Chapter 1765: High Divine Heaven Talisman

A fantasy novel

Since the disappearance of the previous leader Sun En, the Divine Firmament Sect had fallen into disunity. Wang Youjun, an elder of the sect with the backing of the Wang family, was originally the most promising candidate to succeed him.

However, several other powerful elders of the Divine Firmament Sect, whose influence was not much inferior to the Wang family's, refused to accept Wang Youjun.

They united against his succession. Furthermore, the three sacred talismans, passed down through generations of sect leaders, had also vanished with the missing leader Sun En. Without finding these three talismans, no one could rightfully claim the position of sect leader.

For years, Wang Youjun had been searching for Sun En's whereabouts. Persistence paid off; with the Wang family's financial and material resources, combined with the aid of his special red-glow yellow talisman, he finally located Sun En not long ago.

According to the intelligence he gathered, Sun En's divine power was unparalleled, and he was only one step away from becoming an immortal.

Thus, he specifically chose a remote island to undergo his tribulation. To prevent disturbance or assassination by lifelong enemies, he told no one and even set up various bewildering formations around the island.

Unfortunately, he ultimately failed the tribulation, was struck down by the heavenly lightning, and fell onto the island.

From that day on, there was no longer a Divine Firmament Sect leader in the martial world.

And the three sacred talismans of previous leaders also remained with him, buried on the island.

Because this remote island was already hard to find in the vast ocean, and Sun En had set up so many restrictions around it before his death, no one had known of its existence for years.

Wang Youjun spent decades discreetly investigating, studying Sun En's habits, his route before disappearing, and the testimonies of those who had last seen him. Only then could he piece together the full picture of what had happened.

He had gathered all sorts of talented individuals before, but he was hesitant to act because the few individuals within the Divine Firmament Sect who were skilled in formations were connected to his archenemies. He feared that news would leak.

It wasn't until today, when he met Xie Daoyun, that he couldn't help but glance at his second son. This son, who usually frequented pleasure houses, had been lectured by him countless times. Yet, unexpectedly, his indulgence in women this time had brought good fortune. It seemed his years of doting on him hadn't been in vain.

Soon, the large ship entered the mist, faintly revealing some rocky outcrops appearing and disappearing in the distance. Only near these rocks was visibility somewhat clear; everywhere else was enveloped in a gray, hazy fog.

"It seems we'll be fine if we follow these rocks!" Wang Neishi exclaimed excitedly.

"It's not that simple," Xie Daoyun said. "These rocks appear chaotic, but they actually correspond to constellations in the sky. It's an extremely sophisticated formation. A single mistake could lead to utter ruin."

Wang Youjun nodded silently. "Please, Miss Xie, take a closer look."

Xie Daoyun meticulously observed the arrangement of the distant rocks and then asked Wang Youjun some questions about the celestial phenomena of this world. After all, the positions and layouts of constellations differ across worlds, and thus, the formations would naturally vary.

Of course, mastery of one principle often leads to mastery of all. Once she understood the constellation layout of this world, she would naturally be able to gradually devise a way to break the formation.

Indeed, after Wang Youjun answered a few questions, Xie Daoyun became confident. She pointed at the distant rocks and said, "Go that way!"

"That's the longest path, and it's constantly flickering between light and dark. There seem to be whirlpools around it, and I can even see shadows of shipwrecks. It looks more like a dead end," Wang Neishi couldn't help but question.

"Trust me," Xie Daoyun said calmly.

Wang Youjun glanced at her, then suddenly smiled. "Proceed in the direction Miss Xie indicates."

He didn't trust Xie Daoyun explicitly, but he had faith in her mastery of formations and believed she wouldn't risk her own life.

Indeed, when the large ship approached that rock, they discovered that the whirlpools and shipwrecks had vanished. Clearly, they had been an illusion.

"Miss Xie is truly brilliant," Wang Youjun's previously tense mood completely relaxed.

At this moment, Wang Neishi pointed to the front-right. "There's also a phantom image of a shipwreck there. Should we head towards that rock now?"

Xie Daoyun shook her head. "That's not an illusion; it's a real danger. Going there leads only to death. The formator is truly ingenious, weaving truth and illusion."

Wang Neishi was speechless.

He had wanted to show off in front of the beautiful woman but ended up being humiliated. So, he stopped speaking, lest he appear even more foolish.

Soon, guided by Xie Daoyun, the large ship navigated through the rocks, moving three steps forward, often five steps back, at various bizarre angles.

As time passed, the surrounding mist grew thinner and thinner, eventually being left completely behind.

Looking at the outline of an island that suddenly appeared in the distance, the people on the ship cheered. Their gazes towards Xie Daoyun had changed dramatically. They had initially thought she was merely a new female slave their second young master had taken a liking to, but they had never expected her to be so capable.

Xie Daoyun couldn't help but ask Wang Youjun, "Senior Wang, although that formation was very troublesome, since you possess that special talisman for finding people, why didn't you use it for guidance?"

Wang Youjun replied, "I tried before, but this mist formation seems specifically designed to counteract talismans. My red-glow yellow talisman couldn't penetrate this mist."

"Oh, why would this formation be specifically designed to counteract talismans?" Xie Daoyun was puzzled. Could the formator have predicted that someone would have such a talisman?

Wang Youjun chuckled. "This was actually expected, Miss. You don't need to worry about it."

Seeing that he seemed to be hiding something, Xie Daoyun could only temporarily suppress her doubts. She exchanged a glance with Yun Jianyue, both reminding each other to stay vigilant.

Soon, the large ship docked by the island. The group disembarked and found the island covered in strange, jagged rocks, with hardly any trees.

Peculiar stone pillars stood everywhere, seemingly chaotic yet faintly exhibiting some pattern. It was unclear whether they were artificially constructed or naturally formed.

However, what truly made everyone's expressions change was that the entire small island seemed to be enveloped in a terrifying thunderstorm.

Lightning occasionally streaked across the stone pillars, and in the very center, lightning as thick as a large tree continuously struck down. The scene was like an apocalypse.

Everyone couldn't help but swallow. Was this not a forbidden zone for humans?

"Patriarch, did we come to the wrong place?" someone couldn't help but ask. Such a place seemed impassable.

"No, it's here, it must be here!" Wang Youjun's eyes were filled with excitement. The sect leader Sun En had perished when he failed his lightning tribulation. All this lightning here must be what remained from that event.

Seeing his certainty, the others didn't say much and began to figure out how to pass through this terrifying thunderstorm.

Wang Youjun looked at Xie Daoyun. "Miss Xie, are these thunderstorms controlled by some formation? Is there a way to break or eliminate them?"

Xie Daoyun's gaze fell on the stone forest. "My sixth sense tells me that these stone forests are most likely intricately connected to this thunderstorm. However, I can't figure out what kind of formation this is in a short time. If these were truly set up by a person, then their mastery is clearly far superior to mine..."

"Stone forest?" Wang Youjun pondered, then ordered one of his subordinates to strike one of the stone pillars to see if it could disrupt the formation's operation.

The man nodded, let out a roar, and his aura surged dramatically. He unleashed both fists, and his fist energy formed the phantom image of a giant bear, which fiercely lunged towards the stone pillar.

His fist energy could split stone and shatter monuments, enough to pulverize a stone pillar of that size.

However, when the giant bear's phantom struck the stone pillar, the pillar remained completely unharmed.

The man froze in disbelief. This was impossible.

Just then, electric light flashed on the stone pillar. Xie Daoyun hurriedly warned, "Watch out!"

Unfortunately, almost simultaneously, a chain-like lightning bolt shot out from the stone pillar, instantly striking the man.

A shrill scream echoed. The man, chosen by Wang Youjun to be on the ship, was naturally of considerable strength and wore valuable armor. Yet, in an instant, his armor turned to dust, his body erupted in a shower of sparks, and he fell stiffly.

By the time everyone recovered, only a charred, black object remained on the ground, still emitting smoke. A strange smell of burning flesh permeated the air.

Everyone was silent.

Wang Youjun's eyelids twitched. He then ordered his men to scout the area to see if there was another path to bypass the thunderstorm.

An hour passed, and everyone returned, having found no other routes.

Xie Daoyun also investigated everywhere, but many stone pillars were enveloped in the thunderstorm, making it impossible for her to fully observe the layout of the stone forest, and thus, she could not devise a method to break the formation.

"Since there's no way, why don't we go back and reconsider?" Wang Neishi couldn't help but say. For some reason, he felt a constant unease today, faintly perceiving an ominous aura.

"We've come all this way, how can we leave!" Wang Youjun gazed into the depths of the thunderstorm, thinking that this must be one of the three sacred talismans belonging to the sect leader, the "Exalted Divine Firmament Talisman," which could control lightning.

The lost three talismans were indeed here!

With this thought, he no longer hesitated. He suddenly reached out, and the eight beautiful maidens behind Wang Neishi were restrained by an invisible force and directly thrown into the thunderstorm ahead.

"Ah!" Screams of agony erupted. Soon, each beautiful woman's flesh and blood completely melted away, leaving only charred skeletons.

However, after this, the nearby thunderstorm was no longer as violent as it had been initially.