Beast Soul Talisman

A wild wind swept past, scattering the dust and smoke. Yan Tianheng held a Talisman in his hand, and the spiritual power throughout his body surged into it like water bursting through a broken dam. Seeing this, Lin Xuan's expression grew increasingly grave. This was certainly no ordinary talisman.

Naturally, Lin Xuan would not foolishly wait for his opponent to finish casting his spell. Just as he was about to strike, however, a savage smile appeared at the corner of Yan Tianheng's lips. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the Talisman into the air and shouted, "Soul, unseal!"

Roar!

A roar rang out, echoing through the mountains and shaking the surrounding leaves loose in a pattering shower. The Talisman blazed brilliantly, and within its crimson light appeared a Fierce Tiger wreathed entirely in flames.

A Blazing Flame Tiger? No, that was not right. Its entire body was also covered in sharp, bony armor. It should be an Iron-Armored Explosive Flame Tiger, a peak first-level Demonic Beast.

Just as cultivators were divided into eight stages, from the Spirit Movement Stage to Tribulation Transcendence, Demonic Beasts were likewise ranked from levels one through eight. Each level was further divided into low, mid, high, and peak grades.

The Spirit Movement Stage corresponded to first-level Demonic Beasts, while the Foundation Establishment Realm corresponded to second-level Demonic Beasts, and so on...

In other words, this Demonic Beast was no weaker than an expert at the great completion of the Spirit Movement Stage.

Lin Xuan's expression turned bitter. This was not some bewildering Illusion spell, but a genuine demonic tiger. More precisely, it was the demonic tiger's soul.

He had not expected his opponent to possess the rare Beast Talisman.

Like Array Talismans, Beast Talismans belonged to a special category of Talismans. Ordinary Talisman Paper contained sealed Spells for defense, attack, or support.

Array Talismans, meanwhile, contained simple formations.

Beast Talismans were different again. What they sealed were the souls of Demonic Beasts. They were even rarer than Array Talismans, because they were not made by ordinary cultivators, but special Talismans that could only be crafted by cultivators of the Ghost Path.

Simply put, after killing a Demonic Beast, one extracted its soul, then used certain special condensation methods to seal that soul inside Talisman Paper.

Moreover, unlike ordinary Talismans, which were single-use items, Beast Talismans could be used repeatedly. Of course, they were not without limits. Each use consumed the energy within the Demonic Beast's soul. Once that energy was exhausted, the Beast Talisman would be ruined.

Lin Xuan had once read about Beast Talismans in an ancient book, but he had never imagined that he would encounter one himself.

Roar!

The terrifying roar shook the air. Though it was merely a soul, after being condensed through the special methods of Ghost Path cultivators, its power was not the least bit inferior to that of a real demonic tiger.

"Go!"

Yan Tianheng formed a hand seal and pointed lightly. The Iron-Armored Explosive Flame Tiger transformed into a mass of red light and charged at Lin Xuan with fangs bared and claws spread.

The situation was perilous, but Lin Xuan did not panic. He activated the Talisman in his hand and tossed it into the air...

The Quicksand Technique, Rolling Rock Technique, Thorn Technique, and two other low-tier Spells activated at once. Yet they only slowed the demonic tiger for a moment before it continued pouncing toward him.

Lin Xuan's face grew ever graver. It seemed it was time to use a Spirit Tool!

He reached into his robes. When he withdrew his hand, a rope about a foot long lay in his palm. Lin Xuan chanted under his breath, and under the command of his divine sense, the rope suddenly came "alive." It swelled in the wind, growing several zhang long in the blink of an eye, standing with its head raised like a Venomous Snake.

"Bind!"

At the command, the rope flew up, radiating a hazy white glow. Like a gigantic spiritual python, it met the Iron-Armored Explosive Flame Tiger in an instant and wrapped tightly around it.

Though it was a soul without physical substance, Spirit Tools were even more wondrous and could bind it all the same.

"A Spirit Tool!"

Yan Tianheng could not help crying out, his face full of astonishment. No wonder—Spirit Tools were exceedingly rare treasures. Although low-level cultivators who had mastered the fourth layer of their cultivation techniques could theoretically use them, in reality, even some Foundation Establishment Realm experts might not possess one.

Lin Xuan's many Talismans had already seemed unbelievable to him. He had never expected him to possess a Spirit Tool as well. This discovery left Yan Tianheng deeply unsettled.

Mid-Grade Pills, an inexhaustible supply of Talismans, and a Spirit Tool—let alone a Rogue Cultivator, even an elite disciple of a sect... no, perhaps not even a Foundation Establishment Realm expert would necessarily possess all three.

Just who was this brat?

With such a lavish fortune, the master behind him had to be some extraordinary figure. Could he possibly be an expert of the Core Condensation Realm?

The more Yan Tianheng thought about it, the more frightened he became.

Still, he was the head of a family, and he did not lose his composure because of this. Instead, his resolve to eliminate Lin Xuan grew even stronger. If this brat escaped and the master behind him came looking, Yan Tianheng would surely die without even a place to bury his bones. No matter what, he had to kill him here.

It was not that Yan Tianheng was overly suspicious. The treasures Lin Xuan had produced were simply too shocking, making it easy for people to let their imaginations run wild and frighten themselves.

Although he wanted to kill Lin Xuan, it was truly difficult. His opponent's cultivation was three layers below his own, yet that Spirit Tool was incomparably troublesome.

Lin Xuan was also greatly vexed. His spiritual power was still too weak. He could only control a mid-grade Spirit Tool. Otherwise, let alone the peak-grade Spirit Tool Jade Snow Ring he had obtained from Zhang Yu, even Zhou Yan's high-grade Spirit Tool Flying Sword would have made killing his opponent no difficult task.

Both wished to put the other to death. One desperately urged the demonic tiger onward, trying to break free of its restraints, while the other struggled to control his Spirit Tool and keep the Demonic Beast's soul bound. The battle fell into a stalemate once more.

As time passed, Lin Xuan seemed to grow anxious. He scratched at his head and ears like an ant on a hot pan. Yan Tianheng sneered inwardly. His opponent truly was young and could not keep his composure. It appeared that he would be the final victor in this duel.

Another two minutes passed, and Lin Xuan reached into his robes again. Yan Tianheng's face changed. The other still had Talismans? Using mid-tier Spells while simultaneously driving the demonic tiger's soul was not impossible, but it would consume spiritual power far too quickly. If his opponent still had many Talismans...

Yet in the next moment, a savage smile appeared on his face. When Lin Xuan withdrew his hand from his robes, it was empty, and he looked somewhat flustered.

Heaven is helping me! This brat has run out of Talismans!