Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 264 Natal Talisman Seed
The outskirts of Longtan Mountain ruins.

After explaining the situation to each of the Xuan Yuan Sect disciples, Shen Yu began to arrange the personnel allocation.

Before he could speak, Zhou Liu turned around and left.

Shen Yu frowned slightly but didn't speak. Xi Shuyan asked, "Zhou Liu, where are you going?"

Zhou Liu didn't even turn his head, his tone arrogant.

"I have no obligation to take on any burdens..."

"Why go with others when chasing after a few stray dogs?"

The imposing aura emanating from him was enough to make even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators tremble with fear.

Fan Dongchen looked at him and sighed inwardly.

Despite both being at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, I felt a sense of fear when facing him.

To live in the same era as such a person is perhaps a great tragedy.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

The same applies to everyone else.

There's nothing we can do; he's from Zhou Liu...

"..."

Shen Yu frowned, glanced at him, and said nothing.

Indeed, Zhou Liu's talent and strength were among the best of all the cultivators he had ever seen in the entire Chu Kingdom.

Such talent gave rise to an arrogant disdain for his peers.

Perhaps in a small place like the State of Chu, he had every right to be arrogant.

But such a temperament is hard to change, especially if one leaves the State of Chu and goes to a wider world...

It's easy to suffer a great loss.

However, Shen Yu naturally knew that this kind of thing could not be reversed by a sincere lecture.

Some ideas can only be truly learned and internalized after experiencing hardship, leading to change.

At this moment, saying anything is futile.

He waved his hand and said, "Let him be."

At least here, nothing serious will happen.

At this moment, Zhou Liu was only impatient with being dissuaded by Shen Yu and the others.

And, an extremely intense rage within him.

He should have crushed all his peers at this year's Longtan Mountain event!
They should have become famous worldwide!

He should have shown all those who consider themselves geniuses what it truly means to be an unparalleled genius, and what it truly means to dominate one's era!
But it was completely destroyed by those damned demonic cultivators.

Damn it!

"A bunch of useless trash, they'll only get in the way."

As arrogant as he was, he had complete confidence in his Foundation Establishment realm cultivation and the domineering spells he had practiced.

No cultivator of the same realm could withstand even a single blow from him.

Even taking on multiple opponents is no problem for them.

Can't these people see the current situation?
Those two demonic cultivators at the Golden Core stage have already fled, and two righteous Golden Core cultivators are guarding the ruins of Daji.

These demonic cultivators who have infiltrated Longtan Mountain now have no reason to resist.

Those who didn't flee immediately were already very brave.

The so-called pursuit and extermination of demonic cultivators is nothing more than a show.

Just as he was scoffing inwardly, he suddenly sensed an undisguised sinister and demonic aura, along with bursts of wailing sounds.

Its origin lies in the Yang clan's territory within the Immortal Valley.

Zhou Liu's eyes narrowed, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "Found it!"

His figure transformed into a bolt of blue lightning, piercing through the smoke and dust, hovering proudly in mid-air, carrying with it the still-unsettled fluctuations of magical power.

It coldly surveyed this hell on earth.

Corpses littered the fields, debauchery was rampant, and despair suffocated the soul.

The Yang clan has been completely destroyed, and Zhou Liu can no longer feel any vitality.

However, Yang's life or death was none of his concern.

There was absolutely no trace of pity in his eyes.

He only cared whether those few demonic cultivators were still here.

The answer is yes.

Sensing the strange fluctuations of spiritual energy, Zhou Liu came to the answer.

"Two people……"

Just what he wanted.

What came into view were two people with their backs to him, standing on the ruins of the collapsed Yang Clan Ancestral Hall.

One of them was manipulating a wisp of viscous black demonic fire, slowly burning a female cultivator from the Yang family who was still alive.

Under Ke Huai's control, the demonic fire did not instantly incinerate her body, but instead slowly tormented her.

The female cultivator let out intermittent sobs.

"Uh...Young Master..."

At this moment, the young master she was referring to, "Yang Kaijun," was playing with an ancient jade slip that had been unearthed from the ruins.

He heard painful pleas all around him, but he remained unmoved.

Under the dual torment of physical and mental suffering, the female cultivator finally breathed her last and lost all life.

"Hmph! You filthy, pretentious charlatan!"

Zhou Liu hovered in mid-air and spoke in a chilling tone.

At the same time, a sword light carrying immense spiritual pressure crashed down.

"What are you doing here...aren't you going to run away?"

Zhou Liu did not summon his flying sword, but stood with his hands behind his back.

The Taoist robe was surrounded by golden light, and three golden talismans appeared and disappeared in the void, exuding a sharp aura.

"Kneel down and commit suicide, and you will be left with intact corpses."

The two people on the ruins slowly turned around.

They wore expressions of inexplicable confusion.

"Who is this person?"

Ke Huai asked.

Yang Kaijun shook his head, his attention completely focused on the jade slip in his hand.

"do not know."

The two men's eyes were empty and indifferent, lacking any of the expression or spirit that belonged to "Yang Kaijun" or "Ke Huai".

The two of them didn't take the young cultivator's words seriously at all.

"Oh?"

Ke Huai licked his lips, looking at Zhou Liu as if he were looking at a rare delicacy: "I remember now."

"His name seems to be Zhou Liu, that golden nugget from the Xuan Yuan Sect."

Yang Kaijun tilted his head slightly, making a sickeningly loud cracking sound as he calmly asked, "Should we kill him? Or leave now?"

"It will be troublesome once those two Golden Core cultivators have free time."

"Kill him."

However, in Zhou Liu's mind, the behavior of the two people was arrogant.

He was used to being arrogant. In the Xuan Yuan Sect, or even in the entire Chu Kingdom, when had he ever been so despised?
Moreover, these were two demonic cultivators whom he considered prey.

Without further ado, he swiftly formed a hand seal, causing the air around him to tremble.

Once unleashed, it becomes one of the most powerful killing moves.

A surge of powerful spiritual energy gathered above the three of them, and a massive magic seal appeared out of thin air, exuding overwhelming power.

The seal was ancient in form, surrounded by golden lightning, and carried a magnificent aura as it slammed down on the two people.

Zhou Liu's lips curled into a cold smile; this seal had an extremely strong restraining effect on demonic energy.

The opponents were just two demonic cultivators at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. With my own strength, I could easily kill them!

Yang Kaijun slowly raised his right hand, and a ball of black ghostly energy instantly condensed at his fingertips, incredibly refined. The ghostly energy materialized, gradually forming a huge ghostly phantom behind him, its arms raised high to support the magic seal.

Zhou Liu chuckled, but a hint of boredom showed in his expression.

"idiot."

Press lightly with your finger.

The golden seal suddenly shone with spiritual light, and a tremendous force crashed down!

The ghostly phantom's hands were destroyed by the golden light, dissipating inch by inch.

boom--

The magic seal crashed down with a deafening roar, shattering gray clouds and earth, and scattering demonic flames that filled the sky!

Zhou Liu's expression did not relax.

The opponents were two demonic cultivators at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, so of course they couldn't be killed so easily.

...otherwise it would be too boring.

A chilling voice sounded behind Zhou Liu's head.

"interesting."

Yang Kaijun's demonic cultivator figure, like smoke and dust, converged from all directions, gathering on the ruins behind Zhou Liu.

"Unfortunately, it's too slow."

Bang!
Zhou Liu suddenly turned to the side and casually struck out with his palm.

The concentrated qi was instantly unleashed from the palm, colliding fiercely with a black bone whip covered in thorns and barbs.

The deafening crack, like bones shattering, was deafening.

The one who made the move was Ke Huai.

The moment they made contact, Zhou Liu frowned slightly.

The immense backlash of spiritual energy caused his arm to ache slightly, and his blood and qi surged.

The golden handprint dimmed under the eerie bone whip, and wisps of black demonic energy spread upwards along the palm print, tearing and disintegrating the protective energy.

"My favorite thing to do is kill you self-proclaimed geniuses, the righteous disciples."

That sound, like a broken bellows, rang out from another direction, and a dozen black spikes suddenly shot towards Zhou Liu's vital points without warning!

Zhou Liu roared, and golden light surged from his body, instantly forming a light shield that covered his entire body.

The spikes struck the golden light, producing a series of loud explosions, and the light shield shook violently.

At the same time, demonic energy surged from Yang Kaijun's palms, and an even larger and more refined phantom of a demonic head materialized behind him.

A pair of large hands reached out to grab Zhou Liu.

"Whether you're in the Demon Ruins or the Central Region, someone of your level is nothing more than a stepping stone for others."

Ke Huai's cold, mocking laughter reached my ears.

Zhou Liu's forehead veins bulged, and he immediately activated all his spiritual power.

The golden light quickly merged with the three golden talismans beside him, transforming into a sharp and piercing spiritual energy that condensed in front of his chest.

Zhou Liuyi grasped the golden light and swept it with his large hand.

From the golden light, a golden flying sword emerged and hovered in front of him.

The next instant, the sword pointed at a single point.

"cut."

hum-

The sword light swept across, and countless golden phantoms shot out with the strike.

The strange bone whip couldn't dodge in time, and shattered instantly upon contact.

Yang Kaijun had already sensed the power of this sword strike. The enormous demonic shadow behind him enveloped him, but it was instantly cleaved apart by the sword energy.

The two leaped into the air, barely dodging the dissipating, violent sword energy.

Ke Huai acted decisively, leaping up to stand beside Yang Kaijun. The two stood side by side, their eyes fixed on Zhou Liu.

"The magic weapon of destiny?"

Do not……

Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage can forge their own natal magic treasures. This person, with only the early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, could hardly possibly have the ability to forge and activate one.

"A talisman seed?" Yang Kaijun asked slowly, his expression remaining largely unchanged.

Ke Huai raised an eyebrow: "I never expected to see something like this in such a remote place as the State of Chu."

Only when a cultivator advances to the Golden Core realm and cultivates inner fire can they refine their natal magic weapon.

Not only are natal magic weapons powerful, but they can also be absorbed into the body and nurtured, just like the natal flying sword that a sword cultivator keeps in his sword palace.

In the cultivation world, many Golden Core cultivators who have no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage will try their best to use their magic weapons, or even their natal magic weapons, to create talismanic treasures for their descendants and relatives before their time comes.

True magical treasures cannot be controlled by cultivators who have not reached the Golden Core stage.

The natal magic weapon has been nurtured and refined by Golden Core cultivators over many years. If it is left to future generations, even if there are Golden Core cultivators, they will not be able to achieve the desired effect and will not be able to unleash its full potential.

However, talismans are far inferior to true magical treasures.

It's one thing if its power is insufficient, but if there are no more Golden Core cultivators in the family in the future, this talisman will become like water without a source, and it will eventually be exhausted one day.

This is why the talisman came into being.

Compared to talismans, this item is even rarer, and the reason is quite simple.

It can only be crafted by a Golden Core cultivator using the spiritual essence of their own natal magic weapon and planted in the body of a mortal who has not yet entered the Dao.

Once completed, this Golden Core cultivator will suffer severe damage to their vital energy and spiritual energy, and if they do not recover in time, their lifespan may be lost even faster.

It truly benefits others at the expense of oneself.

This situation usually only occurs when there is only one heir in a family, or when a disciple with unparalleled talent is born into the family, and the Golden Core Ancestor is nearing the end of his lifespan. Only then is it less likely that this path will be chosen.

Its effects are extremely powerful. When the person who has been implanted with the talisman seed enters the path of cultivation, with this talisman seed as a medium, the speed at which they absorb and transform spiritual energy will be much faster than others.

Not to mention, this talisman itself can be used as a means of attack.

And just like a real magic weapon, its power will become stronger and stronger as the person who planted the talisman improves their cultivation and is nurtured by spiritual energy.

If a cultivator successfully condenses a golden core, the power of the talisman seed may even reach its peak and return to its full glory.

Currently, Zhou Liu's natal talisman seed is roughly equivalent in power to a low-grade or mid-grade spiritual weapon.

Zhou Liu narrowed his eyes, his face as cold as ice: "Prepare to die."

The use of this flying sword means that someone must die.

Both of them are going to die!
However, Yang Kaijun and Ke Huai showed no sign of panic, only surprise.

The two looked at each other and suddenly smiled.

"Heh, buddy. Good luck today..."

"Not bad at all."

To Zhou Liu's utter surprise, after witnessing the power of his talisman seed, the two opponents launched a fierce attack on him.

A smile of excitement and cruelty crossed his face.

"half each."

A rare hint of emotion appeared on Yang Kaijun's usually indifferent face: "Deal."

The concept of talisman seeds might be unfamiliar to many in a place like Chu, but it is known to the cultivators of the Demon Ruins.

The talisman seed is connected to a cultivator's spiritual power, vitality, and lifespan.

For demonic cultivators, what could be more tempting than this?
No matter how complex the talisman seed is, once they seize it, they have a million ways to make full use of all its spiritual potential once they return to the Demon Ruins.

Not even the dregs will be left.

Before Zhou Liu could react, Ke Huai's attack was already upon him.

Another bone whip appeared in his hand, twisting and coiling like a venomous snake.

"Seek death."

Zhou Liu dodged the attack with a quick movement, then unleashed a powerful sword strike as fast as lightning, aimed directly at Yang Kaijun.

He wasn't completely blinded by arrogance; the cultivator sitting cross-legged, brewing demonic arts, was the greatest threat to him.

However, Ke Huai's body surged with demonic energy, and the sharp spike at the end of the bone whip suddenly swept horizontally along with the sword energy.

A pale purple rift appeared between Yang Kaijun and Zhou Liu.

The sword energy entered him and flew out from behind Yang Kaijun, dissipating in the distance.

(End of this chapter)