Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 152 Establishing a Foothold in Fangxian Cave

"Aura?"

Fang Shu's heart stirred.

The spiritual energy that can form veins is extraordinary. It could be caused by the presence of spiritual mines underground, the growth of spiritual plants and other rare and precious materials, or the existence of a spiritual vein underground!
In short, don't miss it!

Fang Shu immediately mobilized his divine threads, frantically spreading them towards the direction of that wisp of spiritual energy.

With a hiss, as the divine silk probed, the spiritual energy he could sense became more and more abundant, and he finally discovered that it was flowing in along an underground river, passing through the mountain.

The current in the underground river was too rapid, making it difficult to probe the divine silk. Fang Shu was frowning and thinking when a thought suddenly struck him.

He was sitting cross-legged on the hilltop when he suddenly looked up in the direction from which the underground river was flowing.

What it was looking at was the Gutang Valley located to the side!

With a thought, Fang Shu immediately understood the origin of the tiny spiritual vein he had discovered underground; it must have originated from the spiritual vein of the Gu Hall.

It should be understood that each of the five internal organs occupies a spiritual place. Even if it did not exist originally, when a place is established, it will inevitably migrate or even create a spiritual vein to create a spiritual place.

These shrines are located within the temple complex, much like the focal points of a formation. Spiritual energy continuously emanates from them, ensuring that the spiritual energy within the temple is higher than that outside the temple and even higher than that at the foot of the mountain.

The tiny spiritual vein that Fang Shu has discovered is a path for the diffusion of spiritual energy. Although it is not large, it is enough for him to intercept it and create a spiritual chamber!

After thinking it over, Fang Shu's face lit up with anticipation.

For a moment, he even wanted to continue tracing the underground river upstream, to clear a path closer to the source, so that the spiritual energy flowing from the river would become even more concentrated.

However, after thinking it over several times, he gave up on the idea.

According to rumors, each branch of the sect is situated within an array, which possesses the power to gather spiritual energy and suppress earth energy. If he continues tracing the source, he might inadvertently trigger the array.

This action could potentially trigger the formation's rejection, alarming the Gu Hall, or even cause the formation to alter its earth energy, instantly eliminating the remaining spiritual energy spreading from underground.

If he were to lose the newly discovered spiritual vein, he would be devastated, and there was no guarantee that he could find it again later.

"Since a small spiritual vein can form, don't disturb it anymore. It's fine as long as it works."

Fang Shu thought to himself.

So, looking at the divine threads that had taken him a day or two to release, he made a decision and decisively severed his connection with them, then left.

He moved swiftly through the mountains and forests, and soon arrived at an inconspicuous hilltop.

The place is filled with strange rocks and occasional miscellaneous trees, but from the outside, there is no spiritual energy at all. In fact, this place is just very close to the underground river. Fang Shu only needs to dig a straight hole downwards to draw out the spiritual energy from the river, and then set up a spirit-gathering array to make the spiritual energy in the river bend.

Having marked the location, Fang Shu glanced towards the Gutang Valley. He was now only three or four miles away from the edge of the valley.

The distance was just right, neither too close nor too far. Fang Shu immediately patted the pangolin demon beast he was sitting on, instructing it to begin digging a cave to open up a dwelling.

However, instead of having the pangolin carve straight down, he had it go around to an inconspicuous ravine and carve horizontally inward.

In this way, even if Fang Shu did not have the means to set up a concealment formation in the early stages, it would be extremely difficult for others to discover the location of his cave when flying over it.

It should be understood that although he cannot fly, it is only because he is currently poor and cannot afford the magical artifact that allows him to take flight.

Cultivating Qi Immortals possess true Qi, enabling them to fly on magical artifacts. Furthermore, many Cultivating Qi Immortals also keep flying spirit pets for transportation.

呲呲呲!
In a short while, dust rose up in the small valley.

Fang Shu didn't mind the dirt at all. His eyes were bright, and he held his breath, following closely behind the pangolin, scanning the surroundings with his divine sense.

Under his orders, the pangolin spent three days carving out the outline of a burrow in the belly of this unremarkable little hill.

It stands vertically below the hilltop, roughly a hundred feet in circumference. A high platform is built in the center, with a waterway within to draw in spiritual energy, which surrounds the platform and permeates the cave dwellings. To the left and right are additional chambers for storage and furnishing. A chimney-like passageway is carved into the top, used to bring in sunlight and moonlight, or to place magical artifacts, simulating the alternation of day and night. Besides the main entrance, a back passageway was also created for easy escape…

When Fang Shu became wealthy and had more power to protect himself, he set up a concealment formation and built a small temple on the top of the hill, connecting it with a passageway at the top, so that the upper and lower parts would echo each other. He also drew water up and down to surround the hill, thus creating an elegant place where he could sit in the small temple and watch the clouds and the sun, and enjoy the scenery in his spare time.

Lost in thought, Fang Shu was overjoyed.

However, his current cave dwelling is only in its embryonic stage, without even the most basic spirit-gathering array. It's just a rough draft and he will need to work on it carefully in the future.

Fang Shu glanced at the high platform in the cave, then urged the pangolin to crawl inside and dig a well downwards. When it was only about ten feet away from the underground river, he stopped it and did not let it continue digging.

This was done because his cave dwelling was not yet completed, so as to avoid prematurely excavating it and causing the spiritual energy to dissipate, which would be both wasteful and attract attention.

This was also to prevent the pangolin from finding out that it had discovered a spiritual vein and reporting it to the people in the Beast Hall, thus revealing the location to outsiders.

After all, although this creature is not yet sentient, it is hard to guarantee that the people in the Beast Hall have not implanted some commands into it.

This is also why Fang Shu, when choosing helpers to open up his cave dwelling, immediately excluded the strongmen who built the hall, and subsequently also excluded the puppets of the puppet hall. While both have their advantages, they also have hidden dangers.

In retrospect, his concerns were indeed justified.

When Fang Shu was still a foot away from the underground river, he scanned the ground with his divine sense and estimated the size of this small spiritual vein. It should be more than enough to fill his entire cave, and its concentration was not low, similar to what he had sensed in the Jin family's spiritual chamber.

If the spiritual energy is gathered using an array, the concentration can increase even further.

Fang Shu thought to himself, "Perhaps it can reach four times the size of Toad Beach!"

Such spiritual cave dwellings are insignificant to Foundation Establishment immortals, but for Qi Refining immortals, they are ancestral treasures.

Especially compared to Senior Sister Fang Lu's exquisite dwelling, his cave dwelling is a hundred feet wide and long, and its height has already been carved out to five or six feet, with the possibility of further expansion later.

Compared to the other, Fang Shu's cave dwelling might only be slightly better in terms of spiritual energy, but it is completely different in terms of size, comfort, and freedom.

Not only the cave dwelling itself, but also the entire hilltop could be considered his because he was the first to establish his abode there, and no one else could encroach upon it.

Most importantly, Fang Shu only spent pills and spirit stones on the spread of divine silk when he excavated this place; the cave itself did not cost a single talisman coin.

Strolling through the spacious cave, he was filled with joy and emotion:

"My internal organs are large, and it is not easy to live a simple life. Today I have finally found a place to settle down and make a living."

He circled the place several times, finding it endlessly fascinating and delightful.

Finally, Fang Shu walked to the entrance of the cave and looked at the small, recessed doorway created by the pangolin. There were even spaces left for couplets on both sides of the doorway.

This beast is indeed a master of creation. Without it, if Fang Shu himself were to dig, it would probably take a month to dig out the basic shape.

In a good mood, he immediately rewarded the pangolin with half an ounce of spirit stones.

He then leaped up, and with a flick of his fingers, he used his inner energy to write a few words on the entrance of the cave: "Fangxian Cave Door".

He also wrote the couplet for the gate after some deliberation.

First line: Hiding in a small temple to achieve unification.

The second line reads: "Who cares about winter, summer, or autumn?" (Note 1)

After finishing writing, Fang Shu laughed a few times and jumped back onto the pangolin's back.

He flicked his sleeves, covered in dust, and recited a couplet as he walked away, shaking his head.

　Note 1: This is a regulated poem titled "Self-Mockery" by Lu Xun. Only one character was changed. (P.S.: Still one chapter owed, remembering...)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)