Chapter 382 - 15: Feather Race Beauty
Time flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
Inside the Jade Tower at the center of the manor.
Fang Cheng sat cross-legged in his Quiet Chamber. Green smoke curled before him, and from within the mist, a foot-tall paper figure with sharp brows and starlike eyes emerged.
The paper figure glanced at Fang Cheng, gave a slight nod, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished into Fang Cheng’s wide sleeve.
Fang Cheng took out a Jade Bottle, tipped out a Jade Dew Golden Lotus Pill, and swallowed it. He then sat quietly to regulate his breathing and recover the damage to his Life Soul.
The ten Dream Spirit Incarnations he had brought with him were all used up seven days ago.
The reward was that he had hunted and killed another thirteen Tier Four Celestial Demons around the Profound Celestial Demon City.
The Spiritual Power within his Resentment Demon Bead was full to bursting, reaching an unprecedented level of potency.
Fang Cheng privately estimated that he was not far from breaking through to the Early-Life Soul Stage.
All that remained was the slow, grinding work of refining the Spiritual Power in the Demon Bead, continuously enhancing his Magical Power, and nurturing his Life Soul.
During this time, Yan Shutong had also been in seclusion, focusing all her efforts on refining a Celestial Demon Origin. Her cultivation speed was astonishingly fast, placing a subtle pressure on Fang Cheng.
Both of them walked the path of plunder and consumption within the Demon Dao. The difference was that Fang Cheng’s method was more stable, purer, and had almost no side effects.
Yan Shutong, on the other hand, faced enormous risks refining a Tier Four Celestial Demon Origin, and the Divine Techniques she could master were limited to those originally possessed by that Celestial Demon. The advantage was that she didn’t need to frantically hunt Tier Four Celestial Demons like Fang Cheng, which significantly lowered the difficulty.
One could say that Fang Cheng had already achieved his main objective for entering the Xuanyu Realm.
If it weren’t for the cultivators from the Mo Luo Realm and things like the Feather Divine Soldiers, he could have returned to the Red Profound Realm by now.
But seeing the Feather Divine Soldiers that day had truly made him covet them.
For a Life Soul Cultivator, such a treasure was almost as valuable as a Fifth-rank Magical Artifact!
Since he was here, he had to take one back with him.
Moreover, he had accumulated a large number of Celestial Demon Relics during this time and was keen on buying some precious treasures to bring back to the Abyssal Marsh.
’It’s time to get an official position.’
He thought to himself.
...
「Three days later.」
The central plaza of Profound Celestial Demon City.
Beneath the giant Cangling Tree, a guard detail composed of Life Talisman Cultivators was stationed in the plaza.
Under the lush, dense canopy, more than a dozen jade-green Spirit Fruits hung heavy on the branches. The fruits were almost transparent, with halos of light swirling within them, giving them an air of profound mystery.
The plaza also served as a free-trade area where many Loose Cultivators set up stalls. The ground was a dazzling display of various goods, and the air was filled with a lively cacophony of shouts, haggling, and laughter.
However, most of the Cultivators here were in the Sensing Realm or Life Talisman Realm. The few Life Soul Cultivators present, like Fang Cheng, had concealed their cultivation auras and were browsing the stalls discreetly.
Fang Cheng strolled around for a while, using his Celestial Demon Relics to buy some of this realm’s unique Demon Dao Talismans, pills, and Magical Artifacts. He planned to take them back to fill his family’s Treasure Vault, with some set aside as gifts for his wives and concubines.
As he walked, he stopped and looked up at a glistening Cang Ling Fruit in the canopy above.
As he gazed up at the fruit, a mysterious aura descended from it and wrapped around his body.
A flicker of understanding crossed Fang Cheng’s eyes. Sensing something, he allowed the aura to settle upon him.
The next moment, his body swayed as an immense, invisible force seized him, pulling him up toward the Cang Ling Fruit.
The surrounding crowd cried out in alarm at the sight.
The instant Fang Cheng’s body touched the Cang Ling Fruit, the jade-green fruit erupted in a brilliant light.
In the blink of an eye, Fang Cheng’s figure vanished, and the light slowly faded away.
An old man who had been running a stall in the plaza for many years remarked, "I’ve had my stall here for thirty years, and this is the nineteenth Harvester. I wonder if he’ll succeed."
"Old brother, how many of the previous eighteen succeeded?" someone who seemed new to Profound Celestial Demon City couldn’t help but ask curiously.
The old man chuckled. "Rumor has it that only three have succeeded in the last hundred years, and the most recent one was fifty years ago... Sigh, this world is full of posers chasing fame, while those with real skill are few and far between! Young brother, you look like a dashing romantic; you must have plenty of female admirers. Care to try this Giant Sun Talisman?"
...
In the void, a tall, straight figure appeared without a sound.
He wore a magnificent Daoist Robe with a jade belt at his waist and cloud-like sleeves, exuding a calm and profound aura.
Fang Cheng’s eyes shone with a divine light as he scanned his surroundings. An astonishing, irrepressible demonic intent emanated from his body.
This was a void a hundred li in diameter, somewhat similar to the void within a Pocket World Spiritual Building, but it was completely empty inside, filled only with swirling layers of mist.
It seemed like a precious material used for refining Magical Artifacts like Pocket World Spiritual Buildings.
Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance beside him. He turned to see the void itself forming an invisible maw, snapping viciously at him.
Fang Cheng frowned slightly and threw a punch.
Invisible ripples spread through the void, and a hundred-zhang-long serpent made of dense black Demonic Qi emerged, its Demonic Qi roiling violently from the force of the punch.
"A Void Demon Snake..."
Fang Cheng glanced at the Celestial Demon, then his gaze shifted to the distance.
Masses of tyrannical Demonic Qi surged forth—it was several more Void Demon Snakes!
’Just as I thought. Mid-to-late Tier Three Celestial Demons...’
Before these colossal Celestial Demons, Fang Cheng’s figure was like an ant, yet the demonic intent and aura he exuded were in no way inferior to the Demon Snakes’.
The Demon Snake closest to him shook its head and tail, then lunged forward, snapping at Fang Cheng once more.
Mid-lunge, its body flickered and vanished without a trace.
Fang Cheng’s expression was calm as his own figure disappeared from the spot like a bursting bubble.
Celestial Ghost Sword Escape!
CRUNCH!
An invisible maw clamped down violently on the spot where he had just been standing.
The hundred-zhang-long body of the giant Demon Snake flashed into view, its appearance savage and ferocious.
The Void Demon Snake possessed astonishing combat power; it was known to have shattered Magical Artifacts of the same rank and was considered one of the ten strongest Celestial Demons in the Xuanyu Realm.
Just then, a gleaming golden rope shot out from the void. With a sudden flick, it wrapped itself around the Demon Snake’s head and neck.
Then, a jet-black, chilling sword light surged forward. It moved with the grace of a dragon, tearing through the void with a deep, rumbling thunder, leaving a fine white scar in the air.
The Demon Snake’s Demonic Qi roiled as if boiling, and its massive body was sliced in two by the sword light!
A rule set by Madam Qi, wife of the Profound Celestial Demon City’s Lord, forbade the use of Magical Artifacts above Tier Three within the Cang Ling Fruit. For this reason, Fang Cheng had bought a Tier Three Flying Sword in the city.
This sword was forged using the techniques of the Mo Luo Realm. It was sinister, sharp, treacherous, and grimly profound, making it a perfect match for his Netherworld Sword Technique.
As soon as the Void Demon Snake was slain, its body dissolved into a dense cloud of Demonic Qi that began to spread, threatening to corrupt the entire hundred-li void.
A jet-black Demonic Light swept through the void, and wherever it passed, the Demonic Qi vanished.
The remaining nine Void Demon Snakes arrived one after another. Nine incomparably tyrannical streams of demonic intent swept the void, forcing a phantom-like figure to reveal itself.
Nine invisible maws opened simultaneously and snapped down.
Fang Cheng’s figure flickered, transforming into an agile and graceful streak of sword light that danced through the void, narrowly but safely dodging the nine Demon Snakes.
He pointed a finger, and a beam of Li Hen Demon Light, as intense as a flame, shot out to block the path before him.
From within the Demonic Light, a withered skeleton over a hundred zhang tall slowly raised its head and began to rise.
The skeleton appeared humanoid but was extremely strange. It had one hundred and eight ribs, and its arm and leg bones were each formed from nine bones covered in bizarre patterns, twisted together like rope, emanating a sense of power.
Globes of Demon Fire, like clouds of mist, floated around the skeleton, burning continuously and emitting a profound, gloomy light that pulsed in endless, overlapping waves.
A Resentment Celestial Demon.
Fang Cheng had used his Li Hen Demon Palace to summon this Resentment Celestial Demon from beyond the realms, bringing it to the Lower Realm before suppressing it for his own use.
Normally, several Resentment Celestial Demons lay dormant within the small Li Hen Demon Palace. Once unleashed, their ferocious might was even more astonishing than that of the Void Demon Snakes.
In an instant, seven Resentment Celestial Demons stepped out of the Demonic Light and met the nine Void Demon Snakes in a fierce battle.
Although these seven Resentment Celestial Demons were all at the Tier Three Early Stage, their combat prowess was extraordinary. Furthermore, the Li Hen Demon Light was extremely effective at suppressing Celestial Demons, so for a time, they fought the nine Void Demon Snakes to a standstill.
Fang Cheng seized the opportunity, casting out his Immortal Binding Rope to bind the Demon Snakes one by one and slay them in succession.
...
Profound Celestial Demon City, Central Plaza.
Beneath the Cangling Tree, a Cang Ling Fruit suddenly erupted with a dazzling green light, bathing the entire sky in a verdant glow as if draped in an azure aurora.
Within the Demon City, nearly every Cultivator was startled by this phenomenon and looked up at the sky.
"Quick, go inform Lord Demon Marshal!"
The Cultivators on guard duty beneath the Cangling Tree wore solemn expressions. Two of them immediately mounted their beasts and galloped toward a certain manor in the city.
Not long after, the stalls in the plaza were cleared away, and an ornate Beast Vehicle slowly drove into the plaza, stopping beneath the tree.
An elegant figure stepped down from the Beast Vehicle. All the Demon City Cultivators on guard duty lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at her.
The newcomer was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a cold, noble, and aloof aura. She wore a magnificent palace gown and had six wings growing from her back. The feathers were as white as snow, each one sharp as a sword, and covered in Red Gold patterns that emitted faint wisps of lightning.
The woman’s face was devoid of emotion, like an otherworldly Fairy who did not partake of the Mortal World’s offerings. She quietly gazed at the Cang Ling Fruit.
A moment later, the Cang Ling Fruit slowly detached from the tree. A figure in wide robes and long sleeves appeared outside the fruit, catching it in his hand as he floated gracefully to the ground.
"A Feather Race Cultivator?"
Fang Cheng was startled when he suddenly saw the wings on the cold beauty’s back.
’To think I’d actually get to see a Feather Race Cultivator today!’
Ever since the Outer Celestial Demons invaded this realm and corrupted the world with demonic power, the Feather Race Cultivators had been all but wiped out. Only a tiny fraction had survived by hiding in the Sumeru Cave Heaven, barely clinging to life.
It wasn’t until Marquis Li rescued a surviving lineage of the Feather Race and taught them the Celestial Demon Possession Technique that they were able to leave the Sumeru Cave Heaven and reappear in the world.
It was said that Marquis Li also married into that lineage of the Feather Race, obtaining the most profound Feather God Dao Pattern in the Xuanyu Realm. By combining the supreme wisdom of both races, he created the heaven-defying treasure known as the Feather Divine Soldiers.
This woman before him was clearly at the Late-Life Soul Stage of cultivation. Her aura was unfathomably deep, making even Fang Cheng feel a profound sense of apprehension.
As his thoughts raced, he clasped his hands in a salute toward the Feather Race woman and said, "It’s a pleasure to meet you, fellow Daoist."
The woman looked him up and down, then nodded and said, "Follow me to see Madam Qi."
...