Chapter 72: Martial Arts Talisman Puppet

The Floating Cloud Sect was in such a poor state, yet it still had treasure vaults.

Moreover, Ji Chang even had something called a Martial Arts Talisman Puppet?

Li Si felt very shocked and was very curious about the Floating Cloud Sect’s hidden wealth.

“Junior Brother, your Artifact-Control Incantation is still not proficient enough. You still cannot control a top-grade magical artifact and might hurt yourself. This Soul-Quelling Bell is for you to use…”

Jiang Ying very carefully took out an even smaller box from under the large iron chest. Opening it revealed no dazzling jewels or treasures, only rows of even smaller boxes. Li Si counted them; there were a full thirty-six!

But for some reason, whether it was Ji Chang, Xu Shen, or Jiang Ying, none of them seemed particularly envious of these magical artifacts. Of course, this might be because they all had their own artifacts.

“Junior Sister, I think that Measuring Mountain Ruler is quite good.”

Xu Shen spoke up at this moment, very seriously.

“The Measuring Mountain Ruler has great power, but it’s not easy to control. Let’s go with the Soul-Quelling Bell. It’s suitable for defense, and most importantly, it’s simple to operate.” Jiang Ying’s words, however, brooked no argument.

Li Si remained completely silent at this point, acting like an obedient good student. Not a single drop of drool escaped him.

“Junior Brother, this is our Floating Cloud Sect’s Bingzi Vault, one of only three treasure vaults remaining now. What’s stored here are all magical artifacts. The reason we didn’t give you one before is because magical artifacts are difficult to refine and are easily tainted by the Evil God’s power. Even Senior Brother Ji, Senior Brother Xu, and I actually only carry one type of artifact with us. Any extras were seized from Evil God Cultists and purified. Even Senior Brother Ji’s bow is just a ordinary weapon.”

“In short, you need to understand that the present is not like the past. Many of the Cultivator’s methods are no longer useful. When fighting enemies, first, avoid their sharp edge. Second, use Dao Technique and Divine Ability to restrain them. Third, use talismans and Formation Arrays to overcome the foe. Try not to get contaminated if possible. While magical artifacts have immense killing power, because you must attach a part of your mind to them, if they encounter corruption, the result is even worse.”

“This is also why I’m giving you the Soul-Quelling Bell. Firstly, this artifact itself has the effect of protecting the soul. For example, if you encounter the Peach Blossom Demon again, it can at least reduce its attack effect by half. Secondly, this artifact can be used together with the Shield Mountain Talisman and the Demon Sealing Talisman. The Shield Mountain Talisman can defend against blades, swords, fists, and feet. The Demon Sealing Talisman can defend against Evil Entities and demonic spirits. Later, have Senior Brother Ji give you several dozen Shield Mountain Talismans and Demon Sealing Talismans.”

Jiang Ying arranged everything without leaving room for discussion.

Ji Chang, standing to the side, could only cry out with a bitter face, “Junior Sister, no need to be so biased! The Shield Mountain Talisman isn’t easy to make; it requires special Talisman Paper. Over the past few decades, I’ve saved up less than fifty. As for the Demon Sealing Talisman, this kid can make them himself. Anyway, now that we’ve left the village, I’m the one who needs protection the most!”

“Enough, let’s hurry and set off. I’m afraid the people from Kao Mountain Town might not find our location. It would be trouble if they went all the way to the downstream Blackstone Town.”

Xu Shen urged from the side. Right now, nothing was more important than the trade deal.

For a moment, Xu Shen, Ji Chang, and Li Si quickly left the Deserted Village, leaving Jiang Ying inside the village to maintain the Divine Concealment Array. Looking back, indeed, all traces were gone.

The Floating Cloud Sect’s hidden wealth was truly substantial.

Although anxious, the three of them maintained the utmost vigilance. As soon as they left the village, without needing to be told, Li Si quickly cast one low-grade Mind-cleansing Aura and three high-grade Disaster-Averting Domains on each of them. The latter were invisible and undetectable, so Li Si didn’t hesitate.

Meanwhile, Ji Chang pulled out over a hundred paper figures made from Talisman Paper from his Storage Pouch in one breath. He tossed them into the air, a apricot-yellow command flag appearing in his hand. With a few swishes, the imposing manner of an army marching to war was instantly apparent.

When these hundred-plus paper figures landed, they immediately transformed into fully armed soldiers wearing helmets and armor, and they looked very fierce and sinister.

As Ji Chang waved the apricot-yellow command flag, these soldiers formed military formations according to their respective branches.

Those holding giant shields were in front.

Those holding long spears were behind the shield bearers.

There were also those holding bows and crossbows positioned at the rear. There were even thirty paper heavy cavalry whose charging momentum didn’t seem like paper figures at all.

The bloody, baleful aura was very real.

“Heh heh, Junior Brother Li, isn’t it amazing? This is one of the Floating Cloud Sect’s nine secret Dao Techniques: ‘Scattering Beans to Form an Army’. The talisman puppets made using this technique possess a bloody, baleful aura not inferior to that of mortal warriors who have fought a hundred battles. Their combat formation skills are rich. A military formation of a hundred soldiers like this can easily handle several hundred Demon Men.”

“Unfortunately, I made these back when I was still in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Once my cultivation regressed, it became a lost art.”

As soon as Ji Chang explained this to Li Si, the latter listened with eager eyes. The biggest advantage of this thing was that it didn’t consume human lives.

“Senior Brother, don’t worry. If this trade deal is successful and our Floating Cloud Sect can advance further, perhaps the Master will bestow a few Divine Grace Baptisms upon you. Or, you could simply follow Senior Brother Xu’s example, seek life in death, and achieve Dao Heart Purity.”

Li Si quietly comforted him, but Ji Chang just shook his head and fell silent.

Next, Ji Chang controlled the Martial Arts Talisman Puppets to occupy a hilltop on the Western Mountain. Xu Shen then quickly set up a Formation Array on this hilltop. Only then did he have Ji Chang hold the position while he and Li Si headed straight for the riverbank.

By this time, Wang Wu had already stopped the battleship. Fifty Black-Armored Warriors stood ready on the deck. Twenty Temple cultists came ashore, each taking up strategic positions. As for the large quantities of supplies, they had already been unloaded, with a boldness that was simply astonishing.

When Xu Shen and Li Si arrived, extremely tense, before they could even speak, Wang Wu narrowed his eyes and spoke first in a deep voice, “We have now pledged allegiance to Ancestor Kaoshan. By the Ancestor’s decree, we conduct trade with your Floating Cloud Sect. Cut the chatter. Inspect the goods first!”

With a wave of his hand, over twenty large chests were lined up. When the lids were opened, even from over a hundred meters away, they could be seen clearly. Xu Shen’s breathing instantly became rapid.

How could it not be rapid?

A small part of this was the Temple’s accumulated wealth, but most of it was the wealth the Returned Sea Sect had accumulated over hundreds of years.

It must be known that the Returned Sea Sect surrendered to the Evil God Cult centuries ago. Therefore, not only were the Returned Sea Sect’s own assets preserved, but over the past few hundred years, by helping the Evil God Cult hunt down and kill other Cultivators, they had also made a fortune.

These dozen or so chests were only a part of it.

Under normal circumstances, no one would bring these out for exchange, but Li Si could.

Because he knew the importance of the Old Madam suppressing Fate/Luck. If this great mountain collapsed, Kao Mountain Town would truly be unable to survive.

The Twelve World-Quelling True Immortals were the twelve Mount Buzhou pillars in this world. The reason the Evil God supported human kingdoms and the Evil God Cult was precisely because of this. Otherwise, if the Twelve World-Quelling True Immortals perished, the Evil God wouldn’t even bother paying attention to him, Li Si. Just a glance, and he would turn to ashes.

“What exactly does your Ancestor wish to exchange for?”

Xu Shen was, after all, the true chief steward of the Floating Cloud Sect. He quickly calmed down and got straight to the point. He was certain that the few dozen pieces of Talisman Paper he brought today weren’t even worthy of being embarrassingly presented before these goods.

“Kao Mountain Town needs a skilled Formation Array master to help us set up a formation that can resist the Dark Mist and Mist Demons. Additionally, it would be best to set up a few more killing arrays. Besides that, we also need a large number of talismans. Can the Floating Cloud Sect manage this?”

Wang Wu spoke coldly. What he said was roughly based on the Divine Decree Li Si had previously given him, but he elaborated on the details himself.

Moreover, he was originally worried about what to do tonight once the demon corpse oil ran out. If they could find a restraining formation from the Floating Cloud Sect here, that would be extremely good.

Hearing these conditions, Xu Shen instinctively wanted to agree. This was precisely his strong suit! With these resources, he could set up not just one, but ten formations. However, the Master’s instructions made him hesitate somewhat. Trade was allowed, but they couldn’t form deep connections.

Oh, my Master! Where would we get so many resources for an equal trade?

After hesitating for a few seconds, Xu Shen still decisively made a decision. A general in the field is not bound by orders from the court! The Floating Cloud Sect’s survival and future depended entirely on these resources.

“I can personally go and set up the relevant Formation Arrays for you, including one automatically operating Three Talents Demon-Purging Array, one Five Directions Confusing Traces Array that can bewilder Demon Men, and one Five Tribulations of Lightning Method Array. But – these goods are not enough!”

Xu Shen said proudly. He had the confidence to back this up; these were all core Formation Arrays of the Floating Cloud Sect.

Wang Wu was very tempted, but his face remained expressionless because he didn’t know what to do next… the Divine Decree wasn’t coming…

“Whoosh!”

Two consecutive pillars of cyan light fell upon Xu Shen and Li Si. It was Li Si timely bestowing a Divine Grace Baptism.

Xu Shen looked astonished. Li Si also appeared utterly surprised. As for Wang Wu on the other side, he finally revealed a slight smile.

“My Ancestor’s sincerity is absolute! You must decide immediately. Otherwise, it would be disrespecting our Mountback Sect. Even if this deal falls through, we will not let the matter rest with your Floating Cloud Sect!”

“Fine! It’s a deal!”

Xu Shen agreed. Mainly, that Divine Grace Baptism was too enticing. It could directly resolve 10% of Aberrant Corruption and increase the Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress by 1%. Tsk, why refuse? If he got a dozen more such Divine Grace Baptisms, he might even have hope for the Golden Core!

“Junior Brother, you and Senior Brother Ji take these goods back. I will make a trip to Kao Mountain Town.” Xu Shen’s tone left no room for argument. In his view, for this batch of supplies, it was worth braving even mountains of swords and seas of fire.

This boldness earned Li Si’s silent praise. The Old Madam really knew how to use people. Xu Shen was decisive and dared to take responsibility. Even the principles and bottom lines set by the Old Madam beforehand, he dared to cross immediately. If it were Ji Chang or Jiang Ying, they definitely couldn’t do it.

For now, Li Si said nothing. He just waved to Ji Chang behind him. This guy then commanded over a hundred fierce, imposing men who came over murderously and directly carried away all the various supplies. Wang Wu and the others watching them all drew in a sharp breath. Mother! So there were this many Cultivator remnants hiding near our town…

Oh, now we are Cultivator remnants too.

Wang Wu decisively changed his mindset. From now on, there would be no more new gods or old gods, only the Mountback Sect’s Kaoshan Patriarch, whose Magic Power is boundless