One Person: I, the Dragon Tiger Stall King! I Won!

56: Fragments of the Xiantian TalismanMoonlight, like frost, filtered through the ancient window lattices of the Scripture Pavilion’s seventh floor, casting mottled shadows upon the mountain of forbidden books.

This was the Forbidden Ground of the Tianshi Mansion; every inch of air was thick with the scent of decaying paper and sealed spiritual power, heavy enough to be suffocating.

Li Zhiyai sat cross-legged, surrounded by the forbidden books. The moonlight happened to illuminate the brand of the word ’Seal’ etched deep into his chest; the flesh around the brand glowed an ominous dark red, like a Vicious Beast that might devour its master at any moment.

His withered fingers lightly brushed over the spine of an ancient book that was charred black as if struck by heavenly lightning. His clouded eyes could see nothing, yet he could ’see’ more clearly than anyone.

“’Fragments of the Innate Talisman’...” His voice was as raspy as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. “This old man is no thief. This book was entrusted to me three hundred years ago by the previous Cloth Master on his deathbed. He knew his time was short and feared this sole spark would be extinguished, so he placed it in the hands of an outsider like me.”

He paused, turning his blind gaze toward a dark corner where Zhang Xuanyi was desperately covering his mouth, swallowing all his shock back into his stomach.

“Why does the Tianshi Mansion fear it? Hehe...” Li Zhiyai let out a desolate laugh. “Because it records the true source of the Dao of Talismans. Once it appears in the world, the ’Pseudo-Liquid’ System they rely on to rule the Daoist sects and maintain their mountain gate will collapse in an instant! What Dragon and Tiger Mountain orthodoxy? They are nothing but thieves who stole the fruits of the True Talisman Dao and used a pseudo-Dao to deceive the world!”

Zhang Xuanyi’s mind was like a lake into which a giant boulder had been thrown, kicking up monstrous waves!

Master... That old man, his Master, had actually known the true origin of his market stall all along!

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the dangers; rather, he had foreseen everything. Even before his transcendence, he had found Li Zhiyai as a backup path and entrusted him with the truth that could subvert the Tianshi Mansion!

That aged face, which always sat in a rocking chair leisurely sipping tea under the sunset, became incredibly clear yet incredibly heavy in Zhang Xuanyi’s mind.

He had always thought his Master was just a reclusive expert, never imagining that behind that seemingly idle exterior lay such a heavy mission and a blood-deep grudge!

Just as Zhang Xuanyi’s thoughts were surging, Li Zhiyai’s actions interrupted him.

Li Zhiyai suddenly bit his fingertip, and a drop of crimson blood tinged with a faint golden glow fell onto the charred fragments.

He didn’t stop; instead, he took a small jade bottle from his robe and dripped the purification liquid, as clear as water, onto it as well.

“With my blood, I continue your Qi! With the source of purity, I cleanse your dust! It has been three hundred years... Wake up!”

Buzz—!

A hum that seemed to come from primeval times resounded throughout the entire seventh floor!

On the charred fragments, that drop of blood and purification liquid seemed to ignite a fuse. Countless invisible talismanic networks were instantly activated, breaking free from the pages to weave and converge in mid-air!

The light exploded!

Those originally dim Talismans actually transformed into the illusory figure of a three-foot-tall boy!

The boy’s entire body was composed of flowing golden Talismans, and his eyes were two brilliant stars. He looked around blankly, but when his gaze swept over the dark corner where Zhang Xuanyi was hiding, those star-like eyes suddenly lit up!

“It’s you!” A crisp, androgynous child’s voice rang out, filled with endless surprise and longing. “Edict Holder! Your cloth has the aura of the Edict Garment! I recognize it!”

Zhang Xuanyi’s whole body stiffened, and his heart nearly jumped out of his throat!

A Talisman Spirit!

This... this was actually a living Talisman Spirit!

And it recognized his market stall?

Edict Garment?

Could the original name of this tattered cloth be ’Edict Garment’?

The Talisman Spirit boy excitedly reached out a small hand made of light Talismans, wanting to touch the area where Zhang Xuanyi was.

However, as soon as he moved, the mountain of forbidden books on the surrounding shelves suddenly erupted with dense black Qi. Like ten thousand venomous snakes, it instantly coiled around his body!

“Ah—!” The Talisman Spirit boy let out a pained wail. His golden body was eroded by the black Qi, and his light quickly dimmed.

These forbidden books existed specifically to suppress him!

“They sealed me... because... because I know the true secret...” The Talisman Spirit struggled painfully within the coiling black Qi. Using his last bit of strength, he screamed toward Zhang Xuanyi’s direction: “True Talismans... True Talismans are not refined in a cauldron! They are not born on paper! They are born... born from the Heart Anchor!”

The words ’Heart Anchor’ exploded in Zhang Xuanyi’s Sea of Consciousness like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens!

“Pfft—!”

Li Zhiyai suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood. Having used his own essence blood as a catalyst, his mind was now wounded, and his control over the Talisman Spirit instantly collapsed!

Freed from its restraints, the Talisman Spirit was completely enraged by the resentment and black Qi of the countless forbidden books. It let out an unwilling roar and transformed into a streak of out-of-control golden light, recklessly crashing toward the core of the Tianshi Mansion’s mountain gate array outside the Scripture Pavilion!

This crash was not an attack, but a suicidal return!

It was originally formed from the Dragon Vein’s Earth Qi. Once it touched the array core in such a violent manner, the Dragon Vein would be instantly torn apart, and the Foundation of the entire Mount Longhu would be completely shaken at that moment!

“Not good!” Li Zhiyai’s face was as pale as paper.

Zhang Xuanyi’s pupils constricted; he didn’t have time to think!

At this moment, his Master’s entrustment, Li Zhiyai’s three hundred years of guardianship, and the Talisman Spirit’s final wail all merged into a single thought!

He couldn’t let it be destroyed! Nor could he let it destroy the Tianshi Mansion like this!

In the spark of a flint, Zhang Xuanyi could no longer care about hiding. He charged out of the darkness and slammed his right index finger onto the market-stall cloth that had instantly unfurled before him!

“In the name of the Dao Market! Summon—Dao Market Projection!”

Buzz!!!

The golden patterns on the market-stall cloth lit up as never before. A golden light shot into the sky, projecting a blurry yet majestic figure within the Scripture Pavilion.

It was a Void Market Guard clad in black armor and holding a scroll of laws!

As soon as the guard’s figure appeared, he locked onto the golden light crashing toward the mountain gate. Expressionless, he spat out a cold decree: “Disturbing the order of the Dao Market shall be punished by detention! ’Dao Market Laws’—Lock!”

Clatter!

The scroll of laws in his hand unfurled with a bang. Countless golden legal characters flew out, transforming into chains of order in the air, which coiled with absolute precision around the nearly out-of-control Talisman Spirit boy!

“Edict Holder... you finally... responded...” The Talisman Spirit was bound by the chains, its violent energy instantly suppressed. It looked back at Zhang Xuanyi, a trace of relieved laughter appearing in its star-like eyes.

Just then, another change occurred!

The eleven golden patterns on Zhang Xuanyi’s market-stall cloth seemed to come alive, erupting with an unprecedented greedy suction, actively pulling in the residual Qi from the Talisman Spirit that had been purified by the law chains!

The Talisman Spirit boy offered no resistance; instead, he showed a gratified smile as his body gradually became transparent under the suction.

“Those who belong to the Market shall eventually return to the Market... I am at... the source... waiting for you...”

Before his voice finished, the Talisman Spirit boy completely dissipated, transforming into the purest torrent of golden energy, which was entirely absorbed by the market stall.

And the ’Fragments of the Innate Talisman’, at the moment the Talisman Spirit dissipated, also lost its last bit of spirituality. With a bang, it spontaneously combusted, turning to ash in the raging flames.

Strangely, before the ash hit the ground, it actually formed one final, incredibly clear word in the air—

“Fire”!

Everything happened within the span of a few short breaths.

Li Zhiyai knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

He looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared. What flowed from his blind eyes was an excitement and relief he hadn’t felt in three hundred years.

He suddenly tore open the Daoist robe at his chest, and the sight revealed made Zhang Xuanyi gasp!

On Li Zhiyai’s withered body, there were densely packed brands of the word ’Seal’, over a hundred of them in various sizes!

Every brand was deep in his flesh, emitting an ominous aura that locked his life force tight.

“Seven generations of Cloth Masters; six died miserably under the secret pursuit of the Tianshi Mansion, and one went missing, fate unknown...” Li Zhiyai’s voice was raspy, yet carried a sense of liberated joy. “I, Li Zhiyai, am not the Cloth Master, just a tomb keeper! I have guarded this book, guarded this secret, in this sunless seventh floor of the Scripture Pavilion for a full three hundred years! What I have waited for is someone who can understand this game of chess, someone who can break this stalemate!”

He lifted his head, his blind eyes seemingly piercing through layers of obstacles to look directly into Zhang Xuanyi’s heart.

“Zhang Xuanyi! That stall of yours was never just a tool for setting up shop! It is the Edict of the Dao Market! It is the final token of the True Talisman Dao Sect of old!”

“Today, the spark has appeared!” A fanatical smile surfaced on Li Zhiyai’s face. He slowly raised his palm, and within it, the last sliver of spiritual power was frantically converging and compressing!

“If you are willing to raise this fire, I, Li Zhiyai... am willing to be the first handful of kindling!”

The moment his voice fell, the spiritual power in his palm exploded!

It was not an attack, but a sacrifice!

The shockwave of the explosion precisely swept up the ’Fire’ character ash from the fragments. Catalyzed by the spiritual power, the ash instantly turned into a prairie fire, sweeping from Li Zhiyai as the center toward the entire seventh floor of the Scripture Pavilion!

Boom—!

Fire shot into the sky! The forbidden books wailed in the flames, turning into nothingness!

In the firelight, Zhang Xuanyi’s market stall vibrated frantically. Having absorbed the power of the Talisman Spirit and Li Zhiyai’s final sacrifice, the twelfth golden pattern was boldly formed upon the cloth!

[Ding—! Detected that the host has met the promotion conditions. Market stall Rank increased!]

[Lv.7—Unlocked new function: Innate Talisman (Pseudo)!]

[Innate Talisman (Pseudo): Can consume one whole sheet of ’Heart Imprint Yellow Paper’ as a carrier to condense the power of the Dao Market, generating a one-time Talisman with ’Innate’ traits. Power depends on the host’s Heart Anchor strength.]

Amidst the System’s roar, the Old Market-Stall Dog guarding Zhang Xuanyi’s feet let out a pained low growl. In its pure golden pupils, a deep crack suddenly split open, as if it were bearing unimaginable pressure, yet it still stubbornly guarded that Qi thread connecting to the unknown source, not allowing it the slightest break.

Zhang Xuanyi clenched his fists tight, feeling the new power coming from the market stall. His gaze pierced through the sea of flames, looking at the figure of the old Daoist sitting motionless in the center of the fire with life force rapidly fading. His voice was raspy, as if speaking to Li Zhiyai, yet also as if speaking to all the departed Cloth Masters:

“I understand... what you wanted was never some illusory immortality...”

“But for someone to remember exactly why this fire was lit.”

Deep within the distant mountain gate, inside a secluded secret chamber.

Xuan Weizi stood with his hands behind his back. On the jade table before him, a thunderous order targeting the ’Scripture Pavilion disturbance’ had just been drafted but not yet sent.

He should have dropped the Seal without hesitation, mobilizing the most elite forces of the Tianshi Mansion to completely erase all unstable factors.

Yet at this moment, his hand, suspended in mid-air and ready to take up the Seal, was trembling uncontrollably.