Chapter 0770: A Minor Disturbance

Chapter 0770: A Small Upheaval

The power of that Talisman was beyond what Qin Yun and Jian Linglong thought possible.

Qin Yun also realized that if combined with Dao Runes, the power would surely be even stronger.

After her initial shock wore off, Jian Linglong asked, "What level of shockwave was that?"

Jian Shitian glanced at the scoring disk in his hand, which displayed the number—one hundred!

Level 100 shockwave!

The other Runes Masters couldn't stomach this result.

Had those runes been inscribed by Jian Linglong, it might have been understandable, but they were crafted by some kid.

This could only mean that the young man had insane rune skills—perhaps even a Rune Soul!

Only with such an advantage could he inscribe such powerful runes in such a short time.

Jian Linglong knew Qin Yun had used Fire Totems, but the sheer power still exceeded her expectations.

"We're now in first place!"

Though still bewildered, Jian Linglong couldn't resist smirking at the group of grim-faced Runes Masters.

Jian Linglong and Qin Yun's team taking first place again left the senior Runes Masters seething with jealousy.

The competition arena was severely damaged, and the prestigious Sword Immortal Pavilion got hit the hardest—their Dao Rune was destroyed!

"Everyone, please rest for two hours. We'll quickly restore the competition grounds!"

Jian Shitian picked up a fragment, his gut twisting in pain, then glanced at Qin Yun.

Now, all the Runes Masters were intensely curious—what the hell kind of runes had Qin Yun inscribed to produce such earth-shattering power?

That level of power was comparable to mid-to-high-grade Talismans!

And such Talismans usually required weeks of work to craft.

It was impossible to create one in just three hours, which puzzled many Runes Masters.

Jian Linglong had a hunch that Qin Yun had obtained the Star Monarch Rune Soul and had inscribed insane star runes earlier.

Of course, this was just speculation—she didn't voice it aloud.

Qin Yun and Jian Linglong were catching their breath at the edge of the arena. Only ten teams remained for the next round.

Mu Fengxiao's team had been eliminated this time.

Jian Shitian called in a crew to swiftly repair the damaged arena, just slapping down some new paving stones.

At that moment, several Mystic Rune Masters approached.

"Jian Linglong, what kind of runes did you two inscribe?" The speaker was a grizzled old-timer, his affiliation unknown.

"What runes we used is none of your business!" Jian Linglong retorted coldly, sensing the elder's aggressive attitude.

"That level of power breaks all the rules! We suspect that little devil used forbidden runes!" The elder snarled. "If true, the Runes Hall will come down hard!"

Jian Linglong immediately flared up and shouted, "What forbidden runes nonsense! You sanctimonious swine from the Runes Hall! Instead of wasting time on baseless accusations, why don’t you go fight the Demon Cultivators invading Linghuang (Spirit Barrens)?"

That elder turned out to be from the Runes Hall.

Only the Runes Hall sticks its nose into everything like this.

"Jian Linglong, your disrespect to the Runes Hall means forfeiting your badge!" the elder roared, clearly holding a high position in the Runes Hall.

"Here! You old fraud! If you don’t clarify this nonsense about forbidden runes today, I’ll make you pay!"

Furious, Jian Linglong took out her badge, crushed it forcefully, and threw it to the ground.

"You... you..." The elder grew even angrier, pointing at her but unable to speak.

"Explain this ‘forbidden runes’ crap now, damn you! Otherwise, I’ll take it as you deliberately provoking trouble. I’ll break your legs or die trying!"

Enraged, Jian Linglong had flames erupt around her and drew a sword thrumming with power, pointing it at the elder.

In truth, the so-called forbidden runes were just Star Runes, Moon Runes, and Sun Patterns.

But these runes are common—even this competition offered them as rewards.

Calling these three runes "forbidden" was just a ploy to restrict their widespread use among Runes Masters.

Generally, only the Runes Hall had official rights to them.

However, major sects and families had influence within the Runes Hall, with members serving there, so they were effectively authorized to use them.

In other words, forbidden runes weren’t inherently dangerous, unlike demonic cultivation.

This was precisely why Jian Linglong was so furious—the elder was clearly manufacturing a pretext, exaggerating the issue to target Qin Yun, then coercing him into surrendering those runes for the Runes Hall’s own gain.

Senior Runes Masters from the Runes Hall often pulled such stunts, but this time, they’d bitten off more than they could chew.

Feeling Jian Linglong’s killing aura, the elder from the Runes Hall quickly looked to Jian Shitian for help.

Jian Shitian stepped forward.

"Linglong, if you have grievances, settle them after leaving Sword Island," Jian Shitian said.

"Fine! The second this bastard steps off Sword Island, I’ll send him straight to the afterlife!" Jian Linglong sheathed her sword.

"That little devil used forbidden runes!"

"Without the Runes Hall’s permission, they are forbidden! Forbidden runes are unstable—using them without sufficient skill brings great danger!"

"You all saw how that talisman turned monstrous after he inscribed the runes, didn’t you? That’s the instability of forbidden runes!"

The elder from the Runes Hall kept bellowing, doubling down.

The Runes Hall was hell-bent on barring Qin Yun’s use of those runes.

Jian Linglong asked coldly, "Alright then, what’s your solution?"

"Of course, he must hand over those forbidden runes for our collective ‘research’! We’ll refine them for stability, allowing everyone to learn together!" The elder sneered.

"Go to hell and dream there!" Jian Linglong’s temper flared. She lunged, grabbed the elder’s throat.

Jian Shitian and several HalfImmortals rushed to intervene and pull her away.

Jian Linglong cursed furiously! The audacity!

The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall was fearful deep down, yet he still shouted, "All Runes Masters must band together and force that little devil to hand over the forbidden runes!"

At this moment, many Runes Masters stepped forward as well!

None were from the Jian family. Though they often mocked Jian Linglong, they could now see that this volcanic beauty was about to erupt.

If provoked, she would undoubtedly show no mercy and start slaughtering indiscriminately.

"Jian Shitian, the Sword and Rune Tournament hosted by your Sword Immortal Pavilion has faced this development. You should disqualify that little devil and arrest him!"

The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall, emboldened by the support of many Mystic Rune Masters, gained confidence and continued shouting at Qin Yun.

Jian Shitian said, "We'll address this after the competition!"

Jian Linglong was protected by two HalfImmortals, so she couldn’t charge forward.

Qin Yun suddenly spoke up, "I truly don't know what forbidden runes are. Why don’t you explain to me what they are?"

"Forbidden runes are... exactly what they sound like—forbidden runes! They are extraordinarily powerful, wicked runes!"

The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall dared not directly name the StarMoon Sigil, as many factions were using it.

"To be honest, I carved a Fire Totem on that talisman earlier," Qin Yun added. "Is that a forbidden rune?"

Fire Totem!

This caused an uproar among the Runes Masters.

"How could you possibly carve a Fire Totem in such a short time? Impossible!" The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall shouted back instantly, "You're lying!"

"If I did carve it, what then?" Qin Yun sneered. "You slandered me earlier—this insult won't go unanswered!"

"Hmph, how can I verify whether what you possess is truly the Fire Totem? Unless you reveal it!" The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall scoffed.

Many Runes Masters joined in, shouting in agreement.

Qin Yun chuckled, then took out a sheet of paper and quickly sketched out complex runes with a brush.

After nearly an hour, Qin Yun finished.

"Here’s the Fire Totem. Take it!" Qin Yun handed the paper over.

The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall accepted it and studied it intently.

Many Runes Masters pushed forward to see as well.

Jian Linglong didn't understand Qin Yun's game, but she knew he would never hand over the true Fire Totem.

"This... this is indeed the Fire Totem!" declared a seasoned elder Mystic Rune Master.

It was actually the real Fire Totem!

The entire venue exploded with excitement.

The elder from the Mystic Rune Hall also concentrated hard, committing the runes on the paper to memory.

By now, many Runes Masters were convinced—this was the genuine Fire Totem!

"It's real, copy it down quickly!"

"Quick, write it down!"

Many Runes Masters took out their recording tools. As long as they observed the paper for a while, they could record it.

At that moment, the paper suddenly spontaneously combusted!

This immediately drew furious curses from many Runes Masters.

"You sneaky bastard! I gave you the Fire Totem, yet you tried to keep it all for yourself!" Qin Yun shouted angrily at the elder from the Runes Hall.

"That paper burned on its own—what does that have to do with me? Just make another one!" The elder from the Runes Hall was also stunned.

"Hmph, the Fire Totem I obtained is extremely special—it can only be inscribed twice every three years! The carving just now was my last chance in these three years."

"If I carve the Fire Totem consecutively, I’ll suffer backlash and go berserk!"

"You’re from the Runes Hall—you must know this! So you burned that paper to keep it all for yourself, didn’t you?" Qin Yun said furiously.

When it came to totem runes, even many Mystic Rune Masters knew very little.

So they were inclined to believe Qin Yun’s words, as they were certain that what they had just seen was the intricate and powerful Fire Totem rune.

They had a real chance to obtain the Fire Totem rune, but now it was destroyed by the elder from the Runes Hall!

Jian Linglong smirked inwardly, then played along with Qin Yun, coldly saying, "This old fraud from the Runes Hall must have pulled some trick to instantly record the Fire Totem rune before burning the paper. What a scumbag!"

Filled with rage, the elder from the Runes Hall shouted, "You little weasel, it was clearly your doing!"

Qin Yun shot back, "I gave you the Fire Totem, trusting you'd share it with everyone after verifying it! Instead, you tried to keep it for yourself—and now you blame me?"