Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 765 -480: Return

Year by year, the flowers appear the same, but with each passing year, the people change.

A hundred years later, inside the Cave Mansion.

“Hoo!”

Fang Yuan took a deep breath, regulated his mana, and then with a wave of his sleeve lifted the lid off the Alchemy Cauldron, instantly, a streak of golden light flew out from within and landed in his hand, transforming into a small flag—refining the Small Fierce Fire Banner of Spiritual Artifact Level!

Ever since the Heavenly Craftsmen introduced their methods a hundred years ago, and the five divisions undertook the task, a fierce Artifact Refining craze had swept across Wandao School, drawing a vast number of students and Cave Heaven Blessed Land Cultivators into the practice of Artifact Refining.

Although Wandao School had stated early on that the Heavenly Mechanics Methods were not exclusive to the Dao of Tools, the demand for Artifacts, as components and even cores, was so great that the prospects of Artifact Refining were exceedingly promising, leading countless Cultivators to join its ranks.

...

Caught in the current, it was hard not to go with the flow. Fang Yuan, too, found his heart moved and devoted part of his energy and time to Artifact Refining, in addition to his Cultivation and Alchemy. Acting as an Artifact Refiner as a secondary profession, he had made some achievements and had become a Second Rank Artificer, with this “Small Fierce Fire Banner” as proof.

“Over the past hundred years, Artifact Refiners in the five divisions who surpassed the Third Rank took over Lord Mingxiao’s significant responsibility to tirelessly refine Magical Treasures, Spiritual Treasures, and Immortal Artifacts day and night. All materials and expenses were covered by Wandao School, with additional support from pills and rewards in academic credits…”

“This led to a massive improvement in the Artifact Refiners of the five divisions over the last hundred years. Nearly all advanced by one tier, and a few even by two tiers. Their Cultivation was not hindered by their Artifact Refining; with the help of pills from Wandao School and the impetus of Artifact Refining, many broke through their realms, their progress on par with regular Cultivation…”

“Had I known that there would be an opportunity like the Heavenly Mechanics Methods, I would have chosen Artifact Refining when I filled out my Hundred Arts application. Now I find myself lagging one step behind, and then another, uncertain if there will ever be a chance to partake in the Artifact Refining tasks of the five divisions.”

Reflecting on the transformations of the past hundred years, Fang Yuan could not help but feel a surge of regret.

A hundred years ago, when the five divisions undertook their significant task by Lord Mingxiao’s decree to refine the Five Elements Device, they received unprecedented assistance from the school.

Thanks to Headmaster Qian’s hundred-year plan to ‘shear wool,’ Wandao School secured a massive amount of resources that benefited all divisions. Techniques of the Hundred Arts, such as the Alchemy Dao, Dao of Talismans, and Dao of Tools, all saw varying degrees of enhancement and development. Yet, none shone quite as brilliantly as the Dao of Tools, much to the chagrin of many Cultivators.

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Fang Yuan was among them.

But as a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he quickly composed himself and prepared to start his daily Cultivation.

Just then…

“Warning! Warning!”

“The Red Moon is coming, the Red Moon is coming!”

“All Cultivators, cease Cultivating immediately, be cautious of the Demon Catastrophe!”

“All Cultivators, cease Cultivating immediately, be cautious of the Demon Catastrophe!”

“All citizens below the Fourth Realm, please evacuate to the nearest academy shelter without delay!”

“Cultivators of the Fourth Realm and above, unless instructed by Wandao School, please do not leave your Cave Mansions or wander aimlessly!”

“Full wartime restrictions are now in place across the school grounds, enforced by the Academy Enforcement Team. Any conflict or resistance against the Enforcement Team will be treated as possession by the Heavenly Demon and met with immediate execution on the spot!”

“…”

The piercing alarm echoed through the Nascent Soul Cave Dwelling, causing Fang Yuan’s expression to change instantly.

As a Nascent Soul Cultivator and a Fourth Rank Pill Master, he owned a private Cave Mansion within the school, so privacy was needless to say.

Even so, installed within his Cave Mansion was an alarm system—one that could not be removed by anyone.

Not just for him, but for all Academy Monks, regardless of Cultivation or position, an alarm system was present in each Cave Mansion.

Because this was an alert for the “Demon Catastrophe.”

Since the foundation of Wandao School over six hundred years ago, it coincided with the return of the “Red Moon.”

Thus, during this period, everyone’s nerves were on edge, some even putting a halt to their Cultivation practices.

Fortunately, the school had long been prepared for this eventuality, having conducted multiple drills with a set of mature response measures in place.

Within the shrill alarm, streaks of Spirit Light beamed out, as teams of Enforcement Cultivators piloted their Mechas out to implement the most stringent wartime restrictions, evacuating civilians, maintaining order, and suppressing uprising.

The tenacity of the Heretic God Sect proved formidable—impossible to exterminate entirely, even after Wandao School ruled for over six hundred years, repeatedly sweeping these heretic sects. After some time, there would still be those who fell into their ways, becoming the talons and teeth of External Demons—Heretic Cult Followers.

This was the case even on ordinary days, but with the approach of the Red Moon, the situation was unimaginably worse and could potentially evolve into a full-blown Demon Catastrophe.

Luckily, the school had a plan for this, and teams of Enforcement Cultivators began the most rigorous wartime control using their Mechas.

Observing the chaos outside, Fang Yuan shook his head, took out a pill and swallowed it. He then activated his Cave Mansion’s Formation Defense, closed his eyes, and sat down calmly in meditation.

He wasn’t an Enforcement Cultivator, nor had he received any dispatch orders from the school. At such a time, it was best not to wander around aimlessly—for his and everyone else’s sake.

After ingesting the “Great Clarity Guardian Elixir” distributed by the school to Cultivators of the Fourth Realm, Fang Yuan steadied his mind, refrained from absorbing Spiritual Energy or Cultivating, and focused solely on waiting for the Demon Catastrophe to pass.

Time flew by, and suddenly, a red light shone into the Cave Mansion and fell upon Fang Yuan’s face.

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Red light?

Where did this red light come from?

His Cave Mansion was sealed and completely isolated from the outside world, with no windows that could let in light; so where did this red light come from?

Unaware, Fang Yuan felt a peculiar sensation in his mind, and his thoughts grew chaotic. Eventually, he saw a bright moon.

A bright moon, exceptionally clear, yet in a mere moment it started to stain with specks of crimson, spreading like ink!

In the blink of an eye, a thousand years, ten thousand years…

In a momentary trance, transfixed by the moon, he looked again only to find it drenched in blood red, ominously seductive.