Chapter 379 - 12: Li Hen Demon Palace
Yan Shutong knelt before the white-haired old man and kowtowed respectfully several times.
The white-haired old man seemed to sense something. A golden flame silently ignited on his body, and his form instantly turned to ash and scattered.
The body of a dignified Dharma Cultivator had turned to dust just like that. It was a testament to the brutality of the battle he had fought, with only a shred of spirituality left behind, waiting for his descendants to arrive.
Fang Cheng had long since noticed this and said nothing more. Instead, he watched the giant bronze statue in the center of the hall with great interest.
The Demon Fire Golden Saber, which had been resting on the old man’s knees, now floated in the air as if it had a spirit of its own, trembling slightly and emitting a low hum.
"My lord, this saber..."
Kneeling in the hall, Yan Shutong turned her head to look at Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng said coolly, "Since it belongs to your Yan Family, you should keep it for yourself."
In the past, he might have coveted this Fourth-rank Magical Artifact and snatched the treasure from his concubine.
But things were different now. For one, he didn’t lack Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts. For another, he already had two Fifth-rank Magical Artifacts. To steal from his own concubine would make him seem petty.
Yan Shutong, of course, didn’t know what Fang Cheng was thinking. A mix of complex emotions washed over her. A look of gratitude appeared in her beautiful eyes. Biting her red lip, she glanced at Fang Cheng’s profile, took a deep breath, and reached for the hilt of the Demon Fire Golden Saber.
BUZZ!
The moment her slender, snow-white fingers grasped the hilt, a golden light surged from the Demon Saber and flooded into Yan Shutong’s body like a tidal wave.
Yan Shutong cried out softly as raging golden flames suddenly erupted all over her body.
In an instant, her purple dress was reduced to ashes.
Her fair, dazzling, and gorgeous nude body, wreathed in golden flames, formed a visually stunning image.
Yan Shutong’s body began to float involuntarily. Two profound and mysterious dark-gold runes appeared in her eyes, while ancient flame patterns emerged on her porcelain-white skin.
These flame patterns spread from her legs, hips, waist, and chest, all the way to her neck, cheeks, and the spot between her eyebrows, echoing the dark-gold runes in her eyes.
’Is this... the Power of a Celestial Demon’s Origin?’
Fang Cheng turned his head in surprise, watching the scene unfold. He tried to understand this strange transformation based on the memories he had obtained through a Soul Search of a Life Soul Cultivator from the Mo Luo Realm.
It seemed that the Yan Family’s ancestor had hidden the origin of a Tier Four Celestial Demon within the Demon Fire Golden Saber.
By touching the Demon Fire Golden Saber, Yan Shutong had absorbed this mass of Celestial Demon Origin.
At that moment, Yan Shutong’s body curled into a ball, but the golden flames surrounding her grew even more intense. The astonishingly high temperature caused the void to tremble and distort. Even Fang Cheng felt a hint of danger and became wary.
This golden flame was filled with a demonic nature, but it was completely different from the Demon Flame transformed from his Li Hen Demon Light.
The Li Hen Demon Light had no temperature; it burned things that possessed spirituality.
This fire, however, was purer. With every breath Fang Cheng took, it felt as if he were inhaling a wisp of flame that seared his internal organs.
Within the raging blaze, a phantom figure faintly manifested. Looking closely, it was the silhouette of an emperor-like being, dressed in an Imperial Robe and wearing a Heaven-Peaking Crown. It exuded an air of majesty and nobility, carrying the tyrannical intent of one who commanded all the flames in the world.
"Tsk tsk, what a fortunate encounter!" Fang Cheng chuckled, calmly watching Yan Shutong, who was lost in a state of profound enlightenment.
He looked at the face of the Flame Emperor and found that its graceful and dignified features bore a slight resemblance to Yan Shutong’s.
Meanwhile, golden flames silently surged around Fang Cheng’s body, closing in on him.
Suddenly, the flame-like black Li Hen Demon Light on his body manifested on its own, blocking the scorching golden flames.
Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze, and the golden flames around him immediately vanished as if they were an illusion.
He stopped paying attention to Yan Shutong and instead returned to examining the giant bronze statue in the center of the hall.
Without a doubt, this giant statue contained the Yan Family’s Inheritance Technique.
What Fang Cheng found interesting was that whether one was comprehending or cultivating the technique on the statue, there seemed to be a prerequisite.
It required a specific bloodline!
During his time in the Red Profound Realm, he had traveled through the East Cyan Domain and the Wilderness Domain. He considered himself worldly, but he had never heard of such an inheritance Secret Technique among Human Race Cultivators.
The mystery behind this was even more intriguing than the mystery of the Inheritance Technique itself.
Fang Cheng stayed in the Bronze Hall for a while longer before walking out on his own.
Having received this opportunity, Yan Shutong was likely about to break through to the Life Soul Realm.
The woman’s talent was extraordinary, so he naturally didn’t need to worry about her. He would, however, have to wait for some time.
He summoned the Fire Lion Chariot from the sky, parking it beneath a giant tree in the forest. Then he entered the chariot, sat down, and entered a state of meditation, beginning to refine the Spiritual Power being fed back from the Resentment Demon Bead.
...
「Two months later.」
Inside the chariot, Fang Cheng slowly opened his eyes. The Magical Power in his body surged like a tide, a clear sign of his progress.
The familiar feeling from his time in the Life Talisman Realm had completely returned.
They say it’s easy to go from frugal to lavish, but hard to go from lavish to frugal. Once you get used to your Cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds every day, it’s hard to go back to the difficult times of quiet, ascetic cultivation where years pass with little progress.
Although cultivating a Demon Path Cultivation Method was fraught with danger, it was indeed more exhilarating and satisfying than a Mystic Sect Technique.
Among the thousands of Demon Dao inheritances in the Mo Luo Realm, there were quite a few Secret Techniques similar to the Resentment Demon Bead, which boosted one’s Cultivation by devouring Celestial Demon Origin or even refining Celestial Demon Souls.
At the very least, one could accelerate their cultivation speed by refining the pure Demonic Qi from authentic Celestial Demon Relics.
Fang Cheng had also made another gain during this cultivation session.
In the center of the Resentment Demon Bead in his Qi Sea, the mysterious dark-gold rune had finally transformed. A few days ago, it had changed into a Demon Palace!
This Demon Palace existed somewhere between real and illusory, tangible and intangible. Its demonic intent soared to the heavens, and it stood imposingly in the center of the Resentment Demon Bead, but its mysteries were unknown.
After several failed attempts to investigate it, Fang Cheng knew the time was not yet right. He would have to wait a while longer.
Perhaps after the Resentment Demon Bead devoured another batch of Celestial Demons, he would make a new discovery.
As he was pondering this, the Bronze Gate in the center of the giant ancient cypress trunk opposite him burst forth with a dazzling light, and a tall, beautiful figure emerged.
Fang Cheng looked up and met a pair of limpid eyes. Deep within those pupils, two clusters of golden flames seemed to be burning fiercely.
Their eyes met, and the flames in Yan Shutong’s eyes slowly dissipated.
"Not bad. You broke through the bottleneck so quickly." Fang Cheng looked Yan Shutong up and down, a look of approval on his face.
The Yan Family descendant had changed into a magnificent long dress, her hair was tied up, and the flame patterns from that day were gone from her snow-white skin.
Her beautiful eyes showed a mix of shyness, gratitude, joy, and elation. She gave Fang Cheng a graceful bow and said, "Thank you for your help, my lord."
Her Magical Power now blazed like fire, and she possessed her family’s Fourth-rank Magical Artifact. Although she had just entered the Life Soul Realm, her strength was no less than that of a veteran Life Soul Master.
Across the entire Xuanyu Realm, she could now be considered a true master.
But when she thought of Fang Cheng’s astonishing methods for slaying a Tier Four Celestial Demon, the respect on her face did not diminish in the slightest. She still considered herself his concubine.
Fang Cheng said leisurely, "We’ve been here for quite some time. It’s time to leave."
Yan Shutong nodded lightly. She turned and cast several Spells at the Bronze Gate, which rapidly shrank until it transformed into a small, exquisite bronze palace. It flew out, and she caught it in her hand.
A Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, the Great Red Flame Demon Hall.
"My lord," Yan Shutong said softly, having returned to the chariot with a new air of confidence in her eyes, "why don’t we head to the Profound Celestial Demon City next? We’ll pass by many Celestial Demon Races along the way, including some Tier Four Celestial Demons. Once we arrive at the Demon City, you can experience the prosperity of this realm."
The High-Tier Celestial Demons in the Celestial Extinction Demon Pit had been all but hunted down by Fang Cheng, and the nearest Demon City was the Profound Celestial Demon City.
Legend has it that within this city lies the Mysterious Secret Realm, an ancient Secret Realm in the Xuanyu Realm passed down from antiquity. The Demon City also derives its name from this.
The Mysterious Secret Realm is vaguely related to the mysteries of time’s fluctuations, a puzzle no one has been able to solve to this day.
People only know that one day of cultivation inside the Secret Realm is equivalent to three days of cultivation in the outside world.
Of course, one’s lifespan also depletes at three times the normal rate.
This city is currently owned by Marquis Li, the "second strongest under heaven." The City Lord, Madam Qi, is Marquis Li’s dao companion and one of the most renowned Dharma Realm masters in the world.
Among the thirty-six Demon Cities in the world today, Marquis Yan controls nine and Marquis Li controls three. The other Demon Cities are independent on the surface, but in reality, they each have their own leanings. Ultimately, they are either pro-Yan or pro-Li; there are few who sit on the fence.
When Yan Shutong mentioned the Profound Celestial Demon City, Fang Cheng knew what she was thinking and smiled. "You want to use the Mysterious Secret Realm to refine the Celestial Demon Origin, don’t you?"
Yan Shutong smiled gently. "How could I hide such a simple thought from you, my lord? If you don’t want to go to Xuanchen, we can go somewhere else."
Fang Cheng waved his hand and said, "I’m not picky about the place. Just find me enough Celestial Demon hunting grounds. Also, if you have any plans, it’s best to tell me in advance."
A tremor went through Yan Shutong’s eyes, and a slightly aggrieved look appeared on her face. She nodded and said, "I understand."
...