Talisman Fragments Stir

The broken temple was deathly silent, filled only with the echo of his own heavy breathing among the empty beams and pillars. Li Yuan lay there for a full half an hour before the hollow weakness that seemed to have drained his very organs finally receded a little, allowing some strength to return to his limbs.

He struggled into a sitting position, leaning against the clay statue as he examined his injuries. The wounds to his skin and flesh had closed and scabbed over under the nourishment of his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood, leaving crisscrossing dark-red scars like an eerie web. The real trouble lay in his internal organs and meridians. The Body-Burning Fire and Curse-Binding Power had battered them back and forth, leaving behind many hidden injuries. Whenever his qi and blood circulated, he could still feel faint prickling pain and sluggish resistance.

"I need to get some medicine for my injuries..." he muttered, his voice terribly hoarse. Relying on qi and blood alone to endure it would be too slow, and it could easily leave lasting trouble.

He reached into his robes, intending to see whether he had anything left that could be traded for money. The first thing his fingers touched was several sheets of icy, slick thin skin—the talisman fragments he had taken from the Netherworld Cult members.

He pulled them out and spread them over the dust-covered floor. There were three in all. Two had been found on ordinary cult members; their runes were relatively simple, and their aura was weak. The other had been taken from the deacon's robes. Its runes were intricate and twisted, with a sinister, menacing eye design at its center.

He had only inspected them roughly before. Now that he had calmed down, his gaze settled once more upon that most complex talisman fragment.

Having gone through a life-and-death battle with the deacon, personally endured and ultimately refined the formidable Cursed Bone Spikes, his perception and understanding of the Netherworld Cult's cold, sinister curse power had already become entirely different.

Rather than looking with his eyes, he slowly closed them and carefully extended an extremely fine thread of Mental Power, mixed with a wisp of newly born Crimson Sun Qi and Blood bearing icy properties, toward the talisman fragment.

This time, there was no crude collision.

That thread of qi and blood, fused with the traits of curse power, was like a disguised infiltrator bearing an aura from the same source as it silently drew close to the runes.

There was no fierce resistance as he had expected.

The twisted lines on the talisman seemed to come alive, wriggling faintly. A will clearer than before, yet also more chaotic and sinister, slowly flowed into Li Yuan's perception along that thread of qi and blood.

No longer were they merely maddened ravings, but fragmented images and blurred information:

A vast underground space shrouded in gray mist... countless twisted figures kneeling upon the ground, chanting... at the center, what seemed to be an immense dark vortex pulsing like a heart... required... positioning... guidance... blood sacrifice...

And the strongest intent transmitted by the talisman fragment in his hand was a clear directional indication, along with a craving for a... "vessel."

Li Yuan abruptly severed the connection and opened his eyes, his pupils contracting slightly.

Underground space... immense vortex... positioning... blood sacrifice!

This talisman fragment truly was a key token in some large-scale ritual! It was most likely used to guide a location, or serve as some kind of energy carrier! The deacon's appearance in Black Mountain Forest with it had definitely not been a coincidence!

He lowered his head and looked at the seemingly unremarkable scrap of skin, his heart beginning to beat faster.

The Netherworld Cult truly was plotting some colossal scheme! Black Mountain Forest—or rather, Black Mountain Forest Underground—was likely the place they had chosen!

And that craving for a "vessel"... He recalled how he had once been planted with the Yin Sha Curse, made into a sacrifice for the "Ancestral Spirit." Was there a connection between the two? The Li Family's collusion with the Netherworld Cult was likely far deeper than he had imagined!

He carefully put away the three talisman fragments and hid them close to his body. These things were scalding hot potatoes, but they were also vital clues and... possible bait.

He searched around a while longer and found only a few pieces of broken silver, along with several pitch-black fragments he could not investigate. The money was enough to buy the most basic injury medicine, but it was nowhere near enough for a swift recovery.

Bracing himself on his knees, he slowly rose to his feet. His body was still heavy, and his internal organs still throbbed faintly with pain, but his eyes were as sharp as blades.

He had to obtain better healing resources as quickly as possible, and... begin taking the initiative.

Passively waiting for the Li Family and the Netherworld Cult to come knocking was too stupid. He needed intelligence. He needed to understand the Netherworld Cult's exact activities in Black Mountain Forest. He needed to know where exactly their "Sacred Sacrifice" was being held!

He glanced outside the temple. The sky was still overcast. After getting his bearings, he set off toward Black Mountain City.

His steps were far steadier than when he had come.

This time, he was no longer merely the hunted "Black Mountain Fiend Star."

In his hand, he held a spike pointed straight at the enemy's heart.

The disturbance in the talisman fragment was like lightning tearing through the fog. It had allowed him to see part of the truth ahead, and made him understand that the coming struggle would be even crueler, and even more... direct.

He licked his still-chapped lips, feeling the Crimson Sun within him, ever more condensed after enduring the agony of the Body-Burning Fire, as well as that icy edge within his qi and blood.

It was time to hunt in a different way.