The talismans he was drawing were Fourth Rank Upper Grade Talismans—Profound Nether Annihilation Talismans.

Once activated, these talismans could freeze a thousand miles in an instant, obliterate the Divine Soul of an Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, and heavily damage a Mid-Stage.

They could even pose considerable trouble and delay for Late-Stage Great Cultivators, truly an existence filled with great killing aura.

If combined with his Soul-Breaking Needle, they could achieve unexpected effects.

After all, starting with a few Profound Nether Annihilation Talismans would make even Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators unable to withstand, and that would be the time to display the power of his Soul-Breaking Needle.

The drawing process had lasted for a full three days.

Everything went smoothly at first. The basic framework of the talismans was already built, energy flowed harmoniously, and only a few final key strokes on the core runes were needed to complete them.

Xu Ping held his breath and concentrated, the tip of his talisman pen gathering immense Divine Sense and Mana, aiming for the most crucial rune node.

Yet, just as the pen tip was about to touch the talisman paper—

The originally well-balanced flow of dark blue and black energy on the talisman paper seemed to be disrupted by an indescribable interference and trembled violently.

Boom!

The entire sheet of priceless dark gold talisman paper suddenly burst into intense flames without warning, spreading a powerful energy fluctuation in all directions.

"Hmm?"

Xu Ping furrowed his brows, but his reaction was as quick as lightning.

His left hand had already formed a Dharma Seal and instantly cast it.

At the same time, with a flick of his right sleeve, a gentle flow of Mana, like an invisible giant hand, firmly restrained and compressed the core region of the explosion.

Bang!

Although most of the power was suppressed, the residual energy shockwave spread, scattering other Spiritual Ink and tools on the jade table everywhere, leaving a mess.

The light faded, leaving only a peculiar mix of burnt and icy scent lingering in the cave abode.

"Failed again..."

Xu Ping shook his head, looking at the charred ashes on the ground, feeling pained.

This was the seventh failure in nearly half a year.

Each failure consumed materials so precious that even Nascent Soul Cultivators would feel their heartache, and there were not inconsiderable risks of backlash.

If it weren’t for his strong Divine Sense, profound Mana, and prior preparation, an ordinary Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator would have been severely injured by that backlash just now.

"Fourth Rank Upper Grade Talismans, indeed not an easy task."

Xu Ping took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in his heart, circulated his Cultivation Technique, and calmed his slightly disturbed Mana.

After adjusting his breath.

Just as Xu Ping was preparing to clean up the area and try again.

His brows suddenly furrowed slightly, and he looked up sharply towards the void above, as if he could see through the thick layers of rock and Arrays to the scenery outside the island.

"This aura...feels somewhat familiar?"

"Late-Stage Nascent Soul?"

"Could it be?"

...

Rewind time slightly.

Above the endless sea, two streams of Escape Light streaked across the sky at an incredible speed, so fast that even Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn’t match them.

The foremost Escape Light was a purple-blue color, its aura vast and majestic, having reached the astonishing level of Late-Stage Nascent Soul.

Moreover, the density of its Mana far surpassed that of ordinary Late-Stage Cultivators.

The following Escape Light was pure black; though its aura was slightly inferior, it was still sharp and unmatched, already reaching the peak of Mid-Stage Nascent Soul.

It seemed only a step away from breaking through to the Late-Stage.

The Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator in front, wearing a dark robe, had a handsome face, eyes sharp as an eagle, with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

At a glance, he was visibly Hongyi.

Beside him, the person was tall and thin, with a gaunt face, but their eyes were as deep as an eternal cold pool, exuding a chilling aura around them.

Clearly, it was the Nine Nether Elder with a physical form.

"Tsk, tsk, truly unexpected..."

Hongyi looked down at the gradually clear outline of the sea below, speaking with some emotion, "Fellow Daoist Xu, with your Mid-Stage Nascent Soul status, to carve out such a renowned reputation in these outer seas.

"To cut down Late-Stage ancient demons with a sword, the second person in the outer sea, a Fourth Rank Upper Grade Spirit Pet..."

"These titles, even in the inland regions informed by the Star Palace, would be enough to shake the region."

Even the Nine Nether Elder, usually aloof, had a subtle flicker of surprise in his ancient, undisturbed eyes, speaking hoarsely:

"This child...indeed beyond this old man’s expectations, quite capable."

"More than just capable?"

Hongyi shook his head with a light laugh, his tone even carrying a hint of admiration and gravity he himself didn’t notice, "This capability is truly sky-reaching!"

Hongyi thought that now, he probably wasn’t a match for Xu Ping either.

Moreover, Xu Ping was only at the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul; if he truly stepped into the Late-Stage, perhaps...he could be called the number one beneath Divinity Transformation.

The Nine Nether Elder, hearing this, remained silent for a moment, did not refute, only his smile became somewhat meaningful:

"The stronger this Xu lad’s Divine Techniques are, the greater the assistance for our intended task, saving us the trouble of searching around."

"That’s true." Hongyi nodded.

The two stopped speaking further, urging their Escape Light.

A few hours later, they arrived at an island enveloped in dense yin and evil aura—Blood Bone Island.

Hongyi steadied his form, spoke loudly, his voice, enhanced by Mana, gentle yet highly penetrating, easily reaching into the array below:

"Is Fellow Daoist Xu present? An old acquaintance comes to visit."

His voice echoed on the island.

After a brief silence, the cloud and mist array enveloping the island surged and slowly parted to reveal a path.

A figure emerged, walking slowly out of the main hall in the center of the island.

He wore a simple white robe, his posture was upright, his appearance elegant, and his demeanor serene and transcendent, like an Immortal Descending to the Mortal World.

Who else could it be but Xu Ping?

Even though Xu Ping vaguely felt the familiar aura, meeting now confirmed his guess, leaving him unsurprisingly amazed.