After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

Zhang Lei spotted the old Taoist priest flying towards him at a glance, paused for a moment, and then was overjoyed:

"Master Daoist! What brings you here?"

It was Xuanqing who arrived.

He landed in front of them, his faded Taoist robe fluttering in the strong wind.

The white beard fluttered as he glanced at the injuries on the men's bodies and said irritably:

"If I hadn't come, you lot would have all died here today."

The elder of the Divine Blade Sect, standing on the cloud beside him, nudged Xuanmiaozi and winked with a half-smile:

"Elder Xuan, impressive! This is another one from your Qingyun Sect?"

"I see now. So all the extraordinary individuals with innate abilities in the Eastern Continent were trained by your Qingyun Sect, right?"

The elders from the other sects also joined in the laughter, their words full of teasing.

Xuanmiaozi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

Min Tong of the Heavenly Spear Sect frowned, twirling his gleaming silver spear. The spearhead emitted an even brighter light. He looked at Xuan Qing and sneered:

"Another extraordinary person? And a mid-stage Innate Realm expert at that?"

Ha, you demons have quite the opportunity, managing to gather four innate beings in just a few months.

If you had hidden yourselves in the mountains, we really wouldn't have been able to find you. To dare to jump out and rescue people yourself, you truly have no regard for your own safety.

"Old Taoist priest, take this!"

Min Tong didn't waste any words. With a flick of her wrist, she thrust her spear forward towards her chest and shouted:

"Thirteen Deadly Shots - Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!"

The innate qi poured into the spear like mad, and the spear shadow, which was originally ten feet long, instantly grew larger.

A massive white gun shadow, five meters long and three meters wide, materialized, like a falling meteor, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air.

Even the air was distorted by friction, and the ground was pressed into a deep trench by the gun's force, piercing straight into Xuan Qing's heart.

Zhao Hao and the others' expressions changed. This shot was even more powerful than the one that had stabbed Zhao Hao earlier; the three of them combined couldn't withstand it.

Xuan Qing remained unfazed. He reached into his robes, pulled out a stack of yellow talismans, rubbed them together, channeling his innate true energy into the talismans through his fingertips, and then tossed them forward, uttering a low shout:

"go."

"Boom boom boom boom boom!"

A series of explosions.

The fireball talisman at the front exploded into a crimson fireball the size of a washbasin, while the wind blade talisman sent out a transparent wind blade half a meter long.

The Ice Spike Rune conjured sharp ice spikes three feet long, while the Earth Shield Rune formed a stone wall half a meter thick in front of it.

Various talismans were thrown forward as if they were free, causing fire, ice shards, and stone chips to fly everywhere, and a huge spear shadow crashed into the talisman array.

It only lasted for two breaths before shattering into scattered qi with a "bang".

Min Tong felt a numbness in her hand, almost dropped the spear, and was so shocked that she took three steps back, her face full of disbelief.

The celestial beings in the heavens stopped laughing, sat up straight, and their faces were full of surprise.

"Talismanic magic?!"

"Impossible!" The elders of the Black Tiger Sect stared wide-eyed.

"The talismanic arts are witchcraft used by the barbarians of the Western Continent to activate with magic, while we martial artists of the Eastern Continent cultivate our own vital energy."

True Qi and magical power are completely different in nature, so they cannot activate the talisman at all!

How could he possibly use it?

"No, no!" The elder of the Divine Sword Sect stared at the scattered ashes of talismans in the air for a long time before suddenly exclaiming.

"These don't seem to be the barbarian runes I recognize!"

Look at these patterns! These are the runes and patterns of Taoism recorded in my ancient Taoist scrolls!

"It's just a minor skill involving runes," the Iron Sword Sect elder said stubbornly, stroking his beard.

"What good is the witchcraft of those Western barbarians, even if it has some power? It's weak in itself."

"Borrowing the power of demonic beasts won't extend our lifespan; it's far more effective to hone our own cultivation."

That's what he said, but his eyes were shining brightly.

A dozen or so talismans blocked the full-force killing move of a mid-stage Innate Realm expert. If I could learn this, killing enemies of higher levels would be a piece of cake.

Those present were all tempted, and some were already thinking that once this matter was settled, they should submit a memorial to His Majesty.

Reopening the road to the Western Continent will not render those magical runes entirely useless; the best outcome would be to capture this old Taoist priest and bring him back.

Forcing them to reveal how to draw those runes would be much easier than going to the Western Continent to learn from those barbarians.

Min Tong's face turned green with anger. He was a mid-stage Innate Realm expert, a top-tier master in the Eastern Continent.

He was actually forced back by a few talismans from a superhuman who had only been cultivating for a few months. If word got out, where would he put his face?

"Let's see how many talismans you have!"

Min Tong roared angrily, flicked his wrist, and his spear danced in a dazzling display.

"Thirteen Deadly Shots - Meteor Chasing the Moon!"

In an instant, hundreds of fine white gun shadows swept across the sky.

It was like a hail of gunfire, blocking everyone's escape routes in all directions, leaving no place to hide.

"Walk!"

Xuan Qing moved with lightning speed, leaving afterimages as he pulled out four Swiftness Talismans from his pocket. He then quickly stuck them on the backs of Zhao Hao, Zhang Lei, and Zhou Ming, and finally stuck the last one on Song Xian.

Song Xiancai was in the mid-stage of the Day After Tomorrow realm and couldn't run fast, so Xuanqing grabbed his arm.

"Quick! Use your inner energy to shatter the talisman! Run into the deep mountains!"

Without delay, the group quickly channeled their innate true energy into the talisman, causing it to shatter into tiny specks of light.

A warm current instantly surged through his limbs and bones, and his feet felt like they were walking on air. He moved so fast that he was just a blur, and then Xuan Qing rushed into the deep mountains to the west.

As Xuan Qing ran, he reached into his robes and scattered various talismans behind him as if they were free:

The explosive talisman was thrown out, causing the soldiers chasing at the front to fall to the ground, while the poison talisman emitted green poisonous smoke.

The fog talisman emitted a thick white mist that obscured visibility, and fireballs, ice spikes, and wind blades were thrown one after another, blasting those chasing behind so that they dared not get too close.

Several innate beings chased after them, for dozens of miles, and the more they chased, the more alarmed they became.

"Holy crap! How can it be so fast? Even my mid-stage Innate Realm movement technique can't keep up!"

"It must be the effect of that rune!"

Min Tong was chasing in the lead, so angry that she almost ground her teeth to powder. She turned around and glared fiercely at the few Xiantians who were chasing after her.

At first, they all stood on the clouds with their arms crossed, watching the show, saying that a mid-stage Innate Realm cultivator could handle it. Now that the person has run away, everyone knows to chase after them!

Those few innate beings were a little embarrassed by his glare.

I originally thought it was just a formality; with ten innate realm cultivators pressing down, it would be a piece of cake.

After the battle, they were just going to collect some rewards from the royal treasury and be done with it, but then an old Taoist priest who knew talisman magic suddenly appeared and rescued them.

"Stop chasing them." The Grand Elder of the Royal Family waved his hand, narrowed his eyes as he looked in the direction where Xuan Qing and the others had disappeared.

"We can't catch up. Let's go back and tell His Majesty to see if we can go to the Western Continent. Those witchcraft runes are indeed quite something."

He took out a handful of concealment talismans and stuck them on everyone, sealing off everyone's aura completely.

Not even a trace of true energy could leak out. He found a secluded, sheltered cave and bent down to crawl inside.

The dozen or so players who had escaped surrounded him, their eyes shining like light bulbs, looking at Xuan Qing as if he were a god.

"That Taoist priest is awesome!"

"Wow, those talismans were thrown around like they were scattering paper money, so cool! Taoist priest, do you still have any of those talismans? Can I have a couple?"

"Master, do you still accept apprentices? I want to learn how to draw talismans!"