Immortality Cultivation

Fang Hao turned around and looked at the three Green Wood Sect Disciples who had not yet recovered their wits, feeling a bit amused.

These three had expressions like they had seen a ghost, especially that female Disciple in the Foundation Establishment Stage, whose mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg.

He coughed deliberately, cupped his hands, and deepened his voice to sound even raspier: "Fellow Daoists, are you all right?"

This shout finally brought the three people opposite him back to their senses.

The beautiful woman leading them was the first to react; she quickly bowed with a refined gesture, her face still flushed with lingering fear, her voice gentle and filled with gratitude: "We’re... we’re fine! Thank you, Senior, for saving us! If it weren’t for you, we probably would have..."

She didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear; if not for Fang Hao’s miraculous sword strike just now, the three of them would probably have been blasted into dust along with that Demon Beast.

The male Disciple beside her also came to his senses, put away his wooden sword, and bowed deeply, his tone sincere: "Liu Yunfeng of the Green Wood Sect thanks you for saving our lives, Senior! May I ask your name?" He looked slightly older and acted more steadily.

The female Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage also hurriedly followed suit, her face pale, unable to speak clearly: "Th-thank you, Senior!"

Fang Hao waved his hand, maintaining the indifferent appearance of an expert from the outside world (which he was faking): "A mere trifle, not worth mentioning. My surname is Ning, just a Loose Cultivator passing by." He continued to use his fake identity and fake voice, not wanting to reveal his background.

A Loose Cultivator? Liu Yunfeng and the beautiful woman exchanged a glance, both surprised. Could a Loose Cultivator have such strength? The method he used just now to interrupt the Demon Beast’s self-destruction and kill it with one sword stroke was simply miraculous! This was definitely not something an ordinary Loose Cultivator at the Early Golden Core Stage could achieve! Their evaluation of Fang Hao in their hearts rose a few notches, thinking that this "Senior Ning" must be an eccentric expert roaming the world.

"So it is Senior Ning!" Liu Yunfeng’s attitude became even more respectful. "Your great kindness, Senior, the Green Wood Sect will never forget! This Green Phosphorus Poison Python was killed by you, so the spoils of war should rightfully belong to you." He pointed to the carcass of the Demon Beast on the ground, and although he felt some desire for the qingxin grass, he still adhered to the rules.

This was exactly the effect Fang Hao wanted. He glanced at the few stalks of qingxin grass, then looked at the three of them, especially the antidote talisman with dim spiritual light that the female Foundation Establishment Cultivator was clutching, and he made a plan in his heart.

He deliberately pondered for a moment and said: "These Demon Beast Materials are of little use to me. I see that you Fellow Daoists seem to be in urgent need of this qingxin grass to save someone?"

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman’s face showed urgency: "To be honest, Senior, one of our Junior Brothers accidentally fell victim to the poison of the ’Rotten Bone Flower’ and is in critical condition. We urgently need this five-hundred-year-old qingxin grass as the main ingredient to refine an antidote pill. We beg you to fulfill our request, and our Green Wood Sect is willing to exchange it for items of equal value!" As she spoke, she reached for her Storage bag.

Fang Hao wanted them to owe him a favor, so how could he really take their things? He waved his hand, appearing very generous: "Eh! Saving lives is like fighting a fire, why talk about exchange? You may take these stalks of qingxin grass! As for this Demon Beast carcass, I will only take the poison sac and the Golden Core; the remaining scales and Materials can be given to you as well!"

Once these words were spoken, Liu Yunfeng and the other two were stunned. Five-hundred-year-old qingxin grass was valuable, and the Tier 4 Demon Beast Materials were even rarer; this Senior Ning was actually giving them away just like that? This was too generous!

"This... how can we accept this!" Liu Yunfeng quickly declined. "Your life-saving grace is already hard to repay, how can we..."

"Eh, meeting is fate." Fang Hao interrupted him, smiling with an air of profundity. "I see that you Fellow Daoists are all pure-hearted and value loyalty. Using this qingxin grass to save a life is the best use for it. Say no more, go save your friend quickly!"

He said this beautifully, both doing a favor and flattering the other party, making himself appear noble and virtuous.

Liu Yunfeng and the other two were deeply moved upon hearing this. The beautiful woman’s eyes even turned slightly red, and she bowed deeply again: "Senior’s high righteousness, Mu Wanqing, on behalf of Junior Brother Lin and the Green Wood Sect, thanks you, Senior!" She no longer declined, quickly stepped forward to carefully dig out the qingxin grass by the roots, and placed them in a jade box.

Fang Hao also stepped forward, skillfully dissecting the Demon Beast’s head, taking out the sparkling green Golden Core and the fishy-smelling poison sac, and putting them into his storage ring. As for the remaining scales, snake tendons, and other Materials, he didn’t even take a second look.

Seeing this, Liu Yunfeng was even more touched, feeling that this Senior Ning was a true gentleman. He thought for a moment, took out a jade-green token from his Storage bag, and presented it with both hands: "Senior Ning, this is the ’Green Wood Token’ of our Green Wood Sect. Holding this token, you can seek help at any of our Sect’s branches, and you can also enjoy discounts when purchasing Medicinal Pills and Materials. A small token of gratitude, I hope you will accept it, Senior!"

Fang Hao was overjoyed inside, but on the surface, he pretended to ponder before "reluctantly" accepting the token: "Since that is the case, I will not be polite." This thing was great; the Green Wood Sect was famous for Alchemy, so it would be much more convenient to buy medicine in the future!

Mu Wanqing also took out a bottle of Medicinal Pill and handed it over: "Senior, this is the ’Green Spirit Pill’ I refined myself. It has miraculous effects for healing and restoring spiritual power. Please accept it."

Fang Hao didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted it as well. People help each other out; since the other party was showing goodwill, he would just accept it.

Both sides exchanged a few more polite words, and Liu Yunfeng and the other two, worried about their poisoned Junior Brother, proposed to leave.

"Senior Ning, words cannot express our gratitude! If you have time in the future, please be sure to visit the Green Wood Sect in Liangzhou, and let us fulfill our duties as hosts!" Liu Yunfeng invited sincerely.

"Easy to say, easy to say." Fang Hao smiled and nodded. "We shall meet again!"

Watching the three from the Green Wood Sect turn into three green rainbows and hurry away, the smile on Fang Hao’s face slowly faded. He weighed the Green Wood Token and the Medicinal Pill in his hand and nodded with satisfaction. This wave was not a loss; he had gained benefits and also forged a good relationship. The Green Wood Sect had a good reputation, and there might be a use for it in the future.

He quickly cleaned up the battlefield, erased the traces, and immediately left this place of trouble. The commotion just now was not small, and it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn’t attract others.

He continued on his way. After this small episode, Fang Hao was in a good mood. This Secret Realm was not all about fighting and scheming; occasionally, one could encounter warm-hearted things.

After flying for another half day, a huge swamp area appeared ahead. Colorful poisonous miasma hung over the swamp, and huge bubbles erupted from the mud, emitting a foul stench. The map marked this as the "Ten Thousand Poisons Marsh," one of the necessary paths to the core area, which was extremely dangerous with many poisonous insects and wild beasts.

Fang Hao frowned; this place was not easy to pass through. Just as he was wondering whether to take a detour or force his way through, suddenly, his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes caught a flicker of spiritual light on a dry slope at the edge of the swamp, where it seemed some Cultivators were setting up a Formation.

He quietly approached and hid behind a forest of withered trees to observe. He saw five Cultivators standing on the slope, arranging a complex Formation. The five were dressed uniformly in dark purple robes, with a hideous ghost head pattern embroidered on their cuffs. Their aura was cold and gloomy, and their cultivation bases were not weak: three at the Early Golden Core Stage and two at the Great Perfection Foundation Establishment.

"It’s the people from the ’Yougui Sect’!" Fang Hao’s eyes narrowed. The Yougui Sect was a Sect in the Mingling Empire that was neither entirely righteous nor evil, skilled in driving ghosts, controlling souls, and using Gu poisons and curses. They acted in secret and had a bad reputation. What were these guys doing, setting up a Formation here so sneakily?

He carefully observed the Formation; the patterns were strange and emitted an ominous aura. It seemed to be a combination of a large Confinement Formation and an illusion Formation, and several evil Magical Artifacts emitting a strong bloody stench were buried at the eye of the Formation.

"Looking at this setup, it doesn’t look like they are dealing with a Demon Beast in the swamp, but rather... preparing to ambush someone?" A trace of vigilance rose in Fang Hao’s heart. This Yougui Sect was likely up to no good!

He remained calm and continued to lurk and observe, wanting to see what these guys were up to!