Lying Low While Cultivating Immortality in Two Worlds

Taibai Island.

Fang Qing made a quick calculation with his fingers and realized that he had already been in seclusion for ten years.

‘In all my life… it seems I have never secluded myself for such a long period before?’

Turning his divine sense inward, he saw within his qi sea dantian that the Tide-Birth Pearl floated high above. On either side of it hovered a pearl and a flute, two magical artifacts.

Beneath the Tide-Birth Pearl, seventy-seven drops of liquefied mana had gathered together, forming a deep, azure-green pool.

Although Fang Qing had been in seclusion, he had continued observing the situation in both worlds through informants like Xu Hei and Xiang Dahu.

On the Minor Huan Sea side, everything remained calm. Neither the Blue Sea Sect nor the Sea-Destroying Alliance had made any major moves.

Instead, it was the Sancai Market on Sanyuan Island that had seen turmoil. Zhan Hongxiu had successfully broken through to Foundation Establishment and loudly accused Lu Lingfeng of defecting to demonic cultivators and murdering his master. She had clashed fiercely with the Jiang Family’s ancestor several times.

Although she had broken through slightly later, she possessed a second-rank Longevity Turtle, allowing her to gain the upper hand over the Jiang Family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Yet this woman seemed to possess considerable fortune. Turning misfortune into opportunity, she reportedly gained the friendship of deep-sea merfolk and was currently recuperating. It was unknown when she would return to stir up trouble once more.

‘As for Ancient Shu, the situation in Xituo Commandery.’

Fang Qing let out a deep sigh.

The Purple Mansion cultivators observed everything with clarity. Even someone like Sangji, who possessed a proper inheritance, had already shown signs of difficulty in his breakthrough.

And now, it was merely difficulty.

Given enough time, that difficulty would turn into disadvantage and then into near failure.

‘Sangji has only encountered slight setbacks in his manifestation, yet the Purple Mansion has already begun probing.’

‘The Kitchen God Sect, and the karmic ties of heaven and earth spiritual fire, arriving neither early nor late, but precisely at this moment.’

Fang Qing sneered coldly.

He knew that once Sangji’s breakthrough failed, the entire White Bone Dao would collapse instantly.

‘Fortunately, I ran fast enough. Otherwise, all of this would have fallen onto my shoulders.’

‘Moreover, in the eyes of outsiders, any so-called exclusion is nothing but a joke.’

‘My existence is tied to the completion of Sangji’s fate. As long as I do not die, his breakthrough has not completely failed, and the White Bone Dao still retains a thread of destiny. That is why, before entering closed-door seclusion, the master secretly instructed me to leave and preserve myself. This will serve as a good excuse for returning in the future.’

‘Unfortunately… the hope is still slim.’

If Sangji successfully attained the Dharma King stage, Fang Qing could return under that pretext.

But the problem was…He would not succeed.

‘For cultivators to break through to Purple Mansion, unless they are those born with destined fate or reincarnated great powers, it usually takes decades of seclusion.’

‘Ten years have passed now. Some signs can already be seen. There are still another ten or twenty years before true death arrives.’

Once Sangji’s failure and death were confirmed, the Esoteric Hidden-Treasury Domain would certainly send people to open the underground palace and retrieve his remains and relics.

At that time, once they were examined by a Dharma King, everything would be exposed.

‘In the end, it still comes down to one thing. The earlier one runs, the better.’

‘Now that the northern evil entity has been eliminated, I can head north, use the chaos of war as cover, then turn southeast.’

‘But the Fang Family, something about them feels off.’

Fang Qing frowned slightly.

‘Wait a little longer. Observe a bit more… At worst, I can continue secluded cultivation for several more decades, then change my identity entirely.’

He raised his hand again, intending to perform another calculation. But then he remembered that this place was the Minor Huan Sea, not Ancient Shu. The heavenly mechanisms here were different, and even if he calculated, the results might not be accurate.

He could only sigh softly.

“San Ji… [Stomach Earth]…”

Back when he was still a minor cultivator, he had been unable to see through the slovenly Daoist’s true identity.

But after entering the White Bone Dao, through Sangji, Fang Qing had come to understand many of the well-known Purple Mansion figures of Ancient Shu.

That Spiritual Master San Ji cultivated precisely the path of [Stomach Earth].

And back then, he had even chosen the Kitchen God Temple as the location for the exchange meeting.

Fang Qing could hardly help but grow suspicious now that a “Kitchen God Sect” had suddenly risen to prominence. It was difficult not to suspect that the Purple Mansion power backing this sect was none other than San Ji!

‘More importantly… the technique Fang Wuchen cultivates, the Earth Treasure Returning Origin Art, also belongs to the [Stomach Earth] lineage, and his progress has been astonishingly fast!’

‘He is close with Old Tian. Back then, Tian Jinchen was the key to opening the Yanbo Blessed Land, and within that blessed land, there was a trace of [Stomach Earth] divinity!’

‘Wait… I absolutely must not show myself yet. If Fang Wuchen can still successfully obtain a Dao Foundation technique, or even attains a Dao Foundation, then it can basically be confirmed that he has already stepped into this “Stomach Earth scheme”.’

Fang Qing carefully reconstructed everything in his mind. He then recalled how, back when he had first intended to convert Hu Quanan, he had suddenly felt a strange premonition and changed his approach at the last moment.

Thinking back on it now, it was rather chilling.

Hu Quanan was Fang Wuchen’s master and also cultivated [Stomach Earth]. After years of refinement, he had already reached the late stage of Qi Ingestion.

Perhaps he too was merely a chess piece.

‘If I had truly converted him back then, and now the Purple Mansion needed to make use of him but found they could not influence him, that would have caused quite a spectacle.’

‘Fortunately, I only used the profundity of my Dao Foundation to exert subtle influence. After so many years, even that influence has mostly faded. What remains is sustained by personal ties and the bond of master and disciple. There will not be a situation where even a Purple Mansion cannot affect him.’

‘That sudden premonition back then, could it have been for this very moment?’

Fang Qing exhaled slowly, inwardly marveling at the harsh reality of Purple Mansion forces in Ancient Shu.

When Sangji was present, everything had seemed calm.

Yet the moment his seclusion encountered even the slightest setback, all manner of probing began to surface.

They had even moved this unfathomable “Stomach Earth scheme” into Xituo Commandery to manipulate.

Were they not afraid that if Sangji broke through to become a Dharma King and emerged from seclusion, he would simply convert or slaughter every single one of these chess pieces?

‘At present, I truly cannot go to Xituo Commandery again.’

Anything involving San Ji likely also involved that trace of [Stomach Earth] divinity. Even Golden Core figures would not be enough to contend with it!

His greatest method of divining fortune and misfortune would be rendered useless.

If Fang Qing went to Xituo now, any calculations he made would ultimately lead only to his own death.

‘Then I will stay hidden in the Minor Huan Sea. As long as the tiger does not leave its den, let me see who can do anything to me.’

‘First, I will go out and enjoy myself a little. After that, I will return to closed-door cultivation!’

He leisurely emerged from seclusion and wandered through several marketplaces, listening to music in pleasure houses. He then visited Qin Ruxue and Yu Xiang’er in turn, indulging himself for quite some time.

Only then did he quietly return to Taibai Island to resume secluded cultivation, consuming pills and refining his practice.

…

At Wusheng Temple.

Crimson flames moved as though alive, transforming into fire sparrows, fire serpents, fire blades, and fire swords.

A massive flaming hand descended, shattering a phantom golden body.

In an instant, the boundless flames withdrew, revealing a man clad in red robes.

His sword-like brows slanted sharply upward, and a treasured sword hung at his waist. He looked toward the pale-faced Miaofeng Bright Son and cupped his hands.

“I concede. As agreed earlier, best two out of three. I ask the Master to grant the treasure.”

Miaofeng Bright Son nearly spat out a mouthful of golden blood. He forced himself to endure, glancing toward Miaoshui beside him.

Miaoshui Wisdom Consort sighed softly and tossed out a clay bowl. Within it flickered countless firefly-like sparks. It was precisely the “Withered-Bone Emerald Flame.”

Earlier, this man, Chu Zhaohuang, had come to the temple claiming to be a cultivator from the Nine Heavens Fire Palace of Jiangbei, seeking this strand of heaven-and-earth spiritual flame.

Naturally, Miaofeng had refused. He had always been the one to make others suffer losses, never the one to suffer them himself.

In the end, Chu Zhaohuang made his move, consecutively breaking through the White Bone Dao’s Eighteen Guardian Deity Grand Formation and the Mani Flesh-and-Bone Infernal Altar. He then wagered in a contest against the four Bright Sons and Wisdom Consorts, ultimately winning the prize.

“You rely on your peak Dao Foundation cultivation to bully us while our elders are absent, and now you have taken this item. Do you understand the consequences?”

Unable to endure any longer, Miaoshan spoke, her voice carrying a resonant Buddhist tone.

This orthodox cultivator of the Supreme Unity Mysterious Sect had clearly reached the perfected Dao Foundation realm, nearly equal to their own master.

As for the four Bright Ones, they were merely artificially elevated pseudo Dao Foundation cultivators. Even with numerous protectors and grand formations assisting them, the disparity in strength was obvious at a glance.

“Many thanks for the reminder, Master.”

Chu Zhaohuang cupped his hands once more. “This item is tied to my opportunity to attain the Dao, so I had no choice but to take it. I am also aware that this has formed a great karmic entanglement with the White Bone Dao. If the masters have the time in the future, you are welcome to visit Northern Zhou. I will personally sweep the courtyard and await your arrival.”

With flames dancing around him like an immortal at play, he strode out of Wusheng Temple.

Only after stepping beyond the temple gates did he finally let out a breath of relief.

‘Fortunately, no Dharma King tore through space and killed me with a single palm.’

‘Sigh… I wandered through the demonic domains and somehow ended up here. Then I heard news of a Heaven and Earth spiritual flame. Clearly, I was influenced by those demonic Purple Mansion cultivators, turned into a blade for their use. Those demonic arts truly delight in manipulating fate.’

‘But what choice do I have? At least they respect the figure behind me and will not simply kill me. And as for Wusheng Temple, if not for the face of the Esoteric Hidden-Treasury Domain, why bother with this probing and weakening game? One slap would have turned the entire temple into dust!’

‘In this world, without achieving divine ability, one is nothing but an ant!’

Chu Zhaohuang made up his mind. Once he returned, he would enter closed-door cultivation.

Either he would break through to the Purple Mansion realm and roam freely for five hundred years, unafraid even of offending the Esoteric Domain, at worst never returning west again.

Or he would perish in body and soul, all karma settled in death.

In a mountain valley.

Fang Yixin sat in meditation, circulating qi, when he saw his son Fang Wuchen approaching.

The boy had already grown. This time, he had been brought along for the battle as well.

The younger Fang Wujiao remained behind with Yue Mingxue to guard the home.

“…”

Fang Wuchen first bowed, then lowered his voice. “Father, I went to observe the preaching grounds of the Kitchen God Sect. They organize mortals into communities, ten households forming one unit, a hundred forming another. Each group supports a cultivator. The households contribute labor, and the cultivator provides protection. They also promote good deeds, merit, and frequently organize relief efforts. It does not seem like a demonic sect.”

Fang Yixin felt somewhat speechless. “Put away your kind-hearted thoughts. We are tenants of the Zeng Family. Since the Zeng Family says the Kitchen God Sect ‘feeds on vegetables and serves demons,’ then it is a demonic sect.”

“Yes…”

Fang Wuchen sat down dejectedly.

Not long after, Hu Quanan arrived.

A trace of excitement appeared on his face as he spoke in a low voice. “In this coming battle against the Kitchen God Sect, I’m afraid we must go all out.”

“Oh? Why?” Fang Yixin asked.

“I’ve investigated. The cultivators of the Kitchen God Sect also cultivate the [Stomach Earth] path.”

Hu Quanan’s voice carried a hint of excitement.

“Their sect master has already established a Dao Foundation. That means he must possess the Dao Foundation cultivation method of [Stomach Earth]! From what I observed, the breathing techniques of their followers are quite similar to my Earth Treasure Returning Origin Art. They may very well share the same origin.”

“Good. Then this time, we will fight with everything we have!”

Fang Yixin gritted his teeth, then glanced at Fang Wuchen.

Though the boy was somewhat simple-minded, his fortune was indeed profound.

Just as they had been thinking about a Dao Foundation cultivation method, one had appeared right before them.

Truly, it seemed as if the heavens themselves were watching over them.

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