Condensing a Natal Celestial Talisman

The Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd trembled slightly, as if it were answering the demonic beast depicted on the rock wall.

Long Jiuyyao touched the beast carved into the wall. At his touch, he suddenly sensed a faint suction emanating from the Crimson Dragon depicted there. It seemed to be drawing the spiritual energy from his Mud Pill Palace.

The sudden turn of events caught Long Jiuyyao off guard. Before he could resist, his Mud Pill Palace underwent a change of its own, and the countless strands of spiritual energy within it surged madly into the Golden Dragon Pattern.

This was the first time Long Jiuyyao had sensed the mysterious rune in his Mud Pill Palace. Its aura matched that of the Ancestral Talisman preserved in the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd, which astonished him.

Having read the original story extensively, he naturally knew that eight Ancestral Talismans had been born between heaven and earth. Yet the mysterious rune in his Mud Pill Palace was an unknown ninth Ancestral Talisman.

But Long Jiuyyao could also sense that it was merely the embryonic form of a Newborn Ancestral Rune, not a true Ancestral Talisman. Transforming it into one would be no less difficult than achieving Reincarnation.

The moment the mysterious rune appeared, the strange suction around Long Jiuyyao vanished.

Yet the Ancestral Rune's embryonic form greedily devoured the spiritual energy in Long Jiuyyao's Mud Pill Palace, steadily draining it away.

Long Jiuyyao knew he couldn't let it keep devouring his spiritual energy unchecked. He had yet to condense his Natal Talisman Seal, and his reserves were limited. If they were completely consumed, he would be in mortal danger.

He had only one option: use the Ancestral Rune's embryonic form to forcefully form a seal, become a One-Seal Talisman Master, and gain control over the not-yet-formed Newborn Ancestral Rune.

Long Jiuyyao sat cross-legged and formed a hand seal. Having been born into the Dragon Clan, he knew many methods for condensing a seal, each with its own process.

Under Long Jiuyyao's control, the remaining spiritual energy in his Mud Pill Palace slowly resisted the Ancestral Rune's devouring, then began to circle around it.

"Whoosh..."

As the spiritual energy in his Mud Pill Palace revolved, wearing down the Ancestral Rune's power, a strange sound echoed through Long Jiuyyao's mind.

Long Jiuyyao's expression was grave. This was his first attempt to condense a Natal Talisman Seal, and he was also trying to control an Ancestral Rune. The difficulty was obvious; this was not something he could accomplish in a single day.

Long Jiuyyao was prepared to fight it to the bitter end.

As the spiritual energy spun faster, fine cracks began to appear in the Golden Dragon Pattern at the center.

A day passed. The once-intact Golden Dragon Pattern had been reduced to fragments, as if the slightest pressure from Long Jiuyyao would make it collapse completely.

And that was exactly what happened. Long Jiuyyao's spiritual energy cleaved into the shattered Golden Dragon Pattern like a blade, eventually wearing it away entirely.

But as the Golden Dragon Pattern broke apart, a colorless, violent tornado was revealed inside Long Jiuyyao's Mud Pill Palace.

Countless tiny golden fragments merged with his spiritual energy, causing its strength to surge by more than a hundredfold.

The sudden surge put even greater strain on Long Jiuyyao's already fragile Mud Pill Palace, leaving it on the verge of collapse.

It was like trying to force a basin of water into a vessel that could only hold a bowlful. The vessel would simply burst.

Long Jiuyyao realized that the Golden Dragon Pattern had not been the Ancestral Rune's true essence, but a membrane protecting it. Now that he had destroyed the membrane, the Ancestral Rune had been revealed—and freed from its restraints.

His spiritual energy kept growing, while his Mud Pill Palace teetered on the brink of shattering.

Long Jiuyyao had no way to stop his spiritual energy from surging, but he knew how to deal with the excess: let the Ancestral Rune wear it down and devour it.

He guided the surging spiritual energy toward the colorless tornado, which was about the size of a palm and sat in the center of his Mud Pill Palace. Long Jiuyyao couldn't control so much spiritual energy all at once, so he could only direct it bit by bit into the tornado.

The colorless tornado was like a bottomless black hole, constantly wearing down and devouring Long Jiuyyao's excess spiritual energy. At last, his Mud Pill Palace stopped expanding uncontrollably.

Long Jiuyyao knew that after the Ancestral Rune's membrane had forcibly expanded it, his Mud Pill Palace was now much larger than those of Three-Seal Talisman Masters.

As his spiritual energy continued to surge, the golden fragments were gradually consumed and disappeared. Meanwhile, the colorless tornado devoured and absorbed the energy, keeping it within the capacity of his Mud Pill Palace.

Freed from the Ancestral Rune's membrane, the Newborn Ancestral Rune was like a baby just brought into the world, making Long Jiuyyao's Mud Pill Palace its home.

When his spiritual energy stopped growing, the Gale Ancestral Rune stopped devouring it as well. Long Jiuyyao knew the moment had come.

Talisman Masters used spiritual energy to condense Natal Talismans, which came in countless varieties and ranks.

But the most powerful things in the world were the Ancestral Talismans. And now, there was a Newborn Ancestral Rune in Long Jiuyyao's Mud Pill Palace. He wanted to use it as a model to condense a Natal Celestial Talisman.

"Condense!"

Long Jiuyyao steadied his mind and let out a low cry. Knowing this was the best moment to condense the seal, he quickly compressed the saturated spiritual vortex with all his might.

"Vmmm!"

As the spiritual vortex was compressed to its limit, a buzzing sound filled Long Jiuyyao's Mud Pill Palace. The vortex, which had calmed down, suddenly grew violent once more.

Long Jiuyyao's expression grew exceptionally grave. He knew this was the most crucial moment in condensing a Natal Celestial Talisman. He couldn't afford to make a mistake now!

"Condense for me!"

He took a deep breath and roared. A powerful wave of spiritual energy suddenly spread from his mind, while the colorless tornado in his Mud Pill Palace released a wisp of its essence, which fused with the spiritual energy.

The colorless tornado dimmed after releasing a wisp of the Ancestral Rune's essence. Since it was still a young Ancestral Rune, even a single wisp of its essence was precious.

As the spiritual vortex fused with the Gale Ancestral Rune's essence, a blurry Natal Celestial Talisman, about the size of two fingers, flickered into view inside his Mud Pill Palace.

The formed rune looked especially dim and indistinct. On closer inspection, it resembled a tornado quietly taking shape.

"Whew..."

When the tornado-like rune took shape, Long Jiuyyao opened his eyes. The instant they did, he could clearly sense every movement inside the entire Stone House. He could even sense the patterns carved into the rock wall.

Long Jiuyyao examined the Natal Celestial Talisman in his Mud Pill Palace. It hovered there, but looked far too indistinct and dim. He would need to temper it for a long time before it could be considered fully solidified.

"One-Seal Talisman Master."

Looking at the Natal Celestial Talisman in his Mud Pill Palace, Long Jiuyyao couldn't help smiling. From that moment on, he could be considered a proper One-Seal Talisman Master. Unlike most, however, his spiritual energy capacity was at least on par with that of a Three-Seal Talisman Master.

His combat strength was on par with a Three-Seal Talisman Master's as well. Those who condensed a Natal Celestial Talisman could wield the power of heaven and earth.

By the time Long Jiuyyao condensed his Natal Celestial Talisman, more than half of the seven days had already passed. Only three days remained.

Long Jiuyyao had not gained control of the Gale Ancestral Rune. First, it had just lost a wisp of its essence and was not suited to being refined yet. He planned to find a place rich in wind energy in the Dragon Domain and let it grow there.

Second, using the Gale Ancestral Rune as a model to condense his Natal Celestial Talisman allowed him to control the Gale Force within ten zhang of himself. That range would increase as his spiritual energy improved, and it was enough for now.

Long Jiuyyao put aside the thoughts stirring in his mind and turned toward the rock wall in front of the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd. This time, he did not touch it with his body. Instead, he summoned the Natal Celestial Talisman from his Mud Pill Palace.

The instant the Natal Celestial Talisman appeared, a gentle breeze swept through the room. Carefully controlling it, Long Jiuyyao sent it toward the Crimson Dragon on the rock wall.

"Vmmm!"

Under Long Jiuyyao's tense gaze, the Natal Celestial Talisman drew closer to the Crimson Dragon. When the gap between them narrowed to a mere zhang, the talisman suddenly trembled, and the spiritual energy in Long Jiuyyao's Mud Pill Palace was forcibly drawn away, then absorbed into the wall.

The sudden change startled Long Jiuyyao. He hurriedly tried to recall his Natal Celestial Talisman, only to discover in shock that he had lost control of it.

In just a few breaths, flames appeared on the Crimson Dragon depicted on the wall. Under Long Jiuyyao's astonished gaze, it leaped out of the stone and circled above his head.

As the Crimson Dragon came to life, the Dragon Halberd in the distance instantly flew in front of it. A hole in the halberd's shaft glowed red.