Chapter 396 - 29: Epilogue (5)
Xuanyu Realm.
On the peak of a towering mountain, Fang Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, the wide sleeves of his grand robes whipping and cracking in the fierce wind.
Before him, a potted Snow Lotus hung quietly in the void. A clear light coiled around the Snow Lotus, materializing into a familiar, graceful, and tall figure.
—Yan Shutong.
"Young Master..."
Yan Shutong spoke softly, giving Fang Cheng a deep curtsy.
Fang Cheng laughed nonchalantly. "I wasn’t going to look for trouble with you, yet you’ve come knocking on my door."
Yan Shutong had used him to unwittingly help her steal the Tier Five Feather Divine Soldiers, and he had even been nearly suppressed and trapped in the Profound Celestial Demon City by Ling Yan. Seeing this woman again, the trace of anger in his heart naturally rekindled.
"Young Master, please quell your anger. I have appeared this time to offer you a humble gift as a token of my apology," Yan Shutong said unhurriedly.
Fang Cheng snorted coldly. He could now see that Yan Shutong had used a Secret Technique to refine this Snow Lotus, leaving behind an external avatar. It possessed little real power and could be destroyed with a flick of his finger.
Yan Shutong’s beautiful eyes shifted before she sighed and said, "I imagine the Young Master is already aware that Marquis Yan’s plans have fallen short at the last moment. He has now suffered a crushing defeat. Marquis Li is determined to unify Xuanyu, and we trusted Cultivators who were attached to Marquis Yan will surely not meet a good end."
Fang Cheng said coolly, "To the victor go the spoils; it has been so since ancient times. That you managed to even get this far is already beyond my expectations."
Yan Shutong smiled faintly and said apologetically, "Initially, I had planned to enter the Mysterious Secret Realm by my own means. Who would have thought that I would later receive the Young Master’s help? I simply went with the flow... The Young Master’s foundation is profound. Although I was worried, I also knew you would certainly be able to escape with ease."
Fang Cheng sneered, "There’s no need to speak of the past."
Yan Shutong nodded. "Young Master, after I took that Feather Divine Soldier, Marquis Yan himself and many other Demon Marquises worked to deduce and reverse-engineer it. We managed to derive a method for refining Tier Five Feather Divine Soldiers. Please, accept it."
With that, a speck of spiritual light flew from her fingertip, slowly rising into the air and transforming into a brilliantly glowing crystal. It was filled with a massive amount of runes, diagrams, and characters—an enormous volume of information.
Fang Cheng took the crystal and swept his Divine Sense through it, instantly receiving the refining method.
He was already intimately familiar with how to refine Tier Four Feather Divine Soldiers and had even personally participated in the refining of a Tier Five one. Now, having obtained the method cracked by a Tribulation Realm Great Power, he could cross-reference the two. In an instant, everything clicked into place, resolving many of his lingering questions.
However, many of the details would still require quiet contemplation to fully comprehend.
At the very least, one thing was certain: Yan Shutong had not deceived him this time.
Fang Cheng’s mind was sharp. After taking the crystal, he smiled. "I doubt you came to see me just to give me a gift. What else is there?"
Yan Shutong gave a wry smile and bowed. "I do indeed have one more audacious request..."
...
「Half a day later.」
Outside the Profound Bright Demon City, Fang Cheng’s figure slowly materialized. He cast a complicated gaze upon this magnificent and renowned Demon City of the Xuanyu Realm.
The master of the Tier Five Feather Divine Soldiers, the Tribulation Realm Great Power known as Marquis Li, was not currently in the city.
Yan Shutong’s final request was truly audacious. She possessed a Secret Technique that could condense the avatar dwelling within the Snow Lotus into a single point of True Spirit. It could then be reincarnated into the body of a newborn infant in the Profound Bright Demon City, allowing her to be reborn!
This kind of rebirth, which bypasses the confusion of the womb, would be enough for her to make a comeback in the future.
By then, however, the world would belong to Marquis Li. It was hard to imagine what the Xuanyu Realm would become.
As an outsider to the Xuanyu Realm, Fang Cheng observed this affair with a certain detached perspective. Fulfilling Yan Shutong’s request was a simple matter for him.
After finishing all this, he found a secluded spot far from the Demon City and brought out the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass.
This Magical Artifact had previously accumulated enough Spiritual Power in the Wilderness and still had enough for him to return to the Red Profound Realm.
The Ten Thousand Worlds Compass flew out from his wide sleeve, instantly growing to a hundred zhang in size. It soared into the sky, resembling a golden sun hanging high above and emitting a vast, heart-pounding aura.
Although it couldn’t compare to the Tier Five Feather Divine Soldiers, it was a genuine Fifth-rank Magical Artifact. The aura of the Magical Artifact itself was vast and astonishing enough that any Celestial Demons within a thousand-li radius sensed it and fled far away, not daring to show themselves.
Fang Cheng stood in the void and cast several Spells at the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass.
The golden Compass, hanging high in the heavens, began to slowly rotate. The point of starlight on its surface grew dazzlingly bright.
The next moment, the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass shot out a blinding golden beam that landed squarely on Fang Cheng.
A flash of gold suddenly lit up the space between heaven and earth.
Then, the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass and Fang Cheng vanished completely.
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Red Profound Realm, Wilderness Domain, Cangyun Gorge.
Amidst a vast mountain range, a colossal peak looked as if it had been split open by a giant axe, forming a massive gorge a hundred zhang wide.
At the bottom of the gorge, a turbulent river rushed forth, its roaring waters thundering for a hundred li around.
The thousand-zhang cliffs on both sides of the gorge were overgrown with lush, ancient green vines. Wisps of cloud floated like smoke halfway up the cliff faces.
In the center of a cloudless, azure sky, several sinister black cracks suddenly appeared.
Then, a wheel-like object radiating golden light emerged. As the wheel slowly rotated, the surrounding space shattered and collapsed, and a tall, handsome figure walked straight out of the golden light.
He wore wide robes with long sleeves and had a handsome, spirited appearance. Though he looked quite young, he possessed a dignified and solemn air that naturally inspired awe.
This person was none other than Fang Cheng.
With a wave of his large sleeve, he put away the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass. Only then did he survey his surroundings, an indescribable feeling of familiarity welling up in his heart.
’I’m back!’
The sky in this world was clear and the air was calm. There were no oppressive demon clouds or rampant Celestial Demons, giving one a sense of peace and tranquility.
The abundant Spiritual Qi was refreshing to both mind and spirit, a stark contrast to the Xuanyu Realm.
’I wonder when I’ll go back again,’ he thought leisurely.
The benefits he had gained in the Xuanyu Realm this time were more than enough. It would take him a while to digest them all.
As he stood in the void, his brow suddenly furrowed. He looked into the distance and called out sharply, "Is that a friend from the Nine Nether Demon Sect? Since you’re here, why not show yourself?"
This place wasn’t far from the Nine Nether Demon Sect. The disturbance caused by the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass traversing the two worlds had been too great, likely alerting the Demon Sect’s experts and drawing their covert observation.
Fang Cheng’s Cultivation had greatly advanced, and a single sweep of his Divine Sense was enough to notice something amiss.
In the void, a mass of dense, black Demon Fog roiled and surged. A hundred-zhang-long Black-Scaled Python slithered out from within it.
A Tier Three Celestial Demon, a Void Demon Snake.
The great snake flicked its tongue, its demonic intent soaring to the heavens, its aura overwhelming.
When Fang Cheng’s gaze swept over, the Demon Snake’s cold eyes actually revealed a human-like sense of terror, and it dared not meet his gaze.
On the great snake’s back stood an enchantingly beautiful woman. She was dressed in wide sleeves and flowing robes, her body wrapped in light gauze. Her pair of fair, jade-like feet, whiter than snow, were bare and exceptionally eye-catching.
It was an old acquaintance, the Nine Nether Saintess, Bing Wuyi.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, so it was you."
Bing Wuyi sensed the fluctuations of aura from Fang Cheng and was inwardly alarmed. She gave him a graceful bow.
Back then, both of them had been at the Peak of Life Talisman Cultivation. Now, she was still stuck at this bottleneck, while he had long since broken through to the Life Soul realm. His Magical Power had even advanced further, making him comparable to the Supreme Elders of the Nine Nether Demon Sect.
Seeing it was Bing Wuyi, Fang Cheng’s face broke into a smile. "Fellow Daoist Bing, it’s been a long time."
The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Bing Wuyi casually inquired about the cause of the celestial phenomenon from just now, but Fang Cheng brushed her off with a vague answer.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, this place is not far from my sect. Why don’t you come to my Cave Mansion for a chat? I have a few jars of fine wine in my collection I’d like you to sample," Bing Wuyi said with a gentle smile, extending an invitation.
Fang Cheng replied, "Perhaps next time. I have important matters to attend to. I’ll invite you to be a guest at my Yinluo Villa in the future."
With that, he cupped his hands in farewell, and with a flicker of his body, he vanished.
Even with Bing Wuyi’s Cultivation and perception, she couldn’t see how Fang Cheng had departed.
Cangyun Gorge was about ten thousand li from Taiyue Mountain. At Fang Cheng’s Tunneling Speed, it took him no more than half a day to arrive.
From a distance, Taiyue Mountain was majestic and massive, standing tall between heaven and earth. Outside the mountain, amid a sky filled with shimmering rays of light, stood an incredibly magnificent Cyan and White Jade Arch Gate.
Beneath the central arch of the gate was a horizontal plaque engraved with the four golden, ancient seal-script characters for "Yinluo Villa," each about a zhang high.
Cyan and white rays of light shot to the sky while the golden light reflected off the ground, making Taiyue Mountain appear exceptionally solemn and magnificent.
Behind the arch gate was a rainbow bridge that led directly to a platform square halfway up Taiyue Mountain. Looking from afar, from the mountainside upwards, pavilions and towers were scattered like stars. They were resplendent in gold and jade, shrouded in ethereal immortal clouds, with auspicious mists and radiant light everywhere.
Ancient pines and cypresses on the mountain reached for the sky, and thousands of flowering trees were in bloom, draping the front and back of Taiyue Mountain in what looked like a sea of flowers.
Verdant canopies floated in the air, a riot of colorful blossoms covered the ground, and a fragrant light spread for a hundred li, as brilliant as a brocade cloud.
In recent years, Fang Cheng had left the Yinluo Villa in the care of Hua Yutang and Cai Li. The two women had managed the place magnificently, and the number of Disciples cultivating on the mountain had increased significantly.
Fang Cheng landed his Escape Light. The Disciples on patrol in front of the arch gate were stunned for a moment upon seeing him, then hurriedly bowed and saluted. "Greetings, Supreme Elder!"
Fang Cheng nodded and asked, "Are Elders Hua and Cai present?"
The patrol Disciple replied respectfully, "The two Elders are in the Netherworld Daoist Palace."
He waited a moment, but hearing no reply, he looked up to find that Fang Cheng was already long gone.
’They say Elder Fang has been traveling the world for several years. Has he finally returned...?’
He exchanged a look with the other disciples beside him, but none of them dared to discuss the matter.
Netherworld Daoist Palace.
Fang Cheng was seated in the highest position, with his two fellow sect members, Cai Li and Hua Yutang, seated to his left and right below.
Cai Li’s Cultivation had reached the Peak of Life Talisman. Her aura was profound, her Sword Intent restrained, and she had clearly inherited Sun Fuguo’s true teachings. She was not far from breaking through to the Life Soul Realm.
Especially with the powerful support of the Vermilion Bird Divine Pill, her Dao Heart was tranquil, giving her an advantage in her mental state. Her path forward was thus considerably smoother.
As for Hua Yutang, she had broken through to the Mid-Life Talisman Stage years ago with Fang Cheng’s help and had remained at that level ever since. However, having managed the Yinluo Villa on Taiyue Mountain all these years, she had obtained a great deal of cultivation resources, and the speed of her Cultivation and Magical Power growth was now noticeably faster than before.
Fang Cheng reminisced with the two women and asked about the Yinluo Sect’s situation over the past few years. He then learned that with the help of the Vermilion Bird Divine Pill, Sect Leader Xun Yuanchu had broken through to the Life Soul Realm a year ago.
However, the Yinluo Sect had temporarily kept this news under wraps. Within the sect, only a few people were aware of it.
...