The intense pain caused the Tathagata to momentarily forget about Xu Fang, unaware that this agony was a result of Xu Fang's Seven-Arrow Head technique. It was merely a coincidence that the Scorpion Spirit was taking the blame!

  Regardless, this karmic debt seemed to have been settled temporarily.

  After the Scorpion Spirit stabbed its tail into the Tathagata’s palm, golden light slowly enveloped him, as if he had gained immense power, with demonic mist gradually rising around him!

  Suppressing the pain in his palm, the Tathagata feigned benevolence and said, “Go to the mortal realm. You may perform good deeds, and in the future, if you encounter a golden-bodied monk, you may bind your fate with him. This will lead you to the path of Taiyi!”

  To get the horse to run, one must feed it hay.

  The Scorpion Spirit, in pursuit of the Taiyi path, would surely follow the Tathagata’s instructions to rob the person he had arranged for the journey to the West!

  Thus, the difficulty that Xu Fang had disrupted could be considered compensated.

  However, what the Tathagata did not anticipate was that the ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties had already been thwarted by Xu Fang, particularly the trial with the White Bone Spirit!

  Xu Fang, on the other hand, was indifferent to the Buddha’s plans, having already formed a grudge against the Buddhist teachings. He had no intention of caring whether the Buddhist scheme could proceed smoothly.

  At this moment, Xu Fang’s complexion was pale. Though he couldn’t directly curse the Tathagata to death with his Mysterious Immortal cultivation, he merely intended to teach the Tathagata a lesson.

  As his internal power gradually recovered, a hint of color returned to his face.

  ……

  The journey continued. One day, as Xu Fang strolled about, he sensed a subtle loosening within his internal power.

  It seemed that he was on the verge of a breakthrough!

  It had been half a year since he cursed the Tathagata, and during this time, he traversed countless cities in the mortal realm, further solidifying his internal power.

  Now, he was finally ready to break through to the mid-stage of Mysterious Immortal.

  “Let it happen naturally. If a breakthrough is imminent, then let it be,” Xu Fang thought, seeking a secluded mountain range. He sat cross-legged and began to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

  In an instant, the spiritual energy surged and gathered around him!

  While he was fully focused on breaking through his own realm, he remained oblivious to a three-foot-tall stone tablet standing beside the mountain, inscribed with three characters that revealed the mountain’s name.

  Accumulating Thunder Mountain!

  ……

  On Accumulating Thunder Mountain, there was a cave known as the Cloud-Moat Cave.

  As Xu Fang inhaled and exhaled the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, an elderly man in the cave was immediately attracted by the commotion.

  This old man was a Mysterious Immortal and the master of the mountain, known as the Everlasting Fox King!

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  At this moment, the Everlasting Fox King observed the gathering spiritual energy on Accumulating Thunder Mountain and a glimmer of understanding appeared in his eyes.

  “Someone is breaking through in Accumulating Thunder Mountain. Judging by the intensity, it must be a Mysterious Immortal. This aura is rich in Yang energy. If I can seize this Yang energy and infuse it into my daughter, the Jade-Faced Fox, she will no longer have to rely on anything in the future…”

  The Everlasting Fox King was quite dim-witted; after cultivating for tens of thousands of years, he had only achieved a late-stage Mysterious Immortal level. Now facing his end, his only concern in the mortal realm was for his daughter, the Jade-Faced Fox!

  Yet, the Jade-Faced Fox’s talent was rather ordinary. After hundreds of years of cultivation, she had barely reached the level of Earth Immortal. Once the Everlasting Fox King perished, it was highly likely that she would be unable to maintain the foundation of Accumulating Thunder Mountain!

  Now that he saw a burst of vibrant Yang energy emerging on Accumulating Thunder Mountain, a plan formed in his mind.

  If he could capture the Yang energy from this Mysterious Immortal and infuse it into his daughter using the secret techniques of the fox clan, it could at least elevate her to the level of Heavenly Immortal, and perhaps even True Immortal was not out of reach!

  With his thoughts racing, the Everlasting Fox King’s figure flickered, and in no time, he arrived at Xu Fang’s cultivation spot!

  “This boy is actually a fire-element cultivator…”

  Seeing the flames dancing around Xu Fang, the Everlasting Fox King felt a surge of caution. He secretly gathered his power, ready to launch a sneak attack.

  At this moment, Xu Fang was focused on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, converting it into his internal power to reach the mid-stage of Mysterious Immortal!

  His recent cultivation had laid a solid foundation, and in just the blink of an eye, the gateway within him roared, violently breaking through!

  Mid-Stage of Mysterious Immortal!

  “Ha—”

  Xu Fang exhaled deeply, his eyes glinting with brilliance.

  At this moment, the five elemental energies within him began to slowly condense and thrive.

  The five elemental energies, also known as the Five Elements Qi!

  Previously, when Xu Fang had broken through to mid-stage Mysterious Immortal, his inherent fire attribute had already solidified within him.

  Now that he reached mid-stage, another elemental attribute began to manifest!

  Zing—

  A spark of electricity surged from his body, intertwined with flickers of flame, making him appear as if he were bathing in a storm of thunder and fire!

  “What the…”

  Xu Fang was momentarily taken aback.

  When Master Bodhi taught him, he had mentioned that the human body contained five elemental energies, which could culminate into a breakthrough into the Golden Immortal realm.

  However, he hadn’t anticipated that the second attribute he manifested would be lightning!

  “Could it be that I absorbed the lightning energy during the thunder-fire tribulation?”

  Xu Fang was puzzled but could not discern whether this was a good or bad thing. He decided to set it aside for now and inquire with his master at Mount Fangcun later.

  Boom—

  At that moment, a thunderous explosion erupted!

  An elderly figure suddenly transformed into his true form, directly clawing towards Xu Fang!

  It was the Everlasting Fox King!

  He had been waiting nearby for a long time, hoping to catch Xu Fang off guard right after his breakthrough!

  After all, with his aged and weakened body, facing Xu Fang directly would likely end in defeat!

  His timing was indeed impeccable; if he landed this strike, even if Xu Fang didn’t die, he would at least suffer grievously!

  Unfortunately, he was up against Xu Fang, who dared to confront even the Tathagata!

  “Old fox, I’ve sensed your presence long ago!”

  If Xu Fang could break through here, how could he have done so without a shred of vigilance?

  As soon as the Everlasting Fox King arrived, Xu Fang had already sensed him. However, since his opponent hadn’t attacked, Xu Fang focused on breaking through his cultivation first.

  Facing this old fox, Xu Fang didn’t even feel the need to use the Immortal-Slaying Flying Blade!

  In a flash of thought, Xu Fang clenched his right fist tightly, and with a crack, lightning descended!

  Boom!

  Just a single punch!

  Lightning raged!

  It was accompanied by flames capable of incinerating everything, crashing down upon the claw that the old fox had extended!

  “Ah—”

  The Everlasting Fox King let out a terrible scream as one of his claws shattered inch by inch, terror suddenly gleaming in his eyes!

  In his initial expectations, despite his old age and weakening strength, he believed that with a surprise attack, he could easily slay this young man who had just reached mid-stage Mysterious Immortal!

  However, he never imagined he would kick against an iron plate!

  This opportunity was fleeting!

  The Everlasting Fox King refused to relent, suppressing his rising fear and taking a deep breath as he charged again toward Xu Fang.

  “If I kill you and seize your Yang energy, my daughter, the Jade-Faced Fox, could ascend to Heavenly Immortal, or even True Immortal! You dare to come to Accumulating Thunder Mountain? You shall die!”