A Life-and-Death Battle

"Time to review some trending shoddy talismans from the net." Chen Zhuo slowly took out a Golden Armor Talisman, settling his mind and calming his breath as he prepared to test the quality of this subpar talisman. If the quality was poor, he would demand an immediate refund on the spot. If the seller refused to refund him, Chen Zhuo would unleash the mighty hand of negative reviews and report them directly to the Immortal Mansion's Market Regulation Department. "*Whew—*" Chen Zhuo patted the spiritual talisman and channeled his spiritual qi into it. *Buzz!* A crisp chime rang out, and a golden light barrier enveloped his body. A first-rank talisman—Golden Armor Talisman! "Not bad." Chen Zhuo inspected his surroundings. Seeing that the light barrier had no blind spots, he inwardly praised the talisman's quality. He raised his fist, muscles corded, and smashed it straight toward the barrier before him! *Boom!* His fist landed squarely on the golden shield. The barrier remained steady as an ancient bell, while the recoil sent a wave of numbness straight back into Chen Zhuo's hand. Seeing this, Chen Zhuo felt a surge of joy. *I'm currently at the second layer of Qi Refining, with a full thousand jin of force in both arms. Punching down with full force is like getting hit by a car, yet it failed to breach this barrier. This Golden Armor Talisman really is something!* Chen Zhuo was thoroughly satisfied. It seemed the senior had spoken the truth; if given to mortal relatives or friends, it truly could protect them from car accidents and the like. Still, how long could it last? Chen Zhuo pondered for a moment. After merely forty to fifty seconds, the golden barrier dissolved into specks of light and dissipated into thin air. "Around one minute?" Chen Zhuo nodded slightly. "The official website stated that genuine Golden Armor Talismans last around two minutes... Well, no matter. I bought this Golden Armor Talisman mainly to prevent being ambushed by that leopard the moment I land." That was his primary reason for purchasing the Golden Armor Talisman. As long as he survived the initial ambush upon arrival, the moment the barrier dropped, he could activate his Sword Qi Talisman and strike directly, slaying the leopard. The matchup between the Sword Qi Talisman and the leopard was practically fifty-fifty—in five seconds, the leopard would be sliced into five pieces. Of course, just in case the Sword Qi Talisman's power proved weaker than anticipated, Chen Zhuo still had a second one on hand for emergencies. If two consecutive Sword Qi Talismans failed to kill that leopard, what else was there to say? He would just have to charge in himself. For someone at the second layer of Qi Refining, fighting a beast at the first layer was hardly difficult. Chen Zhuo had made all these preparations primarily to avoid injury. A dying beast's final desperate thrash would inevitably cause harm. If he got hurt, first, he would have no way to explain his wounds, and second, medical expenses in the Immortal Mansion were astronomical... Spending forty spirit coins to clear the obstacle without injury while securing the beast meat was far simpler than personally tangling with the leopard in hand-to-hand combat, ending up battered, and coughing up hundreds of spirit coins for treatment. "Everything is ready. Time to move!" With his calculations complete, Chen Zhuo focused his thoughts. An instant later, black light enveloped him. Inside the bedroom, Chen Zhuo's figure vanished without a trace. *** Inside the Spirit Bead World, the green hills and emerald waters remained as serene as ever. The moment his feet touched the ground, Chen Zhuo did not hesitate for a second and instantly triggered a Golden Armor Talisman. A layer of golden light immediately encased his body. *Clang!* Yet, the very instant the golden shield locked around Chen Zhuo, a cluster of black threads materialized, swelling abruptly in midair into a massive black net bristling with barbed spikes that plunged down toward him! "Huh?!" Chen Zhuo froze. A Dharma artifact?! That leopard had a Dharma artifact?! *Sizzle!* The black net slammed onto the barrier, causing the golden glow to dim at a speed visible to the naked eye. Yet it held. Seeing this, Chen Zhuo pinched another Golden Armor Talisman between his fingers without hesitation, gripped a Sword Qi Talisman tightly, and looked toward the direction the black net had come from. The leopard that had bared its fangs and claws at him earlier was now lying motionless in a pool of blood, dead. Beside the dead beast stood a sinister-looking old man staring malevolently at Chen Zhuo, fingers twisting into an incantation as he muttered under his breath! That black net was the Dharma artifact manipulated by this elder. Seeing that the golden shield had enveloped Chen Zhuo and rendered the net ineffective, the sinister old man was taken aback. Then he barked harshly, "Fellow Daoist, this old man is a cultivator of Yunjin Market, hunting demonic beasts here alongside several friends. This quarry was slain by my hand—I ask that you take your leave!" The old man was deeply wary of Chen Zhuo's sudden appearance. His immediate instinct had been to strike preemptively and kill him on the spot! After all, in the desolate wilderness dozens of li away from Yunjin Market, what would happen if the other party ambushed him instead? When encountering an unknown cultivator, caution came first! Especially after sensing that Chen Zhuo was merely in the early stages of Qi Refining, the old man had acted instantly to secure a first-strike kill! Yet never had he imagined that this bizarrely dressed youngster would actually possess talismans! A scion of an influential clan? Talismans of this grade usually lasted around a hundred breaths. Once those hundred breaths elapsed, he would strike again and butcher the brat! Since this boy hailed from an eminent clan and was roaming this desolate land alone, this was a heaven-sent opportunity! If he killed this boy and seized his storage pouch, his grandson's immortal path would be smooth, destined to surpass both himself and the child's father in the future. He would stall the boy with honeyed words first. A pampered youth from a prominent clan at this age—what real-world experience could he possibly have? With that thought, the sinister old man forced a stiff smile, cupping his hands toward Chen Zhuo. "Fellow Daoist, this was all a misunderstanding. This old man is willing to offer this 'perching leopard' as an apology. I hope you can overlook this slight." As he spoke, the old man silently counted breaths in his heart. *Forty breaths already.* *In about fifty more breaths, I will strike decisively...* Just as the old man offered his apology, Chen Zhuo's voice passed through the golden barrier and reached his ears: "You are far too polite, Fellow Daoist." Hearing Chen Zhuo's speech, the old man paused. What kind of local dialect was that? Why did it sound so bizarre? Could he be a Southern Barbarian cultivating blood curses? While the old man was lost in thought, an abrupt tearing sound cut through the air! A crisp sword chime echoed, and a beam of silver sword light ripped through the air, hurtling straight toward the sinister old man! Although this Sword Qi Talisman had only half the potency of a genuine one, its speed was not diminished in the slightest. The old man had no time to react. Feeling a bone-chilling killing intent rush at his face, his pupils constricted violently! "How is that possible?!" The old man was terrified to his very core. The golden barrier clearly had not dissipated yet—how could he launch an attack?! Once a defensive talisman was activated, it was impossible to cancel halfway through; it had to be shattered by external force or left to expire on its own. Why had this talisman only lasted forty to fifty breaths?! With no time to think, the old man retreated frantically. Yet the sword qi was far too swift. A chill ran down his left arm, followed instantly by agonizing pain! *Splurch!* Blood sprayed, and a withered, severed arm tumbled to the ground. "Curse you!" The sinister old man shrieked, his face draining of all color. This talisman actually had the effect of disrupting healing?! Why had he never heard of such a thing in the cultivation world? Could it be a third-rank talisman?! Yet its power didn't seem particularly overwhelming. Just what kind of noble clan did this boy come from to wield such an unheard-of talisman?! Utter terror seized the old man. He pleaded repeatedly, "Fellow Daoist, spare my life! Spare my life!" Even as he pleaded, the old man endured the excruciating agony and channeled his Dharma artifact, preparing to turn the tables the moment the boy replied. Yet before he could even activate the artifact, another whistling blast ripped through the air from afar! Chen Zhuo's face was chillingly aloof as he unleashed the second Sword Qi Talisman without the slightest hesitation! Strike while your enemy is down! This ugly old bastard had harbored murderous intent from the very start, unleashing his Dharma artifact the instant they crossed paths. If Chen Zhuo hadn't activated his Golden Armor Talisman right away to guard against an entrance ambush, he would have already perished beneath that spiked black net! Therefore, Chen Zhuo showed no mercy! In a life-and-death battle, there was no room for kindness! If this didn't finish him, Chen Zhuo was ready to return, take out a loan, and hunt him down no matter what! The second Sword Qi Talisman Chen Zhuo activated released a silver sword beam even faster and fiercer than the first. Having just lost an arm, the sinister old man's movements were severely compromised. Seeing the silver sword qi hurtling toward him once more, he frantically mobilized his remaining spiritual qi to erect a thin protective spell before him while scrambling to dodge. Unfortunately, it was too late. The sword qi struck like a rainbow! The silver beam effortlessly sliced through that feeble spell barrier and sheared straight toward the old man's neck! Despair flooded the old man's eyes. He opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but time had already run out. The next instant, the sword light swept past. A severed head flew high into the air, its eyes brimming with venomous malice. The headless corpse swayed once before collapsing limp onto the earth! Blood gushed freely. Chen Zhuo let out a long breath. Still, he tapped another Golden Armor Talisman, letting a fresh golden barrier envelop his body before cautiously stepping forward to verify whether this fellow might abruptly lurch up for a parting strike. Retrieving his spiritual communication jade slip, Chen Zhuo asked in a low voice, "Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu, is this guy dead?" A moment later, the spiritual communication jade slip provided an answer. [Target's spiritual qi signature indicates a cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. No vital signs detected!]