Chapter 259: Symbol Array

Qin Sang hid among the firebirds, not daring to breathe.

On the stone platform, in front of the stone hall, stood Daoist Xuan Yu!

Daoist Xuan Yu raised one hand, and hundreds of talismans hovered in mid-air. Their brilliant light shimmered like stars, forming a magnificent talisman array.

Green mist enveloped the space, and the scattered talismans, like a low-hanging curtain of stars, covered the area above the stone hall.

Qin Sang feared that Daoist Xuan Yu would sense his gaze, so he dared not look directly at him. Observing the array with his peripheral vision, he felt dizzy and disoriented, finding it impossible to discern its intricate patterns.

This was the disparity in cultivation levels.

Qin Sang couldn't even make out the original forms of the talismans. His vision was filled only with wisps of green energy, some extending downwards like vines, others gathering into elusive clumps.

These green wisps tentatively touched the stone hall. It appeared Daoist Xuan Yu was attempting to break the restrictions on the hall but had not yet succeeded.

From the outside, the stone hall's purpose was indiscernible.

This unusually simple yet ancient and imposing stone hall exuded a primal wildness, resembling an ancient sacrificial site rather than an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling.

This place must have once endured a fierce battle. The circular restriction sealing the magma was completely destroyed, and the stone hall itself was so severely damaged that it appeared on the verge of collapse.

Perhaps due to the battle's impact, the invisible barrier blocking the fire spirits was also revealed. Qin Sang saw the barrier's true form for the first time.

At the edge of the semi-circular space, a translucent barrier flickered in and out of view. The entire barrier was composed of countless firebird-like totems, each lifelike, varied in posture, and identical to real firebirds.

Strangely, even though the circular restriction sealing the magma was utterly destroyed, these totems appeared completely unharmed.

However, Qin Sang soon discerned a peculiar detail.

Whenever a firebird collided with a totem, a wisp of fiery energy would be absorbed by the totem. This not only prevented damage to the totem but also became part of its power, strengthening the barrier.

Qin Sang even suspected that these totems were not intended to imprison the firebirds.

The reason why the fire elemental energy here manifested only as firebirds, a singular type of fire spirit, was precisely because of these totems.

The firebirds might be part of the totems!

Just as Qin Sang was deep in thought,

Daoist Xuan Yu suddenly pointed an ethereal finger, and the erratically swirling talismans instantly stilled.

The talisman array burst forth with brilliant light. All the talismans trembled slightly, shooting out ethereal projections that converged at Daoist Xuan Yu's fingertip. Countless talisman phantoms merged into a single, large talisman, solidifying from illusion in the blink of an eye.

The talisman was intricate and exceptionally mysterious, shining as brightly as the midday sun.

At this moment, the crimson magma paled in comparison to the talisman's brilliance.

"Go!"

Daoist Xuan Yu's gaze sharpened, and he abruptly pointed a finger.

The talisman, deceptively slow in appearance but moving with great swiftness, instantly struck the bluestone at the entrance of the stone hall.

"Boom!"

The talisman shattered upon impact, its fragments striking with the force of a heavy hammer.

The stone hall remained unmoving!

Hiding among the firebirds, even from such a distance, Qin Sang clearly felt the terrifying power of the talisman's collision with the stone hall's restrictions. Noticing the lingering shockwaves, his expression subtly changed, and he quickly retreated to avoid them.

He now somewhat doubted his earlier hypothesis; perhaps the stone hall had always been this dilapidated.

As Daoist Xuan Yu attacked with his talisman, the seemingly fragile stone hall remained as steady as a mountain. Its restrictions, activated by the talisman, became fully visible; they were completely intact, showing no signs of imminent collapse.

Only the bluestone at the entrance continued to tremble, marking it as the apparent breakthrough point, offering significant hope for an opening.

Seeing this, Daoist Xuan Yu's face lit up with joy. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed into the void.

Just as Qin Sang had seen in the scene conjured by the Hidden Moth, Daoist Xuan Yu pressed his fingers together. As his fingers moved, they left a slender, solidified streak of green light in the void. His fingers then moved faster and faster, the green light twisting and becoming exceptionally complex, forming a talisman in the blink of an eye.

The talisman hovered in mid-air, its green light contained.

The characters on it appeared to be ancient script. Before Qin Sang could decipher them, Daoist Xuan Yu flicked his finger, sending the talisman into the array.

He then continued to channel energy and draw talismans.

As each talisman was created, the array's power grew stronger and stronger, leaving Qin Sang utterly awestruck.

Drawing so many talismans in one go seemed to be taxing for Daoist Xuan Yu; white vapor rose from his head, and his breathing became noticeably heavier.

Finally, as the last talisman integrated, the array suddenly condensed, shrinking dozens of times in size.

In Qin Sang's eyes, the compact array seemed to contain a universe, with nebulae appearing and disappearing, its beauty unparalleled.

Daoist Xuan Yu looked up at the array, nodded slightly, and smiled contentedly. However, instead of resting to recover, he took out a spiritual pill, swallowed it, and then lightly called out.

"Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman! Appear!"

Before his words had faded, a sharp saber hum resonated through the space.

Immediately after, a milky-white light flew out from Daoist Xuan Yu's body, instantly merging into the array.

"Merge!"

Daoist Xuan Yu let out another loud cry. The array shattered with a crash, but instead of scattering, its fragments all collapsed inward, ultimately being completely absorbed by the white light.

The white light's true form was also a talisman, and astonishingly, this talisman was shaped like a saber!

This saber hum also jolted Qin Sang awake.

Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman...

Qin Sang silently repeated the name, recalling rumors he had heard: among the four secret talismans passed down by the founding ancestor of the Shangyuan Purity Palace, there was indeed a saber-shaped secret talisman.

It was said that all four secret talismans possessed power comparable to magic treasures, and each talisman contained boundless mysteries.

The Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman was very likely one of the four secret talismans!

The Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman was already extremely powerful, but after merging with the array's might, its power surged dramatically. The secret talisman, only three inches long, radiated saber light and continuously hummed.

Even from such a distance, and despite the Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman not being aimed at him, Qin Sang still had the illusion of impending doom, as if he would be cut in two by a single strike in the next moment.

Qin Sang was secretly horrified.

Daoist Xuan Yu pressed his palm downwards, and the Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman slowly drifted towards the bluestone. With each inch it approached, its formidable aura intensified.

Could the Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman break the restrictions on the bluestone?

This thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind.

Just then, he suddenly remembered something: Old Man Dique had not appeared yet!

A considerable amount of time had passed since he entered the volcano. Given Old Man Dique's capabilities, he should have long found a way to conceal himself from the firebirds, yet he still hadn't appeared.

Qin Sang secretly frowned. He noticed that Daoist Xuan Yu was not finding it easy to control the Heavenly Dipper Saber Talisman; he was exerting all his effort and had no time for anything else.

Was Old Man Dique waiting for this very moment?

He was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, poised to strike!

Qin Sang calmly surveyed his surroundings. All he could see were dense masses of firebirds; it was impossible to discern which one Old Man Dique might be disguised as.

Thinking this, Qin Sang suddenly moved, retreating backward, trying to get as far away from the stone hall as possible.