69: Dragon Talisman

Gao De gazed at the black jade skeleton and the black fire and shadow lingering upon it, a warning bell ringing loudly in his heart.

This was definitely not a safe place. That eerie black fire could directly burn the Divine Soul, and the black shadow was filled with resentment; touching it rashly might cost him his life.

He shifted his gaze away from the skeleton and onto the mountain-like pile of Seals.

These Seals were made of various materials—jade, metal, and bone—and were of different sizes. They were carved with various aquatic race runes and marks, most of them dull and covered in thick dust.

They seemed to represent some kind of symbol of power or status, but after the passage of time, the power they contained was likely less than one-tenth of what it once was.

Gao De cautiously scanned them with his Divine Sense, and after confirming there was no danger, he took a few from a distance to examine them. Aside from the materials themselves still retaining a trace of spirituality, their internal structures had long been eroded by time and were no longer of much use.

It seemed these were not the main goal of his trip.

His attention was ultimately locked firmly onto the bronze-cast dragon talisman clutched in the skeleton's grip.

For this talisman to be held tightly by this Senior until death, and to still maintain its radiance despite the erosion of the black fire and shadow, it must be extraordinary.

The faint light flowing upon it faintly resonated with the entire hall, and even with the Restrictions deeper inside.

"I must get it!" Gao De was certain in his heart.

This dragon talisman was very likely the key to controlling some of the Restrictions here, and even to understanding the truth about this "Seventh Garrison Barracks".

But how to take it? Taking it by force was definitely not an option; the backlash from that black fire and shadow was no joke.

Gao De pondered for a moment, calculating rapidly in his mind. He recalled the claw mark he encountered when pushing open the stone door, which contained the power of a "vast ocean". That was the ultimate manifestation of the power of water, carrying strong Seal and suppression characteristics.

And he possessed the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon Bloodline; the Power of Thunder was extremely Yang and rigid, having an Innate restraint against evil spirits and Yin phantoms. Perhaps...

An idea gradually took shape.

He took a few steps back, maintaining a sufficient safety distance from the skeleton.

Immediately, he circulated the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, his flood dragon pearl humming within his body, and pure Purple Lightning Demonic Power surged out.

However, he did not condense the offensive Thunder Smite Spear, but instead carefully controlled and shaped the Power of Thunder.

He saw streaks of purple electric snakes interweaving and coiling in front of him, gradually weaving into a dense, flashing electric net.

This electric net was not meant for attack, but to construct a temporary isolation field filled with the aura of masculine thunder.

At the same time, he once again displayed the basic application of his devouring Divine Ability, forming a miniature, rotating Spirit Devouring Vortex in front of the electric net.

The goal of this vortex was not to devour the black fire and shadow, but to prepare to receive the energy impact that might be triggered, and to guide and deflect it.

With preparations complete, Gao De's gaze narrowed.

He extended his flood dragon claw, covered in cyan-black scales, towards the bronze-cast dragon talisman from a distance, slowly making a "grabbing" motion.

A gentle but firm Demonic Power, like an invisible thread, bypassed the main body of the skeleton and precisely coiled around the dragon talisman.

The moment his Demonic Power touched the dragon talisman—

"Hum!"

The black fire in the skeleton's eye sockets suddenly surged, like an enraged poisonous snake, whistling as it coiled along the thread of Demonic Power!

The blurry black shadow also emerged again, emitting a silent shriek, biting towards Gao De's Divine Soul connection!

Having been prepared, Gao De immediately activated the Purple Lightning electric net in front of him!

Crackle, crackle!

The extremely Yang and rigid purple thunder collided violently with the cold and eerie black fire, emitting a harsh sound of burning and annihilation.

The black fire was clearly extremely wary of the thunder; its forward momentum was blocked tightly by the electric net, and black fire was constantly scattered by the electric light, turning into wisps of black smoke.

The black shadow, hitting the electric net, also let out a shrill hiss; although silent, it acted directly on his Divine Sense, and the black shadow became a bit thinner.

However, the black fire and shadow were extremely tenacious, still frantically attacking the electric net, and a bone-chillingly cold force penetrated the electric net, attempting to erode Gao De's mind.

Gao De let out a muffled groan, feeling a stinging pain in his Divine Soul again, but he gritted his teeth and persisted, exerting all his strength to maintain the electric net, while simultaneously controlling the miniature Spirit Devouring Vortex to forcibly suck in and temporarily Seal the black fire energy and cold aura that escaped, alleviating the pressure on his main body.

This was a process of wrestling; it was a test of endurance, the purity of Demonic Power, and the strength of the Bloodline!

Light flowed over Gao De's flood dragon body, and his newfound Bloodline Power was stimulated to the limit, with the Purple Lightning Thunder Aura flickering on his body surface, resisting the all-pervading cold erosion.

He stared fixedly at the dragon talisman, the thread of Demonic Power grabbing it from a distance trembling, yet it unswervingly and slowly pulled the dragon talisman out, bit by bit, from the finger bones tightly gripped by the skeleton.

This process was extremely slow, and every second felt like torture.

The burning sensation of the black fire and the resentful intent of the black shadow constantly bombarded his Divine Sense defense line.

Fine beads of sweat containing Demonic Power even seeped from Gao De's forehead, immediately evaporated by the thunder aura around him.

He did not know how long had passed; perhaps it was only the time it takes to burn an incense stick, but it felt as long as a year.

"Click." With a barely perceptible soft sound, the bronze-cast dragon talisman finally completely broke free from the skeleton's control, guided by Gao De's thread of Demonic Power, and slowly flew towards him.

The moment the dragon talisman left its body, the black jade skeleton seemed to have lost its final support, letting out an unbearable groan. The dense cracks covering it suddenly expanded, and with a "clatter", it shattered into pieces, turning into a pile of dull black bone powder, piled up on the main seat.

And the unceasingly entangled black fire and black shadow, at the same time as the skeleton shattered, seemed to have lost their source, emitting a wave of unwilling distortion and shrieks, finally, like a candle in the wind, flickering a few times, and completely annihilated and disappeared.

Inside the main hall, the heart-palpitating cold and resentful aura also dissipated by more than half.

Gao De let out a long sigh of relief, his figure swaying slightly, feeling a wave of weakness.

The confrontation just now had consumed a great deal of his Demonic Power and mental energy.

He reached out and caught the flying bronze-cast dragon talisman, and a warm, ancient, yet slightly heavy aura of malevolence passed through his palm into his body.

The dragon talisman felt heavy in his hand, and the dragon patterns carved on it were lifelike, appearing to be slowly swimming.

In the center of the talisman body, there was a clear ancient Dragon character— "Prison".

Gao De could feel that this dragon talisman had a close connection with this main hall, and even with the prison area that might exist deeper inside.

It might just be the key to controlling the Restrictions here.

He carefully put away the dragon talisman, his gaze sweeping over the pile of bones that had turned into bone powder again, and a trace of respect and sighing inevitably rose in his heart.

This Senior must have been an extraordinary person during their lifetime, yet they ended up in such a state, with even their remains unable to rest in peace.

This place was not suitable for staying long.

Although he had obtained the dragon talisman, the commotion just now was not small, and it was hard to guarantee it wouldn't disturb something.

Moreover, the "Treasury" gate and the "Barracks" gate had not yet been explored.

Gao De suppressed the urge to study the dragon talisman immediately, took a few Medicinal Pills to restore his Demonic Power, and after a brief adjustment, he turned around without hesitation and retreated along the path he came from.

He decided to leave this "Prison" main hall first and return to a relatively safe passage before making further plans.

The harvest this time was already not small, but the secrets of this Dragon Palace Secret Passage were clearly only just beginning to be revealed.

The upcoming "Treasury" gate might bring him more surprises.