Chapter 285

Chapter 285: The Sinister Monk Arrives

As Fang Lie’s orders were carried out, the guests on Qingyu Island erupted into chaos.

The families who had given gifts sighed in relief; while losing money hurt, at least they avoided disaster.

On the other hand, those who hadn’t brought gifts were filled with fear and hurried back to discuss their strategies.

In just a few days, about ten Demonic Overlords fled, taking all their possessions to escape.

There was no choice; Fang Lie was simply too terrifying. This guy was a complete disruptor of balance. He had no reservations about killing anyone, disregarding the consequences of revenge or any potential alliances against him.

After all, he was immortal; no matter how much trouble he caused, it didn’t matter to him.

But the Demonic Overlords were different. They couldn’t kill Fang Lie, but Fang Lie could truly kill them.

The fate of the Man-Eating Demon Monk showed that Fang Lie’s overall strength had grown to the point where he could deal with Seventh-rank Treasures, which was incredibly frightening.

Moreover, the most infuriating part was that Mr. Suan Mei had also allied with him, allowing Fang Lie to even breach the protective array.

This left many demons without a safe haven. If Fang Lie came knocking, they would surely die.

With two gruesome examples as warnings, who would dare to stay near this big tiger? Anyone with a bit of sense would surely escape.

Although abandoning their long-maintained nests would lead to heavy losses—after all, some items couldn’t be moved— it was still better than losing their lives. Who knew when this disaster would come knocking?

After these demons left, the remaining forces became remarkably compliant.

In the past, even the so-called righteous sects occasionally played at being robbers, robbing traders and ambushing fellow disciples, let alone the Demonic Path cultivators.

But since Fang Lie openly eliminated two demons and drove away many fierce cultivators, the local atmosphere changed entirely.

Both the righteous and the demonic seemed to act strangely like Buddhists, putting down their weapons and becoming peaceful, no one daring to commit crimes anymore. Even weak cultivators felt brave enough to travel without fear of ambushes.

This transformation wasn’t achieved through just one or two instances of killing. In fact, shortly after Fang Lie returned, news spread that a small treasure ship had been robbed, and all the hundred people aboard had been killed.

When the message came out, it sent shockwaves through all circles, with many staring at Fang Lie in confusion, wondering what he would do next. Would he remain indifferent? If so, his intimidating power would significantly decrease.

Upon hearing the news, Fang Lie felt very frustrated. Was he being disrespected on his own turf?

This was something Fang Lie could not tolerate. Previously, he didn’t have the ability to intervene; he could only turn a blind eye. But now that he had the power and had issued warnings against wrongdoing, it was unacceptable that people still ignored him.

Without any more words, Fang Lie sent a message to Mr. Suan Mei and the Seven Dragon True Immortals via Flying Swords.

They really came through; in just one day, Mr. Suan Mei calculated the identity of the culprit: the island lord of a medium-sized island. Normally, he was quite well-behaved, but secretly he was ruthless and often engaged in black eat black dealings.

This time, it was them who secretly orchestrated this transaction. They thought it was foolproof, believing Fang Lie wouldn’t find out, and even if he did, he wouldn’t dare to touch them since they weren’t Demonic Path cultivators but legitimate righteous figures.

It was said that this island lord’s ancestor was a registered disciple of East Kunlun, and even now, he had the support of East Kunlun behind him.

When the Seven Dragon True Immortals received the information, they felt some fear and asked Fang Lie what to do next.

Fang Lie replied with one sentence: Leave no trace!

The Seven Dragon True Immortals sensed Fang Lie’s killing intent and no longer dared to talk back; they immediately set out to act.

This time, Fang Lie didn’t join them; the strongest opponents on the other side were only three Wind Tribulation Immortals, which didn’t require his presence.

With Mr. Suan Mei’s help, they should be able to handle it easily.

Sure enough, within just two days, the island was breached, and all the cultivators on the island were killed.

However, the Seven Dragon True Immortals showed mercy; they did not kill the innocent mortal servants and instead let them go.

However, they completely destroyed that island. Not only did they take away everything, but they even set a massive fire on their way out, destroying all the buildings, the Formation, and the Spiritual Fields.

Once this incident happened, many forces were alarmed and no one dared to provoke Fang Lie’s authority anymore.

Centered around the Qingyu Island where Fang Lie lived, within a radius of a million miles, suddenly became a peaceful paradise. Even those who were notorious became surprisingly obedient.

They never expected that with order established, their lives would actually get better.

This was because scattered cultivators from farther away heard about the situation here and began to flock in.

The Wanxing Sea was simply too vast. Although the territory Fang Lie occupied was huge, it was still just a tiny fraction of the Wanxing Sea.

Moreover, the Wanxing Sea was chaotic, filled with battles and ambushes, making many scattered cultivators weary.

So, the sudden appearance of a safe haven was immensely appealing to those lower-tier cultivators. After all, everyone was just trying to survive—who would want to live in a war-torn land?

Under these circumstances, more and more cultivators rushed over. Once they arrived, they wanted to settle down and live, which naturally brought a significant influx of trade.

Even the Demonic Path cultivators from Bliss Island had their own territory and conducted business there.

The more scattered cultivators that arrived, the more their profits grew.

In just a month, their trade income increased by thirty percent, and as more people entered, the revenue continued to grow steadily.

This left them both shocked and delighted, as it dawned on them that one could prosper without resorting to robbery.

And under the temptation of wealth, their resentment towards Fang Lie lessened.

As for those forces that were already more honorable, they became even more grateful to Fang Lie. Gradually, Fang Lie’s reputation in the surrounding area grew, and he started to resemble a regional overlord.

However, despite these factions appearing respectful over the past few months, they were privately ambivalent.

This was because Fang Lie had offended not just small fry, but two colossal powers—both the Great Thunder Sound Temple and East Kunlun were significant threats.

East Kunlun was somewhat less concerning; the island lord was merely a minor character who usually collected information and was not essential. With Fang Lie possessing the Kunlun Sword Token, they probably wouldn’t dare to make things difficult for him.

But the situation with the Great Thunder Sound Temple was different. The Man-Eating Demon Monk was a disciple of Master Dragon, and it was rumored that he was even an illegitimate child. Now that Fang Lie had eradicated him, would the Great Thunder Sound Temple be willing to let it go?

That seemed unlikely, so everyone worried about whether Fang Lie would be killed by the Great Thunder Sound Temple. After all, although he had an undying nature, he was too weak, and if he truly provoked a Semi-Immortal-level expert, the powerful Master Dragon might have lethal methods to eliminate him.

In this situation, forces like the Four Seas Alliance did not completely side with Fang Lie but adopted a somewhat distant approach.

Thus, although Fang Lie appeared imposing now, he was still surrounded by hidden dangers. If he couldn’t withstand the pressure from the Great Thunder Sound Temple, the hard-won deterrence he had established would completely collapse.

Fang Lie was aware of this, but he was not anxious at all. He simply focused on his own tasks.

He extracted Spirit Pill Essence to help powerful cultivators with alchemy, traded for spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and continuously consumed this energy to improve his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, it had been over four months since the battle against the Man-Eating Demon Monk.

With the help of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, Fang Lie’s cultivation had made remarkable progress; his Qi Sea had surpassed forty miles, and he was not far from reaching a fifty-mile Qi Sea.

According to the old bird, a fifty-mile Qi Sea would unlock another powerful innate divine skill, doubling Fang Lie’s combat power at the very least!

To reach this goal, Fang Lie trained even more diligently, never pausing in his consumption of spiritual energy. He would refine one and immediately swallow another. With his own pill skills supporting him, high-ranking cultivators outside were lining up to provide for him, so he lacked nothing.

However, peaceful days inevitably came to an end.

One day, while Fang Lie was refining a batch of spirit pills in the lower level of the Purple Tower, an incredibly terrifying oppressive force suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the protective barriers of the Purple Tower and directly pressing down on Fang Lie.

This oppressive force, combining its own might with the Dao of heaven and earth, was terrifying beyond measure; it was not just a show of force but also a means of searching.

When the pressure landed on Fang Lie, a cold snort echoed, and then Fang Lie felt a bright flash as the Purple Tower above him vanished, exposing the blue sky and white clouds, along with a fearsome big monk!

This monk sat cross-legged on a white lotus made of magical power. His stout body was full of strength, and his round, fierce face could easily make one think he looked like a butcher if not for the giant robe he wore and the lotus beneath his feet.

At that moment, this monk, radiating a faint red treasure light, was clearly a powerful presence of the Fire Tribulation Immortal, extending a massive hand that slowly closed in.

Just as he drew his hand in, a golden hand in the sky, measuring hundreds of feet across, grasped Fang Lie’s Purple Tower, slowly crushing it!

Thousands of cultivators on Qingyu Island watched this shocking scene, each one dumbfounded and terrified!

It should be noted that the Purple Tower where Fang Lie lived was no ordinary structure; it was itself materials for crafting magical items, reinforced with countless formation patterns, and had been ritualistically refined by the Purple Beard Master’s family for many years, making it nearly a semi-treasure. Its durability was at least comparable to Fourth-tier Magical Items.

Yet, in the hands of this monk, it became utterly fragile and was casually ground into dust!