Over the past thousand years, none of the three great holy cities has ever been completely controlled by any single family head, which has led to the current situation where numerous powers share control of the three cities.
However, after centuries of searching, cultivators from all factions discovered that the three holy cities simply do not contain the so-called secret to ascension.
Or rather, such a secret might have existed in the past, but it has long since been taken away.
Nevertheless, after a thousand years of war and evolution, the appeal of the three holy cities no longer lies solely in the secret of ascension. They have become a place of spiritual pilgrimage in the hearts of all cultivators on the Three Saints Island.
Thus arose the saying that whoever controls the three holy cities controls the voice of the entire Three Saints Island.
Perhaps it was fate, but in the power struggles of the last hundred years, the Su family and the Wang family have once again risen to prominence, each producing a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Consequently, the two families began clearing out all other forces from their respective holy cities, aiming to become the sole power in each city.
Not only that, they also extended their reach into the third holy city.
The Xia family was originally the leading force in the third holy city, Yingzhou, and their ancestor was a mighty cultivator at the peak of Core Formation stage.
Moreover, the Xia family excelled in the Dao of talismans. Almost every Xia descendant was a talisman master, so they enjoyed widespread connections. Although their overall strength was inferior to the Su and Wang families, their prestige actually surpassed both.
If the Su and Wang families wanted to control Yingzhou, they naturally had to deal with the Xia family first. This was the real reason for the Xia family’s destruction.
What Xia An could not understand, however, was that at the beginning the Su and Wang families had worked together to suppress the Xia family, yet three months ago the Wang family suddenly went quiet while the Su family became increasingly active.
Therefore, it was mainly the Su family that annihilated the Xia family, which was why Xia An hated the Su family so deeply.
After listening to the Xia siblings’ account, Mo Fan finally gained a preliminary understanding of Three Saints Island and vaguely realised why the Wang family had suddenly fallen silent.
Because, if he calculated the timing, that was exactly when the Wang family elders suffered a setback at Black Wind Mountain.
Thinking of the three Wang family elders who were still shovelling dung at Black Wind Mountain, Mo Fan could not help feeling amused. No wonder the Wang family had gone quiet.
Losing four Core Formation elders at once was a huge blow even for the Wang family.
“The three holy cities may not hold the mystery of ascension, but they certainly contain secrets unknown to the public. Otherwise, it would be impossible for wars to rage for so many years.
The fact that the Su and Wang families managed to rise again after centuries of obscurity probably means they have grasped some of those city secrets.
That is precisely why they are reaching for the third holy city once more!”
Mo Fan speculated silently. He did not believe for a moment that these two families would orchestrate everything just for mundane fame and profit.
After all, to cultivators, worldly power is not as important as most people imagine, especially for great clans with histories stretching back hundreds or thousands of years. They could not possibly fail to understand this.
Of course, idiots like Su Ze whose brains are ruled by lust are another matter entirely.
“So why exactly is Su Ze pursuing you two siblings so relentlessly?”
“Logically speaking, your Xia family has already been destroyed. The two of you alone should not be able to stir up much trouble. Yet to hunt you down, the Su family specially sent a late-stage Core Formation expert to search for you across the vast ocean. What exactly is their goal?”
Mo Fan looked at the siblings and asked with a faint smile.
He naturally knew why the Su family was chasing them. Besides eliminating roots, the most important reason was the talisman Dao inheritance.
However, he could not say that directly, so he chose to probe indirectly, letting the siblings reveal it themselves. That approach felt less abrupt.
Little Yellow, listening nearby, was somewhat speechless.
He thought to himself that the king was usually direct and straightforward. Why had he suddenly picked up the human habit of beating around the bush?
Mo Fan’s words instantly put the Xia siblings on high alert. After a moment of hesitation, Xia An gave a bitter smile and said, “Since the benefactor saved us, I naturally dare not conceal anything.”
“The reason Su Ze is hunting us is actually for our Xia family’s talisman Dao inheritance.”
“I’m sure the benefactor heard earlier that the inheritance is hidden inside our family’s heirloom Water-Avoiding Pearl. I have now used a secret method to conceal that pearl deep in the sea. Without my talisman markings to guide the way, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be unable to locate it!”
Mo Fan nodded upon hearing this, then said with a touch of amusement, “You don’t need to be so guarded against me. Truth be told, I am not particularly interested in your family’s talisman inheritance.”
His words immediately made the Xia siblings feel rather embarrassed.
Mo Fan had saved their lives, yet they were still defending themselves against him at every turn. Xia An quickly said with an awkward expression, “Benefactor, I did not mean to guard against you on purpose. It’s just that the talisman inheritance is an ancestral treasure of our Xia family, now even more important than our own lives. I truly dare not reveal it lightly.”
“No matter, I understand.” Mo Fan smiled and shook his head, then continued, “Since your Xia family specialises in talisman crafting, do you know how to make messaging talismans?”
“Yes!”
Xia An nodded and said, “Making messaging talismans is actually not difficult. The hard part is obtaining the materials.”
Mo Fan’s heart leapt with joy at this. He immediately asked, “Can the two of you make messaging talismans?”
“Does the benefactor need messaging talismans very much?”
Xia An looked at Mo Fan, thought for a moment, and said, “We siblings do know how to make them, but now that our Xia family has been destroyed, all the talisman-making materials have fallen into the Su family’s hands, so it is rather difficult.”
“What materials are required?” Mo Fan asked.
“We need talisman paper made from thousand-year tree bark, demon sand made from demon blood, and void sand that is also used for making storage bags,” Xia An explained.
Hearing this, Mo Fan frowned slightly. “Demon blood and void sand are not a problem, but thousand-year tree bark seems troublesome. Is there any substitute?”
“Of course. The hide or fur of some demons can also be used,” Xia An smiled, then added, “Actually, demon sand and thousand-year tree bark are not hard to obtain. The most crucial ingredient is void sand. If the benefactor is not short of void sand, then everything else is manageable.”
Mo Fan’s face lit up with delight, but he soon shook his head with a wry smile. “I do indeed want a large number of messaging talismans, but the problem is that I do not have any void sand on me right now. By the time I fetch some, it will probably take several months…”
Only then did Mo Fan remember that this Water Moon avatar of his carried plenty of spirit stones but no void stones, and therefore no void sand.
“Several months…”
The Xia siblings exchanged a glance, both looking helpless.
“Whether we siblings will still be alive in a few months is anyone’s guess…”
Xia An gave a bitter laugh, then took a deep breath as if she had made a decision. She said to Mo Fan, “Actually, the method for making messaging talismans is not complicated. If the benefactor needs it, I can teach the technique to you as repayment for saving our lives!”
“If that is possible, nothing could be better!”
Mo Fan did not refuse. He did indeed want to obtain the method for crafting messaging talismans.
In truth, if possible, he would rather take these Xia siblings under his command.
However, that thought merely flashed through his mind.
After all, with their family destroyed, these two would never let the matter rest. They were destined to cause trouble. Even if they could not take revenge, they would at least want to make life difficult for the Su family.
Because of that, the siblings would certainly never be willing to leave Three Saints Island.
Next, Xia An transmitted the complete method for crafting messaging talismans directly into Mo Fan’s mind using spiritual sense, along with the techniques for making talisman paper, demon sand, and talisman brushes.
