Chapter 413 - 45: Bronze Giant Tree
A short while after Fang Cheng emerged from the void bubble, about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, another bubble in the tomb passage burst, and a man and a woman appeared out of thin air.
It was Zhao Wuji, holding a Jade Ruyi with eyes as bright as stars, and the dignified and elegant Lady Wei.
When Zhao Wuji saw Fang Cheng, Qing Luo, and Bing Wuyi, a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he impassively walked over to the Buddha Statue and began carefully examining the restrictive barrier behind it.
Bing Wuyi stepped forward and asked respectfully, "Master, have you seen my senior brother?"
Zhao Wuji shook his head. "I have not. These Evil Spirits are masters of Spatial Divine Techniques and are completely unpredictable. Once you’re trapped by them, it’s difficult for outsiders to help, unless they have a Space Artifact... Whether or not your senior brother can escape will depend on his own fortune."
Bing Wuyi said no more.
She and Mo Wu Yong had been brought here by Zhao Wuji for no other reason than to run errands for their master. If they were to find any fortunate opportunities, it would be due to their own fortune.
But if they were unfortunate enough to perish in this ancient tomb, they could only blame their own lack of skill.
The Demon Sect has always been merciless.
After waiting a moment longer, another void bubble shattered, and the Qianmu Demon King emerged, his aura slightly weary.
His long robes were tattered, revealing densely packed eyeballs on his chest, shoulders, and arms—a horrifying sight.
Seeing that Fang Cheng and Zhao Wuji were already out, the Qianmu Demon King gave a wry smile. "You two are certainly more efficient than I am."
With that, he sat down on his own and began to meditate and recover.
A little while later, the last bubble burst, and Xue Jiu stumbled out of the void, clutching the Profound Flood Dragon Breaking Forbidden Halberd.
Compared to the Qianmu Demon King, Xue Jiu was in a much more wretched state. His aura had nearly hit rock bottom, and it looked as if half his body had been brutally bitten and torn off by some monster. It was a ghastly sight.
Zhao Wuji turned his head to look at his Demon Servant, frowning slightly. He sighed, "Just rest and recover here. You don’t need to follow us any further. Let Wuyi carry the Profound Flood Dragon Breaking Forbidden Halberd."
"Yes..." Xue Jiu handed the Profound Flood Dragon Breaking Forbidden Halberd to Bing Wuyi, then leaned against the wall, sat cross-legged, took out a few bottles of medicinal pills, and began to heal his wounds.
There were no more void bubbles left by the Evil Spirits in the tomb passage. It seemed Mo Wu Yong had already perished at their hands.
Zhao Wuji said nothing, and the others were tactful enough not to bring it up.
At that moment, on Fang Cheng’s shoulder, Jingxuan said softly, "Father, I’ve found a way to break the array."
So Fang Cheng acted again, breaking the Array’s restrictive barrier. The group bypassed the Buddha Statue and continued forward.
In the tomb passage, a large number of Evil Spirits appeared once more, swarming toward them.
The others dodged frantically, but Fang Cheng moved with ease among the Evil Spirits. Enveloped by black and white wisps of energy, his movements were erratic as he perfectly avoided their attacks.
However, as the number of Evil Spirits grew, another Buddha Statue appeared ahead, blocking the path. It was only a matter of time before they were all trapped in the Evil Spirits’ void bubbles.
Fang Cheng took this opportunity to examine the murals again.
The mural depicted the Dao companion and her surviving clansmen scattering and fleeing, hiding in the mountains and forests, hoping to one day stage a comeback and avenge her husband and their people.
But unexpectedly, a Mystic Sect Cultivator from her past—a man who looked imposing, cultured, and righteous—viciously turned on the Female Cultivator when she sought his help. He betrayed his friend and imprisoned her.
Only then did the Female Cultivator learn that after her husband’s fall, the Undying Jade had shattered. The other Mystic Sect experts who had obtained fragments had been unable to refine the treasure.
Nearly everyone in the world was searching for this woman and her children.
To force the Female Cultivator to reveal the secret of the Undying Jade, this former friend subjected her to all manner of sexual humiliation...
The mural’s depiction of this period was extremely detailed. The artistry was full of tension, and the stark contrast between the Female Cultivator’s stunning body and the abuse she suffered was particularly impactful.
That "righteous gentleman" crippled the Female Cultivator’s Cultivation, imprisoned her in secret, and used her as a tool to vent his own bestial lusts.
Later, he became even more depraved. Forging a message in the Female Cultivator’s name, he tricked her surviving clansmen into coming, tortured and interrogated them one by one, and finally executed them.
And while he abused the Female Cultivator, he would place the heads of her clansmen in front of her, piling them into a wall, trying to completely shatter her mind and make her Dao Heart collapse.
Among them, to her horror, were her closest relatives.
This "righteous gentleman" only had a Dharma Aspect Cultivation. His goal was simply to torture the Spell for refining the Undying Jade out of her so he could present it to a certain Tribulation Realm Great Power in exchange for benefits.
But the cruelty of his methods was simply appalling.
During this process, the Female Cultivator resolved to die. Enduring the humiliation, she feigned compliance to curry favor with the "righteous gentleman." Then, once he had let his guard down, she decisively took her own life.
At this point, the mural ended abruptly. The Evil Spirit Black Tide in the tomb passage had also reached a critical point. Zhao Wuji, the Qianmu Demon King, and the others had already voluntarily entered the void bubbles.
Fang Cheng’s figure appeared before the Buddha Statue. A ring of Li Hen Demon Light manifested around him, and then he allowed the Evil Spirit Black Tide to surge forward and engulf him.
...
He was once again inside a familiar void bubble.
Fang Cheng activated his sword light, easily bursting through one bubble after another.
To him, these third-stage Evil Spirits were no different from ordinary Third-stage Outer Celestial Demons. He had lost count of how many he had killed in the Xuanyu Realm.
He had looked completely at ease this entire time.
Jingyuan and Jingxuan had long since grown used to it. The two brothers were both trying to guess where their father’s upper limit lay, but deep down, they were also afraid of encountering a danger that would force him to reveal it.
This time, Fang Cheng did not encounter any "teammates."
When he killed his way through the last Evil Spirit monster and stepped out of the void bubble, he was surprised to find that he was no longer in the original tomb passage.
This was an unfamiliar tomb passage. The murals on either side were completely different from the ones he had seen before. Their style was more primitive and ancient, and an aura of the primordial wilderness washed over him.