Talisman Restrictions

A disheveled figure was speeding down the passage. Behind him, black flames pursued relentlessly, and Yu Hua drew ever closer. Qin Sang fled without looking back, the expression on his face shifting constantly. In his palm, he held an object—an oblong talisman of gray jade paper, pulsing with a mystical radiance that made it impossible to look away. The ice palace was just ahead. His pursuer was right at his heels. Yet the meager spiritual power he had just recovered in his sea of qi was barely enough to maintain the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, and his lamp was already running dry. Time allowed no further hesitation. A resolute gleam flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. Raising his other hand, he cast a flurry of restrictions with consummate skill, every single one landing upon his own body. These were restrictions that complemented the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, part of which had been learned from Wu Shang's writings and modified. Qin Sang had never imagined that one day he would use them on himself. He already knew them inside and out. Moving with swift, fluid precision, he completed them in a single breath. Then, flipping his palm, he pressed the Heavenly Corpse Talisman into the space between his brows without hesitation. In his origin soul space, the Heavenly Corpse Talisman drifted toward his origin soul. Qin Sang shuddered, bursting into the ice palace at that exact moment. *Bang!* Qin Sang crashed to the ground. His vision went black for an instant, completely dominated by a blackish-green ghostly claw. Fortunately, the ghostly claw came to an abrupt halt right before the spot between his eyebrows. Through the gaps between its fingers, Qin Sang saw the struggle in the Flying Yaksha's eyes—Wu Shang's obsession had stopped it once again. *Whoosh...* Howling winds raged through the passage, billowing with black flames as Yu Hua closed in. The Flying Yaksha turned its neck to look, then vanished on the spot. Qin Sang breathed a sigh of relief. Checking his internal condition, he found his consciousness unaffected by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. With the crisis pressing, there was no time for a thorough examination. Qin Sang leaped to his feet and dashed toward the side chamber Yunyouzi had entered. He had barely crossed any distance when the sound of shattering glass erupted behind him, followed by Yu Hua's alarmed, furious roar. Glancing back at the sound, Qin Sang felt a pang of regret. As expected, Yu Hua had indeed been attacked by the Flying Yaksha. Yet at the critical moment, a magic tool resembling a heart-protecting mirror flew from Yu Hua's chest. Not only could this magic tool protect its master autonomously, but its defensive strength was remarkably formidable. Though shattered by the Flying Yaksha, it had managed to block the deadly sneak attack! Yu Hua was completely unharmed! "Who goes there?!" Having his protective magic tool smashed in a single strike by the Flying Yaksha, Yu Hua blanched in shock. Soon, however, Yu Hua realized something was wrong with the Flying Yaksha—it was not a person. The corpse poison lingering on the Flying Yaksha's claws filled even him with dread. He couldn't help sucking in a cold breath, thanking his fortune that a magic tool had shielded him from this disaster. "How could there be a Flying Yaksha here?" In the immortal cultivation world, refined corpses at the Core Formation stage were known as Flying Yakshas—elusive, unpredictable, and immensely powerful. However, for naturally birthed zombies, transforming into a Flying Yaksha was exceedingly difficult. The required conditions were brutally harsh, far harder than for a human cultivator to reach the Core Formation stage, making them exceedingly rare. Yu Hua had never imagined one would be hidden here. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Qin Sang's figure vanishing into the side chamber. Yu Hua was deeply astonished. Why hadn't the Flying Yaksha attacked Qin Sang, who had disturbed it first, and instead ambushed him? What was the logic behind that? Could this Flying Yaksha be Qin Sang's corpse puppet? At that thought, Yu Hua silently shook his head. Qin Sang was merely a minor cultivator in the middle Foundation Establishment stage; how could he possibly possess a corpse puppet at the Flying Yaksha level? Even if one were handed to him, he would never be able to control it. Unless there was some secret he did not know. The Flying Yaksha clearly had no intention of giving Yu Hua time to think. Failing its first strike, it vanished on the spot, reappearing right behind Yu Hua. Warning bells rang in Yu Hua's mind as he dodged in a rush. The two figures tangled into a chaotic blur. Yu Hua dodged with all his might, finally tasting the terror of a Flying Yaksha. From the ambush until now, in just a few exchanges, he had already hovered on the brink of disaster several times. He was left mentally and physically exhausted, breaking into a cold sweat. "Nine Nether Demon Flame!" Finally finding an opening, Yu Hua glared at the Flying Yaksha charging at him once more. He roared to the sky, and endless black flames swarmed from the face of the magic treasure banner, threatening to engulf the creature. As soon as its ghostly claw touched the black flames, the Flying Yaksha jerked it back. In pain, it let out a shriek and shot backward, staring fixedly at the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner magic treasure. In its pitch-black eyes, there was actually a thick dread. Yu Hua was surprised that the Flying Yaksha feared the Nine Nether Demon Flame so much. Overjoyed, a sneer crept onto his face. "A mere corpse demon dares act arrogant before this old man!" Before the words had even faded, the Flying Yaksha vanished again. The sneer on Yu Hua's face vanished instantly. He glanced left and right, unable to detect any abnormality. With a cold snort, he immediately channeled the Nine Nether Demon Flame, forming a barrier of fire to envelop his entire body. At the same time, he deliberately dispersed a burst of the Nine Nether Demon Flame into countless illusory sparks, scattering them in every direction. In the next moment, Yu Hua snapped his head toward an empty space and roared, "Get out here!" ... The living corpse, left outside by Qin Sang, witnessed the entire scene. Qin Sang was not surprised by this outcome. If even the Yin soul silk of the Ten Directions Yanluo Array held some restraining power over the Flying Yaksha, then the Nine Nether Demon Flame, countless times stronger than Yin soul silk, was very likely its bane. As it turned out, Qin Sang had guessed correctly. This demonic flame was abnormally formidable, the strongest Qin Sang had ever seen. Yu Hua's own power was not enough to kill the Flying Yaksha, but with the help of a magic treasure that countered it, contending with the creature was entirely within his ability. Once he figured out the Flying Yaksha and freed his hands to deal with Qin Sang, Qin Sang would be in deep trouble. With the Flying Yaksha dreading the Nine Nether Demon Flame and fighting with tied hands, Yu Hua was in no critical danger. Under such circumstances, Qin Sang did not dare, nor did he have the power, to intervene. By now, the spiritual power in Qin Sang's body had been repeatedly overdrawn. He had previously relied entirely on spirit pills to keep going, and his sea of qi and meridians had suffered severe trauma, pushing him to the absolute brink. He hurriedly swallowed a healing spirit pill. Until his injuries healed, he dared not continue taking pills or absorbing spirit stones to replenish his spiritual power; otherwise, he would explode and die without Yu Hua having to lift a finger. Suppressing his anxiety, Qin Sang examined the surroundings of the side chamber. Once he got a clear view, he realized why Yunyouzi had needed him to buy time. At the end of this side chamber, there was no ice wall, but a barrier formed of restrictions. Beyond the restrictions lay utter darkness, where nothing could be seen. To enter, one had to unravel the restrictions first. Qin Sang suddenly turned his head toward the ice palace—the living corpse left outside had been destroyed by Yu Hua! As expected, Yu Hua had nearly unraveled the Flying Yaksha's tricks and was dragging the creature with him as he pursued in this direction. This was not yet a hopeless dead end; he still had options, but he needed to buy more time and find a quiet environment to nurse his injuries and make preparations. "Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword!" Qin Sang guided them with a flick of his fingers, and five spirit swords flew forth. Over years of experience, Qin Sang's mastery of the art of restrictions had advanced by leaps and bounds. Though he was not as fast as Yunyouzi at breaking restrictions, it was no great struggle for him.