Fang Chen walked over to Yixiong, sat down heavily, and gave the tiger head a rough pat. “So, do you have any grand revenge plans?”
As he stroked the fur, Fang Chen thought to himself that petting a giant tiger like this was far more thrilling than an ordinary cat.
“I used to, but not anymore.”
Yixiong shook his head a few times. Finding he couldn’t shake off Fang Chen’s hand, he simply slumped against the ground. “I don’t even know if that bastard is still breathing by the time I manage to leave the Danran Sect.”
Fang Chen offered some comforting words. “Don’t be so dejected. Have you ever considered that you might never leave this place at all?”
Seeing Yixiong looking so miserable, Fang Chen laughed heartily, thoroughly amused, before asking, “Does your Ninth Imperial Brother even know you’re still alive?”
This question was of the utmost importance.
It wasn’t that he was worried about Yixiong’s welfare; he was worried about his own neck.
If that person found out Yixiong was still alive-and had even awakened an Imperial-grade bloodline-they would surely move heaven and earth to hunt him down.
And when that happened, as the beast’s master, he would undoubtedly get caught in the crossfire.
With that in mind, Fang Chen decided he needed to gather intelligence quickly and be ready to betray and abandon Yixiong at a moment’s notice.
“Probably not.”
Yixiong replied, “My Ninth Imperial Brother isn’t some peerless genius. Among the one hundred and eight brothers in our clan, he doesn’t even crack the top tier. Given his status, coupled with the Danran Sect’s guarded borders, I doubt he has any way of knowing my current situation.
Hearing this, Fang Chen gave a slight nod, finding reason in the beast’s words.
That meant he could put aside the thought of selling Yixiong out just yet.
“Then how on earth did you break out of the beast prison this time?” Fang Chen recalled another unsettling detail, his heart tightening slightly. “Was it dispatched experts from your clan who rescued you?”
If the Sacred Tiger Clan discovered he had taken one of their own as a beast slave, they would surely descend upon him with overwhelming fury.
Granted, as long as it wasn’t the Son of Providence ending his life, he was effectively immortal!
Still, what if a terrifying Sacred Tiger elder actually showed up?
Caution was always the better part of valor.
Fang Chen immediately started brainstorming strategies on how to throw Yixiong under the bus to ensure his own clean getaway should a terrifying enemy appear.
“Of course not.”
Yixiong shook his head. “I managed to escape the beast prison this time only because those great demon seniors, seeing that my bloodline was noble and unable to bear watching me waste my life away, decided to aid my departure.
“Coincidentally, those seniors managed to acquire a Yin-Yang Furnace array plate from parts unknown. They poured their blood and sweat into it inside the beast prison for two and a half years, finally modifying it into a specialized Yin-Yang Furnace targeting human cultivators.
“As long as I refine Jiang Ningyi, my cultivation will likely surge straight to the second tier, ninth layer. If my bloodline power fully manifests, I might even leap directly to the third tier.
“Once I reach the third tier, I’ll finally have the leverage to leave the Danran Sect behind.”
The hierarchy of the demon race was divided into the first tier, second tier, third tier, fourth tier, Demon King, Demon Emperor, Demon Venerable, Demon Saint, and Demon Emperor.
The third tier mentioned by Yixiong corresponded directly to the human Golden Core realm.
Fang Chen asked.
Yixiong fell silent.
In truth, Fang Chen didn’t believe for a second that even reaching the Golden Core realm would allow the tiger to leave unhindered.
Even if Yixiong actually managed to kill someone as significant as Jiang Ningyi, Fang Chen refused to believe the heavyweights within the sect would simply sit back and let it happen.
Which led to a lingering suspicion in his mind…
Perhaps Yixiong’s entire escape was nothing more than a carefully laid trap!
And its intended target was none other than Jiang Ningyi!
“It seems the Danran Sect is just as full of backstabbing and schemes as anywhere else.”
Fang Chen couldn’t help a quiet sigh.
Then again, considering that an Imperial-grade bloodline like Yixiong couldn’t even qualify as the Son of Providence under the system’s rules, he doubted this absolute idiot could survive his encounter with the genuine article, Jiang Ningyi, inside the Yin-Yang Furnace.
With his interrogation of Yixiong concluded for the moment, Fang Chen turned his attention back to his own system.
After a full day, he had finally gained a basic grasp of how the mechanism operated.
Though this system was naturally rebellious and constantly plotting to betray its host, it wasn’t entirely a dead end.
Fang Chen knew that if he wanted to survive the persecution of this wretched system, he had to cleverly exploit its loopholes and continuously fleece it for benefits.
Moreover, since the rules dictated that he could only meet his end at the hands of the Son of Providence, right now-
“Nobody can put me down!”
Fang Chen felt a wave of quiet delight.
In a sense, he was currently invincible!
Of course, that didn’t mean he could afford to swagger about arrogantly.
While they couldn’t kill him, anyone with a cultivation base vast enough to completely suppress him could easily capture him and subject him to eternal torment. They could drop him into the crushing depths of the deep sea to drown thousands of times a day, reviving him only to drown him again…
The mere thought was chilling!
The system certainly wouldn’t care if he suffered a fate worse than death.
Besides, some powerful eccentric might eventually decide to slice him open just to figure out why he was unkillable.
They might even treat him as rare alchemy materials; demonic cultivators were particularly fond of using the vital essence blood of Foundation Establishment cultivators for their pills…
If some depraved demon cultivator discovered his secret and locked him away, he would spend eternity having his heart, kidneys, and Dao Foundation repeatedly harvested to churn out endless batches of demonic pills…
At that realization, Fang Chen broke out in a cold sweat.
That was far too terrifying!
Yet, after the initial fright subsided, a sudden, audacious thought sparked in his mind-
Wait a minute!
“Does this count as straying into the demonic path? Surely not…”
Fang Chen stroked his chin, concluding that the idea wasn’t entirely unfeasible.
Naturally!
Unless things reached an absolute dead end, he decided he’d rather avoid such drastic measures!
Just slicing off chunks of himself day after day sounded utterly miserable.
With that, Fang Chen temporarily shelved the notion.
“As for Xiao Qing, I shouldn’t need to worry about any life-and-death duel anytime soon…”
Fang Chen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “And on Jiang Ningyi’s end, thanks to my stellar acting performance, she shouldn’t be harboring any sudden romantic attachments either.”
Though defeating Yixiong might make his public image appear a bit more impressive, his previous masterclass in acting would ensure she continued to view him as a thoroughly disagreeable person.
No major issues here; the advantage remained firmly on his side.
The system simply couldn’t finish him off!
With that settled, Fang Chen dusted off his backside and stood up. “I’m heading off to rest. You can sleep out in the backyard.
“Hold on, aren’t you going to cultivate?”
Hearing this, Yixiong-who was in the middle of regulating his breath to heal his wounds-stopped him with a puzzled look.
During all his years trapped in the beast prison, he had encountered no shortage of human cultivators.
Not a single one of them ever wasted time sleeping.
Who didn’t close their eyes and circulate their Qi the moment they had a spare second?
How was Fang Chen such an utter anomaly?
“Cultivate? Cultivate my foot! How can you even bear to cultivate at an age like this? This is the time in our lives for leisure, understand?”
Fang Chen lectured him earnestly. “My Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment cultivation was practically built on leisure.”
“Really?”
Yixiong was struck dumb with shock.
“A clear and open state of mind leads naturally to the Dao. Sleep when you want, play when you want-why shackle yourself to rigid cultivation? Your Imperial-grade bloodline is wasted on such a low realm, which is why you’re still stuck down at the fifth grade of Foundation Establishment, sigh!”
With a disdainful shake of his head, Fang Chen flicked his sleeve and sauntered off.
Left behind in the courtyard, Yixiong stared at Fang Chen’s retreating back, then recalled the brutal, deadlocked battle he had just lost, and sank into profound contemplation…
Words spoken by someone at the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment realm must surely be fraught with deep, profound meaning!
Could it be that Fang Chen was actually right?