Chapter 545 - 58: The Secret of the Strange Fragrance

Over the past five years, the Black Sun Wind Disaster had appeared several times across the Four Seas and Three Continents of Extreme Jade Heaven.

Unfortunately, none of them occurred on the Cangwu Continent.

Monk Haideng and Yang Yi had entered twice, but both times they came back empty-handed, having failed to find the Golden Divine Tree, let alone the Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada.

The three of them communicated by transmitting their thoughts via a Buddhist Jade Scroll. Despite their lack of success, all three were individuals of firm will and did not feel the slightest bit discouraged.

Fang Cheng and Yang Yi, in particular, were also searching for other treasures in addition to the Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada.

Now, according to a message from a traveling Disciple of the Divine Image Sect, a Black Sun Wind Disaster had appeared in the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range in the central Cangwu Continent. Zhuang Daojing had immediately informed Qiu Wen Si, asking her to relay the news to Fang Cheng.

A Black Sun Wind Disaster only lasted for a little over ten days. Not daring to delay, Fang Cheng immediately went with Qiu Wen Si and used the Divine Image Sect’s Teleportation Array to arrive at a large market city on the edge of the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range.

Without stopping, Fang Cheng summoned his White Bone Relic, which transformed into the Bone Celestial Crossing Shuttle. He left the market city directly and headed deep into the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range.

Half a day later, the two of them reached the edge of the Black Sun Wind Disaster.

There, amidst the mountains, countless tornadoes stretched from earth to sky, barring the way. It was pitch-black within them, with Thunder Light flashing erratically, as if space and time had been inverted and yin and yang reversed.

With a flash of light, the Bone Celestial Crossing Shuttle transformed into a simple, grayish-white stone bridge.

The bridge was merely ten zhang long and one zhang three chi wide. It was arched, and its stone railings were carved with images of all kinds of demonic monsters.

This was one of the transformations of the White Bone Relic: the Bridge of Helplessness.

Fang Cheng and Qiu Wen Si stood on the bridge, seeming not to exist in this world, like two indistinct phantoms.

Fang Cheng gazed at the astonishing hurricane phenomenon before them. With a single thought, the Bridge of Helplessness beneath their feet flew forward.

The bridge and its passengers, both seemingly illusory, covered a thousand zhang in an instant and plunged straight into the hurricane.

The sky immediately darkened. Looking up, the great sun in the sky seemed to be shrouded by a thick layer of shadow, turning it into a "black sun."

In the "gaps" between the hurricanes were countless bizarre and fantastical sights.

There were giant mushrooms as large as mountains.

Strange rocks with eyes, noses, mouths, and ears let out deafening roars...

Countless glowing leaves danced across the sky, seeming to possess a spirit of their own, like a flock of birds...

There were also innumerable ferocious beasts and rare treasures filling the space between heaven and earth.

These things seemed both real and illusory. One moment they might be like phantasmal images, but in the next, they could suddenly condense into reality.

Even with the Power of his Divine Sense, Fang Cheng was unable to distinguish or discern between them.

Every time a Black Sun Wind Disaster manifested, Cultivators would always rush in to try their luck.

But for those below the Dharma Realm, the survival rate was less than thirty percent.

Even Dharma Realm masters could easily perish here with a single moment of carelessness.

Fang Cheng stood on the Bridge of Helplessness with his hands behind his back, exuding the dignified air of a Great Power, as profound as a still abyss and as imposing as a lofty mountain.

He glanced at Qiu Wen Si. For some reason, ever since they had entered the Black Sun Wind Disaster a moment ago, the strange fragrance on her body had grown stronger.

Inhaling this scent gave rise to an ineffable sense of pleasure from deep within him.

Qiu Wen Si had been by his side for all these years, and he had long grown accustomed to this fragrance.

But now the scent seemed to have thickened considerably, causing Fang Cheng’s attention to involuntarily focus on her.

"Wen Si, what is this fragrance on you?"

By now, Fang Cheng couldn’t be bothered to care about niceties and asked directly.

Qiu Wen Si’s face flushed slightly. She looked at Fang Cheng in surprise and murmured, "Benefactor, I have been this way since I was young. I was born with it..."

Fang Cheng frowned. "Have any strange phenomena ever manifested, or have you attracted any undue attention because of it?"

Qiu Wen Si shook her head. "No. Those who know me don’t pay it any mind after they find out, and strangers just assume I’m wearing a sachet."

Fang Cheng smiled. "This fragrance is completely different from ordinary sachets or a woman’s natural scent. Haven’t you ever investigated its cause?"

Qiu Wen Si said, surprised, "No one around me has ever felt that this fragrance was any different."

"That’s not right..."

Just as Fang Cheng was about to speak, a demonic intent flashed ahead, rapidly shifting from illusory to real.

The next moment, a dense wave of Demonic Qi rushed toward them.

A vast, murky river surged forth, and upon it stood a figure as tall as a mountain, slowly approaching from the distance.

It wore black battle armor that covered its face, and three extra pairs of arms grew from under its armpits. Each of its arms held a Magical Artifact that emanated intense energy fluctuations.

The aura of this figure was comparable to a Peak Dharma Phase Cultivator, and its demonic intent soared to the heavens.

"An Ancient Demon!"

Qiu Wen Si cried out softly upon seeing it, clearly recognizing what it was.

When she and Fang Cheng first met in the Black Sun Wind Disaster, she had been swallowed by an "Ancient Demon."

That Ancient Demon had taken the form of a giant Buddha.

The one before them now, however, resembled a war general.

Fang Cheng focused his gaze and saw that the "battle armor" on this Ancient Demon was actually woven from countless black hairs.

These black hairs were as large as giant pythons, burrowing in and out of the Ancient Demon’s body, making its armor seem to be constantly writhing.

The Ancient Demon’s eyes were scarlet. It stared intently at Qiu Wen Si, its intense desire for possession and consumption on full display.

Fang Cheng seemed to understand something.

He raised his hand and pointed. A bone-chilling sword light shot out, instantly wrapping around the Ancient Demon’s neck.

The Ancient Demon roared and swung all eight of its arms. Eight streams of light from its Magical Artifacts descended, not only blocking Fang Cheng’s sword light but also faintly sealing off all of its potential transformations.

CLANG! CLANG!

The Mountain-Slaying Flying Sword was struck by the Magical Artifacts in the Ancient Demon’s hands and trembled slightly. Agile as a roaming dragon, it swayed gently, and a Heaven-Sundering Sword Intent emerged, slashing down at the Ancient Demon.

The Ancient Demon’s eight arms and eight Magical Artifacts blocked upward in unison, forming an array that actually resisted the sword light from the Tier Five Flying Sword.

Fang Cheng was slightly surprised. He then changed his Sword Technique, and his vast, powerful Magical Power surged into the sword light. The Flying Sword suddenly transformed into thousands of sword phantoms, forming a Sword Array that trapped the Ancient Demon within.

In the blink of an eye, under the sky-filling sword light, the Ancient Demon’s massive body disintegrated and vanished, like snow doused with boiling water.

But it wasn’t over yet.

From a distance, another charming, soft, and pleasant voice drifted over.

It was like a chant that could make one’s very soul sink into oblivion.

Fang Cheng snorted coldly and turned to look. He saw a beautiful, winged woman covered in black scales flying over from afar.

The scales clung to her body like a tight-fitting garment, perfectly outlining her exaggeratedly curvaceous, slender, and sensual figure, leaving much to the imagination.

The demonic aura from this woman was also at the Peak of Dharma Form.

Another Ancient Demon!

Like a black bolt of lightning, the woman instantly flew above the Bridge of Helplessness. Facing Fang Cheng, she opened her mouth and spat out a thick, sickly sweet, pink mist.

At the very last moment, her speed suddenly increased a hundredfold. It was unbelievably fast, comparable to teleportation, which greatly surprised Fang Cheng.

At the same time, the woman reached out a fair hand to grab Qiu Wen Si.

Fang Cheng casually formed a Seal Technique. A profound aura suddenly emerged from his body. A ball of golden light surged out from behind him, then transformed into a golden wheel, sending a ring of golden ripples spreading outward.

These golden ripples ignored all physical objects. Seeming both real and illusory, they spread out for over a hundred zhang before slowly stopping.

The black-scaled woman was within the golden ripples. She reached for Qiu Wen Si, but her movements were as slow as a crawling snail, inching forward through the air as if the void itself had frozen solid.

Fang Cheng threw a punch.

The void shattered and collapsed into a patch of chaos, which instantly obliterated the black-scaled woman and the sickly sweet pink mist, sucking them into the vortex.

Only then did the surrounding golden ripples slowly dissipate.

The Light Yin Divine Technique.

Years ago, Fang Cheng had consumed a Tier Five Divine Pill—the Wuxiang Universe Wheel Pill—allowing this Divine Technique to merge with his body. It became a natural instinct for him, like a Demon Race’s Talent Divine Technique, as effortless as a flick of his wrist or a breath of air.

Within the range of these golden ripples, he could freely accelerate or slow the flow of time. The greater the manipulation, the faster his Magical Power was consumed, and vice versa.

He rarely used this technique when fighting enemies.

Today, this Ancient Demon’s bizarrely shifting speed had far exceeded his expectations, forcing him to use the Light Yin Divine Technique to counter its attack.

In the blink of an eye, Fang Cheng had slain two Tier Four Peak Ancient Demons. He appeared calm and nonchalant, but his mind was racing, and he had already formed a few suspicions.

"Wen Si, I’m afraid the strange fragrance on your body holds a powerful attraction for Ancient Demons," he said slowly.

He himself cultivated a Demon Skill, and his Li Hen Demon Light in particular had deep connections to the Celestial Demons, so he too was enticed by this strange fragrance.

Because of her special ability to sense the Taichu Divine Stone, Qiu Wen Si rarely interacted with other Cultivators, especially those who practiced Cultivation Techniques related to Celestial Demons; she had never even met one.

Therefore, she had never discovered the peculiar nature of her fragrance.

Back then, when she and her Daoist partner, Gongsun Zan, entered the Black Sun Wind Disaster, they had also ended up in the belly of an Ancient Demon.

This further confirmed Fang Cheng’s suspicions.

This trip into the Black Sun Wind Disaster had already attracted two Tier Four Ancient Demons.

Qiu Wen Si fell silent, lost in thought. She had seen it clearly just now; those two Ancient Demons had indeed been coming for her.

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment, then flicked a finger. A phantom Talisman landed on Qiu Wen Si, instantly sealing the strange fragrance on her body.

Afterward, the two continued onward in their search for the Golden Divine Tree.

...

Between the black tornadoes, a great tree with a lush, verdant canopy stood tall in the void.

The tree was laden with green-skinned fruits the size of bushel baskets, and waves of fruity aroma wafted from them.

On the distant horizon, a simple stone bridge flew leisurely closer. Standing on the bridge were a man and a woman—none other than Fang Cheng and Qiu Wen Si.

Qiu Wen Si pointed a fair finger at the great tree and said, "Benefactor, this is a Longevity Tree. Its fruit is not only a divine medicine for extending one’s lifespan, but it can also reshape one’s Dao Body, allowing a person to be born with a natural affinity for the Great Dao and enhancing their cultivation comprehension and aptitude."

Fang Cheng looked toward the verdant tree and indeed saw a vast, pure energy rising from the Longevity Tree.

’Too bad it’s not the Golden Divine Tree...’

Here in the Black Sun Wind Disaster, he rushed toward every tree he saw, but unfortunately, he had yet to find the legendary Golden Divine Tree.

Right now, this fruit tree had already solidified from illusion into reality.

And there were over a hundred Longevity Fruits hanging on it!

Fang Cheng studied the great tree for a few moments, then his gaze suddenly froze, and his expression turned strange.

"Benefactor, is something wrong?" Qiu Wen Si asked softly, observing his expression.

"Take a look over there!"

As he spoke, Fang Cheng pointed toward a dense part of the canopy.

Qiu Wen Si followed his finger and saw two balls of black qi chasing each other on a branch, appearing and disappearing among the leaves of the canopy.

The Longevity Tree was also a divine object born of chaos, and its own Spiritual Mechanism was extremely strong. Their Divine Senses had been unable to penetrate its canopy, which was why they hadn’t noticed the two balls of black mist earlier.

Just then, the two balls of black mist suddenly took shape, transforming into a laughing man and woman who chased each other, running and playing on the tree’s wide branches.

The man was a handsome youth with a heroic, immortal-like bearing, and the woman was a great beauty. Truly, she was more delicate than a flower, and he was as radiant as jade.

After chasing each other for a while, they embraced, plucked Longevity Fruits to eat, and then resumed their playful chase around the tree.

Gradually, the two of them began to perform some obscene acts...

On the stone bridge, Qiu Wen Si spat lightly, her face crimson, unwilling to watch any longer.

With a flick of his finger, Fang Cheng sent a sword light flying out, slashing toward the couple in an instant.

He had already seen that this man and woman were not proper living beings, but rather a pair of demons in disguise.

The man was in the heat of passion and didn’t expect someone to spoil the mood. Before the sword light even arrived, he roared in anger and rose up to defend himself.

SHIING!

The sword light flashed and was gone.

The man was sliced in two.

The woman, completely absorbed in her pleasure, had no time to react. The sword light struck her, and with a single grunt, her beautiful body slumped, and she died on the spot.

The two demons had just died, and before Fang Cheng could even pick the Longevity Fruits, an angry roar came from the distance.

"Who dares to kill my Demon Servants?!"

...