Chapter 63

Condensing ten thousand talismans into one is the ultimate dream of all talisman masters in the world. To reach this realm must be Pure Yang Limitless.

The Shen family's 【Ten Thousand Talisman Treasure Appraisal】 is like this.

Maoshan's secret is also like this.

From that day on, young Jiang Hu followed Wu Qilu to practice. Every time the night was quiet, he would follow the latter to a mass grave, with graves everywhere and eerie phosphorus fire.

It is really hard to imagine that Maoshan actually hid such a place, which was chillingly gloomy.

"Wu Qilu's Daoist practice is indeed profound, and his insights into cultivation are also extraordinary..." Shen Qingli whispered in a deep voice.

Wu Qilu's appearance opened an unprecedented door for Jiang Hu.

What is cultivation?

The Huang Di's Yin Talisman Scripture says, Heaven has five thieves; those who see them prosper. The five thieves are in the heart and act on heaven. The universe is in the hand, and all transformations are born from the body.

The great secret of cultivation is hidden here.

What are the five thieves? Fate, things, time, merit, spirit... As for what they specifically are? These are not important...

What is important is this word 【thief】!

A thief is a stealer!

The mystery of cultivation lies in a "steal."

The Huang Di obtained the opportunity of the thief of fate and ascended in broad daylight; the Yin and Zhou obtained the verification of the thief of spirit and destroyed the big with the small; Guan Zhong obtained the trust of the thief of time and united the princes; Fan Li obtained the urgency of the thief of things and dominated Nanyue; Zhang Liang obtained the grace of the thief of merit and defeated the strong Chu.

Even the origin of man is the stealing of the essence of the two and five, marvelously combined.

"So-called cultivation is stealing vitality in the midst of murderous intent!" Shen Qingli paused.

Wu Qilu's appearance completely opened up the cultivation path belonging to Jiang Hu.

He told Jiang Hu that the key to talisman cultivation lies in the word 【One】, which is the most wonderful character in the world.

The talisman dao changes in a thousand ways, but they all start from this word 【One】, stroke by stroke, outlined...

This character is the foundation of all ten thousand talismans in the world...

The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things! The last stroke of birth is One!

The first stroke of death is also One!

Between life and death lies the mystery of 【One】...

"Sure enough, a senior expert!" Zhang Fan heard the mystery in it and couldn't help but praise.

Shen Qingli glanced at him and continued: "If you want to master the mystery of 【One】, you must comprehend it from life and death..."

From that day on, Wu Qilu would often catch nearby wandering ghosts and evil spirits, including old people, children, men, and women. Their foreheads were pasted with bright yellow talismans, their eyes were empty and lifeless, and they emitted the most intense Yin Qi.

While letting Jiang Hu practice 【One-Stroke Drawing】, he used talismans to kill wandering ghosts and refine ghosts.

Time passed like water. In just one year, Jiang Hu's cultivation in the talisman dao advanced by leaps and bounds, mastering three hundred talismans.

Such progress made everyone look at him with admiration, and even Xiao Qiji felt pressure.

"That is not the pressure of chasing from behind, but the pressure of being on equal footing..." Shen Qingli sighed.

A year ago, Jiang Hu's talent and cultivation were not even a fraction of Xiao Qiji's.

In just one year, Jiang Hu reached Xiao Qiji's height and even surpassed him.

Everyone was curious about what Jiang Hu's secret to such rapid progress was...

But Jiang Hu said, nothing else, heaven rewards diligence.

From then on, he hid his achievements and fame, leaving everyone with endless aftertaste.

"Really good at pretending." Zhang Fan curled his lips.

Clearly having a junior uncle behind him to help him cheat, yet saying heaven rewards diligence...

"He hid it from everyone, but he didn't hide it from Senior Brother Sui Yuan." Shen Qingli said.

Jiang Hu had practiced on the mountain since he was young, and the latter had always taken care of him, treating him like a brother and a father.

Jiang Hu naturally told this senior brother everything without any concealment, secretly telling him about Wu Qilu's existence, and claiming that he would talk to this junior uncle to see if he could help Senior Brother Sui Yuan open a small stove.

However, Senior Brother Sui Yuan's expression changed drastically when he heard Jiang Hu's words.

"Why?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask. Shen Qingli paused, looked at Zhang Fan, and said gloomily.

"Because there has never been a junior uncle named Wu in Maoshan."

"What?"

Zhang Fan was stunned, but saw a trace of sadness appear on Shen Qingli's beautiful face, and her gloomy voice sounded again.

That night, Jiang Hu saw Wu Qilu for the last time, saw this junior uncle, who was wearing wide robes as usual, with bandages wrapped around his face, as if he were in the shadows.

As usual, Wu Qilu released the wandering ghosts and evil spirits locked in the thatched cottage, still men and women, old and young, with chilling Yin Qi and ghosts everywhere, letting Jiang Hu kill ghosts to practice.

But Jiang Hu did not move. He threw out the doubts in his heart, bluntly stating that the junior uncle who had taught him for more than a year was not from Maoshan.

Facing Jiang Hu's questioning, Wu Qilu did not say much, only saying that this was their last meeting.

After more than a year of getting along, Jiang Hu had deep feelings for Wu Qilu. The latter was like a teacher and a father, not only allowing his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds in more than a year, but also teaching him many principles.

It can be said that except for Senior Brother Sui Yuan, Wu Qilu should be the one who helped him the most and cared about him the most.

Now, facing separation, young Jiang Hu felt indescribably sad.

"Jiang Hu values friendship very much." Zhang Fan said in a low voice.

"Life is unpredictable, and so-called fate is just a false image. Being attached to this and generating emotions is an agitated consciousness." Shen Qingli frowned slightly, seemingly with deep meaning.

For the last teaching, Jiang Hu naturally spared no effort, using all the means Wu Qilu taught him, using all his talismans to kill those wandering ghosts and evil spirits.

But at this moment, Senior Brother Sui Yuan rushed over. He looked at Jiang Hu with horror, full of disbelief, and questioned him loudly...

"Questioning him about what?" Zhang Fan asked suspiciously.

Shen Qingli's eyes sank, and the look in her eyes toward Zhang Fan suddenly flickered.

Such a look made Zhang Fan feel a little creepy.

"Ask him... why he killed people!"

"Killed people!?" Zhang Fan's eyes widened, as if he had heard wrong.

Senior Brother Sui Yuan took action and removed the talismans pasted on the foreheads of the wandering ghosts and evil spirits. The chilling Yin Qi around those "ghost shadows" suddenly dissipated, and their eyes gradually regained vitality, no longer numb, but their faces were pale, as if their vitality had been drained, and they fell down one after another.

"Those..." Zhang Fan was stunned, simply unable to believe it.

"They are not ghosts... they are living people..."

At that moment, Jiang Hu was dragged into the abyss, his young body couldn't stop trembling, his eyes were full of despair, and Wu Qilu's mocking, crazy laughter echoed in his ears.

"How does it feel to pierce a living person with a talisman?"

Wu Qilu's words tore at Jiang Hu's young heart. His vitality seemed to be ruthlessly extracted. Despair, pain, disbelief... various emotions were crazily intertwined.

Facing such a Jiang Hu, Wu Qilu's crazy laughter became even more arrogant, as if he were admiring an exquisite work of art.

"This is a madman..." Zhang Fan's gaze turned cold.

"Why did he do this?"

Shen Qingli shook her head: "That madman let Jiang Hu go, but Senior Brother Sui Yuan died in front of him, died in his arms..."

Zhang Fan was silent. He could even imagine such a scene.

In the chilling moonlit night, young Jiang Hu let out a painful roar, like a beast.

Those innocent people, those wronged souls, and Senior Brother Sui Yuan... they were destined to haunt him for a lifetime like a nightmare.

In the moonlight, Wu Qilu looked at all this indifferently and turned to leave.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I am Wu Ma!" Wu Qilu's voice echoed in the bloody night of slaughter.

"Little ghost, one day, we will meet again!"

At these words, a look of gloom surged in Shen Qingli's eyes. He looked at Jiang Hu walking toward the Wuling Hongguang and then at Zhang Fan beside him.

"Since then, the human world has been like purgatory to him!"

(End of chapter)