Inside the waterfall on Yin Ghost Mountain was a vast cavern.
Two women, one dressed in blue and the other in purple, were locked in fierce combat with a towering barbarian man.
"Miss Ye, I found this Holy Soul Grass first. You came down here and tried to snatch it. Surely that isn't right?"
The barbarian man was Wu Longjin. Behind him, Landuo held a wooden box in one hand and kept flinging offensive talismans with the other to help him.
"Cut the nonsense! Wu Longjin, if you don't hand over the Holy Soul Grass today, neither you nor your subordinate will leave!"
The woman in blue was utterly overbearing, and she pressed her attack faster.
She and Wu Longjin were evenly matched, but she had the woman in purple at her side. The latter was only a shade weaker than either of them, and Landuo's talismans posed no threat to her. Working together, the two women quickly pressed Wu Longjin so hard that he couldn't strike back.
"Little Moon, I'll deal with him. Go take the Holy Soul Grass!"
To a martial master in the Qi Nourishing Realm, a talisman master who had yet to reach the Earth Talisman Master realm posed no threat at all. The woman in purple called Little Moon immediately turned and thrust her sword at Landuo.
"Protection Talisman!"
A translucent shield blocked the woman's attack, but Landuo collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
Talisman masters could expend Soul Power to strengthen their talismans, but using too much Soul Power could also damage their bodies.
Crouching on the ground with no other choice, Landuo drew a pale golden sheet of paper from his waist.
"An Earth Spirit Talisman?"
The woman in purple grew wary. The materials for an Earth Spirit Talisman were exceptionally precious; even Earth Talisman Masters rarely made them. She hadn't expected Landuo to have one, and it could pose a threat to her.
Landuo ignited the Earth Spirit Talisman, and earth-yellow spiritual power wrapped around him. A moment later, he burrowed underground and vanished.
"An Earth Escape Talisman?"
Furious, the woman in purple unleashed several bursts of Sword Qi, blasting a large hole where Landuo had disappeared.
"Senior sister, that talisman master escaped with an Earth Escape Talisman. Let's hurry outside and find him."
Chen Mu was exceedingly patient as he waited in the grass outside the waterfall. He stayed there quietly, occasionally surveying his surroundings.
Suddenly, he sensed a dense surge of earth-attribute spiritual power passing through the ground nearby.
His Life-Bound Talisman was especially sensitive to the spiritual power of the five elements, and he immediately opened his eyes.
"Could that... be an Earth Escape Talisman?"
Although his cultivation was not yet high enough to make an Earth Escape Talisman, he knew the talismans very well.
Right after that, the two women in blue and purple rushed out of the waterfall. Their movements were extraordinarily agile, and they easily dodged the Earth-Splitting Bear's attacks before each choosing a direction and giving chase.
Unfortunately, both women had gone the wrong way.
"A Huo, stay close. Let's go!"
Chen Mu was almost certain that the person underground had taken the spiritual material from the waterfall. He immediately called A Huo and chased after him in the direction he had just sensed.
Fortunately, the person hadn't changed direction. Three minutes later, Chen Mu caught up with the presence surrounded by dense earth-attribute spiritual power.
He didn't dare get too close, because an Earth Escape Talisman could roughly sense the outlines of objects above ground. If a talisman master controlled it, he could even sense whether anyone was nearby.
Although the earth-attribute spiritual power left behind when an Earth Escape Talisman passed through soil would quickly dissipate, Chen Mu could still sense the difference if he paid close attention. So he deliberately stayed far behind the person escaping underground and followed the traces beneath the earth.
Landuo was cautious. He kept going for two full hours, until it was almost dark, before finding a cave and emerging from the ground.
"What was with those two little brats? Why were there children here, and why did they seem to have noticed me?"
When he passed the patch of grass where Chen Mu was, he had noticed Chen Mu and A Huo, but he hadn't paid them any mind. Only when he later sensed Chen Mu behind him did he immediately grow wary.
He had traveled more than ten kilometers with the Earth Escape Talisman, and only now did he relax. He didn't believe Chen Mu could follow him so far.
The Earth Escape Talisman was a high-level talisman, and using it was still extremely taxing at his current level. His soul had been severely depleted, and he urgently needed to recover.
"I'm finally safe. The fortune I paid for that Earth Escape Talisman wasn't wasted after all."
He looked around the cave and, out of caution, took out two defensive talismans and stuck them at the entrance.
Then he returned to the middle of the cave, sat cross-legged, and took the wooden box from his chest.
"Hahaha, Earth Talisman Master! I'm finally going to become an Earth Talisman Master...!"
Bang! Bang, bang!
Several loud gunshots shattered the silence, and the two defensive talismans stuck to the wall were instantly blasted to powder.
Landuo scrambled to his feet and was about to draw a talisman from his waist.
A sword flashed, and a figure charged in. A long sword was already at Landuo's neck.
Although Landuo was a nine-pattern talisman master, his strength as a martial artist was only at the fourth stage. In close combat, he was no match for A Huo.
Chen Mu also entered the cave. When he saw the wooden box in Landuo's hands, his face lit up, and he reached for it.
"It's you?"
Landuo closed his eyes in anguish. He was filled with hate! He had never imagined that, after all his careful schemes, he would ultimately be undone by two children.
"Let go!"
Seeing Landuo clutch the wooden box and refuse to release it, Chen Mu snapped coldly.
Under Chen Mu's rebuke, Landuo had no choice but to let go.
Chen Mu opened the wooden box, and a sacred presence immediately filled the air.
A deep-purple herb lay quietly in the center of the box. The box was covered in runes, evidently to keep its medicinal properties from escaping.
"It really is Holy Soul Grass! Haha..."
Chen Mu was overjoyed. This was a spiritual herb that money alone might not be able to buy.
Holy Soul Grass was supremely yin and pure. It could not only strengthen the soul but also increase its purity, providing immense help in breaking through a talisman master's bottlenecks later on.
After examining it for a long while, Chen Mu closed the box containing the Holy Soul Grass and looked at Landuo beside him.
"Tell me what value there is in keeping you alive. If there's none, then die!"
Although Chen Mu had killed many people, he had only killed those who threatened him.
All in all, Landuo had not offended him so far. Instead, Chen Mu was the one who wanted to kill him and seize his treasure. Unless necessary, he didn't want to take another life.
Landuo sighed helplessly.
"I'm a talisman master, and I specialize in making mechanisms and puppets. If you have a power backing you, you should have a use for me."
Chen Mu's heart stirred at his words.
He had never truly dealt with another talisman master before. The old man was clearly a more accomplished talisman master than he was, and if he was truly willing to work under him, he would indeed be a great help.
But there was no guarantee of the old man's loyalty. If he pretended to obey while secretly defying him, the harm he caused might outweigh the benefits.
How could he ensure his loyalty?
Chen Mu pondered for a moment. Suddenly, inspiration flashed, and he took the White Turtle from his chest.
"Grandpa Turtle! Grandpa Turtle! Wake up!"
The White Turtle slowly opened his eyes and looked at Chen Mu.
"Grandpa Turtle, I remember you once told me about a secret technique. By planting a seed of one's soul in someone else's mind, one could make that person absolutely loyal. Can you teach me how to use it now?"
The White Turtle turned to glance at Landuo, then looked at Chen Mu and shook his head.
"I don't recommend doing that! Chen Mu, your soul cultivation is too low right now. If you use that secret technique, it will damage your soul and affect your future progress. The loss would far outweigh the gain!"
Chen Mu thought for a moment, then immediately opened the wooden box in his other hand.
"Grandpa Turtle, I have Holy Soul Grass. It can heal the damage to my soul, so wouldn't that solve the problem?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the White Turtle's eyes when he saw the Holy Soul Grass in Chen Mu's hand. Then he smiled helplessly.
"All right, then! You do love making trouble for yourself. I'm telling you, separating a soul seed is extremely painful. You'll have to endure it."
Landuo, standing nearby, was too frightened to speak. It was the first time he had ever seen a demonic beast that could talk.