Separating Fire Talisman

"No wonder the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit is so precious."

Hearing Uncle Chen's words, Shen Mo finally understood.

"If that's the case, we can't let anyone else get to the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit first!"

"Uncle Chen, would you be able to come with me to Yongan Town and retrieve it?"

He had originally planned to spend the next month preparing, gather all the fire-element talismans he needed, then head to Yongan Town and kill the Silver-Patterned Two-Headed Python on his own to claim the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit.

But now, he had changed his mind.

After all, although he had coveted the top-grade Vermilion Fruit before,

he had only thought that it would be nice to get his hands on it, but if someone else took it first, so be it.

But the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit was clearly worth far more than he had expected, leaving Shen Mo impatient to get it.

Chen An shook his head and gave a wry smile. "This old body of mine can't go anywhere for now. Two months of seclusion have only temporarily suppressed the lightning poison in my body. It'll take some more time before I recover."

"Lightning poison? Uncle Chen, you're injured?"

Shen Mo froze, taken aback.

Earlier, Chen Mengze had told him that Chen An had gone into seclusion to break through.

But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

"I was indeed injured," Chen An said. "A while ago, I went to Fallen Mountain."

"I thought I might find a few treasures there, but I came away empty-handed. Worse, lightning poison invaded my body."

"I told Meng Ze I was in seclusion to break through because I didn't want her worrying about me. Don't tell her about this."

As he spoke, Chen An furrowed his brow. "That girl Meng Ze took on a mission to protect someone. She isn't in the sect right now, either."

"By my reckoning, she won't be back for at least a month."

"If you're anxious and want to retrieve the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit right away, you'll have to find someone else in the sect to help."

"However, the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit is extremely valuable. Wealth can stir the heart."

"If you want someone's help, make sure it's someone you can trust."

Hearing this, Shen Mo nodded and fell into thought.

Chen An and his daughter were probably the people Shen Mo trusted and felt closest to in this world.

Especially Chen An. Since Shen Mo's parents had once saved his life, this uncle had treated him as his own son.

He hardly needed to guard against him.

Aside from the secrets of his transmigration and the Destiny System, Shen Mo rarely kept anything else from him.

But outside of Chen An and his daughter, Shen Mo couldn't find any friends he could trust in River-Facing Sect.

Cao Ren might just about count as one, but the guy was still in seclusion, and he hadn't reached the Qi Gathering Realm. Even if Shen Mo asked him for help, there was no guarantee they would succeed.

Forget it. I'll wait a little longer.

After turning it over in his mind, Shen Mo realized he couldn't find anyone suitable to help him.

He was too unpopular.

It wasn't that he had to say he was unpopular.

It was just that, in the world of cultivation, finding a close friend one could trust was never easy.

Even blood relatives couldn't necessarily be trusted completely.

In the end, he could only rely on himself.

"I've already spoken with the Zhao Family. They shouldn't let anyone else get there first."

"Besides, even if someone discovers it, the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit isn't ripe yet."

"There's no point in rushing. I'll take my time, get the fire-element talismans I need, and make thorough preparations before heading to Yongan Town."

As Shen Mo thought it over, his restlessness gradually settled.

"Very well. There's still some time before this needs to be dealt with. I'll wait until I'm prepared, then handle it myself."

"From what you've said, that Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python is close to the second rank. How could you possibly deal with it alone?"

Chen An furrowed his brow.

"Uncle Chen, I already know the beast's weakness. For now, I only need to gather enough fire-element talismans, and I'll have a good chance of killing it by myself."

Shen Mo told Chen An that the Two-Headed Python feared fire and that its heads were its weak points. He also told him about the agreement he had made with the Zhao Family before leaving.

Of course, he didn't mention the Destiny [Monster Knower]. He only said he had learned about the beast's weaknesses from someone else.

Hearing that Shen Mo already had a plan, Chen An's brow relaxed a little. "In that case, all you need to do is go to the marketplace and buy enough fire-element talismans."

"Buying them at the marketplace would cost too much."

Shen Mo shook his head. "I plan to find the scrolls for making them and craft them myself."

First-grade talismans weren't nearly as cheap as ordinary, unranked beginner talismans.

The last time Shen Mo bought a defensive talisman from Heavenly Talisman Hall, it had cost him five Spirit Stones.

One could imagine how much more an offensive talisman would cost.

To deal with the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python, he would need to prepare at least fifteen talismans.

If he really bought them at the marketplace, the cost would exceed a hundred Spirit Stones.

Even if he sold his extra Vermilion Fruits, he wouldn't have that much on hand.

Of course, more importantly, he wanted to boost his Talisman Dao experience by crafting fire-element talismans.

If you want something done, do it yourself.

"You're going to make them yourself?" Chen An asked in surprise. "Is your talisman-making skill already good enough to craft first-grade talismans?"

He had previously sent his daughter to check on Shen Mo a few times.

He also knew that ever since Chen An had given Shen Mo the Qi Gathering Pill, Shen Mo had become much more diligent. Not only had he been practicing cultivation assiduously, he had also been experimenting with alchemy and talisman making.

But Uncle Chen clearly hadn't expected Shen Mo to have mastered the ability to craft first-grade talismans in such a short time.

"That's right. I've learned a lot from studying talisman making recently."

He nodded and admitted it.

"Hahaha! Good, good, good!" Chen An was quite excited when Shen Mo confirmed it. Stroking his beard with relief, he said, "It seems you really have transformed yourself over this past while."

"If your parents knew from beyond the grave, they'd surely be proud of you!"

Although most cultivators had some experience with talisman-making methods,

few managed to master the art and raise their skills to the level of crafting first-grade talismans.

No matter their cultivation level, such people would hold a status in the cultivation world no lower than that of an ordinary Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.

Chen An felt that seeing Shen Mo reach this point meant he had lived up to the trust of his old friend.

Shen Mo smiled without saying anything.

He hadn't just been working on talismans lately.

His alchemy skills had also reached the first-grade level.

If Uncle Chen knew, he would surely be so shocked his jaw would drop.

But Shen Mo didn't bring it up.

Separating Fire Talisman, a first-grade fire-element offensive talisman.

Materials required for crafting: Talisman-Making Yellow Paper, beast blood, Sandalwood Ink, Separating Fire Crystal.

Shen Mo held a Talisman-Making Scroll in his hand and studied it carefully.

The scroll detailed the methods and key points for crafting the first-grade fire-element talisman, the Separating Fire Talisman.

Chen An had gotten it for him.

It wasn't just the Separating Fire Talisman. After learning that Shen Mo had made considerable progress in the Talisman Dao and that he urgently needed talisman-making scrolls, Chen An had taken the initiative to find him various kinds.

Of course, aside from the Separating Fire Talisman, which was first-grade,

the other talismans were all ordinary, unranked talismans.