The sword transformation technique was much faster than traveling by boat, potentially reducing the remaining three-year journey by two-thirds. Ordinary cultivators avoided exhausting their spiritual energy over the sea, but that wasn’t a major concern for Fang Chen.
His spiritual energy was abundant, and it already neared the amount a grand completion stage Foundation Building Realm cultivator had. Coupled with his overpowered recovery abilities, unless he was dragged into a prolonged battle, his spiritual energy was nearly inexhaustible.
“Lord, it’s been three months... yet I still can’t master the Shadow Buddha Technique,” Fairy Yu said with a troubled expression, feeling somewhat guilty.
After witnessing the marvels of the Shadow Buddha Technique firsthand, she knew that if she could master it, she could alleviate much of the burden on Fang Chen amidst the relentless pursuit. Unfortunately, no matter how diligently she studied, she couldn’t grasp it, as if some unseen condition was restricting her.
“If you can’t master it, then so be it.” Fang Chen smiled. “You are already powerful enough to slay even late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivators with a single sword strike. Haven’t you noticed how smooth our journey has been?”
In three months, they encountered about twenty waves of Golden Core Realm pursuers, totaling over a hundred Golden Core Realm cultivators. At least eighty had fallen to Fairy Yu’s sword.
The peculiarity of the Inverse Immortal Demon Embryo was evident in that Fairy Yu would gain a portion of the lifespan of the people she killed. Fairy Yu would then use her technique at the cost of her lifespan, making each of her sword strikes immensely powerful. It was comparable to the second strike of the Eight Desolation Supreme Sword Scripture.
This method of battle made things considerably easier for Fang Chen. He usually only needed to use the first sword strike to cover Fairy Yu. If they encountered a grand completion stage Golden Core Realm cultivator, he would then resort to using the second strike. Unlike before, using the second strike now had an acceptable level of consumption; only the third strike would deplete his lifespan.
The Golden Core Realm cultivators they had defeated over this period brought Fang Chen numerous high-grade, yellow-rank treasures, with a few even carrying peak-grade, yellow-rank treasures.
Fang Chen nodded lightly. “A third-tier empire?”
This was indeed a good opportunity. He currently had 470,000 low-grade spirit stones in his storage ring, which was a substantial number. However, if not converted into treasures, they were of little use to Fang Chen. He didn’t need spirit stones for cultivation or to restore spiritual energy; they were purely a form of currency for him.
“Let’s head to the maritime empire then,” Fang Chen decided. “We can stock up on what we need and prepare for any future encounters.”
A few days later, Fang Chen saw a stretch of land up ahead. However, it turned out to only be an island. This island, however, was expansive enough that the mortals living on it might never realize that their homeland was merely an island.
Upon reaching land, the power of the Shadow Buddha Technique became evident. Fang Chen and Fairy Yu moved swiftly through the shadows, making rapid progress toward their destination—the capital of the island called Guixu.
“Little Yu, have you ever considered that there might be more to what happened in the Void Immortal Sword Sect?” Fang Chen asked suddenly during their journey.
Fang Chen nodded. “I’ll find a way to get in touch with her.”
Once they acquired the Vast Origin Fruit and ensured Fairy Yu's safety, he intended to settle this score. People like Gai Wu shouldn't be allowed to continue existing.
A few days later, Fang Chen and Fairy Yu arrived at the capital of Guixu. Before entering the city, Fang Chen used his divine soul to scan the area. He detected over a dozen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Moreover, there was also an aura that was extremely intimidating in particular, exerting unprecedented pressure on him.
Without surprise, the owner of this aura should be an Enlightenment Realm cultivator. That was also the first time Fang Chen had been so close to a Middle Three Realms cultivator, so he couldn't help but feel a bit serious.
Looking away from the plaque, Fang Chen walked in.
Since leaving the Hidden Cloud Region, he hadn't seen any trace of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, indicating that their influence was limited to the Hidden Cloud Region