Golden Silk Wooden Token

Was the Red Cloud sword really that important?

The thought popped into Ning Ke's head. A moment later, his heart jolted, and he looked at Lou Yunxiao beside him.

He found Lou Yunxiao looking at him too.

Clearly, Lou Yunxiao had noticed as well.

These two swords were... the Twin Swords.

The higher a Magical Artifact's grade, the greater its spirituality.

Once the Twin Swords were forged, an exceptionally powerful bond formed between them.

One yin, one yang, each complementing the other.

Once they accepted their masters through a drop of blood, either master would sense it if something happened to the other.

Well, shit...

Ning Ke felt certain this thing was yet another threat to his secret identity.

But he couldn't refuse to claim it.

After all, it was an important quest item!

"This is wonderful." Unlike Ning Ke, who was torn, Lou Yunxiao had an entirely different attitude.

It was rare to see the young man smile so happily.

His lips curved as he told Ning Ke, "This way, if you ever run into danger, junior brother, I'll know right away and rush over to protect you."

Ning Ke's foxlike eyes widened slightly. After a long pause, he said, "I'm no weaker than you. I don't need your protection, senior brother! If you have that much time on your hands, protect our other junior brothers and sisters!"

Lou Yunxiao neither nodded nor shook his head.

He merely smiled, cut his finger, and let Pale Silver accept him as its master.

Seeing this, Ning Ke followed suit.

When the two left the Sword Tomb, however, they were met with Gao Ze's somewhat grave expression.

An oral decree from Heaven's Way had been passed down among the leaders of the great sects.

When Pale Silver and Red Cloud emerged together, it meant that the seals Heaven's Way had placed on the great demons ten thousand years ago had begun to loosen.

Their peaceful days would not last much longer.

He needed to discuss this with the other sect leaders before deciding what to do.

For now, he would keep it from the children.

After all, if the sky fell, old fellows like them would still be there to hold it up.

Gao Ze composed his expression and said, "All right, children. Congratulations on finding swords of your own. The New Year holiday begins in a few days, so those who want to go home can start preparing. Those who don't can stay at the sect, and we'll make dumplings together!"

"Yes!"

The disciples answered in unison. Ning Ke turned and found Ning Xiaoxiao still scolding the Jinglan sword, and shook his head helplessly.

He asked the little girl, "Xiaoxiao, where are you going for the New Year?"

"I'm going back to Ning Family Village to bring my adoptive parents delicious food and drinks!" Xiaoxiao slapped the clingy Jinglan sword away and said proudly, "They'll be so happy to see how strong I've become!"

"Yes, our Xiaoxiao is such a devoted daughter." Ning Ke thought for a moment, then asked, "Would you mind bringing two more people home with you?"

Having overheard their conversation, Lou Yunxiao abruptly turned to "look" at Ning Ke.

He could tell how much Ning Ke doted on their little junior sister, and had assumed the two of them might be returning to the same home for the New Year.

He had already prepared himself to stay at the sect alone.

So he hadn't expected Ning Ke to include him.

"You and eldest senior brother want to come to my house too?"

"Yes."

"You're welcome! More than welcome! My adoptive mother loves having people around!"

On the day they descended the mountain, Ning Ke took a Flying Ship straight out of his storage space. It even had a Temperature-Control Array inside.

Despite the bitter cold outside, it was as warm as spring within.

Ning Ke curled up in the cabin, bundled himself into a ball, and let out a contented sigh.

Ah, the power of money.

This felt amazing!

Lou Yunxiao sat cross-legged on the other side, unwilling to waste even this little bit of time.

He was still cultivating.

After playing her fill on deck, Ning Xiaoxiao came inside with her head covered in snowflakes.

Ning Ke cast a Cleansing Spell on the little girl, pointed at the hot tea and snacks on the table, and fussed like a mother hen. "Have some water, and don't go back outside for now."

"Look, your eldest senior brother is still cultivating. Can't you put in a little effort too?"

"You're one to talk, big brother. Aren't you lying around too?" Ning Xiaoxiao stuck her tongue out at him.

Without the slightest shame, Ning Ke bragged, "Your brother is already strong enough. I don't need to work any harder."

"So strong you lost to eldest senior brother a few days ago."

"..." Just mentioning it made Ning Ke angry.

Back in the Demon Abyss, he had trounced Lou Yunxiao. But now that this tail of his had the same cultivation level as Lou Yunxiao, he kept losing to him instead.

It had dealt quite a blow to his confidence.

"Stop bringing your eldest senior brother into everything. I lost to him not because I'm weak, but because he's exceptional. Understand?"

Whether Lou Yunxiao could hear him or not, as a devoted suck-up, he had to keep the lavish praise coming.

After saying that, Ning Ke beckoned to Ning Xiaoxiao. The little girl swallowed a piece of pastry and came over.

"Has the stuff in that Golden Silk Wooden Token helped with your cultivation?"

Ning Xiaoxiao held up the token and answered honestly, "Big brother, it seems to be full of knowledge about talismans and array formations. I've never studied them, so it's hard to understand."

Ning Ke thought for a moment, then held out his hand. "Give it here. Let me take a look."

He had originally wanted Ning Xiaoxiao to figure it out herself, but seeing how carefree and unmotivated the little girl was, he decided it would be more reliable to learn it himself first and then teach her.

Ning Xiaoxiao obediently handed over the token, then went back to eating her snacks.

Ning Ke sent his divine sense into the wooden token.

In the next instant, he stood amid darkness.

Two seconds later, as though a switch had been flipped, a talisman lit up on the left, followed by two, four, one ring, two rings...

On the right, an array formation began to light up, followed by two, four, one row, two rows...

Even with his powerful divine sense, Ning Ke found the sight dizzying.

It would have been even worse for Ning Xiaoxiao, whose cultivation was lower than his.

Steadying his mind, Ning Ke stopped trying to take in all the talismans and array formations and focused on just one.

At the same time, he held his right hand in midair and began tracing the pattern with his slender fingers.

He completed the talisman pattern in one fluid motion, opened his fingers into a palm, and pushed forward. An explosion rang out in the empty space!

It was an Explosion Talisman.

He drew another, and once it was complete, repeated the process.

A whirlwind swept toward him.

A Hurricane Talisman.

He drew another and activated it.

A Diamond Shield appeared.

A Diamond Talisman.

Ning Ke continued like this, learning and drawing them one by one.

Gradually, he became engrossed.

When he finished drawing the last talisman, a boom rang out.

All the talisman patterns turned into golden light and scattered into specks. When they gathered again, they formed an extraordinarily intricate talisman.

It stood a full five meters tall before Ning Ke, like a gravestone marking a tomb!

Something stirred in the darkness suppressed beneath that gravestone, making it tremble slightly.

Ning Ke narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to examine it closely, a stabbing pain suddenly pierced his head.

In the next instant, a trace of coolness entered his sea of consciousness, snapping him awake.

The sounds around him reached his ears as well.

"Big brother?"

"Junior brother, wake up."

Recognizing Lou Yunxiao's voice, Ning Ke opened his eyes at once and swatted his hand away almost instinctively.

After all, he was afraid that if Lou Yunxiao examined his sea of consciousness, his identity would be exposed on the spot...

Lou Yunxiao froze. His fingers curled in midair, lingering there for a moment before he withdrew his hand.

He said, "Junior brother, keeping your consciousness inside that wooden token for too long will harm your body. You'll need to limit your time next time."

With that, he rose and turned his back to Ning Ke.

"Junior sister said we've arrived at Ning Family Village. I'll wait outside."

"Come out once you've finished getting ready."