Stone Talismans and Beast Cores

Han Li stood alone on the empty platform, staring at the odd, circular stone disc before him. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

The disc was a full zhang in diameter, laid flat on the ground. Its surface was carved with strange lines and what appeared to be profound runes and incantations. Though no one was actively performing any technique here at the moment, a faint purple mist still rose from it, drifting upward to merge with the violet clouds hanging above the village.

Han Li himself had considerable attainments in the way of formations. Narrowing his eyes, he began to study the stone disc.

Before long, his expression shifted between uncertainty and clarity. One moment he would show a look of sudden comprehension, the next his brow would be deeply furrowed. His mind had become completely immersed in the patterns before him.

“What do you think, friend? Have you uncovered some mystery?”

The unfamiliar voice came from directly behind him, jolting Han Li out of his trance. His heart seized with alarm. He silently cursed his own carelessness—how had he let someone approach his back without sensing them? If this person had intended him harm, the outcome would have been disastrous.

Still, his lapse in vigilance was not entirely his fault. He was accustomed to using his spiritual sense to perceive everything around him. Now, having suddenly lost both his spiritual sense and his magic power, he could not adapt to the new conditions quickly enough.

Maintaining an expressionless face, Han Li turned around even as he resolved to be more vigilant.

Standing before him was an old man with a long beard and white hair. His face was deeply lined, but his eyes were bright and spirited. He was staring at Han Li with a smile.

“You are a cultivator too, I take it?” Han Li ventured, since he could no longer sense anyone by spiritual power.

“Heh, this old man is Bao Huanzi of the Five Dragons Sea. You must be one of the two cultivators who just arrived, right?” The elder replied with a smile.

“The Five Dragons Sea?”

Han Li was intrigued by the name. The Grand Elder had mentioned it earlier, as he recalled. He found himself somewhat interested in engaging this man in conversation.

“So you are Friend Bao Huanzi. My surname is Han. I am a rogue cultivator from the Chaotic Star Sea,” Han Li said, his expression relaxing.

“The Chaotic Star Sea? There was a cultivator from there here once, a long time ago. Unfortunately, he perished on a mission when he encountered a powerful Yin Beast. Still, there aren’t many in the cultivation world who are deeply versed in the art of talismans. Seeing how absorbed you are in this stone talisman, friend, I would guess your skill in that area is not insignificant.” The elder sighed at first, then shifted the conversation.

“Stone talisman? Are you referring to this disc?” Han Li’s brow furrowed in genuine confusion. He was not feigning this reaction—he had truly never heard the term before.

“Heh heh. Not surprising that you are unfamiliar with such things, friend. The knowledge of stone talismans and jade talismans has likely been lost in most places. Only a few sects of our Five Dragons Sea still keep the art of crafting these ancient talismans alive.” The old man’s eyes squinted, and the wrinkles on his face shifted slightly as he spoke, a note of pride in his voice.

Hearing this, the look of bewilderment on Han Li’s face disappeared.

“I have indeed never heard of stone talismans or jade talismans. However, I did spend some time studying the art of talismans in the past. I was already puzzled that a stone disc like this would have talismanic runes carved into it. Your explanation, friend, has answered some of my questions. But this stone talisman also appears to have features of a formation. Am I mistaken in my observation?” Han Li frowned slightly as he gazed at the elder.

“I truly did not expect that friend would be accomplished in both formations and talismans. Admirable! You are not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Han. This Sandalwood Cloud Stone Talisman is indeed somewhat different from a true stone talisman. It has been specially modified with formation-like alterations so that it can draw upon Netherworld force. This gives it the effects of both a talisman and a formation. Naturally, this comes at the cost of greatly reduced power.” The old man’s face showed a flicker of surprise at first, but then he burst into hearty laughter.

Han Li nodded thoughtfully. He turned to look back at the stone disc, then suddenly asked another question:

“The Grand Elder said that you can use Netherworld force here by combining Yin Beasts’ cores with formations. But I don’t see any beast core set into this stone talisman. Is there some other secret to it?”

“Ah, there is something you wouldn’t know, friend. You saw that Jiaozheng beast earlier today, didn’t you? Most of the villagers have trained in some martial arts, so their close combat abilities far exceed those of ordinary people outside. But if one of those powerful Yin Beasts were to charge right up to them, even the most skilled martial artist alone would be no match. We might defeat them with numbers, but the casualties would be heavy—we simply cannot afford such losses. Thus, using Netherworld force to cast spells for trapping the enemy has become key to the village’s survival. The quantity of Yin Beast cores we have stored as fuel for spellcasting is the very measure of a village’s strength.” The elder smiled faintly, paused briefly, then continued as if he still had more to say:

“But these beast cores are extremely hard to come by! Generally speaking, the more powerful a Yin Beast is, the more likely it is to have a core in its head. But there is no guarantee. Sometimes we spend enormous effort destroying a beast that seems incredibly strong, only to find its skull completely empty. On other occasions, like the one today when the villagers brought you back, they killed a few weak Fire Scale Beasts on the road and actually found a small core. It is very hard to predict.”

“But to put it simply, the village needs to cast spells to repel enemies and maintain daily protections, so the demand for beast cores is very high. However, a full year’s haul of Yin Beast cores usually only amounts to a dozen or so—barely enough to get by. Because of this, the cores are normally split between the village’s elders for safekeeping. They are only given to us few cultivators when we need to cast spells to drive off enemies. Once the battle is over, they are immediately taken back. As for this stone talisman, we usually pour a few days’ worth of power into it in advance to sustain daily consumption. We don’t directly set the cores into it. It’s a bit of a waste of the embedding slots that were specially left when the talisman was made.” The old man seemed somewhat dissatisfied with how the village elders did things. He bent down, touched the diamond-shaped grooves along the rim of the stone disc, and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Han Li did not respond to the man’s words. He simply smiled faintly and remained silent.

He did not know what the man’s intentions were in being so forthcoming with him. But he suspected it had something to do with the power struggles within the village. He had no intention of settling here long-term and certainly did not want to get involved.

Once these cultivators were cut off from the path of cultivation, they became like mortal men, playing petty games of power and profit.

Han Li sighed to himself. He found it rather pathetic.

Seeing that Han Li did not take the bait voluntarily, a flicker of disappointment passed through the elder’s eyes. But he quickly regained his composure and began to chat idly about other things.

“You know, friend, no one can say how many tens of thousands of years this accursed place has existed. Though few cultivators are ever drawn into it, over such a long span of time, the number of cultivators who have perished in this Netherworld Domain probably numbers in the hundreds, if not thousands. And I have heard that some of them were even Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators, trapped here until they died of old age.” The elder mentioned this casually.

“Nascent Soul cultivators have been here?” Han Li was visibly moved.

“Yes. I don’t know how long ago it was, but that senior was brought here and ended up living out his days in this village. I imagine he was caught by the Spirit Void Eruption at the same time as you two. Otherwise, a man of such great power would not have been done in by the ordinary ghost mist.” The elder sighed lightly.

“Probably so. This Spirit Void Eruption is truly terrifying. I suspect only a Deity Transformation cultivator of legend would be unaffected by it.” Han Li gave a wry smile.

“Deity Transformation? Heh, you really think far ahead, friend. Still, though that Nascent Soul senior died here, he left behind some books and records when he had nothing else to do. Some of them are his personal cultivation insights. If those were outside, they would naturally be priceless treasures. But here? Heh heh…” The old man shook his head, a look of regret on his face.

“Cultivation insights? I would be genuinely interested in seeing those. Would you happen to know where they are kept now?” Han Li’s face lit up with interest.

The insights and experiences of a Nascent Soul cultivator were no trivial matter. He naturally wanted to take a look.

“Heh! That was exactly my reaction when I first heard of them, friend. But spend a few years here, and you will no longer care about such things. Without magic power, you can only stare helplessly at them. Still, if you are truly interested, you can go take a look. They are kept in a storehouse along with other relics left behind by deceased cultivators.” The old man rubbed the wrinkles on his face and spoke noncommittally. Then he shifted his body and pointed to a corner of the village, where a shabby-looking stone building stood.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Han Li thanked the old man with a calm countenance.

The old man spoke a few more words with Han Li, then, noticing that his attention seemed to be elsewhere, smiled faintly and took his leave.

Han Li watched the elder’s retreating back. He pressed his lips together, fell silent for a moment of contemplation, then shook his head and descended from the stone platform.

He strode briskly toward the dilapidated stone building.