Remnant Talisman Attracts Evil

The blood-stained "Lu" token felt like a red-hot brand on Ying Zheng's palm, burning through Cheng Xi's nerves in the carriage.

Lu Buwei! That old dog! Just as the Human Cultivation's purge ended, he impatiently thrust out his mortal blade! A pincer attack, aiming for death!

Ying Zheng said nothing more, merely tossing the token to the Elite Guards commander beside him as if discarding filth. He mounted his horse, his Black Robes like solidified shadows in the morning light. "Clean it up. Speed up."

The convoy set off again, but the atmosphere was even more somber and murderous than before. The Elite Guards silently protected the carriage, their vigilant gazes sweeping every inch of the land on either side of the road. The air was thick with the lingering scent of blood and a chilling killing intent.

Cheng Xi leaned against the jolting carriage wall, the burning pain from the rune backlash on his chest intertwining with the soul tremors from the Human Cultivation's purge, leaving his face ashen. The Spirit Gathering Talisman hidden against his skin offered a faint coolness, and the Witch Script Wood Fragment in his palm continued to radiate a comforting aura, but it was like trying to quench a wildfire with a cup of water.

He had to recover quickly! Otherwise, before he even reached Zhongnan Mountain, the Human Cultivation's next "purification" or Lu Buwei's new assassins would easily take his life!

His consciousness sank into his mind, forcibly communicating with the System, which had fallen silent due to energy depletion.

[Energy Status: 0.15% (Slowly recovering)... Passive Scan Range: Ten Zhang... Executable Operations: Basic Analysis / Trace Deduction...]

Basic Analysis... Trace Deduction... Cheng Xi's gaze fell on the smooth, dark wood fragment in his palm. What was the origin of this fragment that had saved him from peril twice?

[Analysis Target: Unknown Wooden Medium (Contains Spatial Anchoring Witch Script)... Structural Scan... Material Identification: Jianmu Fragment (Weakly Active)... Witch Script Attributes: Spatial Coordinates (Target: Xiaohan Ancient Road · Secluded Valley)... Energy Reaction: Faint Spatial Fluctuation / Life Aura (Symbiotic Nourishment)...]

Jianmu Fragment! The legendary wood that reached the heavens! No wonder it could soothe his injuries! The spatial coordinates pointed to the depths of the Xiaohan Ancient Road? A Secluded Valley? Could it be an ancient ruin?

A spark of hope ignited in Cheng Xi's heart. But he quickly suppressed the thought. The Xiaohan Ancient Road was extremely dangerous, and he could barely protect himself right now. Exploring ruins would be no different from suicide.

Energy... He needed a more direct source of energy! His gaze involuntarily swept across a corner of the carriage – there were some "entertainment" items "thoughtfully" prepared by Zhao Gao: a few bamboo scrolls, some strangely shaped mineral stones, and... a packet wrapped in oiled paper, containing dark red cinnabar!

Cinnabar! Material for drawing talismans!

A near-insane thought exploded in Cheng Xi's mind! Since the backlash from the incomplete Spirit Gathering Formation had almost killed him, what if... he only drew the smallest, most basic Spirit-Attracting Talisman?

Malevolent energy! The battlefield had just passed, blood energy filled the forest, and resentment lingered! Wasn't this the most abundant "energy source"? Although malevolent energy was violent and ferocious, easily corrupting the mind, he had the Jianmu Fragment to protect his spirit! The System could also provide the most precise guidance!

The risk was enormous, but the reward... might be a chance to live!

A flicker of determination flashed in Cheng Xi's eyes. He struggled to sit up, grabbed the packet of cinnabar, and tore off a corner of his plain white inner lining. Dipping his fingertips into the thick, dark red cinnabar, he cast aside all distracting thoughts, sinking his entire mind into the simplest, most brutal rune structure the System had deduced, the one most likely to attract fierce malevolent energy!

The brush fell onto the plain silk!

He no longer pursued a smooth, stable stroke, but deliberately guided it into a sharp, tearing trajectory, like a dripping fanged maw! Each stroke drew upon the cooling aura from the Jianmu Fragment to protect his heart and mind, while frantically urging the System's meager 0.15% energy for the most minute trajectory corrections!

Sweat instantly soaked his clothes! The unhealed wound on his chest throbbed with knife-like pain! The thick smell of blood outside the window seemed to take on substance, transforming into countless shrill wails and venomous curses, assaulting his spirit! The Jianmu Fragment's light flickered rapidly in his palm, like a candle in the wind!

The final stroke, like a desperate roar, was drawn with force!

"Screech!"

The rune on the plain silk suddenly lit up! No longer the faint clear light of the Spirit Gathering Talisman, but a heart-stopping, blood-thick dark red! The light flickered unstably, like the gasps of a dying beast! A faint, cold, violent suction, filled with the aura of death, erupted from the center of the rune!

It worked! Although extremely unstable, this Spirit-Attracting Talisman, it worked!

Without hesitation, Cheng Xi pressed the talisman, which exuded an ominous aura, firmly onto his agonizing chest!

"Ugh—!"

It was like pressing a red-hot brand onto a wound! Unspeakable pain instantly surged through his body! Countless violent, chaotic, resentful malevolent energies, like a flood finding an outlet, rushed madly into his nearly shattered meridians, guided by the rune!

"Pfft!" Cheng Xi spat out a mouthful of black blood, his body convulsing violently, his vision instantly turning crimson! The wails of countless vengeful spirits and ghosts filled his ears! Violent, murderous, despairing negative emotions, like poisonous vines, frantically entwined his consciousness!

"Royal Brother!" Ying Zheng's furious roar came from outside the carriage, clearly having sensed the abnormal commotion within!

Just as Cheng Xi's consciousness was about to be completely submerged by the overwhelming malevolent energy!

The Jianmu Fragment clutched in his palm erupted with an unprecedented emerald green light! A cool, vast life aura, like a raging sea, slammed into his Sea of Consciousness! Forcibly suppressing and restraining the rampant crimson malevolent energy!

At the same time, the dormant System unleashed its maximum power:

[Energy Guidance! Forced Conversion! Target: Malevolent Energy → Chaos Base Point! Conversion Rate: 0.7%... Low Efficiency... Initiating Injection!]

That sliver of pure energy, forcibly restrained by the Jianmu and violently converted by the System, like timely rain after a drought, painstakingly seeped into Cheng Xi's parched, depleted meridians and Sea of Consciousness! The searing pain in his chest rapidly receded like melting ice and snow! The crimson in his eyes and the wails in his ears also faded like the tide!

Although the conversion rate was only 0.7%, and the process was as perilous as walking a tightrope, this "tamed" energy from the battlefield's malevolence had genuinely replenished his nearly depleted vital energy!

"Hoo... hoo..." Cheng Xi slumped onto the brocade cushion, as if he had just crawled back from hell, soaked and gasping for breath. His face was still pale, but his eyes shone with astonishing brilliance, carrying the sharpness of a survivor and... a trace of mad desire for power!

The carriage curtain was yanked open!

Ying Zheng's stern face appeared in the doorway, his sharp gaze like a spotlight, instantly sweeping over Cheng Xi's pale face, the residual black blood at the corner of his mouth, and... the Jianmu Fragment in his hand, still emitting a faint emerald green glow!

Ying Zheng's gaze lingered on the fragment for a moment, a barely perceptible tremor flashing in the depths of his pupils. Then, his attention fell on Cheng Xi's chest – the scorched and fragile plain silk pressed there, now devoid of light, its residual dark red rune marks emitting an extremely unsettling, cold aftertaste.

"What did you do?" Ying Zheng's voice was terrifyingly low, carrying the oppressive weight of an approaching storm. He stepped into the carriage, his dark figure instantly filling the narrow space, his icy aura almost freezing the air.

Cheng Xi gasped, meeting Ying Zheng's unfathomable eyes, which now churned with surprise and scrutiny. He managed a weak smile, his voice hoarse:

"Royal Brother... I think... I've struck gold?"