Chapter 265
Private Talismans and Symbols!
Chapter 265 Private Talismans and Symbols!
A moment later, at Cloud Peak Villa.
The incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, and the statue of the Broom Star was shrouded in a hazy light.
"My Lord, what did you say? You want me to bring you bad luck?" The Broom Star was both amused and exasperated.
"What, is that not allowed?" Lu Chen asked, somewhat surprised.
"It's not that it's impossible... but surely Your Majesty doesn't think that bad luck is some kind of magic potion that makes you invincible?"
Lu Chen: "Didn't it work very well inside the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda before? I was thinking that even if the Goddess of the Moon were to unleash divine punishment, you are, after all, a righteous god, so resisting it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The Broom Star sighed, “My Lord, it’s not that I’m making excuses, but there are a few things I need to clarify. First, those heavenly soldiers and generals were not of the same rank as me, a true god, so it was only natural that they protected you. But who is the Moon Goddess? She is a great immortal of the Heavenly Court, one of the Nine Luminaries, and the mistress of the Moon Palace. If she were to truly punish you, I might not be able to protect you.”
"Secondly, when deities attack mortals, their power is already suppressed by the Heavenly Dao of the mortal realm, diminishing by several tenths. Even if I were to protect you by chance, the key point is that this misfortune does not dispel the attack; it is essentially just transferring the disaster. If you avoid divine punishment, this calamity will fall upon someone else, and there is absolutely no possibility that it will be transferred to the Goddess Taiyin. In that case, all the men in Jiangdu City might suffer for you. Such karmic consequences would likely diminish your merits. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."
“This…” Lu Chen frowned.
To be honest, he hadn't really thought about that deeply.
"Thirdly, and most importantly. Even if I, the humble god, do my utmost to protect you from bad luck, if you repeatedly use this method, although you may avoid danger in the short term, in the long run, bad luck will inevitably erode the foundation of your destiny. At that time, we will both become jinxes—the only difference being that you are in the mortal realm, while I am in the heavenly court. I dare say that the feeling of being a jinx is absolutely unpleasant. Therefore, the technique of jinxing bad luck may be acceptable once, but repeated use will surely cause great harm."
The jinx said he had a bad feeling just now.
Until now, I have learned about Lu Chen's plan.
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Let me deal with the Goddess Taiyin...
He really couldn't do that in this high-level game.
Upon hearing these words, Lu Chen's heart sank.
Originally confident in his plans, he was suddenly met with a cold shower, and his ambitious schemes came to an abrupt halt.
"Could it be that even a non-fatal divine punishment couldn't stop it?" Lu Chen was still unwilling to give up.
“My Lord, I am mainly worried that bad luck will erode your destiny! Do you think that being plagued by bad luck has no effect? Once it seeps into your foundation, even if I plant some dust grass that can withstand bad luck, I am afraid it will be difficult to reverse it.”
The jinx told the truth.
"Well... alright then." Seeing that the other party had gone this far, Lu Chen didn't press the matter any further: "Then you can go back first."
"Yes, this humble deity takes his leave. However, before departing, this humble deity would like to add one more thing: The Moon Goddess is aloof and cold in nature, and is also a goddess, so Your Majesty should not force her. If it really cannot be done, it is better not to accept the Old Man of the Moon's request. After all, great rewards often conceal dangers."
"I understand."
The faint light on the statue gradually faded.
Lu Chen shook his head and walked towards the living room.
"Is that not allowed?" Sun Yourong asked, getting up.
"It's not that it's completely impossible, but the jinx said that bringing bad luck might damage the foundation of my destiny, which is too risky, and advised me not to try it."
“I think the Broom Star Lord makes a good point. How about... we just let this matter go?” Sun Yourong suggested softly.
"There's really no other way, so we can only let it go. We can't joke around with our own destiny." Lu Chen nodded, his gaze falling on the black line on Sun Yourong's wrist: "Fortunately, it's just a broken thread, so it was a false alarm."
Sun Yourong comforted her, "Don't push yourself too hard. You're already very capable. I estimate that with your current progress, you'll be able to advance to a major clan in six months to a year at most."
Lu Chen nodded, but was still somewhat unwilling: "I feel... it's a pity. The minimum of 60,000 military merits was guaranteed, and it was also a divine mission sent down by the Old Man of the Moon, which means that in His opinion, I was capable of completing it."
Sun Yourong shook her head this time: "Not necessarily. Didn't He test your abilities with the Love Tribulation first? Perhaps..."
Realizing something, she quickly waved her hand and laughed, "I'm not saying you can't do it, it's just that this task is too difficult. It would be a challenge for anyone, at least from our current perspective, there's no solution."
Lu Chen plopped down on the sofa, tapping his fingers on the armrest, his brows furrowed, clearly still pondering the matter and unwilling to give up easily.
Sun Yourong sighed softly, knowing that this guy was still determined to stick to his guns, and couldn't help but ask, "What about all those secret techniques you used before? You didn't use any of them? That shouldn't be the case."
She was somewhat puzzled.
After all, Lu Chen's previous rituals were all incredibly impressive. Logically, he shouldn't be unable to solve this small problem.
Lu Chen shook his head: "It's different. My ceremonial processions, in essence, boil down to eight words: praying for blessings and warding off disasters, seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. There must be a prerequisite, a 'preceding cause,' for the procession to function and produce positive results. But right now, knowing this is a 'calamity,' the cause is me, and the effect is also me, so the procession cannot function." "Why? Doesn't this also have cause and effect?"
“This ‘cause’ must be an external cause, not something I caused myself,” Lu Chen explained. “It’s like a barber can cut anyone’s hair, but he can’t cut his own. He has to find another barber to do it. Of course, this analogy isn’t entirely accurate, but that’s roughly the idea.”
“Okay, I understand.” Sun Yourong nodded.
Lu Chen clicked his tongue. Actually, there was a second half to his sentence that he didn't say: he was indeed worried about his fate being damaged.
If one's destiny is unstable, chaos and accidents are bound to occur frequently when performing rituals in the future.
In Taoism, this is called "breaking the skill".
When that time comes, it will all be over.
Lu Chen sighed and frowned, saying, "Actually... there is a way, but I can't do it right now."
"You still have a trump card up your sleeve?"
“I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.” Lu Chen’s lips curled slightly, then he became serious: “The method is to draw talismans—using talisman paper as a medium, guiding bad luck onto it, and using the power of the talisman paper to unleash its power, thus avoiding the erosion of fate.”
"Isn't that a spiritual treasure?" Sun Yourong was taken aback: "When Young Master Wang broke the Four Heavenly Kings Formation before, wasn't it a thunder magic spiritual treasure he used? The one that looked like a thin piece of paper?"
Lu Chen nodded: "More or less, but there are still differences."
Although what Wang Yiming used at the time resembled a talisman, Lu Chen didn't pay much attention to it after a careful look.
It was less of a talisman and more of a consumable magic item.
It has no "auspicious mark" on it, which is an "imperial edict".
There is also no "talisman core," which refers to the specific effects and contents of the talisman, such as the calming mantra or the protective mantra.
There was only one lightning bolt pattern resembling a "talisman foot," which served as a trigger.
That doesn't count as a real talisman.
A true talisman must have three parts: the head, the core, and the base.
In essence, it is about asking the gods to lend their power and enforce the law on behalf of Heaven.
Therefore, talismans themselves are also considered spiritual treasures.
In fact, the lineage of Qingfeng Temple originated from the Lingbao School, one of the three major schools of talismanic arts, and therefore it is skilled in rituals and ceremonies.
This school of talismans is mostly used for altar setups, unlike the other two schools which often use Five Thunder Talismans.
The Lingbao School's foundation lies in using rituals and ceremonies to pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the people, accumulating merit in order to ascend to the ranks of immortals.
But as the saying goes: one cannot draw talismans without proper authorization.
The key point is that Lu Chen currently does not have a "registered position".
This "register" is like a work permit; it requires the Jade Emperor's approval and must be entered into the Heavenly Register.
Otherwise, it would be a "private register," and what is drawn would naturally be a "private talisman."
The consequences are unpredictable.
Their lineage further divides talismans into altar talismans, divine talismans, and Taoist talismans.
The symbols Lu Chen had drawn before were all "altar symbols," used only to stabilize the altar, so there was no problem.
However, if it involves asking the gods for favors, then it is called a "divine talisman".
If one draws a divine talisman without being granted a title, not only is its efficacy questionable, but if the Heavenly Court discovers it, the trouble will be immense.
It's like poaching employees from other companies to work for you, and the worst part is that it happens during their working hours.
Do you think the leader would agree to that?
If the boss doesn't agree, do you think you can still hire employees?
What effect can a drawn talisman possibly have...?
(End of this chapter)