The Martial Emperor with Dragon Blood-Chapter 1160 - 1161: The Rune Convention Begins

The venue for the Rune Convention is at the Fu Sect; however, the Fu Sect is not large enough to accommodate so many participants. Therefore, before entering the Fu Sect, there is a screening checkpoint, and only those who pass it can enter the Fu Sect.

And the location of this checkpoint is in the Heavenly Talisman Realm.

Participants who want to enter the Heavenly Talisman Realm must gather at the Four Great Talisman Master Guilds.

When Ye Mo and Zi Xuan arrived at the Rune Master Guild, they could only see a dense crowd of figures. The Rune Master Guild wasn’t large to begin with, and now it was packed with the continent’s elite charm masters, so describing it as a sea of people wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

The scene was extremely noisy, with deafening shouts reverberating to the sky, turning into a terrifying sound wave that spread all around. Even relatively weak martial artists present might get injured by the sound wave.

"Tsk tsk, the charm masters participating in the competition are truly terrifying. Just here alone, there must be no less than ten thousand people,"

Ye Mo remarked in surprise.

This is just the Southern region Rune Master Guild, and with participants from the other three regions combined, there must be at least thirty to forty thousand, which means around fifty thousand participants altogether.

The number fifty thousand may not seem much when compared to the continent’s total population, but these charm masters are all above the seventh-tier level.

Just as Ye Mo was marveling, a loud bell tolled, resonating throughout the area.

Accompanying the bell’s echo, two figures flew out from a stone pagoda and landed atop the pagoda.

In an instant, all eyes were fixed on the two individuals, especially the woman in the front wearing a cheongsam. Although she seemed to be in her thirties, she exuded charm.

"She’s Yao Xuanzi, a disciple of Master Fuchen and one of the most talented charm masters. It’s said her seal technique has reached the ninth-rank fourth refinement."

"I didn’t expect Yao Xuanzi to show up. It seems Master Fuchen attaches great importance to this Rune Convention."

As they saw who appeared, the scene became noisy once again, clearly showing they were well aware of Yao Xuanzi’s reputation.

Yao Xuanzi waved her long sleeve, and a strong gust of wind blew over, instantly silencing the scene.

"Everyone, if you want the Rune Convention’s competition to start quickly, please listen quietly to what this old woman has to say."

Yao Xuanzi said calmly, without any change in her expression: "Some charm masters might already know the rules of the Rune Convention, but I will reiterate them once more. The final location of the competition is at Fu Sect; however, only ten spots are available for entry into the Fu Sect, and your sole path is through the Heavenly Talisman Realm, and once you get through it, you can reach Fu Sect."

The rules are simple: enter the Heavenly Talisman Realm, find the exit, and you will be able to reach Fu Sect.

"The Heavenly Talisman Realm was created by Teacher Fuchen. At its center lies a teleportation array connecting to the entrance of Fu Sect. Once the teleportation array senses ten people, it will automatically shut down. In the Heavenly Talisman Realm, there are countless Charm Spirits, creations of talisman transformations. Defeating them lets you acquire beast cores marked with special symbols. To compete in the final event at Fu Sect, you must create three seals using these beast cores. If you wish to enter Fu Sect, you must carry three cores. These are the rules of the Rune Convention."

Yao Xuanzi remarked calmly.

This tests both strength and seal technique, as only the first ten to enter Fu Sect pass the assessment. However, you need to defeat Charm Spirits to acquire beast cores.

Those confident in their seal techniques might only need to slay three spirits of corresponding attributes. Yet, the high failure rate of seal creation means three beast cores might not yield three seals, requiring more spirits to be slain, which delays time.

This indeed is a competition testing the comprehensive skills of charm masters.

As the murmurs subsided, Yao Xuanzi continued, "As for the event’s rewards, they will be announced by Teacher Fuchen at Fu Sect."

A roar of excitement arose once more within the sea of people as Yao Xuanzi’s words concluded. Fuchen would appear at the Rune Convention, an irresistible lure for any charm master. To them, seeing Fuchen was a tremendous honor since he was revered within the rune world.

Even Ye Mo felt a surge of excitement, deeply interested in such a legendary figure. What kind of person could create a talisman powerful enough to kill a being as mighty as the Heavenly Snare Blood Lady?

"Alright, the Heavenly Talisman Realm is about to open. Contestants from all four regions will enter simultaneously. Any charm master with a seventh-tier seal pin can enter."

Yao Xuanzi finished speaking, and a giant spatial rift mysteriously appeared in the sky, widening as everyone realized the Rune Convention was officially beginning.

"Ye Mo, good luck! We’ll be watching you from the audience at Fu Sect,"

Zi Xuan said.

Ye Mo nodded, leaped, and joined the crowd entering the spatial rift. Once everyone entered the Heavenly Talisman Realm, the spatial rift closed.

At the very moment the Rune Convention commenced, within the central pagoda of Fu Sect, the elderly congregated in communication with their minds.

"Teacher, is it true the Evil Talisman Spirit cannot be suppressed?"

In the pagoda, an elder seated at one side spoke in an aged voice.

"It’s not about suppression; I’m using the Evil Talisman Spirit to lure out the Evil Talisman Master. You all should know I recently discovered an Evil Talisman Master, who is likely Fu Rong. I’m hoping to take this chance to draw her out and kill her."

The elder sitting in the center said calmly.

"Could she be the Fu Rong who survived the Wraith Army’s attack on our Lingwu Continent, and also someone tied with you, Teacher?"

Another aged voice resonated.

"Hmph!"

The elder sitting in the center nodded: "Back then, she and I collaborated, spending a millennium to create seals surpassing the Divine Venerate Realm, transforming them into Charm Spirits. Little did I know she would embed dark arts within the seals, nurturing an evil entity. If allowed to escape, it would spell disaster. In my opinion, if she’s truly become an Evil Talisman Master, the threat is greater. If her dark techniques spread, it would heavily impact our legitimate seal traditions."

"That’s why you called back your disciples within The Seven Great Super-First-Rate Powers when they learned of this. Each has dispatched a Divine Venerate Realm expert, hidden to help us slay the Evil Talisman Master."

"Whether or not the Evil Talisman Master is Fu Rong, they might be hidden among the contestants. Their prowess would likely lead them to become the competition’s champion."

"Teacher, yesterday the Four Great Guilds reported a young man with Ninth Order Mental Power. Could he be the Evil Talisman Master?"

"Unlikely. The Evil Talisman Master’s methods are cunning; hiding from arrays’ detections is easy for them, exposing their identity isn’t possible."

The elder in the center remarked calmly.

"Alas, the evil entity grows stronger; if it breaks out, handling it would be nigh impossible. Were the little girl here, perhaps she could contend."

With the last words, silence fell over the pagoda.