The First Venerable of All Paths

"The Desolate Realm has truly merged with me."

Looking at the gray world of yellow sand filling the sky, Fang Xuan felt a surge of excitement.

After obtaining the Origin of the Desolate Path, he not only condensed the Desolate Tribulation Heavenly Eye, but also merged this desolate realm with him.

"The flow of time is also different from that of the outside world."

Fang Xuan estimated that three days in the Desolate Realm was equivalent to only one day in the outside world.

"Three times the time flow rate."

Fang Xuan opened his eyes, a look of excitement on his face.

"That's the real gain for me!"

In the future, he can completely retreat into seclusion in the desolate realm to cultivate, saving a lot of time.

However, in the desolate realm, it was Fang Xuan's divine soul power that was consumed.

"But compared to three times the time flow rate, this consumption is nothing."

Just as they finished exploring the uses of the desolate realm, the knocking sounded again.

"Come in."

After the door opened, Lu Zhao walked in with Manman.

"Brother Fang Xuan, here are the medicinal herbs you requested."

Lu Zhao handed a storage bag to Fang Xuan and said, "Some of the medicinal herbs are extremely rare, and due to the time constraints, we were only able to collect a portion. You can use this for now, and I'll have Qiu Yun continue searching."

The medicinal herbs were collected by Lu Zhao on Fang Xuan's behalf, and Fang Xuan would find them very useful.

Fang Xuan opened the storage bag and carefully inspected it.

"That's enough."

Fang Xuan said gratefully, "Sister Lu Zhao, thank you for your hard work."

"That's all I can do."

Lu Zhao said, "You should focus on your cultivation; I won't disturb you any longer."

"Go Fang Xuan, brother!"

Manman waved her pink fist at Fang Xuan to cheer him on.

After the two left, Fang Xuan closed the door tightly and set up an array to prevent being disturbed.

The next few days were extremely important to him, and Fang Xuan didn't want to be influenced by anyone for no reason.

Clutching the storage bag full of medicinal herbs, Fang Xuan's eyes flashed with a gray light, and his figure suddenly disappeared from the room, returning to the Desolate Realm once more.

After Fang Xuan merged with the Wilderness Realm, there were no more Wilderness Beasts.

Even the remaining skeletons of wild beasts were all buried by Fang Xuan.

"Boom!"

Fang Xuan's mind stirred, and the ground churned, sending dirt flying.

In an instant, a massive castle rose from the earth.

In the desolate realm, Fang Xuan is the master of heaven and earth.

With just a single thought, the world can be transformed.

"Unfortunately, the chances of survival are something beyond my control."

Looking at the desolate wilderness, Fang Xuan smiled calmly: "I'll see later if I can find some spiritual veins to put into it."

Banishing these thoughts, Fang Xuan entered the castle and sat down cross-legged on the spot.

He glanced at the table on his wrist, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Whether it works or not depends on this one time."

He opened the storage bag and took out all the medicinal herbs inside.

"Exquisite ginseng, blood-coagulated mushroom, dragon blood bodhi, soul-nourishing wood..."

Looking at these medicinal herbs, Fang Xuan was filled with emotion.

Lu Zhao was able to collect so many medicinal herbs in such a short time, which must have taken a lot of effort.

There are even some medicinal herbs that cannot be bought with spirit stones.

Fang Xuan could only keep this feeling in his heart for the time being.

"Let's begin."

Fang Xuan picked up a medicinal herb that resembled a ginseng. With a thought, a blue flame appeared, enveloping the exquisite ginseng and rapidly refining it.

The exquisite ginseng contains extremely rich qi and blood energy.

It is a top-grade medicinal material for restoring qi and blood and replenishing vital energy.

However, it contains a trace of violent energy. If it is not properly refined and consumed indiscriminately, it may cause a sudden outburst of qi and blood.

Fortunately, the Azure Lotus Karmic Fire can perfectly refine these impurities.

Before long, the Linglong Ginseng was refined into a ball of fragrant, blood-red energy, which Fang Xuan carefully guided into the blood-red bracelet that the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor had transformed into.

Back in the Sunset Wasteland, the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor fought alone against Tang Xuan, Xue Wanlong, and the Flame Lion.

Because of his Crimson Blood Demon Body, his vital energy was greatly depleted, causing him to fall into a deep coma.

Fang Xuan collected so many medicinal herbs to replenish the blood and soul of the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor.

However, even after the entire Linglong Ginseng consumed all its energy, the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor showed no reaction whatsoever.

Fortunately, Fang Xuan was prepared and was not disappointed, continuing to refine the Blood Condensation Mushroom.

While Fang Xuan was replenishing the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor's blood and energy with medicinal herbs, all the various forces were in shock because of what had happened during the day.

"Has the matter been investigated? Who exactly is Fang Xuan, who killed Zhao Yao?"

In a luxurious inn in Wendao City.

A young man in fine clothes tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"Reporting to Young Master, we have found something."

The guard said, "Fang Xuan comes from a small family in Qingyang County. For some unknown reason, he killed a disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect. That's why he made a six-month agreement with Elder Jia Lian of the Dao Seeking Sect to challenge the Holy Son Zhao Qingcang."

"His visit to Wencheng is likely to keep an appointment."

The richly dressed young man frowned and said, "That's it?"

"There wasn't enough time; this is all the information I could find."

The guard hurriedly said, "However, according to my guess, Fang Xuan didn't come earlier or later, but chose such a crucial time as the investiture ceremony of the Holy Son of the Dao Inquiry Sect. It's obvious that he has a deep-seated grudge against that prospective Holy Son."

"That makes some sense."

The richly dressed young man stroked his chin and suddenly chuckled, "In any case, the investiture ceremony in three days is going to be quite a show."

......

"Master, we've found out."

In another inn, an old man bowed and said, "After Fang Xuan killed Zhao Yao, he did not leave Wen Dao City. It seems that he really will go to Wen Dao Mountain in three days."

"Fang Xuan..."

The man muttered the name for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "Interesting. To dare to challenge someone during their investiture ceremony, this person has quite the nerve."

"Master, then we..."

"Do nothing."

The man raised his hand and said, "We're here to observe the ceremony, not to cause trouble."

"As for that Fang Xuan..."

The man sneered, "Just a presumptuous clown trying to jump off a beam; not worth paying attention to."

......

"Master, just as you predicted, those medicinal herbs were all purchased by the Qiu Family Trading Company."

In the elegant attic room, sandalwood incense burned, sending up a wisp of smoke.

A woman in a tight-fitting outfit said respectfully through the curtain, "Your subordinate has selected the best quality medicinal herbs as instructed."

"Splash!"

The sound of splashing water came from behind the curtain.

It looks like someone is taking a bath inside.

"Well done."

The woman's voice rang out, saying, "Keep an eye on Qiu's Trading Company. If anyone dares to make another move, chop them up."

The woman in the tight-fitting clothes was taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Master, do you want to protect them?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, just do your job well."

"Yes, Master!"

The woman in the tight-fitting clothes felt a chill run down her spine, and her expression became uneasy.

The woman behind the curtain continued, "How are the arrangements going in Sunset Town?"

"Reporting to Master, everything is ready."

The woman in the tight-fitting clothes said, "With just one command from Master, the alliance can fall apart."

"Don't make any rash moves yet; let them continue to lie low."

The woman's voice behind the curtain was icy and chilling: "What I want is to uproot that so-called alliance completely!"

"Understood!"

The woman in the tight-fitting clothes was increasingly horrified.

She knew her master's personality very well.

She said whoever she wanted to destroy, they wouldn't be able to escape.

What puzzled her was that they had no dealings with Sunset Town, so why would their master harbor such a strong desire to kill a small alliance?

"Go on out if you have nothing else to do, I need to rest."

The woman said, "By the way, please prepare a gift for me. I will be going to the Taoist temple to attend the ceremony in three days."

"Yes, Master!"

After the woman in the tight-fitting clothes left the room, the sound of splashing water came from behind the curtain again.

A section of fair, jade-like leg stepped out of the bathtub, carrying warm water droplets, which slid down her body and finally fell reluctantly to the ground.

The woman picked up a bathrobe, wrapped it around her exposed body, sat in front of the mirror, and combed her shoulder-length short hair.

The valiant woman in the mirror suddenly smiled, her voice murmuring.

"Brother Fang Xuan, we've finally waited for you!"

......

Daodao Sect, Lingzhao Peak, Main Hall.

The atmosphere was extremely tense at that moment.

Waves of spiritual energy intertwined in the air, bringing a powerful pressure.

outside the temple.

Commander Tie and Commander Mu knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe.

Beside it lay Zhao Yao's headless corpse.

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

Inside the main hall, an elder suddenly shouted coldly, "Injuring my Dao Seeking Sect disciple and killing my Dao Seeking City deacon—this is provocation, this is a declaration of war!"

"Peak Master, Elders, Fang Xuan is far too arrogant."

The elder said, "I propose that we immediately order someone to seize this person and execute him on the spot, so as to uphold the dignity of our Daoist Sect!"

"We await your review!"

"If this brat is not eliminated, how can the reputation of my Daoist sect be preserved?"

"Peak Master, give the order!"

At the head of the table, Zhao Kou, expressionless, looked at an elderly man to his left and said, "Elder Dong, what do you think?"

"Reporting to the Peak Master, I believe this matter should be considered carefully."

As soon as Elder Dong spoke, the other elders immediately began to hurl insults at him.

"Dong Ye, are you going to protect that little bastard?"

"This lad has killed countless disciples of my Dao Seeking Sect over the years. Not killing him is insufficient to appease the public's anger!"

"Peak Master, I suspect Dong Ye harbors treacherous ambitions and seeks to undermine the foundation of our sect. His intentions are despicable!"

These people actually turned their attention to Dong Ye.

"Alright, that's enough, everyone."

Zhao Kou looked at Dong Ye and said, "Elder Dong, tell me your opinion. Why do you disagree?"

"Peak Master, Elders."

Dong Ye stood up and said calmly, "Three days later is the Hall of Conferment of the Holy Son. All forces will gather there. If we really make a move against Fang Xuan, everyone will think that our Dao Asking Sect is bullying the weak and will be ridiculed."

"What a joke."

One of the elders immediately said, "If our disciple is killed and not severely punished, we will become a laughingstock!"

"That's exactly right!"

Someone immediately chimed in, "Elder Dong's blatant favoritism towards Fang Xuan suggests he might have some hidden secret."

"Elders, please calm down."

Dong Ye calmly said, "This boy must die, but not now."

Everyone was taken aback and looked at Dong Ye.

Dong Ye said, "Fang Xuan publicly declared that he would challenge the Holy Son in three days. If he dies now, what will others think of my Dao Seeking Sect? What will they think of the Holy Son?"

"Could anyone think that they secretly killed him because they were worried that the Holy Son wouldn't be a match for this person?"

Upon hearing this, many people frowned and fell into deep thought.

"So, does that mean we can't do anything to him?"

One of the elders said indignantly.

"Not only must we not touch him, we must also ensure his safety."

Dong Ye said with a wry smile, "If anything happens to him, regardless of whether we did it or not, others will pin the blame on my Dao Seeking Sect and the Holy Son."

"That little beast, he's truly despicable!"

One of the elders was so angry that he cursed loudly, his face full of frustration.

"This is precisely where Fang Xuan's cunning lies."

Dong Ye said helplessly, "This matter has already escalated and attracted attention from all sides. No matter how we try to cover it up, we cannot change the fact that he will challenge the Holy Son in three days."

"All we can do now is wait!"

Dong Ye's eyes gleamed, and he said, "Three days later, at the ceremony for the investiture of the Holy Son, we will kill him openly and honestly!"