Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

Although the demon’s life force had been extinguished, its demonic aura remained terrifyingly potent. A malevolent nature seemed to linger within its flesh, causing countless buds and tendrils of meat to sprout, dance, and writhe. But they were all refined by the Li Hen Demon Light.

Standing at the edge of the chariot, Yan Shutong gazed in a daze at the scene before her, a wondrous light shimmering in her beautiful eyes.

A short while later.

The Resentment Demon Bead was finally ’sated,’ allowing Fang Cheng to experience a long-awaited sense of peace.

He returned to the chariot, and the Flame Lion resumed pulling it forward.

The wind and snow ahead grew more intense.

A vast, flat Icefield appeared before them.

Following Yan Shutong’s directions, Fang Cheng brought the chariot to a halt. The two then stored it away, descended from their Escape Light, and landed on the Icefield.

The Xuanyu Realm was immensely vast. Over the past millennium, aside from the several dozen Demon Cities, millions upon millions of Cultivators had lived and multiplied. The exact number of Cultivators today was impossible to ascertain.

Thus, beyond the various Demon Cities, there were many other settlements where Cultivators gathered, comprised mostly of Loose Cultivators.

While these settlements couldn’t deter Celestial Demons below the fifth order like the Demon Cities could, their strength lay in their secrecy. By utilizing the Xuanyu Realm’s natural defensive terrains and Secret Realms, they also had their own clever ways of withstanding a Demon Tide.

After her family’s fortunes declined, Yan Shutong had settled in the Mituo Ruins as a Loose Cultivator.

According to her, the Mituo Ruins lay beneath this very Icefield.

At that moment.

The two of them stood in the snow, looking like two tiny sesame seeds when viewed from high above.

Yan Shutong’s almond-shaped eyes swept back and forth, searching for something in the snow.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She dropped to one knee and slammed her fist into the snow.

BOOM!

Flames billowed out.

Within a hundred-zhang radius, the thick snow instantly boiled and vaporized, revealing the dark brown earth beneath.

A fissure about a zhang wide split open in the earth.

"Sir, after you!"

With a smile, Yan Shutong leaped into the fissure first. After a quick scan with his Divine Sense, Fang Cheng followed close behind.

A moment later.

The ground trembled and the fissure resealed itself. Amidst the swirling snow, all traces of them on the Icefield vanished.

...

Fang Cheng and Yan Shutong descended several tens of zhang before the space beneath their feet suddenly opened up, revealing a massive underground cavern below.

As Fang Cheng descended, it was as if a colossal face was slowly rising to meet him!

First, a mountain-like ushnisha came into view, followed by a full, broad forehead and enormous, half-closed eyes that grew ever larger.

Then came a high-bridged nose, large ears that hung to the shoulders, and a thin-lipped mouth with a drooping mustache...

It was the face of a Buddha Statue, its Dharma Aspect solemn, the corners of its mouth curved into a faint, serene smile!

It wore a thick, heavy Kasaya draped to leave the right shoulder bare, over an inner robe. The borders were exquisitely decorated with bands of linked pearls and honeysuckle patterns.

The great Buddha’s form was powerful and robust, its aura majestic. Though it was seated cross-legged, it seemed more imposing than the grandest mountain peak.

This was a Buddha Cave.

The rock walls surrounding the great Buddha were carved with a dense matrix of smaller niches, which housed tens of thousands of Buddha Statues of all sizes.

Unlike the world outside, the cavern was as warm as spring and the air was humid. Lush vegetation covered the walls and floor, making it feel as though they had entered another world.

From the cavern’s ceiling, numerous stalactites glowed with a soft white light, brightly illuminating the entire expanse.

The cavern floor was covered in lush bushes, grasses, verdant vines, and towering trees, giving it the feel of a hidden paradise.

The cavern was over a thousand mu in area. Cold mist was still pouring down from the opening Yan Shutong had blasted in the ceiling, but the fissure was slowly closing on its own.

Fang Cheng glanced around and spotted a natural passage on the far side of the cavern, which seemed to lead to other caves.

"The Mituo Ruins are made up of eighty-one Buddha Caves of varying sizes. This one is actually one of the smaller ones," Yan Shutong explained.

She led Fang Cheng through the passage, and on the other side was, indeed, an even larger Buddha Cave.

On the walls of this Buddha Cave, many of the smaller Buddha Statues had been removed and replaced with Cave Mansions, each one protected by layers of restrictive arrays.

According to Yan Shutong, several thousand Cultivators lived within the Mituo Ruins. It was the largest settlement of Loose Cultivators in a ten-thousand-li radius, complete with its own markets and Spirit Fields.

However, there weren’t many High-level Cultivators here. Late-stage Life Talisman Cultivators like Yan Shutong were few and far between.

Soon, Yan Shutong led Fang Cheng to her Cave Mansion.

Her Cave Mansion was situated on the left shoulder of the great central Buddha in this Buddha Cave. Stepping inside, he found the interior to be cozy and elegant, and far more spacious than he had anticipated.

In the center of the Cave Mansion was a small pool. Its water was crystal clear, and a dozen or so Spirit Fish swam about leisurely within it.

On the water’s surface floated nine blooming Ice Soul Snow Lotuses. They were breathtakingly beautiful and brimming with Spiritual Qi, a sight that soothed the heart and soul.

A single glance was enough to tell that these Snow Lotuses were no ordinary treasures.

After leading Fang Cheng into her private Cave Mansion, a bashful look appeared on Yan Shutong’s face. Her alluring coyness was quite endearing.

She personally prepared a feast of Spiritual Cuisine to welcome him and wash away the dust of his journey.

Since it was Fang Cheng’s first meal after arriving in the Xuanyu Realm, Yan Shutong had put a great deal of thought into it. She presented a spread of delicacies from the Mituo Ruins and even several other Demon Cities, allowing him to feast to his heart’s content.

Fang Cheng was not purely an Ascetic Cultivator.

When it was time to relax and enjoy life, he would indulge himself to the fullest.

After the meal, Yan Shutong attentively helped him with his bath.

...