Chapter 181: Chapter 10: Profound Iron Giant Divine Puppet 2

Tang Mengru gave a gentle smile. In the instant before she was teleported downstairs, she winked at Fang Cheng, revealing a hint of girlish charm.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

To Fang Cheng, any place was a place to cultivate, and any time was a time to cultivate.

Whether it was the Tianya Sea Pavilion or the barren mountains outside the city, it was just a change of scenery for his cultivation.

He spent his days in the Celestial Room, meditating to refine his Qi and honing his Sword Technique. Only when the Beautiful Shopkeeper came to "visit" would he indulge in pleasure and relax his body and mind.

Shopkeeper Tang’s visits were never at a fixed time. Sometimes she came in the morning, sometimes at noon, and other times in the evening.

In any case, she would never stay the night at the Tianya Sea Pavilion.

Fang Cheng discovered that the power of the Tier Two Love Gu was truly extraordinary. After spending this time together, Tang Mengru had fallen for him, body and soul.

When he proposed they study the Dual Cultivation Secret Method together, the voluptuous, tall young woman bashfully agreed without the slightest hesitation.

The Thousand-Faced Insect’s Yin Yang Harmony Technique was quite peculiar. It could not only perform Yin Yang Replenishment but also Absorbing Yang to Nourish Yin. It could even harmonize yin and yang for mutual growth. This was truly a method befitting a Xuanmen Orthodox Sect, unlike the plundering-focused ways of the Demon Dao.

After the two cultivated this technique, they discovered something interesting. After they finished cultivating, a "Heaven and Earth Spirit Acupoint" about a foot in diameter would form at their location!

It looked like a vortex of five-colored spiritual light that would automatically absorb the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, making the nearby Spiritual Qi about twenty to thirty percent denser than elsewhere.

Each Heaven and Earth Spirit Acupoint would typically last for seven or eight days, which was quite peculiar.

Such a phenomenon was likely caused by resonating with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism while practicing the Yin Yang Harmony Technique, which showed just how high-grade this Secret Technique was.

「On this day.」

Fang Cheng checked out of his room, left the Tianya Sea Pavilion, and rode away gallantly on his giant tiger.

When a Maid from the pavilion entered Room A of the Celestial Room to clean it, she was astonished to find the spacious and luxurious room filled with floating, five-colored vortexes, shimmering with brilliant light in a breathtaking display.

This was especially true in the bedroom, the bath, the terrace, and the study. The spiritual qi vortexes were layered one upon another, and a dense wave of Spiritual Qi washed over her, a clear difference from the outside.

A rough count revealed that over thirty spiritual qi vortexes remained in the room.

The Maid hurriedly left to report this strange spectacle to the manager of the Tianya Sea Pavilion.

...

Meanwhile, Fang Cheng arrived alone before the Third Young Master’s Mansion in the Immortal City to attend this month’s Wine Immortal Pill banquet.

Cen San Niang’s mansion was located in the southeastern part of the Immortal City. It covered a vast area, no smaller than the Tianya Sea Pavilion.

The estate was filled with pavilions, terraces, and towers, along with rows of palaces, giving it an extraordinary presence.

Even more astonishing was a massive White Jade High Platform hanging silently in the sky above the mansion, emitting circles of soft, auspicious light.

On the platform were carved four large, flamboyant words: Ascend the Blue Clouds Together!

Fang Cheng had heard from Li Chan that this Cloud Ascending Platform was also a Second-Order Magical Artifact, a treasure personally bestowed upon the Third Young Master by the Lord of the Immortal City.

With the Third Young Master’s status, he was naturally unaffected by the Immortal City’s Sky Ban Array.

From the Cloud Ascending Platform, one could take in the entire beautiful scenery of the Immortal City.

This privilege of being "high above it all" was also a great temptation for many cultivators.

Whenever the Wine Immortal Pill banquet began, she would bring out this Cloud Ascending Platform. She would invite her many friends and Guests to ascend the high platform to enjoy wine and conversation while gazing down upon the beautiful Immortal City. They could also spar and exchange cultivation insights.

Below the Cloud Ascending Platform, there were three more floating, unmoving bluestone platforms. They rose from bottom to top like steps leading to the White Jade High Platform in the sky.

The Third Young Master’s recruitment of Guests was a major event in the Immortal City. Anyone with an invitation could come here to display their skills. As long as they could ascend the three stone platforms one by one, they would be able to reach the Cloud Ascending Platform and take a seat at the Third Young Master’s Wine Immortal Pill banquet!

Therefore, every month, many cultivators from the city would gather outside the Third Young Master’s Mansion to watch the battles of those attempting the challenge.

For ordinary Sensing Realm cultivators, being able to frequently watch Life Talisman Cultivators fight was a fortunate opportunity to test their own knowledge.

Unfortunately, over the years, very few had succeeded in ascending the platform. Sometimes, there weren’t even any challengers.

When Fang Cheng arrived, many cultivators had already gathered in front of the Cen Mansion. Everyone was startled to see a giant tiger with a ferocious aura approach. When they scanned it with their Divine Sense and found the tiger’s power to be unfathomable, they were so frightened they backed away repeatedly.

The crowd curiously sized up the imposing man on the giant tiger. They saw he wore a brocade robe, carried a Vajra Pestle on his back, and had a dignified and profound temperament. His eyes shone with a divine light, and his bearing was so powerful that for a moment, no one dared to meet his gaze.

’He’s here to apply to be a Guest!’

The crowd thought to themselves, their anticipation growing.

In front of the tall and majestic gates of the Cen Mansion, a Steward stepped forward and asked, "Honored guest, do you have an invitation?"

Fang Cheng, sitting high on the tiger’s back, took out his invitation.

The Cen Mansion Steward glanced at it and made a welcoming gesture. "Honored guest, please come in."

The giant tiger carried Fang Cheng through the main gate and into the courtyard. What greeted his eyes was a wide, open bluestone plaza, and at its far end stood a magnificent, golden-tiled grand hall.

Above the plaza, the three bluestone platforms were arranged diagonally, ascending like floating steps.

Further up was the White Jade High Platform, overflowing with auspicious light.

When Fang Cheng entered, two Life Talisman Cultivators were already waiting in the plaza. Seeing him, both revealed looks of apprehension, frequently glancing at the giant tiger beneath him.

"Are you two fellow Daoists also here to apply to be Guests of the Cen Mansion?" Fang Cheng greeted them in a deep voice.

The two nodded and exchanged a few polite words with Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng swept his Divine Sense over the pair and found their cultivation to be average. He could tell at a glance that they were Loose Cultivators from mediocre lineages with no powerful techniques.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Would you two mind if I went first to attempt the challenge?"

The two had been worried about who would go first to test the strength of this round’s defender. Hearing Fang Cheng’s offer, they were secretly delighted and quickly yielded the opportunity.

Fang Cheng didn’t waste any time. He slapped the giant tiger beneath him, and the Talisman Beast leaped into the air, landing on the first stone platform.

He looked up at the Cloud Ascending Platform in the sky and announced in a clear, loud voice, "I am the Fierce Tiger Taoist! I have long heard that the Third Young Master’s Guests are all exceptional. Who will be the first to face me in battle?"

「On the Cloud Ascending Platform.」

Cen San Niang was still dressed as a man, with a feather fan and a silk turban. Her face was like jade, her lips were vermilion, and her posture was heroic and dashing. A smile played in her slanted, phoenix-like eyes, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

On the platform at this moment were more than ten men and women of extraordinary bearing, all at the Life Talisman Realm of cultivation, their auras restrained yet powerful.

Among them was a beautiful young woman. Her hair was styled in a double chignon, and she wore a tight-fitting, wide-sleeved robe with a crossed collar. An embroidered sash was draped over her shoulders, and a flowing ribbon was wrapped around her arm. She looked to be in her twenties, with skin like Snow Jade and a graceful, elegant figure. Her beautiful eyes were currently staring down in surprise.

It was none other than the shopkeeper of Qibao Studio, an Elder of the Tang Family, Tang Mengru!

She clearly hadn’t expected the lover with whom she’d been having a secret affair for over ten days to suddenly appear at this Wine Immortal Pill banquet.

’I was even planning on sneaking away to the Tianya Sea Pavilion after the banquet...’

Cen San Niang was also looking down. Seeing the astonishing presence of Fang Cheng and his giant tiger, she smiled. "Who among you would like to test the mettle of this Fierce Tiger Taoist?"

On the Cloud Ascending Platform, Cen San Niang had seven friends present, including Tang Mengru. The other six people were all Guests of the Cen Mansion.

At this, a cultivator stood up and said, "Third Young Master, I am willing to go and defend the stage."

This man was in his forties, with a fair face and a long beard. He wore a black cloak with silver threads, a pair of Cloud Shoes on his feet, and a Wind-Dispelling Immortal Crown on his head, from which beaded Yingluo tassels hung by his temples. In his hand, he held a foot-long Jade Ruyi, and his bearing was stately.

This man was originally a Loose Cultivator from the region near the Flame God Palace named Luo Jiangyu. He came from a fallen noble family and, by a twist of fate, had come to Divine Pillar Mountain and entered the Cen Mansion.

This Luo Jiangyu was a famous Artifact Refiner in the Divine Pillar Immortal City, skilled in refining a type of Magical Artifact called the "Profound Iron Giant Divine Puppet". He had once used it to slay a Second-Order Mid-Term Demon Beast outside the Immortal City, earning him great renown.

Seeing that he was the one stepping forward, Cen San Niang said, "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Luo. But please be mindful when you act. Do not injure him."

Luo Jiangyu nodded. "Rest assured, Third Young Master. I know my limits."

With that, he turned and flew off the Cloud Ascending Platform. While still in mid-air, he summoned an iron man.

The iron man grew rapidly in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a Profound Iron Arhat statue over thirty feet tall.

The Arhat had a graceful face with its eyes slightly closed, its aura serene and restrained as if deep in thought. The folds of its robes flowed smoothly over one another, and its expression was solemn and dignified.

A large, circular hole opened on the Arhat’s back, and with a flash, Luo Jiangyu entered it.

The next moment, the Profound Iron Arhat’s eyes snapped open, its expression instantly shifting to that of a wrathful Vajra Guardian. It was as if it had come to life. Layers of strange light burst from its body, and its aura surged, seemingly not far from the Mid-Life Talisman Stage.

Cen San Niang smiled at the people around her. "It seems the power of Mr. Luo’s Profound Iron Giant Divine Puppet has grown stronger again."

...