Chapter 494 - 9: The Imprint on the Sheer Cliff

Outside the Golden Pavilion, above Bi Lake.

Pei Juxian’s eyes widened in fury, his eyebrows shot up, and his beard bristled like a hedgehog’s quills. A brilliant purple-gold light enveloped him as he formed a hand seal. Behind him, a majestic and noble figure materialized, wearing a Heaven-Peaking Crown and a Purple Gold Imperial Robe, possessing the august dignity of an emperor.

Across from him, atop a cloud, a ball of fiery light appeared, blazing like a scorching sun!

It was Fang Cheng.

The flames seemed tangible, flowing like a viscous liquid, and within them flickered countless ancient, profound runes.

These runes coalesced into a majestic Flame Giant. A halo formed from swirling flame patterns slowly rotated behind it.

Terrifying, heart-pounding ripples of power radiated from it.

The nearby void collapsed and melted, as if the very space of the Taiyi Cave Heaven could not withstand such intense heat.

Inside the Golden Pavilion, the numerous guests and the Demon Cultivators of Taiyi Cave Heaven watched with rapt attention.

The Flame Giant took a great stride, streaking through the air like a rainbow, and appeared silently above Pei Juxian’s Dharma Aspect, bringing a palm down upon it.

In an instant, molten gold fire forged from the endless Great Sun True Fire submerged the massive Dharma Aspect!

Every wisp of the Great Sun True Fire radiated a heat intense enough to incinerate mountains to ash.

A colossal, viscous fire cloud, a hundred li in diameter, enveloped the Dharma Aspect, trapping it completely.

Within the fire cloud, blindingly hot flames darted about and combined to form a Grand Array, radiating an unparalleled heat that sought to refine both Pei Juxian and his Dharma Aspect.

"Break!"

A loud shout erupted from within the fiery light.

Pei Juxian was seen slowly throwing a punch toward the endless Great Sun True Fire!

And behind him, the majestic, emperor-like Dharma Aspect mirrored the action, also throwing a punch.

The Grand Array formed by the Great Sun True Fire was instantly torn open.

The surrounding, infinite flames seemed to have been cowed by this Emperor Dharma Aspect. They all bowed in submission, rapidly converging into the Dharma Aspect’s hand, where they were easily brought under its control.

Fang Cheng’s expression turned grim. He knew this opponent was different from the other Dharma Masters he had encountered in the Mingxiao Domain.

His strength and profound foundation surpassed even those of Xi Yinglong.

’An opponent like this is truly exciting,’ he thought. ’Only by fighting a master of this caliber can I fully integrate my various Divine Techniques and unleash their true power.’

At that moment, the Emperor Dharma Aspect made a grasping motion with its large hand, manipulating and refining the incoming, endless flames into a massive, curved blade of golden fire.

The Celestial Fire Demon Saber!

The Emperor Dharma Aspect raised the curved saber high and slashed down. The movement was as fast as a fleeting dream.

Heaven and earth were split in two.

The Flame Giant was cleaved down the middle.

But in the next moment, the two halves of the Flame Giant’s "corpse" transformed into two streams of fire that merged back together, reappearing in the sky completely unscathed.

Fang Cheng stood proudly, his wide robes and long sleeves fluttering, his face devoid of expression.

The Flame Giant extended its huge palm, and a ball of intensely concentrated golden flame suddenly condensed within it.

It was like a dazzling, scorching sun appearing in its palm.

Ancient Flame Runes flickered and danced within the golden fireball, complementing the patterns formed by the fire itself.

In the blink of an eye, the Flame Giant suddenly thrust the golden fireball forward.

The Emperor Dharma Aspect also, in that same instant, unleashed countless ring-shaped blades of light, layered one upon another in a dense swarm, surging toward the fireball.

In an instant!

The golden fireball and the endless blades of fiery light collided!

The world suddenly lost its color.

BOOM!

An incomparably scorching golden halo appeared in the sky.

The terrifyingly high temperature distorted the void for thousands of zhang, and then, violent golden flames abruptly spread out in all directions.

From a distance, it looked as if a fireball a hundred zhang in size had suddenly expanded to several thousand zhang!

Inside the fireball, the flames were so intense they incinerated and melted all things.

The colossal explosion thundered, shaking heaven and earth. The entire Taiyi Cave Heaven trembled, on the verge of collapse.

The seven great Demon Emperors of Taiyi Cave Heaven were all startled into appearing, their expressions grave as they watched the scene unfold.

Both combatants had a Tribulation Realm Great Power backing them, and Taiyi Cave Heaven dared not offend either side.

Left with no choice, the seven Demon Emperors could only activate the Grand Array to protect the Grotto Heaven.

Within the fiery light, the Emperor Dharma Aspect, still wreathed in purple-gold brilliance, spread its large hand. A White Jade Purification Bottle appeared in the air. A willow branch stuck inside it instantly grew into thousands of frosty willow twigs.

The willow leaves were snow-white and translucent, glinting with a crystalline chill.

A terrifying cold that could annihilate the void and freeze all living things appeared within the inferno.

The chill began as a tiny point before slowly expanding outward.

A gentle breeze seemed to pass over the thousands of frosty willow twigs, causing the leaves to tremble and shoot out rays of icy light.

—Ice Soul Divine Light!

The divine light gathered, surging like a tide, and brazenly carved a path through the endless sea of flames, charging straight for the Flame Giant.

The Flame Giant slapped out with its palm, gathering the surrounding flames into a single mass to block the Ice Soul Divine Light.

BOOM!

Flames and icy light intertwined, collided, twisted, and tore at each other... ending in a stalemate.

When the flames and icy light finally dissipated, the sky returned to a state of calm.

Fang Cheng and his Flame Giant still stood steadily in the void. Between the water and the sky, the fiery light was like a mountain.

Behind Pei Juxian, the Emperor Dharma Aspect remained motionless. In its hand, the thousands of giant, frosty willows in the white jade bottle swayed in the wind, their chilling aura filling the sky, making the ten-thousand-zhang expanse of blue sky seem as if it had frozen into a colossal block of solid ice.

"A Fifth-rank Magical Artifact," Fang Cheng said lightly, his gaze fixed on the white jade bottle in the Dharma Aspect’s hand.

Pei Juxian sneered back, "Right back at you. That fire technique of yours isn’t something you cultivated yourself, either."

Their four eyes met, and both felt a sense of danger from the other.

Fang Cheng still had many trump cards he hadn’t played, but the same was true for Pei Juxian.

But if the two of them continued to fight, the Taiyi Cave Heaven would likely not hold up.

Just then, a flash of cyan light appeared between the two, revealing a mature and beautiful woman with a graceful, alluring figure.

She wore simple robes and had an elegant, mature bearing, exuding a warm, sweet, and tempting aura.

"The Divine Techniques of you two Fellow Daoists are astounding, and it’s impossible to determine a winner so quickly. How about we end today’s spar here?" the Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor persuaded in a soft voice.

Much of the anger in Pei Juxian’s heart had dissipated during the fight. Even he had to admit that this "Xi Yinglong" truly had some skill and was worthy of being the personal disciple of a Human Race Tribulation Realm Great Power.

He looked at Fang Cheng and said, "Today, out of respect for the Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor, I will let this go. I will come to test your skills again another day."

Fang Cheng chuckled and replied, "I will be in Red Bright Immortal City, ready to welcome you at any time."

Pei Juxian snorted coldly and didn’t reply. He turned his head to the Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor and said, "Forgive me, Fellow Daoist, but I disdain to sit at the same table as this person. I will take my leave now."

With that, he ignored everyone else, withdrew his Dharma Aspect, and transformed into a streak of golden light. Like a long rainbow piercing the heavens, he shot away faster than lightning and vanished, tearing through the sky.

...

Fang Cheng leisurely returned to the Golden Pavilion. Amidst the astonished and curious gazes of the crowd, he once again embraced the beauties on his left and right, enjoying the fine wine as if no one else were there.

Both the Cyan Robe Demon Emperor and Yi Ling were much more docile than before.

The birthday banquet resumed, but the main character in the Golden Pavilion seemed to have shifted from the Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor to "Yinglong True Monarch."

The Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor sighed inwardly. ’If the Cyan Lotus Demon Saint hadn’t perished under the heavenly tribulation,’ she thought, ’how could we allow him to be so presumptuous today?’

Just then, Fang Cheng spoke again, "With such fine wine before us, how can we not have some song and dance to liven things up?"

He was seen leaning back into the Cyan Robe Demon Emperor’s embrace, his head pillowed on the beauty’s ample bosom, while the beautiful Demon King Yi Ling personally poured wine and brought it to his lips for him to drink freely.

This made many of the Human Race Cultivators present secretly envious.

The Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor, afraid that he would cause more trouble, immediately gave a few instructions to the disciples under her command.

「A short while later.」

The soft sound of music rose from the lake. A colorful cloud carried several dozen beautiful women dressed in feathered robes and shimmering silks. Each rode upon a luan bird or a crane, holding a musical instrument, and flew into the Golden Pavilion to begin dancing gracefully.

Slightly drunk, Fang Cheng enjoyed himself immensely. A brilliant, fire-like light shone in his eyes as he leisurely sized up each of the dancers.

The dancers blushed, feeling his gaze was as invasive as fire, almost tangible.

Everyone who met his gaze felt their heart skip a beat and couldn’t help but look away.

The melody of the dance was magnificent and soaring. It flowed out of the Golden Pavilion, spiraled up into the sky, and its echoes reverberated far and wide without cease.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere within the pavilion was extremely dreary.

The Ancient Evil Race and other members of the Demon Race had left midway through. The entire birthday banquet, which had lasted no more than an hour, hastily dispersed.

In the end, the only guests left in the pavilion were Fang Cheng and the Cyan Robe Demon Emperor.

The Cyan Robe Demon Emperor had a restriction placed on her soul by Fang Cheng. With her mind under his control, she was no longer free.

The Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor dismissed the other Demon Cultivators of Taiyi Cave Heaven. Her beautiful eyes fell upon Fang Cheng as she asked slowly, "Fellow Daoist Xi, your behavior today has been quite thought-provoking. If you have something to say, you might as well speak plainly."

Fang Cheng replied coolly, "I wish to borrow and observe the Ancient Profound Talisman in your sect’s collection. I wonder if my wish can be granted."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor’s lovely eyes shifted. She pondered for a moment and said, "So it’s about this matter."

She did not answer Fang Cheng immediately. Instead, she tilted her head as if listening to something, apparently discussing the matter with the other six Demon Emperors of Taiyi Cave Heaven.

Finally.

She said with a calm expression, "Fellow Daoist, please follow me."

The two of them left the lakeside Golden Pavilion and arrived at a sheer cliff deep within the Grotto Heaven.

This place was originally an isolated peak, but one side had been forcibly sheared off with a Divine Technique, creating a cliff face as smooth as a mirror.

In the very center of the cliff face, like the mark of a seal, was the impression of a massive stone stele.

The Celestial Fragrance Demon Emperor said, "The original Ancient Profound Talisman Stele left behind by the seventy-two saints of the Human Race vanished three thousand years ago along with the fall of the Cyan Lotus Demon Saint. All that remains in our Taiyi Cave Heaven now is a rubbing from that ancient stele."

"Throughout history, every person who has managed to comprehend the profound mysteries within the Ancient Profound Talisman of the seventy-two saints, break through their realm, and realize a Daoist technique has been an earth-shaking, monumental figure."

"This Ancient Profound Talisman contains no specific Divine Techniques or methods. It is only an elucidation of spacetime, the five elements, and the changes of yin and yang, as comprehended by the seventy-two saints of the Human Race after they fathomed the profound principles of heaven and earth. Fellow Daoist, you may wish to study it carefully. You will surely gain something from it."

Fang Cheng stood at the foot of the cliff with his hands behind his back. His gaze fell upon the rubbing of the Ancient Profound Talisman Stele, and as he felt the wonder of the ancient Profound Talisman’s marks, he had the strange sensation of conversing with the sages of antiquity.

...

[Author’s Note: The name of the Taiyi Cave Heaven’s wise one, "Cyan Lotus Demon Emperor," mentioned in a previous Chapter was a repeat of the later "Cyan Lotus Demon Saint." This has been corrected.]