Talismans? I have a "cheat code" too!

"Go, drain his internal energy." The brain's command was cold and efficient, directed at Elder Xiao, who was lying on the ground.

Li Xian walked up to Elder Xiao. This elder, who had been so imposing just moments before, was now lying on the ground, panting, blood trickling from his mouth, but his eyes remained fierce: "You little thief…you…"

Li Xian didn't give him a chance to finish his rant—although his moves were completely haphazard, he used the internal energy he had just "borrowed" from Xiao Lingshan to knock the struggling Elder Xiao back to the ground with a single palm strike. Immediately afterward, he pressed his palm against the Tanzhong acupoint on the Elder's chest without hesitation.

The Northern Darkness Divine Art is activated once again!

The internal energy, far more abundant and refined than before, surged into Li Xian's body like a rushing river. This sudden "great tonic" caused his meridians to swell and ache, forcing him to slow down and frantically use the Northern Darkness Heart Sutra to channel the surging power while inhaling.

"This...how is this possible?!" Elder Xiao was utterly shocked. "The Energy Absorption Demonic Art...this art should have disappeared more than ten years ago when the Demonic Sect was destroyed! This little thief is only sixteen or seventeen years old, how could he have learned it?!"

Just as Elder Xiao's internal energy was rapidly depleting and his face turned ashen—

Chi Chi Chi!

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly shot out from the direction of the cave entrance without warning!

Li Xianmeng looked up and saw more than a dozen cold glints closing in, blocking all his angles of evasion!

"I'm going to die!" That was the only thought in Li Xian's mind.

The one who made the move was Elder Feng, the head of the five elders of Han Family Fortress. He was in his prime and his "Spirit Rhinoceros Hidden Weapon" was unparalleled in Tonghai Prefecture. He and the young master of the fortress, Han Yunyang, sneaked into the cave one after the other. To ensure the safety of his beloved son, the master of the fortress not only sent this strongest elder to accompany them, but also gave Han Yunyang two life-saving talismans that he had kept hidden away.

As soon as Elder Feng entered the cave, he saw Elder Xiao lying on the ground, seriously injured. With a formidable enemy (Li Xian) in front of him, he did not hesitate and immediately used his trump card—eighteen specially made hidden weapons that attacked from all four directions, from above, below, left, right, front, and back. Their trajectories were straight and arc-shaped, and some even circled around for a long distance to encircle the enemy. It was truly a net that could not be escaped.

These hidden weapons are made of special materials and come in various shapes. They are not only infused with his pure internal energy, but also subtly connected to his mind. Even if the first strike misses, he can still use them as if they were his own arm to attack repeatedly, like an invisible swarm of death bees.

"Uncle Feng!" Xiao Lingshan was so excited to see this amazing skill reappear that she opened her mouth slightly, and hope rekindled in her eyes.

It looked like Li Xian was about to be riddled with holes—

A bizarre scene unfolded.

All the hidden weapons that reached within an inch of Li Xian seemed to have hit an invisible and slippery wall, futilely swirling and colliding around Li Xian's body, making crisp clanging sounds, but none of them could actually touch his skin.

"Hahahaha!" Overjoyed at surviving the ordeal, Li Xian couldn't help but burst into laughter, all the fear from before vanishing.

"Hmph, child's play." The voice of the brain carried a hint of disdain. "Let them see what real 'micro-management' really is."

The next moment, Xiao Lingshan's mouth opened even wider, almost big enough to fit an egg.

The tiny knives, guns, swords, and spears that had been quietly displayed on the stone table suddenly took to the air as if awakened by an invisible hand! They began to accelerate wildly at an unimaginable speed, transforming into countless silver starlight rays finer than raindrops, like an army under command, converging into a deadly metallic current that swept back towards Elder Feng!

Elder Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and his full power erupted, stirring up visible vortexes of air around his body in an attempt to crush and deflect this incomprehensible attack.

Numerous miniature projectiles were swept into the vortex, losing their aim. However—

A barely perceptible glint of cold light silently fell to the ground, shooting swiftly along the ground like the most insidious venomous snake, sliding to Elder Feng's feet before suddenly springing up and stabbing straight at his vital lower body!

"Ugh!" Elder Feng was injured in a vital spot. Under the intense pain, his mind wandered, and his protective aura immediately revealed a flaw.

Puff puff puff!

In an instant, more swirling micro-weapons found an opening and struck multiple parts of his body. The eighteen hidden weapons that had been attacking Li Xian immediately fell to the ground like kites with broken strings.

A victorious smile had just appeared on Li Xian's face—

"You villain! Prepare to die!"

A sharp shout rang out! A piece of paper, half a foot square and gleaming with an ancient gold hue, as thin as a cicada's wing yet as swift as lightning, shot out from the shadows behind Elder Feng, heading straight for Li Xian's face!

On the paper, the patterns drawn with cinnabar shimmered with a mysterious light under the white light in the hall.

"What is this? A love letter?" Li Xian was taken aback.

boom--!!!

The answer was revealed in the next second. A deafening roar, comparable to thunder, exploded in his ears! A violent and unparalleled energy shockwave suddenly erupted, as if to tear his body apart at the molecular level!

"Brother Yunyang!" A sharp, delicate cry rang in his ears; it was the last sound Li Xian heard before he lost consciousness.

"Interesting energy carrier... decent power concentration." The brain's voice remained calm, even carrying a hint of academic discussion. "Wake up, I've absorbed most of the impact for you, you won't die."

The one who exclaimed was naturally Xiao Lingshan, her eyes filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Young Master Han Yunyang had been hiding behind Elder Feng, waiting for his chance to strike. Now that he had succeeded in his attack, he held another talisman in his hand and looked coldly at Li Xian, who was lying on the ground.

"Brother Yunyang, is this... the legendary talisman?" Xiao Lingshan's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, the Vajra Talisman, specifically for dispelling evil spirits and demonic obstacles. This is my first time activating it." Han Yunyang stared at Li Xian, his tone filled with relief. Before entering the cave, his father had given him the only two life-saving talismans: a Vajra Talisman and a more powerful Thunder Talisman. Now, the Vajra Talisman had proven its power.

"Huh? He... he moved!" Xiao Lingshan suddenly exclaimed.

Sure enough, Li Xian's body twitched.

"Ling Shan, don't panic. I'll finish off this fiend and then untie you." Han Yunyang gripped the remaining Thunder Talisman in his hand and strode forward.

"Wait! Brother Yunyang!" For some reason, Xiao Lingshan's mind flashed back to the miraculously resurrected pine tree and the various inexplicable strange things about Li Xian, and she blurted out subconsciously.

"What's wrong, Ling Shan?" Han Yunyang turned around, looking puzzled.

"I... I was thinking, this thief possesses evil skills of the Demonic Cult and is so strange, why not capture him alive and hand him over to Uncle Han and the elders for detailed interrogation? Perhaps we can find clues about the remnants of the Demonic Cult, wouldn't that be a great achievement?" Xiao Lingshan had a sudden inspiration.

Han Yunyang pondered for a moment and thought it made sense: "Alright, then so be it. Uncle Xiao, how are your injuries?" He turned to look at Elder Xiao, who was struggling to sit up.

At this moment, Li Xian finally shook his head and fully woke up. His whole body ached as if his bones were falling apart, but thanks to the internal energy he had absorbed protecting his internal organs, plus the "barrier" that his brain had created at the critical moment, he managed to save his life.

Elder Xiao forced himself to stand, his face extremely grave. "Yunyang, Lingshan, look..." He pointed to Elder Feng, who was still struggling against countless miniature hidden weapons and had several wounds on his body, and said in a low voice, "There's something very wrong here!"

Han Yunyang and Xiao Lingshan followed his finger and were immediately horrified—even while Li Xian was unconscious, the attacks of those bizarre micro-weapons never stopped, as if they had their own life or were being controlled by some invisible will!

"And this light!" Elder Xiao pointed to the four walls of the hall, which were as bright as day but had no visible light source. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's. Finally, his gaze fell on Li Xian, who had just gotten up and was dressed in tattered clothes but strangely had no obvious injuries.

A long-forgotten, terrifying legend surfaced in Elder Xiao's mind.

His expression was more serious than ever before, and he slowly said, "I recall an ancient legend... It is said that when the Demonic Sect was destroyed, a very few old demons with extraordinary cultivation were able to transform their remnant souls into 'ghosts,' possess others, control their actions, and continue to wreak havoc on the world..."

"Possessed by a demonic cult spirit?!" Upon hearing this, Han Yunyang looked at Li Xian, who was grimacing in pain and with a slightly distorted expression, and his heart skipped a beat, a chill running down his spine.

Elder Xiao said no more; he had to get his daughter away from this evil place immediately! He moved swiftly and rushed toward Xiao Lingshan on the stone bed.

"Ouch—that hurts like hell!" Li Xian grimaced, purely from the pain. In his mind, he screamed, "Brain! Boss! Help me! I need revenge!"

His brain seemed to be enraged by the continuous interference. The miniature weapon attacks surrounding Elder Feng suddenly intensified, and a sharp point pierced through his defenses, striking his Dazhui acupoint at the back of his neck!

Elder Feng froze, his internal energy circulation instantly stagnated, he groaned and collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, just as Elder Xiao approached the stone bed, an invisible force suddenly struck him, sending him flying. Immediately afterwards, unseen attacks rained down on him, causing him to roll on the ground, completely powerless to fight back.

"Father!" Xiao Lingshan cried out in distress, tears streaming down her face.

For the brain, Xiao Lingshan is now a more important "key experimental catalyst" than Li Xian, and must not be lost again.

At this moment, Li Xian, with a "ferocious" expression (actually from pain), took a step towards Han Yunyang.

Han Yunyang's face paled, and he subconsciously took a step back. He had witnessed Li Xian, with his back to Elder Xiao, beat Elder Xiao without moving an inch, leaving him utterly defenseless!

"Could it be... that he's really possessed by a demonic cult spirit?!" This thought made his palms sweat.

Without further hesitation, Han Yunyang suddenly pulled out the only talisman left in his pocket—a Thunderbolt Talisman with more complex patterns and faint lightning, and frantically poured all his internal energy into it!

The talisman instantly shone brightly, and a destructive aura began to permeate the air.

The air inside the cave seemed to freeze.