Chapter 8: Setting Traps (Part 2)

The handsome old man sat lazily on the chaise lounge in front of the small building. Smiling, he said, “Starting the ritual now? Actually, you just hand it over to me—there’s no need for you to come and perform it personally.”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “You sure have it easy. I’m almost exhausted.”
The handsome old man snapped, “You’re not tired at all. I’m the one who’s tired… The materials you collected need to be purified, and there’s such a large quantity… It’s overwhelming just to look at them. Not to mention other things—just this secret realm has kept me busy for a long time. Finally, things are starting to take shape.” He kept talking nonstop, boasting about his own efforts.
Guo Shier felt warm inside. Though the handsome old man liked to complain, he knew well that without him, he would never have reached this point. He said with a smile, “Alright, I know you’ve worked hard…”
The handsome old man grumbled, “Exactly. I’ve been swamped with work. Sigh… It’s not easy.”
Guo Shier laughed. “Come on, let’s perform the ritual together. My task this time is also quite heavy—there are many talismans and jade tablets to refine.” Once he entered the altar secret realm, he relaxed completely. The sense of crisis that had filled his heart disappeared, and it felt as though he had returned to the world of spells. He finally realized that this world of spells had left indelible memories for him.
The memories of his earliest life had mostly faded away. The only thing he could recall clearly was that soul scripture; almost all other people and events were forgotten, leaving only a vague impression in his soul. Perhaps after another reincarnation, they would be completely erased. Even the memories of his previous life had become blurred.
Maybe after several reincarnations, there would be few things worth remembering. But this world of spells was different. Here, he had learned mysterious powers—spell powers, soul powers, altars, and sacred treasures—forming a powerful system. With this system, even if he reincarnated again, once his soul regained clarity, he would possess extremely formidable abilities. This became his secret weapon for self-protection after reincarnation, as well as the truly powerful weapon he acquired after reincarnation, something he couldn’t have obtained in his previous two lives.
Even in a world full of experts like the Greater World, Guo Shier believed that the soul powers of spells were top-tier skills. If he combined them with the abilities of the Greater World, he was confident he could stand at the pinnacle among all experts.
The handsome old man tapped him on the head lightly. Although his entire body was made of soul energy, Guo Shier still felt a sharp pain. He shook his head violently and then came back to his senses.
“What are you daydreaming about? Sigh, I really admire you—being able to daydream even in a soul state. Haha!”

Guo Shier didn’t help but smile bitterly. He said, “Elder Shuai, let’s get started. We don’t know how long this purification will take.” With a wave of his hand, a pile of materials appeared on the ground. Here, he was god—the ruler. Whatever he wanted didn’t need to be sought; it was right there for him to take, with the exact quantity and quality guaranteed. This was his domain, and he was even more powerful than Guo Shier, as everything here was under his control.

The Jie Bainazhu sacrificial treasures flew out, first to purify the materials once again. The materials here had already been initially purified by Elder Shuai, but they still couldn’t be used directly—they needed further refinement before they could be used to craft talisman stones and talisman jades. These talisman stones and jades were unique to formations and required various special methods for purification.

The two of them got to work with great enthusiasm.

Halechi looked grim. Among those present, he found it the hardest. Not only did he lack the help of sacrificial spirits, but he also had to purify the materials outside to make the talisman stones and jades for the formation. Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen sat there in a daze as well. Like Guo Shier, they could craft items inside the altar.

Zhen Wu Ji, Ge Ha, and Yao Zebusong, like Halechi, took the materials outside to purify and refine them. Aizek and Meili had an easier task—they were responsible for protecting the surroundings; ensuring safety was their duty. As long as the Purple Armored Ones didn’t find this place, they would be the least busy.

Time passed slowly. The first to finish was Guo Shier. Elder Shuai might be slightly less powerful, but since becoming a sacrificial spirit, he had been buried in the altar, either organizing it or purifying materials. In his free time, he also refined various items. His skill in refining items was so high that even Li Ran might not be his match. With Guo Shier assisting him, it was hard for the progress to slow down.

In total, there were seven thousand talisman jades, eighteen thousand talisman stones, and several thousand smaller items, all fitting into a large talisman storage bag. Guo Shier stretched lazily. He took out a piece of dried meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, waiting for the others to finish their tasks.

Halechi was sweating profusely from anxiety. He was frantically refining the materials when he suddenly saw Guo Shier eating dried meat leisurely. Annoyed, he grumbled, “I mean… Shier, you’re way too relaxed. Have you finished?”

Guo Shier took out another piece of dried meat and stuffed it in his mouth, muttering, “What’s there to worry about with such a simple task? I’ve finished…” Then he took out a talisman bottle, took a sip, and a strong aroma of wine spread out.

This really angered Halechi. He worked hard for several days, eating nothing, drinking nothing, resting neither day nor night. He was already hungry and thirsty. He could still tolerate the smell of dried meat, but the scent of fragrant wine was beyond his endurance. At his limit, he said, “Give it to me!”
Guo Shier was confused. He hadn’t caught on yet and asked, “Give you what?”
Halechi replied, “The wine!”
Unable to resist teasing him, Guo Shier deliberately said, “Do I owe you something?”
Halechi was so angry he almost jumped up. He snapped, “Of course you owe me! Why… why are you drinking wine? It’s making me suffer so much… Give it to me, quickly!”
Guo Shier took a big gulp of wine and refused outright, “No!”
Halechi immediately softened. He pleaded, “Ah, Shier, my good brother. I’m tired and thirsty. Please give me some to drink… I beg you, just a little…” His tone even carried a whining edge.
Guo Shier shuddered. He would rather have Halechi argue with him or even fight—anything was better than hearing him speak in such a whiny tone. He threw a bottle of wine at him and waved his hand, saying, “You bastard… can’t you act normally?”
A virtual rune chain shot out and grabbed the bottle of wine. Halechi rolled his eyes and said, “Hmph, if you won’t give it to me, I’ll suffocate you with nonsense…” He gulped down several large sips of wine, then exhaled forcefully, saying, “Great! Ah… I feel much better now.”
Guo Shier reached for the bottle on the ground but found nothing. Looking up, he saw Qi Wu Zhen holding the bottle and drinking wildly. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly and shake his head. He wanted to say, “I’ve already drunk this bottle,” but thinking of Qi Wu Zhen’s weirdness, he decided to stay silent. Instead, he took out a few more bottles and gave them to Qi Wu Zhen to drink.
Qi Wu Zhen smiled slightly, picked up the bottle, and walked aside. Seeing this, Halechi groaned inwardly, “Guo Shier, you cowardly bastard…” In fact, he didn’t even need to think—if he were faced with Qi Wu Zhen, he might not be as calm as Guo Shier.
Li Ran shook his head and said, “It smells so good…” Before he could finish speaking, a bottle of wine flew to him. He grabbed it and took a sip with a smile. Halechi was furious but couldn’t say a word. The wine belonged to Guo Shier, and it was up to Guo Shier to decide who could drink it—there was no need for him to interfere.

The next scene shattered Halachi even further. Guo Shier not only offered Li Ran wine but also gave some to Zhen Wuji, Ge Ha, Yao Zebusong, and even threw a few bottles to Aizek and Meili who were on patrol outside. How could Halachi remain calm? He couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it! You always pick on me!”
A day later, except for Halachi who was still busy, everyone else had completed their tasks. Although Halachi was slow, the quality of what he crafted was excellent—by no means shoddy work, after all, he was an eighth-tier altar professional. He wailed, “I’ve been given too many tasks… Who can help share some? I’ll provide the materials… Sigh!”
Li Ran smiled and said, “Let’s all help together. We don’t have time to waste here.”
Everyone rushed in and quickly divided the work. Within dozens of minutes, they finished Halachi’s tasks, and he thanked them repeatedly. He was always very meticulous when it came to crafting, so rushing it would never do. As a top-tier professional, he had enough awareness of that.
All kinds of talisman stones, talisman jades, and materials needed for various talisman arrays were gathered together. Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen inspected them carefully. After a while, Li Ran said satisfactorily, “Very good. Hehe, everyone, wait a moment. Xiao Zhenzhen and I need to craft eight large talisman pillars, seventy-two small talisman pillars, and one hundred and eight shaping killing talismans.”
Qi Wu Zhen said, “Let’s all work together. The two of us will lead the ritual, and you’ll assist.”
Tasks were quickly assigned. Everyone ate a little before starting the ritual again. This time, it was carried out outside.
When crafting the eight large talisman pillars, they were initially only as thick as an arm and as tall as a person. The main body was already completed; all that was left was to insert some talisman jades and use some spirit beads for further refinement. Aizek, Meili, and Halachi were assigned to patrol and guard, while the other six people worked together on the crafting.
Since Li Ran had already done most of the work, everyone collaborated efficiently, and the crafting speed was fast. Each person was tasked with enhancing them with about a million virtual talismans. After all, top-tier professionals could cast thousands of virtual talismans at once, so this task wasn’t much of a challenge. The main issue was coordinating among the six people, which took some time—about ten minutes to finish the first pillar.
Then the second pillar was completed. Three hours later, all the necessary items were ready, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. With these, they could set up two large arrays: one trapping array and one killing array. According to Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen’s designs, these two arrays were among the best in the world of talismans.

Putting away the deployment items, Li Ran said, “Next, we need to find a suitable location…”
The purple mist was gradually dissipating, and they could faintly see the silhouette of a building on the horizon. Guo Shier said with a smile, “It seems not far from the city…”
Li Ran observed for a while and said, “We’re on the side of that city.” Then he activated the Boundary Breaker again. After a while, he sighed, “The Boundary Breaker still points toward the city. If we want to leave, we must eliminate the Purple Armored people in the city!”
Zhen Wuji said, “It’s a fight to the death.”
Qi Wu Zhen said, “Hurry up and find a suitable location so we can set up our defenses quickly.”