Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

The two of them walked out of the main hall and arrived before the Beast Vehicle.

Ling Yan slowly took out a Talisman Decree and handed it to Fang Cheng. "There is a manor in the northern part of the city. Take this Talisman Decree, go there, and refine its restrictive spells. In the future, if anything comes up, I will inform you through this decree."

Fang Cheng accepted the Talisman Decree and asked, "What exactly are the contributions Madam Qi spoke of?"

Ling Yan said coolly, "Patrolling a ten-thousand-li radius, hunting down High-Tier Celestial Demons, and protecting the Demon City."

Fang Cheng nodded.

Ling Yan’s beautiful eyes glinted as she asked, "Is there anything else?"

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment. "Actually, there is one more thing. I have a concubine who wishes to enter the Mysterious Secret Realm to cultivate. I was wondering what the requirements are."

Ling Yan’s expression remained as cold as ever. Without another word, she took out a Jade Pendant and said, "Take this Jade Pendant of mine to Xuanchen Palace. It will grant her entry to the Secret Realm for cultivation."

"Thank you!" Fang Cheng said with a smile as he accepted the Jade Pendant.

Ling Yan said, "You have considerable talent. Go back and cultivate well. In the future, you may have the chance to wield one of the Feather Divine Soldiers... Also, be aware that the City Lord often cultivates within the Secret Realm. Have your person take extra care not to offend him."

With that, she turned, boarded the Spirit Beast Vehicle, and left without another glance.

Fang Cheng also left the City Lord’s Mansion and returned to his rented manor.

...

Inside a magnificent Jade Tower.

Nine luminous pearls were embedded in the ceiling, casting a brilliant glow that bathed the bedroom in soft, bright light.

In the center of the bedroom, an exquisite and opulent Jade Couch rocked gently. The surrounding curtains were drawn, and from within came the faint, plaintive sounds of sweet, breathless moans and whispers.

After a long while, the sounds gradually faded.

The curtains were pulled aside, and a person stepped out.

It was a tall, beautiful woman, as stunning as a peach blossom, with a flawless face and figure.

The gorgeous woman, a true stunner, elegantly donned a long purple dress. It instantly gave her an air of dignified grace, perfectly showcasing the curves of her tall, proud figure.

This woman was none other than Yan Shutong, who had just come out of seclusion.

For more than half a year, she had been in seclusion refining a Tier Four Celestial Demon Origin. Her Cultivation Realm was now approaching Fang Cheng’s, and she was not far from breaking through to the Early-Life Soul Stage.

After dressing, she held the Jade Pendant with a grateful expression. Looking at the man lounging lazily behind the curtains, she said softly, "My lord, this humble one is going to the Mysterious Secret Realm to cultivate and will be unable to serve you. Perhaps you should take a few more concubines to alleviate the loneliness of cultivation."

Fang Cheng chuckled and waved his hand. "You don’t need to worry about that. Just focus on cultivating in the Secret Realm and try to refine the Celestial Demon Origin completely as soon as possible."

Yan Shutong nodded. She bit her red lip and hesitated for a moment before taking a potted Snow Lotus from her storage bag.

A clear light swirled around the Snow Lotus, giving it an extraordinary, divine appearance as it emanated an astonishing amount of Spiritual Qi.

"My lord, I acquired this flower in the Mituo Ruins long ago. Please accept it. In the days to come, when you think of this humble one, you can look at this flower and see my face."

Yan Shutong spoke each word deliberately, as if she had developed feelings for Fang Cheng.

Inside the Mysterious Secret Realm, the flow of time was different from the outside world. One year outside was equivalent to three years inside.

Years would pass before they met again, and by then, things might have changed completely.

Fang Cheng didn’t pay much mind to Yan Shutong’s sentimental display, merely offering a few words of placid reassurance.

Not long after, Yan Shutong walked out of the Jade Tower. She glanced up at the sky, a strange look flashing across her pretty face, then left the manor without looking back.

...

「That same day.」

Fang Cheng moved into the Demon Marshal’s Mansion in the northern part of the city.

This mansion had been vacant for many years. It was a property belonging to Ling Yan, and now she had given it to Fang Cheng.

Ling Yan also sent over a dozen Maids and Warriors to serve under Fang Cheng’s command.

After moving in, Fang Cheng immediately went back into seclusion to cultivate, not once stepping half a foot outside the mansion.

This greatly disappointed those who were secretly monitoring him.

「Two months later.」

Inside a secret chamber in the mansion, Fang Cheng suddenly felt something and took out a Talisman Decree from his storage bag.

The light on the Talisman Decree flickered erratically as lines of text appeared on its surface.

It was a message from Ling Yan, telling him to gather at a location outside the city in three days.

Fang Cheng was already familiar with the geography around the Profound Celestial Demon City. The Celestial Demon Cave Ling Yan mentioned was located ten thousand li west of the Demon City and was a well-known gathering place for Celestial Demons.

He had been there several times before.

’This might be an opportunity...’

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Cheng’s eyes. He wanted to obtain a Feather Divine Soldier, but he didn’t necessarily have to follow the Demon City’s rules and trade his life for it step by step.

There was a simpler method—seizing it!

’It would be even better if I run into Senluo outside the city.’

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Upon a desolate Icefield, crimson clouds churned endlessly, creating a stark contrast with the white expanse below.

In the sky, a massive black cavern over a hundred miles in diameter hung silently, like the gaping maw of a heaven-devouring behemoth. It left a shocking scar across the firmament of the Xuanyu Realm.

From within the "black cavern," a near-endless tide of Celestial Demons surged out. They fell from the sky, landing on the vast earth and scattering in all directions.

This was the Celestial Demon Cave.

It was one of over a hundred rifts in the Boundary Membrane through which Outer Celestial Demons invaded the Xuanyu Realm.

A thousand years ago, numerous holes had inexplicably appeared in the Xuanyu Realm’s outer Boundary Membrane. These holes grew larger and larger, continuously expanding.

Some of the larger holes had even expanded to a thousand li in size. An infinite number of Celestial Demons poured through, bringing about the apocalypse for the Cultivators of the Feather Race.

On the Icefield, a Tier Two Demon Luo Hou rode a cloud of Demon Smoke, racing like fire from the east. It silently merged into the endless swarm of Celestial Demons on the ice.

The Demon Luo Hou leaped onto a massive boulder and coiled up, quietly observing the dense throngs of the Celestial Demon Race below.

In the void above these Celestial Demons, there was a colossal flood dragon, its body a deep, spectral blue and over a thousand zhang long.

The great flood dragon had eight Dragon Horns on its head and exuded a frigid, netherworldly aura. Its Dragon Scales were naturally marked with strange, swirling patterns that could mesmerize and disorient any who looked upon them.

A Tier Four Celestial Demon, the Nine Nether Flood Dragon!

The Demon Flood Dragon occupied the void, its thousand-zhang body coiled and winding. The Demon Tide pouring from the Celestial Demon Cave served as its backdrop.

This was clearly an Outer Celestial Demon that had newly arrived in this world.

Fang Cheng used the Celestial Demon Possession Technique to transform into Demon Smoke and attach himself to the Demon Luo Hou, silently waiting and observing his surroundings.

Between heaven and earth, there wasn’t a single human figure to be seen, only countless Celestial Demons.

’Ling Yan summoned me here, but I have no idea for what purpose.’

He didn’t have to wait long. High in the Extreme Heaven, Thunder Light suddenly surged. In an instant, the dark clouds in the sky split open, and a streak of Escape Light with a breathtaking aura shot down!

As it drew closer, Fang Cheng could see it clearly. It was an enormous Feather Divine Soldier, as magnificent and imposing as a mountain.

BOOM!

The hundred-zhang-tall Feather Divine Soldier landed on the Icefield, instantly kicking up a stormy shockwave that sent countless Celestial Demons flying.

This Feather Divine Soldier had the appearance of a mighty, armored general. Its body was tall and robust, as imposing as a mountain. Its magnificent armor was covered in profound Spirit Patterns, its golden light contained within.

It held an incomparably massive long saber, from which arcs of Thunder Light shot out, radiating a heart-pounding killing intent.

On the Feather Divine Soldier’s back, eighteen snowflake-shaped exhaust ports, arranged like a spinal column, spewed forth a dense and astonishing flame of Demonic Qi. The vast fluctuations of its aura filled heaven and earth, a truly staggering sight.

It was the very same Feather Divine Soldier that Fang Cheng had seen before!

On the Icefield, the Celestial Demons around the Feather Divine Soldier receded like a tide, leaving only four of their kind remaining in place.

The Demon Luo Hou on the giant boulder was one of them.

In the void, the Nine Nether Flood Dragon let out a deafening, heaven-shaking roar. The sound was vast and primal, filled with majesty and intimidation, but it did not charge forward.

On the backs of the four Celestial Demons below the Feather Divine Soldier, thick, viscous Demonic Qi erupted almost simultaneously. From within the Demonic Qi, four figures, men and women, emerged.

"Lady Ling Yan, do we have a new member joining us?"

Someone asked with a smile, looking curiously toward Fang Cheng.

...