Chapter 196: Chapter 16: Bridge of Helplessness, Cyan Snake Staff, Mad Daoist

After seeing off Murong Yan and the others, Fang Cheng once again had Shopkeeper Li inquire about the Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads.

He inquired and learned that the Ye Family’s Cangshan Pavilion had this item, but its price was astronomical. One tael of the Profound Silkworm Threads sold for fifty thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, comparable in value to a Second-Order Middle Grade Magical Artifact.

According to Shopkeeper Li, the Geng Metal Profound Silkworm was a Tier Three Spirit Beast. While not a powerful combatant, it was a master of stealth and transformation, making it extremely difficult to find. The Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads stored in Cangshan Pavilion had been discovered by chance years ago by the Ye Family’s Great Elder in the Southern Mang Mountains.

Over the years, members of the Yinluo Sect who were refining magical artifacts had gradually bought up much of the stock from Cangshan Pavilion. Now, less than six taels remained.

Fang Cheng, of course, bought all of the remaining Profound Silkworm Threads. At the same time, he had Shopkeeper Li ask around the other shops in the marketplace to continue the search.

If he were using it to refine items like banners, flags, or magical robes, six taels of Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads would certainly be enough to use as supplementary threading.

However, it was far from enough to serve as the primary material for refining the Immortal Binding Rope.

Fortunately, Fang Cheng was not short on Spirit Stones at the moment.

A few days later, Shopkeeper Li returned to Xuanzhen Studio to report that he had acquired another nine taels of Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads, having bought out nearly all the stock from the major shops in the Yinluo Sect Marketplace.

From now on, acquiring more of this material would depend on whether any cultivators in the Abyssal Marsh were lucky enough to find it in the Southern Mang Mountains.

Shopkeeper Li suggested that Fang Cheng post a formal request within the Yinluo Sect. Using the sect’s resources to obtain the material would be far more convenient than searching for it himself.

Fang Cheng readily agreed.

He spent another joyful month with Wen Qianqian at Xuanzhen Studio before receiving a message from the Ye Family. Ye Yan had successfully condensed her Life Talisman, joined the Clan Elders Council, and become an Elder of the Ye Family.

That very day, Fang Cheng bid Wen Qianqian farewell and returned to Xiaocang Island.

...

「Abyssal Marsh」

High above Fallen Thunder Island, a refined young man stood in the void. Beneath his feet rested a simple, ancient stone bridge of grayish-white stone.

The arched bridge was no more than thirty feet long and nine feet wide, its stone railings adorned with carvings of various demons and monsters.

This refined, magnificently-robed young man was none other than the prodigy of the current generation of Ye Family disciples. A few years prior, he had successfully refined his Life Talisman using the Myriad Manifestations Celestial Dew and was now a True Disciple on the Yinluo Sect’s Holy Spring Peak.

The ancient stone bridge beneath his feet was the Bridge of Helplessness, one of the nine great legacy artifacts of the Yinluo Sect.

Once refined, the bridge allowed for unimpeded flight, making it one of the world’s foremost treasures for escaping danger.

Standing on the bridge, Ye Junxian seemed to not exist within this space, appearing like a mere phantom.

He gazed down at Fallen Thunder Island below, his expression impassive and unreadable.

While the surrounding sky was clear and sunny, a few gloomy, dark clouds hung directly over Fallen Thunder Island. Muffled rumbles of thunder echoed from them periodically, creating a stark contrast with the clear skies elsewhere.

"The Deep Abyss Yin Thunder Array... is nothing special," Ye Junxian murmured, looking at the ominous clouds.

With a flicker of his will, the Bridge of Helplessness beneath his feet descended.

Both man and bridge, as if illusory, passed through the layers of dark clouds without any resistance, arriving on the island below.

Incredibly, Fallen Thunder Island’s Second-Order Grand Array was not triggered in the slightest.

The island, which was several miles across, was scorched black everywhere. Only a single, colossal tree stood at its southern tip. The blackened trunk appeared lifeless, save for the faint flickers of Thunder Light that occasionally sparked across its surface.

The entire island looked as if it had been plowed over by Celestial Thunder.

Beneath that sole surviving lightning-struck tree stood an austere, dignified Black Wood Hall, the focal point of the island’s Spiritual Qi. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Ye Junxian proceeded directly to the front of the Black Wood Hall. His form shifted from illusory to solid, revealing a sliver of his aura.

A soft sound of surprise, a quiet "Hm?", immediately came from within the hall. In the next instant, a flash of Thunder Light streaked by, and a crone wielding a Cyan Snake Staff appeared before the entrance.

"Which Fellow Daoist has come sneaking onto my Fallen Thunder Island?"

The crone looked up at Ye Junxian on the Bridge of Helplessness, her tone unfriendly as she asked the question.

This crone also had an Early-stage Life Talisman Cultivation. The Cyan Snake Staff in her hand pulsed with a hidden Thunder Light, and she seemed ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

After all, this person had managed to infiltrate Fallen Thunder Island’s Grand Array without a single soul noticing; she couldn’t afford to be careless.

Ye Junxian cupped his hands in salute. "I am Ye Junxian of the Yinluo Sect’s Holy Spring Peak. I have come to request an audience with Senior Mad Daoist."

The crone frowned. "You wish to see my Master?"

Ye Junxian nodded and smiled. "Indeed. I must ask you to announce me, Fellow Daoist. I have an important matter to discuss with your esteemed master."

The crone pondered for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Wait here."

With that, she turned and walked into the Black Wood Hall.

A short while later, the crone emerged again and said coolly to Ye Junxian, "You may enter. But you had best have a truly important matter. If you disturb Master’s seclusion for nothing, not even a Yinluo True Disciple will escape his wrath."

Ye Junxian paid her no mind, simply guiding the Bridge of Helplessness straight into the Black Wood Hall.

At the head of the hall, the Mad Daoist was seated high upon the main throne, watching with cold eyes as Ye Junxian flew in.

The man’s face was ancient, but his frame was burly and powerfully built. His muscles bulged, and his sallow, blackish skin gave him a savage appearance. A dense Evil Qi radiated from his entire being, so thick it seemed about to burst forth from his body, striking fear into any who beheld him.

Most unforgettable of all were his sunken, bloodshot eyes. They seemed to conceal a frantic, chaotic will, as if he had suffered a cultivation deviation and succumbed to his inner demons.

The Mad Daoist was considered the most renowned Loose Cultivator in the Abyssal Marsh.

He had made a name for himself over a century ago. That he had managed to reach the Late-stage Life Talisman Realm as a Loose Cultivator and occupy a Spirit Vein Island in the Daze was a testament to his formidable power.

Even the Patriarchs of the four great aristocratic families had to respectfully address him as "Daoist Brother" upon meeting him.