Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

Zhao Wuji performed a Secret Technique. A Demon Fog several dozen feet wide billowed out, swallowing Chen Chizhong.

He circled the Demon Fog, continuously casting his technique. A moment later, he too entered the fog, and all fell silent.

Fang Cheng and the Qianmu Demon King stood on either side, their expressions relaxed and composed.

Gao Mingxuan stood respectfully to the side, his expression placid. He remained silent, quietly waiting for the great Life Soul Cultivators to finish their work.

This Chen Chizhong only had an early-stage Life Soul cultivation. Though he came from a major sect and possessed some skill, the cultivation and heritage of Fang Cheng’s trio were in no way inferior. Thus, they weren’t worried about any mishaps.

Even the Qianmu Demon King, the weakest of the three, could completely handle this Elder of the Qiankun Saint Sect.

Two hours later.

The Demon Fog dissipated. Zhao Wuji stood in place, holding a jade slip, his gaze heavy.

Chen Chizhong was still bound tightly by the Immortal Binding Rope. His eyes were shut, his aura was depleted, and he had fallen unconscious.

Zhao Wuji handed the jade slip to Fang Cheng and said, "Fortunately, I have not failed my mission. Fellow Daoist, take a look at the memories from this man’s Spiritual Memory."

Fang Cheng took the jade slip and poured his powerful Divine Sense into it, skimming through Chen Chizhong’s life story.

The man came from a poor background. His parents were both Cultivators. Over five hundred years ago, the Chen Family had been a renowned noble house in the Western Wilderness, but sadly, they had prospered only to decline. By his parents’ generation, the Chen descendants could no longer hold onto their family estate and had all become Loose Cultivators.

The Chen Family’s heirloom heritage and treasures had been scattered to the winds of time, and all Chen Chizhong had inherited was an incomplete family Cultivation Technique.

Fortunately, he had decent cultivation talent and was blessed with good fortune. At fifteen, he joined the Qiankun Saint Sect. After becoming an Outer Disciple, he gradually began to distinguish himself, his reputation rising thanks to his steady work ethic and diligent ascetic cultivation.

At the age of twenty, Chen Chizhong stood out in the Outer Disciple grand competition, catching the attention of the Su Family, a noble house affiliated with the Qiankun Saint Sect.

The following year, he married into the Su Family as a live-in son-in-law. From then on, he received the Su Family’s full support, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. At the age of thirty-nine, he successfully cultivated his Life Talisman and became a True Disciple of the sect.

The Su Family was a top-tier noble house. They had two Life Soul ancestors and over a dozen Life Talisman Elders, giving them considerable influence within the Qiankun Saint Sect.

The Su Family nurtured Chen Chizhong to groom a representative within the Qiankun Saint Sect who could protect their family’s interests.

However, as Chen Chizhong’s cultivation grew, he gradually grew dissatisfied with the Su Family’s restrictions and control.

On the surface, however, he was still the Su Family’s man.

With the Su Family’s full backing, combined with some fortuitous encounters of his own, he finally leveraged the Qiankun Saint Sect’s profound resources to break through to the Life Soul Realm in one fell swoop, becoming the Saint Sect’s tenth contemporary Supreme Elder!

’Quite an inspirational life...’

Fang Cheng handed the jade slip to the Qianmu Demon King to review.

The Cultivation Realm was a place where the strong preyed on the weak. He and this Chen Chizhong had no prior grievances, but now that they were targeting the Qiankun Saint Sect, it was simply Chen’s bad luck.

Through Chen Chizhong’s Spiritual Memory, the group quickly gathered a great deal of key intelligence on the Qiankun Saint Sect. With the advantage of a prepared mind against an unprepared one, their confidence in the operation grew.

Light swirled in the vertical eye on the Qianmu Demon King’s brow. After finishing the jade slip, he took out a blood-red, jade-like talisman and said in a low voice, "This is a special Tier Three Talisman from my Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts—the Transformation Talisman. With just three drops of Chen Chizhong’s essence blood, the user can take on his form and gain fifty percent of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit."

According to the plan, Fang Cheng would disguise himself as Chen Chizhong and infiltrate the Qiankun Saint Sect with Gao Mingxuan. Afterward, the two would split up, and Fang Cheng would hide in Chen Chizhong’s Cave Mansion and wait.

Once Gao Mingxuan successfully began his guard duty shift in the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Ancestral Hall, Fang Cheng could proceed to the Sect Treasure Vault and carry out the plan with Zhao Wuji and the Qianmu Demon King.

Fang Cheng formed several profound hand seals. A peculiar aura emerged from him, followed by a series of cracks like muffled thunder. His body and appearance immediately began to change.

In just a few breaths, he transformed into a middle-aged man with a jade-like face, large ears, a black beard that hung to his chest, a square jaw, and a dignified air.

It was none other than the Xuanyuan Illusion Body Technique, which he had not used in a long time!

Zhao Wuji studied him for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Fang, this wondrous technique of yours has already captured thirty to forty percent of Chen Chizhong’s true appearance. With the Transformation Talisman, the disguise will be nearly flawless. Unless it’s someone with a powerful Divine Sense who is also close to him, it will be impossible to see through it."

"Then let’s do it!"

Fang Cheng said, then retracted the Immortal Binding Rope from Chen Chizhong. A flash of sword light swept out, extracting three drops of essence blood from the man’s body, which he then refined along with the Transformation Talisman.

He then activated the Transformation Talisman. A bloody light enveloped his entire body, only dissipating after the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.

At this point, his disguise had reached its peak. Gao Mingxuan, standing to the side, looked him over several times but could find no flaw.

Fang Cheng brought out the Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman and stored Zhao Wuji, the Qianmu Demon King, and Chen Chizhong inside.

For the time being, Chen Chizhong was left for Zhao Wuji to suppress.

...

The Cold Ice Flying Ship parted the clouds and scattered the air as it soared through the sky above a sea of clouds.

Fang Cheng stood at the prow of the flying boat, his hands clasped behind his back, admiring the scenery of this world with great interest.

Gao Mingxuan silently piloted the flying boat, not daring to speak.

In less than half a day, the two arrived at the Qiankun Saint Sect.

Below them stretched a range of majestic, towering snow-capped mountains. A glacier that had never melted shimmered with a strange, deep blue luster, covering the land.

At the peak of one great snowy mountain stood a colossal stone gate. Within the gate was a constantly swirling mass of clouds and mist, from which the faint flicker of lightning and the rumble of thunder could be perceived.

Inscribed above the stone gate were three imposing words—

Qiankun Saint Sect.

Several pairs of armored Cultivators patrolled near the stone gate, guarding the sect entrance.

The Cold Ice Flying Ship descended from the heights of the sky. Fang Cheng and Gao Mingxuan took out their Sect Jade Tokens, and the stone gate automatically responded, flaring with spiritual light.

The Cultivators on duty saw this and immediately bowed, saluting, "We respectfully welcome the Elder’s arrival!"

Fang Cheng gave a faint grunt of acknowledgment, and then he and Gao Mingxuan piloted the flying boat through the enormous stone gate.

The true location of the Qiankun Saint Sect’s main gate was a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm that spanned a thousand li in area.

This Secret Realm was rumored to have come from the Mingxiao Domain. It contained three Tier Four Spirit Veins and sixteen Tier Three Spirit Veins. The Spiritual Qi within was so dense, far surpassing the outside world, that it was like a universe remade.

This was also the origin of the Qiankun Saint Sect’s name.

The founding ancestors of the Saint Sect were seven Dharma Cultivators from the Mingxiao Domain. Five thousand nine hundred years ago, the seven of them arrived in the Wilderness Domain with the Qiankun Secret Realm, established their sect, and built a massive foundation.

Unfortunately, due to ideological differences, five of the seven eventually left the Western Wilderness one after another, never to return.

From its founding to the present day, besides the seven great ancestors, the Qiankun Saint Sect has produced several more Dharma Realm cultivators throughout its history.

The appearance of each Dharma Cultivator brought the sect several hundred years of prosperity.

However, across the entire Wilderness Domain, none of the major powers—be it the Nine Nether Demon Sect, the Qiankun Saint Sect, the Ghost King Sect, the Spirit Moon Sect, the Rakshasa Sect, the Nine Truths Sect, or even the Demon Race Sacred Lands like the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts and the Sea Emperor Hall—had ever produced Dharma Cultivators consecutively.

The cycle of prosperity and decline seemed to be dictated by fate.

Now, in the entire Wilderness Domain, there was not a single Dharma Cultivator to be found among any of the powers!

The Qiankun Saint Sect, with its thirteen Life Soul Realm Supreme Elders, could already look down upon the Western Wilderness as its number one power.

The Grand Elder, Ying Donglai, had a cultivation that had reached the peak of Life Soul. He was one of the experts in the current Wilderness Domain most likely to break through to the Dharma Realm.

Zhao Wuji was also on that list!

Only after reviewing Chen Chizhong’s Spiritual Memory did Fang Cheng understand Zhao Wuji’s true goal. It wasn’t the years of accumulated wealth in the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault.

Perhaps what he was truly plotting, after witnessing Fang Cheng’s terrifying Divine Techniques, was to use this raid on the Treasure Vault to sever Ying Donglai’s path of cultivation in one fell swoop.

Or better yet, eliminate Ying Donglai entirely.

The payment would be the wealth from half of the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault!

This was an open conspiracy... so even after Fang Cheng realized it, he didn’t expose it.

But if Zhao Wuji had other schemes up his sleeve, then he wouldn’t mind going on a killing spree and taking the entire Qiankun Saint Sect Treasure Vault for himself.

For Demon Cultivators, it was perfectly normal to play dog-eat-dog.

...

Inside the Qiankun Cave Heaven, the scenery was that of a magnificent Immortal Blessed Land.

A great sun hung high in the sky, leisurely clouds drifted by, and the clear heavens stretched for a thousand li.

Across the land, mountains, rivers, lakes, strange birds and exotic beasts, and Immortal Palaces and pavilions could all be seen at a glance.

The Qiankun Saint Sect was divided into seven lineages. Within the Grotto Heaven, there were also seven Immortal Mountains and spirit valleys, each separated by several hundred li.

Each of the seven lineages held a portion of the sect’s authority, managing the Merit Hall, Ancestral Hall, Scripture Hall, Law Enforcement Hall, Holy Treasure Hall, Qiankun Hall, and Evergreen Hall, among others.

Above the seven lineages was the Elder Council, composed of numerous Life Soul Elders.

The Elder Council decided on major sect matters, while the seven lineages handled minor issues themselves according to the rules.

Among them, the Holy Treasure Hall managed the Sect Treasure Vault, the Qiankun Hall controlled the Sect Protection Array, and the Evergreen Hall was in charge of disciple promotions, stipends, and so on.

Chen Chizhong belonged to one of the seven lineages, the Xuan Yun Lineage, which was in charge of the Evergreen Hall.

Gao Mingxuan was from the Golden Dawn lineage, which happened to be the one that managed the Ancestral Hall.

Grand Elder Ying Donglai hailed from the Celestial Splendor Lineage, which managed the Scripture Hall.

The Holy Treasure Hall was managed by the Demon Refining lineage. The Fourth Elder was stationed in the Demon Refining Valley, responsible for guarding the Sect Treasure Vault, while the other Supreme Elders of the Elder Council all had supervisory rights.

After entering the Qiankun Cave Heaven, Fang Cheng and Gao Mingxuan went their separate ways.

Gao Mingxuan returned to Golden Dawn Ridge to begin applying for the guard duty assignment at the Ancestral Hall.

Fang Cheng, on the other hand, headed straight for Profound Xuan Yun.

The Xuan Yun Lineage had over a hundred disciples and elders. In the current generation, it had produced two Life Soul Realm cultivators, who held the third and tenth seats on the Elder Council, respectively.

Now that the Third Elder’s Soul Lamp had been extinguished, Tenth Elder Chen Chizhong had become the number one expert on Profound Xuan Yun, the stabilizing pillar of the lineage!

Fang Cheng "returned" to Profound Xuan Yun without alerting anyone, heading directly back to Chen Chizhong’s Cave Mansion.

The Cave Mansion was quite large, and its furnishings were the epitome of luxury—magnificent and opulent, fully displaying the grand style of a major sect.

Upon entering the Cave Mansion, he saw a stunningly beautiful, tall, and curvaceous woman with her hair in a Lingxu Bun approaching him. She was surrounded by a group of maids, like the moon encircled by stars.

Before she even drew near, a faint, exotic fragrance wafted to Fang Cheng’s nose.

The woman was dressed in a gorgeous palace gown with ribbons tied around her arms and long sleeves that trailed on the ground. A long skirt was draped with silk, and she wore an outer layer of pearl-and-jade-adorned gauze. Spiritual Qi swirled around her, giving her an overwhelming air of nobility.

Fang Cheng carefully sized up the beautiful woman. He saw that her features were dignified and elegant, with a full forehead and broad cheeks. Her eyes tilted up slightly at the corners, and her every glance was full of spirit. Her entire bearing was graceful and regal.

This woman only had a Mid-stage Life Talisman Cultivation, but the noble air about her was something no ordinary person could possess.

She was none other than Chen Chizhong’s dao companion, Su Mu, the legitimate daughter of the Su Family Patriarch.

"Husband, you’ve returned. It’s perfect, I have something to discuss with you," the beautiful woman said coolly as she approached.

Fang Cheng knew from Chen Chizhong’s memories that the couple’s relationship was not harmonious. This was likely due to Su Mu’s bossy and condescending attitude toward Chen Chizhong in their early years.

Even after Chen Chizhong broke through to the Life Soul Realm, many in the Su Family still felt that he owed all his success to them. They believed he should be eternally grateful and loyal, and so they did not show him the same respect other Cultivators did.

Because of this, Chen Chizhong’s relationship with the Su Family had been fraught with unpleasantness.

Chen Chizhong was dissatisfied with the Su Family, and in turn, the entire Su Family had many complaints about him.

Chen Chizhong was especially disgusted by Su Mu’s habit of using his name to act arrogantly on Profound Xuan Yun and within the Su Family... and so their husband-wife relationship had grown cold.

In recent years, Su Mu had spent most of her time living with the Su Family, rarely coming to Profound Xuan Yun.

"What is it that you needed to see me about, Wife?"

Fang Cheng asked calmly, imitating Chen Chizhong’s tone.

...