Ji Xiang returned to the Longde Hall and began drawing talismans.
Not many yellow talismans were left. Ji Xiang had used a large number of them to deal with Song Wuji previously. The You Sheng Charm had buried Song Wuji like a persistent advertisement, leaving only a few talismans remaining, which were insufficient to suppress the remaining three Fire Gods.
"And it's not just the Fire Gods; there are also Fire Spirits here." Ji Xiang mused that spirits could be directly intimidated by national prestige, forcing them to reveal their true forms and stand at attention, allowing him to kill them with a single sword.
These spirits had clearly benefited from the residual national prestige during Wanli Emperor's deification, allowing them to move freely within the palace. This, the greatest forbidden ground in the world, the Forbidden City, was now occupied by minor gods and spirits – a truly absurd situation.
"My cultivation is insufficient, hence the You Sheng Charm's power is limited. The third realm is merely a transition to the true path of cultivation. Without entering the fourth realm, Fetal Breath, I dare not claim to possess great magical power."
"There are nine yellow talismans remaining in the hall. Two are inscribed with the You Sheng Charm, costing four hundred portions of incense; two with the Zhi Yu Charm, four hundred portions of incense; and two with the Bo Nuo Feng Yun Charm, four hundred portions of incense. Combined, these could be considered a common divine ability to summon wind and rain."
Ji Xiang was now quite wealthy, with the three thousand portions of incense left by Song Wuji. Even if his own strength was lacking, he could still create more powerful talismans by layering incense.
However, there was a limit to the amount of incense a single talisman could bear. Two hundred portions of incense was the maximum a yellow talisman could hold. Any more would cause the divine might to burst the yellow talisman, burning the user before the spell was even completed, thus ruining all efforts.
The yellow talismans in Longde Hall were all ordinary ones, found everywhere in streets and alleys. After all, the talismans used for sacrifices here were not for the emperor.
It was enough that the officials of the Ministry of Revenue had not cut off the funding for Longde Hall.
These yellow talismans did not cost much anyway.
Of course, to inscribe powerful talismans at a higher level using cheap materials, there was another good method: layering talismans. As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang.
"Cheap goods have their advantages too, quantity! Don't underestimate cheap goods!"
Ji Xiang had decided on six talismans. For the remaining three, Ji Xiang pondered for a moment, his gaze sharpening.
"I wonder if I can inscribe the Da Wei Shen Charm?"
Some spells were difficult to inscribe at a low level of cultivation. Forcing oneself to do so would cause fingers to bleed, and the talisman would not be successfully drawn. Simply put, the difficulty exceeded the scope of one's ability; the "difficulty" was greater than the "target."
Spells like the Four Saints Charms, such as the You Sheng Charm, followed the cultivator's ability. When the cultivator was weak, the spell's power was also weak, and when strong, the spell's power was also strong, progressing step by step.
The Da Wei Shen Charm was of a higher level, with no version available for the weak. This is because the spell borrowed the power of the Five Emperors of Taiwei to suppress thousands of gods and ghosts. Those directly struck by this spell, if their strength was not more than three realms higher than the caster, would surely die.
Escape was impossible, as the talisman would pursue the fleeing person, locking onto the target until death.
For those more than three realms higher, the greater their realm, the greater the power of this spell, but it might not be enough to kill them.
Of course, although this spell was fierce, it only had one strike. If the opponent had special means to come back to life from death, or a substitute, resurrection, or dispelling methods... then there was nothing that could be done.
"The Da Wei Shen Charm has extremely high requirements for the caster. Generally, it is a spell that cultivators in the eighth realm, the Divine Fire Realm, can inscribe. Moreover, regardless of the realm of the caster, inscribing this spell will consume a large amount of the caster's vital energy. This consumption of essence, energy, and spirit increases with the caster's own strength..."
"Writing this spell too often will consume a great deal of essence, energy, and spirit... beware of sudden death."
"Therefore, this spell is usually sealed within talismans for use and not recited aloud. Otherwise, at a critical moment, if vital energy is heavily drained, and essence, energy, and spirit suddenly decline significantly due to reciting this spell, one would truly be digging their own grave."
Ji Xiang thought of the Da Wei Shen Charm for a reason:
"When doing anything, one must leave a fallback. What if the opponent has someone stronger than these Fire Gods? What if I can't win?"
"The Da Wei Shen Charm is still worth trying. However, I am in the third realm and attempting to inscribe an eighth-realm spell. I wonder what changes will occur. Perhaps this talisman cannot even be inscribed on a single yellow talisman..."
"Let's write the others first!"
There were still a few unused Yue Bei Charms on the Taiyi Sanyuan Sword. There was no need to write more now, as it would waste a yellow talisman. Moreover, the Yue Bei Charm was effective in one-on-one combat, but in a group fight, it was a burden and would lead to increasing misfortune.
As long as the emperor was protected and the message was delivered, people from the Northern Commandery would come to the rescue.
Ji Xiang began to mobilize his magical power, stirring up the incense. A large amount of incense gathered on these yellow talismans and began to burn fiercely!
The burning speed was extremely fast, much faster than when Ji Xiang had previously used incense to inscribe yellow talismans. This was mainly due to the large quantity of incense and the fierce flames.
This time, the quantity was small, and it was meticulously crafted... so after a moment, two You Sheng talismans were completed first, their inscribed characters dark and floating, emitting waves of cold air.
After another moment, the Bo Nuo Feng Yun talismans were completed; after another moment, the Zhi Yu talismans were completed.
An hour has eight moments, and by now, nearly half an hour had passed.
It was already past midnight.
Ji Xiang did not hesitate. He stacked the last two yellow talismans together, placed them on the ground, took a few deep breaths, then circulated his entire magical power, and spoke simultaneously, muttering to himself:
"In the Great Fuli, I have also collected incense from the Five Emperors of Taiwei. We have been acquainted for a hundred years, so please give me some face."
Ji Xiang reached out and took a yellow talisman, attempting to inscribe the characters.
As expected, it could not be inscribed.
So, in one breath, he added two more, making it three.
Ji Xiang stacked the three yellow talismans together. The moment his fingers touched the yellow talismans, a large amount of vital energy was drawn from his physical body, continuously pouring into the yellow talismans!
Ji Xiang was startled. He hadn't expected that just by starting to write this talisman, so much vital energy would be drawn out. This was not voluntary release but passive extraction, which would damage the body. Fortunately, this damage could be repaired and restored with more nourishing food...
"Fortunately, my true form is a God of Incense, and my physical body is merely a vessel. Otherwise, the hand writing this talisman would be trembling by now!"
Ji Xiang secretly thought that he could now exploit a loophole. If this great talisman were completed, it would surely be of great use.
Then, he began to recite the characters, writing a stroke for each character recited.
The incense on the yellow talismans transformed into characters, exuding divine might. In the unseen realm, it communicated with the Great Fuli Land. The vital energy that Ji Xiang had accumulated over the past half-day using the blank divine牌 was now being drawn out like water, all poured into the yellow talismans.
"Ancestor of Taiwei, ranked in the Shangqing. True qi guards, transmitted and circulated."
"Punish the wicked in the domain, capture and subdue evil spirits. Shatter mountains and caves, break dreams and remove souls..."
Ji Xiang could feel his physical body straining, but the power of incense still drove his body to continue writing, his movements not slowing down at all.
His fingers became heavily yellow, which was the gathered incense. Ji Xiang's breathing became heavy, and his physical body began to tire, but his incense-based true form remained very energetic!
"...Those who receive it shall die, the rebellious shall perish. Fortune long, divine favor, penetrate and travel safely..."
"..."
"Hasten as the law commands!"
As the last character, "ling," was spoken, the last stroke also fell!
His physical body's essence, energy, and spirit were greatly depleted!
Ji Xiang let out a loud shout, expelling the pent-up frustration from his chest, and instantly, in Longde Hall, the empty chamber became radiant!
Between heaven and earth, the five directions' spirits trembled. Ji Xiang looked up, and through Longde Great Hall, it seemed he could directly see the starry night sky! It was the Taiwei Constellation, where the throne of the Five Emperors shone brightly!
The three yellow talismans combined into one. This Da Wei Shen Charm was floating with gilded divine light, overflowing with immense vital energy!