Splitting the Heavens
Chapter 1845: Guardian Talisman Sword

Chapter 1845: Guardian Talisman Sword

Under Sage Jin’s control, the golden ship masked its presence and successfully evaded the patrol vessels of the Essence Frontier World.

Relative to the Essence Frontier World’s position, the golden ship slowly arrived at the upper left region of the Nebula Forbidden Region.

Below, amidst the turbulent mix of starlight, broken floating continents, and asteroids, a vortex of void slowly rotated downward.

Over the course of their journey across the outer perimeter of the Nebula Forbidden Region, the group had already encountered more than 10 such void vortexes of varying sizes.

Those were merely the ones they had seen. All around the vast perimeter of the forbidden region, countless similar vortexes existed.

In fact, the Nebula Forbidden Region looked like an irregular sphere composed of countless spinning void maelstroms of various sizes.

"You’re sure this is where you broke out?!" Zhuo Gudao asked, peering down from the ship with a nervous gulp.

Sage Jin glanced at him and replied firmly, "Do I look like someone who would joke about this?"

Yuan Ping added, "It’s been centuries since you escaped... How can you be certain the route hasn’t changed or that this entrance hasn’t been discovered by others?"

Both Shang Xia and Zhuo Gudao nodded slightly. Clearly, those concerns weighed on their minds as well.

Sage Jin understood that at this point, he needed to prove himself. Though the others had agreed to cooperate, they were not the type to act without proof.

After a moment’s contemplation, Sage Jin retrieved a short wooden sword, less than a foot long, from his sleeve. It was covered in intricate runes that proved it was no ordinary treasure.

"Is that... Is that a Talisman Sword?" Zhuo Gudao asked, frowning as he examined the item. After a pause, he said with uncertainty, "I think I’ve read something like that in some ancient records left by the Star Origin Lord."

Sage Jin raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I didn’t think Sage Zhuo would recognize it!”

Zhuo Gudao waved his hand modestly. "I only know fragments from what I’ve read. My understanding of the uses of a Talisman Sword is very limited."

Sage Jin nodded. "As you all know, I hail from the Essence Wilderness World, and I reached my current achievements today because of my sword arts. But what you may not know is that my sect was not famed for sword arts. In fact, it was ranked in the middle tiers among the Elysium-level powers of my world. If I hadn’t reached the Martial Emptiness Realm, my sect might have been wiped out.”

What he said was so strange that everyone widened their eyes in shock. Had he not spoken with such gravity, all of them would have thought he was joking.

Seeing their reactions, Sage Jin continued, "I know it sounds strange, but it’s the truth. I tried to do what I could for my sect and shared all my sword techniques with them. However, the lineage of my sect rose too quickly and lacked foundation. Even with my sword arts, there was little alignment with the sect’s legacy. The Talisman Sword lineage is one of the few meaningful integrations of my sword arts with my sect’s heritage."

His statement left each of the three with different thoughts, but it helped them form a clearer picture of Sage Jin, his sect, and the Essence Wilderness World.

Shang Xia then asked, "It sounds like your sect was quite proficient in the dao of talismans?"

"Well..." Sage Jin hesitated briefly, which was rare for him. "Not particularly. It was more of something many of them comprehended. At the very least, they can’t match up to a true rank seven Talisman Grandmaster like you, Sage Shang.”

Both Zhuo Gudao and Yuan Ping turned to stare at Shang Xia.

Though they already knew, the title of a rank seven Talisman Grandmaster still drew their admiration.

Sage Jin’s comments also hinted at the predicament his sect faced in his world.

It was a peculiar dynamic. Sage Jin’s martial progression didn’t seem to have benefited much from his sect. Rather than symbiotic, their relationship appeared parallel and distant.

Shang Xia had once felt that Sage Jin’s story was not unlike his own rise through the Tongyou Institution. However, unlike Sage Jin, Shang Xia received huge support from the institution.

When Shang Xia developed his own martial system, the institution even started to integrate his teachings with the training of disciples. Naturally, the had his permission and blessing.

That said, with Shang Xia rapid rise, the balance often tilted more toward his contributions, while the institution’s support waned in comparison. However, that was understandable. His speed of advancement was just too damn fast! In fact, it even reached a point that seemed outrageous. Even the institution didn’t know what they could do for him any longer.

Zhuo Gudao quickly brought the focus back. "So, what’s the point of the Talisman Sword?"

"My sect’s Talisman Swords weren’t just powerful in battle. They also functioned as beacons for messaging, positioning, and tracking."

"When I was trapped in the Nebula Forbidden Region, I used several of them to try to mark my position and contact the sect. None of those attempts succeeded, and the Talisman Swords were lost."

As he spoke, he slowly raised the sword in his hand. "However, those swords lost have now become markers. They mark out the coordinates that can help me retrace my escape route!"

Yuan Ping raised an eyebrow and asked with suspicion, "But it’s been centuries. Are you saying these Talisman Swords still exist and can still function?"

At that, both Zhuo Gudao and Sage Jin turned to Shang Xia, clearly hoping for insight from the mighty Talisman Grandmaster.

Shang Xia kept his eyes on the sword before asking, "Are they part of a set? Are those Guardian-Ward Talisman Swords? Is the one you’re holding the Guardian Talisman Sword?”

Sage Jin burst into laughter and exclaimed, "Sage Shang, you truly deserve your title! One glance and you saw through it! Yes. This is the Guardian Talisman Sword. There were originally nine Ward Talisman Swords, which I prepared back then before entering. As long as the Ward Talisman Sword isn’t destroyed, it can still form a connection with the Guardian Talisman Sword.”

Zhuo Gudao quickly asked, "How many of them can you still sense?"

Sage Jin paused and replied, "Three. Two are faint but stable. The third... The connection flickers. I can’t be certain it still exists."

Yuan Ping added, "So if we follow the resonance between your Guardian Talisman Sword and the remaining Ward Talisman Swords, we can find the same route you once used to escape?”

"Exactly!"