Chapter 595: Killing Talisman

The Human World

“These two Killer Talismans were created by me, exhausting my life’s efforts, as I sought to repair my cultivation method. I have some regrets. After honing my skills on the Sword Path, I gained new insights, but I am now being pursued by a powerful enemy and forced to flee far away, with an uncertain future. If any successor comes here, I hope they can inherit my ambition and press forward tirelessly. May the power of the Killer Sword Scripture reappear one day…”

At the end, the characters ‘Qingzhu’ were engraved using sword qi.

The handwriting was very messy, hastily carved with sword qi.

It was clear that the person who wrote this message was in a great hurry, just as the inscription indicated, being pursued by an enemy and forced to use an ancient teleportation array to escape.

Uncertain of the dangers on the other side of the ancient teleportation array and fearing he might never return, he left behind these Killer Talismans, which represented his life’s work, to prevent their loss.

He hoped that any future cultivator who achieved success with the “Soul Nurturing Sword Scripture” and discovered this ancient hall would use these as a foundation to continue repairing the cultivation method, allowing this unique art to see the light of day once more.

This was an act of great benevolence, guiding those who would follow.

Perhaps there was also an unwillingness to be forced away, leaving behind a trace in the Little Cold Domain to prove his presence.

Qin Sang silently read the inscription, his respect solemn.

He was grateful for Senior Qingzhu’s selflessness and astonished by his talent.

Despite the incompleteness of the cultivation method, a severed path, and a lack of guidance, he didn’t switch to other techniques. Instead, he pressed forward, astonishingly creating two Killer Talismans on his own and forging a new path.

The two Killer Talismans represented two additional layers of the cultivation method.

This indicated that Senior Qingzhu’s cultivation level before his departure was at least late-stage Core Formation.

However, he was pursued by a formidable enemy, utterly unable to fight back, and had to activate the ancient teleportation array to an unknown destination.

Were his enemies Nascent Soul Grandmasters?

Qin Sang was not aware of the full details, but from the stories he had previously heard about Senior Qingzhu, and the few words from Granny Jing, he could piece some things together.

Senior Qingzhu had left Shaohua Mountain for a beloved woman, but Shaohua Mountain had not pursued him.

His only apparent enemy was the Primordial Mirage Sect, and Qin Sang suspected that Leng Yuntian was likely the mastermind.

Back then, Leng Yuntian was severely injured in the Ziwei Palace and had been unable to recover since. He forcibly formed a Nascent Soul but only possessed pseudo-Nascent Soul strength. Could Senior Qingzhu have been the one who attacked him?

Did Senior Qingzhu ambush Leng Yuntian in the Ziwei Palace for revenge?

If so, the one pursuing Senior Qingzhu was likely Leng Qian, the then-sect master of the Primordial Mirage Sect!

Not long after the last appearance of the Ziwei Palace, Leng Qian had passed away from old age, surely having long cultivated Leng Yuntian as his successor.

There was no way Leng Qian wouldn’t be enraged that his successor, whom he had nurtured with countless efforts, was almost killed. He must have yearned to tear the assailant limb from limb.

However, these were merely Qin Sang’s speculations.

Only those directly involved truly knew what had happened back then.

The two Killer Talismans were meticulously carved, with sword resonance flowing and murderous intent concealed, perfectly aligned with the first five layers of the “Soul Nurturing Sword Scripture” cultivation method.

However, upon carefully comprehending the content of the Killer Talismans, Qin Sang discovered there were actual differences.

The Killer Talismans contained much of Senior Qingzhu’s personal insight; when creating them, he unconsciously incorporated his own understanding of the Dao.

The core of the “Soul Nurturing Sword Scripture” itself embodied the Great Dao in its simplest form, yet it was all-encompassing and inclusive, allowing each individual to comprehend different paths and find the one most suitable for themselves.

In contrast, Senior Qingzhu’s self-created cultivation method was much narrower, best suited for himself.

This was also related to cultivation level and perspective; the one who established the “Soul Nurturing Sword Scripture” must have been an unparalleled grand-master, while Senior Qingzhu was merely a minor Core Formation cultivator.

The difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.

For Senior Qingzhu to reach this point was already incredibly difficult; he was absolutely a rare genius seen only once in a millennium!

For this reason, if another person were to come here, even if they cultivated the “Soul Nurturing Sword Scripture,” it would be difficult for them to follow Senior Qingzhu’s path exactly as it was.

They would have to make some changes to suit themselves; otherwise, it would go against their true nature. The higher their cultivation in the future, the greater the divergence from their own Dao, leading to hidden dangers of qi deviation.

But Qin Sang was different; he knew clearly that all he wanted was to rapidly increase his cultivation.

He viewed cultivation methods as tools, solely using the Killer Talismans for his practice. His inner self remained unmoved under the protection of the jade Buddha, so even switching paths would not affect his fundamental nature, let alone just making slight adjustments.

Once he reached the mid-stage Core Formation realm, he could continue along the path Senior Qingzhu had pioneered without needing to painstakingly alter the Killer Talismans.

Qin Sang gazed unblinkingly, committing the Killer Talismans to memory and comprehending the subsequent cultivation method.

Although self-created by Senior Qingzhu, it was still extremely profound; most of it was beyond Qin Sang’s current comprehension. However, with his discerning eye, he could tell that this path was viable!

Qin Sang quickly memorized the first Killer Talisman without fully digesting it, but his gaze narrowed slightly when he looked at the second one.

This Killer Talisman was incomplete; it seemed to be missing the final stroke!

Examining the true meaning of the cultivation method embedded within the talisman, a portion was indeed missing.

The regret Senior Qingzhu mentioned in his message must refer to this missing stroke. It appeared his cultivation at the time was very close to the late-stage Core Formation perfect realm, with only the final part left uncomprehended, just a hair’s breadth away from the Nascent Soul stage.

After the tempering and insights gained from sword trials on the Sword Path, Senior Qingzhu had finally gained the understanding to complete it, but it was already too late.

What a pity!

A sigh from Qin Sang echoed through the ancient hall.

Though seemingly just a single stroke was missing, it could not be underestimated; it was absolutely crucial not to engrave it carelessly.

The entire Killer Talisman had to be a seamless whole, without the slightest disharmony. If it were mishandled, it could lead to the collapse of the talisman and a significant drop in cultivation, or even worse, the risk of the Ebony Sword shattering.

Qin Sang committed both Killer Talismans to memory, composed himself, and let go of his regret.

Obtaining Senior Qingzhu’s self-created subsequent cultivation method so easily was already a huge pleasant surprise. These two Killer Talismans were sufficient to support his cultivation up to the late-stage Core Formation realm, and with such a long period ahead, perhaps another opportunity would arise.

At worst, he could enter a death seclusion at the end to deduce the cultivation method.

With only one stroke missing, no matter how dull his aptitude, he was confident he could find a solution.

After memorizing the Killer Talismans, Qin Sang bowed to Senior Qingzhu’s message, thanking him for the guidance. He then turned to look at the ancient teleportation array in the center of the altar, a thoughtful expression on his face.

There were no remains of Senior Qingzhu in the ancient hall or on the Sword Path, indicating that he must have successfully teleported away.

This showed that the ancient teleportation array was functional back then.

However, whether it was still usable now was hard to say.

Qin Sang asked himself, if he were in that situation, with Nascent Soul Grandmasters in hot pursuit and his life hanging by a thread, the first thing he would do after teleporting would be to destroy the ancient teleportation array on the other side.

Although the Sword Path in the ancient hall was powerful, it might not be able to withstand Nascent Soul Grandmasters. Only by destroying the ancient teleportation array could the trouble be resolved.

Doing so would cut off his own escape route, and if it couldn’t be repaired, he might never return. But those were concerns for later.

This ancient teleportation array was very likely no longer functional.

After a moment of thought, Qin Sang took out eight mid-grade spirit stones from his Qianjun Ring.