Chapter Ninety-Eight: Inscribing Symbols in the Void (Part One)

"Ling, have you heard? The Ghost Immortal Yang has wielded his divine sword deep into the wilderness, painting the land red with blood, leaving demons slaughtered and the barbarian tribes withered."

Wu placed a jar of freshly brewed wine in front of Ling. Ling did not stand on ceremony, taking the brew and pouring it into his own bowl.

"The news is all over the streets; how could I not have heard? One must say, Ghost Immortal Yang is truly formidable—charging into the wilderness alone with a single sword, proving more than a match for all those demons and great monsters," Ling remarked with a sigh.

Wu chuckled. "I believe the title of the world's greatest belongs to no one but Ghost Immortal Yang."

Ling nodded in agreement. After all, Yang’s combat record was beyond reproach; who could compare? Meanwhile, Gu, the successor to the Barbarian Lord who was stirring up trouble within the Chu State, was merely a mediocre figure who had gained fame only because the times lacked true heroes.

"I heard there is a peerless demon in the wilderness, the sovereign of all monsters in the world, and that Ghost Immortal Yang went there specifically to slay this beast," Wu added.

Ling asked, surprised, "And did he succeed?"

Wu said excitedly, "He must have! He is a Ghost Immortal, after all—Yang, the greatest in the world."

Ling nodded, finding Wu’s reasoning sound. "If he succeeded, then all is well." Ling raised his bowl, clinking it against Wu’s in celebration.

After downing a large bowl, Wu changed the subject to the matter of magical artifacts: "I hear the proprietor entrusted you to research a new type of magical artifact a month ago. How is that coming along?"

Ling shook his head. "Difficult, difficult, too difficult. It is truly impossible."

Though he claimed it was impossible, he did not divulge the specific details. He had sworn his subordinates to secrecy; after all, it was a task assigned by the proprietor, and if it were leaked, he would surely incur his wrath. Moreover, Ling had a gut feeling that this object was no simple thing—if this new artifact were to exist, the very world might change. Thus, it was even more imperative to keep it hidden.

Seeing that Ling was unwilling to reveal anything, Wu did not press further, so as not to complicate their friendship. They finished their drinks, sang a few verses, and then parted ways to head home.

Stepping out of the tavern, the winter wind cooled Ling’s head significantly. He looked back at his old friend’s retreating figure and shook his head. He had lied to Wu; in truth, the progress on the new artifact had far exceeded his expectations.

With the proprietor’s support and the gathering of a vast array of talent, he had not expected the proprietor to possess such capability—it seemed as if even the Tai of the capital did not have such talent. After all, that Tai had spent quite some time trying to capture Gu, yet failed, only to see Gu grow ever stronger. Many commoners were disappointed in the Tai, and Ling was no exception. Fortunately, the human race still had Ghost Immortal Yang, who had forged such a great reputation in the wilderness of the western borders.

With the gathering of talent from all corners, the research on this new artifact had accelerated. Materials, incantations, spells, and even dialects were being refined.

Eventually, the team concluded that there was no need to use the traditional methods of forging weapons and artifacts; they should try something different. As for what that "different" method might be, everyone offered a variety of ideas—calligraphy on scrolls, stamping with gold leaf, or even stitching and mending—all had their merits and arguments. However, once crafted, none of them worked, as the paper could not withstand these methods.

They then proposed switching to cloth, but the proprietor refused, stating bluntly that cloth was too expensive. This was bizarre; he had spent a small fortune hiring them, yet he complained about the cost of cloth? What kind of logic was that? But the proprietor was unmoved; he insisted they use paper as the base for this artifact. However, he suggested that the material of the paper itself could be improved.

Thus, two master papermakers were added to the team to improve the paper's composition, ensuring it could withstand the Daoist arts simplified into rune-based prohibitions. At this point, someone suggested further simplifying the rune prohibitions. Ling agreed, though he warned the proprietor that further simplification might weaken the artifact's power. To this, the proprietor merely replied, "It matters not."

Since the patron had spoken, Ling had no objections and immediately set his team to work. Now, after more than half a month, he had made progress and was going to report back today.

Ling took a few deep breaths to dispel the wine fumes from his body, then walked lightly toward the Divine Armory to meet the proprietor. He had not expected the proprietor to be waiting for him, eyes burning with anticipation as if looking at a great treasure: "Have you made a breakthrough?"

Ling replied steadily, "Proprietor, there is a result."

The proprietor smiled and poured him a cup of tea. "Clear your head. I have asked the others to come so we can brainstorm together."

"Very well." Ling took the hot tea. He suddenly felt he had been rash; reporting directly to the proprietor might make his colleagues feel neglected, especially since they often shared their insights. Fortunately, the proprietor was thoughtful and had looked after the bonds between his colleagues.

Once everyone had arrived, the proprietor said, "I apologize for calling you all here after hours, but Ling has made a breakthrough, so I asked him to bring everyone together to discuss the result."

Ling was no longer a young man; he could tell the proprietor was protecting his reputation. The implication was that the achievement remained his, and the reward from the proprietor would certainly not be lacking. The proprietor was also generous with money, often saying that while he might lack other things, he had plenty of funds—buy whatever was needed, no questions asked.

"This is the method I have devised. Let us all take a look; if there is anything amiss, please offer your guidance." Ling took a piece of parchment from his pocket. The proprietor had someone fetch paper and brushes, distributing them so everyone could copy the design.

"This is the new paper recently developed by Xin and Zhu. It can now be mass-produced, so everyone, please try your hand at it."

Following the proprietor's instructions, everyone tested the feel of the new paper. They found it quite good, but when they wrote Ling’s simplified rune prohibitions upon it... there was no significant change. The paper remained the same, yet the rune prohibitions looked as crude as a child’s scribbles.

Everyone turned to look at Ling, waiting for an explanation. Ling did not fail their expectations: "Because it is so simplified, you must channel the original spells associated with the prohibitions while writing, in order for it to truly succeed."

They followed his instructions and wrote it again, but no phenomena appeared. However, Ling’s voice sounded in their ears once more: "To use it, you must recite the incantation and channel your True Qi to activate the artifact."

"And the incantation?"

"Strike!"

"Strike!" fifteen voices echoed.

A fierce wind suddenly erupted, whipping through the entire hall. Everyone was shocked and delighted. It had finally succeeded. However, the paper in their hands, along with the simplified runes, disintegrated into a pile of fine powder, scattering across the table. It seemed the paper was not yet durable enough; it could only release the spell once.

"Good, good, good! This is exactly what I wanted!" The proprietor clapped his hands. As he did so, the fierce wind that had blown open the locked windows in the hall vanished instantly. From this, one could gauge the proprietor’s true ability.

Yet, they did not know that the proprietor’s mind was already elsewhere, drifting toward the "Heaven Beyond Heaven." He had already drawn a talisman—and he had done it in the void.