“Talismans…”
Chen Changsheng paused briefly. He suddenly remembered what Mo Yu had told him earlier when discussing Formation Arrays.
Similar to Formation Arrays, yet also similar to Talismans.
‘Ancient texts once described Ancient Script Cultivators who cultivated using runes, but as time passed, the power of such writings faded…’
“Ancient Script Cultivators…” Chen Changsheng murmured. The runes before him looked very much like what Mo Yu had described before.
Ancient Script Cultivators later became the two paths of Talismans and Formation Arrays. The runes beneath his feet perfectly fit both.
“Ancient Script Cultivators?” Black Pagoda paused. “Didn’t that path already lose its legacy long ago?”
“You know about this?”
“I do, a little.”
“You mastered them?”
“I only know about them.”
Black Pagoda added, “I’m just a small pagoda. How could I possibly handle these?”
Chen Changsheng didn’t really expect help from him anyway. This fellow’s words weren’t all that reliable.
“This is troublesome.”
Chen Changsheng had even less understanding of this field.
Mo Yu had once shown him some Formation Diagrams before, yet none matched these runes.
This meant he needed another approach.
It would be best to find a Cultivator who understood Ancient Script runes.
But where could he find one?
Everywhere he asked, he heard the Ancient Script Cultivator path had long lost its inheritance.
“What should I do?”
Without understanding these runes, the Formation Array couldn’t be undone. Forcing his way through carried too much risk. After all, it remained the only place he knew where he could possibly enter the Demon Realm.
After looking a while longer, Chen Changsheng memorized the runes.
He leaped upward, leaving the ancient well and returning to the courtyard.
This matter required a different plan.
He likely needed to make another trip.
Perhaps just this one trip. If he didn’t find answers, he’d have to abandon this ancient well. If he failed to wake by March 13th, waiting longer would make it too late.
Still, he decided to look further.
Behind this door wasn’t just one piece of Heaven and Earth.
After exiting the Gate of Life, Chen Changsheng then entered the Gate of Death once more.
He opened the door again.
Though it still seemed like the Southern Garden, this one wasn’t the same.
This was the Southern Garden where Sword Immortal Yu Xuan had died, the same place he first encountered.
Chen Changsheng spotted another well, its surface shimmering with ripples, not dried up.
“This well has water inside.”
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then decided to go down for another look.
The contents behind the Gate of Life and Gate of Death might each hide something crucial.
After casting a water-repelling charm, Chen Changsheng descended into the well.
He looked around but found nothing at the bottom.
No runes. No murals.
Thus, the well mentioned by the Mountain Lord referred to the one inside the Gate of Life.
Seeing this, Chen Changsheng no longer focused on it. After exiting the well, he prepared to leave, intending to search the Cultivation World for places where Formation Array or runic traditions persisted. He hoped to uncover some useful clues.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly halted.
“What?” asked Black Pagoda.
Chen Changsheng’s gaze fixed on the courtyard table.
Frowning, he walked forward.
Several books always sat upon that desk. Long ago, he’d found the incomplete “Sutra of Rebirth” here.
But…
The positions of the other books weren’t quite right.
When he left before, these remaining books weren’t placed this way.
‘Had someone come…’
A knot formed in Chen Changsheng’s thoughts. He asked, “Does anyone else know about this place?”
Black Pagoda hesitated. “Only the Badger Demon ever entered. I’ve only told you about it. Where else exists, I don’t know.”
That was odd.
Chen Changsheng picked up one book and glanced at it.
His eyes swept the courtyard next. He entered several rooms, examining each one.
Most rooms showed no sign of disturbance.
But inside the study, he noticed something different.
“That painting is gone…”
The painting Yu Xuan left here had vanished.
Indeed, someone must have come.
Black Pagoda asked, “You think someone came? And took that painting?”
Chen Changsheng nodded. “Just don’t know who. Let me look closely.”
He walked through every room, searching for any trace. If that person left behind anything, he’d surely discover it.
Yet what felt strange…
The person who came left no evidence whatsoever.
A sudden suspicion flashed through Chen Changsheng’s mind.
Could it have been Yu Xuan?
Yet that seemed improbable.
Once, Manyue told him Yu Xuan gave up the “Sutra of Rebirth” to walk the ordinary cycle of Reincarnation. Even through Rebirth, she wouldn’t recall the Southern Garden.
Unless…
Manyue didn’t know everything.
Chen Changsheng stood silently before the table for a long while. For a moment, he seemed lost far away.
Seeing him frozen, Black Pagoda asked, “Hey? Chen?”
Chen Changsheng snapped back. “It’s nothing.”
Black Pagoda found him acting peculiar but didn’t press further.
Chen Changsheng checked the courtyard again thoroughly but still found nothing amiss. He finally gave up.
“Let’s go.”
Leaving the Southern Garden, he glanced back one last time. After a brief hesitation, he left a Formation Array behind and departed.
After flying away from the Southern Garden…
Chen Changsheng soared toward the Cultivation World.
Along the way, he kept replaying that possibility in his head. Could it be true?
If it truly was Yu Xuan… How should he face someone he’d never met, yet somehow knew deeply?
His mind grew restless.
This karmic connection brought little joy.
Even now, it remained his only discomfort.
Matters that shouldn’t involve him somehow triggered his conscience, creating a tangled mess of conflicted feelings he found truly frustrating.
He sighed helplessly, pushing these distracting thoughts aside.
His sight focused ahead on the Immortal Mountains rising among the clouds. He flew directly toward them.
Having spent too little time moving through the Cultivation World, places dedicated to Formation Array and Talisman heritage remained unknown to him.
He’d need some serious asking around now.
Qingyuan Yun Manor was the only familiar place now.
……..
Over the years, Qingyuan had undergone enormous changes, primarily due to turmoil at Yun Manor.
Approximately three years back, Yun Manor’s Grand Elder passed away.
This caused Yun Manor’s standing to plummet drastically. With their Grand Elder gone, much of their influential support vanished too.
They fell behind in Cultivator business and influence alike.
Immortal Sects that once respected Yun Manor ceased their visits, as if a clipped-winged bird could no longer soar.
This dragged down Qingyuan’s entire Magical Artifact and Talisman trade. The decline of Yun Manor pulled all of Qingyuan down too.
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