Chapter 15: The Strength of the Shadow Talisman Sect

Page 1 of 3

After entering the residential complex, Li Mingxing’s sinister eye immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Once, the entire neighborhood had been filled with a stagnant, deathly aura, its gloom dispersed rather than concentrated. But now, everything was different. In several key locations throughout the complex, hydrogen balloons covered with talisman papers floated in place—hovering up and down within certain zones, neither drifting away nor moving chaotically, but steadily blocking the outward spread of the ominous energy.

There were perhaps over a hundred such balloons scattered through the complex, and it was precisely because of their presence that the density of the malevolent energy had increased by at least thirty percent. Seeing this, Li Mingxing’s first thought was whether he should capture one or two members of the Sect of Shadow Talismans from the complex and have them craft these charms for him.

However, after some consideration, he decided against it. After all, he didn’t yet know the true origins of the Sect of Shadow Talismans, nor whether there were more troublesome individuals supporting them from behind the scenes.

The further Li Mingxing ventured, the more suspicious the Sect of Shadow Talismans appeared. As he delved deeper into the complex, he began to notice talismans plastered across the walls and floors. He even saw large barrels of red liquid stacked by the roadside. It was evident that, in addition to using talismans, these people intended to paint the symbols directly onto the ground and walls.

This discovery piqued Li Mingxing’s curiosity even more. He stealthily peered into one of the barrels and found that the red liquid was freshly drawn, still-warm blood.

From this, Li Mingxing deduced that the Sect of Shadow Talismans operated much like himself, relying primarily on slaughter and malevolent energy. If he could master such methods, even if they didn’t significantly enhance his combat abilities, they would prove invaluable in the construction and management of his city.

But just as Li Mingxing was considering capturing some of these people, he encountered a patrol from the Sect of Shadow Talismans. Initially, he intended simply to slip away, but upon noticing the composition of their patrol, he decided to act.

The patrol consisted of two young disciples and a third individual controlled by talismanic runes. Li Mingxing couldn’t tell if this person was dead or alive, but he was certain that such a being would be immune to his poisonous gas. If he didn’t deal with them swiftly, he might be overpowered.

Thus, Li Mingxing resolved to strike now. If anything went awry, he could always make a quick escape.

After pressing the button on his automatic sprayer, a mist enveloped the entire complex. The patrol before him froze, unable to move within the haze. Even the person with talismans affixed to their body remained motionless, much to Li Mingxing’s relief. He drew his curved blade—now that he had made his move, he intended to leave nothing unfinished.

Just as Li Mingxing was about to strike, the person with the talisman on their forehead twitched. The sudden movement startled Li Mingxing, making him suspect something was amiss. But the figure only shuddered slightly before falling still again.

Realizing that time was short, Li Mingxing knew he couldn’t afford to hesitate. He had only half an hour, so, like a bolt of lightning, he dashed forward and, with a swing of his curved blade, beheaded all three members of the patrol.

Without pausing, Li Mingxing pressed deeper into the complex. This time, he wasted no time lingering—any enemy that fell within the range of his sinister eye lost their head to his blade.

Page 2 of 3

After nearly twenty minutes of slaughter, Li Mingxing had advanced through about two-fifths of the complex. Before entering each building, he would scan it with his sinister eye to check for enemies. However, even with his efforts, it was no easy feat to wipe out all one hundred or so members of the Sect of Shadow Talismans.

As he pushed toward the remaining section, some of the sect members finally shook off their paralysis. Having been immobilized for nearly half an hour, they quickly realized the peril they faced. Their first instinct upon regaining mobility was not to seek revenge, but to scatter and flee in all directions.

Li Mingxing found this situation quite frustrating. If only one or two tried to escape, he was confident he could intercept them. But with so many fleeing, and in all directions, he had no way to stop them all.

In the end, seven out of the hundred-plus sect members managed to escape. Yet something else surprised Li Mingxing: among those who remained, there was one who hadn’t fled at all.

This person appeared to be quite mature—about thirty or so—but his eyes gleamed with a wild, aged intensity.

When he saw Li Mingxing, the man spoke calmly and slowly, “You’re one of the residents here, aren’t you?”

“So what if I am?” Li Mingxing took a step forward, gripping his curved blade.

“That apartment over there is yours, isn’t it?” The man pointed directly toward a certain unit, which happened to be where Li Mingxing had originally lived.

This astonished Li Mingxing even more, and he answered coldly, “How did you know that?”

“There used to be a source of malevolent energy there, but now it’s gone. And ever since we moved in, you’ve been acting against us. Naturally, I made the connection,” the man replied, fixing his gaze on Li Mingxing.

At this, Li Mingxing’s face darkened with murderous intent. Yet, as he took another step forward, he hesitated and drew back, noticing that the man made no move to defend himself.

After a moment’s thought, Li Mingxing tossed his curved blade to the ground. “Can you tell me about your Sect of Shadow Talismans?”

“The origin of the Sect of Shadow Talismans is lost to history,” the man began indifferently. “But our methods—crafting talismans with blood and ominous energy—are well-known among the two great talismanic sects. We have around thirty thousand disciples, though I am but an ordinary talismanist.”

“An ordinary talismanist? I may not know exactly what that means, but I doubt you’re ordinary at all,” Li Mingxing replied coldly. “If you could deduce my intentions from such subtle details, I suspect you played a part in manipulating the energy in this complex.”

“Are you referring to the talismanic arrays? If so, yes—they’re my work. That’s also why I stayed behind. I believe this complex has potential; it would be a pity for it to fall solely into the hands of the Sect of Shadow Talismans. If it belonged only to you, how marvelous that would be.”

Seeing the ambition in the man’s eyes, Li Mingxing laughed aloud. “Too bad you’re too late. Those people have already fled, and I’m sure your sect will soon send reinforcements.”

Page 3 of 3

“That doesn’t worry me. Back when I was with the sect, I mastered a grand array to gather malevolent energy and ward off demons. Give me three days to set it up, and even the sect leader himself couldn’t breach this place,” the man declared with confidence.

Faced with this claim, Li Mingxing hesitated. He couldn’t tell whether the man was speaking truthfully, but he knew he had to find a way to wrest control of the complex from the sect. Losing it would mean his comings and goings in the city would be severely limited, making urban development much more difficult.

Yet this man was clearly ambitious to the core—Li Mingxing wasn’t sure he could keep him in check.

Seeing Li Mingxing’s hesitation, the man smiled. “What’s wrong? Don’t you trust me?”

“It’s not your strength I doubt, but your character. How about this—we sign a contract. I have no intention of handing over everything to a stranger,” Li Mingxing said, producing a sheet of contract paper.

This special paper had been acquired by Midaling at a mysterious bar; any agreement written upon it was binding across all realms and worlds, and breaking the contract would invoke a fitting punishment.

The man, unaware of this, merely sneered at the sight of the contract. To him, it looked like an easily torn scrap of paper.

Li Mingxing didn’t bother to explain. Instead, he stated his terms: “Whatever you plan to do with this complex, I don’t care. All I require is my original building and the freedom to enter and leave the complex as I please. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Of course. If you hand the complex over to me, granting you one building is nothing.”

“Excellent. Now, what if I wanted to learn your talismanic arts?” Li Mingxing pressed further.

“That’s impossible. I won’t teach you,” the man replied without hesitation.

“Very well. If that’s off the table, so be it. One more thing—if either of us meets with an accident, the remaining forces in the complex must not be inherited by any outsider. That’s my condition; I don’t want to deal with another stranger down the road.”

“I agree. But I also don’t want to be killed by you the moment I turn my back. How about we guarantee each other’s safety?”

“No problem. Though I imagine your array will require some additional techniques. Perhaps we can cooperate on that front…”

Thus, through their back-and-forth negotiation, Li Mingxing and the man finalized a contract whose violation would mean nothing less than the utter annihilation of the soul.