Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman
Chapter 311 - 73: Sanzong Mountain
「A few days later.」
Fang Cheng strolled out of the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion and headed north at a leisurely pace.
Over the past few days, he had visited every major shop in the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion, doing his utmost to collect Spiritual Medicines. Although his haul wasn’t as great as his first day at the Immortal Luo Pavilion, he still managed to find four more of the Spiritual Medicines required for the Vermilion Bird Divine Pill.
Afterward, he happened to catch the Immortal Pavilion’s monthly Ghost Market.
At the Ghost Market, he bought another three rare and precious Spiritual Medicines. He also stumbled upon a piece of news, prompting him to leave the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion immediately after the market.
In the vast sky, a giant tiger, pitch-black with fine silver stripes, galloped across the heavens with clouds forming beneath its paws.
Atop the tiger’s back, Fang Cheng looked at Cang Wuya and asked, "Cang Dao You, do you know anything about the Sanzong Mountain Secret Realm?"
Cang Wuya replied, "I’ve heard a little. The Zou Family of Sanzong Mountain was established three thousand years ago. Every generation has had a Life Soul Cultivator presiding over it, making them one of the most famous ancient families in the Eastern Wilderness... It’s said that over eighteen hundred years ago, a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm appeared on Sanzong Mountain, causing a stunning celestial phenomenon. Many of the Zou Family’s Elders entered to explore it and discovered a rare treasure of heaven and earth: the Bodhi Enlightenment Tree."
"Each tree bears only a single fruit. After obtaining the fruit, one can carry it with them while practicing their Cultivation Technique to enter the legendary Enlightenment Realm. News of this gradually spread, attracting the covetous gazes of the great powers of the Eastern Wilderness. Unfortunately, the Secret Realm had already vanished."
Cang Wuya paused before continuing, "Three hundred years later, that Grotto Heaven Secret Realm reappeared. The major powers of the Wilderness Domain caught wind of it and all rushed over, hoping to enter and explore. The Zou Family, though strong, could not fend off so many factions and had no choice but to compromise."
"When the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm opened that time, cultivators swarmed in. The slaughter was so great that blood flowed in rivers, and countless masters fell. In the aftermath, the Ten Great Sects of the East Wilderness convened and jointly refined eighteen Talisman Decrees. They also established a new rule: the next time the Secret Realm opened, cultivators would first compete in martial contests to vie for these eighteen Talisman Decrees. Only those who obtained a Talisman Decree would be allowed to enter the Secret Realm, in order to prevent excessive carnage."
"Furthermore, the Ten Great Sects restricted the cultivation level of those entering the Secret Realm to compete for the Bodhi Enlightenment Tree to the Life Talisman Realm."
Cang Wuya gazed into the distance and said grimly, "The three great Sacred Lands of the Demon Race intended to join as well, but they were jointly rejected by the Ten Great Sects. The third time the Secret Realm opened, eighteen Human Race Life Talisman Masters entered and obtained a total of three Bodhi Enlightenment Trees."
"And then?" Fang Cheng asked.
Cang Wuya said, "Later, several of the great sect families from the Western Wilderness also joined in to compete for the eighteen Talisman Decrees. As a result, every three hundred years, Sanzong Mountain becomes incredibly lively. Life Talisman Realm Cultivators from all over the world, provided they have some skill, gather on Sanzong Mountain, all hoping to seize a Talisman Decree and enter the Secret Realm."
At the Ghost Market in the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion, Fang Cheng had heard that this Sanzong Mountain Grotto Heaven Secret Realm was actually a fragment of an ancient Grotto Heaven that had drifted into the Wilderness Domain through spatio-temporal turbulence and was later discovered by the Zou Family’s ancestor.
Inside the Secret Realm, besides the exceptionally precious Bodhi Enlightenment Tree, there were also many other rare Spiritual Medicines and Exotic Fruits.
It was just that compared to the Bodhi Enlightenment Tree, they seemed somewhat ordinary.
According to that person, many of the Spiritual Medicines listed on Fang Cheng’s jade slip had appeared there in the past, but the quantities were too small for any to have circulated widely.
Sanzong Mountain was located in the northern part of the Eastern Wilderness, adjacent to the territories of the Celestial Talisman Sect and the Red Flame Immortal Palace, two of the Ten Great Sects.
Although the Zou Family were the local hosts, they were unable to control the situation during the period when the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm emerged.
This was because Life Soul Cultivators from the major powers of the Eastern and Western Wildernesses would all personally attend to support the Life Talisman Cultivators from their own factions.
The rules, established over a thousand years ago, were upheld by the authority of numerous Immortal Dao Giants.
Cang Wuya said, "For the last thousand years, the Bodhi Enlightenment Trees from the Sanzong Mountain Secret Realm have been almost exclusively obtained by the Rakshasa Sect, the Nine Truths Sect, the Nine Nether Demon Sect, and from the Western Wilderness, the Qiankun Saint Sect and the Ghost King Sect. It is exceedingly rare for cultivators from lesser factions to snatch a Bodhi Fruit from the hands of these major sects."
Fang Cheng smiled. "I’m not particularly interested in the Bodhi Fruit. As long as I can get a Talisman Decree and enter the Secret Realm, that’s enough."
Cang Wuya immediately flattered him, "With your strength, Master, the mere cultivators of this Wilderness are hardly worth mentioning. Even if the top Life Talisman Masters from the Dongqing and Mingxiao domains were to come, they wouldn’t stand a chance."
Fang Cheng glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and said, "Cang Dao You, you’re not getting any younger. If you happen to meet a suitable female of your kind this time, you might as well take her as a Dao companion and bring her back to Yun Country with you."
Cang Wuya’s spirits lifted. He folded his wings forward in a gesture of thanks and said with emotion, "Thank you for your concern, Master! However, your great undertaking on this trip is what matters most. There is no need to worry about my own affairs."
After he finished speaking, his eyes darted around, and he added, a bit embarrassed, "Master, if this trip to Sanzong Mountain goes smoothly, perhaps we could take a detour to Moon Phoenix Mountain on the way back? It’s said that the Cyan Simurgh clan has many beautiful birds, perfect matches for my Cyan Heaven Sparrow clan."
Fang Cheng burst out laughing. "Alright. When the time comes, you just point out which Cyan Simurgh you fancy, and I’ll use the Immortal Binding Rope to tie her up for you."
...
The two chatted idly along the way, and in less than two days, they arrived at the foot of Sanzong Mountain.
The "zong" in its name meant a mountain of parallel peaks.
At the foot of the mountain lay a forest of lush, ancient pines, their tall, straight trunks stretching for a hundred li.
Not far from the forest was a vast, boundless lake. Its waters were clear and deep, a great expanse of jade reflecting the light of the sky and the colors of the mountains, as magnificent as a painting.
The sun was high and bright in the midday sky. When a breeze swept by, ripples would spread across the lake’s surface, and catching the sunlight, they would glitter like ten thousand golden scales, a dazzling sight.
Looking out further, one could see they were surrounded by mountains, their snow-capped peaks piercing the heavens.
A sea of clouds often gathered halfway up the snowy mountains, with the peaks of several nearby and distant mountains rising and falling within it, like islands in an ocean.
Sanzong Mountain consisted of the three most majestic and towering of these peaks, standing side-by-side. Their summits were covered in snow that had not melted in ten thousand years.
Although there were still a few days until the Secret Realm’s appearance, numerous boats had already appeared on the lake.
Some of these vessels were magnificent and enormous, while others were no more than simple skiffs.
It was said that before the Secret Realm manifested, the Zou Family would first release the eighteen Talisman Decrees, allowing them to fall one by one onto the lake’s surface.
Cultivators from all over the world could only rely on their own strength to seize the Talisman Decrees; no one was allowed to interfere.
If a Life Soul Cultivator from any faction were to intervene, they would face a joint attack from all the other top-tier sects.
Fang Cheng felled a tree in the forest and fashioned a simple raft with a small canopy. He then paddled out onto the lake, cast a line to catch a few Spirit Fish, and began to roast them on the raft, enjoying them with some Spirit Wine.
The lake was formed from the melted snow of the surrounding mountains. Its water was crystal clear and rich in Ice Spirit Qi, which made the Spirit Fish living within it delicious and tender, with an exquisite texture.
"What fine wine! I wonder if you would let me have a taste?"
A pleasant, melodious voice drifted over from a distance.
Fang Cheng turned his head and saw a small skiff slowly approaching from afar.
On the skiff sat a Beautiful Female Cultivator. She was perched on the edge of the boat, her long, shapely legs extended, with her delicate, jade-like feet dipped into the clear, cool water of the lake.
She wore a form-fitting, dark green dress that revealed every curve of her body. Her bearing was graceful and charming—truly a rare and exquisite beauty.
Her expression was relaxed, languid, and comfortable as she gazed leisurely in Fang Cheng’s direction.
Their eyes met, and both felt a sense of déjà vu.
’She must be using a disguise to hide her identity,’ Fang Cheng instantly concluded.
And in the entire Wilderness Domain, there was only one Beautiful Female Cultivator who had ever left such a deep impression on him.
The Saintess of the Nine Nether Demon Sect, Bing Wuyi!
...