47: Chapter 47 The Flame of Talisman Burns Evil

Yun Song feigned a clumsy stagger, pretending to be fearful and backing away in submission.

He deliberately ground his boot soles into the thick snow, creating a soft, dragging sound, perfectly acting out the appearance of a cowardly retreat.

Sure enough, the group of bandits was entirely focused on the Ye Hua siblings in their desperate situation, and no one paid any more attention to his movements.

Seizing the moment when everyone's attention was fully occupied by the struggle below, Yun Song suddenly lowered his body and dove into the deep snowdrift by the roadside.

The bone-chilling cold soaked through his clothes, making his fingertips numb and stiff, but he ignored it, quickly pushing aside the soft surface snow to accurately locate the burlap bundle he had buried deep underground earlier.

His fingertips nimbly untied the coarse hemp rope, his movements swift and silent, as he hid the ten precious talismans he had been carrying against his body, tucking them deep into the innermost part of his tunic.

After finishing this, he reburied the bundle in the snow pit exactly as it was and smoothed over the surface snow with his hand.

The falling snow covered it in an instant, completely erasing all traces so that not a hint of anything unusual remained.

He slightly hunched his back, lowered his silhouette, and moved through the snow with extremely light footsteps.

His boot soles were thickly coated with soft snow, making his landings silent; every step was as light as a feather, not splashing a single speck of snow.

The falling white snow landed on his shoulders and hair, gradually blending his slender figure into the vast, snowy landscape, providing perfect concealment.

He stealthily crept to the base of an ancient pine tree that three people could barely encircle, and hung the mining hoe in his hand steadily onto a low-hanging, thick tree branch.

As the mining hoe touched the branch, it caused a slight vibration, sending the thick snow piled on the branch cascading down with a rustle. This kicked up a hazy cloud of snow, which perfectly formed a natural screen, completely masking his trail.

Taking advantage of the perfect opportunity provided by the snow screen, he pushed off the ground with his toes, launched himself into the air, and clamped his hands onto the rough bark like cold iron pincers.

Using the mining hoe for leverage and momentum, he climbed rapidly. With a few movements, he completely disappeared into the dense, snow-laden branches, hiding high up in the treetop.

The branches and leaves trembled slightly, and scattered specks of snow slowly shook off.

He lay steadily on a thick branch, suppressing his rapid breathing to catch his breath and settle his Qi.

He reached his fingertips into his tunic, touched the warm, flat talisman inside, and felt his mind settle.

He quietly withdrew one, and saw on its surface, indigo and crimson talisman patterns intertwined. In the center, a flame totem appeared vivid and lifelike, burning intensely as if it would break free from the talisman's restraints at any moment and erupt with violent power.

Looking closely, the red and blue patterns flowed like living water, endless and perpetual, with every texture containing an abstruse and eerie rhythm.

He focused, held his breath, aimed at the thug closest to the Ye Hua siblings who was attacking the most fiercely, and released his grip.

"Whoosh—!"

The talisman tore through the wind, cutting across the snow-filled sky with a sharp, piercing whistle as it accurately struck the thug's back!

The next instant, the talisman made contact!

"Pop!"

A crisp explosion suddenly burst forth, and two clusters of crimson and indigo flames rose up like darting fire snakes, tightly wrapping around the thug's coarse cloth clothes.

The fire was swift and overbearing, spreading rapidly up along his spine. The scorching tongues of flame frantically licked at his flesh, and a wave of intense heat suddenly exploded outward.

"Help!!"

A shrill, desperate scream suddenly tore through the silence of the snowy plains.

The thug was terrified beyond measure, his body engulfed in raging flames. He rolled frantically on the snowy ground, disregarding everything, attempting to extinguish the fire with the snow.

But the splashing snow, upon touching the eerie flames, evaporated into white steam, completely unable to suppress the fire in the slightest.

The eerie two-colored flames mercilessly devoured his flesh and body, and the thick stench of burnt flesh mixed with billowing blue smoke shot straight into the sky.

In just a fleeting moment, the thug's struggles gradually weakened, and eventually, his twisted body collapsed, motionless, in the smoking snow pit.

On the pristine white snow, dark red bloodstains intertwined with charred remains, a shocking and eye-stinging sight.

"It's a Fire Spirit Talisman! Everyone, disperse quickly!"

The bandit leader's pupils constricted, his expression changing drastically!

Having spent years roaming the Jianghu and being well-traveled, he recognized at a glance that this was an extremely mysterious and overbearing spirit talisman, certainly not a common Jianghu Martial Skill!

Shocked to the core, he hurriedly brandished his ring-pommel saber, shouted sharply to stop everyone, and signaled his men to retreat quickly and stand guard.

His fierce, eagle-like eyes scanned frantically in all directions, sweeping across the entire snow-filled forest, attempting to find the person attacking from the shadows.

"You cowardly rat hiding your head and tail! If you have the guts, come out and fight me head-on!"

The furious roar shook the accumulated snow off the branches, but the forest remained silent, with no one answering.

High in the treetop, Yun Song leaned against the thick trunk, his eyes trembling slightly.

He knew of the mysteries of spirit talismans, but had never witnessed their power with his own eyes.

Seeing it today, he realized that this tiny slip of paper could erupt with such terrifying lethal power. The tragic scene of burning bones and searing flesh just now sent chills down his spine.

The strange spiritual power flowing between the talisman patterns and the overbearing, unfathomable rhythm of the spell far exceeded his expectations.

In a flash of realization, he suddenly remembered the trump card the bandit leader had been slow to reveal; the way the opponent had reached into his robe earlier with such cautious and secretive gestures was exactly the same as his own movements when hiding the talismans!

In an instant, things became clear to Yun Song, and he felt secretly relieved.

Fortunately, he had assessed the situation, feigned defeat to show weakness, and laid low, which allowed him to find this perfect opportunity for a surprise counterattack and seize the initiative.

In the forest below, the bandit leader searched everywhere to no avail. Unable to find any trace of the attacker, his inner fury grew even more intense.

Embarrassed and enraged, he roared again, "What are you all standing there for! Hurry up, get it done, and slaughter these two nuisances!"

Hearing this, the remaining thugs once again acted with reckless disregard for death. Holding cold blades, they lunged like starving wolves toward the exhausted and heavily wounded Ye Hua siblings.

In the critical, life-and-death moment, Yun Song reached into his robe again, his fingertips touching a talisman with a completely different texture.

This talisman felt cool and delicate, with mysterious and profound patterns on its surface. Deep blue and snowy white spirit patterns were intertwined, and in the center was a vigorous and archaic "Dragon" character, exuding a biting, bone-chilling cold.

He suddenly leaned out from behind the tree branch, raised his hand, and flicked it, the talisman instantly flying out of his hand!

The moment the talisman hit the ground, a blinding white light shot into the sky, and a massive water Dragon, intertwined with blue and white, burst out from the ground with a roar!

The water Dragon's body coiled and spiraled, its scales clear and refined, shimmering with the biting, cold light of ice crystals and frost. Its Dragon might was overwhelming, and its cold aura spilled everywhere!

Wherever the Dragon's body swept, the swirling snow and the snow on the ground within a radius of one zhang instantly froze into ice. The entire forest was suddenly ravaged by cold, with frost filling the air!