Chapter 136: Talisman Treasure · Scarlet Sun Sword
“It's you!”
When their eyes met, Lin Chang’an’s cold gaze flickered with shock. This monster that resembled a corpse-refining cultivator was actually Huang Shaohai.
That familiar mana aura was something he could never mistake.
The moment the figure burst out from underground, he had already sensed it.
However, between the two of them, a pair of blood-red bull eyes broke their brief reunion.
“Moo!”
The Green-Horned Ox exhaled white mist as it let out a muffled roar, and in the next instant, both sides collided head-on.
“Crack…”
The shield of a second-rank mid-grade Vajra Talisman shattered one after another, while at the same time, the mana barrier of the silver land-traveling vessel in front was also broken apart.
In the next instant, sharp horns pierced forward directly, while Lin Chang’an on the ox’s back showed no hesitation, wielding the Green Bamboo Sword.
A blood-red sword light stabbed downward in a reverse arc.
With a deafening explosion, his ears went momentarily deaf, accompanied by the anguished bellow of the Green-Horned Ox and the furious roar of Huang Shaohai.
“I will kill you!”
At the moment of impact, the Green-Horned Ox directly overturned the land vessel, leaving two huge holes in its underside.
Huang Shaohai was sent flying. Although a defensive artifact shielded him, the posture of being smashed upward from below left him seething with rage.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The force of the collision also sent the Green-Horned Ox reeling backward, rolling over and sliding more than ten zhang away.
“Moo!”
The Green-Horned Ox, dizzy and bleeding from its forehead, tried to rise, but after that full-powered collision, even as a second-rank spirit beast, its four hooves trembled, unable to stand firmly.
Meanwhile, as Lin Chang’an was flung away by the recoil, he flipped midair, planted one hand on the ground in a swift spin to disperse the force, while his other hand formed a seal.
Nine second-rank mid-grade Firebird Talismans were not the limit of his talisman collection, but the limit of how many his late Foundation Establishment divine sense could control simultaneously.
In an instant, firelight filled the skies.
Without any hesitation, Lin Chang’an turned, stepping onto the Green Bamboo Sword to ride it into flight. Before leaving, he did not forget to collect the Green-Horned Ox into the Spirit Beast Pouch.
Snatching the formation plate, charging with the ox, and smashing a robber cultivator before fleeing—what a thrill!
“Senior Brother Huang!”
The two disciples of the Palace of Blazing Fire who rushed over, upon witnessing the horrific collision and the booming firelight, cried out in alarm.
“Lin Chang’an! I will kill you!”
From within the sea of fire, Huang Shaohai clutched a defensive artifact, roaring with a hideous expression. At this moment, he was like a terrifying great demon-beast in human form.
“Chase him! I want to tear out his tendons and peel his skin, drain his blood essence dry!”
His voice cracked as he shouted, sending chills into the hearts of the two junior disciples.
They dared not slack in the slightest.
Meanwhile, Lin Chang’an sped deeper into the Cloudmist Mountain Range, heading straight toward the area thick with poison miasma.
Flying like lightning, the surrounding scenery swept past rapidly. The deeper he went, the more his divine sense was suppressed, no longer able to probe more than three zhang ahead.
Even with his late Foundation Establishment divine sense, Lin Chang’an could only rely on his Spiritual Eye to see.
Behind him, however, the three continued to pursue relentlessly, making Lin Chang’an uneasy.
“What method is Huang Shaohai using that allows him to chase accurately even in such thick poison miasma?”
The three men flying on swords behind him, two of them Foundation Establishment early stage cultivators, swallowed three Detoxification Pills apiece, their expressions grim.
“Senior Brother Huang, if we keep going, even we will be poisoned.”
Detoxification Pills were useful, but their effect depended on how much miasma one inhaled.
And if they had to fight later, it would only hasten the buildup of poison in their bodies.
“Trash! Keep chasing! After we succeed, all this man’s belongings will belong to you.”
Huang Shaohai’s eyes glowed scarlet as he roared. This drifting cultivator, whom he looked down on, had actually made him suffer such a loss.
He absolutely could not let this man go.
“Rest assured, Senior Brother. The two of us will definitely capture him for you.”
The two, who had originally been worried, showed excitement when they heard all the spoils would be theirs.
They exchanged a glance and swallowed another three Detoxification Pills each.
……
“What poison art has this Huang Shaohai cultivated, to turn himself into this state?”
Riding his sword at full speed, Lin Chang’an looked down in alarm at the venom splattered on his robe earlier.
It had corroded the fabric into a dull ruin.
Thankfully, his Regenerative Body nourished by his Life-bound Spirit Plant allowed him immunity to poisons of the same rank.
Even so, he was secretly shaken. Outside Tianxuan City, robber cultivators ran rampant, and much of it was due to the shadowy manipulation of the Palace of Blazing Fire and the Divine Sword Sect.
But he had never expected Huang Shaohai to personally act as a robber cultivator.
“The poisonous devil Old Hu once mentioned must have been this Huang Shaohai.”
Recalling past intelligence and the pursuers that he could not shake off, Lin Chang’an’s brows furrowed deeply.
The enemy lurked in the shadows, and with such tracking methods, he had nowhere to run.
Even if he escaped this time, what about the next?
He still did not understand the method these robber cultivators used to pursue.
“If I let him go today, I will never sleep soundly again.”
At this thought, Lin Chang’an’s killing intent surged.
All three must die!
And he had to uncover their tracking method. Otherwise, he would be forced to turtle up inside Tianxuan City in the future.
“Senior Brother Huang, this drifting cultivator can’t run far.”
“Exactly. Just a mere early Foundation Establishment stage. Let’s see how long he lasts against this miasma.”
In the miasma-shrouded zone where divine sense was useless, a guiding technique on their wrists allowed the three to communicate within a hundred zhang through voice transmission.
……
“This drifting cultivator is really persistent, to run for so long.”
“Senior Brother Huang, the Earth Dragon Beast just cried out. The target is up ahead… no, something’s wrong. He provoked a demon beast!”
In the midst of the chase, a voice rang with panic.
And in the darkness, Lin Chang’an finally discovered the method they had used to track him.
Just then, a streak of poisonous light flashed past, and under Lin Chang’an’s feigned look of fear, he saw Huang Shaohai striking from behind.
“You drifting cultivator, the poison miasma may block our divine sense, but it also makes you a blind man!”
Yet in the dense fog, a deep and terrifying bull’s roar echoed, making Huang Shaohai and the others’ expressions change, while Lin Chang’an’s lips curved into a grin.
“As expected, his spirit beast can only track my trail.”
The Green-Horned Ox, with eyes glowing scarlet and carrying immense force, appeared from the other side of the mist and rammed straight toward the massive Earth Dragon Beast.
This time, the collision was real and solid. The Earth Dragon Beast let out a pained wail, and its three-zhang-long body was sent flying by the Green-Horned Ox.
The terrifying impact came with the sound of bones snapping, and the bull’s horns pierced two massive wounds into its flesh.
“You beast! Die!”
In fury, Huang Shaohai slapped his Spirit Beast Pouch, and a flash of golden light shot out, striking directly at the Green-Horned Ox.
In an instant, several bloody wounds were pecked into the ox’s body.
Seeing this, Lin Chang’an was startled, quickly pulling back while urging the Green-Horned Ox to retreat.
“Huang Shaohai, this Earth Dragon Beast has already lost its ability to fight. I’ll be heading back to Tianxuan City now. I’ve had enough of watching you look like a stray dog.”
Laughing loudly, Lin Chang’an deliberately provoked him.
Within the thick mist, Huang Shaohai’s eyes nearly split apart from rage. He had been toyed with again and again by a drifting cultivator.
“Lin Chang’an, I’ll see you dead!”
His eyes burned red, his mind inflamed by the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine, making him easily lose control.
“Senior Brother Huang, be careful!”
The other two cried out in warning when they saw him charge ahead, but Huang Shaohai no longer listened.
【Second-rank Fiery Flame Formation · Activate】
Just as Huang Shaohai caught up, Lin Chang’an triggered the formation he had hastily laid out earlier.
In an instant, formation barriers rose all around.
“Senior Brother Huang!”
The two other robber cultivators exclaimed, but in the next moment, Lin Chang’an charged forward with the Green-Horned Ox.
From the beginning, his plan had been to trap one or two within the formation and then eliminate them one by one.
He had not expected Huang Shaohai to rush in so cooperatively on his own.
“Daoist Friend, I am a cultivator of the Palace of Blazing Fire—”
“Not good, Senior Brother, this man is at mid Foundation Establishment!”
From the start, Lin Chang’an had suppressed his aura to early Foundation Establishment, but this full release of his strength shocked them.
“Go!”
Lin Chang’an decisively raised his hand, unleashing nine second-rank mid-grade Firebird Talismans.
This strike made the two robber cultivators’ faces change drastically. They retreated in panic, flinging spell after spell, talisman after talisman to defend themselves.
Their hearts quivered with fear. Just what kind of drifting cultivator was this, to use second-rank talismans as though they were endless?
“Boom—!”
The Firebird Talismans erupted. At that moment, Lin Chang’an suddenly flashed from the side, the Green Bamboo Sword in his palm emanating terrifying baleful sword qi.
“Daoist Friend—”
But beneath the blood fiend sword light, the weaker cultivator’s mana shield was pierced through instantly.
The Green Bamboo Sword met no resistance, slicing past in a bloody arc.
“Junior Brother!”
His senior howled in fury, striking at Lin Chang’an’s back.
Yet Lin Chang’an’s expression turned cold. In the instant he spun around, a streak of blood light shot from his fingertip.
【Blood Spirit Thorn】
“Puff!”
The robber's cultivator's eyes froze. A red mark blossomed between his brows, blood trickling out as his body went limp and fell.
The Gilded Needle specialized in breaking mana shields, and when combined with his Blood Spirit Thorn,
A full-power strike at such close range left a Foundation Establishment early stage cultivator no chance to dodge. In an instant, his life was taken.
All of this happened within moments, two robber cultivators at the early Foundation Establishment stage slain swiftly and cleanly.
Lin Chang’an was indeed strong, but much of it was due to the terrain.
Within the poison miasma, the two had lost the ability to probe with divine sense, reduced to blind men.
Yet Lin Chang’an’s Spiritual Eye allowed him to see clearly.
Coupled with his Killing Origin Sword Art bursting forth with the might of late Foundation Establishment, and the Blood Spirit Thorn specialized in piercing protective light,
It was inevitable they would be slain so neatly.
“Too much nonsense.”
After finishing, Lin Chang’an’s face remained cold as he instinctively thrust a few more sword strikes. Then he collected the two storage pouches and magical artifacts.
At that moment, the sound of a formation shattering echoed.
Lin Chang’an killed swiftly, but Huang Shaohai broke formations just as fast.
“Restriction-Breaking Talisman!”
As the formation collapsed, Lin Chang’an spotted the method used and was taken aback.
A second-rank high-grade Restriction-Breaking Talisman—Huang Shaohai was truly extravagant.
On the other hand, Huang Shaohai, seeing the corpses of his two companions, his eyes burned with murderous intent as he shouted in rage:
“Good! Very good! So you were at mid Foundation Establishment after all. They deserved their deaths, but now you’ll go down to accompany them!”
With a sharp cry, golden light flashed. Lin Chang’an quickly pulled back, trying to melt into the dense fog.
But the shields before him shattered one after another, shocking him.
“Wind-Chirp Bird!”
At last he saw clearly.
The golden light that effortlessly shattered his second-rank mid-grade Vajra Talisman shields was none other than the exotic beast, the Wind-Chirp Bird.
The very same beast for which the Zhou Family had paid dearly, only to have it intercepted by Huang Shaohai.
In the next instant, Lin Chang’an flung out six talismans—Ice Talismans and Exploding Talismans together.
Using the force of the explosions, he slapped several Golden Light Talismans onto himself.
“Lin Chang’an, you despicable wretch!”
They were robber cultivators to begin with, but Lin Chang’an’s repeated schemes made him seem more like a robber than they were.
Huang Shaohai could not help but roar in fury and humiliation.
“Daoist Huang, it’s better to save your threats. You’d best think about how you’re going to get out of here alive first.”
Hidden within the thick fog, Lin Chang’an relied on the poison miasma that blocked divine sense and revealed a mocking smile.
The Earth Dragon Beast was gravely injured and the tracking method was lost.
Now the tables had turned!
“Good! Good! Very good! You drifting cultivators are nothing more than trash unworthy of notice.
Do you really think that by obtaining a stroke of fortune, you can step onto the path of cultivation?
Today, I will let you see for yourself—drifting cultivators will forever remain worthless rabble who cannot step onto the stage!”
Huang Shaohai laughed in fury.
He had not expected that today he would actually be underestimated by a drifting cultivator.
Stowing the Wind-Chirp Bird into his Spirit Beast Pouch, Huang Shaohai soared into the sky on his sword.
Under Lin Chang’an’s wary gaze, he took out a talisman.
“This is—!?”
A dreadful premonition struck, making Lin Chang’an’s heart tremble violently.
He immediately fled without hesitation.
High above, Huang Shaohai turned his palm, revealing a fire-red talisman inscribed with a small sword.
It emanated a terrifying aura.
“A Talisman Treasure?!”
Though he had never seen one, he had heard of it.
Just being activated slightly, it exuded such dreadful power, scattering the poison miasma that had blocked divine sense.
“Found you!”
In the sky, Huang Shaohai revealed a bloodthirsty grin as he locked onto the fleeing Lin Chang’an.
“Daoist Huang, are you truly determined to fight to mutual destruction!?”
Burning his blood essence, Lin Chang’an employed the Blood Shadow Escape to flee.
His scalp tingled—how could Huang Shaohai possibly possess such a treasure?
Across the entire Yue Kingdom, how many Core Formation cultivators were there?
Talisman Treasures were things spoken of only in rumors.
Yet today he had actually run into one.
Previously, he had thought that as long as he did not encounter a Core Formation cultivator, he could escape freely.
But now, he was utterly numb.
This was a Talisman Treasure carrying part of a Core Formation cultivator’s power.
Seeing Lin Chang’an in such panic, Huang Shaohai’s bloodthirsty laughter grew louder.
“The fish may die, but the net will not necessarily break!”
In an instant, a condensed crimson blade of light gathered.
The Talisman Treasure was fully formed.
【Talisman Treasure · Scarlet Sun Sword】
Where its sword tip pointed, the poison miasma scattered.
Under the weight of death, Lin Chang’an clenched his teeth and instantly released nine second-rank high-grade Vajra Talismans.
These were his bottom-of-the-box treasures, traded for at the auction.
As nine golden phantom shields rose, Lin Chang’an was flung backward.
At the same time, he pulled the Blackiron Flying Shield and the defensive artifacts taken from the two slain cultivators in front of himself.
Though they had not been refined, at this moment anything that could block was a good thing—there was no time to care.
At the same time, he frantically activated the Killing Origin Sword Art.
The meridians within his body tore as a blood-red sword light, filled with baleful energy, manifested before him.
“An ant trying to shake a great tree.”
From high above, Huang Shaohai looked down with disdainful eyes.
The sword light of the Talisman Treasure appeared instantly before Lin Chang’an.
At that moment, Lin Chang’an’s pupils widened.
The crimson blade of the Talisman Treasure shattered his Killing Origin Sword Art in an instant.
The nine golden shields were pierced through one after another.
Not even half a breath of time was bought.
“Pfft!”
Blood splattered wildly.
Lin Chang’an’s eyes widened, his protective artifacts penetrated.
Even the Green-Horned Ox standing before him let out a miserable cry.
One of its horns was cut off easily, its body gravely injured by the Talisman Treasure, collapsing to the ground with a bellow.
Lin Chang’an’s chest was pierced straight through, blood spilling everywhere.
The power of the Talisman Treasure did not end there—it penetrated countless ancient trees and boulders behind him before finally dissipating.
“Thud!”
Lin Chang’an’s eyes were vacant as his body collapsed limply to the ground.
Seeing this, Huang Shaohai’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
“The Killing Origin Sword Art—none within my Palace of Blazing Fire would dare to cultivate it.
Yet you, a mere drifting cultivator, actually dared to gamble with it.
Unfortunately, how could the light of a firefly dare to contend with the brilliance of the sun and moon.”
With wild, frenzied laughter, Huang Shaohai flew down from the sky and landed slowly, looking at the fallen Lin Chang’an with a cold sneer.