Immortal Path in the Palm of a Mortal's Hand

"Golden Flame Spirit-Slaying Blade." Shopkeeper Zhou drew the blade and slightly channeled his magic power. The flame patterns on the dark gold blade suddenly lit up, and a layer of golden-red flames rose from the blade's edge, more solid and deeper in color than the flames of the Golden Flame Sword! As the flames flickered, the temperature on the counter rose sharply!

"Using top-grade fire metal as the base, and melting in two ounces of crimson flame crystal, this was personally forged by our chief weapon refiner, taking three months to complete." Manager Zhou lightly flicked the blade with his knuckles, producing a clear and melodious ringing sound. "Metal is the primary element, fire is the secondary element; metal generates fire, and fire borrows the power of metal. When fully activated, the golden flames on the blade can melt through most defensive magic weapons of the same level."

Chen Fan curled his lip, inwardly cursing, "Why don't you call it the Mysterious Heaven Spirit-Slaying Blade?"

Chen Fan caught the blade and channeled his magical power into it. The flow was smooth and effortless, a testament to the exquisite material and forging of the blade. He increased his magical power to seventy percent, and the golden flames on the blade surged, extending more than three inches, transforming into a flickering, flaming blade!

"What is the price?"

"Eight hundred and fifty yuan."

Chen Fan didn't haggle. Top-grade magical artifacts were rare finds in the market, and it was already a rare treat that Hundred Refinements Hall was willing to sell. He put the knife back in its box and counted out 850 spirit stones from his storage bag, piling them on the counter. After counting them, Manager Zhou took a small brocade box from under the counter and pushed it over, saying that purchasing a top-grade magical artifact would include ten mid-grade fireball talismans. Chen Fan readily accepted.

After leaving Bailian Hall, turn at the end of the street to the talisman shop.

The old man in the shop was still bent over his work, crafting talismans. Hearing footsteps, he didn't look up, but simply pointed a finger at the wall. Chen Fan looked around and took down thirty fireball talismans, twenty ice cone talismans, fifteen earthen wall talismans, ten golden bell talismans, ten wooden vine talismans, and five lightning strike talismans. The old man's skill remained unchanged; the talisman inscriptions were neat and precise.

When it came time to pay, the old man looked up and recognized his regular customer. He pulled out a dark yellow talisman with slightly curled edges from under the counter and placed it on the table. This talisman was larger than usual, with earthy yellow runes and intricate, dense lines that vaguely formed the image of a human figure disappearing into the ground.

"A mid-level Earth Escape Talisman." The old man's voice was hoarse. "I obtained it by chance three years ago. The maker of the talisman was at least in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Once activated, it can burrow thirty feet underground and instantly travel three miles. As long as you don't encounter a Core Formation cultivator, three miles is enough to escape."

"price."

"One hundred and twenty yuan. No bargaining."

Chen Fan didn't hesitate. One hundred and twenty spirit stones for a way to survive was worth it. He counted out the spirit stones, totaling over three hundred along with the talismans he had previously collected, and placed them on the counter. The old man accepted the spirit stones, then took a stack of talismans from a pottery jar in the corner and pushed it over, saying it was a bonus for a loyal customer. Chen Fan took them; they were twenty low-grade fireball talismans in perfect condition. He nodded slightly in thanks and put them all into his storage bag.

As I stepped out of the shop, the sun was already setting in the west.

Chen Fan did not rush to leave the market. As usual, he wandered through the streets and alleys to make sure no one was following him. When he arrived at the old locust tree on the west side of the market, he saw a ragged rogue cultivator squatting at the base of the tree. In front of him, a few things were spread out on a coarse cloth: two jade bottles, a dark mineral, several wrinkled low-level talismans, and an old wooden box the size of a palm.

The rogue cultivator was about forty years old, at the ninth level of Qi Refining, with a sallow complexion and thin physique, clearly struggling to make a living. Such destitute people were common in the market; they had little of value to sell and couldn't afford to rent a shop, so they could only try their luck on the street.

Chen Fan had already walked past, but his eyes caught sight of the open wooden box out of the corner of his eye, and he paused.

Inside the box was a layer of yellowed old silk, upon which lay a talisman. The talisman was the size of a copper coin, perfectly round, and made of neither paper nor wood, but rather some kind of special spiritual jade. A small knife pattern was engraved on its surface, the lines archaic and simple, with a faint, flowing spiritual light. However, a fine hairline ran along the edge, and the jade surface was shrouded in a hazy, gray mist.

A magical artifact! And a weapon-type magical artifact at that!

A talisman is made by sealing a trace of the power of a natal magic weapon by a cultivator at the Core Formation stage or above. It can unleash a portion of the magic weapon's power, far surpassing ordinary magic tools. For Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, a single talisman is a trump card capable of turning the tide of battle!

"What is the price of this?" Chen Fan squatted down and picked up the wooden box.

The down-on-his-luck cultivator's eyes lit up with joy when he saw him take out the box, and he quickly said, "Fellow Daoist has a discerning eye! This is a genuine talisman! Although its power has been greatly diminished, it will definitely last one or two more uses! Five hundred spirit stones!"

Chen Fan took the talisman in his hand and probed it with his divine sense. Its internal spiritual energy structure was indeed severely damaged; most of the sealed weapon's power had dissipated, and the fine cracks at the edges further accelerated the loss of spiritual energy. Based on his judgment, this treasure could be activated at most twice more before becoming a useless item.

"two hundred."

The rogue cultivator's face fell: "Fellow Daoist, this is a talismanic treasure..."

"The power remains only slightly, at most twice. There are cracks at the edges, and the spiritual energy is leaking out. It will be useless after another six months." Chen Fan said calmly, "Two hundred spirit stones, no bargaining. You can wait for the next buyer."

The rogue cultivator opened his mouth, but finally sighed dejectedly and nodded in agreement. Two hundred spirit stones were a huge sum of money for him.

Chen Fan used spirit stones to store the talisman and its box in his storage bag. His heart pounded slightly as he turned to leave. Even if a talisman could only be used twice, it was an incredibly powerful trump card in the Crimson Forbidden Land! Two hundred spirit stones for two chances to turn the tide—a huge profit!

On his way back to Fire Cloud Peak, Chen Fan reviewed his gains for the day:

Golden Flame Spirit-Slaying Blade, 850 pieces.

A batch of various talismans, more than three hundred pieces.

One hundred and twenty mid-level Earth Escape Talismans.

Weapon and talisman (only valid for six months), 200 yuan.

The total cost was nearly 1,500 spirit stones, almost depleting half a year's savings!

The Crimson Forbidden Zone is not a sect competition. Defeat in a competition merely results in injury and disfigurement. Defeat in the Forbidden Zone means certain death! There are no rules or regulations within; disciples from seven sects enter together. The opportunities for spiritual herbs are limited, and less than half survive!

One more talisman, one more chance of survival. One more trump card, one more life!

Back in his cave, Chen Fan arranged the items he had purchased that day in front of the prayer mat.

The Golden Flame Spirit-Slaying Blade, ninety offensive talismans, ten Golden Bell Talismans, a mid-grade Earth Escape Talisman, and weapon-related talismanic treasures. Adding to this his existing Golden Mirror, Crimson Scale Inner Armor, Fire Python Talisman, as well as Iron Armor and Silver Light Armor, this was all he relied on to enter the Crimson Forbidden Land!

Ironclad peeked out from its spirit beast pouch, its whiskers swaying slightly. In the past half-year, it had molted again, its size growing from the size of an adult's fist to the size of a palm. Its carapace had deepened in bronze hue, and its forelimbs, scythe-like appendages, had grown to over three inches long. It had advanced to the late stage of the first tier, its strength comparable to a cultivator at the eleventh or twelfth level of Qi Refining! The Golden-backed Demon Mantis already possessed exceptional defense, and now, with Ironclad, it could easily withstand a full-force attack from a Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivator!

Chen Fan extended his finger and gently touched the back of the armor. The armor's whiskers stood up, swayed slightly from side to side, and then quietly lay down at his feet.

His gaze shifted from the armor to his left palm. The swirling pattern on his palm gleamed with a silvery-gray light under the dim yellow lamp, the six concentric rings clearly discernible.

His spiritual sense is comparable to the early Foundation Establishment stage. His silver armor can withstand a single attack from an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. He wields the Golden Flame Spirit-Slaying Blade. He possesses over a hundred talismans and one talismanic treasure. He is at the late stage of the first tier of Iron Armor.

This is all he has gained from two years of arduous training!

Chen Fan carefully collected all the items into his storage bag, categorizing and organizing them neatly. The Fireball Talisman was placed in the most convenient spot, followed by the Ice Cone Talisman. The Earth Wall Talisman and Golden Bell Talisman were kept close to his body, while the Lightning Strike Talisman and Wooden Vine Talisman were reserved as surprise weapons. The Fire Python Talisman and the weapon talismans were hidden deep at the bottom of the bag. The mid-grade Earth Escape Talisman was placed in the most easily accessible position; this was for escaping, requiring instantaneous access!

After finishing, he sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the Prison Suppression Wall stood majestically, its silver-gray surface shimmering with flowing patterns, as steady as a mountain.

There is still half a month until the Blood Forbidden Land opens.