Chapter 18: The Next Sect Leader of the Great Abyss Gate

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The Superior Mysterious Origin Treasure Spirit should have been treasured by the Great Abyss Gate just like a precious gem, which was the reason Guang Qiuxian allowed Zhou Xing Shi to stay and watch the commotion. In his view, for Fang Wang to even create an Earth Origin Spirit Treasure would have been an extravagance, let alone a successful attempt. Should he succeed, it would be perfect for these two geniuses to meet and support each other, growing together.

But as Fang Wang's Treasure Spirit surpassed the Earth Origin Spirit Treasure, everything changed.

Next to the Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure, the Superior Mysterious Origin Treasure Spirit was not worth mentioning at all!

Guang Qiuxian realized something—if news of Fang Wang's Treasure Spirit spread, the other eight major sects would definitely find ways to eliminate Fang Wang. Therefore, he must not let this information leak out.

His gaze toward Zhou Xing Shi turned increasingly colder, and Yang Yuanzi made no effort to conceal his killing intent.

Facing the murderous intent from two sect powerhouses, Zhou Xing Shi knelt down, pleading for mercy, "Sect Leader! I will never speak of this, I swear! You must believe me! I am a Superior Mysterious Origin Treasure Spirit after all, I will definitely be able to make significant contributions to the Great Abyss Gate in the future!"

By the end, his forehead was pressed firmly against the ground.

He knew he couldn't escape and had no choice but to beg for mercy.

Yang Yuanzi looked toward Guang Qiuxian and coldly said, "Sect Leader, we cannot afford a single slip in this matter. If you can't bear to do it, I will!"

Guang Qiuxian remained silent.

Yang Yuanzi raised his right hand, and Spiritual Power converged in his palm to form a Sword Qi.

Seeing this, Fang Wang, who held the Heavenly Palace Halberd, spoke up, "Is there really no way to control him? To prevent him from speaking of what he saw and heard today?"

He wasn't that kind-hearted; life and death were at stake, so he certainly wasn't going to ask Guang Qiuxian and the other to spare Zhou Xing Shi. If Zhou Xing Shi could be controlled, it would allow him to live; if not, then he would have to be killed.

The Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure filled Fang Wang with unexpected joy, but after the surprise came endless worry. The mere Earth Origin Spirit Treasure was enough for the Great Abyss Gate to soar, but to produce a Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure...

The most crucial aspect was that Guang Qiuxian couldn't yet determine the exact tier of his Heavenly Palace Halberd.

In that moment, Fang Wang even worried that Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi might harbor malicious intentions.

After hearing Fang Wang's words, Yang Yuanzi glanced at Guang Qiuxian, who took a deep breath and said, "The matter of the Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure is of great significance and must be approached with caution, but the Great Abyss Gate is not a Demonic Dao. We will do as Fang Wang says."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yuanzi couldn't help but shake his head, feeling that Guang Qiuxian was too compassionate.

Then, Yang Yuanzi stepped forward, dissipated the Sword Qi in his hand, and took out a small bottle from his storage bag. He crouched in front of Zhou Xing Shi, grabbed his jaw with his left hand, pried his mouth open, and poured the content of the small bottle into it.

Throughout the process, Zhou Xing Shi didn't resist at all, aware that this was his only chance for survival; he even cast a grateful look at Fang Wang.

Fang Wang saw that the content of the small bottle was a kind of deep crimson insect, which made his skin crawl.

"This is the Myriad Poison Spring and Autumn Worm, incurable by any medicine. When the person dies, the worms die. They are bred to be obedient. As soon as someone recites the incantation in front of the person who ingested the worms, the Myriad Poison Spring and Autumn Worm will self-destruct, spreading its poison throughout the body and causing the person to die violently within three breaths," Yang Yuanzi explained indifferently as he stood up and looked down at Zhou Xing Shi, his face as impassive as if he were observing an insect.

Then, he conveyed the incantation to Fang Wang through a whisper.

Fang Wang appeared calm, but inside he felt it was bizarre; his own master did not seem very righteous after all, keeping such poisonous creatures.

Guang Qiuxian turned to face Fang Wang and said, "The affair of the Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure must be kept secret. In the future, I will not treat you with any special favor in public; I will only treat you as an ordinary disciple. However, you may come to me with any matter, and I will help you discreetly. I assure you that you will be the next Sect Leader of the Great Abyss Gate!"

Regardless of character, regardless of origin, the position of Sect Leader was promised directly to Fang Wang.

In that moment, Fang Wang truly realized the importance of the Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure and promptly replied, "Whether or not I become the Sect Leader is irrelevant to me. Having joined the Great Abyss Gate, I will forever be a disciple of the sect and will always be ready to go through fire and water for the Great Abyss Gate!"

Beautiful words, who can't say them?

At least make the current situation more palatable, to prevent Guang Qiuxian from harboring any suspicions.

"Only the four of us can know about this matter, Fang Wang. Don't discuss it even with your clan. The Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure is indeed powerful, but you have not yet grown strong. Be sure to keep a low profile. From now on, let's say your Lifespirit Treasure is the Superior Mysterious Origin Treasure Spirit," Guang Qiuxian continued, glancing towards Zhou Xing Shi, who had just gotten up. He spoke in a grave tone, "Zhou Xing Shi, from now on, your duty is to protect Fang Wang. At his command, you shall act, and your treatment will be calculated as that of a major sect's senior disciple!"

At these words, Zhou Xing Shi hastened to thank Guang Qiuxian and then gave his thanks to Fang Wang as well.

Yang Yuanzi added, "Sect Leader, let me take Fang Wang away first. Many people have arrived outside, and we can't let them see Fang Wang."

Guang Qiuxian nodded. Then, Yang Yuanzi took out a set of clothes from his storage bag and threw it to Fang Wang.

Fang Wang hurriedly dressed and followed Yang Yuanzi's footsteps.

There was surprisingly a tunnel leading underground within the Shiyuan Hall. Along the way, Fang Wang was constantly feeling the Heavenly Palace Halberd within him.

Within him, the Heavenly Palace Halberd was located in an independent space above the Dantian, a place utterly dark. He couldn't tell if it was an extradimensional space or a spiritual space, but he could feel the presence of the Heavenly Palace Halberd and could summon it at any time.

But one thing puzzled him. The space occupied by the Heavenly Palace Halberd was quite small compared to the entire dark space and wasn't in the central position.

Could there be a second Lifespirit Treasure?

The tunnel was silent, and just as Fang Wang was full of curiosity and confusion, Yang Yuanzi's voice came from ahead, "Fang Wang, remember, don't fully trust anyone in the future, not the Sect Leader, not even your master. You can't trust me entirely either."

Fang Wang looked up at the figure of Yang Yuanzi ahead of him, unsure how to respond.

"Human hearts will ultimately change. The Sect Leader is willing to cultivate you as the next leader because his end has not yet come. When he faces his limit, what kind of wicked thoughts will arise, even your master can't imagine. In the Cultivation World, seizing Treasure Spirits and snatching bodies are not uncommon. I won't lie to you; I have harbored such thoughts before," Yang Yuanzi went on.

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Yang Yuanzi's tone was deep and enigmatic, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking.

Fang Wang spoke up, "Thank you for the reminder, Master. Your disciple will keep it in mind. I'll never forget the kindness you've shown me and will repay it in the future."

"Is that so?"

Yang Yuanzi chuckled, without ever looking back or stopping his stride.

For the rest of the journey, he spoke no more, while Fang Wang grew anxious, fearing a sudden attack.

Fortunately, their travel concluded without incident, and upon reaching the mouth of the cave, Yang Yuanzi instructed him to return to the residence first.

Fang Wang flew away on his sword, and during the flight, he noticed that many disciples were gathering on various peaks, seemingly discussing something. It was his first time witnessing such a lively scene since he had joined the sect.

Could it be the commotion caused by the Heavenly Palace Halberd?

A tightness gripped Fang Wang's heart as he sped up.

Upon returning to the Third Vein, he landed in front of the residence to see Gu Li gazing into the distance from her own gate.

Gu Li turned to look at Fang Wang and asked, "Brother Fang, where have you returned from?"

Fang Wang answered, "I went to the Daofa Pavilion. Something seems to have happened at the Great Abyss Gate. If Miss Gu is interested, you might go and chat with the other disciples."

With that, he entered his own residence.

Gu Li showed a puzzled look, but she didn't think too much about it. She was full of confusion. What exactly happened that made her Lifespirit Treasure uncontrollable?

After closing the gates to his residence, Fang Wang went straight to the open space inside and summoned his Heavenly Palace Halberd, admiring his Lifespirit Treasure, the more he looked, the fonder he became.

Holding the Heavenly Palace Halberd, he felt a powerful emotion, as if nothing in the world could stand against him. No wonder Spiritual Refinement was so crucial to Cultivators.

He then retracted the Heavenly Palace Halberd and sat cross-legged on the white jade bed to solidify his cultivation.

He had reached the first layer of the Soul Sculpting Realm, which was also divided into nine layers. Going forward, he planned to cultivate in peace and wait out the storm.

The emergence of the Heavenly Palace Halberd had forced Fang Wang to change his approach. He could no longer solely focus on swordsmanship; he had to learn the arts of long weapons.

The Jinghong Divine Sword Art wasn't a waste, as it didn't require a sword. He made up his mind to avoid using the Heavenly Palace Halberd within the Great Abyss Gate lightly, relying on the Jinghong Divine Sword Art should be enough to sweep through competitors of the same level.

Hmm, pretend to be a Sword Cultivator!

Two months passed by swiftly.

After entering the Soul Sculpting Realm, Fang Wang's training progress started to slow down. In two months, with the aid of the Great Perfection Solaris Scripture, he had barely broken through to the second layer.

Until this day.

Fang Hanyu came to visit Fang Wang, interrupting his secluded cultivation life.

After inviting Fang Hanyu into the residence and exchanging pleasantries, Fang Hanyu brought up recent significant events at the Great Abyss Gate. It was said that at the same time, all Lifespirit Treasures of the Soul Sculpting Realm disciples had gone out of control, which led to a speculation circulating within the Great Abyss Gate.

That was the birth of a supreme treasure!

Upon hearing this, Fang Wang breathed a sigh of relief inside.

He dared not expose the grade of his Lifespirit Treasure before he was strong enough.

"Fang Wang, the reason I'm here today is... well..." Fang Hanyu said hesitantly.

Fang Wang rolled his eyes, not in a good mood, "I just can't stand your hemming and hawing. You've come all this way, you couldn't possibly hold it back, could you? Out with it. We're brothers after all."

Right, not blood brothers, so don't ask for too much.

Fang Hanyu was relieved, "I'm planning to venture out for experience, but Zhou Xue instructed me to look after the other family members, to avoid bothering you as much as possible. However, staying inside the Great Abyss Gate all the time, my cultivation can't advance rapidly. After all, I'm just an Inner Sect Disciple, and I want to seek my own opportunities out there."

"Is that the matter? Do you have a plan?" Fang Wang inquired.

Everyone has their own destiny. It was only right for the other Fang Family Disciples, who didn't have his talents and treatment, to seek their own fortunes.

Fang Hanyu nodded, "A senior sister from the Second Vein obtained a map of a secret realm, supposedly with a Great Cultivator who passed away there. Twenty-three disciples from our vein have decided to explore together, and I don't want to miss out."

Fang Wang considered it and then nodded, "Then go. I'll take care of the other family members."

Fang Hanyu smiled gratefully, thanked him, and after a few more words, he took his leave when the conversation ran dry.

No sooner had he left, than someone else came to visit Fang Wang.

Zhou Xing Shi!

Fang Wang, holding the spell to kill Zhou Xing Shi, naturally wasn't afraid of him and invited him into the residence.

Although Zhou Xing Shi wore the Dao robe of the Tai Yuan Sect Disciples, his bamboo hat, carried by the dusty aura of the road, left him looking weary. Seated at the stone table, he took out two Jade Slips from his bosom and said, "These are Superior Spell Arts given to you by the Sect Leader, suited for your treasure spirit, not to be shared with outsiders."