Chapter 00256: Ding Huan's Path of Talisman Crafting
# Ding Huan's Path of Talisman Crafting
Chapter 256
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 256: Ding Huan's Path of Talisman Crafting
A month later, a pile of fifth-grade talismans had accumulated around Ding Huan.
As he progressed in talisman crafting, all the talismans he produced were of high-grade or even top-grade fifth-grade quality.
Once top-grade fifth-grade talismans started appearing, Ding Huan began crafting sixth-grade talismans.
These actions and choices were almost instinctive, as Ding Huan was now deeply immersed in the art of talisman crafting.
The further he went, the more he realized that by integrating his Starry Sky Dao Rhyme with the talismans, it became easier to craft higher-grade talismans.
Every time he crafted a new talisman, Ding Huan unconsciously activated his Great Universe Technique.
The aura of his Universe Dao merged into the talisman, and as the talisman's grade improved, Ding Huan was pleasantly surprised to find that his own cultivation was also slowly advancing.
This not only sped up his talisman crafting but also imbued his attack talismans with a unique killing intent derived from his Dao Rhyme.
However, even with this advantage, sixth-grade talismans were not easy to craft.
Fortunately, Ding Huan had plenty of materials, and he didn’t mind wasting piles of them.
After all, these materials were obtained for free, so he could experiment freely.
As long as he could identify the reason for each failed talisman, he was satisfied.
Even if his progress was slow, he was still making steady advancements.
Two months later, Ding Huan successfully crafted his first sixth-grade Binding and Killing Talisman, and he stopped his crafting.
Holding the sixth-grade Binding and Killing Talisman, which exuded a starry sky killing aura, Ding Huan felt a surge of joy.
This was the true integration of his Great Universe Technique into talisman crafting.
His journey in talisman crafting had begun with the jade slip containing the Dao Talisman.
But now, his talisman crafting skills had far surpassed what was recorded in that book.
Because he had created the Great Universe Technique, he had forged a unique path in talisman crafting that belonged solely to him.
Ding Huan took a deep breath to calm his excitement and resumed his talisman crafting.
Sixth-grade Binding and Killing Talismans, Strangling Talismans, Sea of Flames Talismans, Mountain of Blades Talismans, Earth Escape Talismans, Barrage of Arrows Talismans, Defense Talismans, Teleportation Talismans, Ghost Vine Talismans…
Whatever Ding Huan could think of, he crafted.
The materials around him dwindled until one day, he crafted a pale green Hell Vine Talisman…
Was this a seventh-grade talisman?
Feeling the talisman in his hand, Ding Huan was filled with emotion.
Back then, he had spent nearly a million top-grade spirit stones for a Hell Vine seed, and now he had crafted a Hell Vine Talisman that was even more powerful than that seed.
This was undoubtedly a seventh-grade talisman.
Because he cultivated the Great Universe Technique, his Hell Vine Talisman was stronger than the Hell Vine seed.
After all, the Hell Vine seed required a carrier.
His Hell Vine Talisman could be instantly activated in the void, summoning countless vines.
Such talismans were invaluable to him, and he needed to craft as many as possible.
Ding Huan reached for more materials but realized they were unsuitable, so he quickly switched.
Soon, he stopped switching materials altogether.
The materials for seventh-grade talismans had already been exhausted, and the only seventh-grade talisman he had was the Hell Vine Talisman in his hand.
If it weren’t for the rings he had obtained from Lu Yuan, the head of the Dao Cultivation Chamber of Commerce, and the human immortal Shi Jiantian, he wouldn’t have been able to craft even sixth-grade talismans, let alone seventh-grade ones.
Looking at the mountain of talismans around him, Ding Huan was quite satisfied.
In just over four months, he had crafted a massive pile of talismans.
Any one of these talismans could fetch a high price if sold.
For Ding Huan, the greatest achievement was crafting a seventh-grade talisman.
Based on his understanding of seventh-grade talisman crafting, he had now stepped into the realm of a seventh-grade Array King.
Thinking of this, Ding Huan stood up, gathered a pile of materials, and in an instant, crafted a set of array flags.
As the array flags fell into place, a seventh-grade Spirit Gathering Array was quickly set up.
Now, he could finally study the Ascension Token and the bracelet.
The Ascension Token was only a seventh-grade restriction.
Picking up the Ascension Token, Ding Huan sent his divine sense into it, capturing the array patterns within.
Half a day later, Ding Huan put down the Ascension Token.
The restrictions within the token were of several types.
The most obvious was a tracking function, followed by a small teleportation array pattern.
This was quite intriguing.
He could understand the tracking restriction on the Ascension Token, though he didn’t like it.
But the teleportation array pattern on the Ascension Token was baffling.
Why would his Ascension Token have a teleportation array pattern?
Picking up the bracelet, Ding Huan sent his divine sense into it.
The restrictions on the bracelet made him sneer.
The bracelet did have a directional guidance array pattern, but at its core was a monitoring restriction.
That wasn’t all—the bracelet also contained a binding restriction.
How shameless! This bracelet could instantly bind the person wearing it.
The level of shamelessness was astounding, and Ding Huan couldn’t help but admire it.
That Liu Yinyu truly had a sharp eye, knowing that Shi Qiqiu was a shameless hypocrite.
Ding Huan put down the bracelet and the Ascension Token.
He knew that to enter the Ascension Realm and the Ancient Primordial Battlefield, he would have to carry these two items.
The Ascension Token could be discarded later, but if he discarded the bracelet as well, it might raise suspicions.
He could shield the monitoring and binding restrictions on the bracelet.
Whether to shield them and how to do so wasn’t a decision he could make alone.
He would discuss it with Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng when he met them.
At the very least, he needed to know if the monitoring and binding restrictions were Shi Qiqiu’s idea alone or a collective decision.
That old bastard Shi Qiqiu must have known that the Ancient Primordial Battlefield held many treasures.
He wanted the cultivators of the Dao Cultivation Realm to explore the battlefield but was worried they might obtain valuable treasures.
What a despicable piece of trash!
Ding Huan calculated the time.
There were still about twenty days left before the eleven-month mark.
Since there were still materials left, he decided to spend the remaining time crafting more talismans.
With a pile of sixth-grade talismans, he could overwhelm most opponents just by throwing talismans at them.
…
After using up most of the materials, Ding Huan teleported back to Blue Star Sect.
"Sect Master!" Seeing Ding Huan return, Liu Yinzhu was overjoyed.
She had already received news that Blue Star Sect disciples had obtained Ascension Tokens at the Ascension Platform and, with Ding Huan’s permission, had entered the Ascension Realm.
"I’m about to head to the Ancient Primordial Battlefield in the Ascension Realm. Before I go, I need to upgrade the sect’s protective arrays. Remember, unless it’s absolutely necessary, do not activate the final upgraded Binding and Killing Array."
Ding Huan planned to upgrade the sect’s Binding and Killing Array to seventh-grade, but he wasn’t just upgrading it to seventh-grade.
He was embedding a seventh-grade protective array and a Binding and Killing Array within the existing sixth-grade array.
Liu Yinzhu held Ding Huan in high regard and had no doubts about his instructions.
Ding Huan’s suspicions about the Ascension Token and the bracelet meant he couldn’t reveal that he was now a seventh-grade Array King.
If others knew he was a seventh-grade Array King, they would realize he had discovered the secrets of the bracelet.
Two days later, Ding Huan upgraded Blue Star Sect’s protective and Binding and Killing Arrays to seventh-grade and handed the array flags to Liu Yinzhu.
He was now ready to head to the Ascension Realm.
"Where are Qin Qingshan, Guan Wan, and Yan Mei?" Ding Huan asked casually, noticing that the three hadn’t come to see him off.
Sang Yuhe, who had just arrived, quickly replied:
"Elder Qingshan and Guan Wan are busy recruiting new disciples. Yan Mei took Lao Liu and Mo Huaping to the Ascension Realm. They heard that the Ancient Primordial Battlefield has opened and went to try their luck."
Ding Huan nodded.
He had also met Shen Jiankai and Zhu Feichong at the Ascension Platform.
If he were in their shoes, he might have done the same.
In the path of cultivation, sometimes seclusion wasn’t enough.
"Sect Master, both Yuhe and I have reached the peak of the Starry Sky Realm but can’t seem to take the next step," Liu Yinzhu brought up the issue she was facing.
Ding Huan took out three array flags:
"I prepared these in advance. Whether it’s you, Elder Sang, or Elder Qin when he returns, as long as you’ve made sufficient contributions to the sect, you can go to this place to meditate and cultivate."
"What are these array flags?" Liu Yinzhu asked, puzzled.
"These are teleportation array flags to the Hidden Sword Mountain. Once you teleport there, you can directly enter the cosmic vortex at the mountain’s entrance to break through to the Starry Sky Realm," Ding Huan explained.
"But isn’t Hidden Sword Mountain filled with poisonous mist?" Sang Yuhe asked in surprise.
"Not anymore. I’ve removed the poison. The sect’s teleportation array to Hidden Sword Mountain is behind the mission hall, protected by an array. The array flags are red."
Ding Huan was confident that both Sang Yuhe and Liu Yinzhu could easily break through to the Starry Sky Realm at Hidden Sword Mountain.
He had also planted a mid-grade Starry Sky Spirit Vein and two top-grade spirit veins at his cultivation spot on Hidden Sword Mountain.
He hadn’t broken through to a higher realm himself, so the mid-grade Starry Sky Spirit Vein hadn’t been heavily consumed.
With such resources, given Liu Yinzhu and Sang Yuhe’s talents, breaking through to the Starry Sky Realm would be a natural progression.
…
At the Two Realms City, where the Ascension Platform was located.
Hu Wuxin was growing anxious, and Mo Zheng was even more so.
Nearly eleven and a half months had passed, and they still hadn’t seen Ding Huan.
Although Hu Wuxin didn’t believe Ding Huan would stand them up, even if he did, they could only accept it.
"Alliance Leader Hu, I’m worried that if we wait any longer, we’ll exceed the one-year limit," Mo Zheng expressed his concern.
Hu Wuxin sighed and was about to speak when he suddenly laughed and stood up:
"Let’s go, Sect Master Ding has arrived."
He had left a divine sense mark on the Two Realms City’s teleportation array, so he sensed Ding Huan’s arrival immediately.
As soon as Ding Huan stepped out of the teleportation array, he saw Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng approaching together.
He clasped his fists and said:
"Apologies for the delay. I had some matters to attend to at the sect, so I kept you waiting."
Hu Wuxin laughed heartily:
"We weren’t in a hurry at all. No need to apologize. Sect Master Ding, you’ve just arrived in Two Realms City. Would you like to rest for a bit?"
Mo Zheng was speechless.
Weren’t you just sighing earlier? Now you’re saying you weren’t in a hurry and even suggesting Ding Huan rest? Really…
Ding Huan waved his hand:
"No need. Let’s head to the Ascension Realm now."
Hu Wuxin glanced at the large backpack on Ding Huan’s back, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing.
(That’s all for today’s update, friends.
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(End of Chapter)