Unsheathed

Chapter 263 (1): A Talisman

Chapter 263 (1): A Talisman

Osmanthus Island was like the bottom of a bowl, while the surrounding seawater was like the sides of a bowl.

It was extremely likely that all of the passengers on Osmanthus Island would become a sumptuous meal for the flood dragons and their kin.

They would have a feast at long last.

The seawater beneath Osmanthus Island was now still. Countless cold and eerie gazes locked onto the island from all around the Flood Dragon Trench.

The situation was extremely delicate at this moment, and an atmosphere of silence hung around Osmanthus Island. There was silent fury toward Osmanthus Island, and there was also utter confusion at this disaster that had seemingly descended from out of nowhere.

There were also many people silently analyzing the situation in their minds, contemplating whether they had enough defensive talismans to roll the dice and fight for benefits in the ensuing chaos. If they managed to survive until the very end, just collecting a few corpses of other Qi refiners would grant them immense wealth, to say nothing of Osmanthus Island's treasure storage.

At the very front, Aunt Gui who had kept her power hidden the entire time hovered in front of the wall of seawater. She faced off against the elderly golden flood dragon, and the language they were communicating in was obscure and definitely not an official dialect of any continent. It was extremely likely that this was a unique language of ancient flood dragons. At that time, the Hundred Schools of Thought had elegantly referred to this language as the "Sound of Water."

As for why Aunt Gui was fluent in this language and why she had the courage to enter enemy territory alone and face off against so many flood dragons, the passengers on Osmanthus Island had already given up trying to make heads or tails of this. Instead, they dearly hoped that the ordinary-looking woman could suddenly transform into a cultivator at the Upper Five Tiers and unleash formidable might. That way, she could then lead Osmanthus Island out of the cursed Flood Dragon Trench.

The talks between the woman and the golden flood dragon, however, did not seem to be successful. The woman suppressed her fury with much difficulty, and she tried her best to remain calm as she slowly said, "Is there no room for negotiations? According to the records, the Fan Clan has helped return twelve corpses of flood dragons to the Flood Dragon Trench. For all these years, the small boats of the Fan Clan would also scatter a large number of silver paper whenever we passed through the Flood Dragon Trench as an offering of respect for your act of bringing rain. We've never forgotten to do this, not even once..."

The old flood dragon covered in golden scales genuinely had eyes as large as boulders. There was coldness in these huge eyes as it replied, "Rules are rules. If one can ignore rules on a whim, then how can this Flood Dragon Trench exist in the world?"

Aunt Gui still wanted to say something, but the elderly golden flood dragon raised a claw and forcefully pressed down on the seawater. The water swirled violently, and the winds howled ferociously. Aunt Gui was standing in midair, and a scorching pain burned her cheeks as she was struck by the surging wind and waves. However, she didn't raise her hand to block the attack, nor did she rely on her earth immortal mystical powers to dodge the attack. Instead, she simply endured the old flood dragon's wrath from the beginning to the end.

"Someone is purposely trying to frame Osmanthus Island, and I would be blind not to notice this," the old flood dragon sneered. "I've naturally seen through everything. However, rules are rules, and it was because your Osmanthus Island was incompetent in screening passengers that one of them was able to wantonly use a Dragon King Basket to capture a young flood dragon, thereby breaking the mutually agreed upon rules between us. Lady Gui, you can leave here alone. However, the rest of the people on the ferry have to die here."

Aunt Gui shook her head and stated, "I won't abandon them."

The eyes of the old flood dragon were filled with ice-cold ridicule. Beneath this, there was also a hint of burning excitement as if he were an old Taotie looking at a beautiful meal. This was a contrast between coldness and fervor, and the old flood dragon admitted, "I know, that's why I said this. Lady Gui, do you know that I have to obediently adhere to those rules every time you pass above my head? Do you know that I have to unquestioningly respect those rotten iron laws? I have to suppress my urge to eat you... Do you know how much willpower that takes?"

"There's no room for negotiation?" Aunt Gui asked one last time.

The elderly golden flood dragon slowly shifted its body which was as long as a mountain range. Its two dragon whiskers slowly drifted through the clear seawater, causing dazzling light to reflect into the surroundings. It shot a glance at the small boat not far behind the woman.

The boatman had been murdered, and the passenger was a man with a thievish expression. He appeared cowardly and pathetic as he looked around, and there was a small basket that looked like a cricket cage in his hand. It was small and adorable and seemed to be made of ivory.

After being captured by the Dragon King Basket, the young flood dragon that was initially twenty or so meters long had shrunk to the size of a loach. It thrashed and struggled in the Dragon King Basket, wailing in agony.

Right now, the old man who had rowed the boat for Jin Su and Chen Ping'an was standing on the surface of the sea beside the small boat where the cowardly-looking man was. The old boatman was guarding this area, and he had to ensure that the main culprit couldn't escape.

As for why the old boatman — who was in fact a Golden Core Tier guard on Osmanthus Island — didn't rush over to snatch the Dragon King Basket, there were two reasons. First, the cowardly-looking man had a bonded flying sword slowly circling around him. The sword was a foot long and ink-black, and viscous black smoke continued to surge out from it. This person was a sword cultivator at least at the Dragon Gate Tier.

Secondly, the old boatman was afraid that this sinister person would take things even further if he dared to charge forward. The cowardly-looking man might directly kill the young flood dragon, essentially handing a death sentence to the entire Osmanthus Island. Everyone on the island would have to die with him.

The old boatman asked the sword cultivator why he had done something to harm others but also harm himself. The man who had brought about this huge calamity cracked a grin and looked around, refusing to answer the old boatman's question. The old boatman made several more attempts at communication, wanting to figure out the people pulling the strings from the sword cultivator's answers.

Was it the young master from the Jiang Clan who had disembarked halfway? Or was it the Ding Clan that was always competing with the Fan Clan in Old Dragon City?

However, the man ignored him completely, and it was as if he were cherishing his words like gold. He wasn't willing to utter a single word.

The old boatman was unable to do anything else. In terms of how they would proceed, he had to wait for the results of Lady Gui's talks with the elderly flood dragon first. If they were facing a deadly situation with no way out, then he would have no option but to kill the man in front of him and try his best to snatch the Dragon King Basket. He would fight to protect as many people on Osmanthus Island as he could! The thousand-year business of the Fan Clan definitely couldn't be destroyed today! It definitely couldn't be destroyed by these sinister remnants of those ancient prisoners!

The old boatman composed himself and gave up on trying to fish information out of the sword cultivator with a strange background. His voice was calm as he said, "Do you think you can still escape? Do you think you can flee from the Flood Dragon Trench under the watchful eyes of that old flood dragon?"

The unattractive man finally grinned and chuckled, "Then I'll give it a try right now!"

With these words, the man suddenly tossed the mediocre-quality Dragon King Basket high into the air."This small basket is worth quite some grain rain coins. Here, a gift for you! Catch it!"

This Dragon King Basket was most likely a low-quality item that had been mass-produced by some mountain force in the ancient Shu Nation. After being plundered, collected, and destroyed through the long passage of time, however, Dragon King Baskets had become increasingly rare and valuable. In fact, Dragon King Basket had become treasures almost as valuable as Sword Nurturing Gourds.

The old boatmen didn't immediately reach out to catch the Dragon King Basket, lest he fall victim to some vicious trick. Instead, he used his spiritual energy to slow it down and bring it in front of him. After quickly examining it, he immediately flared up in rage. As it turned out, the man had secretly done something on the young flood dragon. The young flood dragon in the Dragon King Basket was already on the verge of death, with its flesh mangled and its bones exposed. It was barely alive and breathing.

Meanwhile, the man laughed loudly as his bonded flying sword transformed into plumes of black smoke that shielded his entire body. He pinched a golden talisman between his fingers and said, "I'll offer wine to your graves later, haha. It's just a shame that there'll no longer be osmanthus wine in the world..."

With a golden flash, the man instantly vanished from the small boat.

The elderly golden flood dragon with glimmering scales shook its head, and one of his whiskers furiously slammed into the seawater like a long whip. Unfortunately, the dragon whisker clearly struck nothing but water.

In the next moment, however, a figure — or two halves of a figure, to be more precise — limply fell from the clouds above the Flood Dragon Trench. This was none other than the sword cultivator who had summoned a talisman and attempted to flee from the Flood Dragon Trench just then.

His talisman had been an incredibly expensive inch-movement talisman that had far more demand than supply. It was a second-grade one, and it was capable of taking the user fifty kilometers away in an instant. Moreover, the person who had handed him this talisman had confidently promised him that the beasts in the Flood Dragon Trench definitely couldn't stop the might of this talisman. While alive, the sword cultivator had been supremely confident in his flawless plan.

He would toss away the Dragon King Basket which contained the young flood dragon that was on the verge of death. Osmanthus Island would be facing off against the Flood Dragon Trench like two armies preparing for war, while Lady Gui would be occupying the attention of that old flood dragon. Combined with this golden inch movement talisman that was said to be powerful enough to evade an attack from terrestrial sword immortals, could he not seize an opportunity to flee from the battlefield?

The elderly golden flood dragon's other dragon whisker slammed into something in the air, causing a loud and muffled rumble to rip through the sea like spring thunder.

The bonded golden core of the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator who had been severed into two at the waist instantly disintegrated into dust in midair. A large amount of golden shards showered down into the clear water of the Flood Dragon Trench. The shattered golden core pieces slowly sank with the severed corpse, and this caused countless flood dragons and their kin to furiously swim toward the surface of the water. Water violently splashed across the sea, and the flood dragons and their kin were like ravenous beasts fighting for food.

The sword cultivator had just died with misery and confusion.

Just how difficult was it for an itinerant cultivator with no background to become a Golden Core Tier sword cultivator?

While alive, the sword cultivator had dreamed about life after successfully completing this huge transaction. With a huge amount of wealth, he could find a place that had beautiful scenery and was filled with spiritual energy. He could then become the founder of an immortal force, and he could have many descendants and enjoy calm for hundreds upon thousands of years. He could live like those immortal disciples whom he had always envied, and he would only need to cultivate peacefully and comprehend Dao. He would no longer need to take risks all the time...

After confirming that the Dragon King Basket hadn't been altered in any dangerous way, the old boatman turned around and sighed. "Young lad, why have you come here? This disastrous event isn't something that you can interfere with. Make haste and return to Osmanthus Island. If you're lucky, you might survive and eventually make it to Stalactite Mountain. If you're not lucky, well..."

The old boatman didn't continue. After all, it was pointless to utter such dispiriting words before battle, regardless of how true they were.

Chen Ping'an drank a large mouthful of wine and tied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist.

The old boatman didn't notice anything special, and he stood facing the old flood dragon the entire time. Lady Gui was also facing the old flood dragon with her back to Osmanthus Island.

However, a hint of amusement appeared in the vertical pupils of the elderly golden flood dragon. It didn't expose the young boy's small tricks straight away, and it instead decided to treat this as a game of cat and mouse. It had nothing better to do anyway.

"Old Senior, is the situation of Osmanthus Island already as bad as it can be?" Chen Ping'an asked.

"Yes, it's already as bad as it can be," the old boatman replied with a nod.

He wasn't willing to lie about this, so he didn't conceal anything as he continued in a quiet voice, "According to legends, that old flood dragon was at a cultivation base equivalent to the Nascent Tier of Qi refiners when it signed the contract with the ancestors of the Fan Clan back then. Unique creatures like flood dragons often have extremely slow cultivation speeds. However, once they advance to higher tiers, their true combat power will often be much higher than others at the same cultivation base.

"This is not to mention the hundreds upon thousands of other flood dragons and their kin in this trench. They're no weaker than a sect-level immortal force in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Most importantly, there's that old flood dragon keeping things under control. This is the most troublesome aspect."

Chen Ping'an felt slightly helpless, and he asked, "So this old flood dragon is at least an earth immortal at the Nascent Tier?"

The old boatman nodded in reply. However, he was unsure of why the young boy with a bamboo pole on his shoulder and a sword case on his back was asking this question.

Chen Ping'an raised his head and looked at the elderly golden flood dragon in the distance.

The old flood dragon also looked at him, its silver eyes filled with unconcealed ridicule. Not only that, but it purposely glanced at the Sword Nurturing Gourd on Chen Ping'an's waist as well.

Chen Ping'an knew that the old flood dragon had already seen through his small tricks.

When handing him this Sword Nurturing Gourd, Jiang Hu, Wei Bo had said that Qi refiners under the 10th tier wouldn't be able to see through the illusion technique that he had applied to it. However, the old flood dragon in front of Chen Ping'an right now was clearly a 10th tier earth immortal.

Since this was the case, Chen Ping'an had pretended to drink wine and had used the opportunity to silently control First and Fifteenth and have them enter his body. The old flood dragon had definitely noticed this right from the beginning. In other words, one of Chen Ping'an's trump cards had already been exposed.

"Young lad, you should leave now," the old boatman persuaded. "It's very good that you possess such a youthful and gallant nature, but it's clear that you can't help with the current situation. So, why try to play the hero? It's better that you return to Osmanthus Island and quietly wait for that sliver of a chance to stay alive. If you stay here, I definitely won't be able to look out for you and protect you. You won't make matters worse, but with your current cultivation base, is your action any different from seeking death?"

The old boatman had initially wanted to say that even if the young boy returned to Osmanthus Island, he would still have no option but to wait for death. Even so, this would still be better than being torn apart and eaten by the flood dragons in the sea. However, the old boatman had chosen to swallow these words when they reached the tip of his tongue.

Chen Ping'an removed the Dragon Beating Pole from his shoulder and handed it to the old boatman, explaining, "Senior, I've made some changes to the Lock Slashing Talisman, based on the talismanic symbols in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book. According to the records, there should be eight ancient symbols in the talisman. However, there were only four characters representing 'concentrate on the task at hand' on the bamboo pole before.

"In fact, the characters 'decree of the rain gods' were missing. Moreover, the cloud patterns of the talismanic symbols also differed quite a bit from what they should have been. So, I rewrote the Lock Slashing Talisman on the bamboo pole."

The old boatman focused his gaze on the bamboo pole. He was slightly stunned, and he immediately grabbed the Dragon Beating Pole from the young boy's hand. He carefully examined the bamboo pole that had been passed down through the generations, running his palm over the talismanic symbols on its surface. "This talisman should be called the Lock Slashing Talisman? It's missing the character 'decree of the rain gods'? The character style, cloud patterns, and subjugation true intent of this talisman are indeed very high-quality. Young lad, perhaps you're a Daoist from the talismanic branch? Perhaps you're the disciple of a powerful sect or clan?"

Chen Ping'an lightly shook his head.

He didn't say that he was a martial artist, and he didn't reveal that he only relied on his pure True Qi to emulate Fortune Street's Li Xisheng and engrave that talisman in a single breath.

The old boatman heaved a sigh and lamented, "It's a pity that only a single Dragon Beating Pole has been returned to its original form. If dozens of bamboo poles were engraved with this Lock Slashing Talisman, and if we combined this with a formation grandmaster skilled in profound divination, then we might have truly had a chance to deter the flood dragons in this Flood Dragon Trench. What a pity, what an absolute pity!"

Aunt Gui had already hovered back at this moment, and she was also slightly astonished when she saw the bamboo pole. However, she didn't lament like the old boatman, and she instead shook her head with a calm expression and said, "This won't change anything. This talisman has profound origins, and it was often engraved on Dragon Locking Pillars or swords and sabers. It was a tool used by ancient immortals to capture and whip convicted flood dragons.

"When I was young, I only managed to catch a few rough glimpses of such talismans. They are indeed able to suppress flood dragons and their kin, but the cultivation of that old flood dragon is far too powerful. It will no longer fear such talismans too much. Moreover, the quality of these bamboo poles isn't very high, and this talisman also has extremely stringent requirements regarding how it's engraved..."

After handing the bamboo pole over, Chen Ping'an strained his eyes to secretly observe the old flood dragon.

A hint of concealed reminiscence seemingly appeared in the silver eyes of the flood dragon. However, its gaze quickly focused once more, and its two dragon whiskers slowly floated through the seawater, leaving flowing radiance in their wake.

It was rumored that the golden whiskers of thousand-year-old flood dragons could become immortal treasures among immortal treasures if refined into demon-binding chains.

Chen Ping'an retracted his gaze and suddenly asked, "Aunt Gui, Old Senior, can you please buy some time for me? I'm going to draw a talisman. If you have other plans, then just pretend that I didn't say anything. Don't worry, I'll try my best to complete this talisman by myself."

Chen Ping'an's voice was very soft, but the unwavering determination in his eyes was especially moving. "This is a very important talisman!"