Chapter 335

After temporarily confirming the situation of the ultra-long-distance teleportation formation.

Yunhe then left the Gobi beach and returned once again to the territory of Mu State.

He wanted to find a place to temporarily digest this harvest.

At least, he needed to gain a deeper understanding of the method to condense the Five Elements Spirit Body in order to prepare.

However, before that, he first needed to gain a deeper understanding of some information about the Black Soul Crystal; if this crystal is truly harmless, perhaps it could bring considerable benefit to his Corpse Soul Gu.

Just that he didn't really want to contact the Bai Xiao Tower recently, so figuring out how to learn about this crystal is also a problem.

Besides that, he had another matter.

To go see his inexpensive master, Huaxin.

Undeniably, Huaxin had provided him with considerable help on his cultivation path.

Whether it was initially helping him select the Great Longevity Five Elements True Scripture within the Qingzong Sect, or frequently answering his cultivation doubts back then, or protecting him in the hands of the Spirit Beast Sect elders at that time.

These, more or less, all count as favors.

Even beforehand, if not for the information left by Huaxin, he would not have been able to timely participate in the exploration of the Floating Cloud Elder's cave dwelling, nor successfully find the continuation of his technique.

Although this trip encountered many mishaps, for him personally it was still relatively smooth.

So.

Regardless of Huaxin's current cultivation base and how she's doing, meeting face to face is always necessary.

If he could offer some help within his ability, Yunhe would not be stingy.

Only in this way could he let go of these matters completely and achieve clarity of mind.

Thus.

After returning to Mu State, Yunhe headed toward the direction of Baihua Valley.

He did not directly rush to the gate of Baihua Valley.

At least it is a great sect with a Yuan Ying Cultivator presiding over it, unlike the Qingzong Sect which only has a Jie Dan Stage cultivator presiding.

If that cultivator has a bad temper, charging straight up like this is hardly different from provocation.

Although the Yuan Ying Cultivator of Baihua Valley is only at the early stage, Baihua Valley's mountain-protecting formation is no joke.

Under the condition of both being early-stage Yuan Ying Cultivators, the one who possesses the mountain-protecting formation's support necessarily holds an absolute advantage.

If the mountain-protecting formation is of a higher level, an early-stage Yuan Ying Cultivator can even, to some extent, contend with a mid-stage Yuan Ying Cultivator.

Baihua Market Town.

This place is a market town outside Baihua Valley, fully administered by Baihua Valley, and is considered one of the largest market towns within a radius of several thousand li.

Therefore, the market town is teeming with cultivators, constantly coming and going, flowing without cease.

Of course, Yunhe had seen all kinds of market towns and immortal cities; aside from the variegated flowers visible everywhere in this market town, he didn't feel it was particularly different.

Concealing his cultivation base as that of an early Jie Dan Stage cultivator, his entry into the market town remained an object of dread for the cultivators there, only without the sensation caused by the appearance of a Yuan Ying Cultivator.

After entering the market town, Yunhe was not merely seeking information about Baihua Valley; he also needed to purchase some items.

From the subsequent techniques obtained from the Great Longevity Five Elements True Scripture, he acquired many arts and secret techniques, including artifact refinement, pill refinement, formation methods, and talisman script, among many other skills.

This shows that the Great Longevity Five Elements True Scripture is indeed a profound and top-tier cultivation method.

After a brief perusal, he developed a strong interest in a type of talisman.

Spirit Body Talisman!

This is a talisman that only cultivators who have practiced the Great Longevity Five Elements True Scripture and have condensed at least a minor Five Elements Spirit Body can draw.

According to the description in the technique, this talisman is one of the hereditary secret talismans of the Great Five Elements Sect, created by a supremely talented ancestor of that sect after studying at a sect called the Nine Talismans Sect and then combining it with his own sect's techniques.

One cannot draw or use it without reaching the Yuan Ying realm.

This talisman can incorporate a portion of the cultivator's spirit-body power into it!

When used, it can enable the cultivator to erupt with greater mana and strength in a short time.

It is a means that can be used to fight desperately or preserve oneself at a critical juncture of life and death.

For such means, Yunhe naturally would not let them slip easily.

Therefore, he prepared to gather the necessary materials in the market town.

Although he possessed plenty of special beast-hide paper made from monster skins, as well as the monster blood essential for drawing this talisman, producing the talisman paper and cinnabar sand required for such high-level secret talismans naturally needs special material processing.

However, the difficulty of drawing this talisman is not merely ordinary complexity; it far surpasses many commonly seen high-level talismans.

But with the Cloud Escape Talisman as a foundation, Yunhe believes he is capable of handling this Spirit Body Talisman.

He might even be able to use this secret talisman to improve his talisman dao proficiency a bit.

Moreover, his former talisman pen has long been inadequate for his current talisman dao level, so he plans to see if he can find a suitable one to craft a more exquisite talisman pen.

What disappointed Yunhe was that while auxiliary materials were easy to find, a talisman pen satisfying him simply did not exist.

The reason is none other than.

A talisman pen, which is akin to a magic treasure but not actually one, is a tool used only by talisman makers; it cannot be used as a means of combat, yet the materials required to craft a top-tier talisman pen are not simple.

Compared to expending vast resources and energy to refine a top-tier talisman pen, it would be better to use those materials to forge a handy magic treasure.

Moreover, the scarcity of high-level talisman makers is also a major reason.

Because for a talisman maker, when mana is insufficient, using a high-level talisman pen not only fails to improve the success rate of talisman drawing, but actually increases the chance of failure due to being unwieldy.

Although talisman crafting belongs to the four arts of formations, elixirs, artifacts, and talismans, its placement fourth is not without reason.

In the vast Baihua Market Town, let alone the whole Mu State, Yunhe feels that cultivators who have reached the Jie Dan Stage and are devoted to the talisman dao can be counted on one hand.

Let alone talisman makers of the Yuan Ying realm.

Even someone like him who has stayed in the Upper Cloud Realm and the Eastern Immortal Realm has never seen a fourth-level talisman for sale.

The reason is that drawing fourth-level talismans is extremely difficult; moreover, the high-grade beast hides and high-grade beast blood required for drawing fourth-level talismans are hard to find, and without these materials for practice, naturally few fourth-level talismans can be seen.

It even gave rise to a phenomenon.

When the cultivation realm is low, first- and second-stage talismans are commonly seen, and their prices are relatively cheap.

But third-stage talismans are already relatively rare, and their prices are not low either.

At the Fourth Level Tier, they are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns; some may even be rarer than magical artifacts and thus more expensive.

Therefore, without high-level talisman craftsmen there is no demand, and without demand there naturally won't be many high-level talisman pens.

Actually, in the view of many cultivators, the Way of Talismans is of considerable help to cultivators when their realm is low.

After all, low-realm cultivators have little spiritual power; driving a few spiritual or magical artifacts would quickly deplete their power, whereas using talismans does not have this limitation.

But when a cultivator's realm rises, their spiritual power becomes more abundant, and the power of magical artifacts far exceeds that of common talismans such as the Five Elements talismans, so they gradually abandon the Way of Talismans.

Thus, even cultivators who once practiced both the Way of Talismans and other paths will basically abandon it after breaking through to the Jie Dan Stage.

Because the loss outweighs the gain.

Sometimes throwing a few talismans is not as powerful as a single strike of one's own magical artifact, and it's less straightforward.

Of course, this is not to say there are no powerful talismans; some powerful talismans, when unleashed, even force Yuan Ying cultivators to temporarily avoid their sharpness.

For example, as previously mentioned, the Nine Talismans Sect also has descriptions of this sect in the writings left by Fuyun Shangren.

This sect specializes exclusively in the Way of Talisman Scripts, and within the sect there are nine transmitted secret talismans; any one of them either possesses the power to burn mountains and boil seas, or is an unfathomable mystical art.

Moreover, such talismans are not only difficult to craft, their materials are hard to gather, and the time required to study, comprehend, and fully master them to the point of being able to draw them is simply immeasurable.

Time is extremely precious for any cultivator.

With that time, one might as well use a magical artifact.

But Yunhe is not prepared to abandon this path.

The marvel of the Dragon Scale Pattern and the Phoenix Feather Pattern is one of them.

Furthermore, it is undeniable that when talismans reach a certain quantity, they undergo a qualitative change.

Even if they are merely relatively ordinary Five Elements talismans, as long as their grade is high enough, throwing out dozens at once can overwhelm even a Yuan Ying cultivator.

Talismans such as the Cloud Escape Talisman and the Spirit Body Talisman are not simple to learn, let alone to draw.

But fourth-level talismans such as the Fire Dragon Talisman and the Sudden Rain Talisman, which are Five Elements talismans, are relatively much simpler.

These talismans are recorded in an appendix of the Great Longevity Five Elements True Classic cultivation method.

If he were to throw out thirty or forty fourth-level Five Elements talismans all at once, not to mention an early-stage Yuan Ying cultivator, even a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator would have to retreat three li.

The only limitation on producing these fourth-level Five Elements talismans is the materials.

But what Yunhe lacks least is these materials.

So, unable to find a suitable talisman pen, he even considered simply buying the method for crafting one.

Since nobody sells it, he decided to craft one himself.

Anyway, he is not lacking in materials such as beast bones and beast fur.

Thinking this through, Yunhe headed to the center of the market, where there is an area dedicated to the sale of formations, pills, artifacts, and talismans.

Once his focus shifted to the method of crafting a high-level talisman pen, things became much simpler.

High-level talisman pens see no demand, so no one bothers to craft them, but the crafting method still exists.

However, the price is relatively much higher.

But for Yunhe, these so-called prices can be ignored.

Not mentioning the resource gains from the Yao Shou Shijie, just based on his current proficiency in formations, pills, artifacts, and talismans, casually crafting some materials into shape and earning spirit stones would already be a considerable profit.

However, for him at the Yuan Ying Stage, unless the spirit stones are top-grade or of a higher tier, middle- and low-grade spirit stones are truly insignificant to him.

Through some conversations while purchasing materials and the method for crafting a talisman pen, as well as indirect inquiries, he has also gained a certain understanding of Baihua Valley.

When he walked out of a large talisman shop feeling satisfied and was about to leave, he discovered that outside a nearby shop selling formations, a crowd had gathered.

Originally, Yunhe would not pay attention to such bustle, but today he suddenly, on a whim, extended his divine sense to scan the area, and involuntarily let out a soft 'yi'.

Immediately, his expression turned somewhat strange, also tinged with a sigh.

He actually ran into an acquaintance.

He composed his expression and walked toward the lively scene.

From afar he could hear.

. That day it was you, girl, who set up a formation in the Falling Flower Forest, causing my Shi family's hunt for the 'Azure-Eyed Green Wood Marten' to fail, and even injuring dozens of Shi family cultivators! This matter, you must today give me an explanation, otherwise my Shi family will not let your shop stay open in this market! Hmph!

A voice that sounded somewhat arrogant and even domineering came over.

"I've said it before, that 'Azure-Eyed Green Wood Marten' was originally my prey; it's your Shi family people who saw it and wanted to butt in, injuring someone—who's to blame? I also want to ask you for an explanation; because of you, my three-month wait for the 'Azure-Eyed Green Wood Marten' has let it escape!"

The speaker was a female cultivator, her words mixed with indignation, and her voice sounded quite familiar.

"Your prey? A joke! You're merely a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet you dare to covet a mid-third-stage 'Azure-Eyed Green Wood Marten'?"

"Who said Foundation Establishment cultivators can't hunt third-stage demon beasts? What rule does your family set?"

The female cultivator seemed not to fear this person much, and she argued her case with reason.

However, the Shi family's name is not small here; as a clan dependent on Baihua Valley and with a Late Jie Dan Stage elder guarding them, within the area administered by Baihua Valley, it can be said that no one fears them except Baihua Valley itself.

Moreover, what he said does have some merit—who would dare a Foundation Establishment cultivator to hunt a third-stage demon beast?

Furthermore, with many cultivators fawning over him, the girl truly appeared to be the one at fault.

As Yunhe walked into the crowd, he saw a youth wearing splendid robes, holding a paper fan, with an arrogant expression.

And opposite him was a girl wearing a yellow dress, appearing delicate but with her hands on her hips, like a small cat baring its teeth and claws.

This was precisely the girl who had sold Yunhe many formations earlier and had a simple-minded older brother at the Jie Dan Stage—Shen Xingrui!

The Shi family youth cultivator shook his paper fan, looked down at the girl from above, and said:

"Ridiculous, don't try to quibble. This matter is actually simple; my Shi family happens to be lacking a formation master. I, this young lord, am broad-minded and generous, giving you a chance to make amends by serving my Shi family for fifty years, after which this matter will be settled."

(End of Chapter)