Witch, please have some self-respect!

They did not linger in the courtyard any longer.

Under Mianzhi's watchful gaze, Shen Yun returned to the quiet room.

Holding the Spirit-Melting Jade Crystal in his hand, he began practicing on an ordinary stone.

They quickly became familiar with each other.

The difficulty of fusing spirit runes lies in engraving them onto rune stones, not onto source stones.

The exquisite talisman stones that have already been engraved are then engraved with spirit-fusion talisman patterns using special talisman ink.

The interior of the fine runestone is already covered with the flow of rune energy, and then the fusion runes are engraved into the gaps within it.

The difficulty of it is self-evident.

Carving one seal is not the end.

To engrave another spirit-fusion rune inside another exquisite rune stone with the same effect.

Two exquisite talisman stones, engraved with spirit-fusion runes, were activated by a special technique to fuse together and ultimately become one.

The more similar these two exquisite rune stones are, the greater the chance of success.

If you go in the opposite direction, it's basically impossible to succeed.

At that time, the patterns of the spirit fusion rune will disappear, and in its place will be the two-pattern rune crystal.

The fusion of two exquisite runes, along with the enhancement from the integration of spirit-fusion patterns, makes its power formidable.

After receiving extra lessons, Shen Yun learned that, generally speaking, ordinary two-patterned jade crystals possess power ranging from three to five levels.

It surpassed Huang Changxing's all-out attack.

Ordinary high-quality runes, after being infused with sufficient Qi and blood, can only reach their limit, which is the level of 100,000 jin of damage or defense.

A high-quality runestone is twice as powerful as a regular runestone.

If it's not a high-quality item and cannot be infused with qi and blood, even if it's an attribute rune stone, it can barely reach about 50,000 jin.

The difference is significant.

The power of the two-patterned crystal cemented its status.

The mainstream two-pattern rune crystals on the market tend to focus on burst damage, acceleration, and defense, and are designed to enhance the physical body of cultivators.

Using it solely for warfare would be too wasteful and extravagant.

The effects of this physical enhancement are most effective in combat situations like Wu Rou's, where there are more than ten restrictions.

Resisting and weakening fatal attacks, turning the tide of battle at crucial moments.

It's like getting a buff when fighting.

Crafting two-patterned jade crystals is a challenging process, and it's an area that only late-stage first-tier rune masters typically begin to explore.

Moreover, the cost of failing once is too high; it's not just Originium, but premium Runestones.

Who can afford to play this game?

Even Shen Yun, he planned to study it first and familiarize himself with it before taking action.

The main reason is that we don't have enough merit points right now, so we can't afford to try it.

Now that I've accumulated 60 points of daily blessings, I can start trying it out the day after tomorrow.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Shen Yun was adjusting his state in the quiet room, just about to try fusing the spirit runes.

Suddenly, a piece of terrible news reached the alley.

"Kirigiri... Kirigiri..."

The courtyard was first filled with noise, followed by several screams.

Shen Yun, who was in the quiet room, was affected. When he pushed open the door and came out, Wan'er, Mianzhi, Old Liu, Wei Jiao's first wife, and several ordinary people from several alleys were gathered there.

In the middle is a thin, one-armed man, telling a story.

The man's severed arm was still bleeding from the bandages, his face was sallow, and he looked like he had suffered a great loss of energy.

Little Tongtong, clutching a broken hunting knife, had fainted in Mianzhi's arms, her face pale, her lips still trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Shen Yun had already guessed what was going on.

After Shen Yun came out, the scene quieted down, and the skinny man knew that this was the person in charge.

With a sorrowful expression, she turned to Shen Yun and said, "Qiao Niang is gone, there's nothing we can do."

Three hunting teams went on a joint operation; out of dozens of people, only five returned alive.

"I escaped with my life by sheer luck and hid in the depths for five days. On my way back, I only found Qiaoniang's broken knife."

Shen Yun sighed. He thought everything was fine the day before yesterday, but he didn't expect to receive such bad news today.

The world is impermanent.

"Did you encounter a Blood Sea Realm monster? Did you witness Qiao Niang's death, or is she simply missing?"

Shen Yun frowned and asked, wanting to know if there was any hope of survival.

"It wasn't a Blood Sea Realm demon beast, but a small beast tide of a dozen or so demon beasts leading many savage beasts."

As the thin man spoke, fear appeared in his eyes, and he recalled the scene from that day.

He murmured, "At first, we fought and retreated, barely managing to hold on, but unbelievably, those monsters... all knew how to use runes!"

Can you imagine?

They also use rune stones!

We witnessed firsthand that after the group of demonic beasts failed to break through their defenses, the leading wolf let out a long howl, and they all used their runes.

The demonic beasts also used runes on the savage beasts. The lead demonic wolf was even more ferocious. Suddenly, it was covered in golden light and, despite the attack, smashed the captain's head with a single claw.

Qiaoniang and the others set up an array at the rear, but the horde of demonic beasts charged forward, breaking through the hastily constructed formation and surrounding them... How are we going to survive?!

Recalling the horrific scene of that day, the man was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"You mean you used runes on the demonic beasts, and even on the savage beasts!"

Shen Yun's pupils suddenly contracted, and everyone else gasped upon hearing this.

Reversing the Heavenly Stems.

Especially Wei Jiao's first wife, whose expression tightened, as Wei Jiao and Wei Hu had been away from the hunting team for ten days.

Hopefully we won't encounter such a monster.

If only a few monsters use rune stones, it's not anything new.

They have a chance to find or obtain runestones from humans.

In the Azure Fiend Secret Realm, runes have always been the exclusive property of the human race.

Although the demon race possesses a certain level of intelligence, their claws are incapable of performing such delicate tasks, and they cannot carve talismans.

This is also the key to why the human race is able to resist the much larger number of demons.

Among those of the same rank, using a rune is equivalent to adding a buff; humans are indeed strong!

There has always been a precedent of humans using runes on a large scale to fight against demons. There has never been a story of demons using runes on a large scale to hunt down humans.

If this isn't an isolated case, then it's terrifying.

"That's right, who would have thought those beasts would use runes? They all know how to use runes, our defenses were breached instantly..."

Finally, the thin man staggered away.

"I still have to send messages to other families, eight more... haha... I'm off now."

The tragic events of that day need to be recounted eight more times, recalled eight more times.

The despair of his teammates before their deaths, and the agonizing cries of their families, will become a nightmare in his heart.

Never to part again!

After the man left, Shen Yun bent down and used his qi and blood to examine Tongtong's internal condition.

"Is Tongtong alright?" Su Wan'er asked worriedly.

"He's just overwhelmed with grief and has temporarily lost consciousness; he's fine."

Although Shen Yun is not a doctor, as a cultivator, he has been able to control the flow of qi and blood in his body for many years, so he is confident in judging whether a person is in danger.

The terrible news that person brought was a huge blow to Xiaotongtong.

"Let's try to comfort Tongtong these next couple of days. Everyone should leave now and let Tongtong have some peace and quiet."

Shen Yun stood up and dispersed the growing crowd around him.

"Tongtong is being taken care of by Master Shen, so everyone don't need to worry. Go home now."

Old Liu also got up and waved to disperse the crowd.

The conversation mentioned Shen Yun, warning the neighbors not to get any ideas, as it's not uncommon for people to exploit others in the Holy City.

"Qiao Niang has been a neighbor for so many years. Whenever she needs help, she calls us. We help each other out."

"We've known Qiaoniang since she was a child bride. She's such a wonderful person!"

"Damn these monsters, how did they learn to use runes? Where did they come from?"

...

The two most respected people in the alley spoke up, and the crowd dispersed after making a few remarks.

Everyone returned to their homes, and some felt a sense of shared sorrow, like the rabbit mourning the fox's death.

Most people in the Holy City make a living in the Great Wilderness. Qiao Niang's situation is not an isolated case; it could happen to any family at any time.

These past few days, Shen Yun and the others have seen how well Qiao Niang's family has taken care of them, and none of them dare to have any bad intentions.

"Once Tongtong is feeling better, I'll have someone carve a memorial tablet for Qiaoniang and erect a cenotaph outside the city."

Old Liu discussed it with Shen Yun.

"Let's ask Tongtong for her opinion when she wakes up."

Shen Yun nodded.

Funerals are necessary; they send off the dead, but also provide spiritual support for the living.

After discussing it for a while, Lao Liu went to get busy.

Shen Yun picked up Xiao Tongtong and settled her inside the house.

"Husband, Tongtong is so pitiful. Let's take better care of her in the future."

Su Wan'er touched Tongtong's pale face on the bed and looked at Shen Yun.

She's been spending a lot of time with Tongtong these days and quite likes this sensible little sister.

The main reason she said that was because her husband is now capable of doing it easily.

"Don't worry, Qiaoniang entrusted Tongtong to us, she definitely won't abandon her."

"Spend more time with Tongtong these next few days and comfort her. I'll sleep in the quiet room and let her settle down first."

Shen Yun had already made up his mind.

"Mianzhi, go and cook some porridge with some spirit beast meat. Xiaotongtong hasn't been eating well lately, which is why she fainted from grief."

He then turned to Mianzhi and gave her instructions.

He just examined Tongtong's body through her qi and blood and found that she was a little weak.

Mianzhi nodded, gave the little girl on the bed a pitiful look, and went to the kitchen to cook.

Her grandmother passed away recently, and she was very sad.