Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

Legend had it that several Life Soul Realm Elders from the Eastern Desolate Major Sects, the Taiyi Sword Sect and the Red Flame Immortal Palace, had fallen to this very demon.

As expected, even with Sun Fugai’s unparalleled Sword Technique, he was no match for the Mountain Demon. If he hadn’t brought the Yinluo Sect’s Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, the Bone Daoist Palace, he would have truly been in danger of suffering grievous injuries or even death.

Fang Cheng then joined the fray. Even with master and disciple fighting together, they still couldn’t subdue the beast. Fang Cheng had no choice but to bring out his Mechanical Battle Armor and the Demon Suppression Pagoda. He even had to use the Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, the Star Moon Treasure Umbrella, to finally suppress it completely.

Two high-level Life Soul combatants, plus two Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts... The strength of this Mountain Demon shocked even Fang Cheng.

Fortunately, it hadn’t reached the point where he needed to use his Dream Spirit Incarnation.

However, if it were to leave Taiyue Mountain, the Mountain Demon probably wouldn’t last ten rounds against Fang Cheng.

Afterward, the two discussed the matter and decided to simply make the demon the Mountain Guardian Spirit Beast of Taiyue Mountain, serving as a hidden trump card for their Villa.

The Mountain Demon was intelligent and understood human nature. It knew that if it refused, it would surely be cut down by their sword light. Thus, it feigned reluctance and agreed, but it also made a few demands, such as not being disturbed during its daily cultivation and receiving a large annual offering of Treasure Medicine Spirit Fruits.

Fang Cheng agreed to all of its conditions. He and Sun Fugai then moved the Teleportation Array from Great Black Mountain to Taiyue Mountain.

The array was activated, and Cultivators from the various peaks of the Yinluo Sect teleported over, beginning a massive construction project to build the Villa.

Sun Fugai remained to oversee Taiyue Mountain, while Fang Cheng took Cai Li, Huang Shen, Feng Ziang, and other Cultivators from the Law Enforcement Hall to patrol the area around Taiyue Mountain. They cleared out all the Tier Three Demon Beasts, as well as some of the more powerful Late-Mid Tier Two ones.

Noticing the commotion, the Taiyi Sword Sect sent several Elders to pay a visit. Fang Cheng and Sun Fugai received them with courtesy. When the Elders saw the tamed Taiyue Mountain Demon, though they appeared calm on the surface, their minds were in turmoil.

Not long after, the Taiyi Sword Sect Elders hastily departed.

Although the Taiyi Sword Sect had five Life Soul Realm Elders, they knew that capturing the Taiyue Mountain Demon would be no easy task. Extrapolating from this, they understood that the Yinluo Sect was not to be trifled with. Thus, they became much more polite and treated them as friendly neighbors.

Fortunately, the Wilderness was vast and sparsely populated, with abundant resources, so for the time being, the two sects would not come into conflict.

「Three months later.」

The construction of the Mountain Protection Array, Marketplace, Cave Mansions, Treasure Vault, and other facilities was complete.

Fang Cheng became the first master of the Yinluo Villa. Under him were ten Inner Sect Elders, thirty True Disciples, one hundred Inner Sect Disciples, three hundred Outer Disciples, and one thousand Servant Disciples.

The Outer Disciples and Servant Disciples were largely recruited from the many cultivation families of the Abyssal Marsh and Loose Cultivators with clean backgrounds.

Aside from these resident Disciples, any other Yinluo Sect Cultivators at the Outer Disciple level or above could pay a Spirit Stone fee to travel between the Villa and the Main Sect at any time.

Fang Cheng placed many of the Magical Artifacts he wasn’t currently using into the Villa’s Treasure Vault. This included items like the Third-tier Magical Artifact Golden Seal, the Demon Suppression Pagoda, the Mechanical Battle Armor, as well as numerous Second-Order Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and other treasures. The goal was to entice the sect’s Disciples and Elders to earn contribution points to exchange for them.

The missions he posted also mostly involved searching for various treasured medicines and Spiritual Objects, which were likewise used to stock the Treasure Vault.

In this way, a virtuous cycle gradually formed.

As the owner of the Teleportation Array, Hua Yutang was naturally well-compensated by Fang Cheng. He directly granted her the status and benefits of a Yinluo Sect Peak Master, including an annual stipend of 100,000 contribution points, which she could use to exchange for any treasure or resource in the Villa’s Treasure Vault.

The Villa’s Marketplace was still small for the time being, but many cultivation families had already set up shop. As the Villa’s foundation stabilized, Fang Cheng planned to attract more Cultivation Families to put down roots around Taiyue Mountain, providing a steady stream of promising new cultivators for the Villa.

Over the past three months, word of the Wilderness Domain’s abundant resources had spread throughout the Abyssal Marsh and even the Yun Country. This, combined with Fang Cheng’s legendary exploits, added a great deal of mystique to the place.

Cultivators from the major powers of Yun Country gathered in the Abyssal Marsh Marketplace, buying up all sorts of materials flowing in from the Wilderness Domain. In particular, rare Spirit Fruits and treasured medicines, which were scarce in Yun Country, frequently appeared at the auctions in the Yinluo Marketplace, creating a bustling scene.

Many Servant Disciples, Outer Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, and even True Disciples and Elders made a fortune from this.

A few Disciples even had fortuitous encounters, and their cultivation levels soared. For a time, many talented individuals emerged.

Cultivation families from all over Yun Country began sending their younger members to the Abyssal Marsh to start as Servant Disciples, with the intention of establishing a foothold in this New Domain of the Wilderness.

For a while, it seemed as if the Abyssal Marsh was poised to replace the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range as the new center of Yun Country.

Taihao Mountain and the Flame God Palace both remained silent, knowing that the Yinluo Sect’s resurgence was now an unstoppable trend.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Wilderness, news of the Yinluo Villa’s appearance gradually spread. The upper echelons of the ten major sects and numerous cultivation families all received related intelligence, much of which was pried from the Taiyi Sword Sect.

Fang Cheng made no effort to hide his presence, openly sending out invitations to all the major powers of the Eastern Wilderness for the Villa’s opening ceremony.

Now that his cultivation had surged, his strength and methods allowed him to look down on all other Life Soul Realm Cultivators. He possessed a heroic and confident air, ready to meet the experts of the Eastern Wilderness.

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「North of Taiyue Mountain.」

In the sky, a sea of clouds churned endlessly. A streak of Demonic Light shot from the distant horizon, piercing through the clouds.

Suddenly, the Demonic Light seemed to notice something and slowly came to a halt.

Within the Demonic Light was a giant "snail," a hundred feet long and pure white like jade.

The snail’s shell was covered in Demon Patterns, and it faintly exuded a demonic aura. It was, shockingly, a Tier Three Celestial Demon.

On the Demon Snail’s shell rested a pavilion. Seated inside was a tall Female Cultivator in a gorgeous long dress, her posture graceful and elegant.

She leaned languidly against a Jade Couch in the pavilion, her beautiful eyes glancing into the distance, where she saw a golden rainbow streaking across the sky.

She chuckled lightly and said in a charming voice, "Daoist Brother, you’ve come as well. Why don’t we go together?"

The golden rainbow paused for a moment before dispersing, revealing a young Daoist clad in a Feather Robe and Star Crown. His body was wreathed in a golden, rosy light.

He had sharp, sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, and a radiant demeanor. His expression was solemn, carrying a natural authority.

This was none other than Master Buxu, who had crossed paths with Fang Cheng back in the Sanzong Mountain Secret Realm.

The current Sect Leader of the Nine Truths Sect.

And the Beautiful Female Cultivator riding the Tier Three Celestial Demon was, of course, the famous Nine Nether Saintess of the Eastern Wilderness, Bing Wuyi.

"Fellow Daoist Bing, you’re here too." Master Buxu looked at Bing Wuyi and nodded in greeting before stepping into the pavilion on the Demon Snail’s back.

Both were among the most outstanding Life Talisman Cultivators in the Eastern Wilderness, powerful enough to be considered representative of all Life Soul Cultivators.

The sudden appearance of the Yinluo Villa in the Eastern Wilderness had sparked much suspicion. The two of them had come to attend the ceremony, but also with the intention of sizing it up.

Bing Wuyi smiled and asked, "I was traveling in the Western Wilderness and was dispatched here by my sect’s Elders on short notice. I still know nothing about this Yinluo Villa. Does Daoist Brother know of this sect’s origins?"

Master Buxu frowned slightly and said, "I’m not entirely clear on it either. I only know that it’s a small sect from near the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range, close to the Jin Country in the East Cyan Domain. But for them to be able to subdue that Mountain Demon on Taiyue Mountain, their strength must be unfathomable."

In the eyes of the upper echelons of the ten major sects, that Mountain Demon was a Great Demon comparable to a late-stage Life Soul Realm Cultivator. No one would dare provoke it lightly.

Across the entire Eastern Wilderness, those who could single-handedly subdue this demon could be counted on one hand!

And now, according to the Taiyi Sword Sect, the demon had been suppressed and tamed by the Yinluo Villa. How could this not shock and pique the curiosity of the various powers in the Eastern Wilderness?

Bing Wuyi looked curious. "So this sect isn’t from any of the three great nations of the East Cyan Domain—Jin, Cang, or Moon Country? Then they must have found a Teleportation Array and a fortuitous encounter in some ancient ruin... How many years has it been since a new Cross-domain Transmission Array appeared in the Eastern Wilderness?"

Master Buxu pondered for a moment before saying, "Do you remember that person from the Sanzong Mountain Secret Realm? He was as elusive as a divine dragon, appearing out of nowhere with astonishing strength, only to vanish without a trace. He seemed very much like someone from beyond this domain."

"Now that you mention it, there’s a good chance that Fierce Tiger Taoist was a member of this sect." Bing Wuyi laughed, then added, "And back when Ascendant Lingji’s Hundred Treasures Hall appeared, the Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, the Star Moon Treasure Umbrella, was first seized by Zi Kuang of the Rakshasa Sect. Later, a mysterious person killed him and took the treasure. There’s been no news of it since. It’s possible this sect was behind that as well."

Master Buxu said, "Whether they were or not, the mystery will soon be solved. I’ve heard the Rakshasa Sect is already planning to use this opportunity to probe them."

"They’re more inclined to believe that this Yinluo Sect possesses a special method for suppressing Demon Beasts. If the sect subdued the Taiyue Mountain Demon through some other clever trick, the Rakshasa Sect, in their bid to suppress the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts, would almost certainly try to seize it."

The Rakshasa Sect and the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts have been fighting for many years. If there was a method specifically for suppressing Demon Beasts and the Demon Race—be it a Secret Technique or a Magical Artifact—the Rakshasa Sect, given their style, would never let the opportunity pass.

...