shot from behind, moving with lightning speed, aiming straight for Shi Potian's heart!