《The Lord of Void and Real》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Prologue Chapter 1: Prologue In a lofty hall enveloped in mist, at the end of a flight of dozens of feet long Green Jade Stairs, a man in a golden robe sat upright on a giant chair as white as jade. The dazzling hall was now in disarray! Not only were there many broken weapons such as axes, hooks, and forks discarded on the ground, but various rare treasures were scattered everywhere, and several of the enormous dragon columns on both sides had shattered, leaving only half of the column bases. The grandeur and majesty of the hall was dead silent. Aside from the man in the golden robe sitting alone, there were no other figures. The man in the golden robe seemed oblivious to this, merely staring blankly at an item on the ground not far in front of him. On a big signboard that was almost half missing, the two huge golden characters ¡°Lingxiao¡± emitted an endless aura of majesty. ¡°Boom!¡± went a loud noise! Following a slight tremor of the hall, numerous Silver Spirit Patterns appeared from every corner and spread rapidly. Layer upon layer, more and more, within moments they spread across the entire hall like a giant net. The thunderous noise outside was incessant, the Silver Spirit Patterns in the hall flickered incessantly, while the ground cracked and the ceiling emitted a creaking sound. ¡°Finally, this moment has arrived!¡± The man in the golden robe finally lifted his head, muttered a phrase, looking towards the ceiling of the hall, a faint layer of white light covering his face, making it impossible to see his features. At the top of the purple-golden hall, it suddenly shattered with a ¡°bang,¡± amidst countless flying fragments, a Giant Demonic Hand the size of a mountain ruthlessly reached for the man in the golden robe. ¡­ A golden mountain, over ten thousand feet high, cocooned by the Green Demon Flame, had been continuously echoing the voice of chanting from the temple at the top of the mountain. At the same time, countless Golden Sanskrit characters were flying out, desperately resisting the approach of the nearby Demon Flame. As time went on, fewer and fewer Sanskrit characters flew out from the mountain, and the voices of Buddhist chants gradually faded. Soon they were drowned out by the rolling green flames, leaving no sound at all. ¡­ In the gloomy netherworld, at the gate of the Sinister Black City, countless bizarre ghost creatures rushed out, some fierce ghosts either rode the strange wind or burrowed into the ground to escape, disappearing like a flood into the Gray Wilderness outside. ¡­ In the human world, at noon time! The sky was pitch black, with no sunlight to be seen. Both cities and wilderness appeared as if it was deep night, with only faint lights visible. In some towns, amid the lights, countless people could be seen looking up towards the dark sky, either dumbfounded or extraordinarily panicked. From the black sky came waves of low humming, growing louder and sharper with time, as if countless people were quietly weeping. The sound was infinitely sad, provoking tears in those who heard it. Almost simultaneously, the high altitude sky flickered with numerous red lights. Following this, crimson meteorites of various sizes pierced the dark veil, the larger ones resembling mountains, and the smaller ones as big as houses, thunderously falling down towards the human world, spreading over the Four Continents. In the Great Tang era, when the demonic beings swallowed the sky, the Heaven wept, and Heavenly Fire descended upon the world, causing heavy casualties among the people. ¨C Records of Devil Tribulation. Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Chapter 1 Shen Family Chapter 2: Chapter 1 Shen Family ¡°Cough, cough,¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡±¡­ Subconsciously aware of his abrupt fit of coughs, Shen Luo woke up abruptly from his bed. He hastened to take a few deep breaths before swiftly pulling out a small bottle from under the pillow, pouring out a yellow pill about the size of a bean and swallowing it. He sat motionless on the bed for quite some time, feeling the stifling feeling in his chest and the chill gradually dissipating before he finally breathed out a long sigh of relief. After letting out a bitter smile, Shen Luo slowly put on the neatly folded clothes on the chair next to him. Then, out of habit, he glanced at the desk in the corner of the room. On the table, a pale yellow, worn-out book lay quietly, its cover inscribed with the neatly aligned black small characters that read ¡°Chronicles of Unusual Spring Stories¡±. Shen Luo furrowed his brows and withdrew his gaze. He then opened the door slowly and walked out of the room. ¡°Young Master.¡± A young servant boy about twelve or thirteen years old was standing guard outside the door. Upon seeing Shen Luo emerge, he hurriedly came forward to pay his respects. In the distance, a large group of connected residences with red tiles and white walls could be vaguely seen, with all kinds of buildings adding up to about forty to fifty rooms. ¡°How many times did I cough last night? Were there any other sounds?¡± Shen Luo looked at the young boy and asked indifferently. ¡°Young Master, you coughed thirteen times last night. There were no other sounds,¡± replied the boy, his eyes slightly shadowed from lack of sleep. He faced Shen Luo with a hint of apprehension. Shen Luo nodded his head and did not ask anything more. He brushed past the boy and continued forward. The little servant wisely followed closely behind him. After passing through several long corridors and a garden covering about an acre, Shen Luo came to a building that looked like a main hall. The two maids standing in front of the hall hurriedly came forward to salute him, their faces also showing some fear of Shen Luo. ¡°Luo¡¯er, you¡¯re here. How did you sleep last night? Come in and have some ginseng soup. I just had the servants prepare it for you,¡± a concerned male voice came from inside the hall. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Father. I had a good rest last night,¡± Shen Luo replied, his expression slightly changing, then he entered the hall. Inside the hall, a round table laden with fine food was surrounded by several people. The man in the main seat was a middle-aged man in his forties, his hair slightly graying and showing signs of premature aging. The middle-aged man was Shen Luo¡¯s father, Shen Yuange, who was watching Shen Luo with joy at the moment. ¡°Luo¡¯er is awake! Little Cui, quickly bring the ginseng soup, didn¡¯t you hear the Master¡¯s command?¡± A beautiful woman with a head full of precious jewelry sitting next to Shen Yuange saw Shen Luo and forced a smile on her face. ¡°Thank you, Second Mother.¡± Shen Luo nodded indifferently at the woman. ¡°Big Brother.¡± ¡°Big Brother.¡± Next to the woman, a young boy and a young girl also rose to greet Shen Luo. They appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, their faces bearing a distinct resemblance to Shen Luo. They were his half siblings who shared the same father but different mothers. One was named Shen Ci, and the other Shen Mumu. Although twins by birth, their reactions to Shen Luo were starkly different. His younger brother, Shen Ci, avoided Shen Luo¡¯s gaze, and his expression bore an uncomfortable resemblance to that of the servants. His sister Shen Mumu, on the other hand, seemed restless with curiosity after greeting him. She appeared eager to ask her ¡°big brother¡± Shen Luo something, but a glance at their father, Shen Yuange, made her hesitate. After sitting down and finishing the ginseng soup served by the maid, Shen Luo ate a few bites of food, then frowned and put down his chopsticks, no longer eating. ¡°Luo¡¯er, since you are done eating, come to the study with me. I have some business matters to clarify,¡± Shen Yuange said upon seeing this, his voice reflecting his growing worry. Shen Luo nodded, casually excused himself to the woman, and followed Shen Yuange out of the hall. The woman watched them leave, her face turning sour. Shen Ci couldn¡¯t hide a look of envy on his face, while Shen Mumu pouted her little rosy lips, clearly dissatisfied that Shen Luo and their ¡°big brother¡± had finished eating and left so quickly. ¡­ ¡°Luo¡¯er, is everything really fine after last night?¡± As soon as they sat down in the study, Shen Yuange asked Shen Luo with concern. ¡°Father, rest assured, nothing happened last night. The ¡®thing¡¯ didn¡¯t occur again, but my body is deteriorating even more now. Even with the ¡®Golden Fragrant Jade¡¯ pills which I personally formulated, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to hold on for many more years, and this body can¡¯t be healed with normal medicine,¡± replied Shen Luo, shaking his head. ¡°Ah, Luo¡¯er, you¡¯ve really experienced a lot of sickness and misfortune. Originally, you were weak and often sick ever since your mother had a difficult pregnancy. Then last year, you contracted an evil spirit, and as a result, developed a serious illness. If anything were to happen to you, how could I face your deceased mother? After all, I promised her that I would take good care of you,¡± Shen Yuange sighed heavily, a hint of bitterness showing on his face. ¡°Father, you should see the bright side. If I was never ill, how could I have used my knowledge as a doctor to create the ¡®Golden Fragrant Jade¡¯ pill, which built the success of our Shen family business? Our family, indeed, has been blessed in disguise, ¡± Shen Luo responded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s true. Nowadays, when people in Chunhua County mention the Shen Family Medical Hall and Shen Family Pharmacy, everyone knows our name. Even Lord Wang, the regional head, has a higher opinion of our family,¡± responded Shen Yuange, lifting his spirits at these words. ¡°That¡¯s also because you, Father, are excellent at dealing with people. You gave a bottle of ¡®Golden Fragrant Jade¡¯ to Lord Wang, which cured his only son¡¯s stubborn illness. Otherwise, with our current wealth, the Shen family would have run into trouble long ago,¡± Shen Luo replied, tactfully praising his father. ¡°Haha, I only managed to build our family¡¯s wealth because we worked in unison as father and son. It¡¯s a pity that you chose not to publicize yourself, so I had to attribute the creation of these miracle drugs to an ancient recipe we ¡®accidentally¡¯ discovered. This secret is only known to you and me; I haven¡¯t even let your stepmother or your brother and sister know about it. So, if your stepmother offends you in any way, due to her humble origins and lack of experience, I hope you won¡¯t take it too much to heart for my sake,¡± Shen Yuange chuckled, pleased yet pensive. ¡°Father, why would I ever care about what my stepmother does! Moreover, if something were to happen to me, it would be up to my half-brother to support the Shen family. My biggest wish right now is to exorcise the evil spirit from me. If I can¡¯t get rid of it, I probably wouldn¡¯t survive, even for a few years,¡± Shen Luo replied after remaining silent for a while, inducing a bitter laugh. ¡°If you say so, then I feel relieved. Anyway, family harmony is essential. How is your health now? As I recall, your last episode was seven days ago,¡± said Shen Yuange, his facial expression relaxing momentarily before the worry returned. ¡°Yes, the last time I had an attack, I nearly choked ¡®Master Huang¡¯ to death. Last year, the so-called ¡®Golden Light Monk¡¯ who claimed to be the reincarnation of a Luohan, was also beaten half to death by me during an attack. They have no real skill at all; they¡¯re just charlatans,¡± replied Shen Luo, his face darkening. ¡°But Master Huang and the Golden Light Monk are already known as the most famous exorcists in the nearby counties. Others are even more deceitful. How about I send people to the State City to find better exorcists?¡± Shen Yuange also felt somewhat helpless. ¡°No need. State City is too far away, and how would we find a legitimate exorcist in a city where we don¡¯t know anyone? Even if we did find one, nine times out of ten, they would likely just be similar charlatans like Master Huang. My attacks are coming faster and faster; there¡¯s no way I can wait that long,¡± replied Shen Luo decisively. ¡°So, Luo¡¯er, you¡¯re implying¡­¡± replied a slightly shocked Shen Yuange who was well-acquainted with his eldest son¡¯s demeanor. Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Chapter 2 Luo Daoist Chapter 3: Chapter 2 Luo Daoist ¡°I recently found an ancient local record, which documents some weird and unusual phenomena that have happened in Chunhua County over hundreds of years. Based on the research carried out by my men, these records are mostly true, but for unknown reasons, they are little known to ordinary people. Among these anomalies, a place called the Spring and Autumn Pavilion is frequently mentioned. According to the records, this Daoist temple is located within Chunhua County, and the priests there should know the real art of exorcism.¡± Shen Luo replied with bright eyes. ¡°That¡¯s news! Where is this Spring and Autumn Pavilion? I will send someone to invite them immediately.¡± On hearing this, Shen Yuange, agitated, stood up with a ¡®bang¡¯. ¡°Father, do not worry. I have already sent people to invite them, paying them handsomely. If everything goes according to the letter, the people of Spring and Autumn Pavilion will arrive today.¡± Shen Luo replied with a slight smile. ¡°Great, I will tell the servants to prepare immediately so that there won¡¯t be any issues with our hospitality.¡± Shen Yuange was not concerned about the actions taken by his eldest son; instead, he rubbed his hands together and said contentedly. At this time, from outside the study, Shen Yuange¡¯s personal assistant delivered a respectful message: ¡°Old Master! Young Master! A Daoist named Luo has arrived as scheduled with the Young Master.¡± Upon hearing this, both father and son looked at each other in surprise and joy. ¡°Father, you stay here and have some tea. I¡¯ll personally meet this Daoist from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.¡± Shen Luo decisively suggested. ¡°This matter concerns your life and death. How can I stay here and have tea? Let¡¯s meet Master Luo together.¡± Shen Yuange waved his hand, and people hastily ran towards the entrance. Seeing this, Shen Luo revealed a slight smile. In the side hall of the Shen Family. Shen Luo carefully inspected the middle-aged Daoist who introduced himself as ¡®Luo Daoist¡¯. He had a date-red face filled with worldly wisdom, wearing a light blue Taoist robe, a wooden sword slanting from all sides on his back, a small white cloth bag hanging around his waist. Other than the figure straight as a long spear, everything else seemed rather ordinary. ¡°Master, please have a seat. Serve the good tea.¡± On seeing the middle-aged priest, Shen Yuange greeted him with full smiles. ¡°There¡¯s no need for tea. Master Shen, did you send someone with a token to invite people from our temple for exorcism?¡± The red-faced Daoist named Luo completely ignored the extremely enthusiastic Shen Yuange, instead choosing to give Shen Luo a serious stare and asked. ¡°Master, you know me?¡± Shen Luo asked back in surprise. ¡°Hehe, I made some vague inquiries about Master Shen before paying a formal visit. But how does Master Shen know about our temple, which has been closed for many years, and where did you get the token?¡± Daoist Luo asked impolitely, staring at Shen Luo. It seemed like he was ready to get angry if he didn¡¯t get satisfactory answers. ¡°Did the Master come here to question us?¡± Hearing this, Shen Yuange¡¯s smile faded a bit, and he became a little unhappy. ¡°Master Shen, don¡¯t blame me. Although our tokens are not rare, none of them is associated with the Shen family. Since Master Shen sent someone with a token to come to our temple, I naturally have to ask clearly first.¡± Daoist Luo finally turned to Shen Yuange and said indifferently. ¡°Closed for many years? That¡¯s why few people in the county know about your pavilion now. Rest assured, Master. I learned about the Spring and Autumn Pavilion from this book. As for the token, I bought it with a heavy gold from a descendant of a settled family.¡± Shen Luo took out something from his sleeve and handed it over, looking somewhat enlightened. It was the copy of the ¡°Chunhua Strange Occurrences Chronicle¡± previously placed on the desk. When Shen Yuange saw this, he could not help but take another look at the dilapidated book. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Daoist Luo took the book with a slight surprise. After browsing a few pages, his expression relaxed considerably. ¡°This book records some tales of exorcism and demon-slaying of our sect from years back, and the details suggest that it was written by someone who had genuinely been in contact with our temple. Could the young master gift this book to a poor Daoist like me? I would like to take it back and let the others have a look. Regarding the token, as long as what Master Shen said is true and it was voluntarily transferred by others, our sect will not mind.¡± The red-faced Daoist read the book, then casually tucked it into his bosom and spoke with a straight face. Seeing this, Shen Yuange frowned slightly. However, Shen Luo did not mind. He chuckled and asked, ¡°It¡¯s good if Master Luo likes it. Could you rest and have something to eat now, prepare for a while, and then perform an exorcism on me?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for any rest or preparation. As for the evil spirit on your body, hehe ¡­¡± The red-faced priest gave Shen Luo a deep look, suddenly flashed, and charged directly to the front. With a ¡®slap¡¯, he tightly grabbed one side of Shen Luo¡¯s arm. ¡°What are you doing? Come here!¡± On seeing this Shen Yuange took two steps backward, called out sharply. In an instant, seven or eight burly men rushed into Hall from outside, ready to pounce on the priest under the angry command from their master. ¡°Everybody, stop! Father, don¡¯t worry, Master Luo has not hurt me. He is performing an exorcism for me!¡± However, it was at this moment that Shen Luo spoke. He felt a wave of warmth flowing into his body from the seized arm. Wherever it passed, the constant chill in his body was melting away, and he felt beyond comfortable. Upon hearing this, Shen Yuange carefully examined Shen Luo¡¯s expression, finally relaxed, waved at his men, and had them leave the side hall again. ¡®Woosh¡¯ A plume of faint gray air shot out from Shen Luo¡¯s chest, swirling around, then rushing straight at Shen Yuange, who was nearby. ¡°Humph, back to me.¡± The red-faced priest seemed to have foreseen that, flinging his big sleeve towards the gray air, a yellow talisman paper hit the gray mist in a flash. ¡®Pop¡¯ The talisman paper instantly turned into a fist-size fireball and tightly wrapped the gray air. The gray air seemed alive, twisting urgently in the flames. But soon after, it disappeared without a trace in the crackling burning sound. The fireball also vanished after a moment, leaving behind a slightly charred smell in the hall. Shen Yuange watched in astonishment. ¡°The Yin Qi in Master Shen¡¯s body has been stripped out, leaving only the need for some recuperation of his body. If that¡¯s the case, I will leave first.¡± The red-faced priest only let go of Shen Luo¡¯s arm at this point and spoke calmly. ¡°Yin Qi? Is Luo¡¯er not possessed by an evil spirit?¡± Shen Yuange finally came back to his senses, asking subconsciously. ¡°If it were a real evil spirit, how could it be so easily exorcised? Even I would treat it like a formidable enemy. Your young master seems to have gone to an unclean place, and some Yin Qi has entered his body, causing his current predicament.¡± Daoist Luo replied indifferently. ¡°But, Master Luo, every now and then I turn pale and weak, and I become incredibly strong, to the point that even three or five sturdy family servants can¡¯t get close to me. Afterward, I have no memory of it. What¡¯s going on? And Master Luo, what did you infuse into my body just now?¡± Shen Luo, still feeling the lingering warmth in his body, asked with a surprised look. Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Registered Disciple Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Registered Disciple ¡°Yin Qi itself does not have any spiritual wisdom. It is formed by the residual breath gathering in cold places after some living beings die. However, if left untreated, it might possibly form the lowest-level Evil. As for what you mentioned about turning blue all over, becoming incredibly powerful, and even forgetting what happened during the incident. These are just symptoms of Yin Qi rebounding to the head every once in a while. This is because your body was originally too feeble. If you came across some robust men, these Yin Qi would be directly suppressed as soon as they entered their bodies and they would be no different from normal people. As for what I infused into your body earlier, it was a kind of Small Transformation Yang Skill power that I have cultivated for many years, which at best restrains things like Yin Qi.¡± Master Luo explained. ¡°I see. I am really grateful for Master Luo¡¯s help this time,¡± Shen Luo said, seemingly understanding but not fully comprehending, thanking him nonetheless. ¡°Since you had a token and gave a heavy amount of gold, it is only right for me to make a bit of effort. It¡¯s a pity though, after this ordeal with Yin Qi, I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t have much time left,¡± Master Luo said, nodding his head and suddenly adding this piece of information. Shen Luo¡¯s expression dimmed on hearing this, but he quickly remembered something and bowed again to Master Luo, asking: ¡°Master Luo, being a true Highly-skilled Daoist priest, must surely know how to extend a life. I won¡¯t mention anything else, but the Yang Gang power that Master gave earlier, I feel it should be highly beneficial to the body.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Please show mercy, Master Luo, save Luo¡¯er. As long as it can extend my son¡¯s life, we can negotiate any terms. The Shen family has some wealth, if nothing else,¡± Shen Yuange looked suddenyl enlightened and repeatedly bowed to Master Luo. ¡°Heh, heh, for a complete cure, I¡¯m afraid I cannot help. But if it¡¯s about improving the constitution of Master Shen and extending his life a little, we in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion do indeed have some ways,¡± Master Luo said, responding half-jokingly and half-seriously. ¡°I hope Master Luo can show me the way!¡± hearing this, Shen Luo was overjoyed, again bowing. Shen Yuange also looked at Master Luo with anticipation. ¡°Firstly, we in the pavilion have a secret medicine known as ¡®Red Snow Powder¡¯, which has marrow-cleansing properties. If taken for a long period of time, it can gradually improve your constitution. However, this medicine is made from rare ingredients and is not easily prepared. It¡¯s not something an ordinary household can afford. Secondly, like Master Shen mentioned, the power of the Small Transformation Yang Skill is indeed beneficial to health. If you cultivate it to its peak level, I cannot guarantee anything else, but living another two or three decades is no problem at all. I wonder, Master Shen, which one would you prefer?¡± Master Luo looked at Shen Luo, asking leisurely. ¡°Of course both. I hope Master will fulfill my request!¡± Shen Luo immediately replied without hesitation. Shen Yuange on the side kept nodding his agreement. ¡°Ha, ha¡­ Alright, we can let go of the ¡®Red Snow Powder¡¯. As long as you can afford it, selling some is not a problem. But the Small Transformation Yang Technique is a secret technique of our pavilion, we can¡¯t just casually introduce it to outsiders. Master Shen, you should just let your son buy some Red Snow Powder. It can likewise prolong his life somewhat,¡± Master Luo said, laughing heartily. The countenance of Shen Yuange changed somewhat, and he repeatedly made a huge number of pledges, but Master Luo still shook his head repeatedly. After listening for a while, Shen Luo suddenly said: ¡°Since your pavilion¡¯s secret techniques are not passed on to an outsider, then they can certainly be taught to a disciple within the pavilion, can¡¯t they?¡± Shen Yuange changed his expression upon hearing this, intending to speak but stopping again. ¡°Are you joking, Master Shen? Are you willing to abandon your current glory and wealth to become an ordinary disciple in our pavilion?¡± Master Luo¡¯s laughter abruptly stopped, his gaze swept across Shen Luo¡¯s face, and he took on a serious demeanor for the first time. ¡°If I don¡¯t even have the life left, what¡¯s the use of more glory and wealth? Now I just want to ask Master Luo if he¡¯s willing to take in this good-for-nothing disciple. The rites for receiving a Master, I believe, will certainly not disappoint the Master,¡± Shen Luo said smilingly to Master Luo. ¡°Accept you as a disciple directly?¡± Master Luo seemed even more surprised. ¡°That¡¯s right. I do not know much about the other high people in Spring and Autumn Pavilion, so there is no certainty that they would accept me. Naturally, it¡¯s most appropriate to take Master Luo as my teacher now. Moreover, I have personally witnessed Master Luo¡¯s skills just now, and I believe that I have not chosen the wrong Master. Master should also have the qualifications to accept disciples, right?¡± Shen Luo said earnestly. Master Luo remained silent after hearing this, but there was a hint of interest in his facial expression. Shen Yuange¡¯s face showed a wide range of emotions, but he did not voice any objections. ¡°Master Shen, there are several things I need to clarify first, I would only consider accepting you as a disciple if you can agree to all of them. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion might not be a great sect, but not anyone can join just like that,¡± Master Luo looked at Shen Luo for a while longer, before finally speaking resolutely. ¡°Master, please speak,¡± Shen Luo said decisively. ¡°Firstly, considering your health condition, it, needless to say, does not match the entrance requirements of our pavilion. Therefore, if you come into the pavilion, you can only be a registered disciple, you would not be able to get the secret teachings and treatment of our true disciples. But as for ¡®Small Transformation Yang Technique¡¯, I can ask our sect master to consider making an exception and teach it to you.¡± ¡°Agreed, thank you, Master!¡± Shen Luo was overjoyed to hear this and even changed his form of address immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry. There¡¯s more. Listen well, as the price for me making an exception to bring you into the pavilion, I need the Shen family to donate two hundred taels of gold to me at once, and afterwards give the pavilion one thousand taels of silver every year in order for you to continue staying in the pavilion. If any year doesn¡¯t see enough silver being given, the person in question must leave the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Also, as for the ¡®Red Snow Powder¡¯, I will also help you apply for it, and one packet will probably also cost around a hundred taels of silver.¡± Although Shen Luo anticipated this, he was still startled by Master Luo¡¯s outrageous demand. He weighed the pros and cons for a moment, intending to say something else, but it was Shen Yuange who spoke up next, the things he said also making Master Luo¡¯s face glow with joy. ¡°Master, you need not worry about the money. The Shen family is willing to pay ten years¡¯ fees at once. I only hope that the Master can ensure that Luo¡¯er will not be subjected to any serious grievances in the pavilion.¡± ¡°Father, why go to such lengths! Such a large sum¡­¡± Shen Luo was startled. ¡°The current wealth of the Shen family originally includes half of your share. As long as it allows you to live longer, what count are these?¡± Shen Yuange dismissed the concern with a wave of hand. Shen Luo fell silent. ¡°Good, good, good! Since the Shen family is willing to pay such a price, I will take Master Shen as a registered disciple,¡± Master Luo clapped his hands together, laughing heartily. ¡°Shen Luo pays respects to the Master.¡± Shen Luo let Master Luo sit on the main seat, kowtowed thrice, and then offered him a cup of tea with both hands. ¡°Disciple, from now you are a disciple under my door. You will also have a senior brother, who I will introduce to you once you reach the pavilion. You already know the location of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. As long as you bring the token and arrive within a month, you will be able to hold the official initiation ceremony. Remember, only one person can go, and you just need to bring simple clothing. Also, having drunk your disciple-acceptance tea, I cannot leave without giving you anything. I just happen to have a packet of ¡®Red Snow Powder¡¯ handy here. You can start taking it first and see how the effect is.¡± After Master Luo had drunk his tea, he pulled out a light green small box from his person, and after explaining its usage for a while, he left the Shen Residence, floating out of the hall. Shen Luo escorted him to the gate of the residence. Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Initiation into Huayang Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Initiation into Huayang The news that the Young Master had been rid of the evil by the High People, and was even about to become a Taoist priest, spread throughout the Shen family, causing quite a commotion from top to bottom. From the main mother of the family, the ¡°Second Mother¡±, to the junior servants and maids who swept the floor, their faces were full of excitement. It wasn¡¯t long before even half of Chunhua County was abuzz with chatter about this news. Everyone knew that the well-known wealthy family in the county, Shen family¡¯s ¡°sickly Young Master¡±, a perfectly good Young Master suddenly wanted to become a Taoist Priest. ¡­ About half a month later, Shin Luo was found in an unnamed and somewhat desolate small mountain just outside Chunhua County. Dressed in an Azure Robe and carrying a Small Parcel on his back, Shen Luo, who was looking rosy, stood in the pavilion, constantly looking around as if he was waiting for something. In the center of a decaying Stone Table in the pavilion, was a palm-sized Triangle Plate embedded, cast from what seemed to be high-quality iron and lightly emitting white light, which looked quite magical. ¡°Are you the Junior Brother Shen mentioned by Master?¡± A deep male voice suddenly sounded from behind Shen Luo, startling him to turn around immediately. He saw that there was a burly young Taoist Priest with thick eyebrows and big eyes in the pavilion, smiling at him. ¡°I am indeed Shen Luo, may I ask who is the Taoist master ¡­¡± Shen Luo cautiously asked with a salute. ¡°I am also a disciple of Master Luo, my name is Tian Tiesheng. Master Luo asked me to take you to the Pavilion.¡± The young Taoist Priest touched his head and said in a simple and honest manner. ¡°So it¡¯s Senior Brother Tian.¡± Shen Luo saluted again. ¡°You can just call me Tiesheng. Although I am wearing a Taoist Robe, just like you, I am not a real Taoist Priest. The same goes for others in the Pavilion.¡± Tian Tiesheng replied while casually patting the Stone Table with one hand. With a ¡°bang¡±. The Stone Table shook slightly, and the iron plate in the center immediately popped out and landed steadily in his hand. Then, Shen Luo followed the young Taoist Priest out of the pavilion and walked along a seemingly remote path. ¡°Senior Brother Tiesheng, your action of patting the Stone Table just now was so powerful, it seemed like your palm was larger for a moment, what kind of skill is this, is it very powerful?¡± ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s Qingyang Hand. It¡¯s a type of external power, most of the disciples in our sect have practiced it. It is said that if it is practiced to a profound level, it can make you invulnerable to blades and guns, and even able to Cut Gold and Jade.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. It sounds like there are a lot of people in the Pavilion, am I right?¡± ¡°Not too many, add up the Inner and Outer Sect Disciples, there are around a hundred or so, plus some senior uncles and the like.¡± ¡°Inner and Outer Sect Disciples? What is that, am I an Inner or Outer Sect Disciple as a registered disciple? And Senior Brother must be an Inner Sect Disciple, right?¡± ¡°I am currently an Outer Sect Disciple, it¡¯s not so easy to become an Inner Sect Disciple, there are only three slots in the Pavilion, and I¡¯ve missed it by a bit several times¡­ In fact, most of the disciples in the sect are Outer Sect Disciples, there are also not many registered disciples like you, I think you might be the only registered disciple in the Pavilion right now. Also, I should tell you that we have an ancestor in our sect who has secluded himself for years and is said to have lived for several hundred years.¡± ¡°Just one person¡­¡± ¡°Junior Brother Shen, why aren¡¯t you speaking? I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like we get along really well, I want to tell you everything, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get along well in the future.¡± Tian Tiesheng¡¯s rugged voice echoed among the small mountains. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡­ Two years later. On a grey-white rock, a young man who seemed to be in his twenties sat cross-legged, facing the slowly rising crimson sun, with his eyes slightly closed, his hands in a circle, his body motionless. After an unknown amount of time, a seemingly invisible red thread started to materialize in the space between his cupped hands. At first, it was only an inch long but gradually grew to an inch and a half, two inches, two and a half inches. When it reached three inches, it could no longer grow any longer, and instead seemed like it would crumble and disappear amidst mild flickering. The young man suddenly took a deep breath, and the red thread in his palms instantly turned into a red mist, which was directly absorbed into his nose and mouth. Only then did he lower his arms, open his eyes, and his face momentarily shone with a crystal-clear red light. ¡°I guess this means I¡¯ve made it past the entrance level,¡± mumbled the young man, feeling the warm sensation spread throughout his body and a smile of joy spread across his face. As a matter of fact, the young man was Shen Luo. ¡°Clap. Clap.¡± ¡°Props to our junior brother Shen. Everyone betted you couldn¡¯t master ¡®The Minor Transformation Yang Technique¡¯ within three years. Only I believed that your diligence would definitely make it possible. You sure didn¡¯t let me down.¡± A young man in a blue robe with a clear complexion suddenly walked out from behind the stone. There was an exquisite white jade cicada pendant hanging from his waist. He clapped his hands, smilingly towards Shen Luo. ¡°Bai Xiaotian, how did you get here? You bet on me with the others again.¡± On seeing the young man in the blue robe, Shen Luo immediately felt his head spin. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it betting. It¡¯s more like winning a bit of ¡®copper-smelly¡¯ stuff, certainly cannot be compared to your wealth, Young Master.¡± The young man in the blue robe, Brother Bai, responded, swaying his head as if the only thing missing was a folding fan in his hand. Shen Luo rolled his eyes at this comment. Others may not know, but wasn¡¯t he aware? If you were to rank the wealthiest amongst the hundreds of disciples in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, his ranking as a registered disciple would fall in the top three. The first would possibly be Bai Xiaotian, who joined the Pavilion around the same time as him. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the pendant hanging around Bai Xiaotian¡¯s waist alone would be a rare novelty worth a hundred gold. These thoughts were not suitable for open discussion. Therefore, Shen Luo did not dwell on it. ¡°Since this money was won because of me, if not splitting half on meeting, at least you could treat me to a good meal, right?¡± He raised his eyebrows, laughing while addressing Bai Xiaotian. ¡°Oh, that won¡¯t be a problem. But the food in our Pavilion is difficult to stomach. If you want to taste something good, we¡¯ll have to go downhill. The senior brother guarding the mountain gate might make things difficult¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian looked hesitant, struggling to respond. ¡°Cut the act. When you snuck down the mountain to buy wine earlier, I did not see you complaining about the trouble of going out,¡± Shen Luo pulled the plug on Bai Xiaotian¡¯s excuse. ¡°The gatekeeper, our Brother Niu Dadao, is truly ruthless. He would ask for half of my belongings every time before he allowed me to return. Thankfully, I found a secret path down the mountain where I could bypass the gate. I can take you there one day¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian initially looked disgruntled, but soon started laughing. ¡°It¡¯s fine for you, as an inner sect disciple, to sneak out of the Pavilion without getting in trouble. But as a registered disciple like me, I¡¯ll certainly be in big trouble if I dare to do so,¡± Shen Luo raised his hands to answer. Others might come to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion to learn martial arts or mystics, but not him. He was here to prolong his life, how could he risk it? ¡°I have a favor to ask, since you¡¯re going to the town, could you go to the pharmacy and paper store and get me some cinnabar and yellow paper,¡± Shen Luo remembered something urgent, caught up with a few steps, and seriously said. ¡°You want to make talismans? Did Master Luo teach you?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked, surprised. (Dear Daoist friends, the new book has just been uploaded, please support it with your recommendation tickets^^) Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Making Things Difficult Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Making Things Difficult ¡°No, I¡¯d like to try it myself.¡± Shen Luo smiled and said. He still remembered that over a year ago, he asked for Luo Daoist to teach him the talisman technique. Normally gentle Master Luo directly refused him, even when he offered an astronomical price of 200 gold coins, the other party was still unmoved. Master Luo made it clear, the talisman technique taught in the Pavilion was not a swindling trick used by the fraudsters in the world outside, but a real secret technique that could only be learned by inner sect disciples who possessed mana. Even an official outer sect disciple could hardly dream of learning it, let alone a registered disciple like him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bring some for you.¡± Bai Xiaotian nodded after hearing him out. ¡°If possible, see if you can get some chicken blood and black dog blood from the restaurant.¡± Shen Luo added as he saw him about to leave. ¡°I know you often read some miscellaneous books, but don¡¯t take too seriously the things written by those literati¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian frowned and said. Being one of the only three inner disciples, naturally, he could get access to the real talisman technique. However, due to the stringent rules of the sect, even if he had a good relationship with Shen Luo, he would not reveal even a bit of it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know my limits and won¡¯t mess around.¡± Shen Luo yawned and vaguely replied. Knowing that persuasion was useless, Bai Xiaotian just raised his hand and turned to leave. Watching his figure disappear into the forest, the smile gradually faded from Shen Luo¡¯s face. He knew that the other party was concerned about his missteps out of good intentions, but only he understood his own predicament. It¡¯s not that he wanted to engage in these devious ways, but his limited lifespan forced him to seek another way out. The Yin Qi invaded his body more than two years ago, which had damaged his vitality. These two years on the mountain, he relied more on the ¡°Red Snow Powder¡± taken every three months to sustain his life. Even so, he still felt that his body was deteriorating. Walking a little more than usual would cause him to pant. Especially last winter, even when he was wearing a fur coat, he still felt chilly inside, with his limbs icy cold. The reason why he took the medicine only once every three months was not that he couldn¡¯t afford that hundred taels of silver, but that it could maximize the effectiveness of the medicine. More frequent consumption would be not only wasteful but also possibly counterproductive. Master Luo did not allow it. As for cultivating the Small Transformation Yang Skill, his progress was too slow. Up until today, he had just entered the beginners¡¯ phase. But even with this rate of cultivation, he was inferior to the outer disciples with the worst foundations in the Pavilion. Moreover, as Master Luo said, even if the technique was mastered, it would increase one¡¯s lifespan by at most 10 to 20 years. But given his cultivation speed, he¡¯s afraid he might not have a chance to master it and might die first. He had paid a heavy price to come to this mountain daoist temple, not just to prolong his life for a few more years. Shen Luo silently pondered while slowly heading down the mountain. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion nestled back against Qinghua Mountain and was built on the mountain side. Apart from the mountain gate close to the mid-mountain, the rest of the buildings such as Lingguan Hall and Jade Emperor Hall are distributed up the slope. The most important San Qing Temple is at the top of the mountain. Apart from the inner disciples, the living quarters of the other disciples are concentrated on the mountainside cliffs on both sides of the mountain path from the mountain gate to Lingguan Hall. Because the terrain here is still relatively open, almost everyone can have a room to themselves. The Pavilion has few restrictions on the cultivation of its disciples. Except for the teaching days when all disciples are required to go to San Qing Temple to listen to Master Luo and other elders explain the Taoist classics, they do not need to do morning lessons together at other times. After all, the Pavilion has already given the Small Transformation Yang Skill to every disciple. Everyone then practices according to their own abilities. The place where Shen Luo cultivated was not far from the Jade Emperor Hall, and he had already returned to the square in front of the hall. As he approached the palace door, he didn¡¯t enter. Instead, he kowtowed outside the palace, took a break, then turned around and was about to leave towards the downhill direction by the stone steps. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Junior Brother Shen? Have you returned from your cultivation? How is it? Have you made it into the Small Transformation Yang Skill?¡± At this moment, a familiar voice came from inside the hall. Shen Luo sighed inwardly and turned around. As he had expected, it was Brother Ding who didn¡¯t get along with him on usual days. The man hadn¡¯t even stepped over the threshold and a bulging belly had already poked out of the door. Behind him were two young men dressed in green cloth Daoist robes. One held a broom in his hand and the other held a water bucket, looking as if they had just finished their cleaning duties. ¡°I greet all Fellow Senior Brothers.¡± The amiable smile had returned to Shen Luo¡¯s face as he greeted the others. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, it¡¯s not that I want to belittle you. When cultivating the Small Transformation Yang Skill, one mustn¡¯t be too hasty for success. Despite the fact you haven¡¯t made any progress in two years, you shouldn¡¯t be too anxious. After all, there¡¯s plenty of time in the future. The issue with your aptitude¡­ there¡¯s no point rushing, just continue to work hard¡­¡± Brother Ding found Shen Luo polite and so first comforted him with false pretenses, then began to lecture him in a senior brother¡¯s tone. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I¡¯ve managed to luckily enter the threshold today. Brother Bai has confirmed it too.¡± Shen Luo blinked and casually responded. ¡°Wha¡­What, you¡¯ve entered the threshold? Bai Xiaotian also knows?¡± Brother Ding was taken aback, his face immediately looking slightly unwell. The other two teenagers also looked at Shen Luo in astonishment, surprise filling their eyes. After all, they knew about Shen Luo¡¯s situation. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have struggled to make progress after two years of hard cultivation. According to their private guess, given Shen Luo¡¯s physical condition, even if he continues to cultivate for another three or five years, he might not be able to enter the threshold. Shen Luo had anticipated their reactions, but did not say anything more, just smiling and nodding. Brother Ding¡¯s eyes flashed with frustration. If Bai Xiaotian didn¡¯t know about it, he could first conceal it and then try to cancel the bet. But since the other party already knew, he really lost the bet. ¡°If there is nothing else, then I won¡¯t disturb the Fellow Senior Brothers duty working.¡± Shen Luo smiled and bowed to the three of them again. ¡°Wait a minute, Junior Brother Shen, don¡¯t be in such a hurry to leave. Although Bai Xiaotian has confirmed it, he¡¯s only just entered the threshold, and he could have been mistaken. How about letting your Senior Brother confirm it once more?¡± Brother Ding¡¯s eyes slanted, he said with a smile yet not a smile. At his words, Shen Luo¡¯s heart immediately became a bit displeased. This Brother Ding didn¡¯t really have any grudge with him, but he had a big conflict with Bai Xiaotian. The reason was simple. Ding Yuan, the biological younger brother of this Senior Brother Ding, was also a disciple of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Like Bai Xiaotian, he was one of the three core disciples of the Pavilion. Ding Hua was apprenticed to the Pavilion Master, Bai Xiaotian to Luo Daoist and another to Elder Master Wang. The three of them were the highest ranked in terms of cultivation talent in the Pavilion and naturally competed with each other openly and secretly. ¡°I think there¡¯s no need for it. Senior Brother Ding is busy with his cultivational duties, you don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± The smile on Shen Luo¡¯s face faded. Although he was courteous to people on usual days, he was not a pushover. He knew clearly when to show some hardness and when to make concessions. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, how can you speak to Senior Brother Ding like that? He¡¯s being nothing but kind,¡± said one of the men behind Ding Yuan sternly. Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Seeking Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Seeking Shen Luo gave the speaker a cold glare, but said nothing more. The aptitude of these three wasn¡¯t much better than his. On normal days, they got by on their relationship with Ding Hua, which was why others were mostly polite to them. However, at this moment they found themselves at a loss when met with Shen Luo¡¯s demeanor. ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± At this moment, a frosty voice unexpectedly resonated. Shen Luo turned his head and saw a slim young man, dressed in a green robe, with a sallow complexion. He was standing with one hand behind his back, and was walking towards them with an icy expression. ¡°Brother Ding¡­¡± Upon recognizing him, everyone bowed in respect, including Ding Yuan, whereby the young man was none other than Ding Hua. Although they were brothers, their appearances and aptitude varied greatly. To anyone unaware of their kinship, these two would never be associated with each other. Upon being asked, Shen Luo briefly described the situation without expressing any signs of dissatisfaction. ¡°Betting¡­¡± Ding Hua elongated his final word, slightly furrowing his brows. Cold sweat instantly broke out on Ding Yuan¡¯s face. He was nervous, fearing reprimand. Despite being the elder brother, in front of his younger brother, he dare not assert his authority or even mention the word ¡°Brother¡±. From a young age, he had learned not to provoke him. ¡°Bai Xiaotian is also quite bored to make such a bet with you.¡± Commented Ding Hua, with an obvious tone of disdain. Shen Luo narrowed his eyes. Ding Hua, the favorite disciple of the Pavilion Master, didn¡¯t care about his disagreement with Ding Yuan. He was solely concerned with Bai Xiaotian, a fellow Inner Sect Disciple. As for them, including Ding Yuan, none seemed capable enough to capture his attention. Upon realizing this, Shen Luo excused himself and then walked away. Before he went too far, he managed to catch Ding Hua¡¯s icy voice: ¡°Aiming to compete with a waste, you¡¯ve got big vision, but my face is thoroughly lost because of you¡­¡± The word ¡°waste¡± reached his ears, resulting in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes turning icy. However, he did not stop his steps. Given the fact that he was a Registered Disciple who could cultivate the Small Transformation Yang Skill, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be among anyone¡¯s favorites. The fact that he was the ¡°rich kid¡± among disciples, the only ¡°big, fat sheep¡± who entered the sect by relying on a wealth of gold and silver, made it no surprise if he was bad-mouthed behind his back. Little did they know, what he was using was money, but what he was cultivating was not skill, but life. He was open-minded about the issue of money. He would occasionally let these senior brothers benefit from him, hence his relationship with almost all the disciples was not bad. However, besides Bai Xiaotian, Tian Tiesheng, who was also a disciple of Luo Shi, was the only one who he would actually consider a friend. The thought that he might not have long to live made Shen Luo¡¯s mood take a turn for the worse. He felt a chill creeping up from within, involuntarily quickening his steps. Exiting the Jade Emperor Hall and heading downhill, he encountered many of his senior brothers. Shen Luo always took the initiative to greet each one of them, occasionally even exchanging a few jokes with those he was familiar with. About half a moment later, he arrived at the Qingchipo area, near the Lingguan Hall. His chamber was located there. However, Shen Luo didn¡¯t return to his chamber immediately. Wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, he left Qingchipo and headed towards a cross mountain path in another direction. The path leading this way was narrower than the rest of the paths on the mountain. On normal days, hardly anyone passed by, leaving it seldom cleaned. The road was littered with a considerable amount of dried leaves, some of which had already decomposed and softened, creating a soft underfoot. Occasionally, single-room houses, built either of stone or wood, could be spotted on either side of the road, most of which were in a decrepit state. Shen Luo seemed to be quite familiar with this place. After a long walk, he finally saw an old house surrounded by wild grass, half a man¡¯s height, on the side of the road. This old house had clearly been abandoned for a long time, unattended to for many years. The red paint on the wall had severely dried out, having peeled off in many places, giving it a mottled appearance. The white paper pasted on the doors and windows had also suffered significant damage, even the window frames bore traces of worm infestation. Shen Luo looked at the house a few times, nodded, then parted the wild grass, walked under the veranda, and pushed open the drafty wooden door. Accompanied by a ¡°squeaking¡± sound, a musty odor of dampness immediately hit his face. He turned sideways, one hand covering his nose, the other waving in the air. After acclimatizing for a moment, he shifted his gaze and began to scan the interior of the house. The room was not big, and it was filled with all sorts of damaged, ragged furniture, as well as worn-out brooms, water buckets, etc. They were all haphazardly piled up in various corners of the room. ¡°Considering this mildew smell¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­ it would be impossible to read anything anymore.¡± Shen Luo quietly muttered. Although his words carried a hint of disgust, he didn¡¯t show any hesitation in his action. Shen Luo stepped forward and removed the battered chairs and benches stacked on the desk one by one. He then neatly piled them up on the other side of the room. About a quarter of an hour later, he finally managed to clear the majority of the decrepit tables and chairs to the other side. Shen Luo was panting slightly. Seeing all the tables and counters that had been underneath the heap revealing themselves, he finally let out a long sigh of relief. after stepping into the Small Transformation Yang Skill, he could feel that his physique had significantly strengthened compared to originally. However, just doing this bit of cleaning work, his back was already drenched in sweat. It was only after he had taken a short break that Shen Luo finally approached and pulled out the drawers of the tables and counters, searching them one by one. ¡°Empty¡­¡± The first drawer was utterly devoid of anything. ¡°Empty¡­¡± The second one was similarly empty. ¡°Empty¡­¡± ¡­ After rummaging through seven or eight desks, just when Shen Luo was starting to feel frustrated, thinking that all his hard work had been in vain, he finally found something. ¡°Found it!¡± The ninth tattered desk, which was left with only two legs, finally revealed an old book with a green cover in its drawer when opened. He put in so much effort to clean up these worn-out desks and chairs not for just for the sake of tidying up the house, but to find these books left behind by the previous owner. Aside from the basic Taoist classics like ¡°Tao Te Ching¡± in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, the collection of books wasn¡¯t extensive. Most of them were private collections of the senior disciple, which were not easily accessible. Shen Luo had a fondness for reading all kinds of miscellaneous and anecdotal books since childhood. Afterward, in search of a self-cure, he read even more books. The incredible remedies available in his family pharmacy were a result of his extensive reading and critical review of the prescriptions from various sources. This habit of his developed into reading late into the night for several years. With the Spring and Autumn Pavilion being closed for a long time, and not wishing for books to be delivered from home, he had to search for books in various corners of the Pavilion. In the past, he had accidentally found some magazines and travel logs left in other abandoned houses, which were quite useful to him. This time, he thought he might try his luck again, and unexpectedly, it paid off as he found another book. ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡­¡± Shen Luo held up the old book which was a bit damp, carefully scanned the few vertical lines on the cover, and read it out loud. Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Demon-hunting Chronicles Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Demon-hunting Chronicles Looking at the title, it seemed like a travelogue recording the experiences of the Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s demon subduing adventures. It should not be much different from some of the storybooks he had read before, most of which were fabricated stories of oddities and wonders. Shen Luo didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, he brushed off the dust on it and put it into his sleeve pocket. Later, after looking behind the remaining chairs and tables, he found nothing else of worth, so he had to stop and returned to Qingchipo. The meditation room of Qingchipo was a two-story row building, each floor had about twenty smaller rooms, and some of the disciples from the temple lived here. Shen Luo¡¯s room was on the first floor, right next to the cliff. All the disciples¡¯ rooms were small, besides a bed and a pair of table and chairs, there were no other objects, Shen Luo¡¯s was no exception. As he pushed the door open, a strong pine scent hit him in the face, causing Shen Luo to scrunch up his nose. The temple had plenty of scented items like sandalwood and pinewood, and didn¡¯t prohibit disciples from using them. Because, while meditating, these items assisted in calming and focusing the mind and made it easier to enter a tranquil state. However, most people only light up one stick, which would give off a faint scent. Unlike him, who made the scent so strong that it was almost suffocating. But there was really nothing he could do about it. Shen Luo¡¯s room was blocked by a crooked Welcoming Pine by the cliffs, which created a cold and damp atmosphere. On the desk in the room, he had dozens of old books that he had collected from various parts of the temple, and most of them were moldy, one could imagine the smell. If it were not for the pine scent suppressing it, the room would be inhabitable. Shen Luo had grown accustomed to this. He sat down at the desk against the wall, took out the newly bought ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡± from his sleeve pocket, and placed it on the table. The book looked decent from the outside. Apart from the moldy spots on the cover that appeared a bit disgusting, the rest of the book was still intact, even better than most of the books in Shen Luo¡¯s collection. First, he took a big gulp of water from the teapot on his desk. After resting for half an incense stick, he finally regained some strength. He opened the cover of the ancient book and revealed a yellowed page featuring a chubby Taoist priest in a lotus crown and a seven-star robe. One hand was making a spell, and the other holding a sword, all in an aggressive manner. It probably was a portrait of Zhang Heavenly Master, but the lines were rough, and it seemed more abstract than realistic. After all, if a real person looked like this, it would be more terrifying than any ghost or monster. Shen Luo laughed, flipped the page, and started browsing the content. Upon reading it, Shen Luo immediately became engrossed in the book. It indeed was a tale of strangeness and novelty, narrating many interesting anecdotes about Zhang Heavenly Master subduing ghosts and demons in the Lingnan area. The book did not mention the time of these events, so it was impossible to investigate further. However, the names of the places were clearly written and they were all places that could be identified, suggesting that they didn¡¯t date back too far. Zhang Heavenly Master, a Daoist immortal, mastered the secret techniques of the Dao of Alchemy and the authentic tradition of talismans. He could refine golden cores and make talismans. In this book, he subdued more than a dozen ghosts, and many monsters like rat-spirit and fox-demon. Shen Luo had read many books like this, and the content was not particularly original. The ghost and monster techniques mentioned were even less diverse and exciting than those in other novels, merely common plotlines involving haunted individuals and enchanted hearts. What made Shen Luo unable to put the book down was the detailed description of various techniques for fighting evil ghosts. There was one story in which a Wealthy Gentry was plagued by a fox-demon. Unable to withstand the annoyance, the Wealthy Gentry was given a whisk by Zhang Heavenly Master to hang over his door, and he was thus rid of the fox-problem. Additionally, the book mentions various bizarre methods such as using black dog blood to write talismans, using butcher¡¯s knives to suppress ghosts, and ancient coins to exert dominance, etc. Even at the end of a few stories, drawings of the talismans used in the stories were attached. Looking at the beautiful and energetic brush strokes that seemed to have been created in one breath, it surprisingly appeared to have a unique atmosphere. However, after carefully examining them, Shen Luo seemed to find something fishy. He had seen some of the talismans posted on the lintels in the temple and also in some other books, and although the styles and names appeared identical with the ones depicted here, there were clear differences in the intricacies of the brushwork used. After taking a glance at them, Shen Luo immediately started rummaging through the pile of old books stacked on his desk, quickly pulling out an even more dilapidated old book with its cover completely worn off. This ancient book only had about a dozen thin pages left in the front that were readable. Most of the pages in the back were so corroded that they had stuck together, and would crumble into dust with the slightest tug. The book was called the ¡°Secret Techniques of Talismans Authentic Manual¡±, specializing in documenting talismans that had been passed down since ancient times. It mentions many rules and taboos about making and using talismans. According to the book, based on the function of a talisman, they are broadly categorized into three types: ¡°Calming, Town, Attack.¡± Talismans like the Calming People Talisman and Hundred Solutions Disaster Relief Talisman belong to the Calming category, while the Peace Talisman and House-Protection Talisman, etc. belong to the Town category. As for the Attack type talismans, they are hardly mentioned in the text, but there is a mention of the Burning Gas Talisman and the Small Thunder Talisman, etc. Of all types of talismans, Shen Luo was most interested in the Attack type ones. The scene of Master Luo using a Yellow Talisman to control the Yin Qi left an impressive mark on him, its memory still vivid. It¡¯s just that the literature he has access to hardly touches upon these types of talismans, enshrouding them in an aura of mystery. If he encounters unfavorably susceptible entities in the future, carrying Peace Talismans or other types of Town Talismans could ensure safety. However, if he encounters a real ghost, carrying an Attack type talisman would undoubtedly be safer. Unfortunately, the parts of the book he could browse were generalized content. The actual descriptions of the uses and drawing methods of talismans were in the latter part of the book, which was almost entirely inaccessible. Upon flipping through the first part of the book, Shen Luo found that the Peace Talisman was preserved. Considering it was also in the Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle, he immediately took it out to cross-reference. ¡°Eh, it really looks the same.¡± He inhaled slightly and voiced his thoughts. ¡°Dong¡­¡± At that moment, the evening drum rang, waking Shen Luo from his thoughts. He lifted his head, glanced at the sky outside the window, and realized without noticing that it was already evening. Since he came to the mountain, he was intrigued by these ghostly oddities. Apart from practicing the Small Transformation Yang Skill, for now, he could not cultivate aggressive skills like the Qingyang Hand. So most of the time, he spent it reading these books. Unexpectedly, he had spent most of the day reading them today. He shook his head, chuckled at himself, tidied up the books on the table, stood up, and head out of the room. About a hundred feet to the right of the San Qing Temple, there is a flat plateau, upon which a few independent courtyards were built. Inner sect disciples of the temple live here. Each person has a private courtyard that¡¯s not too big, and they don¡¯t live mixed with other disciples. By this time, the sky was already quite dark, and there were three figures gathered outside one of the courtyards. Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chapter 8 Yuan Stone Chapter 9: Chapter 8 Yuan Stone ¡°Senior Brother Tian, Junior Brother Shen, are you both dogs in the Chinese zodiac? I¡¯ve just returned and you¡¯ve already cornered me.¡± One of them was busily unlocking the door while chuckling at the other two. The one unlocking the door was Bai Xiaotian, the Junior Brother Shen he referred to naturally was Shen Luo, and that Senior Brother Tian was the same Tian Tiesheng who was assigned by Master Luo two years ago to bring Shen Luo up the mountain. A fair while after Shen Luo arrived at the mountain, he felt that this person was quite honest and simple, only his personality was a bit too timid. Even though he arrived at the mountain earlier than most of the disciples, he was often teased by Ding Yuan and his group. Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo had both helped him out of his encirclements before, and because the three of them were disciples of Luo Shi, their relationships became increasingly close. ¡°Let¡¯s go in first, go in first¡­¡± Shen Luo said with a smile. The two of them urged Bai Xiaotian to open the room, lit the lamp, and then they all took their seats at the circular table in the hall in turns. Bai Xiaotian placed what he was holding onto the table which turned out to be four oil-paper wraps soaked in oil and three green porcelain pots. ¡°Oh my, this fragrance¡­ it¡¯s from Hongyun Building, isn¡¯t it?¡± Upon seeing the oil-paper wrap on the table, Tian Tiesheng swallowed his saliva. ¡°Good eye.¡± Bai Xiaotian responded as he unwrapped the oil-paper packages. There was a layer of lotus leaf wrapped inside the oil-paper. As soon as it was unwrapped, a rich aroma of meat immediately filled the room. Immediately after, he chuckled and took two green porcelain pots from the table and stored them in a lacquer wooden box at the corner of the bed, leaving only one pot on the table. Bai Xiaotian loved to drink, which Shen Luo was accustomed to. Tian Tiesheng, on the other hand, was solely focused on the roast goose and braised pork, and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Today, Junior Shen has finally made a breakthrough in the Small Transformation Yang Skill, so let¡¯s drink to celebrate.¡± Bai Xiaotian filled three porcelain cups, each with a full serving of White Jade Scorch and held up his drink. ¡°Junior Shen has made a breakthrough? Since when? We brothers should indeed celebrate.¡± Tian Tiesheng was initially surprised by the news but then rejoiced. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, I just recently made a breakthrough with my Small Transformation Yang Skill. Brother Bai spent two months before mastering this skill, whereas I¡¯ve spent two whole years, what is there to celebrate!¡± Shen Luo said with a bitter smile. Not to mention Bai Xiaotian who was an inner sect disciple, even an average outer sect disciple would have mastered the ten levels of Small Transformation Yang Skill in two years. ¡°The path to cultivation is long, what difference does it make if we are early or late, we have succeeded in the end. Furthermore, Junior Shen you are a person of great perseverance, your future achievements may not be less than mine.¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head with an indifferent look. ¡°Brother Bai is right¡­¡± Tian Tiesheng echoed while his eyes never left the roast goose and braised pork, as if he was calculating which to start with first. Shen Luo heard the words, smiled, and let it go. Although the path to cultivation is long, if one step is slow then all the steps are slow. Who would say it¡¯s that easy? Moreover, his own cultivation is for the purpose of extending his life, how dare he really slow down? However, all these words, he can¡¯t really share them with them. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s still good news, let¡¯s drink this cup first.¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a casual smile. ¡°Indeed, congratulations Junior Shen!¡± Tian Tiesheng echoed. ¡°Thank you, my two Senior Brothers.¡± Shen Luo thanked them then the three of them did a toast and drank together. The outside moon hung on a western branch, the indoor laughter gradually rose, without realizing it was already late at night. Being aware of his weak body and average tolerance for alcohol, Shen Luo didn¡¯t drink too much. Bai Xiaotian, on the other hand, had a very good tolerance even though he always drinks the most with the pretext of punishing himself and yet showed no signs of drunkenness. Tian Tiesheng¡¯s alcohol tolerance is quite poor. After a few glasses, his face turned red. With his belly full of roast goose and braised pork, he drifted off to sleep on a couch in the side hall with the help of the two of them. The two of them sat back down at the table in the hall. From the side hall came the sound of Tian Tiesheng¡¯s snoring. Upon hearing the sound, Bai Xiaotian chuckled and took out a stack of yellow papers and three white porcelain bottles from inside his sleeve and placed them onto the table. ¡°Thank you Brother Bai.¡± Shen Luo clearly knew what he had brought, and quickly thanked him. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you the things, and there are some things I need to say to you again.¡± Bai Xiaotian¡¯s face was rarely not filled with laughter as he spoke. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Shen Luo nodded. ¡°The matter of crafting talismans is related to the rules of the sect, so I cannot say much about it. However, I believe that sincerity brings success, and you, Junior Brother, are persistent, so you might be able to figure it out yourself. It¡¯s just that without real Mana, how to activate the talisman you probably wouldn¡¯t know, right?¡± Bai Xiaotian said. Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo was overjoyed. Knowing that Bai Xiaotian was going to help him, he quickly shook his head. ¡°The talisman stores spirits and Qi, and it can connect to Heaven and Earth and ghosts and spirits. When using it, you need to ignite the Talisman core with Mana to make the talisman powerful. But if you don¡¯t have Mana and want to activate a talisman, you can only use external objects, such as the Yuan Stone.¡± Bai Xiaotian said. ¡°What is a Yuan Stone?¡± Shen Luo asked doubtfully. He had never seen this mentioned before in the ancient books. ¡°It¡¯s this.¡± As he spoke, Bai Xiaotian rummaged around in his pocket a bit and took out a few grey-white jade stones about the size of a pigeon¡¯s egg, putting them on the table. Upon seeing them, Shen Luo noticed that these ¡°jade stones¡± seemed quite ordinary in material, the surface lacking any gloss and even had a few brown spots upon a closer look. The only unusual thing was that under the light, he could faintly see a small cluster of white gas slowly circulating within. ¡°Use this to ignite the talisman?¡± Shen Luo picked one up and asked. ¡°Of course not just that, it also needs to be combined with one¡¯s own Yang Gang Qi to be activated. Now that you¡¯ve made a breakthrough in the Small Transformation Yang Skill, you should be able to manage it as long as you pay attention to the way to activate.¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head. ¡°It also requires Yang Gang Qi¡­¡± Shen Luo pondered aloud. ¡°It¡¯s not that surprising, Yang Gang Qi may not be Mana, but for people with plenty of Yang Qi, creating talismans is much easier than for ordinary people. Remember, creating talismans consumes both spirit and Yang Qi. You must not push yourself too hard.¡± Bai Xiaotian reminded him. ¡°Thank you, Brother Bai for your guidance.¡± Knowing that Bai Xiaotian had told him so much already was being very kind indeed, Shen Luo immediately bowed to thank him. ¡°What are you thanking for, just pick up the Yuan Stone first¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian pointed to the table with his chin. Shen Luo didn¡¯t refuse this time and put the Yuan Stones away, because he knew that without Bai Xiaotian, he would hardly be able to get these things. ¡°I will repay your great kindness in the future, when I have the chance.¡± Shen Luo stated seriously. ¡°Alright, if you get the chance, just treat me to a few more meals. The flower wine from Chunhua County town is also good, haha¡­¡± After giving serious advice, Bai Xiaotian went back to his usual frolicking manner. Given that Tian Tiesheng was in no state to leave, Shen Luo had to return to the Quiet Room of Qing Shi Ping alone. The stone steps amidst the mountains, under the clear moonlight, emitted a hazy white light. The sound of insects could be heard around them, making people feel refreshed. Caressed by the cool nocturnal mountain breeze, Shen Luo¡¯s minor inebriation gradually faded. By the time he returned to the Quiet Room, he didn¡¯t feel the least bit sleepy anymore. Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Chapter 9 Drawing Symbols Chapter 10: Chapter 9 Drawing Symbols Shen Luo lit the lamp at a corner of the desk, took out the three little porcelain bottles and sheets of yellow paper from his pocket, and laid them before him. The amount of yellow paper wasn¡¯t much, just a few dozen sheets, intended for talisman inscription. They were correctly sized, but the texture of the paper was somewhat coarse, feeling grainy and abrasive to the touch. Next, Shen Luo inspected the three porcelain bottles, frowning slightly. In the little bottle that was filled with rooster blood, the blood had already coagulated into a lump, making it impossible to pour out. The black dog blood, although not yet fully coagulated, had turned quite viscous. ¡°This won¡¯t do, if it isn¡¯t used right away, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be wasted by tomorrow.¡± Shen Luo frowned. Having said that, he pulled open a drawer under the desk and took out a little awl made of hard hair and a jade inkstone. The awl was made out of wolf hair and the jade inkstone was carved from a whole piece of Han Baiyu. Neither of these things were particularly valuable. They were all things he brought with him when he went up the mountain. He first poured the black dog blood into the inkstone, instantly filling the air with a faintly metallic smell. Shen Luo grabbed the pen barrel of the awl and stirred it in the black dog blood for a moment. The pen tip immediately soaked up the blood, turning a dark red color. He turned a sheet of yellow talisman paper and laid it in front of him. As he picked up his pen, he suddenly stopped. ¡°I better take a look again.¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself. Having said that, he once again pulled out ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡± and ¡°Secret Techniques of Talismans Authentic Manual¡±, two tattered ancient books, opened them and placed them on the side. The summary section in the front of the ¡°Secret Techniques of Talismans Authentic Manual¡± recorded, ¡°A talisman is an agreement, a trust. It marries my spirit with that of others, my Qi with others¡¯ Qi. Spirits are formless, yet they take shape in talismans.¡± The book was explaining why talismans possessed eldritch powers: they acted as conduits for channeling the Qi of Heaven and Earth through human spirit, thereby infusing the formless spiritual power into the physical talisman paper. Therefore, while drawing a talisman, one must concentrate and clear one¡¯s mind of errant thoughts. The inscription must flow naturally like a dragon or a serpent, this ensures that the Qi remains continuous, and thus, achieves a spiritual fusion. Knowing is always easier than doing. Shen Luo was doubtful about whether the talisman inscriptions in these books were genuine, and it would be very hard for him to give his undivided attention and suppress all extraneous thoughts. At this moment, holding his pen, his mind was still in turmoil. In fact, he was not inexperienced with drawing talismans. He had practiced countless times on white paper before, but this was his first time inscribing them on yellow talisman paper. ¡°Talismans, the harmonious agreement of Yin and Yang, can only be utilized by the sincere¡­ Shen Luo took a deep breath, stood up from his chair, assumed a horse stance, and began to write on the yellow paper while reciting the text from the book. With the words ¡°Imperial Edict¡± as the starting point, the runes glided across the paper like flowing water. Soon, a talisman inscribed with ¡°Ward off Hundreds of Evils¡± for protection was completed. This talisman was, according to Shen Luo, the simplest one in the book. Shen Luo looked at the undried traces of blood on the paper and compared it with the talisman sketches in ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡±, his brows involuntarily wrinkled. Although the two were quite similar, he felt something was off at first glance. ¡°I changed the brushwork, like shown in the book, but why does mine look like it¡¯s losing breath¡­ It doesn¡¯t have that naturally perfect feel like in others¡¯ works,¡± Shen Luo squinted his eyes and muttered to himself. After contemplating for a moment, he suddenly wondered if it was because he took several pauses while drawing the talisman, failing to achieve the consistency mentioned in the book. Thinking of this, he eagerly took a deep breath and started to write again. As a result, his discomfort from holding his breath made his concentration worse, and the talisman he drew was even worse than the first one. Shen Luo didn¡¯t get discouraged. After a short break and some deep breaths to regulate his respiration, he once again picked up his pen to inscribe a talisman, one after another. In his view, the art of drawing talismans couldn¡¯t escape the rule of ¡®practice makes perfect¡¯. He had previously practiced other unknown talismans thousands of times on white paper, so at this point, he should just be slightly short of proficiency. More than two hours whizzed by. Shen Luo¡¯s face seemed a little pale, but his eyes were flashing with a hint of excitement. He held a finely drawn yellow paper charm in one hand, while the other hand held open the ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡±, his gaze moving back and forth between the two. ¡°Not bad, not bad at all. This one finally looks somewhat right.¡± Although it still looked different from the book, that feeling of disconnectedness was clearly gone. With this progress, he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. The exhaustion he had previously felt was wiped away, completely replaced by excitement. The amount of black dog blood left in the inkstone was scarce. Shen Luo grabbed a small porcelain bottle and poured out all the remaining black dog blood inside. Just as he was about to continue drawing, he suddenly stopped. ¡°I wonder if this protective charm really works?¡± Shen Luo was hesitant, silently pondering to himself. Although this protective charm was simple, alike to house-protection talisman and peace talisman, it belonged to the type of talismans that attract good luck and ward off evil, with no obvious attacking effect. If you kept it on your person or had it in your home, even if it worked, it would be hard to notice. ¡°Aha, I¡¯ve got an idea! Why not test that one?¡± Shen Luo suddenly had a flash of insight as he remembered a tale from the ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡±. The story told of the time when Zhang Heavenly Master encountered a troublesome Rat Spirit, and when numerous house-protection and disaster-averting talismans failed to drive it away, he resorted to using a talisman named ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡±, a type of attack talisman, that shattered the transformed Rat Spirit into pieces. He quickly flipped the ancient book to that page, indeed finding the illustration of the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± attached to the back. Although there were many stories contained within the entire book, only half of them involved the usage of talismans, the majority of which were exorcism charms or house-protection talismans. The only attack-style talisman he could decipher was this one. ¡°Heh, here it is¡­¡± Shen Luo grinned, carefully observed it for a moment, and then picked up his pen to draw again. Unlike the protective charm, this Small Thunder Talisman didn¡¯t start with the characters ¡°Imperial Edict,¡± but rather, it began with an ancient style written ¡°thunder¡± character, which wasn¡¯t easy to write. Shen Luo had never practiced this before, and in the beginning, he wasted several talisman papers. Although he felt sorry for wasting the papers, he had no plans to stop himself, eventually managing to draw an acceptable ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± after using more than ten pieces of talisman paper. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee the ¡®Qi is full while Spirit is sufficient¡¯ now, we can only leave it to the will of heaven¡­¡± Shen Luo looked at the talisman in his hand and murmured excitedly to himself. Capitalizing on the refreshment in his hand, he went on drawing, though out of the ten he finished, only one or two were presentable. Soon, the black dog blood in the inkstone was almost used up. After giving it some thought, Shen Luo opened the bottle containing the cinnabar, poured out some of it, and stirred a few times to quickly mix the two together. The method of mixing cinnabar with dog blood wasn¡¯t Shen Luo¡¯s fanciful idea; it was a technique used by the Heavenly Master Zhang in the book. Otherwise, he would not have dared to waste materials recklessly. When he was left with only a few sheets of talisman paper, and after drawing another two small thunder talismans, the black dog blood was also exhausted, leaving him with no more resources. Shen Luo exhaled a long breath, then weakly leaned on the armrest of the chair and slumped down, feeling a bit drained. Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Test of Symbols Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Test of Symbols Shen Luo wasn¡¯t sure whether he had stood in the horse stance for too long or held his breath too many times. At this moment, he was feeling an all-over body ache and a dull headache, as if he had done a whole day¡¯s hard labor. ¡°I can¡¯t go on, I need to rest immediately. Otherwise, my cultivation tomorrow will be delayed.¡± Shen Luo hurriedly tidied up the items on the table, gathered the written talismans together and placed them neatly before crawling back to his bed and falling asleep immediately. He didn¡¯t even pull up the blanket before a light snoring sound could be heard. In the early morning, the chirping of birds gradually started, ringing clear and melodious like a bubbling spring. Despite not having fully recovered from his fatigue, Shen Luo still woke up at the same time as usual due to his strong self-discipline. After he got up, he looked at the talismans on the table. A rush of excitement welled up in his heart and he carefully put them into his bosom. Shen Luo put on his clothes and came outside. After washing at the spring pool below the cliff, he started climbing towards the direction of the Jade Emperor Hall. No matter what, the morning cultivation could not be delayed. Three two-hour periods later, Shen Luo had completed his Small Transformation Yang Skill practice of the day. Standing up from the giant rock, he didn¡¯t go to the dining hall for a meal. Instead, he took out some dry food from his bosom and ate hastily, then turned towards the back mountain. He wanted to test these talismans to see if they truly possess the magical effects described in the books. Shen Luo quickly arrived at the back mountain, walked some distance into the depths of the mountain along a small path. Only after he had moved away from the main peak did he stop in a secluded valley. He did not have the permission of the sect. If someone found out he was testing the talismans, and thought he had learned them through dubious means, that would be bad. Shen Luo strained his ears to listen, carefully surveyed the surroundings and confirmed no one was around. Then, he took out the talismans he had painted from his bosom and placed them on the ground. Then, he rummaged in his bosom for a while and took out six grey-white jade stones the size of pigeon eggs with care, placing them carefully at another spot. These jades allowed a view of the white gas flowing inside under the light. They were the Yuan Stones Bai Xiaotian had previously given him to activate the talisman. The white gas inside must be the key to activating the talisman. I wonder what it is, it¡¯s really exciting.¡± Shen Luo muttered a few words to himself, pushing down his curiosity, he picked up a talisman and spread it out on a relatively flat rock in front of him. Then he placed a grey-white Yuan Stone on top of the talisman. He slightly squatted down, made a hand sign with his left hand, placed his right palm against the Yuan Stone, and gradually started his Small Transformation Yang Skill. A warm current arose from his lower abdomen area, slowly spread upwards along the meridians of his body, passed through his right chest, right arm, and finally flowed into his right palm. As the warm current gathered in his right palm, his palm became slightly reddish. Shen Luo did not hesitate and continued to perform his skill, triggering the Yang Gang power from his lower abdomen and continued to pool it in his palm. After repeating this several times, his right palm turned a little red and between his fingers and palm were faint traces of tiny streams of heat. Sweat started to appear on Shen Luo¡¯s nose. He exerted himself to keep his right hand still. After learning the Small Transformation Yang Skill, this was his first formal activation. However, it was going to be used to trigger the Yuan Stone. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to practice beforehand, but he only had six of these Yuan Stones, which might have been hard for Bai Xiaotian to obtain. He could only carefully carry out the practical work while summarizing the experience. He tried to guide the small streams of heat in his palm to gradually concentrate at one point and forced it out little by little. In a short while, a red thread, no more than three centimeters, formed in his palm and was injected into the Yuan Stone below. The originally dull Yuan Stone instantly underwent a slight change. A faint red glow appeared on the surface, and from outside to inside, the entire stone looked as if it had been dyed pale red. It appeared somewhat translucent. The clusters of white gas inside the stone also changed from a slow rotation to a violent roll. Suddenly, the Yuan Stone cracked with a ¡°crack¡± sound, and the white gas inside turned into a small ball of white light. Though it may seem long, everything from the red thread entering the stone to the Yuan Stone exploding took place in just a breath or two. Shen Luo stared fixatedly at the ball of white light, no bigger than a fingertip, which looked like a firefly. He was somewhat excited. He was successful in triggering the energy concealed within the Yuan Stone on his first try. It seemed he was really lucky! With the faint sense of perception awakened after mastering the basics of the Small Transformation Yang Skill, Shen Luo could vaguely sense the energy this ball of gas contained, which gave off a very pure feeling. Shen Luo understood that he had only succeeded halfway at this point. The real critical step was just beginning. As soon as the ball of white light left the Yuan Stone, it was as if it had been set free, and it didn¡¯t enter the talisman below but attempted to disperse outward. Fortunately, Shen Luo¡¯s slightly reddish palm seemed to have some restricting force, which temporarily prevented it from flying out. The white light started to move swiftly between his palm and the talisman. Only by guiding it into the talisman below could he ignite the core of the talisman with it and activate the talisman. Shen Luo took a deep breath, continued to activate the Small Transformation Yang Skill, and a faint red thread formed again in the palm of his right hand. Yet trying to guide the ball of white light with this faint red thread was as laborious as a child trying to move a large bucket of water. However, Shen Luo had indeed learned a knack. When the white light was close to the center of his palm, he gave a low shout, and the faint red line suddenly shined before flashing through the white light. The white light instantly linked with the red line and the red line pierced into the Small Thunder Talisman below with a whistling sound. Because of the red line, the ball of light also touched the talisman. The talisman, like a sponge, quickly absorbed the white light. The area where the talisman¡¯s core was located lit up immediately. The light continued to spread from the rune patterns of the Small Thunder Talisman to the two ends of the talisman, and soon, the entire Small Thunder Talisman became somewhat bright. But the change stopped here. The light flickered twice and then dimmed, and the talisman regained its previous appearance. ¡°Did I fail?¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself with a feeling of disappointment. The ways he activated the Small Transformation Yang Skill should not have been wrong. He had watched the whole process, which was almost exactly as Bai Xiaotian had explained. From this, it seemed that the problem lay with the talisman itself. Either he drew the talisman wrong, or the materials for drawing the talisman were wrong, or this talisman itself was a sham, and contained no power at all. Shen Luo felt depressed for a while but soon cheered up again. ¡°The activation of the Yuan Stone should have no issues if I¡¯m careful, and if I practice the Small Transformation Yang Skill further, the entire process can be much more accurate. Although the talisman didn¡¯t successfully activate, the rune symbols on the surface were indeed triggered.¡± Shen Luo stroked his chin and mumbled to himself for a while. He felt that he hadn¡¯t completely failed. So, he replaced the previous talisman with another one and continued to perform his skill. Accompanied by a ¡°crack¡± sound, the Yuan Stone shattered and the ball of white light emerged. Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Chapter 11: White Light Chapter 12: Chapter 11: White Light With the experience from before, this time he succeeded in infusing the talisman with white light in half the time. However, this time, although the rune on the Small Thunder Talisman also lit up, it was only for a moment, shorter than the first one. ¡°I still have three left.¡± Shen Luo gritted his teeth, grabbed another talisman¡­ A moment later, only two Yuan Stones were left in Shen Luo¡¯s hands, with just one Small Thunder Talisman remaining. All of his self-made talismans had failed, with the best result being his first attempt, which at least activated the yellow paper with rune patterns and made the talisman glow for about a breath¡¯s duration. The light lasted shorter with each trial, and the fourth one only activated less than a third of the patterns. Clearly, there was a problem with the rune patterns. Even though Shen Luo had prepared himself mentally, he still couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. After all, he had prepared a lot and paid a considerable price for these attempts. If this was the result, it was somewhat disheartening. At this point, his cheeks were flushed slightly sickly. Casting the talisman put a significant strain on him, and after four consecutive attempts, he felt somewhat exhausted. ¡°My constitution is really not up to par.¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself, put the talisman and the Yuan Stone aside, sat down cross-legged, and started to operate the Small Transformation Yang Skill, inhaling and exhaling. A faint red light emanated from his abdomen, slowly circling around his meridians¡­ Time passed little by little, and half an hour later, Shen Luo opened his eyes. His flushed cheeks had faded, leaving a faint hint of color. On second thought, Master Luo did not deceive him. After learning the Small Transformation Yang Skill, his recovery speed had indeed significantly improved. In just half an hour, he managed to regulate his Qi and blood, restoring his energy to its initial state. If it had been the past, it would not have been possible to recover this quickly without a full hour. Shen Luo got up, looked around, and took out the last talisman. This talisman was slightly different from the previous ones as it was drawn with Black Dog Blood mixed with cinnabar. ¡°Please work as you should!¡± Shen Luo examined the talisman in his hand, holding the last glimmer of hope, placed it on the giant stone, picked up a Yuan Stone and placed it on top, casting as before, one hand forming the seal, and the other operating on the stone. If there was anything to be gained from his four previous attempts, it was his ability to store the Yang Gang power within his body through the Small Transformation Yang Skill and use it to operate the Yuan Stone. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The experience of activating the Yuan Stone four times had not only improved his control over the Yang Gang power, but also made him understand how to use this type of stone. Now, as long as he focused, he had a higher probability of activating the Yuan Stone. With the familiar ¡°crack¡± sound, the Yuan Stone shattered. Soon after the white mist inside the stone turned into white light, a red thread formed in Shen Luo¡¯s right palm, then with a flash, took the white light and infused it into the talisman. The entire process was done in one breath, without the slightest hesitation or delay. Shen Luo held his breath, staring intently at the talisman with bloodshot eyes, not daring to miss any small changes. However, after the white light entered the surface of the talisman, it vanished as if it had entered the sea, without causing a single ripple. Shen Luo¡¯s face turned red again, feeling that time passed incredibly slowly, hearing his own rapidly beating heart¡¯s ¡°thump, thump¡± sounds. ¡°It seems the method of mixing Dog Blood and cinnabar is not working. The ¡®Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯ appears to be quite unreliable. He¡¯s indeed leading people astray!¡± This thought flashed in Shen Luo¡¯s mind, and he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile. But in the next moment, a sight that made him ecstatic appeared! Out of nowhere, a bright white light suddenly lit up in the middle of the still talisman, and it spread rapidly along the rune patterns to both ends, filling the entire talisman in an instant. Shen Luo stared at the dazzling talisman in front of him, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation, and quickly retreated seven or eight steps away from the talisman. This was the Small Thunder Talisman, dreaded by demons and ghosts alike. If it activated successfully while he was too close, he would be out of luck. The white light on the surface of the talisman had already submerged the talisman itself and was becoming brighter and more violent, casting light onto the surrounding area, ready to explode at any moment. Although Shen Luo found the white light a bit dazzling, he kept his eyes on it, his heart inexplicably excited, his heartbeat in his throat. ¡°Is it going to succeed?¡± Just as this thought crossed his mind, all the light in front of his eyes suddenly dimmed, and the talisman underwent another change. All the white light surrounding the talisman suddenly receded and disappeared without a trace, leaving only the yellow paper with the Small Thunder Talisman rune lying silently on the giant stone. Shen Luo stared blankly at what was happening in front of him, unwilling to believe it was real. He rubbed his eyes hard and looked again. The Small Thunder Talisman was still lying there, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred. Shen Luo¡¯s heart dropped! All five talismans had resulted this way, it should not be an issue with the drawing of the talismans, but a problem with the talismans themselves, right? No wonder, after all, the talismans were found in a travel novel, so it was very likely all smoke and mirrors. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I should think of another way to contact the magic, time is running out¡­¡± A few thoughts of unwillingness spun in Shen Luo¡¯s heart. He was about to clean up when¡­ A ¡°hiss¡± sound. The sound wasn¡¯t loud, but in the quiet back mountain, it was particularly noticeable, startling the somewhat dazed Shen Luo. On the stone, the talisman, and the ¡°Àס± character in the rune suddenly activated. Then, a soft white halo silently bloomed from the surface of the talisman, covering the surroundings in a radius of four or five feet, as if a full moon had suddenly appeared. Shen Luo moved and ¡°stomped¡± back ten steps. He was both surprised and delighted. It seems that this Small Thunder Talisman is indeed mysterious, and not a fake talisman fabricated out of nowhere! Zhang Heavenly Master, I misunderstood you before. Please don¡¯t take it to heart! However, he quickly noticed something wrong. The hissing sound from the talisman was incessant, like burning. The white light continuously emitted from the talisman indeed looked quite magical. However, this spectacle did not seem like the effect a ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± should have, right? Shen Luo¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but fluctuate between delight and worry. As Shen Luo was thinking to himself, suddenly startled, he quickly looked around. Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Chapter 12 Stone Ball Chapter 13: Chapter 12 Stone Ball The white light orb in front of him was extremely noticeable. If someone nearby happened to pass by and saw it, it would cause major trouble. Although it was rare for people to come to the back mountain at this time, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for a disciple who had eaten too much and wanted to take a stroll to digest. It was still eerily quiet all around, but this wasn¡¯t a place to linger for long. Shen Luo quickly stuffed the wasted talismans and the last Yuan Stone into his pocket, then tidied up the fragments of Yuan Stone at the scene, making sure no traces were left behind. Only then did he raise his head and look towards the talisman emitting a soft white light. After thinking for a moment, he bent down, picked up a dry twig about a foot long, and slowly walked towards the white light. When he was near the white light, Shen Luo stopped, his gaze flickered a few times, then carefully probed the edge of the white light with the dry twig¡­ The front end of the dry twig slowly disappeared into the white light. There was no change whatsoever. Shen Luo, who had been prepared to run at any moment, finally relaxed. After some thought, he discarded the dry twig, touched the white light with one palm, and then slowly immersed his whole arm into it, waving it inside. Shen Luo didn¡¯t feel anything abnormal about his arm, so with a determined heart, he walked completely into the white light and returned to the giant stone that held the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡±. The talisman emitted a gentle white light, very different from the effect described in the books when the Small Thunder Talisman was activated. Shen Luo didn¡¯t know whether to feel happy or disappointed. Talking about happiness, none of the five Small Thunder Talismans that he painstakingly painted were successful, and they consumed five precious Yuan Stones. Talking about disappointment, the talisman in front of him was genuinely activated and could be considered as his first successful talisman, which greatly boosted his confidence. ¡°Although this talisman can¡¯t attack, it should be good for illumination at night. But the cost is indeed too high.¡± Shen Luo murmured. Having said that, he bent down to pick up the talisman with two fingers, hesitated for a moment, and then went deeper into the secluded valley instead of taking the original path. The white light radiated by the talisman formed a soft halo within a radius of four or five feet around Shen Luo, making everything in its range clearly lit. At first, Shen Luo was quite curious about this never-before-seen scene, constantly looking around and guessing how long the talisman could stay lit. Unconsciously, he reached the deeper part of the secluded valley, in front of a mountain wall covered by lush green vines. There was no road ahead, and going any further would lead to a cliff. Shen Luo glanced at the talisman in his hand, which was still radiating a soft light. Just as he was about to observe it further, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise. The lush green vines that originally covered the mountain wall rapidly withered under the white light emitted by the talisman, revealing the original appearance of the mountain wall which hadn¡¯t been clear before. The surface of the mountain wall was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been forcibly cleaved from top to bottom by someone and then polished again. What surprised Shen Luo even more was that under the projection of the white light from the talisman in his hand, the mountain wall became somewhat transparent, as if its surface had turned into colored glaze, allowing him to faintly see objects within a range of one to two feet. Shen Luo had never seen such a miraculous sight. Amid his admiration, he approached the mountain wall unconsciously, intending to take a closer look. Just then, an unexpected change occurred! The talisman suddenly became scorching hot, and the temperature where it made contact with his skin rapidly rose. Shen Luo was startled and waved his arm wildly in an attempt to throw the talisman away, but it was firmly stuck on his fingers and couldn¡¯t be shaken off. At the same time, a heart-piercing pain emanated from his palm, as if it was being roasted by fire, and his arm started to feel numb, making it hard to exert any force. ¡°Damn it!¡± In a state of anxiety, Shen Luo quickly grabbed the talisman with his other hand and tried to tear it apart. At this moment, the talisman suddenly turned into a puff of ashes and disappeared from his hand without a trace. The surrounding white light circle also silently shattered, turning into countless large and small light orbs floating around. Shen Luo froze for a moment, then quickly looked at his hand. There were no signs of redness or burns, and the agonizing pain also suddenly disappeared. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. Everything he¡¯d just experienced felt like an illusion. Just as Shen Luo was doubting himself and standing silent, an even stranger thing happened! Those light orbs floating around seemed to be attracted by something and suddenly all drifted towards the mountain wall. When they touched the surface of the mountain wall, they disappeared into it like rats entering a hole, one after another, rushing in without hesitation. With more and more light orbs disappearing into it, that part of the mountain wall became increasingly transparent, revealing a pitch-black interior that seemed to be a hollowed-out space. Seeing this, Shen Luo took a few steps to the side of the mountain wall and picked up a small stone to knock on it. ¡°Thud,¡± ¡°thud,¡± there was a bit of an echo. ¡°It¡¯s hollow.¡± He murmured to himself, swept his gaze around, then brought over a larger stone from the nearby grass and hit the mountain wall hard with it. After hitting it a few times, the mountain wall finally cracked and a hole the size of a bowl appeared. Shen Luo hit around the hole twice more, greatly enlarging the entrance. Inside was indeed a small cave, but only about four or five feet deep. The light orbs that had previously disappeared into the mountain wall were nowhere to be found. In their place, there was a round object like a stone ball with a diameter of two feet lying in a corner of the cave. ¡°Could it be this thing that attracted the white light from the talisman?¡± Shen Luo hesitated for a moment before reaching out to retrieve it. He was once invaded by Yin Qi in a concealed place. This item, hidden so deep and causing such weird movements before, who knows if it¡¯s an impure object? Of course, it¡¯s more likely to be the treasures often mentioned in various books and travel notes! Fortunately, he now had the Small Transformation Yang Skill, and ordinary Yin Qi could no longer invade his body. Shen Luo stood at the entrance of the cave and thought for a long time. Finally, he took off his robe and wrapped his hands in it. He took out the four discarded talismans from before and stuffed them into his palm, adding a layer of padding. At the same time, he was fully running the Small Transformation Yang Skill inside his body to protect himself. Only after completing all these preparations did Shen Luo extend his hands to hold onto the object inside the cave. The object was surprisingly light, and there were no other abnormalities. He relaxed slightly, exerted a little strength on his hand, and easily lifted the ¡°stone ball¡± out, put it on his chest, looked down, and carefully examined it. It was gray and had numerous small holes on the surface. No wonder it was so light. It seemed to be naturally formed. Shen Luo rotated the ¡°stone ball¡± a little bit and didn¡¯t discover anything else. He shook it subconsciously. There was a ¡°gululu¡± sound from inside the ¡°stone ball¡±. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Jade Pillow Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Jade Pillow Shen Luo¡¯s spirits were instantly uplifted. There was a mystery hidden in this object! Shen Luo placed the stone ball on the ground. He took out the talisman from his palm, removed his robe, and gently caressed the ¡°Stone Ball¡± a few times before applying a slight pressure. The surface of the stone ball felt somewhat rough due to the small holes, but it also had some elasticity and didn¡¯t seem to be extremely hard. After thinking for a moment, Shen Luo picked up a fist-sized stone from the nearby ground and gently scratched the surface of the ¡°Stone Ball¡±. There was a ¡°swish¡± sound. A large amount of gray powder fell down, revealing a deep indentation on the body of the ¡°Stone Ball¡±. The ¡°Stone Ball¡± was as soft as flour. He was first taken aback, then overjoyed. Immediately picking up the ¡°Stone Ball¡±, he sat on the nearby grass and began to ¡°grind¡± it bit by bit with the stone in his hand. After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the stone ball had disintegrated into a pile of powder and vanished. In its place, a new object appeared in Shen Luo¡¯s hand, giving him a rather strange look. This object was over a foot long at first glance, and no more than half a foot wide. It was rectangular in shape and presented a pure and profound yellow color. It seemed to have been carved out from a single piece of material. Both ends were slightly curved upward, forming a small arc. The edges at the eight corners looked pretty rounded. When Shen Luo caressed it with his hand, it felt cool but not icy, chilly but not freezing, smooth and delicate. It seemed to be made of jade or a similar material. The surface also had some delicate striated engravings, which seemed to be wave-like patterns, giving it the look of an exquisitely carved jade. But this object seemed to be quite old. Its surface luster was somewhat dim, and there were one or two cracks at the edges, giving it an antique and quaint feel. ¡°This thing¡­why does it look like a pillow? A jade pillow?¡± Shen Luo gave it a thorough look and murmured to himself. The Shen family ran a traditional Chinese medicine enterprise, which had enabled him to meet people from various backgrounds and see a good deal of the world. At one point, he saw a jade pillow in a local pawn shop. The object in front of him now was quite similar to that. The art of healing advocates for a ¡°cool head and warm feet.¡± The jade pillow was derived from this concept. If one sleeps on it over a certain period, it can benefit the brain and makes one¡¯s intelligence clear and lucid. Hence, some ministers, and even the emperor himself, would use jade pillows to promote physical wellness and longevity. However, a jade pillow has a high requirement for the jade used, thus not just any jade can be used for making one. As a result, it is quite valuable and not something an ordinary wealthy family can afford. How did a jade pillow end up in this remote mountain, hidden within this strange cave and stone ball? Shen Luo studied the jade pillow from all angles but didn¡¯t find anything unusual. However, since it could attract the white light radiated by the talisman, it was clearly not an ordinary object. The thought of having potentially stumbled upon the ¡°adventures¡± often written about in books, and genuinely finding a ¡°treasure,¡± filled Shen Luo¡¯s heart with both excitement and nervousness. After considering it, he wrapped the jade pillow in his robe, tied a knot, and carried it on his back. He then blocked the split opening of the cave with stones and covered it with vines from nearby, ensuring no one would notice anything unusual. He then cleaned up the surroundings and made sure there were no other people around or any signs left behind before turning to leave the valley. At this time, the disciples in the pavilion were all practicing in their rooms, and no one was walking outside. ¡­ Not meeting anyone along the way, Shen Luo quickly returned to his residence at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Not until he entered the house and closed the door did he truly let out a sigh of relief. He poured a basket of clean water and found a clean cloth. After thoroughly wiping off the slight dirt on the jade pillow, he held it in his hand and studied it again. For a long time¡­ a long time¡­ he couldn¡¯t figure anything out. Helpless, Shen Luo remembered the bizarre methods of identifying treasures recorded in the miscellaneous books and travel notes. Although he felt uneasy about such methods, he could only try a few of those now. With this thought in mind, he first soaked the jade pillow in the previously drawn clean water for a while. Then he took a match and fanned it under the jade pillow for some time, but there was still no change. This situation only made Shen Luo even more certain that the material used for the jade pillow was extraordinary. After all, under the roasting of a fire, the surface of ordinary jade should at least change color slightly. Next, Shen Luo found a small knife, and forcefully cut his own finger, squeezing out a few drops of fresh blood to fall on the jade pillow. After a little while, seeing that the jade pillow had no abnormal changes, he boldly used the small knife to try to scratch the surface of the jade. By the time he had finished his meal, Shen Luo, sweating profusely, looked at the small knife in his hand, its blade now rolled and curled from use, his mouth practically agape with astonishment. The jade pillow remained unscathed! Having tested it for such a long time,, Shen Luo was somewhat exhausted, and had to temporarily give up on any further attempts. He casually put the jade pillow by the bed, planning to go to the pavilion the next day, and look through those books recording information about jade materials to see if he could find out what material the jade pillow was made of. If that still didn¡¯t work, he was prepared to make a few more ¡°Small Thunder Talismans¡± to see how this jade pillow was attracting white light. In short, although he hadn¡¯t found the anomaly of this thing yet, the previous tests had already confirmed that it was indeed ¡°extraordinary¡±. Just as Shen Luo put down the ¡°jade pillow¡± and was about to start thinking, he picked it up again and placed it on a table next to him. Then, he sat cross-legged on the bed, with his hands forming a circle, his body motionless, breathing in slowly as he began to practice the Small Transformation Yang Skill. Without finding any other suitable methods, practicing this technique matters to his lifespan, so he naturally dare not slack off in the slightest. And so, he continued practicing into the deep night. After inhaling the red thread held in his arms into his mouth and nose, Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat gloomy. As for the Small Transformation Yang Skill, he was still only at the first layer, but his progress was obviously slower than before. At this rate, reaching the second layer seemed a long ways off, and achieving great success was even more so. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ve made some headway in my talisman research. In the future, I¡¯ll focus on both deciphering talisman law and diligently practicing the Small Transformation Yang Skill. I refuse to believe that I won¡¯t find a way out.¡± Shen Luo comforted himself, and his mood lightened a bit. At this moment, it was deep into the night, and he yawned, rolled over and lay down on the bed to rest. After a day of running around, his body was exhausted, and he soon fell asleep. The summer night was still, with the sound of insects rising and falling. The moon was in mid-air, shedding bits of bright light outside the window, while the room remained pitch black and extraordinarily dim¡­ ¡­ Shen Luo was sleeping soundly, but suddenly felt a chill, and he shivered unintentionally. He curled up and reached out to pull the blanket beside him, thinking that he had kicked it off while sleeping. However, his hand came up empty, instead he touched something cold and damp. Still groggy, he didn¡¯t react, but mumbled something and reached out with his other hand blindly, this time grabbing a soft, slimy thing. His fingertips felt an intense chill, and his nose caught a strong scent of grass and wood. The sound of insects near his ears was also especially loud, as if it was right next to him. ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡± Shen Luo was startled awake, and he quickly sat up, bringing the objects in his hands in front of him, and took a quick glance. His eyes suddenly widened in astonishment. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Wandering Toad¡±, a new book by my friend called ¡°Exiled from Immortality¡± Seeking immortality for eternal life, living free with hot blood, stepping on lotus leaves and scribing on sword bones, shaping the soul with the wind! The original introduction was ¡°Exiled from Immortality, a genius for freeloading.¡± Now it¡¯s changed to ¡°I¡¯m Kuaishou Xiaoma, relying on my iron fists, I defeated a second-gen immortal surnamed Wang, which allows me to be born into this world uprightly.¡± Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: Chapter 14: Mysterious Mountain Village Chapter 15: Chapter 14: Mysterious Mountain Village What he held in his hands turned out to be half of a moist vine and a clump of damp soil, on which clung a few inches of oily green grass. ¡°What on earth is happening?¡± Shen Luo hastily threw the objects in his hand away, quickly scanning his surroundings. The residual sleepiness instantly vanished. He was not on the bed in his own house, but sitting on a patch of barren, muddy land. Shen Luo grimaced and climbed to his feet, looking around helplessly. He noticed that the place where he had been lying was flanked by thickets of weeds with insects chirping intermittently. A muddy path that could barely fit one person was vaguely visible. It was unclear where the path led. The surrounding area was entirely covered by a faint mist, obstructing his view, making it impossible to discern anything. With both hands, Shen Luo forcefully slapped his cheeks. The burning pain informed him that he was not dreaming. ¡°What happened? I was clearly sleeping in the house. How did I suddenly end up in this place? Was I kidnapped from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion without a sound?¡± On this thought, Shen Luo hastily checked his clothes, then raised his sleeve to look carefully at the emblem of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion on his sleeve. He slightly relaxed after moving his limbs and realizing that everything was alright. He remembered going to sleep in his clothes because he was exhausted, and things seemed the same as before. There was nothing odd about his body either. Shen Luo was filled with bewilderment, knowing that the urgent task at hand was to figure out exactly where he was now. He forced himself to calm down and re-examined his surroundings again. The nearby air was filled with an eerie coldness. Even though it was summer, it was as cold as late autumn. He felt inadequately dressed and wrapped his outer robe tighter around his body. Shen Luo suddenly thought of something and abruptly lifted his head to look at the sky. The sky resembled a boundless black curtain, with nothing but a crescent moon hanging in the air, casting a rather dim light. Clearly, it was still night time. Then, the sound of the wind, like the wail of a ghost, blew from the distance in several gusts, scattering the and lifting the nearby fog, allowing him to see some blurry scenery. After inhaling deeply, he pursued down the narrow path with caution. Before long, both sides of the road began to reveal patches of flat earth; some even had rows of crops growing on them, appearing to be fields. The soil in the fields without crops was fluffy ¡ª it seemed that they had recently been tilled in daylight. Seeing this, Shen Luo felt somewhat relieved. Since there are fields and signs of habitation, he should not be in any danger. Although he had no idea how he ended up here without reason, there was no time to delve into it now. Picking up his pace a bit, he continued down the country road. ¡­ The night fog grew thinner, and the landscape in the distance gradually revealed itself. A mile straight ahead, he could vaguely see some sparse houses built against the mountain, with occasional flickering lights which looked somewhat blurry. At the sight of this, Shen Luo felt a surge of joy. He would surely understand where he was if he went to one of the houses over there. Buoyed by this thought, he felt warmth from the distant lights, and his step unconsciously accelerated. Soon, he was less than a hundred feet away from the source of the light. This place was indeed a small mountain village. The village was small, with only about a dozen houses. However, it was already late at night, the village was quiet and pitch-black, with the exception of a house in the middle of the village emitting a little light. Shen Luo walked to the entrance of the village and froze momentarily. After confirming there were no villagers moving around, he walked into the village. However, just after taking a few steps, a ¡®bang¡¯ reverberated, and a pain shot through his toes. He had accidentally bumped into something. That thing rolled out about a foot away. He lowered his head in shock, only to see that what had rolled out was a dirty half-stake. Not far from his foot, there was another half. Upon closer inspection, these two half-stakes were not ordinary objects. On their surface, there were familiar ancient patterns carved. Only upon careful inspection did Shen Luo realize that these patterns were comprised of runes. He furrowed his brows, bent down and picked up the half-stake at his feet, moving it closer to inspect. The runes on the stake looked very crude and haphazard, far less complex than his own talisman, but they were twisted abnormally on the surface of the stake, giving off a highly uncomfortable feeling. He had only taken a quick look when he suddenly felt dizzy, quickly looking away in horror. The runes on this stake had such an odd ability. What would happen if they were drawn on talisman paper? Shen Luo quietly speculated whilst silently using the Small Transformation Yang Skill. A Yang Gang Qi emerged from his Dantian, travelled to his right hand, and made his palm slightly warm. He then reached out and touched the runes on the surface of the stake. Noticing nothing unusual, he quickly withdrew his hand. After some hesitation, Shen Luo tossed the half-stake back to where it came from and walked briskly toward the house with the light on. Right now was not the time to dawdle. Once he figured out his situation, he would have time for research. When he came to the open ground in front of the house, he stopped again. Surprisingly, there was a collapsed god niche in front of the house. Under the faint lamplight from the window, Shen Luo could clearly see that the god niche was more than one person tall, pitch black, and had no name plaque. There was only one fallen incense burner, and incense ashes were scattered all over the ground. What caught his attention were the runes engraved on the god niche, which were very similar to those on the stakes at the entrance of the village. However, the runes here were blood-red, as if drawn by fresh blood and rather discomforting to see. Shen Luo stared at the god niche, his face changing uncertainly. Just then, gusts of cold night wind blew, rustling the leaves of several big trees near the house, blowing leaves all over the sky. The wind also swept in a thick fog from outside the village, making the already dim light in front of the house dimmer. The other houses in the village also became hazy, as if they could disappear in the fog at any moment. Shen Luo felt the air around him become colder, and his body temperature was dropping rapidly. His limbs were somewhat numb in the wind, he took a deep breath, temporarily cast away his concerns and walked to the front door of the house. Just as he was about to knock on the door, his hand stiffened, and he slowly withdrew it. Shen Luo looked uncertain and after sniffing a couple of times, he looked down, and his pupils constricted. A stream of black blood was seeping out from the door opening, almost spreading to his feet, giving off a pungent bloody smell. Shen Luo¡¯s face turned pale, and he immediately turned around and ran back where he came from. The sound of the wind was deafening to his ears, the breathings in his mouth, feeling exceptionally frigid, as though several knives were scraping inside him. Shen Luo felt like he had never run so fast before, it was as if his chest was going to burst open. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the entrance of the village, but he didn¡¯t pause, and was ready to plow right out of the village in one breath. With a ¡°bang¡±. He suddenly froze, and his body fell straight to the ground, dragging out a deep trace half a foot long. Shen Luo felt his whole body stiff and freezing, and something cold seemed to have been added at his chest, moving against his skin. Shen Luo let out a low, struggling growl in his throat, his hands clutching tightly in an attempt to recover some strength. He suddenly ripped open his coat to look down. On his chest, two clear black handprints had appeared at some point. They were the size of a regular person¡¯s hand, pitch black as ink, moving upwards quickly. Everywhere they passed over was exceptionally cold, making his hairs stand on end. In the blink of an eye, they crawled up to his neck, starting to constrict as if they were real¡­ Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Ghost Hitting the Wall Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Ghost Hitting the Wall Shen Luo was both frightened and angry, yet he was gradually unable to breathe. In his mind flashed all the various books and classics he had read over these two years at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and this situation seemed to have been mentioned in one of those books. He gritted his teeth, mustered the last bit of his strength to cross-legged sit properly, with his hands wrapped around, he desperately operated the Small Transformation Yang Skill. A warm current surged from his Dantian, quickly spreading throughout his body. A faint red light seeped out from his neck, making the black handprint blur for a moment. Shen Luo felt the force strangling his neck loosen a little, and his heart instantly rejoiced. But before he had time to do anything else, a sudden and sharp scream sounded in his ear, piercing into him until his eardrums trembled and his mind was stunned. The activation of his Small Transformation Yang Skill stagnated. Almost at the same time, the handprint on his neck again became pitch black and profound. Around him, the howling sound intensified, and a large group of grey cold fog quickly emerged, swirling and dancing tirelessly around him. He felt like his body was submerged in icy water, unbearably cold. The warmth within his body was of no help. His limbs lost consciousness instantly, unable to move at all, and once again, he felt difficulty in breathing. Shen Luo¡¯s heart sank into the deepest depths, unable to float up any longer¡­ A loud ¡°boom¡± sound could be heard. Rain poured down like a torrent, turning the entire mountain village into a swamp. In the white cascading rain, a figure laid motionless in the muddy water. ¡­ Shen Luo slowly straightened his body amidst the cacophony of insects and opened his eyes, looking blankly around him. The narrow muddy road, the damp air, the strong scent of grass and trees, the overgrown ground, the fog in the distance¡­ ¡°Where is this??¡± Shen Luo suddenly widened his eyes and subconsciously picked up a handful of wet mud from the ground. Upon confirming it was indeed real, he couldn¡¯t help but swallow a few times. ¡°Impossible¡­¡± He threw away the mud in his hand, quickly got up from the cold ground, and after confirming once again his surroundings, his face was filled with shock. ¡°Could it really be¡­¡± After hesitating for a while in doubt, Shen Luo raised his head again to look at the dark sky and the crescent moon. He gritted his teeth and continued down the narrow road. When he saw the cultivated fields on both sides again, as well as the dim mountain village built against the mountain in the distance, especially the somewhat blurred light in the mountain village, he immediately stopped in his tracks. What on earth is going on ¡­ have I returned to the original place? Did I not really die? Or was everything that just happened, just a dream? Shen Luo was also becoming slightly confused. He clearly remembered that he appeared in this place before, and the scenery was exactly the same as it was now. However, not long after he entered the mountain village, he was¡­ At this thought, Shen Luo trembled, quickly reaching for his throat with his hand. Finding nothing unusual, he finally let out a little sigh of relief. He was perfectly fine now. What had happened before must have been an illusion. But if it was a nightmare, it was far too realistic. He had once felt the nearly infinite fear of death. Or was it really not a dream? Black blood, God Niche, and those two handprints¡­thsomething must be off. Gazing at the distant small mountain village, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes twitched twice, and he finally made a certain decision. After pondering in silence for a while, he raised his hand, bit his index finger to draw blood, and then drew a rune pattern on the chest of his shirt with his fresh blood. It was copied from a Demon Expelling Rune he had read from some miscellaneous records. In the records, it was stated that even people without mana could drive away demons with their essence blood if they were filled with positive energy. He did not know if this was true, but he had no other options now, so he had to give it a try. After doing all of this, he turned around and ran towards the wilderness in the opposite direction from the small mountain village. This place was obviously not a refuge. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t foolishly barge in again. It was wise to avoid it from afar. The so-called ¡°wise men never stand under the dangerous wall¡±. Everything else could wait until he had left this strange place to plan. As Shen Luo ran, he felt the mist around him becoming denser and denser. His vision quickly became blurred, and he could hardly see the road ahead. However, he did not dare to slow down his pace, running with all his might, there was only one thought in his heart right now, and that was to get as far away from that eerie mountain village as possible. After running for a while, the fog in front of him suddenly thinned, and his vision immediately became clear. Shen Luo was delighted and was about to speed up his pace. His expression suddenly froze, and he stopped in his tracks. At the end of the road ahead, a small mountain village built against the mountain appeared dimly, with a light coming from the village. ¡°No¡­ Impossible, I remember turning around!¡± Shen Luo looked around in confusion, his face full of disbelief. He gritted his teeth, abruptly turned around, and once again dashed into the depths of the fog¡ªonly to quickly disappear within it. After a short while, the mist in front of him dissipated, and the familiar scene once again appeared before him. That bit of light in the mountain village, which made him feel somewhat warm before, now seemed a bit creepy. Shen Luo was getting somewhat frantic. After looking at the bushes beside the path, he suddenly sprinted into them. The fog surrounded the entire village, covering all directions. Despite not taking the small path anymore, he still quickly disappeared into the fog. It was hard to move in the bushes. Shen Luo stumbled several times but did not dare to let up. He ran full speed ahead without a care. After running for a while, the fog ahead suddenly thinned. Shen Luo slowed his pace and swallowed a mouthful of saliva before continuing on. The scenery ahead quickly became clear, but what came into view next made him feel like his entire being was about to collapse. A small path appeared in front of him, and at the end of the path¡­ there was the small mountain village! ¡°Could it be¡­ a ghost wall?¡± After calming his mind, Shen Luo struggled to recall some of the things he had read in the classics, and suddenly felt somewhat enlightened. Just then, the night wind suddenly increased, the nearby fog violently rolled and drifted towards the village. The surrounding trees swayed, making a rustling noise. The chill in the air intensified greatly, all the hair on Shen Luo¡¯s body stood on end, and a chilling feeling rose from the bottom of his heart. That feeling was like being stared at by a poisonous snake, as if he was being watched wherever he went. Shen Luo took a deep breath, his face solemn. After retreating a few steps, he suddenly turned around and ran wildly into the depths of the fog. However, this time before he could get far, he tripped over something on the ground, and with a ¡°thud¡±, he fell to the ground. Before Shen Luo could react, he felt a cold sensation on his neck and two black handprints appeared silently, their fingers constricting rapidly. Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Moving Forward, Not Back Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Moving Forward, Not Back ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± In his heart, Shen Luo thunderously roared, frantically operating the Small Transformation Yang Skill. A layer of red light emanated from his body, attempting to resist the invisible entity assaulting him. At the same time, a surge of Yang Gang power crazily gushed into the rune on his chest. Although this was his first time attempting to use the exorcism talisman, desperate times called for desperate measures. To his disappointment, besides feeling a slight heat where the talisman was drawn on his chest, nothing happened. But immediately after, Shen Luo felt a slight warmth in his eyes, following which his vision darkened as a figure in black appeared before him. The figure was about a zhang tall, with extremely long hair that trailed down to the ground, covering its face and rendering its features indiscernible. He could only vaguely make out two red eyes projecting a chilling malicious intent, as well as a greed for life. Meanwhile, its long and vapory dark arms were strangling his neck! ¡°A real ghost!¡± Shen Luo was filled with terror. Despite his difficulty in breathing, he subconsciously kicked out at the ghost. Without waiting for him to land a hit, the ghost let out a piercing, ear-splitting howl. Shen Luo felt a buzzing in his head, the red light covering his body shattered dramatically. A burst of heat welled up from his eyes, ears, and nasal cavities. He could only see through a red filter, his senses greatly impaired. The icy cold hands strangling his windpipe tightened their grip. Shen Luo¡¯s conscious became fuzzy, his outstretched leg stiffened in mid-air before feebly falling. He vaguely heard the roar of thunder in the sky. Following that, a torrential downpour poured down, and then he knew no more. ¡­ In his trance, Shen Luo felt as though he was surrounded by endless darkness, in still silence. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt as if he had no control of his body. He could not lift his eyelids nor move his limbs. He had a vague sense that something was wrong, but considering the deep fatigue emanating from within, he had a desire to give in to it, just lying there, doing nothing, and rest. Just then, the sound of an insect broke the quiet. Shen Luo jerked up and opened his eyes suddenly. The next moment, he discovered with a gasp of shock that he was back on that small country lane. The familiar lane, fields, night fog, crescent moon¡­ The mountain village shrouded in the distant fog and faint, blurred lights. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong! A dream cannot be this real, and reality cannot be this repetitive! Where am I actually?¡± Shen Luo scrambled to his feet, thoughts whirling inside his head. Suddenly remembering something, he squatted down and dug deeply into the ground. Although the ground was slightly moist from the dew, deeper down it was still dry. When he¡¯d lost consciousness, he had clearly seen a heavy rain but this ground condition indicated otherwise. Looking around, he saw no signs of footprints on the country lane, despite the fact that he had run up and down numerous times before. ¡°Did this place constantly repair or repeat everything?! Was I not killed by the ghost, but brought back from death and returned to the time when I first entered this place?¡± Having read many strange and baffling tales, coupled with his nimble mind, Shen Luo swiftly derived a vague hypothesis. He then remembered something else and raised his hand. His index finger, which had been bitten and broken earlier during the talisman drawing, was now smooth and unscathed. ¡°Just as I thought, it¡¯s beyond belief!¡± A hint of horror flashed through Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. Having some understanding of the situation he encountered today, his tense mind relaxed a tad, also becoming somewhat calmer. However, Shen Luo immediately remembered his previous encounter. Knowing that the ghost would attack again, he couldn¡¯t help but furrow his eyebrows. Although knowing that he seemed to be able to be reborn here and wouldn¡¯t fear the ghost as he did before, if he was continuously strangled to death by the ghost, he certainly didn¡¯t want to experience that. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t confirm if after having been revived twice that he could still ¡°resurrect¡± for a third time? What if he can¡¯t resurrect again? He has only one life, he couldn¡¯t risk it! Since this is the case, he has no option but to fight bravely! Shen Luo pondered silently and as the fear subsided, a sense of anticipation filled him. He began to recall all the methods of exorcism he had read in the classics. He suddenly removed his shirt, bit his finger, and with fresh blood, he directly began to draw various talisman patterns on his skin. He drew a total of eight before he stopped. It¡¯s not that Shen Luo didn¡¯t want to continue drawing, but after each stroke, for unknown reasons, he could feel his strength waning, as if it was being slowly drained from him. After just eight runes, he was already quite tired. If he continued, it might affect his performance, so he stopped. All of these were the various talisman patterns he had traced and studied previously, including the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± that he had tested last time. He wasn¡¯t clear about its specific effects, but it¡¯s better safe than sorry. Shen Luo quickly put his clothes back on. Having previous experience of the ¡°Ghost Wall,¡± he didn¡¯t take any other directions, but directly headed towards the small mountain village. He wasn¡¯t someone who easily got scared. The previous events were too bizarre, and now that he had a clearer understanding, he intended to get to the bottom of this. He was also interested in knowing whether escaping from the ghost or even destroying it would help him to leave this place. In the blink of an eye, Shen Luo reached the entrance of the village. The village entrance was barricaded with two wooden stakes, just like the first time he entered the village. Seeing this, Shen Luo was even more convinced of his speculation. He was about to enter the village when he seemed to think of something. He bent over to pick up the wooden stakes and stuck them in his waistband, then ran towards the house with the lights. When he arrived at the front of the house, he first grabbed some incense ashes from the tipped-over god niche. He then leaped to the front door, and without waiting for the blood to seep out, he lifted his foot and kicked the wooden door. With a ¡°bang¡±, the wooden door swung open. But the sight behind the door left him slightly stunned. A skinny little girl in grey short clothes who was seven or eight years old stood there, trembling. She held a wooden bucket full of black blood, and she seemed to be about to pour out the bucket. Seeing Shen Luo suddenly burst in, the little girl¡¯s face showed a frightened look, and she stepped back two steps. Shen Luo quickly regained his thoughts, ignoring the little girl, his eyes scanned the room and landed on a corner. There lay a stiff black dog¡¯s carcass, not a single hair on its body out of place. ¡°Black Dog Blood.¡± Shen Luo glanced at the wooden bucket in the girl¡¯s hands, frowning slightly. His gaze shifted again and glanced around. Next to the black dog, there was a wooden bed with a white-haired old man lying on it. His eyes were tightly shut, and he appeared to be unconscious. In the middle of the room, there was another god niche. There was a candle lit, and a miniature statue of a humanoid with a dog¡¯s head was being worshipped. In addition, the walls around the room and on the doors and windows were coated with black bloodstains, which must have been intentionally smeared there. Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Fearless in the Face of Danger Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Fearless in the Face of Danger ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m not a bad person.¡± Shen Luo quickly averted his gaze, looking at the little girl who was staring at him in surprise, and spoke in a gentle voice. The little girl blinked, but she carefully looked Shen Luo up and down, especially at his shadow, and her nervous expression slightly relaxed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Shen Luo glanced at the wooden bucket in the little girl¡¯s hand and asked. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­¡± The little girl put down the wooden bucket in her arms and made some gestures towards Shen Luo, indicating she was mute. Shen Luo did not understand sign language, his brow furrowed, and he was about to say something. A cold Yin wind silently blew from behind, making one of the runes on his upper body feel warm and emit a faint red glow. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Shen Luo had already fought the ghost twice. Without turning around, he threw the incense ashes in his hand backward and jumped into the house. Almost at the same time, a mournful shriek came from behind him. Shen Luo instantly turned around, only to see a tall black figure appearing two yards behind where he was standing. His pupils contracted and he took two steps backward subconsciously. It was the same ghost! The ghost seemed to have become visible because the incense ashes stuck to its body. A painful look appeared in its blood-red eyes as if it was hurt by the incense ashes. ¡°As the book said, incense ashes have the effect of warding off evil and can be used to exorcise ghosts. It really wasn¡¯t nonsense.¡± Keeping an eye on the ghost, Shen Luo thought to himself. While Shen Luo was considering his options, the ghost turned into a black shadow, rushed into the house, and lunged towards him. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± Shen Luo moved forward, and when he was close to the ghost, he suddenly squatted down to dodge the ghost¡¯s grasp, sweeping his right leg towards the lower body of the tall ghost. As soon as he had seen the little girl and the wooden bucket in her hand, he had silently begun to activate the Small Transformation Yang Skill, leading the Yang Gang Qi to his right leg and right palm, waiting for this moment! But to Shen Luo¡¯s surprise, the ghost¡¯s body was like a specter, and his right foot, which was enveloped in a faint red light, passed directly through the ghost¡¯s body. His subsequent palm strike failed to connect, and because he exerted too much force, he stumbled and almost fell forward. Taking advantage of Shen Luo¡¯s unstable stance, the ghost swiftly reached out with its pitch-black ghost hands and reached for Shen Luo¡¯s neck. Shen Luo inwardly cursed, but he had yet to steady himself and it was too late to avoid it. At this critical moment, a sudden strong wave of foul smell came, and a large amount of black dog blood splashed over from the side. It seemed that the little girl saw that the situation was not good, and she threw the black dog blood in the wooden bucket over. The ghost was hit squarely by the black dog blood, issuing a painful scream. The black Qi on its body was evaporated quite a bit, and its figure also became a lot more transparent in an instant. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shen Luo rolled on the spot and dodged to the side of the little girl, a cold sweat on his back. However, the little girl¡¯s actions showed signs of angering the ghost. Its eyes were filled with murderous intent, and it swiftly turned around and rushed forward, stretching its hands swiftly one after another. With a ¡°swoosh¡±. Its two arms shot out like ropes, covering a span of two or three yards in an instant, and like lightning, respectively grabbed Shen Luo and the girl¡¯s necks. Shen Luo only felt his throat was grabbed by five cold fingers, followed by an overwhelming force. Instantly, his feet lifted off the ground. He and the little girl were lifted up in the air. Shen Luo tried to reach out and grab the ghost hand around his neck, only to grasp the empty air again. Immediately after, he felt a cold Yin breath transmitted through the ghost¡¯s hand, pouring into his body, as if countless icy bugs suddenly entered his body. At this time, Shen Luo only felt his breathing became difficult, his whole body was extremely cold, and even his bones seemed to be freezing stiff. With the last bit of strength, he held his breath and activated the Small Transformation Yang Skill, trying to mobilize the Yang Gang power at his Dantian to flow towards the eight runes on his chest. This was his last hope. Although he had miraculously survived twice when confronted with death before, and even returned to the previous point in time, who knew if such a situation would occur again? He didn¡¯t want to place his bet on something he had no control over. While he was pondering, a stream of Yang Gang Qi was led to the first ¡°exorcism charm¡± on the upper left of his chest, but this rune seemed to have no reaction to the Yang Gang Qi. Shen Luo was mentally prepared for this and quickly initiated his skill, guiding the Yang Gang Qi towards the second ¡°subduing curse charm¡± in the middle of his left chest. As a result, there was a slight heat at the place where the rune was drawn, and it looked like there was a response. However, before Shen Luo could rejoice, the warm sensation disappeared without a trace. And the ghost¡¯s hand tightens while he himself is running out of the breath he has been holding on to and can only hold for another two or three breaths. Shen Luo was not discouraged, and forcibly led the Yang Gang Qi towards the third rune on the upper right of his chest. This stream of Yang Gang Qi, which was concentrated in haste, was weak from the start. After passing through the first two runes, it was less than half of its original strength when it reached here. That is to say, if this rune still cannot be activated successfully, the remaining Yang Gang Qi could probably only be used to try one more time. This third drawing was a ¡°warding off evil charm¡±. In fact, Shen Luo had already thought it through when he was drawing it, and the reason why he chose these three runes first was that these three were the most effective against ghosts among all the runes he knew. The others, except for the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡±, were some household protection or purification runes, which were not related to ghosts. However, this third one was the same as the first one, with no response to the Yang Gang Qi. At this time, Shen Luo¡¯s face had turned red, and with his last bit of willpower, he led the now very weak Yang Gang Qi towards the final ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡±. Although the Small Thunder Talisman is not known for its extraordinary effect on suppressing ghosts, and there is a risk of backlash if not operated properly, he had practiced drawing it skillfully, and even actually tested it on yellow paper. It is better than the other runes that are likely to be activated. As a thin red thread, barely visible, entered the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± rune in the middle of his right chest, the entire rune began to emit a faint white light. However, it only flickered twice and immediately went out. Seeing this, Shen Luo felt a chill in his heart. Just as he was about to give up, an astonishing scene occurred! The originally dim Small Thunder Talisman rune lit up again, emitting white light which grew brighter and brighter. In the blink of an eye, the entire Small Thunder Talisman began to glow with bright white light, and small electric arcs could even be faintly seen dancing in the white light. Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Battling Ghosts (Part 1) Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Battling Ghosts (Part 1) Shen Luo only felt a scorching sensation in the middle of his right chest where the Small Thunder Talisman was drawn, like being pressed with a red-hot iron, and he could even smell the charred scent of his flesh. But at this moment, he was suspended in the air, his throat strangled, barely able to breathe, naturally he didn¡¯t care about this pain. ¡°Hurry up and activate! Hurry up!¡± he roared furiously in his heart. The Small Thunder Talisman, lit up once again, rekindled a glimmer of hope in his heart. But the next moment, he discovered something else that terrified him. Where the Small Thunder Talisman was, a powerful absorption force emerged, madly devouring the scarce Yang Gang power in his body. Not only that, he even felt that the blood in his entire body was heating up and flowing towards the right side of his chest, making the scorching sensation there hotter and hotter. Shen Luo felt dizzy and parched, as if all the blood in his body was burning up, and his right chest was about to be burnt through. Fear crept into his heart. If this continued, before the ghost could choke him to death, he would either be drained by the talisman or burn to death. But even if he wanted to stop, he couldn¡¯t prevent the rune from devouring his inner vitality. Fortunately, at this moment, the Small Thunder Talisman seemed to have absorbed enough, and the white light it emitted suddenly converged and stopped devouring. A fiery sting pierced Shen Luo¡¯s right chest, causing him to groan involuntarily. The next instant, the Small Thunder rune suddenly lit up, and a dazzling white lightning burst from his chest, tearing through the surrounding darkness and Yin Qi, and hit the arm of the ghost that was strangling his throat like a lightning bolt. All this happened in the span of one or two breaths, from the moment Shen Luo tried to activate the first chest talisman. The ghost¡¯s arm that was strangling Shen Luo¡¯s neck, together with the ghost claw on his throat, was easily torn apart by the white lightning, turning into nothingness, like ice and snow melting in fire. Shen Luo felt his neck loosen, before he even had time to take a deep breath, his feet hit the ground heavily. His body staggered, and he knelt on one knee to stop himself from falling. After piercing through the ghost¡¯s arm, the white lightning continued to shoot forward, and instead of hitting the ghost, it struck the ground inside the house about a meter away. There was a loud ¡°boom¡±, and it was like a thunderbolt on a dry day. The ground quivered violently, and a pit about a foot in diameter was blasted out. The surrounding area was scorched black, fragments of stone and soil splattered all over, and a wave of intense heat stirred up in the air, causing the figures of the two humans and the ghost to wobble slightly. Almost at the same time, a burst of yellow light suddenly shot out from the little girl on the other side, hitting the other ghost hand strangling her throat. It was a fluffy yellow dog¡¯s tail. With a ¡°boom¡±, a ball of yellow flame ignited on the ghost¡¯s hand and it was burnt to nothingness. The little girl fell on her butt, covering her throat with both hands and coughing continuously, her little face had turned completely red. The ghostly creature¡¯s arms destroyed, issued a bitter scream. Then its figure blurred and disappeared. Shen Luo looked at the pit in the house blasted by the white lightning, and a surprised look flashed in his eyes. Unexpectedly, he somehow managed to successfully trigger the Small Thunder Talisman under such circumstances. Although it didn¡¯t hit the ghost fully, the power it showed was far beyond his imagination. ¡°Hiss¡­.¡± Only then did Shen Luo feel a sharp pain in his right chest. Looking down, the place where the Small Thunder Talisman was drawn had turned black and some flesh was blurred. ¡°Something¡¯s not right, that evil ghost shouldn¡¯t have left!¡± Shen Luo suddenly realized something. Without thinking about how he managed to successfully trigger the Small Thunder Talisman, he quickly stepped into the house and stood before the God Niche. He scooped out two handfuls of incense ashes from the incense burner and flung them around him. Immediately, the incense ashes scattered across the room. The little girl suddenly screamed, pointing behind Shen Luo. Shen Luo turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking. The tall ghostly creature had alarmingly appeared behind him. Its arms had regrown, its fingers solidifying like black daggers, aiming to fiercely scratch him. In his urgency, Shen Luo ducked down, rolling to the right. Although his reaction was fast, his right arm was still caught by the ghost¡¯s claw, leaving three long scratches from which fresh blood spurted out. Shen Luo glanced at the wound on his arm, a fierce expression flashing across his face. He understood that if he did not put an end to this evil ghost this time, he might have to face death once again. ¡°There¡¯s still a chance I can be revived, I¡¯m going for it!¡± He immediately took a bold risk, pulling out the two sections of the wooden stake stuck in his waist, biting his tongue, and spraying a mouthful of blood onto the runes on the two sections of the wooden stake. The runes on the wooden stake lit up instantly, emitting a bright bloody light. Such inscribed wooden stakes standing at the entrance of the village were mostly used for exorcism, and this one seemed to have indeed been blessed by the High People. Even though it was broken, it could still exert some power when stimulated by the essence blood containing Yang Gang power. ¡°Take this!¡± Shen Luo was overjoyed, and he shouted as he rushed forward, brandishing the wooden stake in his hand, and fiercely smashed it towards the ghost. The tall ghostly creature seemed to be quite wary of the two sections of the wooden stake in Shen Luo¡¯s hands and was about to dodge. A shadow flickered in the house. It was the little girl who threw the last bit of black dog blood from the wooden bucket in her hand, blocking the ghost¡¯s escape path. The ghost was equally fearful of the black dog blood, and it quickly floated back, but was directly hit by the wooden stake in Shen Luo¡¯s hand that immediately followed. Shen Luo only felt a shake in his palm. He had actually hit the ghost¡¯s body with the wooden stake, and it did not pierce through. Not only that, the red runes on the wooden stake made a sizzling sound like fresh meat on a hot iron plate when they came into contact with the ghost¡¯s body, and a large amount of black qi was evaporated. The tall ghostly creature¡¯s originally semi-transparent body became somewhat more transparent, and it shrieked as it retreated backward. Shen Luo¡¯s spirits were greatly boosted. He swirled the wooden stake in his hand, creating a shadow of strikes towards the ghost. Although he did not learn any formidable external skills within the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, he did learn some basic stick and baton techniques for fitness. At this moment, he was fighting for his life, his potential was fully triggered, and he was able to perform the techniques properly. The ghost was tall, but being indoors seemed to put it at a disadvantage. The room was filled with incense ash, preventing it from becoming invisible. The little girl also demonstrated quick wit. Although the wooden bucket was empty of black dog blood, she occasionally grabbed a handful of incense ashes from the god niche and threw them, mimicking Shen Luo¡¯s previous actions and hindering the movements of the ghost. Although the ghost was extremely ferocious, it was unexpectedly falling short under the cooperation of Shen Luo and a mute little girl. During this time, it was repeatedly hit by the wooden stake in Shen Luo¡¯s hand, becoming increasingly transparent. However, while the wooden stake did cause significant damage to the ghost, the red light emitted from the runes on it was rapidly dimming. Shen Luo had noticed this situation early on, but considering the current urgency, he didn¡¯t have time to consider other things. He continued to swing the wooden stake in his hand, aiming for the ghost¡¯s lower abdomen. The black ghostly creature twisted its body and moved sideways to the left, narrowly avoiding the attack. Shen Luo glanced at the god niche to his right and thought that if the ghost had dodged to the right just now, it would have been able to avoid it easily. Turning this thought over in his mind, he recalled his previous encounters with the ghost in the room. It seemed extremely wary of the god niche, always trying to avoid it and not daring to come close. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± A thought flashed through Shen Luo¡¯s mind. Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Battling Ghost (Part 2) Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Battling Ghost (Part 2) While Shen Luo was contemplating, the disheveled hair on the head of the tall ghostly creature suddenly fluttered, revealing a pale, rotten face. It seemed as if it had been soaking in water for a long time, the lips and cheeks were mushy and rotten, and incomplete flesh and skin turned outward, hanging loosely on its face. The flesh within its eye sockets had mostly rotted, oozing pus continuously. Only some blood vessels remained connected to two trembling, inflamed eyeballs, on the verge of falling out anytime. Despite Shen Luo¡¯s courage, the face of the ghostly creature gave him a start. The ghostly creature opened its mouth, emitting a loud shriek. Two intangible Yin winds gushed from its mouth and shot straight towards Shen Luo and the little girl, like two arrows. At the same time, the ghostly creature stretched its arms sideways, and a chilling Yin wind rose in the house, swirling away all the small artifacts. Yet the God Niche remained unaffected, not a speck of incense ashes were blown out. Having suffered from the ghostly shriek before, Shen Luo threw himself to the ground at its first glimpse, dodging the frontal hit from the Yin wind by rolling to one side. But the little girl, lacking the same experience, was hit right in the face by the Yin wind, her eyes rolled up and she fell unconscious. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shen Luo tried to rise, but only found flying artifacts everywhere. Cups and pieces of wood flew past him constantly, along with bouts of Yin wind, forcing him to roll to a corner of the house. However, the Tall Ghostly Creature did not strike at Shen Luo, instead, it floated backward while waving its hand towards the outside of the house. Whoo¡­whoo¡­whoo¡­ The outside air vibrated, bringing in waves of dirty, cold Yin Qi, wreathed within plenty of fog which poured in and infused into the ghostly creature¡¯s body. Its body began visibly regenerating at an alarming rate and quickly solidified; the Black Qi on its body also surged dramatically. The seaweed-like hair on the ghostly creature¡¯s head suddenly grew wildly alive, shooting out like tendrils towards Shen Luo on the ground. Shen Luo, shocked and regretful at the transformation of the ghostly creature, hastily attempted to dodge upon jumping up. However, the shooting hair was too much, and the room was small. His body and his hands and feet were soon entwined by the lengthening hair. The remaining four runes on his body were impossible to reactivate, and the two wooden stakes were restrained by the hair, making them immovable. In desperation, Shen Luo tried to activate the Small Transformation Yang Skill. However, he was already exhausted. Earlier, the activation of the Small Thunder Talisman had deplete his innately accumulated Yang Gang power, leaving him impotent for the moment. Time was against Shen Luo, as the hair entwining him gradually tightened. Soon, his body was yanked to the ground. The tall ghostly creature twisted and transformed into a snake-like shadow, attaching itself to Shen Luo, enveloped by the growing hair. At the same time, it opened its mouth and sucked in the air around Shen Luo¡¯s face. Shen Luo felt a chill creeping over him, followed by a shudder, as he felt waves of heat leaving his body, drifting outwards. ¡°It¡¯s sucking my Yang Qi! Am I really going to die again¡­¡± Feeling his body growing colder, Shin Luo gradually lost his strength, unable to move. Despite his frustration, he understood it was too late to revert the situation. Meanwhile, a streak of lightning flashed across the pitch-black sky outside, followed by a peal of thundering roar and the downpour started. The little girl, lying beside the bed, got a jolt and woke up because of the thunder. She sat up with effort and saw Shen Luo¡¯s predicament. A sense of panic flashed in her eyes as she hurriedly pulled out a small wooden bucket from under the bed. The wooden bucket was filled with a thick, black, sticky fluid¡ªBlack Dog Blood. The little girl bit her finger hard, her fresh blood dripped and mixed into the Black Dog Blood in the bucket. The ghost that had possessed Shen Luo seemed to sense something. It twisted its body abruptly, attempting to soar out from Shen Luo¡¯s body. But the little girl, already swaying, managed to lift the wooden bucket and flung it outward. With a swishing sound, the black dog blood splashed over the ghost protruding from Shen Luo¡¯s body. Having done all this, the girl seemed to have expended all her strength and collapsed onto the ground. The ghost failed to dodge and was sprinkled thoroughly with the unexpected black dog blood. It made hissing sounds while large clouds of black Qi scattered. Its form, which had just formed, became transparent again, seemingly severely injured. It let out a shrill scream that could tear the eardrums, its figure floated to the side, only to crash into the wall nearby. The wall had been splattered with a lot of black dog blood. Instead of going through it, the tall ghostly creature was flung to the ground, causing a great thud and making the whole house shudder. The hair entangling Shen Luo loosened, and Shen Luo¡¯s body relaxed. Although his limbs felt weak, he still struggled to get free. At this time, he was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. He felt as though he was about to faint. Yet he gritted his teeth, discarded the wooden stake in his hand, turned around and snatched the dog-headed statue from the god niche behind him into his arms. Then he quickly stepped forward and threw his whole body onto the ghost writhing in pain on the ground. The little girl watched in shock as Shen Luo made this move, her mouth agape in surprise, but couldn¡¯t utter a sound. However, this time, Shen Luo¡¯s body and hands did not go through the ghost but held it in a firm grip. Without delay, the statue in his arms began to burn, emitting a bright yellow light, shining onto the ghost. The ghost¡¯s body sizzled under the yellow light, strands of black Qi rose from its surface, and it let out a series of mournful screams. Its ghost claws flailed in a desperate attempt to break free from Shen Luo¡¯s embrace. Shen Luo, however, held onto it as if he were hanging onto his last ray of hope. His arms, summoning strength from some unknown source, gripped the ghost tightly and wouldn¡¯t let go. As wave after wave of black Qi rose from the ghost¡¯s body, it began to blur rapidly and started shrinking. Shen Luo¡¯s face had turned pale to the point of blueness, his lips also devoid of any color. The ghost was ice-cold, the Yin Qi passing through, freezing his blood and causing his teeth to chatter uncontrollably. The last trace of consciousness he had told him that this was a matter of life and death, he would lose everything if he let go now. The little girl finally snapped out of her shock and struggled to get up. She dragged herself towards Shen Luo and poured the last bit of black dog blood from her bucket onto the ghost¡¯s head. At this point, the tall ghostly creature already exhausted, this last bit of black dog blood, was the final straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. After an ear-piercing scream, the ghost that had shrunk to half its size, exploded into a large cloud of black Qi and dissipated into the air. Once the black Qi had cleared, Shen Luo¡¯s body appeared again; his face completely drained of color and his cheeks turning purple. His eyes were tightly shut, and he had already fallen unconscious. He took short breaths but exhaled longer ones, looking as if he wouldn¡¯t last much longer. The little girl, after seeing the ghost eliminated, felt a wave of relief washing over her and her body slumped to the ground. But upon seeing Shen Luo¡¯s condition, she gritted her teeth, got up again, and reached out to gently push Shen Luo, only to feel his cold body. Her eyes turned red out of helplessness, as she tried to lift Shen Luo up. Yet, at this moment, Shen Luo¡¯s face became alarmingly strange, and his body, starting from his feet, became blurry and transparent. A few moments later, he vanished silently from where he stood as if he had never been there. Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Senior Leiyin Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Senior Leiyin The little girl stood still, looked at her empty hands, her eyes wide open. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± A groan came from the bed in the room, it was the old man, taking a big breath. When the little girl heard the movement, she crawled to the bedside using both hands and feet, her face filled with surprise. The old man¡¯s eyelids fluttered a few times before slowly opening his eyes. ¡­ The night passed by quickly, the day began to dawn, and the red sun rose, the fierce wind and rain outside had already stopped. The door creaked open. The warm sunlight poured in, the outside world was clear and bright, most of the fog near the mountain village had already dispersed, only some remained in the far distance. The little girl was wearing a set of bleached red clothes, carrying a patched bundle, supporting the old man with difficulty as they slowly walked out. The old man was dressed in a somewhat shabby gray robe, his complexion seemed to be better than the night before, but he moved with some difficulty, leaning on a polished walking stick that gleamed in his hands. The two of them left the house and headed towards the entrance of the village. The old man seemed very weak, and he began to gasp for breath as soon as he reached the entrance of the village. ¡°Ah ah¡­¡± The little girl made a few sounds and made a few gestures with her hand. ¡°Grandfather¡¯s fine, although the long-haired ghost was destroyed, the ghostly Qi around the village hasn¡¯t dispersed yet. It will attract other monsters sooner or later, so we need to leave immediately,¡± the old man in the gray robe rubbed the little girl¡¯s head and spoke. The little girl obediently nodded her head. The two of them continued walking, after a few steps, a blue light dropped down from the sky, landing not far from them, revealing a slender figure. Surprisingly, the new arrival was a white-robed priestess, around thirty years old, with an oval face, white skin, quite beautiful, but her face was cold, giving out a sense of fierceness rarely seen in women, in her hand was even a white dust whisk. ¡°Such thick ghostly Qi, it almost forms a ghost fog, but how come there are no ghosts infesting the place?¡± the white-robed priestess gazed around and muttered to herself. The old man and the little girl were stunned as they watched the white-robed priestess who had descended from the sky. ¡°Are you villagers here?¡± The white-robed priestess came over, took a close look at the two of them, and asked. ¡°Old man pays respects to the Immortal,¡± the old man finally recovered from his shock and intended to kowtow to the white-robed priestess in surprise and joy. However, he felt unwell, and as soon as he bent over, he started coughing. The little girl quickly freed one hand and patted the old man¡¯s back, but she was too young and weak to support the old man with one hand. ¡°Elder, there¡¯s no need for formalities. I¡¯m Lei Yin from the floating clouds mountain. I happened to pass by here and sensed the gathering of ghostly Qi, so I came down to check,¡± the white-robed priestess waved her hand to support the old man, raised one hand in a salute and spoke. ¡°Yes, yes, if there¡¯s anything the immortal wants to ask, old man will definitely tell the truth,¡± gasping for breath, the old man nodded quickly. Clutching the old man¡¯s sleeves, the little girl hid behind him, her big eyes curiously observing the white-robed priestess. ¡°Looking at the situation, you two are likely villagers here. Was this place attacked by fierce ghosts?¡± After glancing at the bundle of the little girl, the white-robed priestess asked. ¡°Yes, my surname is Sun, everyone calls me Old Sun. This is my granddaughter, we both were born and raised in Zhang Family Village. The villagers used to worship the Yellow Tail King for protection. Though our lives were hard, we were safe and sound from monsters or ghosts. But the Yellow Tail King suddenly died in a thunderstorm a month ago, after that, a long-haired ghost came, killing people in our village every night. The other villagers either had fled or been killed one by one by that ghost. Only the two of us survived,¡± Old Sun sighed and said sorrowfully. ¡°The Yellow Tail King?¡± the white-robed priestess raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s a yellow dog that became a demon,¡± Old Sun hesitated for a moment, then uttered in a low voice. ¡°Oh, if a demon from the demon race could protect the people, it would be a virtuous act. If it died in a thunderstorm, it means that it failed to withstand the Heavenly Thunder and fell during the transformation,¡± the white-robed priestess slowly nodded. Hearing this, Old Sun was puzzled but didn¡¯t dare to question the priestess. ¡°The two of you, an old man and a young girl, are not strong, how come you¡¯re the only survivors while others in this village were killed?¡± The priestess looked at them, sharpness flashing in her eyes. ¡°This¡­ The Yellow Tail King had placed the God Niche near my home when he was alive, maybe his lingering might has been protecting our house, and also, I have some black dog blood at home, that¡¯s probably why we have endured until now,¡± Unprepared by the question, Old Sun replied hesitantly. The white-robed priestess shook her head, obviously not agreeing with his explanation, she swept her eyes over the two of them, then her gaze landed on the little girl. ¡°Huh!¡± The priestess¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold. She took several looks at the little girl, then pointed at the void. A beam of refined white light shot out of her fingertip, flashed and disappeared into the little girl¡¯s forehead. The little girl¡¯s body jerked, her eyes immediately became a little woozy, a faint, luminescent white light appeared on her little face, flickering non-stop. ¡°She¡¯s actually born with the White Tiger Aura Body! No wonder she could resist the ghostly Qi for such a long time, very good, very good¡­¡± There was a slight hint of joy in the eyes of the white-robed priestess. The light on the girl¡¯s face faded quickly, but her cheeks turned rosy, her body softened and she fainted onto the ground. ¡°Great Immortal!¡± Old Sun was taken aback. He intended to help the little girl, but found it difficult to stand firmly. ¡°Do not panic, elder, she¡¯s only asleep, no harm done,¡± the white-robed priestess reached out to support the old man and explained with calm voices. Old Sun let out a sigh of relief after hearing this. ¡°Daring to kill all the villagers, this fierce ghost is indeed brazen! Do you know where the long-haired ghost hides during the day? I¡¯ll go and eradicate it to give peace to the souls of Zhang Family Village,¡± there was coldness on the face of the white-robed priestess, which exuded a kind of terror, accompanied by an eerie green light. ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Immortal, but according to my granddaughter, a young man who was passing by eradicated that ghost last night,¡± Old Sun said gratefully. ¡°What did that person look like? Were there any particular features?¡± After a pause, the white-robed priestess shifted the dust whisk from her left hand to her right one and asked curiously. ¡°Old man had been bedridden for a few days and was unconscious last night, didn¡¯t see him. When the girl wakes up, Immortal can ask her,¡± old Sun shook his head and spoke. The white-robed priestess nodded, no longer dwelling on this matter before saying: ¡°Although the ghost has been eradicated, this isn¡¯t a suitable place to stay any longer. You two should leave with me, and we¡¯ll look for another place to live.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Immortal,¡± Old Sun thanked her with joy and gratitude upon hearing this. The white-robed priestess waved her dust whisk, a patch of white clouds appeared out of thin air, lifting the three of them into the sky, they soon disappeared into the horizon. Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Chapter 21 - A Dream Chapter 22: Chapter 21 ¨C A Dream In the early morning, a chorus of birds chirping arose, a ray of the morning sun penetrated through the branches of the Welcoming Pine, squeezing through the half-open window gap, and casting onto the face of the person in the bed. Shen Luo¡¯s eyelids twitched slightly, squinting, and then opened a little bit immediately, just then hastily raised his hand to cover his own eyes. ¡°Sss¡­¡± As a result of this action, a wave of muscle exhaustion and pain akin to spasms immediately overcame him, and his consciousness also instantly awakened. An intense panic immediately arose from the bottom of his heart, Shen Luo sat up on the bed, shrinking his body and hurriedly surveyed his surroundings. Situated not far from the wall in front of him, there was a narrow desk cluttered with a stack of old, ancient books. Not too far away from the desk, a window and door stood side by side. Everything was extraordinarily familiar. An ecstatic expression emerged on Shen Luo¡¯s face. Lowering his head, he inspected his own body. His clothes were intact, and although his body was sorely aching, there were no wounds at all. The feeling was more like the discomfort brought about after excessively strenuous exercise. A familiar smell of mildew mixed with sandalwood suddenly overwhelmed his nostrils, causing him to sneeze involuntarily. At this moment, Shen Luo finally believed that he was in his room at Spring and Autumn Pavilion, rather than the eerily gloomy Ghost Village. ¡°What happened last night was just a nightmare!¡± Shen Luo touched the veritably real wooden bed beneath him, took a long sigh of relief, the occurrence from last night fresh in his mind, for a time, it provoked in him a sense of despair. Shen Luo rolled up his sleeve, wiped his forehead, and only then did he discover his forehead and temples were soaked in cold sweat, and even his back was damp, some glued to his back, it was very uncomfortable. He sat in a somewhat trance-like state on the bed for a while before he realised his regular wake-up time had already passed and even his morning practice session was about to be compromised. ¡°It¡¯s just a dream¡­¡± Shen Luo mumbled to himself twice, seemingly trying to forcefully persuade himself. Then his body moved, and he got off the bed. But as soon as his feet touched the green cloth shoes, as he tried to stand up, his legs felt weak and he simply fell forward. When he tried to support himself with his arms, he found that they were also weak, and so he fell straight to the ground. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Shen Luo cried out in pain, struggling to get up from the ground and slowly resettling himself at the edge of the bed. At this point, he noticed that there actually was something wrong with his body. Although his body wasn¡¯t particularly well-built, now it was clearly extremely weak. ¡°What on earth happened?¡± He started to feel somewhat horrified, it wouldn¡¯t be like this if it were simply a case of waking up from a dream. In fact, ever since the intrusion of the Yin Qi into his body, Shen Luo had had many nightmares. He had encountered all kinds of odd and bizarre dreamlands, but now that he thought about it, the feeling was completely different from what he experienced last night. Moreover, if it was really just a dream, then why were his memories of the dream so clear and realistic? And why was his body so exhausted? It felt as though he had actually gone through an intense battle. But then if it wasn¡¯t a dream, how could it be explained? Could it be that he really sleepwalked down the mountain, went to some village below, and then sleepwalked back up? But that doesn¡¯t make sense either, last night in that mountain village, he had suffered near-death experienced and his body was covered with wounds. His clothes were torn to shreds, it certainly shouldn¡¯t look like the way it was now. Thinking of this, Shen Luo¡¯s face showed signs of uncertainty, and the more he thought, the stranger the events of the previous night seemed. It felt as though his head was expanding. He rubbed his forehead with his hand, inclined his body backwards and simply lay down on the bed again. ¡°Thump.¡± Shen Luo felt as though his head had hit something hard and immediately sat up again, quickly turned around to take a look. He saw on the head of his bed, a long, narrow yellow object¨C the ¡°treasure¡± he had found earlier¨C, the ancient jade pillow. The original rattan woven pillow had been squeezed to one side, against the wall. Shen Luo was dumbfounded! Last night, he had actually slept the entire night laying on this jade pillow without noticing it himself! He was sure that he had placed this object next to the ancient books on the desk before he slept last night, how did it end up on his bed? ¡°Could it be¡­ last night¡¯s nightmare was related to this? Or could it be that there¡¯s something unclean within this jade pillow?¡± He remembered in Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle, one story mentioned a scholar from Lingnan Qian¡¯an County who, during a spring outing, found a bronze mirror by a river. Seeing the words ¡°Free and Easy¡± inscribed on the mirror in gold, he kept it as he thought it was antique. As it turned out, the Free and Easy Mirror contained a female ghost who would come out on the night of full moon to absorb his Yang Qi. If it weren¡¯t for Zhang Heavenly Master passing by, who helped him, the scholar would have lost his Yang energy, and he would have died without knowing the cause. Thinking of this story, Shen Luo disregarded his exhaustion and hurriedly got off the bed, grabbed the wolf hair awl from the desk, used the handle to prod, and lightly prodded the jade pillow on the bed. The jade pillow moved a bit backward. Neither was there any unusual glow, nor did any Yin Sha or ghost emerge. It seemed no different from ordinary objects. But Shen Luo was still somewhat uneasy. He took out a small porcelain bottle, poured out some cinnabar, rubbed it between his hands to cover his palms, then carefully extended a finger and touched the jade pillow with his fingertip. Besides the icy cold touch of the jade pillow, there was still no anomaly. ¡°Could there be some sneaky and silent possession¡­ ¡± Shen Luo drew back his hand, still slightly frowning, not quite at ease. After considering for a moment, he glanced at the jade pillow, then quickly walked to the door, sat cross-legged on the mat, embraced the ball with both hands, focused his mind, and began to run the Small Transformation Yang Skill silently. However, his concentration was somewhat affected by the nightmare from last night. He was unable to settle his mind for a long time and it took him two hours to finally complete a small cycle of the Small Transformation Yang Skill. The skill ran very smoothly, and the Yang Gang Qi inside his body filled every part of it. After the skill operation was over, Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a light breath, and then did he feel relieved. Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Chapter 22 Invincible Chapter 23: Chapter 22 Invincible ¡°It seems it¡¯s just physical exhaustion and nothing major.¡± Shen Luo, relieved of worry, is now brimming with questions. He carefully recollects everything that happened last night, and the more he thinks about it, the more it feels like he truly experienced everything that happened in the mountain village. ¡°To ascertain whether it was a dream or not, there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± Shen Luo murmurs to himself. With renewed vigour, he takes off his shirt again, leaving his upper body bare. Biting down on his index finger harshly, he draws two bloody runes on his chest. It was exactly what he did in his dream the night before. One was a ¡°exorcism charm,¡± and the other was ¡°Small Thunder Talisman,¡± both of which had genuinely incited the previous night. If everything that happened in the mountain village was real, then he should be able to reproduce it in reality. Shen Luo closes his eyes and begins to slowly guide the Yang Gang Qi within his body into the bloody runes on his chest. He is replicating last night¡¯s process. No anomalies occur as the Yang Gang power enters the ¡°exorcism charm¡± rune. At this, Shen Luo¡¯s heart slightly sinks. He redoubles his efforts and channels the Yang Gang power into the ¡°Burst Rune¡± rune, but still, no changes occur. After swiftly considering his options, he grits his teeth and increases the injection speed of the Yang Gang power several folds. Finally, he feels the rune on his chest start to warm up. It gets hotter and hotter, and he feels a vague sense of the scorching sensation from the moment before the rune burst in his dream. Overjoyed, Shen Luo goes to inject more Yang Gang power, but the temperature of the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± on his chest suddenly cools down, and nothing unusual happens again. He is momentarily stumped, trying to inject the rest of the Yang Gang power into the rune on his chest in one breath, but still, nothing changes. Has he succeeded or failed in activating it? Shen Luo himself is also somewhat confused! He is not ready to give up. After developing some Yang Gang power through meditation, he draws another new ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± on his body, but the attempt yields the same results as before. The rune drawn with essence blood only heats up a little before nothing happens again. Unable to figure it out, Shen Luo¡¯s stomach starts growling loudly. ¡°Forget it, I need to leave it be for the time being, it¡¯s lunchtime and I need to eat.¡± Shen Luo reluctantly stands up. After all that wear and tear, the body aches have mostly disappeared. However, after taking a few steps outside, he abruptly returns, takes out a talisman from his sleeve, sticks it in the middle of his jade pillow. Only after carefully lifting the pillow off the bed and placing it under the table does he breathe a sigh of relief. The dining hall is the most crowded during lunchtime. Shen Luo arrives a bit early and the place is not very full. He takes his meal and sits down at his usual seat to eat. Halfway through his meal, more people begin to stream into the dining hall. Just then, someone pats Shen Luo¡¯s left shoulder. As he turned his head to look around, he noticed that the bench on his left was empty, but someone had already taken the seat on his right. It was Bai Xiaotian. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, I have to say this; you must not slack off just because you¡¯ve made a few progresses in your cultivation¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian put down his meal, assuming a demeanor of a senior painstakingly advising a junior. ¡°Why does Brother Bai say this?¡± Shen Luo asks, puzzled. ¡°This morning, after finishing my cultivation, I went to find you at the big rock in the Jade Emperor Hall, but you were not there. You¡¯ve never missed a day, rain or shine, where were you?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked, his playful demeanor dropped. ¡°Oh¡­ I was feeling a bit unwell when I woke up this morning. I was just meditating in my room.¡± Shen Luo hesitated slightly, choosing not to mention his dream, and replied as such. Bai Xiaotian carefully examined Shen Luo¡¯s complexion and noticed that he looks a bit out of sorts. He couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°How are you feeling now? Do you want me to take you to Master Luo for a check-up?¡± ¡°No need for that, I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯ll rest a bit after eating, and I should be okay by tomorrow.¡± Shen Luo responds with a smile. ¡°If you say so, then I won¡¯t insist, just take it easy and rest.¡± Bai Xiaotian nods in agreement. Shen Luo smiles and continues eating. ¡°Hey, you know, if you have some secrets¡­ you can whisper them to me, I promise I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Bai Xiaotian, after holding himself back, leans in and whispers. ¡°Beat it,¡± Shen Luo rolls his eyes at him, pretending to be angry. ¡°Ha ha ¡­¡± ¡­ After lunch, Shen Luo didn¡¯t return immediately after parting with Bai Xiaotian. Instead, he went to the Book Pavilion of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, where he randomly browsed through some classics related to gold and stone materials. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t find anything useful. There were no records similar to the bizarre material of the jade pillow. Having no other choice, Shen Luo had to return to his residence. As soon as he opened the door, he quickly glanced under the desk and saw the strange jade pillow still lying on the floor obediently. He closed the door, bent over and placed the jade pillow on the table again, staring at it thoughtfully for a long time. ¡°No, this time I must determine what you are made of.¡± After a long time, Shen Luo gritted his teeth and said fiercely. Having said that, he took out a piece of grey cotton cloth, wrapped the jade pillow in it, rushed out of the house, and headed straight for the back mountain. At this moment, it was just past noon, the time when the Yang Qi between heaven and earth is most abundant. If there were any Yin spirits or evil creatures, they would be in hibernation. Shen Luo intended to take advantage of this time to thoroughly test the jade pillow for any anomalies. The back mountain was in the shade, and most areas were only lit by the setting sun throughout the year. After a long search, Shen Luo found a protruding rock with no trees blocking it, bathing in the midday sun. He placed the jade pillow on the rock and unfolded the grey cotton cloth. Sunlight fell on the jade pillow, making its originally dim and yellowish color appear a bit more transparent. Yet, besides that, there was nothing unusual. ¡°I want to see if you really are indestructible.¡± Shen Luo braced himself, reaching behind his waist and pulling out a brightly polished axe. He had borrowed this while on his way from the Dining Hall. Under the sunlight, it shone with a sharp and chilling light. Previously, he had tried to test it with a small knife he carried with him, but it couldn¡¯t leave a mark on the jade pillow. Now he simply swapped it for a bigger, more suitable chopping tool. Shen Luo held the axe handle, not chopping down immediately. Instead, he scraped lightly on the jade pillow with the tip of the axe¡¯s blade. A slight noise sounded, and the jade pillow jolted slightly. When he moved the axe away to look, not a single scratch was left on the surface. Seeing this, Shen Luo gripped the axe handle tightly. He motioned towards the jade pillow and twisted the axe blade, hitting the jade pillow hard with the bulky part of the axe. A muffled ¡°thud¡± sound echoed. The axe was sent into a rebound, while the jade pillow remained unscathed. This was still just a tentative strike, and Shen Luo didn¡¯t use his full strength. He was worried about smashing the jade pillow into pieces and having something suddenly spring out of it, but evidently, he had underestimated the toughness of this jade pillow. ¡°Thud,¡± another muffled sound. Having tested twice before, this time Shen Luo doesn¡¯t hold back. The axe solidly hits the jade pillow, and the reverberation numbs Shen Luo¡¯s hand. Simultaneously, a ¡°crack¡± sound is heard. ¡°It cracked¡­¡± To Shen Luo¡¯s delight, he shook his hand and hurried to check. In the end, the jade pillow remained intact. Instead, the rock that had endured the wind and sun for a long time had split. ¡°It seems I need to go all out.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s brow slightly furrowed. This time, he flipped the axe, not holding back at all. He raised the axe high, aiming its blade at the jade pillow, and heavily smashed it down. ¡°Clang¡­¡± A sound of metal against stone rang out, and sparks flew from the jade pillow. Shen Luo merely felt his hand go numb from the reverberation, and the axe rebounded back. His entire palm felt numb. He flexed his wrist, held the axe in one hand and leaned it on the ground. He leaned over to take a closer look and was speechless. The sharp and hard axe was bent like the small knife before, while the jade pillow was still unscathed. ¡°What the hell is this thing made of¡­¡± Shen Luo muttered as he looked at the patterns on the surface of the jade pillow. At this moment, he was even more certain that the bizarre dream he had last night was definitely profoundly related to this thing. Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: Chapter 23 Return to Original Place Chapter 24: Chapter 23 Return to Original Place After some deliberation, Shen Luo wrapped the jade pillow in a cotton cloth and walked into a nearby grove. He started to gather dried grass and dead tree branches among the trees, setting up a large stack of firewood. After clearing the surrounding ground of any plants, he placed the jade pillow, still wrapped in cotton, atop the pile. His thought was straightforward: since the jade pillow couldn¡¯t be broken with an ax, he would try burning it with a large fire. The fire he used last time was not strong enough and didn¡¯t burn long enough. This time, he was determined to burn it harshly, just like boiling in a large pot. The ancient book mentioned that most of the ominous objects were afraid of flames. If there was anything unusual in it, perhaps burning it for a more extended period could destroy it. Shen Luo took out a flint from his bosom, removed the lid, blew on it a few times, and immediately, tiny threads of fiery red sparks along with a wisp of blue smoke wafted out. Just as he was about to light the firewood, he thought of something and pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve pocket. ¡°If there truly is any evil hidden in it, it would be safer to use some cinnabar¡­¡± Shen Luo muttered, pulled out the bottle stopper, and poured out some red powder from the bottle onto the cotton cloth wrapped around the firewood stack along the gaps. Then he used the flint to light the firewood stack. As the smoke rose, flames gradually surrounded the jade pillow, radiating intense heat. Shen Luo looked up at the sky seeing the thickly enclosed trees and the vigorous fire, hardly any smoke was emitted, he didn¡¯t have to worry about catching the attention of his Senior Brothers. The firewood he was using, mostly pine branches, were rich in oil. They crackled as they burned. Shen Luo squatted down by the fire, continually adding wood to the fire, fearing the flames wouldn¡¯t be strong enough. Soon, the cotton cloth was reduced to ashes, revealing the jade pillow inside. There was no sign of scorching on it, not even a blackening. It still maintained its original dark yellow color. Shen Luo was not in a hurry, he continued adding firewood while recalling the events in his dream. He intended to find some clues, such as the location in his dream, and whether he had been to that place before. However, after pondering multiple times, he still couldn¡¯t find any valuable leads. After burning for half an hour, Shen Luo, feeling his face drying from the heat of the flame and having used up all the firewood within a ten-foot radius, finally put out the fire. He picked up a fire-burning stick he had set aside, pushed away the glowing embers and burned grass, revealing the jade pillow covered in ashes, its original appearance hidden completely. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s heart filled with anticipation. He picked up the axe and struck the jade pillow again. ¡®Thud!¡¯ The mute echo echoed. The force of the blow was not light, and his arm was numb from the impact. Yet the jade pillow was unscathed. Only some of the ashes on its surface were brushed off, revealing its original color again. Shen Luo sighed. He was not surprised anymore. He used a fire-burning stick to nudge the jade pillow bit by bit, blowing off the ashes on it. The jade pillow still looked the same as before; there was no sign of burn marks. Shen Luo furrowed his eyebrows, slightly pondering before experimenting by poking the jade pillow with his fingertips. As expected, it was still cold? Even after being torched by such intense flames for half an hour, the jade pillow was still as cool as before, showing no signs of heating up. Even a stubborn stone exposed to such prolonged heat wouldn¡¯t be this cool. It was truly too strange. A chill ran down Shen Luo¡¯s spine as he thought about this, prompting him to look up at the sky. He saw the dazzling sunlight, which comforted him slightly. He circled around the jade pillow a few times, then tried tapping the middle and the edges of the jade pillow, but the feel was identical to what it was before. ¡°Impossible to cut with a knife or axe, and unaffected by intense heat. Could this be the magical instrument Bai Xiaotian mentioned when he was drunk?¡± Shen Luo muttered, his face filled with uncertainty. If indeed the jade pillow can induce such realistic nightmares, it may itself be the enigmatic magic weapon spoken of in the ancient book, possessing unusual supernatural power. Perhaps the Yuan Stone could cause some changes in it. As for the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± that originally led him to the jade pillow, due to the exhaustion of the materials, it was impossible to create another in the last few days. At this thought, Shen Luo felt as if he had made a certain decision. He rummaged in his sleeve pocket and took out the only remaining Yuan Stone. But when he held the Yuan Stone in his hand, he hesitated. This Yuan Stone was of great value and not easy to come by. He only had this one left, should he really use it here? ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s just a Yuan Stone. No matter how precious it is, it is still not as precious as my life.¡± Having made up his mind, Shen Luo placed the Yuan Stone on the jade pillow, adjusted his breath, and began to silently circulate the Small Transformation Yang Skill. A moment later, a hot current flowed along his arm and slowly gathered in his palm, finally condensing into a faint red thread less than three inches long, seeping through the palm of his hand. As his hand slowly approached, the faint red threads flowed into the Yuan Stone on the jade pillow dot by dot. A faint red glow immediately lit up on the Yuan Stone, revealing a translucent crystallinity. The white qi inside it also began to churn violently. Shen Luo took a few steps back, swallowed, and watched the Yuan Stone and the jade pillow nervously. A ¡°cracking¡± sound was heard, and the Yuan Stone shattered, a white light burst out from the inside, enveloping the entire jade pillow, making its outline a bit blurry. However, this change only lasted for a moment. The white light collapsed and extinguished in a flash, and the jade pillow remained the same without any noticeable changes. Shen Luo was completely out of ideas. He distractedly buried the remaining embers of the fire, cleaned up the other remnants nearby, hesitated for a long while, then sighed, picked up the jade pillow, and left the grove. Half an hour later. Shen Luo appeared in front of the mountain wall where he had found the jade pillow before. The small cave entrance was opened again. ¡°No matter what weirdness you possess, I apologize for disturbing your peace. Now I¡¯ll return you back. Let¡¯s part ways here and never interfere with each other again.¡± Shen Luo muttered as he put the jade pillow back into the cave. He didn¡¯t forget about finding a deep pool or throwing the jade pillow off a cliff to solve the problem. But in the ancient books he read in the past, there was always one sentence: ¡°Respect the spirits from a distance.¡± Shen Luo was worried that if he hastily threw it away, it might cause bigger trouble, especially if it got tangled with such inexplicable things. Since the jade pillow was originally dug out from here, it should be okay to return it to its original place. He gathered rocks to cover the entrance of the cave. Seeing the marks were still visible, he pulled some vines from under a shady tree nearby and re-covered the entrance of the cave. After doing all this, he got up, dusted the mud off his hands, and took a deep breath. He seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden and turned to leave. Late at night. Although Shen Luo was still somewhat worried, after all the running around of the day, he felt sleepy early. Before going to bed, he took out all the talismans he had written before and posted them around the house. When he lay down on the bed, he didn¡¯t have time to ponder before he fell into a deep sleep. Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Is It a Dream Again? Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Is It a Dream Again? Having spent the night without dreams, Shen Luo awoke early the following morning. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was due to exhaustion or the relief of returning the jade pillow object to its original place, but he slept particularly well for the night. Upon waking, he felt refreshed and full of energy. After washing up, he headed to the Jade Emperor Hall to cultivate, his condition excellent throughout the day. The only drawback was that he had trouble falling asleep that night for some unknown reason. However, on the third day, after another good night¡¯s sleep, he finally managed to put his anxieties to rest. Several days later, it was nightfall. Shen Luo lit an oil lamp and sat at his desk, flipping through the ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡±. Next to his hand were a stack of Xuan paper and a small hard-tipped awl. The previous nightmares seemed to have departed from him now. But the life-saving wonder of the talismans in the book had made a deep impression on Shen Luo. So, since the day before yesterday, he had taken to copying the talismans from the book onto the white paper each night. Among them, the one he focused on the most was the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡±, an offensive type talisman that he valued most. He hadn¡¯t practiced this talisman much before, as he hadn¡¯t had the demon-subduing book for very long. But the act of drawing talismans and practicing calligraphy had some similarities, so constant practice never hurt. However, drawing talismans relied on integrating Qi into God¡¯s Power, so if one merely sought to achieve a physical likeness, it wouldn¡¯t be too challenging. But if one wanted to capture some semblance of the divine charm, it would be quite draining. After drawing over a dozen talismans, Shen Luo began to feel fatigued. Rubbing his slightly aching brow, he packed away his brush and ink. Not long after lying down, he felt waves of drowsiness washing over him, and his consciousness sank abruptly. ¡­ After an unknown amount of time, when Shen Luo was in a half-awake, half-asleep state, a mournful howl suddenly rang out beside his ear, and a strong smell of blood filled his nostrils. A chill ran through his heart, and he abruptly opened his eyes, only to find a face covered in fresh blood. It was staring back at him with wide, horrified eyes, and was almost pressed up against his own face. ¡°Ah¡­¡± With a shout of fright, Shen Luo shoved his hands forward, pushing off the corpse that was pressed up against him. Before he could figure out what was happening, a nauseating smell of blood suddenly assailed him from above. Shen Luo¡¯s pupils dilated as he saw a huge gray wolf¡¯s head lunging towards him, its mouth wide open, ready to bite into his neck. Strands of bloody flesh hung from its jagged fangs. His mind was greatly shaken and his thoughts blanked out. Operating on instinct alone, he twisted his body and rolled to one side, the foul smell of the wolf¡¯s mouth brushing past his nose. Immediately after, he felt a sharp pain in his legs. The large body of the gray wolf, having pounced on him, was now pinning him down. He had seen wolf carcasses brought in by hunters in Chunhua County. They were a size bigger than the largest hunting dogs in the city. But the wolf that was on top of him was one-third larger than those carcasses. Forcing himself to remain calm, Shen Luo had no time to think about what was happening, he could only struggle to break free from the weight of the wolf. However, the gray wolf was extremely heavy. In his panic, Shen Luo was unable to shake it off. Instead, the wolf managed to stand up after violently dragging its body back. Before Shen Luo had the chance to make his escape, he felt another nauseating smell of blood, and the gray wolf turned its head around to bite at his neck again. Shen Luo, who had managed to calm down, was quicker this time. He rolled to avoid the wolf¡¯s jaws, wrapped his arms around the wolf¡¯s neck, and scrambled onto its back. But the Gray Wolf didn¡¯t give him a chance, its body pushed downwards, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Shen Luo was heavily pressed under the wolf this time. However, his hands didn¡¯t let go, desperately strangling the wolf¡¯s neck. He strained his shoulders upwards, seemingly attempting to snap the wolf¡¯s neck. The Gray Wolf naturally didn¡¯t just surrender. It abruptly stood up again, violently swinging its head side to side, trying to shake Shen Luo off. Shen Luo knew that once shaken off, he would have no chance of avoiding its lethal jaws. As his hands remained firm, his legs also clung to the wolf¡¯s abdomen. He was dangling from the wolf¡¯s body like a monkey. The Gray Wolf continuously growled lowly, its body leaping up, repeatedly smashing into the nearby walls, endeavoring to throw Shen Luo off. Now that Shen Luo had finally found points of leverage with both his hands and legs, he was unwilling to let go. He also released a beast-like growl from his mouth, his arms¡¯ veins bulging as if about to burst. Now he was using all his strength to strangle the Gray Wolf. The Gray Wolf struggled violently, slamming its body, with Shen Luo still clinging onto it, onto the ground repeatedly. Shen Luo gritted his teeth, burying his head into the wolf¡¯s neck, making up his mind that even if he were to die, he must not let go. As he continued to apply more force, the Gray Wolf was severely choked. It exhaled more than it could inhale, and its breath gradually became heavier. From its nostrils came constant ¡°huffing and puffing¡± sounds. A moment later, the Wolf¡¯s steps gradually became weak, and it collapsed against a nearby wall. Shen Luo¡¯s forehead and cheeks were soaked with sweat. Not knowing whether the Gray Wolf was dead, his hand gripping the wolf¡¯s neck remained firm. His left hand tightly held onto his right arm, causing dark purple bruises to emerge on his arm. It was not until the Gray Wolf in his arms ceased to tremble entirely that he slowly released his hands and crawled out from under the wolf¡¯s body. The Gray Wolf was indeed dead. Its crimson tongue hung out from its mouth, with large patches of bloody foam spilling out. Having narrowly escaped death, Shen Luo was somewhat dazed. His heart pounded furiously in his chest. It was only at this moment that he finally had a chance to look around and try to figure out what was happening. But after one look, his face became even more grave. At this moment, he was standing at the edge of a broken city wall. On the city¡¯s pathway were numerous young and middle-aged men armed with weapons, fighting a fierce battle with dozens of huge Gray Wolves. The clothing and weapons of these young and middle-aged men varied. Some wore crude armor made of iron, some wielded finely made iron spears, while others fought bare-chested with bronze hammers in their hands, forming groups of three or five to fight a single wolf. ¡°Is this another dream?¡± Shen Luo thought blankly. With this thought, he felt a severe pain in his thigh, and when he looked down, he discovered that his leg had been wounded during his fight with the Gray Wolf, and that half of his trousers had been stained red with blood. Shen Luo grimaced in pain, just as he was about to find something to bind the wound, a gust of rancid wind blew from his side and another Gray Wolf rushed out ferociously, and crashed heavily into him. Shen Luo was caught off guard and felt a sharp pain in his waist. His body was flung out like a ragged sack, and he tumbled off from the nearby broken wall, plummeting towards the city¡¯s outskirts. On his descent, Shen Luo saw that outside the city walls was a massive cluster of wolves. They lined up and advanced from across the moat, not only filling the river channel, but also densely piled up to attack the city, covering the entire outer wall of the city. Among these wolves, sprinkled here and there were Black Wolves that were twice the size of the average Gray Wolves. With tusks like hooks and eyes radiating a ferocious glow, they truly lived up to the name of fierce beasts. Before he could see more, his body crashed heavily into the pack of wolves. The Gray Wolves surrounding him, which had been vying to climb to the top of the city, immediately turned around and rushed over, ferociously tearing at him. Shen Luo had no chance of struggling. His legs, arms, shoulders, and neck were all fiercely bitten by the foul-smelling wolf mouths. All he felt was an intense pain throughout his body. His vision blurred, and once again, he plunged into endless darkness. Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: Chapter 25 The Friend in Adversity Chapter 26: Chapter 25 The Friend in Adversity From above the ramparts, a cry of alarm was heard. A young man sprung open his eyes, pushing away the headless corpse in front of him. It was Shen Luo. ¡°Resurrected¡­again. Could it be¡­¡± When he woke up again, the second time he saw that gruesome face smothered in blood, he was first astounded, then realized the fact: he appeared to have fallen back into that perilous nightmare. ¡°Roar ¡­¡± The stench of blood surged forth abruptly, accompanied by noise ringing in his ears. Shen Luo quickly remembered something. His body immediately rolled to its left side, narrowly avoiding the oncoming gray wolf. Before he could rise, he caught sight of a long narrow knife soaked in blood under the city wall not far from him. Taking advantage of the situation, he rolled once again, grabbing hold of the knife hilt and clutching the knife in his hand. The gray wolf, having missed its initial pounce, twirled its body around in an instant, its hind legs pushing off the ground, lunging toward him once more. Having already killed ghosts with his own hands and dying multiple times, Shen Luo¡¯s courage surpassed the imaginations of common people. Far from dodging, he fixed his gaze upon the gray wolf, waiting until its head was almost touching his nose and its pungent, offensive breath fanned his face, before abruptly dodging, causing the gray wolf to bite at empty air. Seizing this opportunity, he grasped the knife with both hands and thrust it upwards fiercely. With a ¡°hiss¡± sound¡­ The long knife tore straight through the gray wolf¡¯s throat, piercing out from the back of its neck and creating a large wound due to the momentum of the wolf¡¯s pounce. Blood gushed out from the wolf¡¯s neck, splattering half of Shen Luo¡¯s face with blood. The gray wolf collapsed heavily onto him, twitched for a moment, and then lay motionless. Shen Luo took a deep breath, half of his body soaked in wolf blood. He pushed the wolf corpse aside and, using the knife as support, stood up. But before he could steady his position, a man¡¯s voice yelling ¡°Watch out!¡± rang out from not far away. At the same time, he felt a chill breeze from behind. His heart tightened, but before he could react, there was a ¡°whoosh¡± sound by his ear as something shot past close by. ¡®Thud¡¯ Shen Luo whirled around and couldn¡¯t help but gasp. He saw a gray wolf pinned in a distorted position against a crenellation, whimpering. Blood was gushing from its left eye, where it had been shot through by a crossbow bolt emitting a faint golden glow, pinning it to the stone bricks behind. The bolt was swift and powerful, hence it was doubtful whether he could have avoided the vicious wolf¡¯s ambush without it. On the red bolt shaft, a golden charm pattern was revealed as the faint golden glow gradually faded. He looked towards where the warning had come from. About ten feet away, a man of average build with tiger-like eyebrows had just tucked a small, black crossbow back into his waist. The old quiver at his side was empty, and it seemed the bolt just now had been his last one. The man saw Shen Luo looking at him, gave a slight nod, and swung the broad horse-chopping saber in his other hand. With a flash of cold light, another gray wolf that was sneaking up on him had its head separated from its body, and died on the spot. The entire process went smoothly, without the slightest hesitation. Not far from the man, there were three or four sturdy young men in armor, each holding the same type of horse-chopping saber. They seemed to be his retainers, fighting back to back and on guard against wolf attacks. The man with the tiger-like eyebrows, however, was running high on killing intent. He charged alone at a group of gray wolves, his followers trailing behind with their own sabers, but constantly being entangled by other incoming wolves. Shen Luo shifted his gaze, wiped the blood off his face, and with a deep breath, started walking cautiously towards the corner tower along the inner side of the city wall with the knife in hand. But before he could take a few steps, a head came rolling to his feet. He looked down, half of the face was a bloody pulp, full of anger and unwillingness, which startled him enormously. ¡°My son ¡­ beasts ¡­¡± a wailing cry rang out. Shen Luo turned his head and saw: about fifteen to eighteen meters away was a tall old man, around fifty, full of sorrow and indignation. The man clutched a red tassel spear and, with a determined demeanor, charged out. He thrust his spear, piercing straight through the neck of a gray wolf. But before he could withdraw his spear, another wolf lunged at him, bit his throat, and he slumped over onto the ground. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo quickly gripped his single-bladed sword and rushed toward them, hoping to save the tall, old man. However, he was stopped in his tracks by another man. Looking up, he saw two, thick, upward-curving eyebrows¡ª It was the man who saved his life earlier, the man with the tiger-like brows. ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± said the man in a grave tone. Just as he finished speaking, another gray wolf slammed forward, struggling for food with its kin. In moments, it tore the old man¡¯s body into several pieces. Shen Luo¡¯s brows furrowed tightly, unable to bear looking at the scene any longer. ¡°Young priest, is this your first city defense?¡± The man with the tiger-brows asked, on guard as he scanned his surroundings. Shen Luo was unsure of how to respond and vaguely affirmed with a sound. Attire he wore was that of a Spring and Autumn Pavilion disciple. Even though it was somewhat ragged, one could still make out that it was Taoist clothing. ¡°Not bad, fending off a wolf alone on your first try. What¡¯s your name? As long as you survive this, I¡¯ll buy you a drink later,¡± The man with the tiger brow spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, asking. ¡°Shen Luo.¡± ¡°Good, Brother Shen! My name is Yu Meng. If you don¡¯t mind, you can call me Brother Yu,¡± said the man with the tiger brows, chuckling. ¡°Brother Yu,¡± Shen Luo replied immediately, without any hesitation. If it weren¡¯t for this man¡¯s earlier arrow, he would already be dead¡­ again. ¡°Straightforward! Just stand behind me in a bit and watch my back from attacks. I¡¯ll be blocking in front, I¡¯ll make sure you get that promised drink,¡± Yu Meng roared with laughter. Shen Luo then stood behind Yu Meng, knife in hand. The two of them stood back to back, relying on each other¡ªit was as if they were seasoned soldiers on the battlefield, fighting side by side. At this moment, Shen Luo really wanted to ask where he was and what was going on with these giant wolves. But, given the circumstances, there was no room for such questions. Not long after he had positioned himself, Yu Meng blocked an oncoming gray wolf with his knife. The wolf¡¯s sharp claws met the blade of his knife, producing a grating metallic sound that made one¡¯s teeth ache. Seeing this, Shen Luo immediately stepped forward. Gripping his long knife with both hands, he forcefully jabbed from above Yu Meng¡¯s right shoulder, stabbing the wolf¡¯s left eye. The wolf let out a blood-curdling howl, and the pressure on Yu Meng¡¯s arm immediately eased. Unlike Shen Luo, Yu Meng was a seasoned warrior and would not miss such an opportunity. He suddenly crouched down, kneeling and rushing under the wolf. With both hands, he swirled the horse-chopping saber above him, creating a swath of blood that sprayed out as the wolf¡¯s head was hacked off. Being right in front of the wolf, Shen Luo was instantly covered in blood. ¡°Good job, little brother!¡± Yu Meng crawled out from under the wolf¡¯s corpse, giving a thumbs up in praise. Just as Shen Luo was about to reply, he noticed some commotion nearby. An enormous black wolf suddenly sprang onto the city wall, turned, and slammed into the breach in the city wall a few times. After creating an even larger gap of about nine to twelve meters, it spun around, pounced, and slit the throats of four or five city defenders with just a few swift movements of its claws. Contrary to the blood-lusting gray wolves, it did not feast on the corpses. Instead, it flung the bodies aside with a swipe of its claws, and leapt towards several more young men. With this unexpected move, the city¡¯s precarious defenses were broken through, immediate chaos ensued. Several dozen more gray wolves took this chance to rush to the city walls, partaking in the battle. The black wolf, however, vanished without a trace amid the turmoil. Various scattered wolf beasts have effectively separated Shen Luo and Yu Meng from the others. Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Chapter 26 Immortal Master Chapter 27: Chapter 26 Immortal Master Shen Luo, seeing this, tensed up. He was about to turn his head and say something to the Tiger Eyebrow Man, but his expression drastically changed and he let out a loud cry. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Yu Meng also instantly felt a shadow cast over his head. By this time, it was too late to turn around. He could only grip his sword in his hands and desperately stab upwards behind him. ¡°Clang¡± a sharp ringing sound! The giant Horse Chopping Saber in his hands was held frozen by the jaws of that huge black wolf that had somehow jumped over here. The grating sound of metal on metal made one¡¯s teeth feel sour, no matter how Yu Meng tried to pull it, the blade did not move an inch. ¡°Crack¡± was heard as the black wolf violently shook its head. Its steel teeth gripped and the Horse Chopping Saber was bitten in half by it. At the same time as the sword was broken, Yu Meng had already somersaulted forward, avoiding the black wolf¡¯s claw and yelled to Shen Luo, ¡°Go!¡± Shen Luo watched as the huge claws of the black wolf, gleaming black at the tips, cast a blurred shadow and were scratching towards the heart of Yu Meng¡¯s back. He gritted his teeth and instead of retreating, he rushed forward in two steps. His single-edged sword was also turned into a cold light as it hacked down. The blow he delivered was with all his might. His single-edged sword directly hit the black wolf on the shoulder and penetrated several inches deep. Only, this black wolf¡¯s muscles were way too strong, much stronger compared to those grey wolves. Shen Luo¡¯s heavy blow was directly embedded in the wolf¡¯s shoulder bone, unable to move even an inch further in or out. However, under the pain, the wolf¡¯s claws did slow down. Yu Meng took this opportunity to roll sideways and then stood up with a kip up. Seeing this, Shen Luo also decisively let go of his dagger and retreated, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yu Meng. ¡°This black wolf is too strong, and now that I¡¯ve lost my Horse Chopping Saber, I can only barely hold it off. You take this chance to break out.¡± Yu Meng gratefully glanced at Shen Luo and said. Without waiting for Shen Luo¡¯s reply, Yu Meng immediately grabbed a single-edged sword from the ground and slashed at an approaching grey wolf, once again starting a fight with the black wolf. In no time he was at a disadvantage, facing danger again and again. In desperation, Shen Luo¡¯s gaze suddenly caught sight of a banner on the ground, and an idea suddenly flashed in his mind. Since this black wolf is so fierce and ordinary weapons are having difficulty hurting it, why not try the Small Thunder talisman? Even though he had never succeeded in real life, under these circumstances, there¡¯s no time to think too much. It was necessary to try to do something, whatever it may be. He quickly bent down, tore the banner off the flagpole, and was about to start drawing a symbol on the banner with the wolf blood on his fingers. But then, he thought of something. Seizing the moment, he wiped off the wolf blood from his hand, and directly bit his own finger. He took a deep breath, didn¡¯t bother to take the horse stance and start drawing runes on the banner. Thanks to his constant practice, the runes for the Small Thunder Talisman were not a problem for him at all, and he drew them in one breath. As soon as the rune was completed, he immediately picked up the banner, turned around and looked towards Yu Meng¡¯s direction. Only then did he realize that the situation in the vicinity had changed drastically in just seven or eight breaths of time. As more and more grey wolves climbed onto the city wall, mixed with black wolves among them, the defenders were increasingly pushed back towards the corner towers on both sides. Yu Meng and Shen Luo became increasingly isolated. A large number of grey wolves had already begun to change direction and joined the array of wolves that were attacking Yu Meng. ¡°Young master¡­¡± A sharp cry came. Shen Luo followed the sound and saw that each one of Yu Meng¡¯s four attendants was blood-soaked. They were fighting fiercely from the corner of the tower towards this direction, but there were too many wolves on the city wall. Even if they fought to the death, they simply could not get through. He and Yu Meng were now in a desperate situation. ¡°Roar ¡­¡± An earth-shattering roar sounded! Shen Luo suddenly withdrew his gaze, only to see Yu Meng being cornered by a black wolf, pressed against the inner wall of the city¡¯s battlement. Behind the black wolf, there were two gray wolves keeping a close eye on Yu Meng, ready to pounce at any instant. Yu Meng¡¯s situation was precarious. ¡°If I die, I die!¡± Shen Luo steeled himself and lunged towards Yu Meng. Nearing the wolf, he leapt from the city wall, bringing the flag adorned with the Small Thunder Talisman down over the head of the black wolf. At the moment of release, he activated Small Transformation Yang Skill, infusing his Yang Gang Qi into the talisman. From the blood-drawn charm patterns on the banner, a white light erupted from the character for ¡°thunder¡± at the top, spreading downwards until it abruptly cut out halfway and extinguished. ¡°It¡­ failed¡­¡± Shen Luo already had landed and his heart dropped. Yet, in the next instant, a loud ¡°rumble¡± echoed from the sky above! A dazzling white thunderbolt plummeted from the sky, striking the skull of the black wolf, which was shrouded by the flag. The head of the black wolf immediately burst apart like an overripe watermelon, and from within it, a dense cloud of green smoke emerged, accompanied by a charred stench. The headless wolf corpse immediately lost its strength and collapsed, pinning Yu Meng underneath. The huge noise scared the gray wolves, who originally intended to pounce, keeping them at bay for the moment. ¡°Did it work? This power¡­¡± Shen Luo was somewhat dumbfounded but his eyes shone brightly soon after. ¡°Boom, boom boom¡­¡± But before he could rejoice, the thunderous rumble echoed from the sky. White lightning, thick as a man¡¯s arm, frequently illuminated high altitude, fell from above in succession, striking the wolf beasts on top of the city wall. Everywhere the lightning dropped, white electrical threads exploded, striking the nearby wolf beasts, tearing them apart. Along with the lightning, there were flashes of fire. Balls of crimson flames, as large as a peck measure, fell from the sky. As these fiery spheres landed on the wolf beasts, they splashed crimson flames everywhere, swallowing entire bodies in an instant. Among the flames, sounds of sizzling along with the agonizing howls of wolf beasts filled the air. Just within a few breaths, all the wolf beasts on this section of the wall had been slaughtered. Looking up, Shen Luo could see seven or eight individuals levitating in the air above the city¡¯s wall. Some were wearing Taoist robes, some clad in monk robes, and others draped in armor. They all looked different, but they all seemed to be enveloped in a splendid treasured light. Those individuals continued casting their magic, attacking the wolf beasts at several other parts of the city¡¯s wall. ¡°The immortal masters are here, the immortal masters are here¡­¡± Cheers broke out among those on the nearby walls. ¡°We¡¯re saved, we¡¯re saved¡­¡± ¡°We held on, we held it out¡­¡± Some people were crying tears of joy. ¡°Immortal master¡­ are these¡­ gods?¡± Shen Luo was completely startled. Were there really flying gods? Snapping out of his trance, he took a good look at the figures. Some were wielding Seven-Star Treasure Swords made of coin-like links, some were holding gleaming purple-gold bowls, and others held bronze long halberds, each implementing their own magical methods. Among them, a short and chubby old man wearing a golden silk dress was the most conspicuous. Below his chin, he had a long gray beard, and he was dressed like a wealthy town gentry yet he was the most eye-catching among them all. All he saw was the old man forming hand seals with one hand, and continuously releasing yellow paper charms with the other. As soon as the charms flew out, they lit themselves on fire in mid-air and exploded into a pillar of white thunder and lightning, striking the wolf beasts. The old man was casting his magic incredibly fast, so fast that Shen Luo could not make out whether he was making hand signs or chanting spells. All he noticed was that the old man definitely did not use any Yuan Stone. Only then did Shen Luo understand that the thick thunderbolt that saved Yu Meng just now was not from his Small Thunder Talisman but the result of the fat old immortal master¡¯s intervention. Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Life After the Calamity Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Life After the Calamity With the addition of these few Immortal Masters, the situation on the city wall was instantly turned around. Thunder and lightning, along with huge fireballs, were taking turns flying down, interspersed with imperceptible waves of qi and flashes of sword light. The wolf beasts that had reached the top of the wall were suddenly heavily wounded or killed. They had no choice but to start retreating. Yu Meng finally managed to crawl out from under the huge corpse of the Black Wolf. He came over to Shen Luo, leaning on his huge sword, patting his shoulder gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡± Shen Luo was still in awe of the Immortals, barely managing a smile. After a few steps, he walked to the edge of the wall and gazed into the distance. The wolves below were fleeing away like a tide from beyond the moat. But amidst the dense pack of wolves, one place stood out. He narrowed his eyes, carefully looking towards that spot and saw on a small hillside beyond the moat, amongst hundreds of Demon Wolves ¨C none were Grey Wolves, surprisingly they were all massive Black Wolves. Mounted on the largest Black Wolf in the middle, was indeed a person. To be precise, it should not be called a ¡°person¡±, but a terrifying creature with a ferocious wolf head and a humanoid body. Wrapped in coarse clothing, its arms were bare. As Shen Luo was staring at this sight, this wolf-headed humanoid turned its head, its eyes flashing green, revealing its terrifyingly sharp teeth through a wolfish grin. Chills ran down Shen Luo¡¯s spine at the sight! This creature seemed to be laughing, although its laughter was truly frightening. However, the creature only looked back once before it turned again. It raised one arm and waved it forward as if commanding something. Immediately after this, the entire army of wolf beasts soared into motion, speeding away into the distance. Just as Shen Luo was about to look away, he suddenly noticed something unusual and promptly took a closer look. In the middle of the black wolf pack, there seemed to be two wolves covered in a strange green hue. They were not as large as the Black Wolves, just about the size of Gray Wolves, but as they ran swiftly, their bodies kept blurring and flickering, appearing and disappearing, making it hard to make out what they really looked like. However, before Shen Luo could see them clearly, the wolf pack had already fled far away, disappearing from his sight. The tension that Shen Luo had been holding onto finally relaxed, only for him to immediately feel an all-encompassing weakness and waves of pain from all over his body. He quickly propped himself up against the wall, his eyes falling on the area below the outer wall of the city. What he saw was a mountain of wolf corpses stacked there, and all along the wall to the moat were the decimated remains of both the wolf beasts and the defending city¡¯s youth; they were piled upon each other each layer heavier than the other. Even within the moat, there was a large mass of floating corpses of both men and beasts, so many that the bloody water no longer flowed. Clearly, there had been vicious fighting at the foot of the city and even in front of the moat before everyone withdrew to hold their position at the top of the wall. This was truly a scene right out of hell on earth. All around the city wall, cries of anguish filled the air. There were cries born out of sheer relief from those who had managed to survive, there were cries of bereavement for loved ones lost in the battle, and all this was intermingled with the sounds of gratitude directed towards the Immortal Masters. Shen Luo, inhaling deeply the smell of thick blood in the air, felt dizzy and nauseous, and clutched his chest. He leaned weakly against the wall and slid down, shaking uncontrollably. His gaze scanned over the lifeless bodies and the survivors on top of the city wall. The expressions of shock, joy and despair on their faces were so vivid; so intense! Was this all just a dream? Just then, Shen Luo¡¯s gaze flickered as he suddenly realized he had overlooked something. Earlier, when he was fully focussed on the life-and-death battle with the wolf pack, he had failed to notice that the dress and attire of the people on the city wall seemed unfamiliar compared to what he was used to seeing on a daily basis. While most of them were still wearing round collared robes, the front and back of their robes seemed to have been significantly shortened. He didn¡¯t know if this was for the convenience of battle, or they were originally like this. ¡°Brother Shen, are you alright?¡± Yu Meng saw that Shen Luo looked unwell, and he walked over to ask. At this moment, Shen Luo felt too exhausted to even speak, and could only shake his head. ¡°As long as nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Yu Meng laughed. ¡°Brother Yu, you seem quite happy about what happened?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t muster up a smile. ¡°Life goes on this way. To survive is already fortunate. Moreover, we have just escaped death by the skin of our teeth, isn¡¯t that something worth celebrating?¡± Yu Meng raised his brow, his gaze drifted to the distance. Shen Luo could only return a bitter smile, but in his heart, a string of doubts remained unsettled. He had clearly returned the jade pillow, but why did such a strange dream still occur? Moreover, when he first appeared on the city wall this time, his clothes and even his injuries were exactly the same as when the previous dream ended. The only difference was, after he joined forces with the little girl to kill the evil ghost last time, he was completely exhausted at the end. However, when he woke up from the dream this time, he still had all his strength and was unaffected. This place was extremely dangerous, so naturally, it would be wise to return to reality as soon as possible. However, he had no idea how to wake up. Last time in the Ghost Village, he also died several times, and only after killing the ghost did he return. So did he have to die several more times this time, or kill all these wolf beasts to wake up? Thinking about this, Shen Luo felt a headache as if his head was about to explode, and his wounds seemed to ache even more. Just then, three armored men carried a man over on a plank. When they got closer, he saw that the man being carried had a bloody hole in his chest that was torn open by a wolf claw. All around it was dried and coagulated filthy blood. Seeing this, Yu Meng¡¯s fists clenched tightly, and he strode over to them. Shen Luo recognized the three men. They were Yu Meng¡¯s attendants, and the one who had already died was the one who had been at the forefront trying to rescue them when the two of them were surrounded by the wolf pack. Yu Meng¡¯s hands shook slightly as he helped to wipe the blood from the deceased attendant¡¯s face. He then bent down to pick up a blood-stained flag nearby and slowly covered him with it. ¡°This is my brother, Tian Chong¡­¡± He turned back to speak, his eyes already teary. Shen Luo had a solemn face, barely managed to stand up, and respectfully bowed to the others. The other three also solemnly nodded to him in return. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city wall, the immortal masters who had chased the wolf beasts out of the city for more than a hundred miles, confirmed they had truly withdrawn and had flown back, landing on the city wall. Among them was an old man who looked like a wealthy elder, leading several people patrolling the city wall, while two Taoist priests were examining the injuries of the survivors across the city wall. For those who were severely injured and whose lives could not be saved by ordinary healing medicine, the powdered medicine and elixir pills they distributed could save them. However, these elixirs were clearly limited and precious, not everyone could receive them. Most of those treated were strong young men, as for those aged or whose limbs had been severed, they could only rely on ordinary herbs. It really was up to fate whether these mortals survived or died at this moment. Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Chapter 28: The Depressed Market Chapter 29: Chapter 28: The Depressed Market ¡°Brother Shen, it seems we won¡¯t be able to drink today. Let me know where you¡¯re staying, and I¡¯ll come visit you another day for a good drink,¡± Yu Meng took his eyes off the view, patting Shen Luo on the shoulder. ¡°No need to hide it from you, Brother Yu. I just arrived in the city. As for where I¡¯m staying¡­¡± Shen Luo deliberately gave a bitter smile, speaking vaguely. ¡°Oh? Brother Shen is not a local, yet he¡¯s willing to risk his life defending the city. That¡¯s some daring spirit, a true brother!¡± Yu Meng was taken aback by this and gave Shen Luo a thumbs-up. The accompanying three men also looked at Shen Luo with friendlier eyes after hearing this. ¡°You are too kind, Brother Yu. I am only doing what I can for self-protection,¡± Shen Luo hurriedly waved his hand. ¡°Haha! There aren¡¯t many men with character like Brother Shen in this world these days! If you don¡¯t have somewhere to stay in the city, why not come with me to my house?¡± Yu Meng laughed heartily, then seemingly thought of something and asked. ¡°I indeed haven¡¯t had a chance to find a place yet, so I will take advantage of your kindness, Brother Yu.¡± Shen Luo has been filled with curiosity, so he readily accepted the invitation. ¡°Bother about what? We¡¯re brothers. No need to talk such formality. Let¡¯s go!¡± Yu Meng raised his eyebrows, draped an arm over Shen Luo¡¯s shoulders, and set off. The group came to the corner tower of the city wall along the roadway. About to step down the city ladder, they saw several soldiers in uniforms, supporting a stout middle-aged man, struggling step-by-step up. Shen Luo looked down to see the man had fair skin, short yellow mustaches by the mouth, and the clumsy suit of armor he wore made him look like a chunk of fat meat stuffed into a turtle shell, quite incompatible. The middle-aged man and his party also saw Yu Meng descending the city wall and stood where they were. ¡°Give way to the heroes,¡± the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes fell on Tian Chong¡¯s body, his face slightly changed, and he ordered. The soldiers immediately moved him aside to clear the path. ¡°You first take Tian Chong back,¡± Yu Meng instructed the remaining men. The three aides responded, picked up Tian Chong¡¯s body, and proceeded down the city ladder. As they passed the stout middle-aged man, seeing the blackish bloodstains on the flag, the man¡¯s brow broke out in a cold sweat. Shen Luo followed Yu Meng down the city wall to the man¡¯s side. ¡°Lord Liu,¡± Yu Meng greeted with a fist and palm salute. ¡°Yu¡­ Cousin Yu,¡± The middle-aged man hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°The beasts that attacked the city wall left many bodies behind. We must get rid of them as soon as possible. We can let the people in the city continue to portion and preserve them. Additionally, the parts of the city wall that were damaged need to be repaired soon.¡± Yu Meng looked back at the city wall and said. ¡°Cousin Yu, rest assured. I have already sent people to do it,¡± Lord Liu replied hastily. Yu Meng nodded and did not say anything more, taking Shen Luo further down the city. Lord Liu wanted to say something but seeing Yu Meng walking away without looking back, swallowed his words, wiped his sweat again, and continued his way to the city wall with the support of others. ¡°Who is this Lord Liu?¡± Shen Luo asked as they descended the city wall. ¡°Deputy Liu Fu of Donglai County,¡± Yu Meng replied casually. ¡°So he¡¯s the officer in charge of military and political affairs in the area,¡± Shen Luo said with some confusion in his heart. At first glance, Yu Meng didn¡¯t look like an ordinary city guard, but he also didn¡¯t seem like someone of an official status. Why did this ¡°Lord Liu¡± appear somewhat nervous in his presence? ¡°What kind of parent official? Simply a weak scholar, perhaps apt at resolving minor disputes, but a joke in times like these. The military preparations in Donglai County are slack. If not for the young and strong men in the city holding out, relying on those old soldiers would have been hopeless.¡± Yu Meng sniffed disdainfully, declaring. Hearing this, Shen Luo instantly understood why Yu Meng was displeased with this man. ¡°But having said that, although this man is timid, at least he did not abandon the city and flee. He even knew to ascend the city walls to comfort the people after the battle. That¡¯s more commendable than the officials in neighboring counties,¡± Yu Meng sighed, adding. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Shen Luo nodded in agreement, feeling a bit more understanding towards Deputy Liu. At the brink of life and death, how many people could truly face death unflinchingly? However, a question arose in his mind. In his memory, Donglai County Town was located in the southern part of Chishui Prefecture. He had never visited, but neither had he heard of such terrifying wolf pack sightings in that area. Wasn¡¯t it? If such a thing truly happens, it wouldn¡¯t take long for the news to spread all over the world. ¡°Brother Shen, let¡¯s go,¡± Yu Meng saw Shen Luo deep in thought and urged him forward. ¡­ While he didn¡¯t feel much when he was atop the city wall, now that he had walked into the city, Shen Luo felt the majesty of Donglai County, with the city walls nearly one zhang higher than Chunhua County¡¯s. The city wall, extraordinarily high and broad, protected the city like a mountain range. Though the wall¡¯s surface eroded from wind and rain, its grand facade was still somewhat evident despite the damage it bore. A vast main road beneath their feet directed straight into the city, wide enough for four carriages to drive side by side. However, perhaps due to long-term lack of maintenance, the road was full of potholes. The street-side shops on either side were larger and taller than those in Chunhua City, but they appeared somewhat dilapidated for some reason. The architectural style here was different from Chunhua County. While the latter had simple and grand structures, the buildings here were quite tall with more decorations on the eaves, walls, and door frames. ¡°My home is near the Confucius Temple. Brother Shen, please follow me.¡± Yu Meng led Shen Luo deeper into the city. Shen Luo followed behind Yu Meng, surveying his surroundings. The more he looked, the stranger he felt. It was nearing sunset but still daylight, yet there was hardly anyone on the streets inside the city. Most of the shops along the street were closed. A once-bustling inn at the corner of the street didn¡¯t even have its doors shut, but inside it was deserted, the floor dust-covered, suggesting it had been out of business for some time. Only a few shops selling necessities like rice and flour were still open, with hardly anyone around. The clothing style differed as well. The men here mostly wore turbans and robes that were shorter than what Shen Luo was used to. The women wore short top garments that revealed their necks and chest area, paired with long skirts, a stark contrast to Chunhua County. For some reason, the people here seemed somewhat numb, especially their eyes. There was an indescribable feeling of fear and confusion. Occasionally, Shen Luo could see some poorly dressed people, old and young, begging passersby, but their pleas were largely met with indifference. The depressing scene made one feel heavy. ¡°Could it be that this Donglai County isn¡¯t the Donglai County in Chishui Prefecture that I know? Where am I exactly? Am I still within the Great Tang territory?¡± Shen Luo wondered to himself. But Yu Meng seemed accustomed to all this, striding briskly towards the heart of the city. Shen Luo had to suppress his doubts in his mind and quickened his pace to follow Yu Meng. Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Is it really him? Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Is it really him? ¡°Brother Shen, please wait for me a moment,¡± Yu Meng suddenly stopped as he passed a small alley, speaking to Shen Luo. ¡°Please do as you wish, Brother Yu,¡± Shen Luo said. Yu Meng quickly walked into the alley, his figure soon disappearing within. Standing and examining his surroundings, Shen Luo pondered over the various things he had observed so far, considering how to bring up his queries once they arrived at Yu Meng¡¯s house. ¡°Big brother, could you spare me some food? I haven¡¯t eaten for two days,¡± A crisp voice broke Shen Luo¡¯s reverie, coming from beside him. Upon hearing the voice, Shen Luo turned to see a little girl of around seven or eight shyly standing not far away. The girl was dressed in a dirty hemp short shirt full of patches. As the shirt was oversized, her arms and legs were exposed. She held out a broken bowl with both hands, her gaze filled with desperation as she looked up. ¡°I don¡¯t have any food or silver on me¡­¡± Shen Luo felt a softness in his heart under the little girl¡¯s gaze. He reached into his clothes, pretending to fumble around, indicating that he didn¡¯t have anything. ¡°What happened, Brother Shen?¡± Yu Meng¡¯s voice came as he briskly emerged from the alley. There were two black long knives added to his waist, narrower in the spine and longer in the blade than the horse-chopping saber he was using before. Placed obliquely on his back waist, and his bosom bulging with something he was carrying. Seeing Yu Meng, especially the weapons in his hand, a hint of panic flashed across the little girl¡¯s face and she quickly turned and fled. ¡°Ah, the world is cold, the people are suffering¡­ let¡¯s go,¡± Seeing this, Yu Meng sighed. Watching the frail figure flee into the distance, Shen Luo felt a lump in his throat, a sensation that he couldn¡¯t quite describe. They continued their journey, quickly leaving the neighborhood. Ahead, the roadside was lined with an appreciable number of trees and the path became narrower. Residential courtyards started appearing on either side of the road. There were fewer pedestrians here, every household was locked tight. The road was scattered with fallen leaves due to lack of cleaning and they rolled about with the wind. Before long, Shen Luo arrived with Yu Meng at the front of a grand mansion. The plaque hanging over the main gate read ¡°Yu Residence¡±. This mansion was built north-facing south, with a wide main gate, large enough for four or five people to walk through side by side. Although most of the gold lacquer on the two gate doors had peeled off, there was still an imposing majestic aura emanating. In front of the entrance were a pair of two-meter-tall red lacquered stone-carved lions. In comparison with other households, it stood out as a crane among chickens. ¡°So you¡¯re of a wealthy family, Brother Yu,¡± Shen Luo commented lightly, with a slight smile on seeing this. ¡°These are all my father¡¯s eccentricities. Nowadays, with evil rampant and the world in chaos, what¡¯s the point of keeping up such grand appearances?¡± Yu Meng replied. Just as he was about to push the gate open, some footsteps sounded from the side. It turned out to be the three escorts coming back in strides. Yu Meng withdrew his hand and went up to them. ¡°Young Master, We¡¯ve sent Tian Chong home and also delivered the consolation silver,¡± the dark-faced escort reported with a salute. ¡°Good, Thank you all for your hard work. Go and rest first,¡± Yu Meng replied with a nod, his eyes filled with solemn respect. The three escorts gave their acknowledgments, nodded at Shen Luo as their form of greeting, and went their separate ways back home. ¡°Brother Shen, I¡¯ll be back shortly,¡± After the group left, Yu Meng hesitated briefly before speaking to Shen Luo. ¡°Feel free to attend to your affairs, Brother Yu,¡± Knowing that Yu Meng wanted to go to Tian Chong¡¯s home, Shen Luo would naturally not hold him back. Yu Meng gave a slight bow, then hurriedly left in the direction that the escorts had come from. Shen Luo watched as Yu Meng¡¯s figure disappeared in the distance, sighing inwardly. He waited outside the gates of the Yu Residence, meanwhile carefully observing the surrounding environment, which kept him from getting bored. A moment later, Yu Meng hurried back from the direction he had gone, his eyes slightly puffed up. ¡°Apologies for making Brother Shen wait, let¡¯s head inside,¡± he said a bit remorsefully. Then, he moved a few steps ahead and knocked on the big gate. ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re back.¡± The heavy gate creaked open, and a chubby teenager of about fifteen or sixteen came out greeting with a pleasant smile. However, when he saw Shen Luo behind, a hint of surprise crossed his agile eyes, but he wisely refrained from asking further. ¡°Is Father home?¡± Yu Meng, who had now regained his calm, asked. ¡°Master has come home. He¡¯s in the study.¡± The chubby boy brought his gaze back and replied. ¡°This is my new acquaintance, Brother Shen Luo. Little Shunzi, get a room ready for him,¡± Yu Meng instructed the chubby lad, and then led Shen Luo through the gate, heading towards the inner courtyard. The courtyard was a three-compartment structure, with a rigorous layout, towering eaves, and large courtyards, quite magnificent indeed. However, what surprised Shen Luo was the absence of any servant about, given the vastness of the courtyard, which resulted in a rather quiet atmosphere. He had seen only Little Shunzi since he had come in. Compared to this, his own residence in Chunhua County, although of a similar scale, was bustling with servants and maids. They passed through two courtyards and arrived at a spacious hall. The floor was paved with large blue stones as polished and smooth as a mirror, tough as iron. The furniture was all made of deep rosewood, and some antique ornaments were placed beside the walls on both sides, the whole arrangement being quite luxurious. However, at the far end of the hall, in front of a sculpted screen, stood an imposing statue, which was not of the Three Purities or the Six Imperials, but of a middle-aged scholar holding a writing brush. With three tufts of long beard hanging down to his chest, he looked quite refined. In front of the statue was an altar covered in incense and a variety of other offerings, with spirals of incense smoke curling upward. The statue, the altar, and the rest of the sumptuous arrangement did seem oddly mismatched and rather out of place, making the whole setting appear somewhat comical. Seeing the decorations in the hall, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but show an unusual expression. As someone who belonged to a wealthy family in the county, he understood the love people of affluence had for grandeur and keeping up appearances. Everything in the main reception hall where guests were entertained was usually arranged carefully down to the last detail. So how could it be in such a mess? ¡°Forgive the disorder, my father is a man of Dao and does things according to his own whims, hence the somewhat chaotic arrangement at home,¡± Yu Meng smiled and explained upon seeing Shen Luo¡¯s reaction. Obviously, Shen Luo wasn¡¯t the only one who found the layout here strange. ¡°Not at all. Uncle Yu¡¯s unorthodox ways show his stature amongst scholars. Is he available now for me to pay my respects?¡± Shen Luo laughed and became somewhat interested in the man who had turned the hall into a Daoist temple. ¡°Actually, you have met him already,¡± said Yu Meng, winking and continuing in a mysterious tone. Shen Luo was taken aback, about to press for details. ¡°Meng Er, you little devil, where have you been messing about again? You¡¯re late, and I¡¯ve been waiting for you for half the day! Did you buy the things I asked for?¡± An aging, slightly hoarse voice sounded from outside, followed by a short, plump figure entering the room. Shen Luo turned around at the sound of the voice and was stunned when he saw the man¡¯s face. It was him? The man who walked in was none other than the short plump old man amongst the Immortal Masters on the city wall earlier, the one dressed in a golden silk dress who had rescued Yu Meng. The old man was then holding a vermilion wine gourd with rosiness on his face and a bleary look in his eyes, already somewhat tipsy. He looked like an ordinary old tippler, bearing no resemblance at all to the high and aloof Immortal Master he had appeared to be on the city wall. Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: Chapter 30: Talisman Inscription Dao Chapter 31: Chapter 30: Talisman Inscription Dao ¡°Bought, bought! High-quality Crane Top Cinnabar and this Green Frost Paper.¡± Yu Meng instantly dropped the smile on his face, hurriedly took out a jade bottle the size of a bowl, and a stack of green papers from his bosom, held them high and handed them over. His expression was slightly nervous, his eyes sneaked a peek at the old man through the gap in his hands, as if observing the old man¡¯s expression. Shen Luo casually scanned the items in Yu Meng¡¯s hand, and his heart moved. He was very familiar with the paper, which was used for drawing talismans. Only this kind of green talisman paper was thicker than the yellow paper he used, and obviously the grade was much higher. The elderly man in the golden robe made a single gesture, and the items in Yu Meng¡¯s hand rose up as if by magic, crossed a distance of three to four feet under the pull of an invisible force, and directly fell into the old man¡¯s hands. ¡°Taking objects in the air!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened a little, and he muttered to himself secretly. He had read about this method of taking objects in the air through mystic arts in a journal in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and he had been yearning for it at the time, but he didn¡¯t know whether it was true or not. Now he was excited to observe a real person perform it in close proximity. The old man didn¡¯t look much at the green talisman paper, but he cared quite a bit about the jade bottle. He pulled out the stopper and looked inside. Then he picked out a little bit of the red powder inside with his pinky finger, sniffed it, and finally tasted it with his tongue. Only then did he say ¡°hmm¡± in satisfaction. Seeing this, Yu Meng couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°The cinnabar you bought this time is pretty good, stick to this standard from now on, and don¡¯t bring me inferior goods, otherwise, see how I will deal with you¡­hmm, who are you?¡± When the old man was halfway through his speech, he finally noticed Shen Luo who was standing behind Yu Meng. ¡°Father, this is Brother Shen Luo. Today he stood with the me on the City Wall to resist the wolves. He has just arrived at the city and has not found a place to settle down. I invited him to stay at our house. Brother Shen, this is my father, Yu Yan. You met him during the day.¡± Yu Meng hurriedly introduced. ¡°Shen Luo has met Uncle Yu.¡± Shen Luo stepped forward respectfully and gave a bow. Yu Yan glanced at Shen Luo out of the corner of his eye and casually nodded his head, tucking the talisman paper and jade bottle into his bosom. ¡°Today, I had the good fortune to see Uncle Yu and several Immortal Masters making moves on the city wall. It was truly eye-opening. Especially Uncle Yu¡¯s talisman technique, it is astonishing. I greatly admire it.¡± Shen Luo was keen to build a closer relationship with the Immortal Master in front of him. Seeing Yu Yan¡¯s cold expression, he shifted the topic to talismans. ¡°You understand the talisman technique?¡± Sure enough, once he talks about talismans, Yu Yan¡¯s eyebrows moved and he looked at Shen Luo¡¯s ragged Taoist robe from Spring and Autumn Pavilion. ¡°I only know a little. I am a dullard, despite years of practice, I haven¡¯t made any progress in the Dao of Talisman Inscription and cannot be compared with Uncle Yu¡¯s God¡¯s Power.¡± Shen Luo said humbly, with his hands in a gesture of respect. ¡°The Talisman Technique is different from other mystic arts, it¡¯s abstruse and dull, and it requires a great deal of time. Only continuous hard work will lead to accomplishment. If you can really persist till now, your tenacity is indeed commendable.¡± Yu Yan nodded slightly and glanced at Yu Meng while talking. Yu Meng scratched the back of his head and turned his gaze away a little guiltily. Seeing this, Yu Yan snorted heavily. ¡°Uncle Yu flatters me. I was once possessed by Yin Qi and I couldn¡¯t find a cure after seeking medical advice everywhere. Fortunately, I was saved by a Talisman from a high person. Since then, I¡¯ve been attracted to the Dao of the Talisman Inscription, hoping to achieve something.¡± Shen Luo saw the expressions of the two, and spoke humbly. ¡°There are countless mediocrities in the world, most of them are short-sighted, thinking that the Talisman Technique is a time-consuming, tough, and thankless minor subject. They don¡¯t know that once the Talisman Technique is learned, the power to summon spirits, punish ghosts, suppress demons and subdue demons is absolutely superior to most of the mystic arts of the world.¡± Yu Yan seemed to be stirred by Shen Luo¡¯s words and said somewhat indignantly. Shen Luo had only been in contact with talismans for a short time, and knew nothing about the world of cultivation. Hearing about the status of the Talisman Technique in the world of cultivation, he was somewhat surprised. On his face, however, he showed a perfect hint of agreement. ¡°The Talisman Technique posits that practice makes perfect. Continue to work hard in the future, your accomplishment will be boundless.¡± Yu Yan vented a lot, and his expression quickly returned to calm. He patted Shen Luo on the shoulder and encouraged him. ¡°Yes, thank you for your guidance, Uncle Yu.¡± Shen Luo nodded solemnly. ¡°Nephew Shen, you plan on staying here tonight, right? Once you¡¯re here, consider this your own home, there is no need for formalities.¡± Yu Yan said with a hearty laugh, a stark change from his previous aloof behavior. ¡°Meng Er, I still have some matters to attend to, please make sure to take good care of Nephew Shen for me.¡± Yu Yan instructed Yu Meng. ¡°Yes, father, you can rest assured.¡± Yu Meng quickly replied. As Yu Yan turned to walk into the inner hall, Shen Luo took a few steps forward saying goodbye, then stopped. ¡°Not bad, little brother. You¡¯re the first one who¡¯s managed to make my father this happy! You have no idea, whenever I bring friends around, he barely even glimpses at them!¡± Yu Meng rapidly transformed back into his spirited self once Yu Yan had left. ¡°I genuinely admire Uncle¡¯s knowledge in the Dao of talisman, I really didn¡¯t anticipate you being a son of an immortal master.¡± Shen Luo said with a smile, thinking back to the godly powers that Yu Yan and other immortal masters used atop the city wall, envy filled his heart. Spring and Autumn Pavilion might have these similar mystic arts, but unfortunately, his qualifications were insufficient, regarding the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡±, he¡¯s barely managed to get a foot in the door, let alone practicing it, he wasn¡¯t even able to touch it. ¡°What¡¯s there to envy? Drawing talismans is insanely boring, I just can¡¯t do it; wielding swords and shooting arrows suit me better.¡± Yu Meng quickly declined with a wave. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s a true pity.¡± Shen Luo shook his head and said. ¡°Alright, enough of this, look at us drenched in sweat and blood, let¡¯s go change.¡± Yu Meng, seemingly not wanting to carry on with this topic, waved his filthy sleeve and changed the subject. ¡°I lost my bundle in the chaos before.¡± Shen Luo after examining his clothes, knit his brows. ¡°It¡¯s just clothing, you can wear mine for now, why the need for politeness.¡± Yu Meng waved his hand nonchalantly. The two of them went to the back room. While Yu Meng went to take a bath, Little Shunzi led Shen Luo to a neighboring room. A bathtub already filled with hot water awaited them there. Little Shunzi held a leather bag, pouring a light-green liquid out of it into the tub. The bathwater quickly turned a light green. ¡°This is a medicinal liquid concocted by the young master, using it for bathing is extremely beneficial for the body.¡± Little Shunzi explained, seeing the surprised look on Shen Luo¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Shen Luo replied calmly, but was noticeably impressed. ¡°Master Shen, in our residence we only have one maid, Little Flower, who is currently helping the young master bathe. If you need assistance, you can wait for a moment, our young master is quite fast.¡± Little Shunzi asked again. ¡°No need, I can manage it myself.¡± Shen Luo shook his head and replied. Little Shunzi answered obediently, placing a set of clean clothes to the side before leaving the room. The moment his clothes were off and he jumped into the tub, while scrubbing his body, Shen Luo started thinking about the incidents from earlier. The place he saw in his dream this time compared to the mountain village he saw in his dream before, despite the two being vastly different in nature, he felt that there seemed to be some link between them. As for what that link exactly was, he hadn¡¯t figured it out yet. While his mind was filled with these thoughts, Shen Luo¡¯s hands didn¡¯t stop scrubbing, he quickly finished washing, dried himself off, and changed into fresh clothes. He took a look at himself in the mirror; he appeared handsome and glowing with vitality, fully embodying the features of a prime young master of turbulent times, and he seemed to have a hint of spiritual aura compared to his real self. Not only that, Shen Luo¡¯s fatigue seemed completely washed away, leaving him feeling miraculously refreshed and relaxed. He remembered the medicinal liquid that Little Shunzi had poured into the water, understanding dawned on him, afterward, he left the room. Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: Chapter 31: A Dream of Thousand Years Chapter 32: Chapter 31: A Dream of Thousand Years ¡°Tsk, tsk, I really didn¡¯t realize until now, Brother Shen is indeed very handsome. You must be careful, there are many girls but few men in this world. The moment you step out, I can¡¯t imagine how many young ladies will have their eyes on you.¡± Yu Meng was already waiting outside, walking around him and commenting. Shen Luo just chuckled, not taking Yu Meng¡¯s jests to heart. ¡°Dinner will take a while to prepare, come, let me show you around our place.¡± Yu Meng wrapped his arm around Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder and started walking out without further ado. This was the residence of an Immortal Master, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t wait to look around. Naturally, he would not refuse. The Yu Residence covered quite a large area, about twenty to thirty acres, with over a dozen large houses, a sizable garden, and a big pond. It felt slightly worn out, but the scenery was rather pleasing. In addition to that, there was a significantly large training ground, a myriad of weapons like swords, spears, and halberds were on display. Yu Meng was a hospitable man. He gave Shen Luo a full tour of the house, constantly introducing his surroundings. ¡°Brother Yu, that place looks rather special. May I ask what it is?¡± Shen Luo pointed at the lone ancient tower next to the pond, and asked. ¡°That¡¯s my father¡¯s study. I¡¯m not boasting, but we definitely have the largest collection of books in the whole county. Come on, let me show you around, you might find some books you like.¡± With that, Yu Meng banged on his chest and said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this¡­¡± Shen Luo hesitated for a bit before responding. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just a look. He always wants me to come here every day, and I¡¯m reluctant in usual times.¡± Yu Meng wasn¡¯t bothered a bit, and he led Shen Luo into the study. Seeing this, Shen Luo had no choice but to follow Yu Meng inside. The study was rather large, nearly fifty steps square, surrounded by shelves that were taller than most people. The shelves were filled with books and in the center was an eight treasure auspicious table, a white jade paperweight, and a green jade brush holder, all high-quality goods. ¡°What an extensive collection of books. Your father surely loves acquiring all sorts of knowledge. No wonder he has pursued talisman techniques to such high levels of mastery.¡± Shen Luo praised. ¡°It¡¯s just okay.¡± Yu Meng replied with a tinge of indifference. Shen Luo noticed the change in Yu Meng¡¯s countenance and moved his attention to the books on the bookshelf. The study was filled with a number of books, a lot more than in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. However, the books were quite disorderly and improperly classified. It looked like they had been acquired by a nouveau riche to display for aesthetic purposes and to enhance their reputation. Shen Luo remembered Yu Yan¡¯s ostentatious appearance and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself as he soon took a geographical record off the shelf. This dream world bore a striking contrast to the world he lived in. He was beginning to suspect if this indeed was part of the Great Tang. To investigate this, browsing through the geographical record was the most convenient method. ¡°Dengyun Province, Qingzhou, Chishui¡­Donglai County.¡± As he laid eyes on the familiar names, Shen Luo felt ever more confused. After flipping through this geographical record, he quickly found the location of Donglai County, which was quite far away from Chunhua County and across several provinces. However, it was exactly like what he remembered! ¡°The geographical position is correct, it¡¯s not wrong, this is definitely Donglai County,¡± Shen Luo affirmed. But if Donglai County is so far away from Spring and Autumn Pavilion, how did he get here? ¡°Huh!¡± Shen Luo lightly exclaimed as he skimmed through the record. The part explaining Chunhua County revealed some place names that were different than what he knew. For instance, a large river in Chunhua county which had always been named ¡°Bailian River¡± since he could remember and where he often played as a kid, was referred to as ¡°Yupu River¡± in the book here. Moreover, ¡°Tianping County¡±, which lay east of Chunhua County and where he had made countless trips, was referred to as ¡°Fengrao County¡± here. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He pondered silently. ¡°Brother Shen, are you interested in this geographical record? This is not worth researching. These days, even the court doesn¡¯t care about these details anymore. That book was published in the 20th year of the Guanghua era, it is over a hundred years old. Instead of that, Brother Shen, how about checking out this sword manual?¡± Yu Meng took a glance at the book Shen Luo was holding, shook his head and then passed him a green book. Shen Luo responded, placed the geographical record aside, accepted the sword manual, only to freeze in his movement. ¡°Brother Yu, did you just mention when this book was published?¡± Shen Luo picked up the geographical record again, looking at Yu Meng intently, he asked. ¡°Yes, in the 20th year of the Guanghua era. Just take a look at the back of the book, the year of publication is written there. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yu Meng pointed at the backside of the geographical record, speaking in a somewhat puzzled manner. Shen Luo quickly flipped the book around, and sure enough, he saw the words ¡°Printed in the 20th year of the Guanghua era¡± at the back of the book. Shen Luo stood still for a while, put down the two books and quickly walked forward, swiftly flipping through books from the shelves. ¡°Brother Shen, are you looking for something? Should I help?¡± Yu Meng was taken aback, then asked. Shen Luo didn¡¯t reply but merely continued rifling through the books on the shelves. After a while, he finally stopped with a thick royal calendar in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re searching for the royal calendar, what for?¡± Yu Meng walked over, chuckling as he asked. Shen Luo¡¯s face was etched with gravity. He started from the last page of the calendar and quickly flipped forward until he came to a halt nearly halfway through the book. The year written on that page of the royal calendar was the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era. Shen Luo looked at the royal calendar, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The 29th year of the Kaiyuan era was the year he was in. According to the royal calendar, there were nearly a thousand years between that and the 20th year of the Guanghua era Yu Meng mentioned. ¡°Could it be that I¡¯ve dreamed my way a thousand years into the future?¡± Shen Luo pondered to himself. Such a hypothesis would easily account for the change of the place names in the geographical record, the architectural style of the city, the difference in clothing style, and so on. Yu Meng saw the change in Shen Luo¡¯s facial expressions. Not really understanding why, he scratched the back of his head but didn¡¯t disturb him. ¡°Young Master, dinner is ready. The master invites you and Master Shen over.¡± Just at that moment, Little Shunzi came to the entrance of the study room and called through the window. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re coming.¡± Yu Meng turned around and responded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just remembered something and searched for this royal calendar to check the date, it seems I have delayed us a bit,¡± Shen Luo put down the royal calendar, his demeanor returning to its usual calm as he explained a little apologetically. ¡°Oh, not at all. I really envy your ability to concentrate on reading books. My father always forces me to read books and draw talismans. I¡¯m a simple man and prefer playing with my weapons. If I had your fondness for reading, I wouldn¡¯t have had such a tough time growing up.¡± Yu Meng laughed heartily in response. Shen Luo also laughed, but said nothing. ¡°Alright, enough with all this talk. After an entire day of fighting, let¡¯s go and have a proper meal. My father likes you, there should be plenty of good food tonight.¡± Yu Meng rubbed his hands and said. Shen Luo put all the books back where they belonged. Only then, under Yu Meng¡¯s urging, did he finally leave the study. Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Demon Wolf Besieges the City Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Demon Wolf Besieges the City Under Yu Meng¡¯s guidance, Shen Luo quickly arrived at the dining hall. ¡°Getting to eat chicken in the evening! Shen brother, we¡¯re fortunate because of you.¡± Said Yu Meng, drooling as he looked at the dishes on the table. A variety of dishes had been spread across the table, mostly vegetarian, but there were three meat dishes, two plates of slightly black meat chunks, and a whole, braised chicken. However, these dishes looked rather ordinary in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. Back in Chunhua County, any meal would be far more sumptuous than this. It seemed that food was rather scarce in this era! Just then, Yu Meng¡¯s big hand reached impatiently for a chicken leg. ¡°You brat, you don¡¯t eat first before the guest moves their chopsticks, nor do you use such a method. Aren¡¯t you any different from the barbarians of the Nanli Prairie?¡± A cold snort sounded from the side, and the angry form of Yu Yan came strolling out. ¡°Father, you¡¯re here.¡± Yu Meng quickly withdrew his hand, saying awkwardly. ¡°Uncle Yu, just now when Brother Yu and I walked past your study, we went in to read a bit. We lost track of time, please forgive us!¡± Shen Luo quickly stood up and bowed in greeting. ¡°So my dear nephew was reading. It¡¯s rare for someone to enter my study. Did you find anything useful?¡± Yu Yan turned towards Shen Luo, his attitude changing. ¡°Thanks to Uncle, this junior did indeed gain a little knowledge.¡± Shen Luo replied softly. ¡°That¡¯s good that you found it beneficial. As for you, my rebellious son, you can¡¯t learn anything and are always jumping around. If only you had half of Shen¡¯s patience and could read some books, you might have learned a little more from me.¡± Yu Yan first nodded approvingly, then scolded Yu Meng. ¡°Those books in the study, Father, you don¡¯t read much either, right? They¡¯re only for show¡­¡± Yu Meng rubbed his nose, muttering vaguely. ¡°Impudent!¡± Yu Yan slapped the table in a fit of anger. Yu Meng fell silent, not daring to say anything further. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve worked hard in defending the city. Let¡¯s eat first.¡± Yu Yan saw his son staying silent, though his face still held a stubborn look. Sighing, he waved his hand for the two to sit down and started to eat. Having fought for half of the day, Yu Meng was starving. He sat down without hesitation and began to eat heartily. Although Shen Luo was a bit hungry too, as a guest, he couldn¡¯t help but be more modest. But as soon as he sat down, Yu Meng put a chicken leg into his bowl. ¡°Here, eat some more! Eat up so you have strength to kill those Demon Wolves!¡± ¡°Are those wolves likely to attack again?¡± The image of the wolf-headed humanoid and the flitting figure of the Cyan Strange Wolf appeared in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. ¡°From what we¡¯ve seen in the past, they won¡¯t easily give up. What do you think, Father?¡± Yu Meng, his mouth already full of food, looked toward his father, asking in a muffled voice. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The government has dispatched people to scout the whereabouts of the wolf pack, but the lead monster has grown more sly and we can¡¯t figure out their next move.¡± A layer of worry flashed across Yu Yan¡¯s eyes. ¡°In that case, I should stay at the city gate tonight to guard against unexpected situations.¡± Standing up, Yu Meng proposed. ¡°I¡¯ll go as well, to lend Brother Yu a hand.¡± Shen Luo also stood. ¡°There¡¯s no need. You¡¯ve been defending the city for days and are already weary. Rest well at home tonight, you can take your shift another day.¡± Yu Yan waved them off. ¡°Alright, if the local government has any arrangements, Father, please let me know ahead of time.¡± Yu Meng advised. Yu Yan waved them dismissively, telling the two to sit down and continue eating. ¡°Father, when I went to buy Talisman Paper and Cinnabar for you today, I ran into something interesting¡­¡± Yu Meng kept on chatting throughout dinner, regaling his family with the day¡¯s exploits. Yu Yan looked at his son, a stern face belying deep affection in his eyes. Shen Luo occasionally added a comment or two, and they soon finished their enjoyable meal. ¡°Given the city¡¯s siege by the Demon Wolves, may last quite some time. Brother Shen, if you¡¯re willing, stay at my place.¡± Yu Meng suddenly offered with a laugh. Shen Luo found Yu Meng¡¯s offer enticing. He had not yet found a way back to reality and staying here did seem like a good idea. He could continue to gather information and unravel the truth behind this dream, and perhaps learn more about Talisman Techniques from Yu Yan. ¡°Dear Nephew Shen, where are you from?¡± Yu Yan also put down his chopsticks, took a sip of tea, and asked. ¡°I am originally from Chunhua County in Deng Ping.¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t lie about his origins. Seeing that Yu Yan was well-traveled, he might have already guessed Shen Luo¡¯s origin from his accent and attire. Lying would be counterproductive. ¡°Chunhua County in Deng Ping? I heard that place was destroyed by a beast wave a few years ago.¡± Yu Meng exclaimed, surprised. ¡°I lived on the outskirts of Chunhua County, which is relatively safe.¡± Shen Luo could only reply ambiguously. ¡°In these troublesome times, with all the demons and beasts running rampant, why did you leave your home to come here?¡± Yu Yan put down the teacup he was holding and asked. ¡°I left home a while ago due to certain reasons and got lost on the way, accidentally entering the territory of Donglai County, and ended up trapped in the city as soon as I entered.¡± Shen Luo had already thought up an excuse. ¡°You¡¯re indeed lucky to have made it to the city alive¡­ The world is in turmoil, people are suffering, and we can only hope that the immortals and Buddhas will come soon to end this chaos and save the people.¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s natural responses, Yu Yan put aside his slight doubts and began to pray quietly with a hand clasped in front of him. Yu Meng bowed his head and said nothing, seeming to quietly offer his prayers as well. ¡°Uncle Yu, Brother Yu, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve always wondered about. Why are there so many wolf beasts attacking the city?¡± After a moment of silence, Shen Luo brought up his question. ¡°Hasn¡¯t it always been this way that every once in a while, large groups of beasts and monsters attack human cities?¡± Yu Meng touched his head, puzzled. ¡°Actually, what I really want to know is, where are these wolf beasts coming from?¡± Shen Luo made his question straightforward. Upon hearing this, the Yan father and son exchanged glances and turned to look at Shen Luo with strange eyes. ¡°Brother Shen, don¡¯t you know the legend of ¡®Demons Swallowing the Sky, Heavenly Fire Descending¡¯?¡± Yu Meng asked in return. ¡°To be honest, the village where I used to live was very remote, almost completely isolated from the outside world, so I really don¡¯t know much about the outside world.¡± Shen Luo said calmly. ¡°I see, no wonder I found Brother Shen¡¯s dress a bit strange earlier.¡± Yu Meng finally understood. ¡°Since you know nothing about the world, dear nephew, I will have to start from the beginning.¡± Yu Yan remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m all ears!¡± Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Chapter 33 Demon Calamity Day Chapter 34: Chapter 33 Demon Calamity Day Hundreds of years ago, a supreme demon devoured the Sun, Moon, Heaven, and Earth, plunging the whole Human World into darkness, with Heaven and Earth weeping¡­ Thereafter, countless burning meteorites fell from the sky, scattered across the Four Continents, causing countless casualties. This was known as the Demon Calamity Day.¡± Yu Yan sighed as he began to recall the past events. ¡°Demon Calamity Day?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°After the Demon Calamity Day, the Human World greatly changed. Countless Demonic Beings and ghosts roamed freely, indulging in the slaughter of all living creatures, while the immortals and Buddhas were nowhere to be seen. Initially, the court was able to resist the invasion of the Demonic Beings, but the strength of these demons and ghosts grew year by year, leaving the court essentially powerless. Hundreds of years have passed, and the court has long been reduced to nothing more than a name while the Great Tang and even the entire Southern Sub-Central Continent, have fallen into a state of various forces banding together for survival.¡± Yu Yan continued. After hearing all this, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened, and it took him a while to digest what Yu Yan had said. ¡°Actually, I heard about these matters from my father since childhood, but I have never witnessed them personally; it all seems quite unbelievable.¡± Yu Meng stroked his chin, commenting thusly. ¡°You little brat, if you were to actually witness it, would you be able to stay alive?¡± Yu Yan raised his hand to smack Yu Meng¡¯s head, reprimanding him angrily. Yu Meng quickly ducked to avoid his father¡¯s hand, laughed awkwardly a few times, and didn¡¯t dare to speak anymore. ¡°Uncle Yu, you just said that the Demon Calamity Day was hundreds of years ago, but when exactly was it?¡± Shen Luo asked again. ¡°Regarding the specific time of the Demon Calamity Day, for some reason, it isn¡¯t clearly recorded in the major classics, and it¡¯s the same on the official historical records.¡± Yu Yan shook his head, responding. ¡°So many years have passed, is there really no way to eradicate these demons?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but ask again. ¡°We mortals are powerless, perhaps the disappeared immortals and Buddhas could do it. All living beings in this world continue to endure day by day in the Demon Calamity, not knowing if they can wait until the immortals and Buddhas descend to the world again.¡± Yu Yan sighed as he spoke. Yu Meng also wore a solemn expression. Seeing this, Shen Luo fell silent. ¡­ At midnight, all noises stopped. The moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating a room in the Yu Residence. In the room, Shen Luo lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The loud snores of Yu Meng could faintly be heard coming from a room not far away, indicating that he was sound asleep. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t sleep, not because of Yu Meng¡¯s snoring, but because of the words Yu Yan had spoken earlier. He was still unsure if the dream world was really a thousand years later. The prophecy was already mystifying enough, let alone directly arriving in the future world. If this was true, then this future world was clearly filled with all kinds of suffering. Even ordinary people found it a luxury just to have a stable meal. Even a capable Immortal Master like Yu Yan appeared powerless in the face of all this. The only thing that gave Shen Luo some comfort was that there seemed to be plenty of time before the Demon Calamity happened in his era, and he might not even live up to that time¡­ Different thoughts jumbled in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. After lying for a while and still unable to sleep, he sat up and put on his clothes. After sitting silently in the darkness for a while, he got up and opened the door, stepping outside. A bright moon hung in the sky, but there was a thin layer of black fog drifting in the sky, enveloping the earth, omnipresent, like the Demon Calamity. Shen Luo stared at the black fog for a while, withdrew his gaze, and walked towards the outside. A moment later, he arrived before a small pool. Numerous white stones were piled around the pool, reflecting a faint halo under the moonlight. The cool night breeze blew against his face, bringing moist vapor and refreshing his spirit. However, the anxiety in Shen Luo¡¯s heart did not decrease. The matter of Demon Calamity was like a heavy stone in his heart, making him feel suffocated. He must find something to do to relieve this feeling. Shen Luo breathed slowly, closing his eyes to concentrate. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and his mind had returned to calmness. He took out from his bosom a Dip Wolf Hair brush that he had taken from the desk in his room, dipped it in the water from the nearby pool, and began sketching the Small Thunder Talisman on a flat stone. The talisman had perennially unsuccessful and had always been a worry of his. The runes of the Small Thunder Talisman were quite familiar to him. From the moment he started drawing to the moment he finished, it could be said to be done in one go. Shen Luo looked at the complex runes on the stone that began with the ancient character for ¡°thunder¡±, his face was expressionless. After a moment of silence, he dipped his brush in water again and started drawing on another stone. In the following time, Shen Luo was engrossed in sketching around the small pond. The strokes of his brush were becoming faster and faster, seeming as graceful as a dragon flying and a phoenix dancing. As a result, in just the time it took for an incense to burn, he had drawn a dozen or so Small Thunder Talisman runes of various sizes on the stones around the pond, and each rune looked almost identical, all drawn in one stroke. Shen Luo wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and did not continue. Even drawing Small Thunder Talismans on large stones put a considerable strain on his body. Just now, he was merely frustrated and wanted to vent his feelings. He vaguely felt that he was only one step away from truly understanding the Small Thunder Talisman. But he had no clue how to take this step. He shook his head, no longer thinking about it, put away the Dip Wolf Hair brush, and walked along a small path. ¡°Huh?¡± Shen Luo suddenly looked up in the direction where he felt an inexplicable ripple of air coming faintly. This feeling was as if a stone had been thrown into calm water, causing ripples to spread out. Curious, Shen Luo lightened his steps and approached the source of the ripple. Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: Chapter 34: Encountered Under the Moonlight Chapter 35: Chapter 34: Encountered Under the Moonlight Shen Luo turned a corner, a rockery coming into view. The highest peak of the rockery had been leveled quite smoothly, forming a platform several feet wide. A figure was seated cross-legged on top of it, it was Yu Yan. His hands were now joined together, in the shape of a Treasure Vase, his eyes closed tightly, his breath moving in and out slowly, each exhalation and inhalation extremely drawn out. Between his mouth and nose, one could faintly see two strands of milky-white gas, roughly the thickness of a finger, moving in and out. Moreover, there was a faint trace of white light haloed around the top area of his skull. ¡°This is the true cultivation of immortality!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened, unable to resist a surge of excitement. The reason he had spent heavily to join the Spring and Autumn Pavilion that year, was in order to seek out real Daoist magical techniques, such that he could undergo a complete transformation, thereby prolonging his life span. However, the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡± could only nurture Yang Gang power, strengthening the body, and was utterly incomparable with a real Daoist technique. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but stand in place, blankly looking at everything in front of him. As time passed bit by bit, the moon began to set, and the moonlight started to wane. The white halo over Yu Yan¡¯s head dispersed and his hands formed a finishing gesture in front of him. The milky-white gas around his nose vanished abruptly, signifying the end of cultivation. Shen Luo came back to himself in a startle, hastily retracting his body into the shadows, intending to quietly leave. However, unbeknownst to him, he had been standing for too long and his legs were now entirely numb, unresponsive. His body swayed, hitting the nearby wall, making a muted sound. The sound wasn¡¯t loud, however, it was particularly noticeable in the silent environment. ¡°Drat!¡± Shen Luo cursed himself under his breath, hoping in his heart that Yu Yan hadn¡¯t noticed this disturbance. ¡°Nephew Shen, is that you?¡± Unfortunately, Yu Yan¡¯s voice slowly drifted over, defying his wishes. A chill ran through Shen Luo, he turned around and found Yu Yan ¨C he had no idea when he had come down from the rockery ¨C standing not too far in front, giving a superficial glance. ¡°My apologies, Uncle. I accidentally saw you practicing and found it to be quite fascinating. I could not resist watching for a while, and am sorry if I caused any inconvenience.¡± Shen Luo gave a bow and apologized. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Unlike others, I don¡¯t abide by so many annoying conventions. It¡¯s just a little observation. In fact, I can¡¯t fall asleep as well. Why not accompany me over there to sit for a while.¡± Yu Yan said nonchalantly, then walked towards a pavilion by the pond. Shen Luo limped and followed him. Subtly, he started to use the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡±, after promoting the circulation of Qi and blood in his body, the discomfort in his feet gradually disappeared. The two sat down in the pavilion. Yu Yan flicked his sleeve and miraculously, two plates of side dishes, a pot of wine, and two wine cups flew out. The liquor flowed into his stomach, the rich aroma of the wine spread out, resonated in his internal organs, and refreshed his spirits. Shen Luo felt the Yang Gang power he had condensed while practicing the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡± be stimulated by the wine, and it began to revolve in the meridians of his body on its own. Not only that, a cool sensation surged out from his internal organs, melding into the Yang Gang power. The strength of the Yang Gang seemed to have increased by a bit, practically surpassing half a month¡¯s diligent cultivation. Shen Luo was exhilarated and greedily eyed the wine pot, wishing he could snatch it and drink it all. ¡°Hey, hey, how¡¯s the wine?¡± Yu Yan, too, threw back a cup, his peripheral vision caught Shen Luo¡¯s change in expression, and he asked with a hint of laughter. ¡°Such splendid wine! I have enjoyed plenty of fine wines before, but compared to your Spirit Wine, they are like plain water. Which ingredients did you use to brew this exquisite wine?¡± Shen Luo conscientiously filled Yu Yan¡¯s cup and asked. ¡°What, you think my wine is good, and now you want to pry into its recipe to brew it yourself?¡± Yu Yan glanced sideways at Shen Luo and laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from uncle.¡± Shen Luo chuckled a little awkwardly, feeling exposed. ¡°Even if I reveal the recipe, it won¡¯t help. Have you ever heard of the Snow Mountain Spirit Snake? It appears once in a thousand years and is priceless. Its gallbladder is even more rare. It¡¯s not something one can easily get,¡± Yu Yan said, taking a sip of his wine. ¡°Moreover, even if you did have the recipe, it would be useless. Brewing this wine requires soaking it in the gallbladder and refining it with the Spirit Fire. Although you are wearing a Taoist robe, it¡¯s apparent that you haven¡¯t cultivated any Daoist techniques. How can you harness the Spirit Fire?¡± He seemed rather fond of wine, as he drained his cup once again. Shen Luo merely responded with a few polite chuckles. His actions didn¡¯t falter, he quickly accompanied Yu Yan in another round, all the while quietly circulating the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡± to refine the refreshing Qi in the wine, slightly enhancing his Yang Gang power. ¡°Uncle Yu, you are deeply proficient in the art of Talismans. I have been practicing one for a while now, but am not sure if I am doing it correctly. May you provide some guidance?¡± Shen Luo filled Yu Yan¡¯s cup once more and asked hesitantly. ¡°Oh, which talisman? Draw it and let me see.¡± With a casual flick of his sleeve, Yu Yan produced several green talisman papers, a small white cup filled with a deep red liquid that resembled blood but didn¡¯t smell rancid, and a white jade brush. Several runes were engraved on the jade pen, and its end was packed with golden hair, each strand emitting a faint luster. Clearly, these were not ordinary hairs. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shen Luo took a deep breath. He picked up the jade pen, dipped it in the red liquid, concentrated his mind, and began to draw the Small Thunder Talisman. The hair of the jade pen was soft yet firm, making it ten times better than any pen he had used before. Furthermore, the red liquid was not like the Black Dog Blood he used before. Besides not coagulating, he could vaguely sense an invisible Qi flowing within the liquid, allowing him better control over the talisman drawing process. In less than half a moment, the runes on the Small Thunder Talisman were complete. Shen Luo felt this was the best talisman he had ever drawn; it might even be successful. Unfortunately, he did not have a Yuan Stone to activate it. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s a Small Thunder Talisman. It¡¯s considered a quite complex low-level talisman, it indeed poses some difficulty for you at your current stage.¡± Yu Yan glanced at the talisman paper in front of Shen Luo and casually remarked. ¡°I would appreciate uncle¡¯s guidance.¡± Shen Luo bowed in respect. ¡°Although your brush strokes are smooth, they lack harmonized spiritual energy and the talismanic force is intermittent. At best, it¡¯s a pseudo-talisman.¡± Yu Yan picked up the talisman paper; a flash of light shimmered on his fingertip. With a ¡°hiss,¡± the talisman paper shattered into a brilliant white light upon command, but did not transform into thunder and lightning. Shen Luo stared blankly at the spectacle, scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°The Daos of Talisman inscription are vast and profound. In order to succeed in making any talisman, one must grasp its essence. For instance, the essence of this Small Thunder Talisman lies in using human energy to connect with the energy of Heaven and Earth. The runes that are inscribed on the talisman paper are crucial. During the talisman-drawing process, you must unify your spirit, Qi, and essence as one, infusing them into the talisman. There must be unobstructed harmony from beginning to end for the talisman to be successful.¡± Yu Yan looked at Shen Luo seriously and with profound emotion. ¡°How can I achieve the unity of the three and integrate them as a whole?¡± Shen Luo listened attentively, unable to help asking. There was a similar mention in the ¡°Secret Techniques of Talismans Authentic Manual,¡± but at the time when he read it, he had no one to guide him and he felt confused. Yu Yan¡¯s explanation today was much more straightforward and easy to understand. Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: Chapter 35: Glimpse of the Path Chapter 36: Chapter 35: Glimpse of the Path ¡°As easy as it sounds, the actual execution is pretty tough. Everyone has their individual circumstances and the difficulties they need to overcome in order for the three elements to harmonize are also varied. In your case, Shen Luo, you seem to be in the prime of your youth and your energy and spirit are abundant. However, your vitality seems to be lacking a bit, have you fallen seriously ill before?¡± Yu Yan looked Shen Luo in the eyes and pinpointed his problem. ¡°Uncle, your observation is spot on. I was attacked by Yin Qi a few years ago and it took me several years to recover from my illness¡±, Shen Luo responded by nodding his head in agreement. ¡°That explains it. When you drew the talisman earlier, your energy and spirit were well integrated but the combination of your spirit and Qi was lacking. The talisman you drew ended up being merely form without substance; naturally, you were bound to fail.¡± Yu Yan took a sip of his Snake Gallbladder Wine and grinned. ¡°So, what should I do? Do I need to nurse my body back to health and replenish my vitality before I can draw talismans?¡± Now that Shen Luo finally understood where his problem lied, he asked anxiously. He even remembered to pour wine for Yu Yan. ¡°Of course, replenishing your vitality is necessary. However, it doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t draw talismans right now. You should just pay more attention to the integration of your spirit and Qi when you draw talismans.¡± Yu Yan was rather pleased with Shen Luo, who seemed eager to learn. ¡°How can the spirit and Qi be integrated?¡± ¡°In order to make your spirit and Qi merge as one, you must let it arise from your heart and not force anything. When you draw talisman, you have to stabilize your spirit, and distribute your Qi in your chest¡­¡± As Yu Yan was drinking, he gave Shen Luo some pointers on how to merge the spirit and Qi. Shen Luo was holding his breath and listening attentively so that he wouldn¡¯t miss any single word. Yu Yan was well-versed in talisman and his casual remarks already helped to clear half of the doubts in Shen Luo¡¯s mind, enlightening him greatly. After Yu Yan finished talking, Shen Luo closed his eyes, recalling the points Yu Yan just taught him. A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his White Jade Talisman Brush, and started to draw the Small Thunder Talisman on a new talisman paper, with strokes as vigorous as a dragon and as graceful as a snake. As instructed by Yu Yan, he calmed his spirit, gathered his energy, spirit, and Qi together and infused them into the talisman through the brush in his hand. In just a moment, a Small Thunder Talisman was completed. It was flawless from beginning to end without any breaks. Shen Luo flicked his wrist. The final stroke was drawn down in a vigorous stroke, full of the spirit it seemed as if it was about to fly off. The entire Small Thunder Talisman suddenly shone slightly, made a ringing sound, and only dissipated after a while, with the light on the talisman disappearing along with it. ¡°Well done, give it a try.¡± Yu Yan smiled approvingly and waved his hand. A grey stone fell onto the table. It was a Yuan Stone. Shen Luo expressed his thanks, placed the Yuan Stone on the talisman, activated the Yuan Stone with the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique,¡± and poured the white Qi from within into the talisman. After many practices, he could make use of the white Qi in the Yuan Stone with ease. A faint red light flashed by. The Yuan Stone cracked open in response, the white light on the talisman surface grew brighter, then shattered. ¡°Hiss¡± A bolt of white lightning appeared out of nowhere, shot out, and struck the pond in front. A wave of white water exploded in the pond, splashing up to several meters high. Countless water droplets scattered and splashed onto Shen Luo¡¯s face, causing a stinging sensation. Shen Luo seemed oblivious to it, he clenched his fists tightly, and kept them clenched so hard that his nails dug into his flesh, just to suppress the excitement in his heart. Today, he had finally mastered the art of creating his first talisman, which moreover was quite an offensive and useful talisman. Most importantly, he was one step closer to the world of immortality. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Uncle!¡± Shen Luo concealed his excitement, turned, and gave Yu Yan a bow. ¡°It¡¯s a small matter, you do have a good knack for talismans, catching on pretty quickly. Ah, if only my stubborn son had your aptitude¡±, Yu Yan said dismissively, sighing lightly. ¡°Brother Yu Da¡¯s martial arts skills are profoundly deep, I am far from his level,¡± Shen Luo only could say nice things about Yu Meng. ¡°Hmph, what use is being good at martial arts! I don¡¯t know any body refining techniques, so I can¡¯t teach him,¡± Yu Yan said grumpily. ¡°Body refining techniques!¡± Shen Luo intended to learn more but, seeing Yu Yan¡¯s displeasured expression, he wisely didn¡¯t probe further. ¡°You¡¯re quite talented, which is really rare. It¡¯s a pity our ancestors made a rule that talisman techniques couldn¡¯t be passed on to those outside the clan, It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem to give you more pointers¡±, Yu Yan glanced at Shen Luo and chuckled. Although Shen Luo hadn¡¯t been expecting to learn more, he was still somewhat disappointed hearing this. Nonetheless, he still expressed his gratitude, ¡°Thank you for the kindness, Uncle. I just don¡¯t have the luck. Your talisman technique is a heritage art of your ancestors!¡± Immediately, he asked with a hint of curiosity. ¡°Of course, the Yu Family¡¯s techniques are all passed down from a very famous Heavenly Master a thousand years ago. Even in the cultivation world back then, he had a formidable reputation.¡± Yu Yan seemed proud as he mentioned this. ¡°Sadly, the disaster of demons occurred. Our ancestor died in battle against the demons. Although his techniques were passed down, they were incomplete. Over the years, the Yu Family lost many high-level cultivators and a lot of our legendary skills gradually faded away. Now that the inheritance has passed down to me, there¡¯s only a smidge left. I even have to combine it with talismans to practice. We really have failed our ancestors!¡± Yu Yan¡¯s voce grew increasingly mournful as he spoke, he gulped down another mouthful of wine fiercely. Shen Luo looked at Yu Yan, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol and already slightly tipsy, and fell deep into thought. A thousand years ago? Wasn¡¯t that the era he lived in? ¡°Every family has its ups and downs, just like the changing phases of the sun and the moon. You possess grandeur skills, Elder, and as you progress in your cultivation over time, you might not be much inferior to your ancestor,¡± Shen Luo comforted after pulling himself out of his thoughts. ¡°Only young calves like you dare to say such words. With the pitiful amount of skills I possess, what sort of cultivation can I actually achieve? Over the years, I¡¯ve come to realize that wanting to achieve great success by hard work alone is useless. The key is to have opportunities. Take our ancestor for example, initially, he was only a ferryman of the Luan Shui River outskirts of Song Fan County Town. But he was blessed with deep luck and fortune that he found the ¡®Nameless Heavenly Book¡¯, which helped him to cultivate and gain God¡¯s Power. Without opportunities, no matter how hard you work, everything would be in vain in the end.¡± Yu Yan drank another cup of wine, his face was flushed and he was already somewhat drunk. ¡°Song Fan County, Luan Shui River¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes twinkled. Isn¡¯t Song Fan County just nearby Chunhua County? It should not be too far from Chun Qiu Pavilion. And he vaguely recalled having heard of the name Luan Shui River somewhere. ¡°Master Yu was born into such a humble background, and yet he achieved such great success later, he truly was a man blessed by heavens. Do you know the details of the unusual encounter he had back in his time?¡± Shen Luo impulsively asked, pouring wine for Yu Yan. ¡°Why are you asking so detailed? Are you thinking of going there to try your luck? It¡¯s useless. Our Yu family members have already searched there countless times over generations, practically turning it upside down,¡± Yu Yan glanced cynically at Shen Luo and chuckled. ¡°Oh, Uncle, you¡¯re kidding. I just want to widen my horizons,¡± Shen Luo scratched his head and smiled. Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: Chapter 36 Night Raid Chapter 37: Chapter 36 Night Raid ¡°That all happened nearly a thousand years ago. It¡¯s no harm to tell you, but as for this matter, there are no detailed records in our clan¡¯s documents, only the oral statements of our ancestors. That year, Song Fan County experienced a flood that had not been seen in a hundred years. The Luan Shui River swelled up. The place where our ancestor was operating the ferry was precisely at the narrowing of the river, where the water flow was even more rapid. The ferry boat was carried away by the torrent, hitting a pile of chaotic rocks in the river, almost capsizing. Coincidentally, the bow of the boat got stuck on a lake stone in front of the rocky beach. The boat didn¡¯t flip, but it knocked our ancestor into the water. However, our ancestor was very lucky and came to no harm. In fact, he benefited from the calamity. He obtained the Nameless Heavenly Book from beneath that pile of chaotic rocks and embarked on the path of cultivation,¡± Yu Yan (ÓÚìÍ) said, his tone filled with envy. ¡°I see, Master Yu, indeed, is a person of deep fortune and favor,¡± Shen Luo said slowly, his mind turning, about to ask some more details. Just at this moment, accompanied by a shrill scream, several fireworks suddenly burst in the sky above the city gate in the distance. ¡°What is that?¡± Shen Luo, noticing the fireworks in the sky, stood up in surprise. ¡°Emergency flares! Those wolf beasts dare to attack the city at night!¡± Yu Yan¡¯s drunken expression also disappeared instantly, and he said with an exceptionally serious expression. Shen Luo¡¯s heart suddenly chilled upon hearing this. ¡°You quickly wake up Yu Meng and immediately go to the city gate to aid them. The leading demon wolf has opened its spiritual wisdom and is extremely cunning. If these beasts dare to attack the city at night, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not as simple as a plague!¡± Yu Yan quickly said, his body taking to the air. He took out a talisman paper and crushed it in his hand. With a ¡°whoosh¡±, a gray cloud appeared beneath him, carrying him swiftly toward the city gate. Shen Luo enviously watched as Yu Yan rode off on the clouds. He was just about to turn around and wake up Yu Meng. His gaze fell on the stone table in the pavilion and stopped. The wine pot, talisman pen, and talisman paper that Yu Yan had just used were all there. He had left hastily and forgot to take them with him. ¡°Brother Yu! The magical beasts are attacking the city at night! Get up quickly!¡± Shen Luo shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the mansion. As he shouted, he grabbed the talisman pen and quickly began to draw the Small Thunder Talisman on the talisman paper. Yu Meng was trained in martial arts and had superhuman hearing. He should be able to hear his voice. Going to him would actually waste time instead. Indeed, not long after Shen Luo¡¯s voice fell, a figure came running in the night, it was Yu Meng. He hadn¡¯t even dressed properly, but he brought his crossbow and the two pitch-black long knives with him. ¡°Really? The wolf beasts are attacking the city?¡± Yu Meng asked anxiously. Shen Luo was focusing on drawing the talisman. The talisman paper was almost completely filled, and with a final few strokes of his wrist, it was finished. The entire talisman paper emitted a faint white light, which then quickly dimmed down, returning to normal. ¡°It¡¯s true! Uncle and I were drinking here just now when we saw the distress flare blazing at the city gate. Uncle has already gone over and has asked us to go aid as well,¡± Shen Luo said quickly as he put the finished talisman paper into his bosom. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry,¡± Yu Meng handed one of the black long knives to Shen Luo and were about to run out, ¡°Do you have a Yuan Stone on you? Can I borrow one?¡± Shen Luo reached out and stopped Yu Meng, asking. He didn¡¯t have any Yuan Stones on him, and even if he had successfully drawn a Small Thunder Talisman, he wouldn¡¯t be able to activate it. Yu Meng was puzzled, but then he remembered Shen Luo drawing the talisman paper. He understood, reached into his pocket, and threw a Yuan Stone over. Shen Luo caught the Yuan Stone that flew over. Although Yu Meng did not practice the Daoist arts, as his father was proficient in the Daoist Art of Talisman Inscription, he certainly carried Yuan Stones, which ordinary people needed to activate talisman papers on him. The two of them were rushing shoulder to shoulder, quickly reaching the streets, galloping nonstop towards the city gate. Many residents within the city had heard the sound of the distress alarm. The lights in their homes were shining brightly, and every once in a while, one or two people who were off-duty would dash out of their homes, rushing towards the city gate. In no time, there were about twenty to thirty people gathered. Everyone was silent, and a heavy atmosphere pervaded the area. The group was moving quite fast, and arrived at the city gate before most people did. But upon seeing the situation there, everyone changed their expressions. There was a dense cloud of darkness hanging in mid-air, obscuring the sky above the city wall, exerting an oppressive pressure that left everyone feeling short of breath. Atop the black cloud, there stood a towering figure, the wolf-headed monster that Shen Luo had spotted from a distance during daylight. Its body had grown several times larger, morphing into a terrifying beast seven to eight meters tall. Its skin had turned pitch black, and thick blackish-red fur had grown out from its chest and arms. Through the fur, one could faintly see mysterious, dark red patterns emerging on its body, which were completely unlike spiritual runes. Yu Yan and five or six other Immortal Masters were hovering in front of the black cloud, making hand seals and casting spells. Flashes of lightning, fireballs, and sword qi flew out from the Immortal Masters, raining down relentlessly on the wolf-headed monster. The wolf-headed monster moved its two hands, with black clouds churning below it. Dozens of tentacle-like black qi flew out from the black clouds, confronting the flashes of lightning and sword qi. Red, white, black, and other colors of lights fiercely collided in the air. Every collision sent out a burst of light too intense to look directly at, and deafeningly loud sounds echoed. Below on the city wall, the sounds of fighting could be constantly heard. The young and strong guards on the city wall fought with all their might against the gray wolves that had climbed up the wall. It was clear that countless gray wolves were trying to climb over the invisible outer wall of the city. The city wall could still be defended for now. But the most urgent crisis was at the city gate. The seemingly impenetrable city gate had astonishingly collapsed in part, the edges were charred black as though corroded by something. One after another, huge wolf beasts crawled from inside the large hole in the city gate, all being those ferocious black wolves. At this moment, already twenty or thirty black wolves had entered the city, pouncing towards the city. Meanwhile, more black wolves were still crawling in from the big hole at the city gate. These black wolves were twice as large as the gray wolves on the city wall and far stronger. They were not enemies that one or two people could fend off. The hundred or so guards who were on night duty had gathered near the city gate. Fortunately, the equipment of the guards here was much better than that of the people on the city wall. These men were dressed in iron armor, holding large shields, and using their bodies to form a wall, desperately blocking the black wolves. The people on the wall had also realized the urgency of the situation below. Spears and arrows were raining down from the sky, stabbing into the black wolves¡¯ bodies. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze swept over them, causing a shiver to run through him. These black wolves looked somewhat strange. Their eyes were blood-red, saliva flowing through their interlaced wolf teeth, appearing to be in a state of frenzy. Their bodies were clearly pierced with spears and arrows, blood gushing out, but they seemed to feel no pain at all, frantically attacking the surrounding guards, and impacting the city¡¯s defense team. These black wolves were already terrifyingly powerful, and now that they had unexpectedly become reckless and frenzied, they were, naturally, even more terrifying. The guards at the city gate were numerous, but they too were struggling to deal with the wildly rampaging black wolves and their defenses seemed on the verge of collapse. Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Hidden Wolf Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Hidden Wolf ¡°Kill, defend the city gate!¡± Seeing the situation, Yu Meng immediately shouted and urged everyone towards the City Gate. At this moment, a large dark shadow suddenly fell fiercely from the high altitude, carrying a violent wind with it. ¡°Quickly, scatter!¡± Yu Meng shouted and leapt to the left. Shen Luo rolled to the other side, narrowly avoiding the attack while clutching the Small Thunder Talisman in his palm. But the dark figure was too fast and still several people failed to avoid it. A sound of crushing bones rang through the air, and those who were hit spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood. They lost consciousness without even a scream, their life and death unknown. The descending dark figure was a huge black wolf with a broken forepaw hanging at an odd angle on its body. The skin at the broken end was torn, revealing a chilling white leg bone. It seemed indifferent to the pain. With a leap from its hind legs, it pounced aggressively at the nearby crowd, not losing much speed. The man nearest to it could not dodge in time and had his throat bitten off by the black wolf. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A shrill scream resonated, then abruptly stopped. Fresh blood trickled from the black wolf¡¯s mouth and the man¡¯s struggling ceased, visibly doomed. ¡°Beast!¡± Yu Meng stood close to the black wolf. Seeing the grisly scene, his brows furrowed into a frown as he roared, charging ahead. The others seeing Yu Meng¡¯s actions followed suit and rushed forward. The black wolf¡¯s blood-red eyes reflected a murderous light. It flung the man from its mouth and swung a huge paw at the approaching crowd, instantly knocking two people off their feet. Yu Meng leaned his upper body backward violently, his back almost touching the ground, barely ducking under the black wolf¡¯s giant claws. His knees were still on the ground as he slid rapidly forward, attacking the black wolf. He shook his right arm as the Black Blade turned into a fan-shaped black light, slashing the black wolf¡¯s abdomen. The Black Blade was exceedingly sharp. A ¡°puchi¡± sounded as a deep wound was cut into the black wolf¡¯s abdomen, with fresh blood spraying out. Through the injury, the red innards inside were all too visible. Suffering a severe injury, the black wolf abruptly turned its head and pounced on Yu Meng. Before Yu Meng¡¯s eyes, a bloodied enormous mouth was inches away from his face. The smell of blood rushed at him, and the tusk almost touched his face. Fortunately, his martial skills were not ordinary, and he tumbled backwards, evading the black wolf¡¯s giant mouth. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a big wolf paw descended from the sky, carrying a screeching wind pressure, and hit him. If the blow landed solidly, Yu Meng, no matter how tough his body was, he would meet his end. But having exhausted his strength, he was not fast enough to dodge. He slapped the ground, his palm emitted a red light, and he moved his body to the side. Even so, his movement was not swift enough, and he was about to be injured under the black wolf¡¯s paw. At that moment, a strong light beam shot from the side and hit the black wolf¡¯s head directly. An explosive thunder sounded! The black wolf¡¯s head exploded and turned into a shower of blood that splashed everywhere. Its giant body was also blown away, hitting the ground gravely. Fortunately, where it landed was an open space, and no persons were hit. Several meters away, Shen Luo held a shattered talisman paper in his hand, slowly putting it down. Upon seeing the swift and cruel demise of the black wolf, everyone present gasped, their eyes all landed on Shen Luo, filled with disbelief. The chaotic scene was quiet for an instant. Yu Meng sprang from the ground, a hint of surprise flashed across his face. The situation was urgent and he didn¡¯t have time for a thank you. He nodded at Shen Luo, brandished the Black Blade, and rushed towards the City Defense Team. Everyone else also regained their senses and joined the great battle for the city. Shen Luo discarded the broken talisman paper in his hand with a calm face, but he was very excited in his heart. This time, the Small Thunder Talisman he had provoked was a true talisman paper, not the semi-finished product he used to draw on his skin with essence blood. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze returned to the fierce battle in front of him. He gripped the Black Blade at his waist, ready to join the battle. But after only taking a few steps, he paused and looked back at the corpse of the black wolf. Shen Luo examined the corpse of the black wolf carefully, looked around, but found nothing unusual. ¡°Did I imagine something¡­¡± A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. Just then, something unexpected happened! An azure shadow flashed in the void nearby, a blue wolf the size of a regular gray wolf emerged silently, its elongated eyes cunning almost human-like. Seeing this, Shen Luo was greatly surprised and tried to roll away, but it was too late. The blue wolf was a step faster. Its body hair suddenly stood up, its stomach bulged, and it let out a roar. A huge green wind blade appeared at the edge of its mouth and disappeared with a ¡°whoosh¡±. After Shen Luo¡¯s pupils shrank, he felt a severe pain in his waist, and his body slowly fell. At the same time, the people who were originally guarding behind the city gate, in the blink of the green wind blade, fell one after another like cut grass. Shen Luo¡¯s vision quickly became pitch black. The last thing he saw was a large number of wolf beasts roaring and rushing into the city, then he plunged into endless darkness. ¡­ After an unknown amount of time, Shen Luo felt awakened by a sudden commotion of battle. He seemed to be half-awake and did not realize what was going on for a moment. He almost believed the noise to be his own illusion. Then a shrill scream rang in his ears, making him tremble. With that, he came to his senses because the scream, though short-lived, was familiar. Shen Luo felt a bright light before his eyes, and the surroundings came into view. The young and strong men defending the city gate, fighting against the black wolves, and the figures on the city wall engaged in a fight with the gray wolves, were visible not far away. ¡°Did I resurrect again?¡± This thought only crossed his mind before he realized he was gripping the unactivated Small Thunder Talisman Paper. Not far in front of him, a black wolf with a broken leg had just hurled the body of a middle-aged man from its mouth. After Shen Luo took in the scenes before him, he was slightly taken aback. During his past resurrected experiences, he would always return to the time when he had just fallen asleep. However, this time was obviously different. But now was not the time to investigate this condition. He quickly took off his clothes and grabbed several handfuls of dry ashes from the ground, wrapping them in his clothes. A few people around noticed Shen Luo¡¯s action, and their faces exposed their surprise. Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: Chapter 38: Making a Last Stand Chapter 39: Chapter 38: Making a Last Stand Shen Luo ignored the others, and focused intently on the Black Wolf, his eyes suddenly gleaming after a moment. He scoffed coldly, holding a knife in one hand and a bundle in the other, and strode towards Yu Meng. Seeing the middle-aged man tragically killed, Yu Meng was filled with righteous anger. He roared and charged forward, avoiding the swipe of the Black Wolf¡¯s paw and brandishing a black blade in return. There was a ¡°hiss¡± sound! A black shadow flashed through the air, leaving a gaping wound several feet long on the Black Wolf, blood splattering. Shen Luo, prepared for this moment, jumped forward, wielding the black blade and thrusting it into the void in front of Yu Meng. He put his all into this stab, causing the air to throb around the blade. Those around him were taken aback by Shen Luo¡¯s actions. The Black Wolf, infuriated by the injury to its abdomen, turned its head sharply towards Yu Meng. Unexpectedly, a black long knife appeared in its line of sight, with its tip aiming straight at its forehead. Unable to halt, it moved forward, effectively putting its own head onto the blade. With a ¡°crack¡± sound, the black blade penetrated the Black Wolf¡¯s head, going in until the hilt. The giant beast roared in madness, shivering uncontrollably, and after stumbling forward for a few steps, its enormous body fell to the ground with a thunderous thud. Despite retracting his hand early, Shen Luo was hit by a powerful force that sent him staggering backwards a few steps before he could regain his footing. However, as soon as he regained balance, he immediately lunged in another direction, throwing the bundle in his hand with all his might. There was a ¡°thud¡± sound. The bundle, as if it has hit something midair, exploded and a cloud of dust spread, revealing a blurry image of a wolf beast on the spot. It was the Green Wolf that had previously killed Shen Luo with its ability to turn invisible. The Green Wolf, caught off guard and forced out of its invisibility, seemed surprised, pausing for a split second. Shen Luo was waiting for this moment. He quickly flipped over his both hands, holding a Small Thunder Talisman and a Yuan Stone, infusing the power of the Yuan Stone into the talisman. A ¡°pop¡± sound could be heard! White lightning shot out, crossing several meters in an instant, arriving in front of the Green Wolf and striking down. The Green Wolf¡¯s eyes filled with fear and rage, it growled, its body materialized immediately. At the same time, all its hairs raised, each one emanating a bright green light. In the blink of an eye, a green light shield formed around it. A loud bang resonated! The nearby void instantly turned blistering hot! The green shield twisted continuously, with countless tiny sparks flickering on its surface, but it did not shatter completely. A feeling of dread settled in Shen Luo¡¯s heart, this was beyond his expectation. At this moment, a shrill shriek came from within the green shield. Shen Luo only saw a flash of green light, and a green wind blade an inch long was tearing through the air towards him. ¡°No good.¡± He dodged in a panic but the wind blade was too fast, and a mortal¡¯s body simply couldn¡¯t evade it easily. A ¡°squelch¡± sound was heard! His left arm was severed from the elbow, and blood spurted out like a fountain. ¡°Ah!¡± The intense pain from his lost limb twisted Shen Luo¡¯s face, and with a scream, he fell to the ground. At that moment, the blue light shield and electric light in the distance vanished almost simultaneously, and the figure of the Green Wolf reappeared. The monster, upon seeing Shen Luo fall, glowed more fiercely in its eyes. It opened its mouth wide, intent on ending the human who had interfered with its plan. ¡°whoosh¡± A long black object shot from the side, wrapping around the Green Wolf¡¯s neck, securely binding it. It was a black whip. On the other end, gripping the whip, was none other than Yu Meng, who was tugging with all his might. The Green Wolf was pulled upright so swiftly that the Green Wind Blade it was about to unleash shot off into the high sky instead. ¡°Leave this to me, you lot needn¡¯t worry. Quickly, go to the City Gate!¡± Yu Meng roared. Hearing this, the nearby people quickly prioritized and headed for the City Gate, joining the fight against the Black Wolf Group. Although their numbers were small, their timely arrival brought a temporary respite to the precarious battle situation. ¡°Hold on Brother Shen, let me deal with this beast first!¡± Yu Meng¡¯s eyes were tinged with red. He shouted towards the fallen Shen Luo, forcefully tugging the black whip with one hand while taking out two objects from his bosom with the other ¨C a Blood Talisman and a Yuan Stone. He quickly recited spells, and as the Yuan Stone shattered, a dazzling blood light emanated from the Blood Talisman. It grew more and more intense, quickly shrouding half of Yu Meng¡¯s arm in the blink of an eye. Sensing the astonishing fluctuation of the blood light on Yu Meng¡¯s hand, the Green Wolf showed a hint of fear. Its body shrunk instantly and, with a whoosh, it struggled free from the black whip. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a green shadow that shot away into the distance. ¡°Beast, don¡¯t run!¡± A peculiar red glow covered Yu Meng¡¯s face. He crushed the talisman and threw a punch into thin air towards the Green Wolf. A piercing screech echoed! A blood-red light arrow, as thick as a bowl and several feet long, erupted from his fist, vanishing into thin air with a flash. At almost the same time, the Green Wolf, which had flown dozens of feet away, let out a death cry. Like a small bird shot by an arrow, it fell from mid-air. ¡°thud¡± The massive wolf¡¯s body hit the ground hard. A gaping bloody hole appeared in its neck and blood quickly soaked half of its body. The Green Wolf¡¯s eyes revealed a fear of death. It struggled to raise its head to look at the half-human half-wolf creature in the sky, but before it could lift its head, its eyes went blank. After twitching twice, it was motionless. Seeing the Green Wolf slain, everyone cheered excitedly. However, at this moment, Yu Meng¡¯s cheeks were flushed and his breathing was extremely rapid. He looked extraordinarily weary, his legs swayed a bit and he dropped onto the ground. ¡°Young Master, are you alright?¡± Yu Meng¡¯s three guards ran over from who knows where. ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry about me. Quickly, check on Brother Shen. He¡¯s badly injured. Give him this to take!¡± With difficulty, Yu Meng pulled out a small blood-red bottle from his bosom and threw it to one of the men with a dark complexion. Blood was still flowing from Shen Luo¡¯s amputated arm, turning half of his body red. He was on the verge of passing out. ¡°Young Master, this is a Small Returning Pill. If you give it to him¡­¡± The man with the dark complexion¡¯s expression changed when he recognized the bottle in his hands. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Brother Shen, who discovered the Demon Wolves¡¯ trick in time, the City Gate would have fallen by now. Stop wasting time!¡± Yu Meng said sternly. On hearing his words, the man paused, then seeing the seriousness on Yu Meng¡¯s face, he hurriedly nodded and approached Shen Luo. He tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his clothing and tightly bandaged Shen Luo¡¯s wound. Then he poured out a blood-red pill from the little bottle and administered it to him. Shen Luo felt a gradually increasing coldness spreading over his body as if he was sinking into the icy depths of a cold lake. His consciousness was becoming blurry. ¡°I can¡¯t hold on any longer! Are I going to die again¡­¡± he thought, somewhat unwilling. Just then, a warm current suddenly entered his body, his blurred consciousness began to clear, and his body felt as if it was being lifted up by a force. Regaining consciousness, Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Brother Shen, are you okay?¡± Yu Meng had been sitting by his side, his face showing deep concern. Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Chapter 39 Another Battle Chapter 40: Chapter 39 Another Battle ¡°Thank you, Brother Yu, for your timely rescue.¡± Shen Luo strugglingly sat up, his body wavering weakly before being steadied by another attendant at his side. His head was still spinning, but he understood that it must have been Yu Meng who used some kind of method to rouse him. ¡°Your injuries are too severe. It¡¯s better not to force yourself,¡± Yu Meng sighed. Shen Luo took a deep breath, and his head cleared a little. He looked around. The fierce battle at the city gate was still ongoing, with flashes of swords and knives, intense shouts of killing, and sounds of fighting continuously reaching his ears. As the able-bodied men within the city hurried over, the offensive of the Black Wolf Group had been stopped, and the situation was beginning to tilt in favor of the city defenders. Seeing this, Shen Luo took a sigh of relief and turned to look at Yu Meng. ¡°Brother Yu, your complexion doesn¡¯t look so good. Was it because of the talisman just now?¡± Shen Luo asked with a furrowed brow. ¡°That was the Blood Arrow Talisman passed down in my Yu Family. It needs to be activated with the blood of the Yu family, but it consumes half of one¡¯s vital energy.¡± Yu Meng¡¯s flushed face hadn¡¯t faded yet, and he explained with some panting. A look of realization crossed Shen Luo¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t say anything more, instead looking up into the sky. The key to the fate of Feng Chi City was no longer the situation at the city gate but another battlefield in the sky. In the high altitude, the confrontation between Immortal Masters like Yu Yan and the wolf-headed monster was still going on. Various colors of light fiercely collided, obscuring the figures of several people in the sky and making it impossible to see clearly from the ground. The sounds of impact were as dense as rain and stirred up a series of storms, which were much more intense than before. ¡°Black Wolf King, your subordinates are nothing more than this. So much effort has been wasted, and the result is still found wanting!¡± A clear voice rang out, accompanied by hearty laughter, very pleased. ¡°Hmph! As long as I kill you all, Feng Chi City will still be mine. I intend to use the essence blood of your city¡¯s people to refine my Inner Dan.¡± From within the dark clouds, a rugged voice retorted coldly. Before the voice fell, a deep red light flashed in the swirling dark clouds. In an instant, the dark clouds surged wildly, expanding several times in size. They transformed into a mountain-sized black giant wolf that almost covered half the sky. The giant wolf stood with its four feet on the ground, howling up at the sky. Its massive shadow plunged the vicinity of the city gate into darkness where one could not see their own hand. A gust of wind started from nowhere around the city gate, causing windows to rattle and dust to blow everywhere. Upon witnessing this scene, shock surged across Shen Luo¡¯s face, and his heart was filled with worry. The wolf-headed monster¡¯s magical powers were incredibly powerful. Such a heavenly and earth-obliterating power, even in books, he had never seen before. He wondered if Yu Yan and the others could resist it? At that moment, the black giant wolf crouched and pushed off the void with its four feet, charging towards them with tremendous momentum. Yu Yan and the others quickly retreated, simultaneously firing balls of fire and lightning at the black giant wolf. The sound of loud explosions echoed as the black giant wolf¡¯s front claws and head were blown apart. But even with its seemingly severely damaged form, it didn¡¯t stop and continued to advance towards them. An invisible force surged from the incomplete wolf-shaped dark clouds, attacking like a collapsing mountain, causing ripples in the air ahead. Yu Yan and the others were taken aback. The several of them, who had originally been grouped together, quickly scattered. The wolf-shaped dark cloud was huge and far less agile than they were, so they all managed to evade the charge of the giant wolf¡¯s wreckage. Yet, just at this moment, a triumphant sneer echoed from within the black cloud. Three black lines flashed from the cloud, shooting towards one person, targeting Yu Yan. The three black lines were but three black-backed centipedes, full of dancing claws, pitch-black, like a piece of iron, three feet long. These could fly in the mid-air, obviously derived from some kind of demonic refinement. A faint green glow flickered between the claws, clearly hinting at lethal poison within. The black centipedes moved with such speed that they were on Yu Yan in the blink of an eye, biting sharply at his throat, one hand, and one foot. Yu Yan appeared to be caught off guard, seemingly about to suffer injury under this ferocious insect. Witnessing this sight, Shen Luo¡¯s expression turned grave. Yu Meng, standing at his side, trembled and was about to cry out in alarm. But a muffled noise from above interrupted them. The three black-backed centipedes were knocked into the air, causing Shen Luo and Yu Meng to freeze in shock. Yu Yan¡¯s body radiated a red glow, condensing into a shell-like light shield that enveloped him completely. Without warning, a small red flag appeared in his hand, and the red light of the shield emerged from this flag. ¡°What kind of treasure is this little flag? Is it the legendary magical instrument?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up. Having resided in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion for two years, he vaguely understood a bit about the ways of cultivation. Magical instruments were treasures refined by profound cultivators with immense powers, capable of amplifying the wielder¡¯s powers manifold. While Shen Luo was still immersed in shock over Yu Yan potentially using a magical instrument to ward off the sneak attack by the Black Wolf King, the situation high in the sky was rapidly changing. All those Immortal Masters who were fleeing in panic a moment ago suddenly halted, forming a circle surrounding the dark cloud. Aside from Yu Yan, all the other five too had a small red flag in their hands, emanating fluctuating red lights. Six flags seemed to be connected to each other. With a flicker, the red light they emitted intertwined in mid-air, forming a red light shield, encapsulating the wolf-shaped dark cloud within. ¡°Array!¡± As the wolf-shaped dark cloud was enveloped by the red light, it seemed trapped, unable to move. The furious howls of the Black Wolf King echoed from inside the cloud. The surface of the cloud swirled with black light, madly surging in an attempt to break free from the red light¡¯s restraints, causing it to tremble incessantly. ¡°Activate the Six Harmonies Fire Array quickly, do not let it escape!¡± One of the six Immortal Masters, a green-robed old Daoist, shouted, his hands executing seals at incredible speed. The other five too made seals towards their flags without pause. The red light radiating from the six banners suddenly grew brighter. Inside the light shield, a red light group appeared and started spinning. ¡°Now!¡± The green-robed old Daoist waved the flag in his hand, pointing towards the spinning red light group in mid-air. A streak of red light shot from the flag, penetrating the red light shield and merging with the red light group within. The other five did the same, with five streams of red light flying in from all sides, merging into the light group simultaneously. The red light group expanded twofold, like it had consumed a powerful pill, emanating a thunderous rumbling sound. With a ¡°boom¡±, the red light group burst open, turning into a crimson flame that shot out, striking the wolf-shaped dark cloud right on its head and, with a flash, disappearing inside it. An explosive sound echoed from the dark cloud, followed closely by a shrill, agonising howl. Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Leaving and Returning Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Leaving and Returning The wolf-shaped dark cloud burst into disintegration, transforming into countless amounts of black Qi that surged in all directions, fiercely crashing against the surrounding red light shield. After emitting that frenzied red flame, the red light shield formed by the six small flags seemed to have consumed most of its energy, becoming much dimmer. At this moment, it was hit hard by countless black Qi and broke open with a ¡°sizzle¡±. Yu Yan and the rest were propelled backward by an invisible force. The black Qi continued to roll and spread, intermixed with a wave of intense heat. Even on the ground, Shen Luo and the others felt a scorching hot wind rushing towards them, causing their faces to burn. It was evident how high the temperature was when the red flame exploded. At that moment, a figure flew out from the spreading black Qi, escaping towards the distance. It was the Black Wolf King. At this moment, the Black Wolf King had returned to his previous wolf-headed humanoid form. However, half of his body was charred black and his left arm was missing, apparently destroyed in the red flame just now. At this moment, two lights, one gold and one silver, raced up from below. They were the Gold and Silver Swords, cutting across the sky, bristling like dragons, slashing towards the Black Wolf King. The Black Wolf King turned his head sharply and spat out a fist-sized sphere from his mouth that emitted dazzling black and red light, smashing it against the Gold and Silver Swords. A loud ¡°boom¡± sounded! A massive storm swept out, and the Gold and Silver Swords were repulsed with a single hit. However, a crack had formed on the black and red sphere and the light it emitted had dimmed significantly. The Black Wolf King gave a ¡°wa¡± sound, spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood, and flash of black light transformed his lower body back into a pair of wolf legs. His eyes flashed with resentment, but he dared not linger any longer. He spat out a cloud of black Qi to cover himself, creating a whirl of black demon wind around him. His speed instantly doubled, disappearing into the horizon. Seeing the Wolf King escape, the Gray Wolves below attacking the city, and the Black Wolves that had invaded the city, lost all their will to fight and scattered in disarray, soon disappearing into the wilderness outside the city. Two figures flew in from outside the city. They were a middle-aged man in a red robe and a bald old man. Although Shen Luo did not recognize these two, he had seen them during the daytime defense of the city yesterday. The two had obviously been ambushing outside, coordinating with Yu Yan and the others, in an attempt to decisively slay the Black Wolf King. Unfortunately, it managed to escape. However, with the heavily wounded Black Wolf King escaping and the wolf pack repelled, the great crisis in Feng Chi City had also vanished. Seeing this, Shen Luo breathed a sigh of relief. The moment he relaxed, his accumulated fatigue erupted, and before he could do anything, he blacked out. In a daze, Shen Luo felt as though he was hovering in a bizarre space, surrounded by colorful but blurry surroundings, making it impossible to see clearly. He attempted to rub his eyes but realized he couldn¡¯t move his limbs at all. Suddenly alarmed, he tried to yell out, only to find that he could not make a sound. Then, an intense pain shot through his limbs as if he was being pulled in different directions. The agony rapidly spread from his limbs to his entire body, as if he was being torn to pieces. He wanted to struggle but was stuck, only able to endure the torture in pain. After what felt like an eternity, everything around him suddenly shattered like a mirror, breaking into countless fragments. ¡­ Inside the Spring and Autumn Pavilion disciple¡¯s room, Shen Luo trembled and bolted upright, his eyes wide open. His whole body was covered in sweat, his chest heaving, panting heavily. The familiar ceiling gradually came into view as the warm sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his bed. The room was bright and peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos he experienced in his dream. He shook his head, looking around to confirm that he had completely left Dreamland and returned to reality. Only then did he sigh with relief. Shen Luo placed his hands on the bed to sit up, but a penetrating pain shot through his arms. His hands went limp, and he fell back onto the bed. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Shen Luo felt somewhat relieved. He dared not move again and closed his eyes to assess his body¡¯s condition. Like his arms, other parts of his body sent waves of agonizing pain. His body was feeling chilly, indicating his condition this time seemed to be worse than the last time he woke up from Dreamland. Shen Luo was somewhat worried and quickly started practicing the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡± in an attempt to heal his body. As a surge of Yang Gang power rose from his Dantian and circulated around his chest and abdomen, the internal coldness subsided a bit. He became slightly relieved, then seemed to realize something, raising his eyebrows. In Dreamland, he had drunk Yu Yan¡¯s Snake Gallbladder Wine, which increased his Yang Gang power somewhat. However, the Yang Gang Qi in his body had returned to its previous state. ¡°So, a dream is just a dream.¡± Shen Luo murmured with slight disappointment, quickly adjusted his mindset, and continued to practice the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡±. Driven by the Yang Gang power, the chill in his body gradually dissipated, and his aching body slowly recovered. Seeing this, Shen Luo quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The previous encounters in Dreamland were bizarre yet incredibly realistic, coupled with numerous sudden changes, leaving him no time to consider this dream entry. Now back in reality, he calmed down and couldn¡¯t help but ponder over a question. He had definitely put the jade pillow back in its original place, so how could he enter the dream again? Could it be that the jade pillow wasn¡¯t far enough away and could still affect him on the back mountain? At that thought, Shen Luo tilted his head and glanced at the side of his pillow with the corner of his eye, his eyes widened in surprise. On the bed to the left of the pillow, a black and yellow object sat quietly. It was the mysterious jade pillow that he had supposedly returned! This time, Shen Luo was genuinely startled. The jade pillow was back? However, after experiencing two bizarre yet very realistic dreams, his state of mind had greatly changed from before, and he quickly regained his composure. ¡°Could someone have entered the room?¡± Shen Luo thought in surprise, looking towards the door and the window. The door and the window were tightly shut, with no signs of having been opened. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion was not an ordinary Daoism Pavilion. To prevent accidents, the doors and windows of disciple¡¯s rooms were specially made, intricately designed, impossible to open from the outside unless forced open, let alone entering and leaving without a trace. ¡°Did it come back on its own?¡± Shen Luo shivered, feeling the jade pillow become more mysterious. Numerous thoughts were swirling in his mind, which he couldn¡¯t organize for the time being. He thus temporarily set this matter aside and sat in meditation, practicing the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡±. More than half an hour later, after the pain in his body had almost completely subsided, he stopped practicing, sat up, looked at the jade pillow again, and fell into deep thought. The scenes from last night¡¯s dream constantly flashed in his mind, making it hard for him to concentrate. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes roved over the numerous classics on the desk beside him. Suddenly, he recalled what Yu Yan had mentioned about Master Yu¡¯s adventure in the dream. After a brief moment of silence, he walked over, pulled out a thick book from the pile ¨C a geographical encyclopedia of the county. He flipped to the page about Song Fan County, which Yu Yan had mentioned. The book contained a map of Song Fan County, which he began to scrutinize carefully. ¡°Luan Shui River! It really exists!¡± Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: Chapter 41 Master Fengyang Chapter 42: Chapter 41 Master Fengyang Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up, staring intensely at the map. According to the records in the book, the location of Luan Shui River was even closer than he had anticipated, about two hundred li from Chunhua County. Shen Luo put the book down and fell into contemplation. ¡°Junior Brother Shen.¡± Just then, a heavy knock on the door sounded, and simultaneously, a voice came from outside. Hearing this, Shen Luo rose from his seat and opened the door, to find a stout young man standing there. It was Tian Tiesheng. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, your Qingyang Hand is nearing perfection. My door is made of wood; it will not withstand your pounding,¡± Shen Luo greeted with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t mock me, Junior Brother Shen. My talent for martial arts is lacking. Even if I practice Qingyang Hand for another ten years, I wouldn¡¯t achieve perfection,¡± Tian Tiesheng hadn¡¯t spoken yet, when he was pre-empted and teased by Shen Luo. He couldn¡¯t help but respond with a bitter smile. ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯re too humble. Did you come to see me because you needed something?¡± Shen Luo asked, inviting Tian Tiesheng into his room. ¡°A few days ago, Junior Brother Bai told me you were feeling unwell. Today after finishing my morning practice, I couldn¡¯t find you at the Jade Emperor Hall, and Lin from next door said you haven¡¯t left your room all morning. So, I came to see how you were. Eh, your complexion doesn¡¯t look too good, are you ill?¡± Tian Tiesheng, noticing Shen Luo¡¯s poor complexion, asked. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I didn¡¯t sleep well last night, but it¡¯s nothing serious,¡± Shen Luo temporally didn¡¯t want to tell anyone about the jade pillow and, thus, answered vaguely. ¡°As long as you¡¯re okay, make sure to get plenty of rest. It¡¯s almost time for lunch, shall we go together?¡± Hearing that Shen Luo was well, Tian Tiesheng seemed genuinely reassured. Glancing at the time, he suggested. Shen Luo was feeling a bit hungry, so he agreed to go to the dining hall with Tian Tiesheng. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, our Master has been gone for several days now. Do you know when he will be back?¡± Shen Luo asked Tian Tiesheng. His health was back to normal now, but the conditions he¡¯d been in after waking from two dream episodes made him anxious. Luo Daoist should be able to tell what state his body was in. Without clarifying this matter, he couldn¡¯t be at ease. ¡°This time the Master went down the mountain to help a wealthy family in Dingyuan City exorcise a ghost. The trip isn¡¯t a long one. Given the time, he should be back soon. Did you need him for something?¡± Tian Tiesheng asked. ¡°I have some questions about cultivation and wanted to ask for his advice¡­¡± Upon hearing that Luo Daoist would be back soon, Shen Luo was quite pleased and casually replied. As he was speaking, the strength in his body suddenly vanished. The world before his eyes spun. Then, with a ¡°thud¡± sound, he fell backward onto the ground. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± At his side, Tian Tiesheng was greatly startled and quickly held his shaking body. Shen Luo was trembling all over. It felt as if a large hole had opened in his body, devouring his life force at an alarming rate. The pain was unbearable. Not even the agony he had felt in the dream world compared. Yet, he was unable to utter a scream. His existence was worse than death. Fortunately, at that moment, everything in front of him blurred and rapidly became obscure. In the blink of an eye, endless darkness swallowed all his senses, and he lost consciousness. ¡­ Unaware of the time, Shen Luo¡¯s consciousness gradually came back. He felt a warm current flowing slowly in his body, which provided extraordinary comfort. Slowly, he opened his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling appeared above him. In the center of the ceiling was a giant ¡°Dao¡± character, surrounded by a circle of cyan patterns, and outside of them was an even larger purple square. In each corner of the square was a painting of one of the Auspicious Beasts: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. Having just regained consciousness, Shen Luo was somewhat confused to see this unfamiliar ceiling. His mind was in a daze, and he had no idea what had happened. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, you¡¯re awake?¡± At that moment, a face entered his field of vision, looking down at him, It was Tian Tiesheng. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, what happened to me?¡± Upon seeing Tian Tiesheng, the incidents from before immediately came back to him and he struggled to sit up. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± An authoritative voice rang out, halting his movements. Shen Luo turned his head to look, only to see a tall, grey-haired elder standing by his side. This man was wearing a dark green Daoist robe, wearing a lotus crown, his face was stern, his eyebrows slanted downwards, looking somewhat frightening, not unlike a hanging ghost. ¡°Master!¡± Shen Luo recognized the gray-haired elder, and was taken aback, and stayed still as instructed. This gray-haired elder was the master of Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Master Fengyang. Only then did Shen Luo clearly see that Master Fengyang¡¯s left hand was pointing somewhere on his chest. A red light was flickering at his fingertips and a warm current was continuously flowing into his body. Suddenly, he felt a slight sting around his waist, and when he looked sideways, he saw that two of Master Fengyang¡¯s right hand fingers were holding a golden needle with a flickering red light. The needle was inserted into a vital point on his waist and was slightly twisting. Then, he saw something that almost made him cry out. Between his waist and abdomen, there were already seventeen or eighteen gold needles inserted, all emitting a faint red light. Shen Luo quickly realized that Master Fengyang was probably performing some kind of secret acupuncture technique on him. He dared not interrupt, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my body? Never mind, there¡¯s no point thinking about it now. Since Master Fengyang is treating me, it should turn out alright.¡± Thinking so, he glanced around and found that this hall was quite spacious. The walls were painted white, and it looked very simple without much decoration. In front of the wall directly opposite the entrance, a large offering table was placed, with the sacred deities of Yuan Shi Tianzun, Lingbao Venerate, Daode Venerate. Their images were dignified. In front of the god positions, there were six large sandalwood chairs, three on each side, presumably for discussions. The wooden bed he was lying on was located at the left side of the hall, against the wall. Besides these items, the hall was empty, it looked somewhat vacant but at the same time imposing. Shen Luo recognized this place as the Jingjing Hall in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, where the Master handled affairs. He had only been here once during his initiation, but he never got the chance to come close to it again after that. Master Fengyang ignored Shen Luo¡¯s glance around and continued his acupuncture. He stuck another five or six needles around Shen Luo¡¯s waist in a short while. Shen Luo felt a gradual rise in warmth around his waist and abdomen, which spread throughout his body in no time. He felt incredibly rejuvenated. His bodily weakness gradually faded, and some color returned to his pale face. Master Fengyang glanced at Shen Luo, retracted his left hand, and waved his right hand in the air. A red light appeared in his palm. The twenty or so gold needles flew out of Shen Luo¡¯s body with a ¡°swish¡± sound and disappeared into his sleeve. ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s body was still somewhat weak as he forced himself to sit up and bowed to Master Fengyang. ¡°I have heard from Luo Daoist about your poor health, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad. I don¡¯t know how you have been cultivating. Even the ¡®Small Transformation Yang Technique¡¯, you can cultivate it incorrectly and cause backlash. That you were still able to reach the entry level for this skill is really a strange thing.¡± Master Fengyang looked at Shen Luo for a moment and snorted. ¡°What? Backlash from the technique?¡± Shen Luo was shocked, froze on the spot. ¡°Master, is Shen Luo¡¯s health situation very severe?¡± Tian Tiesheng standing beside, his face changed as he anxiously asked. ¡°What do you think? His pulse disorder, severe energy deficiency, clear signs of backlash from the cultivation technique!¡± Master Fengyang glanced at Tian Tiesheng and responded with a counter question. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, if there¡¯s anything unclear about your cultivation, why didn¡¯t you consult Master? How can you be reckless? The inner energy is not something that can be supplemented easily, sigh¡­¡± Tian Tiesheng stomped his foot and sighed. ¡°Master, can deficiency of vitality affect a disciple¡¯s lifespan?¡± Shen Luo took a deep breath, tried to calm his chaotic mind, and asked Master Fengyang. Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Sword Fight in the Forest Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Sword Fight in the Forest Shen Luo walked slowly along the mountain path, pondering how he could replenish his inner vitality and extend his lifespan. According to Master Fengyang and his own deductions, one method was to take elixirs like the life-saving pills that could replenish his inner vitality, but of course, the effect had to be significantly better than that of the life-saving pills. The second method was to quickly cultivate the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡± to perfection and then cultivate more advanced skills. Although the Spring and Autumn Pavilion should have these two things, Shen Luo had already spent a considerable amount of the Shen family¡¯s gold and silver just to become a registered disciple. Better elixirs probably couldn¡¯t be simply obtained with some gold and silver. As for cultivating the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡± to perfection, it was also impossible for him to achieve this within two years given his talent. As Shen Luo pondered over feasible methods, he unknowingly arrived at the back mountain. The back mountain was full of dense trees, the view filled with vibrant greenery. The distant and near sounds of insects and birds chirping somewhat loosened his tense heartstrings. At that moment, a low booming sound came from a dense forest ahead, resembling the sound of swords clashing. Shen Luo stopped to listen. After a while, another booming sound echoed, accompanied by a sharp whine. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He wondered. The back mountain was seldom visited by people, so why were there such noises? Could it be that someone was fighting there? After a slight hesitation, he tiptoed closer to the noise. He soon arrived at its source. ¡°This is¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s pupils shrank, and he subconsciously hid behind a large tree. Two figures were standing in the dense forest ahead, they were Bai Xiaotian and Ding Hua. The two were standing about five or six zhang apart, motionless. Two red sword shades, several feet long, were intertwined and stabbing at each other in mid-air, their agility resembling writhing dragons and snakes, producing a series of clanging sounds. The surrounding dense forest had trees felled and branches broken, looking like a mess. A large open space was cleared, and wherever the sword shades passed, whether it was thick trees or stones in the forest, all were cut into two; the broken parts were left with charred traces, as if they were burnt. ¡°Flying swords!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up. Although these two red sword shades were moving much slower than the swords controlled by the two Daoists in Donglai County he saw in Dreamland, their sharp sword Qi was indeed similar. They were undoubtedly flying swords. The two flying swords were wrapped in red light, and only their rough shapes could be vaguely seen. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s flying sword looked like a bronze coin sword formed by a string of bronze coins. With its peculiar shape, it moved really flexibly, roaring like thunder and lightning. A streak of sword light flashed, and the bronze coin sword kept chaining moves, forming a dense sword net that trapped Ding Hua¡¯s flying sword within. However, Ding Hua¡¯s flying sword just seemed like an ordinary wooden sword, exceedingly nimble and elusive. Although it was trapped within the bronze coin sword¡¯s sword net, it defended perfectly, without the slightest disadvantage. Moreover, it occasionally launched offenses like a poisonous snake lashing out its tongue, attempting to tear the sword net, but unfortunately, they were all blocked back. As time passed, the red light on Ding Hua¡¯s wooden sword gradually dimmed, and it didn¡¯t move as nimbly as at the beginning. Ding Hua¡¯s expression was grim. He urged the flying sword with all his might, but he still couldn¡¯t turn the tide. ¡°It seems Brother Bai is still superior.¡± Shen Luo said to himself from a distance, moving a little closer and hiding behind another tree. This was his first opportunity to witness a close-up sword fight, and he didn¡¯t want to miss this rare chance. ¡°Brother Ding, your Qingtuo Lignum sword has just been developed, and if you continue to fight, it might get damaged. Let¡¯s call it a day?¡± Bai Xiaotian restrained the wooden sword but didn¡¯t press further. Instead, he spoke up to stop the fight. Upon hearing this, a hint of annoyance flashed in Ding Hua¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t stop, and suddenly shouted, forming a sword finger with both hands, pointing into the void. With a flash of red light on his fingertips, an eerie blood light also appeared on his face. The wooden sword within the sword network suddenly shone brightly, as if it had taken a strong elixir. The original sword light, which was a few feet long, suddenly increased and took the shape of a crimson giant sword, powerfully cleaving through the air. With a ¡®chi la¡¯ sound, a gap was forcibly cut into the sword net formed by the Bronze Money Sword. The wooden sword shot out from the gap, without stopping, turned into a red sword shadow with a ¡®swoosh¡¯ sound, directly attacking Bai Xiaotian¡¯s face. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s countenance slightly changed; it was a cardinal sin to let the opponent¡¯s flying sword approach during a sword fight. He hurriedly beckoned with one hand. The radiance of the Bronze Money Flying Sword also greatly intensified, shooting back with incomparable speed. It caught up with the wooden sword in the blink of an eye, winding around it once more. But at this moment, with a ¡®clang,¡¯ the red light on the wooden sword suddenly shattered and transformed into a dozen small sword lights, all hitting the Bronze Money Sword. In a series of crisp ¡®clang clang clang¡¯ noises, the Bronze Money Flying Sword was knocked away, tumbling several times in midair, seeming unhurt. Upon seeing this, Ding Hua furrowed his brows, and with a low shout, urged his wooden sword to quickly follow, intending to break through at once. But at this moment, the tumbling Bronze Money Sword abruptly halted, encircling in the air and catching the wooden sword. This skillful move excellently caught the weakest part of the wooden sword. With a ¡®clang¡¯ sound, most of the crimson light on the wooden sword was scattered, it was struck and flew a few tens of feet away. Ding Hua¡¯s face changed color, and only after urging his inner mana repeatedly was he able to steady his sword. After a moment of changing expressions, he raised his hand and beckoned, causing the wooden sword to fly back to his hand, without attacking again. Seeing Ding Hua had ceased his attacks, Bai Xiaotian also withdrew his Bronze Money Flying Sword. ¡°Junior Brother Bai¡¯s sword controlling technique is indeed remarkable. I¡¯ll take my leave now!¡± Ding Hua clasped his hands in salute, turned around and left. After taking a few steps, he glanced at where Shen Luo was hiding, scoffed, but didn¡¯t stop. He soon disappeared into the distance. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, you can come out now.¡± Bai Xiaotian watched as Ding Hua left and spoke with a stern face. ¡°Brother Bai, you guys have such sharp ears to have noticed me from so far away.¡± Shen Luo walked out from behind a distant tree, laughing. ¡°I was wondering why you weren¡¯t in your room. Why did you come here?¡± Bai Xiaotian frowned as he saw Shen Luo walking towards him. ¡°I had some problems with my cultivation. I thought I¡¯d come out for a walk to clear my mind, but I didn¡¯t expect to run into you guys having a contest.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just gain entry into the Small Transformation Yang Technique? How could you have run into issues?¡± Bai Xiaotian said, looking surprised. ¡°So, you also think that even if one¡¯s talents are lacking, practicing the Small Transformation Yang Technique shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Shen Luo spread his hands, showing a bitter smile on his face. ¡°Sigh, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ Oh well, come for a walk with me in the back mountain.¡± Bai Xiaotian, noticing Shen Luo¡¯s gloomy mood, looked at the sky and suddenly said. Shen Luo would naturally not refuse and immediately nodded his head. Both of them walked shoulder to shoulder towards the depths of the forest, passing through a patch of low shrubs, arriving at a beaten path hidden in the tall grass. Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Talismanic Instruments Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Talismanic Instruments ¡°When you were having a contest of magic with Brother Ding just now, you both managed to fight using your own weapons. The power of the Bronze Money Sword and the Peach Wood Sword could easily break wood and destroy forests, are these supposed to be the rumored magical instruments?¡± Shen Luo asked as they walked along. ¡°What you¡¯re referring to? It¡¯s not a magical instrument,¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head. While speaking, he pulled out the Bronze Money Sword from his sleeve and handed it over to Shen Luo. Shen Luo did not stand on ceremony and took it, giving it a careful once-over. This Bronze Money Sword was not more than two feet long and rather delicately made. It was made of ninety-nine slightly rusted ancient coins woven together with a red string. These ancient coins all had the same design, with images of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals encircling a square hole on one side and the four characters for ¡®long life and prosperity¡¯ inscribed in regular script on the other. They were eighty-one rare pieces of ancient coins. These coins were also minted by the government but were generally not used in commerce. They were often used for certain rituals such as the opening of a furnace, securing a treasury, and prayers for blessings. Their number was nowhere near as great as that of common coins. So, there is something mysterious about this red string? Could it be that there¡¯s something unusual about this red string holding the ancient coins together? Curious, Shen Luo rubbed the red string with his fingers and sniffed it. He detected a faint smell of cinnabar but could not tell what material it was made from. When Bai Xiaotian saw how fascinated he was, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Enough, stop analysing it. The key is not on the Bronze Money Sword; even if you tore it apart, you wouldn¡¯t understand it,¡± he said, and took the sword back from Shen Luo. He then pulled a ¡®Yellow Paper Charm¡¯ from his sleeve and stuck it to the handle of the sword. As he pinched a magic spell with one hand and begun chanting softly, a faint red light lit up on the charm, enveloping the entire sword, just like when they were dueling earlier. Bai Xiaotian flicked his fingers, making the Bronze Money Sword tremble slightly before it suddenly shot up into the air, started spinning, and began hovering around them. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling a sincere sense of admiration. Bai Xiaotian had no intention of showing off. After a brief demonstration, he called back the Bronze Money Sword, removing the charm from it. ¡°As you saw, this Bronze Money Sword requires a charm to activate it. The power comes primarily from the charm. It¡¯s a pseudo-magical instrument known as a ¡®talismanic instrument¡¯. Its power is way less than that of a true magical instrument,¡± Bai Xiaotian said, tucking the Bronze Money Sword and the charm back in his sleeve. Shen Luo understood that Bai Xiaotian had no problem demonstrating the talismanic instrument to him, but the charm on the Bronze Money Sword was not meant to be shown to just anyone ¨C a rule of the sect, and a principle of conduct. No matter how close their relationship, they could not overreach. Shen Luo did not harbor any ill feelings over this. Instead, he admired him even more and felt that Bai Xiaotian was indeed someone worth knowing. ¡°If a talismanic instrument is already so amazing, how wondrous could a magical instrument be?¡±Shen Luo asked with a longing look in his eyes. ¡°Not only are the real magical instruments extremely powerful, but they also require a highly skilled user. Only monks at the Grain Avoidance Stage can use them. Even in our entire Spring and Autumn Pavilion, I¡¯m afraid only the Pavilion Master and that Elder Ancestor possess one. Even Master Luo and Elder Master Wang do not have them,¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a yearning expression on his face. ¡°I can understand the Pavilion Master having one, but what about this Elder Ancestor, have you ever seen him?¡± Out of curiosity, Shen Luo asked the question. This Elder Ancestor was somewhat of a mystery within the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. While everyone had heard of him, few disciples had ever actually seen him, making him seem particularly enigmatic. Some people speculated that he had lived for hundreds of years. Others said that he had already attained immortality. Still others claimed that he had actually passed away long ago, and that the Pavilion was just keeping it a secret to maintain a strong facade. From the bottom of his heart, Shen Luo would rather believe that his Senior Ancestor indeed has a long lifespan and is still alive to this day. ¡°Although I have never seen him, Master Luo told me that our Senior Ancestor is indeed in seclusion. He rarely shows himself, and probably only the Pavilion Master and Master Luo have the chance to meet him,¡± Bai Xiaotian said. ¡°Does this mean that the path of cultivating immortality can indeed prolong one¡¯s lifespan?¡± Shen Luo asked, clearly delighted. ¡°Naturally. As long as one can pass through the various stages of cultivation, with each advancement in realm, one¡¯s maximum lifespan will significantly increase. Our Senior Ancestor already is several hundred years old,¡± Bai Xiaotian affirmed, nodding. ¡°To think it¡¯s possible¡­ Judging by the levels of cultivation, I suppose I am currently at the lowest level, right?¡± Upon receiving this affirmative answer from Bai Xiaotian, a surge of enthusiasm welled up in Shen Luo¡¯s heart, his desire to survive growing even stronger. ¡°Well¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian said, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. ¡°I understand. I take it that I¡¯m not even considered at the lowest level,¡± said Shen Luo, who seemed to understand immediately. He twitched the corner of his mouth slightly as he spoke. ¡°The lowest level of cultivation is the Qi Refining Stage. As long as one can cultivate mana, they are considered to be in the Qi Refining Stage, which is the level that I am at now. The next stage above this would be the Grain Avoidance Stage, which both Master Luo and the Pavilion Master are at,¡± Bai Xiaotian explained reluctantly. ¡°I see. What about our Senior Ancestor? Do you know what his cultivation level is?¡± asked Shen Luo. ¡°Master Luo hasn¡¯t mentioned it, but judging from Senior Ancestor¡¯s estimated lifespan, he has probably already reached the Soul Condensation Stage, which is a level above the Grain Avoidance Stage,¡± Bai Xiaotian guessed, shaking his head. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo immediately committed it to memory. Today, Bai Xiaotian¡¯s words felt like opening a door in his mind, showing him a glimmer of hope for survival, while also making him more aware of his own insignificance as an ordinary mortal. It triggered a flurry of mixed feelings in his heart. Ordinary people¡¯s lifespan merely spans a few short decades. After taking into account the time spent in childhood and old age, how much time is actually left in between? Yet he was not even guaranteed this brief interlude. How could he be content with that? ¡°Brother Bai, the technique you used during your bout with Brother Ding was the ¡®Pure Yang Sword Technique¡¯, wasn¡¯t it?¡± asked Shen Luo after collecting his thoughts. Bai Xiaotian was slightly taken aback, seemingly surprised that Shen Luo knew about the Pure Yang Sword Technique. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. Although I am only a registered disciple and can¡¯t access other techniques, it isn¡¯t too hard to gather some information if one spends a bit more money. I know that the Small Transformation Yang Skill is simply a foundational technique used by mortals to train their bodies, in preparation for cultivating the Pure Yang Sword Technique. And the Pure Yang Sword Technique is the true technique that allows one to cultivate magical abilities within our Pavilion, correct?¡± explained Shen Luo, seeing the confusion written on Bai Xiaotian¡¯s face and responding with a small smile. ¡°You certainly are well-informed. Correct, the Small Transformation Yang Skill is indeed a foundational technique. Only disciples who have achieved perfection in this can attempt to cultivate the first layer of the Pure Yang Sword Technique,¡± replied Bai Xiaotian, after hesitating for a bit, finally deciding to stop beating around the bush. ¡°In other words, as long as I perfect the Small Transformation Yang Skill, I can begin to cultivate the Pure Yang Sword Technique and truly start on the path of cultivation?¡± Shen Luo asked seriously. ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as that. Having the qualifications to attempt the first layer of the Pure Yang Sword Technique doesn¡¯t mean one can understand the Dao. Only after reaching this state of understanding can one be considered a Qi Refining Cultivator and officially step onto the Immortal Path,¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head repeatedly. ¡°Understanding the Dao?¡± This time, Shen Luo was truly surprised. Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: Chapter 44 The Difficulty of Cultivating Daoism Chapter 45: Chapter 44 The Difficulty of Cultivating Daoism ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand even if I explained¡­ well, let me tell you anyway. The so-called ¡®Understanding the Dao¡¯ is, in simple terms, the process of generating the first strand of mana in the body through the stimulation of Yang Gang Qi and the cultivation of the first layer of the Pure Yang Sword Technique. If you can¡¯t overcome this, then you will have no chance of cultivating immortality in this lifetime.¡± Bai Xiaotian, seeing Shen Luo¡¯s eager expression, said this. ¡°If I understand correctly, this is like a key point. Only when this point is unbolted can one continue to cultivate. Is it a kind of enlightening sensation?¡± Shen Luo, deep in thought, nodded and asked. ¡°You¡¯re not completely wrong, but not completely right either. Understanding the Dao is not an enlightening sensation, but rather a transformation from within the body that needs to be assisted by external forces to succeed.¡± Bai Xiaotian explained. ¡°What external forces?¡± Shen Luo inquired further. ¡°Are you seriously thinking about cultivating the Pure Yang Sword Technique? Honestly, instead of overthinking, you¡¯re better off focusing on improving your Small Transformation Yang Skill and figuring out how to get more elixirs from Master Luo¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian rolled his eyes and said. ¡°Who in the world only speaks half-sentences?¡± Shen Luo glared back in response. ¡°There¡¯s no getting through to you. As for what specific external forces are needed, I can¡¯t say too much, but they generally include spiritual pills, miraculous medicines, and other such things. These are items that you stumble upon rather than seek. And even with the help of external forces, only one out of a hundred can succeed.¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed and said. ¡°The success rate is that low?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s why in recent years, the sect has recruited so many disciples, but to this day, there are only three Inner Sect Disciples. The difficulty of Understanding the Dao is self-evident.¡± Bai Xiaotian chuckled. ¡°Is it possible to tell me more about the Pure Yang Sword Technique? If it touches on taboo rules of the sect, you don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡± ¡°Ha, as long as I don¡¯t touch the specific content of the skill, it doesn¡¯t hurt to tell you some things. Actually, these things aren¡¯t worth keeping secret. The Outer Sect Disciples know a little, but they tend to generalize or exaggerate. The Pure Yang Sword Technique, in summary, has twelve levels. The most difficult ones are the first level and the last two levels. The first level is difficult in Understanding the Dao, and the last two levels are hard because of the skill itself. If you overcome the hurdle of Understanding the Dao, for the next nine levels, even if you are not talented and progress slowly, you will eventually succeed after a few decades.¡± Bai Xiaotian explained. ¡°To spend decades, by the time one succeeds, wouldn¡¯t one be nearing the end of his lifespan?¡± Shen Luo smirked. ¡°I forgot to mention just now, as soon as you manage to Understand the Dao and enter the Qi Refining Stage, your lifespan will increase by about sixty years, which is generally enough for practicing these skills.¡± Bai Xiaotian clapped his forehead and said. ¡°If I cultivate to the ninth level, how much would my lifespan increase?¡± What Shen Luo cared about the most was this matter. ¡°If you can¡¯t break through the Qi Refining Stage, the increase of sixty years in your lifespan won¡¯t change much. But if you can perfect the tenth level of the Pure Yang Sword Technique, you can attempt to break through the Qi Refining Stage and enter the Grain Avoidance Stage. Once you¡¯re in the Grain Avoidance Stage, your lifespan can increase by at least two hundred years.¡± Bai Xiaotian responded with a smile. ¡°Two hundred years¡­¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. ¡°You should focus on extending your lifespan for now, and then consider the matter of two hundred years. Young man, don¡¯t aspire to things beyond your reach. Ha ha ha.¡± After Bai Xiaotian laughed, he suddenly switched topics and asked, ¡°Are you still fiddling with talismans?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still studying, but there hasn¡¯t been any significant progress.¡± Shen Luo shook his head. Earlier, after receiving guidance from Yu Yan in the dream, his comprehension of talismans had indeed deepened significantly. However, he hadn¡¯t had time to practice and verify his skills, so he couldn¡¯t talk about any major progress. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t give up easily. I can¡¯t use these things anymore, so you take them.¡± Bai Xiaotian, with a satisfactorily predicted look, threw over a small closed cloth bag. Shen Luo caught it and shook it, finding that it felt heavy in his hand. He opened the cloth bag with a puzzled look and found seven or eight Yuan stones inside. His heart instantly rejoiced. ¡°Brother Bai, you¡¯re like rain in a drought to me. I just ran out of these treasures. This time you can¡¯t let me go away empty-handed, tell me, how much?¡± Shen Luo asked cheerfully. ¡°Talking about money between brothers, that¡¯s damaging to our relationship. In a few days, invite me to a good meal at the restaurant in town. Everything else is negotiable as long as you supply enough alcohol. The alcohol worms in my stomach have been calling for days.¡± Bai Xiaotian laughed and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°No matter how you look at it, all your deals seem to be at a loss?¡± Shen Luo thought for a moment and then said. ¡°Okay, if you¡¯re feeling guilty, give me a hundred or a thousand taels of gold, I won¡¯t refuse extra weight to my coin purse.¡± Bai Xiaotian put on a grin, and rubbed his hands together. ¡°The alcohol will be enough.¡± Without another word, Shen Luo nodded, and then turned and walked forward with his hands behind his back. Bai Xiaotian laughed heartily and followed behind him. ¡­ In the tranquil summer night, under the light of the bright moon, the insects chirped like a bell, crisp and pleasing to the ear. A lone figure was making his way to the top of the mountain along a path. After passing by the Jade Emperor Hall, he soon arrived at a solitary courtyard. The outer door to the courtyard was open from which the candlelight from the two-story stand-alone loft inside was visible. ¡°Master Luo, your disciple Shen Luo wishes to see you.¡± Shen Luo stood in the shadow by the door, respectfully bowed toward the inner courtyard and shouted. ¡°Come in and talk¡­¡± After a moment of silence in the room, a voice was heard. Upon hearing the voice, Shen Luo hurriedly stepped into the inner courtyard. Before he could get close to the door, there was a creaking sound, and the two black doors swung open by themselves. Daoist Luo, dressed in a Daoist robe, was seated on the Grand Master Chair in the hall. Beside him was a pot of freshly brewed tea, from which thin wisps of white steam rose along with the aroma of tea. ¡°Disciple heard from Brother Bai that Master has returned to the mountain, so I came to pay my respects.¡± Shen Luo looked at the weather-beaten face of Daoist Luo, bowed respectfully with lowered eyes. After parting with Bai Xiaotian, he had been pondering for a long time and finally decided to come and meet this master who had just returned from outside the mountain. Daoist Luo, holding his tea cup, glanced over this registered disciple of his, his brows furrowing slightly. ¡°It seems that your Senior Uncle was right, you really did make a mistake while cultivating the Hua Yang Technique. Your vital essence, which at best is a tenth of what it should be, is even more apparent in its decline, and death is imminent.¡± Daoist Luo put down his tea cup and spoke bluntly. This statement struck Shen Luo hard, fully extinguishing his last bit of hope. ¡°I beg Master Luo to save me and teach me how to extend my life.¡± Shen Luo bowed deeply again. Daoist Luo watched him, his wrinkled and reddish face not changing much. He simply picked up the teapot beside him, filled his tea cup, and positioned it near his mouth to gently blow the leaves floating on the surface. Shen Luo rose slightly, stepped forward, and produced a heavy purple-red wooden box from his chest. He placed it with both hands on the tea table next to Master Luo, then bowed again and spoke: ¡°Master Luo, this is a token of my appreciation. I¡¯d be grateful if you could keep it. If there is a way to extend my life, I¡¯m willing to exchange it for a substantial amount.¡± Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: Chapter 45 Unspeakable Chapter 46: Chapter 45 Unspeakable Daoist Luo slightly turned his body and glanced at the wooden box on the table, and then he sighed and said: ¡°Alas, when I was with your family, I had already told you the methods to extend your life. Breaking precedent, I gave you the Red Snow Powder and the Small Transformation Yang Skill. However, you have zero talent for cultivation. Even these basic skills can pose problems for you to practice. I wonder if taking you as my disciple was rescuing you or hurting you.¡± ¡°Master Luo, you are too harsh. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid I would have been dead a long time ago. I always remember the kindness of your rebirth.¡± Shen Luo shook his head repeatedly. Upon hearing this, Daoist Luo¡¯s expression softened; it was clear that these words had affected him. ¡°Master Luo, I wonder if there are any other methods. No matter the cost, I am willing to pay.¡± Shen Luo said once more, putting heavy emphasis on his last few words. ¡°Fine, for the sake of you, I¡¯m willing to break the rules one more time. As long as you can perfectly cultivate the Small Transformation Yang Skill within three years, I can ask Pavilion Master for favor again, to allow him to teach you the first layer of the Pure Yang Sword Technique. At that time, we can discuss what price you need to pay. However, the chances are slim,¡± said Daoist Luo after a moment of silence. Within three years? But didn¡¯t Master Fengyang determine that I won¡¯t live for more than two years? Shen Luo felt doubtful in his heart but continued to thank him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me in a hurry. I can tell you frankly that I don¡¯t have a positive view of this method. After all, with your aptitude, it¡¯s almost impossible to perfect the Small Transformation Yang Skill within three years. So, I advise you to recuperate more and put some effort into finding spiritual medicine and immortal herbs to extend your life. That¡¯s the right path.¡± Master Luo waved his hand and said wisely. ¡°Where can I find such life-preserving items? Are there any in the pavilion?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°If we had such items in the pavilion, why would I make you go elsewhere to find them? Even for ordinary cultivators, real life-extending spiritual medicine is a great hope but usually out of reach. Once it appears, it will be snatched by various cultivators, and mortals can¡¯t even get a glimpse of it. Even if you are fortunate to see it, you may not be able to buy it even if you spend all your gold and silver,¡± said Daoist Luo as he stood up, hands behind his back. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be purchased with gold and silver?¡± Shen Luo was a bit puzzled. Over the past few days, he claimed to have survived through the Small Transformation Yang Skill and the Red Snow Powder. But weren¡¯t these bought with real money? The 200 gold coins spent when entering the pavilion, and the 2000 taels of silver sent by his family every year, weren¡¯t all these his life-extending items? ¡°You haven¡¯t set foot on this path yet, so naturally, you don¡¯t know that in the eyes of cultivators, these real gold and silver are no different from ordinary stones and rotting wood. Even among them, if there is a need for barter, they use the legendary Immortal Jade,¡± Daoist Luo said. The moment Shen Luo heard this, it was like being struck by lightning. He knew of Immortal Jade. Bai Xiaotian had mentioned it to him, and he had also read about it in some books. It¡¯s the real money of immortals. Not to mention his Shen family, merely a merchant from a county town. Even the tycoons in State City may have never seen it. ¡°To buy the life-extending immortal medicine, they naturally expect immortal money¡­¡± Shen Luo felt powerless. It seemed that he had lost even the last bit of financial support. Seeing his eyes gradually dimming, Daoist Luo couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of compassion. As Shen Luo¡¯s mind was churning, he suddenly thought of something. The root cause of his vitality loss was that weird jade pillow. Perhaps he could find a solution from this object and find a way to save himself. Besides, just because he couldn¡¯t do anything with the jade pillow, did it mean that others couldn¡¯t as well? This thing is now reducing his lifespan. No matter how precious it is, survival is the top priority. If there¡¯s really no other way, maybe he could first exchange this for some benefits from the pavilion. ¡°Master Luo¡­¡± After some hesitation, Shen Luo finally made up his mind and tried to probe some information about the jade pillow. However, just as he opened his mouth, there was a buzzing sound in his brain. A sharp sound that he had never heard before came rushing into his head like a tidal wave. His vision suddenly blacked out, and he fell sideways. Daoist Luo was startled, but he quickly caught Shen Luo by the shoulder and hoisted him onto a chair. While Shen Luo¡¯s head was throbbing, Daoist Luo furrowed his brows, grabbed his wrist, and carefully checked his pulse. A moment later, he shook his head and released his hand. ¡°Your pulse is weak and powerless, indeed a sign of backfire from the cultivation. Your vitality loss is not light. How did you cultivate to end up like this?¡± Shen Luo was drenched in cold sweat. He struggled to explain his usual cultivation practices. ¡°Ah¡­¡± However, when he wanted to mention the jade pillow again, the violent humming sound in his brain suddenly rang again, causing him to cry out in pain. Daoist Luo¡¯s face turned serious. He supported Shen Luo¡¯s back with one hand. A red light emerged from his palm, and warm currents flowed into Shen Luo¡¯s body, comforting him. The lingering buzz in Shen Luo¡¯s head gradually disappeared. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could it be¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s clothes were soaked in cold sweat, he was anxious and disturbed. However, when he had the thought of mentioning the jade pillow again, the sharp hum reappeared in his head. This time, it was even more intense than before, making him unable to speak. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Daoist Luo also noticed his abnormality and asked. ¡°My¡­my body feels a bit weak, it might be¡­the backfire from the technique,¡± Shen Luo said with some difficulty, wei breathing heavily. He dared not let his thoughts dwell on the jade pillow any longer. ¡°Take a break from cultivation for these few days, take this Red Snow Powder home with you. Don¡¯t take it all at once, divide it into three doses, otherwise, your current body can¡¯t bear it.¡± Daoist Luo took out a paper package from his arms and put it into Shen Luo¡¯s hand. At the same time, a red light appeared again in his other hand, and he patted a few acupoints on Shen Luo¡¯s back. ¡°Thank you, Master Luo.¡± After a long time, Shen Luo finally recovered a bit, and he hurriedly thanked him. He didn¡¯t dare to delay anymore. After bidding Daoist Luo farewell, he took his leave. Daoist Luo watched Shen Luo¡¯s somewhat staggering figure disappear outside the door, rubbing the gold ingot hidden in his sleeve, his brows furrowed. ¡°Speaking of which, this kid is actually quite good. What a pity¡­ It looks like I¡¯ll need to find another disciple from a wealthy family in a couple of years¡­¡± After mumbling to himself, he waved his sleeve, and the doors inside and outside of the house closed on their own. ¡­ The night was deep. The quiet room by the cliffside at Qingchipo still had a candle alight. Shen Luo was sitting next to the desk. The strange jade pillow was placed in front of him. His gaze fell on it, but his eyes seemed somewhat absent. The thing that happened at Master Luo¡¯s place was too unbelievable, Shen Luo simply couldn¡¯t understand what kind of power was stopping him from revealing the secret of the jade pillow? Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: Chapter 46: Take a Gamble Chapter 47: Chapter 46: Take a Gamble Shen Luo, returning to his room about an hour earlier, had already tried talking to the empty wall next to his bed regarding the jade pillow. However, the moment he tried to speak, a fierce and sharp buzzing noise resonated in his mind, rendering him incapable of uttering a single word. After only two attempts, Shen Luo already felt as if his head was going to split apart, and dared not to try again. At this point, he had a clearer understanding of the peculiarities of this jade pillow and genuinely believed from the bottom of his heart that it was a ¡°treasure¡± imbued with substantial power. However, this treasure not only induced terrifying ¡°nightmares¡± twice but also significantly impaired his vitality and affected his lifespan. This made his heart increasingly filled with worry. ¡°I can leave the jade pillow for now. The most important thing is to extend my life,¡± said Shen Luo as he stood up to walk around his room, pondering the matter. Let alone Master Luo, even Shen Luo himself didn¡¯t believe that he could perfect his Small Transformation Yang Skill within two years from its minor completion hence not qualifying to cultivate the Pure Yang Sword Technique as per the Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s rules. ¡®Asking for help is not as reliable as helping oneself. It seems I have to take a gamble,¡¯ thought Shen Luo decisively as he abruptly halted his pacing. Several days later. On the mountain path of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Shen Luo was descending the stone steps with a slightly frowned expression implying a sense of anxiety and distress. He didn¡¯t engage in conversation with any brothers he met on the way. He offered a slight salute and hurried past. As he approached the vicinity of the dining hall, he finally halted upon sighting a familiar figure. ¡°Senior Brother Tian¡­¡± Shen Luo called out. Hearing the voice, Tian Tiesheng turned around quickly. Seeing Shen Luo, he flashed a big smile, and quickly walked towards him. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, were you looking for Master Luo¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, Shen Luo grabbed his arm and pulled him aside towards a less crowded and quieter area. ¡°Senior Brother, I was intending to find you. To my surprise, I ran into you here,¡± Shen Luo began talking. ¡°Looking for me? Is there something?¡± Tian Tiesheng scratched the back of his head in confusion at Shen Luo¡¯s words. ¡°Nothing in particular, I am going back home to visit my family for a few days. I came to bid you farewell,¡± replied Shen Luo with a smile. ¡°You can go down and visit home? Has Master Luo approved it? Throughout my years here, Master Luo has never permitted me to go home,¡± said Tian Tiesheng, his voice laced with surprise and a tinge of envy. ¡°This morning I asked Master Luo, and he gave his permission,¡± said Shen Luo, his heart unconsciously filled with a bitter feeling. Indeed, the Spring and Autumn Pavilion had held its mountain sealing for many years. As per the sect¡¯s rules, disciples couldn¡¯t leave at will without achieving in cultivation. The reason Master Luo agreed was probably that he felt Shen Luo¡¯s remaining days were few and that he wanted to reunite with his family. Therefore, he made an exception and agreed. Looking at Tian Tiesheng¡¯s past behavior, he probably won¡¯t think of this, and Shen Luo also didn¡¯t want to explain himself. ¡°Have you told Junior Bai about your home visit?¡± asked Tian Tiesheng. ¡°I looked for Brother Bai at his small courtyard after leaving Master Luo¡¯s place, but he wasn¡¯t there. I also went to his usual practice location on my way back, but still couldn¡¯t find him. It seems that he has sneaked down the mountain again to drink wine. If you come across him afterward, could you please tell him for me?¡± youBy Shen Luo asked, shaking his head. ¡°Sure, you can go back with ease. I¡¯ll tell him,¡± assured Tian Tiesheng by slapping his chest. Shen Luo slightly nodded, bid his farewell, and left. Tian Tiesheng watched Shen Luo¡¯s receding figure and for some reason, felt an inexplicable feeling. Only then did he suddenly realize that he was distracted while talking to Shen Luo and forgot to ask about Shen Luo¡¯s health and what Master Luo had said. Shen Luo returned to his room, took off the Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s disciple uniform, replaced it with his own clothes from before, packed his belongings, and tied up a bundle. Afterward, he glanced at the jade pillow on the bed, thought for a moment, wrapped it in a cloth, and hid it in a concealed corner under the bed. Only then did he walk over to the desk. The stack of ancient books was still there, but on the cleared space next to the stack, there were three brand new yellow paper talismans. The patterns on them were that of the ¡®Small Thunder Talisman.¡¯ Although he successfully drew the ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± in the ¡°Dreamland¡± with Yu Yan¡¯s instructions, but after returning to the Pavilion, he had to miserably fail two to three dozens of times before he could barely produce four correct ones, one of which was used up during testing. He folded the three talisman one by one, tucked them in a book titled ¡®Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-subduing Chronicle¡¯, and put them all in the bundle along with his remaining silver money. Shen Luo put on the bundle, locked his room, took a deep breath, and headed towards the mountain gate. Along the way, many siblings at the Pavilion looked surprisingly at his attire. None of them cared to ask, not even the usual greetings; most simply whispered a few words after he had walked a bit far. Shen Luo ignored them all and arrived at the mountain gate a short while later. From a distance, he saw three to four people eagerly talking to Senior Brother Niu, who was guarding the mountain gate. The flattering smile on their faces was glaring. Niu, the senior brother, was around forty years old, sharing a resemblance to a piece of charcoal. A circular birthmark on the center of his brows made him look like Judge Bao of the mortal world. But in reality, he was an extremely greedy man. Since he always lived at the Pavilion since a young age, although his capability was average, his seniority was older than many other disciples. As a result, he got the job of guarding the mountain gate. Often, anyone who wanted to sneak down the mountain and have some fun was inevitably extorted by him. Even Bai Xiaotian, an inner sect disciple, had suffered many losses, let alone others. Those who couldn¡¯t resist had no choice but to please him, and this is exactly what these people were doing. Seeing Shen Luo approaching, everyone quickly straightened themselves and showed a posture of seeking advice from Senior Brother Niu. ¡°Greetings Senior Brothers,¡± greeted Shen Luo, aware that the must deal with Niu, the senior brother, to exit the mountain. ¡°What do you want?¡± Senior Brother Niu gave Shen Luo a once-over. ¡°Following Master Luo¡¯s instruction, I am returning home to visit my family,¡± answered Shen Luo, maintaining his straight body posture. ¡°Our Spring and Autumn Pavilion has been sealing the mountains for so many years. When have we ever heard of going home to visit family?¡± Senior Brother Niu crinkled his black face in question. The others also looked surprised to hear this. At this, Shen Luo calmly took out a letter from his sleeve bearing Master Luo¡¯s personal seal and handed it to Senior Brother Niu. The latter¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he accepted the letter. ¡°Really going to visit family¡­with no time limit?¡± After looking at the letter several times, he shifted his gaze back to Shen Luo, his eyes filled with nothing but doubt. ¡°Senior Brother Niu, can I go now?¡± asked Shen Luo, with a nonchalant smile. Chapter 48 - Chapter 48: Chapter 47: Descending the Mountain Chapter 48: Chapter 47: Descending the Mountain Just as Senior Brother Niu was about to speak, a flurry of footsteps could be heard from not far outside the mountain gate. A figure had appeared there at some point and was now walking towards them. Surprised, everyone looked over in that direction, including Shen Luo. They saw a young man in the attire of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, wearing a woven bamboo hat, rhythmically ascending the stone steps, slowly approaching the mountain gate. The man had jet-black hair, a somewhat thin figure, and his face half concealed by the bamboo hat. Yet, the semi-visible contours hinted at his extraordinary attractiveness, exuding an air of transcendence. ¡°Who is that?¡± Someone whispered. ¡°Why is he in our Spring and Autumn Pavilion robes? He looks unfamiliar¡­¡± another person expressed their doubt. ¡°Could it be him?¡± Shen Luo had a guess in his heart, but he didn¡¯t voice it. ¡°That¡¯s Gu Hualing, Brother Gu.¡± Senior Brother Niu, who¡¯s been guarding the mountain gate for many years naturally recognized him and answered with a slight change in expression. ¡°Gu Hualing?¡± Upon hearing this name, everyone, including Shen Luo, was surprised. He was one of the three prominent inner sect disciples, on par with Ding Hua and Bai Xiaotian, but the most mysterious among them. He was rumored to spend most of his time secluded in meditation, rarely appearing on the mountain. His master was none other than Elder Master Wang, a peer of Master Luo and Master Fengyang. Although Shen Luo has been on the mountain for more than two years and has never met him, Bai Xiaotian has mentioned him quite often. At least in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s eyes, Gu Hualing was more noteworthy than Ding Hua. ¡°It was rumored that the Pavilion had allowed him to go down the mountain alone to conquer demons; I never thought it was true.¡± An elder disciple couldn¡¯t help but sigh in a low voice. ¡°Alone¡­ Even Brother Ding hasn¡¯t gone down the mountain alone, yet he has¡­¡± Another disciple said. As the group was whispering, and the man was now close by, they halted their conversation, bowed respectfully, and said: ¡°Greetings, Brother Gu¡­¡± ¡°Brother Gu¡­¡± Gu Hualing stopped in his tracks, lifted his bamboo hat, revealing a face so beautiful that even women would envy, and returned the salute. ¡°All the brothers gathered at the mountain gate to greet me, that¡¯s really overwhelming.¡± He laughed gently, as if joking. Seeing him, everyone felt a mix of admiration, envy, and embarrassment. For a moment, no one knew how to respond. ¡°Hmm¡­ For Brother Gu¡¯s first excursion, how fruitful was it?¡± Senior Brother Niu, who was slightly more familiar with Gu, coughed lightly and asked with a smile. ¡°I killed a yellow rat monster that had just begun to acquire spiritual wisdom. It¡¯s not much of a harvest.¡± Gu Hualing patted the sack on his back and laughed. Upon hearing his words, everyone was startled. On his first journey, he hadn¡¯t faced some dark spiritual entity, but a monster that had gained spiritual wisdom! Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but gave him a few more glances. ¡°Brother Gu is truly heroic, I admire you, I truly do,¡± Senior Brother Niu said sincerely. The others finally recovered and started to flatter Gu, each nodding and speaking their approval. ¡°Brother Gu is exaggerating. As long as we persevere in our cultivation, regardless of the speed of progress, there will be achievements in the future. I need to go back and report to Master about my journey now, I won¡¯t delay you guys anymore.¡± Gu Hualing gave a slight bow to everyone, his manners were extremely courteous and fitting. Everyone felt as if they were on top of the world and hurriedly returned the greeting. Shen Luo had to admit, compared to the unruly Bai Xiaotian and the arrogant Ding Hua, Gu Hualing, one of the three great inner sect disciples, was certainly more popular among these ordinary disciples. Even though his figure had long disappeared, everyone still felt refreshed. But when they came back from their excitement, Shen Luo had quietly left the mountain gate. After more than two years of confinement in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, even someone of Shen Luo¡¯s temperament couldn¡¯t help but cherish the newfound freedom. Upon reaching Tuji Town, Shen Luo first ordered a table full of food and wine at Hongyun Building and enjoyed a hearty meal. Next, he went to the market and spent twenty taels of silver on a sturdy black-maned horse. After packing up water and dry food for the journey, he rode out of Tuji Town, leaving a trail of dust behind him. ¡­ Dengping Prefecture administers over a dozen counties, both large and small. Among them, Chunhua County, with its flat terrain and plentiful farmland, is relatively wealthy. Tianping County, located to the east of Chunhua County, is affected by the terrain of Jiu Liang Mountain and has less land, so it¡¯s the poorest. Song Fan County, which adjoins Chunhua County to the west, has become a small transit point for water transport due to the passage of Luan Shui River. Although the arable land there is less than in Chunhua County, trade is noticeably more prosperous. At this moment, within the well-known Qin Yang Wine House in the town of Song Fan County, Shen Luo, clad in an azure robe, was sitting at a window seat on the second floor. In front of him were some exquisite dishes, wafting steam into the air. However, after traveling non-stop for three days on a bumpy road, he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. He picked up his chopsticks only to put them down again, opting to take a sip of the tea sitting next to him instead. Right then, a bustling waiter who was passing by his table was halted by Shen Luo¡¯s call of ¡°waiter.¡± The waiter looked at the untouched food on Shen Luo¡¯s table, unconsciously raising his eyebrows. ¡°Yes, sir, how may I assist?¡± He leaned over, all smiles. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Of course, sir. I¡¯ll answer anything I know.¡± The waiter relaxed upon realizing that Shen Luo wasn¡¯t raising a complaint, and smiled. ¡°Do you know of any ferry crossings on the Luan Shui River in Song Fan County?¡± asked Shen Luo. The waiter paused for a moment at the question, then laughed, ¡°Sir, that¡¯s a strange question. In Song Fan County alone, there are three ports for water and land transport. As for ferry crossings, there must be over a dozen.¡± ¡°So many¡­,¡± said Shen Luo, frowning slightly at the answer. Shen Luo¡¯s reason for leaving the Spring and Autumn Pavilion to make a beeline for Song Fan County was not for family matters, but for the ¡°Nameless Heavenly Book,¡± which Yu Meng¡¯s ancestor had discovered in the Luan Shui River. If all in the dream was true, then, according to the timing, this heavenly book would most likely still be undiscovered by Yu Meng¡¯s ancestor and could very well still be lying beneath a mound of rocks in the Luan Shui River. Given the slight chance that Shen Luo would be able to attain the ¡°Pure Yang Sword Technique¡± from within the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and his chances of obtaining life-saving elixir were even slimmer, his final hope lay in finding this heavenly book describing immortal arts. Even if he can¡¯t master the techniques outlined in the book, he could use this book to exchange for immortal jade or other elixirs that might refill his vitality from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. ¡°Waiter, do you happen to know of any ferry operators with the surname Yu?¡± thought Shen Luo, and he asked. Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: Chapter 48 Yu Dadan Chapter 49: Chapter 48 Yu Dadan ¡°This¡­¡± The clerk¡¯s eyes turned, a look of difficulty appearing on his face. Seeing this, Shen Luo understood. He reached into his sleeve, pulling out a piece of silver and placing it on the table. The clerk glanced at it, his eyes brightening immediately, and he reached out to take it. ¡°First, tell me.¡± Shen Luo raised his hand to lightly cover the silver, a gentle smile appearing on his face. ¡°Ahem¡­if I¡¯m not mistaken, there is only one family with the surname Yu who works as boatmen on the Huangwei Dang section of the river. The water area spans more than ten miles with many hidden reefs and chaotic rocks, and the water flow is rapid. Only that man from the Yu family can navigate the boat there.¡± The clerk cleared his throat and withdrew his hand, looking somewhat disgruntled. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo was pleased inside. He picked up the silver and placed it into the clerk¡¯s palm, but he didn¡¯t let go immediately, continuing to ask: ¡°Where is Huangwei Dang, and is it easy to find?¡± ¡°Easy to find, easy to find. Just go out of the western city gate and head southwest for about fifty or sixty miles. If you can¡¯t find it along the way, just ask anyone. Say you¡¯re looking for Yu Dadan,¡± the clerk said quickly, his face beaming as he felt the chill of the silver in his palm. ¡°Thank you,¡± Shen Luo said, letting go and smiling. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. If there¡¯s anything else you need, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. Recently, the city gate closes early, generally by night watch. You have to be mindful of your return time when you¡¯re out sightseeing.¡± The clerk¡¯s face was full of smiles as he thanked Shen Luo again and tucked the silver away. Shen Luo waved him off, and the clerk bowed and backed away. After eating, Shen Luo led his horse out of the city and headed southwest. Approximately half an hour later, he arrived at the river bank. There are many tributaries in the upper reaches of the Luan Shui River, so the river is rather wide. On the banks built by people and the tidal flats next to the river, tall and robust elm willow trees grew everywhere, their dense branches hanging down, swaying non-stop with the summer breeze. Shen Luo continued along the river bank, and after walking a dozen miles, he noticed that the riverbed of the Luan Shui River began to shrink bit by bit. The originally wide river surface gradually narrowed to several tens of feet, making the once gentle waterflow become increasingly rapid. The further he went, the more sandbanks appearing above the surface of the river, all covered with dense reeds. Their leaves were green and rustled when blown by the wind. Water birds would occasionally rise and fall among them. After riding for another ten miles, Shen Luo finally saw a tall old elm tree not far from the river bank ahead. Under the shade of the tree, there was a simple thatched shed. Not far from the shed and by the river bank, a black canopy small boat was moored, with a bamboo pole of about ten feet long inserted beside it. He dismounted not far from the elm tree and, holding the reins, walked over slowly. ¡°Is the boatman there?¡± Shen Luo as he stood outside the house, shouting loudly. ¡°Oh, someone¡¯s here¡­¡± A response sounded soon after, the voice deep and rugged. Following that, a strapping middle-aged man walked out of the thatched house. Shen Luo looked him up and down. Other than his skin being sunburnt, this man¡¯s facial features actually bore a three to four points resemblance to Yu Meng. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but marvel inwardly, wondering if this man could be one of Yu¡¯s ancestors. ¡°May I ask if you are Yu Zhousi?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Haha, what is this young master talking about? Within a few hundred li upstream and downstream of the Songsong County section of the Luan Shui River, is there a second Yu Dadan?¡± The middle-aged man laughed heartily, seeming quite pleased with himself. ¡°I came here because of Brother Yu¡¯s reputation.¡± Shen Luo replied with a smile upon hearing this. ¡°Is the young master looking to cross the river? But crossing with a horse isn¡¯t easy. I¡¯m afraid our boat won¡¯t be able to accommodate it.¡± The middle-aged man, self-proclaimed as Yu Dadan, looked Shen Luo up and down, looking a bit troubled. ¡°If not crossing the river, I¡¯d like to borrow a boat from you. As for the price¡­ everything is negotiable.¡± Shen Luo blinked and said. Upon hearing Shen Luo¡¯s words, Yu Dadan scrutinized him once again, feeling befuddled about what this young man, who looked like a rich young master, actually wanted to do. Shen Luo just looked at Yu Dadan with a smile, waiting for him to speak. ¡°This customer, you appear to be a stranger here. This Huangwei Dang is not a good place for swimming and frolicking. You may see the reed beach scenery as good, but the river bottom is full of undercurrents and reefs, there¡¯s also a large area of rubble beach in the middle. Even an experienced boatman can crash into it if not careful. Renting a boat yourself isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Yu Dadan furrowed his brows and advised. ¡°No worries, I have some swimming skills. I just want to go into the reed beach to take a look, enjoy the scenery and come back.¡± said Shen Luo. ¡°Customer, if you want to enjoy the scenery, it¡¯s also fine. I can take you there by the boat, just charging for a round trip, which would cost less than renting a boat, and there won¡¯t be any danger. Isn¡¯t it so?¡± Yu Dadan still felt it wasn¡¯t right. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t listen to this fool¡¯s words¡­¡± but before he could finish, and before Shen Luo could respond, an urgent female voice came from the thatched hut. Following that, a middle-aged woman, wearing a brown cloth wrapped headscarf and pregnant, came out from the hut. The woman¡¯s face was dark with a hint of red, it was obvious she was used to working in the wind and sun. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s such a handsome young man¡­¡± The woman let out a sigh of admiration when she saw Shen Luo. Shen Luo slightly smiled but did not take it seriously. ¡°Why did you come out, you should not catch a cold.¡± Seeing this, Yu Dadan hurried back with a concerned look on his face. Seeing this, the woman glared at him, swept away his hand that was reaching towards her, and said: ¡°You simpleton, do you know what elegance is? This young master wants to enjoy the scenery alone in the reed beach. Perhaps a poetic moment might occur, and he could write a world-famous poem. What are you doing joining in, don¡¯t you find it annoying?¡± Shen Luo of course knew that the woman was trying to earn the boat rental silver, but he didn¡¯t expose it and laughed, ¡°Big sister-in-law is joking, I just wanted to be alone and clear my heart, where do I have any poetic talent¡­¡± Hearing Shen Luo say this and with his wife giving him meaningful glances, Yu Dadan could only keep quiet. ¡°Hehe, how long does the young master want to rent, although our boat isn¡¯t big, business isn¡¯t bad. Young master, you can¡¯t treat us unfairly.¡± The woman said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll rent it for three days. Starting from now until this time in three days, I¡¯ll give you ten taels of silver, how about that?¡± Shen Luo rubbed his chin and asked. ¡°How much¡­¡± The woman was taken aback, she had not expected Shen Luo to be such a big spender. ¡°Ten taels of silver.¡± Shen Luo repeated. ¡°No, no¡­ That¡¯s too much.¡± Yu Dadan kept shaking his head. ¡°Um¡­ this is indeed a bit too much. It¡¯s more than enough to buy our boat. Let alone ten taels, one tael is not a small amount.¡± Even the money-loving woman felt it was inappropriate to take so much. ¡°Big sister-in-law need not worry, I get along well with Brother Yu, consider these ten taels of silver as paying for a friendship. I will rent this boat.¡± Shen Luo said, leaving no room for rebuttal. ¡°The young master has an impressive demeanor and is generous, he is bound to have a long and prosperous life¡­¡± The woman couldn¡¯t help but smile, the more she looked at the young man in front of her, the more she liked him. Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: Chapter 49 Exploring the River Chapter 50: Chapter 49 Exploring the River After the agreement was settled, Shen Luo handed over the horses to Mr. and Mrs. Yu Dadan, and rowed the small boat into the river himself. When he was about to set off, Yu Dadan did not forget to give him detailed instructions, fearing that he might encounter any accidents. Shen Luo naturally took this seriously and noted down the details of each section of the river and the matters needing attention. The woman even provided him with clean drinking water for the boat, and brought out some pancakes and pieces of jerky from their home. She wrapped them in a hemp cloth and insisted Shen Luo take them with him on the boat. Shen Luo, unable to refuse their kindness, laughed and accepted the package. The awning boat drifted down the rapid river. Shen Luo stood at the bow of the boat with a bamboo pole in his hand, not to row, but to feel for the reefs in the water on either side of the boat. Soon, the boat bypassed clusters of reeds as tall as humans, and entered a reed beach. According to Yu Dadan¡¯s description, this section is the most turbulent in the Luan Shui River. The boat was not going too fast when it first hit the water, but as it went downstream its speed increased rapidly. This forced Shen Luo to start using the bamboo pole to feel the bottom, reducing the speed of the boat. However, he was quite unfamiliar with rowing. Even though he was fully concentrated, he couldn¡¯t avoid bumping around in these rapids. ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡± The boat swayed from side to side, continuously hitting hidden reefs beneath the surface of the water, scaring away the ducks and geese in the reeds on both sides, and causing water birds to take off. When encountering some large whirlpools and hidden reefs, he had to use all his strength to push the boat aside, otherwise if it was drawn in and he was not careful, it would capsize. Before long, Shen Luo was already sweating profusely and seeing stars, but the pressure of the water did not allow him to rest. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep going All along the way, he paid special attention to the banks on both sides, checking for any narrowings in the river. However, because the reeds in the river were so tall and dense, his line of sight was affected and he couldn¡¯t see clearly. He could only judge as much as possible based on the changes in the water flow. After all, where the river channel narrows, the speed of the water flow will also speed up. In this way, Shen Luo drifted for seven or eight miles. Along the way, he didn¡¯t encounter any rubble beaches, but there were quite a few sandbanks in the middle of the river. His boat ran straight into two long, narrow sandbanks. The sandbanks were all covered with green reeds, as if they had created a natural waterway. As soon as the boat entered, its speed suddenly increased, and it shot out with a rush. There was a muffled ¡°bang¡±, and the small boat suddenly shook when it rushed out of the reeds. Shen Luo stumbled, almost falling from the bow of the boat. He held on to the bamboo pole to steady himself, looked ahead and saw that in front of the bow, there was a rubble beach several dozen feet in diameter. Fortunately, the material of the small boat was solid, so it didn¡¯t break from the impact. Unlike the sandbanks seen along the way, the rubble beach was full of gray-white cobblestones and mud, and the place where the bow struck had a much larger brown river reef than the other rocks. Not only was this rock rugged and strange in shape, but only two feet of it was exposed above the water, with most of it submerged beneath the surface. The bow of the boat, as luck would have it, was stuck in a groove of this strange rock, but fortunately, it didn¡¯t get damaged. Shen Luo glanced at both sides of the riverbank for a moment, and found that the river bank here had narrowed quite a bit. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Narrowing of the river, rubble beach, underwater river reef, it seems to be here,¡± Shen Luo murmured. According to Yu Yan¡¯s account, their ancestor found the Nameless Heavenly Book under a rubble beach. Now, this place seemed perfectly aligned with the description. He originally thought that it would take a lot of searching, but it turned out that he didn¡¯t have to spend much effort at all. Shen Luo threw the bamboo pole onto the rubble beach, bent down and tied the rope from the bow of the boat around the river reef. He tugged on it forcefully, made sure the boat wouldn¡¯t drift away with the water, and then sat down in the cabin, falling back exhausted. After rowing the boat all the way, he was already exhausted. At this moment, he didn¡¯t even have the energy to jump off the bow to find the heavenly book, let alone get into the river to look for it. After a long rest and eating some provisions, it was only then that Shen Luo finally caught his breath and stood up again. He fetched a bundle of hemp rope thick as a thumb from the ship¡¯s cabin, securely tied one end around the river reef, looped the other end around his waist for a few wraps, and then jumped out of the ship and onto the rubble beach. The rubble beach, almost elliptical, aligned with the direction of the current, ran longer east-west and slightly narrower north-south. The river reef stood at the west end of the beach. Shen Luo stood next to the stone, looking into the river. He saw the river water dark and muddy, giving off a faint muddy smell. Nearby, white foam danced at the edge of the beach, while farther out, different-sized whirlpools floated on the river surface. He couldn¡¯t see what lay beneath the water at all. He steadied his mind a bit, extended one leg, and cautiously started stepping towards the water. However, the stones at the water¡¯s edge were loose, and slipped suddenly downwards with the slight exertion. Shen Luo missed his footing and with a ¡°plop¡±, fell into the river. The river here was quite deep, his whole body was submerged, and he was violently swept into a giant rock by the rushing water. He couldn¡¯t help opening his mouth, swallowing several big gulps of muddy river water. In a panic, he struggled to turn around, grabbed onto the giant rock to climb upwards, emerged his head from the water, and took a big gulp of air, followed by violent coughing. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± It took Shen Luo quite a while to recover. He wiped the river water from his face, his heart was still somewhat in shock. ¡°This place really is dangerous. But if it weren¡¯t so, the Nameless Heavenly Book wouldn¡¯t have stayed here for so long, undiscovered,¡± Shen Luo thought, his desire for the Nameless Heavenly Book growing even stronger. This time, he took a deep breath, pinched his nose, and boldly sank underwater, with one hand leaning on the giant stone behind, he slowly explored downward. Once submerged, he gradually opened his eyes, only to find the water in the river was somewhat cloudy, he couldn¡¯t see much, and couldn¡¯t look far either. He could only rely on the reef to guide him, groping as far as possible towards the river bottom. To his surprise, this river bed was quite deep, and by the time his feet touched the sand at the bottom, he was already out of breath. Suppressing the sensation of suffocation, he tried hard to widen his eyes to look into the riverbed beneath the rubble beach. In the misty view, he seemed to see some depthless mud puddles and stone caves. He quickly extended his hand to grope around. However, after only a little bit of exploration, breath-holding for a long time already made his head spin and his chest oppressive, forcing him to climb up slowly and return to the surface with the help of the stone. Shen Luo gasped for air, his chest heaving heavily. Once his breath was somewhat steady, he dove back into the water and sank towards the riverbed again. This time, in order to stay longer at the river bottom, his descending speed was much faster. As soon as he reached the bottom, he began immediately to probe underwater. Yet the bottom was dark and murky with sediment floating around, his eyes could help very little. Shen Luo could only fumble randomly, like a headless fly. Not long after, his breath was exhausted, and he had to return again. As soon as he¡¯d recovered a bit, he eagerly dove back to the river bottom to explore the area under the rubble beach. After several such attempts, when Shen Luo surfaced to get some air, he was both weary and cold, his lips turning somewhat purple. He huddled against the reef, and looked up at the sky in the west to find the sun already beginning to slant westward. ¡°Let¡¯s try again¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes focused sharply, he took another deep breath, and his whole body dove downwards, plunging down towards the riverbed again. He had already felt around each mud pool, stone hole under the reef, he then swam past the stone, and headed down to the southern part of the rubble beach, with his palm on the riverbed probing inwards. This time, as his right hand squeezed into a rather small hole, his fingertips suddenly touched something completely different than a stone. Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: Chapter 50: The Bag Chapter 51: Chapter 50: The Bag The object felt like coarse sackcloth to the touch, its outline resembling a bulging sackcloth bag, uneven on the inside as if filled with various items. ¡°Could it be the heavenly book?¡± A thought crossed Shen Luo¡¯s mind as he hastily seized a corner of the sack, attempting to pull it out. Yu Yan hadn¡¯t mentioned what the heavenly book looked like, so it might possibly be inside this bag. Unfortunately, the riverbed hole was only about the size of a bowl, and the sack within was expanded, almost the size of a small jar, firmly stuck inside and impossible to take out. After several attempts, Shen Luo remained helpless. At that moment, his breath ran out once again, forcing him to reemerge out of the water. Shen Luo lay on the river reef, his chest heaving dramatically. The excitement was hard to conceal in his eyes, and he could even hear his own heartbeat pounding rapidly. Previously, when he saw Mr. Yu Dadan, he became fairly certain that what Yu Yan had said in Dreamland was true. Now this opportunity seemed to be only a step away from him, how could he not be excited? After catching his breath, Shen Luo didn¡¯t immediately dive back into the water. Instead, he climbed onto the rubble beach and returned to the cabin. In a short while, he came out with a two-foot-long black iron awl in his hand, jumped off the bow, and plunged back into the water. After locating the narrow hole, Shen Luo stuck the iron rod in, carefully avoiding the items inside, and then began to pry it back and forth. The river reef was massive and its weight was considerable. Shen Luo dismissed the idea of prying it up completely. He aimed to enlarge the hole by prying back and forth so that he could retrieve the items inside. A quiet scraping sound continued underwater. The silt stirred up by Shen Luo¡¯s movements continuously floated up, forcing him to keep his eyes shut tightly, and only opening them briefly after a while. The river reef, although eroded over a long time by the flowing water, still retained an unexpected solidness. Shen Luo put a great deal of effort into prying for a while, only managing to slightly enlarge the hole. He still couldn¡¯t fully extend his fingers inside. However, the sense of urgency couldn¡¯t dampen Shen Luo¡¯s enthusiasm. He was charged with energy at the thought that the bag might possibly contain the ¡°Nameless Heavenly Book.¡± Each time he emerged for breath, he would immediately dive back down. Fortune favors the diligent. After nearly half an hour, he finally managed to enlarge the hole by a decent amount. With his palm tightly gripping the sack and pulling it outward, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble slightly, praying in his heart that it is the heavenly book. It must be the heavenly book. After Shen Luo pulled the sack out completely, he discovered it was surprisingly heavy in his hands. Not daring to take a look yet, he quickly floated back to the surface. Once he climbed up the rubble beach, he sat down exhausted, back leaning against the river reef without bothering to untie the rope from his body. He gasped for breath, holding the sack tightly in his hand. After regaining some of his strength, Shen Luo took a sidelong glance at the item in his hand. Was this really some sackcloth bag? The reason the bag felt coarse, like sackcloth, was because it was woven out of a kind of metal wire. Covered in mud and water weeds, its original golden color had become significantly dimmer. The bag¡¯s opening was tied with a golden rope, a palm-sized piece of gold foil hanging from it. Shen Luo took it off, wiped away the mud on it with his right hand, and discovered there were engraved characters on it. He swallowed hard, casting a nervous gaze at the somewhat blurred inscription. ¡°Imperial Edict¡­¡± On the top of the gold foil, Shen Luo recognized the first two familiar characters, which were normally the first ones he wrote when making talisman. So, this gold foil was itself a talisman? However, the characters below ¡°Imperial Edict¡± were too faintly engraved to decipher. He couldn¡¯t recognize them, let alone understand them. Shen Luo casually stored the gold foil talisman into his sleeve, before starting to unravel the golden cord wound around the bag¡¯s opening. Once the golden rope was removed, the mouth of the bag opened wide. Shen Luo glanced inside and immediately felt a chill run through his scalp. The bag woven from golden thread contained a pile of stark white bones! ¡°These are human bones¡­¡± Shen Luo recognized them at first glance. After a brief pause, he swallowed down the discomfort in his heart and tipped all the bones out of the bag. When he saw the bones scattered all over the ground, Shen Luo finally gave up hope. There was no heavenly book within. However, when his gaze fell on the bones, he couldn¡¯t help but utter a soft, ¡°Huh.¡± He used the iron awl in his hand to prod the bones and examined them more closely. Only at this point did he notice that there were very few whole bones left in the pile, almost all of them were crushed, and there were varying depth of tooth marks on them. It was as if someone had been gnawing on them to suck the marrow. The thought of such a scenario sent a chill down Shen Luo¡¯s spine. After much hesitation, he retrieved a piece of worn-out cloth from the cabin and, placing it under the broken bones, collected them one by one and placed them back into the bag. In the process of collecting the bones, he found another peculiar condition: there was no skull amongst this pile of bones. However, Shen Luo didn¡¯t have the inclination to investigate this. It just felt a bit unlucky, not finding the heavenly book and instead, uncovering such a pile of stuff. After collecting the dry bones, he found a few broken wooden beads in the stone crevices, severely decayed, and crumbled to residue at the slightest touch. ¡°To the dead, all is forgone: the fact that I could find you is a destiny in itself. I will construct a grave here for you, may you rest in peace.¡± Shen Luo always deemed matters of life and death significant. He couldn¡¯t just abandon these bones. Soon after, he dug a stone pit in the center of the rubble beach, placed the bag of bones in, then filled it up with stones, building a grave that stood slightly taller than the surroundings. By the time he had finished all this, the sky had started to darken. Shen Luo felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. He lay down on the rubble beach, placing his hands behind his head, and gazed at the stunning sunset in a daze. ¡°Finding this Nameless Heavenly Book is really not easy.¡± This rubble beach was neither big nor small. After spending an exhausting day, he had only managed to explore the riverbed area surrounding the reef. It would probably take more than three days to explore the entire rubble beach. It seemed he would have to rent Mr. and Mrs. Yu Dadan¡¯s boat for a few more days. ¡°After all, it¡¯s a heavenly book of the immortals, how could it be easily discovered?¡± Upon reflection, Shen Luo felt a bit relieved. But just then, something suddenly occurred to him, and he sat up abruptly. The heavenly book is said to be an immortal treasure, and the jade pillow seemed unusual too; If he had found the jade pillow simply by using a ¡®fake Small Thunder Talisman¡¯ before, why couldn¡¯t he try again this time? Even if it doesn¡¯t have a major effect, it can be used for underwater illumination! Regrettably, he only had three Small Thunder Talisman on him. Thinking of this, Shen Luo hurriedly untied the ropes around him and prepared to sail upstream crossing the river. Unfortunately, he had just stood up when he saw spots before his eyes, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He crawled back into the boat, drank some water, took a Life-saving Pill, changed into dry clothes, and rested for a while before starting to row back. By the time he finally returned to the ferry, it was already dark. Mr. and Mrs. Yu Dadan who were waiting anxiously by the bank, looked a bit concerned. Upon seeing Shen Luo return safely albeit a look of exhaustion; the couple seemed relieved. Shen Luo paused for a while, reported to them that he would come again tomorrow, then he rode his horse away, heading straight to Song Fan County Town. Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: Chapter 51 Ignorance of Human Affairs Chapter 52: Chapter 51 Ignorance of Human Affairs When Shen Luo arrived outside Song Fan County Town, it was past the hour of Xu and the city gates had already been closed. Seeing that he couldn¡¯t enter the city, he directly urged his horse to a small town to the east of the city. Song Fan County was prosperous in commerce, and this small town was located on the main road leading out of the city. The town was lined with shops, forming a sizable market, most of which were inns, specifically catering to the various traveling merchants for accommodations. All these inns were manned by a clerk at their entrances, their calls to attract customers overlapping one another. ¡°Dear guest, would you like to stay? We have hot water in our store, and stewed beef shank that is just freshly cooked and very delicious, and we also have stewed goose, we guarantee your satisfaction.¡± ¡°Guest, come to our De Yueju, our self-made ¡®White Sun Fragrance¡¯ wine is renowned near and far, we guarantee that after you have tasted it once, you¡¯ll wish for a second time, please stay.¡± Seeing Shen Luo approach, the clerks from several nearby stores swarmed over and called out to him simultaneously. Shen Luo paid no heed to these clerks, he swept his gaze over the surrounding inns and drove his horse to a plain, relatively secluded small inn, causing those clerks to be greatly disappointed. After all, Shen Luo was dressed quite extravagantly, and the horse he was riding was a good one, clearly marking him as a wealthy client. There was also a young clerk guarding the entrance of this small inn who seemed to be only about fifteen or sixteen years old, his large eyes spinning round and round, appearing quite clever. ¡°Guest, do you want to stay? Although our place is not large, it is quiet and the price is quite fair.¡± Seeing Shen Luo coming over, the young clerk pasted a smile on his face and stepped forward to welcome him. ¡°Give me a quiet upper room, and also some food, make it abundant.¡± Shen Luo had been feeling under the weather in the river for almost half a day, he was already extremely hungry. ¡°Alright.¡± The young clerk showed an excited smile on his face and took the horse¡¯s reins hospitably, leading the way into the inn. The clerks from other nearby inns were looking over with envy and jealousy mixed in their glances. Shen Luo dismounted, but as soon as his foot touched the ground, he felt a sudden wave of weakness throughout his body. It was as if a void had appeared inside him, sucking away all the strength from his body. His ears were ringing, his vision went black in intervals, and he fell to the ground with a thud. ¡°Guest, are you alright?¡± The young clerk got a fright and quickly went over to help Shen Luo up. Shen Luo tried hard to look at the clerk, opened his mouth to say something, but he didn¡¯t even have the strength to speak. Not a word was uttered, his face quickly becoming pale. ¡°What happened? Did he fall off the horse?¡± ¡°No, I just saw him dismount from the horse and suddenly faint, he must have fallen ill suddenly.¡± ¡°Xiao San, it seems like the guest you attracted this time is a troublemaker.¡± People outside seemed to have noticed the commotion here, gathered around and started discussing. Clerks from other inns also huddled over, starting to make sarcastic remarks, a few of them who were previously rejected by Shen Luo showed a look of schadenfreude. Seeing that there were more and more people gathering around, the young clerk was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly called for help inside the inn. At this time, there were no other guests in the inn, only two waiters, and a thin middle-aged man wearing a civil officer hat who was looking through an account book at the counter. The three of them also noticed the situation outside and hurried out. They were taken aback upon seeing the situation. ¡°Xiao San, what happened?¡± The thin middle-aged man asked in a low voice. ¡°Manager, what are we going to do?¡± Xiao San quickly explained the situation and asked dejectedly. ¡°Oh, this guest must have been fatigued from his journey and fainted. There¡¯s no need to make a fuss. You two, carry him inside. Xiao San, you go to Liu¡¯s pharmacy and ask Doctor Liu to come over.¡± The innkeeper thought for a moment and immediately issued his orders out loud, allowing the onlookers to hear clearly. The two waiters beside him obeyed his command, quickly lifting and carrying Shen Luo inside, while Xiao San shuttled off into the outside. ¡°Everyone, the guest merely overexerted himself, there is nothing serious, you can disperse now.¡± The innkeeper took down a bundle that Shen Luo had hanging on his horse¡¯s saddle, saluted the crowd of people at the entrance with a fist, and turned to walk into the inn. The bystanders, realizing there was no further excitement to watch, slowly dispersed. Two waiters carried Shen Luo to a guest room in the backyard, carefully placing him on the bed. Although Shen Luo was not heavy, they were pretty tired from carrying him for so long. ¡°Master, this man doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s fainted from exhaustion. He still has his eyes open, and his body seems quite cold. Could it be some major illness?¡± one shorter, fat waiter wiped the sweat from his forehead, wondering. ¡°Don¡¯t speculate unnecessarily. Let¡¯s wait for Doctor Liu to check first.¡± The innkeeper frowned, reproaching. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The shorter, fat waiter realized his faux pas and quickly acknowledged. ¡°What was all that commotion outside just now?¡± A voice came from outside, accompanied by heavy footsteps. A middle-aged woman walked in. She was fat, her face pressed into a slit by her obesity, her skin was rather dark. She wore a bright red silk dress, a gold hairpin on her head, and her attire was garish and ostentatious, making people uncomfortable at first glance. ¡°Madam.¡± The two waiters hurriedly saluted, seemingly quite afraid of this woman in red. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in the kitchen? What are you doing here?¡± The innkeeper looked at the woman with some discomfort. ¡°What, is this inn only yours? Can¡¯t I come out?¡± The woman in red raised her eyebrows, standing hands on hips. ¡°We have guests here. Hold your tongue.¡± The innkeeper¡¯s expression froze slightly, whispering. Only then did the woman in red notice Shen Luo on the bed, her expression slightly softened. ¡°What happened to him? Why is he lying still?¡± She gave Shen Luo a once-over and asked. The shorter, fat waiter stepped forward, briefly explaining what had happened. ¡°What! You brought an invalid like him into the inn! Ensure he is carried out through the back door!¡± The woman in red commanded shrilly as soon as she heard this. The two waiters looked hesitant, turning to the innkeeper. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! This young man came to our inn but fainted at the front door. Can we ignore that? If we get a reputation for turning away the infirm, can we still operate this inn?¡± The innkeeper retorted, frowning. ¡°You are the one spouting nonsense! What happens if he dies here? Who would dare stay here then!¡± The woman in red countered, her voice rising. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent Xiao San to call Doctor Liu. I will handle this matter; don¡¯t create further chaos!¡± The innkeeper revealed irritation, his voice cooled. ¡°Hou Liangcai! Are you going against me? Don¡¯t forget, without my dowry from my maiden home, could you, a country bumpkin, have managed to start this inn!¡± The woman in red thundered in anger, like a shrewish wife. ¡°You¡­¡± Manager Hou choked in rage. ¡°Master, Doctor Liu is here.¡± Just then, Xiao San¡¯s voice came from outside. Before the voice fell, two figures walked in. Xiao San was leading the way, with a man in a white robe following. This man looked over forty, his facial features were delicate, under his chin was a black beard several inches long, which gave him an elegant look. ¡°Master Hou, where is the patient?¡± The man in the white robe looked around the room, pausing for a moment, before asking hesitantly. ¡°Doctor Liu is here. We¡¯ll discuss this later. Don¡¯t make a spectacle here!¡± Manager Hou cast an embarrassed glance towards the woman in red and quickly greeted the man in the white robe. Watching the innkeeper¡¯s retreating back, the woman in red didn¡¯t continue her tirade and kept her silence for a while. Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Chapter 52 Time is pressing Chapter 53: Chapter 52 Time is pressing ¡°The patient is here, Doctor Liu, can you tell what ailment he is suffering from?¡± Mr. Hou led Doctor Liu to the bedside and fetched a stool for him to sit on. Doctor Liu carefully examined Shen Luo¡¯s complexion, then took Shen Luo¡¯s wrist to take his pulse. Soon a soft sound of surprise escaped from his lips. ¡°Doctor Liu, is this young man¡¯s condition very serious?¡± Mr. Hou hurriedly asked. ¡°His pulse is weak and erratic, the three burner syndrome is out of balance, indeed quite severe. This kind of pulse is often found in dying elderly people, it is really strange that such a young man has this condition.¡± Doctor Liu said with a grave expression. ¡°Dying¡­¡± Mr. Hou¡¯s thick brows couldn¡¯t help but frown. The same expression was on the faces of the three clerks, especially that of Xiao San, who was wearing a mournful face. The woman in red at the back, with her arms folded across her chest, was looking at Mr. Hou with a mocking gaze, seemingly expressing her previous dissatisfaction. ¡°Doctor Liu, this young man is a guest in my shop, please do your best to save him,¡± Mr. Hou said reverently. ¡°Brother Hou, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m trying to shirk responsibility, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never seen a condition like this young man¡¯s, I really don¡¯t know where to begin,¡± Doctor Liu said helplessly. Mr. Hou was silent for a moment, then sighed. Doctor Liu is the best doctor in town. It seems that this handsome young man is really beyond help. ¡°If he can¡¯t be cured, just let it be. You three, quickly take this man out of the back door for me, don¡¯t let him die in the store. Bad luck,¡± the woman in red said. Mr. Hou¡¯s face darkened, just about to speak. ¡°Needle¡­ Celestial Pivot¡­¡± A weak voice suddenly sounded. Everyone in the room looked over, only to see that it was Shen Luo who had barely opened his mouth. They were all taken aback. ¡°What did you say?¡± Doctor Liu stood up and leaned his ear closer to Shen Luo. ¡°Celestial Pivot¡­ Celestial Pivot¡­¡± Shen Luo spoke again. This time his voice was slightly louder, and everyone in the room heard it. ¡°Are you saying that you want me to acupuncture your Celestial Pivot acupoint?¡± Doctor Liu hesitated a bit, then asked. Shen Luo slowly nodded his head. Doctor Liu frowned, turned his head to Mr. Hou and said, ¡°Brother Hou, this young man is a guest in your shop. What do you think should be done?¡± ¡°Doctor Liu, this young man doesn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary person, perhaps he understands the method of treatment. Just give it a try,¡± Mr. Hou, after a moment of silence, said, gritting his teeth. ¡°What if something happens,¡± the woman in red in the back said coldly. ¡°Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, I, Hou, cannot stand by and watch someone die. Doctor Liu, please,¡± Mr. Hou said. The woman in red wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn¡¯t say a word. Doctor Liu nodded, undid Shen Luo¡¯s clothes, then took out a set of acupuncture tools, drew out a silver needle, and inserted it into Shen Luo¡¯s abdomen at the Celestial Pivot acupoint. ¡°Water division¡­¡± Shen Luo spoke again. Doctor Liu looked at Shen Luo once and followed the procedure to perform acupuncture. ¡°Conception Vessel¡­¡± Shen Luo slowly voiced, listing eighteen acupoints one after another. Those happened to be the eighteen places where Master Fengyang had treated him before. Being sick from a young age, he had a deep understanding of the body¡¯s acupoints, although he didn¡¯t study thoroughly, remembering these eighteen acupoints was a small matter to him. Following the procedure indicated by Shen Luo, Doctor Liu performed the acupuncture, quickly creating a forest of needles on Shen Luo¡¯s chest and abdomen, which trembled lightly. Shen Luo¡¯s complexion improved significantly, no longer as pale as before, and some of his strength returned as he could barely lift his arm. Doctor Liu¡¯s face turned to astonishment as he took Shen Luo¡¯s wrist to check his pulse again, finding that the chaotic pulse had almost completely restored itself. ¡°It turns out the miracle doctor is here. I had my doubts about your medical skills at first, please pardon me!¡± Doctor Liu stood up, bowed respectfully towards Shen Luo. Everyone else in the room was stunned by the situation before their eyes. Originally a scholar, Doctor Liu had turned to medicine after repeatedly failing in the civil examinations. His medical skills were exquisite and he carried the haughty demeanor of a scholar, never having bowed to anyone before. Yet today, he was showing such reverence to a youth. ¡°You needn¡¯t be so formal. If it weren¡¯t for your help, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to recover at this moment,¡± Shen Luo said, his speech much smoother than before. ¡°My name is Liu Baichuan, may I know the miracle doctor¡¯s name?¡± Doctor Liu inquired. ¡°Hardly a miracle doctor, I am Shen Luo,¡± he waved his hand in dismissal. ¡°Shen Luo? Are you the distinguished young doctor from the Shen family in Chunhua County? Your Shen¡¯s Pharmacy¡¯s Golden Fragrant Tonic is renowned for enhancing a person¡¯s vitality and spirit without harming the body; they say you invented it after studying ancient texts. Admirable, truly admirable!¡± Liu Baichuan looked even more respectful. Mr. Hou and others, who were not involved in the medical field, were unaware of the fame of the Shen family in Chunhua County. However, seeing Liu Baichuan¡¯s demeanor, they guessed Shen Luo was no ordinary person, and their gazes towards him changed instantly. The young woman in the red skirt felt particularly uneasy, as she had spoken ill of Shen Luo just a moment ago. She wondered if he had heard her. Upon hearing Liu Baichuan¡¯s words, Shen Luo was taken aback. He had asked his father to keep the matter of Golden Fragrant Jade secret, yet it appeared to have leaked out. ¡°Brother Liu, you flatter me. The Golden Fragrant Jade was produced by the combined efforts of me and several pharmacy owners of the Shen family, not just my own work,¡± he calmly replied, despite his inner bewilderment. By acknowledging his identity like this, Liu Baichuan looked pleasantly surprised. ¡°Master Shen lives in Chunhua County. If you need any help here in Song Fan County, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask. I have many friends in the nearby area,¡± Liu Baichuan offered. ¡°It¡¯s a private matter, there¡¯s no need to bother you,¡± Shen Luo declined with a shake of his head. He was a little curious about Liu Baichuan¡¯s eagerness; it seemed excessive, even for a famous doctor from Chunhua County. ¡°Master Shen, please don¡¯t misunderstand. Your Golden Fragrant Jade has saved the life of someone close to me. I merely wish to express my gratitude,¡± Liu Baichuan explained, noticing Shen Luo¡¯s puzzlement. ¡°I¡¯m here for something minor which I can handle myself, so there¡¯s no need to trouble you. I won¡¯t hesitate to ask if I need help,¡± Shen Luo smiled. ¡°I understand, Master Shen. Since you¡¯re feeling unwell, I won¡¯t overstay. I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Liu Baichuan didn¡¯t linger and stood up to leave. ¡°I¡¯m returning your silver needles,¡± Shen Luo said, pulling them out and handing them back. Liu Baichuan accepted them and left. ¡°Brother Liu, take care,¡± Mr. Hou stood up to see him off. The three shop assistants and the red-skirted woman also took the opportunity to leave the room, quickly leaving Shen Luo alone. Shen Luo reached for the bundle near him and checked its content before sighing in relief. He then took a white jade bottle from it and consumed a white elixir. This pill was the Life-saving Pill. As it melted down his throat, it turned into a warm sensation, slightly easing his sense of weakness, allowing him to sit up. He sat cross-legged and began circulating the Small Transformation Yang Technique. As the Yang Gang Qi emerged from his Dantian, blending with the warmth produced by the Life-saving Pills, it circulated throughout his body. After a while, Shen Luo opened his eyes, the feeling of weakness inside him had disappeared. Rather than rejoicing at his recovery, his expression darkened like a deep, cold pool. His condition just now was similar to his previous fainting spells after waking up from dreams, clearly due to a depletion of his vital energy. Over the past two days, he had been taking Life-saving Pills and diligently practicing the Small Transformation Yang Technique to avoid relapses. He had believed that as long as he didn¡¯t enter the dream again, he would be safe for the time being. However, it now appeared he had been na?ve. If he had not deduced the acupuncture method used by Master Fengyang to save him that day, the consequences would have been inconceivable. The dangers of his depleted vital energy were becoming apparent. Even though it did correlate with the exhaustion from treasure hunting during the day, he realised he didn¡¯t have much time left. He even had an intuition that his lifespan might not be able to reach the two years predicted by Master Fengyang. Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Chapter 53 Treasure-hunting Talisman Chapter 54: Chapter 53 ¡®Treasure-hunting Talisman Shen Luo shook his head, temporarily setting aside his rampant thoughts, and rose to order a meal at the door. Shortly afterward, Xiao San came in with a tray topped with a meal of two kinds of meat and two kinds of vegetables. Shen Luo, who was already hungry, immediately started eating, quickly finishing all the dishes. When Shen Luo was done eating and Xiao San started to clear the dishes to leave, he was stopped by Shen Luo: ¡°Wait, young man, are you a local from Song Fan County? Are you familiar with the conditions in the city?¡± ¡°I am from the nearby Xu Family Village, but I often go into the city to make purchases. I am quite familiar with the city. Is there something you need, young master?¡± Xiao San asked respectfully. ¡°Do you know where I can buy yellow talisman paper and cinnabar in the city?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Yellow talisman paper and cinnabar? We have both of these items in our store.¡± Xiao San thought for a moment, then said. ¡°These two items are not commonly used, does the store really stock them?¡± Shen Luo asked with some disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that just last month, our manager had invited a Daoist priest to perform a ceremony in our store for blessing and attracting wealth. There¡¯s a lot of leftover talisman paper and cinnabar piled up in the backyard. If the young master needs it, I can ask the manager for some?¡± Xiao San said with a smile. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡± Shen Luo said. He then took out a small piece of crushed silver to give to him as a reward. ¡°Thank you, young master. Besides talisman paper and cinnabar, is there anything else I can find for you? This small piece of silver is worth two to three taels, equivalent to my salary for three or four months.¡± Xiao San replied with great joy. ¡°Had you not mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Could you also find me some fresh black dog blood and a set of writing materials like brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Oh, and some tung oil.¡± Shen Luo said after a slight pause. ¡°There is a slaughterhouse in the town that provides dog blood. The nearby grocery store sells tung oil, and our store has writing materials. Please wait for a moment, I will bring these for you right away.¡± Xiao San said and left in a hurry. Half an hour later, he came back, holding a tray with Shen Luo¡¯s items. Upon checking and confirming that the items were correct, Shen Luo dismissed Xiao San and immediately began trying to draw the Small Thunder Talisman, which had the ¡°Treasure Hunting¡± ability. He picked up the brush, dipped it in the talisman ink but didn¡¯t immediately start drawing as he appeared to be deep in thought. Although he had mastered the method of drawing the Small Thunder Talisman, he had drawn it half-heartedly when he found it on the jade pillow. Now, trying to create it again was not easy. He tried to remember the circumstances under which he drew the treasure hunting Small Thunder Talisman, but a lot of time had passed since then and many things had happened. He struggled to recall, but could only remember thirty to forty percent of the process. Shen Luo went over this thirty to forty percent of the memory a few times and then started to try to draw it. For the parts he couldn¡¯t remember, he tried his best to imitate the previous technique. ¡­ After an unknown length of time, a thick stack of ¡°Small Thunder Talismans¡± appeared on the table in front of Shen Luo. ¡°This much should be enough. There should be at least one that works.¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself. He then began to soak each treasure hunting talisman in tung oil. The talismans were quickly soaked in the oil. Shen Luo skimmed out the talismans one by one. After wiping off the surface oil stains and carefully drying them by the lamp flame, he made a stack of oiled talismans. He then put one of the oil talismans into a basin full of clear water. The talisman did not become wet and soft, and the runes on it remained as vivid as before. Shen Luo planned to go treasure hunting in the river the next day. To prevent the talisman from being damaged by water, he thought of this method. When he was at home, he once saw a servant using tung oil to make waterproof paper. He imitated this method, and it turned out to be effective. He took out the three Small Thunder Talismans he had on him and treated them in the same way. Having completed his preparation, Shen Luo was extremely tired. He dozed off and was soon fast asleep. When he woke up, the sky outside was already bright. Sunlight came in through the window, cutting golden lines in the room. Shen Luo got up and opened the window. The sky was as blue and tranquil as a clear mirror, occasionally adorned with a few scattered, pure white clouds. It seemed that today would be a fine day. After quickly freshening up, instead of setting off immediately, Shen Luo picked up his brush and began to write a letter. A few days ago, he had received a letter from home at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. However, he had been too occupied with various matters recently and had forgotten to reply. The encounter with Liu Baichuan yesterday reminded him. My dear father, upon receiving your letter: I have been doing well at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. My cultivation is also quite smooth and my physical condition has greatly improved; I am no longer as weak as before. How are things at home? How are Second Mother, Second Brother, and Little Sister? In the previous letter from father, you mentioned about the epidemic in the Niu Yue town west of the city. It¡¯s most probably due to the flu. After careful deliberation over the past few days, based on the Lotus Flower Clearing Fever soup from ancient times, I came up with a prescription. A medicine made from lotus, ephedra, almond, patchouli, rhodiola, mint, and licorice should have some relieving effects. The specific dosages will be mentioned at the end of the letter. Shen Luo then wrote about his experiences at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion but did not mention his current illness to prevent his family from worrying. While writing, he detailed the formula of the ¡°Lotus Flower Clearing Fever Soup,¡± dried the ink, and put the letter away. Since Shen Luo was eager to go treasure hunting, he got up and went to the inn lobby after finishing this task. ¡°Master Shen, are you planning to set off so early?¡± Manager Hou saw Shen Luo walking towards him with his bundle and immediately greeted him enthusiastically. ¡°Manager Hou, this was yesterday¡¯s room charge, and Doctor Liu¡¯s consultation fee. I forgot about it in a rush yesterday. Please help me pass it on to them.¡± As Shen Luo was saying that, he took out two pieces of crushed silver and placed them on the counter. ¡°It¡¯s just one night¡¯s stay, it doesn¡¯t take that much.¡± Hou, the inn manager, waved his hands repeatedly. ¡°I fell ill yesterday and it was thanks to you that I could quickly recover. The extra is a token of my gratitude.¡± Shen Luo cupped his hands in a salute and walked swiftly towards the outside without waiting for Manager Hou¡¯s response. Manager Hou raised his hand, seeming to want to say something, but upon seeing the slightly anxious expression on Shen Luo¡¯s face, he swallowed his words. Outside the inn, Xiao San had already brought the horse over. Shen Luo swiftly mounted the horse and urged it to leave quickly. Chapter 55 - Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Searching in the Rain Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Searching in the Rain Shen Luo first went to the city and mailed the letter back home from the post station. He then immediately rode out of the city and quickly returned to the Huangweidang Ferry. The summer sky can change quickly. What was a clear sky a moment ago was suddenly covered in dark clouds, with strong winds blowing, giving the prelude to a storm. Shen Luo glanced at the sky, tied his horse to a tree near the ferry, untied the Wupeng Small Boat that was tied to the stump, and jumped aboard. ¡°Young master, it¡¯s not safe to take the boat today. Look at the sky, a heavy rain is about to fall. The river here is narrow, and when it rains heavily, the river water rushes extremely fast. Even an experienced boatman wouldn¡¯t dare to go on the water in such conditions.¡± Yu Dadan came out from the thatched hut with an apron around his waist as if he was cooking, and hurriedly stopped Shen Luo from taking out the boat. ¡°Thank you, Brother Yu, for your reminder, but I can handle this,¡± Shen Luo waved his hand to Yu Dadan, poked his bamboo pole on the riverbank, and the small boat smoothly shot forward, heading downstream. According to Yu Yan¡¯s account, it seemed that Master Yu found the Nameless Heavenly Book on a stormy day. Perhaps, this kind of weather could be an opportunity. Of course, if the water condition was too dangerous, he naturally would not risk his life. ¡°Young master, there are many hidden reefs downstream. If the water flows too swiftly, even a solid boat cannot withstand the hit. Come back!¡± Yu Dadan was anxious and called out repeatedly. But Shen Luo did not respond. With the wind and the current, his small boat sailed away quickly. His boatman skill had improved since yesterday and he quickly arrived at the rubble beach he explored before. Although the sky was gloomier than when he set off, it had not yet started to rain. Shen Luo steadied the small boat next to the brownish river reef and was about to start his journey. Suddenly he stopped. He looked up and down at the jagged river reef that rose about two feet off the water. ¡°Let¡¯s start with you!¡± As Shen Luo spoke, he picked up a prepared rope and tied it around his waist. He then took out a ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡± from his body and applied a Yuan Stone on it, carefully stimulating its power. Soon, the White Qi within the Yuan Stone was surging and some of it spilled out. Under the guidance of the red threads in Shen Luo¡¯s palm, it was injected into the ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡±. As the runes on the ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡± lit up forming a faint layer of white light, Shen Luo quickly controlled the red thread to stop the injection. The surging white qi within the Yuan Stone calmed down. The remaining white qi was slightly less than before, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Although he didn¡¯t fully activate the talisman, the talisman¡¯s performance indicated that it did not tend to form the white light group from before. He only has a few Yuan stones on hand, so he had to use them sparingly, hence he thought of this clever method. However, the subsequent attempts all failed. A fifth of the white qi contained in the Yuan Stone had already disappeared. Shen Luo wasn¡¯t surprised. After all, the last ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡± was made randomly in a fluke. Now, it¡¯s not that easy to reproduce. He let out a sigh, then took out a new Treasure-Hunting Talisman and activated it with the Yuan Stone. Failure¡­ Failure¡­ Still a failure¡­ In a blink of an eye, only a few of the thick stack of Treasure-Hunting Talismans that Shen Luo had prepared were left, and a once full Yuan Stone was almost depleted. Despite knowing this could have happened, experiencing failure dozens of times in a row still made him doubt himself. Could it be that this ¡°Treasure-Hunting Talisman¡± really depends on luck? If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯d be trouble. This section of the river is full of chaotic stone piles, it would be nearly impossible to find the Nameless Heavenly Book somewhere in there, this would be no easier than finding a needle in a haystack. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work today, then I¡¯ll try tomorrow. I don¡¯t believe that after a hundred or a thousand tries, it still won¡¯t succeed once!¡± Shen Luo mumbled to himself. The Nameless Heavenly Book was his only hope now. No matter what, he could not give up. With that thought, a normal expression returned to his face. He took out a new Treasure-hunting Talisman and continued to induce it. ¡°Hum¡±. With the last bit of mana from the Yuan Stone flowing into the talisman, a soft white light burst out from the talisman, forming a white light group the size of a washbowl. He was stunned for a moment before realization hit him. A look of excitement appeared on his face! It was this white light group! There was no mistake. Except for being a bit small, it was identical to the ¡°Treasure-Hunting Talisman¡± he had randomly activated that night! However, Shen Luo immediately remembered something, his joy slightly diminished, moving the talisman in his hand closer to the brown river reef beside him. Since the mana infused into the talisman was merely a trace, he could not truly activate it. The white light emitted from the talisman began to dim, but the soft white light group still enveloped the river reef. The white light in the light group faintly flickered, and the river reef quickly turned semi-transparent. But this scene only lasted for a breath or two. After the white light group flickered twice, it completely disappeared with the extinguishing of the talisman. Shen Luo did not immediately activate this talisman, instead, he cherished it and brought it back in front of his eyes, carefully examining it. While he made a mental note of every detail of the rune, he also carefully recalled the process of drawing the talisman, his understanding of the differences between the ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡± and the Small Thunder Talisman deepened slightly. Just as he was about to continue examining it, he suddenly noticed that the dark clouds in the sky were pressing lower, seemingly indicating that a downpour was imminent. Shen Luo looked up at the sky, abandoned his plans to continue his research, took out a Yuan Stone, and activated the talisman. A ¡°buzz¡± resonated! Bright white light burst from the ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡±, forming a white light group about a yard in size, covering a nearby brown river reef. The entire river reef quickly turned semi-transparent. The white light also enveloped the nearby river water, but the murky river water did not turn transparent like the stone, nor was it illuminated at all. Without any hesitation, Shen Luo crushed the talisman in his hands. The white light group shattered upon command, turning into countless white light balls of varying sizes, flying towards the surroundings, like fireflies dancing in the sky. Some of the light groups directly submerged into the water and disappeared without a trace. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes quickly moved, attempting to take in all the light balls, observing their trajectories. The numerous light balls quickly spread out to a range of dozens of yards around, appearing quite conspicuous in the dim environment. At this moment, a large group of white light floating to the left seemed to be attracted by something. After a slight tremble, it suddenly sank and completely submerged into the river. A gleam of joy flashed across Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. Regardless of rowing the boat, he leapt into the river and dived towards the direction where the light ball had sunk, not daring to delay for an instant. Despite speeding up his movements as much as possible, his pace was still slower than the speed of the light ball converging. By the time he dove to the river bottom, those light balls had already disappeared without a trace. He could only vaguely deduce that the light balls were heading towards a small stone pile on the river bed near the reed group on the south bank. Shen Luo quickly swam over, but when he arrived, he was taken aback. By the dim light, he discovered that this river bed stone pile was composed of black stones about the size of a millstone. These black stones had smooth surfaces, completely different from the stones in other places, and there were more than a dozen of them. However, the way these black stones were arranged didn¡¯t seem random and vaguely formed a pattern. After pondering for a moment, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. This pattern was unmistakably the shape of a skull! At this moment, his held breath was almost at its limit, and he got such a fright. He immediately blew a large string of bubbles, hurriedly swam to the surface of the river, and just barely surfaced on the edge of running out of breath. He took deep breaths for a while before he regained his strength. ¡°Why is there such a bizarre sight at the bottom of the river? Is it a coincidence or someone¡¯s deliberate arrangement?¡± Shen Luo thought, his mind still somewhat shaken. At this time, the leaden clouds in the sky almost pressed down overhead, the wind on the river surface was rolling, the small boat was rocked from side to side by the wind, making clanging noises as it hit the big rocks. ¡°May the heavens help me, I hope this rain doesn¡¯t come too soon.¡± Shen Luo muttered, glanced left and right, memorized his current position, then turned around and swam back to the boat. He moved the Wupeng small boat a short distance forward, wedging it between two large stones on the rubble beach. He secured it firmly with a cable to ensure that it wouldn¡¯t be swept away when the river water rushed later. Shen Luo used his eyes to calculate the distance. Just as he was about to jump into the river again, he hesitated for a moment, turned around, and took out all the remaining Treasure-hunting Talismans, two Small Thunder Talismans, and the last three Yuan Stones from his bundle in the boat. He put them on his body and then jumped back into the river. At this moment, a dazzling white light flitted across the sky and the loud rumble ¡°rumble¡± of a thunder echoed. Countless raindrops the size of beans poured down, enveloping everything. ¡°Does the heaven not want to help me?¡± Shen Luo muttered under his breath, he had just found some clues, but the timing of this rain was really inconvenient. But there was nothing he could do now. He jumped into the river and frantically dove towards the area he had identified earlier, regardless of everything. Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Things within the Formation Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Things within the Formation Although the sky was extraordinarily dark at this time, and the river bottom was almost pitch black, Shen Luo quickly located the general position of the black stone cluster, using his excellent memory. He was well-prepared and directly took out a ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡± and a Yuan Stone from his chest. Even though he was at the bottom of the river, the talisman that had been treated with Tung oil and affixed to his palm showed no sign of fading in its rune color. Shen Luo breathed a silent sigh of relief and activated the Small Transformation Yang Skill. The light on the ¡°Treasure-hunting Talisman¡± flickered, but it failed to form the desired white light group, clearly indicating a failure. A few breaths later, Shen Luo tried all the remaining ¡°Treasure-hunting Talismans¡±, but unfortunately, good luck did not strike again, and the familiar scene did not reappear. Shen Luo was not discouraged. After all, this black stone area was not large. If there really was a treasure here, it would be much easier than searching every chaotic stone pile in the river without any clues. Just as he was about to stuff the several waste talismans back into his chest, a vortex suddenly emerged in the surrounding river, causing him to stagger a bit, and the talismans slipped out of his hand and were swept away by the surging river water. Shen Luo ignored those wasted talismans, resurfaced to take a breath, and then continued swimming towards the black stone cluster. One of the wasted talismans made a few circles in the river water and just happened to drift over the black stone cluster. Just at this moment, a sudden change occurred! A faint blue glow suddenly sprang up from a dozen black stones, forming a dark blue light curtain several meters in size and enveloping all the stones. When the talisman collided with the blue light curtain, it silently shattered into pieces. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes bulged out, and he immediately stopped in his tracks. The scene before him reminded him of the array set up by Immortal Master Yu Yan to stand against the Wolf King in Dreamland. Of course, compared to the Six Harmonies Fire Array formed by Yu Yan and others, the scope and power of this blue light curtain were incomparable. With his eyes fixed on the blue light curtain before him, he picked up a bowl-sized stone from the river bed and threw it after a moment of contemplation. The stone followed a curved trajectory in the water and hit the blue light curtain. With a ¡°bang¡±, the stone shattered the moment it touched the light curtain, turning into a scattering of fragments. Seeing this, Shen Luo felt a chill in his heart. He picked up another stone from the riverbed, this one the size of a human head, and hurled it with all his might. This much larger stone shattered upon contact with the blue light curtain. On the other hand, the blue light curtain did not move at all, not even flashing for a moment. Without trying again, he swam toward the surface of the water, took a few deep breaths after emerging, and soon calmed his emotions. The heavy rain was pouring down on the river surface, and the large raindrops hitting his face were quite painful. Fortunately, the speed of the river water did not change much for the time being. After a short rest, Shen Luo dived back to the bottom of the river. However, the blue light curtain over the black stone cluster had, unknown to him, disappeared. All that had just happened seemed like a fleeting illusion. Despite Shen Luo feeling strange, he didn¡¯t rashly approach considering the power of the blue light curtain. After a moment¡¯s thought, he picked up another stone from the river bed and threw it forcefuly. The moment the stone fell over the stone cluster, a faint blue light flashed on the several black stones, and several rays of light flew out, instantly forming the blue light curtain again. The stone hit the light curtain and, once again, shattered silently into several pieces. Shen Luo felt a shiver in his heart, a chill of fear. This blue light curtain only concealed its traces upon disappearance and would immediately reappear if disturbed by external forces. Shen Luo retreated a little distance under his feet, with his eyes fixed on the blue light curtain. This black stone cluster had someone¡¯s Array set up in it; definitely strange. The ¡°Nameless Heavenly Book¡± might just be hidden here. With this thought, he took out a ¡°Small Thunder Talisman¡± and a Yuan Stone from his chest pocket. The blue light curtain seemed invulnerable to common methods. The only means at his disposal now was the Small Thunder Talisman, which might be effective. Shen Luo activates the Small Transformation Yang Skill, stimulating the Small Thunder Talisman. The Small Thunder Talisman cracks open with a ¡°sizzle¡± sound, and a bolt of white lightning emerges. Shen Luo¡¯s body immediately paralyzes, his hands and feet uncontrollably trembling, his entire body feels as if it has been cruelly stabbed with countless tiny needles, the pain is unbearable. ¡°Damn it, I forgot that the power of thunder and lightning can be transmitted in water¡­¡± Although he¡¯s still conscious, he¡¯s extremely annoyed at himself. However, Shen Luo doesn¡¯t suffer for long. As soon as the white lightning appears, it immediately shoots forward, and the pain in Shen Luo¡¯s body significantly decreases. The white lightning instantly covers a distance of seven or eight yards, hitting the dark blue light curtain, like a white snake, ferociously drilling in. The dark blue light curtain immediately begins to tremble violently, flickering incessantly. The already thin light curtain becomes visibly thinner at a rapid pace, seemingly about to completely dissipate. However, at this moment, the white lightning exhausts its energy and vanishes without a trace. Shen Luo squints his eyes, stretches his still trembling hand into his bosom, takes out a second Small Thunder Talisman, and immediately channels his energy into it. The Small Thunder Talisman shatters upon command, and another bolt of white lightning materializes out of thin air. Shen Luo¡¯s body paralyzes once again, his hands and feet start to shake uncontrollably, but he pays no attention to these, his eyes are still fixated on what lies ahead. The lightning shoots out, once again hitting the dark blue light curtain. The already thin dark blue light curtain is hit by another bolt of white lightning and immediately begins to tremble once more, rapidly becoming even thinner. At last, with a ¡°boom¡± sound, it disintegrates into numerous dark blue sparkles which dissipate into thin air. However, right at this moment, a faint white light appears on the central black stone amongst the dozen or so, the black stone precisely located on the nose of the skull pattern. But this light swiftly fades away. Although the appearance of the white light was exceptionally brief, it did not escape Shen Luo¡¯s eye. Shen Luo does not recklessly approach, picks up another stone from the riverbed, and throws it over. This time the stone does not shatter, it lands on a black stone, rolls a bit, and falls onto the river bottom. A gleam appears in his eyes. When he had caught his breath after emerging to the surface, he returns to the original place, swims carefreely towards the black stone that emitted the white light, and starts to search around it, examining it bit by bit. Perhaps it was due to the heavy rain, the speed of the river¡¯s current suddenly becomes rapid. Shen Luo stumbles due to the force of the current, quickly grabs onto a black stone to steady himself. He feels a chill in his heart and hurriedly accelerates the pace of his search. At this rate, he can at most spend half an incense stick¡¯s time searching before he must retreat, otherwise, the risks would be too great. Besides, the protective array that he had destroyed himself cannot be guaranteed to maintain its original form under the rapid currents on the second day. Moreover, with the continuous heavy rain, it was uncertain whether it would stop on the second day. Before long, he comes across a stony cave the size of a bowl next to a black stone. This cave is different from the mud and stone caverns he had come across before, the entrance is smoothly curved, clearly not formed naturally, but seems to be man-made. A joyous feeling springs up in Shen Luo¡¯s heart, and he promptly stretches his hand into the cave. The inner wall of the small cave is also very smooth, extending towards the underground in a cylindrical shape, filled with grit and sand. Luckily, the grit and sand aren¡¯t compacted so his hand can fully explore inside. After a detailed search, he finds nothing and continues to reach deeper into the cave. The cave is quite deep. Shen Luo has to press his body against the riverbed to barely touch the bottom, where his fingers suddenly touch something hard and smooth. Without any hesitation, he instantly grabs hold of the thing and yanks it upward with all his might. However, the object is hidden too deep and the top is filled with grit and sand, so it offers a lot of resistance, he can¡¯t pull it out with the first yank. By this time, the current of the river has increased considerably, he¡¯s almost unable to maintain his balance. ¡°I¡¯m going all out!¡± Shen Luo steels his heart, leans the upper half of his body on the ground, barely managing to stretch both his hands inside, grabs the object, and pulls with all his might. With a ¡°plop¡± sound, he finally manages to pull the object from the cave. Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Mysterious Stone Box Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Mysterious Stone Box The light at the bottom of the river was dim, and the water surged so fast that Shen Luo could hardly make out the object in his hand. He could only barely determine that it was an elongated thing. He was so focused on the object in his hand that he lost his footing. A strong tide swept towards him, causing him to stumble and nearly get washed away. ¡°I got it!¡± As he muttered with relief, he quickly tucked the object into his embrace and swam vigorously towards the surface. However, Shen Luo had not swum upward for long before a dark shadow appeared in front of him ¨C a large stone at the bottom of the river. With a ¡°bang¡±, he couldn¡¯t avoid it in time and was swept up by the current, crashing heavily into the stone. Shen Luo grunted, half of his body in severe pain. To make matters worse, he had banged his head on the stone, causing his vision to go dark, and temporarily losing his thinking capacity. He spat out a long trail of air bubbles as he was completely carried away by the river. At that moment, the rope tied around Shen Luo¡¯s waist suddenly tightened. The length of it had reached its limit and had fortunately halted his drifting body just in time. However, the current was too strong, and a tremendous force gripped his waist, causing a severe pain in his ribs. His scattered consciousness also snapped back into reality due to this, and he hurriedly began to swim to the surface of the river using his hands and feet. Shen Luo swallowed a few big mouthfuls of river water, but finally managed to surface before he was utterly exhausted. He gasped heavily, his heart still filled with lingering fear. If he had regained consciousness a moment later, he would¡¯ve been drowned in the river by now. Shen Luo took a few deep breaths to gather his strength, grabbed the rope around his waist, and made his way back to the side of the boat with great effort. He climbed onto the small boat using his hands and feet, with the last bit of his strength finally sucked dry. He lay flat on his back under the canopy, panting heavily. It took quite a while before some strength returned to Shen Luo¡¯s body. He sat right up and reached into his bosom. His taut face immediately relaxed. The object was still there, it hadn¡¯t been lost. Shen Luo took it out, it was a white stone box about three feet long and the width of a palm. There was still a lot of dirt on it. The stone box seemed large but felt incredibly light to the touch. He held it in his hand, weighed it, and then shook it next to his ear. He could faintly hear something moving inside. By this time, the rain was coming down harder, and the swelling river still rocked the small boat. Fortunately, Yu Dadan¡¯s boat was quite sturdy, and he had reinforced the ropes beforehand, so it hadn¡¯t been washed away. He couldn¡¯t return for the moment though. Shen Luo wiped the water off his face, cleaned the dirt off the stone box and placed it on a low square table in front of him for a close look. The color and texture of the stone box were akin to jade, but the pattern on it was unlike any types of jade Shen Luo had seen before. Moreover, there were no locks or any obvious engraved patterns on the box. It looked just like a piece ¨C only where the box lid met the body of the box, one could faintly see a thin line. Shen Luo hesitated for a moment and used his nail to hook onto that thin line, and then tried to pry it open with some force. A light ¡°crack¡± sounded as his finger slid across the lid of the box. The sharp pain made him inhale deeply. He shook his hand to alleviate the pain while turning the box over, trying to open it from the other side. However, the result was the same, he couldn¡¯t open it at all. That line on the box seemed to be just a line, not the seam of the box lid. So, Shen Luo flipped it over and examined the sides of the box closely, running his finger over each edge of the box, looking for any hidden mechanisms. But no matter how he searched, he could not find any abnormalities. ¡°This is going to be difficult¡­¡± Shen Luo stared at the box, feeling at a loss. He hesitated for a moment, then his eyes hardened as though he¡¯d made a resolution. He rummaged around in the cabin and sharply pulled out a short-handled iron axe from a pile of fishing nets and held it in his hand. The short axe was what Yu Da used to chop wood; due to the moisture in the cabin, there was some rust on the axe head. However, it was just a thin layer, and all of it was wiped off by Shen Luo with a cloth. Holding the handle in one hand, he brought the blade close to the indentation on the stone box. He didn¡¯t dare use too much force at first, just gently chopping a few times, seeing that the box showed no signs of opening or getting damaged, he gradually increased the force. ¡°Clang¡­¡± With Shen Luo¡¯s ¡®s heavy chop, the sound of metal striking stone resounded from the stone box. The small table in the cabin shook violently, as the stone box rebounded and jumped, almost flying out. Shen Luo quickly dropped the axe and grabbed the box, examining it carefully. As it turned out, there wasn¡¯t a single mark left on the stone box. Instead, it was the small table in the middle that now had an indentation from the forceful chop. ¡°It really is a treasure, matching up to that jade pillow.¡± Shen Luo wasn¡¯t surprised that he couldn¡¯t open the stone box. Instead, he felt this was to be expected. He gently stroked the stone box for a while, a notion flashed through his mind. Since this immortal artifact could not be opened using mundane methods, why not give a talisman a try? A ¡°small thunder talisman¡± might just crack it open. However, as soon as the idea surfaced, he became somewhat hesitant. The power of the small thunder talisman was significant. What if it accidentally destroyed the object inside? Wouldn¡¯t that be a case of the cure being worse than the disease? But he had no other methods at the moment, and considering the sturdiness of the stone box, it was highly likely it would withstand the blast. Thinking as such, Shen Luo took out the last small thunder talisman from his bosom and placed it on the stone box, setting the Yuan Stone on top of the small thunder talisman, preparing to draw a little lightning power from the talisman to give it a cautious try. But before he could even channel his Yang Gang Qi to ignite it, the small cluster of white gas inside the Yuan Stone began to churn violently on its own, releasing a bright white light. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he watched the smooth surface of the stone box, under the illumination of the white light, suddenly develop thin light marks that intertwined and crisscrossed, like a vine mat. Only at the center of that ¡°vine mat¡± was there a depression about the size of a fingertip, where the light was dimmer than the surroundings. Chapter 58 - Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Tooth Mark Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Tooth Mark Shen Luo looked at the sunken area on the stone box, moved slightly in his heart, and extended a finger. He tentatively reached into the white light range, sensing a set of cold breath wrapping around his finger, as if probing into river water, and felt no discomfort at all. Then, he extended his finger a little further down, bringing it closer to the stone box, and the cold sensation became clearer, seeming to emanate from the stone box. A feeling of dread filled Shen Luo¡¯s heart at the chilly atmosphere, and he hesitated. However, it seemed like the energy from the Yuan Stone was about to be exhausted, and the white light it emitted began to shrink, gradually dimming. Shen Luo gritted his teeth and, just before the light disappeared, jabbed his finger down forcefully, directly touching the center of the ¡°depression¡±. The white light that was originally receding seemed to freeze at his touch, becoming motionless. At this moment, it was as if Shen Luo himself had turned to stone, even his breathing and heartbeat suddenly stopped. Amid the sound of the pouring rain, a faint, sharp noise, like a gear snapping back into place, reached his ears. The lid of the box under Shen Luo¡¯s finger suddenly flipped up with a slight friction sound, and slid forward. ¡°Yes!¡± Overjoyed, Shen Luo quickly looked inside the box. Sudden change! Inside the stone box, a stream of black smoke suddenly ejected and rushed towards Shen Luo. Shen Luo was shocked, and with a brutal shove against the short table in front of him, his body fell backward, hitting the cabin¡¯s dark canopy. The black smoke didn¡¯t hit Shen Luo, but it didn¡¯t dissipate either. Instead, it became denser, and a specter ghost face the size of a car wheel appeared from it, reaching from the top of the dark canopy to the cabin bottom. The ghost face was dark green, with disheveled hair on the top, eyes as big as copper bells twinkling with gloomy cold light, and a mouth full of jagged tusks, looking ready to pounce and bite. Shen Luo had no time to figure out what was happening, he could only force himself to remain calm. With a quick sway of his body, he grabbed the Small Thunder Talisman and the Yuan Stone on the short table with both of his hands. ¡°Hee hee¡­.¡± The specter ghost¡¯s uproarious laughter seemed to have been provoked by Shen Luo¡¯s movement, and charged towards him. The cabin was cramped, and there was nowhere for Shen Luo to dodge. He could only hold the Yuan Stone in one hand, urge the Yang Gang Qi within his body to pour into it, and slap it onto the Small Thunder Talisman in his other hand. The ghost face, however, flickered and forced itself in front of him in a flash, disgorging a stream of black and green breath from its bloody mouth. Shen Luo could only feel a pungent, rank smell rushing at his face, and his head felt like it had been hit by a cudgel. He saw shadows everywhere, his body softened, and he collapsed to one side. ¡°Hee-hee-hee¡­¡± The ghost¡¯s creepy laughter echoed in the small cabin. Shen Luo¡¯s vision became increasingly blurred, and all he could faintly see was the specter of the ghost¡¯s face slowly shrinking, eventually turning into a fist-sized white bone skull. The white bone skull was extremely luminous, its surface even glowing slightly. It directly pounced on its shoulder and bit down. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Shen Luo groaned in pain, and his body stiffened abruptly. He only felt a strong cold stream spreading from the bitten area, and in an instant, it flowed into every corner of his body. A layer of fine, white frost, blossoming with frost flowers, spread rapidly from his shoulder, covering his entire body in just a few moments. Shen Luo blacked out instantly and passed out completely. However, what was strange was that the white frost only froze Shen Luo¡¯s body, despite the intense cold, it didn¡¯t affect anything around it at all, not even the cabin floor underneath him showed any difference. Who knows how long had passed, the sky had already cleared, and the shadows of the day were slanting to the west. A ray of sunlight shone in from outside the boat along the inner canopy, casting on Shen Luo¡¯s face. The frost on his body, had unknowingly melted. At this moment, Shen Luo¡¯s eyelashes twitched slightly, and he slowly lifted his eyelids. The intense light stung, making him involuntarily squint his eyes. After a while, he shielded his eyes with one hand, and propped up his body with the other, slowly sitting up. Shen Luo only felt that his body was weak and his clothes were sticking to his body, it didn¡¯t feel like the river water hadn¡¯t dried, but rather like he had just sweated profusely. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Shen Luo coughed dryly, feeling like his throat was on fire, and as if he were surrounded by a sweltering heat. He couldn¡¯t help but rip open the front of his shirt, hoping to dissipate some of the heat. He licked his dry lips and turned to look beside him, only to find the clay pot storing the boat¡¯s water had been knocked over and the water had drained out. Shen Luo¡¯s throat moved slightly and he crawled towards the back of the boat, his head still feeling extraordinarily heavy. After crawling with great difficulty to hang his body out of the boat, he was startled by his own reflection in the water. At this moment, his hair was disheveled, his face was flushed, veins were popping from his forehead, and he looked somewhat sinister. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but recoil, then he extended his flushed hands into the Luan Shui River, scooped a handful of water, and splashed it onto his face. With both his hands and face touched by the cold river water, Shen Luo immediately felt refreshed, and his heavy-headedness also cleared up a bit. He slipped his body forward, grabbed the side of the boat with both hands, and plunged his whole head into the river. He didn¡¯t care whether it was clean or not, and took several big gulps of river water. Only then did the burning sensation in his throat ease, and the heat on his body subsided a little. Shen Luo took a deep breath and felt that the clothes sticking to his body were uncomfortable. With a flip, he plunged his whole body into the river, immersing his entire body in the water. As the cold river water continuously washed over his body, Shen Luo finally felt that the heat wasn¡¯t as unbearable, but there was a prickling pain in the meridians all over his body. The pain wasn¡¯t continuous, it came as intermittent pricks, like being jabbed by a sharp needle. The location of the pain was different each time, but the pain wasn¡¯t strong, and Shen Luo felt that he could bear it. Only at this point did the sense of heaviness in his head start to recede, and he suddenly thought of the ghost face he saw when he opened the stone box, sending a shiver down his spine. Shen Luo quickly ripped off his right half of the shirt and saw a dark red tooth mark on his right shoulder! Chapter 59 - Chapter 59: Chapter 58 - Leap One Zhang High Chapter 59: Chapter 58 ¨C Leap One Zhang High Shen Luo quickly stood upright from the water, scanned his surroundings, and peeked into the cabin for a while. He then slowly sank his body back into the water, his face somewhat gloomy. It seemed that he accidentally caused a disaster, releasing something that should not have been released. Shen Luo knitted his eyebrows and gently stroked the tooth mark on his right shoulder, finding that there was no sense of pain. Moreover, the skin there did not break and bleed, as if the tooth mark was drawn on. But he clearly remembered that before he fainted, his right shoulder was indeed bitten by the phantom skull from the Specter. He could even remember clearly the chill he felt when the teeth touched his skin. Shen Luo pondered for a moment, then scooped up some river water and sprinkled it on the tooth mark. He rubbed it with a little force, but only managed to rub the surrounding skin a little red. Apart from that, there were no other changes. The dark red color on the tooth mark seemed to be caused by blood stasis. He wondered if it would eventually fade over time. After thinking about it for a long time, Shen Luo could not make head or tail of it, so he had to give up for the time being. He waited until the hot sensation on his body gradually faded away. Grabbing the edge of the stern, he flexed his arms forcefully, intending to use his strength to climb back onto the boat. Who would have thought that as soon as he exerted force, the whole stern sank as if it had been hit by a giant rock, burying directly under the water. The bow, along with half of the hull, life high in the sky. Inside the cabin, various objects clattered as they slid back due to the abrupt tilt of the boat. Fortunately, Shen Luo had quick reflexes and quickly lifted the stern, allowing the risen bow to fall back into the water. The impact created a splash of water, causing waves to ripple across the surface. ¡°What just happened?¡± Shen Luo gently steadied the rocking boat, staring at his hands in disbelief. Straight after, he turned around to face the raging river on the other side, raised one palm and gave a fierce strike to the water surface with slight effort. A dull sound echoed from the river¡¯s surface. It was as if a rock weighing hundreds of pounds had been thrown into the river. The water churned violently and the waves surged, contrary to the water flow, pushing a wave as high as several feet upstream. The wave only lost its momentum several feet away before it fell back into the river. A deep vortex remained at the spot where he had struck which slowly disappeared a few breaths later. ¡°Why has my strength become so great?¡± Shen Luo stared at his palm, still finding it hard to believe. He circled the boat and climbed onto the rubble beach. He saw that the mooring rope used to secure the boat had been snapped due to the sudden rise of the bow earlier. To prevent the boat from drifting away, he quickly tied it up again. Shen Luo turned around and looked around on the rubble beach. Seeing a stone the size of a human head with a fairly flat surface on the ground, he crouched down next to it. He extended his palm and gestured on the stone, then suddenly shouted and slapped down. With a crisp ¡°pa¡± sound! Shen Luo frowned, his palm was a little painful and he quickly withdrew it. He looked down at the stone. A clear palm mark had been left on it where a layer of dust had been smacked off, but the stone itself had not changed at all. Shen Luo rubbed his palm, slowly stood up and showed an embarrassed smile. ¡°Crack¡± But just as he was about to turn around and return to the boat, a faint sound suddenly came from under his feet. He frowned slightly, stooped down and gently touched the stone. The seemingly intact stone showed spider-web-like cracks and immediately crumbled into pieces. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up instantly. He picked up the stone crumbs from the ground, lightly rubbed them, and the corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but hook up. When he first entered the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Tian Tiesheng demonstrated his ¡°Qingyang Hand¡± in front of him. The scene of his palm hitting the stone table left a deep impression on him. His current strength was definitely not inferior to that. ¡°What exactly happened? What happened when I was unconscious?¡± Shen Luo was increasingly confused. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s mind suddenly jumped to a guess that he wouldn¡¯t have dared to think of before. To verify this guess, he quickly sat down, crossed his legs and started to chant the mantra of the Small Transformation Yang Technique. The Yang Gang power in his body was mobilized and started to circulate on its own. The moment he started to cultivate, a red light surged between his hands, forming three-inch-long solid red threads that intertwined with each other like dragons, forming a large sphere. The red sphere emitted waves of warmth, even a bit of scorching aura. In just a few breaths of time, it vaporized all the moisture on Shen Luo¡¯s body and dried his clothes with its thermal energy. After a dozen or so breaths, Shen Luo took a deep breath, the red threads in his hands whirling back, directly entering his mouth and nose, making his entire face glow red. When the red light on his face disappeared, Shen Luo lowered his arms and slowly opened his eyes. He unveiled a smile that was hard to suppress, and with a sudden leap, he jumped up to a height of several feet. When he landed, he stepped on a cobblestone, making a dull ¡°boom¡± sound. ¡°Full of strength, light bones, condensed Yang Qi externally is like the red sun, while the Gang Qi is retracted internally and reflects a red glow on the face. This is the state of perfection.¡± Shen Luo clenched his hands, chanting the contents of the ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡±. All the changes in him at this moment proved one thing, his Small Transformation Yang Technique had actually reached perfection! ¡°Perfected, perfected¡­ haha, it¡¯s actually perfected!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but jumped up again and cheered. However, the moment he moved, he felt a faint pain in every meridian of his body. This pain forced him to suppress his excitement and begin to wonder why he suddenly went from just beginning the Small Transformation Yang Technique to reaching perfection overnight. ¡°Could it be because of that Specter illusion?¡± Shen Luo instinctively looked at the tooth mark on his shoulder again. It was after being bitten by that Specter that he fainted, and when he woke up, he became like this. The most likely reason he could think of was this. But as for why it happened, he had no clue. However, no matter what, the perfection of this Small Transformation Yang Technique is excellent news. According to Master Fengyang¡¯s speculation, this means that he has several more years to live. As long as during this period, he could learn the Pure Yang Sword Technique or learn something from the Nameless Heavenly Book, he is very likely to extend his life again. He may even have a chance to embark on the path of cultivating immortality for real! Chapter 60 - Chapter 60: Chapter 59: The Ability to Shrink Objects Chapter 60: Chapter 59: The Ability to Shrink Objects ¡°The heavenly book, I still haven¡¯t found the heavenly book!¡± Shen Luo fiercely slapped his forehead, finally remembering the most important purpose of this trip, and hurriedly jumped back onto the Wupeng small boat. All the things on the boat were piled up at the back of the cabin, and all the clay pots and jars were shattered, even the low-legged square table had a broken leg. After moving away the table, Shen Luo found the stone box under a pile of fishing nets. The stone box remained half-open as before. After Shen Luo picked it up, he gently pushed it, and the cover was opened. Inside, he saw a bamboo tube that was about a foot long and a thick, yellowed ancient book. The bamboo tube was only as thick as an arm and had only two sections, which were lush and green, looking as if it had just been cut not long ago. The ancient book, on the other hand, was slightly rolled into a tube shape and placed below the bamboo tube. ¡°The heavenly book?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up, and he was about to reach out to take the ancient book, but suddenly remembered his previous rash act of opening the stone box, releasing the skull of the ghost. He quickly withdrew his hand, opened his bundle, and took out several talismans he had drawn a long time ago, affixing them to his chest and arms. Among these talismans, there were exorcism charms and warding off evil charms, and even two peace talismans. Whether they worked or not, he had no confidence yet, but he felt better having them on him than not. Although he was cautious, Shen Luo wasn¡¯t particularly worried. The reason was nothing more than that Master Yu, a mere mortal, could safely obtain this Nameless Heavenly Book, which indicated that there shouldn¡¯t be fatal dangers inside. It¡¯s just that when Yu Yan mentioned this past event, he was too brief. Shen Luo didn¡¯t know whether he had left out something after drinking or whether Master Yu didn¡¯t tell his descendants everything. He didn¡¯t mention the skulls and bamboo tubes at all. After sticking another exorcism charm on the back of his right hand, Shen Luo finally reached out slowly and cautiously grabbed the rolled-up ancient book and took it out. When he held the ancient book, he didn¡¯t dare to use too much force for fear of crushing this seemingly aged ancient book into pieces by accident. However, when his palm touched the ancient book, he realized it was not made of paper but was a tough and sturdy leather-bound book. Then, a more bizarre scene occurred. The scroll, which was originally only two inches long, suddenly flashed with white light the moment it left the stone box, instantly growing twice as long. The previously rolled-up pages also unfurled, turning into a book with both length and width of about four inches. Shen Luo was shocked and didn¡¯t react to what had happened for a moment. Holding the suddenly enlarged ancient book, he looked back and forth between the stone box and the leather-bound book several times. ¡°This¡­¡± He was in doubt, so he first put the ancient book aside, picked up the green bamboo tube again, and took it out. The bamboo tube, which was originally only about a foot long, also flashed with white light the moment it left the stone box. It directly grew three times longer, becoming about three feet long and hefty in his hand. Shen Luo gently shook the bamboo tube. A ¡°gurgling¡± sound came from inside, hinting the presence of a liquid flowing inside. The bamboo tube was, by volume, obviously much larger than the stone box at this point. ¡°So big¡­ How was it put back in?¡± Shen Luo frowned, pondering to himself. Having said that, he skeptically moved the bamboo tube in his hand closer to the stone box, intending to put it back in. The bamboo tube, the moment it got close to the stone box, was pulled by a gentle, invisible force. Under a swath of white light, it shrank back to a third of its size, returning to about a foot in length, and laid back down into the stone box. ¡°This stone box¡­ could it also be a treasure?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s heart jumped with excitement. He quickly placed the bamboo tube alongside the rolled-up book, then turned around and pulled out the broken-legged low table. He grabbed the two legs of the table, inverted it, and approached the stone box, wanting to see if anything more than the original contents of the stone box could fit in, such as this ordinary table. To his surprise, the moment one corner of the table neared the stone box, a white light again emitted from the box, and an unseen force gently tugged at the table, pulling it out of his hands and drew it into the stone box. Shen Luo quickly peered inside and saw the table lying ¡°upside down¡± in the stone box, shrunken to many times its original size, now only palm-sized. Witnessing this, the color of joy in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes became more prominent. Three steps in a bound and he jumped off the ship, picked up a head-sized round stone from the chaos of the rubble beach and loaded it into the stone box. Immediately after, he retrieved the bamboo pole used for paddling the boat, lowered it into the stone box, and likewise, it was shrunken and stored inside. Shen Luo then tested all sorts of odds and ends by his side such as clay pots and pieces, fishing nets and axes, all of which could be stowed away without exception. ¡°It seems that ordinary items, as long as they are placed at the mouth of the box, can also be shrunken and placed inside.¡± Shen Luo held the stone box with both hands, placing it before his eyes to inspect. He still found it unbelievable. The stone box not only could store objects many times or even tens of times larger than itself by shrinking them proportionally, its weight surprisingly remained almost unchanged. Moreover, through the shrinking comparison of different objects, Shen Luo found that, seemingly, the larger the original object, the more it would shrink when entering the stone box. However, how large an object the stone box could ultimately hold, he couldn¡¯t verify at the moment. ¡°With such a magical function, could it be a magical instrument as stated in the legends?¡± The thought occurred to him and gave him quite a shock. A magical instrument? That was something only Pavilion Master Fengyang and the reclusive Mysterious Ancestor could possess. He would never have thought, his quest to find the heavenly book, would bring him all these unexpected surprises! But then again, if he hadn¡¯t accidentally found that peculiar jade pillow and thus dreamt about the chaotic world of demons and horrors a thousand years later, he wouldn¡¯t have learnt about the existence of the Nameless Heavenly Book from Yu Yan. Perhaps he would still be in the pavilion painstakingly practicing cultivation for self-preservation? This was the first time Shen Luo felt that being plagued by nightmares from the jade pillow might not be entirely a bad thing. His mind drifted for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, he cleaned up the sundries in the stone box one by one, then picked up the yellowish scroll and started browsing through it again. Just as Yu Yan had said, the outer cover of the ancient book was blank, without a title. Perhaps that¡¯s why his ancestor referred to it as the ¡°Nameless Heavenly Book¡±. Shen Luo flipped a few more pages and couldn¡¯t help frowning. It¡¯s not that there was something wrong with the contents of the book, but that the texts in the book were all a very ancient type of silver seal script. Despite having seen many old books, Shen Luo barely recognized any of them. After a long while, he failed to understand any of it, so he gave up and put the ancient book back into the stone box. ¡°Snap¡­¡± Just then, a faint sound suddenly came from his side. When Shen Luo looked down, he saw that it was the bamboo tube lying next to him. The evening wind that was rising on the river had rolled it over, bumping it into a wooden plank. He bent down to pick up the bamboo tube, and was just about to study it carefully, when suddenly a crack appeared at the top of the tube. A stream of yellow liquid squirted out of it, shooting straight towards Shen Luo¡¯s face! Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: Chapter 60 "Tiny Chapter 61: Chapter 60 ¡°Tiny Shen Luo was startled and subconsciously let go of the bamboo tube, hurriedly putting both hands up to shield his face. Just as the yellow liquid was about to hit his hand, a sudden light enveloped it, and it congealed in mid-air into a round object about the size of a fist, which Shen Luo promptly grabbed in his hand. The moment he gripped it, he discovered its surface was incredibly smooth and cold, yet very soft to the touch. With just a slight squeeze from his hand, it immediately softened like mud seeping between his fingers. Feeling it slip from his palm, Shen Luo quickly closed his hands together, cleverly managing to keep it grasped within his hands. Just then, the object erupted with a considerable force, squirming and struggling within the confines of Shen Luo¡¯s hands. Only then did Shen Luo realize it was a living creature. Despite his astonishment, he didn¡¯t release his grip on the creature but instead kept it firmly under control within his palm. The little creature seemed to understand that its struggles were in vain. After a period of futile resistance, it finally calmed down. Only then did Shen Luo slightly relax his grip, opening a small gap to take a closer look at the true appearance of this creature. What he saw astonished him ¨C the creature in his hand was unlike any living thing he had seen before. It was limbless, with only an orb-shaped body and two big black eyes. Its entire body was tenderly soft, exuding a faint glow. At first glance, it appeared as a small glowing meatball. Upon noticing Shen Luo examining it, the little critter looked at Shen Luo with its round watery eyes, its small hands tightly drawn under its head, showing an expression of timid fear that could melt anyone¡¯s heart. This made kittens and puppies look inferior in cuteness in comparison. Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s astonishment, the little creature blinked its large eyes, looking both dazed and endearing. Just as Shen Luo was consciously trying to appease this seemingly panicked and terrified little creature, a small mouth opened beneath the black eyes of the creature, emitting a puff. A ball of white light was expelled, swiftly hitting Shen Luo¡¯s face, bursting open into countless white specks, almost covering his entire body. Shen Luo only felt a chill enveloping his body and a sense of apprehension tightening his spirit. At the same time, the tiny creature he held in his hand suddenly inflated in size, almost like a massive pink bubble, overwhelmingly prying open his hands and bouncing onto the deck of the boat¡¯s stern. Shen Luo hurriedly tried to catch up but was too late. The creature once again leaped from the boat¡¯s stern, astonishingly vaulting several feet into the air and, following a high-arching trajectory, plunged into the river, causing a small splash. By the time Shen Luo rushed to the boat¡¯s stern, all that was left were ripples on the water¡¯s surface. The little creature had entirely vanished. He scanned the surface of the water and the shoreline for a while, finding no hint of movement, and reluctantly gave up. Shen Luo then looked down at himself, finding that the white light that the creature had sprayed onto him earlier vanished, leaving no traces on his clothes or skin. ¡°Wait, something¡¯s wrong¡­¡± Shen Luo abruptly changed his expression. He quickly sat down on the boat¡¯s deck, eyes slightly closed, encircling his hands in his lap and once again initiating the Small Transformation Yang Skill. After only a moment, he finally opened his eyes, a look of disbelief on his face. To his surprise and joy, he found the burning sensation within his body and the erratic stinging pain in his meridians were entirely gone. Even more miraculously, even the persistent fatigue that had piled up over the past few days had completely dissipated. Shen Luo abruptly rose to his feet, standing at the stern with a clenched fist and a vigorous sweep of his arm, his sleeves rustling in the air, he looked robust and full of vitality, as if completely renewed. ¡°Who would have thought that the white light would have such an amazing effect? Such a pity¡­¡± He clenched his fists, looking into the distance, a tinge of regret in his words. Shen Luo naturally knew that the change within him was tied to the adorable little creature. However, it had already escaped, and any further regret was meaningless. By now, the setting sun hovered close to the distant mountains, teetering on the edge of the horizon. He placed the bamboo tube and the Nameless Heavenly Book back into the stone box, stored it in his bundle, tidied up the cabin briefly, before grabbing his pole to return the small boat to the ferry dock. The storm had made the waters of the Luan Shui River much more turbulent, making it more challenging to row the boat upstream. However, the Shen Luo of today was no longer the same as yesterday, his body was filled with power, making his return voyage even smoother than the ride downstream. Halfway through his journey, Shen Luo encountered Yu Dadan, who had been following along the river bank to find him, and promptly took him onboard. From their conversation, Shen Luo learned that Yu Dadan, seeing the torrential rain and Shen Luo not returning, was afraid something bad had happened, leading him to search along the river bank. When the two men arrived at the ferry, the pregnant woman was waiting at the entrance to the hut. ¡°You young ¡®un! How could you be so reckless? What if something had happened during the storm?¡± She scolded with a sense of relief evident in her eyes. ¡°I am sorry for causing you to worry.¡± Shen Luo expressed apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back safe. Good that you¡¯re back safe.¡± The woman sighed as she saw Shen Luo¡¯s remorse, then turned to get two large bowls of hot water with ginger from the stove. After drinking, Shen Luo began, ¡°The storm was fierce, and the boat was banged up quite a bit, damaging many things. I still have some crushed silver here to compensate for the damages.¡± With that, Shen Luo handed over more than ten taels of silver, which he had already prepared, to the woman. Upon seeing this, the woman raised her eyebrows in surprise and hesitated. No need for compensation. Your ten taels of silver is enough.¡± Yu Dadan quickly interjected. ¡°I am leaving today. I am grateful for your accommodation in these past days. Please accept this money; use it for the unborn child.¡± Shen Luo glanced at the woman¡¯s round belly and suggested with a smile. At his words, the woman¡¯s eyes misted, she and Yu Dadan could handle some hardships, but she didn¡¯t want her unborn child to suffer. ¡°Then¡­ thank you for your kindness.¡± The woman bowed and gratefully accepted the silver. Shen Luo brought the horse over, bid the couple farewell, then climbed onto the horse. As he was about to leave, something occurred to him, he pulled on the reins and turned to the couple,¡± Brother Yu and sister-in-law, if you ever run into trouble, come to find me at the Shen Family Pharmacy in Chunhua County Town.¡± Both of them nodded in agreement, waved him goodbye, and watched as Shen Luo rode off in the direction of Song Fan County Town. ¡°He comes from a family that deals in medicinal herbs, no wonder he has such a kind heart. Surely, he has an auspicious future, filled with wealth and longevity.¡± The woman tightly gripped the pouch of silver and murmured to herself. Yu Dadan didn¡¯t say anything; he only gave a knowing smile and nodded. The setting sun cast a golden glow on them, and in the vicinity of the Huangweidang Ferry dock, two figures standing side by side were reflected. Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Cant Figure Out Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Can¡¯t Figure Out When Shen Luo returned to Song Fan County Town, it was even later than the previous day, and the city gate was once again closed. ¡°It seems that I and Song Fan County Town are really not in sync,¡± Shen Luo smirked to himself, turned his horse around, and headed to the nearby town. Because of his fainting episode from the previous day, the innkeepers in the town naturally remembered Shen Luo and avoided him like the plague, not to mention soliciting his business. Shen Luo didn¡¯t mind this, and he felt relieved instead. It seemed that Liu Baichuan and Manager Hou did not reveal his identity. This trip was kept secret from everyone after all. If he were too ostentatious, it was hard to guarantee that the news wouldn¡¯t reach Chunhua County or Spring and Autumn Pavilion, attracting unnecessary trouble. Shen Luo arrived at the same small inn where he had stayed before. The boy who was attracting customers in front of the door was still Xiao San. ¡°Master Shen, welcome back to our humble inn!¡± Xiao San¡¯s eyes sparkled when he saw Shen Luo, and he hurried forward to take Shen Luo¡¯s reins. Shen Luo nodded, dismounted, handed the reins to Xiao San, and walked into the inn. Business in the inn was still very quiet, with few people sitting in the main hall. ¡°Master Shen, your presence truly graces our humble establishment with honor and happiness!¡± Mr. Hou, who was inside the inn balancing the books, showed an irrepressible joy in his face upon seeing Shen Luo. He immediately dropped the account book and greeted him. ¡°Mr. Hou, you¡¯re too kind. Please arrange a quiet room for me,¡± Shen Luo said calmly. ¡°No problem, please follow me, Master Shen. Xiao San, look after the place.¡± Mr. Hou agreed and personally led the way, causing the few guests in the main hall to feel surprised and begin gossiping about Shen Luo¡¯s identity. The two of them walked through a corridor behind the hall of the inn and came to a room at the very back. In front of this room there was a large, lush banyan tree leafy producing a vast shadow, casting a shroud over the whole room and giving it a sense of tranquility. ¡°This room is far from the main street and is very quiet. The furnishings inside are the best in our inn. What do you think?¡± Mr. Hou said, opening the door and ushering Shen Luo in. The furniture and furnishings in the room were made of rosewood and were carefully ornate, giving an antique feel. They were much higher-end than the room Shen Luo had stayed in before. ¡°It is good. We will take this one,¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t care much for the inside furnishings, but seeing that the place was indeed quiet and secluded. He nodded in agreement. ¡°May I ask how long you plan on staying with us this time, Master Shen?¡± Mr. Hou asked, rubbing his hands together with joy. ¡°Perhaps two or three days. There¡¯s no need for service unless I call for it. Plus, please don¡¯t tell anyone about my identity or my stay here, including Liu Baichuan,¡± Shen Luo added after a thought. ¡°Master Shen, rest assured, if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m good at, it¡¯s keeping a secret. As for Doctor Liu, he¡¯s out visiting patients and might not come back for a few days,¡± Mr. Hou immediately slapped his chest and guaranteed. ¡°That sounds good,¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°Master Shen, you look weary from your journey. Why don¡¯t you rest for a bit, and I¡¯ll send someone to bring you your dinner later,¡± Mr. Hou suggested. ¡°There¡¯s no need for dinner, I want to rest early,¡± Shen Luo waved him off. Now that his Small Transformation Yang Skill had reached perfection and his Yang Gang power was abundant, he felt very spirited and not at all hungry. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t divulge this to others. ¡°Alright then, have a good rest, Master Shen. I won¡¯t disturb you any longer.¡± Mr. Hou nodded with a smile, excused himself, and left, quietly closing the door behind him. Shen Luo found Mr. Hou¡¯s enthusiasm a bit strange, but after pondering over it he didn¡¯t notice anything inappropriate. He attributed Mr. Hou¡¯s behavior to his mild fame back in Chunhua County and decided not to dwell on it any longer. After the sound of Mr. Hou¡¯s footsteps faded, Shen Luo immediately locked the door from the inside, secured the windows ensuring that no one could come in, then got down on the bed and eagerly took out the stone box. He opened it and took out the old scroll. Just as he picked up the book and was about to unroll it, he noticed something odd and took a closer look at the scroll. There were visible traces of tearing apart at the end of the last page. When he had previously looked at it, he was mainly concerned with reading the ancient seal script inside and didn¡¯t pay attention to this. ¡°Could it be that this scroll is only half complete?¡± Shen Luo slightly frowned. However, he didn¡¯t dwell on this for too long. If he could only find half then half it would be. If he only found this half, this would also mean that the boatman on the river, who had finally become ¡°Master Yu¡± according to Yu Yan, could also only find this half. So Shen Luo steadied his mind and began to read through the scroll page by page, word by word, trying to understand its content. Time ticked by and in the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed. Shen Luo, his eyebrows tightly knit, lifted his head from the scroll and gave a sigh. He tossed the scroll onto the bed and laid sprawled out on the bed. Although he wanted very much to understand the text in the scroll, he knew too little of the ancient seal script; he could only distinguish four or five characters on a page at most. As far as he knew, this kind of ancient seal script was extremely old and complex. He had only seen a few scattered records of it in some miscellaneous notes. It was impossible for him to guess the words he didn¡¯t know. Wanting to understand the secrets of the scroll with his current level of knowledge was simply wishful thinking. ¡°Do I need to learn ancient seal script first?¡± Shen Luo thought to himself. But where could he learn it at the moment? At least when he was in Chunhua County, he had never heard of any scholars in the city who were proficient in ancient seal script. Even if he could find someone who knows this kind of script, the content of the book might be leaked. After all, seeing such a good thing that could lead to enlightenment, anyone would likely succumb to temptation. After thinking it through, he couldn¡¯t think of a safe solution. ¡°I wonder how ¡®Master Yu¡¯ solved this problem back then? He was a boatman on the river who should not have known ancient seal script.¡± ¡°Well, worst case, I will spend a year or two learning the ancient seal script. After all, now that my Small Transformation Yang Skill is complete, I can afford to take some time¡­¡± Shen Luo sat up, grabbed the scroll, and froze, alertness flashing in his eyes. Chapter 63 - Chapter 63: Chapter 62: So Thats How It Is Chapter 63: Chapter 62: So That¡¯s How It Is Shen Luo quickly placed the book on the bed, quietly walked to the door, slightly opened it after unlocking the door, and looked out a few times. The narrow corridor was quiet, with no one in sight. He scratched his head, locked the door again, went to the windowsill, and opened the window. The verdant banyan tree in the courtyard immediately appeared before him, and likewise, no one else was seen. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I definitely heard someone talking just now¡­¡± Shen Luo mumbled to himself as he latched the window. Just a moment ago, he had heard a resonant voice in his ear, seeming to recite something like ¡°Wrong then Right¡±. It echoed in his mind like a bell tolling, making his consciousness feel momentarily blurred. ¡°Could it be that I¡¯ve been too tired these days and I¡¯m hallucinating?¡± Shen Luo rubbed his temples, returned to the bedside, and reached out to pick up the half-rolled book from the bed again. Then all of sudden, he heard a voice again: ¡°Qu Zequan¡­¡± The voice was still loud and clear, deafening. Shen Luo only felt a buzz in his head, subconsciously covering his ears, and the book slipped from his hands and fell onto the floor. He remained in this posture, standing still on the spot, his eyes fixed on the half-rolled book on the ground. After a while, Shen Luo swallowed dryly, squatted down, cautiously extended the index finger of his right hand, and touched the cover of the book. The parchment of the book remained unchanged, and no other voice appeared in his ears. ¡°Strange¡­ Could it not be from this book?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. During his consideration, he picked up the book by holding the edge of the parchment with two fingers, holding it up and carefully scrutinizing it. Aside from the nearly unreadable silver ancient texts inside, this scroll showed no distinction from ordinary books. ¡°Could that suddenly appearing ghost thing be attached to this book?¡± Shen Luo seemed to remember something, his heart shivered, and he subconsciously touched his right arm with his left hand. But, after he blacked out, the Small Transformation Yang Skill unknowingly reached Perfection, which seemed to be related to the Specter, and apart from feeling a bit hot when he woke up, he didn¡¯t notice anything wrong with his body till now. Thinking of this, Shen Luo calmed down a bit, held the book in his left hand with two fingers, and subconsciously thought to brush the dust off the pages with his right hand. But the moment his fingers swept over the book, his mind was again filled with echoes of a series of voices, ¡°Do not self-praise, hence have achievements¡­ speak naturally¡­¡± His pupils contracted abruptly, his right hand stilled as he stared at the place his three fingers had touched. There were clearly three silver ancient characters. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± A thought flashed across Shen Luo¡¯s mind, he took a deep breath, his three fingers left the book by an inch, and then fell again. ¡°Speak naturally.¡± This time, the expression on Shen Luo¡¯s face wasn¡¯t restless, but delighted. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, that¡¯s how it is! I understand now, no wonder, no wonder¡­¡± A faint smile of comprehension stretched on Shen Luo¡¯s mouth. So, this Nameless Heavenly Book actually allowed him to read by touch. It¡¯s no wonder that even an ordinary boatman like Master Yu could understand it without a teacher. Because you don¡¯t need to understand any ancient texts at all, all you need to do is touch. Now that he got the hang of reading, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t wait to start from the beginning, placing his finger on the first character. This ancient character was one of the few characters he knew, a ¡°husband¡± character. As soon as his finger touched it, the word ¡°husband¡± flashed past his ear. Shen Luo nodded slightly, quickly moved his finger and started reading the second character¡­ But he had barely moved past ten characters when a wave of dizziness came over him, and he felt his body sway. He shook his head, thinking he was just tired. He wanted to move on to the next character, but as soon as he tried, he felt the world spin, and his vision blacked out. Shen Luo quickly grabbed the edge of the bed, which prevented him from falling over. This time, not only did he not hear any voice, but his head ached painfully. Shen Luo didn¡¯t dare to neglect it and quickly put the Heavenly Book beside his bed and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. He was proficient in medical skills and after a brief contemplation, he realized that his symptoms were a result of excessive mental exertion. As Yu Yan said, the human body¡¯s essence, Qi, and spirit are one and the same, complementing each other. Now that his mental power has been greatly exhausted, stimulating the Small Transformation Yang Skill should accelerate the recovery of his mental power. Shen Luo quickly began to feel heated all over, as if immersed in hot water. The flow of his Qi and blood also sped up, and a red light appeared on his face. Sure enough, when he started this operation, the pain in his mind eased significantly. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued to operate the skill. ¡°It seems that although reading in this way is good, it is very exhausting mentally.¡± A quarter of an hour later, Shen Luo opened his eyes and thought so. Having said that, he did not hesitate at all, picked up the book again, and deciphered about ten characters by sliding his fingers on the page, until he felt dizzy again, then he stopped to meditate and recover. ¡°The Heavenly Dao is formless and divides the yin and yang, and spawns all things. If people want to attain immortality, they need to transmute yin to yang, and transcend the mundane to become a saint, only then can they gradually enter the true Dao¡­¡± This was the short section of the text Shen Luo understood after meditating three times. Based on these texts, the parchment seems to contain a cultivation technique. By now, Shen Luo was completely sure that this book was indeed the Nameless Heavenly Book mentioned by Yu Yan. There was absolutely no doubt about it! Shen Luo took a deep breath and his eyes returned to calm while exhaling. Now is not the time to get excited, the important thing is to fully decipher this half of the Nameless Heavenly Book, but that would be an extremely long process. At this moment, his eyes caught a glimpse of the stone box beside him, and a hint of emerald green entered his vision. It was that emerald green bamboo tube with the crack. This stone box and parchment were both extraordinary items. The emerald green bamboo tube placed with them might as well be a treasure? With this thought, Shen Luo reached out to take the bamboo tube out, carefully observed it for a while, and weighed it, finding it to be no different from an ordinary bamboo tube. He got up, took the scissors from the bedside oil lamp, and gently scraped it on the bamboo tube. With a ¡°swish¡±, a mark was immediately scratched on the bamboo tube. He stopped hastily and frowned. Could this emerald green bamboo tube be so fragile, it was just a mere ordinary item? Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: Chapter 63 Black Skeleton Chapter 64: Chapter 63 Black Skeleton Shen Luo fell silent for a moment, then stood up and brought the emerald green bamboo tube close to the flame of the oil lamp. The dim yellow flame licked the surface of the bamboo tube, and the area in contact with it quickly started to turn yellow. He squinted his eyes but did not immediately remove the bamboo tube, continuing to roast it with the flame instead. The yellowing surface of the bamboo quickly turned black, a few red sparks appeared within, threads of smoke began to rise as though it was going to ignite. Shen Luo quickly removed the bamboo tube and blew out the sparks on its surface, a look of disappointment appeared on his face. It seemed that this emerald green bamboo tube was truly just an ordinary object. He sneered at himself. Not only had he found the Nameless Heavenly Book he came for this time, but he had also obtained a treasure box that had the ability to shrink things, the previously stagnant Small Transformation Yang Skill had directly achieved perfection. It was truly too greedy of him to wish for more treasures. Shen Luo solemnly lectured himself in his mind, however, he still could not bear to discard the bamboo tube and placed it back into the stone box. He returned to the bed, sat cross-legged, picked up the Nameless Heavenly Book, and started to ¡°fondle¡± it again. In the following days, Shen Luo ardently studied the Nameless Heavenly Book day and night. When his spirit grew weary, he would sit down and recuperate, when he had recovered, he would continue to read the book, occasionally he had Xiao San bring him some food to deal with hunger. After several days of relentless effort, he finally finished the first half of the Nameless Heavenly Book by noon on the fifth day. That day, Shen Luo was seated cross-legged on the bed. His face was mostly covered in stubble, and he appeared to be extremely worn by fatigue, but his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and excitement. Just as he had previously suspected, the Nameless Heavenly Book recorded a set of cultivation tactics, which were far more profound and mysterious than the Small Transformation Yang Skill. Truly, it was a genuine Immortal technique. The magic spell described in this book had no name. According to the general outline at the beginning, it was divided into eighteen levels and could be cultivated from Qi Refining Stage all the way to Becoming Immortal. In addition, he understood the six stages of cultivating immortality that precede Becoming Immortal: the Qi Refining Stage, Grain Avoidance Stage, Soul Condensation Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Great Mahayana Stage, and the True Immortal Stage. The Nameless Heavenly Book offered no detailed explanation of these six major realms, only a brief mention that once one has attained a deep enough level of cultivation, not only would their lifespan be significantly extended, but they could also wield immense power, even being able to call the wind and summon the rain, move mountains and fill seas with but a thought. As for the final True Immortal Stage, they could truly ascend to immortality, shining with the sun and the moon, sharing the same lifespan as Heaven and Earth. Even though the book contained only a few sentences describing the immensely powerful states, Shen Luo¡¯s blood was still boiling as he read them. In the preceding years, he had read many incredible stories about ¡°Immortals¡±, especially those about vanquishing demons and performing righteous deeds. These tales always fascinated him. However, with his once frail body, living as an ordinary person was nothing short of an extravagant wish, to speak of pursuing immortality was out-and-out fantasy. But now, things were different. The unexpected perfection of the Small Transformation Yang Skill had significantly improved his constitution. Although the vitality loss caused by the previous Yin Qi affliction could not be completely compensated, he was, at last, eligible to practice the skills of immortality. Unfortunately, the back half of the ancient scroll had been torn away, and it only recorded the tactics of the first nine stages. Meaning, he could only reach the Soul Condensation Stage once he had completely mastered all the instructions. Shen Luo did not feel disappointed about it. According to the book, along with the information previously discussed with Bai Xiaotian, the cultivation of immortality was an act of defying the natural order, and cultivating each level was exceedingly difficult. If one¡¯s aptitude was poor or their comprehension lacking, they could not even reach the most basic Qi Refining stage. Among the hundreds of disciples in the Chun Qiu Pavilion, only three had truly entered this stage and had mana of their own. Although Shen Luo was very eager to attain the high levels mentioned in the Nameless Heavenly Book, he had no delusions that he could easily reach them. If he could reach the Qi Refining stage and extend his lifespan by sixty years, he would be satisfied. Of course, if his luck were good and he could achieve a higher stage, then so much the better. Moreover, after this treasure hunt, Shen Luo no longer doubted the strange events that occurred in the mysterious world of dreams brought about by the jade pillow. That was truly a glimpse into the Future World a thousand years later! Which meant, in just a few hundred years, Apocalypse Day, when the disaster of demons would descend¡­ Shen Luo collected his thoughts and sighed deeply. Everything he had seen about the future was still far away, and pointless to ponder on. The task at hand was to diligently cultivate the Nameless Heavenly Book, and worry about the rest later. After making this decision, he put the ancient scroll back into the stone box, hid the stone box under his pillow, then buried his head into the bed and fell into a deep sleep. ¡­ After who knows how long, Shen Luo gradually woke from his sleep. The fatigue that had accumulated over the past days was wiped out, and he felt invigorated. Shen Luo got out of bed and stretched his limbs, then opened the window. Outside, everything was pitch black, through the abundant branches and leaves of the banya tree outside, one could vaguely see the western crescent moon. The quiet courtyard was occasionally interrupted by the chirping of insects, but other than that it was dead silent. It seemed that it was already the latter half of the night. ¡°Could it be that I¡¯ve slept for a day and a half?¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, then turned to walk towards the bed. This quiet and deep night was a perfect time for cultivation. Shen Luo reached under his pillow to retrieve the stone box, put it into his bosom, and then quietly stepped out the door. Interestingly, the Nameless Law Formula had a peculiar method of cultivation, from the very beginning, it required the practitioner to sit in a pond, or brook to cultivate. But that wasn¡¯t an issue, not far from the town was a small brook, he had passed by when he had come. Shen Luo rounded about from the corridor at the entrance to a corner near the courtyard wall. He lightly leaped, his body seemingly weightless, he jumped over ten feet from the ground, right hand supporting against the wall, and he quietly landed in a small alley outside ¨C the place where he had tested the talisman a few nights ago. Shen Luo looked back, taking a glance at the courtyard wall, the corner of his mouth slightly upward. After the Small Transformation Yang Skill reached perfection, his leaping ability was greatly enhanced. Unfortunately, he had not learned any light body techniques, otherwise he¡¯d not even need hands to get over this small courtyard wall. He quickly identified his direction and swiftly moved towards the end of the alley. After a while, he left the small town and arrived at a small brook a few miles outside. This brook bent around the outside of the town, it was only three to four meters wide, the water was quite clear, and the place was full of water grass. Shen Luo found a secluded spot on the brook, took off his clothes, just leaving a loincloth on. Just as he was about to enter the water, his gaze trailed over his shoulder and his eyes suddenly widened, staring unwaveringly. Where there had been a dark red tooth mark, there was now no trace of it, replaced by a black skull pattern the size of a bowl! Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: Chapter 64: The Harmonious Union of Yin and Yang Chapter 65: Chapter 64: The Harmonious Union of Yin and Yang Shen Luo looked at the skull tattoo pattern on his shoulder and could only feel a chill running down his back. This black skull tattoo was incredibly lifelike; at first glance, it was as if a real skull was biting onto his shoulder, as if it could fly off his body at any moment. And yet, the tooth marks from before were gone without a trace. Having encountered bizarre occurrences in Dreamland before, his endurance was considerably stronger. However, seeing this scene in the dead of night still sent a shiver down his spine. Shen Luo took a deep breath to calm his mind and began to closely examine the tattoo pattern. The black lines forming the pattern resembled the charm patterns of a talisman and gave off a hint of mystery. Apart from its terrifying appearance, this tattoo didn¡¯t hurt or itch, displaying no sensation at all. If he hadn¡¯t just happened to see it after taking off his clothes, he likely wouldn¡¯t have noticed it. ¡°Could it be related to the white skull from before? Could it be that this skull tattoo is a transformation of that white skull?¡± Shen Luo rubbed his chin, speculating in his mind. He reached out and touched the tattoo, finding that that area of his skin felt just like the surrounding skin, with no bumps or indentations, as if it was truly just a tattoo. He then tried scraping it aggressively with his fingernails. Outside of causing the skin to sting a bit, the pattern was completely unaffected as if it was naturally a part of his skin. After a moment of consideration, Shen Luo sat cross-legged on the ground, activated his Small Transformation Yang Skill, and led the Yang Gang Qi rising from his Dantian to his shoulder. Before long, his entire shoulder was enveloped in a faint red light. His skin surface also emitted a touch of red light. However, other than the eye sockets and the nasal cavity of the black skull tattoo glowing red, the rest of it remained pitch black with no anomalies detected. ¡°Now that my Small Transformation Yang Skill is perfected, the Yang Gang Qi I can summon is incomparable to before. If it were an evil object, it wouldn¡¯t stay this calm.¡± Shen Luo did not stop there. He tried a number of other methods, like punching and slapping, biting and drenching, in an attempt to remove the black skull tattoo, but all efforts ended in failure. ¡°Never mind. It seems that there¡¯s no immediate danger for now. Anyway, without these peculiar experiences, the Small Transformation Yang Skill would be as difficult for me as reaching the sky. Hopefully, this Nameless Technique won¡¯t be as tough,¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t lose himself over it and refocused on the Nameless Technique. According to Master Fengyang and Master Luo, if one could master Small Transformation Yang Skill, they could extend their lifespan by two to three years. Whether this timeframe would be enough for him was another matter altogether. Regardless, at this point, there was no way he would back down now. With those thoughts in mind, Shen Luo stood up, stretched out his arms, and stepped into the brook. He sat cross-legged where the water was shallow, allowing it to rise to his chest, stopping just below his neck. He then closed his eyes in concentration, recounting the cultivation mantra of the first level of the Nameless Technique. Once he confirmed he got it right, he started breathing in and out as instructed by the technique. Unlike the Small Transformation Yang Skill, this Nameless Method put more emphasis on connecting with the Heaven and Earth. As he breathed in and out, he was also concentrating on sensing the world around him. It took Shen Luo some time to adjust initially, stumbling through the first breathing exercises, but he gradually got the hang of it. The Yang Gang power in his Dantian began to slowly circulate within his body under the guidance of his technique. After one circulation cycle, it returned to his Dantian, feeling slightly warm. At the same time, threads of cold breath penetrated his body from the surrounding water, accumulating in his limbs without spreading to his chest and abdomen. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, this cold breath was none other than the Water Spirit Qi. Shen Luo continued to operate the Nameless Technique, over and over again. He quickly completed thirty-six circulation cycles. With every cycle, the Yang Gang Qi in his Dantian became hotter, and after thirty-six cycles, his Dantian felt as if there was a raging fire burning within. Under the surge of the Water Spirit Qi, his limbs became remarkably cold as if they were frozen in a block of ice, on the verge of losing consciousness. Such alternation of cold and hot put Shen Luo in a state of agony, as if he were caught between ice and fire. However, with immense determination, he clenched his teeth and endured. To step into the Qi Refining Stage, transforming from a mortal to a real monk, the most crucial step is to understand the Dao. In other words, only after understanding the Dao can one truly embark on the path of immortality. According to Bai Xiaotian, every cultivation technique has its own method to understand the Dao. The method cited in the Nameless Law Formula is to mobilize the foundational Yang Gang Qi, while simultaneously drawing the Water Spirit Qi into the body, allowing the technique to circulate through the thirty-six celestial circuits, putting oneself in a state of balance between water and fire. In this state, if one can continuously try and perceive, successfully guiding the harmonization of both Qi, reaching a subtle cycle of Yin and Yang, it can help the physical body integrate into Heaven and Earth, enabling the spirit to concentrate highly. Through this transformational opportunity, one can understand the Dao. The so-called perception is somewhat elusive, like flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water ¨C visible but not necessarily tangible. Even the feelings of individuals may vary. Still, constant attempts can increase the possibility of success, though some people, limited by their qualifications or understanding, may not be able to touch that key point even after lifelong diligent practice. Shen Luo silently recited the method recorded in the Nameless Law Formula whilst mobilizing the Yang Gang Qi in his Dantian and the stored Water Spirit Qi in his limbs. The cold and hot Qi intertwined and collided within his body, causing his complexion to fluctuate between pale and flushed. This confrontation between cold and heat persisted for only a moment. The chilly Water Spirit Qi was significantly weaker than the Yang Gang Qi. It began to dissipate quickly, culminating in a rapid collapse. Shen Luo sighed inwardly, knowing he had failed. It seemed that like the Small Transformation Yang Skill, this Nameless Law Formula was not easy to cultivate, or perhaps his talents were simply not up to par. But it was only his first attempt, aimed merely at experiencing the cultivation of the Nameless Law Formula, thus he had not held high expectations to begin with. Consequently, he could not say he was disappointed at this failure. But at that moment, a sudden, unexpected change occurred. Shen Luo felt a slight chill sweeping over his right shoulder, a giant surge of cold qi rushing into his body. His body tensed up, his skin once again coated with a layer of fine white frost, which quickly spread to cover his entire body in the blink of an eye. Just like before, this aura of coldness had no effect on the surroundings. The water in the brook continued to river along, its temperature unchanged. As soon as this cold Qi entered Shen Luo¡¯s body, it immediately rushed towards the Yang Gang Qi in his Dantian, and the two violently collided. Boom! A muffled noise resounded within his body, causing his internal organs to tremble. Pain pierced through Shen Luo¡¯s meridians, leaving him unable to move or even exert control over these two conflicting forces. He could only let them rampage inside his body. However, these two powerful energies didn¡¯t conflict for long. They soon intertwined, transitioning from clashing against each other to harmoniously blending together. In that moment, Shen Luo felt as though he had pushed open a mysterious Big Gate. A profound sense of exhilaration rose within him, allowing his mind to bask in its delight. At this time, he could feel the Water Spirit Qi continuously entering his body from his limbs, and the Yang Gang Qi from his Dantian intertwining with it. This process occurred naturally and didn¡¯t require his intervention. It was as if all of this was meant to be. Chapter 66 - Chapter 66: Chapter 65: The Universal Law Chapter 66: Chapter 65: The Universal Law Shen Luo had no idea how long it had been before his consciousness gradually recovered. He opened his eyes and found that his body from the neck down was still immersed in the brook. He was startled at first, then bewildered. Despite that it was already summer, the brook¡¯s water was still chilly and piercing in the early morning. If one were to soak in it all night, even a strong and hardy person would freeze, let alone himself in his current physical state. But why couldn¡¯t he feel the chilliness of the brook¡¯s water at all, but instead, found it rather comfortable to be immersed in it? Shen Luo, slightly confused, slowly stood up from the water. At this moment, the sky was already bright, with the morning sun casting golden brilliance onto everything. But in his eyes, the world at this moment seemed utterly different from before, as if it was brighter and clearer than it had ever been. Shen Luo as if realized something, glanced around, and was pleasantly surprised to find that his eyesight seemed to have improved tremendously! He could easily see every vein in the leaves on trees dozens of feet away, and even ants scurrying up and down the trunk, and insects hiding in thick leaves, inching their bodies forward ¡ª none of them escaped his sight. He composed himself and looked off into the distance. He could clearly see the town several miles away, the winding blue stone road, houses on either side, some of the early morning vendors starting to set out their wares, and children playing in front of their homes¡­ Not only this, his ears also became incredibly sharp: the sounds of insects and birds around him ¡ª of course, but he could also hear many strange sounds, such as a mouse rustling in a not-so-distant field, two butterflies flapping their wings among the flowers on the brook¡¯s bank, a crab digging soil in a cave nearby, puffing bubbles with popping sounds from its mouth¡­ His sense of smell also improved significantly: the smell of the soil, the fragrance of flowers and grass, the smell of rotting leaves, and around 20 to 30 other various kinds of smells rushed up his nostrils all at once. ¡°What is this revolting smell?¡± Shen Luo muttered, covering his nose with his hand. Just now, he had smelled a strong stench up his nose, as if it was right under his nose. He hadn¡¯t noticed it before. As a result, when he touched it, he felt something slippery. He looked at it closely and found some black stuff, seemingly like a mud stain. This previous stench exactly came from this. Shen Luo quickly wiped his face and found a layer of black mud on his entire face and neck. He had to wash it off with the water from the brook. After washing off the stuff from his face, Shen Luo felt refreshed and was overjoyed. The capabilities of his five senses have changed beyond recognition. This feeling far exceeded his expectations after reaching perfection in Small Transformation Yang Skill. It was a qualitative leap! At this point, he vividly remembered the events of last night. He seemed to have been trying to cultivate the technique recorded in the Nameless Heavenly Book, and later he lost consciousness all of a sudden. ¡°It seems that I only followed the steps described in it and practiced the circulation of Qi for 36 times, could this technique be so magical that just practicing it for the first time could greatly enhance the five senses? Regardless, it¡¯s not a bad thing,¡± he thought. Shen Luo took a deep breath to calm his emotions, and then stepped out of the brook towards the bank. However, halfway there, he suddenly stopped, with his right foot hovering in mid-air. He paused there without moving. Just now, he found that in addition to his improved senses, he also had an added mysterious sensation, seemingly able to perceive an elusive thing that he had never noticed before. This elusive thing exists in the surrounding air, Earth, flowing water, grass, wood, and all the things between Heaven and Earth, in various amounts and forms¡­ Even in his own body, it exists in his Dantian. Shen Luo dared not move rashly, for fear of disturbing this mysterious sensation. He slowly closed his eyes, calmly sensing this ¡°elusive thing¡± in his Dantian. It seemed to be a thread of faint cold air flow circulating in the Dantian, emitting a faint fluctuation, and the original abundant Yang Gang power retreated as soon as it made contact with the air flow. ¡°This¡­ this is Dao¡¯s seed! I¡¯ve channeled it!¡± Shen Luo opened his eyes, his right foot stomped in the water violently, splashing a huge amount of water. The fluctuation emitted by the cold air flow, as well as the white aura inside the Yuan Stone, and the aura fluctuations emitted by Yu Yan and other Immortal Masters were very similar; it could be confirmed as Mana. Ever since he encountered cultivation, and knew that mana and God¡¯s Power truly existed in this world, he had always been longing to take this step and reach this realm. However, this step is almost unreachable for most people, and for him, it is a delusion. Perhaps it was the pressure of nearing the end of his lifespan, or the persistence to the slightest hope in his heart. He didn¡¯t give up and paid a lot for it. But what he least expected was that he would reap the rewards so quickly! He had channelled Dao seed in a daze, developed Mana, and truly stepped into the world of cultivation! Shen Luo¡¯s hands unconsciously clenched his fists, his nails piercing deep into his flesh, yet he didn¡¯t feel it at all. After a good while, he forced himself to calm down and reminisced the whole affair, suddenly feeling something was not quite right. According to what Sky had told him, channelling Dao seed was an important checkpoint on the road to Cultivating Immortality and was extremely hard to breakthrough. Many talented people had reached perfection in their foundational cultivation technique and relied on elixirs and miraculous medicine to help, but they were still unable to take this step. There were quite a few such examples in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. It took him two long years to learn the Hua Yang Technique, and his spirit root could not be considered good. He even made the worst plan to invest the remaining few years fully to hope for a breakthrough in this checkpoint. However, he channelled Dao seed during the first attempt of Nameless Cultivation Technique last night, which seemed unthinkable. Even if this cultivation technique was more sophisticated than the Pure Yang Sword Technique of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and had a more significant effect on channeling Dao seed, he should not have been able to breakthrough so easily. It was as if he was getting assistance from Heaven! ¡°Heaven¡¯s help¡­¡± Thinking of this, Shen Luo suddenly recalled the cold stream that suddenly appeared last night. At that time, the Water Spirit Qi he had absorbed from the brook had already dissipated, and it seemed to be the sudden appearance of this cold stream that led him into a state of trance. ¡°I remember that the cold stream seemed to come from my right shoulder. Could it have something to do with this?¡± Shen Luo was mulling over this, his glance subconsciously fell on the Skull Tattoo on his right shoulder. The tattoo still looked lifelike, with no changes from before. For some reason, the tattoo pattern that initially seemed creepy now looked more pleasing to his eyes. ¡°Perhaps, this is what is meant by ¡®fate and fortune,¡¯!¡± Shen Luo scratched his head subconsciously and thought to himself. Chapter 67 - Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Walking on Water Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Walking on Water Shen Luo looked around, moved his body, and hid himself in a lush water plant nearby, then sat down cross-legged again. He had just embarked on his path to cultivation, understood the Dao seed, and he was eager to continue cultivating. He would try to complete the First Level Technique as quickly as possible to see what made him different from ordinary people. It was daytime, and although the brook was not far from the small town, he wasn¡¯t worried about someone coming. With his current spiritual senses, he would be aware of anyone entering within three miles of him. Shen Luo closed his eyes and repeated the formula of the first layer of the Nameless Cultivation Technique in his mind. The cultivation method of the Nameless Heavenly Book was different from foundational techniques like the Small Transformation Yang Skill, focusing largely on internal practice. Men nourish Yang Gang Qi, and women nourish the Yin Qi within their bodies. The Nameless Heavenly Book combined internal practice with drawing spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth into one¡¯s body, supplemented by Yang Gang Qi or Yin Qi, refining them into one¡¯s own mana, and then storing them in the Dantian. After a short time, he murmured softly and slowly opened his eyes. Just as he had begun to circulate his Qi for the first time, pushing the Yang Gang Qi down to the Dantian and then directly to the bottom of his feet, he noticed something odd. The faint trace of mana in his Dantian was moving with his Yang Gang Qi down the Yin Qiao Mai to his feet, creating a tingly sensation in them. The entire process was completed smoothly, without the slightest delay. ¡°Strange, why is this happening?¡± Shen Luo mumbled, somewhat puzzled. After a brief thought, he turned his mind and the trace of mana flowed back up from his feet to his Dantian. The numbness in his feet disappeared simultaneously. As he continued to circulate the Qi and brought the Yang Gang Qi to his Yutang Acupoint in his chest, he noticed that his mana was moving up, along the Hand Three Yin meridians to the palms of his hands, and then returned to his Dantian as his mind moved. ¡°The Qi is flowing through the limbs and back to the Dantian¡­This is the accomplishment of the Qi flowing through the limbs and back to the Dantian! The Five Senses Connected and Cleansing Essence and Cutting Marrow, doesn¡¯t this mean¡­the Nameless Cultivation Technique First Layer is complete? How is that possible?¡± Shen Luo suddenly realized something and his eyes widened in surprise. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, the first layer of the technique served as the foundation of the entire method and was crucial. After understanding the Dao seed, one needed to continually cultivate it, building mana bit by bit, trying to deliver the mana through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians to the limbs, the so-called ¡®Flow Qi through limbs¡¯, in order to complete it. If one could achieve this, he could use his own mana to trigger talismans and even drive magical instruments, without needing to rely on Yuan Stones anymore. However, this was no easy task and couldn¡¯t be done overnight. He had managed to achieve it comfortably and effortlessly, which was a far cry from the difficulties described in the book. Thinking this, he was slightly unsure and made another attempt. He found that his mana indeed freely moved between his limbs and Dantian as he cultivated the technique. Shen Luo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his face showed a pondering expression. ¡°The Qi is indeed flowing through the limbs and back to the Dantian, and the Five Senses have indeed undergone a drastic transformation. As for Cleansing Essence and Cutting Marrow, could it be¡­¡± Suddenly, he remembered the dirt on his face and neck when he woke up. Wasn¡¯t this the impurity expelled from his body after Cleansing Essence and Cutting Marrow as mentioned in the book? As for the impurities expelled from his body, most of them had probably been washed away while he was soaked in the river water. ¡°How unexpected, I¡¯ve actually completed the first stage of the Nameless Cultivation Technique!¡± Shen Luo realized the crux of the matter, couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud, yet he managed to hold back. ¡°Now that it¡¯s so, I can try this¡­¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, stood up from the brook, his hands clasped in front of him, each making a magic spell, while uttering incantations. The Mana at his Dantian once again flowed through both his legs and directly to his feet. After a short time, a soft blue glow appeared on the soles of his feet, and unprovoked ripples about the size of palms emerged in the brook near his feet. An unimaginable scene occurred! As these two ripples slowly rotated, they created an upward force that lifted him from the water through his feet, making him float above the water surface. Shen Luo clearly didn¡¯t expect this to happen, and he nearly toppled backward, waving his arms for stability. Although he broke out into cold sweat, his face showed a look of surprise and joy. Shen Luo slowly lifted his right leg, and as soon as his foot left the water surface, the ripple beneath it disappeared, but the faint blue glow on the sole of his foot remained. After gathering his focus, he cautiously stepped about half a foot distance and slowly lowered his leg. As a result, the palm-sized ripple surfaced and supported his foot as soon as it touched the water surface. Seeing this, a deeper joy spread across Shen Luo¡¯s face, steadily stepping forward on the water¡¯s surface, just as if it was flat ground. ¡°It actually worked!¡± Overjoyed, Shen Luo quickened his pace, only for the ripples under his feet to disappear due to a slight delay in the flow of his Mana, causing him to fall with a splash into the water. Seconds later, he regained his balance after gulping down a few mouthfuls of water. Although he was coughing uncontrollably, his eyes revealed excitement. Among the cultivation skills recorded in the Nameless Heavenly Book, there were some magic spells. What Shen Luo just tried was the ¡°Water-Stepping Art¡±, a spell attached to the First Level Technique. The so-called Water-Stepping Art, as its name suggests, is a spell that allows one to walk on water as if it were a road. Although it is not a powerful divine ability, it is very practical. Moreover, once one practices to the fourth level and enters the Grain Avoidance Stage, the ¡°Water Repelling Technique¡± can be learned, allowing one to breathe freely under water, free from the harm of water disasters. Upon reaching the seventh level and entering the Soul Condensation Stage, one can achieve the ¡°Water-splitting Technique.¡± Unlike the Water-Stepping Art and Water Repelling Technique, the Water-splitting Technique is a true divine technique. According to the method, as long as one¡¯s Mana is sufficient, one could let rivers and lakes split and stop flowing with a wave of hand or foot. In addition to these spells, the book also comes with a Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits, which can command a variety of aquatic clan demons. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, this Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits is the most powerful means of the entire set of magical tactics. Also, it doesn¡¯t require as strict a realm as the Water Repelling Technique and Water-splitting Technique, and can even be practiced when Mana is low. Of course, with low Mana strength, one can only control weaker members of the aquatic clan, but as the practice of skills progresses, stronger aquatic clan demons can be gradually controlled. However, the book does not clearly record which aquatic clan demons can be controlled. It may be recorded somewhere in the latter half of the book. This technique is significantly more complex than the Water-Stepping Art. Shen Luo initially scanned the related verse in haste but found it profound and had not had time to comprehend it, let alone put it into practice. In fact, not only the technique of taming beasts but also this Water-Stepping Art is quite an advanced technique. According to the heavenly book, even people with good aptitude and high comprehension need a substantial amount of time and repetitive attempts to succeed. His unprepared trial succeeded easily, it was indeed somewhat unexpected. Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Someone Had Been Here Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Someone Had Been Here ¡°Could it be because of this again?¡± After the excitement, Shen Luo gradually calmed down, glanced at the skull tattoo, and muttered to himself in his heart. The continuous surprises made him worry a little. Even the Small Transformation Yang Technique took him two full years to just enter, but within a day, his Small Transformation Yang Technique had become perfected. The Nameless Cultivation Technique also advanced to its first level, and even the ¡°Water-walking Decision¡± almost came naturally¡­ There¡¯s no smoke without fire! His early life experiences taught him that there is a cause for every effect. If it weren¡¯t for his medical knowledge gained from long bouts of illness, and the various spiritual medicines he concocted like the ¡°Golden Fragrant Jade¡±, would the Shen family have risen in fame in just a few years? These things happening to him are both a blessing and a curse, making it tricky to determine which right now. But in the short term, this good fortune was incredibly beneficial to him. Now that his mission was accomplished, it seemed he should return. Shen Luo was silently thinking, heading back to the shore, putting his clothes back on, and soon found himself on the official road outside the town. The hot sun was overhead at midday, and the official road was scarcely populated. Shen Luo, under his subconscious, gently sniffed. Various smells were leaving traces, they emanated from the people passing by. He suddenly discovered an interesting thing ¨C by smelling these odours, he could determine how many people had recently passed by, and even guess what they were doing. For example, this smell was mixed with bean scent, likely a soy milk and tofu seller. That one was full of sweat, probably a hard labourer who had just returned from the county. Oh, this other scent, it should be a person selling night-blooming incense¡­ Shen Luo chuckled inside, finding that his enhanced sense of smell had an unexpected benefit, something he had never considered before. Entering the town, Shen Luo headed towards the inn. With nothing else to do, he slightly pricked up his ears to test his hearing. Suddenly, sounds from far and near came clearly. There was the voice of a woman haggling with a vendor, the whispers of two old men gossiping at a corner, and even the clear shouting of a waiter from a restaurant not far away. Shen Luo smiled slightly, closed his eyes, and tried to hear more distant sounds. The sizzling sound of cooking from the kitchen of a nearby large inn, the sound of someone snoring in a room on the second floor, and from even further away, there was¡­ About a teacup¡¯s time later, Shen Luo slowly walked back to the small inn he was renting. Dining time in the inn, the lobby was packed. Even in this secluded little inn at the time, there were four or five tables of customers. ¡°Master Shen, you had gone out. No wonder no one answered when I knocked a few times,¡± Xiao San, busy greeting customers at the lobby, quickly came forward when he saw Shen Luo coming back. ¡°Bring me a meal in my room. No chicken or duck, no greasy trotters, just something light.¡± Shen Luo gave a noncommittal nod, gave a casual order, and turned to return to his room. But after taking a few steps, he turned back to Xiao San, beckoned him over. When he got close, Shen Luo lowered his voice and said, ¡°Also get me some talisman paper, cinnabar, black dog blood, and a set of ink, brush, paper and inkstone, and send them to my room.¡± Without revealing any emotions, he slipped a piece of crushed silver into Xiao San¡¯s hand and then left the lobby quickly. Xiao San looked at Shen Luo¡¯s hastily departing figure, feeling a bit strange. Still, he didn¡¯t dig deeper and happily pocketed the silver and headed towards the kitchen. ¡°Eh, how did Master Shen know about the trotters being served for lunch at the kitchen?¡± After walking a few steps, he suddenly exclaimed and mumbled to himself. Numerous tables at the lobby were filled with chicken and duck dishes, but no one had ordered trotters. ¡­ Shen Luo arrived back in his room, about to pack his things, sniffed, and his eyes narrowed. There was an additional smell in the room. Judging from the spread of the scent, the person had recently left. The owner of this smell was none other than Mr. Hou, the innkeeper ¨C not a stranger to him. ¡°What was he doing in my room?¡± Shen Luo wondered, then closed his eyes and tried to discern the person¡¯s movements in his room by the intensity of the smell. Gradually, a vague image appeared in his mind. A figure entered the room from the door, took a walk around without doing anything, and then left. ¡°He came in, took a look around, and left. It doesn¡¯t seem like he was looking for something. Could he have come to check on me out of concern?¡± Shen Luo opened his eyes, perplexed. At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears, which quickly arrived at the door. Then, the sound of knocking followed. ¡°The door¡¯s unlocked; please come in,¡± said Shen Luo, his nose wrinkling as he spoke. The door was pushed open with a ¡°squeak¡±, and in stepped a figure, carrying a large wooden plate. One side was piled with a meal, while the other side was stacked with a brush, talisman paper, cinnabar, and other items. The person was not Xiao San, it was Mr. Hou, the innkeeper. Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Manager Hous Request Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Manager Hou¡¯s Request ¡°Hehe, Xiao San is currently busy in the main hall, so I brought these over for him.¡± Manager Hou exclaimed with a friendly smile. ¡°Oh, thanks for the trouble, Manager Hou.¡± Shen Luo did not feel surprised by Manager Hou¡¯s appearance, just as he reached out to take the wooden plate, he was prevented by Manager Hou. ¡°Master Shen is a distinguished guest, how can we let you do this yourself.¡± Manager Hou said, positioning the food on the table neatly, then stood aside, waiting to collect the bowl. Shen Luo was already hungry, so he didn¡¯t bother going through the formalities, quickly finishing the food. After wiping his face, he picked up the yellow paper, cinnabar, dog blood, and other things from the wooden plate. After giving them a quick glance, he noticed many things he hadn¡¯t recognized before. The crimson cinnabar contained traces of fiery Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi, the black dog¡¯s blood bore a type of positive energy similar to Yang Gang Qi, and though the talisman paper didn¡¯t contain similar vital energy, it gave a sense of being rich in substance, unlike ordinary paper. Although the spiritual Qi contained within the cinnabar was extremely weak, the Yang Qi in the black dog blood was also quite thin, the quality of the talisman paper was not high, there were quite a few broken points on the surface. These materials can barely be used to make low-level talismans like Small Thunder Talisman. If they are to be used to create more advanced talismans in the future, I¡¯m afraid it would be somewhat difficult. ¡°These materials are all used for talisman inscription by the Taoist priests. Master, could it be that you are proficient in this Dao?¡± After putting away the bowls and chopsticks, Manager Hou asked tentatively without leaving. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to say proficient, I know a bit or two.¡± Shen Luo put down a box of cinnabar in his hand, responding casually. ¡°Master can draw talismans? I have a parchment here. Could Master help me draw it? I am willing to thank you with a heavy reward,¡± said Mr. Hou, his face lighting up, immediately pleaded. ¡°Manager Hou, did you come to my room not long ago for this reason?¡± Shen Luo looked at Manager Hou, asking with a half-smiling expression. ¡°You¡­.how did you¡­¡± Manager Hou¡¯s face turned red, he stammered in response. Intruding into a guest¡¯s room without permission far surpasses theft. If this were to get out, the reputation of his inn would be ruined. With this thought in mind, Manager Hou¡¯s face turned pale again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Manager. I won¡¯t spread this around. Now, about my previous question, could you please answer it honestly?¡± Shen Luo, upon seeing Manager Hou¡¯s flustered state, chuckled. ¡°Thank you for being generous, Master Shen. My previous actions were presumptuous. However, when I came to your room, I had no other intentions. It was only because Xiao San said that you hadn¡¯t shown up all day, that I was somewhat concerned. I impulsively entered your room. Please forgive me,¡± said Manager Hou, relieved, he bowed and hastily explained. Shen Luo saw that his tone didn¡¯t seem false, so he nodded his head: ¡°Manager, you have saved me before. So, if it¡¯s within my means, I¡¯ll do my best to help. However, I should say that I don¡¯t have a deep understanding of the Dao of Talisman Inscription. If it¡¯s too intricate, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to help.¡± Upon hearing these words, Manager Hou hurriedly took out a palm-sized brocade bag from his jacket. Upon opening it, it was a yellowed parchment, neatly folded. ¡°Please take a look, Master.¡± Manager Hou unfolded the parchment and laid it out in front of Shen Luo. Shen Luo looked up and saw the parchment with jagged edges, like it was torn from a book. There was a drawn talisman on it. Judging from the runes on it, it seemed more challenging than the Small Thunder Talisman. This moved his heart, but when he saw the line of small characters under the talisman reading ¡°Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman¡±, he couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. The reason he agreed to help draw the talisman was not only to repay the favor of being saved, but also to see what talisman the other party wanted him to draw. ¡°Master Shen, is there a problem with this talisman?¡±, seeing the change in Shen Luo¡¯s expression, Manager Hou asked cautiously. ¡°No problem.¡± Shen Luo waved his hand, his expression returned to normal. Manager Hou was just an ordinary man, what he wants and hopes for are naturally peace, house-protection, wealth attraction etc, which naturally is different from what he aspires to, this can¡¯t be helped. Shen Luo continued to examine this talisman drawn on the paper, soon, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. Wishful Talismans, House-Protection Talismans, Wealth-Attracting Talismans etc are the most common talismans. He had read countless books looking for clues to the Dao of Immortality. Many books contained traces of talismans, just for the Wealth-Attracting talisman alone, he had seen at least ten different versions. It was hard to tell the real from the fake, but none of those Wealth-Attracting talismans were as complex as this one in front of him. Moreover, the runes on this Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman were numerous and complicated, but they seemed to implicitly conform to certain principles, giving the impression that it wasn¡¯t a randomly fabricated fake talisman. Seeing Shen Luo staring silently at the talisman for a long time, the old man, Manager Hou, did not dare to interrupt him and could only wait quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of Wealth-Attracting Talismans, but this Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman of yours, Manager Hou, is ten times more complicated than an ordinary Wealth-Attracting Talisman. I have no confidence, I can only try my best.¡± After a while, Shen Luo finally turned his gaze away and said. ¡°No trouble, no trouble. Master, please try. If these talismans and cinnabar are not enough, I will go fetch more.¡± Manager Hou quickly said. Shen Luo grunted in affirmation and started to prepare. Soon he had prepared the Talisman Ink, then he picked up a talisman paper and spread it on the table, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink. He didn¡¯t start drawing the talisman right away. With his eyes closed, he carefully recalled the method of drawing the Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman twice before he was sure that there were no mistakes. Then he lowered his pen to the green talisman paper and started drawing. One by one, patterns quickly spread on the talisman paper, making the sound of a spring silkworm spinning silk. Now that he was more aware of vitality and spirit, drawing talismans no longer felt as puzzling as before. As the pen moved, the vital energy in the talisman ink was being fused with the talisman paper beneath it under his mental energy. He faintly felt that the vital energy in the talisman ink, coupled with these mysterious runes, seemed to summon some kind of power. This undoubtedly involves many laws and some secrets of the world¡­ Manager Hou stood aside, watching the bright red runes spreading on the talisman paper, a complex and mysterious rune pattern gradually being perfected, He couldn¡¯t help but rub his hands together, his face full of anticipation. What he didn¡¯t know was that the complexity of this Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman greatly exceeded Shen Luo¡¯s imagination, and so far, he has only completed nearly seventy percent of it. The expression on Shen Luo¡¯s face gradually revealed signs of fatigue, and his breath became somewhat rushed. Drawing talismans consumes a certain amount of mental energy, the talismans he previously drew, like Small Thunder Talisman and exorcism charms, their runes are not as complicated as the Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman, hence the effect was not as pronounced. Fortunately, he is now a Qi Refining Cultivator. If he were in the past, he might not even be able to persist. After about half an incense stick¡¯s time, Shen Luo drew a plump semi-circle on the paper with his wrist, then turned his fingers, and the tip of the pen drew the last stroke. It was only after lifting the pen that he let out a long breath. Manager Hou¡¯s face lit up, he was about to speak, but he saw Shen Luo closing his eyes, sitting cross-legged in place, and immediately swallowed his words. Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Triumphant in the Spring Wind Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Triumphant in the Spring Wind Shen Luo¡¯s current state was not good, he felt like his body had been drained dry, especially his mind, with his mental strength nearly depleted, indescribably uncomfortable. After breaking through to the Qi Refining Stage, his inner vitality was abundant, it could be said that he no longer had the lifespan constraints as before, but his mental strength didn¡¯t increase by much. Shen Luo silently circulated the Small Transformation Yang Skill, to accelerate the recovery of his mental strength by catalyzing the Yang Gang Qi. After a short while, his face showed a red glow, his whole body was radiating heat as though he was a furnace. Manager Hou standing beside him, felt a wave of warmth transmitting towards him, his whole body felt as warm as basking in the sun. His fatigue seemed to fade swiftly. A look of awe appeared on his face instantly: ¡°Immortal skill, Master Shen is indeed a cultivator!¡± A few nights ago, he accidentally noticed Shen Luo activating a talisman in the backyard, he speculated that the other party might be a legendary cultivator. Thus, he thought of asking him to inscribe talismans. What he has observed now indeed confirmed his speculation, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit excited. Manager Hou cast a glance at the talisman on the table, feeling an eagerness to pick it up and take a look immediately. However, without Shen Luo¡¯s permission, he didn¡¯t dare to touch the table, he was left standing silently, not even daring to breathe heavily. A quarter of an hour passed, the red light on Shen Luo¡¯s face fluctuated and retreated into his body. He slowly opened his eyes, though his complexion was still somewhat pale, it was much better than previously. He got up and picked up the talisman from the table, examined it with care for a while, and nodded slightly. No matter whether this so-called Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman was effective or not, it was still the first talisman that he drew after entering the Qi Refining Stage, also the one he considered to be the most perfect talisman he had drawn thus far. ¡°I have done my best. This Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman is a Town Talisman, its talismanic power is profound I can¡¯t judge whether I have succeeded in inscribing it.¡± Shen Luo handed the talisman in his hand to Mr. Hou. ¡°There¡¯s no way that the talisman you drew could fail. I hereby express my gratitude!¡± Manager Hou was very confident in Shen Luo. He took the talisman and carefully studied it with growing joy upon his face. He took out a fine sandalwood box from his chest and carefully placed the Fortune and Treasure Attracting Talisman inside of it. Next, he took out another wooden box, opened it and placed it onto the table, inside of it were two large silver ingots, sparkling and shining brightly, at least a hundred taels. ¡°Our business has not been doing well recently, I really cannot offer more. Here are one hundred taels of patterned silver as a token of my respect, I hope you¡¯ll accept it, Master Shen.¡± Mr. Hou said with a bow. ¡°Gold and silver are not what I desire, Manager Hou, you need not overspend. I¡¯ve already stated before that this talisman is meant as repayment for your kindness.¡± said Shen Luo, waving his hand. ¡°That won¡¯t do. You, sir, being a guest of our establishment, it was only right that you called a doctor for me. Now, you have even put in tremendous efforts to draw a talisman for me, how could I possibly not repay you?¡± caeed Manager Hou, looking anxious. ¡°How about this, wait until you really become rich in the future, then I¡¯ll ask you for some rewards.¡± Shen Luo smiled and said. Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s firm attitude, Manager Hou had no choice but to take back the silver. He knew Shen Luo still had things to do, he didn¡¯t dare to delay him any further, so after thanking him profusely, he took his leave. Shen Luo sat by the table for a while, then picked up a piece of talisman paper and began to draw a new talisman, this time, he was inscribing a Small Thunder Talisman. He was already well-practiced at this talisman, but its success rate remained low. Even after advancing to the Qi Refining Stage, he could only succeed once in five or six attempts. A moment later, Shen Luo picked up a successfully drawn Small Thunder Talisman and examined it for a while. He held it in his hand, quietly channeling his internal mana, guiding a strand of mana to his palm, and then infusing it into the talisman. The runes on the surface of the Small Thunder Talisman immediately radiated a faint white light. Feeling delighted at heart, Shen Luo quickly cut off the supply of mana, lest the talisman was truly activated. The room of the inn wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the power of a thunderbolt. The light from the runes on the Small Thunder Talisman gradually dimmed, and soon returned to its original state. ¡°After cultivating mana, one doesn¡¯t need to use the Yuan Stone to activate the talisman as before!¡± Previously, Shen Luo had asked Xiao San to bring items such as talisman paper and cinnabar, in order to confirm his suspicions. As expected, everything turned out as he had anticipated. After putting away the small thunder talisman, he picked up a pen and wrote another letter to his father, informing him that he no longer needed to worry about his short life expectancy, so as to ease his mind. Of course, he did not mention in the letter that he was now a Qi Refining Cultivator. He only stated that he had successfully practiced the Small Transformation Yang Skill at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion and was able to resolve his lifespan issue with the gracious gifting of a miraculous medicine by the Pavilion Master. As for the matter concerning the Nameless Heavenly Book, he did not mention a single word to avoid any possible leaks. After putting away the letter to his family, Shen Luo gathered his travel gear and the stone box, left his room and headed for the inn¡¯s lobby. By this time it was past lunchtime, and there were hardly any customers in the main hall. Several attendants were listlessly standing or sitting around, and Xiao San was even taking a nap on one of the tables. ¡°Master Shen, are you leaving?¡± Manager Hou, who was busily counting on an abacus behind the counter, saw Shen Luo carrying his bundle and hurried forward. ¡°Thank you for your care these past few days, Manager Hou.¡± Shen Luo took out the room charges and placed them on the counter. ¡°Master Shen has done so much for me. How can I still accept your money, my conscience wouldn¡¯t allow me.¡± Manager Hou¡¯s face turned red as he took the money and forced it back into Shen Luo¡¯s hands. Seeing his resolute attitude, Shen Luo did not insist. Manager Hou personally led Shen Luo¡¯s black horse out the door, repeatedly urging him to visit the town again when he had the chance, before letting him leave. Shen Luo first went to the post station in town to have his letter sent home, and then he left town riding his horse. The area around Song Fan County Town was flat, and the fields near the official road were lush with green grass. As the wind swept through, the grass rippled like waves, giving one a sense of openness. Gazing at the scenery before him, Shen Luo¡¯s spirits lifted and he urged his horse to charge towards the direction of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. This journey could indeed be said as a fulfillment of his wishes, not only had he removed a huge burden from his mind, stepped into the Qi Refining Stage and found a new direction, he felt extremely exhilarated ¨C the wind whistling past his ears and the scenery swiftly retreating by his sides. As the saying goes, when the spring breeze is successful, the horse hooves are swift ¨C how apt indeed. Two hours later. On a small country road in Song Fan County, Shen Luo was riding his horse at a moderate pace, occasionally looking around as if to survey the road conditions. Since he was unfamiliar with the roads within Song Fan County, he had impetuously galloped at full speed for a while and unfortunately lost his way. This place was very desolate and he had been driving his horse down the road for half an hour, but he hadn¡¯t encountered a single soul, making it impossible for him to ask for directions. Now, the sky was dark and the wilderness was spread out before him, with not a single light visible. All he could hear was the howling wind, reminiscent of ghostly wails, rather unsettling. Had it been a more timid person here, they would likely be scared witless. But now that Shen Luo had achieved some success in his cultivation, he wasn¡¯t bothered. After traveling another seven or eight miles, the sound of rushing water could be heard from the front. Shen Luo urged his horse to follow the noise, and a moment later, a wide river came into view. It was three times the width of the Luan Shui River, its roaring waves and surges also surpassed the latter. ¡°Eh, what river is this? Could it be that I took the wrong direction?¡± Shen Luo furrowed his brows. Despite him recalling the map of the Song Fan County he had previously seen, he could not remember the name of the river before him, which made him feel somewhat troubled. If he were alone at this time and with the Water-Stepping Art, he could attempt to cross even a wide river. But he also had his horse. He didn¡¯t think he had the skills to take a horse across with him. If he discarded the horse and crossed the river, he wasn¡¯t sure where the road would lead. In case he had taken the wrong path, it would not be viable for him to be trudging along in the wilderness, right? (Dear Daoist friends, please support me by voting and recommending ^^) Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: Chapter 70: Discussion About Demons Chapter 71: Chapter 70: Discussion About Demons ¡°First, let¡¯s look around for any bridges or other paths nearby.¡± Muttering to himself, Shen Luo dismounted from the black horse, tethering it to a tree at the riverside. He then walked forward, surveying the surroundings along the riverbank. At this moment, the moon was high in the sky, casting down a silver radiance. Combined with his now greatly enhanced vision, Shen Luo could see as clearly as if it were daylight. However, the winding and twisting river was lined with lush trees that hindered his line of sight, preventing him from seeing too far ahead. Shen Luo deliberated for a moment, deciding to go to the open-view center of the river. He subsequently channeled the Water-Stepping Art inwardly as a layer of blue light began to form under his feet, allowing him to tread upon the water¡¯s surface. Two whirlpools of water appeared beneath his feet, supporting his weight. His last use of the Water-Stepping Art had been on the calm surface of a brook, but this time he was faced with a turbulent river. Dark eddies nearby made it even more difficult to perform his beginner level Water-Stepping Art. His body started to sway left and right with the waves, looking as though he¡¯d fall into the river at any moment. He hurriedly infused his feet with a continuous stream of mana to maintain the Water-Stepping Art. Simultaneously, he outspread his hands to adjust his body posture and balance against the river¡¯s current. As he progressively adapted to the river¡¯s flow, his body gradually became steadier. ¡°It seems that practicing the Water-Stepping Art on various rivers is necessary ¨C particularly learning how to maintain balance in various complex water conditions. Then it will be truly useful when I need it.¡± With a sigh of relief, Shen Luo steadied his mind and continued stepping towards the center of the river. ¡°What a marvelous Water Manipulation Technique!¡± Just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out from the distance. Although the sound wasn¡¯t loud, it managed to overpower the roaring of the waves, sounding as if it was right next to Shen Luo¡¯s ear. Shen Luo, who had been focusing entirely on executing the Water-Stepping Art, was shocked by the sudden voice, disrupting his concentration. His mana flow stagnated slightly, the blue glow at his feet dissipated instantly, and with a ¡°plop¡±, he dropped into the river. Shen Luo thrashed about in the water, hastily forming a magic spell with both hands. The surrounding river water stirred into a spiral whirlpool around him, and a buoyant force propelled him from beneath his feet, raising him back to the surface. Completely drenched, he looked towards the riverside where he¡¯d left his horse. A tall young man had appeared near the tree where he¡¯d tethered his horse. He didn¡¯t know when the man had arrived. Under the moonlight, the young man¡¯s distinguished face was clearly visible. His sword-like eyebrows tilted into his temples and his eyes shone brightly. His prominent nose was like a mountain range, and his slightly thick lips wore an evident smile. The young man was clad in a round-necked robe with a half piece of fish scale armor draped from his right shoulder to his rib. A long antique longsword was slung across his back. From head to toe, he exuded an aura of bravery and martial valor. ¡°May I ask, is Your Excellency an Inner Sect Disciple of the Weak Water Sect?¡± Before Shen Luo could speak, the young man greeted him with a fist-cupped salute, preemptively asking. ¡°Where does that assumption come from?¡± Shen Luo frowned slightly, replying. Of course, he was not the same Shen Luo who had just entered the Spring and Autumn Pavilion as a merchant¡¯s son two years ago. He knew that there was more than one place for cultivation in the world, but he had never had a chance to learn about other Cultivation Sects, hence had no knowledge of the Weak Water Sect. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it? I thought that within Dongping Prefecture, only an Inner Sect Disciple of the Weak Water Sect could command water techniques so proficiently. You appear so youthful that I assumed as such,¡± the young man raised an eyebrow, voicing his confusion. ¡°It seems you have misunderstood. I am simply a freelance cultivator who practices without much guidance, and not someone with Sect inheritance,¡± Shen Luo said nonchalantly, his eyes flickering. Saying so, he stepped forward towards the bank, intending to take his horse and leave, wanting to avoid any further complexities with this stranger of unknown origin. ¡°As fellow cultivators, let¡¯s use the term ¡®Daoist friend¡¯ for now. I am called Lu Huaming, and I come from Chang¡¯an. May I ask your name?¡± The young man swiftly introduced himself as he noticed Shen Luo step back onto the shore and walk towards his horse without turning back. ¡°I am¡­ Shen Jiacheng, a local. Since Daoist Lu is from the capital city, why have you come to this remote Song Fan County?¡± Shen Luo hesitated for a moment, then turned around with a smile to reply. He was cautious towards this sudden stranger, and decided not to disclose his real name. ¡°So, you are Daoist Shen. I¡¯m just a courier visiting Dengping City. On my way back, I happened to see you practicing here and curiosity led me to come over and greet you. I hope you don¡¯t find my approach rude,¡± Lu Huaming stated apologetically, seeing Shen Luo¡¯s drenched condition. ¡°No, not at all. It¡¯s my lack of skill that has given you a laugh,¡± Shen Luo responded with a smile, observing that the man¡¯s eyes were clear and sincere¡ªnot at all like a person harboring ill intentions. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to witness your Water Manipulation Technique today. Pardon my boldness, but the technique you practiced just now, was that the Water-Stepping Art from the water techniques?¡± Lu Huaming hurriedly gestured a denial and asked. ¡°Oh? Daoist Lu, do you also study this?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise as he asked in return. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ve just heard that this technique consumes minimal mana, yet allows cultivators to hold an invincible position over water. It¡¯s particularly suitable for battling some aquatic demons; it¡¯s admirable,¡± Lu Huaming laughed and shook his head in denial. ¡°I am a mere freelance cultivator with little exposure. I¡¯ve heard about the existence of demons and ghosts, but haven¡¯t seen them personally. Could you share some of your knowledge?¡± Shen Luo grew curious upon hearing this. His first encounter with the invisible green wolf and the wolf-headed humanoid monster in Donglai County during his dream had left a profound impression on him. ¡°There¡¯s not much to say about the demon race and ghosts. Like us humans, they rely on absorbing the spiritual power of heaven and earth, adhering to the changes in Yin and Yang and the Five Elements in order to awaken their spiritual wisdom and increase their magic and Dao-practice. However, generally speaking, demons and ghosts of the same level possess all sorts of natural divine powers, making them inherently stronger than us humans by a fraction. Of course, we human cultivators also have the assistance of various external objects like talismans. So when it comes to a real fight, it¡¯s hard to say who would win. Moreover, Daoist Shen, there¡¯s something you may not have heard of. While the world appears to be peaceful on the surface these days, underground currents are surging. Our Great Tang Dynasty not only has roaming monsters, but also frequent incidents caused by demons and ghosts. The local officials are struggling to deal with these occurrences. Even just half a year ago, the court officially issued an edict to reward heroes with heavy gold to address the situation,¡± Lu Huaming explained earnestly. ¡°Is that so!¡± Shen Luo was a little surprised. Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: Chapter 71: A Heartless Request Chapter 72: Chapter 71: A Heartless Request ¡°As fellow practitioners, I thought I might share more with you, as it¡¯s hardly a secret anymore. These days, it¡¯s not just the Great Tang dealing with such issues. Everywhere across the Eastern Victorious Divine Continent, there¡¯s unrest. There is even a rumor that Heaven and Earth Calamity might descend upon the world soon,¡± Lu Huaming said, hesitating slightly before sighing. ¡°Heaven and Earth Calamity? Daoist friend, could you please elaborate?¡± Shen Luo asked, a tremor in his heart. He remembered clearly that not too long ago, the Yan father and son had mentioned a great calamity where demonic beings would engulf the world in his dreams. ¡°This matter is yet unknown to the masses. Yet, there have been whispers in some hidden corners of the Great Tang. Though there were initially few believers. some secluded Cultivating sects began to take it seriously. Some even sent their disciples down the mountains, either to investigate the matter or something else, which only made the rumors more confusing,¡± Lu Huaming explained, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Hearing this, Shen Luo grew silent. A moment later, he suddenly asked: ¡°Where precisely do you hail from, Daoist friend? A typical cultivator wouldn¡¯t know this much, would they?¡± Lu Huaming was taken aback by the question, but then he laughed heartily, removed a palm-sized token from his waist, and passed it over, saying: ¡°Impressive observation, Brother Shen! Since it¡¯s like this, I have nothing to hide. Please have a look.¡± Shen Luo took the token and inspected it under the moonlight. It had a heavy feel to it, seemingly made from something other than ordinary copper or iron. On one side was a carving of a closed Door Pattern, while the other bore the Great Tang Imperial Seal. ¡°My apologies, Daoist friend! It turns out you are a government official. It¡¯s only normal that you would know so many things.¡± Shen Luo felt a chill in his heart and handed the token back. ¡°Currently, the court needs a great many talents. Brother Shen, you are young, and your Water Techniques are remarkable. Given that you have no allegiance to any sect, why not join the government? I¡¯m willing to introduce you,¡± Lu Huamin said, tying the token back to his waist. ¡°Your praise is misplaced, Daoist friend. My Water Techniques have merely scratched the surface; I¡¯m nowhere near worthy enough,¡± Shen Luo replied, shaking his head. Having yet to resolve the issue with the Mysterious Jade Pillow, he dared not attract the attention of monstrous beings and ghosts with his insignificant skill. For now, he only had one life ¨C unlike in his dreams, he couldn¡¯t revive repeatedly. ¡°Daoist Shen, you¡¯re underrating yourself. Joining the court has many benefits. Not only will it save you from many worldly troubles, but you¡¯ll have the resources to thrive. Furthermore, you¡¯d be protecting the people of the Great Tang. Wouldn¡¯t that be a win-win situation?¡± Lu Huaming smiled, continuing to persuade him. ¡°With great respect for your affection, Lu Daoist, let¡¯s consider this matter some other time, when my magical powers have progressed,¡± Shen Luo politely declined. Seeing this, Lu Huaming stopped pushing and instead asked: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this in the future. However, I do have a favor to ask. Would you be so kind as to help?¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Daoist friend,¡± Shen Luo answered, relieved that the other party was no longer insistent. ¡°Brother Shen, I wonder if you could teach me the water-walking technique you just demonstrated?¡± Lu Huaming asked hesitatingly, to Shen Luo¡¯s surprise. ¡°I¡­¡± Shen Luo was about to refuse instinctively. ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯m not asking you for all the details about your technique, just the part about stepping on water. If you agree to teach me, I¡¯ll give you a valuable offering in return,¡± Lu Huaming quickly added upon seeing Shen Luo¡¯s reaction. ¡°Earlier, Lu Daoist, didn¡¯t you mention that you were not proficient in Water Techniques? Why are you so interested in this water-walking technique?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but ask, filled with curiosity. ¡°While I might not have command over Water Techniques, I can see the excellence in your water-walking method. Mastering some of the technique would indeed be useful when navigating water bodies in the future,¡± Lu Huaming replied, scratching his head with a smile. ¡°While I am not bound by any sectarian rules about not sharing techniques, I am somewhat hesitant about this water-walking method¡­¡± Shen Luo hesitated. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be concerned. If you agree to teach me this technique, I¡¯ll offer an item in exchange,¡± Lu Huaming interjected, seeming to understand Shen Luo¡¯s reservations. ¡°Oh? What kind of item?¡± Shen Luo asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Please have a look,¡± Lu Huamin replied, reaching into his robe to retrieve a small, ash-grey fork wrapped in a Yellow Paper Charm, which he proceeded to wave at Shen Luo. The fork, only about a foot long, was very similar to the common two-pronged fish forks but appeared delicate. It was wrapped in a Yellow Paper Charm around its handle, revealing it as a Talismanic Instrument. ¡°What do you think, Brother Shen? Are you satisfied?¡± Lu Huaman asked, seeing Shen Luo¡¯s eyes fixated on the small fork. ¡°With Lu Daoist being so generous, how could I possibly refuse?¡± This time, Shen Luo had no hesitation. Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: Chapter 72: First Acquiring the Talismanic Instruments Chapter 73: Chapter 72: First Acquiring the Talismanic Instruments ¡°Haha! Fantastic, Daoist friend, you really are a straightforward person.¡± Lu Huaming clapped his hands and laughed heartily, causing numerous leaves on the nearby trees to fall. Next, Shen Luo shared all the key points of the Water-walking Decision technique with the other. ¡°Good! A truly exquisite technique¡­ Haha, this Talisman Fork is now yours, Brother Shen.¡± After a brief contemplation, Lu Huaming¡¯s face lit up with a smile, and he started addressing Shen Luo as ¡°Brother Shen¡±. ¡°How should I use this Talismanic Instrument? I request Brother Lu to enlighten me.¡± Shen Luo, too, changed his form of address for Lu Huaming, and inquired. ¡°Talismanic Instruments draw their power from talismans, so when you use them, you simply have to activate the talisman with mana. However, the usage differs from other talismans in the sense that you can¡¯t simply ignite the talisman core, but you need to continuously guide it with your mana to control the attack of the Talismanic Instrument.¡± After rattling off a long speech, Lu Huaming saw that Shen Luo still looked puzzled. He waved his hand magnanimously and said, ¡°Let me demonstrate, so you can see for yourself.¡± Saying this, he immediately formed a magic spell with one hand, and a green light promptly appeared in his palm, which flowed like water into the talisman embedded in the handle of the gray-white little fork he was holding. Immediately, there was a flash of light on the talisman, and a white glow spread forth, enveloping the entire fork. Lu Huaming immediately lifted his hand and tossed the fork. The surface of the little fork started to blaze with a gray-white light, and it grew three or four times in size. It whirled and danced in the night sky, leaving circles of white light marks, then, suddenly transformed into a white light and shot towards a robust willow tree a dozen yards away. With a flash, the white light disappeared into the tree, and a loud thud echoed through the area. The robust willow tree began to shake furiously, the hanging willow branches danced, and the willow leaves whirled about incessantly. Shen Luo watched this display with his heart burning with excitement. Lu Huaming, excited by his own display, suddenly formed a sword technique with one hand, pointed towards the sky, and thundered: ¡°Rise!¡± With a resonant clang, a sword light rose from behind him, soaring into the night sky like a roaming dragon, transforming into a long green rainbow that danced across the sky. Immediately after, Lu Huaming made a leap, his form rising a dozen meters in the air, landing perfectly on the green rainbow above. The green rainbow gradually collapsed to reveal the true form of an ancient sword. Standing on top of it, Lu Huaming, with his robe dancing in the night wind, was truly the image of a noble swordsman. Watching this, Shen Luo could not help but sincerely praise ¡°What a spectacle.¡± ¡°Shen Brother, our meeting tonight must be fate. If one day you come to Chang¡¯an, feel free to look for me at Cheng Manor.¡± With these words echoing in the air, Lu Huaming¡¯s form melded with the sword into a green rainbow and vanished into the distance. For a while, Shen Luo stared at the green rainbow gradually disappearing into the night, and after some time, he released a long breath, laughing to himself, ¡°Find Lu Huaming at Cheng Manor, in the vast Chang¡¯an City, how many Cheng Manors could there possibly be? Where to search? How to find?¡± He took these as words of courtesy and did not really consider them. He now had a certain understanding of Lu Huaming¡¯s power, and in his estimation, Lu Huaming seemed to be even stronger than Immortal Masters like Yu Yan whom he encountered in his dreams. Collecting his gaze, Shen Luo suddenly gave his head a whack, then turned and sprinted towards the robust willow tree a dozen yards away. The little fork had not been picked up yet! Approaching the tree, he saw a bowl-sized hole in the robust willow tree, and there seemed to be something on the edge of the hole reflecting a translucent gloss in the moonlight. Upon closer inspection, Shen Luo gasped in surprise. A ring of light black ice crystals had formed around the edge of the hole in the tree. ¡°Even this kind of effect? Isn¡¯t this more formidable than Bai Xiaotian¡¯s Bronze Money Sword?¡± Shen Luo was filled with elation. The portion of the spell for a basic technique from the Nameless Cultivation Technique, the ¡°Water-walking Decision,¡± had been exchanged for a Talismanic Instrument with considerable power. Wouldn¡¯t the ones behind it that were even more profound be even more valuable? While pondering this, Shen Luo fumbled amidst the woodchips and debris behind the tree, and eventually joyfully picked up the Talisman Fork, which had returned to its original size. He weighed the little fork in his hand, and found it to be significantly heavier than he had imagined. The feel was also quite peculiar, neither metal, nor wood, and certainly not made from stone. He couldn¡¯t discern its nature just yet. Considering it was unsuitable for him to stay at this location for long, he focused his gaze on the talisman attached to the fork handle. He found the charm patterns on it to be unfamiliar. They were far more complicated than the exorcism charm and the Thunder talisman that he was familiar with. He couldn¡¯t even understand where to start the strokes or where to move the brush. After a bit of hesitation, Shen Luo could not resist his excitement, he wanted to try out the Talismanic Instrument he had just acquired. He held out one hand flat, placed the talisman fork in his palm, and with his other hand formed a spell, began to operate the skill. A thread of mana rose from his Dantian, passing through his arm and pouring out of his palm into the talisman on the fork handle. There was a flash of light on the talisman, and a layer of white halo radiated, enveloping the entire fork. Shen Luo immediately felt a special pull of mana between him and the talisman fork. He moved his thoughts slightly, and the talisman fork began to tremble slightly, floating about a finger¡¯s width above his palm. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up. But the moment his concentration faltered, the talisman fork fell back into his palm. He steadied his mind and once again infused mana into the talisman. This time he kept his mind focused, not allowing his attention to wander, while doing his utmost to control the talisman fork. However, either due to unstable control of mana or some other reason, the talisman fork exploded uncontrollably into the night sky, breaking his connection with it and plunging straight down from the sky. Had it not been for his quick reaction, he would have been pierced through from above, it was a close shave! After a few attempts by Shen Luo, none of them went smoothly. He failed to successfully fly the talisman fork even once, exhausting his mana, which was not much to begin with. Knowing that further attempts would not yield any results and feeling mentally exhausted, he had to give up for the time being. His plan was to return to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion as quickly as possible and get a good chance to study it. ¡°Aiyah, I was so engrossed in the conversation that I forgot to ask Daoist Lu where this place is¡­¡± Only then did Shen Luo come back to his senses, grinning, realizing that he was stranded in this desolate wilderness, with no village in sight and probably had to spend the night out in the open. Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Things Remain the Same, But People Have Changed Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Things Remain the Same, But People Have Changed Three days later, at noon. At the entrance of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s mountain gate, Senior Brother Niu was idly sitting on the stone steps inside the gate, basking in the sun. He held a cup of tea in his hand, humming a little tune, and was very relaxed. At that moment, he saw someone approaching from a distance on the mountain path and quickly stood up to take a closer look. The person wore an azure robe, had a grey bundle hanging on his body, and was carrying a cloth bag. He was walking on the mountain path, his body slightly leaning forward. Although his pace was not fast, he looked steady. ¡°Eh, why is it this kid?¡± When he recognized the approaching person¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a slight gasp. The person was none other than Shen Luo, who had traveled back from Song Fan County to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Early in the morning, Shen Luo had arrived at the town of Tuji at the foot of the mountain but didn¡¯t rush back. He first sold the black horse, then went to Hongyun Building to buy wine and roasted goose, and finally bought some cinnabar and talisman paper, only then did he ascend the mountain. ¡°The mountain gate is sacred ground, no idlers are allowed.¡± Just as Shen Luo reached the gate of the mountain, Senior Brother Niu¡¯s lazy voice echoed from inside. ¡°Brother Niu, you¡¯re joking, I was sent to visit my family by my master and now I¡¯m returning.¡± Shen Luo frowned, ignoring him, and walked straight into the gate. ¡°You little brat, how dare you talk to your senior brother like that? Have you no manners?¡± Senior Brother Niu retorted, his wrist suddenly flicking, splashing the tea in his cup towards Shen Luo¡¯s head. Shen Luo quickly took a step back, effortlessly evading the incoming tea. Senior Brother Niu¡¯s eyes flickered with surprise as he stepped in front of Shen Luo, blocking his path. But just as he was about to retort angrily, his nose wrinkled, taking a glance at the cloth bag on Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder. He then began to chuckle. ¡°For the sake of my large heart, I won¡¯t argue with you. I assume you¡¯re aware of the rules?¡± ¡°The roasted goose and wine from Hongyun Building are for Brother Bai and Senior Brother Tian.¡± Shen Luo replied grinning, as he took a look at the cloth bag in his hand. Upon hearing his words, Senior Brother Niu burst into a rage: ¡°You¡¯re taking advantage of my goodwill, hand them over!¡± Saying so, he lunged at Shen Luo, intent on grabbing the gifts himself. But Shen Luo seemed prepared for this. His left foot moved forward and precisely stepped on the tea spilled on the ground. His Nameless Cultivation Technique was already in motion, a sliver of his mana flowed through the sole of his foot, secretly manipulating the tea into tiny swirling droplets. As Senior Brother Niu stepped on the water droplets, he lost his balance and lurched towards Shen Luo. ¡°Whoops, be careful Brother.¡± Shen Luo sidestepped, and reached out as if trying to steady Senior Brother Niu. However, his palm seemingly brushed against Niu¡¯s stomach, subtly and slightly lifting Niu¡¯s body with the energy within his hand, causing Niu to fly in an arc and roll out of the gate and downhill. Wails of agony echoed from outside the gate as Senior Brother Niu tumbled seventeen or eighteen steps downhill. Without looking back, Shen Luo continued onwards. But after two steps, he retraced his steps to extract a piece of paper and a pen and wrote: ¡°Today, I noticed that Brother¡¯s forehead is dark, steps unsteady, signs of kidney deficiency. Goose buttocks can replenish this, please accept.¡± After writing, he removed the roast goose he had bought from the town and selected a piece of the goose buttocks. He then placed the piece together with the note on the stone steps where Niu had been sitting earlier. After doing all of this, he dusted his hands, and confidently stepped into the mountain gate. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m finally back, although people and things have changed.¡± Looking at the familiar scenery of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but sigh as he continued walking forward. On his journey, he encountered quite a few fellow disciples, most of whom only nodded by way of greeting. For some reason, he always felt that when these people looked at him, their eyes showed a hint of peculiarity. Shen Luo, lost in his musings, reached the mountain path below the Lingguan Hall. Just as he was about to follow the path uphill, he looked up to see a chubby figure approaching from fifty or sixty steps up the mountain path. If anyone within the Spring and Autumn Pavilion were ranked by plumpness, Ding Yuan would naturally be at the top. He was followed by three or four disciples. When they saw Shen Luo climbing the steps, surprise flashed in their eyes, and the corpulent Ding Yuan in the middle exaggeratedly rubbed his own eyes with his greasy hands. ¡°Hey, am I seeing things? This boy disappeared for so many days, I thought he got kicked out, how did he come back?¡± One person who often trailed Ding Yuan couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath. Although Shen Luo was far away, he heard everything clearly. He seemed to understand something but didn¡¯t stop walking. ¡°Shen Luo, you vanished without a trace for so long, why did you think to come back now?¡± Ding Yuan blocked Shen Luo with one hand and asked. ¡°I just went home to visit my family, how can I stay away for too long?¡± Shen Luo replied unhurriedly. ¡°I think you were swept out, how dare you still have the nerve to come back? Don¡¯t think we are not aware. You, a sick reed, came to our pavilion to extend your life, don¡¯t tarnish our Daoist purity with your Copper Smelly Things.¡± Ding Yuan spat, disdainfully. The rest of the group watched Shen Luo with various expressions. ¡°What I do in the pavilion, what does it have to do with you?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s face darkened, and he glanced sideways at the group. Ding Yuan and the others could only feel a sudden change in Shen Luo¡¯s aura which gave them an indescribable sense of oppression, causing them to unconsciously look away. Not one of them dared to meet his gaze. Shen Luo, however, ignored their reactions and walked past them. For a moment, Ding Yuan was at a loss. Seeing the looks on the faces of the others, he felt like he just couldn¡¯t save face. ¡°This piece of trash dares to disrespect his senior brother. You¡¯re turning against me, aren¡¯t you!¡± Ding Yuan chased after Shen Luo in anger, lunging two steps at a time. He summoned the strength of three or four layers of the Small Transformation Yang Skill in his right hand, spreading his fingers and enlarging his palm before striking towards Shen Luo¡¯s back. ¡°Brother Ding¡¯s Qingyang Hand technique is indeed well-honed!¡± ¡°Really doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him!¡± The rest of the group cheered when they saw this. Shen Luo had his back to Ding Yuan and did not turn around. He raised his left hand and grabbed the little finger of Ding Yuan¡¯s right hand, pulling it gently to the side. ¡°Hey, stop, stop, it¡¯s killing me¡­¡± Ding Yuan¡¯s scream sounded like a pig being slaughtered. But since his right little finger was gripped tightly by Shen Luo, he had to bend down with the pull of Shen Luo¡¯s hand, so much so that tears came out due to the pain. The cheers abruptly ceased, leaving everyone dumbfounded on the spot. They clearly hadn¡¯t expected Shen Luo, who had only just begun learning the Small Transformation Yang Skill, to have such competent martial skills and actually hit Ding Yuan¡¯s weak spot with one light move. ¡°Shen¡­ Shen Luo, don¡¯t mess around. If I get injured, my master¡­ oh¡­¡± Ding Yuan gasped for breath, even though he was still bent over. He spoke menacingly. But before he could finish speaking, Shen Luo asserted a bit more force, leading to Ding Yuan wailing again. ¡°Brother Ding, your Qingyang Hand technique is profound and unpredictable. I, as a junior, have just started learning the Small Transformation Yang Skill, so don¡¯t scare me,¡± said Shen Luo leisurely while casting a glance at the others. At this point, Ding Yuan was in so much pain that his face twisted and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He was in such agony that he couldn¡¯t even voice it out. The rest of them also lowered their heads, not daring to meet Shen Luo¡¯s gaze directly. Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Chapter 74: Accidental Encounter in the Back Mountain Chapter 75: Chapter 74: Accidental Encounter in the Back Mountain ¡°What are you doing?¡± A stern voice suddenly came from the mountain path above. Upon hearing the voice, a smile creased the corner of Shen Luo¡¯s mouth. He slackened his grip, and Ding Yuan staggered as if he had been pardoned, barely being caught by someone else before he fell on his bottom. Immediately afterwards, a white figure flickered next to Shen Luo, and a person dropped from the sky. Shen Luo knew from the distinctive voice that the newcomer was Bai Xiaotian. However, upon looking at him, he found that Bai was not wearing the martial arts school uniform today but had changed into a white robe, looking more dashing and suave than ever. ¡°The original¡­ It¡¯s Junior Bai. You guys slowly¡­ Keep chatting, we have something to do and will leave first.¡± Ding Yuan, clutching his right pinky and dripping with sweat, dared not to say much. He hurriedly begged for forgiveness and led the others in a hasty retreat as if they were fleeing. ¡°Hmph, a bunch of cowards.¡± Bai Xiaotian looked at the receding figures and cursed angrily. ¡°Young Master Bai, why are you so fiery today?¡± Shen Luo was not bothered and joked. ¡°You¡¯re finally back¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian turned his head to size up Shen Luo, his face finally softened into a relieved smile. ¡°What, did you assume I wouldn¡¯t come back?¡± Shen Luo chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re really a goner. I can¡¯t believe you wouldn¡¯t tell me about something as significant as cultivation backlash. Do you even regard me as your senior brother anymore?¡± Bai Xiaotian feigned anger. ¡°I was going to tell you before I left, but I left in a hurry and didn¡¯t get a chance to see you. I¡¯m back now, aren¡¯t I? With the wine and roasted goose, let¡¯s call up Senior Brother Tian later and have a good chat,¡± Shen Luo laughed. ¡°Of course, drinking is fine, but unfortunately, I have to go down the mountain soon.¡± Bai Xiaotian slightly hesitated upon hearing that. ¡°Then we will wait until you come back,¡± Shen Luo suggested. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave first then.¡± Bai Xiaotian nodded. Having said that, he turned and sprinted towards the mountain gate. Shen Luo suddenly remembered something and called out, ¡°Bai Xiaotian, when will you be back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going home, it might take half a month. Save some wine for me¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian¡¯s figure had already disappeared on the winding mountain path, and only his voice echoed distantly. Shen Luo watched Bai Xiaotian leave, then turned and continued towards his residence at Qingchipo. After returning to his residence on the right side of the first floor and tidying it up, he went to report to Master Luo as usual. But he didn¡¯t get to meet him and instead ran into Tian Tiesheng on his way back. Tian Tiesheng was very happy to see Shen Luo back. The two men ate a roasted goose together, neither of them drinking, saving all the wine for Bai Xiaotian. He then learned from Tian Tiesheng that Master Luo had been called away from the mountain a couple of days ago and had not yet returned. During that time, Tian Tiesheng had inquired about Shen Luo¡¯s health condition, showing obvious concern in his words. Shen Luo was unsure of how to explain the situation to him. After all, if he were to tell the truth and mention the Nameless Heavenly Book, inevitably he would also have to discuss the jade pillow and the weird dreams, something he didn¡¯t dare to speak up about. In the end, he simply claimed that he had taken the life-saving pills given to him by Pavilion Master Fengyang and that his condition had stabilized, assuring Tian Tiesheng there was no need for concern. Tian Tiesheng seemed to truly believe what Shen Luo had said. Late in the evening, Shen Luo returned to his dwelling. Sitting by the bed, breathing in the familiar scent of the room, looking at the somewhat messy layout, he suddenly felt nostalgic. Even though he had only been away for seven or eight days, he still felt as if he had been away for an eternity. What had happened in these few short days was so more grotesque and bizarre than the experiences he had in the two dream sequences. Not long ago, he had been a pitiful man nearing death, but now, he was a cultivator who had opened up his Dao seed. After sitting quietly for a while, Shen Luo got up and fetched the jade pillow hidden under the bed. ¡°Should I try it again?¡± He placed the jade pillow in front of him, stroking the surface of the pillow, feeling the cool touch of the jade under his palm, his eyes displaying a hint of hesitation. Now, he wasn¡¯t as repulsed by the jade pillow as he had been initially. In fact, he was quite intrigued by it. If not for this item, would he have met Yu Yan in his dream? Without Yu Yan¡¯s unintentional disclosure of a story from his past while drinking, how would he have found the Nameless Cultivation Technique and subsequently successfully comprehended the Dao? Now that he was a magic-wielding cultivator, if he attempted to activate this item with his magic power, would he make some unexpected gains? Shen Luo thought about it and decided that it would be prudent to draw a few protective talismans first, then give it a try. He went over to the table, took out the yellow talisman paper and cinnabar, focused his spirit and Qi, and started drawing talismans on the paper. The first one he completed was the Small Thunder Talisman, which he was most proficient in. After intermittently creating two successful pieces, a thick stack of yellow talisman paper was already reduced by a little half. This was already a significant improvement in his success rate compared to before. Shen Luo put the two Small Thunder Talismans aside to dry, picked up his cinnabar brush again, and started drawing exorcism charms, which he was also fairly familiar with. After using up another small stack of talisman paper, he managed to draw three charms with complete spirit energy. Afterwards, he put down the brush, didn¡¯t continue drawing, but leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to recharge his spirit. Even though his current physical state was far from what it used to be, drawing talismans still drained considerable mental energy. After almost half an hour of resting, he felt his spirit had fully replenished, so he picked up the brush again and drew several other talismans such as the Wishful Talisman and Warding Off Evil Talisman. Because these talismans had never been tested before, and he had no successful experiences to draw upon, they were drawn swiftly. Whether they were successful or not could only be known after testing. Shen Luo originally wanted to attempt to reproduce the talisman on the talismanic fork, but after taking it out and glancing at it, he put it away again. It wasn¡¯t for any other reason, except that the talisman wrapped around the fork handle was incomplete, and he didn¡¯t dare to recklessly peel it off, for fear of ruining the talismanic instrument, so he had to give up. In the end, he brought all the completed talismans over and placed them next to the jade pillow, ready for use at a moment¡¯s notice. After all this was done, Shen Luo began to operate the Nameless Method, to divert the mana from his body to his right arm, and reached out towards the jade pillow. When his fingertips touched the jade pillow, a stream of mana, glowing with a blue light, flowed out as if it had been pulled, flowing towards the pillow. Shen Luo frowned slightly, carefully controlling the flow of mana, paying full attention to the changes in the jade pillow. After waiting for a while, he had already injected quite a bit of mana, but the jade pillow showed no movement at all. Shen Luo didn¡¯t immediately withdraw his hand, but persevered, continuing to inject mana into it. Yet, even when he himself felt somewhat drained of mana, the jade pillow had not shown any changes from beginning to end. ¡°It seems I overthought it, or rather, this amount of mana is not enough to trigger a reaction from this thing¡­¡± Shen Luo gave a bitter smile, had to withdraw his palm, feeling a faint sense of loss in his heart. After days of travelling and now using up a considerable amount of mana, he simply packed up the jade pillow and talismans, and went to bed early. ¡­ The next day at early dawn. After Shen Luo woke up and freshened himself up, he took the talismanic fork and the drawn talismans, and headed in the direction of the back mountain. As of now, he had started cultivating the nameless technique from the Nameless Heavenly Book, naturally he didn¡¯t have to go and cultivate the Small Transformation Yang Skill as part of his morning tasks. However, because of the special nature of the techniques in the Heavenly Book, he needed to find a pool or a creek to continue his cultivation. Although he often visited the back mountain in the past, and knew the locations of a couple of mountain streams and deep pools, unfortunately, all those places were too conspicuous. If a disciple from the Pavilion passed by those locations, he would surely be discovered. Shen Luo did not want the fact that he¡¯d obtained the Nameless Heavenly Book to become public knowledge. He thought about finding a more secluded and tranquil place for cultivation, while also intending to try controlling the talismanic fork once more. It was past high summer and approaching autumn; the morning winds on the mountain had clearly become colder. Shen Luo walked along the mountain path, these eyes filled with eagerness as he looked at the breaking dawn atop the mountain peak. He rubbed his palms together, anticipating the day ahead. The terrain of the back mountain of Spring and Autumn Pavilion was quite complex. In addition to a large area of dense forest, there were also steep cliffs protruding outward. Some of the deep pools formed by rainfall in the mountains were located beneath these cliffs. Shen Luo avoided the regular routes and went through a densely shrubbed forest. He made a small path through thick thorns and wild grass, and arrived on top of an outstanding cliff. The cliff had many rugged strange stones, appearing barren, but the view was extremely open. He intended to use this high vantage point to look down and find a suitable and concealed place for his cultivation. At the front of the cliff, there was a large rock protruding from the side of the mountain. Over time, it had become smooth and slippery with moss growing on it. After some difficulty, Shen Luo managed to climb on it. He carefully approached the edge of the rock, intending to look down, when he suddenly heard voices arguing faintly from below. It seemed like two people were in a conversation. When he leaned over to look down, he saw two figures, one old and one young, standing opposite each other at the bottom of the cliff, dozens of feet below. As Shen Luo spotted the two people, they too noticed him. They immediately stopped their conversation and looked up in his direction. Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Chapter 75 A False Alarm Chapter 76: Chapter 75 A False Alarm Even though they were at a considerable distance, Shen Luo was able to clearly make out the features of the old man and the young lad. The younger one was dressed in the uniform of a disciple of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, his black long hair not tied up in the usual topknot of a Taoist, but instead wound up tightly into a bun, casually held in place with a wooden hairpin. With a lean figure and extremely handsome features, it was one of the three Inner Sect Disciples, Gu Hualing. Standing opposite Gu Hualing was an elderly man, tall in stature with a complexion as dark as dusk. Around his lips was a well-kept ring of greyish-white whiskers. He wore a seamless Taiji Daoist Robe and on his head was a Lotus Crown identical to that of Master Fengyang. He appeared meticulous, with an imposing aura. This man was also known to Shen Luo, he was Gu Hualing¡¯s Master, Wang Qingsong. Shen Luo had seen him several times before on lesson days at the San Qing Temple. He always gave very detailed lectures, even clearer and easier to understand than Master Luo or Master Fengyang, but he was so strict and solemn that the disciples were somewhat wary of him. ¡°Are they in the middle of a transmission of power¡­¡± Shen Luo paused, a nagging suspicion forming in his mind. If it truly was elder Master Wang teaching Gu Hualing certain techniques, then his current actions may have strayed into the realm of stealing forbidden knowledge. However, Wang Qingsong cast him a glance, seemingly recognizing this uniquely positioned Registered Disciple of his, and with a cold huff, turned away and walked into the distance. Gu Hualing, however, revealed a smiling face, he waved from afar, as if to say a brief hello. Shen Luo, feeling embarrassed, waved back at him, his opinion of this rarely-seen Senior Brother Gu becoming slightly more favorable. After greeting Shen Luo, Gu Hualing turned around and chased after his Master, soon walking side by side with him. When the two had walked a fair distance, Shen Luo turned his gaze elsewhere, looking towards a farther away place in hope of finding a different location. However, at that moment, his ears twitched, his expression changed, and he again turned his attention to the disciple and his master who were gradually departing. ¡°Does his presence here mean he heard what we were talking about? Shall we just kill him and bury him here? It¡¯s a perfect spot since hardly anyone comes here.¡± While pacing, Gu Hualing said. Shen Luo¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and disbelief glinted in his eyes. Even if he had heard any secret techniques, it wasn¡¯t necessary to commit murder and dispose of the body, was it? ¡°How could he have possibly heard our conversation from so far away, especially since he is an Outer Sect Disciple whose mana has not yet opened? Your reaction might be a little extreme. Next time, we should select a more hidden location.¡± Elder Master Wang shook his head and spoke. ¡°Still, it¡¯s better not to leave any loose ends. No one would care about a guy who is not even considered an Outer Sect Disciple. I know plenty of places around this back mountain that are suitable for burying bodies.¡± Gu Hualing¡¯s face maintained a gentle smile as he spoke, yet his words were chillingly ruthless. ¡°Don¡¯t complicate things. Although he¡¯s only a registered disciple of Daoist Luo, this makes him special in the Pavilion. Moreover, he is well-liked by Bai Xiaotian. His sudden and inexplicable disappearance might attract unwanted attention.¡± Master Wang stopped in his tracks and talked seriously. ¡°Alright, I understand the priorities.¡± Seeing this, Gu Hualing had no choice but to let the matter lie, while expressing his regret. At this point, he turned around suddenly and looked towards Shen Luo again. Seeing that Shen Luo was still looking at him, he smiled and nodded. Shen Luo felt a tightening in his chest. His face, however, remained calm. He responded with a fist and palm salute from afar, as if bidding farewell to his elders. It was not until the two had completely receded into the distance and out of his line of sight that Shen Luo truly relaxed, a sudden chill running down his spine. He had simply come out to find a path and almost ended up in a disaster. That was a close call! If it had been the less perceptive Shen Luo from the past who had not come to understand the Dao or possessed superior sensory abilities, he might have still considered Gu Hualing as someone benevolent, and wouldn¡¯t have known even if he had been sold. As it turns out, the world is indeed dangerous, and one always has to be on guard! These two certainly have some great secret; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t go about burying people willy-nilly. Should I find an opportunity to secretly inform Luo Daoist? Regardless, I must avoid this master-disciple pair as much as possible in the future. Shen Luo¡¯s face fluctuated between darkness and light for quite a while before finally calming his thoughts and continuing his search for a suitable place to cultivate. To his surprise, he found a quiet valley. The place wasn¡¯t big, but it was very secluded, situated between two towering ridges with a winding brook inside. From a high vantage point, only the upstream part of the brook was visible, with the middle and downstream areas hidden from sight, making it difficult for others to discover. Shen Luo hurriedly descended the cliff and sprinted towards the valley. He entered the valley and followed the brook uphill. After about three or four li, he stumbled upon a shallow pond created by the rushing stream, flanked by boulders about a zhang high, acting like two natural barriers concealing the pond inside. Unless viewed directly from above, it would be impossible to see inside. ¡°What a great place!¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. Instead of jumping in, he sat cross-legged on the shore, closed his eyes, and manipulated the magic spell. A cool energy emanated from his Dantian, circulating through his meridians. A moment later, he opened his eyes and extended his index and little finger with the other fingers curled. He began to manipulate the scattered spiritual energies in the water as if controlling a talismanic instrument. Upon pointing his finger towards the surface of the pond, the calm surface immediately rippled. These ripples differed from normal waves created by the wind. They presented an inwards circular pattern, as if a stone had fallen into the water, creating a wavy shape. The circular ripples expanded evenly from the center. After spreading about four feet, they disappeared. Seeing this, Shen Luo quickly flicked his wrist, and his hand shot upwards. The water at the center of the ripples churned and a water ball the size of a head emerged from the surface. It rose up to a height of about a foot before falling back into the pond. There was a ¡®dong¡¯ sound. When the water ball hit the surface, messy ripples were created, quickly disturbing the original waves. Shen Luo immediately stood up, a joyous smile forming on his face. Previously, he was already able to control a bit of water with his natural water techniques, and had once used a similar method to teach Senior Brother Niu a lesson. However, this was the first time he had managed to control such a large amount of water at once. Now, rather than continuing to sit and meditate, he raised his hand to manipulate the spell with the same posture. However, the mana circulating inside his body had suddenly and dramatically increased twofold. ¡°Rise,¡± he muttered, as his hand raised upwards. ¡°Splash, splash¡­¡± The once calm water surface started to churn like boiling water. A giant water ball the size of a car wheel emerged from the center of the waves and hung in mid-air, not coming down for a long time. Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Chapter 76: Self-regulation of Water Control Chapter 77: Chapter 76: Self-regulation of Water Control The joy in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes deepened, as his mind resolved, his palm slightly turned. The suspended stream of water immediately shattered with a ¡°pop,¡± and seven or eight long heads peeked out from the water splash. After twisting left and right a few times, they came rushing out with their bodies. Those were seven or eight crystal-clear steeds, the size of hunting dogs. Their four hooves began to run side by side in the void. The steeds circled around Shen Luo, colliding and merging with each other. The resulting splashes of water didn¡¯t fall back into the water but instead fused to form a larger, fulsome figure. Ultimately, they combined to become a mature steed. The steed was robust, with visible mane patterns on its neck. Inside, it was crystalline and transparent, with traces of the water liquid flowing as if sculpted from crystal, exquisitely unmatched. However, right after that, Shen Luo¡¯s mind stirred again. The galloping pony suddenly created a splash under its hooves. The whole body seemingly plunged into the water and gradually sank. But its head gradually elongated, no longer having a mane and erect ears. It gradually turned into a crystal-clear water python. After its head went down, it didn¡¯t sink into the water, but skidded left and right along the water surface. The python¡¯s movements were startlingly like a live one. Shen Luo, with a single hand, flicked upwards, and the water python twisted its body, snaking upwards. Suddenly, two water waves rose on its back, gradually forming two crystal-clear water curtains that looked like wings. The python¡¯s body grew smaller, and the head became sharper until it eventually transformed into a large peng with outstretched wings, soaring into the sky. The peng¡¯s claws bent like silver hooks, with every feather on his body detailed and distinct. It was transparent crystal-clear, yet vibrant and realistic. However, its flying height was quite limited, just over ten feet high before it fell straight down as if exhausted, ultimately hitting the water surface, causing ripples and then calming down. ¡°Strange¡­ it¡¯s so easy?¡± Shen Luo, who consumed a considerable amount of mana, stopped chanting his magic spell but was brimming with amazement. This was his first attempt in water control after cultivating the Nameless Cultivation Technique. How come it was so successful? Water is known for its fickle nature, most prone to¡ªthe yet hardest for¡ªtransformation. To guide the water flow according to one¡¯s will is not hard in water control technique; still, to transform its form requires long-term practice. Earlier, Shen Luo casually controlled the water flow to change and create many transformations, which is not easy in itself. Moreover, his transformations were lifelike, even embodying some of the original animal charm. He suspected that an ordinary person would likely need millions of practice attempts to achieve this level. ¡°Could it be that I have some unique talents for water-type techniques? Or does my physique have some special characteristics that naturally resonate with Water Spirit Qi?¡± Shen Luo marveled privately. However, with a little thought, he doubted it. If he truly were of extraordinary gifts, it should have manifested earlier, instead of always lagging behind. He even took a full two years to cultivate the Small Transformation Yang Skill. Most likely, it has something to do with the cold stream that was injected into his body by the skull earlier. With these thoughts, he strolled back to the shore, found a larger smooth round stone, and closed his eyes while sitting. After resting for a while, Shen Luo reached into his bosom and fumbled around. He took out a fork about a foot long. It was the grey-white Talisman Fork that he had obtained from Lu Huaming. The day he got it, he had tried to activate it but ended up failing. Today, he wanted to try again. This time, he placed the talisman fork flat on his open palm. After making a hand seal, he turned his inner mana and channeled it into the talisman fork. The talisman on the fork handle lit up slightly, and a layer of grey-white light immediately spread out, covering the entire talisman fork. Shen Luo did not rush to stimulate his mana to let the talisman fork fly, like last time. Instead, he carefully controlled his mana to keep it in a stable state and poured it into the talisman fork. As wisps of mana continuously flowed into the fork, the white light on it became brighter, and it began to hover slightly, floating leisurely in the air about three inches above his palm. Simultaneously, the fork¡¯s light flashed again, and suddenly it became three times larger, just like when Lu Huaming had activated it. Shen Luo¡¯s spirits lifted, and he immediately shouted, ¡°Rise.¡± The light on the talisman fork flashed, and it shot forward immediately, soaring up from the ground, quickly flying higher than the large rocks on both sides of the shallow pond. As Shen Luo looked up and was a little distracted, the talisman fork began to sway, and it seemed about to fall stubbornly. His heart tightened, and he hurriedly steadied his senses, carefully using his mana to draw the talisman fork. It wasn¡¯t difficult to make the talisman fork rise. However, controlling its movements was not so simple. Although Shen Luo was consciously guiding it to fly forward, the talisman fork did not obey at all and rushed straight into the sky. As the talisman fork rose to around two Zhang high, the connection between it and Shen Luo started to gradually weaken. The white light on it also became somewhat unstable, flashing on and off. When it rose to about three Zhang high, its light flashed more rapidly and all at once it lost control, fell straight down into the not very distant stream. Seeing this, Shen Luo rushed forward, still holding onto his magic spell, poured all his mental energy into the talisman fork and shouted, ¡°Rise!¡± The talisman fork, just before it was about to fall into the water, the white light on the surface steadied again and it suspended in mid-air over the water. Shen Luo wiped off his forehead sweat, his hand slowly lifting the talisman fork. It gradually rose from the water surface moving slowly towards the shore. However, as soon as the talisman fork had left the water surface, the light on its surface began to tremble again. This time, its light suddenly decreased, and with a ¡°plop,¡± it fell on the ground. Simultaneously, Shen Luo also felt that his Dantian became emptier as his mana was used up more than half. He walked over to the talisman fork, picked it up sat on the ground, his back soaked with sweat. ¡°Who would have thought that controlling a talismanic instrument would consume so much? Bai Xiaotian seemed so relaxed that time when he was fighting with Ding Yuan. Being an Inner Sect Disciple, he sure has some skills,¡± Shen Luo murmured as he caught his breath. At this moment, he recalled Lu Huaming¡¯s Sword Flight scene, increasingly drawn toward it. After resting for a short awhile, Shen Luo started to practice with the talisman fork again. About half an hour later, a sharp sound of ¡°clank¡± suddenly echoed in the valley. The talisman fork was seen shooting from the void, about three Zhang high, crashing down onto a boulder, scraping up a string of golden sparks before sticking diagonally into a rock crevice. Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Testing the Spell Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Testing the Spell Shen Luo stood not too far away, watching this scene before him, and a relieved smile finally appeared on his pale face. Through the practice of more than half an hour, he was finally able to barely control the flight of the Talisman Fork, however, his movements were still awkward and difficult. They couldn¡¯t be compared with what Lu Huaming demonstrated. Even the power of the Talisman Fork attack he had just used was vastly different. Shen Luo understood that this was largely due to the difference in the strength of Mana. At present, with the Mana of the first level of his Nameless Cultivation Technique, he couldn¡¯t make the Talisman Fork fly too high or too far. It could at most only move within a three-feet radius around him. Any further, and he would lose control. Moreover, controlling Talismanic Instruments consumed too much Mana. He could at most only make the Talisman Fork fly for the duration of brewing a cup of tea. This was only just simple flight control. If it were to truly enter a battle, the consumption would only increase and speed up. Shen Luo walked forward to retrieve the Talisman Fork lodged in the crack of a stone and then sat down leaning against a rock. It was then that his gaze suddenly fell on the Talisman affixed to the Talisman Fork. His brows furrowed involuntarily. He had drawn many Talismans daily, which made him sensitive to the changes of a Talisman Paper. He noticed the problem the moment he glanced at it. The color of the runes on the Talisman Paper had faded, and the patterns on it had become blurry. Before he left the house today with the Talisman Fork, Shen Luo had carefully examined the Talisman on it. Although the color wasn¡¯t as vivid as a newly drawn Talisman, the cinnabar color was rich enough and the charm patterns were clear. Upon comparison now, obvious changes had occurred. Moreover, once a general Talisman is ignited and the Talisman core is used, it would burn into ashes. However, the Talisman affixed to this Talismanic Instrument didn¡¯t directly burn into ash after the Mana was infused. There must be something extraordinary about it. A hunch rose in Shen Luo¡¯s mind, he guessed that the Talisman on this Talismanic Instrument could burn, but unlike a general Talisman, the burning process was slower. However, after repeated use, it would eventually be consumed completely. Based on the number of times he tried to use it and the changes in the color of the Talisman Paper, this Talisman could probably only be activated three to four more times before it completely loses its effectiveness. Thinking of this possibility, he felt a little regretful, he decided to wait until Bai Xiaotian returned and ask him about the Talismanic Instruments and see if there¡¯s any way he could remediate this. Having put away the Talisman Fork, Shen Luo rested for nearly half an hour more before he started to feel some recovery of his Mana in his Dantian. Then he began to pull one Talisman after another from his sleeve. They were all drawn yesterday. When he hadn¡¯t understood the Dao, he could only experiment with Talismans with Yuan Stones. Every time he used up a Yuan Stone, it caused him distress. Now that he has his Mana, it¡¯d save him this expense. Hence, he planned to try out all the types of Talismans he could draw to see what they could do. Before obtaining the Small Thunder Talisman and the exorcism charm, the Talisman that Shen Luo had repeatedly practiced drawing the most was named ¡°Eliminate Evil Talisman¡±. As its name suggests, it¡¯s a Talisman used to dissolve the Yin Sha Qi. That year, when Luo Daoist tried to cure Shen Luo¡¯s illness, he used this Talisman to neutralize the Yin Qi extracted from him. He frequently mentioned learning this Talisman afterwards. Although Luo Daoist didn¡¯t directly teach him, he reluctantly gave him a sample diagram for him to practice with. At this moment, Shen Luo was holding an ¡°Eliminate Evil Talisman¡±, A bit of mana in his Dantian followed his will and flowed down his arm¡¯s meridian channel and entered the Talisman. A blue light flashed on the Talisman Paper, a soft ¡°hiss¡± sound could be heard from where the charm was drawn, the area covered in cinnabar instantly blackened, a weak blue glow emerged like smoke and then disappeared. Seeing this, Shen Luo shook his hand, threw the Talisman Paper clutched at its tip onto the ground. He then picked up a House-Protection Talisman and infused a bit of Mana into it. According to the records in the ancient books, mansions with a genuine House-Protection Talisman affixed would appear ordinary during the daylight, but at night, they¡¯d be enveloped in a blurry Treasure Light, invisible to mortal eyes, effectively preventing evil spirits and any yin anomalies from invading. Although Shen Luo had mana, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary mortal, but he also didn¡¯t know what the scene would look like once mana was infused into the House-Protection Talisman, so at this moment, his heart was filled with curiosity, mixed with a touch of anticipation. However, the House-Protection Talisman, like the Eliminate Evil Talisman, shone with a blue light, then the talisman paper was torn by the mana, ending in the same failure. Although Shen Luo had anticipated this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. He sighed lightly, twisting another exorcism charm between two vertically raised fingers of his right hand. He had used this exorcism charm successfully in Dreamland for the first time, but once back in reality, he hadn¡¯t had a chance to verify its effectiveness. As he moved his mind, a strand of mana bubbled up from his Dantian, flowing into the talisman. This time, there was a change. First, there was a flash of blue light on the talisman, the talisman paper did not rupture, the drawn runes lit up, and a gentle white light rose from it instantly. As this white light came on, Shen Luo suddenly found that his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of cloudiness, causing the colors of the surrounding stones and the pool to become much lighter. Confused, he hastily turned his gaze towards the distant, only to find that everything he saw was the same. As Shen Luo¡¯s eyes left an unremarkable corner of a mountain wall on the opposite bank of the stream, he suddenly felt an odd feeling in his heart and hurriedly turned his head to stare in that direction. He saw that the corner of the mountain wall, which rarely saw sunlight and was damp from the adjacent water, had a foot-high dark green moss growing on it, and on the ground close to the moss, there was a cluster of faint black fog. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo quickly picked up the other talisman papers on the ground, waded across the river, and ran over. When he got close, yet before he had even reached out the exorcism talisman, the clustering black fog in the corner seemed to sense the talisman¡¯s power, suddenly expanding and surging wildly. ¡°It really is Yin Sha Qi! It turns out that this exorcism talisman indeed has the ability to reveal the Yin Sha anomalies.¡± Shen Luo also simultaneously felt a sense of chill and unclean breath from the black fog. As he spoke, he held the glowing exorcism talisman in his two fingers and moved it closer to the Yin Sha Qi. The black fog seemed to be quite fearful of the talisman, frantically retreating, but with the mountain wall behind it and nowhere else to go, it desperately surged upwards along the wall. But this Yin Sha Qi seemed to be very weak, only daring to climb up a foot before it stopped, fearful of continuing upwards because once it got out of the range where the moss grew, it would be exposed to the midday sun. When the exorcism talisman got within three feet of the Yin Sha Qi, it suddenly ignited into a white flame, going up in smoke towards the Qi. Shen Luo did not want to eliminate the Yin Sha Qi immediately, so he quickly pulled his arm back, moving the exorcism charm away. Soon, the exorcism charm was burned out completely, and after twinkling with its last spark, it was completely extinguished. Almost at the same time, the shadowy feeling that had been in front of Shen Luo¡¯s eyes also disappeared. When he opened his eyes wide again to check the corner of the mountain wall, it was already empty. There was nothing left. Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Startling Soul Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Startling Soul Shen Luo pulled out two more talismans from his arms that both started with the word ¡°Imperial Edict.¡± They were exorcism charms. He pinched one of the talismans and infused mana into it. As a flash of white light shot up from the talisman, his eyes heated up a little and that sensation happened again, however, his sight was somewhat blurry compared to before. Shen Luo quickly looked towards the corner of the mountain wall, only to see a blurry black shadow, extremely unclear. Before he could figure out what was happening, the glow on the talisman paper in his hand had already extinguished, and his vision returned to normal. Clearly, the exorcism charm he thought he had successfully drawn, was of poor quality and thus had limited effect. ¡°Practice makes perfect, it seems drawing talismans is not something that can be mastered overnight,¡± Shen Luo sighed, grabbing the last exorcism charm. As his words dropped, a streak of mana flowed into the talisman paper, the light on the talisman momentarily brightened, finally emitting the same white light as the first talisman, the feeling of shadows blocking also returned to his vision. The black fog at the corner of the mountain wall also reappeared. This time, he didn¡¯t get the exorcism charm closer to the Yin Sha Qi, instead, he took out an Eliminate Evil Talisman from his arms, planning to test whether it could neutralize this Yin Sha Qi. However, after using three talismans consecutively, not a single one could be successfully activated, all of them were duds. Shen Luo, somewhat unwilling to accept it, used every other talisman he had on him, including the Wishful Talisman, House-Protection Talisman, Hundred Solutions Disaster Relief Talisman, in an attempt to see if they could have any reaction to this Yin Sha Qi. However, without exception, every attempt ended in failure. This ball of Yin Sha Qi had essentially become the litmus test for the success or failure of his talismans. Ultimately, it was only with a Small Thunder Talisman that Shen Luo managed to eradicate that ball of Yinsha Black Qi. ¡°In the end, only the Small Thunder Talisman and the Exorcism Charm can be used!¡± Shen Luo sat back down at the shore, muttering to himself. What he couldn¡¯t understand was why the current situation arose? Presumably, his cultivation level was now at the early stage of Qi refining, so his control over the essence and spirit when drawing talismans was obviously much different than when he was at the beginning of the Small Transformation Yang Technique. With the successful experience of the Small Thunder Talisman, he should have known what to pay attention to when drawing talismans by now. In terms of proficiency, he got the method of producing the Small Thunder Talisman the latest and didn¡¯t practice the most times. Rather, it was the Wishful Talisman and the Eliminate Evil Talisman that he practiced the most, yet except for the Exorcism charm, all these talismans turned out to be useless. Although there were doubts about the genuineness of these talismans, the Eliminate Evil Talisman should at least have been fine. Both the Small Thunder Talisman and the Exorcism Charm were ones he had drawn successfully in the Dreamland, the former even receiving guidance from Yu Yan, while other talismans had no such experience. ¡°Could it be¡­ Only the talismans that have been drawn successfully in the dream can also be used in reality?¡± Shen Luo mused. At this moment, he glanced upward, and found that unnoticeably, noon had already passed, so he immediately stood up and returned to the front of the mountain. After having lunch in the dining hall, Shen Luo took care of himself and went back to his residence at Qingchipo. When he returned to the room, he closed the door, sat quietly for a moment, lifted his hand to rub his right shoulder, pulled down the clothes on his shoulder, and revealed the black skull. This thing had been on his shoulder for several days and seemed like it wouldn¡¯t disappear on its own. He glanced casually and saw the remaining yellow talisman paper from yesterday next to the pile of ancient books. He suddenly had an idea. He immediately took out his brush, dipped it in the cinnabar, and started drawing on the talisman paper. Half an hour later, after using up all the remaining talisman paper, he had just managed to draw two exorcism charms. After resting for a moment, seeing that the cinnabar marks on the talisman paper had dried out, he picked up a talisman and stuck it on the skull pattern on his shoulder. A stream of mana was immediately infused into the talisman. A flash of light on the talisman paper was seen and a burst of white light lit up. A shadowy veil was cast over Shen Luo¡¯s vision again. He cast his gaze to the pattern on his right shoulder, fixedly staring at the skull for a while, wanting to see if there was any dark evil existence inside. However, there was no change there at all. Shen Luo furrowed his brows and shifted his gaze to the jade pillow at the head of the bed, but nothing else out of the ordinary happened. He could only shake his head, slowly sat back down at the desk, and took out the Nameless Heavenly Book from the stone box. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he had experimented with so many talismanic instruments and talismans today leading to excessive mana consumption, but he had only used his hand to read a line of words and already felt dizzy. So, he immediately closed the heavenly book and put it back into the stone box. Shen Luo, rubbing his somewhat swollen brow, fell asleep heavily on his bed. ¡­ The night was profound, and the moonlight was cold. Outside the cliff of Qingchipo, the mountain wind passed through the gap in the valley, causing bursts of ¡°mournful¡± sounds, like a woman crying softly on and off, echoing around the cliff courtyard. On the window of a room closest to the cliff, dark shadows flitted back and forth, cast by the pine and cypress branches, looking like the claws of death as if seeking life, giving a sinister feeling. On the wooden bed in the room, Shen Luo slept heavily, dressed. He was sleeping profoundly, not noticing at all that the rattan pillow under his head had been pushed aside unknowingly and replaced by the yellow jade pillow. He muttered something in his dreams, turned his body to face the direction of the door, subconsciously grabbing the jade pillow under his neck with his right hand. Just then, a gust of chill wind suddenly blew in from outside the house, rustling, it blew open the window and swept in a rolling black fog, heading straight for the bed. Shen Luo was immediately shocked awake from his dreams. His eyes opened wide suddenly, and he instinctively tried to sit up. But at this time, he felt a huge tearing force coming from below him. He quickly looked down, only to see a scene that made his scalp numb! Many little hands, resembling that of a child, were ¡°growing¡± out from the bed frame, firmly grabbing various parts of his body! Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Chapter 79: The Unusual Change of the Jade Pillow Chapter 80: Chapter 79: The Unusual Change of the Jade Pillow Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened, as if a cold snake was crawling up his spine. The tiny hands were swollen and rotting, their color frightfully pale, looking like bodies that had been in the water for quite a while, each with a long black nail on top, some of which had even pierced through his clothes and into his flesh. Shen Luo opened his mouth to scream, his mouth wide open, but found himself unable to make a sound, terror taking over his heart. But then, he noticed something strange. He didn¡¯t feel any pain at all! ¡°Stay calm, stay calm¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s mind eased a bit, forcing himself to stay calm. He tried to activate the Nameless Cultivation Technique, attempting to mobilize the mana in his body to see if he could push back these ghastly ghost hands. However, as the energy in his Dantian begun to move, he immediately felt a chilling sensation at the back of his neck, an overwhelmingly powerful Yin energy seeping out, making his whole body hair stand on end. ¡°It¡¯s the jade pillow!¡± Shen Luo immediately noticed the change at the back of his neck. Before he could react further, a powerful force of absorption emerged from the jade pillow behind his neck, making him feel as though his blood and essence were boiling, turning into plumes of white steam that were being sucked out. His eyes bulged, and he could only watch as his chest caved in bit by bit, and his exposed hand rapidly became thin, turning into a ghostly claw, the spark of life diminishing. Shen Luo¡¯s mind was muddled, fear, confusion, a resentment¡­ all kinds of emotions mixed together, he used his last ounce of strength to scream, ¡°No¡­¡± In the next instant, he jerkily sat up from the bed, his chest heaving, gasping for breath. In his panic, he quickly checked the mattress underneath him, only to find a circle of sweat stains, but where were the ghostly hands of a child? Next, he inspected his palms and back of his hands over and over again, they were all intact, there were no traces of his blood and energy being drained, turning his hand into a withered ghost claw. ¡°Was it just a nightmare?¡± Shen Luo looked around somewhat blankly, and found that all the doors and windows were closed, the furnishings in the room were as usual, and the pillow under his head was still the common rattan one, whereas the jade pillow was sitting peacefully on one side. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, sleepiness completely dispelled, he got up, lit a lamp, changed into clean clothes, and sat down at the table. The moonlight outside the window was hazy, it seemed to be late at night. Shen Luo thought of the horrifying scene in his nightmare, he still felt somewhat terrified, he unfathomably picked up an exorcism charm, sticking it onto himself, and channeled a bit of mana into it. As the light on the talisman paper lit up, his eyes became blurry again, he carefully inspected the corners of the room. However, as soon as his gaze shifted, his brows twitched suddenly. There was indeed something strange in the room! His sight retraced, and he saw fine shadows hanging down from the roof to his bedside, flickering in and out of sight, extremely vague. If it weren¡¯t for his heightened senses and concentrated attention, he would not have noticed. Shen Luo felt a tightening in his heart, hurriedly brought the lamp over, trying to get a closer look. However, when the light moved, the things he had barely been able to see, disappeared. Without hesitation, he immediately blew out the oil lamp in one breath. As the light in the room went out, the barely visible things finally reappeared, turning out to be strands of transparent light, all falling like rain from the ceiling. Shen Luo traced the light down, only to see a layer of translucent light covering the jade pillow on the bed. The light strands falling from above all landed on it, being absorbed completely without leaving a trace. ¡°What is this thing¡­¡± Shen Luo felt even more astonished, stepping closer to the side of the bed. As he got closer, he glanced at the exorcism charm attached to his chest, finding it unburnt, and the queer luminous filaments were not struggling or squirming. ¡°It seems that it¡¯s not related to a Yin Sha (evil spirit)¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s mind slightly relaxed. He extended a palm, like catching rain in a cupped hand, reaching out towards the almost transparent light threads. A dim white light immediately shrouded his palm. However, he quickly discovered that as soon as these luminescent threads fell onto his palm, they seemed to pass right through it, like they were nonexistent, and gathered towards the jade pillow again. Yet, he didn¡¯t feel any discomfort in his hand; those light threads truly seemed like mere illusions. Shen Luo instinctively looked up at the ceiling, noticing that those light threads appeared to be grown from within the ceiling, fitting in perfectly. An idea crossed his mind; grabbing the jade pillow, he exited the room. The moonlight was serene outside, bringing stillness all around, interrupted only by the sporadic chorus of insect calls. Shen Luo carefully checked his surroundings. Seeing that the only sound besides his neighboring Senior Brother¡¯s snores was the absence of any human noises, he lightly toed off the ground, his body floating up gracefully to land onto the rooftop of the second floor. He stood on the ridge of the roof, looking up at the high sky, watching the crystal clear strands of light pursue the jade pillow, like an endless waterfall of light hanging from the sky, seemingly infinite and continuous. He observed the night sky for a long while until he finally figured out that these crystal light threads were actually cast upon them from the stars spanning across the sky. ¡°What kind of connection is there between this light and this jade pillow?¡± Shen Luo was greatly puzzled. He¡¯d slept a little bit earlier, but after being woken up by a nightmare, he was unable to sleep again. So, now he found the view of the descending light threads interesting. Clutching the jade pillow, he laid there watching the starry sky. The light threads continued to fall all night, and Shen Luo watched all night. When it was dawn, and the sun was about to rise with the sky starting to turn a fish-belly white, the light threads that were falling from the starry sky gradually became scarce. By the time the daylight truly brightened up, they completely disappeared. Until the very end, Shen Luo didn¡¯t notice anything unusual about the jade pillow. He then jumped from the roof holding the jade pillow and, still full of doubts, walked back into his room. ¡­ In the afternoon, after Shen Luo had eaten in the Dining Hall, he took a lazy stroll to the back mountain. As soon as he got to a place where no one was around, he immediately quickened his pace, heading straight for the hidden valley. Shen Luo reached the edge of the Shallow Pond, and with a leap, he dived right into the water. The Shallow Pond was splashed all over, an instant sense of refreshing coolness surrounded him from all sides, making him feel extremely comfortable, as if his sleeplessness from the previous night was instantly eradicated. However, he did not come here today to relieve his fatigue, but to try another mystic art from the Nameless Cultivation Technique: The Art of Communicating with and Controlling Demons. According to the Classics, if there is an overachiever in the Beast Taming technique, they tend to successfully communicate with the spirit only by cultivating the first level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique. However, if their talents are inferior, they are likely to be unable to communicate with the Demon even if they have cultivated five or six levels. Shen Luo thought, ¡°The first level of the Nameless Technique was able to reach perfection as if water flows to lower ground, perhaps his own talent isn¡¯t that bad. Maybe it¡¯s just because his nature is more akin to water, that it manifested so after encountering the Nameless Heavenly Book.¡± He walked to the central part of the Shallow Pond, kneeled down, and the pool water precisely reached his chest. He then closed his eyes, gently forming magical tactics with one hand while adjusting his breathing, and silently began to operate the Nameless Cultivation Technique. In no time, a cooling sensation began rotating in Shen Luo¡¯s Dantian, circulating along his body¡¯s meridians. There were also waves of cold Water Spirit Qi zipping around in the pond, converging towards him from all around. As his thoughts gradually became void, he started to mutter the mantra of the Art of Communicating with and Controlling Demons. Suddenly, everything around the mountain valley began to feel oddly different. At first, Shen Luo could vaguely hear the chirping of a few birds, but he quickly only could hear the sound of wind passing through the woods. Then, he could only listen to the sounds of insects lurking beneath the earth and fish paddling in the pond¡­ Until at last, all he could hear was the sound of the stream gently flowing. Simultaneously, Shen Luo¡¯s mind became completely void, his half-closed eyes saw nothing but darkness, as if he had crossed a different space, appearing in another¡­void. Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Connecting with the Sea of Knowledge Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Connecting with the Sea of Knowledge ¡°Could this be the so-called Sea of Knowledge?¡± thought Shen Luo. The ancient book mentioned that people¡¯s collection of consciousness and ideas is known as the Sea of Knowledge, a place of projection for thousands of thoughts. A thought sprang up in his heart, but he hastily suppressed it, focusing all his effort on operating the Art of Spirit Communication. ¡°Ding dong¡± A faint sound, like a drop of water, abruptly rang out in this void of pitch blackness. Shen Luo¡¯s heart thumped abruptly. He hurriedly looked towards the source of the sound, only to see a blue light spot the size of a grain of rice appearing in the void before him, flashing dimly. Before he could take a closer look, the ding-dong sound echoed again and again. Surrounding him, numerous blue light spots appeared. Some were closer to him, seemingly just several yards away. Others were farther away, appearing to be dozens of yards from him. Some spots were as small as grains of rice, others were as big as broad beans¡­ Each one of them flickered with blue light, like a swarm of fireflies dancing around him, a splendid sight. Although marveling at this in his heart, Shen Luo knew well that this was not the time for appreciation. Those blue light spots must be the key to his use of the Art of Spirit Communication. His gaze fell on the blue light spot that first appeared and was closest to him. He consciously guided his Divine Sense to slowly approach it. However, the moment his Divine Sense got closer, the flow of his mana became disrupted. Sharp pains, like needle stings, shot through his meridians. Shen Luo opened his eyes abruptly, his face filled with agony. He clutch his head with both hands, and involuntarily flipped back, falling directly into the water. After coughing out a few mouthfuls of water, he finally sat up again, hands on his forehead, still feeling a splitting headache. He was practicing exactly as instructed by the heavenly book, why would this happen? After resting for quite some time, the chaotic movement of the mana within his body gradually subsided, and the excruciating headache also eased somewhat. After some hesitation, he slowly closed his eyes, deciding to give it another try. As his thoughts calmed down, the pitch-black void appeared once again. With the soft ¡°drip¡± sound, the grain-size blue light lit up. Shen Luo carefully controlled his Divine Sense to approach it again. However, the moment he saw the blue light, the intense pain in his meridians surged like a tide once again. His eyes flew open, and he felt as though the world was spinning. His body fell backward again. Shen Luo stretched out his hands to support his body, preventing himself from completely falling down. The excruciating headache made him groan in agony, with a sweet metallic taste in his mouth and nose, his blood spilling out. This time, Shen Luo was horrified and he dared not continue trying. He staggered out of the water, walked to the shore, and slowly laid down, gazing at the spinning sky, his mind in chaos. After a long time, Shen Luo felt a bit better. He got up and returned to his residence. Once home, he collapsed onto his bed and slept until late at night. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t awakened by nightmares this time, but woke up naturally after his spirit had recovered. After lighting the oil lamp, he got out the Nameless Heavenly Book, and again carefully reviewed the records about the Technique of Ghosly Beast Domination, but still failed to find the problem. ¡°Could it be because I¡¯m ordinary, and my mana is insufficient?¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. If that was the case, he could only wait until the second level of Nameless Cultivation Technique was successfully cultivated, then try this Technique of Spirit Communication again. ¡°Regardless, the first level technique has reached perfection, now it¡¯s time to practice the second level.¡± He looked down at the Nameless Heavenly Book in his hand and made up his mind. Shen Luo opened the section about the second level of the Nameless Heavenly Book. Just as his finger was about to touch the characters on the book, he suddenly remembered something and promptly took out an exorcism charm to attach to himself. His gaze then shifted to the jade pillow on the bed. Sure enough, the light threads that appeared last night were still there tonight. They hung down like rain from the rooftop and integrated into the jade pillow. After watching it for a while, Shen Luo collected his thoughts and began studying the second level techniques with undivided attention. ¡­ The next day, it was nearly noon when Shen Luo arrived at the back mountain. He stepped directly into the stream¡¯s shallow pool and sat down cross-legged. Shen Luo made a magic hand seal, and the mana in his Dantian started to move. It first reached the Yongquan at the sole of the foot, then returned to the Dantian and flowed up to the palm, and then circulated back to the Dantian. He didn¡¯t rush to cultivate the second level technique, but instead circulated around like this twice. After the first level technique in his body was fully activated, he truly started advancing toward the second level technique. The Nameless Heavenly Book guides the Water Spirit Qi into the body, transformed by Yang Gang Qi until it turns into mana and circulated throughout the body. When the first level has reached perfection, it can reach the limbs; when the second level has reached perfection, the Qi can reach the Ren and Du meridians. Ren and Du meridians, as the yin and yang meridians in the human body, extend from the Baihui Acupoint at the top of the head down to the Huiyin Acupoint in the lower abdomen. Once they are open and connected, the efficiency of Water Spirit Qi¡¯s circulation in his body will greatly improve. By then, the mana stored within his Dantian would also increase several folds. Shen Luo¡¯s thoughts flickered, the magic spell in his hand slightly changed, and he silently chanted the spell of the second-level technique in his mind. The surrounding stream water around him started to ripple. Strands of Spirit Qi in the water, like swimming fish, swam toward him one by one. A faint blue halo subsequently lit up under the water. At the same time, a strand of mana stored in Shen Luo¡¯s body started to rise from the Dantian, rushing straight up through the Ren meridian in front of the body, passing through Shen Que, Zhongwan, and Danzhong, all the way to the Yutang Acupoint. As early as when cultivating the first-level technique, Shen Luo was able to draw Yang Gang Qi into the Hand Three Yin meridians from Yutang. And now, he needed it to push all the way, pass through Zigong, break through Celestial Pivot, and reach Baihui Acupoint. However, after his mana surged out of the Yutang Acupoint, it came to a halt at the first barrier it encountered. That Purple Palace Acupoint was like a well-defended gate. However hard Shen Luo¡¯s mana tried to break it, it just couldn¡¯t crack open its gate. Shen Luo was somewhat surprised, and the mana in his Dantian also poured out, charging directly at the Purple Palace Acupoint. Soon, a turbulent breath caused by the collision of mana swirled inside his body, making him tremble and causing ripples to spread across the pool water around him. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes suddenly shot open, his face full of disbelief. When he cultivated the first level technique, he achieved perfection with just a single try, but with this second level technique, he instantly hit a brick wall. The gap between the two was more than significant. Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Descending the Mountain with the Master Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Descending the Mountain with the Master Shen Luo quickly recalled the mantra of the second level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique and seriously reconsidered his earlier method of cultivation. However, upon reflection, he found nothing amiss. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be so difficult¡­¡± he muttered, puzzled. He closed his eyes once more and started to practice silently. After a few moments, Shen Luo opened his eyes again, his expression now shifting from doubt to frustration. This time, he still failed to break through the Purple Palace Acupoint. The mana within his body couldn¡¯t flow through, let alone completing a full circle, even half was impossible to achieve. ¡°The Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits failed earlier¡­ Can it be that my aptitude is really poor? No, I have to keep trying¡­¡± Shen Luo bit his teeth, unwilling to give up, and once again started his cultivation. After several attempts, he gradually acknowledged a reality. The second level technique was much more difficult than he had imagined. Smooth progress was unlikely. He had to break through step by step, as if breaching a fortress. Based on his current speed, it would probably take four to five years to achieve Perfection in the second level Nameless Cultivation Technique. Even those ordinary people mentioned in the Nameless Heavenly Book could reach Perfection in two years, making his progress excruciatingly slow. The first level technique was cultivated very smoothly, and the Water-Stepping Art was like a breeze, which made Shen Luo think that his talent was not bad. He was even somewhat complacent. Now, it was like a bucket of cold water drenching him. It seemed that Master Luo¡¯s assessment and others of Spring and Autumn Pavilion were not wrong. Indeed, he had no special talent in cultivation techniques and mystic arts. Although recognizing this made Shen Luo feel a great loss, he was not entirely discouraged. Before acquiring the cultivation methods, he had been living under constant death threats. Despite the odds, he was still advancing fearlessly. Now, his situation was just a bit worse than expected, so he decided to continue his cultivation. No matter whether it would take four years or five, as long as there is a chance of success, he wouldn¡¯t miss it. In the coming several days, Shen Luo would practice by the Shallow Pond during the day and observe the changes of the filament absorbed by the jade pillow with the exorcism charm attached to him at night. Perhaps because of entering the Qi Refining Stage, despite the day and night cultivation, he didn¡¯t feel tired at all. One night, as ever, Shen Luo was sitting on the bed, unblinkingly staring at the jade pillow. He was confused. The light filament has been continuously blending into the jade pillow for several days, but the pillow did not show any changes. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Shen Luo was startled. With his current heightened senses, he should have noticed someone¡¯s presence outside the door, let alone not detecting anything at all. Moreover, why would anyone visit in the middle of the night? He quickly removed the exorcism charm from his body, hid the jade pillow under the bed then got up to open the door. There was a figure in a green robe outside. It was Daoist Luo. ¡°Master Luo, why are you here? Please, come inside,¡± Shen Luo quickly welcomed Daoist Luo into his room. ¡°No need. I was just passing by. Your complexion is quite good. You seem to have recovered well from your trip home,¡± Daoist Luo said, standing at the doorway whilst examining Shen Luo from head to toe. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Master Luo. I am indeed feeling much better,¡± Shen Luo said, with a respectful expression. ¡°Good. Now that you¡¯re mostly recovered, gather your belongings and come with me down the mountain,¡± Daoist Luo nodded, suddenly giving the order. ¡°Down the mountain?¡± Shen Luo was taken aback. ¡°We¡¯re going to catch a ghost. Bai Xiaotian has not returned from his trip down the mountain, and Tian Tiesheng was sent on an errand by the headmaster yesterday. So, you¡¯re in luck,¡± Daoist Luo explained, glancing at Shen Luo. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo began to consider the pros and cons, keeping silent for a moment. ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to go?¡± Daoist Luo frowned. ¡°It would be an honor to be of service to you, Master Luo. It¡¯s just that my mastery of the Small Transformation Yang Skill is far less proficient than my Senior Brothers. I¡¯m worried that if something goes wrong midway, I might hold you back,¡± Shen Luo said, after calming his nerves. If it were in the past, he would have gladly taken up such an opportunity. However, he now harbored many secrets and didn¡¯t want to stay too close to Daoist Luo, who possessed formidable mana. The risks of exposure were high. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of dying, aren¡¯t you? We¡¯re simply going to capture a ghost. You won¡¯t need to do anything, just stand by my side,¡± Daoist Luo thought he had guessed Shen Luo¡¯s hesitation and said with a slight smile. ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Master Luo. Allow me a moment to get ready,¡± Shen Luo knew he couldn¡¯t refuse at this point and agreed. ¡°Hurry up and pack your things. We¡¯ll leave immediately,¡± Daoist Luo instructed, before turning to leave. Shen Luo respectfully trailed behind him for a few steps and then watched him leave. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of worry. However, he quickly regained his composure, collected his thoughts and prepared to tidy up his stuff. He packed a change of clothes, the Small Thunder Talisman and exorcism charms he drew earlier, to be on the safe side. After all, his talisman making skill was already half-exposed. He didn¡¯t have to worry about being discovered. Shen Luo glanced at the stone box on his hand, hesitated for a bit, but finally put it into his bundle. Although carrying this stone box would increase the risk, he felt even less secure leaving it at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Fortunately, the box gave off no energy fluctuations. As long as Luo Daoist didn¡¯t see it, he wouldn¡¯t notice it. Even if Daoist Luo did notice, Shen Luo already had an excuse prepared. He would say that inside the box was an auspicious life-saving item he got when he last went home. The box should never be opened casually. Given Luo Daoist¡¯s disposition, he wouldn¡¯t insist on touching his belongings. After preparing everything, Shen Luo quickly went out and headed towards the residence of Daoist Luo. ¡°Why did it take you so long? Hurry up,¡± Daoist Luo was already waiting outside his residence. When he saw Shen Luo, he chastised him. ¡°Yes,¡± Shen Luo responded, quickening his pace to a jog. ¡°Stand next to me,¡± Daoist Luo pointed at the space beside him. Shen Luo looked confused, but did as instructed. Daoist Luo took out a white handkerchief from his pocket. There were rune-like patterns on it, emitting a gentle white light, which was quite conspicuous in the darkness of the night. On seeing the white handkerchief, Shen Luo had an inkling of what was going to happen. Daoist Luo took out a blue talisman from his other hand and put it on the white handkerchief while muttering an incantation. Immediately, the blue talisman began to emit a blue light, infusing into the white handkerchief. The runes on the surface of the White handkerchief lit up, emitting a ball of gentle white light. The item started to float in front of Daoist Luo, resembling a white lantern. At the same time, waves of cold air gathered from the surrounding atmosphere, blending into the white handkerchief, which in turn made the emitted white light even brighter. Shen Luo recognized this cold air. It was Water Spirit Qi. Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Judging People through Snobbish Eyes Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Judging People through Snobbish Eyes As the handkerchief¡¯s glow reached a certain limit, with a ¡°poof,¡± waves of white clouds gushed out from the white handkerchief, swirling around it without dispersing. In a few breaths, a white cloud the size of a house emerged, gently bobbing up and down in mid-air, like a piece of wood floating in water. Shen Luo was amazed by these rapid changes. With a casual wave of his hand from the Daoist Luo, the white cloud immediately flew down and hovered in front of the two. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He stepped on it and stood firmly. Looking at the hazy cloud, Shen Luo gritted his teeth and also leaped onto it. The cloud appeared to be filled with fog, but when stepped on, it had a force that lifted a person up, giving the feeling of standing on solid ground. The white cloud carried the weight of both individuals without even a hint of a sway. Shen Luo relieved his breath, reached out to touch the cloud, and it felt like a cool patch of cotton, something he could not grasp with his hand. ¡°Master Luo, what kind of treasure is this?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask, growing more and more amazed. ¡°This is the Water Cloud Pouch, a talismanic instrument I use for travel. Stand steady,¡± the Daoist Luo said casually, and began to manipulate the cloud. The white cloud shook lightly, then drifted in a distant direction, constantly rising in height. The cloud started off quite slowly, but its speed gradually increased, eventually reaching several times that of a galloping horse, racing forward. Now, the bright moon was hanging high in the sky, it was very bright. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion below quickly reduced in size, soon becoming the size of a fist, and the entire Qinghua Mountain also quickly reduced, turning into a low mound of soil. Shen Luo had never been so high before, his legs felt weak, and with the strong wind hitting his face, he could hardly breathe or even open his eyes. He quickly retracted his gaze and sat down cross-legged. After a while, his feelings slowly stabilized, he gradually got used to the speed, and when he looked around again, he was no longer so shaky. Instead, he started to feel a sense of excitement. The sky above him was a vast starry night, below him was the vast earth. Flying between heaven and earth, wasn¡¯t that what he always longed for? ¡°This is the true path of cultivating immortality! One day, I, Shen Luo, will use my own strength to travel between heaven and earth like this!¡± Looking at the vast heaven and earth, Shen Luo clenched his fists, making a silent oath. Daoist Luo saw Shen Luo¡¯s expressions, and with his experience, naturally guessed what Shen Luo was thinking. He didn¡¯t say any words of encouragement, and quickly looked away. In his view, Shen Luo was mediocre and short-lived and not likely to achieve anything. This time, he brought him out to broaden his horizons, considering this as his final act of kindness. With these thoughts in mind, Daoist Luo silently operated his mana, urging the Water Cloud Pouch to speed up. Two hours later, the sky began to brighten, and the outline of a city gradually became clear in front of them. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes brightened a bit, recognizing it as his hometown, Chunhua County Town. He had learned from Daoist Luo on the road that their destination was a town near Chunhua County called Baihe Town. Looking at the city getting closer and closer, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel in his heart. From Spring and Autumn Pavilion to Chunhua County, even for a fast horse it usually takes about a day to get there. Now it only takes a short time, and judging from Daoist Luo¡¯s nonchalant manner, it seemed like he hadn¡¯t yet exerted his full effort. If he had a talismanic instrument like the Water Cloud Pouch, traveling would be so convenient! Daoist Luo drove the Water Cloud Pouch directly towards the northeast direction of the County Town, and soon reached a town by the river. This was Baihe Town, named after the Bailian River outside the town. It was famous for its fabric dyeing within a hundred miles. Shen Luo had heard of it, but had never been there. So as not to cause a commotion, Daoist Luo landed down in an uninhabited place outside Baihe Town and entered the town on foot with Shen Luo. Baihe Town was several times bigger and more prosperous than the small town where Shen Luo had stayed outside Song Fan County. There were various shops lined up, especially fabric shops. Near the river, there was a row of dyeing workshops, with dozens of them. At this moment, although it was early in the morning, the shops on the street had already opened their doors, and the fabric workers in the riverside workshops had already started their work. Rolls of fabric and silk were hung up, fluttering in the wind, like countless fluttering flags, which was spectacular. The two of them asked around and quickly came to a high gate courtyard in the town. Even through the courtyard wall, you could see the high-rise pavilions inside. The crimson gate of the courtyard was tightly closed, and the plaque hanging at the entrance read ¡°Ma Mansion¡± in gold lacquer. This was their destination, the home of a Ma surname cloth merchant in Baihe Town. Looking at the high gate courtyard in front of him, Shen Luo had a feeling in his heart. The morning sun rose, casting its bright brilliance, bringing everything back to life. However, the mansion in front of him still gave him a gloomy feeling, as if the area around the mansion was covered with an invisible fog, so much so that the sunlight couldn¡¯t shine here. ¡°Sure enough, there is ghostly Qi.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, feeling slightly smug at the same time. But after glancing a few times, he quickly lowered his head to avoid getting noticed by Daoist Luo. Presently, Daoist Luo was carefully observing the Ma Mansion in front of him. Obviously, he had also noticed the anomalies here, but his expression remained the same, seemingly quite used to it. ¡°Go and knock on the door.¡± After a moment, said Daoist Luo casually, then turned his back to the mansion, gazing into the distance. Following the command, Shen Luo stepped forward and hit the copper ring on the door. After knocking for a while, the big gate finally creaked open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe and hat with sleepy eyes came out. ¡°Hmph! Early in the morning and we have two beggars come by. These few days we have things going on in the mansion, if you want alms go somewhere else. Leave, now!¡± The middle-aged man glanced disdainfully at the two of them and reprimanded impatiently. Shen Luo was new to this place and was originally planning to negotiate politely for Master Luo. However, this man¡¯s words were disrespectful and he looked at people disdainfully through the corner of his eyes, which annoyed him. He immediately shouted angrily: ¡°You insolent servant, are you blind? This man here is Daoist Luo from Spring and Autumn Pavilion, invited by your master, Official Ma. Hurry up and report this matter, if you delay the time, be careful of your legs being broken!¡± Upon hearing these words, the middle-aged man shuddered, and his sleepiness was instantly half gone. He looked at the old and younger pair again, quickly changed his expression, apologizing while bowing and nodding, then he half-closed the door and quickly ran back to the mansion. Not long after, the mansion gate reopened, and a potbellied wealthy-looking middle-aged man came out quickly, accompanied by a housekeeper-like old man in a green robe. This man was in his forties, wearing a brown wisp hat, and a wide robe of silk. With a round face and small eyes, his eyes flickered with a shrewd light. ¡°Are the two of you the immortals from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion? My subordinate was rude and did not welcome you properly, please forgive us.¡± The middle-aged man saw that Daoist Luo was still standing sideways with his hands behind his back, he quickly bowed his hands in courtesy to Shen Luo, his attitude was exceptionally respectful. Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Haunted Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Haunted ¡°This is my Master Luo Daoist, the Elder of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and I¡¯m Shen Luo,¡± Shen Luo introduced himself without picking on the gatekeeper. ¡°So, it¡¯s Daoist Master Luo and Daoist Master Shen.¡± The middle-aged man bowed again. ¡°Are you Ma Simo, who wrote the letter to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion? What¡¯s your relationship with Ma Xingming?¡± Luo Daoist finally turned around and asked. ¡°Ma Xingming was my great-grandfather,¡± Ma Simo answered, shivering under the gaze of the Luo Daoist. ¡°Do you have a genealogy?¡± The Daoist asked again. ¡°Yes, Master Daoist, please have a look,¡± said Ma Simo, who seemed well-prepared, handing over a black silk-covered book. Shen Luo quickly took the book and handed it to Luo Daoist. Daoist Luo grabbed the book with one hand and casually flipped through it before tossing it back to Shen Luo. ¡°Ma Xingming once studied at Spring and Autumn Pavilion and though he didn¡¯t achieve much, he did contribute to the Pavilion, and so we bestowed upon him a token. Now that you have proved to be his descendant, according to our Pavilion¡¯s rules, you have one opportunity to request assistance from Spring and Autumn Pavilion,¡± Luo Daoist said, turning to face them again. ¡°Thank you, Master Daoist.¡± Ma Simo was overjoyed and repeatedly bowed before inviting them into the house. Upon entering the main gate, they were greeted by the sight of a square courtyard about an acre in size, with a two-yard-wide bluestone road leading to the grand central hall. To the left of the bluestone road was a garden full of flowers and trees, while on the right was a pond with several water pavilions connected by bridges. The pond was covered with a layer of green lotus leaves, dotted with a few pink lotus flowers. There were also courtyards on both sides of the main courtyard, with numerous buildings and pavilions, but they couldn¡¯t clearly see inside from behind the courtyard wall. As they walked across the courtyard to the main hall, two pretty young maids brought them tea. ¡°Mister Ma, in the letter you sent to our Pavilion, you briefly mentioned there were hauntings within your mansion but didn¡¯t detail what kind of spirits are these? Has anyone seen them?¡± Master Luo asked after taking a sip of tea. ¡°Old Wang, our night guard, saw it. He said it was a red-dressed female ghost, but he didn¡¯t get a good look and fainted on the spot. He fell ill the next day and hasn¡¯t been able to get out of bed since. Then, our guard dogs started to die one after another, they bled from all their orifices when they died¡­ Also, every morning, there are inexplicable bloody and stinky puddles in different parts of the house, sometimes in the front hall, sometimes in the backyard, and once even in my bedroom,¡± Ma Simo explained, wiping sweat from his brow, his face turning pale. While listening to Ma Simo¡¯s tales of the strange happenings, Shen Luo looked around, feeling a peculiar gloom in this luxuriously decorated mansion. ¡°So far, only several dogs have died, and no human lives were taken, but who knows what happens next. Daoist Master Luo, I am willing to offer a hundred taels of gold to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. I beg you to exorcise the demon and save the Ma Family,¡± Ma Simo said, his voice trembling, and he stood up to bow. ¡°Mr. Ma, you are too kind. If there really is a malicious spirit, I certainly won¡¯t stand by,¡± Daoist Luo said calmly, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Ma Simo thanked him again and again, finally calming down a bit. ¡°Mr. Ma, based on what you¡¯ve told us, we can¡¯t determine what kind of spirit it is. Can we speak to the guard who is bedridden?¡± After a moment of silence, Daoist Luo asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate. Old Wang was originally recuperating in the mansion, but his family came to take him home yesterday due to concerns about his health,¡± Ma Simo responded, hesitantly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. You mentioned smelly, unpleasant stains appearing every night. I could find some clues from those stains, did those stains appear last night?¡± Daoist Luo asked. ¡°Yes, they were in the backyard. But the smell was too terrible, so I had them cleaned up,¡± Ma Simo replied, looking down in embarrassment. ¡°Do you still have the bodies of the deceased dogs? Please tell me they weren¡¯t disposed of?¡± Daoist Luo, without saying a word, paused and then continued to ask. ¡°The black dogs are here!¡± Ma Simo immediately looked up and said joyfully. Luo Daoist also breathed a sigh of relief, waved his hand, and asked Ma Simo to lead him there. A moment later. In a storage room in the backyard, Luo Daoist was half-kneeling on the ground, examining the bodies of the three dead black dogs. Shen Luo was standing respectfully behind Luo Daoist. Ma Simo was scared and stayed outside, not daring to come in. The dogs had been dead for a long time. Their bodies were shriveled, the fresh blood flowing from their seven orifices had dried up. From their twisted dog faces, one could see they were filled with extreme terror, as if they had seen something extremely horrifying. Seeing the death state of the three black dogs, Shen Luo¡¯s eyelids twitched. The image of the long-haired ghost that he encountered in the Dreamland Mountain Village involuntarily appeared in his mind. Luo Daoist touched one of the dead dogs and then pointed between its eyes with his bent finger. A moment later, he withdrew his hand. ¡°Master Luo, these black dogs died in a peculiar way. How did they die?¡± When Shen Luo saw him stop, he quietly asked. ¡°The seven orifices bleeding is a sign of death due to the extraction of essence. Ordinary ghosts all have this ability. There is no need to be overly shocked,¡± Luo Daoist said nonchalantly. Upon hearing his words, Shen Luo felt a sense of relief in his heart. It¡¯s good that Master Luo was confident. Luo Daoist seemed to have understood what he wanted to know. He paid no more attention to the dead dogs, turned around and walked out of the backyard. Shen Luo quickly followed. ¡°Master Luo, did you find anything?¡± Outside the courtyard, Ma Simo came to greet them and asked. ¡°Everything is under control, but we still need to verify it further. Mister Ma, could you please take us around the mansion?¡± Luo Daoist said. Ma Simo would naturally not refuse, leading Luo Daoist and Shen Luo on a tour around the Ma Mansion. Shen Luo knew that Luo Daoist was looking for the hiding place of the ghost. As he followed along, he kept watch discreetly. But they searched everywhere from the backyard to the main yard, and then to the courtyards on the left and right. They couldn¡¯t find anything in the entire mansion. ¡°This isn¡¯t right¡­¡± Luo Daoist furrowed his eyebrows, muttering to himself. ¡°Master Luo, could the ghost have come from the outside and escaped since it¡¯s daytime now?¡± Shen Luo guessed. ¡°No, the entire Ma Mansion is surrounded by Yin Qi. The ghost is definitely hiding here. It seems to be hiding very well and not easy to find,¡± Luo Daoist shook his head and said. ¡°Master Luo, is it not possible to find the ghost? The previous priests I invited also ended up like this. What should I do?¡± Ma Simo was disheartened. ¡°Mister Ma, don¡¯t worry. This mere ghost trick is nothing. I have methods to make it show itself,¡± Luo Daoist said disdainfully, feeling slightly offended. He then instructed Ma Simo to prepare incense, candles, and a offering table, and asked for some yellow paper and cinnabar. Ma Simo had invited a few priests in the past, so all these items were already prepared. When he heard the instructions, he immediately had someone bring them in. According to Luo Daoist¡¯s arrangement, he placed the offering table in the center of the main yard. He then arranged incense, candles, melons, and fruits on it to build a Dharma Platform. Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Seven Star Formation Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Seven Star Formation Daoist Luo asked Ma Simo to bring seven burning candlesticks and place them around the altar, forming the shape of the Big Dipper. For a moment, the courtyard was filled with floating sparks, making everyone feel a sense of awe. Seeing Daoist Luo¡¯s well-organized arrangement, Ma Simo¡¯s expression also became slightly calmer. Daoist Luo solemnly stood in the middle of the seven candlesticks, bit his finger, silently activated his Skills, and shot seven drops of blood onto the flames of the candlesticks. ¡°Puff!¡±, the flames of the seven candlesticks suddenly enlarged several times, burning fierily. Ma Simo couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes at the sight. The mages he had invited for the last few days were merely dabbling around, performing as if in a drama, but this is the first time he had seen such authentic God¡¯s Power. His family was indeed saved at last. Ma Simo was thrilled, his eyes looking at Daoist Luo were filled with newfound respect. ¡°Phew¡­ stimulating the Seven-Star Array drains a lot of essence blood. After this, Poor Daoist will need at least three years of quiet cultivation to recover.¡± Daoist Luo wobbled a bit, took a deep breath, and spoke. ¡°In return for your great insight, I¡¯m willing to donate an additional two hundred taels of gold to make up for your loss. However, please make sure to eliminate that ghost.¡± Ma Simo said immediately upon hearing this. ¡°Mister Ma, rest assured, with the Seven-Star Great Array laid out, no matter how powerful that ghost is, it won¡¯t be able to escape from Poor Daoist¡¯s hands!¡± Daoist Luo revealed his teeth with a slight smile; his pearly-white teeth, reflected by the surrounding firelight, were dazzling. Shen Luo, standing on one side, quickly lowered his head and suppressed his laughter. The aura on Daoist Luo had not diminished in the slightest. Where had his great loss of cultivation come from? With respect to the sudden increase in the flame, it happened when Daoist Luo shot out his blood and simultaneously triggered seven strands of Mana. If it were not for his status as a Qi Refining Cultivator, he would have been fooled, just like Ma Simo and the others, and would have considered this a divine miracle. It appeared that Daoist Luo, who usually seemed cold, was indeed adept at making money. After taking a short rest, Daoist Luo dove into drawing charms. Shen Luo observed Daoist Luo drawing a type of exorcism charm similar to those he¡¯d seen before, and carefully watched. However, with Daoist Luo¡¯s swift and dazzling Brushwork, one charm was quickly followed by another without intermission. In a matter of moments, he had drawn more than twenty charms. ¡°Stick these charms in all the rooms of your mansion, including the courtyard. Make sure not a single spot is missed and call everyone in the mansion here!¡± Daoist Luo left one charm on the altar, handed the rest to Ma Simo, and instructed him sternly. Without any deliberation, Ma Simo immediately ordered several servants to paste the charms. The entire household, including the servants and his seventy-year-old mother, who was carried out on a palanquin, were summoned. There were around twenty or thirty people altogether. Daoist Luo waited until everyone had gathered, then he unsheathed the sword that had been hanging on his back. It was a Peach Wood Sword. The red body of the wooden sword had clear patterns, and from a distance, one could feel a strong righteous Qi emanating from it, used for exorcising evil spirits. ¡°What a superb Peach Wood Sword!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes sparkled. He had read many miscellaneous books and had a good understanding of the Peach Wood Sword, a common Daoist tool for driving out demons. Peach wood, also known as ¡°Dragon-Slaying Wood¡±, had the effect of exorcising evil spirits and ghosts. The older the tree, the deeper its color, and the stronger its power to exorcise evil. The color of ordinary peach wood is usually light yellow. Only after 30 years can it possibly turn pink. To achieve a deep red color, however, it must come from a hundred-year-old peach tree. What¡¯s more rare was that Daoist Luo¡¯s Peach Wood Sword did not have a single scar, and the exorcising power of the hundred-year-old peach wood was not damaged in the slightest, decidedly making it a top-class instrument for eliminating ghosts. Daoist Luo took out a red charm from his chest and stuck it on the sword handle. The body of the Peach Wood Sword suddenly bloomed with a layer of red light. The power of the Peach Wood and the charm fused together, raising its capacity several times. A strong surge of Mana radiated from the sword body, causing the surrounding air to hum faintly. The audience in the Ma Mansion gasped at this sight, each one transfixed. Shen Luo was silently impressed. Compared to the others, he had a better sense of the astonishing aura that the Peach Wood Sword emitted, vastly more powerful than when he activated the Talisman Fork. That being said, this was due to his current lack of Mana, which was far from unleashing the full potential of the Talisman Fork. Having stimulated the power of the Peach Wood Sword, Daoist Luo didn¡¯t immediately proceed, and suddenly waved at Shen Luo. ¡°Master Luo.¡± Shen Luo was slightly surprised, but immediately stepped forward. ¡°Hold onto this and stand aside.¡± Daoist Luo took an object from his chest and handed it to him. It was a three-foot-long yellow banner. There was a Taiji Diagram on both ends of the banner, with seven pentagonal stars drawn in the middle, formed into the shape of the Big Dipper. It was a commonly seen Seven-Star Banner in Daoism, and a yellow talisman was attached to the top, radiating faint Mana waves. Obviously, it was another Talismanic Instrument. Shen Luo was inwardly surprised by Daoist Luo¡¯s wealth. He responded aloud, reverentially accepting the Seven-Star Banner and standing next to Daoist Luo as instructed. At this moment, the servants returned, reporting that all the charms had been pasted. ¡°Withdraw to the side. You can just watch quietly.¡± Daoist Luo nodded, waved everyone to retreat, and then started moving his feet accordingly to the step method. He spun around a few times, then with a huge scream, the Peach Wood Sword in his hand twirled around and pierced the charm on the altar. The runes on the charm immediately lit up, emitting a bright red light. An unseen wave burst from the charm, rippling quickly in all directions, and the candles around the altar flared up. At the same time, dazzling red lights bloomed in various places around the Ma Mansion. Those were the charms pasted in the rooms lighting up. For a moment, the entire Ma Mansion was bathed in clusters of red light. Seeing this scene, everyone in the courtyard held their breath, afraid to even gasp for air. Just then, the charm affixed in the central area of the left courtyard suddenly shot up, landing in a corner of the courtyard. There was a lush bamboo forest there, with a big locust tree deep inside, its verdant branches and leaves indicating it had been there for at least forty to fifty years. The charm hit the ground under the locust tree, ignited without any wind, and turned into a crimson fireball which then smashed to the ground like lightning. With a muffled ¡®bang¡¯, the fireball exploded spectacularly, turning into a shower of sparks, scattering dry bamboo leaves and twigs, revealing a pitch-black abandoned wellhead. The sound of gushing water resonated from the well, then a black mist slowly emerged, exuding an aura of cruelty. In the main courtyard, Daoist Luo¡¯s eyes lit up. He opened his mouth and spat out a breath of white Qi, which entered the Seven-Star Banner. The yellow light on the banner swelled enormously, illuminating the seven starlight patterns that shot seven yellow rays, enveloping the ground in front. Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Slaying the Demon Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Slaying the Demon Shen Luo felt that the Seven-Star Banner in his hand suddenly became unusually heavy, as if it had instantly transformed from a fabric banner into an iron one. He could hardly hold onto it. He quietly activated the Small Transformation Yang Skill to increase his strength, managing with difficulty to lift it up. At that moment, Luo Daoist gave a low shout. The Peach Wood Sword in his hand was released, morphing into a meteor-like red light. It moved at an astonishing speed, covering a distance of dozens of feet in an instant and stabbing into the Seven-Star Banner. The yellow glow on the banner fluctuated, and the Peach Wood Sword surprisingly disappeared inside it. However, a crack suddenly appeared at the spot where the sword struck, and pitch-black darkness could be seen within the crack, as though it linked to some dark place. Almost at the same time, a mournful scream came from the left wing of the courtyard. It was a woman¡¯s voice, as if she had suffered some kind of injury. This caused everyone in the Ma Mansion to shudder, drawing closer to each other, none daring to make a noise. Shen Luo, who had gained courage from his previous dream experiences, stayed put. But his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Although the scream was mournful, there was no sign of weakening. It was clear that the person was injured but not dead. ¡°That¡¯s not right! Taking a hit from the sword and still not dying!?¡± Luo Daoist exclaimed, his face filled with surprise. At that moment, the scream suddenly transformed into a sharp roar. The expression on Luo Daoist¡¯s face solidified. He made a series of hand seals and waved his hands continuously as though he was controlling the Peach Wood Sword in the air. A pounding collision sound echoed from the dried well inside the bamboo forest of the left wing, as if someone was engaged in battle below. Clusters of dirty black energy gushed out from the wellhead, instantly engulfing the courtyard with a chilling atmosphere. The temperature also plummeted in the main yard as a wave of coldness quickly spread out. All the people from the Ma family were shocked. Someone shouted loudly, causing everyone to run in horror towards the right wing. Some of them were so panicked that they tripped over, creating a scene of wild disorder. Glancing at the flustered Ma family members, Shen Luo was about to reassure them not to be afraid when- At that moment, bubbling noises came from the crack inside the Seven-Star Banner in his hand. A surge of black energy gushed out, entwining itself around him in an instant. He instantly experienced a chill followed by piercing pain all over his meridians, and half of his body went numb. Startled, Shen Luo was about to counteract it with his magic techniques, but the Yang Gang Qi inside his body automatically reacted to the intrusion of the ghostly Qi, providing a protective shield around him. A brilliant red light radiated from his body, pervading his entire being. It promptly isolated the black energy, dispelling most of the numbness. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s heart jumped as he remembered Luo Daoist was nearby. The Small Transformation Yang Skill he was displaying was far beyond the level of a novice. However, acting on instinct, Shen Luo did not reduce the Yang Gang Qi. Instead, he let it circulate around him, guarding him against the ghostly Qi. He cast a sideways glance at Luo Daoist. At that moment, Luo Daoist was performing a series of intricate hand seals as if he was in an intense battle himself. He seemed to be oblivious to what was happening here. ¡°Sinful creature, do you really believe I can¡¯t exorcise you?¡± Luo Daoist suddenly shouted, his two hands coming together. He made a swift swipe across his palm with some kind of sharp object, causing blood to rush forth and dye both his palms red. A brilliant red light burst forth from both hands. However, the red light emanating from his left hand was more vibrant, filled with masculine energy, while that from his right hand was more composed, exuding a feminine softness. With a ¡°snap,¡± the two hands clasped together, forming a sword-finger hand seal. He began softly chanting a spell. The red light from both hands immediately intertwined and merged into one. As the sound of the sword echo from next door¡¯s courtyard started, a red light shot out from the well in the bamboo forest, which was exactly the Peach Wood Sword, but it was tightly wrapped in strands of black Qi like tendrils. Black Qi was surging in the well below, and more black Qi shot out from the well, swirling towards the Peach Wood Sword. The Peach Wood Sword made a spinning movement, and two strands of red light suddenly rose from the sword¡¯s body, intertwining with each other. ¡°Zing¡­¡± A clear sound, like metal clashing, an enormous red Qi Sword about a dozen feet long was condensed and emitted a bright and warm red light. The black Qi entwining the Peach Wood Sword instantly evaporated, turned into nothingness. The swirling black Qi, emitted by the Qi Sword, was touched by the warm red light and immediately melted quickly as if it were ice and snow under a scorching sun. ¡°Yin Yang Law Sword, Exorcise Ghosts and Demons!¡± Luo Daoist dramatically widened his eyes, raised his hands high, and then fiercely brought them down in a slashing motion in the void. In the courtyard next door, the red glow of the Qi Sword suddenly brightened, illuminating more than half of the yard in a red shimmer, then it struck down heavily, in sync with Luo Daoist¡¯s movements. ¡°Hiss.¡± The black Qi floating in the courtyard was effortlessly sliced in half and quickly evaporated, disappearing. The red Qi Sword disappeared without a trace in a blink, the next moment it appeared out of nowhere in front of the abandoned ancient well before striking down with a force that could shatter the heavens. ¡°Boom!¡± A thunderous noise! The entire mouth of the abandoned well exploded, debris and dust flew into the air, and the ground was blown into a pit about a dozen feet deep. The old locust tree next door was also blown down to the roots, falling to the ground. ¡°Ah!¡± A shrill, ghastly scream rang out, causing a painful piercing sensation in the eardrums, but it quickly faded. The Yin Qi that had enveloped the entire Ma Mansion was now slowly dissipating, the sunlight shining down made the mansion indescribably bright and warm, giving a feeling of seeing a clear sky after moving away the clouds. No more black Qi was pouring out of the Seven-Star Banner, Shen Luo let out a sigh of relief, quickly circulated the Small Transformation Yang Skill, and completely dispelled the black Qi within his body. The Mao family members who had fled in disarray from the courtyard also gradually noticed that the crisis had been lifted, all of them stopped running, and looked towards Luo Daoist and Shen Luo. The red light enveloping Luo Daoist¡¯s hands had now disappeared, his face looked slightly pale, but there was some excitement in his expression, he raised his hand and beckoned. Just heard a ¡°swoosh¡± and a red light flew back from the courtyard next door and landed in front of him. It was the Peach Wood Sword that had disappeared. The red charm on the Peach Wood Sword was much less bright, it had clearly been greatly consumed, the Qi Sword around it had disappeared but on the tip of the sword, there was a red ghost shadow about three feet tall, which was a woman dressed in a red skirt. The woman¡¯s flesh and skin on her hands and feet were rotten and in many places revealed stark white bones, which was very disgusting. Her face was relatively intact and pretty looking with a bright red mole between her eyebrows, but her eyes were filled with ferocious and violent light. She roared furiously at Luo Daoist and struggled vigorously, trying to break free from the Peach Wood Sword¡¯s restraint. However, this female ghost had no ghostly power inside her body which had become almost transparent, as if it could dissipate at any moment. No matter how hard she tried, she could never leave the Peach Wood Sword even a bit. Shen Luo curiously examined this Red-Skirted Female Ghost, and quietly compared it with the long-haired ghost in the dreamland. Indeed, the ghost in the dreamland was much more terrifying. But judging by power, the ghost in front of them was naturally more formidable. ¡°Sin barrier, surrender yourselves! Collect!¡± Luo Daoist shouted, and with a flick of his hand, he took out a Small Black Cloth Bag from his chest, pinching spells with the other. Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Chapter 86: The Whole Story Chapter 87: Chapter 86: The Whole Story The small bag immediately flew out of his hand, and a circle of black light emerged from the opening, a force of attraction instantly engulfing the ghostly figure. With a flash of black light, the red-skirted female ghost was sucked into the bag, and all the ghostly Qi in the courtyard disappeared at once. ¡°That¡­That ghost is already exorcised?¡± Ma Simo walked over tremblingly, his lips turning pale with fear. He had never known that such a terrifying ghost had been hiding all along in his own courtyard. ¡°Mister Ma, rest assured, the ghost is exorcised, and your mansion will no longer be disturbed,¡± said Luo Daoist, putting away the black bag and the Peach Wood Sword, and took back the Seven-Star Banner from Shen Luo. ¡°Thank you, thank you, you two are truly like living immortals, but how did that ghost come to my house?¡± After hearing this, Ma Simo breathed a sigh of relief but still asked with confusion. Shen Luo was taken aback upon this realization and looked towards Luo Daoist. Luo Daoist also paused, seemingly hadn¡¯t thought of this question before. After a moment of thought, he headed towards the side courtyard, and Shen Luo quickly followed. Ma Simo announced to the Ma family members that the ghost was exorcised and instructed them to return to their rooms, then quickly followed himself. Luo Daoist arrived at the old well in the side courtyard. After some investigation around, his eyebrows were still slightly furrowed so he gained no leads. After a moment of ponder, he lightly stepped forward, his figure floating onto the rooftop of a nearby large building. He looked around and soon, a look of sudden realization appeared on his face and he floated down. ¡°Although Baihe Town is situated on fertile land with convenient transportation, the Feng Shui isn¡¯t very good. The river flowing from outside the town is bow-shaped, and from that bow, a small brook flows into your town. This type of terrain is called ¡®Bow-shaped land,¡¯ and it tends to gather Yin Qi. Fortunately, the ¡®Bow-shaped land¡¯ of Baihe Town is not significant, and the gathered Yin Qi is not much. Moreover, the locals are thriving, and their vitality is strong enough to dispel these Yin Qi. However, this well in your home connects to underground water veins, and there¡¯s an old locust tree next to the well. The locust tree attracts Yin Qi and ghosts. The dispersed Yin Qi all gathered here, forming a Yin cave, hence the ghost took refuge here. It¡¯s fortunate that the ghost was nearing its breakthrough in its cultivation and didn¡¯t cause much harm, otherwise, I fear your family might have suffered some terrible fate,¡± Luo Daoist explained. ¡°Feng Shui, Yin gathering¡­ So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Shen Luo listened with great interest and memorized all these pieces of knowledge. ¡°Will other ghosts come to my house? Do we need to move?¡± Ma Simo, not showing the same enthusiasm as Shen Luo, asked anxiously. ¡°No need to, now that the ghost is gone and the locust tree is destroyed, the gathered Yin Qi will gradually disperse. You just need to fill up the well. If you are still worried, you can negotiate with the townsfolk to fill up the brook, which will break the Yin-gathering Feng Shui of this area,¡± Luo Daoist waved his hand and answered. ¡°Yes, yes, on behalf of the residents of Baihe Town, thank you for your guidance. ¡± Ma Simo thanked him gratefully, contemplating on how to fill up the troublesome brook. ¡°Now that the fierce ghost is gone, we should take our leave,¡± Luo Daoist announced his departure. ¡°Why are you two immortals in such a hurry to leave? I have ordered my servants to prepare a feast so we can treat you properly,¡± Ma Simo hurriedly said. ¡°We need to return to our mountain for cultivation; there¡¯s no need for you to go through such trouble,¡± Luo Daoist shook his head in refusal, seeming to be in a hurry to leave. Seeing that he couldn¡¯t persuade them to stay, Ma Simo personally saw them off. Naturally, he didn¡¯t forget to offer the previously promised reward, even overpaying a significant amount. Luo Daoist and Shen Luo didn¡¯t stay long in Baihe Town, leaving quickly. Once they were in a deserted place outside of town, Luo Daoist used the Water Cloud Pouch again, carrying both of them towards Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Shen Luo looked in the direction of Chunhua County Town, wanting to go home, but he had just left Spring and Autumn Pavilion not long ago with the excuse of visiting his family, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to mention going home again so soon. He involuntarily sighed and withdrew his gaze, looking over at Daoist Luo instead. At this moment, Luo Daoist was sitting cross-legged on the Water Cloud Pouch, holding a small black bag in his palm. His fingertips glowed and seemed to be performing some refining rite. A layer of obscure black light emerged from the bag and occasionally pulsated intensely, as if something within was agitating. However, as the glow from Luo Daoist¡¯s fingertips flowed slowly, the black light gradually stabilised. Shen Luo watched this scene quietly, recalling the female ghost, who had been taken into the bag. He guessed that it was likely this ghost struggling inside. He just didn¡¯t know what Luo Daoist was doing. Was he taming this ghost? Upon this thought, he reconsidered the earth-shattering sword move from before and understood more about the power of Luo Daoist. He didn¡¯t dare to interrupt. After a long while, the obscure light on the black bag finally stabilised. Luo Daoist then stopped chanting, took out a talisman and stuck it on the black bag. Only then did his face relax. ¡°After we get back to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, don¡¯t mention what happened today to anyone.¡± He solemnly stored the bag away and instructed Shen Luo. ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Luo did not ask for the reason and immediately complied respectfully. Luo Daoist was quite satisfied with Shen Luo¡¯s discretion and nodded. ¡°Master Luo demonstrated his power today, and I am in awe. May I ask about the awe-inspiring sword move you used at the end? What kind of power is that?¡± Seeing that Luo Daoist seemed to be in a good mood, Shen Luo complimented and then asked the question he had been wanting to ask. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the secret technique of my Spring and Autumn Pavilion, the Yin Yang Law Sword. It¡¯s extremely powerful against ghosts.¡± Luo Daoist said rather proudly. ¡°Yin Yang Law Sword¡­¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself, recalling the elegance of this skill, and could not help but feel envious. ¡°I¡¯ve heard Brother Bai and Senior Brother Tian mention that most of the time when their Senior Brothers leave the mountain, they¡¯re involved in exorcising ghosts. Is our Sect good at dealing with ghosts?¡± He then asked. ¡°Your guess is correct. The Daoist techniques of our Spring and Autumn Pavilion originate from the Little Straw Mountain lineage, which is particularly good at exorcising ghosts and capturing demons.¡± Luo Daoist nodded and said. ¡°Little Straw Mountain?¡± A light bulb went off in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. He vaguely remembered seeing this name in a book, seemingly a divine location mentioned in some legend. ¡°Although the Yin Yang Law Sword is powerful, it¡¯s not the most powerful technique of our Spring and Autumn Pavilion. We have a technique which is considered the foundation of our Pavilion, the Great Unsealing Technique. The Yin Yang Law Sword can, at most, exterminate ghosts and banish demons but the Great Unsealing Technique can even reverse life and death. After mastering this technique, even if gutted or decapitated, one can survive with no harm, and even regrow everything.¡± Luo Daoist spoke quite passionately and proudly. ¡°Ah! Does such an unimaginable power really exist in this world?¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He had never heard of anything like resurrection in wild histories and miscellaneous records. ¡°Of course, the profundity of immortal techniques is infinite; it¡¯s beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.¡± Luo Daoist glanced at Shen Luo and said disdainfully. ¡°Does Master possess this technique?¡± Shen Luo asked, eyes filled with admiration. ¡°My cultivation level is still insufficient to cultivate the Great Unsealing Technique. Within our Pavilion, your Senior Ancestor might be the only one who possibly had access to this technique. But whether he has succeeded is another matter.¡± Luo Daoist shook his head, seemingly a bit dispirited. Feeling enlightened, Shen Luo had many questions he wanted to ask. But seeing Luo Daoist¡¯s demeanor, he held his tongue. ¡°Earlier at Ma Mansion, when faced with the ghost¡¯s harassing Qi, your inner Yang Gang Qi was unusually vigorous. How did that happen?¡± Luo Daoist suddenly asked. Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: Chapter 87 Jia Lan Temple Chapter 88: Chapter 87 Jia Lan Temple ¡°I was about to tell Master Luo about this. On my recent return home, my father spent a fortune to purchase an unusual vermilion fruit from a foreign merchant. He claims it¡¯s a great nourishment. After consuming it, the Yang Gang Qi inside my body greatly increased, and I¡¯m close to reaching the state of Perfection.¡± A chill ran down Shen Luo¡¯s spine, and he muttered under his breath that it¡¯s finally happening. However, he showed an excited look. As he spoke, a strong red light emanated from his body. Luo Daoist wanted to reach out to sense the condition inside Shen Luo¡¯s body. But seeing the red light on him, he lowered his hand, carefully observed the red light, and showed a surprised expression. ¡°Master Luo, once my Small Transformation Yang Skill is fully cultivated, I entrust the Pure Yang Sword Technique matter to you.¡± Shen Luo noticed Luo Daoist¡¯s movements and quietly heaved a sigh of relief, but spoke as such. ¡°I¡¯ve promised you, naturally I won¡¯t go back on my word. But what type of Vermillion Fruit did you consume?¡± Luo Daoist stared at Shen Luo and asked. Shen Luo had prepared a suitable response long ago and described a mysterious fruit that was oval, fiery red throughout, and had fiery patterns on its surface. The description of the vermilion fruit wasn¡¯t entirely fabricated by him. It was based on a spiritual fruit he had read about in a book named ¡°Fire Origin Fruit¡± which was known to have the effect of strengthening foundations and fostering vitality. However, he didn¡¯t entirely describe it as Fire Origin Fruit either. He made some changes with 70% truth and 30% lies, so that Luo Daoist wouldn¡¯t think he was lying and would be unable to confirm whether it was the Fire Origin Fruit therefore not seeing any inconsistencies. ¡°Based on your description, the fruit you ate could possibly be Fire Origin Fruit or even a different species. However, I can¡¯t confirm it. Either way, you are quite lucky. It must be your destiny,¡± Luo Daoist remarked with surprise. ¡°All thanks to your vast blessings, Master Luo¡± Shen Luo laughed and replied. ¡°Since you had such a fortunate encounter, you must put more efforts into refining the Small Hua Yang Technique to achieve Perfection as soon as possible. Then, break through and advance to the Qi Refining Stage to solve your lifespan issue.¡± Luo Daoist advised, not delving too much into the matter. ¡°Yes, I will certainly work hard and won¡¯t let you down,¡± Shen Luo promptly and earnestly promised. Afterward, Luo Daoist didn¡¯t ask further about Shen Luo¡¯s cultivation and drove the Water Cloud Pouch to continue the journey. Seeing this, Shen Luo dared not speak and stood respectfully by the side, both of them continued their journey and returned to Spring and Autumn Pavilion in the afternoon. Luo Daoist went to report back to the head of the pavilion, while Shen Luo went back to his residence by himself. After being busy for half of the night and one day, he was mentally exhausted. Upon returning to his residence, he immediately hit the sack. He slept for a long time. When Shen Luo woke up, it was already pitch black outside, a bright moon hung halfway in the sky, signalling it was the second half of the night. He stretched lazily and felt well-rested, his spirits unusually lifted at the moment. ¡°Is there any change to the jade pillow?¡± Suddenly remembering something, Shen Luo took out the jade pillow from under the bed and put an exorcism charm on himself. Activating the charm with mana, his eyes became a bit blurry. Shen Luo then looked at the jade pillow and gasped softly. Now, there was nothing on the jade pillow, the transparent light silk threads did not appear. ¡°How come there¡¯s nothing? Could it be¡­¡± A conjecture sprung into Shen Luo¡¯s mind and he stared intensely at the jade pillow, hoping to spot any changes. After observing for a while, his eyelids began to feel heavy, and sleepiness overcame him. ¡°How can I suddenly feel sleepy when I just woke up?¡± Shen Luo was shocked and hurriedly slapped his cheeks, attempting to shake off the sleepiness. But instead of disappearing, the sleepiness welled up even more intensely. He strained to resist, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t fend off the sleep demon. Softly collapsing onto the bed, he pressed the jade pillow under his body and drifted into Dreamland. After who knows how long, Shen Luo groggily opened his eyes. He rubbed his somnolent eyes, suddenly feeling a cold wind assail him. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver, waking up immediately and sitting upright. When he lifted his eyes, he found the surrounding sky dim lit, unable to distinguish whether it was dawn or evening. All he saw was a dilapidated and desolate ancient building standing not far in front of him. Shen Luo¡¯s heart tightened, and he quickly looked down at himself, only to discover he was wearing only a thin inner garment, stained with dried blood. The dress was clearly what he had worn when he was in Feng Chi City. He still remembered clearly that his outer robe had been taken off when he had used it to gather ash and hide from the Blue Wolf. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve entered Dreamland again¡­¡± Shen Luo immediately understood his predicament. He hastily opened his clothes and carefully checked his body, finding that the injuries from the battle with the Demon Wolf had healed, which slightly reassured him. At this moment, a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly pulled down the shirt over his right shoulder to take a look. ¡°Why is it gone?¡± Shen Luo exclaimed. His voice was not loud pero it still startled a few crows perched in a nearby dead tree, and they all flew away, ¡°fluttering¡±. Shen Luo was so surprised because he found that the skull pattern on his shoulder had mysteriously disappeared, and the talisman fork that he always carried with him was also not by his side. It was understandable that the talisman fork was missing, but why did the tattoo-like skull pattern also disappear? ¡°Could it be that the mana also¡­¡± With a feeling of anxiety, Shen Luo hurriedly activated the magic spell, operating the Nameless Cultivation Technique. A moment later, when he discovered that the strand of mana in his Dantian was still responsive, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He dressed himself, steadied his mind, and carefully scanned his surroundings. The wilderness was full of wild grass, the air was damp, condensing into a thick fog. Beyond several feet, it was impossible to see clearly. Beneath his feet seemed to be an ancient green brick road, with many damages on the surface. Weeds grew from the cracks and the road extended towards the old building in front. Shen Luo walked a few steps forward, only to find that the old building was indeed the mountain gate of a temple. The roof tiles on the gate were covered in wild grass and the vermilion lacquer on the gate wall had also fallen off due to weathering. He could still vaguely see the four large characters ¡°Bao Xiang Zhuan Yan¡±. The half-closed mountain gate was almost toppled. Hanging crookedly above it was a plaque, with ¡°Jia Lan Temple¡± engraved on it. ¡°Given its dilapidated state, it must have been abandoned for at least a hundred years, right?¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself. He had read many strange tales in which ancient temples in deserted mountains often housed enchanting ghosts using illusion techniques to lure scholars traveling to the capital for examinations, always written extremely romantically. While these couldn¡¯t be taken literally, it was also mentioned in ¡°Zhang Heavenly Master¡¯s Demon-Subduing Chronicle¡± that places like temples and Daoist temples, as well as land deities, if thriving with incense fire, have divine protection. However, once the incense fire dies out and becomes a ruin, it is easier for such places to attract ghostly specters compared to ordinary ones. Considering his previous two dream encounters involving ghosts and demons, he was now somewhat hesitant about whether or not to enter this temple. Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Shocking Change in the Temple Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Shocking Change in the Temple At that moment, a muffled sound suddenly came from the sky, and a strange yellow wind blew up from nowhere, which quickly whipped up, completely blocking the sky in a few moments. The already dim sky was now completely dark, almost indistinguishable from night. The surrounding mist was swept up by this strange wind, like a rolling wall of gas approaching, its force was so strong that Shen Luo could hardly walk normally. Left with no choice, he had to brave the wind, taking one step at a time into the ancient temple. Just stepping into the mountain gate, Shen Luo was confronted with a headless obese corpse seated in front of him. His heart tightened, and he subconsciously began to activate the Yang Gang Qi to protect himself. However, when he saw clearly, he found that the corpse was clutching a string of Buddhist beads in its hand, which was unmistakably a clay Maitreya Buddha statue. Going around the back of the Buddha statue, Shen Luo saw a figure all in black, holding a demon subduing pestle, standing with his back to him. It was naturally the dharma protector Wei Tuo. Only, where its eyes should be there were empty holes, making it look all the more fierce. ¡°Excuse me ¡­¡± Shen Luo raised one palm and murmured. As a cultivator, one should always show respect to both Buddha and Dao Shen Luo crossed the courtyard, where sutra banners had fallen among the fallen leaves, and immediately spotted the Mahavira Hall inside. From the outside, it seemed relatively intact, except that there were many broken windows and doors, and there was even a faint glow of fire inside. ¡°Someone?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyebrows raised as he cautiously approached. When he arrived at the hall entrance, he didn¡¯t immediately enter, but leaned against the broken door and peeked inside. Inside the hall, the floor was covered with withered grass. Placed on the central divine seat was not a statue of Buddha or Bodhisattva, but an odd-looking three-headed statue holding something like an iron shovel, which somehow looked rather comical. But this wasn¡¯t odd, as local communities have the tradition of worshipping their local deities, possibly some kind-hearted man who did good deeds while alive and was enshrined as a flesh and blood Buddha after death. Underneath the statue, a pile of dried grass was simply spread into a bed, on which lay a beggar with messy hair and ragged clothes, snoring soundly on his side. Not far from him sat a short, ugly man with scabies on his head, wearing a short brown shirt and carrying a black short axe at his waist. Beside him were two bundles of firewood, he appeared to be a woodcutter. In the corner of the hall near the wall, many floor tiles were broken, creating a large pit filled with a pool of greenish rainwater. Shen Luo watched from outside for a while, when he saw that the two inside had not noticed him, he pushed the door and walked in. The ¡°squeak¡± sound of the dilapidated palace door was very loud when it was pushed open, and as soon as it was opened, a gust of yellow wind blew in, causing the fire to flicker. The woodcutter only noticed Shen Luo then. Seeing the blood all over him, he recoiled, his face full of fear. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, elder brother, the wind outside is strong, I¡¯m just coming in to take shelter. As soon as the wind stops, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Shen Luo laughed, turned around to close the door, then wrinkled his nose. The smell inside the hall was not pleasant, the entire place filled with a damp, rotting smell. Seeing Shen Luo had no ill-intent, the woodcutter slightly moved his lips, revealing a timid and flattering smile, and stretched out both hands in a gesture to invite him to sit. Shen Luo glanced at the beggar and saw that he was still sound asleep, seemingly unaware that someone had come in. He kept his hands folded in his sleeves and silently walked to the right side of the fire, sat down there. The woodcutter stole glances at Shen Luo, then hurriedly looked away, behaving cautiously, not daring to speak a word. Shen Luo has no intention to speak, after scanning his surroundings, his gaze fixates on the fire, lost in thought. At that moment, his gaze suddenly turns towards the direction of the palace door. Then, with a ¡°crash¡±, the two wooden doors of the great hall were forcefully pushed open, and seven or eight guards, dressed in martial gear and with swords hanging from their waists, stormed in. Under their protection, a dark-faced youth wearing scale armor covering his chest and back, alongside a grey-haired old man in a brown satin robe, walked in. Behind them were about a dozen men dressed as servants. As these guards entered the great hall and saw that there were already people inside, they drew their swords without hesitation, their faces tense as if facing a formidable opponent. The grey-haired old man quickly darted behind the dark-faced youth who looked like the leader of the guards, peeking out timidly, his face full of unease as he sized up Shen Luo and the woodcutter. Shen Luo followed their figures with his eyes, glancing outside, he vaguely saw vehicles and horses in the front yard, it seemed like a small passing merchant caravan. ¡°Who are you?¡± The dark-faced youth narrowed his eyes slightly, pointing his sword at Shen Luo, he demanded to know. The bloodstains on him were indeed quite conspicuous. Seeing this, Shen Luo was stunned, thinking about how to explain, but the woodcutter beside him had already knelt on the ground, his face deathly pale, trembling like a leaf. ¡°Master, master¡­ I¡¯m just a woodcutter from the village, I don¡¯t have any money, please spare me¡­,¡± he pleaded continuously, bowing and kowtowing non-stop, obviously mistaking these people for bandits. However, the beggar, who was in a deep sleep, despite such upheaval in the hall, continued to lie motionless on the spot, seemingly still submerged in his dreams. The dark-faced youth listened to the woodcutter¡¯s words, ignoring him completely, his eyes focused on the three of them, his gaze lingering more on Shen Luo. ¡°I was robbed on the road, barely escaped with my life, that¡¯s how I ended up here,¡± Shen Luo explained helplessly. ¡°My apologies,¡± the dark-faced youth showed no change in his expression, and gestured with his hand. A guard from his side immediately brought a palm-sized round compass and handed it over to him. Shen Luo, after a quick glance, noticed that this compass had a simple and ancient design, seemingly forged from brass. A thumb-sized grey-white jade stone encrusted at the center of the needle, where one could vaguely see a bit of white gas inside. ¡°Yuan Stone¡­¡± muttered Shen Luo to himself. The dark-faced youth then gripped the sword handle with one hand and held the compass with the other, swaying it towards Shen Luo¡¯s direction and all eyes moved with it to focus on Shen Luo. The compass pointed at him for a moment, the needle didn¡¯t move, showing no apparent abnormality. The dark-faced youth¡¯s eyes flickered slightly as he moved the compass towards the beggar who was sleeping against the deity seat. Similarly, nothing happened. Seeing this, the faces of most of the people in the merchant caravan relaxed. However, when the compass was aimed towards the kneeling woodcutter, the needle suddenly began to spin out of control and the encrusted Yuan Stone on it exploded with a ¡°pop¡±. At the same time, a white light shot out from the compass and hit the woodcutter. Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Joint Effort to Surround and Kill Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Joint Effort to Surround and Kill The woodcutter was struck by this white light, causing his body to tumble a few times. With a hefty ¡°thud,¡± he was flung against the left wall of the grand hall, making the Earth quiver slightly. Shen Luo looked towards the woodcutter and couldn¡¯t help but draw in a breath of cool air. He saw the woodcutter had already turned over and was sprawled on the ground, his arms seemed to twist and warp as he propped himself up. His neck jutted out eerily, and his gruesome face was etched with pulsating veins. His eyes had turned scarlet, and drool dripped incessantly from the corners of his mouth. The sight immediately terrified the convoy members, rendering them frozen in their tracks. ¡°Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle ¡­¡± The woodcutter emitted strange sounds from the depths of his throat. His body made continuous ¡°cracking¡± noises, and his form was visibly enlarging at a rate that was detectable by the human eye. He eventually burst out of his clothes. Shen Luo saw the skin that was exposed, it astonishingly held a greyish hue. Large patches of black, like markings of decay were blooming across the surface, it looked as though he had been dead for quite some time. As his form continued to inflate, the skin tautened and swelled until with a ¡°ripping¡± sound, from behind his back, it was completely torn apart. Revealing a grey-furred rat monster standing on its hind legs, which stood around seven or eight feet high. This sight not only scared the convoy people but even the guards seemed somewhat flustered. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, it¡¯s just a rat monster. We will kill it together,¡± the dark-faced youth seemed more composed readjusting quickly and gave a joined command. The guards heard his command and each reached into their pockets and took out a small bottle. Pouring a silver liquid over their blades, they then quickly advanced on the rat monster from both sides. Shen Luo stayed in the original place, warily observing his surroundings, with his right hand secretly concealed within his sleeve. Just as he was surveying, a spine-chilling shriek suddenly erupted. The chest of a guard, standing very near to the shrine, was pierced by two bony palms and hoisted helplessly into mid-air. It was only then that everyone was shocked to realize that the beggar, who had been lying on his side, had somehow managed to stand up. With a swift twist of his body and a mighty swing of his arms, he violently hurled the corpse of the guard hanging from his arms. The body was flung directly towards Shen Luo. Shen Luo quickly sprang up from the ground and leaped backward to evade the attack. He looked back at the beggar, only to clearly see his real appearance, his eyes had rotted away, and the skin on his face was dry and wrinkled. There were dark green patches of decay all over his face. He was unmistakably a Zombie! The guards who initially were advancing towards the rat monster became completely disoriented by this sudden Zombie and were scattered in all directions. ¡°Everyone else, get out! The guards, stay with me and kill this monster and zombie,¡± the dark-faced youth immediately roared out seeing the commotion. The grey-haired old man must have been the Chamber of Commerce Manager; he hurriedly began shouting, ¡°Get out, Get out,¡± and led the way out of the palace door. The other clerks also rushed out in a hurried confusion following the old man. But right after, piercing cries of agony echoed from outside the hall. It seemed like more monsters were lurking outside; the inside and outside of the hall were now caught in a dangerous pincer attack. ¡°Everyone, stay close, gather around me,¡± cried the dark-faced youth in horror. The remaining guards immediately withdrew, standing back to back to each other in an effort to form an outward defense circle. However, before their circle could fully form, the rat monster¡¯s eyes flashed with a green glint. Without warning, it lunged forward, and its forepaws hooked to the floor, propelling itself swiftly towards a weak point in the defense line, much like an arrow shot from a bow. ¡°Watch out¡­!¡± Before the scream could fully escape, the rat monster had already transformed into a blurry shadow and plunged right into the midst of the guards. Two of the guards grunted and were immediately flung into the air. One of the guards was lucky enough to be directly thrown away, while the other had his leg bitten off as he descended, by the rat monster that lunged its head upwards with its mouth wide open. Chaos ensued within the great hall, the zombie dressed up as a beggar, abruptly spun around, unexpectedly lunging forward, not attacking the guards but heading straight for Shen Luo. Its stiff form leapt into mid-air, with both arms straight ahead, moving at an extreme speed. Seeing those fresh red flesh strips hanging from the zombie¡¯s claw-like nails, Shen Luo¡¯s scalp tingled, and he hastily retreated. Unfortunately, the corpse of the guard who had just been impaled by the zombie was nearby. Shen Luo was tripped up by one of its outstretched legs, stumbling and retreating several steps, then bumped into a palace pillar. The zombie¡¯s bloodshed fingers swiftly reached his eyes, on the verge of penetrating his skull. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he expertly thrust his head to the right. The zombie¡¯s claws grazed past his ear and were lodged into the palace pillar. A muffled ¡°thud¡± resonated, causing the great hall to tremble slightly. The zombie¡¯s fingers penetrating the pillar. Even the entire palm was buried within, unable to extricate for a moment. Shen Luo immediately lifted his right hand, which he had been hiding in his sleeve, and his palm began to burn. A ¡°boom¡± echoed loudly! A snowy white thunder light appeared from nowhere, piercing through the roof of the great hall and striking the beggar zombie. In a flash, the zombie¡¯s entire body burst out with sparks, crackling and hissing, while ceaselessly screaming hoarsely, and black smoke rose from its body. Shen Luo had been cautious all along, secretly drawing a Small Thunder Talisman in the palm of his hand using fresh blood, which he then easily used under the activation of his mana. But he was a bit surprised that the power of this Small Thunder Talisman was much greater than he had anticipated. ¡°There¡¯s a cultivator¡­¡± Someone shouted. Upon seeing this, the guards were suddenly rejuvenated. Despite the Rat Monster holding a human leg in its mouth and looking ferocious, they all raised their weapons and charged towards the Rat Monster. The silver liquid poured on their swords, not known what it was, each time it cut the Rat Monster, a wisp of green smoke would emerge from the wound. The Rat Monster shrieked and screamed as if it was severely wounded. ¡°Move away first¡­¡± The Dark-faced Youth yelled, suddenly picking up a black object from behind his waist and throwing it up towards the Rat Monster. Everyone immediately withdrew their swords and dodged. That black object suddenly unfurled in mid-air, turning into a black net that fell down, covering the Rat Monster beneath. The lightweight net seemed to have an incredible weight as it directly pressed the Rat Monster down, preventing it from moving. Seeing this, the guards no longer hesitated and rushed up together, continuously chopping down on the Rat Monster. The screams of agony within the great hall were like those of a pig being slaughtered. Shen Luo glanced at his palm, seeing that the blood markings of the rune were still there, just a little fainter. He started channeling the mana inside his Dantian, and in one breath launched four or five blows at the zombie. ¡°Rumble¡± His palm kept having the burning sensation, and the void kept resonating with thunderclaps. One after another, the snow-white lightning fell from mid-air, repeatedly striking the zombie. The sound of thunderbolts echoed constantly. When the first few lightning bolts fell, the zombie was still screaming. But by the time the last bolt fell, the zombie¡¯s body was burnt black, completely turned into charcoal, and fell to the ground with a thud. Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Fighting Demons Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Fighting Demons Seeing that it had stopped moving completely, Shen Luo finally let out a breath of relief, leaning against the pillar and raising his hand to check. Only to find that his palm was entirely black, and the runes that had been drawn on it had disappeared. He turned his head to look at the other side, seeing the Rat Monster under the black net, it had been hacked into a heap of meat sauce by the guards. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a sinister voice suddenly came from outside the hall. ¡°A few mere mortals, plus a novice cultivator, dare to run wild on my territory and even killed my trusted subordinate. You will all die.¡± The last word ¡°die¡± was dragged out extremely long, as if filled with extreme resentment. Shen Luo¡¯s expression tightened and he quickly looked in that direction. A pale figure stepped over the threshold, holding a bloody human head in his hand. Judging by the appearance, it was the head of the Chamber of Commerce Manager who had fled the hall earlier. The break at the root of the neck was uneven, unlike a cut from a weapon, but rather like it had been forcibly ripped off by someone. This brutally terrifying scene truly frightened the guards in the hall, causing them to involuntarily back away. The pale figure had two pointed ears on top of his head. Looking at his face, one could vaguely discern the likeness of a young man, but most of his face was covered by messy hanging yellow hair, making it difficult to see clearly. With a casual toss, the severed head fell to the ground, rolling right to Shen Luo¡¯s feet. ¡°That Immortal Master, if we work together, maybe there¡¯s still a chance.¡± Unlike before when facing the Rat Monster, the dark-faced youth seemed a bit scared, speaking with a trembling voice. Shen Luo didn¡¯t answer. He just stared at the silhouette in front of him, bringing his hands together inside his sleeves. ¡°Foolishly hoping for a last-ditch effort? What a delusion!¡± The demon with the appearance of a young man spoke indifferently. When he opened his mouth, one could vaguely see a full set of sharp, white teeth. Yet, his voice had regained its calmness, impossible to ascertain any emotional changes. As soon as the man finished speaking, the light inside the hall suddenly dimmed. The previously desolate scene instantly transformed. The pillars and walls of the hall disappeared, replaced by rugged, protruding boulders, turning into a gloomy cave. Shen Luo looked down and was startled to find that beneath his feet, where broken bricks and dry grass once lied, was now covered in a layer of white human and animal bones. The wooden palace door had also turned into a monstrous black iron gate. The iron gate was covered in sharp spikes, with horrifyingly twisted corpses skewered on them, their faces of death were tragic. Inside the cave, only the strange-looking three-headed statue remained in its original form. ¡°What kind of power is this?¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo felt a chill. To deal with the zombie just now, he had expended five or six Small Thunder Talismans in one breath, using up more than half of his already limited mana. The demon in front of him, whose details were still unknown, was definitely far stronger than the previous Rat Monster and zombie. ¡°Come forth and pay with your lives!¡± The young demon shouted lowly, casually swinging his arm. Shen Luo¡¯s heart beat ferociously. He faintly heard some subtle sounds in the void, but his eyes couldn¡¯t see anything. Then, a bizarre scene unfolded! The several guards that were a little far from him had no defense at all. Their heads fell off like ripe fruits on a tree, all cleanly cut off by something unseen. Only the dark-faced youth who was leading had a charm suddenly light up with a white light on his arm-guard, transforming into a slightly blurred small shield shadow that blocked front of him. However, in an instant, the small shield shadow broke into two pieces and dispersed. The dark-faced youth barely escaped with his life. In his panic, Shen Luo hurriedly began to draw the Exorcism Talisman within his sleeve, but before he could finish, he heard a faint wind sound suddenly approaching. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to dodge! At the critical moment, a thin water rope condensed out from the side, wrapped around Shen Luo¡¯s waist and abruptly pulled him to the side. The rugged stone pillar behind him made a loud noise, and a deep crack directly appeared on its surface. Shen Luo looked at the water rope around his waist, which was only as thick as his little finger, and sighed in relief. Just now, in his panic, an idea flashed through his mind. Unconsciously, he used the Water Control Technique, hurriedly extracting the water from the accumulated puddle in the corner of the great hall and condensing it into a water rope which saved his life. But the young monster¡¯s method was so strange that he didn¡¯t have time to draw another exorcism charm. With a sudden shake of both sleeves, the water rope immediately shot up, and he scattered it with one palm, splashing it in all directions. Countless tiny water droplets immediately scattered in all directions. Not all fell to the ground, but many hung in the air, some even formed a line, suspended as if about to drip. Shen Luo looked intently and finally saw that those water droplets were strung together by surprisingly long hairs that shot out from the young monster. It turned out that the culprit responsible for killing all the guards was this very thing. The hair was extremely thin and almost transparent. Without the water droplets hanging on it, it would be very hard to discern with the naked eye. Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s response, the young monster was somewhat surprised, then he ¡°hehe¡± chuckled and twisted his palm in the void. All the emitted hairs immediately retracted and converged together in the air, turning into two pale yellow giant blades, each slashing down towards Shen Luo and the dark-faced youth. Shen Luo didn¡¯t have any weapons at hand, so he could only swiftly bring both hands together in front of him, controlling with all his might the scattered water droplets to form a round water shield two feet in radius, and struck towards the falling giant blade. There was a dull ¡°peng¡± sound. The water shield exploded directly, splattering countless water droplets, but it could not stop the giant blade at all. Shen Luo could only roll away to the side. But in his heart, he felt somewhat desperate. Given the monster¡¯s terrifying ability, even if he could resurrect again, there¡¯s no chance of survival. The dark-faced youth on the other side, although he had a longsword in his hand, he had no intention to confront the giant blade. He was only desperately dodging while shouting: ¡°Commander Wu, save me!¡± ¡°Useless¡­¡± A sighed sound came from nowhere. Fire instantly appeared! Two three-foot-long short spears wrapped in flames suddenly shot out from the nearby void. ¡°Dang¡±! They hit and knocked off the giant blade, drew an arc in mid-air, and fell back to the side of the dark-faced youth. From the void near his body, ripples like the surface of water came, and a tall-armored soldier emerged. The two short spears just fell steadily into the quiver on his back, side by side with the other five short spears, like a peacock spreading its tail. Shen Luo retreated to a corner and looked over, he saw the man¡¯s armor was dark black, the short spears on his back shone brightly, he had a square face with thick, drooping eyebrows, short whiskers and large ears, and a wide mouth. Despite this, he wore an expression of immense worry. Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Chapter Ninety-One: Three-Eyes Fox Demon Chapter 92: Chapter Ninety-One: Three-Eyes Fox Demon ¡°So, it¡¯s you? You¡¯ve actually tracked me down to this place. I assume all these people were your bait?¡± The young demon, upon seeing this man, immediately summoned back his twin giant blades and questioned in surprise and anger. ¡°Three-Eyes, if this coward hadn¡¯t been so desperate to live and allowed me a bit more time, I would have had a greater certainty of eradicating you. But even so, this is enough. Your illusion technique seems to have weakened. Is it because your injury from last time hasn¡¯t yet healed?¡± The square-faced knight gave the dark-faced young man a brief glance, and spoke regretfully. With that, he flicked his wrist, drawing out a gust of wind from his sleeve. A crimson charm rushed out like an arrow, striking the top of the cave. Instantly, a burst of fire appeared, transforming into a net of red flames that enveloped the entire area. Shen Luo noticed the intensely burning charm. The talismanic patterns on it were indistinguishable, but the Yang Gang Qi contained within was brilliantly visible like the sun, causing surprise to well up within him. As the net of fire spread, the originally ominous and terrifying cave started to show its original appearance of a great hall, with the black light of the walls fading away and a layer of white bones on the ground melting like ice and snow. Upon witnessing this, the young demon named ¡°Three-Eyes¡± flew into a rage. With a wave of his hand, he tossed a human head against the wall, causing it to explode loudly. ¡°Wu Pojia, I only devoured a few hundred stubborn humans from the nearby villages. Yet, you persistently chased me down, all the way to my lair? Since you refuse to let go, don¡¯t think you¡¯ll leave here alive this time.¡± Three-Eyes bristled. His fur stood on end as he snarled. In response, the square-faced knight only sneered without saying a word. Suddenly, he pulled the unguarded dark-faced young man towards him. He slapped a spell charm, glowing with a yellow light, onto the young man¡¯s back. ¡°Wu¡­¡± The dark-faced young man could only utter a single word before he stiffened entirely and stood straight as a pole. However, Shen Luo noticed that his eyes were still darting around, showing his sheer terror, while his limbs remained immobile. Wu Pojia seized his chin, forcing a black pill, the size of a corn kernel, into his mouth. He then drew several crimson short blades, glimmering with talismanic patterns, from his sleeve and swiftly pierced them into several critical spots on the young man¡¯s body. It was impossible to tell if these short blades were Talismanic Instruments themselves, but they penetrated the young man¡¯s armor as easily as a knife through tofu. Strangely enough, there was no trace of blood where the blades had entered. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The dark-faced young man let out a long scream. Screen by screen, his black eyes turned red, and his facial expression slowly shifted from agony to rage. As the talismanic patterns on the short blades shone a red light, numerous lumps began swelling up all over his body. His skeletal frame snapped and crackled as his body grew taller and taller, transforming him into a small giant more than 10 feet tall. Roaring, he rushed towards Three-Eyes. Three-Eyes let out a long howl, the hair on his head standing upright. His forehead stretched forth, revealing an amber eye the size of a dragon¡¯s eye in between his brows. He turned his face, and a flash of light shot out from the amber vertical eye. A beam of yellow light aimed directly at the small giant transformed from the dark-faced young man. The small giant, with a stiff body, made no attempt to dodge. He went straight ahead and swung a punch. The yellow light hit the scale armor on his chest. Immediately, it sizzled and smoked, as if corroded by rust. The clothes underneath the armor melted into a foul, yellowish liquid alongside the decayed armor. However, after the iron armor corroded and the skin underneath was exposed, it had an eerie crimson color. The yellow light shot by the demon¡¯s single eye could only do as much as scorch the skin, leaving black scars but failing to penetrate deeper. Its effect was minimal. Seeing the small giant¡¯s punch coming straight at him, Three-Eyes hastily retreated. Forming hand seals, the hair on his body grew wildly and twisted into a yellow giant blade that he held in front of him like a shield. With a muffled ¡°bang¡±. Three-Eyes was sent flying by a punch, but it swiftly rolled over and rose up. Its third-eye on the forehead emitted a continuous yellow light, aiming to destroy the eyes of the little giant. The little giant shielded his face with one hand while the other hand formed a fist and smashed down at Three-Eyes again. Seeing this from the side, Wu Pojia¡¯s smile widened. He swung his arms, casting a magic spell, and leaned forward. A red light flared up behind him, and the seven flame short spears wrapped in blazing fires were launched simultaneously. The seven flame short spears transformed into seven red rainbows, not aiming directly at Three-Eyes, but instead circling around, stabbing towards its vital points from different directions. ¡°Roar¡­¡± Three-Eyes sensed danger and let out a roar, causing a gust of bloody wind to fill the palace. Suddenly, its clothes exploded, and its body was covered with yellow hair that rapidly grew and twisted into eight or nine yellow giant blades, swinging around its body like an octopus dancing with its tentacles. The fists of the little giant and the seven flame short spears were all blocked temporarily. Yet, Three-Eyes still had spare energy to manipulate its vertical eye on the forehead, continuously shooting out yellow lights. However, because it was distracted, it missed the aim and almost hit Shen Luo several times. Shen Luo naturally didn¡¯t dare to resist and could only dodge in a panic by using the environment. His gaze unintentionally swept over Three-Eyes¡¯ body, and he found a red demon pattern that looked like an eyeball appearing on its chest at some point. As a result, once Shen Luo¡¯s gaze met the demon pattern, he couldn¡¯t look away anymore. He only felt as though someone had hit him with a club, making his vision dizzy. He saw a spiral pattern appearing in the eye position of the demon pattern. The spiral pattern spun around and around, as if it would never end. The spiral pattern spun faster and faster, and Shen Luo¡¯s vision became increasingly blurred. His stomach churned, inducing an extremely nauseous feeling that rushed to his chest, almost making him vomit. However, it was this brief and intense discomfort that allowed him to regain some of his senses and immediately look away. After barely escaping the control of the demon pattern, Shen Luo¡¯s body suddenly softened, almost collapsing to the ground. He supported himself on the ground with one hand, panting heavily, his mind filled with horror. If a single demon pattern could have such a terrifying effect, this Three-Eyes demon must be a formidable existence above the Grain Avoidance stage. And since Commander Wu could fight against such a demon without falling into a disadvantage, he must be a monk of the same level. Considering his use of so many ordinary people as bait and his ruthless treatment of the dark-faced youth, he may not be a good person. As Shen Luo thought this, he quietly moved towards the palace door. However, as he approached the palace door, there was another sudden change! The great hall, which had returned to normal, suddenly darkened again. It transformed back into the previous appearance of a ghost cave with bones scattered all over the ground. The heavy black iron gate also closed on its own. Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Chapter 92: Joining Hands to Fight Against Demons Chapter 93: Chapter 92: Joining Hands to Fight Against Demons A chill ran through Shen Luo¡¯s heart as he gathered all his strength and charged at the black iron gate. Several clanging sounds echoed as he crashed against it, but the black iron gate didn¡¯t budge at all. Just as Shen Luo hesitated whether to attack the gate with his Small Thunder Talisman, Wu Pojia¡¯s voice quietly reached him: ¡°Kid, save your energy, it¡¯s useless. The creature in front of us is a Three-Eyed Demon Fox. Its innate ability is the path of illusion, and this is its lair which it has modified extensively using its abilities. Over the years, it has consumed countless humans, its cultivation level has greatly increased, and its illusion technique has reached the point of creating substance from emptiness. The only way to truly break the illusion is to help me slay this demon.¡± ¡°Elder, what should I do?¡± Shen Luo, knowing the truth of Wu Pojia¡¯s words but having no alternative, agreed. ¡°Accumulate your Water Techniques, wait for the right moment, and just follow my instructions.¡± Wu Pojia¡¯s voice was steady, as if he held the winning hand. With that, a change occurred in the magic spell on his hand. The flames on the seven short spears flared up and started to rotate like a spiral, forming a powerful fiery cone continuously thrusting towards the Three-eyed Demon Fox. The small giant that the dark-faced youth had transformed into seemed to have received an order as well. No longer expressly protecting his eyes, both his large hands swung out, smashing the incoming giant blades, and he launched a close combat attack against the Three-eyed Demon Fox. Of course, the Demon Fox was unwilling to comply. Nine giant blades whirled wildly around the Fox. The Fox¡¯s eyes shot out continuous yellow light and it spurted out fine hairs that were too thin to be clearly seen, aiming at the vital parts of Shen Luo and the two others. Shen Luo could only dodge the hairs flying towards him from time to time, while using the water control technique to continually draw accumulated water from the pools within the hall, keeping an eye on changes in his surroundings as well. If there was an opportunity for escape, he still wanted to prioritize his survival. To his surprise, there turned out to be quite a lot of accumulated water in the pool. As he kept using his technique, the water gathered around him. Because of this, Shen Luo¡¯s speed inevitably slowed down and it became difficult for him to roll or dodge. Just then, a shriek of agony suddenly echoed out. As Shen Luo looked over, he saw that two of the giant blades lodged in the small giant¡¯s chest, piercing through it and protruding out of two shoulder blades from behind, soaked in blood ¨C an appalling sight. After the small giant screamed, he did not retreat but pushed forwards allowing the blade to pass through his body. He ran towards the Demon Fox, and with a sweeping motion of his arms, caught hold of the Fox in a crushing embrace. ¡°Now! Trap them with your water techniques.¡± Wu Pojia roared aloud. Without any hesitation, Shen Luo shook his sleeves and two huge orbs of water shot out at once. They turned into a barrier of water that enveloped both the Three-eyed Demon Fox and the small giant. As soon as the barrier was formed, a sharp whistling sound suddenly erupted. From where Wu Pojia¡¯s sleeve was shaking, a streak of snowy white light shot out, revealing a crystal spear about a foot long. The spear was radiating intense chill and it directly lodged into the water curtain barrier. In a flash, a white frost spread out and the entire water curtain instantly solidified into an ice mountain, trapping the Demon Fox within. Wu Pojia did not give the Demon Fox a chance to break through. He hastily formed a magic spell with his hands before yanking it downwards. The seven flame short spears twinkled and suddenly doubled in size. Like javelins, they flew in from all directions, intersecting and piercing through the bodies of the Demon Fox and the giant man, pinning them firmly on the ground. Shen Luo watched this scene and his heart tightened. The dark-faced young man ¨C taken advantage of by Wu Pojia ¨C had finally met such a tragic end. As soon he could escape from here after breaking through the illusion, he planned to run as far as he could to avoid any more contact with Wu Pojia. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m unscrupulous?¡± Wu Pojia, his back turned to Shen Luo, moved forward to check the corpse of the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, and suddenly asked. Shen Luo didn¡¯t know what he meant by his question and, fearing to offend him, dared not answer rashly. ¡°As cultivators, I just want to remind you not to be merciful while killing demons and exorcising monsters,¡± said Wu Pojia as he drew out his chilling crystal spear. ¡°Thank you for your advice,¡± Shen Luo mustered the courage to reply, regardless of whether he agreed or not. At this moment, the light around them began to shine again, the ghostly scene started to recede like smoke, and the great hall reappeared. Seeing this, Shen Luo sighed with relief. ¡°Wu Pojia, you interrupted my cultivation, I swear we¡¯ll both go to the Netherworld¡­¡± Suddenly a mournful howl sounded, and chaos broke out. The eyes of the Three-eyed Fox Demon spirit suddenly brightened, and its body expanded immediately. With a ¡°bang¡±, it exploded. Wu Pojia, who was too close to avoid the impact, was sent flying, hitting the shrine¡¯s deity seat with a thud. He spat out blood, clearly seriously injured. Although Shen Luo was a bit farther away, he was also sent flying by the shock wave, causing the pillars of the hall door to crack. A broken magic talisman short blade flew past his neck just narrowly missing his throat. He felt chest tightness, and the burning pain on his back was unbearable. Suppressing the metallic taste in his throat, he struggled to stand up. He then saw that both the corpses of the fox demon and the dark-faced youth, had been entirely blown up, and a pale yellow fox demon spirit rushed out from the pile of flesh and blood and slammed directly into an unusual statue on the divine throne. Immediately after, Shen Luo was horrified to discover that the clay statue¡¯s eyes opened, and a blurry yellow light surrounded it. Its face had transformed into the face of the Three-eyed Demon Fox! ¡°A demon soul possession¡­¡± Wu Pojia¡¯s face changed drastically. With a flip, he rolled to the palace door. With a flick of his wrist, the crystal spear shot out from his sleeve again, aimed directly at the statue¡¯s forehead. But before the spear could reach it, the statue¡¯s three large hands had turned into huge yellow fox tails, and they smashed onto the ground. Shen Luo only felt a gust of wind hit his face and sensed the impending danger. The next instant, with a ¡°rumble¡±, the ground in the entire hall cracked open, revealing a dark hole. An astonishing suction force burst out from it, and everything on the ground fell in. Shen Luo, who was already next to the door, clung to the door pillar, attempting to escape. However, the suction force was so strong that even Wu Pojia couldn¡¯t resist it, let alone Shen Luo could. He gritted his teeth as his fingers started bleeding, but in the end, he too, was sucked in. ¡°Am I going to die again?¡± Shen Luo felt a strange force squeezing him from all directions. His vision darkened, and he lost consciousness. ¡­ After who knows how long, Shen Luo woke up slowly. As he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness, save for faint white light that streamed in from the side. A strong smell of mud also filled his nostrils. He slowly sat up and found many stones and mud on him, almost burying him. He felt pain in many places, luckily none were severe wounds. Shen Luo struggled to stand up and looked around. He realized he was underground, surrounded by milky-white stalagmites that emitted a soft white light, barely illuminating the surroundings. ¡°Where am I? Where are the fox demon and Wu Pojia?¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, his memories prior to fainting rushing back. Chapter 94 - Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Finding a Way Out Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Finding a Way Out He hurriedly got up from the ground, looking around but seeing no sign of the Fox Demon or Commander Wu. He felt slightly relieved, and then took a closer look at the surroundings. Although the light in this place was dim, it was enough for Shen Luo. His eyes quickly adapted to the environment, realizing that he must be in an underground cave. From the cave¡¯s upper side about tens of meters away, a long crack was visible, releasing streaks of white light. It seemed like this was the ground above, and the other end of the cave extended into the depths of the underworld, its interior dark and unknown in depth. Shen Luo recalled what had happened earlier. The demon fox had possessed the statue, struck the ground with its tail, creating a large hole, and then a suction force emerged from it, sucking everyone in. This place was likely deep inside that big hole. Since he was here, the Fox Demon and Wu Pojia must also be here. Shen Luo took a deep breath, finding that the air still contained their scent, trailing deeper into the cave. However, the smell of the earth here was unusually strong, masking other odors, making it impossible to distinguish them clearly, as he could outside. Shen Luo looked into the depths of the cave, quickly withdrawing his gaze. The Fox Demon and Wu Pojia were much stronger than him, and he believed he was far from their match. It would be better to leave as soon as possible. As for what was in the depths of this eerie cave, he had no interest in finding out. Shen Luo looked up towards the upper side of the cave, trying to find a way out. This place was about tens of meters high from the surface, and the cave walls were smooth on all sides. If it were an ordinary person, it would be impossible to climb up. Thankfully, he was no ordinary person. His gaze quickly fell on a stone wall with the gentlest slope. He jumped upward vigorously, a flash of red light blinking under his feet, and he soared into the air. He caught a protruding stone with both hands, dangling in mid-air. He did not hesitate any longer, swinging his body while exerting force with both hands to pull himself up. In an instant, he surged upwards again. In no time, Shen Luo was climbing the steep mountain wall with agility, as fast as a monkey, soon reaching the top. A glint of joy appeared in his eyes and he quickened his climbing speed. Just at this moment, the air in front of him started to hum and flash golden from emerging lines of light shooting out from the nearby stone wall. They quickly interlaced together, forming a giant Eight Trigrams Light Array that slowly rotated. Shen Luo¡¯s face changed dramatically, but he could not stop his momentum and hit his head against the light array. There was a dull thud as the golden light on the surface of the Eight Trigrams Light Array flickered. A tremendous yet dull force surged from the array, acting on Shen Luo. Shen Luo¡¯s head didn¡¯t hurt all that much; it felt more like hitting a soft wall. However, his body was rapidly falling. Shen Luo quietly shouted, catching a protruding stone with both hands. His downward force was too strong, and the stone that had been eroded over time was rotten and broke off in an instant. It broke off, but it managed to decrease Shen Luo¡¯s descent speed. He immediately seized the next protruding part of the mountain wall and finally halted his descent. Shen Luo looked at the light array above, climbed again until he was about half a meter away from the array. He bit his finger and drew a Small Thunder Talisman in his palm with his blood. ¡°Go!¡± Shen Luo waved his hand, pouring his mana into the Small Thunder Talisman. A thunderous explosion reverberated, and a white thunderbolt shot out from his hand, striking the Eight Trigrams Light Array. The powerful white thunder hit the array but had no effect, just like a dragonfly shaking a pillar. The array didn¡¯t move in the slightest, its rotation speed hadn¡¯t even slowed at all. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shen Luo cursed under his breath; helpless, he had no choice but to retrace his steps down the mountain wall. His gaze turned again towards the depths of the cave; after a long hesitation, he stepped up and went there. The path above was evidently unpassable; rather than wasting time here, it was better to go deeper into the cave and hope there was a way out. Worried about the Three-eyed Demon Fox and Wu Pojia, whose whereabouts were currently unknown, Shen Luo didn¡¯t walk fast, his gaze constantly sweeping around, ready to detect any movements in his surroundings. He had only walked some distance when he suddenly stopped and turned his gaze towards the mountain wall to his side. There was a deep scratch, and it looked charred, as though it had been burnt by fire. ¡°This mark¡­ was caused by Wu Pojia¡¯s Fire Spear!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s heart clenched, and he instinctively pressed his body into the shadow of the mountain wall. Looking cautiously ahead, his ears perked up, listening for any movements. There was nothing unusual ahead, and there were no sounds from around him, just dead silence. Shen Luo slowly relaxed his tense body and continued to tread lightly forward. The further he walked, the more such charred marks were seen on both sides of the passage. On the ground, on the stone wall, there were holes, the largest of which was about three feet deep. Occasionally, he could see some splatters of blood; obviously Wu Pojia and the fox demon had had a fierce fight here. Shen Luo was surprised, but did not stop. Instead, he moved more slowly, careful not to make a sound. About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there was a bend in the road ahead. Shen Luo paused, then moved slowly along the inside of the bend. He poked out half his head and looked at the corner, then quickly withdrew, his internal mana instantly raised. Then, a puzzled look flashed in his eyes, he poked out his head again, and then he stepped out completely. Not far in front, there was a figure lying on the floor. Looking at the man¡¯s clothes and appearance, it was Wu Pojia. Wu Pojia at the moment was motionless, covered in blood. It was unclear whether he was dead or alive. A look of surprise came onto Shen Luo¡¯s face. He listened carefully for a while, then confirmed that Wu Pojia indeed no longer breathed, then finally let out a sigh of relief and walked over. When he saw Wu Pojia¡¯s face, he drew in a sharp breath. Wu Pojia¡¯s face had become half-human, half-fox. His right side still looked as before while the left side was covered in yellow fur, with long eyes and elongated ears ¡ª the features of a fox demon. Not only that, his eyes were wide open and slightly bulging, from his ears, nose, and mouth, a trail of blood was visible, a bit disturbing to look at. It seemed he had suffered greatly before his death. ¡°Could it be that the soul of that fox demon attached itself onto Wu Pojia, and after a struggle, they killed each other¡­¡± Shen Luo guessed, his heart finally easing somewhat. Around Wu Pojia¡¯s corpse lay numerous things: Seven Flame Spears and the clear Cold Gun were scattered on the ground nearby. Besides that, there were also the three Crimson Short Blades he had seen Wu Pojia use before and a golden rope about a zhang long that looked as if it were made of golden thread, and it seemed quite extraordinary. Shen Luo was not modest; he picked up all of these items and sat down nearby to examine them closely. Apart from the grey talismans stuck to the three short blades, there were no talismans on the other items, which still emitted waves of mana. ¡°No talisman, but such strong fluctuations of mana, could these be magical instruments!¡± His excitement rising, he picked up a Fire Gun and tried to infuse his mana into it, just like he would do with the Talisman Fork. The Fire Gun didn¡¯t seem to work in sync with his mana. After a while, there was a faint ¡°pop¡± sound and the tip of the gun emitted a flame-like red light. Chapter 95 - Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Unexpected Gains Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Unexpected Gains He operated the Nameless Cultivation Technique, and swung the talisman in an attempt to command the Fire Gun to rise. However, the Fire Gun didn¡¯t respond, regardless of how much force he exerted; there was no sign of it lifting off. ¡°It seems this Fire Gun is indeed a magical instrument; it requires the cultivation level of the Grain Avoidance Stage to activate it.¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t continue the attempt. He swung the Fire Gun twice in his hand and the tip of the gun crossed over the nearby stone wall. The burning tip of the Fire Gun easily left a charred trace on the stone wall. The hard rock was as fragile as mud before the Fire Gun. ¡°Nice, very nice!¡± Shen Luo, overwhelmed with joy, took the Fire Gun in front of him to take a closer look. An intense heat emanated from the muzzle, causing Shen Luo¡¯s face to feel a pricking pain, as if he was facing a red-hot piece of iron. He moved his arm, and the Fire Gun transformed into a red light that stabbed the front stone wall. ¡°Hiss¡± Almost half of the Fire Gun was lodged inside the stone wall, with only a small segment remaining outside. ¡°The power of a magical instrument is undeniable. Although I only activated a bit of its surface potential, it can already cause such formidable destruction!¡± Shen Luo forcefully moved his arm to neatly withdraw the Fire Gun and couldn¡¯t help but let out a hearty laugh. Speaking of its attack power, the Fire Gun already surpassed that of the Talisman Fork bestowed by the Sword Voizer. As his own mana was not plentiful, he did not activate the Fire Gun for long. Soon, he put it down and picked up the glistening Cold Gun. The Cold Gun was entirely white and had an icy touch. Even though no mana had been infused inside to activate it, there was still a layer of blurry white frost around it, making it look exceptionally gorgeous. Out of all the items, this glistening Cold Gun was undoubtedly the most dazzling. Shen Luo held the Cold Gun in his hands, relishing it for a moment, and then gradually channeled his mana into it. Unlike the Fire Gun just now, as soon as he infused mana into it, a bright white light erupted from the Cold Gun, and an icy aura immediately began to spread, causing the surrounding temperature to drop. A hint of astonishment appeared on Shen Luo¡¯s face, but he quickly comprehended the reason. The Nameless Method he cultivated was of the water attribute; it was quite compatible with this Cold Gun. The earlier less-responsive short spear was a Fire Attribute magical instrument, which was counter to his mana attribute; naturally, it was harder to activate. Having understood these aspects, Shen Luo developed a deeper fondness for this Cold Gun that was compatible with his mana attribute. He poured all his mana into it, and the glistening Cold Gun immediately radiated a brilliant white light, significantly more intense than before. The nearby temperature plummeted again, and a white mist began to ruffle in the air. Shen Luo waved his arm, and the Cold Gun transformed into a white light, stabbing into the nearby stone wall. With a soft ¡°pop¡±, the head of the glistening Cold Gun stabbed a few inches into the stone wall before stopping. But a layer of white frost began to spread on the surrounding stone wall. The more Shen Luo saw of the Cold Gun, the more he liked it. However, he didn¡¯t continue activating it and instead put it aside. Then he picked up the Golden Rope and infused his mana into it as well. As a result, a bright golden light appeared on the Golden Rope, but beyond that, there was no other change. ¡°It looks like a restraining type of magical instrument, but I have no idea about its effectiveness.¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself, placed the golden rope to one side, and glanced towards the last three Crimson Short Blades. He picked up one of the blades, infused his mana into it, and the Crimson Short Blade immediately floated in the air, radiating a dark crimson glow. ¡°Go!¡± With a flick of Shen Luo¡¯s induction, the short blade immediately shot forwards, traversing dozens of feet in an instant, and with a ¡°puff¡± sound, it was embedded into the stone wall, leaving just the hilt exposed. With another induction, the crimson short blade instantly leapt out from the stone wall and shot back, hovering in front of him. ¡°Controlling this short blade is much easier compared to that Talisman Fork,¡± Shen Luo inwardly noted. Just now, when he was controlling this short blade, he felt as if it were an extension of his own body, unlike before when he tried to manipulate the Talisman Fork with trepidation, fearful that it would malfunction and fall if he was the least bit careless. Shen Luo found it somewhat incredulous, once again activating the short blade with his induction and letting it circle and dance around him, soaring up and down, as if he was merely directing his own arm, extremely effortless. His body¡¯s mana was not plentiful, and after continuous testing, it was already at its limit, so he retracted the short blade. ¡°Strange, why has my control over talismanic instruments suddenly become so easy? And before, when I was battling that fox demon, my use of the Water Control Technique was way easier than in reality. And there¡¯s also the Small Thunder Talisman¡­¡± He was puzzled, but did not think much of it, storing away the short spear, golden rope, and short blade, glancing at the corpse of Wu Pojia in the process and setting the short spear and other items down again. ¡°Commander Wu, you died due to being possessed by a demon, your corpse left to the elements. I¡¯ll help bury you, and consider these magical instruments as your repayment,¡± said Shen Luo as he carried Wu Pojia¡¯s corpse and placed it into a nearby large pit. Just then, with a ¡°plop¡± sound, a cloth bag dropped from Wu Pojia¡¯s body. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s this?¡± Shen Luo first put down Wu Pojia¡¯s corpse, then picked up the cloth bag and opened it to see what was inside. Inside the cloth bag were three medicine vials: white, blue, and yellow. On the white medicine vial was a label with the words ¡°Pigu Dan¡± written on it. ¡°Pigu Dan!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion did have this type of elixir. He had heard from Bai Xiaotian that reportedly, if you consumed one, it could stave off hunger for a day and was even better than eating grains. Shen Luo opened the vial and saw that inside were white, fingertip-sized elixir pills, numbering in the tens. A fragrant smell of the elixir immediately hit him. Unsure of how much time had passed since his descent into this underground cave, he was getting a bit hungry. He poured one out and swallowed it directly. With his research on elixirs, he knew from the fragrance that it was beneficial and harmless, and so he had no qualms about consuming it. As soon as the Pigu Dan entered his stomach, it instantly dissolved into a warm sensation that spread out. Immediately, his hunger disappeared, replaced by a slight sense of fullness. ¡°Good stuff, it indeed is a miraculous elixir,¡± Shen Luo thought to himself in delight, closing the vial. There were no labels on the other two vials. After Shen Luo opened the caps of each one, he found that the blue vial contained a thumb-sized, fully translucent blue elixir that emitted a rich fragrance, distinctly different from the light fragrance of the Pigu Dan. In the yellow vial were two silver-grey pills bearing a slightly spicy scent. Based on Shen Luo¡¯s knowledge and experiences, he speculated that these two elixirs were far more precious than the Pigu Dan. However, he was unsure of their specific effects. Inside the bundle, in addition to the three vials of elixir, there were also four talismans, some silver, and a purple waist badge. Two of the four talismans had the same grey runes as the ones on the crimson short blade, the symbols bright and vibrant, obviously unused. As for the other two talismans, one was the red talisman previously used by Wu Pojia to break the illusion of the Three-eyed Fox Demon, and the last one was a golden talisman, the runes on it were quite profound, making it unclear what the talisman¡¯s purpose was. Because many talismans were one-time use and his body was currently out of mana, he did not attempt to use any of them. As for the silver, he just glanced briefly at it before ignoring it. Finally, Shen Luo picked up the purple waist badge. One side of the badge was engraved with the image of a tiger¡¯s head, while the other bore the two seal characters: ¡°Dingguo.¡± Chapter 96 - Chapter 96: Chapter 95: Mysterious Skeleton Chapter 96: Chapter 95: Mysterious Skeleton ¡°Tiger head¡­ and this word ¡®Dingguo,¡¯ could Wu Pojia be a public official?¡± He held the waist tag, murmuring to himself. He flipped over the waist tag and quickly put it back, unceremoniously claiming the entire package. After completing these tasks, he piled dirt and rocks on Wu Pojia¡¯s corpse, burying it nicely. Shen Luo picked up the Fire Gun and other items, preparing to press onward, when he suddenly looked back at the way he came. The Eight Trigrams Light Array re-emerged in his mind. The newly acquired Fire Gun and the Cold Gun had exceptional power, could they possibly break the Light Array? However, Shen Luo immediately shook this thought from his mind. Although his insights into the matter of cultivating immortality were still shallow, he could discern that the Eight Trigrams Light Array was laid out by a high person. He couldn¡¯t even truly activate a magical instrument yet. Rather than making futile attempts, it would be better to move forward. There might be an exit up ahead. Shen Luo withdrew his gaze, picked up the crystal-clear Cold Gun and the other Fire Gun, and continued on his way. The deeper he went into the cave, the lower the terrain and the murkier the air became, as if it were leading to the underworld. ¡°Hmm!¡± Shen Luo suddenly stopped and glanced around. It wasn¡¯t that he felt any strangeness in his surroundings, but he suddenly noticed that the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi around him was much denser than in the places he had been before. He closed his eyes to have a feel of the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi surrounding him and subtly sensed that the Spiritual Qi ahead was even denser. ¡°Could there be some natural treasures ahead?¡± This idea came to Shen Luo¡¯s mind, and he subconsciously wanted to speed up his steps. However, his rationality stopped this reckless act. As a result, he advanced about thirty steps forward and observed that the number of white stalactites started to decrease. The light became dimmer, but as he guessed, the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi became denser and denser. After walking for a bit more, a soft green glow suddenly appeared in front of him, standing out in the dark. ¡°Could this be the end?¡± Shen Luo was moved by this thought, but instead of approaching recklessly, he positioned one of his guns in front of him and the other behind. Taking care, he walked forward. True enough, the passageway ahead culminated into a stone wall blocking his path. It seemed that there was a different world behind the stone wall, since the gentle green light was seeping through a crevice in it. Shen Luo peered into the crack and could only see a blur of light and shadows, but a strong spiritual energy emanated from it. Apparently, the source of this so-rich Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi was behind this stone wall. A flicker of curiosity crossed his eyes. He lifted his hand to knock the stone wall twice, and it echoed back with a ¡°thump, thump.¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo lifted one hand high, infusing the remaining mana in his body into the Fire Gun in his hand, causing a red light to reflect on the body of the gun. He shipped the Cold Gun aside, gripped the Fire Gun with both hands, and stabbed forward. The Fire Gun turned into a red shadow and stabbed into the stone wall. With a ¡°crack,¡± the Fire Gun was thrust into the stone wall, up to its handle. Just as he had speculated, the resistance he felt in return indicated that the stone wall was at most a foot thick. Shen Luo withdrew his hand to pull back the Fire Gun and then stabbed it out again. This process was repeated seven or eight times, and seven or eight holes were pierced into the stone wall. Yet, at this point, his limited mana was finally completely depleted. Fortunately, the stone wall was already bearing the brunt. Shen Luo turned around and quickly retrieved a huge stone from inside the cave. Channeling his Small Transformation Yang Skill, his hands emitted a layer of red light. He lifted the stone and smashed it with all his strength into the hole in the stone wall where the gun had been lodged. With a thunderous ¡°thud,¡± a hole the size of a millstone was blasted into the stone wall. Just as he was about to pick up the large stone and smash it again, the crack on the stone wall suddenly expanded rapidly. Followed by a rumbling sound, the entire stone wall collapsed, large chunks of broken stones rolled to both sides, raising clouds of dust. Shen Luo had already retreated far in advance to avoid the falling stones. Looking through the dust that had not yet completely dissipated, he discovered a wide-open space ahead. This empty underground space has an area of about fifty to sixty feet, surrounded by huge white stalactites touching against the ceiling of the cave. Soft white light was emitted, and in the center of these stalactites was a square pool seven to eight feet wide filled with clear emerald green pond water. The soft green light was radiating from the pool, filling the entire underground space. The most bizarre thing was that a golden humanoid skeleton was floating in the air above the pool. Each bone was crystal clear, like golden colored glaze, emitting bizarre rays of golden light. This skeleton was a mere object of death, unknown for what reason it could float in mid-air like this. ¡°Water!¡± After staring at the golden skeleton for a long time, Shen Luo shifted his gaze towards the emerald-green pool, feeling a sense of joy. As long as there was water, he could recover his mana quickly through cultivation. It must be said, the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth in this place was extremely rich, almost ten times more than outside, undoubtedly an excellent place for cultivation. After carefully observing the space in front of him and confirming that there was no danger, Shen Luo stepped inside. He didn¡¯t immediately go to the pool, but explored the area thoroughly. His brows furrowed. Aside from the pool and the golden skeleton in this underground space, there was nothing special. The surroundings were just an ordinary forest of stalactites and there were no exits on the nearby stone walls. ¡°Could it be that there is really no way out from here?¡± said Shen Luo quietly. However, he wasn¡¯t overly worried. He was only in Dreamland right now, it wasn¡¯t his real body that was trapped. According to his previous dream-entry experiences, he could leave this place after some time and return to reality. But this meant that during this dream-entry, he would have to stay in this underground space all the time. Shen Luo quickly calmed his mind. Looking at the golden skeleton next to the pool, he shifted his gaze to the emerald-green pond water. Regardless, he needed to recover his mana first. But upon closer inspection, the emerald-green color of the pool water seemed a bit odd. He picked up a stone and threw it into the pool. With a ¡°plop¡±, the stone sank to the bottom without any abnormality. But Shen Luo was still not completely at ease. After some hesitation, he squatted down and extended a finger of his left hand towards the pool water. The other hand held a crimson short blade tightly, ready to sever his finger to save his life if anything went wrong. The emerald-green pool water felt slightly cool to the touch, seeming no different from ordinary water. Shen Luo maintained this position for half an incense stick¡¯s time. Seeing no abnormalities, he finally relaxed, put his magical instruments and belongings aside, and stepped into the pool. Just at this moment, the golden light emitting from the golden skeleton hanging in the air above the pool suddenly brightened a bit. The golden light fell on Shen Luo, a mysterious repelling force suddenly appeared, pushing him away. However, this repelling force was not strong, and he could withstand it. Shen Luo looked up at the golden skeleton, slightly surprised. Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Great Increase in Talent Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Great Increase in Talent Even as he tentatively probed the pond with his fingers, the bulk of his attention was focused on the golden skeleton. He had even perked up his ears to listen carefully, but he did not notice anything amiss from start to finish. ¡°Perhaps someone has set up some kind of array using this skeleton as the center?¡± A thought flashed across Shen Luo¡¯s mind as he once again stepped towards the center of the pond. Hum! The golden light on the skeleton suddenly brightened again, causing the resistance to surge. Shen Luo swayed slightly but quickly steadied himself. ¡°Sure enough, there is something strange!¡± Shen Luo murmured as he gazed at the golden skeleton and took another step forward. The golden light on the skeleton escalated violently, accompanied by a howl, as if responding to a provocation. A colossal push force radiated from the golden light, acting on Shen Luo¡¯s body. Shen Luo¡¯s complexion changed slightly. Unable to resist, he involuntarily took a step back. As he stepped back, the golden light on the skeleton immediately dimmed significantly, and the radiating pushing force drastically weakened. Shen Luo steadied himself and a wave of curiosity ignited in his heart. The skeleton that didn¡¯t allow people to approach it must certainly have its reasons; it might be the key to escaping from here, or perhaps something precious was hidden in the pond underneath skeleton? However, he had no mana in his body at the moment, thus he decided not to venture closer. He exhaled lightly and then sat down cross-legged at the edge of the pond. Closing his eyes, he started to circulate the Nameless Cultivation Technique. Bang! The dense heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi around him fluctuated violently as if a dam had broken, rushing into his body at an astonishing speed. Shen Luo was greatly surprised. The speed at which the heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi converged was hundreds of times faster than when he was cultivating in the real world! However, he swiftly recovered and accelerated the operation of the Nameless Cultivation Technique, trying his best to absorb the dense heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi, converting it into mana. The process was surprisingly smooth. Once the heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi was absorbed into his Dantian, it was easily transformed into mana. His initially empty Dantian quickly filled up, returning to its peak state in no time. ¡°Even if the spiritual Qi here is dense, it shouldn¡¯t be this fast, right?¡± Shen Luo opened his eyes with a look of astonishment on his face. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes once again landed on the golden skeleton hovering in mid-air. After some hesitation, he reached for the crimson short blade by the edge of the pond and initiated the control incantation. The crimson short blade leapt from his hand and started to vibrate faintly. ¡°Go!¡± With a point from Shen Luo, the crimson short blade immediately transformed into a dark red light shadow, heading straight for the golden skeleton. In the blink of an eye, it was less than two feet away from the skeleton. ¡°Hum!¡± The golden skeleton immediately reacted as if it had sensed something, emitting golden light. The crimson short blade seemed to have fallen into a quagmire, with its speed reduced drastically. After moving about a foot forward, it stopped in mid-air and could not move any further. However, the repelling force emitted by the skeleton seemed to only affect objects in close proximity to it. Even though Shen Luo was sitting at the edge of the pond, in the golden light, he did not feel any pushing force. Shen Luo activated the control incantation again, and after some humming vibration, the crimson short blade flew an inch further forward. Then a loud ¡°bang¡± could be heard, followed by the short blade rolling like thunder, appearing to have been hit hard before it fell onto the ground. The glow of the blade was dim, seeming to have suffered not a little damage. Shen Luo¡¯s head throbbed with pain, as if someone had hit him with a stick. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a grunt, and his vision blacked out. He hastily closed his eyes and quietly circulated his skills, finally regaining his composure after a while. After he took a deep breath, he looked up again. The golden skeleton was just floating there, its light gone, as if nothing had happened. Upon some contemplation, Shen Luo plunged a single hand into the water, silently invoking the Water Control Technique. At the surface of the water directly below the golden skeleton, there came a ¡°swoosh¡± sound as a gigantic green water hand of about three meters broke out of the water, rapidly shooting upward toward the golden skeleton. As soon as the green water hand appeared, there was a flash of golden light around the golden skeleton. It effortlessly crushed the giant water hand. Shen Luo¡¯s face fell. He plunged both hands into the water. Swoosh! All around the pond, the surfaces of the water split open. Green hands, water ropes, water snakes and other objects shot out, rolling towards the golden skeleton from all directions. The golden light on the golden skeleton surged up, and under the ripples of light, all of the water hands, water ropes, and other objects were destroyed like dry hay against a fierce storm. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo revealed a wry smile. His strength was just too weak. If only he had the cultivation level of Wu Pojia or Luo Daoist, he wouldn¡¯t be so helpless. He stared blankly at the golden skeleton, then after hesitating for a long while, he gritted his teeth, picked up the two Fire Guns and a Cold Gun from the ground, and started to walk towards the direction of the entrance. Half an hour later, Shen Luo reappeared by the side of the pond, his face dark and gloomy, with a few scratches on the corners of his mouth and on his arms. ¡°Am I destined to be trapped here?¡± Shen Luo muttered looking at the golden skeleton floating in mid-air. Just now, he had tried to break through the Eight Trigrams Light Array while his mana was still abundant. After much struggle, he had still failed to make any progress. Shen Luo sighed, returned to his cross-legged position at the center of the pond, and closed his eyes. Since he couldn¡¯t leave, he might as well make use of the incredibly abundant spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth to try and break through the second realm of the Nameless Cultivation Technique. Even in Dreamland, being able to personally experience this could only be beneficial for his future cultivation. However, not much time passed before he opened his eyes, widened them in disbelief, his face full of surprise. Just a moment ago, his Purple Palace Acupoint had unexpectedly relaxed significantly under the impact of his mana. Previously in reality, he had tried his hardest, exhausting all his mana but was not able to shift it at all. The difference between then and now was simply too big, wasn¡¯t it? Despite his surprise, Shen Luo didn¡¯t stop cultivating, he continued to channel his mana to impact the Purple Palace Acupoint. After vibrations back and forth a few times, the Purple Palace Acupoint finally opened up! Shen Luo was overjoyed. He continued to channel his mana to move forward within the Ren meridian, quickly reaching the next Heavenly Breakthrough Acupoint, and began to impact it. The Heavenly Breakthrough Acupoint became loose with the impact of the mana. After repeated impacts, this acupoint also broke open. Shen Luo took a deep breath, unable to hide his excitement. It could have been a coincidence that the Purple Palace acupoint was impacted, but the fact that the Heavenly Breakthrough Acupoint was also so easily breached, could not be explained as a coincidence. ¡°Could it be that my cultivation talent has greatly increased after entering Dreamland?¡± Shen Luo speculated quietly. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The first time he successfully drew the Small Thunder Talisman and the exorcism charm was in the Dreamland. The Water Control Technique he used earlier was also ten times more flexible than in reality. Not to mention when he previously drew in the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth into his body, it felt effortless. All these factors indicated that his cultivation talent was much better in Dreamland compared to reality. Though the sudden improvement of his talent was unbelievable and nearly impossible, the matter of entering dreams was shrouded in mystery. Anything could happen within the Dreamland. While Shen Luo was lost in his thoughts, he did not pause the circulation of mana within his body. He continued to impact each and every acupoint as directed by the Nameless Cultivation Technique. ¡­ Chapter 98 - Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Rapid Progress Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Rapid Progress The entrance of the underground space was damaged, and the rich heavenly and earthly spiritual qi suddenly accelerated and overflowed into the cave passageway, soon spreading to the cave entrance. A small mound made of fragments of stone and earth near the cave entrance suddenly trembled a few times, causing grit and small pebbles to roll down from it. ¡­ Completely absorbed in his training, Shen Luo became oblivious to the passage of time. It was only when hunger became unbearable that he stopped to consume a Grain Avoidance Pill, which instantly alleviated his hunger. After nearly a whole day of hard cultivation, his success in striking the acupoints was impressive. About thirty percent of the acupoints in his Ren meridian had been opened up. At this rate, he would be able to completely cultivate the second level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique in another ten or so days. Even though this speed couldn¡¯t compare to the astonishing speed of breaking through the first level in one night, it was already a world apart compared to the speed of cultivation in reality. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shen Luo once again closed his eyes. In this manner, Shen Luo spent the following days immersed in his cultivation, tirelessly absorbing the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi from the water in the pond while operating his mana to strike the acupoints in his body. He could clearly sense the increase in internal mana. In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed. Shen Luo suddenly opened his eyes, involuntarily letting out a loud howl. The howl was strong and continuous, making the whole underground space reverberate. It took him half an incense stick¡¯s time to completely release the breath he had been holding. Just as he had estimated before, after practicing for this period, he had opened up all the acupoints in his Ren and Du meridians, successfully cultivating the second level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique to perfection, with the mana in his body increasing several times. The second level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique corresponds to the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels of the Qi Refining stage. He leaped past these levels in just over ten days, which is considered astonishingly fast. Feeling the surging mana in his dantian, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but reveal a small smile. He casually picked up a crimson short blade beside the pond and activated the magic spell. With a buzzing sound, the crimson short blade jumped up from his palm as if it were alive. The talisman at the end of the blade shone a grey light, much brighter than before. A layer of grey light also appeared on the blade, making a hissing sound as it cut through the air. ¡°Go!¡± With a flick of Shen Luo¡¯s finger, the crimson short blade shot out instantly. With a flash of grey light, it bridged a distance of dozens of feet in an instant, skimming over a large white stalagmite. The white stalagmite, several tens of feet high, made a cracking sound as its upper half slowly slid off, crashing onto the ground and raising a cloud of dust. The cut surface of the stalagmite was extraordinarily smooth, somewhat like a mirror. Shen Luo nodded in satisfaction and recalled the crimson short blade. Just as he was about to put it back, he suddenly paused and stared straight at the edge of the pond. There was a half-foot of pond wall exposed above the surface of the water. ¡°Why has the water level decreased?¡± Shen Luo clearly remembered that when he had submerged himself in the pool earlier, the water in the pond had been almost at the brim. Over the past ten or more days, he had been fully absorbed in his cultivation. He had only hastily consumed Grain Avoidance Pills when he was hungry, and had not noticed any changes in the water level of the pond. ¡°Could it be because of my cultivation?¡± Shen Luo touched his chin, somewhat puzzled. At the moment, he was not willing to dwell on such matters. He quickly closed his eyes and began to recall the magic spell for the third level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique in his mind. The first level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique fills the four limbs with qi, the second level requires a full connection to the Ren and Du meridians, while the third level requires opening up all the remaining meridians and acupoints in the body, achieving the realm of qi flowing through all meridians to perfection, which lays the foundation for advancing to the Grain Avoidance Stage. The cultivation of the third level involves a vast number of meridians and acupoints. The meridians and acupoints that need to be opened up are very scattered. The difficulty of cultivation is much greater than the sum of the first two levels. However, with his current cultivation that seemed to have divine assistance, Shen Luo had no fear at all. He carefully recalled the spell for the third level twice. After confirming there were no mistakes, he began to cultivate directly. In the blink of an eye, more than two months passed. Shen Luo was still sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the pond, while the water in the pond had significantly reduced, leaving only a thin layer, almost dried up. His face was illuminated by flowing blue light, glowing brightly. Suddenly, his body trembled, and a series of muffled sounds like popping beans rang inside his body. Then, blue light spots bloomed all over his body, densely covering every inch of his skin. Among these blue light spots, there were thick and thin blue lines connecting them, also spread all over his body. The lines also bloomed with bright blue light, shining clearly through his clothes. However, the phenomenon was fleeting. In just two or three breaths, the blue light on his face disappeared, and the abnormal phenomenon of his body¡¯s meridian acupoints glowing also vanished. He slowly opened his eyes, his eyes full of vigor, far surpassing his previous state. After more than two months of dedicated hard work, he finally perfected the third level of the Nameless Cultivation Technique, making his qi flow through a hundred meridians and reaching the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage. In Shen Luo¡¯s body, the mana flowed like mercury through the many meridians, emitting a strong fluctuation, and had increased by three times! With a flicker in his eyes, Shen Luo waved his hand. The remaining thin layer of water in the pond was suspended in the air with a flash of blue light from his palm. Its shape did not change at all, and there were not even any water stains on the stone walls at the bottom of the pond. If any High People proficient in Water Manipulation Technique were here, they would be greatly shocked. Lifting water with control is a common technique, but to keep a pool of water intact, without leaving a trace of water on the ground, requires extremely exquisite control, which even those in the late Grain Avoidance stage or even Nascent Soul Stage, may not be able to accomplish. At this moment, the golden skeleton hanging above the pond emitted a large amount of golden light, generating a repelling force. The pool of water suspended in mid-air was shattered by the repelling force of the golden light, instantly breaking down into thousands of droplets, spraying in all directions, about to splash on the surrounding ground. With an unhurried wave of his hands, a blue light flashed from his palms. The splattering water droplets stopped immediately, each droplet, each water trail, and the mist formed by completely shattered droplets, all suspended in mid-air, creating a unique scene. He then raised his hand and made another move. The water droplets and trails quickly converged, forming several long streams of water that flew past the golden skeleton and slowly circulated around his body. Shen Luo pointed a spell, and one of the water streams shot out instantly. Its edges thinned, faintly forming the shape of a blade, and rapidly swept across a stalagmite. With a sharp sound, a deep scratch appeared on the stalagmite, almost cut in half, as if it had been scraped by a sharp blade. Seeing this, Shen Luo felt joy in his heart once more. Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Spirit Communication Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Spirit Communication Although he could previously use water control to create water snakes and water eagles to attack his enemies, these water creatures were not powerful due to the softness of the water. Now that his water control technique has improved greatly, the creatures he forms with it are much more formidable. However, he also knows that the power of his Water Manipulation Technique is due to the significant increase in his cultivation level and his recent growth in capability. If he were in reality, even if he advanced to the Qi Refining Peak, he probably wouldn¡¯t have such water manipulation power. ¡°I wonder if I can use the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits?¡± A thought struck Shen Luo, and he suddenly remembered the Art of Spirit Communication. He had tried many times to use the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits, but all attempts had failed. Now that his cultivation level had made a rapid improvement, reaching the Qi Refining Peak, and his Skill level had advanced greatly, perhaps he might be able to do it. Thinking of this, Shen Luo felt a surge of excitement. He carefully manipulated several streams of water to return to the pond, placed his palm on the surface, and softly operated the Spirit Communication Technique. His vision immediately darkened, and his Divine Sense appeared in the pitch-black Sea of Consciousness space. He heard a continuous pinging sound, and one by one, blue light spots appeared. They were of different sizes and densely packed, resembling countless stars in the night sky. Shen Luo was somewhat surprised because the situation in front of him was slightly different from before. Firstly, the number of blue light spots was much more than before, and secondly, the size of the light spots had also changed. When he used the Art of Spirit Communication before, the blue light spots that appeared in his Sea of Consciousness were at most the size of broad beans. Now, the largest spot was as big as an egg. Shen Luo directed his gaze at one of the largest blue light spots nearby, silently operated his Skills, and guided his Divine Sense to transfer over to it, while his body was tense, preparing for the pain caused by the mana disturbance that would occur if he failed. However, the outcome was beyond his expectation; his Divine Sense extended smoothly, and effortlessly entered the blue light spot. The blue light spot suddenly expanded hundreds of times, instantly filling his sensory range. Shen Luo¡¯s vision blurred, and by the time he reacted, he found himself in a vast, bluish space. Blue light like waves flowed everywhere in the space, giving the impression of a vast blue sea. Within the blue sea, there were numerous life forces hidden, dispersed in various places. Probably due to the long distance, these forces were not very clear. Looking around, Shen Luo was tremendously excited. The Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits had been half successful. The Nameless Heavenly Book had recorded that his Divine Sense was connecting him to some water area, and the forces under the water should be the demons in that water area. However, to summon these demons, he needed first to subdue them and sign a Soul Contract. Shen Luo immediately spread his Divine Sense to find the other party to subdue. As he spread his Divine Sense, his perception of the Sea of Consciousness¡¯s demon forces immediately became clearer. These demon forces varied in strength. Most were stronger than him, and a few were particularly powerful, their strength towering like the sky and thick like the earth, countless times stronger than him. Even Luo Daoist, Wu Pojia, the Three-Eyed Fox Demon, and others at the Grain Avoidance Stage, seemed extremely weak compared to these powerful forces. ¡°I wonder what level these powerful demons are at? Soul Condensation Stage? Nascent Soul Stage? Or even¡­¡± Upon detecting these powerful forces, Shen Luo immediately moved his Divine Sense away in fear, lest they noticed him. Of course, not all the demons in this blue water area were stronger than him. There were also some that were about his level or even weaker. Shen Luo ignored those weaker than him, focusing only on finding a demon slightly stronger than himself. According to the records in the Nameless Heavenly Book, the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits can generally only subdue demons of similar strength or those weaker than oneself. However, if one can master the technique to perfection, they can also subdue demons that are a bit stronger than them. At this moment, he felt invincible, operating the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits with an incredible ease. He aimed to subdue a formidable demon. After searching for a while, Shen Luo quickly locked on a target. Its breath was slightly stronger than his, but not by much. He operated the power of his divine sense just like before, slowly projecting it towards the target. In a flash, a powerful demonic aura transmitted over, not weaker than the previous Three-Eyed Fox Demon, and much more formidable than those he sensed before. Shen Luo hesitated a bit. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, if this Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits succeeds, all¡¯s well. However, if the subjugation fails, the consequences are severe. Not only will it drain a large amount of mana, but the mana and divine sense power within the body will also backlash against oneself. This backlash is far more severe than the allergic reaction caused by the failure to communicate with the blue light in the Sea of Consciousness. All the meridians in the body would suffer damage, and it would take at least a month of bed rest to recover. Shen Luo hesitated for a moment, but he decided to continue. Slowly, he began to operate the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits and attempted to communicate with the demon in front of him. After all, he was currently in a dream state. Even if the spirit communication failed and caused harm to his body, he figured there was no big deal. As Shen Luo operated the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits, the demon¡¯s breath fluctuated a bit but then quieted down again, seemingly too lazy to pay him any mind. Shen Luo continued to release his divine sense. After a few attempts, it seemed the other party finally could no longer resist responding. ¡°Who dares to disturb me while I am cultivating!¡± A deep voice transmitted over, causing Shen Luo¡¯s Sea of Consciousness to tremble slightly. His heart shuddered a bit, and his estimation of the demon¡¯s strength couldn¡¯t help but increase slightly. ¡°I am Shen Luo, a cultivator from the Little Straw Mountain lineage. I am currently trying to practice the Art of Spirit Communication. Dear Aquatic Daoist, would you consider signing a soul contract with me?¡± Shen Luo boldly associated himself with the reputation of Little Straw Mountain. ¡°Soul Contract? Human cultivator, you insult me!¡± The deep voice was suddenly filled with rage, and the roaring sound caused his divine sense to tremble. Shen Luo was not surprised. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, most of the Demon Races are unruly and rebellious. The Art of Spirit Communication would restrict their freedom and make them feel enslaved. Those demons who have not yet opened up their spiritual wisdom might not mind, but most of the Demon Races that have awakened their spiritual wisdom would be unwilling to become someone else¡¯s spirit beast. ¡°You need not be angry, Daoist friend. I can assure you that I will not put you in danger. Also, every time I summon you, I can offer some reward that you desire.¡± Shen Luo quickly stated his conditions. ¡°Young one! Out of respect for the ancestor of Little Straw Mountain, I can ignore your offense. Leave immediately!¡± The demon on the other end roared in a stern voice. ¡°Are you really not going to consider it, Daoist friend? There are also some benefits to becoming my spirit beast. Here, we are on land, and there are many spiritual materials that water areas do not have, which would definitely benefit your cultivation.¡± Shen Luo spoke with a soft voice. ¡°Roar!¡± The demon on the other end did not reply in words but responded with an ear-piercing roar. This roar was not an ordinary howl. A shock wave transmitted from the roar, like a great hammer, hit hard on his Sea of Consciousness. Shen Luo¡¯s Sea of Consciousness hurt severely and his eyes dimmed. He couldn¡¯t help feeling a little angry in his heart. ¡°Fine, since you are so uncooperative, let¡¯s see if you can withstand my Art of Spirit Communication!¡± He snorted coldly and operated the forceful subjugation method in the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits. Chapter 100 - Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Summoning the Beast Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Summoning the Beast He chanted spells in his mind, black runes following his divine sense, penetrated invisibly towards the demon on the other side. The demon immediately let out a roar full of pain. However, the next moment, a shockwave was counterattacked towards Shen Luo¡¯s sea of ??knowledge. Shen Luo was prepared, and the divine sense power in his sea of ??knowledge suddenly retracted, forming an invisible barrier. With a ¡°bang¡±, his sea of ??knowledge trembled violently, but there was no pain. Shen Luo sneered, accelerating the operation of the technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits, and more black runes flew out and penetrated to the other side. The demon on the other side did not scream in pain again, clearly putting up a defense. ¡°Boy, with your cultivation level, you also want to forcefully tame me. Haha~¡± After a while, the demon sneered, full of disdain. Shen Luo did not respond, but continued to operate the art of spirit communication, and a large number of black runes were constantly born and kept penetrating to the opposite side. The demon on the other side stopped talking, and did not roar back. It simply focused on resisting the art of spirit communication. The surroundings became quiet, and a confrontation began to vaguely form between the two. In the blink of an eye, the time for a meal went by. The black runes released by Shen Luo haven¡¯t reduced at all, but instead continue to increase, however, the resistance of the demon on the other side did not weaken, becoming rather tenacious. He was not surprised at this. According to his estimation, the opposite party is a Grain Avoidance Demon, and it definitely cannot be easily tamed. He had already prepared for a protracted battle. Shen Luo held his breath and concentrated, running the art of spirit communication with all his might. Operating this technique requires full concentration and does not allow for distracting mind and energy to absorb heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi for recovery, but can only withstand it supported by his own mana. Luckily, his mana was profound enough to maintain the operation of the technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits for a long time. At this time, Shen Luo was also determined to see who would exhaust their mana first, him or the demon on the other side. Time slipped by, after an hour, the black runes released by Shen Luo remained densely packed, and the resistance of the demon on the other side remained stiff. After two hours passed, everything remained the same¡­ After three hours, more than half of Shen Luo¡¯s internal mana had been consumed. However, after operating the art of spirit communication to its fullest for so long, his understanding of the technique gradually deepened, and he became more proficient. The deterrent effect that originally required the operation of full mana could now be achieved with only seventy percent of his mana. This discovery made Shen Luo secretly delighted and he even more attentively operated the art of spirit communication while studying quietly. Upon passing yet another two hours, as his understanding of the art of spirit communication continued to increase, he only needed approximately half of his mana to maintain the previous method of spirit communication, while the demon on the other side¡¯s resistance had obviously begun to weaken. ¡°Impossible! You are obviously far inferior to me, how on earth do you still have reserve energy!¡± The demon on the opposite side roared incredulously. ¡°The sophistication of my Little Straw Mountain spirit communication secret technique is not something you can understand. Surrender immediately and obediently become my spirit beast, the previous conditions remain unchanged!¡± Shen Luo replied coldly. ¡°No way! Let¡¯s see how long you can hold on!¡± The demon roared back with all the strength it had left, amplifying its resistance. Shen Luo was not surprised but happy. Being impatient was big taboo in such a consumption battle. Everything should be done according to the most suitable steps for him, neither rushing forward nor fearing retreat, in order to last longer. As expected, it didn¡¯t take long for the demon¡¯s resistance to quickly decrease to its previous level and start to emit low groans. As time passed, the demon¡¯s resistance weakened continuously, its groans gradually turned into screams, its resistance of will became almost nonexistent, but it still stubbornly resisted. By the ninth hour, the howling on the other side was almost non-existent, and if not for still able to sense the demon¡¯s breath, Shen Luo would almost think it had fallen. But Shen Luo was also in a bad situation, with less than ten percent of his mana left in his body, he had obviously reached his limit. However, the black runes he released remained as dense as before, but the demon on the other side still showed no sign of surrender. ¡°Since you¡¯re so stubborn, I¡¯ll have to erase your spiritual wisdom!¡± Shen Luo concealed his anxiety and threatened, prompting the remaining mana in his body, the black runes he released suddenly flourished and swarmed towards the other side, full of an intimidating aura. ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t, I¡­ I surrender, I¡¯m willing to be your spirit beast¡­¡± At this moment, a weak voice came through. All resistance completely disappeared. Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo quickly operated the technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits with his remaining mana, and mixed the power of his divine sense into it. Soon a spirit mark formed, transmitted over, and successfully integrated into the body of the demon. An instant mental connection formed between him and the demon on the other side. With that, Shen Luo¡¯s tense heartstrings relaxed. He immediately stopped the art of spirit communication. His vision blurred as his divine sense was withdrawn and returned to the underground space. He had no mana left in his body at the moment, his Dantian was completely empty, his head was muddled, and there was a severe loss of spiritual power. Such a heavy expenditure was never experienced by Shen Luo before. His body had a sensation of being completely hollowed out. Just as he was about to sit cross-legged, he finally could no longer stay upright and fell straight back to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness. After some time, Shen Luo slowly came to. His Dantian was still completely empty, and his stomach collapsed, as if he hadn¡¯t eaten for three days and three nights. Shen Luo steadied his mind, took out a Pigu Dan and took it, then immediately sat cross-legged. Without any movement from him, the thin layer of water at the bottom of the pond immediately flowed gently towards him, causing no reaction from the golden skeleton above. It quickly gathered all around him. Shen Luo closed his eyes and operated the Nameless Cultivation Technique, beginning to absorb the pond water and the heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi in the surrounding space. After the pond water diminished, the heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi in the underground space also began to decrease, but it is still quite dense at this moment. After fifteen minutes, when he opened his eyes again, his pupils sparkled, and his mana was completely restored. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t wait to get up, go to the outside of the pond, scoop up a green bunch of pond water, point it with another hand, and chanted a spell. The water immediately started rotating from his palm, forming a palm-sized water vortex. The vortex flew out of his hand while spinning, progressively growing larger and was the size of a millstone in the blink of an eye, with a faint, dull growl coming from the center. ¡°Open!¡± Shen Luo snapped his fingers and a pitch-black water hole appeared suddenly in the center of the vortex, a strand of bluish demon Qi shot out from it, obscuring a shadow inside that had its figure stretched out. With a ¡°bang¡±, the shadow fell heavily on the ground, the demon Qi retracting and revealing an orange-red beast that was half human half shrimp and four feet long. Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Chapter 100 Orange-Red Shrimp Monster Chapter 101: Chapter 100 Orange-Red Shrimp Monster Its head was a hard shrimp head, with two long antennae bending backward from the top of its head. Its body was humanoid, with arms and legs, clad in an orange-red armor. It even had a bow-shaped shrimp tail trailing behind its buttocks. In one hand of the shrimp monster surprisingly held a golden hammer roughly the same height as Shen Luo. Its shape resembled that of a winter melon with several large spikes on it, looking quite ferocious. On top of that, a layer of blue light radiated from within, indicating that it was not an ordinary weapon. When the shrimp monster revealed itself, the vortex created by the water flow flickered for a couple of times and quickly closed, as if the pond water was consumed. Shen Luo had already taken a few steps back, maintaining two to three feet of distance from the shrimp monster and curiously examining it up and down. The shrimp monster didn¡¯t say anything either, its pitch-black eyes staring at Shen Luo with a vague hint of fear. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Shen Luo examined the shrimp monster for a moment and then retracted his gaze, opening his mouth to ask. ¡°Zhui Tou,¡± replied the shrimp monster reluctantly, after a few moments of silence. His voice somewhat resonant. ¡°Zhui Tou? just because your head looks like a cone?¡± Shen Luo did not mind the shrimp monster¡¯s attitude. He glanced at the sharp head of the shrimp monster and felt a bit like laughing. Upon hearing this, Zhui Tou involuntarily tightened his grip on the golden hammer in his hand, the long tentacles on his head trembling, seemingly a little angry. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, Brother Zhui Tou. As long as you keep an open mind, what should you fear with a pointed head? Rare appearances may indicate a rare person! In the future, if you assist me, I promise I will not treat you badly.¡± Seeing the shrimp monster¡¯s misunderstanding, Shen Luo chuckled and tried to coax him. ¡°The Human Race is full of no-gooders! They only use us from the Demon Race. I won¡¯t listen to your nonsense!¡± Zhui Tou snorted and looked at Shen Luo disdainfully. He then turned his gaze towards the Golden Skeleton in the pond without paying attention to Shen Luo. Shen Luo saw this and the smile slowly faded from his face. ¡°We have a contract, time to teach you some form of discipline.¡± Shen Luo calmly said, a layer of black light faintly appearing in his eyes. Streaks of black light radiated from the eyebrow center of Zhui Tou. Suddenly, he fell to the ground holding his head, letting out painful howls, and his body convulsed. Shen Luo calmly watched Zhui Tou, who was lying on the ground. The black light in his eyes slowly faded away a moment later. The black light in Zhui Tou¡¯s eyebrow center disappeared and his shaking gradually ceased. He gasped heavily with his mouth open, looking at Shen Luo with a hint of fear in his eyes. ¡°Stop, stop, stop.¡± Zhui Tou slowly stood up, looking beaten, his arrogant demeanor now vanished. ¡°Brother Zhui Tou, we wouldn¡¯t have known each other, if it wasn¡¯t for the situation at hand, now that we are bonded by the soul contract, let¡¯s not continue antagonizing each other, shall we? The promises I made previously still stand. In case I need your help in the future, there will certainly be a reward. If Brother Zhui Tou needs spiritual materials from the land, you can also let me know, I will do my best to find them for you.¡± Shen Luo also put on a slight smile and said graciously. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re the boss here, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Zhui Tou looked dumbfounded, seemed a bit unaccustomed to Shen Luo¡¯s changing attitude. After being silent for a moment, he agreed. ¡°Of course, I am also very interested in various spiritual materials in the Water Area. If Brother Zhui Tou has surplus materials, you can also show them to me. We can exchange what we have. Wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡± Shen Luo continued. ¡°I want a mate; can you make that happen?¡± Zhui Tou looked at Shen Luo again and asked. ¡°Don¡¯t give me a hard time. I hope our cooperation will be pleasant. Shall we shake hands?¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s smile thickened. He raised his hand. Zhui Tou reluctantly raised a pincer. Shen Luo gently put his hand in the pincer. Seeing Shen Luo do this, the atmosphere between them subtly improved. ¡°Brother Shen, why did you summon me today?¡± Zhui Tou asked. ¡°Nothing in particular, I just want to meet Brother Zhui Tou and get to know your powers, so we can fight side by side in the future.¡± Shen Luo said with a slight smile. Upon hearing this, Zhui Tou didn¡¯t say anything else. He gripped the golden hammer in one hand and swung it around. As the golden hammer shadow danced, it quickly brought up a vigorous wind, shooting out several feet. Shen Luo had already taken a few steps back when Zhui Tou swung his hammer. He only felt a strong wind coming face to face, causing a slight pain on his face, as if being cut by a knife. He quickly retreated again, not only marveling at Zhui Tou¡¯s power but also feeling relieved. ¡°Yah . . . Heh!¡± Suddenly, Zhui Tou dashed and jumped, gripping the iron hammer with both hands, and smashed a gigantic white stalactite that reached the top of the cave not far away. With a loud ¡°bang,¡± the three-foot-thick white stalactite was instantaneously smashed into rubble, with fragments flying everywhere. Despite being seven to eight feet away, Shen Luo felt as if the ground was shaking and the mountains were swaying. ¡°I have no other skills, just super strength, and in a fight, I rely entirely on this Wave-breaking Hammer.¡± Zhui Tou put away his great hammer, turned around, and said proudly. ¡°Brother Zhui Tou has extraordinary strength, which is truly admirable. What level of cultivation have you reached with such strength?¡± Shen Luo praised, then asked. ¡°Early Stage of Grain Avoidance, not far from the middle stage.¡± said Zhui Tou. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up, it was almost as he had guessed. ¡°Does Brother Shen have any more instructions?¡± asked Zhui Tou. ¡°Nothing for now; I¡¯ll send you back. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything and remember, I¡¯m a good person.¡± After Shen Luo finished speaking, he darted a glance at the emerald green liquid, which was already dwindling in the pond. He gestured to cast the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits to open the Water Cave Passage. Just then, a sudden hum came! Shen Luo was shocked and quickly looked towards the source of the sound, only to see that in the airspace above the pool, the golden light on the skeleton¡¯s surface began to shake for some reason, and the sound was getting louder and louder. Even the skeleton inside the golden light began to make a ¡°gurgling¡± sound and started shaking. Shen Luo gasped. Ignoring everything, he hurriedly took a few steps back with his gestures, staring intently at the Golden Skeleton. ¡°Bang!¡± The golden light suddenly shattered and disappeared. The entire skeleton fell straight from the sky, smashing upon hitting the bottom of the pond and erupting in numerous sparks, which instantly turned into ashes. Shen Luo hurriedly kept a vigilant watch over the pond, but nothing happened. At the bottom of the pond in the central area, only a small cluster of gold light was flickering. It was a bone fragment remaining after the decay of the corpse. As Shen Luo was considering whether to go over and take a look, suddenly a voice saying, ¡°watch out,¡± came from his ear. Following that, a gust of wind picked up from behind Shen Luo. Zhui Tou abruptly leapt in front, blocking his back. A streak of yellow light shot rapidly from behind Shen Luo, hitting Zhui Tou¡¯s swinging iron hammer, instantly making a ¡°hissing¡± corrosive sound. At the same time, white smoke rose up, giving off a strong rotten smell, Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: Chapter 101: Borrowing the Body to Resurrect the Soul Chapter 102: Chapter 101: Borrowing the Body to Resurrect the Soul About a dozen feet away, a tall figure clad in dark black armor stood there, hunching forward slightly. The once square face was completely distorted, the nose shortened and darkened, the chin sharpened, and the ears lengthened. He looked just like a fox. More eerily, in the middle of his forehead, the flesh split open, revealing an amber vertical eye. ¡°Three-eyed Demon Fox, you¡¯re still alive!?¡± Shen Luo blurted out. The demon fox ignored his question, its gaze fixed on the pond behind him, seemingly preoccupied with the golden finger bone. ¡°His aura is somewhat strange?¡± After retreating two steps and standing shoulder to shoulder with Shen Luo, Zhui Tou said, somewhat bewildered. ¡°It¡¯s a Three-eyed Fox Demon that has possessed a monk¡¯s body. I thought they perished together¡­¡± As Shen Luo spoke, he signaled to Zhui Tou. The Three-eyed Fox Demon caught a glimpse of this, a hint of mockery flashed in its eyes, it broke out in a gritty voice. ¡°Speaking of which, I have to thank you. If you hadn¡¯t buried me underground, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to absorb the abundant spiritual power and fully merge with Wu Pojia¡¯s flesh and blood. So I advise you not to resist aimlessly. Submit to me, and I might spare your life.¡± Shen Luo made no reply; he looked at Zhui Tou with questioning eyes. ¡°His aura is unstable; it should be that the soul hasn¡¯t fully integrated. His strength should be considerably affected.¡± Zhui Tou said in a hushed voice. ¡°Do we stand a chance?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°The odds are not great, but it¡¯s not impossible either.¡± Zhui Tou answered with a wicked smile. Having heard these words, Shen Luo¡¯s heart was relieved, but just as his eyes flickered, he swiftly crouched. The next moment, a cool breeze swept over his head. A few strands of his hair were sliced off, falling before his eyes. From Shen Luo¡¯s sleeve, a faint white light emanated, it was an exorcism charm that he had silently inscribed with fresh blood as soon as he saw the demon fox, to defend against a furtive attack by the demon fox. ¡°Come and fight!¡± Seeing its sneak attack had failed, the Demon Fox no longer disguised itself. It let out a harsh scream, and three thick, fox tails, as tall as itself, suddenly appeared behind it. Its body flashed with a yellow light, two of the fox tails instantaneously expanded by several meters. With gusty winds following their sweeps, they lashed out at Shen Luo and Zhui Tou. Shen Luo dared not receive them head-on, so he leaped to dodge the attack. But Zhui Tou wasn¡¯t retreating, he took a bold step forward, his hands dragging the golden hammer. He rounded and swung the hammer with a violent wind toward the fox¡¯s tail. A loud ¡°boom¡± sound echoed, like a thunderclap! The fox¡¯s tail was hit directly and rolled back. The Three-eyed Demon Fox was thrown off balance. After his hammer strike, Zhui Tou vaulted into the air, raised his hammer above his head and smashed it down toward the Demon Fox. The Fox Demon hurriedly pulled back its three tails, crossed them in front of it, and blocked the attack from above. The impact caused the Demon Fox¡¯s body to shake, but it did not break through the tail¡¯s defense. The Fox Demon let out a nasty laugh. All three tails simultaneously swung outwards, launching Zhui Tou into the air. Suddenly, a burst of blood light flashed from the vertical eye on its brow, and a beam of red light shot out. The red light moved extremely fast. Zhui Tou, who was suspended mid-air, had no time to react, and it looked like he was going to take a direct hit. At that moment, a bright emerald light suddenly flared up. It was a crystal-clear liquid, bright as jade, shooting towards him, blocking his chest like a shield. With a ¡°thud¡±, the red light hit the water mass, instantly causing countless splashes. However, the water mass that was hit didn¡¯t immediately disintegrate. Instead, it stalled momentarily with the red light, before being pierced through. Zhui Tou managed to twist his body to avoid the vital point, but was still knocked over with a ¡°thud¡±, emitting a mournful cry. When Shen Luo rushed forward, he noticed that Zhui Tou¡¯s armor had been corroded and pierced through, a blue liquid similar to blood was leaking from the wound, it was evident that he was injured. The Demon Fox, successful in its attack, shot another blood light from its vertical eye. Zhui Tou sprung to his feet, swinging the iron hammer in his hand to block the blood light. Shen Luo raised his hand, and the emerald green liquid drawn from the pond, under the effect of the Water Control Technique, transformed into a water wolf carved from jade, and lunged at the Demon Fox. The Demon Fox merely swiped its tail, directly shattering the water wolf into droplets of water, and its figure rushed through the droplets towards Shen Luo. But the scattered droplets converged in mid-air, yet again forming a water wolf which dove at the Demon Fox¡¯s back. The Demon Fox, caught off guard, was bitten at the back of its neck, it roared angrily, with a backhand grip on the water wolf¡¯s head, and squeezed hard with its five fingers. The water wolf couldn¡¯t bear the grip and burst open, causing water to splash all over. Under the subsequent sweep of the Fox¡¯s tail, it transformed into a large mist of water, no longer able to aggregate again. Before Shen Luo could react, the Demon Fox trembled slightly, and its fur shot out furiously, transforming into seven or eight nearly transparent giant blades in mid-air, hacking towards Shen Luo. Zhui Tou¡¯s figure flashed, blocking Shen Luo, the iron hammer in his hands spun like a Gyro, creating a blue vortex which knocked down three or four giant blades. After Shen Luo dodged a close combat slash, he rolled and picked up two flame short spears from the edge of the pond, crossed them in front of him, fending off the attacks from the last two giant blades. Just as Shen Luo and Zhui Tou managed to ward off this round of attack, three huge fox tails swept at them with a powerful gust. One tail swept across, disrupting the vortex Zhui Tou had created, then another tail followed up and smacked him, sending him flying five to six yards away, landing right into a pile of magical instruments by the pond. The remaining tail was thrust out, targeting Shen Luo¡¯s head. Shen Luo crossed the two short spears in front of him, rings of fire enveloped the bodies of the spears. The fox¡¯s tail retracted just before it could touch the spears, but immediately followed by a ¡°whooshing¡± sound, it turned into seven or eight transparent giant blades, attacking Shen Luo with a sweeping force! At the critical moment, Shen Luo frantically danced the double spears in his hands, he was in a flurry, his figure swaying. Although he managed to block most of the giant blades, one managed to slice his thigh, he grunted and knelt down, but his eyes intentionally or unintentionally swept quickly towards the direction of the pond. ¡°Overestimating your abilities!¡± The Demon Fox sneered. With a sweep of a fox tail, it wrapped around Shen Luo¡¯s waist and pulled him to its front, as the blood light in its third eye prepared to shoot through his skull. Shen Luo suddenly raised one of his palms at the Demon Fox, squeezing out all his strength, he shouted, ¡°Down!¡± A thunderous rumble echoed through the underground cave. A white lightning bolt as thick as an arm shot out from his palm, accurately hitting the vertical eye on the Demon Fox¡¯s forehead. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The Three-eyed Demon Fox howled painfully, retreating several steps. Its three tails flailed wildly, Shen Luo was flung hard by a tail against a white stalagmite. With a ¡°Gah¡± sound, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Chapter 103 - Chapter 103: Chapter 102: Strange scenes in a dream Chapter 103: Chapter 102: Strange scenes in a dream Just then, a figure flickered in mid-air behind the fox demon. It was Zhui Tou, who had appeared unknowingly with a golden hammer in his hands, fiercely smashing towards the fox demon¡¯s skull. A dull ¡°thud¡± echoed. At the crucial moment, the fox demon swung one of its tails to block its skull, but it was still dizzy with the residual force. The tail holding Shen Luo loosened, and Shen Luo fell to the ground. Half kneeling, Shen Luo ignored his injuries, raised his hand, and his palm flashed with white light again. He released a streak of white lightning, striking the fox demon¡¯s face, causing an explosion. Large strands of white electricity filled its face in a blink of an eye, the fox demon let out a sorrowful cry and its body, along with three tails, paused rigidly. ¡°Daoist friend Zhui Tou! Now!¡± As soon as Shen Luo¡¯s words fell, behind the fox demon, Zhui Tou waved his hand, and a blue light flashed. The exquisite Cold Gun obtained from Wu Pojia shot out like an arrow, directly piercing through the vital area of the fox demon¡¯s chest. Shen Luo looked up as he panted heavily, only to see a large hole torn open in the fox demon¡¯s chest, the wound instantly freezing over, without a single drop of blood flowing out. Following that, the fox demon¡¯s body fell straight backward. The three large fox tails behind it seemed to lose their magic-power support and quickly shrank back, returning to their original state. Shen Luo saw it fell to the ground motionless but didn¡¯t immediately go up to inspect it. Instead, he looked at his own palm, seeing the mark of the Small Thunder Talisman still present, he again raised his hand, striking its head. After two thunderous sounds, the skull of Three-eyed Demon Fox was charred and black smoke wafted off it. Meanwhile, the last bit of mana inside Shen Luo was completely exhausted. He felt weak all over and almost fainted. ¡°It¡¯s already dead. If you¡¯re still not at ease, I can give it another hit.¡± Zhui Tou limped over with the hammer, his leather armor was cracked in many places, clearly, he too was severely injured. ¡°Thank you for your help this time.¡± Shen Luo gestured with a pale face. ¡°Since I¡¯ve established a Soul Contract with you, if anything happens to you, I will be implicated. It¡¯s surprising that this fox demon, merged with a human body, is still so powerful. It must have brought the demon pellet with it to maintain its full strength. It must be situated in the Dantian of the corpse.¡± Zhui Tou¡¯s gaze landed on the corpse as he said this. Hearing this, Shen Luo sat there for a while to recover, before getting up and walking forward. He picked up the ice gun and undid the clothes on the body, he gently cut open the abdomen of the corpse, and indeed found a smooth pink bead inside. The thing was the same size as normal pearls and similar to it as well. However, emanating from it were waves of demonic energy fluctuations. ¡°The environment here is not conducive for healing, I need to return right away.¡± Just as Shen Luo was about to ask about the usefulness of the demon pellet, Zhui Tou spoke. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you back now.¡± Seeing that, Shen Luo had to swallow the question that was on the tip of his tongue. He squeezed a magic tactic with both hands, summoned the small amount of remaining emerald green liquid to his side, operated the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits, and created a vortex in the void with a single hand motion. Zhui Tou didn¡¯t say a word, his figure instantly turned into a blue light, disappearing into the vortex, the blue vortex then gradually shrank and vanished. After resting at the original spot for a while, Shen Luo walked to the edge of the pond, watching the golden finger bone in the pond, his face tinged with hesitation. Despite knowing that this thing was extraordinary, he didn¡¯t dare to rashly pick it up. At this instant, the pond suddenly flashed with golden light and the finger bone suddenly shot up, piercing directly towards Shen Luo. Shen Luo was shocked and quickly sidestepped to avoid it. However, when the finger bone was about to pass by him, it turned abruptly and pierced directly into his body. He only felt a sharp pain in his chest and his vision immediately became blurry. Shen Luo shook his slightly dizzy head vigorously, weakly grabbing at the void in front of him as if trying to hold onto something for support. However, his vision darkened and he fell straight down. ¡­ ¡°Thud¡­¡± After an unknown amount of time, Shen Luo suddenly heard a melodious bell sound echoing in the distance. His eyelids twitched slightly, and slowly opened his eyes. The cloudy feeling in his head was still present, and his vision was still blurry. He couldn¡¯t help but rub his somewhat aching eyebrows. Shen Luo propped himself up and sat up, looking around in surprise to find hundreds of people sitting densely around him. They were all dressed in the same white robes, each looking solemnly towards a three-foot high platform in front. On the platform was a lotus zafu, on which sat an elderly man with long white hair and a benevolent face. His long eyebrows hung down on both sides of his cheeks, and he was wearing a large feather robe, apparently preaching a sermon. ¡°Where is this place? How did I get here?¡± Shen Luo looked around in surprise, realizing that this place was neither the underground cave, nor was it inside the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. He suddenly stood up to ask the people around him, but they seemed completely unaware of his strange behavior, and no one glanced at him at all. Shen Luo quickly leaned over to tap on the shoulder of the person next to him, but his palm seemed to pass through the person¡¯s body as if it were translucent. ¡°Could it be another dream? A dream within a dream?¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. He turned and looked further around, only to find that he was standing on a white stone square in the mountains. The surrounding mountains were like an emerald jade belt wrapping around, with jade-like waterfalls and misty clouds visible in the middle, creating a fairy-tale landscape. On many of the mountain peaks, he could see jade pavilions being hidden by green trees, and on many of the mountain crevices, he could see suspended rope bridges connecting them. The sounds of monkeys and cranes echoed around the mountains and clouds. ¡°Could this be an Immortal land, and the elder is the Immortal giving teachings?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t hide his excitement, he wanted to approach the preaching elder to listen carefully to whether he was spreading Immortal teachings. But he had only just taken a step forward when the surrounding scenery dissolved away like a mirage. Shen Luo just felt a moment of dizziness, and everything in front of him became blurry again. But a moment later, when his vision stabilized, the surroundings had already changed entirely. At this moment, he was standing on the top of towering mountain peak, facing a suspended cliff. Below him was a rolling sea of clouds like waves of the sea. Not far from him, there were several low tables, each with a person sitting behind them. The one in the main seat was still the elder in the feather robe. The others sitting down had greatly different appearances and attire. They were burning incense and sipping tea, discussing Dao while sitting, as if they were old friends of many years. Although Shen Luo was not far away and could see the details of each of their faces clearly, he couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about clearly. And when he intended to approach them, the surrounding scenery blurred again. Immediately after, he found himself in a big red hall. He saw the feather-robed elder and several disciples-like people conversing¡­ Chapter 104 - Chapter 104: Chapter 103: The Old Man in the Cave chapter 104: chapter 103: the old man in the cave like this several times, the scene kept changing, allowing him to see some images of the old man¡¯s daily teachings. shen luo felt like a spectator, watching silently, but utterly disconnected from it all. just as shen luo thought he had fallen into a nightmarish loop with no end, the situation changed slightly. this time, he found himself back in the white stone square, watching everyone sitting quietly around, listening to the feather-robed elder imparting his teachings. the sky, clear before, suddenly turned as dark as night, shrouded by an enormous shadow. the entire sky seemed to be ablaze, turning a fiery red. looking up, shen luo saw huge red meteorites, seeming to come from the outer world, leaving crimson trails across the sky, bringing with them rolling black smoke as they fell in all directions. one of them headed straight for the square. shen luo felt a jolt of fear at first, but then his face turned pale as a realization hit him. he had only read about this phenomenon, akin to the heavenly fire descending, in miscellaneous records. most of them attributed it to volcanic eruptions, but he had never witnessed it. now, as he watched the red meteorite fly towards him, from initially the size of a millstone, gradually growing as large as a house, when it was about to fall directly above, it had grown as giant as a mountain peak. naturally, he was terrified. the surrounding white ¨C robed disciples were equally panicked, fleeing in all directions. although shen luo felt afraid, he knew that no matter what happened around him, it wouldn¡¯t affect him, so he didn¡¯t flee and stayed in place to watch. the feather-robed elder remained calm throughout, without any extra movement. he just raised his palm towards the sky, and the ground trembled violently around him. accompanied by a ¡°rumbling¡± sound, one of the green mountains outside the square began to rise, like a long spear, heading towards the oncoming meteorite. a loud ¡°boom¡± echoed! the mountain shattered under the meteorite¡¯s impact, stirring up a wall of dust and debris that blocked out the sun. but the meteorite was stopped by the roots of the mountain, preventing it from directly falling onto the square. watching this scene, shen luo was incredibly shocked. there were indeed beings in this world who could move mountains at will. before his shock could settle, whirlwinds rose from the rolling dust clouds, as if something was falling from the meteorite. as he looked on with curiosity, he heard roars from within the dust and had a glimpse of countless monstrous creatures jumping off the meteorite. covered in rolling demonic flames, they advanced towards the square. watching this, the feather-robed elder, made a hand gesture, like a magic spell, waved into the empty space. from the mountains, streams of hundred-feet-tall waterfalls surged wildly, transforming into hundreds of feet long sparkling water dragons. slithering from all sides, they plunged towards these monsters. as the water dragons rushed in, they swallowed countless monsters, and their tremendous force tore many of them to shreds. following this, some white-robed men, who looked like elders, joined in on the fight against the monsters. the initially scattered disciples quickly regrouped and followed their elders into the battlefield. in an instant, the whole square was ablaze with fire and echoing with the sounds of battle. the entire land shook violently as giant mountain-guarding auspicious beasts began to rush in from all directions. among them was a tiger as large as a house, a cheetah wrapped in flames, and a qiu yu, an armor-scaled beast, even bigger than the giant tiger. as soon as they charged in, they quickly pushed back the monsters¡¯ front lines, with more and more white-robed monks gathering around, gradually surrounding the monsters with the meteorite at the center. seeing the monks¡¯ side gaining the upper hand, shen luo¡¯s heart inexplicably eased for a moment. but at that moment, the surrounding scenes blurred once again, and the once lush green mountains had been reduced to ruins, leaving nothing but broken walls and raging fires in shen luo¡¯s field of view. the numerous disciples under the feather-robed elder had suffered countless casualties, with piles of corpses resembling mountains scattered everywhere¡ªthe entire land seemed to be washed in blood. shen luo watched all this, his heart overwhelmed with astonishment. focusing his attention, he saw the feather-robed elder, covered in blood, fleeing into the sky, only to be caught up by a gruesome creature with three heads and six arms after only several hundred feet. the two of them performed their mystic arts in mid-air, causing the heavens and earth to tremble and sending thunder booming into the distance. shen luo wanted to follow but sadly, he lacked the ability to fly and could only watch helplessly as their figures disappeared into the horizon. at that moment, the scene before his eyes shifted again, and he found himself back in an underground cave. as he glanced around, his heart shook violently. the environment within the cave was incredibly familiar¡ªit was the very place he had been in earlier. ¡°what in the world is going on?¡± shen luo was filled with doubts. as he pondered, a figure suddenly walked into the cave. the figure¡¯s hair was disheveled, its gait unsteady, its snow-white feather robe soaked in blood¡ªit was the feather-robed elder. shen luo subconsciously wanted to go over and support him, but the elder walked straight through him and staggered into the depths of the cave, sitting down with his back against a stone wall. shen luo quickly followed and saw three circular holes broken open in the elder¡¯s chest, from which no more blood could flow. the elder¡¯s body trembled uncontrollably against the stone wall, his complexion as pale as gold foil, and his eyes had become extremely dim. the elder¡¯s injuries were obviously too severe, beyond redemption, and his life was almost spent. after resting for a moment, he seemed to have regained some strength, stood up again, and began to set up an array in the cave. all shen luo could see was a stream of radiant light emitting from the feather-robed elder¡¯s hand, flying towards the cave entrance, but he couldn¡¯t discern what was within the light. after those lights landed on the rock wall, they quickly dissipated and vanished. then, the elder took off his feather robe, threw it in front of him, and struggled to manipulate a magic spell, reclining his palm towards the robe. a mysterious charm pattern emerged in the center of his palm, followed by a round light curtain that lit up in front of his palm, with blue mana trailing out, gathering towards the feather robe. the strings of mana fell upon it and instantly reduced the already tattered feather robe to ashes, transforming into a blue battle formation map attached to the ground. the blood stains on the feather robe didn¡¯t disappear though. instead, under the stimulation of mana, they started to pulsate slightly. as the mana continuously flowed out, the life force of the elder was also rapidly draining, and the blood stains began to glow faintly. the originally bright red color started to fade, and bits of emerald green liquid began to condense on the ground. as more and more emerald green liquid accumulated on the ground, bubbles began to pop up at the center like a spring, eventually transforming into a green pond filled with spiritual energy. Chapter 105 - Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Insights in Dreams chapter 105: chapter 104: insights in dreams after completing the creation of the pond, the feather-robed elder had exhausted his last bit of mana. he stumbled toward the center of the pond and sat down cross-legged. at that moment, shen luo felt a jolt in his heart. he naturally understood that he had seen the spiritual pool in the cave, and the corpse protected under the golden light was probably that of the feather-robed elder. shen luo came to the edge of the pond with a complex expression, seeing the feather-robed elder staring tragically into the void. his face showed a trace of sorrow and anger. at this moment, the elder suddenly flicked his wrist and a flying dagger shot straight up. after colliding with the top of the cave, the blade turned and fell directly towards his own head. this was obviously an act of self-destruction before dying of serious injuries! shen luo¡¯s heart tightened. he subconsciously lunged forward, trying to catch the flying dagger. but in the air, his body became light, his divine sense blurred, and he lost consciousness. when he woke up again, he found that he was back in his room on the qingchipo in the spring and autumn pavilion. bright sunlight shone in from the outside window, and birds chirped near and far. it was early morning. shen luo tried to sit up, but found that he was so weak that he couldn¡¯t move at all. he lay back down, with scenes from the dream constantly appearing in his mind. he was a bit lost. he felt all over his body and quickly discovered that the flame spear and the ice spear magical instruments he had obtained in the dream were not on him, including those pills and the demon fox¡¯s inner dan. ¡°it seems that things in dreams can¡¯t be brought back to reality,¡± shen luo murmured. having said that, he subconsciously operated the nameless cultivation technique, trying to mobilize the mana in his dantian. but as soon as he tried, he felt a blockage in his meridians, and a dull pain in his chest, almost spitting up a mouthful of blood. when he tried to operate the third level nameless technique, the mana available to mobilize in his dantian was pitifully small. but when that bit of mana was mobilized and raised along the ren meridian to reach the purple palace acupoint, it was actually blocked there and could not advance at all. this situation was exactly the same as when he first began to practice the second level nameless technique. shen luo struggled to sit up and tried again to operate the nameless practice to mobilize the mana in his dantian. the result was still the same, his mana was really only at the level of first complete circle. ¡°it seems i was dreaming. how can the realms achieved in dreams be brought back to reality?¡± shen luo slapped his forehead and laughed bitterly. although he said that, his experiences of breaking through the second and third levels of the nameless technique in his dreams were still fresh in his mind. especially the experiences and insights during practice were vividly imprinted in his mind. then, as if he had thought of something, he quickly tore off his shirt and looked carefully at his chest. but the skin on his chest was as smooth as ever, without any scars. upon careful inspection, there was nothing unusual. after a brief thought, shen luo understood. the bone fragment and magical instruments, as well as his cultivation realm, were all things from the dream, and would not return to the real world with him. suddenly, shen luo felt a wave of sleepiness. he was so tired he couldn¡¯t help but fall back asleep. almost at the same time. far away from the spring and autumn pavilion, in a mountain, a brand-new temple had just been built. a large number of monks and believers gathered on the square in front of the mahavira hall, all praying with their hands clasped and eyes closed. inside the hall, there was a clay statue six feet tall, still covered with a red cloth. once the auspicious time arrived, the revered abbot would uncover it and consecrate the golden body of the buddha. standing in front of a huge brass furnace outside the hall, a fat official in brocade was waiting to be the first to burn incense, his heart filled with excitement. inside the mountain gate, a vajrapani statue, gripping a vajra, glares with wrathful eyes, scrutinizing all evil in the world. its face to the back, a statue of the maitreya buddha holds buddhist beads, smiling to welcome people and spread positive karma. outside the gate, two bamboo ladders have already been set up. four young monks are laboriously lifting a large placard, preparing to hang it above the gate. the placard, made from sandalwood, has a red lacquer base with gold-lacquer script. it boldly displays three large characters: ¡°jia lan temple¡±. ¡°dong¡­¡± at this moment, the auspicious time has just arrived, a resonant bell rings from within the temple, echoing towards the distance. not far from the temple, two hunters stand in front of a wilderness mountain cave. from an animal trap set up a day earlier, they remove a large fox with a mottled coat that has been pierced by two arrows, blood still dripping from the wounds. the fox still has a fat field mouse clutched in its mouth, refusing to let go even in death. the two hunters excitedly discuss the prospect of selling the fox¡¯s skin at the market for some grains, while the meat will be taken back for their children¡¯s meals. unknown to them, deep within the cave, a newborn fox with a yellowish coat is sound asleep. suddenly, as if hearing the sound of the bell from the temple, the cub slowly opens its innocent eyes. its fluffy pointed ears also stand upright, lively and alert. ¡­ the second day, early morning. after sleeping for one day and one night, shen luo regains his energy. when he goes to the dining hall for breakfast, he runs into tian tiesheng. after a brief conversation, shen luo realizes something. previously, he was engrossed in cultivation in dreamland for quite some time, but when he returned to reality, it seemed as if only a night had passed. it felt as though he had just had a long dream. shen luo remembers the previous two times he entered the dream, he also fell asleep at night and woke up in the early morning of the second day. in his mind, he begins to wonder, could it be that no matter how much time he spends in dreamland, in reality, it amounts to only a single night¡¯s deep sleep? after breakfast, shen luo quickly returns to the back mountain shallow pond. he closes his eyes and resumes his cultivation of the second level technique. in his mind, he carefully recalls his cultivation in dreamland, the details of how mana flowed within his body start to emerge bit by bit. it¡¯s only now that shen luo understands, at the beginning of his cultivation, he couldn¡¯t open the purple palace acupoint not because he had a lack of mana, but because he lacked control and wasn¡¯t able to guide his dantian power to simultaneously strike the acupoints. with his hands shaping the magic spell and mentally chanting the mantra, in his sea of consciousness, he imagines the mana within his dantian as a flock of arrows. with the intention to succeed in one attempt, he impels it to rush upwards with all his might. suddenly, it¡¯s as if a relaxing and cool qi surges rapidly upwards from his ren meridian, passing his chest¡¯s yutang acupoint, shooting directly towards the purple palace acupoint. after repeating this process several times, a soft ¡°thud¡± resonates. ¡°i made it¡­¡± a wave of joy fills shen luo¡¯s heart. the purple palace acupoint opens wide, taken over by the rushing mana. once this acupoint is opened, his confidence immediately surges significantly. even if the realm reached in dreamland cannot be brought back to reality, the experiences and feelings he had are still there. with these things, wouldn¡¯t the pathways to breaking through subsequent acupoints be smoothly paved! shen luo suppresses his excitement, recites the magic spell again, and continues to channel his mana to rush upwards towards the huagai acupoint. Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Reality Call chapter 106: chapter 105: reality call this acupoint, compared to zigong, is even larger. ¡°as large as car hood¡± is the origin of its name. it¡¯s not difficult for mana to rush into it, but to pass through it, it needs to be first filled with mana. when it overflows, mana can naturally pass through and reach the xuanji acupoint. however, although shen luo has perfected the first level of the nameless cultivation technique, the amount of mana stored in his body is very limited, so he can only temporarily stop attempting to break through, and continues to circulate the first level technique to refill his dantian. only after a full four hours did he finally accumulate enough mana to break through huagai acupoint after another strenuous attempt. shen luo put away his magic spell, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and temporarily stopped his cultivation practice to avoid mental exhaustion. moderation is the best policy. with the help of the experiences in his dreamland, he was already extraordinary in being able to pass through two acupoints in a day. compared with his original speed, he has naturally sped up a lot, even surpassing most ordinary people, and it might take less than a year, or perhaps less than two years, to perfect the second level technique. however, compared with his cultivation speed in the dreamland, which was nearly a day¡¯s march, there is a world of difference. ¡°my cultivation aptitude in the dreamland seems far superior to reality¡­ i wonder why?¡± shen luo felt a bit lost, and also puzzled. after taking a break for a moment, he closed his eyes again and started to operate the nameless cultivation technique silently, while adjusting his breathing and tuna, with his hands forming a magic spell. but this time, he was not continuing his cultivation but was operating the technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits instead. in the dreamland, he was already able to establish communication with the shrimp soldier ¡°zhui tou¡±, so naturally he wanted to try again to see if he could still succeed. before long, strands of water spirit qi gathered around shen luo¡¯s body, and his thoughts gradually became vacant. the vision before his slightly closed eyes gradually turned pitch black. small and large blue light spots started to shimmer in the void. after a slight hesitation, shen luo didn¡¯t go looking for the biggest blue light spot, but instead tried to lead his divine sense to a smaller light spot closest to him. the difficulty of contract signing with ¡°zhui tou¡± in the dreamland was still fresh in his memory. with his current aptitude and mana, he certainly couldn¡¯t compare to his dream self. therefore, he cautiously tried to communicate with weaker aquatic clan demons, which seemed more reliable. as soon as his divine thought descended, it flowed smoothly into the light without any hindrance. immediately after, his vision blurred, and he once again entered a blue space. it was as if there were water waves surging around him, shimmering with sparkling light. shen luo quickly discovered that the blue space this time was clearly much smaller than that in the dreamland, indicating that the connected water area was not the same as the previous one. also, the creature¡¯s aura he could feel in this space was pitifully weak. among these auras, the strongest one seemed to only possess the strength of the early stage qi refining. after pondering for a moment, shen luo began to operate the art of spirit communication and projected his divine sense power. his current cultivation level is already around the third and fourth levels of qi refining. he calculated that if the demon emitting the aura was unwilling to sign a contract with him, he would forcibly summon it with the beast taming technique. unexpectedly, as soon as his divine sense projected, it connected with the other side, and the other party didn¡¯t show any intention of resistance. shen luo immediately began to use his divine sense mixed with mana to form a spirit mark and transmitted it. it quickly integrated into the body of the demon, and he established a subtle communication with it via his mind. afterward, he quickly exited the blue space, his eyes slowly opened. next, he pressed his hand into the shallow pond, silently chanting spells. he quickly started a vortex of water, spinning in the palm of his hand, within the stream of the pond. ¡°rise!¡± shen luo shouted lowly, and the vortex in the palm of his hand ascended promptly, suspended in mid-air, reached the size of a millstone, within which emerged a spinning blackwater tunnel. shen luo watched the water tunnel intently, with a hint of expectation in his mind, not knowing what kind of demon would be summoned through spirit communication? however, after waiting for half an incense stick worth of time, just when shen luo thought that there was a problem with the spirit summoning technique, a huge head, slightly pointed at the front and flat at the back, leisurely extended from the water tunnel, followed by a long neck, that had irregularly distributed leather patches. ¡°is this¡­ a water python?¡± shen luo frowned, saying with a hint of doubt. but looking at its slow movement, it did not resemble the swift water python at all. before shen luo could understand, he saw a green-black turtle fin, slowly protruding from the water tunnel. then, the hard shell attached to its long, protruding head had also appeared, it was unmistakably a big sea turtle. shen luo¡¯s heart, which was filled with expectation just a moment ago, grew extremely cold. judging by its slowly crawling speed, if they encountered danger, he wouldn¡¯t be able to summon it before meeting his own death. ¡°come out quickly¡­¡± the moment this thought crossed shen luo¡¯s mind, subconsciously, he wanted to hurry the big turtle. who would have thought that the turtle seemed to have understood him, its fins suddenly powered forward, its body suddenly sprung forward, leaping into the air and smashing down towards the water surface. shen luo saw this and leaped back instantly, stepping on the water surface and retreating a dozen or so steps to avoid it. the big sea turtle splashed into the water with a ¡°plop.¡± because the pond was not deep, only one-third of its body was submerged in water. its four fins were flapping up and down like a boat¡¯s oars, but the body was unable to move forward at all, creating a particularly comical sight. shen luo walked forward somewhat helplessly, circled around the sea turtle, and noticed that its body was about five feet long. the back of the turtle was protruding like a car hood, with hexagonal patterns on each plate, and the surface was covered with a layer of slippery green moss. ¡°do you have a name?¡± shen luo asked, standing in front of the turtle. in response, the turtle merely stretched out its long neck, sniffing around shen luo, looking him up and down without uttering a word. its eyes were large and round, shining with an amber gloss. along with the two upward-facing nostrils and a giant triangle-shaped mouth, it exuded a sense of innocent and cute charm¡­ ¡°can¡¯t speak? and seems not too intelligent.¡± shen luo said with a bitter face. in the dreamland, he had to sweet talk and risk his life to win over an early stage grain avoidance water demon shrimp. but back in reality, why could he only summon a dumb, adorable big sea turtle? the difference was so vast that it was impossible for shen luo to not feel disappointed. having glanced at shen luo once, the turtle seemed dissatisfied. it slowly retracted its head, the four fins sank to the bottom of the water, supported its massive body to rise again for a bit. turning its head, it slowly crawled towards the shore. ¡°this¡­ it can¡¯t be that it has no spiritual wisdom, right?¡± seeing this, shen luo was slightly taken aback. Chapter 107 - Chapter 107: Chapter 106 Big Sea Turtle chapter 107: chapter 106 big sea turtle although the sea turtle was unable to speak, it seemed to have retained a faint spiritual connection which enabled it to sense shen luo¡¯s simple emotional fluctuations. ¡°what if i call you ¡®little sea¡¯ if you don¡¯t have a name?¡± shen luo, mildly curious, went forward, patted its shell and said. upon hearing his words, the big sea turtle paused for a moment, then continued to crawl towards the shore. ¡°you don¡¯t like it? how about calling you ¡®little gui¡¯?¡± shen luo followed and asked again. upon hearing the name ¡®little gui¡¯, shen luo could distinctly feel the fluctuations in the sea turtle¡¯s emotions, showing a form of satisfaction. ¡°do you display any abilities?¡± asked shen luo. upon hearing this, the turtle stopped crawling. it twisted its head to look at shen luo, then turned its head back and stared ahead at a stone not far away. suddenly, it opened its mouth and spouted something. shen luo¡¯s sight dimmed for only a moment before a white light suddenly shot out from the turtle¡¯s mouth. in the next moment, a sharp ¡°clang¡± rang out from the stone. shen luo rushed over and found that the stone several yards away was punctured, revealing a thumb-sized hole. ¡°what was that? how did you do it?¡± shen luo asked, surprised and delighted. no sooner had he spoken than another white light shot from the turtle¡¯s mouth and struck the stone. immediately, another identical round hole appeared next to the original one. this time, shen luo saw clearly that what little gui had spat out was an approximately one-foot-long transparent water arrow. shen luo thought to himself that he could also shoot out similar water arrows using the water control technique, but he could definitely not achieve the same speed and precision. the force exerted by the sea turtle¡¯s water arrow was comparable to his full-force blow. ¡°impressive, little gui. do you have any other abilities? show me,¡± shen luo said merrily. upon hearing this, little gui retracted its head and slowly crawled towards a sunny spot ashore. there, it lay still, basking in the sun. after threatening and coaxing little gui for a while, shen luo realized that it seemed to only have the ability to shoot water arrows, and that it didn¡¯t have any other talents. after basking in the sun for a while with little gui, he summoned a water hole through the art of spirit communication and sent it back. according to the nameless law formula, his shallow mana is perfectly adequate for communicating with this sea turtle. to contract more powerful aquatic clan demons, he should not attempt to take the risk, otherwise backlash may occur. ¡­ in the following days, shen luo continued his cultivation routine at the back mountain shallow pond. with the added benefit of his dream experiences, he found his progress with the second level technique to be even faster than he¡¯d anticipated. however, it would still take quite some time to achieve perfection. today, he finished his cultivation early and returned from the back mountain. instead of returning to qingchipo, he went straight to master luo¡¯s courtyard. upon arriving at the courtyard¡¯s entrance, he saw master luo with his eyes slightly closed, standing in a horse stance in the middle of the courtyard. master luo kept this position, seemingly engaged in a certain form of standing meditation. as he stood outside the door, hesitating whether to make a noise, master luo opened his eyes, glanced at him, and asked, ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°master luo, there¡¯s something your disciple wants to ask,¡± said shen luo, bowing hurriedly as he spoke. ¡°come in and talk,¡± said master luo. he ceased his standing meditation, turned back with his hands behind his back and walked into the house. shen luo stepped across the courtyard, following master luo into the hall. ¡°judging from your breath, walking gait, and complexion, it seems like your training of the small transformation yang skill has made significant strides. have you already mastered it and now want to learn the pure yang sword technique from me? i told you before that the main authority on this matter lies with the pavilion master. don¡¯t get your hopes too high,¡± said master luo, sitting down in the chair in the hall. ¡°master luo, there seems to be a misunderstanding. the mastery of my small transformation yang skill is still somewhere in the future. this time i am not here for that. i just want to learn one of our pavilion¡¯s defensive martial arts skills,¡± explained shen luo, waving his hand hastily. following his fight with the demon fox in the dream world, he felt deeply that not having learned real defensive martial arts left him short of adequate means to handle many dangerous situations. right now, his nameless cultivation technique was still in its early stages and consequently limited in its power. drawing talismans on the spot was too time-consuming. if he could acquire a martial arts technique, he wouldn¡¯t feel so flustered while facing creatures like the zombie rat monster. ¡°martial arts techniques?¡± master luo, eyebrows raised in surprise, inquired. ¡°correct. i request master luo to offer the incantation for practicing ¡®qingyang hand¡¯,¡± shen luo said, bowing deeply. ¡°you¡¯d like to learn qingyang hand? that¡¯s not impossible. this technique isn¡¯t particularly demanding. as long as those who practice it possess yang gang qi in their bodies, they can practice it,¡± master luo said, pondering for a moment. seeing master luo¡¯s consent, shen luo quickly spoke, revealing a smile. ¡°my physical strength has been recovering quite well. grateful for master luo¡¯s and the pavilion¡¯s care, i¡¯ve sent a letter home. my father will soon present a small gift to the pavilion, i hope master luo will accept it,¡± he said. upon hearing this, master luo stroked his moustache, revealing an amused smile on his face. he stood up and walked into the inner hall. soon, he returned with a thin blue book in his hand. ¡°qingyang hand isn¡¯t difficult to practice, but be careful. if you don¡¯t understand a part, you can ask senior brother tian. he has been practicing for many years and has gained some experience,¡± uttered master luo, passing the book to shen luo. ¡°thank you, master luo. i¡¯ll bear that in mind,¡± shen luo quickly replied, taking the book with both hands and thanking him pretentiously. ¡°one more thing you should be aware of: although qingyang hand can maximise the power of yang gang qi, it also consumes a not-so-small amount of it. use it wisely,¡± master luo reminded. ¡°master luo, have no worry. i¡¯ll behave within my capability,¡± shen luo answered respectfully. ¡°actually, i¡¯ve always valued your diligence. otherwise, i would not have said so much to you today. it¡¯s a pity you lack innate qualities,¡± said master luo, looking at shen luo and nodding. ¡°thank you, master luo. i deeply appreciate your kindness. there is something i want to verify with you,¡± shen luo replied. judging by master luo¡¯s manner, he saw that he was not about to dismiss him, so he went on. ¡°go ahead,¡± master luo said as he sat back down. ¡°master luo, are there really such things as great cultivation prodigies in this world who can make extremely swift progress?¡± asked shen luo. ¡°naturally there are extraordinarily talented individuals who cultivate at an astonishing pace. however, such people are very rare; you may well go hundreds of years without encountering one. they are either the reincarnations of educated elders who chose to start over, or they possess what legends refer to as a ¡®dao body¡¯,¡± explained master luo, though he seemed a bit surprised. ¡°dao body, is there really such a thing in this world?¡± shen luo asked in amazement. Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: Chapter 107: The Unexpected Guest Chapter 108: Chapter 107: The Unexpected Guest ¡°You know about Dao Body too?¡± This time it was Master Luo who got taken by surprise. ¡°I came across it while browsing through some random books in the past. They mentioned it as something possessed by ancient people. When they found techniques that are compatible with their Dao Body, they managed to cultivate from a mortal body to immortality in just a decade or so. I initially thought this was just a legend, but it seems that I have got it confirmed from you today.¡± Shen Luo explained. ¡°It is rumored that cultivators with the highest grade of Dao Body indeed have this heaven-defying cultivation speed, but since it remains a rumor, its authenticity is naturally hard to verify.¡± Master Luo said. ¡°The highest grade¡­ Does the Dao Body vary in grades?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Of course, it varies. Speaking of the lower grade Dao Body cultivators, their talent does outstrip ordinary people, but they only cultivate slightly faster in comparison. On the other hand, the highest grade Dao Body cultivators can cultivate several times faster than ordinary people and even up to dozens of times. Moreover, they possess a variety of talents, almost like god-like powers. The difference between them is enormous.¡± Master Luo explained. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo silently pondered the speed of his cultivation in his dream. It seemed to be even faster than what Master Luo described as the top-grade Dao Body. However, he didn¡¯t notice any special talents in himself. ¡°Why do you suddenly ask about this?¡± Master Luo asked, seeing Shen Luo lost in thought. ¡°Master Luo, I was simply curious. I thought if I had such a qualification, maybe cultivation for a longer life wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Shen Luo sighed and said. ¡°A cultivator possessing the highest grade Dao Body appears scarcely once every five or six hundred years. You really don¡¯t need to fantasize about it. In the future, you should stay grounded and focus on your cultivation.¡± Master Luo¡¯s expression became more solemn as he spoke. ¡°Master Luo, I will remember your teachings. I¡¯ve disturbed you for a long time today, I will take my leave now.¡± Shen Luo bid his farewell respectfully. ¡°You can leave.¡± Master Luo nodded. Shen Luo, still thinking about his dream, turned and walked towards the door of the courtyard. Yet, he had barely reached the main hall when he saw two figures outside the courtyard door leaping in. One of the men was tall and had a dark complexion. A short grey moustache lined his lips and he was dressed in a unique Taiji Daoist Robe and wearing a Lotus Daoist Crown on his head. His face was stern, serious. It was no other than Elder Master Wang Qingsong. Standing beside him was a handsome young man, Gu Hualing, his personal disciple. ¡°I greet Elder Master Wang, Senior Brother Gu.¡± A sudden chill rose in Shen Luo¡¯s heart, but he still saluted the two respectfully. When the two saw him, surprise flashed in their eyes, obviously, they did not expect him to be there. Seeing that the two did not respond, Shen Luo circled around them, intending to exit the courtyard. Just then, Master Luo¡¯s voice rang out from behind, ¡°Senior Brother, what brings you to my courtyard today?¡± It seemed that he also was surprised by the arrival of Master Wang and his disciple. Since the incident on the back mountain where Shen Luo accidentally overheard Gu Hualing¡¯s words, he has been extremely wary of Gu Hualing. At this moment, all he wanted to do was to leave as soon as possible, avoiding any interaction with him. However, just as he was about to open the door, the two wooden doors creaked and closed right in front of him. Shen Luo was taken aback. As he turned around, he saw Elder Master Wang¡¯s sleeve moving back and forth as if he was waving. It was evident that he had closed the courtyard doors using his mystic arts. ¡°Senior Brother, what are you doing?¡± Master Luo furrowed his brows, asking. ¡°Master Luo, I don¡¯t have time for idle chatter today, quickly hand over the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯.¡± Elder Master Wang said coldly. ¡°Pure Yang Scripture? Is that some kind of skill? Shouldn¡¯t it be the Pure Yang Sword Technique?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he heard this. He had a vague feeling that his presence here was very ominous. ¡°Elder Master Wang, do you even know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Master Luo looked extremely surprised, his face changing slightly. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not planning on handing it over?¡± Elder Master Wang¡¯s gaze became even sharper. Shen Luo felt an eerie tension in the courtyard. He tried to quietly open the door, but as soon as he moved, Gu Hualing¡¯s frown flickered in his direction. Shen Luo instantly froze, feeling like he was being stared at by a venomous snake, spreading a chill throughout his body. ¡°The ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯ you are talking about is the fundamental scripture of our pavilion, and even if you want it, you need to ask Elder Master Guant, coming to me seems like you have the wrong person.¡± Master Luo¡¯s face also turned serious. ¡°Luo Yuanzhen, do you really think I don¡¯t know that you are the guardian of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion in this generation? Feng Yang is nothing more than a decoy.¡± Elder Master Wang slowly stated. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you came up with such huge nonsense.¡± Master Luo laughed, shaking his sleeve coldly. ¡°Whether you admit it or not, I will find out soon.¡± Elder Master Wang sneered. ¡°Wang Qingsong, are you planning to force it, in the end?¡± Master Luo straightened up. ¡°Hehe, true, in terms of cultivation level and strength, I¡¯m not as good as you, Master Luo. However, times have changed.¡± Elder Master Wang enigmatically mused. ¡°Oh, so you think with your beloved disciple added to the equation, you¡¯re sure to win? Not to mention just one, even if there were ten more, I wouldn¡¯t be bothered.¡± Master Luo glanced at Gu Hualing and said. ¡°Where does Master Luo get such confidence? How dare I, as a junior, act rashly in front of you? However, Master Luo, why does your brow seem a little dark today, oh no, even your face is starting to darken.¡± Gu Hualing smirked and commented respectfully in response. Just as Master Luo was about to retort, his expression suddenly stiffens, and he quickly used his right hand to perform several quick punches at several major points on his body. At the same time, he turned over his left hand, removing a talisman and attaching it to his left chest. The talisman flashed green, and a few green lights were shot out, quickly absorbed into his body. Then, a faint green glow began to emanate from his face. However, Shen Luo still clearly saw that a faint black halo suddenly appeared on Master Luo¡¯s forehead, while his face began to turn black. his veins bulging visibly. Although Master Luo¡¯s face flashed green as if resisting the change, his skin was still rapidly turning black at a speed visible to the naked eye. ¡°Master Luo has been poisoned!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can last. If you want the antidote, exchange it for the scripture!¡± Elder Master Wang laughed and shook his sleeve vigorously. From within, as if there was wind, a thunderous bang sounded, and a flash of lightning shot towards Master Luo. Master Luo didn¡¯t utter a word. Two beams of light shone on his legs, and with the Seven Stars Firmament Step, his figure suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the courtyard, just missing the lightning. With a vigorous flick of his sleeve, a talisman was thrown towards the sky. With a ¡®whistle¡¯, the symbol shot into the sky like a firework, just about to explode high above. At this moment, a figure suddenly flashed in the sky. Someone had flown up there and grabbed the warning arrow talisman in their hand. Shen Luo looked up, his expression changed, shocked to his core. The man in the sky had a handsome face, a gentle smile ¨C it was none other than Gu Hualing. Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Taking Charge in a Crisis Chapter 109: Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Taking Charge in a Crisis At this moment, he was surprisingly wearing a purple dress, his long black hair had turned into short purple hair that just grazed his ears. His eyebrows were like distant mountains in spring, his eyes reflected like autumn waters shimmering, a circular purple mark resided between his brows, making him resemble a charming and lovable girl. What shocked Shen Luo even more was that there were small bone wings on her back, they were flapping up and down. ¡°Demon Race!¡± A shocked cry erupted from Master Luo¡¯s mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief. Shen Luo took a closer look and realized that where Gu Hualing¡¯s eyebrows met was a skull mark the size of a fingertip, not a flowery ornament, and she was indeed emitting an incredibly strong demon aura. ¡°Too late to warn¡­¡± Elder Master Wang gave a low shout, with a swing of his sleeve a short halberd shot out straight towards Master Luo¡¯s chest. Swinging his own sleeve, Master Luo also released a bronze coin sword that collided with the halberd. An endless cacophony of clashing rang out in the courtyard, it was hard to tell which talismanic instrument was gaining the upper hand. At this moment, the soil beneath Master Luo¡¯s feet suddenly loosened, a ghostly white skeletal claw suddenly burst from the ground. ¡°Shriek!¡± went as the claw slashed the skin on his leg, leaving visible bloody gashes. Already poisoned and caught off guard by the ghost claw, Master Luo was thrown into chaos. Taking advantage, the halberd easily knocked away his sword and quickly shot toward his skull. At the critical moment, a rumble of thunder echoed through the compound. A white lightning bolt, the thickness of an arm, suddenly crashed down from mid-air, immediately causing the halberd to shake violently. It veered off course and embedded itself into the ground. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the courtyard, everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on Shen Luo. No one imagined that this registered disciple, considered trash by everyone, would surprisingly display a thunder technique talisman. Nervously looked down at his raised right hand, Shen Luo gave a bitter smile. ¡°Kid, you hid it well, I underestimated you!¡± Wang Qingsong¡¯s eyes turned icy. Black fog unleashed from his palm, it quickly condensed into terrifying ghost faces that lunged towards Shen Luo. Seeing this, Master Luo blurred into motion, moving in front of Shen Luo. He quickly formed signs with his hands, then pushed forward with his palms. Pure Yang power surged out from his signs creating a splendid light that obliterated the eerie black fog. But once the light dissipated, Master Luo staggered backwards, his face awash with black Qi. ¡°Master Luo, are you okay?¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo asked anxiously. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to self-learn talisman techniques. It seems I have underestimated you. Today, I will officially take you as my personal disciple, are you willing?¡± Master Luo looked at Shen Luo with a strange expression, pulled out a Dharma plate from his sleeve and said solemnly. ¡°Of course, I am willing. But shouldn¡¯t we be trying to escape right now?¡± Shen Luo replied with a bitter smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since I have taken you as a disciple, I will naturally find a way to save your life. I have a plan!¡± Master Luo chuckled, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of essence blood onto the Dharma plate in his hand. As the Dharma plate fell to the ground, it burst into a brilliant white light that shot up into the sky forming a hazy column of light. ¡°Go!¡± As he spoke, he slapped Shen Luo¡¯s back, causing him to stagger into the light pillar. Caught off guard, Shen Luo felt his body stiffen, completely bound by the white light and unable to move. ¡°Not good! Stop him quickly.¡± Elder Master Wang ordered sternly as he noticed this, as a surging black fog rolled out from his both sleeves. Gu Hualing had already landed on the ground, she lifted her wrist and several white bone skulls sprang violently from the underground and pounced towards Master Luo. At this moment, Master Luo did not speak, but his voice suddenly rang in Shen Luo¡¯s mind: ¡°Take the token and seek your senior ancestor, quickly ask him for help.¡± Before Shen Luo could understand what was going on, Master Luo had already thrown a palm-sized jade pendant into his arms. The next instant, he felt a sensation of vertigo, the white light that enveloped him suddenly shrank, making him feel as if he had been compressed into the Dharma Plate, and his body disappeared from its original place. Just as Master Luo breathed a sigh of relief, he was attacked by the surging black fog from behind. Stepping on the Firmament Step again, he sprang forward, leaving his Taoist robe, which he had taken off, behind. As soon as the black fog spread over it, the robes quickly rotted and turned into ashes. ¡°You go and kill that youngster.¡± Elder Master Wang said, his brows furrowed. Gu Hualing hesitated slightly, swung her bone wings behind her, and was about to fly away. ¡°Monster, you shall not flee.¡± Master Luo shouted, waving his hand outward. A light group flew from his hand, directly hitting the Eight Trigrams Mirror hanging over the head of the main hall door. The mirror immediately rotated downwards and reflected a ray of light which returned to the other bronze mirror inside the gate tower of the front courtyard. There was immediately a light reflected from this mirror, which fell in the other parts of the courtyard, and the whole courtyard was wrapped in a field of light. Under the light, a huge Eight Trigrams phantom emerged on the ground. As Gu Hualing was about to take off, she hit an invisible light curtain that was difficult to discern with the naked eye, and she fell back. ¡°Prohibition?¡± She said, her expression changing slightly. ¡°Forget it, a registered disciple is insignificant. We should deal with Luo first.¡± Wang Qingsong¡¯s face was grim as he approached Master Luo step by step. ¡­ Shen Luo only felt a sense of vertigo, as if his body was continuously falling downwards, and everything in front of him was a vast white light. However, an instant later, his feet touched solid ground again, and the white light in front of him dimmed, but the intense sense of dizziness still hadn¡¯t subsided. He took a step forward, but he couldn¡¯t remain steady, stumbling forward. He quickly reached out to brace himself against the front, and his palm touched a rough stone wall. Once he steadied himself against the wall, the dizziness finally subsided and his vision returned to normal. He then realized that he had appeared in an unfamiliar, dimly lit stone chamber. Several oil lamps hung on the four walls of the stone chamber. The flames, kindled by some unknown oil, emitted no smoke, just a faint, sweet scent. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze shifted, falling on a corner of the stone chamber, and his body immediately tensed. Two strange figures in tattered black robes were seen there. They were enveloped in thick black fog, their bodies inclined and hovering in mid-air. Both of their arms were stretched forward as if they were going to pounce on something. Shen Luo became alert and took a step forward. Peering through the gap between the two figures, he saw a thin old man in a gray-white Taoist robe with a Five Peaks crown, holding a magic spell in both hands, facing them off in the corner of the wall. Chapter 110 - Chapter 110: Chapter 109 Senior Ancestor Chapter 110: Chapter 109 Senior Ancestor In the void before the old man, a peach wood law sword entirely in crimson was suspended, its surface inscribed with a series of charm patterns that Shen Luo could not understand, but a mere look was enough to identify its extraordinary nature. What was peculiar, however, was that not just this levitating sword, but also the three figures confronting each other, were all inexplicably frozen in their places currently, as though a freeze spell had been cast upon them all simultaneously. Shen Luo dared not make any reckless moves. Instead, he cautiously approached some more from the side. Only then did he get a close enough look to identify the faces of the two people suspended in the air ¨C they were frighteningly the green-glowing empty eye sockets of two dried up ghouls. At the same time, a ¡®zeng zeng¡¯ sound, similar to a tense string on the stringed instruments, also reached his ears intermittently. Shen Luo observed carefully, and only then did he finally notice that the thin old Daoist had almost invisible black silk threads wound around him. Covered by the thin layer of green light glowing from his Taoist robe, however, it was hard to detect. Those two dried up ghouls were indeed gaping wide, emitting black silk threads from their mouths, tying down the suspended red magic sword tightly. Amidst the intense billowing thick black fog around it, continuous movements of densely clustered crimson runes bumping and attacking the ghoul¡¯s body could be seen. The two seemed to act as one attacking and one defending army, locked in a close combat that couldn¡¯t be separated. ¡°So the three are not immobile, but have formed a peculiar balance where every party can¡¯t do anything against the other,¡± Shen Luo realized this, hesitated no more, formed a magic spell with both hands, and violently swung his sleeve, commanding, ¡°Go!¡± No sooner had he finished speaking than a big wind blew, and a white light as fast as an arrow shot out from within his sleeve with a ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound. A dull thud ¡®peng¡¯ followed. The one on the left of the two ghouls had a talisman fork that was enveloped in white light and shot into the back of its head, causing the whole skull to be flung out, smashing against the stone wall and shattering. As bone fragments splattered on the stone wall, a twisted and blurred green ghost shadow appeared under the exposed talisman fork. Under the white light emitted by the talisman fork, it let out an extremely sharp scream and quickly diffused into a dense fluid. The residual body also dispersed like smoke instantly, leaving only a battered black robe to fall on the ground. The balance between the old Daoist and the two ghouls in the corner was disrupted by Shen Luo, significantly reducing the pressure on the thin old Daoist. A sharp look flashed across his eyes, he pulled the black thread wrapped around his body with one hand, directly pulling the remaining ghoul in front of him. His other hand formed a flower-picking finger and pointed at its forehead. Just as the old Daoist¡¯s finger touched it, this ghoul immediately let out a shrill shriek. Its body was swiftly surrounded by large red runes and the black ghost fog swirling violently around it dissipated rapidly. The old Daoist let go of the hand that was pulling the thread, and with his other hand, he beckoned the crimson law sword in mid-air to fly back into his hand. He slashed at the ghoul. His whole movement was flowing like a cloud, done in one go. A faint ¡®chirping¡¯ noise rang out! A red crack appeared from the top to the bottom of the ghoul, dissecting it into two halves. Its body immediately erupted into blazing red flames and quickly melted into ashes. Seeing the old Daoist free himself, Shen Luo quickly rushed forward. The old man, however, stared at him and pointed his law sword at him. Shen Luo frozen mid-action, was about to speak when he saw the old Daoist¡¯s other hand slightly bend its fingers and reach towards him out of thin air. He only felt a formidable pull suddenly coming at him. Something not by his will flew out from within his clothes around his chest. Shen Luo looked carefully and realized it was the jade token that Master Luo had thrown into his arms hurriedly before sending him here. The old Daoist glanced at the jade token, and his brows furrowed: ¡°What happened to Yuan Zhen?¡± It seems he didn¡¯t find it strange that Shen Luo was here? Shen Luo was stunned at his words, then realized that the ¡°Yuan Zhen¡± the old man was referring to was Master Luo. ¡°Senior Ancestor, Master Luo he¡­¡± Shen Luo immediately recounted the events that had just happened in Master Luo¡¯s courtyard in detail and swiftly to the old Daoist. When the old Daoist heard Shen Luo say that Master Luo had called Gu Hualing, after her transformation, a member of the ¡°Demon Race¡±, his face immediately turned incredibly grim, and he sighed, saying: ¡°I can¡¯t believe Gu Hualing, who has been a disciple for many years, had been a demon in disguise¡­ It seems the Demon Race had their eyes on our Spring and Autumn Pavilion for a long time, and they were even willing to quietly infiltrate us for such a long period.¡± ¡°Senior Ancestor, the situation at Master Luo¡¯s side is critical, so could you please hurriedly go to aid him?¡± Shen Luo said anxiously. The old Daoist shook his head, a bitter expression on his face, and then opened up his Taoist robe. Shen Luo looked at him, confused, and was taken aback. Under the old Daoist¡¯s robe, on the right side of his abdomen, was a fist-sized bloody hole, with a ring of black crystal around it, emitting waves of foul odor. ¡°I, like Yuan Zhen, was poisoned early on, and earlier got ambushed by those two ghosts from the netherworld, which caused me severe injuries. Now, my cultivation level is almost completely gone, and only a small portion of my mana remains, so I can barely look after myself.¡± The Senior Ancestor said bitterly. ¡°Could it really be that bad? In that case, Senior Ancestor, we should first escape, and then figure out what to do later.¡± Shen Luo mumbled. The old Daoist shook his head, then suddenly asked: ¡°I know all three inner sect disciples of the Pavilion, don¡¯t I? It seems like you are not among them?¡± ¡°I am disciple Shen Luo. Just now, Master Luo has already accepted me as an inner sect disciple! Senior Ancestor, this is not the time to talk about this, let me first get you out of here.¡± Shen Luo said even more anxiously. ¡°Never mind, since you are a true disciple cultivated by the Pavilion and you have cultivated mana, and also since Yuan Zhen was able to send you here, you must be someone he really trusts. I ask you, would you be willing to inherit the Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s ¡°Pure Yang Scripture? And allow our Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s lineage to continue?¡± The Senior Ancestor¡¯s demeanor suddenly became solemn. His eyes stared unwaveringly at Shen Luo, as he asked. ¡°Senior Ancestor, of course I am willing to inherit the Pavilion¡¯s secret manual. The succession of the Sect is a matter of great importance, it should all be discussed after you have turned safe.¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo was greatly surprised and for a moment was not clear of its pros and cons. He could only respond vaguely. ¡°There is no time. The injury on my body is more serious than you see, and I¡¯ve also been marked by a spell from the ghosts of the netherworld, so now I can¡¯t leave this stone chamber. Just now, you and I killed two ghosts from the netherworld, I¡¯m afraid stronger enemies will soon come¡­.¡± The Senior Ancestor suddenly coughed viciously, and a trace of dirty blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s face was full of hesitation. ¡°Stop hesitating! If we delay any further, not only will you and I die here, but the inheritance of our Spring and Autumn Pavilion will also be cut off!¡± The Senior Ancestor grabbed Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder and said forcefully. ¡°I agree.¡± Shen Luo suddenly made up his mind, swiftly lifting his head, and decisively replied. ¡°Good, Shen Luo, from now on, you will be the new generation guardian of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯.¡± The Senior Ancestor appeared to relax, nodded and said. After saying that, he took Shen Luo¡¯s palm and placed the jade pendant, the token, in his hand. Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Chapter 110 - Last Words and Testament Chapter 111: Chapter 110 ¨C Last Words and Testament Shen Luo¡¯s gaze fell on the ordinary-looking circular jade pendant. After a brief inspection, a look of disbelief suddenly lit up in his eyes. ¡°Senior Ancestor, could this be the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯?¡± Shen Luo asked in surprise. The old Daoist nodded his head, his hands consecutively forming mysterious magic spells, continuously imprinting them onto the jade pendant in Shen Luo¡¯s palm. Following a flash of white light from the jade pendant, a light curtain emerged, projecting large and continuously changing text. The content of the projected text was the verses of the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯ technique. Right when Shen Luo was about to clearly read the text, the white light on the jade pendant suddenly flashed and abruptly shrank back. The changing text disappeared instantly. ¡°Shen Luo, there is one last thing you need to do to inherit the scripture.¡± The Senior Ancestor said solemnly. ¡°Senior Ancestor, please elaborate.¡± Shen Luo took a deep breath and replied. ¡°I need you to take a venomous oath using your Daoist heart and in the name of the Three Purities. Regardless of whether it¡¯s for yourself or for finding others, you must ensure the continuation of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. And, you must absolutely never teach the techniques and spells contained in the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯ to anyone outside the Little Straw Mountain lineage.¡± The thin old Daoist looked at Shen Luo, a hint of barely-detectable murderous intent appearing in his eyes. Shen Luo shuddered slightly, deducing from the situation that if he didn¡¯t agree, this Senior Ancestor would probably rather kill him and destroy the scripture than let it be passed on outside. ¡°What, are you unwilling to make the venomous oath?¡± The old Daoist¡¯s voice turned sharp when Shen Luo didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I, disciple Shen Luo, am willing to make the oath.¡± Shen Luo solemnly vowed. Only then did the old Daoist¡¯s expression soften a bit, a smidgen of kindness flickering in his eyes. Then, under strict scrutiny from the Senior Ancestor, Shen Luo made a grave and evil oath in the name of his Daoist heart and the Three Purities ¡ª breaking it meant obliteration, a turn to cinders and ashes. After Shen Luo recited the last word of his vow, the old Daoist finally relaxed completely. ¡°This is the mantra and magic spell to activate the jade pendant, you should remember it carefully.¡± After saying this, the old Daoist repeated the mantra twice and demonstrated how to activate the jade pendant twice. After memorizing it, Shen Luo packed up the jade pendant and his Talisman Fork carefully. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not delay any further, you should go now.¡± The Senior Ancestor took a deep look at Shen Luo and spoke. ¡°Senior Ancestor, I bid you farewell!¡± Shen Luo bowed solemnly. The old Daoist nodded his head, forming another set of spells with his hands. The red magic sword catapulted out immediately, shooting directly towards the top of the stone chamber. Wherever the sword¡¯s edge passed, the stone ceiling crumbled like tofu, creating a large fissure about a foot wide that revealed the sky above. ¡°Go!¡± The old Daoist formed a spell with one hand, shook his sleeves, and pushed his palm upwards. Shen Luo immediately felt a wave of heat rising under his feet. When he looked down, he noticed a red glow under him. It was like a cloud supporting his body, carrying him upwards. The whistling of wind in Shen Luo¡¯s ears grew louder and louder as he soared up through the hole in the ceiling and flew out of the fissure in the cliff, finds himself in the high altitude. Shen Luo glanced downwards and, having found the scenery of the forest below somewhat familiar, looked closer. He then realized that he was currently hovering above Qinghua Mountain and the stone chamber he was in just now was actually constructed inside the mountain. Just as he was perplexed, a swooshing sound abruptly broke the silence. As Shen Luo looked in the direction of the sound, a streak of black Qi had already arrived and struck the red light at his feet. The red light crackled and immediately dispersed. Shen Luo¡¯s body tilted and fell from mid-air, heavily landing on a horizontal branch of an old pine tree. After a brief buffering, he fell onto the ground. Struggling to sit up, he saw a large cluster of pitch-black shadows whizzing overhead, with a malicious ¡°hehehe¡± laugh, it then swooped towards the stone chamber on the other side. Immediately, the entire back mountain trembled with a loud blast! Shen Luo¡¯s face abruptly changed color. Without further hesitation, he leaped from the ground and dashed off into the distance. Continuous thunderous noises echoed from the direction of the stone chamber. Clearly, the Ancestor had started fighting the intruder. Fortunately, the black shadow seemed not to have noticed him, and Shen Luo sighed in relief. Shen Luo ran about three to four miles before his emotions gradually calmed down. Only then did he have the leisure to look around him. However, his face turned pale again, stopping dead in his tracks. He saw that the Spring and Autumn Pavilion and its location, Qinghua Mountain, were astonishingly covered by a colossal gray light barrier. Gray clouds rolled atop the barrier. Countless gray runes pulsated within the gray clouds. The Yin winds carrying clouds of gray flew over the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, the air filled with chilling Qi. Gradually, a layer of gray frost appeared on the surrounding leaves. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he vaulted onto a large tree and rapidly climbed up. Seeing the gray light shield, his face instantly darkened. The gray light shield was closed on all sides, encasing the entire Spring and Autumn Pavilion tightly. From his perspective, he could see no openings. Moreover, with the abundance of Yin Qi and the countless pulsating runes on the shield, it was utterly impossible for him to break the barrier with his current limited abilities. Shen Luo felt heavy-hearted. He didn¡¯t stay on the tree top; instead, climbed down rapidly with furrowed brows. Although he didn¡¯t know who had invaded the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, their method was ruthless and thorough; they had directly set up a huge restriction. So, how could he escape with the Pure Yang Scripture? Shen Luo was silent for a while then stomped his foot, turning around to head for the blue stone square on the eastern side of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. He no longer concealed his power; leaping and flying through the mountain forest. From a distance, he looked like a spirit ape darting forward. He soon arrived nearby the eastern side, his footsteps suddenly stopped. Cries of fighting and screams echoed from ahead, mixed with exhilarated growls and blood-thirsty roars. It¡¯s unclear what made those sounds, but they were certainly not human. Shen Luo¡¯s eyelids twitched a couple of times, he held the Talisman Fork in his hand, then continued forward. He quickly arrived at the eastern mountain, holding his breath. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion was already thrown into complete chaos, the clean and tidy sect was now filled with blood. Many disciples¡¯ bodies were scattered about the blood pools. Many evil demons were wreaking havoc here, including the Zombies he saw in his dream, as well as Corpse Wolves with rotting bodies but glowing red eyes, and Monster Dogs enveloped in black Qi. Remaining disciples of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion were resisting in various places. However, those Zombies and Monster Dogs were strong, and not afraid of common swords and injuries. Except for a few strong old disciples who could still resist, the other disciples were no match for them. There were frequent casualties, and shrill screams echoed from all directions. Fortunately, the number of Zombies and Monster Dogs was not high; otherwise, the disciples of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion would have been slaughtered. Chapter 112 - Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Three Corpse Wolves Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Three Corpse Wolves When Shen Luo heard the sounds from afar, he began to guess the possible situation over here. But when he saw it in person, he still felt shocked. He immediately bypassed the crowded area, carefully evading the beasts, and made his way towards his residence along a small path. Shen Luo was familiar with the Spring and Autumn Pavilion¡¯s surroundings. He chose to walk down the remote and desolate lanes, and thanks to his sharp senses, he was able to effectively evade those demons. He soon reached Qingchipo. Shen Luo did not take the main road in front of Qingchipo. Instead, he ran towards his residence along a small path behind the disciple¡¯s room. Before he had walked a few steps, a shadow flashed beside the disciple¡¯s room ahead. A monster dog, half a human¡¯s height, leaped out, holding a corpse in its mouth. It seemed to be hiding in this secluded spot, planning to feast quietly. ¡°Argh¡­¡± The monster dog spotted Shen Luo and immediately dropped the corpse, leaping towards Shen Luo. Shen Luo swiftly bent down, dodging the demon dog¡¯s pounce and casting a quick glance at the corpse on the ground. The corpse was a young man with a square face and thick eyebrows, and his body was a bloody mess. ¡°Fang Ping!¡± Shen Luo exclaimed. This was a disciple from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion who lived near Shen Luo. He was a local farmer, and the two had encountered each other a few times. They were relatively familiar with each other. ¡°Beast!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes turned cold, and with a flip of his right hand, the grey-white talisman fork appeared out of nowhere. It transformed into a white light and fired at the monster dog. The monster dog got a fright, quickly leaped forward with its four hooves and tried to dodge to the side. However, the little white fork suddenly made an agile turn, not only did it not fall behind, but it also caught up with the demon dog in the blink of an eye, striking its chest and abdomen with lightning speed. With a dull ¡°puff¡± sound, the talisman fork pierced through the demon dog. A large hole was punched through the monster dog¡¯s chest and stomach, nearly splitting its body in two. But no blood flowed out. The wound was frozen by a layer of pale black ice crystals. The monster dog didn¡¯t even have time to scream. Its body shook a few times and soon went still. Shen Luo waved his hand to recall the talisman fork, a look of unexpected joy flashing in his eyes. He had never been able to manipulate the Talismanic Instruments in such a smooth and effortless way before; yet, just now, he had accomplished it so naturally as if guided by an unseen hand. ¡°Could it also be related to the insights I¡¯ve gained in the Dreamland?¡± But the situation was urgent so he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it. He put away the talisman fork and continued on his way towards his residence. As for Fang Ping¡¯s corpse, he could only leave it there. Shen Luo soon arrived at his residence, which was located in a remote area and hadn¡¯t been invaded yet. As soon as he entered his room and closed the door, he immediately took out the stone box and the jade pillow from under the bed. He opened the stone box and tried to place the jade pillow inside. As the jade pillow approached the stone box, it was immediately covered with a light shield and rapidly shrank into a piece of jade the size of a fist, which was then successfully placed inside the stone box. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo quickly stuffed the jade pendant, his usual talisman drawing tools, several useful books, and two sets of clothes into the stone box. Afterwards, he packed the stone box and carried it on his back. After finishing these tasks, he didn¡¯t linger in the room, he immediately walked out of his door. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, I knew you would be here, thank God!¡± A figure hurried over, it was Tian Tiesheng. He held a steel knife in his hand, half of his body was soaked in blood, and he was panting heavily. It was obvious that he had just been through a fight. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, are you alright?¡± Shen Luo quickly greeted him. Seeing the blood on his body, he asked with genuine concern. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s just the blood of those monsters.¡± Tian Tiesheng waved his blood-soaked sleeve, saying nonchalantly. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, how did so many demonic entities suddenly appear in the Pavilion?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but these demons are powerful. Ordinary disciples are not their match. I was worried about you so I came over. Ah, Master Luo, the head of the Pavilion, and the Senior Ancestor¡­ why haven¡¯t they taken any action? If they continue to delay, all the disciples in the Pavilion will be killed by these monsters.¡± Tian Tiesheng anxiously stomped his foot. ¡°Looking at the situation, it seems like they want to wipe out our Spring and Autumn Pavilion in one fell swoop. I suspect that Master and the others can¡¯t split their attention.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s lips moved slightly as he tried to disclose Master Luo and the Senior Ancestor¡¯s situation, but he swallowed his words just as they were about to be spoken, and changed the subject instead. Upon hearing Shen Luo¡¯s words, Tian Tiesheng¡¯s face stiffened slightly, as if he had just thought of this. ¡°What should we do then?¡± he quickly asked. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, you joined the Pavilion much earlier than I did. Does the Spring and Autumn Pavilion have any secret passages for escape?¡± Shen Luo asked in a hushed voice. ¡°No, I have never heard Master Luo mention anything about a secret passage.¡± Tian Tiesheng shook his head. ¡°The Pavilion is now full of demons, and we are no match for them. Master Luo and the others have not shown up for a long time, I¡¯m afraid they can¡¯t take care of this side. We should first find a way to save our lives.¡± A shadow fell upon Shen Luo¡¯s heart as he spoke. Tian Tiesheng¡¯s eyes lit up at Shen Luo¡¯s words, he was about to speak¡­ A howling noise sounded, and two Corpse Wolves swooped out of the nearby intersection. Seeing Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng, they immediately growled and pounced. ¡°Run!¡± Shen Luo, not wanting to reveal that he had cultivated his Mana, hurriedly pulled Tian Tiesheng to escape towards the back of their residence. The Qingchipo was close to the cliffside, and the two Corpse Wolves had blocked their main escape route. The pair had no choice but to try and escape in another direction along the cliff edge. They had not escaped far when another Corpse Wolf suddenly leaped down from somewhere in front of them, blocking their path. With three Corpse Wolves closing in from both directions and sensing the pair¡¯s predicament, they constantly howled. ¡°Junior Brother, we¡¯ll have to fight these three beasts!¡± Seeing there was no way out, Tian Tiesheng raised his steel knife, ready to fight the Corpse Wolves to the death. ¡°There¡¯s a way, follow me!¡± Shen Luo hastily pulled Tian Tiesheng back, and pointed towards the steep mountain wall next to the cliff. The slope here was slightly gentler and barely walkable. However, the gentle slope in front was quickly blocked by a giant stone from below the cliff, and it was unclear what lay beyond it. Shen Luo vaulted down the cliff, pushed against the stone with his hand, and slid down the slope. His figure was quickly obscured by the cliff. The three Corpse Wolves saw Shen Luo¡¯s figure disappear suddenly, their speed dramatically increased, and they rushed over. Tian Tiesheng gritted his teeth, and like Shen Luo, vaulted down the cliff, jumped onto the slant, and cautiously moved forward feeling the stone wall. After a few steps and maneuvering around the obstructing rocks at the lower part of the cliff, the view in front of him suddenly opened up. The slope here was gentler, and he could faintly see the ridge of the Mountain Gate below. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, over here.¡± Shen Luo had already moved some distance along the slope. Seeing Tian Tiesheng come down, he waved for him to follow. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, how did you know there was a path down the mountain here?¡± Tian Tiesheng quickly walked over and asked. ¡°I live next to this cliff. I used to wander around here when I had nothing to do, and I found this place by accident.¡± Shen Luo sped forward, responding without looking back. ¡°Thank goodness, thank goodness!¡± Tian Tiesheng quickly nodded and followed closely. The three Corpse Wolves did not chase after them from behind, as if they had given up on the two. Chapter 113 - Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Pursuit Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Pursuit Shen Luo led Tian Tiesheng down the gentle slope, and soon a towering Stone Forest appeared ahead. ¡°This place is well hidden, Junior Brother Shen, maybe we should hide in this Stone Forest for a while.¡± Tian Tiesheng unexpectedly suggested. Shen Luo looked around, the surrounding mountains made the light dim, indeed it was a good place to hide. The demons attacking the Spring and Autumn Pavilion in such a high profile should not dare to stay for too long, hiding here might be a good idea. ¡°That would be fine¡­Hmm¡­¡± He nodded, his gaze suddenly moved to the Stone Forest, and he stopped talking. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Tian Tiesheng noticed Shen Luo stopping and asked. ¡°Nothing, let¡¯s go.¡± Shen Luo continued to move forward. After the two of them entered the Stone Forest and walked a little further, a figure suddenly appeared next to a large rock ahead. It was the silhouette of a middle-aged man with a dark face and a sword, who was none other than Senior Brother Niu, the gatekeeper of the mountain. ¡°It¡¯s you guys! How did you find this place?¡± said Senior Brother Niu, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes, quickly followed by a wary inquiry. ¡°Senior Brother Niu!¡± Seeing his fellow disciple, Tian Tiesheng became overjoyed. Shen Luo had heard someone hiding here just now, so naturally he was not surprised. The sound of footsteps came from the adjacent Stone Forest, two more men walked out, one of them was Ding Yuan, the other one was a pointy-mouthed young man that Shen Luo did not know. ¡°We found this place first, you two get lost!¡± Ding Yuan shouted. Both Senior Brother Niu and the pointy-mouthed young man revealed a cruel glint in their eyes, and held their weapons. ¡°Gentlemen, this Stone Forest is vast, even if ten more people were to hide it would still be sufficient. We are all fellow disciples in a shared tribulation, we should work together to overcome this crisis.¡± said Tian Tiesheng, frowning. ¡°Pah, one more person here means one more risk to be exposed, get lost!¡± Senior Brother Niu glanced at Shen Luo, spat out, and waved his long sword a little. ¡°If you don¡¯t know your place, don¡¯t blame us for being impolite!¡± The pointy-mouthed young man also coldly said. Seeing such treatment, even with Tian Tiesheng¡¯s good temper, his face turned bleak and he was about to fight back. It seemed a fellow-disciple brawl was imminent. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, forget it. If they don¡¯t welcome us, we should move on.¡± Shen Luo glanced back and suddenly spoke, then quickly moved forward. Although Tian Tiesheng was still somewhat angry, he followed Shen Luo¡¯s advice and followed him. The two of them moved quickly, their figures soon disappeared into the distance. ¡°Hmm, at least you knew your place.¡± Senior Brother Niu smirked triumphantly, sheathed his longsword, and was about to retreat back into the Stone Forest. At this moment, a roar sounded from behind. It turned out that the three Corpse Wolves rushed down the gentle slope and were charging towards the Stone Forest. ¡°Demons! Damn it, those two useless men must have led them here!¡± Senior Brother Niu¡¯s face turned, he cursed angrily. ¡°Senior Brother Niu, what should we do?¡± Ding Yuan and the other looked at the three Corpse Wolves, their faces filled with panic as they asked. ¡°What to do, run! As long as we run faster than them, we¡¯ll be fine!¡± Senior Brother Niu snorted coldly, as he broke into a run in the same direction as Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng. Ding Yuan and the pointy-mouthed young man didn¡¯t dare to dawdle, quickly followed suit. At this point, Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng had exited the Stone Forest, walked some distance along the gentle slope, the slope ahead suddenly became steep, making it impossible to go any further. Shen Luo didn¡¯t pay any attention, he swerved slightly to the left and arrived in front of an upward-facing mountain wall. This mountain wall was quite steep, but there were many protruding rocks and some trees growing among them, so climbing wasn¡¯t a problem. ¡°If we climb up from here, we can reach the mountain path leading down. Let¡¯s go to the mountain gate below and see. Perhaps there might be a way out there,¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°Ha ha, thankfully Junior Brother Shen, you are familiar with this place, we can rely on you,¡± Tian Tiesheng laughed, then, the two quickly climbed upward. Halfway up, Tian Tiesheng heard a sound from behind, turning to look, he saw Senior Brother Niu and his two companions running over embarrassingly, with three Corpse Wolves hot on their heels. Senior Brother Niu and his companions didn¡¯t see where Tian Tiesheng and Shen Luo were. They also seemed unfamiliar with the path here. Seeing nowhere to go, they abruptly panicked, and it looked like they would soon be caught by the three Corpse Wolves. ¡°The three of you, over here!¡± Tian Tiesheng was a man with a warm heart, even though Senior Brother Niu had previously treated him badly, he still couldn¡¯t bear to see the three losing their lives to the wolves and shouted out loud. Shen Luo sighed faintly but didn¡¯t try to stop him. Hearing the sound, Senior Brother Niu and his companions hurried towards the mountain wall where Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng were located and began to climb upwards desperately. ¡°Ah!¡± A piercing shriek of terror. The pointy-mouthed young man, being the weakest, was the slowest to climb. The biggest Corpse Wolf caught up to him, leaped four or five Zhang high, and bit into his calf, pulling him down from the mountain wall. The other two Corpse Wolves pounced immediately, and in a blink of an eye, they tore the pointy-mouthed young man apart. Seeing this scene, Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan shuddered, and desperately accelerated their climbing speed. The three Corpse Wolves weren¡¯t good at climbing steep slopes, they roared at the four from a distance, then turned around and ran back in the direction they came from. The four heaved a sigh of relief and climbed with all their might, soon reaching the platform at the top. There was a mountain path winding downwards, the very path leading down from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. This section of the mountain path was quite secluded, there was no trace of humans or demons. Becoming conscious of Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng¡¯s presence, Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan felt a bit awkward. However, both of them were proud and although they felt uneasy, they didn¡¯t apologise. Shen Luo didn¡¯t pay any attention to the two, he looked uphill and then followed Tian Tiesheng towards the mountain gate below. ¡°Senior Brother Niu, what should we¡­ ¡± Ding Yuan asked in a low voice. Senior Brother Niu looked uphill, where the screams had subsided a lot, but the roar of the demonic ghosts was still heavy. He couldn¡¯t help feeling a chill in his heart, and his legs started shaking. ¡°Go, let¡¯s go to the mountain gate with them.¡± He made a firm decision and said in a deep voice. At this moment, Ding Yuan seemed to have lost all his ideas, and quickly followed Senior Brother Niu down the mountain. Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng quickly reached the mountain gate, the enormous grey light barrier that enveloped the entire gate was right in front of them. The grey Qi on the light barrier surged and a cold Yin Qi dispersed from it, chilling their bones even from a distance. However, Tian Tiesheng didn¡¯t care and roared, hurling himself at it. The steel knife in his hand transformed into a shadow and heavily slashed onto the grey light barrier. The grey light barrier merely flickered slightly, before reverting to its original condition. However, the grey Qi on the barrier counterattacked, wrapping around the steel knife. As the cracking sounds echoed, a layer of grey ice crystals formed on the knife, spreading along the steel knife to Tian Tiesheng¡¯s arm. Tian Tiesheng¡¯s face changed suddenly, and he quickly withdrew the steel knife. But it seemed as though the knife was frozen to the barrier and couldn¡¯t be pulled out with just one tug. He growled lowly, and his arm suddenly swelled up, with a vigorous yank, he managed to withdraw the steel knife. However, most of the knife was already enveloped by the ice crystals. Shen Luo looked upon the scene, his face was somewhat gloomy. This grey light barrier was even more formidable than what he had imagined. Chapter 114 - Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Crisis Lurks Everywhere Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Crisis Lurks Everywhere At this moment, a flash of golden light burst from atop the mountain, a golden sword light shooting out from a grand hall, with a shadow hidden within it. ¡°It¡¯s the Pavilion Master¡¯s Golden Dragon Sword!¡± Tian Tiesheng was overjoyed. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes also lit up brightly. However, immediately after, a rich black Qi shot up from below, rushing to catch up with the golden sword light. In the blink of an eye, it caught up with the sword light and the two began to fight intensely. The golden sword light was dazzling and imposing, the black Qi in comparison was inconspicuous but possessed a remarkable divine power. Amidst the storm of sword Qi, the black Qi remained solid, retreating and then recouping. Not only did it not fall behind, but it actually forced the golden sword light to constantly retreat. Seeing this scene, the joy on Tian Tiesheng¡¯s face suddenly froze. Shen Luo standing beside him also furrowed his brows, secretly thinking that there, indeed, were troublesome opponents tangling with Master Fengyang. ¡°He, he! Master Fengyang, your Golden Dragon Sword only possesses so little power, which is disappointing.¡± A raspy, sharp voice echoed from the black Qi. Before the voice could fade, a black light shot out from the black Qi, smashing into the golden sword light at an unimaginable speed. A resounding ¡°clang¡± echoed in mid-air, and the golden sword light was shockingly sent flying backwards. The black light did not disappear after repelling the golden sword light but instead clung to the retreating golden sword light like a blood-sucking maggot. The sound of hissing could be heard constantly. The bright golden light, similar to a raging fire meeting water, was contrarily extinguished significantly. However, the black light eventually faded away as well. The golden light gathered on a nearby mountain wall, revealing a silhouette. It was Master Fengyang. In his hand was a three-foot golden sword, emitting a vibrant golden light. However, his face turned red, his chest rose and fell continuously, and there was a wound on his shoulder with blood pouring out, staining a significant area of his Daoist robe. ¡°Xuan Yin Ghost Qi! Who are you to know such an ancient, sinister technique?¡± Master Fengyang asked in a stern voice. The black Qi produced a series of strange, eerie laughter, avoiding Master Fengyang¡¯s question, and surged forward, once again rolling towards him. Master Fengyang¡¯s face changed slightly, and he hastily retreated, coincidentally flying towards the mountain gate. He made a sword gesture with his hand. The golden flying sword in his hand immediately shot out, attacking the rushing black Qi. The golden light on the flying sword surged, turning into a golden flame. The black Qi seemed to be wary of the golden flame from the sword and didn¡¯t confront it head-on, instead swiftly dodging it. But at this moment, another golden light shot out of the golden flying sword. It was a golden talisman, hitting the black Qi at an incredibly fast speed. The talisman suddenly radiated a golden light, emitting a righteous aura. The black Qi, hit by the golden light, dissipated rapidly. ¡°Pure Yang True Talisman!¡± A pained cry came from the black Qi. The black Qi violently rolled around, and a layer of gloomy black light shone through, resisting the golden light of the talisman. With a ¡°whoosh¡± sound, the golden flying sword arrived like lightning, ruthlessly slashing at the black Qi. ¡°Hiss¡± The black Qi was cleaved in half, and a black figure appeared. This person was entirely pitch black, his body covered in a layer of fine black scales. His face was also covered with black scales, his eyes blood red, his mouth full of interlocking canine teeth. It was a zombie. However, this zombie was different from the others below. Its eyes were lively, and it appeared to have spiritual wisdom. Moreover, it had a pair of black wings on its back, making it look especially strange. ¡°Oh no, could this be the legendary flying zombie!¡± Tian Tiesheng cried out in horror upon seeing the black zombie. Shen Luo¡¯s complexion also changed slightly; he had read about flying zombies in the books. They were anomalies among zombies, immensely powerful, capable of flying and traversing underground, and far superior to ordinary zombies. ¡°Dare to destroy my Corpse Cloud, you will pay with your life!¡± With its eyes radiating a brilliant red light, the flying zombie spread its wings and instantly turned into a black shadow, propelling unimaginably fast towards Master Fengyang. It opened its mouth wide and sent a black light pillar charging at Master Fengyang¡¯s chest. Master Fengyang was taken aback, and it was too late for him to dodge. He quickly flashed his sleeves, and a burst of golden light flashed from them, rapidly expanding into two solid curtains, blocking the incoming black light pillar. The two curtains sank in with a muffled ¡°boom,¡± In response. While seeming as though these sleeves were treasures and didn¡¯t tear despite being stretched to their limit, they resiliently resisted the black light pillar. However, before Master Fengyang could let out a breath of relief, a black and ghostly wind swirled around the black light pillar, forming a black vortex. Suddenly, a massive black ghost claw shot out from the vortex, brutally piercing the fabric curtains. The fabric curtains could no longer hold up and were penetrated with a ¡°ripping¡± sound. The black ghost claw ruthlessly slapped Master Fengyang¡¯s chest. Master Fengyang coughed up a mouthful of blood, gasping. He was brutally slammed to the ground from mid-air, hitting the grey light curtain near the mountain gate, plummeting from the air and landing near Shen Luo. His Daoist robe was covered with a layer of grey ice crystals. From Master Fengyang¡¯s appearance to his defeat occurred in what felt like an instant, and was over within a few breaths. ¡°Pavilion Master!¡± Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng rushed over to help Master Fengyang to his feet. Master Fengyang glanced at the two of them. His eyes lingering on Shen Luo for a moment, a glimpse of surprise flashed passed his eyes but disappeared immediately. A black shadow flashed within the ghostly vortex, and the flying zombie emerged, exuding an air of victory, laughing heartily. After laughing, it spread its wings, ready to swoop down and finish off Master Fengyang. Suddenly, it sensed a disturbance and swiftly evaded to one side, only to find the Golden Dragon Sword silently attacking from behind. As the Pavilion Master of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Master Fengyang has a deep cultivation level. Despite being severely injured, he was still not hopeless. Under the support of Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng, he single-handedly controlled the Golden Dragon Sword and fiercely counterattacked the flying zombie, forcing it to keep its distance. Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan also arrived at the mountain gate. Seeing this, their expressions changed greatly. Instead of standing together with Shen Luo and Master Fengyang, they retreated to the side. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The fate of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion is sealed today. You need to leave quickly and ensure the survival of our Pavilion!¡± Master Fengyang pushed Shen Luo and Tian Tiesheng away with all his remaining strength and raised his hand. Seven or eight golden talismans shot out from his sleeve, bursting into fragments upon impact and turning into several golden fireballs the size of watermelons, emitting a strong pure Yang Qi. They were aimed at the grey light curtain not far away. Bang! Bang! Bang! Each golden fireball that hit the grey light curtain caused a thunderous explosion, making the light curtain shake violently. The Pure Yang Qi in the golden fireballs seemed to be the nemesis of the light curtain. Each fireball that hit it made the light curtain grow thinner. The last golden fireball hit the grey light curtain, which couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and cracked, creating a hole about a dozen feet in diameter. The grey clouds on the nearby light curtain seemed to have sensed the damage here, and they rushed over, converging here. The broken hole¡¯s grey light flickered, steadily shrinking. Chapter 115 - Chapter 115: Chapter 114: The Traitor Chapter 115: Chapter 114: The Traitor With his mind racing, Shen Luo quickly gave a bow to Master Fengyang and leaped out of the hole, fleeing towards the distance. ¡°Master, you should escape with us.¡± Tian Tiesheng hesitated for a moment, grabbed the sleeve of Master Fengyang and said. ¡°Stop your meaningless chatter, go now!¡± Master Fengyang swung his sleeve, a force wrapped around Tian Tiesheng, throwing him out of the hole. ¡°Master, take care of yourself. We will find a way to continue the tradition of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.¡± Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan saw an escape route, immediately rushed over and escaped through the light shield hole as well. Master Fengyang paid no attention to the two, standing in front of the hole, staring at the flying zombie in mid-air, a look of resolve crossing his face. ¡­ Having escaped from the light shield hole, without any cause to delay, Shen Luo and three others ran continually forwards. The group avoided main roads, choosing only lesser-known paths. After running for more than ten miles, having already left Qinghua Mountain far behind, they finally stopped near a small river. Shen Luo didn¡¯t want to stop, but Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan lacked the stamina, they begged without caring for their pride. The two men were now completely terrified and dared not stay behind alone. Being soft-hearted, Tian Tiesheng suggested a short rest. Shen Luo, not wanting to refuse, stopped. The surrounding area was a wasteland, with only the faint silhouette of a village in the far-off distance. Exhausted, Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan fell to the riverbank to drink water and wash their faces. Shen Luo didn¡¯t feel tired. Looking back, he could still clearly see Qinghua Mountain, the mountain peak was still covered by the grey light shield. Only from this distance could one truly comprehend how massive the light shield was, standing like a towering gray giant in the distance. ¡°With enemies so formidable, it seems like the Spring and Autumn Pavilion really cannot escape this disaster¡­¡± Tian Tiesheng, looking towards Qinghua Mountain in the distance, murmured, a painful look on his face, and his eyes filled with hot tears. ¡°These are things we cannot change, we can only accept. Senior Brother Tian, you don¡¯t need to take it so hard. What are your plans for the future?¡± Shen Luo patted Tian Tiesheng¡¯s shoulder, to comfort him, before changing the subject. ¡°I will go back home to hide for a while. Junior Brother Shen, what about you?¡± Tian Tiesheng took a deep breath, put away his sadness and said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go home as well.¡± Shen Luo said, his eyes slightly unfocused. He was now on the path of cultivating immortality, a whole new world was before him. Living a normal life like marrying and having children was unlikely, but he still wanted to go home once. As for what would happen afterward, he hadn¡¯t thought it over yet. ¡°After all, those demons can fly and escape through earth, here isn¡¯t considered safe either. We should part ways here.¡± Shen Luo quickly collected his thoughts and said. ¡°Yes, my Senior Brothers, let¡¯s go our separate ways from here.¡± Tian Tiesheng nodded, calling out to Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan. ¡°That¡¯s fine too, you two go ahead. I¡¯m sorry for how I treated you in the past!¡± Senior Brother Niu had run so long and hard after experiencing the sudden change at the gate, he felt safe here and relaxed. Completely out of strength, he could barely move and said weakly, ¡°I have no energy left, I want to rest a little longer.¡± Shen Luo was already slightly disgusted with Niu and the other senior in his heart. Hearing that they wished to rest, he was clearly not going to wait. Without further delay, he gave a fist and palm salute to Tian Tiesheng to bid him farewell, then turned around and started to stride off. Just as he¡¯d taken two steps, his face changed dramatically. His shoulder slid sideways, and he quickly moved three feet to the side. The instant he moved aside, a green palm appeared out of thin air, grabbing at the place where he had just stood, the air making a ¡°swish¡± sound as if an explosion had just occurred. This palm was three to four times bigger than a normal palm, covered with bulging muscles and coarse green hair. It looked both terrifying and disgusting. Cold sweat broke out on Shen Luo¡¯s back. Had he not fought many fierce battles in his dreams and become much sharper than an ordinary person, he would surely have been caught by the green palm just now. He shot forward two steps, then turned back around, freezing in place. A short distance behind him, Tian Tiesheng slowly retracted his hairy right arm, looking surprised. Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan, who had been drinking water by the river, were now lying motionless on the ground, clearly devoid of breath. ¡°Senior Brother Tian, what¡¯s going on? You¡¯re not Tian¡­ who are you?¡± Shen Luo quickly recovered and asked coldly. ¡°Hehe, Junior Brother, you are very good, no wonder Master Luo gave you the Pure Yang Scripture. Come now, hand it over willingly. For the sake of our few years as brothers, I will try to make your death less painful.¡± Tian Tiesheng didn¡¯t answer Shen Luo¡¯s question, but scoffed. As he spoke, his other arm also quickly grew bigger and was covered with thick green hair. These two arms were as thick as his waist, they looked extremely disproportionate. However, the muscles on them were well-defined, giving a chilling impression to those who saw them. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± Upon seeing Tian Tiesheng¡¯s transformation, a hint of surprise flashed in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes as he spoke in a cold tone. ¡°Why bother pretending? I paid a great price to get this Yang-sensing Talisman, specifically to sense that Pure Yang Scripture, there¡¯s no way I could be mistaken. If it wasn¡¯t for the need to avoid drawing attention, I would have taken it back at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.¡± As Tian Tiesheng spoke, he opened his other hand to reveal a white Talisman etched with a faint white spiritual light. Without performing any spells, the white Talisman suddenly brightened. Shen Luo immediately felt a warmth from the stone box at his back, threads of red light seeping from within, his heart sank at the sensation. ¡°So it¡¯s in that bundle, hehe, those fools, only thinking about fighting those with higher powers. The people of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion are not fools. How could they entrust the Pure Yang Scripture to those people to keep it safe at a time like this? It was worth spending so much effort to infiltrate the Pavilion early. Once I bring the scripture back and present it to that person, I want to see what they have to say then. Haha, haha¡­¡± Tian Tiesheng looked at the bundle on Shen Luo¡¯s body, a glint of greed in his eyes, laughing arrogantly as he did so. Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo was taken aback and immediately turned to run towards the nearby river. ¡°Trying to escape? Do you really think you can get away?¡± With a grim smile, Tian Tiesheng¡¯s legs also quickly sprouted green hair as he took strides to chase after Shen Luo. His movements were surprisingly agile. One step was able to cover tens of feet in an instance. In the blink of an eye, he had caught up with Shen Luo. His two green arms brought two gusts of wind with them as they slapped down towards Shen Luo¡¯s head. But Shen Luo, seemingly stepping onto a rope-like white shadow, suddenly increased his speed several times, evading the green giant hands once more, dove into the river with a ¡°splash¡±, and disappeared. Tian Tiesheng exclaimed in surprise, taking two steps forward to look at the churning river water, but he didn¡¯t go in after Shen Luo. ¡°Want to hide in the river to escape? Tsk tsk, it¡¯s a pity that this river is too small, and there are no weeds or reeds on the riverbank for you to hide. I wonder how long you can hide in there?¡± Tian Tiesheng sneered, his hands grabbed two rocks, about the size of a bowl, and held them ready. His eyes scanned the river¡¯s surface. A few breaths later, the water of the river began to churn and a dark shadow emerged from the bottom. Chapter 116 - Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Green Hair Zombie Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Green Hair Zombie Tian Tiesheng¡¯s eyes brightened, he leaned slightly backward, lifting his right hand before swinging it with all his might. Whiz! The rock in his hand turned into an ash-grey shadow, barely visible to the naked eye. Emitting a piercing shriek, it crossed several feet in an instant and landed on the dark shadow. A loud ¡®bang¡¯ resounded. The rock shattered like a wave breaking upon a reef, yet the dark shadow remained unaffected and continued to rise, revealing a green-black tortoiseshell the size of a millstone. ¡°A turtle!¡± Tian Tiesheng was taken aback. At this moment, the water surface before him suddenly surged, raising a wave higher than a man, and came crashing down upon him. The wave came so suddenly that Tian Tiesheng couldn¡¯t dodge, and he was hit squarely, causing him to stumble. Tian Tiesheng exclaimed in surprise, leaping backward hastily. But as soon as he leaped, his whole body fell heavily from mid-air and landed on the ground. He found his legs bound each by a crystal chain formed from river water that was as thick as a wrist, seemingly forged from the river water itself. And the other end of the chain was connected to the stream. ¡°Water Manipulation Technique! You¡¯ve actually cultivated mana!¡± Tian Tiesheng¡¯s face changed slightly. He sat up swiftly, reaching out to tear apart the water chains around his ankles. At this point, the green-black tortoise¡¯s shell fully surfaced ¨C it was Little Gui. Slowly opening its mouth, a white water arrow shot out from within and, in a flash, it appeared in front of Tian Tiesheng, bringing with it a surge of sharp energy. Tian Tiesheng didn¡¯t have time to break the water chains around his ankles, he quickly put his arms up in defense as green scales began to sprout on his skin. With a ¡®clang,¡¯ the water arrow struck his arms, producing a loud collision as if metal had been struck. Tian Tiesheng swayed, falling flat on his back once again. His arms were badly mangled, each bore a bowl-sized bloody hole that revealed white bones beneath. Luckily, he had managed to block the blow. ¡°Howl!¡± He roared angrily, a layer of green light emanating from his body, causing green hair to grow all over him. His muscles also quickly swelled, and fresh granulation tissue sprouted from the wounds on his arms, making them heal at a visible speed. In the blink of an eye, ¡°Tian Tiesheng¡± transformed into a nine-foot-tall, muscularly robust, green-haired zombie. His eyes, however, were clear, reminiscent of the flying zombie. He stood upright, his thick legs trembled and a great force sprang from them, causing the nearby ground to shake. The water chains around his ankles shattered into countless droplets. ¡°Water Manipulation Technique, and this sea turtle is a spirit beast, right? You¡¯re not following the orthodox skills of Spring and Autumn Pavilion! Who exactly are you? Which sect do you belong to? Come out, we can make a deal!¡± Tian Tiesheng looked towards the river shouting loudly. His voice, considerably amplified after his transformation, echoed over the river surface. But the river remained calm. Apart from the sea turtle which lay there motionless, there was no sign of Shen Luo. ¡°Hmph! Do you really think you¡¯re safe hiding in the water?¡± Tian Tiesheng snorted coldly, his muscles suddenly inflated, and the green hair all over him straightened like green needles. He vibrated his arms, causing all the green hair on his body to explode outwards, producing dense breaking sounds as it enveloped around a couple of dozen feet area of the river surface. A figure burst out of the water near the black turtle. It was Shen Luo, his lips moved a few times. Little Gui seemed to have heard some instructions. It quickly retracted its limbs and head into its shell, half standing on the water surface, it rolled forward shield-like, blocking in front of Shen Luo. The breaking sound intensified! Countless green needle-like hairs rained down, causing ripples to appear across the water surface instantly. The nearby riverbank was also covered with green hairs. The stones on the shoreside were pierced causing holes and created a series of cracking sounds, turning into tiny crushed stones. Little Gui¡¯s back couldn¡¯t dodge in time. Hundreds of green hairs stormed in, piercing into the turtle shell and sinking deep within. Little Gui let out a whimper, its body trembling uncontrollably. Tian Tiesheng saw this and a cruel smile was revealed on his face. He leaped forcefully, diving towards Little Gui like an eagle pouncing on its prey. His arms swelled again as he launched his fists hard onto Little Gui¡¯s shell. The punch tore through the void, emitting a muffled boom like thunder! As Shen Luo reemerged from beneath Little Gui, he saw the situation and reached for the talisman fork to block the opponent¡¯s attack. At this moment, an emotional wave transmitted from Little Gui¡¯s mind suddenly suggested for him to infuse his mana into its body. Shen Luo¡¯s thoughts spun quickly, he immediately placed his hands on Little Gui¡¯s belly, letting the mana in his body pour out. However, his face changed the next moment. A massive suction force emerged from within Little Gui¡¯s body, draining half of his mana in one go. A humming sound emerged, and a layer of black light instantly radiated from Little Gui. The green hairs embedded in its back were all repelled out. At the same moment, Little Gui¡¯s body bizarrely inflated like it was being pumped full of air, its original green-black shell quickly turned into a bright black color, exhibiting a metallic luster, looking invincible. Surprised at the changes taking place in Little Gui, Tian Tiesheng could not stop his momentum and his fists heavily landed on the black turtle shell, transferring all his violent fist energy into Little Gui¡¯s body without any loss. Bizarrely, the expected loud noise did not materialize, the black turtle shell did not move an inch, not even a slight tremble, as if the astonishing fist energy had vanished without causing any effect. However, the black light on the turtle shell began to flicker. The black light that had densely covered the entire shell suddenly dispersed, overshading the edge of the shell. The next moment, the black light seeping from the turtle shell slackened, then it reversed its course like a whale sucking water, a tremendous rebound force surged out directly impacting Tian Tiesheng¡¯s fists. ¡®Boom!¡¯ Tian Tiesheng¡¯s large body was sent flying, his brawny arms cracked audibly as though they were broken. He fell a good distance of seven or eight feet into the river. Seeing this, Shen Luo was both surprised and delighted. He performed a hand seal and plunged his fingers with glowing blue light into the water. The river water near where Tian Tiesheng fell began to surge up, swiftly swirling around his body, forming a large water ball, spinning wildly. Tian Tiesheng hadn¡¯t had the chance to get up, and was swept up by the raging current of the water ball. His body spun with the water, unable to find his footing. In this fleeting pause, the sound of tearing the air approached, then a slender white light shot out from Shen Luo¡¯s hand. In a flash, it arrived near the water ball, heading straight for Tian Tiesheng¡¯s chest. Wrapped in the white light was that Talisman Fork! Chapter 117 - Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Corpse Shadow Ghost Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Corpse Shadow Ghost Tian Tiesheng¡¯s form became unstable and vision was obscured. He only realized when the talisman fork reached his chest, that it was too late to dodge. In the urgency, his body was covered in a surge of green light. His chest area sprouted out green fur, which interwove in an instant, forming a hazy green barrier to cover his vital parts. The surface of the talisman fork shone with a brilliant grey color. Runes flashed on its surface, and it enlarged three to four times in an instant. With a ¡°bang¡± sound, the green barrier formed from Tian Tiesheng¡¯s green fur was punctured by the white talisman fork as if it were made of paper, directly striking Tian Tiesheng¡¯s chest. The green glow was shattered and fragmented. With a ¡°spurt¡± sound, the talisman fork, stained with fresh blood, pierced through his back, leaving a bloody hole as large as a bowl. Tian Tiesheng¡¯s struggling body suddenly stopped, the light in his eyes quickly dimming. He was carried by the water ball, spinning ceaselessly. Shen Luo knew about his powerful recovery ability and dared not let his guard down. With his hands forming a rotating sign, the white light on the talisman fork brightened, erupting a wave of extreme cold. With a ¡°crack¡± sound, the water ball enveloping Tian Tiesheng was instantly frozen, turning into a huge ice ball floating on the surface of the river. Tian Tiesheng was frozen inside the ice ball in a twisted posture, motionless. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to check on Little Gui. Little Gui had returned to its initial size, its head also peeking out, only its mouth was lined with blood and its eyelids drooped, looking a bit weak. Shen Luo hastily soothed Little Gui through a telepathic link and put his palm on its shell, channeling mana into its body. With the nourishment of mana, Little Gui¡¯s spirits slightly picked up, as it affectionately rubbed its head against Shen Luo¡¯s body, seemingly expressing gratitude. ¡°Little Gui, what was that ability you used just now to break his arms?¡± Shen Luo stroked Little Gui¡¯s head and asked. Little Gui proudly made a light sound and sent through a broken, telepathic message. It seemed to suggest that it was its innate ability. As long as the force doesn¡¯t exceed its range, its shell can absorb and reflect it back with twice the power. The divine power, however, drained substantial mana and it could not perform it on its own, so it needed collaboration with Shen Luo. Hearing this, Shen Luo was overjoyed. This shell reflection divine ability has both offensive and defensive qualities and catches enemies by surprise, making it much more valuable than its water arrow attack. He estimated that Tian Tiesheng¡¯s last attack had the power close to the Qi Refining Late Stage. Little Gui, at the early stage of Qi Refining, reflected this attack back and broke his arms. If Little Gui¡¯s cultivation level could be increased, it might even withstand the attack of the Grain Avoidance Stage. Shen Luo wanted to learn more about Little Gui¡¯s innate ability, but as they weren¡¯t far from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, this wasn¡¯t the place to stay long. Encouraging Little Gui with a few words, he sent it away with a technique. His gaze returned to the ice sphere floating not far away on the river. As he prepared to walk over, his mind suddenly spun and felt a wave of exhaustion. The technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits consumes quite a lot of mana, and half of his mana was just drained by Little Gui. His own mana was now at rock-bottom. Shen Luo took a deep breath, mustering all his energy, and approached the ice sphere. He planned to hurriedly tidy up the scene that could reveal traces of his divine power and then leave immediately. Just at this moment, the sound of piercing the air resonated, and a red glow shot over from the distance, arriving in front of him in an instant. ¡°Could this be pursuers?¡± Shen Luo gasped, hardly sparing a glance at the red light before he waved a rune in his hand, which glowed brightly, prepared to counterattack while desperately planning his escape. However, the red light didn¡¯t attack him, but flew to an ice ball not far away. Like a needle piercing rotten wood, it easily entered it and with a ¡°puff¡±, it pierced Tian Tiesheng¡¯s head. Only after that did the red light disperse, revealing its true form, a small Bronze Money Sword. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Shen Luo was startled. ¡°Eeeaaahhh¡­¡± A piercing scream suddenly flowed from the ice ball. It drilled into one¡¯s ears like countless little needles, causing a hum in Shen Luo¡¯s head. It was a black human-shaped shadow coming out of Tian Tiesheng, struggling violently while incessantly screaming. This black shadow¡¯s head was stabbed by the Bronze Money Sword, as if it were nailed there, regardless of how hard it struggled, it was unable to escape. In pain, Shen Luo hastily retreated a few steps, his eyes full of amazement. He didn¡¯t expect that such a creature was lurking inside Tian Tiesheng. ¡°This monster is known as a Corpse Shadow Ghost. While its strength isn¡¯t outstanding, it can stealthily cling to living humans, eroding their bodies and covertly turning them into zombies. Simply destroying the body it inhabits cannot completely kill it, it can easily switch hosts. If you had just moved two steps closer, this monster would have taken the chance to possess you. ¡± Bai Xiaotian, in a crisp voice, appeared in the distance. After a few leaps, he was standing nearby. Bai Xiaotian was covered in blood, making it clear that he had recently been in a fierce battle. But given his bearable condition, one could not sure if the blood on him was his own or someone else¡¯s. Having seen Bai Xiaotian, Shen Luo remembered something and subconsciously took a few steps back, cautiously looking at Bai Xiaotian. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, are you okay?¡± Bai Xiaotian was taken aback by Shen Luo¡¯s wariness. ¡°How can you prove your identity?¡± Shen Luo asked cautiously. After seeing so many strange things today, both Gu Hualing and Tian Tiesheng had turned into enemies, and both had changed forms. He did not dare to trust anyone easily. ¡°Oh, Junior Brother Shen, are you worrying about me being an imposter? Well then, let me remind you of some past events. We joined the Sect around the same time, we first met at Lingguan Hall, the next day, we sneaked off to the back hill and finished off three big jars of wine. On the third day ¡­ ¡± Bai Xiaotian mentioned many past secrets between them. Shen Luo listened to all these, his expression relaxed slightly, but the wariness in his eyes persisted, and he nonetheless gradually retreated. ¡°Even if you are Bai Xiaotian, how did you escape the grey light curtain enveloping Qinghua Mountain right now?¡± Shen Luo paused, and continued to question. ¡°Speaking of it, I need to thank you, Junior Brother Shen. I was fighting with a demon in the Sect Main Hall when I saw you and Senior Brother Tian descending the mountain from afar. I decided to follow you. Finally, with the help of the Pavilion Master, I managed to escape. Unfortunately, the Pavilion Master¡¯s fate is unknown now!¡± Bai Xiaotian spoke somberly. Shen Luo carefully examined Bai Xiaotian¡¯s story and finding no inconsistencies, finally nodded in relief. ¡°We met many powerful demons today. Some of them can change their appearance, so I had to be careful. I hope Brother Bai does not mind.¡± Shen Luo cupped his hands and said. ¡°No matter, now that demons have invaded the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, these demonic beings are skilled with illusion. It¡¯s only right to be cautious,¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head, and then glared at the black shadow, killing intent emerging in his eyes. He pointed his Sword technique. The Bronze Money Sword shone with a vibrant red light. Several red sword beams rose from the sword body, stabbed into the black shadow, and suddenly twisted. The black shadow was immediately torn into several pieces and turned into wisps of black Qi, floating away. The piercing screams abruptly stopped. Chapter 118 - Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Doubt Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Doubt Tian Tiesheng¡¯s body shuddered, and streams of Yin Qi rushed out. His originally bulky body quickly shrunk and returned to its normal size within a few breaths. Shen Luo looked at Tian Tiesheng¡¯s corpse with a melancholic expression, activated the white talisman fork to shatter the ice ball and retrieved the body. The two of them activated their talismanic instruments and quickly dug a large pit by the river, burying Tian Tiesheng, Senior Brother Niu, and Ding Yuan¡¯s bodies inside. Although Shen Luo didn¡¯t like Senior Brother Niu and Ding Yuan, they were already dead. Being fellow disciples, there was nothing to be resentful about now. He also discovered the cause of their deaths ¨C a few green hairs had pierced through their hearts, no doubt it was ¡°Tian Tiesheng¡¯s¡± doing. After doing these, the two of them didn¡¯t delay any longer and immediately left, their figures quickly disappearing into the distant wilderness. ¡­ Not long after Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian fled, a man and a woman silently stood at their original location. The woman was wearing a purple dress, with two conspicuous small bone wings behind her back. The man was tall and had a swarthy face, it was no other than Gu Hualing and Wang Qingsong. ¡°We are still one step too late,¡± Gu Hualing took a look around, her dark eyes blinked, and she said. ¡°We underestimated Luo Shidi. We were held back by him for too long.¡± Wang Qingsong also spoke with a solemn expression. He was holding a blood-stained long sword in one hand, and a round Dharma plate in the other. The plate was something that Master Luo used before. Gu Hualing stepped forward, glanced at the traces of the fight nearby, then raised her hand. She spread her fingers and grabbed something in the void on the side of the river. Suddenly, the ground cracked, and three bodies were grabbed by a large purple hand and thrown aside. It was indeed the bodies of Tian Tiesheng, Senior Brother Niu, and Ding Yuan that Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian buried not long ago. Gu Hualing quickly glanced over the bodies of Ding Yuan and the others, squatted down in front of ¡°Tian Tiesheng¡¯s¡± body, and started to inspect it carefully. ¡°The Corpse Shadow Ghost¡¯s abilities are strange, especially good at concealing and fleeing. It¡¯s not easy for ordinary Grain Avoidance Cultivators to kill him. With the Pavilion Master and Master Luo taken down by us, and that Senior Ancestor trapped to death in the back mountain, who else in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion could kill him?¡± Gu Hualing wrinkled her nose, expressing her doubts. ¡°There are only a few people in the Pavilion who can wield mana. Even if you count all the disciples, none of them could have killed the Corpse Shadow Ghost alone. Judging from the fight marks here, it seems like at least two Qi Refining disciples worked together. One distracted him while the other sneak attacked him,¡± Wang Qingsong narrowed his eyes and analyzed slowly. ¡°Could it be Bai Xiaotian and Ding Hua? In that case, the ¡°Pure Yang Scripture¡± is likely to be in their hands.¡± Gu Hualing pondered for a while and said. ¡°No matter what, the commotion caused this time was big enough. All the ghosts and demons involved in the attack must retreat immediately, otherwise, it might attract other human cultivators to investigate,¡± As he said this, Wang Qingsong gazed at the sky with a serious look, seemingly very worried. ¡°There are still some disciples in the Pavilion¡­¡± Gu Hualing spoke hesitantly. ¡°Kill them all, and take away all the bodies, try to eliminate all traces.¡± Wang Qingsong said through gritted teeth. ¡°Do we really need to go that far?¡± Gu Hualing looked slightly taken aback. ¡°Are you joking?! Do you know how big of a risk I took in betraying my sect? After today, I need to find a place to hide and lay low for a while. If the matter gets exposed¡­huh, the methods of the human race to deal with traitors are far more ruthless than your demon race.¡± Wang Qingsong laughed coldly. Upon hearing this, Gu Hualing raised her eyebrows and fell silent. But Wang Qingsong suddenly turned his head and looked in a certain direction, letting out a light cry. Just about a hundred meters away, a skull of white bones and a gray-haired rat demon, were pressing an utterly filthy person to walk forward. Upon a glance, Gu Hualing found the man somewhat familiar. When he called him over for a closer look, it was actually Ding Hua. Ding Hua failed to recognize Gu Hualing but spotted Wang Qingsong at a glance. He immediately behaved as if he had grasped at straws to save his life, violently breaking free from the restraint of the skull and the rat demon, and rushed over, shouting: ¡°Elder Master Wang, save me, save me¡­¡± He looked exceedingly destitute at this time, him being usually cold and arrogant, entirely absent. ¡°Is the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯ on you?¡± Upon seeing his state, Wang Qingsong raised his foot and kicked him over, stepping on his chest and asked coldly. Ding Hua rolled on the ground and bumped into the corpses of Tian Tiesheng and the other two. The rushing skull rat demon firmly pinned his hands and feet. He was immediately dumbfounded, staring blankly at Wang Qingsong. His lips trembled a few times but he didn¡¯t speak. ¡°It¡¯s not him. Most of the scriptures should be on Bai Xiaotian, but who did he join hands with to kill the Corpse Shadow Ghost?¡± Gu Hualing walked up and disdainfully glanced at the destitute teenager on the ground, musingly speaking. ¡°It seems that there are still backups in the pavilion that I¡¯m not aware of. Since the things aren¡¯t on him, there¡¯s no point in keeping him alive.¡± Wang Qingsong finished speaking, raised his foot and was about to stomp heavily on his head. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, I am still useful¡­ I am still useful¡­¡± Although Ding Hua¡¯s body was unable to move, he was still shouting desperately, not caring what he was saying. He previously witnessed the cruel and bloody nature of the demon race and ghost creatures, and this completely scared him out of his wits now. ¡°What¡¯s your use?¡± Wang Qingsong asked flatly. ¡°I know where the thing you are looking for is. If I tell you, can you spare my life?¡± Ding Hua raised his head, his eyes full of fear as he pleaded. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s hear it¡­¡± Wang Qingsong narrowed his eyes slightly and said. ¡°It¡¯s with Bai Xiaotian! I followed one of my brothers out of the mountain gate earlier, and halfway through the journey, one of them turned into a zombie and killed my brother and the gatekeeper. Then, they fought with Shen Luo. Yes, that person was a registered disciple, but I don¡¯t know what technique he learned to become very strong! He escaped into the water, and I was a little far away at that time, but I faintly heard the zombie mentioning something about the Pure Yang Scripture. Later, I didn¡¯t dare to move and just hid in the woods from a distance.¡± Ding Hua glanced at the bodies of Ding Yuan and others on the ground and quickly said. Gu Hualing and Wang Qingsong looked at each other, both slightly surprised. ¡°It seems that in addition to Bai Xiaotian, Shen Luo also has a high suspicion. Hehe, a registered disciple, this kid is really good at hiding, could it be a backup arranged by Master Luo?¡± Gu Hualing speculated suspiciously. ¡°Did you see it clearly, that Shen Luo alone fought with the zombie? And then?¡± Wang Qingsong pointed at the corpse of ¡°Tian Tiesheng¡± not far away, and asked Ding Hua. ¡°Yes, Shen Luo alone fought with the zombie, and then Bai Xiaotian came to kill the zombie. I usually have a grudge against Shen Luo and didn¡¯t dare to show up, so the two of them ran away together in that direction.¡± Ding Hua, fearful of not providing enough details, quickly pointed out a direction. ¡°I¡¯ve been injured, and I must find a place to recover immediately. Gu Hualing, you possess the art of transformation and can conceal the aura of the demon race. Now, you seem to be more suited for walking outside the mountain than me. The task of tracing the two of them can only be handed over to you.¡± After some deliberation, Wang Qingsong spoke. Chapter 119 - Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Tracing the Treasure Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Tracing the Treasure ¡°Do you know how long they¡¯ve been gone?¡± Gu Hualing stared at Ding Yuan and asked. ¡°Not too long, less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.¡± Ding Hua quickly answered. ¡°It¡¯s enough. With my tracking skills, finding them should be no problem.¡± Gu Hualing nodded after hearing this. ¡°You should be more aware than I am of the importance of the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture.¡¯ This time, they¡¯ve sent out so many demons and ghosts to help us complete the task, it¡¯s not just for a simple set of skills. You must bring it back intact. Otherwise, neither you nor I would have a good end!¡± Wang Qingsong¡¯s expression became even more serious, he warned. ¡°Hee hee, looks like you know the secrets in the scripture¡­ But you can rest assured, dealing with two Qi refining stage youngsters is not difficult, I will definitely bring back the scripture.¡± Gu Hualing confidently said. After saying that, a purple light flashed behind her, and the two bone wings immediately retracted, and her body was immediately enveloped in a light purple smoke. When the smoke dissipated, her figure had changed, and she had reverted back to the handsome young man. ¡°Ah, you are Gu¡­ Gu¡­¡± Ding Hua was dumbfounded looking at the handsome young man. But Gu Hualing didn¡¯t pay any attention to Ding Hua. She leaped into the air and flew more than ten feet into a forest. ¡°You indeed lack aptitude, and you¡¯re spineless. I wanted to kill you, but at this moment, I need a obedient person by my side, so you can temporarily follow me.¡± Wang Qingsong looked at her departure and glanced at Ding Hua with a chuckle. ¡°Yes, yes, I will follow all of Elder Master¡¯s orders!¡± Upon hearing these words, Ding Hua was overjoyed and immediately nodded. ¡­ The sky was getting dark, and Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian had fled all the way to Tuji Town. They didn¡¯t dare to delay, quickly prepared some food, bought two fast horses, and fled out of the town together. ¡°Brother Bai, the demons are fierce. Even the Senior Ancestor was affected. Master Luo and the Pavilion Master might be gone now. What should we do now?¡± Shen Luo asked as he urged his horse to gallop. ¡°The demons are causing trouble, and the other cultivators will not stand by and do nothing. But now the news can¡¯t get out, and the Spring and Autumn Pavilion can only be isolated. In Dengzhou, the nearest cultivation sect to us is the Weak Water Sect. We should go to them for help.¡± Bai Xiaotian seemed to have made arrangements beforehand and immediately replied. ¡°For now, that is the only option we have. Hopefully, we can still make it in time. But does Brother Bai know where the Weak Water Sect is?¡± Shen Luo pondered for a moment and asked. ¡°Weak Water Sect specializes in water techniques. The sect is built at the common source of the Luan Shui River and Bailian River, which is in Wugong County. Its location is actually easier to find than our Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and their reputation is much louder than ours. We can get there by heading east from the county town, crossing Tianping County, and Dalang Township.¡± Bai Xiaotian answered. ¡°Elder Master Wang knows my identity. We can¡¯t go through the county town. We should leave Chunhua County overnight. We can detour through Song Fan County. The journey will be longer, but it¡¯s safer.¡± replied Shen Luo shaking his head. ¡°Right, it¡¯s safer to detour.¡± Hearing this, Bai Xiaotian nodded in agreement. Afterwards, both of them were lost in thought, no longer speaking. They simply urged on their horses and galloped away. After they left Tuji Town, the sky had completely darkened. ¡°Brother Bai, aren¡¯t you curious about why I suddenly gained mana?¡± After a long silence, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°No matter what kind of fortuitous encounter you¡¯ve had, Shen, that¡¯s your own luck. When you¡¯re ready to talk about it, you will. If you don¡¯t say it, it means it¡¯s not time to talk about it. Besides, you¡¯re now a cultivator yourself. At least you¡¯re not living day by day in fear anymore, and I can worry a bit less for you.¡± Bai Xiaotian laughed and said. ¡°Thank you, Brother Bai, for taking care of me all these years. When the time is right, I will tell you about it.¡± Seeing that he was not bothered at all, Shen Luo let go of his worries. ¡°Although we are friends and our hearts are open to each other, there¡¯s no need to be fully transparent. You¡¯re not the only one with secrets. I have things I can¡¯t talk about on myself, too.¡± Bai Xiaotian suddenly turned his head and laughingly said to Shen Luo. Shen Luo knew that although Bai Xiaotian acted carelessly at times, he was always honest with his friends. He couldn¡¯t help but nod again and again. But just at that moment, his nose wrinkled, and he detected an unusual scent. ¡°They¡¯ve actually caught up¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian also frowned and said in a low voice. Both of their expressions became tense. Shen Luo spurred his horse to run faster, turning his head to look back on the road. He saw several dozens of feet behind them, floating in mid-air were clusters of green lights about three feet off the ground, rapidly gaining on them. After no more than ten breaths, the distance between the ghost fires and them had closed to about ten feet. As the moonlight shone, Shen Luo finally saw that it was three completely black monster dogs, with green eyes, chasing after them. They were twice as large as ordinary hunting dogs. Their bodies were wrapped in black fog, their fangs protruding outwards, shining coldly, and their mouths dripped with a repugnantly foul drool. ¡°Shen Luo, an ordinary horse can¡¯t outrun these things. We should take care of them first.¡± Bai Xiaotian shouted. ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Luo jerked the reins hard, causing the black horse to rear up and come to a halt. On the other hand, Bai Xiaotian patted his horse and leaped into the air. His body twisted in mid-air before landing. He moved with grace and ease, creating an indescribable sense of freedom. Shen Luo looked back and followed him, dismounting from his horse. Seeing Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian stop, the three monster dogs barked and rushed forward even faster, lunging at them like wolves out for blood. Seeing this, Bai Xiaotian suddenly lunged forward, stepping out the Seven Stars Gang Step beneath his feet. His figure slightly blurred and unexpectedly charged at the monster dog in the front. The monster was obviously unprepared and was caught off guard by Bai Xiaotian¡¯s closeness. It could only hurriedly open its mouth and bite down. Bai Xiaotian calmly avoided the bite of the monster dog. Immediately, his uplifted right hand was illuminated with a hazy green light. His entire palm suddenly grew by a factor of one, and he launched the Qingyang Hand, slapping the creature in the chest. With a crisp ¡°snap.¡± The monster dog¡¯s chest instantly caved in, as if several ribs had been shattered, and the body was thrown seven or eight meters away. The force of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s palm was much stronger than what Tian Tiesheng had used in the past. But before he could retract his outstretched arm, a black shadow suddenly flashed by from the side. It was another monster dog that had raced close to the ground, leapt towards him, and bit towards his arm. Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Chapter 119 Night Run Chapter 120: Chapter 119 Night Run Caught off guard, he could only muster his mana to protect his arm, intending to take the hit head-on. However, at that moment, a white light darted from below his arm, hitting the monster dog¡¯s head with a ¡°bang¡±. The monster dog let out a mournful howl, its body flipped backward and rolling on the ground. Turning around, Bai Xiaotian saw that it was Shen Luo who had manipulated his Talisman Trident, saving him from the attack. A smile flashed across his face. He swung his hand, and with a flash of red light from his sleeve, a Copper Coin Talisman Sword shot out, brushing past Shen Luo¡¯s trident and directly stabbing toward the monster dog. Shen Luo, on the other hand, raised his hand and urged his Talisman Trident to spin in mid-air, turning around and plunging straight towards another monster dog that was pouncing on him. This monster dog was larger than the other two, and it had an additional white vertical stripe in the middle of its forehead, which made it look as if it had a third eye. Seeing this, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but think of the Three-eyed Demon Fox. Seeing the Talisman Trident hurtling straight toward it, the monster dog¡¯s faint green eyes flickered slightly. It suddenly opened its bloody mouth and sprayed forth, a dark green hose of Water Arrows shot out with a ¡°swoosh¡±, hitting the trident. The surface of the Talisman Trident immediately sizzled, and instantly started to smoke. Shen Luo¡¯s heart constricted as he found the connection between his mana and the trident became sporadic. The Talisman Trident in mid-air also began to wobble uncontrollably. The monster dog easily evaded the trident, leaped up, and pounced on Shen Luo. It was too late for Shen Luo to redirect the Trident back. He made a snap decision, abandoned the Trident, and as the monster dog pounced, Shen Luo instantly lowered his body, gathered his Yang Gang power and punched upwards at its abdomen. There was a muffled ¡°bang¡± sound, and Shen Luo¡¯s hand was stinging, as if he had smashed it against an iron board. Although the monster dog was blasted away, it was undamaged. After landing, it twisted its body and pounced at Shen Luo again. Knowing he was no match for it, Shen Luo could only dodge. ¡°Boom¡­¡± At that moment, a thunderous explosion came from Bai Xiaotian¡¯s direction not far away. A ball of fire rushed into the sky, illuminating the Wilderness Racing Road. The monster dog seemed to be a bit disoriented by the sudden brightness, and its movements started to slow down as its pupils contracted. Shen Luo took the opportunity to sidestep and glanced at Bai Xiaotian. He saw Bai Xiaotian wielding the Copper Coin Sword, engaged in close combat with another monster dog. A fiery glow lit up the ground beside him, seeming to be the aftermath of some talisman explosion. Next to the flame, another monster dog lay with its body charred black, already blown into two pieces. Shen Luo¡¯s spirits were lifted. He took a glance at his Trident fallen a few steps away, took a deep breath in secret, and decided to rush towards the monster dog, imitating Bai Xiaotian¡¯s tactic. Enraged, the monster dog leaped into the air, pouncing at him. Of course, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t use the Seven Stars Gang Step, nor could his speed compare to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s. However, after taking three steps, he suddenly let out a low yell, exerts force on his feet to leap upwards, and managed to jump higher than the monster dog. Meanwhile, his hand with the talisman, slammed down heavily onto the monster dog¡¯s forehead. There was a deafening ¡°boom¡±! A white bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, and violently struck the monster dog in the head, knocking it straight down. Seizing the opportunity, Shen Luo formed a magic spell with both his hands, shouting loudly: ¡°Up!¡± The Talisman Fork on the ground immediately lit up with white light and shot straight up into the sky with a ¡°whoosh¡±, piercing straight through the monster dog¡¯s heart. Yet the monster dog did not immediately fall. It instead, due to its severe injury, became ferociously rampant, opening its mouth once again to spray at Shen Luo, a continuous spray of dark green juice. As it fell to the ground, it created clouds of smoke. Shen Luo retreated again and again, constantly dodging. The monster dog struggled to chase a few steps, finally falling down, its body convulsing a few times, then it ceased to move. Shen Luo summoned the Talisman Fork back to his hand, looked at it carefully, and found signs of pockmarks and corrosion on it. The color of the talisman wrapped around its tail had also become increasingly faint, and he felt a pang of distress. He turned to look in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s direction, intending to lend a hand, but saw that Bai Xiaotian had already beheaded the other monster dog and was wiping off the filthy blood from his sword. Shen Luo breathed a sigh of relief, walked over to the monster dog¡¯s side, found its abdomen, stabbed the Talisman Fork in, and tore open a wound, rummaging around inside. ¡°Shen Luo, what are you doing?¡± Bai Xiaotian, who had also walked over by this point, asked in surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that the abdomen of all monsters contain demon pellets? I¡¯m looking to see.¡± Shen Luo replied. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your effort. Such a low level of cultivation, barely any spiritual wisdom developed, how could this creature possibly have a demon pellet?¡± Bai Xiaotian said with mixed laughter and tears. ¡°What do you mean, does the demon pellet require the cultivation of Tao to have?¡± Shen Luo asked confusedly. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure either, but I know for a fact that this kind of monster dog won¡¯t have a demon pellet. How much strength are you hiding, this monster dog was even tougher than the two I killed.¡± Bai Xiaotian looked at the monster dog and remarked. ¡°What was that fire back there? Did you use some kind of Thunder talisman?¡± Standing up straight, Shen Luo asked again. ¡°That was a Burst Talisman, not really a Thunder Talisman, it¡¯s a type of Fire Talisman.¡± Bai Xiaotian said casually. ¡°I see. Are there any more? Could you give me a dozen or so for self-defense?¡± Shen Luo joked. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. I only have one left. Let¡¯s not delay any longer, we should hurry on our way.¡± Bai Xiaotian gave him a side eye and remarked. Having said that, the two of them looked around and realized their horse had disappeared. They had to chase for two more miles before they found the frightened horse again. They mounted the horse and continued to head towards Song Fan County. After another ten miles or so, they heard the distant sound of splashing water: they had arrived at the shores of Bailian River. ¡°Bailian is up ahead. After crossing, two more hours and we¡¯ll be out of Chunhua county¡¯s territory.¡± Shen Luo reined the horse, pointing to the distant river bank, and said. Bai Xiaotian also stopped his horse, following his gaze, but his expression changed slightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing the change in his face, Shen Luo quickly asked. ¡°There¡¯s someone over there.¡± Bai Xiaotian said in a low voice. Shen Luo rubbed his eyes and looked carefully over there, only to see a person standing by the stone arch bridge, wearing a bamboo hat, leaning against the bridge¡¯s stone pillar, apparently waiting for someone. Although there was moonlight at night, the distance was slightly far, and with Shen Luo¡¯s eyesight, he could not see the person¡¯s face clearly. However, he vaguely felt that the silhouette of the person looked somewhat familiar. He exchanged a glance with Bai Xiaotian, lightly shook the reins, and urged the horse towards the bridge. Chapter 121 - Chapter 121: Chapter 120: Merging Chapter 121: Chapter 120: Merging When they were almost in front of him, the man suddenly stood up straight, walked step by step to the front of the White Crossing Bridge, and stood still in the middle of the road, blocking their path. Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian had a slightly condensed expression, and at the same time, they tightened the reins and stopped. ¡°Two junior brothers, where are you rushing off to?¡± A clear and pleasant woman¡¯s voice came out from under the bamboo hat. ¡°Gu Hualing¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he blurted out. The person lifted her hand, removed the bamboo hat and threw it aside, revealing a lovely and charming young girl¡¯s face. She was dressed in a round-necked white robe with a jade belt around her waist. She was entirely in a man¡¯s outfit. However, her slender body and graceful posture with purple short hair still retained a woman¡¯s appearance. At first glance, it was somewhat unconventional, but on a second look, there was an unusually playful charm about her. ¡°Both of you are intelligent. I¡¯ll cut to the chase. Who possesses the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯? If you hand it over generously, considering our past friendship as fellow disciples, I could spare your lives.¡± Gu Hualing said with a blithe smile. ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother Gu, for not killing us. Is this appearance of yours that of a male demon or a female demon? I don¡¯t know what the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯ is?¡± Bai Xiaotian looked her up and down without any fear. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, what do you say?¡± Gu Hualing¡¯s eyelid twitched slightly, but she didn¡¯t make a move immediately. Instead, she asked him. ¡°Senior Brother Gu, I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. What is this ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯? Could you describe it to me!¡± Shen Luo continued to play dumb, stalling for time while calculating the strengths of the two sides. Of course, he didn¡¯t believe in Gu Hualing¡¯s ghostly talk about sparing their lives. His hidden hand in his sleeve was already gripping the Talisman Fork. Seeing this, Gu Hualing gave a soft sigh. Suddenly, a purple light flickered on her body. She instantly returned to her purple dress. Two petite bone wings also spread out from her back, and her eyes gradually grew cold. ¡°People and demons are different. I didn¡¯t expect Senior Brother Gu to be such an alluring demon. Normally, I¡¯m the one who can¡¯t resist temptation, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t have that ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯.¡± Bai Xiaotian¡¯s eyes lit up, he rubbed his chin with his left hand and praised her. Seeing that Bai Xiaotian was also tactically stalling, Shen Luo was about to signal to attack together, but he noticed that Bai Xiaotian¡¯s right-hand fingers had subtly pointed at something. He then glanced at the back of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s horse and found a yellow paper charm lying there. Shen Luo immediately got the hint. He urged his horse to come to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s side and quietly slipped the ¡°Burst Talisman¡± into his sleeve. Just then, a sudden change occurred! The ground under Shen Luo and others suddenly cracked open, and two white bone skulls popped out from below. They held bone spears and thrust them upwards. The spear tips pierced through the horse¡¯s belly, gushing out blood. Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo reacted quickly. Their bodies tilted back at almost the same time and two bloody bone spear tips pierced out right in front of them. Although they had evaded the fatal strike, the horses they were riding on were pierced through, causing them to be tossed off their backs as the horses neighed and kicked up their hooves. As soon as Shen Luo landed and had not yet stabilized, the two white bone skulls dropped their bone spears and pounced on him. He hastily retreated and had no time to manipulate the Talisman Fork. He could only grab and shake it to fend off the dry claws of the white bone skulls. At this moment, a purple shadow suddenly flashed. Like a ghostly specter, Gu Hualing rushed to his front and clawed at his heart. Seeing the situation was bad, Bai Xiaotian chased after them with a step of Firmament Step. He held the Talisman Sword with the same hand and stabbed directly at Gu Hualing¡¯s heart from behind. Gu Hualing seemed unbothered by Bai Xiaotian¡¯s attack from behind, as if she was determined to take down Shen Luo first. Just as Bai Xiaotian was about to pierce her with his sword, the two bone wings on her back suddenly contracted like two shields, with a ¡°crack¡± sound blocking the Bronze Money Sword. One of her hands had already swiftly clawed towards Shen Luo¡¯s face like a ghost. Seeing this, Shen Luo did not dodge or avoid, but instead, roared in rage and slapped out a hand, striking directly into the palm of Gu Hualing¡¯s reaching hand. ¡°Bang¡±! He only felt a tremble in his body, he flew backwards as if he were tossed like a sack. Gu Hualing did not pursue closely; instead, she gave a light, surprised ¡°huh?¡± and looked at the hand she had just reached out with an odd expression. Her palm was unknowingly affixed with a talisman. ¡°Rumble¡± The explosive sound rang out! As Shen Luo got up, he felt a wave of scorching heat sweeping towards him. He hurriedly retreated a few steps before stopping to look carefully. At the place where the explosion just happened, there was nothing but black scorch marks, even the two skeletons had been blown into powder. ¡°Be careful!¡± Just as Shen Luo wanted to take a closer look, he suddenly heard Bai Xiaotian¡¯s shocked shout. Immediately after, there was a sound of something tearing through the air from behind him. Startled, he abruptly turned around, only to see a dark purple three-pointed claw thorn shooting towards him. The distance was less than thirty feet. Shen Luo quickly flicked his sleeve, a wind blew from the cuff, and a Talisman Fork radiating a white light shot out promptly. In the night, a purple and a white light sped towards each other, ¡°Bang,¡± they collided. The rune on Shen Luo¡¯s Talisman Fork ignited rapidly, blooming like a firework, emitting a final burst of light, and then, with an even more intense explosion, shattered. At the moment of the Fork¡¯s explosion, a strong force was released, blasting the three-pointed claw thorn back. The claw thorn drew a purple arc in the void, landing gently in a hand as white and as delicate as jade. Seeing the Talisman Fork being destroyed in a flash, Shen Luo felt a pang in his heart and was covered in a cold sweat. He looked towards the purple light, only to see that Gu Hualing was suspended in midair, her wings flickering. Besides the large portion of her clothes blown away in the front, there was not a single scratch on her body. At this time, Bai Xiaotian leaped in front of him, shielding him. ¡°Can you continue to fight?¡± He kept his eyes on Gu Hualing and asked Shen Luo in a low voice. ¡°I can fight!¡± Shen Luo answered. ¡°Good! That claw thorn is a magical instrument, it must not be opposed with physical force.¡±, Bai Xiaotian holding a Bronze Money Sword, looked tense. As his voice fell, his pupils suddenly constricted, the Bronze Money Sword in his hand filled with red light, sweeping towards the front. ¡°Ding Ding Ding¡± Accompanied by a clear ringing sound, the Bronze Money Sword was forcefully pushed back, flying back in front of Bai Xiaotian. Shen Luo looked at the sword and saw three thin, semi-transparent bone needles embedded deeply in the sword¡¯s body, and the coins on it were forced through. Bai Xiaotian squeezed his hand into a spell and lightly tapped the handle of the sword. The red light on the sword suddenly brightened and the three bone needles were ejected out. Then he took a blue-colored talisman from his bosom, pinched it between two fingers, and wrapped it around the sword¡¯s handle. Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Chapter 121: The First Battle with Gu Hualing Chapter 122: Chapter 121: The First Battle with Gu Hualing ¡°Talisman Fire, Heavenly Thunder, summon the spirit into the sword, hurry like a decree!¡± Bai Xiaotian chanted in a cadence, pointing a stroke on the Bronze Money Sword, a burst of crimson flame suddenly spread along the sword body, enveloping the entire sword. ¡°Go¡± With a soft shout from his mouth, the flaming sword shot out, its flames roaring as it flew towards Gu Hualing. Seeing this, Gu Hualing, with a three-pointed claw stab in her hand, flashed with purple light and shot out. There was a series of loud noises! In just a few moments, the two clashed seven or eight times in mid-air, the Bronze Money Sword, which was merely a talismanic instrument, was actually under the enhancement of the talisman, barely contending with the claw stab magical instrument. Shen Luo looked at Bai Xiaotian and saw that he was already sweating at the temples; it was clear that his mana consumption was not small. With a little hesitation, he stood up and ran wildly towards the rear. Seeing this, Gu Hualing thought he was going to escape alone. She raised her wrist quickly and controlled the three-pointed claw stab to separate from the Bronze Money Fire Sword and shot straight towards Shen Luo. Bai Xiaotian gritted his teeth in secret, and with a sudden wave of his hand, the Bronze Money Fire Sword turned into a red light and caught up with the flying fork again, reluctantly entangling it once more. However, as soon as the Bronze Money Flying Sword left Bai Xiaotian, Gu Hualing¡¯s figure suddenly cut an arc in mid-air, and she floated down in front of Bai Xiaotian. She thrust forward with one hand, and a section of bone dagger emerged from her sleeve, targeting directly at Bai Xiaotian¡¯s heart like a venomous snake. But Bai Xiaotian seemed to have expected this and had already prepared a magic spell in his other hand hidden behind him, and he shouted lightly, ¡°Fast¡±. The unremarkable pendant hanging on his chest suddenly flashed with red light and surprisingly, it acted faster than Gu Hualing. With a ¡°whistle¡±, it turned into a two-inch long slender spike, aiming straight at Gu Hualing¡¯s throat. Gu Hualing was caught off guard and could only instinctively turn her head to one side. With a ¡°hiss¡± sound. The red spike shot out brushing past her throat and spraying a line of blood. Before Gu Hualing could make any other moves, she had already been kicked in the abdomen by Bai Xiaotian and was flung backwards. After much effort she managed to steady herself. As she looked at Bai Xiaotian again, anger was evident in her eyes, and she slowly said: ¡°It seems that you have also been hiding your strength while in the spectator stand. Being able to drive two talismanic instruments at the same time, you must at least have a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivation, right?¡± Bai Xiaotian didn¡¯t say a word, but his expression was solemn. The previous blow had been his trump card, but he didn¡¯t expect that Gu Hualing would easily dodge it. Seeing that he didn¡¯t respond, Gu Hualing¡¯s eyes narrowed suddenly and a murderous intent appeared! The ground beneath Bai Xiaotian¡¯s feet suddenly collapsed, his ankles were tightly grasped by two bone claws that emerged from nowhere, and as they pulled downward, he fell helplessly. At the same time, Gu Hualing followed in pursuit. She flung the bone dagger in her hand, which was enveloped with a layer of purple light, and aimed it straight at Bai Xiaotian¡¯s forehead. At this point, whether it was to recall the Bronze Money Fire Sword or the spike, it was too late for Bai Xiaotian. Just as the bone dagger was about to pierce his skull, a sharp water arrow suddenly shot from a distance and knocked Gu Hualing¡¯s dagger off its course. Following closely was another water arrow, aimed directly at Gu Hualing¡¯s face. Seeing this, Gu Hualing¡¯s palm glowed with a purple light, and with a sideways chop, she dispersed the water arrow with one hand. At this point, a large dark green sea turtle emerged from the darkness in the distance and slowly crawled over, accompanied by a young man holding a magic spell. It was naturally Shen Luo. However, the sound of ¡°splash¡± kept echoing behind him, as a water wave about two fathoms high simply surged, following him all the way from the river to the shore. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes focused intently, he waved both hands forward simultaneously, and the wave behind him immediately swept over, transforming into a tidal wave that rushed towards Gu Hualing. As Bai Xiaotian was astonished, he found the river water below him was also surging, and soon condensed into a spring eye vortex and lifted his body out of the pit. He hurriedly recalled the Bronze Money Sword and spike, slashed off the two white bone skulls hanging on his ankles, and came to Shen Luo¡¯s side. Shen Luo focused his spirit on controlling the waves, when it surged in front of Gu Hualing, the surging water splash suddenly rose into the aforementioned water pythons. They opened their large mouths and pounced on Gu Hualing. For a moment, Gu Hualing couldn¡¯t figure out the authenticity of these water pythons and didn¡¯t risk confronting them recklessly. Instead, she retreated and called back her claw stab to strike down the water pythons. Seeing this, Shen Luo moved forward a step, loosened both hands again, and those water pythons transformed into water wolves and rushed after her even faster. At this point, Gu Hualing¡¯s claw stab also flew back, hitting the first water wolf. ¡°Bang!¡± The water wolf exploded on impact, causing a splash of water. ¡°Such a warming spectacle, but sadly it¡¯s all show with no substance!¡± Gu Hualing chuckled lightly, no longer retreating, and rushed up to meet the water wolves. Seeing this, Shen Luo altered both his thought and hand gestures. Spikes suddenly sprouted from the bodies of those water wolves, transforming into numerous sharp water arrows that shot straight up at Gu Hualing. Gu Hualing jerked her wrist, and the three-pointed claw thorn on it blurred slightly as multiple claw shadows emerged in front of her, easily shattering these water arrows. However, she did not notice that among these water arrows were two that were slightly different. They passed through the illusion of the claw stab and headed straight for her face. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Two explosive sounds were heard. The two water arrows spat out by Little Gui hit Gu Hualing¡¯s cheeks and immediately exploded. Gu Hualing was knocked backwards, but it seemed like she was unscathed. But at this time, Bai Xiaotian had already tread the Firmament Step, reached her side, held the Copper Coin Fire Sword with both hands, and heavily chopped it at her neck. As the flame on the Copper Coin Sword in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s hand was about to touch Gu Hualing¡¯s throat, with barely three inches of distance between them, Bai Xiaotian suddenly felt a tightness in his waist. A water rope had climbed up on him, and then a strong force pulled him backwards. He flew back and landed elegantly next to Shen Luo. The sizzling sound was deafening! Almost instantly, a shadow descended upon the place where he had previously stood. It was something like purple crystalline powder. The moment it hit the ground, it began to emit white smoke and started burning violently, burning a large pit in the ground. ¡°Demon Bone Phosphorus Powder!¡± After recognizing what it was, Bai Xiaotian glanced at the faintly tinged purple wings behind Gu Hualing, then swallowed heavily while cold sweat dripped down his back. If Shen Luo hadn¡¯t pulled him back at the critical moment, even a slight touch by that stuff would have probably burnt him to a pile of dry bones by now. Gu Hualing suddenly soared high into the sky, furiously flapped her bone wings, and two whirlwinds whistled out. They enveloped a proportionate amount of Demon Bone Phosphorus Powder and swept toward Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian. Chapter 123 - Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Demon Exorcising Aristocratic Family Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Demon Exorcising Aristocratic Family Shen Luo raised both hands, manipulating the river water on the ground to rise up and form a water barricade between himself and Bai Xiaotian. Unexpectedly, when the phosphorus powder came into contact with the water, it started to smoke and directly ignited within the water, causing the water wall to quickly evaporate, soon leaving a gaping hole through which more phosphorus powder poured in. However, the drifting phosphorus powder didn¡¯t immediately settle on them, instead being controlled by a purple glow, forming a curtain-like wall encircling them. ¡°You have nowhere to escape now, why not just give me the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯? For the sake of our camaraderie, I assure you, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡± Gu Hualing landed gracefully and said with a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you!¡± Shen Luo determinedly refused and was ready to cast a spell. Just then, Bai Xiaotian¡¯s voice of despair came to Shen Luo¡¯s ears, ¡°Let¡¯s give up¡­ We can¡¯t compete with Senior Brother Gu. Send your spirit beast away.¡± ¡°Just hand over the scripture, and I¡¯ll let you go! I keep my word!¡± Seeing this, Gu Hualing¡¯s face brightened, and she dispersed the incoming blue light and phosphorus powder. Bai Xiaotian slowly moved in front of Shen Luo, lightly touching his shoulder, then said, ¡°I¡¯m handing over the scripture to Senior Sister Gu now.¡± Shen Luo, looking at Gu Hualing, said, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to Brother Bai and I hope you keep your word.¡± He drew a circle in the air in front of him with both hands, creating a water cyclone that immediately sent away the Big Sea Turtle. Just as the big sea turtle left, a complex rune suddenly shone brightly on Bai Xiaotian¡¯s chest and then quickly faded. Immediately after, Shen Luo¡¯s ears were filled with a gust of wind. Protected by a green light, he and Bai Xiaotian skyrocketed into the night sky, drawing a long streak of escape light, shooting away at a lightning fast speed. Gu Hualing, too, was taken aback. By the time she responded, the green arc had already disappeared into the vast dark night. ¡­ Shen Luo was aware of the wind flying beside him, the surroundings blurred as they moved backward in haste. He didn¡¯t know how far they had flown or in which direction. As the glow of the rune on Bai Xiaotian¡¯s chest gradually faded, the two of them started descending from the sky and ended up crashing into a thick crooked-neck tree, tumbling to the ground. The two survivors of the ordeal laid under the tree gasping for breath, greatly relieved. ¡°Bai Xiaotian, you had such a treasure, why didn¡¯t you use it earlier? Look at what a mess we are in now.¡± Shen Luo complained. ¡°This Escape Talisman is the last lifeline I have, how could I use it so casually? And who knew Gu Hualing would be so powerful?¡± Bai Xiaotian rolled his eyes and retorted aggressively. ¡°It¡¯s because you were so confident that I almost lost my life.¡± Shen Luo complained. ¡°You also have quite a few last resort techniques, don¡¯t you? Although the Escape Talisman is fast, it can¡¯t maintain its speed for too long. We didn¡¯t fly far, there¡¯s still a chance she could catch up.¡± Bai Xiaotian seemed a bit frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m afraid our intention to seek help from the Weak Water Sect has been exposed. If we keep heading there, the path will only get more dangerous than before.¡± Shen Luo quickly sat upright and said. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Bai Xiaotian also sat up with a serious look on his face. ¡°We can¡¯t go to the Weak Water Sect anymore, we need to seek help elsewhere. Do you know of any other sects nearby?¡± Shen Luo nodded and asked with a frown. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere else to go within Dengzhou¡­ Let¡¯s just go back home.¡± After a moment¡¯s consideration, Bai Xiaotian suddenly suggested. ¡°Go back?¡± Shen Luo, thinking he misheard, asked with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Yes, back to our place. You come with me, back to my home, the Bai Family.¡± Bai Xiaotian nodded, seemingly determined. ¡°Why would we go to your house? Aren¡¯t you worried that they might follow us there and put your family in danger?¡± Shen Luo furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend. ¡°If they dare to come after me to my house, I¡¯d be glad. To be honest, my home, the Bai Family, has been a well-known demon exorcising family since ancient times. Its composite strength surpasses the Spring and Autumn Pavilion by at least threefold. At the very least, the ancestor of my family is a true Soul Condensing cultivator, and with this, we shouldn¡¯t fear any common demonic beings.¡± Bai Xiaotian replied, more energized. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ If your family is so powerful, why did you go to study at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion? Isn¡¯t that missing out on what¡¯s close at hand?¡± Shen Luo had a change in his expression and was very doubtful upon hearing ¡°Soul condensing cultivator¡±. ¡°You don¡¯t know then. Although the Spring and Autumn Pavilion is overall not as powerful as my family, it¡¯s in the lineage of the Little Straw Mountain and its main cultivation, the Pure Yang Sword technique, has a remarkable effect on exorcising demons. Therefore, considering the deep connections between my family and the Pavilion, they offered me a chance to cultivate there.¡± Bai Xiaotian explained. ¡°I see, no wonder the demons and Gu Hualing are so eager to obtain the ¡®Pure Yang Scripture¡¯. But I still have one question. In the two years I¡¯ve been at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, including the times I¡¯ve descended the mountain with Master Luo, I have actually never encountered a ¡®demon¡¯. Since your family are demon exorcists, wouldn¡¯t you know about them?¡± Shen Luo nodded and then asked a question abruptly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a joke, but I honestly don¡¯t know what demons really are. None of my elders, including my father, have ever really seen a demon. What they usually do doesn¡¯t actually differ from what people at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion do, which is mostly exorcising demons and trapping ghosts.¡± Bai Xiaotian scratched his head and replied. ¡°Then why is your family called a demon exorcising family?¡± Shen Luo scratched his head and asked with it yet clear. ¡°In fact, during the generation of our ancestors, my family actually exorcised demons. At that time, there were three Grain Avoidance cultivators, known as the ¡®Three Master Bais¡¯ in our family, including my ancestor involved in exorcising the demons. Eventually, only my ancestor survived.¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed and said. ¡°Even with three Grain Avoidance cultivators working together, two were still lost. How many demons were they dealing with?¡± Shen Luo asked, surprised. ¡°How many? Only one¡­ Since my ancestor returned from that event, he refused to talk about exorcising demons and became even more diligent in cultivation, and later broke through several stages and entered the Soul Condensation stage. If it weren¡¯t for this, my family would have collapsed a long time ago.¡± Bai Xiaotian said. ¡°Based on what you said, demons do seem to be terrifying. Do you know where they come from?¡± Shen Luo pondered for a moment and then asked. Chapter 124 - Chapter 124: Chapter 123: Escape Chapter 124: Chapter 123: Escape ¡°The demons I know are said to be transformed from other creatures. They could originally be human cultivators or powerful members of the Demon Race, or even some powerful ghosts. However, no matter their original form, once they are transformed into demonic beings, they not only become overwhelmingly powerful, but they also become cruel and bloodthirsty, even attacking any other normal creatures that approach them without reason.¡± Bai Xiaotian fell silent for a moment, barely able to explain further. ¡°If that is the case, the harm of these demonic beings is indeed far greater than that of the Demon Race and ghosts.¡± After hearing this, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but cluck his tongue in awe. ¡°This only refers to ordinary demonic beings. Some powerful demonic beings, it is rumored, even possess the terrifying ability to actively transform other creatures into demons. If they were to wreak havoc, the situation would only worsen.¡± Bai Xiaotian added. ¡°Considering how dangerous these demonic beings are, the world of the Great Tang is surprisingly peaceful. I assume the court and the cultivation sects within the territory are making significant efforts, right?¡± Shen Luo, suddenly thinking of Lu Huaming, asked subconsciously. ¡°From what I understand, I¡¯m not sure how the court deals with it. However, in some important provincial capitals, there are usually one or two demon exorcising families like the Bai family, covertly fighting against the demonic beings. Ordinary people and most low order cultivators are simply unaware of their existence.¡± Bai Xiaotian provided thoughtfully. ¡°The demon exorcising families are so mysterious, I feel relieved going to your Bai family. By the way, you never told me before, where is your home?¡± Shen Luo heaved a sigh of relief, then changed the direction of the conversation. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? My home is in Jianye?¡± Bai Xiaotian was somewhat puzzled by Shen Luo¡¯s question. ¡°When did you tell me that? Jianye, I¡¯ve never been there, but I know it¡¯s a long journey from here. Even if we were to ride fast horses, traveling day and night without rest, wouldn¡¯t it take at least half a month to get there?¡± Shen Luo began to worry again. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, we can travel by water first, and follow the Bailian River downstream towards Jiangyu County. From there, we¡¯ll take a fast horse, and it will take at most ten days to reach.¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head in response. ¡°Alright, I practice water techniques, so if any evil spirits pursue us halfway, at least I won¡¯t be entirely helpless,¡± Shen Luo responded thoughtfully, nodding his head. After agreeing to the plan, They looked up at the stars to determine their direction, and moved toward the Bailian River. After purchasing a fishing boat, they proceeded to navigate downstream toward Jiangyu County. Surprisingly, Bai Xiaotian proved to be an expert at navigating the boat, far superior to Shen Luo. The pair took turns piloting the boat down the river, covering a distance of sixty to seventy miles in less than half a day. Just as Bai Xiaotian took over the boat, Shen Luo sat inside the cabin and started to meditate in order to restore his consumed mana. In a short while, the sound of rushing water began to echo from behind. It was a small white-roofed boat, with two boatmen at either side, swiftly closing in. With a twitch of his ear, Shen Luo had a sudden sense of foreboding. He opened his eyes and stood up. Just as he rose to his feet, a grey figure soared into the sky from the back of the small boat, rushing forward like a hawk. Even before the figure reached its peak, a dark purple light was released, piercing the sky towards the fishing boat where Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian were. Although Shen Luo could not see clearly what was inside the dark purple light, he found the aura to be extremely familiar. ¡°Brother Bai, it¡¯s Gu Hualing. We need to leave!¡± He shouted, then dived headfirst into the river. Just as Bai Xiaotian leapt into the river, a loud ¡®boom¡¯ rang out, the fishing boat was struck by the dark purple light and immediately shattered into numerous pieces. Before he could stabilize himself in the water, a mass of purple flame descended from the sky, the deadly Demon Bone Phosphorus Fire heading straight for him. The speed was astonishing. With another loud ¡°bang¡±, water around Bai Xiaotian exploded, a column of water several feet high rose and crashed onto the Demon Bone Phosphorus Fire. The ¡°hiss¡± sound grew louder, the phosphorus fire instantly evaporated most of the water waves, but this fire was also knocked away. Twenty or thirty feet away, Shen Luo stuck half of his body out of the river, with his hand slightly raised as if casting a spell. Perhaps due to the urgency of the situation, the hem of his green robe partially covered his face and he didn¡¯t have time to take it off. ¡°Junior Brother Shen¡¯s water control technique is truly impressive. I really admire it. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion is truly a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons exist!¡± Gu Hualing said in mid-air, her double wings flapping, laughing lightly. She didn¡¯t seem angry at all for her demon bone phosphorus fire being knocked away. At this moment Bai Xiaotian had already steadied himself in the water, suddenly he turned his head and shouted loudly: ¡°Be careful, Junior Brother Shen, of what¡¯s beneath the water!¡± Before his words fell, a narrow beam of purple light shot out from the water surface in front of Shen Luo- it was the three-pointed claw stab. Like an arrow leaving the string of a crossbow, it hit Shen Luo in the chest, piercing right through. There was a ¡°rip¡± sound! Thegreen robe was torn to shreds, but there was no splatter of blood. That ¡°Shen Luo¡± was surprisingly a water clone that looked exactly like him. It disintegrated with a ¡°splash¡± and melted into the river. In mid-air, the smile on Gu Hualing¡¯s face froze. Next to Bai Xiaotian, the water surface ¡°splashed¡± and Shen Luo, wearing only his close-fitting clothes, emerged from the water. He grabbed Bai Xiaotian with one hand and shouted in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bai Xiaotian quickly activated the escape talisman that he had been pinching in his hand. A brilliant green light enveloped him, and the two soared into the sky, leaving a trail of escape light, and flew away into the distance. ¡°Let¡¯s see how far you can run this time!¡± Gu Hualing spoke, recalling the three-pointed claw stab with a wave of her hand. Her bone wings spreading out, enveloped by a layer of purple light, she also flew into the sky and chased after Bai Xiaotian, albeit at a much slower speed. The two sides chased each other and soon disappeared on the distant horizon, leaving behind two terrified boatmen on the white boat, their faces ashen, trembling. ¡­ Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian flew for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The green light surrounding them gradually dimmed, and the two immediately dove towards the ground below, landing on an unnamed official road. ¡°That demon girl really clings like a ghost!¡± Bai Xiaotian kicked the ground irritably. ¡°She¡¯s a member of the demon race. She must have some unique tracking technique.¡± Shen Luo speculated. ¡°The key point is she can fly too. Although she¡¯s not as fast as my flying escape talisman, my talisman can¡¯t hold for many times! Let¡¯s go!¡± Bai Xiaotian said, running ahead along the official road. ¡°Judging from the time it took her to catch up with us earlier, her tracking technique might take some time to prepare, or perhaps, her bone wings can¡¯t fly for a long time. Senior Brother Bai, how many more times can you use your flying escape talisman?¡± Shen Luo stepped forward and asked as he caught up. ¡°I estimate I can possibly use it four or five more times, but flying straight to the Bai family is impossible. We¡¯ll have to think of something else when the time comes.¡± Bai Xiaotian said. Both of them raced along the official road, and by the time dawn was about to break they arrived at a small town. Chapter 125 - Chapter 125: Chapter 124 Unshakeable Xiao Qiang Chapter 125: Chapter 124 Unshakeable Xiao Qiang The two of them no longer considered the slower waterway, instead they found a post station and bought four swift horses. Before they left, the two of them thoroughly cleaned themselves in the town and changed into brand new clothes. Shen Luo employed a small trick, secretly stuffing their previous clothes into a cart headed in another direction. After all this was done, they immediately mounted their horses and began their journey, riding one horse and leading the other, swapping every two hours. They sped along the road, covering more than two hundred miles in a very short time, and Gu Hualing still failed to appear. ¡°It seems that Gu Hualing might indeed be using her sense of smell to track us down, we¡¯ve probably thrown her off our trail,¡± Bai Xiaotian said happily. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± Shen Luo spoke noncommittally, a shadow hung heavily over his heart. Just as he finished his sentence, his body shuddered suddenly. He turned and looked back, his expression immediately turning grave. A small grey dot had appeared on the horizon behind them and was rapidly growing larger as it approached swiftly. Who could this be if not Gu Hualing? Bai Xiaotian also noticed the figure behind them and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh wryly. Having squared off twice already, he understood the sheer contrast in strength between the two of them and Gu Hualing. He immediately drove his horse to Shen Luo¡¯s side, grabbed him, and without hesitation, activated the Escape Talisman, shooting up into the sky. After traveling a mile or two, Gu Hualing¡¯s purple light on her pair of bone wings rapidly dimmed, finally disappearing completely. Her body uncontrollably began to descend, landing lightly on the official road. Her bright eyes flickered as she looked at the four scattering horses in the distance. However, her beautiful face betrayed no sign of irritation. ¡°I wonder how many times you can use that Escape Talisman of yours.¡± Gu Hualing said lightly, taking a stride and rushing forward. Over the next few days, Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian employed every trick in the book, changing their modes of travel, hiding within caravans, even hiring a few individuals whose builds resembled theirs, dressing them in their clothes in an attempt to deceive her; but Gu Hualing¡¯s tracking skills were simply too exquisite. Each method was eventually seen through by her. At best, she caught up to them within half a day, and at worst, within a full day. Every time she caught up, Bai Xiaotian dared not engage further. He directly activated the Escape Talisman, fleeing once again with Shen Luo. The two complained incessantly as, even exhausted and starving, they could not dare stop for too long in one place. They pinned all their hopes on getting to the Bai Family as soon as possible. About a thousand miles away from Qinghua Mountain, was a small town called Qingma Town, named after the Qingma Lake located on the outskirts. The inhabitants of Qingma Town lived by farming and fishing, working from sunrise to sunset, leading serene lives. Dusk had now fallen, and the farmers and fishermen by the lake had already returned home, leaving the surroundings quiet and deserted. A bolt of green light appeared on the horizon in the distance, flying rapidly towards them. When it arrived over the lake, the green light suddenly pulsed intensely, gradually becoming dimmer, and after flickering a few times, it finally disappeared completely. Two figures descended from the sky, one stumbling as he landed at the edge of the lake ¨C it was Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian. In Bai Xiaotian¡¯s hand was a faintly glowing talisman, the runes on it barely visible anymore. With a hissing sound, the talisman self-ignited, instantly becoming a handful of ashes which disappeared without a trace when blown away by the lake breeze. Though Bai Xiaotian had been expecting this, he still found it difficult to hide his discomfort. ¡°Brother Bai, how far is it from here to Jianye City?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s face slightly darkened as he scanned his surroundings while posing the question. ¡°At least three days¡¯ journey without the Escape Talisman. I fear that Gu Hualing will soon catch up with us. It seems we must fight with our lives. As long as we manage to wound her slightly, our chances may improve when we flee again,¡± Bai Xiaotian pondered aloud, stroking his chin as he looked up at Shen Luo. ¡°Alright! Since Brother Bai has spoken, I, Shen Luo, am ready to fight alongside you!¡± Shen Luo promptly responded without hesitation. ¡°There is no time to lose, let¡¯s go!¡± Bai Xiaotian patted Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder, ready to take a step forward, but Shen Luo reached out and stopped him. ¡°Wait! If we continue to rush forward, when Gu Hualing catches up, we¡¯ll be exhausted and passive. It would be better to stay here and rest.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that sounds good. If we have time, I might be able to set up some preparations.¡± Bai Xiaotian looked around approvingly, a contemplative expression on his face. Under Shen Luo¡¯s watchful gaze, Bai Xiaotian drew from his bosom a dark bag. It was incredibly smooth and bore fish-scale-like patterns, obviously not an ordinary item. He opened the bag and removed some items: over ten silver jade pendants, eight golden flags, two white medicine vials, and about seven or eight Yuan Stones. ¡°Brother Bai, are these things for arranging a formation?¡± Shen Luo recalled the Demon Wolf incident in Dreamland involving Yu Yan and others, and asked intuitively. ¡°Sharp eyes! These are formation flags and discs. There is no time for explanations now; just keep a lookout for me,¡± Bai Xiaotian appraised Shen Luo approvingly. As he spoke, Bai Xiaotian didn¡¯t stop his actions. He secured the jade pendants and flags into the ground, forming a ring with a diameter of around five meters. Bai Xiaotian then picked up six Yuan Stones and placed them on six nodes of the circular array. Standing up, he formed a magical technique with his hands and started muttering incantations. A golden light instantly rose from within the array and slowly circulated around it, causing a gust of wind to swirl around. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, the formation is almost ready. Now I¡¯m going to perform a secret technique inside it.¡± Bai Xiaotian inspected the formation, confirmed everything was fine, and relayed to Shen Luo. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on our surroundings,¡± Shen Luo replied. Bai Xiaotian nodded, sat cross-legged in the center of the formation, and closed his eyes. His hands moved rapidly in front of his body, like wheels spinning. A red light rose up from him, making the golden light within the formation noticeably brighter and circulate faster. Seeing this, Shen Luo found a broad clearing behind Bai Xiaotian and sat down. Taking out a stone box from his backpack, he opened it and withdrew some talisman papers, a box of cinnabar, and a talisman pen. Gu Hualing would take at least half a day to arrive. He wanted to use this time to draw some talismans. As he lacked Black Dog Blood, Shen Luo cut open his finger to retrieve his own blood, mixed it with cinnabar, and prepared to make talisman ink. The Black Dog Blood drew talismans because of its Yang energy. As a Qi Refining Cultivator who had mastered the Small Transformation Yang Skill, his blood contained Yang energy far exceeding that of dog blood, making it perfect for drawing talismans. Shen Luo quickly prepared the talisman ink, took a deep breath, calmed his mind, then began to draw. Half an hour later, all the talisman paper in front of Shen Luo was used up. In its place were three carefully arranged talismans: two Small Thunder Talismans and an exorcism charm. ¡°Three will have to do,¡± Shen Luo sighed inwardly, put the three talismans into his sleeve, and looked up. Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Chapter 125: Summoned Again Chapter 126: Chapter 125: Summoned Again Bai Xiaotian was still sitting with his eyes closed within the Array, his hands forming endless seals, unaware of when he would finish. Shen Luo didn¡¯t disturb him, instead casting his gaze around, pondering in his heart how to deal with Gu Hualing afterward. After these past few days of pursuit, he had gained a considerable understanding of Gu Hualing¡¯s strength. This woman¡¯s cultivation had certainly reached the Grain Avoidance Stage. She was versed in many bizarre demonic arts and possessed the genuine magical instrument of the Three-pointed Claw Thorn. Her strength far surpassed his or Bai Xiaotian¡¯s, so naturally, he did not think that these few talismans would be of much use. Although Bai Xiaotian likely had some hidden skills, he couldn¡¯t pin all his hopes on Bai Xiaotian anyway. ¡°The mystic arts I currently understand, apart from the Water-Stepping Art, are the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits, it¡¯s too few¡­hm, the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits¡­¡± Shen Luo sighed inwardly, though his eyes suddenly shifted. ¡°Since there is still time now, why don¡¯t I try out the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits again? If I can tame one or two more members of the Aquatic Clan, it could somehow increase my chances of victory.¡± With his mind made up, he stood up and went to the lakeside, first casting a magic spell to summon Little Gui. Speaking of this big, silly sea turtle, despite its average strength, it had a tough hide and strong healing ability. In the past few days, the previously sustained injuries had almost entirely healed. Shen Luo instructed Little Gui to keep watch around him, then stepped into the lake water one step at a time until the water was past his knees. His hands formed a seal, then he began to activate the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits. Soon his vision blacked out, and he entered the space of Divine Sense. Ever since he successfully communicated with Conehead in Dreamland, he felt more proficient and smooth in activating this technique in reality, which was one of the reasons he dared to try communicating with spirits at this time. ¡°Ding dong¡±. Countless blue light spots emerged and floated around him. Shen Luo swept his gaze around, hummed slightly, and chose a large nearby blue light spot. His Divine Sense cautiously spread towards it, and instantly, his view changed to a broad blue space. Not smaller than the blue space he entered in Dreamland. Innumerable wave-like blue lights undulated around him, forming a boundlessly extensive blue sea. A wave of formidable Aquatic Clan Demon Qi was hidden within it, no less than the blue sea in Dreamland. ¡°Could this place¡­ really be the Water Area from Dreamland?¡± Shen Luo guessed silently. He then extended his Divine Sense, carefully avoiding the stronger Aquatic Clan demons, in search of an appropriate spirit beast. Soon, he had locked onto a target. Its strength was slightly stronger than his current cultivation, probably at the Mid-Stage of Qi Refining. He didn¡¯t dare to challenge too powerful of an Aquatic Clan member. Even this one was a bit of a risk. Shen Luo infused his Divine Sense into it in an attempt to communicate, but he was immediately greeted with a roar of anger, no words, indicating it was an Aquatic Clan member like Little Gui that had not yet opened its Spiritual Wisdom. Although it couldn¡¯t communicate verbally, its refusal to become his spirit beast was evident. Shen Luo didn¡¯t mind, silently using the intimidating method from the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits. Countless black runes spread towards the demon. As he activated this domestication method, although it wasn¡¯t as seamless as in Dreamland, he had reached a proficient level. The opposing demon roared continuously in defiance, but the force resisting him was far inferior compared to Conehead, and it was aggressively using its energy, not considering the problem of endurance at all. The two sides dueled for not very long when the demon started frantically trying to escape, it seemed to think it could shake off the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits by doing so. Shen Luo was not alarmed but pleased, this Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits was quite refined, having nearly the entire Water Area within his perception range, how could he let the demon escape easily? Moreover, the rapid escape of the demon has consumed a lot, which only accelerated its own downfall. Indeed, after the time it takes to eat a meal, the roar of the demon turned into a scream. After a while, the desire for surrender emanated from it. Shen Luo quickly operated the beast taming technique, condensing a spiritual communication seal, immersed into the demon¡¯s body, then stop the technique, his sight flickered, and he returned to the lake. He sensed the Mana within his body. He had used only less than half, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. With his current cultivation, he was able to easily subdue a demon at the Mid-Stage of Qi Refining, which was somewhat unexpected to himself. Of course, the more important reason should be that he had cultivated the Nameless Cultivation Technique to the third level in Dreamland, and gained a higher level of comprehension. Paired with the past experience of taming Conehead, he was now able to succeed in reality. He quietly made a determination, that whenever he gets a chance to enter Dreamland again, he should practice more on the Nameless Cultivation Technique and spells like the Art of Spirit Communication there, perhaps it might be more effective when he returns to reality. After all, his aptitude in reality is too poor; merely groping on his own would hardly make progress. Shen Luo immediately discarded these mixed thoughts, closed his eyes and adjusted his breath for a moment. After his mana recovered, he extended his hand into the lake water and silently operated the summoning technique. Soon, the lake water in front of him began to vibrate, forming a water vortex that continued to spin around his palm. A black water hole appeared in the middle. ¡°Open!¡± Shen Luo let out a low shout, the vortex suspended in the air and grew a circle larger. A gray-white demon Qi oozed out, then a gigantic greyish-white python about four to five lengths long slid out from the water hole. The python had a flattened head and a sturdy body as large as a water bucket, covered with gray-white scales as big as a bowl, emitting a faint metallic lustre, seemingly very hard. The only peculiar thing was the fish-fin humps on its back. At this moment, Little Gui was on guard in the nearby lake. Seeing the grey python appear, it showed a frightened look, quickly shrank its head and limbs, leaving only a huge turtle shell on the lake surface. The grey-white python looked towards Shen Luo as soon as it came out, its narrow eyes gleaming with ferocity, obviously unwilling to submit. Shen Luo snorted, did not appease it first like he did with Conehead, but directly clutched his hand and operated the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits. Under the influence of the spiritual communication seal, the eyes of the grey-white python showed a hint of pain, and it kept hissing, its huge body convulsed violently in the lake, causing water splashes all about. The lashing of its tail on the water surface produced rumbling sounds like thunder. Shen Luo glanced at Bai Xiaotian. Seeing that he was still sitting with his eyes closed, undisturbed by the commotion here, he immediately relaxed and continued to operate the Art of Spirit Communication. A moment later, the ferocity in the python¡¯s eyes completely disappeared, replaced with an appeal. Only then did he stop. The pain disappeared from the mind of the grey-white python, its eyes gazing at Shen Luo were full of fear. ¡°Come here.¡± Shen Luo beckoned. The python hesitated for a moment, but still swam over, docilely lowered its head. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± Seeing it bow its head, Shen Luo also softened his tone and asked. The grey-white python raised its head and looked at Shen Luo, flicking its tongue a few times, and a sense of confusion was conveyed through the spiritual communication seal, as if it didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Chapter 126: Success Chapter 127: Chapter 126: Success Shen Luo was somewhat speechless. It seemed that even though this grey python had higher cultivation level than Little Gui, its spiritual wisdom was even lower. He thought for a moment, then asked what the python excelled at. Understanding this, the grey python flicked its tail and shot forward at an extraordinarily rapid pace, like a white line threading through the water. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes twinkled slightly. The python swam a lap around the lake, suddenly dove into the water, and quickly rose back to the surface with a lake stone the size of a millstone. It coiled around the stone, squeezed tightly, and immediately crushed the stone into pieces. Then, it swam towards the lake¡¯s edge, stretched its head above the water surface, opened its mouth, and sprayed a yellow liquid at a stone on the lakeside. Where the yellow liquid touched the stone, it instantly turned black and sizzled, corroding and dissolving a sizable portion in the blink of an eye. After finishing these tasks, the grey python finally paused and turned to look at Shen Luo. Shen Luo¡¯s expression was calm, but he sighed inwardly. While the abilities shown by the grey python were somewhat strong, they had no distinctive features. It could barely compete with a cultivator of the same rank. Against a Grain Avoidance stage expert like Gu Hualing, it was insignificant, capable at most of delaying her for a little while. After pondering a little, he waved his hand to open the water hole and sent the grey python back, before again employing the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits. Even though the creatures he had subdued weren¡¯t fantastic, this experience significantly boosted his confidence. As such, Shen Luo decided to take a risk and see if he could tame a more powerful demon. Not long after, Shen Luo¡¯s divine sense appeared once more in the vast Blue Water Domain. The grey python he had previously subdued was marked by his Spiritual Communication Seal, its demon aura standing out amongst the rest like a lantern in the dead of night. Following the instructions of the Nameless Cultivation Technique, he removed the Spiritual Communication Seal placed on the grey python before releasing his divine sense to examine other demons, quickly selecting an aquatic demon in the Qi Refining late stage. He was well aware of his limitations, knowing that he should not even think of trying to tame a demon at the Grain Avoidance stage. After all, subduing Zhui Tou in the Dreamland was a Herculean task, even though he had already reached the Qi Refining late stage at the time. As for why he chooses this one now, it was based on his comprehensive judgement. After all, Gu Hualing has strange divine skills and can fly with her bone wings. If he tames another demon like Little Gui or the grey python, it won¡¯t be of much use. Instead of that, it¡¯s better to risk backlash and take a gamble. As his thoughts processed, Shen Luo directed his divine sense towards the selected demon. ¡°Roar!¡± A slightly emotional roar echoed out, brimming with warning. Inwardly, Shen Luo felt a ripple. Judging by this growl, the spiritual wisdom of the demon before him was far superior to the grey python¡¯s, making it far more challenging to tame. However, having come this far, he was of course not going to back down. In the blink of an eye, countless black runes were being sent towards his adversary. Instantly, the demon on the other side started roaring furiously in resistance. Unlike the foolish grey python, the demon before him was exceptionally clever. After a brief agitation at the beginning, it quickly calmed down and simply resisted the Art of Spirit Communication without making any unnecessary movements. A battle of attrition ensued shortly after. Shen Luo had prepared for such a scenario. All he could do was strive to utilise the Art of Spirit Communication as best he could to suppress his adversary. Time slowly ticked by. His mana had quickly depleted by about 20%, yet the resistive strength of the demon remained as potent as before without any signs of decreasing. As time went on, he slightly increased the strength of the Art of Spirit Communication. When almost half of his mana was consumed, the defiant force from the demon finally began to falter. After an unknown amount of time, the demon on the other side seemed to have reached its limit, its resistance rapidly diminishing and slowly being overwhelmed by the Art of Spirit Communication. However, the mana within Shen Luo was also near depletion. With experience dealing with such a situation, Shen Luo knew that this was the crucial moment that would determine victory or defeat. He could not show weakness, he had to push through and completely crush the will of the opponent. He who dares wins in a face-to-face battle! ¡°Damn it!¡± Shen Luo gritted his teeth, gathered all of the remaining mana within his body and initiated the Beast Taming technique with frenzy. Boom! A torrent of black runes, much denser than before, furiously rushed towards the demon. ¡°Crack¡± a sound lightly rang out! A shattering sound came from the other side, indicating that the Art of Spirit Communication had finally overwhelmed the demon¡¯s resistance. Shen Luo, whose heart had been gripped with worry, finally let out a sigh of relief, continued to manipulate the black runes as they continued to penetrate, ready to completely intimidate the opponent. At this moment, a low growl suddenly entered Shen Luo¡¯s mind. The resistance of the demon suddenly reappeared, more powerful than ever, easily blocking the attack of the black runes. The aura of the demon, previously on the decline, suddenly surged, not only quickly restoring its initial level, but also skyrocketing, quickly breaking through to the Grain Avoidance Stage, reaching the Early Grain Avoidance Peak before finally stopping! ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but be startled. Was it that the demon was deliberately hiding its own strength to toy with him? Or was it that his Beast Taming technique had inadvertently caused the opponent¡¯s cultivation level to surge? However, none of these mattered now. His body¡¯s mana was exhausted and he could not continue to operate the Art of Spirit Communication. The meridians within his body began to ache, and the pain became increasingly intense. A sense of dread crossed Shen Luo¡¯s mind. This was a sign of the backlash from the Beast Taming technique. If it were normal times, he could just rest in bed for a while, but Gu Hualing could catch up at any time. If he collapsed now, it would be certain death. He had some regrets about this risky move, but he was not willing to give up until the last step. At this critical moment, a sudden change occurred! Shen Luo felt a slight chill on his shoulder, followed by a surge of icy cold Qi pouring down his arm into his body. His previously vacant meridians instantly filled up, the painful squeezing sensation quickly subsided, bringing an indescribable relief. With a hint, he immediately recognized this chill as the Cold Stream that had previously flowed from the skull pattern on his shoulder when using the Understanding the Dao skill! Afterward, the Beast Taming technique started to operate automatically and more powerfully than when Shen Luo was controlling it. Countless black runes rushed out, forming a substantial, black tide which covered the demon on the other side. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± A piercing scream came from the demon. Its newly strengthened resistance lasted only a few breaths before it was completely crushed. A feeling of surrender quickly transmitted from the demon, pleading Shen Luo to stop. Shen Luo snapped back to reality, and hurriedly ran the Nameless Cultivation Technique to control the Cold Stream within his body. However, this Cold Stream was not the mana he had cultivated and it didn¡¯t obey his command. Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: Chapter 127: God-descent Technique Chapter 128: Chapter 127: God-descent Technique The anguished screams of the demon opposite grew more and more piercing, and its strength was rapidly weakening, as if it were on the verge of having its spirit completely obliterated by the abruptly unleashed Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits. Shen Luo quickly steadied his thoughts and with great effort, managed to take control of the frosty flux and swiftly formed a Spiritual Communication Seal, passing it over. Without any hesitation, the demon accepted the Spiritual Communication Seal, the dark black runes that had been violently gushing towards it gradually slowed to a stop. Relieved, Shen Luo was about to investigate further when the frosty flux began to dissipate at high speed. In the blink of an eye, it completely disappeared, leaving not even a trace within his dantian. It was as if it had never even existed. His vision blurred, and his Divine Sense withdrew from the blue space, returning to the real world. Shen Luo suddenly felt empty, as if the meridians within his body were barren, his mental strength greatly depleted, sending throbbing waves of pain through his mind. He collapsed to the side. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, are you alright?¡± A hand extended from the side to support him. It was Bai Xiaotian who, unbeknownst to him, had come to his side. Just then, rough waves began rolling over the surface of the lake not far in front of Shen Luo. A colossal, lid-shaped shadow began to emerge from the water. A water arrow shot out and zoomed towards Bai Xiaotian. Caught off guard, Bai Xiaotian raised his hand urgently, releasing a red flash of light. His Copper Coin Flying Sword collided with the water arrow. With a resounding ¡°clang¡±, the water arrow splintered, but the Copper Coin Flying Sword was also knocked back half a foot, its surface shimmering vibrantly. ¡°Little Gui, he¡¯s my friend, do not attack recklessly.¡± Shen Luo quickly interjected, although his voice sounded weak due to his lack of strength. The shadow in the lake paused and then, with a light chirp, quickly sank back, disappearing into the water. Seeing this, Bai Xiaotian waved his hand and recalled his Copper Coin Flying Sword. ¡°My spirit beast is protective of its master. Brother Bai, please don¡¯t take offense to its actions.¡± Shen Luo apologized. ¡°Your spiritual beast is quite alert. Are you alright?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked, shrugging. ¡°I am fine, I just exhausted all my mana casting a secret technique.¡± Shen Luo replied weakly, unable to even turn his head to look at him. ¡°Gu Hualing might come at us any time now. You should recover quickly. I¡¯ll protect you,¡± Bai Xiaotian said. Shen Luo thanked him then slowly sat down and started to recover his mana using the Nameless Cultivation Technique. It was unclear how much time passed before his mana gradually replenished, and his mental strength also recovered significantly, no longer feeling a stab of pain in his head. When Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes, he was shocked to see faint golden lines, like some sort of runes, forming on the exposed skin of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s wrist, neck, giving off a sense of mystery. He had been too weak to notice it beforehand. ¡°My preparations have finally paid off,¡± Bai Xiaotian saw Shen Luo wake up and raised his hands, looking at the golden lines on them excitedly. ¡°What happened to you? Is it some kind of spell?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity, and asked. ¡°This is the God-descent Technique of the Bai family. It¡¯s my first time using it, so it took this long to complete. If my father saw me now, he would surely chastise me. I wonder when that demon woman will arrive. I¡¯ll show her the power of this technique!¡± Bai Xiaotian said, looking toward the distant horizon with a smile. Seeing that Bai Xiaotian intended to change the topic, Shen Luo did not posh for more information. At this moment, the sky is pitch black. It¡¯s deep in the night. However, a bright moon hangs in the middle of the sky, making the surroundings still quite bright. He looks around and finds that the golden array on the shore has disappeared. It must have been retrieved by Bai Xiaotian. Just as he is about to discuss tactics with Bai Xiaotian, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly sees a grey shadow flying swiftly toward them like a great bird from the distance. He squints his eyes. ¡°Gu Hualing!¡± Bai Xiaotian turns to look when he hears the name. Far from being frightened, his face shows a trace of excitement. ¡°Has she finally arrived?¡± He mutters, flips his hand to take out an object and pushes it into Shen Luo¡¯s hand. It¡¯s a jet-black awl, about two fingers long, with a crimson talisman attached to the end ¨C the same talismanic instrument that Bai Xiaotian had used before. ¡°Junior Brother Shen, your talismanic instrument is destroyed. It is too dangerous to fight against Gu Hualing relying solely on the Water-control technique. Here is the Black Spirit Awl for you to use first.¡± Bai Xiaotian spoke rapidly. Shen Luo is taken aback but doesn¡¯t reject it. He thanks Bai Xiaotian and accepts the awl, silently operating his mana to infuse into it, familiarizing himself with its power. The grey shadow soon arrives and lands not far from Shen and Bai, revealing Gu Hualing. She looks somewhat haggard at this moment, with an air of being battered by wind and rain, clearly having rushed here all the way. ¡°You two juniors, going by your postures, could it be that you have been waiting for me for quite a while?¡± Gu Hualing looks at Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian with a playful expression, especially lingering her gaze on Bai Xiaotian. She chuckles lightly, surprisingly not attacking immediately. ¡°Friend Gu is right. Shen Luo and I have indeed been waiting here on purpose. We wanted to have a talk with you.¡± Bai Xiaotian reveals a bright smile and responds. Although Shen Luo isn¡¯t clear about what Bai Xiaotian means, he doesn¡¯t ask, just keeps a close watch on every move of Gu Hualing. ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m listening.¡± Gu Hualing slightly raises her chin, her bright eyes are shining like crescent moons, and she prompts them, lips slightly parted. ¡°We can give the Pure Yang Scripture to you. In return, you must swear to let us leave safely.¡± Bai Xiaotian¡¯s words astound everyone nearby, not only Gu Hualing but also Shen Luo. ¡°So, the Pure Yang Scripture is indeed with you, Junior Brother Bai?¡± Gu Hualing¡¯s eyes narrow, showing a hint of cunning, her emotions unclear. Shen Luo looks at Bai Xiaotian while his peripheral vision scans his own package lying on the ground. There¡¯s no sign of the package being opened, the knot on it is still the one he tied. Bai Xiaotian keeps his smiling expression, doesn¡¯t speak but reaches into his bosom. When he removes his hand, it holds a round, milky-white jade piece about the size of a baby¡¯s fist. Seeing this, Shen Luo secretly releases a sigh of relief. Gu Hualing, seeing the jade piece in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s hand, starts to chuckle softly. Her body quivers as if she is holding back laughter, but her eyes are unusually cold. ¡°Why are you laughing, Sister Gu? Could it be that you¡¯re not interested in this Pure Yang Scripture?¡± Bai Xiaotian says lightly. ¡°Bai Xiaotian, having set my heart on the Pure Yang Scripture, how could I miss identifying it, true or false? Do you think you can deceive me by simply showing me anything?¡± Gu Hualing stops laughing, a grim expression suddenly appears on her face, and she moves her foot slightly. ¡°Whoosh¡± ¡°Whoosh¡± ¡°Whoosh¡± Three extremely thin, nearly transparent bone needles are shot out from under her foot. They glide close to the ground, aiming for Bai Xiaotian. These are the three bone needles Gu Hualing used before. Their appearance is so strange and their speed so fast that, after a few indistinct flashes, they are firmly embedded in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s left calf. Chapter 129 - Chapter 129: 128 Chapter 129: 128 With a light ¡°ding¡±, a layer of golden light radiated from Bai Xiaotian¡¯s left lower leg. The three bone needles that struck could not penetrate even a hair¡¯s breadth, as if they were jabbing into metal and stone. However, the force contained in the bone needles was not negligible and sent Bai Xiaotian staggering to the side, taking a couple of steps. A yellow glow emanated from the very spot where Bai Xiaotian had just stood, revealing a yellow talisman imprinted with intricate runes, barely inferior to the Escape Talisman. ¡°Ground Binding Charm! You brat, you dare to trick me!¡± Upon recognizing the charm, Gu Hualing straightened her brows, her bone wings twitched, ready to take off. Suddenly, a slender crimson light streaked swiftly towards her from the side, heading straight for her neck with a snake-like strike. A purple light flashed in Gu Hualing¡¯s hand, and the three-pointed claw thorns appeared out of nowhere. With a quick sweep around her neck, they sent the crimson light flying with a loud ¡°bang¡±. It was a red short cone, emitting a red light. More than ten feet away, Shen Luo jolted his arm, which was forming a spell, and received the dark red short cone in his palm. He suddenly felt a great force seeping in from the little cone, making his heart churn with blood and Qi. Gu Hualing, thus delayed, found her lifting motion slowed, but this was enough time for Bai Xiaotian to activate the talisman under his feet. With a humming sound, the yellow light on the Ground Binding Charm suddenly brightened several times and then melted into the ground like flowing water. The next moment, countless thin strands of yellow light shot out from the ground within a radius of more than ten feet centered on the talisman, enveloping all three of them, including Gu Hualing. Shen Luo only felt a sinking sensation in his feet, as if bound by countless invisible ropes, immobilizing him completely despite his best efforts. Gu Hualing¡¯s feet were also enveloped in yellow light. Although she wasn¡¯t in the center of the prohibition, her pretty face turned a fair shade of red as she could not move for a moment, her hands extremely busy forming spell signs, seemingly about to cast some kind of technique. A sharp whistle sounded. A red sword shadow whizzed through the air, slicing towards Gu Hualing¡¯s legs. Amidst the red shadow could be seen a copper coin flying sword. It was Bai Xiaotian¡¯s move from the other side. Not only that, his figure followed the red sword shadow and darted out to attack Gu Hualing directly, apparently unaffected by the yellow glow on the ground. Shen Luo, with his sharp eyes, noticed a Yellow Talisman each affixed to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s ankles. It suddenly dawned upon him. Gu Hualing¡¯s face turned cold, she halted her casting process and swung one hand outwards. ¡°Shoop!¡± The three-pointed claw thorns flew out of her hand, drawing a purple arc in mid-air before releasing a clang as it parried the Copper Coin Flying Sword. By this point, Bai Xiaotian was already close by and swung his sleeve. Four streaks of fire sword Qi shot out, each one exuding a force no less than the Copper Coin Flying Sword. They targeted the vital areas all over Gu Hualing¡¯s body. Although Shen Luo couldn¡¯t move from his spot, he yet again commanded the crimson short cone to shoot towards Gu Hualing¡¯s back. Then, with two ¡°crackling¡± sounds, two white thunder lights produced by the Small Thunder Talismans tore through the air, striking at Gu Hualing from front and back. At the same time, the lake surface nearby started to churn, and a big sea turtle poked its head out, shooting a water arrow towards Gu Hualing. Thus, Gu Hualing found herself surrounded by attacks from all directions, instantly plunging into dire straits. Gu Hualing¡¯s charming face finally lost her smile, but there was no panic. Instead, she opened her eyes and spat out. A ball of white light flew out from her mouth, breaking a small jade emblem with a ¡°bang¡±. Eight large runes emerged, bright white lights revolving around this girl,, forming a light white shield, protecting her within.. A series of ¡°boom¡±and ¡°boom¡± muffled sounds rang out in an explosion! Sword Qi, short cone, thunder and lightning, water arrows all hit the white light shield. The shield just shook slightly a few times, then immediately stabilized. Bai Xiaotian stopped in his footsteps, his face full of surprise. A touch of depression flashed in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. ¡°I originally planned to leave you guys alive, in recognition of our shared past. Now that I have wasted a Jade Spirit Talisman, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± Gu Hualing roared, her hands sealing rapidly. Behind her, the bone wings suddenly emitted a great purple light. Among the ¡°splashing¡± sounds, tiny sparks of purple phosphorus flew out from above, then suddenly ignited into groups of purple phosphorus fire suspended mid-air. This was the Demon Bone Phosphorus Fire. Gu Hualing waved her hands, sending all the Demon Bone Phosphorus Fires flying out like raindrops in all directions. Bai Xiaotian, knowing full well the power of this demon fire, quickly retreated, effortlessly taking Shen Luo with him. After a few jumps, they got out of the envelope range of the ground-binding charm. When the Demon Bone Phosphorus Fire fell on the ground nearby, it continued to blaze fiercely. Under the lick of the flames, the sound of ¡°sizzling¡± was high, and large pieces of yellow light were quickly burned and dissolved. The yellow light of the Ground Binding Charm was visibly diminishing at an observable rate, with the charm set to completely vanish in no time. As soon as Shen Luo left the coverage zone of the Ground Binding Charm, he felt a sudden relief in his feet. He took a leaping step into the lake, first summoning Little Gui, and then pressing one hand on the lake water. He quickly operated the Art of Spirit Communication, attempting to summon the late-stage Qi Refining Aquatic Clan demon he had just subdued. ¡°Grain Avoidance cultivators are indeed formidable, it appears I must use this move.¡± After Bai Xiaotian muttered to himself, he suddenly raised his hands high, took a circle step in the same place, and then bowed to the ground, shouting loudly: ¡°Today, I shall open the heavens, call forth the Six Ding and Six Jia, twelve helmets atop the head, twelve circles of golden armor on the body, where are the various generals now, assist your disciple in showing his might, respectfully summon General Jin Bian of the First Earthly Branch!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi above his head immediately started to churn, a group of golden clouds quietly appeared mid-air, and then a stream of golden light shot out from it, landing on Bai Xiaotian. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s whole body was immediately covered in a layer of substantial bright golden light. With a slight swirl, it transformed into an illusionary image of a golden-armored god clinging to his body. This god had a clear appearance, with peculiar long beards at his five pressure ports. The peculiarity was that each of his eyes had a small hand growing out of them, and his hands each held a golden-colored giant mace. The moment the golden-armored god was attached, Bai Xiaotian¡¯s cultivation level immediately increased, reaching the realm of the Grain Avoidance Stage. The Copper Coin Flying Sword also returned to his hand at this moment. The illusionary mace in the Golden Armor God¡¯s hand immediately enveloped the Copper Coin Flying Sword. The sword light and mace shadow fused together, with a ¡°clang¡± sound, it transformed into a crimson giant mace. ¡°So, this is the God-descent Technique¡­¡± On the surface of the lake, Shen Luo, upon seeing Bai Xiaotian¡¯s transformation, marveled in secret. His summoning technique was also completed. The water in front of him churned into a vortex, a black tunnel emerging from the water. A misty blue Demon Qi gushed out from it, and then an orange-red half-human half-shrimp figure jumped out from the tunnel, landing in the lake with a ¡°plop¡±. It stood on the water as if it had performed the Water-Stepping Art. Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Chapter 129: Another Shrimp Soldier Coming Chapter 130: Chapter 129: Another Shrimp Soldier Coming Shen Luo paused. This demon was another shrimp soldier, just like ¡°Zhui Tou¡±. Only this time, the shrimp soldier was a lot taller, its body slenderer, and what it held in its hands was not a single-handle hammer but two lustrously black, large copper hammers. It appeared slightly more powerful, clearly displaying the strength of the Grain Avoidance Stage. Seeing the shrimp soldier turn its head to look at him, Shen Luo felt a bit nervous. Before he could speak however, the shrimp soldier suddenly spoke in human speech: ¡°Langsheng greets Master!¡± Shen Luo was slightly taken aback. He found this shrimp soldier to be quite respectful, different from the great python and Zhui Tou, easing his anxiety slightly. ¡°Your name is Langsheng? This name sounds like one from the Aquatic Clan,¡± he asked. ¡°Reporting to Master, being the eldest, I was originally called Lang Da, but due to causing too many troubles, some of my kinsfolk believed this name was not conducive for cultivation, hence they later renamed me Langsheng,¡± Langsheng replied. ¡°And why has your cultivation level increased?¡± During the spirit communication initially, this shrimp soldier clearly was of the Qi Refining Late Stage. ¡°Reporting to Master, I was previously placed under a prohibition spell by an enemy, and my mana was suppressed to the Qi Refining Late Stage. It was thanks to your Art of Spirit Communication, Master, that forcefully broke the spell within my divine soul, allowing my full strength to recover,¡± Langsheng answered respectfully. Shen Luo was stunned! This time, had it not been for the skull pattern on his shoulder lending a hand, his mana wouldn¡¯t have been able to communicate with a demon of the Grain Avoidance stage, and the outcome would have been disastrous. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the rest later, I am facing a strong enemy now, I need your help,¡± Shen Luo, without asking too much, immediately ordered Langsheng. ¡°Yes!¡± After Langsheng agreed, he immediately jumped onto the shore, his movements exceptionally agile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Junior Brother Shen to have such a powerful Spirit Beast. Why haven¡¯t I seen you summon it before?¡± Bai Xiaotian had just completed the God-descent Technique. When he saw a valiant shrimp soldier leaping onto the lakeshore, he was in awe. ¡°I didn¡¯t have it before. I just borrowed it from the East Sea Dragon King. I have no idea about its capabilities.¡± Shen Luo, who hadn¡¯t gone ashore, explained from the surface of the lake. As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled ¡°rumble¡± sounded from ahead. It was the yellow light of the Ground Binding Charm being completely destroyed. Gu Hualing broke free and darted out, her pretty face filled with outrage. She was just about to flap her bone wings to move, but upon seeing the situation on Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo¡¯s side, her body suddenly stopped. But at that moment, Langsheng leaped forward, his slightly weak body dashed out incredibly quickly, almost drawing a black line. He reached Gu Hualing in a flash, and hit the white light curtain that was covering this woman¡¯s body with the big copper hammer in his hand. The white light curtain emitted a grating squealing sound and was shockingly beaten into a deep depression, yet it didn¡¯t shatter. Gu Hualing was stunned. But before she could react, the two copper hammers in the shrimp soldier¡¯s hands had turned into two rays of yellow light. They thundered onto the light shield one after another. One hammer was ineffectual, and the other hammer, drawn in a curve, instantly landed on the first hammer, with almost no time between them. A huge explosion erupted, as if a muffled thunder had suddenly sounded in the sky! The white light curtain could no longer hold, exploding with a ¡°pop¡±. Gu Hualing was greatly frightened. Her bone wings instantly spread open, and with a flap, her body instantly flew backward, narrowly escaping the continuous bombardment of the double hammers. However, she hadn¡¯t flown far when a golden light flashed behind her, and Bai Xiaotian appeared there mysteriously, his crimson Giant Mace radiated a red light as he slaughtered towards Gu Hualing from overhead. Gu Hualing¡¯s three-pointed Claw Thorn immediately slipped away from her hand, expanded instantly to the size of a millstone, and fiercely collided with the crimson Giant Mace. With a massive noise of ¡°clang,¡± a dazzling purple light and red glow were emitted. Gu Hualing only felt an incredibly strong force coming from the giant crimson mace. The three-pointed Claw Thorn was repelled with a single strike. With a flicker, she had to avoid it temporarily and immediately began chanting the crude and ancient spell with both hands moving rapidly. The Yin Qi in the void rapidly surged and all converged towards Gu Hualing¡¯s back. In the blink of an eye, a black Qi vortex formed, making a humming sound, as if to employ some secret technique. Bai Xiaotian did not know the art of flight, after a strike, he landed lightly, but in mid-air he let out a clear shout, the crimson Giant Mace also slipped away from his hand to become the Copper Coin Flying Sword again, turning into a red shadow aiming for Gu Hualing. Shen Luo made a fingertip gesture, the red Short Cone shone brightly. With a ¡°bang,¡± it turned into a fine red glow that pierced the sky, shooting towards Gu Hualing like a crossbow bolt. Busy with her spell casting, Gu Hualing seemed to disregard the two¡¯s attacks, but the purple light from her three-pointed Claw Thorn brightened intensely and encircled her body. It whirled into a purple light barrier, blocking the Short Cone and Copper Coin Flying Swords. With the sounds of ¡°clang, clang,¡± the Short Cone and Copper Coin Flying Swords were both deflected by the light curtain. With a ¡°swoosh¡± sound, a figure soared into the sky like a bird, startling Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian. They took a closer look and it was the Shrimp Soldier Langsheng. But even with Langsheng¡¯s amazing leap, he was unable to reach the mid-air where Gu Hualing was. Four or five feet away from her, his momentum ran its course, and he began to fall. However, he let out a low roar and swung his right arm around, heaving with all his might, and threw one of his big copper hammers. It turned into a black streak of light, carrying a fierce gust, and landed directly on the purple light curtain in an instant. With a roar like a mountain and sea, a huge force surged forth. With a ¡°rumble,¡± the purple light curtain shuddered fiercely and finally shattered, revealing Gu Hualing behind it. After breaking the purple light curtain, the big copper hammer still had unspent power and continued to shoot forwards, looking to strike Gu Hualing¡¯s frail body directly, her clothes wildly flapping in the turbulent wind. But at this moment, a long-handled big knife wreathed in black Qi materialized in front of Gu Hualing and slashed down mercilessly. ¡°Boom¡± The big copper hammer was swatted out of the sky like a fly. It plummeted down like a meteor towards the ground. After the black Qi knife made another downward slash, a huge blade of black Qi surged towards Langsheng below, who still hadn¡¯t landed. At that moment, a blue light flew in from a distance and landed on Langsheng below, transforming into an unstable vortex. Langsheng fell into the vortex and vanished in a flash. Almost in the next moment, the black Qi blade light shattered the vortex with a flicker, and then slashed into the ground below. In the midst of the giant roar, the earth cracked open inch by inch, revealing a trench that was several meters long. Not far away, Shen Luo lowered his arm, muttering to himself, ¡°That was a close call.¡± Just now, it seemed that he had noticed Langsheng¡¯s danger and hastily cast a spell to send him back first. In the mid-air above, there was a ripple in the void behind the long-handled big knife, and a black figure emerged. It was an Armored Warrior clad in black armor, with a proud and chest-thrusting stance. Chapter 131 - Chapter 131: Chapter 130: Ghost General Chapter 131: Chapter 130: Ghost General However, its face was pitch-black and the eye sockets, which should have held eyeballs, were void, with only two green beans-sized white flames flickering within. One look was enough to tell it was no living creature. Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian were both taken aback by this sight. From below, they could clearly see that the Black Armor Ghost General flew out from a vortex that suddenly appeared behind Gu Hualing. It was a ghost summoned by her spirit communication. The two of them exchanged a glance, seeing a bad premonition in each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why have you summoned me?¡± The Black Armor Ghost General turned its head to look at Gu Hualing, speaking in a low, inaudible voice. ¡°Ghost Third General, I am sorry to have troubled you. This young lady is currently facing some formidable enemies and can only ask for your assistance.¡± After paying her respects, Gu Hualing said, showing a fair amount of respect towards the Black Armor Ghost General. ¡°Where is this formidable enemy? Let me extinguish them!¡± The white flame in the eye sockets of the Black Armor Ghost General surged as it waved its long-handled big knife. ¡°I will be grateful if Ghost Third General can block this man for me.¡± Without being polite, Gu Hualing pointed straight towards Shen Luo below. The Black Armor Ghost General glanced at Shen Luo and without any further actions, its body turned into a thick black Qi, shooting straight at Shen Luo. Gu Hualing spread her bone wings and dived toward the ground, targeting Bai Xiaotian. ¡°Bring it on!¡± Bai Xiaotian roared, his Copper Coin Flying Sword had returned to his hand, merging with the Golden Armor Shadows into a crimson Giant Mace. He channelled the raging mana within his body into it. With a ¡°whoosh¡±, a layer of crimson flames rose from the Giant Mace, blazing fiercely. Bai Xiaotian swung his arm, and the sword-like crimson flames shot out from the mace, stretching a full five feet as they met Gu Hualing head-on. The diving Gu Hualing abruptly slid to the side like a carp gliding between the waves, barely grazing past the flaming sword Qi to rendezvous with Bai Xiaotian. She raised her hand and swept it in a motion. A purple flash of light shot from her hand. It was the three-pointed claw stab, blasting towards Bai Xiaotian¡¯s chest. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s face darkened, seemingly unaware of how Gu Hualing had done it, but faced with the incoming purple burst of light, he could only strive to block it. He swept out his crimson mace and hit the three-pointed claw stab. ¡°Clang!¡± There was a massive noise! Bai Xiaotian¡¯s Crimson Giant Mace, empowered by the Golden Armor Spirit, was incredibly robust. It sent the three-pointed claw stab flying with one hit, but Bai Xiaotian was also jolted backward, taking two steps back. It¡¯s not that he was pushed back due to the force contained in the three-pointed claw, instead, the moment the mace hit the claw and sent it flying, a purple flash shot out from the claw, hitting his chest. If it weren¡¯t for his Golden Armor Spirit fusion, he would already be severely injured. ¡°Borrowed power is still an external force; you simply cannot control it. What use is immense power?¡± Gu Hualing sneered, her body once again demonstrating the agile motions of a fish as she charged forward. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s face grimaced; he let out an irritated grunt. His crimson Giant Mace transformed into numerous afterimages, flinging towards the front. ¡­ On the other side, the black Qi transformed by the Black Armor Ghost General was incredibly fast, reaching the lake surface above Shen Luo in the blink of an eye. Shen Luo immediately used the Water-Stepping Art to retreat quickly, and at the same time raised his hand with a swing. ¡°Whoosh!¡± A palm-sized water clap sprang from the lake, slapping towards the black Qi formed by the Ghost General. But the black Qi didn¡¯t slow down or dodge; it went straight for the water palm, sliding through it, and lunged in front of Shen Luo. The long-handled big knife shot out from the black Qi, targeting Shen Luo, viciously slashing at him. The black glow of the knife¡¯s body was uncertain, making a ¡°hiss¡± sound. Just when Shen Luo was about to be injured by this big knife, the water in front of him suddenly rolled violently, and a big sea turtle swiftly jumped out from it, standing in front of him. It was Little Gui! Shen Luo placed his hands on Little Gui¡¯s body, and Mana from within his body surged out. Little Gui¡¯s turtle shell quickly turned pitch black, and a layer of black light emerged. But the big knife was too swift, not waiting for the turtle shell to completely turn black, it had already viciously slashed onto the turtle shell. With a ¡°hiss¡± sound, a crack was surprisingly slashed on the turtle shell, and fresh blood gushed out slightly. Little Gui let out a heartbreaking cry of pain, but the black light on its shell flashed in response, rebounding a sharp knife force that was several times stronger. With a ¡°boom¡± sound, the long-handled big knife cracked open, and the black Qi formed by the Ghost General was blown back a step. The black Qi rolled for a moment and transformed into the figure of the Black Armor Ghost General. His right hand, which originally held the long-handled big knife, was missing from the forearm down. However, no blood flowed out. The place where the arm was cut off was surrounded by a thick black Qi, rapidly regenerating a new arm at a speed visible to the naked eye. Seeing this, Shen Luo quickly created a water cyclone and rapidly sent away the sea turtle. At the same time, with a ¡°swish¡± sound, an orange figure sprung up from it, with a big copper hammer in his hand, smacking the Ghost General directly on his head. It was Lang Sheng whom Shen Luo had summoned again. The Ghost General shifted his stance, sidestepping toward the side. At the same time, his right hand swirled in black Qi and regrew a long-handled big knife, slashing horizontally toward Lang Sheng¡¯s chest. Lang Sheng didn¡¯t dodge. His silhouette rotated in place to avoid the knife, swinging the big copper hammer behind him in a half-circle, striking the Ghost General¡¯s back. ¡°Boom,¡± a dull sound. A big hole emerged in the back armor of the Ghost General. Half of his body was smashed to pieces, but his left hand reached out, claws digging viciously into Lang Sheng¡¯s chest. With a ¡°hiss¡± sound, Lang Sheng¡¯s armor was torn apart. On his chest, five deep claw marks were present, and blue blood gushed out. Lang Sheng let out an angry roar and swung the big copper hammer in his hand, smashing it from top to bottom onto the Ghost General¡¯s head. With a ¡°boom¡±, the Ghost General¡¯s body completely exploded and transformed into patches of black Qi, but the next moment, it started flocking towards one place again. With a flash of black light, the figure of the Black Armor Ghost General emerged once again, and it looked as if it hadn¡¯t been hurt at all. Seeing this, Lang Sheng was stunned for a moment, then charged again, his double hammer roaring at the Ghost General¡¯s head and chest, one from above and one from below. The Ghost General completely ignored Lang Sheng¡¯s attack, his big knife slashed into the void like a bolt of lightning, becoming a blade shadow, targeting Lang Sheng¡¯s body. ¡°Boom,¡± ¡°boom,¡± two dull sounds echoed! The Ghost General¡¯s body was broken up again, turning into a piece of black Qi, but the big knife in Ghost General¡¯s hand also left a superficial wound on the copper hammer. The black Qi formed by the Ghost General started to gather again after rolling for a bit. ¡°Swish¡± sound echoed from the nearby lake surface, seven or eight water swords shot out from the lake, slashing towards the rolling black Qi. It was Shen Luo¡¯s move. A slender red light flew out of his body, which was the dark red short cone, slashing into the black Qi as well. Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Chapter 131: Hanging By A Thread Chapter 132: Chapter 131: Hanging By A Thread But whether it was the water sword or the red light, they both passed right through the black mist without affecting it in the slightest. The figure of the Black Armor Ghost General quickly coalesced again, and with a flash of shadow, pounced towards Lang Sheng. Lang Sheng swung his hammer fearlessly to meet the charge. Suddenly, an orange and a black figure tangled together. The shadows of their weapons whirled through the air, sword glows flickered, black mist hovered and blood splattered everywhere. The body of the Black Armor Ghost General was shattered time and again, but each time it would reform without showing signs of injury. Lang Sheng may have seemed to have the upper hand, breaking the ghost general¡¯s body continually, but his own wounds were multiplying and his movements were gradually slowing down. ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this!¡± Shen Luo was alarmed. His water-control technique and the dark red short cone were of no help and for a moment he had no other means. All he could do was to suppress his anxiety and engage the Black Armor Ghost General. On the other side, Bai Xiaotian was also at a disadvantage. His once-bright golden light had dimmed considerably and several wounds had appeared on his body. Although he had temporarily advanced his strength to the Grain Avoidance Stage using the God-descent Technique, it wasn¡¯t his own power and wasn¡¯t easy to control. If he was facing a physical opponent, it might have been okay. But Gu Hualing¡¯s techniques were extremely elusive, Bai Xiaotian couldn¡¯t even touch a piece of her clothing. Instead, he was forced to retreat by her seemingly casual but extremely sharp attacks. The most critical problem was that the God-descent Technique put a significant strain on the physical body and spiritual soul, and also had a time limit. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s heart sunk. He uttered a loud shout and the crimson giant mace in his hand swept out, red flames swept towards Gu Hualing in a raging tide. But Gu Hualing sidestepped left and right, then dashed forward, easily dodging this attack, and swiftly closing in on Bai Xiaotian. The three-pointed claw thorn in her hand struck towards his chest. Bai Xiaotian made a hasty retreat again, using his long ge to block the three-pointed claw thorn. But Gu Hualing shadowed him closely, taking advantage of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s distraction as he blocked the claw thorn to strike again. Her fingers flicked, and a gust of wind erupted, striking Bai Xiaotian in the lower abdomen. A thin thread of black light shot out from her fingertip, piercing through the golden light on Bai Xiaotian¡¯s body, breaking through and disappearing into his Dantian. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s body shook. His face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat poured from his forehead. He toppled to the ground, and the golden light on his body flickered more intensely, weakening quickly. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be ruthless, considering your Bai Family background, but I apologize!¡± Gu Hualing said. Still, she didn¡¯t hesitate in continuing her attack, preparing to strike again. ¡°Who dares to harm my Bai Family, stop immediately!¡± Just at this moment, a voice like thunder echoed from afar. The voice was so loud that everyone at the scene felt a buzzing in their ears. Even before this thunderous voice had ceased, a ball of green light rushed over like lightning, apparently another escape talisman. Before the green light arrived, a yellow light shot forward. Inside seemed to be a round object spinning rapidly, emitting a sharp whining sound and attacking Gu Hualing directly. Gu Hualing let out a soft shout, leaving Bai Xiaotian and shooting out the three-pointed claw thorn which once again turned into a purple crystal iron hand, reaching out to the yellow light. The object in the yellow light suddenly grew bigger and revealed itself to be an earth-yellow copper coin. It expanded to the size of a house in the blink of an eye, crashing heavily on the purple crystal iron hand. With a loud ¡°clang¡±! The purple crystal iron hand was knocked away like a leaf, returning back to its three-pointed claw form. When Gu Hualing grabbed the claw with one hand, she felt a tremendous force rebounding back as if a mountain was oppressing her from above. She staggered back three steps before barely steadying herself, and the mana in her body churned uproariously. Not only that, a faint yellow light began to beam on the surface of the claw, making it far more burdensome and somewhat uncontrollable. ¡°It¡¯s the Treasure Copper Coin! Ghost Third General, that is Bai Jiangfeng, withdraw now!¡± Gu Hualing¡¯s elegant eyebrows furrowed. She mobilized all her mana and managed to put away the three-pointed claw with great effort. Then her figure soared up into the sky. The purple light behind her bone wings thrived as if incinerating. She transformed into a long purple rainbow and streaked away towards the distance, disappearing on the horizon within the blink of an eye. The black-clad Ghost General, who was engaged in a bout with the copper hammer, paid heed to Gu Hualing¡¯s words. With a cold snort indicating his dissatisfaction, he nonetheless retreated and transformed into a black light, chasing after Gu Hualing. The green light in the sky did not chase after Gu Hualing and the others, but dropped beside Bai Xiaotian. After a few flickers, it disappeared, revealing a gray-robed old man. This man appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, short and thin, with a wrinkled face and somewhat gray hair. However, his eyes were sharp and he exuded an intimidating aura. The old man immediately bent over to check Bai Xiaotian¡¯s condition, ignoring Shen Luo in the lake. Being at ease, Shen Luo quickly went to check on Lang Sheng¡¯s wounds. Lang Sheng was currently covered from head to toe in dozens of wounds of varying sizes. Blue blood stained his entire body. He appeared to be seriously injured, his chest heaving as he leaned on his double hammers. Shen Luo hurriedly placed his hand on Lang Sheng¡¯s back, injecting his mana into him. Lang Sheng¡¯s withering spirit slightly rebounded as he circulated the demon qi within his body. A layer of blue light surfaced on his body, and though his wounds did not heal, the bleeding stopped. ¡°Lang Sheng, you¡¯ve worked hard today. Go back and have a good rest,¡± Shen Luo let go of his hand, opened the summoning water hole and sent Lang Sheng back. After doing all this, Shen Luo went towards the shore. The golden light around Bai Xiaotian had already faded, and he was lying on the ground pale as paper. His teeth were clenched and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He seemed to be enduring severe pain. His body still faintly radiated a weird golden light, and the fluctuation of the mana it emitted was both high and low, extremely chaotic. ¡°The God-descent Technique puts great strain on the body, which is why our clan has stipulated that it should only be cast when one has reached the Grain Avoidance Stage. You actually cast this technique while still at the Qi Refining Stage, this is absurd!¡± The gray-robed old man pressed his palm on Bai Xiaotian¡¯s lower abdomen, emitting a yellow glow and chided. A moment later, a faint ¡°sizzle¡± sound echoed. The old man lifted his palm, and a black needle the size of a hair strand surprisingly stuck to it. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa San.¡± Bai Xiaotian¡¯s facial expression of pain visibly lessened and he whispered his gratitude. ¡°This is the Profound Yin Needle, a unique Yin weapon of the secret weapon faction Linglong Sect. It specializes in breaking protective spiritual light and is extremely vicious. Is that woman just now from the Linglong Sect? But she doesn¡¯t seem to be from the Human Race,¡± The gray-robed old man took out a small jade box and carefully placed the black needle inside, then handed a snow-white pill to Bai Xiaotian to swallow. ¡°Grandpa San is observant, that person is a demon, but not from the Linglong Sect. The matter is quite complicated and hard to explain in a few words¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian felt better, he sat up and spoke. ¡°Since it¡¯s complicated, we¡¯ll discuss it later. I¡¯ll help you suppress the aftermath of the God-descent Technique first,¡± The grey-robed old man interrupted Bai Xiaotian, pressing his palm to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s back. A golden light flashed on his hand. Bai Xiaotian quickly closed his eyes, circulated his skills, and his chaotic aura gradually calmed down. Chapter 133 - Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Returning to the Bai Family Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Returning to the Bai Family Seeing that the two men would not finish their cultivation anytime soon, Shen Luo carried the parcel from the lake back onto his back, then sat down on the spot, crossing his knees, rotating his skills, and restoring his mana. It took them half an hour before the old man in a gray robe and Bai Xiaotian finally removed their hands at the same time. Shen Luo did not immerse himself in cultivation. Noticing the situation of the two, he stopped his cultivation, stood up, and stood solemnly aside. At this moment, Bai Xiaotian¡¯s complexion had largely recovered, and the weird golden light remaining on his body had disappeared without a trace. ¡°Grandfather Three, I was just too busy healing to introduce you. This is Shen Luo, my fellow disciple at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Junior Brother Shen, this is my Grandfather Three, the elder of the Bai Family, Bai Jiangfeng.¡± Bai Xiaotian introduced when he saw Shen Luo coming over. ¡°Nice to meet you, elder Bai.¡± Shen Luo greeted with a bow. ¡°Young friend Shen, you are already remarkable at such a young age. I happened to catch a glance from a distance earlier. It seems you master the art of communicating and controlling demons, truly remarkable for one so young. Are you part of the Shen family from Liuhua City?¡± Bai Jiangfeng slightly lifted a hand and looked Shen Luo up and down, asked with a soft chuckle. ¡°The elder flatters me, I am from Chunhua County,¡± answered Shen Luo, shaking his head. Bai Jiangfeng uttered an ¡°oh¡± and his gaze at Shen Luo subtly flashed an unusual light. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you were able to get here in time, Grandfather Three, otherwise, I would have lost my life.¡± Bai Xiaotian patted his chest, looking rather ruffled. ¡°The clan leader received the cry for help you sent out from your message transmitter array. I happened to be nearby and was ordered to come to your rescue at once. What exactly happened?¡± asked Bai Jiangfeng. ¡°A message transmitter array?¡± recalled Shen Luo. An image of the golden array that Bai Xiaotian had set earlier flashed through his mind. ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed. He gave a brief account of the siege of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, their narrow escape, and the continuous pursuit by Gu Hualing. However, he didn¡¯t mention the Pure Yang Scripture, changing Gu Hualing¡¯s motive for hunting them down as wanting to kill them to keep them quiet, so as not to leak the fact of the extinction of Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Shen Luo heard this and lowered his eyelids, feeling gratitude towards Bai Xiaotian. His interest in the Pure Yang Scripture was not particularly great, because he had the Nameless Heavenly Book in his hand. However, he swore on that day that he would protect the Scripture, and it wasn¡¯t good to go back on his oath. ¡°What! The Spring and Autumn Pavilion has been destroyed!¡± cried Bai Jiangfeng in shock after listening. ¡°When I left, a battle was still going on inside the Pavilion, but the demons were overpowering, and I¡¯m afraid nobody could have survived,¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a darkened look. ¡°The Spring and Autumn Pavilion is no small sect. This is a major incident; we must inform the family head immediately. Come, let¡¯s return to the Bai Family first!¡± Bai Jiangfeng nodded. He grabbed Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian with both hands while a strong green light emanated from his body, enveloping the three of them as they shot into the sky, quickly disappearing in the distant horizon. Now that an elder from the Bai family had arrived to support them, Shen Luo and others finally didn¡¯t have to keep their guards up and rush their journey every day anymore. After a few days¡¯ journey, they finally arrived at Jianye City. Jianye City had been built a thousand years ago, and since ancient times, it had been a major city on the south bank of the Yangtze River, next to the coast of the Eastern Sea. Naturally, it was much unlike Chunhua County, where Shen Luo had grown up. From afar, one could see that the city walls were long and the city gates towered; the flags of the Great Tang fluttered on the city towers; the guards were fully armored, their weapons shining brightly. Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian shared the same carriage. One sat by the carriage window, pulling open the curtain, keenly observing everything with curious eyes, while the other leaned against the corner of the opposite side of the carriage, closing his eyes to rest. ¡°Bai Xiaotian, what is that five-story pointed tower over there?¡± Shen Luo pointed to the outside of the window and asked. ¡°That¡¯s Bayang Tower, a well-known restaurant in Jianye City. The food is actually mediocre, but most of its clientele are high-ranking officials and nobles. To some extent, being able to enter is a symbol of status. In my view, the reputation outweighs the reality. It¡¯s not as good as the Drunk Immortal House just ahead.¡± Bai Xiaotian lazily glanced and spoke. ¡°Young Master, this is still our Bai family¡¯s business after all, please don¡¯t undermine it.¡± Outside the carriage, the driver ¨C an old servant of the Bai Family, couldn¡¯t help but speak. ¡°This is your family¡¯s restaurant?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when he heard this. ¡°It¡¯s the business run by our family¡¯s Third Chamber; the head of the family typically doesn¡¯t interfere with these matters.¡± Bai Xiaotian replied casually. ¡°Isn¡¯t your family a demon exorcising family? Why do you also run restaurants?¡± Shen Luo asked, bewildered. ¡°Relying solely on demon extermination to sustain the family isn¡¯t so easy. It isn¡¯t enough to cultivate nephews from the Third Chamber as cultivators, let alone hiring priests, which is a constant expense.¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a laugh. ¡°With a Soul Condensation stage ancestor in the Bai Family, you still need to hire priests?¡± Shen Luo asked again. ¡°Our Bai Family¡¯s own cultivators are limited. To secure the position of the top cultivator family in Jianye City, we have to have both power and wealth.¡± Bai Xiaotian explained thoughtfully. ¡°How so?¡± asked Shen Luo. ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, our Bai family¡¯s First Chamber manages cultivation matters, the Second Chamber serves the government, and the Third Chamber conducts business to make money. Only by pushing forward in these three aspects can we achieve what we have now.¡± Bai Xiaotian glanced at Shen Luo and continued to explain. Shen Luo nodded thoughtfully and felt a bit emotional. Managing a large family was indeed not easy. ¡­ The further into the city they went, the more crowded the bustling buildings on both sides of the road became, presenting an exceptionally lively scene. ¡°The prosperity of this significant city is indeed different. Three-story buildings are rare in Chunhua County, but here, they¡¯re common along the street. There is constant traffic and a steady flow of people on the street.¡± Shen Luo admired. ¡°I¡¯ve lived here since I was young, so I¡¯m used to it. Instead, I prefer the days I spent in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion over the past two years. Cultivating up the mountain, buying wine down the hill, and seeing fewer people made it easy for us to get to know each other. Every time I went to Tuji Town, Chun Sao who sold wine always let me have half a liter of free wine.¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed nostalgically. ¡°Was that because she was familiar with you? Every time you bought wine, wasn¡¯t she sneakily touching your hand? Wasn¡¯t she after Tuji town¡¯s most handsome man?¡± Shen Luo mocked. ¡°Haha, of course! I could be the most handsome man in the Great Tang, but I always kept a low profile and didn¡¯t seek empty fame.¡± Bai Xiaotian didn¡¯t care and laughed heartily. The carriage moved on the spacious streets lined with bluestone, turning around a street corner. Bai Xiaotian suddenly sat up, stopped the carriage, and asked Shen Luo to wait for a bit. He then hopped off the carriage on his own. In a short while, he returned to the carriage, one hand holding an oil-paper wrap and the other holding a white porcelain wine pot. ¡°Last time I came back in a hurry and didn¡¯t get to drink any Plum Wine from Jade Drunk Tower. I¡¯ve missed it so much. Also, try this Fresh Meat Soup Bun from Zhang Ji¡¯s restaurant, the taste is unbeatable.¡± Bai Xiaotian unwrapped the oil-paper wrap to reveal two big, white meat buns that emitted a strong meaty aroma, causing Shen Luo¡¯s mouth to water. Shen Luo didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and took a big bite out of one of the buns. The soup spilled into his mouth, and the taste brought satisfaction to his whole being. Bai Xiaotian didn¡¯t eat the buns, but looked at Shen Luo with a smile and opened the lid of the wine pot. In a flash, a strong osmanthus fragrance that overwhelmed the smell of meat filled the carriage. Chapter 134 - Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Meeting the Parents Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Meeting the Parents He somehow produced two small wine cups from nowhere, poured wine for both Shen Luo and himself, clinked their cups together and began to drink. Along the way, Bai Xiaotian, who seemed to know all the restaurants and eateries on the street, gave Shen Luo an extensive commentary. When they passed a river that ran through the city, Bai Xiaotian, who normally didn¡¯t look out, suddenly leaned towards the carriage window and curiously looked outside. Following his gaze, Shen Luo saw that buildings on both sides of the river channel were densely packed. Most of them were decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and even in the river water, there were beautifully unique barges. ¡°What place is this?¡± Shen Luo asked in confusion. ¡°Have you ever heard of ¡®Mooring by Qinhuai River near the restaurant at night¡¯? This is the Qinhuai River, where people drink Flower Wine. I¡¯ll bring you to experience it another day.¡± Bai Xiaotian draped an arm around Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder, and said with a laugh. ¡°No wonder the perfume is so strong¡­ We are members of the Taoist sect, it¡¯d be best if we keep some distance from this place of lust and wine.¡± Shen Luo said, wrinkling his nose. ¡°You just don¡¯t understand, do you? As the saying goes, ¡®Transcending the worldly desires, the Taoist heart stands like solid rock¡¯. Without experiencing the world¡¯s temptations, how can one clear all worldly distractions?¡± Bai Xiaotian retorted dismissively. The carriage went through the city, and as they moved to the southern part of the city, the streets became emptier, but there were more and more grand mansions. Finally, the carriage stopped before a majestic courtyard. When Shen Luo got out of the carriage, he saw a stone lion sculpture as tall as a person beside him. The lion, stepping on a hollowed-out silk ball, looked majestic. A yard away from the stone lion, three tiers of stone steps rose up, leading to a two-story gate tower. The main gate in the middle was wide open. A huge signboard hung above the entrance, with the words ¡°Bai Mansion¡± inscribed in golden letters on a red background. Looking at the brass lion-head door knockers and forty-nine golden rivets on the vermilion gate, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but admiration from the bottom of his heart. Apparently, they had been informed of their arrival in advance, so there were already a dozen servants and maids standing by the gate, waiting respectfully. Seeing Bai Jiangfeng and Bai Xiaotian arriving, these people immediately greeted them. Shen Luo followed Bai Xiaotian and was ushered into the mansion by the crowd. When they got to the front yard, an elegantly dressed elderly woman with white hair, supported by a maid, came to greet them. As soon as she saw the still injured Bai Xiaotian, her eyes filled with concern and she couldn¡¯t help but berate him. After Bai Xiaotian¡¯s introduction, Shen Luo learned that she was his grandmother, and the biological mother of the current Bai family head, Bai Hecheng. The old woman treated Shen Luo, who was a good friend of her grandson, with kindness and immediately ordered an elaborate feast to be prepared to welcome him. Shen Luo was flattered and somewhat embarrassed. Just then, a middle-aged man dressed like a housekeeper hurried over. He bowed to the old woman and Bai Jiangfeng, saying, ¡°The Family Head is waiting in the study in the backyard and asks the young master and the guest to go there first.¡± ¡°You should all go then. The important matters come first.¡± Upon hearing the words, the old woman nodded her head. ¡°Yes. After paying respects to my father, I will come back to accompany you, grandmother.¡± Bai Xiaotian agreed immediately. Then, the three of them went through a series of courtyards and two gardens and arrived at the backyard of the mansion. In the study, Shen Luo met Bai Hecheng, the head of Bai family. He was expecting a dignified middle-aged man, but turned out to be a thirty-something, good-looking man who was as handsome as Bai Xiaotian. Seeing them enter, Bai Hecheng put down the book in his hand, stood up from behind the desk, looked up and down at Bai Xiaotian and the other, a smile appeared on his face, and he said, ¡°Looking at you two like this, you probably have suffered quite a bit on the road, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Fortunately, Uncle Three arrived in time to scare off the demon woman during the crisis, which worried Father.¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a smile. Then he introduced Shen Luo to his father, stating that their safe return was due to their mutual support. ¡°You two handled it well. This kind of experience surpasses three years of cultivation more than staying at home and reinventing the wheel.¡± Bai Hecheng nodded. ¡°Family head, the situation was indeed dangerous. The one who chased them was a Demon Race monk in the Grain Avoidance Stage. For them to hold on until I arrived was indeed not easy.¡± Bai Jiangfeng stepped forward and recounted the scenario when he found Bai Xiaotian and the others. ¡°It¡¯s truly thanks to Uncle Three that Xiaotian is alive.¡± Bai Hecheng frowned as he listened, and finally bowed to him. ¡°The Family Head does not need to be so courteous, Xiaotian is the future pillar of our Bai Family, as an elder it¡¯s something I should do.¡± Bai Jiangfeng quickly stepped aside, refusing to accept the gesture. ¡°Xiaotian, what exactly happened to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion this time? Tell me everything in detail.¡± Bai Hecheng looked at Bai Xiaotian and asked. Bai Xiaotian immediately recounted the events that occurred in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion that day. However, he did not mention anything about the ¡°Pure Yang Scripture¡± in his words. Shen Luo then added what he knew, but he too concealed the matter about the ¡°Pure Yang Scripture¡±. ¡°I did not expect even the ancestor of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion to have been killed¡­ Shen, for now, you can stay at the Bai residence. Later, I will use the Bai Family¡¯s name to cooperate with other cultivation sects to thoroughly investigate this matter and find the real culprit.¡± Upon hearing the end, Bai Hecheng¡¯s expression gradually became serious. ¡°Uncle, I believe that the two crucial players in this event are Wang Qingsong, who betrayed his sect, and Gu Hualing, who is a transformed demon. If we can capture either of them, we will know the truth.¡± Shen Luo suddenly said. ¡°These two are indeed the source of trouble in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion events.¡± Bai Hecheng looked at Shen Luo and said agreeingly. ¡°In behalf of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion deceased, let me thank Uncle for clarifying the true perpetrator, Shen Luo truly appreciates Uncle¡¯s help.¡± Shen Luo said, followed by a deep bow. ¡°You need not be so polite, young man! After all the adventures you must have suffered a lot. Xiaotian, you should take Shen to rest properly.¡± Bai Hecheng waved his hand and said. After the two bowed and left, Bai Hecheng looked at Bai Jiangfeng and asked, ¡°Uncle Three, have you found anything inappropriate about Shen Luo?¡± ¡°From his words and deeds, it¡¯s likely that he was a rich young man before joining the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Xiaotian seems to trust him quite a bit. Since they supported each other all the way, only then could they hold on until I rescued them. Looking at Shen Luo, his skills aren¡¯t from the Little Straw Mountain line, he must have had some other opportunity. He may also be the only living disciple of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion apart from Xiaotian.¡± Bai Jiangfeng considered and replied. ¡°This is precisely why I feel that this man is not simple, he might be hiding secrets from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Assign someone to investigate his background. If there is no problem, then take the opportunity to make Xiaotian talk to him and see if he is willing to submit to our Bai family in the future. The world is becoming more and more chaotic. Incidents like small cultivation sects like Spring and Autumn Pavilion being annihilated are frequently happening within the Tang Dynasty. We also need to accumulate strength in a hurry.¡± Bai Hecheng nodded and said. ¡°At present, our Bai Family still has more than enough to survive. More and more sects outside believe in the prophecy of the Heaven and Earth Calamity. The whole cultivation world seems calm and stable on the surface, but there is already an undercurrent blowing. The Spring and Autumn Pavilion incident, I see that the chance to find the real culprit behind the scenes is not great. We should also sift through our family thoroughly.¡± Bai Jiangfeng suggested. ¡°This is exactly what we can do now, it is to thoroughly probe the entire family to prevent the demon race from infiltrating. The other day, the ancestor also mentioned the Heaven and Earth Calamity, and he too felt a lot of pressure.¡± Bai Hecheng slowly said. ¡°Jiangfeng, Hecheng¡­¡± At this moment, an old voice suddenly sounded directly in their minds. Chapter 135 - Chapter 135: Chapter 134: Idle Chat Chapter 135: Chapter 134: Idle Chat ¡°Ancestor.¡± The duo from Bai Hecheng immediately responded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯m already aware of the situation pertaining to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, but this is not the most important matter at the moment.¡± The White Family¡¯s Ancestor relayed telepathically. Bai Hecheng and Bai Jiangfeng remained silent, standing quietly by and awaiting the Ancestor¡¯s instructions. ¡°The Spring and Autumn Pavilion is destroyed, yet Sky has not fully mastered the Pure Yang Scripture. Send him to other genuine cultivation sects to see if he can learn more powerful mystic arts and make rapid progress.¡± The White Family¡¯s Ancestor continued. ¡°Please indicate where he should go, Ancestor.¡± Bai Hecheng knew the Ancestor wouldn¡¯t speak without thought and respectfully asked. ¡°I still have some incense fire connections with Hua Sheng Temple from the past. I¡¯ve already sent a letter there and should receive a response in a few days.¡± The White Family¡¯s Ancestor continued to relay telepathically. Upon hearing these words, Bai Hecheng couldn¡¯t help but show a hint of happiness in his eyes. The Hua Sheng Temple, located near Chang¡¯an City, is one of the foremost cultivation sects within the Tang Dynasty. Their ¡°Vajra Subdues Demons¡± technique is renowned and far surpasses that of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. ¡°If Sky could practice at Hua Sheng Temple, that would indeed be a great fortune for our Bai Family.¡± Bai Jiangfeng couldn¡¯t help but comment. ¡°Don¡¯t be too thrilled. The incense fire connection I have with Hua Sheng Temple is only barely enough to send Sky into the Mountain Gate. Most likely, he will have to start as an outer disciple. If he wants to truly learn high-level mystic arts, he¡¯ll have to strive for it himself,¡± the Ancestor¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°Sky possesses an excellent aptitude, though his disposition is a bit too unrestrained and unfettered, which hampers his cultivation. This round of tempering should make him more diligent and ensure he doesn¡¯t waste the Ancestor¡¯s nurturing in vain,¡± Bai Hecheng replied. After this exchange, the Ancestor fell silent and left Bai Hecheng and the other feeling ecstatic about the situation. ¡­ Meanwhile, Shen Luo was following Sky back to his residence. As they entered the courtyard, a sharp, thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl in maid attire greeted them, sweetly calling out ¡°Young Master¡±. ¡°Green Sleeve, how come you didn¡¯t meet me at the Big Gate?¡± Spotting her, Sky smiled and gently pinched her chubby cheek. ¡°When I heard the Young Master was bringing a guest back, I busied myself tidying up the guest room and in the rush, I forgot. Once I remembered, the Young Master had already been summoned by the Family Head, so I returned here to wait for you.¡± The young girl rubbed her cheek, responding. ¡°This clever girl is named Green Sleeve. She has served me ever since she was six years old. Though she is my servant, I¡¯ve always considered her a little sister.¡± After introducing Green Sleeve, Sky proceeded to introduce Shen Luo, showing no airs of a young master. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Young Master Shen.¡± On hearing this, Green Sleeve hastily bowed to Shen Luo. ¡°Just call me Big Brother Shen,¡± Shen Luo waved casually, laughing. ¡°Young Master, Big Brother Shen, you must be exhausted from your journey. The room is already prepared for a medicinal bath. Why not take a bath and refresh yourselves?¡± Green Sleeve led the two to the front of the house, speaking. ¡°Honestly, I hadn¡¯t noticed until you mentioned it, but now I feel a bit uncomfortable all over. Green Sleeve, you first lead Shen Luo to the room for a bath, I¡¯ll have someone else assist me today,¡± Sky laughed, trying to adjust his stiff shoulders. ¡°As you command,¡± Green Sleeve hurriedly acknowledged, bowing. Following this, Sky returned to his room, while Shen Luo, led by Green Sleeve, entered the guest room. Upon entering, Shen Luo found the room a bit dazzling. Though it was a guest room, it was more splendid than his home¡¯s main room, echoing the wealth and grandeur of a prestigious family. Upon entering, instead of a bed, there was a room with tables and chairs, teaware. Separate by another door, towards the interior was the actual living and bedroom. Leading the way, Green Sleeve pushed open the inner door, immediately releasing a potent fragrance, a mix of medicinal herbs and fresh flowers. ¡°This scent is pleasant without being cloying, warm without being harsh, and appears to relax the body and mind. Judging by the aroma, the medicinal bath likely contains blood-activating and meridian-clearing herbs like safflower and angelica sinensis, as well as many calming and stress-relieving herbs, right?¡± Shen Luo asked as he took a sniff at the doorway. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Big Brother Shen to be familiar with medical knowledge! You¡¯re absolutely correct.¡± Green Sleeve covered her mouth with her delicate hand, brightly responding. ¡°I know a thing or two, your flattery is undeserved,¡± Shen Luo laughed, responding. ¡°Not at all! There are only a few who our Young Master treats as his true friends, which speaks to Big Brother Shen¡¯s extraordinary abilities,¡± the smile on Green Sleeve¡¯s round face didn¡¯t fade as she confidently responded. Entering the inner room, Shen Luo saw a carved ivory bed placed against the wall on the left. On the right, separated by a screen, a white mist was billowing from behind it. ¡°Big Brother Shen, I will call two maids to attend to you during your bath,¡± Green Sleeve moved forward, ready to help him remove his clothes. Shen Luo swiftly side-stepped her, hurriedly saying: ¡°No need to trouble yourself, Green Sleeve, I can handle this myself.¡± ¡°How can that be, Young Master specifically instructed me to serve Big Brother Shen properly,¡± Green Sleeve insisted quickly. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve gotten used to bathing alone. If someone is present, I tend to feel uneasy. If Green Sleeve is worried about the Young Master¡¯s rebuke, you can accompany me by chatting with me outside,¡± Shen Luo laughed, responding. Naturally, Shen Luo wasn¡¯t being entirely truthful. He had been accustomed to being pampered since he was young, so how could he be uncomfortable being served? In fact, he was still holding the stone box in his bosom which contained the jade pillow, heavenly book, and Pure Yang Scripture, things he couldn¡¯t let others see. ¡°Alright then, I will chat with Big Brother Shen outside. I hope you won¡¯t mind my chatter.¡± Unable to persuade him, Green Sleeve reluctantly agreed, pouting. After saying this, two maids placed a round stool outside, on which Green Sleeve took her seat. Upon walking behind the screen, Shen Luo saw a set of brand new clothes on the table near the bath. He took the stone box from his bosom, placing it on the table and covering it with the clothes. After that, he took off the clothes he¡¯d been wearing for multiple days and tossed them aside, then climbed into the bath and laid down. In a flash, warm medicinal fluid enveloped him. He felt as if every pore of his body had opened up in an instant, and the tension in his body and spirit completely relaxed. ¡°Big Brother Shen, I heard that on your way back to Jianye City with the Young Master you were attacked by a demon. Was the situation very dangerous?¡± Green Sleeve, who had been waiting outside patiently for him to speak, took the initiative to ask. ¡°The situation was quite dangerous, but in the end, we managed to get through it,¡± Shen Luo, not wanting to dwell, responded curtly. ¡°Actually, the area surrounding Jianye City hasn¡¯t been peaceful either recently. It was said that several people died outside the city at Shi Li Pu. They were all believed to have been bewitched by demons. Some drowned themselves while others hanged themselves. The most bizarre case was a person who even cut off his own head¡­ These tales are horrifying to hear,¡± Green Sleeve continued unabated. Chapter 136 - Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Demon Wind Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Demon Wind ¡°They are all hearsay, Miss Green Sleeve, don¡¯t scare yourself. Besides, you¡¯re part of the Bai family, a renowned Demon Exorcising Family. What kind of demon would dare to violate this place, risking their own life?¡± Shen Luo consoled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, hahaha¡­ Anyway, as long as it¡¯s not a Demonic Being, common monsters and ghosts can be easily destroyed by a single elder or family head from our family.¡± The young girl laughed upon hearing this. Hearing this, Shen Luo frowned slightly and asked tentatively, ¡°Miss Green Sleeve, do you know about the exorcism conducted by the Bai family back in the day?¡± ¡°That was more than a hundred years ago. Besides the elders, only the aged people in the family know the details, and I naturally know even less. However, I have heard some rumors about exorcism recently. How much of it is true or false, I don¡¯t know.¡± Green Sleeve pondered for a while before changing the subject. ¡°Since we¡¯re free, why don¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± Shen Luo adopted a curious look. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll tell you. Outside Jianye City, near Purple Cloud Mountain, there is a village named Taoyuan Village¡­¡± Green Sleeve seemed to have opened a box of stories and began to narrate diligently. As it turned out, in this place called Taoyuan Village, there has been a huge Pan Peach tree since ancient times. The villagers have multiplied for generations but don¡¯t know when this ancient tree originated. They only know that the tree is at least a thousand years old. Legend has it that the Pan Peach tree blooms every year, but it never bears fruit. Although the villagers were puzzled, they regarded the ancient tree as a sign of good fortune and took good care of it. However, one year, when the peach blossoms were blooming most magnificently, a demon wind suddenly descended from the sky, shrouded in thick black smoke which surrounded the peach tree. The villagers could not approach, and the branches and leaves of the peach tree quickly decayed and fell. The village head at that time was a man named Qin Shouan. In order to protect the peach tree, he took a torch and a hatchet, hoping to drive away the demon wind. However, not only did he fail, but he also got himself trapped inside the wind. Afterward, the demon wind went wild. It not only controlled Qin Shouan, but also controlled many wild cats and pigs, instructing them to attack the villagers. The villagers suffered greatly, and they raised money to invite an Immortal Master to tame the demon. However, after three or four Immortal Masters went, none of them returned. In the end, the daughter of the village head, in order to save her father, made great efforts to seek help from Jianye City. On the way, she happened to encounter a warrior in the Grain Avoidance Stage. Touched by her filial piety, he accompanied her to Taoyuan Village to tame the demon. However, they discovered that the demon wind was a powerful demonic being. Qin Shouan and many wild animals had been demonized by it, becoming extremely violent and cruel. The warrior soon found himself in a tough battle and eventually managed to save the whole village, only to vanish without a trace. ¡°Was the demon wind slain?¡± Shen Luo asked after hearing the story. ¡°The rumor didn¡¯t specify. However, since Taoyuan Village has been free from demonic troubles since then, it should have been slain I guess.¡± Green Sleeve thought for a moment and replied. Shen Luo silently pondered, and had a hunch that this ¡°demon wind¡± may not have been truly slain. However, the specifics were likely only known to that ¡°warrior¡±. After Green Sleeve finished speaking, she chatted casually with Shen Luo about other tales and anecdotes. Soon, Bai Xiaotian came to urge them, saying it was time for the feast, thus ending their discussion. Shen Luo changed into a brand new round-collared green robe, put the stone box back into his pocket, and then went to the banquet with Bai Xiaotian. ¡­ When night fell, Shen Luo planned to take out the jade pendant and examine the ¡°Pure Yang Scripture¡± recorded inside. However, soon after returning to his room, he was overtaken by sleepiness and fell asleep heavily on the bed. He was not sure how long he had slept when he suddenly felt a chill crawl over him. He shivered and instinctively reached out to grab the quilt, but instead of grabbing the quilt, his hand touched an ice-cold hard object. Shen Luo first furrowed his brows, but soon his eyes flew open, and his mind instantly cleared. He abruptly sat up, causing a ¡°clang¡± around him as several short spears fell off his body, clashing and rolling on the ground. Shen Luo glanced down and realized they were the flame short spears he had obtained from Commander Wu during his sleepwalking journey through Jia Lan Temple. It hit him then, he had sleepwalked again! ¡°Ouch¡­¡± ¡°Help me¡­¡± Before he could understand what was going on, heartbreaking cries for help echoed from behind him. He quickly turned around and saw, a few feet away, seven or eight sturdy bronze pillars, their surfaces covered with a thick layer of rust. Around each pillar were chains formed of dense, black Qi. Ghosts, with green faces, fangs, and horrifying appearances, were tethered to the bronze pillars by these chains. For some unknown reason, these ghosts all looked downcast, and some even had missing limbs, which made the sight even more tragic. Subconsciously, Shen Luo grabbed two of the short spears and stepped back five or six paces. The sound of his footsteps drew the attention of the ghosts. As they raised their heads and spotted Shen Luo, they stirred restlessly. A green-faced, red-eyed ghost began to scream excitedly, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. A hanging ghost with its tongue dangling down to its belly reached out with a pair of withered hands. Then, a headless ghost held its own head and shook it continuously at him¡­ A wave of horror washed over Shen Luo, but after steadying his mind and scanning his surroundings again, he discovered that he was standing in the center of a fairly large, circular altar, including the area occupied by the bronze pillars. In the center of the altar was rammed earth, while its surroundings were lined with layers of bone piles built from human skulls, all facing inward and emitting a green glow that sent shivers down Shen Luo¡¯s spine. Looking skyward, he saw a dark, oppressive ceiling of thick yellow clouds. The atmosphere was eerie and suffocating. However, the grounds around the altar were wide open with no signs of life. It appeared like a desolate, silent wilderness. ¡°Shen Luo, Shen Luo¡­¡± Just then, Shen Luo suddenly heard a voice calling from behind him. Turning around, he saw a red ghost with a horse¡¯s head and a human body, shouting his name with a human voice while excitedly waving its one remaining arm. Shocked, Shen Luo wondered why this ghost knew his name. Upon closer examination of the horse-headed, man-bodied ghost, he noticed that it was dressed differently from the other ghosts. Its garb rather resembled the official uniform of a judicial constable. ¡°What kind of ghost are you, and how do you know my name?¡± Shen Luo cautiously stepped closer, frowning as he questioned. Chapter 137 - Chapter 137: Chapter 136: The Soul-Hooking Ma Mian Chapter 137: Chapter 136: The Soul-Hooking Ma Mian At this moment, the horse-faced ghost wore a face of astonishment and didn¡¯t answer, instead muttering incessantly: ¡°Are you really Shen Luo? Impossible, it¡¯s impossible¡­ How can you appear here, how can you still be alive?¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting!¡± Shen Luo was genuinely taken aback by the horse-faced ghost¡¯s gibberish, he retorted harshly. ¡± Quick¡­ put me down, I have something to say to you!¡± The horse-faced ghost finally came to his senses, shouting urgently. After hesitating slightly, Shen Luo sensed that the horse-faced ghost posed no threat, so he immediately channeled his mana, which flowed through his meridians into the short spear in his hand. With the short spear ¡°peng¡± igniting flames, he realized that his dantian was filled with abundant mana, clearly maintaining his previous cultivation state from the third level of the Nameless Heavenly Book. He took a step forward and wielded the short spear at the black qi ropes entwining the horse-faced ghost. The fire flared like a blade cutting the black rope apart. The horse-faced ghost fell from the pillar, stumbled to kneel, and its white mane spread out from behind its head. Just as it raised its head, the tip of a fire spear was aimed at its forehead. ¡°Speak, how do you know me?¡± Shen Luo sternly demanded. The horse-faced ghost had an odd expression but before it could speak, the altar beneath them began to shake violently as if a monstrous creature were moving towards them. The green ghost flames flickered on the bone corpses on the side. Shen Luo felt his mind shake along with the trembling altar beneath him, not knowing what had happened, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, creating an inexplicable fear. Then, he heard a chant of ¡°Black Mountain, Black Mountain¡± coming from the direction of the tremors, the voices were sometimes far, sometimes near, indeterminate as if one person was shouting or thousands were calling, creating an eerie atmosphere. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s the Black Mountain Old Demon!¡± The horse-faced ghost struggled to stand and shrieked. Shen Luo had no patience to question the horse-faced ghost further, he looked in the direction of the sound, and vaguely saw a massive, black mountain emerge. Even if he didn¡¯t know what the ¡°Black Mountain Old Demon¡± was, the grandeur was enough to show it wouldn¡¯t be easy to handle. So, he picked up all the short spears from the ground, slung them over his shoulder, and began to jog away from the altar, planning to leave as quickly as possible. ¡°Hey, Shen Luo, wait for me¡­¡± The horse-faced ghost shouted then leapt from the altar to follow closely behind. Shen Luo paid no heed and continued to run. Thus, the human and ghost ran in opposite directions to the approaching ¡°Black Mountain Old Demon¡±. However, they hadn¡¯t gone far when Shen Luo heard the sound of gale howling from behind him. He couldn¡¯t help but look back and his heart skipped a beat. The yellow cloud above the altar suddenly twisted and swirled, revealing an incredibly large ghost face. This ghost face was vague and the facial features were blurry. The mouth suddenly opened wide, splitting apart its entire face. The yellow clouds inside rolled, releasing a fearsome pull. Next, Shen Luo saw the entire altar beneath the giant face begin to shake violently, and abruptly uproot. With the anguished screams of the ghosts echoing, the altar, along with the ten bone corpse piles, flew into the giant mouth. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t think about escaping¡­¡± An eerie laugh echoed from the sky. The giant face suddenly tilted, changing its perspective from looking down vertically at the earth to looking forward. The surrounding yellow cloud suddenly turned pitch black, became a howling gale and pursued Shen Luo. Cursing inwardly, but without knowing what to do, Shen Luo could only run desperately. ¡°Shen Luo, it¡¯s useless. This Black Mountain Old Demon is a Ghost King at the Nascent Soul Stage. We can¡¯t escape like this.¡± The horse-faced ghost roared from behind. As the words fell, the yellow clouds above their heads suddenly turned pitch black. Amid turbulent clouds, an incredibly large black giant hand stretched out and pressed down like five mountain ranges. Shen Luo looked back to see that the giant hand eclipsing the sky. They couldn¡¯t outrun the overwhelming hand with their speed. Continuing to run was pointless. ¡°So be it, let¡¯s fight¡­¡± He steeled his heart, suddenly halted, and spun around. He took a short spear from his body, channeled his mana into it, held it in one hand, took a few steps forward, swung his arm mightily, and threw it upwards. The short spear, as the mana was channeled into it, spurred a circle of crimson flames and whistled like an arrow towards the black giant hand. There was a loud ¡®boom¡¯! The flame short spear exploded on impact with the giant hand. However, the short spear was too insignificant compared to the giant hand blocking the sky. Even when it exploded, it was merely a small firework lighting up the night sky, flickering briefly before dissipating. The black giant hand didn¡¯t even pause, continuing to press down. ¡°No use, we can¡¯t stop it¡­¡± The horse-faced ghost stood shoulder to shoulder with Shen Luo, shaking his head in despair. Shen Luo furrowed his eyebrows. He took another short spear from his body, again invested his mana, turning it into a fiery short spear and hurled it. Once a spear was thrown, another one followed, the whistling sounds sounded continuously. He threw out all the remaining six short spears, which as magical instruments, were far more powerful than any Talismanic Instrument when forcefully empowered with mana and brute strength. ¡°Boom boom boom¡­¡± The sound of explosions echoed in the sky as the force of the explosive fire spears continuously overlapped, transforming a small firework into a huge sea of flames. After the sea of flames spread, Shen Luo took out the one-foot-long crystal spear that radiated a compelling cold aura from his sleeve. He tightly gripped the little spear with both hands, the Nameless Cultivation Technique within his body worked rapidly, his whole mana gushed out from his dantian and was pumped into the spear without any reservation. The brilliant icy spear in his hands immediately radiated a dazzling white light, and ballooned into a giant icy spear about a yard long. ¡°Go!¡± With an explosive shout from Shen Luo, he once again exerted all his strength and threw the icy spear diagonally upwards. Chapter 138 - Chapter 138: Chapter 137: The Three Hatreds of the Ghost Gate Pass Chapter 138: Chapter 137: The Three Hatreds of the Ghost Gate Pass The ice spear sliced across the sky, leaving a white trail, swiftly met by the giant hand. Instead of shattering on impact as the flame short spear had, it broke through the outer layer of defense, stabbing into the palm of the hand. Then, ¡°crackling¡± sounds echoed high in the sky, a layer of white chillness spreading from the ice spear at the center, enveloping the black giant hand. But the black giant hand simply swirled with green ghost flame on its surface and swept away all the chillness, continuing to slowly press down without hesitation. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s face turned ashen. He knew that he was again on the brink of death. And with the terrifying strength of the Black Mountain Old Demon, even if he was to resurrect again, the hope of escape seemed extremely slim. ¡°Oh well, oh well! Let me at least see you off. It won¡¯t be a total waste of our encounter.¡± Just then, the horse-faced ghost beside him suddenly sighed, opened its mouth, and spat out a flash of red light from its tongue, releasing two bright red Safflowers, throwing one of them to Shen Luo. ¡°What is this¡­ What are you doing?¡± Shen Luo subconsciously took the red light, greatly astonished. With the horse-faced ghost¡¯s strength inferior to his, could it have found a way to escape? The horse-faced ghost had already thrown the red Safflower into its mouth, swallowing it directly. Then, it howled up to the sky. A substantial red light suddenly erupted from its body, its aura skyrocketing incessantly, as if it had no limits. Shen Luo, who was watching from the side, was immediately blown back dozens of feet. He felt his scalp tingling and his hair standing on end. It no longer seemed like he was facing a nameless small ghost, but a giant beast-like ghost. ¡°Huh, you are¡­?¡± A startled sound came from high in the sky, and the pressing giant hand paused suddenly. The horse-faced ghost paid no attention, instead pulling out a black writing brush about a foot long from his bosom and pointing it to the void above.¡± The black writing brush seemed made of fine iron. On the penholder were densely drawn runes. As the horse-faced ghost pointed, a dazzling red light came from its tip, and red runes shot out. Shen Luo saw that above his head, all the runes converged into an article. He could not recognize all the words but could vaguely see ¡°Impeaching Ghosts, Exorcising Evil¡± and other words. Once the rune essay was completed, it immediately turned into a giant red light rushing into the sky. Amid thunderous ¡°rumbling¡± sounds, it managed to retreat the black giant hand, pushing it back into the dark clouds. Shen Luo was dumbfounded. ¡°Soul Hooking Pen, Impeach Ghost Poem, Soul Hooking Envoy¡­ it¡¯s you, Soul Hook Horse Face?¡± From the distant sky came the surprised and angry voice of the Black Mountain Old Demon, echoing endlessly. ¡°Soul Hook Horse Face?¡± Shen Luo heard this and felt a surge of disbelief. The horse-faced ghost completely ignored the roars of the Black Mountain Old Demon. It withdrew its black brush and made a vigorous stroke in the void. In front of its tip, a sudden dazzling red light emerged. The originally empty void was directly torn apart by this red light, opening a narrow ripple about three feet wide and several feet long from which gray-white mist oozed out. Before Shen Luo could understand what was happening, he saw the horse-faced ghost suddenly flash him a grin. Then, he kicked Shen Luo. He staggered backward from the kick, falling directly into the rift. The old horse-faced ghost and its black brush were both awash with bloody red light. Both of them dissipated like dust. In Shen Luo¡¯s ears, the last words of the horse-faced ghost rang out: ¡°When the flower wilts, the man dies, the time of a cup of tea¡­¡± In the next instant, the void crack disappeared, only the furious roar of the Black Mountain Old Demon reverberated through the void, with the sound fading away until it vanished. After a bout of dizzying vertigo, Shen Luo only felt a blur in his vision as he reappeared holding the bright red Little Flower in a different place. At this moment, he, tightly enveloped by the red light radiating from the Safflower, stood in an unfamiliar place shrouded in pale gray fog. Not far in front of him, there stood a massive archway reaching more than ten feet in height, pitch black and emanating a wicked aura. It should have been a three-room, four-pillar, seven-story building, but for some reason the left half had already collapsed leaving only two and a half standing with relative integrity. From the eaves of its roof, bells the size of human heads dangled. What was peculiar was that those copper bells, despite swaying in the wind, made no sound whatsoever. Shen Luo furrowed his brows, closely inspecting the center of the archway. On seeing this, he couldn¡¯t help but draw a sharp breath. On the plaque¡¯s position, three big, ancient seal characters were engraved: ¡°Ghost Gate Pass.¡± ¡°Ghost Gate Pass¡­isn¡¯t this the place of Yinming? How did I end up here?¡± Shen Luo was utterly shocked, as countless popular tales about this place involuntarily sprung up in his mind. This was a place supposedly reserved for the dead! More importantly, why did the Soul Hook Horse Face recognize him and even sacrifice itself to aid his escape? Upon another close look at the plaque, he confirmed that the words ¡°Ghost Gate Pass¡± were indeed written on it. And beneath those words were three giant characters inked with blood-red and black: ¡°Hatred.¡± ¡°Hatred, Hatred, Hatred.¡± The three ¡°hatred¡± characters were lined up. Each one was written in brushwork so wild that the author¡¯s resentment seemed to deepen with every character. Blood welled up and flowed down the bottom of the words, creating winding lines that made the sight increasingly menacing. ¡°First the Soul Hook Horse Face, now the Ghost Gate Pass, don¡¯t tell me the Yellow Springs Road is next?¡± Shen Luo looked suspiciously at what lay beyond the archway. He beheld, indeed, a road sprawled with yellow sand winding off into the distance and disappearing into the grey fog beyond the archway. Scattered along both sides of the road were bright red flowers blooming freely. The flowers had single sepals and umbrella-like inflorescences on top, with petals curling backward like dragon claws and a color as vibrant as dripping blood. To his astonishment, they were all identical to the one he held, they were all Other Shore Flowers. Legend has it that a unique flower named Other Shore grows along the Yellow Springs Road to the Netherworld, forever blooming without leaves, the only scenery in sight. ¡°It really is the Yellow Springs Road¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes changed as he muttered to himself. Just then, a dull rumbling sound rang out from the void overhead, followed by gusts of wind from high above. Shen Luo immediately looked up and saw the sky filled with swirling Yin winds, covered with dark clouds. There was a slightly brighter, circular hole in the middle, surrounded by thick clouds, shining with a white light. It looked like the entire sky had been pierced through with a hole. Having a vague sense of an impending crisis, he subconsciously wanted to get away from there, but naturally, he couldn¡¯t enter the Ghost Gate Pass in front of him. Chapter 139 - Chapter 139: Chapter 138: The Misty Hole Chapter 139: Chapter 138: The Misty Hole Shen Luo felt around his body and discovered that the elixir and gold rope he had obtained from the Demon Fox and Commander Wu last time were still on him. This put his mind at ease somewhat. He turned around, casting his gaze in all directions, only to find that all he could see was a vast expanse of white fog, its destination unknown. After a brief contemplation, he lifted his foot and started walking in the direction opposite to the Ghost Gate Pass. After walking about a hundred yards in one go, Shen Luo noticed the dense fog before him growing thicker while the chilling Yin wind around him was also becoming fiercer. Feeling a bit uneasy in his heart and still haunted by the words ¡°time of a cup of tea¡± that the horse-faced ghost had said in its final message, he decided to start running at full speed. In response to his running, not only was there no sign of improvement in the surrounding conditions, things seemed to be getting worse. Soon, the visibility was completely zero and the only thing he could hear was the constant howling wind. When Shen Luo thought he would never be able to escape, the fog in front of him suddenly dispersed out of nowhere. The wind sound instantly disappeared, and he felt a sudden ease in his body, stumbling a few steps forward before finally steadying himself. Before Shen Luo had the time to celebrate the relief, he lifted his head and saw himself standing in front of a ruined archway. On it, there was a damaged inscription that read ¡°Ghost Gate Pass¡±. Below the inscription, there were three more characters with a black-red color which spelled ¡°hate¡±, that looked terrifyingly horrific. ¡°I¡¯m back again!¡± Furrowing his brows, Shen Luo was still trying to figure out what was happening when he noticed that tiny red spots of light were floating out from the Other Shore Flower in his hand, looking like the embers from a burning fire. As these light spots started to disappear, the red light on the Other Shore Flower continued to weaken and the color also grew dim, almost making the flower seem like it was about to wilt away. ¡°The flower wilts, I perish, the time of a cup of tea¡­¡± Shen Luo suddenly understood a bit. He looked past the archway at the foggy Yellow Springs Road. Steeling his heart, he started to run toward the Ghost Gate Pass. If there was no way back, he had no choice but to move forward. No matter how dangerous the path ahead may be, it was definitely better than waiting here for an inevitable death! Shen Luo took a step over the collapsed black stone under the archway and then, making a great leap, tried to enter the Ghost Gate Pass. But at that moment, an unexpected change took place! The three ¡°hate¡± characters under the title board of the Ghost Gate Pass began to glow intensely. As soon as Shen Luo drew near, he was hit by an invisible, enormous force that sent him flying backward. Falling back, Shen Luo caught his body with his hand on the ground, just managing to steady himself. All he felt was a churning in his chest followed by an intense cruel thought drilling into his mind. In haste, he started to operate the Nameless Cultivation Technique, directing all the mana straight up his head, which drove out the evil thought. When Shen Luo looked at the Other Shore Flower in his hand, he found that the petals were turning yellow and only the bud maintained a bit of red color. He clenched his teeth and made another dash toward the inside of the archway. His body then lit up with a faint blue light, and he mustered all of his mana to push himself forward once again. Next, the three characters ¡°hate¡± shone with an intense red light once more. A much stronger invisible force erupted from the characters, smashing into Shen Luo. Shen Luo gave a faint groan. The blue light around him was shattered, and he was sent flying high into the air. Before he could even land, the Other Shore Flower in his hand had completely wilted. Along with the flowers turning to dust, the protective red light that was always around Shen Luo disappeared. The surrounding ghost fog and Yin wind suddenly rushed towards him, forming a huge, grey vortex, with him right in the center. Without the protection of the red light, a piece of his clothing that came in contact with the ghost fog quickly turned to ash and soon blew away with the Yin wind. Seeing this, Shen Luo was greatly alarmed and looked up at the massive hole in the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s try it one more time!¡± He sighed in despair. The moment he landed, all the magical power in his body was concentrated into his legs and he leapt upwards. There was a loud ¡°bang¡± as if a current of air had exploded under his feet. Shen Luo¡¯s figure shot straight up into the sky and went headlong into the hole. It was as if there was a roll of cloud inside the hole, and at the same time, a strong attraction was formed that pulled him in. Shen Luo felt light all over his body and he was already floating, having passed through the hole. After he landed, he stepped on a round stone, stumbled a bit, and then heard a slight ¡°crack.¡± He quickly looked down and realized that what he had just stepped on wasn¡¯t a round stone at all, but a human skull. It seemed to have been dead for a while, and it was easily crushed under his unintentional step. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Shen Luo apologized as he quickly took a step back. ¡°Crack,¡± another light sound. Shen Luo turned to look, another piece of bone under his foot was actually broken by him. His brow wrinkled as he looked around, feeling a chill running down his spine. The fog was thick around him, and all he could see was a radius of tens of meters. Within these tens of meters, there were densely scattered white bones. There were those of the human race and wild beasts. Most were already mixed together, with only a few maintaining their original shapes. In the fog-shrouded areas beyond his sight, it seemed that even more bones were hidden. Shen Luo turned around to look not far away and found that the hole he had escaped from still existed, but it had shrunk to about ten meters across, a far cry from its earlier size. Recalling the scene in front of the Ghost Gate Pass, he still felt a lingering fear and naturally wouldn¡¯t approach the hole again. Surrounded by thick fog, Shen Luo didn¡¯t know which way to go. As he hesitated, he heard a gust of wind, making a ¡°whoo¡± sound, like a woman¡¯s weeping. The white bones that he had smashed under his feet were swept up by the wind, scattering ashes towards the front. Shen Luo slightly furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then walked in the direction the wind was blowing. In the vast wilderness, Shen Luo was taking uneven steps. Although he tried to avoid it, he still occasionally stepped on bones, making continuous crunching noises. He didn¡¯t know how long he had walked when he noticed that the fog in front of him was gradually thinning. His spirit slightly stirred, he walked a bit further and the fog tailed off, broadening his view. Only then did he realize that he was standing on a hillside, and across a pit was an imposing cyan mountain peak that towered into the clouds. Shen Luo looked back and then continued down the slope. Halfway down, he suddenly heard a bird-like cry from high above. Chapter 140 - Chapter 140: Chapter 139: Resisting the Demon Attack Chapter 140: Chapter 139: Resisting the Demon Attack He quickly looked up, seeing a gigantic bird circling in the sky with wings spread out measuring twenty to thirty feet. Its feathers were shiny black and exuded a faint black fog. It almost seemed like a demon. Before Shen Luo observed carefully, the bird dove down towards the mountain pit. It disappeared from his sight swiftly. Shen Luo was puzzled, so he quickened his pace, chasing in the direction where the bird had vanished. He moved forward gradually for about a hundred steps, then he heard roars of beasts and constant cries of despair faintly coming from ahead. ¡°There are people!¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself and accelerated down the mountain. The closer he got, the louder the cries of despair and beast roars became. Halfway up the mountain, he finally saw a village built against a massive mountain in the middle of the pit. Although the village wasn¡¯t big, its surroundings were fortified like a military camp. Tree trunks were sharpened at the top, formed into rows, and turned into sturdy wooden fences. These walls made from wooden fences were about twenty feet high. Platforms were built inside them with teenagers of the human race standing every few feet, wearing coarse hemp clothes, and continuously shooting arrows and stabbing with spears. Outside of the wooden fence, there were several gray-haired monkeys as tall as humans but ten times stronger. Some of these monkeys were throwing rocks at the wall. Each impact would produce loud bangs, expressing intense force. The wooden fence on one side had two huge doors wrapped in iron. Several monkeys had gathered there, wielding large stone clubs and continuously smashing the door with their arms swinging around. Someone noticed the door shaking severely due to their smashing and was about to break down. He leaned out and stabbed downwards with his spear to fend off the monkeys. But shortly after showing his head, he was struck in the forehead by a rock, causing his brain to burst open. His body tilted and fell off the wall. The monkeys gathered at the gate then abandoned their smashing, swarmed over, and fought for the man¡¯s corpse. The body was going to be torn apart beneath their hands. At this point, a purple-haired woman in coarse armor suddenly appeared on top of the wooden fence. She quickly formed seals with her hands. There was an immediate whoosh in the void and a fireball as big as a human head descended from the sky, smashing towards the group of gray-haired monkeys. The beasts seemed to know the danger of the fireball and abandoned the meat in their mouths, instantly scampering away. As the fireball hit the corpse, a flame immediately rose, swallowing it comfortably. Watching this, the monkeys became even more ferocious and started smashing the gate again. The others threw rocks, aiming at the woman. ¡°A cultivator¡­¡± Shen Luo hesitated for a moment before focusing on the woman. He noticed how young and tender her face was, she was just a girl. Underneath her broken armor, on her arms and leg area, were wraps of white cloth. There were faint traces of black dried blood visible on them. Just then, the bird cry rang in the sky. Shen Luo looked up, seeing three or four huge birds similar to the one he saw before, circling over the village. Suddenly, they all swooped down one by one, flying over the wooden fences, and attacked the village. Upon seeing this, the youths on the high fence wall quickly drew their bows and shot feathered arrows at them. The arrows whizzed through the air at a seemingly fast speed, but when they reached the giant birds, the gusts of wind created by the birds¡¯ flapping wings deviated them from their course. Not a single one hit its target. The giant birds swooped into the village, demolishing mud and straw houses, pecking and hooking with their beaks and claws, dragging out the old, the young, and the helpless who had taken shelter in the houses. Shrieks and screams filled the air. Along the roadside in the village, some poor, emaciated villagers sat next to collapsed walls, unresponsive and dazed, with murky eyes devoid of any hint of life, seemingly lifeless. A frail old woman staggered a few steps, then collapsed onto the ground, lacking even the strength to struggle back onto her feet. Her eyes, long since dry, could not even shed tears anymore. Once outside the fence, the three giant birds opened their mouths and dropped their prey, leaving the weak and the unable bloodied and battered on the ground. The gray-haired monkeys lept towards the prey, quickly rending them apart and picking their remains clean. Feasting on human flesh seemed to have excited these beasts, who attacked the village with renewed vigor, and the giant birds too, took to the air, swooping back towards the village. One giant bird flew over a cottage in the center of the village, a few flaps of its wings and a gust of wind swept away the entire roof. A chorus of screams rang out from the house ¨C there were thirteen or fourteen children, all huddling fearfully in a corner. Their faces were all stained with tears, their eyes filled with fear. Upon seeing this, the giant bird screeched gleefully and immediately dived towards the terrified children. At the same moment, an old woman with a face full of wrinkles suddenly rushed over, holding a wooden broomstick. Like a hen protecting its chicks, she stood in front of the children. The bird¡¯s hooked talons swooped down, about to seize the old woman. Then ¨C ¡°BOOM!¡± A ball of fiery red flame suddenly fell diagonally from the sky and struck the bird¡¯s back. With a mournful screech, the bird was slammed away, crashing into a wall and getting buried in the rubble. At the edge of the wall, the purple-haired girl, her face pale, slowly withdrew her hand. She smiled weakly at the old woman and children in the corner. But before she could fully extend her smile, a swiftly propelled stone hit her in the back. She lost her balance and tumbled from the top of the wall, landing heavily on the ground, blood spewing from her mouth. Without her assistance defending the wall, the young men were quickly suppressed by the monkey¡¯s onslaught of stones, not daring to reveal themselves. Meanwhile, a couple of monkeys at the gate began to hammer even more enthusiastically. The gate that was weather-beaten over time, could no longer hold, ready to shatter at any moment. Once the gate was breached, the village would surely be destroyed and the lives of its inhabitants lost. Despite the excruciating pain coursing through her body, the purple-haired girl struggled to her feet, intent on making her way towards the gate. Her injuries were severe, her footing unsteady. She didn¡¯t notice that the giant bird she had knocked down had risen from the mound of rubble. It fluttered its wings and swooped towards her, its sharp beak thrusting straight towards the back of her head. Chapter 141 - Chapter 141: Chapter 140: Longevity Village Chapter 141: Chapter 140: Longevity Village At a critical moment, the girl saw through her blurry vision the figure of a stranger, a man who towered over the fence. Grasping a spear in his hand, he threw it violently towards her. Subconsciously, the girl wanted to dodge, but the speed of the flying spear was much faster than she expected. With a ¡°whoosh,¡± the spear flew past her earlobe. The short shriek behind her signaled the giant bird¡¯s death ¨C its head impaled by the spear embedded in the ground. The girl wiped the blood off her face and saw the man properly. It was a handsome young man. The man was Shen Luo. Seeing the girl¡¯s pitiful condition yet still forcing a smile towards him moved him deeply, erupting a surge of passion in his heart. ¡°You can rest now. Let me handle these beasts,¡± Shen Luo announced. Just as he finished speaking, two remaining birds, witnessing the death of their peer, pounced at Shen Luo. Their hook-like claws lunched at his neck from either side. Shen Luo was undeterred, with each hand grabbing the claws of one bird, he twisted around with a surge of Mana and hurled them to the ground. Before the birds could struggle to stand, Shen Luo leaped into the air, stamping on their heads. He quickly killed them. Then Shen Luo advanced forward, his inner Mana spiraling as he leaped over the fence and landed outside the village. The monkeys seeing Shen Luo immediately mistook him for food and flocked towards him. Feeling his pockets, Shen Luo remembered that both his Ice Gun and Fire Gun had been destroyed by the Black Mountain Old Demon. At the moment, he only had the magical golden rope coiled around his waist. However, he kept his calm. He had noticed earlier that these grey-haired monkeys and birds were low-level monsters, barely having opened their Spiritual Wisdom. They were not even comparable to the Rat Monster under the Demon Fox and were no match for him. He silently recalled the mantra of the Qingyang Hand, attempting to channel the masculine energy of his body into his palms according to the operating method of the mantra. Immediately a green light glowed on his palms, and they seemed to grow twice their size. As he readied himself, a monkey advanced and threw a punch at him. Shen Luo dodged easily and slapped it on the head. The monkey¡¯s head sank in, and it collapsed without making a sound. Then, two more monkeys wielding stone clubs rushed towards him. Shen Luo struck out with both palms, easily shattering the stone clubs, he then caught each monkey¡¯s head in each hand and slammed their heads together. With a ¡°pop¡± sound, both monkeys¡¯ heads exploded. These ferocious yet foolish monkeys were terrified and immediately retreated. Having just learned the Qingyang Hand technique, Shen Luo didn¡¯t want to miss such a great opportunity to practice it. He charged at the retreating monkeys. With left hook and right palm jab, he killed four to five monkeys within seconds. The villagers who had gathered managed to peek outside and were stunned by the scene. ¡°An Immortal¡­ it¡¯s an Immortal¡­¡± ¡°The Immortals on the mountain have returned¡­ They¡¯ve come back¡­¡± ¡°The Gods are watching over us¡­ our Longevity Village¡­is saved¡­¡± One after the other, people began to cheer out in excitement. Shen Luo chased the monkeys for nearly a hundred steps before stopping. Only three or four monkeys were left and they had fled in panic. On his way back to the village, he noticed that outside the fence, a few acres of barren fields amid sparse, drying bamboo forests seemed half-dead. These fields had been trampled and almost completely destroyed by the monkeys. Arriving at the village entrance, Shen Luo found the shaky stockade gate slowly opened. Nearly a hundred villagers- men, women, and the elderly started to appear slowly. Shabby and exhausted, they looked like a group of refugees. Brows furrowed, Shen Luo approached the crowd. Just as he was about to speak, a large portion of the villagers knelt down. ¡°Thank you, Immortal Master, for saving us¡­¡± ¡°Immortal Master, you are infinitely merciful and benevolent¡­¡± Amidst the praise and thanks, intermittent crying was heard. These survivors could not hold back their emotions and collectively burst into tears. Seeing this, it made Shen Luo a little stunned. Although he had experienced various bizarre events in numerous dreams, he had never experienced a situation like this in Dreamland. ¡°Cry¡­ all of you¡­ It¡¯s no use¡­ we¡¯re all going to die¡­¡± a lunatic¡¯s voice suddenly echoed from the people. When Shen Luo looked over, he saw a dirty, bald old man rushing from the crowd. He repeatedly mumbled that it was useless ¨C they were all going to die. The man reached Shen Luo, stared at him for a while, then suddenly let out a ¡°hehe¡± laughter. He stretched out a finger to Shen Luo and said, ¡°You¡¯re going to die too, hehe¡­¡± Having said that, he circled around Shen Luo, laughing aloud. He then staggered back into the village. The kneeling people seemed to have grown used to this, continuing to cry, their hopeful eyes fixed on Shen Luo as if he were a deity that would save the world. Those who were standing behind and not kneeling seemed as baffled, their faces pale and expressionless, looking more like zombies. ¡°Everybody, please stand up to talk.¡± Shen Luo touched his temple, feeling a bit helpless. No one responded nor stood up, initating an awkward silence. ¡°Everyone stop crying for now. Can anyone tell me what happened to the village?¡± Shen Luo was slightly annoyed and used mana to amplify his voice to drown out the sobs. Upon hearing this, crying dwindled slowly. A dark-skinned man, who was previously on guard at the wall, looked at the distance first, then turned his gaze to Shen Luo. ¡°May I ask, Immortal Master, are you the only one who descended from the mountain?¡± His voice was laced with anxiety. Shen Luo was a bit puzzled. As he was about to speak, he heard a weary woman¡¯s voice: ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t block the entrance. Let¡¯s first let the Daoist friend from the mountain enter the village.¡± Upon hearing her words, the villagers gradually stood up and made way. Shen Luo followed the path and saw the purple-haired girl from before. Holding a long spear, she slowly walked from the inside of the gate. Chapter 142 - Chapter 142: Chapter 141: The Desolate Village Chapter 142: Chapter 141: The Desolate Village The young girl¡¯s wounds had been simply bandaged, and she looked terribly pale. However, her eyes were still bright and different from the rest of the crowd. ¡°Daoist friend, although you helped us fend off these beasts, there¡¯s no guarantee that new monsters won¡¯t attack again. Brother Qingniu, lead everyone to repair the stockade gate and¡­clean up the corpses outside. Sister Yu, together with Aunt Luo, use the meat of these giant birds to prepare food for everyone. We haven¡¯t had meat for a long time. Preserve the rest,¡± the young girl turned and instructed. ¡°Understood,¡± the dark-skinned man who had asked her earlier replied promptly. ¡°Ying Luo, we¡¯ve got this. Don¡¯t worry,¡± two middle-aged women wiped their faces and quickly replied. Shen Luo noticed that this young girl, although injured, was still smiling brightly. This wasn¡¯t the forced smile, but a sincere, wholehearted one, exceptionally radiant, which uplifted the spirits of those who saw her. Influenced by her, the villagers soon stopped crying, scattering to help clean up the chaotic village. ¡°Daoist friend, please follow me,¡± said Ying Luo as she then turned to Shen Luo said crisply. Shen Luo nodded slightly and strolled slowly along with the young girl through the crowd. ¡°If you¡¯re truly an immortal from Mt. Fangcun, why did you only come now? Why did you come only after my husband and son are dead?¡± asked a pallid, middle-aged woman leaning against the gate as they approached. Shen Luo stopped abruptly, about to clarify subconsciously, but he saw Ying Luo give him a subtle wink and swallowed his words. ¡°Of course our Daoist friend comes from Mount Fangcun, how else would he save us all from this hardship?¡± Ying Luo responded, looking at the middle-aged woman. ¡°An immortal from Mount Fangcun¡­,¡± hearing her words, some villagers cheered. ¡°Thank god, an immortal from Mount Fangcun¡­,¡± ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡± The rest of the crowd also rejoiced. Shen Luo frowned slightly, wondering why it mattered whether he was a monk from Mount Fangcun or not. At this moment, he felt a cold gaze on him. Turning his attention towards the village gate, he noticed the white-haired old woman, who had been fiercely protecting the children earlier, standing there, staring at him with an indifferent expression, in stark contrast to the joyous demeanor of the others. Standing next to her were a dozen or so children, aged around eight or nine, who peeked timidly at Shen Luo. The old woman¡¯s eyes were dull and her sockets sunken, which discomforted Shen Luo. Ying Ruo also noticed Shen Luo¡¯s gaze and looked towards the gate. Shen Luo then saw the old woman¡¯s gaze linger on Ying Luo for a moment. They seemed to communicate in silent understanding before the old woman led the children away without a word. Shen Luo followed Ying Luo through the village gate, and the sight before him was a picture of desolation. The houses inside the village, densely packed but scattered,were mostly destroyed near the village gate. Blue-green moss grew from the collapsed and broken walls giving a dreary look. White traces of paper stuck to the broken window sills could still be faintly discerned. A gust of wind blew up a layer of dust across the ground, and the sparse straw on the rooftops also fluttered into the air. Shen Luo waved his hand to keep the dust from coming towards him and followed Ying Luo into the village, stepping carefully over the uneven ground. Ying Luo stayed silent all the way, so Shen Luo didn¡¯t speak either, but he kept scanning the surroundings, observing the whole village. Throughout their journey, they saw few trees¨Cmost of the elm willow trees were already dead, their barks peeled off, leaving only bare trunks with twisted branches standing alone. After the commotion at the village gate, silence returned to the village, with only the sound of the low wind and occasional sobs echoing around, creating an oppressive atmosphere. As they rounded a collapsed house and were about to continue forward, Shen Luo suddenly furrowed his brows and looked back to see a thin, small figure hurriedly hiding. ¡°Chen Guanbao.¡± Ying Luo too noticed someone following them and called out. A child, dressed in a worn-out blue cloth shirt, walked towards them with a rather restrained expression. Shen Luo found the boy somewhat familiar. He appeared to be the boy who was standing next to the old woman earlier. ¡°Sister Ying,¡± the handsome boy approached Ying Luo with his hands behind his back and softly said. ¡°Chen Guanbao, why are you following us?¡± Ying Luo asked gently. Hearing her words, the handsome boy looked up at Shen Luo, slightly hesitated, as though plucking up courage, before saying, ¡°Immortal Brother, can you teach me magic? I want to fight monsters like Sister Ying and protect our village!¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo was somewhat moved and took a second look at Chen Guanbao. He noticed that although the boy was slender and weak, his gaze was determined. The light in his eyes was something that many adults in the village did not possess. However, Shen Luo found himself unable to answer him, as he had no plans to stay in this place. Ying Luo seemed to understand his hesitation. She raised her hand, ruffled the boy¡¯s hair and laughed, ¡°Chen Guanbao is brave, I know that. But you are too young to learn magic spells now. Let¡¯s talk about it when you grow older.¡± ¡°Sister Ying, I¡¯m not small. When the monsters came, I was protecting Tian Niu and the others,¡± Chen Guanbao puffed his chest out and said loudly. ¡°Great, Chen Guanbao has grown up. But Sister Ying and Immortal Brother have things to discuss. Go back first, if Granny Ma can¡¯t find you, she¡¯s going to scold you,¡± Ying Luo said, laughing. Upon hearing this, Chen Guanbao immediately lowered his head and turned around to leave. However, quickly he turned back, took out a wrinkled wild fruit from behind him and handed it over. Shen Luo looked at him in surprise since the fruit was offered to him, not Ying Luo. ¡°Is this for me?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Thank you, Immortal Brother, for saving Sister Ying, for saving us,¡± Chen Guanbao earnestly nodded his head. Shen Luo accepted the wild fruit and saw Chen Guanbao run off hastily. Looking at the small figure disappearing in the distance, Shen Luo felt warmth in his heart, and a hint of a smile flashed on his face. Noticing this, Ying Luo smiled subtly and, after glancing at Shen Luo, continued walking forward. Shen Luo pocketed the wild fruit and followed her. After walking a bit further, they finally stepped into a bamboo house. ¡°What is your exact identity, Daoist friend? Why did you suddenly appear in our Longevity Village?¡± As soon as they entered the house and Ying Luo closed the door, she suddenly turned to Shen Luo and asked sternly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell the villagers that I¡¯m a cultivator from Mount Fangcun?¡± Shen Luo raised his eyebrows slightly and asked somewhat displeased. ¡°Daoist friend, you¡¯ve been kind to us, and I shouldn¡¯t be so impolite. However, given the circumstances, I would be grateful if you could be frank with us,¡± Ying Luo said, her eyes flashing a complex expression, and she apologetically explained. Chapter 143 - Chapter 143: Chapter 142: Ying Luos Request Chapter 143: Chapter 142: Ying Luo¡¯s Request ¡°I won¡¯t lie, I don¡¯t know how I got here. I just lost my way in a fog, and when I emerged, I found myself here.¡± Seeing that the other party was sincere, Shen Luo eased his expression and mused for a moment before answering. ¡°So, you found your way here through the fog. Could it be possible to reach the outside world through it?¡± Ying Luo¡¯s eyes sparkled as she asked eagerly. ¡°I am not sure about that. Miss Ying Luo, could you first tell me what this place is?¡± Shen Luo furrowed his brows as he asked, feeling more puzzled by the minute. ¡°This is Longevity Village, located within the jurisdiction of Bei Qiao County of Baoxiang Country,¡± Ying Luo replied. ¡°Baoxiang Country, does that not mean we are in the territory of the West Niu Hezhou Continent¡­¡± Shen Luo was taken aback when he heard this. He had come across a journal of a previous traveler in the sect¡¯s repository and had seen records of Baoxiang Country in the text. He knew that it was quite far from the Great Tang situated on the Southern Sub-Central Continent. He couldn¡¯t help wondering, when he entered the dream this time, had he actually traversed through an entire continent? ¡°Are you not from this country, Daoist friend?¡± Ying Luo asked with some surprise. ¡°In fact, I traveled here from elsewhere, to be precise, I come from a place called the ¡®Great Tang¡¯.¡± Shen Luo gathered his wits, smiled at Ying Luo, and explained. ¡°Great Tang¡­ No wonder your clothing seems a bit unusual. May I ask your name? Thanks for your assistance this time. You saved Longevity Village from danger; I owe you a bow of gratitude.¡±Ying Luo said, with a hint of a smile, she then bowed to Shen Luo. ¡°Miss Ying, you are too polite. My name is Shen Luo. I¡¯m probably not much older than you, so if you don¡¯t mind, you can call me Big Brother Shen.¡± Shen Luo quickly bowed back and replied. ¡°Big Brother Shen.¡± Ying Luo promptly accepted. ¡°Miss Ying Luo, could you tell me what¡¯s the story with the fog outside? From what you said earlier, it seems like it is not possible to penetrate through the fog to the outside?¡± Shen Luo asked again, his face showing a touch of seriousness. ¡°How did you make it out of the fog, Brother Shen, since you didn¡¯t know anything about it?¡± Ying Luo asked, a peculiar look flashing in her eyes as she heard his words. ¡°I really just stumbled upon this place, there¡¯s nothing deceptive about it. If the young lady knows something, I hope she would tell me the truth,¡± Shen Luo said earnestly. ¡°In fact, I am also not clear about what is happening with the fog. All I know is that hundreds of years ago, after the Heavenly Demon Annihilation, the surroundings of Longevity Village began to be shrouded by the fog and we have been isolated ever since then.¡± Ying Luo looked at his earnest expression, a flash of disappointment in her eyes, as she said slowly. ¡°What would happen to a person who steps into it?¡± asked Shen Luo curiously. However, he couldn¡¯t help but recall what Yu Yan¡¯s father and son had said about the ¡°Heavenly Fire descending to earth after the Monsters swallowed the sky¡±, which was also said to have happened hundreds of years ago. He wondered if the two incidents were related. ¡°It¡¯s said that once a person steps into it, they will lose their direction. If they go a little further, they will be trapped until death. In the early years, many villagers continuously attempted to explore the fog, but after too many people died, no one dared to venture anymore.¡± Ying Luo said with a bitter smile. ¡°So, you are saying that you have been cut-off by this fog for hundreds of years? That¡¯s impossible! Being stranded for so long, it would have been impossible for you to survive.¡± Shen Luo said with some disbelief. In his opinion, the small amount of farmland outside the village didn¡¯t seem like it could support that many people. ¡°When the fog first started engulfing the village, things were not so terrible. There were fertile farmlands outside the village for cultivation and each household also had domestic animals. The village was even guarded by several disciples from Mount Fangcun. Under their lead, even though life was tough, it was sustainable. However, after a series of incidents, things went from bad to worse.¡± Ying Luo paused here. ¡°Many times you¡¯ve mentioned Mount Fangcun, but what exactly is it?¡± Shen Luo inquired. ¡°The big mountain backing our Longevity Village is Mount Fangcun. I heard from my father when I was young that there used to be immortals living on this mountain and there were real cultivation sects present. At that time, the village was protected by them and everything was peaceful. Many strong youngsters from the village were also selected and led to the foot of the mountain to learn magic.¡± Ying Luo said, a look of yearning in her eyes. ¡°If there was such a powerful sect, why didn¡¯t you seek their help after you got trapped?¡± Shen Luo frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t want to, but we couldn¡¯t. The disciples of Mount Fangcun who were in the village also tried to send a message to the mountains using special methods, but unfortunately, no one responded. Afterwards, they attempted to climb the mountain. Three people went, but only my ancestor came back. He was already an initial-stage soul-condensing cultivator, but when he returned, he was fatally injured. Before passing away, he left behind a warning, ¡®never go to the mountain¡¯.¡± Ying Luo sighed and said. ¡°Perhaps something happened on Mount Fangcun as well,¡± Shen Luo said thoughtfully. ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened on the mountain, but after the Heavenly Demon Annihilation, it was as if the immortals there had vanished. They haven¡¯t shown themselves again. However, the people in the village still fantasize about the day when the immortals from the mountain will return.¡± Ying Luo chuckled bitterly. ¡°No wonder you introduced me as a monk from Mount Fangcun in front of the villagers.¡± Shen Luo suddenly realized. ¡°I had no choice. After incessant attacks by the Monsters, villagers are already exhausted to the point of despair. I could only say you were an immortal from Mount Fangcun to arouse their last bit of hope. Otherwise, without the threat of Monsters, they would not have been able to go on.¡± Ying Luo¡¯s expression darkened. Recalling the expressions of the villagers, especially their worn-out and hopeless faces, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the burden that this young girl carried. ¡°In this case, it can be considered a white lie. But this is not a long-term plan,¡± Shen Luo sighed. ¡°Battling on with hope is always better than waiting for death in despair¡­Speaking of which, I should thank you for not exposing my lie in front of the villagers,¡± Ying Luo said. ¡°That¡¯s nothing. But I am a bit curious. It seems there are no other cultivators in the village, apart from you?¡± Shen Luo shook his head and asked. ¡°There was one more, but after her Dantian got damaged, she lost all her mana and is no different from an ordinary person now,¡± Ying Luo answered, a glint flashing across her eyes. ¡°Is the person you¡¯re talking about a white-haired Granny who takes care of a group of kids?¡± Shen Luo thought for a while and suddenly asked. ¡°How did you know?¡± Ying Luo was somewhat surprised. ¡°Among all villagers, no matter whether they believed I was a Mount Fangcun monk or not, only her gaze towards me is different,¡± Shen Luo recalled the old woman¡¯s eyes and said. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s her. But you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Granny Ma is a bit eccentric. Apart from me and the kids, she hardly talks to anyone in the village,¡± Ying Luo quickly replied. ¡°Those kids¡­¡± Shen Luo hesitated as he mentioned this. Chapter 144 - Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Investigation Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Investigation ¡°They¡¯re all orphans from the village, their parents died, and they¡¯ve been taken care of and raised by Granny Ma ever since.¡± Ying Luo sighed and narrated. ¡°According to what you said earlier, there were quite a few disciples from Mount Fangcun in Longevity Village. Even after many years, they had limited lifespans, but there should still be some sort of heritage left, right?¡± Shen Luo knew there was certainly some tragic story behind this, so he didn¡¯t delve into it further and asked instead. ¡°Some of those disciples from Mount Fangcun died on the road while exploring, some died while climbing up the mountain for help. The remainder was not many, and over time they left the world one by one. They all trained pupils to pass on their knowledge, but the lifespans of the pupils and grandchildren they accepted were even shorter, some even died earlier than they did. By the time when the village started to experience monster attacks a few years ago, it was only Granny Ma and I left.¡± Ying Luo nodded and spoke slowly. Shen Luo deeply understood the difficulties of cultivation. Even a small sect with systematic heritage like the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, could not guarantee that all disciples would understand the Dao, and then pass it down from generation to generation. The destitute small mountain village was even more impossible to do so. The successors of those cultivators would only sink little by little. Whenever he thought about the cultivators in the village being trapped here and dying helplessly one by one, and the situation in the village deteriorating day by day, he inevitably felt a sense of sadness. ¡°Were these monsters around since ancient times, or did they just appear a few years ago?¡± Shen Luo asked again. ¡°About four years ago, the village suddenly suffered from an epidemic, many children were infected. Several villagers went to Mount Fangcun to look for medicinal herbs, against their ancestor¡¯s warning. As a result, those beasts on the mountain seemed to have gained spiritual wisdom, and ate all of them, which triggered their ferocious nature, they began to actively descend the mountain to attack us.¡± Ying Luo nodded and said. ¡°Demons will still have some nature left before tasting blood. But once they have tasted it, they will pursue the taste and never stop.¡± Shen Luo sighed and said. ¡°Indeed. After that, we had no choice but to build defensive walls around the village to protect against the occasional attacks of monsters. However, as the talismanic instruments in the village ran out, and Granny Ma suffered a heavy blow, more and more villagers died in battle. The frequency of monsters and birds coming down the mountain became even more frequent. If it hadn¡¯t been for your appearance, Big Brother Shen, I¡¯m sure we couldn¡¯t have held on.¡± When Ying Luo said this, a look of gratitude appeared in her eyes. ¡°I ended up here by coincidence, it was perhaps destined.¡± Shen Luo shook his head and said so. ¡°Big Brother Shen, that¡¯s basically the situation in the village. What are your plans?¡±, Ying Luo said hesitantly. ¡°Since I¡¯m not from here, naturally I won¡¯t stay for long. After finding the way out, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°This time, repelling these beasts only provided a temporary solution. If we can¡¯t find a way out, everyone in the village will inevitably die. Since you were able to come in, you should be able to find a way out. Could I ask that you help us find a way out of here?¡± When Ying Luo heard this, a glint of joy flashed in her eyes and she hurriedly said. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo didn¡¯t respond immediately but fell into deep thought. After listening to the status of Longevity Village, in addition to empathy, he also had a few concerns. If the mist barrier cannot be broken, he himself may also be trap here like the villagers. He still hadn¡¯t figured out how the previous few dreams had returned to reality, and he was not willing to be trapped here cluelessly. ¡°If Big Brother Shen is having a hard time¡­¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s silence, Ying Luo¡¯s expression slightly dimmed. ¡°I can give it a try, but I¡¯m not very confident.¡± Shen Luo suddenly spoke. ¡°Big Brother Shen agreeing to help us is already an enormous grace to our village. Ying Luo thanks you.¡± Ying Luo hastily got up and showed her sincerity. ¡°Well, tonight, I¡¯ll rest in the village. I¡¯ll start looking for a way out early tomorrow.¡± Shen Luo helped her up and said. ¡°We¡¯ll follow Big Brother Shen¡¯s lead.¡± Ying Luo showed an increasingly bright smile. ¡°By the way, do you still have talisman paper in the village?¡± Shen Luo suddenly recalled something and asked. ¡°Nobody in the village knew how to draw talisman for decades. We still have some talisman paper left, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still usable. Wait for me for a moment, I¡¯ll go find it.¡± Upon hearing this, Ying Luo thought for a moment and then hurried away. After a short while, Ying Luo returned carrying a dust-laden box and handed it to Shen Luo. Shen Luo opened the box and found that most of the talisman paper inside had been moth-eaten and was no longer usable. There were only about ten pieces that could still be used. Fortunately, the box also contained a small jar of cinnabar, which was still well-preserved. Delighted with this, Shen Luo turned all these pieces of paper into talisman. He realized that his drawing was much smoother than in reality, each paper seemed to be energetically perfect once the talisman was completed. ¡°You know how to use a talisman, right?¡± Shen Luo took out three Small Thunder Talisman from the pile and handed them to Ying Luo, asking. ¡°Just infuse mana into it, right?¡± Ying Luo was a bit surprised that Shen Luo could draw talisman, she then replied. ¡°Correct.¡± Shen Luo nodded. ¡­ The next day, early in the morning Shen Luo just said a word to Ying Luo and then left the village, heading alone into the fog-covered area. He deliberately didn¡¯t go to the mountain slope, but went along the mountain pit towards another direction to search. After he left the village a few miles away, the fog in the air began to thicken. Shen Luo cautiously walked among it, and from the low terrain of the mountain pit, he reached a flat and open area. Not only did he fail to discover any road ahead, but the fog had even solidified to an almost tangible state. He walked a little further forward, and found that a layer of darker fog had condensed together just a few dozen feet ahead. It hardly moved anymore, and it looked like a dense wall made of fog. Shen Luo hesitated slightly, but he decided to step into it to give it a try. As a result, as soon as he entered it, he felt discomfort in his nose and throat. After he continued to proceed further into the fog for a dozen steps, he felt a clear sense of suffocation, that forced him to retreat. Standing outside the dense fog wall, Shen Luo¡¯s breathing finally returned to normal. He looked along the fog wall and found that it was indeed like a high wall extending forward, with no end in sight. Load failed, please RETRY Chapter 145 - Chapter 145: Chapter 144: Up the Mountain Chapter 145: Chapter 144: Up the Mountain Shen Luo was unwilling to give up so soon and continued to follow the Fog Wall to the left. He walked for about an hour, but the white mist wall was still unbroken. He tried several times to venture into the mist, but each time was the same as before, the suffocating sensation unbearable. However, as he walked, Shen Luo suddenly realized that the terrain under his feet was starting to rise; he appeared to be climbing a hill. Soon, another hour passed, and Shen Luo was still without discoveries. Just as he was about to give up and return to Longevity Village, he suddenly heard a ¡°crack¡± sound under his foot, as if he had stepped on something. When Shen Luo looked down to check, he found out that it was a skeleton under his feet. Moved, he moved forward a hundred steps or so, and the fog ahead suddenly began to thin significantly. The sight that appeared before him startled him. In a radius of about several dozens of feet, the ground was full of densely packed bones of humans and monsters. Shen Luo looked at the somewhat familiar scene before him, his brows furrowed slightly. After a brief hesitation, he continued towards the center of the bones. When he got closer, he quickly saw the bottomless void on the ground about ten feet in diameter, exactly the void he had escaped from previously. ¡°So it is here. I¡¯ve circled back again¡­¡± Shen Luo murmured. He went to the edge of the void and peered inside for a moment, but he could see nothing. Shen Luo knew in his heart that without the protection of the Other Shore Flower, once he entered Yinning through this, his body would definitely be reduced to dust, let alone the terrifying Black Mountain Old Demon inside. ¡°To take this path again, I¡¯m afraid even the strength of the Soul Condensation Stage won¡¯t be enough. At least reaching the Nascent Soul Stage would suffice,¡± Shen Luo muttered. Having said that, he turned around and left, continuing in another direction to explore. ¡­ Nearing noon, Shen Luo finally returned to Longevity Village. In the end, he was unable to find a way out from the fog. Ying Luo, who had been waiting at the top of the wall since early morning, was overjoyed to see him return safe and sound. With a slight frown, Shen Luo recounted his encounters in the fog to her, omitting the fact that he had found the entrance to the Yinning void. ¡°Big Brother Shen, you¡¯ve worked hard. Since there¡¯s no way out from the mist, we should prepare to continue to struggle against the monsters,¡± Ying Luo said firmly, despite her disappointment. ¡°Since there¡¯s no way out from the mist, I plan to search Mount Fangcun,¡± Shen Luo said, his gaze shifting to the towering mountain behind the village. ¡°No, no! Absolutely not! It¡¯s much too dangerous!¡± Ying Luo shook her head vigorously upon hearing this. ¡°I know you have ancestral teachings forbidding people from entering the mountain, but there is no way back now. Only by going up the mountain may there be a glimmer of hope. Look at these children, do you really want their last days to be filled with constant struggle and fear of monsters?¡± Shen Luo asked, his eyes resting on the children playing around. Ying Luo, hearing this, also looked in that direction. Then she fell silent, lost in deep thought. ¡°Alright, Big Brother Shen. If you really plan to climb the mountain, I must accompany you,¡± Ying Luo said resolutely after a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t have to risk this with me. The village needs you too, and the wounds on your body haven¡¯t healed yet,¡± Shen Luo shook his head and smiled. ¡°Big Brother Shen, it¡¯s not because I¡¯m acting on impulse. But without me guiding you, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll hardly find the entrance to the mountain,¡± Ying Luo explained. ¡°Why so?¡± Shen Luo asked, puzzled. ¡°The terrain of Mount Fangcun is treacherous and the paths to climb it are mostly hidden. If I don¡¯t guide you, you¡¯ll probably have a hard time just finding the entrance of the mountain,¡± explained Ying Luo. ¡°But the village¡­¡± Shen Luo hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother Shen. The monsters you killed just yesterday are severely damaged. They¡¯re unlikely to dare invade again in a short period of time. And as for my injuries, they¡¯re just superficial wounds, it¡¯s nothing severe,¡± Ying Luo said with a resolute look in her eyes. ¡°Alright. We should not delay any further; let¡¯s depart now,¡± Shen Luo hesitated for a moment, then said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ying Luo found Qingniu, a strong young man in the village, and instructed him to guard the village. After bidding Granny Ma goodbye, she left with Shen Luo and headed for Mount Fangcun. Although Mount Fangcun seemed to be right behind Longevity Village, the actual journey was far from short. Not to mention that the original mountain paths had not been walked for many years and were now overgrown with dense weeds and shrubs. Wading through them was rather difficult. It took Shen Luo and Ying Luo quite an hour to reach the foot of the mountain. Only at the foot of the mountain did Shen Luo realize why Ying Luo insisted on coming along. In front of him, Mount Fangcun was covered with rock faces hundreds of feet high. There was simply no road up. Only after Ying Luo had found a large protruding boulder, based on the geographical features that the old people of the village had once spoken of, did she discover a hidden mountain cave underneath. They followed the cave gradient, traversed hundreds of feet through the mountain, and emerged from an opening on the back of Fangcun Mountain. They followed a narrow path from the cave entrance, walked about two or three miles, and then came to a fairly wide mountain trail ¨C the real path to climb Mount Fangcun. ¡°You were right. If you hadn¡¯t come to guide the way, I might have walked around until evening without finding the path,¡± Shen Luo looked at the dense ancient trees around him and couldn¡¯t help but comment. ¡°There are many legends about the immortals of Mount Fangcun in the village, and what I remember includes the stories of the guiding butterfly and the woodcutter. In the guiding butterfly story, a man came from another region overseas, seeking to climb the mountain to apprentice himself and cultivate Dao. However, once he arrived at the foot of the mountain, he became lost and couldn¡¯t find the mountain entrance. He wandered around the foot of the mountain for three years but never gave up. Finally, the immortal on the mountain was moved and sent a guiding butterfly to lead him on his way, which enabled him to climb the mountain and find the entrance,¡± Ying Luo elaborated. ¡°Perhaps the three years of wandering without finding a way was a test by the immortals of the mountain?¡± Shen Luo speculated with a smile after listening. ¡°When my father originally told me this story, I thought the same. Even as a child, I wondered whether the ordeal faced by our village was a test from the immortals,¡± Ying Luo replied, a touch of melancholy in her voice as she laughed. ¡°And what about the legend of the woodcutter?¡± Shen Luo asked, changing the subject. ¡°That story is even more bizarre¡­¡± Ying Luo was about to go on, but then she stopped speaking. Shen Luo, standing nearby, also stiffened and stood still. A yellow figure had silently appeared on a huge rock several dozen feet in front of them. Chapter 146 - Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Mad Leopard Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Mad Leopard With an eerie demonic aura spreading from the front, Shen Luo and Ying Luo instantly felt as if they fell into an ice cellar, their breaths hitching. All they could hear was the fierce pounding of their hearts. ¡°What a terrifying demonic aura!¡± Shen Luo gazed upwards at the silent figure standing on a giant rock in front of them, his heart filled with horror. Not even the Senior Ancestor at the Soul Condensation Stage from Spring and Autumn Pavilion had given him such a feeling. It was a leopard over two zhangs in length. Its proportionate and slender golden body clearly displayed a series of dark brown spots. Its leopard¡¯s head, the size of a millstone, sported a pair of slender golden eyes and a tail about a zhang long, which seemed to be casually waving back and forth behind it. Ying Luo¡¯s cultivation level was already weaker than Shen Luo¡¯s, and now she was enveloped by this powerful demonic aura. Her body was slightly trembling, making it almost hard to breathe, but her eyes reflected a stubborn light. Her legs tensed up, and she somehow managed to keep her body straight. ¡°Two juniors of the human race, you dare to step into my territory, you¡¯ve got guts,¡± the golden leopard spoke human language, staring down at the two of them with the air of a giant beast from the ancient times. ¡°Elder, we didn¡¯t mean to trespass. This girl has lived at the foot of the mountain for a long time, and I happened to be passing by. Because we couldn¡¯t find a way out at the foot of the mountain, we daringly climbed it. We didn¡¯t know the elder¡¯s rules and inadvertently entered here. We beg for your forgiveness!¡± Shen Luo took a deep breath, cupped his fist and said, his tone neither hurried nor slow. Shen Luo¡¯s calm demeanor also influenced Ying Luo beside him. She felt slightly settled, and her lovely, young cheeks regained some color. ¡°You come from outside?¡± The madness in the leopard¡¯s eyes, which had been somewhat lazy, suddenly became more focused, its huge golden pupils staring directly at Shen Luo. ¡°Yes!¡± Shen Luo frowned slightly but reaffirmed. He had a hunch that the other party¡¯s reaction seemed a bit off. ¡°How did you pass through the mist sea outside?¡± The Mad Leopard took a step forward, its robust forepaw crushing the rocks in front of it into fragments. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know about this myself. I am a member of the Southern Sub-Central Continent who mistakenly touched a prohibition in a secret realm, and somehow ended up here,¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eye twitched slightly as he answered half-truthfully, his tone still very calm. ¡°From Southern Sub-Central Continent directly to West Niu Hezhou Continent here? Little guy, make your lies sound a bit more believable. You think you can deceive me with this lie? The Human Race is indeed all crafty!¡± The Mad Leopard¡¯s eyes, once excited, faded, its voice cold. As soon as the words fell, a shocking aura burst forth from its body, descending from the sky and enveloping Shen Luo and Ying Luo. Ying Luo¡¯s knees weakened, and she almost knelt, wanting to resist subconsciously. However, after trembling a few times, she fainted on the spot. Shen Luo felt as if he had been hit hard in the chest by an invisible great hammer, nearly vomiting blood from the discomfort. But his limbs felt as if they were weighed down by a huge rock and couldn¡¯t move an inch. His entire skeleton made a slight cracking sound as if he was about to be crushed. Suddenly, his body¡¯s mana started to operate automatically according to the Nameless Cultivation Technique mantra. An unknown breath rushed out from his body, significantly reducing the pressure around him and regaining control over his limbs. ¡°Huh!¡± The Mad Leopard let out a surprised sound. Seeing its mood fluctuate, the oppressive force it exuded also had a slight gap. Shen Luo, ever sharp-minded, took advantage of this gap, tucked Ying Luo under his left arm, then turned around like lightning and ran with all his might back the way they came, using ¡°Chasing Wind Step¡±. ¡°Interesting! A little Qi Refining Stage junior even dared to use tricks in front of me. Today, I¡¯ll play along with you!¡± The Mad Leopard did not prevent Shen Luo¡¯s actions. After murmuring to itself, it jumped down from the giant rock and chased after them unhurriedly. Each step it took covered seven or eight zhangs in distance, and it easily caught up with Shen Luo. It watched Shen Luo, who was desperately running forward, with a hint of anthropomorphic mockery at the corner of its mouth, and spit out. A Golden Light shot out quickly, hitting Shen Luo¡¯s left front in a flash. With a ¡°bang¡± sound, the ground was blasted into a big pit, countless fragments of stone splashed out, a fragment scraped across Shen Luo¡¯s cheek, leaving a bloody mark. Shen Luo did not have the luxury of wiping the blood, he slightly shifted direction and continued to run forward. ¡°Haha, run faster, faster! Too slow!¡± Laughter filled with excitement came from behind, from the Mad Leopard. The sound of this voice had not yet ceased, another Golden Light shot out and struck Shen Luo¡¯s right front, forcing him to change direction again. Shen Luo felt bitter inside. The strength of this Mad Leopard far exceeded him if it really wanted to kill him, it could definitely hit him with one shot, now it was obviously just playing with him. But at this moment, he was like meat on a chopping board, completely unable to fight back. The sound of exploding stones and commotion brought Ying Luo back to her senses. She discovered that she was being held by Shen Luo¡¯s arm and her cheeks flushed. But soon, she understood the current situation. ¡°Big Brother Shen, don¡¯t worry about me, escape yourself!¡± She shouted, struggling to get down. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Shen Luo pressed and held Ying Luo, suddenly changed direction, and headed towards the dense forest nearby. The smile on Mad Leopard¡¯s face widened, and it followed lightly, and spat out another Golden Light, pushing Shen Luo to flee in desperation. The immense pressure to survive sparked all of Shen Luo¡¯s potential. In a short period, many unclear aspects of the ¡°Chasing Wind Step¡± suddenly became clear, his speed steadily increased, the trees on both sides quickly retreated, as if he was truly chasing the wind. Suddenly, the view in front became wide, a cliff appeared abruptly about seven or eight zhang away. On the opposite side about ten zhang away, stood an even taller mountain peak, a waterfall hung like a white sash, its sound thunderous, surging and roaring. The white water splash rolled down and fell into the abyss below. ¡°Hold on to me!¡± Shen Luo said in a low voice to Ying Luo, he rushed out without stopping, his body immediately falling towards the abyss below. Ying Luo, caught in this sudden situation, couldn¡¯t help but scream, but in the end, she only grabbed Shen Luo¡¯s clothes tightly and remained silent. The triumphant laughter of the Mad Leopard came from behind, seeming very happy. Shen Luo, in mid-air, stretched out his empty right hand forwards, a stream of water inside the waterfall immediately concentrated into a long water rope. One end was wrapped around a protruding rock in the waterfall, and the other end was thrown over here. He caught the water rope and gave it a heavy pull. The rope was not strong and broke with a ¡°snap¡±, but both of them had gained momentum and swung towards the mountain peak on the opposite side. The Mad Leopard, who was standing on the edge of the cliff looking down, did not expect Shen Luo to have this move. Its eyes glowed menacingly, and it roared angrily. With a ¡°puff¡± sound, a golden cloud burst forth under each hoof, carrying its body into the air, chasing after Shen Luo and Ying Luo. At the same time, the Golden Light in its mouth became more abundant, far surpassing before, as if it was about to strike them and kill them in one go. Chapter 147 - Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Out of Danger Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Out of Danger At this moment, Shen Luo and his partner had fallen nearly twenty or thirty feet, not even three feet from the waterfall across from them. Hearing a noise behind him, he planned to throw Ying Luo towards the waterfall, and retreat himself. This move was extremely dangerous, but far better than being skewered by the Mad Leopard, facing certain death. Just at the critical moment, a shrill screech came from above the waterfall! A green shadow plunged down from the opposite mountain peak, a giant Azure Eagle with a golden feather crown on its head, its wings a few feet wide, and a pair of sharp claws under it, like sickles. A tremendous pressure emanated from it, no less than that of the Mad Leopard, and a whirlwind rolled down from under its wings. The Mad Leopard at the moment the giant eagle appeared, the golden light rolling in its mouth shrank, and its plunging figure paused. Shen Luo felt the pressure from the Mad Leopard above him reduced slightly, but was then suddenly whisked away by the wind. He forcefully raised his hand again, a water rope shot out from the waterfall, coiling around his body, but it was immediately torn apart again. But their whipped bodies had steadied down, skimming the waterfall and plummeting straight down, their figures soon engulfed in the splash of the waterfall. ¡°Mad Leopard, how dare you intrude on my territory! Crawl back to your lair!¡± The Azure Giant Eagle¡¯s eyes shot a cold, fierce glare, locked onto the Mad Leopard. ¡°Azure Eagle, the cliff is just a limit, you have spoiled my fun and spoken disrespectfully, are you impatient to live?¡± The Mad Leopard glanced at Shen Luo and his partner who were falling, quickly withdrew its gaze, looked at the giant eagle across from it, golden flames erupting from its golden pupils, clearly aggravated by the opponent¡¯s words. ¡°What, you don¡¯t accept what I said, then let¡¯s fight again!¡± The Blue Eagle let out a sharp cry, its figure abruptly transforming into a blurring blue shadow, instantly appearing before the Mad Leopard, both blue claws brutally clawing down. The Mad Leopard also roared towards the sky, gold light bursting out all over its body, confrontationally soaring upwards. Boom! Boom! Boom! Golden and green light clashed violently, the air fiercely trembled, stirring up a gale, the entire mountain peak seeming to shake slightly. At the bottom of the waterfall, sixty or seventy feet below, Shen Luo¡¯s body hung in mid-air, seven or eight water ropes tied around him, the other end tied to the rocks on the mountain wall. Currently, Ying Luo was lying on his back, her wet, disheveled hair falling around, slightly biting her lip and not caring for decorum, tightly wrapped her arms around Shen Luo¡¯s shoulders. Boom! Boom! Boom! One after another, the deafening sound roared down from above, as if thunderous shocks in the sky, mixed with the roars of the Mad Leopard and the Giant Eagle. Ying Luo slightly raised her head, looked up, a flash of fear in her eyes. ¡°It seems we were not meant to die today. Hold tight.¡± Shen Luo quickly averted his eyes, his hands repeatedly grabbing out. The water ropes on him, like agile tendrils, were continuously coiling around the rocks below, carrying both of them and slowly lowering them down. From a distance, it looked like a spider rapidly crawling downwards. This valley was extraordinarily deep, Shen Luo dared not make too much noise for fear of attracting the attention of the two monsters above, consequently, it took them nearly half an hour to reach the bottom. The bottom of the valley was a large river seven or eight feet wide, rapid flowing, the ends not visible from either side. Shen Luo¡¯s mana had almost depleted, barely managing to use the Water-Stepping Art to run downstream for a while, found a place to land Ying Luo, then sank down with relief, sitting on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you suffer, Big Brother Shen.¡± Ying Luo gently twisted her dripping wet hair, gratefully thanking Shen Luo. Shen Luo made a hush motion to Ying Luo, then looked up at the sky. The sounds of conflict above were no longer audible, either because the confrontation between the terrifying monsters had ceased, or because of the distance. He averted his gaze, soaked his body in the river water, and began to operate the Nameless Cultivation Technique to recover his Mana. Seeing this, Ying Luo carefully kept her guard and looked around, protecting Shen Luo. Not daring to linger any longer, Shen Luo immediately stood up after slightly recovering his Mana, took Ying Luo, and applied the Water-Stepping Art to sprint forward. It took about a quarter of an hour to reach the mouth of the valley. The view ahead suddenly widened, the river stretched ahead and flowed into a sizable pool. The surroundings were lush with green grass, creating a tranquil environment. ¡°It seems we are safe for now. The Mad Leopard seems very curious about my origins, and I don¡¯t think it will let it go so easily.¡± Shen Luo glanced around and set Ying Luo down to speak. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there are so many terrifying monsters on Mount Fangcun, and there seem to be quite a few of them. Fortunately, these powerful creatures have not descended the mountain, otherwise, one hundred Longevity Villages would have been destroyed.¡± Ying Luo looked back at the peak of the mountain and said with lingering fear. ¡°To find a way out of the mountain, there is no avoiding confrontation with these high-level monsters.¡± Shen Luo sighed and said. Hearing this, Ying Luo¡¯s expression showed a flash of gloom. The valley wasn¡¯t too far from Longevity Village, and the two soon came near the village. ¡°Huh!¡± A look of surprise crossed Shen Luo¡¯s face as he saw a group of ten or so young, able-bodied men each holding a cloth bag and basket coming out from the village and running towards the west. ¡°They are going to the lake in the west of the village to catch fish and pick the Black Rice Grass there.¡± Ying Luo explained. ¡°There are monsters appearing in this area, aren¡¯t they in danger, going out like this?¡± Shen Luo asked, puzzled. ¡°I don¡¯t know when it started, but every so often, monsters would appear around the village. We just defeated a batch yesterday, so it should be safe for the time being. Moreover, even if it¡¯s dangerous, there must be people going out or else how will the villagers feed themselves.¡± Ying Luo¡¯s face darkened, and she forced a smile. ¡°Do you want to go and escort them, just in case there is a mishap?¡± Shen Luo spoke again. ¡°No need, these are the elites of our village, capable of self-defence, and my duty is to protect the village. I cannot leave the village without a special reason.¡± Ying Luo shook her head. Shen Luo¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but he was secretly murmuring in his heart. Although the Longevity Village is rundown and has few inhabitants, its rules are well-established and reasonable, perhaps that¡¯s why it survived in the dangerous environment surrounded by monsters. Not a talkative person himself, Shen Luo naturally wouldn¡¯t comment on the rules of Longevity Village, and the two quickly arrived at the entrance of the village. Qing Niu was standing guard at the entrance with a spear in his hand; seeing them return safely, he let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly ushered them into the village. After asking about the situation of the day and confirming everything was normal, Ying Luo took Shen Luo into the village. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it seems I won¡¯t be able to find a way out for a while.¡± Shen Luo apologized. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Big Brother Shen, it was my foolish wishful thinking that almost put you in danger. By the way, what do you plan to do next?¡± Ying Luo hurriedly waved her hand at Shen Luo and asked, changing the subject. Chapter 148 - Chapter 148: Chapter 147: Meditation Chapter 148: Chapter 147: Meditation ¡°I intend to temporarily stay in the village, while I look for other solutions, would that be possible?¡± Shen Luo pondered and then spoke. ¡°That¡¯s great, on behalf of the entire village, I welcome Big Brother Shen to join us! You can make any requests you have, and we will do our best to fulfill them.¡± Ying Luo couldn¡¯t contain her joy. ¡°Since I have decided to stay, I naturally plan to share the joys and hardships with the villagers. You do not have to treat me differently, Miss Ying, just arrange a place for me to stay,¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°No problem. When I observed you practicing, it seemed like you required water to aid you. On the eastern side of the village, there is an empty house with a large well in the courtyard. Living there should be more convenient. It just hasn¡¯t been inhabited for many years, so it needs some cleaning,¡± Ying Luo immediately responded. ¡°Then, I have to trouble you,¡± Shen Luo smiled and casually replied. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there first.¡± Ying Luo said as she led Shen Luo towards the east of the village, soon they reached an old small courtyard. ¡°Creak.¡± Ying Luo pushed the slightly decayed front gate open, a wave of dust fluttered down, and she hurriedly covered her nose and mouth with one hand while waving the other around. Shen Luo didn¡¯t mind. He entered the courtyard. Inside there were two main rooms, a side room, and a kitchen, forming a complete small Siheyuan. From the looks of it, the previous residents had exquisite tastes. Even though it had been left unattended for years and was slightly ruined, it still gave off a pleasant feeling. On the left side of the courtyard was a large well covered with a wooden lid. Next to the well stood a big mulberry tree, its leaves rustling in the wind. Shen Luo walked over to the well, removed its wooden lid, revealing clear well water below and emitting a refreshing aura. ¡°It¡¯s great, let¡¯s just stay here,¡± Shen Luo turned around and said to Ying Luo, who had followed him into the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some people to clean up this place a little,¡± Ying Luo, satisfied to see Shen Luo¡¯s contentment, walked outside showing her efficient disposition. In no time, she came back bringing along seven or eight male and female villagers to clean the courtyard and tidy up the rooms. The people had already learned about Shen Luo¡¯s decision to stay in Longevity Village. Out of respect and enthusiasm for him, they worked exceptionally hard. Within an hour, they had not only cleaned every corner of the courtyard but also repaired the damaged parts and even re-plastered the windows in the room. In the end, Ying Luo had some bedding, pots and other daily essentials delivered before leading the villagers away. After seeing off the group, Shen Luo returned to sit by the well, his eyes flashing with deep thought. Rather than being worried about his current predicament, he wanted to understand the connections between the events in his dreams. After all, once he woke from his dream, he would return to reality, and so, didn¡¯t have to worry about it. However, after several experiences, especially the Nameless Heavenly Book and spiritual perception, he developed great interest in his dream experiences. If he could gather more clues or make breakthroughs in his cultivation, it could bring him significant benefits in the real world. However, the duration of his stay within the dream varied with each entrancement. Sometimes it was only a few hours, and at other times it was more than two months. For now, he couldn¡¯t find any pattern, and he didn¡¯t know how long he would stay this time. Shen Luo took a deep breath, no longer thinking about it. He reached out with one hand and spread his fingers to form the shape of an empty claw at the mouth of the well. ¡°Whoosh.¡± A stream of well water shot out and formed a blade, producing a soft sound as it pierced the ground next to the well. He made a circular motion with his hand in front of him, and the water blade followed the same motion, engraving a circle a few feet in diameter into the ground. It then entered the ground through the mark, disappearing underground. After a few muffled thuds, a cylindrical chunk of earth slowly rose from the ground like it was supported by a mirror-like sheet of flowing water. The chunk of earth, half a foot high, was thrown to the side, revealing a newly dug pit. The pit was near the well, and soon, water started seeping from the bottom. Shen Luo gestured, and another stream of water rose from the well and poured into the freshly dug pit. After half the pit was filled with water, it stopped. After doing this, he jumped into the pond, sat cross-legged and started executing the Nameless Cultivation Technique. The Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi started to continuously blend into his body through the pond water, slowly filling his somewhat deficient Dantian. All the meridians in his body had been unlocked by now, and his mana was flowing more quickly through them, giving him a vague feeling of ascension. ¡°Since I cannot leave in the short term, I might as well calm my mind and cultivate here, seeing if I can break through to the Grain Avoidance stage,¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, closing his eyes. Although he didn¡¯t know much about cultivation, he was aware that breaking through to the Grain Avoidance stage marked a significant milestone in the path of Cultivating Immortality. If he succeeded, his lifespan would increase by two hundred years. He would be able to live without eating or drinking for an extended period and his mana would increase dramatically. He would then be able to begin learning actual Daoist magical skills and activate magical instruments, amongst other things¡­ The benefits of the Grain Avoidance stage were numerous and countless people desired to enter this realm. However, very few succeeded because this stage was difficult to break through, with only one out of a hundred odds of success. The toughest part was transforming the mana within the body from gas to liquid. Although it may seem like a simple change in the state of mana, it was a huge transformation that greatly influenced future cultivation. According to the heavenly book, after reaching the peak of the late Qi Refining stage, a monk usually required some natural talent, preparation of various elixirs, extraordinary willpower, and a bit of luck to have a chance at success. As he was in the resource-poor Longevity Village, he could only hope that his top-notch Dao Body would suffice. Deep down, he wasn¡¯t certain of success. As Shen Luo pondered, he stood up from the water, stomped his foot, and droplets of water immediately flew off from his clothing, landing on the ground around him. His clothes instantly became as dry as new. After pacing a couple of rounds in the courtyard, he stepped out of it and headed towards Ying Luo¡¯s residence. Despite knowing that the chances were slim, he still wanted to ask Ying Luo to see if she had any methods that could aid in breaking through the Grain Avoidance stage. After all, there had been Grain Avoidance cultivators in Longevity Village before, and there may be some insights left behind by them. A moment later, he returned from outside to the small courtyard and took his place at the pond again. He let out a sigh. As expected, Ying Luo knew nothing of it. It seemed like he could only rely on himself in this matter. After steadying his mind, Shen Luo extended one hand, spread his fingers, and a blue light flickered in his palm. With a surge in the pond below, a water ball flew out and landed in his palm. As it rotated, a blackwater tunnel emerged, followed by a ¡°whoosh¡± sound ¨C a half-man, half-shrimp creature appeared. It was the Shrimp Soldier Protector. Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Chapter 148: The First Attempt Chapter 149: Chapter 148: The First Attempt As soon as Zhui Tou landed on the ground, he held the golden hammer at his chest, continuously scanning the area in front with his jet-black eyes, making the two long tentacles on his head quiver incessantly. ¡°Zhui Tou, my Daoist friend, don¡¯t panic. There are no enemies here,¡± Shen Luo said with a chuckle when he noticed the caution in Zhui Tou¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then why have you summoned me here? I was in the midst of my training!¡± replied Zhui Tou, sounding rather annoyed. ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected you, Zhui Tou, to be so diligent in your training!¡± Shen Luo mildly praised. ¡°Of course, our Shrimp Clan has an old saying: Life never stops, and cultivation never stops. Those with lesser strength are destined to be enslaved!¡± Zhui Tou still seemed a little resentful toward Shen Luo. ¡°Our relationship isn¡¯t that of a master and slave. We both benefit from our partnership. My word is my bond! I called for you to inquire if you know of any methods that might increase the success rate of breaking through the Grain Avoidance Stage,¡± Shen Luo interrupted Zhui Tou¡¯s discontent, voicing his own doubts. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with human cultivation methods,¡± responded Zhui Tou indifferently, while sizing up Shen Luo from head to toe. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m currently tangled up in some problems, and I need to enhance my cultivation level as soon as possible. If you could provide some guidance, I would be immensely grateful and will undoubtedly repay you in the future,¡± Shen Luo said candidly. ¡°I hope you keep your current statement in mind. Let me tell you about my cultivation. Our Eastern Sea Shrimp Clan molts every ten years. We infuse demon power into our shed skin by using our Clan¡¯s secret method. When we¡¯re about to breakthrough to the Grain Avoidance Stage, we consume it. This greatly increases the success rate,¡± replied Zhui Tou, his demeanor easing. ¡°Your method is interestingly akin to taking an Elixir. However, do you have any molted skin on hand?¡± Smitten by the idea, Shen Luo asked, his eyes fixed on Zhui Tou¡¯s shrimp shell. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas. The skin I¡¯ve molted is of great use to me. Unless you have something to trade for it. Also, I can¡¯t guarantee if this method will work for your kind,¡± Zhui Tou warned. ¡°What would you want in exchange?¡± inquired Shen Luo. ¡°Moon Essence Dew,¡± blurted out Zhui Tou instantly. ¡°That? I don¡¯t have any right now, but I¡¯ll keep a lookout for it in the future. Did you say you¡¯re from the Eastern Sea?¡± Slightly disappointed, Shen Luo changed the course of the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m from the Eastern Sea Shrimp Clan, of course I come from the Eastern Sea! Just like the Southern Sea Shrimp Clan comes from the Southern Sea. Do you have a problem with that?¡± Zhui Tou retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Eastern Sea is boundless and full of endless heavenly treasures¡­¡± Massaging his hands together, Shen Luo started to say. ¡°I got it! But as you said before, it¡¯s all about quid pro quo. Enough, if there¡¯s nothing else, send me back already!¡± Zhui Tou interjected Shen Luo impatiently, urging him to finish. Since Shen Luo had nothing to trade, he didn¡¯t say much more. He summoned a vortex passageway to send Zhui Tou back. Hiding his disappointment, he began to consider silently: ¡°Seems like these creatures summoned by the Spirit Channeling Method, apart from being limited by the contract and having to protect their master, can¡¯t be completely aligned in other aspects.¡± It wasn¡¯t strange, considering anyone living freely would resent suddenly being bound by a contract, with the constant possibility of being called to fight to the death against unknown enemies. Even if they were submissive on the surface, they would be naturally resentful inside, unless they could gain some benefits, in which case they might become more willing. Being a former businessman, he found such an arrangement perfectly acceptable. Mutual exchanges were the key to a long-lasting relationship. However, he presently had more pressing matters to handle and found it hard to think about such issues. He needed to increase his cultivation level as soon as possible so that he wouldn¡¯t be stuck here. Early the next morning, after quickly informing Ying Luo and taking some dry rations, Shen Luo closed the courtyard door and sat down by the pond, running his internal mana. Shen Luo sat there for a full three days and three nights. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze gleamed brightly. He looked energized, and both his physical and mental state were at their peak. Firstly, he silently reviewed the part of the Nameless Cultivation Technique related to breaking through the Grain Avoidance Stage. Then he lifted his right hand, formed a sword technique, then suddenly tapped several times around his Dantian, sealing several acupoints, temporarily blocking the connection between his Dantian and the meridians. After doing all this, he placed his hands together in front of his body and slowly began running the Nameless Cultivation Technique. The Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi around him flowed in with the water in the pond and incessantly entered his body, transforming into strands of mana. As he had sealed the acupoints around his Dantian, this mana couldn¡¯t converge into his Dantian so it circulated within his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, at the same time continuously absorbing the Spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth into his body, blending with this mana. With each circulation, the power of the mana coursing into his meridians grew more robust. This was a secret technique recorded in the Nameless Cultivation Technique, named as the ¡°Golden Bridge Locking and Ascending Art¡±. The aim was to allow the mana within the meridians to soar in power, somewhat like climbing a staircase, to assist with the transformation of the mana¡¯s form. Although this method may seem easy, it was actually quite risky. A slight mishap could lead to the damage of the meridians and even the Dantian, possibly even resulting in death. Therefore, it had a considerable requirement for the control of mana, urging the need to be able to dissolve the technique quickly when necessary. Though Shen Luo believed that his Dreamland body was somewhat exceptional, he admitted to himself that he hadn¡¯t yet reached the point of freely controlling the mana. But due to his precarious situation, he had no other choice. Of course, his main confidence was stemming from his ability to resurrect. Time flew by, and another three days passed. Shen Luo sat quietly in the pond. There wasn¡¯t any visible change to his appearance, however, the mana coursing through his meridians had transitioned from a meager stream at the beginning to a surging river, rumbling endlessly in his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. He felt the meridians all over his body swell to the bursting point, causing excruciating pain. He could hardly bear it and felt as if he would be ruptured by this powerful mana. ¡°This should be enough.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. He stopped absorbing the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi from outside, instead guiding the dense mana within his body, accumulated in the meridians, to flow toward the Dantian. Since all the acupoints leading to the Dantian were sealed, the mana was hindered. Like untamed horses, it broke free from his control. Before Shen Luo could react, it fiercely smashed into his Dantian. All the acupoints that he had temporally sealed around the Dantian were blown open almost simultaneously. The mana from the meridians stormed into the Dantian like a flood. The Dantian was already saturated with mana. When the extra mana flowed in from the meridians, it forcefully expanded the Dantian by a notch. The Dantian started transmitting waves of intense pain, even stronger than before. Shen Luo¡¯s cheeks flushed with an abnormal redness. His body jerked slightly, and his hands started trembling. Sweat started beading on his forehead, trickling down his face. He felt as if his Dantian was about to explode at any moment! Taking a deep breath, he held back the searing pain, focusing on guarding his Dantian. He lifted his right hand and made a sequence of taps around his Dantian. Using the Golden Bridge Locking and Ascending Art, he sealed the acupoints to prevent the mana from flowing out. Just as he finished, an even more intense wave of pain exploded from his Dantian. Chapter 150 - Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Condensing Meridians Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Condensing Meridians Shen Luo¡¯s facial features contorted in pain, drenched in cold sweat. But both of his hands remained tightly wrapped around his lower abdomen¡¯s Dantian, unwilling to ease the slightest bit of their grip. At this moment, the two streams of mana in his Dantian engaged in a fierce conflict, causing his abdomen to rumble like a drum, emitting booming sounds. His Dantian had never experienced such a colossal impact; it felt like countless small blades were stirring it crazily. Compared to the current heart-wrenching agony, the previously endured pain from the tearing of his meridians and Dantian seemed negligible. His teeth tightly clenched, despite his unbearable short gasps of pain. His body continued to shudder incessantly, and beads of perspiration the size of soybeans continued to roll from his forehead. ¡°No wonder the Nameless Heavenly Book mentioned the necessity of steadfast determination. This kind of torment is unbearable for an ordinary person!¡± Shen Luo thought to himself, but no intention of surrender arose within him. The mana conflict within his Dantian intensified, intensifying the pain. Shen Luo, doubled over, clenched his fists in the area above his Dantian, fiercely clenching his determination despite cutting his hand in the process. Gradually, he noticed that the two streams of mana that were originally gaseous, seemed to be wavering less during the constant collision and conflict within his Dantian. And the originally increasing agony began to subside as the amount of mana decreased. ¡°Could it be that my attempt has failed and has backfired, causing the carefully cultivated mana to dissolve?¡± With this thought, Shen Luo became slightly anxious. Regardless of his anxiety, the conflict of mana within his Dantian did not subside. The consumption of the two increased, and the previously full Dantian started to feel empty. Shen Luo¡¯s heart sank, the physical torment just now transitioned into mental torment. Just at that moment, at the location within the Dantian where the conflict was most fierce, something incredible occurred after the two violently colliding streams of mana suddenly ceased. The two battling flows of mana, after their last bout of collision, did not separate as they had before. Instead, they merged as one. In his Dantian, a trace of sparkling light emerged, followed by a droplet of radiant, liquid mana. Boom! When this liquid mana appeared, just like throwing a spark onto a pile of dry leaves, the other conflicting mana streams began to intertwine and merge continuously, transforming into droplets of liquid mana. Within the space of a few breaths, all of the mana within Shen Luo¡¯s Dantian had turned liquid. The knife-stirring pain swiftly disappeared, replaced by a warm comforting feeling. It left his Dantian soaked as if immersed in warm water. Shen Luo was both surprised and delighted by the change in his body. It seemed that the previously violent mana conflict was nothing more than a necessary process for condensing Qi into a liquid state. The dissolving mana wasn¡¯t actually disappearing; it was continuously condensing, making it more and more potent until it ultimately completely amalgamated and liquified. Shen Luo calmed his emotions by quietly running the Nameless Cultivation Technique, stabilizing the mana within his Dantian. Now was not the moment to be complacent. The liquification of mana was merely the first step in breaking through the Grain Avoidance Stage. The real challenge, the refining of meridians, lay ahead. If that step failed, all his previous efforts would be wasted. Refining of meridians meant to reconstruct the meridians connecting to the Dantian and nourishing them with mana. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, different schools and sects had different methods for refining meridians. Some were relatively gentle but took a very long time, while others took shortcuts but obviously held many hidden dangers. The method described in the Nameless Cultivation Technique was the most direct and domineering one. It required one to destroy the original meridians and then let the mana regenerate them. Destruction of one¡¯s meridians meant facing enormous risks. If one was not careful, it could result in disability at best and potentially even death at worst. Given Shen Luo¡¯s cautious nature, he naturally preferred the slow and steady way. However, time was a resource he did not have. Most significantly, the Nameless Cultivation Technique only recorded this single method, leaving him no room to choose. Shen Luo took several deep breaths, cleared his mind of distractions, and slowly closed his eyes. He continued to absorb the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi from the surrounding pond water into his Dantian, while gently channeling the liquid mana within his Dantian to form a vortex, rotating it from slow to fast. Before long, a burning sensation arose within his Dantian. As the vortex accelerated, so did the burning sensation, felt like a fire was burning inside his Dantian. Shen Luo responded calmly, causing his Dantian to shudder fiercely. Strands of blue mana floated out of the center of the vortex, forming a thumb-sized blue liquid droplet. Next, the blue liquid droplet moved upwards from his Dantian, directly through his Hand¡¯s Three Yang Meridians, which included the Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, into his arms and finger, as a surge of warmth started quickly flowing within them. In an instant, the entire meridian was filled with blue mana. ¡°Break!¡± Along with the shout in Shen Luo¡¯s heart, the entire Yangming Large Intestine Meridian shuddered and shattered into pieces. Immediately, intense pain washed over him. But at that moment, strands of blue silk materialized within the shattered meridian, entwining around the fragments. There was a vibrant vitality radiating out from these blue strands. The shattered meridian swiftly recovered. Within a few breaths, a brand-new meridian was formed. The newly formed Yangming Large Intestine Meridian emitted a faint blue light, expanded a bit more than before, and seemed to be stronger. Almost the same instant after it was reconstructed, this meridian trembled again and shattered once more. The silvery-blue strands full of vitality emerged again, initiating another swift recovery of the shattered meridian. In the next moment, as if stuck in a cycle, the meridian shuddered again¡­ In this way, the cycle of shattering and reconstruction happened nine times before finally settling down. A dragon-like roar echoed inside his arms. A transparent blue light belt emerged at the back of his body and then vanished instantly. Experiencing the rampant flow of mana in this newly formed meridian, Shen Luo felt extremely excited. He didn¡¯t expect the process to run so smoothly. Although he couldn¡¯t observe the changes internally, he could sense the profound changes that had occurred in the Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. The flow capacity had doubled, and it also became much more resilient, behaving like an elastic band. If he were to use a technique through both hands at that moment, the potency would probably be more than doubled, and the casting speed would be 10% faster. Additionally, the meridian could accelerate the absorption of the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi. Like the Dantian, it could store mana, thus increasing his body¡¯s mana capacity. According to the Nameless Heavenly Book, the capacity of a newborn meridian is approximately one-tenth of Dantian¡¯s capacity. With continuous nourishment, it could expand furthermore to store more mana. ¡°I hope everything goes smoothly from here on,¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, quickly suppressing the excitement in his heart. Chapter 151 - Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Amazing Talent Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Amazing Talent Condensing meridians is indeed a marker for advancing to Grain Avoidance Stage, but the number of meridians one can condense is the crucial determinant of future achievements. Because the process of condensing meridians for a monk is a singular opportunity in one¡¯s lifetime. Once the meridians have solidified and the cultivator still wants to condense more, unless they possess some extraordinary heavenly treasure or opportunity, it would be impossible to achieve. The number of meridians eventually condensed primarily depends on the amount of Mana within the body and whether they can timely draw spiritual power from Heaven and Earth during the condensation process. Of course, it would be best if there are appropriate Elixirs to supplement, the previous two naturally relate to the Skills practised and one¡¯s innate talent. According to the Nameless Cultivation Technique, generally, without any external help, ordinary monks could condense two to six meridians. Unless one possesses a Dao Body, it is extremely rare to condense more than eight meridians. Even a top-class Dao Body cannot condense more than twelve meridians. In any case, no monk would consider having too many meridians, always wishing to seize this opportunity to condense as many meridians as possible, yet excessive greed is probably why many Qi Refining Cultivators not only fail to advance to the Grain Avoidance Stage but also suffer severe setbacks. Shen Luo recalled these pieces of information in his mind while continuing to stimulate his Mana to nourish his newly born Hand¡¯s Yang Ming Large Intestine Meridian, and again activated his Skills aiming to remodel the Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian, which belongs to the Hand¡¯s Three Yang Meridians. The Hand¡¯s Three Yang Meridians, along with the Hand¡¯s Three Yin, Foot Three Yang, and Foot Three Yin meridians, are among the twelve meridians of a human being. Like the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, they all revolve around the Dantian. As most Skills require the use of both hands, most monks naturally choose the six corresponding meridians of the Hands¡¯ Three Yang and Three Yin first when condensing meridians, to increase their hand casting speed and power. Thus, time went on while he continuously underwent the cycle of destruction and regeneration of the meridians. During this time, Shen Luo successively remodeled the six meridians of the Hand¡¯s Three Yang and Three Yin, achieving success in one go each time. This significantly boosted his confidence. Even though he was well aware of the dangers of excessive greed, he decided to attempt condensing the six meridians related to his legs, corresponding to the Foot¡¯s Three Yang and Three Yin, as long as his Dantian and the speed of absorbing Mana could keep up. A week and a half later, one early morning. In the courtyard where Shen Luo was located, a clear and hearty long howl pierced the sky and continued for half an incense stick time before gradually subsiding. Next to the well, in the pond, Shen Luo stood with his legs apart, his fists clenched at his waist. He slowly lowered his head, his eyes exceptionally bright. Just now, he actually managed to successfully condense the last meridian, the Foot Shao Yin Kidney Meridian, in the twelve meridians. by now, he has condensed a total of twelve meridians. That is to say, the power of the mystic arts he casts with his hands is now six times greater than before, and the casting speed has increased by more than 60%. Additionally, his legs have also been enhanced. If he employed the Water-walking Decision, he should be able to run upstream in water for several two-hour periods now! ¡°I never thought that this body from the Dreamland could reach such a point! It¡¯s about time for me to solidify my meridians and breakthrough.¡± Shen Luo murmured a few words. He suspected that this might be due to his absorption speed of the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi being stronger than that of a top-level Dao Body. However, just as he was about to draw on his mana to nourish the new meridians, his face suddenly changed. The Mana inside his Dantian, which had just calmed down, had unknowingly began to operate on its own, forming a vortex. The vortex accelerated rapidly, and within two or three breaths, it had reached several times its previous speed. ¡°What is happening here?¡± Suppressing his inner panic, Shen Luo concentrated on his Skills, trying to stabilize the mana swirling within his Dantian. If anything was to go wrong with his Dantian at this critical moment, the meridians that hadn¡¯t fully consolidated might disperse, and all previous efforts would be in vain. But the Mana vortex within his Dantian had already lost control and didn¡¯t heed his instructions at all. ¡°Could this be a backlash because of my excessive greed?¡± The moment Shen Luo thought of this possibility, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his back became even more drenched in sweat. However, at this moment, the Mana vortex in his Dantian violently shuddered, and then a series of soft ¡°bursts¡± were heard. One after another, spheres of blue liquid made of Mana emerged, transforming into hot currents and flowing into his meridians. ¡°Eight Extraordinary Meridians? Could it be that¡­¡± Feeling the eight meridians rapidly flowing with mana throughout his body, Shen Luo was shocked. These eight meridians were the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which included the Ren meridian, Du Meridian, Chong Meridian, and Dai Meridian. They contain major acupoints of the body and communicate with the twelve meridians, extending throughout the body. Shen Luo¡¯s thoughts raced. These eight meridians were different from the twelve meridians. If the latter were damaged, it might result in severe injuries, but they could slowly recover. If the former were broken and couldn¡¯t be repaired in time, it would definitely result in death. With this thought, he couldn¡¯t help but grow more and more afraid. But before he could react, a soul-shredding agony suddenly erupted. His body convulsed and he clutched his head without making a sound, narrowly escaping from passing out. However, in the next moment, a cool sensation circulated at the place where the eight broken meridians were situated, bringing Shen Luo indescribable relief. But then again, his body convulsed, and an agony more severe than before assaulted him¡­ In the following time, Shen Luo repeatedly hovered between life and death, repeating nine times before finally stopping. At this moment, Shen Luo collapsed inside the pond, his face deathly pale, unable to move even a bit. It took half an hour before his face regained some color and he could finally lean on his arms to sit up with difficulty. His pain had disappeared by then, and the Mana turbulence within his Dantian had also subsided. He quickly sat down cross-legged and began meditating, eager to understand what exactly had happened inside his body. But the moment he closed his eyes, they flew open again. His eyes widened in shock, full of disbelief. ¡°Twenty, it¡¯s twenty! Am I dreaming? No, even though I am in Dreamland, but¡­ what¡¯s the difference?¡± Shen Luo was so excited he was about to jump for joy. Then, his eyes closed again, focusing on his Dantian. After winding up the Nameless Cultivation Technique once, a series of crackling sounds came from all over his body. The figure of his body sitting cross-legged shot up by several inches. In front of and behind him, rows of transparent blue light strips emerged one after another, totaling twenty of them. They crisscrossed around his arms and heads, with a faint blue light flowing within. These blue light strips, no matter how entangled, were all connected to the Dantian located in his lower abdomen. These were the twenty meridians that Shen Luo had condensed. Chapter 152 - Chapter 152: Chapter 151 Water Evasion Decision-+ Chapter 152: Chapter 151 Water Evasion Decision-+ Streams of heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi continuously rushed from all directions, not only from inside the pond, but also from the heaven and earth. Ordinary meridians could not absorb that much Qi and could only do so bit by bit, but those twenty meridians did not resist and easily absorbed the spiritual Qi. Especially those acupoints scattered on the meridians, they were like large mouths greedily sucking in all the incoming spiritual Qi. The speed was more than ten times faster than before! ¡°This spiritual energy flowed quickly along the meridians and eventually gathered in the Dantian. As the Dantian continued to be filled, the surplus mana flowed out from the Dantian and splitted into the twenty meridians, making the blue halo around Shen Luo brighter. In just a quarter of an hour, his Dantian and twenty meridians were filled, and the total internal mana increased by a whole two times more than before. Even though he felt the abundant mana flowing wildly inside his body as if it were rivers, and the Dantian turned as hot as fire, Shen Luo still had a surreal feeling. ¡°Did I really enter the Grain Avoidance Stage with twenty meridians? Even the top Dao bodies can¡¯t achieve that! What¡¯s wrong with my body?¡± He did not quite dare to believe it, but he had no choice other than to believe what had happened within him! Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes, activated his Water Manipulation Technique, and swung his hand. The mana in the meridians of his right hand burst out instantly and reached the tip of his fingers. With a splash, a stream as thick as an arm arose from the pond under him and spiralled around his fingertip. Shen Luo looked at his right hand, his eyes sparkling. From the moment he raised his hand to when he performed the spell, there was almost no time interval. It was many times faster than before when he used the Water Manipulation Technique. It makes sense, as his Dantian is now in his right arm. In the future, he can stimulate with his arm. As long as it¡¯s not the kind of mystic art that consumes too much mana, he can save the time used for mobilizing the mana. Naturally, it¡¯s incomparable with the previous. He pointed a finger, and the swirling water instantly transformed into a water arrow, leaving a blurry white shadow in the air and hitting the big mulberry tree nearby. A sizzling sound was heard, and the tree trunk as thick as a man was easily penetrated. The water arrow didn¡¯t stop, it continued to shoot forward and penetrated the courtyard wall in front before shattering. Shen Luo calmly nodded his head, not surprised by the formidable power of the water arrow. ¡°According to what I know, the total amount of mana in my body is now almost three times that of ordinary monks at the early stage of the Grain Avoidance Stage, which is not much different from a Mid Grain Avoidance Cultivator. It¡¯s quite normal for the Water Manipulation Technique to have such a strong power.¡± He glanced at the well near him before a flash of inspiration suddenly came into his mind. He leapt from the pond and formed a strange hand seal with both hands, softly chanting the spell. ¡°Blue light surged up and down his body, quickly forming a semi-transparent blue glow about an inch long on his body. The surface flickered with wave-like blue shadows, as if he were shielded by a layer of water.¡± Shen Luo glanced at the blue glow around him, moved his hands and feet, and found no special feeling. It was as if this blue glow did not exist at all. He stepped toward the well, leapt, and fell straight into it. To his surprise, when he jumped into the water, it did not make any sound at all. He and the shield were like a huge water droplet silently sinking into the water, not even stirring many ripples. In addition, the well water was blocked outside by the faint blue light shield and did not seep in at all. His breathing was as smooth as it was on the ground. More than that, this faint blue light shield and the surrounding well water also vaguely established some connections. Shen Luo silently operated his mana, the blue waves on the light shield suddenly lit up, and the nearby well water started to surge as if being controlled, generating a pushing force. With a swoosh, he dived down with the shield, much faster than swimming, almost as fast as a normal person running on land. ¡°This water repelling technique is really profound!¡± Shen Luo was secretly delighted. At this moment he couldn¡¯t touch the water with his hands and feet and was worried about how to move underwater. The water repelling technique even had this use indeed, which was a bonus. This well was very deep, about seven or eight zhang. He had no idea how it was dug, but with his current falling speed, he quickly reached the bottom. Shen Luo stood at the bottom of the well, shrugged his shoulders. The space inside the well was so small that it couldn¡¯t let him swim freely. However, he realized another use of the water repelling technique. Normally, when you dive to this depth, the pressure from the water can make one extremely uncomfortable and limit one¡¯s movements. But with the shield of water repelling technique, he did not feel anything at all. It seems that from now on, the barrier between water and land for him will no longer exist. Thinking of this, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists, feeling an impulse to try it out. During the time he was bedridden, he not only read miscellaneous books related to immortal and ghost cultivation but also looked through some books of wonders and observations. He knew that in this vast world, the species on land are flourishing, some spiritual mountain treasures can produce all kinds of geniuses and treasures, and the much broader water area is the same. There are countless water creatures, especially more splendid than the land, and many precious spiritual materials are hidden within. The rivers, lakes, and streams spread across the four continents, in fact, are natural treasure vaults containing countless treasures. But human monks are not aquatic clans and can¡¯t stay under the water for a long time. Just because of this, most monks are deterred from exploring underwater treasures. Now that he has mastered the water repelling technique, it will be much more convenient for him to explore underwater in the future. Even if he does not go treasure hunting, he can dive into the water and move around, which is equivalent to having an additional covert escape route. For example, the last time he was chased by Gu Hualing and had to run around, barely escaping, if he had mastered this water repelling technique at that time, he could just subtly dive into the water. No matter how fast Gu Hualing is, she could not find him. Shen Luo put away his thoughts, stimulated the spell, and the blue glow on the light shield around him swirled. The whole person suddenly rose quickly and soon reached the water surface, still some distance away from the wellhead. He swung his hand, used the Water-control Technique to condense a water rope, one end rolled towards the mulberry tree in the distance, while the other end wrapped around his body, planning to fly out of the well with its help. But when the water rope touched his light shield, it emitted a crisp sound and was bounced back, unable to penetrate the light shield. ¡°Huh? Does this water repelling technique have a defensive effect?¡± Shen Luo muttered in surprise. He grabbed the water rope and pulled hard, and the person along with the shield soared into the sky like a bird, at a very fast speed, colliding forcefully with the mulberry tree connected to the other end of the water rope. With a bang, Shen Luo smashed into the tree trunk, producing a dull thud, then he was propelled back by a great force, stumbled, and fell to the ground. Chapter 153 - Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Sacrificial Refining Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Sacrificial Refining Shen Luo looked at the swaying big tree, then at the blue light circling around his own body, he grimaced. With a wave of his hand, a water arrow shot out from the pond towards his right leg. When the water arrow touched the shimmering blue on the surface of his right leg, it burst open with a ¡°plop¡± into droplets, while the blue light merely wavered for a moment before immediately returning to calm. ¡°Not bad!¡± A hint of a smile appeared on Shen Luo¡¯s face as he complimented. Raising his hand again to summon another water arrow, this time he went all out. The water arrow turned into a swift white shadow, making an ear-piercing sound as it broke through air. In a flash, the arrow was in front of his right leg, fiercely hitting the blue light barrier. There was a loud bang! The barrier shuddered violently, the rotating blue light on the surface triggered rings of ripples, like waves on the water¡¯s surface. Shen Luo felt a massive tremor in his right leg and had to take three steps back to steady himself. The magical tactics in his hands did not stop, urging the mana in his hand to enter the barrier. The blue light on the surface of the Water Repelling Barrier flared up, the water arrow exploded suddenly, completely disappearing, while the barrier only flickered a few times before returning to normal. Shen Luo eyed the layer of light blue glow on him again, a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face. He hadn¡¯t expected that the defensive ability of this Water Repelling Technique, apart from having the capability to repel water, was quite impressive. The arrow he just shot was equivalent to a full-on attack by a Qi Refining Cultivator, it seemed that even if he faced an attack from a Grain Avoidance Cultivator, he could resist a great deal of power. He finally had a proper defensive spell! Although he had used the Water-control Technique to form a water shield to block attacks, at most it was as strong as an ordinary iron shield, it¡¯s nowhere near the Water Repelling Technique. Shen Luo dispersed the Water Repelling Barrier with a tactic, then pulled out a bundle of golden rope from his bosom. He had been unable to stimulate this object due to his insufficient cultivation level. Now, having advanced to the Grain Avoidance Stage, he could finally try the power of this magical instrument. Shen Luo immediately began to run his skill, slowly infusing mana into the rope. Initially, the golden rope did not exhibit any abnormalities, all the mana merged into it like mud into the sea without any effect. But as the infused mana increased, the rope finally showed a slight change. Its surface began to emit spots of golden light. The golden light grew more and more, gradually connecting into a plane, making the entire rope gleam brilliantly. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes slightly brightened, but he was a bit hesitant. Until now, he only knew how to use Talismanic Instruments, he still was completely clueless about how to run a real magical instrument. After all, the former¡¯s use was similar to ordinary talisman, the latter supposedly contained prohibitions, requiring special methods to first refine it, before being able to operate. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try, if it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll go ask someone.¡± Shen Luo thought, with his hands forming a tactic, attempting to stimulate the prohibition inside the gold rope as if operating a talismanic instrument. But when he increased the mana infusion, he found something strange. It seemed that there was an invisible force within the gold rope obstructing the further infusion of mana, and the excess mana was directly overflowing. ¡°Without the method of refining, it really can¡¯t be activated!¡± Shen Luo touched the golden rope and sighed, feeling a little disappointed. If it were normal times, it would have been fine, but it¡¯s not safe here in Longevity Village, who knows when a powerful Monster may attack. If he had a suitable magical instrument, his ability to resist enemies would naturally increase significantly. Shen Luo sat in silence for a while, then once again began to infuse mana into the golden rope. Just like before, the mana just infused into it was immediately blocked by a barrier formed by an invisible force. But this time, he did not give up. Instead, he shook his arms, with six lines of blue meridian light appearing on the surface. He infused several times more mana than before into the gold rope in one go, fiercely smashing the invisible barrier. But this invisible barrier was much tougher than he had expected. No matter how hard he tried to break it, it remained as steady as Mount Tai. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡± Shen Luo snorted lightly, with all his strength he started the skill, all twenty meridian light bands around his body lit up. Mana surged out like angry waves, one after another, bombarding the invisible barrier within the gold rope. However, until more than half of his mana was exhausted, the invisible barrier inside the golden rope showed no signs of weakening. ¡°It seems that such a thing as a magical instrument cannot be obtained with mere brute force.¡± While thinking this in his heart, Shen Luo began to run the skill to recover his mana. Now that he had twenty meridians to absorb Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi, after calmness and silence, his mana was completely restored in just a moment. Shen Luo picked up the golden rope, after a moment of contemplation, he infused mana into the rope again, and soon encountered the barrier. This time he did not try to force a breakthrough, but diffused the mana as much as possible, surrounding the invisible barrier like layers of flowing water, slowly seeping in, moistening everything like water. This time, the resistance of the invisible barrier within the golden rope to mana did not seem as strong. As time passed, some mana seeped in gradually. ¡°There¡¯s hope!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up, continuing to run his mana, but quickly he frowned and encountered a new problem. Although this method might be effective, it was terribly slow, comparable to a snail¡¯s pace and required a lot of mental effort. His mana was soon depleted by more than half again, and his spirit was a little tired, but the barrier only loosened a little. However, he had already made up his mind, vowing to keep going until he achieved his goal. When his mana was drained, he would recover, and when his spirit was tired, he would meditate to rest. Time flew by quickly, and a day and night passed in a blink of an eye. At this time, the invisible barrier within the gold rope was finally on the brink of collapse, it was only a step away from a complete breakthrough. Shen Luo knew that caution was needed as he neared the end. As always, he controlled his mana, seeping bit by bit into the depth of the barrier. After half an hour, the golden rope lying silent in his hand suddenly emitted a bright dazzling light. Within the golden light, countless tiny golden runes the size of ants floated up, countless in number, forming a layer of golden patterned array, humming and pulsing. Shen Luo opened his eyes, curiously eyeing the golden patterned array, before touching it with a tactic. The golden rope slipped out of his hand with a ¡°whoosh¡±, flew around in the air, as if a golden snake was darting around nimbly in mid-air. With a single hand pointing in the void, the golden light flashed, and the golden rope flew in front of the big mulberry tree, wrapping around it, and immediately coiling a few loops around before rapidly shrinking. Shen Luo looked pleased, beckoned with one hand and retracted the golden rope, coiling it around his right arm. Although he didn¡¯t understand the method of refining magical instruments and had merely relied on wearisome efforts to break through and control the prohibition, it was still far from completely controlling the rope, barely managing to activate it. He could feel it, there were other prohibitions inside the rope, much more complex than the outermost layer, probably not something that could be easily broken through using slow and steady effort. But without trying, he wouldn¡¯t give up. Chapter 154 - Chapter 154: Chapter 153: Beast Attack Chapter 154: Chapter 153: Beast Attack Just as he was preparing to continue his attempts, footsteps could be heard from outside the courtyard, like those of two people. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the meals here.¡± A boy¡¯s voice suggested. ¡°I wonder how long the immortal brother will stay. He hasn¡¯t come out for more than ten days.¡± A timid girl asked in a soft voice. ¡°Shush! Bell, lower your voice. Sister Ying said that Immortal Brother is in seclusion, we can¡¯t disturb him. Let¡¯s just put the things here and leave quickly.¡± The boy continued. Upon overhearing this, Shen Luo¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and his figure leapt out from the pond, simultaneously inciting a seal with his hands. The water on his clothes scattered away from his body, instantly leaving him dry. The dispersed water droplets melded together in front of him, forming a water rope that shot out and opened the courtyard door. Two children, one tall and one short, were standing outside the door. One was a little boy dressed in a worn-out green cloth shirt and holding a bamboo basket¡ªit was Little Fish, the boy he had met before. The other one was a little girl with braids like sheep horns and dressed in a red patched clothing. She looked a year or two younger than Little Fish, her plump face graced with a pair of watery, big eyes. Seeing the door suddenly being opened scared both of the children. Bell, the little girl, instinctively hid behind the little boy, exposing only her large eyes to look around. ¡°Immortal brother, we came to deliver your meal, we didn¡¯t mean to disturb you, and we¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± Little Fish was quick to react. He placed the basket on the ground, gave a bow to Shen Luo, and held Bell¡¯s hand, preparing to leave. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Shen Luo stopped them, and, in a flash, he was already by the courtyard¡¯s door. He opened the basket, inside were two light yellow pancakes and a little jar filled with some white soup, apparently meat soup; everything was still steaming hot. His eyebrows furrowed. Although he hadn¡¯t seen the meals of other villagers, he was certain this pancake and meat soup were definitely much better than what most people in the village had. ¡°Little Fish, tell Ying Luo for me that she doesn¡¯t need to deliver meals daily, a regular meal every ten days will suffice. Leave the food for those who need it more.¡± Shen Luo said to Little Fish. Now at the early stage of Grain Avoidance, he required less grains, and indeed had no use for so good and large a meal. ¡°Alright, I will tell Sister Ying.¡± Little Fish nodded and responded, while Bell blinked her clear black and white eyes a few times, seemingly not quite understanding the meaning of Shen Luo¡¯s words. ¡°Here, you two can have these.¡± Shen Luo smiled and put the basket in front of the two of them. Upon seeing the pancakes and meat soup in the basket, both of the children¡¯s throats started to move, and Bell¡¯s stomach even growled. ¡°Immortal Brother, this is your food. You and Sister Ying fought dangerous monsters to protect our village. We can¡¯t accept it.¡± Little Fish swallowed, resisted the urge to look at the food, and still mantained a firm no. Shen Luo gave Little Fish a profound look, feeling slightly moved. He had thought that this little boy was not only responsible, but also clear and orderly in his speech when facing him. He was a tough and clever child. ¡°Although I¡¯m not a food-and-drink free immortal, I don¡¯t need to eat every day like you guys. Eating only one meal in ten or so days is more than enough. On the contrary, if I eat too much, I¡¯ll get a stomach-ache. Ah!~¡± He pressed his hand against his stomach, feigning a pained expression. ¡°You guys quick, save me by finishing these pancakes.¡± Then he suddenly laughed and shoved the two pancakes into the children¡¯s hands. ¡°Little Fish Brother, is what Immortal Brother said true?¡± Holding her pancake, Bell looked over at Little Fish and whispered. ¡°It must be true. The Immortal Brother wouldn¡¯t lie to us. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Little Fish nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Thank you, Immortal Brother!¡± Bell thanked Shen Luo, and without being able to contain herself further, stuffed the pancake into her mouth and started wolfing it down. Little Fish also started eating, quickly finishing off his piece of pancake. Shen Luo silently watched the two children finish eating, feeling more satisfied than if he had eaten himself. Then he passed them the small jar, letting each have two sips, and quickly finishing the meat soup inside. ¡°Alright, you should head home early.¡± Shen Luo rubbed Little Fish¡¯s head, then turned and smiled at Bell, before returning to his courtyard. The two children stood at the entrance for a while. Bell picked up the basket and started walking towards the distance. However, Little Fish just stood there, staring blankly at the closed courtyard door. ¡°Little Fish, let¡¯s go.¡± Bell walked a few steps, then seeing that Little Fish hadn¡¯t followed, she called out. ¡°Coming.¡± Little Fish responded, reluctantly diverting his gaze, and followed along. Back in the courtyard, Shen Luo returned to sit by the pond, but he didn¡¯t start refining the Gold Rope immediately. A hint of contemplation flashed across his face. Just now, when he handed the pancake to Little Fish, he touched his palm and subtly noticed something odd about him. Then he took advantage of the opportunity to touch Little Fish¡¯s head, checking again. Although Little Fish¡¯s complexion seemed normal, he was suffering from a hidden ailment, similar to what Shen Luo had experienced before, a deficiency of inner vitality, the cause of which was unknown. However, this lack of vitality was sealed by a peculiar technique, likely some form of acupuncture, and had not manifested itself. This sealing technique was very profound. It required a certain level of understanding of the body¡¯s meridians, as well as the internal organs, to be able to apply it. With his current cultivation level, even he might not be able to do it. The Qi Refining Cultivator Ying Luo certainly wouldn¡¯t be capable. So, who had sealed Little Fish¡¯s ailment? ¡°Could it be Granny Ma?¡± The image of the old woman with white hair appeared in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. If it truly was her, then before she lost her mana, her cultivation level was likely at least at the Grain Avoidance Stage. Shen Luo quickly shook himself out of his thoughts, no longer speculating about it, and was just about to continue trying to refine the Gold Rope. At this moment, the entire courtyard suddenly trembled, the ground shuddering likewise, as if an earth dragon was rolling over. Soon after, thunderous sounds came from the direction of the village entrance. It seemed like some enormous creature was approaching the village. ¡°Another monster attack on the village?¡± His brows furrowed, he swiftly wrapped the golden rope around his arm and strode out. Now as a member of the village, he naturally couldn¡¯t ignore a monster attack. Besides, his cultivation had recently improved greatly and this was a good opportunity to practice on these monsters. As Shen Luo was contemplating all this, his figure had already exited the courtyard. But not long after, his flying form suddenly stopped. On the pathway ahead, two small figures were huddled together, it was Little Fish and Bell. The latter was seated on the ground with a swollen ankle, seemingly twisted. ¡°You two shouldn¡¯t stay here, go home quickly.¡± Shen Luo called out to the two children. In this monster attack, there might again be the previously seen flying beasts. Despite being deep in the village, this place was not safe. ¡°Immortal Brother, Bell¡¯s foot is twisted. She can¡¯t walk.¡± On seeing Shen Luo, Little Fish hastily spoke. Shen Luo glanced at the little girl¡¯s swollen ankle, his brows slightly furrowed. He looked around, planning to find a house where there were people, to allow the two children to take shelter. However, the place where he lived was quite remote, there was almost no one living nearby. At this time, there were troublesome noises coming from the entrance of the village, suggesting that the situation was critical. Taking the two children back to Granny Ma¡¯s place at this point would waste a lot of time. Chapter 155 - Chapter 155: Chapter 154: The Monkey King Seeks Revenge Chapter 155: Chapter 154: The Monkey King Seeks Revenge Without hesitation, Shen Luo bent over to pick up the two children, swiftly brought them into his courtyard, and settled them in his own house. ¡°Both of you, stay here and don¡¯t leave the house until I¡¯ve driven away the monsters and return to treat your injuries,¡± Shen Luo instructed. ¡°Immortal brother, you can rest assured that we will stay here obediently, and I will protect Bell,¡± Little Fish replied, with a determined look on his little face. The color of pain on Bell¡¯s face had also subsided a lot, and she quickly nodded vigorously. Shen Luo gave a smile to the two children, then turned around and left, applying the Chasing Wind Step, he didn¡¯t take the main road, but instead leapt straight in various places in the village, heading straight towards the village entrance. Previously, when chased by the Mad Leopard, his desperate escape had inadvertently allowed him to comprehend some of the true meanings of Chasing Wind Step. With his now breakthrough in cultivation to the Grain Avoidance Stage, his physical condition improved, which also significantly helped his footwork. At this moment, he was leaping on the rooftops of the village, his figure was light and his speed was quite astonishing. The villagers he encountered along the way could only hear the sound of wind passing by their ears, and when they turned to look, Shen Luo had long gone, and they couldn¡¯t even catch sight of his shadow. In just seven or eight breaths, he had already reached the entrance of the village. At the entrance of the village, there was already a cry of killing. The sturdier villagers were holding all kinds of wooden spears or crude crossbows, fighting with some demonic beasts. The attacking beasts were exactly like the grey-haired monkeys he had encountered before, their numbers had more than doubled. Luckily there were no giant flying birds, these monkeys hadn¡¯t attacked the village yet, however, this time the number of monkeys was too large. A dozen grey monkeys stood in the distance, continuously throwing stones that landed on the fence of the village entrance, producing a dense ¡°bang bang¡± sound. In addition, there were a dozen more who had already rushed to the fence, swinging their stone clubs and viciously smashing against the fence. The fence was shaking unceasingly, as if it couldn¡¯t bear the onslaught. The people on the high platform behind the fence were desperately shooting arrows and hurling long spears, trying to drive away those grey monkeys smashing the fence, but their efforts were not effective. Ying Luo was standing on the high platform at the moment, but he wasn¡¯t casting fireball spells to attack the grey monkeys below, instead, his face showed tension as he vigilantly stared at the distance, as if on alert for something. ¡°Master Shen!¡± The people at the entrance quickly noticed Shen Luo¡¯s arrival and were filled with surprise and joy. Shen Luo glanced around and quickly grasped the situation. He stood still, made a gesture with both hands. A white water stream was ejected from the well nearest to the entrance, then it split into four and turned into four water arrows. ¡°Go!¡± With a simple flick of Shen Luo¡¯s fingers, the four water arrows immediately burst out, shooting through the gaps in the fence and hitting the chests of the four grey monkeys that were attacking the fence. Bang, bang, bang, bang! The speed of the water arrows was too fast, the four grey monkeys had absolutely no chance to react. Their bodies were thrown out, a blood hole as large as a bowl¡¯s mouth was burst open on their chests. They struggled a few times upon landing, and then lay motionless. The people of Longevity Village, after witnessing this, cheered joyfully after a moment of shock. The group of monkeys outside were both startled and angry, constantly beating their chests and howling at Shen Luo. Shen Luo ignored them, his figure darted to the vicinity of the fence, he leapt up to the high platform next to Ying Luo, and following Ying Luo¡¯s gaze, he set his sights in the distance. Upon a chaotic pile of stones a few dozen feet outside the village, a huge ape over ten feet tall with an entirely black body and deep green eyes stood toweringly, staring intently at Ying Luo. Its eyes contained none of the typical brutality of the Gray Apes, instead they were clear, indicating great spiritual wisdom. The enormous size and its calm green gaze put a lot of pressure on Ying Luo, causing her fair forehead to glisten with sweat. Just as Shen Luo looked out at the Black Giant Ape, it turned its gaze towards him as well. With no change in expression, Shen Luo waved his hand, performing the seal in his hand once more. A stream of water shot from a nearby well, transforming into four water arrows that aimed at the four gray apes in the distance that were throwing stones, cleanly piercing them through once more. Seeing this, a trace of murderous intent flashed through the green eyes of the Black Giant Ape. It wildly beat its chest and let out a high, resounding cry. Outside the village, the apes, as if hearing a command, halted their attacks, turning to retreat in the distance. At that moment, four more water arrows cut through the void, overtaking the gray apes running far away in the blink of an eye. They pierced through the apes¡¯ backs, spraying a trail of blood. Without even a chance to let out a scream, the four gray apes fell dead instantly. ¡°Roar!¡± Seeing this from a distance, fury blazed in the eyes of the Black Giant Ape, it swung its powerful arms. A black shadow flew forward, making a piercing sound as it broke through the air. To an astonishing degree, the speed was like a bolt of black lightning; it covered dozens of feet in the blink of an eye, coming just a few feet before Shen Luo. It was a black stone roughly the size of a human head. Before the black stone could reach, a gust of wind had already struck him, causing his clothes to flutter. Surprised, Shen Luo was about to cast Water Repelling Barrier, his figure flickering with blue light, when a ball of red flame flew over from beside him and blocked the black stone. The loud explosion echoed as the black stone shattered in the flames! However, the flames were obviously at a disadvantage, the fragmented flames were pressed backward by the vigorous gust of wind stirred up by the stone. Countless fragments of black stone were wrapped in the gust, and after being struck by the fireball, they landed slightly off in another part of the fence. Immediately some people took hits to their thighs or arms on the high platform along the fence, causing screams as they fell. They were drenched in blood, and one person who was hit in the chest had even been flung backward by the force. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°Big Brother Shen, be careful. That black ape is the Ape King, an extremely strong beast. It¡¯s already in the Grain Avoidance Stage,¡± warned Ying Luo, her face unusually grim. ¡°Did it come to take revenge for the gray apes we killed a few days ago?¡± Shen Luo said, looking towards the black ape. Seeing that the black stone was unsuccessful, a low roar emanated from the Black Giant Ape in the distance, and it reached out for another black stone. ¡°Most likely, yes. Ape-type Demonic Beasts usually move in groups and are very vengeful. The village is really in danger today.¡± Ying Luo spoke quietly as if she was afraid the others nearby would hear and lose their morale. ¡°Since it is a revengeful Demon, it must be completely eliminated,¡± Shen Luo stated gravely. ¡°What?¡± Hearing these words, Ying Luo was stunned as if she did not understand Shen Luo¡¯s intentions. ¡°You just guard here. I¡¯ll be back soon¡±. Shen Luo didn¡¯t explain further and before he finished speaking, he had already leaped off the high platform and landed outside the village. Taking quick strides, he started moving towards the direction of the Black Giant Ape. At the same time, a sharp noise came from a nearby well and water streams shot out once more. They coalesced into a water dragon in mid-air, coiling and dancing around him. Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Crushing Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Crushing The Black Giant Ape, seeing Shen Luo charging alone, tossed the Black Stone in its hand and grabbed a gigantic stone, as big as a millstone, from beside it, heaving it towards Shen Luo with all its might. The colossal stone whooshed through the air, creating explosive sounds. In a blink of an eye, it was in front of Shen Luo, and an air pressure several times greater than before was sweeping over. Shen Luo¡¯s face remained unchanged as he formed a sign with one hand, while the golden light on his other arm receded. The streams of water behind him twirled at his gesture, transforming into a blueish water sword, over six feet long, and slashing towards the sky, producing an echoing sound as if it were a flying sword. With a ¡°splurt¡± sound, the gigantic stone was split in half like tofu by the blade of the water sword, which then turned into a blue flash and continued its slash towards the Giant Ape. The Black Giant Ape paused for a moment, then let out a loud roar. Its body hair stood upright, as countless strands of Black Qi burst out from the tips of the hair, swirling to gather into a giant black rod as real as a tangible object. The emergence of the black rod immediately instigated a violent gust of wind as it whirled and shot out, fiercely slamming into the water sword. With a ¡°thud,¡± the gargantuan water sword was shattered with a single strike, dispersing into droplets across the sky, whereas the black rod was also knocked away, yet it did not break. Just at that moment, a golden streak burst out from the exploding water droplets, it was a golden rope, winding swiftly towards the Black Giant Ape. The Black Giant Ape was startled and attempted to dodge, but the speed of the golden rope was way too fast, tangling its legs with a roll. Shen Luo, still nearly twenty-five feet away, saw this, made another hand gesture, and the golden rope tightened and tugged the Giant Ape towards him. The Giant Ape staggered, lost its balance, and was about to crash in front, but its long arms that reached beyond its knees suddenly propped onto the ground, preventing it from falling completely. At this moment, Shen Luo had already soared in front of the Giant Ape, both hands forming a seal, and a pull. The scattered droplets suddenly recoagulated above the Ape¡¯s head, instantly forming into a colossal blue water sword, fiercely slashing down towards the Ape¡¯s neck. The Black Giant Ape finally showed a look of terror, it tried to conjure the Black Qi rod for protection but it was too late. At the critical moment, the hair all over its body blazed with a layer of black light, growing wildly, interweaving with each other, instantly forming a layer of black hair armor that covered its entire body. Especially the hair armor on the neck, it was three times thicker than the other parts, and it was still thickening. But before it could thicken more, the colossal water sword had fallen, heavily chopping on its neck. In a series of crisp and crackling sounds, the black hair armor managed to hold the water sword after nearly half of it cracked open, ultimately blocking the water sword. Shen Luo silently sneered, a nearly three-fold surge of Mana erupted from him, causing the surface of the water sword to radiate a vivid blue light, and began trembling incessantly, generating a clear resonating sword cry similar to real blades. With a ¡°swoosh¡± sound like tearing silk! The remaining black hair armor was effortlessly sliced open by the colossal water sword, and a blue sword shadow swept past the Ape¡¯s neck. The Black Giant Ape¡¯s head, as big as a millstone, immediately flew off and fell heavily several feet away, its eyes wide open in terror. Simultaneously, a massive geyser of blood spouted from its neck, rapidly staining the nearby ground red. The Giant Ape¡¯s limbs twitched a few times, then quickly became still. Its decapitated body maintained a balanced posture supported by both hands on the ground. After Shen Luo smoothly beheaded the Black Giant Ape on the spot, the surrounding noise abruptly ceased, and complete silence enveloped the area. People from the distant village were stunned, and even the nearby Gray ape monsters also froze on the spot, momentarily forgetting to flee. Shen Luo beckoned with one hand, and the golden light flashed. The golden rope that had bound the Giant Ape¡¯s legs slithered back onto his right arm as if it was a living snake. The decapitated corpse of the Giant Ape tumbled to the ground due to the loss of balance, shaking the ground with a booming sound. Only then did the reactions of the people from the village in the distance catch up, resulting in a cheer that shook the heavens. Ying Luo sighed deeply, with a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes as he looked at Shen Luo. The previous statement, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± still echoed in his ears. At this moment, the Gray Apes regained their consciousness. Their faces expressed utter horror as they shrieked and disbanded in all directions. ¡°None of you are getting away.¡± Shen Luo turned abruptly, his figure leaping upwards as his hands formed a spell. The massive water sword immediately disintegrated, transforming into four smaller water swords. The water lights on them did not diminish at all. With a ¡®swish,¡¯ they scattered and flew out, attacking the Gray Apes. These smaller water swords were incredibly sharp. Everywhere they passed, no matter whether it was the Gray Ape monsters or their stone clubs, could not resist them. They could easily be cut through. Shrieks filled the air as blood splattered around. Ying Luo and a few other villagers with superior martial strength also rushed out, intending to aid Shen Luo. However, before they could reach the monkeys, all the Gray Apes had already been slain. Not a single one escaped. ¡°Master Shen! You truly have vast powers!¡± ¡°To even easily slay the Ape King of Grain Avoidance Stage, this is the strength of an Immortal Master!¡± ¡°Thank the ancestors for protecting Longevity Village!¡± A large crowd of villagers surrounded Shen Luo, showering him with endless praise and gratitude. Some even knelt in front of Shen Luo, making him feel overwhelmed. On a high ground within the village, Granny Ma was standing there, looking as lifeless as a withered tree, gazing at Shen Luo who was surrounded by the crowd. Her eyes were no longer cold but had a hint of gentleness. Shen Luo merely replied to everyone¡¯s praises with a smile. ¡°Big Brother Shen has slain the group of demons and must be exhausted. Everyone, please don¡¯t cling onto him. Come, let¡¯s all work together and move these demon corpses back to the village. With so much meat, our village won¡¯t lack rations in the short term.¡± Ying Luo walked over and spoke. Only then did everyone look around at the Ape corpses all over the ground, their faces filled with excitement. They ran over, and several of them lifted each Gray Ape corpse and headed back to the village. They didn¡¯t let the corpse of the Black Giant Ape go either. But the corpse was too big and heavy. It took the combined efforts of more than ten people, who fumbled around before they could barely lift it up and slowly proceeded towards the village. Seeing everyone around him leaving, Shen Luo quietly exhaled. ¡°Big Brother Shen, we haven¡¯t seen each other for just over a dozen days. How did your strength suddenly increase to such a level?¡± Ying Luo came over again, asking with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I just happened to have a breakthrough in my cultivation during this time.¡± Shen Luo said nonchalantly. ¡°That golden rope seemed to be a magical instrument. Big Brother Shen, can you control magical instruments? Have you broken through the Grain Avoidance Stage in your cultivation?¡± Ying Luo glanced at the gold rope on Shen Luo¡¯s right arm and asked. Shen Luo didn¡¯t answer, but merely nodded. Ying Luo¡¯s eyes filled with joy as he repeatedly congratulated him. The two of them chatted and walked, entering the village. Upon noticing the conclusion of the battle, the women and children in the village gathered at the entrance. Seeing the corpses of more than twenty Gray Apes, they all showed excitement and inquired eagerly about the battle. Not wanting to be surrounded by the villagers again, Shen Luo quickly departed the entrance and headed towards his residence. At this time, all the villagers had gathered at the entrance, making the village deserted. Without going far, an old frail figure shakily approached him from the front. It was Granny Ma. Chapter 157 - Chapter 157: Chapter 156: Chen Guanbao Gets Arrested Chapter 157: Chapter 156: Chen Guanbao Gets Arrested Shen Luo nodded slightly at Granny Ma and hastened his steps to walk over. ¡°Thank you, Daoist friend, for taking action and slaying those invading monsters. This old woman has been disrespectful towards you in the past, I hope you can forgive me.¡± Granny Ma suddenly bowed to Shen Luo, she said. ¡°Granny, there¡¯s no need for this. I am currently a member of Longevity Village, protecting the village by slaying demons is something I should do.¡± Shen Luo was taken aback by Granny Ma¡¯s change in attitude, he stopped in his tracks and returned the bow. ¡°For Daoist friend Shen to break through the bottleneck of the Grain Avoidance Stage in just half a month, indeed a rare talent,¡± Granny Ma said with a rare smile. ¡°Granny, you¡¯re over-praising me, I dare not claim to have such talent.¡± Shen Luo responded humbly. ¡°Granny Ma, Big Brother Shen!¡± At this moment, Ying Luo¡¯s voice echoed from behind, she hastened her pace to catch up. After glancing at Shen Luo, she gave a bow to Granny Ma, a hint of nervousness in her expression. ¡°Ying Luo, don¡¯t worry, this old woman hasn¡¯t gone senile I was just thanking Brother Shen for saving the village.¡± Granny Ma said with a calm tone. Upon hearing Granny Ma¡¯s words, Ying Luo let out a sigh of relief and was about to speak. ¡°Granny Ma, Master Ying, Master Shen!¡± At this moment, a voice came from ahead. The three of them looked up to see a middle-aged woman running towards them, her face filled with anxiety. ¡°Aunt Lan, what happened?¡± Ying Luo hurriedly walked towards the woman. ¡°It¡¯s bad, Master Ying, Master Shen, you need to come quickly¡­ Chen Guanbao has been kidnapped by a demon!¡± The middle-aged woman announced, gasping for breath. ¡°Chen Guanbao!¡± Shen Luo abruptly raised his head. ¡°Where did the demon come from? Where was he abducted?¡± Ying Luo¡¯s face changed she was about to open her mouth when Granny Ma beat her to it. ¡°In¡­ in Master Shen¡¯s residence.¡± Aunt Lan gazes at Shen Luo, swallowed hard before saying. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze hardened, his figure shot forward, disappearing into the distance in a few jumps. ¡°Aunt Lan, please take care of Granny Ma.¡± Ying Luo instructed the woman, then immediately unfolded her bearings and chased after Shen Luo. Shen Luo utilized Chasing Wind Step to the fullest, reaching his small courtyard in no time. ¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯ was standing outside the courtyard at this moment, with a ghostly white face, her body trembling uncontrollably as she hugged tightly to a thirty-something gray-dressed peasant woman by her side. The gray-dressed woman was crouching half-way, hugging ¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯ into her arms, soothing her with words. ¡°Master Shen!¡± Shen Luo suddenly appeared, startling the woman in grey. After recognizing him, she hurried to pay her respects. ¡°Did you see how Chen Guanbao was kidnapped?¡± Shen Luo waved dismissively and asked. ¡°I just got here too, I don¡¯t know what happened. Aunt Lan told me Chen Guanbao was taken by a monster, she asked me to look after ¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯ while she went to the village entrance.¡± The grey-dressed woman was in awe of Shen Luo, she lowered her head and dared not look at him she said softly. Shen Luo nodded in response, glanced at ¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯, then looked towards the courtyard without entering rashly. The courtyard seemed normal, there were no signs of damage on the ground, doors, windows, or anywhere else, as if nothing had happened. ¡°¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯, don¡¯t be scared. Tell Brother Shen, what happened to your big brother Chen Guanbao?¡± He thought for a moment, then crouched down in front of ¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯ and asked gently. ¡®A Inch of Gold¡¯ was terrified at this moment, she buried her head in the grey-dressed woman¡¯s bosom and did not dare to lift her head, she didn¡¯t answer Shen Luo¡¯s question. Shen Luo furrowed his brows, he flicked his fingers a few times on ¡®A Inch of Gold¡±s back and head, then guided a thread of mana into her heart meridians. A Inch of Gold¡¯s trembling body came to a halt, raising her head, a faint blush spread across her small face, her spirits seemed to steady a lot. ¡°Good job Inch, tell me, what did you see just now? I can only help your brother Chen Guanbao if you tell me.¡± Shen Luo gently said. A Inch of Gold perked up at the mention of saving Chen Guanbao, hesitated for a moment and then murmured, ¡°Well, after Immortal Master, you left, we hid inside the house. After a while, sudden rushing noise sounded from outside, getting louder and louder, then¡­ then everything around became extremely cold¡­¡± At this point, A Inch of Gold¡¯s body shuddered lightly, she hugged her arms with her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I am here. What happened next?¡± Shen Luo gently stroked A Inch of Gold¡¯s head, fed another strand of mana into her. ¡°I was really scared, Chen Guanbao brother told me to hide under the bed, he said he will protect me, he went out to check, as soon as he left the house, he screamed, then there was no more sound.¡± Inch, rejuvenated, continued. ¡°How did you get out then?¡± Shen Luo inquired. ¡°I was scared and started shouting, that¡¯s when Aunt Lan came in, she brought me outside.¡± Inch of Gold anxiously glanced at the wide-open courtyard door, said. ¡°You guys stay outside, don¡¯t come in.¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo stood up, told the grey-clothed women of the village. The woman quickly agreed, withdrew a bit further away with A Inch of Gold. Shen Luo stepped into the courtyard, silently circulated his mana in defense against any sudden danger, while keenly sensing the surroundings, his gaze became focused. It wasn¡¯t clear from the outside, but upon entering the courtyard, a faint demon qi and a scent of blood lingered, distinctly not of a human cultivator. Shen Luo quickly searched every corner of the courtyard, did not find any trace of a demon hiding, evidently the opponent has long since left. The peculiar thing was that the scent of blood was swirling inside the courtyard, but showed no signs of dispersing outside. ¡°Strange, did the monster vanish into thin air after kidnapping Chen Guanbao?¡± He was puzzled. At this moment, the sound of rustling garments floated in from outside, it was Ying Luo. ¡°Elder Shen, have you found anything?¡± She inquired, stepping into the courtyard. ¡°Still nothing, but there is indeed remnant demon qi here, however, the monster that took the person just up and left, not sure where it went.¡± Shen Luo shook his head, said with a furrowed brow. ¡°Could it have flown away?¡± Ying Luo looked slightly surprised, pondered a little then said. ¡°It is unlikely, the repulsive scent on the demon just lingers in the courtyard. If it had flown off, it would have left traces.¡± Shen Luo shook his head. ¡°A stench? Is there? Why can¡¯t I smell anything?¡± Ying Luo wrinkled her nose, suspiciously scanning the surroundings, said. ¡°Just trust me, I won¡¯t get it wrong.¡± Shen Luo said, once again falling into deep thought. The stench was faint, and he would not have noticed without his heightened senses after breaking through the Grain Avoidance Stage. But where exactly did the monster go? Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footfalls came from outside the courtyard, it was Granny Ma and Aunt Lan arriving, followed by a crowd of incoming villagers with bustling noise. Granny Ma rushed into the courtyard with Aunt Lan¡¯s help, and the villagers, seemingly in an unspoken agreement, did not follow in, instead they surrounded the courtyard from outside. ¡°Both of you, any clues on the whereabouts of that monster?¡± Granny Ma approached catching her breath and asked Shen Luo and Ying Ruo before she could settle. ¡°Granny Ma, we still haven¡¯t found a clue yet. But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re working on it.¡± Ying Luo stepped forward to support Granny Ma¡¯s other arm, reassuring her. ¡°You must be Aunt Lan, right? I heard from Inch that you came here as soon as Chen Guanbao was taken. Did you see any traces of the monster?¡± Shen Luo turned to Aunt Lan and asked. Chapter 158 - Chapter 158: Chapter 157: Its Back Again Chapter 158: Chapter 157: It¡¯s Back Again ¡°No, I saw a demon attacking the village and I wanted to help, so I was passing by the courtyard. I heard a child¡¯s scream, saw that the courtyard door was unlocked, and rushed in. All I found was a piece of gold, and saw no trace of Chen Guanbao or the demon.¡± Aunt Lan shook her head as she spoke. ¡°Could it be that the demon used some kind of earth evasion technique to get away after kidnapping someone?¡± Ying Luo suggested, as if he had just thought of something. ¡°No, the ground would definitely show some signs if an earth evasion technique was used. The ground in the courtyard is completely normal, so it could not have been earth evasion.¡± Granny Ma asserted in a deep voice. ¡°I understand now!¡± Shen Luo spoke before quickly walking towards the big well nearby. He crouched down and touched the ground beside the well with his fingers, sniffed them, then stood up and peered into the well. Seeing him do this, both Ying Ruo and Aunt Lan helped Granny Ma to come over to him. As they all gazed into the well, they noticed the water was still, showing no ripples. It was quiet, almost eerie, like a gaping maw ready to devour anything thrown into it. ¡°Are you suggesting that the demon abducted Chen Guanbao and left through this well?¡± Granny Ma queried. Aunt Lan, upon hearing this, instinctively took a step back, as if she was afraid a demon would spring from the well and pull her into it. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely. This would leave no trace. However, if that¡¯s the case, Chen Guanbao could be in danger.¡± Ying Luo frowned deeply. ¡°I¡¯ve read some accounts suggesting that certain monsters prefer to kidnap children to aid in their cultivation. But they need the children to be alive for this. If true, Chen Guanbao may be safe for now.¡± Shen Luo explained slowly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s theoretically possible, but what good can that do? Are you implying that you could really submerge and confront that monster? Alas, the poor child¡­¡± Granny Ma first agreed, then sighed in resignation. ¡°If the boy is indeed dragged into the water, it¡¯s impossible for a person to breathe there. Even if we find the monster, what then? That would be risking one¡¯s life.¡± ¡°Yes! It seems the odds for Chen Guanbao surviving this are quite slim¡­¡± ¡°Alas, I watched Chen Guanbao grow up. He is a bright and responsible boy. What a waste!¡± The villagers outside the courtyard, witnessing these circumstances, began to chat amongst themselves in a flurry of gossip. ¡°I can go down and check.¡± Shen Luo suddenly broke the silence. At his words, everyone, including Granny Ma and Ying Ruo, looked at him in disbelief. Especially Granny Ma, whose cold demeanor seemed to disappear instantly. ¡°I will go with you. We do not know the strength of the monster, having someone else on hand may be helpful.¡± Ying Luo immediately proposed. ¡°Miss Ying, you lack the water evading technique and won¡¯t last long underwater. It¡¯s also imperative you stay to watch over the village in case other monsters take advantage. Therefore, it is best if you stay behind.¡± Shen Luo advised. ¡°But it¡¯s too dangerous for you to go alone.¡± Ying Luo protested. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just going down to investigate. If I encounter danger, I¡¯ll come up immediately. I also have ways to defend myself.¡± Shen Luo said with a fair amount of confidence. Hearing this, Ying Luo could only give a reluctant nod. ¡°Friend Shen, please be very careful,¡± cautioned Granny Ma. Shen Luo shot everyone a reassuring smile. He invoked the Water Repelling Technique, and his body shimmered with blue light. Then, he leapt into the well, diving deeper in. The villagers outside the courtyard were astounded at the display of this amazing technique. Granny Ma¡¯s eyes twinkled momentarily, a hint of contemplation visible on her face. Shen Luo, protected by the Water Repelling Technique, quickly reached the bottom of the well. He surveyed his surroundings and discovered that the situation was the same as when he previously dove in. Nothing seemed amiss; the bottom of the well and the surrounding well walls were smooth and natural, showing no signs of drilling. ¡°Could I have guessed wrong?¡± While wondering, Shen Luo floated upward slowly, continuing to examine the well walls as he moved, his hand brushing against the surface. ¡°Huh!¡± But, after rising about thirty feet, his hand suddenly stopped moving against the wall of the well. His eyes widened as if he had discovered something. Without a second thought, Shen Luo rubbed his hands quickly against the well wall, creating a cloud of yellow mud that obscured his vision. However, he manipulated the water in front of him to dissolve the mud, clearing his view once more. At the edge of the field of view, a yellow stone about the size of a grindstone embedded in the well wall framed the edges of something dark. Shen Luo exhaled deeply as he reached into the edge of the stone and applied force. With a splash, the yellow stone detached from the well wall and revealed a large, dark hole, unbelievably deep and mysterious, leading to an unknown place. ¡°It must be here!¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself, glancing into the hole a few times, his gaze suddenly landing on something at the edge of the passageway. There, two stones were entangled with strands that looked like hair. He picked up the strands to find they were slightly yellow hairs, thicker than a human¡¯s. Shen Luo brought the strands to his nose and sniffed them. His eyes lit up. The scent was similar to the lingering stench of the demon in the courtyard. He stored the strands of hair securely in his robe and without delay swam quickly upwards. A short while later, Shen Luo¡¯s figure leapt out of the well with a loud splash. ¡°Master Shen has come up!¡± The villagers had already flooded into the courtyard and upon witnessing this, excitement stirred among them. ¡°Big Brother Shen, what¡¯s the situation down there?¡± Ying Luo hurried forward to ask. Granny Ma didn¡¯t utter a word, but her eyes were equally eager to know the results. Without wasting any time, Shen Luo quickly narrated his findings from the well. The crowd was struck with astonishment upon hearing that there was a secret tunnel at the bottom of the well. ¡°The tunnel seems to have been deliberately made, very likely by the demon. It appears the demon has been lurking near the village for awhile.¡± Shen Luo hypothesized. ¡°No wonder Uncle Du¡¯s family and Feng Xiaobao disappeared one after another without a trace, they must have been abducted by this demon!¡± Ying Luo suddenly remembered something and blurted out in agitation. ¡°Also, I found this underwater. The scent on it is the same as the one remaining from the demon. Take a look.¡± Shen Luo took out the yellow strands of hair from his robe and handed them over. ¡°What is this? It looks like hair, but it¡¯s a bit thicker.¡± Ying Luo said curiously as she took the strands of hair. ¡°This hair is really long. What kind of monster has such long hair?¡± Qing Niu asked, looking at the strands of hair in Ying Ruo¡¯s hand, puzzled. ¡°This¡­ this is¡­¡± Granny Ma suddenly paled. ¡°Granny Ma, do you recognize this?¡± Ying Luo promptly asked. ¡°Yes, yes, this is the monster¡¯s hair. It¡¯s back!¡± Granny Ma, her eyes fixed on the hair strands, wore a look of shock and outrage on her aged face. Chapter 159 - Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Beauty Snake Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Beauty Snake Shen Luo had never seen Granny Ma look this upset, and it made his eyebrows furrow slightly. ¡°Granny Ma, do you know this demon?¡± Ying Luo noted Granny Ma¡¯s current expression and felt a strange sense of panic in her heart. She asked. ¡°Of course I know, how could I forget the great battle that destroyed my cultivation? This is the hair of the Beauty Snake!¡± Granny Ma, having recovered her composure, said coldly. ¡°Beauty Snake?¡± It seemed Ying Luo made a connection, her face change in response. A few of the older people in the crowd also showed alarm, but most of them were still clueless. ¡°Fellow cultivators, what is this ¡®Beauty Snake¡¯ you are referring to?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°This goes back to more than twenty years ago. Back then, my cultivation was intact. I, along with another Grain Avoidance Stage cultivator and a few Qi Refining youngsters, were guarding the village. Despite our poverty, we were relatively secure. Unfortunately, tranquillity didn¡¯t last. A villager went fishing in the creek and somehow provoked a Snake Demon with a woman¡¯s head and a snake¡¯s body. It attacked our village. We named it ¡®Beauty Snake¡¯ because the demon¡¯s head was that of a beautiful woman. This Beauty Snake was mighty. I and another daoist friend of the Grain Avoidance stage fought it. In the end, my Dantian was damaged, my Mana scattered, and the other friend fell. However, the Beauty Snake also suffered heavy injuries and escaped. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s returned now,¡± Granny Ma explained slowly. Most of the elderly present had witnessed the events of that year. When they heard Granny Ma recount the past, they recalled the terrifying memory and showed expressions of lingering fear. ¡°I thought the village was only attacked by beasts a few years ago?¡± Qing Niu suddenly asked on the side. ¡°Attacks from mountain beasts have always happened. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for cultivators in the village. However, such events were rare back then, often occurring only once every ten or so years. It wasn¡¯t until the wild beasts on the mountain became aggressive a few years ago that attacks increased,¡± Granny Ma explained. Qing Niu nodded in understanding upon hearing this, and didn¡¯t say any more. ¡°Granny Ma, what was the specific cultivation level of you and the other Grain Avoidance Stage cultivator at that time?¡± Shen Luo asked, his expression grave. ¡°I had just reached the Grain Avoidance Stage back then, and the other cultivator had a somewhat stronger cultivation level than me, but it was not yet at the Mid Grain Avoidance stage,¡± Granny Ma looked at Shen Luo and replied. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo¡¯s expression relaxed slightly. The Beauty Snake had, in the past, severely injured two early-stage Grain Avoidance cultivators, but it too had been injured severely. It¡¯s cultivation level could at most reach the Mid Grain Avoidance Stage. After so many years, even if its injuries had recovered, its cultivation level should not have improved much. Otherwise, it would not have been acting so sneakily. Although he had just stepped into the Grain Avoidance Stage, he had created a total of twenty meridians. In terms of Mana¡¯s intensity and the power of his spells, he was already on par with ordinary Mid Grain Avoidance cultivators. ¡°The Beauty Snake demon is greedy and fierce. Adding the animosity from before, it will definitely not let it go easily this time. I¡¯m afraid our village is about to experience another disaster!¡± said Granny Ma, wearing a worried expression. Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard began to panic. ¡°Now that we know what creature has been wreaking havoc and found the route it took, our urgent task is to figure out how to rescue Chen Guanbao!¡± Ying Luo quickly said. ¡°The Snake Demon is immensely powerful. Even when the village had two Grain Avoidance Stage Immortal Masters back then, they were not its match. Forgive me for upsetting you two daoists, but how can you guys beat it? Going there will only send you to a needless death.¡± Before Shen Luo could speak, a bald elderly man next to him objected. ¡°Yes! If something unfortunate were to happen to you guys, what will happen to the village?¡± Another middle-aged man said. ¡°Even though the demons heal by devouring the living, Chen Guanbao was taken so long ago, the chances are high he has already succumbed. Even if the Immortal Masters were to pursue it, it would be in vain. It would be better for them to stay in the village and think of a way to resist the next attack from the Snake Demon.¡± Other villagers also started to consult, talking all at once, none of them willing for the two to take such a risk. Shen Luo glanced at the villagers around him, lowered his eyes, and didn¡¯t comment. Ying Luo was initially angry at the villagers¡¯ objections, but after hearing their words, she also began to hesitate. ¡°Granny Ma, you¡¯re experienced and knowledgeable. What should we do about this?¡± She was unsure and turned to Granny Ma for advice. Everyone surrounding her also turned to look at Granny Ma. Ever since Granny Ma had explained the origin of the Beauty Snake, she had been standing silently like Shen Luo, her head bowed. Only upon hearing the question did she raise her head. ¡°Everyone¡¯s points are sensible, but in my opinion, Chen Guanbao should still be alive,¡± Granny Ma said. ¡°How do you know?¡± A villager asked in surprise. ¡°That Beauty Snake must be hiding nearby in the village, healing its wounds. Otherwise, with its strength, it would have wiped out the entire village, instead of hiding as it is now. According to my understanding of snake demons, their bodies belong to the yin. Eating children on the full moon day would be most beneficial for them. Tomorrow is the full moon,¡± Granny Ma explained. Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to come to a realization. Shen Luo thought to himself that his guess was indeed correct. If the snake demon was still injured, it would be much easier to deal with. ¡°Ying Luo, your strength is too weak, you are no match for that Beauty Snake at all. Stay in the village,¡± Granny Ma looked at Ying Luo and said. ¡°What about Chen Guanbao? He¡¯s still alive, can¡¯t we just watch him die?¡± Ying Luo urgently asked. ¡°Daoist friend Shen, among us, only you have the strength to match the snake demon. Would you be willing to rescue Chen Guanbao?¡± Granny Ma turned to Shen Luo and asked. ¡°Alright. Chen Guanbao was captured because he was delivering food for me. Even if you didn¡¯t ask, I would have rescued him,¡± Shen Luo said with certainty. ¡°Granny Ma, this won¡¯t work. Master Shen is now an important force in the village. We can¡¯t risk him. You can¡¯t just think of your own child without considering the safety of the village,¡± the bald old man objected again. ¡°Yes!¡± A few others echoed his sentiment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. When have I ever done anything detrimental to the village? If I am asking Brother Shen to go, I naturally have a way to ensure his entire safety,¡± Granny Ma said, looking fiercely at the bald old man and others. Shen Luo was a bit surprised and wondered what Granny Ma meant by her words. The bald man and the others, under Granny Ma¡¯s intense gaze, felt a chill in their hearts and couldn¡¯t voice their objections. ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s a demon hiding underground here. This place is not safe. Everyone, go home and wait for the results,¡± Granny Ma said, looking around. Her voice was not loud, but she spoke with an undeniable authority. Everyone looked at each other and left the courtyard in a flurry, leaving only Ying Luo and Qing Nui behind. ¡°Ying Luo, Qing Niu, you should go too. I have something to discuss with Brother Shen,¡± Granny Ma said to Ying Luo and Qing Niu. Ying Luo hesitated for a moment, looked at Shen Luo and turned to leave. Qing Niu followed closely behind. The courtyard was now only populated by Shen Luo and Granny Ma. ¡°Daoist friend Shen, having you rescue Chen Guanbao alone, I feel very guilty,¡± Granny Ma sighed. Shen Luo just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. Granny Ma reached into her robe and quickly pulled out a palm-sized silver moon ring. The outer edge was bright and sharp, the inner side was relatively thick. The entire ring emanated a faint silver glow, looking exceptionally beautiful. Chapter 160 - Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Granny Ma Gives a Treasure Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Granny Ma Gives a Treasure In the center of the Moon Ring, two tiny ancient characters were inscribed, which were indeed ancient seal script. Shen Luo had happened to see these two characters when he was reading the Nameless Heavenly Book. They were the words ¡°Half Moon¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve lost all my mana and can¡¯t help you now. This Half-moon Ring is a magical instrument left by my father, it¡¯s a top-grade magical instrument with nine-layer restrictions. I give it to you.¡± Granny Ma looked at the silver Moon Ring in her hand with a nostalgic look, then handed it to Shen Luo. ¡°Nine-layer restriction? Top-grade magical instrument?¡± Shen Luo took the silver Moon Ring with curiosity. ¡°What? Is there a problem?¡± Granny Ma asked strangely. ¡°I have no master and know very little about magical instruments and the Dao of prohibitions, please enlighten me Granny Ma.¡± Shen Luo politely requested. ¡°What! You have no master? Have you been studying cultivation on your own all this time?¡± Granny Ma was shocked. ¡°Indeed!¡± Shen Luo nodded. Granny Ma opened her eyes wide in surprise, unable to accept that Shen Luo was a pure freelance cultivator, and her plan to take advantage of Shen Luo¡¯s sect fell through. ¡°Tsk tsk, before my Dantian was damaged, I always thought my cultivation talent was quite good. But compared to you, Friend Shen, I feel like a minor sorcerer before a great wizard. You¡¯re only about twenty years old and you could cultivate to such a realm all by yourself.¡± Granny Ma praised. ¡°You¡¯re too kind Granny Ma, my cultivation is nothing but a fluke, so I really need your guidance regarding magical instruments.¡± Shen Luo changed the subject. ¡°Alright then. A magical instrument is actually a weapon that contains the power of prohibitions internally. Unlike talismanic instruments, which rely solely on attached talismans, magical instruments rely on internal prohibitions. The power of the two is incomparable.¡± Granny Ma explained. Shen Luo nodded. He was aware of this knowledge. ¡°The foundation of a magical instrument lies in the prohibitions it contains. The more layers of prohibitions it has, the higher the grade of the magical instrument. Generally speaking, those containing one to three layers of prohibitions are considered low-grade magical instruments, four to six layers are mid-grade, and seven to nine layers are top-grade. The Half-moon Ring is the highest grade of top-grade magical instruments.¡± Granny Ma did not dwell on this and continued to explain. ¡°Thank you for the gift, Granny. I actually possess a magical instrument too, but it requires refining to activate, and I don¡¯t know the art of refining. So, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to fully utilize the power of this Half-moon Ring.¡± On hearing this, Shen Luo, somewhat surprised, gave a wry smile as he looked at the magical instrument in his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t know the method of refining? No problem, I can pass on to you a spell for refining.¡± Granny Ma said. ¡°Thank you, Granny Ma!¡± Shen Luo was thrilled and bowed in gratitude. ¡°This technique is a secret passed down by our Mount Fangcun. According to the rules of our sect, it should not be taught to outsiders. But now that Mount Fangcun is in this state, there¡¯s no need to abide by this rule.¡± Granny Ma sighed a little, then recited a magic spell. This magic spell was called the Ninety-Nine Wealth Technique. It was not long, only a thousand characters or so, and Shen Luo soon memorized it. ¡°You don¡¯t have much time. Refine it here and then you must hurry on.¡± Granny Ma urged. ¡°Yes!¡± Shen Luo said, sitting cross-legged. He comprehended this technique once, then spat out a ball of his mana, which entered the Half-moon Ring. At the same time, he formed the magic spell with both hands. A stream of blue light shot out from his fingertips and landed on the Half-moon Ring. The Half-moon Ring immediately reacted and emitted a silver glow. Countless dense silver runes appeared. Each rune was only the size of an ant. They circled around the Half-moon Ring, and then condensed into nine layers of silver formations. However, these formations seemed very vague, giving a sense of illusion. Shen Luo¡¯s face slightly brightened. He continued to use the magic spell, and soon touched the restriction within the Half-moon Ring. This restriction gave him a feeling of heaviness far more than the restriction in the Gold rope. Without any pause, he continued to use the magic spell, permeating towards the restriction ahead. To his surprise, his mana easily entered the heavy restriction as soon as he made a slight impact with the Ninety-Nine Wealth Technique. Shen Luo was pleased and continued to use the magic spell. A moment later, the Half-moon Ring suddenly released a clear chirping sound. It shot up from his hand and started to rotate rapidly around his body. It released a bright Treasure Light and numerous silver runes appeared on its surface, making it look extremely mysterious. One of the layers in the nine silver formations around the ring had become bright and clear, but the other eight were still somewhat vague. Shen Luo made a gesture, and the rapidly rotating Half-moon Ring immediately flew back to him and hovered over his palm. His gaze pierced at the Half-moon Ring in front of him. Although he had only refined one layer of the restriction, the imposing power of this ring had already greatly surpassed any treasure he had obtained before. He didn¡¯t try to test the power of the ring. Instead, he put it into his sleeve with a spell, then stood up and said to Granny Ma, ¡°Granny Ma, saving a life is like putting out a fire. I have already delayed a lot of time. I have to go now.¡± ¡°The Beauty Snake is cunning and deceitful, and also naturally suspicious. Be very careful, if you can¡¯t defeat it, come back immediately. Protect yourself first.¡± Granny Ma nodded. Shen Luo acknowledged her, then jumped into the well. He cast the Water Repelling Technique, a blue light appeared on his body, repelling the well water. He descended rapidly into the well and soon arrived at the entrance to the passageway inside the well. Instead of entering immediately, he stretched out one hand, and a blue light appeared in his palm. He began to use the Art of Spirit Communication. Suddenly, a vortex appeared in the well water around his palm. An aura of demon Qi emerged from the center of the vortex, and then with a ¡°splash¡±, Zhui Tou leaped out of it. ¡°Hey, why do you always summon me when I¡¯m cultivating? If there¡¯s nothing, let me go back quickly!¡± Zhui Tou looked around discontentedly. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. It¡¯s urgent, of course I have some work for you, hurry in! Help me!¡± Shen Luo pointed at the passageway without any expression. Zhui Tou saw Shen Luo¡¯s serious expression, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, shook his head reluctantly, but ultimately kept his mouth shut. He drew out the Wave-breaking Hammer from behind his back, bent over, and darted into the passageway first. Shen Luo followed Zhui Tou into the passageway with the blue light flashing all over him. The passageway was dark and narrow, making it somewhat inconvenient to proceed, but Zhui Tou moved along quite easily. With each swing of his shrimp tail, he flew forward about two or three meters. ¡°Zhui Tou, don¡¯t go too fast. Our opponent this time is a Snake Demon, and it¡¯s quite powerful.¡± Shen Luo reminded. ¡°Just a Snake Demon? In our Eastern Sea, it¡¯s only considered a lower race and can¡¯t even enter the Dragon Palace. What¡¯s there to fear?¡± Zhui Tou didn¡¯t care and didn¡¯t slow down his pace. Shen Luo frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. He tightened his grip on the Half-moon Ring and Gold rope in his sleeves, standing ready to react. Soon, a rushing sound of water came from the front, indicating turbulent water flow. ¡°Be careful!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes honed in, loudly warning. Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: Chapter 160: Pursuit and Kill Chapter 161: Chapter 160: Pursuit and Kill Zhui Tou no longer insisted on his stubbornness, instead, he slightly slowed down his speed. After the time it took to burn half an incense stick, the passageway finally came to an end. Ahead of them lay a dimly lit water area with rushing river water flowing swiftly forward. ¡°It seems this is an underground river, but I wonder where it leads?¡± Shen Luo scanned his surroundings, murmuring to himself. The turbulent current pummeled against his body, trying to sweep him downstream, but once he activated the Water Repelling Technique, he was able to resist the force of the surge. ¡°Where¡¯s this so-called Snake Demon? I haven¡¯t even seen a single scale!¡± Zhui Tou stood steady in the middle of the underground river, swaying his pointed and slender head from side to side and complaining loudly. Just as Shen Luo was about to speak, a sharp yellow figure shot out incredibly fast from the depths of the underground river, leaving a trail of blurry afterimages before slamming into his chest with a muffled ¡°thud.¡± Thrown back like he was struck by a hammer, Shen Luo staggered back several steps. The protective shield over his body flickered violently but quickly regained its calm. Zhui Tou reacted swiftly. As Shen Luo was forced back, he had already raised the Wave-breaking Hammer and savagely smashed it towards the yellow figure. The Wave-breaking Hammer swung, leaving a trail of a white arch in the water. The yellow figure seemed to be startled by the force of Zhui Tou¡¯s attack and immediately recoiled to dodge. However, it didn¡¯t completely avoid the strike and was still hit by the Wave-breaking Hammer. A muffled ¡°thud¡± sounded! The yellow figure was sent flying and its original form was revealed. It was a yellow snake tail as thick as a water bucket, which shook several times, leaving a clear white mark on its scales. Following that, a thick and long figure appeared behind the snake tail, revealing a huge python five-six zhang in length. Its body was a sandy-yellow color covered in large, sturdy scales, under which shimmered a crystal glow. The python¡¯s head was not a snake¡¯s but a woman¡¯s head with yellow hair. Her face was young and beautiful, but her eyes were cold and glinting with menace. Shen Luo, having regained his balance, looked up and his pupils constricted in shock. ¡°A Beauty Snake!¡± Zhui Tou tightly and unblinkingly gripped the Wave-breaking Hammer, his gaze fixed on the giant python, his expression grew more serious. ¡°Are you from Longevity Village?¡± The Beauty Snake didn¡¯t attack again, shifting her gaze to Shen Luo, her voice sharp and thin. ¡°For the sake of your hard cultivation, let the child go quickly to avoid a fight.¡± Shen Luo coldly stated. ¡°Just a lone human cultivator, accompanied by a shrimp you picked up somewhere, dares to spout big words here. Are you tired of living?¡± The Beauty Snake seemed to be enraged by Shen Luo¡¯s attitude, and a fierce light flared in her eyes. Shen Luo didn¡¯t bother to waste words with her and flicked his fingers. A silvery light shot out from his sleeve, heading straight for the Beauty Snake. It was the Half-moon Ring. A tricky light flashed in the eyes of the Beauty Snake and instead of retreating, she lunged forward. Her eyes suddenly emitted two substantial yellow lights, fiercely looking straight at Shen Luo. Shen Luo inwardly cursed that he was in trouble and was about to look away, but it was already too late. He could only watch as the yellow lights that filled his vision grew rapidly larger, occupying his entire field of view and causing a ¡°buzz¡± in his mind. It was as if an invisible force had struck him, causing the figure of the Beauty Snake in front of him to blur. He watched helplessly as her body seemed to multiply into four or five identical snakes and he couldn¡¯t tell which was the real Snake and which were the illusions. The Half-moon ring mid-flight couldn¡¯t decide where to strike and hesitated for a moment. Four or five snake shadows swayed, shooting at Shen Luo like arrows, their speed astonishingly fast. ¡°Illusion Technique!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s face darkened instantly, invisibly running the Water Repelling Technique, and his body shot back quickly. Zhui Tou skillfully shielded Shen Luo, sweeping his Wave-breaking Hammer at the several snake shadows. At this point, in Shen Luo¡¯s view, amidst the swirling yellow light, Zhui Tou was entwined in a struggle with several snake shadows. Still unsure which were real and which were illusions, he could only hear the constant heavy thuds. He gathered all his mana from his Dantian, even summoning the mana within his twenty meridians. It crashed about within him, then forcefully poured into his eyes. His eyes shone with a blue light, and as a crackling noise echoed, his vision instantly cleared. The yellow light and illusory snake shadows disappeared, leaving only a python and Zhui Tou locked in combat. The Beauty Snake¡¯s cultivation level was clearly a realm above Zhui Tou¡¯s; its agility and strength surpassed him. In a short amount of time, Zhui Tou¡¯s armor broke in several places, with blood traces apparent. Shen Luo formed a spell with his left hand, while his right hand made a grabbing motion in the void. The water near the Beauty Snake stirred, and seven or eight thick water ropes formed, instantly wrapping around the snake demon. The Beauty Snake¡¯s movement was instantly restricted. Upon seeing Shen Luo, who had returned to normal from afar, its eyes flashed with surprise. Upon noticing the Beauty Snake was trapped, Zhui Tou¡¯s spirits lifted. His Wave-breaking Hammer made a whooshing sound, turning into a black light and striking the Beauty Snake¡¯s neck. With a ¡°thump,¡± the Snake¡¯s upper body was knocked backwards. Just then, a silver light flashed above the Beauty Snake, and the half-moon ring shot forward. The silver light transformed into a silver moon shadow, releasing a piercing whistling sound and slashing at the Beauty Snake¡¯s head. The Snake was startled, letting out a low roar. A yellow light engulfed it and quickly condensed, forming a layer of several-inch-thick yellow light membrane. At the same time, it turned its head to the side. Before the light membrane was fully formed, the half-moon ring¡¯s silver moon shadow crashed down and sliced through the yellow light membrane. The seemingly solid yellow light membrane was fragile like paper mache under the half-moon ring. With a ¡°sizzle,¡± it was broken. A flash of silver darted at the Beauty Snake¡¯s neck, plunging deep within in the blink of an eye. A look of shock flashed across the Beauty Snake¡¯s eyes. What was once a woman¡¯s head turned back into a snake¡¯s. With a violent hiss, the nearby water began to buzz. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo felt dizzy and his hand motions paused. The half-moon ring slightly slackened. The beauty Snake¡¯s body suddenly rolled violently. The yellow light on its body flashed, and a tremendous force burst out from within it, causing the nearby water to churn explosively. At the same time, a strange ¡°ripping¡± sound was heard. Shen Luo, just regaining himself, felt the force from the water ropes suddenly disappear, altering the expression on his face. He waved his spell. The half-moon ring and several water ropes flew out of the turbulent water, carrying a long yellow object ¨C a ragged snakeskin. A long white shadow shot out from the turbulent water, revealing a large, scaleless white python. Its body was slightly larger than before, and the wound on its neck had turned into a long red mark, the wound already coagulated. Turning its large body, the white python transformed into a white shadow, and with incredible speed, darted downstream of the underground river. Chapter 162 - Chapter 162: Chapter 161: The Ol Chapter 162: Chapter 161: The Old Lair ¡°Not so fast!¡± Shen Luo reprimanded, urging on his Water Repelling Technique to chase after her. He pushed his Water Repelling Technique to its limits to catch up, moving at exceptional speed and not letting the Beauty Snake get away. Originally, Zhui Tou, being a descendant of the Eastern Sea¡¯s water offshoot, was particularly skilled in water navigation. His shrimp tail energetically vibrated behind him, propelling him at a speed rivaling Shen Luo¡¯s, never ceasing in his pursuit. The Beauty Snake, noticing that they were persistently chasing her, appeared more and more uneasy. Suddenly, her figure leapt out of the water. Her tail swept across the lake surface, cutting open a line of white foam as she hurriedly dashed forward. Shen Luo followed the waving trail atop the water. In no time, he too emerged from the water, immediately seeing that they were surrounded by mountains and shrouded in a fine mist. They were in a small lake located within a mountain pit. The Beauty Snake was darting through the mist above the lake, heading straight towards a verdant mountain wall. At the base of this wall, there was a pitch-black cave as high as a man. ¡°Her lair!¡± The sight made Shen Luo¡¯s pupils contract, and he immediately shouted, ¡°Monster, stop right there!¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly thrust his hand forward, fully releasing his mana, ramping up his manipulation of the water to the extreme. A stir was kicked up in the small mountain lake, and waves as high as thirty feet rose and rushed out, aiming for the Beauty Snake. The oncoming waves, akin to an avalanche, were a heart-stopping sight. At the same time, Shen Luo discreetly readied three or four Small Thunder Talismans in his hand, preparng to strike. Seeing this level of onslaught, the Beauty Snake¡¯s expression changed dramatically. She no longer dared to continue in a straight line, instead, her tail swept across the water, creating a sinuous wave as she abruptly changed direction, dashing away. But at that very moment, the sound of thunder rang out. Three strands of fine white lightning arrived in a flash, striking the Beauty Snake. With a cracking sound, the snow-white body of the Beauty Snake was scorched black in three places. Despite the injuries not being grievous, it was enough to momentarily stiffen its evading body. Rumble! The turbulent waves crashed down like an onslaught, hitting the Beauty Snake hard. With a ¡°bang,¡± her body was thrown about like a fallen leaf, smashing into the verdant mountain wall. Half of her body was directly embedded into the wall. She had just shed her skin, which was still tender and weak, and was immediately torn open by several severe wounds. Blood surged out, and even traces of blood could be seen at the corners of her mouth. Her injuries were severe. Before she could make any move, a flicker of silver light swiftly came down, coiling around her neck in a flash. The huge snake head thudded to the ground, and a fountain of blood spurted out from the severed neck. The gigantic snake body slowly slid from the wall to the ground, crashing heavily into the lake below, swiftly turning the nearby lake water red. Shen Luo gave a sigh of relief, silently operated his Water-Stepping Art, and slowly rose to the surface. Although the cultivation level of this Beauty Snake was higher than his by a small realm, lucky for him, he had opened twenty meridians. With the formidable Half-moon ring magical instrument on his side, even with his cultivation level just breaking through the Grain Avoidance Stage, he might not necessarily be her match. At this moment, a giant shrimp head emerged from the water next to him ¨C it was Zhui Tou. Zhui Tou looked at the decapitated corpse of the Beauty Snake floating in the lake, then at Shen Luo. There are mixed emotions in his eyes. Shen Luo ignored Zhui Tou. He looked thoughtful, scanned the surroundings, and then, after a moment of brief contemplation, took his time strolling to the cave under the green cliff. As he approached the cave entrance, Shen Luo¡¯s nose twitched. He recognized a familiar scent in the air and his face lit up in delight. ¡°It¡¯s Chen Guanbao.¡± Shen Luo muttered softly, hurried over to the cave entrance, and carefully peered inside. He noticed that there were several artificially constructed steps at the entrance. Piled up on them were whitened bones, constantly being washed over by the surging waves of water. ¡°Chen Guanbao, are you in there?¡± Shen Luo furrowed his brow and called out. He waited for a moment, but the only sound in the dark cave was the echo of his own voice. There was no reply. After a slight hesitation, Shen Luo stepped into the cave, moving further in with the dim light spilling in from the entrance. Not far ahead, the four sides of the surrounding space tightened, Shen Luo had to bend over to move forward, and the decayed, damp smell in the air became much stronger. However, mixed among it was the familiar scent of Chen Guanbao, becoming somewhat clearer. He saw many skeletons along the way. Some were human, while others were monsters. Some of these remains were quite old and would shatter with a single step. The deeper he went, the darker it became. Thankfully, after advancing to the Grain Avoidance Stage, Shen Luo¡¯s eyesight had become enhanced. Focusing his gaze, he was shocked and quickly covered a distance of five to six yards in a bowing posture, and suddenly, the terrain opened. It was a cave. Upon entering the cave, he ordered Zhui Tou to hide at the entrance. He scanned around and found that the cave was only about ten yards in size. All around the walls were square hollows, each about a foot square. In each were phosphorus-covered bones, emitting a mysterious green glow. Under this eerie green light, the entire cave¡¯s grotesque rock corners were coated with a layer of green light, making it terrifyingly eerie, much like a ghostly cave. After scanning the area, Shen Luo did not find any trace of Chen Guanbao. Just as he was pondering, he suddenly noticed a heap of straw in the distance that was bulging and slightly shaking. ¡°Chen Guanbao, is that you?¡± Shen Luo asked, sensing something. Upon hearing his voice, the shaking in the straw suddenly stopped. Then, a child¡¯s voice came from inside: ¡°Immortal brother!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Chen Guanbao. Brother is here,¡± Shen Luo happily replied. There was a rustling sound from the straw pile, and two little hands poked out, pushing away the straw. Then, a small head popped out. He seemed quite cute, but his face was smeared with snot and tears making him look extremely miserable. Shen Luo immediately lunged forward, lifted him up and held him in his arms. He checked Chen Guanbao¡¯s body carefully and seeing no obvious wounds, felt relieved. Being held by Shen Luo, the nerves Chen Guanbao had been tensely holding onto suddenly relaxed. He suddenly started to cry loudly, his tears and snot flowing uncontrollably. Shen Luo simply patted him gently on the back while trying to comfort him, ¡°It¡¯s okay now¡­ Don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Brother¡­ I didn¡¯t cry in front of the monster¡­ I¡­ I only started crying when she left¡­ I was scared¡­ scared I¡¯d never see Sister Ying and Granny Ma again¡­¡± Chen Guanbao cried bitterly, voicing his fears in broken sentences. ¡°Let¡¯s go, brother will take you home,¡± Shen Luo wiped tears from his face with his sleeve and said. Chen Guanbao nodded his head forcefully, wiping his tear-filled eyes, only then did he notice a monster with a shrimp head and a human body standing at the cave entrance behind Shen Luo. He instantly held onto Shen Luo tighter and burst into tears again. ¡°Mon¡­ Monster¡­¡± Chapter 163 - Chapter 163: Chapter 162 Another Path Chapter 163: Chapter 162 Another Path ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, this is my friend Zhui Tou, who came to rescue you with me,¡± Shen Luo glanced back at Zhui Tou with a resigned look and comforted Chen Guanbao while patting his back. Upon hearing this, Chen Guanbao¡¯s crying lessened a bit. He cautiously raised his head to look, still finding it terrifying in appearance, but immediately grumbled back onto Shen Luo. Nevertheless, he trusted Shen Luo¡¯s words completely and did not speak any more of monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll talk after we leave here,¡± Shen Luo said, noticing that Chen Guanbao was feeling better. He held his hand and led the way. Chen Guanbao was hiding behind him, following him towards the cave entrance. They had just reached a place not far from the entrance, when a gory wind suddenly blew from the front. A wave of gray Qi, visible to the naked eye, blasted towards them like an angry tide. Zhui Tou, who was leading the way, was caught off guard. His body was pushed up like a paper kite and crashed hard into the mountain wall behind him. Seeing this, Shen Luo raised his hand and sent a palm strike towards it. His palm suddenly enlarged. An invisible surge sprung from his body, causing ripples in the void. It collided with the gray Qi wave in the passageway and emitted a loud crash, exploding together. Accompanied by a ¡®bang¡¯, both Qi waves exploded and retreated to their sides at the same time. Shen Luo¡¯s body trembled while he staggered backward for a few steps before finally stabilizing. Shen Luo pulled Chen Guanbao behind him, effectively shielding him from the powerful wind. But at this moment, a purple shadow shot in from outside, aiming straight at Shen Luo¡¯s chest; it was another huge snake tail! The snake tail caused a chilling, fierce wind that slapped against the mountain wall, echoing with a thunderous bang. Its might surpassed even that of the Beauty Snake. Shocked, Shen Luo flung Chen Guanbao towards the inside of the cave. At the same time, his other wrist twisted, and a crescent moon artifact of silver color promptly flew out from his sleeve. The crescent moon artifact glimmered with multiple rays of silver light in the void, casting shadows like numerous crescent moons that filled the narrow passageway, slashing towards the purple shadow. ¡®Clang¡¯ A loud noise followed! The Half-moon ring seemed to have hit an iron pillar and was directly repelled. The purple shadow¡¯s speed decreased slightly but still managed to hit Shen Luo¡¯s chest forcefully. With a loud ¡®bang¡¯, his body was flung and crashed into the mountain wall. The entire mountain cave trembled. Shen Luo threw up a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed weakly onto the ground. At this moment, a bulky purple shadow shot in from outside. It was a Purple Strange Snake. It had a pair of wings as large as a bat¡¯s on either side of its dragon-like head. Its body was twice as robust as the Beauty Snake. The snake scales on its body were thicker, decorated with gray patterns, making the snake appear more ferocious. The Qi it emitted far surpassed that of the Beauty Snake. Hate shone visibly from the eyes of the Purple Strange Snake. It opened its mouth wide, revealing its blade-like sharp teeth, and bit down towards Shen Luo¡¯s head. With a ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound, a Great Hammer fell from the sky and viciously slammed on the snake¡¯s head. Zhui Tou had arrived just in time. ¡°Get lost!¡± The infuriated Purple Strange Snake raised its head, its eyes glowing strongly with yellow light, glared at Zhui Tou. Zhui Tou¡¯s eyes immediately reflected a bewildered look, his pupils dilating. The snake opened its mouth and spat out a solid purple glint like a crossbow arrow from its mouth, which hit the Great Hammer. With a ¡®clang¡¯, the Great Hammer was directly rebounded as if struck by a heavy blow and hit Zhui Tou¡¯s chest, sending him flying backward with a ¡®thud¡¯. Originally, Shen Luo, who had his head down in disappointment, suddenly looked up at this moment, but his eyes were tightly closed, and he pointed with one hand. A piercing shrill sound rang out, a silver light shot from behind, and a blur appeared at the neck of the purple strange snake. It was the half-moon ring that had just been blown away. With a humming sound from the half-moon ring, a silver pattern formation flashed out, dazzling silver light bloomed, and under a turn, it turned into a piece of silver moonlight. It was five times larger than when it attacked the beauty snake, making a piercing sound and fiercely hitting the purple strange snake. With a soft ¡°puff¡± sound, blood light burst out! The silver moonlight plunged into the snake¡¯s body, going as deep as half a foot, but after all, it stopped. The purple strange snake made a terrifying roar from its mouth, and its huge snake body rolled violently. The purple light on its body flashed quickly, and a surging force burst out from its body. With a ¡°bang¡± sound, the half-moon ring was blasted away, and the giant body of the purple strange snake flew backwards and disappeared outside the cave in the blink of an eye. Shen Luo heard the movement, relaxed his face, opened his eyes, and sat up against the stone wall, looking at Zhui Tou, who had fallen not far away and still not getting up, with blurry eyes. He managed to go over. He put his hand on Zhui Tou¡¯s chest, and the abundant mana in his body poured into him, rushing towards his eyes. Zhui Tou¡¯s body shook, and his eyes finally returned to normal, but his head was still a little dizzy. ¡°Immortal Brother, how are you¡­¡± Chen Guanbao also carefully came over at this time. Seeing Shen Luo coughing up blood, his face was very anxious. Shen Luo raised his hand and gestured slightly outside, making a silencing action at him. Chen Guanbao got the hint and immediately shut his mouth. Shen Luo listened carefully to the outside, his face sank slightly, then his eyes flickered, and he made a sign to Chen Guanbao. At the same time, he wet his hand with the blood on the ground and gently wrote a line of small characters on the wall. In the passage about seven or eight feet away from the cave, the purple strange snake was crawling on the ground, staring at the direction of the cave with flickering eyes. The wound near its neck had stopped bleeding, and it seemed to hesitate about whether to go in again. The human cultivator was hit by its snake tail, and even if it didn¡¯t kill him, it should have caused serious injuries. Just then, a boyish and eager voice came from the cave: ¡°Immortal Brother, how come¡­how come you¡¯re bleeding so much?¡± Upon hearing this, the eyes of the purple strange snake lit up, and its body twitched ready to pounce. But at this moment, the snake¡¯s forked tongue in its mouth moved a bit, it hesitated, didn¡¯t act immediately, but held its breath and listened attentively to what was happening inside the cave. There was also silence in the cave for a while, then the child¡¯s voice rang again: ¡°Brother, it seems that the monster didn¡¯t take the bait¡­¡± ¡°Shush¡­¡± His words were cut off by another voice. After that, there was silence again. ¡°Humph, cunning humans!¡± The purple strange snake¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of anger, its body twirled, and slowly retreated from the cave. Inside the cave, Shen Luo was also listening to the outside movements. When he sensed that the purple strange snake really retreated, he finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Chen Guanbao, who had a tense face. ¡°It seems that guy is pretty smart, otherwise, as long as it dares to come in, I just need to do this, and its head will be chopped off.¡± However, even though he felt sure the purple strange snake had really gone, Shen Luo added in a low voice. After saying this, a trace of blood oozed from the corner of Shen Luo¡¯s mouth, and his face was even more pale. Chapter 164 - Chapter 164: Chapter 163: Urgent Chapter 164: Chapter 163: Urgent Just now, he had been stealthily attacked by the strange purple snake. Fortunately, he had maintained his water-repelling shield, but even so, his injuries were not light. To save Protector just now, he had forcefully used his mana, which worsened his wounds. Upon seeing this, Chen Guanbao¡¯s face, which had just relaxed a little, immediately grew worried again. Shen Luo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, smiled at Chen Guanbao, and shook his head, indicating that he was not in a critical condition. ¡°The monster won¡¯t dare to come in temporarily. I need to quickly heal my wounds, or else when it recovers and realizes that it has been fooled, we will be in real danger.¡± Shen Luo used his blood-stained finger to write this on the wall. After seeing this message, Chen Guanbao nodded sensibly. Protector had finally recovered from his daze and picked up his hammer. He began to guard near the entrance of the cave. Shen Luo didn¡¯t dare to delay, he immediately sat down cross-legged and started to cultivate. As a water-blue glow arose around him, his mana immediately surged from his dantian, following his meridians to circulate around his body, irrigating his acupoints like opening a water reservoir to pacify his internal injuries. After starting to cultivate, Shen Luo himself was somewhat surprised, after obtaining twenty meridians, not only had his cultivation efficiency increased significantly, but even his body¡¯s recovery ability had also improved by a lot. In the time it took to make a cup of tea, his injuries had basically stabilized. The strange purple snake outside seemed truly scared, and it didn¡¯t dare to come in all this while. Shen Luo then took out the half-moon ring from his sleeve. This magical instrument had only been refined to have one layer of prohibition, but it had demonstrated power beyond his expectations in the previous battle. If he could refine it to have two or three layers of prohibition, dealing with the peak Grain Avoidance Stage purple snake wouldn¡¯t be a problem. So, he clasped his hands in front of him, controlling his mana; the half-moon ring hung leisurely between his hands. Shen Luo began to silently recite the Ninety-Nine Wealth Technique that Granny Ma had taught him, following the instructions to gradually attack the second layer of prohibition on the half-moon ring. About half a moment later, a faint tremor sounded from the half-moon ring hanging in front of Shen Luo. As the charm patterns flashed, a large amount of silver moonlight was projected out, illuminating the whole cave like daylight. He then clapped his hands together, and the dispersed silver light immediately flew back into the half-moon ring. The second layer of prohibition was successfully refined. Chen Guanbao watched this scene with admiration in his eyes, mixed with a hint of longing. Shen Luo slightly concentrated his mind, then continued to silently recite the Wealth Technique. Given his understanding and familiarity of the Wealth Technique, it would only take him half a moment to refine the third layer of prohibition. However, at this moment, Shen Luo¡¯s expression subtly changed, then the Shrimp Soldier Protector standing guard at the mouth of the passageway shouted: ¡°Beware, the snake demon is back!¡± ¡°What¡¯s meant to come will always find a way.¡± Shen Luo sighed and stood up. Chen Guanbao immediately ran towards the back and hid behind a stone wall inside the cave, watching the passageway nervously with his wide, black eyes. ¡°Shameless humans, you really were deceiving me, the dignified Mirage Snake. Get out here!¡± A harsh voice filled with anger from a man echoed from the passageway. Immediately after, a foul wind began to howl from the passageway, mixed with the bones and rocks from the passage flying out. The noise was as loud as thunder and echoed throughout the cave. Unfazed, Shen Luo raised his hand and with a gesture, the glowing half-moon ring started to tremble violently, emitting a resonant ¡°clang¡± sound. After a quick rotation, it shot towards the passageway. The passageway was instantly filled with dancing silver shadows. Numerous silver moonlight figures crisscrossed, slashing out sharp traces in the void, shattering the foul wind and wave. After breaking through the waves, the half-moon ring did not stop but continued to pursue in the direction of the cave¡¯s entrance. A moment later, a loud collision sound echoed from the passageway. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo beckoned, and the half-moon ring flew back with a ¡°clang¡± and circled around his palm for a while before gradually calming down. ¡°What a pity, if I had half a moment more to complete the third prohibition¡¯s refinement, I would definitely have caught it.¡± Shen Luo looked at the half-moon ring in his palm and said somewhat regretfully. ¡°The cave¡¯s passageway is narrow and given the suspicious nature of the snake demon, it wouldn¡¯t dare to rashly enter. If it only attacks from afar, I can cover for you for half a moment.¡± Zhui Tou suddenly said in a lowered voice. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll leave it to you, Daoist Zhui Tou.¡± Hearing this, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes brightened. Zhui Tou nodded, held his copper hammer horizontally, and blocked the entrance of the passageway. After instructing Chen Guanbao not to approach the entrance, Shen Luo sat down with his legs crossed again, immersing himself in refining the third prohibition. Indeed, after being pushed back by Shen Luo¡¯s attack just now, the mirage snake did not dare to hastily come in again. It continued to wield its demon power, using flying sands and rolling stones as distant attacks towards the interior of the cave. Zhui Tou stood at the entrance, fending off attacks left and right with his copper hammer. Though somewhat overwhelmed, he managed to block most of them. At first, Shen Luo could hear the collision sounds and could not fully concentrate on the refinement. But seeing Zhui Tou handling the situation with ease, he gradually relaxed and focused on his refinement. As time trickled away, the patience of the mirage snake seemed to be rapidly wearing thin, its attacks becoming fiercer. Zhui Tou was forced to retreat time and again, suffering some injuries, but resolutely returned to the entrance each time. His mana was also constantly depleting, and his endurance was almost at its limit. But just then, a deafening rumble echoed from the passageway, and a sound wave far exceeding the previous ones rolled in. Hearing this, Zhui Tou knew that something was wrong. He glanced back at Shen Luo, who was still immersed in his refinement, and clenched his teeth to face the onslaught once more. Listening to the thunderous roars, Chen Guanbao covered his ears in fear, but he still couldn¡¯t help looking towards the entrance. An enormous water wave filled the entire passageway, carrying an overwhelming force and surged in crazily. Seeing that its continuous attacks weren¡¯t successful, the snake demon actually tried to fill the cave with lake water, sealing Shen Luo and the rest inside. Upon seeing this, Zhui Tou gave a shout and swung his copper hammer with both hands towards the entrance. A layer of aqua glow immediately lit up on the surface of the copper hammer, forming an invisible light curtain and barely blocking the entrance. The water wave violently struck the light curtain, forcing Zhui Tou to step back. Water immediately started to gush in from the passageway, washing over Zhui Tou. Even though the wave force was immense, Zhui Tou didn¡¯t want to give up. He tightly held the copper hammer and step by step, forced the water wave back to the passageway, sealing it once again. Seeing this, Chen Guanbao¡¯s eyes showed a trace of joy, and looking at the fierce mirage snake, he no longer felt that frightened. However, before they could stabilize, another unexpected change occurred! (Tomorrow, August day, my new book will be released^^) Chapter 165 - Chapter 165: New Book Dream Master Shelf Speech Chapter 165: New Book ¡®Dream Master¡¯ Shelf Speech The Dream Master will officially launch on August 1. I, Wangyu, am immensely grateful for the robust support from all the bibliophiles. Without your unwavering encouragement and urging, The Dream Master might never have seen the light of day. As a child, like millions of Chinese children, my favourite novel was ¡®Journey to the West.¡¯ This book can be hailed as the first long fantasy novel of ancient China, chronicling the adventures of Master Tang and his disciples on their pilgrimage to the Western Paradise, overcoming eighty-one tribulations¡­ The vivid and enthralling tales were simply irresistible. Back then, I would go to bed early at night just to read the book using a flashlight underneath the covers. I was not concerned about whether Master Tang managed to procure the scriptures; I was instead captivated by Sun Wukong¡¯s thrilling journey of vanquishing demons in ¡®Journey to the West.¡¯ Maybe it was the experiences of my youth, or perhaps ¡®Journey to the West¡¯ had already planted a seed in my subconscious. Ever since I started writing, I¡¯ve often thought that if I ever got the chance to write in a similar genre, I must create a unique rendition of the Journey to the West. ¡®The Dream Master¡¯ is indeed an unconventional take on ¡®Journey to the West.¡¯ The entire storyline encompasses some familiar scenes from ¡®Journey to the West,¡¯ along with some additional tales and plots set against the same backdrop, and perhaps even some demons and ghosts not found in the original work. Of course, the most intriguing character is our protagonist, Shen Luo, tormented by the dreamland. Are those bizarre yet fascinating dreams reality or illusion? Have all the things experienced in the dream truly occurred? Since the dawn of mankind, dreams have existed. This ancient physiological phenomenon was often considered a foreboding sign related to the future in the distant past; the comforting, terrifying, sweet, and chaotic dreams once left many ancient people perplexed and uneasy. Beginning with Zhuang Zhou¡¯s dream of becoming a butterfly, the ancient Chinese have always held dreams in high regard. Dreams have been a prevalent theme in a huge number of poems, and many ancient anecdotal novels, such as the famous Four Dreams of Linchuan. ¡®The Dream Master¡¯ is a fantasy novel interweaving the story of the Journey to the West and tales from the dreamland. I believe that this unique innovation and concept will refresh and pique the interest of our readers. Alright, enough talk! The new book will be launched tomorrow, and I¡¯ll update five more chapters. I hope all of my Daoist friends will support Wangyu¡¯s ¡®The Dream Master¡¯!!! (Do remember to vote with your monthly tickets and recommendation tickets tomorrow ^^) Chapter 166 - Chapter 166: Chapter 164: Moon Ring Slaying Demon Chapter 166: Chapter 164: Moon Ring Slaying Demon Inside the entrance of the passage, a yellow light suddenly lit up, and a slender figure suddenly leaped out from the water waves, slapping a palm on the Copper Hammer Light Curtain. Zhui Tou felt a numbness in his hands, and the light curtain on the copper hammer burst with a bang. The surging water waves swept across and reversed against the hammer, heavily hitting his chest. After a muffled sound of ¡°bang¡±, Zhui Tou¡¯s figure flew backward and landed heavily on the ground. A large amount of lake water rushed in instantly, flooding half of the cave, and Chen Guanbao was also rushed to the corner by the water waves, hitting, and fainting. Only to see the Mirage Snake suddenly swam from the water, its body suddenly raised high from the water. As its mouth opened, a bloody crack immediately appeared on the corners of its mouth, and its lower jaw and upper jaw opened to an extremely exaggerated extent. There were four sharp venomous fangs in the bloody mouth, shining with a luminous green light, and a trembling snake letter among them, bitten down towards Shen Luo¡¯s head. However, at this moment, Shen Luo¡¯s tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and the moon ring held by both hands suddenly flashed, shooting diagonally upward. The Mirage Snake¡¯s pupils shrank, and it saw a piece of silver moonlight blossom before its eyes. Realizing something was wrong, its boneless upper body immediately retracted, and a purple snake tail swept across instantly, like a steel knife slashing horizontally, tearing the silver moonlight apart. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The Mirage Snake uttered a surprised sound. The moonlight that just appeared was actually a phantom, it did not hit a real object, yet it still felt a burst of chill on its snake tail, and frost had actually frozen on it. Just as it was about to shake off the frost, its vision suddenly blurred. It saw a figure rushing towards it with a single hand behind its back and the other slapping towards its chest. The Mirage Snake had no time to think about anything else. It sucked in its chest and opened its mouth to spit forward. From its throat, a strong burst of a foul-smelling dark purple liquid gushed out and poured onto Shen Luo¡¯s head. Shen Luo was too close to avoid it, he immediately retracted his palm, performed a Water Repelling Technique, and a blue light immediately shone from his body, wrapping him entirely. The foul-smelling liquid fell on the light curtain condensed by the Water Repelling Technique, causing a hissing noise, and immediately emitted plumes of white smoke. Shen Luo retreated, a wave rippled on the surface of the light curtain on his body, and the liquid was scattered. As the Mirage Snake fell back into the water, it was about to retreat again when there was a strange noise in the accumulated water below. A big copper hammer suddenly broke the water¡¯s surface and hit right at its back. Its expression suddenly changed, its body twisted unbelievably backward, and two beams of purple light shot out from its bizarre eyes, hitting the copper hammer. In an instant, the original metallic gloss of the copper hammer disappeared, and as the purple light spread, its color turned to grayish-white, and it had shockingly turned into stone. Zhui Tou was startled, he quickly dropped the copper hammer and retreated rapidly. The Mirage Snake, however, did not intend to let him go. It swam forward to catch up, and its eyes lit up with purple light again. At this moment, Shen Luo uttered a soft cry, ¡°It¡¯s done¡±. The palm that had been hidden behind his back lit up brightly, as if a full moon had risen, illuminating the entire cave instantly. He channeled his mana and swung forward suddenly. The Half Moon Wheel, which had just been refined with three prohibitions, whizzed out, turning into hundreds of silver moonlight shadows, shooting towards the Mirage Snake. The Mirage Snake knew something was wrong, it had already turned back, and the purple light in its eyes also lit up brightly. However, compared to the silver moonlight, the strange light in its pupils was as weak as the glow of fireflies, and it was swallowed by the silver light shadow at the instant it shot out. The next moment, a soft sound of ¡°puff¡± came. A terrible scream came from the mouth of the Mirage Snake and the silver light shining in the cave gradually dimmed. Zhui Tou looked tense, silently gazing at the Mirage Snake, and to his surprise, he discovered that its body was encased in a layer of shallow blue ice crystals with obvious bulging eyes, indicating death. Atop its forehead, there was a half-moon silver ring, deeply embedded into its skull. Shen Luo beckoned, and the half-moon ring immediately spun out, returning to his hand, whereas the body of the Mirage Snake shattered with a ¡°crack¡±, splitting into dozens of pieces. After Shen Luo stored away the half-moon ring, he did not look at the monster¡¯s snake again. Instead, he turned and walked to a corner, picking up Chen Guanbao who was bobbing on the water surface. He raised his palm to gently pat his back, and a stream of Yang Gang Qi was slowly channeled into his body. Chen Guanbao let out a retching sound, spewing a large amount of lake water from his mouth, before slowly regaining consciousness. ¡°Daoist friend Zhui Tou, this time thanks to your help, even though we lost a weapon, I hope the inner Dans of these two monster snakes might be of use to you. Please take them.¡± Shen Luo, holding Chen Guanbao horizontally in his arms, said. Upon hearing this, Zhui Tou was slightly surprised, but a trace of happiness quickly flashed in his eyes, as he responded, ¡°Hehe, then I won¡¯t be polite. This time, it seems I wasn¡¯t used in vain by you.¡± After Shen Luo used his magic to send Zhui Tou away, he carried the somewhat sick Chen Guanbao out of the cave, and went straight to Longevity Village. . ¡­ At this moment, in Evening, dozens of villagers had gathered inside the gate of Longevity Village. Some were whispering, some were sighing, and some were looking fretful. There were a few women clustered around an old woman with white hair, all of whom had remorseful expressions on their faces. ¡°Granny Ma, asking the Immortal Master to save a life might be a bit selfish¡­¡± a dark-skinned woman couldn¡¯t help but remark. ¡°If the Immortal Master dies, who will be able to save us when the monster comes again?¡± another person sighed with sorrow. ¡°It¡¯s over, completely over¡­¡± Sounds of mourning rose from all over the village, and the heavy atmosphere of despair that had just started to improve now loomed once again. Granny Ma was encircled in the center, listening to these accusatory words. Her face was calm as still water, not showing any emotion or refuting anyone. She only stared straight ahead towards the direction outside the village. Ying Luo watched this scene from the side, her brows furrowed in helplessness despite her beauty. Just then, someone on the village wall suddenly cried out, ¡°The Immortal Master is back!¡± At first, the villagers were silent, but then a cheer erupted. ¡°How many people?¡± Granny Ma, whose face had been tense all along, showed a trace of change in her expression and asked. Ying Luo couldn¡¯t resist stomping her foot, as she leaped onto the village wall. She caught sight of Shen Luo¡¯s figure at once, along with Chen Guanbao, who he was carrying on his back. Her heart inexplicably warmed. ¡°Two people, it¡¯s two people. He brought Chen Guanbao back¡­¡± Ying Luo turned around and loudly declared. After hearing this, Granny Ma exhaled a long breath of relief. Shen Luo rested in the village for several days, then called over Ying Luo and handed her several sheets of paper full of text. ¡°What is this?¡± Ying Luo asked, puzzled after giving it a cursory glance. ¡°This is Small Transformation Yang Skill, a basic body refining technique that does not require exceptional aptitude. You take it and try, if there are villagers willing to cultivate it, then teach them. At least, it will enhance their physique somewhat.¡± Shen Luo answered. Chapter 167 - Chapter 167: Chapter 165: Ascend Mount Fangcun Again Chapter 167: Chapter 165: Ascend Mount Fangcun Again ¡°Big Brother Shen, thank you! Since our village lost contact with Mount Fangcun, there hasn¡¯t been any suitable martial arts techniques for ordinary people to practise.¡± Ying Luo sincerely expressed her thanks and carefully stored the precious notes in her bosom. ¡°For some time to come, I will continue my secluded cultivation. Unless there¡¯s something critical happening in the village, I won¡¯t easily interrupt my seclusion. I¡¯m relying on you for everything.¡± Shen Luo added. ¡°You can focus on your seclusion, I will take care of everything and won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Ying Luo nodded. ¡­ Time flew by, and two years had passed. At the foot of Mount Fangcun, the wilderness was thick with lush grass. Underneath a massive moss-covered rock, a murky cave entrance was vaguely noticeable. A sizable grey head suddenly peeked out from within. It had round ears, a long snout, and interlocking sharp teeth filled its mouth. Its two dark red circular eyes were diligently observing its surroundings; it was clearly a rat that had evolved into a monster. Just then, a human figure suddenly descended from the sky above the rock, raising a foot to step directly onto the rat¡¯s head. The rat struggled violently, squeaking non-stop. The person slightly shifted their foot, exerting a bit of force, then a soft crack could be heard. The rat was silenced, not moving any longer. ¡°Big Brother Shen, previously, it was only the beasts on the mountains, but now even the rats underground have started to transform. It¡¯s safe to assume that the situation on the mountain has become even more complicated.¡± A purple-haired girl approached, bent over to look at the plump monster rat and said worriedly. She was wearing a purple dress, with an old worn-out armor over it. It was Ying Luo. And the person who crushed the monster rat with one foot was Shen Luo. ¡°These two years, monster attacks have been frequent, and each time they pose a higher risk. If this continues, we may not hold out for long. The only long-term solution is to find an exit for the village as soon as possible.¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo spoke gravely. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, Big Brother Shen. However, that mad leopard has already evolved to the Soul Condensation Phase. We barely escaped with our lives last time. If we encounter it again, we will have to fight for our lives.¡± Ying Luo spoke, determination on her face. ¡°This time we won¡¯t take the same mountain path as before. As long as we avoid it, we¡¯ll be fine. If we find a path with a stream nearby, even better.¡± Shen Luo consoled. ¡°Several days ago, there was a continuous rainfall, causing some deep pools on the mountain to overflow and form some discontinuous streams. We should be able to find those.¡± Ying Luo thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it seems like we¡¯re somewhat taking advantage of the climate and the terrain.¡± Shen Luo laughed. While talking, the two of them entered the cave from the entrance under the giant rock and found that just over two years had passed and the then quite clean cave was now filled with various animal bones. Some places were even illuminated by a faint green phosphorus fire. They exited the cave from the other side and walked more than a hundred yards uphill along the mountain path. Upon seeing the first fork in the road, they changed their route, and continued up the mountain along the left fork. After the rainfall, the air in the mountain forest was extraordinarily humid. Large drops of dew condensed on the leaves of the bushes by the roadside. Shen Luo picked a droplet of water from a wild chrysanthemum, rubbed it with his fingers and slightly furrowed his brows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ying Luo asked curiously. ¡°The dew in the mountains is quite full of Yin Qi, and it feels slightly heavier than regular well water, with some additional stickiness. I think the rainwater from a few days ago was probably the same.¡± Shen Luo said with a frown. ¡°Big Brother Shen, now that you mention it, it does seem to be the case. No wonder a few weak elderly villagers fell sick after inadvertently getting soaked in the rain, and only recovered after a couple of days.¡± Ying Luo said, suddenly understanding. ¡°While the Yin Qi with the rainwater won¡¯t matter much, the overall condition of Mount Fangcun seems to be deteriorating more and more¡­..¡± Shen Luo sighed. Hearing this, the concerns creased over Ying Luo¡¯s forehead even further. The two of them trudged silently up the mountain without saying a word. About half an hour later, they started to encounter some shallow pools and streams in the low-lying areas along the way. Further uphill, the terrain began to grow steeper and steeper. As Shen Letwo entered a dense forest, a green pool with a diameter of over a dozen Zhang surprisingly appeared. It was covered with a thin layer of fallen leaves, rippling with sparkling waves. While passing by the pool, Shen Luo glanced at the water and abruptly said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± Without a second thought, Ying Luo halted her steps. Shen Luo came to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and dipped his hands into the water. He immediately felt a refreshing chill spread out from his palms. Despite the presence of Yin Qi in the water, it did him no harm, instead, he found it quite beneficial. Just then, a sudden change occurred! A deafening whoosh echoed out from the dense forest on the other side of the pool as a millstone-sized golden lightball abruptly tore down several towering trees. It drew up two water walls over a dozen Zhang high on the pool and rushed straight towards Shen Luo. Shen Luo seemed to have anticipated this and showed not the slightest hint of panic. The hand he had in the water was already forming a magic spell. With a sudden lift, waves surged from the water¡¯s surface, transforming into a thick water wall that appeared in front of him. As the golden light crashed into it, the water wall swelled but surprisingly didn¡¯t instantly collapse. Rather, it continuously sapped the force of the lightball. Several breaths later, it dissipated, bursting into a wave of water. The golden lightball, having passed through the water wave, had significantly lost its momentum and size. A green light lit up from Shen Luo¡¯s right palm and the Qingyang Hand smacked down hard. The lightball burst resonantly, scattering its light in all directions. It was as if a heavy rain had just poured onto the pool. A mist of water rose from the surface and remained turbulent for a long while. When the mist gradually dissipated, Shen Luo saw a massive golden beast nearly five Zhang in length emerge leisurely from the dense forest across and stood at the edge of the pool with its head held high. Its body was covered with brown round spots, lightning patterns on its forehead, a pair of eyes flashing with golden light, and its four sharp teeth were as sharp as swords. The monstrous Demon Qi that enveloped it made it more formidable. It was unmistakably the same Mad Leopard they had previously encountered. However, compared to two years ago, three claw scars had been added to the Mad Leopard¡¯s face. Diagonally slashing over its left eye and half of its cheek, it looked more fierce than ever. ¡°It¡¯s you two again?¡± The Mad Leopard glanced arrogantly at Shen Luo and Ying Luo and said in a seemingly surprised tone. Seeing this, Ying Luo¡¯s face turned deathly pale. She tugged at Shen Luo¡¯s sleeve and turned to flee. However, her tug failed to budge Shen Luo. Instead, she was gently pulled back behind him as Shen Luo silently grabbed her wrist. ¡°Familiar faces crossing paths again, who would have thought we couldn¡¯t avoid this.¡± A touch on his forehead, Shen Luo let out a helpless sigh. ¡°Last time you were fortunate enough to escape, this time you dare to come back, unluckily for you.¡± The Mad Leopard narrowed its eyes, the murderous intention revealing in its glare. ¡°Who¡¯s the more unfortunate one, I wonder¡­?¡± muttered Shen Luo. ¡°Such little mana yet so much arrogance!¡± The Mad Leopard¡¯s robust and thick claw slammed the ground, exploding a mighty aura that instantly rippled from its body. The ground in front of it burst open, shaking the pool water into waves that rolled towards Shen Luo. Chapter 168 - Chapter 168: Chapter 166: A Thousand Miles in a Day Chapter 168: Chapter 166: A Thousand Miles in a Day Ying Luo saw the monumental wave, her complexion increasingly pale. However, seeing Shen Luo standing steadfastly in front of her, she gritted her teeth and stood resolutely behind him. Shen Luo let out a cold ¡°hmmph¡± as mana circulated within his body. A strong aura radiated from him, heading unyieldingly towards the onslaught ahead. A loud ¡°splashing¡± sound was heard. Two water dragons, several feet high and stirred up by the powerful forces operating over the pool, collided with a boom. Accompanied by a loud roar, both water waves exploded simultaneously, transforming into a torrential downpour that poured down in all directions. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed, his hands quickly forming magic spells. The falling rain up high was enshrouded by a layer of blue light, as if it had solidified, not falling immediately. ¡°Go!¡± With a low shout from him and a pull downwards from his hands, the rain in the high altitude began to condense into cone-shaped blue water blades. Their howling spins increased rapidly, swirling into blue vortices in mid-air. Like a sudden downpour of blades, they fell abruptly, rushing towards the mad leopard. Seeing this, the latter initially underestimated it as a common water control technique. When the water blades fell, it realized that the momentum was extraordinary and the power should not be underestimated. It was too late to dodge.Almost immediately, every hair on its body stood on end, lighting up a vague golden glow. ¡°Ding, ding, ding.¡± Accompanied by a series of sharp sounds like a gale, dozens of blue water blades hit the mad leopard one after the other. The huge force made its originally tall spine continuously cave in, and the golden light covering it began to emit a faint red bloody aura. Ying Luo leaned out halfway to look over. Her eyes sparkled, and her face showed an expression of disbelief. The mad leopard, a soul condensation cultivator, was actually suppressed by Shen Luo? ¡°Roar¡­¡± The vortex of water blades finally ceased, the mad leopard let out an angry roar and charged straight at Shen Luo. Shen Luo, however, did not retreat but advanced instead. Treading the surface of the water, his body skimmed over the water like a swallow rushing towards the mad leopard. As both neared each other, Shen Luo¡¯s feet made a splashing noise, a several feet long python made of pool water rose with his body into the air, unexpectedly higher than the mad leopard. From his imposing high altitude, he waved his hands in front of him. From his sleeves, there was a sharp ¡°clang¡± noise, and a silver light shot out and formed a crescent shadow in the air, attacking the mad leopard. It was the magical instrument Crescent Moon Ring! The mad leopard finally showed a hint of panic in its eyes. To defend, it widely opened its blood mouth, with streaks of golden light shooting out towards the crescent moon. However, the speed of the crescent moon was extremely fast, flashing rapidly in mid-air, dodging the golden lights which were unable to hit it. Sensing that the crescent moon was about to reach it, the mad leopard¡¯s surprised and panicked eyes suddenly narrowed, the lightning pattern on its forehead suddenly flashed. Shen Luo only felt a blur in front of him, losing sight of the mad leopard and hitting nothing with the Crescent Moon Ring. Before he could react, there was a sudden gust of wind behind him. The figure of the mad leopard suddenly appeared behind him. One of its claws, wrapped in golden light, viciously smacked towards the back of his head. ¡°Big Brother Shen!¡± Ying Luo, witnessing this, shouted in shock. She waved her hands desperately, casting a fireball spell, but it was too late and it couldn¡¯t stop the mad leopard. At the critical moment, Shen Luo gave a soft chant. His surroundings suddenly swelled with blue light, and a blue light screen emitting a strong scent of water shrouded him. It was the Water Repelling Technique! A loud ¡°Boom¡± echoed as the Mad Leopard¡¯s giant claw heavily smashed onto the blue light shield. The surface of the light curtain rippled with a radiance, like wind blowing across the lake¡¯s surface, causing waves of gleaming ripples. Instead of shattering directly, it absorbed the attack and rebounded it back. The Mad Leopard only felt a forceful impact, its front claw went numb and its whole body was inverted and hurled away. Before it could land, the deadly crescent moon ring roared towards it from behind, forming a massive phantom of the half-moon as it pierced through its body, causing a rain of blood to spray into the air. ¡°Bang¡± The Mad Leopard¡¯s body heavily fell to the edge of the pool, its fresh blood immediately dyed a large patch of the pool water red. ¡°Despicable human race, how is this possible?¡± It struggled to stand, stumbling and obviously fatally wounded. As Shen Luo¡¯s body gradually descended with the Water Python, he beckoned and the crescent moon ring made a ¡°clang¡± sound as it flew back, circling around his wrist unpredictably. ¡°I was reluctant to have any further entanglements with you, but you brought this upon yourself by seeking death. I can¡¯t be blamed for this.¡± Shen Luo said indifferently. After he spoke, he swung his palm forward and the crescent moon ring shot out again, aiming straight for the Mad Leopard¡¯s head. But at this moment, there was a sudden change! A hazy layer of bloody aura abruptly spread from the Mad Leopard¡¯s body, its figure suddenly shrunk tenfold, becoming only five feet long. The lightning pattern on its forehead flashed again as it vanished from its original position. The sudden acceleration caught Shen Luo off guard. He didn¡¯t even have time to invoke the Water Repelling Technique when the Mad Leopard¡¯s figure had already appeared behind him, a sharp claw thrust forward, aiming to pierce straight through his back. Just when that claw was about to tear through Shen Luo¡¯s clothes, a crisp ¡°crack¡± sound came from the Mad Leopard¡¯s chest. The wound from the crescent moon ring suddenly spread a layer of frost, freezing half of its body and causing it to plummet towards the ground. Shen Luo turned around, moved his fingers to cast another magic spell. Underneath the lake surface, a gigantic vortex appeared, and a nearly ten-foot-long water blade pierced out in a spiral. With a flash of blue light, it directly pierced through the Mad Leopard¡¯s body, splitting it into two. On the rigid face of the Mad Leopard, apart from ferocity, fear and unwillingness also lurked. This Soul Condensation Stage demon was truly dead. Shen Luo stood on the unsettled water surface, let out a deep breath, walked over and searched the Mad Leopard¡¯s corpse, finally finding a dark red demon pellet. He returned to the shore, washed off the blood on his body in the pool water, and it was only then that the still shaken Ying Luo approached. Her emotions had fluctuated greatly during Shen Luo¡¯s battle and were still hard to calm down. ¡°Big Brother Shen, that Mad Leopard was a Soul Condensation Stage monster; your cultivation level¡­¡± Ying Luo asked hesitantly. ¡°I am also a Soul Condensation cultivator. I didn¡¯t tell you before as I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?¡± Shen Luo washed his face with the pool water, answering with a smile. ¡°Already at Soul Condensation level¡­ It¡¯s only been two years¡­¡± Ying Luo was as shocked as if she had been hit by lightning, freezing in place. ¡°I also feel as if I am dreaming!¡± Shen Luo made an ambiguous remark, a pity that only he himself could understand. Ying Luo¡¯s memory of Shen Luo¡¯s cultivation level was still stuck at the last village protection battle when he was only at the Early Stage of Grain Avoidance. Shen Luo finished washing his face, turned his head and saw the expression on Ying Luo¡¯s face, he slightly froze before realizing that what he said was quite shocking to her. What Ying Luo did not know was that his vague remark was already very polite, as his current level was not the Early Stage of Soul Condensation, not even the Middle Stage, but the Later Stage of Soul Condensation! (Three more chapters completed, there will be two more chapters at noon, please subscribe and vote!!) Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: Chapter 167: Heaven Devouring Tiger Chapter 169: Chapter 167: Heaven Devouring Tiger Gauging by his cultivation speed in the past two years, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that he has made rapid progress. Even the top-tier Dao Body aptitude, which Master Luo claims only occurs once in hundreds of years, simply can¡¯t compare to it. The pity is that no matter how good one¡¯s aptitude or rapid one¡¯s cultivation, or how high one¡¯s realm is in the Dream World, it will all be left behind in the dream and can¡¯t be brought back to reality. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get moving. The scent of the Mad Leopard¡¯s blood spilled in our previous brawl might attract other monsters,¡± Shen Luo gently patted Ying Luo¡¯s shoulder and suggested. Only then did Ying Luo snap back to reality. The shock still settling within her, she found Shen Luo to be increasingly mysterious. They continued their climb along the mountain path. Their journey was relatively calm; aside from occasionally encountering insignificant demons who took pains to avoid them, they met no major monsters. ¡°Big Brother Shen, my father once said that when a cultivator reaches the Soul Condensation Stage, their Divine Sense power can be radiated outwards. Is that true?¡± Ying Luo asked curiously. ¡°Correct. When one cultivates at the Soul Condensation Stage, souls within a person condense into a humanoid form, your divine sense power significantly intensifies and you can exert it externally to sense changes in the surroundings,¡± Shen Luo thought for a moment, then responded. ¡°How far can you extend your divine sense power, Big Brother Shen?¡± Ying Luo inquired further. ¡°With my current cultivation level and divine sense power, I can only probe movements within a radius of about 30 feet. However, if I encounter someone good at concealing their tracks, it¡¯s quite challenging to detect them in advance,¡± Shen Luo explained. ¡°30 feet¡­ That¡¯s amazing,¡± Ying Luo admired with envy. ¡°You are no less talented. As long as you cultivate diligently, you will certainly reach this point in the future,¡± Shen Luo reassured her with a smile. As their conversation unfolded, Ying Luo relaxed, losing the tension she had initially felt as she understood Shen Luo¡¯s strength more deeply. ¡°Ying Luo, remember the stories you told about the guiding butterfly when we climbed the mountain last time? The story about the woodcutter got cut off by the appearance of the Mad Leopard,¡± Shen Luo abruptly brought up. ¡°Big Brother Shen, if you want to hear it, I¡¯ll continue. Actually, it¡¯s a story from a very, very long time ago, back when our Longevity Village¡­¡± Ying Luo thought for a while, a smile spreading across her face as she began her tale. Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter in their village who would chop wood in the mountains every day. Most of the time, he¡¯d stay close to the foot of the mountains, rarely venturing deep into the mountains. One day, he chanced upon a snow-white rabbit while chopping wood. Wanting to capture it as a pet for his child, he chased the rabbit for quite a distance. When he came to his senses, he found himself halfway up the mountain. The woodcutter didn¡¯t manage to catch the rabbit, but came across two elderly men playing a game of Go, with black and white chess pieces, on a flat rock. Being a simple farmer, he didn¡¯t understand the game of Go. Seeing the otherworldly aura around the two men, he dared not interrupt and instead silently watched their match. As he watched, he was stunned. He felt as though he had been transported onto a battlefield, watching white-clothed soldiers and black-armored warriors engage in fierce combat. Unaware of how much time had passed, he was jolted back to reality when one of the elderly men patted his shoulder. He had a dazed expression as he looked around. The woodcutter heard one of the elderly men saying, ¡°Though you possess wisdom, you are still entangled in mortal affairs. Go back.¡± Before he could comprehend what was happening, he suddenly found himself back at the place where he had been chopping wood. Looking around, he saw verdant grass and towering ancient trees, altogether different from before. The woodcutter was startled. Bending down to pick up his axe, he found the axe handle had rotted, and the blade was covered in rust. When he returned to the village, he discovered the village to look extraordinarily different, and not one villager recognized him. After much inquiry, he finally found his home, only to discover that everything had changed. It turned out that an entire cycle of 60 years, a ¡°jiazi,¡± had passed since he went out to chop wood that day. His parents and wife had all passed away, and his home was occupied by three generations of his descendants. The news spread like wildfire, with the stories becoming more and more wondrous. They thought he had discovered the secret to longevity, having lived 60 years without aging. The fact that there were indeed many centenarians in the village later on led to the village being named ¡°Longevity Village.¡± ¡°What about afterwards?¡± Shen Luo, finding the story intriguing, couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Later, the woodcutter recalled the words of the immortal, bid goodbye to his descendants, and went into the mountain to practice Dao. It¡¯s said that some villagers ever spotted him in the mountains, his appearance unchanged, often seen chopping wood and humming songs,¡± Ying Luo narrated. ¡°That¡¯s indeed intriguing. I wonder if this man is still in the mountains?¡± Shen Luo looked at the dense forest of the mountain and chuckled. ¡°They are simply rumors, and shouldn¡¯t be taken for¡­¡± Ying Luo¡¯s voice trailed off as a roar from a wild beast rang out from the distance, cutting her off midway. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The entire forest shook, as leaves rustled and fell from the trees. Ying Luo felt a ringing in her ears and her surroundings seemed to be spinning around her. ¡°That sound came from beyond my divine sense probe range. It has such intense penetrating power, it must be a great demon in the Soul Condensation stage. Let¡¯s not alarm it,¡± said Shen Luo, his expression changing as he quickly advised. Ying Luo turned pale, she hurriedly followed Shen Luo as they climbed the mountain. ¡°That thing has discovered us and is catching up¡­¡± They had only gone about 30 feet when Shen Luo suddenly halted her. As his words fell, a violent tremor struck the mountain forest ahead of them. A number of strong, towering trees fell to the sides, creating a cacophony of cracking sounds. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the tremor¡¯s source. Merely moments later, a large patch of forest right in front of them collapsed to reveal a massive creature lunging out and landing in front of them. This creature was about twenty feet long, with a tail almost as long as its body. It was covered in white fur with black stripes. Without a doubt, it was a fierce tiger demon. There was a ring of light blue mane around its head and it had dark red eyes as big as a copper bell. Steel-like whiskers sprouted from its mouth and its upper canines, sharp as knives, protruded from its lower lip, glinting with a chilling light. ¡°A Heaven Devouring Tiger!¡± Ying Luo exclaimed in surprise. The tiger demon didn¡¯t even glance her way. Instead, it stared menacingly at Shen Luo with its dark red eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve got the scent of the Mad Leopard on you. No, it¡¯s the scent of its Demon Pellet, and also the scent of a pesky fox¡­¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger suddenly wrinkled its nose, sniffed the air, and said. Its voice was deep, sounding like a middle-aged man¡¯s voice. Chapter 170 - Chapter 170: Chapter 168: Deadly Sprint Chapter 170: Chapter 168: Deadly Sprint Shen Luo didn¡¯t utter a word, but positioned his body in front of Ying Luo, his hand hidden in his sleeve, already clutching the half-moon ring. The Heaven Devouring Tiger cocked its ears and slightly pulled at the corner of its mouth, its mannerisms eerily human-like, brimming over with clear contempt. ¡°The Mad Leopard excels in ambushes and escapes. Last time, my claw failed to land a fatal blow, so it managed to run away. I never expected it to die at your hands. What a useless creature,¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger lifted one forepaw and licked it while saying this. Shen Luo thought of the scratches on the face of the Mad Leopard, realizing that they were most likely from this tiger demon. Considering the demon¡¯s strong evil aura and formidable presence, far surpassing the Mad Leopard, Shen Luo felt a tightening in his chest and carefully shielded Ying Luo, pulling back a little bit. ¡°Are you from Longevity Village?¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger asked, a gaze of appraisal falling upon Shen Luo upon asking this. ¡°Yes¡±, replied Shen Luo even though he did not completely understand the tiger¡¯s intentions, and after a slight hesitation. Hearing Shen Luo¡¯s answer, the head of the Heaven Devouring Tiger lowered ever so slightly, a hint of nostalgia even seeping into its words as it spoke: ¡°Leave the Demon Pellet here, and you can go¡­¡± Upon hearing this, confusion flashed in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t kill us?¡± Ying Luo also could hardly believe what she heard. ¡°Do you really wish to die? Don¡¯t make me repeat myself the third time, leave the Mad Leopard¡¯s Demon Pellet and get out of here!¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger glared at the two of them. Shen Luo stared back into its eyes, only to discover that there really didn¡¯t seem to be much killing intent, which confused him all the more. ¡°The Demon Pellet can be left behind, but Elder, could we be permitted to make a trip up the mountain?¡± Ying Luo bit her lip and bravely made the request. As soon as Shen Luo saw the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s true form, he had begun to consider retreat. But hearing Ying Luo¡¯s words made him uneasy. ¡°You want to go up the mountain?¡± Hearing this, the Heaven Devouring Tiger looked as though it had been stung. The dark red glint in its eyes suddenly brightened, with wisps of black fog appearing around its eyes and quickly enveloping its entire face. Within moments, its whole face started twisting horrifically, its evil aura suddenly soaring, and the intense killing intent it emanated almost became tangible. ¡°Everything on the mountain is mine, no one else can lay a finger on it¡­¡± its voice turned hoarse and rough, entirely different from before. Before it finished speaking, it suddenly pounced forward and roared at them. ¡°Roar¡­..¡± This roar was different from before, it was close at hand. Shen Luo could see visible ripples forming in the air, layer upon layer washing towards him and Ying Luo. He quickly stepped back a few paces, placing Ying Luo completely behind him. He maneuvered his single hand to use the Water Repelling Technique. Suddenly a burst of watery blue light radiated from his body, a foot-long blue glow emerged around him like an armor, protecting him from the oncoming roar, strongly crash into each other. Ripples began to spread over the light curtain of the Water Repelling Technique, each wave of power overlapping the next. They grew until it seemed they might reach the maximum the light curtain could withstand, but still they didn¡¯t falter. Shen Luo felt a shiver in his heart. Mana whirled within him, he used all his strength to deploy the Water Repelling Technique again. Finally, the light curtain of the Water Repelling Technique swelled, and an invisible force erupted from within, distancing the roar. But this time around, the Water Repelling Technique was only barely able to break up the force. It couldn¡¯t reflect the force back as it had done during the battle with the Mad Leopard. ¡°Damn it! This is a large demon of the Nascent Soul Stage!¡± Seeing the power behind just a single roar, Shen Luo immediately understood what was going on. ¡°Haha! It turns out that you¡¯re just a Soul Condensation Stage cultivator, devouring you will be more beneficial than the demon pellet of the Mad Leopard, hahaha¡­.¡± Seeing the situation, the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s eyes filled with even more murderous intent, and it couldn¡¯t help but laugh wildly with excitement. Shen Luo¡¯s face darkened slightly, and his concealed hand in his sleeve reached behind him, grasping Ying Luo¡¯s slender hand. Ying Luo, who had been panicking, was taken aback at first, but then her cheeks flushed slightly, and she momentarily forgot her fear. However, immediately after, she realized that a slightly warm sphere had been stuffed into her hand. On looking down, Ying Luo found out that it was the Demon Pellet of the Mad Leopard. ¡°Just now, those little demons avoided us, most likely because they sensed the aura of the Mad Leopard¡¯s Demon Pellet. You take it with you and should be able to safely return to the village along the original route.¡± Shen Luo lowered his voice and instructed. ¡°But Big Brother Shen, what about you¡­?¡± Upon hearing this, Ying Luo was naturally unwilling to escape alone. ¡°If you¡¯re here, it would only distract me, making it even more dangerous.¡± She hadn¡¯t finished her sentence when Shen Luo interrupted her. She bit her lip lightly at his words and took the demon pellet from Shen Luo. Shen Luo, slightly relieved, shook his hand, and the magical instrument, the Crescent Moon Ring, fell into his palm. Circulating his mana silently, he suddenly yelled ¡°Go¡±, and the crescent moon ring in his hand transformed into a series of silver moonlight shadows, darting towards the Heaven Devouring Tiger. At the sound of the word, Ying Luo didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and turned to run towards the downhill direction. Upon seeing this, the Heaven Devouring Tiger opened its huge mouth, a flash in its throat, and a burst of blue lightning shot out, transforming into a blue lightning net in mid-air, trapping the Crescent Moon Ring inside. The moonlight shadows emanating from the Crescent Moon Ring were suddenly trapped, unable to escape. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, none of you are leaving!¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger roared, leaping over Shen Luo¡¯s head and preparing to pounce on Ying Luo. Shen Luo tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, his figure immediately slid backward, blocking the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s path. He rapidly formed hand seals, and a surge of blue light gathered in front of him. The moisture in the air quickly condensed, forming three water vortex blades, spinning at high speed and shooting towards the head of the Heaven Devouring Tiger. The Heaven Devouring Tiger didn¡¯t even look, lifted a paw and waved it in front of him, immediately several blue claw marks appeared in the void, carrying a powerful tearing force, striking the water blades. With a loud ¡°bang¡±, the water blades shattered, the water splashes carried a strong evil aura which struck Shen Luo directly, flipping him onto the ground. Shen Luo felt a surge of Qi and blood in his chest, and couldn¡¯t help but feel shocked. This Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s casual strike was so powerful; if it made a full-strength attack, he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist. After knocking Shen Luo down, the Heaven Devouring Tiger changed its direction, accelerating in its pursuit of Ying Luo. Ying Luo had been worried about Shen Luo and couldn¡¯t help but look back while running. As a result, she saw the Heaven Devouring Tiger chasing after her, with only about sixty feet of distance between them. An overwhelming aura pressed down, causing her to be terrified, and her legs seemed to have a mind of their own. Just when it seemed like she would be caught, a sudden ¡°splash¡± sound of the rushing water could be heard. Shen Luo had manipulated most of the water from a nearby stream with his water control technique to form a significant torrent rushing down the hill. It turned out that Shen Luo, disregarding his injuries, had forcibly summoned the water. Ying Luo hadn¡¯t understood what was happening when she was engulfed by a wave of water. (End of Chapter Five, seeking monthly votes ^^) Chapter 171 - Chapter 171: Chapter 169: Crab General Lang Pu Chapter 171: Chapter 169: Crab General Lang Pu But right after, a large, lifelike ¡°goldfish¡± suddenly leaped from the water splash, carrying Ying Luo from the water waves and swiftly heading towards the foot of the mountain. Seeing this, the Heaven Devouring Tiger was greatly annoyed. It halted its pace and abruptly turned around. Its eyes exuded intense ferocious light, and it roared at Shen Luo: ¡°Roar¡­¡± Shen Luo only felt a humming noise in his ears and a tremor in his body as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt out of the blue, in the deepest layers of his mind. He was almost unstable in his standing position, but his body immediately flashed in blue, twenty thin blue threads flashed and extinguished, a wave of cooling sensation rushed out of his Dantian, quickly circulated around his head, and he immediately sobered up. He forced himself to withstand the residual humming sound in his mind, while mobilizing Mana to protect the sea of his consciousness on one side and taunting the Heaven Devouring Tiger with a challenging hand gesture. As expected, the Heaven Devouring Tiger was extremely furious. It completely gave up the chase of Ying Luo, turned around and ran madly towards Shen Luo. Seeing that his taunt was effective, Shen Luo immediately beckoned with his two hands, and the half-moon ring escaped from the already weakened electric net. He quickly ran towards the mountain top, leading the Heaven Devouring Tiger as far away from Ying Luo as possible. Just when he managed to run a hundred feet, his figure suddenly turned, leading him to dash into the dense forest on one side, feeling somewhat panicked in his heart. That¡¯s because the roar of the Heaven Devouring Tiger behind him was getting increasingly closer at a terrifying speed. Shen Luo hastily turned around just to see the Heaven Devouring Tiger seemingly engulfed in blue flames, bolting towards him with an indescribable urgency. Surprisingly, its speed was even faster than the Mad Leopard. He hurriedly chanted and cast a magic spell, forming a water-repelling light curtain in front of him. The blue luminescent light curtain just emerged and was yet to stabilize when the Heaven Devouring Tiger head-on crashed into it. The light curtain abruptly flickered in blue and couldn¡¯t withstand for even a moment, directly ¡°bang¡± exploding into fragments. A severe pain again erupted in Shen Luo¡¯s chest, spitting out blood from his mouth, he was sent flying backwards, breaking an ancient thick tree midway, and fell to the ground. Before he could even get up, the Heaven Devouring Tiger had already opened its bloody mouth, pouncing on him again. In the nick of time, Shen Luo flipped over and fiercely swung his sleeve, a burst of golden light shot out from the cuff. Within the golden light, a several meters-long rope, swift as lightning, directly flew towards the oncoming Heaven Devouring Tiger. Upon seeing this, the latter sneered coldly and lifted its claw to swipe at the gold rope, intending to snap it. However, the gold rope seemed sentient. The moment when its big claw approached, it suddenly bent downwards, not only deftly dodging the claw, but also climbing up along the tiger claw like a gecko, wrapping around its waist and abdomen. A series of faint golden rune illusions immediately emerged on the surface of the gold rope which tightened sharply amid luminescent flashes. The Heaven Devouring Tiger didn¡¯t even react when its front claw was reeled inward by a strong force, involuntarily pulled back in front of its chest. Its body lost balance for a moment and tumbled down. Seeing this, without any hesitation, Shen Luo turned and resumed running. He knew very clearly that with his current cultivation level, a single magical instrument will be absolutely unable to subdue this powerful Nascent Soul Stage demon. Now, fleeing was the only way. Just a few moments later, a loud ¡°thud¡± sounded from behind Shen Luo. The Heaven Devouring Tiger suddenly blasted a wave of violent aura around his body, as a layer of condensed violent energy rushed out, actually breaking the gold rope into several pieces. Shen Luo didn¡¯t look back, yet he couldn¡¯t help but tremble in his heart. Fortunately, at the moment the golden light scattered, the broken gold rope surprisingly healed itself back together. It didn¡¯t collapse, but instead flew past mid-air, quickly catching up with Shen Luo, and coiled itself around his right arm. Shen Luo saw that the light on the gold rope had dimmed a lot, he knew it was badly damaged. However, he had no time to care about it now, he just used the Chasing Wind Step to its limit and continued to flee with all his strength. After the Heaven Devouring Tiger missed several times, it was already in a furious state. After a loud roar, its blood-streaked mouth suddenly opened wide, a current-like layer of light rose from its waist and abdomen, flowed into its head along its chest and back, and condensed into a solid light sphere in its mouth, with electricity crackling throughout it. With a ¡®bang¡¯, the light sphere was shot out from its mouth, shooting straight towards Shen Luo¡¯s back. Shen Luo felt a strong force bombing his back and knew he couldn¡¯t dodge it. He could only abruptly turn around, quickly formed a sign with his hand, and spread his palm. A whirlpool of swirling water immediately condensed on his palm. A strong demonic energy flew out of the black hole of water in the centre of the vortex, It transformed into a strange demon holding a Black Gold Trident in mid-air and landed in front of him. This demon was crimson in colour, standing at four-feet tall, it was stout in size. It was wearing a blue armour. The lower part of its two shoulders didn¡¯t have arms but two large crab claws. There was a tuft of golden hair growing on its round head, its eyes bulging out, surprisingly it was a Crab General! This was the demon that Shen Luo had captured when he advanced to the later stage of Soul Condensation by using the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits. It was already a demon in the late stage of Soul Condensation, and it had powerful defensive supernatural powers. Due to the restrictions of the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits, Shen Luo had to remove the previous contract with Zhui Tou, and spent a lot of effort to sign a contract with this Crab General. ¡°Shen kid, calling me out ¡­.¡±. As soon as the Crab General appeared and before finishing his sentence, he saw an intimidating blue electric light sphere shooting towards him. The Crab General¡¯s eyes bulged out, and the Black Gold Trident in his hands started to spin like a windmill, condensing a vortex of green water in front of him, which emitted a strong attractive force. The blue electric light sphere was sucked into the vortex as soon as it got close. ¡°Boom¡± a loud noise! Blue electric light mixed with water waves exploded, hundreds of electric spikes and water splashes shot out, hitting the ancient trees within the radius of several feet, causing them to break one by one and smoke billowing. ¡°Ouch, that was a close one. Shen kid, you tricked me again!¡± A howl came from the smoke, followed by a series of curses. ¡°Daoist Lang Pu, stop cursing for now; dealing with that Heaven Devouring Tiger is the top priority.¡± Shen Luo said helplessly. ¡°How am I supposed to deal with it? I¡¯m only in the Soul Condensation Stage. How can I manage it? We should run for our lives!¡± The smoke dissipated, and the figure of the Crab General showed itself again. Its originally shiny armor had turned black, making it look like it was covered in ash. ¡°You are a human who can summon spiritual beasts, you are indeed not simple,¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger walked slowly out from the other side of the smoke, it said in a cold voice. ¡°This guy and I are not close at all, if you want to fight, then fight him. I will just stand by and watch, and definitely not interfere!¡± The Crab General who was known as Lang Pu said, brushed the dust off his body, and leaned against a broken tree, acting like he was just an onlooker. The Heaven Devouring Tiger, seeing this, had a glint of suspicion in his eyes as he couldn¡¯t understand the relationship between the two. (Continuing five chapters today; seeking subscriptions, seeking votes ^^) Chapter 172 - Chapter 172: Chapter 170: Sacrificing Oneself into the Game Chapter 172: Chapter 170: Sacrificing Oneself into the Game Shen Luo looked at Lang Pu, his face showing a bit of helplessness. ¡°Since you are not of the Human Race, as long as you do not interfere, I can spare you.¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger said. Upon hearing this, Lang Pu, seemingly demonstrating sincerity, stepped back a few more steps. ¡°What tricks do you have this time?¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger slowly walked towards Shen Luo, his eyes revealing a menacing aura. Shen Luo stared intently at the Heaven Devouring Tiger, grasping the half-moon ring, he slowly retreated. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger suddenly let out a wild roar, his body suddenly lunged forward, pouncing towards Shen Luo. Next to it, Lang Pu, whose eyes suddenly flashed with a sly look, also moved at the same time. The black gold trident held in his pincers spun rapidly, a blue light emanated from the trident tip, transforming into a fuzzy cone, heading straight for the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s flank with potent sharpness. Just as the sharp glow of the trident tip was about to pierce the body of the Heaven Devouring Tiger, a gust of wind suddenly sounded. The Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s long tail crackled, wound in a layer of blue electrical threads, it swung furiously. Seeing this, Lang Pu¡¯s pincers tightly gripped the black gold trident and drew it back while he fiercely thrust the trident towards the ground. His other pincer grabbed the tiger¡¯s tail. With a clang, the ground cracked open, more than half of the trident was thrust into the ground, and Lang Pu¡¯s right pincer managed to grab the tail of the Heaven Devouring Tiger just in time. In an instant, a powerful electric current passed through the armor into Lang Pu¡¯s body. A blue light illuminated from Lang Pu¡¯s crab shell, encasing the electric current. He strained to hold on, but he was still smoking all over, screaming in pain. ¡°Young Master Shen, this guy will not be fooled. I¡¯ll hold him off. You better get out of here.¡± Lang Pu let out a long shout. ¡°Lang Pu, don¡¯t force yourself.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s brow furrowed. Knowing he had no time to hesitate, he quickly employed the Art of Spirit Communication to drop a vortex beside Lang Pu then turned and ran. ¡°A kind-hearted kid you are.¡± Seeing this, Lang Pu sighed in relief. The Heaven Devouring Tiger tried to leap forward to give chase but was tightly held back by Lang Pu, unable to break free for the moment. It was seething with fury. Its mouth opened wide again, and electric threads coiled in its throat, forming a solid blue electric ball. Seeing the light ball about to be fired, Lang Pu¡¯s glow surged all around him. His right arm¡¯s pincer seemed to increase in size, and he yanked down with all his might. The Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s body faltered, causing the light ball to lose its target and fly off at an angle. ¡°Boom!¡± A loud explosion sounded! The blue electric light ball failed to hit Shen Luo but landed next to him. The blast caused a wild surge of air. The force caused Shen Luo to tilt, flinging him into the air, and he landed outside the dense forest. His body was in excruciating pain, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, but he still managed to struggle to his feet and continue sprinting towards the mountain top. Behind him, after a brief bout of fighting sounds, only the roar of the Heaven Devouring Tiger was left. Shen Luo didn¡¯t have the luxury to check on Lang Pu¡¯s condition. After running several hundred feet uphill, he found that there was no road ahead, only a mountain cliff that was over a hundred feet high. It was then that he remembered what Ying Luo had mentioned earlier that there were many branched paths below the waist of Mount Fangcun, and it seemed there was only one path to continue to the top once they reached the waist. Without hesitating, Shen Luo immediately made his way up the rugged rocks and fissures of the cliff wall, hands and feet working together. Just as he reached the top of the cliff, he discovered a plum tree, about seventy or eighty feet tall, near the edge of the plateau. Its trunk was black and withered, its leaves almost entirely gone. The tree seemed to have lost most of its vitality. Shen Luo had no intention of lingering, he just gave it a cursory glance and then passed by the tree, ready to resume his journey. Yet at that moment, his eyes caught sight of a square granite table, about one meter high, under the tree. The tabletop was engraved with a network of nineteen intersecting lines, strewn with black and white chess pieces. It was clearly the remnants of a game of go. He was reminded of the story Ying Luo had previously recounted about the woodcutter and thus found himself unable to resist peering at the chessboard. However, he did not see the same unusual sight of black and white armored warriors in battle that the woodcutter had observed. Although Shen Luo had no particular interest in the art of go, he had acquainted himself with some basic strategies from books like ¡°The Four Character Manual¡± and ¡°Mysterious Collection¡±. His understanding wasn¡¯t profound though. He could see that the black pieces had an advantage on the chessboard. They had already cornered the white pieces, and barely allowed them to breathe. Shifting his gaze slightly, he noticed two lines of small characters engraved on the right side of the board that read, ¡°When mountains and rivers make you doubt your path, another village appears amidst the darkened willows and blooming flowers.¡± ¡°Could there be a secret in this chessboard?¡± A thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly swept his eyes back and forth over the chessboard a few times. Upon further scrutiny, he discovered that the space left for the white pieces was merely a fac?ade. If they were to make a move here, within ten steps, the white pieces would be encircled and killed off again, losing even their last breath. ¡°If I place the piece here, it may seem like a suicidal move, but from death comes life¡­ Yes, right here!¡± Shen Luo, staring at a spot in the lower right corner of the board, murmured to himself. There was a flicker of joy in his eyes, and he was about to reach for a chess piece when he realized that the platform was utterly empty. There were no chess pieces on it. ¡°Ah¡­ looks like I¡¯m overthinking it,¡± With a slap to his forehead, Shen Luo stood up and prepared to leave. Just as he was about to leave, a tiger¡¯s roar echoed from the surrounding forest. A large figure pounced out from behind a boulder and landed on the cliff, staring intently at Shen Luo. ¡°This time, let¡¯s see how you escape,¡± roared the Heaven Devouring Tiger. Regret sprung up in Shen Luo¡¯s heart. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn¡¯t have wasted his time here. As he was pondering how to escape, he noticed that the steep cliff on his right was, in fact, engraved with intersecting lines just like the chessboard. Hollow circles represented the white pieces and solid circles for the black pieces, reflecting the exact same pattern as the chessboard. Above the chessboard were four large characters engraved in ancient script that read: ¡°Life as a Chess Game¡±. The moment Shen Luo saw these words, his heart seemed to echo with a light exclamation, and sudden realization dawned on him. Life is like a chess game, and human beings are like chess pieces. Since there are no pieces to move, he may as well make himself the piece. The Heaven Devouring Tiger, although confused by Shen Luo¡¯s absent gaze, launched himself towards Shen Luo. Seeing this, Shen Luo steeled his heart and threw himself directly towards the spot on the cliff-shaped chessboard where the lines intersected in the lower right corner and forcefully slammed into it. A muffled ¡°thump¡± echoed, and a sharp pain surged from Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder. The cliff was, after all, still a cliff. How could there be any exit? Just as Shen Luo was beginning to think that he had guessed wrong, the chessboard on the entire cliff wall suddenly shone with light, the black and white pieces each shimmering like a star, alternately bright and dim. Following this, the empty chessboard began to reveal shadows of moving pieces, like shooting stars leaving black and white streaks. They all converged from various parts of the chessboard towards Shen Luo¡¯s surroundings. Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: Chapter 171: Accidentally Entered the Three Star Cave Chapter 173: Chapter 171: Accidentally Entered the Three Star Cave The Heaven Devouring Tiger, upon witnessing this, was hesitant to advance and quickly restrained its movements. The traces of light around Shen Luo interlaced and transformed into a fuzzy white light ring that clung to his body, enclosing him within. He only felt the rocks which had been cold and hard just now suddenly become warm and soft. His body involuntarily tilted inwards and he tumbled directly into the mountain wall. The Heaven Devouring Tiger, startled, rushed forward, swinging its paw towards Shen Luo¡¯s leg. But at the moment Shen Luo collapsed, his legs involuntarily jerked upwards, narrowly avoiding the tiger¡¯s claw. His entire body disappeared into the stone wall, leaving no trace. It was at this instant that all traces of light on the cliff wall disappeared, returning everything to its original state. Looking at the empty stone wall before it, the Heaven Devouring Tiger was still somewhat in disbelief. It roared violently, continuously swiping its paws against the mountain wall, causing it to vibrate ceaselessly. But no matter how much it struggled, Shen Luo had plainly vanished in front of its eyes, no longer to be seen. After a fruitless search, the Heaven Devouring Tiger vented its frustration on the stone wall, its terrifying aura gradually dissipating. It took a long time before it calmed down, staring at the surrounding cliffs for a moment before turning to leave. ¡­ On the other hand, Shen Luo stumbled, his body surging forward uncontrollably almost causing him to tumble. When he steadied himself and saw his current surroundings, he was completely dumbfounded. He had thought that if he didn¡¯t crash into the mountain wall, he would fall into the heart of the mountain. But what appeared before his eyes was a cliff. Shen Luo glanced back to see a smooth stone wall a hundred feet high not far behind him. There were faint traces of stone carvings on it, but due to severe weathering, the inscriptions had become blurry. Worried about Lang Pu¡¯s safety, Shen Luo returned to the stone wall. He carefully extended his hand and touched the stone wall. A cold, hard sensation pressed into his hand, but he could no longer pass through the wall. ¡°A real stone wall¡­¡±Shen Luo wondered while looking carefully at his surrounding cliff. Finally, he noticed that the open cliff was suspended outside of the mountain peak, facing another protruding cliff from the opposite mountain wall. This was reminiscent of a broken bridge. He walked slowly to the cliff¡¯s edge, his clothes rustling in the wind. Looking down, all he saw were clouds and fog concealing the valley between the twin peaks, making it impossible to see the situation down below. Shen Luo quickly redirected his gaze, looking across to the other side. There was a mountain cave on the opposing cliff, at least a dozen feet away, partially obscured by a broken stone door studded with copper nails. The exposed area was pitch black, revealing nothing. Moving his gaze, he saw a stone stele about three feet tall on the left side of the cave entrance. Although it was covered with spider-web-like cracks, it stood firm and intact. A few archaic large characters were clearly visible on it. ¡°Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave, what kind of place is this?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but repeat aloud. While he was wondering, he caught sight of distinct indentations on the mountain wall to the right of the cave, above and at an angle. Upon closer observation, he realized it was a huge handprint. Shen Luo extended his palm for comparison and found the handprint unusually shaped. The five fingers were extraordinarily long, each joint exceptionally large, the palm lines vague. It didn¡¯t look like a human hand. He arrived at the cliff¡¯s edge. With a slight movement of his mind, he began twisting his wrist in his sleeve. Specks of water then began to gather in the void, horizontally spanning between the two cliffs to form a transparent water bridge. Shen Luo rose, his feet stepping on the water bridge, ripples spreading across the surface of the water as he calmly made his way across to the other side of the cliffside. He stood on the edge of the cliff, looking up towards the two ancient stone doors. He observed that the studs set in the doors were already covered in green copper rust. Both stone doors were severely slanted, the doorway no longer able to close properly, leaving an approximately one Zhang high and three feet wide gap in the middle. The inside was pitch black. Shen Luo walked closer to take a better look, but found that he still couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. ¡°There¡¯s no noise, not even a trace of wind is coming out?¡± He looked for a while, furrowing his brows slightly. He felt that something was unusual. Then, Shen Luo closed his eyes for a while, and his sea of ??knowledge attained tranquility. His divine power began to disperse outwards. Guided by his heart and mind, he intentionally made an attempt to peek inside the cave entrance. However, as his divine sense had just penetrated into the crack of the door, the space inside that ordinary eyes could only see as pitch black, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling white light that stabbed directly at his divine soul. Shen Luo¡¯s divine sense immediately felt a powerful impact, and quickly retreated back into his sea of ??knowledge. ¡°Uh¡­¡± As he opened his eyes, he let out a muffled groan, then blacked out, tumbling onto the ground. It took him a while to gradually regain his vision. He looked up towards the sky, feeling dizzy and unsteady. Struggling to sit up, Shen Luo shook his head vigorously. The groggy feeling in his head gradually faded. ¡°Another prohibition¡­¡± Looking back at the two stone doors, he sighed softly. This was his first encounter with a prohibition that could counter his divine sense. However, judging from the situation just now, the prohibition seemed to be damaged. Otherwise, with his current divine sense power, the damage would have been much more severe, and it wouldn¡¯t have been easy for him to recover this quickly. Shen Luo stood up, hesitated for a moment, but still approached the stone door. He raised his hand and felt inside the crack in the door, his palm immediately touched an invisible barrier his naked eye could not see. The barrier felt somewhat resilient, unlike the cold, hard stone wall. Furrowing his brow, Shen Luo suddenly activated his mana, his hand exerting a sudden force, pressing violently towards the inside. This time, a blurry white light lit up inside the stone door. Just as Shen Luo wanted to retract his hand, a force bounced back out, causing his body to shake and he flew backwards. Quickly sinking his body, he heavily stomped downwards, managing to steady himself just before he would have fallen off the cliff. ¡°Since there is a prohibition, there should be a way to break it, I just don¡¯t know where the mechanism to break it is?¡± Standing at the edge of the cliff, Shen Luo stroked his chin thoughtfully. His gaze once again encompassed the entire cliff, his eyes falling once more on the gigantic palm print. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Shen Luo hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, he leapt up, activating his Yang Gang Qi, and using his Qingyang Hand to deliver a powerful slam onto the giant palm print. With a ¡°bang¡±, the entire cliffside shuddered slightly, a layer of fallen leaves and loose dirt shaking off. Shen Luo landed and didn¡¯t find any sign of the stone door opening. Instead, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a faint glow appearing on the stone stele standing next to the cave entrance. He walked over to the stone stele that read ¡°Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave¡±, and carefully observed it. The stele was full of cracks, giving it a battered appearance, but he did not find anything unusual. Chapter 174 - Chapter 174: Chapter 172: Ruins Chapter 174: Chapter 172: Ruins After mulling over for a moment, Shen Luo suddenly lifted his palm, slapping it towards the crack of the stone door. A cluster of water vapor in the void was drawn over by him, forming a fist-sized water ball, and was smashed over. With a soft ¡°bang¡±, the prohibition inside the stone door was again stimulated. On the stone stele beside Shen Luo, a faint and unimpressive blur of light lit up. Shen Luo had been staring at the stone stele all along, hence he could see clearly, discovering that what emerged from that blur of light was a rune mark he had never seen before. ¡°If I manage to break this mark, wouldn¡¯t that mean I have cracked the prohibition?¡± As he watched the mark disappear, he muttered to himself. Previously, Shen Luo had not learned how to break prohibitions. The ability to find the Nameless Heavenly Book was largely due to luck and fortune. Now, this was the only option he could attempt. In his palm, he secretly circulated his Mana. A layer of water-blue light enveloped the center of his palm, and he slapped the spot where the rune mark had just disappeared. Immediately afterwards, the stone stele shook slightly. The faint glow lit up again, and the rune mark reappeared. Shen Luo raised his brows. He found that the rune mark, which seemed to be weak and on the verge of shattering, did not crumble as he had wished. Instead, his palm was suddenly grabbed by an invisible suction force from within, preventing him from retracting it. Following that, the mark¡¯s light flashed again. Not only was Shen Luo¡¯s palm firmly stuck, but also the Mana from his body poured out like a tide, crazily rushing towards the stone stele. In the blink of an eye, a stream of blue light poured out like water, the rune on the stone stele became brighter and brighter, and even blue light began to shine from the cracks in the stele. Shen Luo was shocked. As he saw half of his Mana flowing out of his body, he tried desperately to stop the leakage and even tried to reverse the operation of his skills, but to no avail. Just as he felt empty within and seemed like his Mana was about to be drained, the stone stele suddenly changed. The characters ¡°Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave¡± on its top began to brighten more and more until it finally turned into a shiny white light, burst several feet out of the stele¡¯s surface, and completely engulfed Shen Luo. Shen Luo only felt warmth all over his body. His Divine Sense suddenly relaxed, and he lost consciousness. ¡­ It¡¯s unknown how much time had passed before Shen Luo¡¯s eyes slowly opened. He tried to struggle to sit up, but found that he was weak and his vision blurred. After he begrudgingly propped himself upright, he immediately folded his hands on his lap and silently started to circulate the Nameless Cultivation Technique. However, as soon as he started, his body shook slightly, which led him to immediately stop the cultivation and open his eyes again. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. Just now when he attempted to cultivate his Mana, he noticed that thick spiritual Qi from the surrounding Heaven and Earth gathered around him, which was even more exaggerated than when he was by the riverside. Shen Luo rubbed his eyes, glanced around, and found out that he was still on a mountain cliff. But the surroundings had undergone a complete transformation, making it seem like he had arrived in a completely new world. He stood up in disbelief, walked quickly to the edge of the cliff, and looked far into the distance. The view was quite broad; he could see meticulously structured pavilions hidden among the green mountains and trees. The mountain paths and galleries connected to numerous buildings, while several waterfalls fell directly down, throwing out countless silver beads. It appeared to be a mortal realm of immortality! ¡°Could this place be the Cave Mansion of the immortals from Mount Fangcun? It really is a unique world hidden within!¡± Shen Luo was greatly moved in his heart, and couldn¡¯t help exclaiming. However, in the next moment, his expression changed, and his eyes took on a serious look. ¡°Something¡¯s not right, it¡¯s too quiet here¡­¡± Such a vast immortal¡¯s mansion, apart from the ubiquitous greenery, not to mention a single human figure, even half a creature was nowhere to be seen. The surroundings were completely silent, ominously so. Shen Luo took a deep breath, and his excitement from just moments before quickly subsided. He sat down cross-legged, held Tanden once again, and began to meditate with closed eyes. With that, he finally confirmed that the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth within this immortal¡¯s mansion was indeed much denser than that outside. He understood why those immortals in the world established their sects in spiritual lands of mountains and rivers. It took no more than a half a moment for him to finish his meditation, put away his cultivation techniques, and stand up again. In this environment rich in spiritual essence, not only had he restored all the mana he had previously lost, but even the minor injuries inside his body had completely healed. After searching around the cliffside for a while, Shen Luo soon found a zigzag staircase built along the mountain and started to descend along its steps. Halfway down, a solitary pavilion appeared at the end of the stone staircase. Shen Luo stepped into it and saw a white jade stone table inside the pavilion, upon which was a set of white porcelain wine utensils. The slender wine pot was in the center, with a petite wine glass at each side of it. It appeared as though someone had just been drinking and conversing here. However, the table was covered with a thick layer of dust, obscuring the white jade it was made of. The white porcelain wine pot, too, was covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating that it had been sitting here for a long time. Shen Luo picked up the wine pot, weighed it a bit, and found that it was empty. He put down the wine pot and looked down from the pavilion. He saw rows of glazed tile eaves protruding from the lower mountain wall. However, many places were broken and collapsed. Shen Luo, full of questions, left the pavilion and continued to go down. Soon, he came to the area covered by the glazed tile eaves. He initially thought that it was a plank road built along the mountain, but when he came closer, he realized that there were arched caves carved into the wall beneath the eaves, each one fitted with a door. Surprisingly, they were all houses. When Shen Luo reached the first arched cave, he saw the words ¡°Disciple¡¯s Residence¡± engraved on the stone wall to the left of the entrance. ¡°So it¡¯s the residences for disciples on the mountain.¡± He whispered to himself and subconsciously compared his small room in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion with these. He found no significant difference. The door of the arched cave was slightly ajar. Shen Luo pushed it open and was immediately greeted with a musty smell. The room was dimly lit, and the furnishings were unclear. He gently circulated his mana, causing a softly glowing blue light to illuminate his palm. With this light to guide him, he could see clearly. The cave was quite large, with a side chamber on either side. The furnishing was very simple. In the main room, there was just a table and chairs with a dusty tea set resting on top. The chamber on the left was a bedroom containing solely a stone bed, the bedding on which was already decayed and mudded. In the right chamber, there was a tattered straw cushion on the floor, and a desk by the wall. On the desk, a three-legged incense burner and a stack of books were covered in a thick layer of dust. Chapter 175 - Chapter 175: Chapter 173: Jade Slip (Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Monthly Tickets) Chapter 175: Chapter 173: Jade Slip (Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Monthly Tickets) Shen Luo carefully dusted off the book, and saw the words ¡°Demon Subducing Register¡± written on the cover. He was about to pick it up and read it, but as soon as he exerted force, the ancient book, which had long since rotted, crumbled into fragments. Seeing this, he could only shake his head helplessly. Shen Luo left the stone chamber and continued down the corridor, inspecting the disciples¡¯ housing one by one. The conditions inside were all very similar. They all seemed to be the most ordinary peripheral disciples¡¯ residences on Mount Fangcun. After leaving the disciple¡¯s residences, he arrived beneath the mountain wall, entering a forest rich with trees. A winding path through the forest was submerged under overgrown weeds, extending a cobblestone path. As Shen Luo walked down the path, he saw several independent courtyards scattered around. However, most of them had collapsed and were charred black, seeming to have suffered a fire, and had become ruins. After passing through a dozen courtyards in the forest, the path began to extend to the right. At a nearby fork in the road, Shen Luo saw a relatively intact courtyard. Calling it intact is only in comparison to the previous ruins. The main gate of the courtyard had completely collapsed. Within, a two-story building stood stalwartly, although there was a big hole in the roof. Shen Luo entered the courtyard, only to see the ground pocked with impact craters, scattered with architectural debris that seemed to have flown in from elsewhere, including beams and pillars of houses, and broken roof ridges. It was a complete mess. ¡°From a distance, it looked like a paradise untouched by the world, but upon closer inspection, it was a scene of destruction. It seems to have gone through a fierce battle many years ago, but why were there no remains to be found? I wonder if I can find something left behind by the ancestors.¡± Shen Luo thought to himself, a tinge of hope stirring in his heart. He took a step over a broken ridge and approached the building¡¯s entrance, pushing open the door with his hand. The door, which hadn¡¯t been opened in a long time, creaked as it swung open, sending a billow of dust into the air. Shen Luo walked in, covering his mouth and nose with his hand. The interior furnishings were left as they were, no different from an ordinary household. In the center was a narrow hall, decorated with a broken landscape painting on the wall. Go to ????????????????????.co On both sides of the hall were some rooms, furnished with beds and chairs, though they were all rotten and tattered. The gaps between the blue bricks on the floor were covered with wild grass, giving off a desolate and dilapidated look. Shen Luo wanted to see if he could find anything about this place inside the house, but unfortunately, he found nothing. He walked around the back of the hall, up the decrepit wooden staircase, and made his way to the second floor. There was only one room on the second floor. As soon as Shen Luo walked in, he saw a large copper bell embedded in the floor, appearing to be the culprit for the hole in the roof. As he approached, he noticed the densely engraved text on the bell, adorned with floral patterns. He read it silently: ¡°Overturning Heaven and Earth, only with benevolence and virtue do we benefit the people. The sun and the moon circulate, the merits are not shown to the world, Daoism is glorified once again, the temple is constructed, the spirits silently support, the covenant is implemented, blessings for the Heaven and Earth, averting disasters¡­¡± Upon reading the entire text, Shen Luo realized that these words were a Daoist prayer for blessings. Although there were not many words, the intentions were grand. The phrase ¡°blessings for the Heaven and Earth, averting disasters¡± showed its broad-mindedness. When he looked at another place on the bell, he saw a large handprint on it. The lines on the knuckles and palm were clearly visible, evidently a human handprint. ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s this?¡± At that moment, Shen Luo called out softly in curiosity. He leaned over to examine the handprint closely and noticed a small white object stuck between the middle and forefinger. It was of a different colour than the bronze bell. The object seemed to have pierced through the bell and was lodged in it. If one didn¡¯t pay close attention to it, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find. Shen Luo reached out and touched it. The object was somewhat cold to the touch, seeming to be some sort of jade. Using two fingers, he grabbed the tail end of the white object and tried to pull it out, but it was practically impossible to apply any force due to the minuscule outside portion of the object. After considering briefly, Shen Luo took a deep breath. His Yang Gang Qi, mana, started to rotate. Utilizing his Qingyang Hand technique, he palmed the bell, trying to vibrate it out. However, upon hitting it, the bell issued a dull noise. Not only did the white object not vibrate outwards, but it also shrank back in, almost level with the handprint. Shen Luo furrowed his brows, raised his hand again, used all his strength, and struck down hard upon the bell. Thud¡­ A dense echo-like noise was heard. The white object, which had just retracted back into the bell, was suddenly repelled by the force and shot out like a short arrow. Shen Luo, with his quick reflexes, caught it in mid-air. However, at that moment, the large copper bell that had been embedded on the floor suddenly sank, creating a large hole in the floor, and Shen Luo fell into the hall on the first floor with it. There was a sudden rise of dust in the room. In a rather awkward state, Shen Luo got up from the ground and stumbled out of the house. He had just stepped out of the house when the two-story building collapsed. Shen Luo pat the dust off his clothes and walked to the middle of the courtyard. He turned around to look at the collapsed building and sat down on a broken part of the roof. He opened his palm and looked at the center of it. In the middle of his palm was a slender jade slip, about three inches long and an inch wide, white as mutton fat. Smooth and unadorned, it seemed quite ordinary at first glance. But Shen Luo felt that this object must have been intentionally embedded in the copper bell and knocked down to this side. It was obviously a treasured item and absolutely not an ordinary object. ¡°Could it be a magical instrument?¡± he wondered. As he thought this, the mana in his Dantian rose, following his meridians and flowing into the jade slip. The moment the Mana was infused, the jade slip flashed, becoming increasingly transparent. After waiting for a good while, nothing further happened with the jade slip. Neither did any wave of mana emit from it, nor did it react as if a magical instrument had been activated. Seeing this, Shen Luo still did not give up. He sat down cross-legged, put the jade slip in his hand, and began to silently recite the Ninety-nine Treasure refining tactics. After all the effort, there was still no change in the jade slip, and it had no reaction to the Artifact Refining Secret. ¡°Could it really just be an ordinary object?¡± Shen Luo felt disappointed and mumbled in frustration. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly remembered something. He slapped his forehead, a small smile creeping up on his face. (My Daoist friends, five more updates have been completed, and the new book has just been listed. Don¡¯t forget to subscribe and vote in support!) Chapter 176 - Chapter 176: Chapter 174: Unexpected Discovery Chapter 176: Chapter 174: Unexpected Discovery ¡°How could I forget? I can now project my divine sense outwardly. I can completely use the power of divine sense to explore what it is.¡± After saying this, Shen Luo brought the jade slip to his forehead, and pasted it onto his own brow. His eyes slightly closed and his divine sense sank into the jade slip. Immediately, Shen Luo felt a burst of white light before his eyes, and his divine sense really entered into a white space. He looked around within, using his divine soul, and found that in the void of the space, there were fragments of golden text floating in mid-air, amassing to tens of thousands. ¡°This can¡¯t be some heavenly skill!¡± Shen Luo was overjoyed in his heart and eagerly looked towards those characters. However, after reading a few segments, he knew he was on the wrong track again. ¡°Three years of Dragon Tree, early May, just after Duan Yang, I traveled with a good friend to Mount Tanji in Eastern Victorious Divine Continent. During the mountain climbing, I heard that there was a clear spirit dew appearing near the Hunyuan Pond. Upon arrival, I saw a seven-colored tertiary-foraging fairy deer radiating with colorful light all over its body, and its demon qi disappearing, indicating that it had eaten the clear spirit dew, thus realizing its magical effect. Initially, I wanted to capture the tertiary-foraging fairy deer, either as refinement material or as a mount, but its cultivation level had increased greatly due to the effect of clear spirit dew. Even with the joint efforts of my friend and I, it remained unattainable, which was regrettable. ¡± ¡°In the spring of the 16th year of Baoli, I travelled to the Eastern Great Tang. While passing through the western part of Leizhou in Northern Ju Lu Continent, I accidentally saw a man selling swords on the street in a town. I was greatly amazed when I first noticed that the sword contained faintly embedded thunder and lightning, and I could hear the thunderous sound from tens of feet away. However, ordinary people failed to notice it and did not know it¡¯s a treasure. After I purchased the sword from him at a high price, I only found out that it was forged by his blacksmith ancestor and was struck by thunder during the making. His ancestor died and it has been deemed unlucky ever since, which led to the sword being covered in dust. Isn¡¯t it strange that ordinary mortals, as long as they are in harmony with the heavenly and human, can also create magical treasures? Isn¡¯t it fortunate that I got this due to chance?¡± It turns out that the text in this jade slip is a collection of travel notes, recording a series of bizarre experiences its master had encountered along the way. Although the name of the person is not mentioned in the text, it is clear that he is an Inner Sect Disciple of Mount Fangcun. At first, Shen Luo felt a little disappointed, but after reading a few chapters, he didn¡¯t feel that way anymore. He originally enjoyed reading novels of immortals¡¯ adventures and miscellaneous notes of travelling scholars. The content of this jade slip is even more colorful and bizarre, attracting his attention naturally. Latter in the notes, Shen Luo also saw a story about the interior of their Great Tang territory. Even though it was not personally experienced by the owner of the jade slip, it was still recorded by him. Go to ????????????????????.co Apparently, in Tang Qiu County City within Dazhou of the Great Tang, there was a wealthy businessman¡¯s house that had a stepping stone at the door, within which was hidden a Thousand-Year Spirit Milk. It was bought back by the Great Tang Dynasty Government for a large amount of silver, and was processed by an old alchemist in the Astronomical Bureau into a miraculous potion that can bring bones back to life. However, the owner of the jade slip didn¡¯t agree with this statement, just writing at the end of the article: ¡°When I return to the Sect, I will consult with my Master or my Ancestor, then we will know if it is true or not.¡± The years recorded in the text by the owner of the jade slip were very confusing, covering almost all of the Four Great Continents. He probably used the year number of the local country each time. The timespan extends up to a hundred years. Among these, in addition to recording these interesting events and strange things, there are also many records about the evil demons encountered during his travels, most of them were killed by him with his sword. Although the owner of the jade slip did not mention his real cultivation level in these travel notes, one can tell through the recorded demon hunting experiences that his cultivation realm is extremely high and he should at least be a Great Mahayana Stage Cultivist. Moreover, one can see from his words that he is very proud of his Sect, Mount Fangcun. Every time he mentioned it, he was very satisfied and had a great sense of accomplishment. As for that Ancestor of his Sect, the ¡°Bodhi Ancestor¡±, he was even more generous with his praise and his writing is always filled with compliments and worship. In some places, even Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. For example, in the travel notes, it was mentioned that this Bodhi Ancestor was a true Heavenly Immortal who had achieved the status of the Great Luo fruit. He even hinted that he was a real powerful existence, on par with the Three Purities and Four Emperors. Keep in mind, those Three Purities and Four Emperors are said to be the highest beings ruling the Heavenly Realm in the legends! ¡°Fortunately, you have written this in your own travel notes. If it gets out, won¡¯t it scare tens of thousands of people to death?¡± Shen Luo naturally didn¡¯t believe this. He couldn¡¯t help but touch his nose and mockingly said. He continued to read according to the contents of these travel notes, his eyes suddenly sparkled when he discovered something different at the end of these texts. ¡°Oh, there are some talismans recorded here!¡± At the end of those vast amounts of text, there are five glowing golden talismans made of condensed lines, hanging in the void. Their designs are complex and each one has its own unique characteristics. Shen Luo was overjoyed in his heart. He rubbed his hands together and began to carefully observe those talismans. After looking at them, he found that the designs of these five glowing talismans were quite complex. Apart from the one that starts with the character ¡°wind¡± that looked somewhat familiar, the other talismans were quite strange to him. Upon closer examination, small notes were written underneath these talismans, briefly describing their names, functions and how to draw them. The talisman that appeared slightly familiar to Shen Luo is named ¡°Flying Talisman¡±. It falls under the auxiliary category of talismans, and more specifically, it belongs to the wind attribute.After seeing the function of this talisman, his heart couldn¡¯t help but stir. According to the description, this talisman can make a person as light as paper for a certain period of time, allowing them to rise with the wind and travel in the air. For him as he is now, this is absolutely great! If he had a talisman like this two years ago when his cultivation level was still low, he wouldn¡¯t have been so desperate when he encountered the Mad Leopard. ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s no wonder I find it somewhat familiar. It turns out to be quite similar to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s Escape Talisman. I just don¡¯t know which one of these two talismans is better.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself with a guess. After speaking, his divine soul retracted, focusing his gaze on the Flying Talisman, and soon imprinted it into his Sea of Knowledge??. After a moment of effort, Shen Luo engraved the drawing method of the Flying Talisman into his heart, then his gaze fell onto the first talisman on the left. Like the common talismans, it starts with the two characters ¡°Imperial Edict,¡± and the lines in the patterns below are not smooth. Among them, there are many stops and breakpoints. When connected, they look a little like a human figure, and those nodes resemble human acupoints, which is quite unusual. ¡°Binding Talisman, can use the mana contained within the talisman to seal person¡¯s meridians and acupoints, making their body subject to control, and they can¡¯t move rashly for a short period of time¡­This is an interesting talisman, it will come in handy in the future.¡± Shen Luo nodded, smiling while he said it. Chapter 177 - Chapter 177: Chapter 175: The Odd Black and White Pieces Chapter 177: Chapter 175: The Odd Black and White Pieces Adjacent to the Binding Talisman was an attack talisman named the ¡°Fractured Talisman¡±. This talisman began with the characters ¡°Crushing Army¡±, and its runes looked overall like a sharp long spear, giving off a kind of suppressing and murderous aura. Further to the right, past the Flying Talisman, was a talisman that shimmered with golden lightning. It looked similar to the Small Thunder Talisman, being a lightning attribute talisman as well. However, instead of starting with the unusual character for ¡°thunder¡±, it began with the character for ¡°Imperial Edict¡±, mixed with five lightning runes, and ended with the character for ¡°seal¡±. This made it quite special. The last talisman was even stranger, named the ¡°Amnesia Talisman¡±. It could cause someone to lose a brief memory and cause a certain amount of damage to their Divine Sense. However, this talisman had quite some restrictions, and it usually could only work on someone with a lower cultivation level than the user. Moreover, if the target¡¯s Divine Sense was strong to begin with, the talisman might not work. According to the jade slip, most of these five talismans were exclusive secret talismans from Mount Fangcun. Their drawing methods and required materials were all different and confidential, not to be casually revealed. At the moment, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t even find the most common Yellow Talisman Paper and cinnabar, let alone special materials. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t try to draw them, so he quickly skimmed through them without paying much attention. Inadvertently, he had already spent more than an hour checking. He rubbed his slightly sour brows and put away the jade slip. ¡°It seems Mount Fangcun is indeed as revered by the villagers at the foot of the mountain, a Cultivation Sect presided over by a true Immortal. My entrance here can be considered a stroke of luck.¡± Shen Luo was secretly delighted. After taking a short break, he set off again, continuing to search deeper into the forest. However, after searching for nearly two more hours inland, all he saw were devastated ruins, and there was nothing to gain. When he walked out of the dense forest, in front of him was a dead end by another mountain wall. This mountain wall was not as towering as the one he had stayed before, it was just a hundred feet high. There was a small stream meandering down from it, the water wasn¡¯t much, just soaking a large part of the mountain wall. In the places where the stream had passed, there were four large characters engraved in ancient script, vigorous and compelling. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°God Show Opening¡­¡± Shen Luo stood under the mountain wall, gazing upward at those characters, his eyebrows suddenly raised, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. With a thought, he lifted his hand and immediately, the stream flowing down the mountain wall converged into a water rope. Shen Luo grabbed the water rope and ascended towards the top of the mountain wall. Soon he came to the place where the characters were carved. ¡°There really is something hidden!¡± Shen Luo sighed silently. Right in the center of the four characters ¡°God Show Opening¡±, a piece of rock protruded slightly, like a rain curtain, diverting the stream flowing down from the mountain top to both sides. Below the rock, an unobtrusive cave entrance was revealed. Shen Luo leaped down and fell through the narrow cave entrance. After steadying his figure, he walked a few dozen feet inward and saw the space inside suddenly widen into a stone chamber spanning around ten feet. Shen Luo lifted his hand, a blue light illuminated from his palm and shone around, only then he found that the stone chamber was very simply furnished. Only on the inner wall nearest was engraved a very noticeable ¡°Zen¡± character. Underneath it was a small table and a straw cushion woven from vine grass. Beyond these, there was nothing else. Interestingly, the little table was placed against the wall, but the straw cushion was outside. If someone was meditating here, they wouldn¡¯t be facing the wall, but should be facing the wall while sitting. ¡°Is there really only this much stuff here, could it be that the master here was a fan of Dry Zen?¡± Shen Luo wondered. He crouched down and tapped on the table, finding it was just ordinary sandalwood. Although it had lasted for hundreds of years without decay, it really wasn¡¯t a magical artifact. Since Shen Luo had confirmed that this was the location of Mount Fangcun¡¯s Immortal Sect, his expectations for this place had increased a lot. He thought he would definitely find treasures in a secret place, but seeing how plain this place was, couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. He casually flipped over the vine grass straw cushion, but found that it had already rotted. With just a gentle pull, it tore open. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Shen Luo exclaimed softly, quickly casting his palm light downwards. As the blue light approached, Shen Luo saw a white dot underneath the straw cushion, reflecting specks of light. He completely moved the straw cushion aside only to find that it wasn¡¯t a white dot, but a white Go piece, and there were two black Go pieces near it. It seemed as if the master dropped them under the straw cushion by accident while putting away the chess pieces. Shen Luo pinched the white Go piece between his fingers and lightly lifted it up. ¡°So light¡­¡± He raised his eyebrows slightly and murmured. Ordinary chess pieces were indeed not heavy, but this white piece was outrageously light. Holding it in hand, it was like holding a feather, it would have felt like there was nothing in his hand if he hadn¡¯t observed it with his own eyes. Shen Luo was puzzled, he reached out two fingers again to pinch a black Go piece. However, as he lifted his wrist, the black piece remained motionless, as if it were rooted to the ground. This time, Shen Luo was even more surprised. He exerted force in his hand, grabbed the black piece and yanked it upwards, eventually lifting it off the ground. He weighed it a little and found that this black piece actually weighed a hundred pounds. Shen Luo was puzzled. He then went to grab another black piece and found it to be just as heavy. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could this also be a magical instrument?¡± He looked at the Go pieces in his hand, growing more puzzled. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he channeled his mana and began pouring it into the black and white chess pieces in his hand. With each drip of mana flowing into them, all three Go pieces lit up to varying degrees. However, there was no other response. Shen Luo gave a light shout, urged a multiplied amount of mana compared to before into the Go pieces, but the Go pieces didn¡¯t react at all. They just laid quietly in his palm, with no reaction. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, he abruptly tossed the Go pieces away, and they all shot out at once. The white piece was too light and flew the fastest. It hit a wall, rebounded, and fell off. The two black pieces were too heavy, so after they flew out a bit, they fell to the ground with a ¡°boom¡±. Neither had shown anything special. Despite this, Shen Luo was still unwilling to give up. He picked up the three chess pieces again and channeled the Ninety-nine Treasure Refining Tactics, trying to refine the three Go pieces using the artifact refining method. However, after an attempt, he still found no use. Just like before when he was testing the jade slip, he cast his Divine Sense into the Go pieces, but still came out empty-handed. ¡°Maybe it really isn¡¯t a magical instrument but just has a special material.¡± Finally, Shen Luo sighed, saying helplessly. Then, he tried to put the three Go pieces into his clothes. However, because the two black pieces were so heavy, they dragged down his clothes. Unwillingly, Shen Luo had to tear off two strips of cloth from his sleeve and tied the black pieces separately to his left and right wrists. Chapter 178 - Chapter 178: Chapter 176: Hundred Herbs Valley Chapter 178: Chapter 176: Hundred Herbs Valley Shen Luo swung his arms and threw a punch, trying to flex his wrist. He found that apart from a slight weighing down sensation, there wasn¡¯t much to hinder his movement. He then turned around and exited the cave¡¯s stone chamber, following the outside water rope back to the surface. He stood at the bottom of the cliff, reflected for a little while, recalling that slightly further to the left, there was a white square and several structures nearby during his previous climbing. So he headed towards that direction. He moved among the mountains and forests, hearing nothing but the rustling wind, and no living creatures in sight. He occasionally projected his Divine Sense outwards, sensing the changes in his surroundings. After half an hour, the shadow of the day gradually tilted to the west, and the sky gradually darkened. At this time, as Shen Luo walked into a green bamboo forest, he suddenly wrinkled his nose, smelling a faint fragrance of grass and wood. The fragrance invigorated his spirit upon entering his nostrils, as though the fatigue from his running had mostly alleviated immediately. With furrowed brows, he quickly traced the scent. In a short while, he traversed the green bamboo forest. Beyond the bamboo forest, he could see a white hollow flower wall from afar, extending in a ring shape to encircle an area. The fragrance of grass and wood was emanating from within it. Shen Luo walked along the small path in the forest to the flower wall. Through the holes in the wall, he could see that the interior was overgrown with weeds, presenting a picture of desolation. He followed the wall for more than a hundred steps to a round gate. The archway was barely ten feet tall, the top covered with colored glaze tile, below which a plaque with peeling lacquer was hung. The words ¡°Hundred Herbs Valley¡± were engraved on it, and in the middle of the two words, there was an octagonal copper mirror about a foot square embedded. Shen Luo took a closer look and found that the octagonal copper mirror was very well made, with a Tai Chi Yin and Yang pattern in the mirror¡¯s center and a circle of complex charm patterns surrounding it. It was clearly no ordinary object. However, regrettably, the octagonal copper mirror was densely covered with spider-web-like cracks, and it was seriously damaged. There couldn¡¯t be detected even a trace of spiritual power fluctuations. Even if it was originally a magical instrument, it was now thoroughly ruined. Go to ????????????????????.co Shen Luo walks past the archway and entered the Hundred Herbs Valley. At a glance, he saw a large area of medicinal fields. Although they were covered with dense weeds, the orderly trace of the original field ridges was still visible. ¡°In the medicine garden of the Immortal Sect, there should be legendary spiritual medicine and immortal herbs, right?¡± Shen Luo mumbled to himself before proceeding along the field ridges. Within a medicine field near the entrance, weeds were abundant. Shen Luo widened his eyes and searched for a while but found no medicinal materials with a trace of spiritual energy, let alone the commonly seen useful medicinal plants in the market. He shook his head and continued his search further into the medicine field. He turned over one field after another and found nothing after looking through seven or eight of them. ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Shen Luo muttered. He walked into one of the medicinal fields, moved some wild grasses aside and looked down. He saw that the soil appeared yellow-brown in color, dry and caked. It seemed even inferior to normal soil, not resembling the fertile topsoil of a medicinal field at all. With furrowed brows, Shen Luo pulled out the wild grass and turned up the underlying soil to reveal a layer of burnt soil beneath the yellow-brown dry topsoil, showing slightly astonished eyes, ¡°What exactly happened here that year?¡±. The foundation of the medicinal field burnt by fire was naturally ruined and no longer had the conditions to grow spiritual herbs. Shen Luo didn¡¯t plan to waste any more time here. Instead, he followed the fragrance of the vegetation and headed towards the center of the Hundred Herbs Valley. After passing several medicinal fields, his eyes flashed when he crossed a slightly raised piece of ground. A faint yellow flower was growing in the weeds in the field. He immediately stops his steps, bent down to inspect the flower and slightly frowned after examining it. Next, he gently tapped on the petals with his finger, lifted it to his nose for a sniff, and a smile immediately spread across his face, saying, ¡°One flower with four leaves, the leaves have seven veins, the flower has four petals, scentless upon smelling, emits a sandalwood scent when touched¡­ This indeed is the Four Leaf Flower described in the book, surprisingly there were some that slipped through the fish net!¡± Although Shen Luo read a lot of books, he didn¡¯t recognize many spirit grasses. Happily, this Four Leaf Flower was one of the few. Consumption of this herb strengthens the blood, boosts vitality, and it is the essential spiritual material needed for refining the Golden Fragrant Jade. But looking at the depth of the veins and the color on the flower, it hadn¡¯t grown for too long, at most thirty years. The medicinal power was rather limited, and for now, it didn¡¯t meet the criteria for refining the Golden Fragrant Jade. ¡°The medicinal potency isn¡¯t too strong, perfect to take it back and make a pot of medicinal soup for Chen Guanbao and his friends. It will strengthen their vitality. If their bodies improve, perhaps they can cultivate in the future.¡± Thinking this, Shen Luo carefully dug out the Four Leaf Flower, roots and all. Once the spiritual medicine was away from the soil, the surface¡¯s luster immediately faded slightly. However, it didn¡¯t instantly wither; instead, a waxy layer formed on the surface, sealing the body. Seeing this made Shen Luo happy. He put it in his chest pocket and anticipated the medicine fields slightly more in his heart. On one hand, he searched for the source of the vegetative fragrance, and he didn¡¯t forget to continue looking for other Four Leaf Flowers. While he wasn¡¯t able to find more Four Leaf Flowers, he dug out three Chinese yams instead, each about a foot long. Shen Luo broke one of the yams apart, pulling several long filaments from the broken end. Astonishingly, they shone with a faint golden light, and the liquid that flowed out had a refreshing scent. ¡°Could this also be a spiritual medicine?¡± Shen Luo noted that strands of spiritual energy hovered around the Chinese Yam, causing him to ponder. Following this, he took a layer of water vapor and cleaned the yam. He then took a bite of it immediately. With a crisp ¡°crack¡±, a sweet juice instantly filled his mouth. After a while, a cooling sensation spread from his throat into his belly. Once it reached his Dantian, it turned into a warm current, ¡°Could it actually replenish my mana?¡± Shen Luo was ecstatic and gobbled down the yam. Soon, he¡¯d eaten the entire thing. He held the remaining two yams in his hand, salivating for a long time. He finally resisted not eating all of them at once and put them in his sleeve before continuing his search. However, in the following period, he went through more than a dozen medicinal fields without any gains. As the surrounding sky had completely turned dark, Shen Luo saw a red light standing upright in the central region of the Hundred Herbs Valley from afar. There were also scattered pale blue lights on its surroundings. His eyes shone, and he immediately increased his pace to catch up. Upon nearing the place, he saw an odd tree about three or four feet high and as thick as a child¡¯s arm in the center of the area. Chapter 179 - Chapter 179: Chapter 177 Ginseng Chapter 179: Chapter 177 Ginseng Shen Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he closely examined the unusual tree. The tree was entirely crimson in color and its surface was covered in convoluted patterns, While there were three to four branches at the top, not a single leaf could be found. Even from a distance of several feet away, one could sense a heatwave emanating from the tree. As Shen Luo approached it further, he distinctly felt a searing wave of heat coalesce into a solid wall. This wall of heat prevented anyone from getting too close. Shen Luo frowned, intrigued by the phenomenon. He formed a blue water wave by manipulating the surrounding water vapor with a wave of his hands. The water wave, like a water python, began to coil around the wall of heat. As the water wave made contact with the heat wall, a ¡°hissing¡± sound was heard, and a flurry of white steam began to rise from within. The surrounding temperature also started to fall. Seeing this, Shen Luo performed the Water Repelling Technique, covering his body with a layer of turquoise radiance. With one stride, he stepped into the heat wall. The scorching heatwaves immediately swept over him, causing the blue radiance on him to tremble slightly. However, after a brief moment of perception, he found that while the heat was intense, it was not enough to harm him. His mind at ease, he steadily approached the mysterious tree. The closer he got to the tree, the stronger he felt a dense concentration of spiritual energy emanating from the tree. ¡°This appears to be an uncommon Spirit Tree, but I wonder what power lies within it?¡± Shen Luo speculated silently. At that moment, he noticed that around the Red Spirit Tree, under several isolated blue glows, were green plants with elegant branches and leaves. The scent of vegetation that he detected earlier was emanating from these plants. ¡°Their ability to survive in such high temperatures is truly remarkable!¡± he thought, pleasantly surprised. However, instead of investigating them right away, he decided to uproot the Spirit Tree first. With a flick of his wrist, a half-moon ring flew out from his sleeve. With a ¡°plop¡±, it drove into the ground, and disappeared. Go to ????????????????????.co Shen Luo slightly twisted his wrist a few times, and small mounds of soil began appearing on the surface. The Red Spirit Tree suddenly leaned to one side and fell over. With its fall, the red light emitted from the Spirit Tree dimmed considerably and the intense heat that it had been exuding also vanished. Shen Luo tensed upon seeing this. After recalling the half-moon ring, he rushed forward to check on the tree. As his palm reached out to pick up the Spirit Tree, he felt a strong burning sensation. He immediately let go, dropping the tree back onto the ground. When he looked back at the tree, he found faint, crystalline lines of red light running back and forth on its surface. The fluctuation of spiritual energy radiating from it was as strong as ever, which eased his concern. However, the temperature of the tree was still quite high. Seeing this, Shen Luo had no choice but to leave it be and turned his attention to the blue ¡°Spirit Grass¡±. To his surprise, without the heat wave from the Red Spirit Tree, the aroma of the Spirit Grass became even more intense, their blue light radiating more brilliantly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the shape and vein of these leaves resemble that of the Ginseng plant?¡± He stared at one of the Spirit Grass plants for a moment and a puzzled expression crossed his face. His family owned a medicine shop and he was very familiar with many traditional herbs including Ginseng and Astragalus. But the Spirit Grass before him clearly belonged to a class of elixir used in Taoist alchemy. Why did it look so much like common Ginseng? Confused, Shen Luo held the half-moon ring in his hand once more. Contrary to his previous actions while digging up the tree, he was now taking great care. He gently brushed aside the loose earth around a Spirit Grass. When the root of the Spirit Grass was exposed, he put away the half-moon ring and began cleaning it carefully with his bare hands. As the dirt surrounding the roots of the Spirit Grass was gradually removed, the entire plant began to reveal itself. Its skin and root system greatly resembled a Ginseng plant, down to the unique ¡°iron line¡± patterns. However, the distinctive aroma of vegetation it gave off and the abundant spiritual energy it contained were unlike anything found in ordinary Ginseng plants. It far surpassed the Four Leaf Flower and Chinese Yam that he had seen earlier. ¡°Could this be the legendary Ginseng?¡± Shen Luo said aloud, staring at the plant in doubt. It took him a considerable amount of effort and almost a quarter of an hour to fully excavate a Spirit Grass. He used his finger to count the ¡°iron lines¡± on the Ginseng, one by one. The more Shen Luo counted, the more stunned he felt. This plant had as many as eleven iron lines. Assuming that it was indeed a Ginseng plant, it meant that it was a top-quality Ginseng that had been growing for over a thousand years. It was a rare treasure indeed. Holding the Spirit Grass in his hand, he took a deep sniff of the fragrance it exuded. A cool sensation instantly hit him, clearing his mind and making his entire body feel refreshed. ¡°Whether it¡¯s Ginseng or not, it¡¯s surely Spirit Grass of some kind. I can¡¯t let this opportunity slip.¡± With his mind set, Shen Luo set to work, carefully excavating the rest of the Spirit Grass. After a careful count, he found that all the plants were over a thousand years old. When he had joyfully packed all the Spirit Grass and looked up at the sky, the crescent moon was already hanging high above. He turned back to look at the Red Spirit Tree, only to see that the sparkling light on it had completely disappeared. He reached out to touch the tree and found that its temperature had dropped to a slight warmth. He picked up the Red Spirit Tree and looking up at the moon, he decided not to continue searching for more Spirit Grass. Instead, he found a wind-sheltered corner in the garden to sit down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate the Nameless Cultivation Technique. Man sat under the moon, words unsaid. There was no chirping of insects in the garden, only the faint whispering of the wind, creating an empty and quiet atmosphere. There was not a word exchanged throughout the night. When the early morning light shone on Shen Luo¡¯s face the next day, his eyes fluttered open. He stood up from the ground, stretched his arms wide to loosen up his muscles and bones, and felt refreshed and energized. Previous to his stay in Longevity Village, his cultivation had remained at a standstill since reaching the later stages of the Soul Condensation phase due to the limited heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi in the village. Even continuous cultivation brought little progress. But last night¡¯s session proved to be tremendously beneficial. Though he was still some distance from breaking through to the next stage, he could finally see a glimmer of hope. Taking another look at the Spirit Grass and Spirit Wood on the ground, his mood improved even more. He collected everything and continued his search for the Hundred Herbs Valley, hoping to find even more harvest. Chapter 180 - Chapter 180: Chapter 178: Seven Star Pen Chapter 180: Chapter 178: Seven Star Pen However, it seemed as if all his good luck had been used up yesterday. Today, during his journey, he didn¡¯t encounter even a single Chinese yam, let alone thousand-year-old spiritual medicines. Shen Luo wasn¡¯t greedy, so he didn¡¯t mind this. After leaving the Hundred Herbs Valley, he continued towards the direction of the square. After about two hours of walking, he hadn¡¯t reached the square yet. But in front of him, not too far away, appeared a majestic Xie Mountain Great Hall. It was well-preserved; compared to the ruins that he had previously seen, it was quite special. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes flashed with delight as he quickly walked towards the great hall. However, before he got close, he suddenly spotted a white skeleton on the ground ahead. It was clutching a rusty, broken sword and was lying face down on the ground. And as he continued further, two more skeletons appeared in the grass by the roadside. Both were pierced through the chest by a single white bone spear, nailed to the ground. Shen Luo felt a chill down his spine. Once he calmed his nerves and continued forward, he saw more and more scattered bones on the ground. Among them were some peculiar corpse skeletons with extremely wide joints and bones, which clearly didn¡¯t belong to the Human Race. When he reached the front of the hall, he found that skeletons were leaning against the palace door and the colonnades. Some were twisted in death, some had incomplete skeletons, some were killed by others, and some were clearly killed by their own hands. Shen Luo¡¯s brows furrowed as he witnessed this sight. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine the scenes of their battles in the past, and a question arose in his mind. Could it be that these people had died in defense of this hall? The moment this thought struck, he became even more curious. What kind of treasure could possibly be hidden inside this hall? As he approached, he saw a skeleton still draped in clothing, sitting cross-legged in front of the door, blocking the entrance. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of reverence for it. ¡°Elder, forgive my rudeness,¡± Shen Luo respectfully said, bending down carefully to move the skeleton. Go to ????????????????????.co However, as soon as his fingers touched the skeleton, its clothing suddenly collapsed and scattered like flying ash. Right after that, a small thing fell from the skeleton with a soft ¡°clatter¡±, rolling aside. Shen Luo focused his gaze and saw the fallen object was astonishingly a jade brush, about half a foot in length. The brush was utterly crystal clear and its tip was small yet pitch-black, extremely appealing to the eye. He quickly picked up the jade brush and examined it more closely. He then noticed that the emerald green color was not monotonous; it was interspersed with specks of silver light flickering and seven distinctively bright silver spots were arranged like the Big Dipper. At the end of the Pen barrel, two small characters could be seen inscribed, ¡°Seven Star¡±. An idea struck Shen Luo¡¯s mind. He held the brush, and a strand of mana from his Dantian immediately surged up, flowing into the brush. The ¡°Seven Star Pen¡± was seen to have specks of silver light that brightened like a miniature galaxy contained within, giving off a mesmerizing light. Shen Luo let the pen move freely, tracing back and forth in the void, silver light flowed from the tip of the pen, leaving a trail in the void, and charm patterns of the Small Thunder Talisman began to appear. However, before he could finish writing the latter half of the talisman, the half that was already drawn began to blur and gradually dissipated. ¡°With mana poured from the tip of the brush, it can form in the void and not scatter for a short time. This is truly remarkable¡­ If this brush is used to draw talismans, it may be able to preserve the charm¡¯s spirit to a great extent. The chances of forming a talisman should thus significantly increase.¡±, Shen Luo speculated upon this observation. With this thought, he once again turned his inner mana and doubled its input into the Seven Star Pen. The pen began to exhibit an odd phenomenon again. As he waved his pen to sketch, the light marking of the talisman reappeared in mid-air, but it dissipated before he could finish writing. He tried five or six times, but each time was the same. No matter how much mana he poured in, the light mark¡¯s duration was always very short, making it impossible to form the talisman in the void. ¡°Could it be that this object hasn¡¯t been refined yet and so it can¡¯t exert its full strength?¡± Shen Luo speculated. Saying this, he immediately sat down cross-legged, placed the Seven Star Pen horizontally in front of him, silently recited the Ninety-Nine Wealth Technique, and then spat out a ball of mana, which entered the body of the pen. At the same time, his hands changed the magic spell, and rays of blue light erupted from his fingertips, surrounding the Seven Star Pen. The pen then gently swayed, and a layer of silver light shone on its surface. Seven stars of the Big Dipper rose from it, each star released a series of charm patterns. The patterns diffused and formed a miniature silver light rune array. ¡°Seven-layered Forbidden Formation, by the looks of it, its rank should not be much different from the half-moon ring¡­¡± Shen Luo gradually let go of random thoughts and started to feed strands of mana into the first array at the end of the pen handle, attempting to disrupt its forbidden formation. Unlike the previous refining of the half-moon ring, the forbidden formation on this Seven Star Pen had a strong resistance to his refining. As soon as he tried to disrupt it, his effort was strongly rebounded, and the first wave of mana was forcibly repelled. ¡°Ha, it seems to have a bit of a temper.¡± Shen Luo chuckled, his eyes suddenly focused, his hands changed the magic spell again, and he exerted his full strength to disrupt the rune array. The Seven Star Pen flashed silver, and waves of void oscillations continued to ripple out from it. ¡­ Time passed quickly. After more than an hour, there was a soft ¡°crack¡± from the front of the hall. They saw a small burst of silver light explode on the Seven Star Pen, and the first prohibitive formation array shattered, turning into a piece of silver light that retracted back into the pen, illuminating the ¡°shaking light¡± star at the end of the Big Dipper. Shen Luo was overjoyed. He cast a strand of his divine sense into it, wanting to check the changes in the Seven Star Pen. However, as soon as his divine sense entered the Seven Star Pen, it was directly sucked in and entered a strange dark space. This square space inside was only a few feet wide and although no walls could be seen, an invisible force marked its boundary, clearly perceived by Shen Luo. Shen Luo was slightly taken aback, thinking his divine sense was trapped somewhere, but then, with a thought, his divine sense freely exited. He was puzzled and sent his divine sense into the space once again. Just like before, his divine sense power could freely enter and exit this space. Shen Luo looked around, seeing a piece of fragmented stone not far away. He quickly jumped up, rushed over, and picked it up. He closed his eyes tensely, holding the fragmented stone in one hand and the Seven Star Pen in the other, his thoughts flickering slightly. The next instant, Shen Luo felt his left hand lighten. When he opened his eyes and looked, he found that the piece of stone in his palm had disappeared into thin air. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he once again sent a strand of divine sense into the strange space inside the Seven Star Pen. Chapter 181 - Chapter 181: Chapter 179 Immortal Hundred Grasses Chapter 181: Chapter 179 Immortal Hundred Grasses In the corner of the previously empty space, a piece of fragmented stone that he had held before was lying there prominently. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that this Seven Star Pen is the legendary storage magical tool that could hold a mountain within a seed!¡± Shen Luo held the Seven Star Pen, constantly caressing its body, his joy was indescribable. Although the stone box he had obtained in reality, which had the ability to shrink objects, had a similar effect, it was incomparable in terms of the space it could contain when compared to this Seven Star Pen. Moreover, the stone box was quite bulky and inconvenient to carry around. After a long while, he finally calmed down. Holding the Seven Star Pen in one hand, he moved his mind again. A ray of faint light flashed on the body of the pen, and the fragment of stone reappeared out of thin air and was caught by him. ¡°With this ability to store and access objects at will, things are going to be much easier from now on.¡± Shen Luo glanced at the spiritual medicine package not far away and laughed. Having said that, he put all the spiritual medicines, spirit wood, jade slips, chess pieces etc. he had obtained earlier, all into the Seven Star Pen. A moment later, Shen Luo returned to the front of the palace door, saluted the skeleton leaning against the door, then carefully picked it up, found a vacant lot, and buried it. After doing all of this, Shen Luo returned to the front of the Xie Mountain Great Hall and pushed open the door, which those dry bones had desperately protected back in their days. With the sound of a heavy door opening, dust filled the air. Shen Luo flicked off the dust with his robe and found a monstrous white skull, about ten feet high, staring at him just a few steps away. The skull had sharp horns, and the jawbone was extraordinarily protruding, similar to a goat¡¯s. However, its mouth was filled with rows of sharp, interlocking canine teeth. Shen Luo¡¯s heart tightened, and he stepped into the hall somewhat surprisingly. After slightly shifting his position, he saw the huge body of a monster behind the large skull, crossing the entire hall. Only its tail extended out of a large hole in the wall at the back of the hall. ¡°It seems they still couldn¡¯t defend this great hall. This beast broke through the wall from the back and stormed in.¡± Shen Luo sighed. Go to ????????????????????.co He shifted his gaze to other areas in the palace, only to see that the inside was in a mess. Black wooden bookshelves were falling over and large amounts of ancient scrolls were scattered on the ground, which had become filthy and dirty. ¡°So this is where Mount Fangcun stored their scriptures? No wonder those disciples of Mount Fangcun defended it so desperately.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes flickered as he muttered to himself. After speaking, he immediately began cleaning the bookshelves on the ground and organizing the classics that had scattered on the ground, hoping to find some useful skill records. However, the books on the ground had been there for too long and had been soaked multiple times by invading rainwater. They had all rotted terribly. After Shen Luo tried to pick up a few, he found none in a suitable condition to be taken. He could only give up with regret. In the back of the hall, several black wooden bookshelves tilted and slumped together. They had not completely collapsed, and many books were stuck in the gaps. Shen Luo walked up, held the outermost bookshelf with one hand, and lifted it up forcefully. The collapsed bookshelf stood straight again, and nearly a hundred scriptures trapped in it immediately fell down. Among them were green-thread-bound ancient books, bamboo scroll-connected books, and complete sets of classics in good condition. Shen Luo picked up a green book from the pile, saw the golden words ¡°Green Field Essence Cultivation Technique¡± on the title page, and after a quick read, found it to be a basic body refining technique similar to ¡°Small Transformation Yang Technique¡±. He waved his robe, cleared a clean area next to him, laid the Green Field Essence Cultivation Technique book flat, bent down, picked up a bamboo scroll and opened it. After a moment, Shen Luo paused slightly, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he muttered to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find the lost ¡®The Golden Chest¡¯ Medical Canon here in the world.¡± The ¡°The Golden Chest¡± Medical Canon is not a secret technique, but a medical book left by ancient mortals, which contains many prescriptions for the treatment of difficult diseases. Shen Luo once tried to find this book for his own survival, but all his attempts ended in vain. It was unexpected to see it here today, but regrettably, this medical book is of no use to him now. After putting down The Golden Chest Medical Canon, he picked up a set of ancient books from the pile and took it out. After wiping off the dust and opening the seal, the words ¡°Immortal Divine Herb¡± jumped into Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. His eyes flickered slightly, he immediately took out all the books in the box, took a quick look, and found three books inside, all had ¡°Immortal Divine Herb¡± written on the title page. But each had two small words, ¡°Plant¡±, ¡°Animal¡±, and ¡°Mineral¡± written in the footnotes to distinguish their contents. Shen Luo opened the thickest ¡°Plant¡± volume, and began to read it carefully, only to find that this book detailed a large number of spiritual medicine plants. It not only had text annotations, but also lifelike illustrations. When he turned to one of the pages, Shen Luo stopped, took out the Seven Star Pen from his bosom, brought in a trickle of mana into it, then with a movement of his mind, a spiritual grass with blue glow appeared. Comparing the illustration and annotations in the book with the spiritual grass in his hand, the more he looked, the more joyful he became. ¡°It really is a Thousand-year Ginseng.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. He carefully checked the various uses of ginseng and found that it was necessary to make many high-level elixirs. It deserved the name of a priceless treasure, and he was even more overjoyed. Moments later, Shen Luo put away the ginseng and continued to read the ¡°Immortal Divine Herb¡± canon. After reaching the Soul Condensation Stage, his divine sense power and memory were far beyond average. Now, he only needed a glance to take in ten lines at once and memorize them all. It only took half a moment to finish reading the three thick volumes of the Immortal Divine Herb. Afterward, he picked up another ancient book from the ground and continued to read. Unknowingly, four or five two-hour periods had passed. It wasn¡¯t until the surroundings darkened again that Shen Luo realized this and casually closed a book about the geography of the West Niu Hezhou Continent and rubbed his somewhat sour brow. In the area behind him, books as high as a person were stacked into seven or eight piles. All of them were books he had read in half a day. In contrast, the books in front of him that he had not read yet were only left with tens. After looking at it as a whole, Shen Luo realized that the books in this hall about cultivating immortality were pitifully few. Even if there were, they were basic techniques like the ¡°Qingtian Pei Yuan Technique¡±, which were not very useful to him. On the contrary, there were many more books similar to ¡°Immortal Divine Herb¡±, or books about the geographical maps of various provinces and countries in the cultivation world and mundane world. There were also quite a few books on alchemy and casting. However, there was no book related to talismans. Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Chapter 180: Strange Noise Chapter 182: Chapter 180: Strange Noise At first, Shen Luo was a bit puzzled, but after a brief consideration, he understood. The books in this hall were mostly open to all inner and outer sect disciples. They were mostly basic techniques. It was unlikely that the sect¡¯s true heritage of important classics would be kept here. This was actually no different than the practice of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. The Sect¡¯s foundational techniques were mostly passed down orally between the masters and disciples and kept secret. The Pure Yang Sword Technique was handled this way. After a brief rest, Shen Luo picked out a few basic cultivation methods from the pile of ancient books, as well as those about Spiritual Medicine and Artifacts Refining, and stored them in the Seven Star Pen. Then, he collected the remaining unfinished books. Only then did he stretch out and planned to leave through the hole in the wall. However, just as he twisted his neck and moved his muscles, the corner of his eye caught a faint white light shining in a corner of the hall. He hurriedly walked over and looked. There was a silk painting hanging on the wall that was about one foot wide and three feet long. The moonlight from outside illuminated it, reflecting a hazy white light. Shen Luo was puzzled. He quickly walked to the painting and saw a bright round moon with a cluster of green bamboo underneath. The painting was called ¡°Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting¡±. The painting was very high-grade. No matter what kind of color material was used, the color remained intact after so many years. The bamboo was still green, and the moon was white with a touch of yellow, giving off a warm feeling. It looked lifelike. After just a few glances, Shen Luo suddenly felt dizzy as the bamboo and the moon seemed to be real and appeared before him. Under the moonlight, as if a breeze had blown by, the bamboo began to sway, colliding with each other as if there were sounds of bamboo nodes hitting each other. The shadows on the ground started to change. Shen Luo was surprised, quickly looked away, and the scene in front of him disappeared. The sound of the bamboo nodes hitting each other also disappeared. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He was quite astonished and looked at the painting again. Go to ????????????????????.co At this glance, the illusory scene emerged again. Not only did the bamboo shadows change continuously, but the moonlight also seemed to shatter, casting patchy light and shadow on the ground. Shen Luo stared at the constantly changing shadows for a long time, then suddenly raised his eyebrows as if he understood something. ¡°It seems like something¡¯s not quite right¡­¡± But soon, he inexplicably shook his head and murmured to himself. He was as if under a spell, nodding one moment, and shaking his head the next. He looked at the painting for a full hour. ¡°The changing moon shadow seems to implicitly suggest some kind of step-change. There must be something fishy, but I won¡¯t understand it in a short time. I¡¯d better collect it first.¡± At the end, Shen Luo shook his head and sighed. After saying this, Shen Luo went forward, took down the silk painting, rolled it up, and put it in the Seven Star Pen. As he had crammed all kinds of things into the pen, there soon wasn¡¯t much space left. After cleaning up, Shen Luo walked out of the broken wall and continued towards the square. Many more ruined halls appeared along the way, all of which were already destroyed by warfare. The various corpses and skeletons encountered along the way began to appear more densely. However, most of them were already covered by vegetation and hidden among the wild grasses. ¡°It seems that the main battlefield of that year¡¯s battle was probably around here.¡± Shen Luo thought to himself. Under the night sky, the surroundings were deathly silent, except for the sound of Shen Luo¡¯s footsteps echoing around. The collapsed halls along the way looked like piles of graves. A night breeze blew, the shadows of the trees swayed, a green light glowed from the forest and ruins. It was the phosphorus fire rising from the countless skeletons, glowing like fireflies all over the field. Shen Luo walked among the ghost fires and emerged from the forest, arriving in front of the expansive square. Suddenly, a strange scene appeared before his eyes. All around, ghost fires continually gathered, as if troops of soldiers were parading, swirling around the white square. Shen Luo looked around in astonishment. He took a closer look at the square, but all he saw were a few shattered skeletons and fallen leaves. There were no traps or arrays, and it seemed quite ordinary. In the middle of the square stood a round platform, only about three feet off the ground. On it, two different colored jade stones had been put together to form a vague Taiji Pattern, no other pattern was there. Shen Luo immediately released his Divine Sense, sweeping over the square, but nothing abnormal was found. After waiting for a while, the ghost fires did not disperse. Instead, they landed one after another, surrounding the entire square, as if they had lit a ring of green lamps. After a slight hesitation, Shen Luo stepped onto the square. As soon as he set foot on the square¡¯s stone floor, it felt like a whirlwind had suddenly risen around him, carrying all the ghost fires into the sky. Shen Luo¡¯s heart clenched and he immediately stopped, glancing around him. After quite a while without any other anomalies appearing, he slightly relaxed and continued toward the platform in the center of the square. But, after walking over a hundred steps, when he was only about ten feet away from the platform, a vague human voice suddenly echoed in Shen Luo¡¯s ear. At first, it sounded like a mosquito buzzing, but after listening carefully, it was as loud as a large bell, reverberating incessantly. Regardless of whether the voice was loud or soft, the words were always fuzzy, making it difficult for him to hear clearly. Feeling puzzled, Shen Luo quickly used his Divine Sense to try to listen closely. But the moment he did, he distinctly heard, ¡°Progress if it¡¯s the Dao, retreat if it¡¯s not.¡± Then, it felt like his mind had exploded. There was a loud ¡°bang.¡± It felt like someone had smashed the back of Shen Luo¡¯s head with a Great Hammer. His vision went black for a moment, and he staggered forward and backward, nearly collapsing to the ground. He quickly stabilized his Divine Sense, rubbed his brow, and vigorously shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He felt a sense of familiarity with this feeling. When he tried to leak the Jade Pillow Heavenly Secret, a similar incident had happened. Staggering back a few steps, Shen Luo shook his head, and the thundering sound in his mind immediately disappeared, along with the fuzzy human voice. He immediately stood there, somewhat at a loss as to what had just happened. ¡°I clearly heard a human voice just now, but what did it say?¡± Shen Luo¡¯s face showed confusion as he pondered. Chapter 183 - Chapter 183: Chapter 181: Divine Soul Departing from Body Chapter 183: Chapter 181: Divine Soul Departing from Body After a moment of thought, he couldn¡¯t help but forcefully grip his hair. He surprisingly discovered that he could only remember hearing a voice that said something, but what the content of that something was, he could not recall at all. Shen Luo suddenly remembered that in the books he had read before, it was mentioned that there was a type of attack which attacked one¡¯s divine sense. The victims often suffered injuries to their divine souls. The minor ones would have memory loss, while the major ones would have complete destruction of their spiritual wisdom, resembling an imbecile. A sudden panic rose in his heart, and he quickly closed his eyes to examine his Sea of knowledge. Within his Sea of Knowledge, a light blue humanoid phantom was sitting cross-legged. It seemed perfectly fine. It was the divine soul that Shen Luo had condensed into human form when he entered the Soul Condensation Stage. ¡°Ah, what happened!¡± Following that, he let out a scream and reopened his eyes. But in his eyes there was no panic, instead, it was filled with joy and astonishment. It turns out his divine sense power not only avoided any damage, but his Sea of knowledge had expanded, appearing even more profound than before. Shen Luo then released his divine sense to explore his surroundings. Upon trying, he was delighted to find that his divine sense investigation radius had expanded from the original ten feet to about eleven feet. ¡°Could it be that the voice I heard just now actually strengthens the divine sense and aids in expanding the Sea of knowledge?¡± Shen Luo wondered. Having said this, his face stiffened slightly as he walked again towards the high platform in the centre of the square. As soon as Shen Luo approached within ten feet of the high platform, a strange whispering voice once again appeared in his mind. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he listened carefully to the voice once more. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Do not tread on Evildoer¡¯s path, do not cheat in the dark.¡± A voice rang out again, followed by another thunderous ¡°boom¡±. Shen Luo¡¯s mind was once again hit with intense pain, even more intense than before. He felt like his eardrums were about to be shattered by this sound, his body swayed and almost fell to the ground. Hence, he decided to sit down on the ground, sitting cross-legged and meditating. ¡°Accumulate virtue and prowess, express compassion for all beings.¡± Another phrase rang out, and Shen Luo finally heard clearly. That voice carried traces of vicissitudes, as if it came from an elder. ¡°Follow the Dao, retreat if it¡¯s not the Daoist path. Do not tread on an evildoer¡¯s path, do not cheat in the dark. Accumulate virtue and prowess, express compassion for all beings¡­ Could this be the preaching voice of the Bodhi Ancestor?¡± Shen Luo even remembered the first voice he heard. Before he had time to fully comprehend it, the preaching voice resounded again: ¡°Teach compassion and joy, rectify oneself to transform others.¡± Immediately, a thunderous explosion resounded in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. He felt like he have been struck on the head by a heavy hammer, the sensation of intense pain intensified once more, causing his body to suddenly fall backwards, and his vision became blurry momentarily. He gritted his teeth to check his Sea of knowledge, discovering that his divine sense power had grown again, and the human-shaped phantom condensed from his three souls and six spirits in the Sea of knowledge had turned a bit more solid. More and more, ??Shen Luo believed that this preaching voice was indeed very beneficial to him, and so he endured the pain and persisted. With the echoing of another preaching phrase, thunderous roars resounded in his mind again, his vision become blurry once again. In a trance, he saw blurry shadows appearing in front of him, but they were not clear. When the echoes of the roar disappeared, the illusions before his eyes also vanished. Shen Luo was astonished, he wanted to stand up and check but when he tried to move his body, he discovered he was extremely heavy, unable to move anything at all. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± His expression changed abruptly as he quickly check the meridians of his flesh body. Upon examination, Shen Luo found nothing abnormal, but for some reason, he was unable to control his body. Before he could figure it out, another preaching voice came, accompanied by a resounding thunderous explosion. This time, Shen Luo not only felt a great shock to his divine soul, even his body trembled violently. The force that felt like a hammer strike penetrated his body, striking the Qiao acupoints within his body. The twenty meridians in his body shuddered simultaneously in this instant. The Mana stored within began to flow uncontrollably, and started whirling crazily. ¡°How did even the Mana in the meridians become the same as the forged iron?¡± Having tolerated the intense pain, Shen Luo grew even more puzzled. He only felt that his meridians and divine sense, seemed to have become a piece of forged iron, constantly being hammered by an invisible hammer, the already liquefied Mana became even more pure. Meanwhile, within his Sea of knowledge, the humanoid phantom that was sitting cross-legged also became more solid, and even facial features had already emerged vaguely. The appearance was almost identical to his face. ¡°Scattered predestined ties, frighten hibernation into movement.¡± With the rise of Shen Luo¡¯s voice, accompanied by another booming sound, the pain brought by this voice was unprecedented. Shen Luo could not help but let out a scream of agony, his body abruptly fell backwards. This time, his vision did not become blurry, but he saw clearly that another ¡°Shen Luo¡± was sitting cross-legged in the original position without moving, while his own body had not moved at all. He hurriedly looked down and found that there was a faint white light covering his body, and his arms and torso were all ethereal light and shadows. On the contrary, the person sitting in front of him was the real entity. Though this scene was fleeting, Shen Luo understood what had happened. It turns out that what he saw as a series of illusions, were in fact the remnants of his divine soul leaving his body. He had always thought he was swaying his body, but in fact, it was his divine soul that had been shaken out of his body under heavy impact. At the same time, half of the meridians that had formed on his body also lit up, and he could see that the Mana that had been liquefied like water was surging at a high speed, just like a river during the flood season. As Shen Luo discovered this situation, he had no fear at all, but was somewhat happy, because if the divine soul was elusive and not solid enough, it could not leave the body at all. Once it can leave the body, it means that his cultivation level had again advanced, and he was now not far from the Nascent Soul Stage, where the divine soul can freely leave the body. Shen Luo¡¯s eyebrows knitted together, but he began to shout loudly in his heart: ¡°Let this soul forging voice come even more fiercely!¡± As soon as this thought rose, a loud ¡°boom¡± was heard! This time, Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul did not sway like before, but was directly struck out of his body, completely separating from the body, suspending in mid-air. He raised his shimmering phantom hands, waved them in front of his eyes, and looked down at his immovable physical body. Naturally, he was thrilled. As his thoughts moved, the phantom figure that his divine soul had transformed into began to sway upwards like a feather, flying high into the depths of the night sky. Shen Luo had never felt so unrestrained and received such unprecedented exhilaration. Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: Chapter 182: Nascent Soul Stage Chapter 184: Chapter 182: Nascent Soul Stage Unbeknownst to him, he had already flown high into the night sky, a hundred feet above the ground. Amidst the sky, the whistling wind gradually grew louder. Shen Luo suddenly felt a chill all over his body. A heavenly wind blew straight into his face, and he was too late to dodge it. His seemingly weightless divine soul was fiercely pulled and pushed towards the distance. He was in a daze for only a moment before he was dragged out more than ten feet. It was then that Shen Luo realized that his perception of his body had weakened somewhat. He hurriedly tried to fly down and forcefully moved towards his physical body. As the distance between the two shortened, the subtle link between them gradually became clearer. After glancing at his body a few times, instead of immediately returning to his body, he was moved by an idea and drifted off into the distance again. This time, he did not fly high into the sky, but instead hovered close to the ground, rushing forward. After about twenty or thirty feet, he felt the connection with his body becoming blurry again, so he stopped his exploration and prepared to fly back. ¡°Stabilize the pulse, and the soul travels in the void.¡± Just then, a voice preaching echoed again, seemingly coming from the surrounding void. Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul, floating outside, suddenly felt a formless colossal force suddenly smash down from the void above. This time, without his body as a shield, without the dissipative power of his meridians, that vast force landed entirely on his divine soul. Shen Luo didn¡¯t have time to react, and his divine soul was smashed down by this force, almost breaking open. ¡°Ah¡­¡± his divine soul opened his mouth, unable to hold back from emitting a silent roar. Go to ????????????????????.co However, as soon as his mouth opened, trails of blue light burst out, revealing that specks of soul power were dissipating from within. At this, Shen Luo was completely panicked. The aftermath of the preach just had dissipated, and he quickly controlled his divine soul, flying towards his body. However, when he was just a few feet away, another preach sounded. Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul was hit again, directly smashed into the ground. This time, he endured the pain directly from his divine soul, biting his teeth hard without opening his mouth, yet there were still specks of divine soul power scattering from his nostrils and ears. Shen Luo felt a chill all over, and subconsciously looked down at his divine soul body. At this sight, he gave a start, his divine soul body had dimmed a little compared to before. He endured the severe pain, struggled to get up, and ran towards his physical body. ¡°Take the straight as the curve, and the heavy becomes light.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul had barely lifted his foot when the voice of the Daoist rang out again, and the formless colossal force hit him again, knocking him down. This time, not only from his nostrils and ears, but even from the corners of his mouth and eyes, blue soul power flowed out, looking just like bleeding from the seven orifices. Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul¡¯s vision started to blur, looking at his unmoving physical body not far in front of him, he struggled to crawl towards it. Five feet, four feet, three¡­ Another loud noise came, Shen Luo felt like his divine soul was about to break, and even started to have light spots scattering from his body. ¡°Quick, quick, quick, if I don¡¯t return soon, I might be disintegrated!¡± Shen Luo mentally cried out, forcing himself to keep moving forward. He had a vague feeling that if he had not returned his spirit to his physical body before the next preach, the consequences would be unimaginable. Despite the fact that even if he died in his dream, he very likely could be reborn, he absolutely did not want to experience the feeling of disintegration. Furthermore, he had never died like this before, so there was considerable risk in being reborn. ¡°Transform scales into feathers, decay into¡­.¡± At that moment, the voice of the Daoist preacher resounded once more, but before he could finish: Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul threw all his thoughts into his physical body, swiped his hands in front of him forcefully, and just like a duck gliding on water, his body sprang up and flew towards his physical body. ¡°Life!¡± At the critical moment, as the preach came to an end, the tip of Shen Luo¡¯s divine soul finally touched his physical body. The next instant, a strong suction force came, and his divine soul shadow finally returned to his body, merging with it. ¡°Boom¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes suddenly opened, two beams of light shining in them. Everything in front of him was overlapping images, gradually clearing and merging into one. In a flash, a whirlwind suddenly whirled up from all directions, suddenly condensing into an invisible air flow, revolving indeterminately around him. The ghost flames flickering around him had disappeared at some unknown time. In the surrounding void, clusters of light gathered, being large amounts of heavenly and earthly spiritual qi that was attracted, continuously pouring into his body. The blue light flickered in front and behind his body, showing twenty blue light bands, which were precisely the twenty meridians, and the light dots in the acupoints on them lit up one by one. In his dantian, a cool current was constantly surging among the twenty meridians throughout his body, furiously transforming the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi that was pouring into the body into solid mana, and then flowing back and forth through the meridians throughout his body, nourishing his physical body. Every time a cycle was completed, the twenty blue light bands on his body would subtly grow brighter and thicker. After forty-nine cycles, his twelve meridians were twice as thick as before. The mana contained in them was not only much more solid, but the quantity had also increased several times over. In terms of meridians and mana alone, he, a monk in the initial period of the Nascent Soul Stage, was absolutely not weaker than an ordinary monk in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Stage, and was even better by a fraction. And the figure of his divine soul that had previously returned to his body and condensed in the sea of knowledge, had also been fed back by the mana in this process, not only becoming more solid and vivid, but also covered with a layer of faint light. ¡°Soul condensed, spirit gathered, light attached externally, essence contained internally, soul travels outwardly, feeling the heavenly wind of the four seasons, avoiding the piercing force of Gang Qi. This is the verification of the Nascent Soul Stage.¡± Shen Luo, feeling the earth-shaking changes happening in his body, suddenly remembered a part of the verse from the end of the Nameless Heavenly Book¡¯s ninth layer. Only then did he have an epiphany. It turned out that just now when his divine soul left his body and traveled in the void, he had unconsciously started the breakthrough process to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage, and by the time his human-shaped divine soul was fully condensed and stable, he had completely entered the realm of the Nascent Soul Stage. ¡°Just by listening to the preach, I¡¯ve broken through?¡± Shen Luo felt the changes in his divine soul and mana within his body and still found it hard to believe. But recalling what he had just experienced, he also felt a bit scared. He suppressed various emotions in his heart, closed his eyes again to meditate once more, and at the thought, his divine soul left his body again, floating around as he intended. This time, he found that his divine soul could now leave his body and travel nearly fifty feet away, almost double the distance before his breakthrough. When his divine soul returned to his body again, Shen Luo finally believed that he had become a monk in the initial stage of the Nascent Soul Stage. Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Chapter 183: Observing Dao Cave Chapter 185: Chapter 183: Observing Dao Cave ¡°Firm divine soul, the sea of knowledge has multiplied, the range of divine soul exploration seems to have doubled, and even the mana has increased a lot. So this is the feeling of entering the Nascent Soul stage, it¡¯s simply wonderful!¡± Shen Luo exclaimed joyfully in his heart, unable to resist raising his head towards the sky and shouting. However, he quickly calmed down again, resuming his meditative state to further stabilize his realm. With a flicker of thought, Shen Luo recalled the depiction of the Nascent Soul stage in the Nameless Cultivation Technique, understanding the spirit leaving aperture was incredibly miraculous but also quite risky. The divine soul is ultimately a spiritual body that can easily be attacked by strong winds and intense sunlight before strengthening completely. Furthermore, during the spirit leaving aperture phase, the physical body becomes a defenseless object susceptible to attacks from outsiders, just like fish on a butcher¡¯s chopping block. However, according to the Nameless Cultivation Technique, the human divine soul is inherently a power that can be upgraded. It¡¯s just beginning to show its strength upon entering the Nascent Soul stage, and with continuous cultivation, it can grow into another power comparable to the physical body and mana. Some True Immortals of Great Luo can even use their divine soul power alone to take a person¡¯s life from thousands of miles away. About two to three hours later, the strange sounds from around the heaven and earth gradually ceased, and the sky in the distance started turning a shade of fish-belly white. Shen Luo¡¯s energy had become stable again. ¡°The voice of preaching the Dao is indeed profound. If it could further strengthen the divine soul, it would be even better,¡± he contemplated. Following this thought, he once again held his breath, focusing his attention to listen to the preaching carefully. However, after a moment, a trace of confusion flashed across his face. Shen Luo discovered that after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, the preaching on the square could still cause his sea of knowledge to tremble greatly. Meanwhile, the intense pain that struck the divine soul disappeared, and his sea of knowledge stopped expanding, with no change in his divine soul. He stood up and walked off the square, the preaching sound vanished again, and the memory of the preaching in his mind also became blank again. Seeing this, Shen Luo was still somewhat unresigned, returned to the square once more and even got closer to the high platform than before. Go to ????????????????????.co However, the result was the same. Although the preaching and the rumbling sounds were still there, his sea of knowledge and divine soul no longer benefited from them. ¡°It seems that it can only reach this level; listening further would be useless,¡± Shen Luo sighed and shook his head. He sat on the edge of the square, rested for a while, and then stood up and left. Behind the square was a jade stone path extending forward, with no end in sight. Shen Luo stepped onto the jade stone path. With a light tap on the ground, he flew forward several yards as if weightless, moving briskly until the square behind him disappeared from view. Gradually, on both sides of the road started to appear large golden trees, seemingly made of gold, obviously not ordinary trees, but did not emit strong spiritual power fluctuations either. Shen Luo looked curiously at these golden trees a few times but didn¡¯t stop his steps, continuing forward. A green mountain peak standing over a hundred meters high appeared in front of him after walking for a while and the jade stone path finally ended. A dilapidated building could vaguely be seen on top of the peak, but his vision was drawn to the smooth green cliff at the foot of the mountain. On the cliff was a tight-fitting green stone door, with several dark red lines drawn on it forming a non-word, non-picture pattern, holding a sense of profoundness. Next to the stone door were three ancient seal characters of human-head size, ¡°Observing Dao Cave¡±, which emitted a sense of unyielding simplicity and depth that seemed to have endured for tens of thousands of years. ¡°Observing Dao Cave!¡± Shen Luo muttered these three words, his eyes slowly lit up. Going by this name, this must have been an important place in the sect in the past, and as there were no traces of destruction nearby, if there were any treasures inside, they would probably be in good condition. Although a wave of excitement swept over him, he didn¡¯t rush forward, instead raising his hand, making a gesture, and waving. The water light flashed in the air, creating two water palms the size of millstones. They landed on the stone door, pushing hard. But the stone door remained unmoved, and there were no signs of any prohibition being triggered around it. Seeing this, he walked to the Stone Door, raised his hand to knock on it, and a low thud echoed from within the Stone Door. It was obviously very thick. It probably wouldn¡¯t be easy to open this door. However, Shen Luo had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage and his strength had greatly increased. He was full of confidence and had few worries. He closed his eyes and spread out his Divine Sense carefully towards the interior of the Stone Door and the nearby mountain wall. Shen Luo¡¯s actions were very careful. He still remembered the prohibition that could counteract the Divine Sense. But this time when his Divine Sense came into contact with the Stone Door, he didn¡¯t encounter the force of the previous prohibition. Instead, he was blocked by a flexible force and couldn¡¯t penetrate it at all. The Divine Sense that was exploring the nearby mountain wall entered a certain distance, but was soon blocked by a gentle force and couldn¡¯t continue to go deeper. There was no sign of any door-opening mechanism inside the nearby stone wall. Shen Luo frowned slightly, retreated a few steps, sat down cross-legged, urged his soul to fly out of his body, summoned all his strength, and flew towards the interior of the Stone Door. With the confirmation that there were no prohibitions on the door that could rebound the Divine Sense, he had no more hesitation. A prohibition which blocks the Divine Sense cannot resist the spirit of a Nascent Soul Cultivator. The gentle force on the door blocked him again, but the power contained in his soul far exceeded that of a strand of divine sense. He withstood this gentle power and moved a bit deeper into the Stone Door. He felt happy in his heart and was about to exert more force to move forward when suddenly the humming sound rose and a layer of white light appeared on the Stone Door. A powerful repelling force seeped out. Shen Luo¡¯s soul had no power to resist and was immediately pushed away, completely expelled from the Stone Door. The white light on the door then disappeared. He stared at the Stone Door for a while, then returned to his body, his face looking somewhat ugly. After pausing for a moment, he made a hand gesture. Two streams of water appeared once again, spun into two conical blue water blades, a glaring blue light entwined around the water swords, swiftly flowing, making a piercing whistling sound. ¡°Go!¡± Shen Luo shouted in a low voice, and swung both his hands forward. The two water blades spun rapidly, making a sharp whistling sound, just like two rapidly spinning drills, they fiercely hit the Stone Door. ¡°Clang¡± ¡°Clang¡± Two loud explosions erupted! The two water swords exploded directly and turned into a rain of water droplets. The Stone Door once again emitted a faint white light. It flashed lightly, and then quickly returned to its normal state. There was not even a scratch. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze turned serious. He once again performed a gesture and waved. The Half-moon ring flew out. The nine layers of formations on the ring all emerged, and a dazzling silver light burst out, and with a spin, it condensed into a giant silver full moon. In a flash, it crossed several tens of feet of distance, appearing before the Stone Door. He waved a finger in the air and the silver moon lit up vigorously, again doubling in size. It made a thunderous howl, churning the nearby air like water ripples, and ferociously slashed at the Stone Door. A loud ¡°boom¡± echoed! The unparalleled silver full moon, like a wave crashing against a reef, easily exploded, turning into numerous large and small light blades that rebounded back, raining down in a range of several tens of feet around the Stone Door. Chapter 186 - Chapter 186: Chapter 184: Stone Door Chapter 186: Chapter 184: Stone Door Shen Luo¡¯s complexion changed, and he hurriedly dodged, simultaneously using the Water Repelling Technique for protection. But still, he was a little late. With two light ¡°pfft¡± sounds, his right arm and left foot were brushed by two silver light blades, each slicing a wound, and blood splattered out, luckily, the injuries were not serious. The half-moon ring also recoiled amongst the cascade of silver light, trembling uncontrollably with a lot of its surface runes noticeably dim, as if its spirit had suffered considerable damage. Meanwhile, the white light on the stone door still only fluctuated slightly before it promptly returned to its original state. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s expression finally turned completely grave. The half-moon ring was currently his strongest means of attack, but unexpectedly, it was unable to handle the prohibition on this stone door. Although his cultivation level wasn¡¯t weak, he had relatively little knowledge about prohibitions. Aside from using barbarian strength to break the door, he couldn¡¯t think of any other methods to open it right away. ¡°It appears that I¡¯m not destined for this Observing Dao Cave,¡± Shen Luo muttered, frowning as he summoned back the half-moon ring. However, he quickly adjusted his mindset; if he wasn¡¯t destined for it, then so be it. This cave mansion was quite spacious; there should still be many places he had not explored, there was no need to obsess over this one. With that thought in mind, Shen Luo turned around, ready to leave. Just at this moment, a light ¡°pfft¡± sound suddenly came from behind him. His ears perked up, and his half-turned body abruptly swiveled back around. He saw a small patch of red light appearing on the stone door and quickly stared at it intently. ¡°Huh!¡± Go to ????????????????????.co Shen Luo quickly discovered that something seemed to have been smeared at the place where the red light had lit up on the stone door. Upon careful inspection, it turned out to be a speck of blood. He looked at his injured right hand, and it finally dawned on him. Earlier, when he was injured by the half-moon ring¡¯s light blade and as he was retreating, the blood from his hand had splattered onto the stone door. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes gradually lit up. The fact that spreading blood on the stone door could cause such a change, even if he did not yet know what use this red light could have, was in any case much better than feeling helpless as he had before. With this thought, he immediately raised his right hand, smearing the blood on it onto the stone door. However, the stone door didn¡¯t show any changes and didn¡¯t light up red again. Shen Luo frowned slightly, carefully comparing the spot where he smeared the blood just now to where the red light had appeared, and soon found the difference between them. The blood from before had landed right on a hidden red line that passed through the spot where the red light had appeared. Without another word, he smeared the blood from his hand onto the red line on the stone door. Indeed, as soon as he smeared the blood onto it, a tiny spot of blood light instantly lit up on the line. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± A hint of joy showed at the corners of Shen Luo¡¯s mouth as he took the remaining blood on his hand and smeared it onto the dark red lines on the stone door. The blood smearing his hand was rapidly depleted, so he sliced open his finger and continued to smear it onto the other lines. A moment later, the last trace of the lines also had blood smeared onto it, and the strange diagram formed by the dark red lines on the door started glowing with a red light and began flashing continuously. Accompanied by a ¡°hum¡± sound, the eerie figure slowly emerged from the stone door, hanging in the void before him, radiating a dazzling blood light. Shen Luo immediately retreated several steps, stunned by the spectacle unfolding before his eyes. After the blood pattern flashed again, it suddenly shattered silently and transformed into countless rays of blood light, once again merging into the stone door. The white light in front of the Stone Gate came into view and began to flash wildly. Countless white runes floated out of it, vanishing into the void. The white light on the gate quickly dimmed and completely dissipated after a few breaths. The green stone gate made a slight ¡®click¡¯ sound, revealing a crack. A look of surprise filled Shen Luo¡¯s face as he stepped forward and forcefully pushed the Big Gate. The Stone Gate, made of an unknown material, was still incredibly heavy even without its prohibition. He had to muster all his strength, barely pushing the gate forward by a few inches. Shen Luo loosened his sore wrists, forming a hand seal and pulling it towards him. The surrounding void shimmered with water lights. A pair of Water Manipulating Hands was summoned again, pressing heavily on the Stone Gate. But the gate did not budge. Shen Luo was utterly baffled. Now, having advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, the power of the Water Manipulation Technique had greatly increased as his meridians strengthened. The power these Water Hands possessed was believed to be in the thousands of pounds, many times greater than his own strength. He could barely move the stone door with his bare hands, yet the Water Hands had no effect? ¡°Could it be that this Stone Gate can only be opened by hand?¡± A thought popped into Shen Luo¡¯s mind. He dismissed the Water Hands that he had formed with his incantation. Placing both hands on the gate, he strained again to push it. With a ¡®squeak¡¯ sound, the Stone Gate moved forward a few more inches. Feeling slightly relieved, Shen Luo took a breather before he strained again to push the gate. About a quarter of an hour later, the Stone Door was finally pushed open with a crack wide enough to barely let a person pass through. However, Shen Luo was utterly exhausted. Leaning against the Stone Gate, he took deep breaths. After a while, he regained his composure and looked inside the gate. His gaze fixed at once. Although the Stone Gate was opened with a crack, the light from outside seemed unable to penetrate it. Everything inside was still in darkness, completely obscured. A look of hesitation crossed Shen Luo¡¯s face. He urged his divine sense to probe into the gate, but as soon as it entered the Stone Gate, it was immediately obstructed by an invisible power and could not move forward at all. ¡°Sure enough, there are prohibitions.¡± But after having worked so hard to open the big gate, he naturally did not want to give up so easily. He pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly became resolute. Forming the water repelling incantation, he took a firm step forward, squeezing himself into the Stone Gate. The moment he passed through the Stone Gate, Shen Luo immediately felt the surrounding space fluctuate, as if he had entered another world. The next moment, his surroundings became suddenly bright. He found himself inside a mountain cave that was about a dozen feet large. The Stone Gate behind him was still standing there, allowing him to clearly see the situation outside from within. Shen Luo breathed a sigh of relief silently, turning to look around the cave. The Stone Walls and ground of the cave were all hard white rocks. They seemed to be some sort of special jade, exceptionally cool to touch but not bone-chilling. On the contrary, it invigorated one¡¯s spirit, and Shen Luo couldn¡¯t tell what material it was made of. The entire mountain cave was extremely vacant, almost entirely empty, except for a screen-like White Crystal Wall standing at the deepest part of the cave, in front of which was placed a Yellow Cushion. A hint of surprise flashed through Shen Luo¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t move immediately. Instead, he continued carefully examining his surroundings, while releasing his divine sense to probe. The Stone Walls and ground all seem to contain the prohibition from before, his divine sense could not penetrate at all. But aside from this, there were no other signs of prohibition within the cave. Shen Luo strolled around the cave. Eventually, he stopped in front of the Crystal Wall. This Crystal Wall was about twenty feet high, four or five feet wide. Its surface was extremely smooth, like a mirror reflecting Shen Luo¡¯s image. Wisps of white light faintly emanated from the mirror¡¯s surface. He studied the Crystal Wall closely. On first glance, there was nothing noticeable. After staring for a long while, the color white filled his entire vision. Moreover, the white light started to slowly spin, following which his divine sense power began rotating in his mind, causing him to feel a sudden sense of dizziness. Chapter 187 - Chapter 187: Chapter 185: Dream Within a Dream Chapter 187: Chapter 185: Dream Within a Dream Shen Luo started with a jolt, promptly closing his eyes and diverting his gaze. The divine sense in his mind slowly began to restore itself to normality, with the dizzy sensation also gradually receding. He then opened his eyes. ¡°This crystal wall is powerful! It can actually cause one¡¯s soul to become muddled. But this place is called Observing Dao Cave, Observing Dao¡­ could it be observing this crystal wall and gaining enlightenment from it?¡± he muttered to himself, a contemplative expression on his face. He pondered for a moment, then sat down in front of the crystal wall. As Shen Luo sat down, he noticed a straw cushion beside him. He reached out to take it, placing it under him. He took a deep breath and looked at the white crystal wall again. The white light on the crystal wall quickly occluded his vision again, causing his divine sense to rotate in his mind, and the dizzy feeling appeared again. However, at this moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded! Moments later, he felt a cooling sensation emanating from the straw cushion underneath him. It helped to quell the dizziness by a significant amount. Shen Luo was thrilled. He exerted his divine sense power, aiming to free himself from the influence of the crystal wall. Simultaneously, he continued to gaze at the white crystal wall, trying to discern something. However, the white light on the crystal wall just kept rotating slowly, with no change occurring. As time trickled by, Shen Luo kept his eyes locked on the crystal wall, but his expression grew increasingly strained. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and a hint of heat could be discerned from the top of his head. Even with the support of the straw cushion beneath him, the dizziness in his mind grew stronger, and his field of vision began to blur. ¡°Could it be that I have conjectured wrongly, that the profoundness of this crystal wall isn¡¯t contemplated in this way?¡± Shen Luo bore with the discomfort, silently questioning himself. After a quarter of an hour, the sense of dizziness in his mind intensified, reaching his endurance limit. Go to ????????????????????.co A blue spiritual light emerged in his eyes, blocking the influence of the white crystal wall. He was about to look away. ¡°Hee hee! You managed to hold out for this amount of time, not bad at all!¡± A somewhat maddening voice suddenly echoed by Shen Luo¡¯s ear. As the voice faded, the spiraling white light on the crystal wall fell slightly and then dissipated like a receding tide. Inside the white crystal wall, his reflection appeared clearly once again. Simultaneously, a subtle golden light appeared on the crystal wall, gently flickering. As the white light disappeared, the dizziness in Shen Luo¡¯s mind receded like a tide. He sat still in a daze, then quickly reacted, looking around to locate the source of the voice. However, after the voice had been heard, it fell completely silent and did not reappear. Shen Luo slightly furrowed his eyebrows, but he quickly disregarded it, turning his gaze to the golden light on the crystal wall. ¡°A hair?¡± Shen Luo was taken aback. This fine golden light was actually a strand of golden lustrous fur adhered to the crystal wall. The moment his sight landed on the golden fur, the fur instantly unleashed a golden light, shot out fiercely, and drilled into the mirrored world within the crystal wall. Then with a flash, it entered the center of the eyebrows of his mirrored figure. The figure of Shen Luo inside the crystal wall immediately began to transform. It shrank significantly, and its clothes changed rapidly. A few breaths later, the figure of Shen Luo in the mirror turned into a skinny and dry bizarre figure. The face of the figure was blurry, making it difficult to make out its features. What could be faintly discerned was a sharp monkey-like face, draped in a body of golden fur, with a strange existence dressed in a Qing-colored Daoist robe. Upon witnessing a series of changes, the color drained from Shen Luo¡¯s face. At this moment, the bizarre figure inside the crystal wall suddenly lifted its head. Its eyes squinted, and a grin spread across its face, directed right at him. Upon seeing this scene, Shen Luo felt his heart jump. He was about to do something. The peculiar figure in the mirror abruptly blurred into a black shadow and ¡°swooshed¡± out from within the crystal wall, vanishing in an instant as it entered his body. The black shadow moved as fast as lightning, and given their close proximity, Shen Luo barely had time to react. He had not even had a chance to respond before the peculiar projection had entered his body. Shen Luo inwardly cursed, then felt a ¡°boom¡± in his mind, as if an invisible force had invaded. This force was exceptionally vast. Even though he had already advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, his soul¡¯s power was extraordinarily strong. Still, he was completely powerless in resistance. His mind initially experienced a tremendous tremor, then suddenly heated up, with all his divine sense power boiling and rolling, causing him to faint immediately! In his blurry consciousness, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes half-open, his body felt weightless, seeming to float mid-air and drifting with the wind. ¡°I am already in Dreamland, could I possibly dream within a dream?¡± He mumbled to himself, his consciousness in a half-sleeping, half-waking state. He did not know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt his body sink rapidly. Next, he seemed to merge into something, and his consciousness sharply returned to clarity. To his surprise, he found himself back in the previous mountain cave, sitting in front of the crystal wall. Shen Luo was taken aback at first but was instantly terrified upon looking at himself. Because he was no longer in human form, but turned into a golden monkey with a green shirt, thin and winnow features, and a tapering mouth and concave cheeks. This monkey¡¯s entire body was covered in brilliant golden hair, exactly the same as the golden animal hair that had previously appeared on the crystal wall. ¡°I turned into a monkey? No, my divine soul has taken possession of this monkey¡¯s body!¡± Shen Luo was initially surprised, but quickly understood his current situation. The golden monkey was now sitting cross-legged on a straw cushion, intently staring at the white crystal wall. Inside the wall sat an elder Daoist in a Daoist robe. The old man¡¯s appearance was as unusual as the previous figure, vague and unclear, and he was holding a white dust whisk, giving off an ethereal aura. ¡°Seeing your devout studies, today I will impart to you the ¡®Yellow Court Sutra¡¯. It¡¯s a profound technique that holds the key to the supreme path. Remember these exceedingly important verses: The Supreme Path seeks reality and disdains rituals, every acupoint in the mud pill has spirit, activating the spirit reveals the essence of the mud pill¡­¡± The white-haired old Daoist, looking at the golden monkey, slowly started speaking. His voice greatly resembled the grand voice heard previously in the square. The golden monkey, thrilled, eagerly nodded in approval and pricked up its ears to catch the subtle music. Shen Luo, occupying the golden monkey¡¯s body, found his current situation different from earlier in the square. He was now able to clearly hear every word the white-haired old Daoist spoke. Upon hearing a few sentences of the ¡®Yellow Court Sutra¡¯ from the white-haired old Daoist, Shen Luo felt a surge of joy and quickly focused on capturing every single word. Shen Luo¡¯s present cultivation level had gradually deepened, his comprehension and understanding of the Dao had greatly evolved. Although he was hearing the Yellow Court Sutra for the first time, he could grasp the fundamental principles it embodied. The old Daoist¡¯s every verse was so profound that the more Shen Luo contemplated them, the more infinite and extravagant the mysteries seemed. After presenting twelve verses, the old Daoist paused momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Shen Luo quickly related all twelve verses, briefly reflected on them, and immediately felt an immense clarity in his mind. Every axiom encompassed great profundities. Even though there were only twelve verses, they unfolded numerous insights. When combined, they surprisingly made up an exquisite cultivation technique for the Qi Refining Stage. Before he could deeply comprehend, the white-haired old Daoist had already resumed reciting the next verses. Eagerly, Shen Luo listened attentively, recording each verse meticulously. Chapter 188 - Chapter 188: Chapter 186: Huangting Technique Chapter 188: Chapter 186: Huangting Technique The Yellow Court Sutra is not lengthy; spanning from beginning to end, it has only seventy-two sentences. The white-haired elder Daoist finished reciting them quickly, then started explaining. The golden monkey heard this, its eyes filled with joy, and it couldn¡¯t help but dance with excitement. ¡°Wonderful!¡± Shen Luo, possessing the monkey¡¯s body, felt intoxicated and involuntarily uttered a word of wonder. The moment the word was spoken, it seemed to violate some rule. His consciousness was immediately enveloped by an invisible force, dissociating from the monkey¡¯s body, shooting quickly towards the high altitude. Before he could react, his vision went black, and he fell unconscious again. Hours unknowingly passed before Shen Luo regained consciousness. His mind slowly clearing, he shook his head and anxiously looked around. At this time, he was back inside the mountain cave, with no more possession on anything. He had truly returned to his own body and was sitting cross-legged in front of the white crystal wall. The strange figure inside the crystal wall had disappeared, and now it clearly reflected his own figure. The golden monkey hair was quietly attached to the crystal wall, emitting golden light. The surrounding environment was the same as before. The experience just now seemed like a dream, but the seventy-two verses of the Yellow Court Sutra in his mind reminded him that everything was real. Upon glancing at the golden monkey hair, Shen Luo pondered that he probably fell into a dream within a dream just now, and this golden monkey hair must have been the cause. Moreover, the body hair of the golden monkey in the dream was identical to this golden monkey hair. Could this monkey hair be a relic of that golden monkey? These thoughts circulated in his mind, then he quickly gathered his thoughts and stopped paying attention to these trivial matters. He closed his eyes. Go to ?????????????????.co Before, he was only focused on memorising the content of the Yellow Court Sutra in his dream, and had no time to comprehend its deep meanings. Now that he finally had some free time, he hastened to comprehend these seventy-two verses of Yellow Court Sutra to prevent forgetting them. After a long time, Shen Luo opened his eyes, an excited smile playing on his lips. He had almost fully comprehended the Yellow Court Sutra. Just like what he understood before, the other sixty verses of the Yellow Court Sutra extended, forming a series of cultivation techniques. A total of seventy-two verses in the Yellow Court Sutra correspond to twelve major realms. The whole scripture surprisingly transformed into a profound cultivation method that one can practice from the Qi Refining Stage to the True Immortal stage. Every verse of the Yellow Court Sutra is infinitely mysterious, far beyond the Nameless Cultivation Technique he has been practicing. The Nameless Cultivation Technique Shen Luo obtained only contained cultivation techniques from the Qi Refining Stage to the Soul Condensation Stage. For his current self, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, since he just barely broke through to the Qi Refining Stage back then, and his qualifications were poor, he was still far from completing the cultivation. However, the self in the dreamland has outstanding talents. Particularly after being trapped in the Longevity Village and cultivating twenty meridians, his cultivation has been advancing rapidly. Until recently, he broke through the bottleneck unknowingly and advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, completing his cultivation, with nowhere to go forward. For this, he was secretly worried, but unexpectedly encountered such a great opportunity here and obtained the Yellow Court Sutra from a cultivation method far superior to the Nameless Cultivation Technique that can be cultivated to the True Immortal Stage! Unlike the Nameless Cultivation Technique which focuses on mana cultivation, the Yellow Court Sutra is a cultivation method that emphasizes both the cultivation body and mana, refining the power of the physical body as well as cultivating mana. According to the sutra, the practice of the Yellow Court Sutra can greatly enhance the power of the physical body. For every twelve verses practiced, equivalent to an upgrade of a major realm, the cultivator will gain the power of one dragon and one elephant. If all seventy-two verses are practiced, one can possess the divine strength of six dragons and six elephants. The Yellow Court Sutra does not go into detail about the effects of mana. The scripture only mentions that practicing this technique can deploy a powerful divine power called ¡°Three Stars Demolishing Demons¡±. This divine power can summon the power of stars from the endless depths of the universe to seal enemies. Its power is extremely strong, especially against demonic ghosts and similar entities. Due to its strong power, the Three Stars Demolishing Demons requires a high level of cultivation. Only when the Yellow Court Sutra is cultivated to the Soul Condensation Stage can one barely summon the power of a star. To summon the power of two stars, one must reach the cultivation level of the Great Mahayana Stage. To fully deploy the Three Stars Demolishing Demons, one must completely master the entire Yellow Court Sutra, reaching the legendary True Immortal Realm. According to the scripture, the full version of Three Stars Demolishing Demons has a shocking and earth-shattering power, even capable of forcefully sealing a real deity! Although Shen Luo has not encountered many cultivation techniques, he can understand the subtlety of this Yellow Court Sutra, which is definitely one of the top techniques. However, precisely because this technique is so sophisticated, it places extremely high demands on the aptitude of the practitioner. Ordinary monks either cannot cultivate it, or their progress is extremely slow. They may not make any progress even after decades, making it less practical than some common techniques. At this point, he suppressed the excitement and joy in his heart. His highly talented body had more than enough capacity to practice the Nameless Cultivation Technique, but he did not know how it would fare with the Yellow Court Sutra. ¡°Thinking too much is pointless. I¡¯ll know when I try,¡± said Shen Luo, soon sitting cross-legged. He closed his eyes, recalling the entire content of the Yellow Court Sutra from beginning to end. Once he confirmed that his memory was correct, he slowly began to practice the technique. In no time, the thick spiritual energy of heaven and earth nearby began to converge towards him like raging waves. Because it came in such abundance and speed, a layer of white mist formed around Shen Luo, making his figure seem blurred. He was both shocked and delighted. The speed at which heavenly and earthly spiritual energy can be drawn reflects the sophistication of the cultivation technique practiced. The spiritual energy drawn by the Yellow Court Sutra was almost ten times more than that drawn by the Nameless Cultivation Technique. While delighted, Shen Luo did not forget to circulate his energy, drawing in the abundant heavenly and earthly spiritual energy around him. Unlike when he practiced the Nameless Cultivation technique, he did not directly absorb this spiritual energy into his meridian and Dantian. Instead, he gradually merged his body into the surrounding white mist of spiritual energy, allowing the spiritual energy to seep into his muscles and bones, slowly pushing deeper into his body. During this process, he applied hundreds of different refining methods as recorded in the Yellow Court Sutra, including grinding, refining, stimulating acupoints, all aimed at refining his physical body before finally entering his meridians. These body refining methods, which he had never heard of or even thought of before, opened up a whole new world of cultivation for him. By the time the heavenly and earthly spiritual energy had completed all the refinement and entered his meridians, only half of it remained. The other half had been absorbed by his body during the refining process. ¡°So this is what dual cultivation of the body and the technique refers to!¡± Shen Luo nodded silently, clenching his fists as his body trembled slightly. When the heavenly and earthly spiritual energy was refining his body, his body was not unresponsive. On the contrary, he felt a sourness and tingling sensation all over his body, as if countless ants were wriggling and biting inside him. This deep-rooted sourness and tingling pain, even Shen Luo could not maintain his composure, he had to clench his fists and grit his teeth to bear it. However, he had no complaints at all, his eyes were full of joy. Chapter 189 - Chapter 189: Chapter 187: The Power of the Dragon Elephant Chapter 189: Chapter 187: The Power of the Dragon Elephant Because he could sense clearly, as Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi continually tempered his body, his muscles and bones were greedily absorbing this Qi, visibly becoming stronger at a rapid pace. Also, as the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi permeated his body, his pores began to exude beads of sweat, which carried black impurities, giving off a strong, unpleasant smell. Seeing this condition on his body, Shen Luo revealed a hint of surprise in his eyes. During the Qi Refining Stage, he had experienced the process of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi replacing his marrow. He had assumed all the impurities in his body had been eliminated during that time, but it seemed there were still many residues left! If he were not cultivating the Huangting Technique, he wondered how much longer these impurities would have stayed within his body. As the black impurities were expelled one after another, his body felt significantly lighter, as if he had shed a heavy burden. The sour, numb, and piercing feeling had gradually subsided, now replaced by a soothing, full sensation. Shen Luo inwardly sighed a breath of relief. Freed from the discomfort, he began to practice the Huangting Technique even faster. ¡°Cultivating this Huangting Technique doesn¡¯t seem as difficult as the explanation made it out to be.¡± He thought to himself as he cultivated. Whether it was using Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to refine his body, integrating it into his flesh, or transforming Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in his meridians into Mana, everything was exceptionally smooth. He achieved it easily, it was not as difficult to cultivate as stated in the Huangting Technique. Especially those seemingly difficult stages, he managed to get through them as easily as breathing and eating. ¡°Is it because my aptitude suits the cultivation of the Huangting Technique, or is it that I¡¯m already at the Nascent Soul Stage hence cultivating the Huangting Technique from the beginning is easier? Or is it the combination of both?¡± Thoughts spun in his mind. But Shen Luo soon cast aside these random thoughts, fully devoted to practicing the Huangting Technique and absorbing more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his body. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three days and three nights had passed. Go to ????????????????????.co Shen Luo remained seated still on the straw cushion, not moving at all. At this moment, a layer of black scabs covered his body. These were formed by the impurities his body had expelled, mixed with his sweat and dust. This thick layer gave off a foul smell. However, with his eyes closed and focused on cultivation, Shen Luo was blissfully unaware of this. Suddenly, his hands slowly rose to perform a magic spell, a faint golden light shot out from his body and soared into the sky. Soon after, the golden light split into two, transforming into a faint golden Flood Dragon and a golden Elephant. These two beings then began to circle and fly around his body. After circling for a while, the Golden Dragon and the Golden Elephant playfully crashed into each other, causing a chorus of roars and chants to echo around, causing the nearby air to hum and vibrate. The black scabs on Shen Luo¡¯s body were immediately shattered and splattered around, falling like rain on the mountain walls and floor, but some still remained on his body. He slowly opened his eyes, his lips curling into what seemed to be a smile. But just then, a foul smell reached his nose. His brows furrowed as he glanced at his body and the surroundings. The smile on his face instantly disappeared, immediately performing a spell with a flick of his hand. Moisture from the air in and outside the cave converged swiftly, forming a stream that washed over him, removing all the dirt in an instant. The stream then circulated the cave, sweeping up the scattered black scabs and depositing them outside the cave. Only then did Shen Luo¡¯s face finally relax. Looking at the Golden Dragon and Golden Elephant Phantoms around him, a smile reappeared on his face. After three days and three nights of hard cultivation, he had finally mastered the first twelve lines of the Huangting Technique, which constituted the cultivation method for the Qi Refining Stage. While his Mana did not increase significantly, his body had undergone earth-shaking transformations. The density of his muscles and bones had increased several-fold, and his internal organs seemed to have grown stronger as well. When he breathed, a force as mighty as the Dragon Elephant rolled within him. Shen Luo lowered his spell-casting hands, the golden light around him slowly faded away, and the phantoms of the Golden Dragon and Golden Elephant disappeared. Afterward, he raised his fist and punched at the empty space near the cave wall. As his fist hit, the air rippled like water waves, quickly surging forward. With a light ¡°Plop¡± sound, a punch mark several inches deep clearly appeared on the cave wall a few feet away, causing the whole cave to shake. Shen Luo retracted his arm, a satisfied expression on his face. At this moment, without using his Mana and purely relying on his physical strength, he could compete with a cultivator at the Grain Avoidance Stage. The enhancement effect of the Huangting Technique on one¡¯s body was indeed astonishing. He had only managed to cultivate the first realm of the Huangting Technique. If he could cultivate a few realms further, he could not fathom how strong he would become. However, Shen Luo did not get arrogant or complacent. In the past few days, he had read many classics of Mount Fangcun in that great hall, vastly broadening his horizons. The secrets of the world of cultivating immortality were endless. Physical strength was just one form of power. Mana, spells, Artifact Refining, Array Techniques and so on ¨C if each of these areas was cultivated to a high level, they could all bring about earth-shaking power. He let out a light breath, sat down again, and closed his eyes to enter a state of cultivation. Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi nearby started to gather and surge again, enveloping his body once more. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. A roar echoed out from the slightly open cave, this roar was like a surging tide, each wave higher and more fierce than the previous one, causing the entire cave to tremble continuously. Accompanying the roar, a dazzling golden light shot out from the stone door, the frantic rotations creating a sparkling scene. Dragon roars and elephant cries echoed within the golden light, but they were drowned out by the sky-shattering roar. Inside the cave, Shen Luo was sitting cross-legged. Brilliant golden light circled around him, with three Golden Dragons and three Golden Elephants revolving and dancing around him. The golden light flickered, the roars and cries of the dragons and elephants were incessant. The Golden Dragons and Golden Elephants looked more solid than before, appearing lifelike. As they stormed around, they churned up strong gusts of wind, with continuous whistling sounds. After a while, Shen Luo suddenly opened his eyes. All around him, golden light flickered and the three Golden Dragons and three Golden Elephants merged into a ball of golden light, vanished into his body, and disappeared without a trace. Shen Luo looked down at his arms enveloped in golden light, an excited look crossing his face. During the past half a month, he had set out to cultivate the next twenty-four lines of the Huangting Technique. The result was as smooth as flowing water ¡ª seemingly divinely aided, his physical strength had increased yet again, adding the strength of two more Dragons and two more Elephants. Shen Luo stood up, dispelling the golden light engulfing his body with a spell, then firmly clenched his fist, which made a loud cracking sound due to the air in his palm being squeezed and then exploded by the force of his grip. He moved his body around, causing the bones all over his body to crackle. Then, he swung his hands lightly and pressed towards the empty space in front of the cave wall. Two muffled ¡°Bang¡± and ¡°Bang¡± sounds echoed out. Deep handprints clearly appeared out of thin air on the cave wall in front of him. They were as clear-cut as if chiseled out with a knife and axe. The entire cave shook violently as if unable to withstand the power of the two palms. Chapter 190 - Chapter 190: Chapter 188: Obliged by Circumstances Chapter 190: Chapter 188: Obliged by Circumstances A faint white light flashed across the wall of the Mountain Cave, swaying slowly before it gradually came to a halt. He made a spell, and a stream of water condensed out of thin air in front of him. It then transformed into a water sword, viciously slashing down and striking his arm. A loud clashing sound of metal echoed with a ¡°clang¡±! The water sword shattered upon impact, sparks flying everywhere. Shen Luo¡¯s arm didn¡¯t have a scratch on it, only a faint white mark which disappeared quickly before one¡¯s naked eyes. He nodded, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. After cultivating the thirty-six verses of the Huangting Technique, his physical defenses had improved significantly. While he wouldn¡¯t dare claim to be invincible, he was now immune to most low-grade magical instruments. Shen Luo rolled his neck, producing a series of cracks. He then twisted it sharply backward by a hundred and eighty degrees and straightened it out, his gaze fixed directly behind him. At this moment, his neck had turned a full half circle without any difficulty. He turned his head back, halted momentarily, and his bones started to creak, as his body quickly shrank by half a foot. His facial muscles and bones twitched, altering his appearance slightly. ¡°Incredible!¡± Looking at his own form, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help praising. In fact, the primary focus of cultivating the Huangting Technique was not solely to boost physical strength and defenses, but rather mastering control over the body. Go to ????????????????????.co He had always been struggling with this concept, but after successfully cultivating the initial thirty-six verses, he gleaned a bit of insight. His body had become extremely flexible, and many movements formerly impossible were now effortless. Moreover, he acquired a keen sense of every inch of his muscles, and he could control them at will with just a thought. ¡°The transformation abilities of the Huangting Technique are certainly not limited to just this. There must be deeper mysteries. Perhaps only after successfully cultivating all seventy-two verses will its full potential be revealed.¡± Shen Luo speculated in his mind. ¡°Thank you, Elder, for bestowing upon me the Huangting Technique. Your kindness will never be forgotten. If fate allows, I promise to repay you wholeheartedly.¡± He lifted his clothes, respectfully bowing three times towards the Crystal Wall. After performing the rites, he didn¡¯t linger any longer, standing and walking towards the Outside. He had been delayed here for a long time already. It was time to leave. As he turned around, he glanced at the Straw Cushion on the Ground. Showing a moment of hesitation, he finally looked away. This Straw Cushion was indeed a treasure, capable of calming the mind. However, it seemed that this Mountain Cave was the place where the White-haired Elder Daoist imparted his teachings. He had already benefited so much from the White-haired Elder Daoist that he felt it inappropriate to take the Straw Cushion as well. Leaving the Mountain Cave, Shen Luo reached out and grabbed the half-open Stone Door, pulling it lightly. With a loud ¡°rumble¡±, the Stone Door, which he had strived hard to open earlier, immediately closed. It was as though he had only been pulling an ordinary Big Gate. As the Stone Door closed, a layer of white light began to shine upon it. After a few flashes, it gradually faded. Witnessing this scene, a glint of surprise flashed in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. He bowed towards the Stone Door, then turned around and left. Next, he leaped towards the top of the Green Mountain. The Mountain Peak was quite steep, with many sections being nearly vertical, making it difficult for ordinary people to climb. For him, however, such a terrain presented no challenges. With a few quick leaps, he had already climbed to the area near the peak. A grand hall stood at this place. It must have been quite magnificent when it was whole, but now more than half of it had collapsed. Shen Luo picked up a plaque from the ruins, which bore the three large characters ¡°Golden Stone Hall¡±. ¡°By the name, it seems to be a place for storing minerals and Spiritual Materials.¡± His eyes lit up, and he stepped inside, simultaneously expanding his Divine Sense. A moment later, Shen Luo walked out of the ruins, his face filled with disappointment. His assumption turned out to be correct. This place indeed served as a depot for minerals and Spiritual Materials. However, the supplies were either taken by the Mountain Fangcun, ravaged by whoever destroyed this place, or basically depleted. In some inconspicuous corners, he found some ordinary minerals. Shen Luo shook his head and continued to ascend. After a few steps, he reached the mountain top, his facial expression changing instantly. Behind the mountain was nothingness, with no earth in sight. Looking forward, there lay an endless abyss, its border completely out of sight. Darkness filled the depths of the abyss, the bottom of which was invisible. The edge of the abyss was smooth and straight, suggesting that it was not naturally formed. Rather, it seemed as though everything had been swept away instantly by some divine power. The scene left Shen Luo flabbergasted for a while before he regained his composure. He bent down, picked up a stone the size of a millstone and threw it with all his strength. The stone arched in mid-air before eventually plummeting into the abyss, disappearing without a trace. A long while passed without any sound emanating from within the abyss, leaving him unsure whether the abyss was too deep for any sound to travel back up or some prohibition inside had instantly obliterated the stone. In either case, the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave came to an end here, and there was no need to continue exploring. Moreover, he had already garnered enough gains to satisfy himself. Shen Luo turned around and descended the Mountain Peak, heading back in the direction from which he came. Before long, he was back atop the cliff where he had awoken and stepped into the dark Cave again, quickly reaching the outside of the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave. Shen Luo looked around carefully and saw nothing unusual. He then leaped up, like a Flying General, covering over twenty yards in a single bound. With a ¡°boom¡±, he heavily landed on the Stone Wall across the entrance. His feet created a Big Pit on the ground, and dust blew up in the air with fragments of stones flying everywhere, but he remained unscathed. As if nothing had happened, Shen Luo walked forward and stood before the Stone Wall taking a closer look. He clearly remembered that this was exactly how he had entered this space. If he intended to leave now, it would probably be through here. However, he had previously checked this mountain wall and hadn¡¯t noticed anything special. It seemed that leaving this place might not be so easy after all. He expanded his Divine Sense and quickly scanned the Stone Wall once more, but still found nothing. He frowned, placed his palms on the wall and released a surge of Mana from his body into the wall. The Stone Wall remained unresponsive as if his Mana had vanished into thin air. Shen Luo pulled his hands back, standing quietly in front of the Stone Wall, deep in thought. At this point, he had only one solution left. ¡°Elder, I mean no disrespect. But with no other choice left, I have to do this to get out.¡± Shen Luo said respectfully, bowing towards the depths of the Secret Realm. He then turned around, faced the Stone Wall, and clenched his fists. Golden light enveloped his body, and his both arms rose at the same time. His fists turned golden instantly, as if cast from gold, exuding infinite power. As he made his move, they transformed into two rays of Golden Light, striking the Stone Wall. Contrary to his expectation, no thunderous noise followed. In fact, not a single sound was made! Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: Chapter 189: As If A Lifetime Has Passed Chapter 191: Chapter 189: As If A Lifetime Has Passed On the stone wall, a dazzling white light emerges, forming a white light curtain. The light curtain has countless white lines crisscrossing, forming various patterns, creating a truly mystical prohibition, blocking Shen Luo¡¯s fist. However, the power contained in his fist was jaw-dropping, his fists deeply falling into the white light curtain. The white light curtain tightly held, not breaking. ¡°Humph!¡± Shen Luo, seeing this scene, remained expressionless with only a cold snort. As soon as the sound fell, his body¡¯s golden light bloomed again, with the shadow of three dragons and three elephants appearing, producing the sound of a dragon chant and an elephant¡¯s roar. The next moment, the shadow of the three dragons and three elephants shot out, blending into his arms. The golden light from his arms suddenly surged several times, and a fist force several times stronger than before erupted like a volcano, fiercely tearing on the white light curtain. With a ¡°hiss¡± sound, the white light curtain could no longer hold and burst open, turning into countless white light spots and drifting away. Shen Luo¡¯s fists tore the light curtain, did not stop, continued to hammer forward, ruthlessly hitting the stone wall. The solid stone wall under his hand, fragile as if made of paper, created a dull rumble and a large hole formed at the center where his fists hit. The surrounding void exudes strands of white light, covering everything, making everything around it become illusory, and only the large hole in the stone wall is real. Through the large hole, the outside mountain forest could be seen clearly. Shen Luo took a long breath, withdrew his fists, and with one leap, rocketed out from within the big hole. Go to ????????????????????.co He only felt a blur before his eyes, then appeared in front of the cliff where he was trapped previously. ¡°Finally, I¡¯m out!¡± Looking at the familiar mountain peak before his eyes, a hint of a smile appeared on Shen Luo¡¯s face. The Heaven Devouring Tiger wasn¡¯t waiting here; likely it had lost patience waiting after so many days. Regretfully shaking his head, Shen Luo, whose strength had greatly increased at this moment, wanted to find an opponent to properly confirm his new strength. The Heaven Devouring Tiger was indeed the most suitable opponent. However, he¡¯s not really a belligerent person who would intentionally look for the Heaven Devouring Tiger for a match. Since it wasn¡¯t encountered, he¡¯ll let it be. Shen Luo turned around and looked at the cliff behind him, a large hole has appeared and strands of white light radiated from inside. After a while, the hole did not show any sign of healing automatically. ¡°Looks like the prohibition here was destroyed by me,¡± Shen Luo scratched his head, moved some large stones from the surrounding, and blocked the big hole. Having done that, he didn¡¯t linger, leaped towards the base of the mountain. He mastered the thirty-six verses of the Huangting Technique, other than the changes to his physical body, his agility, and speed also greatly increased. It¡¯s like walking on flat ground in the steep and dangerous mountains, with just a few leaps, he had disappeared into the distance. Not long after Shen Luo left, a white figure shot from the distance and arrived at the cliff. The white light dimmed to reveal the figure of the Heaven Devouring Tiger. It looked at the covered entrance on the cliff, a hint of happiness appeared in its eyes, then, recalling something, its eyes shone with fierce light, and it swung its paw. A cluster of blue lightning shot out, ¡°boom,¡± knocking the stones blocking the entrance and shooting them into the distance. The Heaven Devouring Tiger dashed and rushed into the hole. Half an hour later, a roar full of extreme fury echoed from the large hole in the cliff, causing the nearby mountain wall to tremble incessantly. ¡­ Shen Luo knew nothing of what happened behind him, his figure was rapidly moving around the top of Mount Fangcun. In less than half an hour, he descended the mountain. He stopped by a pool at the foot of the mountain, bent down to wash his face, and then looked up at the sky. Days and nights passed in the cave with a constant brightness, unaware of the change between day and night. The sky seemed strangely dark at this moment, as if a great black curtain had covered it, emitting a suffocating pressure, like a storm was coming. No one could tell the time. For some reason, a hint of chill permeated the air around them. Finding it strange, Shen Luo chose not to dwell too much on it. He sped towards Longevity Village and soon reached its entrance. ¡°You¡­ Master Shen, you¡¯re still alive!¡± The guards at the village entrance gawked at the sight of Shen Luo, their faces soon showing a mix of shock and joy. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but frown. Thinking about it, he realized that it made sense. He had been in the mountain for over twenty days, previously being hunted by the Heaven Devouring Tiger. It wasn¡¯t irrational for Ying Luo to believe that he had fallen. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Open the gate.¡± He said, giving it some thought. ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re well, Master Shen. Let¡¯s open the gate quickly.¡± Qing Niu appeared from amongst the crowd, bowed to Shen Luo, then turned around and said. While he was calling others to open the gate, he simultaneously pulled a person aside and whispered something to him. That person then sprinted towards the village. ¡°How has the village been during this period? Also, has Ying Luo returned?¡± As Shen Luo started walking towards the village, he asked Qing Niu, who was following behind him. ¡°Master Ying? She is currently in the village. I¡¯ve sent someone to inform her. A few days ago, a demon attacked the village, but she managed to drive it away with magic.¡± Qing Niu answered. Shen Luo found Qing Niu¡¯s reply a bit strange, but hearing that Ying Luo was safe, he didn¡¯t give it much thought and carried on towards his residence. ¡°Master Shen, where have you been for the past year and more?¡± Qing Niu followed and hesitated before asking. ¡°A year? What year?¡± Shen Luo was taken aback and asked with a surprised expression. ¡°You went to Mount Fangcun with Master Ying last year and then disappeared. It has been over a year since then.¡± Qing Niu looked at him with a puzzled expression. Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He stood there stunned for a moment before coming back to his senses. ¡°Master Shen, are you alright?¡± The teenager stopped as he saw Shen Luo stop in his tracks. ¡°Has it really been that long since I was on the mountain?¡± Coming back to his senses, Shen Luo asked again. ¡°Absolutely, you went up Mount Fangcun with Master Ying in June last year, and now it¡¯s already October of this year.¡± Qing Niu nodded in affirmation. Shen Luo looked at the thick clothes on Qing Niu, felt the temperature around them, and realized why he had felt something was strange ever since he had come down the mountain and returned to the village. But had it indeed been more than a year since then, even though he had only spent just over twenty days in the cave? Suddenly, it dawned on him to remember the story Ying Luo had told him ¡ª the story of the woodcutter who met the immortals playing chess on Mount Fangcun. Although his situation didn¡¯t seem so exaggerated, the circumstances were basically the same. ¡°It seems that Ying Luo¡¯s tale was not made up, it does have grounds.¡± Shen Luo thought to himself. ¡°Big Brother Shen, it really is you! I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe!¡± As these thoughts were running through his head, a joyful voice echoed from the front. Shen Luo looked up to see Ying Luo¡¯s figure approaching rapidly, her face full of exhilaration. ¡°Daoist Ying.¡± Shen Luo suppressed his joy at seeing Ying Luo, and greeted her with a light chuckle. Following Ying Luo, many villagers also came rushing over. Seeing Shen Luo, each of them showed a mixture of shock and joy. ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient to talk here. Let¡¯s go to my courtyard to talk in detail.¡± Shen Luo frowned slightly, addressed Ying Luo, and strode ahead. ¡°Qing Niu, you should return to your post at the gate.¡± Knowing Shen Luo¡¯s dislike for crowds, Ying Luo instructed Qing Niu and followed right behind Shen Luo. Chapter 192 - Chapter 192: Chapter 190: Giving Spirit Grass Chapter 192: Chapter 190: Giving Spirit Grass The two arrived at Shen Luo¡¯s residence in no time. Despite being gone for over a year, the courtyard remained immaculately clean, clearly maintained by regular visitors. ¡°Big Brother Shen, where have you been for the past year? Why didn¡¯t you send any word back to the village? I thought you¡¯d been devoured by the Heaven Devouring Tiger,¡± Ying Luo grumbled slightly. ¡°I apologize, Daoist Ying. That day when chased by the Heaven Devouring Tiger, I accidentally stumbled into a hidden cave. The exit was sealed by a prohibition and I was trapped inside until recently when I managed to escape,¡± Shen Luo explained nonchalantly, his eyes flickering subtly. He withheld information about the incident in the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave and didn¡¯t tell it to Ying Luo. This was because for people like Ying Luo, the immortal of Mount Fangcun was the sole beacon of hope in their hearts. This hope provided them the strength to persevere through the hardships in the village. If they were to learn that Mount Fangcun had been wiped out, they would undoubtedly fall into despair. ¡°So that¡¯s how it was. But, Big Brother Shen, it seems like your cultivation has further improved?¡± Realizing what happened, Ying Luo looked Shen Luo up and down, her eyes flashing a hint of surprise. Not being capable of sensing Divine Sense, she couldn¡¯t perceive Shen Luo¡¯s cultivation realm. However, his overall demeanor, especially the substantial change in his physical strength compared to before, caught her attention. Unfamiliar with body-refining techniques, she mistook these for improvements in Shen Luo¡¯s cultivation, which was somewhat spot-on albeit inadvertent. ¡°Being trapped in a cave for years, diligent cultivation was my only hope of escape. Daoist Ying, your cultivation has also significantly improved, reaching the Late Stage of Qi Refining,¡± Shen Luo casually replied with a smile. During their second trip up Mount Fangcun, Ying Luo had already advanced to the Mid-Stage of Qi Refining. Now, after just over a year, her cultivation had not only increased, but it seemed she had undergone other changes as well. ¡°My advancement pales in comparison to you,¡± Ying Luo shook her head as she chuckled. Shen Luo didn¡¯t continue the topic of cultivation levels, instead asking about the happenings in the village over the past year. From Ying Luo, he learned that the village had been fairly stable. Although they were occasionally attacked by demons, these demons weren¡¯t particularly strong. Adding to that, Ying Luo¡¯s advanced cultivation allowed her to handle these attacks quite efficiently. After talking for a while, Ying Luo stood up to leave. ¡°Daoist Ying, please wait,¡± Shen Luo spoke, retrieving a Four Leaf Flower and another mature Spirit Grass from the Seven Star Pen. Go to ?????????????????.co ¡°Four Leaf Flower! Cultivation Grass!¡± Ying Luo exclaimed, her delicate face surprised. ¡°It seems Daoist Ying has spent some time studying Spirit Grass. I discovered these in the cave. The Four Leaf Flower can be boiled into a nourishing soup for the children, and the Cultivation Grass can stabilize your foundation and possibly help with your breakthroughs,¡± said Shen Luo, as he handed over the two plants, laughing. ¡°I can accept the Four Leaf Flower on behalf of the children, but this Cultivation Grass appears to be over two hundred years old. It¡¯s too valuable, I can¡¯t accept it,¡± Ying Luo hesitated, returning the cultivation grass, keeping only the Four Leaf Flower. ¡°It¡¯s just a single plant, Daoist Ying, don¡¯t take it to heart. I had quite a haul from that cave,¡± replied Shen Luo, refusing to take the grass back, while patting his waist with a smile. Ying Luo¡¯s expression shifted with uncertainty. ¡°Daoist Ying, you have always been straight-forward. Why the hesitation now? If you still think of me as Big Brother Shen, accept it right away,¡± Shen Luo scowled, pretending to be irritated. ¡°Since Big Brother Shen has put it in that way, I will accept it reluctantly,¡± Ying Luo looked surprised by Shen Luo¡¯s response, took a deep breath, and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Your rise in strength will also benefit the village,¡± Shen Luo said, finally cracking a smile. During his trip to the mountain, he accidentally stumbled upon treasure in the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave. The bounty he found could be seen as a great favour from Mount Fangcun. If he couldn¡¯t return some of it, he would feel restless. However, from what he could infer, Mount Fangcun seemed to be eradicated. Even if he wanted to do something for them, he was powerless. Fortunately, Longevity Village, which sat at the foot of the mountain was said to be the successors of Mount Fangcun. Helping Ying Luo improve her strength was his way of repaying the kindness. However, one Cultivation Grass would hardly suffice. He planned to thoroughly examine his other findings and gradually extend more favors to Longevity Village. After bidding Ying Luo goodbye, Shen Luo closed the courtyard door, walked back into the house, and sat down. Then he brought out the Seven Star Pen and emptied its contents. While on the mountain, he rushed the exploration of Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave because he wanted to finish as quickly as possible, hence he didn¡¯t carefully examine many items. Now that he was back in the village, he finally had time to do so. Thinking so, Shen Luo first picked up the White Jade Slip, released his Divine Sense, and started to investigate the five talismans on it again. He had looked them over quickly before and hadn¡¯t thoroughly understood the capabilities of these five talismans. As time went by, a blend of joy and worry appeared on his face. At first glance, the five talismans seemed ordinary, but each carried a unique and extraordinary effect upon closer inspection. The Flying Talisman was simple in its description, but the ability to fly for a short period was a pleasant surprise. The Binding Talisman could bypass the target¡¯s physical defenses and seal their meridians and acupoints, proving effective against monks and monsters alike. Previously, he had struggled to slay the Beauty Snake due to its tough scales, but with the Binding Talisman, it wouldn¡¯t have been so difficult! The Fractured Talisman, as the name implies, was magical and could be used to break the armor of enemies or penetrate the tough skin of a monster. Its benefits in battle were obvious. The Amnesia Talisman might seem useless at first since it could only be used on those with a lower cultivation level. If the cultivation level of two parties were close or if the other party had powerful divine consciousness, it would hardly serve any purpose. However, with additional consideration, Shen Luo found it useful in battle. Even when competing with those of similar cultivation levels, it could cause combatants to lapse in focus momentarily. In the rapidly changing battlefield, even the slightest mistake could determine the outcome, let alone a momentary loss of focus. Finally, the Lightning Attribute Talisman, named the Thunderfall Talisman, was a purely offensive talisman. Unlike the Small Thunder Talisman that used its own mana to create lightning, the Thunderfall Talisman sealed actual Heavenly Thunder into the talisman, which would then be unleashed to attack the enemy. Actual thunder, being a power of Heaven and Earth, even when weakened upon sealing into a talisman, was much more potent than the Small Thunder Talisman. However, the power of the Thunderfall Talisman was also significantly influenced by the cultivation level of the one who drew it. It seemed complicated to make and had to be created in a stormy weather. Even so, this minor inconvenience was nothing compared to the power of the Thunderfall Talisman. Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Take a Different Path Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Take a Different Path Shen Luo suppressed the excitement in his heart and took a deep breath. Although these five talismans are powerful, their crafting process is far more difficult than that of Small Thunder Talismans. They must be crafted with specialized high-grade talisman ink and Purple Cloud Talisman Paper. ¡°Purple Cloud Talisman Paper? It must be a kind of high-grade talisman paper.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. He initially knew very little about spiritual materials, but after examining the ¡°Immortal Divine Herb¡± manual he found in the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave, he gained a lot of knowledge in this area. From here, he realized how precious the materials needed to create the high-grade talisman ink and Purple Cloud Talisman Paper are. It isn¡¯t easier to collect these materials even if he went back to the real world and left this resource-deprived Longevity Village. Even though he obtained some spiritual materials on the mountain, these materials had nothing to do with the five talismans he found. At this moment, there was a sudden rumble of thunder in the sky. Shen Luo¡¯s heart stirred, and he looked towards the sky through the wooden window. What he saw was that the previously dark and gloomy sky had become even more oppressive. In the rolling clouds, sporadic flashes of white thunder could be seen. ¡°Nature sure has good timing¡­ it¡¯s such a pity though.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself. As soon as his words faded, numerous raindrops began pouring down from the sky, creating a curtain of rain between heaven and earth. The previously dark and gloomy sky had finally started to rain. The rain continued to fall heavily, punctuated by flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. This thunderstorm coincided perfectly with the conditions for refining the Thunderfall Talisman, but unfortunately, he lacked the materials. Shen Luo shook his head regretfully. If he had the materials, he would really like to try drawing this Thunderfall Talisman to see how it seals the heavenly thunder. Go to ????????????????????.co He sighed, ready to release his Divine Sense from the jade slip. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that?¡± Suddenly he noticed several lines of small characters beneath the Thunderfall Talisman description in the jade slip. These characters were so small and blurred that he might have missed them if his Divine Sense hadn¡¯t been so potent at the Nascent Soul Stage. There wasn¡¯t anything similar under the other four talisman descriptions. Shen Luo examined these characters more closely, and they started to become clearer. ¡°This is¡­¡± His eyes widened in surprise, a look of disbelief spread across his face. These small characters detailed an alternative way to make a Thunderfall Talisman. This method only required several common materials for the talisman ink, and didn¡¯t have any particular requirements for the talisman paper. It was something that the original owner of the jade slip had figured out through years of practice. However, even though this method could be used, the success rate would be greatly affected and it would be far lower than the conventional method. But for Shen Luo¡¯s current situation, this was undoubtedly a piece of great news. After all, a low probability was always better than not having a chance to try at all. ¡°Blue Electrostone, Floating Shadow Jade, Golden Shell.¡± Shen Luo read the list of alternative materials for the talisman ink silently, a look of joy spread across his face. These three materials weren¡¯t rare, and he remembered that among the various spiritual materials he had obtained in the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave, there were quite a few pieces of Blue Electrostone and Floating Shadow Jade, as well as regular talisman paper. As for the Golden Shell, a common spiritual material that a low-level sea monster sheds, he could definitely obtain a large quantity if he asked Hou Lang or Lang Pu for help. With these materials at hand, he had everything he needed to create a Thunderfall Talisman. Shen Luo put the jade slip down and was about to summon Lang Pu, but he then stopped halfway, glanced at the heavy rain and thunderstorm outside the window, picked up the Seven Star Pen, used the Ninety-nine Treasure refining tactics, and began to refine it. When one wants to accomplish something, they have to sharpen their tools first. Creating the Thunderfall Talisman would definitely be challenging. The Seven Star Pen could not only be used for storage but also for drawing talismans. If he could refine all the prohibitions within it, perhaps it would increase the success rate a little. After all, judging from the current trend, this thunderstorm wouldn¡¯t stop anytime soon. With his current cultivation level, refining a magical instrument wasn¡¯t something difficult. After a little while, the second layer of prohibition on the Seven Star Pen was refined. The Kai Yang star on the pen shaft lit up. A faint silver light emerged from the Seven Star Pen, which looked quite beautiful in the dim light of the room. Not only that, but his Divine Sense could feel that when the fluctuations inside the charm pen started, another space of several feet appeared, merging with the previous space, and the volume increased by about 30%. But when he tried to swing the pen in the air again, he found that the duration of the silver light mark had not changed at all, indicating there weren¡¯t any significant improvements related to drawing talismans. Shen Luo didn¡¯t think too much about it and continued with refining. Within a blink of an eye, almost half a day had passed. The heavy rain was still pouring outside, and the rumbling of thunder was still rumbling in his ears. At this time, the surface of the Seven Star Pen in Shen Luo¡¯s hand was continuously shimmering with silver light. The seven-star pattern was fully emitting bright silver light, indicating that all seven layers of prohibition had been completely refined. A wave of mana emanated from the pen. This wave was different from the Golden Rope and Half-moon ring, it was filled with a sense of ethereality. Shen Luo caressed the charm pen in his hand, took a deep breath, channeled his internal mana into the pen, tried to draw in the air again, and mid-air marks appeared once more. However, to his disappointment, the duration of these light marks had still not increased by the slightest bit. ¡°It seems that while this magical instrument can be used to draw talismans, it doesn¡¯t offer too much help in increasing the success rate. Its main function might still be storage.¡± Shen Luo gave a bitter laugh and muttered to himself, then released his Divine Sense into the pen. As he had expected, the space within the charm pen had now doubled compared to prior to refinement, which was enough for him to store things. ¡°Huh!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s face suddenly stiffened, because in the depth of the charm pen¡¯s space, a small pile of things had suddenly appeared. He had been focused on refining and hadn¡¯t noticed the increase in internal space, which caused the change to the newly expanded areas. These things must have been stored in the later sections of the space, which now presented themselves due to the completion of the prohibition refinement. Shen Luo carefully examined these items and realized that other than a large stack of green talisman paper, two white jade bottles and a cauldron-shaped black pot, the remaining items were all various kinds of spiritual materials. ¡°So many talisman papers! And there¡¯s Green Phoenix Wood, Star-transforming Grass, Blue Electrostone¡­ They even have Golden Shells. It¡¯s like the heavens are helping me, I have all the alternative materials for the Thunderfall Talisman!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up in joy after recognizing what they were. This green talisman paper was something he had come across in the Yu Family in Donglai County. He vaguely remembered that it was called ¡°Green Frost Paper¡±. Although it couldn¡¯t reach the standard required to draw the five high-grade talismans¡ªin other words it wasn¡¯t as good as the so-called Purple Cloud Paper¡ªit was still better than the yellow talisman paper he used for making the Small Thunder Talisman. Using it as an alternative for the Thunderfall talisman wasn¡¯t a waste. He quickly took out all the materials, sorting them into different categories and organized them properly. There were quite a lot of materials here, most of them were low-grade spiritual materials. After counting, not only were the ordinary ingredients for the Thunderfall Talisman all present, but there were also quite a numerous extra sets. Apart from the low-grade materials, there were also quite a few high-grade spiritual materials here, which perfectly matched with the talisman ink materials and Purple Cloud Paper materials needed to craft the five high-grade talismans, but the quantity was not much. Shen Luo immediately picked up a sheet of Green Frost Paper and placed it in front of him. He then waved his hand and retrieved the black pot from the charm pen space. Chapter 194 - Chapter 194: Chapter 192: Thunderfall Talisman Chapter 194: Chapter 192: Thunderfall Talisman The pot stood two feet tall, completely black with a lid at the top, riddled with tiny holes. On its body was a vividly embossed sculpture of a gorgeous Vermilion Bird, as lifelike as if it were alive. It had a slightly smaller hole on each side leading to the inside of the pot. This item called a Refining Furnace was used to prepare Talisman Ink and paper for talismans. Creating high-level runes requires complex procedures for preparing Talisman Ink and Talisman Paper. Using this specialized implement will make it much easier. Hence, any monk proficient in runes will try to acquire one. Fortunately, there was such a thing within the Seven-Star Pen Space. Otherwise, he would have needed to expend a considerable amount of effort. He made a hand seal to retrieve the Blue Electrostone and other two spiritual materials, placing them aside. He then took a piece of flint to ignite the black Refining Furnace, which quickly turned dark red, releasing a scorching aura. Picking up a piece of Blue Electrostone, he threw it into the Refining Furnace. Immediately, five flames entangled themselves around it. With the licking of the fire, the Blue Electrostone quickly melted into a blue liquid in which faint sparking lightning could be seen. Shen Luo didn¡¯t hesitate. He immediately picked up a Floating Shadow Jade, threw it in, and it quickly melted and blended into the liquid produced from the Blue Electrostone. The originally blue liquid slowly turned a light purple color. With his Divine Sense, he assessed the situation inside, nodded slightly, and picked up the third spiritual material, a Golden Shell, putting it into the furnace. Creating Talisman Ink is not as difficult as creating alchemy and refining artifacts, only requiring one to control the heat properly. The Golden Shell also quickly melted, merging with the other two spiritual materials. The original light purple liquid instantly became significantly deeper, revealing tiny golden particles flashing within. Shen Luo silently nodded, lifted the furnace lid, and beckoned with his hand. A gush of Mana rushed out from his palm, wrapping around the purple liquid as it flew out of the furnace. After cooling slightly, it fell into a small bowl. Go to ????????????????????.co This purple Talisman Ink, prepared using special methods, didn¡¯t solidify even though its temperature had dropped. Shen Luo picked up the Seven Star Pen, dipped it in the purple Talisman Ink, and carefully recalled the rune of Thunderfall Talisman in his mind. After confirming there were no mistakes, he moved his pen like a dancing dragon, and a Thunderfall Talisman was quickly drawn. But the talisman paper remained still, and the rune was dim, clearly indicating failure. His expression remained unchanged. He tossed the failed rune aside, picked up another piece of talisman paper, and began another drawing attempt but still failed. Shen Luo pulled out the third piece of talisman paper and resumed drawing¡­ Before long, more than a dozen wasted talismans piled up beside him. Shen Luo¡¯s expression remained calm. After all, the jade slip had indicated that the probability of a successful attempt at creating a Thunderfall Talisman through alternative methods was extremely low. ¡°I have enough talisman paper and ink for hundreds of attempts, I refuse to believe I won¡¯t succeed once!¡± he muttered to himself as he picked up another talisman paper to commence drawing again. At this point, Shen Luo had become quite familiar with the rune of the Thunderfall Talisman. His Seven Star Pen flew across the paper, and a talisman was quickly completed. As soon as his final stroke was complete, the runes on the surface of the talisman paper suddenly lit up with a brilliant purple light. Shen Luo was taken aback before he realized what had just happened. His face revealed an incredulous expression. Wasn¡¯t it said that the success rate of creating Thunderfall Talisman with low-grade materials was incredibly low? He had only made a dozen or so attempts! At that moment, the talisman paper automatically levitated from the table. Countless tiny runes appeared in the purple light, emitting a unique force of attraction. Rumble! The thunder and lightning in the cloudy area above began to stir, sending piercing electric arcs towards the airspace above the courtyard, as if they were about to strike down. Upon sensing the changes in the sky outside, Shen Luo ignored his surprise. He urgently grabbed the talisman paper and flew into the courtyard. The runes on the talisman in his hand flashed purple light, and the talisman paper made a ¡°whoosh¡± sound, trembling uncontrollably towards the mid-air. It seemed as if the thunder and lightning in the air were desperately attracting it. Seeing this, Shen Luo let go of the talisman in his hand without saying a word and used a hand seal to emit Mana to wrap around the talisman paper, sending it towards the mid-air. With a flash, the Thunderfall talisman shot right beneath the clouds, and the disturbance within the clouds intensified, gathering all above the talisman. A thunderbolt resounded with a loud ¡°snap¡± as several purple electric arcs shot out from the clouds, condensing into a thunderbolt the thickness of an arm, striking the Green Frost Paper. The purple light that the talisman paper radiated brightened all at once, while the surrounding purple runes spun rapidly. The thunderbolt disappeared as though it sank into the sea, seemingly absorbed by the Thunderfall Talisman. In the courtyard below, Shen Luo watched this scene, his face brimming with surprise. After the Thunderfall Talisman absorbed the lightning, the purple light on its surface receded and the tiny runes disappeared. The entire talisman seemed to lose all its power and fluttered down. Shen Luo hastily stretched out his hand to emit Mana again, reclaiming the Thunderfall Talisman back to his hand. He looked down and saw that the runes on the talisman were extremely bright and seemed to have gained some kind of spiritual intelligence, faintly emitting weak, tiny, purple electric arcs. He looked delightedly at the talisman in his hand and probed it with his Divine Sense, sensing a surge of genuine appreciation within his heart. The violent thunder and lightning sealed within the talisman was extraordinarily potent, many times stronger than Small Thunder Talisman, to the point where even he felt a hint of apprehension. However, for him, the more powerful the Thunderfall Talisman, the better! Excited, Shen Luo put the talisman into his pocket and headed back into the house. The sky was now near dark, and a thunderstorm had started. The villagers have long taken refuge in their homes. The gathering of lightning and thunder over Shen Luo¡¯s residence didn¡¯t attract any attention. However, not everyone was oblivious to what was happening in the sky. Within a tower in the village, Granny Ma was leaning against the door, her gaze fixed in the direction of Shen Luo¡¯s residence. ¡°That scene just now seemed to be the refinement process of a high-level rune that my master mentioned, the ¡®Thunderfall Talisman¡¯. The Thunderfall Talisman is a secret of Mount Fangcun, and even my master, as an external disciple of Mount Fangcun, hasn¡¯t received its teachings. Where did Shen Luo obtain this talisman? And he even managed to refine it!¡± Granny Ma¡¯s aged, yellow eyes were filled with shock. At that moment, Shen Luo was in his house, meticulously drawing Thunderfall Talismans. Perhaps because of his exceptional giftedness, the success rate of drawing Thunderfall Talismans was much higher than what was stated in the jade slip. In some instances, he succeeded once every thirteen to fourteen attempts, or once in seventeen to eighteen other times. After successfully drawing a talisman, he would immediately go into the courtyard to absorb the power of the lightning and completely finish refining the Thunderfall Talisman. The weather also seemed to be ¡°cooperative,¡± as the thunderstorm persisted. In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed. Shen Luo was seated with his legs crossed, his eyes full of red veins, his face weary, but his eyes brimming with intense excitement. On the table in front of him laid a dozen talismans, all successful drawings of Thunderfall Talismans that had been charged with lightning, amounting to twenty or thirty talismans! Chapter 195 - Chapter 195: Chapter 193: Take Advantage of the Situation Chapter 195: Chapter 193: Take Advantage of the Situation This is a high-level attack talisman, vastly more powerful than the Small Thunder Talisman. Nearly a complete force of heavenly thunder is absorbed into every talisman. With so many Sky Thunder Talismans at his disposal and their potential to unleash such power, even if confronted by a being at the late Nascent Soul Stage or higher, he should be able to handle it. He deposited these Thunderfall Talismans into the Seven-Star Pen Space then, sitting cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes and rested. After a while, Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes, all traces of fatigue gone from his expression. By now, outside was covered in darkness and the storm continued, minus the sound of thunder. The gentle patter of rain filtered in from outside the window, adding a sense of tranquility to the room. Shen Luo lit the oil lamp in the room, intending to continue crafting talismans. After all, he was quite interested in crafting other high-level talismans such as the Fractured Talisman, aside from the Thunderfall Talisman. With that thought, he fired up the Refining Furnace and tossed a purple crystal stone into it. After waiting for a moment, he threw in the second ingredient, and then waited again¡­ Half an hour later, Shen Luo formed a swarm of hand seals and instantly, a large blob of deep purple liquid ejected from the furnace. Under his control, the liquid split into over a dozen egg-sized purple droplets, suspended in the air by mana. He used another hand seal and under the influence of his mana, one of the purple droplets slowly expanded and gradually took the shape of a perfect square sheet of paper. The heat within the purple liquid dissipated rapidly, and the liquid quickly hardened into a paper-like form. Subtle cloud-like patterns faintly appeared on the purple paper. ¡°The reputation of Purple Cloud Paper is well-deserved, it is indeed beyond comparison with Green Frost Paper,¡± he observed, pinching the piece of paper between two fingers. A quick probe with his divine sense confirmed its extraordinary nature. Not only was the Purple Cloud Paper more robust than the Green Frost Paper, but it also held a trace of an auspicious aura, making it significantly better at carrying runes. Go to ????????????????????.co Applying the same method, Shen Luo quickly transformed the rest of the purple liquid into Purple Cloud Paper. He gathered the remaining materials, prepared another furnace and altogether managed to create thirty-five sheets. He let out a sigh of relief, for manufacturing Purple Cloud Paper was much more complex than preparing talisman ink and the materials were limited. Thankfully his robust mana prevented any mishaps. He neatly stacked these sheets of Purple Cloud Paper and began to prepare the talisman ink according to the instructions in the jade slip. Shortly, the ink was ready. Shen Luo placed the bowl filled with talisman ink and the Purple Cloud Paper in front of him. He closed his eyes to take a rest, and when his spirit, qi, and energy were restored, he opened his eyes once again. There were only thirty-five sheets of Purple Cloud Paper: he could only attempt to draw thirty-five times. Although theoretically, using high-level talisman ink and paper should have a higher success rate than using substitutes as he had done in the making of the Thunderfall Talisman, he wasn¡¯t overly confident. ¡°Which one should I try first?¡± Shen Luo pondered. Binding Talisman, Flying Talisman, Fractured Talisman, Amnesia Talisman¡­ he recalled their abilities one by one. After a moment of consideration, he decided to start with the seemingly more practical Fractured Talisman. He rehearsed the runes of the Fractured Talisman in his mind and then picked up the pen to start drawing. The first attempt ended in failure not unlike the second and third¡­ After six failed attempts in a row, he was a bit depressed, but since he had been mentally prepared for this, he wasn¡¯t too disappointed. After calming himself, he picked up another sheet of Purple Cloud Paper and resumed his efforts. But as he finished drawing the runes and lifted his pen, there was a sudden ¡®hum¡¯ and a purple light burst forth from the surface of the talisman paper, accompanied by a crisp sound like the clashing of metal! ¡°I did it!¡± A sense of joy welled up in Shen Luo as he let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps due to the use of high-grade talisman ink and paper, the success rate seemed to be significantly higher than using common materials for the Thunderfall Talisman. Of course, this might also be due to his current cultivation level and potential. Shen Luo held the finished Fractured Talisman and turned it over a few times, itching to try it out. But, this one-time-use talisman would be gone once used, and he was not yet entirely out of danger. So, he forced down the desire to test it out. After catching his breath, Shen Luo once again lifted the Seven Star Pen, planning to attempt the Binding Talisman next. Using up all the Purple Cloud Paper on the Fractured Talisman wouldn¡¯t significantly boost the success rate. If the success rate remained as before, he wanted to craft as many of the four types of talismans as possible. The runes for the Binding Talisman looked a bit more complex than the Fractured Talisman. After soup check several times in his mind to making sure he remembered it correctly, Shen Luo started to draw. One sheet, two sheets, three sheets, four¡­ It was not until the ninth sheet of Purple Cloud Paper that he finally managed to make a Binding Talisman. ¡°With the remaining nineteen pieces of Purple Cloud Paper, I¡¯ll try making the seemingly easiest Flying Talisman while leaving enough paper for attempting the Amnesia Talisman¡±, Shen Luo carefully planned the sequence of his attempts before picking up the pen again. Sure enough, after a few more attempts, he realized he was perhaps too optimistic. The runes for the Flying Talisman were relatively simple, but its control differed from the other two types of talismans. When drawing the runes, an odd floating force seemed to seep out of the paper, temporarily disrupting his drawing and giving him the odd sensation of writing on a rocking boat. Failure! Failure! Still a failure! In the blink of an eye, he had failed eighteen times, with only one remaining Purple Cloud Paper left. ¡°I miscalculated¡­ I didn¡¯t expect the Flying Talisman to be the most difficult to create.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s expression turned grim. Given another chance, though, he would still make the same choice, for out of all the five types of talismans, the one he most desired was the Flying Talisman. This was a life-saving tool after all! If Bai Xiaotian hadn¡¯t taken him on a flight with an Escape Talisman, giving him a taste of the exhilarating sensation of soaring freely through the sky, he might not have had such a profound understanding of its value. Shen Luo took a deep breath, and once again picked up the Seven Star Pen. Instead of starting to draw immediately, he closed his eyes and recalled the previous eighteen attempts, trying to figure out what went wrong. ¡°The main issue is the weird floating force interfering with the process. But that force is inherent to the runes of the Flying Talisman and can¡¯t be eliminated¨Cwhat should I do then¡­¡± he began to ponder. Suddenly, a memory flashed through Shen Luo¡¯s mind, reminding him of when he was searching for the Nameless Heavenly Book and had to navigate a rowboat through a turbulent river. ¡°Yes! Using the raft on the river was the same. The raging current kept steering the raft off course, and it was similar to the situation I¡¯m facing now.¡± He murmured to himself. Back then, he had asked Yu Da about the right technique for rowing a boat in strong currents. Although much time had passed since then, and he no longer remembered clearly what advice Yu Da had given, he seemed to recall something about not trying to fight against the river¡¯s current but learning to use it to one¡¯s advantage instead. ¡°To use the current to one¡¯s advantage, yes, that has to be it!¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes shone as he felt like he¡¯d found the key. Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Chapter 194: Soaring through the Void Chapter 196: Chapter 194: Soaring through the Void He half-closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly opened his eyes, and began drawing the talisman. This time, he did not forcefully resist the floating energy, but instead tried to use this force to draw the talisman. Runes spread out quickly, and soon the runes of the Flying Talisman were completed. With a ¡°buzz¡±, a layer of white light emerged from the runes. ¡°Finally got one!¡± Shen Luo breathed a sigh of relief, immediately put the refining furnace and those unsorted materials into the Seven-Star Pen Space, and happily came to the courtyard. The sky was already bright at this moment, the rainstorm had stopped, and the sky seemed brighter than usual. Shen Luo held the Flying Talisman with two fingers in front of him, and the other hand formed a gesture. The runes on the surface of the Flying Talisman immediately emitted a bright green light. He loosened his grip, and the talisman ¡°popped¡± and attached itself firmly to his chest. A faint green light dispersed from the talisman, enveloping his body. Shen Luo felt his body become lighter. He lightly jumped, and flew forward easily, effortlessly crossing over the yard wall, shooting forward at least more than a dozen meters before landing. He lightly jumped again, continuously flying forward, with everything around receding rapidly, several times faster than Chasing Wind Step. Unlike the use of body techniques, this rapid advance only consumes the power of the Flying Talisman. There is no physical burden, and there is no danger of exhaustion. It is a good talisman for long journeys. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï A hint of joy appeared on Shen Luo¡¯s face, not only because of the excellent weight-reducing effect of the Flying Talisman, but more importantly, he felt the huge energy contained in the Flying Talisman as it moved forward. If he only used this to travel light, even if he ran continuously for three days and three nights, it would not consume much of the Flying Talisman¡¯s power. Not wanting to alert the villagers, he headed in a direction where there were few people in the village, and soon came to a mountain wall. Moving his mind, Shen Luo increased the mana driving the talisman, his body immediately lifted from the ground, moving towards the sky. The village below quickly became smaller, and everything around was within sight. No one saw Shen Luo, who was rising into the sky, because his current location was a remote exchange in the village and although the sky was bright, not many people in the village were out and about. ¡°I really flew!¡± Excitement sparkled in Shen Luo¡¯s eyes. Although he had flown with Master Luo and Bai Xiaotian before, being carried by others could not compare with flying with his own power. He increased the mana driving the Flying Talisman again, and the green light around him became denser. He flew towards the distant village at a faster speed, and the village was soon left behind. The Flying Talisman is not only capable of flying straight up and down; it can also fly in all directions, up, down, left, and right, by manipulating mana. It is very flexible. Once he left the village, he had no reservations and played happily in the sky. He gradually became familiar with the control of the Flying Talisman. Suddenly, with a ¡°whoosh¡±! A shadow flew past Shen Luo, it was a large grey bird, which looked like an old eagle, with a pair of large eyes that looked very spiritual, completely different from ordinary birds. The grey bird seemed to have never seen a flying human and was a bit curious. It turned around with a flap of its wings, circled around Shen Luo, and kept staring at Shen Luo with its big eyes. Shen Luo smiled slightly, reached out and grabbed, and held the grey bird¡¯s feathers in his hand. The grey bird was frightened, its wings flapped suddenly, and its speed increased several times, managed to escape from Shen Luo¡¯s hand, and then fled further away. Shen Luo let out a light sigh, his figure turned into a green shadow and he darted after the bird. The grey bird let out a shrill squeal, its wings flapping rapidly, its flight speed was incredibly fast, and it kept dodging left and right, very clever. It seemed to be a different kind of bird. He tried several times to catch it, but failed. Shen Luo was full of playful heart, he did not use his mana to attack, he only urged the Flying Talisman to chase, vowing to catch the bird with his hand. A human and a bird chased each other in the mid-air, soon leaving the village far behind. The grey bird desperately fled, but after all, it was just a bird, not a real monster. How could it compare with the might of a high-order rune? At the beginning, it could rely on its agile movements, flying east and darting west, barely escaping capture. But once Shen Luo became familiar with controlling the Flying Talisman for small range turning, the grey bird was quickly caught up with. Shen Luo reached out, grabbing the grey bird¡¯s neck. The grey bird let out a terrified shriek, struggling hard, but couldn¡¯t escape. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Shen Luo did not hurt the grey bird, teased it a bit in his hand, and then released it. The grey bird, having escaped death, hurriedly fled into the distance, disappearing in the distance. Shen Luo no longer paid attention to the grey bird, looked around, unknowingly he had come close to Mount Fangcun during his chase with the bird. Below was a grove. The spiritual energy here is abundant, and although it is already autumn, the leaves are still luxuriant. Shen Luo had played for a while, and his excitement gradually dissipated. Looking at the Flying Talisman on his chest, a hint of pain flashed in his eyes. He gathered his thoughts, and landed on a large stone in the grove below. This talisman, like the Escape Talisman, can be used multiple times, but he is not able to make a second one now, he¡¯ll have to be careful with its usage in the future. Shen Luo removed the Flying Talisman and became lost in thought. In terms of flight speed, this talisman falls short compared to the Bai Family¡¯s Escape Talisman. However, the latter has a time limit with each use and can only fly for a short while, whereas the former doesn¡¯t have this limitation and can sustain flight. Moreover, the energy contained in the Flying Talisman is profound. He had just flown for a while, and it used up less than one-tenth, which is also far superior to the Escape Talisman on this. In general, these two talisman each have their strengths, one for traveling, and the other for preserving life. Shen Luo put away the Flying Talisman, did not linger here, and turned around, intending to return to the village. He was busy drawing talisman earlier, there were many things in the Seven-Star pen that he had not checked yet. Just at this moment, a howling wind came from the distance, mixed with the fluctuation of demon qi. It reached above him in a blink of an eye, causing the surrounding trees to toss and turn. Shen Luo looked up, squinted his eyes, and saw a six to seven feet big, azure giant eagle appear above him. A golden feather crown grew on the eagle¡¯s head. Wasn¡¯t this the Azure Giant Eagle he and Ying Luo encountered the first time they went up the mountain? ¡°Twenty something, handsome face, not bad, it¡¯s you. Now the reward is all mine!¡± The Azure Giant Eagle halted mid-air, staring fixedly at Shen Luo, laughing excitedly. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Shen Luo picked up on the ill-intent in the eagle¡¯s words and asked without showing any signs. ¡°This human actually recognizes me? How do I not remember seeing you? If you know how powerful I am, just surrender willingly!¡± The eagle was momentarily stunned, then chuckled wickedly. Its huge body swooped down, its wings flashed with a green light, making a whooshing sound as they repeatedly flapped. Chapter 197 - Chapter 197: Chapter 195: Surrounding the Village Chapter 197: Chapter 195: Surrounding the Village Two greenish hurricanes burst forth, forming two green whirlwinds several dozen feet high. They came at Shen Luo from the left and right. Anywhere they passed, the air churned and winds howled wildly, bringing large trunks and leaves with them, increasing their momentum. Shen Luo¡¯s expression darkened slightly, he raised his hands against the incoming whirlwinds. A golden light flashed in his hands as two palms of golden light, each a dozen feet in size, appeared out of thin air and slapped onto the whirlwinds. With two muffled ¡°booms,¡± the menacing whirlwinds collapsed on contact! The Blue Eagle was greatly surprised, its eyes were full of disbelief. Before it could react, Shen Luo casually raised his hand and pressed against the void again. The two palms of golden light suddenly combined, transforming into a house-sized palm of golden light that moved to slap the Blue Eagle. Even before the palm arrived, an overwhelming force fell on the Blue Eagle, causing its feathers to stand on end and nearly unbalancing its mid-air posture. Fear apparent on the face of the Blue Eagle, it unleashed a burst of blue light from its body. Flapping with extreme speed nine times, it transformed into a blue shadow and shot forward over a dozen feet. Just barely, it managed to escape before the palm of golden light fully descended. But before it could catch its breath, it felt a sudden squeeze on one of its claws. It was held tight by a tremendous force ¡ª Shen Luo had leaped upward at some point and had appeared below it, gripping one of its claws with his right hand. ¡°Get down!¡± Shen Luo commanded with a low yell, pulling and sweeping it downward. Unable to resist the formidable force, The Blue Eagle¡¯s huge body plunged downwards like a small sparrow from mid-air, crash landing fiercely on several large trees below. With several ¡°booms,¡± the Blue Eagle snapped several large trees with its body and fell heavily onto the ground, its bones almost shattered from the impact. But being a monster of the Soul Condensation Stage, it promptly mustered the strength and attempted to stand. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Don¡¯t move if you do not wish to die!¡± As the command was yelled, Shen Luo descended from the sky as swiftly as a meteor, his foot landing on the back of the Blue Eagle with a ¡°bang,¡± pressing its form flat onto the ground once again. The bird¡¯s bones creaked under the pressure. ¡°Please spare me, kind sir! I have offended you due to my ignorance, please show mercy!¡± the Blue Eagle pleaded in terror. ¡°Tell me, who sent you to capture me? If you dare to lie even a bit, I¡¯ll crush your wings, and you¡¯ll never fly again!¡± Shen Luo asked in a deep voice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea! It was the Great King Heaven Devouring Tiger who sent me. I¡¯m just following orders!¡± The Azure Giant Eagle had no room for retorts and hastily replied. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo arched an eyebrow but expressed no surprise. Ever since leaving the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave, he had guessed that the Heaven Devouring Tiger would not let him off easily, which is why he immediately began the process of refining the Thunderfall Rune and other talismans for defense. He didn¡¯t expect the enemy to come so quickly. ¡°Who else has that Heaven Devouring Tiger sent apart from you? Is he coming as well?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°He¡­ he also sent the Frog Spirit, and Goat-Headed Monster to look for you in Longevity Village. I was only told to guard the back of the village and prevent any secret escapes. He himself would be following shortly,¡± the Blue Eagle quickly replied, taking no chances at a time of life and death. No sooner than it finished speaking did a distant beast¡¯s roar come from the direction of the village. The village was so far away that the sound was barely audible by the time it reached them. ¡°Since you¡¯ve saved me once before, I¡¯ll spare your life today. But if I spot you at the base of the mountain again, I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you.¡± Shen Luo looked at the Blue Eagle beneath him, his voice icy cold. ¡°Alright, alright! As long as you spare me, I promise I¡¯ll get far, far away from here; I¡¯ll never descend the mountain again!¡± The Blue Eagle might not have remembered when he had met Shen Luo, but he brightened up at the words, promising eagerly. ¡°Though I spare you from death, you must atone for your actions.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s words took a cold turn. With a swift movement, his hand descended. A beam of golden light struck the Azure Giant Eagle¡¯s head viciously, causing it to shriek and faint. Shen Luo left the unconscious Azure Giant Eagle where it was, transforming into a shadow that sped toward the village. Outside Longevity Village, the sand was swirling and the wind was howling. A black whirlwind raced from the distance, sweeping up every tree and stone in its path, shredding them apart. Giant roars and the sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground echoed from within the whirlwind, indicating a massive creature rampaging inside, causing the earth itself to tremble. The young men of Longevity Village, the village¡¯s protectors, watched the scene unfold, their faces turning ashen as they tightened their grip on their axes and other weapons. Despite frequent monster attacks, they had never witnessed a creature of such magnitude. ¡°Quick! Get Master Ying and Master Shen!¡± From his vantage point at the entrance of the village, Qing Niu watched the approaching storm, and realizing the gravity of the situation, he urgently barked orders at those around him. The person next to Qing Niu nodded quickly, and immediately ran into the village. ¡°Use the giant logs to reinforce the fences! Everyone, take up the large shields for protection!¡± Qing Niu bellowed. The young men around him snapped to attention, hurriedly carrying massive logs and giant stones from the nearby stone houses to reinforce the fences. Around twenty individuals fetched shields as tall as humans from the houses, forming a shield wall at the village¡¯s entrance. Before they could fully prepare, the black whirlwind had already reached within thirty meters of the village outskirts. Amidst the shrill whistling, suddenly, blue water pellets shot out from the whirlwind, striking the fences violently. Each pellet was the size of a human head, radiating dazzling watery light. As they hit the fences, they exploded violently. The fences that the village¡¯s ancestors had put so much effort into fortifying, were as fragile as paper, splintering instantly with loud booms, sending wood fragments and chunks of stone flying in all directions. The large wooden doors covered with sheets of iron were blown off their hinges. A sudden torrential sound filled the air, as the shield wall formed by the young men quivered under the onslaught, on the brink of breaking apart. Many were thrown by the force of the explosions. Two men nearby had their shields shattered instantly. Before they could even scream, they were smashed by flying rocks, spilling guts and blood all over the ground. The pained cries filled the air as bodies littered the ground at the entrance of the village. Only around a dozen, including Qing Niu, narrowly escaped calamity. ¡°Green Clam, what are you doing? The Great King has already warned us not to massacre the innocent at the foot of the mountain!¡± The black whirlwind halted abruptly at about thirty feet outside the village, a voice rang out from within. With a thunderous noise, the black whirlwind dispersed, revealing nearly a hundred demon figures. In front of the horde, two powerful monsters, one tall, one short, were taking the lead. Chapter 198 - Chapter 198: Chapter 196: Top-Grade Magical Artifact Chapter 198: Chapter 196: Top-Grade Magical Artifact The short one was a green toad demon the size of a calf, its head and back covered in a layer of white, horn-like substance akin to armor. Its protruding eyes swirled as it looked around, filled with ferocious glints. Standing next to the toad demon was a yellow, goat-headed monster, about 10 feet tall, half-human and half-beast. This creature stood upright, its upper body bulging with muscles, but its legs were slender and long. A pair of green horns grew on its head, and it held a dual-pronged, snow-white bone fork, propping it on the ground. The goat-headed monster glared angrily at the green toad demon, obviously its voice was the one who just spoke. As for the monsters behind the two demon were vary in shapes, tigers, leopards, wolves, and bears could be found among them. Their demon qi was naturally not as strong as the two demons¡¯, but each was vigorous and ferocious, with no weaklings present. ¡°Hehe, what¡¯s the big deal about killing a few humans? These humans are always cunning. Unless we show them some might, how are they possibly going to behave? I¡¯d say, just charge into the village, drag that person out, why make it so complicated?¡± The toad demon seemed unconcerned, a malicious glint in its eyes. ¡°Our Great King has already entrusted me to handle this matter, don¡¯t blame me for reporting your reckless behavior to him. You know what the Great King is capable of!¡± The goat-headed monster growled. Upon hearing this, the toad demon facial expression froze, lying down, its chest heaving in displeasure but did not utter another word. ¡°Let the decision maker of your village come out and talk!¡± The goat-headed monster sighed in relief at the toad demon¡¯s reaction, fixed its gaze on the able-bodied villagers still standing in the village, and called out loudly. Qing Niu felt a chill in his heart as the goat-headed monster stared at him, looking somewhat at a loss as he looked back at the village. Due to the commotion outside, most of the villagers had already heard about it. Many people gathered at the entrance of the village. However, when they saw the terrifying demons outside, their faces showed fear, and they did not dare to approach, let alone rescue the wounded villagers. ¡°I never thought that our humble Longevity Village would draw two Demon Kings. May I ask what brings you here?¡± Just then, an old voice rang out, and Granny Ma emerged from the crowd. Right next to her was Ying Luo. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï At that moment, Ying Luo¡¯s face subtly glowed, and the aura surrounding her was several times stronger than before, having clearly reached the Grain Avoidance Stage. Upon seeing the tragic scene at the village head, she froze, her beautiful eyes burning with anger. ¡°Is this your doing?¡± Ying Luo suddenly turned towards the goat-headed monster and the toad demon, leaping onto a high ground at the entrance of the village, with a flash of blue light in her hand, a translucent blue sword over two feet long appeared. An intense, bone-piercing chill erupted from the blue sword, shrouding a range of several feet in cold air. People were shivering, their teeth chattering, and a layer of frost formed on the ground. The goat-headed monster and the toad demon outside the village also felt a trace of bone-chilling chill, both uttering a soft exclamation, their gaze toward the blue sword revealing a touch of solemnity. ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t that sword a top-grade magical artifact? With your low cultivation level, you aren¡¯t able to unleash its full power, why not give it to me, Green Clam?¡± The Green Toad demon chuckled coldly. ¡°Whether I can bring out the power of this sword, it¡¯s hard to tell without testing. You, toad, are welcome to try.¡± Ying Luo sternly replied, with her sword emitting a mist-like blue light, and the surrounding chill immediately increased several-fold. ¡°Both of you ladies need not be upset, our descent from the mountain today is not to harm the village, but to find someone.¡± The goat-headed monster stepped forward and said kindly. ¡°Who does Your Excellency need to find?¡± Granny Ma asked calmly, gesturing to Ying Luo to hold off her offensive. ¡°A young man in his twenties, with a handsome face and well-defined facial features. His cultivation is significantly stronger than this young lady here. He¡¯s from your village, isn¡¯t he?¡± The goat-headed monster said slowly. ¡°Big Brother Shen! What do you want with him?¡± Ying Luo¡¯s body tensed, her voice stern. ¡°This man has the audacity to trespass our Great King¡¯s territory, the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave, and steal the treasure. Why else would we be looking for him?¡± The goat-headed monster¡¯s smile faded, its voice cold. ¡°Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave?¡± Ying Luo furrowed her brows, she had never heard of this name before. Granny Ma, on the other hand, her face changed slightly, as if something had occurred to her. ¡°Anyone from your village originally committed such a heinous crime, should have the entire village exterminated, to appease the Great King¡¯s rage. However, our Great King is compassionate, and decided not to involve innocents, as long as you hand that person over, we will leave immediately.¡± The goat-headed monster continued. The villagers murmured upon hearing his words. Ying Luo¡¯s face changed drastically, but soon regained her composure. ¡°You think I would believe your nonsense?¡± She sneered, squeezing the Green Edge Sword in her hand. ¡°Hehe! Little missy, do you really think that having one top-grade magical artifact can block us? I¡¯ll tell you the truth, to annihilate your village, we don¡¯t even have to lift a finger ourselves, just any three to five underlings will do. Only because the Great King remembered some past associations with your village, did he give you this opportunity. If you don¡¯t appreciate it, today, your Longevity Village will be levelled to the ground, not a chicken or dog will be spared!¡± Green Clam¡¯s eyes were cold. As his words fell, an imposing pressure far surpassing Ying Luo¡¯s emanated, forcing her, who was only about ten feet away, to back off several steps, breaking out in a fine sweat. However, the girl straightened her chest immediately, gripping the Blue Sword in her hand and stepping forward again against the pressure. However, those guarding the village entrance such as Qing Niu felt their bodies sink, their limbs seemingly burdened with a thousand pounds, every move was extremely difficult, even breathing became labored. Some of the weaker villagers, unable to withstand the pressure exerted by the toad demon, their eyes scattered, their spirits beginning to collapse. A hint of cruelty flashed across the corners of the toad demon¡¯s mouth, and instead of stopping the exertion of pressure, it intensified. ¡°Stop!¡± Ying Luo shouted angrily and was about to charge forward. ¡°Green Clam!¡± The goat-headed monster at the side turned stern and shouted. A trace of impatience flashed across the toad demon¡¯s eyes, but it still slowly retracted its pressure. Qing Niu and the others breathed a great sigh of relief, gasping for air, but those who had their spirits affected earlier rolled their eyes and fainted, fortunately, their lives were not in danger. ¡°That was just a small warning. I¡¯ll give you fifteen minutes to think about it, if you don¡¯t hand over the person, it won¡¯t be this easy anymore.¡± The goat-headed monster said indifferently, then retreated a distance of about twenty yards with the toad demon and their group of monsters, but did not leave the village. As soon as the demons retreated, the villagers of Longevity Village immediately helped the injured villagers at the entrance of the village and carried them into the village for treatment. Then, they started to discuss the matter of Shen Luo, some agreed to hand over Shen Luo to protect the village, but others disagreed. For a while, no decision was made. ¡°Granny Ma, it¡¯s a major crisis now! What should we do?¡± A dark-skinned middle-aged man asked. Chapter 199 - Chapter 199: Chapter 197: Differing Opinions Chapter 199: Chapter 197: Differing Opinions Granny Ma seemed to ignore what was happening, deep in thought with her head bowed down. The dark-skinned middle-aged man saw this and turned his gaze towards Ying Luo. ¡°Big Brother Shen is one of us in the village, and has saved us on numerous occasions in the past. How could we betray him so easily? Moreover, we can¡¯t trust the words of these monsters!¡± Ying Luo firmly refuted. ¡°Even though Shen Luo had saved the village several times, if it weren¡¯t for him repeatedly provoking that Great King in the mountain, our village wouldn¡¯t be in such a predicament!¡± A middle-aged woman holding a child immediately protested. ¡°Exactly, Lady Xu. No matter what he¡¯s done in the past, since he has stolen from the Great King, he should bear the consequences alone!¡± Another woman in a grey robe added. ¡°That young man has always been a mystery. Maybe he¡¯s been only aiming for the Great King¡¯s treasure on the mountain, harboring ill-intentions towards our village! If not, why would he have ventured into the mountains time and again, instead of staying put in the village?¡± Someone else chimed in. After hearing these accusations, the villagers who were initially reluctant to offer up Shen Luo, started having second thoughts. Upon witnessing villagers pinning all the blame on Shen Luo, Ying Luo¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. ¡°You¡¯re all talking nonsense! Since the Immortal Brother came to our village, he hasn¡¯t done anything to harm us. Isn¡¯t his trip to the mountain for the sake of our village as well? Yet, you¡¯re looking to hand him over to these monsters just to save your own skin!¡± A child-like voice protested, it was Chen Guanbao. He stood up, pointed at the three middle-aged women and indignantly questioned their intentions. ¡°What would a mere child like you understand? Are we expected to risk the lives of the entire village for a stranger?¡± The middle-aged woman scoffed. ¡°Exactly, Chen Guanbao, we¡¯re thinking for the sake of the entire village!¡± ¡°If he truly cares for the village, he should step forward, every man must bear his own burden.¡± Other villagers chimed in. ¡°I may be young, but I understand the importance of repaying kindness. Unlike some people who repay kindness with ingratitude!¡± Chen Guanbao, despite his young age, had a sharp tongue which left the middle-aged woman at a loss for words, her face turning red as she attempted to retort. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.?¦Ï ¡°Enough, quiet down all of you!¡± Granny Ma finally snapped out of her contemplation, and rebuked them. Granny Ma¡¯s influence in the village was well-regarded, and her words quickly silenced everyone. At this moment, a figure rushed over from inside the village. It was a teenage boy, panting heavily as he stopped in front of Granny Ma, struggling for breath. ¡°Tiger, what happened?¡± Granny Ma asked. ¡°Granny, I went to Master Shen¡¯s residence but he has disappeared. There¡¯s no one in the courtyard.¡± Tiger, after catching his breath, whispered in Granny Ma¡¯s ear so only the two of them could hear. Granny Ma¡¯s expression turned grave. After a moment of silence, she nodded slightly without saying a word. ¡°Time¡¯s up, have you made your decision?¡± the Goat-Headed Monster bellowed. ¡°Can you grant us a little more time?¡± Granny Ma sighed and asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough time already?¡± The Goat-Headed Monster frowned. ¡°Not exactly, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± Granny Ma hesitated. ¡°Hmph, if there¡¯s something to say, just say it quickly!¡± The Frog spirit said impatiently with a cold huff. ¡°I just sent someone to check and Shen Luo has disappeared from the village.¡± Granny Ma said. At her words, a surge of disbelief and commotion washed over the villagers who were present. ¡°I knew it! That lad was no good. Seeing things taking a turn for the worse, he chose to run first!¡± ¡°He said it was for the village, but I think he¡¯s only thinking about himself!¡± ¡°We¡¯re in big trouble now! Granny Ma, hurry and talk to these demon kings. That boy stealing things has nothing to do with us!¡± ¡°Exactly, the debt should be paid by the borrower, not us!¡± Ying Luo¡¯s complexion is an ashen grey at this moment, her hands tightly gripping her precious sword. She remains silent. Chen Guanbao¡¯s face is also taut. Although he wants to argue, he doesn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Haha, old lady, you should think of a clever delay tactic. Do you think we would believe such a clumsy excuse?¡± The frog spirit started laughing heartily. ¡°Our patience is limited! Today we demand to see the person alive, or dead. Otherwise, we have to take your entire village as the answer,¡± the goat-headed monster spoke slowly, its face turning solemn. ¡°Why bother talking to them? If they¡¯re not willing to hand over the person, then we¡¯ll just go in and find him ourselves! Boys, follow your grandpa frog into the village!¡± The frog spirit gave an impatient snort, raising its claw to gesture forward. ¡°Okay!¡± Immediately, the group of monsters behind it roared and charged towards the village with their weapons drawn, their faces filled with bloodthirsty excitement. Looking at this, it wasn¡¯t about finding someone at all, it looked more like a massacre. ¡°Stop!¡± Ying Luo roared, taking out an object with a flick of her hand. It was a white jade talisman with a small sword pattern engraved on it. She hastily slapped it onto her body. Her face suddenly turned blood-red, while strange white lines appeared on her skin. Her aura fluctuated dramatically and began to ascend rapidly. In the blink of an eye, she had broken through to the late stage of Grain Avoidance, exuding an intense Sword Intent. The blue sword in Ying Luo¡¯s hand suddenly emitted a bright light, and a blue Sword Qi about a meter long shot out from it, pulsating and buzzing. The freezing aura surrounding her actually seemed to dissipate. With a wave of her arm, the blue sword swept out, and the long blue Sword Qi cut through the three monster beasts at the front. The three monsters immediately used their weapons, or their own claws to defend themselves. Once they made contact with the sword qi, their bodies ¡°crack¡± froze directly into three popsicles, devoid of any signs of life. Ying Luo leaped up, the blue sword in her hand once again waved left and right, and suddenly another five or six monsters were frozen without any means to resist. Seeing this, the other monsters all showed a look of fear, uniformly halting their footsteps, not daring to advance even an inch. ¡°Our Longevity Village may be weak, but when facing a threat to our survival, we can still make the invaders pay a price.¡± Granny Ma spoke calmly. The goat-headed monster looked at the blue sword in Ying Luo¡¯s hand, its eyes flickering. The frog spirit didn¡¯t seem to care, instead, it leaped forward excitedly. It opened its mouth wide and spat out a blue light bullet the size of a millstone. A layer of blue water light wrapped around it, and as it flickered, it produced a thunderous rumble, aiming for Ying Luo. Ying Luo¡¯s face turned serious, the blue light from the sword in her hands soared, transforming into a large Sword of Light, cutting through the air towards the light bullet. However, at the moment the two made contact, the blue light bullet suddenly exploded, breaking into dozens of fist-sized blue light balls. They scattered and aimed towards the distant villagers. Ying Luo immediately released the sword in her hand. It flew into mid-air, spinning around the hilt, forming a giant blue light disc, blocking most of the blue light balls and freezing them. But there were too many blue light balls, some still passed through the light disc, exploding among the crowd. Explosions of blue light burst among the crowd, immediately affecting seven or eight people. Three of them were directly killed, and the rest were all injured. ¡°Hehe, your sword may be powerful, but can you block me?¡± The frog spirit¡¯s eyes revealed a gleeful expression of excitement at the sight of the fresh blood. It opened its mouth wide, blue light flickering at the corners of its mouth, and another blue light bullet was shot out. Chapter 200 - Chapter 200: Chapter 198: Origins Chapter 200: Chapter 198: Origins Ying Luo¡¯s face was indifference as frost, her hands forming enchantments like a car wheel. The Blue Sword coalesced at her command, aimed at the blue light bullet. Blue light surged violently over the sword, letting out a piercing sword cry. A blast of icy sword Qi, ten times thicker than before, shot out like lightning and instantly traversed a distance of seventy-eight meters, piercing into the blue light bullet before it could shatter. With a ¡°crack¡± sound, the blue light bullet was instantly frozen, transforming into a giant ball of ice before falling to the ground. However, after this blow, Ying Luo¡¯s complexion turned pale and her body swayed slightly. The frog spirit, witnessing the sudden power of the sword, initially showed a hint of fear. But seeing Ying Luo¡¯s state, a cruel smile flashed in its eyes. Opening its mouth, another blue light bullet shot out and this time, directed at Ying Luo. Ying Luo mustered her mana, her hands quickly forming enchantments to command the Blue Sword before her. The blue light on the sword body lit up, preparing to counterattack. But at this moment, the white light around her fluctuated suddenly and she trembled before falling to the ground. The blue light on the sword body flickered and vanished, and with a ¡°clang¡± sound, it fell to the ground. ¡°Master Ying!¡± The villagers were horrified, several people throwing themselves forward recklessly. The first one being Qing Niu. However, they were too far from Ying Luo to reach her in time and could only watch as she was about to be hit by the blue light bullet. Just then, a white figure appeared out of nowhere in front of Ying Luo, striking the blue light bullet. With a ¡°boom,¡± the blue light bullet was knocked back, flying towards the frog spirit at a speed twice as fast as before, making a horrifying whistling sound. The frog spirit was startled, its sturdy hind legs pushing off the ground, making it dart several meters to the side just in time to escape the attack of the blue light bullet. ¡°Who the hell is messing around!¡± The frog spirit, having narrowly escaped, roared in anger. The white figure in front of Ying Luo flickered, a white giant tiger materialising from nowhere. Its snowy white glossy coat interspersed with black stripes, it was the Heaven Devouring Tiger, looking over with a chilling gaze. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï A massive aura erupted from it, significantly stronger than during its encounter with Shen Luo in the past, as if it had broken through to a new realm. ¡°Great King!¡± The frog spirit greatly changed its demeanor, hastily prostrating on the ground. ¡°Great King!¡± The goat-headed monster and the other members of the Demon Race also quickly followed suit, bowing in reverence. The expressions of Ying Luo and the villagers also changed, holding their breaths. The once chaotic square became eerily silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. ¡°Green Clam, before I sent you down the mountain, what did I tell you? Did you just let my words go in one ear and out the other?¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger looked around at the severed limbs and fresh blood of the villagers, its eyes growing even colder as it slowly spoke. ¡°Subordinate would not dare, it¡¯s just that these villagers were harboring that thief. Under duress, I had to kill a few to serve as a deterrent,¡± the frog spirit braved the response. ¡°To serve as a deterrent? Deter me? To show you can go against my will at any time?¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger laughed in rage, taking a step towards the frog spirit. ¡°Subordinate knows his mistake, subordinate knows his mistake¡­ Subordinate was momentarily possessed, please, Great King, give me another chance!¡± The frog spirit, its heart chilled as if dunked in ice water and the fleeting hope inside clear as day, prostrated itself begging for mercy. ¡°The chances I¡¯ve given you, weren¡¯t they already enough?¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger said coldly. As his voice fell, his silhouette flickered and vanished. The next moment, a white tiger paw materializes out of thin air above the Frog Spirit, whacking down. The Frog Spirit, initially bowing its head, suddenly lifts it upward, its formerly deferential face now distorted with ferocity. With a spew, a bundle of blue light shoots out containing a blue crystal ball, which is the Demon Pellet within its body. Around the blue crystal ball is an even more glaring swirl of watery light, several times more radiant than the previous light bullets, emanating a terrifying roar that hits the tiger paw in mid-air, resulting in a thundering explosion. However, the Frog Spirit¡¯s concentrated attack using its Demon Pellet doesn¡¯t even slightly affect the white tiger paw, not even managing to slow down its descent. With a flash of lightning on the white tiger paw, it deflects the blue Demon Pellet, then lands squarely on the Frog Spirit¡¯s head. A ¡°plop¡± sound is heard. The bony shell of the Frog Spirit¡¯s head shatters on impact, its cranium bursting open like a watermelon, splattering brain matter and blood everywhere. Its mutilated body twitches a few times before becoming completely still. Seeing the Frog Spirit, whose cultivation is not far from its own, exterminated in an instant, the Goat-Headed Monster trembles internally, its head dropping even lower. The villagers, upon witnessing this scene, collectively drew in cold breaths, their gazes full of fear as they beheld the Heaven Devouring Tiger, silenced as if facing a bitter winter. The Heaven Devouring Tiger didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the Frog Spirit¡¯s corpse, but slowly turned its head to look at the direction of the village. Ying Luo then recovered from her shock of seeing the Frog Spirit being killed. Although she was unsure of the Frog Spirit¡¯s exact cultivation level, she could deduce from their brief skirmish earlier that it must be at least at the early stages of a Spirit condensation phase. The Heaven Devouring Tiger had overwhelmed Shen Luo upon their first encounter, and now it had casually slain a Spirit phase monster, illustrating the terror of its strength. Mentally steeling herself, she stood up with difficulty, holding onto the Blue Sword as a surge of blue sword light appeared on the blade once again. ¡°You ing¨¦nue, even if you forced a higher cultivation level with the Spirit Sword Symbol, you still can¡¯t bring out the power of this Green Edge Sword. Moreover, the backlash from the said symbol is unresistable. It¡¯s impressive that you could hold on until now. If you insist on proceeding, your meridians will completely collapse,¡± the Heaven Devouring Tiger casually glanced at Ying Luo and her Blue Sword, commenting lightly. ¡°You recognize this sword?¡± Ying Luo paused in her actions. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re the Thunder Cat Spiritual Pet that disappeared after White Browed Senior¡¯s departure!¡± Granny Ma took a closer look at the Heaven Devouring Tiger, suddenly recalling something, and exclaimed. ¡°In view of our past acquaintance, hand over Young Master Shen. I can forgive earlier transgressions and also promise to restrain the monsters on Mount Fangcun from attacking the village henceforth. However, if you refuse, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger spoke indifferently, disregarding their reactions. ¡°As I said earlier, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to hand him over ¨C Shen Luo is currently not in the village. Even if we¡¯d like to hand him over, we can¡¯t,¡± Granny Ma shook her head as she spoke. ¡°With the village surrounded on all sides, where else could that lad go apart from your Longevity Village? Since you¡¯re unwilling to hand him over, get ready to be buried together! Goat-Headed Monster, go search the village. Kill anyone who dares to obstruct!¡± Enraged by their refusal, the Heaven Devouring Tiger commanded without hesitation. ¡°Yes!¡± The Goat-Headed Monster stood up in response, leading a group of monsters towards the village. The expression on Ying Luo¡¯s face changed. She urged the Green Edge Sword with a spell, making the blue light on it brighter than before. The white light on her body again started fluctuating more powerfully than earlier. With a ¡°wah¡±, she spat out a mouthful of blood. The blue light on her sword disappeared again, leaving her kneeling on the ground, propping herself up with one hand on her sword. Chapter 201 - Chapter 201: Chapter 199: Overbearing Physical Body Chapter 201: Chapter 199: Overbearing Physical Body The Goat-Headed Monster glanced at Ying Luo, a faint sneer on its face. With a quick step, it flew past the crowd at the entrance of the village, heading into the village. The other members of the Demon Race also leapt into the village, closely following the Goat-Headed Monster. Suddenly, a figure flew out from within the village, colliding head-on with the Goat-Headed Monster. It was none other than Shen Luo, who had just rushed over from the direction of Mount Fangcun! ¡°Who dares to interfere in my business! You¡¯re courting death!¡± The Goat-Headed Monster yelled angrily, raised one hand without hesitation, and the bone fork in its hand surged with a ¡°whoosh¡±, igniting a layer of ash-gray flames that transformed into a white light, lunging directly at Shen Luo. Shen Luo did not dodge. Operating the Huangting Technique silently, a layer of golden light emerged on his left arm, and he raised his hand to deflect it. His arm collided with the bone fork in mid-air, emitting a ¡°ding¡± sound. The Goat-Headed Monster felt an unimaginably large force transmitting from the bone fork. Its tiger¡¯s mouth went numb, and the bone fork floated lightly to the side as if it were a lamp wick. Its body was also greatly shaken, leaning sideways uncontrollably. Shen Luo¡¯s forward momentum did not stop. His right arm also surged with golden light as if he held a golden blade. As their bodies passed each other, he swiftly swept out his arm, aiming for the monster¡¯s neck. The Goat-Headed Monster was in shock, but it was off balance and there was no time to dodge. The bone fork that was waved away was too late to wield in defense. It could only hastily raise an arm to block its path. The silhouettes of the two passed each other with a ¡°swish¡± sound, followed by a gushing blood flash! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï The Goat-Headed Monster¡¯s arm was severed neatly at the wrist as if sliced by a ultra-sharp blade. Along with the arm, its neck was severed as well, a fountain of blood gushed, sending the goat¡¯s enormous head flying into the air. Its eyes filled with indescribable horror, quickly dimming. The exchange was as quick as lightning. From a distance, one could only see a flash of golden light before everything suddenly ended. With two ¡®thud¡¯ sounds, the severed head and body of the Soul Condensation Stage Goat-Headed Monster fell to the ground, lifeless. The group of monsters that had followed the Goat-Headed Monster into the village froze in shock, unable to come to their senses. Shen Luo landed on the ground and immediately sprung forward, appearing in front of the nearest wolf beast in a flash. Without hesitation, he threw a punch. With a ¡°boom!¡±, despite the beast¡¯s incredibly tough skull, it was instantly smashed to a pulp under the enormous force, scattering brain matter and blood. Shen Luo then ruthlessly continued, punching out like a storm, each blow landing a fatal hit on a monster. In a blink of an eye, seven or eight beasts became casualties. The remaining monsters finally reacted, turning and fleeing towards the outskirts of the village in a frightened cry, running as fast as they could. ¡°It¡¯s Master Shen¡­ He¡¯s back!¡± ¡°We are saved!¡± The villagers at the entrance of the village barely snapped back to their senses. Someone immediately shouted out, while others stared in disbelief. ¡°Big Brother Shen¡­¡± Ying Luo muttered softly, trembling and fainting on the spot. She was caught by Qing Niu. Granny Ma looked at the handsome man with superior strength standing in front of them, her usually calm eyes flickered a few times, not saying a word. ¡°Good, good! You¡¯ve saved me some trouble by coming out yourself,¡± said the Heaven Devouring Tiger, whose eye twitched slightly when he saw the Goat-Headed Monster slain instantly, speaking casually. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here, Heaven Devouring Tiger. Speak up, what do you want from me?¡± Shen Luo stood with his hands on his hips, speaking in a carefree manner. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb! Hand over what doesn¡¯t belong to you, and I will make your death swift,¡± the thunderous voice of the Heaven Devouring Tiger darkened. ¡°If you want something, you better earn it! Furthermore, it¡¯s time to settle the score for that chase up the mountain,¡± Shen Luo sneered, with cold words. ¡°Roar!¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger was furious, emitting a deafening roar. The tiger was engulfed by crackling electric arcs, its entire body shimmering in the light. With a loud crack of thunder, its figure vanished within a storm of lightning. The next instant, it manifested above Shen Luo¡¯s head, a blinding White Tiger Paw swooping down, just as it has done previously when killing the Frog Spirit. Shen Luo was startled by the sudden appearance of the Heaven Devouring Tiger above him, but he didn¡¯t freeze. His body erupted with a brilliant golden light. Unyielding, he threw a punch upwards, forming a vague image of an elephant¡¯s leg to counter the White Tiger Paw. A dull rumble echoed from the point of impact, cracking the ground instantly. Huge fissures began to appear, spreading rapidly outwards like a spider¡¯s web. A violent gust blew forth. Stirring up a storm of dust, visibility was reduced within a radius of ten meters. ¡°Merely a human dares to clash head-on with the Great King!¡± Just now, the demons at the entrance of the village had watched Shen Luo effortlessly slay the Goat-Headed Monster, which left them terrified. But seeing this scene, they relaxed, smirks appearing on their faces. The villagers, observing from a distance, were fearful as well, their expressions showing deep concern. Human cultivators may excel in mystic arts, secret techniques, and external magical treasures, but when it comes to physical warfare, the Demon Race naturally surpasses the Human Race. In their cultivation, the Demon Race strengthens their bodies with Demon Power, making them even more formidable. They can even withstand magical instruments and treasures. Comparatively, physically frail humans simply cannot compete. The tumultuous cloud of dust and air soon dissipated, revealing the scene within. The demons at the entrance of the village were stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief, just like they had seen a ghost. Granny Ma and the others also wore expressions of disbelief. Shen Luo stood on the cracked ground, single-handedly keeping the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s paw at bay. No matter how much force the Heaven Devouring Tiger used, it was unable to budge Shen Luo. The Heaven Devouring Tiger wore an expression filled with disbelief and shock. ¡°Is this all you¡¯ve got? How disappointing.¡± Shen Luo looked up at the Heaven Devouring Tiger and sighed disappointingly. As soon as he finished speaking, his arm vibrated and the golden light around it intensified. An overwhelming surge of strength erupted. With a crack, the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s paw had been broken off, hanging at an awkward angle. Its massive body was propelled backwards. However, in the very moment it was flung away, its body erupted with bright electric arcs. They quickly consolidated into large snake-like beams and struck Shen Luo, looking like a Flood Dragon coming out of its den. With the distance between them, Shen Luo was unable to dodge. As a last resort, he bolstered his defense using the Huangting Technique. His body gleamed with metallic golden light and his hair transformed into golden threads. Boom! A series of blistering lightning enveloped Shen Luo¡¯s silhouette. The scattered arcs swept across the ground leaving deep marks. The Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s body flashed with electric arcs as it landed on the ground, watching the scene with apprehension. The intense lightning soon dissipated, unveiling the figure of Shen Luo¨Chis upper body devoid of clothing yet unharmed, skin flawless, without a scratch. ¡°So the Huangting Technique is indeed profound, the defense is formidable!¡± Looking at his unscathed body, Shen Luo exclaimed with relief. Chapter 202 - Chapter 202: Chapter 200: Testing the Talisman Chapter 202: Chapter 200: Testing the Talisman The Heaven Devouring Tiger at a distance was not in such a good mood, as it looked at Shen Luo, who didn¡¯t have a single scratch, its eyes filled with terror. Only then did it realize that the young man in front of it was no longer the junior cultivator that it had chased and forced to flee. With this thought, it swiftly turned and fled towards outside of the village. The electrical power within it had already been depleted by more than half from a single strike earlier, making it impossible to use the Thunder Escape Technique. Nevertheless, being a Nascent Soul Stage demon, it had one of its legs injured but remained nimble and fast. But a shadow was chasing it from behind. Although it was far less agile than the Heaven Devouring Tiger, its speed greatly surpassed the tiger. After two movements, it stood in front of the tiger, blocking its path ¡ª it was Shen Luo. ¡°Your Excellency has just arrived. Why leave so quickly?¡± Shen Luo said calmly. ¡°Daoist friend, I was wrong before. I am willing to take these demons and leave immediately, never to set foot on Mount Fangcun again. I beg you to let us go.¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s expression changed, and it lowered its head, pleadingly. Seeing this scene, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise. At the very moment he showed surprise, the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s expression changed. It opened its mouth with a murderous look on its face. A white crystal ball about the size of a human head was shot out of its mouth, surrounded by eye-piercing electric arcs. It was even brighter than the lightning it controlled previously and making terrifying thunderous noises. It quickly approached Shen Luo and struck him heavily. With a swift movement, Shen Luo escaped backwards at an unimaginable speed, creating some distance between him and the crystal ball. At the same time, a golden light arose from his body again, and his fist transformed into a claw shape, reaching out into the void. A golden dragon claw appeared in the void in front of him, with four fingers on top and one underneath. The sharp claws looked extremely destructive. It grabbed the blue crystal ball, successfully capturing the powerful white crystal ball in its clutches. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï The white crystal ball flickered with intense lightning, shook violently, but to no avail. It was like a bird trapped in a cage with no power to resist. With the crystal ball in its grip, the golden dragon claw dashed forward like a meteor, appearing in front of the Heaven Devouring Tiger in a flash, striking heavily downwards. With a ripping sound, several long, bone-deep wounds were carved into the tiger, hurling its body onto the ground and causing a large crater. ¡°Since you¡¯re not behaving, I¡¯ll punish you by using you as an experiment.¡± Shen Luo coldly snorted, a purple glow appearing in his palm, revealing two purple talismans ¨C the Fractured Talisman and the Binding Talisman! As Shen Luo murmured an incantation, both of his hands, each holding a purple talisman, were wrapped in a soft white light that soon covered the talismans. ¡°Go!¡± Shen Luo raised both hands. The two purple talismans radiated intense white light, and emitted from his hands at an unthinkably fast speed. They exploded in mid-air, turning into one gold and one white ray of light, heading straight towards the Heaven Devouring Tiger. The tiger, heavily wounded and its demon pellet taken away, was slow to dodge, and the two rays of light infiltrated its body in a flash. Its body immediately emitted a dazzling white light, which soon enveloped its whole body. As soon as it appeared, it dispersed, turning into a dense white glow that permeated its body like living creatures. Its hard shell cracked, revealing countless tiny wounds that bled profusely. The Heaven Devouring Tiger shuddered all over, as if being gnawed by a myriad of ants ¡ª the pain was unbearable. It roared, with lightning flashing all over its body, seeming about to do something. But just at this moment, a golden light emerged from its body, revealing a giant word ¡°Freeze¡±. Following a flash of light, it turned into several golden streaks of light, swirling around the tiger¡¯s body. The Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s body abruptly stiffened, unable to move a single claw, as if it no longer belonged to itself, its eyes conveying a sense of terror. ¡°Not bad! Let¡¯s try this.¡± Shen Luo stroked his chin, waved his single hand, and a green talisman flashed into existence above the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s head. Following a flash of white light, the talisman shattered. Bang! Accompanied by the deafening roar of a burst of thunder, a white lightning bolt as thick as an arm suddenly appeared from the exploding talisman, carrying a blinding flash of thunder, it fell headlong. The Heaven Devouring Tiger could not move, and could only watch as the white lightning struck its body. ¡°Roar!¡± It let out a mournful roar. Its once indestructible tiger body had become vulnerable because of the Fractured Talisman. The tiny open wounds spread all over its body, instantly torn open again. The areas struck by lightning left several feet wide patches of charred scars, filling the air with a burnt odor. ¡°Foolish, I am a monster with the lightning attribute, and you dared to use a thunder talisman against me. Although this talisman can hurt me, it can also replenish the power of the thunder inside me!¡± Despite the pained expression on the face of the Heaven Devouring Tiger, it was secretly delighted. Its demon power quietly absorbed the power of the thunder, impacting the strength of the Binding Talisman. ¡°It seems one thunderfall talisman is not enough; let¡¯s have some more ferocious thunder then!¡± Shen Luo chuckled lightly, and with a raise of his hands, he held a dozen more Green Thunderfall Talismans, which emitted intense green light as he channeled his mana into them. ¡°What!¡± The Heaven Devouring Tiger stared at the mass of Thunderfall Talismans in Shen Luo¡¯s hands, a trace of terror flashed in its tiger eyes. Ignoring any further concealment, it increased the electric light from its body, which interweaved with the golden light, producing a humming sound. Its sluggish body began to recover. At this moment, Shen Luo swung both his hands, twenty Thunderfall talismans turned into twenty green lights and flew towards the Heaven Devouring Tiger. ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!¡± Twenty thick bolts of lightning fell from the sky, striking the Heaven Devouring Tiger. Amidst bursts of earth-shattering thunder, the entire body of the Heaven Devouring Tiger was, like rotted wood, torn apart by a vast white electrical sea of lightning, exploding into pieces of flesh scattered across the sky. A semi-transparent white tiger phantom with a size of a foot shot out, its face full of terror, trying to flee outside with its four feet running wildly. But Shen Luo seemed to have anticipated this scene, raising one hand, another Thunderfall talisman flew out, transforming into a bolt of white lightning, striking directly at the white tiger phantom. With a mournful cry, the tiger phantom instantly vanished. The electrical sea remained unabated after destroying the Heaven Devouring Tiger, instead spreading several times its original size as it visibly expanded outward. For a moment, it seemed as if the area around where the Heaven Devouring Tiger initially stood turned into a world of thunder and lightning. One glance at it would make one shudder and feel numb. Many of the younger villagers were scared and closed their eyes. A few moments later, the rampaging thunder sea finally dissipated, revealing a large, charred crater almost ten feet in size on the ground. Shen Luo¡¯s face also turned slightly pale, his body wavered slightly before he could steady himself. Whether it¡¯s the Thunderfall talisman, the Fractured talisman, or the Binding Talisman, they were all high-level talismans that consumed a lot of mana. If it weren¡¯t for his twenty meridians and his cultivation level reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, he would not have been able to exert so many high-order talismans at once. Chapter 203 - Chapter 203: Chapter 201: Treating Ying Luo Chapter 203: Chapter 201: Treating Ying Luo Shen Luo¡¯s consecutive engagements with the Heaven Devouring Tiger might seem complex, but in actuality, everything happened within a few breaths. The distant villagers, and the demons, hadn¡¯t quite understood what was going on when everything had already ended. Among the distant villagers, Chen Guanbao and others who supported Shen Luo were visibly delighted and cheered profusely. However, those who previously advocated handing Shen Luo over to the monsters now showed a color of panic on their faces. The remaining monsters looked terrified. One of them shouted, and all the little demons in and out of the village fled towards Mount Fangcun, leaving not a single one behind within a short while. Shen Luo didn¡¯t pay any mind to those little demons. Raising his hand, the ground rumbled and split open, and a stream of water erupted from the underground, swiftly circulating around the village and falling in front of him. The stream held two crystal balls, one white and one blue. These were the Demon Pellets of the Heaven Devouring Tiger and the Frog Spirit. In addition to the Demon Pellets, the stream also carried along the corpse of the Goat-Headed Monster and the Bone Fork. Shen Luo waved his hand and the stream of water transformed into a water sword, which cut the Goat-Headed Monster into two halves. A milky white Demon Pellet rolled out. ¡°Nice treasures.¡± His eyes swept across the three Demon Pellets and the Bone Fork, revealing a trace of joy in his pupils. With a flip of his hand, he collected them. ¡°Master Shen! Something is wrong with Master Ying! Granny Ma sent me to request your help.¡± A flurry of hurried footsteps approached from outside, and Qing Niu appeared in front of the house, his face full of worry. Shen Luo paused upon hearing this before stepping out of his house and rushing away towards the village. Currently, Ying Luo lay on the ground, his face pale as a sheet, devoid of any traces of blood. His breath was barely noticeable, making him seem much like a dead person. Many villagers were gathered around, but nobody knew what to do. They could only stand there feeling anxious. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï Granny Ma, the only one who had some idea about the situation, was squatting next to Ying Luo. She pulled out a round red jade and placed it on Ying Luo¡¯s chest. The jade emitted a faint red light and exuded a warmth akin to that of the morning sun, although its purpose was unclear. ¡°Master Shen is here, everyone make way!¡± Qing Niu, following Shen Luo, shouted from some distance away. Seeing Shen Luo coming, most of the surrounding villagers showed awkward expressions and hastily cleared a path. Shen Luo quickly walked up to Ying Luo¡¯s side, gazed at the red jade, and his eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. ¡°Fire Spirit Jade!¡± He recalled from ¡°Immortal Divine Herb¡± that this jade was a kind of rare fire attribute mineral. It was born in the scorching lava of volcanoes. It was hard and contained a powerful fire power, making it an excellent material for refining fire attribute magical instruments. However, this was not the time for studying minerals. Shen Luo grabbed Ying Luo¡¯s arm and infused mana into it while simultaneously projecting his Divine Sense into Ying Luo¡¯s body. His facial expression changed. ¡°How is Ying Luo?¡± asked Granny Ma, looking at Shen Luo¡¯s expression. ¡°His meridians in many places are shattered, and a cold energy has infiltrated his organs. Fortunately, this Fire Spirit Jade has protected his heart meridian. He needs to be treated immediately!¡± Shen Luo stated with a solemn face. ¡°Daoist Shen, you must save her!¡± Granny Ma asked urgently. ¡°Daoist friend, don¡¯t worry. Although I¡¯m not 100% sure, I will do my best to try.¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Shen Luo replied. ¡°Thank you!¡± Granny Ma¡¯s face relaxed a little. Without saying more, Shen Luo picked up Ying Luo and quickly rushed towards his residence. In just a few strides, his figure disappeared in the distance. The main instigators of the great battle had left, leaving only the villagers of Longevity Village looking at each other in confusion. ¡°If not for Master Shen today, Longevity Village would have been destroyed long ago. From now on, when any of you see Master Shen, you need to show him respect. Do you understand?¡± Granny Ma looked around at everyone, particularly Lady Xu, the woman in a gray dress, and some others who advocated giving up on Shen Luo, and said in a deep voice. Lady Xu and others showed an apologetic look and quickly agreed. No one else dared to dissent and nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Qing Niu, you¡¯ll be responsible for taking care of the injured. Tiger, you¡¯ll see to the repair of the village fence. Even though the monsters have retreated, we cannot ascertain they won¡¯t stage a comeback. Everyone else, you may disperse.¡± Granny Ma sighed with relief and issued orders. Qing Niu and Tiger complied, each gathering a group of young volunteers to care for the injured and mend the fence, while the rest dispersed. However, Granny Ma did not leave. She hesitated for a moment and then walked towards Shen Luo¡¯s residence. ¡­ At this point, Shen Luo was already back at his small courtyard, holding Ying Luo in his arms. Before he stepped into the courtyard, he looked back at the entrance of the village with a calm expression. Even though he was far from the entrance, he had an extraordinary sense of hearing and could hear everything clearly. Not only did he hear the villagers¡¯ conversation just now, he also heard some remarks suggesting that he should be handed over to the Heaven Devouring Tiger and other monsters to secure the safety of the village while he was returning. However, those villagers were small-minded and always considered their own interests first. It wasn¡¯t worth it for him to get angry at them; moreover, the conduct of Ying Luo, Chen Guanbao, and others reassured him. After entering his house, Shen Luo gently placed Ying Luo on the bed. He flicked his fingers several times in the air, exerted force, and sealed several major meridians around her body. He glanced at the Fire Spirit Jade on her chest, raised both hands, one hand pointed at her Danzhong acupoint on her chest, and the other hand pressing on her lower abdomen, mobilizing his mana into her body. Ying Luo¡¯s injuries were extremely severe. If it had been the old him, he would not have been able to heal her. Fortunately for him, after advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage, his mana had become more potent. His understanding of medicine due to being sickly also meant he could at least ensure her survival. As his mana continuously poured into her, Ying Luo¡¯s body trembled slightly. Her face which was pale changed with a bit of flush appearing on her skin. Even her weak breathing had improved somewhat. Shen Luo relaxed slightly, still feeding his mana into her, trying to dispel the frost in her organs. Time passed slowly, until it was dark, he slowly withdrew his hands, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Ying Luo¡¯s breathing had returned to normal on the bed, and her face wasn¡¯t as pale as before, instead there was a healthy glow which indicated that she had been saved. However, her vitality was greatly damaged, and she remained unconscious. Shen Luo looked at Ying Luo, his eyes flickering slightly. During the treatment earlier, he found that Ying Luo had not only advanced to the Grain Avoidance Stage but also formed as many as ten magical conduits in her body. Although they couldn¡¯t match his, they were excellent among ordinary monks. Her magical conduits were severely affected by her injury, but after him repeatedly nourishing them with the mana, it not only repaired the originally broken conduits but also widened them. In other words, once she recovers from her injuries, she should be able to take another step forward in her cultivation realm, which is also a blessing in disguise. Then, he would teach her some more cultivation arts, which should be enough to protect the village. Shen Luo looked away and stood up to walk towards the door. Although he wasn¡¯t a pedantic scholar, it was still improper for a man and woman to be alone together, especially when the woman in question was unconscious. Chapter 204 - Chapter 204: Chapter 202: Fate Plays With People Chapter 204: Chapter 202: Fate Plays With People He opened the door and saw Granny Ma standing in the courtyard, he nodded at her. ¡°Daoist Shen, not only have you saved our village today, but also Ying Luo. Reflecting on my previous attitude towards you, I¡¯m quite ashamed!¡± Granny Ma breathed a sigh of relief; her eyes flashing a mix of gratitude and guilt, she said to Shen Luo. ¡°There¡¯s no need to mention the past. I¡¯m now a member of this village. As long as I can be at peace with what I do, it¡¯s enough.¡± Shen Luo waved his hand casually, speaking in a composed manner. ¡°The demons that previously besieged our village mentioned that you visited a place called Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave on your trip to Mount Fangcun. Is this true?¡± Granny Ma hesitated, then finally asked. ¡°Indeed.¡± Shen Luo looked at Granny Ma and replied. ¡°Inherited from our ancestors, it is said that Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave was used by Mount Fangcun¡¯s founding master for accepting disciples and seclusion. I wonder what is the situation there¡­¡± exclaimed Granny Ma, her face showing a glimpse of excitement, as she asked anxiously. ¡°Granny Ma, I know what you want to ask, but knowing too much may not always be good. Of course, if you really want to know, I won¡¯t hide it.¡± Shen Luo slowly said. Granny Ma trembled when she heard this, her excitement faded, and she seemed to guess something. Her face turned pale and she fell silent. Shen Luo quietly closed the door and walked slowly to the center of the courtyard. He looked up at the stars and pondered. ¡°Daoist Shen, at my age, besides ensuring the survival of the village, my only desire is to know about the situation on the mountain. Please¡­ please help me understand.¡± Following her silence, Granny Ma sighed and spoke again. Shen Luo nodded. He immediately recounted everything he saw in the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave to Granny Ma, only omitting the specifics related to the Huangting Technique. Granny Ma listened to Shen Luo¡¯s narrations. The glimmer of hope in her eyes faded, along with the color on her face, making her appear to have aged greatly. ¡°Our ancestors of Longevity Village have been waiting for hundreds of years, it¡¯s a fruitless dream after all, such is life¡¯s irony!¡± She gave a wry smile, murmuring faintly. She silently shed tears. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Shen Luo stood quietly aside, not saying a word, but felt a touch of melancholy in his heart. Although Longevity Village¡¯s current situation is bleak, it has managed to survive. The saying goes, if the nest is upset, no egg is safe. Under the Heavenly Demon Annihilation, numerous families across the Four Continents are bereaved, and complete village annihilations are far from few. Granny Ma stood alone in silent mockery, her solitary figure looking as if it had been abandoned by the world. She didn¡¯t stand for long, however, as she soon lifted her head, her expression seeming to have regained its customary calmness. ¡°Thank you, Daoist Shen, for telling the truth. However, I ask that you not repeat this to anyone else, so as not to affect the villagers¡¯ will to survive,¡± she said with seriousness. Seeing how quickly Granny Ma adjusted her mindset, Shen Luo could not help but feel admiration, and nodded in agreement. ¡°I have nothing to repay you with for your kindness, please accept my gratitude!¡± Granny Ma gave a respectful bow to Shen Luo. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that! By the way, although Ying Luo is now out of danger, she still hasn¡¯t woken up and needs someone to take care of her. I have things to take care of and can¡¯t be distracted. Granny Ma, could you send someone over to look after her?¡± Shen Luo promptly avoided Granny Ma¡¯s respectful gesture, and quickly changed the topic. ¡°Of course.¡± Granny Ma agreed with a nod. Shen Luo acknowledged her with a nod and walked into another side room in the courtyard, where he sat down with his legs crossed. After his fight with the Heaven Devouring Tiger today and saving Ying Luo just now, his mana was nearly exhausted. He began to silently practice the Huangting Technique to recover. Once his mana was fully recovered, he took out the Seven Star Pen, his Divine Sense poured into it, and continued to inspect the various items he obtained from the mountain. ¡°From the looks of it now, only the mystery of this painting remains unresolved.¡± After a short while, his Divine Sense exited the Seven Stars Pen. With a wave of his hand, a scroll appeared, bathed in a flash of white light¡ªit was the Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting. He unfurled the scroll and studied it intently. A bright round moon shone from the scroll with green bamboo leaning slightly, casting a tangle of shadows. After only a few glimpses, it seemed like the round moon and green bamboos suddenly turned into reality before him. Under the moonlight, there seemed to be a gentle breeze passing by, causing the bamboos to swing, their clashing creating a continuous tapping sound. The shadows they cast on the ground mixed with the moonlight to form patchy fading traces that kept changing. Shen Luo paid no attention to the round moon and bamboo around him, instead focusing on the patchy moon shadows on the ground. He had studied this painting before. The mystery of this painting lay in its ever-changing shadows on the ground, which seemed like an invisible person practicing a mysterious set of steps. Shen Luo had noticed this before, but he was somewhat unsure. Now, his cultivation level had increased significantly since the first time he viewed the Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting. Especially after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, his Soul Power had greatly increased. When observing this painting again, many things which were not clear before now seemed enlightening. ¡°This is indeed a set of stepping technique, far superior to the Bai Family¡¯s Chasing Wind Step.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement as he followed the changing moon shadows. After a while, he slowly closed his eyes. The illusions around him vanished, and the changes in the painting¡¯s steps were fully remembered by him. Moments later, he opened his eyes and stood up. He put away the Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting, and according to the steps shown in the painting, he started to move. The steps seemed to be connected with the I Ching and subtly aligned with the positions of the 64 Hexagrams. However, these steps were quite unusual. Sometimes, when he got to the next step, he couldn¡¯t proceed to the following one. He needed to jump forward and backward to adjust, making the movement awkward. So much so, that at the beginning, his steps were exceedingly slow to the point of appearing funny. Luckily, after practicing the Huangting Technique, his physical body had become incredibly agile. He quickly grew accustomed to the steps, and his pacing increased rapidly. While in motion, Shen Luo swiftly grasped the various mysteries hidden in the steps. The peculiar parts of the steps that he couldn¡¯t understand before gradually became clear to him. Those peculiar parts were not strange at all but were the essence of this marvelous stepping technique. Moreover, while practicing these steps, his body¡¯s mana started to mobilize and slowly flowed within the meridians in his legs, further increasing his speed. Time flew by unnoticed. Shen Luo was entirely immersed in this mysterious stepping technique and had entered a state of self-forgetfulness. In the room, Shen Luo¡¯s figure moved like a ghostly specter. The complexity of his steps and speed intensified until he was almost a blur, and faint afterimages appeared behind him. Moments later, the rapidly sprinting figure suddenly halted, remaining as still as an iron stake driven into the ground, with all the afterimages assuming their original positions in a swift. ¡°Delightful!¡± Shen Luo let out a joyful cheer. Chapter 205 - Chapter 205: Chapter 203: Slanting Moon Steps Chapter 205: Chapter 203: Slanting Moon Steps This method was just burgeoning, its speed already vaguely catching up with Chasing Wind Step. Unlike the latter¡¯s sole pursuit of speed, this one placed more emphasis on flexibility, making it more effective in evasion during combat. What contributed to the smooth cultivation was indeed the previously cultivated Huangting Technique, which made his body both firm and flexible. Actions that ordinary people found hard to accomplish, he could easily perform, which greatly aided his attempts to master this technique. However, the space within this room was a bit too cramped, making it difficult to fully demonstrate the capabilities of this technique. Shen Luo left the room and stepped into the courtyard. Outside, the sky was pitch black, it was deep into the night. He swept his divine sense towards the main house and noted that Ying Luo was still unconscious. But her complexion was much better than before, her breath steady. A somewhat frail young girl was seated beside her, wiping Ying Luo¡¯s face with a bowl of water ¨C presumably someone Granny Ma sent to look after Ying Luo. Shen Luo withdrew his divine sense. With a leap, he silently slipped out of the courtyard and headed towards the outskirts of the village. Instead of the village¡¯s main exit, he slipped from the back of the village to a nearby grove. A quick glance around, and he dashed forward, transforming into a phantom hurtling through the forest. Here, with more space, he could apply the technique without restraint. He couldn¡¯t figure out why, but he felt the Mana flowing through his legs more smoothly, and his understanding of the technique deepened rapidly. His progress was much faster than when he was practicing inside the room. In the blink of an eye, several days had passed. In the dawn¡¯s mist, Shen Luo¡¯s figure whirled through the grove, his speed almost double to that of last night, leaving behind distinct phantoms of himself¡ªas if multiple figures were running through the grove simultaneously. Moreover, his shifts and movements had become even smoother and more erratic. One moment he was sprinting forward at full speed, the next he would be retreating backward with no sign of hesitation, his movements free and unpredictable. With a ¡°whoosh¡±, multiple phantoms converged into one, revealing Shen Luo¡¯s figure, his eyes filled with surprise and delight. After four to five days of continuous practice, he had cultivated this Nameless technique to a very profound level, and he seemed to be not too far away from perfection. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? This kind of speed was simply astonishing. No ordinary person could achieve this even if their time were doubled. However, after days of non-stop practice, even Shen Luo started to feel the significant depletion of his physical and magical energy. His stomach gurgled twice, a long forgotten sensation of hunger surged up in his heart. Shen Luo didn¡¯t return to the village. Instead, he headed towards Mount Fangcun. Near a huge stone forest, he casually hunted a mountain goat and set it to roast. He used to secretly roast game with Bai Xiaotian and others at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion because they couldn¡¯t stand the bland food served there. He was now skilled in roasting and soon the goat started to release wafts of enticing aroma. Having not eaten for days, he gorged on the roasted goat ¨C eating more than half of it before finally patting his stomach, belching contentedly, and sitting down to meditate and recover. After recovering most of his Mana and physical strength, Shen Luo vaulted into the stone forest to continue cultivating the technique. His figure darted through the stone forest rapidly, sometimes flitting through like a bird, sometimes leaping at the top like a monkey. However, after a brief period of practice, he suddenly halted, a look of confusion flashing across his eyes. He suddenly noticed that the enhancing condition he had experienced previously, a state resembling divine assistance, had abruptly disappeared. His current progress was no different from when he was practicing in his room, and even seemed a bit slower. Shen Luo rubbed his chin, his eyebrows knitting slightly. He was sure his techniques were exactly the same as before. Moreover, after a brief rest, both his mental and physical conditions were in a better state than when he was practicing in the grove. ¡°If the problem isn¡¯t me, then it might be the environment I am in?¡± Shen Luo suddenly thought of something as he scanned his surroundings. Everywhere he looked was brown stone forest with rocky ground. There was barely any greenery, which made the place appear desolate. A thought struck him and he immediately jumped to a nearby grove. After taking a moment to settle his thoughts, he began to practice his steps again among the trees. ¡°Just as I thought!¡± Shen Luo slightly displayed his techniques in the grove, and the familiar feeling returned! As he moved between the trees, faint traces of white light began to shimmer softly at his feet. With each step, points of white light appeared, giving his figure an image of a ghostly specter ¨C suddenly in front and then behind. As days turned into weeks, Shen Luo¡¯s steps became more rapid. Mana circulated rapidly within the meridians of his legs, and once it reached a certain speed, his meridians started to heat up. Far from alarmed, he was delighted. He further quickened his speed. A loud ¡°boom¡± echoed! A surge leapt from the meridians of his legs, as if breaking through some kind of barrier. Countless currents of hot energy erupted from his legs, instantly spread throughout his body along the meridians. The white light at Shen Luo¡¯s feet flared brightly. As he advanced, a white light that resembled a slanting moon suddenly materialized on the ground. His body felt significantly lighter. With a bright flash, the slanting moonlight disintegrated into a misty illusion, giving his form a hazy appearance. His figure, like a ray of light, flickered and the next moment, he was dozens of feet away. ¡°So fast!¡± Shen Luo exclaimed, changing the direction of his body and quickly stepping out again. The slanting moonlight under his foot immediately flickered, and with a swift movement, his figure appeared several feet away. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes brightened up and he burst into laughter. The perfect mastery of the technique indeed broadened its horizons, it was simply incomparable to before. ¡°Such a marvellous technique lacks a name, that¡¯s regrettable. Since this technique renders a slanting moonlight at full capacity, let¡¯s call it Slanting Moon Steps.¡± Shen Luo thought of the slanting moonlight effect when displaying his technique, a thought struck him and he decided on a name for this nameless technique. ¡°As expected of a great Cultivating Immortality sect like Mount Fangcun, a casually discarded technique could demonstrate such profundity.¡± He sighed, taking out the Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting from the Seven-Star Pen Space. The Sky Bamboo Gazes at the Moon Painting trembled suddenly, a layer of shimmering white light appeared on it. The full moon and bamboo shadows in it began to flicker, as if it had come to life. ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s happening?¡± Shen Luo furrowed his brows. Just then, white characters started to flow out of the painting, through his palm, into his body and then into his brain. A sudden sharp pain overwhelmed his mind, making him groan. However, thankfully, there weren¡¯t too many characters. The pain quickly subsided. Those characters slightly circled around within his mind, and quickly combined to form a body of white text. At a glance, he saw the content, which revealed a secret technique called ¡°Yimu Xuandun¡±. Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: Chapter 204 Yimu Xuandun Chapter 206: Chapter 204 Yimu Xuandun Shen Luo¡¯s Divine Sense swept over, and he quickly finished reading the secret technique, a look of great joy appeared on his face. This divine power of Yimu Xuandun was just like the Thunder Escape cast by the Heaven Devouring Tiger, a real escape technique. After mastering it, one could use the power of the surrounding vegetation for instant teleportation, which was extremely miraculous. Having read numerous classics on Mount Fangcun, Shen Luo was no longer as naive about the matter of cultivating immortality as before. Escape techniques and magic spells are categorized into various types; the most mainstream of them is the Five Elements Escape Method. It can make the caster swiftly travel through different environments, practical and particularly effective when facing a powerful enemy or crisis for escape. As a wood escape technique, Yimu Xuandun performed best when deployed in places where the energy of plants and trees is rich. However, even in a desert or deep sea ocean environments, this technique was still useful, though its effectiveness would certainly be greatly reduced and unsatisfactory. Moreover, some monks, or monsters with unique talents, could also cast some special escape techniques, like the Thunder Escape used by the Heaven Devouring Tiger, belonged to this category. Calmly controlling the excitement in his heart, Shen Luo closed his eyes, and started to comprehend the technique with absolute dedication. The content of Yimu Xuandun was complex, even more so than the Water-Stepping Art, Water Repelling Technique, and other magical powers. However, this divine technique had no definitive cultivation limit. As long as it can be understood, it can be used at any realm, somewhat similar to the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits. However, the lower the person¡¯s cultivation level, the shorter the distance they can progress with this technique. A moment later, Shen Luo opened his eyes, made a hand gesture on his chest, and began reciting spells under his breath. White light emerged under his feet, and the Oblique Moon Light Shadow reappeared. Simultaneously, green lights began to emerge from the surrounding void and gathered around him. As the green light gathered, it soon covered half of his body, making him appear somewhat transparent. Just as he finished reciting the spell, he took a step forward. The green light around his body flashed, and his entire person disappeared instantly from the spot. Shen Luo felt that his entire body was in a mysterious state. His limbs turned translucent green, like a cloud floating in the sky, weightless. His vision was filled with countless green shadows, and strong forces came from all directions, tearing at his body and propelling him forward rapidly. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï However, this state didn¡¯t last too long. His body quickly sank forward, his feet landed on solid ground, the countless green lights in front of his eyes dissipated, his vision returned to normal, and he appeared in an unfamiliar mountain stream. Shen Luo paused slightly, glanced around, and quickly saw a sky-reaching peak standing in front of him, which was Mount Fangcun. However, he could not determine his position on Mount Fangcun at this moment, given the vast area at the foot of the mountain. The only thing he could be sure of was that he was no longer near the village. After briefly determining his direction, Shen Luo walked along the foot of the mountain for some distance, a slight smile appeared on his face. Whether it was the distance from the grove where he used to practice or from Longevity Village, it was not short. To say the least, it was definitely about three to four miles. The distance of a single Yimu Xuandun teleportation was significantly beyond his imagination, and it was not something the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s Thunder Escape could compare with. Of course, this should be related to the lush vegetation and rich energy of plants and trees on Mount Fangcun. However, the lightning-fast speed of the Heaven Devouring Tiger¡¯s Thunder Escape was not something Yimu Xuandun could match, each had their advantages. Shen Luo calmed his mind and performed the Yimu Xuandun again. The green light glowed under his feet, quickly enveloping his body, and with a flicker his entire form disappeared again. As his vision filled with flashing green light and then cleared, he found himself in an open field, surrounded by mist. In front of him, not far away, countless white smoke was rising from the ground, congealing together. It was the mist wall that encapsulated the entire Mount Fangcun. The white mist wall was as before, stretching so high that the top couldn¡¯t be seen, like a chasm in front of him, blocking all contact between the outside world and this place. ¡°I actually got here in an instant. Thank goodness I did not go any further, otherwise, I would have rushed into this fog wall!¡± Shen Luo sighed in relief. ¡°According to the spell description, Yimu Xuandun allows cultivators to temporarily integrate with the energy of vegetation in the world, and travel forward without any obstacles. I wonder if it can penetrate this fog wall?¡± Looking at the white fog wall in front of him, he suddenly had an idea. This white fog made it impossible to discern directions and easy to get lost. Now that he had Yimu Xuandun, none of these seemed to be obstacles anymore. Thinking of this, Shen Luo remembered the skydome void that led to Yinming Land, and wondered if it still existed. Over these years, with his heart focused on finding a way out of Mount Fangcun and busy cultivating, he had forgotten about that place. However, from the current situation, apart from the Oblique Moon Three Star Cave Ruins and the numerous monsters on Mount Fangcun, there seemed to be no other significant spots. It didn¡¯t seem likely to leave this area through this mountain. With his current Nascent Soul cultivation, he should be able to return to Yinming Land through that Skydome void. However, he didn¡¯t think he could handle that fearsome Black Mountain Old Demon. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s first try if Yimu Xuandun can break through this fog wall. If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll go there and see.¡± Shen Luo thought for a moment and made up his mind. Instead of immediately casting the escape technique, he first took a careful look at the fog wall in front of him. Then with a thought, his Divine Sense stretched towards the fog wall, attempting to examine the circumstances within. However, his Divine Sense had barely entered the fog wall when he felt an invisible resistance, making it difficult for his Divine Sense to progress. Shen Luo focused his attention and increased the intensity of his divine sense, continuing to probe deeper into the fog wall. But the resistance emanating from within the fog wall rapidly intensified as his Divine Sense penetrated further. After his Divine Sense had extended twenty or thirty feet, it could no longer progress any further. The fog wall was heavily saturated with mist, its depth unknown. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but frown. He was not too worried about the thickness of the fog wall. After all, the teleportation distance of Yimu Xuandun was calculated in miles, and it was worth a try. But he wasn¡¯t sure whether the prohibition contained in the fog wall might limit the escape technique. ¡°It¡¯s just me being silly, why think about it, whether it¡¯s possible or not, won¡¯t I know if I try?¡± Shen Luo soon relaxed his face, activated Yimu Xuandun again, and a green light began to glow under his feet, soon enveloping his body. With a step forward, the green light around him flickered and his figure vanished into thin air. Shen Luo once again entered that marvelous state, his body turned translucent, shuttling forward in a vast green world. However, his progression was extremely tough this time, strands of white smoke appeared before him, like countless spider silk wrapped around his body, obstructing his escape. Chapter 207 - Chapter 207: Chapter 205: Heavenly Wolf Swallowing the Mountain Chapter 207: Chapter 205: Heavenly Wolf Swallowing the Mountain Shen Luo snorted coldly, triggering all the mana inside his body. The green light on the surface of his body immediately lit up, forcefully dispersing a lot of the surrounding white smoke, and he continued to move forward. However, there was a huge amount of this white smoke. One layer was no sooner dispersed than another one emerged. Every bit of distance covered cost him a significant amount of mana. Luckily, his mana was vigorous after advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage. This degree of mana consumption didn¡¯t mean much to him. If he was still in the Grain Avoidance Stage, his mana would not be enough. When about one-fifth of his mana had been consumed, the white smoke in front of him suddenly vanished. He felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his body, and his speed increased substantially. The very next moment, Shen Luo¡¯s vision blurred before returning to normal. At this moment, he was standing on an uninhabited hillock. Surrounding him were continuous hilly regions with sparse vegetation, making the place appear pretty desolate. Looking back, he saw a high Fog Wall standing about a li behind him; it reached up and connected with the skydome, extending left and right without any visible end ¨C it was a scene similar to what he had seen in Longevity Village. The sky here was utterly blue, a stark contrast to the perpetually grey sky in Longevity Village. A few white clouds hovered above, and the Sun hung low in the west, casting a faint golden color on the nearby clouds. ¡°I¡¯ve really made it out!¡± As Shen Luo took a clear view of his surroundings, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a wave of excitement, and he took a deep breath. The air outside seemed fresher compared to the inside. These common scenes ¨C the blue sky, white clouds, deserted hills all around ¨C which were easily seen before, seemed remarkably beautiful at this moment. Shen Luo composed himself and then took a serious look at his surroundings. The place where he stood was a hilly region. A few low mountains stood far away, the terrain between the mountains seemed to be flatter. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? He thought for a moment while touching his chin, but did not immediately return to Longevity Village. Instead, he moved, dashing toward the mountains in the distance. Shen Luo ran straight for twenty or thirty miles. The terrain gradually became flat, and soon after, an expansive meadow appeared. A lot of land here had been turned into farmland. However, many fields had been abandoned. In the distance, a few villages could faintly be seen. As dusk was approaching, a few strands of cooking smoke rose slowly from the villages, exuding a sense of life. Shen Luo sighed in relief and continued rushing forward, soon reaching the village that was closest to him. At first glance, the village looked larger than Longevity Village. However, the village seemed somewhat run-down, most of the houses being empty, and many had already begun to collapse- a scene of utter desolation. ¡°Which village are you from, boy? Running around so late, aren¡¯t you afraid of getting caught by the wolves?¡± A voice came from the front. Looking up, Shen Luo saw a middle-aged man in a grey robe. The man was roughly in his forties or fifties, holding a chopper in his hand and carrying a bundle of firewood on his back. He was looking at Shen Luo with curiosity. ¡°Sir, I am Shen Luo, I lost my way and I would like to ask how to reach my destination,¡± Shen Luo cupped his fist towards the man. ¡°From the outside? You are brave, boy! Even in these troubled times, you dare to travel far from home,¡± the middle-aged man put down the firewood from his back, gave Shen Luo a top to bottom look, and then said. ¡°I can defend myself with some martial arts. May I know your name, sir, and the name of this village?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°My surname is Tian. If you don¡¯t mind, just call me Uncle Tian. Our village consists of only two surnames, Tian and Luo, so our village is called Tianluo Village,¡± Tian Da laughed loudly, seemingly someone with a very amiable personality. ¡°Uncle Tian, your Tianluo Village is quite vast, but why does it seem to be so sparsely populated?¡± Shen Luo asked curiously. ¡°What else can it be? It¡¯s all because of those damn demons!¡± Uncle Tian said resentfully. ¡°There are demons ravaging here too?¡± Shen Luo asked with a flicker in his eyes. ¡°In these exceptional times, where wouldn¡¯t you find demons? The demon wolves in the Eagle Beak Mountain to the west, and the Yellow Weasel Demon in Dragon Ridge to the east, come out of their mountains from time to time. Whether it¡¯s catching cattle and sheep, ruining farmland, or even eating people; they are capable of everything! The capable people in the village have moved to Willow Post City. That place is guarded by Immortal Masters, and demons usually don¡¯t dare to approach,¡± Uncle Tian gave a bitter smile, a trace of envy in his voice. ¡°Does this not mean the villagers who are left behind are even more endangered? If a monster comes, how will you withstand it?¡± Shen Luo asked, frowning. ¡°We naturally can¡¯t resist at all. Luckily, those Immortal Masters come out at regular intervals to eliminate the monsters; otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be able to live. Even so, people or livestock in the village disappear from time to time. Enough about that, where are you heading to, boy?¡±Uncle Tian shook his head, and then asked. ¡°I am looking for a place called Longevity Village, has Uncle Tian heard about it?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Longevity Village? Are you talking about the village which was swallowed up by a Sky Wolf hundreds of years ago? Oh no, you mustn¡¯t go there!¡± Upon hearing this, Uncle Tian was startled for a while, and then his face turned into a shocked expression while frantically waving his hands. ¡°Uncle Tian, do you know where that place is?¡± Shen Luo immediately asked. ¡°I heard from the elders, it was a village located dozens of miles to the north, at the base of an Immortal Mountain. Hundreds of years ago, a black Sky Wolf descended and swallowed the whole of the Immortal Mountain and nearby Longevity Village. Now, the place is covered up by a layer of white demon fog. As soon as a person approaches, they can never come out again. Boy, you mustn¡¯t go there!¡± Deep fear could be seen in Uncle Tian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Since it¡¯s inadequate to go there, I better head first to the Willow Post City you mentioned earlier. Can you tell me the way to get there?¡± Shen Luo nodded in agreement, and then asked. ¡°Willow Post City is located to the northwest of our village and is about seventy to eighty miles away from here. Once you leave the village and reach the official road, head straight towards the west, that¡¯s the way to Willow Post City,¡± Uncle Tian pointed towards the village entrance. ¡°Thank you for your directions, Uncle Tian,¡± Shen Luo cupped his fists and thanked sincerely. ¡°Naw, it¡¯s not a big deal. You should get going now. Although the demon wolves from the Eagle Beak Mountain haven¡¯t appeared recently, many ordinary wild wolves already have begun appearing here and there. Especially in the night, it¡¯s extraordinarily unsafe,¡± Tian Da kindly admonished, before turning around with the firewood on his back and walking towards the village. Seeing Uncle Tian¡¯s receding figure, Shen Luo snapped his fingers, a strand of mana flew out silently and plunged into Tian Da¡¯s Xuehai Acupoint on the right leg. Tian Da only felt a slight warmth near his right knee. A warm air seeped in, relieving the knee pain caused by years of heavy labour in an instant. ¡°Huh?¡± He stopped in his tracks and moved his legs. The pain was completely gone; both his knees felt warm and very comfortable. Uncle Tian subconsciously turned back and looked, but Shen Luo, who had been standing there just now, was nowhere to be seen. He looked surprised. ¡°Oh no, could it be that I encountered a High Person? Was it an Immortal Master traveling from afar?¡± He suddenly remembered something and muttered to himself. At this moment, Shen Luo had already reached the edge of Tianluo Village, a thoughtful look on his face. Chapter 208 - Chapter 208: Chapter 206: Moving the Village Chapter 208: Chapter 206: Moving the Village Let¡¯s put aside the matter of the Celestial Wolf swallowing the mountain for a moment, the stories circulating among the villagers are mostly exaggerated. However, from Uncle Tian¡¯s words just now, monsters did indeed attack the village. Considering Tianluo Village, a place with a sparse population and no means of defense, has managed to survive till today, apart from having an Immortal Master intervening from time to time, the strength of these monsters should not be too strong. With this in mind, he didn¡¯t immediately return to Longevity Village but prowled nearby other villages, intending to gather more information. By the time Shen Luo returned to the front of the white mist wall, it was completely dark. After half a day of investigation, he discovered that the situation here was roughly the same as what Uncle Tian reported. With the threat of demons always lurking, the lives of ordinary folk were indeed difficult, and all this started hundreds of years ago. From the villagers¡¯ descriptions, the monsters that appeared nearby were mostly at the Qi Refining Stage. Thinking this, Shen Luo muttered spells and applied the Yimu Xuandun technique. With a shimmer, he disappeared and darted into the deeper regions enveloped by the mist. A moment later, a green light flashed in the grove outside Longevity Village, and the figure of Shen Luo emerged from thin air. He darted towards the village and soon arrived on the outskirts. The damaged fence outside the village had started being rebuilt, though it wasn¡¯t completely fixed. The number of robust men guarding the village had doubled, and they were very cautious, noting any movement from outside immediately. ¡°Who goes there?¡± Following a stern shout, the sounds of bowstrings being pulled echoed inside the fence, and a shower of arrows aimed at Shen Luo. ¡°Hold your fire; it¡¯s Master Shen. Open the gate!¡± Qing Niu recognised Shen Luo and shouted urgently. Upon hearing this, everyone relaxed. However, the large gates at the entrance haven¡¯t been repaired yet. A few strong men had to work together to barely push it open. ¡°Bring Granny Ma to my residence quickly. There¡¯s something important to discuss with her,¡± Shen Luo, upon entering the village, told Qing Niu. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï Qing Niu, feeling a chill, was about to respond, but Shen Luo¡¯s figure had already disappeared. Not daring to delay, he hurriedly rushed to Granny Ma¡¯s residence. Shen Luo quickly returned to his own residence, only to find a figure meditating under the big mulberry tree in the yard. It was Ying Luo, and the frail girl was standing off to the side, vigilantly keeping watch. Hovering above Ying Luo¡¯s head was the Green Edge Sword, slowly rotating in the air as if she was practicing a unique skill. Heavenly and Earthly spiritual energy from all around began converging toward Ying Luo. An aqua-colored glow emerged from her body, making her emit a formidable aura like a sword¡¯s edge. She seemed to have turned into a shiny, green treasure sword. Witnessing this, Shen Luo was slightly taken aback. Just then, the Green Edge Sword suddenly emitted a clear hum and pointed towards Shen Luo, stopping its absorption of the spiritual energy. Immediately after that, Ying Luo, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, startled and opened her eyes. ¡°Big Brother Shen, you¡¯re back,¡± she said, hastily standing up upon seeing him. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve recovered quite well,¡± Shen Luo said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your healing, Brother Shen. Had it not been for you, even if I hadn¡¯t died this time, my cultivation would have completely disintegrated. I cannot express my gratitude enough. If there¡¯s anything you need in the future, please feel free to ask,¡± said Ying Luo, as she took a formal bow. ¡°It was nothing worth mentioning. Your injuries haven¡¯t healed completely yet, so don¡¯t stand for too long. Please, sit down,¡± Shen Luo waved his hand and said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not so weak that I can¡¯t even stand,¡± Ying Luo replied with a faint smile. While she was speaking, she made a magic spell gesture with her hand. The Green Edge Sword above her head released a clear hum and transformed into a green light that burst into her body before disappearing. Upon seeing this, Shen Luo was a bit fascinated. He never thought that magical instruments could actually be stored within a human body. It was a curious thing. ¡°Big Brother Shen, this Green Edge Sword is a treasure passed down by the elders of the village. There¡¯s a rule in the village that except for the village¡¯s Immortal Master, no other person should know of its existence, which is why I didn¡¯t tell you before, and I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± Ying Luo noticed Shen Luo¡¯s focused gaze and explained. ¡°That¡¯s the rule of the village, so there¡¯s no need to explain it to me. You should sit down and rest for now. There¡¯s something I need to discuss with you and Granny Ma.¡± Shen Luo said while he sat cross-legged, using his skills to recover his mana. Seeing the seriousness in Shen Luo¡¯s words, Ying Luo was a bit startled. Nevertheless, she sat down as instructed. A moment later, footsteps could be heard approaching from outside. ¡°Daoist Shen, just tell me what you need, and I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Granny Ma, walking into the small courtyard with Qing Niu. ¡°Granny Ma, Daoist Ying, when I was on Mount Fangcun, I found some classics in the Oblique Moon and Three Stars Cave. From them, I learned a god¡¯s power of ¡®Immortal Escape¡¯.¡± Shen Luo stood up, glanced at Granny Ma and Ying Luo, and said. ¡°Immortal Escape? I heard the village elders mention it ¨C it¡¯s a complex and profound escaping technique,¡± Granny Ma was mildly surprised and nodded. ¡°Indeed, this technique is intricate. I successfully used it to break through the White Mist Wall outside the village after some struggles,¡± Shen Luo slowly added. Upon hearing this, the four people in the courtyard were stunned. Qing Niu¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise, his mouth agape. Both Ying Luo and the frail young girl looked astounded, the young girl even covered her slightly opened mouth with her hand in disbelief. Among the group, Granny Ma remained the most composed, but her cloudy eyes still flashed with shock, her expression changing several times. ¡°Daoist Shen, is¡­ is what you said true?¡± After a while, Granny Ma was the first to recover and immediately asked. ¡°This is a matter of great importance; I wouldn¡¯t dare to deceive you. I explored outside and found the presence of demons and difficult living conditions for the people, but it¡¯s better than the situation in the village. I called you here to discuss a possible plan to move there.¡± Shen Luo spoke calmly. Ying Luo and the two young men were in both shock and joy upon hearing Shen Luo¡¯s words. Granny Ma was speechless while her body trembled uncontrollably. ¡°Granny Ma!¡± The three others rushed over to support Granny Ma. ¡°Heavens be praised! Our village has waited for hundreds of years, and finally, finally, the day we see sunlight has come¡­¡± Granny Ma exclaimed excitedly, her eyes welling up with tears. The other three were also overwhelmed with emotion. ¡°Daoist Shen, all of us in Longevity Village will forever remember your kindness. We¡¯re really thankful,¡± Granny Ma took two steps forward and knelt in front of Shen Luo. ¡°Thank you, Big Brother Shen (Master Shen)!¡± The other three followed suit, bowing to show their gratitude. ¡°I am also part of the village. I should indeed do these things, and I certainly should not accept such a grand gesture. Everybody, please get up,¡± Shen Luo quickly stepped forward to help Granny Ma while motioning with his other hand. An invisible energy emerged from nowhere and lifted Ying Luo and the two young men. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste. Please inform the others as soon as possible and pack your belongings ¡ªdon¡¯t carry too much. I¡¯ll go to the White Mist Wall to prepare,¡± Shen Luo left them with these words and disappeared from the courtyard in a blur. Chapter 209 - Chapter 209: Chapter 207: Treasure Chapter 209: Chapter 207: Treasure ¡°Qing Niu, Little Butterfly, quickly notify everyone!¡± As soon as Shen Luo left, Granny Ma immediately told Qing Niu and the thin young girl. The two of them happily agreed and dashed out. Granny Ma and Ying Luo didn¡¯t stay more in the courtyard, they quickly walked out. Shen Luo quickly returned to the area near the Fog Wall, found a flat piece of ground, took out the Seven Star Pen and some materials obtained from the mountain, and started setting up on the ground. An hour later, he stopped. Now appearing on the ground was a circular Array over ten feet in size. This Array was called the Yimu Formation which was a simple formation accompanied by the spell of Yimu Xuandun. Its function was also simple: it could spread the effect of Yimu Xuandun by relying on this Array, carrying others in the Array to perform the escape technique together. However, the consumption of mana was naturally not small. After setting up the Array, Shen Luo sat down cross-legged next to the pattern, closing his eyes and adjusting his breath. The night passed quickly and the early morning light came quietly. Shen Luo¡¯s ears moved slightly; he opened his eyes and stood up, looking in the direction of the village. With the sound of chaotic footsteps, the villagers of Longevity Village approached with their bags, forming a long line. ¡°Daoist friend Shen, all one hundred and eighty-seven people of the village are here,¡± Granny Ma walked up first, supported by Qing Niu and Ying Luo on either side. The other villagers stopped more than ten feet away. Amid the crowd, they kept looking towards Shen Luo. Perhaps having learned about Shen Luo¡¯s proposal from Granny Ma and others, everyone¡¯s eyes were full of excitement and hope at this moment. Their gazes towards Shen Luo were naturally complicated, with awe, guilt, and most of all, gratitude. ¡°Granny Ma, the Array I¡¯ve set up can carry others with me to cast the escape technique through the Fog Wall, but it can carry at most twenty people at a time. It also needs some time to recover in between,¡± Shen Luo explained to Granny Ma. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? Hearing these words, the villagers¡¯ faces were filled with excitement. Many rushed towards the direction of the Array. ¡°Don¡¯t fight, don¡¯t damage the Formation Pattern! Qing Niu, you arrange it,¡± Granny Ma shouted to stop everyone, speaking to Qing Niu. Qing Niu agreed, quickly picked out twenty people, and stood in the Array. Shen Luo took a deep breath and also stood in the Array. As the spell in his mouth sounded, a large amount of green light poured out of his feet, merging into the Yimu Formation on the ground. The Formation Patterns in the Array all became bright and emitted green light, enveloping everyone in the Array. The air nearby started to vibrate, forming a whirlwind. ¡°Quickly!¡± At the end of Shen Luo¡¯s spell, with a snap of his fingers, the green light from the whole Array suddenly became brighter. Everyone in the Array began to become ethereal and quickly disappeared completely. On the other side of the Fog Wall, in the hill area, a green light the size of a human head appeared out of thin air and quickly enlarged, falling on the ground below. Suddenly, with the green light as the boundary, a round green Array appeared on the ground. Inside the Array, the light flashed and Shen Luo and twenty villagers appeared. Shen Luo was pale as a sheet, and upon appearing, he swayed and slumped to the ground. Taking twenty people with him to escape had drained almost all of his mana, even with the assistance of the Array. The villagers, who initially saw the outside scenery and were overly excited, immediately surrounded him when they saw Shen Luo suddenly fall. ¡°Master Shen, what happened to you?¡± ¡°Benevolent master, are you okay?¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the outside world in my lifetime, all thanks to Master Shen.¡± ¡°Master Shen is truly our savior, sob sob¡­¡± The villagers, men and women, old and young alike, wanted to help Shen Luo, some were crying tears of joy; the scene was somewhat chaotic for a while. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just need to recover a bit. Everyone stay here and don¡¯t wander off. Wait until I¡¯ve transported everyone out,¡± Shen Luo waved his hand at the crowd, gave an order, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to recover. At this point, his words carried great significance for the crowd. They unceasingly agreed and gathered around Shen Luo, not daring to disturb him. Half an hour later, Shen Luo¡¯s mana had fully recovered, he got up and used the Escape Technique, returning inside the Fog Wall. The people inside were anxiously waiting. Seeing Shen Luo return, they were relieved. Like this, Shen Luo got busy for a whole day, sending nearly ten trips, before he could transport all the people in Longevity Village outside. Looking at the world significantly different from Longevity Village, the crowd was filled with excitement, especially Chen Guanbao and other children who were curious about everything and kept chattering non-stop. ¡°Brother Shen, where are we going next?¡± Granny Ma asked, not as excited as the villagers. ¡°I have found a place for everyone to live¡ªfollow me.¡± Shen Luo spoke and led the way. By nightfall, the group arrived at a deserted village built against a mountain, a clear brook winding around one side of the village. Looking into the village, the houses were old, many had collapsed, and there were quite a few fields outside the village. Due to years of neglect, they were overgrown with weeds. ¡°This Shuangsha Village was raided by bandits ten years ago. Almost everyone in the village died, and the few surviving villagers moved elsewhere, so the village was deserted,¡± Shen Luo explained the history of the village to everyone. The villagers looked at the deserted village in front of them and showed signs of excitement. Without waiting for instructions, they began to clean up the courtyards and tidy up rooms that could be lived in. In no time, the best places in the village had been cleaned up and given to Shen Luo to reside in. Having performed Yimu Xuandun several times in succession, Shen Luo was already extremely tired. Without being polite, he went into his house and soon fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, the sky was bright. His tired spirit had fully recovered. He got up and went to the door, the sky was still just brightening. The villagers of Longevity Village were all up, bustling around in the village. No one thought it was tiring, everyone had a smile on their faces, it had been a long time since they¡¯ve been this happy. Seeing this scene, Shen Luo felt a jumble of emotions. In the world of a thousand years ago where he came from, before the drastic changes between heaven and earth, the court was wealthy and people lived in peace. They perhaps couldn¡¯t understand the feelings of these people right now. People often only appreciate happiness when they¡¯ve known suffering, only truly understand cherishing when they¡¯ve experienced loss. Having accidentally ended up in disaster-stricken Longevity village, what he could do for these villagers was limited to this. Whether they could live well in the outside world in the future depended on them. Shen Luo closed the door of the house and went back to sit on the bed, beginning to plan his next steps. Chapter 210 - Chapter 210: Chapter 208: A Nightmare Night Chapter 210: Chapter 208: A Nightmare Night If according to his previous plan, since he couldn¡¯t return to reality yet, he would travel around Baoxiang Country to gain some foreign experiences. But his recent encounters have given him some new insights. Based on his past experiences, the cultivation level he improved and the treasures he acquired in this dreamland could not be brought back to reality. However, the knowledge, realizations, and cultivation experiences he gained on a spiritual level could be brought back to reality. If he could make good use of this, even if his talent in reality is poor, he might still achieve something. In this dream world, even if his talent is superb and his cultivation level is profound, he¡¯s still just a passerby; his reality still lies in the real world. Instead of wandering around, it¡¯s better to seize the time to cultivate in quiet and bring all kinds of experiences back to reality. Upon thinking of this, Shen Luo¡¯s mind was suddenly enlightened. He sat cross-legged on the bed and quietly activated the Huangting Technique. He didn¡¯t attempt to strike for a higher realm, but carefully pondered the Qi refining stage of the Huangting Technique and repeatedly summarized the cultivation tips. Outside his residence, Granny Ma came over slowly. Seeing that Shen Luo¡¯s door was closed, she stopped and didn¡¯t go up to knock. ¡°Has Master Shen been inside all this time?¡± She asked a villager who was repairing a house nearby. ¡°Yes, Master Shen just came out for a look and then went back into the house.¡± The villager answered. Granny Ma felt a little relieved. She was originally worried that now that Shen Luo had left Longevity Village, he might choose to leave. Now it didn¡¯t seem like he had that plan yet. ¡°Don¡¯t go elsewhere to work, just stay here. If Master Shen has any instructions, come and tell me immediately.¡± Granny Ma told the villager. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Yes!¡± The man responded. And so, time unknowingly passed to half a year later. Shuangsha Village had completely changed. All the ruined houses in the village had been repaired, and new roads had been opened and covered with a layer of bluestone. Around the village, the villagers followed the example of Longevity Village and built a sturdy fence. The several barren fields next to the village were reclaimed and crops were planted, presenting a flourishing scene everywhere. In the largest house in the village, Shen Luo sat cross-legged with a golden light covering him, forming a light shield several feet thick. The shadows of three dragons and three elephants were rapidly swimming around him. His hands were quickly forming seals, and the golden light around him suddenly flickered violently and swelled and shrank, like a pulsating heart. After such continuous flashing for thirty-six times, the golden light suddenly burst open, forming a wave of golden light rushing out in all directions. The four walls of the house shattered like tofu upon contact with the golden light, and the entire house collapsed with a bang. But at this moment, Shen Luo was wrapped in golden light. The broken bricks and tiles were repelled by the golden light a few feet away from him, unable to touch a hair on his body. The villagers from Longevity Village nearby heard the huge noise here and looked over from a distance. Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s figure, their eyes were full of awe, but no one dared to approach. The status of Shen Luo in their hearts had long been extraordinary, even surpassing those immortal ancestors on Mount Fangcun in the ancient legends. Shen Luo closed his eyes for a moment, and the golden light on his body slowly faded away. The aura he was emitting now was much more majestic than before. He had made further progress in the Huangting Technique and reached the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Stage. He opened his eyes and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, but it was not because of his improved cultivation level. Actually, during this period of time, he didn¡¯t spend much time in cultivation, otherwise, with the talent of this body, it wouldn¡¯t take half a year to break through a minor realm. His main focus was on painstakingly revisiting and summarizing some insights into the cultivation from the Qi Refining Stage to the Grain Avoidance Stage, and tried to consider some bottleneck issues from the perspective of someone with low aptitude. Now he has gained a thorough understanding, and if he returns to reality, his cultivation should be much smoother. Shen Luo glanced at the chaotic scene around him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he shook his head slightly. At this moment, a figure was quickly approaching from a distance, it was Ying Luo, and she was using the Slanting Moon Steps. During these six months, Shen Luo had found time to impart all five high-level runes of Mount Fangcun, including the Thunderfall Talisman, as well as secret techniques such as the Slanting Moon Steps and Yimu Xuandun to Ying Luo. Ying Luo has always been highly perceptive and the skills she had been training were originally passed down from Mount Fangcun, so she was able to accept these things taught by Shen Luo quite easily. The growth of her strength was rapid, and she had repelled the invading monsters effortlessly several times. More than once, she had helped nearby villages, so she was revered by the nearby villagers as ¡°Heroine Ying¡±. She also grouped some talented children from nearby villages, including Chen Guanbao, and began to teach them some cultivation techniques, with significant results. In addition, Shen Luo once tried to recite the Huangting Technique mantra to Ying Luo, but she was unable to comprehend it at all. Shen Luo was baffled, and after careful consideration he realized that the Huangting Technique is too profound and not easily transmitted. If it was not for the chance of possessing the Golden Monkey and hearing the teachings of the ancestor master of Mount Fangcun, he probably would not have been able to comprehend it. Since Ying Luo could not comprehend it, he did not force her. The other techniques he imparted to Ying Luo were already sufficient for use. Seeing that Ying Luo had arrived in front of him, Shen Luo was about to get up, when his vision suddenly blurred, then his mind sank and he fell into unconsciousness. ¡­ ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­.¡± Early in the morning, frantic knocking sounded in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s small courtyard. ¡°Shen Luo, are you up yet?¡± Immediately followed by a rushed voice from outside the door. In the bed inside the house, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes suddenly opened, his pupils slightly contracted, and the shadow of the bed curtain was reflected in his eyes. His body first tensed up suddenly, and then slowly relaxed. ¡°Finally back.¡± He took a long breath, propped himself up slowly with his hands, and noticed the changes of mana in his Dantian, he then showed a helpless expression. Everything was still the same, the realm in the dreamland could only exist in the dream. Listening to Bai Xiaotian shouting outside, Shen Luo responded, got out of bed, and casually put the jade pillow that had somehow appeared on the bed back into the stone box, before he got up to open the door for him. Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s weary and sleepy look, Bai Xiaotian said teasingly: ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to bed early last night, why do you still look languid? Could it be, you sneaked out to the Qinhuai River last night?¡± ¡°If only that were the case. I had a nightmare all night, when you called me just now, I thought it was another evil ghost monster coming for my life.¡± Shen Luo yawned and casually replied. But after saying this, he frowned slightly. In the dream, more than a year had clearly passed, but in reality, it was only a night¡¯s time. The contrast brought about by this time-space dislocation made him feel a bit disoriented. He wondered what would happen to Ying Luo and the children like Chen Guanbao after his return? Without the misty barriers and the invasion of monsters, they should be able to survive well in the village and become cultivators, right? Chapter 211 - Chapter 211: Chapter 209: Quiet Room at the Bottom of the Mountain Chapter 211: Chapter 209: Quiet Room at the Bottom of the Mountain ¡°What are you thinking about, spacing out like that?¡± Bai Xiaotian noticed and interrupted his thoughts with a remark. ¡°Nothing, the dream was just too real. I haven¡¯t quite snapped out of it yet,¡± Shen Luo answered, half truthfully and half deceitfully. ¡°Alright, stop thinking. Go freshen up first. After breakfast, I¡¯ll take you around Jianye City for a good roam,¡± Bai Xiaotian said, slapping Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder with a chuckle. Originally, Shen Luo didn¡¯t fancy going out, and preferred to stay indoors to try practicing the skills he¡¯d learned in his dream. But seeing Bai Xiaotian¡¯s enthusiasm, he didn¡¯t want to let him down, so he nodded in agreement. After breakfast, Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo ventured out, accompanied by Green Sleeve, the eccentric and whimsical girl. They spent half the day out and about. Green Sleeve proved to be a better host than Bai Xiaotian, demonstrating a deep knowledge of all the fun and delicious happenings in Jianye City, dragging the two men to each spot one by one. Seeing the bustling and prosperous surroundings, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but recall Feng Chi City, guarded to the death by Yu Meng, Yu Yan and the others. He also thought of Longevity Village and Mount Fangcun, the places he had just left. He understood well that under the impending Demonic Tribulation, all this prosperity was but an ephemeral dream. For the first time, he found himself wishing, if only he could withstand the Demonic Tribulation. But how could he possibly make a difference when even the deeply rooted Immortal Sect of Mount Fangcun couldn¡¯t withstand the Demonic Tribulation? It wasn¡¯t until evening that the trio returned, carrying an ample assortment of purchases from their excursion. ¡°Shen Luo, don¡¯t be so rigid. How can you come to Jianye City but not sample some Flower Wine by the Qinhuai River? That¡¯s like leaving Baoshan without any treasure!¡± Bai Xiaotian advised, even after they had returned to the courtyard. ¡°If you want to go, go by yourself, don¡¯t drag me along. Speaking of which, does your house have any quiet rooms for secluded cultivation? Could I borrow one?¡± Shen Luo, thoroughly pestered, asked, seamlessly changing the subject. Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaotian frowned slightly before laughing and saying: Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Who are you looking down upon with that request? Our noble Demon Exorcising Family, may lack many things, but not secluded cultivation chambers. But seriously, you are truly obsessed. Why not take a break for a few days before you continue your practice?¡± ¡°My talent is far inferior to yours. How can I afford to slack off when it comes to cultivation?¡± Shen Luo replied with a smile. ¡°Oh well, oh well. I¡¯ll take you there. Satisfied?¡± Bai Xiaotian raised his hands in surrender. Green Sleeve, though she rarely saw Bai Xiaotian behave this way, couldn¡¯t help covering her mouth while giggling at the sight. Her eyes crinkling into crescents. In her memory, the Bai family¡¯s young master had always been wild by nature but inherently proud. He had never had a close friend like Shen Luo who could capture his interest and hold deep conversations with him. Those of the same age who could connect with him were indeed few and far between. Shen Luo returned to his room to put away new clothes and other purchases before following Bai Xiaotian towards the backyard of the Bai residence. Passing by the study of the Family Head, Bai Hecheng, they finally arrived at the actual backyard, where there was a private lake occupying an extensive area. Bai Xiaotian confidently led Shen Luo to a landscaped hill and stopped. ¡°Here?¡± Shen Luo looked at the landscaped hill before him, then glanced around, perplexed. Bai Xiaotian chuckled, patting the fake mountain a few times. The sound of machinery turning followed. Accompanied by a ¡°hiss¡± sound, a pitch-black entrance appeared underneath the towering landscaped hill. Chilly air seeped from within. ¡°The seclusion chamber for cultivation is situated under this lake,¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a smile leading towards the cave entrance. Shen Luo followed on, descending a hundred staircase steps to enter an underground passage. The passage walls were lined with oil lamps, casting a rather bright light. After traversing several dozen feet, a spacious underground hall emerged ahead. In the centre of the hall was a circular stone platform about two feet high. On it sat a thin white-haired old woman, her spirit vibrant. Her eyes were tightly closed, seemingly in a state of meditation and cultivation. ¡°Bai Xiaotian, your grandson, greets Fifth Grandma,¡± Bai Xiaotian immediately raised his hands in greeting upon seeing the old woman. Shen Luo quickly followed suit. The woman, opening her eyes for only a moment, observed the pair. Her gaze lingered on Shen Luo a moment longer. She merely nodded, without uttering a word. ¡°Fifth Grandma, this is my close friend who is temporarily staying at our house. He will often come here to cultivate in the coming days. I¡¯ll be explaining this to my father soon,¡± Bai Xiaotian hurriedly explained. The old woman, upon hearing this, nodded again, and closed her eyes. Shen Luo looked around. He noticed a row of man-high entrances encircling the walls, densely distributed around the room. Inside each was a dark abyss, and he couldn¡¯t see the end. ¡°These are the meditation chambers for the Bai Family. They are somewhat special. Usually only the Qi Refining Seventh Layer disciples within our family are allowed here to cultivate. Everyone else can only practice on the training ground outside or in their own rooms,¡± Bai Xiaotian explained. ¡°In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be improper for me to be here?¡± Shen Luo glanced at the old woman, hesitating with his words. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine. I, being the eldest grandson of the main branch, still have some authority. Select a meditation chamber and cultivate at ease here. I must go to grandmother¡¯s place. I¡¯ll head back first,¡± Bai Xiaotian, clapping Shen Luo on the shoulder, chuckled. Shen Luo nodded and without saying anything else, selected a path and walked down. Bai Xiaotian, watching his retreating figure, laughed to himself and turned to leave. After taking a few hundred steps, Shen Luo reached the end of the path where an open stone door to the secret chamber lay. As he walked in, the door closed behind him. At that moment, strands of faint blue light flickered on the chamber¡¯s four walls. A unique pattern appeared, emanating thick waves of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi from the walls and ceiling. It was then that Shen Luo understood why Bai Xiaotian said this place was special ¡ª the secret chambers were reinforced by an array. He looked around again. The chamber was unexpectedly spacious, being several dozen feet wide. It was certainly enough for one to sit in meditation or even practice martial arts. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze swept across the room and saw a round straw cushion in the centre. He walked up to it and sat down. After sitting, he didn¡¯t immediately start cultivating. Instead, he checked on his own abilities. His current Qi Refining Fourth Layer level of cultivation had become significantly fortified, slightly improved from before. His current goal was to struggle forward to hopefully advance to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer soon. After gathering his thoughts, Shen Luo formed a holding circle with his hands and settled his mind for quiet meditation. He began reciting the Yellow Court Sutra, a spell he had learnt from the old Daoist in a dream at Mount Fangcun. Compared to the Nameless Method, which only cultivated spells, the Huangting Technique tempered his body whilst refining his abilities. If he could perfect it, the resulting growth would naturally be more significant. He did not dream of attaining the divine insight he had in the dream, where he had progressed at an extraordinary pace. However, with all the insights gained beforehand, there should be some benefits and his rate of cultivation need not be excessively slow. Chapter 212 - Chapter 212: Chapter 210: The Complete Chun Yang Decision Chapter 212: Chapter 210: The Complete Chun Yang Decision After Shen Luo had calmed his mind and stabilized his qi, he silently channeled his energy while forming a magic spell. Unlike the previous all-out approach, he deliberately only invoked the first two sentences of the spell. He remembered the scene vividly when the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi surged towards him like a mad rush. Now, his cultivation level was only at the Qi Refining stage and he had no Meridians formed within his body. If a large amount of heavenly and earthly spiritual qi was to surge toward him all at once, his current body, even if he purposely controlled the speed at which he absorbs the spiritual qi, would surely be unable to bear it. However, after just a brief attempt, he furrowed his brows. The Huangting Divine Power had clearly been activated, but the expected gathering of spiritual qi from all directions did not occur. There were bits and pieces of heavenly and earthly spiritual qi converging, but the speed was extremely slow. Confused, Shen Luo continued to operate the Skill. However, half an hour later, the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi around him remained lukewarm. Compared to the scene when he was cultivating in the Dreamland, it was like comparing mud to clouds. ¡°This is too different from before!¡± Although Shen Luo had mentally prepared, he couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit unwilling. He stopped practicing the Huangting Technique and continued to cultivate the Nameless Technique instead. A moment later, he brought his hands together, his expression shifting unpredictably. Maybe due to the insights gained from the Dreamland experience or through the boosting array placed in the secret chamber, his cultivation speed of the Nameless Technique had improved considerably. In contrast, the slow cultivation speed of the Huangting Technique greatly surpassed that of the Nameless Technique from before. ¡°I have overestimated my horrible aptitude. I wonder if I can still learn the Slanting Moon Steps technique,¡± Shen Luo sighed involuntarily. Having said that, he stood up from the ground, gave himself a boost of confidence, and the Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting emerged in his mind. Each observation and understanding of the painting from before gradually surfaced in his mind, step-by-step, distinct and clear. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? Shen Luo felt his mana operating silently inside his body, flowing through the meridians in his legs and pouring into his Qiao acupoints. His legs suddenly felt light and nimble. Overjoyed, he thought that all his former bitter cultivation experiences in the Dreamland had not been in vain after all. With a single thought, Shen Luo¡¯s steps stuttered under him. His body started swaying left and right like bamboo in the wind. ¡°Go!¡± Shen Luo commanded in his heart. However, the moment he intended to stride forward, the flow of his mana became messy, and he lost control, causing him to stumble and fall. With a muffled ¡°thud¡±! After several rolls, Shen Luo hit the wall hard and sat on the ground. He leaned against the wall and didn¡¯t immediately get up. Although he wasn¡¯t injured, he was confounded. He quietly recalled if there was anything improper when he attempted the Slanting Moon Steps. ¡°It seems that I was a bit too hasty¡­¡± After pondering for a moment, Shen Luo gave a self-mocking smile. Earlier, the circulation of his mana and the influx into his Qiao acupoint were all done according to the Skill. There was actually no issue, but when attempting to perform the steps, his mind¡¯s perception surpassed his physical performance. This caused an embarrassing situation where his body could not respond as quickly as his mind. In other words, his physical response could not keep up with his mental command for now. He needed to start over and cultivate with focused intent to gradually master the Slanting Moon Step Technique. ¡°At least it¡¯s not like the Huangting Technique where I could hardly cultivate. I guess slow and steady wins the race.¡± Shen Luo felt relieved. Having said this, instead of hastily trying to ignite the Slanting Moon Steps, he sat cross-legged again, closed his eyes, and visualized the Heavenly Bamboo Gazing at the Moon Painting in his Sea of Knowledge. For the next tens of days, Shen Luo would come to the secret chamber to cultivate every morning. Since the Huangting Technique was still making little progress, he temporarily gave up and continued focusing on the Nameless Technique. Meanwhile, he was continually practicing the Slanting Moon Step Technique in between cultivation sessions. Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t know whether it was because the Dreamland comprehension was too vivid or he was simply well-suited for this set of Skills from the start, but his cultivation process was surprisingly smooth. That previous situation of sudden sluggishness in his steps didn¡¯t recur anymore, helping him realize that the problem was not due to insufficient mana but rather the control over the course of mana¡¯s flow. It took him just over ten days to grasp the basics, which was several times faster than he had originally estimated. By now, Shen Luo could initially perform the Slanting Moon Step Technique. However, both his speed and distance were considerably less compared to when he initially mastered it in the Dreamland. Even so, he was already quite satisfied. One day, like always, after Shen Luo arrived at the secret chamber and sat down cross-legged, instead of hastily starting to cultivate, he took out a rather unremarkable round jade pendant from his grasp. This was none other than the most important treasure, ¡°Pure Yang Scripture¡±, entrusted to him by the senior ancestor of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. As he looked at the jade pendant in his hand, he reflected on his past experiences at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion and couldn¡¯t help but get lost in thought. He didn¡¯t know how the Pavilion was doing now, whether Master Luo and the others were out of danger. After all, it was the Spring and Autumn Pavilion and Master Luo who sheltered him during his most helpless time. Otherwise, he would probably have become a pile of yellow earth by now. After a while, Shen Luo gathered his thoughts and decided not to think about it anymore. A thought flashed through his mind, and a blue light suddenly illuminated from the jade pendant, lifting it into the air where it hovered in front of him. Then, he saw him forming mysterious spells with his hands, continually striking onto the jade pendant. After a flash of white light on the jade pendant, a light curtain seeped out of it. The curtain projected a dense array of words, which were, unmistakably, the verses for cultivating the ¡°Pure Yang Scripture.¡± ¡°Covering the Pure Sun¡¯s Method, Transforming Qi into Essence, Transforming Yang into Gang, Taking in spirits from the outside, Hiding Gods within¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s gaze fell upon the small characters. As his sight slowly moved down, he silently recited the verses to himself. Having read through almost ten thousand characters of the Skill, he was left somewhat speechless. Previously, Bai Xiaotian had revealed some information about the Pure Yang Sword Technique. He mentioned that this whole Skill consisted of twelve levels. Upon completing the tenth level, one could attempt to break through to the Grain Avoidance Stage. Moreover, Bai Xiaotian stipulated that if one cultivated the Pure Yang Sword Technique to the eleventh level before attempting a breakthrough, their mana would be strong and pure by many folds. But if they could cultivate to the twelfth level before breakthrough, their mana would even multiply by three, which would be greatly beneficial for future cultivation. However, the complexity of the last two levels of the Skill increases exponentially. According to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s knowledge, among Master Luo, Master Fengyang, and that traitor Elder Master Wang, all three broke through to the Grain Avoidance Stage after reaching the tenth level of the Pure Yang Sword Technique. As for the senior ancestor, he broke through after reaching the eleventh level of the Pure Yang Sword Technique. Shen Luo once asked if anyone had broken through to the Grain Avoidance Stage after the twelfth level. The only answer he received was a legend that only their founding ancestor had accomplished this feat in the history of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. However, the full version of the Pure Yang Sword Technique he was looking at currently contained more than just twelve levels. Chapter 213 - Chapter 213: Chapter 211: Incident at Shui Nuan Pavilion Chapter 213: Chapter 211: Incident at Shui Nuan Pavilion ¡°It appears that Master Luo held something back from his direct disciple, he didn¡¯t tell Bai Xiaotian about the complete Pure Yang Sword Technique that has been split into two parts. As a result, he knows only about the twelve levels of the first part, unaware that there are nine more levels in the second part,¡± Shen Luo murmured, understanding the situation. According to the technique, if both parts are fully cultivated, one can reach the Nascent Soul Stage! With his experiences of practicing the Nameless Technique and the Yellow Court Sutra in his dreams, Shen Luo¡¯s perspective has significantly broadened. He read the first part extremely carefully and found that, except for the last two levels, the rest of the content is not too profound, at least less complicated than the Yellow Court Sutra. He could vaguely sense a sense of righteousness and a grand aura of righteousness in the technique. In comparison, the Nameless Technique is like a winding river, while the Pure Yang Sword Technique is like a broad and straight highway. Shen Luo continued to read on. He found that following the second part of the technique were several mystic arts like ¡°Ghost Prohibition Technique of Yang Qi¡± and ¡°Fire Attraction Technique to Burn Yin.¡± In general, all these are based on the Pure Yang Sword Technique, combining mana and Yang Gang Qi, specifically for the function of suppressing ghosts. These techniques naturally inhibit the Yin Sha and ghost entities. After this, the Pure Yang Scripture provides a detailed method for refining a Pure Yang Symbol Sword. Using this method, cultivators can create Pure Yang Symbol Swords with different attributes based on different materials they use. Once a cultivator reaches the Grain Avoidance Stage, a regularly used talisman sword can be refined into a Pure Yang Sword Embryo through a secret method. The Sword Embryo should be kept close to the body and nurtured with personal Qi. In the beginning, a Pure Yang Sword Embryo is fragile and different from normal magical instruments; it cannot be used in combat. But once it absorbs the owner¡¯s Qi and nurtures a spiritual nature, the sword will immediately surpass other artifacts of the same level. Moreover, the Pure Yang Sword Embryo is inherently imbued with Pure Yang Qi, and it has an astonishing power against ghosts. However, these are not the major points that Shen Luo sees value in. He is most interested in the enormous potential that the Sword Embryo possesses. As long as the master progresses in cultivation and has a long lifespan, it could theoretically be promoted into a legendary magic treasure. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï According to his preliminary understanding, the power of a magic treasure is unimaginable to ordinary cultivators. Ordinary magical instruments are simply incomparable to it, and it is a treasure that countless cultivation sects dream of possessing. ¡°If I want to refine a talisman sword, considering the properties of the Pure Yang Sword Embryo, it would be best to use materials with wood and gold elements¡­¡±, Shen Luo stroked his chin, beginning to plan how to refine the talisman sword. At the end of the method of refining the Pure Yang Symbol Sword, there is a final section that records a divine power known as the ¡°Great Unsealing Technique¡±. Not only is the name unusual, but its function is even more bizarre. According to the technique, once this divine power is cultivated, the practitioner can survive even gruesome injuries such as one¡¯s stomach being ripped open or limbs being severed. And when it¡¯s fully mastered, the practitioner can even survive fatal wounds like decapitation or cardiac extraction and recover immediately. ¡°It sounds so incredible, but is it true?¡± Shen Luo found this technique too unbelievable, leading him to have some doubts. However, he didn¡¯t have any chance to verify this now as this divine power cannot be cultivated at his current realm. The technique specifically warns not to attempt it unless one is at the Nascent Soul Stage. There was a lot of content recorded in the Pure Yang Scripture, and it was quite complicated as well. It took Shen Luo a while to remember everything after he finished reading. After that, it took him some more time to push down other distractions and carefully remember all the verses of the first part of the Pure Yang Sword Technique. He sat with his hands clasped in front of him, starting to meditate quietly. A moment later, he changed his hand seals and silently recited the Pure Yang Sword Technique¡¯s first level in his heart. Immediately afterward, he felt a disturbance in his Dantian. A rather hot breath rose from it, passed through the Ren meridian in front of him, reached the Danzhong point, and spread around his chest. As soon as this heat spread, Shen Luo felt a stuffiness in his chest and his body started to feel unbearably hot. He had to stop immediately and start practicing the Nameless Technique. As the Nameless Technique invoked a cool sensation that circulated around his body, the burning sensation gradually faded away. ¡°It seems I was too arrogant before. Although the verses of Pure Yang Sword Technique are easy to understand, the practice isn¡¯t that simple. It requires controlling the mana and supplementing it with Yang Gang Qi. It¡¯s indeed not easy,¡± Shen Luo thought quietly. From the look of the current unsuccessful situation, his advancement in practicing the Pure Yang Sword Technique might not be faster than the Yellow Court Sutra. Fortunately, nurturing a Pure Yang Sword Embryo doesn¡¯t require this technique; having Yang Gang Qi and a sufficient cultivation level will suffice. ¡°Right now, the priority is to increase the cultivation level and extend my lifespan by practicing the Nameless Technique. However, I can try to refine a Pure Yang Symbol Sword,¡± Shen Luo pondered. ¡­ The next day, early in the morning. After Shen Luo pushed open his room door, he went straight to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s room. The door was already open, and Bai Xiaotian was dressed and ready to go out. ¡°Are you going out?¡± Shen Luo asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the business my father is managing in the Third Chamber. He asked me to check on it,¡± Bai Xiaotian replied, his face dark and troubled. ¡°You¡¯ve never cared about such matters; why send you?¡± Shen Luo questioned. ¡°If it was a business matter, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have me involved, but this is a case of murder; the deaths were rather peculiar,¡± Bai Xiaotian explained helplessly. ¡°Was it at the Bayang Tower? What happened?¡± Shen Luo asked, frowning. ¡°Not the Bayang Tower, it was¡­ the Shui Nuan Pavilion,¡± Bai Xiaotian answered hesitantly, seeming a bit embarrassed. ¡°Shui Nuan Pavilion, isn¡¯t that the second-largest brothel on the Qinhuai River? How does your Bai Family get involved in such a business?¡± Shen Luo asked, somewhat taken aback. ¡°Cough, my family¡¯s Third Chamber¡­ has a wide range of businesses,¡± Bai Xiaotian coughed awkwardly. Seeing that, Shen Luo refrained from teasing him and continued, ¡°Tell me, what happened?¡± ¡°This is how it happened¡­¡± Bai Xiaotian proceeded to explain. As it turned out, within the short span of half a month, three deaths have occurred at the ¡°Shui Nuan Pavilion,¡± which their family operates. First to go was an odd-job worker, then a mediocre courtesan, followed by a regular customer. All three of them had drowned, with their faces underwater, they were found floating on the river outside the Shui Nuan Pavilion. The Qinhuai River generally flows from west to east, if there were floating corpses, they should have been washed away by the river. But strangely, all three bodies remained still on the water surface, none of them drifted with the current. The entire situation was truly bizarre. Chapter 214 - Chapter 214: Chapter 212: White Water Daoist Master Chapter 214: Chapter 212: White Water Daoist Master ¡°Is there no heavy object dragging at the bottom of the water?¡± Shen Luo pondered for a moment before asking. ¡°There is neither heavy object dragging nor aquatic plants hindering, nothing at all. Precisely because it is a bit unusual, combined with the recent unrest in the city, various rumors have emerged. Now the Shui Nuan Pavilion is almost regarded as a haunted house, and the business has plummeted.¡± Bai Xiaotian shook his head as he spoke. From the beginning, the Bai family didn¡¯t pay much attention to this. After all, the banks of Qinhuai River are prone to troubles. Every year, there are about ten to twenty people who fall into the water due to drunkenness, despair, or in an act of love revenge. Even if it happens to their own family, usually some silver is used to appease the government officials, then a guest official Taoist priest is sent to perform a ceremony. Regardless of the existence of evil spirits or not, as long as they make a show of it for guests and the common people to see, the incident can be easily suppressed. However, the drowning incidents are happening one after another, like dumplings dropping in a pot, which is really hard to suppress. Rumors in the neighborhood are now spreading, claiming that Shui Nuan Pavilion houses ghostly specters. The three people died unjustly, their corpses were bound by resentment, hence they float instead of drifting away. ¡°I also plan to go out and take a look, let¡¯s go together.¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Bai Xiaotian¡¯s eyes sparkled slightly, a hint of a smile appeared on his face. The two had just stepped out of the room when they heard a flurry of hurried footsteps outside. Soon, the maid, Green Sleeve, rushed in with a panic-stricken face, repeatedly crying out: ¡°Bad¡­ bad news, Young Master, it¡¯s really bad¡­ ¡± At these words, Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian glanced at each other, a hint of gloom crossing their faces. ¡°What happened? Speak slowly.¡± Bai Xiaotian asked in a deep voice. ¡°The head cashier of the west city¡¯s Fashan Silk Shop visited his beloved Miss Shuiyuan at the Shui Nuan Pavilion last night, but this morning, his body was found floating in the same place as the previous three in the river.¡± Green Sleeve¡¯s face paled slightly as she gasped for breath. Bai Xiaotian sighed inwardly and silently walked towards the front door of the courtyard. Shen Luo touched his nose and followed him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Young Master, the carriage is ready and waiting outside the gate¡­¡± Green Sleeve quickly caught up with them a few steps and shouted on her tiptoes. ¡­ The speed of the carriage within the city was limited, so it took almost half a moment to arrive at the Shui Nuan Pavilion. Shen Luo stepped down from the carriage and looked up. Before him, there was a thirty or forty bosses, standing tall at the red gate tower. Above were delicately carved and painted beams, depicting scenes of birds orienting towards the phoenix and flowers contending in the spring. Stepping through the entrance and after a few steps, there is a grand three-story tower. There are colored glaze tiles making up the flying eaves between each floor of the tower, and underneath there are bright red lanterns hanging, presenting a vivid color. Inside the tower, there is a golden hall. In the central position, there is a large twelve-fold screen, with a stage made by white jade, fenced by the railings. On the left and right, there are stairs leading to the second floor. The Shui Nuan Pavilion, which is usually bustling with customers, is relatively quiet today, with very few people to be seen. Only a middle-aged woman dressed in purple satin is quietly reprimanding a few servants, ordering them not to talk to outsiders about the Shui Nuan Pavilion. Seeing Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo entering, the woman immediately put away her worried expression, went up to greet them and gave a bow. Shen Luo observed her for a moment and saw her good looks and exquisite figure. The fine lines that could not be concealed by the powder at the corners of her eyes hinted at her age. Judging by her manners and demeanor, it was apparent that she was the senior maid here. ¡°Young Master, I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve arrived.¡± The middle-aged woman, apparently reassured by their presence, pulled out her handkerchief from around her waist and wiped the corners of her eyes as she spoke. ¡°Aunt Feng, where is the body?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked directly. ¡°His body was left by the waterside in the backyard and not brought into the house. The government officials conducted their investigation and already left. The White Water Daoist is currently there,¡± Aunt Feng briefly explained, not daring to say more. Bai Xiaotian said nothing and headed towards the screen. Shen Luo followed him past the screen and out through the gate at the back. The Shui Nuan Pavilion was built facing the Qinhuai River, and in the backyard was a small dock. In the past, flower boats would be moored there for honored guests to enjoy the river views with their female companions. But now, beside the river lay the corpse of a portly man dressed as a wealthy merchant, quietly lying in the shadow of the tower. Standing next to him was a thin, old man with high cheekbones, sunken cheeks, wearing a gray-white Taoist robe. Not far from there, over the river, hanged a three-hole stone arch bridge. It was strikingly engraved with the three characters ¡°Zhenhuai Bridge¡± beneath the middle of its railing. At one end of the bridge stood a mythical beast that resembled a unicorn rhinoceros which protects the river. It stood on a stone pedestal, only about the height of a person. After enduring years of weathering, it was covered in green moss and left with patches and traces of wear everywhere. Around this beast, and on the entire bridge, stood many townspeople. Their faces expressed a mix of curiosity, fear, repulsion and inexplicable excitement as they pointed and murmured amongst themselves in hushed tones. Shen Luo scrutinized the man¡¯s corpse. The body was already swollen from immersion, its visible skin reflecting a cyan hue. Even though the corpse¡¯s expression seemed fairly peaceful, Shen Luo could sense an ominous aura emanating from it. ¡°Greetings, master,¡± Bai Xiaotian moved forward and gave a respectful bow to the thin old Daoist. Shen Luo reciprocated with a fist-and-palm salute in respect. ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re here,¡± the Old Daoist also gave them a bow with a frown on his face. ¡°What is the situation now?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked. ¡°Same as the people before. The forensic examiners said they all drowned, Poor Daoist found no anomalies,¡± The White Water Daoist sighed and said. ¡°Do you have an idea when he might have died?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked. ¡°Perhaps between midnight and the early morning¡­ It¡¯s rather shameful, I was present in the pavilion the whole time, yet I didn¡¯t perceive anything. His corpse was first discovered by the servants this morning,¡± The White Water Daoist admitted. ¡°Does Miss Shuiyuan know when he left?¡± Bai Xiaotian then turned to Aunt Feng and asked. ¡°Alas, she was so terrified that she couldn¡¯t tell. She said she had fallen into a deep sleep last night and had no knowledge of when he left. Now, she even dares not stay in the Shui Nuan Pavilion and has gone elsewhere to recuperate,¡± Aunt Feng sighed in sorrow. Bai Xiaotian said nothing for a moment before pulling out a yellow paper charm from his sleeve. He then leaned down and stuck it right between the dead man¡¯s eyebrows. A soft ¡®poof¡¯ sound was heard as a spark ignited on the charm, causing it to suddenly flare up and slowly start to burn. ¡°Yin Sha Qi summoning charm!¡± The White Water Daoist exclaimed with a light in his eyes. At these words, Shen Luo focused his attention on the burning charm. He had also heard of such charms. While the charm was burning, it could use the flame to draw out the hidden Yin Sha Qi. If this Mr. Gao really was harmed by a Yin Sha ghost, his body would probably retain the Yin Sha Qi. With the charm now lit on his forehead, it was expected that Yin Qi would start seeping out of his seven orifices. Chapter 215 - Chapter 215: Chapter 213: The White-Faced Scholar Chapter 215: Chapter 213: The White-Faced Scholar However, when the talisman paper had burnt out, Shen Luo saw no signs of Yin Qi being drawn out. ¡°Take me to Miss Shuiyuan¡¯s boudoir,¡± Bai Xiaotian said to Aunt Feng, a slight frown on his face. Aunt Feng immediately agreed and led them back into the Shui Nuan Pavilion, up to the room overlooking the river on the second floor. The room was filled with the lingering scent of cosmetics, and everything was in disarray, still bearing traces of the previous night. Bai Xiaotian once again ignited a Yin Sha Qi-drawing talisman and walked around the room, but as the talisman¡¯s flame gradually extinguished, he still didn¡¯t notice anything unusual. ¡°It appears that everything is in order,¡± Bai Xiaotian said with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions just yet. Didn¡¯t another girl named Qing Guan also drown in the river? Why don¡¯t we go to her room and take a look?¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°I have already inspected Silver Sparrow¡¯s room, and found no issues,¡± said White Water Daoist with a scowl, glancing at Shen Luo with some displeasure. ¡°Since we¡¯re here, why not take another look?¡± Shen Luo said with a faint smile. A flicker of anger passed over White Water Daoist¡¯s face when he heard Shen Luo¡¯s words. ¡°Since the Daoist Master has already checked and assured there are no issues, there must be none. As a junior, I was ordered to investigate this matter, so why not take another look before reporting back to father.¡± Bai Xiaotian promptly said to mediate. ¡°That¡­ is a fair point,¡± said the White Water Daoist, his expression softening slightly. Aunt Feng fetched the key and unlocked the door to the adjacent room. ¡°After Silver Sparrow¡¯s death, I locked this room and stopped using it,¡± Aunt Feng explained. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Shen Luo and the others entered and saw that the room had already been tidied, leaving only tables, chairs, and a bed, all of which were covered in a thin layer of dust. Bai Xiaotian once again ignited a Yin Sha Qi-drawing talisman and began to walk around the room. Shen Luo approached the bed and pushed open the tightly shut window. He immediately caught sight of the Qinhuai River and upon looking down, he saw the body of the obese man. The river water next to the corpse was a deep green, tinged with an eerie black undertone, giving off an ominous feeling the longer one stared. ¡°There¡¯s no Yin Qi. It seems that this was probably just a coincidence, nothing strange,¡± Bai Xiaotian said as his talisman burnt out. ¡°Just because we can¡¯t perceive any lingering Yin Qi doesn¡¯t prove that there¡¯s nothing strange going on. I believe there¡¯s more to this than meets the eye. Don¡¯t rush to conclusions,¡± Shen Luo said, furrowing his brows as he shifted his gaze away from the river. ¡°Hmph, where did this lofty monk come from? The young master and I have both inspected the situation and found no issues, yet you insist there¡¯s a ghost. Why don¡¯t you tell us what¡¯s so weird about it?¡± White Water Daoist said coldly, clearly annoyed. Aunt Feng also looked at Shen Luo with a measure of anger. They were in business and naturally didn¡¯t want to be associated with ghostly affairs for no reason. They remained silent only because of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s presence. Just as Shen Luo was about to argue, he saw Bai Xiaotian give him a look, suggesting not to say more. Meanwhile, a sudden commotion arose from outside the window. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Let¡¯s go check,¡± Bai Xiaotian said as he pulled Shen Luo towards the stairs. The old Daoist and Aunt Feng hurriedly followed. When they arrived at the riverbank in the backyard, they saw the crowd who had been observing the drowned corpse were now surrounding a white-faced scholar in a scholar robe and loudly reprimanding him for something. After listening for a bit, Shen Luo realized that the scholar had climbed onto the stone platform of the River Guardian Beast in order to get a better view of the corpse of the headshopkeeper, an act viewed by the crowd as disrespectful towards the River God. ¡°You young chap, how could you be so ignorant? Being so disrespectful to the gods despite being a scholar!¡± ¡°Exactly, a scholar with no manners from books, just coming here to join the chaos!¡± ¡°Disrespecting the River Guardian Beast, you¡¯re simply seeking death! If the water ghost comes looking for a life, you¡¯ll be the next one¡­¡± ¡°Ghosts and spirits are not to be talked about; all of this talk of gods and ghosts, it¡¯s just nonsense¡­¡± The scholar, his face red and ears burning, couldn¡¯t help but defend himself. Little did he know that his quiet voice was heard clearly by the White Water Daoist, who immediately scolded him. ¡°Where did this ignorant scholar come from, uttering nonsense there, get down now!¡± This shout, indeed a voice of one man, overpowered the hustle and bustle of dozens of people on the bridge, startling the scholar who couldn¡¯t help but shudder. The surrounding crowd paused for a moment, then began to scold the scholar loudly. The white-faced scholar, having been thoroughly embarrassed, could only reluctantly get down from the stone platform under the water beast, cast a glance in the direction of the old Daoist, his eyes unintentionally meeting with Shen Luo¡¯s, and then hastened into the crowd and disappeared. Seeing the scholar¡¯s demeanor when he left, and recalling his brief eye contact with him, Shen Luo felt a strange, familiar feeling, but couldn¡¯t recall anything when he tried to think more about it. Upon returning to Shui Nuan Pavilion, Bai Xiaotian instructed the White Water Daoist to stay vigilant and not relax his guard before he left with Shen Luo. Once they were back in the carriage, Bai Xiaotian noticed Shen Luo¡¯s silence and, thinking that he was upset from the encounter with the White Water Daoist, attempted to lighten the mood: ¡°The White Water Daoist has been serving our family for many years and is always diligent. I must respect him.¡± In reality, what Shen Luo was still contemplating was the white-faced scholar. ¡°Do you really believe that there¡¯s nothing strange about what happened at Shui Nuan Pavilion?¡± Shen Luo asked, snapping out of his thoughts and furrowing his brows. ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. Four people have died in just over half a month. How could there be nothing strange? It¡¯s just that since no Yin Sha Qi was found, it¡¯s not something you can casually mention.¡± Bai Xiaotian gave a bitter smile and replied in a low voice. ¡°What do you mean? Do you think that this incident was not caused by a supernatural force?¡± Shen Luo asked, puzzled. ¡°The Bai family is the number one demon-hunting family in Jianye City. Over the years, both the Lin family and the Du family have constantly been challenging us, openly and secretly.¡± Bai Xiaotian hinted, but didn¡¯t say more. Shen Luo realized that he was suspecting someone was targeting the Bai family and had orchestrated these incidents. However, he felt that there might be more to the situation here. However, at present, these were all just his instincts. Without evidence, he couldn¡¯t just blurt it out. ¡°You mentioned earlier that you wanted to go out. What are you planning to do?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about going to the shops in the city to look around and see if I can buy some materials for talisman paper,¡± Shen Luo replied. ¡°We have plenty of talisman paper at home. What kind of spiritual material are you looking to buy?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked, confused. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet. I¡¯ll decide when I get there. I¡¯m just going to broaden my horizons,¡± Shen Luo said, smiling nonchalantly. ¡°Alright, since I have nothing to do at the moment, I¡¯ll take you there to have a look around. Otherwise, God knows where in Jianye City sells such things,¡± Bai Xiaotian laughed. Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Chapter 214 Second Young Master Chapter 216: Chapter 214 Second Young Master Under his guidance, the carriage turned around the corner and up to Zhenhuai Bridge. It was still crowded with quite a few people who, only after being urged by the coachman, gave way for them. Only then did they cross the stone bridge and head for the other side. The carriage traversed through the streets, gradually moving away from the bustling area near Qinhuai River. The number of pedestrians dwindled, and the shops on both sides returned to their original simple appearance, no longer adorned with fancy decorations. About half an hour later, the carriage entered a quiet street. Bai Xiaotian halted and disembarked with Shen Luo, walking into the street. ¡°In Jianye City, there aren¡¯t many shops that sell the spiritual materials and spiritual medicines required by practitioners. Most of them are located in unnoticeable corners of the city. It would be hard for anyone to find them without someone familiar showing the way,¡± Bai Xiaotian guided while explaining. Shen Luo glanced ahead in the direction Bai Xiaotian was pointing and saw a small two-floor tower sandwiched between a row of shops in the corner. Its white walls and green tiles looked quite ordinary. A black glossy wooden plaque hung under the eaves above the shop. With numerous tiny cracks on it, it was clear it was an old piece. It was engraved with the characters ¡°Lubao Hall¡±, and off to the side, the words ¡°Jianye Grocery Store¡± were annotated in smaller letters. At the shop entrance, there also stood two tall teenagers dressed in black, guarding the left and right like door gods. Before Shen Luo could get close, he could already hear the clamor coming from the shop. He listened carefully and could faintly hear a young voice coming out intermittently. ¡°Uncle Ma, just let your daughter obediently follow me, although she can¡¯t be the main wife, she can still be a beloved concubine¡­¡± ¡°Rest assured, I, the young master, will certainly treat her well. You can comfortably be a fortunate father-in-law. Isn¡¯t this way better than managing this little shop?¡± Shen Luo, upon hearing this, couldn¡¯t help but frown tightly. This was clearly a standard version of a bully oppressing people and forcibly taking a civilian¡¯s daughter, which he had read about in books while he was idle. He didn¡¯t expect to encounter it in real life. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect this under the broad daylight¡­¡± Shen Luo turned his head to look at Bai Xiaotian, but he swallowed his words halfway. He saw that Bai Xiaotian¡¯s face had darkened, his eyes restrained a tide of nameless rage, almost bursting out. Just as Shen Luo was surprised at Bai Xiaotian¡¯s anger, he saw Bai Xiaotian storming towards the shop entrance, and the two black-clothed youths at the entrance also stepped up to meet him. Seeing that a conflict was about to erupt, Shen Luo hurried to catch up. As a result, he saw the two black-clothed youths suddenly bowing their fists in salute when they came to Bai Xiaotian, respectfully shouting ¡°Young Master¡±. Shen Luo raised his eyebrows, as if he had realized something. Then he heard Bai Xiaotian say in a low voice ¡°you damned thing¡±, before he strode into Lubao Hall. Shen Luo also quickly entered the shop, only to see an old man with a white and clean face and droopy eyebrows, wearing a soft corner turban and a Chinese collared robe, leaning against the front counter of the shop. He was crouching slightly backward, sheltering a young girl wearing a ruqun dress. The man¡¯s face was white and clean, his eyebrows slightly drooped, his lips bore a two-pronged mustache, and he looked sorrowful. The young girl behind him was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with snow-white skin, bright eyes and a charming demeanor. A bright red safflower was attached in the middle of her eyebrows, making her look vibrant and lively. In front of them stood a teenager dressed in white brocade, his waist tied with a white jade belt, and with a carved jade crown on his head. He was quite handsome, exuding an aura of wealth and was hardly a ruffian who would bully men and women. Although the young man looked only about fifteen or sixteen years old, he had a hand stroking his chin, completely revealing a comically pretentious mature demeanor. ¡°Bai Xiaoyun, you little rascal, are you itching for a beating?¡± Bai Xiaotian suddenly shouted in anger. The young man in white robes¡¯ face changed drastically as he heard Bai Xiaotian¡¯s voice. The hand stroking his chin hurriedly retracted, but he seemed not to know where to place it and seemed to be in a flurry. ¡°Bro¡­brother, how come you are here?¡± The young man in white robes turned around, looked at Bai Xiaotian, and asked anxiously. ¡°Why did I come? If I hadn¡¯t, you probably would have punched a hole in the sky by now,¡± said Bai Xiaotian, furious at his behavior and rolled up his sleeves, ready to step in. Bai Xiaoyun instantly reacted like a mouse seeing a cat, covered his ears, wore a pitiful expression, and implored, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t pull my ears, don¡¯t hit my face.¡± After speaking, he closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate. Bai Xiaotian¡¯s raised hand clenched slowly and with a ¡°dong¡± sound, knocked him on the forehead. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Bai Xiaoyun screamed and clutched his head in pain, gasping for breath. Shen Luo witnessed this and couldn¡¯t help letting out a smile. Feeling Shen Luo¡¯s reaction, Bai Xiaoyun didn¡¯t dare to raise his head. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and glared in annoyance. Shen Luo¡¯s smile deepened, and he touched his chin, emulating the Young Master¡¯s arrogant demeanor just now. This infuriated Bai Xiaoyun even more. His eyes filled with anger and just as he was about to retort, he received another knock on the head from Bai Xiaotian, forcing him to lower his head again. This blow was stronger, and Bai Xiaoyun was in so much pain that tears nearly sprang from his eyes. Yet, he didn¡¯t dare show any resentment towards Bai Xiaotian. Shen Luo watched this scene and chuckled under his breath. This youngster was a definite troublemaker that was forced to tacitly accept his punishment by Bai Xiaotian. ¡°Is this how the Bai Family taught you to treat people? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to apologize to Manager Ma and Miss Ma?¡± Bai Xiaotian calmly said, seeing that the young man had calmed down. ¡°Brother, I was planning to propose to her. A fair maiden with a good character makes a fine match for a gentleman; What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Bai Xiaoyun quietly grumbled, not forgetting to glance at the young girl hiding behind Manager Ma. ¡°You¡¯re still making excuses!¡± Bai Xiaotian became even angrier at this. Bai Xiaoyun remained stubborn, with his hands still covering his ears and he did not utter a word. ¡°Manager Ma, I apologize for the lack of discipline in the Bai Family. I am here to make formal apologies to you,¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed, clasped his fists and bowed, apologizing to Manager Ma and his daughter on his own. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s all just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding¡­¡± Manager Ma hurriedly said. The young girl behind him remained silent, her face flushed bright red. ¡°Each must bear their own guilt. It¡¯s not my brother¡¯s place to apologize for me. Uncle Ma¡­ Manager Ma, I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault. Please forgive me,¡± Bai Xiaoyun suddenly stiffened, his fists clenched, and forced the words through his teeth. Observing this, Shen Luo suddenly found this youngster a tad more interesting. ¡°Since it was a misunderstanding, there¡¯s no need for apologies. It¡¯s not a big deal¡­¡± Manager Ma wiped his sweat and said. ¡°Though Manager Ma forgave you, it doesn¡¯t mean things are settled. Go home first, and I¡¯ll come find you later,¡± Bai Xiaotian glared at Bai Xiaoyun and said. Responding with a simple ¡°Oh,¡± Bai Xiaoyun didn¡¯t argue and turned to leave. Upon reaching the door, he abruptly looked up at Shen Luo. Seeing his interested expression, annoyance flashed in his eyes. ¡°What are you looking at!¡± Bai Xiaoyun shouted, exited the shop with the two young men in black, and strode away. Chapter 217 - Chapter 217: Chapter 215: Materials for Drawing Amulets Chapter 217: Chapter 215: Materials for Drawing Amulets ¡°I apologize on behalf of my little brother for causing trouble,¡± Bai Xiaotian said to Manager Ma with a hint of helplessness on his face. ¡°Young Master, please don¡¯t say that, you will embarrass me greatly. What brings you here today? Is there anything specific you wish to buy?¡± replied Manager Ma. After whispering a few words to his daughter and sending her towards the back hall, he waved his hand and asked. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not me who wants to buy something. I wanted to introduce my friend, Shen Luo. Manager Ma, this is Shen Luo.¡± Bai Xiaotian introduced the two to each other. ¡°So, it¡¯s Master Shen. As a friend of the Young Master, just tell us if you need anything. Our shop only sells genuine items.¡± Manager Ma turned to Shen Luo and asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble, but I don¡¯t have a specific item in mind. I just wanted to see what spiritual materials you have in your shop, so that I¡¯ll have an idea about it for future needs.¡± Shen Luo replied. ¡°Master, you¡¯ve come to the right place if you¡¯re looking for spiritual materials. Although our shop may look small, we are well-known in all of Jianye City for having a comprehensive collection of them. Everything available is listed on this Hundred Treasures Grid. You can check if there¡¯s anything you are interested in.¡± Manager Ma said with a smile. Up until that point, Shen Luo had been too focused on Bai Xiaoyun to notice the arrangement within the shop. When he looked around, he noticed that the wall opposite him was lined with a densely packed Hundred Treasures Grid just like the medicine cabinet in his own apothecary. The grid was covered with small strips of paper, each marking the name of an item. As his gaze swept across the top layer of the Hundred Treasures Grid, he noticed many items that he had seen in the ¡°Immortal Divine Herb,¡± and was familiar with most of their medicinal properties. ¡°Manager, may I ask, how old is the ginseng listed on the Hundred Treasures Grid, and what is the selling price?¡± Shen Luo asked, intrigued. ¡°All ginseng sold in our shop are aged fifty years. We charge by weight. A qian (unit of weight) of ginseng costs a hundred taels of gold.¡± Manager Ma responded. As he spoke, he drew out a long box from the Hundred Treasures Grid and placed it on the counter to open it. Shen Luo leaned in to look. The ginseng, if you excluded the roots, was only as long as a pinkie finger. It didn¡¯t even have a single iron-like streak. Compared to the thousand-year ginseng he¡¯d dug up in the Hundred Herbs Valley on Mount Fangcun, the difference was extreme. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï This ginseng looked like it weighed three or four qian, yet it was worth three or four hundred taels of gold. Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but marvel. If he could bring out that thousand-year ginseng, wouldn¡¯t it be worth several million taels of gold? ¡°Indeed, it is a treasure.¡± Shen Luo marveled, gently pushing the long box back. Seeing this, Manager Ma¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly, but the smile didn¡¯t fade from his face. He took the box back. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze continued to wander. Suddenly, his eyes flashed. He spotted a name he was familiar with: Floating Shadow Jade. This was one of the materials required for refining the talisman ink used in creating the Thunderfall Talisman. With that, Shen Luo¡¯s gaze moved again. He scanned the Hundred Treasures Grid and soon found ¡°Blue Electrostone¡± and ¡°Golden Shell.¡± His heart was filled with joy. If he could acquire these materials, he could attempt to create a high-level Thunderfall Talisman again. He clearly remembered the power released by the Thunderfall Talismans during the battle in Longevity Village. It was a sight that he could not forget. ¡°Manager, how much are Floating Shadow Jade, Blue Electrostone, and Golden Shell?¡± Shen Luo asked again. ¡°These items are often used for refining talisman ink. They are not expensive. Golden Shell and Blue Electrostone are ten taels of silver each, whereas Floating Shadow Jade is slightly more expensive, costing fifteen taels each.¡± Manager Ma explained. ¡°They are indeed not expensive . . .¡± Shen Luo muttered. He quickly calculated. He did have some silver on him, but it wouldn¡¯t amount to more than dozens of taels. Even if he used all of it to buy these items, it wouldn¡¯t amount to much. ¡°Master Shen, are you interested in these items? Could it be that you are a talisman master?¡± Manager Ma seemed to have realized something and asked with his eyes sparkling. Bai Xiaotian also cast a doubtful look at Shen Luo upon hearing this. ¡°Manager Ma, you overpraise me. I am nowhere near a talisman master. I am just doodling around, the success of which depends entirely on fate.¡± Shen Luo replied with a carefree smile. ¡°Master Shen, you¡¯re being overly modest. To be straightforward, not only does our shop sell spiritual materials and talismanic instruments, but we also buy talismans and other magical items. We offer a fair price.¡± As Manager Ma gauged Shen Luo¡¯s reaction, he continued. ¡°Hearing Manager Ma put it that way has piqued my interest. If I successfully create talismans in the future, I may come sell them here. I hope you won¡¯t disdain them.¡± On hearing these words, Shen Luo¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Of course.¡± Manager Ma patted his chest and spoke. Bai Xiaotian looked somewhat taken aback on the sidelines. His aim was to broaden Shen Luo¡¯s horizons by bringing him here. How did their discussion turn into a potential business deal? ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take five pieces each of these three items,¡± Shen Luo said after a moment¡¯s deliberation. ¡°Very well. I will package these for you right away.¡± Even before he finished speaking, Manager Ma turned to pack the items. Shen Luo turned to Bai Xiaotian and sent him an ¡°I need your help¡± look. Bai Xiaotian was slightly surprised at first, but quickly understood what Shen Luo wanted. He said, ¡°Manager Ma, please put whatever Shen Luo buys on my tab.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Without turning around, Manager Ma replied. ¡°So generous . . . I¡¯ll reimburse you once I get in touch with my family.¡± Shen Luo gave him a thumbs up and laughed. ¡°What¡¯s this fuss about a small amount of money? Are you treating me as a friend or not?¡± Bai Xiaotian batted away Shen Luo¡¯s thumbs up, laughed and playfully scolded. ¡°Master Shen, we also have high quality Green Frost Talisman Paper and Purple Cloud Talisman Paper in our shop. Would you be interested in taking a look?¡± Manager Ma placed the Floating Shadow Jade and other items in a package on the counter and asked tentatively. ¡°It would be my pleasure, Manager Ma,¡± Shen Luo said, his interest instantly piqued on hearing ¡°Purple Cloud Talisman Paper¡±. The jade slip he obtained from Mount Fangcun mentioned several high-level talismans. It was indicated explicitly that they required Purple Cloud Paper as talisman paper to manifest their full power. The only exception was the Thunderfall Talisman, which could work with other types of talisman paper as a substitute. Shen Luo, who was confused about the special properties of ¡°Purple Cloud Talisman Paper¡±, now had the chance to clarify his doubts. Quickly, Manager Ma took out two wooden boxes from the Hundred Treasures Grid, placed them on the counter. He was ten times more careful than before as he slowly opened the boxes. Shen Luo peered inside. In the box on the left, there was a stack of green talisman papers about the size of a palm. The paper was fine and smooth, with not a hint of the grass skin markings commonly present on Yellow Talisman Paper. Instead, it faintly displayed some white specks, much like frost or snow. In the right box was another stack of talisman papers of the same size, only slightly thicker. It was a dark purple color, and its surface faintly exhibited slightly darker auspicious cloud patterns. ¡°Manager Ma, may I ask the difference between these two types of talisman papers?¡± Shen Luo asked curiously. Chapter 218 - Chapter 218: Chapter 216: Division of Talisman Paper Chapter 218: Chapter 216: Division of Talisman Paper ¡°Could it be that Master Shen doesn¡¯t know the difference between these talisman papers?¡± Manager Ma appeared somewhat surprised when he heard this. ¡°I really have no idea. Please enlighten me,¡± said Shen Luo. ¡°Well, allow me to explain¡­ These talismans are divided into different grades, and talisman papers also vary. The commonly seen yellow talisman paper, also known as Yellow List Paper, is the simplest and most inferior,¡± Manager Ma chuckled lightly before he explained. ¡°I know of this. Because the mana and Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi the Yellow Talisman Paper can withstand is limited, it can only be used to draw low-grade talismans. If one were to force a high-grade talisman onto it, the paper wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it and would ignite. But what¡¯s different about the Green Frost Paper?¡± Although Shen Luo knew that Green Frost Paper was better than Yellow Talisman Paper, he was unsure about the specifics. ¡°Does Friend Shen have heard of the phrase ¡®green words and green chapters¡¯?¡± Manager Ma asked in reply. ¡°Of course I have. ¡®Green words and green chapters¡¯ is a ceremonial phrase for Daoism, a written prayer sent to the heavens during rituals. Why do you ask this?¡± Shen Luo nodded and conjectured. ¡°The Green Frost Paper also goes by another name ¨C Green Words Paper.¡± Manager Ma stroked his beard and laughed. ¡°So, this Green Words Paper is used to write prayers?¡± Shen Luo asked, suddenly understanding. ¡°Correct, such talisman paper was originally made to write ¡®green words and green chapters¡¯, a way to communicate between Heaven and Earth. It is that when creating it, a spiritual material named Praying Spirit Fragrance was mixed in. Hence, when drawing talismans with this paper, it is easier to attract the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi, leading to a naturally higher chance of success in talisman making,¡± Manager Ma explained. ¡°What about the Purple Cloud Talisman Paper, what¡¯s its story?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°The reason this type of talisman paper is named ¡®Purple Cloud¡¯ is that its main ingredient is a spiritual material called Purple Spirit Rouge Grass. The environment it grows in is harsh and its quantity is scarce. However, this type of grass is excellent at containing Spiritual Qi, so once made into talisman paper, it retains this behavior. It can withstand much larger forces than Green Words Papers and is therefore often used to draw high-grade talismans,¡± Manager Ma explained. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ve learned something new. How are these two types of talisman paper sold?¡± Shen Luo asked promptly. ¡°Green Words Paper is not too expensive. Ten pieces can be bought for one piece of Immortal Jade. However, if you want to buy Purple Cloud Paper, one piece of Immortal Jade can only buy one piece,¡± Manager Ma gently stroked his mustache as he spoke. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Can only Immortal jade be used? Gold and silver can¡¯t be accepted?¡± Shen Luo frowned as he asked. ¡°Master Shen, these two materials are different from ordinary spiritual material, they can only be purchased using Immortal jade,¡± Manager Ma shook his head as he explained. Shen Luo naturally did not have any Immortal jade, and naturally couldn¡¯t borrow anymore from Bai Xiaotian. Therefore, his desire to attempt to draw other high-grade talismans had to be shelved. ¡°Right now, the Talismans I can draw are enough with the Yellow Talisman Paper. If I were to use high-grade talisman paper, it would be a bit of a waste.¡± Shen Luo maintained his composure and commented jovially. ¡°No problem, no problem. These talisman papers are here, they won¡¯t sprout wings and fly away. When Friend Shen finally grasps the essence of talisman making and can draw high-grade talismans, there¡¯s still time to come back and buy them,¡± Manager Ma, unfazed, took the wooden case back, chuckling. Afterwards, Shen Luo purposefully looked at some spiritual materials and found that only ¡°Lightning Wood¡± was suitable for refining the Pure Yang Symbol Sword. Regrettably, it also needed to be bought with Immortal jade, so he had to give up. After Bai Xiaotian paid to help him buy the Floating Shadow Jade and other items, the two of them left Lubao Hall. ¡°Where can Immortal jade be obtained?¡± Shen Luo asked on the way back. ¡°Immortal jade is different from gold and silver and is not something a normal person can come across. However, when we accept requests to kill demons at home, we sometimes receive Immortal jade as compensation. As for other ways, you could go to a sect and serve as an homage, there might be a chance to get some,¡± Bai Xiaotian suggested. ¡°Previously, Manager Ma mentioned that they buy finished talismans, I wonder if they can pay with Immortal jade?¡± Shen Luo rubbed his chin and asked. ¡°What are you thinking, stop dreaming! Unless it¡¯s a high-grade talisman, possibly. Ordinary low-grade talismans can only be paid for with gold and silver, moreover, they need to be attack-type talismans to be worth some money,¡± Bai Xiaotian glanced dismissively at Shen Luo, immediately pouring a bucket of cold water on his plan. Shen Luo laughed sheepishly. He mused that the Thunderfall Talisman, Flying Talisman and other talismans he made were of a high rank so if he could really sell them, they would certainly be traded for Immortal jade. The only pity was that he did not have any extra money to buy the talisman paper and materials needed for drawing talismans. The two of them were talking off and on when the carriage passed over Zhenhuai Bridge once again. Shen Luo lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside, noticing that the crowd of onlookers on the bridge had already dispersed. The corpse by the riverbank behind Shui Nuan pavilion seemed to have been claimed by its family. He slowly withdrew his gaze and was about to let down the curtain when he suddenly felt a shudder in his heart. That¡¯s because he saw a very familiar flower pattern on the back of the River Guardian Beast at the bridgehead. ¡°Other Shore Flower¡­¡± Shen Luo whispered internally, but by the time he wanted to get a clearer look, the carriage had already crossed the bridge and turned onto the road on the right. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bai Xiaotian saw his peculiar expression and asked. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that the pattern on the River Guardian Beast looked a bit peculiar, so I took a few extra glances,¡± Shen Luo hesitated a little but did not tell the truth. ¡°That¡¯s been there for some years, there are quite a few along the river in Jianye City. They say that when Jianye City was first established, the Qinhuai River flooded twice, flooding half of the city. Later, a Yin-Yang Immortal Master examined it and said it was because the water veins were too strong and causing malignant Qi. So, the officials ordered the construction of many River Guardian Beasts to suppress the water veins. And indeed, the Qinhuai River has been calm ever since, without any major floods,¡± Bai Xiaotian responded with no suspicion, explaining to Shen Luo. ¡°So it seems that the Immortal Master was indeed a real wise man,¡± Shen Luo mused. After the carriage traveled for a while, Shen Luo recalled something and asked again, ¡°Do you know anything about the Spring and Autumn Pavilion? How is the investigation going?¡± ¡°There hasn¡¯t been much progress yet. After my father sent a letter to the Weak Water Sect and several other Cultivation Sects, he immediately sent people to rush over in order to coordinate the investigation. However, when they got there, they found that the entire Spring and Autumn Pavilion had been burned to the ground, all traces had been erased and there was nothing left to investigate,¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed and explained. ¡°What about Gu Hualing and Wang Qingsong, did they investigate these two?¡± Shen Luo asked, furrowing his brows. ¡°Wang Qingsong entered the sect very early and rarely interacted with outsiders, so probably the only people who knew about him were Master Luo, Master Fengyang, and the senior ancestors. It¡¯s a pity that they have all vanished and we have lost the trail. As for Gu Hualing, she was also brought into the sect by Wang Qingsong. Regardless of whether she lied about her identity at the time, there¡¯s no way to investigate now,¡± Bai Xiaotian thought a moment and answered. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the many disciples of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion just lost their lives for nothing?¡± Shen Luo said coldly. Chapter 219 - Chapter 219: Chapter 217: Traveling at Night Chapter 219: Chapter 217: Traveling at Night Though he was not close with the members of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, when the sect was in danger, both Master Luo and the Senior Ancestor had placed great trust in him and entrusted him with the ¡°Pure Yang Scripture.¡± He could not accept this if he didn¡¯t have an explanation. ¡°For the time being, we don¡¯t have any solutions. The other sects have all retracted, but the Bai family still keeps several people watching surreptitiously. If there are further discoveries, they will report back,¡± Bai Xiaotian said helplessly. ¡°What about my family¡­,¡± Shen Luo asked after a brief hesitation. Previously, for the sake of their safety, he had forced himself to not contact his family, yet he was immensely worried. ¡°The incident at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion was concealed. There¡¯s not much of an uproar on the outside, let alone ordinary people knowing a single piece of news, so your family still believes you are on the mountain. But rest assured, my father has already ordered people to secretly protect your family, so there won¡¯t be any problems,¡± Bai Xiaotian comforted with a smile. ¡°Thank you for that. Now that the situation over there is stable, I will write a letter to my family these days and inform them about my situation,¡± Shen Luo responded immediately. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Bai Xiaotian nodded. ¡­ After returning home to the Bai Mansion, before long, Bai Xiaotian without any delay sent a stack of Yellow Talisman Paper and a small jar of Cinnabar. Instead of continuing his cultivation in the secret chamber at the bottom of the lake, Shen Luo stayed in the room to draw up talismans. In the dreamland of Longevity Village, Shen Luo had encountered many higher-rank talismans; his understanding of talisman drawing became even more profound. Now when he draws a low-rank ¡°Small Thunder Talisman,¡± it is effortless¡ªbasically, one out of every three is a success. Furthermore, his control over mana is more mature, so it used less than before. It took him about an hour to draw more than a dozen Small Thunder Talismans. After he stopped drawing, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began to meditate. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï However, after he terminated the state of drawing talismans, his mind became somewhat chaotic. He could not help but recall the pattern of the Other Shore Flower on the back of the river beast; he could not enter into meditation state and had to give up. In the end, he took out a book he had borrowed from Bai Xiaotian to read casually. At night, lights were lit up everywhere in the Bai Mansion, illuminating the red light inside and outside the courtyard. After dining, Shen Luo strolled alone to the front yard to see that the Big Gate was closed, but one side door was still open with several attendants standing next to it. He hesitated slightly before heading towards the side door. The attendants of the Bai Mansion, having been instructed by their superior, knew Shen Luo. One of them took the initiative to greet him. ¡°Master Shen, are you leaving?¡± The man asked after bowing. ¡°Yes, I want to go for a walk,¡± Shen Luo responded nonchalantly. ¡°It¡¯s already late. Don¡¯t wander too far, Master Shen. It¡¯s best not to leave Yonghua Street since the peace of the city has been disturbed recently. The attendant warned cautiously. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, thank you.¡± Shen Luo, hearing the advice, lightly saluted, acknowledging him. He originally planned to sneak out unnoticed, but considering the possible misunderstandings that could arise due to the unknown number of hidden masters in the Bai Family, he eventually decided to walk out openly. After leaving through the side door, Shen Luo had only walked a short distance from the Bai Mansion when he made sure there was nobody around, and immediately activated his mana, pouring it into his legs. His steps instantly changed, and his figure rushed forward. The city of Jianye at night, most of the city districts did not have a curfew, especially near the Qinhuai River bank area, which was brightly lit and bustling. It was not much different from daytime. However, due to the recent strange incidents happening around the city and the rumors about the Shui Nuan Pavilion, there were noticeably fewer pedestrians on the streets than before. There was one place that was distinctly different: half of the street area near the Zhenhuai Bridge. With the Shui Nuan Pavilion effectively closed and nearby shops affected by it closing early, even the popular night tour for scholars and literati had been temporarily stopped by the government¡¯s ban. When Shen Luo arrived here, he saw the street was deserted, with only the red lanterns hanging in front of the houses illuminating a few spots, casting a vibrant red and dark shadow on the street. He stood at the entrance of the street, glanced in the direction of the Shui Nuan Pavilion, and then turned the corner heading towards the Zhenhuai Bridge. After barely taking two steps, Shen Luo suddenly stiffened, sensing that he was being watched. His hairs stood on end. With somewhat rigid body, he slowly turned his head to look at a dark corner on his right. From the darkness, a figure slowly emerged, dressed in a scholar¡¯s robe. Shockingly, it was the white-faced scholar he had seen in the daylight. ¡°Young man, I can tell that you are a cultivator, but it¡¯s best not to interfere with the affairs here. Leave as soon as possible,¡± the man whispered while walking towards Shen Luo. After hearing his voice, Shen Luo¡¯s expression changed slightly as an inexplicable sense of familiarity swept over him. Before he had time to react, the white-faced scholar had already passed by him and headed towards the Zhenhuai Bridge. Just as Shen Luo was about to follow him, he heard the scholar warn, ¡°Eat well and listen to good advice. You¡¯re young, don¡¯t always put yourself in life-threatening situations¡­¡± At this, he stopped, and after a moment of hesitation, he turned around and went back the way he came. After noticing that Shen Luo had left, a smile appeared on the corner of the white-faced scholar¡¯s mouth. He quickened his pace towards the stone arch bridge. Shen Luo had only walked back a short distance when he suddenly changed his path. Using the Slanting Moon Steps, he lightly flitted away and landed on the rooftop of a shop. Treading lightly along the ridge of the roof, he quickly reached the roof of a shop near the river, crouched low and hid on one side, peeking out just his head to secretly observe the situation near the Zhenhuai Bridge. He saw the white-faced scholar stand in front of the River Guardian Beast for a while, then suddenly went to the river bank and stopped near the backyard of the Shui Nuan Pavilion. He then crouched down abruptly. He extended his head to peer at the water, scanning the left and right, as if he was looking for something. Just then, the back door of the Shui Nuan Pavilion suddenly swung open, and out came the Gray-white Taoist Robe, White Water Daoist. When he saw the man crouching by the water, he assumed another person was attempting suicide, and his face immediately changed. With a leap, he reached the riverbank, stretched out a hand, and grabbed the collar of the white-faced scholar, flinging him backward. The scholar was hurled high into the air, landing on his rear in the backyard of the Shui Nuan Pavilion. ¡°Are you looking for death in the middle of the night? Can¡¯t you choose an appropriate place?¡± The White Water Daoist chided angrily. With an expression of frustration, the white-faced scholar was about to reason, when his expression suddenly changed. He shouted: ¡°Be careful¡­¡± Just as he finished speaking, disaster struck abruptly! Chapter 220 - Chapter 220: Chapter 218: Water Ghost Chapter 220: Chapter 218: Water Ghost Suddenly, white smoke billowed from within the river, and intense water waves bubbled up. The old Daoist had just become alert and was about to turn around when a clump of pitch-black water plants emerged above the surface, transforming directly into a naked woman with long black hair. Her entire body was eerily pale, but her face was extraordinarily delicate and beautiful. She stretched out her hands to grab the Daoist¡¯s neck. The White Water Daoist felt a chill at the base of his spine. He swiftly turned around and pinched a yellow paper charm between his fingers. He lifted it high, ready to strike it at the woman¡¯s forehead. However, just as he turned around, the woman¡¯s arms around his neck suddenly became soft and looped around him and clung onto him. The situation instantly became extremely romantic. The Daoist seemed taken aback by this and paused in surprise, his lifted hand remained frozen in mid-air. ¡°Focus your mind!¡± At that moment, a stern shout echoed from behind the White Water Daoist. The Daoist gave a start, and he pointed his charm at the naked woman. But then, a bizarre thing happened! The woman¡¯s mouth suddenly widened to a ridiculous degree, tearing almost half of her face apart, and she let out a pitiful shriek from her throat. Like a white fish, she suddenly leaped out of the Daoist¡¯s embrace and plunged into the river. Her dripping wet, black, long hair, behaving as if alive, coiled around the White Water Daoist and attempted to pull him down with her into the river. The Daoist only felt a tightness in his throat. As he was about to gasp for breath, a bunch of black hair entered his mouth, penetrating his throat. He instantly began gagging in pain. His strength seemed to have depleted, and he was helplessly pulled towards the river by the water ghost-like woman. It was at this critical moment, the white-faced scholar chanted softly, raising his hand to throw something towards the river. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 He saw four cut-outs of human figures, crafted from white paper, shooting out from his hand. The moment these figures hit the water surface, they glowed with a dark red light, rapidly expanding. In a flash, four men dressed as judicial constables emerged from the red light. Each of them held a half-red, half-black water-fire staff in their hands. With a vigorous jolt upwards, the water ghost woman and the White Water Daoist, about to plunge into the water, were jolted back to the riverbank. As Shen Luo lay prone on the ridge of the roof, he looked closely and saw that the four men had pale complexions and no signs of life on their faces. Each had a pitch-black chain wrapped around them, bearing a resemblance to the ghost emissaries described in legends. Before the water ghost woman could land on the riverbank, the white-faced scholar had already transformed into a white shadow and reached her. He brought his hand together into a palm and performed a horizontal slash at her body, the edge glowing with a sharp white light. The hair of the water ghost woman suddenly grew like a rapidly sprouting tree, lifting her body into mid-air and dodging the slash. However, as the white light flashed, her hair was chopped off. The severed hair instantly withered like water plants. The White Water Daoist, entangled within, rolled out, already unconscious. The white-faced scholar leaned over to check and noticed a layer of black Qi dwelling on the Daoist¡¯s face, burrowing aggressively into his closed eyes. ¡°Your Yang life is not finished. If you die now, it will be a real nuisance.¡± He uttered, pinched a piece of green talisman paper, and placed it on the forehead of the Daoist. With his other hand, he formed a hand seal. A light glowed from the talisman paper, covering his face. It battled with the black Qi, like a tug-of-war, locked in a stalemate. At the same time, the four ghost emissaries had already rushed over, surrounding the water ghost, who had landed again, in the middle. ¡°Judging by this situation, could this be the legendary catching of ghosts by shadow emissaries? Who exactly is this scholar?¡± Shen Luo took a glance at the white-faced scholar and murmured to himself. I saw two ghost emissaries in front of the water ghost, one on the left and one on the right, simultaneously raising their hands, throwing out the chains in their hands. Like two venomous snakes, they were reaching towards the water ghost. The water ghost let out a low growl, twisting its body, and its damp black hair suddenly swept away. Water splashes seemed to gush out from it, and under the ding-dong sounds, it actually sent all the chains back. But at this moment, there was a large gust of wind above its head. It was the other two ghost emissaries, swinging their water-fire staffs and smashing them down on the water ghost. The water ghost couldn¡¯t dodge in time and could only open its mouth and spew out a stream of pitch-black, foul-smelling liquid, like an umbrella, blocking above it. There was a loud ¡°bang¡±! The black-headed water-fire staff was in the hands of the ghost emissary in front of it, which broke the black liquid umbrella apart. The ghost emissary behind it then took the opportunity to swing the red-headed water-fire staff heavily on the water ghost¡¯s shoulder. A piercing scream tore through the night sky. The water ghost seemed to have been burned by a hot iron, smoke rose from its body. On its originally pale, smooth skin, large pieces of pustules abruptly appeared, extremely miserable. The four ghost emissaries simultaneously raised their hands, their iron chains shooting out and separately tying around the water ghost¡¯s hands and feet. With a pull from all sides, they lifted it into mid-air. The water ghost kept crying out, unable to struggle and escape. It was about to be torn apart by the ghost emissaries. Shen Luo watched these ghost emissaries work seamlessly together and finally understood why the white-faced scholar could so confidently go to rescue people. But this only made him more curious about the identity of this person. Just at this moment, there was a sudden commotion from the bridge¡¯s end. Shen Luo quickly looked over in that direction, only to see that the river guardian beast, which looked like a rhino, was trembling violently. Astonishingly, there were two clusters of blood light glowing at its eye positions. ¡°This is bad, it¡¯s coming!¡± The white-faced scholar, who had not yet removed the black Qi from the White Water Daoist¡¯s face, frowned when he saw this situation. Layers of stone peeled off the river guardian beast¡¯s body revealing patches of flesh and bones not covered by skin. Wrapped in black fog, it jumped up from the stone platform and crashed down towards the backyard of the Shui Nuan Pavilion. The four ghost emissaries saw the situation, each pulling the chains, thoroughly tying up the water ghost. After pulling it back, they managed to dodge. There was a thunderous ¡°boom¡±! Although Shen Luo was dozens of feet away, he still felt the building under him shake. The jetty behind the Shui Nuan Pavilion had subsided a small part. The river guardian beast roared, and a black light immediately lit up on its horn and shot out with a ¡°swoosh¡±. A ghost emissary couldn¡¯t dodge in time, got pierced at its shoulder, and was shot out with a hole. Large patches of red light immediately flew off its body, disappearing underground. Its physical form then rapidly shrunk, turning back into a paper-cut-out of a human figure, spontaneously burning into ashes. Shen Luo looked at this scene, feeling increasingly amazed. Subsequently, more black light flew out from the horn on the river guardian beast¡¯s head, attacking the other two ghost emissaries. ¡°Fall back quickly!¡± The white-faced scholar pulled hard, finally tearing off the black Qi that had been sticking to the White Water Daoist¡¯s face like a dog skin plaster. He quickly shouted to the remaining three ghost emissaries. Chapter 221 - Chapter 221: Chapter 219: Soul Hook Horse Face Chapter 221: Chapter 219: Soul Hook Horse Face However, they were a beat too late. One of the ghost emissaries attempted to obstruct the black light with his water-fire staff, only to have it snapped in half. The black light pierced straight through his chest. Another person was hit directly in their head by the black light, and like the previous person, they transformed into a white paper silhouette and spontaneously combusted. In just a few moments, out of four ghost emissaries, two were dead and one was injured. The remaining one had no control over the water ghost, who broke the chain restraint and escaped. Just when Shen Luo thought the water ghost was rescued, the water beast suddenly rushed forward, violently opening its mouth to inhale. From its pitch-black maw, an invisible force of attraction was ignited, sucking in the water ghost and swallowing it in one gulp. Just like consuming some tonic, a layer of black light emanated from its body. After swallowing the water ghost, it wasn¡¯t sated. Opening its mouth to inhale once again, it dragged the injured ghost emissary in and gulped them down, making the black light on its body even brighter and radiating a strong wave of evil omens. ¡°Bold ghost, daring to devour ghost emissaries. You¡¯re seeking death.¡± The white-faced scholar was infuriated, shouting explosively. Before his words even fell, his body had already flown over, with his feet stomping down heavily like a mountain landslide, landing on the back of the river guardian beast. A ¡°boom¡± resounded! The river guardian beast was struck by a huge force, and its limbs instantly buckled, falling flat on the ground. Standing on its back, the white-faced scholar¡¯s hand suddenly reached out from his sleeve, in his palm, he astonishingly held a black writing brush about a foot long. When Shen Luo¡¯s gaze fell on the black brush, he thought it looked incredibly familiar. In the midst of his confusion, he heard the white-faced scholar yell out: ¡°Ghost He subdues demons, and the Soul Hook fetches souls!¡± The moment his words fell, his scholar¡¯s robe began to change, alight with green flames, as if it was on fire. Beyond places where the flame had been, his robe was replaced with the judicial constable uniform similar to that of the ghost emissaries. The distinct factor was a copper plate the size of a hand at his waist, engraved with the two characters, ¡°Yin Bureau.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Simultaneously, the white-faced scholar¡¯s face also started to change. As it elongated vertically, it turned increasingly red, surprisingly transforming into a crimson horse face. ¡°Soul Hook Horse Face, it¡¯s you!¡± As soon as Shen Luo distinguished his face, he could not help but exclaim in shock. The volume of his cry was not small, evidently reaching the ears of Ma Mian. The latter couldn¡¯t help but divert his attention a little. He hesitated in his movements and glanced in Shen Luo¡¯s direction. However, right at this moment, the water beast underneath him, like a ground beetle turning over, suddenly arched its back, throwing Ma Mian off. After twisting its body, it started to gallop towards the bridgehead, looking to escape. ¡°Evil beast, where are you going!¡± Seeing this, Soul Hook Horse Face hastily formed hand signs, pointed with his brush in the empty air and yelled out loud. The next moment, a red flash was seen on the back of the river guardian beast, showing an other shore flower mark, is transformed into an octagonal light formation of charm patterns, encasing the head of the water beast. The light formation carried a restraining force, rendering the galloping beast seemingly stuck in place. Ma Mian hastily caught up, arriving in front of the river guardian beast. Holding the brush with one hand, he continuously drew in the empty air. Numerous dark red charm patterns surfaced, forming a circular charm pattern formation in mid-air. ¡°Phew¡­once I imprison this wicked creature inside the evocation bottle, everything will be settled,¡± Ma Mian sighed in relief and said after he was done with all the preparations. As he spoke, he explored his waist with his hand. A moment of rummaging later, a gleam of suspicion appeared in his eyes. Immediately after, he checked both of his sleeve pockets and slowly, his facial expression became more and more difficult to read, and his horse face appeared even more elongated. In the end, Ma Mian, trembling, pulled a gourd with a thick black sheen from his sleeve, and sighed mournfully. ¡°Damn, I was so focused on bringing the wine gourd, I forgot the Evocation Bottle¡­¡± As his words faded, the situation suddenly changed dramatically! The River Guardian Beast suddenly opened its mouth and inhaled, instantly triggering massive waves in the Qinhuai River. Unknown strands of black qi, enveloping gruesome or ruined ghostly specters, emerged from the river bottom and were swallowed into the beast¡¯s pitch-black maw. The aura of the River Guardian Beast started to rise violently. Its flesh began to pulsate, and the black fog covering its body spread rapidly, breaking the glowing charm patterns above its head. Seeing the River Guardian Beast on the verge of breaking out of the formation, Ma Mian could not afford to delay, and the iron pen in his hand jabbed forward again. The glowing charm pattern he had just drawn immediately advanced forward. Like a lasso, it attempted to land on the beast¡¯s head. However, before the charm pattern could get close, a black light burst out of the beast¡¯s horn. Just as it drew near the charm pattern, a loud ¡°bang¡± echoed as it exploded. In front of Ma Mian, the qi wave surged. A tremendous impact force spread out, hitting him so hard that he spat out a mouthful of blood, was again thrown back several meters, and a section of the white stone railings on the Zhenhuai Bridge was instantly shattered. After the River Guardian Beast broke free, its ferocity increased. Covered in black fog, its blood-filled eyes were as big as copper bells. From the high altitude, it uncoiled and swooped toward Ma Mian. Ma Mian, who had just suffered a heavy blow, had dropped his iron pen. In a hurry, he could only perform a hand seal with his bare hands, immediately causing a billowing white fog to wrap around his body. As the River Guardian Beast was about to swoop down, the black fog surrounding its body suddenly spread out, engulfing Ma Mian, who was wrapped in white fog, completely. The lone ghost emissary left, transformed from a piece of white paper, attempted to help. However, as he approached, a strand of black fog hit him. His red light instantly dispersed, his body caught fire, and he became ashes within moments. Ma Mian could only feel darkness before his eyes and the surrounding things became extremely blurred. A hard to describe bitterness entered his mouth and nose. Black fog was tearing open his white protective fog trying to invade his body. As this feeling intensified, Ma Mian¡¯s entire body was hardening as if stone skin was growing on him and as if he was about to become petrified right there. Suddenly, a loud ¡°boom¡± echoed. A bright lightning thundered from mid-air and ripped open a hole in the chaotic black fog. Ma Mian saw a silhouette holding a yellow paper charm in the brief bright light, charging towards him at a rapid pace. ¡°Eh, isn¡¯t that the human youngster!¡± Ma Mian found that the approached one was Shen Luo, who he had just dismissed not long ago, and he was extremely surprised. After only a few moments, the light vanished. But soon after, there was another rumble of thunder. The black fog was once again illuminated by brilliant light. At a high speed, Shen Luo darted through, bending over to pick up the Soul Hooking Pen on the ground. However, a black light shot straight at his forehead from the chaotic black fog. With a thought, mana within his body started revving, the Slanting Moon Steps was activated instantly. As if moonlight was falling beneath him, his figure became a bit illusory. With a slight lean to one side and without changing his forward momentum, he narrowly avoided the black light. Like a moon drawn from the bottom of the sea, he picked up the iron pen on the ground and dashed towards Ma Mian. Chapter 222 - Chapter 222: Chapter 220: The Small Thunder Talisman Proves Useful Chapter 222: Chapter 220: The Small Thunder Talisman Proves Useful Several strands of black fog flew out from the chaotic black mist, twirling and wrapping around Shen Luo like tendrils. However, with his intricate footwork, he seemed to daringly dodge each one. Ma Mian¡¯s whole body was already glowing with red light, urging the Protective White Fog in an attempt to break free from his restraints. Just as Shen Luo was about to reach his side, the chaotic black fog rolled away, revealing the true form of the River Guardian Beast behind Ma Mian. It opened its mouth wide, revealing a Black Vortex within, as if it was about to swallow him whole. ¡°This is bad,¡± thought Shen Luo, immediately raising his hand and sweeping it fiercely. A water arrow burst from his sleeve, small Thunder talismans affixed to its tip. It whizzed into the air and landed at the top of the Beast¡¯s head. There was a loud roar of thunder! Several streaks of Snowy White Thunder Light lit up the night sky, directly striking the River Guardian Beast. ¡°Roar¡­¡± It immediately let out a roar, its movement momentarily halted. Taking this opportunity, Shen Luo moved swiftly to Ma Mian¡¯s side, handing him the Soul Hook Iron Pen. At this point, the red light on Ma Mian¡¯s body had already reached its peak. As soon as the Soul Hooking Pen fell into his hand, a tremendous aura burst from him. Shen Luo was repelled by this force and sent flying back. He barely managed to adjust his trajectory using the Oblique Moon Step Technique. After a flip in mid-air, he stabilized himself. Immediately, he looked again to see Ma Mian now completely free, his one hand forming seals, and the other holding the pen, starting to write in the void. ¡°Since you didn¡¯t bring the Evocation Bottle, I guess you¡¯re out of luck. I¡¯ll have to directly obliterate you!¡± Soul Hook Horse Face roared furiously. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?0 The speed of his hand increased, and a dense text was soon written, forming a Bloody Chapter in mid-air. It wrapped around from all sides like a Skynet, trapping the River Guardian Beast within. Under the reflection of the red light, the Bloody Chapter began to shrink rapidly. The mist from the River Guardian Beast¡¯s body followed suit, retreating into its form and revealing its original constitution. ¡°Spirit Summoning, Suppressing Hundred Evil Spirits!¡± Ma Mian¡¯s figure bolted up, shouting loudly. The charm patterns on his Soul Hooking Pen lit up. The pen body expanded tenfold, like a spear thrusting out, piercing through the forehead of the Beast and exiting through the back of its head. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The River Guardian Beast gave out a heart-wrenching roar, its body fog churning violently, but was completely absorbed by the Soul Hooking Pen. Gradually, its flesh and bone became visible. However, soon after, the white bone and flesh decayed into ash, eventually scattering apart. Right at this moment, a breath rose from the ashes of the River Guardian Beast, even though it had clearly dissipated. It transformed into a dense black fog ball and shot up into the sky, heading towards the west of the city at high speed. Soul Hook Horse Face obviously failed to perceive this anomaly beforehand. By the time he thought to intercept, it was already too late. He took two steps before suddenly staggering, almost falling. He had no choice but to give up. Shen Luo wanted to go forward and check, but hesitated for a while standing his ground without immediately proceeding. At this time, Soul Hook Horse Face stood up again and turned to look at him. Shen Luo held a fist to him from a distance, giving him a salute. Ma Mian looked uncertain for a moment, then suddenly waved his sleeve. There was a flash of light, and he transformed back into the form of the white-faced scholar. ¡°Come with me.¡± He strode past Shen Luo and said this. After a moment¡¯s consideration, Shen Luo started to follow him right away. The two, one in front and the other behind, crossed the heavily damaged Zhenhuai Bridge and disappeared at the end of the street. After about an incense stick¡¯s burning time, the long unconscious White Water Daoist was revived, looking blankly around to find he was surrounded by three or four figures. ¡°Elder Three!¡± He focused his eyes and immediately recognized a face, calling out at once. The figure was short, with thin and dry cheeks, slightly gray hair, but a sharp gaze. It was indeed Bai Jiangfeng. The three people next to him were from respected cultivation families in Jianye City. They were an old man with a short beard, an old woman with purple eyebrows, and a bow-backed hunchback, all of whom were high-ranking elders. ¡°Daoist friend White Water, what actually happened here?¡± The short-bearded old man in a brocade robe asked first. His name was Lin Shan Guo, the head elder of the Jianye Lin Family. Although the family¡¯s strength was slightly inferior to the Bai Family, his own cultivation was not below Bai Jiangfeng. The old woman with purple brows and the bow-backed hunchback were the head elders of the Du and Wang families inside the city. After hearing Lin Shan Guo¡¯s inquiry, they looked at each other and concentrated their gazes on the White Water Daoist. The White Water Daoist was just about to speak, but hesitated slightly. He looked at Bai Jiangfeng and then said, ¡°There certainly is an evil spirit in the city. I just noticed something strange in the backyard. When I went out to check, I was ambushed by a water ghost and passed out¡­¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± Lin Shan Guo was clearly unsatisfied when he heard this simple answer. ¡°If not this, then what could it be?¡± Bai Jiangfeng knitted his eyebrows and retorted before the White Water Daoist could reply. ¡°Please try to elaborate more, Daoist friend White Water. This is also for the good of our Jianye City.¡± The old woman with purple eyebrows said. ¡°Du is right. In this time of upheaval in the city, it would be good for everyone to work together. We must share any discoveries and not keep secrets.¡± The bow-backed hunchback said hoarsely. After hesitating for a moment, Bai Jiangfeng slowly said, ¡°Go ahead and tell us in detail. There¡¯s no harm in that.¡± Upon hearing this, the White Water Daoist proceeded to recount what he had seen and experienced before he fainted. However, since he had passed out too early and knew very little himself, everyone else was disappointed after hearing his account. They speculated about the identity of the white-faced scholar, but nobody came to any conclusions. Meanwhile, Shen Luo had followed Ma Mian to a quiet pavilion. After they sat down face-to-face, the white-faced scholar stared at him for a long time before asking: ¡°Young man, why do you recognize me?¡± Shen Luo sighed inwardly, realizing he had been too abrupt in shouting ¡°Gouhun Ma Mian¡± earlier. Their encounter in the dream happened a thousand years later, so obviously, the current Ma Mian did not recognize him. However, Shen Luo was still a bit puzzled. He remembered clearly that during their first meeting on the Netherworld Altar, it was Ma Mian who had spoken his name first. He had been just as bewildered as Ma Mian seemed to be now. ¡°I am Shen Luo. I have heard some legends about Elder in the past, and I never expected to meet you today.¡± Shen Luo had to make up a reason on the spot. Gouhun Ma Mian seemed to believe him somewhat and said, ¡°Regardless, if it wasn¡¯t for your help earlier, defeating this Water Devil today would have required more effort on my part.¡± As he was speaking, he took a black and shiny wine gourd out from his sleeve. Remembering that he had forgotten to bring the Evocation Bottle, an awkward expression crossed his face. ¡°Elder, could you please tell me what exactly this Water Devil is?¡± Shen Luo asked, puzzled. ¡°The evil spirits in the water, accumulated over years, form a chill and murderous energy with a certain spiritual consciousness; that¡¯s Water Devil. However, it¡¯s not easy for such a thing to form. It often gestates in blood rivers where corpses float and pestles collide.¡± Gouhun Ma Mian took a sip of wine and then explained slowly. Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Chapter 222: Tacit Understanding Chapter 224: Chapter 222: Tacit Understanding The ¡°heavy gratitude¡± Ma Mian had mentioned, was neither a magical instrument nor an Immortal jade, but surprisingly a Soul Contract. Shen Luo, who had been cultivating the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits, was naturally not unfamiliar with this. However, he did not feel that it was particularly precious. At least for him, it was an item that he could do without. ¡°What, are you not satisfied with this?¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s expression, Ma Mian asked in surprise and with some annoyance. ¡°No, I¡¯m just a bit surprised,¡± Shen Luo squeezed out an awkward smile and said. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t underestimate this. This is not an ordinary Soul Contract. As long as you sign it, if you encounter a crisis in the future, you can summon me with this contract to help you!¡± Ma Mian glared at Shen Luo and said. ¡°Can I use it anytime and anywhere?¡± Shen Luo asked, somewhat taken aback. With his current realm, he could not determine simply how powerful the Soul Hook Horse Face was. He only knew that it should be at least above the Soul Condensation Stage. If he could indeed get his help, it would undoubtedly be a great advantage. But before he could rejoice, Ma Mian poured cold water on his enthusiasm. ¡°You can use it anytime and anywhere, but this contract is consumable and can only be used once. It would be best if you don¡¯t waste it at will.¡± Ma Mian watched as Shen Luo¡¯s smile gradually stiffened, which cleared up the gloom in his heart. ¡°So it can only be used once¡­¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but mutter. ¡°Did you think that just anyone can get their hands on an Underworld Soul Contract? According to the rules, only a chosen few Cultivators who have completed Underworld tasks are eligible and have the opportunity to obtain such a Soul Contract!¡± Ma Mian retorted irritably. ¡°What are Underworld tasks?¡± Shen Luo asked, intrigued. ¡°So, you want to take on Underworld tasks? With your current level of cultivation, to be honest, it¡¯s far from enough.¡± Ma Mian picked at his mouth and said. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 ¡°Since you¡¯ve already mentioned it, don¡¯t hide it now. Just because I can¡¯t do it now, doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t be able to do it in the future.¡± Shen Luo replied with a tease. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time you got clued in! Generally speaking, the tasks the Underworld requires help from the Yang Realm to perform are particularly difficult. It would be no different from seeking death for a cultivator without proper strength to interfere in these matters. However, once you complete a task, you can gain many benefits that you wouldn¡¯t expect. This Soul Contract is just one among many.¡± The Soul Hook Horse Face mysteriously said. Just as Shen Luo wanted to ask some more questions, Ma Mian gestured him not to do so. ¡°Alright, this time I¡¯m making an exception in giving you this Soul Contract because of your kindness in helping me annihilate those vile ghosts and steal the incense fire. There¡¯s no point in telling you more.¡± Ma Mian cleared his throat and said. Although Shen Luo was unwilling, there was not much he could say since Ma Mian had spoken in such an absolute manner. So, he asked Ma Mian about the method of using the Soul Contract and then excused himself. Time passed, and more than a month had gone by. Shen Luo had been diligently cultivating in the Bai Mansion. After trying the Huangting Technique and the Pure Yang Sword Technique several times, and finding that there was still no progress, he put them aside and began to focus on cultivating the Nameless Cultivation Technique. His progress was quite rapid. Now, he had finally made a breakthrough and reached the Qi Refining Stage Fifth Layer. His proficiency in the Slanting Moon Steps had also improved significantly. In the past half month, he also attempted to draw the Thunderfall Talisman on the Yellow Paper Charm, resulting in using all the materials he had previously bought, without even creating a single one. Clearly, the chances of creating such a high-level rune in reality are even slimmer than in the Dreamland. However, Shen Luo had been prepared for this. Although he was somewhat heartbroken, he wasn¡¯t overly disappointed. Fortunately, he managed to create quite a few Small Thunder Talismans during his spare time, about fifty to sixty in total, and his proficiency had improved further. One morning, Bai Xiaotian hurried back from the front yard, holding a wooden box in his arms, and knocked on Shen Luo¡¯s door. As soon as he entered the room, he put the box on the table, poured himself a cup of water from the teapot, and said, ¡°I had sent someone to your home to deliver a letter a while ago. This is what your father asked them to bring back.¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo hurriedly opened the box to find a stack of silver bills and two shiny golden ingots. He checked and found that there were over three thousand taels of silver bills, and the two gold ingots each weighed a hundred taels. Under the gold ingots and silver bills, there was also an envelope. When Shen Luo opened it, he saw his father¡¯s handwriting, assuring him to stay in Jianye without worry or rush to return, and not to worry about home but to take care of himself. At the end of the letter, he noted that the paper was somewhat wrinkled. It seemed to be marks left by holding the paper tightly. He knew his father must have been worried about him. ¡°When a son travels far from home, a father worries¡­ it¡¯s natural.¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s somber expression, Bai Xiaotian got up, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him. ¡°What is the current situation in Chunhua County?¡± Shen Luo looked up and asked. ¡°Things have generally stabilized. The people we left behind have been secretly observing for a while and haven¡¯t found any signs of any demons and ghosts. It seems that they have genuinely retreated.¡± Bai Xiaotian thought for a moment and said. ¡°Given that the situation is under control, I have been imposing on the Bai family for a long time, and it¡¯s time for me to return.¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo packed away the letter and smiled. ¡°You want to go back?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked, somewhat taken aback. ¡°Yes. But before I go back, there is one thing I want to tell you.¡± Shen Luo nodded and said. ¡°You¡¯re not about to discuss the Pure Yang Scripture, are you?¡± Bai Xiaotian was taken aback at first, then laughed. ¡°You already knew.¡± Shen Luo also laughed. ¡°Shen Luo, this matter is a secret between you, Master Luo, and even your Senior Ancestor. There¡¯s really no need to disclose it to me.¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed softly and said. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt at ease about this for a long time, and I need to get it out of my system. When confronted by Gu Hualing, I didn¡¯t admit it, but in fact, the Pure Yang Scripture is indeed with me. I guessed that you knew about this, but I don¡¯t understand why you didn¡¯t tell the elders of your family. Isn¡¯t this scripture quite important to the Bai family?¡± Shen Luo asked, somewhat puzzled. ¡°What purpose would telling my family serve? To collaborate with them to offer you attractive benefits, or to exert pressure on you? I can¡¯t do such things.¡± Bai Xiaotian laughed dismissively and said. ¡°The day the Senior Ancestor passed down the Pure Yang Scripture, he set a rule that I must continue the legacy of Spring and Autumn Pavilion and assure that I will never teach the skills and techniques recorded in the Pure Yang Scripture to anyone outside of the Little Straw Mountain lineage. Since you are an Inner Sect Disciple of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, you are not an outsider. So, I must ask, are you willing to inherit the scripture, come back with me to Chunhua County and rebuild the Spring and Autumn Pavilion?¡± Shen Luo asked, looking solemn. Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Chapter 222: Tacit Understanding Chapter 224: Chapter 222: Tacit Understanding The ¡°heavy gratitude¡± Ma Mian had mentioned, was neither a magical instrument nor an Immortal jade, but surprisingly a Soul Contract. Shen Luo, who had been cultivating the Technique of taming beasts and summoning spirits, was naturally not unfamiliar with this. However, he did not feel that it was particularly precious. At least for him, it was an item that he could do without. ¡°What, are you not satisfied with this?¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s expression, Ma Mian asked in surprise and with some annoyance. ¡°No, I¡¯m just a bit surprised,¡± Shen Luo squeezed out an awkward smile and said. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t underestimate this. This is not an ordinary Soul Contract. As long as you sign it, if you encounter a crisis in the future, you can summon me with this contract to help you!¡± Ma Mian glared at Shen Luo and said. ¡°Can I use it anytime and anywhere?¡± Shen Luo asked, somewhat taken aback. With his current realm, he could not determine simply how powerful the Soul Hook Horse Face was. He only knew that it should be at least above the Soul Condensation Stage. If he could indeed get his help, it would undoubtedly be a great advantage. But before he could rejoice, Ma Mian poured cold water on his enthusiasm. ¡°You can use it anytime and anywhere, but this contract is consumable and can only be used once. It would be best if you don¡¯t waste it at will.¡± Ma Mian watched as Shen Luo¡¯s smile gradually stiffened, which cleared up the gloom in his heart. ¡°So it can only be used once¡­¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but mutter. ¡°Did you think that just anyone can get their hands on an Underworld Soul Contract? According to the rules, only a chosen few Cultivators who have completed Underworld tasks are eligible and have the opportunity to obtain such a Soul Contract!¡± Ma Mian retorted irritably. ¡°What are Underworld tasks?¡± Shen Luo asked, intrigued. ¡°So, you want to take on Underworld tasks? With your current level of cultivation, to be honest, it¡¯s far from enough.¡± Ma Mian picked at his mouth and said. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 ¡°Since you¡¯ve already mentioned it, don¡¯t hide it now. Just because I can¡¯t do it now, doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t be able to do it in the future.¡± Shen Luo replied with a tease. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time you got clued in! Generally speaking, the tasks the Underworld requires help from the Yang Realm to perform are particularly difficult. It would be no different from seeking death for a cultivator without proper strength to interfere in these matters. However, once you complete a task, you can gain many benefits that you wouldn¡¯t expect. This Soul Contract is just one among many.¡± The Soul Hook Horse Face mysteriously said. Just as Shen Luo wanted to ask some more questions, Ma Mian gestured him not to do so. ¡°Alright, this time I¡¯m making an exception in giving you this Soul Contract because of your kindness in helping me annihilate those vile ghosts and steal the incense fire. There¡¯s no point in telling you more.¡± Ma Mian cleared his throat and said. Although Shen Luo was unwilling, there was not much he could say since Ma Mian had spoken in such an absolute manner. So, he asked Ma Mian about the method of using the Soul Contract and then excused himself. Time passed, and more than a month had gone by. Shen Luo had been diligently cultivating in the Bai Mansion. After trying the Huangting Technique and the Pure Yang Sword Technique several times, and finding that there was still no progress, he put them aside and began to focus on cultivating the Nameless Cultivation Technique. His progress was quite rapid. Now, he had finally made a breakthrough and reached the Qi Refining Stage Fifth Layer. His proficiency in the Slanting Moon Steps had also improved significantly. In the past half month, he also attempted to draw the Thunderfall Talisman on the Yellow Paper Charm, resulting in using all the materials he had previously bought, without even creating a single one. Clearly, the chances of creating such a high-level rune in reality are even slimmer than in the Dreamland. However, Shen Luo had been prepared for this. Although he was somewhat heartbroken, he wasn¡¯t overly disappointed. Fortunately, he managed to create quite a few Small Thunder Talismans during his spare time, about fifty to sixty in total, and his proficiency had improved further. One morning, Bai Xiaotian hurried back from the front yard, holding a wooden box in his arms, and knocked on Shen Luo¡¯s door. As soon as he entered the room, he put the box on the table, poured himself a cup of water from the teapot, and said, ¡°I had sent someone to your home to deliver a letter a while ago. This is what your father asked them to bring back.¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo hurriedly opened the box to find a stack of silver bills and two shiny golden ingots. He checked and found that there were over three thousand taels of silver bills, and the two gold ingots each weighed a hundred taels. Under the gold ingots and silver bills, there was also an envelope. When Shen Luo opened it, he saw his father¡¯s handwriting, assuring him to stay in Jianye without worry or rush to return, and not to worry about home but to take care of himself. At the end of the letter, he noted that the paper was somewhat wrinkled. It seemed to be marks left by holding the paper tightly. He knew his father must have been worried about him. ¡°When a son travels far from home, a father worries¡­ it¡¯s natural.¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s somber expression, Bai Xiaotian got up, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him. ¡°What is the current situation in Chunhua County?¡± Shen Luo looked up and asked. ¡°Things have generally stabilized. The people we left behind have been secretly observing for a while and haven¡¯t found any signs of any demons and ghosts. It seems that they have genuinely retreated.¡± Bai Xiaotian thought for a moment and said. ¡°Given that the situation is under control, I have been imposing on the Bai family for a long time, and it¡¯s time for me to return.¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo packed away the letter and smiled. ¡°You want to go back?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked, somewhat taken aback. ¡°Yes. But before I go back, there is one thing I want to tell you.¡± Shen Luo nodded and said. ¡°You¡¯re not about to discuss the Pure Yang Scripture, are you?¡± Bai Xiaotian was taken aback at first, then laughed. ¡°You already knew.¡± Shen Luo also laughed. ¡°Shen Luo, this matter is a secret between you, Master Luo, and even your Senior Ancestor. There¡¯s really no need to disclose it to me.¡± Bai Xiaotian sighed softly and said. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt at ease about this for a long time, and I need to get it out of my system. When confronted by Gu Hualing, I didn¡¯t admit it, but in fact, the Pure Yang Scripture is indeed with me. I guessed that you knew about this, but I don¡¯t understand why you didn¡¯t tell the elders of your family. Isn¡¯t this scripture quite important to the Bai family?¡± Shen Luo asked, somewhat puzzled. ¡°What purpose would telling my family serve? To collaborate with them to offer you attractive benefits, or to exert pressure on you? I can¡¯t do such things.¡± Bai Xiaotian laughed dismissively and said. ¡°The day the Senior Ancestor passed down the Pure Yang Scripture, he set a rule that I must continue the legacy of Spring and Autumn Pavilion and assure that I will never teach the skills and techniques recorded in the Pure Yang Scripture to anyone outside of the Little Straw Mountain lineage. Since you are an Inner Sect Disciple of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, you are not an outsider. So, I must ask, are you willing to inherit the scripture, come back with me to Chunhua County and rebuild the Spring and Autumn Pavilion?¡± Shen Luo asked, looking solemn. Chapter 225 - Chapter 225: Chapter 223 The Eighth Guest Official Chapter 225: Chapter 223 The Eighth Guest Official ¡°Shen Luo, to be honest, the fact that you can confide in me and tell the truth makes me glad. Yet, I am unable to accept your request.¡± A flash of relief crosses Bai Xiaotian¡¯s eyes as he speaks. ¡°Why is that?¡± Shen Luo asked in surprise. ¡°Our ancestor previously sought an opportunity for me to be admitted into Hua Sheng Temple. I received a reply only recently, and I plan on leaving Jianye City shortly.¡± Bai Xiaotian looks out of the window as he speaks slowly. ¡°Hua Sheng Temple?¡± Heard of this name, Shen Luo felt familiar. After thinking for a while, he recalled it. He had stumbled upon some information about Hua Sheng Temple in the Book Pavilion of Mount Fangcun. The words seemed to be full of approval and compliments. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of this place?¡± Bai Xiaotian asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit about it. It¡¯s one of the main cultivation sects within the Tang Dynasty. Given your talents, if you can join them, you will surely achieve great things in the future.¡± Shen Luo sincerely praised him. ¡°Once I¡¯ve been admitted to Hua Sheng Temple, I will no longer be considered a disciple of Little Straw Mountain. So, I can¡¯t agree to inheriting the Pure Yang Scripture and rebuilding the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.¡± Bai Xiaotian withdrew his gaze and said solemnly to Shen Luo. ¡°When you join such a sect, you will be able to learn more profound skills. Missing the Pure Yang Scripture doesn¡¯t matter much. In this way, we can stay together for a few more days. When you leave Jianye City, I will return to Chunhua County.¡± After hearing this, Shen Luo nodded in agreement. ¡°In my opinion, returning to Chunhua County right now may not necessarily be a good thing.¡± Bai Xiaotian hesitated for a moment before speaking. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Shen Luo was taken aback. ¡°Setting aside the fact that the people we sent haven¡¯t discovered any trace of the demons, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that they have completely retreated. Even if they have indeed left, who can assure us they won¡¯t return?¡± Bai Xiaotian retorted. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°You¡¯re suggesting that if I hastily return to Chunhua County, I might attract the demons to return?¡± Shen Luo frowned. ¡°As survivors of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, we must consider all aspects. The demon may not dare to invade Jianye City as it is protected by the Bai family, but they have no such restrictions in Chunhua County.¡± Bai Xiaotian spoke seriously. Shen Luo agreed with the truth in Bai Xiaotian¡¯s words and his frown deepened. ¡°Straight off, not only Jianye City, but many places within the Tang Dynasty are not stable. The disaster of demons is intensifying, and signs of chaos are beginning to appear. The reason my family is eager to teach me more profound Daoist laws and for me to grow faster is to prepare for this situation. Shen Luo, what you need to do now is not to return home but to focus on your cultivation. You¡¯ll only be fearless of the demons¡¯ harassment when you have the ability to protect yourself.¡± Bai Xiaotian pats Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder as he continues speaking. ¡°You¡¯re right. But with your departure from Jianye, I can¡¯t just stay at your house, can I?¡± Shen Luo sighed. He knew better than anyone the state of the world after the disaster of demons. ¡°For this, you need not worry. Before I leave, I will persuade my father to let you temporarily serve as a guest official in our family. By then, not only will you be able to continue your cultivation in the Bai Mansion, but you should also receive the immortal jade as compensation.¡± Bai Xiaotian waved his hand, speaking. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not feasible. I am only in the mid-stage of Qi refining, how can I qualify as a guest official?¡± Shen Luo immediately replied. ¡°Well¡­ most of the guest officials in our Bai family are cultivators in the Qi refining late stage, but it¡¯s not uncommon for some to be in the mid-stage. So there¡¯s no issue.¡± Bai Xiaotian relayed. ¡°Bai Xiaotian, I¡¯ve always been curious about the strength of your Bai family. As the first demon exorcising family in Jianye, how strong are you, and how much stronger are you compared to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion?¡± Shen Luo suddenly asked. ¡°Compared to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, naturally, we are stronger. Besides our ancestor who is a soul condensing cultivator, my father and my third uncle are monks at the late and mid-stages of Grain Avoidance. Also, there¡¯s the fifth grandma whom you¡¯ve met at the bottom of the lake, she¡¯s a mid Grain Avoidance Cultivator as well.¡± Bai Xiaotian gave this reply. ¡°One soul condenser, three Grain Avoidances, the Bai family indeed has a remarkable foundation.¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help exclaiming upon hearing this. ¡°Among the guest officials, there is one Grain Avoidance Initial Stage Cultivator, the other six are all Qi Refining Cultivators, ranging from the sixth layer to the ninth layer of Qi refining. If you join, you will be our family¡¯s eighth guest official. What do you think, do you want to give it a shot?¡± Bai Xiaotian said. ¡°Seeing how thoughtful you¡¯ve been for me, If I don¡¯t agree, it would be ungrateful. From what you say, I know your intention, so I will agree.¡± Seeing that Bai Xiaotian meant well, Shen Luo agreed. ¡°Rebuilding the Spring and Autumn Pavilion is no small matter. It¡¯s not just money that will be consumed, but also considerable strength for backup. The burden on your shoulders is not light.¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s consent, Bai Xiaotian replied, beaming with joy. ¡°I was thinking of dragging you along; two monks carry water to eat, but in the end, I will have to bear it all by myself.¡± Shen Luo relaxed and joked. ¡°After parting, who knows when we will see each other again! Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll treat you to drinks, and we won¡¯t return until we are drunk!¡± Bai Xiaotian waved his hand and dragged Shen Luo outside, ignoring his protestations entirely. ¡­ A few days later, Bai Xiaotian, escorted by a family elder, left Jianye City. Shen Luo was immediately invited to the study in the backyard by someone from Bai Hecheng. ¡°Senior.¡± Shen Luo greeted him after entering the room. ¡°Heh, you and Xiao Tian are close friends. Just call me uncle, come sit and talk.¡± Bai Hecheng put down the book in his hand and replied with a warm smile. Shen Luo smiled in response and sat respectfully across from him. ¡°I¡¯ve called you here today because I have something to discuss with you.¡± Bai Hecheng continued. ¡°Senior, please give your instructions.¡± Shen Luo replied. ¡°In recent years, the Bai family has been continuously expanding its strength, bringing in many external cultivators as guest officials. I wonder if you would be willing to join the Bai family and become a guest official?¡± Bai Hecheng asked directly. ¡°Being a guest official of the Bai family is naturally a great thing. But I¡¯m afraid my cultivation level is too low to fulfill the requirements.¡± Shen Luo promptly responded. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I invited you to become a guest official of the Bai family. It¡¯s not because of your current cultivation level, but because I see potential in you. Both Xiao Yun and the third elder speak highly of you, and I think you have a good temperament, so I¡¯d like to make you a guest official.¡± Bai Hecheng said with a smile. ¡°I am honored to be valued by senior. I am willing to join the Bai family as a guest official and serve the Bai family.¡± Shen Luo immediately rose, holding his fists in salute. ¡°Good, good, sit down and talk.¡± Bai Hecheng quickly invited Shen Luo to sit down. ¡°Thank you, Family Head.¡± Shen Luo complied and took his seat. When Bai Hecheng heard the change in his salutation, the smile on his face became even brighter. ¡°Now that you are officially a guest of our family, there are some things I need to tell you in advance. You¡¯re currently at a low stage, so your stipend cannot be the same as other guest officials¡¯. You can receive an Immortal jade every three months. Correspondingly, the family will assign you some simple demon exorcising missions. After you completed these missions, there will be corresponding rewards.¡± Bai Hecheng explained. Chapter 226 - Chapter 226: Chapter 224: Immortal Jade Chapter 226: Chapter 224: Immortal Jade ¡°Junior understands.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he respectfully responded. ¡°Very well, someone will deliver the Guest Official Token to you tomorrow, along with the stipend for the past three months.¡± Bai Hecheng nodded approvingly and said. ¡°Family Head, when will the junior be able to undertake tasks?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°No need to rush, the clan will arrange it and notify you.¡± Bai Hecheng waved his hand and said. After thanking them again, Shen Luo excused himself and left. After he left, a figure suddenly emerged from the inner room of the study. It was the Third Elder, Bai Jiangfeng. ¡°Family head, according to the rules, only monks who have reached the Qi Refining seventh layer can receive one Immortal Jade every three months. However, Shen Luo lacks both cultivation and potential. It was already an exception to let him serve as a Guest Official, so why still offer Immortal Jade as a stipend?¡± Bai Jiangfeng asked, puzzled. ¡°No harm, the Bai Family can afford that amount of Immortal Jade. Let¡¯s consider it as giving this young man an opportunity. Besides, this was also the only request made by Xiaotian before he went to the Hua Sheng Temple.¡± Bai Hecheng laughed and said. ¡°The family head means well, and I agree. However, I¡¯m afraid the clan children and other Guest Officials would not be convinced. They may cause trouble for him.¡± Bai Jiangfeng shook his head and said. ¡°If he can¡¯t handle this bit of trouble, then our Bai Family¡¯s Immortal Jade and Xiaotian¡¯s well-intentioned effort would really have been wasted. At that time, there will be a way to make him leave the Bai Family on his own.¡± Bai Hecheng laughed and said dismissively. The next day, the news that Shen Luo had become a Guest Official of the Bai Family spread quickly through the entire Bai Mansion. As soon as Shen Luo received the Guest Official Token and an Immortal Jade, he moved out of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s small courtyard and into a separate small courtyard arranged by the Bai Family. The small courtyard was located in a dense forest near the lake in the mansion, which was even more secluded and further away from the main gate, but much closer to the secret chamber at the bottom of the lake. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï However, after Shen Luo fully adopted his status as a Guest Official, when he went to the secret chamber at the bottom of the lake again, he was stopped by the old woman stationed there. She informed him that he temporarily did not have the qualification to practice here. As a Guest Official, he would have to establish merits for the Bai Family and receive the Family Head¡¯s agreement before he could use it. Although Shen Luo was somewhat frustrated, he couldn¡¯t say much on the surface. After all, his ability to enter the secret chamber to practice was an exception, thanks to Bai Xiaotian¡¯s influence. Now that he had accepted his new status, he naturally had to accept the corresponding changes. Once this was understood, Shen Luo settled down in the small courtyard and continued his cultivation. In a blink of an eye, more than half a month passed. Jianye City experienced a continuous drizzle, and the temperature dropped sharply. The autumnal ambiance in the city became more profound. On this day, Shen Luo woke up early. However, instead of meditating and practising as he usually did, he took out the stone box that he had carefully stored. After opening the stone box, he took out a gold ingot and several silver bills from inside and put them to one side. Then, he carefully extended two fingers and slowly took out a jade stone the size of a coin from inside. Its colour was as lush as one could imagine, with a trace of pure spiritual energy visible inside. This was the legendary Immortal Jade, also his first stipend as a Guest Official. According to the ancient book, this Immortal Jade itself is a rare spiritual material. It is born from the heavenly and earthly spiritual Qi and nurtured by earth veins, thus forming some extremely secret underground jade veins. After being mined by people, it is shaped according to rituals and refined using secret methods, so that the spiritual energy it contains remains undissipated. Only then does it become the ¡°immortal money¡± widely circulated among cultivators. Shen Luo held the Immortal Jade in his hand, examining it carefully, his eyes full of treasured affection. Previously, while using yellow talisman paper to draw the Thunderfall talisman, all his talisman ink was used up, and not a single successful one was created. He planned to pay Lubao Hall a visit today, use this Immortal Jade to buy ten sheets of Green Frost Rune Paper, and try again. Having stored the Immortal Jade, he was about to close the stone box when the flicker of a metal object caught his eye from a corner of the box. He swept aside all the things on top of it, including the Silver Bills and the Nameless Heavenly Book, to reveal a piece of gold foil. Shen Luo took it out and examined it carefully. Upon seeing the charm patterns carved on it, he suddenly remembered. This was what he had taken from a metal bag full of bones when he salvaged the Nameless Heavenly Book from the Luan Shui River. ¡°I almost forgot about this object. I¡¯ve always wondered what it was. Manager Ma has handled numerous spiritual materials; his insight must be wide, perhaps he would know what this is?¡± Shen Luo mumbled to himself. Having said that, he tidied up the stone box and left the Bai Mansion, heading straight for Lubao Hall. When Shen Luo arrived at Lubao Hall, from a distance, he saw two men he recognized standing outside the shop entrance. They were the two followers of Bai Xiaoyun whom he had met before. His eyebrows furrowed, a suspicion growing in his mind. He quickened his pace towards them. Before he could reach the entrance, however, the two followers moved to intercept him. ¡°Elder Shen, the Second Young Master is handling some matters inside, perhaps you could visit another day?¡± The two men recognized Shen Luo and knew who he was, treating him with due respect. ¡°No matter, I just came to buy some things,¡± Shen Luo glanced at the shop entrance and replied. ¡°Please don¡¯t put us in a difficult position,¡± One follower glanced at the Guest Official Token hanging around Shen Luo¡¯s waist and pleaded. ¡°Rest assured, I am merely here to purchase some items and will not disturb the Second Young Master,¡± Shen Luo replied, a hint of amusement in his smile. The two men exchanged a look, still uncertain. Shen Luo¡¯s expression darkened, and he darted through the space between them, lightly waving his hand as he did so. ¡°Yo¡­¡± The two men looked shocked. But before they could even utter a word, they collapsed to the ground, unconscious. As Shen Luo stepped inside, a coarse voice echoed out, unlike Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s. ¡°Manager Ma, a wise man knows when to yield. Second Young Master Bai has the prestigious Jianye Bai Family behind him. Many people want to climb up the social ladder but have no opportunity. Don¡¯t be unappreciative.¡± As soon as the voice faded, a young voice piped up, ¡°Uncle Ma, don¡¯t tell me you still can¡¯t see my sincerity after my repeated visits? I truly do like Miss Xiuxiu, why do you keep interfering?¡± ¡°Young Master Bai, your family is highly respectable, not a fit for a humble family like ours. Our daughter is still too young, not at the age to be married. There¡¯s no need to insist. Isn¡¯t it better to avoid unnecessary trouble with the Young Master?¡± Manager Ma¡¯s voice rang out, pleading in his tone. ¡°Don¡¯t use my own brother to suppress me! He¡¯s not in Jianye City anymore, and this time no one will dare to interfere in my personal affairs again,¡± the young man said, his voice becoming heavier. ¡°The Second Young Master. Your brother just left a couple of days ago, and you are already getting restless. You are really quite passionate!¡± Shen Luo stepped across the threshold, speaking as he walked, his tone casual, like greeting an old friend. His gaze swiped over the room, where he saw Manager Ma behind the counter, his face flushed as he protected his daughter. The young girl¡¯s eyes were teary, a pitiful sight. Chapter 227 - Chapter 227: Chapter 225: Meeting the Second Young Master Again Chapter 227: Chapter 225: Meeting the Second Young Master Again Outside the counter, two grand master chairs were placed. Bai Xiaoyun was sprawled out leisurely on one of them while a middle-aged and muscular man with a distinctive oblique face and wearing a round collar robe sat next to him. Upon hearing Shen Luo¡¯s voice, all four of them uniformly turned their attention to him. ¡°Why is it you again?¡± Bai Xiaoyun, upon recognizing that it was Shen Luo, instantly felt irritation. The muscular man¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression becoming somewhat displeased. Manager Ma appeared as if he had grabbed onto a life-saving straw, his eyes filled with hope. His daughter, Ma Xiuxiu, flashed a bit of brightness in her eyes whereas Shen Luo¡¯s gaze was slightly blurred. ¡°Are you not afraid that your father would be aware of your behavior?¡± Shen Luo asked with a partially heavy tone. ¡°My father is too occupied to be bothered about these trivial matters.¡± Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s gaze flickered a bit before he responded nonchalantly. ¡°What about your brother then?¡± Shen Luo further asked. ¡°So what if he knows? He would not be able to be back in such a short time. By the time he returns, maybe even his nephew would be calling him uncle.¡± As Bai Xiaoyun made this declaration, he shot a ridiculing grin at Ma Xiuxiu, who was standing behind Manager Ma, the expression on his face resembling one of a triumphant prankster. ¡°Just how did Bai Xiaotian discipline you last time? Did you completely forget?¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but mutter, seeing Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s don¡¯t-care attitude. Surprisingly though, on hearing this, Bai Xiaoyun bangs a hand down on the arm of the chair and stood up, blaring out: ¡°Who do you think you are, to be able to criticize my brother?¡± Hearing this, Shen Luo was mildly surprised, finding it unexpected that Bai Xiaoyun, who usually showed a lot of fear to Bai Xiaotian, was now so fiercely protecting him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.?¦Ï ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re on good terms with my brother that you can meddle in my affairs. Let me tell you, aside from my brother, I don¡¯t give a damn about anyone else! Remember, you¡¯re just a low-grade guest official who relies on my brother¡¯s influence, don¡¯t take yourself too seriously.¡± Bai Xiaoyun, still seething with rage, pointed at Shen Luo¡¯s nose as he cursed. ¡°It is precisely because of my relationship with Bai Xiaotian that I¡¯m advising you kindly. If it were anyone else behaving in such a tyrannical manner, I would have long thrown him out of the shop.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s voice also turned cold. ¡°A lowly guest official with merely Qi Refining Fifth Level cultivation dares to be so disrespectful in front of the Second Young Master. Seems like without a bit of lesson, you won¡¯t realize your place.¡± Before Bai Xiaoyun could speak, the muscular man suddenly interjected. ¡°Wu Daoist friend, well said.¡± Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoyun gave a thumbs up immediately. ¡°Wu Daoist friend? May I ask, is it Wu Qingchen Daoist friend, or is it Wu Tong Daoist friend?¡± Shen Luo asked, raising his eyebrow. Among Bai Family¡¯s guest officials, there were two surnamed Wu. The former had achieved Qi Refining Eighth level cultivation, while the latter only had the Sixth level. ¡°Wu Tong.¡± The muscular man frowned slightly and gave his name. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo made a mental note. He rubbed his chin and said, ¡°It¡¯s not about teaching, but if we can¡¯t compete out of thin air, there should be some stakes involved.¡± ¡°What stakes are you thinking about?¡± Bai Xiaoyun asked. ¡°Is it fair enough that we have a fight, and as long as I win, you¡¯ll no longer harass Manager Ma and his daughter?¡± Shen Luo asked with a smile. ¡°Absolutely! As long as you can defeat Wu Tong, I¡¯ll never bother them again. However, as far as I can see, you don¡¯t even have a thirty percent chance of winning.¡± Bai Xiaoyun laughed out immediately on hearing this. ¡°Second Young Master, he doesn¡¯t even have a ten percent chance of winning!¡± The muscular man raised his head slightly and emphatically declared. ¡°Words are not proof, let¡¯s see your real skills in action.¡± Shen Luo laughed and said. ¡°Master Shen, don¡¯t be impulsive. It¡¯s not worth endangering your life for a simpleton like me or my daughter.¡± Manager Ma saw this and quickly interceded. ¡°Master Shen, don¡¯t fight him¡­¡± Ma Xiuxiu¡¯s eyes slightly reddened, filled with worry as she whispered her plea. Shen Luo didn¡¯t respond, instead shaking his head with a smile to indicate that they didn¡¯t need to worry. ¡°Shen, you are the one who initiated this duel. I didn¡¯t force you. Let me make it clear beforehand; if Wu Tong accidentally hits too hard and injures you, don¡¯t go home complaining nor tell my brother,¡± Bai Xiaoyun added with a spark in his eyes. ¡°Rest assured, I, Shen Luo, am not one to turn away from defeat. Just remember your promise. This place is too cramped for a proper duel. Let¡¯s take it outside,¡± Shen Luo said, leading the way out of the store. Wu Tong and Bai Xiaoyun exchanged a confident glance before following him out. Outside, Bai Xiaotian noticed the two guards lying at the entrance but didn¡¯t comment on it. After a moment of hesitation, Manager Ma and his daughter followed them outside. The street was quite empty. Shen Luo and Wu Tong quickly positioned themselves opposite each other, ready to face off. Wu Tong was looking at Shen Luo with a faintly contemptuous expression, perking an eyebrow. He extended a hand towards Shen Luo, beckoning him with a gesture that was somewhat provocative. Shen Luo smiled, unflustered. Hidden in his sleeve, he held onto a Small Thunder Talisman with one hand. Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s unwillingness to attack first, Wu Tong suddenly shook his arms. Mana dispersed from his body, forming a layer of yellow light around him like a set of armor. He charged directly at Shen Luo. Two steps forward and he was already in front of Shen Luo. He threw a punch at Shen Luo¡¯s face. His speed was shockingly fast. If hit directly, one would be looking at severe injuries, if not death. It seemed as though Shen Luo hadn¡¯t had time to react. Only when the fist was less than half a foot away from his face did he lean back, narrowly dodging the blow. The awe-inspiring punch brought along a gust of wind that brushed against Shen Luo¡¯s face, cutting off a few strands of hair near his temples. ¡°Well done!¡± Bai Xiaoyun immediately applauded, shouting in delight. ¡°Shen, you¡¯re merely at the Qi Refining Fifth Level. What makes you think you have the right to possess the Immortal jade? I¡¯ve been fed up with you for a long time. Today, you¡¯re out of luck,¡± Wu Tong sneered, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. Upon hearing Wu Tong¡¯s words, Shen Luo realized that he, as an unconventional guest official, had inconvenienced more than a few people. While he was pondering, Wu Tong attacked again, even faster than before. He got to Shen Luo¡¯s side in one step, throwing a tricky punch from bottom to top towards Shen Luo¡¯s ribs. Shen Luo pressed his elbow down, seemingly clashing with Wu Tong¡¯s fist. In reality, he used the momentum to slightly dodge to the side. Stumbling back several steps, he hopped around trying to regain his balance. Bai Xiaoyun was filled with joy seeing Shen Luo¡¯s embarrassing state. Wu Tong, on the other hand, was surprised. His punch, amplified by the Earth Attribute Cultivation Technique he practiced, was perfectly timed and aimed. He believed Shen Luo would have no way of dodging it. If hit, it would inevitably cause severe bone-breaking injuries. However, somehow, his punch passed through Shen Luo, hitting thin air. Despite his confusion, Wu Tong didn¡¯t pause his attack. He pursued Shen Luo, one punch after another. Each punch stronger than the previous, aiming at Shen Luo¡¯s forehead, armpits, lower back, and other vital points. Chapter 228 - Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Keep Your Word Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Keep Your Word Shen Luo would sometimes retreat and sometimes sway left and right. He seemed messy and overwhelmed, unable to even launch counters. Moreover, he was forced into perilous situations. Manager Ma wore a face full of worry, continually sighing. Ma Xiuxiu couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer, hiding her face behind Manager Ma. ¡°Wu Daoist, it¡¯s enough to win. Don¡¯t be too harsh and scare Miss Ma.¡± Bai Xiaoyun watched with interest, saying with a laugh. At that moment, a flash of yellow light beneath Wu Tong¡¯s feet abruptly increased his speed. He suddenly rushed towards Shen Luo and threw a punch right at his forehead. Shen Luo seemingly panicked, but in reality, he had already seen through his attack. He swayed his body in advance and tilted his head backwards, causing Wu Tong¡¯s fist to merely brush his forehead without landing a hit. Propelling himself off the ground with the tip of his toe, he seemed to fly out backwards. Manager Ma let out a startled cry at the sight and Bai Xiaoyun also jumped in shock, thinking that Wu Tong had badly injured Shen Luo. ¡°Stop fighting¡­¡± At this moment, an urgent cry rang out. Ma Xiuxiu suddenly rushed out, her hands outstretched between Wu Tong and Shen Luo. Shen Luo, surprised, steadied his stance. He seemed unharmed, while Wu Tong¡¯s face turned ashen, looking very displeased. ¡°Stop fighting, Second Young Master Bai, I¡­ I accept your marriage proposal. Please stop tormenting Master Shen.¡± Ma Xiuxiu seemed to muster up her courage and said to Bai Xiaoyun. ¡°No¡­¡± The colour drained from Manager Ma¡¯s face as he heard this. ¡°What? You¡¯re willing to marry me just to prevent this Shen guy from getting hurt?¡± Bai Xiaoyun paused, before asking. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? Ma Xiuxiu bit her lower lip and didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Miss Xiu Xiu, you mustn¡¯t do this.¡± Seeing the situation, Shen Luo also hurriedly protested. ¡°Master Shen, after all, this is my business. You shouldn¡¯t be involved.¡± Ma Xiuxiu didn¡¯t look at him; her quiet voice was firm and resolute. ¡°Xiuxiu, have you taken a liking to this Shen fellow? He¡¯s nothing more than a lowly guest in our Bai Family.¡± Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s eyes flickered as he spoke. Ma Xiuxiu¡¯s cheeks turned red and she lowered her head, neither affirming nor denying. ¡°Miss Xiu Xiu, there¡¯s no need to worry. The competition is not over yet. Let me finish it. Rest assured, I won¡¯t let you make a decision against your will.¡± Shen Luo spoke while trying to contain his surprise and a bit of emotion. ¡°Indeed! The bet was agreed upon, everything else will be discussed after the fight.¡± Bai Xiaoyun also said. Ma Xiuxiu wanted to say something else, but was pulled aside by the rushing Manager Ma. ¡°Wu Daoist, let¡¯s continue.¡± Shen Luo gestured invitingly. Bai Xiaoyun looked at Wu Tong, raising an eyebrow as if to remind him that he couldn¡¯t lose. Little did he know, Wu Tong was internally struggling. He had already launched over a dozen moves at Shen Luo, either missing entirely or seemingly hitting, but felt as if he was hitting cotton, his attack power was mysteriously dissipated without any effect. Even the close range surprise attack didn¡¯t work. He had only been getting more and more anxious, fuming internally. He silently swore in his heart, holding nothing back as he attacked Shen Luo with all his might. Having just mastered the basics of Slanting Moon Steps, Shen Luo¡¯s skills far surpassed cultivators of the same level. However, he lacked combat experience. This was a perfect opportunity for him to practice with Wu Tong. By employing some simple techniques, he easily avoided the attack. Above the street, Wu Tong¡¯s shouts continued to echo, one attack move following another, but none of them managed to land a punch or a palm on Shen Luo. ¡°Beware, Wu Daoist friend!¡± At this moment, Shen Luo suddenly shouted. It was as if a light shadow flashed under his feet, skillfully dodging Wu Tong¡¯s reckless punch, and like a ghostly specter, circled behind him, raising a palm and hitting his back. Wu Tong stumbled forward, but quickly regained his balance. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s all the strength you¡¯ve got? Can¡¯t even break the protective aura on my body.¡± He turned around to look at Shen Luo, sneering. Shen Luo looked at him sympathetically, as if looking at a fool, waved his hand at him and slightly raised the corner of his mouth. Wu Tong frowned, suddenly realizing something, a feeling of foreboding rising in his heart. ¡°Boom!¡± Suddenly, a flash of white thunder light on his back tore apart his protective yellow light. His body shivered violently, a wisp of white smoke rose from his head, and he fell straight forward, face down on the ground. Bai Xiaoyun, witnessing this sudden turn of events, had his smile frozen on his face, his eyes widened in disbelief. Manager Ma was astonished, and Ma Xiuxiu¡¯s eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly agape. Shen Luo casually dusted off his hands, walked over and took a closer look. Seeing the ripped clothing on Wu Tong¡¯s back, and a burnt black wound, he was relieved to see that Wu Tong was not critically injured. He then turned and looked at Bai Xiaoyun. ¡°Oh, impressive, Shen! Your strategy of deceiving the heavens and then striking the vital point, it¡¯s brilliant, absolutely brilliant!¡± In a surprising turn of events, Bai Xiaoyun was not angry at all. On the contrary, he gave Shen Luo a thumbs up, continuously praising him. Seeing this, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but show a hint of surprise in his eyes. ¡°What about our previous agreement?¡± He asked, his eyebrows raising slightly. ¡°A gentleman¡¯s word is his bond. Since you won, everything will be done as per your demands. I won¡¯t trouble Manager Ma and Miss Ma again.¡± Bai Xiaoyun sighed, giving a regretful glance at Ma Xiuxiu. ¡°You keep your word, that¡¯s how a man should be.¡± Shen Luo smiled at Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s remark. ¡°It takes strength to defeat a Qi Refining Sixth Stage cultivator with a Fifth Stage cultivation level. Not everyone can do this! The strength is right before us, we must admit it. From now on, apart from my big brother, I also respect you,¡± Bai Xiaoyun said seriously.Shen Luo was surprised at this and didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Uncle Ma, since Master Shen is fond of your daughter, and Miss Xiu Xiu has feelings for him, I won¡¯t interfere. If you need any help in the future, feel free to ask me at Bai Mansion,¡± Bai Xiaoyun said to Manager Ma. Upon hearing Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s words, Manager Ma looked quite anxious. Xiu Xiu, whose skin was as thin as a petal, blushed deeply and ran back into the shop. ¡°I don¡¯t have any intentions towards Miss Ma, don¡¯t talk nonsense¡­¡± Shen Luo let out in an exasperated jest. Bai Xiaoyun glanced at him sideways, raised an eyebrow, showing a ¡°we¡¯re men, I get it¡± look in his eyes, then instructed his attendants to carry Wu Tong away and left. Shen Luo watched as Bai Xiaoyun walked away, shaking his head helplessly. ¡°Manager Ma, although Bai Xiaoyun is young and impetuous, and somewhat spoiled, he is not inherently bad. And when he says he won¡¯t trouble you anymore, I believe he means it. But if he ever behaves inappropriately again, please feel free to come to the Bai Mansion and find me,¡± Shen Luo said apologetically. Shen Luo¡¯s impression of Bai Xiaoyun isn¡¯t particularly good or bad, it¡¯s just that because of his affiliation with Bai Xiaotian, he was willing to take responsibility for disciplining Bai Xiaoyun somewhat. However, seeing how Bai Xiaoyun readily admitted to his loss today, without any deliberate restraint or guile, and in fact, seeming quite open and forthright, Shen Luo came to have a somewhat improved opinion on him. Chapter 229 - Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Buying Talisman Paper Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Buying Talisman Paper ¡°Far from it, today I¡¯m already immensely grateful to Master Shen for coming to my aid,¡± Manager Ma said hastily, bowing in respect. They conversed as they walked back into the shop. ¡°Manager Ma, I¡¯ve come today to buy some more talisman paper and spiritual material.¡± Shen Luo stated his purpose after sitting down. At this point, Ma Xiuxiu brought him a cup of exquisite fragrant tea. She then, with blushing cheeks, retreated back into the inner hall, only daring to steal a quick glance at Shen Luo with the corner of her eyes. Shen Luo didn¡¯t notice the subtle movements of this young woman; his gaze was constantly scanning the tags on the Hundred Treasures Grid. ¡°Master Shen, what kind of talisman paper and spiritual material do you want to buy today?¡± Manager Ma asked. ¡°The spiritual material is the same as last time, but for talisman paper¡­ I want to buy some Green Frost Paper.¡± Shen Luo withdrew his gaze and replied. ¡°Strictly speaking, Master Shen has done us a great favor. Giving you items such as Floating Shadow Jade and Golden Shell for free would be completely justified. However, this Green Frost Paper¡­ it needs to be purchased with Immortal Jade. Sadly, it¡¯s not something I can personally gift,¡± Manager Ma responded, looking rather distressed. ¡°Where¡¯s all this talk coming from, Manager Ma? Whether it¡¯s spiritual materials or talisman paper, just charge me the original price.¡± After saying this, Shen Luo stood up, took out a gold ingot and an Immortal Jade, and placed them on the counter. The sight of the gold ingot didn¡¯t cause Manager Ma any surprise. However, upon sighting the Immortal Jade, his eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°What did the manager say last time? One Immortal Jade can buy ten pieces of Green Frost Rune Paper, right?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Ten pieces? That¡¯s the price for others. Since Master Shen can afford Immortal Jade, we can sell you twelve pieces,¡± Manager Ma immediately responded. ¡°Then, I must thank Manager Ma,¡± said Shen Luo, who was greatly pleased to hear this. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Master Shen, you should keep this gold ingot. I will consider items like Floating Shadow Jade as add-ons to the talisman paper and gift them to you.¡± Manager Ma declared grandly, waving his hand. Without waiting for Shen Luo to respond, he turned around, took some talisman paper and spiritual materials from the Hundred Treasures Grid, and handed them to Shen Luo. Just then, Shen Luo remembered something and hurriedly took from his sleeve a piece of gold foil engraved with runes, placing it on the counter. ¡°Manager Ma, you¡¯re knowledgeable and well-informed, can you help identify what exactly this item is?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°No problem, let me have a look,¡± Manager Ma said, smiling. In the midst of their conversation, he stretched out his hand toward the gold foil. However, his movement suddenly halted just as he was about to pick up the gold foil. ¡°This is¡­¡± Manager Ma¡¯s eyes flashed with disbelief and he hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something off?¡± Shen Luo asked. With a serious look on his face, Manager Ma went to the inner hall, washed his hands thoroughly, and then, using a clean piece of fabric, carefully picked up the gold foil. He closely examined the runes on the gold foil from top to bottom, turned it over, and carefully checked the back of the gold foil. His expression grew increasingly excited. ¡°No mistake, these patterns, this texture, there¡¯s no mistake, it must be¡­¡± Manager Ma murmured, his hand slightly trembling. ¡°Manager Ma, could you tell me first what this thing is?¡± Shen Luo looked puzzled at the side, but he knew that this gold foil must be something extraordinary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Shen, for becoming excessively excited and losing my composure upon seeing this Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi,¡± Manager Ma stammered out, regaining his composure. ¡°Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi?¡± Shen Luo exclaimed in surprise. ¡°The Ruyi board is used by those who practice Daoist cultivation. When performing the Luo Heavenly Sacrifice or other Daoist ceremonies, they use it for Daoist rituals. It often carries words of prayer and sacrifice to communicate with Heaven. Because of the different functions, there are different types of Ruyi boards. This kind of Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi is very special. It¡¯s cast from a special gold essence and is engraved with runes by a highly-skilled Daoist priest, specifically for suppressing evil spirits,¡± Manager Ma explained. On hearing these words, Shen Luo recalled that, when he found the gold Ruyi, it was hanging on the corpse-storing bag. At present, it seemed to be used for suppressing the spirits of the dead bones. ¡°So this thing has such a background, but I didn¡¯t know whether your shop would buy this.¡± Shen Luo nodded thoughtfully, asking. ¡°Master Shen, do you want to sell this?¡± At this, Manager Ma¡¯s face brightened and he hastily asked. ¡°To sell or not to sell¡­ that depends on its value,¡± Shen Luo added after a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°To be frank with you, over the years, Lubao Hall has collected a lot of items. However, this Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi is my first encounter. Master Shen, you have shown us great kindness, and I cannot deceive you. This Gold Ruyi of yours is in excellent condition and the runes engraved on it seem to be out of the ordinary. They don¡¯t quite match the common Soul-suppressing runes we normally see. But as for what exactly it is, I can¡¯t really tell,¡± Manager Ma earnestly admitted. ¡°Hearing your honest words, what would you offer for this gold Ruyi?¡± Shen Luo asked, frowning slightly. Upon listening, Manager Ma picked up the gold Ruyi once again and examined it closely for a long time. His face was increasingly conflicted as he studied it. ¡°Master Shen, I am temporarily unable to determine the value of this gold Ruyi. How about this? I will take it as a deposit for thirty Immortal Jades first. Afterwards, I will send a messenger to the real owner of Lubao Hall and let him determine the value. If the amount is lower, I will convince the owner to make up for it afterwards. If the amount is higher, consider it as repayment for the favor you¡¯ve done us,¡± Manager Ma proposed thoughtfully after a moment. ¡°Thirty Immortal Jades?¡± When Shen Luo heard these words, he could hardly believe his own ears. At the Bai Family, he could only receive one Immortal Jade every three months, a treatment not offered to any other low-ranking officials. This gold Ruyi¨Cessentially found out of nowhere¨Ccould actually be exchanged for thirty Immortal Jades? ¡°That¡¯s according to what Manager Ma said. Let¡¯s make the exchange!¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately responded. This Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi was of no use to him at the moment. He had already memorized the runes on it, so it was indeed the best choice to exchange it for the tangible Immortal Jades. ¡°Master Shen is really decisive!¡± Manager Ma also applauded and laughed. ¡°Manager Ma, this transaction has been settled. May I ask why this gold Ruyi is so valuable? Does it have any other special features?¡± Shen Luo asked, puzzled. ¡°Master Shen, I¡¯ll tell you. The reason I¡¯m willing to take this gamble is indeed because I noticed something different,¡± Manager Ma hesitated slightly before responding. ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± replied Shen Luo. ¡°In fact, the Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi is similar to the Soul-suppressing Talisman in terms of effectiveness, but it contains stronger spiritual power and lasts longer. However, since it¡¯s a consumable item, it would be difficult for it to be used for ten years or so. And your gold Ruyi has obviously been used for some years, but its runes still have spirit and there are no signs of being tainted by evil spirits. So I guess that either the Ruyi itself is of excellent quality or the person who engraved the runes is of an extremely high cultivation level, which makes it extraordinary,¡± Manager Ma explained. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo immediately understood. Chapter 230 - Chapter 230: Chapter 228: Windfall Chapter 230: Chapter 228: Windfall This could be likened to a perfectly preserved painting that was passed down over hundreds of years, created by a famous artist from a previous era, naturally, it would be worth a lot of money. Manager Ma told Shen Luo to wait a moment while he went to prepare the Immortal Jade in the inner hall. ¡°Manager Ma, there¡¯s no rush,¡± Shen Luo hesitated slightly before stopping him. ¡°Master Shen¡­¡± Manager Ma thought that Shen Luo was having second thoughts and his expression instantly turned apprehensive. ¡°Let¡¯s not hurry in getting the Immortal Jade yet. I wish to purchase some other items, we can settle the bill all at once later.¡± Shen Luo said with a smile. Upon hearing this, a look of relief spread across Manager Ma¡¯s face, and he asked with a smile what else Shen Luo needed. Shen Luo silently recalled a list of items in his mind, then began to name a series of Spiritual Materials: ¡°Green Phoenix Wood, scarlet Pearl Immortal Dew, Moth Gold Powder, Iron Bone Evergreen¡­¡± When Manager Ma heard the first name, his brows slightly furrowed. As Shen Luo continued to list the items, the manager¡¯s expression became increasingly grim. After Shen Luo finished reciting a dozen or so names, he was completely stunned. All of these items were used to craft high-tier talismans such as the Armor Break Talisman, Flying Talisman, and the orthodox Thunderfall Talisman, and each one of them was a valuable high-grade spiritual material. ¡°Manager Ma, I won¡¯t need all of these items, I just wish to know which ones you have in your store.¡± Shen Luo quickly clarified when he saw the manager¡¯s expression. ¡°Master Shen, you truly surprised me. Half of the items you mentioned, we don¡¯t have them in our Lubao Hall, in fact, there are many we haven¡¯t even heard of.¡± Manager Ma swallowed before speaking. ¡°Which ones do you have?¡± Shen Luo asked eagerly. ¡°We have Green Phoenix Wood, Iron Bone Evergreen, and Moth Gold Powder, but the amounts of Mountain Penetration and Scarlet Pearl Immortal Dew are very limited. The rest, we do not have.¡± Manager Ma replied after a moment¡¯s thought. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?0 Among these, Mountain Penetration is the spiritual material used to make the Armor Break Talisman, while the other four are all materials for crafting the Flying Talisman. The Green Phoenix Wood and Iron Bone Evergreen are the main materials, the other two are complementary materials. Shen Luo was secretly delighted and asked about the prices of these Spiritual Materials. ¡°The Green Phoenix Wood is the most valuable, two pieces cost a piece of Immortal Jade. Iron Bone Evergreen costs a piece of Immortal Jade for ten branches. For the Moth Gold Powder and Scarlet Pearl Immortal Dew, each costs a piece of Immortal Jade per bottle,¡± Manager Ma replied. ¡°May I examine them?¡± Shen Luo, his gaze wandering over the Hundred Treasures Grid, asked. ¡°They¡¯re not on this Hundred Treasures Grid. Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll go get them.¡± Manager Ma went to the inner hall after he spoke. After a short wait, he came out holding a tray with several items on it. Upon glancing at the tray, Shen Luo noticed a pair of two-foot long greenish wood material on the left. About the thickness of a child¡¯s arm, its surface seemed surrounded by a halo of spiritual energy, and it emanated a thin, radiant glow that lingered without dissipating. To the right of the wood, there were ten green-black branches, covered with tiny, oval leaves. They glowed a silver-blue under the light, looking almost like they were forged from fine steel. Towards the side of these, there were two small porcelain bottles, one green and one white. ¡°In addition to these, I also want to purchase ten sheets of Purple Cloud Talisman Paper and fifty sheets of Green Frost Rune Paper. Also, does your shop sell talisman Refining Furnaces?¡± Shen Luo pondered for a moment before asking. ¡°Yes, we do have some, but they are of low quality, only rated as ordinary craftsmanship, not on the level of magical instruments. If Master Shen intends to use it to refine Talisman Ink, it¡¯s best to use it in combination with a few Burning Fire Talismans. The effects will be much better.¡± Manager Ma relaxed and enthusiastically suggested. ¡°Burning Fire Talisman, what¡¯s the price?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°Although this is an offensive talisman, its power is limited and its price isn¡¯t high. It can be purchased for fifty taels of silver. How many do you want, Master Shen?¡± Manager Ma asked. ¡°I¡¯ll buy ten for now.¡± After some pondering, Shen Luo replied. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get them ready for you at once.¡± The deal Manager Ma just closed was quite significant, so he was exceedingly pleased at the moment. After the items were ready, Shen Luo checked them and with a hint of surprise in his eyes, he asked: ¡°Why are there as many as seventy-two pieces of Green Frost Rune paper?¡± ¡°The Green Frost Rune paper is sold at a rate of twelve per Immortal Jade. Including the one from earlier, a total of six were received, hence there are seventy-two. The Purple Cloud Talisman Paper can¡¯t be discounted, totaling ten Immortal Jade, Green Phoenix Wood and other spiritual materials total four Immortal Jade, altogether reaching twenty Immortal Jade. As for the remainder of the items, when combined they total eight hundred taels of silver.¡± Manager Ma explained. ¡°Thank you very much, Manager Ma.¡± Shen Luo quickly made a fist and saluted in gratitude. Manager Ma packed these items and placed them in a finely-made wooden box. He then took out ten pieces of Immortal Jade, putting them in a brocade pouch and handed it to Shen Luo. After accepting and paying the silver, Shen Luo bid his farewell and left. Not long after he left, a beautiful young girl came out of the inner room. It was Ma Xiuxiu. However, when Manager Ma saw his ¡°daughter¡±, his demeanor suddenly became respectful. The young girl was carefully holding the ¡°Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi¡± with two slender fingers. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly and a look of surprise flashed in her bright eyes. ¡°Old Ma, you¡¯ve really underestimated the value of this thing. Next time, give him ten more Immortal Jade.¡± The young girl said. Her tone was mature, showing none of the timid demeanor she had shown earlier. ¡°Young Master, thirty Immortal Jade is not a small amount. Could it be that I have made a mistake? Isn¡¯t this a Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi?¡± Manager Ma was rather taken aback. ¡°You didn¡¯t misidentify the item, you just underestimated its rank. The soul-suppressing rune on it is of extremely high rank. It can pacify spirits, eliminate obstacles, and even guide thousand years old resentful ghosts back to the underworld. Sadly, although it appears perfect, only one-tenth of its original spiritual energy remains.¡± The young girl said with a slight regret. ¡°Could this person be of significant status to be able to take out such a valuable item?¡± Manager Ma pondered. ¡°From his talent and his aura, he doesn¡¯t seem to be a disciple of an orderly inherited immortal sect. He most likely had some sort of fortuitous encounter. You¡¯ve seen the things he bought just now, which are all needed to craft high-order talismans. Have you ever wondered how a mere guest official of the Bai Mansion could come into contact with these?¡± spoke the young girl contemplatively. ¡°About that¡­¡± Manager Ma was speechless when he heard this. ¡°Today¡¯s matter was just a spur of the moment decision because I thought it would be fun. Don¡¯t pay too much attention to it, just maintain our current relationship. If, in the future, he can bring us high-order talismans to sell, we can then form closer ties with him.¡± The young girl smiled casually while saying this. ¡°As you will.¡± Manager Ma promptly replied. When Shen Luo returned to his room in the Bai Mansion, he couldn¡¯t wait to begin studying the talismans. Of the five high-rank talismans he learned at Mount Fangcun, only the Thunderfall Talisman and the Flying Talisman had materials he could try to draw. Among them, the Thunderfall Talisman was merely a substitute option. At first, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to practice with the newly-bought talisman paper. Instead, he used regular Yellow Talisman Paper for practice, repeatedly practicing the writing of two types of runes, striving to familiarize himself with the operation of the brushwork. Similar to the practice of cultivation methods, because he had successful experiences in his dreams, he was quite clear about certain important points in drawing talismans. However, it was difficult to achieve the unity of mind, eye, and hand. Chapter 231 - Chapter 231: Chapter 229: Bad Reputation Chapter 231: Chapter 229: Bad Reputation After a great deal of practice, his calligraphy had become more and more proficient, and he was already quite outstanding in integrating his heart and eyes as well as his hand and eyes. Unity of mind and hand had now become a matter of continuous hard work. In the following two months, aside from consistent meditation and cultivation, Shen Luo would practice drawing thirty to forty Thunderfall Talismans and Flying Talismans every day. It wasn¡¯t that he was lazy and unwilling to practice more, but after painting so many talismans each time, his mana and divine sense power would be exhausted. There were even several instances where he passed out directly. Until once, while using cinnabar to draw a Flying Talisman, the rune had just formed when a green light illuminated on the talisman paper, but after a faint flicker, it burst into flames with a ¡°poof¡±. Seeing this, Shen Luo was delighted, knowing that the rune was successfully formed and displayed a connection with divine qi on the talisman. The reason for combustion was that both the talisman paper and the talisman ink were of poor quality and couldn¡¯t carry the divine qi encapsulated within a high-order rune. So, Shen Luo started refining talisman ink and planned to begin the formal drawing of these two types of talismans. Finally, there came a thunderstorm. Despite the ample preparation beforehand, he still suffered a lot when he started the actual refinement process. Usually, he drew more Thunderfall Talismans, and his experience with them was richer. However, this first attempt was quite discouraging. It was only after using up thirty-eight sheets of Green Frost Paper before the sky cleared that he managed to barely complete one. In the following half a month, he didn¡¯t dare to stop, continuing to practice drawing talismans with Yellow Talisman Paper to keep his hand in. Finally, another thunderstorm arrived, and he drew another twenty-one talismans, but only one succeeded. Of the remaining thirteen sheets of Green Frost Paper, Shen Luo used twelve to continue drawing Thunderfall Talismans. All ended up as failures, and only the last sheet was left to attempt to draw the Flying Talisman. Although Shen Luo didn¡¯t use Purple Cloud Paper for the talisman paper, the talisman ink was the exclusive one for drawing Flying Talismans. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.?¦Ï Originally, Shen Luo didn¡¯t have high expectations for this experiment. He mainly wanted to feel the sensation of successful talisman drawing more accurately before using Purple Cloud Paper. However, unexpectedly, this attempt went extremely well, and the rune was drawn smoothly in one go, leading directly to a successful sketch. Unfortunately, even before he had a moment to rejoice, smoke rose from the center of the talisman paper and it promptly ignited. ¡°It really won¡¯t work with Green Frost Paper¡­¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t have time to regret it and quickly seized the opportunity to fetch the Purple Cloud Talisman Paper, dipped it in talisman ink, and continued to draw the Flying Talisman. However, after picking up the brush, he lost the previous sense of flow and failed to successfully form a single talisman after drawing three times. He regretted it immensely. If he had used Purple Cloud Paper earlier, he should have had a real Flying Talisman by now. But regret was useless, so Shen Luo simply stopped. After a few days of rest, he tried to draw talismans again, but ended up using all the remaining Purple Cloud Talisman Paper without success, which made him depressed for quite a while. In this period, Shen Luo accepted two exorcism tasks from the Bai Family. It was only during execution that he realized they were minor issues of evil qi intrusion and Yin Sha clashes, which were easy to handle. However, the rewards were not high, just some silver taels. Shen Luo didn¡¯t mind. He knew that realm cultivation couldn¡¯t be rushed. His only desire was gradual progress, and he never thought about competing with others. However, his ¡°laid-back¡± attitude, especially in the eyes of some guest officials of the Bai Family who had slightly higher strength than him, made him a model of complacency and idleness. Some of the Bai Family¡¯s side descendants also had many criticisms of him, believing that he was only staying in the Bai Family under the name of Bai Xiaotian. Shen Luo understood all of this but didn¡¯t much care. To his surprise, he once ran into Bai Xiaoyun quarreling with a side descendant, praising Shen Luo for his strong capabilities in his words, and saying how could someone who was a brother to Bai Xiaotian be a waste? However, Bai Xiaoyun was seen by everyone as a prodigal child with no skills, so while people listened to his words, few took them seriously. There was indeed an exception in the Bai Family. That was the third elder Bai Jiangfeng, who had a high regard for Shen Luo. After learning that he was practicing Talisman Technique, he even discussed some insights on making talismans with him from time to time. Regardless of his talisman refinement, Shen Luo did indeed have unique insights on the theory, sometimes to the surprise of Bai Jiangfeng. Later, Ma Lu suddenly sent news that the value of the Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi was underestimated and asked Shen Luo to go to Lubao Hall again. He gave him ten more Immortal jades. With joy in his heart, Shen Luo bought a lot more talisman paper and spiritual materials, returning to persisting in drawing Thunderfall Talismans and Flying Talismans. After a month¡¯s time, he managed to draw two more Thunderfall Talismans and one Flying Talisman. One day, Shen Luo took a break from his cultivation and visited Bai Jiangfeng¡¯s courtyard again. The two were sitting across a stone table in the courtyard like old friends, with a teapot emitting wisps of steam between them, discussing their experiences in the art of talisman. ¡°The most orthodox Thunder Techniques in the world all come from Zhang Heavenly Master. Although this Small Thunder Talisman is a Thunder Attribute talisman, it does not fall under the main Five Thunder lineage, but is a side branch. Even if the talisman paper and talisman ink are replaced with better ones, its power will not increase too much,¡± Shen Luo pointed at the Small Thunder Talisman on the table and said. ¡°Although this talisman is not very powerful, it is easy to draw and its materials are common. For dealing with common ghosts, it has a natural suppression effect. There are many advantages. I am already grateful that you have passed all the methods of drawing it to me,¡± Bai Jiangfeng replied with a smile. ¡°I learned the Clear Heart Charm from Elder. If I encounter a Mist Barrier in the future, I will have an extra layer of security. Isn¡¯t that also a great benefit? Furthermore, Elder has helped me solve many cultivation puzzles. I feel I am unable to repay you,¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°Ah, if only that lad Xiaotian were half as diligent as you, I have been too lenient on him in the past,¡± Bai Jiangfeng sighed when he thought of Bai Xiaotian. ¡°Elder, you potshot at me. If I had half of Bai Xiaotian¡¯s talent, I wouldn¡¯t need to work so hard and still make so little progress,¡± Shen Luo joked and self-mocked. ¡°That being said, I have greater confidence in your character. As long as you can maintain your original intention and not be disturbed by external objects, you will certainly achieve something notable in the future,¡± Bai Jiangfeng said solemnly. While they were talking, an unexpected guest suddenly rushed into the courtyard. Shen Luo turned his head and saw Bai Xiaoyun, who was holding a Purple Sandalwood Square Box, walk in. ¡°Greetings, Third Grandfather. Oh, Big Brother Shen is here too?¡± He called out in surprise as soon as he saw the two of them. ¡°You brat, what¡¯s gotten into you today? I¡¯ve never heard you call anyone other than Xiaotian ¡®Big Brother¡¯?¡± Bai Jiangfeng was surprised and laughed. Bai Xiaoyun just chuckled and didn¡¯t explain anything. ¡°You rascal are even more rebellious than your brother. Why did you think of coming here today?¡± Bai Jiangfeng called him over, beckoning him to sit next to him. Chapter 232 - Chapter 232: Chapter 230: The Second Young Masters Bet Chapter 232: Chapter 230: The Second Young Master¡¯s Bet Bai Xiaoyun immediately scampered over, a solicitous smile plastered across his face. ¡°Uncle, I missed you, so I came to see you, and also brought you some tea from Cloud Mist Mountain.¡± Bai Xiaoyun grinned sycophantically as he said this. Bai Jiangfeng took the square box from his hand and opened it. He pinched a little dark green tea, sniffed it, and his expression changed slightly. ¡°This is genuinely good tea, you¡¯ve actually put some thought into this. It seems the favor you have to ask must be a difficult one?¡± Bai Jiangfeng put down the tea and chuckled. ¡°Uncle, you really amaze me with your insight,¡± Bai Xiaoyun exclaimed in mock amazement. Shen Luo sat aside, found his exaggerated performance rather hard to watch. ¡°Speak up, spit it out. Given your goodwill of bringing me this tea, I won¡¯t sit idle if I can help you.¡± Bai Jiangfeng, unable to stand his flattery, urged him on. ¡°Well, I made a bet with Lin Bi Qiu and Du An a few days ago in an attempt to impress them with our unique Escape Talisman¡­¡± Bai Xiaoyun paused here, glancing at Shen Luo. ¡°Shen Luo is a guest of our Bai Family, there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t be straightforward about.¡± Seeing this, Bai Jiangfeng frowned and spoke. ¡°Initially, I just wanted to show them how formidable our unique Escape Talisman is, but they kept doubting and provoked me, demanding proof. Reluctantly, I agreed to show them. However, they kept pressuring me these days and I was so annoyed that I went to borrow one from my father. But not only did I fail to borrow it, I was also kicked out of his study.¡± Bai Xiaoyun grumbled with a bitter face. ¡°Do you want me to help you persuade the Family Head?¡± Bai Jiangfeng asked, knitting his eyebrows. ¡°Yes, yes, Uncle, please speak for me¡­¡± Bai Xiaoyun nodded incessantly like a pecking chicken, but his words were cut off by a furious scolding. ¡°You little scoundrel, do you not understand what that Escape Talisman is? Our ancestors only left us three. Your elder brother used one to save his life and took another one when he left for Hua Sheng Temple. We only have one left. How would you dare brag about it? The fact that the Family Head didn¡¯t beat you is already a mercy!¡± Bai Jiangfeng raged when he heard this, scolding him heavily. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Uncle, I, I just want to borrow it and show them. After showing them, I will bring it back. If you¡¯re worried, you can secretly follow me. If I can¡¯t bring it out, I¡¯ll have to swallow my pride and accept that bastard Lin Bi Qiu as the elder brother.¡± Bai Xiaoyun begged. ¡°Not only did you mess around, but you also want to involve me? You truly are a hopeless scoundrel. How could you be so different from your brother who also hails from the same mother!¡± Bai Jiangfeng sighed heavily, expressing his disappointment. Bai Xiaoyun turned gloomy upon hearing this and fell silent. ¡°I wish I could be like my brother, but regretfully I don¡¯t possess the same built-in talent¡­¡± He uttered after a long quiet moment before standing up and leaving. Bai Jiangfeng watched his somewhat desolate figure retreating and called out in a tone filled with remorse: ¡°Xiao Yun¡­¡± But Bai Xiaoyun did not turn back or stop but continued walking until he was out of sight of the small courtyard. ¡°In fact, when Xiao Yun was younger, he was not short on talent. It was due to an accident that left a shadow lurking in his body, which ruined his cultivation foundation.¡± Bai Jiangfeng fell into a long reminiscence before he spoke vaguely. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. ¡­ Outside the Bai Mansion, Bai Xiaoyun was in a bad mood. He dismissed the two guards who followed him usually and went alone to a gambling house known as ¡°Fortune Arrival Place¡± in his carriage. Bai Xiaoyun did not have a gambling addiction, he would go there to vent when he was upset. However, it was a bad day. When he arrived at Fortune Arrival Place and lifted the curtain, he instantly saw a youth wearing a jade crown and a purple brocade robe standing in front of a Pai Jiu table. The young man was relatively handsome, however, there was a black mole on the tip of his nose which spoiled his look to some extent. The youth in the purple robe held two game pieces in his hand, rubbing them vigorously. He even leaned his face forward, squinted one eye, and excitedly looked at it. Behind him stood a round-faced youth in a green round-neck robe who was slightly chubby with beads of sweat on his forehead. He too leaned in and watched the cards in the purple-robed youth¡¯s hand. Behind them followed seven or eight black-robed men, each of them looked formidable, obviously they were no common guards. ¡°Damn, the last thing I want is to run into these two troublemakers, yet my luck insists on throwing them my way.¡± Bai Xiaoyun murmured to himself as he let go of the curtain and turned to leave. However, as he let go, the round-faced youth somehow lifted his head and caught sight of him. ¡°Huh? Bai Xiaoyun¡­¡± The round-faced youth¡¯s voice was not loud and barely noticeable in the noisy gambling place, but Bai Xiaoyun heard it instantly. He shuddered slightly and quickened his pace. ¡°What? Bai Xiaoyun?¡± Upon hearing this, the youth in the purple robe, regardless of the win or loss of Pai Jiu, dropped the game pieces and chased after him. The round-faced youth and several other guards followed suit. But by the time they stepped out of the gambling house, the bustling street was void of Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s figure. ¡°Du An, are you sure you saw him?¡± the Youth in the purple robe asked, scanning his surroundings with furrowed brows. ¡°Master Lin, I¡¯m sure, it was him.¡± The round-faced youth answered immediately. The round-faced youth was none other than a member of the Du family, Du An, and the youth in the purple robe was a member of the Lin family, Lin Bi Qiu. ¡°That boy has been avoiding us these few days, obviously because of the bet. We mustn¡¯t let him escape, let¡¯s split up and search.¡± Lin Bi Qiu sneered and ordered. The several guards behind him were about to scatter immediately. ¡°No need for the trouble.¡± An aged voice suddenly rang out. An old man dressed in a gray cloth robe suddenly stepped out of the crowd and walked in front of them. His eyes were sunken, his nose was high and sharp, making his cheeks seem slender and skinny. He had a somewhat sickly pale complexion. ¡°Elder Lu Ying, why are you here?¡± Lin Bi Qiu was surprised. ¡°Jianye City has been unsettled recently. Your father sent me to protect you discreetly. The Bai Family kid you are looking for has gone towards Penglu Alley.¡± Lu Ying pointed at an alleyway in the distance and informed. ¡°Understood, thank you, Elder Lu.¡± Lin Bi Qiu grinned, and led his men in the direction indicated. Lu Ying did not follow. Instead, he retreated into the crowd and disappeared. In Penglu Alley, Bai Xiaoyun was kicking a small stone on the ground, mumbling something. When he suddenly looked up, he saw several black-robed men blocking the road ahead. When he looked back, Lin Bi Qiu and his men had already caught up from behind. Chapter 233 - Chapter 233: Chapter 231: Raising the Stakes Chapter 233: Chapter 231: Raising the Stakes ¡°Second Young Master Bai, finally found you after all this time, why have you been avoiding me these past few days?¡± Lin Biqiu initiated the conversation with a smile on his face. ¡°Avoiding you? You¡¯re not a pile of shit, so why would I need to avoid you?¡± Bai Xiaoyun feigned surprise. ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Biqiu was stumped for a while, at a loss for a proper retort. ¡°Bai, didn¡¯t you forget the bet you had with Young Master Lin? You said you will show us the Escape Talisman.¡± Du An chuckled and asked. ¡°Who said I forgot? I remember it all too well. I said I would bring it out and dazzle your blind eyes, how could I forget?¡± Bai Xiaoyun responded, secretly cursing under his breath as Du An reopened the old wound. ¡°Hmm, better if you didn¡¯t forget. Du An, what was it Bai Xiaoyun said last time we saw him?¡± Lin Biqiu puffed out his chest, asked knowingly. ¡°Master Bai said, the next time we meet, he¡¯ll make sure we get to see what we want.¡± Du An instantly replied, emphasizing the words ¡°get to see¡±. ¡°Bai Xiaoyun, this counts as our ¡®next meeting¡¯, right? Where¡¯s your Escape Talisman? Show us.¡± Lin Biqiu spread out a hand towards Bai Xiaoyun and said. Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s face showed a hint of hesitation, he was pondering the best course of action quickly. Seeing him silent, Lin Biqiu sneered and said: ¡°Bai Xiaoyun, doesn¡¯t your family have a high-level Rune at all? Or are you just a worthless runt in the Bai Family who can¡¯t produce the Escape Talisman?¡± His words stabbed Bai Xiaoyun in the heart like a steel blade. Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s face turned pale in an instant. His eyes turned frigid, glowering at Lin Biqiu. ¡°You, if you can¡¯t bring out the Escape Talisman today, then you lose. Either pay me five Immortal Jades or kneel down and call me ¡®Big Brother¡¯. I always treat my younger brothers generously.¡± Lin Biqiu was taken aback by his suddenly intense eyes, but still maintained his seemingly calm demeanor. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? ¡°Big Brother, based on you?¡± Bai Xiaoyun became even angrier when he heard these words. ¡°Master Bai, you are not quite right. What Young Master Lin said is indeed the original stakes. As long as you can produce the Escape Talisman, Young Master Lin would surely be a good sport and hold his end of the bet.¡± Du An saw this, laughed, and said. His words seemed just, but in reality still sided with Lin Biqiu, pressuring Bai Xiaoyun into losing. Bai Xiaoyun shot him a glance, feeling somewhat regretful. He shouldn¡¯t have fallen for their provocations and set up this bet beforehand. Just as he was undecided whether to find an excuse to withdraw, a figure suddenly leaped from the roof. Before the seven or eight followers around him could react, the person had already landed on the ground, standing beside Bai Xiaoyun. The followers were shocked, quickly moving to guard Lin Biqiu and Du An, encircling the newcomer in the center. Bai Xiaoyun turned his head and saw a man in a green shirt with a handsome face, it was Shen Luo. ¡°No need to be afraid, he is our Bai Family¡¯s guest official.¡± Bai Xiaoyun felt a sudden and unexpected sense of calm in his heart. He signaled to Lin Biqiu and the others and looked at Shen Luo with a questioning gaze. ¡°Second brother, you walk too fast, I couldn¡¯t keep up.¡± Shen Luo winked at Bai Xiaoyun, laughing. In fact, Shen Luo had followed Bai Xiaoyun not long after he left, trailing him all the way here, seeing everything that had transpired. ¡°I was just strolling around, I was about to go back.¡± Bai Xiaoyun was a bit confused and replied vaguely. ¡°Bai Xiaoyun, are you trying to bluff your way out of this predicament? The oath you swore during the bet is now being dismissed like it¡¯s nothing? Fine, since you have a guest official backing you, I have no way to deal with you.¡± Lin Biqiu raised his eyebrows and taunted. ¡°Bai, if you¡¯re reluctant to part with the Immortal Jades, calling out ¡®Big Brother¡¯ won¡¯t be a big deal.¡± Du An also followed suit. Seeing that Bai Xiaoyun was about to lose his temper, Shen Luo stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bai Xiaoyun, he lowered his voice and said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if they want to play, let¡¯s play along.¡± Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, but hesitated and didn¡¯t speak up. ¡°Trust me, you won¡¯t lose.¡± Shen Luo reassured. Bai Xiaoyun glanced at him, feeling a strange sense of calm in his heart. He suddenly remembered some past events, falling deep in thought. ¡°Our Second Young Master doesn¡¯t want to give up the Immortal Jades, he just thinks the original bet is too small. How about we play a bigger game?¡± Shen Luo turned to look at Lin and Du, smiling brightly. ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying you want to up the stakes?¡± Lin Biqiu frowned. Du An looked at the lost in thought Bai Xiaoyun and was also puzzled. ¡°If the Second Young Master wins, Master Lin either provides twenty Immortal Jades as compensation, or every time he meets Second Young Master, he has to call him ¡®Big Brother¡¯. And vice versa, how about that?¡± Shen Luo extended his palm, raising two fingers. Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoyun finally realized what was happening, but then he got a fright from what Shen Luo was proposing in the conversation. Five Immortal Jades are indeed not a small amount, but he could grit his teeth and scrape them together. But twenty Immortal Jades, that¡¯s not something he can currently afford. ¡°Big Brother Shen, you¡­¡± He stopped speaking halfway through and immediately shut up. In front of Lin Biqiu and Du An, he cannot show weakness. However, his heart was heavy, and his expression was a little unnatural. ¡°Twenty Immortal Jades?¡± Lin Biqiu also cried out, looking at Shen Luo in disbelief. ¡°Yes. If Master Lin doesn¡¯t dare to bet, we won¡¯t force it.¡± Shen Luo nodded earnestly. ¡°Ridiculous! Who said I¡¯m not daring? Previously, the Second Young Master Bai either had to pay five Immortal Jades or call me ¡®Big Brother¡¯ if he lost. Now, since the stakes have increased to twenty Immortal Jades, if you lose and can¡¯t pay the Immortal Jade, you can¡¯t just call me ¡®Big Brother¡¯. You have to call Du An ¡®second brother¡¯ as well. If I win, we¡¯ll split the twenty Immortal Jades, Du An and I will each provide half of it.¡± Lin Biqiu glanced at Bai Xiaoyun and loudly stated. ¡°Master Lin, I¡­I don¡¯t have ten Immortal Jades¡­¡± Du An¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he quickly whispered to Lin Biqiu. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any guts, can¡¯t you see? This suddenly sprung guest official wants to play dumb on behalf of Bai Xiaoyun, he wants to scare us.¡± Lin Biqiu glared at Du An and scolded him in a low voice. ¡°Fine! Since Second Young Master Bai wants to generously give us Immortal Jades, then I shall respectfully accept the offer.¡± Du An¡¯s eyes rolled and he responded with a laugh. ¡°Now that the bet is settled, Second Young Master Bai, please hurry and bring out the Escape Talisman and enlighten us.¡± Lin Biqiu casually said to Bai Xiaoyun. Shen Luo saw the scene and hooked up the corners of his mouth, showing a hint of a smile. ¡°Did you really borrow the Escape Talisman from father?¡± Bai Xiaoyun hadn¡¯t quite come back to his senses yet; he walked over to Shen Luo and asked quietly. He just couldn¡¯t believe that his father would trust that precious talisman to an outsider. Shen Luo didn¡¯t answer, instead, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a purple talisman, showing it to everyone present. ¡°See it? This is the Bai family¡¯s Escape Talisman. I¡¯m carrying out the family head¡¯s orders to specifically deliver it to the Second Young Master.¡± As Shen Luo spoke, he respectfully handed over the talisman to Bai Xiaoyun using both hands. Chapter 234 - Chapter 234: Chapter 232: Refreshing Chapter 234: Chapter 232: Refreshing ¡°Father he¡­.¡± The latter¡¯s hands trembled slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief, as he robotically accepted it. Lin Biqiu and Du An¡¯s expressions changed instantly, their gazes nervously drawn to the rune on the talisman. ¡°You say it¡¯s an Escape Talisman, how can you prove it?¡± Lin Biqiu asked, furrowing his brows. ¡°As gentlemen of the world, you should know that high-grade talismans can only be drawn on superior talisman paper, right? Do you recognize the Purple Cloud Talisman paper used for this Escape Talisman? Can you discern the spiritual energy contained in the runes?¡± Shen Luo asked, seemingly prepared for their skepticism. ¡°We certainly recognize Purple Cloud Talisman paper and can see that the talisman is extraordinary. But this does not prove that it is an Escape Talisman.¡± Lin Biqiu snorted disdainfully. ¡°Exactly! Unless you activate the talisman, and let us see.¡± Du An hastily added, with a hint of nervousness in his expression. ¡°How could that be possible? Once the talisman core is ignited, its spiritual energy will be consumed and damaged. Who among you would compensate for this loss?¡± Bai Xiaoyun retorted immediately. After brief hesitation, Lin Biqiu gritted his teeth. ¡°I will compensate, if you can verify that this is indeed an Escape Talisman, I¡¯ll add five more pieces of immortal jade as compensation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to spend more money, but I can¡¯t bear to see this precious talisman damaged! Let¡¯s compromise and drop this bet, okay?¡± Bai Xiaoyun proposed after considering for a moment. He was almost convinced that this talisman was an Escape Talisman, and naturally didn¡¯t want it to be damaged at all. Hearing this, Shen Luo developed a new respect for Bai Xiaoyun. Although Bai Xiaoyun seemed whimsical, he knew his priorities well. However, his compromise made Lin Biqiu and Du An reconsider their stance. They had originally suspected that a lowly official like Shen Luo possessing an Escape Talisman was suspicious. Now they believed that Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s talisman was fake, and he was too afraid to test it. ¡°It seems like Young Master Bai is getting cold feet. If you¡¯re too scared to test it, why not just admit defeat?¡± Du An relaxed a little and laughed. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.?¦Ï Lin Biqiu remained silent, but the challenge in his eyes made his intentions clear: he wanted Bai Xiaoyun to demonstrate here and now. Bai Xiaoyun furrowed his brows in indecision. ¡°Second Young Master, let¡¯s give it a try. Since the Family Head allowed me to bring the talisman, it implies that you can use it. This talisman may be precious, but it¡¯s worth about five pieces of immortal jade if used once.¡± Shen Luo chuckled. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s give it a shot. Lin Biqiu, Du An, open your eyes wide and watch closely.¡± Only then did Bai Xiaoyun steady his mind. Shen Luo immediately stepped forward, holding the Flying Talisman in one hand while grabbing Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s wrist with the other. ¡°Rise!¡± He commanded softly. Suddenly, a green light surged from the purple talisman paper, enveloping the two of them. Before others could react, they shot up into the sky, flying towards the distance like immortals riding the wind. Bai Xiaoyun only felt his body become light. The sound of wind whistled in his ears, blurring his vision, yet his heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of exhilaration. He looked down to see Jianye City lying beneath him, as if sprawled under his feet, even the towering city walls seemed significantly smaller from this altitude. Unlike Bai Xiaoyun, Shen Luo did not gaze at the scenery below. Instead, he focused his mind on sensing the consumption of spiritual energy from the Flying Talisman and the changes in their flying speed. He had only tried this once before in Dreamland, using it at the Nascent Soul Stage. Now, activating it at the Qi Refining Stage did not seem to make much difference in terms of effectiveness, and the mana consumed was within a tolerable range. Back in the alley, Lin Biqiu and the others continued to gaze into the sky, their faces filled with disbelief. ¡°He actually brought an Escape Talisman¡­¡± Du An¡¯s throat bobbed as he murmured to himself, his face turning ugly. Lin Biqiu looked thoughtful, lost in his own world. Those were a full fifteen Immortal jades in total. Even for them, the aristocratic sons, it was not a small amount. At this moment, a green light fell from the sky, revealing that Shen Luo and his companion had already returned, landing in front of the two men. Bai Xiaoyun held a food box in his hand. He opened it, revealing six neatly arranged delicate pastries. He smiled and said, ¡®To prevent you from accusing me of cheating, I deliberately went to the Qingyue Residence in the East City to buy their unique Osmanthus cakes. Would you like to try some?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯ve won.¡¯ Lin Biqiu said without resentment. ¡®Ha ha, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve admitted defeat. Whenever you see me from now on, call me ¡®Big Brother¡¯ obediently.¡¯ Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s face was full of smiles. He hadn¡¯t been this elated for a long time. Lin Biqiu opened his mouth, but did not utter a sound. ¡°Big¡­Big Brother.¡± At this moment, a somewhat awkward voice faintly sounded. Du An had resigned himself to the situation and spoke up. Compared to handing over ten Immortal jades as compensation, he would rather endure this moment of humiliation. ¡®Ha ha, Second Brother, not bad at all. As for you, Lin Biqiu, you¡¯re too late. You¡¯re now the third brother.¡¯ When Bai Xiaoyun heard his call of ¡®Big Brother¡¯, he instantly felt refreshed and burst into laughter. ¡®Don¡¯t be so sure of yourself! I don¡¯t have any Immortal jades on me right now. I owe you for now. In a few days, I¡¯ll pay you back.¡¯ Lin Biqiu complexion turned livid as he spoke coldly. Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoyun wasn¡¯t angry, but rather looked at Shen Luo with some surprise and said, ¡®Big Brother Shen was right. The reactions of these two guys were exactly as you had predicted.¡¯ Shen Luo had previously observed the behavior of the two men and had a general understanding of their character, so it wasn¡¯t strange that he knew what their reactions would be. However, as soon as he finished speaking, both Lin Biqiu and Du An turned their gaze towards Shen Luo, a flash of resentment visible in their eyes. The former did not hide it, while the latter was rather indirect. ¡®Young Master Lin, spoken promises hold no weight. We should put it in writing.¡¯ Shen Luo was completely indifferent to this display of hatred. He chuckled as he reached behind and handed over a writing brush and ink which he had already prepared to Lin Biqiu. Seeing this, Lin Biqiu was speechless and a flash of anger passed through his eyes. Du An looked resentfully at Lin Biqiu while Bai Xiaoyun gave Shen Luo a covert thumbs-up. With the food box as a makeshift desk, Lin Biqiu made a promissory note for Bai Xiaoyun. Without so much as a glance at Du An, he turned and left with his entourage. ¡®Big¡­Big Brother, I will take my leave as well.¡¯ Du An gave Bai Xiaoyun an embarrassed smile, then turned and fled as if escaping. Bai Xiaoyun watched their dejected retreating figures and felt a great sense of satisfaction in his heart. All his earlier frustration was swept away. ¡®Big Brother Shen, I am beyond impressed with you this time!¡¯ He looked at Shen Luo and said happily. Before Shen Luo could respond, his expression suddenly changed. He quickly grabbed Bai Xiaoyun and after sprinting a few steps, he squeezed a Flying Talisman between his fingers. Once again, they ascended into the sky and flew away. Just as they disappeared, a figure flashed in the alley, revealing an old man dressed in a gray robe with pale skin. It was the Lin family¡¯s guest official, Lu Ying, whom they had encountered earlier. Chapter 235 - Chapter 235: Chapter 233: Hidden Truth Chapter 235: Chapter 233: Hidden Truth ¡°I didn¡¯t even use my mana, yet they still discovered me. This guy¡¯s cultivation level doesn¡¯t seem high, yet he is extremely alert and reacts decisively,¡± Lu Ying remarked with some surprise as he looked at the deserted street. ¡°What a pity¡­ If we could have taken that Escape Talisman, it would have been a great achievement,¡± Lu Ying sighed. ¡­ On the other side, Shen Luo, carrying Bai Xiaoyun, landed in a secluded corner not far from the Bai family. ¡°What¡¯s happened, Big Brother Shen?¡± Although Bai Xiaoyun was somewhat puzzled, he knew that something had definitely occurred. ¡°Just now, I sensed a faint murderous intent hidden in the alleyway. It was cunningly concealed,¡± said Shen Luo, after contemplating for a moment. ¡°Was it targeting me, or the Escape Talisman?¡± Bai Xiaoyun asked, alarmed. ¡°Of course, the Escape Talisman. But there¡¯s no real difference. Anyone who dares to snatch the talisman must be prepared to kill for it,¡± said Shen Luo. ¡°Who dares to harbor such intentions in Jianye City?¡± Bai Xiaoyun asked, confused. ¡°As long as the reward is enticing enough, anyone can be driven to murder. But I suspect it might be someone from the Lin family or Du family,¡± Shen Luo said, frowning. Bai Xiaoyun was shocked at this revelation. After considering it, he asked with palpable trepidation, ¡°Big Brother Shen, are you suggesting that their provocation for me to bring out the Escape Talisman was a trap all along?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not quite like that. They probably didn¡¯t expect you to actually have an Escape Talisman. It was likely a spur-of-the-moment idea,¡± Shen Luo smiled and replied. ¡°Big Brother Shen, I still find it strange. Why would my father allow you to take the Escape Talisman out?¡± Bai Xiaoyun, after mulling it over, asked. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï ¡°The answer is simple: this talisman isn¡¯t an Escape Talisman,¡± Shen Luo took out the Flying Talisman and waved it, explaining. ¡°What?¡± Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s called a Flying Talisman. While it may not be on the same level as an Escape Talisman, it¡¯s still my precious artifact. Using it twice has already consumed a lot of spiritual energy. What should we do about this?¡± Shen Luo laughed, raising an eyebrow. ¡°We can handle this easily. Lin Biqiu still owes us fifteen pieces of Immortal jade, doesn¡¯t he? When we have them, I¡¯ll give them all to you,¡± Bai Xiaoyun brushed off with a grin. ¡°That won¡¯t do. If it weren¡¯t for your situation acting as bait, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reel in such big fishes. We¡¯ll split the Immortal jade fifty-fifty,¡± Shen Luo negated, shaking his head. ¡°Big Brother Shen, now I know why my brother sees you as a friend,¡± Bai Xiaoyun looked at Shen Luo approvingly and nodded. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± This time it was Shen Luo who was curious. ¡°Because you¡¯re straightforward, haha¡­¡± Bai Xiaoyun burst out laughing. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo also let out a smile. However, after the laughter faded, he became serious again, ¡°Bai Xiaoyun, you should really resume your cultivation. You can¡¯t neglect it like this.¡± ¡°I wanted to pursue cultivation too. But due to an ambush by a Ghost Cultivator from a rival family when I was young, I was literally on the brink of death. My cultivation ground to a halt as a result of the Yin Sha infiltrating my body. My survival was solely thanks to my brother¡¯s tenacious defense,¡± Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s face fell, his brows furrowed as he explained. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes flickered with understanding. Now he knew why Bai Xiaotian had treated him so differently when they were at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. It was likely due to their similar experiences in cultivation, but Shen Luo had never given up. ¡°Fortunately, my family still has my brother. He¡¯s extraordinarily gifted. As his younger brother, I¡¯ll just look up to him,¡± Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s face brightened as he spoke. ¡°Have you ever thought that your brother doesn¡¯t want you to just give up and resign to your fate? He wants to see you continue your cultivation journey,¡± Shen Luo remarked. ¡°Regardless of how much I cultivate, it¡¯s all just a joke. What¡¯s the point?¡± Bai Xiaoyun gave a bitter smile. ¡°Bai Xiaoyun, what if I told you, a little over two years ago, I was a pathetic creature with a blocked Dao seed, facing death at every moment. Would you believe me?¡± Shen Luo hesitated before expressing. Bai Xiaoyun looked at Shen Luo in confusion. After a moment of silence, Shen Luo slowly recounted the events of years ago when he was invaded by Yin Qi and his desperate struggle to cling on to life at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. However, he concealed all the strange events associated with the Nameless Heavenly Book and jade pillow. Bai Xiaoyun listened quietly the entire time, his eyes reflecting a growing complexity. After a while, he took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Big Brother Shen, I really can¡¯t imagine, how did you manage to make it through those years?¡± ¡°When you focus solely on the goal of survival, you don¡¯t really take notice of how hard the journey may be, because you simply don¡¯t have any other choice,¡± Shen Luo said slowly, emphasizing every word. ¡°After the incident, I didn¡¯t give up initially. But as time went by, my cultivation didn¡¯t show any progress while my gap with my brother just widened. Eventually, I did give up, thinking that if anything happened, my father or brother would handle it. If not, the Ancestor would intervene. I was¡­really foolish,¡± Bai Xiaoyun revealed after some contemplation. ¡°Telling you all this was meant to convey that, no matter how difficult certain things are, as long as there¡¯s a one in ten thousand chance of success, you should put in ten thousand times the effort. Never give up easily. You don¡¯t want to forever be seen as a prodigal son, do you?¡± Shen Luo said seriously. ¡°I understand,¡± Bai Xiaoyun said, his eyes sparkling. It seemed like the small flame in his heart, which had been at the brink of dying, had been reignited. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on Lin Biqiu and Du An?¡± Shen Luo suddenly changed the subject. ¡°The Lin family has always been hostile towards the Bai family, and Lin Biqiu is no different. He always wants to get an upper hand on me and continually targets me. As for Du An, he¡¯s basically half of Lin Biqiu¡¯s follower and frequently plays cheerleader¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this. ¡°But although Lin Biqiu is openly hostile, he doesn¡¯t resort to many dirty tricks behind the scenes. On the contrary, that Du An, although he may seem like Lin Biqiu¡¯s lapdog, comes up with most of the disgusting schemes. Most of the conflicts between me and Lin Biqiu are because of his instigations. Hence, I¡¯m more wary of him,¡± Bai Xiaoyun added. ¡°You see very clearly,¡± Shen Luo praised, nodding approvingly. ¡°Big Brother Shen, I might have neglected my cultivation, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am thoughtless,¡± Bai Xiaoyun retorted helplessly. ¡°The current situation isn¡¯t as peaceful as it appears to be. In fact, there are already signs of unrest. Jianye City is unstable, and as one of the Demon Exorcising Families, the Bai family is likely to get caught up in this turbulence. With Bai Xiaotian away, you need to be even more careful,¡± Shen Luo advised. ¡°Big Brother Shen, I¡¯ve been wondering, we didn¡¯t get along that well at first, yet you still wanted to help me this time. Why is that?¡± Bai Xiaoyun asked solemnly. Chapter 236 - Chapter 236: Chapter 234 Xie Yuxin Chapter 236: Chapter 234 Xie Yuxin ¡°Because you¡¯re Bai Xiaotian¡¯s brother.¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t hesitate and answered immediately. Upon hearing this answer, Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s smile deepened. He suddenly seemed to remember something and said, ¡°Big Brother Shen, be careful yourself these days. Wu Tong, whom you defeated last time, seems to be getting close to Xie Yuxin recently. He probably wants to find a powerful backer to regain his lost ground.¡± ¡°Who is Xie Yuxin?¡± Shen Luo asked in surprise. ¡°She is the most powerful cultivator among our household guest officials, and the only early-stage Grain Avoidance cultivator. She is exceedingly beautiful, but has a terrible temper, always stony-faced pretending to be noble. In fact, she probably wouldn¡¯t bother with Wu Tong, but it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t provoke her if you can avoid it.¡± Bai Xiaoyun said. ¡°As members of the Bai family, aren¡¯t we all serving the family? Are we fighting amongst ourselves? Isn¡¯t your father taking any action?¡± Shen Luo said, somewhat incredulously. ¡°Well¡­Our Bai family is after all a large clan, and with more people come more problems. The situation is very complicated, and even if Father wanted to intervene, it would be difficult because of all the intricacies involved. In fact, there are quite a few people in the Bai family who don¡¯t like you. Don¡¯t trust the others in the Bai family too much.¡± Bai Xiaoyun scratched his head as if hesitating to say more. Shen Luo¡¯s expression changed slightly upon hearing this. His impression of Bai Xiaoyun enhanced significantly. In the end, he gave Bai Xiaoyun solemn instructions to keep the matter of the flying talisman a secret. Bai Xiaoyun also promised with thumps on his chest that he would not mention it to the third person. After that, the two returned to the Bai Mansion together. Starting from that day, the once indolent second young master of the Bai family, Bai Xiaoyun, suddenly reformed himself and resumed his training. ¡­ Several days later. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï Inside Shen Luo¡¯s bedroom stood a large wooden bucket, with him submerged inside, his eyes closed as he practiced the Nameless Cultivation Technique. Strands of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi gathered and entered his body through the bucket, a faint blue light emanated from within him. After a long time, he opened his eyes with a hint of joy. The main content of Qi Refining Stage cultivation is to open up the body¡¯s various acupoints. In this regard, the Huangting Technique and the Nameless Cultivation Technique are similar. After several days of attempting, he began to apply the experience of practicing the Huangting technique in his dream realm to the cultivation of the Nameless techniques, which improved his pace of cultivation by a great deal. According to his estimate, although his current training speed still falls short compared to talents like Bai Xiaotian and Ying Luo, it is already superior to that of an average cultivator. Shen Luo felt somewhat invigorated, he soon closed his eyes and once again entered the state of cultivation. In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed. During this period, Shen Luo barely left his room and spent the entire time in closed-door cultivation. Thanks to his hard work, he achieved significant results. He successively opened several acupoints in his Ren and Du meridians, gradually approaching the peak of the Fifth Level of Qi Refining. One day, while he was in closed-door cultivation, a knock sounded from outside. Shen Luo opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed. But he soon relaxed them and got up to open the courtyard door, Finding a maid in her teens standing outside. ¡°Young Master Shen, the family head requests your presence.¡± Seeing Shen Luo, the maid showed a respectful demeanor and said. ¡°The family head? Do you know what it¡¯s about?¡± Shen Luo asked, somewhat surprised. ¡°The family head did not say, only asked me to invite you to the Jingming Hall.¡± The maid said. ¡°I see.¡± Shen Luo replied, somewhat puzzled. The Jingming Hall was where the Bai family made decisions, why would they invite him there? After the maid gave a bow, she quickly left. Shen Luo returned to his room, changed into clean clothes and walked towards the central courtyard of the Bai Mansion. He soon arrived at a brightly lit hall. The hall was spacious, with enough room for a dozen or two dozen people. At present, there were already quite a few people seated. These people were in diverse attire but each showed an extraordinary demeanor, with a guest official token hanging from their waists. No one was talking. Shen Luo stepped into the hall, with curiosity playing on his mind. He had been a part of the Bai family for some time now. Most of the time he was cultivating behind closed doors, so aside from the White Water Daoist and Wu Tong, this was his first time seeing the other guest officials. Bai Hecheng and Elder Bai Jiangfeng were sitting at the main seats in the hall. Several members of the Bai family sat next to them, their expressions serious. It seemed like everyone turned to look at the doorway when they heard someone coming in, with an invisible pressure pressing over. Shen Luo, who had faced and slain Nascent Soul stage monsters in the dream realm, was hardly perturbed by this pressure and walked into the hall with a calm expression. ¡°Shen Luo has arrived, please take a seat.¡± Bai Hecheng said with a smile when he saw Shen Luo. Seeing Bai Hecheng greet Shen Luo so warmly, those eyes looking at Shen Luo suddenly became much sharper. ¡°Greetings to the family head.¡± Shen Luo gave a bow towards Bai Hecheng and sat at a corner place in the hall. As soon as he sat down, a hate-filled gaze from not far shot toward him. Shen Luo turned his head and saw Wu Tong, whom he had struck down with a Small Thunder Talisman. As soon as Wu Tong saw Shen Luo notice his gaze, he looked a bit unnatural and quickly shifted his gaze. At the moment, he was sitting with the White Water Daoist, behind a lady dressed in red. The lady was very beautiful, with slender and towering stature, particularly her legs which stood out prominently compared to the others seated there. At the moment, her eyes were closed, apparently in meditation. ¡°Big Brother Shen, what were you looking at? That woman may be beautiful, but she is no easy mark.¡± Bai Xiaoyun came up from somewhere and sat next to Shen Luo. ¡°Is she the Xie Yuxin you talked about?¡± Shen Luo asked, drawing back his gaze. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her.¡± Bai Xiaoyun nodded. ¡°Second Young Master, why did the family head ask us to come?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Well, you¡¯ve been inside the room these days, a major event has happened in Jianye City recently.¡± Bai Xiaoyun said in surprise, then spoke softly. ¡°Oh, what major event?¡± Shen Luo asked with a serious expression. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. You know there was a haunting in the Shui Nuan Pavilion some time ago, three people were killed. It¡¯s like that incident set a precedent. In recent times, especially in the past month, hauntings have been happening frequently in and around Jianye City. Many people have been injured or killed, causing panic in the city. Father called you here today, probably to discuss a countermeasure.¡± Bai Xiaoyun said with a worried brow. Shen Luo was surprised to hear this. He couldn¡¯t believe that such a major event had happened outside during the days he had been cultivating in seclusion. After a moment, another man, a young guest official holding a folding fan, entered from outside. He saluted Bai Hecheng saying, ¡°Family head, I was delayed. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°Friend Feng has arrived. Please take a seat.¡± Bai Hecheng nodded, straightened up, and slowly said, ¡°Everyone who should be here is here, so let¡¯s begin. I guess you all know why I¡¯ve summoned you here today. It¡¯s about the hauntings that have been happening in the city.¡± Chapter 237 - Chapter 237: Chapter 235: Jianye Haunted by Ghosts Chapter 237: Chapter 235: Jianye Haunted by Ghosts After hearing Bai Hecheng¡¯s straightforward introduction, the guest officials present showed a variety of reactions and began to talk fervently. ¡°We have heard of the matter of ghosts, but since the Family Head has summoned us, there must be some arrangements, I presume.¡± Xie Yuxin opened her eyes and was the first to speak out. ¡°That¡¯s right. People in the city live in fear these days. The government officials and our major aristocratic families have been working together to gather city-wide strength¡ªcollecting capable individuals to fight against ghosts ¡ªand have issued a Ghost-catching Reward List as an incentive,¡± replied Bai Hecheng, nodding in agreement. ¡°May I dare to ask the Family Head, is this reward list exclusive for our Bai Family?¡± Xie Yuxin inquired again. ¡°Haha, Our family does not exclusively distribute this task list. The government officials have issued this uniformly. The yamen (government office), Lin Family, and Du Family also have this list. Therefore if anyone wants to take any task, they must act quickly, as these tasks might be done by someone else at any moment,¡± said Bai Hecheng with a chuckle. At these words, the guest officials present seemed to become a bit anxious and seemed ready to spring into action. ¡°Everyone, please, be patient. Copy of the Ghost-catching Reward List issued by the government has been kept in our accounting department. There you¡¯ll find rather detailed annotations regarding the task content, Immortal Jade rewards, and Spiritual Materials. You can check that later on your own. But before all this, there¡¯s something I need to say as a reminder,¡± said Bai Hecheng, holding up both of his hands and pressing them down in the air to gesture for the attention of the crowd. His face turned serious. Word of Bai Hecheng silenced everyone. ¡°The tasks listed on the Ghost-catching Reward List offer substantial rewards, but they are also extremely dangerous. Therefore, you must act according to your abilities. Furthermore, since all of you are guest officials of our Bai Family, if you complete any task, you must report back to the Bai Family¡¯s accounting department. The Bai Family will then collectively submit the tasks to the government officials,¡± said Bai Hecheng. None of the guest officials objected to the danger involved in these tasks. After all, risk and opportunity coexist; nobody would expect good fortune to fall into their laps without taking any risk. As for the instruction of returning to the Bai Family to submit the completed tasks, it seemed quite natural to them. However, Shen Luo felt somewhat puzzled. He couldn¡¯t understand why Bai Hecheng had specially emphasized that matter. ¡°Gentlemen, given the current circumstances of looming crisis, I hope everyone can stick together, pull through these adversities, and contribute to safeguarding the peace of Jianye City,¡± said Bai Hecheng with a smile on his face. ¡°Even without the Ghost-catching List, dealing with the menace of these demons is our inherent duty. We definitely will not tarnish the reputation of our Bai Family as the foremost demon exorcist family,¡± said Xie Yuxin and the others chimed in agreement. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï ¡°With the word of Elder Brother Xie, I can rest assured,¡± responded Bai Hecheng with a nod and a smile. Following this, he directed everyone to the Main Hall of the accounting department, where all the tasks and their pertaining rules had already been posted. Along with the crowd, Shen Luo also exited the Hall. ¡°Family Head, should we not tell them about the competition with the Lin and Du Families for the title of the First Demon-hunting Family?¡± asked Bai Jiangfeng, once everyone had left. ¡°No need. If word of this gets out, the guest officials might harbor other thoughts. I have already looked into it covertly. It appears the Lin and Du Families also have not disclosed this issue,¡± said Bai Hecheng, shaking his head. ¡°Fair enough,¡± said Bai Jiangfeng, raising his hand and waving a piece of white silk on which were densely written characters. It was an overview of each Ghost-catching task on the Reward List. Apart from minor discrepancies from what Bai Hecheng had previously mentioned, no Immortal Jade or Spiritual Material awards were recorded. Instead, there were just some numbers. ¡°The government officials really know how to cut it fine, propagating the title of First Demon-hunting Family, and calculating the results based on accumulated merit points from completing tasks listed on the Ghost-catching Reward List. To make matters worse, they are making us three major families fight like cats and dogs. However, the rewards promised for the First Demon-hunting Family are extremely generous indeed. Merely the management rights of the prosperous shops of the three families on Xuanwu Street and thirty percent transportation rights of the wharf outside the city, are reasons enough for us to compete,¡± remarked Bai Jiangfeng with a tut-tut. ¡°The government officials have no choice. With the recent outbreak of ghostly incidents, if it is not suppressed in a short amount of time, it will have a large impact on Jianye City,¡± said Bai Hecheng in a stern voice. ¡°Lately though, what¡¯s really going on? We have seen a surge in incidents involving mischievous demons and ghosts everywhere. Could it be that, as rumors suggest, some kind of catastrophe is looming?¡± voiced Bai Jiangfeng with a frown. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with the matter at hand first,¡± said Bai Hecheng noncommittally. ¡­ While Bai Hecheng and Bai Jiangfeng were conversing, all the guest officials of the Bai Family had already gathered at the Bai Family¡¯s accounting department. In the Main Hall of the accounting department, there was a ten-foot-tall wooden bulletin board with neatly-recorded details of each listed task. All of them were still uncompleted. Standing towards the back of the crowd and straining to look, Shen Luo saw rows of densely-written characters detailing various exorcism tasks clearly recorded, complete with location and the cause behind each. Besides Immortal Jade, there were also several other spiritual materials mentioned in the rewards section. ¡°Ghost at work near the South Gate Zhuangyuan Bridge is suspected to be a water ghost. It can hide under water and has super strength. Two pieces of Immortal Jade will be awarded for killing it.¡± ¡°A ghost is haunting Liu Family Village in East City and has already caused harm to five people and absconded with numerous livestock. The ghost¡¯s identity is not known. The reward is one piece of Fire Goldwood.¡± ¡°In Willow Forest Town, on the southern part of the city, a female ghost can be heard crying every night, causing fear among villagers¡­¡± Shen Luo¡¯s eyes lit up; the item rewards were no doubt abundant! Immortal Jade reward could be two or three pieces or even more than five pieces. It was the equivalent of his stipend for several months to a year. Although Shen Luo did not recognize most of the spiritual materials listed, they all seemed remarkable. ¡°There are plenty of good things to earn!¡± said Bai Xiaoyun, his face reflecting surprise. Seeing the details of the tasks, the other guest officials too expressed happiness. As guest officials of the Bai Family, they were able to enjoy some cultivation resources every day, but they rarely got their hands on Immortal Jade. The only way to earn Immortal Jade was either through normal distribution or as an award for contributing to the family. As a result, everyday life was always a bit of a struggle. It was indeed rare to see high-reward tasks appear all at once like this. After looking for a while, Shen Luo lightly shook his head, withdrew his gaze, turned around, and prepared to leave. It was not that he didn¡¯t want to perform these tasks. Rather, he had a sense of self-awareness. With his current level of cultivation, he recognized not only the risk involved in doing such tasks but also the fact that even if he could overpower some ghosts, he would probably have to use up quite a few talismans. Considering this, the cost may not justify the rewards. Currently, his cultivation was progressing smoothly through the Nameless Cultivation Technique, plus he was blessed with some extra financial resources. Therefore his interest in Immortal Jade and those materials was not high. He had only joined the crowd to gain some knowledge and experience. ¡°Shen Brother, are you not interested in these tasks?¡± asked Bai Xiao Yun. ¡°Too many people around, I will check again later.¡± said Shen Luo chuckling and answered casually. ¡°You think you can take the risk and go slay some ghosts, you fledgling kid? I bet you would end up becoming a ghost before you could slay one,¡± scoffed an eerily sarcastic voice from the sidelines. Chapter 238 - Chapter 238: Chapter 236 Red Leaf Town Mission Chapter 238: Chapter 236 Red Leaf Town Mission Shen Luo and Bai Xiaoyun turned to the source of the voice, only to see the White Water Daoist looking their way slantwise, a smirk of ridicule on his face. ¡°Indeed! A mere Qi Refining Fifth Layer, you should refrain from making a fool of yourself.¡± Wu Tong stood by, also sneering unkindly at Shen Luo with undisguised disdain in his eyes. The surrounding crowd, seeing this, shifted their gazes as well. Shen Luo glanced around, his expression unbothered, not saying a word. ¡°White Water Daoist, as far as I am aware, not long ago, in the Zhenhuai Bridge case, you vehemently insisted there was no ghost mischief. Big Brother Shen kindly tried to warn you, but you ignored him and almost were dragged under by a water ghost, causing our Bai Family to lose face in front of other families. Wasn¡¯t that the case?¡± Even though Shen Luo seemed indifferent, Bai Xiaoyun beside him couldn¡¯t stand it and pointed at the White Water Daoist, clamoring. No sooner than Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s words were heard, a wave of quiet discussions could be perceived amongst the crowd. ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve heard about this, so that¡¯s what happened!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, it seems the White Water Daoist has his moments of misjudgment, huh?¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Exposed by Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s direct revelation of this embarrassing incident, the White Water Daoist¡¯s expression darkened instantly. A flash of ferocity in his eyes, he glared hard at Shen Luo and then returned his gaze to the task list. ¡°Daoist friend Li Chu, this guy must be that ¡®old eighth¡¯, isn¡¯t it? It seems like there¡¯s quite a feud between him and the White Water Daoist.¡± the folding fan-teasing young Guest Official asked a bald man standing next to him. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that ¡®old eight¡¯! Or we can say ¡®old sycophant¡¯. After the Young Master left, see, he started ingratiating himself with the Second Young Master.¡± Li Chu rubbed his slick bald head and spat disdainfully. ¡°Hehe, no wonder then.¡± The fan-swinging teenager said with a dismissive nod. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 Upon hearing the conversation between Li Chu and the fan-holding youth, the gaze of the nearby Guest Officials towards Shen Luo added a trace more of disdain. Xie Yuxin had been intently looking at the task board, and at this moment, she also glanced at Shen Luo out of the corner of her eye. A hint of scorn flashed across her beautiful eyes before she quickly shifted her gaze back to continue checking the task list. As for the comments from the crowd, Shen Luo responded with only faint laughter. He reached out to stop Bai Xiaoyun, who was about to step forward to argue, and lightly shook his head. Bai Xiaoyun seemed to be boiling with indignation, but seeing Shen Luo acting this way, he managed to control his temper and refrained from saying anything else. In a short while, the people gathered in front of the task list, having picked their favored tasks, departed. Only then did Shen Luo leisurely step forward, his gaze sweeping over the list task by task. ¡°Hmm, this one seems quite good¡­¡± Much to his surprise, he hadn¡¯t looked for long when his eyes suddenly brightened, focusing on a task near the end of the list. ¡°Red Leaf Town in the southern part of the city is haunted by ghosts causing many boatmen to lose their lives, reward: a piece of Fire Scale Wood.¡± Shen Luo murmured to himself, feeling a touch of delight in his heart. This Fire Scale Wood was one of the main materials listed in the Pure Yang Scripture, which is most suitable for refining the Pure Yang Sword Embryo. He was very attentive to the condensation of the Pure Yang Sword Embryo. Over these days, he frequently checked out for the materials required for refinement, yet, to no avail. He hadn¡¯t found any until this moment. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze focused on the Fire Scale Wood, a small smile curving his lips. ¡°Thinking about taking on the Red Leaf Town¡¯s task? After that Fire Scale Wood, aren¡¯t you? You really don¡¯t know how to fear death. Don¡¯t you realize the higher the reward, the tougher the task?¡± Li Chu muttered to himself, his voice kept low probably considering Bai Xiaoyun. Shen Luo turned a deaf ear to the whisper, turning towards his quarters. Bai Xiaoyun gave a cold snort, shot Li Chu a glare, and quickly followed Shen Luo, leaving the place. The White Water Daoist watched Shen Luo¡¯s receding figure with a twinkle in his eyes, murmuring to himself: ¡°You also dare to take this task? This Fire Scale Wood is as good as mine.¡± No sooner had he finished his sentence than he quickly headed towards the entrance of the accounting building. ¡°Bai Daoist friend, please wait for a moment. I¡¯d like to join you on this mission to Red Leaf Town.¡± Wu Tong, upon seeing this, revealed a smirk and quickly followed. The others around them, upon seeing this, smirked knowingly. ¡­ ¡°Those guys know nothing about your real strength, Big Brother Shen. Why didn¡¯t you show them a glimpse to enlighten them?¡± Upon returning to Shen Luo¡¯s quarters, Bai Xiaoyun said with a displeased tone. ¡°They¡¯re not entirely wrong. My cultivation level is at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, considered the bottom among the Guest Officials, even lower than that Wu Tong.¡± Shen Luo responded calmly. ¡°Cultivation level means nothing! Big Brother Shen, considering your mastery in talisman craft, I don¡¯t think there are many among the Guest Officials who could compete with you.¡± Bai Xiaoyun flapped his hands and contended. Shen Luo merely smiled at Bai Xiaoyun who was indeed not mistaken. If he didn¡¯t hesitate to activate the Thunderfall Talisman, not just the Grain Avoidance Cultivators, even those at the Soul Condensation Stage might not be able to withstand it. That¡¯s also the reason why he didn¡¯t bother about those Guest Officials. Having wrestled with Nascent Soul Stage monsters in the Dreamland and now possessing the Thunderfall Talisman, his perspective and mindset were incomparable to that of those Guest Officials. ¡°Nevertheless, what those people said about the danger of the Red Leaf Town mission is probably true. This ghost-catching mission list is issued by the government. Government officials wouldn¡¯t arbitrarily classify it.¡± Bai Xiaoyun said with a bit of worry. ¡°No worries, since I¡¯ve taken it, I must have ways to deal with it.¡± Shen Luo, knowing Bai Xiaoyun had his best interests at heart, responded with a smile. ¡°I trust Big Brother Shen would never do things without assurance!¡± Seeing Shen Luo¡¯s confident expression, Bai Xiaoyun knew he must have made a thorough plan and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°By the way, that Lin Biqiu finally delivered 15 immortal jades a couple of days ago. Here are eight for you, Big Brother Shen, please accept them.¡± Bai Xiaoyun suddenly remembered something, took out a small cloth bag, and placed it in Shen Luo¡¯s, the crisp sound of jingling jades emitted. ¡°These immortal jades were won through your bet with Lin Biqiu. It has nothing to do with me, hence I can¡¯t accept such generous gift.¡± Shen Luo glanced at the cloth bag then pushed it back. ¡°Should it not have been for Big Brother Shen¡¯s assistance with the treasure talisman that day, I would have been defeated long ago, incurring an immense loss of face! You must accept these immortal jades, otherwise, it would mean disrecognizing me as a friend!¡± Bai Xiaoyun insisted earnestly, his face serious. ¡°Alright then.¡± Seeing Bai Xiaoyun¡¯s earnest look, Shen Luo knew that if he were to decline again, Bai Xiaoyun, considering his temperament, would genuinely take offense. Therefore, he stopped declining. ¡°That¡¯s more like it! As you are undertaking the task, Big Brother Shen, it¡¯s essential to be prepared. As they say, better safe than sorry! Alright, I won¡¯t bother you anymore and wish you success in your endeavor.¡± Bai Xiaoyun didn¡¯t linger any longer and left after saying goodbye. Shen Luo escorted him out and returned to his room to recall the content of the task he had taken. Without any delay, he immediately made some preparations and took all the talismans with him. Although he had no doubt about his ability to complete this task, he did not dare to show any sign of contempt. He had heard of many cases of tragedy befalling the overconfident in his readings. Once the preparations were done, he immediately left the Bai residence and headed towards Red Leaf Town. Chapter 239 - Chapter 239: Chapter 237 Ouyang Three Heroes Chapter 239: Chapter 237 Ouyang Three Heroes Red Leaf Town is thirty li south of Jianye City, a journey that could be completed in one hour at full speed. Although the town is not large, comparable in size to Tuji Town near the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, its bustling activity far surpasses that of the latter. True to its name, the town is filled with vibrant maple leaves both inside and out, their fiery colors especially resplendent amidst the deep autumn setting. A broad river flows by the town, known as the Lishui River, which leads directly to the Eastern Sea and serves as a vital waterway for Jianye City. Every day, a multitude of ships pass through here, contributing to Red Leaf Town¡¯s prosperity. However, upon Shen Luo¡¯s arrival, the town seemed quite lifeless, with deserted streets and shops open yet lacking customers. Shop-owners appeared preoccupied, their minds heavy with thoughts. The town itself carried a sense of heaviness, causing even the stray cats and dogs on the street to run by in fear. Without lingering on the streets, Shen Luo quickly asked around and arrived at a courtyard located in the eastern part of the town. He knocked at the door, but no one responded. ¡°Are they not home?¡± He furrowed his brows and continued knocking. ¡°Who is it? Making so much noise outside, are you trying to cause more trouble?¡± An irritated voice came from within the house, and the door was flung open to reveal a white-haired old man. However, he was taken aback upon seeing Shen Luo standing outside. ¡°Who are you?¡± The old man took in Shen Luo with a perplexed gaze. ¡°Are you Elder Sun, the town head? I am Shen Luo, a retainer from the Bai family in Jianye City. I¡¯m here to take on your task.¡± Shen Luo presented his identity token, keeping a close eye on the old man¡¯s reaction, hopeful. From his observation, he seemed to be the first one to arrive in Red Leaf Town. If he could get the details of the ghost incident before anyone else did, he would have the upper hand in exterminating the ghost without attracting undue attention. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a representative from the Bai family? Finally, someone has come! I am Old Sun. Please, Master Shen, come inside!¡± The old man happily extended an invitation after reciprocating Shen Luo¡¯s formal bow. ¡°Elder Sun, there¡¯s no need for the formalities. I came here to inquire into the details of this ghost incident¡­¡± Shen Luo explained. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Oh, someone arrived before us, how unusual,¡± a voice interrupted. Footsteps echoed as three men in green robes sauntered towards them, exuding an aura of arrogance. Shen Luo glanced at the three men, paying close attention to the green tokens dangling from their waists. The green wood emblem on the green tokens indeed represented the Lin family. ¡°Oh look, a retainer from the Bai family. A new face, huh?¡± The leader of the three, a short and wiry ugly man, appraised Shen Luo with surprise. The other two men, one short and fat and the other hunchbacked, shared a strikingly close resemblance, all of them extraordinarily ugly, likely siblings from the same mother. ¡°Shen Luo from the Bai family.¡± Shen Luo gave them a slight nod. ¡°Shen Luo? I think I¡¯ve heard of that name. Ah, now I remember! I heard that some country bumpkin managed to worm his way into the Bai family recently thanks to his connection with the young master of the Bai family, Bai Xiaotian, and became a Bai family retainer. That¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± The scrawny ugly man sneered. ¡°Tsk, tsk, even a bottom-dweller like him dares to take on a task like this. It seems he¡¯s rather sick of living, doesn¡¯t he? Haha!¡± The short and fat ugly man glanced at Shen Luo and broke out into unreserved laughter. Shen Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed, a twinge of discomfort pulsing inside him. Several retainers from the Bai family had previously looked down on him. Although he didn¡¯t take it personally, it still irked him. Now, he was encountering the same situation here. Did people really think of him as an indestructible clay Bodhisattva with limitless patience? ¡°Kid, we, the Ouyang Three Heroes, have taken on this Red Leaf Town mission. If you want to get out of this with your life intact, then scram.¡± The scrawny ugly man swept his hand dismissively, admonishing Shen Luo. ¡°My brother told you to get the hell out. Are you deaf or dumb?¡± Seeing Shen Luo motionless, the hunchbacked ugly man raised his hand, furious and terrifying, and slapped down. A green light flew out of his hand and instantly condensed into the ghost image of a tiger claw, flashing quickly in front of Shen Luo with shocking speed, making a fierce swipe at Shen Luo¡¯s cheek. But before the shadow of the claw could land, Shen Luo swayed left and right with flashes of white light on his feet, transforming into four or five afterimages that disappeared from the spot and in an instant, he was in front of the three ugly men. The men were taken aback, having not expected Shen Luo¡¯s speed to be so fast. But they were not ordinary people; a faint green light emerged from their bodies, vaguely forming the image of a green tiger. But before the image of the tiger could fully materialize, a flash of thunder came from Shen Luo¡¯s sleeve and three strands of white lightning shot out, hitting each of the three men with a speed so fast that they had no time to react. Blinding white electric light burst forth. The body-protecting tiger image of the three ugly men let out a mournful cry as if they had met their nemesis and collapsed loudly under the dazzling electric light. Not only that, the remaining white electric arcs spread over their bodies, causing them to stiffen momentarily. Right after the lightning, Shen Luo¡¯s right palm suddenly became almost twice as wide and, in mid-air, he carved out a half-arc. The chilling palm wind enveloped the three, dealing a harsh blow. BANG BANG BANG! The bodies of the three were like leaves in a wild wind, directly knocked flying backward and heavily crashing to the ground. ¡°You¡­¡± The skinny ugly man tried to turn over and rise, but as soon as he moved, he felt a severe pain in his chest as if his bones had been shattered. The other two looked the same, their eyes flashing a hint of terror when they looked at Shen Luo. Shen Luo¡¯s expression was unchanged, but in his heart, he was ecstatic. Over the past month, while practicing the Nameless Cultivation Technique, he had also been working hard on the Slanting Moon Steps. Relying on his experience in Dreamland, he had already reached the minor accomplishment realm. Today, on his trial run, it proved to be incredibly effective. The three men in front of him, in terms of cultivation level, each of them was not inferior to him. Yet, they couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed combined with the Small Thunder Talisman, making their combat effectiveness quite impressive. As this was his first time executing a job, he was originally worried due to his lack of practical experience. Now, testing the water with these three Lin family retainers, it filled him with renewed confidence. ¡°Elder Sun, do you know where the Ghost is wreaking havoc now?¡± After a quick dusting off, Shen Luo ignored the three roughnecks and walked back to the somewhat stupefied Old Sun, asking. ¡°Ah, yes, yes! That ghost has been spotted around the White Reed Marsh outside the town, it doesn¡¯t come out during the day, but as soon as it gets dark, it prowls around on the surface of the river, attacking passing boats and has injured many people. Now, no one dares to go into the water at night, and business during the day is also greatly affected.¡± Old Sun finally came back to his senses and spoke anxiously. ¡°It only appears at night¡­ Elder Sun, rest assured, we, the Bai family, will handle this matter well.¡± Shen Luo frowned, then offered a slight smile. ¡°Then I leave it to Master Shen.¡± Old Sun gave a glance at the three Lin family retainers who had just staggered to their feet in the distance and greeted Shen Luo warmly with his hands. After asking for the specifics about the location of the White Reed Marsh, Shen Luo did not linger any longer, said his goodbyes and left. ¡°Big bro, shall we follow him?¡± asked the hunchbacked ugly man in a deep voice. ¡°This kid is a bit weird! I heard that his cultivation level is only at the mid-stage of Qi refining, so how can his speed be so fast?¡± The short, fat man touched his somewhat sore back, grinning in pain as he asked. ¡°Humph! This time we were caught off guard by this kid. Let¡¯s go, follow him! And you two better stay sharp.¡± The skinny ugly man snorted and spoke. Chapter 240 - Chapter 240: Chapter 238: Fierce Ghost Appears Chapter 240: Chapter 238: Fierce Ghost Appears Shen Luo left the town and soon arrived at the banks of the Lishui River. Lishui River was immensely wide, several miles in breadth, meandering towards the downstream. At a glance, one could see a vast expanse of misty waves and rushing water, resembled a colossal flood dragon sprawling on the ground. He followed the ceaseless river downstream for a while until a reed beach appeared before him. The reed was not extensive, merely seven or eight miles long but unusually tall and dense. However, the reeds had turned withered and yellow. When the river wind blew, the reeds rippled like waves, making a loud rustling sound. At this point, the sun had begun to set, and the river became dim. There was not a single boat in sight. It seemed that the ghost really had scared everyone away. Shen Luo swept his gaze around. After a moment of contemplation, he invoked the Water-Stepping Art and probed within the reed beach but did not find any trace of Yin Qi. Not willing to give up so easily, after applying an exorcism charm on himself, he took a few more rounds around the area, but still found nothing. ¡°It seems that this ghost is hiding quite deep,¡± Shen Luo thought to himself. After leaving the river, he found a dry place on the shore and sat down cross-legged, quietly waiting for nightfall. At this moment, footsteps came from afar. Shen Luo looked sideways and saw that the three guest officials from the Lin family had also arrived here. The leading skinny and ugly man felt slightly uneasy when he saw Shen Luo, so he avoided provocation. Instead, he led his two companions past Shen Luo and began to comb through the reed marsh. Shen Luo paid no heed to the trio and just closed his eyes to rest his mind. A moment later, all three returned looking deflated. They followed Shen Luo¡¯s example and found a place on the shore to sit and wait. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 Just as the sun was about to set, a man and a woman arrived near White Reed Marsh. The man was in his twenties with dark skin. His thick eyebrows and big eyes provided an air of heroism. The woman, only in her twenties, was dressed in a short, light yellow blouse, had a graceful figure, and a fresh and clean look. Both of them had a grey-white token on their waists with the character ¡°Du¡± written on it. ¡°The Ouyang Three Heroes! I didn¡¯t expect them to be here too.¡± The dark-skinned young man glanced from a distance at the three guest officials of the Lin Family and mumbled to himself with a solemn expression. ¡°Are they famous?¡± The girl in yellow blinked her eyes and asked. ¡°The eldest, Ouyang Tian, has refined the seventh layer of Qi. His two brothers, like you, have refined the sixth layer of Qi. But these three are disciples of the famous Black Stone Mountain freelance cultivator, the real Tiger Man. When they combine forces, they become somewhat tricky.¡± The dark-skinned teenager explained gently to the girl. At this time, the Ouyang Three Heroes also noticed the male and female from the Du family. ¡°So it is the Ice Hand Qi Yuan from the Du Family. And this young girl must be Yan Li, the disciple of Mistress Huangshan. It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. She is a true beauty.¡± The skinny and ugly man, Ouyang Tian, stared at the young girl. His lustful gaze flickered for a moment before disappearing. ¡°No wonder the prestigious Ice Hand of the Grain Avoidance stage has been enchanted and turned upside down. The young girl is indeed good looking. No wonder I feel pity at seeing her!¡± An obese and ugly man swallowed his saliva and said. Yan Li¡¯s pretty face showed a hint of anger, about to say something, but she was stopped by Qi Yuan¡¯s raised hand. ¡°The three of you should have some self-respect as people of reputation, so as not to tarnish the Lin Family¡¯s reputation,¡± Qi Yuan said coldly yet impressively. ¡°Ice Hand, you are overstepping. Our Lin and Du families have an excellent relationship. My brothers and I were only joking just now, so please don¡¯t get upset!¡± Ouyang Tian bowed slightly to Qi Yuan and laughed. Qi Yuan ignored the Ouyang Three Heroes any further, instead, his gaze casually swept away and finally landed on Shen Luo, who was sitting alone nearby. His eyes scanned over the guest official token on Shen Luo¡¯s waist, thinking in his heart, ¡°A Bai family¡¯s retainer, I¡¯ve never seen him before.¡± ¡°Big Brother Qi, according to what Elder Sun said, the ghost has been haunting this area. Should we take a look?¡± Yan Li¡¯s eyes flickered with excitement as she asked in a soft voice. ¡°They arrived before us and definitely scanned the area. They most probably couldn¡¯t trace the ghost¡¯s whereabouts- our scan will be in vain, too. Let¡¯s wait until it gets dark.¡± Qi Yuan smiled and explained. He then led the girl to find a place to sit down. Before long, two more figures appeared at the entrance of the reed beach, it was the White Water Daoist and Wu Tong. ¡°Ouyang¡¯s Three Heroes! Ice Hand Qi Yuan!¡± White Water Daoist eyed everyone, his expression becoming more serious. Qi Yuan and Ouyang¡¯s three heroes also spotted the two White Water Daoists, but they were dismissed from their minds after a brief glance. They clearly didn¡¯t care about them at all. Wu Tong subtly nudged White Water Daoist with his arm, jerking his chin in a certain direction. Following Wu Tong¡¯s guidance, White Water Daoist saw Shen Luo calmly sitting there and scoffed softly,¡± This reckless kid, he came quite early.¡± ¡°He really thinks that by sucking up to the Young Master, he¡¯s someone important. When the fight starts, he¡¯ll realize how ignorant he is.¡± Wu Tong chimed in immediately. The two of them, as they spoke, found a spot well away from the river bank and sat down cross-legged. ¡°The new couple from the Bai Family, why didn¡¯t they sit with that guy from before?¡± Yan Li asked, somewhat perplexed. ¡°The Bai Family retainers have always been fond of infighting, there¡¯s nothing strange about that.¡± Qi Yuan chuckled and replied. Yan Li nodded in understanding and cast a scornful glance at the trio from the Bai Family, closing her eyes to rest. ¡°Daoist, I didn¡¯t expect this Red Leaf town mission to be so attractive that it even lured Ouyang¡¯s Three Heroes and Qi Yuan. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to compete with them.¡± Once seated, Wu Tong confided softly to White Water Daoist in a voice only both of them could hear. ¡°The more people the better. If anything happens to Shen Luo, it will be easier to find an excuse.¡± The White Water Daoist scoffed lightly and responded this way. ¡°Who could argue with Daoist¡¯s wisdom!¡± Upon hearing those words, Wu Tong excitedly rubbed his hands together and gave a sly chuckle. Throughout, Shen Luo remained seated with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the new arrivals. About half an hour passed before night finally fell. In the mid-air, dark clouds rolled around and obscured the crescent moon that had just risen. The wind on the river surface had picked up, stirring turbulent waves. The noise from the rustling reeds grew louder, merging with the sound of the waves, causing a cacophony. At that moment, everyone by the river opened their eyes simultaneously, looking towards the middle of the river. There, the river water suddenly started to churn, spurting a string of bubbles, each filled with black yin energy. A patch of black yin energy quickly formed over the river, covering a surface of about ten meters. A ghostly figure emerged from the black Qi, a woman dressed in a red robe. Thick, dark yin Qi whirled around her body, Even from a distance, one could clearly feel the daunting Yin Sha Qi. ¡°What a formidable fierce ghost. Judging from this aura, it is very close to the Grain Avoidance Stage! Yan Li, get the Exorcism Bead ready and remember to be safe. When I lure this ghost ashore, act immediately.¡± Qi Yuan stared at the red-robed female ghost, took a deep breath, and stood up. A flicker of blue light appeared beside him, and an icy-blue claw-shaped talismanic instrument floated into view. Yan Li quickly stood up and started reciting spells, her sleeves emanating flickers of yellow light. Chapter 241 - Chapter 241: Chapter 239 Enough Talismans Chapter 241: Chapter 239 Enough Talismans The Ouyang three heroes also suddenly stood up, their bodies glowing with a faint green light, which condensed into the illusion of a green fierce tiger. They did not immediately initiate an attack, but exchanged quick glances, their lips moving slightly as if they were strategizing too. ¡°Huh! Where¡¯s Shen Luo?¡± Wu Tong suddenly gave a surprised exclamation. The place where Shen Luo had just been sitting was now empty. ¡°There!¡± The White Water Daoist was a little surprised, then pointed to the riverbank. Shen Luo had somehow already appeared on the riverbank, sizing up the red-clothed female ghost that was no more than twenty or thirty feet away. Everyone seeing this scene was stunned. ¡°Daoist friend, danger!¡± Qi Yuan frowned and shouted. Shen Luo remained indifferent; forming a seal with one hand, he initiated the Water-Stepping Art to stabilize himself on the river surface. He then transformed into a blue phantom and sped towards the ghost in the middle of the river. ¡°This guy is so rude. Qi Yuan¡¯s kind reminder was completely ignored by him. He deserves to suffer!¡± Yan Li grumbled in displeasure. Qi Yuan sighed and gently shook his head. ¡°The kid dares to jump right into the river, who does he think he is! Didn¡¯t he notice that even Qi Yuan didn¡¯t dare to rush forward casually,¡± The White Water Daoist said derisively. ¡°Shen Luo has mastered a Thunder Technique, which should be the Talisman Technique.¡± Wu Tong recalled the incident of being knocked unconscious by Shen Luo and said. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Small Thunder Talisman, right! Thunder force does have some restraining effects on ordinary ghosts, but this ghost is close to the Grain Avoidance Stage. If you want to exterminate it, without at least thirty to fifty talismans, it¡¯s impossible. And how many immortal jades will that cost?¡± The White Water Daoist waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Daoist Master is right. It¡¯s a rash and costly move. Since he¡¯s rushing to his death, we¡¯re saved of the trouble,¡± Wu Tong chuckled. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.?¦Ï ¡°Big Brother, has this kid gone crazy?¡± The short, fat, and ugly man stared wide-eyed and said. ¡°Let him test the depth of this ghost. It¡¯s all good,¡± Ouyang Tian grinned. In the midst of their conversation, Shen Luo had already rushed toward the ghost. With a low growl from the female ghost, two vicious gazes immediately fell upon Shen Luo. The Black Qi around her swelled, and her arms crackled as they extended several meters over Shen Luo¡¯s head. The two dark ghost claws suddenly grew several times larger and lunged downwards forcefully. Shen Luo¡¯s figure shimmered left and right, turning into a phantom and disappearing from under the ghost¡¯s claws. He then instantly appeared behind the female ghost, and with a flick of his sleeves¡­ Two Small Thunder Talismans shot out from his hand. After they shattered with a sizzle, they transformed into two strands of white lightning, striking diagonally at the female ghost. The female ghost did not dodge, but the Black Qi around her suddenly intensified. The white lightning hit the ghost, causing the Black Qi to churn once before blocking the white lightning¡¯s attack. The female ghost¡¯s body merely stiffened slightly before recovering to its normal state. ¡°Two insignificant Small Thunder Talismans were used just to tickle her,¡± The White Water Daoist scoffed at this sight. Excitement flashed in Wu Tong¡¯s eyes as if he was looking forward to the female ghost grabbing Shen Luo and killing him with one claw. After taking the hit from the two Small Thunder Talismans, the female ghost suddenly turned around. Encircled by the swirling black fog in her claws, she lunged towards Shen Luo again. Shen Luo¡¯s brows rose slightly, and with a wave of his hand¡­ Five talismans flew out, and after shattering with a ¡°pop,¡± they transformed into five arcs of white lightning, striking down at the red-clothed female ghost. The female ghost was stunned. Her forward momentum stumbled for a moment, she swiftly retreated backward, and at the same time, she swept her hands upwards. With a whoosh, the Black Qi under her flew up and formed a dense black Qi wall in front of her to block the attack. The arcs of lightning struck the black Qi wall, causing a sound akin to tearing fabric. The black Qi wall was illuminated by the flickering thunder light, becoming much thinner, but it did manage to withstand the attack. But before the female ghost could even catch her breath, many more talismans appeared between Shen Luo¡¯s fingers. He threw them out without another word. The next moment, a roaring thunder sounded in front of the female ghost. Six arcs of lightning arrived almost instantaneously, giving her no time to dodge. Boom! The thin black Qi wall scattered instantly, and the white arcs of lightning also vanished. Then, another seven or eight white arcs of lightning streaked across mid-air, almost at the same moment when the black Qi wall scattered, they all struck the red-clothed female ghost on her left shoulder. With a sizzling sound, the entire left arm of the female ghost and half of her body was wrapped in a dense electric light and vanished in an instant. She let out a harsh scream and immediately turned and ran away, but her movements had become somewhat sluggish as the Black Qi around her body scattered. The people on the shore watched Shen Luo throw out nearly twenty Small Thunder Talismans as if performing a magic trick, their faces changed. The White Water Daoist stared in disbelief, his face extremely grim. Had his flippant quip from earlier become true? Wu Tong¡¯s mouth hung open, large enough to fit an entire egg. Before the others on the shore could react, Shen Luo raised his hand once again and waved. Astonishingly, ten Small Thunder Talismans flew out in a line. After shattering, they transformed into a large bolt of lightning that harshly struck the remaining half of the red-clothed female ghost¡¯s body. The red-clothed female ghost let out a harsh scream. There was a loud ¡°bang,¡± and her body transformed into thick black smoke, disappearing without a trace. A piece of torn red sleeve floated out from the black smoke, giving off an astonishing Yin Qi. It fell like a leaf, quickly caught by Shen Luo who had followed it. A ghost¡¯s physical form is formed around a core that gathers Yin Qi, which is generally an object belonging to the ghost during its lifetime. The task specified that this object must be brought back as proof of task completion. ¡°That was a tough ghost. Thankfully I brought a lot of Small Thunder Talismans. Otherwise, it would have really been troublesome¡±. Shen Luo looked at the red sleeve and put it into his bosom, feeling relieved. ¡°Dear Daoist friends, I¡¯ll complete this mission first.¡± Shen Luo turned around and bowed slightly to the people on the shore. Then, using the Water-Stepping Art, he flew straight toward Red Leaf Town along the river channel. His figure soon disappeared into the distant night. The White Water Daoist watched Shen Luo¡¯s receding figure, gulped, and his face turned an ashen blue. ¡°D-Daoist Master, should we¡­should we chase after him?¡± Wu Tong seemed unwilling to give up and whispered softly. ¡°Chase? Do you think you can withstand that many Small Thunder Talismans?¡± White Water Daoist glared at Wu Tong and scoffed. Wu Tong shut his mouth awkwardly and said no more. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this guy to be so generous, throwing out more than thirty Small Thunder Talismans just like that. Great courage,¡± Qi Yuan commented. ¡°It¡¯s just relying on his rich estate,¡± Yan Li snorted. ¡°Having money is also an ability. Besides, this person¡¯s movement technique is not bad, and he can even walk on water. He¡¯s not solely dependant on talismans. Anyway, the task here is over. Let¡¯s go back, Yan Li,¡± Qi Yuan shook his head and said. While the others were talking, the Ouyang three heroes of the Lin family silently retreated to the distance, seemingly intending to go somewhere other than the Red Leaf Town. Chapter 242 - Chapter 242: Chapter 240: Ghost Wailing Ring Chapter 242: Chapter 240: Ghost Wailing Ring After leaving Lishui River, Shen Luo went to Red Leaf Town first, informed Old Sun that the ghosts had been driven away, and then, despite Old Sun¡¯s eager invitation to stay, immediately headed towards Jianye City. To avoid any problems, he left the town immediately, putting his Slanting Moon Steps into swift motion. He hadn¡¯t run very far when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. Shen Luo was taken aback. The white moonlight under his feet shone brightly, and his figure blurred into obscurity. His body, accompanied by several afterimages, sidestepped away. The next moment, dozens of metres away, his figure appeared out of nowhere, a Thunderfall Talisman already in his hand, ready to be activated. But suddenly, he froze. Where he had originally stood, a white-faced scholar appeared, a faint smile on his face. ¡°It turns out to be Senior Horse Face. You scared me,¡± Shen Luo said, feeling a sense of relief, putting down the Thunderfall Talisman in his hand. ¡°No wonder you dared to face the ghosts of the Grain Avoidance Stage head on. This is your ace in the hole. This footwork is also quite interesting,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face glanced at the Thunderfall Talisman in Shen Luo¡¯s hand, chuckled, and a profound expression appeared on his face. ¡°I see that you arrived first, Elder. Did you also come to exorcise the ghosts here?¡± Shen Luo gave a dry laugh and discreetly put away the Thunderfall Talisman. ¡°It is part of my duty, but since you have helped, I didn¡¯t need to show my hand,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said leisurely. ¡°It is my honor to help you, Elder. But why have ghost incidents around Jianye City been happening so frequently lately?¡± Shen Luo said with a slight smile, swiftly changing the topic. ¡°I am not sure either. I have reported it honestly, and it¡¯s currently under investigation. The most important thing now is to drive away these ghosts and maintain Jianye City¡¯s tranquility. Young Master Shen, would you like to lend me a hand?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face became serious, shook his head, then looked into Shen Luo¡¯s eyes and asked. ¡°Killing ghosts benefits the city and the people alike. I am willing to do it. However, my Small Thunder Talismans can only kill ordinary ghosts. These kinds of ghosts can be eliminated with a wave of Elder¡¯s hand. Do you really need me?¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me! The Thunder talisman I¡¯m referring to is not the small thunder talisman you just used to kill the drowned ghost, but the one you wanted to use against me just now.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face gave Shen Luo a look and said. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï Shen Luo smiled awkwardly and did not reply. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that talisman of yours should be a high-grade Thunder talisman, right? The power of thunder and lightning is the nemesis of ghosts. This talisman can certainly help me,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face continued. ¡°To tell the truth, this Thunderfall talisman is indeed quite powerful, but I only have two of them. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help Elder much,¡± Shen Luo sighed, not mentioning that he could draw Thunderfall talismans himself. ¡°Good kid, you dare to fleece a Yin God! What benefit do you want to agree to help? Just say it,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face laughed and teased when he saw the look on Shen Luo¡¯s face. ¡°Elder, you are a wealthy Yin god of the Underworld, with many treasures. I am not greedy. Just one item would suffice,¡± Shen Luo replied somewhat ambiguously with a chuckle. ¡°What a cunning boy, always looking out for his interests! Now that I look you over, aside from a few talismans, you don¡¯t have any talismanic instruments. Let me reward you with this Ghost Wailing Ring,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face scrutinized Shen Luo, then flipped his hand to bring out a palm-sized black ring and tossed it to Shen Luo. Shen Luo quickly caught it. This ring, however, was surprisingly heavy ¡ª much more than its size would suggest, and his hand immediately dipped under its weight. He grappled to steady it. But instead of being startled, he examined the black ring with delight. The ring was pitch black and had a very simple style. There was a row of tiny runes engraved on it, which were emitting strands of black light. But there was no talisman paper to be seen. ¡°This Ghost Wailing Ring is a magical tool that I happened upon many years ago. Calling it a magic tool isn¡¯t quite accurate, strictly speaking; this item should be considered half-artifact,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face began. ¡°A half-artifact?¡± Shen Luo raised his eyebrows. ¡°Do you know what an artifact is?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard people say that it¡¯s a talismanic instrument that contains prohibitions,¡± Shen Luo flashed back to what Granny Ma had said in Dreamland, and replied. ¡°That¡¯s not wrong. Essentially, there isn¡¯t much difference between an artifact and a talismanic instrument. It¡¯s just that the materials used for talismanic instruments are too poor to withstand the power of prohibitions, so various talismans have to be attached, and they rely on the power of the talismans to fight the enemy. This Ghost Wailing Ring is made from the bones of an earth rotting ghost at the Grain Avoidance Stage, more than enough to form an artifact. Therefore, the artifact refiner transformed the talisman into runes, engraved them on the Ghost Wailing Ring, and created this semi-artifact,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face nodded and explained. ¡°I see, so it can be done like this!¡± Shen Luo murmured in surprise after listening to this. ¡°Artifact refining is a truly magical path; there are many things you don¡¯t know! This Ghost Wailing Ring has the runes engraved on it, so it can be stimulated directly with mana like an artifact, and its power is far beyond ordinary talismanic instruments. But it does have its drawbacks, this ring requires a large amount of mana injected to activate it, thus the consumption is much greater than ordinary talismanic instruments. You can give it a try,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face continued. At these words, Shen Luo¡¯s face lit up with delight, then immediately he revealed a worried expression. He gripped the Ghost Wailing Ring, running mana into it. A layer of black light appeared on the surface of the Ghost Wailing Ring, but that was all. He increased the injection of mana, and the black light on the ring started to brighten and the originally heavy Ghost Wailing Ring suddenly became light. With a hum, the black light on the Ghost Wailing Ring converged, condensing into a basin-sized, pitch-black ghost head. ¡°Go!¡± Shen Luo, his eyes shining with an unusual light, swung the Ghost Wailing Ring and struck it towards a large maple tree in the void in front of him. The ghost head immediately opened its mouth wide, issuing a piercing wailing sound, and a black sound wave, like dense fog, was sprayed out from its mouth, shooting forwards. The black sound wave, seemingly immaterial yet containing a wave of sharp energy, left a deep mark on the ground as it passed, covering several meters instantly and hit the large maple tree. The large maple tree shook violently with a loud rumble. Within the range of the black sound wave, the small branches and leaves instantly exploded and turned into tiny specks of dust. The thick trunk was not shattered, but its bark split open, revealing the pale trunk within which countless fine cracks appeared. The entire tree trembled for a good while before finally coming to a stop. Seeing this, Shen Luo was both shocked and thrilled. This Ghost Wailing Ring indeed consumed quite a bit of mana, almost several times more than his previous small gray fork, but the attack effect made him feel it was worth the expense. Chapter 243 - Chapter 243: Chapter 241: The Number One Guest Official Chapter 243: Chapter 241: The Number One Guest Official ¡°Thank you, Senior Horse Face, for the gift. Rest assured, I will devote myself entirely to helping you eradicate the ghost menace in Jianye City.¡± Shen Luo kept the Ghost Wailing Ring, bowed to Ma Mian in gratitude, and solemnly pledged his commitment. Ma Mian, gratified, took something out of his bosom and threw it over. Shen Luo hastily caught it and found it to be a small black tablet, seemingly made of some type of bone. Carved on it were gleaming bone-white runes in a circle which emitted a sense of mystique. ¡°This is a Messaging Token. Keep it with you at all times. I will use it to contact you whenever necessary,¡± Ma Mian said. Curiosity flashed across Shen Luo¡¯s face. He had read about such communication tools in the classics of Mount Fangcun. They could exchange messages over long distances. However, he had not seen such a miraculous item in either the Bai family or the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. He didn¡¯t expect Ma Mian to produce one casually. ¡°How do I operate this?¡± Shen Luo fiddled with the black tablet and asked. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about how to operate it. Just receive my message well.¡± Ma Mian replied. Despite feeling somewhat disappointed, Shen Luo nodded in agreement. ¡°Also, our relationship must not be revealed to others. It won¡¯t do you any good. After you¡¯ve helped me restore peace in Jianye City, I will give you another opportunity.¡± Ma Mian seriously warned. ¡°Senior, rest assured, the junior knows his place.¡± Shen Luo rejoiced inwardly, reassuring once again. Without saying anything else, Ma Mian vanished into thin air. Shen Luo examined the Messaging Token again, carefully tucked it away, and didn¡¯t linger there any longer. He set off towards Jianye City and soon arrived near the city walls. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? Ever since the incidents of ghosts injuring people had become frequent in Jianye City, they would tightly shut the city gate as soon as the sun went down. Any entry and exit were banned, and a curfew was enforced on the streets. But such a high wall couldn¡¯t stop Shen Luo. He conjured a water rope using the Water-control Technique, and casually scaled the city wall, entering Jianye city and returning to the Bai family. He had assumed that at this hour, everyone in the Bai Family would be asleep. But contrary to his expectations, the accounting department was brightly lit, and quite a few Guest Officials had gathered to complete their tasks. However, their expressions varied greatly; almost half of them looked dejected. Some even had injuries, indicating that their tasks hadn¡¯t gone smoothly. Shen Luo easily spotted Chu Li, the bald man who had ridiculed him earlier. His face was covered in bruises; he looked utterly defeated. ¡°Oh, Chu Daoist friend, didn¡¯t you go to carry out the task in You Shui Village? Were the ghosts there that fierce that they injured you so badly?¡± The young man surnamed Feng clapped his folding fan shut and asked. ¡°Feng Ling, just shut up. I¡¯ve been screwed over by Tie Shan from the Lin family. He took advantage of my fight with the fierce ghost to use a Mountain-Breaking Treaty for an attack. Not only did he snatch my task, but he also injured me.¡± Chu Li glared at him, his words full of anger. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry. I also encountered the Lin family¡¯s people today. But I didn¡¯t let them take advantage. I snatched their task and even had a good time fooling them around. I suppose I¡¯ve taken revenge for you.¡± Feng Ling unfolded his fan and laughed lightly. Hearing Feng Ling¡¯s words, Chu Li didn¡¯t feel any better; instead, his heart filled with even more anger. Feng Ling¡¯s remarks were clearly intended to belittle him whilst raising the former¡¯s own prestige. He clearly didn¡¯t have any good intentions. Just then, the crowd suddenly started murmuring. A beautiful woman in red, covered in dust as if she just returned from a journey, walked in. It was Xie Yuxin. The people in front quickly made way. Xie Yuxin walked slowly to the task table and waved her hand. With a click, a broken gray jade pendant was thrown onto the table, emanating an alarming amount of Yin Qi. Shen Luo, standing at a distance, narrowed his gaze. The Yin Qi on this gray jade pendant was even stronger than the one on his broken red sleeve. ¡°The ghost injuring people in Righteous Village to the west of the city has been eradicated,¡± Xie Yuxin said calmly. ¡°I heard that the ghost in that village had almost reached the Grain Avoidance Stage. Looking at her calm demeanor and her tidy clothes, it seems that she killed it with ease.¡± ¡°Worthy of being the number one Guest Official of the Bai family. Incredible¡­!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, this is her second time completing a task today, isn¡¯t it?¡± The nearby guests remarked in admiration. Hearing the people around him, Shen Luo gained a deeper understanding of Xie Yuxin¡¯s strength. ¡°Alright, alright! Please wait a moment. We¡¯re about to deal with it.¡± The two Bai family stewards behind the table showed respect. One took out the task book to register the task. The other quickly went to the inner hall and soon returned with a jade box, which he handed to Xie Yuxin. ¡°Retainer Xie, this is your reward for this task. Please accept it.¡± Xie Yuxin opened a crack in the jade box and took a peek inside. A slight smile appeared on her cold face as if a ten-thousand-year ice mountain had slightly melted, leaving everyone around in a daze. The next moment, however, her expression reverted to its usual indifference. She kept the jade box and turned to check the task list again. It seemed like she wanted to assign a new task. At this point, Shen Luo didn¡¯t stand at a distance watching anymore; he stepped forward and walked over. Seeing Shen Luo coming, Chu Li was immediately buoyant. The face he had lost just now could be regained. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the great Retainer Shen? I remember that you took up the Red Leaf Town task, how did you return so quickly?¡± Chu Li called out loudly. ¡°Hey, it indeed is Shen Luo. He came back surprisingly quickly.¡± ¡°He must have failed the task. I heard that the three Ouyang heroes from the Lin family also went to do the task in Red Leaf Town. Those guys are not easy to deal with.¡± ¡°Serves him right. With his strength, he dared to challenge the task of Red Leaf Town. Just the fact that he was able to return alive should be considered as luck.¡± The others near them also saw Shen Luo and started discussing amongst themselves. The tones were mostly sarcastic. ¡°Shen Luo, do you now realize the gap between our Jianye City and the countryside you used to live in? Don¡¯t think that by pleasing the two young masters, you¡¯ll be able to get by in the Bai family.¡± Chu Li looked at Shen Luo, clouds of self-confidence in his eyes. He sneered. Shen Luo disregarded him and walked to the task table, extracting the broken sleeve from his bosom. ¡°The task of Red Leaf Town has been completed. This is the proof,¡± he calmly stated. As soon as his words ended, the nearby chatter abruptly ceased, and all eyes were focused on both Shen Luo and the broken red sleeve. Chu Li stood there dumbfounded. The mocking expression froze on his face, making him look rather comical. Xie Yuxin, who was checking a task at one side, noticed the commotion here. She also turned her gaze in this direction. The Bai family stewards behind the table blinked at first, then checked the piece of sleeve. ¡°It appears to be a ghost¡¯s Yin Qi core, but we need to confirm if it¡¯s the one from the Red Leaf Town task,¡± one Bai family steward raised his head and commented. ¡°Confirmation is needed? Just now when Retainer Xie handed in her task, why didn¡¯t you confirm it and yet directly gave her the reward?¡± Unable to suppress his frown, Shen Luo asked. Chapter 244 - Chapter 244: Chapter 242: Unexpected Chapter 244: Chapter 242: Unexpected Upon hearing Shen Luo¡¯s words, Xie Yuxin, who was reviewing tasks nearby, couldn¡¯t help but frown and look over. ¡°Well¡­ Retainer Xie has a high level of cultivation and is always meticulous in his actions. Today is already the second time he has submitted a task, so there is no need for verification. On the other hand, there is still a need for a slight verification on your side. It¡¯s just a procedure, nothing troublesome.¡± The Bai Family¡¯s Steward quickly reassured. ¡°Can you even compare yourself to Retainer Xie? Steward, you had better investigate carefully! This red cloth may have been picked up by him, and we can¡¯t let him get through by deception.¡± Chu Li, who had reacted, stepped forward and said. ¡°We will verify the completion of everyone¡¯s tasks. We won¡¯t let anyone slip through the cracks, nor will we treat anyone unfairly.¡± The Bai Family¡¯s Steward looked at Chu Li and said calmly. Upon hearing these words, a flash of anger appeared in Chu Li¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Rest assured, Retainer Shen, this is a normal procedure. If you indeed completed the task, we will send the task reward to your residence.¡± Another steward then spoke to Shen Luo, somewhat apologetically. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you both.¡± Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo nodded, slightly bowed to them with a fist-palm salute, turned around and walked towards his residence. Seeing Shen Luo leave, Xie Yuxin also withdrew her gaze. Those who had completed their tasks didn¡¯t mind, but the few people who returned empty-handed today were all like Chu Li. They were unwilling to believe that Shen Luo had truly completed the task, and looked at his departing figure with suspicion in their eyes. Just at this moment, two figures appeared in the distance and walked over side by side. It was the White Water Daoist and Wu Tong. ¡°Daoist Master White Water, Wu Tong Fellow Daoist, if I recall correctly, both of you had also undertaken the Red Leaf Town¡¯s task. How did it go? Is it completed yet? Who did it?¡± Chu Li immediately went up to greet them and asked. White Water Daoist and Wu Tong looked at each other with gloomy faces and said nothing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Could it really be Shen Luo?¡± Feng Ling waved his folding fan and asked with some disbelief. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Chu Li also looked over, his eyes twitching slightly and a trace of unease passed over his face. ¡°That¡¯s right, it was indeed Shen Luo who did it.¡± White Water Daoist sighed lightly and admitted reluctantly. When these words came out, the few people who had previously questioned Shen Luo were immediately stunned. ¡°It was really him, how is this possible!¡± Someone exclaimed after a while. ¡°Yes, wasn¡¯t it said that he is only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining? I heard that the strength of the ghost in Red Leaf Town is at least equivalent to a qi refining late-stage cultivator!¡± ¡°Could this guy have some other means?¡± ¡°How is it possible¡­¡± Chu Li felt a burning sensation on his face, mumbling a word in disbelief. ¡°White Water Daoist, Wu Tong, did you see clearly how Shen Luo killed the ghost in Red Leaf Town?¡± At this time, a cold voice rang out, it was Xie Yuxin walking over. ¡°Here¡¯s what happened, after Wu Daoist and I arrived at Red Leaf Town¡­¡± White Water Daoist immediately recounted the process of Shen Luo killing the female ghost in red. ¡°Oh, so it was through the power of talismans.¡± Xie Yuxin revealed a hint of disappointment after listening. She initially thought that Shen Luo had hidden his strength and developed a bit of interest in him. But when she heard that he was just someone who relied heavily on talismans, that spark of interest vanished. She turned around and continued looking at the task list. After Shen Luo returned to his residence, he closed his eyes and rested for a while. After recovering his Mana, he impatiently rose and walked into the courtyard. He took out the Ghost Wailing Ring from his chest and looked at it for a few moments, unable to hide the smile on his face. He became jubilant. The mission to Red Leaf Town was originally for the Fire Scale Wood, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to use quite a few Small Thunder Talismans, which he was a little heartbroken about. However, due to an unexpected encounter with Soul Hook Horse Face, he obtained this Ghost Wailing Ring, and it became the biggest reward of the mission. Although this ring is not a real magical instrument, it¡¯s definitely more convenient to use than ordinary Talismanic Instruments. If it can be controlled properly, it can be an additional powerful attack method. Whether it¡¯s to assist Ma Mian in exorcising ghosts, or facing any strong enemy, it would be of great help. While contemplating, he began to infuse Mana into the Ghost Wailing Ring. In a short while, a black light flashed on the ring, forming a black ghostly shadow the size of a washbasin. He continued to infuse Mana, the ghost projection grew bigger and more solid, until it grew to the size of a millstone before stopping. The ghost projection now had a single horn growing out of its forehead and had a ferocious appearance. Compared to the initial attempt, it was much more solid, but it also consumed almost a fifth of his Mana. Shen Luo took a deep breath, gripped the Ghost Wailing Ring tightly, and waved it forcefully towards a small artificial mountain in the courtyard. Accompanied by a ghostly wail, a black sound wave erupted out from the mouth of the ghost¡¯s projection, covering a distance of more than ten yards in an instant and striking a fake mountain not far away. With a ¡®boom¡¯! The fake mountain, which was two to three yards high, trembled violently. The area hit by the sound wave exploded and disintegrated, with dust swirling and flying about. Shen Luo considered it for a moment, holding the Ghost Wailing Ring in his palm. Once again, he swung his hand and another black sound wave shot out with a ghostly wail. The sound wave transformed into a black sonic blade, about a yard long, and in a flash, it cut through another intact artificial mountain. With a ¡®plop¡¯! The artificial mountain, as if made of paper mache, was easily split in two by the black sonic blade. The upper half fell to the ground with a bang, stirring up a cloud of dust. Shen Luo nodded in satisfaction and then stopped. Operating this semi-magical instrument, which is similar to a Talismanic Instrument, simply required practice. Because of his experience with using magical instruments in Dreamland, he managed to understand how to use the Ghost Wailing Ring after a short attempt. This ring is much stronger than the Small Thunder Talisman, but it consumes a lot of Mana. The advantage is that it can be used repeatedly, so it¡¯s a pretty practical offensive tool. Although it can¡¯t match the powerful force of the Thunderfall Talisman, given his current pitiful Mana, he can probably only stimulate one. So, it can only be used as a trump card at a critical moment. ¡°It seems my cultivation level is still too low. At this rate, even if I have a magical instrument, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it.¡± Shen Luo thought to himself, turned and went back into the house, falling onto the bed and soon falling fast asleep. He had spent the night on the run, exorcising ghosts, and practicing with the Ghost Wailing Ring. He was just too tired. When Shen Luo woke up, it was already afternoon on the third day. He got up and extended his body a bit, went out to fetch several buckets of water to fill the wooden bucket in the room, and then sat cross-legged inside, operating the Nameless Cultivation Technique and began cultivating. Not long after, a knock on the door sounded from outside. He furrowed his brows, reluctantly interrupting his cultivation, got up, opened the courtyard door, and saw a middle-aged man dressed like a steward standing outside. ¡°Retainer Shen, we have already thoroughly investigated the task of Red Leaf Town; it was indeed you who expelled the ghost. This is your reward, please take a look.¡± The man, quite respectful in his attitude, held out a long white jade box with both hands and handed it over. Chapter 245 - Chapter 245: 243 Chapter 245: 243 Shen Luo reached out to grab the jade box, once open, he found a foot-long piece of red wood lying in the box. The wood grain was delicate, the surface exuding a flame-like red light, and a scorching heat hit his face. ¡°Nice, it¡¯s Fire Scale Wood! Thanks a lot¡±, Shen Luo thanked with a smile. ¡°These are all rightfully yours. I wonder where you plan to complete the task next? I can recommend some for you.¡± asked the Middle-aged man with a smile. ¡°Not at the moment, I have other things to deal with.¡± Shen Luo shook his head. Although the ghost hunting tasks issued by the Government Official offered rich rewards, he didn¡¯t currently need Immortal Jade. Furthermore, his cultivation level was too low. Even with a thunderfall talisman, the risk of carrying out tasks was high. It would be safer to focus on his cultivation while waiting for Senior Horse Face¡¯s call. According to his guess, the work that Gouhun Horse Face wanted to do is probably the same ghost to be exorcised by the Government Official ¨C there¡¯s no conflict between the two. Disappointment flashed on the Middle-aged man¡¯s face, but he said nothing and soon bid his farewell. ¡°The Bai Family seems keen on making us, the Retainers, do more tasks. It seems there might be more involved in this exorcism task issued by the Government Official.¡± Shen Luo retured to his room, secretly guessing. However, these matters had little to do with him. He didn¡¯t think too much about it. He looked at the jade box in his hand and his face was lit up with a smile again. ¡°With the main material, Fire Scale Wood, on hand, besides finding a kind of Spirit Fire to match with the main material, I just need to gather a few auxiliary materials, and then I can try to condense the Pure Yang Sword Embryo.¡± Unfortunately, Spirit Fire is hard to find, and it¡¯s not easy to gather the other auxiliary materials. He had already asked Manager Ma to keep an eye on it for him, but still received no news. Shen Luo shook his head, put the jade box into the stone box, and intended to continue cultivating. At this moment, a heat wave came from his waist, he took out something from his bosom, it was the Messaging Token that Horse Face gave him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï ¡°It¡¯s coming so soon! If the ghost unrest in Jianye isn¡¯t solved, I won¡¯t be able to cultivate in peace.¡± Shen Luo muttered to himself before carefully examined the item in his hand. The side of the Messaging Token that was engraved with the rune turned pitch black, and a line of white small characters appeared on it: Come to Liugong Bridge after dark. ¡°Liugong Bridge, it seems to be in the west of the city.¡± Shen Luo murmured. The bridge is said to be named after the pseudonym of a distinguished scholar, Mr. Liugong, from the previous dynasty. When Bai Xiaotian took him around the city earlier, they passed by this place, so he had a bit of impression on it. ¡°I seem to have seen this place name on the task list.¡± He thought for a while, and then walked to the accounting room. At this time, the sun was almost setting, and most of the retainers who had gone out to complete the tasks had not yet returned. Only two or three were here, as for the others, they were mostly the children of the Bai family coming to watch the fun. Shen Luo came to the front of the crowd, looked at the task list, and quickly browsed it. ¡°As expected!¡± His gaze stopped at a spot on the list, the corresponding task location was near Liugong Bridge, and the task was that there were ghosts appearing at an abandoned temple near the old bridge at night, which had already harmed many passersby. This task rewarded Immortal Jade, as much as thirty pieces, which was one of the most rewarding tasks on the list. Thus, the difficulty might not be small. ¡°It seems that this is the right one. Since the Bai family also has this task here, I should take advantage of this.¡± Shen Luo¡¯s gaze fell on the task of Liugong Bridge, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Did you hear? They said that yesterday more than ten people from the Lin and Du families went to take up the task of Liugong Bridge. Apparently, a few people died right after the confrontation, and although the others managed to escape, their injuries were not light.¡± Shen Luo was about to turn around when he heard someone discussing. ¡°Gentlemen, do you know the details of the confrontation between the Lin and Du families and the ghost yesterday?¡± Shen Luo asked as he stopped. ¡°What? Are you thinking of taking this task?¡± One of the retainers nearby raised his eyebrow and asked. Shen Luo saw the unhappy expression on his face, so he lost interest, smiled and didn¡¯t reply, and turned to leave. ¡°Just because he luckily completed the task at Red Leaf Town, he thinks he¡¯s so skillful. He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s dealing with.¡± The man sneered as Shen Luo turned around to leave. ¡°Well, I think he does have some strength.¡± ¡­ After those three retainers sparked off the discussion, the onlookers joined and started to comment. The comments were more skeptical than appreciative. Shen Luo, hearing all sorts of discussions behind him, did not pay much attention, and went straight back to his residence. It was already evening now. He took out the Messaging Token, looked it over twice and then held it tightly and infused mana into it, but there was no reaction from the black token. Undaunted, he ran the Ninety-Nine Wealth Technique hoping to refine the token, but still, the black token showed no change. ¡°It appears this requires a specific method to unlock.¡± Shen Luo reluctantly gave up trying, put away the token, picked up the Storage Stone Box, and took out all the talismans inside to carefully count them again. This ghost was obviously not easy to handle. Although Horse Face was leading, he had to be fully prepared himself. He had drawn quite a few Small Thunder Talismans a while ago. About half were used in Red Leaf Town, and there were still about forty left, along with five exorcism charms and two Thunderfall Talismans. ¡°After completing this task, it appears I have to make some more.¡± Shen Luo contemplated in his heart and carefully put these talismans easy-to-reach places in his sleeve. After leaving the courtyard, he didn¡¯t go through the main gate. He jumped over the wall and left Bai Mansion, heading straight west of the city and soon reached a small river. An ancient stone bridge spanned across the small river. Two rows of tall evergreens were planted on both sides of the riverbank. Although it was deep autumn, the leaves were still dense, making the old bridge look unusually dark and deep. The sky had no moon today. Because of the ghost problem, people in the city hid in their homes after dark. There were not even any dogs around the old bridge. The evening breeze blew over the bridge, making a wooing sound, which was quite scary. He glanced around several times, store the surrounding environment in his mind, and turned back to look at the old bridge again. To his surprise, a white figure was standing on the old bridge, unwittingly. ¡°Senior Horse Face, you should¡¯ve said something when you arrived. You came out of nowhere and gave me a fright.¡± Shen Luo saw the figure clearly and breathed a sigh of relief while complaining. ¡°Stop prattling. Follow me.¡± Gouhun Horse Face said to Shen Luo, then turned around and walked towards the other side of the old bridge. Shen Luo lightly smacked his lips and followed. Across Liugong Bridge was a desolate area. It was uninhabited, but there was a dilapidated temple sitting lonely in the area. It was surrounded by weeds, growing as tall as half a person. Gouhun Horse Face and Shen Luo crossed the bridge one after another and headed towards the temple. Chapter 246 - Chapter 246: Chapter 244: The Deserted Temple Chapter 246: Chapter 244: The Deserted Temple At a distance of twenty or thirty feet from the temple, Ma Mian suddenly halted. ¡°Senior Horse Face, the ghost we are dealing with is in this temple, right?¡± Shen Luo also stopped and glanced at the temple not far away, asking. Without turning around or speaking, the Soul Hook Horse Face just nodded. ¡°Why did we stop then? Is the ghost inside the temple challenging?¡± Although Shen Luo expressed such concern, he wasn¡¯t too worried. According to his observation at Zhenhuai Bridge, although Soul Hook Horse Face¡¯s cultivation level can¡¯t compare with that a thousand years later, it is at least at the late Grain Avoidance stage. Whether it has reached the Soul Condensation Stage, he couldn¡¯t ascertain. However, being a Yin Chai ghost who excels at subduing ghosts, as long as the ghost in this temple hasn¡¯t reached the Soul Condensation Stage, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem. ¡°It¡¯s just a ghost at the Qi Refining stage, but it has developed some spiritual wisdom and is good at hiding. The moment it senses my approach, it immediately hides. This gives me a bit of a headache, hence I called you for assistance.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face confessed, turning back and glancing meaningfully at Shen Luo. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t tell me you want me to lure it out? Although it might not be powerful to you, it¡¯s different for me. I¡¯m barely at the Qi Refining Stage!¡± Shen Luo couldn¡¯t help but cry out. ¡°Why are you so worried before I finish my speech? Listen, you will first enter the temple and lure out the ghost. As soon as it approaches you, activate this talisman. This would help temporarily trap it, and I will immediately appear and kill it.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face shot a glare and took out a black talisman from his bosom and handed it over. The talisman was etched with a spider-web-like pattern and emitted a faint fluctuation of mana. ¡°Aren¡¯t you still using me as a bait? What if this talisman doesn¡¯t function when needed, or if the ghost can¡¯t be trapped and you¡¯re late to appear, I would be in danger! How about you give me something more for protection?¡± Shen Luo took the black talisman and started complaining. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I, being a ghost, don¡¯t know the affairs of the world. You have accepted the government¡¯s task, right? A ghost at the Grain Avoidance stage would offer a good reward! There¡¯s a saying in the world that risks are the price one pays for opportunity. You want the reward but don¡¯t want to take any risks?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face snorted, speaking grudgingly. ¡°Okay, when you take action, you must be quick!¡± Seeing this, Shen Luo had no choice but to brace himself and agree. ¡°Rest assured.¡± After Soul Hook Horse Face spoke, his body shimmered and disappeared into thin air. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã? Shen Luo took a deep breath, affixed an exorcism charm to his chest, and then tightly gripped the black talisman in one hand while holding the Ghost Wailing Ring in front of him with the other. Then, he began to move forward. This seemingly short distance felt like a tremendous journey for him. He would stop every three steps, rest every five steps, looking around nervously. The more he approached the temple gate, the more apprehensive he became, fearing that the ghost would suddenly appear before he could react and Ma Mian could appear in time. This was a bona fide Grain Avoidance Stage ghost, unlike the Qi Refining Peak female ghost he encountered some time ago. After all, once a ghost reached the Grain Avoidance stage, its strength would undergo a drastic change compared to the Qi Refining Stage. Any negligence on his part could lead to severe consequences. Moreover, judging from the reward amount, this ghost is probably more than just the initial stage of Grain Avoidance. Otherwise, the Lin and Du families would not have sent more than ten people who were killed or injured. He did not believe that his Small Thunder Talisman and Ghost Wailing Ring could really stop the other party. Despite having the Thunderfall Talisman within him, it does not guarantee a successful hit, and he was not keen on using this trump card recklessly. Just as Shen Luo was lost in thought, having walked about seventeen or eighteen feet, a sudden gust of night wind whooshed by, rustling the weeds at the temple door. Shen Luo¡¯s heart shivered violently. He immediately raised the black talisman and the Ghost Wailing Ring in his hands, directing them at the front bushes. After a long wait, there was no abnormality in front of him, and it was just a false alarm. ¡°Forget it, if it¡¯s good luck, it won¡¯t be a disaster. If it is a disaster, you can¡¯t hide from it. Let¡¯s do it!¡± Shen Luo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, steeled his nerves, and stepped forward. He soon arrived at the temple door. The entrance of this temple was very wide. The pair of dilapidated doors hung there, swaying. Shen Luo pushed but the gate creaked and did not open. It seemed to be bolted from inside. Just as he was about to exert more strength, a voice came from inside: ¡°Who goes there?¡± Shen Luo was taken aback. He was told that many people had died here due to the hidden ghost. How could someone be inside? While he was thinking, he gripped the Ghost Wailing Ring but did not answer. Footsteps approached from inside. The gate creaked and opened. A young monk in a yellow robe appeared inside. He looked to be only in his early twenties, quite young, but his expression was somewhat dull. He looked at Shen Luo and asked: ¡°May I ask what brings you here?¡± ¡°As far as I know, this temple has been abandoned. There aren¡¯t any monks living here. Furthermore, there has recently been a ghost lurking around. Aren¡¯t you afraid to die by staying here?¡± Shen Luo also glanced at the young monk. After confirming that there was no ghostly qi around him and that he was a living person, he sighed a sigh of relief and asked solemnly. ¡°Haunted? I just arrived at Jianye city yesterday. I hung out at this abandoned temple and have not heard of any hauntings.¡± The young monk stammered in panic. ¡°I, Shen Luo from the Jianye Bai Family, am here to capture the ghost on the government¡¯s order. If you value your life, leave this place promptly.¡± Shen Luo frowned and said. ¡°So, you are the Immortal Master. I will inform my senior brothers, and we will soon leave this place¡­¡± After giving a bow to Shen Luo, the young monk turned around and ran to the far end. Without paying any mind to him, Shen Luo stepped into the temple. Perhaps the sight of a living person slightly eased his tension. From here, he could see an area like a square and an already dry lotus pond inside. The road leading to the Hall of Heavenly Kings was overgrown with weeds, and half of the bell towers, drum towers, and corridors on both sides had already collapsed. The view of what lay beyond was obscured, but from the faintly visible eaves and temple corners in the distance, it was clear that the temple was not small. Shen Luo paused a little at the entrance before stepping into the temple. Standing in front of the square, he glanced around and didn¡¯t notice any ghosts, causing him to frown with worry about how to draw out the ghost. Stir things up and attract its attention? He quickly shook his head, ruling out that idea. With the intelligence and cunning of this ghost, if it sensed that he was deliberately setting a trap, it would probably not come out. The safest approach would still be to pose as an ordinary explorer and bait it. Chapter 247 - Chapter 247: Chapter 245: Ancient Tower in the Temple Chapter 247: Chapter 245: Ancient Tower in the Temple With this thought, Shen Luo stepped into the Hall of Heavenly Kings directly in front of him. Inside the hall stood a damaged Buddha statue. The left and right areas where the Four Heavenly Kings should have guarded, were now only a pile of broken stones and rubble. The floors were covered with dust, and many spider webs hung from the ceilings and walls. It looked like it had been abandoned for many years. He walked around the hall without finding anything unusual. Then he turned around to leave, entering the bell tower on the side. Soon, Shen Luo had completely checked the buildings in the first courtyard. However, there were no anomalies, and the ghost didn¡¯t appear. He didn¡¯t stay there. He continued along the passage on the side of the square, heading deeper into the temple. A moment later, Shen Luo emerged from the relatively well-preserved Mahavira Hall, his face as usual, yet a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. Just now, he had almost finished checking this second courtyard which served as the core area of the temple. But he didn¡¯t find the ghost creature, not even a faint trace of ghostly Qi. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t seen any signs of a fight in the temple. If he hadn¡¯t heard about what happened with the guest officials from the Lin and Du families yesterday, he would have thought that no one had been here at all. ¡°Did the ghost creature detect Soul Hook Ma Mian and hid itself early? However, Ma Mian should have anticipated this and wouldn¡¯t have exposed himself so easily,¡± Shen Luo speculated in his heart. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just do my part. Whether that ghost creature shows up or not, let¡¯s leave it to fate,¡± he muttered to himself. Bypassing the Mahavira Hall, he continued deeper into the temple. There were a few final buildings left to investigate. These should be places like the lecture hall, the sutra hall and the meditation room. The rushing footsteps echoed from the front. Two yellow-robed monks ran over, one of whom was the young monk who had opened the door for him. The other was an older monk who looked to be in his thirties or forties. ¡°Immortal Master, help us!¡± Both men looked frightened, and the young monk screamed when he saw Shen Luo, sprinting towards him. ¡°What happened? Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± Shen Luo frowned slightly. ¡°We planned to leave, but when we passed a gray tower ahead, there was a woman¡¯s cry from inside. One of my senior brothers suddenly stopped and went into the tower. No matter how we yelled and pulled, he didn¡¯t stop. The ghost you mentioned might be there. We beg you, Immortal Master, to subdue the ghost and save my senior brother,¡± said the young monk as he pressed his hands together in a bow. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï ¡°We beg of you, Immortal Master,¡± said the middle-aged monk, who appeared quite steady. ¡°Oh, take me to have a look,¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°Please follow us, Immortal Master,¡± Both monks breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Shen Luo¡¯s agreement, leading the way. The three of them moved forward until they arrived at the last courtyard, where a three-story gray tower building stood before them. This gray tower did not appear to be unusual. Half of the top had crumbled, and the tower wall was peeling off in places. The tower body also seemed to tilt a little. Shen Luo stood still and listened. He didn¡¯t notice the crying woman that the young monk had mentioned; instead, he saw a gray tower quietly standing in the night. ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± the young monk pointed at the gray tower and said. Shen Luo took a couple of glances at the tower before proceeding. ¡°Immortal Master, we¡¯ll go with you,¡± the two monks caught up to him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Shen Luo glanced at the two of them. ¡°Of course, we are. But our Senior Brother is inside. How could we let you take risks alone?¡± the young monk said. ¡°Suit yourselves,¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t stop them and stepped into the tower. The conditions inside the tower were similar to those of the great hall he had previously explored. There was dust everywhere. Two smaller Buddha statues sat inside, one of which was shattered and the other was tilted down on the ground. After a quick scan of his surroundings, he stepped onto the staircase inside the tower and ascended to the second floor of the gray tower amidst the creaking sounds. The situation on the second floor was similar to the first. There were also two statues here, still intact and erect. Beyond that, there was nothing special. The stairway leading to the third floor had collapsed, making it impossible to ascend. Even if he could get upstairs, much of the third floor had collapsed and was no longer safe to stand on. Even the floor of the second floor had several large holes, and the creaking sound underfoot suggested that it might collapse at any moment. Shen Luo was considering whether he should find a way to go up and have a look. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± A wavering voice suddenly came from behind him. When the voice reached his ears, Shen Luo¡¯s entire body stiffened instantly. His skin tightened, and the pores on his body stood straight up. He spun around like lightning, raising both hands in readiness to activate the talisman in them, but there was only an empty space behind him, nothing at all. Seeing this, Shen Luo¡¯s face turned puzzled. But at that moment, two large green, black hands reached from behind him and pressed on his shoulders. At the same time, his waist tightened, and two more black hands reached around and gripped him tightly. It was the two monks who had been by his side. The two of them had somehow turned into green and black zombies. With a blood basin that was dripping yellow fluid, their mouths sprung open and lunged towards Shen Luo. Though he was startled, he didn¡¯t panic. Instead, his expression became severe. Suddenly sucking in a deep breath, Shen Luo¡¯s body made a crackling sound. His body astonishingly shrunk by a whole size, then he sprang up swiftly like a slippery fish, breaking free instantly from the two pairs of big hands, and landed a dozen feet away, his face paling. What Shen Luo had just displayed, was a bone-shrinking technique from the Huangting Technique. Although he could not practice the Huangting Technique in reality, he had advanced this skill to its ultimate stage in the Dreamland. Hence, he could barely perform such a simple physical trick. However, his real-world body hadn¡¯t been toughened by the Huangting Technique, and performing these moves was quite burdensome for him. Shen Luo glanced at the two stunned zombie monks. A touch of severity flashed in his eyes as he lifted his hand holding the Ghost Wailing Ring, about to strike. However, in that moment, he sensed a sharp gust of wind at his side. Without turning his head, he spurred his mind. His feet glowed brightly as he took a step forward. His silhouette suddenly blurred, and he sprang more than two yards toward the left. Glancing back, he got a scare. Where he had just stood, there was now a waif-like figure with loose hair and a whitish form, with green and purple skin and bulging, white eyes. A long, blood-red tongue hung from its mouth down to its waist, looking horrendously creepy. This ghost creature had its arms bent forward, and the clawed fingers measured inches long, flickering intermittently. Shen Luo broke into a cold sweat. Had he not reacted swiftly, he might have had two transparent holes ripped through him. Chapter 248 - Chapter 248: Chapter 246 Hanging Ghost Chapter 248: Chapter 246 Hanging Ghost The long-tongued ghost missed its strike, smirked in a cruel and gleeful manner, and transformed its figure into a fog-like vague white shadow, continuing to pounce on Shen Luo. Shen Luo had no time to take any other action and once again dodged urgently using the Slanting Moon Steps. However, the white ghost shadow immediately twisted and followed him like a bone maggot, as did the two zombie monks, cornering him so he had nowhere to escape. The only thing Shen Luo could do was to execute Slanting Moon Steps to the fullest to maintain a slight distance from them. He had no time nor opportunity to activate the Black Talisman and Ghost Wailing Ring in his hand. The long-tongued ghost made several attempts to grab Shen Luo, but failed each time. Then, its drooping long tongue suddenly raised stiffly, like a red crossbow bolt, shimmering and reaching behind Shen Luo in an instant. Shen Luo only felt the hair on his back standing upright. Despite his best attempt to dodge using Slanting Moon Steps, he couldn¡¯t escape altogether. His right leg was hit by the long tongue, first felt a sudden chill then lost all senses. His agile movements also became sluggish at once. Frightened, he took a glance around, dug his left leg on the ground vigorously, and moved his body to the right. The white shadow shimmered, the long-tongued ghost figure appeared out of nowhere above his head, its ghost claws exploded downwards. However, just at this moment, Shen Luo¡¯s figure suddenly disappeared into the void, leaving the long-tongued ghost clawing at nothing. The long-tongued ghost paused, its bulging eyes scanned the spot where Shen Luo disappeared. At the place where Shen Luo had stood, there was a large hole in the floor. He had fallen to the floor below through it. The long-tongued ghost growled, its figure blinked as it pounced on the big hole. At the same time, Shen Luo crashed heavily onto the ground floor of the Gray Tower structure, his body in pain, but a hint of joy appeared on his face. He finally had a breather! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.?¦Ï Failing to get up, he waved his right hand, clutching the Ghost Wailing Ring above the hole. The right-hand-held Ghost Wailing Ring emitted a bright black light, a black ghost head appeared from nothing and solidified fast. Then, its mouth opened wide, a black soundwave shot out, trapping the long-tongued ghost, which was pouncing down. The long-tongued ghost¡¯s body trembled and flew back, its body clad in black soundwaves started to disintegrate like smoke or fog. However, it stabilized very quickly, let out a sharp roar from its mouth, white fog substantial as a material came belching out of its body and intertwined with the black soundwave. The black soundwave stagnated for a moment, then disappeared in a flash. Moreover, an extremely cold breath oozed out of the fog. With it at the center, a layer of white frost started appearing everywhere on the first floor of the Gray Tower. The two zombie monks plunged down from the hole in the floor at this moment, but they were unluckily caught by the cold breath. A layer of frost appeared immediately on their bodies, making them fall to the ground, unable to move. Shen Luo felt the temperature around him drop sharply and his body become rigid quickly. The long-tongued ghost had transformed again into a foggy white shadow and pounced towards him, cold light flashing from its claws and a blood-red long tongue stiff and sharp like a sword poking out of its mouth. Shen Luo knew that it wouldn¡¯t be possible to get up or escape from the first layer in time. In desperation, he lifted his other hand holding a Black Talisman, madly infused his mana into it, then his palm flashed with black light. The Black Talisman ignited spontaneously with a ¡°Poo¡± sound. A black spider web the size of several feet appeared out of thin air, blocking in front of him. The long-tongued ghost couldn¡¯t stop in time and plunged into it. Without allowing this fierce ghost any other actions, the big web abruptly tightened, like catching a fish, trapping the long-tongued ghost inside. The Long Tongue Ghost struggled fiercely, and the white fog around its body began to attack the black giant net. The surface of the net quickly condensed with a layer of frost, showing signs of collapse. ¡°Senior Horse Face!¡± Shen Luo retreated swiftly, shouting loudly. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± A voice suddenly rang out. Shen Luo only felt a flash in the void before him, and the figure of the Soul Hook Horse Face appeared in a blink, beckoning with one hand. The black pen that he had used before manifested out of thin air, grew several times larger in the wind, transformed into a black gigantic pen several dozen feet in size, and shot out towards the Long Tongue Ghost. The bulging eyes of the Long Tongue Ghost were filled with terror. The white fog around its body stopped attacking the black net and immediately rolled upwards, turning into a white protective shield several feet thick, blocking its head. With a muffled ¡°boom¡±, the gigantic black pen fell on the white protective shield, causing the thick shield to explode and shatter instantly, completely unable to withstand a single hit. The speed of the falling giant pen did not decrease. It directly hit the top of the Long Tongue Ghost¡¯s head and passed through from top to bottom in a flash. With a ¡°puff¡±, the body of the Long Tongue Ghost exploded and transformed into countless white mists that drifted away. Half of a white silk handkerchief, another white object, fell down and landed right next to Shen Luo¡¯s feet. The intense Yin Qi emanated from the white silk handkerchief, far stronger than the red remnant sleeve of the water ghost he had encountered earlier. Shen Luo was somewhat dumbfounded. The strength of this Long Tongue Ghost was even greater than that of the red-clad female ghost he had encountered at the river before, yet it had been so easily killed. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief, he reached out to pick up the white silk handkerchief and took a close look at it. The Soul Hook Horse Face made a hand seal and waved, and the gigantic black pen quickly shrank, returning to its original size in the blink of an eye, and fell into its hand. Only then did it turn around, looking at Shen Luo with a smile, and said, ¡°Good job, lad!¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t arrived just in time, you wouldn¡¯t have seen me.¡± Shen Luo struggled to get up from the ground, feeling a faint pain all over his body, especially his right leg, which was still cold. ¡°That hanging ghost had been watching you since you entered the temple. It only attacked when you got here. If I had let it detect a hint of my presence earlier, it would have hidden and fled immediately. I really had no other choice.¡± The Soul Hook Horse Face spoke with a slight apologetic tone, and at the same time, he raised his hand and grasped at the void towards Shen Luo¡¯s right leg, and a layer of black light appeared in his palm. Hearing that the ghost had been following him all the way, Shen Luo felt a chill run up his back, his heart pounding with fear. If it weren¡¯t for the special environment here, he probably wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to use that black talisman at all. In other words, if the Long Tongue Ghost had taken action earlier, he would have been in big trouble. Although Horse Face might have been nearby, it might not have been able to help him in time. Due to the strange dream brought about by the jade pillow, he was no longer a novice in cultivation who had never experienced ghosts. But this was the first time in his real life that he had come so close to death, which was even more dangerous than escaping from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. ¡°My cultivation level is still too low, and my strength is insufficient!¡± Just as Shen Luo¡¯s thoughts were turning in turmoil, he suddenly felt the coldness in his right leg slowly being drawn out by an invisible force, and the numbness gradually subsided, slowly regaining his sensation. After a while, the black light in the palm of the Soul Hook Horse Face shrank, and his palm returned to its normal position. Shen Luo hurriedly moved his right leg, feeling that it had completely recovered, and thus, he finally felt relieved. ¡°Thank you, elder.¡± He thanked him, put the white brocade handkerchief into a jade box, and then put it into his sleeve. Chapter 249 - Chapter 249: Chapter 247: Someone Else Chapter 249: Chapter 247: Someone Else At this moment, the frost on the ground quickly melted and receded, and the two monk zombies regained their ability to move. They shakily climbed up from the ground, but did not pounce, and stood still on the original spot. ¡°Senior Horse Face, what¡¯s the matter with these two monks? I didn¡¯t feel any Yin Qi in them before.¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°These are Yin-Heart zombies. After a ghost kills a person, it infuses Yin Qi into their heart. If the Yin Qi is not stimulated, the corpse is indistinguishable from normal people. But once the Yin Qi is stimulated, the body will change into a zombie. These types of Yin-Heart zombies have lesser Yin Qi in their bodies, so they are not very strong.¡± Ma Mian waved the black pen in his hand, tapping the void twice. Bang! Bang! Two holes burst open in the chests of the two monks, their hearts shattered and they fell to the ground again, motionless. They didn¡¯t stay at the temple for long and soon left. ¡°You¡¯ve had a hard time this time, go back and rest well. When I need you, I will call you out again.¡± On the Liugong Bridge, Horse Face spoke to Shen Luo, his figure faded and disappeared, leaving hastily. ¡°If it¡¯s going to be as risky as today, I would have to reconsider.¡± Shen Luo shrugged his shoulders and muttered to himself. However, thinking of the forthcoming thirty Immortal jade, he couldn¡¯t help but feel secretly delighted, feeling that the previous adventure was worth it. He hurried east and quickly returned to the city and then to the Bai Mansion. At this time, it was just past midnight, but Shen Luo felt exhausted and did not immediately go to hand in the task. He went straight back to his own place, took a brief rest, sat in the wooden bucket, closed his eyes, activated the Nameless Method, and started to recover. Night had passed in the blink of an eye. Shen Luo got up early, and walked out of his small courtyard full of spirit, heading to the Bai Mansion¡¯s accounting office. There were fewer people returning tasks today than yesterday. Most of them had difficult tasks that could not be completed in a short period of time. There were only a few people like Shen Luo who could finish a task in a day. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Therefore, most of the people gathered here were spectators. ¡°Did you hear that? Last night, both the Lin and Du families organized a lot of people to go to Liugong Bridge again. This time both sides had Grain Avoidance cultivators leading the team, and Du family¡¯s Blue Ice Hand Qi Yuan also went. But guess what?¡± A cunning-looking teenager suddenly said to the others, immediately attracting the attention of many. ¡°I bet that ghost is done for, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, I heard that the Hanging Ghost lurking in the temple is very cunning. If there are too many people, it won¡¯t show up at all and then specifically targets those alone!¡± ¡°This ghost is just playing these tricks, the two families have learned from the previous lesson, they must have some countermeasures this time!¡± ¡°Hehe, that Hanging Ghost was indeed killed, but it was not they who did it, but someone else.¡± The clever youth said mysteriously. ¡°What? Seriously?¡± ¡°Could Blue Ice Hand¡¯s own words be false! It is said that they found traces of the ghost being killed in the ruined temple. In addition, according to his estimation, the method of killing the ghost was clean and neat, and it was very likely done by one person!¡± The clever youth said. ¡°Could it be done by a late-stage Grain Avoidance cultivator?¡± ¡°There are only a few late-stage Grain Avoidance cultivators within a hundred miles, and they are all famous figures who probably won¡¯t take on such tasks, right?¡± Just as the crowd was discussing, Shen Luo had walked to the task table, took out the half-piece of white silk handkerchief from his sleeve and put it on the table. At this time, only a Bai Family¡¯s Steward was sitting behind the table. He was listening intently to the story of the clever youth and didn¡¯t notice Shen Luo in front of him. ¡°Excuse me, the Liugong Bridge task is complete.¡± Shen Luo cleared his throat and said to the steward. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here to hand in the task¡­¡± The steward had not yet pulled his thoughts out from the youth¡¯s story. He casually picked up the half piece of silk handkerchief and spoke casually. But soon, he reacted and his face changed. He exclaimed: ¡°What did you say? The Liugong Bridge task?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Luo nodded. The Bai Family¡¯s steward looked at the half-piece of the silk handkerchief in his hand, raised his head to look at Shen Luo, and had a look of disbelief on his face. The crowd near the table also fell quiet, and all eyes were on Shen Luo. This scene quickly caused the attention of others who also stopped their clamour and asked in low voices about what had happened. But within a few breaths, the accounting office fell into silence. Everyone looked at Shen Luo with complex expressions, especially those who had mocked Shen Luo a few days ago, who now found it hard to accept. Did Shen Luo really complete this highly difficult task? If it had been not long before, perhaps no one would believe that a person could single-handedly kill a ghost whose cultivation level might have reached the Mid-Grain Avoidance Stage. But with the clever youth¡¯s words, they dared not easily draw conclusions. Especially when they saw the rich Yin Qi emanating from the half-piece of silk handkerchief that Shen Luo had handed in, several people on the scene were immediately convinced. ¡°You can send people to verify it. After the results are out, send the reward to my residence.¡± Shen Luo frowned and said to the stunned steward behind the table. Then, without waiting for a response, he turned around and left briskly. Only when Shen Luo had walked far away, did everyone react. The place was in an uproar, like a pot being stirred. Shen Luo didn¡¯t care about the reactions of the people in the accounting office, and didn¡¯t go back to his residence either. Instead, he directly went to the Lubao Hall, bought a large batch of materials for drawing Small Thunder Talismans, and then returned to his small courtyard. Although the talisman is not very powerful, it is cheap in terms of material and has very low mana requirements. In a battle, as long as the quantity is large, the power is remarkable. He now had spare time, so naturally, he wanted to prepare more in case of emergency. Five days went by in a flash. During this period, except when the Bai Family¡¯s steward delivered the reward for the Liugong Bridge task and Shen Luo opened the door once, he stayed in his room and didn¡¯t go out the rest of the time, spending a relatively quiet time. In the wooden bucket, Shen Luo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, and was doing incantations in his hand. He was surrounded by a faint blue light, which seemed a little brighter than before. Suddenly his eyebrows moved, he opened his eyes, took out the Messaging Token from his bosom, and a line of small text appeared on it. ¡°Midnight, Crow Rock Village.¡± ¡°Crow Rock Village, it¡¯s also on the list. Looks like I can get another bit!¡± Shen Luo mumbled to himself and jumped out of the water bucket. He changed into clean clothes and after equipping himself with all the talismans, he left the house and quickly walked to the front gate of Bai Mansion, immediately leaving the city and heading for Crow Rock Village. Two days later when Shen Luo returned from outside the city, he also brought back an old, blood-stained leather helmet, causing a commotion among the Bai Family once again. After that, he continued in the same way. As soon as Horse Face summoned him, he would go and assist. When there was no task, he would return to his own courtyard to practice and draw talismans. Chapter 250 - Chapter 250: Chapter 248: Going All In Chapter 250: Chapter 248: Going All In In just one short month, Shen Luo, with the strong help of the Soul Hook Horse Face, successively completed six or seven tasks. The majority of them involved ghosts above the Grain Avoidance Stage, often more than a single one. As time progressed, relatively easy tasks were completed by others leaving only the difficult ones behind. Although his cooperation with Soul Hook Horse Face was relatively secretive, as time went on, some people began to notice some signs. Rumours started to circulate that he had the assist of a powerful helper, which is why he was able to complete tasks beyond his level so smoothly. Actually, there was nothing wrong with this. How could he, in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, possibly fight against numerous ghosts, far beyond his own cultivation level? Therefore, he offered no explanation. No matter what, on the surface, it was him completing the tasks, and such a high completion rate spread the fame of Shen Luo, not only within the Bai family, but also gradually growing amongst the Lin and Du families. ¡­ In a study room within the Bai Mansion, Bai Hecheng, dressed in a dark blue robe, sat behind a desk, listening to Bai Jiangfeng¡¯s report with a serious face, his eyebrows becoming more furrowed. ¡°Family head, our Bai family has a stable lead in completing the tasks over the Lin and Du families. Individually, neither can compete with us. However, it appears that the Lin family has started to spare no expense recently. They have managed to hire several freelance cultivators at high prices to assist them in completing a few tasks, significantly reducing the gap between us.¡± Bai Jiangfeng stated from across the table. ¡°In considering the Lin family, we cannot do so in isolation. The Du family had been secretly colluding with the Lin family over the years, and I suspect they are working together this time as well. We need to guard against the Du family forming a complete alliance with the Lin family and giving some merit points to the Lin family, otherwise we might be caught off guard.¡± Bai Hecheng pondered for a moment before speaking. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right; I share this concern. At that time, the guest officials from the Du family would simply declare that they are working for the Lin family, thus all the merit points would fall into their possession, and they would potentially overtake the Bai family.¡± Bai Jiangfeng agreed. ¡°Third uncle, give the order to increase the rewards, encouraging our guest officials to take on even more tasks. Also, I will write to Jiang the Daoist from Misty Gate, to see if we can request assistance from their elder.¡± Bai Hecheng considered for a moment before speaking. ¡°Time is running out for us as tasks are becoming fewer, and I¡¯m afraid distant water won¡¯t quench our immediate thirst.¡± Bai Jiangfeng acknowledged and turned to leave. ¡°Has anyone from the Lin and Du families taken the task in Hidden Wind Valley in the southern suburb?¡± Bai Hecheng called to Bai Jiangfeng, asking suddenly. ¡°This task is too dangerous, ranking first in difficulty among all tasks. The government credited the highest merit points for this task, which is equal to the combined rewards of several other big tasks. Although the Lin and Du families are eager to do so, they have not dared to take the risk.¡± Bai Jiangfeng replied. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï ¡°If we can complete this task, even if the Lin and Du families unite, their earned points cannot surpass us, can they?¡± Bai Hecheng raised his eyebrows, querying. ¡°Including what we have already completed, it will be impossible for them to surpass us¡­ Family head, are you planning to take on the task at Hidden Wind Valley?¡± Bai Jiangfeng hesitated to say. ¡°No matter what, our Bai family cannot lose to the Lin family.¡± Bai Hecheng declared, word by word. ¡°Family head, the situation in Hidden Wind Valley is complex. I¡¯m afraid this task won¡¯t be easy to complete and we may face many losses.¡± Bai Jiangfeng hesitated to say. ¡°The Government issued this ghost removal task list this time, firstly to stabilize the increasingly unstable situation, and secondly to test the depths of each family in the city. The benefits for the winner go beyond what was offered upfront. So don¡¯t worry about losses, as long as we win, they will be compensated.¡± Bai Hecheng explained. ¡°The family head thinks thoroughly.¡±A nod from Bai Jiangfeng. ¡°Your concerns are not unreasonable, we must plan well to minimize losses, so as to achieve a maximum gain with minimum input. Regarding the personnel for this task, does third uncle have any ideas?¡± Bai Hecheng asked. Bai Jiangfeng thought for a while, mentioned a few names, and Bai Hecheng agreed with each one upon hearing them. ¡°For this mission, it would be best if we could bring Shen Luo along.¡± At the end, Bai Jiangfeng continued. ¡°Shen Luo¡­ I¡¯ve also heard about him; he¡¯s performing very well recently, he probably has someone helping him from behind, right? After all, his cultivation level is a bit low. If he enters Hidden Wind Valley, the risk of death will be not small.¡± Bai Hecheng hesitated to say. ¡°The person backing him definitely has a high level of cultivation. If he could assist us in the journey to Hidden Wind Valley, it would be of great help. As for safety, as long as he doesn¡¯t rush to the front and face the ghosts directly, with his talent in talisman and his mysterious movements, he should have no problem defending himself.¡± Bai Jiangfeng replied. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we really should let him take a risk this time. Regarding this task, keep it as low-key as possible before actually implementing it, just in case.¡± Bai Hecheng pondered. While they were talking, there were thunderous sounds outside the house. A thunderstorm that had been brewing for half a day finally broke open and started pouring. In a small courtyard, Shen Luo looked at the occasional white light flashing in the dark clouds in the sky. He was like a diligent farmer, looking at a field of golden wheat, his eyes filled with joy. The tasks he had completed earlier had earned him a lot of immortal jade. He had also bought a lot number of talisman and spiritual materials from Lubao Hall. However, due to lack of thunderstorms, he couldn¡¯t draw Thunderfall talisman and could only keep trying to draw other talismans. After consuming more than twenty Purple Cloud Talisman Papers, he finally managed to draw a Flying Talisman, which pained him for several days due to the expenditure. Today, he finally caught a thunderstorm. He immediately took out the Green Frost Paper and the Brush Talisman Ink and started drawing the Thunderfall Talisman. It wasn¡¯t until the evening, when it was getting dark and the thunderstorm stopped, did Shen Luo finally stop his drawing work. Out of the seventy-two sheets of Green Frost Talisman Paper, nearly sixty were used, and only two Thunderfall Talismans were successfully drawn. Despite this, the success rate had improved quite a bit from before. Although Shen Luo was almost exhausted, he felt comforted inside. On a clear morning two days later, Shen Luo was meditating and recuperating when he suddenly received a message from Ma Mian, asking him to rush to the south city gate for a meetup. The message neither mentioned the location of the task nor the details of it. Despite being puzzled, Shen Luo had no choice but to stop his cultivation, leave Bai Mansion and head south in a hurry. As soon as he stepped out, Bai Jiangfeng arrived at his small courtyard. After shouting several times to no avail and enquiring the gatekeeping guards in the mansion, he found out that Shen Luo had gone out. Bai Jiangfeng had intended to inform him that they would be setting off at noon the next day to carry out the task in Hidden Wind Valley. Unexpectedly, Shen Luo had just left, causing him to miss the opportunity to share this information. Chapter 251 - Chapter 251: Chapter 249: Yinling Pill Chapter 251: Chapter 249: Yinling Pill Shen Luo quickly left through the South City Gate and arrived at the area outside the city. Outside the city gate, along the road, there were still many farmers and traveling merchants who were unsuccessful in entering the city. They carried their burdens and pushed their carts, setting up stalls on both sides of the road to sell various miscellaneous goods and vegetables. Shen Luo looked around and quickly noticed a simple grass tent beside the road not far away. There was a white-faced scholar inside, holding a black pottery bowl with a broken corner, seemingly drinking tea. He quickly walked over, sat down opposite the scholar. He got a tea bowl from a servant, he also poured himself a bowl of tea. However, after he took a sip, he immediately grimaced and spat it out. He could taste a bitter and moldy aftertaste in his mouth, which was extremely uncomfortable. ¡°Elder, can you really drink this inferior tea?¡± Shen Luo asked Ma Mian, who looked content and happy, with a face full of surprise. Ma Mian had a gleeful smile on his face, apparently already aware of the tea¡¯s taste. He held the broken bowl in his hand and waved it in front of Shen Luo with an easy-going expression. The scent of alcohol immediately entered Shen Luo¡¯s nostrils, he hastily asked for a bowl and drank it to rinse away the taste from his mouth. ¡°Why did you arrange to meet me here this time? Is our mission outside?¡± Shen Luo asked after a pause. ¡°Hidden Wind Valley, do you know where it is?¡± Ma Mian glanced into the distance as he asked. ¡°Hidden Wind Valley? Is our mission there?¡± Shen Luo asked surprised, upon hearing this. ¡°Based on my investigation, there have been frequent occurrences of sinister ghosts in Jianye City recently, and the root cause may be there. So I plan to go and take a look in the valley. If there really are ghosts lurking, I¡¯ll eradicate them in one fell swoop,¡± Ma Mian answered with a nod. ¡°That¡¯s not a good place! If I remember correctly, the number one task on the government¡¯s ghost-catching task list is to clear the yin sha and ghostly specters in Hidden Wind Valley. It¡¯s been so long since anyone dared to take on this mission.¡± Sheng Luo frowned as he said this. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°What are you worried about with me around? It¡¯s very likely to be the last time I need your help.¡± Ma Mian gave him a glance and stated. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­ So, how can I help?¡± Shen Luo chuckled and asked. ¡°Kid, do you know? The wind in the name Hidden Wind Valley doesn¡¯t refer to the wind in Feng shui, but the sharpness of a blade.¡± Ma Mian didn¡¯t directly answer Shen Luo, but instead took a detour in the conversation. ¡°You can¡¯t stump me with that! I¡¯ve noticed this task before and looked through some local chronicles. I discovered that it was named Hidden Sharp Valley because it was once a strategic point for holding Jianye. It was always a contested area for the military. Many violent battles have taken place there in history. Each time it resulted in mountains of corpses and rivers of blood,¡± Shen Luo indulgently replied upon hearing this. ¡°Correct. Such ancient battlefield sites often trap countless wandering souls in the Yang Realm, causing the place to be steeped in resentment and negativity. These places are usually regarded as extremely unlucky. If the clear winds of Heaven and Earth cannot dissipate the Yin Sha, fierce ghosts will gradually breed over time. Furthermore, everyone in Jianye City, from the government officials to the common people, habitually treat Hidden Wind Valley as a chaotic burial ground. A large number of corpses hastily buried here have greatly increased this risk,¡± said Ma Mian, nodding in agreement. ¡°So elder, are you suggesting that this ghost problem in Hidden Wind Valley originated from this?¡± Shen Luo enquired. ¡°From what I understand, about nine months ago, Hidden Wind Valley was suddenly covered in a gray mist. From within that mist, there were frequent weird noises. Then, people from a few nearby villages started disappearing frequently. The government had sent people to investigate several times, but no one ever came back,¡± Ma Mian continued after taking a sip of tea. ¡°No wonder the government is offering such a high reward for this task. It looks like they want to use the power of other cultivators in Jianye City to clean up Hidden Wind Valley,¡± Shen Luo said as he finally understood. ¡°Whatever the government officials are thinking does not matter. At present, even the Underworld believes that this place¡¯s existence is contrary to Yin ethics and wants me to deal with it promptly. The situation there is somewhat complicated; I need your help. So, are you going to do me this favor or not?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face asked, putting down his black ceramic tea bowl. ¡°That place must be full of ghosts. Elder, do you want me to use the Thunder Talisman to help you clear up some small ghosts, so that you can focus on dealing with the big ones?¡± Shen Luo asked, with quick thinking. ¡°Correct. Even when dealing with high-ranking ghosts, your Thunderfall Talisman has a remarkable effect.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face gave Shen Luo an approving look and nodded. ¡°Of course I want to help, but my cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. My mana is really limited. I can use the Small Thunder Talisman freely, but I can only cast the more powerful Thunderfall Talisman once at most. I fear that if that time comes, I won¡¯t be able to help much and might become a burden to you instead. Why don¡¯t I draw some more Small Thunder Talismans for you?¡± Shen Luo sighed and replied. ¡°I have the body of a Yin God, naturally in conflict with this extremely Yang Thunder Technique. If you don¡¯t go, even if you lend me the Thunder Talisman, I still cannot activate it.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said somewhat helplessly. ¡°Then how about you wait for me for about ten to fifteen days? I¡¯m currently stuck at the peak of the fifth layer. Once I break through to the sixth layer, without saying anything else, I should be able to activate the Thunderfall Talisman twice. Then I¡¯ll have some confidence in joining you for the battle in the valley.¡± After a slight hesitation, Shen Luo proposed. Upon hearing this, Soul Hook Horse Face didn¡¯t immediately reply, but his brow furrowed, his hand gently rotating the tea bowl, as though he was wavering over something. A moment later, his brows suddenly furrowed deep. It seemed he finally made up his mind and spoke: ¡°Fine! Without giving you some benefits, you won¡¯t be obedient. I have a Yinling Pill here, refined from rare spiritual materials like the Yellow Spring Essence and Other Shore Flower pollen. It could boost a cultivator¡¯s cultivation speed dramatically. With your current cultivation level, after taking it, it will take at most seven days to break through.¡± ¡°There¡¯s such a miraculous elixir?¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Luo was overjoyed and said with some disbelief. ¡°Ignorant!¡± Soul Hook Horse Face replied unhappily. ¡°Hehe, although it sounds like it¡¯s a bit extravagant to use it in this way, since it can help Elder complete his task, as a junior, I certainly won¡¯t decline.¡± Shen Luo chuckled and quickly responded. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s not just extravagant, it¡¯s simply wasting resources. But never mind, consider it a favor to you¡­¡± Soul Hook Horse Face sighed and said. Having said that, he took out a white jade porcelain bottle from his sleeve and passed it to Shen Luo. With a beaming smile on his face, Shen Luo eagerly stretched out both hands, carefully received the bottle, and then promptly removed the red cloth bottle stopper. As soon as the bottle was opened, a sulfur-like smell emanated from it. Shen Luo took a sniff and somewhat struggling said, ¡°This Yinling Pill doesn¡¯t smell like any miraculous elixir. You¡¯re not fooling me, are you?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, give it back to me.¡± With a gloomy face, Soul Hook Horse Face feigned anger. ¡°I was just kidding, don¡¯t take it seriously! Let¡¯s find a place for me to isolate myself for a few days.¡± Shen Luo quickly put the stopper back, tucked the porcelain bottle into his sleeve, and replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°Follow me.¡± Ma Mian, having said that, left a few copper coins on the table and headed towards the official road. Shen Luo quickly got up and followed him. Chapter 252 - Chapter 252: 250 Chapter 252: 250 The two of them walked in silence for about a mile, far from the city gate, when Ma Mian suddenly stopped in his tracks. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Shen Luo walked beside him, puzzled. ¡°Take a different route.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face answered, revealing a mysterious smile. Shen Luo¡¯s gaze swept around, seeing only the path under his feet. Change path? Change to which path? Just as he wondered, he saw that Soul Hook Horse Face was holding a yellowish talisman and belted it onto his shoulder with a swift pat, and then grabbed his shoulder abruptly. ¡°Go.¡± Upon hearing Ma Mian¡¯s command, Shen Luo suddenly felt as if the ground beneath his feet turned as soft as mud, before he could react, he sank under the ground covered by a layer of yellow light. ¡°Escape Ground Technique?¡± Shen Luo was taken aback, but his body was pulled by Soul Hook Horse Face through the underground at breakneck speed. Whether it was mud or rock ahead, none could impede their progress as they parted naturally to create a passageway for them. At the same time, the mud under their bodies surged forward like a river, carrying the two of them swiftly forward, a pace multiple times faster than running above ground. Just as Shen Luo marveled at the magic of Ma Mian¡¯s Escape Ground Technique, the two had already arrived at an underground cave. The cave was spacious, an underground river ran through it, and a line of cracks at the ceiling allowed a dim natural light to pour down, casting a wide strip of brightness on the cave floor. ¡°Alright, you will seclude here. Let¡¯s get this straight: Seven days later, whether or not you¡¯ve broken through, you have to follow me into Hidden Wind Valley immediately.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face looked at Shen Luo and said solemnly. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Of course!¡± Shen Luo replied seriously. As he spoke, he took out a white jade porcelain bottle from his sleeve and poured out a yellow elixir the size of a longan kernel. It exuded a pungent sulfuric aroma. He held his breath, threw the Elixir into his mouth with a flick of his hand, and quickly crossed his arms in front of his chest, closing his eyes to meditate. The Elixir in his belly quickly dissolved into a warm current flowing in his Dantian. At first, Shen Luo felt the warmth quite comfortable, but it didn¡¯t take long for the warm current to merge with the mana in his Dantian. The combination was like pouring oil on a fire, instantly becoming scorching hot. Shen Luo grunted lowly from his mouth, his teeth clenched tight, as he urged the scorching current to drive the Dantian mana towards his meridians. Glowing veins, visible to the naked eye, appeared all over his body, and wisps of heat began to rise from his head. Soul Hook Horse Face watched him at the side, his eyes flashed with surprise, and he muttered to himself: ¡°This kid seems to have average talent, but the path of his mana circulation is very proficient. He doesn¡¯t seem like a mid-stage Qi Refining monk. Initially, I thought this Yinling Pill would be wasted on this kid at least eighty percent, but now it seems that may not be the case.¡± Little did he know, Shen Luo had already cultivated himself to the Nascent Soul Stage in the Dreamland. Naturally, he was extremely proficient with the cyclic operation of his mana inside his body. The slow progress in reality was mainly due to his inferior physical talents. Soul Hook Horse Face, seeing Shen Luo in a good condition, relaxed and went to a side to sit cross-legged. At this moment, Shen Luo was burning all over, and he genuinely didn¡¯t understand why such a hot elixir was called Yinling Pill. In fact, the Yellow Spring Essence and Other Shore Flower pollen in Yinling Pill were cold in nature, but their effects were quite vigorous. The medicine power they released, in addition to the conventional replenishing power, also has a strong supporting force. It is by relying on this wave-boosting medicinal power that Shen Luo¡¯s mana in his body is forcibly pushed up against the current in the meridians, and the acupoints that were not originally cleared were pierced one after another. However, Shen Luo had not condensed his meridians, and the widths of all the meridians in his body were limited. When this power forcibly collided within it, it was like countless small knives ruthlessly scraping inside, the pain was imaginable! Finally, Shen Luo couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and let out a painful shout for the first time. Ma Mian, at the side, was awakened by the cry. When he looked towards Shen Luo, all he saw was his body enveloped in a layer of light, shrinking and stretching irregularly, looking a bit weird. He frowned slightly, but did not intervene. At this point, they could only rely on Shen Luo himself. Shen Luo was not only subjected to a test in his meridians at the moment, but even his Sea of Knowledge was somewhat dizzy from the impact of that power. However, he kept a strand of his divine soul in his mind, operating the Nameless Cultivation Technique and guiding the mana to follow the correct path. ¡­ Time was gradually passing, the ray of light above Shen Luo¡¯s head slowly darkened from bright, from dusk to starry night, from nightfall to dawn. Three days later, when the first ray of morning sun shone on Shen Luo through the crevice above his head, his eyes suddenly opened, he let out a soft shout, and a momentum suddenly released from his body, raising a wave of dust. What followed was a sound of hearty laughter. Shen Luo rolled over and got up, shook his arms, and the dust around his body was all scattered. After closing his eyes and feeling a bit, he found not only had he advanced to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, but he was not far from the eighth stage. ¡°Good kid, I misjudged you before. It only took you three days and three nights to break through two realms!¡± Soul Hook Horse Face walked up and asked in surprise. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure myself. It¡¯s mainly because the spiritual medicine the elder gave me worked far better than expected,¡± Shen Luo said, scratching his head in response. What Shen Luo said was not untrue because he genuinely didn¡¯t know why he could make such a quick breakthrough. However, he had some guesses related to his cultivation in Dreamland. In reality, his talent was definitely not good, even worse than ordinary cultivators. His internal meridians were far from naturally smooth like in Dreamland, so the speed of mana circulation was naturally much slower, hence his cultivation speed was slower too. However, due to the cultivation insights from Dreamland, he didn¡¯t have to go through the most difficult hurdle of understanding the cultivation techniques. His cultivation was now advancing at a significantly higher speed. Nevertheless, the limitations of his physical condition were still greatly restricting his progress. Except for containing a rather strong spiritual power, the Yinling Pill acted as a bridge between his enlightenment from cultivation and physical limitations. In a short time, it could break his physical restrictions, force his mana to circulate quickly inside him, thereby accelerating his cultivation speed. ¡°Kid, what are you thinking about over there?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face saw Shen Luo lost in thought and asked. ¡°Oh, I was just wondering, do you have any more of these Yinling Pills? We still have around three or four days until the seven-day period is up. If I could advance another realm or two, it would be foolproof going into Hidden Wind Valley. At that time, all the elder needs to do is open his mouth to say where to hit, and my Thunder Talisman will land there.¡± Shen Luo said, a sincere smile on his face. Chapter 253 03-25 - Chapter 253: Chapter 251: Chance Encounter Chapter 253: Chapter 251: Chance Encounter ¡°What do you think this Yinling Pill is? Giving you just one is already costing me several months of heartache, and you still want more? No way.¡± The muscles on Soul Hook Horse Face twitched slightly upon hearing this, he rebuked. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was asking for it for free. If you¡¯re willing to sell it, I¡¯m willing to sell everything I have to buy it.¡± Shen Luo still insisted. ¡°Giving you one for free this time already broke the rules. As for more, you can forget it.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face waved his sleeve and said. ¡°Is this really for free? Isn¡¯t going to Hidden Wind Valley with you the price?¡± Shen Luo didn¡¯t speak again and muttered in his heart. However, deep down, he was really grateful to Soul Hook Horse Face. ¡°Elder, is there really no other way to get this Yinling Pill?¡± Shen Luo asked seriously. ¡°It¡¯s not that there are absolutely no other ways.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face hesitated for a moment and then said. ¡°Please enlighten me, Elder.¡± Shen Luo was delighted and quickly said. ¡°Do you remember the special task for cultivators at the Soul Condensation stage or above that the Underworld needs, which I mentioned to you last time?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face asked. ¡°Of course, you said that these cultivators can get some special benefits by completing tasks. Is the Yinling Pill one of them?¡± Shen Luo asked. ¡°You can indeed exchange elixirs by accomplishing tasks, and there are not only Yinling Pills, but also other higher-level elixirs. In fact, besides this, there are many other benefits. For example, the use of consumable Soul Contracts that I mentioned earlier can summon other Ghost Soldiers from the Underworld to help. Also, they can be allowed to enter some places that the Underworld controls¡­¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said. ¡°These treatments are only available to Soul condensing cultivators. I am far from this stage.¡± Shen Luo was first overjoyed and then somewhat lost. ¡°Have you ever heard of the Ghost Market?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face asked in return. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Ghost Market, I¡¯ve read about it in ancient books. It said that at certain specific times, in certain special places, there would be places where the Yin and Yang worlds converge. Ghost Markets will appear here, it¡¯s a place where ghosts from the underworld trade. If a human from the Yang realm mistakenly enters it, they often get deceived by the ghosts, buying a bunch of useless things in exchange for worthless underworld coins.¡± Shen Luo thought for a while and said. ¡°These are all random guesses of the worldly people. Some people even wrote ridiculous stories about spitting at a ghost and turning it into a goat to sell in the Ghost Market. The real Ghost Market is a place where cultivators from the Yang realm trade with ghosts from the underworld. I can¡¯t directly give you the Yinling Pill you want, but there might be a way to get it there.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said slowly. ¡°I wonder where and when the Ghost Market will open?¡± Shen Luo felt a stir in his heart and quickly asked. ¡°Hold on! Whether I can tell you about the Ghost Market depends on your performance in Hidden Wind Valley.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face held up a palm to Shen Luo and said indifferently. ¡°Rest assured, Elder! Even without the matter of the Ghost Market, I will give it my all. My cultivation level has improved by two small realms this time. I have to say, my mana has indeed increased. I should be able to use the Thunderfall Talisman twice, which should be enough to deal with some unexpected situations.¡± Shen Luo laughed and said. ¡°That¡¯s good, let¡¯s not delay, let¡¯s go.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face¡¯s expression eased a bit, and he nodded. Having said that, he plucked a talisman in his hand, grabbed Shen Luo¡¯s shoulder again, and executed the Escape Ground Technique, quickly leaving the underground cave. By the time the two of them emerged from the ground, their figures had already appeared in front of a valley. Shen Luo looked up at the sun and found that it was midday when the Yang energy was most vigorous. However, a cool wind kept blowing from the valley in front of him, and it felt chilling. His gaze moved to the entrance of the valley, where a layer of pale mist was enveloping it, slowly dissipating towards the outside of the valley. Looking into the deeper parts of the valley, the mist became denser, and nothing could be seen clearly. ¡°The Yin Sha Qi here is a bit heavier than when I came last time. Look at the sky above the valley, it¡¯s also affected by the Yin Sha Qi, something¡¯s not quite right.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said slowly. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo looked up at the high sky, and only then noticed that there was a black, oval-shaped cloud floating in the air directly above the valley. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual, but upon closer inspection, one would find that the mist inside was surging, and ghostly faces were faintly emerging, looking horrendous. ¡°Dark clouds overhead, Yin Sha Qi contained, it indeed looks like a treacherous place.¡± Shen Luo retracted his gaze and agreed. As the two of them were about to enter the valley, they heard a commotion from afar. Soul Hook Horse Face immediately pulled Shen Luo and hid behind a huge rock in the distance. Soon, a group of people came along the road from a distance. Shen Luo spotted Bai Hecheng, the Family Head of the Bai family, who was dressed in a scholarly robe and looked handsome and sophisticated, leading the group. Following him closely was a small figure in a gray robe, with a thin face and gray hair, it was Bai Jiangfeng. Besides the two of them, there were four or five shadows following them. Judging by their attire, they were all members of the Bai family. Among them, the most eye-catching was naturally the woman cultivator Xie Yuxin in a red dress. The White Water Daoist in a gray and white Taoist robe and Feng Ling with a folding fan in hand were also in the team. Wu Tong and Chu Li were nowhere to be seen, however. In addition, Shen Luo spotted another familiar person. She was thin with silver hair tied up behind her head, looking spry. It was the Fifth Grandma who was stationed at the bottom of the lake in Bai family¡¯s secret chamber. ¡°Not only has the Family Head personally led the team, but even Fifth Grandma has also come out. It seems that the Bai family is determined to seize the top task of the Ghost-catching List. This way, you are relieved.¡± Shen Luo swallowed and said with a smile to Horse Face. ¡°If they don¡¯t have any special means prepared, it¡¯s probably more bad than good to go into this valley. However, it¡¯s also good to have someone leading the way.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said indifferently. Shen Luo¡¯s heart tightened, and hesitation flashed in his eyes. Next, he lifted his foot, and was about to step out. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face stopped him with one hand and asked in a low voice. ¡°Since they¡¯re not up to this, I should stop them of course. I don¡¯t care about others, but the Bai family has a special relationship with me. I can¡¯t sit idly by and watch Bai Hecheng and Bai Jiangfeng go to their death.¡± Shen Luo said. ¡°Who says we¡¯re letting them go to their death? Haven¡¯t you figured out the purpose of our trip?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face said. ¡°Does elder mean to let them clear the way and attract the attention of the ghosts in the valley, while we go after the root of Yin Sha?¡± Shen Luo was stunned for a moment, then asked. Chapter 254 03-25 - Chapter 254: Chapter 252: Entering the Valley Chapter 254: Chapter 252: Entering the Valley ¡°Finally, some insight. Once we eliminate the root cause, they will naturally be out of danger. Besides, do you really think, with your current level of Qi Refining at the seventh layer, that they would heed your advice to not enter the valley?¡± Soul Hook Horse Face sighed, giving Shen Luo a glance before questioning him. Upon deeper thought, Shen Luo realized that this was indeed the case. The two members of the Bai family might heed his advice for some reason, but at most they would just be more cautious. They would definitely not abandon their mission just because of his few words. By this time, the Bai family team had already reached the mouth of the valley. After a brief pause, Bai Jiangfeng began to distribute Clear Heart Charms to everyone. ¡°The valley is filled with mist barriers. We can¡¯t guarantee that there won¡¯t be any ¡®ghost hitting the wall¡¯ occurrences. Everyone must hold onto this Clear Heart Charm to ensure they won¡¯t be fooled by the mist barrier. Once we enter the valley, I will lead from the front, the Family Head will guard from the rear, and the rest will adopt a snake-like formation in between. Take care of both sides, and watch out for ghost attacks.¡± Bai Jiangfeng instructed. The Bai family officials promptly responded in acknowledgement. Soon, the team was in formation. With a final reminder from Baihecheng to ¡°be extremely careful¡±, the group began to proceed inward. As they arrived at the fog at the entrance of the valley, Bai Jiangfeng suddenly pinched his fingers and took out a yellow talisman paper. After folding it, he twisted a point at the top and hurled it forward. A yellow glow lit up on the folded talisman paper, shooting straight into the fog like an arrow. Soon, it began to burn and disappeared. ¡°The Breaking Barrier Talisman didn¡¯t encounter any obstacles. The way ahead is clear.¡± Bai Jiangfeng said, with a slightly relaxed expression. The Bai family¡¯s whole team only then began formally entering the valley. One by one, their figures were swallowed up by the white fog, first appearing indistinct, then gradually disappearing altogether. Only after the group from the Bai Family had completely disappeared into the white fog, did Soul Hook Horse Face and Shen Luo come out from behind the giant stone. ¡°It seems the Bai Family has indeed made a lot of preparations. They¡¯ve earned some of my respect. They should be able to exit Hidden Wind Valley without too much trouble, given their prudence,¡± Soul Hook Horse Face voiced his admiration. ¡°Don¡¯t we need to make some preparations?¡± Shen Luo asked, a hint of worry crossing his eyes. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? ¡°This fog is purely caused by the uprising Yin energy, with its cold breath causing the water vapor in the air to condense. Although it contains Sha Qi, it only poses an issue for ordinary people but shouldn¡¯t affect cultivators¡¯ bodies.¡± Soul Hook Horse Face replied, shaking his head. After saying so, he took the lead to enter the valley, walking into the fog. Shen Luo hesitated for a moment before following him. Upon entering the valley, Shen Luo immediately felt the surrounding humidity. As Soul Hook Horse Face had said, the fog was quite harmless, so he slightly relaxed. They walked at a leisurely pace, passing scattered tombstones resembling steam buns. Some had wooden gravestones stuck in front, while others had collapsed mounds, revealing the coffins themselves. Scattered outside many graves were bone fragments bearing deep and shallow tooth marks from various wild beasts, painting a picture of desolation. As they went deeper, the number of graves decreased, but the fog became denser. From just ten feet away, everything seemed blurry and indistinguishable. Shen Luo focused his mind, attentively listening to every single activity around him. However, he found the surroundings utterly silent, with only the sounds of his and Soul Hook Horse Face¡¯s footsteps on dead leaves and mud. Fortunately, after about a quarter of an hour, the two emerged from the thick fog, and their vision finally cleared up. Looking ahead, Shen Luo saw a winding path hidden in the deep green and black weeds. The trees on both sides, though tall, displayed a wilting state, as if they were on the verge of death, an impression of lifelessness hanging in the air. ¡°Stick close to me.¡± Without looking back, Gouhun Ma Mian quickened his pace along the pathway. Upon hearing this, Shen Luo hurriedly followed suit. The two of them proceeded in silence along the path through the grass. After circumventing a giant stone, they directly sighted the end of the valley. Originally a canyon passageway, it had already collapsed and was now blocked. Mismatched rocks littered the scene everywhere. It was in front of this mountain wall to the left of the canyon that the group from the Bai Family was waiting. Shen Luo looked over there and saw a gigantic cave broken open about three zhang above the ground in the mountain wall. It was pitch-black inside, and the depth was not visible. All one could see were waves of strong Yin Qi emanating from the cave. It seemed that the Bai Family and its group were also making their final preparations to enter the cave. Bai Hecheng, who was standing at the front of the crowd, suddenly waved a hand, and from his sleeve, a beam of light flew out, spinning in mid-air before hovering right above the slant of the cave mouth. It was a bronze ancient mirror the size of a human head. Carved on its back was a circle of fish, insect and bird patterns, encircling a Daoist symbol at the center. Its front was exceptionally smooth, reflecting dazzling light. Bai Hecheng muttered a few sentences under his breath while performing a magic spell with one hand, pointing gently towards the bronze mirror. The mirror immediately vibrated as if it had been struck, emitting a metallic humming sound. The mirror surface spun, and its reflection cast a brilliant white light into the cave. The white light seemed to contain a burning Pure Yang Power, and upon entering the cave, it dispersed and vanished like smoke, eroding the strands of Yin Qi that drifted out from the cave. The thicker Yin Qi inside the cave seemed to fear this white light and retreated like a tide. Seeing this, the guest officials from the Bai Family cheered and praised their family head, complimenting his magical treasures for their impressive efficacy. Shen Luo was also involuntarily amazed at the sight. ¡°The Sun-Extinguishing Mirror¡­ looks like it has reached the level of a top-grade magical instrument. However, it lacks both geographic and temporal advantage and its effectiveness is ultimately limited.¡± Gouhun Ma Mian swept his gaze and shook his head. ¡°Elder, why do you say this?¡± Shen Luo asked puzzledly. ¡°This Sun-Extinguishing Mirror relies on drawing upon the Pure Yang Power of Heaven and Earth to drive away and eradicate evil spirits. The more abundant the Yang Qi in the surrounding world, the stronger the Pure Yang power it can solidify and draw upon. Unfortunately, this valley is inherently a place ruled by Yin Sha and supernatural beings. It does not have a geographical advantage. Whereas at this moment, though it is noon, the sky overhead is shrouded in clouds, making it difficult to draw upon the advantage of the hour, achieving half of its original capacity is already good enough.¡± Gouhun Ma Mian explained. As his voice just fell, a thunder-like roaring sound suddenly emanated from the cave in the cliff wall. The rich Yin Qi that was forced back into the cave by the mirror¡¯s white light just as suddenly surged out like a tide. In the pitch-black fog, mixed with weird ¡°screeching¡± noises, bat-like creatures the size of puppies appeared in droves from the cave, enveloping the view with a large dark mass flying towards the crowd outside the cave. Shen Luo felt chilled. He saw that the fat, black bats were glossy all over, and they had pig-like faces with two sharp, chilling vampire teeth sticking out of their mouths, causing one¡¯s hair to stand on end. ¡°They are blood-sucking vampire bats, be careful everybody.¡± Bai Hecheng shouted while twisting his wrist. Chapter 255 03-25 - Chapter 255: Chapter 253: Undercurrent Chapter 255: Chapter 253: Undercurrent The charm patterns on the suspended Sun-Extinguishing Mirror suddenly lit up. The brilliance reflected on the mirror¡¯s surface transformed from white to crimson in an instant, growing more blazing, illuminating the swarm of the blood-sucking vampire bats that were hurtling towards them. Whenever this crimson light swept past, a multitude of ghost bats would instantly burst into heart-wrenching screams, their bodies instantly manifesting burns akin to fire injuries, with white smoke hissing out from the wounds, emitting a fetid stench. The ghost bats that flew out of the cave were blocked by the white light and immediately diverted their paths. Circumventing the area illuminated by the white light, they continued their attack on the crowd. At this point, Bai Jiangfeng and others also sprung into action. They either tossed out blaze talismans or stimulated their magical instruments, transforming them into sheets of intense flames and dazzling light that met the vampire bats head-on. Shen Luo kept his gaze transfixed on the ghost bats above while picking up the rustling noise in his ears. He promptly shifted his gaze to locate the source of the sound. What he found was an uncountable number of hand-sized black beetles, teeming out from the mountain wall cave. Like a surging black tide, they made their way towards the Bai family members¡¯ feet. Those beetles had black, armoured shells growing on their backs that were covered in dense spikes. On their heads, they had pointed beaks like a scorpion¡¯s pincers. Wrapped in an incredibly dense green corpse Qi, it was obvious at first glance that they were filled with lethal corpse poison. ¡°This place has actually brewed Corpse Scarabs! It seems that a red-haired zombie must have been born in this cave.¡± Upon seeing this, Soul Hook Horse Face said with a serious expression. Upon hearing his words, Shen Luo realised that those countless tiny creatures were the ¡°Corpse Scarabs¡± mentioned in the ancient book. According to the book, those creatures feed on Yin Qi and often appear alongside red-haired zombies. They naturally carry corpse poison, and anyone bitten by them who does not receive treatment immediately will die from the poison. Even if someone were fortunate enough to survive, they would become a living dead person under the control of the red-haired zombie. ¡°Beware of the Corpse Scarabs ¡­¡± At that point, a cry of alarm came from among the Bai family members. Xie Yuxin, who was dressed in a red robe, unfastened a red waist ribbon from her waist. Holding onto one end and giving it a flick, the red ribbon slithered out like a python of fire, encircling the crowd and transforming into a ring of flames that protected them in the middle. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï However, the tide of the corpse scarabs refused to halt and continued their relentless attack. They continuously surged into the flames, even though they were sizzling from the blaze. They showed no signs of retreating. In a flash, strands of green corpse Qi began to rise in the flames, and soon that area was shrouded in it. The corpse scarabs on the ground saw the fierceness of the fire and began to gather together and attack the flames. In every attack, the scarabs on the perimeter would be burnt to death, but there would always be one or two from the centre that survived and slipped through the flames to sneak attack the crowd. Luckily, Fifth Grandma of Bai Xiaotian did not openly attack the ghost bats and corpse scarabs like everyone else. Instead, she stood in the middle, helping others to mop up the enemies that had broken through. Her expression was grim, her face deeply wrinkled, and her skin was loose. Only her jade-like hands were as smooth as a young girl¡¯s. A hazy white light shrouded them, and every time she waved her hands, a crystal clear needle as slim as a cow¡¯s hair would shoot out from her fingertips, nailing the sneak attacking corpse scarabs and ghost bats to death. The battlefield seemed chaotic with all manner of attacks, but in reality, everyone was advancing and retreating in close cooperation, maintaining an orderly rhythm. ¡­ Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the cave, in an underground melting pot, green glowing crystals were growing everywhere on the walls, filled with concentrated Yin Sha Qi that was almost tangible. In the centre of the melting pot, on the ground, was a black pond a few feet in size. The water within was dark, thick and had the appearance of oil, emitting a bizarre smell that was indescribable. From time to time, rounded bubbles would rise from the viscous surface of the liquid, resembling fire oil. Upon bursting, wisps of black gas would slowly seep out. On the dome of the cave above the pond, hung four black silk cocoons several feet tall. Three of them had a long, narrow slit in them from top to bottom, each already empty inside. The intact cocoon on the far right contained an unknown living entity, with bulges appearing sporadically on its surface. It seemed as if whatever lurked within was yearning to emerge from its silk enclosure. At that moment, the water¡¯s surface in the pool below lost its tranquility, bubbles rising from its depths as two humanoid shapes gradually ascended from within. Only when half of their bodies were exposed did the sticky black fluid clinging to them began to slide off, revealing their true forms. The entity on the left was as white as jade all over, with not a shred of flesh on it, revealing it to be a pure white skeleton creature. A faint green flame flickered in its eye sockets, with leather armor encasing its wrists, ankles, and waist. On its back hung two crossed white bone swords, creating a visage that was as eerie as it was comical. Next to it, there was a hideous, mutated zombie covered in armor-like scales with red hair sprouted from the gaps between the scales. Its face was devoid of moisture, the skin shrunken, eyes bulging outwards. Its teeth and blood-red gums were exposed, sending a chill down one¡¯s spine at the sight. Between these two, a barely noticeable black air mass emerged slowly from beneath the surface of the water. A blurry image of a beast resembling a water rhinoceros could be seen rampaging within the air mass, reminiscent of the River Guardian Beast that had once wreaked havoc in Jianye City. The viscous water beneath them released a fog of dark red and black that spread out, seemingly nourishing the three entities. The walls of the cave were peppered with black-armored corpse scarabs. Above, countless blood-sucking vampire bats hung upside-down, their numbers rivalling those that had already swarmed outside the cave. ¡°A blood feast has arrived¡­¡± At this moment, an ethereal voice unexpectedly rang out. As the ethereal voice echoed, the two ghostly flames in the eye sockets of the white skeleton flared up, becoming even brighter. The red-haired zombie floated up and landed by the poolside. ¡°Red Corpse requests battle.¡± A hoarse and gruff voice issued from the throat of the red-haired zombie. Immediately after, the white skeleton moved beside him. Without uttering any words, it drew the bone swords from its back, crossed them, and drove them into the ground before it, before kneeling on one knee, signaling its readiness to join the battle with its action. The black air mass that the River Guardian Beast morphed into also floated up to the shore, jumping up and down in the void, as if unwilling to be left behind. ¡°Water Fiend stays back ¡­ Red Corpse, White Wailing, you both go ¡­ leave no one.¡± The ethereal voice echoed again. The red-haired zombie and the white bone skeleton immediately stood up, accepting the command, only the River Guardian Beast faithfully returned to the pool. The red-haired zombie sprung into action, moving to the entrance of the cave passage. Thousands of corpse scarabs immediately swarmed beneath, forming a black river that surged, propelling it towards the outside of the cave. Chapter 256 03-25 - Chapter 256: Chapter 254: Struggling Battle Chapter 256: Chapter 254: Struggling Battle The white bone skull seemed to have no frills, just steadily moving one step at a time outward. However, as it continued to advance, piles of withered bones scattered on the ground of the passageway started to self-assemble into incomplete carcasses, following it outward. ¡­ Outside the cave, the enormous swarm of corpse scarabs had already broken through Xie Yuxin¡¯s flame defense and was pushing towards the Bai Family members. Yet, everyone was an experienced fighter, showing no fear on their faces. Under Bai Hecheng¡¯s command, they all concentrated and contracted to the center. At this time, a huge shadow suddenly shrouded above their heads, as a yellow copper coin the size of a house fell from the sky like Mount Tai crushing down. With a ¡°Boom¡± a loud noise was heard, causing the entire valley to shake intensely! The fallen yellow copper coin stirred up a vast amount of sand and stones, smashing tens of thousands of corpse scarabs in the surroundings into pulp. However, the Bai Family members were all unharmed, situated in the safe space at the center of the copper coin. ¡°The Treasure Copper Coin really did us a great favor.¡± Feng Ling appreciated as he was controlling his paper fan to perform slash attacks. Everyone turned their gaze to Bai Jiangfeng, with their eyes full of joy. Bai Jiangfeng displayed a light smile on his face, retrieving his magical instrument with a wave of hand. Everywhere around them were the bodies of corpse scarabs and ghost bats. These previous threats were all annihilated. Bai Hecheng then pulled out a green porcelain bottle from his sleeve and distributed a few elixirs among the group, remarking: Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï ¡°This is the Corpse Pill, capable of resolving corpse air and eliminating evil aura. Take it and have some rest. After recuperating for a moment, we will storm into this cave together and wipe out all the demons inside. Once this is accomplished, the Bai Family will not let you down.¡± ¡°Thanks to the Family Head¡¯s early arrangement, we have been able to progress so smoothly.¡± The White Water Daoist, despite of his torn clothes, wasn¡¯t injured and responded with a face full of smiles. ¡°Rest assured, Family Head, we will exert our full efforts!¡± The troop suffered minimal losses from the earlier battle and their morale was high at this moment. The rest of them responded in unison. ¡°No wonder the Bai Family is able to firmly hold the position of number one aristocratic family in Jianye City, it is not all because of their ancestor¡¯s fame. This Bai Hecheng does have the manner of a Family Head, he organizes well and commands wisely.¡± Gouhun Ma Mian looked at a distance and slightly nodded. ¡°When do we make our move?¡± Shen Luo whispered from the side. ¡°Don¡¯t hurry, it¡¯s not the time yet.¡± Gouhun Ma Mian answered, leisurely taking off his wine gourd from his waist. Only after he carefully took a sip of the wine, he wiped his mouth and spoke. However, as soon as he finished speaking, his expression abruptly changed. Instantly plucking a stone with his hand, he flicked it with his finger towards the mountain wall on the right. A ¡°Ping!¡± resounded from the mountain wall as the stone ricocheted and directly fell into the cave on the left side of the mountain wall. ¡°Be careful, something¡¯s amiss¡­¡± The moment Bai Hecheng heard the sound, his expression tightened immediately and he warned sternly. Everyone else was also on alert, each clutching their magical instruments, cautiously looking towards the cave. Accompanied by the sudden howling of the wind, a red figure abruptly shot out from the cave, flying towards the crowd¡ªit was the red-haired zombie. His hands thrust forward, the tips of his fingers flashing a cold light akin to one that metal emits, directly piercing towards Xie Yuxin¡¯s chest. Standing slightly to one side, Bai Hecheng saw the danger and stepped in between, wielding the Sun-Extinguishing Mirror to strike down the Red Zombie. Without deriving the energy from the Heaven and Earth¡¯s Yang energy, the mirror was driven by the Mana from within his body and a dazzling white light burst forth, forming a straight beam that hit the Red Zombie¡¯s forehead. ¡°Roar¡­¡±With a miserable howl, the Red Zombie was immediately thrown backward, smoke rising from its forehead. Everyone was taken aback by this sudden assassination, and before they could regain their footing, there was another disturbance. The ground underneath the White Water Daoist suddenly shattered, and a white bone sword shot upward, spinning like a top at high speed, and steadily fired into the air. He had no time to react before the bone sword entered through his lower jaw and exited through the top of his skull, killing him instantly. People from Bai family were horrified, and quickly dispersed into separate directions. The ground on which they had just stood collapsed instantly and an ancient skeleton wearing scale armor jumped out, leaping into the high air and catching the bloodstained bone sword. With a swing of its sword, a splash of blood was immediately scattered and from the shattered soil in front, some ancient bones of white color crawled out and launched attack towards the Bai family. Feng Ling glanced at the tragically morphed White Water Daoist, a touch of sorrow flashed in his eyes. He had no option but to gather himself, and counterattacked those suddenly appeared skulls. Right after that, a large number of Corpse Scarabs and Blood-sucking Vampire Bats burst out from the mouth of the mountain wall cave again, covering the sky and approaching the Bai Family monks, momentum surpassing what it was earlier. Observing these evolving circumstances, Bai Hecheng leaped and surprisingly levitated mid-air. He drew a line through his palm and smeared blood on the Sun-Extinguishing Mirror in his hand, turning it towards the lower frontier. Bloodlight on the mirror flashed once, and all fresh blood disappeared in it. The back of the mirror lit up and the bloody light around it glowing red, amazingly it hung mid-air. ¡°Blood as the guide, Yang fire burns Yin, go!¡± A loud shout from Bai Hecheng¡¯s mouth, the Sun-Extinguishing Mirror mid-air spun like a top. The mirror roared and waves of crimson fire flew out like a peacock opening its tail, striking down the Corpse Scarabs, Ghost Bats and skeleton ghosts from above. In a flash, the entire valley was filled with incessant explosions and flying sparks. Masses of Corpse Scarabs and numerous white bone skulls were smashed to smithereens, and the blood-sucking vampire bats mid-air dared not approach. Yet at this moment, the red-haired Zombie that was originally repelled by Bai Hecheng with a frontal assault, stamped the ground with both feet, catapulted straight into the air, hands stretched out charging directly at Bai Hecheng. The overwhelming red light striking its scale armor-covered body had absolutely no effect, it couldn¡¯t even slow it down. Bai Hecheng saw it approaching him, his expression unchanged, pulled out a palm-sized brass seal from his sleeve, and smashed it towards the Red-haired Zombies. The moment the brass seal was thrown out, golden light exploded all around it. It enlarged hundred folds instantaneously. An illusion of a fierce tiger surfaced from it and violently collided with the red-haired Zombie. Like a gravitational force of a thousand catties pressing down on it. The Red-haired Zombie¡¯s both hands supported the seal, unable to push it away and was forced to descend towards the ground. However, its eyes flashed with a bright blood-red light. Two beams of red light shot out with a ¡°pop¡± hitting the mid-air mirror, producing a dull ¡°bang¡±. A puff of white smoke immediately appeared from the Sun-Extinguishing Mirror, as if it was being corroded, faltered for a few instances, the illumination faded and it started falling down. Chapter 258 03-25 - Chapter 258: Chapter 256: Asura Puppet Ghost Chapter 258: Chapter 256: Asura Puppet Ghost The viscous black liquid in the pool suddenly began to boil, vigorously gushing out and flowing to the legs of the Water Devil, and subsequently, it moved steadily upwards, encircling the beast¡¯s legs and up its body. Swiftly, all the black liquid from the pool attached to the Water Devil¡¯s initially somewhat vague body, and in a blink of an eye, it helped reassemble its body. The Water Devil kicked its front hoof and let out a neigh. The aura around its body instantly surged several times. The Demon Wind hanging in mid-air saw this scene and seemed quite pleased, nodding its head before rising into a cloud of black mist. Its entire body transformed from solid to ethereal, quickly surging towards the cocoon hanging from the dome, and vanished within it. ¡°Not good!¡± Soul Hook Horse Face shouted out, sharply swinging the Soul Hooking Pen in its hand. The Soul Hooking Pen flew out of the hand, the charm patterns glowed suddenly on it, the entire pen body turned bright red, with a sparkle-like glow it headed straight for the heart of the cocoon. Just when it seemed to hit, a vertical line of golden light suddenly lit up on the black cocoon. It split open from head to toe leaving a gaping hole, out of which a large hand reached and grabbed the Soul Hooking Pen. The pen trembled under the crimson light as the tip strove to pierce into the cocoon, but the iron claw-like hand held it tight, not letting it advance a bit. Then, ¡°Chi-La¡± a noise rang out. The entire cocoon exploded immediately, revealing a upright figure of a young man. I saw him wearing golden armor around his body, with a wheel hung behind him that seemed like the treasure light of immortals and Buddhas, decorated with red and golden fire patterns. He was wearing a flying wings golden helmet on his head, in the center of which there was a vertically shaped, crimson crystal stone. The face revealed below was extremely handsome, no matter how it was looked at, it resembled a celestial warrior. However, Shen Luo noticed that black patterns resembling tattoos were growing on both sides of his forehead and cheeks; his blood-red eyes were filled with a dark and sinister air, making it clear that he was not a good character. ¡°Asura Puppet Ghost!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Soul Hook Horse Face had a furrowed brow and after saying these words his body lit up with a red light, as if fired. He had apparently withdrawn his concealment and directly restored his horse-headed true form. Seeing the actions of Ma Mian, Shen Luo realized that the situation had become somewhat difficult. ¡°Shen Luo, this Asura Puppet is a puppet ghost body made by imitating the Asura war god. Although its strength is not one ten thousandth of the real body, it is a fusion of the demon wind, and I am afraid it will not be easy to deal with. Once we start fighting, I may not be able to protect you. If you can¡¯t resist the Water Devil, you can escape, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± At this time, the voice of Soul Hook Horse Face suddenly appeared in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. Shen Luo did not have the ability to communicate through voice transmission and naturally could not answer, he just silently nodded his head. The Asura Puppet Ghost also seemed to notice the interaction between the two. Its head mechanically turned towards Shen Luo, and after opening a wide grin, a dark and gloomy smile spread across its face. With a flash in its eyes, the Soul Hooking Pen held in its hand was suddenly thrown towards Shen Luo like a dart. A thud resounded in front of him, and the crimson iron pen directly headed towards his forehead. Shen Luo¡¯s heart tightened; he subconsciously initiated his Slanting Moon Steps and dodged to the side. Just when he was about to move, he was shocked to find that there was a near-invisible thread trailing behind the Soul Hooking Pen. With a slight tug, the trajectory of the Soul Hooking Pen shifted towards his direction. The moment Shen Luo dropped his foot, a blood hole was about to be pierced through his head. Just in the nick of time, Ma Mian, dressed in a wide robe, floated over. He stepped in front of Shen Luo, grabbed the Soul Hooking Pen shooting towards him in mid-flight and with his other hand formed a knife-like gesture, cleaved into the void behind the body of the pen and snapped the slender crystal thread. As Shen Luo steadied himself, he saw Ma Mian holding the pen in one hand, his fingers flicking it, spinning it in the void, creating a showy maneuver that was somewhat pleasing to watch. ¡°Watch out for yourself!¡± After giving a warning, Ma Mian¡¯s figure suddenly surged forward, pen in hand, directly charging at the Asura Puppet Ghost. The latter swept both hands behind him, holding a Vajra Exorcism Pestle in each hand¡ªone round like a lantern at both ends, the other sharp like a spike¡ªwithout any of the brightness that a magical instrument should have. The two met in mid-air, one gold, one red, one devil, one Yin god, and fought fiercely with no clear advantage. As soon as Ma Mian left Shen Luo¡¯s side, the Water Devil who had been ready to pounce immediately charged. Opening its blood basin, it spat a pitch-black Water Arrow directly at Shen Luo. Shen Luo had been keeping an eye on it all along. Naturally, he was prepared. Using the Slanting Moon Steps, he dodged to the side of the Water Devil, not far away, three Small Thunder Talismans from his hand already set into motion. The body of the talisman flashed, three streaks of white electric light shot out, striking the abdomen of the Water Devil all at once. Accompanied by a ¡°bang¡± sound, a hole was blasted open in the abdomen of the Water Devil. A pool of black liquid flowed from it and dripped all over the ground. Seeing the success of his attack, Shen Luo was delighted and extracted five more Small Thunder Talismans, releasing a robust thunder from them, aimed at the Water Devil. Nevertheless, having suffered a loss once, the Water Devil surged forward at a lightning speed. Turning its head to spit out a Water Arrow, it collided with the thunderbolt in mid-air, causing an explosion. No sooner had the electric light disappeared than the Water Devil rushed towards Shen Luo, continuously firing Water Arrows¡ªan attack that Shen Luo managed to avoid repeatedly and dodged using the Slanting Moon Steps. The cave walls and the ground where the Water Arrows hit were all emitting white smoke, corroded into fist-sized deep pits. The Water Devil sped up the chase, closing in on Shen Luo. The continuous stream of Water Arrows made it impossible for Shen Luo to find an opening to cast a spell. He was holding several Small Thunder Talismans but was unable to find an opportunity to use them. Shen Luo was getting anxious. He¡¯s just in the Qi Refining seventh layer, and the sophisticated maneuvers of the Slanting Moon Steps were enabling him to cope for now. But the Water Devil, after regenerating its body through the demon wind, was showing almost Mid Grain Avoidance Stage strength; the longer the fight lasted, the more disadvantaged he was. Just then, an unexpected change took place! Shen Luo had just dodged a Water Arrow when a strong force suddenly struck from beneath his foot. Unbeknownst to him, the Water Devil had extended its pitch-black tail multiple times its original length and sneak-attacked him from behind. Taken by surprise, Shen Luo was swept by the tail and sent rolling out. The area where he was hit on his leg transmitted waves of fierce blazing pain, making it tough for him to get up. As he was struggling to stand up, he saw the blood basin of the Water Devil open up again, a pitch-black Water Arrow was forming within shortly, it was going to shoot straight at his head. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Shen Luo reached into his sleeve and gripped the Ghost Wailing Ring, instantly pouring his Mana into it. Chapter 258 03-25 - Chapter 258: Chapter 256: Asura Puppet Ghost Chapter 258: Chapter 256: Asura Puppet Ghost The viscous black liquid in the pool suddenly began to boil, vigorously gushing out and flowing to the legs of the Water Devil, and subsequently, it moved steadily upwards, encircling the beast¡¯s legs and up its body. Swiftly, all the black liquid from the pool attached to the Water Devil¡¯s initially somewhat vague body, and in a blink of an eye, it helped reassemble its body. The Water Devil kicked its front hoof and let out a neigh. The aura around its body instantly surged several times. The Demon Wind hanging in mid-air saw this scene and seemed quite pleased, nodding its head before rising into a cloud of black mist. Its entire body transformed from solid to ethereal, quickly surging towards the cocoon hanging from the dome, and vanished within it. ¡°Not good!¡± Soul Hook Horse Face shouted out, sharply swinging the Soul Hooking Pen in its hand. The Soul Hooking Pen flew out of the hand, the charm patterns glowed suddenly on it, the entire pen body turned bright red, with a sparkle-like glow it headed straight for the heart of the cocoon. Just when it seemed to hit, a vertical line of golden light suddenly lit up on the black cocoon. It split open from head to toe leaving a gaping hole, out of which a large hand reached and grabbed the Soul Hooking Pen. The pen trembled under the crimson light as the tip strove to pierce into the cocoon, but the iron claw-like hand held it tight, not letting it advance a bit. Then, ¡°Chi-La¡± a noise rang out. The entire cocoon exploded immediately, revealing a upright figure of a young man. I saw him wearing golden armor around his body, with a wheel hung behind him that seemed like the treasure light of immortals and Buddhas, decorated with red and golden fire patterns. He was wearing a flying wings golden helmet on his head, in the center of which there was a vertically shaped, crimson crystal stone. The face revealed below was extremely handsome, no matter how it was looked at, it resembled a celestial warrior. However, Shen Luo noticed that black patterns resembling tattoos were growing on both sides of his forehead and cheeks; his blood-red eyes were filled with a dark and sinister air, making it clear that he was not a good character. ¡°Asura Puppet Ghost!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Soul Hook Horse Face had a furrowed brow and after saying these words his body lit up with a red light, as if fired. He had apparently withdrawn his concealment and directly restored his horse-headed true form. Seeing the actions of Ma Mian, Shen Luo realized that the situation had become somewhat difficult. ¡°Shen Luo, this Asura Puppet is a puppet ghost body made by imitating the Asura war god. Although its strength is not one ten thousandth of the real body, it is a fusion of the demon wind, and I am afraid it will not be easy to deal with. Once we start fighting, I may not be able to protect you. If you can¡¯t resist the Water Devil, you can escape, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± At this time, the voice of Soul Hook Horse Face suddenly appeared in Shen Luo¡¯s mind. Shen Luo did not have the ability to communicate through voice transmission and naturally could not answer, he just silently nodded his head. The Asura Puppet Ghost also seemed to notice the interaction between the two. Its head mechanically turned towards Shen Luo, and after opening a wide grin, a dark and gloomy smile spread across its face. With a flash in its eyes, the Soul Hooking Pen held in its hand was suddenly thrown towards Shen Luo like a dart. A thud resounded in front of him, and the crimson iron pen directly headed towards his forehead. Shen Luo¡¯s heart tightened; he subconsciously initiated his Slanting Moon Steps and dodged to the side. Just when he was about to move, he was shocked to find that there was a near-invisible thread trailing behind the Soul Hooking Pen. With a slight tug, the trajectory of the Soul Hooking Pen shifted towards his direction. The moment Shen Luo dropped his foot, a blood hole was about to be pierced through his head. Just in the nick of time, Ma Mian, dressed in a wide robe, floated over. He stepped in front of Shen Luo, grabbed the Soul Hooking Pen shooting towards him in mid-flight and with his other hand formed a knife-like gesture, cleaved into the void behind the body of the pen and snapped the slender crystal thread. As Shen Luo steadied himself, he saw Ma Mian holding the pen in one hand, his fingers flicking it, spinning it in the void, creating a showy maneuver that was somewhat pleasing to watch. ¡°Watch out for yourself!¡± After giving a warning, Ma Mian¡¯s figure suddenly surged forward, pen in hand, directly charging at the Asura Puppet Ghost. The latter swept both hands behind him, holding a Vajra Exorcism Pestle in each hand¡ªone round like a lantern at both ends, the other sharp like a spike¡ªwithout any of the brightness that a magical instrument should have. The two met in mid-air, one gold, one red, one devil, one Yin god, and fought fiercely with no clear advantage. As soon as Ma Mian left Shen Luo¡¯s side, the Water Devil who had been ready to pounce immediately charged. Opening its blood basin, it spat a pitch-black Water Arrow directly at Shen Luo. Shen Luo had been keeping an eye on it all along. Naturally, he was prepared. Using the Slanting Moon Steps, he dodged to the side of the Water Devil, not far away, three Small Thunder Talismans from his hand already set into motion. The body of the talisman flashed, three streaks of white electric light shot out, striking the abdomen of the Water Devil all at once. Accompanied by a ¡°bang¡± sound, a hole was blasted open in the abdomen of the Water Devil. A pool of black liquid flowed from it and dripped all over the ground. Seeing the success of his attack, Shen Luo was delighted and extracted five more Small Thunder Talismans, releasing a robust thunder from them, aimed at the Water Devil. Nevertheless, having suffered a loss once, the Water Devil surged forward at a lightning speed. Turning its head to spit out a Water Arrow, it collided with the thunderbolt in mid-air, causing an explosion. No sooner had the electric light disappeared than the Water Devil rushed towards Shen Luo, continuously firing Water Arrows¡ªan attack that Shen Luo managed to avoid repeatedly and dodged using the Slanting Moon Steps. The cave walls and the ground where the Water Arrows hit were all emitting white smoke, corroded into fist-sized deep pits. The Water Devil sped up the chase, closing in on Shen Luo. The continuous stream of Water Arrows made it impossible for Shen Luo to find an opening to cast a spell. He was holding several Small Thunder Talismans but was unable to find an opportunity to use them. Shen Luo was getting anxious. He¡¯s just in the Qi Refining seventh layer, and the sophisticated maneuvers of the Slanting Moon Steps were enabling him to cope for now. But the Water Devil, after regenerating its body through the demon wind, was showing almost Mid Grain Avoidance Stage strength; the longer the fight lasted, the more disadvantaged he was. Just then, an unexpected change took place! Shen Luo had just dodged a Water Arrow when a strong force suddenly struck from beneath his foot. Unbeknownst to him, the Water Devil had extended its pitch-black tail multiple times its original length and sneak-attacked him from behind. Taken by surprise, Shen Luo was swept by the tail and sent rolling out. The area where he was hit on his leg transmitted waves of fierce blazing pain, making it tough for him to get up. As he was struggling to stand up, he saw the blood basin of the Water Devil open up again, a pitch-black Water Arrow was forming within shortly, it was going to shoot straight at his head. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Shen Luo reached into his sleeve and gripped the Ghost Wailing Ring, instantly pouring his Mana into it.