Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Dance of the Flower Fairy

After Lady Ghost’s fall, the five didn’t linger. They rode Senior Sister Yang’s Flying Paper Kite straight to the place where Fang Hen had died. After collecting the storage bags of Fang Hen and the other Loose Cultivators and erasing all traces of their presence, they finally headed back toward the Abyssal Marsh.

Several days later, the five arrived at the Dragon Spine Archipelago.

Inside Fang Cheng’s Cave Mansion.

Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Yang stared eagerly as Fang Cheng produced a jade box and took out two Glazed Jade Golden Flowers.

The miraculous flower they had craved for years was within arm’s reach. Their emotions surged, yet they didn’t dare to step forward and take them.

The image of Fang Cheng crushing Lady Ghost’s head had left a profound psychological shock, so much so that they now felt an instinctual fear whenever they faced him.

Fang Cheng said, "Senior Brother Liu, Senior Sister Yang, without the clue you provided, these Glazed Jade Golden Flowers would never have come into my possession. As for the promise I made to you both, I will honor it."

With that, he handed the two miraculous flowers to them.

Senior Brother Liu reached out to take the flower, his voice trembling slightly. "Thank you, Junior Brother."

In truth, if Fang Cheng had gone back on his word and refused to give them the Glazed Jade Golden Flowers, there was nothing the two of them could do.

Fang Cheng’s power and ruthlessness far exceeded their imagination. Offending someone like him would likely lead to a fate no better than offending an Outer Elder.

What they hadn’t expected, however, was that the Fang Cheng before them now seemed to have reverted to the unassuming Ye Family son-in-law they had first met.

Senior Brother Liu took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Junior Brother, if we manage to break through to the Life Talisman Realm one day, it will be entirely thanks to your gift. I, Liu Shiyan, will never forget the kindness you’ve shown us today. If you ever have need of us in the future, we would be honored to serve you."

Fang Cheng smiled. "You’re too kind, Senior Brother. I have my own principles. I consider it fate that we’ve met. For now, allow me to congratulate you in advance on your swift breakthrough."

Ye Yan and Chen Yu Yan also offered their congratulations.

Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Yang were deeply moved, sighing as they reflected on their past cultivation journey.

With these two Glazed Jade Golden Flowers, their chances of breaking through to the Life Talisman Realm would increase.

Breaking through to the Life Talisman Realm had once been a distant, uncertain goal for them. Now, it was a real possibility!

The future looked bright.

Senior Sister Yang’s eyes glinted as a thought occurred to her. "Junior Brother Fang," she said, "Senior Brother Liu and I have a daughter. Her full moon celebration is in nine days. I was wondering if you would grace us with your presence and join us for a celebratory drink?"

Fang Cheng smiled and was about to politely refuse when Ye Yan suddenly tugged on his sleeve. "We’re free anyway, and it sounds like fun. I’ve also been hoping to ask Senior Sister for some tips on her flute technique."

Fang Cheng had planned on returning to Xiaocang Island to refine the Glazed Jade Golden Flowers, but now he had to remain on the Dragon Spine Archipelago.

Still, he had a few other matters to attend to here, so staying a few more days was no great inconvenience.

...

To achieve its optimal effect, the Glazed Jade Golden Flower had to be brewed with Spirit Tea.

Fang Cheng had intended to share the seven remaining flowers with Ye Yan. As a husband and wife who shared a common destiny, it was only natural to share good fortune.

But Ye Yan adamantly refused.

"Husband, I can reach the Life Talisman Realm in the future even without these flowers. You should keep them and make good use of them. Don’t waste them on me," Ye Yan insisted.

Fang Cheng knew she was doing it for his sake, so he didn’t insist further.

He could only refine one of the seven Glazed Jade Golden Flowers each day.

At first, he didn’t notice anything significant. But by the third day, Fang Cheng finally perceived a change in his Divine Sense.

With the slightest stirring of thought, he found he could effortlessly control every idea. A thousand thoughts could rise and fall in the snap of a finger.

His Divine Sense’s control over his physical body and Magical Power had improved to a revolutionary degree.

Unbeknownst to him, his Divine Sense had quietly broken through a bottleneck, reaching a realm that many Sensing Cultivators could not hope to touch in their entire lives.

On this day, Die’Er rushed over from Xiaocang Island. Looking furious, she found Ye Yan and the two spoke for a long time in hushed tones.

Fang Cheng was in seclusion, refining the Glazed Jade Golden Flowers, so he didn’t notice any of this.

Ye Yan simply left a note before hastily departing the Dragon Spine Archipelago with Die’Er.

「The eighth day.」

Fang Cheng emerged calmly from his seclusion. Seeing the empty Cave Mansion, he couldn’t help but frown.

Then he saw the note Ye Yan had left.

The note simply said that one of her cousins was in trouble and she needed to return to her family home for a while. It told him not to worry.

Fang Cheng felt a flicker of suspicion, but he quickly put it out of his mind.

He left his Cave Mansion and headed straight for the Outer Sect Merit Pavilion.

... 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

On the southeastern side of the main island of the Dragon Spine Archipelago.

A colossal tree stood proudly amidst the mountains, its top reaching for the sky.

The tree was over a thousand feet tall, standing majestic and straight. Its powerful trunk was covered in lush, green foliage, and its crown alone spanned for miles, making it resemble a towering, verdant mountain on the island.

The other trees surrounding it seemed as insignificant as blades of grass by comparison.

This tree was none other than the Thousand Cloud Divine Wood of the Yinluo Sect!

Nestled within its crown was a magnificent, golden-roofed hall. A massive plaque hung above the entrance, inscribed with two bold, powerful words: "Merit Pavilion."

Numerous Outer Disciples clad in the Sect’s Magical Robes bustled in and out, their expressions varied as they hurried on their errands.

Fang Cheng landed his streak of light before the grand hall and walked calmly inside.

Inside the tall, majestic palace, a sphere of vines dozens of feet in diameter floated in mid-air. Over a hundred leaves swayed gently upon its surface.

Shimmering script flickered on each leaf, detailing tasks posted by the sect’s Elders and True Disciples.

Fang Cheng took out the distress talisman Dong Qing had given him. He infused it with a trace of Magical Power, and after a moment’s sensing, he located its source: a private room on the right side of the second floor.