Chapter 155: The Jade Slip and the Great Art of Talismans

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Qin Haoxuan first tried to infuse the jade slip with spiritual energy, but there was no reaction. He increased the input, still nothing. He continued to increase it until his face was red with effort, but his spiritual energy was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, vanishing without a trace.

It seems my cultivation realm is too low. It’s impossible to open this with spiritual energy alone. With his spiritual sense as his trump card, Qin Haoxuan remained calm. After taking a long breath, he steadied his mind and prepared to use his spiritual sense. He did so with great care because he was worried that if he put in too much power, he might accidentally destroy the jade slip.

He cautiously probed with his spiritual sense. After it entered the jade slip, he could finally see the restriction clearly. It was like a condensed cloud, protecting the contents within, and faint golden characters flowed across its surface.

Qin Haoxuan observed it carefully for a while. Elder Chu had once taught some basic knowledge about restrictions in class. If one did not know the proper method to undo a restriction, forcing it open could result in a backlash. Concerned about damaging the jade slip, he did not rashly launch a full-on assault.

After observing for a moment, Qin Haoxuan determined that this restriction was probably not too strong. With the intensity of his spiritual sense, he could definitely break it, as long as he was careful not to damage the jade. He cautiously increased the infusion of his spiritual sense, condensing it into a golden beam, and stabbed it at the cloud-like ward.

Sure enough, the light of the restriction wavered. Under the assault of his golden spiritual sense, it trembled a few times and then shattered.

Although it seemed easy for him to break it, one must not forget that normally only Dao Fruit Realm ancestors could cultivate spiritual sense. In other words, besides Qin Haoxuan, only the Sect Master and a few of the ancestors in the Taichu Sect could have opened this restriction so directly.

With the restriction broken, four large, glittering golden characters suddenly appeared: The Great Art of Talismans. Each character was the size of a small mountain, written with majestic, flowing strokes. Qin Haoxuan’s spirit was shaken. The more he looked at them, the more he felt that the person who had written these four words had to have been a cultivator with a vast heart, lofty ambitions, and astonishing cultivation.

Although it wasn’t an orthodox Daoist art, from the name alone, he knew that the contents of this jade slip were far superior to most. Talismans were one of the most important of the Six Arts of Cultivation.

In the past, Pu Hanzhong had spent more than ten days introducing him to the art of talismans and had spoken with great praise of a sect called the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

The Heavenly Talisman Sect’s proudest achievement was not their ability to create talismans that surpassed their own realm, but the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Talisman created by their founder. It was said that this talisman contained a small world of its own and could be used an infinite number of times.

At the time, Qin Haoxuan had asked, “Does this Heavenly Talisman Sect still exist?”

“Not only does it exist,” Pu Hanzhong had replied, “but it is an extremely high-level existence, one of the top-tier sects among the few supreme great sects. Their disciples are rarely seen in the cultivation world… hmm, the last time there was any news of them was three or four hundred years ago.”

Qin Haoxuan snapped out of his reverie and continued to read. He found a small passage of golden text beneath the main title. It was an introduction to The Great Art of Talismans.

After reading it, Qin Haoxuan was left in a state of shock. The text simply and concisely explained the world of talismans, which in the eyes of an ordinary cultivator was complex and esoteric. He summarized it simply: all magical artifacts are made from talismans. The principles of talismans are the principles of all magical artifacts. A talisman itself is a type of artifact.

After reading the introduction, Qin Haoxuan was even more overjoyed, because this Great Art of Talismans came from the Heavenly Talisman Sect itself. What made him incredibly regretful, however, was that this was not the complete version, but only a fragment.

Not only that, but what made him want to vomit blood in frustration was that the contents of the art were divided into layers, and each layer was protected by a powerful restriction. To see the contents of the first layer, he had to break the first restriction.

Restrictions! Damn it, more cursed restrictions!

His spiritual sense continued forward and, sure enough, ran into another ward. The light on this one flowed with golden inscriptions in a regular and orderly pattern, and it exuded an aura of indestructibility. From its appearance alone, this restriction was a hundred times stronger than the one on the outside. He knew that trying to force his way through was hopeless.

But if he didn’t break this restriction, he couldn’t access the contents.

He was in a bind. His hopes had been dashed. He had seen this art as his salvation. He could handle Zhang Kuang and Zhang Yang with caution, but the Spirit Tree Realm Master Chi Lian was another matter entirely. He had lost lifespan and face because of them and would surely come for revenge once they “Entered the Mortal World” and left the sect’s protection.

He recalled a conversation he had with his senior brother after leaving the Aqueous Manor.

He had asked Ye Yiming, “Senior Brother, with our current cultivation, is there any way for us to survive an attack from the Spirit Tree Realm’s Master Chi Lian?”

Ye Yiming’s eyes had been ashen. He had simply shaken his head. “No hope at all.”

“What if we hand over the Spirit Liquid to the sect?”

“We would still die,” Ye Yiming had analyzed without a second thought. “Because privately hoarding Spirit Liquid is a capital crime.”

“So, that means there’s no way for us to live?”

“Pretty much,” Ye Yiming had replied, his eyes filled with a despair Qin Haoxuan had never seen before.

But how could he survive Master Chi Lian’s wrath? He closed his eyes and could almost see the elder’s cold gaze on him, as if he wanted to swallow him whole. A thousand, ten thousand reasons all converged into a single, resounding cry in his heart: I must live on!

This was why he had gone to the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley in the first place. If he could refine a powerful talisman, even if he couldn’t defeat Master Chi Lian, he might be able to protect himself. But this damned restriction had shattered that sliver of hope.

He paced back and forth in his room. What do I do, what do I do!

Suddenly, he thought of someone—Xing.

The next morning, after a quick round of cultivation, Qin Haoxuan went to find him.

Seeing him arrive so early, Xing rubbed his sleepy eyes, as if trying to guess his intentions.

Qin Haoxuan unceremoniously plopped down on his bed and stared at him. “You slept well, I see. How could you?”

“Even though a genius at my level doesn’t need to sleep, it is a kind of enjoyment!” Xing began to boast shamelessly. “If I were to cultivate at full power, even the Purple Seeds of your human race would be left eating my dust.”

Qin Haoxuan was already used to his boasting, but that he was still in the mood for it at a time like this truly impressed him.

“Aren’t you worried that the Blood Demon the Ninth Elder captured will expose you? He knows your true form,” Qin Haoxuan asked.

Xing smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice. “Last night, I risked it and transformed into a mouse to sneak into Tianxing Peak. I just happened to overhear two elders talking. Hua Feng’s spiritual sense suffered some unknown heavy damage, and he’s become an imbecile, unable to say anything.”

Spiritual sense suffered heavy damage? Qin Haoxuan suddenly understood. His own spiritual attack must have been the cause. The worry that had been plaguing him for so long was lifted.

Xing grinned proudly. “Never mind me; he doesn’t even recognize himself anymore. What does this seat have to fear from him?”