Chapter 00126: An Introduction to Talismans
# An Introduction to Talismans
Chapter 126
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 126: An Introduction to Talismans
What Ding Huan called a raft was actually just a wooden plank about a meter long, serving as a stepping point.
It was light and convenient.
With a burst of true essence under his feet, the plank would swiftly carry him forward.
For Ding Huan, this was far more convenient than a small boat.
When he arrived at the defensive wall, Ding Huan was surprised to see that there were still ferocious beasts charging at the barrier.
Were they here to die? Just as he thought, these beasts were all killed by the federal soldiers before they could even reach the base of the steel wall.
This was unusual.
Ferocious beasts weren’t stupid—why would they come here to die? Ding Huan was puzzled.
There had to be something going on.
As he was about to ask someone for an explanation, he turned and saw a woman in a federal military uniform quickly approaching him.
Ding Huan recognized her—Fan Yibing, a member of the federal military.
She was carrying a massive halberd that was at least three meters long.
Ding Huan didn’t know much about her other than the fact that she had promised to provide him with materials to forge a spear, which suggested she held some authority.
Ding Huan’s gaze lingered on the halberd in Fan Yibing’s hand.
He wondered if this was her weapon of choice.
It did resemble the spear he wanted.
“Teacher Ding, are you planning to leave now to search for the demon dragon?” Fan Yibing asked as soon as she reached him.
Ding Huan nodded. “Yes, I was planning to go down and take a look, though I don’t have much hope of finding it.”
Fan Yibing immediately responded, “Teacher Ding, I was formerly the commander of the Seventh Army of the federal military. Now, I’m the temporary chief of the human corridor defense line and its acting commander.”
Everything was temporary, Ding Huan realized.
It seemed she had taken over the role from Gu Zhong.
Thinking back to the previous chief, Hu Jiatian, Ding Huan knew not everyone was like Gu Zhong.
Fan Yibing’s willingness to meet his demands showed she cared deeply about the human corridor defense line and, by extension, the future of Earth.
Such a person was far better suited to the role than Gu Zhong had been.
“Chief Fan, did you stop me because you have something to say?” Ding Huan asked.
Fan Yibing nodded. “Teacher Ding, I suspect that in a short while, a new wave of beasts will attack. And this time, the demon dragon will likely lead the charge. I’m ninety percent certain.”
“Oh? Tell me more,” Ding Huan said, his interest piqued.
Fan Yibing explained, “After the human corridor defense line was breached the first time, almost no ferocious beasts lingered here. After all, this place is entirely made of steel. The beasts can’t cultivate here, nor can they find sustenance in the forest.”
Ding Huan didn’t interrupt.
This was logical.
The beasts weren’t foolish enough to stay on a steel wall.
Fan Yibing must have a reason for bringing this up.
She continued, “But after the federal military rebuilt the human corridor defense line, things began to change. On the first day, everything was fine. On the second day, a dozen or so beasts charged the line and died. On the third day, over a hundred beasts attacked. Now, there are thousands of beasts charging at the line. I suspect these beasts are being directed by a powerful leader, and their purpose is to test the true strength of our defenses. I believe that within a week, a massive beast tide will strike, possibly even stronger than the first one.”
Ding Huan looked down at the slain beasts and agreed with Fan Yibing’s assessment.
He had been wondering why the beasts were throwing themselves to their deaths.
“You’re right. In that case, I won’t go down today. I’ll wait here,” Ding Huan said, accepting Fan Yibing’s reasoning.
The chances of finding the demon dragon were slim, almost nonexistent.
It was like hiding and expecting the demon dragon to find him.
Seeing that Ding Huan agreed, Fan Yibing was visibly relieved. “Teacher Ding, twelve years ago, a meteorite fell in the desert. It was later stored in the international museum. That meteorite is likely top-tier material for forging weapons, though it’s extremely difficult to smelt. If you’re interested, I can have it brought here.”
Ding Huan’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please arrange for it to be delivered.”
Before obtaining the Sumeru Space, Ding Huan wouldn’t have dared to make such a request.
But now, if he couldn’t forge the meteorite into a spear, he could simply store it in the Sumeru Space.
“This halberd was found by Chief Hu at an ancient site. Since you don’t have a weapon right now, you can use this for the time being,” Fan Yibing said, handing the halberd to Ding Huan.
After their brief exchange, Fan Yibing felt that Ding Huan wasn’t as difficult to talk to as Zhong Chi had made him out to be.
In fact, he was quite approachable.
As long as Ding Huan stayed here, the human corridor defense line was unlikely to be breached this time.
Ding Huan’s strength was unparalleled—she had never seen anyone stronger.
If even Ding Huan couldn’t defeat the demon dragon, then it would mean Earth’s fate was sealed, and humanity’s extinction was inevitable.
Using nuclear weapons against such a creature would be a joke.
Ding Huan hadn’t expected Fan Yibing to offer him the halberd.
He quickly accepted it and thanked her. “Thank you. This will be useful. I’ve been in need of a weapon.”
Fan Yibing breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Teacher Ding, I’ll arrange a place for you to stay.”
Ding Huan shook his head. “No need. I’ll be cultivating on my Blue Star. If there’s an emergency on the defense line, I’ll see it. Don’t worry—I won’t go back on my word.”
Ding Huan pointed to the Blue Star in the distance.
He knew what Fan Yibing was worried about.
Even if she hadn’t given him the halberd, Ding Huan wouldn’t have abandoned the fight against the demon dragon.
As Ding Huan walked toward the Blue Star, Fan Yibing thought to herself that Teacher Ding truly cared for Earth.
Even his battleship was named Blue Star.
And with the Blue Star stationed on the steel wall of the human corridor defense line, Ding Huan would be the first to notice any beast tide.
…
“Brother Ding, I’m planning to leave the defense line and return to Yanjing. I came to say goodbye.”
Before Ding Huan could return to the Blue Star, he ran into Liu Aimei, who was in a hurry.
Ding Huan had been planning to help Liu Aimei, but he had been too busy.
Now that she was here, it was the perfect opportunity. “Aimei, wait a couple of days before leaving. I’m planning to make a special gene potion for you to enhance your cultivation potential.”
Liu Aimei was stunned by the unexpected good news.
Everyone knew that Teacher Ding’s students had bright futures.
The thought of becoming his student felt like a dream.
“Thank you! I never thought I’d have the chance to become your student,” Liu Aimei said, her voice trembling with excitement.
Ding Huan smiled. “I won’t take you as a student. We’ll remain friends. Give me a drop of blood from your brow, and I’ll gather some herbs. I need to make some gene potions for myself as well.”
Originally, Ding Huan had planned to search for the demon dragon, locate its lair, and then return to create a gene-based poison mist.
But since Fan Yibing believed the demon dragon would come to them, he decided to focus on making the gene potions first and help Liu Aimei in the process.
…
The human corridor defense line was located in a primeval forest, so finding herbs was much easier than in Qianluo Mountain.
In just two hours, Ding Huan had gathered enough herbs and returned to the gene lab on the defense line.
Liu Aimei was already waiting excitedly at the lab.
Ding Huan spent half a day preparing the gene potion for her.
While Liu Aimei went to integrate the potion, Ding Huan began crafting a gene-based poison mist to kill the beasts.
If the poison mist wasn’t needed, that would be ideal.
But if the demon dragon proved too powerful, the poison mist would be their last resort.
A day later, Liu Aimei returned to the safety department’s base.
On the surface, she tried to appear calm, but her actions betrayed her excitement.
Even after returning to the base, she felt like she was dreaming.
Not only had Ding Huan helped her integrate the gene potion, but he had also taught her the Qianluo Gene Technique and four spells.
On top of that, he had given her a hundred Divine Crystals and instructed her to return to Yanjing to cultivate after integrating the potion.
The human corridor defense line was no place for her.
Even without Ding Huan’s reminder, Liu Aimei had no intention of staying.
Although she had always been cheerful and never competitive, always playing the supporting role while others took the spotlight, deep down, she longed to be the one in the limelight.
After today, her dreams might just come true.
Thank you, Teacher Ding!
As Liu Aimei boarded the safety department’s aircraft to return to Yanjing, Ding Huan returned to the Blue Star.
“Brother Ding, you’re back?” Qu Yi was surprised to see Ding Huan return after just over a day.
When she first arrived on the Blue Star, she had been shocked by the mountain of Divine Crystals stored there.
People had attacked her and Zhong Chi for a few hundred Divine Crystals, yet here was a mountain of them.
If those people knew, they’d go mad.
“Chief Fan said there might be a beast tide in a few days, and the demon dragon will likely attack with it. I figured I’d just wait here,” Ding Huan explained.
He then added, “Yi Yi, you and Xin Yue take some Divine Crystals and cultivate in the living quarters of the Blue Star. I need to organize some things here.”
“Brother Ding, I still have some crystals,” Qu Yi said quickly.
The four hundred Divine Crystals she had been carrying were returned to her after no one dared to take them.
“Good,” Ding Huan said, not concerned.
With four hundred Divine Crystals, Qu Yi could easily reach the ninth level of gene cultivation.
After Qu Yi and Qi Xinyue went to cultivate, Ding Huan found a living quarter for himself.
He planned to transcribe the contents of some bamboo scrolls from his Sumeru Space.
This wasn’t difficult for him.
He had already erased the array patterns on the stones in the Sumeru Space, allowing his divine sense to clearly read the contents of the scrolls.
Soon, Ding Huan was engrossed in the scrolls.
Titles like *The Travels of Shenzhou*, *Records of the Primordial Era*, *Offense and Defense of Water-Based Treasures*, and *An Introduction to Talismans* caught his attention.
As he copied the contents, he absorbed the ancient knowledge of the Dao cultivators.
But it was *An Introduction to Talismans* that truly captivated him.
As he studied its contents, it felt like a previously closed window had been opened.
He began to understand the power of talismans and marveled at the genius of the ancient cultivator who had created them.
There were talismans for invisibility, far superior to any concealment technique.
There were talismans for walking through earth as if it were flat ground, talismans for water avoidance, wind blades, fireballs, warding off evil, and even small spring rains.
The possibilities seemed endless.
When Ding Huan reached the section on how to create talismans, he held his breath.
This was exactly what he had been longing to learn.
“In the introduction to Dao talismans, I’ve explained the formation and carving of talisman patterns, as well as the materials needed. Today, I’ll explain the most basic structure of talismans…”
Ding Huan was stunned.
The formation of talisman patterns? He had no idea.
Wait—the text mentioned that this was covered in the *Dao Talismans: Volume One*.
This must be *Dao Talismans: Volume Two*.
Ding Huan’s divine sense scanned the cover of the bamboo scroll, and sure enough, it read *Dao Talismans: Volume Two*.
Please, please let there be a *Dao Talismans: Volume One*, Ding Huan silently prayed.
He carefully searched through the bamboo scrolls, but to his great disappointment, he couldn’t find it.
Ding Huan’s excitement quickly faded.
He sighed and decided to meticulously transcribe *Dao Talismans: Volume Two*.
Even though he knew the chances of finding *Volume One* were slim after all these years, he resolved to search the Kunlun Mountains again once this was over.
What if he found it?
One by one, Ding Huan transcribed the bamboo scrolls.
He read and copied for three full days until he had recorded all the contents.
Aside from *Dao Talismans: Volume Two*, most of the scrolls contained descriptions of ancient customs, cultures, and strange creatures.
These texts were also incredibly valuable to Ding Huan, as they gave him insight into the lives of the ancient immortals and deities.
If he wanted to become a true powerhouse and leave Earth one day, he would need to follow in the footsteps of these ancient cultivators.
Once he ventured into the vast universe, he might not even find the traces of the immortals who had left Earth before perishing in the cosmos.
But Ding Huan didn’t mind.
Once he fulfilled his goals on Earth, he would pursue the things he had always wanted to do—find the ancient immortals and become one of them.
What secrets did the vast universe hold? Were they, as many on Earth speculated, merely a string of characters? Or were they, as some records from the Changyi Continent suggested, a forgotten corner abandoned by the gods? Whatever the truth, Ding Huan was determined to uncover it.
No one could give him the answers, so he would find them himself.
As long as he lived and continued to grow stronger, he would one day unravel the mysteries of the universe.
(That’s all for today’s update.
Goodnight, everyone! Please vote for this chapter!)
(End of Chapter)