Chapter 6: The Terrifying Sand Screen (Part 1)

Guo Shieru wasn’t afraid at all, as he had no idea how powerful the talisman beasts really were. All he felt was excitement and curiosity to see what these famous talisman beasts looked like.
Luo Jie suddenly said, “This isn’t a mutated talisman beast—it’s an ordinary one. But it’s quite large, so everyone be careful. It’s a strength-based talisman beast.” With that, he spat out his own talisman book and opened it. This time, he didn’t float into the air but stayed on his horse, waiting quietly for Qi Nanshan to launch an attack—then would be his chance to act.
What appeared was a giant bear five meters tall, its fur resembling that of a hedgehog, colored brownish-black. This was a common talisman bear, known for its immense strength, with natural talisman patterns on its body. In fact, the profession of Talisman Warrior drew inspiration from talisman bears, and after long-term development and refinement, it took on its current form.
Guo Shieru thought to himself, “Damn, bears can grow that big… It looks like a small mountain!”
Normally, Qi Nanshan wasn’t short—he was 195 centimeters tall, considered tall—but standing in front of the talisman bear, he was like a lion next to an elephant; the difference was huge.
Luo Jie said calmly, “Shieru, you can attack, but wait until we start attacking first.”
Qi Nanshan also didn’t dare confront the talisman bear head-on. That thing had thick skin and muscles, along with natural talisman patterns in its body. Even a high-level Talisman Warrior might struggle if hit by it. The best strategy was to engage in a tactical fight—since the talisman bear was tall and strong, its movements were inevitably less agile. Qi Nanshan took out a steel talisman staff, which was not only heavy but also emitted shockwaves, designed specifically to deal with strength-based opponents.
The talisman bear was annoyed—some tiny human dared to challenge it. It opened its massive mouth and roared at Qi Nanshan. Qi Nanshan didn’t back down either; he opened his mouth wide and roared back at the bear. Neither of them attacked, just roaring at each other, leaving Guo Shieru stunned. It took him a moment to react, after which he laughed so hard he almost fell off his horse—those two were simply too funny.
Luo Jie didn’t laugh. He stared intently at the talisman bear with a serious expression.
The talisman staff was as thick as a duck egg, covered in talisman patterns, and made entirely of steel. It was a low-grade talisman weapon, its only advantage being its durability. Suddenly, Qi Nanshan let out a loud shout, raised the staff, and swung it down. The staff cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound. The talisman bear rolled its eyes but didn’t dodge at all, instead raising its paws to meet the attack.

Fu Xiong’s expression almost made Guo Shier die of laughter. That Fu Xiong was truly amusing. Everyone was extremely nervous, yet only Guo Shier sat on his horse, laughing heartily. Chen Hong couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, “Shier, why are you laughing?” “That Fu Xiong… he’s fun!” But Qi Nanshan found it by no means fun. Fu Xiong simply waved his claws, sending him stumbling back repeatedly. That guy had immense strength; if a Fu martial artist tried to confront him head-on, he would likely be knocked so hard he vomited blood on the spot. Qi Nanshan was smart. After trying once, he immediately changed his strategy, constantly striking Fu Xiong with his magic staff instead of engaging in a direct fight. Poor Fu Xiong got hit in the nose with a staff, and Guo Shier clearly saw tears streaming down its face. Then Qi Nanshan stabbed it in the back, and although it wasn’t a vital spot, it still made it howl in pain. Fu Xiong thought the little creature before it was utterly hateful. It suddenly stood upright, ready to pounce at all costs. Just then, Qi Nanshan shouted, “Elder!” Luo Jie smiled slightly—this was a great opportunity. He tapped his life talisman book, and countless light dots rose from it, quickly coalescing into a four-meter-long, bowl-thick silver ice spear. He shouted, “Go!” Another ice spear followed, and after three in a row, he finally took a deep breath. The whistling ice spears seemed to be fired by a powerful crossbow. Fu Xiong roared and swung its claws fiercely, but the first ice spear shattered upon contact, its flying shards making it howl in confusion, leaving it unable to see anything. At that moment, the second ice spear arrived, piercing straight into Fu Xiong’s chest. The ice spears created by a great talisman master were incredibly powerful, and the massive impact forced Fu Xiong to take a step back. Immediately after, the last ice spear pierced straight into Fu Xiong’s thick neck. Luo Jie gave a soft command, “Explode!” The talismans on the ice spear suddenly disappeared—those were the forces holding it together. The ice spear exploded violently. Fu Xiong’s roars ceased abruptly, with two blood holes appearing in its throat and chest. Yet it wasn’t dead yet; its vitality was extremely strong. Qi Nanshan thrust his magic staff out with all his strength, piercing through the wound in Fu Xiong’s neck. With a “plop,” the staff came out through the back of its neck. At the same time, Qi Nanshan performed a graceful backflip to dodge Fu Xiong’s final desperate attack. The five-meter-tall Fu Xiong fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, like a house collapsing.

Guo Shier didn’t even get a chance to act. He could only watch as the two elders joined forces to kill a huge Symbol Bear in just a few minutes—the impact was absolutely tremendous. Huo Bao stared in shock. After a long while, he said, “If we go up there, we’re bound to die!” Guo Shier replied, “Nonsense. Not to mention us, even a squad with a little strength would likely have to flee in panic if they encountered this Symbol Bear. Even if they managed to defeat it, it would be a narrow victory. Its defense is astonishing. Only a Great Spellcaster’s ice spear can pierce its body, and even then only to a depth of about a foot. Without it exploding, it’s impossible to deal serious damage. It’s only with the attacks of a Great Spell-Warrior that it can be completely defeated… I’ve only now realized how formidable Symbol Beasts are.” Chen Bing pondered, “We’re still apprentices right now; we’re too weak. We have to wait until Shier advances to Spellcaster… Well, everyone needs to work hard, otherwise we won’t be able to cooperate with him.” Luo Jie laughed, “It seems I’m not that old after all. Haha, Shier! Shier! Come here!” Guo Shier immediately rode over, smiling, “Master, you’re truly amazing—deciding everything with just one strike! I admire you!” Without hesitation, he started flattery first. Luo Jie enjoyed this kind of flattery greatly. To be honest, almost no one dared to speak casually in front of him now; only this young apprentice would recklessly flatter him. He said, “Shier, go and cut up the Symbol Bear. See for yourself what a Symbol Beast’s body is like.” It was the first time Guo Shier had seen a Symbol Beast. Back in the inner sect, he had only seen its bones. He said, “Okay, I’ll go and see what a Symbol Beast is like.” Only when he reached the corpse of the Symbol Bear did Guo Shier truly grasp its enormity—it was like a small mountain. The bear’s arms were several times thicker than his waist, looking extremely terrifying. The claws on its paws were over a foot long. If hit by one of those claws, it would be disastrous. Guo Shier grabbed one of the bear claws and tried to bend it—it felt like lifting a short curved sword. Strangely, faint traces of spell patterns appeared on the claw. He recognized these patterns—they were solidified spell patterns. “Sigh, it’s not easy to cut up such a huge thing.” Luo Jie said, “It’s easy. Once the Symbol Bear dies, its spell patterns become ineffective. Cutting it up is just like cutting up an ordinary beast—just bigger in size.”

Only then did Guo Shier understand. He said, “Alright, I’ll give it a try.” He climbed onto the Fuxiong’s body and clearly saw the wounds on its chest and neck—both wounds were as big as basins, with large clumps of coagulated blood stuck to them. The Fuxiong had its mouth wide open, its eyes staring at the sky, looking as if it couldn’t die in peace.

Any Fuxiong was full of treasures. Guo Shier first collected the blood. This kind of blood had to be purified on the spot. From such a large Fuxiong, about a hundred to a hundred and ten pounds of blood essence could be extracted. Special tubes and suction devices were needed to draw the blood from its veins, followed by four-step purification. It took Guo Shier half an hour to finish. When he looked up, he saw everyone setting up tents to prepare for a rest camp.

“Xiao Hong, Baozi, hurry up and boil water. We’ll cook the Fuxiong’s meat later!”

Luo Jie had been observing nearby, offering occasional guidance. This was also a kind of on-site internship, which was extremely helpful to Guo Shier.

The fur and bones of Fuxiongs were all treasures. Their fur almost always had talismans on it—natural talismans that could be turned into finished products with a little processing. For example, the Fuxiong’s fur was natural armor; with proper refinement, it could be used to make at least seven or eight sets of outer armor. The same applied to its bones—the talismans on them could be processed into disposable protective talismans. As for the Fuxiong’s meat, although it wasn’t useful for making talismans, it was edible and considered a delicacy.

After completely disassembling the Fuxiong, Guo Shier was out of breath from exhaustion. After all, he was only nine years old. Disassembling such a huge carcass and constantly purifying and cutting required great effort. Covered in blood, he sat on the ground, exhausted, and said, “Master, this is abusing a child… Ugh, I’m so tired…”

Luo Jie laughed heartily. He was very satisfied with Guo Shier’s performance—calm, methodical, and not wasting any materials. Seeing him so tired, the old man also felt a bit reluctant and said, “Alright, go wash up. It’s time to eat.”

Guo Shier was utterly exhausted and said, “I’ll sleep for a while first…” He staggered to his tent, collapsed inside, and fell asleep immediately.

Fortunately, Guo Shier’s spirit was extremely strong. After sleeping for half an hour, he emerged refreshed. He washed his face, changed into new clothes, and then sat down in front of the big pot to eat the Fuxiong’s meat. He grabbed a piece of meat the size of a bowl and took a big bite, then froze in shock. It was a flavor he had never tasted before—tender, smooth, and incredibly delicious. He exclaimed, “Damn, there’s meat with such a taste?”

Chen Hong brought over a small copper pot containing meat broth, with a sprinkle of green onions on top, emitting a strong aromatic smell. She said, “Guo Shier, have some of this broth. There are also a few large cakes here.” She placed the small pot in front of Guo Shier and handed him a copper spoon.
Guo Shier thanked her and began to eat and drink voraciously. He was starving and kept eating until his throat was full before stopping. Satisfied, he said, “Ah, I feel much better now.”
That night, Guo Shier slept very soundly. While reciting scriptures before bed, he found that his soul had become even purer.