Chapter 380 - 13: Feather Divine Soldiers
Fang Cheng sat in the chariot, looking down at the vast, wild land below.
The Flame Lion ran through the sky at an incredible speed, comparable to the Flying Escape of a Life Soul Cultivator. The scenery on the ground flew past their eyes in a blur.
Yan Shutong sat cross-legged across from Fang Cheng, holding the Demon Fire Golden Saber. She was single-mindedly focused on refining the Magical Artifact.
The entire Xuanyu Realm gave Fang Cheng a strange sense of emptiness.
After the world had been corrupted by demons, the mountains, rivers, lakes, and trees were all black, tinged with a twisted madness. Endless Celestial Demons thrived here—slaughtering, devouring, and evolving. A chaotic demonic will roamed the land.
Suddenly, Fang Cheng’s gaze shifted. He noticed a surge of concentrated Demonic Qi several hundred li to his front left, shooting up into the sky with extreme dominance.
Clearly, a number of High-Tier Celestial Demons had gathered there.
With a thought, the Flame Lion pulling the chariot changed direction, streaking across the sky like a crimson trail of fire as it turned.
In a mountain valley.
More than ten Tier Three Celestial Demons were gathered in worship around an object. The surging Demonic Qi filled the space between heaven and earth, becoming almost tangible.
Demonic Qi as black as thick smoke shot straight up from the ground, reaching into the crimson clouds above like a signal beacon, a truly magnificent and spectacular sight.
Only when he got closer did Fang Cheng realize that the Celestial Demons gathered here were actually Demon Luo Hou!
These demons had the heads of dogs, the tails of pythons, and the bodies of grotesque apes. Their claws were like blades, and their bodies were a dark red, as if they were beasts that had been skinned alive, their raw flesh exposed. A vicious glint shot from their eyes. They were over a hundred feet tall, each like a small hill, prostrated on the ground.
The object they had gathered to worship was a massive pillar of flesh and blood, over a thousand feet in diameter.
Countless fleshy tendrils coiled over the pillar’s surface, forming all sorts of strange, writhing patterns that never ceased their movement.
The Demonic Qi, as intense as flames, was gushing from this very pillar of flesh.
At that moment, Yan Shutong also came to her senses. She looked out curiously, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "A Celestial Demon Breaking Realm?"
Fang Cheng focused on the pillar of flesh being worshipped by the demons, sensing an aura within it that was on the verge of breaking through to the fourth tier.
Or rather, this Celestial Demon had already broken through to the fourth tier. Compared to the Tier Four Celestial Demons he had slain before, the only thing it lacked was a stable realm.
And these Tier Three Celestial Demons surrounding the pillar of flesh seemed to have been deliberately lured here, ready to be devoured.
The moment Fang Cheng and Yan Shutong arrived in the sky above the valley, a slit suddenly tore open at the top of the pillar of flesh. A ghastly white eyeball emerged, staring intently at their chariot.
Below, five of the Demon Luo Hou, seemingly under orders from the pillar of flesh, immediately turned and leaped up, shrouded in black-red Demonic Qi, and charged straight for the magnificent chariot in the sky.
Fang Cheng remained unhurried. He secretly took out his Dream Spirit Incarnation, then spread his large hand and pressed it downward.
BOOM!
As if the sky were collapsing, a massive hand brimming with sinister demonic intent slammed down, accompanied by a world-shaking crash.
Netherworld Hand Seal.
Within the vision of the five Tier Three Demon Luo Hou, an endless tide of black waves instantly appeared. A giant hand filled their world, blocking out everything else.
It was as if a Nether Purgatory was crashing down upon them.
Struck by the massive hand seal, the five Demon Luo Hou’s physical bodies immediately began to show signs of collapse.
The Netherworld Hand Seal contained the power of the Netherworld Purgatory Divine Light, one of the nine ultimate techniques of the Yinluo Sect. It could strip away flesh and blood and destroy Magical Artifacts. It also possessed the Divine Techniques of the Netherworld Banner, allowing it to devour and refine souls.
A single hand seal, ever-changing, yet possessing a harmonious simplicity.
These Demon Luo Hou relied solely on their sinister madness, but they lacked adaptable tactics and strange Divine Techniques. Thus, they were heavily wounded by Fang Cheng’s single strike.
Immediately after, a streak of sword light gracefully descended, sweeping across the five Demon Luo Hou.
The bodies of the five Celestial Demons were all sliced in two, their life force extinguished on the spot.
The moment the Mountain-Slaying Flying Sword appeared, the light of the Demon Fire Golden Saber in Yan Shutong’s hand dimmed. It was as if it had become a piece of common iron, its Spiritual Mechanism instantly suppressed.
A sense of innate fear seemed to be transmitted into Yan Shutong’s divine soul.
A look of confusion appeared on Yan Shutong’s face, but then she seemed to understand something. Her elegant lips parted slightly, and a flicker of shock flashed through her eyes.
The sword light’s momentum did not wane as it continued straight for the pillar of flesh.
The fleshy tendrils on the pillar of flesh danced, and all the remaining Demon Luo Hou flew out together to block the sword light.
Fang Cheng sneered, having seen through the profound mechanism. "So, you can’t move!"
The sword light suddenly accelerated, like a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. It danced through the air like dragons and serpents on the move, and the hum of the blade shook the void, making the very heavens and earth ring.
A thousand streaks of sword light divided from the main blade. The remaining Demon Luo Hou were struck one by one, their vital points pierced, and they were slain on the spot.
In just a few moments, all dozen or so Tier Three Demon Luo Hou had fallen.
Watching this scene, Yan Shutong couldn’t help but furrow her willow-like brows.
’His Cultivation has improved again!’
’Never mind that mysterious paper effigy of his, just with this peerless Swordsmanship alone, I’m no match for him...’
In a flash, Fang Cheng once again activated the Mountain-Slaying Flying Sword, slashing toward the pillar of flesh.
This pillar of flesh seemed to be in some kind of strange state. Although it was comparable to a Tier Four Celestial Demon, it was unable to move or attack, which gave Fang Cheng an opportunity.
He could save one Dream Spirit Incarnation.
The incomparably sharp sword light fell in an instant.
On the pillar of flesh, countless dark, twisted runes emerged, forming layer after layer of Demonic Light that blocked the sword light.
Looking closely, one could see countless black runes being created and destroyed within the Demonic Light, a dizzying sight.
Under the assault of the sword light, the Demonic Light was annihilated layer by layer, but new layers constantly emerged, endless and unceasing, holding the sword light at a stalemate.
After a few breaths, the sword light flickered and died.
But it was because Fang Cheng had formed a Sword Technique seal and was now pushing the Tier Five Flying Sword with all his might.
His vast and majestic Magical Power was instantly drained dry by the flying sword!
A strange and magnificent sword light appeared, rapidly circling and cutting into the Demonic Light surrounding the pillar of flesh.
The sword light was faster than lightning; in the span of a finger snap, it had circled the pillar of flesh a hundred times!
The recovery speed of the black runes finally couldn’t keep up with the speed at which the sword light destroyed them.
The moment the Demonic Light was breached, the pillar of flesh let out a furious roar, abruptly uprooted itself, and began to frantically retreat into the distance.
"You’re not going anywhere!"
Fang Cheng swallowed a Spirit Pill, let out a long cry, and his body flickered, merging with the Mountain-Slaying Flying Sword. The sword light flared brilliantly once more.
The next moment, the sword light streaked across the sky like a thunderclap, instantly striking the base of the pillar of flesh.
CRACK!
The pillar of flesh was cleaved apart by the Tier Five Flying Sword. Then, an endless stream of sword light poured in, extinguishing the Celestial Demon’s life force in an instant.
Afterward, a dark Demonic Light erupted from within the pillar of flesh.
Black flames roared like fire on oil, burning fiercely. From a distance, it looked like a black volcano floating in the sky.
After a long while, the astonishing black flames in the sky slowly dissipated.
The pillar of flesh was gone, and a tall, handsome figure walked out from the black flames.
The sky-filling black flames spread out from beneath his feet, flooding into the valley and refining the corpses of the dozen or so Demon Luo Hou.
Fang Cheng’s face was slightly pale, but the aura around his body gradually recovered.
Pushing the Mountain-Slaying Flying Sword to its limit twice in a row had allowed him to unleash power comparable to a Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, but the cost was also immense.
He walked back to the chariot. Yan Shutong came forward to greet him, her gaze lowered deferentially. "Congratulations on slaying a Tier Four Celestial Demon, Young Master."
Fang Cheng nodded, sat cross-legged in the chariot, and said to Yan Shutong, "Let’s continue on our way."
With that, he closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation.
Yan Shutong drove the chariot and continued toward the Profound Celestial Demon City.
Fang Cheng’s consciousness, however, descended into his Qi Sea, into the Resentment Demon Bead.
After the Resentment Demon Bead had devoured the pillar of flesh, the Demon Palace within it finally opened!
Upon his consciousness entering the Demon Palace, Fang Cheng immediately understood its purpose.
This palace could communicate with the Outer Void, allowing him to capture Resentment Celestial Demons from the Lower Realm and suppress them within its halls.
Normally, these Celestial Demons would slumber within the Li Hen Demon Palace, but they could be summoned at any time if needed.
’With my current Power of the Divine Soul, I can probably suppress nine Tier Three Early Stage Resentment Celestial Demons at most.’
Fang Cheng estimated to himself.
’As my strength increases, I’ll be able to capture more Resentment Celestial Demons, or even higher-tiered ones...’
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「More than ten days later.」
Fang Cheng and Yan Shutong had put away the chariot and were standing atop a majestic mountain peak, concealing their auras as they gazed into the distance.
A hundred li away, three auras as vast as the abyss and as deep as the sea were clashing violently.
Two Tier Four Night Demon Celestial Fiends were besieging a cluster of blazing lightning.
The Night Demon Celestial Fiends were humanoid, with terrifyingly hideous faces. They stood a thousand feet tall, their bodies covered in fleshy tumors. Countless fleshy tendrils on their backs writhed and waved, extending to pierce their enemies.
This type of giant Celestial Demon excelled at slaughter. They were violent and belligerent, their very instincts driving them to kill.
At the center of the lightning cluster besieged by the Night Demon Celestial Fiends was a colossal Mechanical Battle Armor, its size no less than that of the demons themselves!
This giant metallic creation was wreathed in lightning, its massive silhouette rippling as if it were underwater.
Fang Cheng focused his gaze. In his eyes, the true form of this "Mechanical Battle Armor" was laid bare.
The first thing that caught his eye was its back, where eighteen snowflake-shaped flame vents were arranged like a spine. They spewed forth an astonishingly dense flame of Demonic Qi. The vast fluctuations of its aura filled the heavens and earth, rivaling the presence of a Tier Four Celestial Demon attacking with its full power.
This giant Mechanical Battle Armor took the form of a mighty martial general clad in armor. Its body was tall and robust, as imposing as a mountain. Its archaic armor was covered in profound Spirit Patterns, its golden light contained, exuding an air of solemn majesty.
It held an incomparably massive long saber, the light of its blade bursting forth like lightning. The other Tier Four Night Demon Celestial Fiend lying on the ground was its handiwork.
’I never thought this realm would have Mechanical Battle Armor too, and one so enormous...’
Fang Cheng’s eyes glinted. This Mechanical Battle Armor was clearly more powerful than the armor refined by the Red Flame Immortal Palace in the Wilderness Domain!
In the blink of an eye, it unleashed thousands of blade flashes, forcing the two Night Demon Celestial Fiends back. Then, five giant Talismans appeared around its body, slowly circled it once, and vanished.
The next instant, the armor’s heavy, massive body, carrying the slain Night Demon Celestial Fiend with it, shot into the sky with a BOOM. It transformed into an intense, brilliant white Thunderous Blade Light that sliced through the firmament, streaked across the heavens, and vanished in a flash.
"Those are Marquis Li’s Feather Divine Soldiers..."
Yan Shutong said softly.