One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

As the foundation of the "Five Arts" of mountain, medicine, destiny, physiognomy, and divination, talismans are the medium and channel for cultivators to communicate with the universe, laws, heaven, earth, immortals, Buddhas, gods, demons, ghosts, and spirits. Through this medium and channel, one can command the gods and evil spirits of the nine heavens to serve one's purposes, to command gods and exorcise ghosts, in order to achieve the purpose of praying for blessings, warding off disasters, curing diseases, and saving people.

So, a question that puzzled Sun Yao arose: Do ghosts and gods truly exist in this world? If not, then what exactly does this talisman communicate with? Is it rules? Is it laws? If so, then wouldn't people like the Xia family, who steal the power of divine offerings and beliefs through their profession of entertaining, have long since perished without a burial place? How then could figures like Xia Liuqing and Wang Zhenqiu appear in later generations?

However, all these doubts vanished when Sun Yao met Four-Eyes. Why? Because of the Divine Strike Technique. Four-Eyes' Divine Strike Technique could not only summon his Maoshan patriarch, but also other deities. But why did he summon his patriarch instead of other deities initially? Because other deities couldn't respond to him.

Perhaps due to the end of the Dharma era, these deities have either fallen into slumber or simply perished. Otherwise, why could they communicate with the underworld but not with the heavenly court? It's because the deities in the underworld are weak, yet they still manage to survive even in this Dharma-ending Age. Those deities still alive today are likely city gods, underworld officials, judges, and the like. That's why the Xia family, who use the power of divine faith to portray themselves as gods, hasn't been destroyed—no, it should be said that they haven't perished because the Xia family still possesses reverence. Didn't you see Xia Liuqing playing Yuchi Gong, while Wang Zhenqiu really went all out, daring to play anything from the Third Prince to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?

Having figured out the crux of the problem, Sun Yao finally perfected his deduced Tongtian Talisman. In reality, he wasn't particularly attached to the so-called Eight Extraordinary Techniques; he only deduced the Tongtian Talisman because he thought it would make using talismans more convenient. But this was ultimately a path to disaster, so he didn't pass it on to Zheng Zibu beforehand. For now, Feng Jingshou was sufficient for him. As for whether Zheng Zibu would deduce it himself in the future, that was his own business. His fate depended on his own choices, and Sun Yao decided it was best not to interfere too much.

"Oh, so you're the old master's disciple. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Simu, and I'm this kid's senior brother. You can all just call me Simu. Why are you still out here so late? Isn't there a town just ahead? Go in and find a place to stay. Unlike me, you don't have to find an inn to store corpses."

"Brother Four Eyes, you may not know this, but we were just trying to help someone in need. This young master from the wealthy family doesn't believe in ghosts and spirits, so he ran in and disrupted the opera troupe's ghost play. The wandering ghosts inside knocked off the yang fire on his shoulders, and he fell into a coma. The servants of this family refused to let the opera continue and threatened to report it to the authorities. I saw that there were also extraordinary people in this opera troupe, and saving his life would be a great act of merit, so I agreed to save him. That's why I had their servants go to the master, and used the essence and blood of a close relative to ignite the two yang fires on his body."

"I see. It's true that many students who studied abroad have recently returned and stopped believing in ghosts and spirits, but this is the first time I've seen someone so reckless. Are you confident about this matter?"

"Don't worry, I'm from the Fire Virtue Sect, and I play with fire. Yang Fire is also fire. By the way, a word of advice to Senior Brother Four Eyes: don't play with demons too much, or the Yang Fire on your shoulder is weakening. If I'm not mistaken, it's the Fox Fairy." Sun Yao said, putting his arm around Four Eyes' shoulder and whispering the last sentence in his ear.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Four Eyes' expression immediately changed. He quickly grabbed Sun Yao's shoulder, saying, "Junior Brother Sun, you absolutely mustn't let my master know what you've said. I'll do anything you ask of me, but please keep this matter a secret."

Seeing Si Mu's anxious look, Sun Yao couldn't bear to press him any further. But if he didn't let him ask for something, he was afraid that he might reveal his secret.

"Brother Four Eyes, I wonder if your Divine Strike Technique is a secret technique kept hidden in Maoshan? If not, I would like to study it."

"That doesn't really matter. It's just divine strikes, who doesn't use it? The so-called divine strikes are actually just summoning gods. However, different sects have different methods of summoning gods. My Maoshan's divine strikes are considered to be among the best, but it's not exactly a closely guarded secret. This is the secret manual of the divine strikes. However, this thing sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't work, stomping your feet might have a miraculous effect."

As he spoke, the Four-Eyed Taoist slipped an old-looking book into Sun Yao's arms. Sun Yao patted the book in his own arms, then gave the Four-Eyed Taoist a reassuring look, and the Taoist immediately breathed a sigh of relief. If this got out, it would ruin the family's reputation; his senior brother would probably be there to collect his corpse before his master even had a chance to do anything.

After acquiring the Divine Strike Technique, Sun Yao sat aside and waited. At this moment, the victim of this calamity came before him.

"Thank you so much, Daoist Master, for saving us. Otherwise, my father, sons, and brothers would have been in jail!"

Xia Huaizhi bowed to Sun Yao, who then raised his hand, and a golden hand appeared out of thin air to help Xia Huaizhi up. This was a symbol of reaching a high level in the Golden Light Mantra—the manifestation of golden light. Since leaving the Lu family mansion, Sun Yao had been practicing the Golden Light Mantra and could be considered to have mastered it to a high degree. His thunder magic had also just barely entered the realm of enlightenment; although he couldn't compare to Zhang Zhiwei, who had practiced for so long, he claimed to be not far off.

“Brother, there’s no need for such a grand gesture. We are all fellow practitioners, and it was just a small favor to help each other. You are an extraordinary person, yet you have never used your abilities to oppress these common people. How many people in this world can do what you have? I was just doing a small favor to help a good person.”

"I am already very pleased that you have said this, Daoist Master. However, my actions have ultimately brought trouble to Longhu Mountain. I will not be at peace if I cannot make some compensation. This is a family technique passed down through my family. In this chaotic world, we do not know what the future holds. I am entrusting it to you in the hope that you can help me find a suitable successor so that this family technique will not be lost."

As Xia Huaizhi spoke, he handed over a wooden box with both hands. He opened it with one hand, revealing two books inside. One was the method for making a divine mask, and the other was the method for crafting divine gloves.

"Master Xia, what kind of person do you take me for? I only helped you out of a sense of duty and goodwill. If you do this, wouldn't I be seen as a petty person who covets your family's secret techniques?"