Destiny in Cinders

"Huff..." An Jing ceased firing and quietly lowered the sword case and Iceburst rifle that were starting to run hot. He let out a ragged breath, his body swaying as he nearly buckled.

"What the hell is with this fellow? I've pumped three flying-sword projectiles and two full magazines into him... Even fey would be dead by now!"

"Intermediate Qi Refinement cultivators past the Life Nurture Phase have vigor comparable to a large beast's, but this Fengdu soldier is definitely an outlier," said Yvelbane. "He possesses twice the vigor of a normal cultivator at his level, and the Fengdu Armor sacrifices his vigor to refine north yin gloom qi. Because it's transformed from his own vigor, he can control it effortlessly. With both nether qi and greenwood vitality, he satisfied the conditions to use the Greenwood Flourish Wither Mantra.

"This flourishing and withering technique used to only be cultivable at a place where heaps of life and death are concentrated, but the Fengdu Armor serves as a perfect environmental substitute. Dual energies in a perfect, synergistic cycle—what a brilliant idea! These modern folk are not to be underestimated! Alas, their lives are far too short."

Yvelbane sighed, heavy with regret. "Longevity is the very ground we stand on. The Fengdu Guard possesses great strength, but his life is fleeting, marred by rapid aging. I wonder how that's compensated for here."

Compensate my foot! Isn't this just a standard tactic of cultivators of the demonic path?! An Jing thought to himself.

Having read his mind, the sword soul was about to demand how he could be so sure, but something else caught its attention, drawing a sharp exclamation from it. "An Jing, it's incredible! I can sense life signs. That martial cultivator is alive!"

The martial cultivator had survived. Clearing away the heavy rubble, An Jing found him head-first in the concrete. The man was lucky; the falling debris shielded him from the searing blast while the gravel cushioned the blow. Though his upper body was buried in the concrete, his injuries weren't fatal. He had miraculously survived the lethal barrage, and yet he was just as good as dead.

"He's dead? Hahahaha, good riddance!" The martial cultivator's body was a mess of blood and gore, his skull caved in, yet he persisted. There was no logic to it; he should have been long dead. Not even Yvelbane could explain how he was still alive.

Exerting the last of his strength, the martial cultivator let out a hysterical burst of laughter at the soldier before turning his gaze toward An Jing. The previous clash had claimed one of his eyes, leaving a bloody, hollow socket. Through the haze of his remaining bloodshot eye, he locked onto An Jing with a terrifying intensity.

"After all that plotting and bloodshed between the big factions, the final victor isn't the Justice Restoration Army, Luofu, Xuandu, Lianshan, or even Shouyang... but a young badlander. I had already been outplayed in this tangled web of schemes. Perhaps it was fate that brought me to you. A young genius from the badlands... How is it possible I've never heard of you? Oh well, it doesn't matter. Regardless of who you are, I'd rather it be you than Luofu."

Lifting his only arm, he reached deep within his own chest and pulled out a jade talisman no larger than two fingers in width from his mangled flesh. The green talisman was enveloped in a surge of pure-white vitality. Ancient clouds and phoenix script rose and sank. Their intricate details left the observer spellbound, stirring a feeling of profound mystery.

"This is the True Talisman."

Crimson veins of qi essence extended from the martial cultivator's chest, merging with the vitality enveloping the talisman. This was the true source of his vitality. "It's called 'Heaven Profundity Unity,' though its effects are unknown. It was recovered from the deep ruins of an ancient sect on Mount Skysource."

Heaven Profundity was the primordial pulse and the fundamental lifeforce for both body and soul. It was the essence of life and luminescence of the soul. Through the alignment of mind and body, one attained absolute truth, or supreme truth. By locking onto supreme truth, the soul synchronized with the primordial pulse.

Thus, Heaven Profundity reverted one's energy to its original form for circulation in an eternal cycle. This state was known as Heaven Profundity Unity. The Heaven Profundity Unity Divine Protection True Talisman, or the True Life Nature Nurture Talisman, was a talisman of the true Dao, rooted in the fundamental principles of existence.

Yvelbane began deconstructing the True Talisman for An Jing. Still, there was a piece of the puzzle it couldn't quite grasp. "This jade talisman is clearly part of a set. It must have served as one of the foundations of some heavenly rectifier formation or perhaps even a pure yang formation. How could a piece like this turn up alone? Unless... it had already been removed from the whole before it was discovered!"

"A true ancient mystery, then." While maintaining a silent dialogue with the sword soul in his mind, An Jing didn't miss a word of the martial cultivator's account.

"Somehow, the news reached the Justice Restoration Army. General Dong couldn't allow Luofu to succeed, so he devised a plan to intercept it. We sent out twelve decoys ranging from Qi Refinement to Purple Mansion from various locations. But for some reason, the Zhengyi Action Development Company and the Skywatch Bureau had their sights locked on me, a nobody! Not even infiltrating the black market could shake them off."

At this moment, the martial cultivator's vitality was wasting away, his muscle and flesh shriveling up, yet his spirit flared to life. "Perhaps there's a traitor among us. It doesn't matter now. I'm giving it to you. Don't you dare refuse." With a slight shake of his head, the martial cultivator silenced An Jing before the words could even leave his lips.

"During that desperate struggle, I channeled my true origin qi essence to activate the talisman. It does more than just grant boundless vitality; it can purge every trace of fiend corruption. The chthonic poison should've been incurable, yet it was neutralized as if it were nothing. Even the accumulation of pill toxin and tribulation qi have been scoured clean!"

A zealous fire ignited his every word. "You're a badlander. You of all people should grasp how big this is! It's worth channeling my true origin qi essence at the cost of my lifespan!"

But I'm no badlander... An Jing was lost for words, but he understood. During his secluded retreat, Yvelbane had explained the complications of fiend qi.

A talisman that purges both fiend qi and poison? Unbelievable! Though it demanded a sacrifice of longevity, its effects were nothing short of miraculous in the post-apocalyptic world of Skysource. If word of this got out, the Fengdu Guard and Purple Mansion sages wouldn't be the only ones vying for the True Talisman. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Stop." An Jing sighed, speaking with sincerity, "I was only trying to ask your name earlier... You're dying. Since we fought side-by-side today, I'd like to know your name."

Then he added, "What should I do with your remains?"

"I'm... Bo Yan. Bo Yan of Northcliff." The martial cultivator fixed a piercing gaze on An Jing, as if searching for answers hidden in the boy's expression. Finally, he let out a carefree laughter.

"Just toss my body into the pile of corpses and let it be crushed. The True Talisman has drained my vitality. Soon, I'll be nothing more than withered bones, lost among the rest. In the end, I'm the reason almost everyone in the black market is dead. I'm getting what I deserve. Besides, if they think I survived and fled, your identity will remain hidden. Go!"

Bo Yan cut off the stream of vigor to the jade talisman and pressed it into An Jing's hand as his vitality rapidly ebbed away. "With a commotion that loud, no matter how confident the Fengdu Guard is about the strength of one of their own, they'll still show up to check just in case!"

His voice trailed off, his final words barely a whisper. "Go now... I've passed it to you, so my task is complete. Northcliff... has not failed..."

Bo Yan's head fell limp. An Jing rose to his feet, his fingers tightening around the True Talisman. Bo Yan's entire true origin qi essence had been drained clean by the True Talisman. Streams of vigor surged into it and simply disappeared, making the talisman appear all the more sacred and mysterious. The floating talisman script within gave no hint of its ability to absorb vigor.