Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

Chapter 96: Spiritual Snake Armor

At the Treasure Ship Market.

Fang Xi disembarked from his Black Feather Boat at a distance, having transformed his appearance to resemble a rugged-faced man. He then stepped onto a mid-grade flying sword magical artifact and descended near the market entrance.

“Sir Immortal, would you need a guide?”

A group of mortals immediately surrounded him, their expressions eager yet respectful.

“You’ll do!” Fang Xi casually pointed to one individual, who turned out to be Mo Qingyi!

“Many thanks, Sir Immortal. Allow me to lead your way!”

Mo Qingyi appeared much as before; after all, only a few years had passed since they last met. Taking the lead, he asked, “May I inquire what information this Immortal Master seeks? I am exceedingly familiar with this market…”

‘Bullshit!’ Fang Xi silently scoffed.

Mo Qingyi likely knew only the surface-level channels within the market, being just an ordinary mortal.

In terms of resource connections, he paled in comparison to Old Daoist Xiu Mu, who had been operating here for many years.

The reason Fang Xi sought a guide was merely to maintain the facade of a newcomer. Experienced individuals wouldn’t fall for such obvious traps.

“Your surname is Mo, and you belong to the ‘Qing’ generation. By any chance, are you related to the Mo Clan of Black Sand Island?” Fang Xi casually inquired, thinking about Mo Qingyu.

Without concealing anything, Mo Qingyi straightened his posture instinctively and replied, “To be honest, Sir Immortal, my ancestors indeed hailed from the Mo Clan on Black Sand Island!”

“I see,” Fang Xi responded without probing further. Cultivators often had numerous descendants, so it was plausible for one branch to end up on Treasure Ship Island.

Moreover, this could be part of those cultivator clans’ contingency plans! Even if their main family on Black Sand Island were annihilated, their bloodline would continue elsewhere.

With some luck, they might return like Ruan Xingling, staging a triumphant comeback… potentially reviving the clan’s fortunes twice or even thrice over!

Revitalizing the clan!

For cultivators within a family, aside from achieving Foundation Establishment, this aspiration was likely their most significant goal.

“Who is the best artificer here? I need him to craft something!” Fang Xi declared boldly.

Mo Qingyi pondered for a moment. “The finest local artificer should be Master Lu from Heavenly Crafts Workshop. He has been a tier-one high-grade artificer for many years, and his skills have only improved since then… Apart from him, there’s Guest Official Cui at Dragon Gate Pavilion and the rogue cultivator Gong Zhuzi, both possessing exceptional craftsmanship…”

‘Not surprising, aligns with what I’ve heard before,’ thought Fang Xi.

After considering, he said, “Let’s head to Heavenly Crafts Workshop first and find Master Lu!”

---

The Heavenly Crafts Workshop consisted of two separate buildings - the front housed a typical magical artifact shop, while the rear contained multiple artificing workshops connected to earthflame furnaces. Even through the walls, one could feel the intense heat emanating from within.

As Fang Xi entered the shop, a greeter approached him, “What type of magical artifact is this esteemed guest interested in purchasing?”

“Custom order, I’m here for Master Lu!”

Fang Xi casually tossed out a low-grade spirit stone.

The greeter’s eyes immediately lit up, “Please follow me to the private booth, honored guest. I’ll bring tea right away…”

Naturally, Mo Qingyi waited outside the store.

Moments later, inside the private booth, a burly man with well-defined muscles walked in. “What kind of custom-made artifact does this distinguished guest desire?”

Fang Xi glanced at the closed door and cleared his throat, “I require a tier-1 high-grade magical artifact crafted from mythical beast materials! Can you ensure confidentiality?”

Master Lu furrowed his brow momentarily before relaxing it. “Rest assured, guest. Our Heavenly Crafts Workshop has been established for over two hundred years and has even created spirit artifacts for Foundation Establishment cultivators… Very well, I can first swear a Xin Mo Oath to absolutely not disclose your privacy…”

“Many thanks!” Fang Xi bowed courteously, watching closely as Master Lu uttered the oath. Satisfied, he tapped his bag of holding.

A flash of light revealed a snake skin and a large quantity of snake bones. A faint aura of pressure emanated from the skin, scales, and bones alike.

“A tier-1 high-grade snake demon indeed… Hmm? The quality seems exceptionally good.”

Master Lu activated a cultivation technique, summoning a small flame on his finger to burn a piece of snake scale.

After quite some time, the scale showed no sign of damage whatsoever.

His expression turned serious, “The serpent’s bloodline appears truly extraordinary!”

“Indeed,” Fang Xi responded with a smile. “How much would it cost to craft a full set of spirit armor using these materials?”

Master Lu pondered for a moment before replying, “Refining this mythical beast material requires more than ordinary flames; we must utilize the earthflame vein behind the Heavenly Crafts Workshop. Crafting a complete set of spirit armor is a significant task, taking at least one month! As for the price… two hundred spirit stones!”

Outside, even a single-purpose, high-grade magical artifact typically cost around a hundred spirit stones.

“Agreed. I’ll pay half now as a deposit and the remaining amount upon completion. Let’s formalize the agreement through a contract!”

Fang Xi nodded as he watched Master Lu draft the contract. Both parties inputted a thread of their magical energy into it, then Fang Xi handed over one hundred spirit stones from his bag of holding, took his copy of the agreement, and departed from the Heavenly Crafts Workshop.

Outside, he dismissed Mo Qingyi, blending seamlessly into the crowd before swiftly disappearing.

Moments later, with a new set of clothes and transformed appearance, Fang Xi headed directly to the market and rented an immortal’s cave for a month, settling down temporarily.

Each day, under different guises, he sold mythical beast materials and exchanged them for various items such as medicinal pills, paper talismans, and raw spirit ores.

Time flowed like water, quickly passing by nearly twenty-five days.

At the teahouse, Old Daoist Xiu Mu was long gone, but under new ownership, business remained brisk.

Occasionally, Fang Xi would visit to enjoy a cup of spirit tea while listening to news from Wanhu Island and the broader Yue Kingdom cultivation realm.

On this particular day,

he ordered his usual “Five Carp Playing with Pearls,” watching the spiritual energy carp chase each other playfully. Suddenly, he heard the teahouse owner lament, “Have any of you heard… about the resurgence of demonic cultivators from the Situ Clan?”

‘Situ Clan?!’

Fang Xi sighed inwardly; it had been ages since he last encountered that familiar name.

Fang Xi looked up with a hint of a smile. “I must ask the proprietor to enlighten us; naturally, spirit tea and pastries will be plentiful…”

“Many thanks, many thanks!” The teahouse owner chuckled heartily. His livelihood depended on sharing cultivation world secrets and the latest news, attracting patrons for their tea sessions.

After acknowledging everyone present with clasped hands, he began narrating like a storyteller, just short of using a gavel for emphasis. “Speaking of the Situ Clan, they were once among the seven great cultivator clans of Yue Kingdom. What constitutes a cultivator clan? It requires producing Foundation Establishment cultivators generation after generation! In Yue Kingdom, aside from the Profound Sky Sect itself, there were these five major sects followed by the Situ Clan!”

Red Leaf Valley had also been one of the original five major sects but was later annihilated. A new Foundation Establishment sect called ‘Qiyang Faction’ subsequently rose to prominence, taking Red Leaf Valley’s place.

Fang Xi sensed that behind every power shift in Yue Kingdom, an unseen hand seemed to manipulate events - this invisible force was none other than the Profound Sky Sect!

The Profound Sky Sect controlled the most valuable third-order spiritual energy lands within Yue Kingdom, along with its richest spirit stone mines and the largest markets.

The remaining fragments, beyond their direct control, were distributed among subordinate Foundation Establishment clans and sects, maintaining the count of thirteen.

Whenever any branch threatened to surpass the main trunk’s strength, it would swiftly be pruned - examples included the former Situ Clan and Red Leaf Valley.

After pruning, new forces were nurtured to replace them, serving as loyal dogs for the Profound Sky Sect!

As for the lowest tier, consisting of Qi Refinement clans and sects, they yearned to serve but never got the chance.

“After the Situ Clan was annihilated, many surviving members fled and turned into demonic cultivators. The largest group among them formed the ‘Heaven Extinguishing Union’! This faction has been labeled by the Profound Sky Sect as a demonic organization, with bounties placed on its key leaders. However, despite efforts, they have yet to be eradicated.

“Recently, this ‘Heaven Extinguishing Union’ carried out a significant act - plundering a marketplace under the Song Clan’s jurisdiction. Rumor has it that every member of the Song Clan present was slaughtered, their heads hung from the market entrance, creating a gruesome scene… Little did they know, this enraged the Profound Sky Sect immensely. Consequently, a Core Formation patriarch from the sect personally intervened!”

At the most thrilling part, the teahouse owner paused dramatically, taking a sip of his tea instead of continuing the tale.

Impatient cultivators shouted, “Owner, why did you stop? Keep going… The Gold Core patriarch intervened, what happened next?”

The teahouse owner smiled without responding.

Only after Fang Xi led the group to order another pot of spirit tea did he cheerfully continue, “When a Core Formation great cultivator acts, the outcome is self-explanatory. The Heaven Extinguishing Union was caught off guard, and it’s rumored that one of their Foundation Establishment members perished on the spot…”

“Despite this setback, neither the Situ Clan nor the ‘Heaven Extinguishing Union’ were completely annihilated. Instead, they fled southeast and took refuge within the borders of the Wood Nation!”

---

“The Wood Nation!” Fang Xi understood immediately. Just like the Profound Sky Sect, the Greenwood Sect there had a Core Formation patriarch overseeing it. In fact, due to past incidents involving the Spirit Seeker Envoy, tensions between the sects had escalated nearly to the point of open conflict.

For remnants of the Situ Clan to flee into that nation was indeed a sensible choice.

“Why did the Heaven Extinguishing Union target the Song Clan’s market instead?” another cultivator asked a different question.

“Ah… The Profound Sky Sect’s markets have stringent defenses, with at least second-order high-grade protective arrays and Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment experts guarding them. Even if given ten times their courage, the Heaven Extinguishing Union wouldn’t dare touch those,” the teahouse owner chuckled. “The Song Clan, on the other hand, is different…”

“And let me tell you,” he continued, “when the Situ Clan was initially annihilated, the Song Clan played a leading role. Their mutual hatred runs as deep as the ocean! However, the Song Clan isn’t simple either; their patriarch is already in the great circle of Foundation Establishment, a significant figure with hopes of reaching Core Formation soon…”

As the conversation shifted to repeatedly glorifying the actions of the Core Formation patriarch, painting vivid scenes of devastation, Fang Xi realized there wasn’t much new information being shared.

He stood up and left the teahouse.

“I didn’t expect to hear updates about old acquaintances… Situ Clan, Song Clan, well, well…”

Neither clan was particularly commendable; Fang Xi reveled as their rivalry intensified like dogs tearing at each other.

Meanwhile, there had been no news about Chen Ping or Nine Profound Reverend, whom he had been closely monitoring.

Perhaps due to their shallow cultivation and limited reputation, it wasn’t surprising that information remained scarce. Unable to gather more details, Fang Xi decided not to dwell on it further.

Assuming the guise of a burly man with a square jawline, Fang Xi arrived at the Heavenly Crafts Workshop.

Inside a private booth:

“Perfect timing, guest! The armor is complete, please take a look!” Master Lu, his muscular arms bare, laughed heartily while opening a massive iron chest.

Within the chest lay an impressive set of spirit armor. It included inner and outer armor, arm guards, wrist protectors, knee pads, boots, gloves, a helmet… all seemingly comprehensive and radiating formidable spiritual light.

“I’m glad to fulfill my promise. This ‘Spiritual Snake Armor’ is tier-1 high-grade, equipped with formations such as ‘Sturdiness’, ‘Water Repulsion’, ‘Custom Fit’… Additionally, it inherently exudes a commanding aura, deterring snakes and insects, providing some resistance against toxins. Its total weight is sixty-seven pounds!” Master Lu introduced enthusiastically, his face glowing with pride and eyes shining brightly.

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