[Talisman Art 4.0]
The deafening, continuous explosions gradually subsided.
The dark green poisonous fire and smoke slowly dissipated.
The once muddy and murderous intent swamp has now been completely leveled.
The scorched earth was littered with deep pits and snake carcasses, and the air was filled with a pungent, burnt stench.
With precise micro-manipulation of Divine Sense, each skeletal skeleton that triggered the Corpse Explosion landed in the most tricky position.
The shockwaves and toxic flames generated by the explosions overlapped and resonated, creating a terrifying destructive force far exceeding that of a single explosion.
Upon reaching the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and condensing their Divine Sense, the cultivator's control over and destructive power of large-scale spells has begun to emerge.
Easily annihilating the group of ignorant and reckless demonic snakes, Qi Yun remained indifferent, turning to ride his skeleton away.
Just as his Divine Sense receded like a receding tide.
He keenly detected a strange, almost imperceptible, tremor that was distinct from the surrounding deathly silence.
Qi Yun back to look at each other warily.
With a swift hand Method Formula, the abyssal Sunken Abyss Iron Sand that had been surrounding him surged forth, instantly transforming into two enormous, pitch-black hands. With immense force, they dug fiercely into the source of the tremor sensed by his Divine Sense!
Rumble!
Soil flew everywhere, and gravel scattered in all directions.
The two giant iron sand hands were extremely efficient.
In just a few breaths, they had dug down dozens of meters.
There was a soft "click" sound, as if something hard had been touched.
With a slight thought, Qi Yun carefully lifted the object out of the deep pit with his giant iron sand hand.
A human-shaped skeleton!
The remains were badly mangled, with fine cracks covering the bones.
In particular, the sternum and long bones of the limbs showed an unnatural twisted and shattered appearance, clearly caused by unimaginable crushing force before death.
What's striking is that hanging from the neck of this skeleton is Storage Bag, though covered in filth and dirt, remains perfectly intact!
"The body has decayed into bones, yet this Storage Bag remains completely undamaged—its quality is quite remarkable." A hint of surprise flashed in Qi Yun's eyes.
The magical properties of the Storage Bag are maintained entirely by the magical patterns embroidered on it.
The bag itself is usually not made of durable material and is easily weathered and damaged over time.
This Storage Bag had been buried deep beneath this damp swamp for who knows how many years.
Apart from being dirty, it showed no signs of damage whatsoever, making it no ordinary item.
He activated the iron shot, carefully removed the Storage Bag, wiped away the dirt on its surface, and then opened it.
Buzz!
The moment the bag was opened, a light mixed with various auras rushed out, almost blinding Qi Yun. By the time he could see clearly what was inside the bag...
Even with his composure, his pupils couldn't help but suddenly contract.
Talismans!
The talismans were densely packed, piled up like a small mountain!
The entire interior of the Storage Bag was almost completely filled with all sorts of talismans, gleaming with magical light.
A cursory glance suggests there are probably no fewer than a thousand of them, and judging from the Daoist aura they exude...
Their ranks all seem to be quite high.
Qi Yun's expression became somewhat complicated. He looked down at the gruesome corpse, then at the bag of talismans and treasures in his hand—enough to arm a small stronghold—and his brows furrowed deeply.
"With such a large number of talismans, how on earth did this guy die?"
Logically speaking, with so many talismans in hand, let alone those strange snakes from before...
Even if surrounded by an equal number of cultivators, throwing out a single talisman would be enough to send them fleeing in terror.
How could he have ended up being strangled by a tremendous force and buried in the ground in such a tragic way?
After a moment's thought, Qi Yun's face revealed a strange expression. He glanced warily at the shattered snake corpses beside him and muttered:
"Could it be—we've fallen into a trap set by these serpentine demons?"
"But would anyone actually fall into a pit that deep?" Qi Yun shook his head. Although he still had some doubts, this seemed to be the only reasonable explanation at the moment.
"After all, not everyone is as resourceful and experienced as the cultivators of my Holy Sect."
His gaze returned to the unidentified skeleton, and Qi Yun sighed softly.
"We were all human beings, yet we died far from home, our bones never to be found."
Our meeting here today can be considered a matter of fate.
With a thought, the Sunken Abyss Iron Sand transformed into a shovel shape once more and quickly dug a deep pit on the relatively dry and flat ground nearby.
Qi Yun then manipulated the iron sand to carefully place the mangled skeleton into the pit, covered it with soil, and allowed it to rest in peace.
"As for this bag of talismans," Qi Yun weighed the heavy Storage Bag in his hand, a matter-of-fact expression on his face.
Consider it a small handling fee for digging the hole and covering it up for you.
Having said that, he didn't linger. With a flicker of his body, he rode the skull-shaped prayer mat, transforming into a streak of Flowing Light and quickly disappearing into the horizon.
Only that new grave remains, standing alone on what was once a swamp, now scorched earth.
In Qi Yun's hands, the talismans from the Spirit Nitrogen Boxes were like cheap toilet paper, their inherent spirituality and Daoist essence being rapidly absorbed by the Law Technique Panel.
It immediately turned into ashes and vanished.
With this massive investment of "resources," the [Talisman Art] update progress bar surged upwards at an unprecedented speed.
It only took three to five minutes.
[Talisman Art], which has always progressed the slowest among all kinds of Law Technique, has also accumulated enough power and is about to undergo a new transformation.
[Automatic Law Technique updates complete. This is a minor version update; Law Technique effects have been adjusted as follows.]
[Talisman Art 4.0: Added one new talisman, Thousand Cranes.]
"Oh?" A strange glint flashed in Qi Yun's eyes.
The first two updates to [Talisman Art] focused on improving the success rate and quality of talisman creation, which can be considered as laying a solid foundation.
Unexpectedly, this has directly given rise to a completely new category of talismans.
"Give it a try."
With a hint of curiosity on his face, Qi Yun flipped his hand and took out the set of talisman brushes and spirit ink that had not been used for a long time from his storage bracelet.
Then, another piece of bright yellow talisman paper, cut out from the previous piece, was unfolded.
In an instant, a completely new, complex, and mysterious method of drawing talismans appeared in his mind as if enlightened.
Guided by an invisible spiritual light, the wrist of the talisman brush, dipped in spiritual ink, fell to the ground.
The brushstrokes flow like dragons and snakes, like clouds and water.
In the blink of an eye, a brand-new talisman, exquisitely structured, with lively brushstrokes, and unlike any talisman before, was perfectly created from his brush.
The moment the talisman was completed, a faint, clear sound emanated from it, and its spiritual light was contained within.
Qi Yun picked up the [Thousand Cranes Talisman], which still smelled of ink, from his fingertips.
A wisp of pure True Qi flowed into it.
The talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, instantly transforming into a soft yet bright radiance of divine light.
Then, under Qi Yun's focused gaze...
Within the light of the Dharma, a paper crane, no bigger than the palm of your hand yet incredibly lifelike, with every crease clearly defined, gracefully spreads its wings and flies away!
It emitted a faint spiritual light and silently landed on Qi Yun's shoulder, tilting its "head" slightly as if waiting for instructions.
Qi Yun closed his eyes, his mind instantly connecting with the tiny origami crane.
A peculiar sensory-sharing experience unfolded.
It was as if he had gained a pair of eyes that floated above his shoulders, allowing him to clearly "see" the scene behind and to his side.
Even the slightest airflow could be faintly heard.
At the same time, the extremely faint sounds around him were amplified several times and entered his Sea of Consciousness.
"A detection talisman?!" A sharp glint flashed in Qi Yun's eyes.
This [Thousand Cranes Talisman] itself has no offensive or defensive capabilities.
Its only effect is to summon this incredibly intelligent origami crane.
This crane is connected to the mind of the talisman maker, and can transmit back what the talisman sees and hears in real time.
It's practically like a mobile surveillance camera that can be placed anywhere.
If that were all, the talisman's value, while unique, wouldn't be considered astonishing.
When Qi Yun further perceived its specific abilities, he couldn't help but be shocked.
These thousand paper cranes could completely detach themselves from the caster, freely soaring within a radius of a hundred miles, concealing their tracks, and their existence lasted for a full three days.
"This—" Qi Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
The three conditions of "within a hundred miles", "three days" and "free movement" are combined together.
Its strategic value has undergone a qualitative change.
Imagine if these talismans could be mass-produced; when needed, hundreds or thousands of origami cranes could be silently scattered.
Therefore, within a hundred miles centered on Qi Yun, the mountains and rivers, enemy movements, and all kinds of changes and movements will be completely under his surveillance, just like reading lines on the palm of his hand.
Anticipating the enemy's moves, possessing keen insight, and striking where the enemy is weak—
The tactical advantages contained within this are simply terrifying.
Qi Yun looked at the quiet and obedient origami crane on his shoulder, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.
Although this update did not directly enhance his combat power, it brought him considerable convenience.
As a cultivator specializing in magic, with the growth of his cultivation level and realm, most of his future battles and duels will be long-range clashes beyond visual range.
Being able to obtain sufficient information and intelligence in advance will undoubtedly provide him with an excellent environment for casting spells.
"Moreover, I've never heard of this kind of talisman before. Is it a new talisman created by the Law Technique Panel?"
As he experienced the spiritual light of the talismans in his mind, Qi Yun's heart stirred slightly.
It seems that [Gather Form and Disperse Qi] and [Southern Ming Sword Devil], which were added in previous major version updates, are also like this.