Free Web NovelChapter 288: Chapter 56: I’m Off
"I just saw a Fourth-rank Magical Artifact fly out! You all can stay here and puzzle over it. I’m off!"
A man let out a wild laugh, his figure flickered, and in an instant, he was at the horizon, chasing after the streaks of light.
Once he left, the others couldn’t stay put either and immediately gave chase.
The few who remained tried to stabilize the Bronze Hall, but to no avail. They could only watch helplessly as it sank back into the lake.
So, these few acted again, trying to pull the hall back up. But with a third of their number gone, the effort was now much more difficult.
The Life Talisman and Sensing Realm cultivators from the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion and the surrounding shores also followed the direction of the hundred-odd streaks of light, fanning out in all directions to give chase.
For a moment, the sky was filled with a crisscrossing web of Escape Lights, chariots, Spirit Beasts, and birds.
Those with high Cultivation were incredibly fast, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Those with lower Cultivation slowly vanished over the horizon.
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Fang Cheng and Hua Yutang had spent two months traveling across the Eastern Wilderness aboard the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion. They were now a great distance from Great Black Mountain.
The two piloted their Flying Celestial Chariot, heading due west.
The lands of the Wilderness Domain were vast and primordial, filled with a sense of raw, ancient desolation. Demon Beasts and flying creatures were numerous. Along the way, the pair encountered many attacks from demonic birds, all of which Fang Cheng casually slew and refined.
Hua Yutang had long since grown accustomed to this.
Suddenly, a brilliant streak of light shot from behind them, cutting a straight line across the sky. It was as fast as a clap of thunder, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
While the two were still reeling in shock and suspicion, two more astonishing Escape Lights, one after the other, flew over their heads in pursuit of the first streak.
The auras of these two Escape Lights were astounding. They were clearly masters at the Life Soul Level.
But their Escape Lights were too fast. Fang Cheng couldn’t make out their faces, only dimly perceiving that one of them had a graceful figure and was a Female Cultivator.
"Could it really be that Ascendant Lingji’s Hundred Treasures Hall has appeared?"
He looked at the Cyan Bird and asked, "Cang Dao You, you are wise and experienced. What do you make of this?"
The Cyan Bird’s gaze was profound. It slowly said, "The first streak of light that flashed by had a brilliant treasure glow and an ancient, time-worn aura. It should be a Magical Artifact. For two Life Soul Cultivators to chase it, I imagine its rank can’t be lower than the third-tier."
"A Third-tier Magical Artifact..." Hua Yutang couldn’t help but sigh softly.
In the Cultivation Realm, the price of a Third-tier Magical Artifact was far greater than a second-order one. They often started at two or three million Spirit Stones, and even then, they were usually priceless treasures with no sellers.
After all, whether it was a sect or a family, who would be willing to sell a Third-tier Magical Artifact if they had one?
Just as they were speaking, a dozen more streaks of light shot across the heavens, scattering far and wide in all directions.
They were clearly more Magical Artifacts flying out from the Hundred Treasures Hall.
"Junior Brother, should we go take a look?" Hua Yutang felt a stir of temptation and asked Fang Cheng softly.
Fang Cheng’s mind was steady. He said calmly, "Let’s just continue back to Great Black Mountain. If we happen to encounter something along the way, we’ll take a look. If not, so be it."
Hua Yutang hummed in agreement and said no more.
The chariot flew onward for another hour. In the distant sky, two shocking auras collided high in the firmament, locked in a fierce battle.
It was none other than the two cultivators who had just passed over their heads.
They weren’t fighting in a fixed location. They were battling while moving at an incredible speed, causing the sky to rumble as if it were collapsing.
In comparison, Hua Yutang’s chariot flew "slowly" across the sky.
Hua Yutang deliberately lowered the chariot’s altitude until it was only about a hundred zhang from the ground, doing her best to avoid the battle raging in the sky.
This time, Fang Cheng could see clearly. His Divine Sense could now just barely keep up with the movements of the Life Soul Cultivators.
He saw that one of them was indeed a tall, graceful Female Cultivator. She commanded a mass of deep blue Demonic Light, and two massive black-scaled snakes, flickering between reality and illusion, traversed the void to attack her opponent.
Her opponent was a middle-aged Daoist in a wide hat and long sleeves. With every move, Profound Light flashed as he nonchalantly blocked the Female Cultivator’s attacks.
Before Fang Cheng could ask, Cang Wuya explained, "That Daoist is a Supreme Elder of the Jing Family, a giant among the Eastern Wilderness Families. His name is Jing Hongyan, and he has been a Life Soul Cultivator for over three hundred years."
"That Female Cultivator is Bing Wuyi, the Saintess of the Nine Nether Demon Sect. Although she only has Late-stage Life Talisman Cultivation, she had a peerless fortuitous encounter in her early years and refined a Celestial Demon Bead created by an Ancient Cultivator. With this bead, she can command two Tier Three Celestial Demons, borrowing their Celestial Demon Power for her own use. She has almost no rivals in the Life Talisman Realm."
Fang Cheng looked at the two black-scaled snakes in the sky, their demonic aura palpable. He said, "No wonder. She’s using that treasure to control two Tier Three Void Demon Snakes... To think the Wilderness has such a Life Talisman Master!"
Back in Yun Country, it seemed that Sun Fugai was the only one who dared to fight against Life Soul Realm cultivators while still at the Life Talisman Cultivation level.
Now, Fang Cheng had to be added to that list.
Cang Wuya spoke as if reciting a family history, "In the Eastern Wilderness, besides Bing Wuyi, there are two others known as invincible in the Life Talisman Realm. One is the current Sect Leader of the Nine Truths Sect. He possesses the Wood Dao Body. Not only is his Magical Power far more abundant than other Life Talisman Cultivators, but he has also mastered the Nine Truths Sect’s ultimate Divine Technique, the ’Void Divine Light.’ He once single-handedly slew a Life Soul Realm cultivator."
Hua Yutang asked curiously, "And the other one?"
’She felt that this Sect Leader of the Nine Truths Sect seemed even more formidable than her own master, Sun Fugai.’
By now, the Flying Celestial Chariot had flown out of the range of the battle between the Nine Nether Saintess and Jing Hongyan, gradually pulling away. Cang Wuya’s voice grew louder:
"The third invincible master in the Life Talisman Realm is a prodigy from our Demon Race. He is the Prince Consort of the Sea Emperor Hall, one of the three great Sacred Lands. He awakened the Ancient Red Blood Golden Flood Dragon Bloodline Talent and once defeated every opponent in the Demon Race. Aside from the enigmatic Sea Emperor, even the other Demon Kings in the Sea Emperor Hall have all been defeated by him."
"This demon’s strength is no less than that of the Nine Truths Sect’s Sect Leader and Bing Wuyi."
A trace of envy could be heard in Cang Wuya’s words.
’That one awakened a nearly invincible bloodline talent, married the Princess of Sea Emperor Hall, and became the Dragon-riding Immortal Son-in-law with a bright future ahead of him. Meanwhile, I’ve gone from a cautious undercover agent to a prisoner walking on thin ice.’
’My future is uncertain, my life is in peril, and freedom exists only in dreams.’
The Cyan Bird’s mood instantly grew heavy. It sighed softly, a look of sorrow in its eyes.
Fang Cheng, however, thought to himself: ’If I didn’t have the Dream Spirit, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be their match either.’
’However, all three of them are Peak Life Talisman Cultivators, the same realm as Sun Fugai, just a hair’s breadth away from the Life Soul Realm.’
’And I’ve only just entered the Mid-Life Talisman Stage.’
’If we were at the same realm, I’m confident that with my Immortal Binding Rope and my well-honed Profound Mysterious Sword Technique, I could still compete with those three.’
’Of course, if I were to use the Dream Spirit, all three of them combined might not be enough to be my opponent.’
Soon, the two people and one bird put Bing Wuyi and Jing Hongyan out of their minds, able to only distantly sense the aftershocks from their fierce battle.
The Flying Celestial Chariot continued to fly forward, its speed comparable to a Mid-stage Life Talisman Cultivator using their full-power Flying Escape. It was not slow at all.
Suddenly.
Hua Yutang pointed to the cliff face of a mountain ahead and said, "Junior Brother, look! I think there’s a Magical Artifact over there!"
Fang Cheng followed her finger and saw a string of glittering Buddha Beads embedded in the steep cliff face.
This string of Buddha Beads had eighteen beads in total, each the size of a fist. They all shimmered with a golden Buddha Light, giving off a sense of purity, grandeur, and solemnity.
The Flying Celestial Chariot approached the cliff face and slowly came to a stop.
Hua Yutang flew forward, removed the Buddha Beads, and examined them closely. She smiled and said, "It’s actually a Second-Order Top-grade Magical Artifact! It must be one of the streaks of light from before. I can’t believe we stumbled upon it."
Fang Cheng also smiled. "This treasure was fated to be with you, Senior Sister. Neither Cang Dao You nor I noticed it just now."
Hua Yutang returned to the chariot, delighted. She held the Buddha Bead Magical Artifact, unable to put it down, and was just about to study its wondrous uses.
Fang Cheng took over control of the Flying Celestial Chariot’s mechanisms, preparing to continue their journey.
Just then, a golden light flew in from the distance. With a sudden flash, it stopped in front of the flying chariot, blocking their path.
The golden light dissipated, revealing the figures of two cultivators.
One was a handsome, elegant monk in white robes. The other was a stern-faced, middle-aged cultivator wearing a black Magical Robe.
The white-robed monk looked at the Buddha Beads in Hua Yutang’s hands, put his palms together, and smiled. "Female benefactor, this string of Buddha Beads is fated with me. I have been chasing it this whole way. Please return it to me."
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