Talisman Treasure

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Tie had spent more than half a year traveling.

As he drew closer to the Crimson Fire Nation, the temperature around him gradually rose, and the scenery changed dramatically as well.

Zhang Tie had long since abandoned his horse and traveled on foot. He crossed rivers when he encountered them and climbed mountains when they blocked his way. He slept rough and ate whatever he could along the road, enduring no small amount of hardship, but for a youth like Zhang Tie, who came from a poor family, it was nothing worth mentioning.

Gradually, Zhang Tie could clearly sense the Spiritual Qi growing denser and denser. He knew that the Crimson Fire Nation could not be far away. With that, Zhang Tie continued onward for another three days.

At noon that day, he had just crossed a mountain peak when he looked into the distance and spotted a city of considerable scale. Zhang Tie was overjoyed, and his pace quickened as he hurried toward it.

Before long, Zhang Tie arrived near the city. It was the first time in his life that he had seen such a majestic city. Its walls towered high, at least twenty zhang tall.

The entire city wall had been built from massive red stones. The stones were hard in texture and vivid in color, and beneath the sunlight, they resembled blazing flames.

Above the city gate, the three large characters "Violet Flame City" were written in a bold, vigorous hand. The entire city resembled a crimson lion crouched low and ready to hunt, imposing and magnificent.

Every stone in the red-stone city wall had been carefully polished until it was smooth and even. The joints between the stones were exquisitely fitted, with scarcely a crack to be found.

Along the top of the wall, a towering arrow tower stood every few dozen paces. The towers featured elegant upturned eaves, surrounded by vermilion railings, with golden glazed tiles covering their roofs. Under the blazing sun, they shone with dazzling brilliance, enough to leave one spellbound.

Zhang Tie had wanted to marvel at it all, but having attended school for only a year, he wracked his brains and still could not think of any refined words. He could only smack his lips, quickly walk beneath the walls, and follow the queue into Purple Sun City.

Inside the city, roads paved with red stone were broad and level, roughly ten zhang wide. Buildings lined both sides of the street, their blue-tiled eaves curving slightly upward with an ancient charm, as though every brick and tile carried the weight of Violet Flame City's long history.

It was noon, and the sunlight blazed like fire. The marketplace was exceptionally lively. Vendors' cries rose and fell, the hammering from blacksmith shops rang out sharp and strong, and passersby chatted and laughed. It was a scene of bustling prosperity.

Zhang Tie found an inn, rented a superior room, and ordered several tasty dishes along with wine. After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he had the waiter clear the table and shut the door, then sat cross-legged on the bed.

The first thing he needed to do was open the Storage Pouches belonging to the white-haired old man and Elder Su. After all, they were now far apart. Even if the pouches contained some mechanism or trap, it should not be possible for anyone to notice from such a great distance.

Zhang Tie first turned his attention to Elder Su's Storage Pouch. He swiftly circulated the Five Elements Cultivation Technique, and the instant it produced Spiritual Qi, he injected it into the pouch and opened it smoothly.

The first thing that met his eyes was a pile of Low-grade Spirit Stones. A rough count showed there were more than three hundred.

Next came five small porcelain bottles. Zhang Tie opened them one by one and gave them a light sniff. Two of them contained Five Elements Pills, medicinal pills commonly used by Foundation Establishment cultivators in sects. The two bottles together contained only three pills.

After that came the cultivation technique Elder Su practiced, a manual called the "Golden Light Sword Art."

Even without a magical artifact in hand, one could condense spiritual power into golden sword light. This technique was quite suitable for cultivators with metal-type Spiritual Roots.

If you enjoyed this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

There were also miscellaneous personal belongings such as clothing.

Zhang Tie then opened the white-haired old man's Storage Pouch. The moment it opened, he could not help drawing a deep breath.

The space inside this Storage Pouch was far larger than his own, at least ten zhang across.

Three shelves had been arranged neatly inside. On an empty patch of ground beside them lay a small mountain of Low-grade Spirit Stones. There was no need to count them closely; there were definitely more than a thousand.

Zhang Tie's heartbeat immediately quickened. He eagerly took out the six jade boxes placed on the first shelf. Talisman seals had even been pasted onto them.

Zhang Tie casually opened one, and a refreshing fragrance of spiritual medicine instantly rushed into his nose. He quickly closed it and reapplied the talisman seal.

These had to be second-tier spiritual herbs. He then opened the remaining jade boxes in the same manner. As expected, every one of them contained second-tier spiritual herbs.

Next, Zhang Tie took out the box from the second shelf. After opening it, he found a set of formation flags and a formation plate inside. This was undoubtedly a formation. Since it had been stored separately in a personal Storage Pouch, it was certainly no ordinary item.

Lastly, Zhang Tie removed a jade box from the final shelf. When he opened it, he found a talisman inside.

This talisman was completely different from those he had drawn before. Its talisman paper was golden yellow, with the image of an axe drawn upon it. At that moment, Zhang Tie's hands holding the jade box began to tremble slightly. His heart pounded like a drum, his face flushed red, and his mouth went dry.

If his guess was correct, this should be the Talisman Treasure he had once read about in a collection of miscellaneous records.

A Talisman Treasure was created when a Core Formation cultivator refined one of his magical treasures into a talisman.

In doing so, the magical treasure itself would naturally be destroyed, while the resulting Talisman Treasure retained only one-third of the original treasure's power. Moreover, it could generally only be used nine times. After the ninth use, it would spontaneously burn into ash.

Generally speaking, only Core Formation masters nearing the end of their lives would use such a method to leave behind means of self-protection for their descendants or clans. Clearly, this Talisman Treasure was not new and had likely already been used several times.

Even so, Zhang Tie was still too excited to contain himself. After all, this was an attack from a Core Formation cultivator's magical treasure. He now had another means of saving his life in the future.

As he sorted through his gains, Zhang Tie could not help sighing. There were more than two thousand Spirit Stones alone. Murder and robbery really were the fastest way to get rich.

Even at the Meridian Casting Realm, if he risked his life mining, it would still take him more than half a year to dig up that many Spirit Stones. No wonder the Immortal Cultivation World had so many schemes of murder and theft. This was practically a shortcut to wealth.

After organizing these resources, Zhang Tie decided to remain in Violet Flame City for a while. On one hand, he needed to refine the Spirit Stones he had obtained as quickly as possible and charge the Undying Pearl. On the other, he needed to properly plan his future path of Immortal Cultivation.

This time, he had not acted cautiously enough and had exposed too many flaws, allowing those with ulterior motives to notice him and bring about a deadly disaster.

Therefore, Zhang Tie would be even more careful in the future. He decided to seek out another sect and join it for cultivation. After all, it was easier to enjoy the shade beneath a large tree.

Thus, while absorbing Spirit Stones, he could also inquire about the various Immortal Cultivation sects of the Crimson Fire Nation and choose one suitable for himself to join.