Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman-Chapter 50: Zhou Family Sword Array

Fang Cheng glanced at the fat man’s retreating figure. Without a second thought, he flew up into the sky, heading toward the fourth Stone Stele.

He switched to the Escape Technique from the Cyan Yuan Demon Tree Skill, and his Escape Light turned cyan. Although its speed couldn’t compare to a Sword Escape, it was the most Magical Power-efficient flying technique.

Before long, an endless sea of clouds appeared in the sky before him.

Above the sea of clouds, even more endless white clouds drifted, creating a sense of depth.

As far as the eye could see, the white clouds undulated, rolling ceaselessly like ocean waves.

Normally, the best way to find a Trial Stele would be to descend and fly beneath the sea of clouds.

But when Fang Cheng descended for a look, he found a world of perpetual, gloomy rain that never saw the light of day. Dense forests and swamps were shrouded in miasma, hiding an unknown number of ferocious beasts and venomous insects.

He decisively returned to the skies above the clouds, using the sensation from his Trial Talisman to guide him.

SWOOSH...

The cyan Profound Light pierced through a white cloud as large as a mountain range, leaving behind thin white lines and curling trails of mist.

With his wide robes and long sleeves fluttering in the wind, Fang Cheng focused on flying straight ahead.

WHOOSH...

Several miles ahead, the clouds suddenly churned, and a flying beast as large as a calf burst forth.

Its pitch-black, robust frame, wings spanning dozens of feet, and a maw filled with jutting fangs all attested to the beast’s ferocity.

"GRAW!"

The strange cry that erupted from its beak was enough to stir a person’s heart with unease and make their blood boil.

Upon spotting Fang Cheng, the ferocious bird spread its wings and charged.

’A Tier One Late Stage Demon Beast?’

Fang Cheng’s expression shifted slightly. With a quick thought, he mused, ’A perfect chance to test the power of the Li Hen Demon Light!’

In a flash, he flicked his sleeve, sending out a jet-black beam of Demonic Light!

The black Demonic Light silently sliced through the ferocious beast’s body...

The next moment, a mass of pure black flames erupted from the ferocious bird’s body!

The flames emitted no heat, yet they incinerated the beast’s body and Magical Power at a jaw-dropping rate.

In just a few breaths’ time, the ferocious bird turned to ash and scattered in the air.

"This..."

The corner of Fang Cheng’s eye twitched. The power of the Li Hen Demon Light was far beyond his expectations.

This was merely the power of the Thirteen-layered Demon Light. What would it be like if he cultivated it to the Thirty-Three Layers of Perfection?

’The power of this technique might not be much weaker than the nine great sect-guarding arts of the Yinluo Sect.’

"It’s just a pity about the corpse of a Tier One Late Stage Demon Beast," Fang Cheng said with some regret.

To a Poison Refiner, wasting the corpse of a Demon Beast was an utterly shameful act.

Just as Fang Cheng was about to leave, he let out a soft "Huh?" and turned his head to the side.

Three identical ferocious birds burst through the sea of clouds and flew up.

All three ferocious birds were, shockingly, at the Tier One Late Stage!

Standing amidst the sea of clouds, Fang Cheng flicked his sleeve. A crimson streak of sword light shot out, sweeping toward the three ferocious birds.

His Magical Power had surged, and his sword light was as swift as lightning, reaching the ferocious birds in the blink of an eye.

The sword light suddenly accelerated, then circled nimbly and decapitated one of the beasts.

Immediately after, the Red Feather Sword danced through the air. It darted like a fish and coiled like a dragon, elegantly slicing through the void to strike the other two ferocious birds.

"GRAW! GRAW!"

A dim blue demonic light burst from the two beasts, clashing explosively with the Sword Aura.

The crimson sword light flashed repeatedly. In an instant, it found an opening in each beast’s defense, shattered their protective demonic light, and severed their heads.

Then, the sword light circled, gathering the three beasts’ corpses and bringing them back to Fang Cheng.

With a wave of his sleeve, Fang Cheng collected the corpses, his mood improving considerably.

Just then, two more ferocious birds emerged from the sea of clouds. They glanced at Fang Cheng, then seemed to sense the Evil Qi emanating from him and veered away in another direction.

Behind the beasts, a dozen or so young Cultivators in ornate robes had formed a Sword Array and were bursting through the clouds in hot pursuit!

The Sword Array radiated a chilling sword light, its Sword Qi shot across the sky, and it reeked of killing intent.

There were twelve Cultivators within the Sword Array. Each rode a beam of sword light, their Magical Power subtly linked together into a single entity. The formation looked quite intricate.

In the blink of an eye, the Sword Array overtook the two beasts and enveloped them.

Sword light flickered within the array, and in a mere moment, the two beasts were slain.

After collecting the beasts’ corpses, the group of Cultivators finally had a moment to look at Fang Cheng. One of them recognized him instantly and blurted out,

"Cyan Profound Sword Fang Cheng!"

After speaking, he turned to look at another man in their group.

That man was dressed in fine cyan robes, with a scholar’s cap on his head and a jade belt at his waist. His expression was tinged with arrogance.

It was none other than an "acquaintance," Zhou Huaijin!

This Young Master Zhou’s sister, Zhou Xueyu, was one of the most outstanding youths of her generation in the Zhou Family and had long been an Inner Sect Disciple of the Yinluo Sect.

Furthermore, it was rumored that Zhou Xueyu was betrothed to a young prodigy from the Wang Family, a great contribution to the alliance between the Zhou and Wang Families.

That Wang Family prodigy’s grandfather was a Peak Master in the Yinluo Sect, wielding immense power and influence. He was considered the foremost figure of the current Wang Family!

As a result, Zhou Huaijin’s status in the Zhou Family had risen accordingly, and few dared to offend him.

Even when outside the family, he looked down on everyone except for core disciples from the four great families, such as Dong Fangzhuo.

Yet, this very same figure had lost face at the Ye Family’s Sword Fighting Conference.

Not only did he get an arm severed, but he was also hauled away by his sister in public...

To Zhou Huaijin, this was the ultimate humiliation.

Later, when he heard that Fang Cheng had defeated Qian Shaoning in a sword duel and won the hand of the Ye Family’s beauty, his jealousy and resentment only intensified.

Under his sister Zhou Xueyu’s watch, he hadn’t sought revenge during this period, but that didn’t mean he had let the grudge go.

According to Zhou Xueyu, he could challenge Cyan Profound Sword Fang Cheng again only when he had mastered Sword Heart Clarity.

So, he practiced his Sword Technique diligently. Though he had yet to achieve a Sword Heart, he had mastered one of the Zhou Family’s Swordsmanship arts. Convinced that he was far more powerful than before, he was brimming with confidence, ready to make a name for himself in the outer sect trial.

This time, twelve members of the Zhou Family were participating in the trial. Nine of them were acting as support, planning to skip the first dozen or so Trial Steles. They would go directly to a later one, form a Sword Array, and obstruct other Cultivators, all to create an opportunity for the other three from their family!

Zhou Huaijin was the leader of the remaining three.

His plan was to pass the Yinluo Sect’s ’Earth Abyss Trial’ within three to five years of joining the outer sect and then enter the Inner Sect.

But he had never expected to run into Fang Cheng here today!

’If I had been a few hours later, I would have already split up from the nine other Zhou Family disciples...’

’Without the Zhou Family’s Sword Array, it would be difficult to take him down.’

’Luckily... heaven is on my side!’

At that moment, a sneer spread across Zhou Huaijin’s face as he looked at Fang Cheng.

When the other Zhou Family members learned that the man before them was Cyan Profound Sword Fang Cheng, they all turned to Zhou Huaijin, waiting for his reaction.

After all, they all knew this was Zhou Huaijin’s "enemy."

Whether they would deploy the Sword Array to surround and kill him depended on Zhou Huaijin’s decision.

With an arrogant sneer, Zhou Huaijin said, "Fang Cheng, thanks to you, I lost an arm that day. If you want to continue with this trial, you’ll have to get past me!"

His expression was haughty and his eyes were filled with disdain. It was partly his true nature and partly a deliberate taunt, meant to lure Fang Cheng into a trap.