96: Chapter 96 Five Thunder Annihilation Talisman

Deep within the Limestone Cave.

Wu Li crouched on a bluestone. In front of him were a Talisman brush, cinnabar, blank Talisman paper, Yao Beast blood, and a small bottle of tiger blood taken from Tiger Biao. At the same time, Wu Li had also ground the third-grade demon core of the fox demon into powder and mixed it in.

The power within this demon core had long since dissipated, but it was still somewhat useful for amplifying other things.

The tiger blood was contained in a celadon bottle. It was dark red, faintly shimmering with a golden light, and emitted a rich, bloody scent. Yet, within that bloody scent, there was a trace of masculine energy that made one feel feverish just from smelling it.

"Almost there."

Wu Li's mind settled.

Having been here for so long, it was time to return to his old trade.

In his past life, he had indeed learned Talisman making, but those were Talismans for Mortals, drawn with yellow paper and cinnabar to drive away minor ghosts and demons.

Now, what he had to draw was the 'Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman', which was extremely rigid and masculine, specifically designed to suppress ghostly entities.

Using tiger blood as the medium, tiger whiskers for the bristles, and tiger bone for the brush, he would draw upon the power of Heaven and Earth's thunder to exterminate all evil.

During the drawing process, he could not channel Demon Power through it, otherwise, the Talisman would be tainted with Demonic Qi, greatly reducing its power.

Fortunately, Wu Li had the Spirit Gathering Array. The spiritual liquid in the water pool had been accumulating for half a month, filling nearly half the pool. Rich Spiritual Qi swirled within the light barrier, ready to be used at any time.

Wu Li spread his wings and flew to the bluestone in the center of the water pool, arranging the Talisman brush, cinnabar, Talisman paper, Yao Beast blood, and tiger blood one by one.

He closed his eyes, mentally rehearsing every stroke and line of the Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman in his mind.

The memories of his past life and the insights of this life merged into one at this moment.

Then, Wu Li opened his eyes. The Technique of Refining Form manifested, transforming him into a half-human, half-Yao form.

"Hoo..."

Inhaling, holding his breath, pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he gripped the Talisman brush with his right claw, dipped the tip into the mixture of tiger blood and cinnabar, and set the brush to the paper.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

As the first stroke fell, the thick Spiritual Qi was stirred.

The brush tip danced across the Talisman paper like a Dragon or snake, every stroke carrying an indescribable rhythm.

Wu Li did not inject his Demon Power into the brush, but instead used it to draw in the Spiritual Qi from the outside.

At this moment, the Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Gathering Array was being drawn bit by bit by Wu Li's Demon Power. As it approached the Talisman, Wu Li dispersed his Demon Power, and the Spiritual Qi was automatically attracted to the Talisman paper, gathering and seeping into every stroke and line.

Although this method was feasible, it was extremely taxing on Wu Li's Demon Power. However, besides this, Wu Li had no other choice, as he was fundamentally a Yao.

As time passed.

The runes on the Talisman paper began to glow with a faint golden light, flickering as if breathing.

The Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman required a total of forty-nine strokes.

When Wu Li reached the thirty-sixth stroke, fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his claw trembled slightly, but he did not stop.

The forty-seventh stroke, the forty-eighth stroke, the forty-ninth stroke...

"Hum~~"

The brush lifted, and the Talisman was complete.

The runes on the Talisman paper suddenly flared with a bright golden light. A bolt of golden lightning shot out from the paper, exploding in the Limestone Cave and causing the water in the pool to splash several feet high.

Wu Li's feathers were slightly numbed by the electricity, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

He looked down at the Talisman paper, his blood-red pupils reflecting the golden runes, and said in a hoarse, calm voice: "It is done."

"Not bad..."

Wu Li did not rest. He carefully set aside the first Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman, re-dipped the brush in the mixture of tiger blood and cinnabar, and began to draw the second one.

As the first stroke fell, the channeling of Spiritual Qi was smoother than the first time, and the consumption of Demon Power was less.

But he knew this was an illusion; the Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Gathering Array was decreasing at a visible rate, and the Demon Power within him was also fading bit by bit.

The second one, forty-nine strokes, still completed in one go.

The third, fourth, fifth... by the time he drew the eighth, Wu Li's claw began to tremble.

The light barrier of the Spirit Gathering Array flickered unsteadily, and the spiritual liquid in the treasure pearl at the center of the Formation Plate was bottoming out.

His internal Demon Power was also mostly exhausted, but Wu Li did not stop; he gritted his teeth and continued to draw.

The ninth one.

When he reached the thirty-first stroke, Wu Li's Demon Power almost cut off, the light barrier of the Spirit Gathering Array suddenly dimmed, and the Spiritual Qi nearly failed to keep up. A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes as he forcibly squeezed the last bit of Demon Power from his Dantian to pull in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and inject it into the Talisman paper.

The brush tip swept across the paper, the final stroke fell, and the Talisman was complete.

Wu Li's Demon Power was completely drained, the spiritual liquid of the Spirit Gathering Array was also fully depleted, and the treasure pearl at the center of the Formation Plate lost its luster.

He took a deep breath. The moment the Talisman was completed, the runes on the paper only flared with a faint golden light before dimming.

Nine Five Thunder Exorcism Talismans were neatly arranged on the stone platform.

Wu Li released the Talisman brush, his body suddenly went limp, and he reverted to his original form, crouching on the bluestone and panting heavily.

His feathers were disheveled, and his Demon Power was completely empty.

The light barrier of the Spirit Gathering Array had disappeared, the treasure pearl at the center of the Formation Plate had completely lost its luster, and the Spiritual Qi in the water pool was so thin it was almost imperceptible.

"With these nine Talismans, I can consider myself to have the foundation for war."

Wu Li carefully placed the nine Talismans into his Storage Pouch, then closed his eyes and began to recover his Demon Power.

The Limestone Cave fell silent, with only the water in the pool still slightly rippling and the sound of Wu Li's heavy breathing.

Inside the Limestone Cave.

Wu Li rested for a while. His Demon Power recovered a little, and his feathers were not as disheveled.

He crouched on the bluestone, eyes closed, his breathing gradually steadying.

Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from outside the Limestone Cave. Black Feather flew in and landed outside the cave.

"Old Ancestor, the Bear King has come again. It seems he has brought you a treasure."

Wu Li opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in his pupils.

He spread his wings, leaped from the bluestone, his hoarse voice tinged with weakness.

"I will go take a look."

He flew out of the Limestone Cave, passed through the dense gaps of the stone pillars, and arrived at the outskirts of the Stone Forest.

The massive body of the Iron-Backed Bear King was crouching outside the Stone Forest, holding a round bead in his arms. Golden light leaked from between his fingers, and a rich Essence of the Sun rushed toward him.

Wu Li's blood-red pupils contracted slightly.

Even from a distance, he could feel the majestic Essence of the Sun contained within that bead, more powerful than any Yang-attribute spiritual object he had seen before.

He landed on a giant rock in front of the Iron-Backed Bear King and asked: "Brother Bear, this thing of yours... did Lady Hua give it to you?"

The Iron-Backed Bear King chuckled and said honestly: "I borrowed it from Lady Hua."

Wu Li stared at the bead, then looked at the Iron-Backed Bear King's nonchalant expression, feeling somewhat doubtful.

This thing was clearly not an ordinary item; the Essence of the Sun was so thick it was shocking. Would Lady Hua lend it to him so easily?

The Iron-Backed Bear King seemed to notice Wu Li's concern, scratched his head, pushed the bead forward, and said in a muffled voice.

"I borrowed it from Lady Hua."

"Was it borrowed so easily?" Wu Li still found it hard to believe.

The Iron-Backed Bear King's huge claw scratched his head, his eyes darting around, "Yes... it was, quite simple actually..."

Wu Li stared at the Iron-Backed Bear King's guilty appearance and did not ask further. Regardless of the reason, he would accept this favor.

He stretched out his claw and took the golden bead. The bead was warm to the touch.