Chapter 397 - 30: Ten Billion Talismanic Coins
Cai Li was still dressed in a simple black gauze robe. Her fair cheeks wore a solemn expression, and her long, slender, willow-like brows slanted up toward her temples, giving her a formidable aura.
She had cultivated for a hundred years and had been at the Peak of Life Talisman Realm for over a decade. Currently, on Demon Lion Peak, her strength was second only to Fang Cheng’s.
For the past few years, she had commanded a Tier Three Mechanical Armor and stood guard over Yinluo Villa, deterring cultivators both inside and outside the sect. Her presence was reassuring.
"Rumor has it the sect has run into some trouble recently," Cai Li said slowly. "A certain sect has secretly taken control of several major sects in the Wood Country and the Lu Country, forming a great power. They’ve begun to encroach upon the Yun Country, and Taihao Mountain has already fallen..."
Fang Cheng’s brow furrowed upon hearing this. "Could it be that a new Dharma Realm master has appeared in the East Cyan Domain?"
The East Cyan Domain had three major cultivation nations: the Jin Country, the Cang Country, and the Moon Country.
After Fang Cheng advanced to the Life Soul Realm, he had traveled through the various nations with his wives and companions, gaining a good understanding of the many Immortal Dao influences in the East Cyan Domain.
Beneath these three great nations were many smaller countries, like the Yun Country.
The Wood Country and the Lu Country were a few of the more well-known among them.
’Generally speaking, with the heritage and resources of smaller countries like the Yun, Wood, and Lu Countries, it’s incredibly difficult to produce even a single Life Soul Realm cultivator, let alone a Dharma Master.’
’It’s most likely that within one of the three great nations like the Jin Country, a Dharma Master has emerged from a minor power or among the Loose Cultivators. They want to reshape the East Cyan Domain’s cultivation resources and power structure, but they can’t challenge the existing major powers, so they’re starting with the surrounding smaller countries.’
Cai Li shook her head. "It’s unclear. This sect acts with extreme secrecy and discretion. We can’t determine their origins for now."
Fang Cheng’s voice grew grave. "After the fall of Taihao Mountain, their next target must be our Yinluo Sect."
Cai Li nodded in agreement, then said a moment later, "The Master and Grandmaster haven’t decided on a counter-strategy yet. If you had returned a few days later, we might have had to feign compliance with them."
Taihao Mountain’s foundation was no weaker than the Yinluo Sect’s; it might even have been stronger.
Since Taihao Mountain couldn’t defeat this opponent, the Yinluo Sect, being one of the Demonic Sects, certainly wouldn’t charge in for a direct confrontation.
...
Fang Cheng stepped out of the Teleportation Array and concealed his aura. Without alerting the disciples on duty, he transformed into an intangible, formless streak of Celestial Ghost Sword Light and flew out of Yinluo Island.
Soon, a verdant Floating Island appeared on the distant horizon. The island looked like an inverted mountain peak, emerald green all over. Ancient trees flourished upon it, and a lake, like a clear mirror, reflected the azure sky.
Auspicious light encircled the Floating Island, and propitious clouds drifted by. An incredibly dense Spiritual Qi washed over the area, refreshing the heart and soul.
It was none other than the Fang Family’s Primordial Qi Celestial Island.
The island’s Grand Array was inactive, revealing the pavilions and towers within, a sight of breathtaking beauty.
Not far from the Primordial Qi Celestial Island, an enormous sphere of flowering vines hung silently in the sky.
Dark green vines, dense green leaves, and countless flowers of every color intertwined to form this sphere.
Amidst the surging sea of clouds, the Floating Island and the vine sphere created a spectacular sight.
In fact, any cultivator who came to the Abyssal Marsh would make a point of visiting, drawn by its reputation, just to gaze upon it from afar and broaden their horizons.
The vine sphere was the base of the Profound Jade Sect. However, the cultivators of this sect were very low-key and had rarely shown themselves since arriving in the Abyssal Marsh.
Cultivators from all over knew that this sect had close ties to the Demon Lion Peak Master and was guarded by a Life Soul Cultivator, so they had long since marked it as a forbidden area in their minds.
Fang Cheng arrived above the Primordial Qi Celestial Island. An invisible restrictive field swept over him but was nullified by a jade tablet he carried.
With wide robes and large sleeves, he leisurely descended from the sky, landing before Yongchang Hall in the center of the island.
Towering flowering trees surrounded him in a riot of purples and reds. Before the hall lay Ping Lake, its clear surface like a mirror, reflecting the clouds and sky as if in a painting.
"It’s good to be home!"
Fang Cheng looked around and couldn’t help but sigh in contentment.
His Divine Sense swept over the Primordial Qi Celestial Island, sensing the locations of his various companions. He then walked into Yongchang Hall and, with a flick of his finger, sent several streaks of golden sword light flying out of the hall toward the various Cave Mansions across the island.
Two other streaks flew off the Celestial Island, heading toward the Profound Jade Sect.
In no time, numerous Escape Lights descended, and from them emerged several Female Cultivators of peerless, stunning beauty.
The one in the lead was none other than Ye Yan!
Following her were Feng Ling, Wen Qianqian, Dong Qing, Mu Xuanyu, Lu Wei, Bai Su Yi, Su Qin, and Lan Xin Ye...
Each of the women had her own unique charm and style, their collective presence seeming to brighten the interior of Yongchang Hall.
"Husband, you’re back!"
Ye Yan joyfully came to Fang Cheng’s side, her expression affectionate.
Fang Cheng smiled. "Has everything been well at home these past few years?"
As he spoke, he and the women took their seats, while Die’Er and Liu Miaoyin served them tea.
Ye Yan nodded. "Everything at home is fine. The children are all very obedient. Jingyuan and Jingxuan are still young, but they’ve already cultivated to the Late Sensing Stage, a rare achievement in the histories of the major families."
Fang Cheng’s eldest son, Fang Jingyuan, and his second son, Fang Jingxuan, were both thirteen this year. Supported by the Fang Family’s vast Cultivation Resources, they had begun their Qi Refining initiation at the age of four or five and had now actually reached the Late-stage Sensing Realm.
He recalled when he had just transmigrated over; the difference was like that between the heavens and the earth.
Fang Jingyuan also had more than twenty younger brothers and sisters, all of whom were thriving under the care of Ye Yan and the others.
Although the Fang Family was a new and rising family, its foundation was already incredibly deep. They had every kind of Cultivation Technique, precious medicine, Spirit Rice, beast meat, and medicinal pill imaginable, giving these children access from a young age to Cultivation Resources that other Loose Cultivators could only dream of for a lifetime.
With the addition of the Black Tortoise Divine Pill, it could be said that the Fang Family’s children would face almost no hurdles before reaching the Mid-Life Talisman Stage!
Fang Cheng listened as his wives chattered and laughed, discussing amusing household matters. He would occasionally interject with a few words, teasing and joking with them, and the family was filled with constant laughter.
When the conversation turned to cultivation, his companions mentioned the difficulties they had encountered, and he guided each of them to an epiphany.
Su Qin was the only Life Soul Cultivator among the women. Sensing something unusual about Fang Cheng’s aura, she asked curiously, "Husband, did you break through to the mid-stage during your trip?"
Fang Cheng nodded and smiled. "That’s right. A fortuitous encounter allowed my cultivation to increase quite a bit."
Su Qin’s beautiful eyes gleamed, and she couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.
’Such a cultivation speed is truly rare in this world!’
The other women reacted, congratulating him one after another. Leaving other factors aside, in terms of Cultivation Realm alone, Fang Cheng was now the highest in the Abyssal Marsh.
When they also considered their husband’s masterful Divine Techniques and Unparalleled Sword Technique, they truly wondered if he had any rivals left in the Life Soul Realm.
Ye Yan immediately arranged for Liu Miaoyin and the other Maids to prepare a family banquet to welcome Fang Cheng home and wash away the dust of his journey.
That night, Fang Cheng naturally returned to his Cave Mansion with his principal wife, Ye Yan, for a night of intimacy, while his other wives returned to their own Cave Mansions.
For the next few days, Fang Cheng enjoyed a life of leisure on the Primordial Qi Celestial Island. He either taught his wives and children how to cultivate, practiced Alchemy with Lu Wei, or studied the method for refining Tier Five Feather Divine Soldiers on his own. His days were carefree and relaxed.
Under his "attentions," all of his wives were glowing with vitality.
During this time, he summoned his disciple, Li Chan, to test his cultivation. After offering guidance for half a day, he sent him away again.
In his early years, Li Chan had a fortuitous encounter and obtained the legacy of an Ancient Talisman, becoming proficient in the "Talisman Wheel" Secret Technique. He was once known as the number one Sensing Cultivator in the Yun Country.
Now that he was cultivating the *Celestial Ghost Talisman Sutra*, his progress was even more astonishing. His strength was unfathomable, and he had few opponents within the Life Talisman Realm.
However, having struggled up from the bottom rungs of Divine Pillar Immortal City since childhood, he was well-versed in the ways of the world. He knew when to be low-key and when to be ruthless, so Fang Cheng didn’t need to worry about him much.
Not long after Li Chan left, Su Miao, Sun Fuguo, and Xun Yuanchu arrived together.
The four of them gathered in Yongchang Hall. Su Miao sized up Fang Cheng for a long moment before speaking. "Tsk, tsk. I really don’t know how you cultivate, kid. How many years has it been, and you’ve already broken through to the mid-stage!"
"It was just a small fortuitous encounter, Grandmaster. Don’t be so surprised. There are countless geniuses in the world; I’m still far from being comparable to them," Fang Cheng replied with repeated humility.
Su Miao chuckled. "Right now in the Yinluo Sect, you’re the top dog in both cultivation and combat prowess. From now on, you can take care of the sect’s troubles for me!"
Sun Fuguo’s eyes flashed. "Fang Cheng, the day you break through to the Dharma Aspect Realm will be the day our Yinluo Sect is revitalized. If I, your master, can live to see that day, I will not have lived in vain."
Fang Cheng said with a serious expression, "Master, if others can cultivate to the Dharma Aspect Realm, then so can I. And my ambition is set on the Tribulation Realm!"
Su Miao, Sun Fuguo, and Xun Yuanchu were all slightly startled, sensing the powerful confidence in Fang Cheng’s words.
Xun Yuanchu’s voice was deep. "Martial Nephew, with such ambition, how could our Yinluo Sect not prosper? In the future, our sect will fully support you in your climb up the Immortal Path."
After a few more moments of idle chat, they finally got down to business.
「Not long ago.」
Someone claiming to be a cultivator from the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect came to Taihao Mountain and made a bet with Taihao Mountain’s Master Cui.
The terms of the bet were simple: the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect would send out an Early-stage Life Soul Cultivator to fight any cultivator from Taihao Mountain. If the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect won, Taihao Mountain would have to agree to one condition.
If they lost, the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect would present a Fourth-rank Magical Artifact as a congratulatory gift.
The outcome, naturally, was that Taihao Mountain lost.
Sun Fuguo had personally gone to watch the duel. Master Cui, as Taihao Mountain’s Supreme Elder and a Life Soul Cultivator who had been famous for a long time, was defeated by an unassuming cultivator from the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect.
"If it had been me, I’m afraid I would have had no chance of winning either."
This was Sun Fuguo’s conclusion after watching the battle.
Taihao Mountain’s lightning techniques were domineering and astonishingly powerful, no less so than the Yinluo Sect’s Divine Techniques. For Master Cui to still be defeated after using every trick up his sleeve showed just how strong his opponent was.
"What was the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect’s condition?" Fang Cheng asked.
Sun Fuguo said, "The Ten Thousand Transformations Sect gave Taihao Mountain a Secret Technique. By mastering this technique, a cultivator can refine their own Magical Power into Talismanic Coins."
"Late-stage Sensing Realm Cultivators can refine ten Talismanic Coins per day if they work without rest. A Life Talisman Cultivator can refine from one hundred to one thousand per day, and a Life Soul Cultivator can refine tens of thousands."
"The Ten Thousand Transformations Sect’s demand was for Taihao Mountain to refine ten billion Talismanic Coins for them within fifty years."
Xun Yuanchu sneered. "A single Life Soul Cultivator, working nonstop for fifty years, can only refine three to four hundred million Talismanic Coins. This move by the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect is tantamount to enslaving the entirety of Taihao Mountain and severing their path of cultivation."
Fang Cheng spoke again, "But what if they had refused the bet? Taihao Mountain has a deep foundation. Even if a Dharma Cultivator came, they should be able to resist for a time, right?"
Sun Fuguo gave a bitter smile. "The Ten Thousand Transformations Sect brought twelve Life Soul Cultivators that time, seven of whom were cultivators from the Wood and Lu Countries. If things had turned hostile, Taihao Mountain might have been able to hold them off for a while, but not forever."
’It seems the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect used both soft and hard tactics when they made that bet at Taihao Mountain.’
Fang Cheng nodded and said, "The Ten Thousand Transformations Sect... they’re coming to make us refine Talismanic Coins for them."
Xun Yuanchu said, "They sent their challenge letter to the Yinluo Sect last month. In ten days, it will be time for the duel."