Chapter 574 6: Seeking the Scripture

Fang Cheng meditated on the Golden Radiance Tower Ship for a full three months before completely stabilizing his cultivation.

He stepped out of the cabin, thanked Feng Yan again, and then asked curiously, "Who were you fighting before?"

Feng Yan described the appearance of the middle-aged monk and the giant Black Buddha.

Fang Cheng understood. "So it was the Spiritual Palace City Lord. But why would he come here?"

Feng Yan's beautiful and dignified face was serene. She said slowly, "The man reeked of killing intent, and he came right after you passed your tribulation. He must have been an enemy of yours. I couldn't be bothered to hold back, so I just killed him."

"What a pity!"

Fang Cheng sighed. "That man possessed an incomplete Spirit Immortal inheritance and a Refining Secret Technique. Both are rare treasures in this world."

He then relayed the information he had gleaned from Mo Liushang's soul to Feng Yan.

After listening, Feng Yan chuckled lightly. "The inheritance you possess is no worse than his. Why divide your attention? It would be better to focus all your efforts on yourself."

"You're right, Fellow Daoist." Fang Cheng humbly accepted the lesson, but as he possessed the Creation Golden Talisman, he had no fear of comprehending cultivation methods. Thus, he had developed a habit of collecting other inheritances over the years.

Moreover, when he had asked the Spirit Immortal for guidance in the past, he had been advised to collect and cultivate as many Spirit Immortal inheritances as possible.

Before, he had been too busy with his tribulation and hadn't had time to go to Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City.

But now, his interest was piqued.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, I have now passed the Third Celestial Tribulation. According to our agreement, I no longer need your protection. I wonder, what are your plans for the future?"

Fang Cheng looked at Feng Yan and asked.

Feng Yan's expression was calm, as if she had already considered this question during the time Fang Cheng was in seclusion. She said in a relaxed manner, "I wish to stay in this world for a while longer."

An idea sparked in Fang Cheng's mind. "Fellow Daoist, if you don't find my Fang Family's Primordial Qi Celestial Island too humble, why not stay for a time? It would also give me the opportunity to ask you more about cultivating in the Tribulation Realm."

Feng Yan nodded. "Alright."

Fang Cheng looked into the distance, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Before returning to the Wilderness Domain, I must make a trip to Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City."

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Amidst a surging sea of clouds, a magnificent and towering Immortal City stood majestically.

Through the four gates of the Immortal City, countless cultivators bustled in and out. A dazzling array of spiritual lights, carriages, and mounts filled the view.

But not just anyone could enter Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City.

To enter the city, one needed sponsorship from one of the City Lord's disciples and had to purchase a Nine Heavens Talisman.

This requirement alone barred countless cultivators who lacked financial resources and powerful backing.

Those who could come and go from this city were mostly core members of the sects and families of the Profound Nether Domain, and Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City had clearly become the center of the domain.

On this day, the Golden Radiance Tower Ship tore through the sky and appeared above Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City.

Fang Cheng couldn't be bothered to waste effort sneaking into the city. Instead, he projected his voice directly toward the Immortal City, "Is the Spiritual Palace City Lord present?"

His voice was infused with the Magical Power of the Tribulation Realm. Every cultivator in the city, regardless of their cultivation level, heard it clearly. Their minds were momentarily captivated by the sound, rendering them unable to focus on anything else.

A few breaths after his voice faded, a seven-colored radiance erupted above Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City, enveloping the entire city tightly.

It was, in fact, a Tier Five Array of a considerably high grade.

A Dharma Realm cultivator, over thirty feet tall and with his entire body modified into Spiritual Mechanisms, flew out on a cloud. He looked at Fang Cheng with utter vigilance, clasped his hands in a perfunctory salute, and said coldly, "Where has this senior come from, and what business do you have with my master?"

The Spiritual Memory of Mo Liushang flashed through Fang Cheng's mind, and he instantly knew the man's identity.

This was the Spiritual Palace City Lord's third disciple, True Monarch Du Chen. Among all the disciples, he had the most talent and was expected to one day reach the Tribulation Realm.

This man's body was covered in Spiritual Mechanisms, having received the Spiritual Palace City Lord's true teachings. He had slain several Tier Five Demon Beasts and was quite famous in the Profound Nether Domain.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly. "I came here to ask your master a question: Why did he appear nearby with killing intent while I was undergoing my tribulation?"

Upon hearing this, True Monarch Du Chen's two Mechanical Prosthetic Eyes flashed with a sharp light. His expression seemed to shift drastically as he roared in anger, "Senior, do not make baseless accusations just because your cultivation is profound! My master has been in closed-door cultivation within the city. When has he ever met you?"

Fang Cheng's expression remained natural. He said lightly, "Your master sent two Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations, both of which I have refined into ash. I know he has other hidden Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations. If he is unwilling to come out, then I will have to pay him a personal visit."

Hearing this, True Monarch Du Chen's expression flickered. As if he had thought of something, he looked Fang Cheng up and down, sneered, and said, "Putting aside whether your words are true or false, do you think Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City is a place you can just come and go as you please?"

With that, the KAKA sound of whirring Spiritual Mechanisms came from within his body. His figure transformed into a streak of light and shot back toward the city.

In the Profound Nether Domain, he had never met an opponent he couldn't defeat, aside from the Spiritual Palace City Lord. He was used to lording his power over others; even Tribulation Realm cultivators from the other major sects had to treat him with respect.

That was why he had been a bit careless when he first came out.

Now, hearing Fang Cheng's words, he connected them to the Spiritual Palace City Lord's disappearance for the past three months and was struck with terror.

He believed that as long as he could escape back into the City Defense Array of Spiritual Palace City, he could hold his ground indefinitely. Then, he could use the Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Incense to summon the major sects and families of the Profound Nether Domain. He was confident he could deal with this person then.

Fang Cheng casually flicked his sleeve. A torrential wave of Magical Power instantly spread out, locking down all the Spiritual Mechanism in a hundred-li radius.

True Monarch Du Chen's body trembled. He froze in mid-air, unable to move, his face paling in terror.

Fang Cheng reached out and made a grabbing motion. True Monarch Du Chen was immediately pulled backward onto the Golden Radiance Tower Ship, where Fang Cheng slapped a palm onto the top of his head.

The Spiritual Mechanisms on True Monarch Du Chen's body were covered in Spirit Patterns, which now flashed brilliantly. A roar like a furious tide emanated from his chest as power comparable to that of a newly-ascended Tribulation Realm Cultivator surged and crashed within him.

Unfortunately, in front of Fang Cheng, he was like a rigid puppet, completely immobile.

This was the first time in his life True Monarch Du Chen had encountered such a formidable opponent. He was scared out of his wits and screamed hoarsely, "Don't kill me! I know many of my master's sec—"

Before he could finish, Fang Cheng's Power of Divine Sense forcibly initiated a Soul Search.

He had not cultivated a soul as tough and indestructible as Mo Liushang's. In an instant, his soul was scattered to the winds.

Fang Cheng crushed True Monarch Du Chen's head with one hand and gave a cold, mocking laugh.

Mo Liushang had been a Spirit Servant and was not privy to many of the Spiritual Palace City Lord's affairs.

But this Du Chen was the Spiritual Palace City Lord's right-hand man. He knew that besides his true body, the City Lord had three great Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations.

Permanently stationed in the Profound Nether Domain were his true body and one of the Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations.

Of the other two Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations, one was hidden in seclusion deep under the sea somewhere in the Profound Nether Domain, evading calamities. It was one of his backup plans.

The other incarnation had crossed the Outer Void and was in another World Heaven.

In fact, the Spiritual Palace City Lord had forged another Spiritual Mechanism Incarnation—the very same Black Buddha that had been spewed out by an undersea volcano on the day Fang Cheng first arrived in the Profound Nether Domain.

It was just a pity that Mo Liushang had failed to bring it back to Spiritual Palace City.

Now, in Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City, Du Chen had been the one with the highest cultivation. Besides him, the Spiritual Palace City Lord also had seven other disciples and grand-disciples at the Dharma Realm.

There was also another Spirit Servant who possessed nine Dharma Realm Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations. No one besides the Spiritual Palace City Lord could command it.

That Spirit Servant was none other than Mo Liushang.

With such strength, they were practically invincible in the Profound Nether Domain. Even with the Spiritual Palace City Lord absent, no Tribulation Realm Cultivator would dare to cause trouble.

Relying on his body modified with Spiritual Mechanisms, Du Chen was fully capable of fighting one-on-one with, and even defeating, the native Tribulation Realm cultivators of the Profound Nether Domain.

Unfortunately, this man's soul contained only a portion of the *Celestial Craft Creation Scripture*. The *Sutra of the Buddha's Hidden Talisman*, which Fang Cheng valued the most, was nowhere to be found.

The Spiritual Palace City Lord had long since vanished. It seemed that after Ascendant Feng Yan slew his main body and incarnation, he had lost his nerve completely, and his other two incarnations had not dared to return to the city.

His disciples still thought their patriarch had simply gone out to travel.

Fang Cheng sighed softly. With a wave of his great sleeve, forty-nine Tier Five Flying Swords streamed out like a school of fish. In an instant, the sky filled with dancing sword light, which formed into an incomparably vast Unparalleled Sword Array that enveloped Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City.

Countless beams of sword light danced and weaved. In less than ten breaths, the City Defense Array of Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City was shattered with a BOOM.

Fang Cheng leisurely entered the city, heading straight for the grand palace on the high mountain at its center.

The cultivators in the city, whether they belonged to the Spiritual Palace City lineage or other factions, all reined in their senses and hid where they were, not daring to move an inch.

Fang Cheng moved as if through an empty land. Using the memories he had taken from Du Chen's soul, he arrived directly before the palace where the Spiritual Palace City Lord usually conducted his secluded cultivation.

...