Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 240 Heavy Losses and Old Friends
Fang Shu looked at Senior Sister Fang Lu in front of him.

His face clearly showed a hint of surprise and doubt, but in an instant, he realized that Fang Lu would not lie to him about such a thing.

Since such a major event has occurred in the Gu Hall, and even Fang Lu knows about it, he will naturally find out more if he inquires about it elsewhere later.

Many thoughts surged through Fang Shu's mind.

Seeing Fang Shu's furrowed brows, Fang Lu sighed softly and slowly told him all the information she had gathered about the Gu Hall over the years.

Many of these involve the spirits who build foundations in the five internal organs, which are not convenient to write in a letter and can only be discussed in person now.

Fang Shu composed himself and listened patiently until the end, his expression also filled with melancholy.

It turns out that the years of war not only caused heavy losses to the disciples in the Five Internal Organs Temple, but also to several of the Foundation Establishment Immortals within the temple.

As for the exact number of those who perished, the disciples in the temple still have no way of knowing, and Fang Lu has inquired repeatedly but has been unable to find out.

All she knew was that the three immortals in the temple were intact, but one of the five main immortals was missing, and three of the eighteen immortals had not yet shown themselves.

In other words, in less than ten years, four Earth Immortals with names and identities have been lost in the Five Internal Organs Temple, and there are many more Earth Immortals who have suffered serious injuries.

Hearing this, Fang Shu said in a low voice, "Even Foundation Establishment Immortals have suffered so many losses. It's truly fortunate that you, Sister, are unharmed."

He also thought of his master, Long Gu, who, although severely injured, was still much luckier than those Foundation Establishment Immortals who had fallen.

Fang Lu felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing Fang Shu's words. She smiled gently and said softly:

"In fact, in the first few years, especially the first three years, neither the Kugu Temple nor our Wuzang Temple had a single injured Zhuji Immortal."

The main issue was that in the last three years, the atmosphere between the two sides became increasingly unpredictable. Those Foundation Establishment Immortals who had previously been reluctant to participate in the great battle began to appear frequently both inside and outside the temple, and news of their losses followed.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu's heart stirred, and he spoke:

"Does Senior Sister mean that the next three years are when the Lushan Secret Realm will emerge, and that's why the Foundation Establishment Immortals in the temple participated in the battle, resulting in casualties?"

Fang Lu gave Fang Shu an approving look and nodded seriously: "That's right. Although there's no concrete evidence to prove it, it's probably true."

She paused, then whispered, "After all, while some Foundation Establishment Immortals suffered casualties, others also benefited. For example... your lover's family, your family's ancestor was one of them."

Fang Shu raised his eyebrows slightly.

"The patriarch of the Naer family, upon hearing that he was nearing the end of his life before the war began, volunteered to join the battle and was among the first batch of earth immortals to leave the mountain and participate in the war."

But for some reason, this old man's body not only didn't wear him down in the battle, but instead grew stronger with each fight. Later, his white hair even turned black, and his vitality surged; he was no longer the frail old man he had been before the battle.

Fang Lu continued, "I've also heard that this ancestor's cultivation level seems to have broken through to the eighth tribulation. Now he doesn't even care about the position of the eighteenth head, and has directly set his sights on one of the five masters."

"What? An Eighth Tribulation Earth Immortal?" Fang Shu was clearly surprised when he heard this news.

As Fang Lu spoke, she also glanced at Fang Shu's face, and immediately teased him:

"What, do you regret it now? Do you regret being impulsive and missing the chance to get close to your family?"

Although Fang Shu's previous signing of the Immortal Seed Contract with the Er family, and the subsequent invalidation of the contract, were relatively private matters, they could not be kept from those who were interested, and the people around him also knew about them.

Hearing this teasing remark, Fang Shu suppressed his surprise, gave a wry smile, and shook his head, saying:
"If I gain it, I am fortunate; if I lose it, it is my fate. What's the use of regretting it?"

Fang Lu laughed:

"You may not regret it, but others do. Especially your lover, who's quite the big shot in the temple these days."

Although she did not obtain the status of a disciple back then, she has now made the best of her ability and, thanks to the blessings of her ancestor, has been promoted to an inner disciple during the great war.

This girl is far more impressive than my older sister. People are flocking to her to curry favor; I hear they've practically worn down her doorstep.

As Fang Lu spoke, there was a hint of jealousy in her voice, it was unclear whether she was envious of Fang Shu's lover's family background or something else.

Fang Shu listened silently, digested the information, and then simply smiled.

He was still more concerned about his master, Long Gu, and instead of responding to Fang Lu's words, he asked, "May I ask, elder sister... is my senior sister really not a spy from the Ku Gu Temple?"

Getting back to the main topic, Fang Lu composed herself and shrugged:
Whether it's done meticulously or not, I don't know.

In any case, this woman didn't escape to the Temple of Dry Bones, and the temple hasn't expelled her yet; she's merely been placed under house arrest. Judging from the attitude of the Three Immortals within the temple, they intend for her to atone for her sins by performing meritorious service, most likely by sending her to the Lushan Secret Realm.

Fang Shu listened and nodded.

According to Fang Lu, the reason why the Dragon Maiden Immortal Clan suffered such heavy losses was also because, while exploring the secret realm of Mount Lu, she accidentally encountered a Foundation Establishment Immortal named "Yu Ji" from the Kugu Temple, and the two immediately clashed and fought.

Originally, the Dragon Maiden Immortal was about to refine the withered bone immortal, but at the crucial moment, her eldest disciple, who was accompanying her, betrayed her on the spot. This caused the Dragon Maiden Immortal to suffer a qi deviation, and the gu worms in her body suddenly backfired and injured her body, greatly reducing her cultivation. She almost lost her life outside the mountain.

Fortunately, the Dragon Maiden Fairy escaped back to the Five Internal Organs Temple in time, and with the help of the temple's geomantic energy, she was able to stabilize her injuries and avoid dying.

Fang Shu pondered, and suddenly thought to himself, "To attract so many Foundation Establishment Immortals to descend the mountain and risk their lives to fight for it, it seems that the Lushan Secret Realm, although it has been developed by predecessors many times, still has considerable benefits!"

For a moment, he felt an urge to explore the hidden realm of Mount Lu.

Fang Shu suppressed his emotions, came back to his senses, and simply sighed as he said to Fang Lu in front of him:
"No wonder Master Long's attitude towards us disciples was quite different from before when we returned to the mountain this time. He seemed rather indifferent. It seems that the senior sister in the hall really hurt her feelings."

Upon hearing this, Fang Lu spoke with a half-smile on his face:
"This is my elder sister's room. There's nothing you can't say here."

In my opinion, who knows who almost harmed whom back then? If you were in that situation, knowing you were going to die, would you still be willing to obediently obey orders and go to your death?

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes flickered fiercely a few times.

What Fang Lu said was actually what he was thinking.

Based on Fang Shu's past impressions of the Dragon Maiden's family, although the other party was a frank master in the past, she was not particularly kind and benevolent.

In Fang Shu's view, it was either that the eldest sister was blinded by greed and harmed Long Gu, or that Long Gu tried to harm the eldest sister but was injured instead. Both are possible, or even both are possible.

However, after a brief moment of contemplation and raising his guard against them considerably, he stopped thinking about it further.

Fang Shu sat in the room, picked up the silver cup that Fang Lu had prepared for him, and bowed, saying:

"Thank you for your advice, sister. I'd like to offer you a toast."

The atmosphere between the siblings was harmonious. They drank and chatted, sometimes joking, sometimes laughing, as they slowly enjoyed their drinks. During this time, Fang Shu noticed that his senior sister, Fang Lu, had also made some progress in the past few years. Her cultivation had now reached a higher level, breaking through to the sixth tribulation, and she had already refined her Qi.

Placed within the Five Internal Organs Temple, Fang Lu, though still not an inner disciple, is now considered a core disciple, his status no longer what it once was, and not to be underestimated.

After a hearty meal, Senior Sister Fang Lu, with seductive eyes, kept asking Fang Shu if he needed help testing his evil aura and giving him guidance on his cultivation.

When Fang Shuyan said that the peach blossom evil energy in his body had solidified and no further guidance was needed, the other party still insisted on seeing its quality.

Helpless, Fang Shu could only stay in the hermitage for another night.

The next day at dawn.

He then hurriedly left the hermitage and headed towards his own cave dwelling.

Before leaving, he noticed that Fang Lu's expression was much more relaxed than yesterday, and her tense look was greatly reduced.

Clearly, during these years of great battles, this woman was not as simple as she claimed, merely enduring hardship. She was likely under constant pressure from life and death, barely able to breathe.

It wasn't until Fang Shu returned to the mountain that this woman finally had a chance to confide in him and vent her frustrations.

………………

While Fang Shu was talking with Fang Lu in the hermitage, someone else in another part of the inner world was also talking about him.

Inside Er Valley, in the attic of the Er family mansion.

The head of the Er family received a letter from her servants. After glancing at it briefly, she summoned her daughter:

"Dai Yang, this is a letter from the temple's inner hall. It's related to your sister Dai Yuan. Deliver it to her immediately."

The middle-aged woman's attitude towards the "Erdaiyuan" she mentioned had undergone a complete transformation compared to many years ago.

After a few pauses, the middle-aged woman whispered, "That brat from the Gu Hall has returned to the mountain. Since he has long since severed ties with our clan, remember to remind Dai Yuan not to let him get attached to us again."

Erdeyang was slightly taken aback when she heard her mother's instructions. She then looked up at her mother and nodded knowingly.

very quickly.

Erdai sheep swayed gracefully as it arrived at the quietest room in Er's house, where the spiritual energy was most abundant.

She waited outside for a full hour before she heard a faint voice coming from the quiet room:
"Come in."

As the woman entered, she immediately saw a female Taoist priest dressed in a pale yellow robe.

The other person had an oval face and long legs, sitting cross-legged on a jade futon. Their figure was gourd-shaped, and even the Taoist robe could not hide their graceful curves.

This female Taoist was none other than Fang Shu's old friend, Er Daiyuan.

Her current aura is calm, as if she is cultivating, yet a chilling true energy lingers around her in the quiet room, its movements accompanied by bursts of sounds like wind and thunder.

Looking at the uncontainable true energy, Erdaiyang, who had just entered, revealed deep envy in his eyes.

She immediately prostrated herself and bowed deeply, saying, "On behalf of the elder sister, I congratulate you on successfully passing the sixth tribulation. Your progress is remarkable!"

The woman smiled sweetly and said, "Sister, you are not even forty years old yet, and you are already a sixth-tribulation immortal, just one step away from the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Under the protection of our ancestor, my sister will surely attain enlightenment and establish her foundation in the future, adding another Earth Immortal to our family."

Upon hearing the voice, Erdaiyuan slowly opened her eyes and looked at the Erdai sheep in front of her with amusement.

As she gained increasing favor from the Er family patriarch, and as she made several trips out of seclusion and achieved considerable success, the people in the clan became increasingly cheerful.

In a daze, she almost thought that the faces and attitudes she saw when she went up the mountain back then were all a dream.

"Knowing that I have only recently broken through and am currently refining my true energy, why are you bothering me?"

Er Daiyuan asked calmly, "But does the ancestor have something urgent to discuss?"

Erdaiyang quickly stepped forward and bowed, presenting the letter in his hand: "It is not a letter from the Ancestor, but a letter from an old friend of my sister from the household hall. It seems that the person has returned to the mountain."

Dai Yang dared not delay and came to inform her elder sister.

Upon hearing this, Er Daiyuan raised an eyebrow.

Her calm expression immediately wavered, revealing a hint of joy. With a flick of her finger, she took the letter from Erdeyang's hand and slowly unfolded it.

After reading it carefully, Erdaiyuan slowly exhaled:

"Very good, very good."

With a flick of her slender fingers, she reduced the letter to ashes, then stood up as if to go out.

Upon seeing this, Erdaiyang quickly stepped forward and said, "Sister, wait a moment. You haven't broken through for long, you should focus on your cultivation. If you need anything or any message, just leave it to me."

Upon hearing this, Er Daiyuan narrowed her eyes and a cold expression immediately appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Erdeyang trembled, not daring to delay or make excuses, and could only speak very quickly:

"Although Fang Shu was once a celestial being of my Er family and had a past with my sister, he has long since abandoned the celestial being token of my Er family."

Moreover, this person is a member of the Gu Hall. The current leader of the Gu Hall, the Immortal Long Gu, has been severely injured. It is rumored that she will not be able to keep her position in the Gu Hall next year, and her cultivation may even plummet. She will have no path to immortality left and can only be a guardian immortal in the temple.

"Sister, you are a esteemed member of our Er family, renowned and highly regarded by our ancestor. If you were to casually associate with that Dragon Maiden's disciple, it might lead the people in the temple to mistakenly believe it reflects the ancestor's stance."

Erdaiyang whispered, "And the ancestor's intention is also that sister should cultivate diligently within the clan, stabilize her true qi and condense her qi as soon as possible, so that she can seek great opportunities in that secret realm in the future."

I hope my elder sister will not be disturbed by trivial matters. My coming to tell you this today has already violated the ancestral teachings and troubled you greatly.

As she spoke, Erdaiyang showed a look of fear on her face. She quickly bowed and made a gesture of admitting her mistake.

Upon hearing this, Er Daiyuan paused, staring intently at the woman.

(End of this chapter)