Ling Tian discovered that the talismans of the Yin Fu Sect possessed the effect of a须弥芥子 (xū mí jiè zǐ) space.
Take the talisman he had just used as an example. By activating the formation within the talisman, it released over a dozen venomous snakes from the space it contained to attack.
Of course, the space within this talisman was unstable; it wasn't a complete space, but at best, merely a fragment of a space.
Furthermore, such a space was a one-time use. After releasing the venomous snakes, the talisman would be incinerated, and the space would cease to exist.
Ling Tian also noticed that Zhang Daoquan's earlier Five Ghosts Moving Technique also utilized a talisman. In fact, when Daoists control five ghosts, these five ghosts are typically stored within magical artifacts.
However, magical artifacts capable of both storing and nurturing five ghosts were already exceedingly rare. Over the past thousand years, as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth grew increasingly depleted, the number of people capable of crafting such artifacts had dwindled. Consequently, the magical artifacts circulating in the martial world and the cultivation world became fewer and fewer.
Yet, the people of the Yin Fu Sect were quite formidable. They designed a type of talisman to nurture five ghosts, naming it the Five Ghosts Talisman.
After all, five ghosts were spiritual entities, and the environment required to contain such entities was far less demanding than that for containing living beings.
When using the Five Ghosts Moving Technique, one would ignite the talisman, releasing the five ghosts. After use, another Five Ghosts Talisman would be activated to re-contain them.
Although the cost of doing so was considerable, it compensated for the lack of magical artifacts. It was a last resort.
At this moment, Zhang Daoquan, facing Ling Tian, was in a state of utter disarray. He had released several talismans in succession, and the use of these incredibly potent talismans came at a great price: his internal true essence was almost completely drained.
Even though he still had a few Yin Thunder Talismans on him, he no longer possessed the true essence to activate them.
"Zhang Daoquan, don't resist futilely. If you obediently come with me and honestly confess your transgressions, perhaps Dragon Tiger Mountain will spare your life. After all, your scheme did not succeed, and your crime is not one deserving of death. At worst, you'll spend your next life in prison. It's better to live a miserable life than die, wouldn't you agree!"
Zhang Daoquan gave a wry smile. Of course, he wished to live. After all, life was singular, and even imprisonment was preferable to death.
However, Zhang Daoquan knew all too well what a terrifying existence the Yin Fu Sect was, and what their attitude was towards traitors.
If he, Zhang Daoquan, dared to betray the Yin Fu Sect, his fate would be far more agonizing than death itself. In fact, death would be a luxury for him.
"Since ancient times, who has not faced death? You wish to capture me? That is a foolish delusion!"
As Zhang Daoquan spoke, he retrieved another talisman from his embrace. This talisman was entirely black, and its material was unknown. Ling Tian was astonished to find that even with his Heavenly Eye Divine Ability, he could not discern the patterns drawn on this talisman.
Looking at this talisman, a trace of ferocity and resolve flashed in Zhang Daoquan's eyes. He then exerted great force, violently channeling his true qi to impact his own meridians.
In an instant, several of Zhang Daoquan's major arteries were ruptured by his internal energy. Following this, Zhang Daoquan opened his mouth wide and spat a mouthful of blood onto the talisman.
At that moment, a miraculous scene unfolded. The hot blood splashed onto the talisman did not disperse. Instead, as if possessing life, it formed patterns on the pitch-black surface of the talisman.
These patterns formed a highly complex formation, and the entire talisman began to radiate immense energy outwards.
"Heh heh, Ling Tian, you'll never capture me alive! Today, even if I die here, I will drag you down with me! Moreover, I will ensure you die with regrets. My sect will avenge me, and your entire family, your friends, and loved ones will be buried with me, heh heh..."
After uttering these words, Zhang Daoquan opened his mouth again and spewed several more mouthfuls of blood, which also contained fragments of internal organs. Immediately thereafter, his body collapsed to the ground.
The blood-stained talisman, however, floated in mid-air, slowly ascending.
Ling Tian sensed a drastic change in the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This spiritual energy began to rotate rapidly with the talisman at its center, forming a vortex in the air.
Subsequently, this energy converged onto the talisman and was then hurled into the sky from the talisman's apex.
In an instant, this energy concentrated at a single point and then suddenly erupted. This immense energy tore apart the entire space.
Ling Tian felt that the space in the air several tens of meters in front of him seemed to have been ripped open, and countless black energies gushed out from this hole.
After tens of seconds, the gushing of black energy ceased, and the torn space instantly healed, as if nothing had happened.
At this point, these black energies began to slowly converge towards the talisman, gradually condensing into a solid form.
When these black energies completely vanished, Ling Tian's pupils contracted sharply, for he saw a colossal figure, over three meters tall, appear before him.
This was a humanoid creature, clad in a red robe that resembled an ancient official's attire.
This being had a leopard's head and bulging eyes, a green face and fangs, and a full beard. Its hair was curly, giving it a terrifying appearance.
In its left hand, this giant figure held a judge's brush over a meter long, and in its right hand, it grasped a thick iron chain. One end of the chain was a hook, while the remaining portion of the chain was wrapped around the monster's body!
Ling Tian gazed at the colossal monster, lost in thought.
It turned out that the talisman Zhang Daoquan had released was no ordinary item; it was an ancient talisman that had been passed down for a thousand years.
When this talisman was drawn, and by whom, was unknown. It was also one of the Yin Fu Sect's most treasured heirlooms, passed down for a millennium.
This talisman was also the most generous reward the Yin Fu Sect had given Zhang Daoquan for his undercover work at Dragon Tiger Mountain. The sect leader had deliberated extensively before agreeing to entrust this talisman to Zhang Daoquan.
Zhang Daoquan only knew that this talisman could summon ghosts and spirits, information he had received directly from the Yin Fu Sect leader when he was introduced to its functions.
Upon activating this talisman, a mark would appear on it. The user could then place this mark upon their enemy and, through the talisman, summon a powerful ghost or spirit.
This ghost or spirit would then relentlessly pursue and kill the target bearing the mark, to the death!
Of course, no one knew what kind of ghost or spirit this talisman could summon.