Chapter 393 - 26: Epilogue (Part 2)
The strange events in the Demon City gave rise to all sorts of speculation.
Many of the High-level Cultivators in the city had vaguely guessed it might have something to do with the City Lord’s Madam Qi the moment they saw the Void Demon Snake.
Madam Qi had presided over Profound Celestial Demon City for many years, always as steady as a mountain. For her to suddenly succumb to demonic corruption was truly suspicious.
This was even more true for Ling Yan and Lingyi, who knew Madam Qi’s real situation.
Fortunately, both of them had the authority to control the Demon City’s City Defense Array and the Demon Suppression Stele. With the power of the Grand Array and the Demon Stele, they managed to suppress Madam Qi’s demonized body without any major incidents.
When Ling Yan heard the Demon Marshal’s words, she was first taken aback, then fell silent.
She glanced at the Feather Divine Soldier piloted by Fang Cheng, a harsh glint flashing in her eyes, and began to send a voice transmission to Lingyi’s Feather Divine Soldier.
The Demon Marshal standing to the side was filled with suspicion. Although he couldn’t hear what Ling Yan was saying, a chill quietly crept up his spine as he felt a piercing killing intent.
Ling Yan took out a Golden Seal. Then, she forced a drop of blood essence from her fingertip, smeared it across the seal, and outlined a profound and complex rune.
Afterward, she activated the golden seal. A beam of golden light shot out and landed on Fang Cheng’s Feather Divine Soldier.
The massive Feather Divine Soldier froze, coming to a dead stop. The Spirit Flame exhaust ports on its back extinguished one by one, and the Thunder Pool fell silent.
Inside the Ancestral Acupoint at the brow of the Feather Divine Soldier, Fang Cheng looked astonished. He flashed out of the Divine Soldier and frowned. "Spirit Friend Ling, what is the meaning of this?"
Ling Yan stared at him coldly, her gaze hostile, her expression clearly saying, ’You’re just playing dumb.’
Although she had given Fang Cheng a Feather Divine Soldier back then, the core treasure for controlling it—the Divine Seal—was still in her possession.
At the same time, from within the blue restrictive light screen in the sky, countless runes formed into a chain that silently descended, aiming to bind Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng’s heart tightened. He activated a Talisman without hesitation.
The Profound Yellow Cloud Smoke Talisman!
A cloud of profound yellow smoke and mist materialized from the void, enveloping his entire body.
When the "chain" formed from the blue light runes fell upon this cloud of profound yellow smoke, it was easily blocked, lost all its Spiritual Mechanism, and slowly disintegrated.
Ling Yan sneered. With a flick of her fair hands, she formed a seal and operated the City Defense Array. Dozens of rune chains descended from the sky, viciously coiling toward the profound yellow cloud of smoke.
Ling Yan sent a cold voice transmission to Fang Cheng: "I never thought you’d dare to remain in the Demon City. Do you really think we are so easily trifled with?"
Fang Cheng replied with a deep shout, "Spirit Friend Ling, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"
Having been attacked for no apparent reason, a hint of anger had crept into his voice.
Ling Yan’s transmission continued, "Even now, you’re still playing dumb? Your concubine ambushed Madam Qi in the Mysterious Secret Realm and stole a Tier Five Feather Divine Soldier. Neither of you will be leaving the Demon City alive today."
Fang Cheng: "..."
’Yan Shutong?’
Fang Cheng looked at Ling Yan’s cold and beautiful face and asked in a deep voice, "Do you have any proof, Spirit Friend?"
Ling Yan laughed coldly and transmitted, "Everything your concubine did was right under the nose of the Secret Realm Spirit. If I’m not mistaken, you’re spies sent by Marquis Yan, aren’t you? You even dared to bring Marquis Yan’s ultimate treasure, the Soul-Burying Bell. Aren’t you afraid of losing it here?"
On the other hand, the fact that Fang Cheng could so easily resist the Restricted Rune Chains of the City Defense Array was further proof that he was one of Marquis Yan’s people.
How could an ordinary Early-stage Life Soul Cultivator possess such an ability?
This time, it was Fang Cheng’s turn to be silent.
He had no way to defend himself.
No wonder Ling Yan had been communicating with him via voice transmission. If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar.
He glanced at the Feather Divine Soldier immobilized by the Divine Seal, sighed softly, and said, "Spirit Friend Ling, my apologies."
Ling Yan was just about to open her mouth when she suddenly saw three paper figures with extraordinary auras emerge from the cloud of profound yellow smoke.
The three paper figures all expanded from about a foot tall to the height of a normal person. The auras they exuded were profound and unfathomable, each one stronger than Madam Qi’s.
’This is bad!’ she thought. Just as she was about to strike, one of the figures raised its hand and released a gleaming golden rope. In a flash of golden light, she was bound tightly, her Magical Power and Divine Sense ruthlessly sealed away.
Another paper figure waved its large sleeve, collecting the Feather Divine Soldier immobilized by the Divine Seal’s golden light, Fang Cheng who was shrouded in the profound yellow smoke, and Ling Yan.
Lingyi was still piloting his Feather Divine Soldier to activate the Demon Suppression Stele and suppress Madam Qi. With no time to spare for anything else and seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, he let out a low shout. A giant hand of blue light condensed in the sky and slammed down toward them.
The third paper figure chuckled softly, pointed a finger, and a sky-shattering beam of sword light appeared above the Demon City.
The world lost its color.
The incomparably sharp sword light tore through the heavens, cleaving the giant hand and the Grand Array’s light screen in two with a single strike.
Within the sword light, a dazzlingly bright Flying Sword let out a clear, metallic cry.
A Tier Five Flying Sword, Yue-Slasher!
The second paper figure flickered, transformed into a streak of Profound Light, and shot into the sky, vanishing in an instant.
The two remaining paper figures slowly dispersed, turning into countless white sheets of paper that spontaneously combusted without flame, scattering and drifting through the air between the Feather Divine Soldier and the Void Demon Snake.
The hundreds of spectating Cultivators nearby were all rendered speechless.
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「Half a day later.」
On a boundless Icefield, snow fell thick and fast.
Beneath the Icefield, inside a cavern, Fang Cheng put away the shrunken Feather Divine Soldier and then calmly regarded the Feather Race beauty across from him.
Ling Yan was still bound by the Immortal Binding Rope. A residual trace of Dharma Level Magical Power lingered on it, making it impossible for her to break free for the time being.
"Spirit Friend Ling, if I told you I knew nothing about what my concubine did, would you believe me?" Fang Cheng sighed.
Ling Yan’s gaze was ice-cold as she looked at Fang Cheng, the shock in her heart like a raging tempest.
A Fifth-grade Talisman, a Tier Five Flying Sword, and paper puppet incarnations comparable to Dharma Realm masters... ’Is this man really from the Li Hen Dojo of the Mo Luo Realm?’
In the entire Xuanyu Realm, aside from the world-renowned Demon Suppression Stele, other Fifth-rank Magical Artifacts were as rare as a phoenix’s feathers. Almost all of them were treasures left behind by Cultivators from the Xuanyu Realm’s past.
For a man with a mere Life Soul Cultivation to possess so many priceless treasures... even Marquis Yan’s most trusted subordinate probably didn’t have such a profound foundation!
’His relationship with Marquis Yan... must be one of cooperation.’
As Ling Yan thought of this, a sense of powerlessness washed over her.
With the help of such an extraordinary person, Marquis Yan had not only gravely injured Madam Qi but had also stolen a Tier Five Feather Divine Soldier. The future of the realm would undoubtedly shift in Marquis Yan’s favor.
Listening to Fang Cheng’s insincere words, she didn’t want to respond with even a single word.
Fang Cheng also knew that nothing he could say would change Ling Yan’s opinion of him, so he decided to lay his cards on the table. "Spirit Friend Ling, I am indeed not from this realm. As long as you agree to give me the method for refining the Feather Divine Soldier’s Divine Seal, I will let you go."
"After this is over, I will also be leaving this realm. I am not interested in the various disputes here."
He looked at Ling Yan, his gaze gradually turning somber. He continued, "If you don’t agree, I will have to resort to other means."
Although he was angry about what Yan Shutong had done, he had to admit that the woman had some serious nerve. She had actually dared to use him to pull chestnuts out of the fire and accomplish such an astonishing feat.
’She has probably long since fled Profound Celestial Demon City...’
’I’ll have to settle this score with her the next time I come to this realm!’
Ling Yan said flatly, "My skills were inferior. Even if I die, I will not let you have your way."
The Feather Divine Soldiers were the crystallization of the Feather Race’s ancestral wisdom, and the Divine Seal was the key to controlling this treasure!
At this moment, Ling Yan had only one thought: it was better to die in glory than to live in shame.
Fang Cheng said lightly, "In that case, I must ask for your guidance."
With that, he pushed his hand toward Ling Yan. Magical Power spread from his palm, coalescing into a round mirror!
On the back of the mirror, nine intricate and exquisite rings of runes surrounded an ancient, eye-shaped rune, emitting an astonishing demonic aura.
The mirror shot out an incomparably strange beam of pink light that landed on Ling Yan.
Red Nether Condensing Light!
Ling Yan felt her vision go black. Then, in the endless darkness, she suddenly saw a huge, narrow eye slowly opening.
From the pupil of that eye seeped a seductive, peachy-red light, so bewitching that one couldn’t bear to look away...