Upon arriving at the Chen Family residence, Zhao Cunyi saw that the front gate was open. As he entered the courtyard, he remarked, "The landscape garden is quite elegant and leisurely, truly comfortable."
He was the only one in the courtyard, and no one responded to him.
Zhao Cunyi didn’t mind and looked around. The family’s courtyard wasn’t very large, but it covered about an acre, divided into the front hall, east wing, west wing, and the main hall.
The main hall had three rooms: two were living quarters, and one was for receiving guests.
Strangely, at that moment, the main hall had been arranged as a mourning hall, with a memorial tablet set up and candles lit.
There also stood a tall, elderly man in funeral clothes with his back to him, who carried a heavy yin energy.
Zhao Cunyi smiled faintly and leisurely said, "I began my cultivation at the age of eight, passed the county examination as a Scholar at twelve, ranking third in the county. At sixteen, I passed the village examination as a Scholar, and though I didn’t top the provincial examination, I ranked in the top ten. By nineteen, I had thoroughly studied the twelve volumes of the ’Talismanic Seal Manual’ authored by the recluse of Qianyang Mountain, memorizing every single talisman recorded. While I dare not claim to be the best in Xin Xiang Province, I suspect no one else comes close."
The tall elderly man’s shoulders quivered as if he were swallowing something.
"Chen Yindou, your grandson has offended the lord, and he has sent me personally to deal with both you and your grandson."
Zhao Cunyi raised his hands, looking at his own clean palms and smiling, "Turn around; I do not like to kill a man from behind. We are both Talisman Masters, and I am looking forward to a peak duel between us."
At that moment, the swallowing old man paused and lifted his head as if lost in thought.
"’Talismanic Seal Manual’? The court still uses it as a text?"
The elderly man turned around, puzzled, "I compiled that set when I was over forty. The contents should be outdated by now."
Zhao Cunyi was greatly shocked and displayed an incredulous expression. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"You are the recluse of Qianyang Mountain? You are still alive?"
He widened his eyes, then suddenly realized, "You can’t possibly have such a young grandson! Old man, you are using the name of the recluse of Qianyang Mountain to frighten me!"
Without a second thought, talismans slipped out from his sleeves!
In the next moment, dozens of talismans floated in the air, radiant with divine light, and exceptionally brilliant!
The talismans he used, all recorded in the ’Talismanic Seal Manual’ as top quality, included the most formidable Beidou Exorcism Talisman, Beidou Five Thunders Talisman, and Southern Dipper Life and Death Talisman!
These talismans contained mysterious powers: the Exorcism Talisman could summon deities, the Five Thunder Talisman commanded heavenly thunder, and the Life and Death Talisman borrowed the power of the Netherworld, far beyond what ordinary cultivators could withstand!
A powerful Talisman Master, unleashing his combat power, could surpass a cultivator who had reached the Nascent Soul, attaining the level of the Primordial Spirit!
"Without achieving instant talisman creation, how dare you claim to be the first?"
The elderly man thought, and suddenly, talisman patterns appeared around Zhao Cunyi.
The talisman was not complex—it was the simplest Fire Talisman, one of the most basic talismans.
Yet this Fire Talisman was drawn with neither talisman painting, black dog blood, nor cinnabar, but directly with mental power!
Zhao Cunyi was horrified as fire began to burn from within him, quickly engulfing him.
"You are the recluse of Qianyang Mountain!"
A heartbreaking scream came from within the fire, and then his whole body turned to ash in the flames, which quickly dissipated, leaving only the floating ash falling to the ground.
"The recluse of Qianyang Mountain isn’t a title but a place of origin. I didn’t leave my real name. Fool."
The grandfather shook his head, took out a dustpan, and swept the ashes from the ground into it.
"In our line of work, leaving a real name only leads to an early death."
In the west wing, Li Jindou, who was struggling against petrification, was dumbstruck.
"He is the recluse of Qianyang Mountain who compiled the ’Talismanic Seal Manual’ for the court and created the ’Heavenly Heart Righteous Qi Technique’?"
—Today’s first Chapter. The second Chapter has been updated! Please subscribe and vote for the monthly ticket!
Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m