The next morning, after finalizing his plans for the future the previous day, Fang Wei decided it was time to leave Moon Town. Although he had only been in this world for two days since his transmigration, his sharp intellect had already allowed him to adapt to the cultivation environment. With his body healed, the true perpetrator of the original Fang Wei identified, his first victims dispatched, and an excellent cultivation method to extend his lifespan acquired, he had no further need for Moon Town.
Disliking the idea of wasting time, he prepared for his new journey and exited the Little Inn without delay.
As the expansive Inn was connected to every house within its territory, Fang Wei had to walk for some time to reach the exit.
Soon, he left the building and headed towards the entrance of Moon Town.
Unbeknownst to him, a curious little girl was watching him from a distance. "Early stage of Qi Accumulation? No, he must be pretending to mislead others. Come to think of it, Brother Zhao also concealed his cultivation when we first met. Why do these people hide their strength? Shouldn't they reveal it to avoid being targeted by weaker and demonic cultivators? Hmph, such strange people..."
...
Fang Wei departed early in the morning and reached the outskirts of the Dark Forest by the afternoon.
There wasn't much to admire in the barren mountain range surrounding the forest. In stark contrast, the Dark Forest ahead exuded an aura of danger, with its gloomy and foreboding atmosphere making it clear that it was fraught with peril.
Fang Wei decided, I'll stay here for a month before heading to the Eternal Sect, where the ant who killed the original Fang Wei is.
Even though his memories were still a bit fuzzy, the crucial details were intact.
He reviewed the last memories of the original Fang Wei, quickly scanning through them one final time.
...
The backstory behind the death of the original Fang Wei appeared to be like this:
Fang Wei, who awakened his Five Profound Roots during his twelfth birthday ceremony, was designated to cultivate his strength at the Eternal Sect. Although Bamboo Merchants had abundant resources, the Eternal Sect possessed Spiritual Veins, one of the best places for cultivation. Despite the animosity between the two behemoths, they maintained a level of cooperation. The Eternal Sect allowed the heirs of Bamboo Merchants to cultivate on its grounds, while Bamboo Merchants provided cultivation resources at a minimum price.
Furthermore, due to Fang Wei's awakening, his jealous brother, Fang Rui, who possessed only a single Fire Root, attempted to eliminate Fang Wei on his journey to the Eternal Sect. This task was carried out by a seemingly naive and friendly young man named Luo Tian, who was hired by Fang Rui.
Luo Tian's method was particularly despicable.
Despite Fang Wei being escorted by powerful guards, he was somehow ambushed by powerful demonic cultivators midway. Just as he was about to be killed, Luo Tian appeared out of nowhere and saved his life. Grateful for the rescue, the original Fang Wei let his guard down, unaware of the betrayal to come.
Before even a day had passed, Luo Tian used an extremely deadly poison to kill all of them, including Fang Wei and his guards. The poison was difficult to identify and caused everyone's heart to stop within moments. As Fang Wei neared death, Luo Tian wore a smiling face and whispered, "With this, I'm free of that greedy swine Fang Rui. Hehe, consider this your misfortune, you..."
...
That was all he could remember.
Fang Wei took a deep breath, his mind sharp and clear. "The ones who attacked me in the town were likely related to Luo Tian's scheme to get rid of Fang Wei's body. This way, if the Bamboo Merchants search for the culprits, he could easily mislead them... What a cunning bastard."
Pushing those thoughts aside, Fang Wei licked his lips in anticipation and entered the Dark Forest.
His primary goal was always to achieve immortality.
Having been fated to die before turning 30 in his previous life, he had a deep craving for eternal vitality.
...
One month later.
The Ascension Mountain range, known for its dense natural energy and complete eradication of demonic cultivators by the Eternal Sect's experts, had stood for tens of thousands of years. The Eternal Sect, a sole sect in the territory of the Ascension Mountain range, was considered the most powerful sect in the Country of Han, primarily due to the sheer number of its disciples.
The Eternal Sect controlled and monopolized the entire Ascension Mountain range. Remarkably, they had only granted a small portion of their territory to the Frozen Palace for specific reasons.
In the central region of the Eternal Sect, where natural energy was the purest and visible to the naked eye, Core disciples, Elders, and the Sect Master engaged in their secluded cultivation. The day-to-day operations within the Sect were managed by the Outer Court Elders, who, despite their strength being comparable to Core disciples, lacked the requisite talent.
In one of the Outer court abodes designated for Outer disciples, a young man concluded his cultivation session, feeling the powerful energy flowing through his body. "I broke through and reached the Late Stage of Qi Refining!" he exclaimed.
This young man was Luo Tian, the one who had easily poisoned the original Fang Wei and succeeded in killing him. After completing his task and manipulating some lowlifes as part of his scheme, he returned to the Eternal Sect and had been cultivating ever since.
As he grinned widely at his small breakthrough, his thoughts began to run wild.
That bastard Fang Rui can't be trusted... I'll have to kill him if I get the chance. Otherwise, if he reveals Fang Wei's murder through some sneaky methods to his family, I'm done for. If that happens, I'll have no choice but to leave the Country of Han... But, Mei'er and Yue'er are here...
Holding the ancient-looking necklace tightly in his hand, Luo Tian's gaze narrowed as he muttered coldly, "It seems there's no other choice. If Mei'er finds out that I killed her younger brother, who hadn't even begun cultivating, she would undoubtedly hate me. And Bamboo Merchants would most likely sever their ties with the Eternal Sect. Yue'er and Mei'er are best friends; if that happens, I won't be able to refine Mei'er's Extreme Yin Physique because she'll lose trust in me. Ugh! Damn it! I will definitely kill him. My entire plan is ruined because of him! I should have considered this more carefully before taking any action. Damn it!"
With anger seething in his mind, Luo Tian left his abode and headed toward the Outer Arena to vent his frustrations on other disciples. Concealing his true cultivation through various methods, he ensured that even the Elders could not discern his actual level of power.
To gain entry into the Inner Court, one needed the cultivation strength of Qi Refining.
However, Luo Tian had chosen to remain in the Outer Court for reasons known only to himself, a closely guarded secret he had no intention of revealing.
...
Xi Xuan Province.
Dark Forest.
In the heart of the Dark Forest, where Rank 2 and Rank 3 demonic beasts roamed, a half-naked, devilish-looking man sat atop the massive corpse of a serpent-like demonic beast. With his silver eyes fixed on the sky, he murmured in a cold, emotionless voice, "It's been a month already..."