Chapter 180: Peace Talisman

Scenario 29.8, Immortal Sword Demon Tower:

"Escape the Demon Tower and protect Zhao Ling'er and Lin Yue Ru from death."

Standing at the entrance of the Demonizing Water, Li Nianlong looked at Zhao Ling'er and Lin Yue Ru with a slight smile. "This time, it's very dangerous. Actually, I can go alone. You can stay up here and protect yourselves."

"No!" Lin Yue Ru shook her head repeatedly. "If we go, we go together!"

Zhao Ling'er also said firmly, "Wherever Brother Menglong goes, I will go. We will never be apart."

The two girls were so determined to follow him down that Li Nianlong hugged them tightly before taking out two sets of full-body armor. "In that case, wear these."

"Is this armor?" The two girls were surprised to see the shiny full-body armor.

"Yes," Li Nianlong said. "I crafted this female armor myself. It's very strong but doesn't hinder speed. Once the Demon Tower is destroyed, anything could happen. Wearing this armor will put my mind at ease."

Seeing that Li Nianlong had even considered this for them, the two girls were deeply moved and put on the armor. Despite being full-body armor, it was small and elegant in design, making the girls look like warrior goddesses once they donned it.

"Brother Menglong, how do I look?" Zhao Ling'er asked with a hint of excitement in her eyes, clearly liking the look of the armor.

"Beautiful," Li Nianlong nodded with a smile. When he turned to look at Lin Yue Ru, she was like a valiant Valkyrie with an impressive aura.

"There are also a sword and a whip," Lin Yue Ru noticed, pleased to see the armor came with her favorite weapons.

"Really, I have dual swords here too," Zhao Ling'er said, finding two sword hilts on her shoulder guards. She crossed her hands and drew out a pair of small swords.

Li Nianlong smiled. "I designed these based on the weapons you're skilled with. Try them out and see how they feel."

"Alright." The two girls tested their new weapons, finding them much more powerful than what they had used before, and very handy. The smooth use of a weapon greatly affects one's combat capability, and it was clear Li Nianlong's crafted weapons allowed them to use 100% of their strength.

"Brother Menglong, this feels amazing. These weapons are much stronger than my old ones," Zhao Ling'er said excitedly.

"They are indeed much better," Lin Yue Ru said, holding her iron whip forged from soft steel with joy. "My strength has increased by at least thirty percent. If I face the Sky Ghost King again, I might not win, but I won't lose so quickly."

Li Nianlong smiled slightly. "That's good. Now I need to put on my armor."

As he spoke, golden light flashed, and the golden armor automatically covered Li Nianlong, with the golden sword in hand. He raised it high, looking like a majestic figure that made the two girls gaze at him with admiration, as if looking at a deity.

"Let's go!" With the two girls equipped in armor with defense comparable to his golden armor, Li Nianlong felt assured to let them follow him. He turned and jumped into the Demonizing Pool first.

The two girls immediately followed.

In the Demonizing Pool, Li Nianlong and the two girls held their breath and swam towards the Seven-Star Coiling Dragon Pillar. At their level, they could hold a breath of True Qi for an hour without needing to breathe. Li Nianlong also had the Fisherman skill, which extended his breath-holding time by 50% and increased his swimming speed by 50%, making him faster than the two girls. But he didn't go ahead alone, holding the girls' hands as they swam quickly to the Coiling Dragon Pillar.

There were seven Coiling Dragon Pillars, each guarded by a dragon of a different element. Their strength was far below that of the Hell King or even the Sky Ghost King. Under Li Nianlong's guidance, Zhao Ling'er and Lin Yue Ru's combination dealt with them relatively easily. With the destruction of the last Coiling Dragon Pillar, the Demon Tower began to shake violently.

Li Nianlong immediately hugged the two girls and swam upwards. As the Demon Tower collapsed, countless jade stones fell from above, densely hitting the Demonizing Pool. Li Nianlong used the golden armor's three-second invincible state, while the girls' armor had the same effect. With invincibility, Li Nianlong used his newly learned flight skill, flying out of the Demon Tower like lightning.

Holding the two girls in his arms, Li Nianlong flew high, looking down at the collapsing Demon Tower. He felt a surge of excitement, wanting to shout to the heavens: "I finally prevented Yue Ru's death! I finally changed history!"

"Mission completed. You have gained 26,000 experience points."

A flash of white light, and Li Nianlong's hand moved like lightning, grabbing the dragonfly's leg and using the Invincible Wind-Fire Wheel: "You bastard! I haven't met the Sword Saint yet! I haven't met the Saintess yet! I haven't met the Fire Kirin yet! My child hasn't been born! Who told you to bring me out!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"

Though he seemed angry, it was more about venting his excitement. Unfortunately, the dragonfly took the brunt, experiencing the wrath of the Invincible Wind-Fire Wheel.

After venting, Li Nianlong tossed the half-dead dragonfly aside and entered the Talisman Room. The cost of making talismans was low, requiring only a large amount of True Qi. A powerful talisman cost just a few hundred yuan, making Li Nianlong weep with joy.

System, you're finally being generous.

Fire Talisman, Water Talisman, Wind Talisman, Earth Escape Talisman, Diamond Talisman, Invisibility Talisman, Sky Talisman, and even a Substitution Talisman, which creates a double of oneself to do anything, like carrying a bomb to destroy a bunker.

However, Li Nianlong preferred talismans like Peace Talisman, Luck Talisman, and Misfortune Talisman, which could manipulate luck. A Peace Talisman ensured a year of safety, a Luck Talisman ensured a year of good luck, and a Misfortune Talisman brought a year of calamities.

Li Nianlong even considered becoming a fortune-teller.

After leaving the system, Li Nianlong proudly showed his gains to Li Ying. Li Nianlong had daily system updates at midnight, so he didn't need to sleep, and Li Ying, being a ghost, naturally didn't sleep either. Except for tasks Li Nianlong had to complete, they were together 24/7, always having something to talk about.

Seeing Li Ying's spirit lifted a heavy burden from Li Nianlong's heart, making him happy every day. If not for his goal of bringing down the Long family and turning Long Zongheng into a fugitive, he would have retreated from the world.

"Oh, right," Li Nianlong suddenly remembered something. "Mom, have you seen Uncle Guan?"

Hearing Uncle Guan's name, a look of sorrow flashed in Li Ying's eyes, and she shook her head gently.

"I see..." Thinking that Uncle Guan might have dispersed, Li Nianlong closed his eyes in pain. "I'm sorry, Uncle Guan. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have..."

"Menglong, don't say that," Li Ying comforted him. "Uncle Guan was loyal and died with honor. Besides, he was lonely all these years. Now, he might be with his wife and daughter, living happily. You should be happy for him."

Li Nianlong knew Li Ying was trying to comfort him and shook his head gently. "Mom, you don't need to comfort me. I'm fine. It's just that thinking I'll never see Uncle Guan again makes me sad."

Li Ying sighed. "Menglong, if Uncle Guan's spirit watches over you, he wouldn't want to see you like this. Be strong." Though she couldn't touch him, Li Ying placed her hand on Li Nianlong's face. "At least Mom is still with you."

"Yes." Though they couldn't touch, he could feel her concern, which had never wavered.

That day, Xiang Youyou finished her work at school and started her vacation. After sleeping in, she came to the Liu residence for lunch.

Seeing his sworn sister, Li Ying's eyes sparkled with approval, smiling subtly.

"Hmm?" Xiang Youyou felt like someone was watching her, but after looking around, she couldn't find anyone. Scratching her head, she muttered, "Is it my imagination?"

After lunch, as everyone sat together enjoying dessert, Li Nianlong took out five Peace Talismans. "Yesterday, I was inspired and made some Peace Talismans. Wearing one will keep you safe for a year. Who wants one?"

"Peace Talismans?" Sun Siyu scoffed with disdain. "You really think you're a shaman? Peace Talismans... If you're so great, make some miracle cure talismans."

"So, you don't want one?" Li Nianlong asked calmly.

"Uh... well..."

"If you don't want it, I do," Xiang Youyou was the first to take a Peace Talisman. It was encased in a peach wood charm and engraved with a disease-prevention symbol. Wearing it ensured no illness for a year, and it was stylish and beautiful.

Xiang Youyou hung it around

 her neck, looking delighted. "It's beautiful. Big brother, I didn't know you could make peach wood charms too. It must have taken a lot of time!"

"Not too much," Li Nianlong smiled. "The Peace Talisman only guarantees safety for a year. Remember to come to me for a new one after a year."

"Okay." Xiang Youyou nodded, happily playing with the peach wood charm. It was truly beautiful and suited a girl's aesthetic.

"I want one too," Shao Meiyun smiled, taking a cloud-shaped peach wood charm and hanging it around her neck. "Now I don't have to worry about accidents for a year."

Liu Laotaiye chuckled. "Then I'll take one too! I believe in Menglong's Peace Talismans."

Finally, Nalan Ruyue also took a small Peace Talisman, hanging it around her neck and examining it closely.

With one left, Li Nianlong glanced at Sun Siyu. "Since you don't want it..."

"Who said I don't want it!" Sun Siyu snatched it away. "It's free, so why not take it? It looks good as a piece of jewelry anyway."