A look of reminiscence flashed through Cang Wu's eyes. After a long while, he let out a faint sigh.
His gaze fell on Lin Dong again. Cang Wu raised a hand and beckoned, and Lin Dong's Life Spirit Talisman flew over.
In the next moment, Lin Dong and Little Marten both widened their eyes. The runes on the Life Spirit Talisman had begun to writhe.
Then, one fork after another appeared in the not-so-complicated runes. As each fork appeared, the runes on the Life Spirit Talisman became increasingly profound and intricate.
"Th-this, this..."
Little Marten could only repeat the same word in shock. His eyes, no bigger than mung beans, looked ready to swell into red beans. He was green with envy.
Everyone knew that a talisman master's Life Spirit Talisman was called that because it was cultivated entirely by the talisman master himself. It was closely bound to his life, and switching to another Seal Condensation Method later would be exceedingly difficult.
Yet now, someone had improved Lin Dong's Life Spirit Talisman with nothing more than a casual gesture. Was this the incredible opportunity bestowed by an unparalleled ancient powerhouse? It was simply too enviable!
In just a short while, Lin Dong's Life Spirit Talisman had become almost unrecognizable. Compared with before, it was incomparably more profound.
"Here. Though this spirit talisman can't compare to the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, it still possesses a third of its power. Now, you little brat won't try to make a move against me again, will you?"
Cang Wu tossed the Life Spirit Talisman back to Lin Dong and said with a chuckle. His voice carried a hint of weariness.
He had only just awakened from his slumber. Having burned his Reincarnation, he was already incredibly weak, and he was only a remnant soul. Bestowing this opportunity on Lin Dong had already pushed him to his limit.
He had managed to do this much only because, at the very last moment, Cang Wu had forced himself to take that final step, successfully breaking through the Divine Palace Realm in soul cultivation.
Lin Dong, teased to his face by Cang Wu, scratched his head sheepishly. But when he noticed the fatigue in Cang Wu's voice, he was startled and hurriedly asked, "Senior Cang Wu, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. This remnant soul of mine is simply too weak. I'll need to recuperate slowly."
Cang Wu chuckled, but his words left Little Marten stunned. He stared blankly at Cang Wu, his shock coming in bursts. "Huh? You're only a remnant soul?"
"Do you think that just because I'm only a remnant soul, I'm easy to bully?"
Faced with Cang Wu's teasing, Little Marten waved his paws and shook his head, hastily smiling ingratiatingly. "I wouldn't dare! How could I offend you, Senior? I was just surprised that even your remnant soul possesses such power. What must you have been like at your full strength?"
"At my full strength, I could have killed eight or ten thousand of you with a glance. But killing eight or nine hundred would still have been no problem."
Little Marten stiffened at that, then gave an awkward laugh. Lin Dong, standing nearby, felt rather vindicated. That little Marten had acted so high and mighty in front of him before—serves him right!
After joking around, Cang Wu couldn't help letting out another sigh. He said with regret, "At the height of my strength, I was probably second only to my master. It's a pity I didn't break through until the very last moment."
Lin Dong nodded as if he understood, though he didn't really. He could only think that Senior Lord of Devourment was truly formidable, just as one would expect of an unparalleled powerhouse from ancient times.
But the more Little Marten heard, the more shocked he became. He had thought he already held the renowned Lord of Devourment in high regard. Now, though, he realized he had probably still underestimated him!
"By then, the great battle was already over, and I was gravely wounded. Even after breaking through, all I could do was burn my Reincarnation and use my final strength to send as many people as possible into Reincarnation."
Cang Wu's voice held a note of regret. If he had broken through earlier, the outcome of that great battle between heaven and earth could have been changed.
Although the system hadn't helped Cang Wu much after he transmigrated, it had given him an extraordinary talent for combat. At the same realm, he could bring out one hundred percent of his strength.
It was because of this talent that, when the Symbol Ancestor took him as a disciple, Cang Wu chose the Devouring Ancestral Talisman—the first of the Eight Great Ancestral Talismans to appear, and the most mysterious and overbearing of them all.
In that final battle, when the Symbol Ancestor burned his Reincarnation to seal the Demon Empress and used his remaining power to send his junior sister into Reincarnation, Cang Wu single-handedly held off the four powerhouses—the Heavenly King Hall, the Second King's Hall, the Third King's Hall, and the Great Heavenly Demon King—allowing him to protect the Ice Master and help her successfully enter Reincarnation.
It was in that final battle that Cang Wu finally took that step. He managed to gravely wound all four of them. Though the three kings escaped, they were still badly injured, and he managed to leave the Great Heavenly Demon King behind.
Of course, after the four top powerhouses of the Demon Race fought with everything they had, Cang Wu was also gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
Just as Cang Wu began to consider whether he should enter Reincarnation and gamble on that sliver of possibility, or burn his Reincarnation to send the others off, the system suddenly awakened.
The system collapsed because of the invasion of Space-Time Power, and could only send Cang Wu's soul through time and space to a point ten thousand years later.
Cang Wu naturally didn't hesitate any longer. He burned his Reincarnation on the spot. Having already entered the Divine Palace Realm, the power he unleashed was enough to send even more people into Reincarnation.
In the end, the system managed to keep his remnant soul alive and send it away. But because only his remnant soul remained, the system could only place him inside the Ancestral Stone, where the stone's power could slowly nourish it.
It could be said that without that final breakthrough, Cang Wu's soul would have dissipated long ago as he fought desperately to save people. After all, burning one's Reincarnation was no different from having one's soul scattered. Breaking through to the Divine Palace Realm had given him just enough strength to hold on.
Though Cang Wu had said only a few words, Lin Dong was stirred to the depths of his soul. His eyes were filled with reverence.
Little Marten's brows furrowed. Hearing Cang Wu speak of ancient times, he couldn't help asking curiously, "Senior, what exactly happened in ancient times?"
"I'll tell you about that another time. Or, if you get the chance, you can ask your ancestor."
Cang Wu chuckled but didn't reveal much more. Little Marten and Lin Dong were far too weak to know about these things yet. If others found out that they knew, it could easily bring them trouble.
"Brat, remember this: never reveal that you possess the Ancestral Stone. Otherwise, this Little Sky Demon Sable is a cautionary tale. If I hadn't saved his life back then, his demon spirit would probably be gone by now."
"The Ancestral Stone? Do you mean this mysterious stone talisman?"
Lin Dong froze for a moment before he understood. Cang Wu nodded lightly.
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