Chapter 475

Chapter 475: The Search for Time

“Searching for the roots?” Li Hui truly wished to uncover the origins of the silver snake bracelet, but this matter felt too treacherous; mishaps could lead to trouble. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he asked, “What degree of reversal of light and shadow can be achieved? Can it reveal scenes from a long time ago when someone was practicing cultivation methods? Can it steal cultivation? Or perhaps uncover the reasons behind some ruins being destroyed?”

“Yes, exactly!” Zhao Yuxi nodded, saying, “Within the river of time, there are countless things worth exploring. The Extreme Huan Time Anchor can do this, but we don’t know how far back it can see or how long it can go. It probably can’t be taken away; otherwise, those who entered before would have already taken it.”

“This thing is definitely not a spirit treasure.” Li Hui moved closer to observe carefully. Suddenly, he felt a moment of dizziness as the silver snake Legal form left his dantian and entered the red eye on the stone pillar, with the yin-yang fish of Taiji on its forehead spinning continuously.

Would such a tiny Legal form provoke Zhao Yuxi into taking a risk? To be honest, Li Hui felt uncertain, but seeing the old ghost’s reaction, it seemed that this sharp-eyed ghost had not noticed the silver snake.

“Could it be that my Legal form, like the silver snake bracelet, is invisible to anyone regardless of their level, whether they are gods, ghosts, or monsters? Only that elder Li Xuan, who left a piece of his spiritual sense in the Green Copper Hall, can detect it?” Li Hui deliberately swayed his form, and Zhao Yuxi indeed did not react.

“Hey! This silver snake is a thief; it won’t let me learn properly.”

Suddenly, countless ancient numbers surged in from all directions, arranged according to specific positions.

“Are these numbers coordinates?”

“Now I understand! The reason the Time Anchor is built here is that only this place can absorb the power to reverse time and observe the past. Thus, this stone pillar is like a tall observation tower, able to lock onto different locations based on the numbers, allowing one to view the passage of time and explore ancient mysteries.” Li Hui quickly calculated based on the numbers, and with his current knowledge, he soon sorted them out.

“This is incredible! These numbers encompass the entire Wutu Continent, and they can be adjusted continuously for precision. Now, let me see the Heavenly Talisman Sect and seek more talisman methods from the long river of time.”

“Pfft…”

Li Hui returned to the site of the Heavenly Talisman Sect and, upon willing it, saw time rewind, instantly arriving at a year ago, during his battle with Zhang Daoheng, when he sealed his opponent with the Di Jiang Talisman Corpse.

“Too slow! Let’s accelerate the rewind using a thousand-year scale.”

“Boom, boom, boom!”

As time reversed, the buildings of the Heavenly Talisman Sect gradually appeared vibrant again, the talisman formations restored to operation, and shadows of people began to materialize.

“Stop! Slow down the rewind.” Li Hui observed carefully, astonished that he could even hear sounds and approach to see everyone’s expressions, as if flipping through a book. This experience was truly marvelous.

He moved while observing, unable to resist exclaiming, “The Heavenly Talisman Sect was indeed powerful back in the day, but talisman methods have always evolved. The talisman methods revered by the sect’s cultivators underwent many changes during the era of the Jade Symbol Sect.”

Looking at the Heavenly Talisman Sect’s talisman methods from a modern perspective, he realized that many aspects, having been tested over time, were not necessarily correct.

With this, Li Hui found very little he could learn, starting to seek out past sect leaders and high-level cultivators of the path of talismans, following them to learn. Whenever he made a discovery, he quickly deepened his understanding.

This rare opportunity truly opened the heritage of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

He searched high and low, tirelessly, mastering the battle connection talisman methods, learning how to quickly create artifacts, sketching the essence of talisman decrees, and memorizing a compendium of talisman roots, like a dictionary.

To this day, Li Hui’s mastery of talisman methods was already impressive, but learning alongside the masters of the Heavenly Talisman Sect made him feel as though his skills were leaping forward, “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.” Whether through related knowledge or sudden insights, countless ideas exploded in his mind as he began to merge ancient and modern talisman methods, erasing the scars of lost knowledge.

“Continue! There are still many talisman methods that I haven’t mastered. How to draw the Celestial Talisman, how to turn the Di Jiang Corpse into a talisman corpse, how to transform talismans into talisman flames, talisman water, talisman lightning, and talisman gold—I want to learn all of it…”

The silver snake Legal form rooted itself within and frenetically absorbed various secret techniques and classic talismans.

Of course, Li Hui was quite selective. He did not accept everything blindly; he took the essence and discarded the dross. Once he accumulated enough knowledge, he began participating in the sect’s efforts to create the Di Jiang Talisman Corpse.

He had to oversee the entire process, ensuring that every step was flawlessly connected; only then could he address the issue of this talisman creation that could potentially bring catastrophic disaster to the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

To craft this talisman corpse, the Heavenly Talisman Sect invested a vast amount of resources.

At first, it was merely to counter external foes, but even after the enemies were vanquished, the talisman corpse was not yet perfected. Multiple plans had been shelved, and several more were initiated for various reasons. For a long time, disciples of the Heavenly Talisman Sect experimented with this corpse using various talisman methods, not intentionally crafting it.

Who knew that with heartfelt efforts, flowers could fail to bloom, while a casual approach to willows could induce shade; while sect disciples experimented with talisman methods on this corpse, they unwittingly stumbled upon the right path at a certain moment, making the Di Jiang Corpse grow stronger.

“Stop! Do that again; I want to find the talisman that strengthened the Di Jiang Corpse.”

Li Hui devoted immense thought to unraveling the age-old mysteries, and his efforts finally paid off as he sorted through the tangled threads and found the lead.

“It’s a talisman! It’s actually a combination of talismans and curses.”

“No wonder so many high-level cultivators of the Heavenly Talisman Sect couldn’t detect it. Which fellow combined talismans and curses, resulting in a stream of curse power that gradually built up and cursed the entire Heavenly Talisman Sect? Even those disciples who escaped the sect could not escape disaster; only a Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman managed to survive.”

“By the way, I should check the origins of the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman.” Li Hui realized he was quite busy and just then remembered to estimate how much time had passed in reality.

“Phew! Thankfully, being here for so long amounted to just a moment.”

He relaxed and continued to study. However, due to his intense focus, he failed to notice that the green markings on the stone pillar were rapidly fading. Originally, he had aimed to reverse time to investigate the origins of the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman; however, halfway through, he discovered a Jade Symbol evolving into a Celestial Talisman and promptly called up the talisman creation process for detailed observation.

“How extravagant! The investment is enormous; even the Heavenly Talisman Sect needs years of effort from the entire sect to achieve a Celestial Talisman.” Li Hui clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking, “To accomplish the Celestial Talisman that governs and weaves the heavens, one needs specific opportunities to finish. Even if a Jade Symbol reaches its peak, it’s still unlikely to evolve into a Celestial Talisman. Additionally, handling a Celestial Talisman is extremely challenging; it possesses divine intent and is too overwhelming to gauge.”

“Sigh! It’s better to extinguish this train of thought early. Before upgrading to Hongfa, don’t daydream; it’s crucial to honestly prepare the Jade Symbols.”

Continuing to trace back to the source, Li Hui was astonished to find that the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman was not a product of the Heavenly Talisman Sect but was a talisman brought back from overseas by the twenty-eighth sect leader. After cautious handling, it was infused into the sect’s aura, hoping to restore it using the entire sect’s fortunes. However, not only did it fail to heal, but every use caused even more damage.

“I’ve learned quite a bit. Next, I should go check out the Jin Tian Sect and find a cultivation method compatible with the Qi of Taiqing.” Just then, a Bai Ze divine eye spotted a strand of purple mist, startling Li Hui, “Wait! The Heavenly Talisman Sect possesses another genuine ability that I haven’t learned! I need to reverse time immediately.”