Chapter 164 - 24: Daoist Talisman Official, Mysterious Pupil Golden Eye

Chapter 164: Chapter 24: Daoist Talisman Official, Mysterious Pupil Golden EyeAll coincidences are backed by causality. Because of the Frost Calamity, An Jing sold himself into disguise for a household from the Demon Sect, ultimately escaping. In response, Wei Yang Fist struck to intercept, but was killed by the same Evil Born Demon pursuing An Jing. The closest border province city to the Demon Sect’s manor, Kanming City, thus lost its Guardian Grandmaster. The Talisman Granting Officials, who assisted in handling state affairs, naturally also dare not make any sudden moves, adopting a conservative attitude, retracting and ceasing to involve themselves in politics, no longer suppressing the various powers, leading to frequent disturbances from all kinds of monsters and demons within Kanming City. The city began to descend into chaos, and An Jing, who had escaped the control of the Demon Sect, arrived in this city that was starting to grow increasingly chaotic. Then, he found himself entwined in these upheavals. It seemed like a series of coincidences, but in reality, everything was inevitable. By now, An Jing’s strength was such that he feared no one in Kanming City, but out of caution, he still needed to clarify whether the human traffickers lurking in the shadows were the Talisman Granting Officials from Da Chen. The reason Da Chen could dominate the North Mysterious Sacrifice Continent with its "Sealing Heaven and Earth," and the ability of its "Granting Talisman" to the hundreds of officials, was of utmost importance. It’s common knowledge that without a Fate Pattern, the path of Martial Arts stops at the peak of "Inner Breath like Tide," qualifying one as skilled, but in the end, one cannot hold authority, and will not become an Inner Strength. Yet, in the human world, there are countless clever people without a Fate Pattern and talented Martial Artists. Even if they are willing to accept their fate, would there be no one who sees their potential and seeks ways to extend their path? There definitely would be. This is where Da Chen’s "Daoist Talisman Official" comes in. Da Chen selects these Fate Pattern-less talents through imperial and martial examinations, and with the power of the Imperial Court, gathers the spirits of mountains, rivers, and people from across the land, harnessing the capabilities of the Heavenly Sea and Earth Vein, bestowing Earthly Positions and the Heavenly Mandate, that is, the "Talisman" onto individuals, to sustain their paths and grant them various Divine Skills and Special Abilities. Because the path is long and the individual’s might entirely relies upon the Da Chen Dynasty, this group of Talisman-receiving officials becomes the most loyal supporters of the dynasty. As a result, the dynasty has lasted for tens of thousands of years until this day. And just like Fate Patterns have levels, the Daoist Talismans do too. The entry-level "Elementary Talisman," and those comparable to Inner Strength, the "Landscape Talisman," among them, a mountain for the Military Official, and water for the Civil Official. A step higher, there are the named "Mountain Talisman" and "River Talisman," which can aid a person in cultivating to the Martial Meridian realm, and to master Divine Skills. Further yet, the "Eight Desolates and Four Seas Talisman" already represents the central support of the court, a major officer, equivalent to a Divine Repository True Person. However, limited by Da Chen’s territory and population, the number of Talisman-receiving officials in Da Chen is limited. The closer to Shenjing, the more Talisman-receiving officials there are, whereas in the border and remote regions, they are like Kanming City, where ordinary Fate Pattern Martial Artists are the norm, and Talisman-receiving officials are the deputies. This also gives the Demon Sect and various forces a chance to infiltrate. "The Sects of this world, more or less, all have ways to assist in awakening Fate Patterns, or have abilities akin to ’Granting Talisman.’ Subdue Evil pondered, "Just like in my era, we could cast Secret Techniques, to adjust the Yin Yang and the Five Elements for those without Spirit Roots. If luck was good, they too could obtain Spirit Roots." "However, it’s too reliant on luck, and requires the use of Five Elements Spirit Objects, even Great Sects rarely employ such methods, the only advantage being safety." "The unsafe methods, such as the Heaven’s Will Demon Sect, borrowing my residual Divine Power and Heavenly Demon Qi, in the brink of life and death, to steal Heavenly Secrets, could assist these talented children in awakening their Fate Patterns." "Such techniques must surely exist within other powers as well. That so-called ’imperial and martial examinations’ might also be a grand Ritual Track that includes the entire world." "By the same token, if a side like the Demon Sect, or any large force for that matter, does not have a method similar to ’Granting Talisman,’ to allow those without a Heavenly Mandate but with excellent other talents to continue Cultivation, they’re bound to be eliminated." "Indeed, while the Heavenly Mandate is important, one’s Earthly Position and Personal Fortune can also change fate, a truth you’ve told me." An Jing also nodded slightly, "But their methods absolutely can’t compare to Da Chen’s ’Talisman Granting Heavenly Official’ system. This is the real foundation of Da Chen’s rule." Since his father was also a minor local official and had been granted an ’Elementary Talisman,’ An Jing was quite familiar with these matters: "The Talisman Granting Officials in Kanming City, at critical times, could call upon the Earth Vein power where the city stood, summon the countenances of the gods of the mountains and rivers, and wield various Divine Skills and powers." "However, using this tactic takes time. As long as we observe the Earth Vein trajectories carefully and determine our escape routes in advance, the ordinary Landscape Talisman officials won’t be able to catch us." An Jing made these preparations only as a precaution in case the ’local officials of Da Chen’ were the ones behind the scenes targeting himself and Granny Huai. If not, then there was no need to be so nervous. But the problem could be more serious. Because, who would attack beggars, vagabonds, and various solitary individuals while also taking an interest in the Earth Veins of Kanming City? Evening. The official residence of Kanming City. A somewhat plump Da Chen official was ceaselessly wiping sweat from his forehead. Zheng Mo stared intently at the city’s sand table model made up of water vapor and shadows in front of him, muttering to himself, "It’s all over, all over... The Frost Calamity has actually spread to the northwest, heavy snow will arrive in a few days, and during such a crucial period, there are still Evil Born Demons from the Demon Sect causing trouble." "Commander Shu’s life lamp has extinguished. Who knows how much panic this news will cause once it gets out... And there’s also the task from above. Mysterious Pupil Golden Eye, who would dare to search for that? But we can’t not search!" "It’s all on me, all on me. Can I handle it?" Kanming City, as a border city, naturally had Military Officials at the helm. The previous Guardian Grandmaster of Kanming City, Commander Shu Zheng, had a strong personality, held both military and political power in his hands, and Zheng Mo, who usually slacked off and took it easy, was satisfied with this situation—as was Shu Zheng. Who knew that, a little over a month ago, Shu Zheng suddenly went out on the pretext of ’hunting Fierce Spirits’ and it wasn’t long before his life lamp shattered, signifying his death. Zheng Mo, still embracing beauty and wine, was so frightened that he immediately sealed off the lamp room, then reported to his superiors for aid, and sat tight over the Great Formation of the Earth Vein, not daring to move an inch. ——The Fierce Spirit or Demon capable of swiftly killing a Martial Meridian Grandmaster could launch an attack on the city at any moment, and only he could stand against it for the time being! Fortunately, Zheng Mo’s worries proved to be needless fear. The investigation revealed that Shu Zheng was killed by a Heavenly Demon, who was probably also slain by Shu Zheng. For the short term, there would be no Demons capable of threatening Kanming City. This news let Zheng Mo breathe a sigh of relief, but he remained tense—because the higher-ups had also received a message, informing Zheng Mo that every Province City around them had some ’matter of such great importance that he had no right to know’ to handle, and not even one Martial Meridian Grandmaster could be spared to offer support. Shu Zheng’s unauthorized mobilization and unauthorized death had caused a delay in this vital mission. He ought to have been removed from his position and punished severely, but since death is the end, they just barely let it slide. Zheng Mo, as the deputy, hadn’t advised his superior and should share the blame. However, considering the shortage of manpower, they would refrain from removing his post and nullifying his Talisman for now, hoping he would atone for his faults and live up to the trust placed in him by his superiors. Suddenly finding himself a culprit, his Daoist Talisman nearly revoked, a bewildered Zheng Mo wanted to cry injustice, but obviously, nobody would listen to his defense. However, a misfortune turned into a blessing as he was forced to take over the mess and thereby learned what the mission that had the entirety of the Hanhai Western Desolation and its surrounding twenty-plus states on high alert was all about. Their mission was to find someone. A girl in her teens with ’Mysterious Pupil Golden Eyes’. "My heavens... Old Shu, why did you die? How could you die so early and escape this fate!" The moment he heard this description, Zheng Mo gasped in shock, immediately realizing the gravity of the situation. The reason was simple. The characteristic of the imperial family of the Da Chen dynasty, the Sky Xuan Zhenwu Clan... was the Mysterious Pupil Golden Eye!