Chapter 54 : Talisman Loathing Path

Chapter 54: Talisman Loathing Path

Not long ago.

Taiyi Talisman Palace, Myriad Spirit Platform.

This platform was located at the summit of Refining Smoke Peak, measuring three zhang square, entirely paved with a single piece of white jade marrow.

At this moment, dusk had fallen, and the last rays of sunset landed upon the platform. The jade emitted a faint warmth from within.

Today, the Myriad Spirit Platform was different from usual.

Upon the platform,

vermilion mixed with a dark red pigment formed dense, intricate patterns.

The patterns spread outward from the center, layer upon layer, ring upon ring.

They were neither the Heavenly Gang talisman patterns commonly used by the Taiyi Talisman Palace, nor any formation diagram recognized by the attending elders.

Twelve Heavenly Gang banners stood around it.

The vermilion patterns on the banners had aged to a dark black.

Now, stirred by the evening wind, they fluttered loudly.

The Palace Master of Taiyi Talisman Palace, Lü Zhouwdang, dressed in a wide-sleeved dark purple robe, stood at the very center of the white jade platform.

At this moment,

his sleeve slipped down, revealing a palm glowing with green light.

The green light illuminated his face, casting a cold hue over his features, deepening the wrinkles between his brows.

Three chi in front of him, at the center of the jade platform,

a young girl was curled up, wrapped in a cloak, only her pale, trembling, baby-fat face exposed.

—It was Lü Muxue.

On the eastern side of the plaza stood three young men, all dressed in fine robes with jade belts.

One was steady, one gloomy, one tense.

Their brows were tightly furrowed as they stared intently at the situation on the Myriad Spirit Platform.

They were Lü Muxue’s brothers.

They were worried about her.

And they also harbored doubts about the formation ritual their father was currently operating.

There were no incantations, no hand seals, and no use of talisman techniques—the Talisman Path they excelled in seemed to have no role in resolving their sister’s life-and-death crisis.

Suddenly,

the girl’s body trembled slightly.

A faint trace of black aura seeped out from her body.

It drifted out in strands, thread by thread.

The black aura gathered more and more, gradually forming a mass that hovered in midair.

The mass churned continuously, vaguely resembling a black dragon.

Ferocious, filled with intense resentment, it surged, attempting to return to Lü Muxue’s body.

The green light in Lü Zhouwdang’s palm flared brightly.

The mass of black aura trembled violently.

“ROAR!!!”

A furious roar erupted, shaking the heavens and earth.

Everyone present felt a heaviness in their chest.

Then,

the black aura tore apart, scattered, turned into countless fine threads, then regrouped—growing even larger.

Yet under the irresistible force of the formation, it shot straight into the sky and vanished.

Lü Zhouwdang stepped forward, supporting his daughter.

Lü Muxue’s face was pale to the point of transparency, but her chest began to rise and fall, her breathing gradually stabilizing.

“It’s done.”

His voice was slightly hoarse.

Silence fell over the eastern side.

“It actually… really worked.”

Among them, the second brother’s expression was complicated, filled with shock and disbelief.

“Second Brother, Imperial Dragon Fortune… can it really be resolved like this?”

Lü Fifth’s voice trembled slightly. “Why does it feel somewhat sinister?”

Cultivators feared but avoided provoking Imperial Dragon Fortune because it was difficult to resolve.

There were many ways to handle Dragon Resentment.

But they generally involved bearing the burden in its place, forcibly suppressing it, compensating with merit, or weakening it through refinement.

But this method—

amplified the violent nature of the Dragon Resentment, expanded it, and then forcibly connected it to the “Azure Dragon Seven Mansions” among the stars, guiding it upward.

Such a transfer would be fine if the target were anything else.

But the movement of the sun and moon, the arrangement of the stars, were the most direct manifestations of the Heavenly Dao.

Guiding it to the stars was more like diverting disaster elsewhere—shifting the blame onto the fate of Heaven itself, letting a greater karma cover a smaller one.

“Enough!”

Lü Second said coldly.

“This method saved our little sister—and saved her without future consequences. Father has already seen that the Imperial Dragon Fortune was abnormal. Even if we bore the burden in her place, the outcome might not have been good.”

He looked at the unknown dark red vermilion patterns covering the ground.

His voice was as cold as ice.

“However, this secret art of guiding to the stars—though it resolves the issue—still carries a sinister nature… remember this well! Do not spread it! Otherwise, those mortal dynasties will be completely ruined by cultivators!”

The other two nodded heavily, understanding the gravity of the matter.

Lü Seventh recalled something and said in a low voice:

“The one who transmitted the method…”

“According to the guarding disciples, he was a Qi Absorption cultivator of the Corpse Refinement Path. After leaving behind this secret art, he took Aunt Zhang Su’s corpse as payment…”

Lü Second’s face remained cold. “He did save our little sister’s life… twice. I am grateful. But Aunt’s corpse—we must retrieve it.”

“But little sister said it was that man who orchestrated everything—leading them into danger, causing her to be entangled with Dragon Resentment, bringing about the Secret Realm, and leading to Aunt’s death.”

“Little sister is overwhelmed with grief. Her mind is in chaos. Such foresight—even the elites of the Xuanji Pavilion could not achieve it. For now, just comfort her.”

“I know, I know. You two handle this carefully. Once you find him, don’t act rashly.”

“Understood, Second Brother.” *2

The three hurried forward.

Lü Zhouwdang was lifting his daughter in his arms, his movements gentle—so gentle it was as if he feared breaking her.

“Father—”

Lü Muxue had already awakened, tears streaming uncontrollably down her pale face.

“Aunt is dead. It’s because I was too useless.”

Lü Zhouwdang’s face was full of pain.

“There’s no need to blame yourself. Focus on recovering first.”

“No… Father, I cannot forget. I cannot forget the moment Aunt died, nor the man who took her away…”

“Muxue…”

“I know Father and my brothers don’t believe he orchestrated everything, but it doesn’t matter… it doesn’t matter…”

A fierce hatred appeared on Lü Muxue’s pale face.

“I will personally kill him and avenge Aunt!”

“......”

“Father, Mother left behind the inheritance of the Talisman Loathing Path, didn’t she?”

“Yes, Muxue. But you cannot open it—you couldn’t ten years ago either.”

“But now it’s different, Father.”

Lü Zhouwdang’s face darkened as he fell silent.

Among the Thirty-Six Deviant Paths, more than half were twisted from orthodox traditions—this Talisman Loathing Path was one of them.

The orthodox Talisman Path emphasized harmony with the Dao and alignment with the heart, accumulating internally and requesting power from Heaven and Earth—focusing on “petition” and “resonance.”

The Talisman Loathing Path,

in essence, was about “suppression” and “domination.” It believed that the power of Heaven and Earth need not be harmonized with, but instead could be coerced and forced, driving talismanic power through oppression—violent and distorted.

Lü Zhouwdang’s late wife had once been a disciple of the Talisman Loathing Path before converting to the orthodox path.

He knew better than anyone how dangerous this path was.

But if he refused to let his daughter touch it, would she give up?

No… she would not.

On the contrary,

the more he opposed her, the more extreme she would become.

The wind atop Refining Smoke Peak was cold.

Lü Zhouwdang decided to follow his daughter’s wishes, just as he had indulged her for the past twenty years.

He took out a bronze sphere from his Spirit Pouch—the Heavenly Mechanism Box.

The box unfolded layer by layer like blooming bronze petals, revealing a white sphere of light within.

“Try again. If it still doesn’t work, then focus on cultivating the orthodox Talisman Path. Your mother’s path is too extreme…”

Before her father could finish speaking,

Lü Muxue reached out without hesitation.

This time, the sphere of light no longer remained unresponsive.

Instead, it fluctuated violently.

Then it suddenly split apart, scattering into countless points of light that flowed into Lü Muxue’s body.

Her body trembled.

She closed her eyes in pain.

Lü Zhouwdang let out a long sigh.

Moments later, Lü Muxue opened her eyes again. Within her round almond eyes was now a trace of clarity—and something profound.

She clenched her teeth tightly.

“Fang Chang…”