Chapter 212

Chapter 212: A Fiery Scene

To be safe, Fang Lie had Old Bird check the Spiritual Core Wood for hidden traps. After thorough inspection revealed no issues, Fang Lie immediately began the refining ritual.

This process differed from his usual treasure refinement. Normally, he nurtured treasures with purified Magic from his Qi Sea to enhance their strength and spirit. But the Spiritual Core Wood required storage within his consciousness sea to nourish his soul. Fang Lie employed a new method—imprinting his Soul Imprint while merging it with his soul before pulling it into his consciousness sea.

The task consumed half a day. Fang Lie’s current cultivation level left his consciousness sea murky gray with only a faint glowing area. There, the Spiritual Core Wood radiated emerald light, expanding the luminous zone threefold and significantly boosting his soul power. The soothing glow also greatly enhanced his divine sense.

Notably, the Spiritual Core Wood contained natural divine patterns forming a Heavenly Dao secret technique—a covert divine skill allowing silent mental assaults to seize control of targets. Victims would become puppets stripped of free will. This innate ability once made the Spiritual Core Wood Demon feared across realms. Now embedded within the wood core, the skill remained accessible… but required overwhelming divine sense strength to activate.

The minimum threshold? Divine sense spanning a thousand miles. Pathetic compared to Fang Lie’s current few-hundred-zhang range. Yet this would change. Previously relying on natural growth without heavenly treasures or specialized training, Fang Lie now possessed both the Spiritual Core Wood’s amplification and Old Bird’s divine sense cultivation manual—The Great Unity Returns to Truth.

Fang Lie started practicing immediately. Ten days later, he emerged from meditation marveling: "The Mo Ancestor’s secret technique works wonders! Just consolidating my scattered divine sense into a single steel-like strand expanded my detection range to ten miles!"

Old Bird chuckled. "Your divine sense once resembled dandelion fluff—wide coverage but weak. Now it’s a focused whip that penetrates materials and divine shields. At full power, nothing will hide from you—not even faint spatial ripples."

Fang Lie frowned. "But controlling multiple treasures simultaneously…"

"Fool!" Old Bird interrupted. "High-level treasures drain Magic rapidly. Attempt multi-control and you’ll be desiccated! Though with your future 120,000-zhang Qi Sea…"

"Exactly! Could I wield ten Ninth-Rank Treasures then?"

"They’d have item spirits smarter than you in combat!" Old Bird retorted. "Let them fight autonomously!"

Chuckling, Fang Lie exited seclusion to find Mao Mao and others waiting anxiously.

"Big Brother!" Fang Huo blurted. "Our temple’s overrun! Thousands daily clamor to worship Ancient Heroic Souls!"

Ice Second Brother added, "The shrine only handles dozens at once. Fights keep breaking out in queues."

"Your Healing Spirit Pills sell faster than we can produce them," Longxing Tianxia said. "We’re besieged by pill-seekers whenever we step out."

Mao Mao wrung her hands. "The Baibao Zhai shopkeeper demands pill payments for herb deliveries. We’re almost out of ingredients…"

Fang Lie groaned. "Didn’t you hike prices?"

"To a million spirit stones per pill!" Fang Huo exclaimed. "They still sell instantly!"

"Madness!" Fang Lie muttered.

"Not quite," Ice Second Brother said darkly. "Some Golden Pool novice just tamed a third-rank Golden Wind Beast using the Great Unity Spell. His clan captured it; he just cast the spell. Now he’s boasting about dominating the inner gate competition!"

Fang Lie gaped. A Golden Wind Beast rivaled late Purple Palace experts! For a low-level cultivator, this meant multiplying combat strength fiftyfold overnight.

"The Bai family’s desperate," Ice Second Brother sneered. "They offer millions of stones, top fourth-rank treasures, even custom beast taming… if we beg you to lift their temple ban."

"Never!" Fang Huo spat. "Insulting you insults us all!"

"Good." Fang Lie grinned. "First, expand the temple for ten thousand daily worshippers. Second, prioritize pill sales to neutral clans. Let the Bai family stew!"

The group nodded fiercely, united in vengeance.