Chapter 497: Chapter 495: The Peace Talisman and Spirit Tablet

Zheng Yaoxian, who had just scrambled up awkwardly from the ground, heard this and his facial muscles twitched. Grinding his teeth, he spat, "Arrogant!"

"Third Brother, Big Brother, let’s get him!"

"Shut up!"

Zheng Long’s face darkened, glaring fiercely at Zheng Yaoxian—did he want them to lose even more face?

"Mr. Xu truly lives up to the name of the Qian Emperor’s descendant. Impressive." Zheng Long smiled slightly and said, "My second brother has always been straightforward; I hope you won’t take offense."

"I wouldn’t dare."

Seeing that the real decision-maker had stepped in to mediate, Xu Yang instantly gathered up any ripples of emotion, descending from the sky.

"May I take a look at the Qian Emperor’s Token?" Zheng Long asked in a low voice.

"Of course, no problem."

Xu Yang didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

He was not afraid the other side might try any tricks.

Both tokens appeared in the palm of his hand simultaneously; Xu Yang deliberately allowed the others to see the reactions when the two tokens were together.

Then, he tossed both tokens over.

Zheng Long raised his hand to catch them; instantly, the ripples and strange activity vanished without a trace.

He frowned, even stacking the two tokens together, probing and trying to activate them in every way, but there was no response at all.

They seemed dead and inert!

Seeing this, Zheng Long couldn’t help but look over at Zheng Yan.

Zheng Yan said coolly, "Clearly, they only react when held by a descendant of the Qian Emperor!"

Zheng Long sighed inwardly, then handed the token back to Xu Yang.

To be honest, he still harbored a bit of self-interest.

But this result immediately crushed any thoughts of that sort.

No plot or plan would work.

Xu Yang asked curiously, "Senior, just what is this Peace Token?"

Zheng Long answered slowly, "According to the ancestor, when the Qian Emperor first fell, disaster shrouded these lands—in the wake of their entrapment, a strange sapling began to sprout and grow!"

"Afterward, the ancestor transplanted the sapling to his settlement."

"It grew at an astonishing rate, had a special texture, contained no Spiritual Power, nor any trace of spirituality—yet it was incredibly resilient!"

"Even Shenxiao Realm powerhouses would have trouble breaking it without a Divine Weapon; the ancestor also tried to forge it into armor, but failed every time. In the end, he simply made Peace Tokens, using them as vessels!"

"However..."

Zheng Long suddenly changed the subject, squinting his eyes: "Over all these years, the Peace Token has actually demonstrated some efficacy."

Xu Yang looked shocked. Did it protect people?

"When walking the Land of the Fallen, if one carried a Peace Token, most dangers could be averted!"

"Of course, nothing is absolute. Later, some tried traveling without the Peace Token—it made an obvious difference!"

Xu Yang couldn’t help but look at the Peace Token belonging to Zheng Xiaoman in his hand.

This explanation was truly baffling!

Was there some hidden mystery at work?

Or was it tied to the first Qian Emperor?

"So, we suspect the tree the Peace Tokens came from is special within the Land of the Fallen."

"At first, we didn’t even connect it with the Qian Emperor."

"Now, it seems we’re utterly incapable of grasping its secrets!"

Zheng Long’s expression was complex, and he was clearly awed.

Witnessing the reactions between the Peace Token and the Token with his own eyes, he was deeply shaken!

"Senior, does the spirit tree still exist?" Xu Yang quickly asked.

"No, it’s gone."

"Gone?"

Xu Yang’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

"The spirit tree stopped growing after reaching about ten zhang in height; nothing could make it grow further. Later, it was completely harvested—used to make Peace Tokens, as well as ancestor spirit tablets!"

"Hardly any material is left nowadays."

Zheng Long said, "Come with me."

Xu Yang frowned slightly—not that he absolutely doubted them, but he worried everything might go up in smoke at the last moment!

What on earth was the first Qian Emperor setting up with all this complexity?

What did he leave behind?

Suppressing his doubts, Xu Yang hurried after them.

A few dozen breaths later.

At a spot backed by a cliff, surrounded by giant boulders on both sides, a solemn hall stood tall.

The building was rather simple; above the entrance hung a plaque that read "Zheng Clan Ancestral Hall".

Zheng Long pushed open the door and entered.

Spirit Pearls on the walls lit up, illuminating the entire hall with bright clarity.

Zheng Long, Zheng Yan, and the others all bowed deeply towards the inner sanctum.

Xu Yang focused, gazing over, and saw that on the altar lay row after row of spirit tablets.

They were the ancestral tablets for all generations of the Zheng Clan!

At a glance, they were so densely packed it was dizzying.

At least several hundred!

Buzz!

Xu Yang’s whole body trembled; he immediately opened his palm.

He saw the Qian Emperor’s Token vibrating violently, the invisible waves not at all mysterious but swelling rapidly before the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Yang couldn’t maintain his grip and his hand opened involuntarily.

Whoosh!

The token floated upward.

Zheng Long and the others saw this too, all of them shocked.

"My Peace Token is vibrating as well!" a woman suddenly cried out.

"Mine too!"

"Mother, mine as well!"

As soon as the words fell, a clatter of noises filled the great hall, echoing endlessly.

Everyone turned to look—all the spirit tablets above were vibrating together.

Xu Yang’s face changed, and he immediately shouted, "Take off the Peace Tokens!"

"Yes, quickly!" Zheng Yan realized too, yanking the token from around his neck and shouting urgently.

Everyone hurried to follow suit.

Immediately after, each Peace Token floated into the air beyond their control.

At the same time, from beneath the spirit tablets on both sides of the hall, beams of light shot out suddenly.

Other Peace Tokens stored there appeared in dazzling arcs.

In an instant.

The entire space above the hall was filled with countless floating Peace Tokens!

And then, all the spirit tablets!

If someone ignorant of the context stumbled in at this moment, they’d probably think the ancestors’ spirits had manifested.

It was even more chilling to behold!

"What on earth is going on?"

"This is way too strange—even with my strength, I can’t restrain them!"

"There won’t be any mishap, right? Those are the ancestral tablets!"

Zheng Yaoxian swallowed hard, shrinking his neck in anxiety.

"Don’t panic!"

Zheng Long’s face was solemn.

He looked to Xu Yang: "Mr. Xu, have you noticed anything?"

Xu Yang gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "I can’t sense a thing."

"But from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem to be enough!"

"Not enough for what?"

Zheng Long was baffled.

Xu Yang pointed at the floating Peace Tokens, spirit tablets, and the Qian Emperor’s Token: "The Token is stirring up the Peace Tokens and the spirit tablets, but it can’t be for nothing. Could it be there are still other Peace Tokens?"

As soon as he said this, a sharp gleam flashed in Zheng Yan’s eyes; suddenly thinking of something, he said, "I know! Wait for me!"

With that, he shot out of the hall like lightning.

Several dozen breaths later.

The wind suddenly howled.

"Get back!" Zheng Long shouted, retreating to the edge in a flash.

Everyone hastily fell back.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Dozens of beams of light, icy and fierce, swept into the hall like lightning, merging into the swarm of tokens overhead.

They were a heap of Peace Tokens stored elsewhere!

Zheng Yan rushed in behind, face full of shock.

"The pull was terrifying—even I got injured," he said, face pale and lingering in fear.

BOOM! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Suddenly a deafening roar exploded through the hall.

Everyone’s bodies trembled and their minds seemed to leave them, left standing there dazed as if soulless.

Xu Yang was no exception; his mind was adrift, as if placed in an illusion—his vision blurred, and everything twisted and became bizarre and dreamlike.

The Qian Emperor’s Token, the Peace Tokens, and the spirit tablets unleashed endless, uncanny ripples—overwhelming and wildly distorting, like a world-toppling tidal wave.

The force was earthshattering!

Yet the hall itself was left unscathed!

Crack!

A shrill sound rang out.

Xu Yang shuddered, snapped back to himself, and stared blankly at the endless brilliance before his eyes.