Chapter 435 - 61: Mountain and River Diagram (Part 2)

With a flick of its finger, the giant unleashed a brilliant flash of sword light. CRACK! It struck the Qian Flame Golden Lamp, splitting it in two.

A disheveled Elder Yingya materialized, coughing up blood. He was about to activate a Talisman to flee when the Immortal Binding Rope, shimmering with golden light, wrapped tightly around him, leaving him unable to move.

Within the Ancestral Acupoint at the brow of the Feather Divine Soldier, Fang Cheng formed a hand seal, extended his thumb, and pressed it in the direction of the rapidly retreating Ruan San Niang!

He had long since realized that the Golden Great Banner Ruan San Niang carried was a Fourth-rank Flying Escape Magical Artifact; the golden haze it emitted was merely a protective shield.

The Feather Divine Soldier was clearly struggling to keep up with the artifact.

’Might as well just use a Divine Technique from the Infinite Light Buddha Scripture to catch her by surprise.’

As she fled into the distance, Ruan San Niang was still reeling with shock and confusion, wondering how Fang Cheng had escaped the Mountain and River Diagram, when a phantom-like image suddenly appeared before her eyes—

Fang Cheng, sitting cross-legged inside the Feather Divine Soldier’s cockpit, formed a Buddhist Hand Seal with one hand, extended his thumb, and pressed it toward her from afar.

Ruan San Niang suddenly felt her Spiritual Soul plummet, as if it had been torn from her physical body and her sea of consciousness!

Immediately after, her Spiritual Soul found itself in a vast and solemn Buddha’s Pure Land, suffused with boundless Buddha Light.

A colossal Buddha, as towering as a mountain, appeared before her.

It was grand, majestic, and overwhelming.

This giant Buddha seemed to be the origin of all buddhas, a symbol of the Great Dao itself. The Buddha Light behind it condensed into countless slowly rotating halos.

Before this immense being, Ruan San Niang felt her Spiritual Soul was as insignificant as an ant—tiny, weak, and liable to be extinguished at any moment.

The giant Buddha extended its hand and slowly pressed it down toward Ruan San Niang.

A tremor ran through Ruan San Niang as she sensed an immense pressure bearing down on her.

Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect barely trained their Spiritual Souls. Faced with the giant Buddha, Ruan San Niang couldn’t help but look terrified, and she stammered in a state of helpless confusion:

"Fang Cheng, if you kill me, the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect will ensure your soul is utterly annihilated! If you let me go today, I’ll go back and report to the Sect Leader, and we will recognize you as the lord of Yun Country. From then on, we will stay out of each other’s way..."

The giant Buddha paid her words no heed, simply touching the top of her Spiritual Soul with one enormous finger.

BOOM!

Ruan San Niang’s Spiritual Soul shattered, turning into countless streams of light that were devoured by the Buddha Light behind the colossal figure.

As the Buddha Light swirled, flickering images manifesting Ruan San Niang’s life story appeared within it.

Inside the Feather Divine Soldier, Fang Cheng released the hand seal, a peculiar look on his face.

In the distance, the golden haze had stopped moving in the sky. Within it lay the tall, slender body of Ruan San Niang, her Spiritual Soul already gone.

’So that’s how it is.’

Having absorbed Ruan San Niang’s Spiritual Memory, Fang Cheng murmured to himself before turning his gaze to Elder Yingya, still bound by the Immortal Binding Rope.

Jin Country had long been known for its "Five Sects, Two Towers, and One Hall." These eight behemoths always had Dharma Realm cultivators presiding over them, making them the top powers in the East Cyan Domain.

The Five Sects were the Holy Spirit Sect, the True Flame Sect, the Thousand Buddha Sect, the Great Chi Demon Sect, and the Demon Extreme Sect.

Elder Yingya hailed from the True Flame Sect.

Unfortunately, he had been ambushed years ago by the Master of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect, who placed a Divine Prohibition on him, keeping him under control to this day.

The Master of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect was now in the Late-stage Dharma Phase Realm and had spent recent years in seclusion, apparently seeking an opportunity to break through to the Tribulation Realm.

The members of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect were sweeping through countless smaller sects, enslaving thousands of cultivators to refine Talismanic Coins. One of their main goals was to support their Sect Leader, hoping he could use the power of trillions of Talismanic Coins to break the shackles of his physical body and transcend the Dharma Realm.

Sitting inside the Ancestral Acupoint at the brow of the Feather Divine Soldier, Fang Cheng slowly chanted an obscure and convoluted incantation.

Instantly, countless twisted, bizarre, pitch-black runes, teeming with a malevolent aura, appeared all over Elder Yingya’s body!

Elder Yingya’s face contorted in agony. His Spiritual Soul felt as if it were being flayed by knives and scorched by fire, and he screamed in unbearable pain, "Fellow Daoist, stop chanting! Since you’ve already killed that bitch, this old Daoist will serve you as my master..."

Fang Cheng enveloped Elder Yingya with his Divine Sense. Seeing that the fluctuations in the old man’s aura did not seem feigned, he finally relaxed. He now knew that the Soul-Devouring Spell, which he had learned from Ruan San Niang’s Spiritual Memory, was truly effective.

Still, he wasn’t completely reassured. He used another Divine Technique from the Infinite Light Buddha Scripture to place a restriction within Elder Yingya’s Spiritual Soul.

Only after finishing all this did he step out of the Feather Divine Soldier and put the Mystic Iron Giant away.

’I can’t kill Elder Yingya. His Dharma Cultivation and his status as a Tier Four Artifact Refining Grandmaster aside, the True Flame Sect he belongs to is also a very tempting prize.’

’Gaining control of this man means gaining control of the True Flame Sect.’

’This will give me a foundation for when I want to refine Tier Five Feather Divine Soldiers in the future!’

He pointed at Elder Yingya, and the Immortal Binding Rope slowly came loose. With a defeated look on his face, Elder Yingya held the shattered Qian Flame Golden Lamp, glanced at the Mountain and River Diagram in the distance, and said with a bitter smile, "Fellow Daoist Fang, there is one thing I don’t understand. How did you escape from the Mountain and River Diagram?"

The Mountain and River Diagram was a rare spatial treasure, containing the Great Dao of Space itself. ’Even with a Tier Five Flying Sword, he should have been helpless inside that endless void.’

He was utterly baffled as to how Fang Cheng had managed to break out of the Mountain and River Diagram.

And indeed, that was the case. Inside the Mountain and River Diagram, Fang Cheng had activated his Tier Five Flying Sword. Although it tore through the void, he only found more void beyond it, like an endless, repetitive maze.

It was as if the Mountain and River Diagram had used an infinite void to forge a complex Grand Array!

Although Fang Cheng could sense that the Grand Array had several damaged areas, tearing through the void with his sword light consumed a great deal of mental energy and Magical Power. After a few attempts, he gave up.

Finally, he decisively self-detonated the Mountain and Sea Halberd, a Fourth-rank Magical Artifact he had obtained earlier. The astonishing power pierced through the void.

In that fleeting moment, he keenly perceived a flaw in the void’s Grand Array and detonated another Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, allowing him to break out completely.

The value of two Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts was comparable to the foundational treasures of sects like the Flame God Palace or Taihao Mountain, yet he had expended them just like that.

Fortunately for him, Fang Cheng was not short on Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts at the moment...

Elder Yingya was stunned when he heard Fang Cheng’s explanation.

Even a Supreme Elder from a top-tier sect like himself, who possessed several Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts and even a Tier Five Fragmented Artifact, would never be willing to escape by so extravagantly self-detonating his treasures.

Now, his Primordial Cauldron Essence was damaged and would be useless for some time. The Qian Flame Golden Lamp had been shattered by Fang Cheng and was nearly destroyed.

The Mountain and River Diagram had already been incomplete, and after being caught in Fang Cheng’s blast, its power had been significantly diminished.

The losses from this one battle were simply staggering!

Fang Cheng collected Ruan San Niang’s Golden Great Banner and examined it, recognizing it as a Fourth-grade Middle-grade Magical Artifact. ’At least I’ve recouped some of my losses,’ he thought.

This Golden Banner had been a gift from the Master of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect. Its flight and defensive capabilities were comparable to those of a Mid-stage Dharma Phase Cultivator, which was why it had been Ruan San Niang’s greatest asset.

He then pulled the Mountain and River Diagram into his grasp, studied it for a moment, and handed it to Yingya, saying, "Take this treasure back and repair it at your leisure."

Elder Yingya took it, stunned. But on second thought, a sense of relief washed over him.

’I’ve already acknowledged him as my master, so what difference does it make who holds the Mountain and River Diagram?’

He pondered for a moment before saying, "Fellow Daoist Fang, the Master of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect is a sinister and vicious man who seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. Ruan San Niang’s death has likely alerted him, so you must be extremely careful from now on."

Fang Cheng nodded and said to Elder Yingya, "You should return to Jin Country for now. I will come find you in a few days."

Elder Yingya sighed, cupped his hands, and said, "Then I shall take my leave first."

With that, his figure transformed into a streak of fiery light and shot into the distant sky, disappearing after a few flickers.

Fang Cheng returned to Yinluo Island, conferred with Sun Fuguo and the others for a moment, and rescued his disciple, Li Chan, from one of Ruan San Niang’s magical artifacts before finally departing.

From Ruan San Niang’s memories, he learned that the main headquarters of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect was located within the borders of Jin Country.

While the Master of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect was in seclusion, the other cultivators of the sect were scattered throughout the Cultivation Realm. They sought out smaller sect families to enslave, forcing them to refine Talismanic Coins. These coins were then brought back to the sect, where the majority was handed over, leaving a portion for the members to refine for their own use.

After thinking it over, Fang Cheng decided it was best to strike first!

’While the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect hasn’t yet had time to react, I’ll sneak directly into their headquarters, ambush the Sect Leader with my special Dream Spirit Incarnation, and assassinate him in his own den!’

’My Dream Spirit Incarnation was blessed by a Tier Five Great Demon and possesses a terrifying Divine Technique comparable to that of a Tribulation Realm Cultivator. Even if a single strike can’t kill the Master of the Ten Thousand Transformations Sect, it should be enough to severely wound him.’

’Then, I’ll move in to finish the job. With my Tier Five Flying Sword and the self-detonation of another Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, he won’t be able to withstand the attack, no matter how powerful his Body Refining Techniques are.’

With a plan in place, Fang Cheng no longer hesitated. He summoned the Ruyi Celestial Escape Shuttle, a Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, and flew toward the border of Jin Country.

...