Chapter 385: Bone Pattern Lock!
[Talisman Spirit Flower]
[Status: Immature]
[Spirit Qi: Insufficient]
[Nutrients: Insufficient]
According to the system’s feedback, the specimen before him was undeniably a flower.
It seemed to have sprouted directly from the profound talismanic scripts carved into the stone wall, mutating into a bizarre botanical anomaly. Its specific uses, effects, and latent abilities remained a mystery. The only certainty was its potential: it could mature, and more importantly, it could be harvested.
Beside him, Mo Yuan’s voice was grave. “I consulted a friend about this. He’s a Golden Core stage Spirit Farmer with immense authority on Green Wood Peak, yet even he couldn’t identify it.”
“Did that Senior mention any cultivation methods?” Jiang Chen asked, his curiosity piqued.
Mo Yuan shook his head. “We’ve exhausted numerous methods. Brute-forcing Spirit Qi into it does absolutely nothing. I sought you out because all Spirit Envoys are versed in the Four Seasons Scripture.”
Jiang Chen’s eyes flashed with understanding. “You want me to test the Four Seasons Scripture on it?”It was an undisputed fact across the entire Spirit Farm that the Four Seasons Scripture vastly outperformed both the Evergreen Art and the Spirit Growth Art.
However, its exclusivity was absolute. The Immortal Sect strictly mandated that only designated Spirit Envoys possessed the qualifications to learn it. Even if an ordinary Spirit Farmer broke through to the Golden Core stage, the scripture remained strictly off-limits. Consequently, despite the abundance of Golden Core stage Spirit Farmers residing on Green Wood Peak, not a single one wielded the Four Seasons Scripture; most had been forced to pivot to alternative Earth-grade techniques.
“If you can successfully cultivate this for me,” Mo Yuan promised, his tone dead serious, “name your price. I’ll grant any request. I’ll even take you on as a personal disciple.”
Jiang Chen didn’t miss a beat, shaking his head. “I’ll pass on the apprenticeship.”
Mo Yuan blinked, genuinely taken aback. “Countless others would bleed for a chance to ascend the mountain, yet you refuse?”
Jiang Chen let out a wry chuckle. “Elder, even if I wanted to become an inner disciple, my first choice would obviously be Green Wood Peak!”
Realization dawned on Mo Yuan’s face, and he nodded in concession. “Fair point.”
Taking a deep breath to center his focus, Jiang Chen circulated the Four Seasons Scripture—a technique he hadn’t utilized in quite some time. Instantly, threads of pure Wood Spirit Power unspooled from his dantian, weaving directly into the Talisman Spirit Flower.
The scripture’s layered nurturing effects began to stack.
A minute ticked by.
Yet, despite the steady influx of Spirit Power, the flower remained entirely inert. Had this been any ordinary spirit plant, the sheer volume of energy would have visibly bolstered its vitality, even if it hadn’t reached maturity.
By the three-minute mark, Jiang Chen’s brow furrowed. His pragmatic mind was already calculating the diminishing returns of continuing.
At five minutes, Mo Yuan sighed heavily and shook his head. “It seems even the Four Seasons Scripture is useless. What a shame.”
Jiang Chen severed the flow of Spirit Power. He scrutinized the Talisman Spirit Flower, silently calling upon the system to evaluate its current status.
Just as he suspected. Five minutes of concentrated Spirit Power infusion had yielded zero results. The interface stubbornly displayed the same two warnings: *Insufficient Spirit Qi* and *Insufficient Nutrients*.
Mo Yuan waved a dismissive hand, though a trace of regret lingered in his eyes. “Forget it. It seems this treasure and I are simply not fated.”
“Perhaps,” Jiang Chen mused, his mind churning, “you should investigate the secret realm it originated from.”
Mo Yuan let out an irritated huff. “That secret realm only opens once every five hundred years. The next window is over four centuries away. I’d love to wait, but do I look like I have that kind of lifespan to spare?”
Jiang Chen’s eyes widened in genuine shock. “A secret realm that only opens once every five centuries?”
The Return to Ruins Secret Realm opened every 101 years, and the heavenly treasures it produced were already coveted enough to spark bloodbaths. The sheer value of the resources hidden within a five-hundred-year cycle realm was almost unfathomable.
Seeing no reason to hide it, Mo Yuan elaborated. “It’s called the Seal Bone Tomb. It’s a high-tier secret realm restricted exclusively to Golden Core stage cultivators. The vast majority of the legacy inside revolves around puppetry, ancient talismanic scripts, and spirit talismans.”
*Opens once every five hundred years, huh,* Jiang Chen committed the name to memory, his opportunistic instincts flaring.
Figuring he shouldn’t let the junior leave empty-handed after wasting his time, Mo Yuan retrieved an item from his spatial storage. “This is a Collapse Talisman Sword I forged myself. Upon Self-Destruction, it unleashes an explosive force equivalent to a full-power strike from a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. You’re just a Spirit Farmer, so you likely won’t see combat, but it’s better to have a trump card than nothing.”
Jiang Chen accepted it without hesitation, his pragmatic heart leaping at the free life-saving measure. “Thank you, Senior!”
Unlike the flimsy texture of standard talisman paper, the Collapse Talisman Sword was rigidly solid. It appeared to be forged from a seamless fusion of lightning-struck wood and black iron, its surface marred by jagged, branching fissures that resembled frozen lightning.
With a casual wave of Mo Yuan’s hand, a brilliant streak of sword light enveloped Jiang Chen. With a sharp *whoosh*, he was launched into the sky, hurtling back toward the Spirit Farm at a speed that blurred the world into streaks of color.
Caught off guard by the sudden acceleration, Jiang Chen tensed, his risk-averse nature screaming at the lack of control. But as the flight proved stable, he forced his muscles to relax, his mind immediately pivoting back to business.
*Fortunately, ever since my talisman skills hit the maximum level, my cognitive retention has skyrocketed.*
*Every single stroke of the patterns on that stone wall and the Talisman Spirit Flower is perfectly burned into my memory.*
*Now, let’s dissect exactly what kind of talismanic script this is, and how I can exploit it.*
Moments later, Jiang Chen arrived back at the Spirit Farm.
Since Mo Yuan didn’t know his exact address, the elder simply deposited him at the Flat Top Mountain palace. From there, Jiang Chen summoned his Shattered Moon Flowing Frost, riding the flying sword the rest of the way.
There truly was no place like home. The moment he crossed the threshold of his own courtyard, the lingering tension in his shoulders evaporated.
However, rest was a luxury for the inefficient. He immediately descended to the second level of his basement.
With the forging and alchemy equipment cleared out, the cultivation chamber felt exceptionally cavernous.
Expending a fraction of his Water Spirit Power, he casually sketched an Illumination Talisman in the air to light the room. Then, taking out a blank talisman paper, he meticulously began to reproduce the stone wall’s script from memory.
The runic structure was undeniably complex and profoundly esoteric. Yet, compared to the mind-bending intricacies of high-tier puppetry, it was still manageable.
He lost track of time, fully immersed in the meticulous drafting process. Finally, the complete stone wall script rested upon the talisman paper.
Viewed as a whole, the intricate lines formed the distinct silhouette of a door.
Running down the center of this ‘door’ were three interconnected circles, each housing a dense, archaic character.
Translating their conceptual meaning, they read: *Unlock*, *Fuse*, and *Transmit*.
Stacked vertically, the three characters formed a conceptual “lock,” radiating an aura of heavy restraint, as if sealing away something ancient.
Suddenly, the system chimed in his mind. Jiang Chen immediately pulled up his attribute panel.
[Bone Pattern Lock: Novice]
[Effect 1: Utilizing a special medium, opens a temporary 10-minute portal to the outskirts of the Seal Bone Tomb.]
[Effect 2: Reduces damage taken from repulsion talismanic scripts in the outskirts by 50%.]
[Negative Effect 1: Activating the lock more than 3 consecutive times will embed Unlocking Pattern fragments within the host’s body, resulting in severe Metal Spirit Power disorder.]
Jiang Chen stared at the interface, his hyper-logical mind struggling to process the sheer magnitude of the exploit. *”A temporary passage?”*
The Seal Bone Tomb was a legendary zone locked behind a five-century cooldown. The heavenly treasures gestating inside were practically priceless. Even if he only had ten minutes, and even if he was restricted to the absolute outer fringes, the potential profit margin was astronomical.
It all clicked into place. Both the stone wall and the Talisman Spirit Flower were merely physical carriers for this “Bone Pattern Lock.” If he could fully master this script—and more importantly, cultivate that bizarre flower—the dividends would be unimaginable.
Yet, as he stared at the perfectly inscribed talisman paper on his desk, the room remained silent. No portal materialized.
Just as Jiang Chen began to suspect a flaw in his drafting, his eyes darted back to Effect 1.
*Special medium.*
Realization hit him like a physical blow. *Of course.* Simply mastering the script wasn’t enough to bypass a five-hundred-year spatial lock; he needed a catalyst.
Acting on a sudden hypothesis, Jiang Chen vanished from the basement, teleporting directly into his personal pocket dimension.
The moment he materialized inside his spatial domain, the talisman paper in his grasp reacted violently. It began to pulse with an eerie, ashen-gray light, throbbing with the rhythmic cadence of a heartbeat.
Jiang Chen released his grip. The talisman instantly levitated, carving erratic circles through the air as if calibrating spatial coordinates and distance.
Seconds later, it locked onto a specific coordinate. The paper dissolved, seamlessly merging into the fabric of his personal space. The gray light flared, intensifying until it tore open the very air, expanding into a swirling, ash-colored vortex.
Jiang Chen stepped forward, peering through the dimensional tear.
His breath hitched. Stretching out as far as the eye could see was an endless, suffocating ocean of densely packed skeletons!