"Fang Qingwei is just a minor figure. Would Hua Tiandu pay attention to her? Although I challenged Hua Tiandu, given his status, I'm afraid he still looks down on me and doesn't consider me an opponent at all." Fang Han paused, wondering why Long Xuan suddenly mentioned Fang Qingwei to him.
Now that he had cultivated the "Wood Sovereign True Energy," he was considered a person of consequence. He could likely establish a firm foothold among the true disciples. At the very least, if he ran into Jin Shitai, he could beat the other party until he looked everywhere for his teeth.
"Eldest Senior Brother Hua Tiandu naturally won't take you to heart, but he takes Senior Sister Fang Qingxue to heart!" Long Xuan clapped her hands and said, "He took your Seven Malignant Gourds. Senior Sister Qingxue is in secluded cultivation and doesn't know about this matter. Once she finds out, she definitely won't let it rest. Given Senior Sister Qingxue's temperament, she would probably cause a massive uproar among the true disciples. He has to deal with the aftermath of this matter."
"I wonder how he will deal with the aftermath?" Fang Han frowned.
"We will know in a few days. I came to find you this time to ask you one thing: are you interested in making a trip to the ocean's Returning Ruin? To explore a bit?" Long Xuan brought the topic back to the main point.
"The Returning Ruin in the ocean?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Han fell into deep thought. It wasn't that he didn't know of the Returning Ruin; it was recorded in the "All Worlds." The Returning Ruin was a mysterious place in the ocean. It was rumored that all ocean waters flowed there. It was because one site of the ancient war between immortals and demons took place at the Returning Ruin, punching through this world and connecting it to the extraterrestrial sky and even alternate dimensions.
Within that Returning Ruin lay many ancient relics, remnants of the war between immortals and demons, and also many treasures. Things like ancient spiritual pills, spiritual artifacts, precious artifacts, even Dao artifacts, and the legendary immortal artifacts! The skeletons of ancient demon gods, the wreckage of Heavenly Demons, the flesh and blood of Longevity Realm experts… endless treasures were hidden within.
However, this Returning Ruin was also extremely dangerous, with a harsh environment. Some of the shattered voids inside even involved spatial transformations. Even if experts of the Longevity Realm entered, they might not necessarily come out.
In some places within, there were even Heavenly Demons coming over through the extraterrestrial channels, entrenching themselves there.
When Fang Qingxue and the Demonic Commander went to the Returning Ruin to explore, they encountered the Water Gu Heavenly Demon Great Demon King. The two joined forces to strike it down and slay it, obtaining many benefits. Fang Han also knew of this matter.
Over the years, who knows how many Daoist and Demonic sect disciples had gone into the Returning Ruin to explore, hoping to acquire ancient rare treasures, medicinal pills, flying swords, and precious items. There were indeed many who found fortuitous encounters, but even more people sank into it, their bodies dying and their Dao perishing.
Therefore, the "All Worlds" warned disciples that traveling to the Returning Ruin to explore must be done with extreme caution.
In reality, whether for immortal path disciples or demonic sect disciples, the most important matter aside from cultivation was to roam the heaven and earth, searching for heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and ancient relics. This was a necessary part of cultivation, called "striking immortal destiny."
The greater the fortuitous encounter a disciple had, the deeper their "immortal destiny" was.
Cultivators needed great willpower and great persistence, which would account for the majority of success. But the remaining small portion depended on luck! As the saying goes, man proposes, Heaven disposes! How difficult is it for a mere mortal to cultivate the immortal path? Relying solely on one's own power, it is not easy to reverse the ordained numbers of destiny and change one's life. One must possess luck and immortal destiny, borrowing external force.
This was also providential luck.
Now that Long Xuan was teaming up with Fang Han to go treasure hunting in the Returning Ruin, it was precisely to see how their "immortal destiny" and providential luck were. To try their luck. Even if they couldn't find anything, they could still gain experience. There were extremely many spiritual medicines in the Returning Ruin. Plucking some could also allow them to refine supreme-grade spiritual pills.
"Cultivating bitterly behind closed doors, it's impossible to surpass Hua Tiandu inside ten years. I must go out to gain experience and strike immortal destiny! Besides, my medicinal pills are finished, I must go look for medicinal herbs to refine." Fang Han thought to himself. Right now on Samsara Peak, although many spiritual medicines had been planted, their age was too shallow. Using them to barely sustain daily required bodily nutrition was one thing, but they absolutely could not be used to refine spiritual pills and enhance magic power.
"Alright! I need to prepare. Bright and early tomorrow morning, we depart for the Returning Ruin! To strike immortal destiny! To search for treasures!" Fang Han slapped his thigh and made up his mind.
"Good!" Long Xuan stood up and flew out.
"Demoness, you can come out now. Pack up, and follow me to the Returning Ruin!" Suddenly, yellow light flashed on Fang Han's body, and the Great Asura Demoness, Fang Xiaolin, popped out. She had been hiding and cultivating inside the Yellow Springs Diagram. Under Yan's firm grip, having witnessed Fang Han cultivate the Wood Sovereign True Energy, she already knew that she probably truly possessed no thoughts of escape.
She currently only possessed the cultivation of the first level of the Divine Ability Realm. Once Fang Han stepped into the Divine Ability Realm, he could steadily suppress her, let alone now that he had cultivated true energy. Moreover, it was the "Wood Sovereign True Energy" among the ancient Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Abilities. Ordinary true energy realm experts could do nothing to him, let alone a demoness a realm lower?
A single realm difference was as distinct as heaven and earth, with strength multiplied several times over. It was not like when he was in the Physical Body Realm and could fight above his level.
"Yes." The demoness did not dare resist and spat a word out of her mouth.
"This pill furnace is still exactly the magic tool from when I was an inner courtyard disciple. It is too shabby. I hope after returning from the Returning Ruin, I can exchange for a spiritual artifact. If I can exchange it for a precious artifact pill furnace, that would be even better. I truly drool over Senior Sister Jialan's precious artifact pill furnace."
Fang Han looked at the pill furnace in his alchemy room and shook his head.
This pill furnace was from his inner courtyard, having been moved out here to the mountain peak. As a true disciple, still using a magic tool level pill furnace was indeed incredibly shabby.
"Returning Ruin, Returning Ruin…" After arranging everything, Fang Han opened the All Worlds, reading everything introducing the Returning Ruin in detail…
Tiandu Peak, inside the alchemy room.
The first great true disciple sat cross-legged beside his pill furnace. Hua Tiandu's pill furnace was thirty-six people tall and six zhang six feet wide. No one knew what material it was made of; neither metal nor iron, neither stone nor jade. Layers of smoke and clouds shrouded the outside, as if possessing infinite space.
Right now, this pill furnace was frantically inhaling and exhaling. Suddenly it shrank, actually turning as small as a fist, then subsequently expanded back into a massive object! Continually shrinking and expanding like this! It displayed unprecedented miraculousness!
A pill furnace that could expand and shrink was simply unheard of and unseen! It had already exceeded the scope of precious artifacts.
"Puff!"
Suddenly, this pill furnace became exactly over one person tall and spat out a gourd from within.
This gourd brimmed with precious light, and immortal aura overflowed.
"Seven kills summoned, immortal swords form the array!" Taking this precious gourd into his hand, Hua Tiandu beckoned with his hand, and out of that pill furnace spat seven precious swords, flying into the gourd. Instantly, this gourd buzzed and hummed; with a light shake, the sound of ten million whistling swords faintly erupted from within.
"Your sister Fang Qingxue will come out of secluded cultivation shortly. I confiscated that Fang Han's Seven Malignant Gourds, not because I coveted this tiny little magic treasure. To tell the truth, even if the Demon God gave me his Heavenly Demon God-Slaughtering Sword, I might not covet it. That Fang Han has a faint demonic aura on him; he is not a disciple of our immortal path, which is why I rectified him. This Seven Malignant Gourds, I have already refined anew for you, wiping away the Heavenly Demon aura and transforming it into immortal aura. Using the Heavenly Wolf Smoke inside, adding various heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and using the Ruyi Grand Magic, I have refined it into Ruyi Golden Smoke! It is far more powerful than the Heavenly Wolf Smoke, and I also bestow seven flying swords upon you, arranging them into the Seven Kills Sword Array for you! Now bestowing it upon you, I presume after your sister exits secluded cultivation, she will have nothing more to say."
The gourd in Hua Tiandu's hand was actually exactly the "Seven Malignant Gourds," but having undergone his refinement now, the power was even greater!
He tossed the gourd, and this gourd automatically flew out of the alchemy room, landing in the hands of Fang Qingwei outside.
"Many thanks Senior Brother Hua!" Fang Qingwei looked serious, receiving the gourd, though wild joy filled her eyes.
"This gourd shall no longer be called the Seven Malignant Gourds. I will give it a name; let it be called the Ruyi Immortal Gourd." Hua Tiandu's voice transmitted out.