The old man with black pupils stood frozen in place, disbelief etched across his ancient face.
"I… I've been resurrected?" he muttered.
Even though the truth was staring him in the face—his reformed body, the blood flowing in his veins—he still found it hard to accept.
"Of course," Ling Qingzhu said with a light smile. "Resurrecting someone is nothing to Ye. If he wished, he could even create an entire world."
"Create a world?" The old man's tone was skeptical, though curiosity flickered in his gaze. "You speak as if that's a simple task... But why? Why resurrect me?"
Ye Feng replied casually, "Because I felt like it."
"You broke the laws of nature… just because you were happy?"
"The so-called 'laws of nature' are merely rules set by those with power," Ye Feng said, his expression calm. "When you reach a certain height, you'll realize that these 'laws'—whether of nature or the world—are nothing more than tools of the strong."
The old man sighed, a deep breath filled with age and acceptance. "You're right. I'm not strong enough to understand your realm."
Ye Feng looked at him. "What do you plan to do now?"
Suddenly, a system notification chimed in Ye Feng's mind.
Ding!
Congratulations! You have overturned the storyline of "Martial Universe" and resurrected the previous owner of the Devouring Ancestral Talisman.
Reward: 269 freely distributable attribute points.
It wasn't a huge change in the grand scheme of the world, just a side plot. But even small mosquitoes were still meat.
"I want to go out and look around," the old man said. "My sect was destroyed. I wish to see if it can be rebuilt."
"I see." Ye Feng nodded without further comment.
Before leaving, the old man turned and raised a finger toward Ye Feng's forehead. "Though the Devouring Ancestral Talisman has already been taken, I placed a seal upon it. Without breaking the seal, no one can wield its power. Allow me to pass this seal-breaking method to you."
A streak of black light shot from the old man's fingertip, halting three feet from Ye Feng's brow. It struck an invisible wall of energy and dispersed.
"You… rejected it?" the old man said in surprise.
Ye Feng didn't speak, but the answer was clear.
"Why?" the old man asked again. "You've come this far—fate clearly led you to the Devouring Ancestral Talisman. It's been buried for too long. I believe you are the destined heir."
Ye Feng smiled faintly. "It's just a tool created by the Talisman Ancestor. I'm not particularly interested. If you're not in a hurry, just wait a little. When my disciples arrive, you can decide on a new master for it."
"Disciples?" the old man echoed, intrigued.
Not long after, the rest of Ye Feng's group began to arrive—Ling Qingzhu, Wang Yan, Qin Shi, Huang Pujing, Wu Yun, and others filed into the altar chamber.
"Senior Sister, as expected, you got here first," Lin Langtian said with a helpless smile.
"I told you, stop calling me Senior Sister. In this life, I'm going to be the Junior Sister," Ying Huanhuan said playfully.
The old man's gaze sharpened the moment it landed on Ying Huanhuan. "Why… does your aura feel familiar?"
Ying Huanhuan met his gaze calmly. "Because, in my past life, I was the Ice Lord."
"What? Ice Lord?! One of the Eight Ancient Lords?" The old man's voice trembled. "To think I'd live to see such a legendary figure…"
"Old man, you can choose someone else from my fellow disciples," Ying Huanhuan said with a chuckle. "Though I arrived first, my cultivation focuses on ice attributes. The Devouring Ancestral Talisman won't do me much good."
"You want me to choose randomly? This is the Devouring Ancestral Talisman we're talking about," the old man said in disbelief. "This is no trivial decision."
"I abstain too," Ling Qingzhu added.
"And me," Wang Yan echoed.
One by one, Qin Shi, Huang Pujing, Wu Yun, and the others stepped back as well.
Lin Langtian now stood awkwardly as everyone seemed to defer the choice to him. "Wait a minute… why do I feel like you're all giving it to me on purpose?"
Ling Qingzhu smiled. "Master once said: the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, and the others like it, are merely keys—keys left behind by the Talisman Ancestor. Each one contains the laws of the world. The Devouring Talisman holds the Law of Devouring, the Flame Talisman holds the Law of Fire… But the laws themselves are not bound to these talismans. The Eight Ancient Lords could control the laws even without the talismans. What matters is understanding—the talisman just accelerates that process."
"Master said," she continued, "the laws can be comprehended with time. Even without the talismans, anyone can eventually master them."
The old man's expression shifted. "You… actually know this?"
He turned toward Ye Feng. "Did she speak the truth?"
Ye Feng nodded.
"She's absolutely right," the old man said with a solemn tone. "The ancestral talismans are not divine relics. They are tools to guide cultivation. Once you grasp the law itself, the talisman becomes… optional."
Having comprehended the Law of Devouring himself, the old man no longer clung to the talisman. Its worth lay in aiding those not yet enlightened.
Ye Feng's disciples, too, had confidence. They didn't need shortcuts—they would walk the path to power through their own will.
But Lin Langtian was different.
He had always been deeply influenced by Lin Dong. The fact that Lin Dong's strength had skyrocketed after obtaining a Strange Flame had left a deep impression on him. That envy had turned into obsession.
Seeing his resolve, Ye Feng gave him a long look. "Since everyone's agreed, then let it be Lin Langtian."
"Old man, you may begin."
The black-eyed elder nodded. Around the altar, the stone pillars began to crack.
Boom!
With an explosion, ten thousand beams of black light shot into the sky. They converged, twisting and merging into a single rune—a black symbol, sharp and cold, the size of a palm.
The black rune slowly descended toward Lin Langtian.
He reached out and caught it, feeling an intense chill seep into his body. The rune pulsed in his palm like it was alive, as if it were watching him.
"This," the old man said, "is the key to unsealing the Devouring Ancestral Talisman. Whether it accepts you or not depends on your fate."
He paused, then added solemnly, "Remember—this talisman isn't just power. It carries responsibility. When you wield it… you must also bear its burden. One day, you'll understand."
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