Chapter 496 - 11: Heaven Beyond Heaven

The setting sun grazed the mountaintops, its lingering glow scattering like brocade. Patches of fair-weather clouds clustered at the heart of the heavens.

A golden tower ship hung silently in the void, perfectly still. It was shrouded by a layer of Void Divine Sand, rendering it invisible.

Dozens of miles away, several towering green mountains stood, encircled by a great river, creating a beautiful landscape.

The palaces on the mountains were resplendent, their pavilions and towers half-hidden among the trees, revealing a faint spiritual glow.

From time to time, brilliant streaks of Escape Light shot across the sky, traveling between the mountains, exceptionally eye-catching against the evening twilight.

Aboard the tower ship, Fang Cheng and Li Huan gazed at the green mountains in the distance. The former asked, "Is that the Jade Emperor Sect’s Celestial Dragon Mountain estate?"

Li Huan nodded and replied, "It is. There is a fifth-rank Spiritual Spring here, and a Dharma Realm cultivator is stationed here year-round. There are no fewer than several dozen Life Soul Cultivators. It should be enough to meet your needs, Master."

"Then let’s begin," Fang Cheng said, his expression calm.

Li Huan immediately summoned a jade pot that shimmered with a brilliant light. The lid opened, and a jet-black demonic light shot out, flying down from the tower ship before boring straight into the earth.

Fang Cheng saw clearly that within the demonic light was a Tier Four Demon Beast. It was jet-black, hundreds of feet long, shaped like a lizard, and covered from head to toe in spiky Scale Armor.

The two of them waited a moment, then suddenly heard a heaven-shaking BOOM from the vicinity of Celestial Dragon Mountain.

On the plains outside Celestial Dragon Mountain, a plot of land dozens of acres in size was violently ripped up by an immense force and flung into the sky, leaving a deep, dark pit in the ground!

An extremely thick plume of black smoke, like a sky-propping black peak, erupted from the pit. Upon contact with the wind, it instantly transformed into poisonous flames of deep purple and dark crimson. The bizarrely shifting, iridescent flames shot straight into the sky, faster than an arrow.

Shattered rock and sand rained down everywhere like hail. The sound was like rolling thunder, shaking heaven and earth. Even the nearby Celestial Dragon Mountain trembled, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

When the upward-rushing poisonous flames struck the floating clouds, the clouds vanished instantly, like snow melting in a fire.

The very center of the cloud layer was blasted open, and the surrounding clouds immediately roiled and billowed outward, scattering in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, the hole in the clouds grew larger and larger. The surrounding sea of clouds thinned out, its formations breaking apart into mere wisps and tatters before vanishing completely. The evening sky was dyed the color of purplish blood, and an astonishing amount of malevolent Evil Qi filled the air.

The cultivators within the Jade Emperor Sect’s estate were instantly alerted. Hundreds of them flew out from Celestial Dragon Mountain, each channeling their Profound Skill. They unleashed beams of golden light hundreds of feet high, which merged into a single, sky-propping cylinder of light that firmly suppressed the erupting poisonous flames.

Angry shouts rang out as the Jade Emperor Sect cultivators quickly formed a Nine Palaces formation. Over a dozen Life Soul Cultivators jointly directed it, using the golden light to suppress the pit’s opening. They contained the flames, forcing them straight up into the sky to prevent them from spreading and endangering Celestial Dragon Mountain.

To guard against any unforeseen developments, the other disciples of the Jade Emperor Sect wielded their Flying Swords and Magical Artifacts, riding their Escape Lights high into the air. They circled the Nine Palaces formation, scanning the surroundings.

Hundreds of brilliant lights, like rainbows stretching across the heavens, circled above the hundred-foot-tall pillar of golden light. They moved in groups of three and five, constantly merging and separating, darting about like lightning and shooting stars. They weaved back and forth like shuttles, crisscrossing the entire sky in a radiant, interlocking display.

Outside the Jade Emperor Sect’s estate, aside from the central, sky-propping black pillar belching blood-red flames, the sky in all directions was crisscrossed with golden light. The plains and mountains below were bathed in its strange, incandescent glow.

Just then, a magnificent sword light flew out from Celestial Dragon Mountain. After circling once in the air, it plunged straight into the earth.

Immediately after, a series of deafening explosions echoed from deep underground. It was as if an earth dragon were turning over, causing the ground of the plains to ripple like waves.

The Dharma Cultivator of the Jade Emperor Sect’s estate had made their move.

Dense, poisonous black smoke billowed up from the ground, spreading across the sky and shrouding an area hundreds of li in radius, forcing the Jade Emperor Sect cultivators to fall back.

Amid the chaos, a shimmering golden rope silently flew into the poisonous black smoke. It instantly bound a Life Soul Realm cultivator from the Jade Emperor Sect, then teleported away and vanished without a trace.

「Aboard the golden tower ship.」

The Immortal Binding Rope returned with the Jade Emperor Sect cultivator. Before the man could even grasp the situation, Fang Cheng pointed a finger at him from afar.

The next moment, a towering, colossal Buddha appeared in the cultivator’s sea of consciousness. Its vast and majestic Buddha Light was boundless, instantly suppressing his soul.

At the same time, countless images appeared in Fang Cheng’s own sea of consciousness—the entire life story of the captured cultivator.

The methods of the Buddhist Sect were much gentler than those of the Demon Sect. This Soul Search did not harm the man’s life; it merely caused him to fall into a deep, unconscious sleep.

Then, Fang Cheng brought out the Ten Thousand Transformations Bead. With a shake, he transformed, taking on the appearance of the Jade Emperor Sect cultivator, and calmly walked out of the golden tower ship.

He waved his great sleeve, and the entire tower ship, along with Li Huan, vanished. He had stored them inside a Space Talisman he had recently acquired.

...

「Not long after.」

The poisonous black smoke that filled the sky dispersed.

The sword light returned to Celestial Dragon Mountain, having evidently slain the Tier Four Demon Beast.

The cultivators of the Jade Emperor Sect estate began to clean up the aftermath.

The Heaven-Stealing Sect’s Ten Thousand Transformations Bead was exceptionally profound. Back when Yun Qiuyuan had used it for her disguise, not even Fang Cheng had been able to see through it. It was truly worthy of being a Fifth-rank Magical Artifact.

Now, Fang Cheng mingled among the crowd of cultivators, his disguise utterly flawless.

The person whose identity he had assumed was an Elder of the Jade Emperor Sect’s Celestial Dragon Mountain estate who normally cultivated there. His master was none other than that Dharma Realm Supreme Elder.

The Demon Beast disturbance was quickly quelled. Through the Divine Techniques of the Jade Emperor Sect’s Elders and disciples, the landscape near Celestial Dragon Mountain was soon restored to its original state.

The Supreme Elder said little about the matter, so his subordinates naturally didn’t investigate too deeply, treating it as nothing more than an ordinary incident.

Fang Cheng stayed on the mountain for a few days before gracefully departing, heading for the main sect of the Jade Emperor Sect.

He had learned from the man’s memories that ever since the Middle Antiquity, the Jade Emperor Sect had kept the Ancient Profound Talisman Stele, left behind by a sage of the Human Race, erected within their sect for its members to study and cultivate.

A few days later, he arrived at the Jade Emperor Sect. He entered the sect discreetly and went to study the ancient stele.

Along the way, he occasionally ran into fellow sect members who greeted him, but he only exchanged a few hurried words with them before moving on.

The Ancient Profound Talisman Stele was located in a wide, open valley within the Jade Emperor Sect. Below the stele were many large boulders of varying heights.

Many Jade Emperor Sect cultivators were seated solemnly on the boulders, either staring intently at the ancient stele or meditating with their eyes closed. The entire valley was perfectly silent.

Fang Cheng chose a boulder and slowly sat down. Before he even looked at the stele, his gaze was drawn to the figure of a person seated on a boulder in front of him, just under the stele itself.

The man sat on the boulder closest to the stele. His back was broad and imposing, like a towering mountain, inspiring a sense of awe in all who looked upon him.

Fang Cheng sensed a terrifying Sword Intent emanating from him, one that made his own heart palpitate.

’Peak of the Dharma Realm. A Sword Cultivator.’

’The Supreme Elder of the Jade Emperor Sect, Yan Zongdao.’

This was the man Li Huan had spoken of, reputed to be one of the cultivators in the Mingxiao Domain most likely to break through to the Tribulation Realm within the next five hundred years.

Fang Cheng quickly averted his gaze, no longer daring to look at the man, for fear of attracting his attention.

Fortunately, Yan Zongdao’s back remained as steady as a mountain. He seemed completely immersed in the Ancient Profound Talisman, paying no mind to the gazes of those behind him.

’Perhaps he’s long since grown used to it...’

Fang Cheng turned his attention to the stele and also began to quietly comprehend the Ancient Profound Talisman.

Although each of the Ancient Profound Talismans left behind by the seventy-two sages of the Human Race was different, he could faintly sense a similar, primeval aura from them all, as if each one expounded upon the fundamental principles of heaven and earth from a different perspective.

By comparing and verifying his knowledge from both, Fang Cheng’s gains were even greater. A faint impulse arose within him—the desire to transform his own comprehension of the Great Dao of heaven and earth into a tangible Cultivation Technique or Divine Technique!

Creating a technique in such a way would undoubtedly be perfectly suited to his own foundation. Once successful, he would surely be able to unleash one hundred and twenty percent of its power.

However, creating one’s own techniques placed extremely high demands on a cultivator’s talent, foundation, and spiritual acuity. It was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

Now was clearly not the right time for that.

He suppressed the thought and continued to sit cross-legged on the boulder for half a day. Once he had completely comprehended this Ancient Profound Talisman, he quietly departed.

...

A short while later, Fang Cheng left the Jade Emperor Sect, leisurely riding a beam of Profound Light into the distant sky.

But just then, he felt an extremely dangerous presence appear behind him, making him frown and turn his head.

In the distance, what was at first a hazy flicker of light suddenly became a magnificent Sword Aura that illuminated the entire sky. In an instant, it had crossed thousands of feet of empty space to intercept him.

The Sword Aura’s momentum was oppressive and incomparably sharp. Fang Cheng could tell with a single glance that it was from a Tier Five Flying Sword.

He didn’t dare be careless. With a quick shake of his sleeve, a sword cry rang through the clouds as a snow-white beam of sword light surged forth to collide with the magnificent Sword Aura.

CLANG!

Fang Cheng’s soul trembled as a sharp pain shot through him. ’Impressive,’ he thought.

A cold sneer echoed from the distant sky. "So you really aren’t a cultivator of my Jade Emperor Sect!"

As the voice faded, a colossal Sword Aura that seemed to connect heaven and earth slashed down mercilessly toward Fang Cheng.

With a blank expression, Fang Cheng activated his sword light. Becoming one with his sword, he crashed into the heaven-shaking Sword Aura. The air thundered with a deafening BOOM, and both the sword light and Fang Cheng vanished completely.

The perfect combination of the Celestial Ghost Sword Technique and the Void God Gu allowed him to vanish without a trace in an instant.

The next moment, the Sword Aura dissipated, revealing a tall, stately, middle-aged Daoist.

He had deep-set eyes, thin lips, and a stern expression. His gaze swept the surroundings, his sharp, sword-like aura searching for something.

It was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Jade Emperor Sect, Yan Zongdao.

He had clearly locked onto his opponent with his Sword Intent, yet somehow, the man had still managed to escape using some bizarre technique.

Initially, he had only been suspicious, not certain, so he sent out a probe of sword light. As expected, it revealed that the person was not a Life Soul Cultivator.

Impersonating a Life Soul Elder to infiltrate the Jade Emperor Sect and steal its techniques was a grave taboo among all Mystic Sects!

Yan Zongdao’s expression was calm. With a thought, he summoned his Tier Five Flying Sword. A sound like a thunderclap rang out as the sword light transformed into a blindingly brilliant, straight beam, as if a rift had been torn between heaven and earth.

This was the Jade Emperor Sect’s Divine Swordsmanship: Severing Spirit and Extinguishing the Mechanism. A single strike from this sword could sever all the Spiritual Mechanism within a hundred li. Anyone using concealment, invisibility, or even a Body Splitting Technique would have nowhere to hide from its effects.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Zongdao finished gathering his power. With a sharp cry, he pointed. The Flying Sword trembled slightly and instantly split into thousands of sword lights!

The boundless sword lights spread out like a flood, converging into a single majestic, intricate radiance.

Yan Zongdao waved his sleeve, and this intricate radiance dispersed like smoke, severing all Spiritual Mechanism within a thousand-foot radius.

In the distant void, a cluster of iridescent light suddenly burst forth.

Yan Zongdao turned his head and saw a single, light piece of paper fall out of the void.

He guided his sword light to circle around the paper, bringing it before him.

On the paper was a short message written in a fluid, flowing script, yet the strokes were sharp and rugged.

—We shall fight again another day!

A flicker of rage passed through Yan Zongdao’s eyes. Then, his sword light enveloped him, and he shot up into the sky, vanishing in an instant.

In that brief moment, he had completely abandoned any thought of pursuit and returned directly to the sect.

...