Chapter 259: Chapter 248: Major Version Update
In the windless chamber, white mist drifted.
Qi Yun’s eyes were half-closed. Within the Ancestral Acupoint at the center of his brow, the Daluo Heaven slowly revolved.
The Dao Foundation Jade Palace he had taken from Xuan Ping now hung in the very center of his Daluo Heaven. It was as translucent as amber, yet the light and shadows within it flowed ceaselessly, like a miniature grotto-heaven, frozen yet still in motion.
After observing the Dao Foundation for a moment, Qi Yun sent a wisp of his consciousness forward, lightly touching the edge of the Jade Palace.
A soft, almost imperceptible chime sounded out as a ripple spread across the Jade Palace’s surface.
As the ripple passed, the once-solid form of the Dao Foundation began to look like an ancient, water-soaked scroll.
Its ink began to bleed and run along its inherent patterns.
This was the network of Dao Patterns for the Upper Profound Hunting Technique.
Within the Jade Palace, myriad wisps of gossamer light ignited in succession, following an ancient and rigid order: the Celestial Hunting Order and the Earth Hunting Net.
Each wisp of light was a "seed" of Talismanic Intent.
Now, drawn by the aura of Daluo Heaven, they began to awaken one by one.
The myriad instances of Talisman True Intent that formed the core of the Upper Profound Hunting Technique no longer maintained the palace’s form, instead dissolving into a brilliant, flowing "Talisman River." Each drop in this river was a miniature Talisman True Intent: there were Conquest Talismans evoking clashing armies, Guardian Talismans as steady as mountains, elusive Cloud Tracking Talismans, and Spiritual Vision Talismans that could perceive the unseen...
These True Intents were no longer bound to the specific combinations and methods Xuan Ping had cultivated.
Instead, they reverted to their most primal form as Talismans—a blank state, waiting to be inscribed and imbued with meaning.
The majestic Talisman River surged into Daluo Heaven. Rather than flowing to a single point, it dispersed into the boundless void, like billions of living seeds sinking into fertile soil.
Gradually, new Dao Patterns began to coalesce naturally within the void—simple, yet profoundly meaningful.
These Dao Patterns belonged to no known system of Talisman Skills, yet they seemed to hold a fundamental truth about the very origin of Talismans.
They resembled brushstrokes, the orbits of stars, the purest distillation of form.
At that moment, the aura around Qi Yun grew even more profound and inscrutable.
He hadn’t directly obtained any new Talisman Skills or Divine Techniques, but a realization dawned on him.
From now on, in all things—the contours of mountains and rivers, the gathering and scattering of clouds, even the fleeting ripple of a human thought—he could perceive the "talismanic shapes" and "talismanic principles" naturally hidden within.
The art of Talisman Skills, he now understood, was simply to take the formless "patterns" that already existed between Heaven and Earth and solidify them, using Magical Power as ink and Divine Sense as a brush.
He opened his eyes.
No brilliant light burst from his eyes; instead, they were utterly clear and tranquil.
He raised his right hand and casually traced a line in the air with his index finger.
He channeled no Magical Power, uttered no Spell.
Yet, where his fingertip passed, a faint, fleeting trace of Cyan Gold naturally appeared in the air.
The mark formed no talisman, yet it seemed to faintly resonate with the flickering rhythm of the candle flame and the weak, distant pulse of the Earth Vein outside the window.
The trace dissipated.
Qi Yun lowered his hand. The chamber was still, the candle flame steady.
Only he knew that the Dao Foundation of the Upper Profound Hunting Technique had been completely unmade.
Its essence, its nourishment, had silently seeped into the far more vast and fertile soil of his own Daluo Heaven.
In the quiet chamber, the Magic Technique Panel, visible only to Qi Yun, rippled like the surface of water.
A line of archaic text materialized from the ether, slowly coming into focus:
[Magic Technique auto-update complete. This is a major version update. Magic Technique has been reworked.]
[Magic Technique Removed: Foundation Establishment Realm Talismanic Skill.]
[Divine Power Skill Added: Upper Profound Talisman.]
[Upper Profound Talisman: Greatly increases aptitude for Talisman Skills. Removes all medium restrictions for Talisman Skills.]
"A Divine Power Skill?"
Qi Yun’s gaze sharpened.
A Divine Power Skill was an extremely rare anomaly among magic techniques. Its potential power was comparable to the Innate Divine Techniques that a Cultivator refined with their very life force.
A Foundation Establishment Master, even one who reached the Great Master Realm, typically only possessed three Divine Techniques to protect their path.
He possessed a Venerable Dao Foundation and had been blessed by the heavens with a Venerable Divine Technique; this was already a stroke of incredible fortune.
He’d never imagined that refining Xuan Ping’s Dao Foundation would allow his original Talisman Skill to ascend to the heavens in a single leap, transforming it into a true Divine Power Skill!
’Of course... The updates to my magic are rooted in the nourishment of Daoist Intent.’
’And in this world, what could possibly contain a purer, more immense Daoist Intent than the complete Dao Foundation of a Master, forged through tribulations and tempered for a century?’
As the thought flashed through his mind, Qi Yun immediately understood the crux of the matter.
Suppressing the surge of excitement, he focused his attention on the newly acquired Upper Profound Talisman.
’Removes all medium restrictions for Talisman Skills...’ he repeated in a low voice, his eyes gleaming.
’No need for Talisman Paper or Spiritual Ink, no need to set up an altar for Qi Circulation, not even the need to deliberately sense and channel the corresponding Daoist Intent from Heaven and Earth... What does this mean?’
His will spurred him to action.
Qi Yun raised his right index finger but did not draw upon the vast ocean of Magical Power within him.
With only a flicker of his Divine Thought, he lightly traced a line in the air.
The motion was casual, as if brushing away a speck of dust.
Yet along the path his finger traced, the Spiritual Mechanism within the chamber seemed to be guided by an unseen pattern, surging and converging of its own accord!
Specks of ice-blue light precipitated from the void, rapidly coalescing and extending to form the spectral image of a complex, archaic Talisman that radiated a bitterly cold Dao Rhyme.
The Three Rivers Bitter Cold True King Talisman!
The moment the Talisman formed, the temperature in the chamber plummeted.
A thin layer of Dark Blue Ice Crystals formed on the floor and walls, and a subtle, high-pitched hum filled the air, like the sound of a glacier cracking.
The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, completed in an instant.
There was no incantation, no prepared materials, no channeling of Magical Power of a specific attribute.
Merely a thought and a single gesture.
And the Spiritual Mechanism of Heaven and Earth responded naturally, forming the Talisman.
’Casting aside all external aids, forming a talisman with bare hands, the technique following the thought...’ Qi Yun mused, watching the ice-blue Talisman spin before his finger and radiate a terrifying chill. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
’So this is... the Upper Profound Talisman!’
With another thought, the Cold Talisman—one that would force an ordinary Foundation Establishment Master to face it with utmost seriousness—silently dissipated, its wisps of ice-blue Daoist Intent returning to Heaven and Earth.
"Good."
Qi Yun breathed out the single word.
Acquiring this Divine Power Skill meant far more than simply gaining another powerful offensive tool.
It fundamentally changed the way Qi Yun utilized the dao of the Talisman.
From now on, Talisman Skills would be as natural to him as breathing, as effortless as moving his own limbs.
When facing a foe, a mere thought would conjure countless talismans;
when setting up Array Formations and Restrictions, a casual gesture would weave profound masterworks.
The chamber was silent, the candlelight steady.
Qi Yun lowered his gaze, watching the wisp of Talismanic Intent and Spiritual Light that flickered in and out of existence at his fingertip, born and extinguished by his will alone.
The faint unease he felt about the perplexing situation in the Northwest, born from his long meditation, was gradually replaced by a clearer resolve.
’Observing the situation from within is ultimately like trying to see flowers in a fog,’
he murmured, his voice sounding especially clear in the spacious chamber.
’Since the undercurrents are so turbulent, making it impossible to see the way...
...it would be better to wade into the waters myself.’
His mind made up, he hesitated no longer.
He slowly rose, and his Deep Blue Daoist Robe stirred as if in a nonexistent wind.
The vast, all-encompassing intent of his Daluo Heaven began to retract, turning inward and transforming.
His aura was no longer as profound as the ocean; it gradually became light and translucent—like morning mist in a mountain gorge, or fresh bamboo after a rain.
With the faintest of sounds, his facial bones, muscle fibers, and skin began to shift, rearranging themselves naturally under the precise control of his Magical Power.
Within a few breaths, an unfamiliar yet handsome face had taken shape.
He had open, well-defined features, and his clear eyes held the distinct Spiritual Light of a Talisman Cultivator, his lips set in a habitually firm line.
He exuded the subtle air common to young Cultivators: fresh-faced and new to the world, yet striving for an air of composure.
Simultaneously, he adjusted the way he circulated his Magical Power, imitating the unique rhythm of an orthodox Talisman Sect Cultivator: guiding qi with the spirit, commanding talismans with the will.
As his Magical Power circulated, it caused a faint, orderly tremor in the surrounding Spiritual Mechanism, as if an invisible Talisman Brush were sketching basic Dao Patterns in the air.
His immense Daoist Intent was now completely transformed into the pure, unadulterated true intent of Talisman Skills, devoid of any worldly taint.
He was pure and upright, the very picture of a promising young sprout of the Righteous Dao who had received a true inheritance.
He raised a hand, conjuring a smooth Ice Mirror from the air.
The man in the mirror wore a simple green robe. His posture was ramrod straight, and he exuded the aura of a Talisman Cultivator shaped by a formal tradition—slightly reserved, yet with a hidden sharpness.
This was a far cry from the bloodthirsty, treacherous, and grim aura common to the Northwest Demon Path. It was also completely distinct from the isolated Sword Intent of the Cyan Sect, the fiery opulence of Fengduo, and the ghastly, deathly stillness of the Yellow Springs Netherworld.
’Among the Four Sects, only my Holy Sect has a heritage as vast as the ocean, with myriad expressions. Only we could produce such a "pure-blooded and proper" disguise.’
Qi Yun gave a slight nod to his reflection, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
The Holy Sect’s Daoist Skills were all-encompassing, with countless offshoots and branch lineages.
Its disciples possessed a vast array of temperaments and Cultivation Skills, making it nearly impossible to discern their origins at a glance.
This identity was perfect for infiltrating the Nanyin camp.
With a flick of his sleeve, Qi Yun dismissed the Ice Mirror and delayed no further.
He took a single step, and his body transformed into a streak of pure cyan Escape Light, its Spiritual Light contained within. It passed through the Palace’s layers of Restrictions as easily as smoke, silently melting into the dim sky and billowing war smoke outside.
His direction was not toward his own front lines, nor toward the chaotic battlefield.
Instead, he headed south, toward the place where faint banners could be seen and a grim, murderous aura hung like an iron curtain between Heaven and Earth.
He was going to enter the tiger’s den himself. He wanted to see what undercurrents churned and what hidden schemes lay beneath the Nanyin Dynasty’s campaign against the Northwest, a campaign waged alongside the various Righteous Dao sects under the noble banner of "Subduing Demons and Defending the Dao."
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