The news that humans were being farmed must not reach the cultivators. If word spread that the Black Blood Bizarre fed on fear, it would cause panic, which in turn would make the Black Blood Bizarre even stronger.
"Strictly forbid any leakage of information! We will definitely find a way to leave."
"Gather all Artifact Refiners, forge a Flying Artifact, and attempt to leave the Great Wilderness."
"Spare no effort in crafting Evil Warding Talismans; the higher the quality, the better."
The Black Blood Bizarre had penned humans. To escape, they had two options: take to the skies or burrow into the ground.
Blood could seep through the ground, and the Bizarre Demons’ range of influence was vast. Fleeing underground? That would require burrowing at least tens of miles deep. This was difficult even for Golden Core Stage cultivators, let alone those in the Qi Refinement Realm or at the Foundation Establishment stage.
The second method was to take to the skies.
Compared to going underground, taking to the skies was significantly less challenging.
First, they had to forge a Flying Artifact capable of flying high enough to be out of the Black Blood Bizarre’s reach. Whether the plan could succeed still needed to be tested.
"Not good! Someone is eavesdropping! The soundproof barrier has been breached!"
While they were still in their secret discussion, they suddenly sensed something. A white light pierced through a black beetle.
"An Insect Tamer Master? A cultivator from Thousand Beasts Mountain?"
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s spiritual sense spread out, quickly locking onto the Spirit Insects within a hundred yards and precisely eradicating them.
A strange power landed on the Spirit Insect, using it to trace back to its source and pinpoint the Insect Tamer Master controlling it.
The Great Sects had dealt with Thousand Beasts Mountain many times and naturally had methods to counter them. The Spirit Tracing Secret Technique was a Special Secret Technique devised by the Yuding Sect specifically to target Beast Tamers and Insect Tamer Masters, allowing them to track down hidden Insect Tamer Masters. Using this technique, the Yuding Sect had killed many Insect Tamer Masters who were spying for information.
This person would definitely not escape! The news absolutely could not be allowed to leak.
A white spiritual light rose from the Spirit Insect’s body. Instead of chasing towards the Insect Tamer Master’s location as usual, it spun in place like a headless fly.
Unable to lock onto the target? Does this person possess a very strong presence-concealing secret technique?
"Forget about him. Carry out the plan and focus on guarding the Evil Warding Talismans and the Flying Boat Magical Artifact."
The Flying Boat Magical Artifact couldn’t possibly carry all the cultivators from the Great Wilderness Market. If the plan succeeded, only a small group would be taken, so the operation had to be kept secret. Whether they could escape alive depended heavily on the Evil Warding Talismans; they had to ensure a sufficient quantity.
The rat lurking in the dark—if he didn’t show himself, so be it. But if he dared to make a move, he would face the wrathful strike of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Bizarre Demons that farm humans? To create fear? To maximize its benefits, the Black Blood Bizarre won’t exterminate the humans of the Great Wilderness Market immediately. For now, I don’t need to worry about it coming for me.
After escaping from the Black Blood Bizarre, Jia Ren remained cautious. His Extraordinary Saint Level Turtle Breath Technique was always active to prevent the Black Blood Bizarre from finding him. Because of this, his cultivation was interrupted, and he had to temporarily stop practicing Spells.
Having unexpectedly learned the truth, Jia Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
I can’t stay in the Great Wilderness Market any longer. Once the value of the surviving humans is completely drained, the Black Blood Bizarre will exterminate them all.
A Flying Artifact? Is it feasible?
As the only person who had faced the Black Blood Bizarre directly and managed to escape, Jia Ren had the most authority to speak on this. The Black Blood Bizarre’s range of influence was vast; he had initially encountered it tens of miles away, and then it had relentlessly pursued him. This meant its range of influence was at least tens of miles. A Flying Artifact would have to reach an altitude of tens of miles to escape the Black Blood Bizarre’s strange power.
How could this be possible?
Cultivators flying on swords, or using Flying Artifacts, could only reach an altitude of a few hundred yards at most. The carrying capacity of Flying Artifacts was limited, and the higher they flew, the more Spiritual Power they consumed. Most importantly, Flying Artifacts were designed for speed, not altitude. High-quality Flying Artifacts could achieve greater altitudes.
However... those remaining in the Great Wilderness were certainly not Refining Masters. Collectively forging a Flying Artifact that could reach a thousand yards would already be quite an achievement. This altitude was far from sufficient. A Flying Boat Magical Artifact designed to carry multiple people definitely couldn’t take them to safety. Relying on a Flying Boat Magical Artifact to escape the Great Wilderness was merely their wishful thinking.
Just because they can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t. I specialize in Flying Artifacts. If I focus on altitude for a short period and have enough time, I might be able to meet the requirements by raising my Proficiency Level to Great Grandmaster Level. This is absolutely my best chance to escape. I need to learn a Refining Technique!
Jia Ren knew a method for refining a Flying Artifact from the True Water Refinement Technique he had mastered. The problem was... the Shuilian Method Gate was far too time-consuming. The Black Blood Bizarre probably wouldn’t give him enough time to gradually raise his Proficiency Level.
The best approach would be to learn the Refining Technique circulating within the Market and join the Market’s Artifact Refinement Department. There, he’d have enough materials for practice and ’guidance’ from others, allowing for faster progress. Acquiring a Refining Technique would be somewhat troublesome. He would need 15,000 Spirit Stones to exchange for 30,000 Market contribution points, just enough to meet the requirements for the Artifact Refining Technique. A single Foundation Establishment Pill auctioned for only 12,000 Spirit Stones. To spend 15,000 Spirit Stones for an exchange to join the Artifact Refinement Department...
Do they really think Foundation Establishment Cultivators and the merchant guilds are fools? Not only would the plan fail, but I would also be hunted down. How many Great Wilderness Market contribution points could an Evil Warding Talisman be exchanged for? Could the plan work by relying on Evil Warding Talismans?
If it didn’t take too long, Jia Ren didn’t mind using Evil Warding Talismans to pave the way, exchanging them for an Artifact Refining Technique within the Market.
If that plan didn’t work... to survive, Jia Ren wouldn’t mind resorting to robbery.
First, I’ll inquire about the Evil Warding Talismans.
Jia Ren activated his Turtle Breath Technique and silently made his way to Talisman Master Zhang’s residence.
"After we turned in the Evil Warding Talismans, the Meng Family brought another hundred portions of Talisman-Making Materials," Zhang Pengpeng said, placing them on the table and complaining to her father in dissatisfaction. "They said ’the more capable should do more work.’ For additional Evil Warding Talismans, they’re willing to give double the Great Wilderness Market contribution points, and for fine-quality Evil Warding Talismans, the contribution is increased by an additional fifty percent. I had originally planned, after completing this task, to find a few Talisman Makers I have good relations with and help them take on these new tasks. The Meng Family’s methods are a bit unseemly; we just handed over fifty Evil Warding Talismans, and now there’s already a new assignment! They’re unwilling to provide Rhinoceros Horn, only the standard amount of Evil-warding Spirit Ink."
A quiet voice asked, "How many Great Wilderness Market contribution points is one Evil Warding Talisman worth?"
Zhang Pengpeng replied, "Making one Evil Warding Talisman earns ten Great Wilderness Market contribution points. We turned in fifty, so we earned a total of five hundred contribution points."
She had just finished speaking when she realized the questioner wasn’t her dad. She immediately understood she had inadvertently leaked vital information.
Fifty Evil Warding Talismans for five hundred Great Wilderness Market contribution points. Subsequent ones are doubled, meaning one thousand contribution points. Fine-quality Evil Warding Talismans give an additional fifty percent, so fifteen hundred contribution points each. If I make twenty fine-quality ones, that would be enough to reach the required thirty thousand Great Wilderness Market contribution points. With my current state and efficiency, it would take less than ten days. An ordinary Loose Cultivator, if efficient enough, would have no problem exchanging Evil Warding Talismans for an Artifact Refining Technique.
Still, Jia Ren found it too slow. He wasn’t sure when the Black Blood Bizarre would cause trouble, and he didn’t have much time left for himself. He also needed to make time to learn and improve his Proficiency Level with Flying Artifacts. The time available had to be cut by at least half, or even more than half.
"Pass on a message for me," Jia Ren’s voice came again. "I’ll use my own Spirit Ink to make higher-quality Evil Warding Talismans, and I want more Great Wilderness Market contribution points for them. Give the Great Wilderness Market contribution points to me; I have a use for them."
Zhang Pengpeng, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, said indignantly, "I can’t give them to you! This is..."
"Pengpeng, give them to him!" Talisman Master Zhang interjected.
"Dad, why are you siding with an outsider? Am I not your real daughter?" Zhang Pengpeng’s gaze kept darting to Jia Ren; she seriously suspected this man was her father’s illegitimate son.
"When others help us with Talisman Crafting, it’s a kindness, not an obligation," Talisman Master Zhang said. "We can’t take Great Wilderness Market contribution points that don’t belong to us."
Zhang Pengpeng opened her mouth but didn’t voice her refusal.
"I need to use the Talisman Crafting Room for a bit," Jia Ren said.
He entered the Talisman Crafting Room and swiftly began making Evil Warding Talismans. Before long, forty-nine Evil Warding Talismans, controlled at Master Level proficiency, were complete, along with one Grandmaster-level Exorcism Talisman.
To secure better treatment, Jia Ren ’showed off’ a little. A Grandmaster-level Exorcism Talisman was even more precious, and the Meng Family would be willing to offer more Great Wilderness Market contribution points for it.
Zhang Pengpeng was filled with amazement seeing the fifty Evil Warding Talismans of excellent quality. The quality of the Talismans hadn’t declined despite the extended crafting time; instead, there was an additional one of even higher quality. It was unbelievable.
This guy is truly a monster!
For some reason, Zhang Pengpeng thought of her missing junior martial brother.
If he were still alive, his Talisman Crafting level would likely be even higher than this person’s.
"I’ll be right back," Zhang Pengpeng said, taking the Evil Warding Talismans and leaving.
"Join this old man for a cup of tea," Talisman Master Zhang said to Jia Ren. His gaze towards Jia Ren grew increasingly kind, and the two sat down to drink tea.
"I hail from the Zhang clan," Master Zhang began. "Since the clan’s demise, not many heirlooms remain. This Zhang Family Talisman Script has been with me for a long time. You’ve helped me a great deal, so I’m giving it to you."
"This... it’s too valuable!" Jia Ren exclaimed.
To give away Talisman Crafting Techniques so freely... Master Zhang must have understood the ’talisman’s message’ and already knows I am ’Zhen Yi’.
"Take it," Master Zhang urged.
"Mas—" Jia Ren began. Thɪs chapter is updated by N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt
Master Zhang continued, "I can offer you less and less help. This will aid you in going further on the Path of Charms."
Jia Ren bowed deeply to Master Zhang and accepted the Zhang Family Talisman Script.
I owe him more and more now.
Suddenly, Jia Ren’s Spirit Insect, placed outside, sent a warning. Someone was coming!
Someone from the Talisman Cultivators’ Association is here.
He quickly found a place to hide, his Turtle Breath Technique perfectly concealing his aura, rendering him effectively invisible.
"Old Zhang, you’ve really been hiding your skills! To think you’ve quietly become such an accomplished Talisman Master!"
The newcomer was Meng Changlin, the head of the Talisman Cultivators’ Association. His gaze upon Talisman Master Zhang grew increasingly fervent. There was a great demand for Evil Warding Talismans, and the higher the quality, the better. The involvement of a Talisman Maker capable of creating Grandmaster-level Exorcism Talismans was definitely good news. This also allowed him to set aside his current work and rush over immediately.
"Don’t worry," Meng Changlin said. "If you want to make your own Evil-warding Spirit Ink, we can accommodate that. Every Grandmaster-level Exorcism Talisman you craft will earn five times the Great Wilderness Market contribution points of a normal Evil Warding Talisman. And since this is an additional task, each such talisman will be worth one hundred contribution points."
One Grandmaster-level Exorcism Talisman for one hundred Great Wilderness Market contribution points, Jia Ren calculated. Three hundred of these Talismans would be enough to meet the 30,000-point requirement. If I push myself, the time to exchange for the Artifact Refining Technique could be reduced to within three days. With my self-made Evil-warding Spirit Ink, I’ll be able to create Extraordinary Saint Level Evil Warding Talismans in a few days!