Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 638 - Talisman Gate

The spiritual talismans completed by the Divine Sun Palace disciples did not react and looked like ordinary Transformation Talismans. Yet the one drawn by Liu Wuxie radiated with golden radiance, and the spiritual runes looked so vivid that they seemed alive.

The quality of the spiritual talismans could only be determined through testing, but Liu Wuxie's creation was flawless based on appearance alone.

One by one, the disciples presented their spiritual talismans to the testing pillar. The results varied widely, with most disciples achieving between the fifth and seventh levels. A few barely managed the third level, while some struggled to even reach the first.

When Liu Wuxie completed his spiritual talisman, he calmly placed it on the testing pillar. The scale began to climb rapidly, soaring to the maximum before the glow intensified further, surpassing the pillar's limit.

Compared to Liu Wuxie's talisman, the others’ creations were like fireflies against the brilliance of the moon. The dazzling radiance from his talisman illuminated the entire tower, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

"What a powerful spiritual talisman!" the crowd erupted into an uproar. Once again, Liu Wuxie had exceeded all expectations and crafted a flawless spiritual talisman.

The faint glimmer of hope the Heavenly Origin Sect held was dashed at the sight of the testing pillar. Everyone's hearts sank as Liu Wuxie would undoubtedly obtain first place again if this continued.

Everyone knew that Liu Wuxie was talented in spiritual talismans, but they didn't expect his talent to be so overwhelming. This was an outright domination.

Even if all the completed spiritual talismans by the other disciples were combined, the collective brightness couldn't match one-tenth of Liu Wuxie's.

Tucking the spiritual talismans away safely, Liu Wuxie advanced to the second level.

As for the Divine Sun Palace’s disciples, they slowed down significantly after reaching the second level.

When Liu Wuxie entered the second floor, the challenge differed from the first. Instead of an incomplete spiritual talisman hanging on the wall, a series of intricate symbols were present.

The task was to craft a spiritual talisman, which had to be perfect, or it wouldn't be accepted. The challenge was like a chaotic riddle and devoid of discernible patterns.

Liu Wuxie recorded the symbols in the Heavenly Dao Book and began to analyze them. In just one minute, a complete spiritual talisman appeared in Liu Wuxie's soul sea, and he made his move while the other disciples were still pondering over the challenge.

"Patriarch Dugu, what do these symbols mean?" The elders of the other sects came to ask curiously.

"You'll know soon enough," Dugu Shan said with a mysterious smile, keeping the answer to himself. After racking their minds, they thought of these symbols.

Bai Yuan had advanced to the second level ahead of Liu Wuxie but was also in deep thought. While these symbols could link to many spiritual talismans, something was missing.

"Liu Wuxie has made his move!" Liu Wuxie had arrived later, but he was the first to start the challenge.

"What bizarre spiritual runes!" Everyone's gaze was fixed on Liu Wuxie.

The spiritual runes were like serpents dancing in the air, settling onto the prepared talisman paper. Spiritual runes began to appear on the talisman paper, resembling the symbols on the wall.

Liu Wuxie drew for five minutes before a weird spiritual talisman appeared before them, unlike anything they had seen before.

"This...is this an Invisibility Talisman?" an elderly voice sounded out.

Such spiritual talismans were rare in the market. When activated, they could enable a person to become invisible, including their aura. They would be undetectable even to those standing directly before them.

"That's right. It's the Invisibility Talisman!" Dugu Shan nodded. He hadn't expected Liu Wuxie to be the first to solve this challenge. He had expected Bai Yuan to solve this challenge first, but it appeared he had overestimated Bai Yuan.

Holding the Invisibility Talisman, Liu Wuxie didn't head to the testing pillar, as this challenge wasn't to test the spiritual talisman's power but to determine whether the solution was correct.

The answer was written on the pillar, and Liu Wuxie glanced at it before a smile rose on his lips. He would fail if the answer were wrong. If the answer were correct, he would advance to the third level.

Liu Wuxie was one step ahead of everyone. The third level's setup was different from the previous two levels. It was a scroll filled with questions about spiritual talismans.

Such a challenge naturally couldn't deter Liu Wuxie, and he completed the test in less than ten breaths. Once he was done, the answers appeared on the pagoda, allowing everyone to look at them.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" cries of admiration filled the air as everyone marveled at Liu Wuxie's answers.

"He's a true prodigy!" some lamented, shaking their heads. They could no longer describe their current feelings.

Without any hesitation, Liu Wuxie proceeded to the fourth level. The gap between him and the other disciples began to expand as Bai Yuan advanced to the third level.

The fourth level's challenge was similar to the first. The contestants were required to finish an incomplete spiritual talisman. The talisman had only two spiritual runes, and Liu Wuxie had to fill in the rest.

In contrast, the first level provided only half of the spiritual runes, leaving the rest to the participants' creativity and interpretation. While the two runes offered countless possibilities, Liu Wuxie recognized the deeper significance of the challenge, particularly as it was designed by the Misty Sect.

Liu Wuxie scrutinized the spiritual talisman, and his mind began to race. The horizontal and vertical lines reminded him of several talismans, including the Heaven-Sundering Seal.

However, this spiritual talisman was clearly not the Heaven-Sundering Seal because the horizontal spiritual rune bore a soft, flowing stroke. He then imprinted the intricate spiritual runes into the Heavenly Dao Book.

Five possible spiritual runes appeared in the Heavenly Dao Book one minute later, forming into a neat row. They were the Pentabolt Talisman, Earthwalking Talisman, Five Elements Talisman, Waterstride Talisman, and the Firmament Cloud Talisman.

Liu Wuxie scrutinized the five talismans. They all had a horizontal and vertical spiritual rune, similar to the one etched on the wall. The five answers were correct, but Liu Wuxie didn't act hastily and studied it once more before his gaze fell upon the Firmament Cloud Talisman.

“The Firmament Cloud Talisman...ethereal and lofty...” Liu Wuxie muttered to himself. This spiritual talisman was special as it held no offensive capabilities. Instead, the Firmament Cloud Talisman could conjure a cloud capable of carrying its user to the sky.

The Firmament Cloud Talisman was a more advanced form of aerial talisman than the Flying Talisman. Moreover, most Flying Talismans had to be stuck to their legs to fly.

As the Heavenly Dao Book closed, Liu Wuxie closed his eyes as this was his first time crafting the Firmament Cloud Talisman.

When he opened his eyes, his hands moved with precision as he began inscribing golden spiritual runes. The runes flickered brilliantly as they formed, captivating the spectators.

"Misty Sect’s sect master, what do those spiritual runes even mean? No one can figure out what they’re supposed to represent!" complained a Heavenly Origin Sect disciple, clearly frustrated with the challenge posed by the Misty Sect. "This feels like a riddle! Everyone could be eliminated if the Misty Sect decides to fail us on a whim!"

"Just because you can't understand, that doesn't mean others can’t," the Misty Sect’s sect master replied calmly. She was an elegantly poised woman, hovering mid-air with an air of untouchable grace, her robe and shoes immaculate without a speck of dust.

Amidst the debates outside, Liu Wuxie's spiritual talisman was nearing completion.

"What spiritual talisman is that? It looks like a cloud," someone muttered as they couldn't recognize the spiritual talisman crafted by Liu Wuxie. It looked drastically different from ordinary spiritual talismans.

"That's the Firmament Cloud Talisman!" a Misty Sect's disciple stood up excitedly. She hadn't expected Liu Wuxie to be capable of crafting the Firmament Cloud Talisman. Most assumed he would create something like the Waterstride Talisman or Earthwalking Talisman.

Although Liu Wuxie could’ve passed the challenge by drawing those two spiritual talismans, he wouldn't have obtained a perfect score.

"What kind of spiritual talisman is that?" The crowd was baffled, as this was the first time they had heard of the Firmament Cloud Talisman, and only the older generation was familiar with it.

"The Firmament Cloud Talisman, also known as the Cloud Soaring Talisman, enables the user to ride the cloud," an elder from the Sky Rift Valley explained. However, such a spiritual talisman wasn't exactly useful because experts could fly with their true essence without needing such a talisman.

With the elder’s explanation, the crowd’s confusion began to clear.

Liu Wuxie clutched onto the Firmament Cloud Talisman and headed to the fifth level. He had made the right choice. As he had expected, the talisman's power reached the tenth level.

Meanwhile, things weren't looking good for the Heavenly Origin Sect as Bai Yuan was stumped on the third level. Perhaps his confidence had wavered, causing his performance to falter.

Liu Wuxie, on the other hand, showed no hesitation as he entered the fifth level and ran into a talisman array. He easily dealt with the talisman array and headed to the sixth level.

Though the levels seemed similar in structure, the differences were stark and undeniable. Yet, these challenges posed little difficulty for Liu Wuxie. In just four hours, he ascended to the eighth level, once again reaching the territory that belonged to the Demonic Heart Palace.

A black gate stood in Liu Wuxie's way. Its distorted spiritual runes sent chills down the spines of those who watched it.

"A talisman gate!" Liu Wuxie muttered. The Demonic Heart Palace had gone out of the way to hinder the other disciples’ progress, as one had to open the gate to advance to the ninth level. But if Liu Wuxie couldn't undo the profundity of the talisman gate, he would be trapped on the eighth level.

"Engraving spiritual runes on a gate is ingenious," someone whispered, curiously studying the gate.

Most spiritual talismans had to be etched onto talisman paper, and it was rare for spiritual talismans to be engraved on a black gate. After all, an ordinary stone gate couldn't withstand the power of spiritual runes.

Most stones would explode after being infused with a spiritual rune, which meant that the stone gate wasn't simple but had been painstakingly refined.

"Liu Wuxie has finally encountered a real challenge. This seems to be the first time a talisman gate has appeared—it’s never been part of the past Ten Grand Ceremonies," an onlooker muttered. Although they hadn’t participated in the previous ceremonies, they had read about the process in historical records.

"Don't be so sure about it. Didn't you see how Liu Wuxie cleared the earlier levels so effortlessly?" a spectator retorted. Liu Wuxie had already gained a significant following. His mastery of spiritual talismans had impressed many, earning him the support and admiration of a growing number of spectators.

Liu Wuxie's gaze fell on the talisman gate. The spiritual runes were intricate and clear. His goal was to decode the runes so that the gate would open by itself, and this was a monumental task.

He needed to draw a key that matched the talisman gate perfectly. This required absolute precision in the spiritual runes, as even the slightest flaw could damage the talisman gate and prevent it from opening.