Celestial Master： I Have an Otherworld-Chapter 79 - 35: Curses and Talismans

On the vast and empty road, the carriage slowly traveled along.

Daoist Child Qingfeng sat at the front, skillfully maneuvering the reins in his hands as the wheels rolled over the soft ground with a faint 'creak'.

The sounds of the wheels and the cracking of the whip alternated in succession.

This calm also quietly subdued the restlessness in the heart.

"Daoist."

Inside the carriage, Fang Zhengyin spoke with concern:

"Are you confident?"

"Rest assured." Zhang Mingrui picked up the long sword beside him and said:

"This time, I've specially requested the Magic-Slaying Sword bestowed by my sect. Even if it's a fierce ghost, it can be slain, and besides, it's daytime now."

"In broad daylight, fierce ghosts dare not easily show themselves."

"Moreover..."

He paused and said:

"There's also Master Wuyuan."

Clearly.

Compared to the Magic-Slaying Sword in hand, he trusted Master Wuyuan more.

"That's good then."

Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. If the other party wasn't afraid, then what did he have to fear, being able to return to the modern world at any time?

After thinking for a moment, he voiced his doubt:

"Daoist, last night when I activated the Evil-breaking Talisman, the spell I shouted seemed different from what you taught me at the time."

"Hmm."

Zhang Mingrui nodded:

"That was the Pure Yang Exorcism Spell, which has commonalities with the Evil-breaking Spell."

"If the spell is incorrect, can it still activate the Evil-breaking Talisman?" Fang Zheng frowned. If that was the case, then why bother learning spells?

"Spells and hand seals, apart from communicating with heaven and earth, mainly serve to calm and focus the mind, so that the divine soul aligns with the mana of the magic talismans," Zhang Mingrui explained:

"In casting spells, the person is fundamental."

"If one possesses mana, spells can be cast without forming seals or chanting incantations."

"For someone like me, the process of chanting spells for low-tier Evil-breaking Talismans can be skipped. As long as the mind is focused, even if one or two words of the spell are wrong, it won't affect the result."

"However, spells are foundational; to build a high-rise, one must first lay a solid foundation."

Pausing for a moment, he continued:

"High-tier spells can activate low-tier magic, but it's prone to errors, especially for beginners who should avoid taking shortcuts as much as possible."

Fang Zheng's frown relaxed.

He understood what the other party meant.

Spells are for laying the groundwork; learning more spells will be beneficial in the future, and chanting them can stabilize the mind, preventing panic in confrontations.

Once the cultivation base is high enough, spells can be cast without chanting.

"Daoist."

Feeling puzzled again, Fang Zheng asked:

"What are spells based on?"

It couldn't be that any random words could become spells.

"That's a good question, one I've only come to realize after more than ten years of cultivating the Dao. Young Master Fang has a remarkable Dao Heart." Zhang Mingrui looked surprised and only after praising, he said:

"Spells connect the inside and the outside."

"Inside—primordial qi and divine soul thoughts within the body; outside—the breaths of heaven and earth, the interplay of sun and moon. So each word in a spell has its own significance and is not chosen arbitrarily."

"Take that Divine Strike..."

At this point, he shook his head:

"If inviting a swordsmanship expert through Divine Strike, the spell must contain phrases describing exceptional swordsmanship; if inviting a strongman, it would contain phrases of great strength."

"And so forth."

"In Thunder Skill, there must be implications of electricity, thunder, and might."

"Low-tier spells are not used to tell heaven and earth what you want to do but to tell yourself what to do. Only if you believe can the aura within you blend with the universe."

Hmm?

Fang Zheng fell into contemplation.

After a long while, he spoke:

"Hypnosis?"

"You could say that." Zhang Mingrui surprisingly understood what hypnosis meant and nodded:

"Chanting spells is essentially suggesting to oneself. The content of the spell is just the surface, the inner meaning is fundamental."

"I've learned something." Fang Zheng cupped his hands:

"Listening to you is better than studying for ten years!"

"I dare not claim so." Zhang Mingrui shook his head:

"Young Master Fang has a remarkable Dao Heart. If he receives true teachings, he may achieve great accomplishments in the future."

Magic is different from martial arts. Martial practice is limited by the physical body, making it hard to accomplish much as age catches up, whereas magic can lead to mastery even if one starts at four or fifty.

However,

such examples are rare.

If the body is strong, the spirit thrives; without a good body, the spirit tires easily and it's hard to achieve anything.

But having practiced magic for over a decade, he only recently realized the relationship among spells, hand seals, and visualization transport. Fang Zheng, even without formal practice, showed great comprehension.

Fang Zheng's thoughts raced.

Since discovering that the Otherworld had magic, he had also gathered extensive information related to it in modern society.

It's different from here.

In modern society, Daoist skills require prayer and deity approval before harnessing the power of thunder and storms.

Like 'Lei Gong assists me' or 'Dragon King has given orders', and so on.

This requires an identity.

Pardon!

A Daoist needs to have a lineage, be pardoned by the Daoist Temple as a 'Spirit Official', equivalent to an 'Immortal Realm' official position, and then hold a token to communicate with the Divine Spirits and borrow power.

Otherwise, the Immortals won't pay attention to you.

Of course,

He had never seen anyone truly able to borrow Divine Power; the so-called magic was all hearsay, none of it genuine.

And in the Otherworld.

Any magic that relies on Divine Power is considered Evil Art!

Like the White Lotus Sect.

Once discovered, they are put to death without mercy, even exterminating their entire clan.

The orthodox Daoist Sect's power is self-contained, using Visualization Images, Transportation Techniques, and Spell Hand Seals to drive magic, achieving Soul Capturing and Ghost Control.

"Phew!"

Qingfeng lifted the carriage curtain:

"We're here!"

*

*

*

The mountain path was winding and steep to traverse.

The two walked side by side.

"Though Talismanic Magic cannot enhance the cultivation base, nor is it the orthodox lineage of Pure Yang Palace, it still is an Innate Skill directly pointing to the Great Dao."

Perhaps the experience of the previous night had brought the two closer, or perhaps he was optimistic about Fang Zheng's cultivation talent, Zhang Mingrui, for once, had the interest to chat:

"If one doesn't know the knack of drawing talismans, doodling is like ghosts and gods laughing; if one knows the knack, it can make ghosts and gods scream."

"The most advanced Spirit Talismans have the power to command the heavens and earth; a few hundred years ago, the Celestial Master Zhang Ling made a name worldwide through Talismanic Magic."

"A talisman is composed of several parts, like the talisman head, talisman core, and talisman foot; a talisman is akin to a person, with its breath harmonizing and running continuously."

"Cinnabar is the talisman's skin and flesh; the lines are the talisman's bones, and the drafter's breath is the talisman's Five Viscera, with Spiritual Mechanism infused as the soul."

"When a talisman 'comes to life', it signifies success."

"Huh?"

His voice paused and looked upwards.

Fang Zheng was listening intently, but the voice suddenly stopped, causing him to follow Zhang Mingrui's gaze, slightly raising an eyebrow:

"Yuanxing!"

Why is he here?

Wasn't he taken away by the Government Office?

On the stone steps,

Yuanxing, in tattered clothes, kneeled on the ground.

In front of him stood several monks, Master Wuyuan holding a Zen Staff, looking at the crying disciple on the ground with a complex expression.

"Amitabha Buddha."

"Yuanxing, do you realize your mistakes?"

"Disciple..." Yuanxing kowtowed, his voice choked:

"I realize my mistakes."

"And where did you go wrong?"

"I failed to control my desires, and I've wronged Miss Sun."

"Alas!" Master Wuyuan shook his head gently, evidently dissatisfied with this answer, lowered his head, eyes filled with compassion, and slowly said:

"Are you aware that Miss Sun, Sun Die, passed away last night?"

"Ah!"

Yuanxing lifted his head, his face ashen, eyes filled with terror and helplessness.

"She was exploited by evildoers, died with resentment," Master Wuyuan raised a single hand, sighing:

"Even the unborn fetus has turned into a fierce ghost, wandering this muddy world, eternally unable to reincarnate."

"..." Yuanxing's expression froze, then he began banging his head against the stone steps, with 'bang bang' sounds, quickly making his forehead bloody and raw:

"Master, have mercy, save them!"

"I cannot save them." Wuyuan shook his head:

"But I can save you, as long as you sincerely repent, completely forget Miss Sun, and wholeheartedly devote yourself to our Buddha, the Imperial Court will naturally have me to speak on your behalf."

"Then your life can be spared!"

"Bang!"

"Bang bang!"

Yuanxing gritted his teeth, continuously banging his head on the ground:

"Master, have mercy, save them, my life is not as important."

"Wretch!"

Master Wuyuan's expression darkened, waving his long sleeve:

"Even now, you are still blinded by lust, stubbornly unrepentant. In that case, kneel here until you realize your mistake."

Fang Zheng frowned, about to step forward, but Zhang Mingrui reached out and held him back, simultaneously handing him two pieces of bamboo leaf-like items.

He gestured for him to wipe his eyebrows.

Fang Zheng looked puzzled, but took them and gently brushed across his eyebrows.

In the next instant.

His face went pale, stepping back abruptly.

On Yuanxing's back, a hideously-faced fierce ghost was lying there.