Talisman Treasure

Time flowed, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Tie had spent over half a year on the road.

As he drew closer to the Crimson Fire Nation, the surrounding temperature gradually increased, and the scenery changed significantly.

Zhang Tie had long since abandoned his horse, traveling on foot. He crossed rivers and scaled mountains, enduring hardship and sleeping under the stars. However, for a young man from a humble background like Zhang Tie, these were nothing.

Gradually, Zhang Tie felt the spiritual energy concentration becoming denser. He knew he must be close to the Crimson Fire Nation. Thus, Zhang Tie continued his journey for another three days.

One noon, after crossing a mountain peak, he gazed into the distance and saw a grand city. Zhang Tie's heart leaped with joy, and his pace quickened as he hurried towards the city.

Before long, Zhang Tie arrived not far from the city. It was the first time in his life he had seen such a magnificent city. The city walls were towering, at least twenty zhang high.

The entire city wall was constructed from massive red stones. These stones were hard and vibrantly colored, appearing like burning flames under the sunlight.

Above the city gate, the words "Violet Flame City" were inscribed in a bold, flowing calligraphy. The entire city resembled a colossal red lion, crouching and ready to pounce, exuding an imposing and majestic aura.

The red stone city walls were meticulously polished, each stone smooth and flat. The joints between the stones were masterfully crafted, leaving almost no visible gaps.

Along the city walls, an arrow tower stood tall every few dozen steps. The arrow towers featured exquisite designs with upturned eaves, surrounded by vermilion railings. The roofs were covered with golden glazed tiles, which shone with dazzling brilliance under the scorching sun, mesmerizing onlookers.

Zhang Tie wished to express his awe, but having only attended school for a year, he couldn't recall any eloquent words. He could only click his tongue, quickly walk to the city gate, and join the queue of people slowly entering Violet Flame City.

Inside the city, the red stone-paved roads were wide and flat, about ten zhang in width. Buildings lined both sides of the road, their eaves slightly curved, exuding an ancient charm, as if every brick and tile carried the profound history of Violet Flame City.

It was noon, and the sun was as scorching as flames. The marketplace was bustling with noise. The cries of vendors rose and fell, the hammering from blacksmith shops rang out powerfully, and people coming and going chatted cheerfully, creating a scene of vibrant prosperity.

Zhang Tie found an inn, requested a superior room, and ordered several delicious dishes and wine. After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he had the attendant clear the table, closed the door, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

His first priority was to open the storage bags of the white-haired elder and Elder Su. After all, they were now far away, and even if there were any mechanisms or traps within the storage bags, they likely wouldn't be detected from such a distance.

Zhang Tie first focused on Elder Su's storage bag. He quickly circulated the Five Elements Cultivation Technique, and the moment spiritual energy was generated, he immediately infused it into the storage bag, successfully opening it.

The first thing that met his eyes was a pile of low-grade spirit stones. A rough count revealed over three hundred of them.

Next were five small porcelain bottles. Zhang Tie opened them one by one and sniffed them gently. Two of the bottles contained Five Elements Pills, a common medicinal pill for Core Formation cultivators in the sect. In total, there were only three pills combined.

Following that was Elder Su's cultivation technique, titled "Golden Light Sword Art."

Even without a magic artifact in hand, one could condense spiritual power into golden sword light. This cultivation technique was quite suitable for cultivators with metal spiritual roots.

In addition, there were various personal belongings like clothing.

Then, Zhang Tie opened the white-haired elder's storage bag. As soon as he opened it, Zhang Tie involuntarily took a deep breath.

The space within this storage bag was vastly larger than his own, easily spanning ten zhang.

Inside, three shelves were neatly arranged. Beside the shelves, a mountain of low-grade spirit stones was piled up in an open area. Without needing to count, there were definitely over a thousand.

Zhang Tie's heart rate instantly accelerated. He eagerly took out the six jade boxes placed on the first shelf, which were even sealed with talismans.

Zhang Tie casually opened one, and a refreshing spiritual medicine aroma instantly filled his nostrils. He quickly closed it and reapplied the talisman.

These were definitely second-tier spirit medicine. Then, he followed suit and opened the remaining jade boxes. As expected, they were all second-tier spirit medicine.

Next, Zhang Tie took out the boxes on the second shelf. Upon opening them, he found a set of formation flags and a formation disk. It seemed to be a complete formation, and anything placed separately in a personal storage bag was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Finally, Zhang Tie took out a jade box from the last shelf. When the jade box was opened, it contained a talisman.

However, this talisman was completely different from any he had drawn before. The talisman paper was golden yellow, with an axe pattern drawn on it. At this moment, Zhang Tie's hands holding the jade box began to tremble slightly. His heart pounded like a drum, his face flushed, and his mouth felt dry.

If his guess was correct, this should be a talisman treasure he had read about in miscellaneous records.

A talisman treasure was created when a Core Formation cultivator refined their magic treasure into a talisman.

This process would destroy the magic treasure, and the resulting talisman treasure would only possess about a third of the original magic treasure's power. Furthermore, it could typically only be used nine times. After nine uses, the talisman treasure would spontaneously combust into ash.

Generally, only powerful Core Formation cultivators on the verge of death would leave such a means of self-preservation for their descendants or families. Clearly, this talisman treasure was not new; it had likely been used a few times.

Even so, Zhang Tie was still uncontrollably excited. After all, this was an attack from a Core Formation cultivator's magic treasure, and he now had an additional means of survival.

As he organized his gains from this encounter, Zhang Tie couldn't help but sigh. The spirit stones alone amounted to over two thousand. Truly, "killers wear golden belts."

Even now, at the Meridian Casting Realm, if he worked himself to death mining, it would take him over half a year to acquire so many spirit stones. It was no wonder there were so many acts of murder and robbery in the cultivation world; this was simply a shortcut to wealth.

After organizing these resources, Zhang Tie decided to stay in Violet Flame City for a period. On one hand, he wanted to seize the opportunity to refine the spirit stones he had acquired as quickly as possible to recharge the Undying Pearl. On the other hand, he needed to carefully plan his future path of cultivation.

This incident was due to his lack of caution and excessive exposure, which allowed those with ill intentions to discover him and bring about a life-threatening disaster.

Therefore, Zhang Tie vowed to be more careful and cautious in the future. He decided to seek out another sect to join for his cultivation, as it was always better to have a strong backing.

Thus, during the time he spent absorbing the spirit stones, he could inquire about the various cultivation sects in the Crimson Fire Nation and choose one that suited him.