Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Creating Something from Nothing

The scroll unfurled on the ground, and the silver snake bracelet had absorbed a vast amount of artifact fragments. Li Hui was busy drawing the decree. He utilized the Reverse Five Element Spirit Light Worms obtained from Wan Nest Island, along with multicolored fortune powder and dozens of rare media, all to create this Reverse Five Elements decree.

The decree measured twenty-eight feet long and two feet wide, adorned with symbols drawn in nine colors of talisman ink—gold, silver, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. These symbols interconnected to form a narrative, describing legendary treasures capable of countering the innate and acquired powers of the five elements.

Just creating this scroll cost an enormous amount. The spiritual skin taken from the abdomen of the Reverse Five Element Spirit Light Worm was stitched together with special techniques. The corners were stamped with golden patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects, crafted by the three refining artifact sects of the Thousand Islands, without any mixing of refining techniques—a true testament to excess!

In terms of the decree, such length and breadth were unattainable. Whoever attempted to write it would likely run out of spiritual energy after a fraction of the scroll, far outdone by any contemporary decree.

With every stroke Li Hui made, he paused to catch his breath, like climbing a steep cliff step by step, occasionally using his hand to tear artifacts and artifact fragments to enhance the talisman power, while employing hand seals to channel silver light into the decree.

He wrote slowly; even with a nine times speed enhancement, it was not fast. Each stroke felt as heavy as a mountain, the weight pressing down upon him!

“I must succeed; I focus on my dantian, I must succeed! There’s no turning back now; even if I had prepared a blank decree, I never anticipated finishing it immediately!”

“Reverse five elements are akin to opposing the heavens; the decree describes various wonders, creating something from nothing makes it even harder!”

“If it weren’t for the countless abandoned artifacts accumulated over ages in the Thousand Islands, allowing the silver snake bracelet to channel silver light as a substitute for spiritual energy, I wouldn’t dare touch this lengthy decree, even with two hundred lifetimes of courage. Just a moment’s lapse could turn a person into a dry corpse, with not a sliver of hope remaining.”

After a full day had passed since leaving the Toxic Forest Swamp, he had only completed half of the twenty-eight-foot scroll. The latter half would be even harder, yet he could not stop. If he halted for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, this decree would be rendered useless. All of his efforts would evaporate, and his hopes of passing the final barrier would diminish.

Guang Jin no longer had the strength to lament; the arduous accomplishments he had gathered were like a river flowing towards Xiang Dongliu, entirely used to help his unscrupulous master repair his damaged spirit.

Though Li Hui had not consumed much, drawing this extraordinarily long decree was bound to take its toll. Every thought weighed on his spirit. Especially when it came to describing the nine rare treasures of the Reverse Five Elements, his heart and mind were continuously afflicted, and without external support, it would be impossible to maintain!

“The five elements of heaven and earth—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—evolve into wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and frost. Geomagnetism, water, fire, and wood—all come down to the structure of the five elements, the world evolves based on this.”

“I do not seek to destroy the foundation of the world; I simply wish to disrupt the structural harmony of the five elements. Let the malevolent energy and barrier energy dissipate; with this talisman, I can break ten thousand laws.”

Another day and night passed, and with a resounding ‘boom,’ layers of light and shadow began to emanate from the drawings Li Hui had intricately inscribed.

It was truly a divine creation born of wonders, something emerging from nothing!

Countless symbols began to intertwine. The first treasure depicted was the nine-colored deer’s antlers, suppressing the five elements, capable of stabilizing earth, water, fire, and wind. It could divide water when encountering it, and clear mountains when they arise, guiding lost travelers to safety. It was said that the Buddha rode the nine-colored deer, or that the Buddha was reincarnated as the nine-colored deer, leaving behind countless legends.

“Boom…” The silver light spread, building up the second layer of light and shadow.

This was a copper coin inscribed with the words "Opening Heaven Coin," rumored to represent the opening of heaven and earth, forged from the essence of five spiritual materials, capable of conquering all trees and plants in the world.

The sound of roaring continued as the third layer of light and shadow revealed the Celestial Tree, enhanced by the crushed lush leaves from the Celestial Tree Blossoming Branch mixed with talisman ink, exuding a mystical presence, with the tree’s shadows swaying gently. The fourth layer revealed the Xirang, legend says the Emperor of Humanity wielded it to control the waters, achieving immeasurable merit to become a Holy Emperor! The fifth layer showcased the waters of the Jade Pool, known for extinguishing the true fire of Samadhi, while the sixth displayed the Dou Rate Divine Fire, flying and formless, the origin of alchemical fire.

Metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, fire overcomes metal!

Overcome, overcome, overcome! Guided by the nine-colored deer’s antlers, connecting the Opening Heaven Coin, Celestial Tree, Xirang, waters of the Jade Pool, and Dou Rate Divine Fire, myriad wonders began to take shape, revealing a way to govern the five elements. However, the three treasures yet to be described were crucial.

Li Hui poured his heart and soul into diligently illustrating the last three treasures. After yet another day, he finally noticed movement, with vast amounts of silver light pouring in, radiating divine light, and he heard the rumble of thunder, as if a calamity was forming.

“Is this a joke? Has calamity erupted before it even succeeded?”

Suddenly, a disturbance appeared overhead. He sensed that the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman was drawing away the calamity, opening wide to devour it, but it seemed to be still hungry. Startled, Li Hui stared wide-eyed, almost losing concentration and spilling ink onto the decree.

“Good, that saves me from being distracted.”

His brush danced with inspiration as he continued to draw according to his thoughts.

The surface of the decree gradually manifested light and shadow again. The first of the last three treasures was the Spirit Bright Stone Monkey. It was said that the Spirit Bright Stone Monkey could transform, understand the five elements, and upon maturity had the power to break through the five elements, unaffected by various gusts of elemental winds.

The second treasure was the Celestial Dog teeth, said to have fallen when a Celestial Dog devoured the sun, leaving the earth without a vessel to contain it, forever buried in the depths, recorded by those who glimpsed it from afar.

The third and final treasure was the tentacle of the Chaotic Multi-Eyed Beast. Legend spoke of a beast known as Chaos, able to consume heaven and earth, disrupt the five elements, relying solely on two tentacles to lash against the Yin-Yang and the five elements, as if a great terror had descended.

Li Hui poured over the texts recorded about counteracting and reversing the five elements, sketching them all. The nine treasures, aglow with intermingling brilliance, formed a grand talisman formation.

Indeed, this was not merely a decree but also a Reverse Five Elements talisman formation.

As he finished the last stroke, Li Hui was taken aback, quickly executing the Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique to grasp numerous broken artifacts, feeling it insufficient, and reaching for the artifact fragments, starting to deplete his stockpile madly.

With a ‘hum,’ a tremor reverberated, and further calamities emerged. Fortunately, the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman held its ground, successfully drawing the calamities away once more.

As a massive surge of silver light flowed into the decree, calamities manifested nine times in succession. Li Hui was numb, palms drenched with sweat; if the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman faltered, he would immediately resort to his personal artifact.

Thankfully! Not only did it withstand, but he was also quite satisfied, feeling the four Fortune Ascending Talismans inside him tremble gently, instantly dispelling nearly half of the fortune inscribed on the surface of the decree.

This was purification; though only residual fortune of forty percent remained on the Fortune Ascending Talismans, it could still be used without any side effects—quite satisfactory indeed.

At this moment, Li Hui furiously cleared out his inventory; the scroll felt like a bottomless pit, no matter how much silver light the silver snake bracelet emitted, it seemed never enough.

“Damn it, what is going on?”

The decree thundered, not knowing where the heavy waves of light were summoned from, bursting forth from the plane, making the depicted treasures appear three-dimensionally and vividly.

“This…creating something from nothing? Is it going to give birth to real treasures?” Li Hui’s eyes widened. This situation exceeded his comprehension, leaving him dazed. If successful, sketching and painting would be a breeze; he could sit at home and make money!

Of course, it wasn’t true creation from nothing, but the converging light and shadow had become incredibly refined, devoid of any mere imagination, transforming into the true appearance of treasures, sending forth strong, powerful ripples.