Chapter 35: Beast Luring Talisman

At that time, the Xiao Family disciples were casually guarding the valley entrance. They chatted and laughed with each other:

“I say, old brother. We’ve been guarding here all night and haven’t even seen a single hair of a Monster Beast. Standing in this freezing snowy weather, drinking wind in the wild—isn’t this suffering? Do you think the City Lord received wrong information?”

“Hehe…” one of them chuckled and said, “I say, young brother, no need to overthink it. There are four main passages from Fang Tian City to our Zhongdu City. One is the Imperial Highway, which has few mountains and little water—Monster Beasts don’t like going there. So the Imperial Highway is the least likely place for Monster Beasts to appear, which is why the City Lord’s Manor took it to guard.

The second is Luofeng Ridge, where there’s only one narrow path, so narrow that only one Monster Beast can pass through at a time. It’s an extremely easy place to defend but hard to attack, so the Wu Family took it to guard. And this valley our Xiao Family is guarding is called Changri Valley. Although Changri Valley is large, the entrance leading to Zhongdu City is very small—only wide enough for three Monster Beasts to walk side by side. So as long as we guard this valley entrance, the Monster Beasts inside are like being trapped in a tied sack—it’s also an easy place to defend but hard to attack.

Only Tongyou Valley, guarded by the Xu Clan, is very open and extremely difficult to defend. I think Monster Beasts are intelligent too; they should all be heading toward Tongyou Valley. That’s why we naturally don’t even see a hair of Monster Beasts here, hahaha…”

“Hahaha…” the surrounding Xiao Family disciples laughed heartily together.

“This is Changri Valley?”

Hidden in the air, Xu Ziyan immediately confirmed her location upon hearing this was Changri Valley. On her way from Zhongdu City to Changri Valley, she had talked with Xu Li and others, and through their descriptions, she had gained a clear understanding of the geographical surroundings of Zhongdu City. Now that she knew her location, Xu Ziyan of course would not get lost again.

Just as she was about to fly toward Tongyou Valley, Xu Ziyan suddenly stopped. An idea uncontrollably rose in her heart:

“Since the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family joined forces to harm our Xu Clan, why can’t I harm them?”

Thinking this, Xu Ziyan focused her mind. Following the path of the falling snowflakes, her figure drifted silently away from Changri Valley and landed in a hollow about one li away from Changri Valley.

She searched nearby and found a flat, smooth rock. Taking out a Talisman Brush and Talisman Paper from her Storage Pouch, Xu Ziyan did not hesitate at all. She moved the brush swiftly, quickly drawing one Talisman. Then she immediately put that Talisman into her Storage Pouch, and without pause, drew two more identical Talismans in succession, quickly storing them in her Storage Pouch as well.

Why was Xu Ziyan so tense about the Talismans she made, storing each one in her Storage Pouch immediately after creation? It was because the Talismans she made this time were not for attack or defense, but a kind of Beast Luring Talisman.

This type of Talisman has a deadly attraction for Monster Beasts. It can mimic the scent of an herb called Treading Void Grass, which, if consumed by a Monster Beast, would make it level up immediately. Humans cannot smell the scent of Treading Void Grass, but Monster Beasts can detect it from very far away. Then they instinctively swarm toward the source of the scent.

The Beast Luring Talisman uses the Formation within the Talisman to convert absorbed Spiritual Energy into the scent of Treading Void Grass. As long as a corner of the Beast Luring Talisman is torn, this scent will continuously be released and can last for four hours.

“Hehe, since you three families want to harm our Xu Clan, I’ll just lure all the Monster Beasts to your three families.”

Xu Ziyan’s body melted into the snow, drifting with the wind. In just an instant, she returned to Changri Valley. Hidden in the air, she looked around and then quietly landed about five hundred meters behind the Xiao Family team. She tore a corner of the Talisman and shallowly buried it in the ground.

This way, the Monster Beasts would be attracted by the scent of the Beast Luring Talisman and swarm toward Changri Valley. At the valley entrance of Changri Valley were the disciples of the Xiao Family guarding it. Those Monster Beasts, wanting to get close to the Beast Luring Talisman, would inevitably have to charge through the Xiao Family guards. And the Xiao Family would absolutely not allow the Monster Beasts to break through, especially since behind them in Zhongdu City were their parents and relatives. Thus, the Xiao Family and the Monster Beasts would have no choice but to fight fiercely.

After burying the first Beast Luring Talisman, Xu Ziyan focused her mind. Her figure hidden in the air, she quickly headed toward Luofeng Ridge. The snow fell more and more heavily, seeming to connect heaven and earth into one. Xu Ziyan used the snow cover to fly extremely fast. After one hour, she already saw Luofeng Ridge from the air.

Quietly burying the Beast Luring Talisman five hundred meters behind the Wu Family’s position, Xu Ziyan then hurriedly flew toward the Imperial Highway. After placing the last Beast Luring Talisman five hundred meters behind the City Lord’s Manor team, Xu Ziyan finally flew quickly toward Tongyou Valley.

Two hours later, Xu Ziyan already saw Xu Jin and the others standing on the hillside, carefully keeping watch. Xu Ziyan landed far away and then walked toward the hillside. Though she was walking on the mountain path where Monster Beasts had come the previous night, she felt no tension at all. Instead, she thought to herself:

“Those Monster Beasts should now be heading toward the Imperial Highway, Changri Valley, and Luofeng Ridge!”

The snow had gradually weakened by now, and the wind had also calmed down. The snowflakes were large but fell slowly, drifting and dancing beautifully. Amid the fluttering snowflakes filling the sky, Xu Ziyan, wearing a sapphire blue robe that set off her fair face, bright eyes, and white teeth, walked slowly through the hazy snowfall. It formed an incredibly beautiful picture.

The people on the hillside were stunned. What an elegant picture it was! It gave a sense of tranquility and ethereal beauty to the soul. Everyone seemed immersed in that picture.

Xu Ziyan walked up the hillside and saw everyone staring dumbly at her. She looked down at herself uneasily but found nothing unusual except snowflakes. Then she looked at everyone, puzzled.

“Wow! Sister Ziyan, you’re so beautiful!”

Xu Li jumped to Xu Ziyan’s side, reaching out with both hands to grasp one of Xu Ziyan’s hands, shaking it nonstop.

“Whew~~”

Everyone let out a collective sigh, snapping out of their daze. Xu Jin walked up to Xu Ziyan, glanced at her, and then nodded, saying:

“You really went to break through!”

“Really? Sister Ziyan, you broke through again? You’re now at the Ninth Layer of Houtian?”

This time it wasn’t Xu Li who shouted, but Xu Qingxue. This girl, who always focused only on Cultivation, looked Xu Ziyan up and down with shock and envy, her eyes revealing a hint of loss.