Chapter 4: The Crazy Old Man (Part 1)

Guo Shier followed closely, eager to see how powerful Gu Xi Bi was. Eagle Demon said, “Others, stay back. We’ll be back soon. Too many people might attract Gu Xi Bi’s attention.” With that, he dashed off. Zhou Xiaoling stamped her foot in anger; she wanted to go too, but was held tightly by Qian Ru Dai.
Luo Zhan wore a wry smile. He didn’t follow, knowing his strength was insufficient and that he might drag everyone down. He was usually cautious and said, “Dingding, let’s stay safe.”
Qian Ru Dai said, “My great-grandmother once said many professionals die just by watching.”
Zhang Yaojin hadn’t flown far when he heard the cry of the Great Dragon Eagle—a sound of threat. The Great Dragon Eagle was never afraid of the Spirit Beasts on the ground, so the two of them rushed straight into Gu Xi Bi’s territory. Perhaps they didn’t even realize what kind of Spirit Beast they had intruded upon.
Handsome Old Man said, “Sly bastards! They’re hiding the power of their souls to lure passing Spirit Beasts… Those two Great Dragon Eagles are done for. Stop watching and go back.”
Zhang Yaojin climbed to the edge of the ditch and peered into the distance, with Guo Shier right behind him. Eagle Demon flew up and said, “There’s still some distance between us and Gu Xi Bi… Huh? What’s that?”
Guo Shier exclaimed in surprise, “Damn, it’s a mop!”
Gu Xi Bi flew upward like a mop with its handle broken, with countless tentacles in front and its head and body at the back.
The hundred-meter-long Great Dragon Eagle didn’t even have time to defend itself before it was wrapped in countless tentacles and crushed. Then Gu Xi Bi lunged at the other Great Dragon Eagle at an incredible speed.
Roar!
With just one cry, the other Great Dragon Eagle was also crushed.
In just a few seconds, both Great Dragon Eagles disappeared from the sky. Gu Xi Bi slowly landed. Guo Shier’s eyes almost popped out. He whispered, “Damn! Damn! So powerful… Ah, too powerful! Amazing!” He couldn’t think of any other word to describe it—this thing was too bizarre, too terrifying.
Eagle Demon shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “I really don’t want to provoke it.”
Handsome Old Man, however, was excited. “See? That’s Gu Xi Bi! That’s the Soul Devouring Beast!”
Zhang Yaojin said coldly, “Stop shouting. If you’re capable, then subdue it.”
Handsome Old Man wasn’t annoyed by the rebuke. He said, “Alright, let’s go back. Prepare everything. Just Gu Mo Lian isn’t enough; we need other things too.”

Guo Shier said, “Go back, let’s start preparing.” He was extremely eager inside. He had already seen the power of this thing, which far exceeded his expectations. No wonder Xianru Dai refused to come here—Guxi Bi was truly too powerful.

The group returned to the camp. Guo Shier said, “We’ll stay here for a while. There are so many altars here. As long as we defeat Guxi Bi, we should be able to find some good things.”

Guo Shier went to the second floor of the Talisman House, sat cross-legged, and released Gu Mo Lian.

Gu Mo Lian spun lightly once, then suddenly expanded to the size of a desk. The handsome old man slowly emerged from the top. Guo Shier’s expression was a bit strange. He thought to himself: If I had seen this scene in my past life, I would have been terrified—it was just like encountering a ghost in a movie.

The handsome old man didn’t waste words and directly implanted a segment of ancestral memory into Guo Shier’s soul. He said, “I need you to use these ancient runes to empower it.”

Guo Shier immediately began learning. After a while, his face turned slightly red as he said with a wry smile, “One million six hundred thousand spells! You’re going to drive me crazy!”

The handsome old man smiled mischievously and said, “You haven’t seen the rest yet.”

People outside the Talisman House heard Guo Shier shout loudly. Fortunately, the talisman array covered them; otherwise, Guxi Bi might have detected people here.

“You old bastard… you’re cheating me!”

Only then did Guo Shier realize that one million six hundred thousand spells were just the first part. There was another segment of ancestral memory, requiring three million eight hundred thousand spells to be cast continuously. He could take a few minutes’ rest after every hundred thousand spells, just enough to eat something. Sleeping was completely out of the question.

The handsome old man said calmly, “Idiot, keep reading. Don’t be so flustered… you’re not a child.”

Scolded like this, Guo Shier had no choice but to continue studying the inheritance. He found more records afterward. It was a rare technique for casting spells, not popular nowadays, even older than the one passed down by the Gu Miluo family, but extremely practical. If mastered, one spell could create ten virtual talismans. With proficiency, a single spell could generate hundreds or even thousands of virtual talismans. Of course, beginners couldn’t reach such a level.

Ten virtual talismans at a time—after calculating this, Guo Shier felt a bit relieved. The speed could increase tenfold. If he still failed, he wouldn’t have any excuse. He immediately started learning. The strength of this inheritance lay in the fact that any skill could be integrated into the soul. With enough practice, it could be used—there was no such thing as not being able to learn it.

Soon, Guo Shier realized this was some kind of secret technique, a special method, and he couldn’t help but feel excited. He said, “Old Man Shuai, thank you.”
Old Man Shuai muttered, “What’s there to thank? What’s mine is yours.”
Guo Shier suddenly remembered a phrase from his past life and chuckled, “Yes, what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is still mine!”
Old Man Shuai was stunned and couldn’t help cursing, “You little brat!” After thinking carefully, he realized Guo Shier was completely right—he really had nothing.
Guo Shier didn’t care. He knew Old Man Shuai liked to curse, but it wasn’t really meant seriously; it was just a way to vent.
Old Man Shuai said, “Get familiar with it first. Ten thousand hand spells at a time, all done without pause—otherwise, the effect won’t be good. I’ll give you a few hours to get used to it, then we’ll start.”
Guo Shier nodded and began to practice earnestly. In less than an hour, he said, “I’m ready.”
A hint of surprise appeared in Old Man Shuai’s eyes—such speed was fast. He nodded and said, “Good. I’ll be inside, and you outside. Let’s start together.”
Guo Shier stood up. The Ancient Ink Lotus spun rapidly, its size expanding again until it looked like a large water tank. Old Man Shuai said, “You start first; I’ll follow.”
Guo Shier focused, held his breath, crossed his hands over his chest, and moved his ten fingers like waves, gradually speeding up. With a low shout, “Start!” ten virtual talismans shot out from his fingertips, followed by another ten. The speed increased steadily, and the virtual talismans flew out like raindrops, hitting the Ancient Ink Lotus.
As soon as Guo Shier shouted “Start,” Old Man Shuai adopted the same posture and began firing virtual talismans in rhythm with him.
The virtual talismans struck the Ancient Ink Lotus, producing crisp crackling sounds. The more talismans there were, the denser the crackling. At first, it sounded like rain on banana leaves, but when both of them fired at full speed, only a long, continuous tapping sound remained.
Old Man Shuai kept reminding him, “Pay attention to the rhythm. Don’t keep speeding up…”
Guo Shier felt his hands ache and his fingers grow heavy, as if tied with a rope with an iron weight attached. But he had to grit his teeth and maintain a certain speed. He absolutely couldn’t stop—once he did, all his efforts would be wasted, and he’d have to start over.
No one came up from the second floor of the Talisman House. Eagle Demon habitually guarded the staircase, making it impossible for anyone to go up.

Sweat dripped from Guo Shier’s forehead, but his hands remained steady, moving rhythmically. By now, his speed was much faster than at the beginning—hundreds of virtual talismans flew out with each movement of his fingers, and he could control each spell so that a hundred talismans were emitted with each hand movement. Finally, all 100,000 spells were completed. He collapsed to the ground, his hands numb. The handsome old man said calmly, “You have at most ten minutes to rest. Do whatever you need to do quickly!” Guo Shier was shocked and immediately took out a bottle of water, gulping it down. Then he took out a small bottle and applied the prepared oil to his hands. The cool sensation cooled his burning hands. He performed a few hand recovery spells and gently shook his hands. It took about five minutes before his hands relaxed. The handsome old man said, “Prepare the next set of virtual talismans.” Guo Shier sighed—nothing was easy. He said, “Okay, ready… three, two, one, start!” As soon as Guo Shier cast the first virtual talisman, the handsome old man cast the same one. From this, it was clear that the handsome old man was far stronger than Guo Shier—he followed Guo Shier’s rhythm exactly: slower when Guo Shier was slower, faster when Guo Shier was faster. Sometimes Guo Shier felt as if he was casting talismans at a mirror, as the handsome old man could replicate every talisman he cast. The virtual talismans combined and fell onto the Ancient Ink Lotus. Guo Shier still didn’t know what use they served, but his soul could sense the Ancient Ink Lotus more clearly, no longer blurred like before. He didn’t dare get distracted and kept casting talismans frantically, fearing that a single mistake might ruin all his progress. “Alright, take a break.” Guo Shier couldn’t help but complain, “It’s only 200,000 damn virtual talismans… This is going to kill me…” The handsome old man laughed, “With time to complain… hurry up and take care of your hands. Otherwise, you won’t be able to go on. There are still many 100,000 virtual talismans left for you to cast.” Guo Shier didn’t even have the energy to smile bitterly. He busied himself dealing with his almost spasming hands, then quickly drank water and ate something. Before long, it was time again. Without bothering to complain, he said, “Three, two, one, start…” The ancient runes formed short phrases, which were sent into the Ancient Ink Lotus through his fingertips. This time, the speed was incredibly fast—it was over in less than ten minutes. Guo Shier breathed a sigh of relief. At this pace, he was confident he could finish. The handsome old man praised him, “Not bad. Come back in ten minutes.” …