Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 515: Wang Xueshu Takes the Blame and Risks His Life!_1
"I didn’t expect there to actually be such a remarkable person. The Way of Magical Talisman is indeed magical, but it’s a pity he has devoted himself to the divine spirits," Mo Qinglan said regretfully.
Li Qinglian couldn’t help but smirk internally. Pinning the blame on ’Wang Xueshu’ has always been my go-to strategy. Whenever problems arise, that’s what I do. As for causing ’Wang Xueshu’ trouble, I couldn’t care less. In every past simulation, I’ve done the same, and ’Wang Xueshu’ always survived until the very end. As the founding Ancestor of Talisman Dao, he’s not that easy to kill.
In any case, if I do cause trouble, I can always apologize and make it up to him after I’ve achieved fame and success. When that time comes, I’ll give ’Wang Xueshu’ a copy of all the Charms I learned from the Heavenly Talisman Daoist. That way, he can truly live up to the title of Ancestor of Talisman Dao.
"Such a remarkable person... I wonder if we could persuade him to join the Human Association and fight against the divine spirits with us." As an Elder of the Human Association, Mo Qinglan naturally hoped to see the organization continue to grow stronger.
Upon hearing this, Li Qinglian tensed. If they actually go looking for ’Wang Xueshu’, my cover will be blown immediately! Not just with the Human Association, but with ’Wang Xueshu’ too. Back at Dai Temple, I was always careful to hide my abilities and even tried to get ’Wang Xueshu’ to speed up his research on Charms. But, just like in the previous simulations, he was incredibly slow and seemed completely oblivious to my hints. In the end, I had no choice but to give up.
"He is extremely devout towards that Lord of Mount Tai. If we were to actually contact him, I’m afraid he’d attack us immediately." Speaking of this, Li Qinglian couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. "I don’t even dare go back now, for fear he’d strike out at me."
Mo Qinglan was silent for a moment as well. "True, there’s not much we can do about that. Besides, after you killed the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign, security around Springhead City has been heavily reinforced. Going there now would be like walking straight into a trap."
Of course, distance was another factor. The journey was too long, and if they were to actually undertake it, problems could easily arise. They might even be captured halfway by the Court or by priests from a Demon God Temple.
The Human Association was composed of ordinary people who used gunpowder, but its quantity was relatively scarce, and the raw materials were not easily obtained. As for the Rebel Army and the anti-monarchist factions, they were mostly unrefined brutes who wouldn’t know how to develop it. If the Human Association tried to cooperate with them, not only would they fail to get the raw materials, but those groups would also covet the Human Association’s gunpowder formula. Furthermore, most sources of raw materials were controlled by the Court and the Demon Gods. Thanks to the current corruption within the Court and the fact that the Demon Gods were preoccupied with their own affairs and focused only on incense and faith, the Human Association, with its public-facing operations, could still manage to procure some materials, albeit in limited quantities.
Li Qinglian’s Way of Magical Talisman perfectly compensated for these shortcomings. The materials were simple: cinnabar, yellow paper, and Divine Power. The first two were easy to procure. Divine Power was the simplest of all to obtain; one only needed to carry yellow paper, on which patterns were drawn with cinnabar, visit a Demon God Temple, and recite a spell to collect it.
Li Qinglian also reflected with some emotion. It was only in this era that Demon God Temples were ubiquitous. Back in the age of the Heroic Spirit, the Heavenly Talisman Daoist, creating a single Charm required choosing an auspicious time to set up an altar and perform a ritual, along with many other preparations. Each Charm demanded a great deal of energy and time. Therefore, Charms were also referred to as "talisman treasures," indicating their immense value.
Besides time and energy, significant wealth was also required. Due to the decline in Spiritual Energy, creating a Charm capable of embodying Divine Power and producing effects meant the necessary materials were no longer as simple as cinnabar and yellow paper. Instead, special crafting processes, embellishments, blessings, and more were needed. The cost of materials alone was a substantial expenditure. However, the corresponding Charm techniques were far more sophisticated than those used now. Here, it was a matter of ’Power Big Flying Brick’; high technical skill wasn’t necessary.
"Speaking of which, which Demon God do you plan to target next? So we can make preparations," Mo Qinglan asked.
An icy glint flashed in Li Qinglian’s eyes. "We’ll choose the Kanghe Dragon Emperor!" I’ve nearly finished digesting the Divine Power of the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign. I really need to hunt down new prey.
"Kanghe?" Mo Qinglan had never heard of this river.
"It’s a river near Rongqing City." The reason Li Qinglian wanted to kill the Kanghe Dragon Emperor was that, in the future, this entity would leverage the faith of a chaotic era to break through and become the Dragon Emperor of the Sky River—one of the main culprits behind the Human Association’s eventual destruction. To eliminate this hidden danger prematurely, he was determined to kill the Kanghe Dragon Emperor while he was still relatively weak. As for all these Demon Gods, strong or weak, calling themselves ’venerable’ and ’ancestors’—I’m used to it. After all, it’s all just bragging; the bigger the boast, the better.
"Rongqing City?" The name circled in Mo Qinglan’s mind. She had no idea which major city it could be.
"It’s a small city; it’s normal for you not to know it." Li Qinglian also realized his mistake. Without the future Dragon Emperor of the Sky River, Rongqing City and the Kanghe River are indeed just obscure names. Lacking fame and not being strategically important, it’s natural that few would know of them.
Mo Qinglan didn’t ask why he wanted to go to such a small place. Li Qinglian had his own plans, and she wouldn’t interfere.
"Alright. The Human Association will provide whatever help it can." As long as he was willing to kill Demon Gods, the Human Association would naturally offer its full support.
"I don’t need help to kill the Kanghe Dragon Emperor. However, I do have a matter that I’d like the Human Association to help investigate," Li Qinglian said.
"Go on," Mo Qinglan replied, somewhat surprised. She had assumed Li Qinglian would need their gunpowder for support and hadn’t expected him to decline.
"I want you to help me investigate Dai Temple," Li Qinglian stated.
He knew there were gaps in history from one dynasty to another, but Dai Temple was quite unique. The previous Heavenly Talisman Daoist had also encountered Dai Temple; even when it had fallen from favor, its foundations remained deep. Previously, I really didn’t have time to investigate. Now, with the Human Association’s help, perhaps I can find some clues. When I return to the real world next time, I can slowly piece things together.
"Dai Temple?" Mo Qinglan frowned, then said, "I know a little about it. It was founded by the Taizu of the current dynasty..."
After she explained the situation, Li Qinglian finally gained a better understanding of Dai Temple’s glorious past.
"So, if Heng Shizong hadn’t supported the Demon Gods and suppressed Dai Temple, it would be in a better state now than it was in the past?" Li Qinglian summarized.
"That’s the gist of it, though there isn’t a huge difference. It’s just that Demon Gods are more brutal and prefer to use human sacrifices, while the Dongyue Emperor uses livestock."
"But the essence is the same—both are just raising our Human Clan like livestock!" Mo Qinglan said with disdain. "Is providing food, clothing, and a better life a good thing? Well, for the common folk, it might seem so. But it also leads everyone to worship gods, leaving no room for individuality. Even though war rages now, with skeletons exposed in the wild and the land covered in the bodies of the starved, as long as we defeat the Demon Gods, our people will break free and gain true freedom!" The Human Association was also trying to save ordinary people, but their manpower was limited.
Li Qinglian found her words somewhat strange. I’ve never personally witnessed Dai Temple’s golden age; I’ve only heard Mo Qinglan’s account. Naturally, I have to take her words as her subjective view and just nod along. What else could I do? Argue with her?
"So, Dai Temple poses no threat now, right?" Li Qinglian asked curiously, wondering, With only one main temple and one branch temple remaining, what threat could they possibly pose?
"No, the threat is still very great," Mo Qinglan replied gravely. "Many rebel armies across the land operate under the banner of Dai Temple, using its name to legitimize their campaign to exterminate the Demon Gods. As you know, Dai Temple was the state religion, personally established by the Grand Emperor of Great Heng."
"So it must be exterminated!"
Having said this, her tone softened. "Qinglian, you are not included in this. Although you grew up in Dai Temple, you have rejected the darkness and embraced the light. Besides, you are not a Temple Master. In the future, as long as you destroy Dai Temple for the greater good, no one will hold your origins against you."
This made Li Qinglian feel conflicted. Dai Temple raised me for sixteen years; how can I be the one to destroy it? What would that do to my reputation? It feels like I’m being forced!
But looking at Mo Qinglan’s resolute expression, his resolve softened, and he conceded, "We’ll discuss it later."
I’ll just delay for now. If it really becomes unavoidable later, I can always wait until ’Wang Xueshu’ is dead before I act. After all, ’Wang Xueshu’ raised me, not Dai Temple. So it doesn’t really matter to me. As for the previous Heavenly Talisman Daoist having received help from Dai Temple, that was that Heroic Spirit’s business, not mine!
