The Legend of Fangren

"Gentlemen, please come with me up the mountain."

In the afternoon, Liu Yiyuan summoned his longsword and took out a magic weapon, overlapping it with the longsword. The longsword expanded several times, allowing the group of Heavenly Rank disciples behind him to stand on it.

The remaining Earth-rank disciples were led by other elders in the same manner.

With this magical technique, the Azure Dragon Peak, which would take mortals several days to climb, can be reached in just one hour.

As for the remaining human-level disciples, they could only rush up the mountain in the afternoon and make careful preparations for the night.

With such a vast area as Azure Dragon Peak, how could it be without mystical beasts and monsters? Moreover, the mystical energy on the mountain is even denser, allowing even mortal creatures to come to life. This extraordinary danger inspires awe and fear.

"Elder Liu, are there really many spirits and monsters on Azure Dragon Peak at night?"

On the flying sword, Luo He, standing right behind Liu Yiyuan, looked down at the dense, green forest below and asked with concern.

"Heh~ Are you worried about your childhood friend?"

"Exactly."

This 10,000-meter peak is so high that even for ordinary people, it's difficult to climb. Even for them, who are still relatively young and have not yet achieved much cultivation, their legs would ache after standing on their flying swords for an hour. Not to mention those who are afraid of heights and are under immense mental pressure.

Liu Yiyuan sighed softly, his attitude toward Luohe much more amiable than toward Fang Shi. "There are indeed many mystical beasts and monsters in these mountains and wilderness, but powerful mystical beasts will be suppressed by the Azure Dragon Formation as soon as they appear, and thus be driven away from this mountain, so there is not much danger."

"That's good." Luo He breathed a sigh of relief.

But Liu Yiyuan immediately said, "Don't be too happy yet. The mystical beasts will be driven away, but some spirits transformed from plants will not. Although they are suppressed to the point of almost falling asleep by the great formation, they will still use some bewitching methods to lure the greedy and foolish. Among them are some vicious ones who eat people and flesh without leaving a drop of blood."

"Huh? Such a dangerous creature, why does the sect leave it unattended?"

These questions were asked by He Qisheng, who was further back. He had been raised as the city lord since childhood and was taught by the city lord that anything that endangered the people must be dealt with and could not be ignored.

"No."

Liu Yiyuan, swaying his white beard, lightly pointed to the long staircase leading to heaven, faintly visible in the forest below, and said, "How could the sect sit idly by and ignore such a dangerous creature? However, the mountain is so vast that even with the full strength of the sect, it is impossible to clear it all away, not to mention the dense Xuan Qi within the mountain. As soon as the monsters are cleared away, new ones will appear. Therefore, the sect leader ordered that only the monsters within a hundred meters on both sides of the long staircase be cleared away, and some magic arrays be set up to guard against them. In this way, the safety of those descending the mountain can be protected, and the monsters in other places can be used to protect the sect."

Luo He asked, "What did Elder Liu mean by 'the greedy'?"

"It means exactly what it says," Liu Yiyuan said. "The trees on both sides of the long staircase leading to heaven are protected by the formation. Although they are lush, they will not become spirits. Instead, they can bear abundant fruit for mortals to eat. Those who wish to climb the mountain can pick spiritual fruits to quench their thirst and stop their hunger. Those who give up can also use them to fill their stomachs on the way down the mountain. Even those who are a little greedy can pick more spiritual fruits to supplement their household income. The sect tacitly approves of this. Only those who cannot control their greed, who are not satisfied with the spiritual fruits on the side of the long staircase, will want to take the large fruits on the trees in the distance that are associated with spirits and monsters, and that is how they end up in their hands."

At this point, Liu Yiyuan turned to Luo He and asked, "What kind of person do you think your childhood friend is? Whether he abandons the climb for greed, or rushes to the top for personal gain, he might fall into the hands of monsters. If so, would you go to save him?"

"Save them," Luo He said without hesitation.

"If he is truly of such a nature, you may protect him for a time, but can you protect him for a lifetime? Even if he is just a mortal with a lifespan of only a hundred years, you will delay your own cultivation for a hundred years to protect him. It's not that you are afraid of hindering your talent, but that you are afraid of hindering your heart. In that case, you will fall far behind your peers, not to mention that the path of cultivation is destined to be filled with tribulations. Falling behind is gambling with your life."

"I will still save him. Fang Shi saved my life several times when I was young. Even if he is greedy, I should get a share of it. Besides, he has always known his limits. I believe he is not that kind of person."

Knowing one's limits?

Elder Liu's eye twitched. "Then it's up to you. People with a sense of loyalty and righteousness may face more obstacles than others, but if they can overcome them, they are indeed stronger than ordinary people. I hope you will take good care of yourself."

"Thank you for your teachings, Elder Liu."

Luohe made up her mind that if Fang Shi did not appear by nightfall, she would go down the long steps to look for him.

At this moment, He Qisheng, standing behind him, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Luo is truly a man of character; his loyalty and righteousness are admirable."

"You flatter me..." Luo He said only two words, and his cupped hands were rather perfunctory.

Aside from Fang Shi, Luo He had little interaction with other people his age; he was actually not very eloquent.

However, He Qisheng thought he had offended him in some way and was wondering about it when He Lin whispered a few words in his ear from behind, and then he suddenly realized what was going on.

"Miss Luo, I apologize for the intrusion."

"fine."

……

As the illusory shape of the cube flickered, tangled branches littered the ground. Beside the long steps, Fang Shi felled another unidentified tree and obtained three unidentified red fruits.

"What kind of fruit is this?"

Looking at the tree's features, it is clearly still a giant tree, but this tree has a sturdy trunk. Although it has fewer branches and even looks slightly decayed, it contains a rare vitality.

However, that life force is definitely gone now. The power of disintegration is extremely domineering. When the right fist strikes the root, the cube phantom will disintegrate the tree roots it has included along the way, which can be described as cutting off the roots.

Judging from their color, these three fruits are undoubtedly also rare and precious fruits.

"Could this be what the immortal meant by 'wood generates fire'?"

On the way here, the immortal also talked to him about the principles of the Five Elements—everything in this Five Elements Mystic Realm follows the principles of Yin and Yang.

Although this Sky Tree belongs to the wood element, as a living being, it cannot lack the five elements. However, apart from the wood element, the other four elements of the tree are extremely dormant.

Legend has it that as a tree grows, as its wood element increases, the five elements within it gradually flourish, making it more and more spiritual and transforming it into a spirit.

"It's a pity that the mystical beasts and spirits in the Five Elements Mystic Realm are all manifestations of imbalance of primordial chaos, and they have no ability to cultivate intelligence. Otherwise, we could raise a spirit baby from a young age, find a painting of a beautiful woman in the future, and let it transform into a beautiful woman, which would be like finding a wife."

There's nothing we can do; Fang Shi, who has been single for two lifetimes and is still unmarried, is just such a pathetic guy.

But as the saying goes, one cannot be without ambition.

Right now, he still needs to embark on the path of cultivation. As long as he lives long enough and gets on the coattails of the geniuses, he believes anything is possible.

"Even a protagonist like me who takes the path of a loser still has to rely on his own efforts and struggles in the end, so he can't let his guard down."

Hey? These trees in front look much more lush than those along the long steps. Their old roots are intertwined and arch out of the ground, and their branches are laden with fruit, which looks very tempting. If they hadn't all been plucked bare along the roadside, we wouldn't have noticed them.

Go forth! Power of dissolution.

Fang Shi punched the old tree root.

Bang! The soil in front of him suddenly sank, and the tree roots inside had been dissolved and disappeared. Although he got nothing, the old tree swayed as if blown by the wind, and released white powder that looked like pollen.

Hmm? Something's fishy!

Fang Shi immediately retreated, but the scattered powder seemed to have a mind of its own and chased after him.

Oh no, this old tree might have become a spirit.

In a moment of panic, Fang Shi stopped and rolled back to the old tree. The branches above him drooped down, dripping seemingly harmless dew.

Old thief, take this uppercut!

With his right fist pointing to the sky, he swept across the branches and leaves, leaving a pile of branches and a few spiritual fruits among them. This tree spirit was no match for the power of dissolving the tree. Fang Shi grabbed the edge of the broken branch and leaped up. With a few quick swings of his right fist, he stripped the old tree bare.

Fang Shi landed gracefully and was about to pick up the fruit when something fell from above him and rolled right to his feet.

He took a closer look.

Oh, what a refined taste this gentleman has! He's been hanging in the tree for who knows how many years, leaving only a skeleton. What is the reason for this?

While joking in his mind, Fang Shi's right fist didn't stop, and with one punch, he neutralized the old tree spirit by cutting it in half at the waist.