I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The traces discovered in the southwestern mountain valley were like a stone thrown into a calm pond, stirring up ripples of unease in the hearts of the refugees in Wang'anju. Fear spread again in the camp, and the life that had just settled down was once again shrouded in an invisible shadow.

Master Zhao urgently summoned everyone to discuss the matter. Some advocated abandoning the place immediately and migrating again; some thought it might be a wrong path they were passing through and might not return; many more were at a loss and turned their gaze to Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao did not immediately express his opinion. He went alone to the ravine again to investigate carefully.

The traces were indeed very fresh. The ashes from the burning talisman paper were similar to those he had found in the cave before, only the runes were more complex and sinister. The symbols engraved on the scattered bone fragments exuded an ominous aura. When Lu Zhao tried to sense them with his spiritual power, the bone fragments became slightly hot, transmitting chaotic and painful fragments of thought, causing a sharp pain between his brows.

[Found a defective "Resentful Bone Talisman Fragment"]

[Material: Bone imbued with resentment, often used in evil formations or curses.]

[Warning: Prolonged exposure may lead to mental pollution.]

"They weren't just passing by; they're setting up something." Lu Zhao picked up a bone fragment, his expression grave. The other party had been active nearby and left behind such a clearly malicious item; their intentions were definitely not benevolent. They were likely preparing some kind of ritual, or… monitoring the valley?

He expanded his search area and eventually found a strange symbol, about the size of a palm, drawn with blood and bone powder, in a hidden crevice. At the center of the symbol was a faintly glowing black stone that was constantly emitting a weak, imperceptible, malevolent energy.

[Discovered 'Yin Eye Talisman Array' (Simplified)]

[Effect: Slightly gathers Yin energy and can transmit life force fluctuations within a specific range to the caster.]

Status: In effect.

A surveillance array! The other side was indeed monitoring the valley! Lu Zhao's heart sank. Without hesitation, he activated the [Refining Spirit Technique], condensing his spiritual power into a sharp cone, and fiercely stabbed it towards the black stone!

With a soft "pop," the stone shattered, and the blood-red light on the symbol instantly dimmed and dissipated. The Yin energy fluctuations also ceased.

But Lu Zhao knew he had alerted the enemy. The person who set up the magic array would definitely notice.

Instead of immediately returning to camp, he quickly erased all traces of his presence and took a detour in another direction. At the same time, he rapidly calculated in his mind: the enemy was lurking in the shadows, their strength and purpose unknown. The camp's defenses were weak, and it housed many elderly, weak, women, and children; an attack would have unimaginable consequences.

"We can't wait passively; we must prepare proactively, even... strike first." A fierce glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. But the prerequisite was that he had to have sufficient strength and means.

Back at camp, he briefly explained the situation to Master Zhao, emphasizing the impending crisis and the need to immediately strengthen defenses and prepare for evacuation. He also instructed Master Zhao to organize able-bodied men to utilize the valley's terrain to set up more traps and obstacles in several strategic locations, and to prepare for evacuation in the event of an attack.

He himself plunged headlong into the talisman-drawing examination. Time was of the essence; he had to master at least one type of talisman as soon as possible, especially the "Exorcising Talisman"!

Lacking cinnabar, he used a mixture of blood from a red-tailed pheasant, which contained a faint fire-attribute spiritual energy, collected during his hunts, and charcoal powder as a substitute. Lacking yellow paper, he experimented with several types of tree bark and animal hide, finally discovering the inner bark of a tree called the "Thick Bark Tree," which was flexible and could better withstand the spiritual blood and energy, making it barely usable.

Inside the shack, the oil lamp shone dimly. Lu Zhao held his breath and focused his mind, adjusting himself to his optimal state. He slowly activated the [Refining Spirit Technique], his mental energy highly concentrated. He held his self-made "talisman brush" (a sharpened hardwood branch), dipped it in "spiritual ink" mixed with crimson blood charcoal, and held the tip of the brush on the bark of a tough tree.

In his mind, the rune trajectory, incantation, and mental techniques of the "Exorcising Talisman" from the "Detailed Explanation of Basic Exorcism Talismans" flowed through his mind. He cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing only on the profound trajectory.

The pen tip falls!

As the pen tip moved, spiritual energy slowly flowed into the tree bark. The crimson lines meandered across the bark, initially flowing smoothly, but each turn and connection of the runes became difficult and arduous, as if the pen was burdened with a thousand-pound weight, and spiritual energy was being consumed extremely quickly.

"laugh……"

On the first attempt, when the runes were one-third complete, the spiritual energy in the ink suddenly became disordered, and the entire bark spontaneously combusted without fire, instantly turning into ashes.

[Failed to create a "Fragmented Exorcising Talisman"; materials destroyed.]

[I have gained a basic understanding of talisman drawing, and my mental control has slightly improved.]

Lu Zhao's face was slightly pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Drawing talismans was more difficult than he had imagined. Not only did he have to precisely control the output of his mental energy, but he also had to guide the spiritual energy in the ink to circulate along a specific trajectory. The slightest mistake would render all his efforts futile.

He swallowed a small piece of dried meat from a beast he had hunted earlier, which contained a trace of spiritual energy. He then used the Turtle Breathing Technique to restore his strength, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing for a while, and began again once his mental energy had recovered most of its strength.

The second time, they failed because they had more than half of the runes.

The third time, they failed at the end of the rune.

The fourth time, the fifth time...

As the materials were gradually consumed, Lu Zhao's face grew paler and paler, his mental energy nearly exhausted. But his eyes grew brighter and brighter; with each failure, he gained a deeper understanding of the details of the rune structure and the flow of mental energy.

The sixth time, as the pen tip made its final stroke, Lu Zhao poured the last wisp of pure spiritual energy into it—

"Buzz!"

The crimson runes on the bark of the phloem tree suddenly lit up, then the light subsided, as if the runes had come to life, faintly emanating a yang energy that subtly repelled the yin energy in the surrounding environment.

[Successfully created the "Exorcising Talisman (Fragment)"!]

[Learned Skill: Talisman Drawing (Basic) Lv1 (1/100)]

[Obtained: Exorcism Talisman (Fragmented, Inferior) x1]

Become!

Lu Zhao let out a long sigh of relief, almost exhausted, but his heart was filled with joy. He carefully picked up the rough bark talisman, feeling the faint yet stable exorcising power it contained. Although it was only a fragment, of low quality, and its power was probably limited, it was a breakthrough from zero!

He didn't stop, enduring his mental exhaustion, and continued drawing. Practice makes perfect, and after consuming most of the materials again, he successfully drew another "Exorcism Talisman", and his proficiency level increased to Lv1 (15/100).

Looking at the two slightly rough but crucial talismans in his hand, Lu Zhao knew that this was one of his important trump cards in dealing with possible attacks from evil forces.

Just then, the strong young men responsible for keeping watch at the mouth of the valley tumbled down, their voices trembling:

"Brother Lu! Oh no! Something's wrong! From the southwest! So many...so many dark figures are coming this way! They don't look human!"

The storm is finally coming.