Free Web NovelChapter 313: Chapter 74: One Win, One Draw, One Loss (Part 2)
He appeared relaxed, a faint smile playing on his lips as he said to You He, "Fellow Daoist You He, be extra careful once we enter the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm."
Just as he finished speaking, a domineering and oppressive voice boomed from the Shenxiao Thunder Ship:
"Bing Wuyi, Sect Leader Luo, are you two present?"
The voice was magnificent and deafening, laced with Thunder Power as it echoed across the sky above the lake.
Yet, a long silence followed, with no one answering.
You He, sitting opposite Fang Cheng, remained calm. She gracefully ate her Spirit Fish and sipped her Spirit Wine, seemingly paying the expert from the Qiankun Saint Sect no mind.
Aboard the Shenxiao Thunder Ship, the Saint Heir asked his question and then said no more.
The surface of the lake became calm once more.
On the distant horizon, streaks of Escape Light continued to fly over, landing on the lake’s surface from time to time.
Other Escape Lights landed on the distant lakeshore, observing from afar. They were clearly here just for the spectacle.
There was still no sign of activity from Sanzong Mountain. The Zou Family cultivators had yet to make an appearance.
Fang Cheng and You He passed the days sipping wine, discussing the Dao, and making pleasant conversation. Before they knew it, several more days had gone by.
Then, one day.
A grand bell suddenly tolled from the majestic central peak of Sanzong Mountain.
High in the sky, a cloud of emerald light surged forth from the void. In the blink of an eye, it expanded to a radius of a hundred li, transforming into a massive, slowly rotating vortex.
At the same time, around the periphery of the emerald vortex, enormous crimson chains appeared. These chains formed a great net that enveloped the vortex.
Looking up from below, one could see nineteen intersecting chains forming the great net, resembling a go board. Each chain was as massive as a mountain range—a truly spectacular sight.
The aura emanating from this great net was terrifying, pulsing with a presence that made one’s heart palpitate.
’This must be the restriction jointly established by the Ten Great Sects of the East Wilderness all those years ago. Without a Talisman Decree, I doubt even Life Soul Realm cultivators could force their way in...’ Fang Cheng mused, gazing at the giant net.
Now that the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm had appeared, the eighteen Talisman Decrees were about to make their debut.
At this moment, the hundred-plus Life Talisman Cultivators on the lake held their breath, focusing on the giant net in the sky and the entrance to the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm.
A second bell toll was heard from Sanzong Mountain.
Then, on the great net, one of the chains flared with brilliant light, and a Talisman Decree flew out, drifting down from the sky.
From the lake’s surface, streaks of Escape Light shot toward the heavens, all flying toward the Talisman Decree.
The Escape Lights varied in speed and were at different distances from the Talisman Decree, so a clear order was established in an instant.
The foremost Escape Light, wreathed in an emerald mist, took the lead. It snatched the Talisman Decree before all the other cultivators, then shot straight into the sky, passed through the giant net of chains, and flew into the emerald vortex.
The other Life Talisman Cultivators tried to give chase, but a vast, boundless Spiritual Pressure from the great net of chains washed over them from afar, sending them all plummeting back down.
"The first one, a cultivator from the Immortal Luo Sect."
On the lake, one of the spectating cultivators loudly announced the origin of the emerald Escape Light, his voice spreading all around.
Everyone waited for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and then they heard another bell toll from Sanzong Mountain.
Before the bell’s echo faded, another chain in the sky flared with brilliant light, and another Talisman Decree fell.
This time, the Shenxiao Battleship shone brightly and slowly ascended. The domineering, majestic voice from the battleship shouted, "Who dares to contend with me?"
The sky suddenly dimmed. A brilliant light flared from the Shenxiao Thunder Ship as boundless Thunder Light converged, forming what looked like a blinding thundercloud hanging over the lake.
The might of the Fourth-rank Magical Artifact erupted, and the cultivators who had intended to snatch the Talisman Decree all turned their Escape Lights around and flew back down to the lake.
The Saint Heir of the Qiankun Saint Sect effortlessly plucked the Talisman Decree from the air. Then, in an overwhelmingly domineering display, the entire Shenxiao Thunder Ship passed through the great net of chains without any resistance and entered the emerald vortex.
Everyone’s heart sank at the sight, and they all cursed the Saint Heir for his utter shamelessness. To bring a Fourth-rank Magical Artifact into the Secret Realm—he was simply inhuman!
But there was nothing they could do.
"The second one, a cultivator from the Qiankun Saint Sect!"
On the lake, the same person announced the result, and by the looks of it, he intended to keep going.
After another moment, the bell rang again, this time twice in quick succession.
As expected, two Talisman Decrees fell from the sky at the same time.
This time, more than a dozen Escape Lights shot out, arriving before the Talisman Decrees almost simultaneously.
A fierce clash of techniques erupted. The melee looked dangerous, but in truth, no one was fighting with their full power.
After all, this stage of the competition wasn’t worth fighting to the death over.
In the end, an eerie, ghostly Escape Light and a brilliant, dazzling sword light each seized a Talisman Decree before entering the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm.
"The third, a cultivator from the Ghost King Sect."
"The fourth, a cultivator from the Spirit Moon Sect... Uh, the experts from the Eastern Wilderness need to step up their game!"
The announcing cultivator teased in a humorous tone.
Not long after, the bell rang again, and the contention continued.
"The fifth, a cultivator from the Red Flame Immortal Palace. The Mechanical Battle Armor truly lives up to its reputation!"
"The sixth, a cultivator from the Taiyi Sword Sect. Sword Qi Thunder Sound, truly unbelievably fast. I wonder who is superior between them and the West Desolate Spirit Sword Sect?"
"The seventh, a cultivator from the Nine Nether Demon Sect. Is that the Saintess, Bing Wuyi? Why can’t I see the Saintess’s face clearly?"
"The eighth, a cultivator from the Celestial Talisman Sect."
"The ninth, a cultivator from the Rakshasa Sect."
"The tenth, a cultivator from the Nine Truths Sect. Huh, it seems Sect Leader Luo didn’t come?"
On Sanzong Mountain, the bell rang once more.
This time, the Talisman Decree from the sky fell toward Fang Cheng and You He.
You He glanced at Fang Cheng and smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Li, I’ll go on ahead."
Fang Cheng replied calmly, "Travel safely."
A fragrant breeze wafted past, and You He was gone.
In the sky above, more than thirty streaks of Escape Light lunged for nothing. The Talisman Decree had disappeared at some unknown moment.
The crowd could only watch as the Talisman Decree vanished right before their eyes, expressions of shock on their faces.
Among these thirty-some cultivators was a portly, affable-looking middle-aged man. He squinted at the emerald vortex in the sky, vaguely saw an Escape Light flash into it, and then said in a loud voice:
"The eleventh, a mysterious Loose Cultivator..."
Stunned, everyone turned to look at him, only then realizing he was the one who had been acting as the town crier.
A few more bell tolls passed.
Fang Cheng waited for another Talisman Decree to drift by. Without hesitation, his figure flickered as he executed the Yin Yang Heaven Escape Technique, transforming into a bizarre streak of black and white light to snatch the Talisman Decree before anyone else!
Before he could even get a good look at it, dozens of beams of Divine Techniques blasted toward him, trying to force him to give up the Talisman Decree.
Fang Cheng let out a carefree laugh. With a wave of his wide sleeve, the Youhong Sword shot out like a darting fish. The sword light instantly split into thousands of rays, weaving together to form a vast tapestry of a Netherworld ocean.
Netherworld Sword Technique, Third Form: Nether Diagram.
Within the ocean of sword light, all incoming attacks vanished as if they were clay oxen dropped into the sea. In an instant, they were shredded, disintegrated, and completely nullified by the sword light.
The next moment, the Nether Sea Sword Diagram flared with brilliant light, the vast Nether Sea unfurling and expanding outward.
The cultivators who had come to contest the Talisman Decree felt their scalps tingle as alarm bells screamed in their minds. Their vision was instantly filled with countless, razor-sharp sword lights.
They hastily used their Protective Divine Techniques to block the sword light.
The sword light in the sky flashed and then was gone.
Cultivators fell like rain.
The cultivators who remained on the lake’s surface witnessed a rather spectacular scene.
They saw a tall cultivator deploy a Sword Array with a wave of his sleeve. The array transformed into a sword diagram that, with a single sweeping move, forced over forty cultivators of the same realm back down onto the lake’s surface.
By the time the sword light dissipated, they looked up again to find the man had long since vanished from the sky.
After advancing to the Late-Life Talisman Stage, Fang Cheng’s Magical Power was on a completely different level. The might of this one sword technique was simply divine, overwhelming the entire sky.
The portly cultivator stared blankly at this scene, a chill on his back that wouldn’t fade. His expression was strange as he said, "The sixteenth, a mysterious Sword Cultivator... Can anyone tell me, when did the Wilderness produce such a powerful Sword Cultivator? With such mastery of Sword Technique, why would he even need to fight for the Bodhi Enlightenment Tree?!"
After Fang Cheng’s display, the contest for the final two Talisman Decrees was surprisingly less intense.
The final Talisman Decree was claimed by a handsome youth. He calmly repelled his rivals, took the decree, and departed with an air of carefree leisure, flying straight into the sky and entering the emerald vortex.
Thus, all eighteen Talisman Decrees had been claimed.
The top Life Talisman Cultivators from the Ten Great Sects of the East Wilderness had all gotten a piece of the pie. Of the remaining decrees, the West Desolate Sects claimed three, while powerful individuals from the great families and Loose Cultivators from both the Eastern and Western Wildernesses took the other five.
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