After the Fright, the Blazing Heaven Sword Talisman

Not good—it's the Blood-Refining Demon Saber!

The moment he saw the saber blank, the burly Demonic Cultivator's expression changed drastically. He did not even bother with the Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needles that had fallen to the ground, turning and fleeing at once.

Unfortunately, faced with a saber blank whose power approached Tier 2, he had no defensive Dharma artifact and could hardly resist. In barely a dozen breaths, Chen Nianzhi severed his head with a single slash.

The gaunt Old Devil, meanwhile, fled with a Dharma artifact protecting his body. In the blink of an eye, he had already escaped several hundred meters.

Yet this Demonic Cultivator was ultimately a notch weaker. After barely fleeing a short distance, Chen Nianzhi intercepted him at the edge of Lakeheart Island.

The two fought with their Dharma artifacts. Even when the pair had joined forces earlier, they had failed to defeat Chen Nianzhi. Now that he faced Chen Nianzhi alone, he naturally fell into an absolute disadvantage.

After merely ten-odd exchanges, Chen Nianzhi found an opening. With one strike of the saber blank, he shattered the demon artifact's small bell, then cleaved him in half with another sword stroke.

After the battle ended, Chen Nianzhi no longer cared about appearances. He dropped onto the ground and panted for breath.

Slaying three Late Stage of Qi Refining Demonic Cultivators in this battle had not been easy for him. In particular, a Tier 2 Dharma artifact like the Scarlet Iron Saber Blank should have been driven by True Essence.

Though he had barely managed to activate it with his abundant true qi, it consumed an enormous amount of true qi. Activating it only three times had drained sixty percent of his reserves.

Of course, the results had been immediate. It first broke the Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needles, then slew the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Demonic Cultivator, and finally shattered the gaunt Old Devil's small bell. Every time the saber blank struck, it achieved its aim in a single blow.

After resting for a quarter-hour and recovering some of his true qi, he rose and destroyed the corpses of the three Demonic Cultivators, erasing all traces. Then he began tallying his gains.

Though he had slain three Demonic Cultivators this time, his actual gains were not much.

Most demon treasures used by Demonic Cultivators were saturated with blood baleful intent. Using them rashly would affect one's mind, so Chen Nianzhi had no intention of using the several demon artifacts left behind by the three.

The only usable Dharma artifact was the Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needles. Like the azure shield, it was a pure orthodox Dharma artifact.

As long as he erased the demonic thoughts the Demonic Cultivator had left within it, he could refine it. Using it would cause no ill effects.

After the three Demonic Cultivators died, the divine sense within their Storage Bags became water without a source. He spent half a month opening the three Storage Bags.

Unfortunately, most of their contents were Blood Crystals, Demonic Pills, and other things used by Demonic Cultivators. They were basically useless to Chen Nianzhi, and he could not possibly sell them and aid the enemy, so he could only destroy them on the spot.

Strictly speaking, only the hundred-odd Spirit Stones in the three Demonic Cultivators' Storage Bags counted as a fairly decent fortune.

Of course, that was all for later. In fact, that very night, Chen Nianzhi hurried back to Qingyuan Mountain and found Chen Changxuan, who was in secluded cultivation at the Spirit Spring behind the mountain.

He reported the attack by the Demonic Cultivators, his expression grave as he said,

"These three Demonic Cultivators were all Late Stage of Qi Refining cultivators, and they had the Six-Ghost Talisman. They likely have some background."

"I'm worried..."

After hearing him out, Chen Changxuan frowned slightly. After a long while, he relaxed and shook his head.

"In Yu Commandery, the only person capable of refining the Six-Ghost Talisman is Zhang Old Devil."

"In that case, the origins of those three are clear. Zhang Old Devil has six Late Stage of Qi Refining disciples in total. We slew two when we rooted out the demonic scourge before, and now you have killed three more. The ones remaining are no longer worth worrying about."

Hearing this, Chen Nianzhi let out a breath of relief.

But after giving it some thought, lingering fear rose in him. "I killed four of Zhang Old Devil's disciples. Will Zhang Old Devil come after me himself?"

Chen Changxuan smiled and shook his head. "Zhang Old Devil is deceitful and suspicious by nature. Three years ago, he suffered a great loss at my hands, and his injuries are most likely not yet healed. He probably does not have the courage to come onto Chen Clan territory."

As he spoke, he hesitated for a moment before taking out a talisman from his robes.

"But to guard against every possibility, take this talisman. It will keep you safe."

"This..."

Chen Nianzhi's expression stirred. He had not expected the clan leader to place this precious talisman in his hands.

This talisman was called the Blazing Heaven Sword Talisman. The previous clan leader had paid an immense price to seal his own Divine Ability within it, leaving it behind as part of the Lineage's foundation.

This precious talisman was as high as Tier 2 High-grade. Even to Foundation Establishment cultivators, it counted as a trump card. If used well, it could even slay a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator.

When the Lineage had faced a great crisis, the clan leader would rather have sold his Life-Bound Dharma Artifact than sell this item. That showed just how precious it was.

Handing the precious talisman to Chen Nianzhi, the Old Clan Leader spoke with a solemn expression.

"This is the Lineage's last remaining foundation. You must use it carefully."

"Of course, if Zhang Old Devil dares to attack you, there is no need for you to hold back. As long as a person lives, these things can be earned back little by little."

Chen Nianzhi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he did not refuse and accepted the precious talisman.

He was not one for empty modesty, because he knew that, for the Lineage, he truly was the person who needed this precious talisman most.

After obtaining the precious talisman, Chen Nianzhi felt somewhat more secure. When he returned to cultivate at Spirit Isle Lake, he was much more at ease.

In the blink of an eye, another seven months passed in haste.

That day, on Lakeheart Island, Chen Nianzhi sat before a pill furnace, watching it with a somewhat nervous expression.

After waiting for half an hour, he formed a hand seal and opened the pill furnace. Inside, a Qi-Absorbing Pill spun round and round.

"It succeeded."

A smile appeared on Chen Nianzhi's face as he slowly let out a breath.

A year ago, the Chen Clan had begun preparing to nurture him into the Lineage's next alchemist. After the Sixth Elder passed away, the process accelerated even further.

With Chen Nianzhi's talent for alchemy, the Sixth Elder's alchemy notes, and the Lineage's full support, Chen Nianzhi became a Tier 1 Low-grade alchemist without much difficulty.

After that, he spared no expense from his own pocket, having Lineage cultivators go to Yuyang Market to purchase materials for practice. Naturally, he improved at a tremendous pace.

This batch of Qi-Absorbing Pills before him was the first batch of Tier 1 Mid-grade pills he had refined. Although only one pill had formed, it meant that he had broken through to become a Tier 1 Mid-grade alchemist.

Ordinary alchemists often needed nearly ten years to reach this point. That he had raised his Alchemy Art to Tier 1 Mid-grade in only a year showed that his comprehension and talent far surpassed those of ordinary people.

"I need to practice more and become more familiar with it, then raise the pill formation rate."

"The Lineage's Qi-Absorbing Grass will mature in four years. Before then, I must strive to raise my Alchemy Art to Tier 1 High-grade."

Thinking this, he put away the Qi-Absorbing Pill, tidied up, and left the alchemy room.

In the blink of an eye, the year's end arrived again, and it was time to return to the Lineage for the New Year. Only a few days later, he brought the two siblings back to Qingyuan Mountain.

There were not so many trivial matters on Qingyuan Mountain this year. The elders held an end-of-year meeting, summarized the Lineage's earnings, and then concluded the meeting.