Chapter 1004: Thirty Six Star Enclosures Demon Suppressing Talisman

If even Profound Spirit Taoist was like this, Chi Tian couldn’t fare much better as a matter of course.

The Tengshe that struck Ye Qing with a powerful blow was howling and rolling on the ground non-stop as if in pain. As it rolled, its skin and scale slowly came off as if it was shedding.

When the Tengshe had completely shedded its snake skin and scales, a naked man appeared before everyone’s eyes.

The man was tall, muscular, and looked incredibly similar to Chi Tian. However, he looked a dozen or so years younger, and his aura was much weaker.

There was no doubt about it though. The younger man was none other than Chi Tian.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Most people did not know this, but Profound Spirit Taoist knew that Chi Tian practiced a secret art called the “Nine Deaths Tengshe Great Art”. As long as his mind wasn’t slain in an instant, he could transform into a Tengshe and be reborn to life at a critical moment.

As its name implies, the “Nine Deaths Tengshe Great Art” could activate nine times in total, meaning that Chi Tian had nine extra lives. It was an extremely potent life-saving art to say the least.

Even better, every time the practitioner activated the “Nine Deaths Tengshe Great Art”, they could shed their old “skin” and become younger.

Of course, the cultivation art wasn’t without its flaws. For one, the practitioner’s strength and cultivation level would fall accordingly. Not only that, it became much more difficult for the practitioner to regain their former strength unless they encountered some sort of opportunity.

This was why Chi Tian didn’t look happy in the slightest despite becoming younger by an entire decade.

The next moment, Chi Tian opened his mouth and inhaled the shedded skin and scales into his stomach. His energies slowly grew stronger once more, but he ultimately failed to reach his original level. He was still a Great Trueman, but weaker than before.

After he was done, Chi Tian glowered at Profound Spirit Taoist and snarled, “You owe me an explanation, advisor.”

If Profound Spirit Taoist hadn’t trapped him with the talisman, he would have reacted to Ye Qing’s punch in time. Otherwise, the punch would have hurt him a little, but it could never force him to use the “Nine Deaths Tengshe Great Art”.

“This man’s existence is tied to our commander-in-chief and the Nanjiang Pacification Army’s survival. That is why I did what I did.”

Profound Spirit Taoist knew he had wronged the left commander-in-chief and apologized sincerely, “However, I admit that I acted in haste and caused you great harm. I promise I’ll compensate you properly when this matter is over.”

By now, Chi Tian had finally calmed down. He asked solemnly, “This man’s existence is tied to our commander-in-chief and the Nanjiang Pacification Army’s survival? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s like this. I suspect that this man stole the Sky Mending Spring under the orders of someone in the court—”

Before Profound Spirit Taoist could finish, the ground where Ye Qing was buried suddenly bulged as if someone was doing their best to push their way out. Strangely, the tough ground was stretching like a piece of soft fabric. It rose a few inches off the ground but did not shatter.

At the same time, the silhouette of a talisman suddenly appeared above the bulge. The thirty six stars on the talisman shone brightly and borrowed strength from the countless rays of starlight in the sky. They suppressed Ye Qing and prevented him from escaping no matter how hard he struggled.

“What formidable strength!”

Profound Spirit Taoist could not help but blanch a little. The talisman he used to suppress Ye Qing was called the Thirty Six Star Enclosures Demon Suppressing Talisman. It wasn’t a talisman of the Eight Views Talisman, however. It was something he picked up from an ancient abode where an Ancient-class Stranger was sealed. The seal that kept the Ancient-class Stranger suppressed was none other than the Thirty Six Star Enclosures Demon Suppressing Talisman.

The Thirty Six Star Enclosures Demon Suppressing Talisman could borrow strength from the thirty six stars in the sky to suppress all gods and demons. It boasted extraordinary power to say the least.

His version of the Thirty Six Star Enclosures Demon Suppressing Talisman could not compare to the original as a matter of course, but it was still quite potent. This especially doubly true since he had transformed into the Central Heaven Ziwei Emperor, master of the sun, moon and stars, before executing this talisman. As a result, its potency was even stronger than normal.

Despite all this, it turned out that his subjugated foe still had the strength to resist. He did not even think this was possible. What a monster!

Astonishment aside, Profound Spirit Taoist wasn’t worried. On the contrary, he was feeling quite jubilant.

The reason he wasn’t worried was because he was confident in his Thirty Six Star Enclosures Demon Suppressing Talisman. The thief had fought against tens of thousands of Nanjiang Pacification Army, him and Chi Tian. As a result, he was seriously injured and fatigued. It was one thing if he was at full strength, but at his current state, there was no way the thief could break out of his talisman.

As for why he was feeling jubilant, it was because his foe’s formidable strength meant that he hailed from an extraordinary background. While the world was a big place where everything was possible, the chances that this thief was a nameless nobody was low. It would not take too much effort to identify them and find the true mastermind.

“Do you recognize this man’s martial arts, commander-in-chief? Better yet, do you know where he’s from?”

“I wonder. First, his martial arts is a mixed bag. Second, he is a cultivator of both body and spirit. His physique is similar to the ‘Profound Yellow Art of Heaven and Earth’ practiced by the Earthly Sovereign Hall, but it’s much stronger. On the other hand, the fist art he just used closely resembles the Dark Overlord Li Hentian’s Three Origin Hammers. It is highly probable that he’s related to the Li Hentian Palace.”

Chi Tian said icily, “Whoever he is though, I’m going to uproot his family and sect from the ground up once we figure out who he is. He must pay for what he did today.”

“Indeed. It doesn’t matter which bastard sent him. Anyone who dares to challenge the Nanjiang Pacification Army must pay the price.”

Profound Spirit Taoist’s expression was cold as well. “Also, I suspect that this thief did not steal the Sky Mending Spring alone. If that’s true, then they must be hiding nearby. We will need to scour the entire Nanjiang Royal Court and root them out. They must not escape.”

“Leave this to me.”

Chi Tian’s eyes glittered with murder. “I will find them and cut them into a million pieces even if I have to turn this whole place upside down.”

“I leave it to you, commander-in-chief.”

Profound Spirit Taoist knew Chi Tian voluntarily accepted the mission not because he actually wanted to search for the thief’s cohort, but because he wanted an outlet. He had no doubt that the blood would run like a river, and the corpses would litter the streets by the time Chi Tian was done.

He didn’t stop him though. In fact, this was the plan. Not only did Chi Tian lose his son, his cultivation level had dropped as well. The commander-in-chief must be burning with rage right now. If he did not give him an opportunity to vent it all, he would surely grow resentful of Profound Spirit Taoist in the future. It did not need to be said that a commander-in-chief and a military advisor who weren’t aligned with each other meant bad news for the army.

And what was the best way for Chi Tian to vent his frustration? By killing his enemies, of course.

Chi Tian was naturally bloody and cruel. He was also extremely erratic. He treated killing as an entertainment and had committed plenty of atrocities such as wiping out entire villages or encampments back in the day. In fact, Chi Tian had wanted to massacre every prisoner of war plus the entire populace after they conquered the Nanjiang Royal Court. He didn’t only because Profound Spirit Taoist stopped him.

Now though, it no longer mattered. He thought it was worth it sacrificing some lives he didn’t care for in exchange for a harmonious working relationship with his left commander-in-chief. The populace of Nanjiang Royal Court were just the losers of war anyway. If they died, they died. He didn’t really care that much.

So, did he really think that Ye Qing had a cohort or two? Maybe, maybe not. He only needed Ye Qing. It would be nice to have more captives, but it really wouldn’t affect the situation overly much. He really just said it just to give Chi Tian an excuse to vent his anger.

“No need to look for me. I am here.”

Chi Tian turned to leave, but a bright, clear voice interrupted him. Profound Spirit Taoist and Chi Tian looked up to find a woman standing on the rooftop of the Peaceful Nanjiang Palace and looking down on them. She was dressed in black and wearing a bronze mask, and the full moon was suspended high above her head. It made her look both mysterious and dangerous.