Chapter 226: Taiqing Guarding Talisman

"Young juniors lack strength, so please the fellow cultivators of Qingfeng Monastery not take offense. Liu Song, Zhang Na, Li Yuefan, aren't you going to quickly apologize to the fellow cultivators of Qingfeng Monastery!"

Yan Buji and the others stood at the front, watching the three flushed‑faced youths walk over with obvious resentment, and bowed, saying:

"We apologize, fellow cultivators of Qingfeng Monastery; we were at fault and misspoke!"

The three spoke in unison; Yan Buji could tell they had been warned by their sect elders, otherwise these youths would never lower their faces to apologize.

Yan Buji ignored the three and turned to the Lianqi Peak of the Songhu Sect, saying, "We have received Songhu Sect's apology, but please keep a closer watch over your disciples. Youthful vigor is fine, yet they must also know to be lenient."

The Lianqi Peak cultivator's face twitched.

"You speak nicely, yet I never see you being lenient yourself? You even ran to Xuan Kan Dao to complain— truly something you're good at!"

The Lianqi Peak cultivator chuckled, walked over and handed over two hundred Spiritual Stones: "It's a trivial matter; no need to disturb the fellow cultivators of Xuan Kan Dao. Consider these Spiritual Stones as our Songhu Sect's compensation to the Qingfeng Monastery disciple who was beaten; please do not mind."

"No problem, I will speak with junior brother Yue Tong. It's getting late; why don't you all stay for dinner?"

"No need, junior brothers and sisters, we'll leave."

The three glared at Yan Buji in resentment, then turned and left with their senior brother.

Yan Buji weighed the Spiritual Stones in his hand and tossed them to Yue Tong nearby: "Junior brother, are you satisfied?"

"Naturally satisfied, but these Spiritual Stones still need to be given to fellow cultivator Wang Le— quite…" Yue Tong smiled helplessly.

Having begged Wang Le in that manner to step in and restore their standing, they naturally could not omit an explanation.

The compensation sent by Songhu Sect is trivial, but the attitude must be clear; otherwise they will inevitably have to beg others again later.

Yan Buji waved his hand: "Junior brother, handle it yourself."

"Alright then."

After the minor matter was settled, Yan Buji remained in his room to continue cultivating.

The Xuan Kan Dao garrison is not within Huang Du; instead, a great adept carved a man‑made secret realm on the flank of the Kan Dao capital, and all Xuan Kan Dao disciples reside therein.

Now, with the demon tribes in turmoil, the various cultivation forces of Kan Dao have brought their elder leaders here; although most are not first‑timers, Xuan Kan Dao's scenery still draws many admiring glances.

"Such dense Qi; there must be at least a sixth‑grade spirit vein here, otherwise how could such pure Qi exist?"

"It's not that simple. Within the secret realm lie seven peaks and three rivers, mirroring the Big Dipper, divided by the three talents into front, middle, and rear zones; each likely hosts nearly seven seventh‑grade spirit veins arching over sixth‑grade veins here."

"Impressive! If I could cultivate here, even in the Golden Core Stage I'd be confident to make a breakthrough."

"Not so fast—you're only in late Foundation Establishment; you haven't even passed Core Formation yet."

"With such pure Qi, the Core Formation process would be far too easy."

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators gazed enviously at Xuan Kan Dao's towering grandeur, yet they knew that joining Xuan Kan Dao was not that simple, nor could outsiders easily become members.

Soon after, the group entered a grand hall atop a mountain, where they were received by Zheng Yun, an elder of the Core Formation Stage from Xuan Kan Dao's Alchemy Peak.

Zheng Yun looked at everyone and smiled, "Honorable aspirants, I am Zheng Yun of Xuan Kan Dao, serving as an elder of the Alchemy Peak."

"Pleased to meet Elder Zheng Yun."

"Well, this gathering was mentioned earlier by the former Dao Master. The demon tribes are advancing fiercely, and the critical points are clear to all. Our primary goal is to ensure the Kan Dao capital is not breached by the demons; achieving that counts as a great success," Zheng Yun said.

"Intelligence from the demon side indicates roughly ten demon commanders will mobilize this time; no demon king has appeared, so there's no need to worry. The demon commanders will face Xuan Kan Dao, but countless lesser demons will swarm, and defending the city will require everyone's concerted effort."

"Yes, we understand."

"Now we shall assign the city‑defense duties..."

The crux lies here.

The Kan Dao capital lacks any formation protection, which is extremely perilous. Moreover, Foundation Establishment cultivators struggle to repel the swarming demon entities; even Lianqi Phase disciples on the walls have no safety, much like ordinary soldiers in a siege— a moment's lapse could mean death and loss of Dao.

Additionally, they must maintain the walls, meaning these Foundation Establishment cultivators must fight outside the city to block the large demons capable of massive destruction; but how to handle the hordes of minor demons?

That falls to each sect's Lianqi Phase disciples.

Yet, even when combined, the Kan Dao forces amount to only one or two thousand Lianqi Phase cultivators, whereas the demon side numbers at least tens of thousands; how many days they can hold out remains uncertain.

They know death is likely, yet they dare not refuse—that is the prestige of Xuan Kan Dao within the Kan Dao realm.

"As for Qingfeng Monastery, you will join the Great River Sect and Songhu Sect to guard the southern wall."

"Understood!" Ming Zhong and Ming Xian clasped their hands and replied.

Zheng Yun nodded, gave brief instructions on the city‑defense matters, and continued, "Besides that, you have likely heard of the merit system. Xuan Kan Dao will open a market where you can exchange military merits for various pills, techniques, scriptures, formations, and so on. The most beneficial item for everyone is the orthodox 'Taiqing Guarding Talisman.'"

"Taiqing Guarding Talisman?!"

"That is the Fivefold Transformation Talisman, used in late Foundation Establishment through Core Formation to ensure the essence does not leak!"

Ming Zhong and Ming Xian were also astonished; the Taiqing Guarding Talisman belongs to the talisman family, with transformation counts, yet only major sects can obtain it, as the talisman lineage is inherited from a super‑faction in the Wandao Mountains called the Taiyan Fu Gate, and one must purchase it there.

Crucially, this item is extremely rare outside the mountains; only Xuan Kan Dao has a chance to access it.

Any treasure that aids a breakthrough commands a sky‑high price, regardless of potency; just as a mixed Foundation Pill, even if it slightly raises Foundation success odds, is coveted by Lianqi Phase cultivators.

The Taiqing Guarding Talisman is among the top‑grade items that help late Foundation Establishment transition into Core Formation— safe and without side effects— which explains why the Foundation cultivators present were so excited.

Seeing the mood rise, Zheng Yun smiled, "Furthermore, the major sects within the Wandao Mountains have granted permission to include some basic Lianqi and Foundation techniques in this city‑defense reward pool. If you wish to obtain them, strive for merits. On the battlefield, Xuan Kan Dao has its own method of recording each cultivator's merits, ensuring fairness."