Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

The one who spoke was a mature and beautiful woman in a simple dress. She had a graceful figure and a charming, alluring air.

Early-stage Life Soul Cultivation.

The other two men, strangers to him, also possessed Early-stage Life Soul Cultivation. They were now looking at Fang Cheng with curiosity.

From within the colossal Feather Divine Soldier, a cool, soft voice spoke. "This is Fang Cheng, the new Dharma Guardian Demon Marshal of the Demon City."

Fang Cheng gave the three a small smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

The beautiful woman was startled, then gave Fang Cheng a graceful curtsy. "So you are Fellow Daoist Fang, the one who picked the Cang Ling Fruit the other day. Forgive my lack of respect! My name is Mu Xueling. I ask for your guidance in the future, Fellow Daoist."

Fang Cheng nodded. "Of course. And may I ask the names of these two fellow daoists?"

Of the other two, a handsome man with a calm and reserved demeanor, who rarely smiled, spoke in a deep voice. A faint Sword Intent and Demonic Light flowed around him. "Chen Zongming. A pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist Fang."

The other, a short, stout old man dressed in coarse linen and straw sandals, looked like an old farmer. He cupped his hands. "I am Jiang Beiyue. I have followed Lady Ling Yan for many years. If you ever need anything in the future, Fellow Daoist Fang, just let this old man know."

All three were Cultivators born and raised in Profound Celestial Demon City. They naturally knew how powerful a Cultivator capable of picking the Cang Ling Fruit must be. Thus, they were all polite and respectful toward Fang Cheng, their hearts filled with awe.

After the pleasantries were exchanged, Ling Yan’s voice came from the Feather Divine Soldier, direct and to the point. "Follow me and clear out the Demon Tide here."

With that, the massive steel body soared into the air. A heaven-shaking Thunderous Blade Aura then slashed toward the thousand-zhang body of the Nine Nether Flood Dragon.

The Nine Nether Flood Dragon was already wary of Ling Yan. Seeing her attack, it immediately opened its mouth and spewed a torrent of deep blue Demon Flame, like a raging river, to meet the Feather Divine Soldier.

A sky-covering wave of icy Demon Fire surged downward. The thunder blade in the Feather Divine Soldier’s hand erupted with a blinding aura as it engaged the Nine Nether Flood Dragon in a vicious battle.

The moment they clashed, the heavens and earth seemed to lose their color.

Up in the sky, perhaps because the Nine Nether Flood Dragon was engaged in battle and had lost its demonic connection, the pitch-black Celestial Demon Cave stopped spitting out Outer Celestial Demons.

At the same time, Mu Xueling, Chen Zongming, and Jiang Beiyue flew out, unleashing their Divine Techniques as they charged toward the endless Celestial Demons on the icefield.

Their Divine Techniques varied, but in Fang Cheng’s eyes, they were about on par with the Life Soul Cultivators from the Rakshasa Sect in the Wilderness Domain—nothing particularly remarkable.

The beautiful woman, Mu Xueling, summoned a jade hairpin that transformed into a massive ice phoenix dozens of zhang in size. It danced through the Demon Tide, freezing countless Low-Tier Celestial Demons into ice sculptures. These sculptures then shattered into a sky full of glittering blue ice dust amidst the violent aftershocks of the battle.

The handsome and stoic Chen Zongming was a Sword Cultivator. He controlled two streaks of black and red Sword Aura that roamed the sky, continuously reaping the lives of Celestial Demons.

Among the three, the strongest was surprisingly the old man in coarse linen. He summoned a colossal black cauldron from which an endless, billowing black Demon Smoke poured out and spread. Wherever it passed, the flesh and blood of the Celestial Demons dissolved, leaving only white bones on the ground.

Although the Demon Tide was vast, there were fewer than a dozen Tier Three Celestial Demons, and very few could withstand the trio’s assault.

When they encountered a powerful Tier Three Celestial Demon, the three would join forces to fight it.

However, this slaughter consumed a great deal of their Magical Power. Without a Supreme Divine Technique like the Celestial Demon Possession Technique, escaping would be extremely difficult if their Magical Power ran out and they were surrounded by the horde.

For a thousand years, the major Demon Cities have had a tradition of systematically clearing out Demon Tides like this. The main purpose is to control the number of Tier Four Celestial Demons and prevent new Tier Five Celestial Demons from emerging in the Xuanyu Realm!

In history, several Demon Cities were destroyed by Tier Five Celestial Demons, wiped out by demonic calamities.

However, a Demon City like Profound Celestial Demon City that so frequently culled Tier Four Celestial Demons was extremely rare.

Unless the situation was dire, most Dharma Level City Lords rarely left their Demon Cities to slaughter Tier Four Celestial Demons.

Most of the time, it was Life Soul Realm Demon Marshals who led their subordinates, using Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Grand Arrays, and the like to besiege and kill them.

The effectiveness of such methods was, naturally, far inferior to that of Profound Celestial Demon City.

Over time, the Demon Cities under Marquis Li’s command grew more prosperous and attracted numerous talented individuals, giving him the foundation to contend with Marquis Yan.

A few thoughts turned in Fang Cheng’s mind. While keeping an eye on the battle between Ling Yan’s Feather Divine Soldier and the Tier Four Nine Nether Flood Dragon, he unleashed his Li Hen Demon Light. The black Demon Flame formed a raging tornado with him at its center, wreaking havoc and slaughtering its way through the Demon Tide.

As a newcomer, he played it safe, acting conventionally and coordinating with Mu Xueling and the others.

A Tier Three Mid Stage Celestial Demon launched a surprise attack from the Demon Tide, but he easily intercepted it, brutally suppressing it with his Demonic Light and refining it to ash.

Witnessing this, Mu Xueling and the other two were secretly alarmed. The way they looked at Fang Cheng changed slightly, and they intentionally or unintentionally left the remaining Tier Three Celestial Demons for Fang Cheng.

Of the dozen or so Tier Three Celestial Demons, Fang Cheng personally suppressed and killed ten.

After all the Tier Three Celestial Demons had fallen, the Demon Tide descended into chaos, scattering across the vast icefield and losing its previous ferocity.

Fang Cheng’s interest waned, so he stopped fighting and focused his attention on the battle between Ling Yan and the Nine Nether Flood Dragon in the sky.

Normally, when he hunted Tier Four Celestial Demons, he relied on his Dream Spirit Incarnation using the Power of Dharma to activate his Tier Five Flying Sword, annihilating them with overwhelming force. He never had the chance to witness a detailed battle between Dharma Level combatants.

This was an excellent opportunity.

The Feather Divine Soldier, wreathed in lightning, fought fiercely against the thousand-zhang Nether Flood Dragon. With the pitch-black, silent Celestial Demon Cave as a backdrop, the light from their Divine Techniques flared like tiny sparks before the immense cave.

Soon after, the massive body of the Nine Nether Flood Dragon fell from the sky, crashing onto the icefield with a deafening BOOM.

The majestic Feather Divine Soldier stood in the void, holding the flood dragon’s head in one hand. Covered in crackling lightning, it looked like an instrument of divine punishment.

Fang Cheng looked up and saw the Feather Divine Soldier dig a Tier Four Celestial Demon Relic out of the Nine Nether Flood Dragon’s skull, then insert it into its own chest.

Faintly, Fang Cheng saw a Divine Furnace with a shocking aura inside the Feather Divine Soldier’s chest erupt with a thick, almost tangible Thunder Liquid that swallowed the Celestial Demon Relic.

’So the Feather Divine Soldiers are powered by Celestial Demon Relics...’

His eyes flickered. ’Ling Yan bringing the four of us Life Soul Cultivators out to clear away Celestial Demons was probably also with the intent of collecting Tier Four Celestial Demon Relics.’

With a flash of Thunder Light in the sky, the enormous Profound Gold Body of the Feather Divine Soldier vanished, replaced by a peerlessly beautiful woman of the Feather Race.

She glanced at the situation on the icefield below, then took out a Black Jade Gourd. Activating a Spell, she sent down a swath of black light that instantly collected the remains of the Nine Nether Flood Dragon.

Fang Cheng couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at the Black Jade Gourd.

Ling Yan put away the gourd and said to the four of them, "Next target, Withered Demon Ridge. I’ll wait for you at the destination."

With that said, she spread her wings, transformed into a streak of Thunder Light, and shot off into the distant sky.

She had actually abandoned the four of them and left first.

Mu Xueling and the others retracted their Divine Techniques, summoned a Flying Boat, and called for Fang Cheng to board it so they could chase after Ling Yan.

"Is Lady... Ling Yan always this... decisive?"

Fang Cheng asked aboard the Flying Boat.

Mu Xueling smiled. "She has always been direct and efficient, dislikes tedious formalities, and prefers to be alone. You’ll get used to it after a while, Fellow Daoist Fang."

*

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「Over half a day later, the group arrived at Withered Demon Ridge.」

This was one of the hundred-plus locations with Tier Four Celestial Demons that Yan Shutong had previously marked for Fang Cheng.

The Celestial Demons entrenched here were a group of Eight-Armed Cold Demons, numbering in the tens of thousands, forming a large Celestial Demon Race.

The leading Eight-Armed Cold Demon was also at the Tier Four level, and there were thirty-six Tier Three Celestial Demons under its command.

Once again, Ling Yan piloted the Feather Divine Soldier, displaying its awesome might as she confronted the Tier Four Eight-Armed Cold Demon.

Fang Cheng and the other three, though outnumbered, battled the demon horde, harvesting the lives of these otherworldly demonic creatures.

At first, Fang Cheng wasn’t serious. He relied on the tyrannical power of his Li Hen Demon Light to sweep through the Demon Tide, sustaining his battle through combat, remaining calm and composed.

Of the thirty-six Tier Three Celestial Demons, he suppressed and killed almost half of them himself.

Just as the four of them let their guard down, two Late-stage Tier Three Celestial Demons suddenly burst from the Demon Tide, launching a lightning-fast sneak attack on Fang Cheng and Chen Zongming.

Fang Cheng threw out a Netherworld Hand Seal to block the attacking Cold Demon, then summoned Zhan Yue and beheaded it with a single, clean strike. His reaction speed was simply incredible.

Chen Zongming, however, fell victim to the Cold Demon’s vicious attack. The demon closed in, all eight of its arms striking out at once, unleashing over a hundred fist auras that brutally blasted the Sword Cultivator’s body apart.

Then, the Cold Demon charged toward Mu Xueling, its ferocity unabated, aiming for another kill.

Mu Xueling used a life-saving technique to block the Cold Demon while crying out to Ling Yan for help.

At the critical moment, a glittering golden rope flew out and bound the Eight-Armed Cold Demon. A graceful Sword Aura followed, beheading it with a single slash.

Mu Xueling, still shaken, watched as Fang Cheng released his Li Hen Demon Light to refine the Cold Demon’s corpse before she managed to thank him.

Soon after, Ling Yan slew the Tier Four Celestial Demon. As before, she first took its Celestial Demon Relic, then used the Black Jade Gourd to collect its remains.

Ling Yan didn’t say much about Chen Zongming’s death, but she gave Fang Cheng a few extra glances. She seemed surprised that he possessed the means to instantly kill a Late-stage Tier Three Celestial Demon.

She knew that if she weren’t relying on the Feather Divine Soldier, but only her own Divine Techniques and a Third-grade top-grade magic tool, she could barely manage to instantly kill a Celestial Demon of the same rank—and certainly not with Fang Cheng’s effortless grace.

Moreover, Fang Cheng only had Early-stage Life Soul Cultivation.

Therefore, her glances seemed to carry a hint of dissatisfaction with Fang Cheng for not saving Chen Zongming.

But she never said anything explicit, which instead gave Fang Cheng something to ponder and reflect upon.

After the group rested, they set out again, continuing to travel from place to place, hunting Celestial Demons.

Over a month passed like this, and the number of Tier Four Celestial Demons Ling Yan had killed reached a total of thirteen.

During this time, they encountered many dangerous moments, all of which the woman resolved on her own with an endless array of techniques.

Meanwhile, thanks to Fang Cheng’s protection, Mu Xueling and Jiang Beiyue made it through several crises safely, though not without a few close calls. Both were incredibly grateful to him.

In private, Mu Xueling complained to Fang Cheng and Jiang Beiyue, "I don’t know what’s gotten into Her Ladyship this time, making us rush like this. What is she going to do with so many Celestial Demon Relics?"

Jiang Beiyue, being a veteran of the Demon City, seemed to know something. He revealed in a low voice, "She’s accumulating so many Tier Four Celestial Demon Relics, she must be preparing for a major battle... After all, Dharma Realm cultivators are different from Tier Four Celestial Demons. When facing a Human Race Cultivator, the consumption rate for a Feather Divine Soldier is far greater than when fighting a Celestial Demon."

After all, Human Race Dharma Cultivators, whether in terms of Divine Techniques, Magical Artifacts, or Talismans, were all more powerful than an ordinary Celestial Demon of the same tier.

After hearing this, Fang Cheng took advantage of a break to take out three Tier Four Celestial Demon Relics and tried to trade them with Ling Yan for her gourd full of Tier Four Celestial Demon corpses.

To the Feather Divine Soldiers, the corpses of Celestial Demons were far less valuable than their relics, especially when Ling Yan was in such urgent need of them.

Conversely, to Fang Cheng’s Resentment Demon Bead, the relics were far less valuable than the corpses.

The woman was also very direct when it came to business. She immediately agreed to trade nine Celestial Demon corpses to Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng had no choice but to offer one more Tier Four Celestial Demon Relic to trade for the remaining four corpses all at once.

It was a win-win for both of them!

After receiving Fang Cheng’s four Celestial Demon Relics, Ling Yan finally called a halt to the Celestial Demon hunting mission.

After that, she led Fang Cheng, Mu Xueling, and Jiang Beiyue southeast of Profound Celestial Demon City.

Their destination: Black Jade Demon City.

...