Chapter 435: Did I Come At The Wrong Time?

The Conservation Master had explained in detail the origin of this hidden realm to Chu Liang.

During the ancient times, there was an extraordinary individual who studied the Dao of Talisman-Making. He traversed the nine provinces and four seas. He was the one who opened up the doors to control the Great Dao of Talismanic Script. He founded the Celestial Talisman Sect and passed down his legacy to the future generations.

He was known as the First Celestial Talisman Master.

If members of the Celestial Talisman Sect wished to earn the esteemed title of "Celestial Talisman Master," they would first need to become the sect leader. More importantly, they had to master all talismanic arts of the world and become the Dao Master of Talismanic Script.

However, this was extremely difficult.

It was a thousand times more difficult to become a talisman specialist than a cultivator, and it was a hundred times harder to become the Dao Master of Talismanic Script than a Dao Master of other kinds of Great Daos.

It required not only exceptional comprehension but also top-notch intelligence. This could only be achieved by a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.

In simple terms, one would need to be smart enough

.

Thus, over the thousand years that the Celestial Talisman Sect had passed down its legacy, only six individuals managed to earn the title of "Celestial Talisman Master."

Although there were few talisman specialists, they possessed immense power. These few individuals alone enabled the Celestial Talisman Sect to remain a top force across the nine provinces, with a status comparable to the current immortal sects in the Divine Nine.

However, it was precisely because of the lack of talisman specialists that the death of even one was a significant loss to the sect. During the chaos stirred up by the Demon God three thousand years ago, the Celestial Talisman Sect was nearly annihilated.

Only a few disciples survived. Although they tried their best to support the sect, the sect only managed to live on for only a few more generations. Eventually, the sect's legacy was completely lost, and it vanished from the world.

Recently, thunder and rain suddenly struck the old site of the Celestial Talisman Sect. The sounds of landslides and earth cracking echoed through the area, yet the surrounding peaks remained eerily calm.

This immediately caught the attention of several immortal sects.

Eventually, six immortal sects discovered the hidden realm together. According to the custom of the nine provinces, the six sects would explore the hidden realm together.

In reality, some smaller immortal sects noticed the strange occurrences at the old site. However, due to their lower status, the six immortal sects collaborated and forced them out of the competition for this venture. Since these six sects were all part of the Divine Nine and shared the same ranking, they couldn't exclude each other from this venture.

The elders who ventured into the hidden realm investigated and confirmed that it was indeed the one used by the Celestial Talisman Sect to select the successor of the First Celestial Talisman Master's legacy. The six sects then agreed to each send one disciple to undertake the trial for this legacy.

This was how the exploration of the hidden realm started.

In the world of immortality cultivators, this would just be a regular trial, with multiple sects undergoing the challenge together.

But it was the first time Chu Liang had ever witnessed something like this... Could the entire world truly be constructed from talismanic scripts? He found it hard to believe.

When he killed that flying tiger, he sensed that the dissipating life force was nothing more than an intricate and incredibly complex talismanic spell... "Talismanic Character of Illusion, Talismanic Script of Wind, Talismanic Character of Viciousness..." Chu Liang muttered, carefully immersing himself in the power contained within the talismanic scripts.

When he was at the Hall of Conservation, he could easily deduce and deconstruct each talisman into its individual elements. However, he found himself at a loss when he tried to decipher the lingering aura of the vicious beast after it had shattered into pieces.

It was too complex.

For a talismanic spell capable of transforming into a vicious beast, even if he had the talisman right in front of him to replicate, it would still take him a year to complete it. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his hand and drew the Talismanic Script of Fire in the air.

In an instant, a ball of flame ignited out of thin air! A look of satisfaction finally crossed his face. Just as he suspected, the power of the Great Dao wasn't forbidden here; it was just that it could only be accessed through talismanic scripts.

Everything here was crafted through talismanic scripts, and all divine abilities had to be executed using them.

What a grand design.

He had ventured through numerous hidden realms before, but never had he encountered one that could entirely reshape the rules governing the execution of the Great Dao.

The profound cultivation of the First Celestial Talisman Master was demonstrated in every aspect of this realm.

... After gaining a basic understanding of the fundamental elements of this realm, he was ready to leave. But as soon as he reached the main door, he realized that he couldn't push the door open.

Even with the activation of his dragon blood, he couldn't make the door budge even an inch.

The same was true for both the front and back doors.

What's going on?

Chu Liang wondered.

Since the purpose of this hidden realm is to pass on the Celestial Talisman Master's legacy, he can't possibly have designed something to trap the disciple in this space. This sealed door must be another test.

Chu Liang stepped back a few paces, deep in thought.

As he carefully observed his surroundings, he realized that the walls were subtly curved at the center of each side.

With eight distinct edges, it reminded him of the Eight Trigrams.

"Wait..." A thought flashed through Chu Liang's mind as he delved into his memories, searching for a connection.

"The direction where the vicious beast appeared earlier was..." he muttered to himself, pointing to the side, "There."

He continued, "That's Xun of the eight trigrams[1] so it's the Talismanic Script of Wind?"

"In that case, the Door of Life should be..." His gaze shifted to another direction, but instead of an open path, he was met with a solid wall. Chu Liang hesitated for a moment, but then determination filled his eyes as he approached the wall and tried to push it. Yet, it was solid and would not move at all.

He paused to ponder once more. After a moment of reflection, he drew the talismanic script of the mountain and gently pressed his hand against the wall.

In an instant, a flash of light enveloped him, and his body seemed to be swallowed by the wall. With another flicker, he found himself outside the hall.

The sound of wind and thunder roared in his ears.

Before him rose a towering mountain peak, seeming to pierce the very heavens. The sky was cloaked in dark clouds, with torrential rain pouring down. Pitch-black floodwaters swirled around the mountain, turning the landscape into an endless, chaotic marshland.

At the edge of the peak, a solitary figure stood with its back to Chu Liang, gazing into the distance.

Someone got out faster than me?

Chu Liang glanced at the figure's back and recognized it as Ye Yongxing from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion.

Sensing someone behind him, Ye Yongxing turned his head. His eyes initially held a trace of anxiety, but upon seeing Chu Liang, he suddenly paused. "Huh?"

Having previously been aided by the Celestial Pivot Pavilion, Chu Liang nodded in acknowledgment with a smile. Since Pushan had mentioned that Ye Yongxing preferred to remain socially withdrawn, Chu Liang refrained from initiating a greeting, concerned it might cause him discomfort.

However, Ye Yongxing continued to stare at Chu Liang with a puzzled expression for quite a while.

Chu Liang began to feel uneasy under his gaze.

Isn't Ye Yongxing supposed to avoid people? So why is he staring at me like this?

Am I not a person?

Just as Chu Liang was about to speak, Ye Yongxing suddenly asked, "Are you Chu Liang?"

"That's me..." Chu Liang replied, unsure of where this was leading.

"How strange," Ye Yongxing muttered to himself, his expression distant.

"Brother Ye, you..." Chu Liang chuckled awkwardly. "What's the matter?"

"My apologies." Ye Yongxing quickly realized he had been a bit rude and said, "When I look at you, I sense something different, something I don't feel when I see others. That's why I lost my composure."

"Huh?" But when Chu Liang heard this, he felt scared.

Didn't Pushan say this guy was socially withdrawn? So why is he making me feel so scared right now?

Noticing Chu Liang's uneasy expression, Ye Yongxing realized how strange his words must have sounded. After a brief hesitation, he asked, "Have you ever heard of the immortal art Netherworld Revelation?"

"Netherworld Revelation?" Chu Liang replied, "I've heard a little about it."

It was an extremely powerful and profound immortal art, typically practiced only by the Eminent Ones who had mastered the art of divination. This art allowed one to see a person's death, roughly predicting the manner and time of their demise, allowing certain Eminent Ones the ability to defy fate and alter destiny.

"My mother mastered Netherworld Revelation while she was pregnant with me. I... was affected and was born with the Netherworld Eye," Ye Yongxing said slowly.

"Netherworld Eye?"

"Whenever I look at someone, I can see how they died..." Ye Yongxing said. "Although I am unable to predict the entire story of their death like Netherworld Revelation, but the images I see are extremely vivid and real."

Can such things happen?

With this explanation, Chu Liang began to understand why he didn't dare to look at people.

Since Ye Yongxing was born, everyone he looked at carried a horrifying image of their death. It's no wonder he didn't dare to look at people.

"But the strange thing is..." Ye Yongxing continued, "I can't see yours."

"Huh?" Chu Liang was taken aback by what Ye Yongxing said.

But then a thought crossed his mind—it might be something on him that was obscuring the secrets of heaven, like the mysterious White Pagoda...

As they continued their conversation, Monk Pushan approached from the other side.

When Pushan saw Chu Liang and Ye Yongxing talking outside without any apparent difficulty, he was a bit surprised.

Ye Yongxing didn't seem as introverted as the rumors suggested. After all, he was chatting just fine with Chu Liang, whom he'd just met, so surely he could talk to me too

, Pushan thought.

With a cheerful demeanor, Pushan walked over and greeted them, "You both made it out!"

But when Ye Yongxing glanced at him, his expression suddenly turned strange, and he quickly lowered his head, half-turning away, as if refusing to take another look at his face.

"..." Pushan momentarily froze in place.

Oh, so he's not socially withdrawn. He's just avoiding me.

Did I come at the wrong time?

1. Xun (wind) is one of the eight trigrams, represented by the symbol ?. It also forms part of the 64 hexagrams, composed of two trigrams. In the eight-trigram system, Xun symbolizes the wind, which blows gently, dispersing and permeating everything it touches. ☜