Only Xiao Yi and Fang Qingzhu were left in the courtyard.
Gazing at the woman before him, Xiao Yi felt a twinge of guilt. If not for him, Fang Qingzhu would not have lost her cultivation. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm sorry, I've dragged you down!"
"It has nothing to do with you. This must be my fate!" Fang Qingzhu forced a bitter smile and mocked herself.
Seeing the self-mockery and unwillingness on Fang Qingzhu's pale face, Xiao Yi frowned and said solemnly, "Don't worry, I will take responsibility for you!"
"Responsibility?"
Fang Qingzhu looked at Xiao Yi oddly and shook her head with a cold sneer, unsure if she was mocking him or herself, "A dying person, and you still talk of responsibility? Fang Jin is very domineering and protective. Since you've crippled Fang Ao, he will definitely not let you off, and even I will face a lot of trouble..."
Xiao Yi frowned and said, "If he dares to touch you, I will kill him!"
"Xiao! Yi!"
Fang Qingzhu's phoenix eyes suddenly narrowed, and she called out his name coldly, pausing with each word, "Can't you be a little more self-aware? What is your cultivation level? And what is Fang Jin's strength? He is a powerful practitioner at the Tenth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, who could step into the Divine Passage Realm at any time. With what will you kill him? How will you protect me? Just because you belong to the Xiao Family? The Xiao Family does not acknowledge you, do you understand?"
Xiao Yi fell silent.
Depend on the Xiao Family?
Ever since that day, he had long stopped considering himself a member of the Xiao Family.
Seeing Xiao Yi's silence, the frostiness on Fang Qingzhu's face eased slightly, and she sighed, "Don't worry. There are still three months before Fang Jin returns. I will try my best to delay him and strive to save your life. I'm a bit tired. You get some rest, and I will have someone send you food."
"Fang Qingzhu..."
Xiao Yi opened his mouth, but Fang Qingzhu didn't turn back and walked straight toward the door.
Looking at her thinning back, Xiao Yi clenched his fists and muttered to himself, "No matter what, you ended up like this because of me. I will change your fate!"
The Eternal Tomb was filled with countless experts, including many specialists with strange abilities.
People like Medicine Saint Feng Lei, Immortal Medicine King Xue Shengyi, and so on.
As long as he could inherit the teachings of any one of them, there would certainly be a way to cure Fang Qingzhu, "Once this debt is settled, I will leave the Fang Family!"
He had initially agreed to become a son-in-law to the Fang Family to escape Xiao Tianjiao's control. However, this incident forced him to stay within the Fang Family. At least, he needed to help Fang Qingzhu recover her Dantian so he could leave without any regrets.
However...
To earn the inheritance of Feng Lei or the Immortal Medicine King with his current strength was far from sufficient.
The Physical Body Realm was just the basic stage of martial arts.
Above it were the Qi Gathering Realm, the Divine Passage Realm, the Golden Core Realm, the Tao Tribulation Realm, and so on...
He was currently at the Fifth Layer of the Physical Body Realm. Even though he had inherited Wu Zhong's legacy and mastered the Eight Extremes Fist, which was comparable to a top-grade martial art, making his combat power no weaker than an ordinary warrior at the Eighth Layer of the Physical Body Realm, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant for someone like Fang Jin at the Tenth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, let alone Xiao Tianjiao.
"There are still three months before Fang Jin returns, three months is enough."
If outsiders heard Xiao Yi's words, they would likely think he was mad.
Fang Jin was at the Tenth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, while he was merely at the Fifth Layer of the Physical Body Realm. Three months to surpass Fang Jin, break through to the Tenth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm?
Even Xiao Tianjiao, hailed as the strongest genius in the history of the Great Qian Dynasty, took two full years to break through from the Physical Body Realm to the Tenth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm.
And Xiao Yi claimed three months would suffice?
That was pure fantasy!
But that was just what the world thought.
With the Divine Enthronement Heaven Subduing Skill and the control over the Eternal Tomb, these were not difficult feats for Xiao Yi.
"One flower one world, one leaf one universe..."
Xiao Yi focused entirely on his cultivation.
The Physical Body Realm involved absorbing the essence of heaven and earth to refine the body, and the Divine Enthronement Heaven Subduing Skill's absorption of this essence was far more rapid than ordinary techniques.
The speed of his cultivation could be described as skyrocketing.
Two days later, Xiao Yi entered the Sixth Layer of the Physical Body Realm.
In four days, the Seventh Layer of the Physical Body Realm, in six days the Eighth Layer, and by the tenth day, he had already reached the Ninth Layer of the Physical Body Realm.
Whoosh!
Xiao Yi exhaled a long breath of turbid air and shook his head reluctantly, "After reaching the Ninth Layer of the Physical Body Realm, the pace has slowed. Indeed, the farther one goes in cultivation, the harder it gets… I'm now at the Ninth Layer of the Physical Body Realm. I wonder how many God Sealing Seeds I can activate with the essence accumulated inside me?"
He channeled his profound energy, directing the essence to surge wildly into the God Sealing Seeds.
As flush after flush washed over them, the black membrane on the surface of the God Sealing Seeds continued to shatter.
Pop!
One.
Two.
Three...
When all the accumulated essence inside Xiao Yi was depleted, he had activated a total of four God Sealing Seeds. The surging power of the God Sealing Seeds burst forth from within, feeding back into his body.
His body shuddered, and his cultivation improved further, stepping into the Tenth Layer of the Physical Body Realm!
"Now that I hold five Divine Sealing Seeds, should I be able to suppress another formidable being?"
Xiao Yi made a move and entered the Wan Gu Tian Tomb.
A search ensued.
His target settled on a small grave just one foot tall. Wu Zhong's tombstone had only been two inches high, whereas the wooden tombstone before him stood a full ten feet tall, with the inscription: Jin Wuheng from the Heavenly Yuan Realm, known as the Death-dealing Scholar!
"The Death-dealing Scholar, Jin Wuheng? Could it really be him?" Xiao Yi was visibly surprised.
The Death-dealing Scholar, one sword to chase the soul!
This Jin Wuheng was a figure famous in the Great Qian Dynasty a hundred years ago, originally one of the four great talents of the Great Qian Dynasty, who had turned to the demonic path after being betrayed by his beloved. He had killed countless people in his life and once, with the Seventh Layer of the Divine Skills Realm, he had killed an expert of the Golden Core Realm before leaving without a trace, leaving behind a formidable reputation.
His signature move, the Soul-chasing Life-taking Sword, was an advanced third-grade sword technique.
"Death-dealing Scholar, Jin Wuheng, you will be the second being I'll suppress!" With a firm step, Xiao Yi's body resonated with the sound of the Divine Seeds, erupting into a brilliant light all around him.
Hum!
A myriad of lights gathered into a giant palm that swept down towards the grave.
Boom!
The tomb shattered apart.
A figure emerged as a streak of light.
This man was dressed like a scholar, holding a Green Peak Longsword, with a cold complexion, eyebrows sharp as swords, and eyes bright like the stars.
With only a glance at Xiao Yi, devoid of joy or sorrow, a sword swept in from the west.
Whoosh!
The sword light soared to the sky, like a world-shaking rainbow.
The sharp Sword Qi whistled in all directions, and in an instant, it appeared in front of Xiao Yi, pursuing him from every angle. These Sword Qi were so refined they were like meticulously crafted mysterious iron longswords. Before they drew near, they caused Xiao Yi's body to feel waves of intense pain.
"No matter how dazzling your former achievements were, now you must be suppressed by me!"
With a single hand reaching into the void, he fully activated the Divine Seed. That giant palm reemerged in the air, and with a humming sound, it formed a massive black cage that with a loud roar blocked the myriad of sword edges and descended from above, imprisoning Jin Wuheng within the cage with a bang.
"Godly Suppression of Heaven, to suppress all under heaven..."
The five Divine Seeds shone brilliantly, and bathed in divine light Xiao Yi roared, "Suppress!"
Boom!
The figure of the Death-dealing Scholar dissipated into nothing, solidifying within the Divine Seeds into a statue of a scholar holding a three-foot Green Edge Sword, successfully suppressing the Death-dealing Scholar, Jin Wuheng.
Boom!
At the same moment.
A cool sensation spread throughout his body, and in the depths of Xiao Yi's mind emerged the cultivation method for the Soul-chasing Life-taking Sword. Deeply embedded into the recesses of his mind, this sword technique that once forged Jin Wuheng's formidable reputation, every move and every form, along with Jin Wuheng's understanding of swordsmanship, all merged for Xiao Yi's use.
Without discussing Xiao Yi's current combat capabilities, just the theoretical grasp of swordsmanship alone was now no weaker than that of a swordsman who had devoted dozens of years to the pursuit.
Beyond that.
What surprised Xiao Yi was that even Jin Wuheng's expertise in appraising antique calligraphy and paintings had been transferred to him.
This Jin Wuheng too was an incredibly learned individual, renowned for his unique insights into antique calligraphy and painting, which turned out to be a fine acquisition.
"Who would have thought that the Death-dealing Scholar, infamous enough to strike fear upon being mentioned, aside from his exceptional talent in swordsmanship, also had such accomplishments in painting and calligraphy!"
Xiao Yi chuckled and shook his head, suddenly aware of someone entering the courtyard, he promptly left the Wan Gu Tian Tomb.
Inside the courtyard.
An elderly woman with a face full of wrinkles walked in. This was Mei Auntie, sent by Fang Qingzhu to bring food to Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi said with a smile, "Mei Auntie, what brings you here so early today?"
Mei Auntie cast a cold glance at Xiao Yi, her eyes filled with disgust, and said indifferently, "If it weren't for the Miss's request, do you think this old woman would be willing to bring food to a scourge like you?"
Xiao Yi managed a bitter smile; Mei Auntie had never shown a pleasant expression towards him in all these ten days.
Bang!
Mei Auntie threw the food on the ground, saying coldly, "The Miss asked me to tell you that in ten days, the family head will have his birthday feast. Here is one hundred silver coins; go and buy yourself a new set of clothes. She will prepare the birthday gift for you." Throwing a bag of Silver Coins at Xiao Yi, Mei Auntie complained, "You wretch, you've not only ruined the Miss's dantian, but now she might even lose her position as the heir. If you dare do anything to wrong her, I won't let you off!"
Xiao Yi was stunned, then frowned and asked, "What family heir?"
"You don't know?"
Mei Auntie said coldly, "The Miss was originally the heir to the family head, but now that her cultivation is destroyed, and she's married to someone who isn't like Xiao Tianjiao, the family head has decided to pass the position to Fang Jin once he returns. A man who has discarded his dignity to become a live-in son-in-law and can't even protect his own wife; if I were you, I would simply hang myself with a rope..."
Xiao Yi took a deep breath, completely unaware of what Mei Auntie was talking about.
"Mei Auntie, please tell Qingzhu that with me here, no one can touch her," Xiao Yi said seriously.
"You? Forget it. You've already crippled Fang Ao, and I've heard that he has sworn that once Fang Jin returns, he'll tear you to pieces. You can't even protect yourself, yet you talk of protecting the Miss?"
Mei Auntie rolled her eyes, then sighed and looked at Xiao Yi with a slightly softer expression, "But it's good you have the intention; you don't owe the Miss, who has been running around negotiating for you these days... I have other matters to attend to, so I must leave. Leave the food container by the door, and I'll come to fetch it. Remember to buy a set of clothes, and don't embarrass the Miss any further!"
With her hips swaying, Mei Auntie departed.
Clenching the one hundred Silver Coins firmly in his hand, Xiao Yi's gaze was sharp and determined, "Heir, you say? I declare it belongs to you, and no one can take it away..."