Chapter 6: Retreat (Part 2)

Xu Zai Kun took out a large bottle of dark red blood and said, “Guo Shier, this is the blood of the Iron Spiral Snake. These snakes live in the Arctic Wasteland and possess extremely strong vitality. Their blood is one of the materials used to make low-grade talismans. This bottle of blood comes from a 30-year-old Iron Spiral Snake, which is just enough to make low-grade talismans. Hehe, if it were a 100-year-old snake, its blood could be used to make high-grade talismans.”
“Use the Four-Element Purification Method. Here are the techniques and precautions for purification. Try it once—don’t be afraid of failure; just give it a shot. This bottle of Iron Spiral Snake blood comes from one snake. Well, this is a talisman bottle that can hold 300 jin of blood. I estimate that after complete purification, we should get about 10 jin of pure liquid.”
Guo Shier carried the bottle to the dedicated purification room and first flipped through the purification method book given by Xu Zai Kun. This was a unique purification technique used by talisman makers to extract the vitality from the Iron Spiral Snake blood. He read it repeatedly to memorize it, then slowly deduced the process in his mind until he felt he fully understood it before starting the purification.
Everything went smoothly at first, and he obtained the first bottle of purified liquid. Guo Shier was a bit surprised—dark red blood turned into transparent mucus after purification. When he showed it to Xu Zai Kun, the old man was very satisfied. Guo Shier then went back to continue purifying, taking three days to fully purify all 300 jin of blood.
From purifying the materials to crafting the talisman bodies and finally learning to form the talismans, Guo Shier was completely immersed in it, never tiring.
Xu Zai Kun grew increasingly fond of this hardworking and eager-to-learn child. Not only was he intelligent and rational, but he could also endure loneliness and persevere. His strong understanding and practical skills surprised and delighted Xu Zai Kun, who felt that Guo Shier was even better than many adults.
Although only a little over a month passed, Guo Shier had learned to make two types of disposable talismans: one was the most commonly used Blood Talisman, used to replenish energy and blood, and the other was an external talisman—Green Talisman—used to stop bleeding and heal wounds.
By the time the task was completed, Xu Zai Kun already felt reluctant to part with Guo Shier. After much thought, he took out another talisman book and said, “Shier, this is advanced material on talisman making. It contains the methods for making four types of talismans. If you have time, you can try making them. Also, when you see Old Master Luo, give my regards.”
Guo Shier thanked him repeatedly. The old man had imparted his skills to him without reservation, which deeply moved him.

Xu Zai Kun took out two more high-grade talisman pills and said, “Twelve, these are two high-grade, one-time-use talisman pills that can save lives. Keep them safe.” He sighed inwardly: “It would be great if we could find an apprentice with similar potential to Guo Twelve. Sigh, Old Master Luo Jie is really lucky.”

Guo Twelve bid farewell and went to complete his mission first, then returned to his courtyard.

“Uncle Luo! Why have you come back?”

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Luo Zhan and the others. Huo Bao said, “Uncle Luo just arrived and was about to look for you, Twelve. Have you finished the mission?”

Guo Twelve smiled and said, “It went smoothly. Hehe, Uncle Luo, have we defeated the wildlings?”

Luo Zhan said with a bitter smile, “We’re almost done… The Wildman Pass has fallen, and many disciples from the Northern Talisman Sect have died. A small group fled to the Extreme North Wasteland, while others retreated toward Ye Guan City. We also need to withdraw from the Northern Talisman Sect. Hurry up and pack up; we’ll set off in a moment.”

Guo Twelve was shocked. “How is that possible?”

Luo Zhan replied, “Nothing is impossible… Messages from the Wildman Pass say that over thirty thousand wildlings attacked this time. In previous years, two or three thousand wildlings were already terrifying. This time is different—there are wildlings everywhere, ten times more than before. It’s impossible to resist them; there are simply too many.”

“The wildlings have broken through the pass. They’ll reach Ye Guan City in a few days. We definitely can’t hold this place, so we must retreat. The first to retreat are the inner sect apprentices and all those in the talismanist profession. As your guard, I’m also part of the retreat.”

Guo Twelve didn’t dare delay at all. Wasting time now was the same as seeking death. He quickly packed up and urged Huo Bao and the other three. In less than twenty minutes, they were back in the courtyard. Guo Twelve said, “Uncle Luo, let’s go.”

The news of the Wildman Pass falling was kept strictly secret, and the city remained calm for now. Teams of inner sect disciples and talismanists gathered at the assembly point. There were about four thousand people in total, including around three thousand guards they brought with them, plus another two thousand guards, including the famous Blade Squad, Hundred Victories Squad, and Mighty Cavalry Squad.

The Blade Squad consisted of eighty-five people, divided into ten small teams. Each team was led by a talisman martial artist, with nine members being talisman warriors. There were also two spellcasters in the squad, while the squad leader was a talisman master. Their combat strength ranked among the top in Ye Guan City.

The Bold Cavalry Unit consisted of 53 members, riding the wild horses native to the far north. The Victory-Seeking Unit was also highly combat-effective. With the protection of these three units, the first group to retreat was relatively safe—so long as they didn’t encounter large numbers of wildlings, there wouldn’t be much of a problem.

The Victory-Seeking Unit had a larger number of members, around 200, and included a spellcaster. It was well-known that wherever there was a spellcaster in a group, its overall strength could increase by at least 30%.

“…Follow the main group. Don’t panic if you encounter wildlings—never run around randomly. Once you get separated from the group, it’s absolutely impossible to return to the Northern Talisman Gate on your own…”

“…Followers, protect your respective companions… You’re only responsible for those you’re guarding; don’t interfere with others…”

“…Prepare food and water. We’ll hardly have time to rest along the way…”

Someone was loudly giving instructions. Chen Bing ran back and forth, responsible for gathering information and passing it along. Huo Bao went to arrange their positions in the group—this was crucial, as the safest spots were in the middle of the formation. Fortunately, Guo Shier’s status was important enough, so they were placed in a good position.

Next came the formation. Guo Shier and his group were in the third unit, consisting of about 700 people, mostly apprentices from the inner sect as well as several important spellcasters, including Xu Zai Kun, who brought three spell warriors with him. Seeing Guo Shier again, the old man was very pleased. Guo Shier immediately invited him to join his group. A spell pill master was like a mobile hospital.

Although Guo Shier appeared to be a child, his soul was not. As soon as he saw Xu Zai Kun, he went over to him. He knew exactly what the old man liked, and before long, Xu Zai Kun was thoroughly amused by him.

Guo Shier and Xu Zai Kun each got their own carriage. Guo Shier asked Huo Bao and the others to take Old Master Xu’s carriage, while he invited the old man onto his own carriage. With Luo Zhan’s protection, this carriage was very safe.

The first to set off was the Blade Edge Unit, who rode warhorses to clear a path ahead. Following them was the Bold Cavalry Unit, riding wild horses to ensure the safety of the path—given the wild horses’ extreme speed, this task was assigned to them.

The Victory-Seeking Unit was responsible for covering the rear.

After about an hour, the sounds of fighting outside the city gates gradually faded, and the entire group set off.

Guo Shier and Xu Zai Kun sat in the carriage, not very interested in the battles outside. Taking this opportunity, Guo Shier began to ask the old man questions about spell pills.

Xu Zai Kun really liked this sensible and eager-to-learn apprentice. He would explain in detail anything Guo Shier asked, and even take the initiative to explain questions Guo Shier hadn’t asked, truly sharing all his knowledge without reservation.

There were many wildlings in the wilderness, often forming groups of a dozen or so to attack the caravan, but they never succeeded—this caravan had an extremely strong protective force.

In particular, the Blade Edge Squad consisted of eight powerful ten-man teams, along with two spellcasters ready to act at any moment. It only took a few minutes to kill a dozen wildlings.

Gradually, casualties began to appear. As a fairly famous talisman alchemist, Xu Zai Kun felt obligated to treat the wounded. Guo Shier followed behind, taking the opportunity to learn how to use talismans.

As more and more wildlings appeared, the number of casualties grew. Wounded people started lining up near Guo Shier’s carriage. Xu Zai Kun took out a large number of basic disposable talismans and guided Guo Shier in treating the wounded. Huo Bao and the others also came to help.

“Little Bao, go clean the wounds!”
“Chen Bing, help this uncle lie down flat…”
“Shi Tuo, Xiao Hong, you’re in charge of lining up the wounded. Remember, the seriously injured come first!”

Guo Shier directed everything methodically, treating each wounded person one by one with confidence. Everyone who saw this was amazed—this kid was truly remarkable.

The most severe injuries were handled by Xu Zai Kun, while ordinary injuries were taken care of by Guo Shier.

Guo Shier’s carriage was under special protection because, thanks to the treatment provided by Xu Zai Kun and Guo Shier, most of the injured martial talismans quickly recovered. With a short rest, they could return to battle.

The entire group continued moving forward at full speed without stopping. At this point, nothing could stop them—if they got stuck on the road, with more and more wildlings appearing, they might be trapped to death. So the Blade Edge Squad, leading the way, charged recklessly, killing any wildlings in their path.

With the help of soul energy, Guo Shier became increasingly skilled at using talismans. Once the spell energy ran out, his soul would quickly fluctuate and replenish itself. Xu Zai Kun grew more and more puzzled—how could a mere apprentice use talismans continuously, reaching as many as thirty? Although using talismans required very little spell energy, how could an apprentice sustain it for so long?

“Form a formation! Form a formation!”
“Slow down the pace!”
“Martial talismans and talisman alchemists, come out… form a formation on the left!”

Guo Shier looked up, secretly astonished. More than eighty fierce wildmen appeared on the left, charging over while howling.