Chapter 1: The Power of Symbolic Fire (Part 1)

As soon as Ku Mu spoke those words, he rushed at the person directly across from him. It was an intermediate-level Spellcraft Master. The moment Ku Mu moved, the seven others also attacked the five of them at once.
With a soft cry, the Flaming Sparrow took action first. Vast areas of flames surrounded them, with flames shooting into the air, emitting scorching light. Along with the Flaming Sparrow’s cry, those flames seemed to come to life, surging upward all at once. With that cry, the Flaming Sparrow suddenly became majestic, its size expanding rapidly as it entered combat mode.
Ku Mu’s speed was faster than lightning. A purple glow flashed by, causing the intermediate-level Spellcraft Master across from him to retreat in panic. But it was too late—Ku Mu’s strength far surpassed his. Two purple runes appeared and instantly transformed into two purple needles, piercing the man’s body.
The purple needles pierced in almost effortlessly. Even though the man activated his protective armor, it was of no use.
After firing those two runes, Ku Mu turned and rushed at another Spellcraft Master. That man was the most skilled among the seven—a high-level Spellcraft Master on the verge of reaching the level of a junior Saint, clearly the leader of the group.
The intermediate-level Spellcraft Master let out a terrified scream. He realized Ku Mu’s strength was unfathomable. He couldn’t resist or dodge, and could only watch helplessly as the purple needles transformed into needles pierced his body. It didn’t feel like being stabbed by needles but rather like being struck hard by two giant axes.
“Save me!”
Ku Mu glanced back at him and said, “Still not dead? Die!”
Suddenly, the man’s chest exploded, followed by severe headaches, and he lost consciousness instantly. Others could clearly see that as Ku Mu shouted, the man’s chest exploded first, then his head, before he fell and was reduced to ashes by the flames below. A Spellcraft Master not far away screamed, “Fifth Brother! Ah… Fifth Brother…”
He frantically shouted and rushed at Ku Mu, clearly determined to fight to the death.
Guo Shier tried to intervene, shouting, “Masteress, hold him back!”
Ku Mu snorted coldly, “Leave me alone!”
In the meantime, several attacks hit Ku Mu. With a cold remark, he said, “Too weak!” Those attacks were immediately destroyed by runes erupting from his purple robe. Ku Mu’s figure vanished suddenly and reappeared beside the high-level Spellcraft Master in the blink of an eye. At the same time, a golden spear appeared in his hand, formed entirely from virtual runes.

Guo Shier saw his master kill people as easily as slaughtering chickens once again. That advanced talisman master couldn’t resist at all; he couldn’t escape either. A spear from Kumu pierced his chest, followed by a palm strike to his head, causing his huge head to explode like a watermelon. In just a few seconds, Kumu had killed two of those masters—true instant killing.

The few masters who had planned to attack Guo Shier were terrified. One of them screamed, “A sage-level expert! Run!”

The one who charged at Kumu was completely insane; he didn’t even know who that dead Fifth Brother was. His eyes were blood-red, and without using any talismans, he rushed at Kumu headfirst. From his stance, it was clear he was fighting desperately.

Kumu said coldly, “Useless!” He didn’t even dodge, merely staring at the man with a cold gaze.

The man had already reached Kumu and hugged him, screaming, “Die together!”

Guo Shier screamed in fear, “Master!”

In such a critical moment, Kumu remained calm. He muttered something, which Guo Shier heard clearly: “Seeking death on your own…” The man’s face suddenly turned blood red, and his body swelled rapidly. Countless talisman patterns appeared, and Kumu vanished without a trace.

The man’s arms were incredibly strong. As Kumu disappeared, his arms snapped shut together with a loud bang. His face turned pale instantly, and his body exploded.

Boom!

Guo Shier’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Damn! Self-destruction!” A powerful gust of wind sent him flying. Monier grabbed him and pulled him back. Even the flames on the ground were extinguished by that force. The Flame Sparrow cried out and retreated quickly; it seemed to realize it was dangerous too.

By turning solid into void, Kumu fulfilled the man’s wish in reverse. With his vast combat experience and superior strength, he didn’t care about the opponent’s desperate efforts and effortlessly killed three of them in an instant.

With three masters dead in a row, the remaining four were terrified and dared not continue fighting. One of them shouted, “Go! I’ll hold them off!”

Kumu snorted coldly, “Go? Dream on!” He suddenly appeared in front of one of the masters, and a chain of purple talismans quickly wrapped around him like a giant purple snake. The master screamed, “Run…”

The purple talisman chain instantly covered the man’s entire body. Kumu ignored him and rushed after another master who was trying to flee faster. He shouted, “Monier, hold them down!”

Monier also let loose. With no threats left, she no longer needed to protect Guo Shier and rushed at the nearest Mad Master, shouting in a sweet voice, “Leave some for me!”
Guo Shier broke into cold sweat. He realized his wife was just as fierce.
Guo Shier set his sights on the last Mad Master. He intuited that this guy wasn’t strong enough—apparently only at the level of a beginner Mad Master. Although he and Eagle Demon couldn’t defeat him, they should be able to hold him off. He shouted, “Uncle Eagle Demon, let’s go!”
Eagle Demon had been waiting impatiently. If it weren’t for Guo Shier beside him, he would have charged in at the start of the battle. According to the combat traditions of the Northern Talisman Sect, it was the duty of the Talisman Warrior to be at the forefront, so being left behind to watch only made him anxious.
Hearing this, he roared and drew a giant talisman sword, charging forward like a whirlwind. A characteristic of low-level professionals on this continent was their fearless, desperate spirit. Their combat skills might not be high, but their fighting will and determination couldn’t be underestimated, especially among Talisman Warriors who possessed such a spirit.
The beginner Mad Master had already started to prepare to flee, hesitating slightly—after all, they were from the same squad, and he was reluctant to leave them behind. When he saw Guo Shier and Eagle Demon charging at him, he was filled with rage. A child dared to bully him, even though this child was a rare high-level Grand Talisman Master. He immediately decided to kill this child to vent his anger.
“Damn you!”
Eagle Demon swung his sword horizontally. He was still a bit unaccustomed to fighting in the air; his previous battles had always been on solid ground. This was his first time in aerial combat. Although he had practiced many times usually, he had never experienced actual combat.
With this sweeping strike, Eagle Demon didn’t intend to directly threaten his opponent but wanted to use it as an opportunity to get closer. This was the standard attack method of a Talisman Warrior.
The Mad Master didn’t care about such an attack. A beginner Talisman Mad Master could easily engage in close combat with a Grand Talisman Warrior because of their powerful protective talismans. However, Eagle Demon was a high-level Grand Talisman Warrior, far stronger than ordinary ones, and his strength had been greatly enhanced after receiving inheritance from the Chenxiao Sect.
Guo Shier ordered the Flame Sparrow to block in front of him, shooting two golden lines from his eyes. He launched a Sword Talisman attack.

The mad master roared, and a huge silver shield suddenly appeared in front of him. The Eagle Demon swung its sword at it, and with a loud crash, the shield flickered as several runes flashed across its surface. Not only did the Eagle Demon’s attack fail, but it was also forced to retreat under the intense recoil force.

Guo Shieru shouted to be careful as his sword rune transformed into a massive blade that descended from the sky.

The mad master sneered, “Sword rune?” With a series of finger taps, countless foot-long blades appeared, flying swiftly upward to merge into one giant blade that headed straight for Guo Shieru’s blade.

Guo Shieru intensified his effort, making the blade fall faster and his attack more fierce. He roared, “I’ll kill you!” His clear childlike voice echoed through the air. Suddenly, the Eagle Demon thought to itself: This kid has gone astray.

Crack! Boom…

Guo Shieru clearly felt his blade starting to collapse, as if he were wielding a huge axe and swinging it violently at a steel ingot. His strength was far inferior to that of the mad master; even if the latter was just a beginner, he, as a high-level grand rune master, couldn’t withstand such an attack. This strike cost him dearly.

His sword rune trembled violently within his life essence sphere, and Guo Shieru also trembled uncontrollably. He cursed, “What the hell…” Suddenly, he understood why his master could kill people as easily as slaughtering chickens—it was because the gap in strength between them was enormous.

Guo Shieru retreated slightly in the air to re-form his blade. After his opponent’s blade shattered his own, it circled in the air once before swinging at him again.

The Eagle Demon shouted, “Shieru, retreat quickly!”

The Flame Finch chirped and suddenly launched a surprise attack, firing a thin stream of flame. The mad master pointed with his hand, and the silver shield appeared beside him. He continued to command the blades to strike at Guo Shieru.

Guo Shieru sneered. When the blades were about ten meters away, he suddenly disappeared from his spot, leaving the blades to strike only his shadow. The mad master was surprised, “Teleportation rune?”

The flame emitted by the Flame Finch landed on the surface of the silver shield, like sparks falling on gasoline, causing it to burn rapidly. The mad master’s expression changed drastically—his shield rune couldn’t even block a thin stream of flame. In just a few seconds, the silver shield formed from the rune was reduced to ashes. Immediately afterward, the Flame Finch spat out two more flames and flapped its wings, sending sparks flying everywhere.

The mad master was in a panic. He hadn’t expected this firebird to be so troublesome, with such powerful flames.

Kumu had already killed that distant Mad Master and flew over, holding the Mad Master wrapped in purple rune chains. Monier had also killed another Mad Master, leaving only the one still fighting against Guo Shier. The two flew over and hovered in the air to watch. Monier shouted, “Baby, fight bravely!”
Kumu stared coldly at the Mad Master and said, “Shier, kill him! Little Eagle, come back. You don’t need to help. Shier can handle him alone.”
Eagle Demon hesitated for a moment before turning and flying back.