Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 204: Departing

Fang Hao had been holed up in the Listening to Rain Pavilion for about seven or eight days. Every day, besides refining Medicinal Pills and consolidating his cultivation, he spent his time waiting in suspense. He was waiting for the "mission" from Her Highness the Grand Princess, waiting so long that his butt was almost taking root on the prayer mat! It felt like a sword was hanging over his head, and he didn’t know when it would fall; it was incredibly uncomfortable.

On this day, he was boredly practicing the Dividing Light Sword Shadow against the rockery in the courtyard. Suddenly, Old Man Wang, the manager, arrived again. Just like last time, he had an "I have business" expression on his face and was holding a rather high-end Storage bag in his hands.

"Senior Ning, Her Highness the Grand Princess has sent someone with items again," Old Man Wang said, carefully handing over the Storage bag.

Fang Hao’s heart skipped a beat. It was here! Was it the mission, or a death sentence? He took the Storage bag, swept his Divine Sense inside, and his eyes instantly widened!

Inside the Storage bag, there were only three items. A palm-sized, pitch-black shield shaped like a tortoise shell, covered in profound patterns; it looked exceptionally sturdy, and its spiritual energy fluctuations were subtle yet heavy. Three palm-sized, silver-glowing Talismans covered in complex runes, which emitted a dense wave of spatial energy. There was also a Jade Slip.

"black tortoise spirit shield? minor teleportation talisman?" Fang Hao gasped! Both of these were excellent life-saving treasures! The black tortoise spirit shield was a Fourth-Grade Medium Grade defensive Magic Treasure. Once activated, it could automatically protect its owner with formidable defensive power; even a full-strength strike from a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator might not be able to break it! The minor teleportation talisman was even more incredible; tearing it would instantly teleport one a hundred miles away, making it a peerless tool for escaping. And she had given him three at once! This Grand Princess was truly generous! Just these three Talismans alone were worth hundreds of thousands of Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

The apprehension in Fang Hao’s heart was instantly halved by the joy of coming into a fortune. Being willing to invest such a large amount of capital meant the mission was definitely not simple, but... it also meant the other party at least didn’t want him to go to his death immediately. Otherwise, why bother spending all this money?

He picked up the Jade Slip, took a deep breath, and sank his Divine Sense into it.

There wasn’t much information in the Jade Slip, only a passage of text and a route map.

The text was left by Princess Mu Yijing, concise and to the point:

"Fang Hao:

Seeing these words is like meeting in person. Three days from now, at the hour of the midnight rat, proceed to the location marked on this map. Someone will be there to meet you and inform you of the specific details. This matter concerns my cultivation, so you must travel in secret and act with caution. The items bestowed are for your protection. Upon completion, there will be another significant reward, and the past events at Hundred Flowers Valley can also be wiped clean. Remember, keep your lips sealed; if there is any leak, you will be executed without mercy.

Mu Yijing"

Following the text was an extremely detailed map sketched with Divine Sense. The starting point was marked as the "Listening to Rain Pavilion" in the Heavenly Capital Imperial City where Fang Hao currently was, while the destination pointed to an unnamed mountain range thousands of miles outside Heavenly Capital, near the border of Central Province and Jizhou. The map also marked the best route, dangerous areas, several stopover points and safe houses along the way, and even clearly indicated which Sects’ and clans’ spheres of influence needed to be avoided. The final destination was an extremely remote small valley called "Wangyue Valley."

"Wangyue Valley? The border of Central Province and Jizhou? That remote?" Fang Hao frowned, his mind racing. Running thousands of miles in the middle of the night to a godforsaken mountain nook, and doing it so mysteriously... this mission was likely not something that could see the light of day! And "concerns my cultivation"? What could relate to the cultivation of a Nascent Soul Great Expert? Could it be searching for some Heaven And Earth Treasure? Or entering some hidden Secret Realm?

"Whatever, if it’s a blessing it’s not a curse, and if it’s a curse it can’t be avoided!" Fang Hao gritted his teeth and decided to do it! Since they had sent life-saving items, there was sincerity. Moreover, the matter with Hundred Flowers Valley was like a ticking time bomb; having the chance to "wipe it clean" was too great a temptation! Besides, there was a "significant reward" after completion. A reward from a Nascent Soul Great Expert would certainly not be bad!

He toyed with the "black tortoise spirit shield." It felt cold to the touch. When he injected spiritual energy, the shield spun and grew larger, hovering in front of him and emitting a pale yellow halo that protected him thoroughly. He tested it further; with a thought, the shield could fly around according to his will, very agile. With this thing, combined with the Physical Body from the Hundred Refinements Golden Body Art, his defensive power directly jumped up a level! Those three "minor teleportation talismans" were kept close to his person like precious treasures; these were three extra lives!

"Good stuff! Truly good stuff!" Fang Hao toyed with them happily for a while before carefully putting them into his storage ring. He thought for a moment and packed up all the miscellaneous items he didn’t need or that might expose his identity—such as Magical Artifacts he had used in Jizhou and the Southern Border, or Medicinal Pill bottles with special markings—and hid them in a secret compartment in the bedroom of the Listening to Rain Pavilion. He also carefully checked the golden puppet to ensure it could be activated at any time. This was his greatest trump card; unless absolutely necessary, it must not be exposed.

"Chaos Derivation Art is my primary Cultivation Technique and can’t be changed. Starfall Sword Art is my trademark and easily exposes me, so I should use it less. I should avoid using Dividing Light Sword Shadow, Star Shattering Finger, and Seven Absolutes Sword Seal if possible. The empty clarity mirror is for support, so it’s not a big problem. The yitian sword is a Flying Sword and must be used, but I need to change its appearance..." Fang Hao pondered as he took out several Ores he had obtained from Ten Thousand Swords Valley. Using the Earth Core Flame Fire, he melted and reshaped the exterior of the yitian sword into the form of a common standard longsword with restrained spirituality, looking unremarkable. The phantom shadow sword was already very stealthy, so there was no need to change it.

Medicinal Pills and Talismans also had to be fully prepared. He readied a large pile of qi recovery pills for healing, detoxification pills for poison, and Blood Burning Pills for temporary potential outbursts (which had large side effects but were for saving his life). He drew as many Second and Third-Grade attack, defense, and concealment Talismans as he could. He also repeatedly practiced auxiliary Divine Abilities and movement techniques like Earth Core Flame Fire, Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, Divine Spirit Steps, Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, and the Shadowless Evasion Technique to ensure he wouldn’t mess up at a critical moment.

"Hmm, that’s about it. I’ve prepared everything I can think of." Fang Hao looked at his "equipment," and his heart felt much more at ease. If he couldn’t win, he could run! If he couldn’t run, he could teleport! If all else failed... he still had the golden puppet to back him up! What was there to fear!

Three days passed in a flash. On the third night, the moon was dark and the wind was high; dark clouds covered the stars. Fang Hao changed into a set of black night-traveling clothes, put on the mask that could block Divine Sense, and quietly slipped out of the Listening to Rain Pavilion. Under the cover of night, he followed the route marked on the map and made his way toward the outskirts of the city.