The First Venerable of All Paths

"Alright, then I'll leave this to you."

Fang Xuan said, "But I have three requirements."

"Young master, please speak. This old servant is listening."

Zhongye, ever the sycophant, trotted forward and began massaging Fang Xuan's back and shoulders, his face full of flattery.

"First, they must have a clean family background and a pure history, without any blood feuds."

Fang Xuan said, "Secondly, you don't need to have cultivation, but you must have a martial vein of at least the middle grade of the Yellow Rank."

Third, I am willing to sign a life-or-death contract.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yi finally made up his mind.

Fang Xuan is training a death squad.

Only Deadpool demands to sign a life-or-death contract.

Because once a life-or-death contract is signed, one's life and death will be controlled by others.

They are even prepared to die at any time.

Master Zhong asked, "Young Master, how many do you plan to buy?"

"Fifty, I guess."

"Fifty?!"

Master Zhong looked shocked and said, "Young Master, if we follow your request, having so many slaves will cost a lot of spirit stones."

"You don't need to worry about the Yuan Stones."

Fang Xuan said, "You just need to get things done."

"Alright!"

Master Zhong patted his chest and said confidently, "Young master, rest assured, this old servant guarantees that I will handle it perfectly for you."

After the two left, Fang Xuan took out all the things he had bought that day.

A pile of array materials and a batch of medicinal herbs.

Fang Xuan was preparing to rebuild a stronger defensive array for the Fang family.

The Fang family is now in dire straits, facing the formidable enemy, the Blood Fiend Gang. Fang Xuan needs to prepare early.

Creating Deadpool is not something that can be done overnight.

The same principle applies to refining Dragon Bone Elixir to enhance the Fang family's overall strength.

A formation with strong defensive capabilities can buy the Fang family enough time to develop.

"Time is of the essence."

Fang Xuan was about to set up the formation when he suddenly noticed the broken jar inside.

"This jar..."

Fang Xuan picked up the jar, frowned, and looked puzzled.

When he first saw the jar, he felt a slight tremor in his mind.

But now I don't feel that way anymore.

"Could it be that my senses are wrong? Is this actually just a broken pot?"

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the jar shattered with a crack, shattering into pieces on the floor.

Upon seeing this, Fang Xuan's lips twitched.

have to.

The 100,000 yuan worth of stones was wasted.

"Huh, what's this...?"

But just then, Fang Xuan noticed a palm-sized fragment among the pile of shards.

The fragment was as thin as a cicada's wing; it must have been stuck to the inside of the jar before, making it completely invisible from the outside.

Fang Xuan reached out and picked up the fragment, but as soon as his fingers touched it, a deep, dark light burst forth from it.

With a whoosh, the fragment pierced directly into Fang Xuan's dantian at lightning speed.

"Oh no!"

A piercing pain struck, causing Fang Xuan's consciousness to blur.

At the same time, a majestic voice suddenly resounded in his mind.

"The array suppresses all heavens, the law governs all realms..."

After an unknown amount of time, Fang Xuan finally woke up.

His face was deathly pale, and his whole body was soaked in sweat.

His body's vital energy and blood were completely depleted, leaving him extremely weak.

But Fang Xuan was extremely excited.

Because next to his Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, there was an extra small piece of paper.

The paper was black, emitting no trace of any scent, and looked completely ordinary.

However, this small piece of paper is Empress Zhenxiao's natal imperial weapon - the Three Thousand Array Diagrams!

Of course, it is only a small part of the Three Thousand Formations Diagram.

In the inherited memory, the complete Three Thousand Formation Diagram, when expanded, is enough to cover an entire realm.

Even this small fragment of the array diagram allowed Fang Xuan to upgrade the array by one level when setting it up.

"It's like finding a pillow when you're sleepy."

Fang Xuan immediately picked up various materials and went out to set up the magic array.

......

"Father, it hurts so much."

The Su family.

Su Yang, whose broken leg had been set, lay on the bed, his face contorted in pain and his eyes bloodshot.

"I'm going to kill Fang Xuan! I'm going to kill him!"

Seeing his son in such a miserable state, Su Chongming's face twitched, and he looked furious.

"This matter is not urgent."

Su Chongming said sternly, "The Blood Fiend Gang has sent word that they will soon dispatch powerful warriors to seek revenge. That day will be the day the Fang family is wiped out!"

"But I can't wait even a day longer!"

Su Yang gripped the edge of the bed and gritted his teeth, saying, "Right now, I wish I could grind him to dust."

"My son, please be patient for a few more days."

Su Chongming reassured them, "The Fang family will be wiped out in five days at most!"

......

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

With a sum of spirit stones given to him by Fang Xuan in his pocket, Zhong Ye hummed a little tune and slipped out of the Fang family home in a flash.

Outside the city of Qingyang County, there was a hidden slave market.

This place is a melting pot of dragons and snakes, with a murky atmosphere and cries and shouts rising and falling.

Ordinary noblemen would find this place filthy and never want to set foot here, but Master Zhong knew the place like the back of his hand.

"Uncle Zhong! What brings you here today?"

A shifty-eyed manager rubbed his hands together and came forward with a fawning smile.

"Uncle Zhong, I've come today to do a big deal with you."

Zhongye flicked his sleeve, his face full of arrogance.

"Oh, thank you so much for taking care of me, Master Zhong."

The manager lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, Mr. Zhong, I just received a new batch of goods. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"What a coincidence?"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhong chuckled and said, "Come on, let me show you Grandpa Zhong."

"Uncle Zhong, this way please. There are steps, please be careful."

The manager bowed and scraped as he led the way.

Soon, the two arrived at an open space.

Countless iron cages were lined up in a row.

The people inside were all bound by chains, their hands and feet tied together.

Their eyes were either dim or filled with malice.

"Uncle Zhong, take a look at this."

The foreman pointed to a burly slave, comparable to a small giant, and said, "This man has barbarian blood, possesses immense strength, but is docile in nature, making him ideal as a guard. He only requires 30,000 shi (a unit of currency).

"Not bad, not bad."

The barbarian slave smiled憨厚ly at Lord Zhong upon hearing this.

"And this too."

The manager then pointed to a hot, scantily clad female slave and whispered, "This one is even more extraordinary. She's the top courtesan of the brothel, and she knows many tricks. If you buy her, I guarantee she'll give you heaven on earth."

As he spoke, he gave a knowing look.

"This is good, this is good."

Zhongye's eyes lit up, his gaze almost piercing through the thin veil covering the female slaves.

"Master Zhong, if you want it, I can give you a discount, 80,000 shi."

Upon hearing this, Zhongye's face immediately changed.

"Who said I wanted it? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

The manager inwardly scoffed, but smiled broadly and said, "Then let me show you around some more."

After looking around, it seemed that Zhongye hadn't found anything satisfactory.

On the contrary, the person in charge was so exhausted from running that his voice was hoarse.

"Uncle Zhong, what kind of thing do you need?"

The manager, panting, said, "Tell me roughly what you need. If we don't have it here, I'll have someone bring it to you from somewhere else."

Grandpa Zhong asked, "Don't you have anything cheaper here?"

"There are indeed cheaper options."

The steward said, "I'm afraid it won't meet your standards."

"It's alright, let's take a look first."

"Alright, please come with me."

Next, the two arrived at a courtyard.

In the courtyard, there were dozens of slaves, all emaciated and sallow-faced, including men, women, and children.

Several of them even had broken legs, missing hands, blindness, or deafness... They looked pitiful at first glance.

"These people's village was attacked by monsters, and only these few hundred people remain."

The steward said, "They're just teenagers, the elderly, women and children. You certainly wouldn't want them, Master Zhong."

"No!"

Instead, Master Zhong said, "Master Zhong likes this very much."

"what?"

This has confused the person in charge.

"Master Zhong, these people do have clean backgrounds and are willing to do anything to survive, but..."

Before the steward could finish speaking, Master Zhong interrupted, "Speak, how many spirit stones? I want all these people."

Grandpa Zhong waved his hand, displaying great generosity.

"What? You want them all?"

The steward was taken aback and said, "Master Zhong, is there something in here...?"

"I see."

Master Zhong sighed and said, "But I'm short of money and can only afford this kind of stuff."

"Alright."

The steward sighed and said, "If you really want it, Master Zhong, then give me five hundred yuan stones."

"You dare ask for five hundred for these scrawny, deformed fruits? You bastard, why don't you just rob someone?"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhong exploded: "Too expensive! Too expensive! One price, fifty!"

"Mr. Zhong, you've really gone too far with that price cut!"

The person in charge's face twitched.

"Take it or leave it. If you don't want to sell, I'll go somewhere else."

Zhongye turned and left.

"No, no, no!"

The manager quickly pulled him back, gritting his teeth and stamping his foot: "Fifty it is! Consider it making friends!"

Master Zhong was overjoyed, but his face still showed a pained expression, as if he had cut off his own flesh. He slowly took out fifty yuan stones and handed them over, not forgetting to give a word of advice:

"Keep your mouth shut. Anyone who dares to tell anyone will never do business with Master Zhong again."

"I understand, I understand!"

Thirty-seven slaves followed behind Lord Zhong, trembling with fear.

The more Zhongye looked at it, the more satisfied he became.

When we get back, the young master will surely praise me for being efficient.

Upon returning to the Fang family home, he first threw the slaves into a secluded backyard, dusted himself off, straightened his clothes, and deliberately appeared sweaty and exhausted before staggering over to Fang Xuan.

"Young master...this old servant...this old servant is back!"

He grabbed the tea on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls, panting heavily, looking like he was about to collapse.

Fang Xuan looked up: "How did things go?"

Grandpa Zhong immediately squeezed out a few tears, choking back sobs as he said:

"Young master, you have no idea how heartless those slave traders are! They raise prices arbitrarily, they're utterly ruthless! This old servant talked until his lips were hoarse, almost got into a fight with them, and only with great difficulty... managed to buy a batch of elite soldiers!"

Fang Xuan looked at him calmly: "How much did it cost?"

Grandpa Zhong held up one finger, then three more, his face contorted in extreme pain.

"A total of... 1.3 million shi!"

Fang Xuan: "..."

Zhan Yi was also stunned.

One million three hundred thousand?

Buy a batch of slaves?

That price could buy several Tier 3 monsters!

When Zhongye saw that Fang Xuan remained silent, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly continued his act:

"Young Master, this old servant truly did his best! The original price was 1.8 million, but I bargained relentlessly and managed to reduce it to 1.3 million! These are all carefully selected elites; they will be your trusted and sharpest weapons in the future!"

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, his emotions sincere and heartfelt, as if he had truly saved Fang Xuan a large sum of money.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuan stood up and said, "Then take me to see it."

"OK."

Master Zhong said, "Young Master, this old servant can guarantee that you will be very satisfied after you finish reading it."