The Power of the Sword Qi Talisman

Inside the Cave Abode, spring was in full bloom.

Chen Zhuo sat cross-legged on a cushion and circulated his spiritual energy according to the breathing method of the Myriad Woods Bow to Origin Skill.

The Myriad Woods Bow to Origin Skill truly lived up to its reputation!

The moment he began, Chen Zhuo felt a surge of vibrant life pouring in from every direction.

Its breathing method resembled that of the Everlasting Spring Art in some ways, yet was entirely different.

Chen Zhuo felt the spiritual power within him circulate more than thirty percent faster than before. With every breath, great quantities of Wood Attribute Spiritual Qi entered his body, flowed through his meridians, and gathered in his Dantian.

The vortex of spiritual power in his Dantian spun faster and faster. Spiritual Qi continued to grow, bathing his Dantian in emerald green.

When one complete cycle finished, Chen Zhuo felt wonderfully at ease, as though that vibrant life had washed through his entire body.

After an unknown length of time, a full grand cycle finally came to an end.

Only then did Chen Zhuo slowly open his eyes.

"Phew..."

Chen Zhuo let out a long breath of stale air. It held together rather than dispersing, turning into a faint wisp of green smoke before fading into the air.

The Myriad Woods Bow to Origin Skill truly deserves to be called an art that can take a cultivator all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm. It's formidable—who knows how many times more profound than the Everlasting Spring Art...

Chen Zhuo murmured inwardly. He felt better than he ever had.

After Cultivation of the Myriad Woods Bow to Origin Skill, Chen Zhuo felt that his vitality, energy, and spirit had all reached their peak.

This was the life-nourishing effect of the Myriad Woods Bow to Origin Skill.

No wonder cultivators who practiced it often lived longer than others at the same level!

"It's about time."

Chen Zhuo glanced around the spring-filled Cave Abode, then raised a hand and put the Mystic-Arts Reconnaissance Drone into his Storage Bag.

The three days were up. Two uninvited guests were still waiting for him outside the Market.

After gathering his belongings, Chen Zhuo left without lingering. He pushed open the stone door of the Cave Abode, walked to the Market's gate, and returned the Bronze Token.

"Safe travels, fellow Daoist."

The gatekeeper smiled as he spoke.

Chen Zhuo nodded and walked out of the Market.

The moment he left the Market, Chen Zhuo felt the difference.

The spiritual energy outside...

Spiritual Qi was so ordinary.

Chen Zhuo sighed.

The Immortal Estate World was worse, but Chen Zhuo had never expected anything of it.

Over the past few months, the Shantytown had always seemed to Chen Zhuo like a sacred place of cultivation, full of promise.

Now that he had experienced Cloudford Market City, returning to the Shantytown felt like quite a fall.

Chen Zhuo tapped his head and steadied his mind.

He immediately sensed that someone was watching him.

It was an unpleasant feeling.

But...

Chen Zhuo gave a cold laugh and quietly gripped the Premium Sword Qi Talisman. He quickened his pace and soon passed through the Shantytown's gate.

Beyond the Shantytown lay an open woodland, with a winding road leading into the distance.

Chen Zhuo avoided the main road and turned onto a more secluded path nearby.

Not long after he took the path, two furtive figures followed him.

Seeing Chen Zhuo leave the Shantytown of his own accord, the tall, thin cultivator clapped his hands in delight. "Good, good! The brat walked right out of the Shantytown. My brother and I are destined to strike it rich today!"

The burly, hawk-faced man looked pleased too. Barely holding back a laugh, he said, "Come on! Follow him. We'll make our move once he's farther away."

"It's not like this is our first time. We know what to do!"

The tall, thin cultivator sounded utterly confident.

Could Chen Zhuo be luring them out?

Impossible!

Both of them were at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer and had been stuck in Middle Qi Refinement for more than a decade.

The two were notorious in the Shantytown. They often turned bandit, doing shady work to amass resources in hopes of reaching Late Qi Refinement.

No one governed the Shantytown. Even those who knew the pair's vicious reputation would not meddle. Besides, Shopkeeper Han of Jishi Hall stood behind them. The three were jackals of the same lair, often setting traps to kill visiting cultivators who spent freely but lacked strength.

Most of those outsiders had stumbled upon an opportunity as mortals and happened to possess a Spiritual Root, then blundered into the world of cultivation.

These newcomers had little experience, yet possessed wealth from their lucky finds.

No one would care if they were killed.

So what could a brat who had only just reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer possibly have up his sleeve?

Even if Chen Zhuo had not found some lucky opportunity but came from a cultivation Lineage, the fact that he had come to Cloudford Market City to cultivate in seclusion showed that his Lineage was merely at the Qi Refinement level. It lacked the power to hold a spiritual vein of its own. Why else would he come here?

They could kill him, and no one would come looking!

Even if someone did, it would only be a matter involving Qi Refinement cultivators.

The two followed Chen Zhuo, while Chen Zhuo deliberately led them somewhere secluded.

With both sides so obliging, they went farther and farther from the beaten path until they reached a stream.

"Mm. This will do."

Chen Zhuo suddenly stopped and turned around, gazing calmly in the direction of his pursuers.

"You two fellow Daoists have followed me long enough. Isn't it time you showed yourselves?"

Chen Zhuo spoke without haste, his voice carrying clearly to the tall, thin cultivator and the burly, hawk-faced man.

The two exchanged a glance, both startled.

They had thought themselves well hidden. They had not expected Chen Zhuo to notice them long ago.

But now that it had come to this, there was no point in hiding.

The tall, thin cultivator stepped out from behind a tree first and called out with a laugh, "What keen Divine Sense you have, fellow Daoist. I'm impressed! But if you knew we were behind you, why come somewhere so secluded?"

Chen Zhuo did not answer his question. "The mountains are lovely and the water is clear. It's not a bad place for you two to be buried."

The tall, thin cultivator gave Chen Zhuo a strange look.

Has this brat lost his mind?

The burly, hawk-faced man emerged from the other side and roared with laughter. "Big words, brat! You're only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and you dare run your mouth in front of us?"

"Still, you've got a good eye. You picked yourself a fine burial spot! Once we kill you, we'll go to the trouble of digging you a hole."

The tall, thin cultivator sneered, murder blazing in his eyes as a short black blade appeared in his hand.

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Zhuo slapped his Storage Bag and instantly activated the Premium Sword Qi Talisman!

In an instant, fierce sword qi surged forth!

The sword light was so fast that the two Middle Qi Refinement cultivators had no time to react!

The tall, thin cultivator had not even finished talking when he saw fierce sword qi slash toward him. His wits scattered, and cold sweat poured down his back!

"I..."

He opened his mouth to speak, but the sword qi became a streak of light in the blink of an eye. It pierced straight through the Protective Spiritual Light protecting him and flashed across his neck!

Clang.

A soft ring sounded.

The next instant, the tall, thin cultivator's head parted from his body, and blood gushed like a spring.

"What?!"

The burly, hawk-faced man trembled at the sight. A hot stream escaped his control, wetting his trousers.

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected Chen Zhuo to possess such a powerful, instantly activated Talisman!

No. This was no ordinary Talisman!

He had never heard of anyone controlling sword qi so freely!

The burly man hurriedly brought out a black shield Magical Artifact to guard his front and leaped back several yards, his face full of wariness.

Then he stared fixedly at Chen Zhuo, though relief rose in his heart.

Good thing the brat didn't know who he was dealing with and struck first, killing Zhao Si...

The burly man counted himself lucky.

A Talisman that powerful had to be Chen Zhuo's last-resort lifesaving measure. Each use meant one fewer left.

That sword qi had been fierce, but it was no longer anything to worry about!

The brat could only have that one lifesaving measure. Otherwise, if he had activated two Talismans at once, how could the burly man still be alive?

At that thought, he barked, "Brat, you dared kill my brother! Only by tearing you to pieces today can I ease the hatred in my heart!"

With that, the burly man formed hand seals. His black shield Magical Artifact blazed with spiritual light before him.

At the same time, a blood-red saber rose into his hand!

It was clearly a Magical Artifact of considerable power!

"Die!"

The burly man shouted and forced the blood-red saber into motion. It wobbled as it came down toward Chen Zhuo's head!

But just as he sent the saber chopping toward Chen Zhuo, the sword qi that had killed the tall, thin cultivator did not dissipate. It wheeled around in the air and, as though it had eyes, shot toward the burly man from behind!

"What?!"

The burly man's pupils shrank in terror!

How is that possible?!

How could sword qi from a Talisman turn?!

It defied everything he knew about Talismans!

Unless...

Unless it was not a Talisman, but...

A terrifying thought flashed through the burly man's mind, but it was too late.

The sword qi moved too fast for him to react!

He felt a chill at the back of his neck. The next instant, agony struck. He tried to grip his Magical Artifact, only to find that his body would no longer obey him. His consciousness rapidly blurred.

Just before he died, only one thought remained in his mind.

A Talisman Treasure!

How could this brat have a Talisman Treasure?!

Thud.

The burly, hawk-faced man's corpse fell beside the tall, thin cultivator.

Chen Zhuo stood where he was, looked at their bodies, and shook his head lightly.

After killing the burly man, the Premium Sword Qi Talisman became a streak of light in midair and vanished without a trace.

"What a pity. Such a fine burial spot."

Chen Zhuo shook his head slightly. "And I have to bury you two here."