"Everyone, I hope you can give our Rune Sacred Land some face. Accept these talismans and leave this place."
The middle-aged man added.
Ye Yunfei extended his senses to perceive the talismans hovering before him and discovered that each one contained a vast and potent energy.
"The way of runes truly is wondrous," Ye Yunfei exclaimed inwardly to Hun Lao using sound transmission, a trace of awe in his spiritual voice. "To actually seal energy and laws within a single, thin talisman, ready to be activated on command..."
"That goes without saying. The way of talismans is an exceedingly profound study," Hun Lao replied via sound transmission. "The talismans crafted by the talisman-making masters of the Rune Sacred Land contain fearsome energy and laws. When facing an enemy, you simply throw and activate one. If you possess a sufficient number of high-grade talismans, you don't even need to lift a hand in combat—just toss them out. Convenient and effective. Therefore, you must never judge members of the Rune Sacred Land solely by their cultivation realm to gauge their true combat strength, for the talismans they possess constitute their real fighting power. Even if their cultivation level isn't particularly high, members of the Rune Sacred Land can unleash terrifying combat prowess if they possess some high-grade talismans."
"The way of runes is truly marvelous," Ye Yunfei said with a nod, sighing. "It's a pity there's no way to get access to it."
"The runic arts of the Rune Sacred Land are never lightly divulged," Hun Lao explained. "Only by joining the Rune Sacred Land and becoming a disciple would one qualify to cultivate their secret runic techniques. Furthermore, according to legend, every member of the Rune Sacred Land, upon joining, has a highly sophisticated restriction placed within their Soul Sea. Should they divulge the secret runic techniques they have cultivated, they would immediately suffer severe backlash, potentially scattering their very soul and spirit. Hence, no member of the Rune Sacred Land dares to transmit the techniques they have learned. This is why outsiders cannot obtain the Rune Sacred Land's runic arts. And there's another reason: cultivating secret runic techniques heavily depends on innate talent. A being without talent wouldn't be able to cultivate them even if the techniques were laid right before them. This is also why those talisman-making masters from the Rune Sacred Land are so sought-after—they are exceedingly rare."
"So that's how it is," Ye Yunfei nodded in understanding.
"Young man, I believe you must have heard of our Rune Sacred Land," the middle-aged man spoke again, seeing that Ye Yunfei had remained silent, seemingly pondering. His expression grew even more displeased, and he immediately added in a flat tone, "The talismans crafted by our Rune Sacred Land are undoubtedly top-grade items. Countless beings from the outside world bring lavish gifts hoping to request one, yet often leave empty-handed. And this... is akin to selling us, the Rune Sacred Land, a favor. It is also a rare opportunity for you."
In his mind, the Rune Sacred Land was an ancient power with a heritage stretching back through long ages. Though its members rarely ventured out and had little contact with the outside world, any being who emerged from the Rune Sacred Land was inevitably treated with the utmost respect and admiration, like stars surrounding the moon. This middle-aged man naturally assumed Ye Yunfei would give him face and yield the soul crystal vein. Thus, when he saw Ye Yunfei hesitating, his displeasure immediately flared.
"Ignore this fellow," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's impatient voice suddenly rang up from beneath the ground. "A paltry few talismans in exchange for our entire soul crystal vein? Where in all the heavens could such a cheap bargain be found? Tell him to get lost, and quickly!"
Hearing the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's cry, the middle-aged man's expression instantly darkened.
"Young man, I advise you to think very carefully," the middle-aged man's voice turned icy. "Will you grant our Rune Sacred Land this face... or not?"
"Get lost!" Ye Yunfei replied coldly.
Then, his figure flashed as he arrived beside the ground fissure containing the soul crystal vein. Reaching down, he grasped a large handful of soul crystals directly from beneath the earth.
"The scale and quality of this soul crystal vein are both quite good," Ye Yunfei remarked with satisfaction after sensing the crystals.
"Excellent. A mere junior like you actually dares not give face to our Rune Sacred Land," the middle-aged man said, his eyes now blazing with fury, his voice bone-chillingly cold. The other members of the Rune Sacred Land behind him also wore expressions of anger, one after another. As members of the Rune Sacred Land, they had always considered themselves extraordinary, holding themselves high above others with an innate sense of superiority toward outsiders. To be treated so dismissively by Ye Yunfei was intolerable. Some of them had already stealthily taken out talismans, locking their intent onto Ye Yunfei.
"It seems these fellows want to make a move against you," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"If they want to fight, let them fight," Ye Yunfei replied, sweeping his gaze over the Rune Sacred Land members with indifference.
"Kid, our Rune Sacred Land members speaking to you politely is already the greatest favor bestowed upon you. Yet you dare to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit? You really have a death wish!" Suddenly, one of the Rune Sacred Land members roared, stepping forward from the group and pointing a stern, accusatory finger at Ye Yunfei.
Boom!
As soon as his words fell, a talisman shot out from his palm, instantly transforming into a crimson spear that rapidly enlarged. This scarlet spear radiated a dense spear intent and a torrential spear aura as it shot toward Ye Yunfei at incredible speed.
Ye Yunfei's expression darkened, and he slapped out with his palm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before the spear could strike, four other weapons flew out from the talisman: a sword, a saber, a spear, and a long whip—five weapons in total—all attacking Ye Yunfei simultaneously. These five weapons were all conjured from the energy sealed within that single talisman. Even more wondrously, each weapon seemed to be executing a corresponding martial technique, their attack power formidable.
Boom!
Ye Yunfei's palm erupted with potent physical strength. With a single slap, he shattered all five weapons into nothingness.
"Be careful. This guy's strength is formidable," the middle-aged man said, feeling somewhat surprised upon seeing Ye Yunfei neutralize the attack with one slap, and immediately spoke to warn his comrade.
"This is just the beginning," the attacking Rune Sacred Land member sneered.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a wave of his hand, he threw out five more talismans in rapid succession. From each talisman, three dragons, conjured from pure energy, surged forth. A total of fifteen dragons soared into the sky, their deafening roars shaking the heavens, before collectively diving to pounce on Ye Yunfei. Each dragon's front claws continuously enlarged, gleaming coldly, their draconic might seemingly enough to shatter the sky.
"The talisman secret arts of the Rune Sacred Land truly live up to their reputation!" Ye Yunfei couldn't help but praise as he watched the pack of dragons soaring through the air to pounce on him.
However, attacks of this level were insignificant to him.
Ye Yunfei clenched his right fist and punched out, utilizing no martial technique whatsoever, relying solely on his raw physical strength.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Ye Yunfei's fist advanced, the fifteen dragons exploded one after another.
While making his move, Ye Yunfei continuously used his other hand to reach down into the earth, repeatedly grabbing handfuls of soul crystals. Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Hu Miao, and Huang Shang had long since burrowed underground, focusing on collecting the crystals.
"Take action! Split into two groups!" the leading middle-aged man commanded, furious upon seeing Ye Yunfei's group continuously excavating the soul crystal vein. "One group, go underground and collect the soul crystal vein. The other group, surround these individuals. Since they dare not give our Rune Sacred Land face, let's show them some color. Let them learn just how formidable the Rune Sacred Land truly is!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As his words fell, even more Rune Sacred Land members began waving their hands, hurling out talisman after talisman. These were all attack-type talismans. From the talismans surged a variety of weapons, or the illusory forms of various creatures, or waves of terrifying energy shockwaves. Some talismans contained profound spatial laws or time laws. Thrown out, they vanished instantly, only to reappear beside Ye Yunfei, Hu Miao, Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Huang Shang, and the others, launching surprise assaults.
For a time, a constant stream of various talismans bombarded Ye Yunfei's group.