Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 185 The Hundred Gu Banner of the Dragon's Spine Attends the Mountain Lord's Banquet Again (5,000 words)

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Fang Shu stayed peacefully in the quicksand cave, quietly studying the "Gu Formation".

The more he studied, the more energetic he became.

Apart from his daily cultivation, he only slept for one hour a day, devoting all the rest of his time to the Gu formation.

The results were astonishing. All the accumulation of the past ten years, combined with the assistance of the Daoist talismans, led to continuous progress in the integration of the Gu formations.

On this day, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp, and looked at the battle flag in his hand.

Compared to a dozen days ago, this ritual implement is no longer just bare.

At the top of the flagpole, grayish-white silk threads were wrapped around a small flag that was already hanging there.

The flag is decorated with many strangely shaped insects, some large and some small, all lifelike. If you look closely, you can even see their whiskers and antennae twitching slightly.

Holding the complete battle flag, Fang Shu gently waved it.

With a rustling sound, the flag suddenly scattered, turning into strands of silk, from which dozens of Gu worms suddenly sprang forth and dispersed throughout the cave.

Under his control, the array of flying Gu worms took shape, evolving into a Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams formation in about ten breaths. A chilling aura slowly rose within the cave.

This scene was exactly what Fang Shu did with the insects to set up the formation, as if he had casually set up a formation!
He gripped the array flag tightly, his consciousness frantically swirling around him.

After observing him closely for a long time, Fang Shu came to his senses, and his expression shifted between joy, excitement, and relief.

"My idea is not wishful thinking." For a moment, Fang Shu was filled with emotion and wanted to burst into laughter several times. It would be a shame not to laugh.

However, he did not get carried away with his success. Instead, he stood up and paced around, continuing to sense the array set up by the Gu worms and using his body to comprehend the oppressive and restrictive feeling.

This time, after years of accumulated experience, Fang Shu successfully integrated the arts of Gu and the arts of formation.

The formation he just set up involved using his own divine silk as threads to connect and interweave all the Gu worms under his command, weaving them into an array-like object that was then hung on the array pole in his hand.

In other words, the array rod, the divine silk, and the Gu worms, under his research, could indeed be integrated into a unified whole, complementing each other and transforming into a wondrous Gu array treasure.

Once this trend begins, Fang Shu can raise and collect more Gu worms, then connect them with divine silk and integrate them into one.

With a wave of his battle flags, he could create formations all around him, whether for protection or for killing, each with its own unique uses.

Lost in thought, Fang Shu felt a sense of ease and joy.

He suddenly realized that he had mastered a unique skill that belonged only to his family, and that the future prospects were very promising.

He even thought that if one day he collected more and stronger Gu worms, the formations he devised would become more and more perfect.

At that time, will he be able to use the Gu formation to surround and kill Foundation Establishment level demons and creatures with his Qi Refining body? After all, the formation is difficult to set up and consumes a lot of resources, but its wonderful use lies in its ability to enhance the power of immortals and gather the masses to overcome the strong!

However, Fang Shu immediately extinguished this arrogant thought.

It should be understood that, regardless of whether one is human or demon, the difference between each major realm of immortals is like an insurmountable chasm.

Even if the array flag in his hand is a complete Foundation Establishment artifact that he can use, using it to surround and kill Foundation Establishment beings is still suicidal.

Moreover, if one can escape with one's life from the clutches of a Foundation Establishment being and protect oneself, it is already a rare and praiseworthy achievement in this world.

Fang Shu came to his senses as he paced within the formation.

He held the array rod in his hand and waved it gently. With a buzzing sound, the Gu worms that had been spreading out quickly retracted and turned into a gray cloud that entwined around the top of the array rod.

Fang Shu immediately released divine silk again.

Translucent threads climbed up the array pole through his fingers and then strung together the Gu worms at the top.

After about a hundred breaths, a battle flag reappeared in his hand.

Looking at this object, he thought to himself, "Weaving banners with divine silk has many uses, but this object is still quite fragile, and it has to be rewoven every time it is used, which is too cumbersome... It seems that there are many areas for improvement in this regard."

He secretly kept this in mind and then stopped thinking about it.

After all, in just half a month, he was able to initially integrate the Gu Dao and the Array Dao to create a unique skill, which was already quite remarkable. We shouldn't expect too much more.

Fang Shu played with the array flag in his hand, quite fond of it, and suddenly thought, "It's time to give this thing a name."

In fact, after the Hu family ancestors refined this item, they did give it a name, "Jiaojiqi".

It was originally made from the spine of a dragon, but now it is quite different from the original and has been modified by Fang Shu, so it should be given a new name.

Soon, a name appeared in Fang Shu's mind—the Hundred Gu Banner of the Dragon Spine.

Although he has only collected a few dozen Gu worms on the array flags so far, there are quite a few inferior ones such as follower worms, air-avoiding worms, firewood worms, and rice worms.

However, he was confident that sooner or later he would tinker with this thing, filling it with hundreds of powerful Gu worms, or even hundreds of different kinds of Gu worms, and turning it into a true "Hundred Gu Banner".

"The Hundred Gu Banner of the Dragon Spine." After naming his magical artifact, he silently repeated it several times.

Suddenly, Fang Shu gently waved the array flag again, and the object immediately shrank to the size of a silver needle, then enlarged again to the shape of a hairpin, and landed in his hand.

This item is of excellent quality; it is only a hair's breadth away from generating the seventh restriction and transforming into a true foundation-building magic weapon. Therefore, the subtle changes in its size are naturally also present.

Fang Shu played with the flag, then casually tucked it into her hair.

Using this as a hairpin would make it much more convenient for him to use in the future. He wouldn't need to take it out of his storage bag; he could simply shake his head and release the Gu worms to form an array.

This is extremely important in magical combat. After all, setting up an array, even a personal array, is still relatively time-consuming, unlike magic spells which are quick.

After carefully putting away the ritual implements, Fang Shu's heart was still filled with joy.

He paced around the cave, then suddenly looked at the tomb in the cave, and immediately went over and bowed to it several times.

Although Fang Shu had never met this ancestor of the Hu family and did not know his name, this person was also a master to him. It could even be said that his role in enlightening him on the path of immortality was no less than that of the Master of the Pavilion.

"Thank you for passing on the Dharma to me, senior."

Fang Shu said this and bowed repeatedly.

After straightening up, he looked around the empty cave, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly took something out of his storage bag.

This object is a head, with coarse hair on its face, sharp teeth and a pointed mouth. It is the wolf head he obtained after killing Ling Bailang.

Fang Shu must return Ling Bailang's corpse to the temple as evidence. However, although the wolf's head also came from Ling Bailang, it was an external object.

As long as no one speaks up, the temple will remain unaware, and Fang Shu can naturally keep it a secret.

However, Fang Shu didn't intend to cultivate the so-called flying head technique with just this one head. Selling it casually would be too wasteful and would make him feel like he was losing out.

Therefore, after examining it for a few moments, Fang Shu placed the wolf head directly in the center of the cave.

He also wandered around and outlined a pattern around the wolf's head.

In this way, all kinds of spiritual energy in the cave will gather on this wolf's head, nurturing it day by day.

It should be noted that, whether according to the accounts of the Hu family ancestors or Fang Shu's own investigation, this cave dwelling is located in a place of spiritual essence within a radius of a hundred miles.

In addition, there is a quicksand feng shui formation set up by the ancestors of the Hu family outside the cave, making this place an extremely suitable treasure land for raising zombies and nurturing evil energy.

Fang Shu has now taken away the array flags and treasures here, but the spiritual energy in the cave has not yet dissipated, so leaving them empty would be a waste.

After much thought, he decided to leave something in the cave as well.

Perhaps over time, what remains can be nurtured into a remarkable treasure.

When the time comes, whether he comes to collect it himself, leaves it for someone destined to receive it, or has a descendant of the Hu family come looking for it, it will all be considered a repayment of karma.

Having done all this, Fang Shu looked around with a sigh, and whispered:
"Unfortunately, the dragon energy of this place was first used by this Immortal Hu in an attempt to transform his spiritual root into a spiritual vein and break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Then it all gathered into the Dragon Spine Banner, leaving not a trace. Otherwise, I really wanted to know if the dragon energy in this kind of dragon vein was the same as the residual dragon energy in the ancient Taoist treasure.

Indeed, this quicksand cave is located on a dragon vein.

According to the information left by the ancestors of the Hu family, he found a genuine piece of dragon bone in this place and thought he had the opportunity to establish his foundation!

It should be known that a true dragon is at least a Foundation Establishment being of the Seventh Tribulation. Its bones are far superior to those of a pseudo-dragon formed by "refining a snake into a dragon." They are powerful and full of treasures.

But fate had other plans. Master Hu's life force was waning, and he had wasted too many years. Even with the remains of a dragon by his side, he still failed to achieve his goal and was unable to establish his foundation. When Fang Shu was studying the messages within the array flags, although hundreds of years had passed, he could still feel the overwhelming despair and regret emanating from them.

"Time waits for no one. If I wish to achieve immortality, I must attempt to establish my foundation within sixty years!"

He secretly learned this lesson.

next moment.

Without further hesitation, Fang Shu turned and walked out of the cave.

After the stone gate behind him crashed down, he stepped into the complex quicksand formation.

Unlike when he came, he no longer needs the Tomb Raider's Token for guidance. He only needs to activate the array flags in his hair. The array flags will then display their power, allowing him to solidify the sand and stones in front of him, forming a bridge that leads directly to the outside of the array.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

With a whoosh, Fang Shu emerged from underground and appeared on a desolate hillside.

He looked up and saw that it was nighttime, and the sky was full of bright, densely packed stars.

Not far away, in the lead-mountain mine, the furnaces were also burning brightly and densely, with mining and smelting continuing day and night, as if they were a reflection of the stars in the sky, or as if they were breathing and pulsating like the scales of a dragon.

Fang Shu stared at the mine, knowing that unless absolutely necessary, he would not pass through this place again for a hundred years.

He has already taken full advantage of this precious land.

As night deepened, Fang Shu stood with his hands behind his back. His figure leaped and disappeared like a ghost into the hills.

Only his soft murmur remained, swaying in the wind:
"I have come here many times in search of hidden treasures, each time with a full load and high spirits. Now that I have obtained the legacy, I will go to the green mountains again to continue the path of immortality."

…………

Fang Shu roamed freely through the mountains and forests, acting with impunity.

Although there are demons and ghosts in the hundreds of miles of Guniu Ridge area, this place is under the jurisdiction of the Five Internal Organs Temple, and the town of Guniu Ridge is right next door, so there shouldn't be any too powerful demons or ghosts.

Fang Shu even hoped that he would encounter some powerful demons or ghosts on the road so that he could test the newly acquired Flood Dragon Spine Hundred Gu Flag.

After running for only half an hour, Fang Shu slowed down and gradually disappeared into the misty fog.

He had not returned to his stomach, but had instead arrived at the demon market adjacent to Guling Town.

"Time to collect the fur and claws!"

"Dear monster grandpas and human grandpas, don't miss out on this top-quality essence-nourishing pill!"

"Let's fix up these broken magical artifacts..."

A bustling market scene soon appeared before Fang Shu.

A group of people dressed in cloaks, wearing masks, with weasel-like faces, or with pointed mouths and monkey cheeks, were doing business and trading in the demon market.

Fang kept his sleeves pulled back, blending in discreetly among the crowd.

His divine sense swept across the stalls on both sides, and without leaving a trace, he discerned the quality and variety of many goods.

Unfortunately, he has now reached the Qi Refining stage, so these things from immortal cultivators or demons are of little use to him.

So he headed straight for the gambling den in the Demon Market.

Soon, a gambling den even more bustling than the marketplace came into Fang Shu's view, where excited shouts of "Up! Up! Up!" and "Down! Down! Down!" immediately rang out.

With great effort, Fang Shu squeezed in and then used his divine sense to examine all the spirit stones and minerals on site, trying to understand their inner workings.

Unfortunately, even though he activated the Dao Talisman to help analyze the stones, he could only discern the quality of the surface of the gambling den's spirit stones, but could not know what lay inside.

However, this was within Fang Shu's expectations.

After all, if one could easily discern the nature of spirit stones using divine sense or magic, the stone gambling industry would not have formed in the mortal world.

Without making a sound, Fang Shu did not leave, but instead squeezed even further into the venue.

The shop owners and their assistants inside the market, seeing this, kept trying to attract customers:
"Hey sir, look at this quality! One cut and you're guaranteed to be rich! Two cuts and you'll be rolling in money!"

"Don't go!"

Fang Shu pretended to be a gambler. He walked around, stopping frequently to touch this stone and look at that stone, appearing to be both poor and particular.

Having walked around most of the area, he didn't even ask the price of a single stone; he was too busy touching them.

In reality, he wanted to use his hands to touch the stones and test whether there was any so-called "evil spirit" in them.

He will buy it as soon as it exists.

What others considered evil energy was, in his eyes, "precious energy." It was called "dragon energy" by the Daoist talismans, and it could accelerate his progress in comprehending cultivation techniques and scriptures, so he couldn't afford to miss it.

Unfortunately, even with the Taoist talisman by his side, he wandered around for a whole day but still couldn't touch a single piece of the gambling stone that had aroused evil energy.

It seems that his luck had already run out when he first went to the demon market.

"Or perhaps, the evil energy is imprisoned by the spirit stone. Even if I have the Dao talisman, I still cannot access the evil energy inside without cutting it open," Fang Shu thought to himself.

He glanced wistfully at the bustling casino, a thought rising in his mind, which he then suppressed.

After his trip down the mountain, although he was wealthy, he had 167 taels of low-grade spirit stones in his pocket. With the addition of various spiritual materials and medicinal herbs, his total amount should have exceeded 200 taels of spirit stones.

This was all he had left after expending a great deal of energy during his breakthrough.

Even if he suddenly became rich, Fang Shu would not spend lavishly in this gambling den to actually gamble on stones.

If that's the case, even if he's already a Qi Refining Immortal, all his wealth would only amount to a few splashes in the casino at most.

Moreover, Fang Shu's trip here was merely a passing through the Demon Market; he couldn't possibly stay here for an extended period, hoping that someone would unearth an evil item that he could then snatch up.

So Fang Shu shifted his gaze from the group of gamblers and looked at the mountain behind the Demon Market, shrouded in heavy fog.

He thought to himself, "Perfect timing. I should pay a visit to the old mountain lord to show my respect. Perhaps he possesses quite a few 'evil things'..."

Immediately, he moved swiftly, using an invisibility spell, and silently moved to the back of the casino. However, he did not rush directly into the back mountain, but instead revealed himself to the monster behind the casino.

"You!!" The monster was startled. It stared blankly at Fang Shu, rubbing its eyes, not understanding how a person had suddenly appeared in front of it.

Fang Shu took out the Mountain Lord's Hairpin and smiled at the little demon, saying, "An old friend has come to visit, please lead the way."

Soon, a thick fog rolled in, and the canopy formed a ladder.

Fang Shu followed the little monkey demon up the mountain with practiced ease, and soon the huge figure of the old mountain lord appeared in his eyes.

Above the mountain king's head, under the moonlight, there were figures of varying sizes sitting on it, raising their cups to the wind and drinking fine wine.

The aroma of the wine had reached halfway up the mountain, making Fang Shu's stomach rumble with anticipation.

The little demon leading the way whispered:
"The old man, the Mountain Lord, has recently acquired a new wine and has been feasting with all the immortals for five days. I estimate that it will last for at least two more days."

The little demon's face was quite conflicted. It seemed to want to advise Fang Shu not to disturb the mountain lord's enjoyment, but it didn't know whether it should speak up.

Fortunately, when Fang Shu approached, he had not yet climbed onto the enormous Lingzhi platform.

As if sensing something, Lao Shanjun opened his drowsy, drunken eyes and looked at Xiang Fangshu.

belch!
It suddenly let out a burp, its body jerked, causing the drinkers above it to sway and stagger.

Seeing this, Fang Shu was not reserved and cupped his hands towards the Lingzhi Mountain Lord in front of him: "Disciple Fang Shu, I came to pay my respects to the Mountain Lord after passing through Guniu Ridge on my way down the mountain."

He adhered to the proper etiquette of a disciple, readily exclaiming with a smile:
"May I ask, Lord Mountain, if I may have another cup of wine?"

"Hmm... yes, you little rascal." Old Mountain Lord seemed to recognize Fang Shu.

Not long after.

Suddenly, another human head appeared among the group of demons and grass-covered figures. He sat down and drank with the demons and gods around him, indulging in unrestrained behavior.

　If there are too few individual chapters, then combine them into one.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)