Chapter 192: Chapter 14: The World’s Life Talismans, Late Stage of the First Layer

With that, he bowed his thanks.

Cai Li waved her hand, her voice tinged with a hint of sorrow. "Think nothing of it. I have cultivated for a century; it is my duty to look after my fellow disciples. A few days ago, your sixth senior brother went to the Earth Abyss on my orders to suppress the demons. Unfortunately, he fell. Looking back now, I bear a great deal of the responsibility."

"Sixth Senior Brother fell?" Fang Cheng was stunned.

This legendary Senior Brother Liu had started as a Servant Disciple. He was said to be a great favorite of Sun Fuguo, an Ascetic Practitioner with exceptionally high talent in the Sword Dao.

During Fang Cheng’s Life Talisman Ceremony, this man had been unable to attend because he was on a sect mission.

To think he had gone to the Earth Abyss.

Demons...

Fang Cheng asked slowly, "On which floor of the Earth Abyss did Sixth Senior Brother fall?"

Cai Li’s expression remained serene as she lowered her eyelids. "The fifth floor. He was devoured by a Tier Three Demon that charged up from a lower floor. If I had given him a Sword Talisman back then, it wouldn’t have come to this."

The Earth Abyss has nine floors.

Generally speaking, only Tier One Demons are active on the first three floors.

The middle three floors are home to Tier Two Demons.

Tier Three Demons are only found on the lowest floors.

’Sixth Senior Brother must have fallen during the time I was staying in Divine Pillar Immortal City...’

Cai Li then said, "Sixth’s cenotaph is just down the mountain. Find some time to go pay your respects."

Fang Cheng nodded.

...

「Not long after.」

Fang Cheng left the Law Enforcement Hall. He did not return to Canglan Cave, but instead went first to the base of Demon Lion Peak. After some searching, he found a secluded, overgrown cemetery.

The grounds were filled with rows of tombstones, all belonging to the fallen True Disciples and Inner Sect Elders of Demon Lion Peak from throughout the ages.

Fang Cheng quickly found Sixth Senior Brother’s grave.

He saw a man standing silently before Sixth Senior Brother’s grave, his posture as straight as a sword.

The man’s figure seemed familiar to Fang Cheng. He slowly approached and said, "Third Senior Brother, you’ve also come to pay respects to Sixth Senior Brother."

This man with the sword-like posture was none other than Sun Fuguo’s third disciple, Feng Ziang.

He was a pillar of the Feng Family, one of the four great clans.

Feng Ziang turned his head, revealing a ferocious and menacing Bronze Mask on his face.

Qiongqi, one of the Ten Fiends of the Law Enforcement Hall!

The Law Enforcement Hall was originally meant to have Ten Fiends, but rarely in its history had all ten been gathered at the same time.

This was because Sun Fuguo and Cai Li’s selection criteria were too strict; moreover, the work of the Law Enforcement Hall involved excessive killing, making it inevitable that some would fall along the way.

Thus, even counting Fang Cheng, there were now only seven of them.

Coincidentally, Fang Cheng was also the seventh disciple under Sun Fuguo.

"Lao Qi, you’re back." Feng Ziang looked at Fang Cheng, his tone somewhat somber. "I just got back not long ago, myself. I didn’t expect to be greeted by such terrible news the moment I returned."

Fang Cheng came before the grave and paid his respects.

Feng Ziang sighed. "Among all our fellow disciples, Sixth was the one I could talk to the most. I can’t believe he’s just gone like that."

Fang Cheng offered a word of comfort, "For Cultivators like us, life and death are decreed by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven. Sixth Senior Brother’s fall is merely a step beyond time. From another perspective, it could be seen as a form of transcendence."

Feng Ziang took off his mask, revealing a handsome, chiseled face. He gave a faint smile and said, "A pity that you and I still have to struggle in this mortal coil. From ancient times to now, out of the billions of Cultivators, how many have truly stepped ’beyond time’ after attaining eternal life?"

Fang Cheng was silent.

’In this world, how many people cultivate for the sake of eternal life?’

Immense Magical Power and a long lifespan could indeed allow one to escape the confines of space and time and break the shackles of fate.

But... how many could actually achieve it?

What most Cultivators sought was still the sense of security that came from great Magical Power, authority and status, women and wealth, as well as that momentary bliss of comprehending the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, the Great Dao True Intent! 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

If all Cultivators could master the Great Dao and attain an eternal, carefree life, then the Cultivation Realm wouldn’t be filled with so much slaughter and conflict.

After Fang Cheng had transmigrated, even with a Golden Finger to help him, he had never coveted the lofty cultivation goal of "eternal life and everlasting sight."

He was still a worldly person for now.

For the time being, he just wanted to enjoy the pleasures of cultivation, to savor the many wonderful things and joys that came with a Cultivator’s life.

Beyond the beauty of palaces, the service of wives and concubines, the splendor of fine clothes, and the richness of gourmet food, he also sought a peaceful soul, a tranquil spirit, and the strength to settle scores as he saw fit and roam free and unfettered.

A life of extreme extravagance and debauchery was not what he wanted.

Feng Ziang said, "Lao Qi, you’re back at just the right time. Your fourth senior sister came back to pay respects to Sixth two days ago. All of us disciples are here now. Second Senior Brother wants to host a banquet to get us all together."

Fang Cheng said, "Great. It’ll be a good chance for me to meet Fourth Senior Sister."

With that, the two left the cemetery, ascended Demon Lion Peak again, and arrived before the entrance to Second Senior Brother Huang Shen’s Cave Mansion.

...

Huang Shen loved swords, but he loved beauties even more.

His romantic exploits were widely known throughout the Abyssal Marsh, and his elegant nickname, the "Female Subduing Sect Leader of Abyss Lake," was especially famous in circles of pleasure.

At first glance, Huang Shen appeared to be a middle-aged man with a refined and elegant bearing, dressed in wide robes with broad sleeves. He wore a tall crown, and his features had a simple, classical grace. His eyes, however, were full of spirit, leaving a deep and unforgettable first impression.

Inside his Cave Mansion, it was not as Fang Cheng had imagined—surrounded by beautiful wives and charming concubines. Instead, it felt somewhat simple and austere.

The vast Cave Mansion had been almost entirely converted into a Sword Refining Workshop.

All sorts of Profound Iron Immortal Gold, weapon embryos, Spiritual Liquid, Beast Blood, and powders were strewn everywhere, making the place feel quite cluttered.

On the walls of the Cave Mansion hung several sword diagrams. The light of the sword swirled around them, and they emanated a formidable Sword Intent that greatly intrigued Fang Cheng.

When Fang Cheng and Feng Ziang arrived for their visit, Huang Shen was in the middle of refining a furnace of Flying Swords. Seeing the two of them approach, he cast a spell to let the furnace fire burn on its own and paid it no further mind.