Redemption of a Born Demon

"Is this Spiritual Talisman using the methods of the Ancient Talismans?!"

Tao Zihong’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.

"Ancient Talismans?"

The others were confused.

The Maoshan Sect’s expertise in the art of Talismans was common knowledge. As a Maoshan Celestial Master, Tao Zihong was a grandmaster of this art. In fact, many of the Purple Cloud Research Institute’s most important breakthroughs were derived from the study of Talismans.

"The Talismans we use today can only be called ’Small Talismans.’ They can merely mobilize a certain degree of Magnetic Force, making them more illusory than tangible. But legends say that Ancient Talismans were ’Great Talismans,’ possessing the real power to influence all of creation. They could move mountains, fill seas, and even allow one’s physical body to fly. A single one of these Talismans could shatter the vast ocean and dictate celestial phenomena."

"After understanding the nature of your Jade Power, Yi Beidou, we began to speculate that these legendary ’Great Talismans’ must actually exist. ’Small Talismans’ are, in essence, just a method for guiding the orderly flow of a magnetic field. ’Great Talismans,’ on the other hand, must be a way to guide the orderly flow of materialized energy to unleash even greater power!"

"The Talisman manifested by the Spiritual Talisman seems to have a similar effect! The human body’s strength can’t just increase for no reason. It must be that it has somehow mobilized and optimized the body’s deep energy structures to achieve this out of thin air!"

Tao Zihong’s tone was excited. To some extent, this Talisman technique could be categorized as "Rune Technology," and as a form of technology, it could be replicated if it were thoroughly understood.

Its importance for the advancement of the era was self-evident.

"You must be talking about ’Immortal Talismans,’ right? This item does indeed have some characteristics of an Immortal Talisman. It was likely crafted by an Earth Immortal who was a master of this art."

Durand said with a nod.

"Immortal Talismans? Do you have any relevant data? Perhaps we could exchange some intelligence."

Tao Zihong’s expression brightened as he spoke.

"Well... we’ll need to discuss it. The information we have is very limited. Besides, even if we gave you the data, I’m afraid it would be impossible for you to master this technology. It’s an ability exclusive to Earth Immortals, involving the use of Immortal Power. Perhaps... Mr. Yi might have a chance of grasping it."

The Divine Sealing Leaders exchanged a glance before finally giving their reply.

Originally, they would never have even considered discussing it, let alone giving any top-secret information to the Mortal World. But Yi Beidou’s appearance had completely shifted their internal consensus.

It even made this joint expedition to the ruins seem like a matter of course.

This would have been completely unimaginable before.

"We can discuss these things later. Since the Spiritual Talismans have been combined, let’s deduce the exact location of the ruins as quickly as possible," Yi Beidou said.

Everyone nodded. The Array Masters from both sides had already made their preparations and immediately activated the Array set up in the conference room.

A halo of light suffused the air and an illusion took shape. A celestial chart, condensed from light like a holographic projection, appeared before them.

This was the very same giant Star Map that had appeared in the sky above Antarctica.

Yi Beidou fully activated the Spiritual Talismans. One by one, they flew out of the Divination Tube on their own, as if sensing something. They transformed into the shapes of Talismans and filled the empty spots in the Star Map.

The Array Masters immediately began manipulating the Array to perform their deductions. The Star Map continuously reconfigured itself, finally settling into the shape of a map.

The map’s outline appeared to point to the Mediterranean Region. A single star-like point was marked at a specific location within the Mediterranean Sea.

That had to be the entrance to the ruins.

"The entrance is deep beneath the sea?" Meng Qianyuan said with a frown.

"No, that’s just the horizontal coordinate. There’s a vertical one as well."

Tao Zihong shook his head slightly. He manipulated the Array, and the projection’s angle immediately shifted, becoming fully three-dimensional.

Only then did everyone realize that the coordinate was not on the surface or on the seabed, but suspended in the middle of the water.

"How can that be? Could it be a ruin that can move on its own, like Penglai Immortal Mountain? But if that were the case, the coordinate should also move and show a trajectory," Zhou Qingchen said, puzzled.

’What does it mean for it to be suspended in the middle of the sea?’

"It seems our previous speculation was correct. These ruins are likely a ’Grotto Heaven’."

The Divine Sealing Leaders exchanged a look, and finally, the gentlemanly elder, Durand, spoke up.

"Grotto Heaven?"

The members of the Donghua Group naturally knew the term, but they did not know the specific meaning it held coming from Durand.

"We aren’t entirely sure what a Grotto Heaven is, either. It could be a hidden location on Earth, or perhaps a legendary spatial fragment, a Subspace, or even a Sumeru Space. Even among our Five Divine Sealing Veins, records about Grotto Heavens are extremely scarce."

"Every time a Grotto Heaven has appeared in the world, it has brought about a rain of blood and carnage. This isn’t just because of the risks that come with fighting for access to the ruins; the ruins themselves are terrifying existences of a Desperate Level. According to the records of our Five Divine Sealing Veins, the last time a Grotto Heaven opened was over thirteen hundred years ago. On that occasion, not a single one of the Divine Sealers who entered returned alive. No one knows who obtained what was left behind in that Grotto Heaven, or if there were even any final survivors at all," Durand said in a low voice.

"At a specific location, using a specific item, you can open a special passage. It’s impossible to be certain if it’s a legendary spatial tunnel or some kind of spatial folding or teleportation method beyond our current understanding. Moreover, it’s absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to pass through that kind of passage alive. You would need the physical fortitude of at least the Saint Realm to even have a chance of getting through," Long Yichen continued.

"Ancient Earth Immortals actually mastered such powerful technology?"

Tao Zihong took a deep breath, finding it incredible.

"The ancient Earth Immortals were frightening beyond our imagination. If the Earth Immortal Realm truly exists, and the ’severing of heaven and earth’ was not just a legend, then it’s not surprising that they mastered such technologies," Long Yichen said with a nod.

No one had ever truly witnessed the terror of an Earth Immortal, but there was one point everyone agreed on: if a complete Earth Immortal were to appear in the world, they would likely have the power to single-handedly destroy human civilization.

After all, as things stood, humanity had no way of dealing with such a being.

It truly wasn’t surprising that they had mastered technologies far beyond comprehension.

"Since we know the location, let’s pick a suitable time and set off," Yi Beidou said.

「Half a day later, at night, somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea.」

The sky was void of light. Waves rose and fell on the dark, gloomy surface of the sea, a sight unnerving enough to make one’s heart pound.

Yet at this moment, nearly twenty figures stood upon the water’s surface, seemingly unaffected by the surging waves.

It was the experts from Donghua and the God-Sealing Alliance.

They hadn’t alerted anyone, using the cover of night to slip out of the city and come to this place.

"Three hundred meters below the surface here is the location marked on the Star Map. The Spiritual Talismans are the key. Activating them with our full power should be the way to open the entrance to the Grotto Heaven."

"Also, it would be best for everyone to be fully prepared. We don’t know what the situation is like on the other side of the Grotto Heaven, and there are considerable risks in crossing the passage," Durand advised.

Everyone nodded. After exchanging glances, they all dove into the sea together.

Three hundred meters below the surface, all light was blotted out; you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The group circulated their Life Magnetic Fields, releasing sheens of light to illuminate the path ahead.

Soon, everyone had arrived near the marked location and gathered in a circle.

All eyes turned to Yi Beidou.

Yi Beidou gave a slight nod. With a flip of his palm, the Spiritual Talismans materialized in it.

The next moment.

Under Yi Beidou’s activation, twelve Spiritual Talismans flew out in succession.

BOOM!

The entire sea began to vibrate violently. The Spiritual Talismans were drawn by some unknown force, forming a massive, circular disc of Talismans in the water that continuously spun and reconfigured.

The seawater began to churn violently, and a terrifying tidal force swept everyone into its vortex.

Viewed from the surface, a massive hole had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the ocean, and vast amounts of seawater were being swallowed into it.

And Yi Beidou’s group was also devoured by that hole along with the current.

Roughly three minutes later, the vortex on the sea’s surface gradually shrank before disappearing completely.

The sea returned to its former tranquility, and there was no longer any sign of Yi Beidou and the others beneath the waves.