Chapter 400: Chapter 309: Core Formation Spiritual Land
Deep within the underground cavern, Bear Wind slowly stirred from his slumber. He sensed the call of his subordinate, the Great White Bear, and groggily allowed it to enter.
The Great White Bear entered with Nanli, holding a fragment of the golden light barrier. Bear Wind merely sniffed the air and instantly knew the barrier’s origin.
In the long years of his life, the events of three years ago were as if they had happened just yesterday. The figures of Fang Qingyuan and Jinbao seemed to have departed only a few days prior.
Watching the Great White Bear gesture wildly, desperately trying to act out Jinbao’s message, several thoughts crossed Bear Wind’s mind. He then roared a few times at the Great White Bear, emitting a wave of spiritual consciousness, and sent it off with Nanli to handle the matter.
This small favor Jinbao requested was a trivial matter for Bear Wind. Although he couldn’t speak human language at his current stage, communicating with his Golden Core Bear Beast subordinate was no problem at all.
However, Jinbao had come all this way but hadn’t visited him, which displeased Bear Wind. But this displeasure lasted only for a moment. He let out a casual yawn, found a comfortable spot to lie down, and fell back into a deep sleep.
....
After sending Nanli to Bear Wind’s territory with the Talisman and token, Fang Qingyuan didn’t linger. Instead, he headed toward the border.
Whether the matter succeeded or not, he couldn’t afford to stay and wait. With someone plotting against him from the shadows, every extra moment he remained here meant another moment of danger.
’What if they can’t find any leverage on me and decide to just attack outright? In the Barbaric Wilderness, the death of a Sealed Sect Leader is hardly an earth-shattering event. At most, the Great Zhou Academy would send someone to confirm the cause of death, and that would be the end of it.’ Fang Qingyuan was certain his enemies would stage the scene to look like a demon beast attack.
Traveling onward, Fang Qingyuan soon reached the Barbaric Border. When he emerged from the wilderness, Jiang Tianfang and the other Qi Cultivation Disciples were clearly surprised, because he had returned far too quickly.
"Sect Leader, did you find the disciples?"
In response to the question, Fang Qingyuan didn’t say much. He simply shook his head and said,
"I’ve done what I can; the rest is up to fate. Wait another half a month. If they haven’t returned by then, assume they’ve met with disaster. Have the sect prepare for their funeral rites."
After speaking, Fang Qingyuan ignored whatever Jiang Tianfang might be thinking. He requested a Quiet Chamber and settled in to wait for further news.
He had no certainty that the sect’s disciples would return safely. But even if they didn’t, even if they were lost to the Barbaric Wilderness, Fang Qingyuan wouldn’t feel much guilt. In his eyes, everything in the sect existed to serve him, not the other way around. This was his truest belief.
In a world like the Cultivation Realm, where one gathered all manner of great power unto oneself, Fang Qingyuan believed nothing was more important than himself. Call him selfish, call him cold-blooded—Fang Qingyuan would admit to it all.
This included how he had dealt with Jiang Kui. He could have perhaps chosen a gentler, more tactful approach, but instead, he chose to cut the Gordian knot and sever the relationship decisively. In his heart, Jiang Kui was no longer the senior sister who had supported him all those years ago.
The main reason for Fang Qingyuan’s disposition was his ’childhood’. The thirty years of worldly experience from his past life could not be offset by a hundred years in this one, especially since he was all alone in this life as well.
In comparison, Fang Qingyuan placed far more trust in his own Companion Beasts. Whether it was Jinbao, Yinbao, or the Bee Queen, his trust in them far exceeded any trust he had for the disciples of his sect.
And this trust would stay with Fang Qingyuan for the rest of his life.
....
Ten days later, a group of dust-covered Qi Cultivation Cultivators emerged from the Barbaric Wilderness. When they saw the Qingyuan Sect’s forward outpost, a great many of them were moved to tears.
Jiang Tianfang quickly sent people to welcome and comfort them. Afterward, he gathered some puzzling information. According to the disciples, they had been trapped in the territory of a Golden Core Demon Beast, unable to advance or retreat.
That was until a few days ago, when a Great White Bear suddenly drove them out. Strangely, the Great White Bear was accompanied by an ugly, large bird.
When asked how they had ventured so deep into the Barbaric Wilderness, their stories didn’t line up. Some said they were chased by demon beasts, others claimed they were pursuing a rare Spirit Beast, and still others had only a hazy memory of the event.
Fang Qingyuan did not take part in the questioning. He remained hidden behind the scenes, unwilling to reveal himself. Since the lost disciples had returned, he had no further business there.
The remaining matters could be handled according to the sect’s rules. As for him, he took Jinbao and quietly returned to the Qingyuan Sect. For now, he chose to keep a low profile.
He was currently powerless against the Li Huo Alliance. He knew they bore him ill will and had plotted against him, but there was nothing Fang Qingyuan could do.
Never mind the Qingyuan Sect, which couldn’t afford to offend the Li Huo Alliance; even Lechuan’s White Mountain Beast Taming Sect had no desire for conflict with them. Although the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect wasn’t afraid of the Li Huo Alliance, it wasn’t worth the trouble.
For now, all Fang Qingyuan could do was shut his gates, focus on his cultivation, and give the Li Huo Alliance no excuse to cause trouble. The Great Zhou Academy’s mandate lasted for three generations; as long as Fang Qingyuan didn’t do anything to court death, the Li Huo Alliance wouldn’t dare to go too far.
Back in the Sect Leader’s Quiet Chamber, Fang Qingyuan reviewed his handling of the situation and found that everything had gone relatively smoothly. It was just that, in the end... ’I feel like I’ve forgotten something.’
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