Chapter 37: Combat Power
The new Thunder Technique Talismans had been drawn using the skin of a Tribulation Transcendence realm cultivator. Even after being sealed away for several thousand years, the spiritual resonance they contained was still far superior to top-grade talisman paper. Previously, Lu You had never dared to try them out, fearing that their power would be too great and draw unwanted attention. This time, with five Foundation Establishment cultivators as opponents, it was the perfect chance to test them.
"Seems like I released a bit too many..."
As the Thunder Technique Talismans activated, even though Lu You was the caster—and even though he was protected by the Hell Avatar—he still felt an overwhelming pressure.
The desolate desert suddenly darkened, as if the clouds had been pressed downward by some immense weight. In the next instant, countless strands of purple lightning wove together into a curtain of thunder, crashing down like a stampede of ten thousand horses. The lightning tore the sky apart, condensing into an incomparably blazing radiance. It was the power formed by innumerable bolts converging, grinding against the air to produce rainbow-like, dazzling light.
Zhang Xiansheng and the other four stared blankly at the thunder filling the heavens. Then, in the next moment, their bodies were swallowed by the gorgeous, resplendent purple lightning. There was no blood, no screams. As the Thunder Technique Talismans flared, heavenly thunder descended like a mighty decree. Even the rocky, uneven desert was flattened by the lightning, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth.
"So powerful!"
Even with the Hell Avatar shielding him, Lu You felt his body go hollow, his spiritual energy nearly drained dry. This time, he had used fewer than ten thousand Thunder Technique Talismans, yet the spiritual energy in his body was almost insufficient.
The high-grade talismans he had used before were like ordinary pistols, one didn't need much spiritual energy to fire them. But Thunder Technique Talismans reinforced with the skin of a Tribulation Transcendence realm cultivator were already like sniper rifles. If an ordinary person tried to use them, they might not even be able to withstand the recoil.
Taking spirit stones out of the small cauldron, Lu You rapidly replenished his spiritual energy through them.
"Just a small piece of skin sealed away for ten thousand years already has this kind of power. If a Tribulation Transcendence realm cultivator were to come in person, wouldn't they be able to shatter heaven and earth?"
Seeing the might of his talismans, Lu You's longing for the path of cultivation grew even stronger. The ancient map in his possession was only about the size of two palms. It had already been in the hands of Evil Eye for several thousand years—and who knew how long it had existed before that? One could only imagine how terrifying a Tribulation Transcendence realm powerhouse truly was. Even thousands of years after death, the residual might of a mere piece of skin was enough to elevate an ordinary first-grade Thunder Technique Talisman to the level of instantly killing Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Zhang Xiansheng and the other five Foundation Establishment cultivators were obliterated so completely that not even scraps remained. Ironically, Hu Da—whom Lu You had killed at the very beginning and tossed at his feet—had his corpse preserved instead, protected by the Hell Avatar stepping over it.
"They sent out communication talismans before they died. There's a chance other experts will rush over to support them at any moment. I can't use the new Thunder Technique Talismans in large quantities—during the gap when I'm replenishing my spiritual energy, I'd be killed dozens of times over."
Lu You had a clear understanding of his own strength. No matter how powerful the Thunder Technique Talismans were, their consumption was enormous. He glanced at Hu Da's corpse, the corner of his mouth curling up. Taking out more than a dozen Thunder Technique Talismans, he placed them on Hu Da's chest, deliberately pressing the side with the talisman patterns face-down and leaving the side engraved with the map facing up.
"Evil Eye, you can control corpses as puppets, right?"
"Boss, Hu Da's too weak. What's the point of controlling him? Wouldn't it be better to keep the corpses of those Foundation Establishment cultivators just now?" Evil Eye didn't quite understand what Lu You was doing, but still carried out his orders right away.
Evil Eye condensed a drop of blood and dripped it into Hu Da's corpse. In the next instant, Lu You sensed a thread of connection form between himself and Hu Da's body. Seeing that the plan would work, Lu You transferred a trace of spiritual energy into Hu Da. With this operation, Lu You had turned Hu Da into a trap: as soon as someone approached, Hu Da's corpse would use that bit of spiritual energy to activate the dozen Thunder Technique Talismans.
"Even if a dozen can't kill anyone, it should be able to buy me some time."
Lu You did want to rig ten thousand of them to blow up any pursuers too, but his spiritual energy was limited—and so was the amount of spiritual energy the puppet could hold. With Lu You's cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining, using a puppet to trigger a dozen Tribulation Transcendence realm Thunder Technique Talismans was already the limit of what he could manage.
Not daring to delay any longer, Lu You identified his direction and activated the Divine Speed Talisman, Light Rock Talisman, and Beginner Wind Talisman together. By lightening his body's mass, then using the speed boost from the Divine Speed Talisman and the assistance of the gale, Lu You hurried back toward the direction of the Verdant Cloud Sect.
There were many ways to use Teleportation Talismans. They could be activated one by one—each time randomly teleporting about a hundred meters—or activated all at once. This time, Lu You had used the second method: thousands of Teleportation Talismans activated together. After deducting the losses from long-distance transmission, that was how he had managed to clutch five Foundation Establishment cultivators and randomly teleport a thousand li away into the desert.
The initial teleportation had only taken an instant. Now that he was running back on foot, he finally realized how far the distance truly was. Even with three talismans stacked together, Lu You would need to run without rest for a full day to make it back.
. ..
On the other side, Huo Chuan suddenly opened his eyes in the great hall. He then reached out and caught the spiritual energy sent by the communication talisman.
"Zhang Xiansheng has discovered Dongfang Bubai, and it was an urgent message. Perhaps they've already clashed with Dongfang Bubai. Hahaha~ just as I thought, Hu Da really was Dongfang Bubai's subordinate."
Huo Chuan laughed loudly, then summoned a longsword from his storage space.
"Master is truly brilliant. With just a small scheme, you lured Dongfang Bubai out into the open!" Wu Tong said with an excited face, laying on the flattery. Seeing Huo Chuan summon his flying sword, Wu Tong added, "Master, Dongfang Bubai's accomplices destroyed my treasured artifact and blew up my Myriad Talismans Pavilion. I want to go too, let me see how Master deals with him."
"Fine. I'll take you along this time. Hmph. Judging by the timing, Dongfang Bubai is probably hiding in the lower districts of the city. With my flying sword, I can arrive there in a laugh." Huo Chuan waved his hand, and the flying sword shone with golden light as it rose into the air. After sensing the location from the communication talisman, Huo Chuan was just about to take Wu Tong onto the sword when he suddenly staggered, nearly falling off.
"Master?" Wu Tong asked, confused by the ugly look on Huo Chuan's face.
"Hmph. On second thought, you are my most beloved disciple. If I clash with Dongfang Bubai and she has some hidden trump card, you might get hurt. This time, I'll go alone."
With a cold expression, Huo Chuan said this without waiting for Wu Tong's reply. He immediately urged the flying sword onward, vanishing alone into the sky. Only after Wu Tong could no longer see him did Huo Chuan's face grow grave.
"What's going on? How did Zhang Xiansheng chase them this far?"
The distance shown by the communication talisman pointed to a desert over a thousand li away. Even on a flying sword, it would take about the time it took to burn an incense stick to reach it. Though puzzled by how far Zhang Xiansheng had gone, Huo Chuan wasn't particularly worried. If Dongfang Bubai were truly a Golden Core expert, Zhang Xiansheng likely wouldn't have had the chance to activate the communication talisman at all. And at Golden Core speeds, traveling only a few thousand li in this amount of time would be far too little.
"Looks like that Dongfang Bubai is only half a step into Golden Core at best. Hmph, clever enough, but unlucky enough to run into me."
The time it took to burn an incense stick wasn't long. Huo Chuan soon arrived at the battlefield where Lu You had fought the five Foundation Establishment cultivators. At a glance, he spotted Hu Da's corpse.
"That is—!"
With the extraordinary eyesight of a Golden Core cultivator, Huo Chuan immediately caught sight of the corner of the ancient map exposed on the corpse.
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