A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 146 Everything is ready
In Jiushan City, Yin Zhong conducted his usual inspection and found nothing unusual. However, he had a persistent sense of unease, as if something big was about to happen.

Looking at the magical artifacts on the array platform, which were still shining brightly as usual, maintaining the operation of the array, Yin Zhong watched for a while, then led the iron guards down the city wall. Just as he was about to go and check on the progress of the armor making, one of the iron guards suddenly came to report that five Taoists had come from outside the city and said they were from the Zhenwu Hall.

"Come with me and take a look." Upon hearing that they were from the Zhenwu Hall, Yin Zhong dared not be careless and led his iron guards to the rear city gate.

Upon closer inspection, five Taoist priests dressed identically could be seen through the formation. The leader, tall and elegant, carried a long sword on his back and looked inside with a smile. Seeing this, Yin Zhong reached out and took out the formation token. With a flick of his wrist, the light shield rippled in the water, opening up a doorway for entry and exit.

Yin Zhong put away the token and went forward first. When Song Zhen saw the light barrier open and someone come out, he raised his hand to stop them and went forward alone.

"This humble Taoist is Song Zhen. His Highness Zhenwu is a Taoist practitioner. May I ask how you should address him?"

"So it's Daoist Song. I am Yin Zhong from Yujian Villa."

Upon hearing Yin Zhong's words, Song Zhen's eyes lit up slightly. Although he had heard of Yin Zhong's great name before, this was the first time he had met him in person.

"So it's Master Yin. Greetings."

Song Zhen bowed respectfully, but Yin Zhong dared not accept it and hurriedly returned the bow.

"Elder Zheng and the others have other matters to attend to and cannot come. Daoist Song, please come into the city with me."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhen nodded and called out to the four people behind him. After the four people came over to greet him, the five of them followed Yin Zhong into Jiushan City.

Yin Zhong led Song Zhen and the other four to his villa. After having a cup of tea, Song Zhen explained his purpose.

"I am here on behalf of my sect to deliver something to Elder Zheng. I wonder when Elder Zheng and the others will emerge from seclusion?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong pondered and said, "Elder Zheng and the others are refining talismans. I don't know if they will have the time. In that case, I will personally go to Elder Zheng's residence to see if I can find the time."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhen said, "If Elder Zheng is unable to leave, that's alright. We can meet again when they emerge from seclusion."

The process of crafting talismans requires a continuous flow of energy. If one withdraws their efforts midway, all efforts will be in vain. If Elder Gu hadn't given me these instructions before I left, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry.

"Please rest in the other courtyard, esteemed Taoist priests. I will go and inquire now."

Yin Zhong gave an order to the Iron Guards, and led Song Zhen and the other five to rest in the guest rooms next door, while he himself went to Elder Zheng's villa.

As soon as he reached the outside of the courtyard, he saw eight disciples standing guard on both sides of the gate. One of them saw Yin Zhong approaching and hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Master Yin, may I ask what brings you here?"

"Just now, I received five Taoist priests from the Zhenwu Hall. Taoist priest Song Zhen said he had something to discuss with Elder Zheng. Could you please inform him?"

Upon hearing Yin Zhong's words, the disciple surnamed Zhang felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew Song Zhen's name; he was Elder Gu's personal disciple and held a very high position. To a certain extent, he represented Elder Gu's will, and Elder Gu was the spokesperson for the Supreme One. He dared not hesitate, so he clasped his hands in a salute to Yin Zhong, greeted the other disciples, and quickly entered the courtyard.

Seeing this, Yin Zhong waited patiently outside. He watched as a vibrant energy emanated from the courtyard, and an indescribable Daoist aura emanated from it. Yin Zhong was secretly amazed.

Outside the training room of the secluded courtyard, a disciple surnamed Zhang respectfully announced, "Elder Zheng, Senior Brother Song Zhen has been ordered to come to Jiushan City and is currently at Manor Lord Yin's secluded courtyard."

Inside the furnace, Elder Zheng, Elder Sun, Elder Zhao, and a dozen disciples formed a circle, their hands forming hand seals as they cast a series of incantations at the furnace in the center. Inside the furnace, emerald flames rose and fell, and golden rays of light strung together, shining brightly.

Hearing the sounds outside, Elder Zheng remained unmoved. He changed his hand seals, and the others followed suit. Streams of true energy poured into the furnace, and a series of clear, resonant hums echoed throughout the furnace. After a full quarter of an hour, Elder Zheng finally withdrew his hands and opened his eyes.

"Elder Sun, the foundation for the rune is complete. All that remains is time to refine it. You and Elder Zhao can maintain it for a while. I'll be right back."

"Zheng Changlai, then go."

They had all heard the sounds coming from outside the door, but they had temporarily put it aside because the talisman making was at a crucial stage. If someone were to suddenly leave, all their efforts over the past month would be wasted. In the current situation, they didn't have much time to start over.

After Elder Zheng gave a few instructions, he pushed open the door. The disciple surnamed Zhang stood respectfully to the side and bowed when he saw Elder Zheng come out.

"Elder, Master Yin is waiting outside the villa."

"Um"

Elder Zheng responded and led the disciple surnamed Zhang to the outside of the courtyard. Yin Zhong, who was closing his eyes at the moment, suddenly had a thought, opened his eyes, saw Elder Zheng coming out, and quickly walked over.

"I, Yin, have been rude and have disturbed Elder Zheng."

Yin Zhong knew that Elder Zheng and the others had been in seclusion for over a month to refine the talismans. If they failed because of this, he would be in grave danger.

"Master Yin, you flatter me. May I ask where Junior Nephew Song and the others are?"

Elder Zheng chuckled and then asked about Song Zhen and the others.

"Master Song and the others are currently staying at my villa. Elder Zheng, please come in."

Elder Zheng said "good" upon hearing this, waved for the Zhang disciple to return to his original position, and then followed Yin Zhong to the other courtyard. As soon as Elder Zheng arrived, someone went to inform Song Zhen and the others.

Song Zhen and several junior brothers waited in the living room. Soon after, Yin Zhong and Elder Zheng arrived in the living room.

"Greetings, Elder Zheng"

Song Zhen and his group of five bowed respectfully. Elder Zheng waved his hand, signaling them to sit down. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yin Zhong casually made an excuse to leave the living room to the people from the Zhenwu Hall.

Seeing Yin Zhong leave, Elder Zheng said gently, "Nephew Song, did Elder Gu send you here with any instructions?"

"Elder, please look."

Song Zhen took out an exquisite wooden box from the package and placed it on the table in front of Zheng Changlai.

Upon seeing this, Elder Zheng immediately opened the wooden box. Inside lay three dark-colored crystal beads, each the size of a longan, with faint flashes of lightning visible within, seemingly containing a world-destroying power.

Beside him was a jade slip. Elder Zheng picked it up and examined it, recognizing it as a jade slip with writing on it. He immediately activated his true energy, and several sentences appeared on it before disappearing. The jade slip silently turned into powder and fell from Elder Zheng's hand.

"Nephews, you've had a long journey. Please stay at Master Yin's villa for now. We'll make further plans after we've finished refining the talismans."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhen immediately replied, "My master instructed me before he left that upon arriving in Jiushan City, I shall respectfully follow Elder Zheng's arrangements."

Upon hearing Song Zhen's words, Elder Zheng smiled slightly, gave Song Zhen and the others a few more instructions, then bid farewell to Yin Zhong and returned to his own villa.

Upon entering the refining chamber, Elder Zheng nodded to Elder Sun and Elder Zhao, then sat cross-legged in his original position, channeling his true essence into the furnace to continue refining talismans.

Two more months passed. Inside the furnace, golden light and green flames echoed each other. With a cracking sound, the golden light scattered into hundreds of pieces. As the light faded, their true forms were revealed: each of the inch-long jade talismans floated in the green flames.

Seeing that the talisman was completed, Elder Zheng shouted and pointed his finger. Elder Sun and Elder Zhao made their moves at the same time. The three of them formed the Three Powers Formation with their true energy. More than ten disciples praised the achievement at the same time. The green fire in the furnace suddenly burst into flames. As it burned the jade talisman, it burned away all the impurities. At the same time, sharp golden rays pierced through the jade talisman.

This is a key technique for refining talismans passed down by Gu Xu, known as "Breaking the Aperture." With this assistance, the jade talisman can communicate with the inside and outside, resonate with heaven and man, and its power is enhanced. Although it is limited by the refiner's skill, it is already a superior jade talisman for Elder Zheng and the others.

As the emerald flames inside the furnace slowly dissipated, Elder Zheng withdrew his hands and looked at Sun and Zhao, who were also pale-faced, and said with a touch of emotion, "After several months of effort, it wasn't all for nothing. With this precious talisman, we may be able to avoid many casualties."

"Elder Zheng is quite right, but even the best talisman has its limits. The key is whether it can hit the mark in one strike."

Although Elder Sun had no doubt about the talisman's effectiveness, the Blood God was not so easy to eliminate. If he couldn't get rid of it, all his efforts would be in vain.

Elder Zheng reached out and drew in hundreds of talismans, which landed neatly in two stacks in front of him.

Elder Sun's words are not without merit.

Elder Zheng waved his hand to the disciples inside the room, and the disciples bowed respectfully before taking the jade bottle they had prepared and leaving.

"Elder Sun, a month ago, Elder Gu sent his junior disciple Song to Jiushan City, bringing with him something."

"Oh"

Elder Sun and Elder Zhao exchanged a glance. They hadn't asked much before because Elder Zheng hadn't mentioned it and they were working on refining the talisman. But now that Elder Zheng had brought it up, it piqued their interest.

Elder Zheng took out a sandalwood box and placed it on the ground. After opening it, Sun and Zhao suddenly felt a tremor in their hearts. Upon closer inspection, they saw three jet-black crystal beads. After staring at them for a while, they felt as if they were in a sea of ​​lightning. When they came to their senses, they were covered in cold sweat.

"Elder Zheng, what is this..." Elder Sun asked, pointing at the wooden box with a look of horror, his voice trembling.

He almost lost his composure after just one glance; this thing is truly terrifying.

Elder Zhao was equally pale, his already ashen face turning even more so.

"This item was bestowed by the Supreme Being and is named 'Pure Thunder Heavenly Sound.' When activated with true energy, it can cause celestial stars to explode and thunder to spring from nowhere, and it has the power to cleanse evil influences. It can be considered a great treasure."

Upon hearing Elder Zheng's words, Sun and Zhao were startled. If the treasure bestowed by the Supreme Being was so powerful, they wondered what level the Supreme Being's own strength had reached. If he were to personally take action, they wondered if the Blood God could withstand even a few moves.

"Let's each take one of these, just in case."

Elder Zheng distributed the item to the two of them and then explained how to use it, which they carefully memorized.

"Although the Crimson Thunder Pearls refined by Fellow Daoist Ning are far less powerful than this, there are many of them, enough to break through the gloomy blood mist. When we reach the Earthly Node, no matter what happens, we must throw this down."

Sun and Zhao nodded solemnly.

Several more days passed. In the courtyard where Ning Dao was, a shocking explosion occurred in the alchemy room. The building collapsed, and amidst the billowing smoke and dust, several figures rushed out.

Those guarding outside rushed over upon hearing the commotion, only to find a scene of utter devastation.

Wang Xiao rushed over first, feeling worried. The explosion had caused quite a commotion, and the chief and his senior brother were still inside.

Just as Wang Xiao was about to send people to search, he suddenly saw several figures running out. He was overjoyed and hurriedly went to meet them.

"Chief, Senior Brother, are you alright?"

Ning Dao looked somewhat disheveled, but a smile appeared on his face.

Although things went through some twists and turns, the Crimson Thunder Pearl was finally successfully refined.

Upon hearing Wang Xiao's voice, Ning Dao said calmly, "What's the panic? Everything's fine."

Wei Feng and the others tidied themselves up a bit. Although they were a little disheveled, none of them were injured.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao fell silent and stood respectfully to the side, awaiting instructions.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Ning Dao glanced at everyone, then led Wei Feng and the others forward.

On the way, they happened to meet Yin Zhong and Lord Wang, who had come to inquire about the situation. Yin Zhong was relieved to see that Ning Dao and the others were safe and sound. He had been quite frightened by the explosion earlier, fearing that something had happened to Wushangdao. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

"Chief Ning, how are you?"

Lord Wang stepped forward and asked a question, to which Ning Dao nodded and smiled.

"I have not disappointed everyone; I have finally succeeded in refining the Crimson Thunder Pearl."

As he spoke, he gestured to Wei Feng and the others beside him. The four of them opened the wooden boxes in their hands, inside which were neatly arranged layers of red beads. Lord Wang did not understand these things, he only knew that it was good to refine them. Looking at these red beads, he felt relieved.

However, in Yin Zhong's eyes, this thing contains immense fire energy. Just one of these is equivalent to hundreds of kilograms of explosives. Judging from the number in this wooden box, there are probably thousands. This is a tremendous force, enough to destroy mountains and uproot rivers.

"Chief Ning, you've worked hard. Just a few days ago, Zheng Changlai and the others finished refining the Heaven-Connecting Talisman and forging the armor. Now that everything is in place, it's time to move on to the next step."

Lord Wang looked at Ning Dao and said, "Chief Ning, please come to my residence later to discuss the next steps."

"This humble monk understands."

Lord Wang was a very perceptive person. Seeing Ning Dao and the others' expressions, he called out to Yin Zhong and then led everyone away.

After seeing Yin Zhong and City Lord Wang leave, Ning Dao said to Wei Feng and the others, "After you've washed up, come with me to the City Lord's Mansion. Wang Xiao, I'll leave these trivial matters to you."

The crowd responded and went their separate ways.

Half an hour later, Ning Dao changed into a clean Taoist robe and led Wei Feng and the other three to the City Lord's Mansion. At that moment, Elder Zheng and the others also arrived, and the two sides went to the living room together.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yin Zhong spoke first: "The five hundred elite soldiers have already donned their armor, enough to hold out for a considerable time. If they also have the Heaven-Connecting Talisman, they may be able to last even longer."

"Master Yin, bring four people up here and test the power of this Heaven-Connecting Talisman."

Elder Zheng took out four jade talismans and handed them to Yin Zhong, who took them, glanced at City Lord Wang, and then ordered the Iron Guards to bring up four armored men and handed them the jade talismans.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, why not give it a try?"

Seeing that the soldiers were ready, Elder Zheng looked at Ning Dao and made a suggestion. Ning Dao thought for a moment, stood up, looked at the four people standing in the four directions, and then struck them with a palm.

He used three-tenths of his strength in this palm strike. A gust of wind howled towards them, and just as it was about to strike the four of them, a soft halo suddenly enveloped them. The wind instantly passed by on both sides upon contact, failing to cause any harm.

"what"

Ning Dao was secretly surprised, and many martial arts practitioners also stood up in shock. They themselves could not have withstood that palm strike, but they did not expect that four ordinary soldiers would be completely unharmed.

Everyone knew the reason behind it, and their eyes were fixed on the jade talismans in their hands.

Ning Dao looked at the four people standing firmly in front of him, then looked at Elder Zheng, who nodded to him. Ning Dao understood and immediately struck out with another palm, this time using 50% of his strength.

The gale, like a tornado, swept towards the four people. The protective light was constantly twisted and contorted under the pressure of the gale, but it ultimately held on and did not break.

"Elder Zheng, this item can be considered top-grade. I assert that even the Crimson Thunder Pearl would not be able to break it in a single blow."

Ning Dao greatly admired the jade talisman. Judging from its appearance, the more people involved, the greater its power. No matter how strong those blood puppets were, they could contend with them for a period of time, and this period would be their opportunity.

"To receive such praise from Fellow Daoist Ning, this treasure can be considered a success."

Elder Zheng stroked his beard and smiled. Although the Heavenly Talisman had flaws, it was only because his skill was insufficient. He had already exceeded his expectations to achieve this level, so he was quite proud of himself.

Yin Zhong and City Lord Wang were delighted to see the power of the jade talisman. Although they couldn't guarantee that no one would be injured, it was good that it could still serve its purpose.

"Chief Ning, when will the day of retaliation take place?"

"I calculated before I came that in three days, the yang energy will be at its strongest this month. At that time, the earth's veins will shift between yin and yang, making it the perfect time to strike. If we miss this opportunity, we will have to wait several months."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong immediately said, "Then we will launch a joint attack in three days. Except for City Lord Wang leading a group to defend Jiushan City, the rest of us will go."

Looking at everyone present, Yin Zhong said in a deep voice, "If this counterattack fails, I fear the world will descend into chaos. I urge everyone to unite and work together to vanquish this villain and restore peace to the land."

Upon hearing this, Lord Wang immediately rose, bowed deeply to everyone present, and said solemnly, "For the sake of peace and tranquility throughout the land, I entrust everything to you all."

Elder Zheng and Ning Dao also stood up, bowed respectfully, and the others followed suit.

"Slay the Blood God, and peace will surely return."

The resounding voice pierced the clouds, and those outside also felt its echo.

Saiwonju Seguwon
The Blood God was fully absorbing the spiritual energy of the earth's veins when he felt a strong sense of unease. After a moment of silent calculation, he discovered that the secrets of heaven were chaotic and it was difficult to find the source. He snorted coldly in his heart.

"It's just Nine Mountain City and that person, but since my cultivation is not yet complete, that person won't make the first move. It's just that the bunch of rabble from Nine Mountain City are really annoying."

"If I weren't too busy to deal with this, you wouldn't be here swaggering around. If you hadn't come, fine, but if you had, you would have only added a few more dead souls to the list."

The blood cocoon trembled, and the earth's spiritual energy flowed into it continuously. The blood energy surrounding it also became increasingly dense, like a huge ruby. Although it was a blood sun in the sky, it was exceptionally dazzling on the Corpse Plain.

Meanwhile, in Lianyun Prefecture, Gu Xu stood atop the Zhenwu Hall, his gaze fixed intently on the calamity emanating from Xiyuan Prefecture, which was now almost at its peak, just waiting for a crucial moment.

"Blood God, with this problem resolved, the prelude to the Earthly Calamity is over."

(End of this chapter)