Dongfang Xiaotian watched as his Second Junior Sister took out two bottles of pills for Little Junior Brother, and instantly thought, “This child is truly worth teaching.”
By the looks of it, if Second Junior Sister’s future family ever faces any major problems, then there probably won’t be any problems at all—after all, she’s already formed good relations with the protagonist, broadening her own path.
“Mr. Dongfang, I’m all set on my end.”
Beichen Yue had also given Chun’er some healing pills, and after instructing her on a few matters, her own explanations were done.
Although she felt extremely awkward, compared to the comprehensive talismans and pills Jiang Li had received, all Beichen Yue could do now was hand some healing medicine to her family’s little maid.
“Mm.”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded without saying much more, pulling out the Mechanical Pocket Watch he had tinkered with himself to check the time. It was probably almost the hour of Si by now.
“What is that?”
Beichen Yue gazed at the round little disk. The dial was neatly divided into twelve sections, with every two segments marked by two characters, separated into upper and lower rows.
The upper row bore the characters Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, and beneath them were Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai.
Three hands spun atop the dial, each of varying thickness and moving at different speeds. The thicker the hand, the slower it turned, with the thickest one seeming almost completely still.
Beichen Yue distinctly sensed an extremely faint trace of Lingqi inside the device and curiously asked, “Is this another kind of spirit tool?”
“Mechanisms Art—a little thing I tinkered with when I first started learning.”
Dongfang Xiaotian put the pocket watch away.
Because he had the quadrupled cultivation time from the Great Dream Heart Sutra, once he couldn’t increase his spiritual power anymore, he tried out many things—Mechanisms Art was one of them.
Come to think of it, it’s a bit like those things studied in science and engineering, but compared to spirit talismans and arrays, Dongfang Xiaotian could only be considered a beginner in this craft.
“This is called a pocket watch, used to keep track of time. After all, when entering certain ruins, one’s sense of time is always unreliable, and this thing can help me record the passage of a day.”
Dongfang Xiaotian had crafted it himself.
Ever since cultivating the Great Dream Heart Sutra, he felt both his perception and fine control over his body had improved, so he’d made quite a few little gadgets like mechanical watches by hand.
***
On the Saint Hua Dynasty, inventions designed to make life more convenient were actually pretty common—not just the watch in Dongfang Xiaotian’s hand—but the cost performance…
“Isn’t that the same as the effect of the Watercloud Mirror, a Three-grade Spirit Tool?”
Beichen Yue regarded Dongfang Xiaotian with some thought, “I didn’t expect Mr. Dongfang to have such skills as well.”
The Watercloud Mirror was, in fact, just a mirror that displayed the current time when a bit of spiritual power was injected into it, but that item was a Three-grade Spirit Tool, costing four-digit spirit stones!
When Dongfang Xiaotian first learned about the Watercloud Mirror, his first reaction was: is it really worth spending four-digit spirit stones just to keep track of time?
The reality was, most people still preferred to look at the sun or a sundial to tell the time—only those incredibly wealthy noble clans would buy such flashy things.
“I can’t cultivate, so I just mess around with things like this.”
Dongfang Xiaotian casually replied to Beichen Yue, then turned to Second Junior Sister, who was approaching at a steady pace, and asked, “How is it? Are you ready?”
“Mm.”
Tushan Bingxian nodded. “I’ve explained everything Little Junior Brother needs to know. Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded half-heartedly, to be honest.
Compared to seeking help, he’d much rather stay by Little Junior Brother’s side and build up goodwill, but knowing Second Junior Sister’s personality, Dongfang Xiaotian understood—she simply couldn’t stand letting him be idle.
So, Dongfang Xiaotian, Tushan Bingxian, and Beichen Yue all set out together, heading straight for the path outside the formation.
The three walked toward the only route that led out of the Miasma Forest.
After about three hours, Dongfang Xiaotian, Beichen Yue, and Tushan Bingxian finally arrived at a section of Ravine, where the miasma had thinned significantly.
This time, without Dongfang Xiaotian’s reminder, Beichen Yue already knew to stop before entering the Ravine.
Tushan Bingxian and Beichen Yue said nothing, merely looking quietly at Dongfang Xiaotian.
Seeing their reaction, Dongfang Xiaotian immediately realized that both of them had suffered here before—just the sight of the Ravine made them tense up.
Dongfang Xiaotian didn’t laugh at them. Instead, he looked around in all directions, “Four of them. Three at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, plus one useless one.”
Dongfang Xiaotian was among the first batch to set off, so he wasn’t surprised to encounter enemies first.
“You’re the useless one! Your whole family is useless!”
At that moment, a slightly plump, utterly average-looking guy—so unremarkable he’d disappear in a crowd—jumped out from behind a rock.
“Dongfang Xiaotian! How can you still be so infuriating when you’re about to die?”
“Li Yuze.”
Dongfang Xiaotian shrugged, “Just you four?”
“The four of us are more than enough!”
Li Yuze grinned, “Fourth Uncle, stop hiding! They’ve only got one Foundation Establishment cultivator—the other two are just at the Qi Refining stage, not even worth mentioning!”
But before Li Yuze could finish, a burly figure over two meters tall suddenly burst from the shadows with a loud “bang!” and launched a fist at Dongfang Xiaotian.
“Dongfang Xiaotian! Today I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
With a thunderous roar, Dongfang Xiaotian was smashed dozens of meters away by a fist as large as a cooking pot, vanishing instantly into the thick miasma.
“Mr. Dongfang!”
Seeing Dongfang Xiaotian sent flying, Beichen Yue’s heart trembled—this was a second-stage body cultivator, strength on par with Foundation Establishment! Invincible in close combat!
Dealing with sword cultivators, who were already formidable in melee, was hard enough—let alone facing an array master who couldn’t fight unless prepared!
Before Beichen Yue could rush to help, another Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator in a black robe attacked Tushan Bingxian with a strange laugh.
At the same time, Beichen Yue felt the pressure of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator bearing down on her!
Beichen Yue hastily sent out a sword qi, forcing her opponent back, and was about to help Dongfang Xiaotian.
“Don’t worry about him—he’s fine!”
Tushan Bingxian also repelled the attacking demonic cultivator with a burst of cold air and said, “Just take care of yourself! These demonic cultivators aren’t ordinary rabble!”
As soon as she finished, Tushan Bingxian and another demonic cultivator became entangled and disappeared into the miasma elsewhere.
Witnessing this, Beichen Yue frowned. Why were there so many geniuses here?
Not to mention Jiang Li, who had already reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining at just thirteen or fourteen, then Xiao Yuanqing, whose swordsmanship was already at the pinnacle, Dongfang Xiaotian with methods she couldn’t even see through, and now, before her… someone fighting a mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert while only at half a step into Foundation Establishment.
Was this still the remote city she once knew?
But before she could dwell on it, another mid-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator was already charging at Beichen Yue, forcing her to give her all.
***
Meanwhile, Li Yuze shouted from the side, “Those two girls aren’t bad! Make sure not to damage their faces—and keep them alive!”
On the other side, after being sent flying by a punch, Dongfang Xiaotian instantly raised his arms to defend himself.
But the opponent’s fists, as relentless as a downpour, pounded toward Dongfang Xiaotian.
“Dongfang Xiaotian!”
Li Shiwu roared as he pummeled, eyes bloodshot, “Do you know how many years I’ve waited for this day? I still remember the sword you struck me with as if it were yesterday!”
Li Shiwu howled in fury. The ferocious sword scar on his chest was inflicted by Dongfang Xiaotian five years ago!
Back then, during the Three Sects War, Dongfang Xiaotian was barely at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, yet he gravely injured Li Shiwu with a single strike and escaped!
A mere Qi Refining cultivator, severely wounding a body cultivator at the second stage!
That was the very event that shot Dongfang Xiaotian to fame. Storytellers extolled that sword strike as nothing short of divine.
Yet, what was Dongfang Xiaotian’s glory was Li Shiwu’s utter disgrace!
A freshly advanced mid-Qi Refining cultivator dealt a crippling blow to a long-standing second-stage body cultivator and Elder of the Xiao Sect!
Such humiliation!
And as Dongfang Xiaotian’s fame grew, that battle—where Li Shiwu became his stepping stone—spread even farther!
“I thought I’d never have my revenge in this lifetime! Who would’ve thought you’d end up crippled! Heaven actually gave me a chance to resolve my heart demon! Hahahaha!”
Li Shiwu laughed maniacally, desperate to tear Dongfang Xiaotian to pieces!
Dongfang Xiaotian could only keep dodging under his relentless blows—each missed punch left a crater in the ground.
“Two Foundation Establishment mid-stagers and one late second-stage body cultivator.”
Dongfang Xiaotian felt a headache coming on. Just how many Foundation Establishment cultivators had the Evil God Sect mobilized for this plot?
Judging by how Li Yuze was directing the two Evil God Sect Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators just now, it seemed the Evil God Sect was actually cooperating with the Xiao Sect.
Was the Xiao Sect the ringleader of this event?
The Xiao Sect’s goals were obvious: weaken the Four Sages Academy’s strength to monopolize a city’s resources and maybe earn some blood pills on the side.
But what was the Evil God Sect’s motive for getting involved? What did they hope to gain?
Improving the quality of their subordinates? Forming alliances?
No, that wasn’t the Evil God Sect’s style—their ambitions must be far greater.
“Dongfang Xiaotian!”
While Dongfang Xiaotian was lost in thought, another huge fist swung at him.
“Eh~”
Dongfang Xiaotian grew even more irritated watching the persistent Li Shiwu. He suddenly reached out and caught the oncoming fist.
“What!?”
Li Shiwu was utterly shocked to find his fist trapped, unable to move in Dongfang Xiaotian’s palm. Looking closer, he saw Dongfang Xiaotian clutching a Second-stage Divine Power Talisman!
“You think you’re still that Azure Dragon Sword Immortal? You’re just a cripple stuck at the seventh layer of Qi Refining!”
Li Shiwu fiercely psyched himself up for another punch, but when he met Dongfang Xiaotian’s eyes, he paused—they were filled with pity.
Dongfang Xiaotian looked at the burly man with pity. “I have gotten weaker, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’ve gotten any stronger.”
He reached out and caught Li Shiwu’s punch again.
“What!?”
Li Shiwu was utterly shocked to find his fist trapped, unable to move in Dongfang Xiaotian’s palm. Looking closer, he saw Dongfang Xiaotian clutching a Second-stage Divine Power Talisman!
Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t make sense of the Evil God Sect’s motives and decided not to dwell on it. As long as Little Junior Brother was safe, things would sort themselves out when the time came.
He turned to face Li Shiwu, who was about to swing again, and unleashed a punch at an even faster speed!
Second-stage Divine Speed Talisman!
Watching Li Shiwu get blasted in the chest and sent flying, Dongfang Xiaotian laughed, “I have gotten weaker, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’ve gotten any stronger.”
At that moment, Li Shiwu felt an overwhelming, murderous intent crash down upon him.
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