Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

East Cyan Domain, Cang Country, Qianlong Snow Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain was a forest of verdant, ancient pines.

Not far from the forest stretched a vast, boundless lake. Its waters were clear and deep, a great expanse of jade reflecting the light of the sky and the colors of the mountains, as magnificent as a painting.

The sun was high in the beautiful sky. When a gust of wind blew past, ripples would spread across the lake’s surface, and under the sunlight, they would shimmer like ten thousand golden scales, dazzling the eyes.

Looking around, one would see the lake encircled by mountain ranges, their snow-capped peaks piercing the heavens.

Halfway up the snowy mountains, a sea of clouds often gathered. The nearby and distant peaks rose and fell within it, appearing like islands in the ocean.

Within the forest, a dozen or so young women had finished setting up an Array and were gathered under a large tree beside it, chatting idly.

Their leader was a tall, gorgeous woman who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She wore a magnificent, form-fitting long dress that revealed her every curve, carrying herself with graceful charm and a refined air.

Her Cultivation had reached the Mid-Life Talisman Stage, and the other women now gathered around her like stars orbiting the moon.

"Senior Sister Lan, can this stick of Drunken Dragon Fragrance really lure out the Tier Three Flood Dragon at the bottom of the lake?"

The one who spoke was a young woman in a yellow dress. She leaned lazily against the tree, brazenly stretching out a pair of full, slender legs. Her voice was sweet, and her eyes were alluring.

Senior Sister Lan glanced at her junior sister, her voice soft and pleasant. "This Drunken Dragon Fragrance is a treasure our master obtained from the Ten Thousand Beasts True Spirit Sect. How could it be useless?"

The yellow-robed woman sighed, gazing at the shimmering lake with a worried expression. "I wonder if Master can even defeat this evil flood dragon. If anything happens to her, I’m afraid we’ll all perish here..."

Beside her, a young woman in green giggled and teased, "The scenery here is so beautiful. It wouldn’t be so bad to die here."

The yellow-robed woman shot her a look and huffed, "If you want to die, go right ahead. I don’t want to. I haven’t even experienced what a man is like yet! I can’t bear the thought of dying."

A slight smile played on the green-robed woman’s lips. "I don’t know if you’ve experienced a man, but as for that collection you have in your Cave Mansion... I’ve seen it all."

At once, all the women present turned to look at the one in yellow.

The yellow-robed woman’s face flushed red, and her almond-shaped eyes widened. "Nonsense! Those clearly belong to Senior Sister Liu! I’m just holding onto them for her..."

The green-robed woman said, "Oh?" She blinked, then sent a few words to the yellow-robed woman via voice transmission.

The yellow-robed woman spat lightly and ignored her, but the corners of her eyes flickered, suggesting she was tempted.

Just then, the dignified and refined Senior Sister Lan, overhearing their increasingly indecent conversation, spoke up. "This time, Master has invited a Supreme Elder from the Star Sect to assist. We will definitely be able to kill that evil flood dragon."

She paused, looked at her junior sisters, and said slowly, "The Star Sect is one of the nine great Mystic Sects of Cang Country. Their Divine Techniques are exquisite, and they possess top-tier Slaughter Treasure Techniques. Surely you all know this?"

The yellow-robed woman nodded and said, "But I’ve heard that this evil flood dragon under Qianlong Snow Mountain has lived for nearly a thousand years. Its Lifebound Divine Techniques are unfathomable. It once rushed out of the lake and devoured two Life Soul Masters. Why must Master insist on dealing with such a ferocious beast?"

The other women also turned to Senior Sister Lan, their faces filled with curiosity.

Senior Sister Lan pondered for a moment before replying, "The evil flood dragon is powerful, but the Life Soul Cultivators it devoured in the past were all Loose Cultivators. How can they compare to an Elder from the Star Sect?"

"Besides, it won’t hurt to tell you this. In one month, a great enemy of our Profound Jade Sect will come to challenge Master to a duel. Master needs the Jiaozhu from this Tier Three Evil Flood Dragon to counter this enemy. This is a duel... we cannot afford to lose."

The green-robed woman’s eyes darted around as she asked, "And what happens if we lose?"

Senior Sister Lan said coolly, "If we lose, everyone in the Profound Jade Sect, from top to bottom, will become someone’s Tripod Furnace."

"Master must be muddle-headed! How could she agree to such a wager for a duel?" the yellow-robed woman exclaimed in surprise.

Although she yearned for romance, that was only out of curiosity, a result of growing up cultivating in the Profound Jade Sect, where there were no male disciples.

But if she were to become a Tripod Furnace for someone else’s cultivation, she would be absolutely unwilling.

"Do not speak ill of Master." Senior Sister Lan’s gaze turned cold as she shot the yellow-robed woman a displeased look.

The yellow-robed woman stuck out her tongue.

Just then, one of the young women pointed to the sky and cried out, "Look! Someone’s coming!"

Everyone followed her gaze and saw a Flying Giant Ship, as large as a small mountain, suspended in the sky amidst a churning sea of clouds, radiating thousands of auspicious rays of light.

The ship was a thousand zhang from bow to stern. Viewed from the lake’s surface, it seemed to block out half the sky.

Atop its hull sat a six-story Treasure Pagoda that lay horizontally along the ship. From the eaves of its four corners hung golden-bronze warning bells, complemented by luminous pearls and precious stones. Thirty-six short pillars carved like coiling dragons protruded from the gunwales, their eyes glaring and whiskers bristling, their claws gripping intricate patterns as they stirred the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

The Giant Ship caused the Spiritual Qi in the sea of clouds to tremble, advancing like a mountain. It seemed to approach slowly, but in reality, it was incredibly fast.

In the blink of an eye, the Giant Ship arrived above the lake and slowly came to a halt.

"Quiet! Hold your breath!"

In the ancient pine forest, a glint flashed in Senior Sister Lan’s beautiful eyes. Her face filled with apprehension as she whispered the instruction.

Hearing this, the other Profound Jade Sect disciples grew solemn. They nodded slowly, watching the Giant Ship above the lake from a distance.

A chilling beam of sword light shot out from the Giant Ship and landed in the lake. With a gentle stir, the vast lake surface began to rotate slowly with the ship at its center, forming a whirlpool a hundred zhang wide.

Moreover, the whirlpool continued to expand outward, its scope growing larger and larger. Gradually, the entire lake began to spin in a single direction.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, affected by this, swirled into an invisible tornado that connected the sky and the lake.

The women were secretly terrified, their hearts shaken by the incredible sight before them.

Senior Sister Lan’s Cultivation and worldly experience were not insignificant. She knew what a Flying Giant Ship of this size signified, and she understood even more what an astonishing Divine Technique it was to stir the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi with a single beam of sword light.

At the very least, her master, who was in the Life Soul Realm, certainly couldn’t do it.

Within the whirlpool, numerous Spirit Fish appeared in the churning water, including strange fish several zhang long, their bodies shimmering with spiritual light and exuding astonishing auras.

The Spirit Fish followed the currents, rising from the lakebed to the surface. They gathered together in a stream that must have numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands. Their multicolored spiritual lights flickered, casting iridescent ripples across the lake.

Suddenly—

A glint flashed in Senior Sister Lan’s beautiful eyes as she saw a blinding radiance burst from the water, shooting straight up toward the heavens, aimed directly at the Flying Giant Ship.

The Tier Three Evil Flood Dragon!

ROAR!

The evil flood dragon radiated a ferocious and malevolent aura. Just as it was about to pierce through the Flying Giant Ship, an Exquisite Treasure Pagoda appeared from nowhere, grew to a height of ten zhang, and smashed down on its head.

The Exquisite Treasure Pagoda was suffused with a demonic light and flickering runes. It wielded a strange power that seemed to naturally suppress Demon Beasts, and it struck the evil flood dragon so hard that its entire body trembled violently and its aura fell into disarray.

Then, the strange cry of a sword suddenly rang out, echoing between heaven and earth.

The next moment, the evil flood dragon, which had been flying through the air with fangs bared and claws brandished, seemed to be slashed by an invisible sword light. It split apart, severed in two!

From the Flying Giant Ship, a ray of black Demonic Light descended, wrapped around the evil flood dragon’s corpse, and pulled it into the ship.

The surface of the lake gradually returned to calm.

The Flying Giant Ship slowly descended to float on the lake’s surface. Several streaks of light flew out from the ship, seized the Spirit Fish in the water, and brought them back aboard.

The corner of Senior Sister Lan’s eye twitched as she watched, a chill running through her heart. She had never imagined that the newcomer would slay the Tier Three Evil Flood Dragon in the blink of an eye.

’Could it be a Dharma Cultivator... No, I’ve witnessed the aura fluctuations of a Dharma Great Power before, and they’re much more formidable than this. This should still be the Life Soul Realm!’

Her thoughts raced. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that such a powerful Life Soul Cultivator could exist in this world.

With this in mind, she silently gestured to her junior sisters. They all quietly used an Escape Technique and fled into the distance.

With the Cultivation Realm of the Cultivator on the Flying Giant Ship, he must have sensed their presence long ago.

Since the other party hadn’t shown themselves, Senior Sister Lan had the good sense to know it was time for them to leave. If they lingered and angered the person, they might invite a fatal disaster upon themselves.

Most of these old Life Soul eccentrics were temperamental and unpredictable, viewing low-level cultivators as nothing more than ants. It was best to stay far away from them.

The female cultivators of the Profound Jade Sect crossed a snowy mountain before they dared to summon their Escape Light and fly through the air.

Not long after, a trail of clouds drifted over from the horizon.

Within the clouds was a magnificent cloud carriage. It was covered in cloud patterns, and the surrounding light flowed like white silk ribbons. It moved with an ethereal grace, and its Tunneling Speed was incredibly fast.

"It’s Master."

Senior Sister Lan’s heart relaxed, and she led her group of junior sisters to greet them.

The cloud carriage came to a leisurely stop, and the cloudy light dispersed, revealing two Cultivators with extraordinary bearings.

"Xin’Er, what are you all doing here?"

The speaker was an exceptionally graceful and beautiful woman with a full figure, her demeanor dignified and poised.

Standing beside her was a middle-aged Cultivator who appeared to be around forty. He wore a Golden Wing Pearl Crown, a Double Sun Radiance Robe, and a purple belt with a silver python clasp. A great cloak was draped over his body, and he possessed an imposing, domineering air, his gaze cold and severe.

Senior Sister Lan bowed to the two and reported, "Master, we had just finished setting up the Array for the Drunken Dragon Fragrance when a Flying Giant Ship appeared. Then, someone took action and slew the evil flood dragon."

"What?" The beautiful woman was stunned at first, then greatly shocked. "Is this true?"

Senior Sister Lan dared not hide anything and quickly recounted everything she had just witnessed in great detail. She finished by saying, "Every word this Disciple has said is true. Many of my junior sisters also saw it with their own eyes."

After hearing the account, the beautiful woman’s fine, dark brows furrowed, and her eyes flickered. She then turned to the middle-aged Cultivator. "Daoist Brother, what are your thoughts?"

The middle-aged Cultivator glanced into the distance, his face showing apprehension. He said in a low voice, "What your disciple described reminds me of someone."

The beautiful woman’s willow-like brows arched. "Who might that be?"

The middle-aged Cultivator replied, "It must be the legendary Netherworld Swordsman. He appeared in Cang Country two years ago and has already slain more than thirty Tier Three Demon Beasts. His power is unfathomable. Even several Life Soul Masters from the nine great Mystic Sects who went to spar with him were defeated."

"Other than him, I can’t think of anyone else who could slay that evil flood dragon in an instant."

The beautiful woman was secretly astounded. She had lived in seclusion for years, her social circle was rather closed off, and this was the first time she had ever heard the name Netherworld Swordsman.

"To think that such a master has appeared in Cang Country... I wonder what his temperament is like?" She looked toward Qianlong Snow Mountain in the distance, a thoughtful expression on her face.

The middle-aged Cultivator gave the distant snowy mountain a deep look, then retracted his gaze. He said in a grave voice, "Su Dao You, since the evil flood dragon has already been slain, there is no need for me to act. I shall take my leave now!"

Without waiting for the beautiful woman’s response, he transformed into a streak of starry Profound Light, shot up into the sky, and vanished over the horizon in an instant.

He looked desperate to leave the area.

The beautiful woman bit her red lip, hesitated for a moment, and then said to her disciples, "Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back."

With that, she gracefully flew off toward Qianlong Snow Mountain.

...