A Fight to the Death

"Let's test a cheap Talisman that's popular online."

Chen Zhuo slowly took out a Golden Armor Talisman. He settled his mind and prepared to test its quality.

If it was no good, he would demand a refund on the spot. If they refused, he would bring down the mighty hand of a bad review and report them to the Immortal Estate's market regulators.

"Phew."

Chen Zhuo slapped the talisman and channeled Spiritual Qi into it.

Hum!

A clear note rang out, and a golden Light Barrier enclosed Chen Zhuo's body.

A First-Rank Talisman: the Golden Armor Talisman!

"Not bad."

Chen Zhuo looked around. Seeing no obvious gaps in the Light Barrier, he silently praised the talisman's quality. Then he swung a fist, muscles knotting, and slammed it into the barrier before him!

Boom!

His fist struck the Light Barrier squarely. It stood firm as an ancient bell, while the force rebounded and left his fist numb.

At the sight, Chen Zhuo's heart leaped.

"I'm at the Qi Refining Second Layer now, and my arms have a thousand pounds of strength. One punch is like getting hit by a small car, yet it still can't break through. This Golden Armor Talisman really is impressive!"

Chen Zhuo was thoroughly satisfied. It seemed that senior student had been telling the truth. Given to mortal friends or family, the talisman really could protect them from a car accident or the like.

But how long would it last?

As Chen Zhuo pondered, the golden barrier dissolved into specks of light and vanished into the air. Barely forty or fifty seconds had passed.

"About a minute?"

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly. "The official website says a genuine Golden Armor Talisman lasts around two minutes... But that doesn't matter. I bought this one mainly to keep that Leopard from ambushing me when I land."

That was Chen Zhuo's main reason for buying the Golden Armor Talisman.

Once it blocked the attack waiting for him on arrival, he could wait for the Golden Armor Talisman to expire, activate a Sword Qi Talisman, and strike straight at the Leopard to kill it.

The odds between a Sword Qi Talisman and the Leopard were probably fifty-fifty.

In five seconds, the Leopard would be in five pieces.

Of course, in case the Sword Qi Talisman proved weaker than he expected, Chen Zhuo had a second one ready for emergencies.

If two Sword Qi Talismans in a row couldn't kill that Leopard, what else could Chen Zhuo say? He would do it himself.

Fighting someone at the First Layer of Qi Refining while he was at the Qi Refining Second Layer wasn't actually difficult.

Chen Zhuo had made all these preparations chiefly because he feared getting hurt.

A dying beast's last desperate counterattack would surely injure him.

And if he was injured, first, he couldn't explain how it had happened; second, the cost of treatment would be astronomical...

Spending forty Spirit Coins to clear the encounter unscathed and come away with beast meat was much easier than wrestling the Leopard to death himself, ending up covered in wounds, and paying hundreds of Spirit Coins for treatment.

"Everything's ready. Let's go!"

His calculations complete, Chen Zhuo willed it.

At that thought, black light swallowed him whole.

His figure vanished from the bedroom.

In the Spirit Pearl World, the green hills and clear waters remained unchanged.

The instant Chen Zhuo landed, he activated a Golden Armor Talisman without hesitation.

A golden Light Barrier immediately enclosed his body.

Clang!

But the moment the golden light surrounded him, a cluster of black threads appeared. It suddenly expanded in midair into a great black net studded with barbed spikes and swept down over Chen Zhuo!

"Huh?!"

Chen Zhuo froze.

A Magical Artifact?!

The Leopard had a Magical Artifact too?

Sizzle!

The Black Net pressed against the Light Barrier, and its golden glow dimmed rapidly before his eyes.

But it held.

Seeing this, Chen Zhuo immediately pinched another Golden Armor Talisman between his fingers, gripped a Sword Qi Talisman, and looked toward the direction the net had come from.

The Leopard that had bared its claws and fangs at him before now lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Beside it stood a sinister old man, glaring fiercely at Chen Zhuo as his fingers formed an incantation and he muttered without pause!

The Black Net was a Magical Artifact under the old man's control.

When he saw the Light Barrier enclose Chen Zhuo and his Black Net fail, the Sinister Old Man paused. Then he barked, "Fellow Daoist, I'm a cultivator from Cloudford Market. My friends and I are hunting beasts here, and this prey is mine. Please leave!"

Chen Zhuo's sudden appearance had put the Sinister Old Man deeply on guard.

His first thought had been to strike first and kill him!

After all, they were in the wilderness, dozens of miles from Cloudford Market. What if Chen Zhuo attacked and killed him instead?

Caution came first when meeting an unfamiliar cultivator!

And once he realized Chen Zhuo seemed to be only at Early Qi Refinement, the Sinister Old Man had been all the quicker to attack, hoping to kill him first!

Never had he expected this oddly dressed brat to be able to wield Talismans!

A scion of a great clan?

A Talisman like that usually lasted only a hundred breaths.

Once those hundred breaths passed, he would attack again and kill the brat!

If the boy was born to a great Aristocratic Clan yet wandered this wild land alone, this was a heaven-sent opportunity!

Once he killed him and seized his Storage Bag, he could smooth his grandson's path to immortality. The boy was bound to surpass both him and his father.

First, he would use words to keep the brat in place. Born to a great Aristocratic Clan and so young besides, how much experience could he have?

With that in mind, the Sinister Old Man immediately put on a smile that never reached his eyes and cupped his hands toward Chen Zhuo. "Fellow Daoist, this was all a misunderstanding. I offer you this Leopard's Roost as an apology. I hope you'll forgive me."

As he spoke, the Sinister Old Man silently counted breaths.

Forty breaths had passed.

In another fifty or so, he would strike without hesitation...

But as the Sinister Old Man apologized, Chen Zhuo's voice came through the Light Barrier and reached his ears. "You're too kind, fellow Daoist."

The Sinister Old Man paused at the sound of Chen Zhuo's voice.

Where was that accent from? Why did it sound so strange?

Could he be one of the Southern Barbarians who practiced the Blood Curse?

While the Sinister Old Man was distracted, he suddenly heard something whistle through the air!

A sword rang out, and a streak of silver sword light tore through the air toward the Sinister Old Man!

This Sword Qi Talisman had only half the power of a genuine one, but it lost nothing in speed.

The old man had no time to react. He felt an icy killing intent rush toward his face, and his pupils contracted!

"How is that possible?!"

The old man was horrified. The golden barrier clearly hadn't faded, so how could the boy launch an attack?

Once activated, a Talisman could never be dismissed midway. It could only be broken by an outside force or left to dissipate on its own.

How had this Talisman lasted only forty or fifty breaths?!

The old man had no time to think. He hurled himself backward.

But the Sword Qi was too fast. A chill swept over the Sinister Old Man's left arm, followed by searing pain!

Slash!

Blood sprayed. A withered arm was severed and fell to the ground.

"Damn it!"

The Sinister Old Man screamed, his face turning deathly pale.

This Talisman could even prevent wounds from healing?!

Why had he never heard of such a thing in the cultivation world? Could it be a Third-Rank Talisman?!

Yet its force truly wasn't that great.

What kind of scion from a great Aristocratic Clan possessed such an unheard-of Talisman?!

The Sinister Old Man was terrified. "Mercy, fellow Daoist! Have mercy!"

Even as he shouted, the Sinister Old Man endured the pain and worked to activate his Magical Artifact, planning to turn the tables while the brat answered.

But before the Sinister Old Man could activate his Magical Artifact, another whistle came from afar!

Chen Zhuo's face was cold as he activated the second Sword Qi Talisman without hesitation!

Strike while he was weak and take his life!

This ugly old man had harbored murderous intent from the start. He had activated his Magical Artifact the moment they met. If Chen Zhuo hadn't activated the Golden Armor Talisman at once to guard against an attack on arrival, the Black Net would likely have killed him already!

So Chen Zhuo showed not a shred of mercy!

In a fight to the death, there was no room for mercy!

If this failed to finish the old man, Chen Zhuo would go back and take out a loan to make certain he died!

The silver sword light from Chen Zhuo's second Sword Qi Talisman was faster and fiercer than the first.

The Sinister Old Man had just lost an arm, severely hampering his movements.

Seeing the silver Sword Qi hurtle toward him again, the Sinister Old Man hastily drew on his remaining Spiritual Qi to raise a thin defensive spell before him while trying to dodge.

Too late.

The Sword Qi blazed like a rainbow!

The silver sword light tore easily through the feeble magical shield and slashed straight for the old man's head!

Despair filled the sinister old man's eyes. He opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but there was no time.

The next instant, the sword light swept past.

A head flew high into the air, its eyes brimming with venom.

The headless body swayed, then collapsed limply to the ground!

Blood poured out.

Chen Zhuo let out a long breath, but he still activated a Golden Armor Talisman to cover himself in a golden Light Barrier. Only then did he carefully approach to check whether the old man might spring up and try to kill him.

Chen Zhuo took out his Spirit Message Jade Slip and asked quietly, "Little Jade, Little Jade, is this guy dead?"

A moment later, the Spirit Message Jade Slip gave its answer.

[Target's Spiritual Qi signature indicates a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator. No vital signs detected!]