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

Fang He grabbed Shi Potian and disappeared into the passage like a fish.

The aura emanating from the rear stronghold grew increasingly terrifying, causing the entire Qing Shi Island to tremble.

Shi Potian was dragged along by Fang He, running at breakneck speed through the darkness.

He could feel that the hand on his shoulder wasn't very strong, but it felt like an iron clamp, making it impossible for him to break free.

"You..." Shi Potian gritted his teeth, "Let me go!"

"Don't speak if you don't want to die," Fang He said calmly.

A beam of black light shot straight from behind, grazing Shi Potian's cheek and leaving a trail of blood.

If Fang He hadn't turned his head in time, the arrow would have pierced his throat.

"The people from the Dark Abyss Pavilion..." Shi Potian's face was pale. "They wanted to kill me to silence me."

"I know," Fang He said, "which is why you need to stay alive even more."

The passage collapsed behind us.

A huge rock fell, blocking the pursuers' path.

Fang He led Shi Potian out through another side road and returned along the way they came.

Shouts of battle came from above.

Ye Shuanghua's frontal attack has begun.

The stronghold was in chaos, and no one had time to pay attention to the two fleeing figures.

Tunnel exit.

Fang Hesong broke through the stone's edge, and the latter collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

His shoulder was grazed by an arrow, and blood stained half of his robe.

"Cough..." Shi Potian coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Who exactly are you?"

"Zhou Family Councilor, Fang He." Fang He repeated his identity, "I said in the stone chamber that day that I would give you a chance."

Shi Potian remained silent.

"Opportunity?" he sneered. "Your Zhou family wiped out my entire Shi family, what opportunity do you have left?"

"Your family was destroyed by your own actions," Fang He said. "If Shi Lie hadn't voluntarily surrendered to the Dark Abyss Pavilion, and if this Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array hadn't been plundering the fortune of Green Stone Island, the Shi family wouldn't have ended up like this."

Shi Potian's expression changed.

"You…" he stared at Fang He, "How much do you know?"

"I know everything I need to know," Fang He said. "The Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array, the awakening ceremony, and the chess game that the Vice Sect Master set up on Green Stone Island."

Shi Potian fell silent.

Fang He looked into the depths of the stronghold in the distance.

The tremors there were growing more and more intense, and the seal had begun to loosen.

The people of the Dark Abyss Pavilion have activated their final means, preparing to awaken a certain being.

"Shi Potian," Fang He said, "you have no way out."

"What do you mean?"

"The deputy sect leader has already initiated the awakening ceremony," Fang He said. "Do you know what will happen to Green Stone Island once the ceremony is complete?"

Shi Potian's face turned extremely ugly.

"The island will...sink?" he murmured.

"That's right," Fang He said. "The Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array has exhausted its plundered fortune, and this island won't last much longer."

As for the people sent by the deputy sect leader... they had already withdrawn.

"Impossible..." Shi Potian shook his head. "Father said..."

"Your father was also deceived," Fang He said. "Shi Lie was just a pawn abandoned by the vice sect leader."

The Qing Shi Island stronghold is just a cover; the true core forces have already moved to the open sea.

Shi Potian was struck dumb.

"Impossible..." he murmured, "Impossible... Father wouldn't lie to me..."

"Your father didn't lie to you," Fang He said. "He was the one who was deceived."

Shi Lie's decisions in recent years have become increasingly reckless; you should know this better than I do.

Shi Potian fell silent.

indeed.

In recent years, my father's decisions have become increasingly radical, the relationship between the Shi family and the Zhou family has deteriorated sharply, he has joined forces with the Dark Abyss Pavilion, formed a private army... every decision he made was like a gamble.

And now, Qing Shi Island is about to sink.

"The Shi family..." Shi Potian began with difficulty, "What's left of the Shi family?"

"There's nothing left," Fang He said. "But I can give you a chance."

"What opportunity?"

"Surrender," Fang He said. "Defect and provide intelligence from the deputy sect leader's faction."

I can guarantee the safety of the core members of the Shi family.

The earth shook violently.

"You…" He stared at Fang He, "Are you joking?"

"I have no interest in joking," Fang He said. "The deputy sect leader is searching for an ancient ruin that contains a secret method for breaking through to the Golden Core stage."

How much do you know about this?

Shi Potian's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You..." His voice trembled, "How did you know..."

"It seems you know," Fang He said.

Shi Potian fell silent.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "That is the Vice Sect Master's biggest secret... The Elder Elder's Association personally went to the outer sea, where they are said to have discovered traces of ancient ruins."

"Where are the ruins located?"

"The edge of the outer sea," Shi Potian said. "I don't know the exact location; only the core members of the vice sect leader's faction know."

Fang He nodded.

"Alright," he said. "As long as you cooperate, I can guarantee the lives of your Shi family's core members."

Shi Potian looked at Fang He, a struggle flashing in his eyes.

surrender?

He is the young master of the Shi family, a direct descendant of the Shi family.

The education I received from childhood was that it is better to be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile.

but now……

"I..." he gritted his teeth, "I have one more condition."

"explain."

"My father..." Shi Potian said, "He's in the stronghold. I'm going to take him with me."

Fang He remained silent for a moment.

"Yes," he said, "but he must give up resistance."

Shi Potian took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Fine," he said, "I surrender."

Deep within the stronghold.

The ground was shaking, and cracks were spreading outwards.

The sealing formation has completely spiraled out of control; something is awakening.

When Fang He led Shi Potian back to the stronghold, they saw that Ye Shuanghua's elite troops had already broken through to the central area.

"Fang He!" Ye Shuanghua breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Fang He unharmed. "Are you alright?"

"It's alright," Fang He said. "Shi Potian has already surrendered."

Ye Shuanghua looked at Shi Potian with icy eyes.

"Young Master Shi, how have you been?" she said.

Shi Potian avoided her gaze.

"Deacon Ye," Fang He said, "Shi Potian is willing to cooperate and provide intelligence on the Vice Sect Master's faction."

But he had one condition: he had to take Shi Lie with him.

Ye Shuanghua narrowed her eyes.

"Shi Lie is the chief villain of the Shi family," she said. "This man cannot be allowed to live."

"I can guarantee he won't run away," Fang He said. "Keeping him alive is valuable to us."

Ye Shuanghua pondered for a moment.

"Okay," she said, "but he must be controlled."

Fang He nodded.

He turned to Shi Potian: "Take me to see your father."

Deep within the stronghold.

Stone chamber.

Shi Lie stood in front of the array's central core, completely engulfed in a frenzy.

The seal is loosening; something is breaking free.

"No..." he murmured, "No...it's not time yet..."

This is the scene that Fang He saw when he entered the stone chamber.

"Shi Lie," Fang He said, "give up."

Shi Lie turned around and saw Shi Potian following behind Fang He; his expression immediately changed.

"Broken Sky!" he roared, "You...you betrayed the family?!"

"Father..." Shi Potian's voice trembled, "Qingshi Island is going to sink... The Vice Sect Master's faction abandoned us long ago..."

"Nonsense!" Shi Lie roared, "The Vice Sect Master promised..."

"They lied to you," Fang He said. "Shi Lie, you have no way out."

Shi Lie's face turned extremely ugly.

"You want my life..." He raised the magical weapon in his hand, "Then take it!"

A flash of cold light slashed through.

Zhou Qing rushed out from the side and knocked the magic weapon out of Shi Lie's hand with a single slash.

"Kneel down!"

Shi Lie staggered a few steps before being subdued by Zhou Qing, who tied his hands behind his back and forced him to kneel on the ground.

"Father!" Shi Potian exclaimed.

Shi Lie raised his head and looked at Shi Potian, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Potian..." he murmured, "You...you surrendered?"

"Father..." Shi Potian's voice choked with emotion, "There's no other way..."

Shi Lie fell silent.

After a long while, he closed his eyes.

"Okay..." he said, "I lost."

Fang He walked to the center of the formation.

"Deacon Ye," he said, "I need to destroy this formation."

Ye Shuanghua nodded: "I'll deal with the people from the Dark Abyss Pavilion."

The entire formation structure of the stronghold was clearly presented in his mind.

The Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array has gone out of control, and the central array is backfiring, threatening to collapse at any moment.

"break!"

Fang He uttered a single word softly.

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

The array patterns of the Three Talents Gathering Spirit Array flickered wildly before collapsing with a deafening roar.

"boom!!"

With a deafening roar, the central structure of the formation completely collapsed.

A visible shockwave spread in all directions. The Dark Abyss Pavilion guards inside the stronghold were knocked off their feet and fell to the ground under the impact.

"kill!"

At Ye Shuanghua's command, the elite of the Qingyuan Sect rushed forward and slaughtered the remaining members of the Dark Abyss Pavilion one by one.

The dust has settled.

The stronghold on Qing Shi Island was completely destroyed.

Shi Lie was captured alive.

All core members of the Shi family have been taken into custody.

Shi Potian stood behind Fang He, watching all of this with a complex expression.

"Counselor Fang," he said, "I have a request."

"explain."

"I want to know..." Shi Potian asked, "What exactly is sealed within that formation?"

Fang He remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know," he said, "but we'll find out someday."

He looked towards the open sea.

The deputy sect leader is searching for ancient ruins in the outer sea.

The secret method to break through to the Golden Core stage is hidden there.

Fang He realized that the real battle had only just begun.

After the cleanup was completed, the group returned to Qing'ao Island.

On the ship, Fang He inspected the spoils of this battle.

Open the History Retrospective panel.

[Current term] (partial)

[Formation Master] (Blue) is activated.

【Watery and Affinity】(Green)

[Crisis Awareness] (Green)

[Stealth Mastery] (Green)

[Scent of Blood] (Gray)

Fang He's gaze fell on [Crisis Perception] and [Blood Aura].

These two terms could be combined.

According to the cheat system settings, there is a success rate to merging similar entries.

A combination of green and gray keywords should have a fairly high success rate.

[Integration.]

Fang He selected two entries and confirmed the merging.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the two terms slowly approached each other.

[Crisis Perception] emits a faint bluish light, while [Blood Aura] appears dark red.

Both are perception-related terms, but they have slightly different tendencies: one is actively perceiving danger, while the other is passively sensing murderous intent.

The integration process went surprisingly smoothly.

The two terms blend together seamlessly, without any contradiction.

A moment later, a brand new entry was created.

【Fusion is successful! 】

[Kill Zone] (Green) Acquired!

【Effect】:

1. Perceived range of hostility +40%

2. Can detect ambushes, traps, and sneak attacks in advance.

3. Sensitivity to murderous intent +50%

Fang He opened her eyes.

【Killing intent locked】, another green entry.

Moreover, its effect is stronger than the previous [Crisis Perception].

The operation to clear out Qing Shi Island was very successful.

Qing'ao Island.

The Zhou family's council hall.

Ye Shuanghua sat in the main seat, her expression serious.

"What information did Shi Potian provide?" she asked.

"The location of the Outer Sea Ruins, and the core plan of the Vice Sect Master's faction," Fang He said. "According to him, the Vice Sect Master's faction has been active at the ruins for at least three years, in order to break through the secret of the Golden Core."

"Golden Core..." Ye Shuanghua murmured, "It seems the sect leader's guess was correct."

She looked at Fang He, her gaze becoming more serious.

"Counselor Fang," she said, "what are your plans?"

Fang He remained silent for a moment.

"The ruins off the coast..." he said, "I must go."

"You?" Ye Shuanghua raised an eyebrow. "It's dangerous there."

"I know," Fang He said, "but this is my only chance."

The secret method of the Golden Elixir.

This is the key to breaking through the foundation building stage.

In the world of cultivation, there are very few techniques that can lead to breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

The vast majority of independent cultivators are unable to break through this bottleneck in their entire lives.

Fang He wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Ye Shuanghua looked at Fang He, her eyes flickering.

"Okay," she said. "I will send someone to accompany you."

But remember, safety first.

Fang He nodded.

"Deacon Ye," he said, "I have one more request."

"explain."

"Shi Potian..." Fang He said, "I hope he can serve as a witness to accuse the deputy sect leader's faction."

"Yes," Ye Shuanghua said. "That's his value."

Fang He walked out of the council hall.

The sea breeze caressed my face, carrying a faint salty and fishy smell.

The battle to clear out Qing Shi Island has ended, but the real challenge has just begun.

A trip to the overseas historical sites is imperative.