"The feeling of wielding power is exhilarating! No wonder Miss Fang Qingxue regards the world with such disdain, holding the power of life and death in her hands."

Listening to the cracking sounds of Fang Dafu's bones under his feet, Fang Han felt a surge of pleasure in his heart. It was not the simple joy of a petty person gaining power; it was the exhilaration of possessing the strength to control others' destinies.

For so many years, it was only at this moment that Fang Han felt truly alive.

"I must possess power, immense strength, the divine power of the mysterious realm, to be superior to others. The power I hold now is still weak and insignificant. The pleasure this much power brings is nothing; I must become stronger, stronger, and even stronger."

Having experienced the joy that power brings, Fang Han realized that wealth and fame are fleeting, while one's own strength endures.

"Fang Han! What are you doing! How dare you kill someone here!"

Fang Man and Fang Rui's faces changed dramatically as they stepped forward aggressively, forming a pincer movement that subtly enclosed Fang Han. These two were no ordinary servants; they had risen to high positions among the Fang family's staff through their abilities.

You should know, the prominent servants of the Fang family, once they step out, are even more prestigious than the county magistrate, with a status that is not to be underestimated.

"Why? Do you also wish to have your limbs broken?" Fang Han turned around, sneering, "To be frank, I have cultivated to the fifth level of the physical realm, the realm of divine power. If you intend to make a move, you should consider the consequences first."

"What? The fifth level, the realm of divine power? No wonder Fang Lie was defeated by you."

Upon hearing this, Fang Man and Fang Rui's faces fell.

Only some of the core disciples of the Fang family have the ability to cultivate to the fifth level of divine power. They are merely at the third to fourth level of the realm of rigidity and flexibility. Engaging in combat with Fang Han would be courting humiliation.

Although they found it hard to believe that Fang Han could indeed cultivate to the divine power level, the reality before them left them no choice but to accept it.

"Humph, those who recognize the trend are the wise." Fang Han licked his lips, "Considering that we all serve Miss, I won't break your limbs today. This place is not the Fang family. Miss will be in seclusion for half a year. If I were to beat you to death and throw you down the mountain, it would be just a matter of my word."

"We'll see about that!" Fang Man still uttered a defiant phrase.

"Who was it just now, making a fuss and saying they wouldn't obey me?" Ignoring Fang Man's resentment, Fang Han turned his gaze to the servants who had just been complaining.

Thump!

Seeing his fierce gaze, the servants who had just been complaining knelt on the ground, "Master Han, spare my life, Master Han! From now on, for Master Han's word, we will go through wind and rain, over mountains and fires, without a second thought."

"Master Han."

Hearing others call him 'Master,' Fang Han smiled inwardly, "Rise! From now on, you will follow me and tend to the spiritual beasts for Miss. And you, you..."

He singled out more than 200 people to serve him one after another. Because of the authority he had just established, none of the selected individuals dared to complain or disobey. Previously, each of these more than 200 servants would have held a higher status than Fang Han; they would never have listened to him.

But with his newfound power, Fang Han, like a petty man risen to success, had beaten others into submission, and no one dared to provoke him.

"Well, not bad at all."

Having organized 250 people, Fang Han walked towards Fang Lie, who was lying on the ground.

"Alright, Fang Han, let's put an end to today's matter. Fang Lie disregarded Miss's orders and tried to snatch your Myriad Beasts Plaque, it was his own doing. You've punished him, and now it's time to get to work."

At this moment, Fang Qiang, who had been observing the entire scene coldly just now, spoke up.

The head maid, who seemed to be in charge of the entire Zi Dian Palace's catering, was an enigmatic figure. She had remained silent when Fang Han displayed his power, but now she finally stepped forward to intervene.

"I mean it too," Fang Han said, turning to look at Fang Qiang. The maid was dressed in a long green skirt, tall with extremely long legs, and a figure like a crane, standing elegantly. Her eyes were dim with a trace of a watery mist, and her breath was exceptionally long, indicating her heartbeat was faint—obviously, she was a master.

Fang Qiang, whom Fang Han had heard of while serving in the Fang family, held the prestigious position of head maid with a very high status. It was rumored that Fang Zetao, the head of the Fang family and the governor of Longyuan, had intended to take her as a concubine, but the idea was dropped due to opposition from his first wife.

Relying on his intuition, Fang Han sensed something mysterious about her, but he did not dare to be careless and immediately released his grip.

"Dismissed, everyone return to your respective duties. We must manage the upper and lower Zi Dian Peak in an orderly fashion so that the young lady can cultivate in peace," Fang Qiang said, clapping her hands.

Fang Man and Fang Rui led a group of people away first, and Fang Han also led a group to leave, choosing a grand palace nestled between the mountains as their residence.

Zi Dian Peak was adorned with seven or eight palaces from top to bottom. Apart from the "Zi Dian Palace" at the summit, which was where Fang Qingxue lived and practiced her cultivation, the other palaces were for servants' residence, yet they were magnificent, far surpassing the Fang family's residence in Longyuan Province.

Fang Han took up residence in the "Spiritual Beast Palace," which housed many animal pens and poultry farms.

"These cranes are truly enormous," Fang Han remarked upon seeing the cranes raised within the "Spiritual Beast Palace." There were thirty-six in total, each as tall as two or three people, with broad wings resembling huge door panels. Their roars were deafening, capable of shaking the heavens and earth, and a flap of their wings could easily knock people over.

It was unclear how the Yu Hua Sect had managed to raise such cranes, but they were now confined within the palace, trapped under a vast net in the sky and surrounded by more nets on all sides. These nets were pure purple, seemingly made of a kind of "purple silk," preventing the cranes from flying away.

"Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque, Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque. Can I truly command these cranes by using my blood on it?" Fang Han wondered as he took out the "Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque."

The jade plaque was adorned with the figures of thirty-six cranes.

Fang Han bit his own finger and dripped a drop of his blood onto the "Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque." With this drop of blood, he suddenly felt as if his spirit had merged with the plaque, which now seemed to be an extension of his body.

With a mere thought, the "Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque" levitated in the air.

"How is this possible? Have I cultivated to the divine and secret realm?" Fang Han was astonished.

"It's not that you've cultivated to the divine and secret realm, but rather the magical power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque itself. The plaque was inscribed with a large array by the elders of the Yu Hua Sect. Your blood has activated the array; this is the blood sacrifice refinement of the magical weapon. Now you can mentally communicate with these thirty-six cranes," a voice said from behind Fang Han.

Fang Han turned to see Fang Qiang, the mysterious head maid. "Miss Qiang seems to know quite a lot?"

"After all, I've been the head of the female servants in the Fang family for many years. The ancestors of the Fang family were disciples of the Yu Hua Sect, and I've learned a little. The Dalie court pays tribute to the Yu Hua Sect every year," Fang Qiang spoke softly, not revealing her full knowledge but subtly hinting at some very important information.

"Blood Sacrifice Refinement?" Fang Han had heard a new term.

"Blood Sacrifice Refinement is a method for those who do not possess divine powers to refine magical weapons. The Yu Hua Sect has three types of disciples: the outer sect disciples who only cultivate the body, the inner sect disciples who, although not experts in divine powers, are all bestowed with magical weapons by the sect—such as flying swords, flying knives, protective shields, talismans, etc. These flying swords and knives are similar to the Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque, containing their own magical arrays. After blood sacrifice refinement, they can be driven by the will of the disciples without divine powers, greatly enhancing their defensive and demon-repelling abilities. The Yu Hua Sect, despite being one of the ten major sects of the immortal path, still has enemies, such as the Innate Demon Sect and the Demon God Sect, which are the mortal enemies of the Yu Hua Sect. How can one fight them with just physical cultivation?"

Fang Qiang smiled slightly and said, "Although we are not disciples of the Yu Hua Sect, in case we are favored and included in the door, we must understand these things."

"The Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque is merely the lowest level of magical weapon. If you truly acquire a spiritual weapon flying sword refined by an elder of the Yu Hua Sect, after blood sacrifice refinement, you can control it with your will and slay enemies from miles away; that is the true power of a spiritual weapon."

"Spiritual weapon?" Fang Han asked in surprise.

"The magical weapons that cultivators carry are divided into magical weapons, spiritual weapons, treasured weapons, Dao weapons, and the legendary immortal weapons," Fang Qiang seemed to be enlightening Fang Han. "Magical weapons are those with a trace of magical power that can be used by people, such as fire symbols, pure water symbols, wind symbols, and your Ten Thousand Beasts Plaque, which can simply communicate with spiritual beasts. As for spiritual weapons, they are the realm of those who have reached the fifth realm of the heavenly and earthly realm, where magical power is constructed into various large arrays and added to objects, possessing extraordinary spirituality. Treasured weapons are even rarer and more powerful than spiritual weapons; otherwise, they would not be called treasures. As for Dao weapons, they are the legendary treasures that have achieved the Dao and can cultivate and grow by themselves. Such Dao weapons are already legendary, and immortal weapons have never been seen by anyone, only existing in mythological history. Your martial arts have already reached the realm of divine power, but if you encounter someone with a spiritual weapon flying sword, you could be slain instantly."

"Thank you, Miss Qiang, for sharing so much and broadening my horizons."

Fang Han quickly expressed his gratitude, while also feeling an increasing sense of mystery surrounding the identity of Fang Qiang.

"You offended Fang Man and Fang Rui today, and they will sooner or later be a thorn in your side. The young lady is in seclusion and will not concern herself with the worldly affairs of servants. Perhaps they have already set a trap for you, and a few months later, when the young lady emerges from her retreat, she may not even remember you."

Fang Qiang nodded.

"Them?" Fang Han smiled.

"Their martial arts are naturally no match for you, but they have already sent someone to find Young Master Yu, to accuse you. You must be cautious. Moreover, there are a total of 108 true disciples in Yu Hua Mountain, three to five thousand inner disciples, and hundreds of thousands of outer disciples, with complex relationships. The young lady is extremely powerful, and this time she killed the people of Bi Yan Peak; those people may come to trouble us. Our lives are very cheap, and we must be careful."

Fang Qiang spoke and then walked out, leaving Fang Han alone to ponder.

Young Master Yu, named Fang Yu, is the younger brother of Fang Qingxue. This time, he was brought by Fang Qingxue to be an outer disciple deep within Yu Hua Mountain, and Fang Han was also aware of this.

"Blood Sacrifice Refinement, Blood Sacrifice Refinement? Right, I also have the Jiao Fu Huangquan Map on my person; I wonder if I can refine it with blood sacrifice?" Fang Han suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, "The Jiao Fu Huangquan Map, an item of the great demon emperor of the demon gate, the Yellow Spring Emperor, I wonder if it is a spiritual weapon, a treasured weapon, a Dao weapon? Or even an immortal weapon? In any case, it is definitely not the lowest-level magical weapon."