Yun Zhongzi
Hedgerow Mountain, Long Ridge Cave.
The mountains here are strangely shaped, with withered vines as hard as iron and old trees with gnarled roots, naturally forming a maze-like group of deep caves.
At this moment, on the desolate open ground in front of the cave, spiritual light burst forth, and Blood Qi permeated the air.
About a dozen or so righteous cultivators dressed in various colored Daoist robes formed a broken circular array back to back. The Baoguang flickered erratically, and all of them were injured and pale-faced.
They were enveloped in a layer of pale golden protective Gang Qi, which rippled violently under the constant onslaught of strange attacks.
They were surrounded by dozens of ragged, mutilated cultivators, yet exuding a fierce aura.
The two leaders, one with only one arm, wielded a pale, mournful staff made from human leg bones. With each swing, ghostly howls echoed, chilling the soul.
One of them was lame, yet his feet were treading on a leather drum that was constantly seeping out foul blood and writhing like a living thing. With each step, the drumbeat was muffled, causing the righteous cultivators' Qi and Blood and qi to surge and their Divine Soul to tremble.
He was a disciple of the "Self-Sacrifice Cult," a unique sect within the Northwest's demonic path.
This religion believes that "virtue must be lost first, and physical disability brings one closer to the Way."
Disciples all undergo an initiation ceremony involving self-mutilation or enduring some form of permanent trauma.
In exchange for unpredictable and difficult-to-defend magical power.
"Heh heh heh---- Vast Righteous Qi? Before this sea of blood and suffering, it's nothing but rotten grass and fireflies." The one-armed elder laughed strangely, smashing his mourning stick violently.
As the staff passed by, seven or eight twisted, gray-black energies shot out, ignoring the Law Artifact' defenses and directly devouring the cultivator's Divine Soul.
A young swordsman was accidentally grazed by a burst of energy, and immediately clutched his head and screamed in agony, black blood seeping from his seven orifices, and his flying sword clattered to the ground.
"Keep your mind calm! Don't let external evils corrupt you!"
In the center of the circular formation, a middle-aged Daoist priest dressed in a black and white robe, his chest soaked with blood, shouted sternly.
He was the only one among this group of righteous cultivators to Qi Refining Great Perfection.
At this moment, his condition was at its worst. His left shoulder was a bloody mess, with bones visible. He held a jade ruler with a clear, bright light in his right hand, but could only barely withstand the combined fierce attack of the two elders of the Self-Sacrifice Cult Sect.
The lame elder pounded the blood-red drum beneath his feet.
Thump!
With a muffled thud, the ground turned into a swamp of blood and flesh, from which countless pale arms reached out and grabbed at Yuhengzi's feet.
At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a stream of foul-smelling blood, which transformed into a hideous blood net covering an area of about an acre in the air, descending upon him.
Countless pained faces struggled and wailed online, exuding Law Treasure filthy, malevolent aura that corroded flesh and blood.
The Jade Ruler of Yuhengzi shone brightly, transforming into a ring of light to protect its body and sever the grasping arm. However, its light was also suppressed by the blood net, causing it to dim rapidly.
His face paled further, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he forced down the blood, but his heart remained ice-cold.
His True Essence is nearly exhausted, and his injuries are severe. He will likely perish here today, bringing ruin upon all his descendants.
Right now--
"Outer Dao, how dare they act so violently?"
A clear and peaceful young voice suddenly came from the top of an ancient tree not far away.
The sound wasn't loud, yet it strangely pierced through the wails of ghosts, the clamor of drums, and the roar of battle, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
Both sides in the battle were taken aback.
A figure in a green robe suddenly appeared, perched atop a gnarled branch.
The newcomer had a refined appearance, clear eyes, and was surrounded by a pure aura, devoid of any hint of hostility or hostility.
Only a pure and exquisite profound Daoist charm naturally flows forth.
His hands were empty; he simply surveyed the battle below in silence, like a hermit passing by to admire the scenery.
"Where did this brat come from, so ignorant and reckless!"
The one-armed elder's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Qi Yun's aura was pure, but he was very young. He assumed that Qi Yun was just some clueless young man who had wandered into this place by mistake. He casually shot out a gray-black energy blast, which was as fast as a ghost.
Upon seeing this, Yuhengzi hurriedly cried out, "Fellow Daoist, be careful! This fiend's Divine Soul attack is bizarre!"
Qi Yun didn't even glance at the incoming energy.
He raised his right hand, his index finger lightly touching the air, the movement slow and graceful, like plucking a flower or writing with a brush.
Where the fingertip touched, a point of pure white light suddenly shone.
The light stretched and extended in an instant, drawing a mysterious trajectory in the air.
A phantom image of a cyan-gold talisman, condensed purely from the Daoist principles of "suppressing evil," "dispelling delusion," and "purifying the mind," appeared out of thin air!
[Spirit-Purifying and Spirit-Calming Talisman]!
The moment the talisman was completed, silver light cascaded down, like moonlight cleansing away impurities.
The malevolent, dark gray energy, when illuminated by the silver light, vanished like snow meeting boiling water, emitting a shrill scream before dissipating instantly without leaving even a ripple.
"What?!"
The one-armed elder's pupils constricted sharply. His invincible soul-capturing energy had been so easily neutralized by the opponent?
Before he could react, Qi Yun moved his fingertips again.
This time, the five fingers are slightly separated, like plucking the strings of a musical instrument, or like simultaneously writing five completely different talismans.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Five illusory talismans, each with a different color and an aura of Daoist power, condensed almost simultaneously in the void in front of him!
A blazing golden light, like the rising Great Sun, radiated a scorching, evil-dispelling power [Yang Flame Baleful Intent-Breaking Talisman].
A deep blue hue, like a frigid deep-sea current, imbued with the power of freezing and solidification—[Mystic Ice Meridian-Suppressing Talisman].
A streak of azure, like an ancient tree reaching for the sky, bursting forth with the power to draw life force—[Green Wood Spirit-Seizing Talisman].
Dao Land, like the earth bearing its weight, carries a heavy, suppressive force—[Wu Earth Mountain-Suppressing Talisman].
A pure white streak, sharp as the metal of Geng, embodies an indomitable will [Great White Evil-Slaying Talisman].
The five talismans circled around Qi Yun's body, slowly rotating, their energy intertwined, and they subtly formed a simple yet solemn Five Elements Talisman Array!
As the spiritual light flowed, Qi Yun appeared as if a celestial deity of Talisman Art and awe-inspiring presence.
"The five elements Lunzhuan, and the talisman governs heaven and earth."
Qi Yun murmured, and the five talismans responded immediately.
After mastering the [Supreme Mystery Register].
Qi Yun has reached a level of self-taught mastery in the art of Talisman Art.
Once he grasps the relative Dao intent, he can conjure talismans out of thin air.
The deeper one's understanding of the Dao, the greater the power of the talisman.
Just like these Five Elements Talismans, which are all the Dao intents he cultivated during his Qi Refining Stage, they are now easily transformed into talismans with remarkable power.
Five-colored runes intertwined to form an array, about to strike down upon the two horrified elders of the Self-Sacrifice Cult Sect!
Just as the spiritual pressure of the talisman array was about to erupt completely, "Hmph! Who are you, a mere junior, daring to harm a member of my Self-Sacrifice Cult?!"
A low, hoarse groan, like the friction of two pieces of rusty iron, suddenly resounded from the depths of Long Ridge Cave!
The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it carried a chilling, oppressive force that seemed to penetrate to the bone, instantly engulfing the entire valley.
Wherever the sound passed, the rocks trembled, the withered vines moved without wind, and even the air seemed to become thick and cold.
Immediately afterwards, a figure stepped out from the dark cave.
The newcomer was tall and thin, wearing a wide robe made of countless pieces of tattered cloth of different colors and materials sewn together.
His face was withered, his eyes sunken, but his eyes were dark and unfathomable, like an ancient well.
Just being swept by that gaze is enough to chill one's Divine Soul, giving rise to all sorts of bizarre thoughts of self-harm, decay, and corruption.
The aura emanating from him carried a domineering and evil intent of "sacrificing all things to make up for one's own deficiencies," clearly indicating that he was also a Foundation Establishment True Person.
The True Person Broken Bone, Deputy Leader of the Self-Sacrifice Cult!
He took a step, seemingly slowly, yet it was as if he had shrunk the distance to an inch, instantly covering dozens of feet and arriving at the center of the battlefield.
Without a sound, the world within a radius of several miles centered on him suddenly aged and became incomplete for a moment.
The grass and trees withered and died instantly, cracks spread all over the surface of the rocks, and even the wind seemed to carry a mournful wail of decay.
The five elemental talismans that were about to fall suddenly paused in their radiance, and their flow slowed down inexplicably.
"That's interesting." Qi Yun raised his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of seriousness for the first time.
"Young man, your Talisman Art is not bad, but unfortunately—" The True Person Broken Bone's dark gaze fell on Qi Yun, and a stiff smile appeared on his withered face.
"Before me [the Dao of Brokenness]."
Everything that is whole will eventually break!
Before he could finish speaking, the True Person Broken Bone unleashed a punch at Qi Yun from a distance!
There was no grand scale, no dazzling brilliance.
But the void in front of the fist suddenly twisted and collapsed, as if an invisible giant hand had forcibly "scooped" a piece away!
An indescribable force of "stripping" surged towards Qi Yun as the void collapsed, like an invisible tide.
Wherever this force passed, the air lost its "flow," the Spiritual Qi lost its "activity," and even the light seemed to dim and become somewhat incomplete.
"The flawed path, attempting to erode all laws?"
Qi Yun stood still, his whole body radiating a clear light.
He made a series of unpredictable gestures in the air with one hand, and illusory talismans appeared out of thin air, swirling and dancing around him.
He could create talismans from basic Dao principles with ease, but under the blessing of the [Supreme Mystery Register], each one was refined and condensed, with endless wonders.
They actually managed to block all of the unpredictable and unstoppable attacks from the True Person Broken Bone.
In an instant, the sky above the valley was filled with flashes of spiritual light, crisscrossing runes, and shimmering shadows, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
Unable to break through the defenses of the True Person Broken Bone after a long struggle, the murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger.
His true form suddenly emerged from a gray shadow and stood in mid-air.
The Heaven-Maiming Hand!
A giant, gray-black hand, formed from pure "incomplete" Dao intent and covering half of the valley, slowly emerged from the crack!
The giant hand had five missing fingers, and the lines on the palm were twisted like painful ravines, exuding a terrifying aura that could wither all things and break the rules.
As soon as it appeared, the forests below withered and turned to sand at a visible speed, and the rocks silently crumbled into dust.
The power of a single palm strike caused mountains and rivers to lose their color, and extinguished all life within a hundred miles!
The giant hand locked onto Qi Yun, carrying the incomplete Daoist aura that could annihilate everything, and slowly pressed down!
The speed was not fast, but the omnipresent sense of "deprivation" and "decay" had already enveloped the area.
The talismanic light surrounding Qi Yun began to flicker and dim slightly.
In the distance, Yuhengzi and the others, protected by the Qi Yun Talisman, were still under the pressure of the giant palm's residual power, causing their Qi and Blood and qi to stagnate, their Divine Soul to feel like they were about to break, and their faces to be filled with horror and despair.
Faced with a blow powerful enough to shatter hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers, Qi Yun's eyes flickered slightly.
"This Old Devil is ruthless, and I fear I will find it difficult to subdue him in a short time. This place is his stronghold; we cannot linger here."
"Walk."
With a flick of his sleeve, a long river of talismanic light transformed into azure clouds, lifting Yuhengzi and the others.
Qi Yun transformed into a streak of rainbow light, carrying everyone away into the distance.
Looking at the tall, pine-like figure ahead, Yuhengzi was deeply shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Thank you for saving me, senior. May I ask your honorable title?"
There was no reply. Qi Yun spoke softly, "I am Rogue Cultivator from the mountains. Just call me Yun Zhongzi."