Chapter 12: The Second Method of Refining Talismans
Whoosh!
Ning Xuan sheathed his blade.
The massive black bear’s corpse thudded onto the ground.
*Whoosh!*
Ning Xuan drew his blade again, piercing the black bear’s corpse.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
With a blank expression, he continued to deliver finishing blows until the black bear was utterly dismembered before finally sheathing his blade.
He recalled the words of Master Zhang.
Although Master Zhang was merely a martial artist, his words held wisdom.
Under equal circumstances, techniques were paramount.
The refined “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain” wielded with a blade could unleash far greater power than the crude “Bear Demon’s Innate Technique.”
He glanced at the black bear’s body, devoid of any hidden objects save for its fur, and turned his attention to the distant cave.
In front of the cave entrance stood several Bear Demons, their presence intimidating.
Suddenly, many of the bears let out “ao ao” cries, though Ning Xuan could not understand them.
He squinted, observing for a moment. When he saw many young bear demons fleeing frantically into the cave behind, he suddenly crouched, dragging his Beast Slaying Blade as he sprinted into the wilderness.
*Thump!*
*Thump!*
*Thump!*
He ran swiftly, his steps heavy.
Yet, he actively avoided trees and rocks, preventing these Bear Demons from discovering his “Bear Demon’s Innate Technique.”
Techniques must be hidden; only hidden techniques are truly lethal.
Had the Mountain Crushing Bear Demon he just fought known he could use “Bear Demon’s Innate Technique” with his blade, it would not have fought in such a manner. In that case, even if he could win, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to slay his enemy in a single exchange.
Now, although he hadn’t used “Bear Demon’s Innate Technique,” his imposing aura, coupled with the murderous intent from his quick kill of the leader, caused many of the still-hesitating Bear Demons to lose their courage. They wailed and retreated into the cave.
Ning Xuan understood.
There was another leader within the cave.
Otherwise, these subordinate Bear Demons would have fled outwards, not back into the cave.
It was precisely because there was still a commander that they retreated.
A mere scare had yielded him intelligence.
He stopped running, conserving his strength, and stretched his neck, assessing his condition.
He was practically unharmed.
He surveyed his surroundings, his fingers slightly unfurling before gripping the hilt of his Beast Slaying Blade once more. Step by step, he slowly approached the cave.
As he closed the distance, any bold Bear Demons lingering outside the cave retreated.
He advanced again.
The Bear Demons retreated again.
When they could retreat no further, the Bear Demons were nearly crammed together.
It was as if they were facing not one person, but an army or a terrifying monster.
When he was still about thirty feet from the cave entrance, Ning Xuan suddenly stopped and bellowed forward. Startled, the Bear Demons outside cried out “ao ao” and all fled into the cave.
Ning Xuan did not enter the cave. He casually grabbed a tree in front of the cave and shook it. Then, wrapping his arms around it, he exerted force.
The tree was uprooted with a *whoosh*.
Ning Xuan broke the tree into pieces with his hands in a few swift motions and took out a fire starter from his waist.
He had been spending a lot of time in the woods lately, and sometimes when he was hungry, he would cook for himself, like grilled fish. Although his physique could withstand raw fish, cooked meat tasted better.
Over time, the fire starter had become a constant companion.
His plan was simple.
To create smoke by setting a fire, forcing the bears out of the cave.
But…
He tried to light the fire starter several times, but each attempt was extinguished.
The small fire starter was utterly incapable of ignighting a freshly broken tree.
Just then, he heard a slight commotion from the direction of the cave. Something was emerging, moving faster and faster. By the time he noticed, a massive red figure had already burst forth from the cave.
Ning Xuan casually tossed aside the fire starter, gripped his blade with both hands, and executed the agile “Swallow Return Steps.” He retreated and advanced simultaneously, spiraling around his Beast Slaying Blade like he was creating a vortex, instantly accelerating. He then gripped the blade with one hand, unleashed his body, and with a “Skillful Swallow Soaring,” concealing “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain,” he thrust diagonally upwards from below, unleashing an incredibly sharp and murderous cold gleam.
At the moment of his thrust, he also saw the massive red figure charging towards him.
He narrowed his eyes.
It was another bear, a Mountain Crushing Bear, its size immense. Although it appeared slightly smaller than the previous one, it was by no means insignificant.
The reason it was red was that this Mountain Crushing Bear was draped in a blood-red brocade Kasaya.
In the blink of an eye.
Although Ning Xuan found the Kasaya-clad Mountain Crushing Bear peculiar, and it conjured distant associations of “some bear stealing a Kasaya,” his Beast Slaying Blade was not slow at all.
He had actually intended to avoid the Kasaya.
However, in the heat of the moment, this was no longer possible. Moreover, the Kasaya was very large, making it difficult to evade.
The next instant…
The tip of his blade touched the Kasaya-clad Bear Demon.
As they made contact, Ning Xuan channeled his force, silently thinking, “Collapse!!”
*Crash!*
The blood-red Kasaya seemed to be suddenly whipped by a strong wind, billowing backward.
Ning Xuan felt his strength dissipate as if sinking into the sea.
*Bang!*
He was sent flying backward two somersaults, landing and bringing his long saber to guard, ready for another “Skillful Swallow Soaring.”
The blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon also staggered back several steps, its hind claws digging into a rock protruding from the earth, finally stopping.
*Crack!*
The rock, unable to withstand the residual force, shattered instantly.
Ning Xuan eyed the blood-red Kasaya intently, then observed every subtle movement of the Bear Demon.
His true nature was that of a dissolute, pleasure-seeking young master who indulged in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. However… the hellish nightmare of a life and death cycle, along with some experiences before his transmigration, had bestowed upon him a temporary disposition.
A disposition solely focused on killing the opponent.
When this disposition possessed his body, he transformed into a killing machine.
He, in fact, disliked this disposition.
But there was no other choice.
At this moment, Ning Xuan wasn’t contemplating the origin of the blood-red Kasaya or why it possessed such miraculous effects. He was solely considering the reason for his recent failure.
Almost instantly, he keenly perceived that his previous strike had been directly dispersed by the blood-red Kasaya, its force spreading from a concentrated “point” to a “surface,” naturally weakening it considerably.
His gaze slowly rose again, fixing on the throat of the blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon.
The latter also noticed his gaze.
He didn’t speak.
The blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon didn’t speak either.
Who the hell would get distracted and start asking questions during a life-or-death struggle?
The blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon suddenly bared its fangs, wildly swinging its claws, turning the Kasaya into two blood-red shields, and then transforming into a blood-red gust, charging at him again. In an instant, it was within seven paces.
Ning Xuan employed “Swallow Return Steps” while swiftly drawing his blade.
Man and demon clashed.
For a time, the blade was like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, the robe like a blood-red sea overturning. You sought to break free and soar, but the raging tide pressed down from the heavens.
As they interwove, shadows flickered, the sound of impact tore at eardrums, and the force of impact generated surging waves of air.
Ning Xuan’s techniques were superior, but unfortunately, the blood-red brocade Kasaya provided immense coverage, leaving him very little room for offense. Furthermore, any strike that landed on the Kasaya was uniformly dispersed by it.
As for the Kasaya itself, it was made of some unknown material; no matter how Ning Xuan slashed or stabbed, it remained unharmed.
*Bang!*
Another collision, and man and demon separated.
Ning Xuan stared at the Bear Demon and slowly adopted the starting stance for “Swallow Return Three Blades.”
He had an idea.
He would try it.
If this attempt failed, he would retreat.
The air fell silent for a moment…
The blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon’s eyes glowed darkly, lost in thought. It suddenly erupted, lunging at Ning Xuan.
Ning Xuan’s figure was swift as a swallow, his blade faster than his body. Arriving after but striking first, he unleashed “Flying Swallow Chasing Wind.”
The blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon raised its sleeve to block.
Ning Xuan pressed forward, switching from a one-handed grip to a two-handed grip on his blade. The light and swift “Flying Swallow Chasing Wind” was followed by the powerful and imposing “Swallow Piercing Raging Waves.”
*Swish!*
*Rustle rustle rustle!!*
The Kasaya caved inwards slightly, but it quickly dispersed his force.
Ning Xuan attempted a spinning strike, intending to glide along the slippery Kasaya to slash the Bear Demon’s throat.
The blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon reacted swiftly. Its dark arm suddenly flipped, pressing its elbow against Ning Xuan’s blade. Then, with a surge of force, it smashed heavily onto the blade.
It intended to destroy its opponent’s weapon.
*Crack!*
The blade broke.
However, the blood-red Kasaya Bear Demon’s force missed its target.
Its heavy strike had missed.
But the blade had still broken.
It wanted to break the blade.
It seized the opportunity and forcefully tried to break the blade.
And then the blade broke.
But, confoundingly, the blade wasn’t broken by its force.
The powerful press caused its body to dip slightly.
Ning Xuan broke his own blade, and then holding the broken blade, his posture unchanged and his speed increasing, he stepped forward and delivered a “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain” directly towards the bear’s neck.
At this moment, there truly was a sense of moving towards each other.
The bear was descending, the blade was ascending.
The bear’s eyes widened, but no matter how quickly it reacted, it could do nothing now.
*Swish!*
The broken blade sliced through the bear’s neck, severing half of it.
Ning Xuan slapped the bear’s head, flipped over it, and as the blade rotated, he savagely pulled and tore from behind.
*Thump!*
A massive bear head landed on the ground.
It rolled into the mud.
Ning Xuan scanned his surroundings, then quickly bent down to retrieve the blood-red brocade Kasaya.
Just then, in the seemingly empty air, a whistling sound erupted nearby.
The air seemed to boil, coming from behind him.
Ning Xuan tensed his entire body. Unable to dodge, he stomped his feet frantically, charging towards the whistling wind instead of retreating.
However, due to the suddenness of the attack, he couldn’t exert much force.
*Bang!*
He felt a burning pain on his lower back.
As he crashed into the air, a bizarre white ape materialized. This ape was pure white, its fur three inches long, and its eyes glistened with an indescribable, sinister lecherousness. It held a metal staff in its hands.
*Pfft!*
The white ape spat out blood. Clearly, its body was not as robust as the bear’s. Even though Ning Xuan hadn’t used the full force of “Bear Demon’s Innate Technique,” it was not unharmed.
This bizarre white ape stared at Ning Xuan, then slowly began to retreat.
Ning Xuan seized this opportunity, quickly scooped up the blood-red brocade Kasaya, and put it on.
In an instant, the blood-red brocade Kasaya dissipated into a mist that carried the scent of incense and faith power.
Ning Xuan was stunned.
The white ape’s eyes lit up, and it let out a few “jie jie” mocking laughs, saying, “I thought you were demons preying on each other. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t even know this. It seems you’re just a local after all. Goodbye!!”
With that, its figure flickered in mid-air and then vanished completely.
Ning Xuan took two steps forward, looking at the white blood on the ground.
Suddenly, a line of information appeared before his eyes:
[Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey]
[Heavenly Demon Classification: Primate Monkey Order, Common Species, Ghost Shadow Type (Constitution): 3.5]
[Heavenly Demon Scroll: Perceive the arrival of the Heavenly Demon, trace its essence and blood, observe the root of its life, forcibly refine the talisman. Failure to refine leads to death and oblivion; success allows the use of the talisman.]
[Refine Talisman?]
‘No.’
(End of Chapter)
