Chapter 2: A Meeting (Part 1)

Qi Nanshan was also extremely happy. He hadn’t expected Guo Shier to have reached the height of the third-tier altar. Although his mind was chaotic during the pursuit of Guo Shier, he hadn’t forgotten what had happened once he regained clarity. He knew very well that both he and Luo Jie had given it their all during the chase. If not for Guo Shier’s superior strength, he might have made a grave mistake.

With lingering fear, Qi Nanshan glanced at Qi Wu Zhen, feeling frustrated. Everyone shared the same surname—Qi—so why was this woman with that surname so powerful?

Luo Zhan stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, “Elder, I’m Luo Zhan.”
Luo Jie nodded, saying, “Good, very good…” He was so happy he didn’t know what to say other than repeating “good.”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “I have matters to attend to. You three go ahead and chat.” With that, she turned and left. Guo Shier quickly called out, “Sister Zhen, thank you!” He was deeply grateful. Without Qi Wu Zhen, he didn’t know who else in this world would help him suppress Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan—she had essentially saved their lives.

Qi Wu Zhen smiled gently and said, “You’re welcome.” Then she vanished in an instant.

Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan were stunned. That smile was truly breathtaking.

Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh. If even Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan were stunned, one could imagine just how powerful Qi Wu Zhen was. Not only was her martial strength formidable, but her beauty was equally overwhelming.

Halechi was not far away. He had been watching Qi Wu Zhen, longing to see her leave but not daring to chase after her. So he came over to Guo Shier.

Guo Shier didn’t dislike Halechi. Halechi had given him a great Cross-Realm talisman, which had proven extremely useful. He said, “Old Ha, this is my master, Grandpa Nanshan.” Due to Qi Wu Zhen’s presence, everyone treated Halechi casually.

Halechi nodded and said, “It’s an honor to meet two masters of the Soul Altar.”

Any Black Talisman practitioner, once they built their own altar, would hold a high status among altar-level professionals, as they possessed immensely powerful Soul Altars that often allowed them to challenge those above their rank. For example, Luo Jie now had a seventh-tier Soul Altar. If he fought Halechi, he might not lose. Hence, there was respect in Halechi’s words.

Once Luo Jie regained his clarity, his behavior returned to normal. Having grown up as a big shot in the North Talisman Sect, he naturally had a distinguished aura. Coupled with the cultivation of the Black Talisman practitioners’ heritage techniques, he became even more extraordinary. He smiled and said, “It seems you’re Shier’s friend. I’m Luo Jie. Nice to meet you!”

Qi Nanshan also stepped forward to greet them, saying, “Qi Nanshan, hello.” He was only one rank below Luo Jie on the altar, but his demeanor was different—extremely imposing. Halechi couldn’t help but silently praise him as a true hero.
Halechi nodded in response, and they exchanged a few words.
Qi Nanshan said, “Guo Shier, I haven’t eaten anything for… well, almost a year now. Please burn some talismanic food for me… hehe.” He knew Guo Shier was a master at crafting such food. Over this year, his soul had been sometimes clear and sometimes confused, until he started killing wildly on the Ancient Xilong Continent, after which his soul became completely chaotic.
During this time, both Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan had relied on absorbing souls to sustain themselves. At most, they would instinctively seek water from the altar space; eating was something they hadn’t even thought about. So soon as he regained clarity, Qi Nanshan felt extremely hungry. Having tasted the delicious food prepared by Guo Shier before, he couldn’t help but make the request.
Luo Jie also knew Guo Shier was excellent at making talismanic food. He nodded and said, “Shier, I’m hungry too.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Good. Uncle Eagle Demon, Nanyou, help clear a space. Old Ha, stay here and eat with us.”
Halechi nodded with a smile. He could see that Qi Wuzhen treated Guo Shier very well, so he tried to ingratiate himself with him, hoping that through Guo Shier, Qi Wuzhen wouldn’t be too hostile toward him. Of course, he wouldn’t refuse Guo Shier’s kindness.
Eagle Demon and Nanyou quickly cleared a space. Halechi said, “Step back, let me do it!” He cast a spell, and in an instant, the entire ground turned to stone, smooth and polished like polished marble.
Guo Shier couldn’t help but praise, “Great!”
This time, he planned to use the meat of a Level 15 Abnormal Mammoth. The flesh of such high-level abnormal talismanic beasts contained powerful energy, and it couldn’t be cooked with ordinary flames. Fortunately, he had the Jiebaina Pearl Sacrificial Gem. He first used it to break down the Abnormal Mammoth’s meat, after which he could cook it with ordinary talismanic flames.
Guo Shier didn’t intend to prepare complex talismanic food; instead, he simply braised the broken-down mammoth meat. The meat pieces, about the size of fists, were seasoned with various spices. Before it was even fully cooked, the rich aroma of the meat spread everywhere.
Halechi sniffed the air and exclaimed in surprise, “What kind of meat… so fragrant? Hmm, it contains such strong vitality… It’s the meat of an abnormal talismanic beast, no, a high-level one!”

After much effort, Guo Shier did manage to cook a large copper pot full of meat. He then casually stir-fried a few dishes of meat and vegetables, boiled a big pot of meat broth, and brought out many dough cakes, saying, “Alright, let’s eat!”
Everyone gathered around, and their knives instinctively went straight for the meat in the copper pot. Halechi took a big bite and praised, “Great! Really… really delicious. Shier, what kind of meat is this?”
Guo Shier replied, “It’s meat from a Level 15 Abnormal Mammoth.”
Halechi gasped and said, “Wow, where did you get this? This is incredibly nourishing! A Level 15 Abnormal Talisman Beast—even I would have trouble killing one.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “I just had good luck and got it by chance.”
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan devoured their food eagerly, as if they were starving ghosts reborn. After such a long time of fighting, though their spirits were extremely strong, their bodies were very weak. After eating the meat from the Abnormal Talisman Beast, they immediately felt a surge of power flowing through their bodies.
If ordinary people ate the meat from a Level 15 Abnormal Talisman Beast, their physical strength would improve greatly—though they could only eat a small piece at most. Even lower-level professionals would see significant benefits. This meat was a treasure that could enhance overall physical strength, quickly replenish energy and blood, and relieve fatigue.
For Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan, it was the best tonic to quickly restore their weakened bodies.
Wang Keer said, “As far as I know, the meat from a Level 15 Abnormal Talisman Beast requires a special cooking method; otherwise, it’s impossible to cook it properly. Shier, how did you do it?”
Guo Shier had first had the Abnormal Mammoth’s meat decomposed by the old sage in the altar before using talisman fire to cook it. So no one knew he possessed such a sacred artifact that could decompose various things.
Halechi said, “As long as it’s decomposed… it can be cooked. But it’s not easy to decompose—it might end up as just a pile of rotten meat. Shier, you’re really clever.”
Guo Shier humbly downplayed his skills, of course without revealing that he had the sacred artifact, the Jiena Pearl.
In less than twenty minutes, all the food was gone. In this world, every time Guo Shier saw others eating, he felt a strange sensation—these people really ate like gluttons. The braised mammoth meat, as big as a small jar, was eaten first. Even Wang Keer ate a dozen pieces, with each piece weighing half a pound, not to mention the other foods.
After tidying up, Guo Shier told everyone to sit down and asked, “Master, where have you all been these years?”

Luo Jie slowly sat down and sighed, “It’s hard to put into words…”
Qi Nanshan and Luo Jie exchanged bitter smiles. It turned out that after receiving the inheritance from the Black Symbol People, they realized this inheritance was a taboo in their continent—anyone caught using it would be hunted down.
Luo Jie was a proud man. After being attacked, he fought back and then discovered that by killing his opponents, he could obtain their souls to strengthen himself. Thus, he began to advance frantically; almost no one who dared to hunt him could escape and were all killed to help him level up.
Through countless bloody battles, he didn’t know how long he had fled, constantly moving from one continent to another, from one secret realm to another. As time passed, his profession level rose higher and higher, eventually attracting the pursuit of altar-level experts.
It was then that Qi Nanshan finally found him. After getting separated on the Star Continent, Qi Nanshan, relying on a faint connection among the Black Symbol People, tracked down Luo Jie. Together, they killed a virtual altar-level expert. Luo Jie was surprised to find that he could seize the other’s altar and turn it into his own.
From then on, the two continued to fight their way forward. Eventually, they even deliberately showed their appearance and characteristics as Black Symbol People to lure professionals to hunt them, only to turn the attack around.
Like Guo Shier and the others, as they delved deeper, they got lost in various continents and secret realms and unknowingly arrived in the territory of the four ancient clans. By then, they had already become experts at the third or fourth level of altars.
Luo Jie described everything casually, appearing calm, but Guo Shier knew they must have endured countless hardships and fought through numerous life-threatening battles.
Fortunately, Qi Nanshan persevered in searching for Luo Jie; otherwise, with their limited strength at the beginning, they might have been defeated one by one. Once they joined forces, their chances of survival increased greatly, and they could even kill higher-level professionals by bypassing their levels. Thus, after uniting, their progression accelerated rapidly.
By the time Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan reached the level of altar-level experts, almost no one could stop them.
Guo Shier asked, “Master, how did you end up on the Gu Xi Long Continent?”
Qi Nanshan smiled and said, “It’s all for you. Have you been to the Bone-Shattering Gorge?”
Guo Shier was surprised. “How do you know? After we were captured by the Gu Xi Long clan, we were in the Bone-Shattering Gorge. Grandpa Nanshan, who did you meet?”
Qi Nanshan nodded and said, “We met a professional. What was his name again?” His gaze turned to Luo Jie.

Luo Jie said, “Hmm, her name is Yu Lan.”
Eagle Demon looked stunned and quickly asked, “What happened to her?”
Luo Jie replied, “She’s dead… killed by the mutants. Before dying, she told us that you were once in Bone-Shattering Gorge, and later taken away by the Gu Xilong family.”
Eagle Demon felt as if he had been struck, slowly lowering his head. He had a good impression of Yu Lan and had planned to take her away from Bone-Shattering Gorge together, but she refused to leave, staying there for the sake of a group of children. He never expected her to be killed by the mutants.
Guo Shier asked, “Is the camp outside Bone-Shattering Gorge still there?”