Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

Outside Black Jade Demon City.

Within the Heaven-Reaching Forest, Fang Cheng stood amidst a Demonic Light, looking out.

Inside the Demon City, a flash of Thunder Light erupted. The city’s restrictive wards flared brightly, and the Rune Dao Seals on the walls seemed to come alive, giving the entire Demon City a black jade-like texture.

The ball of Thunder Light charged back and forth within the Demon City, but it could not break through the restrictive barrier.

A sharp glint flashed in Madam Qi’s eyes. "Let’s move!" she said.

As her voice fell, her figure vanished without a sound.

High in the sky, a thousand-zhang Void Demon Snake suddenly materialized and lunged down at Black Jade Demon City, its demonic might overwhelming.

"Hmph!"

An angry shout echoed from within the Demon City. A beam of Demonic Light shot into the sky, fearlessly intercepting the Void Demon Snake.

Within the forest, two hundred-zhang-tall Mystic Iron Giants appeared and joined forces to attack Black Jade Demon City’s City Defense Array.

The moment these two Feather Divine Soldiers attacked, they went all out. The aura they unleashed was in no way inferior to that of the two Dharma Realm cultivators battling in the sky.

Everyone else followed suit, unleashing their own Divine Techniques to assault the City Defense Array of Black Jade Demon City, coordinating with the attack from within to free Senluo.

Fang Cheng blended in with the other cultivators, going through the motions while conserving his strength and quietly observing the situation.

With Madam Qi keeping the City Lord of Black Jade Demon City occupied, the other masters in the city were only at the Life Soul level. Faced with three Feather Divine Soldiers both inside and outside the city, they were utterly powerless.

Fortunately, the Feather Divine Soldier inside the city was trapped by the City Lord using the City Defense Array and wouldn’t be able to break free for a while. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Inside Black Jade Demon City, urgent bells rang out. A Dharma Guardian Demon Marshal entered the City Defense Array and began channeling its power, focusing all his efforts on trapping the Feather Divine Soldier piloted by Senluo.

Meanwhile, within a certain grand hall in the city, a startling spatial fluctuation quietly spread out.

The handsome youth and Ling Yan piloted their Feather Divine Soldiers like two Thunder Divine Spirits, unleashing astonishing attack power and brutally hammering the City Defense Array of Black Jade Demon City.

The snowflake-shaped Spirit Flame vents on the backs of the two Feather Divine Soldiers spewed out a blinding light.

Only then did Fang Cheng realize what Ling Yan had been collecting all those Tier Four Celestial Demon Relics for.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

Suddenly, an earth-shattering bang resounded.

The City Defense Array of Black Jade Demon City finally buckled under the combined assault, and a crack split open.

A ball of Thunder Light seized the opportunity and shot out through the crack.

It was an enormous Feather Divine Soldier with the head of a dragon and the body of a man!

Fang Cheng saw that this Feather Divine Soldier was holding a dark gold obelisk covered in patterns, which gave off a feeling of mountainous weight.

A Fifth-rank Magical Artifact!

Fang Cheng himself possessed two Fifth-rank Magical Artifacts, so he was naturally familiar with the unique aura fluctuations of artifacts at this level.

’That’s... the Demon Suppression Stele of Black Jade Demon City!’

’Is Madam Qi seizing this stele to forge a second Tier Five Feather Divine Soldier?’

Just as these thoughts raced through his mind, an invisible mouth suddenly opened in front of the Dragon Head Feather Divine Soldier and swallowed the Demon Suppression Stele it held.

"Withdraw!"

From high in the sky, a soft, pleasant voice echoed through the void.

Upon hearing this, everyone from Profound Celestial Demon City felt a jolt and began to retreat.

"You think you can come and go as you please? Do you take my Black Jade Demon City for a ghost town?"

A tremendous boom shook the sky as an astonishing Demonic Light unfurled, blanketing the horizon.

Within the Demonic Light, the figure of a giant snake flickered in and out of view, unable to escape.

A cold laugh came from the Dragon Head Feather Divine Soldier. It suddenly transformed into a Thunderous Giant Dragon and charged into the endless Demonic Light.

The Feather Divine Soldiers piloted by Ling Yan and the handsome youth also transformed into streaks of Thunder Light and shot into the sky, joining forces to battle the City Lord of Black Jade Demon City.

At the same time, dozens of Escape Lights shot out from Black Jade Demon City, fearlessly charging toward Fang Cheng and the others.

Fang Cheng calmly blocked the incoming enemies, fighting as he retreated.

Most of the attacking cultivators had Early-stage Life Soul Cultivation. Not wishing to draw attention to himself, Fang Cheng easily shook off his opponents and fled deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, a bolt of Thunder Light as thick as a zhang fell from the sky!

A warning flared in Fang Cheng’s mind. A sword hummed, and the Mountain-Slaying Sword appeared, slashing through the air to intercept the Thunder Light.

BOOM!

A mushroom cloud slowly rose. The faces of the pursuing cultivators from Black Jade Demon City changed drastically. Their spiritual light flared as the oncoming shockwave sent them flying backward.

Lightning flashed within the mushroom cloud, unleashing power equivalent to a full-strength strike from a Dharma Cultivator.

At the edge of the mushroom cloud, Fang Cheng’s figure slowly emerged. He looked up at the Dragon Head Feather Divine Soldier in the sky, a murderous glint in his eyes.

’Senluo is trying to kill me?’

Just as killing intent rose in his heart and his thoughts churned, four vast and terrifying auras emerged from within Black Jade Demon City.

Then, four brilliant Escape Lights carrying a sky-shattering demonic intent shot into the heavens!

Four more Dharma Masters had arrived.

Fang Cheng’s expression shifted, and his brow furrowed slightly. Then, his figure quietly vanished.

He decided to watch and see what happened.

The City Lord of Black Jade Demon City had brought in reinforcements from somewhere. For four Dharma Masters to arrive together in such a short time, it seemed these Demon Cities must have established some kind of joint defense pact.

The situation in the sky changed instantly.

What had been four Dharma-level combatants besieging the City Lord of Black Jade Demon City had now become five city lords launching a counterattack against Madam Qi and the three Feather Divine Soldiers.

Madam Qi attacked with her full strength, fighting two opponents at once. The battle was so intense that the crimson clouds in the sky dissipated and the Demonic Qi churned like a tide, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.

Fang Cheng used the Celestial Ghost Sword Escape to hide in the void, watching the fierce battle and silently analyzing the strength of the Feather Divine Soldiers.

"Hand over the Demon Suppression Stele, and I might spare your life!"

The aged voice thundered across the sky.

"This stele is crucial to my path of cultivation," Madam Qi replied calmly. "I’m afraid I cannot return it."

With that, Madam Qi produced a Talisman. The sky instantly lit up as if a great sun had appeared, and a blinding light filled the world, obscuring everything from view.

A series of terrifying aura fluctuations appeared one after another. In Fang Cheng’s perception, nine vast auras in the sky moved rapidly, vanishing from his senses in an instant.

He followed two of the auras, giving chase.

「A long time later.」

The light above Black Jade Demon City dispersed. The glow of the City Defense Array flickered weakly, leaving only a thin layer. The nine masters were long gone.

The area outside the city was a complete wreck. The aftershocks of the battle had destroyed the forest for thousands of li around. The earth had been overturned, and fires and Demon Flames raged through the trees, making it look like a demonic wasteland.

The Dharma Guardian Demon Marshals of Black Jade Demon City returned one by one. They began to clean up the battlefield and maintain order in the city, awaiting their City Lord’s return.

「Half a day later.」

Five Escape Lights with astonishing momentum returned to the Demon City one after another.

However, though the cultivators in the city waited for a long time, the aura of the Demon Suppression Stele never reappeared.

Only then did everyone realize that the Demon City was in peril.

Without the deterrent of the Demon Suppression Stele, Black Jade Demon City had become a conspicuous target in the Xuanyu Realm. Endless Celestial Demons would now come swarming.

The Demon City’s defenses could hold for a day or two, but not against year after year of attacks from the Celestial Demons.

It was only a matter of time before the city fell and its people were slaughtered. The fates of many Demon Cities throughout history were proof enough.

The cultivators in the city cursed Marquis Li as they quietly departed, seeking refuge in other Demon Cities.

Those who remained were all direct subordinates of the City Lord.

...

「Above the Icefield.」

A streak of Thunder Light shot across the sky, vanishing in a flash.

Within the Thunder Light was a colossus with a dragon’s head and a man’s body. It wore a Heaven-Peaking Crown and an Imperial Robe forged from Spirit Pattern Armor, exuding an air of majesty.

Of the eighteen snowflake-shaped Spirit Flame vents arranged like a spine on its back, seven were extinguished. Only eleven remained, still spewing intense and astonishing Demon Flames.

Inside the Feather Divine Soldier, Senluo’s expression was icy.

His thoughts were not on the thrilling battle with the Dharma Masters, but on the moment during the chaotic fight when his strike, intended to obliterate Fang Cheng, had been bizarrely dodged.

"Accidentally" killing an Early-stage Life Soul Cultivator was nothing for someone of his status.

Even if Madam Qi investigated afterward, he had plenty of excuses to fall back on.

To him, it was better to kill a cultivator of unknown origin with hidden motives by mistake than to let him go.

Besides, the only Tier Four Feather Divine Soldier left in Marquis Li’s possession already had a designated pilot. How could he let someone just snatch it away?

That strike outside Black Jade Demon City was both a killing blow and a probe.

And that probe had indeed revealed something amiss.

’After I return to the city, I can use this as a pretext to get rid of him...’

Senluo plotted in his mind.

In the battle of Black Jade Demon City, Madam Qi and the three of them had scattered to escape their pursuers.

Relying on the speed of his Thunder Escape, he had paid a certain price but finally managed to shake off his opponent. He was now returning to Profound Celestial Demon City.

Suddenly, a warning flared in his mind.

A sky-shattering sword light materialized between heaven and earth. It flashed across the horizon and struck the Feather Divine Soldier.

The sword light was unbelievably fast. He had almost no room to dodge before it struck him.

The world seemed to shudder, and the vast Thunder Light dissipated.

The Feather Divine Soldier, with durability comparable to a Tier Four Magical Artifact, had been able to withstand clashes with Dharma Masters.

But this heaven-shaking, sky-cleaving, incomparably sharp sword light left a shocking Sword Mark on its chest.

A Tier Five Flying Sword!

In that single strike, Senluo’s life force was brutally extinguished.

The Thunder Light faded, leaving the Feather Divine Soldier standing motionless in the void, the Sword Mark on its chest nearly piercing through its front and back.

In the sky, a foot-long paper effigy appeared.

It spontaneously combusted without any flame, its spiritual nature exhausted, and turned bit by bit to ash.

Fang Cheng appeared before the Feather Divine Soldier, hands clasped behind his back, his expression indifferent as he gazed at the terrifying Sword Mark.

A full-power strike from his Dream Spirit Incarnation, channeling the Mountain-Slaying Flying Sword, had indeed slain Senluo hiding within the Feather Divine Soldier.

He activated his Li Hen Demon Light, and endless black flames poured into the Feather Divine Soldier, refining Senluo’s corpse to ash.

Afterward, Fang Cheng refined Senluo’s mark on the Feather Divine Soldier and placed the machine in his storage bag.

’I’ve got the Feather Divine Soldier, though it’s a shame it’s damaged... I can keep it to study and repair later.’

To get a complete Feather Divine Soldier, he would still need to return to Profound Celestial Demon City and rely on the help of Ling Yan and Madam Qi.

And it would be nearly impossible to suspect him of Senluo’s death.

Whether it was those Dharma Masters or the powerful Tier Four and Tier Five Celestial Demons in the Xuanyu Realm, any of them could provide a sufficient reason for Senluo’s demise.

Fang Cheng lingered in the sky for a while.

Then, with a flicker, he transformed into a sky-shattering sword light, shot straight into the heavens, and vanished in an instant.

...