Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 697 - 627: Talisman Complete

Yuan Sou had been raised by monkeys in the mountains since childhood. At the age of ten, he was found and taken back by the Sword Study Family from Zhao Jun of the Zhou Kingdom, possessing more beastly than human nature.

Initially, he secretly tortured and killed the animals around their home. When that no longer satisfied him, he attacked and killed servants, even consuming their flesh.

As an adult, when his cannibalistic behaviors were exposed, he slaughtered most of his clan and fled Zhao Jun, becoming a fugitive.

He challenged, or rather attacked, renowned Sword Masters from various regions, killing them and then consuming their bodies.

Alternatively, he would disguise himself as a young cultivator on a mission to eradicate demons, adventuring alongside other talented swordsmen, jointly slaying fiends. Only at the journey’s end would he reveal his true identity, sadistically killing his companions before their disbelieving eyes.

Such experiences nurtured Yuan Sou’s Sword, driving it to pursue the extremes of sinister swiftness.

Extreme, however, also meant predictable.

Deep within the rock layers, the remaining Mo Si formed an integrated circuit, rapidly calculating the sword techniques, sword shapes, and sword momentum Yuan Sou might employ.

By combining subtle changes in Yuan Sou’s expression, the amplitude of his muscle movements, and the flow of his Qi, it made its final prediction.

Is that so...

Yuan Sou pressed against the rock wall with the back of his hand, struggling free. The sinister and cruel expression on his face suddenly vanished, and he became as calm and indifferent as an ancient, rippleless well.

On the brink of life and death, his state of mind was unprecedentedly peaceful, as if he had returned to seventy years prior.

That day, his ape foster mother and his monkey troop siblings were slaughtered before his eyes by ’clansmen’ dressed in splendid attire and wielding longswords.

In the blood-soaked grove, a woman in palace dress wept as she hugged him, speaking a language he didn’t understand, and dressed him in human clothes.

On that day, the boy raised by monkeys had died, replaced by nothing more than a wild beast in human skin.

Yuan Sou let out a slow breath, reviewing the Chapters of his past life. His hand tightened its grip on the sword hilt, his gaze sharpening once more.

He truly couldn’t understand the armor Li Ang wore, the kind that could jet fire for propulsion, but it didn’t stop him from faintly guessing why Li Ang could keep up with his sword techniques.

A computational ability far exceeding that of ordinary Telekinesis Masters...

Then let me show you a sword momentum that cannot be measured.

The longsword swayed. Yuan Sou’s shoulders seemed to split, forming a second sword-wielding arm, then a third, a fourth...

Hundreds of arms, clearly composed of pure Sword Qi, nevertheless possessed color and weight, each executing different sword techniques.

"I have roamed the world for many years and seen countless swordsmen.

"The Sword Pavilion Masters who secluded themselves for years, indifferent to worldly affairs; the young heroes fresh from the Jianghu, full of vigor and valor; the degenerate assassins who recognized only money, not people...

"I killed them, and then I ate them. Their swords became part of my body."

Yuan Sou’s indifferent voice echoed in the collapsing cave. "Thousands of changes, all tied to one sword. Its name is... Heart Ape."

***

"Did Yuan Sou die down there?!"

High in the sky, Feilian cursed loudly.

The battle was still ongoing. The Wind and Thunder Vortex created by Jun Qianzi and Lian Xuanyao, mixed with the Chaotic Wind, had expanded to cover the entire Capital Province and parts of Shannan East Road, Henan Road, Hedong Road, Hebei Dao, Guanei Road, and Jingji Road.

The members of Zhao Ming maneuvered through the air, continuously harassing Lian Xuanyao.

Lady Zhu’s silk threads could heal injuries, even mending damaged Spirit Veins.

Suo Luo’s Magic gathered Spiritual Energy, helping the others recover their Qi Sea.

It was thanks to these two that Zhao Ming’s members could maintain the battlefront, relieving Jun Qianzi of more than half the pressure.

BOOM!

The river below surged with terrifying waves as Yuan Sou’s pale Sword Qi erupted from the water, slicing through the currents.

Yuan Sou hadn’t fled alone; he was underground, fighting someone.

"Ya Jiu!" Suo Luo yelled sharply toward the ground. Ya Jiu, on the surface, instantly understood. With Zhao Ming’s members caught in a stalemate and unable to disengage, only she could go and investigate.

At this moment, the slaves and puppets controlled by Ya Jiu were split into two groups: one half was delaying the so-called Lu Bu of unknown origin, while the other half furiously attacked the river embankment to release more floodwaters.

"You, you, you, and you, go down the river to scout." The Ya Jiu Puppet issued the command. The veins on the foreheads of the singled-out cultivators bulged with rage, but, fearing Ya Jiu’s trembling fingertips, they had no choice but to jump into the water.

The river water, mixed with mud and sand, was murky and difficult to see through. Several people extended their Spiritual Sense, braced against the floodwater, and slowly descended.

BUZZ—

A chilling blast of Sword Qi suddenly shot out from the riverbed below. One person, unable to evade in time, was split from brow to waist, instantly disappearing into the swiftly flowing, murky water.

The others sensed the change and immediately tried to swim towards the river surface, but they were a step too late. They were slashed by the dense Sword Qi that pierced through the rock layers, shredding them to pieces.

The last person, in a stroke of genius amidst the crisis, did not retreat but advanced, swimming towards the riddled riverbed bottom. He lay face-up on the rocks, motionless.

Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice. Similarly, he reasoned, Sword Qi probably wouldn’t sweep over the same spot twice.

That person covered his mouth and nose, closed his eyes, not daring to look at the endless Sword Qi wantonly slicing through the river water around him, and desperately prayed to all the Gods and Buddhas in heaven.

After an unknown period, the Sword Qi finally subsided. The survivor patted himself down and, to his joyous relief, found himself unharmed, not struck by any Sword Qi.

Just then, a booming ROAR echoed. The rock layers had been destroyed. The boulder beneath him was lifted by the current, tumbling and sending him crashing towards the riverbed.

SPLAT! He died on the spot.

Yuan Sou did not know he had claimed a few more lives. Submerged in water, he still maintained his sword-drawing posture. The blade in his hand had pierced Li Ang’s abdomen, slashing upwards to his neck.

This technique, Heart Ape, amalgamated all the Sword Intent Yuan Sou had encountered in his life. It was unfettered and formless, its myriad changes exceeding the calculational limits of Heart Thought.

The will fused within it also disturbed the Mo Si, causing it to wobble and preventing it from effectively repairing the injuries.

Even though Yuan Sou himself was not faring well—the Dragon Fall Spear had pierced his chest—his injuries were not yet fatal. As long as he escaped this place, Lady Zhu, adept at healing with needlework, and Jun Qianzi, master of various strange and ancient Magic, could save his life.

GURGLE—

Li Ang opened his mouth and spewed a mouthful of bloodied water and a string of gurgling bubbles.

Yuan Sou saw it clearly—Li Ang’s mouth formed a word.

’Thank you.’

Thank you? Thank him for what?

Yuan Sou instinctively sensed something was wrong. He kicked at Li Ang’s chest and tried to surge upwards toward the river surface.

Too late.

Li Ang released the Dragon Fall Spear, his right hand grabbing Yuan Sou’s ankle to prevent his escape. His left elbow transformed into a vector nozzle, spewing fiery streams for thrust as he seized Yuan Sou by the back of the neck and slammed him into the rock layers.

On his arm’s surface, dense, tangled threads bulged.

These threads, resembling both bulging veins and writhing vines, constantly squirmed and changed.

The operational principle of a talisman involved using ink and line strokes to create specific patterns. These patterns drove Spiritual Energy to flow along the strokes, ultimately achieving the desired effect.

During this process, the talisman paper would self-ignite. This would set the vermillion ink ablaze, releasing the Talisman Master’s intent contained within. This, in turn, leveraged several, even dozens of times, the amount of nature’s spiritual energy.

Previously, in Li Ang’s experience, Mo Si had always been extremely difficult to destroy; only something like Gang Wind or other special phenomena could annihilate it.

Lesser powers could only temporarily damage Mo Si. Over time, it could still slowly heal itself.

Until now.

Yuan Sou’s Sword Intent had split open Li Ang’s chest, abdomen, and spine. It not only disrupted Mo Si’s self-healing ability but also its self-preservation instincts.

This allowed Li Ang’s control over the threads, paradoxically, to increase instead of decrease.

His gaze resolute, he controlled the Mo Si in his arm to draw patterns, focusing all the remaining Spiritual Energy from his Qi Sea into it.

Using his entire arm as a massive brush and the threads as ink, he drew a Blast Talisman.

Light flowed along the paths of his blood vessels, illuminating the dark, murky river water.

The talisman was complete.

A brilliant light surged. Then, all was silent.