Chapter 78 – Ling Yue of the Spiritual Talisman Hall
Translator: Seventh Peril Editor: Anuvrat
Just like the day at the Spiritual Secret Arts Hall, the Spiritual Talisman Hall was located in a secluded place far away from Mount Xiang’s square.
However, the Spiritual Secret Arts Hall was located at the top of a hill while the Spiritual Talisman Hall was located at the side of a lake.
Standing in front of the Spiritual Secret Arts Hall, Ye Zhong frowned slightly as he stared at the buildings that were completely different from those elegant halls. If it was said that the previous places like the War Hall and the Spiritual Secret Arts Hall could make him feel a sense of danger. Then this Spiritual Talisman Hall was a bit different.
Even though Ye Zhong could see where the Spiritual Talisman Hall was, there was an illusory feeling spread out from it. It was as if the existence of the Spiritual Talisman Hall was intangible. However, as far as Ye Zhong knew, only those who had Spatial Manipulation’s ability could do such a thing.
However, Ye Zhong knew that no one in the Xingxiang Sect, not even in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, could cultivate to the level of being able to manipulate the space. Therefore, the currently mysterious scene of the Spiritual Talisman Hall should have originated from the Spiritual Talisman Hall itself. Or rather, it should be said that a certain fellow in there had a strength that was terrifying beyond one’s imagination.
Narrowing his eyes for a moment, Ye Zhong did not do anything rash. He stood at the entrance of the Spiritual Talisman Hall and cupped his hands, “Inner Disciple Ye Zhong requests an audience with Elder Ling Wei!”
A deafening sound instantly rang out, appearing incomparably ear-piercing in this quiet Spiritual Talisman Hall.
A moment later, the doors of the Spiritual Talisman Hall, which were originally tightly shut, suddenly slid open without a sound. Although there was no response from the other side, the deepness and serenity of the doors seemed to say something.
Ye Zhong stared at the sliding doors of the hall. From his vantage point, it was pitch black inside the Spiritual Talisman Hall. He could not see anything. Even so, Ye Zhong could sense the strange auras lurking in the endless darkness.
Ye Zhong was quite familiar with these auras, they were unique to the Spiritual Talisman Arrays.
However, generally speaking, if a Talisman Master was to set up a Spiritual Talisman Array, they would try their best to conceal this kind of aura. However, the person who laid down these arrays in the Spiritual Talisman Hall did the opposite. It was as if he would feel displeased if the others didn’t notice the existence of these arrays.
Of course, from another level, it also showed that the Talisman Master who laid down these Spiritual Talisman Arrays had absolute confidence in his methods. Otherwise, he would definitely not use such a magnificent method.
“Interesting.”
After Ye Zhong murmured. It was clear that his request to meet Elder Ling Wei should have been conveyed. The meaning of those few people in the Spiritual Talisman Hall, and possibly Elder Ling Wei’s, were also extremely obvious. No matter what he wanted to do, as long as he had the ability, he would be able to enter. However, if he couldn’t even pass the first trial, the people in the Spiritual Talisman Hall wouldn’t care whether he lived or died.
Just as the girl from the Spiritual Medicine Hall had said, Elder Ling Wei was a gambler. How could such a testing scene not be a gamble?
Laughing softly, Ye Zhong stepped through the door of the Spiritual Medicine Hall.
“*Rustle—*”
The moment Ye Zhong stepped through the door, he heard the faint sound of rain, realizing that everything around him had become strange since then. He should have entered the main hall, but now, the place he stepped into turned out to be a bamboo forest?
In the bamboo forest, a drizzle fell. An icy cold rain fell on Ye Zhong’s body, causing his pupils to constrict and his expression to turn serious. The raindrops contained traces of Spiritual Qi fluctuations.
After frowning for a moment, Ye Zhong let out a long sigh. He scanned his surroundings before mumbling, “Illusion Array? No, it should be the Illusion Array plus the Sensory Deception Array. Although they are both just Level 1 Spiritual Talisman Arrays, being able to overlay two arrays and display such power. This is indeed a good method!”
“I wonder which senior expert who is deliberately probing me?” Ye Zhong’s voice slowly resounded in the bamboo forest.
“You must be Ye Zhong, who has made a name for yourself in the Xingxiang Sect recently, right?” A long time later, a faint voice was finally transmitted from the far distance ahead. Ye Zhong lifted his head abruptly and saw, out of nowhere, a slim figure in a white dress approaching from afar with a white oil-cloth umbrella in her hand. Her face was covered by the veil of the umbrella, making it hard to see her face.
In just a cup of tea’s time, the figure had already appeared within a distance of one hundred feet from Ye Zhong, staring at him with a somewhat thoughtful expression.
Ye Zhong also squinted his eyes as he stared at the slim figure. After a while, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, “May I know how to address you, Senior Sister? And what is the meaning of this?”
“You can call me Ling Yue.” The figure gave a faint smile, yet her face was still indiscernible. “You come to our Spiritual Talisman Hall for the Yin-Yang Flower, don’t you? However, that item had already been refined by Master just a short while ago, so you don’t have to meet Master… However, I am quite interested in you. If you can break through my overlapping arrays, I might be able to tell you where you can find the Yin-Yang Flower.
“I think that Yin-Yang Flower should be of great use to you, isn’t it?”
Upon hearing her faint voice, Ye Zhong frowned. He knew that the Yin-Yang Flower had a lot of uses, but he did not expect it to be refined by someone. If that was the case, he might really have to find another way.
“Do you really know where to get the Yin-Yang Flower?” After frowning for a moment, Ye Zhong finally asked.
“Of course.” Ling Yue smiled faintly, “It’s just that it’s too troublesome to get the Yin-Yang Flower from there, so Master reluctantly took the one from the Spiritual Medicine Hall. As for the one I’m talking about, it should have already sprouted five leaves, I think you would be interested in it, wouldn’t you?”
Hearing that, Ye Zhong’s pupils contracted slightly. The Yin-Yang Flower grew a leaf every hundred years, and a flower every thousand years. With a Yin-Yang Flower with more than five leaves, even if there was only one bud, it was more than enough for him.
“Look, if you’re interested, as long as you’re able to break my overlapping arrays, I’ll tell you where that item is.” Ling Yue softly said, “I am only testing your skills. You might be able to obtain great benefits from it. Would you refuse such a deal?”
“And if I refuse?” Ye Zhong spoke softly after a moment of silence.
“Perhaps, since the situation has developed to this point, you don’t have to reject it! I, Ling Yue, will keep my promise. As long as you can break the array, I will tell you the location. If you cannot, then I will have to ask you to stop coming to this Spiritual Talisman Hall!”
Ling Yue faintly smiled and spoke, and the umbrella in her hand suddenly started to rotate.
“*Swish— Swish— Swish—*”
Accompanying Ling Yue’s movements, the rain droplets that were originally falling suddenly became denser, and the faint Spiritual Qi within them quietly became stronger.
Ye Zhong could not help but let out a sigh at the scene. The Spiritual Talisman Arts were extremely difficult to cultivate, and Talisman Masters were generally divided into nine levels. The Level 1 Talisman Masters were basically comparable to the Martial Arts Masters of the Nine Layers of Body Tempering Realm. However, even if two Level 1 Talisman Masters were to fight each other, their strength would be completely different depending on the Spiritual Talisman that each individual grasped.
Not only was this Ling Yue in front of him proficient in controlling Spiritual Talismans, but she also had control over two Spiritual Talisman Arrays. Furthermore, she was able to combine them and use them together. With such a level of innate talent, she could be called a monster!
Such a character, even if any Martial Dao expert of the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering was to provoke her, they might not be able to bear the consequences. However, at this moment, she was actually interested in testing him personally. It simply meant that she thought so highly of him.
“Ye Zhong, since we’re doing it, I will not show mercy!”
As a faint voice echoed, the umbrella in Ling Yue’s hand rotated faster and faster. Along with her movement, the falling rain turned into beams of blade lights, blotting out the sky and enveloping Ye Zhong’s position.
Every single drop of rain turned into an energy blade with terrifying destructive power. Ye Zhong was shocked by the sight.
His talent in the Spiritual Talisman Dao was not low, so he was able to tell with a single glance just how terrifying these seemingly simple attacks were. If it was any ordinary Martial Dao practitioner, they would have probably been tricked to death and didn’t even know what was going on.
“Shura Sword Seal!”
Ye Zhong’s body subconsciously retreated backward. The Shura Sword Seal appeared swiftly in his palm, and with a wave of his hand, the Five-Layered Sword Seal emerged simultaneously in front of him, forming a strange barrier, protecting Ye Zhong from the front.
“*Ting— Ting— Ting—*”
The continuous raindrops were like the Milky Way hanging upside down. They quickly gathered on the light barrier formed by the Five-Layered Shura Sword Seal. In that instant, a series of ripples spread out from the light barrier, and it seemed as if the barrier was on the verge of collapsing.
Although Ye Zhong was not weak and cultivated the Divine Secret Art of Body Tempering, he was still at a disadvantage against the overlapping arrays of Ling Yue.
Even though Ling Yue’s attack looked mediocre, it was at least equivalent to the full strength of the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering expert. If it wasn’t for the fact that Ye Zhong’s skills were not weak either, he would have been utterly and completely defeated in a single exchange.
“Spiritual Talisman Dao is indeed terrifying!”
Ye Zhong retreated quickly, and after pondering for a moment, he became quite depressed as he realized that with his current skills, it would be impossible for him to defeat Ling Yue head-on. The only thing he could do now was to break this so-called Overlapping Arrays!