Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Arriving at the Xiao Family

When a woman as lovely as a flower emerged from the ranks of loose cultivators who had just boarded the flying boat to strike up a conversation with Fang Cheng, all the Outer Disciples turned to look, their faces full of curiosity.

Fang Cheng said in surprise, "Wen Dao You, what are you doing here?"

Wen Qianqian’s lovely eyes, clear as water, swept over the Outer Disciples. Only then did she slowly say, "We were all summoned by the Yinluo Sect to reinforce a Sealing Array at a certain location."

Realization dawned on Fang Cheng.

Wen Qianqian’s father was a well-known Array Master in the Yinluo Sect Marketplace. Although he was only in the Sensing Realm, he was reportedly able to deploy Tier Two Arrays and was very well-connected.

’They’re not using the Yinluo Sect’s own Array Masters to repair the sealing array, but hiring loose cultivators from the marketplace instead. It must be to... save money!’

As his mind raced, Fang Cheng instantly understood the logic behind the decision.

The mission was spearheaded by Inner Sect Elder Feng Jiuzhang, with all the major families participating, each vying for a share of the credit.

However, Feng Jiuzhang clearly had no intention of simply handing over the credit for repairing the array. Instead, he had hired loose cultivators from the marketplace to do the job.

Fang Cheng and Wen Qianqian exchanged a few more words before the charming young woman returned to her father’s side, her expression becoming meek and subservient.

Her father, however, gave Fang Cheng a few extra looks.

During a small gathering with Chen Yu Yan and the others, Fang Cheng had heard them talk about Wen Qianqian. He learned she had once been engaged.

The man had also been a loose cultivator who studied the Array Dao under Wen Qianqian’s father. He had truly grasped his teachings and was seen as the one to inherit Father Wen’s mantle.

Tragically, before they could marry, Wen Qianqian’s fiancé perished in an accident on a Demon Beast Wilderness Island...

Seeing that the others were all sitting cross-legged and cultivating, Fang Cheng found a spot on deck, sat down by himself, and began to cultivate with his full concentration.

...

「Several hours later.」

The Yinluo Flying Ship left the waters of the Abyssal Marsh behind. Below, the clouds thinned, revealing a clear, boundless sky.

Fang Cheng stood at the ship’s rail, gazing down at the earth below.

He had already learned about the surrounding geography from the jade slips provided to Outer Disciples, but aside from the one Outer Sect trial, he had never ventured this deep into the region.

Beyond the Daze, mountain ranges rose like the emerald-black spines of colossal beasts, a grim and imposing sight.

The Spiritual Qi here was chaotic and impure, the air thick with miasma. It was home to countless venomous insects and Demon Beasts.

Many of the avian beasts on the Demon Beast Wilderness Islands within the Abyssal Marsh originated from this place.

Some Great Demons would also frequently summon demonic gales to sweep up large numbers of terrestrial Demon Beasts, dumping them on the wilderness islands of the Abyssal Marsh to fend for themselves.

For five thousand li beyond the South Shore of the Abyssal Marsh stretched vast, rolling mountains. They were crisscrossed by countless gorges, with great rivers winding through the valleys before emptying into the Daze.

The Yinluo Sect called this vast, mountainous region the Southern Mang Mountains.

The Southern Mang Mountains were almost entirely the domain of Demon Beasts. Among them were even members of the Demon Race who had gained sentience and could take human form.

For millennia, the Demon Race had been suppressed and kept in check by the Yinluo Sect, remaining largely submissive.

The entire Southern Mang Mountains had become a "resource depot" for the Yinluo Sect’s numerous Inner Sect disciples, True Disciples, and Elders.

All the resources needed to cultivate Demon Skills—bones, flesh, souls, Spirit Grasses, herbs, and ores—could be found in abundance in the Southern Mang.

In the entire Southern Mang Land, there were a total of thirteen Great Demons.

These thirteen Great Demons were all outstanding elites of the Demon Race. Their cultivation had reached the second tier, equivalent to Human Race Cultivators in the Life Talisman Realm.

A few of them had even broken through to the Late-Life Talisman Realm, and there were even Great Demons at the Peak of Life Talisman.

But far more numerous were the non-sentient Demon Beasts that survived purely on instinct!

These Demon Beasts reproduced at an astonishing rate and constantly fought and killed one another over resources, creating ceaseless turmoil.

As a result, some Great Demons would take action, periodically "tossing" large batches of Demon Beasts onto the wilderness islands of the Abyssal Marsh.

The Yinluo Sect turned a blind eye to this practice.

Many powerful loose cultivators also lived in seclusion within this vast mountain range, some even coexisting harmoniously with the Demon Race.

For instance, the master of Dongfang Xiong—the young loose cultivator Fang Cheng had met at the Ye Family Sword Fighting Conference—was a reclusive master living beyond the Daze.

Some loose cultivators had even established secretive Cultivation Families. These reclusive families were extremely discreet, and their members would pose as loose cultivators whenever they ventured into the Abyssal Marsh.

Beyond the Southern Mang Mountains, one would find the Mortal Dynasties.

Of course, the South Shore of the Abyssal Marsh was the furthest point from any Mortal Dynasty. Traveling from any of the other three directions, one was certain to reach a Mortal City within a thousand li.

As Fang Cheng was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed the Flying Boat begin to descend.

In the distance, two majestic mountains towered over the land, separated by a massive gorge.

The gorge stretched for a hundred li, its width varying. Viewed from the sky, it looked like a long, narrow, man-eating fissure, exuding a savage aura.

The Flying Boat arrived at a wide section in the middle of the gorge and began a slow descent.

Magnificent palaces and pavilions, gleaming with gold and jade, had been built into the cliff faces on both sides of the gorge, seemingly suspended in mid-air.

The structures on the opposing cliffs were interconnected by numerous covered bridges and plank walkways, forming an exquisite and spectacular network.

At the bottom of the gorge, it was pitch-black. A thick, dark fog churned ceaselessly, faintly concealing an elusive and unfathomable demonic aura.

Fang Cheng knew this must be the legendary Xiao Family.

Three hundred years ago, to guard the seal the Yinluo Sect had established here, an Outer Elder had stayed behind with his dao companion. His lineage had flourished, forming a new Cultivation Family.

As the Yinluo Flying Ship descended, dozens of cultivators flew out from the Xiao Family to welcome them, creating a rather grand spectacle.

Among them were Patriarch Xiao, the family’s senior elders, Honored Guest Elders, and many of the Xiao Family’s talented youth.

Patriarch Xiao was in the Life Talisman Realm. He was tall and gaunt, holding a Duster, and possessed the refined, otherworldly air of a Daoist immortal. He certainly looked the part.

Besides the patriarch, the Xiao Family had another Life Talisman Master: an Honored Guest Elder named Ren Yan. He appeared to be in his early twenties and was dressed like a scholar. He had a gentle, refined demeanor and a disarmingly pleasant smile.

The other senior elders of the Xiao Family were all in the Sensing Realm.

Once the Yinluo Sect members disembarked, Elder Lu Wei shrank the Flying Boat to the size of her palm and tucked it into her sleeve before following the others into the Xiao Family estate.

The Xiao Family’s method of receiving guests was quite interesting. The Patriarch and the Honored Guest Elder, both Life Talisman Cultivators, personally attended to Elder Lu Wei, the other three Outer Elders, and the Life Talisman Realm Array Master. Meanwhile, the senior Xiao elders and the family’s younger generation accompanied Fang Cheng and the other Outer Disciples.

As for Wen Qianqian and the other Independent Practitioner Array Masters, they were accompanied by several other Honored Guest Elders from the Xiao Family.

「After the grand welcoming banquet.」

Fang Cheng and the others were shown to the Xiao Family’s Immortal Guest Residence to rest.

They still had to wait for the arrival of Inner Sect Elder Feng Jiuzhang before the mission could officially begin.

Each of the twenty Outer Disciples from the Yinluo Sect was assigned a member of the Xiao Family to accompany them, and the hospitality was both meticulous and thorough.

It was a bit like having a personal liaison; during their stay with the Xiao Family, they could voice any needs directly to their assigned escort.

The person assigned to accompany Fang Cheng was a handsome, sixteen-year-old youth named Xiao Ye.

...