Chapter 535: Three Palaces Treasure Exchange Talisman
In the dense forest among the mountain ranges.
Lin Bufan moved like an arrow released from the bowstring, rapidly weaving through the woods.
His toes lightly tapped upon tree branches, his green robe trailing emerald afterimages within the morning mist.
Suddenly, the branches before him transformed into a swarm of serpents—multicolored and dazzling—each opening its mouth and lunging to bite Lin Bufan.
The mutation occurred so abruptly that it seemed as if Lin Bufan had willingly thrown himself into a trap.
Cold light flashed within Lin Bufan’s eyes, yet there was not the slightest hint of surprise.
He pointed forward with a finger, and the flying sword Emerald Tip shot out like lightning, plunging straight into the “snake nest.”
In the next moment, countless emerald sword radiances burst forth like fresh sprouts emerging from grassland, surging outward and piercing through hundreds and thousands of mottled venomous snakes, slaughtering them all.
The broken limbs and fragments of the snakes fell onto the ground, reverting once again into shattered branches and scattered leaves.
Gao Cuo’s voice echoed from all directions.
“Daoist Friend, you truly work hard. You treat every one of my illusion techniques with the utmost seriousness.”
“However, by doing so, your mana consumption far exceeds mine. How long can you keep this up?”
His voice carried unmistakable ridicule and mockery.
Lin Bufan snorted coldly.
It was not that he was being overly honest. Rather, from their previous clashes, he had already realized that these illusions were not purely false. If ignored and allowed to develop freely, the resulting damage would be even greater.
“I can still endure for seven days and seven nights.”
“But do you have the time to keep chasing and killing me?”
Lin Bufan countered.
Gao Cuo’s expression froze slightly.
He held an official post. The situation in the frontline main camp of the Thousand Peaks Forest Coalition Army was no longer what it had been before.
Grandfather Long had returned and thoroughly reorganized the entire camp.
If he failed to return for a long time, he might very well be judged as a deserter.
That would be extremely troublesome.
Sword Elder chuckled.
“Little Gao, have you learned your lesson?”
Gao Cuo nodded slightly.
“It was my mistake. After my first ambush against this fellow failed, I casually concealed the battlefield.”
“That very step allowed Lin Bufan to guess my intentions. Now he’s completely focused on escaping, which is truly troublesome.”
“Sword Elder, when will you be able to unleash another strike?”
Sword Elder sighed.
“Two more days are required.”
“And even then, judging by the target’s temperament and ability, it will likely be difficult to achieve the same ambush effect as before.”
“Time is your greatest weakness.”
“If this battle drags on too long, not only will it be hard for you to explain your absence, but unexpected complications may arise. Your fight may attract other cultivators.”
“Perhaps it’s time to retreat.”
Gao Cuo clenched his teeth unwillingly.
After remaining silent for a moment, he replied:
“Last time, the Evil God Bone of Azure Sky Mountain was already taken.”
“This time, the Fire Within Wood is equally important to me. Must I miss it as well?”
“Sword Elder, next I will attack with my full strength!”
Sword Elder chuckled.
“This is your cultivation, so naturally you take the lead. Since you’ve already decided, then let loose and fight with everything you have!”
“Alright!” Gao Cuo responded loudly.
In the next moment, he unleashed his full power. With a sweep of his sleeves, seven illusory clones separated from his body.
The illusions chased Lin Bufan from different directions. Each one burned with purple-black flames, their momentum terrifying.
Lin Bufan’s heart tightened as he commanded his flying sword to circle around him.
The flying sword Emerald Tip moved at astonishing speed, drawing a circle in midair and shattering every clone illusion along its path.
But when it returned to Lin Bufan’s side, his heart sank.
He saw that the flying sword had been corroded by numerous purple-black patterns, and his connection with the sword had dropped by more than half.
Gao Cuo continued his attack.
His true body spread out like ink dispersing in water, transforming within a few breaths into rolling purple-black fog that covered a radius of ten li.
Caught off guard, Lin Bufan was enveloped by the violet mist and quickly activated his treasure to defend himself with full force.
The next moment, the heavens and earth suddenly became clear again. The purple-black fog barrier abruptly vanished.
Cold sweat, however, dripped down Lin Bufan’s forehead.
“What terrifying illusions! The forest just now before the clash is exactly the same.”
He tried to retreat, only to discover he was moving forward instead.
When he moved left, he ended up moving right.
“Is this an illusion, or has my sense of direction been completely distorted?”
Just as Lin Bufan was pondering, Gao Cuo’s attack suddenly struck him.
Boom boom boom…
A series of thunderous explosions shook the heavens and earth, engulfing Lin Bufan in smoke and dust.
Yet within his own vision, the world remained completely clear. The distant mountains and nearby trees showed no signs of damage or change.
Ten-Li Burning Forest, Three Generals Camp.
Ning Zhuo poured his spiritual sense into a jade slip and checked the message from Zhao Xi.
In the letter, Zhao Xi lavishly praised the Three Generals Camp and briefly explained the situation of the main army.
It turned out that after the Three Generals Camp departed, a small squad composed entirely of Nascent Soul–level cultivators had infiltrated the battlefield to seize important treasures.
Naturally, the main army could not allow enemies to steal their spoils right under their noses.
Thus, several generals were dispatched to clash repeatedly with the enemy led by the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts.
However, in the end, the ghost cultivators still managed to seize two extremely valuable spoils.
During this confrontation, the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts displayed extraordinarily powerful overall strength, suppressing the Nascent Soul cultivators of the main army so thoroughly that they could barely raise their heads.
The two were extremely arrogant. Even after being discovered, they still attempted to destroy the dragon-shaped giant talisman deep underground.
At the critical moment, Zhao Xi personally intervened. Using the national treasure staff and expending National Strength Bricks, he executed a national technique and drove back the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts.
“After this battle, the main army lost a great deal of face, while Zhao Xi turned the tide and earned merit.”
“Everyone else was losing face, forming a sharp contrast with the victory report sent by our Three Generals Camp.”
“Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Xi suppressed others and seized more authority… No wonder he was so pleased and even sent the reward exchange items here in advance.”
Understanding the circumstances, Ning Zhuo turned his gaze toward the Three Palaces Treasure Exchange Talisman before him.
This talisman was not the usual long strip shape but instead resembled a single leaf.
The front of the leaf was white, while the back was black. Along its veins occasionally flashed streaks of orange-yellow light.
During the day, if one held the leaf against sunlight, countless golden specks would appear on its surface. At night, if there was a moon, layers of lunar halos would appear on the back.
Even without injecting mana, merely probing and observing it with spiritual sense allowed Ning Zhuo to feel the vigorous vitality within the talisman.
Earlier, during his communication with Zhao Xi, the latter had already introduced this talisman.
It was crafted by the royal family of Sanyang Kingdom and gifted to Liangzhu Kingdom as a state-level present.
The royal family of Sanyang Kingdom primarily cultivated the Three Suns Grand Origin Art. By using this treasure talisman, Ning Zhuo effectively gained the advantages of the Three Suns Grand Origin Art during the Treasure Nourishment and Growth stage.
“I didn’t expect Zhao Xi to deliver this talisman so quickly.”
“Most likely, he started arranging this right after our last conversation.”
“Though the man is greedy, once bribed he truly gets things done! No wonder he remains standing in Liangzhu Kingdom’s court despite being reported many times.”
After inspecting it for a while and confirming there were no tricks, Ning Zhuo had Sun Lingtong use his innate ability to check it as well. No problems were found.
“The Mechanical Ring also has no reaction.”
Ning Zhuo no longer hesitated. He activated the treasure talisman and began using it for the first time.
The Three Palaces Treasure Exchange Talisman radiated brilliance, then suddenly disintegrated into three orange beams that shot into Ning Zhuo’s Sea of Consciousness Dantian, Sea of Qi Dantian, and Essence Sea Dantian respectively.
Without needing Ning Zhuo to activate the Three Sect Supreme Techniques, his divine power, mana, and vital energy began circulating automatically along the pathways of the Three Suns Grand Origin Art.
Within Ning Zhuo’s three great dantians, three suns appeared.
The suns hung high in the sky, constantly absorbing divine power, mana, and vital energy before expelling them again.
For a moment, sunlight shone throughout the three dantians as countless treasure medicines began to grow in competition.
Ning Zhuo clicked his tongue in amazement.
“The efficiency is more than a hundred times greater than before.”
“As expected of the royal family’s primary cultivation technique of a nation. Truly formidable!”
Ning Zhuo stood up and attempted several other activities.
To his delight, even when he fought, cast spells, or performed intense physical movements, it did not interfere with the autonomous operation of the Three Palaces Treasure Exchange Talisman.
“The only flaw is that the talisman consumes a great deal of essence, qi, and spirit.”
“If real combat begins, I can’t allow it to keep draining my strength continuously.”
After testing it for half the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Ning Zhuo immediately stopped the talisman’s operation.
With a thought, three orange beams shot out from his three dantians. The beams gathered in the air and reformed into the original talisman.
The talisman drifted down like a fallen leaf and landed softly in Ning Zhuo’s outstretched palm.
Carefully examining it, Ning Zhuo sharply noticed that the leaf patterns on the talisman had become slightly blurred.
“Looks like the material of this talisman is quite good. It should last me for a long time.”
Since it was a diplomatic gift between cultivation nations, the talisman’s materials were naturally of the highest quality.
“Zhao Xi really helped me a great deal this time!”
“With efficiency increased a hundredfold, I’ll soon break through the second stage of Treasure Nourishment and Growth and advance to the third stage.”
Anticipation appeared in Ning Zhuo’s eyes.
He already cultivated the Three Sect Supreme Techniques, granting him a huge advantage at this cultivation stage that most cultivators could never match.
Now with the addition of the Three Palaces Treasure Exchange Talisman, the double enhancement was like adding wings to a tiger.
“I must also thank Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei…”
Exchanging for this talisman had consumed most of the battle merits, and their rewards were far less than Ning Zhuo’s.
But they had volunteered and even proposed helping Ning Zhuo.
“Little Zhuo, after investing in the Three Generals Camp for so long, we’re finally seeing gratifying returns.” Inside the Puppet Dragon, Sun Lingtong felt quite pleased.
However, their mood soon worsened.
When Ning Zhuo failed to wait for Lin Bufan to meet him, he realized something was wrong and began searching near the Ten-Li Burning Forest.
Gao Cuo had concealed the battlefield so thoroughly that even with Sun Lingtong’s innate talent and the Puppet Dragon’s excellent detection abilities, they still found no clues.
“Something must have happened to Lin Bufan.”
“I hope he can handle it properly and overcome this crisis.”
Ning Zhuo stopped searching.
The main issue was that he had no way to contact Lin Bufan. In these vast mountains, finding him was extremely difficult.
With Lin Bufan missing, the matter of the Fire Within Wood could only be postponed.
Ning Zhuo quickly adjusted his mindset and returned to the Three Generals Camp to continue cultivating diligently.
The Three Palaces Treasure Exchange Talisman was extremely convenient to use. Ning Zhuo kept it on him almost day and night, continuously utilizing it.
Most of his time was spent on the Fetal-Breath Spirit Vessel.
The battle at Ten-Li Burning Forest had already allowed Ning Zhuo to taste its benefits.
Now, the stronger the foundation of his physical body became, the greater the combat power he could unleash through the leverage of military strategy.
Two more days passed.
A unit arrived at Ten-Li Burning Forest, taking over the area while also delivering Zhao Xi’s military order.
The command—The Three Generals Camp is to campaign against the Thousand Vine Talisman Corridor!
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo were not surprised. This target had been their own proposal to Zhao Xi earlier.
Having someone powerful backing you was indeed convenient.
Zhao Xi had successfully delivered this military order to the Three Generals Camp.
Already fully prepared, the Three Generals Camp immediately broke camp and marched swiftly toward the Thousand Vine Talisman Corridor.
The corridor was constructed between mountain peaks. Through careful design, heaven-and-earth spiritual energy circulated within it, forming an artificial spiritual vein.
The Talisman-Leaf Vines planted there were influenced by the corridor during growth, eventually producing specific vine-leaf talismans.
After discussion, Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo decided to lead the army to attack the middle section of the corridor.
The previously silent vine wall suddenly awakened. Hundreds of vines instantly lost their green color, turning into the hue of black iron.
The talismans on the vine leaves activated, releasing countless arrows that rained down upon the Three Generals Camp.
Battle Formation—Iron-Wall Formation!
The Three Generals Camp had long been prepared, defending flawlessly without a single gap.
After a large portion of vine leaves were consumed, a section of the left vine wall turned crimson.
In an instant, the vine-leaf talismans transformed into streams of flame, shooting toward the Three Generals Camp.
Liu Er applied military arts to enhance the defense.
Guan Hong swung his blade, splitting apart the blazing torrents of fire. His strike reached the corridor halfway up the mountain, instantly breaking its surface and exposing the interior.
Several enemy cultivators panicked and fled from the breach, retreating deeper into the corridors on both sides.
Soon, that section of corridor lost nearly all resistance after exhausting its vine-leaf talismans.
After leaving behind more than a dozen corpses, the defending cultivators all retreated.
The battle began smoothly, but the real difficulty came afterward.
The Three Generals Camp could not simply repeat this method.
Doing so would take too long and consume too much military strength. Moreover, exhausting the talisman vines here would cause excessive losses—and those losses were directly tied to their battle merits.
“We should attack from the inside instead. That won’t trigger the vine defenses.”
“But in that case, there’s no room to deploy full battle formations. Using only a small squad to form a formation would greatly reduce its power.”
“Let my mechanical army try first.”
Ning Zhuo volunteered.
With his three Mechanical Work Platforms, producing Mechanical Puppets was extremely fast. This kind of attrition battle was perfect for his mechanical army.
The Three Generals Camp quickly adopted a new strategy.
The main force remained stationed in formation while the mechanical army launched full assaults toward both sides.
Hidden in the shadows, the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts watched everything.
“The main force of the Three Generals Camp is still in formation—troublesome.”
“Ning Zhuo has already left the army and is acting alone. Once he gets a bit farther from Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei, we’ll strike and ambush him!”