Chapter 510 - 25: Red Profound Association, Heaven Crossing Hall

The spiritual light on the Reincarnation Mirror was dim, and several cracks were faintly visible.

Golden clouds churned within it, constantly shifting between wind, clouds, water, and fire.

Fang Cheng called out in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Xia, are you not going to show yourself?"

The mirror was deathly silent.

Fang Cheng sneered, "Are you perhaps waiting for me to set up my Sword Array and shatter your family’s treasured artifact to pieces before you’re willing to come out?"

As he spoke, three dazzling sword lights streaked out, forming a Sword Array in mid-air that prepared to envelop the Reincarnation Mirror.

Golden clouds flickered on the Reincarnation Mirror as Xia Guming hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist, please wait! It’s not that I’m unwilling to come out, but that I dare not!"

"If you can spare my life, Fellow Daoist, I will naturally present the Red Profound Order to you with both hands."

Fang Cheng laughed. "You managed to escape my Sword Array last time. Why not try the same trick again?"

Xia Guming sighed and said, "My skills are inferior. I must ask that you stop mocking me, Fellow Daoist."

A flicker of doubt crossed Fang Cheng’s eyes.

However, he vaguely guessed that the measures left on the Reincarnation Mirror by the Xia Family’s old ancestor had a limited number of uses, and Xia Guming had likely used them all up this time.

He pondered for a moment before saying, "Considering your cultivation has not been easy, and you have a Tribulation Realm Great Power backing you, I naturally won’t kill you. However... Fellow Daoist Xia, I have a question for you."

"Please ask, Fellow Daoist."

"Are this Reincarnation Mirror and your life combined worth two Tier Five Flying Swords?"

Xia Guming fell silent.

After a moment, he said gloomily, "If you can give me half a year, Fellow Daoist, I will definitely find and present two Tier Five Flying Swords to you."

"Good." Fang Cheng laughed heartily, retracted his Sword Array, and said, "But you will have to wait a few days, Fellow Daoist. After my concubine arrives, we can establish a Magic Contract."

Xia Guming naturally had no objections.

Fang Cheng was not a bloodthirsty person. Sparing the life of this Patriarch from a Middle-Aged Noble Family in exchange for two Tier Five Flying Swords to enhance the power of his Great Inference Celestial Net Sword Array was clearly a more profitable deal.

A moment later, a foot-long, Five-Colored Profound Gold Token flew out of the Reincarnation Mirror. On it were two characters in bird seal script—Red Profound.

Fang Cheng caught the token and circulated his Cultivation Technique to refine it.

Soon after, through the token, he developed a subtle connection to a distant location.

A scroll painting even appeared leisurely in his sea of consciousness.

It depicted an incomparably massive Five-Colored Divine Ox carrying a magnificent grand hall on its back, walking across the Extreme Heaven...

Heaven Crossing Hall!

’With this token, I can go to the Heaven Crossing Hall and join the Red Profound Association.’

’From what Yang Yi of the Mystic Sky Saint Sect said, this Red Profound Order can also be used to request one favor from the Heaven Crossing Hall Master... If that’s really the case, then...’

Fang Cheng’s thoughts churned, and he momentarily thought of the female Tribulation Realm cultivator in the Outer Ancient Tomb in the Wilderness Domain.

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「A few days later.」

The Ruyi Celestial Escape Shuttle flew to a spot above the hills.

After checking that there were no pursuers within a ten-thousand-li radius, Fang Cheng finally appeared and led the two women, Li Huan and Yun Qiuyuan, into the Qianhuan Immortal Mansion.

Afterward, he borrowed Yun Qiuyuan’s Fifth-rank Beast Skin Magical Artifact to establish a Magic Contract with Xia Guming, only then allowing the Xia Family Patriarch to leave.

That Fifth-rank Magical Artifact from the Heaven-Stealing Sect was profound and unpredictable. If Xia Guming wanted to go back on his word, he would likely have to pay a heavy price.

Moreover, unless he never took a single step away from the Xia Family’s Tribulation Realm Great Power for the rest of his life, he would never escape Fang Cheng’s pursuit.

Both men were cunning old foxes. After a long exchange of pleasantries, each with their own schemes in mind, they finally parted ways.

Inside the Qianhuan Immortal Mansion, with its black bricks and golden tiles, jade steps and bronze pillars, vibrant mists coiled and swirled all around. The interior was filled with pavilions, terraces, kiosks, flower-filled pools, and waterside gazebos—it was extravagant and beautiful.

After Xia Guming left, Fang Cheng leisurely pulled Li Huan and Yun Qiuyuan into a Spirit Pool crafted from beautiful jade to relax and enjoy themselves.

He was in high spirits. Ignoring the two women’s shyness, he playfully teased them, trying out many new things in their unrestrained revelry. He finally managed to regulate his body and mind, leaving him feeling completely relaxed and full of vigor.

Afterward, with an arm around each of them, he instructed the two women, "I need to make a trip to the Heaven Crossing Hall. My return date is uncertain. The two of you can make your own arrangements. We’ll celebrate together again when I get back."

A hint of reluctance appeared on Li Huan’s bright and beautiful face as she said softly, "I will wait for you at the Celestial Pool Cave Heaven, my lord."

Yun Qiuyuan gave Fang Cheng a coquettish glance with her clear, dark eyes and said, "I should also go cultivate for a while in the Secret Realm left by my master. I wish you a smooth journey."

Fang Cheng said with a serious expression, "You have no one to rely on in the Mingxiao Domain. If you run into trouble, you can go to the Celestial Pool Cave Heaven and find Li Huan, or go to the True Flame Sect in the East Cyan Domain and find Elder Yingya."

The young woman’s gaze trembled slightly, and she nodded. "I understand."

She couldn’t remember the last time someone had shown her such concern.

「The next day.」

Under a vast, clear sky, a speck of silver light shot across the heavens and vanished in an instant.

Inside the shuttle, Fang Cheng sat alone in quiet meditation, holding the Red Profound Order and sensing the distant Heaven Crossing Hall high above in the Extreme Heaven.

The Mingxiao Domain was incomparably vast, divided into five major geographical regions: the Four Domains of East, West, South, and North, as well as the Central Land.

The Illusory Sun Sea, Taiyi Cave Heaven, Yin Yang Sect, and Red Bright Immortal City were all located in the Eastern Domain. The direction Fang Cheng was now headed was toward the Central Land.

The news of the treasure seizure at the Illusory Sun Sea had already spread like wildfire among the major powers of the Mingxiao Domain. The name "Resentment Demon Monarch" shocked the world, instantly making him a terrifying figure on par with top-tier Dharma Realm experts like Yang Yi, Yan Zongdao, and Pei Juxian.

But no one knew this person’s origins.

Some busybodies investigated and discovered that the one who had killed Nangong Chilong and the member of the Ancient Evil Race outside the Yin Yang Sect and caused a ruckus at Taiyi Cave Heaven was not Xi Yinglong of Red Bright Immortal City, but this very Resentment Demon Monarch!

This person possessed numerous Tier Five abilities and was likely from a top-tier power with a Tribulation Realm Great Power presiding over it, just like Yang Yi of the Mystic Sky Saint Sect.

「Several months later.」

In the Central Land, high above in the Extreme Heaven, astral winds howled violently.

A swath of colorful clouds quietly appeared on the horizon, spreading outward in all directions.

As this vast expanse of colorful clouds swept across the immense sky, all the cloud banks were instantly draped in a layer of five-colored light silk.

Fang Cheng put away the Ruyi Celestial Escape Shuttle and stood in the void.

He looked up into the colorful clouds and saw countless five-colored star-like flowers appearing and disappearing within the churning rosy light. They reflected the brilliant sun in the sky and the roiling sea of clouds below, creating an even more spectacular sight.

A mountain-sized Five-Colored Divine Ox could be seen treading through the void, arriving at a leisurely pace.

The Divine Ox’s horns were like crescent moons, and a Dao Pattern was etched in the center of its forehead. On its back, it carried an immense, magnificent palace.

A giant plaque hung beneath the palace eaves, on which were inscribed three large characters—

Heaven Crossing Hall.

Holding the Red Profound Order, Fang Cheng bowed toward the grand hall and announced loudly, "Junior Fang Cheng of the Yinluo Sect from the East Cyan Domain pays his respects to Senior."

As he finished speaking, he channeled his Magical Power, and the Red Profound Order erupted with a dazzling five-colored radiance that shot toward the sky.

The Five-Colored Divine Ox radiated an immense divine might, far more profound and unfathomable than any Tribulation Realm Great Power or Tier Five Celestial Demon Fang Cheng had ever seen before.

The Five-Colored Divine Ox slowed to a stop and looked at Fang Cheng with curiosity.

From within the Heaven Crossing Hall, an ancient voice sounded, "Since you have arrived, little friend, please come in and talk."

Fang Cheng composed himself, stepped onto a beam of Profound Light, and gracefully drifted onto the back of the Five-Colored Divine Ox, walking into the Heaven Crossing Hall.

The hall was filled with a white mist from which ripples of spatial fluctuations emanated. It was, surprisingly, also a Pocket World Spiritual Building.

Fang Cheng walked into the white mist, and in the blink of an eye, the view before him opened up.

The crisp chirping of birds clearly reached Fang Cheng’s ears, and an intoxicating floral fragrance mixed with the rich scent of earth washed over him.

Before him was a beautiful mountain valley filled with flowers. The mountain peaks were wreathed in clouds and mist, a turquoise river flowed through the valley, and the trees were lush and green amidst strange, verdant peaks.

Ahead, wisps of cooking smoke rose from behind low-lying shrubs.

Fang Cheng strode forward and soon saw a thatched hut encircled by a gracefully arranged fence made of wooden stakes and branches.

Inside and outside the fence, wildflowers and grasses grew untouched by human hands. They seemed to grow randomly in every corner, looking chaotic yet filled with a profound natural order, bursting with limitless vitality.

A decrepit old monk in a hemp robe was currently playing chess with a beautiful woman at a stone table inside the fence. Though she wore no makeup, her peerless, nation-toppling beauty could not be concealed.

The two were focused on their game and paid him no mind.

Fang Cheng’s mind was at peace. Knowing that both people before him were Tribulation Realm Great Powers, he did not speak first but simply stood outside the fence, quietly watching them play.

The woman smiled as she placed a black stone on the board and said lightly, "Why does this boy have the aura of a Resentment Celestial Demon? Could he have obtained the heritage of my Hidden Demon Sect somewhere?"

Hearing this, Fang Cheng’s thoughts raced. He couldn’t help but carefully study the beautiful woman who had been looking down at the chessboard, and her image instantly overlapped with a portrait from Ren Yan’s Spiritual Memory.

Hidden Demon Sect, Tribulation Realm, beautiful woman... The identity of the woman before him was on the tip of his tongue!

’Night Queen?’

How could the Night Queen be here?

He was utterly horrified. Cupping his hands, he said, "Greetings, Seniors."

The old monk in the hemp robe sensed his reaction. A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes as he glanced at him and said, "Oh? Little friend, have you met the Night Queen before?"

Before Fang Cheng could answer, the Night Queen had already risen gracefully. "It seems he is not a disciple of my Hidden Demon Sect. Dragon Elephant, I will take my leave now. I will come and disturb you again another day."

Following the old monk’s faint "I won’t see you out," the Night Queen’s figure shattered like an illusion and vanished without a trace.

Fang Cheng was even more astonished and couldn’t help but ask respectfully, "Senior, are you the Dragon Elephant Wanderer?"

The old monk smiled faintly. "You’ve come from the Abyssal Marsh, and you carry the aura of a Resentment Celestial Demon. It seems you have visited the heritage mansion I left behind back then."

His tone was calm and his voice was ancient. Though dressed as a monk, he referred to himself as "I," not "this old monk."

Fang Cheng had never imagined that the mysterious Heaven Crossing Hall Master would turn out to be the Dragon Elephant Wanderer, with whom he’d had a connection back when he was only in the Sensing Realm!

And the Demon Buddha’s daoist companion, the founder of the Hidden Demon Sect, the Night Queen, was also here.

He took a deep breath and briefly recounted how he had obtained the inheritance from the Dragon Elephant Wanderer’s Abandoned Mansion in his early years. He then added a few more sentences, also telling him the news that in the deepest part of the Yinluo Sect’s Earth Abyss, the Demon Lord’s incarnation had shattered the giant Buddha left by the Dragon Elephant Wanderer, allowing its left hand to emerge.

"I am already aware of this matter."

The Dragon Elephant Wanderer nodded, looked at Fang Cheng with curiosity, and smiled. "Besides myself, you are the second person to successfully cultivate the Void Ghost Market Visualization Diagram. Now that you’ve also obtained my keepsake, it seems there is truly a fateful connection between us."

Fang Cheng bowed in gratitude. "This junior’s current achievements are all thanks to Senior’s gracious gift of the cultivation technique. However... there is one thing I don’t understand. Why is the Night Queen here?"

The Hidden Demon Sect aims to release the Demon Lord and help him corrupt the world with demonic influence.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Elephant Wanderer is clearly a high-ranking member of the Red Profound Association, and has taken it upon himself to suppress the Demon Lord.

For these two to be playing chess here was truly baffling.

The Dragon Elephant Wanderer chuckled and said, "The Night Queen has been suppressed here by me for over a thousand years."

Fang Cheng’s heart filled with sudden understanding, and he couldn’t help but feel a new level of admiration for this legendary figure.

Come to think of it, the Night Queen was also the Dragon Elephant Wanderer’s master’s wife...

’With the Night Queen suppressed here, I wonder if the Demon Buddha knows.’

...