Chapter 9: The Altar (Part 1)

Luo Jie showed a surprised expression and said, “Green talisman beads! Quick! Keep searching… There must be more—definitely more than one! These are treasures.”
Twelve more green beads were dug out from the body of the green scorpion beetle. However, these twelve beads were much smaller than the one taken from its head, about the size of a pigeon egg—twelve small beads and one large bead, making a total of thirteen green talisman beads. Guo Shier said, “I wonder what these beads are called and what use they have?”
Luo Jie replied, “It’s a shame about the front limbs of these scorpion beetles. Hehe, they were shattered by my Thorny Sky Wheel. Let’s remove them and store them. Maybe we can exchange them for items with the South Talisman Sect in the future.”
Four translucent wings were also removed, two of which were already damaged, cut by sword talismans.
It took three days to completely disassemble the mutated green scorpion beetle, with nothing wasted. Even the meat from its body was carefully collected. This meat was completely different from ordinary beast meat—it was far tastier and considered top-quality insect meat.
Next came the distribution of the spoils. Unexpectedly, the Eagle Demon refused, saying, “My friend and I don’t need these materials, nor will we use them. It would be a waste for us.”
Luo Jie was equally generous, saying, “In that case, once we leave this secret realm, I’ll repair the talisman patterns on your bodies. Hehe, I guess… few talisman masters can repair the damaged patterns on your bodies.”
The Eagle Demon was overjoyed. For these professionals who roamed the grasslands, physical training was their greatest pain and frustration. Most of their loot ended up in the hands of talisman masters. What was infuriating was that those talisman masters not only charged high prices but also had mediocre skills. Having a great talisman master willing to repair their body patterns and train them was something priceless.
“Thank you, thank you, old man.”
The talisman warriors following the Eagle Demon also thanked him repeatedly. Luo Jie smiled and said, “It’s me who’s getting a bargain. There’s no need for thanks.” The old man’s grace won everyone’s goodwill.
After three days of rest, Luo Jie’s health had fully recovered. Once he returned, as long as he replenished the lost life talisman pages, there would be no problems. It was just that some precious materials had been destroyed. With his collection, it wouldn’t be too difficult to replace them.

The Eagle Demon’s cheerful appearance held no resemblance to that of a great talisman martial artist. Many of the talismanic patterns on his body were already broken, and he couldn’t find a skilled expert to repair them. Ordinary talisman masters simply couldn’t fix them either—after all, he was a great talisman martial artist. It was difficult for talisman masters to refine his body, and great talisman martial artists would ignore someone like him.

Luo Jie said, “Alright, we’ve already wasted three days. Let’s set off right away.”

……

The group ran at full speed. Fortunately, they didn’t encounter another mutated talisman worm and arrived at the altar safely.

The altar covered a large area, and there was more than one altar. Around the main altar, there were eighteen smaller altars.

The group didn’t rush to the main altar, which was located at the top of the mountain, while the eighteen smaller altars were spread out at the foot of the mountain. Luo Jie took a few people to inspect the smaller altars first.

Each small altar covered about ten square meters and was three meters above the ground. There were no steps; it was entirely built from bluestone, forming a square stone platform. In the center stood a square white stone pillar engraved with many talismanic patterns.

Luo Jie gently touched the somewhat damaged patterns and said, “What fascinating talismanic patterns.”

Guo Shier looked at the patterns for a while. He didn’t recognize most of them, only a few basic patterns. Knowing his own knowledge was insufficient, he asked, “Master, what do these patterns depict?”

Luo Jie touched one of the patterns and said thoughtfully, “These are ancient talismanic patterns, very different from modern ones. You should be able to sense the desolate ancientness in them. They’re truly full of charm and leave a lasting impression… Uh, Shier, these patterns describe ice and cold. The theme is a… world of extreme cold. It seems to be an altar for creating ice-related talismans. This altar… isn’t for people, but for talismans.”

Guo Shier said, “Uh, using an altar to create talismans? We don’t seem to have such a method.”

Luo Jie smiled bitterly. “Our best skill right now is creating spiritual talismans. We can’t even create ancient talismans. This altar is at least a necessary step in creating ancient talismans. Perhaps it’s an altar for true treasure talismans. It’s a pity… This altar is just one step. Even if we see it, we can’t guess all the procedures involved.”

Guo Shier became even more convinced that there must be even more powerful professionals in the world, as well as a more advanced world of talismans.

Luo Jie called out, “Xiaofeng, Xiaofeng… Come here!”

Xiaofeng ran over and asked, “Elder, what’s your order?”

Luo Jie said, “Take a few people and go copy the runes on the altars, trying to keep them intact. Be careful not to damage the altars—they’re treasures.” No one would destroy such altars; they were human treasures. As a great rune master, he had this awareness.

Along the foot of the mountain, everyone inspected one altar after another. Ice altars, fire altars, wood altars, metal altars—there were even insect altars, beast altars, physical training altars, plant altars, and earth altars. To Luo Jie’s frustration, there were six more altars that even he couldn’t identify; he had no idea what type they were.

Guo Shier was even more speechless. He, like a rune martial artist, stared at the unfamiliar runes in confusion, not recognizing even the simplest ice and fire altar runes, let alone those of the other altars. At this moment, he longed to learn and understand—there was still so much knowledge he lacked.

Xiao Feng led a group, including four children like Huo Bao, and hurriedly copied the runes on the altars. These were resources, priceless treasures. Even in secret realms, it was rare to see such exquisite altar runes. It would be a shame not to collect them quickly.

After examining the eighteen small altars, Luo Jie sighed deeply, “Sigh, only now do I realize these are just beginner altars! Beginner!”

Guo Shier was surprised. “These are just beginner altars? Master, how did you tell they were just beginner altars?”

Luo Jie shook his head slightly dejectedly and said, “It seems… we’re quite behind! Sigh, Shier, there are runes recorded at the bottom of the altars, clearly telling us… these are beginner altars! But even as beginner altars, I find them quite profound. One can imagine how highly skilled the people who built them must have been.”

Guo Shier’s face turned slightly red. He couldn’t understand ancient runes at all. Although he had obtained some books on the subject, he hadn’t had time to study them carefully. Since arriving at the Northern Rune Gate, he had been constantly busy and unable to settle down to study. Coupled with his rapid advancement and swift improvement in strength, his foundational knowledge had inadvertently fallen behind.

Eagle Demon followed behind Luo Jie, wearing a flattering smile. He said, “Old man, don’t be sad. You’re already a top expert, hehe.”

Luo Jie laughed. “I am indeed a bit frustrated, but I’ll find a way to keep improving. Hehe, I still have time!” He grew stronger with age, becoming more resilient the older he got.

“Master, you’re amazing!”

Guo Shier started acting young again, spouting flattery without hesitation.

Strangely enough, Luo Jie fell for this trick, his face full of smiles as he said, “Guo Shier, you’re great too!”
Eagle Demon shuddered. These master and disciple were truly a perfect match. It was the first time he’d seen them praising each other so openly and unabashedly—it gave him goosebumps; it was so cheesy. Yet even though it was cheesy, he didn’t dare mock them and instead said, “Hmm, Guo Shier is indeed formidable.” He knew well that praising the disciple meant praising the master, but he simply couldn’t come up with any more cheesy words.
Sure enough, Luo Jie burst into laughter. Guo Shier looked at Eagle Demon helplessly, thinking, “I’m trying to make the old man happy—why are you joining in?”
Guo Shier said, “Master, let’s go check out the Great Altar!”
Luo Jie smiled and said, “Good. Let’s see this Great Altar that can help us break through our limits! Dashan, Dashan… take some people with us!”
Guo Shier replied, “We need to leave a few people to take care of the warhorses!” If the horses ran away while they were at the altar, it wouldn’t be fun.
This peak was similar to the surrounding peaks, with the only difference being the lack of trees—only wild grass grew on the ground, so it could be called a grassy mountain.
The slope was very steep, with no steps to climb. Qi Nan Shan carried Luo Jie, while Eagle Demon carried Guo Shier. Originally, Luo Zhan was supposed to carry Guo Shier, but Eagle Demon snatched the opportunity first. There was no choice—to flatter Luo Jie well, he had to take care of his disciple first. After spending time together, he had realized clearly that Guo Shier was Luo Jie’s lifeline.
By taking care of Guo Shier, Luo Jie would be more attentive to repairing his talismans. Eagle Demon knew this was a rare opportunity. With a great talisman master repairing his talismans and training his body, he could surely improve his own strength.
The group climbed up rapidly. As skilled martial-talisman masters, such a steep cliff posed no challenge to them. Soon, they reached the top of the mountain.
It was still a square altar, but much larger this time. The entire summit of the mountain was an altar, carved from the mountain’s own deep brown rock. Eighteen pillars stood in the center, covered with intricate talisman patterns.
When Guo Shier stepped onto the altar, his soul trembled—it was a very comfortable feeling, as if returning to his mother’s womb. He felt extremely happy.

Luo Jie was even more surprised. During his battle with the Green Knife Mantis, he had torn off a page from his Life Talisman, which had caused him severe damage. Though he refused to admit it, he knew deep down that his foundation had been damaged. Yet after staying at the altar for just a few minutes, he noticed his injuries healing rapidly.
Luo Jie immediately concluded that the Eagle Demon wasn’t lying—everything he said was true. Not only could one advance here, but injuries could also be healed. This place was truly miraculous. Without hesitation, he spat out his Life Talisman Book and gently tapped it on the Spirit Talisman of the Talisman Gate to record this amazing place. Guo Shier also did the same, marking their location on the Talisman Gate.