Immortality Cultivation

Fang Hao holed up in his small courtyard in Hundred Flowers City for a few days, not stepping out the door, focusing on consolidating his newly achieved Middle Golden Core Stage cultivation.

He also took the time to study the new techniques he had obtained from the heaven-reaching pagoda, such as the incomplete Shadowless Evasion Technique and the middle volume of the Chaos Derivation Art.

His strength was steadily increasing, and he felt much more at ease.

However, despite feeling at ease, there was always something weighing on his mind, like a thorn that made him uncomfortable if left unpulled.

That was the Old Schemer, Black Water Rogue Cultivator!

He remembered clearly that outside the ruins in the Hundred Flowers Mountain Range, he had used the golden puppet to ambush and kill Black Water Rogue Cultivator, destroying the body and erasing the evidence, thinking he had done it flawlessly.

But at the time, Black Water Rogue Cultivator hadn’t gone alone!

There was also True Person Chiyang’s Foundation Establishment Stage disciple, Wang Miao, who had stayed outside the city to provide support!

Now, Fang Hao had come out of the Secret Realm completely unscathed, but Black Water Rogue Cultivator hadn’t even been seen.

As long as Wang Miao wasn’t stupid, he would definitely link these two things together!

Black Water Rogue Cultivator had gone to investigate the cause of True Person Chiyang’s death, only to end up gone himself, and Fang Hao, the only one to come out of the ruins alive, became the prime suspect!

"Damn it, now I’m in a situation where even if it isn’t feces, it looks like it!" Fang Hao cursed inwardly.

Although he was confident that he had been clean and left no evidence, how many of these old guys in the cultivation world cared about evidence?

Especially the forces behind True Person Chiyang and Black Water Rogue Cultivator; with two Golden Cores dead, would they just let it go?

Even without evidence, as long as they suspected him, they would have plenty of ways to cause him trouble!

During his few days in Hundred Flowers City, he had vaguely felt a few obscure Divine Senses scanning around outside his courtyard.

Although they didn’t dare to probe directly inside, the feeling was like being watched by a venomous snake, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

"I can’t stay in this Hundred Flowers City anymore!" Fang Hao immediately made up his mind.

If he stayed any longer, he would be targeted sooner or later!

He had to slip away quickly!

But where should he go?

Return to the Seventh Princes Mansion?

No, the target was too big, and it would be easy to bring trouble back there.

Continue wandering in the Southern Frontier?

That wasn’t safe either, and he was unfamiliar with the place.

After thinking it over, a thought popped up: Go home!

Go back to his old home in the West Province to take a look!

Once this thought appeared, it grew wildly like weeds.

Calculating the time, it had been four years since he had secretly returned for a visit four years ago.

His parents at home were getting older; he wondered how their health was.

And his younger brother, Ning Bo, who was only two years old and couldn’t even speak clearly when he left, should be six years old now, right?

He wondered what he looked like now.

More importantly, he had always harbored a worry in his heart: those bastards from the Chiyang Sect!

Back when he was still an Outer Sect Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, because of the death of two Golden Core Elders of the Chiyang Sect in a ruin, the Chiyang Sect had stubbornly dumped the blame on him and killed their way to the Azure Cloud Sect to demand him.

The Azure Cloud Sect couldn’t protect him, so he was forced to leave the Sect and flee far away to the West Province.

He had always remembered this debt!

He was afraid that those scum from the Chiyang Sect, unable to find him, would go insane and deal with his family in the Mortal world!

Although there was an unwritten rule in the cultivation world that trouble should not involve Mortals, it was hard to say whether a barbaric and overbearing Sect like the Chiyang Sect would follow the rules!

What if they really had no shame...

Thinking that his parents and young brother might suffer because of him, Fang Hao couldn’t sit still; he felt like a cat was scratching his heart!

"Go back! I must go back and see! Otherwise, my heart won’t be at peace!" He slapped his thigh and made up his mind.

Just right, while the trouble on Black Water Rogue Cultivator’s side hadn’t fully erupted, he would hurry back to the West Province!

The West Province was far from the Southern Frontier, and the Chiyang Sect’s influence was mainly in the Central Continent and Eastern Region, so their reach shouldn’t be that long, making it relatively safer.

Saying and doing!

Fang Hao immediately started packing his things.

He returned the small courtyard and wiped away all traces of his residence.

Then he visited several large shops in Hundred Flowers City, selling some unused Demon Beast Materials and low-grade Magical Artifacts in batches, exchanging them for a large amount of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

He also purchased many Medicinal Pills suitable for Mortals to prolong life, medicinal herbs to strengthen the body, as well as some gold, silver, jewelry, and fine silks and satins, preparing to bring them home.

After preparing everything, he found a quiet time in the deep of night and left Hundred Flowers City silently.

After leaving the city, he summoned the flying Magic Treasure he had obtained from Gong Mingliang—the silver light shuttle!

This shuttle was entirely silver and bright, streamlined, extremely fast, and came with its own concealment Formation; it was a Divine Artifact for running away!

He climbed into the shuttle and urged it with his spiritual power!

Swoosh—!

The silver light shuttle turned into an almost invisible stream of light, instantly disappearing into the night sky, speeding towards the direction of the West Province!

The speed was more than several times faster than when he had used the yitian sword to fly before!

Sitting inside the shuttle, watching the clouds rapidly receding outside the window, Fang Hao’s mood was complex.

There was the excitement of being close to home and feeling timid, as well as worry for the safety of his family.

"Dad, Mom, Little Bo... you must be doing well!" He muttered to himself, his heart flying home.

The silver light shuttle went at full speed, traveling day and night.

Fang Hao was now at the Middle Golden Core Stage, with abundant spiritual power, enough to support long-duration flight.

When tired, he would meditate and adjust his breath inside the shuttle; when thirsty or hungry, he would eat Medicinal Pills.

Along the way, he tried his best to avoid large cultivation cities and the spheres of influence of Sects, specifically choosing to fly over barren mountains and wild ridges to avoid extra trouble.

After flying for nearly a month, he finally entered the territory of the West Province.

The West Province had many mountains, the Spiritual Qi was relatively thin, and the level of cultivation was not as good as the Southern Frontier and the Central Continent, making it seem a bit like a "remote and desolate place."

However, looking at the familiar outlines of the mountains under his feet, an indescribable sense of intimacy surged in Fang Hao’s heart.

After flying for a few more days, he finally arrived at the territory of Lixiang Town.

He lowered the silver light shuttle, landed in an uninhabited place outside the town, put away the flying shuttle, and changed into a common blue cloth long gown, dressing like a traveling scholar, before walking towards the Nine Slopes Village in his memory.

The closer he got to the village, the higher his heart rose.

On the way, he met a few old farmers carrying hoes to the fields; he secretly scanned them with his Divine Sense, and they were all ordinary Mortals, and there were no powerful Spiritual Qi fluctuations in the village.

It looked... very peaceful?

Walking to the entrance of the village, the old locust tree was still there.

Fang Hao took a deep breath and stepped into the village.

The village hadn’t changed much; it was still those low adobe houses.

He walked straight towards the east end of the village.

From afar, he saw that familiar courtyard with a large blue brick and tile house that looked particularly eye-catching in the village!

It was the new house that his family had rebuilt with the silver he had received when he joined the Azure Cloud Sect!

The courtyard wall was very high, and the large vermilion wooden gate was tightly closed.

Fang Hao walked to the door, his hand resting on the cold door knocker, and he was actually trembling a little.

He took a deep breath and lightly knocked on the door knocker.

Knock, knock-knock.

A burst of light footsteps came from the courtyard, followed by a childish, slightly wary voice: "Who is it?"

Fang Hao’s heart warmed; this voice... was it Little Bo?!

He tried to make his voice as gentle as possible: "Little Bo, it’s me, your big brother, Fang Hao."

There was a silence inside the door, and then a "clatter" sound came, as if a stool had fallen.

Immediately after, the door bolt was pulled open with effort, and with a "creak," the big gate opened a crack.

A round-faced, sturdy-looking little boy wearing a coarse cloth jacket poked his head out from the crack of the door, blinking his dark, round eyes, looking at Fang Hao with curiosity and unfamiliarity.

The little boy had dark skin and looked very sturdy.

It was his younger brother, Ning Bo!

Four years had passed, and he had grown up so much!

"You... are you really my big brother?" Little Bo tilted his head and asked, a bit afraid to recognize him.

When Fang Hao left, he was only two years old, so he probably didn’t have any impression of him.

Fang Hao felt a pang in his heart, squatted down, touched his little head, and smiled: "Genuine and authentic. Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Haoer?! Is it really Haoer who has returned?!" At this moment, an excited and trembling woman’s voice came from the courtyard.

Fang Hao looked up and saw his mother, Wang, walking out of the house quickly, still holding a spatula in her hand, with flour on her apron.

Seeing Fang Hao, her eyes instantly turned red.

"Mom!" Fang Hao stood up, his voice also somewhat choked with emotion.

"It’s good that you’re back! It’s good that you’re back!" Madam Xu stepped forward and grabbed Fang Hao’s hand, looking him up and down, tears streaming down uncontrollably, "You’ve thinned, and you’ve darkened... you’ve suffered outside..."

"It’s not bitter, Mom, I’m doing fine." Fang Hao quickly comforted her, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Seeing his mother’s reaction, the family should be fine.

"Hurry and come into the house! Hurry and come into the house! Your dad went to town to deliver firewood, he’ll be back in a while!

Little Bo, hurry to the fields and tell your dad to come back! Tell him your big brother is back!" Madam Xu wiped her tears while greeting Fang Hao into the house and sending Little Bo off.

Little Bo said "Okay," took another curious look at Fang Hao, and then ran towards the outside of the village.

Fang Hao followed his mother into the courtyard.

The courtyard was cleaned very neatly, firewood was piled in the corner, and corn was hanging under the eaves, full of the atmosphere of daily life.

He quietly scanned the entire courtyard and house with his Divine Sense, confirming that there were no hidden Cultivators, and no traces of any surveillance or Restriction, and the big stone in his heart finally landed completely.

It seems that those people from the Chiyang Sect haven’t reached the point of being so shameless as to attack Mortals.

The home is safe.

He sat on the chair in the main room, drinking the hot water his mother poured, listening to her chattering about the trivial matters in the village, and a long-lost peace surged in his heart.

For the time being, he could relax a little.