Daily Divination From Market Rogue Cultivator To Immortal Venerable - Chapter 421

Chapter 421 The Art of Talisman Arrays, Heavenly Grade Bloodstone (Seeking Subscriptions)

Just as Li Chang’an had predicted,

for the next few months,

no demonic Nascent Soul cultivators paid them any attention.

Whether using the identity of the Six-Winged Water Serpent Demon Lord or the Nascent Soul identities of Sacred Fire, Cold Bone, and others, they received no response whatsoever.

“Well, catching two big fish is already quite good; I can’t be too greedy.”

Although his fishing attempt failed, Li Chang’an achieved something in other areas.

On this day,

he slowly put down his fourth-order talisman brush and examined the talisman he had just drawn with a slightly delighted look.

After years of practice, he had finally made a major breakthrough in the art of talismans.

At this moment,

the talisman in front of him

had reached the fourth-order low-grade!

This meant that his talisman master rank had officially improved, from a near-fourth-order talisman master to a fourth-order talisman master!

After carefully observing it for a moment, Li Chang’an confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the talisman.

He immediately took out the Soul-Nourishing Banner and thanked the many talisman master souls within it.

“Thank you all!”

His rapid breakthrough was largely due to the souls of these talisman masters.

Li Chang’an knew he couldn’t work in isolation.

Even with a fourth-tier talisman inheritance, he couldn’t just bury himself in study.

Over the years,

he had often discussed the Dao of Talismans with these souls, and more than ten near-fourth-tier talisman masters had been of great help to him.

The talisman masters responded to his gratitude.

“Fellow Daoist Li, we ask for nothing more than that you don’t forget your promise. Once your strength transcends this realm, release us to reincarnation.”

“Rest assured, everyone, I always keep my word!”

Li Chang’an smiled and assured them.

He had indeed promised.

Whether in talismans, alchemy, weapon crafting, or anything else, any soul that had helped him would eventually be released by his soul banner and sent to reincarnation.

That’s why everyone had gone to such lengths to help him break through.

However,

now was not the time to release them.

He worried that these souls, after reincarnation, might unexpectedly awaken their past life memories, causing his secret to be exposed.

Therefore, he added the constraint of “transcending this realm” to his promise.

Once he is completely invincible in this realm, and no one can pose a threat to him, and he can even annihilate all living beings with a single thought, that little secret will be nothing.

For the next ten days or so,

Li Chang’an did not emerge from seclusion, but instead drew a large number of fourth-order sword qi talismans in one go.

The power of each of these talismans was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator casting a spell normally, and was even stronger than Li Chang’an’s own power.

Although he had obtained a lot of faith power, he had not yet been able to break through to the True Nascent Soul stage.

The gap between the False Nascent Soul and the True Nascent Soul was greater than he had expected.

“I’m only one step away from the True Nascent Soul stage, it should be soon.”

Li Chang’an could feel his strength increasing every moment, getting closer and closer to that hurdle.

As long as nothing went wrong in the Fire Cloud Secret Realm, he would be able to cross it soon.

After a while,

he walked out of his cave and came to the courtyard, where he used fourth-order sword qi talismans to form a sword array and tested its power.

Soon, a cyan-gold yin-yang sword array was formed.

The aura emanating from this formation was stronger than the sword formation Li Chang’an himself could unleash, surpassing the limits of the early Nascent Soul stage and barely reaching the threshold of the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

“Such a powerful spell, combined with numerous talismans, can only barely achieve the effect of fighting beyond one’s level, and only by a minor level,”

Li Chang’an pondered.

Fighting beyond one’s level in the Nascent Soul stage is truly difficult. In

the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, many geniuses can fight beyond their level, even surpassing higher-level cultivators.

The holy sons and daughters of the Purple Cloud Sect, almost all of them had methods to deal with ordinary Golden Core cultivators during the Foundation Establishment stage.

But in the Golden Core stage, none of them could fight against a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Li Chang’an was no exception.

The reason he was able to defeat Thousand Corpses, Tengshe, and others was still due to the power of his Nascent Soul.

“The talismans used in this sword formation are all of ordinary quality. Due to my own skill limitations, I cannot draw high-quality fourth-tier talismans.”

“If I were to use high-quality talismans instead, the power would be even stronger, and it should be able to rival an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.”

“Furthermore, the talisman formation created by True Monarch Tengshe actually has its merits…”

Li Chang’an pondered his various methods, thinking about how to gain greater strength.

Originally, he thought True Monarch Tengshe’s talisman formation was not very impressive.

However,

today he had a slight understanding.

“The art of talisman formations can use talismans instead of array-setting treasures, allowing the spiritual patterns on the talismans to connect with each other, instantly forming a large array.”

“This array is only a temporary formation; when the power of the talismans is exhausted, the array will collapse.”

The advantage of this kind of formation is that it does not require prior setup.

As long as the preparation is sufficient, it can almost instantly form an array, trapping the enemy within.

“Although the sword formation is powerful in its killing intent, it cannot trap the enemy, while this talisman formation technique can make up for this.”

The more Li Chang’an thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Talismans and formations, seemingly two different arts, actually share many similarities.

While he couldn’t achieve the legendary “unity of all paths,” he could still manage to combine the two.

After some experimentation,

he took out the talisman array method from True Monarch Tengshe and carefully studied and practiced it.

“I underestimated True Monarch Tengshe before. This guy’s comprehension is quite high. Even without any modifications, this spell can pose a fatal threat to early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.”

The biggest drawback of this spell is that its power is too scattered and not concentrated enough.

It can only unleash one-tenth of its full power.

After all,

the power of talismans burns out in a very short time, making it difficult to control.

However, Li Chang’an didn’t use it to kill enemies, only to trap them, thus circumventing this flaw.

After several days of practice,

he took out the Nascent Soul of True Monarch Tengshe.

“Fellow Daoist Tengshe, your talisman array technique still has room for improvement. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Improve?”

Upon hearing this, True Monarch Tengshe appeared thoughtful.

For the next half month,

Li Chang’an discussed talisman arrays with him, making rapid progress in this area. He quickly constructed a simple talisman array for trapping enemies.

After some testing, he was quite satisfied with its power and planned to set up a stronger talisman array.

Just then, a guest arrived.

The visitor was Chi Qingwu.

He came today to deliver the treasures needed for fourth-order body refinement to Li Chang’an.

For many years, Li Chang’an had been collecting fourth-order body refinement treasures, and now he had almost collected all the materials, only lacking dragon blood and several key auxiliary medicines.

What Chi Qingwu brought today was one of these auxiliary medicines.

“Fellow Daoist Li, it’s been many years!”

He flew in from the horizon, smiling, and stopped outside Changqing Mountain.

Li Chang’an also smiled broadly.

“Fellow Daoist Chi, please come in quickly.”

“No rush, I need to deal with some troubles first.”

Chi Qingwu’s gaze shifted, looking at the dozen or so Azure Dragon Sect disciples.

These Azure Dragon Sect disciples would frequently come to the outside of Changqing Mountain to question Li Chang’an about why he had betrayed the Dao and joined the demonic path.

Today, Chi Qingwu happened to run into them.

“What are you doing here?”

Chi Qingwu’s smile vanished.

He put on a stern face, his tone icy, and reprimanded the disciples.

“Leave immediately, do not disturb Fellow Daoist Li’s peaceful cultivation!”

“Senior Brother, we are here to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path!”

The Azure Dragon Sect disciples responded in unison.

They refused to leave, each speaking righteously and eloquently, raising many suspicious points about Li Chang’an.

“Senior Brother Chi, how could Senior Saint Flame, a Nascent Soul expert, publicly slander a rogue cultivator like Li Chang’an? They’ve never had any conflict.”

“Senior Brother, you mustn’t be deceived by him. You can know a person’s face but not their heart.”

“We’ve recently uncovered several demonic spies, all of whom are renowned, virtuous cultivators…”

“…”

Listening to the crowd’s words,

Chi Qingwu’s face grew increasingly grim.

He said bluntly, “If you don’t leave, don’t call me Senior Brother anymore!”

“Eldest Senior Brother, demonic cultivators are masters at bewitching people; you must have been deceived by that Li Chang’an!”

The younger generation’s Saintess, Chi Yuehua, spoke up, looking worried, trying to persuade Chi Qingwu.

Chi Qingwu merely snorted coldly, offering no further response, and entered Changqing Mountain.

The crowd exchanged glances, their faces showing both worry and helplessness.

…

Changqing Mountain, in the courtyard.

Li Chang’an took out the finest spiritual tea to entertain Chi Qingwu.

Chi Qingwu said apologetically, “Fellow Daoist Li, my junior brothers and sisters cultivate within the sect year-round, rarely interacting with outsiders. They are simple-minded and easily manipulated. Please do

n’t hold it against them.” He knew Li Chang’an’s strength was considerable, far more complex than he appeared.

If a fight broke out,

even the combined forces of disciples from all the major sects outside might not be enough for Li Chang’an to kill.

Li Chang’an smiled, “Fellow Daoist Chi, rest assured, as long as they pose no threat to me, I naturally won’t hold it against them.”

“Fellow Daoist Li is magnanimous; I am naturally at ease.”

With that, Chi Qingwu took out a crimson fourth-tier spiritual herb for Li Chang’an to examine.

Li Chang’an took it, glanced at it briefly, and confirmed it was one of the last few auxiliary medicines he needed.

He put it into his storage bag and took out another fourth-tier spiritual herb that Chi Qingwu needed for his cultivation.

The two exchanged goods.

Having known each other for many years and shared many experiences, they trusted each other implicitly and reached a deal directly without signing a spiritual contract.

Afterwards,

they discussed cultivation.

Chi Qingwu informed them that he and Chi Qingxuan had officially begun fourth-stage body tempering.

Most of the materials needed for fourth-stage body tempering, including the two portions of dragon blood, were prepared for them by the Azure Dragon Sect.

They both planned to break through to the fourth stage of body tempering before attempting to reach the Nascent Soul realm.

“Fourth-stage body tempering is extremely helpful for us in overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation. As for those fourth-stage body tempering materials, they were actually borrowed from the sect,”

Chi Qingwu explained. He added that after becoming Nascent Soul cultivators, they would have to find a way to repay the sect’s treasures.

Otherwise, the next generation of young disciples would have no body tempering treasures to use.

Li Chang’an asked him, “Fellow Daoist Chi, how many Heavenly Tribulations can pure fourth-stage body tempering withstand? Does the Azure Dragon Sect have specific records?”

“Yes,”

Chi Qingwu replied without reservation.

Because heavenly lightning has a body-tempering effect, the fourth-stage body-refining predecessors of the Azure Dragon Sect throughout history, when facing the Nascent Soul lightning tribulation, would not continuously use magic power or treasures to resist, but would often withstand several strikes with their physical bodies.

According to records,

the number of heavenly lightning strikes those predecessors withstood ranged from two to five, a relatively large range.

Of course, these were all small heavenly lightning strikes in the early stages, not the final great heavenly lightning strike.

That heavenly lightning strike was too terrifying.

A cultivator who had just entered the fourth stage of body-refining simply could not withstand it.

After listening to him,

Li Chang’an pondered secretly.

“My physique far exceeds my realm. After breaking through to the fourth stage, I should not be weaker than the body-refining cultivators of the Azure Dragon Sect throughout history. Withstanding four or five strikes should not be a problem.”

“That Thunder Transformation Pearl can withstand two strikes, and my own Nascent Soul magic power after shattering my core can also withstand several strikes…”

There are only nine Nascent Soul heavenly lightning strikes in total. The power of the first eight strikes is relatively ordinary. The problem lies in the final great heavenly lightning strike.

It would be best to obtain a high-quality tribulation-crossing treasure.

Thinking of this…

Li Chang’an asked again, “Fellow Daoist Chi, if I make another significant contribution to the Azure Dragon Sect, could I borrow the ‘Nine Dragons Thunder Lock’ to transcend my tribulation?”

“This…”

Chi Qingwu pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

“Fellow Daoist Li, as far as I know, in the Azure Dragon Sect’s ten thousand years of history, we have never lent out any inherited treasures, no matter how great the contribution.”

Hearing this, Li Chang’an stopped mentioning the matter and changed the subject.

After some conversation,

Chi Qingwu left Changqing Mountain.

He didn’t leave alone; he also called away many unwilling Azure Dragon Sect disciples.

A few days later,

Mu Hongyu, Cui Baiying, and others arrived and took their respective sect’s disciples back.

From then on, Changqing Mountain returned to complete peace.

In this tranquility,

Li Chang’an continued to refine his talisman array techniques.

…

Half a month later,

Li Chang’an received news.

The Vermilion Bird Sect’s Canghong True Monarch had successfully broken through, becoming a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

“The righteous path gaining another mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is good news for me.”

Although Li Chang’an didn’t have a good impression of Cang Hong, he still decided to send a gift to support him in continuing his fight against the demonic path.

That noon, he transformed into Lin Fan and quietly left Changqing Mountain.

However, he didn’t go directly to the Vermilion Bird Sect, but instead went to the Xuanwu Sect to check on the Xuan Water Turtle’s cultivation.

Under the old turtle’s careful guidance, the Xuan Water Turtle had cultivated to the peak of the third tier, possessing a very strong foundation and being well-prepared for various advancements, ready to attempt a breakthrough at any time.

As for the breakthrough location,

the old turtle suggested the Xuanwu Sect.

The Xuanwu Sect’s spiritual veins reached the middle grade of the fourth tier, enough for the Xuan Water Turtle to break through.

However,

Li Chang’an felt it wasn’t safe enough.

He suspected that many demonic True Monarchs were watching the Xuanwu Sect.

If they interfered when the Xuan Water Turtle broke through, it would be troublesome.

The celestial phenomenon of advancing from the third to the fourth tier was too astonishing, and with heavenly lightning falling, Li Chang’an couldn’t use an array to conceal it.

“The Fire Cloud Secret Realm is safer. There are no outsiders spying on me, and I am the strongest myself, so I don’t need to worry about anyone interfering.”

“The Primal Spirit Flower can still be used four more times, that should be enough.”

Li Chang’an pondered to himself.

The Myriad Poison Gu achieved its fourth rank in the Fire Cloud Secret Realm.

Neither the celestial phenomena nor the lightning tribulations were any different from those outside.

After a moment, he carefully examined the Xuan Shui Turtle’s entire body and confirmed that there were no problems.

He secretly asked the old turtle, “Fellow Daoist Turtle, what do you think of Xiao Hei’s chances of successfully advancing?”

“It’s hard to say.”

The old turtle did not give a clear answer.

He only indicated that everything that needed to be prepared had been prepared.

The only shortcoming

was the Xuan Shui Turtle’s bloodline grade.

Although it had awakened a trace of Xuanwu bloodline, its bloodline grade had not improved much and it was still an Earth-grade bloodline demon beast.

“If its bloodline could be upgraded to Heaven-grade, its success rate of advancement would increase significantly.”

Just as the Heavenly Spirit Root of human cultivators helps with Nascent Soul formation, the same is true for the Heaven-grade bloodline of demons.

Although there’s no explicit record of how much it can improve, it’s at least ten or twenty percent.

Thinking of this,

Li Chang’an subconsciously looked towards the Purple Cloud Secret Realm.

To elevate the Xuan Shui Turtle’s bloodline to the Heavenly Grade, he needed a high-quality Water Element Myriad Demon Bloodstone.

The method for refining the Myriad Demon Bloodstone was unique to the ancient Beast Taming Sect and has long been lost.

“I wonder if Senior Artifact Spirit knows how,”

Li Chang’an decided.

After presenting Cang Hong with his congratulatory gift, he would go to ask the Artifact Spirit.

Not long after, he left the Xuanwu Sect and rushed to the Zhuque Sect to present a congratulatory gift.

To his surprise…

True Monarch Canghong was not in the sect; he remained in the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

True Monarch Vermilion Bird informed him, “Fellow Daoist Lin, Canghong has not yet emerged from seclusion; he still needs to consolidate his cultivation. Once he leaves the secret realm, I will arrange for you to enter it as soon as possible.”

“Alright, thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Vermilion Bird.”

After a brief conversation,

Li Chang’an bid farewell to True Monarch Vermilion Bird and headed to the Purple Cloud Sect.

…

That evening,

he visited the familiar ruins of the Beast Taming Sect to pay his respects to the artifact spirit.

“Senior Artifact Spirit, do you know the method for refining the Myriad Demon Bloodstone?”

“Myriad Demon Bloodstone?”

The artifact spirit pondered for a moment.

“I don’t know much about this stone, only that it has different qualities. What quality of Myriad Demon Bloodstone do you desire?”

“Senior, I wish to upgrade the bloodline of a low-grade demon beast to a high-grade one.”

“This is somewhat troublesome; I do not have that quality here,”

the artifact spirit told Li Chang’an.

The quality of the Myriad Demon Bloodstone is determined by the grade of the bloodline it upgrades.

The Myriad Demon Bloodstone, which elevates a Earth-grade bloodline to a Heaven-grade one, is itself of Heaven-grade quality, a rarity even among the ancient Beast Taming Sect.

“I don’t know its refining method, only that it requires a large amount of demon beast essence blood, including at least the essence blood of a fifth-tier demon god.” “A

fifth-tier demon god?”

Upon hearing this, Li Chang’an immediately gave up.

Even if he obtained the refining method, he couldn’t possibly refine it.

A fifth-tier demon god’s strength is comparable to a human’s Nascent Soul Heavenly Lord; even if demon beasts of this rank still exist in the current cultivation world, Li Chang’an lacked the ability to obtain their essence blood.

“Fine, I’ll try asking through other channels. If I still can’t get it, I’ll have Xiao Hei try to advance with the current conditions.”

An Earth-grade bloodline, with sufficient preparation, can still lead to a fourth-tier demon lord.

That six-winged water serpent possessed an Earth-grade bloodline.

Although Li Chang’an wanted perfection, he wouldn’t force himself.

He bid farewell to the artifact spirit and returned to Changqing Mountain to continue perfecting the talisman array method.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

The day Zi Xi achieves her Nascent Soul is drawing ever closer.

“She possesses both an Earth Spirit Root and a Spirit Body; she shouldn’t fail. I should prepare a congratulatory gift in advance.”

“I’ll bring Xiao Hei along to observe, giving him more experience in his breakthrough. It’s a pity I haven’t found the Myriad Demon Bloodstone for him yet.”

Li Chang’an had already prepared the gift, awaiting Zi Xi’s successful Nascent Soul formation.

Just then,

midnight arrived.

A golden light appeared before his eyes.

[The divination has been updated]

[Today’s Divination – Auspicious]

[You accepted the invitation of the Vermilion Bird True Lord to hunt down a Demonic True Lord who secretly infiltrated the righteous realm, unexpectedly obtaining the Water Element Myriad Demon Bloodstone]

“Huh, there really is a Demonic True Lord secretly infiltrating?”

Li Chang’an was somewhat surprised.

Previously, due to Xun Yuanjia’s death, Zixia and others suspected that a Demonic True Lord had secretly infiltrated the two righteous kingdoms.

But Li Chang’an knew that the so-called Demonic True Lord was actually him.

(End of Chapter)