Chapter 174: Chapter 172: Bringing Up the Rear
Dawn broke as the crimson sun began to rise.
The sky was still somewhat dim, like a pale black curtain being slowly drawn open.
At this moment, while searching for Qingkong, Fang Yang and his group happened to enter a wondrous realm called the Hundred-Insect Flower Sea.
The Hundred-Insect Flower Sea was filled with all sorts of strange flora spirits and bizarrely shaped Insect Beasts.
Killing them offered a chance to obtain wisps of grasswood essence.
This grasswood essence was extremely useful for Alchemy and concocting medicines.
Furthermore, for many Wood Dao Cultivators, absorbing this grasswood essence could also advance their cultivation!
’The aura of grass and wood...’
Second Uncle Fang gazed at the verdant land and gently flicked his robes.
He gave a nod to Fang Yang and Fang Min, then strode into the sea of flowers on his own.
A slight breeze rose around him, quickly swelling into a hurricane that sliced and tore through the surroundings.
Wherever he passed, creatures like the grasswood puppets and centipede-like Insect Beasts were crushed into dust, completely annihilated.
Only wisps of grasswood aura were left behind, which he collected with a cyan gourd.
These wisps of grasswood aura varied in color: some were pale white, some were light blue, and others were grayish-cyan.
The higher the tier of the grasswood aura, the closer its color was to cerulean.
At that moment, Fang Min lifted her head, a gentle smile on her face.
"Ah Yang, did you know? Second Uncle is the famous ’Medicine Fox.’ He’s known far and wide."
"The name Medicine Fox refers to his superior strategies and extraordinary skills as an Alchemist Doctor."
"Even in the Medicine Hall, Second Uncle is a major figure with astounding influence!"
"That’s why I was so shocked when I heard the clan elders of De ask him to be your protector..."
Hearing this, Fang Yang nodded slightly. "Second Uncle is indeed remarkable."
Of course, he already knew his uncle was remarkable.
Just the fact that he was able to establish a good relationship with Sen Hui was enough to show how extraordinary his uncle was.
"BZZZ..."
"BZZZZZZ..."
While he was talking with his cousin, Fang Yang’s ears twitched, and he abruptly looked up toward the northwest.
A bee’s drone!
It was the all-too-familiar drone of Hong Qishang’s swarm.
Sure enough, a moment later, Hong Qishang’s figure appeared in a flower field ahead, walking slowly toward them.
When they met again, their feelings were mixed.
"You rascal, I knew you were talented, but I didn’t expect you to already be getting ahead of me," Hong Qishang said with a sigh, unable to resist patting Fang Yang’s shoulder.
Fang Yang smiled. "You deserve some of the credit. You helped me build my eagle swarm. Oh, right, have you seen any sign of the Dao Seed Qingkong?"
Hong Qishang looked surprised, then nodded. "An hour ago, the Dao Seed Qingkong and Qingmang were still here. Now they’ve gone to the Frostfall Thunder Pool!"
The Frostfall Thunder Pool was a rather special wondrous realm within the Black Moon Great Saint’s legacy grounds.
What made it special was that this realm floated high in the sky!
Almost all Cultivators who could enter it to train were at the Tier Three cultivation level.
But now, they finally had a lead on Qingkong and the others.
For Fang Yang, this was good news.
...
「Meanwhile.」
In the distant legacy grounds of the White Eagle Elder.
In a magnificent and antique palace.
At this moment, Zhang Ye, Zhang Le, and a group of other Zhang clan disciples were slowly exploring the palace complex on the outskirts of the legacy grounds.
Just as everyone was proceeding with extreme caution, holding Talismans or Elemental Artifacts, Zhang Le strode forward confidently, identifying one hidden treasure mechanism after another.
Under his lead, they uncovered one Spiritual Object after another and a series of jade slip legacies.
His performance was simply unparalleled, leaving everyone breathless.
"Amazing! I never thought you had this kind of skill, Ah Le!"
"It seems your talent lies in uncovering secrets and finding treasures. You’ve really opened my eyes."
"Truly remarkable. Even the legendary Treasure Hunting Rat probably couldn’t do better..."
The crowd’s endless praise made Zhang Le flush with pride, his spirits soaring.
The Treasure Hunting Rat was supposedly a primeval desolate beast from the legendary Luck Dao school. Wherever it went, all treasures would be revealed, unable to remain hidden.
It was no wonder Zhang Le felt like he was walking on air after being compared to such a primeval existence.
After all, unlike Fang Yang and Zhang Ye, he hadn’t spent his whole life being called ’the child from next door.’
But amidst all the praise, Zhang Ye, who spent day and night with Zhang Le, felt that something was deeply wrong.
’This feeling of dissonance is getting stronger and stronger.’
Zhang Ye’s gaze was profound as he watched Zhang Le out of the corner of his eye.
Within Zhang Ye’s Void Acupoint True Essence Sea, the phantom of the Molten Crocodile began to glow faintly, causing the surface of the True Essence Sea to tremble violently and recede.
Then, a blood-red eye emerged on the surface of the True Essence Sea.
And at that very moment, a divine light glinted in Zhang Ye’s eyes.
’Who is that?!’ Zhang Ye’s pupils contracted violently.
Because by using his Bloodline Power, he had faintly glimpsed a dark shadow on his cousin, Zhang Le!
At this very moment, his mind raced, and he even began to wonder if his cousin had been possessed!
...
「The Frostfall Thunder Pool.」
Frost White lightning flickered intermittently, weaving between clusters of white clouds.
Upon closer inspection, however, these white clouds were revealed to be formed from countless tiny bolts of lightning.
In this region, hundreds, even thousands, of these lightning clouds were interconnected, forming a vast ocean that resembled a great Thunder Pool.
Even more shocking was the sight of Cultivators, each standing on a different lightning cloud, using the thunder to cultivate!
Among them, on one particularly immense lightning cloud, were the figures of Qingkong and Qingmang.
"Get serious!"
Qingkong scolded, his hands clasped behind his back.
"I didn’t become the Cangmu Banner Master in the grand army just because of my background."
"Now, you will immediately get rid of that ’good enough’ attitude. If you keep this up, you’ll never be worthy of being compared to Fang Yang in your entire life!"
At these words, Qingmang, who had been about to stand and escape the lightning refinement, gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure.
The Purple Gold Electric Python at his side was even more frantically devouring the lightning.
Even though it was stuffed, it refused to stop, its serpentine eyes filled with a crazed light.
「A quarter of an hour later.」
Qingkong turned in surprise, looking toward the newcomers.
The visitors were Fang Yang’s group of three. Beside Fang Yang, his battle pet, the electric python, followed closely.
Fang Yang had let his electric python out because the environment here was perfect for it to temper its Bloodline Power.
The moment they met, before anyone could even exchange pleasantries, a ferocious aura erupted from the electric python.
Tier Two Middle!
The electric python had reached the Tier Two Middle realm. Bursts of brilliant lightning flared from its body, dazzling to the eye.
It turned out that upon seeing the Purple Gold Electric Python, Fang Yang’s python had felt so humiliated that its blood and qi surged, allowing it to directly break through the thin barrier.
At this moment, the Purple Gold Electric Python opened its vertical pupils and coldly scrutinized the other python.
But even though its realm was a step lower, Fang Yang’s electric python held its head high, utterly fearless.
"CRACKLE... POP..."
In mid-air, balls of electric current and lightning materialized and collided with each other.
The lightning was clearly divided: on one side was purple-gold lightning, and on the other, purple-cyan lightning.
Currently, because the Purple Gold Electric Python’s realm was superior, the purple-gold lightning was steadily overpowering the purple-cyan lightning.
Just then, Fang Yang spoke, breaking the tension.
"Cangmu Banner Master, I need you to back me up..."
Fang Yang explained the reason for his visit in detail.
Hearing this, a look of shock appeared in Qingmang’s eyes. Even Qingkong, a Dao Seed, felt a surge of greed.
Because the [Heart of the Black Moon Water Kun] was a Tier Six Sacred Material, enough to create a peerless prodigy of immense qi, blood, and strength—a prime example being Hei Liwu!
In the end, however, out of awe for Sen Yue, Qingkong forcefully suppressed his greed and agreed to back Fang Yang up.
