Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Seventh Layer of Sensing

Cangwu Mountain, Star-picking Platform.

The platform was covered in jade-green grass as soft as a cushion, with strange and wonderful flowers in full bloom.

To one side, a grove of emerald bamboo stood tall like a verdant cliff. At the edge of the woods was a placid lake, and by its shore stood a resplendent, golden-roofed palace.

This was none other than Madam Ye’s Cave Mansion.

Li Yan Nian halted his Escape Light about a hundred feet from the palace. He then bowed deeply toward it and, making his voice as respectful as possible, announced, "Outer Disciple of the Yinluo Sect, Li Yan Nian, requests an audience with Elder Ye."

Inside the palace, Madam Ye, dressed in plain robes, was in deep meditation. Hearing the voice outside, a flash of displeasure crossed her face. "What is it?" she asked coolly.

Her voice carried out of the palace, its echo lingering in the air.

Li Yan Nian hurriedly replied, "This junior has an urgent matter to report, one that concerns the Ye Family’s honor. I pray that Elder Ye will not be offended."

"Speak!" Madam Ye said impatiently.

Li Yan Nian took a deep breath and said, "The Ye Family’s live-in son-in-law, Fang Cheng, has taken a widow as a concubine in the Yinluo Sect Marketplace. Furthermore, he has seized the inheritance left by her father..."

Before Li Yan Nian could finish, a cold, sharp voice cut him off.

"Is this true?"

Li Yan Nian raised three fingers to the heavens and declared solemnly, "It is absolutely true. Fang Cheng himself has admitted to it. If there is even a shred of falsehood in my words, may my Cultivation never advance another inch for the rest of my life!"

A moment of silence fell within the palace.

Then, a vast and powerful surge of Magical Power erupted from the palace and slammed violently into Li Yan Nian.

Instantly, this standout of the Li Family’s younger generation was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, utterly powerless to resist.

Li Yan Nian spat out a mouthful of blood as a cold voice echoed in his ears, "If you dare mention this to a third person, I will take your life!"

Li Yan Nian hastily agreed, then steadied himself and fled Xiaocang Island in a sorry state.

...

Fang Cheng hadn’t expected Li Yan Nian to be so petty.

Not long after Li Yan Nian left, Fang Cheng was summoned to the Star-picking Platform by Madam Ye and given a stern lecture.

From the look of it, if Ye Yan hadn’t been there trying to calm her down and constantly speaking up for Fang Cheng, his frosty-faced mother-in-law would have already started teaching her son-in-law a lesson.

Though Fang Cheng was usually a silver-tongued charmer who knew how to please his beloved wife, he didn’t dare cross any lines in front of Madam Ye, a Life Talisman Realm Cultivator. He could only stand there and obediently take his scolding.

He was the ideal husband Madam Ye had chosen for her precious daughter, a truly prized son-in-law. Now he had gone and taken a concubine without any discussion, causing Madam Ye to lose face.

Although she had grown increasingly satisfied with this son-in-law, on this particular matter, Madam Ye showed Fang Cheng no kindness.

In the end, his mother-in-law punished Fang Cheng with one year of silent meditation to reflect on his misdeeds.

Madam Ye produced a Talisman and slapped it onto Fang Cheng’s chest. He immediately felt as if he were carrying a mountain, a crushing weight that made it impossible to even take a single step.

Afterward, Madam Ye waved her sleeve, sending out a beam of Demonic Light that transported Fang Cheng to the Jade Tower Cliff, and then paid him no further mind.

Ye Yan pestered her mother for a while, but she couldn’t get the Secret Technique to break the Talisman, so she had to leave in disappointment.

At the cliff’s edge, Fang Cheng painstakingly shuffled his feet until he was in front of the Spirit-Devouring Tree.

The Spirit-Devouring Tree was now tall and dense, lush and verdant. It was as thick as a grown man’s embrace and stood majestically at the edge of the cliff.

Fang Cheng sat cross-legged beneath the tree. The Cyan Yuan Demon Tree Skill began to operate on its own, refining the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Below, the lake’s surface was vast and misty, a truly beautiful sight.

For a moment, he actually understood his mother-in-law’s difficult intentions.

A moment later.

Ye Yan flew down and walked to Fang Cheng’s side. "Husband, Mother didn’t hurt you, did she?" she asked with concern.

Fang Cheng shook his head and smiled. "Mother is doing this for my own good. She wants me to temper my Dao Heart and Magical Power here, to purge my impetuousness."

Ye Yan pouted, dissatisfied. "But she still shouldn’t make you sit here for a whole year!"

With that, she gathered her skirt and sat down cross-legged beside Fang Cheng. "Then I’ll just stay here and keep you company."

Fang Cheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his sixteen- or seventeen-year-old pampered young wife, so he could only change the subject.

He said, "Yan’Er, this cliff on Cangwu Mountain doesn’t have a name yet. When I arrived, the Cyan Yuan Demon Tree Skill in my body started circulating on its own. In a moment of inspiration, I came up with a name for it. What do you think of calling this place the Cyan Demon Cliff?"

Ye Yan burst out laughing and said with a playful pout, "That sounds awful!"

...

Fang Cheng’s comprehension of the Cyan Yuan Demon Tree Skill had long since reached the Perfect Realm.

With the aid of a rare Spirit Plant like the Spirit-Devouring Tree, the speed at which he refined Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was on a completely different level than before.

He sat under the Spirit-Devouring Tree like a statue, his body shrouded in motes of cyan, jade-colored light. A dense stream of Spiritual Qi flowed ceaselessly from the tall, lush tree into his body.

His Cultivation rose steadily each day, and he was no longer far from the Seventh Layer of Sensing.

Normally, the transition from the sixth to the seventh layer was the bottleneck between the Mid-Sensing Stage and the Late Sensing Stage. To overcome it, an ordinary Cultivator would usually rely on Spiritual Elixirs and Wondrous Medicines or a large amount of Spirit Stones to break through in one go.

But Fang Cheng felt that the threshold ahead wasn’t high for him. As long as he continued to train diligently, the breakthrough would come naturally.

Perhaps this was also related to the Creation Golden Talisman.

One’s Cultivation Realm is the foundation, while Divine Secret Skills are the treasures that protect one’s path. Both are indispensable.

Therefore, in addition to the Cyan Yuan Demon Tree Skill, Fang Cheng didn’t neglect his practice of the Cyan Profound Sword Technique, the Li Hen Demon Light, the Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique, or the Red Nether Condensing Light.

Though he was being "punished," his days were exceptionally fulfilling.

His only regret was that he had no chance to visit Elder Lu Wei’s Cave Mansion. He wondered what kind of thank-you gift that beautiful Elder had prepared for him.

He had also been looking for an opportunity to ask the beautiful Elder for a seed of the Two Realms Flower... but that, too, was now delayed.

The matter of refining Gu was also delayed.

However, the Gu Pit was in his Cave Mansion in the Dragon Spine Archipelago, and a new batch of Vajra Gu and Wine Gu were still being nurtured, so there was no rush to go there.

It was worth mentioning that, a few days ago, the Poison Gu had quietly broken through, becoming Fang Cheng’s first Tier Two Gu Insect!

After advancing to Tier Two, this Gu could be considered a deadly weapon.

Its Poisonous Gu was formless, colorless, and odorless, perfect for sneak attacks and impossible to guard against. An ordinary Early-Life Talisman Realm Cultivator might not be able to withstand it!

While Fang Cheng cultivated tirelessly, Ye Yan wasn’t idle either. The Magical Power from the Black Water Profound Talisman Scripture she practiced was vast and mighty, flowing like a great river, endless and profound. It was the Ye Family’s ultimate technique.

In their spare time from cultivation, the husband and wife often exchanged insights to validate what they had learned.

Die’Er was responsible for preparing delicious Spiritual Cuisine and attending to their daily needs.

Sometimes, under a starry night sky, when the mood struck, they would make the heavens their canopy and the earth their mat, enjoying a moment of blissful freedom.

Unfortunately, Fang Cheng’s body couldn’t move vigorously, so it was often Ye Yan who took the initiative, adding a bit of spice to their otherwise monotonous life of cultivation. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Several months passed just like that.

After constant pleading and wheedling from Ye Yan, Madam Ye finally gave in to her daughter’s requests and taught her the secret to undoing the Talisman.

Overjoyed after learning the secret, Ye Yan immediately returned to the Cyan Demon Cliff to release Fang Cheng from his bonds.

Having sat motionlessly under the tree for many days, Fang Cheng was finally free. Feeling as if he had broken free from shackles, his body and sword merged into one. He transformed into a brilliant streak of Sword Aura that shot into the sky, piercing the clouds.

His Qi Sea surged violently, and the Magical Power in his body forcefully broke through the bottleneck to the Late Sensing Stage. In one fell swoop, he stepped into the Seventh Layer of Sensing!

...