Lin Yangtian staggered back with his remaining forces, battered and humiliated. His robes had been shredded by heavenly lightning, leaving his exposed skin blotched with scorched black and raw white patches.
Looking at the few people left standing, his frustration only grew.
They had set out withfortydisciples.
Now, fewer thantenhad made it back—every single one of them injured.
And among the dead, most were his personal subordinates.
While the lives ofHoly Sectdisciples weren’t worth much in the grand scheme of things, these were still men he had trained for years—whether strong or weak, at least they understood his commands.
Losing them all in such a short time…hurt.
Even Lin Yangtian had to admit—
It was only because this senior brother had acted so decisively that they had managed to carve a path through the panicked rabble and flee thethunderstorm helloutside.
“…What now?”
The two exchanged bitter glances.
They hadneverexpectedJiushan Sectto be bold enough to block their gateway.
And even worse—
They actually couldn’t getout.
“TheseJiushan Sectbastards… they’re too devious!” one of their surviving comrades spat through gritted teeth.
If they were fightinginside the Thunder Pool, their numbers alone would have overwhelmedJiushan Sectdespite the power restrictions.
But because the gateway itself had entry and exit limitations, the situation had flipped—
TheoutnumberedJiushan disciples had managed to turn this into abattle of attrition in their favor.
If it weren’t for theThunder Pool, a mere gateway wouldn’t have stopped them.
Hell, they wouldn’t even need their sect’sNascent Soulelders—just the two of them alone would’ve slaughtered all those Foundation Establishment weaklings.
Yet with the restrictions in place, they were completely out of options.
They stared at each other, both equally lost.
A cold, aged voice suddenly echoed from above.
“…What’s going on here?”
The group immediately looked up.
A withered old man hovered in the air, half his hair white, half black. His sunken features and shadowed eyes gave him a skeletal appearance.
His expression was dark with displeasure.
“The sect commanded you to attackJiushan Sect. Why have younotmoved out?”
“Elder Chi!”
Both Lin Yangtian and his companion immediately bowed deeply.
There was no doubt—their Elder Chi was aNascent Soul cultivator.
With his arrival, their situation had changed.
Hurriedly, they explained the predicament.
"Jiushan Sect…"
A strange glint flickered in Elder Chi’s eyes. He turned toward the gateway, his gaze sharpening.
“…How bold.”
His expression twisted in anger.
“A bunch ofFoundation Establishmentbrats… and they dare to oppress ourHoly Sect?”
The other disciples nodded fervently.
If it were theFive Great Sects of Xuanyi Realm, that would be one thing.
ButJiushan Sect?
What the hell were they compared to them?!
“Send more people out. I want to seeexactlywhat they’re relying on.”
Elder Chi’s voice was icy.
Lin Yangtian and his fellowGolden Core cultivatorhesitated.
They glanced at the terrified subordinates around them.
No one wanted to go.
“…What? Unwilling?” Elder Chi’s tone dropped ominously. “Perhapsyou twoshould go?”
Lin Yangtian immediately stiffened.
Without a word, he picked out two unfortunate souls and signaled them forward.
The two chosen disciples turnedashen.
But defying aNascent Soul elder’sorder?
Impossible.
Trembling, they stepped out of the secret realm.
The moment they did—
A rainstorm of thunder talismans descended from above.
Their deaths were instant, almostpoetically clean.
“They were each hit by at least thirty or forty talismans. And all of them… wereMysterious-Grade Talismans.”
A moment of silence.
Then—
“…Jiushan Sectis this wealthy?*”
Lin Yangtian and his senior exchanged glances.
They were just as confused.
They knew the market rates.
That single barrage had cost at least dozens ofspirit stones.
This was pure money-burning warfare.
Meanwhile, outside the gateway—
Zheng Fa stared at the two fresh corpses.
Seeing that no one else was coming out, he signaled to two of his senior brothers.
“Drag them back. Send them to theweapon workshopin the rear.”
Sun Daoyu exhaled.
“Junior Brother Zheng… I never expected talisman inscription to bethiseffective here.”
Zheng Fa smiled.
Another senior brother chimed in, nodding.
“If we were making theseMysterious-Grade Talismansourselves, we’d only manage three or four a day. And even then, it’d drain our spiritual power and divine sense.”
“Buying them isn’t exactly cheap either.”
Zheng Fa didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, he glanced back—
At themass production lineof disciples furiously crafting talismans behind him.
Unlike other cultivators,Jiushan Sectwasn’t depending onindividuals.
They were relying on industrial-scale talisman warfare.
And it was working.
“Yes, a single spirit stone can buy three to five talismans,” Sun Daoyu mused. Then, after doing some quick calculations, he added, “But producingMysterious-Grade Talismanswith talisman inscription techniques is not only faster but alsocheaper—all it costs is talisman paper and spirit ink! When you think about it… it’s actually cheaper thanYellow-Grade Talismans!”
Zheng Fa shook his head slightly.
It wasn’tthatsimple.
After all, theGreat Freedom Demonic Sect’sliveswerea form of cost, too.
Still, this method was provingextremelyeffective.
For every thirty to fiftyMysterious-Grade Talismansthey used, they gained anotherbrave martyr who had selflessly contributed to the talisman inscription industry.
If yourounded up, it was practicallyfree.
More importantly, this method didn’t drain the spiritual power or divine sense of his fellow disciples, making itexceptionallyuseful in battle.
At this rate, talisman inscription techniques could practically be considered thebaneof theGreat Freedom Demonic Sect.
Inside the secret realm.
“They’re actually… using our disciples’ bodies tomake talismans?!”
Elder Chi’s face twisted in fury, his hair practically standing on end.
Lin Yangtian’s expression shifted in realization.
“…So that’s why theThunder Pool Marketwas buying our sect’s blood?”
A heavy silence fell over the group.
They exchanged glances, each showing visible discomfort.
“ThisJiushan Sect… why do their methods feel sosimilarto ours?”
One of their subordinates muttered the thought that had been lingering in all their minds.
Lin Yangtian silently agreed.
Corpse refinement, blood sacrifice, weapon forging from the fallen—
Those weretheirspecialties!
And yet, nowJiushan Sectwas using their own tactics against them… and doing it better!
“Martial Uncle, if we send more people out, we won’t just fail to kill them—we’ll only give themmore materialsfor their talismans.”
Elder Chi was silent for a long moment.
Then—
“F**ing hell, Jiushan Sect is absolutely disgusting!*”
“…”
“Now I understandwhyeveryone hates our sect so much!”
Lin Yangtian blinked.
…And found himselfinstinctively nodding in agreement.
Come to think of it, whentheyused to pull these tactics against the so-calledrighteous cultivators, it had never reallyfeltlike much.
But now that theroles were reversed…
Eventheyhad to admit—
This was beyond excessive.
Outside the gateway, Zheng Fa studied the silent entrance to theGreat Freedom Demonic Sect’ssecret realm.
It seemed they had finally realized what was happening.
Sun Daoyu, realizing the full consequences of their actions, looked worried.
“Senior Brother,” Zheng Fa said calmly, “whether we provoke them or not… weneverhad a choice.”
He fully understood—
Now that their talisman inscription technique had been exposed,Jiushan Sectand theGreat Freedom Demonic Sectwere locked in a fight to the death.
But the reality was—
TheGreat Freedom Demonic Secthad already drawn their blades.
At this point, talisman inscription was merely acountermeasure.
Sure, their method wasunorthodox, but so far, no oneoutsideof the demonic sect would care much—at most, people would just want a share of the profits.
As for destroying theGreat Freedom Demonic Sectcompletely…
Well, unlessJiushan Sectwas willing tosurrender the Thunder Pool,give up its spiritual veins, andsacrifice Senior Sister Zhang, there was no room for reconciliation.
Sun Daoyu still looked uneasy.
Seeing this, Zheng Fa sighed.
“Senior Brother Sun, talisman inscription isa good thing. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to stop those demonic sect disciples at all.”
“Exactly! Why are you all worrying so much?”
An excited voice rang out.
Zheng Fa turned and saw three figures approaching.
It was Yan Wushuang and his companions.
“Brother Yan?”
Yan Wushuang clasped his hands in greeting but kept his gaze fixed on Li Nuo and the other talisman-makers.
“So this is why theThunder Pool Marketwas buying demonic sect blood?”
“Yes.”
Since they had already been seen, Zheng Fa didn’t bother to hide it.
“…I see. I see.”
Yan Wushuang let out two sighs before looking at Zheng Fa again.
“YouJiushan Sectare sitting on agold mine!”
Zheng Fa raised an eyebrow. “Li Nuo Senior Brother is indeed quite innovative.”
“No, no, no.” Yan Wushuang shook his head, eyesgleaming. “I meanliteralgold!”
“…?”
His excitement was almost unnerving.
“Brother Zheng, this business—can I have a share in it?”
Zheng Fa suddenly remembered…
Hadn’t this guy mentioned he was broke?
“This…”
Talisman inscription was, first and foremost, a sect secret.
And second—Yan Wushuangwouldn’tbe of much help here.
Zheng Fa had a decent impression of him, but that alone wasn’t reason enough to share this.
Noticing his hesitation, Yan Wushuang quickly added,
“I won’t just be taking profits for nothing. First of all, I can provide talisman paper and spirit ink.”
Zheng Fa paused.
Thatwasa tempting offer.
Right now, talisman paper and spirit ink were the main costs of their mass-production efforts.
Even though they weren’t expensive individually, their sheer volume was becoming an issue.
But in the end, this was just a small incentive.
After a long silence, Zheng Fa finally spoke.
“Brother Yan, it’s not that Idon’twant to work with you, but… this alone isn’t enough.”
Yan Wushuang was certainly from an extraordinary background.
But in the end, he was still just aTrue DiscipleofTianhe Sect.
And merely at theGolden Core stage.
What could he actually bring to the table?
Yan Wushuang seemed to understand Zheng Fa’s hesitation.
He studied him for a moment before asking,
“You’re trying to block theGreat Freedom Demonic Sectfrom sending reinforcements so that Senior Sister Zhang can safely complete herNascent Soul breakthrough, correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Then you’re alreadytoo late.”
Zheng Fa’s eyes flickered.
He immediately turned his gaze towardFive Dragons Palace.
Yan Wushuang smirked. “You guessed right.”
“TheGreat Freedom Demonic Sect’sNascent Soul cultivatorsleft the Thunder Pooldays ago. Right now, they’re preparing toattack your Martial Uncle Pang.”
Zheng Fa’s expression darkened.
He wasn’tsurprised.
Senior Sister Zhang’sNascent Soul Phenomenonhad lasted for days.
There was no way theGreat Freedom Demonic Sectwould sit idly by without making a move.
Theyhadbeen too late to block them.
Five Dragons Palacewas already ingrave danger.
He had taken these lower-realm disciples out of the palace toreduce the burdenon Martial Uncle Pang—
But he had no way of helping Pang himself.
In the Thunder Pool, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be in danger.
And at that level of battle…
He was completely powerless.
Zheng Fa turned back to Yan Wushuang.
“…What are you suggesting?”
Yan Wushuang smiled.
“I’ll save your Martial Uncle Pang’s life. In exchange—”
“I get a share of this business.”
Silence.
Zheng Fa glanced around.
Half of the disciples here were Martial Uncle Pang’s people.
They were all looking at him, waiting for his decision.
After a long pause—
Zheng Fa nodded.
“If my Martial Uncle survives…then we have a deal.”