Imperial Bell True Talisman

The menacing, sky-blotting black cloud swiftly condensed into a tight mass the moment the spirit sword was revealed, exposing the terrified eyes of the black-spotted leopard demon. Even within the borders of the Guifang State, the leopard demon was not arrogant enough to pit itself against a Great Real Person of the Fifth Talisman Dharma Rank. Fearing that the Dao Court would dispatch a Great Real Person to seize him directly, Marquis Liu had spent the past few years hiding outside, not daring even to return to his own marquis estate. With the sword blade leveled right at it, the pressure bearing down on the leopard demon was far more terrifying than what Qin Sang felt. Every hair on the demon's body stood on end. It discovered in sheer terror that within its vision, nothing else in heaven and earth seemed to exist save that solitary sword. With the Daoist at the center, the ambient world origin qi was mobilized by the spirit sword. Clouds churned and winds surged through the forest as the world origin qi roiled violently, accompanied by deafening rumbles of wind and thunder. The mountain peaks at the edge of the forest trembled, and great waves surged across the rivers. Brilliant ribbons and specks of five-colored light emerged in the void, summoned by the sword ray slashing from the spirit sword, and came rushing over in a frenzied torrent. These were the very anomalies triggered by the mobilization of world origin qi, manifesting directly before Qin Sang and the leopard demon. Even in his peak state, Qin Sang could never achieve such a feat. He could barely scratch the surface of stirring the world origin qi, using the pressure of heaven and earth to suppress an opponent, yet remained completely incapable of truly manipulating it. Such a tactic was exceptionally effective against low-level cultivators, but proved useless against peers of the same realm, where victory still hinged on magic treasures and divine abilities. The phenomenon wrought by the Daoist was simply astonishing; Qin Sang doubted whether even a late Deity Transformation cultivator could pull it off. Only fragmented mentions of the divine abilities of Void Refining cultivators in the ancient texts he had read matched such a sight. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* Fierce gales tore wildly across heaven and earth. The dense world origin qi showed no sign of stopping, continuing to converge as the sword ray expanded at an alarming rate. The drawn world origin qi condensed into a thick, five-colored mist. The sword ray seemed capable of absorbing the mist. As the vapors gathered frantically, they formed a colossal five-colored sword that stood towering between heaven and earth! The blade tilted slightly, its tip piercing into the clouds and angling straight toward the leopard demon. A sense of insignificance arose unbidden in Qin Sang, as if this single strike could easily crush him to dust. One could only imagine what terrifying pressure the leopard demon was enduring. *Swish!* A five-colored sword ray suddenly burst forth across heaven and earth, outshining lightning as it illuminated the farthest reaches of the sky. A sky-shattering sword momentum! At that moment, it felt as though even the firmament was being cleaved in two by the sword ray. The black-spotted leopard demon did not wait for the sword ray to slash down before it. Having taken flight long before, its black cloud fled in wild panic at a speed far exceeding its arrival. It harbored not the slightest thought of taking this blow head-on. Feeling the horrifying might surging from behind, the leopard demon cast a glance back. Shaken to the core, it let out a low growl, its dark eyes turning entirely crimson. At the same time, the fur all over its body turned blood-red, and bizarre talismans surfaced upon its skin, as if it had donned a suit of blood armor. Immediately after, the blood armor converged toward its flanks, transforming into a pair of blood-wings. With a violent flap of the blood-wings, the leopard demon turned into a streak of blood light, its flight speed skyrocketing. The blood light and the sword ray streaked across the horizon, one in front and one behind. Yet no matter how fast the leopard demon flew, it could not outpace the sword ray. Just then, sensing something amiss but unable to be certain, the demon's eyes flickered. Flapping its blood-wings, it left a blood shadow in its wake. The blood shadow turned back, utterly fearless of death, and roared as it charged toward the sword ray. *Poof!* To everyone's surprise, the sword ray collapsed together with the blood shadow. The giant sword, possessing the apparent might to cleave the heavens, proved as fragile as a soap bubble. Without ever striking the leopard demon's true body, it was shattered upon impact by a mere blood shadow. *Rumble!* The origin qi gathered by the sword ray dispersed, and the extraordinarily chaotic energy threw heaven and earth into turmoil once more. Though grand in momentum, it was far too scattered and disordered. Even a Deity Transformation cultivator would not fear turbulence of this degree; only the surrounding flora and fauna suffered, leaving a scene of devastation in its wake. *Swish!* The leopard demon landed atop a distant mountain crest. Looking back at the fading phenomena, the shock in its expression had not yet receded before being replaced by overwhelming fury. How could it fail to realize by now that the sword strike was nothing more than an empty bluff, entirely superficial and incomparable to the strike of a true Great Real Person? Had it been a strike unleashed by a Great Real Person, it would have perished on the spot. In truth, when the Daoist unleashed the strike, the demon had harbored doubts. Rumor had it that the human Great Real Persons would not mobilize lightly, and once they left the Dao Court, they could not conceal their aura and cultivation. Furthermore, if the Daoist truly were a Great Real Person, there would have been no need to tangle with it for so long. Yet the world was ever-changing. Who could guarantee that a Great Real Person had no means of concealment? Moreover, humans were adept in talismans and incantations, capable of drawing on spirit talismans to unleash power far beyond their own cultivation. Had the leopard demon not been cautious, it would never have survived to this day. It had merely been invited to lend a hand; the looted treasury did not belong to it. No matter how lavish the reward offered by Marquis Liu, it would never risk its life to test a sword, nor would it even entertain the thought of probing. Besides, that the strike could mobilize world origin qi and possessed such terrifying momentum was an indisputable fact. The world origin qi took a long time to settle. With a dark expression, the leopard demon steered its black cloud back along the path it had come. As expected, the forest was empty; the two humans had long since vanished without a trace. It looked around. Having lost their tracks, searching for them amidst the boundless mountains would be like looking for a needle in the sea. After a moment of thought, the leopard demon sent out a message before setting off again, putting far less heart into searching for the intruders' tracks than before. To escape with its life, it had consecutively executed its blood-wings and blood shadow, both of which were divine abilities that consumed immense energy. It was now extremely wary of the Daoist, and by extension suspected Qin Sang of being an expert who kept his strength hidden. *** Meanwhile, Qin Sang and the Daoist were flying through the mountain forests, concealing their auras and tracks. Qin Sang had reverted to his Spirit Wood Body, while the Daoist had affixed a Concealment Talisman to himself. Though not as covert as Qin Sang's divine ability, deceiving the eyes and ears of demon soldiers was still an easy feat. Both knew they were not truly safe yet, so they sped forward in silence, only exchanging brief words on occasion. Before taking action, the Daoist had already planned an escape route. Qin Sang had naturally prepared one as well, but he had already strayed too far off course. Flying continuously, the two encountered more demon soldiers. Yet to Qin Sang's surprise, there were no signs of large-scale demon forces blocking their path, nor did they run into any demon marquises. Seeing the Daoist's confident demeanor, Qin Sang guessed that he might have made other arrangements, or perhaps even had accomplices. Several days later, the two finally reached the border of Guifang State. The vast army blocking the way that Qin Sang feared most never appeared. Having departed Guifang State without further mishap, Qin Sang and the Daoist both breathed a sigh of relief. Confirming there was no immediate danger in the surroundings, they stopped in a mountain hollow to regulate their breathing. "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for escorting me all the way." The Daoist cupped his hands in a solemn salute. Given his realm, he originally lacked the capability to unleash that sword strike; forcing it had taken an immense toll on him. Qin Sang had kept his promise and had not abandoned him halfway. "This poor Daoist's dharma name is Zhijian. Might I ask for Fellow Daoist's dharma name?" The two had crossed paths twice now—once in a brief clash, and once joining hands to shake off the pursuit of a demon marquis—which counted as sharing tribulations. Strangely enough, neither of them yet knew the other's name. On both occasions, the Daoist had been in the wrong. Since Qin Sang had not taken the initiative to ask, it had been awkward for him to speak up, but he finally could not resist. "This poor Daoist's dharma name is Qingfeng," Qin Sang said impassively, secretly ordering the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to keep watch. The Daoist's dharma name was rather peculiar. *Zhijian—wielder of the sword—which sword does he wield?* The thought crossed Qin Sang's mind. Among the prominent figures he had heard of at Mount Heming, there was no one named Zhijian. However, with outstanding talents emerging in numbers both inside and outside the Dao sects, it was hardly surprising. "That sword strike from before..." Qin Sang's tone carried a hint of hesitation. Real Person Zhijian's sword strike was still vivid in his memory. He had hesitated several times, fearing it might involve the other's secrets and that asking directly would be too abrupt. Real Person Zhijian took no offense. "I have made a fool of myself before Fellow Daoist. That move of mine bordered on an empty bluff, and it expended a sword talisman; it was not entirely my own divine ability. Furthermore, it suffers from severe limitations. It requires advance preparation and produces a grand momentum, yet only in the instant the world origin qi condenses into a sword can it burst forth with some measure of power. Afterward, it becomes entirely hollow. But then again, who would be foolish enough to charge headlong into danger?" Qin Sang nodded slightly. Even so, he could tell that although Real Person Zhijian was being modest, he truly was capable of mobilizing origin qi. To achieve such a feat, even through external aids, spoke volumes of his profound attainments in the sword dao. Just then, Real Person Zhijian shifted the topic. "What did Fellow Daoist think of that Imperial Bell True Talisman?" The Imperial Bell True Talisman was none other than the spirit talisman from earlier that had transformed into a bronze bell to protect him. Qin Sang naturally praised it without reserve. His strength cultivation was merely equivalent to the late Nascent Soul stage, yet with that talisman, he had managed to withstand an attack from a demon marquis, which was ample proof of its formidable power. Moreover, Qin Sang had noticed that the talisman's might partly depended on the user's strength cultivation. Once he made a breakthrough in body cultivation in the future, it would serve as a powerful protective measure. Hearing this, the Daoist smiled. "Since Fellow Daoist likes it, I shall gift the refinement method of this talisman to you." With that, the Daoist flicked a jade slip toward Qin Sang. "Having met Fellow Daoist twice, I have incurred two favors in succession. With nothing else to repay you, take this as a small token of my gratitude; please do not refuse. I obtained this talisman by chance, and as it can only be cast by strength cultivators, keeping it in my hands is like casting pearls before swine. However, refining this talisman is exceedingly difficult; you will have to expend considerable effort in the future, Fellow Daoist." Qin Sang hesitated for a moment before catching the jade slip. Sweeping his divine sense across it, the contents flooded his mind. Just as Real Person Zhijian had said, refining the Imperial Bell True Talisman was no easy task; he need not even consider it before achieving a breakthrough. As the saying went, accepting gifts softens one's stance. Having received the Imperial Bell True Talisman, the slight grudge in Qin Sang's heart lessened considerably. The two each consumed pills and seized the time to regulate their breathing. Once they had recovered, Real Person Zhijian looked out of the mountain hollow and asked, "Where does Fellow Daoist Qingfeng plan to go next? Did the disturbance I caused affect your important matters?" "This poor Daoist came for a dharma edict. Fortunately, it was already completed before Fellow Daoist wreaked havoc in the marquis estate," Qin Sang replied evasively. Real Person Zhijian seemed to have asked merely in passing without prying deeper. He nodded and said, "My dao sanctuary is located at Star Island Immortal Lake, and I was hoping to invite Fellow Daoist to come along so I could host you properly. If you have no urgent business, we might as well continue traveling together. Although the road ahead is outside Guifang State, it remains under its control. Experts of the demon marquis level might be hidden there, and running into one carelessly would prove quite troublesome." Qin Sang had long heard of Star Island Immortal Lake. Located in the north of Jushan Parish, it was an immensely vast immortal lake, often referred to as an inland sea. As the name suggested, the immortal islands within the lake were as numerous as stars, home to countless intricate factions. Moreover, it hosted the second immortal city of Jushan Parish, second only in fame to Mount Heming. Supposedly, this city was the true premier immortal city recognized by the cultivators of Jushan Parish. Qin Sang aspired to behold the diverse sights of this world, and within the complex Star Island Immortal Lake, it might be easier to encounter opportunities and obtain a dharma register. Yet Qin Sang knew full well that his current strength was insufficient to roam freely across this realm. The situation in Jushan Parish was turbulent, and one could be dragged into the struggle between the Dao Court and Guifang State at any moment. With the Dream-Transforming Four Seasons Flower in hand and a breakthrough in sight, the safest course of action was undoubtedly to return swiftly to Mount Heming and cultivate in peace within the city. It would not be too late to travel once he had broken through. Qin Sang glanced at Real Person Zhijian and shook his head. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Fellow Daoist. However, I must return promptly to hand in the dharma edict. Furthermore, I faintly sense the opportunity for a breakthrough and am eager to enter closed-door cultivation. I shall pay a visit another day." Hearing this, far from showing displeasure, Real Person Zhijian was genuinely pleased for him. "Such opportunities are hard to come by, and our days ahead are long; there is no need to rush. I hereby wish Fellow Daoist an early success!" "Thank you for the auspicious words!" *** The two did not part ways immediately. Knowing little about these demon realms, Qin Sang felt it was safer to continue traveling alongside Real Person Zhijian. Weaving their way through the demon realms without incident, they finally reached a safe zone. The time had come to part. Yet Real Person Zhijian called out to stop Qin Sang and produced a long wooden case. "I have an urgent matter requiring my immediate return to Star Island Immortal Lake; otherwise, I would have accompanied you to Mount Heming. A close friend of mine cultivates at Mount Heming and previously entrusted me with crafting a sword. Might I trouble Fellow Daoist to deliver it on my behalf?" "This..." Qin Sang hesitated. It was not that he was unwilling to do the favor, but they had only met twice. Although they had fought off demon beasts together, they could hardly be called old friends. If any accident occurred during the handover of the treasure, could their trust still be maintained? Real Person Zhijian smiled and displayed the sword inside the case—a peak-grade magic treasure. "This is nothing precious. Do you still remember that token, Fellow Daoist? When you activate the token, it will also pass word to me through that friend of mine. Should you run into any difficulties in the future, you may ask him directly for assistance, and once informed, I will rush over as quickly as possible." Qin Sang's heart stirred. By the sound of it, Real Person Zhijian was using this pretext to establish a lasting connection with him. Qin Sang had no objection to this. Taking the sword and inspecting it briefly, he cupped his hands to bid farewell, then set off toward the southwest. Real Person Zhijian stood quietly on the spot for a moment before flying north on his sword. *** Qin Sang returned smoothly to Mount Heming. Not rushing to the Dao Court, he first activated the token and, guided by it, found a courtyard within the city. The master of the courtyard was already waiting outside the door—a tall, slender Daoist in green robes whose dharma name was Guzhou. *Middle Nascent Soul stage.* Qin Sang saw through Real Person Guzhou's cultivation at a glance. Taking the token and the sword, Real Person Guzhou looked at Qin Sang, his expression immediately turning respectful. Seeing this, how could Qin Sang not realize that this man was likely not Real Person Zhijian's close friend, but rather a subordinate? *Even a single stronghold has a middle Nascent Soul expert stationed here; Real Person Zhijian seems connected to a force of no small measure.* Qin Sang nodded inwardly. Befriending Real Person Zhijian carried no downsides. Before long, Real Person Guzhou saw Qin Sang out of the courtyard. Qin Sang headed straight for the Northern Pole Exorcism Court.