Mortal: Starting with the Golden Jade Book

On the black flying boat, Lin Zui held a Thousand-Mile Sensing Talisman, looking at the two moving white and red dots on it, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"Hmph, they've caught up after all, and they're keeping a distance of more than ten miles. They're quite cautious."

"Husband, how did you know he would follow us, and how did you even have the foresight to activate the Thousand-Mile Sensing Talisman in advance and record his aura?"

Yan Ruyan asked in confusion.

"Hehe, such a big fat sheep, of course I have to keep an eye on him. However, if he doesn't need custom-made talismans, I really don't have any good way to deal with him."

"A fat sheep?"

Lin Zui smiled and told her the news he had heard from Senior Brother Wang that day. Yan Ruyan listened with her mouth slightly open, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

"So...you plan to lure him into the cave and then kill him using an array?"

"clever."

Yan Ruyan gasped. The thought of the man's enormous wealth made her heart pound. She couldn't help but feel excited, but then she became worried.

"The cave is quite far from here. What if they become suspicious halfway there and rush up to kill us?"

"He won't."

Lin Zui smiled confidently.

Why?

"Because he's too greedy!"

"what?"

Lin Zui chuckled.

"I've seen that spirit-nurturing talisman. It's extremely rare and definitely not something an ordinary talisman maker could create. And although it's not a one-time use talisman, it still consumes a lot of resources when used. I told him that he could only make one in three to five days. Do you think he'd be satisfied?"

Yan Ruyan thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"So what do you think he would do if he wanted more spirit-nurturing talismans?"

Following Lin Zui's train of thought, Yan Ruyan quickly came up with a possibility.

"You mean, he wants to capture this talisman maker? But isn't he afraid that this mysterious talisman maker's cultivation level is too high, and he'll end up walking into a trap?"

"Hehe, there are indeed peerless geniuses who can achieve extremely high levels in various miscellaneous studies and simultaneously improve their cultivation, but they are ultimately few and far between. This Huang Ming dared to ambush even a Core Formation cultivator in order to seize the treasure, so how could he not dare to take this risk?"

Lin Zui laughed.

"Therefore, he would absolutely not make any move to alert the enemy before reaching the cave."

"Oh, I see."

Yan Ruyan nodded, agreeing with what Lin Zui said.

"But how did he keep up with us?"

"Needless to say, they've left another mark on me."

Lin Zui curled his lip in disdain and looked at the Thousand-Mile Sensing Talisman in his hand.

"This method... is too low-level."

Seeing Lin Zui's smug expression, Yan Ruyan was both annoyed and amused, and couldn't help but mutter something.

"You...you're too cunning."

While the two were chatting and laughing, more than ten miles behind them, Fat Sheep Brother was also indulging in his own beautiful dream.

"As long as that talisman maker isn't some old monster above the Core Formation stage, I should be quite confident in subduing him with my abilities. Even if I can't win, escaping shouldn't be a problem. I have to take some risks to nurture the spirit talisman."

"Although this harvest is great, it is still a bit risky to advance to the Core Formation stage. However, if I can get enough Spirit Nourishing Talismans, I may be able to kill one or two more experts in time. At that time, it should be enough for me to form the Core."

"Then find a cave dwelling... Wait, if this talisman maker's secluded cultivation place is decent, we can just occupy it directly, saving ourselves the trouble. Also, that Foundation Establishment female cultivator is incredibly alluring; capturing her to use as a cultivation vessel wouldn't be bad..."

"Once I successfully enter the Core Formation stage, there's nothing to be afraid of. Although I can't return to the Seven Sects, there are plenty of major sects and schools. With my Core Formation cultivation, I'll have a place to stand anywhere..."

As Huang Ming pondered, his thoughts drifted far ahead, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter at the prospect of a bright future.

Half a day later.

"Why haven't we arrived yet? Where exactly is the talisman maker in seclusion?"

Looking at the increasingly desolate environment and the thinning spiritual energy around him, Huang Ming's brows gradually furrowed. If it weren't for his senses that the two people ahead were heading in this direction and didn't seem to be doing anything unusual, he would have wanted to chase after them and ask them directly.

However, after thinking it over, he decided to endure it. After flying for another three or four hours, just when Huang Ming could no longer bear it, the spiritual energy imprint he sensed suddenly stopped and then flew towards a certain place.

"Have we... arrived?"

Huang Ming's spirits lifted, and he sped up to rush towards the spot where the two had landed.

As he approached, a small mountain shrouded in mist appeared before Huang Ming.

"This is... a formation?"

Huang Ming became slightly wary, but setting up an array in a secluded cultivation place was only natural, and judging from the array's fluctuations, it didn't seem to be a very powerful array, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Hmph, what can you do to me if I don't join the battle?"

On the other side.

"Quite cautious, huh?"

Lin Zui revealed a cold smile. Through the Thousand-Mile Sensing Talisman, he clearly sensed that Huang Ming had stopped two miles away, at the edge of the mist. He was obviously still being cautious. However, the mist was just some illusionary power attached to the magic array. The true power of the array had not yet been revealed.

"Let me show you the full power of the Reversed Five Elements Formation!"

Lin Zui made a hand seal, and Huang Ming, who was far away, felt his vision blur for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, the world had changed.

"This is……?"

The small hill and swamp from before had vanished, replaced by towering volcanoes and bottomless pools. And in the next moment, these things transformed into endless bamboo forests, sand seas, and vast starry skies. As they continued to rotate, he began to sink into various illusions.

"Hallucination! This is all a hallucination! A hallucination!!"

After an unknown amount of time, Huang Ming suddenly shouted and took out various magical artifacts and treasures to attack different parts of the formation, but naturally none of them reacted.

"Impossible...impossible!"

Seeing that his attacks were ineffective, Huang Ming became even more frenzied, even starting to channel his life essence to enhance the power of his magical artifact, but it was still to no avail.

After several attempts, Huang Ming's breathing became weak. Suddenly, he took out a spindle-shaped awl from his storage bag and stared at it with gritted teeth.

"Why is there no spiritual power? Why is there no spiritual power? A spirit-nurturing talisman... I need a spirit-nurturing talisman! With a spirit-nurturing talisman, I can... break the formation! Yes, I need to break the formation!"

Huang Ming's eyes were bloodshot, as if he had fallen into a great chaos. The next moment, he threw out more than a dozen magical artifacts that were shining with spiritual light, but he did not control them to attack. The next moment.

"burst!"

A dozen or so magical artifacts exploded simultaneously, their power causing the Inverted Five Elements Array to tremble slightly, but it quickly returned to normal.

However, Lin Zui panicked and roared with a grim expression.

"Don't you dare destroy my magical artifacts! They're all mine, mine!"

The complete version of the Inverted Five Elements Formation is not just an illusion; its killing methods are also incredibly sharp. A full-force attack could reduce Huang Ming to dust, but in that case, he would probably lose very few of his treasures.

So Lin Zui's initial plan was to use the illusion array to exhaust him to the limit first, and then have Yan Ruyan finish him off to maximize the benefits. But he never expected that this guy's will was so weak, and he was driven crazy in such a short time.

Seeing the other party take out another bunch of treasures and detonate them, Lin Zui felt so heartbroken that he almost bled, and dared not wait any longer.

"Ruyan, don't wait any longer, make your move!"

"good!"

Yan Ruyan agreed, and the next moment, a small golden sword flew out of her hand and stabbed straight at Huang Ming in the formation. It was the Golden Sun Sword that she had obtained from the Luo family patriarch.

Although Huang Ming was in a state of mental confusion, he still sensed danger. The moment the Golden Sun Sword came stabbing at him, he summoned a shield to block it in front of him.

However, the Golden Sun Sword is the purest offensive treasure, and in the hands of the Luo family patriarch, it could even unleash power no less than that of a Core Formation stage cultivator.

Although Yan Ruyan's cultivation level was somewhat lower, the power she unleashed was something that Huang Ming, who was in a state of mental confusion, could not withstand.

He barely held on for a moment before his shield was knocked away. The Golden Sun Sword continued its momentum, piercing through his chest in an instant, then looping around Huang Ming's neck before his head flew off.