"Damn it! If this forging fails, every divine power will collapse, and all my cultivation will scatter like water! Even with the World Tree feeding me endless immortal qi, my mana still can't keep up! How can turning fifty-five divine abilities into a single life-bound talisman be this impossible?"
Only now did Fang Han finally understand why no one in the world cultivated such a monstrous talisman—because it was essentially impossible.
First, the time required to train fifty-five major divine abilities was unimaginable.
Even if someone tried to shortcut by stealing other people's Golden Cores, they'd have to hope their sea of consciousness could even withstand the influx. And without the Gate of Hell, it was impossible anyway—Golden Core experts could detonate themselves the moment their core was threatened.
Even someone lucky enough to pick up a Golden Core—like the one Fang Han acquired from the Fire Cloud Fairy—would still face the hard limit of mental capacity.
And even if one could hold so many divine powers, the moment they began to merge, the consumption of mana was catastrophic. Almost no cultivator could endure that level of drain. Had the World Tree not been pouring power into him, he would have been drained dry the moment the forging began—every divine power collapsing, his foundation broken, his life ruined.
He hadn't expected the cost of forging fifty-five major divine abilities into a single talisman to be so terrifying. Had he known, he would have prepared far more extensively.
But it wasn't truly his fault. A cultivator in the Divine Ability—Heaven-Man Realm with fifty-five major divine powers was nearly unheard of in the history of the world. In ten thousand years of the cultivation world, perhaps not a single such person appeared. No experience. No references. No precedent.
"Come on! Hurry! Bring out all the spirit crystals! Now—now!"
Two massive treasure bags burst open, and Fang Han instantly drew out every last spirit crystal stolen from Moon-Piercing Thief and Star-Extinguishing Thief. One after another, the crystals detonated, their essence erupting into pure energy that he swallowed, refined, and sent roaring toward the forging talisman.
Crackling explosions filled the cavern.
Mountains of priceless spirit crystals vaporized into dust. Only then did Fang Han finally feel his mana stabilizing as the divine abilities continued to merge.
Boom.
A deep, bone-shaking thud echoed through the chamber. Nebula Baby collapsed onto the ground, Yan's demonic body trembled violently, and the Blood Night King's eyes widened, his entire form quivering as he witnessed what was unfolding.
Because at that moment—
The fifty-five divine powers finally fused.
They condensed into a talisman three feet long, nine inches wide—radiant, living, and terrifying.
What kind of talisman was this?
At its core blazed an unbearable, multicolored radiance. Around it, galaxies swirled, thunder roared, mountains shifted, tigers and dragons leapt, ancient characters shone, blades and fists flickered, and countless human silhouettes materialized—each striking hand seals and martial forms in endless variation.
A force of pure dominance surged from it, pushing Nebula Baby and even the three Dao Artifacts away as though they weighed nothing. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't approach.
The talisman continued to evolve. Rings of auspicious clouds coiled around it, merging with the five-colored radiance to form tiny figures chanting strange scriptures—miniature golden-armored gods blowing conch shells and pounding on celestial drums.
"Conch shells… and heavenly drums!"
Yan and Nebula Baby shouted together.
They weren't hallucinating.
The life-bound talisman itself was producing conch-blown hymns and drum-thunder.
A heavenly omen. A once-in-a-lifetime omen.
"Fang Han has the foundation of an immortal!" Nebula Baby exclaimed. "My father always said—if someone forging a life-bound talisman, Golden Core, or Dao Manifestation triggers the omen of conch and drum, it means their foundation is unimaginably deep. That person may one day ascend to immortality!"
"Conch and drum… the sign of an immortal seed!" Yan echoed.
Cultivators who reached the Longevity Mysteries Realm were already one in millions. But for one of those rare experts to then step further and break open the barrier of worlds to ascend into the Immortal Realm? That required luck, destiny, talent, background—and an unfathomably solid foundation from the very beginning.
The omen they were witnessing now was one of those impossible signs.
Of course, this was merely the first step of a journey tens of thousands of steps long. Ascension was still an almost unreachable horizon. Long before that awaited the countless tribulations of the Longevity Mysteries.
Even so, Fang Han's newly forged talisman was indescribably powerful. It surpassed the Blood Night King, surpassed the Sun-Moon-Five-Star Bracelet, surpassed even Yan's current strength. And it was his own. A power honed through his own blood and effort—utterly reliable, utterly his.
"Hahaha! Yan, Blood Night King—we're leaving. We're going to find the talisman the ancient demon sage spoke of at the center of the Five Elements Realm. Protect Nebula Baby. I don't need protection anymore. With my life-bound talisman complete, the Five Emperor Great Demon Divine Ability flows in my veins. No evil can touch me. No spell can break me!"
The talisman floated above him as Fang Han shot upward, bursting out from underground. Wherever its light passed, all earth and stone melted into vapor and were drawn into the talisman, becoming pure Earth Emperor qi.
He could now burrow through ground at will—any earth around him turning instantly into elemental essence. Such was the mastery of the Five Emperor Divine Ability.
With this talisman, ordinary Dao Artifacts couldn't scratch him. Even a normal Golden Core detonating at full power wouldn't kill him—it might wound him at most. Only a Golden Core forged from twenty or more divine abilities could pose true danger.
His talisman was now the perfect weapon and shield, both offense and defense united.
Bursting into open air, Fang Han felt a surge of exhilaration—an invincible dominance.
Staring across the horizon, he felt as if he stood above the world.
"Meng Shaobai… if I meet you again, I'll beat you like a dog. Your Lifeless Sword Dao can't touch my talisman. I've finally reached the sixth realm of divine abilities—Unity Realm! As for Hua Tiandu… the day I beat you like a dog isn't far either."
With a roar, he shot across the sky.
Others from the Taiyi Sect had entered the Five Elements Realm. That meant he had to seize the talisman mentioned by the ancient demon sage before anyone else. It was said to be the key to controlling this realm—and the only way for him to leave. He couldn't rely on Taiyi's portal, nor wait for someone to rescue him.
After mastering the Five Emperor Divine Ability here, Fang Han was more certain than ever:
This place was an extraordinary cultivation ground.
Better than Yuhuamen's Heavenly Demon Battlefield by leagues. If Yuhuamen's Essence Pills allowed disciples to step into the Divine Ability Realm, this realm could let them perfect their qi, or push Heaven-Man experts into Unity Realm.
To any Divine Ability cultivator, two things were paramount—pills and elemental essence. Scarce, costly, time-consuming. Even major clans struggled. Rogue cultivators suffered even more.
But this realm was filled with priceless spirit beasts—White Tigers, Vermilion Birds, Serpent Kings, even Golden-Essence Wasp Queens, Fire Ravens, Wood Giants. Any one of them could be refined into a weapon or puppet.
First—seize the talisman.
Then—fight the elites of the Taiyi Sect.
With his life-bound talisman complete, Fang Han was brimming with ambition.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh.
As he sped through the deeper regions, he startled another powerful beast. Here, lesser creatures no longer appeared—only solitary giants, creatures on par with ancient primeval spirits.
A surge of water erupted from underground like a mountain exploding, rising into an iceberg-shaped pillar. Atop it manifested a monstrous creature—dragon head, turtle shell, serpentine tail. Its shell shimmered with countless runes, radiating boundless water essence.
A Black Tortoise.
A true water-element divine beast.
"A human cultivator dares intrude upon my domain?" the Xuanwu roared, its voice like rolling thunder.
"Die."
Fang Han didn't bother speaking. His talisman shot forward, a streak of annihilating brilliance.
The Xuanwu sneered and spat a sea of Kuishui Divine Thunder.
But the moment those bolts touched Fang Han's talisman, they disintegrated and were absorbed. The talisman expanded, erupting into fifty-five blades of radiant energy—
—and twisted.
Boom.
The Xuanwu—and the mountain beneath it—shattered into vapor. All of its water essence was swallowed by the talisman. Fang Han felt his Water Emperor power surging—his water clouds now able to blanket a hundred miles while still unleashing Kuishui Divine Thunder.
Behind him, the Blood Night King, Star Zen, Nebula Baby, and Yan all froze in shock.
A Xuanwu—equal to a seventh-realm Divine Ability Golden Core cultivator—had been obliterated instantly.
What kind of talisman had he forged?
"Hmph. This is nothing. That Xuanwu had the strength of a Golden Core expert, but lacked flexibility. One day, I'll test this talisman against a true Golden Core cultivator."
Fang Han said coldly, his pride soaring.