Chapter 445 - 418: Developing the Spirit Locking Talisman

Chapter 445: Chapter 418: Developing the Spirit Locking Talisman

Inside the stone house, a Concealment Array operated silently.

Li Yuan sat before the stone table and took out a Talisman with a dark red sheen. It was the Tier Two Spirit Locking Talisman he had previously confiscated from a guard of the Evil Slaying Sect at the third transfer station on the northern route of the Ghost Mist Forest.

His Golden Core Stage Divine Sense, like an extremely fine steel needle, pierced into the Talisman’s body.

Instead of forcefully activating it with Spiritual Power, he used the precision of his Divine Sense to peel back the complex Array Pattern structure inside the Spirit Locking Talisman, layer by layer. Over three hundred Array Pattern lines were dismantled and categorized one by one within his sea of consciousness.

Half an hour later, he had completely seen through the core mechanism of the Spirit Locking Talisman.

Twelve key nodes formed a closed miniature array. Once the array made contact with a target, the meridian-sealing Array Pattern would travel upstream along the target’s Spiritual Power circulation path, firmly locking down several Spiritual Power confluence hubs in their meridians. With the hubs locked, Spiritual Power would instantly stagnate.

Once he saw through the underlying logic, there were no more obstacles to replicating it.

Li Yuan spread out a blank sheet of Tier Two talisman paper and dipped his Cyan Spirit Talisman Brush, now full of specially prepared Spiritual Ink.

He put brush to paper.

His Tier Two Minor Achievement in talisman crafting, enhanced by his insights into the art, made his drawing process exceptionally smooth. He didn’t just copy the Evil Slaying Sect’s design. Instead, at the key nodes of the meridian-sealing Array Pattern, he added a subtle, modified loop, reducing the Spiritual Power fluctuations upon activation.

He lifted the brush tip, and a Spiritual Light flashed before vanishing.

The first Tier Two Spirit Locking Talisman was complete.

The moment his fingertip left the talisman paper, the perk-sensing ability within a three-foot radius instantly triggered.

[Detectable equippable item: Spirit Locking Talisman (Complete)]

[Equipment Perk Preview: Spirit Vein Slowdown (Green). Effect: When Magic hits a target, it can reduce their Spiritual Power flow rate by 10%. Duration depends on the difference in Cultivation between both parties.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Reach Late-stage Foundation Establishment in Cultivation.]

’A green perk. The permanence condition is reaching Late-stage Foundation Establishment.’

To Li Yuan, this condition was as good as non-existent.

"Equip."

[Equipped: Spirit Locking Talisman (Complete)]

[Spirit Vein Slowdown (Green) has become a permanent perk.]

The phantom image of the Spirit Locking Talisman in his equipment slot flickered and vanished, transforming into a streak of green light that merged into his body. The slot was now free again. From now on, any Magic he cast that hit a target would come with a 10% Spiritual Power flow reduction effect. Combined with the Frost Armor’s passive chilling backlash that reduced attack speed, his ability to bog down opponents in combat was once again enhanced.

Li Yuan gathered up the talisman-crafting tools on the table.

Just as he was about to sit down and meditate to regulate his breath, a subtle fluctuation suddenly rippled through his sea of consciousness.

One of the Spirit Detective Talismans he had previously placed in various corners of the marketplace had picked up an abnormal signal.

The signal originated from the eastern district, not far from the Celestial Peak Sect’s Weapon Pavilion.

Li Yuan immediately connected his Divine Sense to the data recorded by that Spirit Detective Talisman. An extremely brief communication ripple replayed in his mind.

’Constant frequency, unsegmented.’

’Continuous-wave transmission. A unique characteristic of the Abyss Sect’s peripheral forces.’

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

He pushed open the door, changed into the ordinary cloth robes of a marketplace supervisor, and walked toward the eastern district.

The streets of the eastern district were bustling with people. Business at the Celestial Peak Sect’s Weapon Pavilion was average, with a few clerks tidying up the shelves. Li Yuan’s gaze didn’t linger on the Weapon Pavilion; instead, he followed the direction recorded by the Spirit Detective Talisman and looked at a new storefront diagonally opposite it.

A leather goods shop that had just opened half a month ago.

The shop wasn’t large. A few pelts from Tier Two Demon Beasts hung by the entrance, and a Shopkeeper at Early-stage Foundation Establishment was dozing off, leaning against the counter.

Li Yuan stepped into the leather goods shop.

"Shopkeeper, new stock?" Li Yuan casually examined a Crimson Flame Wolf pelt on the counter.

The Shopkeeper opened his eyes at the sound of his voice. Seeing it was Li Yuan, he quickly stood up straight, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Pavilion Master Li, making your rounds, I see. Yes, this is a batch of pelts I just got from the south. The quality is decent. Do you see any you like?"

Li Yuan kept up a pleasant facade while secretly activating his Dark Evil Insight.

An invisible net of perception instantly swept through the Shopkeeper’s entire body, reaching the very bottom of the storage pouch at his waist. Beneath a pile of miscellaneous items and Spirit Stones, the clear outline of a dark red, bone-like Token emerged.

The twisted runes on the Token’s surface were identical to the Blood Token that Li Yuan had found on the robbers in the Borderland Hills.

’The Abyss Sect’s moles have brazenly infiltrated the Mist Forest Marketplace, and right under the Celestial Peak Sect’s nose, too.’

Li Yuan showed no sign of anything being amiss.

"Just looking around." He put down the wolf pelt and turned to leave the shop.

He had thoroughly marked this person. As long as the man remained within the marketplace, his every move would not escape the dual perspectives of the Defensive Array and Dark Evil Insight.

After returning to the stone house, Li Yuan sat down cross-legged.

’Since the Abyss Sect’s periphery is becoming active, the progress over at Skeleton Ridge will probably speed up as well.’

He stretched his Dark Evil Insight’s perception net as far as he could toward the northwest. After his Spirit Detective Perception perk became permanent, the effective range of his detection-type Magic had increased by 30%. His Golden Core Stage Divine Sense, combined with this 30% amplification, was enough for him to just barely touch the fringe of Spiritual Power fluctuations at the edge of Skeleton Ridge, all from within the marketplace.

The Tier Three Top Grade Restriction beneath Skeleton Ridge remained silent.

But something had changed within a crevice in the rock layer, about ten zhang above the entrance.

That orthodox-style covert surveillance Array.

Li Yuan’s perception swept over the three tiny Array Hubs. A trace of a very recent Spiritual Power replenishment lingered within the Array. The data that had originally filled the three Array Hubs had been extracted, and they had been re-infused with the Spiritual Power needed to maintain operation.

’The one who set up the array was here recently. Within the last three days.’

’They took the surveillance data and reactivated the Array.’

Li Yuan withdrew his Divine Sense.

「Night fell.」

The clamor of the marketplace died down. Li Yuan left the stone house, activated the Earth Escape Technique, and his figure melted into the ground, speeding toward Skeleton Ridge.

In less than an hour, he arrived at the outskirts of Skeleton Ridge.

He didn’t approach the ruins’ entrance, but instead stopped beneath a mountain ridge about a hundred zhang away from the surveillance array.

From his storage pouch, he took out a tracking talisman.

"Equip Tracking Talisman."

[Equipped: Tracking Talisman (Complete)]

The white perk, Trace Pursuit, was activated.

The world before Li Yuan’s eyes shifted slightly. The ordinary flow of Spiritual Qi faded from his vision, replaced by a special perspective.

He focused his perception on the rock layer area above the ridge.

A very faint, cyan trail of Spiritual Power materialized in the air. The trail was like an invisible ribbon, descending from mid-air, winding around a few broken rocks, and then extending to the northeast.

It had been left behind for some time, and the trail was already starting to dissipate, but the capturing ability of Trace Pursuit was extremely powerful, latching firmly onto the tail end of this aura.

Li Yuan followed the trail, moving stealthily to the northeast.

The northeast was the route to Jingzhou.

After about three li, the cyan trail in the air suddenly broke off mid-air above a bare, rocky hill. It didn’t dissipate; it was as if it had been severed with a single slice.

’The person stopped here, then used some kind of High Tier Escape Technique or a method to erase their tracks and left completely.’

Li Yuan stood on the rocky hill, closing his eyes to feel the intensity and texture of the last wisp of residual Spiritual Power at the breaking point.

The Spiritual Power was extremely condensed, carrying a pressure that would tolerate no defiance. It was far beyond the level of Foundation Establishment Perfection.

’Early-stage Golden Core.’

’The person who left the surveillance array was an Early-stage Golden Core righteous path Cultivator.’

The panel popped up before his eyes.

[Trace Pursuit (White) Permanence Progress: 1/3]

Li Yuan glanced at the night sky to the northeast. Most of the Celestial Peak Sect’s and Primordial Yang Sect’s attention was focused on the Sub-Palace, while another Golden Core Level power was already secretly laying plans in Skeleton Ridge.

’The undercurrents beneath the surface are growing murkier.’

His figure sank, and he returned to the marketplace the way he came.