Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Borrowing Treasures from the Sect

Seeing Fang Lie so bold, Mr. Suan Mei was shocked and couldn’t help but feel excited. If he could capture the Man-Eating Demon Monk, his share of the spoils might surpass his current worth.

Where could he find such a good opportunity, where a single effort could double his value?

Thinking of this, Mr. Suan Mei said excitedly, "Island Lord, you really don’t need to worry too much. I’m just as scared as you are, but this time, I truly feel it’s worth taking a risk. I’ve gathered all the information, and Master Tianlong might indeed have a connection with him, but it’s definitely not one of a father-son relationship."

"Huh?" Fang Lie immediately asked curiously, "What have you found out? Please continue."

"I learned that Master Tianlong was injured in Wanxing Sea hundreds of years ago. It’s very possible that during that time, he received a favor from the Demon Monk’s elder, which is why he might have been granted a life-saving skill in return," Mr. Suan Mei explained. "By that time, the favor had already been repaid, so if the Man-Eating Demon Monk is killed, he probably wouldn’t care much. As for the Great Thunder Sound Temple, they definitely won’t seek revenge for him; they might even thank us for getting rid of this guy."

"Oh, really?" Fang Lie frowned and said, "But isn’t this all just speculation?"

"Yes, I gathered the details myself and considered them carefully," Mr. Suan Mei replied. "However, the fact that the Man-Eating Demon Monk has never visited the Great Thunder Sound Temple over all these years indicates that his relationship with them is not harmonious. Given his evil deeds, the temple likely despises him, but they probably hold back because of Master Tianlong’s reputation."

"Who cares about that!" Fang Lie suddenly laughed, "No matter his connection with Master Tianlong or not, because of that scoundrel’s evil acts, I will not coexist with him. This time, he’s definitely doomed!"

"Heh, if the island lord has made up his mind, that’s wonderful. In fact, I’ve already drafted a robbery plan!" Mr. Suan Mei said with a cheerful smile.

"Hehe, what kind of plan is needed? Can’t we just rush straight to his door?" Fang Lie replied boldly.

"Ah, that won’t do," Mr. Suan Mei quickly countered. "The Chongming Ancient Temple where the Man-Eating Demon Monk resides is actually a relic left by an ancient Buddhist power. Although many of its restrictions and formations are missing, they are still not something we can break. If we force our way in, it would be as difficult as the Seven Dragon True Immortals trying to get through."

"Moreover," Mr. Suan Mei frowned and said, "Even though the Man-Eating Demon Monk isn’t very powerful, he is quite wealthy with many treasures. Especially his life-bound treasure, the Bright Pearl, which is a top-grade treasure and is known for its strong protective qualities. Even if he just stands there for us to hit, we wouldn’t be able to break through his defenses!"

"Then why do you still speak of robbing him?" Fang Lie rolled his eyes and said, "Are you joking with me?"

"I would never dare joke with you!" Mr. Suan Mei hurriedly explained, "I truly have a plan in mind. If we follow what I suggest, I guarantee we can easily catch him!"

"Really? Tell me more!" Fang Lie immediately asked with curiosity.

"First, we need to know his whereabouts, then we can ambush him. Charging straight into the Chongming Ancient Temple would be searching for death," Mr. Suan Mei smiled. "Leave this to me; that guy loves to wander around looking for beautiful female cultivators to devour. It’s not hard at all to ambush him!"

"Mm," Fang Lie nodded and said, "I know you can calculate well. This surely won’t be challenging for you!"

"Hehe, you flatter me, Island Lord!" Mr. Suan Mei smiled slightly and continued, "However, his strength is too strong, so we can’t just surround and kill him; that would be seeking death. Therefore, before we surround him, we must be fully prepared. For this, we need to rely on you!"

"Rely on me?" Fang Lie frowned and asked, "Rely on me for what?"

"Your sect is a large organization with deep roots and many treasures. As far as I know, there’s a set of seventh-rank formation flags known as the Big Dipper Star Formation. It’s composed of seven seventh-rank flags, which are excellent at locking up enemies," Mr. Suan Mei smiled. "If you could borrow this set of flags and give it to the Seven Dragon True Immortals, I believe even a slightly weaker Fire Tribulation Immortal could be captured, not to mention the mere Man-Eating Demon Monk! Once we capture him alive, who wouldn’t want to learn the secrets of the Chongming Ancient Temple? At that point, the whole ancient temple will be our spoils of war!"

"Oh, I see!" Fang Lie’s eyes brightened immediately and said, "We have a rule about contribution points in our sect. As long as the points are enough, we can temporarily borrow treasures."

"Are your contribution points enough?" Mr. Suan Mei quickly asked.

"Haha, I’m definitely good on that!" Fang Lie said with a proud smile. "I have a task to collect materials for the sect. If I don’t take money, by turning in a third-rank material, I can get ten contribution points. With my current worth, what do materials mean?"

"That’s wonderful!" Mr. Suan Mei exclaimed excitedly. "Island Lord, everything is ready; we just lack the favorable opportunity!"

"Understood!" Fang Lie nodded and said, "In a few days, the spiritual energy from heaven and earth in my body will be completely refined, and then I’ll return to life. It will only take a day or two to get things done."

"Don’t worry about just a few days; even if it takes months or years, we can wait!" Mr. Suan Mei laughed. "I won’t leave; I’ll stay here and wait for the news!"

"Okay!" Fang Lie nodded and smiled, "I’ll have people take good care of you!"

"Haha, I knew the island lord is generous; there will be plenty of fine wine and spirit food!" Mr. Suan Mei laughed heartily and bid farewell.

A few days later, after Fang Lie finished handling his affairs, he directly killed himself to return to life.

Two hours later, Fang Lie awoke in the Cycle of Fire, and upon inspecting his Qi Sea, he found it had exceeded 25 miles. His magic surged like an endless sea of clouds, taking his breath away.

Fang Lie felt delighted and asked, "Bird Bro, my cultivation is pretty good now, right?"

"Trash~" the old bird spat disdainfully, saying, "Besides the purity of your magic, you have nothing at all. Your pure magic is entirely due to the marvelous effects of the Linglong Qi Locking Tower, and has nothing to do with you. As for your Qi Sea of 25 miles, heh, among the inner gate disciples, you are at the bottom."

Fang Lie was severely disheartened by the old bird’s words and replied with a wry smile, "Isn’t it just that my start was slow?"

"Hehe, I know that. Six months ago, your Qi Sea was only a few hundred zhang, and now it has expanded so much. Your magic has at least increased a hundredfold. Such progress is significant, but even as a Core Inner Gate Disciple, you are still lacking!" the old bird said with a laugh. "However, don’t get too proud. You have fallen behind too much; at least two or three years are needed to catch up, so you need to work harder!"

"I understand!" Fang Lie replied resolutely. "You can rest assured; I will definitely surpass everyone!"

"Good! With such ambition, I’m not worried about you!" the old bird praised.

"By the way~" Fang Lie suddenly remembered something and asked, "With my Qi Sea increasing so much, why haven’t I developed any new divine skills?"

"It will come soon. A new divine skill will appear after your Qi Sea reaches fifty miles," the old bird explained. "The further you go, the more powerful the divine skills become, and the more magic you will need to cultivate. So, you mustn’t rush; take it slowly."

"I see, I understand!" Fang Lie nodded and then said, "I will get to work now~"

After speaking, Fang Lie used the teleportation array of the Cycle of Fire to send himself directly home.

Fang Lie appeared at the control center of the small paradise formation. Exiting here led him to the place where he often practiced in closed-door training.

Opening the stone door, Fang Lie stepped outside, where he found his own secluded courtyard.

After leaving the courtyard, Fang Lie walked into a small bamboo forest. Following the path led him to the ancient stone house of the Fang Family.

Clearly, the place had been renovated again during his absence, becoming deep and tranquil, finally resembling a bit of a fairyland.

Once Fang Lie appeared, several younger siblings quickly noticed him and excitedly shouted while rushing over, soon surrounding him.

Seeing these adorable younger siblings, Fang Lie was also incredibly thrilled. He picked one up and kissed them, then began chatting with them.

Soon, Fang Huo, Mao Mao, and Ice Second Brother all arrived, but Longxing Tianxia was in closed-door training and could not be disturbed.

To welcome Fang Lie’s return, everyone immediately sprang into action and set up a grand feast.

Things were different now; the wealthy Fang Family had hired chefs and servants. With just one command, several tables of fine food were prepared in just a short half hour.

Dozens of people quickly gathered to eat and chat.

At this moment, Fang Lie observed closely and was delighted to find that his younger siblings had all changed. They were full of energy, and faint waves of magic had started to appear around them.

Among them, a few outstanding ones made Fang Lie feel that they were almost ready to open their Qi Sea, on the verge of becoming cultivators.

Clearly, this change was caused by the White Jade Divine Fish.

Indeed, after sitting down, Fang Huo and the others immediately shared the effects of the White Jade Divine Fish, looking extremely excited.

It turned out that after the children consumed the White Jade Divine Fish for the past few months, they had gone from having no spiritual roots to developing False Spiritual Roots, and could now begin their initial Qi cultivation.

This was a significant transformation.

Children with no spiritual roots mean they have no sense of Qi at all and would never be able to open their Qi Sea throughout their lives. Such individuals are entirely disconnected from cultivation and can only remain mortals.

On the other hand, having False Spiritual Roots means they have spiritual roots, but they are very weak, making it unlikely for them to open more than a few zhang or tens of zhang of Qi Sea, which makes it nearly impossible to advance in the Golden Pool.

However, don’t forget, this transformation occurred after just a few months of eating the White Jade Divine Fish. This demonstrated its effectiveness. If they continue for a few years, everyone might acquire a basic low-grade spiritual root, and with slightly better cultivation conditions, they could advance in the Golden Pool. Who knows, they might even open the Purple Palace!

Thinking about how these children could go from mortals to cultivators, gaining hundreds of years of lifespan in the process, Fang Lie and the others were filled with excitement, filling the feast with laughter.

The meal lasted for a full two hours before Fang Lie, with other matters to attend to, bid farewell and flew out alone. He planned to find Wanfang to exchange for contribution points and borrow the Seven Star Formation. For some reason, Fang Lie felt that things were not so simple, as if something was about to happen.