Talisman Emperor

A treasured vessel flew deep within the layer of clouds. Beneath it, mountains and rivers were like paintings, pedestrians were like ants, city after city, street after street, row upon row of buildings the size of a fingernail, and the luxuries of the world could all be taken into the eye.

According to this speed, he would only need a few days before being able to return to Pine Mist City.

Chen Xi sat cross-legged at the bow, carefully comprehending the Oblivionwind Flowinglight Sword Formation diagram.

After he comprehended a complete Wind Dao Insight, Chen Xi’s sight had already become incredibly discerning. As far as he was concerned, the Oblivionwind Flowinglight Sword Formation was simply made for him. Its speed was incomparably swift like the wind, sharp and quick like flowing lights that poured out, and it was deeply related to the key points of swift, accurate, and fierce.

After a short moment, Chen Xi withdrew the eight Netherezim Flying Swords from his storage ring. As a flying sword, the Netherezim Flying Sword’s external form was different from ordinary flying swords; they were one meter long and entirely icy cold like a pool of ice water, and they could also be held in the hand during battle.

Hiss! Hiss!

Chen Xi circulated his True Essence, then pricked open the tip of his finger before using his own Blood Essence to draw talisman markings on the Netherezim Flying Sword.

When cultivating the Oblivionwind Flowinglight Sword Formation, one must first use one’s Blood Essence to draw the mysterious Oblivionwind Talisman and Flowinglight Talisman on the flying swords, allowing a trace of a unique connection to be formed between the flying swords, so that they could easily act in cooperation with one another as if they were breathing. This step was also called setting up the formation markings, and without the formation markings, it couldn’t be called a sword formation.

With Chen Xi’s experience in crafting talismans, drawing these two talisman markings were naturally an easy matter.

But, to his surprise, the instant he completed the Oblivionwind Talisman and Flowinglight Talisman, there seemed to be a strand of mysterious energy on the flying sword that instantly drew a large amount of his Blood Essence!

Hu!

When he’d completed the drawing of all the talisman markings on the eight Netherezim Flying Swords, Chen Xi’s face was already completely ghastly pale, his mind terribly fatigued, and it was actually even more exhausting than a fierce battle.

If it wasn’t for my body being sufficiently strong, and my vital energy and blood surging like waves, I’m afraid I would be unable to complete this step of setting up the formation markings. This is only eight flying swords, and if I want to execute the second level of the sword formation, then I still have to set up the talisman marking on the other 56 flying swords. I wonder how much Blood Essence I have to expend… Chen Xi sighed with emotion, then he shot his gaze at the eight Netherezim Flying Swords.

“Setup!”

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The eight Netherezim Flying Swords instantly floated around Chen Xi as sword qi that was ghastly and sharp gushed out. These flying swords were like a shoal of fish that were intelligent. Under the control of Chen Xi’s soul, they either gathered or dispersed or crisscrossed both horizontally and vertically or in a straight line… They were nimble and reactive, and he commanded them with ease, as if the flying swords had become a part of his body.

“Something seems to be off?” Chen Xi silently pondered before suddenly recalled that a formation was already able to form a link with the energy of heaven and earth, and a sword formation was like this as well, it required sensing the heaven and earth, then transforming the energy of the heaven and the earth for one’s own use…

After the time for an incense stick to burn.

Chen Xi raised his head and his eyes were profound like stars. With a command in his heart, the eight Netherezim Flying Swords that floated around him emitted a clear cry in unison, seeming to have formed shapeless coordination with each other as if they were breathing. They’d completely converged to become a single entity, synchronized with each other, yet also independent, and it faintly possessed an indescribably elusive feeling.

Om!

Misty sword light gushed out abruptly from the whole body of the eight flying swords, the sword lights were sharp like needles and flickered unsteadily as they cruised around Chen Xi’s body. Although it was only a scarce eight flying swords, they revealed an unparalleled monstrous aura, like a group of soldiers that were cold and filled with killing intent, causing one to tremble in fear. Even the surroundings emitted buzzing sounds from being sliced by the sharp sword light.

Unfortunately, I’m within the treasured vessel and am unable to test its might. But according to the records on the Oblivionwind Flowinglight Sword Formation’s diagram, the first level of the sword formation was already sufficient to annihilate ordinary Golden Hall Realm cultivators! A trace of satisfaction was revealed on Chen Xi’s face, then he said to himself, The Oblivionwind Flowinglight Sword Formation was originally something only Golden Hall Realm cultivators was able to utilize, whereas I’m only at the 5th star of the Violet Palace Realm. In this way, my combat strength would probably be not inferior to a Golden Hall Realm cultivator…”

But, Chen Xi also knew that the Violet Palace Realm and the Golden Hall Realm were two great realms after all, if he were to encounter a Golden Hall Realm cultivator that was monstrous or even a monstrous Violet Palace Realm cultivator, he still wouldn’t dare be slightly careless, as there were too many incidents of failing miserably in a task one was confident in within the cultivation world.

Swoosh!

The treasured vessel flew in the sky and an entire day passed quickly.

Dusk, Chen Xi had just awoken from his cultivating when he raised his eyes to look, and the first thing that entered his eyes was a boundless mountain that continuously rose and fell; a boundless mountain range whose end couldn’t be seen with a single glance.

Shockingly, a city appeared before that mountain range. Its shape was like a tortoise shell and built with its back to the mountain. It occupied an area of 5,000km, but compared to the luxurious and prosperous Misty Sea City, it was instead pitiably small.

Pine Mist City!

Chen Xi stood up and concentrated his gaze to look into the distance. This was the first time he’d seen the full view of Pine Mist City, and when he looked down upon it from high above in the sky, the entire city was fully revealed before his eyes.

The General’s Estate, the Institution District, the Commoners District… As he saw all the familiar scenes, Chen Xi suddenly had a feeling as if it had been ages.

It had only been a year, why do I feel as if I’ve left for a few tens of years?

Senior Ji Yu said that after a cultivator established his Dao Foundation, the cultivator would start comprehending the Heaven’s Dao, and would be able to faintly sense some good or bad luck. It was obscure and extremely profound, yet very accurate. Could it be that I’ve sensed something?

An inexplicable feeling of worry had suddenly emerged in Chen Xi’s heart, it emerged quickly and vanished equally swiftly. When he wanted to carefully understand it, it was already gone, and his heart was completely empty as if nothing had happened in that instant earlier.

Ha, I’m going to reach home right away, what’s wrong with me? Am I getting nervous from approaching home? Chen Xi fiercely shook his head, then took a deep breath before putting away the treasured vessel and swiftly flashing towards the city gates.

As he walked into the city gates and looked at the familiar streets and smelt the familiar smell in the air, not only did Chen Xi’s strained heart ease up, it instead became even more strained, and his thoughts inexplicably became restless as well.

He didn’t stay and directly dashed towards his home.

It was as if a faint intuition from the heavens were urging him to do this.

His feet were as if they were flying, his figure like the wind, and Chen Xi’s heart thumped even more strongly as he approached his home, like a pounding drum.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart palpitated with anxiety and fear.

Swoosh!

Chen Xi stopped his feet as his pupils abruptly dilated and he didn’t dare believe everything he saw before him.

The Commoners District was divided into four plots, each occupying an area of 500km. The poverty stricken of Pine Mist City resided there, and Chen Xi’s house was in one of those plots.

It was already nightfall, and at this time in the past, the people that had labored all day would drag their exhausted bodies and return home as early as possible. They would be in groups, holding rice bowls as they bragged and chatted, calling out to their wives to wash the clothes and cook food. The little children would run around playing, and the boys and girls would be gathered together whispering in discussion…

However, at this moment, within this 500km area of land, there was no homes, no crowds of people, no noise, and was without the smell he’d been familiar with for over ten years. Collapsed rubble lay all over the ground, crows cawed as they circled in the skies, and wild dogs gnawed on the corpses of the dead.

Ruins!

His home had turned to ruins!

Chen Xi felt the world go dark as indescribable pain surged out from his heart. It ached to the point he held his chest, wanting to shout, yet noticed he was unable to emit the slightest sound.

What happened?

Exactly what happened!?

Chen Xi didn’t dare believe all this as the intense pain and boundless rage was like tidewater that assaulted his consciousness, and his mind was blank.

He was like a walking corpse, his legs like lead as he walked step by step towards the familiar place, walked towards the house that accompanied his childhood and youth. Every step was so heavy, every step seemed like a stride towards the abyss.

Home was the port in Chen Xi’s heart that could keep out the wind and the rain. Here, he’d listened to his grandfather’s teachings and taken care of his younger brother’s daily life. No matter how exhausted he was every day, so long as he returned home and saw his grandfather and younger brother waiting for him to have a meal, he felt warmth. He felt that the humiliation and ridicule he suffered every day was insignificant.

Home, was the place that was impossible to obliterate from Chen Xi’s heart, the wisp of warmth that still remained.

Because of this home, he’d shouldered everything since the beginning. He was able to endure being insulted as a jinx and being humiliated by others with the incident of his marriage contract being torn apart. Because, he had to assume the responsibility of this home and support the entire Chen Clan. He desperately cultivated every day precisely because he wanted to defend this home, but now…

Not only was his home destroyed, the nearby neighbors and people, an area of 500 km had been transformed into ruins. Countless people had died. White bones lay flat on the streets, it was like an unmarked burial ground, like a bloody hell.

“Have you heard, this was done by the Li Clan because they wanted to annihilate the Chen Clan survivors.”

“Shh! Softly! No one in the entire Pine Mist City dares discuss this topic now because the Li Clan has said that anyone that’s related to Chen Xi, albeit neighbors, will all die a graveless death. Look, the commoners on this area of 500km, and entire 10,000 over people were implicated by Chen Xi and became a ground full of dead bodies and white bones.”

“AH! It can’t be! The Zhang general store was destroyed because the owner, Zhang Dayong, had taken care of Chen Xi’s business for many years, but why was that Clear Stream Restaurant destroyed? I heard everyone in the restaurant died tragically within a sea of fire.”

“You don’t know this? That Chen Xi was a spirit chef apprentice in Clear Stream Restaurant for a period of time, how could the Li Clan not destroy it?”

…

A wave of faint sounds of discussion entered into Chen Xi’s ears. In the distance, two guards in iron armor from the General’s Estate were bent over clearing the corpses in the ruins.

It’s all because of me?

It was as if he was struck by lightning, and Chen Xi’s body started trembling without restraint. His face became more and more icy cold, as a starry flame lit ablaze within his gaze that was dead ash. The starry flame grew larger and larger until it transformed into a surging flame with a bang, and it was blazing to the point it seemed as if it would melt the heavens and the earth.

“Li Clan, Li Clan…” His muttering was like a low whistle of the wind, and the aura on Chen Xi’s body had already fully emitted killing intent. The boundless bloody killing intent that he’s condensed from the numerous slaughters in the Southern Barbaric Nether Domain and the depths of the Southern Barbaric Mountain Range was released with a bang, released without the slightest restraint!

At this moment, he was like an undead soul that had walked out of a bloody swamp, icy cold, emotionless, and with killing intent that shot to the skies!

He knelt onto the floor and kowtowed three times towards the direction of his home, then got up and left, and he didn’t look back from the beginning until the end.

In his heart, there was only the purest, simplest, and most direct thought — KILL!

“Hiss, so cold!”

“Has the season changed?”

The two guards from the General’s Estate that were clearing the corpses in the ruins seemed as if they’d encountered an assault for a cold stream of air that was bone piercing, and they both shuddered as they looked up in wonder, yet they saw nothing.

No one noticed that on the ground in the distance, many crows had died. The blood in their bodies had frozen and their eyes were wide open, yet there wasn’t a single trace of injuries on their bodies.