He recalled the clan’s rumors about the man before him.
According to the rumors, this man was an expert in a Sword Technique suspected to be a Spirit Immortal-level heritage. He had already become famous throughout the Jade Flower Realm for blocking eighteen of Beiming Yong’s arrows.
Now, this man also possessed a Tier Six Fragmented Artifact—an ancient bell—which meant his power had undoubtedly taken another step forward.
He had roamed the many heavens for years and fought his share of top experts. After making a rough estimate of Fang Cheng’s strength, he felt a burgeoning eagerness for a challenge.
’Perhaps the Taixu Token is on him!’
Beiming Long’s fighting spirit surged, but then he noticed a hint of mockery and cold disdain in Fang Cheng’s eyes.
Anger flared within him. He immediately pointed at Fang Cheng, and a massive, thousand-foot-long Sword Aura materialized from the Earth Book, slashing fiercely toward him.
This beam of sword light contained a trace of the Power of Space. It was sweeping and grand, both heavy and sharp. Amplified by the Kunpeng Bloodline of the Beiming Immortal Race, its power was magnificent and ferocious.
Fang Cheng flicked his wide sleeve, and an ethereal stream of Sword Qi shot out. It flickered in and out of existence, as erratic as lightning.
The two beams of sword light clashed. After twisting around each other for a moment, they both dissipated into wisps of smoke and shattered starlight.
Before Beiming Long could strike again, Fang Cheng flicked out another stream of Taixu Sword Qi.
This stream of Sword Qi didn’t fly toward Beiming Long, but instead struck a massive, whistling stream of ambient Sword Qi in the distance.
BOOM!
The ambient Sword Qi exploded violently, triggering several other massive streams of Sword Qi to converge. They scattered into a sky-filling rain of swords that fell straight toward Beiming Long.
He could actually manipulate the Sword Qi of this place...
Beiming Long had no time for shock. With a long cry, a ghostly light erupted from the Earth Book, forming the phantom of a Ghost Emperor that raised its hand to block the endless rain of swords.
Countless ripples bloomed across the Ghost Emperor’s phantom as the rain of swords trickled through it. The strands of Sword Qi seemed to possess a will of their own as they bypassed the phantom and swirled toward Beiming Long’s body.
Myriad beams of magnificent, heavy void sword light erupted from Beiming Long’s body to block the Sword Qi from the abyss. But in the blink of an eye, his defense was shredded by the countless sharp, fine wisps of light.
Even after more than a hundred thousand years, the residual Sword Qi within this Sword Mark was still at a level that neither Fang Cheng nor Beiming Long could hope to match.
"An impressive move. I have lost this round!"
Seeing he was powerless to resist the Sword Qi of the abyss, Beiming Long simply dropped his Protective Spiritual Light and allowed himself to be obliterated.
One had to admit, the man was impressively decisive, able to take a loss in stride.
Fang Cheng’s gaze sharpened. Only then did he realize that this body of Beiming Long’s was an external incarnation!
Generally speaking, the power of an incarnation was always inferior to the true self. Yet, this incarnation of Beiming Long’s was so powerful and substantial that it was in no way inferior to the true body of Ye Tuo from Yuelang Heaven.
The implication of his words was that if Fang Cheng hadn’t used the abyss’s Sword Qi, he might not have been defeated so easily.
Fang Cheng’s expression was impassive. He collected Beiming Long’s Earth Book Fragment and, channeling his Taishi Demon Qi, refined it in an instant.
This legendary item, one of the ten great clan-suppressing treasures of the Beiming Immortal Race, was actually a Ghost Dao Magical Artifact. It contained its own pocket dimension filled with countless ghosts, and its power was determined by their strength and numbers.
To Fang Cheng’s pleasant surprise, inside the Earth Book Space, he found two immortal peaches and thirteen Seven-Colored Lotus Seedpods that Beiming Long had harvested. There were also many other Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects and Talismans, but they were of ordinary value by comparison and no longer worthy of his attention.
’When I leave the Lingkong Celestial Ruins, I’ll trade all these useless things for other treasures.’
Fang Cheng put away the Earth Book Fragment and continued onward, a flicker of doubt in his mind.
’Could it be that Yao Shu also entered this Spirit Immortal’s Abandoned Mansion as an incarnation?’
If that was true, then the power of their true bodies was likely even greater than he had anticipated.
’That makes sense. These Nine Tribulation Experts are all on the verge of ascension; they would never risk their true bodies. Still, to explore a Heritage Mansion with an incarnation carrying a Tier Six Fragmented Artifact... what a calculated risk! What a gamble!’
Lost in thought, Fang Cheng neared the end of the Sword Mark Abyss and saw a young woman in a blue dress.
Beiming Cang Xue.
She was trapped within a swirling mass of Sword Qi. Behind her, an enormous gray feather emitted layers of soft light, shielding her from the impact of the Sword Qi and the Spiritual Pressure of the Immortal Mansion.
The powerful man, Beiming Xiao, was nowhere to be seen.
Upon seeing Fang Cheng arrive, a complex expression flickered across Beiming Cang Xue’s face. Her last sliver of hope had finally appeared.
"Elder Pu Hua..."
The young woman’s Cultivation was only at the Dharma Realm, but she had managed to make it this far entirely thanks to the gray feather behind her.
Even Fang Cheng was surprised when he sensed the tyrannical power contained within the feather.
As expected of the daughter of a Spirit Immortal Incarnation, the treasure she possessed was not to be underestimated.
Fang Cheng stopped the ancient bell and asked, "Why is your Seventh Uncle not with you?"
That Beiming Xiao was also a Nine Tribulation Expert of the Beiming Immortal Race, and from the Celestial Jade Lineage. He must have cultivated the clan’s core Spirit Immortal heritage, making his power astonishing. To Fang Cheng, this man represented a significant threat.
But Beiming Cang Xue replied, "My Seventh Uncle perished while neutralizing a hidden trap left for me by Venerable Jiayin."
Venerable Jiayin was the Spirit Immortal Incarnation from Yuelang Heaven.
’This Spirit Immortal Incarnation certainly has a penchant for treachery...’
Fang Cheng frowned slightly and glanced at the Immortal Hall in the distance.
Venerable Jiayin had likely already entered the Immortal Hall.
As for Beiming Cang Xue, Fang Cheng pondered for a moment before speaking. "I assume you’ve heard about what happened between me and your Beiming Immortal Race?"
Beiming Cang Xue nodded lightly and replied, "That is a matter between the clan and you, Elder. It has nothing to do with me. As I’ve said before, the Beiming Clan is not united at the moment. I was not involved in the matter of the Taixu Gate, nor did I have the power to be."