"Are you kidding me? What kind of talisman is this? It actually requires 3,590,000 points to complete and upgrade?" Zhang Chen’s eyes held disbelief. Do you know what concept 3,590,000 points is? That can improve Zhang Chen’s skills by who knows how many times, enhance them countless times.
"This talisman is quite interesting; even my Golden Finger cannot identify its name." Zhang Chen looked at the incomplete talisman before him, a hint of surprise in his gaze. This was the first time he had seen the Golden Finger behave in such a way.
But the incomplete talisman made Zhang Chen even more curious. After all, it was the first time he had seen such a unique talisman.
"Hey, can you come and look at this peculiar talisman? Can you decipher anything from it?" Filled with curiosity about the talisman, Zhang Chen turned and asked the Great Freedom Celestial Demon standing at the door.
"What you have in your hand is nothing but some trash runes, nothing involving supreme secrets. What could be so special about it?" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon commented nonchalantly, but since he was at Zhang Chen’s mercy, he reluctantly walked up to Zhang Chen at his inquiry. As he glanced leisurely at the book, the next moment his pupils shrank as if he’d seen a ghost, his eyes filled with disbelief: "What the hell is this? How could such a thing appear here?"
"Did you recognize the origin of these runes?" Zhang Chen asked.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon pondered in silence, staring at the runes for quite a while before lifting his head to look at Zhang Chen: "Where did you get this manuscript from?"
"The runes came out from the same grand tomb as you, didn’t you know?" Zhang Chen questioned.
"Many of my past memories have been lost." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon replied.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen fell into thought and continued to probe: "What is odd about these runes?"
"Do not try to comprehend them. These runes are simply beyond your understanding. Even if you do comprehend them, you cannot wield them." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon said.
He had changed his mind; he couldn’t let Zhang Chen learn this rune! Absolutely not!
"Why?" Zhang Chen couldn’t believe it.
"Because even if you decipher the mystery of this rune, you’d still need a legendary Divine Object to make it work. In theory, these runes should never appear in written records, so how do they appear on paper?" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s eyes were filled with shock.
"Never mind whether or not I can wield it, just tell me the origin of this rune." By now, Zhang Chen also realized that the rune before him was extraordinary; he kept probing the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon hesitated for a long while before saying: "It doesn’t hurt to tell you, since you can’t find the legendary Yellow Springs anyway. Even if you learn the mystery, it’s hard to manifest its Divine Power."
"Yellow Springs?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s heart moved.
He had Yellow Springs!
Within the First Heaven of his Spiritual World, there was Yellow Springs.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon nodded: "Yes, in order to activate the power of this talisman array, you need a special Divine Object: Yellow Springs."
Zhang Chen heard a new term: talisman array.
"What’s a talisman array?" Zhang Chen asked.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon didn’t hide it; after all, these weren’t exactly secrets, so he might as well earn Zhang Chen’s trust: "By arranging runes together to form a unique formation, it’s called a talisman array. The strength of the array is determined by the number of runes required. The most superior talisman array needs to be formed by three hundred sixty-five runes, truly able to slay gods and demons alike, regardless of your strength, you’ll be reduced to ashes upon falling in."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was moved and directed his gaze to the unknown runes on the book:
"Is this a talisman array?"
"In my fragmented memory, this rune is just a fragment of a complete Rune Array. This talisman array is called the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array. In my memory, every time I mention this array, my soul shivers involuntarily," the Great Freedom Celestials Demon’s voice was full of solemnity, but he then gloated: "But you only have a fragment of the whole array, just a single rune. There’s no use learning it unless you get the complete set of 360 runes."
Upon hearing the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s gloating words, Zhang Chen directed his gaze to the talisman book, revealing an expression of intrigue, thinking to himself: "If I remember correctly, this book records a total of 365 runes? Excluding the Invisibility Rune, Wind Stabilizing Rune, Water Stabilizing Rune, Hardening Talisman, Fire Extinguishing Rune, exactly 360 runes remain. And the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said that the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array requires 360 runes..."
With this thought, Zhang Chen’s heart raced uncontrollably; he had the complete set of runes for the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array, and he even possessed the Yellow Springs. Truly the luck of the heavens is with him.
"What’s the wonder of this Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array?" Zhang Chen asked calmly.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s gaze showed a hint of reminiscence: "It can destroy the spirits of immortals, consume the souls of immortals, entrap the forms of immortals, deplete the aura of immortals, eradicate the essence of deities, and damage the limbs of deities. Deities who enter become mortal; mortals who enter perish instantly."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s pupils contracted, and his heart shook violently. He thought of the legendary Nine Bends Yellow River Array from myths; its powers seemed identical to the talisman array before him.
"Kid, listen to an old ancestor’s advice, this talisman array isn’t something you can handle. Your cultivation is too weak, not to mention this inheritance is already fragmented, and the Yellow Spring Water is but a legend, impossible to find. It’s better to save your time than to waste your years and eventually meet your end." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon looked at Zhang Chen, speaking persuasively.
"Would you be so kind as to advise me?" Zhang Chen picked up the talisman book, giving the Great Freedom Celestial Demon a glance.
"Because seeing you with Magical Power reminds me of an old acquaintance, evoking a sense of closeness in my heart." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon explained.
Listening to the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s nonsense, Zhang Chen laughed in exasperation: "According to you, immediately attacking me after you possessed Xie Lingyun is how you approach old acquaintances?"
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s smile froze, his eyes flickered with annoyance: "You’re really clueless, this Old Ancestor kindly advises you, yet you hold onto the past, truly unfilial."
Having said this, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon angrily went to look at the sun from the doorway, leaving Zhang Chen inside the room, continuing to ponder the talisman in his hand.
Half an hour later, another rune was deciphered, and Zhang Chen’s Golden Finger Interface changed:
[16 Skills (Incomplete): Unknown Talisman (2/3,580,000)]
"Sure enough, every rune I decipher completes a portion of the talisman array, reducing the experience needed for the upgrade by a portion."
With this, Zhang Chen’s heart settled. Once he deciphers the complete array, the 3,600,000 experience points will be reduced to zero, allowing him to upgrade smoothly without consuming points.
"A talisman array, seeing how seriously the Great Freedom Celestial Demon values it, the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array must be extraordinary."
Motivated, Zhang Chen continued studying the runes.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon occasionally turned around to look at Zhang Chen studying the runes. Seeing him turning pages, the corner of his mouth curled in mockery: "This kid is stubborn, claiming to study the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, but in reality, he continues to decipher other runes?"
Time flew by, another seven days passed.
Xie Lingyun arrived again. To prevent the Great Freedom Celestial Demon from making trouble, Zhang Chen immediately sent him back into the jar. Amidst the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s dissatisfied murmurs, he sealed it with suppressing runes.
Inside the jar
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon sat in darkness, eyes filled with frustration: "Damn it, what the hell kind of skills does this kid have? I’ve been by his side for some time yet can’t make sense of his methods. His innate techniques restrain me; he truly is my great adversary."
Kill or stay?
Be an enemy or an ally?
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s mind was filled with conflict.
Observatory Master Liu Feng arrived at Zhang Chen’s abode before Xie Lingyun, advising him: "We’ve received word from the mountain that the noble lady wants to meet you in the mountains. You must seize this opportunity and find a way to make the noble lady take you down the mountain."
Zhang Chen didn’t argue but responded obediently: "As the Observatory Master wishes, I will do my best to persuade the noble lady."
Liu Feng nodded in satisfaction, gave some more advice, and then turned away.