“Give me some more time to familiarize myself with the Divine Inscription Artifact Refining method. By then, I will help you refine a few Immortal Artifacts for Undergoing Tribulation, to deal with the True Spirit Thunder Tribulation!”
Li Mu smiled slightly, took Xue'er's hand, and said confidently.
Hearing this, a flash of excitement and anticipation flickered in Xue'er's eyes. She held Li Mu’s hand tightly and said gratefully, “Then I’ll trouble Li Dage. With the help of such Immortal Artifacts, I will surely be able to pass the True Spirit Thunder Tribulation.”
Li Mu smiled and nodded, and with a thought, he brought the Five-Colored Spiritual Ring into his body.
“Master, I, I,….”
At this moment, the Treasure Mansion Spirit, the Five-Colored Flood Dragon, anxiously flew to Li Mu, seemingly having something difficult to say, unable to speak.
“I know what you mean, but I can’t do it yet. I’ve only learned a portion of the Three Thousand Divine Runes,” Li Mu replied to the Treasure Mansion Spirit with some helplessness.
The Treasure Mansion Spirit saw the power of the Divine Inscription Artifact Refining method and undoubtedly wanted to use this method to reshape its internal artifact runes. However, Li Mu had only mastered six hundred of the Three Thousand Divine Runes, making it difficult to successfully refine even low-grade Immortal Artifacts, let alone reshape the Foundation of the eighth-tier Cave Heaven Magic Treasure, the Painting World Treasure Mansion, using the Divine Inscription method.
Hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in the Five-Colored Flood Dragon’s eyes, but then a look of trust appeared on its face. It circled Li Mu once, landed in front of him, and said trustingly, “Master, though I am eager, I also understand that haste makes waste. In due time, you will surely master more Divine Runes, and then the Treasure Mansion will also usher in a new life.”
Li Mu was very pleased with the Five-Colored Flood Dragon’s flattery and nodded with a smile, saying, “Don’t worry, I keep your wish in mind. Once I am proficient in the Divine Inscription secret art, I will definitely find a way to reshape your artifact Foundation.”
“Moreover,” Li Mu changed the subject, his eyes gleaming with resolute light, and said solemnly, “I will also look for other auxiliary methods to see if there are other ways to enhance the power and tier of the Treasure Mansion. After all, the stronger you are, the more helpful you are to me. We are interdependent existences, advancing and retreating together, sharing honor and disgrace.”
“Master’s intentions, the Treasure Mansion understands! From now on, the Treasure Mansion vows to follow its master to the death, serve by your side, and do its utmost to help you ascend to the supreme Realm!” The Five-Colored Flood Dragon excitedly pledged its loyalty to Li Mu.
“Alright! Alright! You go attend to your duties. I’ve noted this matter,” Li Mu gently patted the Five-Colored Flood Dragon’s head and said with a gentle smile.
The Five-Colored Flood Dragon nodded, then transformed into specks of flowing light and disappeared into the Treasure Mansion Space.
“Li Dage, you must be tired from Artifact Refining! Sit down, I’ll give you a massage!”
Xue'er pulled Li Mu’s hand and said gently.
“Xue'er, you are truly thoughtful.” Li Mu chuckled softly, letting Xue'er lead him to a stone table nearby and sit down.
Xue'er’s technique was delicate; her fingertips gently landed on Li Mu’s shoulders, starting to massage with just the right amount of pressure. Her gentle movements dispelled all of Li Mu’s fatigue, making him feel an unprecedented sense of comfort and tranquility.
Gradually, Li Mu leaned against Xue'er and fell asleep.
At some unknown point, a nightmare suddenly made Li Mu open his eyes abruptly. He looked around and found himself still sitting in the small courtyard where he shared a warm time with Xue'er. Xue'er was looking at him with a gentle and concerned gaze, her hand still not removed from his shoulder, clearly startled by his sudden movement.
“Li Dage! What’s wrong?” Xue'er looked at Li Mu somewhat nervously, not understanding why.
As for Li Mu falling asleep under her massage, Xue'er merely felt a little heartache and didn't find it unusual. However, Li Mu was awakened shortly after falling asleep, and the situation was clearly not quite right.
Now, high-level Cultivators at Li Mu's Realm almost never dream, and they sleep very little, unless their state of mind has been greatly disturbed, or it is a sudden premonition, a high-risk warning, or a major unknown obstacle hidden on their Dao path.
“It’s nothing, it’s alright!”
Li Mu gently patted Xue'er’s hand, signaling her to relax, while also trying to calm the waves in his heart. He smiled and explained, “Perhaps I’ve been too engrossed in Artifact Refining recently, and my mind is a bit unstable, leading to a few hallucinations.”
Hearing this, Xue'er frowned slightly, clearly sensing that Li Mu’s emotions were off.
Seeing the unusual expression on Xue'er’s face, Li Mu gave a wry smile. With the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox Bloodline’s talent, it wasn't easy to hide things from Xue'er.
“I fell asleep just now and unexpectedly had a nightmare?”
Li Mu gave a wry smile and confessed directly to Xue'er.
“What kind of nightmare? That made Li Dage so afraid?”
Hearing this, Xue'er’s expression tightened, and the hand gripping Li Mu’s shoulder unconsciously tightened, filled with worry.
Li Mu felt the tension and concern in Xue'er’s hand, and a warm current surged in his heart. He gently patted Xue'er’s hand, signaling her to relax with a smile, “Xue'er, don’t worry, I just encountered some vague and terrifying scenes in my dream, but I can’t remember the specifics. Perhaps it’s just a faint premonition of unknown challenges deep within my heart! No need to worry.”
Hearing this, Xue'er’s tightly furrowed brows did not fully relax. She knew Li Mu’s cultivation and state of mind, so a dream that could make him uneasy was certainly not ordinary.
“Li Dage, you are already a Void Refining Cultivator, how could you have nightmares? The appearance of this dream is absolutely not accidental. Perhaps it really is foreshadowing something, you must not take it lightly!” Xue'er earnestly reminded Li Mu.
“I know, I’ll perform a divination later to check. It’s getting late, go get something to eat!”
Li Mu nodded, comforting Xue'er with a relaxed attitude and instructing her.
Xue'er frowned, clearly sensing Li Mu's thoughts and the heaviness behind his deliberate ease, but she didn't refute. She just looked deeply at Li Mu, her eyes filled with both worry and trust.
“Alright, Li Dage, I’ll go prepare some food now. But you must promise me that no matter the outcome of the divination, you will tell me, and we will face it together.” Xue'er nodded readily, insisting.
“Okay!”
Li Mu smiled brightly and watched her leave.
After watching Xue'er leave, the smile on Li Mu’s face gradually faded, replaced by a look of solemnity.
In the dream just now, Li Mu saw the Demon Abyss Channel wide open, with the ‘Eternal Demon God’ personally descending upon this Realm, grabbing him in its hand, and preparing to crush him—a terrifying scene so real that every detail seemed etched into his Soul, making it unforgettable even after waking up.
Li Mu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to detach himself from that fearful emotion. As a Void Refining Cultivator with a powerful Divine Soul and profound cultivation, he shouldn't be so afraid of this tribulation, or it would easily give rise to a Heart Demon.
After adjusting his state of mind, Li Mu regained his composure and pondered the warning from this dream.
Li Mu no longer regarded this nightmare as an ordinary nightmare; it was a warning from the future.
He thought about how this Realm’s Spiritual Qi was currently in a state of depletion. A thousand Years later, if the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi could not maintain the seven extreme Seals, then the two Realm channels would inevitably reopen, and the return of the Demon Abyss to this Realm was almost a foregone conclusion.
The Clone of the Eternal Demon God was destroyed by him, along with its final curse and threat to him, Li Mu’s heart couldn’t help but sink, and he immediately understood the reason for this nightmare.
It turned out that the matter of being targeted by the Eternal Demon God had always been deeply ingrained in his subconscious, weighing on his mind. It was just that this time, refining low-grade Immortal Artifacts had consumed too much of his mental energy, which was why such a terrifying nightmare occurred, serving as a warning to him!
“To be remembered by such a supreme existence is truly not a good thing!” Li Mu couldn't help but smile bitterly and sigh.
After a bitter smile, Li Mu immediately calmed his mind and pondered countermeasures. He still had a thousand Years. With the high-grade spiritual plants cultivated in the seven Secret Realms, there was a certain chance they could help him enter that final Realm.
However, a thousand Years later, if he were to face the Eternal Demon God then, relying solely on his individual strength, even if he reached that legendary supreme Realm, he might not be able to fully resist the threat of the Eternal Demon God, let alone a thousand Years later in an era of depleted Spiritual Qi.
Was it destined to be a dead end?
Thinking of this, Li Mu’s brows furrowed tightly, and he felt unwilling.
No, there was still one way: to Ascend and escape to the Upper Realm before the two Realm channels opened!
The Upper Realm, that legendary Immortal Realm with abundant Spiritual Qi and countless powerful beings, might hold the key to breaking this dead end. Although Ascending to the Upper Realm was difficult and fraught with unknown risks, it was the only way Li Mu could currently think of to change his destiny.
Thinking of this, Li Mu felt a slight relief. He reached out and summoned the “Divine Inscription True Explanation” from the nine storage spiritual pearl.
Currently, the only thing connected to the Upper Realm was this Divine Inscription True Explanation. If he fully learned these Three Thousand Divine Runes, he could use them as a Foundation to refine an eighth or ninth-tier ‘Immortal Artifact.’ At that time, with the power of this Immortal Artifact, he might have an extra layer of protection during the Ascension to the Upper Realm, and it could even become his Foundation for standing firm in the Upper Realm.
Having figured this out, Li Mu immediately opened the “Divine Inscription True Explanation” and immersed his Divine Thought within it.
Not long after, Xue'er came out carrying the cooked spiritual meal. Seeing this scene, she gently placed it on the table and turned to leave, not disturbing Li Mu’s cultivation.
Li Mu was completely unaware, his mind fully immersed in the world of Divine Runes. Time seemed to lose its meaning at this moment.
…
Years flew by like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, several more Years had passed.
Within the Treasure Mansion Space, it was perpetually spring.
At this moment, Li Mu stood in the center of the small courtyard, a sixth-tier Talisman paper floating upright before him. He used his finger as a brush and his Divine Thought as ink, outlining intricate and mysterious spiritual runes in the Void Realm.
As Li Mu’s brushstrokes landed, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi above the courtyard was drawn by an unknown force, and the Spiritual Qi within the courtyard began to surge wildly, converging towards the sixth-tier Talisman paper. Spiraling currents of Spiritual Qi continuously formed, engulfing the entire courtyard in an extremely dense Spiritual Pool. The Spiritual Qi turned into mist, then into rain, rapidly dripping down.
Clusters of spiritual liquid formed by concentrated Spiritual Qi directly merged into the floating Talisman paper.
At this moment, Li Mu’s expression was incredibly solemn, his eyes gleaming with resolute light, as if at this moment, his entire being had merged with Heaven and Earth, becoming a part of the natural Law.
As the spiritual runes formed one by one on the Talisman paper, the Talisman paper, nourished by the endless spiritual liquid, gradually emitted a faint glow. This glow contained immense power and endless mysteries.
What Li Mu was drawing was not an ordinary sixth-tier Talisman, but the culmination of his Years of arduous cultivation, dedicated research into the Three Thousand Divine Runes, and countless attempts and failures.
The Three Thousand Divine Runes seemed to contain the ultimate truth of Heaven and Earth, serving as the Foundation of all things. Whether in Artifact Refining, Spiritual Charms Drawing, array formation, Puppet carving, and so on, they could all display their unparalleled power.
However, the comprehension and application of these Three Thousand Divine Runes were a formidable challenge for any Cultivator.
Several Years of immersive research allowed Li Mu to successfully master another four hundred Divine Runes. At the same time, he also discovered the most concise way to apply and master them: by drawing Talismans with them.
Compared to using the Three Thousand Divine Runes for Artifact Refining, which required careful consideration of Artifact Refining Materials, as well as complex processes like smelting, forging, condensing artifact runes, and arranging artifact arrays, the Artifact Refining method based on the Three Thousand Divine Runes faced significant limitations.
Using the method of Spiritual Charms Drawing to practice and master the Three Thousand Divine Runes was different. It only required a Talisman paper as the Foundation to condense the mysteries and power of the Divine Runes within it, simplifying the process and improving efficiency.
Whether or not a Talisman could be successfully drawn depended entirely on Li Mu's understanding and control of the Divine Runes.
As time passed, the spiritual runes based on Divine Runes on the sixth-tier Talisman paper became increasingly intricate. They intertwined with each other, forming increasingly complete spiritual networks.
The sixth-tier Talisman drawn this time was Li Mu's original creation, based on his understanding of Time-Space Dao and Five Elements Yin and Yang Dao from his cultivation of the Time-Space Wheel Sutra, combined with his experience in seventh-tier Symbol Making Art.
At the same time, by using one thousand Divine Runes as the Foundation and skillfully integrating the mysteries of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and Time-Space power, this sixth-tier Talisman fundamentally surpassed the scope of ordinary Talismans, reaching an unprecedented height.
Li Mu named it the “Sky-Rending Blade Talisman.” This name not only implied that the immense power contained within the Talisman was enough to tear apart the sky, but also symbolized its ability to break conventions at critical moments and create a new type of composite Talisman.
Once activated, the Sky-Rending Blade Talisman would instantly absorb the Yin and Yang and Five Elements spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, erupting in an instant and transforming into a Time-Space Blade, forming a Time-Space storm powerful enough to shake Heaven and Earth. This Time-Space storm not only possessed immense destructive power, capable of easily destroying enemy defenses and attacks, but also could condense a giant sword made of pure spiritual energy at the center of the storm—the “Boundary-Rending Blade.”
The Boundary-Rending Blade was incomparably sharp and indestructible. Wherever its sword light passed, it could easily tear through space, delivering the most fatal blow at the fastest speed.
Even more miraculously, the Sky-Rending Blade Talisman was drawn using hundreds of Divine Runes as its Foundation, possessing multiple functions. In critical moments, this Talisman could also be used as a Time-Space Escape Talisman or a defensive Talisman.
By simply activating the specific Divine Rune combination of the Sky-Rending Blade Talisman, one could activate the escape array within the Talisman, allowing for instant teleportation over tens of thousands of miles, or instantly deploying a sturdy spatial barrier to resist all external attacks and intrusions.
This multi-functional use of Talismans is a characteristic of drawing Talismans based on Divine Runes, making the Sky-Rending Blade Talisman an extremely rare existence, one in ten thousand, in this Realm.
Of course, the prerequisite was that Li Mu could successfully draw this Talisman. (End of Chapter)
