Chapter 6: Alienation (Part 1)

If the nine shields were arranged into a talismanic shield formation, the man in red could definitely withstand the attack of that red glow. Unfortunately, it was too late. The first shield turned to ashes in less than a second, followed by the second, until the seventh shield barely managed to block the attack. The man in red’s face turned blue from pain.

The Great Golden Armor launched an attack before flapping its wings to dodge. But due to the delay caused by the attack, the two hexagonal light columns formed by the talismanic array successfully merged, slowing down the Great Golden Armor’s lightning-fast movements. Guo Shier even saw its wings flapping slowly, like in a slow-motion scene from a movie in his past life.

Luo Zhan exclaimed, “It’s frozen!”
The man in red showed joy on his face and shouted, “Hold on… I’m going to seize its soul!”
Whether it was a Soul Beast or a Soul Insect, they were essential offerings for the Soul Altar, capable of strengthening both the altar and one’s own soul. Once captured and placed in the Soul Altar, Soul Beasts and Soul Insects could also be released to fight. But once one had a Soul Altar—even if it was just an illusory one—Soul Beasts and Soul Insects became treasures, rarely released for battle.

Guo Shier drooled at the sight. A Level 13 Mutated Great Golden Armor! Such a fire-type secret insect was extremely rare. If he could capture such a Soul Insect, not even the Great Sage could defeat him. Unfortunately, this Great Golden Armor was out of his reach.

The man in red ordered, “Strip it!”
The Great Golden Armor let out a shrill scream. The two merged hexagonal light columns suddenly separated, and one of the rising columns dragged out all the runes on the Great Golden Armor along with its soul. This was the first time Guo Shier had seen such a technique.

Guo Shier exclaimed, “This method… can obtain a complete Soul Insect and its runes to the greatest extent. With a little cultivation, it can regain its original strength. Amazing! It’s far more powerful than the skills I know.”
Neither the Eagle Demon nor Luo Zhan spoke; they too were stunned by the man in red’s technique.

The Great Golden Armor’s screams soon turned into the screams of its soul. Since it was a complete soul separation, when the body’s screams stopped, the soul continued to wail loudly—but it stopped after just one cry, as the Great Golden Armor’s soul suddenly fell into chaos.

That soul’s shrill cry nearly made Guo Shier and the others spit blood. Even with their defenses at full strength, they still felt their souls trembling and their bodies shaking.

The Great Sage facing the Great Golden Armor’s soul directly on the rune pillar couldn’t withstand the impact of that scream and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The man in red roared, “Hold on!”

Guo Shier felt cold sweat pouring down as he clenched his fists nervously. A Level 13 mutated Great Golden Armor! It was incredibly exciting.
Luo Zhan didn’t understand and couldn’t help asking, “How did that person capture the Soul Beast? I didn’t see any beast talismans.”
Guo Shier replied, “It’s not a beast talisman, but an insect talisman. But… he doesn’t need it at all. He can directly put the Soul Insect into the altar without even crafting one. It’s really convenient.”
Luo Zhan shook his head, completely baffled, and asked, “He must be a talisman caster. Then for those in the talisman martial arts profession… at his level, do they also have an illusory altar?”
Guo Shier said, “They probably do, but I’ve never seen one.”
As the twelve talisman pillars took effect, the man in red had already pulled out the soul of the Great Golden Armor and all the talisman patterns on its body, sending them toward his illusory altar. However, the soul of the Level 13 mutated talisman insect was extremely powerful and was still struggling desperately unconsciously, making it somewhat difficult for the man in red.
Suddenly, the trapped volcanic crater trembled, and the entire ground seemed to shake. A terrifying roar came from beneath the earth.
Guo Shier exclaimed in horror, “Is there more down there?”
The man in red’s expression also changed drastically. He cast hundreds of spells in succession, with countless illusory talismans wrapping around to try to speed things up.
As the illusory talismans wrapped around it, the soul of the Great Golden Armor struggled even more fiercely, seemingly starting to regain consciousness. Guo Shier said anxiously, “If we force it like this, the soul of this Great Golden Armor will suffer severe damage…”
Boom!
Magma erupted from the volcanic crater but was suppressed by the talisman array formed by the twelve pillars. It sprayed out for less than ten meters before being held back by the array, forming a massive flow of magma that rushed down the crater and surged toward the foothills. Another eruption followed, spewing even more magma.
Guo Shier wondered, “Could there be another Level 13 mutated Great Golden Armor?”
Eagle Demon also grew nervous and said, “This place is too dangerous. Let’s retreat! We don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely beyond our ability to resist!”
Luo Zhan added, “Yeah, we’re too close. It’s safer to stay further away. Sigh, I feel like a burden…” He was filled with bitterness. As a high-level talisman martial artist, he was far inferior in strength compared to Guo Shier and Eagle Demon.
Guo Shier said, “Okay, let’s retreat. Uncle Luo, in their eyes, we’re also a burden… Don’t be discouraged. Strength comes from hard work.”

Eagle Demon laughed and said, “It’s not just about brute force… I’ve fought on the vast grasslands for hundreds of years, yet it’s still not as good as the progress I’ve made these past few years following Guo Shier. Ah, in life… one still needs luck and opportunity—it’s better than recklessly trying everything on one’s own.” He understood this well; it had only been a few years since he followed Guo Shier, and he had somehow advanced to Junior Saint Master. However, he was still far behind Luo Jieqinan. The two of them had received the inheritance from the Black Symbol People and had advanced to Great Saint Master in just a few years—something truly unimaginable.

The three of them didn’t dare stay put and flew quickly into the distance, stopping only when they could barely still see the figures of the red-robed men. Guo Shier said, “This place is fine. Let’s watch from here. Adding a rune should help us see clearly.” He placed runes in the eyes of the other two and one for himself, instantly clearing their vision so they could see every move of the red-robed men clearly.

Eagle Demon said, “This distance is sufficient.”

The soul of the Great Golden Armor was almost pulled into the red-robed man’s altar when, suddenly, it seemed to regain consciousness. A Level 13 mutated symbol worm was already very intelligent and understood that once pulled into the altar, it would lose its freedom. It began to struggle violently, and the magma in the volcanic crater below surged even more intensely.

Guo Shier said anxiously, “Faster… we’re almost there!”

Boom!

A sharp red beam shot out from the volcanic crater, instantly breaking through the rune array formed by the twelve rune pillars.

The red-robed man roared as he watched helplessly as the soul of the Great Golden Armor, which was about to enter the altar, returned to its body. But after such turmoil, the Great Golden Armor’s strength had been greatly diminished, and its vitality severely damaged.

Guo Shier said, “We failed at the last moment! It’s over! Damn, what is that thing down there? So powerful… it broke through the rune array with just one strike!”

The twelve senior Great Saint Masters sitting atop the rune pillars couldn’t withstand such a fierce attack. One after another, they spat blood and fell from the pillars. One of them suffered the worst—falling straight into the magma. The scorching heat woke him up, setting his body on fire. He flew upward while roaring, but he was already severely injured.

The other Great Saint Masters controlled their bodies before falling into the magma and flew back up.

Seeing that he had no hope of obtaining the essence of the Great Golden Armor, the red-robed man roared, reached out and grabbed something from the altar. A slender needle appeared in his hand. He tossed it into the air and then cast hundreds of spells. The slender needle immediately expanded, emitting a dazzling blue light. A freezing airflow flowed along its length, and when it touched the scorching air, it produced a shrill sound.

The man in red robes widened his eyes and shouted loudly. The needle flew toward the Great Golden Armor with a whoosh. The soul of the Great Golden Armor had just returned to its body, and its consciousness had not yet recovered, leaving it no time to defend. The needle was incredibly fast and immediately pierced the back of the Great Golden Armor. Crack! Crack! Crack… With continuous piercing sounds, the needle vibrated at high speed, but the Great Golden Armor’s defense was extremely strong, preventing the needle from breaking through. Due to the remaining power of the talisman array, the Great Golden Armor remained suspended in midair. The man in red robes knew well that while he could withstand the Great Golden Armor if it escaped, his twelve senior grand masters could not. Therefore, he stopped holding back, roared loudly, cast several spells in succession, and shouted, “Explose!” The needle instantly expanded rapidly, and with a loud explosion, it burst apart. In an instant, the two thick shells on the back of the Great Golden Armor broke completely, leaving only a few thin tendons connecting them, revealing the translucent wings beneath. In fact, those two golden shells were also wings, serving as the outermost layer of protection for the Great Golden Armor. The explosion of the needle created countless ice crystals, and in just a few moments, a thick layer of ice covered the Great Golden Armor. After all, the Great Golden Armor was a fire-type mutated talisman worm, and such extreme cold immediately cost it half its life force. Another red glow shot out from the volcano’s crater. This time, it did not attack the man in red robes but struck directly at the ice crystals. A fierce fire ignited, quickly melting the ice crystals. The man in red robes shouted, “Come out!” He was quite frustrated, not expecting another Great Golden Armor to be hidden beneath the volcano’s crater. A sphere wrapped in virtual talismans, with streaks of lightning flashing inside, was thrown into the volcano’s crater by the man in red robes. It was a mass of lightning, and it was unclear what method the man in red robes used to seal it. The volcano’s crater instantly seemed to be filled with countless high-voltage wires, with blinding arcs flashing everywhere. The Great Golden Armor hanging in midair finally regained consciousness, and a large amount of flame erupted from its body, causing the remaining ice crystals to fall off immediately. At this point, the Great Golden Armor was in a miserable state, covered in wounds, with its two thick wing shells broken but still attached to its body. Its second layer of translucent wings was also damaged. It vibrated its wounded wings desperately, breaking free from the constraints of the talisman array, and flew sideways at an awkward angle. The man in red robes shouted, “Go and kill it!”

The twelve senior archmages, with one severely injured and left aside, rushed at the Great Golden Armor in a group. Even though the Great Golden Armor was badly damaged, they didn’t dare take it lightly, knowing it was extremely powerful. The man in red kept staring at the volcano crater, sensing that the Great Golden Armor beneath it was no ordinary foe.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, and the lava flowing on the surface surged as if something was colliding underground.