A Sudden Turn of Events: The Cause of the Great Battle
Wang Mengde was thinking about it.
A slight fluctuation of spiritual energy suddenly came from outside the quiet room.
Someone was gently tapping on the Light Barrier of the guardhouse.
Wang Mengde stood up and walked out of the quiet room.
He could see the appearance of the person who came through the transparent protective light barrier.
A tall woman was standing outside the light screen.
She was dressed in a smart, light blue outfit, cinched tightly at the waist, which accentuated her slender waist and long legs.
Her long, black hair was tied high in a ponytail, revealing a face with distinct features. Her eyebrows were arched upwards, her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, her nose was straight, and her thin lips were slightly pursed. She exuded a heroic air.
It's not the kind of delicate, fragile beauty, but a sharp, edgy kind of beauty that makes people hesitant to approach.
Beautiful and cool.
Zhao Hongying.
Wang Mengde's gaze lingered on her for a moment.
Perhaps it was because the intense heat accumulating within his spiritual energy was growing stronger that a hint of heat involuntarily welled up in his eyes.
The intense heat came quickly and fiercely, like a fire burning up from his Dantian, making his throat dry.
But he quickly suppressed the impulse.
Lesser Celestial Circuit took a deep breath and circulated his spiritual energy throughout his body, forcibly suppressing the burning sensation.
He waved his hand, and the protective Light Barrier around the courtyard silently cracked open.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, please come in."
He welcomed Zhao Hongying in, led her to the reception room, and poured her a cup of spiritual tea.
After Zhao Hongying sat down, she didn't rush to drink tea, but instead looked Wang Mengde up and down.
There was scrutiny, curiosity, and a hint of something else in that gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Wang Mengde asked.
Zhao Hongying's lips curled slightly, revealing a half-smile, "I never expected that you would sneak off to Azure Cliff Island and manage to win Shen Qingyue over."
Wang Mengde paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
Zhao Hongying continued, "Recently, Qingxue has been cursing you every day, calling you a beast."
Wang Mengde said calmly, "Qingyue and I are mutually in love."
Zhao Hongying rolled her eyes, too lazy to continue arguing about the topic.
Wang Mengde refilled her tea and asked bluntly, "Did you come today to give me the method of drawing Talisman and related insights?"
Zhao Hongying nodded and patted the Storage Bag.
Six Jade Slip and six booklets flew out of the bag and floated neatly on the table in front of the two people.
The Jade Slip was smooth and lustrous, radiating a faint spiritual light.
The booklet was written on the finest spirit paper, and the handwriting on the cover was neat and tidy, clearly indicating that it had been carefully copied.
Wang Mengde's gaze swept over the Jade Slip and booklets one by one, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
Ye Wuhen had set up a spirit array near Rosy Cloud Island to lure him into a trap.
Then let him wait.
He took this opportunity to calm down and study the method of drawing Talisman.
With his Heaven Rewards Diligence Fate, as long as he is willing to work hard, he could become a second-tier or even third-tier talisman master in just a few years.
"I was originally planning to gather all these things for you as soon as possible," Zhao Hongying said, taking a sip of her tea. "But I went to the Ten-Thousand Grotto Demon Lair earlier, which delayed me a bit."
A hint of curiosity flashed in Wang Mengde's eyes. "How's the situation over there? Have they found that top-quality contracted spirit beast?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongying's expression instantly turned serious.
She put down her teacup, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Found him. He was caught yesterday."
Wang Mengde raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Who got it?"
"It was obtained by True Person Scarlet Refinement, who was at the Peak Foundation Establishment of our Evergreen Sect."
"Scarlet Refinement True Person?" Wang Mengde was slightly taken aback. "That's a veteran Foundation Establishment True Person of the Evergreen Sect, said to have reached the Peak Foundation Establishment fifty years ago."
"It is him." Zhao Hongying nodded.
Wang Mengde sincerely praised, "Truly impressive."
After Wang Mengde finished speaking, he noticed that Zhao Hongying's face was grave, her brows were furrowed, and her grip on the teacup had tightened.
"What's wrong?" Wang Mengde noticed something was amiss and asked with a frown.
Zhao Hongying took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "It is said that when True Person Scarlet Refinement was snatching the Ink Dragon cub, he killed the only son of the Golden Sun Sect Master."
Wang Mengde's smile froze instantly.
He suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhao Hongying, his pupils slightly contracting.
The Golden Sun Sect is a powerful figure, Golden Core cultivator.
In the entire sea area, Golden Core cultivators are at the very top; a single stomp of their foot can cause the sea surface within a radius of a thousand miles to churn.
The killing of the only son of Dao of Alchemy Daoist Master—this matter...
That's incredible!
"The sect leader of the Golden Sun Sect seems to be Golden Core expert." Wang Mengde's voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels. "He killed the only son of Dao of Alchemy Lord, this—"
"The Golden Sun Sect has sent an ultimatum," Zhao Hongying said gravely, "Demanding that the Evergreen Sect hand over the Scarlet Refinement True Person, in exchange for his life."
Wang Mengde paused for a moment, then asked, "What did the sect say?"
"How could the sect leader hand over the sect's Foundation Establishment True Person?" Zhao Hongying shook her head. "True Person Scarlet Refinement is an elder of the Evergreen Sect, with Peak Foundation Establishment level, and holds a very high position in the sect."
Moreover, how could the sect leader possibly hand over the sect's Foundation Establishment True Person to the Golden Sun Sect to dispose of at will?
Wouldn't that be tantamount to throwing the sect's face on the ground and trampling it?
Wang Mengde remained silent for a moment.
Zhao Hongying took a deep breath. "Therefore, the two sects might go to war because of this."
Wang Mengde felt a slight chill run down his spine.
The Evergreen Sect and the Golden Sun Sect are the two largest overlords in this sea area.
The two sects have been locked in a standoff for hundreds of years. Although there have been constant frictions and small-scale conflicts, a large-scale sect war has never broken out.
The two sides are evenly matched, and neither side is entirely confident of defeating the other, so a delicate balance has been maintained.
Now that True Person Scarlet Refinement killed the only son of the Golden Sun Sect Master, this balance is restored.
It seems that this is about to be broken.
If the two factions were to fight, this sea area would be far from peaceful.
"Is the news confirmed?" Wang Mengde put down his teacup, his voice steady.
"It's pretty much true." Zhao Hongying nodded. "The news has already spread within the Evergreen Sect, and many disciples who were traveling outside have been summoned back to the sect."
Wang Mengde said, "I hope nothing bad has happened."
"I hope nothing's wrong." Zhao Hongying nodded, then put down her teacup and looked at Wang Mengde: "Let's get down to business. The method of drawing Talisman cannot be easily passed on. The Spirit Stone you gave me are only enough to buy one set."
She extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table.
"You must swear that you will not pass on these Talisman- drawing methods to anyone in any form."
Wang Mengde nodded.
He understands this rule.
The method of drawing Talisman was extremely expensive.
If you can get a set for 10,000 Spirit Stone, that's already quite good.
"I'll first check the method of drawing the Talisman. Once I've confirmed it's correct, I'll naturally swear the oath," Wang Mengde said.
"Of course."
Wang Mengde reached out and picked up the first Jade Slip, placed it on his forehead, and immersed his divine sense into it.
The Jade Slip was filled with densely packed contents, detailing every step from the selection of Talisman Paper and the preparation of spiritual ink to the movement of the brush and the infusion of spiritual power.
He picked up the corresponding booklet and flipped through it. Inside were his insights on drawing Talisman, recording various experiences of failure and tips for success, which were more vivid and practical than the contents of the Jade Slip.
Wang Mengde examined each document one by one.
These Talisman drawing methods are all common types, ranging from Tier 1 beginner to Tier 2 advanced, with one method for each level.
After confirming that everything was correct, Wang Mengde put down the Jade Slip and stood up.
His expression was solemn, and he pointed his right hand, fingers joined like a sword, to the heavens to swear an oath.
"I, Wang Mengde, hereby swear that the method of drawing Talisman I have obtained today will never be revealed to anyone. If I break this oath, may I be struck by heavenly lightning and have all my cultivation destroyed."