Talisman Swords

Daoist Yan spoke with a laugh, his eyes wide and fixed on Yu Ci. Yu Ci, however, maintained his expression, as if the scene of over twenty herb gatherers lying dead, the enemy's taunts, and the might of the Nine Yang Talisman Sword could only elicit such a reaction from him.

"Good, you have courage. I was afraid you'd be a lily-livered coward who'd flee at the first sign of trouble!

The more surprised Daoist Yan was by Yu Ci's bravery, the more he wanted to shatter that "ghostly thing." Instead of attacking immediately, he took a step forward, closing the distance to Yu Ci to just two zhang. He casually swung his talisman sword and chuckled, "Why the Nine Yang Talisman Sword? I can tell you a thing or two. Heh heh, Bai Ri Mansion is stingy and petty, only offering the common Three Yang Talisman Sword to deal with us juniors. They've already got you all giddy, but they don't know that within Bai Ri Mansion, there are Six Yang Talisman Swords, Nine Yang Talisman Swords, and Pure Yang Talisman Swords, all of much higher quality!

"Of course, the latter three are never offered by Bai Ri Mansion. But no matter how cunning they are, they have to drink my foot-washing water. Ten years ago, I infiltrated the mansion and secretly learned this 'fusion refining' method. As long as there's a sufficient foundation of Three Yang Talisman Swords, I can temper and fuse them step by step, from Three Yang to Six Yang, then to Nine Yang, and finally eliminate impurities to return to Pure Yang, reaching the pinnacle.

For the past two years, I've traveled between Sky Rift Valley and Juebi City. Although it was arduous, I've achieved mastery of the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, only a hair's breadth away from the Pure Yang grade. Three times three is nine, the number of extreme Yang, and its power has reached its peak. With this sword in hand, even if you strike it lucky, gather Shrimp Whisker Grass, and exchange it for a Three Yang Talisman Sword, you won't be able to withstand a single slash from my sword!

Daoist Yan burst into laughter again. Yet, amidst his laughter, Yu Ci remained in his previous posture, neither relaxing nor panicking, and showing no particular reaction. In the vast mountain forest, only the startled wild beasts and birds responded with squawks.

The laughter abruptly ceased. Daoist Yan could no longer laugh. His round eyes narrowed unusually. He finally realized that this pale-faced young man before him was no ordinary junior to be easily scared into foolishness. If he continued to engage, not only would he find no amusement, but he might even end up frustrated after finally killing him.

"Good, good, I'll send you, you bold pale-faced youth, on your way!"

Daoist Yan spoke, taking another step forward and raising the Nine Yang Talisman Sword in his hand. He was tall and broad-shouldered. Just these movements, the surging red light from the sword, almost crossed the two zhang distance, threatening to engulf Yu Ci.

In the heatwave that washed over him, the sharp, piercing aura unique to the talisman sword reached directly for his brow. Yu Ci didn't force himself to resist. He slowly took a step back, while his left hand, which had been tucked into his sleeve, slowly closed its fingers, picking up a talisman stored on the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror.

"Hmm?" Daoist Yan sensed something and glanced towards Yu Ci's hand. He saw a large amount of misty vapor surging out from Yu Ci's sleeve. In an instant, it formed a screen of fog. Illuminated by the firelight, Yu Ci's figure flickered within the mist, becoming elusive as the light shifted.

"Trying to escape again!" he roared in anger. Daoist Yan's talisman sword slashed through the air with a whistling sound, tearing through the fog ahead and coincidentally cleaving the moving figure behind it.

As the sword light passed, Daoist Yan knew something was wrong. This was clearly an illusion. Instinctively, he turned and slashed again, but his sword met only empty air.

When he held his sword defensively and looked around, his expression turned grim. In just a few breaths, a thin layer of mist had spread across several mu of the mountain forest. This mist wasn't much of a hindrance, but it was nighttime, and there was no light in the depths of the woods. The only light source was himself, holding the sword.

He could see clearly within the area illuminated by the firelight, but beyond that range, his vision was significantly obstructed.

Yu Ci moved along the very edge of the light, seemingly about to vanish into the depths of the forest at any moment.

"Cunning pale-faced youth, but this crude illusion is useless against me!"

As this thought crossed his mind, he also felt a hint of regret: "It's a pity that I've only been forcefully breaking through for two years, and my spirit and soul still need nourishment. Some abilities can't be used freely. Otherwise, where would this brat have a chance to live?"

With this thought, Daoist Yan didn't need his eyes. He relied solely on his divine intent to perceive the situation within a ten-zhang radius, which was reflected in his mind. He quickly discovered that Yu Ci didn't seem to be trying to escape. Although his figure was intermittently visible, he remained within Daoist Yan's line of sight.

Something's wrong, this pale-faced youth is waiting for an opportunity!

He snapped out of his divine intent perception. His tall body suddenly lowered and contracted, almost hovering just above the ground. With a somersault in mid-air, he moved with the agility of a monkey leaping through trees, covering several zhang in an instant.

The moment his toes left the ground, a slight popping sound, as if burning air, whizzed past his ear. The brightness of the forest, already illuminated by the firelight, suddenly surged upwards. A searing white chain of light tore through the void, piercing through.

Even while tumbling through the air, Daoist Yan noticed the electric chain of light. His eyes seemed to be struck by the dazzling chain, leaving an indelible mark.

With a thunderous explosion, the electric light missed Daoist Yan and instead crossed the area, striking a poplar tree on the outer edge of the opposite forest, a tree about a bowl's width in diameter. The poplar tree snapped and burst into flames.

Daoist Yan landed at that moment, his heart still pounding. He straightened up and, glancing sideways at the poplar tree charred to a crisp by the lightning, his eye twitched twice. If he hadn't gradually become more proficient in using his divine intent recently, allowing him to enter that state at any time, he might have been hit by that blast and wouldn't have even known what happened.

Palm lightning! To use it so quickly, he must have some kind of jade talisman.

"The junior does have some possessions."

He forced himself to stay calm, sneering repeatedly. Unconsciously, he changed "pale-faced youth" to "junior," and then gritted his teeth, "I'd like to see if you have more talismans than I have skills!"

Without waiting to finish, he joined his index and middle fingers and drew ten curved lines in the air with lightning speed. Traces of red light, like brands or imprints, solidified in mid-air.

"Wind and fire as wheels, speed!"

A sudden gust of wind rose from flat ground, carrying a blast of heat and swirling in all directions. It scattered the thin mist that had been laid down around them. Yu Ci, on the outer edge, was lamenting his missed opportunity with the palm lightning. Seeing this, his expression immediately changed:

"Drawing qi to form talismans!"

This was true drawing qi to form talismans!

Even though he had suspected it, upon final confirmation, he couldn't help but gasp for air. This was not the trick he had played using the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror; this was the genuine ability of the fierce attacker before him.

To draw talismans in the void, without any medium, and to draw spiritual light to adhere to them, could not be achieved with mere mortal strength. It required cultivating one's body and qi to an extremely high level, and for one's spirit and soul to grow to a certain extent, possessing what is called "divided consciousness and transformed thought." From the spirit and soul, a wondrous thing is generated, called "divine intent," which is further divided into divine consciousness and divine thought. This replaces spiritual mediums like cinnabar and peach wood, summoning spiritual resonance to form truly effective talismans.

If that were the case, the fierce attacker before him must be in the Spirit 통 realm, meaning he had transcended the "Three Mortal Gates" and become one of those legendary "cultivators" with immeasurable divine abilities.

The difference in their power levels was clear!

Without the cover of the mist, Daoist Yan's eyes caught Yu Ci's trace. He turned around and sneered, "Junior, do you know how powerful I am now?"

Yu Ci pursed his lips, remaining silent.