FVN Chapter 40: The Ambition of World Peace
Chapter 40: The Ambition of World Peace
The funeral of the patriarch Fang was very grand, and almost all the clansmen rushed back.
Fang Yun specifically instructed that the event be held in a grand and extravagant manner, and that no amount of spirit stones should be spared.
He saw that many of the cultivators were old, including his great-uncle Fang Pangen.
His hair was white, his face was sorrowful, and his eyes were full of reluctance.
This ancestor has protected Ziqing Lake for over two hundred years, and many clansmen revere him as a deity.
White banners fluttered like clouds, and weeping could be heard everywhere.
Fang Yun even suspected that if it weren't for him refining those few batches of Azure Nether Longevity Pills...
A funeral would likely wipe out most of the elders.
The Lin family, who had been lying low for a long time, finally arrived, a hint of smugness hidden in their eyes.
But when he looked at Lu Guishou, at Fang Shiyu, and at the completely submissive Tang Laozu.
This fleeting joy vanished in an instant, turning into profound despair.
After Master Fang passed away, he left behind two items.
He had a mid-grade second-tier mountain-splitting axe with him for most of his life, and its power was exceptionally astonishing.
Like Fang Shiyu, the ancestor was an earth-elemental cultivator who practiced the foundation-building technique, the Jade Mountain Scripture.
With immense strength, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas.
Fang Yun handed the mountain-splitting axe directly to his eldest son, Shiyu.
Besides these, there is the protective artifact that the Fang family has passed down for hundreds of years.
A precious armor woven from jade bamboo.
This is a rare array artifact, capable of resonating with the Purple Lake Grand Array, mobilizing the power of underground spiritual veins to empower itself.
Fang Yun put it on and tried it on; with the protection of the precious armor...
His combat power suddenly rose to the level of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, making him exceptionally strong.
He thought of the Wang family's Lotus Flame and Alchemy Furnace, these Foundation Establishment families that had been passed down for generations and were still thriving.
Indeed, each has its own unique strengths.
Fang Yun, despite wielding absolute power, felt little joy but rather a heavy sense of pressure.
That day, the head of the family and his third son, Fang Shiping, was reporting the situation to him.
The family controls the Liuyun Market, and although they make a fortune every day, they have recently been struggling to make ends meet.
The main reason is that Fang Yun's alchemy consumed too much energy.
Each batch of Azure Longevity Pills requires 10,000 spirit stones for raw materials.
Fang Yun's technique was not yet proficient, and he could only produce about five pills per batch.
In addition to the expenses for clan members' compensation and the various kickbacks from medicinal herb merchants.
The price needs to be at least three thousand spirit stones for the family to make a profit.
This doesn't even include Fang Yun's hard-earned money; it's equivalent to him refining pills for free.
Liuyun Market is still too small, the independent cultivators inside are too poor, and the Lin and Tang families don't have much to offer.
Three thousand spirit stones can be exchanged for an additional fifteen years of lifespan.
Ninety-nine percent of people think it's not worth it.
Moreover, to achieve the perfect lifespan extension with the Azure Nether Longevity Pill, one needs to consume three pills.
It's equivalent to consuming a Foundation Establishment spiritual item.
Fang Yun has refined several batches over the years, all of which have ended up in the bellies of the family elders and his sons.
The market is too small; we're losing money on alchemy.
Shi Ping's suggestion was to open up trade routes and sell in Qingmu Immortal City.
Fang Yun strongly supports this idea.
Not only the Longevity Pill, but also the second-tier Green Ganoderma Pill he refined could not be sold in Liuyunfang.
Fortunately, these precious elixirs have a good market in the Immortal City Market.
After selling them, they can exchange them for resources to help Fang Shiyu continue to improve his cultivation.
Fang Yun secretly regretted that the Purple-Green Pill Scripture did not contain any second-tier pill formulas to enhance the power of the Earth Spirit Root.
Otherwise, he would have simply made the elixir himself and fed it to his son.
"Father, there's only one problem now..."
Fang Shiping rubbed his hands, looking embarrassed and awkward: "The rent for shops in Immortal City is too high. I need you to advance some money from the Purple Bamboo Mountain clan treasury for a few years..."
"During working hours, you must call me Supreme Elder."
Fang Yun offered a solution: "If the shop rent is too expensive, then let the clansmen pretend to be independent cultivators and set up stalls on the street to spread the fame of Ziqing Lake."
"Father, our Fang family has two members who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Won't it have a bad influence if word gets out...?"
Fang Shiping's eyes widened. As a Foundation Establishment Immortal, he still had pride deep down.
"The most important thing is to get the spirit stones safely into your pocket."
Fang Yun shook his head; he had read the family chronicle left by his ancestor, Fang Laozu.
At the height of the Fang family's power, they even coveted Qingmu Immortal City, wanting to buy a shop there to start a business.
Unfortunately, they couldn't find a way in.
The Qingmu Sect has a history of four to five thousand years, and the Immortal City has also been established for four to five thousand years.
Who knows what kind of monsters and demons are behind the owners of those shops?
Ziqing Lake, with its 800-year history, is still too young.
Fang Shiping had no choice but to bring up another major expense.
My fifth brother, Fang Long, has had far too many children.
Now, his children total more than 420.
One hundred and thirty of them have already been found to have spiritual roots!
This doesn't even include children under six years old.
Those who possess spiritual roots make up a full third of the population!
This isn't just any cabbage; it's a true member of the family line.
When their children have grandchildren in the future, the annual expenses for their treatment will be terrifying.
"To pay salaries to over a hundred people all as if they were his inner circle is indeed a bit excessive."
Fang Yun stroked his beard: "How good or bad are the spiritual roots of these children?"
"Four people have medium-grade spiritual roots, forty-seven people have low-grade spiritual roots, and eighty-two people have inferior spiritual roots."
Fang Yun nodded: "Those children with inferior spiritual roots, let's distribute resources according to the treatment for collateral relatives."
"If one of their three generations of descendants can produce a person with a low-grade spiritual root, they will be restored to the status of a direct descendant."
Inferior spiritual roots are very common in families of cultivators.
Often, these are the offspring of couples who are related by blood or have a close relationship, resulting from incestuous union.
They have some ancestral inheritance, but not much.
Those mortal immortals are relatively rare.
At the very least, it's a low-grade spiritual root.
Fang Shiping hesitated for a moment: "Father, won't you tell Fifth Brother to tone it down a bit?"
"What are you collecting? What are you trying to suppress?"
Fang Yun glared at her son: "Let him keep having children. Our Fang family still needs a top-grade spiritual root to carry the family banner!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Shiping could only manage a wry smile.
He was about to bow and leave when his father called him back.
"Ping'er, you're sixty years old now. Have you ever thought about Foundation Establishment?"
Fang Yun's gaze was distant; all of his children had taken the Longevity Pill.
It's not too late to establish a foundation even at seventy.
"Father refers to... the Foundation Establishment stage of a demon spirit, right?"
Fang Shiping pondered for a long time, then shook his head: "I am unwilling."
Fang Yun frowned; this answer was somewhat unexpected.
"The eldest brother is stationed at Mount Ling to cultivate, the second sister married into the Tang family, the fourth brother has a carefree and unrestrained personality, and the fifth brother is just a mortal."
Fang Shiping gazed calmly at his father, but his words were firm and powerful:
"Our family needs someone to look after the entire Fang family, on behalf of you, your eldest brother, your younger brother, and your young nephews and nieces!"
"If one chooses to establish a foundation with demonic spirits, one can only remain behind the scenes and hand over the position of family head to the elders of the other direct lineages."
"I'm not at ease with them. I trust you, Father, but I don't trust them enough either."
Fang Yun raised an eyebrow.
I never expected my usually quiet and reserved son to say something like that.
Of course, Fang Shiping also had his own ambitions.
He tasted the power.
Fang Shiping, born out of wedlock, originally thought he would become a noble alchemist in his lifetime.
I'm already completely satisfied.
Who would have thought that fate would be so unpredictable, pushing him to the position of head of the Fang family.
The patriarch of a Foundation Establishment clan!
Those classmates from the alchemy workshop in the past, all of whom came from the main lineage of their families.
Now, when they see him, they all have to smile obsequiously and bow deeply.
The allure of power is truly irresistible.
Fang Shiping asked himself, even if a demon spirit were to establish its foundation and extend its lifespan by sixty years, what difference would it make?
He faked his death to escape and went into hiding.
This was definitely not what he wanted.
Fang Shiping only wanted to live an upright life.
He may not be as skilled as his elder brother, but he is confident that he can keep the Purple Lake under his control.
May it grow and thrive!
One Foundation Establishment cultivator after another has emerged!
"Okay, Father respects your choice."
"You have a wood elemental root and have taken three Azure Nether Longevity Pills, so you can easily live to be 150 years old."
"The future of the family rests in your hands."
In Fang Yun's eyes, Shiping was the same as his youngest son, Fang Long.
They have all found the meaning of their lives.
As long as you're not too ugly, just let people be.
Fang Yun's children.
Shi Ping refused to establish his foundation, and Shi Lan was too lazy, still at the seventh level of Qi Refining.
Only the fourth son, Fang Shinian, remained as the sole heir.
He has a fire elemental root and grew up playing with Lu Guishou's eldest son. He has a somewhat unreliable personality.
It is free-range and has been staying on Fire Lotus Mountain recently, absorbing fire energy to cultivate.
They also possess the cultivation level of perfect Qi Refining.
Five years have passed, and the soul has been honed through countless trials.
Fang Yun personally took action and hunted down a Foundation Establishment demon beast for his four sons.
Fire Cloud Deer.
This is the target chosen by Fang Yaode; it is gentle in nature, spiritual, and even actively cultivates medicinal herbs.
Over the years, he has stayed at the Lu family home, discussing Daoist principles with Lu Guishou daily, and has conducted in-depth research on the Foundation Building Technique for Demon Spirits.
Fang Yaode discovered that the two people who used carnivorous monsters to build their foundations both had bloodlust to varying degrees.
They may even develop an appetite for fresh flesh and blood.
Therefore, it is suggested that Fang Yun choose a herbivorous monster to try and compare.
The whole process went very smoothly.
Fang Shinian successfully established his demonic foundation, faked his death to escape, and joined the Hidden Pulse.
He has become another member of the Fang family with profound knowledge and experience.