Chapter 176 - 175: Talismanic Slaughter in All Directions (Part 1)

Chapter 176: Chapter 175: Talismanic Slaughter in All Directions (Part 1)

He Xiaotian agreed without a moment’s hesitation, both for the Experience Points and because Shouyangzi had spared no expense to save his life.

Under normal circumstances, he would have definitely tried to pull a fast one, starting with an outrageous demand before haggling it down.

But given their current relationship, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

The old Daoist didn’t shortchange He Xiaotian, though. If He Xiaotian could successfully defend the Divine Void Temple, Shouyangzi would, on behalf of the Daoist Alliance, forgive his debt of twelve hundred Spiritual Energy Crystals.

After all, anyone who wasn’t a complete idiot knew that the value of a Netherworld Fissure was far beyond what a few Spiritual Energy Crystals could measure up to.

Even if that failed, he would still do his best to persuade his senior brother, the diviner.

So, it was a happy outcome for both of them.

He Xiaotian took the opportunity to show him the *Corpse-Refining Art* he’d obtained from Zhou Family Village. After flipping through a few pages, Shouyangzi warned him to never, under any circumstances, practice the techniques written within.

This so-called Daoist art was worlds apart from the techniques of the Dragon Tiger Mountain and Maoshan lineages—like comparing the clouds to the mud.

To put it bluntly, it wasn’t even fit to carry their shoes.

The entire text was riddled with errors, making it a grotesque, incoherent mess.

If an ordinary person were to practice it, they would, at best, shorten their lifespan and ruin their karmic virtue, becoming a twisted being that was neither human nor ghost, despised by both mortals and spirits.

At worst, the corpse would reanimate and immediately turn on its master, killing them in a single bite.

However, the few Talismans documented within it were quite profound. He could try his hand at drawing those.

In truth, even without Shouyangzi’s warning, He Xiaotian had no intention of ever practicing the *Corpse-Refining Art*.

The whole thing was more trouble than it was worth.

He figured that even if he poured all his effort into it, the resulting corpse probably couldn’t even take a single one of his punches.

How stupid would he have to be to waste his time on that?

After finishing his conversation with He Xiaotian, the old Daoist hastily dismissed the other Daoists of the temple, telling them to await further news.

They were forbidden from returning to Snake Mountain until then, lest they lose their lives senselessly.

He then took Daoxuan and rushed to Dragon Tiger Mountain overnight to request reinforcements.

Of course, while he *said* he was getting reinforcements, he was actually just seeking refuge.

With He Xiaotian’s power, he might be able to withstand a siege from the Papermen, but Shouyangzi and his disciple would be in deep trouble.

Before he left, Shouyangzi wasn’t stingy; he left behind a dozen or so Talismans.

On one hand, it was to give He Xiaotian some trump cards. On the other, it was likely a hint. ’I certainly can’t teach you personally, but if you happen to comprehend something from these Talismans on your own, well, that’s none of my business.’

That way, Dragon Tiger Mountain couldn’t say a thing either.

They couldn’t just come and cripple someone for being a genius, could they?

That wouldn’t be the path of righteousness; that would be the way of an evil cult.

As for the Bladesman and Feng Yu... hmmmm...

He had given them their freedom long ago, but the two shamelessly refused to leave.

And why was that?

For no other reason than the Netherworld Fissure present in the room!

Even though He Xiaotian’s spiritual awakening had twice drained the tides of energy to near depletion...

...the concentration of Spiritual Qi was still quite high.

And what about the Illusionist?

He Xiaotian had let him go too, only for the guy to show up at his door the very next day.

Looking like a sycophantic lackey, he was hoping to mooch off the Netherworld Fissure and cultivate alongside them.

After spending some time with him, the three of them understood the situation perfectly.

As long as you weren’t a villain, this mysterious X wouldn’t lay a hand on you.

Also, it was best not to provoke him.

Otherwise, you’d likely get a "GAME OVER" with a single punch.

The Paperman clan?

Aside from Feng Yu, who was a complete rookie when it came to the ways of the world, both the Bladesman and the Illusionist, as members of their unique professions, knew that people like the Papermen didn’t attack without reason.

’He Xiaotian is the one they have a grudge against, not us. What the hell do we have to be afraid of!’

’Worst case, if a fight breaks out, we’ll just scram ahead of time.’

Unfortunately, sometimes what you think and what actually happens are two different things.

Things rarely go as planned. After all, freeloading on Spiritual Qi for one’s cultivation always comes at a price.

「At noon」

He Xiaotian stared at the illegible scrawl on his desk, utterly baffled.

’Did I really draw this thing?!’

"Boss, time to eat," the Illusionist said, walking in with a tray of food. "Today I made my specialty, braised pork belly. I’m telling you, this meat is the perfect balance of fat and lean. It’s fragrant, sweet, and so tender it melts in your mouth. One bite, and I guarantee you’ll be asking for ten more bowls of rice."

"Just put it down. I’m not in the mood," He Xiaotian said, sounding exasperated. "Tell me, why is drawing Talismans so damn hard? Why do mine look nothing like the ones the old Daoist gave me?" A whole morning had passed, and his attempts were still just a bunch of crooked, unbearable scribbles.

"Sir, have you observed the Seven Abstinences, the Five Prohibitions, the Four Avoidances, and the Five Purifications?"

"???"

’The what now?!’

He Xiaotian was completely baffled by the Illusionist’s question.

’Unbelievable.’

The Illusionist rolled his eyes. ’He doesn’t even know the basics and he’s just blindly scribbling away. He’d have a better chance of seeing a ghost than succeeding. The Three Pristine Ones must have their eyes closed.’

With a sigh of resignation, the Illusionist began to explain the so-called Seven Abstinences, Five Prohibitions, Four Avoidances, and Five Purifications to He Xiaotian.

The Seven Abstinences: Abstain from distracting thoughts; abstain from defilement of the hands and mouth; abstain from using unclean tools; abstain from responding verbally to distractions; abstain from facing the wrong direction; abstain from consuming meat and alcohol; and abstain from retracing or correcting strokes.

The Five Prohibitions: Prohibit pregnant women from handling the materials; prohibit any defilement from touching the Talisman; prohibit disturbances from bystanders; prohibit defiling the Talisman table; and prohibit defiling the Talisman altar.

The Four Avoidances: Avoid all filth; avoid the sight of blood; avoid noise and clamor; and avoid the presence of women.

The Five Purifications: Purify the altar by burning sandalwood; purify the home (pregnant women should stay away); purify the body by bathing and changing into clean clothes; purify the mind by first calming all wicked thoughts; and purify the mouth by fasting for three days beforehand.

And finally, the drawing will fail for anyone who: commits crimes, harms living beings, inquires about evil arts, harbors ill intentions, is a person of poor character, spreads fallacies and heresies, is emotionally volatile, is drunk or muddle-headed, is a gambler or speculator, or is mentally unstable. None of them can successfully create a Talisman.

The long-winded explanation left He Xiaotian completely lost and bewildered.

"Isn’t it just drawing a single Talisman? Does it have to be this complicated?"

’I’m just trying to draw a damn Talisman to use, what’s with all this bullshit!’

’Besides, is this what it takes to be a Daoist?’

’This is more like training to be a great saint!’

The Illusionist: "..."

’Truly, ignorance is bliss.’

He said no more, afraid that He Xiaotian might just flip the table in frustration.

’The man’s been working hard all morning, and I basically just told him all his effort was for nothing. Of course he’s not going to be happy.’

The Illusionist put down the bowl and chopsticks and obediently excused himself.

He Xiaotian picked up the *Corpse-Refining Art* and stared at the diagrams of the five Talismans inside, a helpless expression on his face.

He recalled the system notification from last night, which still irked him.

[Ding! Scan level insufficient. Unable to record Daoist Art.]

Did he regret it?

’Did he regret not upgrading his scanning ability earlier?’

No, He Xiaotian didn’t regret it.

His previous choices had all been useful.

’So what if the level is too low!’

The *Dragon Tiger Mountain Striking and Breathing Technique* was right there. As long as he could master the basics, he could use Experience Points to level it up.

The only drawback was that he couldn’t learn it instantly with a "ding" like he used to.

He would have to put in some actual effort this time.

The five Talismans in the *Corpse-Refining Art* were the Peace Talisman, the Luck-Opening Talisman, the House-Guarding Talisman, the Protective Talisman, and the Ghost-Slaying Talisman.

He had been practicing the Ghost-Slaying Talisman since last night.

The Ghost-Slaying Talisman was far more complex and profound than the other four.

That was why he still hadn’t even mastered the basics.

"I refuse to believe it! If one day isn’t enough, I’ll take two. As long as I can get the basics down, I’ll just dump a ton of Experience Points into it and max it out. Then, with the fifty-percent boost from my Perfect Dao Foundation, even those Papermen will have to kneel and call me Daddy."