"Bang!"
There was no earth-shattering explosion as people had expected, nor was there a flood of rune fragments. The Zhen Tian Talisman from the Zhenfu Heaven Star Domain only let out a muffled sound before being swallowed by the light shield.
"This ..."
Everyone was shocked, especially the older generation of experts, who understood the power of the Thunder Talisman best.
Back in the same era, during the rivalry, Gongsun Xuan relied on this secret technique to defeat countless powerful opponents and save himself from danger multiple times.
It can be said that the Thunder Heaven Talisman exerted its greatest power in Gongsun Xuan's hands. Since learning it, Gongsun Xuan had spent most of his life researching how to enhance its power. It can be said that the Thunder Heaven Talisman he carved now surpassed his ancestors.
For talismans of the same level as the Heaven-Shaking Talisman, even Gongsun Xuan would need several months to carve one.
After carving, it still needs the nourishment of the acquired soul to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and only after three years can it unleash its full power.
Detonating this Thunder Talisman required an enormous amount of spiritual power. Even someone like Gongsun Xuan, a half-step Divine Lord realm expert, could only detonate one talisman at a time.
Outsiders have a big misunderstanding about talisman cultivation. Seeing many people wielding talismans, hundreds or even thousands of them at once, with talismans flying everywhere, looking utterly carefree.
In reality, most people who use talismans like that are amateurs. The talismans aren't carved by themselves, but bought instead. To put it bluntly, they're the foolish sons of landlords—if they lack the strength, they just smash the other party with money.
But true talisman masters would never buy talismans from others, nor use unfamiliar ones. Only talismans carved by themselves could unleash their greatest power in their own hands.
However, the stronger the talisman, the more spiritual power it consumes, so it's rarely used. Gongsun Xuan's reputation shakes the world, but very few have actually seen him use the Thunder Talisman.
Today, people saw the world-shaking Heaven-Shaking Talisman, but it had little power. For a moment, everyone was stunned—what was going on?
"The Thunder Talisman is an ancestral talisman, the most primitive rune form, which can evolve into hundreds of variations later.
I once warned you, your path is off track, you've reached the lowest level. The power seems great, but if you can't concentrate it, what's the point? If you don't turn back now, it'll be too late.
But you cursed me out, saying I was arrogant and arrogant, accused me of ignorance. Now I'll show you what a true Thunder Talisman is. Xia
Chen snorted coldly, then suddenly waved his hand, sending out a talisman. But unlike Gongsun Xuan's, the talisman flew out silently, without any earth-shaking force.
However, the elder generation's faces changed dramatically. The talisman carried wind and thunder, but when it sliced through the void, it did not rub against the void but instead produced a roaring sound. The void's resistance was actually absorbed by the talisman.
"Yutian Talisman!"
Gongsun Xuan roared, clasping his palms together. Between them appeared a talisman. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and as the blood merged with the talisman, a blood-red barrier formed around him.
With the blood-red barrier appearing, Gongsun Xuan instantly aged considerably. Clearly, he had used a large amount of essence blood to enhance the power of the talisman, indicating he felt the threat of death.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion sounded, runes flying everywhere, shaking the eardrums with intense pain. For a moment, no sound could be heard; all that remained before their eyes was the constantly twisting space. This strike was breathtakingly powerful.
Runes fluttered down like petals dancing, slowly drifting down. Soon, everyone's attention cleared and they saw Gongsun Xuan's figure.
Gongsun Xuan still maintained his palms clasped together, the blood-red light curtain still enveloping him. Everyone's hearts trembled:
"He actually blocked it, Gongsun Xuan is truly formidable."
From the perspective of the older generation of experts, Xia Chen's Thunder Talisman was clearly superior to Gongsun Xuan's. When Gongsun Xuan unleashed it, it roared and exploded, invisibly dissipating much of its power. Although the momentum was impressive, its power was greatly reduced.
Xia Chen's Heaven-Shaking Talisman was condensed but not released, gathering but not dispersing, clearly making the latter even harder to resist.
From the earlier earth-shattering explosion, it was clear that although Xia Chen's Thunder Talisman was not as powerful as Gongsun Xuan's, its concentrated power and destructive power were definitely no less than Gongsun Xuan's.
Gongsun Xuan could withstand Xia Chen's strike after unleashing a Thunderous Talisman, which proved his formidability.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
Just as everyone was marveling, a piercing sound suddenly reached their ears. The blood-red barrier that Gongsun Xuan had propped up began to crack.
"This ..."
someone exclaimed, because as the barrier cracked, Gongsun Xuan's body also began to crack, blood seeping out from the cracks—a truly horrifying sight.
Gongsun Xuan glanced at the cracked barrier and his own cracked body, then slowly turned his head to look at Gongsun Ziyi.
"Grandpa... Gongsun
Ziyi let out a heart-wrenching cry and threw herself into Gongsun Xuan's arms. Gongsun Xuan wanted to reach out, seemingly to touch Gongsun Ziyi's face, but in the end, he failed. His body could no longer hold on, shattered to pieces, and he died.
Xia Chen's Thunder Talisman was the true Heaven-Shaking Talisman. It infused less spiritual power than Gongsun Xuan, but its power was just as strong. Most importantly, its power was concentrated on Gongsun Xuan.
"Grandpa... You can't die... If you die, I have nothing left. How am I supposed to go on living..." Gongsun Ziyi held Gongsun Xuan's body and wailed uncontrollably.
Long Chen's face was icy as he slowly raised a finger, but Guo Ran struck first, stabbing the black long blade straight into Gongsun Ziyi's back.
"Clang"—
Suddenly, a talisman flew out, deflecting Guo Ran's long blade.
"Xia Chen, you ...," Guo Ran was shocked—the one who bounced him away was actually Xia Chen.
"Brother, I appreciate your kindness. Let me handle my affairs. I don't want you to carry a bad reputation." Xia Chen shook his head and patted Guo Ran on the shoulder.
He knew Guo Ran wanted to avenge him, and feared Guo Ran wouldn't bring himself to act, so he was willing to bear a bad reputation, even if it meant being laughed at.
Guo Ran looked at Long Chen, who signaled him to stay quiet and leave everything to Xia Chen.
At this moment, Gongsun Ziyi was immersed in grief, seemingly unaware of what was happening beside her, still lying on Gongsun Xuan's corpse, crying bitterly, a sight that evoked deep pity.
Seeing Xia Chen walk toward Gongsun Ziyi, many people's faces showed reluctance. Just as they were about to speak, the older generation of experts stopped them with a glance.
"If I had known this would happen today, why would I have done it in the first place? I, Xia Chen, have treated you with utmost sincerity, yet what you repay me is deception and harm. Xia Chen walked up to Gongsun Ziyi and sighed.
Gongsun Ziyi stood up crying. At this moment, she was no longer cold or domineering, like a helpless weak woman. She cried her eyes out, tears streaming down her face, looking at Xia Chen and choking out:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please kill me. If there is a next life, I'm willing to work like a beast of burden to atone for you!"
"Pfft"
A long sword in Xia Chen's hand mercilessly pierced through Gongsun Ziyi's chest.
"You ..."
Gongsun Ziyi looked at Xia Chen in disbelief. The sorrow in her eyes was gone, replaced only by shock, anger, and unwillingness.