Chapter 238 - 231: The Rules Have Changed, Character Formula Talismans

Chapter 238: Chapter 231: The Rules Have Changed, Character Formula Talismans

After coming out of seclusion, Jiang Zuo took the fourth-rank Talismans he had crafted and prepared to find a few fourth-rank Talismanic Dao Beasts to kill.

Along the way, he encountered several Cultivators he didn’t recognize.

The first Cultivator was alone. Upon seeing him, the man immediately grew wary and kept his distance, quickly leaving.

Next, he met a group of three. Seeing that Jiang Zuo was by himself, all three of them revealed a clear trace of malice, looking like they were about to step forward and cause trouble.

However, when they saw that Jiang Zuo seemed completely unafraid of them, the trio hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving in a different direction.

After walking for a while, Jiang Zuo came across two female Cultivators.

Upon seeing Jiang Zuo, the two women also turned and left immediately.

Jiang Zuo narrowed his eyes, watching these scenes unfold one after another.

He knew the problem wasn’t with him.

These people weren’t just wary of him, but of other Cultivators as well.

Something must have happened during the time he was in seclusion.

’Is it like in the outer regions, where people would suddenly go berserk?’

’No, it’s probably more serious than that.’

’Otherwise, everyone he met wouldn’t be so guarded against others.’

Jiang Zuo stopped looking for Demon Beasts. Instead, he turned to find someone to ask what exactly had happened.

Before long, Jiang Zuo saw five Cultivators surrounding and attacking a third-rank Demon Beast.

After a moment’s thought, he walked over.

"Don’t come any closer! If you take another step, we won’t be polite!"

Seeing Jiang Zuo walking toward them, the five of them actually stopped fighting the Demon Beast mid-battle. They ran to one side, held up their Talismans, and shouted at him.

"I mean no harm. I just came out of seclusion. Everyone on the road seems on edge. I saw that there were many of you, fellow Daoists, and figured you wouldn’t run the moment you saw me, so I wanted to come over and ask what’s going on."

Jiang Zuo halted, glanced at the Talismans in their hands, and spoke while cupping his fist.

The five exchanged a look, sensing that Jiang Zuo indeed had no ill intent.

Besides, on second thought, there were five of them and only one of him. There was no need to be afraid.

"Since you mean no harm, fellow Daoist, I suppose we can tell you."

One of them said.

Jiang Zuo listened carefully and soon learned the reason.

About three months ago, around the time he entered seclusion, some of the Cultivators in the Celestial Talisman Institute began to act strangely.

Similar to the news that had come from the outer courtyard, some Cultivators would suddenly undergo a drastic change in temperament and start attacking others.

The attacked Cultivators fought back, only to discover that the rules of the Talismanic Daoist Holy Land had unknowingly changed again.

Cultivators could no longer attack each other with Magic; they could only use Talismans to attack the aberrant Cultivators.

That would have been one thing, but the crucial point was that after one of these aberrant Cultivators was killed, they too would leave behind a Divine Sense Jade Stone.

And after absorbing this Divine Sense Jade Stone, a Cultivator could obtain all of that person’s Talisman-crafting knowledge!

If this was true for the aberrant Cultivators, what about ordinary, normal ones?

At that moment, quite a few Cultivators had this thought.

And soon enough, a normal Cultivator was killed.

Not long after, word got out.

Even normal Cultivators would still leave behind a Divine Sense Jade Stone upon death.

This Divine Sense Jade Stone could also be absorbed by other Cultivators!

Suddenly, every Cultivator in the Celestial Talisman Institute felt their life was in danger.

If they saw a Cultivator they didn’t know, they would avoid them from a great distance.

Even with acquaintances, they had to be secretly on guard.

"I see. Thank you for the information, fellow Daoists."

Jiang Zuo nodded, cupped his fist, and left.

’To directly change the rules of the Secret Realm... this isn’t something an outsider could do.’

’The only one with such power would be the Secret Realm’s spirit.’

’The spirit of the Talismanic Daoist Holy Land’s Secret Realm must have originated from the Celestial Talisman Inquiry Sect.’

’No, that’s not necessarily true.’

’Back then, no one knew what went wrong with the Celestial Talisman Inquiry Sect for it to disappear from the Cultivation Realm and become a Secret Realm.’

’It’s also possible that an unknown power took control of the Celestial Talisman Inquiry Sect.’

’In that case, the tampering with the Cloud-Rubbing Pills and the Divine Sense Jade Stones from the Talismanic Dao Beasts must also be the work of the Secret Realm’s spirit.’

’But if it has already tampered with the Cultivators’ Divine Sense, why would it also make them kill each other?’

’Hmm, perhaps it’s because it tampered with their Divine Sense that they turn into Divine Sense Jade Stones upon death, allowing their Talisman knowledge to be absorbed by others?’

’The result of Cultivators killing each other would be the eventual birth of one or more supreme geniuses in the art of Talismans.’

’And after these supreme Talisman geniuses are born?’

’Would it make this person the true successor of the Celestial Talisman Inquiry Sect and have them rebuild it? Or is it all for the sake of possession?’

Jiang Zuo knew far more than the average Cultivator, and in an instant, several analyses had already formed in his mind.

’Whatever its purpose, Bu Yuehua and my senior brothers and sisters from the Black Tortoise Dao Sect will probably be in danger before long.’

’And I also have to be wary of that Bai Ling.’

’With the changes to the Secret Realm’s rules, she might see this as the perfect opportunity to defeat me.’

’I need to craft a large batch of Talismans in advance to deal with her, and I also need to make some Clear Heart Calming Talismans for my sect brothers and sisters.’

For the moment, Jiang Zuo couldn’t be sure of the Secret Realm spirit’s objective.

He was also facing some danger himself right now.

’I can craft third-rank Talismans in large quantities, but fourth-rank ones are still very difficult and draining to make.’

’The Clear Heart Calming Talisman is a fourth-rank Talisman. I’ll need to study it for a while before I have a chance of successfully crafting it.’

’Time feels a bit tight.’

The Clear Heart Calming Talisman came from the Black Tortoise Dao Sect. Jiang Zuo had glanced at it back when he was in the Scripture Pavilion looking for Secret Manuals on the art of Talismans.

With his memory, he never forgot anything he read.

Crafting this Talisman required an extremely high level of Divine Sense; the so-called "calming" aspect was achieved through powerful Divine Sense.

According to the sect’s records, this Talisman was exceptionally effective on Cultivators who were affected by external forces, especially those influencing the Divine Sense.

Jiang Zuo had long known there was a problem with the Divine Sense Jade Stones left by the Talismanic Dao Beasts, but he hadn’t warned his senior brothers and sisters from the sect.

For one, he couldn’t produce any evidence or offer a convincing explanation.

Without evidence, trying to stop others from obtaining these inheritances would be difficult, especially when, in their eyes, he was someone whose Dao path was already severed.

Even if his sect siblings didn’t fall out with him on the spot, they would never have listened to him.

Besides, these Talisman legacies came so easily and could improve one’s Talisman-crafting skills so quickly.

Even if they truly believed him, they would likely hold onto a sliver of hope and be unable to resist drinking the poison to quench their thirst.

That was why Jiang Zuo had been planning to use the Clear Heart Calming Talisman early on.

If his sect brothers and sisters really ran into trouble, he could use this Talisman to try and save them.

Whether he could actually save them, Jiang Zuo couldn’t guarantee.

But this was the best he could do. Whether it would be effective or not would be up to their fate.

Jiang Zuo spent a week crafting several hundred third-rank Talismans and twenty fourth-rank Talismans.

However, his research into crafting the Clear Heart Calming Talisman did not go smoothly.

The ones he could currently craft were all the simplest types of attack Talismans.

The Clear Heart Calming Talisman, in comparison, was far more complex.

’Forget it. I’ll go hunt some fourth-rank Demon Beasts first and learn more fourth-rank Talisman legacies.’

Jiang Zuo didn’t try to force it.

As long as he studied more fourth-rank Talisman legacies, this problem could be solved quickly.

For him, acquiring fourth-rank Talisman legacies was far more efficient than burying his head in research.

Carrying a large batch of Talismans, Jiang Zuo once again went out to find prey.

He hadn’t found any prey yet, but this time, three people had set their sights on him.

The three of them suddenly appeared on the path ahead of Jiang Zuo and, without a word, hurled more than a dozen third-rank Talismans at him.

The rules of the Talismanic Daoist Holy Land had changed; a Cultivator’s Magic could no longer harm others.

However, a Cultivator’s own physical body and defensive capabilities still remained.

Mere third-rank Talismans striking Jiang Zuo’s body were no more than a tickle.

Seeing Jiang Zuo neither dodged nor evaded, the three realized things were bad and tried to retreat.

But Jiang Zuo had already thrown out a pile of third-rank Talismans and even "gifted" each of them a fourth-rank Fire Talisman.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them turned to ash, leaving behind three Divine Sense Jade Stones floating in the air.

Jiang Zuo hesitated for a moment, but still extended his Divine Sense to absorb them into his Sea of Consciousness.

If it were a matter of eating another person, Jiang Zuo definitely wouldn’t do it.

But a Divine Sense Jade Stone was more like loot dropped from a monster; Jiang Zuo wasn’t going to be sentimental about it.

After all, these three had brought death upon themselves. It would be a waste not to take the Talisman legacies they left behind.

It was better that he take them to save himself some time and craft the Clear Heart Calming Talisman as soon as possible.

’The Talisman legacies of these three are quite substantial. I wonder how many people they killed.’

’If not for their weak Divine Sense, which prevented them from crafting fourth-rank Talismans, I might have been in trouble!’

Jiang Zuo absorbed all three of the Divine Sense Jade Stones left by the men.

As Jiang Zuo felt the additional Talisman legacies pour in, his gaze turned cold.

There was no telling how many people these three had secretly killed before their luck ran out and they found their way to him.

’After killing a few more fourth-rank Talismanic Dao Beasts, I should be able to craft the Clear Heart Calming Talisman.’

Jiang Zuo quickly sorted through the Talisman legacies he had acquired, a sense of confidence growing within him.

Soon, Jiang Zuo found a fourth-rank Talismanic Dao Beast.

With no need to worry about getting injured and a massive supply of Talismans on hand, the fourth-rank Talismanic Dao Beast didn’t last long before Jiang Zuo killed it.

Just like that, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Zuo used up all his fourth-rank Talismans, killing over twenty fourth-rank Talismanic Dao Beasts in just half a month.

As a result, Jiang Zuo’s skill and Cultivation in the art of Talismans advanced greatly.

Half a month ago, he couldn’t craft the Clear Heart Calming Talisman.

But now, Jiang Zuo felt it would be effortless.

Not only that, but Jiang Zuo even had some other ideas.

Jiang Zuo had a vague feeling that he could now integrate some Beast Pattern Rune Techniques into his Talismans.

Doing so would greatly increase the power of his Talismans.

Jiang Zuo immediately entered seclusion to begin his research.

「About a week later.」

Inside a room, a fourth-rank Talisman took shape under Jiang Zuo’s hands.

It was a Clear Heart Calming Talisman.

But it wasn’t an ordinary Clear Heart Calming Talisman.

Jiang Zuo had fused the "Rest" Rune Technique into this Talisman.

This would double the effect of the Clear Heart Calming Talisman.

Compared to nearly a month ago, Jiang Zuo’s speed and effectiveness at crafting fourth-rank Beast Patterns had also improved dramatically.

Before, he could craft five at most in a day; now, crafting ten a day was no problem at all.

After spending half a day crafting five Clear Heart Calming Talismans, Jiang Zuo prepared to research and craft other fourth-rank attack Talismans.

He planned to integrate Rune Techniques like "Rage," "Power," and "Poison" into these attack Talismans.

The Power Rune Technique came from "Giant Elephant Impact," and the Poison Rune Technique came from "Poisonous Claw."