Chapter 166: Talisman Dao Genius’s Cross-Domain Debut

Shen Yan stared at the engraved words on the chip, rubbing his thumb repeatedly over the scratches on its edge. The phrase “Brother, I fixed the bug for you this time” felt like a needle, piercing his brain and making it ache. Ye Shi’er… was he really his younger brother? Yet this patch was clearly aimed at him, and it had precisely embedded the encryption protocol left by his father years ago.

“What are you spacing out about?” Yu Xiaotang leaned over, candied hawthorn half bitten, “Your brother sent you a cheat, aren’t you going to install it quickly?”

Shen Yan ignored her and directly inserted the chip into his phone interface. The terminal interface flashed, displaying a fragment of incomplete code labeled “Shadowbone Valley Old Server Reverse Trace Key.” His eyes lit up: “Damn, this update package was exchanged for with life.”

He immediately opened the map program, compiling the key into an analysis module. Yu Xiaotang leaned over his shoulder to watch, suddenly clapping her hands: “Wait! I know this structure—it’s just recursion calls plus anomaly capture! Let’s turn it into a talisman!”

“You understand programming?” Shen Yan glanced sideways at her.

“Obviously, my family’s ancestral talismans are all written using ‘if-else’ branch logic!” Yu Xiaotang rolled her eyes, “Why else would it be called ‘Automated Spirit Talisman Script’?”

Shen Yan chuckled: “Alright, then you be the main programmer, I’ll build the framework for you.”

The two crouched on the ground. Shen Yan drew the data stream path in the sand with his finger, while Yu Xiaotang took out a vermilion brush and wrote the first line of “function declaration” on a corner of yellow paper. Her tongue slightly protruded as she focused on outlining the talisman pattern stroke by stroke, spiritual light dancing at her fingertip like typing speed.

Ye Zhao stood not far away, lightly tapping her sword tip on the ground, alert to the surroundings. Pei Yue silently opened her medicine pouch, taking out several silver needles for backup. Luo Li’s ears twitched slightly, staring toward the cliff bottom, her tail gently swaying.

“Done!” Yu Xiaotang finished her last stroke, and the talisman paper rose into the air, slowly rotating like a radar disk. The next moment, a light curtain projected out, revealing a three-dimensional terrain map—at the edge of the Western Wastes, a thousand-year-old buried tomb appeared prominently, marked by a red dot flashing continuously.

“Location successful.” Shen Yan narrowed his eyes, “Ye Shi’er is there.”

Before he finished speaking, black mist surged from all directions, lunging toward the talisman paper like living creatures. The talisman emitted a “zizz” sound similar to a system crash, its light suddenly dimming, about to be devoured.

“Bad!” Yu Xiaotang reached out to grab it but was stopped by Shen Yan.

“Don’t touch! This is the erosion signal of the Devil Clan Soul-Devouring Array, you’ll be infected if you touch it.” He quickly opened the terminal, discovering layers of nested curse programs hidden within the black mist, “Typical recursive dead loop, specifically consuming spiritual power.”

“Then what? Rewrite the talisman?” Yu Xiaotang panicked.

“No, we’ll add a firewall to it.” Shen Yan sneered, “Since it wants to run an infinite loop, we’ll make it stack overflow.”

He swiftly wrote a segment of anomaly interception code, injecting it into the core of Yu Xiaotang’s talisman. The talisman paper shook violently, fine golden patterns appearing on its surface like an antivirus program initiating. The black mist crashed against it, instantly rebounded, the entire area buzzing as if invisible barriers were expanding.

“Go!” Shen Yan pocketed his phone, “The tomb door won’t open by itself, we have to kick it open.”

The group hurried to the outer perimeter of the ancient tomb, where stone tablets stood densely and weeds grew rampant. Ahead, black mist condensed into a massive net, blotting out the sky and sun. As they approached, whispers echoed in their ears, like countless souls crying out.

Ye Zhao drew her sword, unleashing Sword Qi, but it was twisted by the black mist into a phantom—the image of her mother just before death. Her pupils contracted, and she forcefully withdrew her sword stance.

Luo Li ignited Demonic Fire, but as soon as the flames touched the black mist, they weakened by thirty percent, even the firelight turning dim.

Pei Yue took out Silver Needles and flung them, but the needles corroded and shattered instantly, emitting green smoke as they fell to the ground.

“This Formation is abnormal,” Pei Yue frowned. “It doesn’t just block enemies; it’s also corroding Spiritual Consciousness.”

Shen Yan stared at the Terminal analysis results: “Found it—it’s essentially a ‘Mental Recursive Trap.’ Each layer of illusion replicates the emotional fluctuations of the previous layer, sinking deeper and deeper.”

“How to break it?” Yu Xiaotang asked.

“Use Asymmetric Response,” Shen Yan looked at Pei Yue. “You’re most familiar with meridian theory. Can you use a medical model to simulate the Formation Eye path? Equivalent to drawing a reverse anatomical diagram.”

Pei Yue nodded, immediately sitting down cross-legged, arranging Silver Needles into a Formation in her palm, with Spiritual Power flowing along specific trajectories. Ye Zhao understood, sweeping Sword Qi to cleave through the surface layer of black mist, buying time for her to perform the technique.

Luo Li leaped into mid-air, Demonic Fire swelling, illuminating the depths of the tomb passage. Within the flames, faint green Data Stream patterns emerged, revealing hidden mechanism Nodes.

“Third, seventh, ninth positions!” she shouted. “Those are the Formation’s self-healing circuits!”

Yu Xiaotang instantly understood, flinging three improved “Silent Firewall Talismans,” precisely attaching them to the Node positions. The Talisman Papers burned, releasing an invisible fluctuation that instantly blocked the Formation’s repair mechanism.

“Now!” Shen Yan shouted. “Pei Yue, pierce the core!”

Pei Yue’s fingertips shot Silver Needles, following the meridian model trajectory straight into the Formation Eye. As the needle tips entered the mist, the entire black net violently trembled, emitting a piercing mournful cry.

Boom!

The black mist exploded, retreating like tidal waves. The entrance to the ancient tomb finally appeared—a massive stone door stood before them, with nine bronze locks hanging side by side in front. Each lock bore a name: Shen Yan, Ye Zhao, Pei Yue, Luo Li, Yu Xiaotang, and four blank memorial tablets.

A System Notice popped up: “Contract Binding Request Detected, source: unknown high-dimensional Permission. Only Fate Resonance Bearers can open.”

Shen Yan stared at the row of locks, silent for a moment, then turned to the four women: “It seems the Key isn’t technique; it’s ourselves.”

The four looked at each other, saying nothing more.

Ye Zhao stepped forward first, pressing her palm against the lock hole engraved with her name. Spiritual Power infused, the lock body trembled slightly, inscriptions shimmering with silver light.

Pei Yue followed closely, Silver Needles withdrawn, clasping her hands and pressing them onto the lock. Green light circulated, faint medicinal fragrance diffusing.

Luo Li’s cat ears lightly twitched, a strand of Purple Flame igniting at her fingertip, gently touching the lock surface. The flame spread along the patterns, Resonating with some ancient imprint within the lock.

Yu Xiaotang chuckled, blowing a breath before placing her hand: “Little Talisman Fairy arrives, open up!”

Finally, Shen Yan walked to the central groove, spreading his five fingers, slowly pressing down.

In an instant, the nine locks chimed together, bronze chains clattering loudly, inscriptions all lighting up, intertwining into a dazzling curtain of light. The heavy stone door slowly rose, and at the end of the deep tomb passage, a faint yet familiar glow flickered—the Outline of the Star-Shattering Token.

The wind blew from deep within the tomb passage, carrying the scent of millennia-old dust.

Shen Yan was about to step inside when suddenly his wrist tightened.

Turning back, he saw Yu Xiaotang.

She looked up at him, her ponytail swaying slightly, her voice soft yet clear: “That talisman just now—I actually didn’t finish writing it.”

“Huh?”

“I added a hidden Command at the end.” She blinked. “If anyone tries to harm you, the talisman will automatically detonate and blow them to a crisp.”

Shen Yan froze for a moment, then laughed. “So you installed a ‘Familial Antivirus Software’ on me?”

“Of course.” Yu Xiaotang proudly lifted her chin. “I am, after all, your first co-development partner.”

Ye Zhao walked over and said calmly, “Enough chatter. There’s still something waiting for us inside.”

Pei Yue whispered, “I can sense it… that power shares the same origin as the Memory Crystal in the Medicine Pouch.”

Luo Li stood in the shadows, her tail quietly wrapping around Shen Yan’s wrist as she murmured, “This time, don’t charge ahead alone.”

Shen Yan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the four of them before finally settling on the depths of the tomb passage.

He lifted his foot and stepped into the darkness.

Behind the stone door, the air carried a faint trace of the scent of blood.

(End of Chapter)