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Chapter 434: Hidden Realm of Talismanic Scripts

That was the depressing scene that greeted Chu Liang when he landed.

Following the instructions given by the Conservation Master, he walked to the half-collapsed grand hall at the center of the mountain. That was when he finally saw a few people.

"Young Hero Chu!" a bald figure called out, greeting Chu Liang with a wave.

"You're here too?" Chu Liang replied with a smile.

This bald person, who had smooth, gleaming skin and a handsome face, was Monk Pushan from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery. He was that young monk who had practiced silent meditation in the past.

"What a coincidence, isn't it?" Monk Pushan walked over to Chu Liang with a grin. "There aren't many who study talisman-making in our monastery, so they sent me over here, even though I'm half-baked in it..."

Chu Liang quickly said with a smile, "There's no need for modesty between us."

Buddhism had its own version of talisman-making art, which differed significantly from that of the Daoist sects. In recent years, the two schools of thought had been learning from each other, gradually moving toward a more collaborative process.

Chu Liang looked at the other people present.

The most eye-catching among them was a tall woman standing to one side. She had a slender, graceful figure, with golden hairpins in her beautiful, lustrous hair. The woman had a strikingly beautiful face, with deep eyes that shimmered brightly. She carried the air of an otherworldly person, who seemed to have nothing to do with the mundane world. Intimidatingly stunning, the woman was like a frost-covered saber shining under the moonlight.

Purely in terms of appearance, her face was probably the only one Chu Liang had seen that he thought could rival Jiang Yuebai's.

Chu Liang quickly added in his mind, Of course, Senior Sister Jiang is still more beautiful...

Chu Liang had gotten on this mission by defeating Jiang Yuebai. She hadn't said anything, but it clearly bothered her. Jiang Yuebai went into closed-door cultivation to train intensely in the Dao of Talisman-Making before Chu Liang even left the mountain.

After all, Jiang Yuebai was the one who had taught Chu Liang the Talismanic Sword Seal. Now, her junior had surpassed her in the Dao of Talisman-Making, so Jiang Yuebai most probably felt like she'd fallen behind.

Chu Liang could only respond to her strong competitive spirit with a sigh.

As for the woman standing before him, it didn't long for him to guess her identity. She was Xi Miaoxian[1], the most beautiful disciple of her generation in the Penglai Supreme Sect.

Xi Miaoxian was also well known as one of the great beauties of the immortality cultivation world. Some people even claimed she was the most beautiful young woman in the nine provinces. However, that was an exaggeration. At least, Jiang Yuebai's supporters wouldn't agree.

Chu Liang wouldn't agree either. He didn't think there was much of an issue in saying that Xi Miaoxian was the second most beautiful young woman though.

Out of habit, Monk Pushan introduced the other people to Chu Liang. "That's Xi Miaoxian of the Penglai Supreme Sect, and beside her is Situ Guanhai from the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals. You've probably heard of them, right?"

Chu Liang nodded slightly. "Of course."

Xi Miaoxian needed no introduction.

As for Situ Guanhai, he was a prominent young disciple from the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals. He had made a name for himself two years before Zhuge Guanxing and was even more famous than him.

Situ Guanhai appeared a bit unkempt, with messy hair that was too long to be called short and too short to be called long. He seemed to be around twenty years old, but his face was already covered in stubble. However, his tall stature, angular face, and distinct facial features made him look ruggedly handsome, rather than simply unkempt.

This young hero, who looked quite dashing at first glance, was standing beside Xi Miaoxian. He was smiling so brightly that his eyes became narrow slits, looking not at all as suave as his appearance suggested.

Monk Pushan continued, "From what I know, he has the highest level of mastery in talisman-making among all of us here. We've all taken it up as a secondary subject of study, but Situ Guanhai specializes in talisman-making. It's said that his current cultivation level is no lower than that of the elite disciples during the heyday of the ancient Celestial Talisman Sect."

"That's indeed impressive," Chu Liang replied.

He was already aware of that. The one who had briefed him this time was not his teacher but the Conservation Master, so the information he received was quite detailed... In the case of Silver Sword Peak, outsiders tended to be more reliable for such matters.

"From the looks of it, the disciples from the Penglai Supreme Sect and the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals will likely stick together. The disciples from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion and Celestial King Sect will surely be allies too. Once we enter the hidden realm, we'll need to look out for each other," Monk Pushan said.

"That's how it should be," Chu Liang agreed.

It was a pity that Xi Miaoxian and Situ Guanhai were already at the fifth realm. Otherwise, once they entered the hidden realm, Chu Liang would definitely have let Monk Pushan see what it meant to have a fallout and become resentful enemies.[2]

Just as Monk Pushan mentioned the Celestial Pivot Pavilion and the Celestial King Sect, the sound of whistling wind came from afar, and a few figures suddenly landed on the ground.

When the dust settled, three figures emerged—one old and two young.

Chu Liang only recognized one of them. It was Feng Chaoyang of the Celestial King Sect.

Feng Chaoyang looked elegant and charming with a bright and spirited gaze.

Seeing Chu Liang, Feng Chaoyang greeted him with a joyous laugh. "Young Hero Chu, you're here too!"

Chu Liang smiled back in greeting. "Long time no see."

"I won't lose to you again this time."

Chu Liang could sense the divine light contained within Feng Chaoyang. The young man exuded an extraordinary aura, indicating that he too had advanced to the fifth realm. That was why he was radiating with confidence from head to toe.

Standing beside Feng Chaoyang was a rather reserved, thin young man. His face showed signs of maturity as well as youthfulness, making it hard to gauge his age. He kept his head slightly lowered, not looking at the people around him. It was obvious at a glance that this young man was quite introverted.

Monk Pushan was a bit surprised. "Ye Yongxing? He actually came?"

"What's the matter?" Chu Liang asked quietly.

Chu Liang didn't have much information about Ye Yongxing, so seeing that Monk Pushan seemed to know something, Chu Liang decided to ask him.

"This person is the successor of Enlightened Wulou, the master of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion. It's said that his talent is unparalleled among the descendants of the Heaven Observer. However, his one flaw is..." Monk Pushan said, suddenly smirking, "that he's afraid of meeting people."

Chu Liang was puzzled. "Afraid of meeting people?"

Monk Pushan explained, "He's afraid of interacting with people. It's said that just being looked at makes him uncomfortable, and he finds it difficult to speak to strangers, so he rarely leaves Mount Reticence."

Well, then. Turns out he's got severe social anxiety, Chu Liang thought. He then figured out why Monk Pushan had a wickedly smug smile. You sure are proud of yourself when it comes to social interaction, huh.

What Chu Liang hadn't noticed was that Ye Yongxing had glanced around at the people present, and when his gaze fell on Chu Liang, an expression of shock flashed across his face. However, Ye Yongxing then quickly lowered his head again.

It was probably because of Ye Yongxing's personality that an elder from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion had taken on the task of opening the hidden realm himself. He was the only elder who had accompanied his sect's representative disciple.

The gray-bearded elder from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion looked around. Then he flung out his sleeves and said, "Since everyone is here, let's prepare to open the Celestial Talisman Master's Hidden Realm."

Everyone stepped forward, greeting the elder respectfully.

The gray-bearded elder continued, "I imagine your sect elders have already told you about the origins of this hidden realm, but I'll just remind you once more. The most important cultivation legacy in this realm is the collection of golden talismanic scripts that the First Celestial Talisman Master left behind. You should try to comprehend and collect as many of the talismanic scripts as possible.

"Each script can only be comprehended by one person, so there will certainly be competition inside. But your priority is to improve your perception of talisman-making, so don't focus too much on fighting each other."

"We understand," everyone responded in unison.

The gray-bearded elder then swung his hand as he crushed a jade talisman, causing a thunderous sound to rip through the air.

A pitch-black portal suddenly opened in the space before them.

The gray-bearded elder added, "Well, this old man wishes that you will all have a fruitful trip."

"Thank you, Elder."

The young disciples all swiftly stepped into the portal one by one, but Ye Yongxing hesitated in front of the portal.

The gray-bearded elder encouraged him, "Yongxing, just do your best."

Ye Yongxing glanced back at the gray-bearded elder. Then he turned to the front again and finally stepped into the portal.

Whoosh—

A wave of ripples moved across the black portal. After that, the portal slowly closed.

...

Everything went dark. Then Chu Liang's feet suddenly touched solid ground.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he was still in the grand hall. He almost thought he had failed to enter the hidden realm.

Nevertheless, he looked around him again and noticed the difference.

The grand hall was no longer in ruins; it was perfectly intact. The hall's front and back doors were shut tight, and its walls gleamed brilliantly. The hall was still empty, but it was resplendent with gold and jade.

Could this hidden realm have been constructed with the same layout as the former site of the Celestial Talisman Sect?

Before Chu Liang could take a closer look, the roar of a beast rang out behind him.

"Raaar!!!"

He spun around to see a ferocious winged flying tiger, over a zhang tall, pouncing toward him!

This flying tiger had a menacing appearance, but it emitted no demonic qi, only raging flames of qi. It was shrouded in a faint glow, making it look a little strange.

Regardless, Chu Liang had to defend himself. He summoned the Dustless Sword, and in an instant, a beam of swordlight cut through the air, slicing across the tiger.

The tiger was sliced open, accompanied by the clear sound of something being ripped apart. Yet, there was no blood; instead, some rays of light shone out.

Boom.

The tiger completed its pounce, and Chu Liang quickly leaped aside, narrowly avoiding it.

At this point, he could confirm that this flying tiger was not a living creature. It seemed to have been created from a living creature, but it was not alive.

Despite not being a true living being, the flying tiger had formidable combat strength. It felt no pain or fatigue.

After missing its target with its pounce, it swung its tail at Chu Liang, whizzing through the air!

Suddenly under a barrage of attacks, Chu Liang couldn't evade in time. All he could do was use Dimension Compression, intending to dodge the attacks.

However, the moment he tried to use Dimension Compression, his expression turned into one of utter shock. The hidden realm was completely disconnected from the Great Dao of the Heavens and the Earth, rendering his immortal art unusable.

Thud.

The powerful swing of the tiger's tail struck Chu Liang hard, sending him flying more than ten zhang. He smashed into the grand hall's wall before finally crashing heavily to the floor.

"Ugh..."

Chu Liang exhaled a breath of impure qi and quickly climbed back onto his feet.

Fortunately, he had the protection of three types of fifth-realm foundational qi. The Geng Metal foundational qi reinforced his body to be as sturdy as steel, while the Jia Wood foundational qi rapidly healed any minor injuries. Additionally, his corporeal body was as strong as that of a True Dragon, so the flying tiger's attacks didn't end up harming Chu Liang at all.

It seemed that he could still use the power of his blood and qi as well as his cultivated foundational qi. Nonetheless, without the Great Dao of the Heavens and the Earth, he couldn't use his immortal arts.

After figuring out the laws of this hidden realm, Chu Liang switched tactics. Instead of using his flying sword to attack the tiger, he charged at it! With his dragon blood ignited, Chu Liang unleashed an aura that was no weaker than that of the flying tiger!

Boom.

The flying tiger launched its second attack, but Chu Liang didn't dodge. Instead, he met the tiger head-on with a punch, striking its jaw and sending the massive tiger soaring into the air!

Yet, there were no visible wounds on the tiger; there were only ripples in the light surrounding it.

It can't be killed...?

Chu Liang narrowed his eyes.

I'll see if that's really the case!

He shot into the air and then descended with a powerful punch!

Boom!

This punch struck the tiger's forehead like a lightning bolt from the heavens. Chu Liang smashed his fist through the tiger's forehead, sinking half his arm into its spirit.

Pop!

Finally, the massive tiger shattered loudly like a burst balloon, exploding into fragments of black and white apparitions before falling apart into dust.

So, it can be killed after all.

Chu Liang landed lightly.

If there was anything truly useful that his teacher had taught him, this would be it... Nothing is unkillable. If it seems that way, it just means you're not powerful enough.

Gazing at the scattered black and white fragments, Chu Liang frowned.

"Huh?"

He sensed a fading aura in the air and was quite surprised.

"Is this the power of talismanic script?"

1. Her name Miaoxian 妙仙 means wonderful immortal. ☜

2. I assume he was hoping to use a Chain of Resentment. XD ☜