Qingling Daoist
The Everlasting Flame was exhausted, and the passageway fell into darkness.
Following her memory, Wen Zheng ran towards the exit without looking back.
The chaotic footsteps continued for a long time. Wen Zheng was panting heavily, but dared not slow down.
Is this passageway really that long?
Thinking it over, Wen Zheng gradually slowed down and took out the Qingling Brocade Brush and yellow paper.
She had timed it in her head; she had run for at least three minutes, which must have been the full 800 meters. The tunnel couldn't possibly be that long.
So, she's most likely encountered a maze.
A series of ethereal footsteps sounded behind her, making Wen Zheng's hair stand on end. She quickly made a fiery talisman.
"I'm warning you, this is the Immortal Pursuit Sect. Immortal Venerable Mu Qing is my senior brother. If you dare to make a move, he won't let you off the hook."
Mu Qing became famous early on, and this cultivator's soul doesn't seem very strong, so he probably hasn't been dead for long and likely knows Mu Qing's name.
She was just startled. After calming down, she felt confident that she might not be able to defeat him if she made a move.
Wen Zheng regained her confidence and turned around to throw out a Fiery Talisman.
The talisman lit up, revealing the image of a cultivator in blue robes. His gentle demeanor and smiling eyes greatly enhanced one's likability.
Without hesitation, Wen Zheng channeled her spiritual power, the Azure Spirit Brocade Brush moving back and forth across the yellow paper, casting Everlasting Flame Talisman, Blazing Fire Talisman, Speed Talisman...
She drew all the talismans that Wen Zheng was familiar with.
A dozen or so talismans floated in the air. Wen Zheng twisted her meager spiritual energy into a thread and pierced through all the talismans.
She would detonate it immediately if the other party dared to make a move.
At worst, we'll all perish together.
The Qingling cultivator was stunned by her words, but his eyes lit up when he saw Wen Zheng stringing the talismans together.
"Is this the method you came up with?" the monk in blue asked calmly.
"So what if you are? You're dead now. Go reincarnate as soon as possible and don't come out to scare people again."
Having lived for over twenty years and being a staunch materialist, Wen Zheng saw a ghost for the first time, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
The monk in blue sighed upon hearing this: "Don't you recognize me?"
Wen Zheng narrowed her eyes, not daring to loosen the spiritual energy thread in her hand, and kept recalling the face of the person in front of her.
Who are you?
The original owner of this body had lost her memory and had not met many people. Most of the clothes in the Zhuxian Sect were decorated with red cloud patterns, and she had never seen anyone wearing green clothes.
"Take a closer look." The cultivator in blue robes leaned forward, only to see Wen Zheng's still bewildered gaze. After a moment of silence, he said, "You've already taken my inheritance, and you still don't recognize me?"
Wen Zheng's pupils suddenly dilated as she stared at the blue-robed cultivator in disbelief.
There is indeed a portrait on the stone wall, depicting a person wearing blue clothes, but the difference is too great.
"You are the number one talisman cultivator in the cultivation world under the sect leader, the Green-Robed Daoist."
Upon hearing the compliments, Daoist Qingling quickly waved his hand, saying, "Oh, no, no, you flatter me." But his face was beaming with joy.
Wen Zheng: "How could that be? When it comes to talisman cultivators in the sect, you're definitely the first person that comes to mind."
Qingling Daoist laughed even more heartily: "They're just talking nonsense. But you, I never thought that after all these years of my death, I would still be able to take in such an outstanding disciple as you."
The two showered him with compliments and flattery, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"By the way, Master, didn't the sect leader say you had passed away? What's wrong with you now?" Wen Zheng asked.
She was a little nervous, and gripped the spiritual energy thread in her hand even tighter.
I've heard that possession is possible in the cultivation world. Although most possessions are based on cultivation level and spiritual root, there's no guarantee that someone won't try to change their gender.
Qingling Daoist seemed oblivious to her nervousness and said, "I am completely dead. This is just a wisp of my divine consciousness that I left behind."
Wen Zheng's heart leaped into her throat.
"Speaking of which, it seems there's something wrong with your meridians. How did that happen?"
Wen Zheng took a step back.
The fact that he cares so much about her meridians suggests he wants to possess her body.
She slowly stepped back, answering as she did so, "I was injured, my meridians are damaged, and the sect leader said it will be difficult to repair."
So don't try anything with her.
Qingling Daoist shook his head regretfully: "What a pity."
During the conversation, Wen Zheng had already taken five or six steps back, feeling a chill behind her, and she was secretly delighted.
It seems the export is not far off.
Qingling Daoist noticed Wen Zheng's subtle movements and asked with a smile, "My divine sense is about to dissipate. Don't you have any questions for me?"
Wen Zheng paused in her retreating steps, recalling the obstacles she had encountered in drawing talismans these past few days, and asked, "Master, why do I often fail to draw advanced talismans?"
She didn't say that she had never succeeded in drawing, after all, people always have to save face for themselves.
"Failure?" Qingling Daoist murmured, "Draw it again and let me see."
Wen Zheng took out a pen and yellow paper and casually drew a sealing talisman on the paper. When the last stroke was completed, the talisman lit up and then quickly went out.
That's it.
She dared to say that her drawing was almost identical to the talismans in the book, and there was no way there could be any mistakes.
When Wen Zheng took out the yellow paper, Qingling Daoist's brow twitched. After she casually drew the talisman, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"Who is the elder who is teaching you to draw talismans now? Is this how he teaches you to draw talismans?"
Qingling Daoist was nearly driven mad with anger after watching Wen Zheng draw the talisman. To be honest, Wen Zheng's talisman was indeed excellent, almost a one-to-one replica from the book.
But she simply copied it verbatim, without any of her own insights!
Every stroke of the talisman requires spiritual power; even the slightest difference can affect the final success.
He hadn't looked closely at the talismans Wen Zheng drew before, and assumed she was exceptionally talented because she drew them so quickly.
I never expected this.
Wen Zheng stared blankly at Qingling Daoist's almost collapsed appearance and said, "Master, is it too difficult? Why don't you tell me some tips?"
Qingling Daoist couldn't hold back any longer and pulled the pen from Wen Zheng's hand, tapping her on the forehead: "Difficult my foot! Don't you know that different runes on a talisman require different amounts of spiritual power!"
"I know."
Therefore, she mobilizes all her spiritual power when drawing each rune, and withdraws her spiritual power when she feels that the rune is about to break down.
Qingling Daoist: "..."
He clutched his head in anguish and howled, repeatedly striking Wen Zheng's head with the pen in his hand: "If you dare to draw talismans like this again, I'll knock your head off."
It didn't hurt at all when the Azure Spirit Brocade Brush struck, so Wen Zheng didn't flinch. Instead, she stepped forward and asked, "Master, is there a standard for the amount of spiritual power in each rune?"
When Wen Zheng asked the crucial question, Qingling Daoist withdrew his hand and snorted, "What's the use of telling you? Can you control it well without trying?"
Wen Zheng remained silent.
She wasn't sure she could control it well, so she asked her second question: "Master, how can I increase the attack power of the talisman?"
She had experienced the feeling of the Fiery Talisman burning her body. The fire looked big, but its power was small. She, a person in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, could easily extinguish it, let alone someone more powerful than her.
When Qingling Daoist saw that she had asked the key question, his eyes flashed: "I said, the spiritual power required for the runes on the talisman is different. The stronger your talisman is, the stronger it will be."
It's like I said something, but it also feels like I didn't.
Wen Zheng frowned, about to ask a question, when footsteps came from not far away.
Upon hearing footsteps, Qingling Daoist lightly moved his fingertips, and green light entered the Qingling Brocade Brush, causing a single peach blossom petal on the brush to brighten.
"Alright, that's all I can do to help you. Just practice hard and don't tell anyone that you've seen me, especially Mu Qing. You absolutely can't let him know."
Wen Zheng took the pen handed to her by Qingling Daoist and subconsciously asked, "What if I still have questions about talisman cultivation that I want to ask Master?"
"Go find my other spiritual consciousnesses."
The sound gradually faded away, and the blue robe also disappeared.
If it weren't for the petals lit up on the Qingling Brocade Brush, Wen Zheng would have thought she was dreaming.
A chill ran down her spine as a cold, long sword appeared beside her shoulder. "What are you doing?"
Wen Zheng put away her pen and turned around, her eyes darting around: "I didn't do anything."
Mu Qing looked around expressionlessly. The narrow passageway was filled with wooden boxes, many of which were damaged because they had been carelessly thrown away.
"It seems you don't really need these things." Mu Qing's expression was indifferent. With a slight movement of spiritual energy at her fingertips, everything in the box flew out and floated in front of the two of them.
Sensing Mu Qing's displeasure and worried that he would take the items away, Wen Zheng hurriedly stepped forward to retrieve them. However, she didn't notice that because she was too relaxed, all the talismans under her control were activated at once.
The flames filled the sky, melting the soil overhead.
They were standing near the exit, and the surrounding frozen soil was not stable. After being heated by the Fiery Talisman, it all began to seep water, and faint noises could be heard from above.
Wen Zheng and Mu Qing looked up at the same time and saw that the soil above had cracked open, and mud and water mixed with stones were falling down.
"Is this... going to collapse?" Wen Zheng asked, her hands moving faster.
Mu Qing glanced back at the exit and deduced what lay above the area about to collapse.
Before he could figure it out, Wen Zheng, holding the baby in one arm and pulling him with the other, said, "Run! If you get buried in there, people will laugh at you to death."
As soon as he finished speaking, the soil began to fall even faster, blocking the passageway almost instantly.
The two ran very fast and stepped out of the exit together.
The tense atmosphere dissipated, but the two felt no joy at having survived a close call.
Mu Qing looked down at Wen Zheng's hand that was gripping his wrist, and even through the clothes, he could feel the heat of her palm.
As if burned by something, Mu Qing quickly withdrew his hand, causing Wen Zheng, who was holding his hand, to stumble.
"My things!" Wen Zheng's treasures were scattered all over the ground, and she hurriedly went to pick them up. Halfway through picking them up, she saw a large hole in the ground out of the corner of her eye.
The location of this hole looks familiar; it seems to be where Mu Qing used to put her bed.
Without time to think it through, Wen Zheng had a bad feeling and ran away with her things in hand.
Mu Qing snapped out of her strange mood and looked up to see that the bed where she meditated every day had disappeared, leaving a large hole.
Because the collapse was sudden, the floor tiles shattered, and the bed, debris, and mud were mixed together, which obviously could not be cleaned up in a short time.
"Wen Zheng!!!"
A roar came from behind, and Wen Zheng quickened her pace. After putting away the things she had brought from the storeroom, she ran without stopping.
What a joke! If she stayed here, Mu Qing would definitely beat her to death.
Everything that happened at Aoxue Peak ended with Wen Zheng staying at Dan Peak and Medicine Peak alternately for half a month, and Mu Qing finding someone to repair the ground and passageway.
The Ghost Realm.
Xiang Hutian was covered in blood, walking unsteadily. Most of his skin had been peeled off, revealing bright red flesh, and his black pupils were dilated, with the whites of his eyes almost completely disappearing.
"Senior brother, what should we do? Xiang Hutian is about to lose control." A young disciple rushed forward and used the spirit-locking rope to pull Xiang Hutian back.
"Immediately request assistance from the sect and explain the situation." The leading cultivator took the Soul-Locking Rope, cast a Soul-Soothing Incantation, and then collapsed to the ground in front of Hu Tian.
"Take him away quickly, I'll draw the pursuers away."
Although the others didn't want him to do it, they had no better choice but to agree.
"Senior brother, be careful. We'll be waiting for you under the big banyan tree at the entrance." The group carried Hu Tian away.
A group of dark figures appeared, pointing their weapons at the man who had been left behind: "Hurry up, brothers, we have a new body."
The man's face darkened, and he moved his feet, instantly walking dozens of steps away. The black-clad pursuers did not let him go, chasing him relentlessly like hyenas.
Within Zhuxian Sect.
Upon receiving the distress message, the manager of the Mission Pavilion's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly went to find the sect leader.
"Sect Leader, the Ghost Realm has been thrown into chaos by a rebellion, and all the disciples who were on a mission are trapped inside."
Elder Jianfeng, who was there for the meeting, slammed his fist on the table in anger upon hearing this: "What?!"
Compared to the safety of his disciples, the news of chaos in the Ghost Realm was shocking.
The Ghost Realm is not powerful and has always relied on the Demon Realm for survival, so why would it suddenly betray them?
This is not a good sign.
The sect leader's expression was equally unpleasant.
"Please invite Immortal Venerable Mu Qing to come here."
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