Eternal Tale - Ch. 266
Years later, in the secluded streets of Guiyi City in the Great Li Realm:
The bustling street saw many Qi Refining cultivators and even the occasional Foundation Establishment cultivators meticulously selecting cultivation goods.
Amidst the crowd stood an inconspicuous shop on the verge of closure, its two Crane Spirit Trees out front thriving surprisingly well.
Three empty rocking chairs lay at the entrance, while eerie cackling echoed from the backyard.
“This is the ‘Seated Oblivion Talisman.’ Do you know its significance?” A man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky with an air of superiority. “Combined with the Ascension Three Styles, its effects are even more extraordinary.”
Inside the yard, a big black ox and a small lion stared at the talisman in his hand, their eyes filled with awe.
The small lion, wagging its tail, even stood to bow with its paws. “Brother Xun, after years of research and sudden enlightenment, I’m impressed!”
“Moo!” The big black ox’s wide eyes conveyed the same sentiment.
“Hahaha…”
Chen Xun laughed heartily. Over the years, he hadn’t given up on his mischievous ambitions. Here, he researched talismans while waiting for the Heavenly Gate to open. “Come, let me explain its effects.”
Compared to Yuxu City back then, resources here were abundant, sea beasts were plentiful, and as long as one had spirit stones, anything could be bought. Now, they were wealthy in spirit stones.
Chen Xun’s grand talisman plan had finally made significant strides under ample resources!
The big black ox and small lion huddled closer, brimming with curiosity. They knew this shop existed solely to get cheaper goods. After all, being a shop owner earned face, and suppliers always offered good deals.
Chen Xun held up the silver talisman between two fingers, a faint chill emanating from it. The blood-red patterns on its surface were jagged, giving it the look of failure.
Boasting, he began to explain, “The Seated Oblivion Talisman harnesses the essence of heaven and earth, fuses the blood of sea beasts, and is tempered by my Vital Qi Flower, finally sealed with my self-created vital blood.”
“Brother Xun, what’s the effect?” The small lion, clueless, piped up, often busy running errands for Chen Xun. “Isn’t it just normal vital blood?”
Despite its doubts, the small lion didn’t dare voice them. After years of experience, it knew Chen Xun was a “dignified” person.
“Moo~” The big black ox, half-understanding, suspected Chen Xun had once again created something unheard of in the natural world.
They had gathered countless species’ blood over the years, recording every detail in a small notebook.
“With this talisman,” Chen Xun smirked mysteriously, “once activated by me, it can disrupt a cultivator’s qi and blood, reverse the flow of spiritual energy in their meridians, and force them into qi deviation!”
“It’s like an internal Heart Tribulation, triggering the deepest innate vital essence within their bloodline. They’ll forget all hardships and, combined with the Ascension First Style, ascend painlessly and without awareness.”
Hiss!
The big black ox and lion gasped. Truly worthy of their big brother!
“However,” Chen Xun sighed, his head tilting higher, “this talisman’s effects depend on the materials and the sea beast’s blood level. For now, I can only affect Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
He sighed again, his eyes brimming with pride. “But I’ve already pioneered this secret method and found a new path to crafting talismans, no longer confined to the old ways.”
Reflecting, he marveled at how the Vital Qi Flower significantly enhanced talismans, even embedding them with unique properties—stealthy and undetectable to cultivators.
The vital energy is far more terrifying than the Five Elements Qi. The latter has long been discovered and utilized by cultivators, though it cannot be fully controlled and serves only as an auxiliary tool.
However, Heaven and Earth Vital Energy have never been successfully captured or utilized by anyone. Without practicing the Path of the Five Elements as a medium, one cannot even sense it.
The path of cultivation is intricate and interconnected, endlessly fascinating. The more one learns, the more insignificant one feels, easily losing themselves in its depths.
“And the activation method for this talisman is quite peculiar—it merges with the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy, silent and subtle, with a hidden effect.”
Chen Xun lowered his gaze to the small lion and the big black ox. “If we bury a large number of Seated Oblivion Talismans in ambush, who could withstand it?!”
He had activated the talisman before. It showed no signs of grand spells or radiant lights, instead forming crystalline energy in the air, resonating with the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy.
The space trembled faintly, and the residual energy pierced straight into the bloodstream, similar to the power of soul destruction. Even magical shields were useless.
Back when he defeated demonic cultivators, their shields could block sword strikes, but the soul-destroying force directly penetrated his consciousness, eventually neutralized by his divine aperture.
“Exactly, Brother Xun! This talisman barely consumes any spiritual energy, can be prepared in advance, and doesn’t even require us to show up.”
The small lion’s eyes sparkled—it was the perfect ambush weapon with devastating effects. “No cultivator in this world could endure falling into qi deviation.”
“Moo~~” The big black ox nudged Chen Xun, its approving gaze saying, As expected of you.
Combined with its formation arrays, Brother Xun’s talisman ensured no enemy could escape, and even survivors would be left with long-lasting harm, not knowing who had attacked.
“Old Ox, I’m also quite curious about that Defiled Lifespan Blood,” Chen Xun remarked.
The big black ox looked at him, both intrigued. To sever lifespan itself—what a marvelous thing!
“Brother Xun, Brother Ox, that’s something that corrupts lifespan!” The small lion shuddered. “We can’t mess with it—what if it cuts our lives short?”
“Moo~~”
“Little Red, no need to worry. I have my methods.”
Chen Xun and the big black ox exchanged sly smiles, making the small lion gulp nervously. It couldn’t help but wonder how much lifespan its two brothers had left.
They seemed curious about everything—whether forbidden sea demon nests, thunderstorm regions, or ancient formations. And now they were preparing to cross Heavenly Gate, something the small lion never dared to imagine.
Thrilling…
The small lion stared at them, realizing it had unknowingly survived countless perilous grounds over 400 years.
Chen Xun gazed into the distance. “Brothers, pack up. It’s time to set off.”
“Moo~~!”
“Got it, Brother Xun!”
The big black ox and the small lion grew serious. The long-awaited day had arrived. Their eyes turned solemn, aware of the growing influx of cultivators in the city over the years.
“After over 400 years in the Great Li Realm, the time has finally come.”
Chen Xun’s eyes glinted with electric light as he looked skyward. The city was now teeming with powerful auras, a suffocating atmosphere shrouding it.
The western coast had been entirely sealed off by the Great Li Realm’s major factions, with rumors of Nascent Soul experts stationed there. Major merchant guilds had long issued orders banning seafaring.
Countless coastal cities had been evacuated, with mortals retreating far inland, heralding an impending storm.