Chapter 8: Zhen Xian

  Fang Li nodded, "Exactly, it's not just that. My sister was also kidnapped by him and starved for two days before ending up like this." Fang Li said seriously.

  "Nonsense! My grandson is kind to others every day, how could he do such a thing? Elder Taishang, don't believe him." The Guardian Elder on the side immediately became agitated and spoke out in rebuttal.

  "Shut up! Although I've been in seclusion for many years, I've also heard of you, Nameson. What nonsense is this about being kind to others?" The Supreme Elder gave the Guardian Elder a cold glance, instantly silencing him, then turned to Fang Li and praised: "You're indeed a worthy descendant of our Fang family, with great spirit! You killed well!"

  The old man's words "kill well" have already made a statement, and from now on, whoever kills will not be punished by the family, even if it is the head of the clan. This is the dignity of the elder, no need for too much reason and explanation, one sentence settles the conclusion, and does not allow others to refute.

  The faces of the elders and clan heads suddenly turned black, but they just lowered their heads and dared not to raise any objections. Since the Supreme Elder had already made a conclusion on this matter, it would be futile for them to say more, and they might even provoke the Supreme Elder's anger, which would be counterproductive.

  Although this is the case, both of them still feel resentful in their hearts, especially the elder of the Guardian Pavilion. He almost hates Fang Li to death and has a knot in his heart. If he can't kill him to vent his anger, it will likely affect his future cultivation.

  "This matter is settled, what are you all still doing here? All of you, withdraw." The Supreme Elder glanced around and his gaze fell on the Guardian Elder and Clan Master Fang Han, saying indifferently.

  "Yes, I'll take my leave." The two of them were stared at by the Elder's gaze, and suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. They didn't dare to linger and immediately took their leave, even if they had a thousand unwilling thoughts in their hearts.

  "Wait," just as the onlookers were about to leave, the Taishang Elder seemed to have thought of something and suddenly spoke again: "From today onwards, no one is allowed to cause trouble for Fang Li or his family members, otherwise they will be killed without pardon."

  In the end, the Taishang Elder actually used his true energy, shocking everyone present to pale. With these words of his, it's likely that no one will dare to trouble Fang Li again, unless they are tired of living or think they can withstand the Taishang Elder's wrath.

  The elder's face turned blue and white, he turned around and left, probably his heart was about to burst with anger. Being repeatedly humiliated by a junior from another branch was one thing, but now even the opportunity for revenge was gone, how could a master of the 8th level of Qi Refining cultivation endure this!

  Before long, the onlookers dispersed, leaving only Taishang Laojun and Fang Li's siblings in the area.

  "As he left, he didn't even bother to collect his grandson's body, what a great grandfather indeed." Seeing the elder of the Guardian Pavilion leave, Fang Li let out a cold snort and looked at the headless corpse on the ground, silently mourning for him.

  "This person is heartless and unrighteous, bringing a hundred harms to the family without any benefit." The Supreme Elder obviously also noticed the corpse on the ground, and a cold light suddenly flashed in his eyes. It's likely that in his mind, the Guardian Elder has already been sentenced to death.

  Fang Li didn't respond, just staring at the elder in silence, waiting for him to bestow the medicinal pill on himself to treat his mother's injuries. As for family matters, Fang Li couldn't muster up any interest, having been oppressed by his own family members for years, and even his own mother had almost died at the hands of a fellow clansman. Fang Li didn't have any sense of belonging here.

  The elder seemed to have also sensed the strange atmosphere and looked at Fang Li, saying calmly: "Shouldn't you explain the doubts in my mind?"

  Fang Li paused for a moment, then said calmly: "Senior Taishang, please give me the Dan medicine first. My mother has been bedridden with illness for days, and I don't have any mood to care about other things."

  The elder's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he smiled immediately and said, "Alright, filial piety is the most important of all virtues." After finishing speaking, he took out another bottle of medicine from his bosom and continued, "This bottle contains three pills of nourishing blood and activating collaterals, which are second-grade wound-healing medicines. They can cure your mother's injuries and even some chronic diseases that have accumulated over time. You should use them carefully."

  The Taishang Elder's mouth twitched slightly, and it was clear that these three second-grade elixirs were not light in his heart either. However, Fang Li did not say much more, as far as he knew, the highest grade of elixir that had appeared in Yan City was only one third-grade elixir, which had caused a frenzy among the four major families at the time. The Taishang Elder could take out three second-grade elixirs for himself in one breath, and it was indeed a sacrifice.

  Fang Li took the porcelain bottle, smiled slightly and said: "Thank you, Elder Shang. I will go to the family's forbidden land at midnight tonight to explain things to you, and also bring back that wooden plaque and paper crane."

  "Are you really connected with the Supreme True Person?" The Taishang Elder looked at Fang Li, and although he had expected it earlier, his heart couldn't help but be shocked.

  "Didn't you see that wooden sign? Presumably, apart from Shang Xujian, no one else in Yan City has the Zhenxian Order." Fang Li said calmly.

  "Then you and him..." The Supreme Elder spoke again, his eyes filled with hopeful light, it was hard to imagine that the Supreme Elder, who seemed like a transcendent being, would be so excited at this time.

  "A year ago, I was discovered by Shangxu Zhenren and luckily became his disciple." Fang Li knew that if he didn't explain clearly, the Elder might not let him leave, so he spoke frankly about his relationship with Shangxu Zhenren.

  The old man's eyes suddenly widened in surprise and delight, and he burst out laughing: "Good, very good! I didn't expect that our family would have such a wonderful opportunity. It seems that our family is about to rise to greatness, with an Array Master holding the fort, who dares to challenge us in Flame City?"

  The Elder's face was flushed with excitement, he had made up his mind to protect Fang Li well until he grew up. The weight of a Formation Master was not light, and he was very clear about it.

  "If the Supreme Elder has nothing else to say, I'll take my leave first." Fang Li said calmly, unable to sense the excitement of the Supreme Elder at all.

  The Supreme Elder also sensed Fang Li's expression, and after a moment's thought, he understood. As a collateral descendant, Fang Li had probably never received any help from the family, and was even bullied, so it was natural that he didn't have much sense of belonging to the family. Having figured out the situation, the Supreme Elder couldn't help but feel anxious - this was the hope for the family's prosperity, and they couldn't let it slip away. At this moment, he extremely hated the deceased Fang Linbao; if not for their reliance on being direct descendants to bully collateral descendants, Fang Li probably wouldn't be so rejecting of the family.

  "Wait, as a formation master, your status in the clan can no longer be the same as before. Today, I will promote you to honorary elder of the clan, with treatment equal to that of the other elders." The Supreme Elder spoke up immediately, wanting to regain some of Fang Li's recognition for the family.

  "Honorary Elder!" Fang Li was shocked, never expecting to become an Honorary Elder from a small branch disciple in an instant. The main reason was that the Honorary Elder had many privileges, such as receiving five Aggregating Qi Pills every month from the clan, being able to choose weapons for free at the family's armory, and being able to enter the Merit Pavilion to select secret techniques to cultivate... These special rights made Fang Li's heart flutter with excitement.

  Although he was a respectable formation master, his own strength was too weak, especially when facing the Guardian Elder, and he saw his own inadequacy. If it weren't for the timely appearance of the Supreme Elder, he would have probably died on the spot. This made Fang Li eager to improve his strength, as only strength is the capital of survival. Just like how the Supreme Elder unconditionally protected him without giving any reason, others didn't dare to raise any objections because they feared his strength.

  "Alright, I agree to be the honorable elder of the family, but I hope that the Supreme Elder can help me keep it a secret and not reveal my identity as an Array Master. Otherwise, I'm afraid my life will be in danger." Fang Li's eyes shone with excitement, filled with hope for the future. He seemed to see himself growing step by step, eventually becoming like the Supreme Elder, where no one dared to raise any objections to his words or decisions.

  The elder thought for a moment and immediately understood the meaning of Fang Li's words. He replied, "Naturally, I won't reveal your identity to anyone before you've grown up, not even to that young master Fang Han." Fang Han was actually the head of the Fang family, and if he heard someone call him "young master", who knows what expression he would have on his face.

  "So, thank you, Senior Taishang." Hearing that Senior Taishang would keep his secret, Fang Li couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If his identity were to be spread out, he feared that he would immediately suffer endless assassination attempts. After all, the other three families in Yan City wouldn't allow the Fang family to produce an Array Master, or else once he grew up, they would only become subordinate to the Fang family.

  "This is the Elder Token, as long as you hold it, you can enjoy the privileges of the Elders." The Supreme Elder handed over a black iron token to Fang Li and continued: "Now that things are clear, you don't need to come find me again tonight. I'll also return this paper crane to you. However, the Array Sage Token is too eye-catching, so I'll keep it for you first."

  Tai Shang took out the paper crane again, solemnly returned it to Fang Li, and praised: "This paper crane is not very bright, but it's extremely mysterious. It can bring the wooden sign to find me, which is also a treasure."

  Fang Li smiled lightly, "This is just a leftover product made by my master in his spare time. It only records six array methods and can only be used to transmit letters."

  "The abilities of a high-ranking Array Master are indeed extraordinary!" The Elder Patriarch shook his head in admiration, but thinking that his own family had already acquired an Array Master, he couldn't help but feel delighted again. He continued, "However, you need to remember that no matter how mysterious the Array Master's abilities may be, it is still only a supporting profession. True strength lies in your cultivation realm, don't get things backwards."

  Fang Li furrowed his brow, puzzled and asked: "As far as I know, cultivating one way is to comprehend the 'Tao', ancient books have recorded a type of person who specializes in entering the Tao with swords, called sword cultivators. Ordinary cultivators condense golden elixirs to transform into infant primordials, while they condense sword elixirs to transform into sword infants. Although it's another path, it's extremely sharp and has been praised as 'the best among all cultivators in the world'. Can I refer to them, enter the Tao with arrays, condense array elixirs to transform into array infants, and achieve true array immortality?"