Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman

Beyond preserving an image and visualizing it, the most important part of condensing a talisman seed was the aid of a special ritual, or a blessed land, to steady the delusions of the Daoist novices and ultimately condense the foundational talisman seed.

A ritual or blessed land was of paramount importance.

Otherwise, one careless misstep during cultivation could allow evil entities to seize the chance to enter the body.

People-Honoring Pagoda.

This was another crucial location within Qingping Daoist Temple. It stood beside the Patriarch Hall, suppressed by the lingering might of many patriarchs. Its laws were strict and its presence weighty.

When Yang Huai identified himself and requested to borrow one of the stone chambers in People-Honoring Pagoda as a cultivation room, the Daoist in charge of the pagoda did not make things difficult for him. He smoothly obtained a cultivation chamber. The only thing he was told was that every Daoist resident had one free chance to borrow a stone chamber. If he wished to continue borrowing chambers in People-Honoring Pagoda afterward, he would have to pay the corresponding price.

Yang Huai stepped down from the platform and entered the depths of People-Honoring Pagoda.

The true form of People-Honoring Pagoda was actually a hollowed-out mountain peak, carved into three levels. Each level contained numerous stone chambers, every one of which was covered in strange cloud patterns and housed portions of the patriarchs' dharma manifestations and golden bodies. Their poses varied greatly. Quite a few had three heads and six arms, blue faces and fangs, while some even possessed nonhuman forms. It was a startling sight.

The place Yang Huai chose for cultivation was a quiet stone chamber on the second level. It was not much different from the other chambers.

The interior was also exceedingly simple. There was only a meditation cushion in the center, while the surroundings were covered with many reliefs containing mysterious power. Yet under Yang Huai's perception, these reliefs emitted a reassuring strength.

After confirming that there were no issues, Yang Huai began the cultivation he had awaited for so long.

To him, this was the crucial first step. Only success could bring a future.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and preserved the image as he visualized the talismanic runes.

According to the teachings of the old Daoist master Hidden Dragon Adept—

Refining a talisman seed involved four steps: strengthening the soul, subduing delusional thoughts, gathering thoughts to form a talisman, and refining the talisman seed!

The first step, strengthening the soul, meant that a Daoist novice needed to preserve an image and visualize it, nourishing the soul. Once a certain state was reached, they could proceed to the second step and gather the many visualized runes into a complete foundational talisman. During this process, subduing delusional thoughts and gathering thoughts to form a talisman would occur simultaneously. The former was the trial; the latter, the result.

Yang Huai had chosen the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman.

If he formed this talisman in the depths of his sea of consciousness, he could ultimately refine it into a talisman seed. In the future, it would become the source of his magical power.

According to Hidden Dragon Adept, some Daoist novices with unique innate talents could actually skip the first step entirely. Their souls were naturally powerful, far surpassing those of ordinary people, so they had no need to undergo the step of strengthening the soul.

Yang Huai belonged to this category.

After his innate primary fate awakened, he had further evolved the Innate Spirit-Awakened Sword Body. The enhancements of this special physique were all concentrated in the depths of the soul within his Niwan Palace, making his soul far more powerful than even those ordinarily born with innate talents.

In the depths of his sea of consciousness, Yang Huai preserved and visualized an incomparably steadfast and yang-filled Heavenly Origin Talisman.

That talisman contained over a hundred incomparably intricate rune structures. At this moment, each rune was exceedingly fine, gradually forming rings that flowed within the talisman. The instant it took shape, it continuously drew in the soul power from the depths of Yang Huai's sea of consciousness, as well as the drifting spiritual radiance and the qi of heaven and earth from the unseen void.

As the qi and spirituality of heaven and earth were stirred, countless malicious thoughts faintly drifted from the depths of the void. Even more terrifying auras arrived across empty space, reaching straight into the depths of his soul and bringing countless illusions with them.

Rumble!!

In the depths of his sea of consciousness, Yang Huai seemed to see countless streaks of golden light transform into blades and swords, blazing suns, or thunderbolts from the heavens, all seeking to devour him and grind him utterly into dust.

The scene was incomparably real.

Qingli, suppressed beneath the Azure Mirror in the depths of Yang Huai's sea of consciousness, felt it as though it were happening to him. Watching this scene, he was terrified out of his wits and nearly fainted.

"Are these delusional thoughts?"

Beneath the golden blades and thunderous axes, Yang Huai already felt intense pain throughout his body. He had begun to suspect that this was not delusion, but reality.

Yet he had no other choice. He could only rely on the blessing of the Innate Sword Bone from his primary fate and endure with all his strength, allowing the countless golden lights, blazing suns, and thunderbolts to scorch him. He focused every shred of his mind upon the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman that was about to take shape, drawing in soul power and the qi of heaven and earth with all his might. So long as the talisman completely took root in the depths of his sea of consciousness, everything would pass.

He believed this trial could not stop him.

If even someone with a powerful fate like the Innate Sword Bone could not endure it, he found it hard to believe that other Daoist novices could.

Rumble!!

As the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman in the depths of Yang Huai's sea of consciousness further evolved and seemed to become tangible, the Innate Sword Bone fate within his sea of consciousness also cast down a ray of golden light, which merged into the depths of the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman. In an instant, its aura changed drastically, as though it had reversed from acquired to innate.

Yet the mere emergence of that trace of innate aura seemed to immediately trigger some terrifying consequence. The blazing sun and heavenly thunder evolved from the depths of the void suddenly shook violently, then vanished. Only a point of golden light remained, revealing a terrifying malicious thought from within. Carrying vast divine might, it emerged and sought to devour the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman completely.

Yang Huai, seated cross-legged, sensed that terrifying divine might and immediately felt as though he had fallen into a hell of blade mountains, about to be ground into dust in an instant.

It was as though an incomparably terrifying being of his own kind wished to crush him.

That was right—the sensation of one of his own kind.

The essence of that aura was the same kind as the essence of his Innate Sword Bone fate, but its aura was countless times stronger. It seemed innately hostile to the birth of another like itself.

Even though this counterpart was so tiny.

As Yang Huai gritted his teeth and held fast to his mind, points of golden radiance also emerged upon the walls of the neighboring stone chambers. An equally invisible divine might gathered and took shape, instantly suppressing more than ninety percent of the terrifying golden light in the depths of the void. Only a single wisp of golden light fell into the depths of Yang Huai's brow.

The patriarchs really got things done!

Sensing that the terrifying divine might in the depths of his sea of consciousness had suddenly been cut off, Yang Huai's heart stirred. He immediately accelerated the fusion of his expanded soul power into the depths of the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman. At once, an azure-gold talisman took shape in the depths of his sea of consciousness. Dense azure-gold radiance flowed over its entire body, with gold accounting for the greater part, while a smaller portion was azure treasure-light condensed from clear qi. It was resplendent and vast, carrying an air of something born innate.

The moment this Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman formed, a ray of golden light spread forth, completely suppressing the golden aftershocks sweeping through the depths of his sea of consciousness. It also formed a golden vortex that slowly devoured the suppressed golden light clean.

Golden light once more evolved across the surface of the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman, and the entire talisman became almost solid.

"Success!"

Yang Huai felt the weight in his heart lift. The endless delusional thoughts that had arisen in the depths of his sea of consciousness completely dispersed as the might of the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman first revealed itself.

He had completed the second step, subduing delusional thoughts, and the third step, gathering thoughts to form a talisman.

Only the fourth step remained: refining the talisman seed.

However, this step no longer held any barrier. He merely needed time to continuously accumulate the power of heaven and earth, and he would be able to refine the talisman seed and establish his foundation.

"Is this the beginning of the extraordinary?"

Yang Huai felt exceptionally good. Through the Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman in the depths of his sea of consciousness, he had gained some ability to influence—or perhaps control—a portion of the power of heaven and earth.

This power was scattered, however, and seemed very weak.

But so long as he continued striving, one day this power would grow, until he possessed strength equal to those divine beings in the depths of the wilderness.

This was the foundation.

No wonder it draws such hatred from evil entities, even those terrifying existences. This is digging up their roots!

Yang Huai was delighted, but he quickly forced down that joy.

Foundation Establishment was only the first step. To fulfill Qingli's wish, he still had to strive to refine the talisman seed as soon as possible, and even advance further in the kitchen, earning a status like those fireworker Daoists.

As one of the many divisions of the Daoist temple, the kitchen also possessed its own unique inheritance—and it was quite profound. Otherwise, it could not have monopolized a division with so much profit and oil.

He was equally eager for those spells with peculiar might!