Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman-Chapter 54: Slaying the Enemy

The cultivator occupying the fourteenth Trial Stele was from the Feng Family of Flame Demon Island.

These disciples from prominent families, usually so high and mighty, had their own pride and confidence. How could they let someone just slip past?

They had let Qian Shaoning pass because they were wary of his Taiyi Thunder Pill; it wasn’t worth risking their lives over.

As for anyone else...

The members of the Feng Family attacked without hesitation, only to see a hundred-foot-long beam of pure black demonic light, like a bolt of silk, sweep past, ignoring all their magic and magical artifacts.

Immediately after, the Feng Family disciples’ souls were thrown into disarray as they fell from the sky, their bodies wreathed in black flames.

The streak of sword light that was Fang Cheng paused for a moment before the Trial Stele, then elegantly flew off again, continuing his pursuit of Qian Shaoning.

The fifteenth Trial Stele was unoccupied.

A cultivator was locked in a fierce battle with a Tier One Peak Demon Ape.

Qian Shaoning and Fang Cheng passed the Stone Stele one after another, leaving their marks before continuing onward.

The Demon Ape actually ignored the two of them, focusing all its frenzied attacks on the cultivator before it, who was crying out in misery.

Before the sixteenth Trial Stele.

A group of Wang Family disciples saw Qian Shaoning approaching and scattered to let him pass.

When Fang Cheng drew near, one of them gave a command, and all the Wang Family disciples scattered once again.

Fang Cheng cast a curious glance at the Wang Family members but didn’t see Wang Xingzhi among them.

He had no time to ask questions and flew away, still puzzled.

A Wang Family disciple curiously asked the leader, "Lao Qi, why didn’t you let us stop him?"

Lao Qi watched Fang Cheng’s departing sword light, took out a Jade Pendant, and said with a strange expression, "We couldn’t have stopped him."

Seeing that he had taken out a Unity Pendant, the others immediately had a guess and asked, "Did a message come from Cloud Whale Mountain?"

Unity Pendants came in pairs and could transmit voices between them. They were mostly used by lovers to stay in touch.

Lao Qi had a lover, a female cultivator, who happened to be at Cloud Whale Mountain at that very moment, watching the water mirror.

"What did Miss Bai say?"

Everyone knew that Lao Qi’s lover’s surname was Bai. She was a beautiful female cultivator from the Abyssal Marsh, quite famous for her looks.

Lao Qi said gravely, "That was probably Cyan Profound Sword Fang Cheng. He just dueled with Qian Shaoning. Not only did he block Qian Shaoning’s Taiyi Thunder Pill, but he also heavily wounded him... and has been hunting him all the way here."

"He has mastered a Demonic Light Divine Technique. When the Feng Family members tried to intercept him, they were all defeated after being swept by that demonic light. They’ve already fled back to Cloud Whale Mountain and are being treated by a Feng Family Elder. I heard a few of them already perished on the way!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Hearing this, everyone was astonished, utterly shocked, and felt relieved that they hadn’t rashly tried to intercept him.

"Is he really that incredible?"

Someone asked, half-believing.

Lao Qi scoffed. "Why don’t you go try him yourself later and find out?"

That person just sneered and said no more.

Judging by the way Qian Shaoning was fleeing, it was most likely true.

"Qian Shaoning is trying to pass the outer sect trial while on the run. Once he gets back to Cloud Whale Mountain, Fang Cheng won’t dare to be so ruthless."

The Wang Family members discussed among themselves.

...

The seventeenth Stone Stele was guarded by disciples of the Ye Family.

Qian Shaoning passed through smoothly once again.

When the Ye Family disciples recognized Fang Cheng, they showed curious and friendly smiles, greeting him warmly.

After all, behind Fang Cheng stood a person of real power in the Ye Family: Madam Ye!

Fang Cheng hastily greeted them and continued onward.

「A short while later.」

The eighteenth Trial Stele was just ahead.

From a distance, Fang Cheng saw Wang Xingzhi dueling with another cultivator in mid-air.

That person cultivated a tyrannical fire-based magic and was fighting fiercely with Wang Xingzhi, their battle a chaotic stalemate.

After cultivating the Joyful Zen Skill, Wang Xingzhi’s power had advanced by leaps and bounds, and he had also reached the Sensing Seventh Layer Realm.

He unleashed nine incomparably sharp beams of saber light, their might formidable. His combat strength was no less than his opponent’s.

Red Dust Desire-Breaking Saber!

Fang Cheng recognized the saber gleam as a Divine Technique from the Joyful Zen Skill and was inwardly delighted.

He raised his voice and shouted, "Brother Wang, stop the man ahead of you for me!"

Seeing Fang Cheng flying over, Wang Xingzhi laughed heartily, abandoned his opponent, and with a strange flicker of his body, appeared a thousand feet in front of Qian Shaoning.

With a grand wave of his hand, nine brilliant, strangely-gleaming golden saber beams materialized. Carrying the bewildering intent of the tumultuous mortal world, they slashed toward Qian Shaoning.

"You’re courting death!"

Qian Shaoning shouted coldly, and with a wave of his hand, he shot out several bolts of thunder light as thick as water buckets to intercept the saber beams.

Wang Xingzhi’s wide sleeves billowed as his nine saber beams weaved about in an orderly fashion. Piercingly sharp, they clashed with the thunder light and actually gained the upper hand.

Qian Shaoning had no choice but to stop.

At that very moment, a bone-chilling Sword Intent caught up to him!

A streak of sword light, like the cold gleam of autumn waters, flashed across the sky with incredible speed, appearing to split the heavens in two.

"I..."

Qian Shaoning was about to speak when a thin line of blood appeared between his eyebrows, extending all the way down.

His body split in two down the middle and plummeted downwards.

Two golden gleams flew in from the distance, instantly burrowing into his severed corpse.

Wang Xingzhi stood in the void, watching the familiar Vajra Gu. He sighed inwardly, then smiled at the approaching Fang Cheng. "Congratulations, Brother Fang, on slaying your great foe."

Fang Cheng flew over leisurely, calmly sheathed his Cold Wave Radiance Sword, and cupped his fist. "Many thanks for your help, Brother Wang!"

The two exchanged a few pleasantries while, below, the two Vajra Gu devoured Qian Shaoning’s corpse, brought up his storage pouch, and then leisurely flew back to Fang Cheng’s side.

The man who had been dueling with Wang Xingzhi earlier also flew over, curiously sizing up Fang Cheng.

This man was handsome and dashing, his face like polished jade. His fine robes gave him an air of nobility and elegance.

Wang Xingzhi gave the man a slight smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Feng, let’s end our spar here for today. How about we determine a winner another day?"

The man in fine robes nodded, glanced at Fang Cheng, and asked coolly, "And how should I address this fellow Daoist?"

He had just witnessed Fang Cheng kill Qian Shaoning with a single sword strike. The peerless, sharp Sword Technique had sent a chill through his heart and filled him with apprehension, even from a great distance.

"I am Fang Cheng." Fang Cheng could tell this person was likely a Feng Family cultivator; he had seen traces of his fire magic near many of the Trial Steles along the way.

Normally, he would have probably tried to befriend him.

Unfortunately, he had just struck down many Feng Family cultivators with a single blast of the Li Hen Demon Light. An enmity had been forged, and more words would be pointless.

"Cyan Profound Sword, Fang Cheng..."

The cultivator named Feng nodded, recalling the rumors about Fang Cheng, then said, "The Qian Shaoning you just killed was said to have deep connections with the Mad Daoist of Fallen Thunder Island. You should be careful of the Mad Daoist’s revenge when you are out and about in the future."

Fang Cheng’s expression flickered slightly. He nodded and said, "Thank you for the warning, Fellow Daoist Feng."

The cultivator named Feng gave a slight smile and a nod. Without another word, he transformed into a streak of fiery light and flew away.

His Escape Technique bore some resemblance to Feng Ling’s.

Wang Xingzhi, at his side, frowned. "The Mad Daoist of Fallen Thunder Island is a Late-stage Life Talisman Loose Cultivator. He has a bizarre temperament and is completely unpredictable. Brother Fang, it would be best for you to be careful."

"I understand. Who was that just now?" Fang Cheng asked curiously.

Wang Xingzhi chuckled. "Feng Mo. Although he’s from a side branch of the Feng Family, his talent is quite good. He aims to enter the Yinluo Sect’s Inner Sect and cultivate one of the nine great ultimate techniques."