Chapter 10: A Decisive Victory (Part 2)

Guo Shier didn’t hold back from cursing—this guy was infuriating, arguing so craftily.
Kumu said coldly, “Start a war? You’re not even qualified!”
Fuye Xiangrong gritted his teeth and said, “Whether we’re qualified or not, we’ll see… But today you’ve killed so many of our Fuye family members—how will you explain this…?”
Everyone was stunned. Guo Shier turned to look at his master, puzzled, “Did we lose? Why does he sound so strange?”
Kumu suddenly flew down. He had a bad temper and rushed at Fuye Xiangrong right away.
Fuye Xiangrong said those words because he was prepared to die. Even if he returned alive to the Fuye family, he would face severe punishment due to the heavy losses. Worse, all his family members would suffer because of him. But if he died in battle, his responsibilities would be much less.
Fuye Xiangrong shouted loudly and unleashed his life talisman. Before he could touch it, Kumu’s attack arrived. It was an illusion talisman—a purple symbol flew out and landed directly on Fuye Xiangrong’s forehead. Immediately afterward, Kumu reached him, grabbed him by the back of his neck, and lifted him onto the altar.
Thud!
Fuye Xiangrong collapsed on the ground, the purple symbol in his forehead having sunk deep into his flesh.
It was the first time Guo Shier had seen a slave talisman. Kumu said calmly, “From now on, he’ll be your master!” Guo Shier brought back his flying firebird and watched curiously.
Kumu continued, “From now on, he’s your slave—his life and death are in your hands.” A purple illusion talisman flew over and merged into Guo Shier’s life talisman sphere. He added, “A slave of the Mad Master level—his strength is quite impressive.”
After all, Fuye Xiangrong was a master of talismans. He struggled desperately to regain control of his soul from the slave talisman, screaming fiercely, “No! No! You’re killing me… No…”
Kumu sneered, “If you can break free from this slave talisman, I’ll fulfill your wish and kill you!”
Fuye Xiangrong’s mind shook, and his soul was instantly lost. Gradually, his expression calmed down. After a while, he stood up, bowed, and said, “This humble servant greets his young master!”
Guo Shier was shocked and asked, “What did you say?”
Fuye Xiangrong replied, “This humble servant… greets his young master.”
Guo Shier broke into cold sweat. A top expert like this had become a slave so easily—his master’s methods were truly terrifying.
Monier said satisfactorily, “That stubborn fool has finally come to his senses.”
Guo Shier asked, “Is your name Fuye Xiangrong?”

Fu Ye Xiang Rong said, “Yes, what orders does the young master have?”
The change was quite significant, and Guo Shier felt a sense of absurdity. He asked, “Did you send a distress signal to your family?”
Fu Ye Xiang Rong replied, “Yes. Right when you took action, I sent the highest-level distress signal. The family’s experts will arrive soon.”
Guo Shier asked, “What level of experts?”
Fu Ye Xiang Rong said, “I don’t know… It might be the clan elders from the inner sect.”
Guo Shier asked, “Clan elders from the inner sect? Could they be experts at the Saint level? By the way, what’s your status?”
Fu Ye Xiang Rong said, “I’m an elder of the inner sect… My status is lower than that of the clan elders.”
Guo Shier continued, “How many experts above the Saint level does the Fu Ye family have?” This was very important. If a dozen or so Saint-level experts came, although they weren’t afraid, it would be difficult to deal with them.
Fu Ye Xiang Rong shook his head. “As far as I know, there are two Saint-level clan elders… As for whether there are other unknown Saints, I’m not sure. That’s a family secret. Those hidden experts won’t be used unless there’s a threat of extinction.”
Hiding such experts was a common tactic among all sects and families. These experts usually didn’t appear; for example, the Chenxiao Sect had both visible and hidden experts. It wasn’t really about hiding them—just that they rarely fought. Once they showed up, it meant the situation was critical, a matter of life and death.
Zhu Juan laughed and said, “Shier, no need to ask. He probably doesn’t know the details.”
Guo Shier looked down the mountain. Broken hunting vehicles covered the foothills, and those who survived were desperately fleeing into the distance. He shook his head, deciding not to pursue them further. Yan Long and the others also had no interest in chasing these insignificant people, as it was an individual who entered the secret realm, so they couldn’t capture many slaves.
Zhu Juan said with a smile, “Let’s study the altar first. As for the people from the Fu Ye family coming… Heh, it’s just more slaves. I happen to need expert slaves too. If they’re Saint-level experts, that would be even better. Heh, senior brother, help me catch a few when the time comes.”
Yan Long laughed and scolded, “Nonsense! Do you think Saint-level experts are that easy to catch?”
Saints should not be insulted lightly—this was common knowledge. Even a low-level Saint was an extraordinary existence. Zhu Juan was actually joking. He said, “Never mind, never mind… I guess the Fu Ye family doesn’t have any really powerful Saints either.”

The Mad Master is still using his life talisman book. At the Saint Master level, the life talisman book can fully integrate into the soul, and he no longer uses physical talismans but battles with virtual ones. Transforming physical talismans into virtual ones is the threshold for the Mad Master to advance to Saint Master status. Once this hurdle is overcome, the world changes completely, as does one’s strength.

Once one reaches Saint Master status, they will be respected everywhere. So Zhu Juan could only be joking; it’s impossible for him to actually capture a Saint Master and imprint a slave talisman on them. Slave talismans are useless against Saint Masters, as they are quickly absorbed by the soul, and the binding power of the slave talisman disappears as well.

Therefore, if Fuyexiang Rong advances to Saint Master status, he will be free, no longer obedient to Guo Shier’s orders, and might even provoke a counterattack from him.

Regardless of what the others were saying, Yan Long focused on examining the altar, occasionally flying to its sides to observe, with an excited look on his face.

Kumu tried hard to decipher the runes on the altar. With his broad knowledge, he recognized the ancient runes there. Guo Shier followed Monier around, and Monier asked, “What’s the use of this altar?”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “I only know that… if one is at a bottleneck in their advancement, spending a night here might lead to a breakthrough the next day. This has been proven. But I’m not sure if it has the same effect on higher-level professionals.”

Monier stared thoughtfully at the altar for a while before saying, “If it can help higher-level professionals advance, then this altar… is truly amazing.”

Yan Long flew back and said, “This is an ancient altar. Once activated, it can be used for soul cultivation. As we all know, reaching Saint Master status means officially beginning soul cultivation. Only by merging talismans with the soul can their true power be unleashed. No wonder Shier said that lower-level disciples can easily advance through this altar. Heh, it can enhance the power of the soul, making it easy for them to advance.”

Kumu had not yet experienced soul cultivation and had a very shallow understanding of the soul, far inferior to that of a Great Saint Master. Yet he immediately understood the importance of this altar.

Guo Shier’s heart was pounding like a drum. He finally understood why he had advanced so quickly—his soul was strong, which made him stand out. This altar was indeed very important.

Yan Long said, “This altar… can’t be overemphasized. We can request the sect to take action. By the way, Shier, have you found any other altars in this secret realm?”

Guo Shier said, “I’m not sure about this… Fuyexiangrong, have you guys found any other altars?”
Fuyexiangrong replied, “No… We sent hunting vehicles and searched for a long time. This is the only altar.”
Guo Shier asked, “Have you also noticed that lower-ranked disciples can be promoted?”
Fuyexiangrong nodded. “Yes, otherwise the family wouldn’t pay such close attention.”
Yan Long said, “These ancient altars passed down from ancient times are extremely rare. Any sect or family that comes across them won’t give up on them… Well, Fatso, go back and open the Great Talisman Gate of Chenxiao Sect. Send people here immediately—we must seize this secret realm!”
Guo Shier said, “Uncle Fat Master, when you go there, bring Uncle Eagle Demon along.”
Zhu Juan smiled. “Don’t worry. This merit will be yours… I’ll fight for rewards from the sect for you.”
Guo Shier was delighted. He knew the sect rewards included the chance to enter the Path of Illusion. He promptly said obediently, “Thank you, Uncle Fat Master.”
Zhu Juan laughed. “Hehe, there’s no need to be polite with your uncle. Your merit is quite significant.” Smiling, he opened his personal talisman gate, stepped through it, and disappeared. Moments later, the gate vanished.
Yan Long said, “Mudu, I always feel there must be something else about this altar. It’s just… I can’t figure it out. Have you noticed anything?”
Kumu said, “The runes are very ancient, not the kind commonly used in our era. The way they’re arranged is also strange. I can’t understand the meaning of some of the runes, but… their value is immeasurable. I’ve only seen such an ancient altar preserved in such good condition once in my life, and this is the second time. The first time, I got a tower, which I later exchanged for two paths in the Path of Illusion on the Advanced Talismans Continent.”
Yan Long nodded and said, “This altar… is even more important than the talisman tower we found last time. It’s a soul altar.”
Kumu said, “I hope this news doesn’t leak to the Advanced Continent. Otherwise, it will be hard for us to keep this altar.”
Monier pointed into the distance. “They’re coming fast!”
Ten magnificent flying vehicles appeared on the horizon. Unlike the hunting vehicles, these flying vehicles were significantly larger.
Guo Shier asked, “Fuyexiangrong, are these experts from your family?”
Fuyexiangrong replied confidently, “Those are the flying vehicles reserved for the clan elders. They are indeed experts.”
Yan Long laughed. “Experts? Hehe…” His tone was filled with disdain.
Book 9: The Secret Realm of the Nether Fire