The exit of the underground passage was covered with moss, and Chen Mohen's nails were picking at the fragments of the talisman paper in the crevices - the "hidden talisman" that had been rubbed off in panic just now, and the ink spread out in the damp air like a little snake breathing. He heard the sharp sound of a spike of sword sweeping over the stone wall behind him. Lingyue's flying sword had already pierced through three layers of defense talismans, and red light flickered at the end of the passage like a swarm of bloodthirsty fireflies.
"How long will it be until the exit?" Feng Hao's mechanical arm was stuck in the crevice of the rock. To protect everyone, he had just forcefully withstood the impact of the electromagnetic net with his arm. Blue-purple psychic energy oozed from the cracks on the metal surface, like bleeding wounds.
The last drop of Lin Banxia's mixture was left, and she dropped it onto Chen Mohen's talisman paper. The pale golden liquid spread along the ink and formed a fine line at the edge of the paper - that was the "data flow lock" that Yan Yuanxiu had taught her, which could temporarily free the paper from psychic control. "It's almost there," she stared at the changes in the fine line, "just turn this corner."
Ling Yue's voice suddenly echoed through the passage, with the characteristic tremor of talismans: "Chen Mohen, the stolen talisman paper will never make a difference!"
Before he could finish his words, dozens of flying swords suddenly shot out from the corner, chains of runes on the tassels weaving a dense web in the air, even the light was cut into pieces. The one at the front still had a notch, which Chen Mohen recognized. It was the last time it had been bent by an iron lump outside the fortress, but now it was sharper, with the tip pointing straight to his throat.
"Who said I was using a stolen one?" Chen Mohen suddenly laughed and threw all the talismans out of his bosom. The Qingxiao talismans, soaked in the mixture and scratched by the nails, exploded in the air, and the bluish-golden light collided with the red light of the flying sword, causing the sword net to freeze for a moment.
"Impossible!" Ling Yue's dust gave a sudden jolt, his finger energy soared, "My talisman..."
His words got stuck in his throat. The flying swords, which were supposed to follow orders, suddenly seemed to have their souls drawn out. The tips of the swords turned in unison, and the three at the front even spun in the air. The runes on the tassels made a "sizzle" sound and pierced at the disciples of the Qingxiao Pavilion behind them.
"Oh dear, I failed." Chen Mohen whistled and looked at his disciples' frantic dodging, "probably they want freedom too."
Feng Hao's mechanical arm suddenly resonated, and the blue-purple psychic energy spread along the passage, interweaving with the light of the talisman paper into a web. He looked at the flying swords hesitating in the air and suddenly understood what Chen Mohen had done - not destruction, but awakening. These talismans, which were regarded as tools by the Qingxiao Pavilion, were catalyzed by the mixture of liquid and data flow to produce the most primitive "choice".
"Kill them!" Ling Yue's robe was puffed up by his psychic energy, and he personally pinched the magic formula, attempting to forcibly detonate the psychic energy of the flying sword.
But it was too late. Chen Mohen threw out the last "Chaos Talisman", the talisman paper exploded in the center of the sword net, and the blue-gold light enveloped all the flying swords. The swords suddenly trembled violently, and the rune chains of the tassels broke inch by inch, turning into a sky full of light spots that circled three times in the passage and flew towards the exit as if leading the way for everyone.
"Go!" Lin Banxia grabbed Chen Mohen, who was still in a daze. The mechanical dog wagged its tail towards the light spot, and the green light of the electronic eye resonated with the light spot.
Ling Yue stood still, looking at his empty fingertips, which still had the lingering warmth of the spirit energy to control the flying sword. For the first time, he discovered that even the "orthodox" talismans could betray. From the depths of the passage came Feng Hao's roar, with the relief of breaking the situation, like a slap on the Daoist tradition he was proud of.
The light at the exit grew brighter and brighter. Chen Mohen looked back and saw the rebellious flying swords blocking the entrance of the passage, like a group of sentries holding their ground. He suddenly felt that the crooked BUG talismans he had drawn were more understanding of "the heartbeat of the spirit energy" than all the orthodox 符箓 of qingxiao Pavilion combined.
The wind from the exit, carrying the smell of rust, rushed onto the face. The ink-stained talismans still flickered behind, like a string of unextinguished lanterns. He watched the rebellious flying swords explode at the entrance of the passage, red light and blue gold light interwoven into smoke, suddenly crouching on the ground and laughing, laughing until tears came out.
"What are you laughing at?" Lin handed him a piece of nutritional paste. The mechanical dog was playing with a fragment of a sword spike in its mouth. The green light of the electronic eye illuminated the fragment - the runes on it had faded, revealing the metallic patterns beneath, which turned out to be the data flow symbols of the previous era.
"Turns out..." Chen Mohen's voice choked a little. "The talismans of the Qingxiao Pavilion are made from data streams."
Feng Hao's mechanical arm rested on his shoulder, and his blue-purple psychic energy fluctuated slightly. From a distance came Ling Yue's furious roar, mingled with the crackling of burning talismans, clearly the old Taoist was destroying those "rebellious tools". "He can't destroy the root." Feng Hao stared at the smoke at the entrance of the passage. "Once the data flow awakens, it can never go back."
Qin Tieluo suddenly patted Chen Mohen on the back of the head: "Kid, that hand just now was pretty! It was even more efficient than my father's dismantling of psychic bombs back then." He held a fragment of an iron lump in his hand, on which the psychic energy was still burning hot. "Next, it's Zhao Kun's turn to have a taste of his mecha."
Outside the exit was an abandoned spiritual vein mine, the ground covered with turtle cracks, and there was still a faint golden glow in it - a trace of the coexistence of pre-era spiritual energy and data. Yan Yuanxiu's data stream suddenly came from the depths of the mine, casting a map of Zhao Kun's mecha distribution on the ground: "Ironguard 7 is in the northwest direction. It takes three minutes to charge the electromagnetic cannon."
Chen Mohen's talisman paper quivered slightly in the wind of the mine, as if responding to those ancient traces. He picked up a piece of crushed stone and drew a huge array of talismans on the ground. This time, the ink was no longer crooked, but with the smoothness of the data flow. The blue and golden light spread along the lines and merged with the traces of the spiritual veins underground.
"This is called the 'Freedom Array'." He pointed to the eye of the array, where there were fragments of flying swords. "When they come in, we'll know who the real tool is."
Ling Yue's flying sword finally broke through the passage, but it stopped the moment it touched the talisman array. The runes on the sword spikes began to peel off, revealing the data flow beneath. The old Taoist stood at the entrance of the passage, looking at the flowing light in the mine, and for the first time showed an expression of fear.
Chen Mohen waved at him, and the talisman array suddenly lit up, swallowing the red light of all the flying swords. The swords swirled in the air for a moment and then turned into a sky full of light, merging into the spiritual veins of the mine - they finally returned to their birthplace, no longer anyone's tool.
"That's what talismans should look like." The last drop of the mixture evaporated in the sunlight, turning into a faint light that danced with the light spot, Lin Banxia said softly.
Feng Hao's mechanical arm resonated with the spiritual veins of the mine, and in the blue-purple light, he seemed to see countless talismans dancing and countless data streams singing. And in this mine composed of freedom and awakening, their counterattack has only just begun.