After the white smoke dispersed, flames sprang up and burned through the middle of the talisman paper, reducing it to ashes within a few breaths.
The flames triggered the Restriction inside the cell. A faint light lit up on the wall at the end of the corridor—it was the Sensing Talisman activated when the Restriction was disturbed.
Su Yao ignored the faint light. She pressed the wound on her palm again, smearing blood onto a second sheet of talisman paper. This one was a Restriction-Breaking Talisman, specifically meant to deal with Restrictions that sealed Spirit Veins.
She pressed the Restriction-Breaking Talisman against her chest and recited the incantation. The spot where the paper touched her skin burned briefly, then the talisman turned to ash and scattered away. The spiritual power in her meridians loosened somewhat. Though it had not fully recovered, she could already use a portion of it.
"Can you move now?" Lin Taichu asked.
"A little. One layer of the Restriction sealing my Spirit Veins has been broken. There are still two layers left."
"That's enough. Can you open the lock on those iron bars?"
Su Yao shook her head.
"The locks are Dharma Artifact locks. They need spiritual power to open. I can only activate one talisman right now. Any more, and my meridians won't be able to bear it."
Lin Taichu turned to glance at the wall at the end of the corridor. The faint light was still glowing—the Sensing Talisman activated by the disturbed Restriction. The guards had probably already been alerted.
He sat upright and looked toward the end of the corridor. Before long, footsteps echoed over. This time, there was more than one person. At least four or five sets of footsteps approached the cell from down the corridor.
Lin Taichu remained against