Beneath the veil of night, a lone figure moved swiftly along the street. Only when flames suddenly illuminated the sky behind him did he arrive at a temple.
From the outside, Baiyun Temple appeared tranquil. Even to a cultivator's eyes, no incense smoke rose as it did during the day. Instead, wisps of demonic energy coiled above the temple.
Seeing this, Shen Lang's heart sank. Although he had prepared himself, witnessing the change at Baiyun Temple still caused him to sigh softly. It seemed not only was there no hope of aid from the Buddhist cultivators within, but the people inside were likely already facing dire peril.
"The world has a gentle breeze, always accompanying me."
He whispered, and a surge of righteous qi manifested within him, dissipating into the heavens and earth. Immediately, a gentle breeze responded, twining itself around his body. This was a technique of Confucian cultivators, where righteous qi could, to a certain extent, enable "speech to become law."
With the gentle breeze by his side, Shen Lang exuded an aura that repelled evil. His body felt lighter, and with a mere tap of his foot, he leaped as lightly as a swallow over the temple's high wall.
However, as Shen Lang scaled the wall and stepped into Baiyun Temple, a demonic wind immediately assailed him. Several cold glints flashed through the whistling gale.
Seeing this, the scholar remained unruffled. He casually reached out and caught several iron darts hidden within the wind. The demonic wind, capable of shaking one's soul, was neutralized by the gentle breeze around him.
"Bright universe, evil spirits retreat!"
He suddenly uttered a low shout, and his righteous qi surged outwards, cleansing all demonic energy in his vicinity. In the midst of the demon-infested Baiyun Temple, Shen Lang was like a bright flame in the darkness. His righteous qi erupted, drawing the gaze of many hidden observers.
Yet, he paid them no heed, his expression turning serious as he strode towards the rear courtyard of the temple. Throughout his journey, the demonic winds persisted but never touched him, proving true his earlier words: all manner of evil could not harm him.
Before long, the separate courtyard at the back of the temple appeared amidst the churning demonic winds. However, at this moment, hesitation flickered in Shen Lang's eyes. Despite his confidence in himself, the journey had been too smooth, unsettling him. Had the evil spirits here only such meager tricks? But if this were the case, how could they have occupied Baiyun Temple? Did they think Buddhist monks only chanted scriptures?
"Alas, alas, you'll have to treat me to a good drink later."
Shen Lang sighed, muttering to himself, "And it must be one that costs a silver coin per pot!"
The moment the words left his lips, he stepped into the courtyard before him, a feeling akin to 'the wind howls, the Yi River is cold' pervading the air. But as he took that step, crossing the threshold, the scenery before him turned upside down, and a pulling sensation arose.
A few breaths later, as the strange phenomena subsided, Shen Lang found himself in a dimly lit great hall. Only scattered candlelight illuminated a small area. Before his eyes, a row of ferocious-looking deity statues glared angrily at the scholar within the hall. Among them were Buddhist Dharma protectors and Bodhisattvas. While the former were understandable, even the latter, who should have had benevolent faces, now bore furious expressions like demons from hell.
"The human world is like hell, and demons roam the mortal realm. Let go of your obsessions and enter my Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."
A magnificent voice suddenly resounded within the hall, like demonic music seeping into the ears, echoing in Shen Lang's mind. His mouth twitched, and he scanned his surroundings with a look of disdain, muttering something inaudible. However, a yellowed book suddenly appeared in his hand.
"If you talk about this, I'll get energized. Come, come, let me tell you about the sacred words of our Confucian school."
The scholar grinned, a gentle breeze caressing him. The book in his hand opened by itself, and the very first page emitted a soft glow. Words danced on the pages as if imbued with life.
The next moment, the deity statues in the hall descended from their altars, their faces contorted with rage as they raised their hands to strike at Shen Lang. A soft light then flared, filling almost the entire dimly lit hall, and magnificent, solemn voices began to chant the writings of the Confucian sages.
...
RUMBLE!!!
A violent roar, like rolling thunder, echoed through the night sky for a long time. A figure was sent flying out of the billowing smoke and dust, tumbling several feet before crashing against a thick courtyard wall.
Zhao Yuansong leaned against the courtyard wall, his hair disheveled and his robes torn in multiple places, emanating a scent of blood. Gazing at the gleaming City God's Temple, he couldn't help but let out a wry smile. After years of wandering the martial world, he never expected to capsize in a ditch and walk straight into a trap. At that very moment, he had almost thought he would meet his end here.
With a soft sigh, Zhao Yuansong wiped the blood from his lips, staggered to his feet, and waved his hand. His long sword, previously knocked into the courtyard, flew back into his grasp. He slowly walked towards the main hall of the City God's Temple before him. With each step, his aura grew stronger, and a fierce sword qi flowed from within him.
After more than ten breaths, a middle-aged man, radiating brilliant golden light, clad in imposing armor, and wielding a heavy spear, emerged from the main hall of the City God's Temple. He stood over ten feet tall, like a giant, enveloped in a dense mist of incense smoke, as if a deity had descended to the mortal realm.
In fact, this middle-aged man was indeed a deity – the local City God. However, the City God, who should have been guarding the area and preventing the populace from being harmed by evil spirits, now had eyes that blazed with crimson light. Under the dense power of incense and prayer, surging demonic energy emanated from him, clearly indicating he had fallen into the demonic path.
This crazed City God suddenly raised his heavy spear and swung it towards the small figure before him. A semicircular blade of light shot out, instantly appearing before Zhao Yuansong. The sky-filling golden light blinded him, seeming intent on tearing him asunder.
"Ah!"
Zhao Yuansong let out a fierce roar, enduring the terrifying force before him. He struggled to raise his long sword. At that very moment, as his sword slashed outwards, a brilliant sword light rose like the great sun. His entire being's aura surged severalfold. The potent essence within him instantly retracted, integrating into his sea of qi and dan tian. In the blink of an eye, surging and pure magical power erupted from his dan tian, flowing through his meridians. Several spiritual soul lights descended, dispelling the illusions within his physique. The senior disciple of the Nine Profound Sect had, between life and death, broken through and ascended to the second realm, the Spirit Point realm, also known as the Barrier Breaking realm!
As all light dissipated, Zhao Yuansong slowly opened his eyes, an unprecedented sharpness glinting within them. His aura had now reached its peak since his cultivation began.
"Now... it's my turn!"
He whispered, then looked down at the long sword in his hand and slowly raised it above his head. Seeing this, a solemn expression appeared on the City God's face, his crimson gaze intensifying.
"Slash!"
Zhao Yuansong roared, and the sword in his hand chopped down heavily. A sword light, the color of earth yellow, flashed out and instantly appeared before the City God. However, facing this sword light, barely half a foot long, the golden body, over ten feet tall, instinctively retreated several steps, holding its heavy spear defensively before it. In the eyes of this City God, that small sword light seemed to transform into a mountain peak, crashing down with immense weight.
BOOM!!!
The instant the sword light struck, the City God's golden body, over ten feet tall, was smashed into the hall behind him. The entire divine hall collapsed, turning into ruins in a few breaths. From the layers of bricks and tiles, the once brilliant golden light rapidly dimmed. Even the thick clouds of incense smoke above the City God's Temple began to break apart at this moment.
As Zhao Yuansong slowly approached the collapsed hall, numerous divine officials emerged from the side halls. Some held thick books, others wielded brushes carved with flowers and birds, and some were martial generals clad in heavy armor, wielding sharp swords and long spears. Seeing this, Zhao Yuansong took a deep breath, allowing the magical power within his body to surge through his meridians, his sword qi gradually condensing.
...
"If you have no backup plans, are you going to wait here to die after the Sage's text dissipates?!"
Ji Yuan looked at the old man before him with a grave expression, his brows tightly furrowed. He had never imagined that the Zhao family, dominant in both righteous and wicked paths for hundreds of miles, would have their final resort be a wooden building that mimicked the writings of a Confucian sage. Even setting aside rare divine weapons and priceless powerful magical artifacts, they should have at least a few usable inscribed talismans for martial artists.
Hearing this, Old Master Zhao's face was filled with bitterness. He sighed deeply, "Over the years, to maintain the Zhao family's status, I've distributed so much wealth." He explained to Ji Yuan that the Zhao family was indeed wealthy, but only in terms of gold and silver. Anything that cultivators could use had been used to curry favor in the county town, leaving little behind. Old Master Zhao even stated that there was still a large amount of gold and silver in the family treasury, along with numerous antiques, curios, and rare jewelry. However, these items were of no use in the face of the current crisis befalling the Zhao family.
After calming down, Ji Yuan understood the key point. As the head of a prominent force, controlling the affairs of hundreds of miles, the imperial court would naturally not allow them to possess too many powerful artifacts beyond their control. Furthermore, the Zhao family lacked the clout to disregard the court's authority over local powers. Thus, apart from regular reserves, they dared not keep much more and had to spend an astonishing amount each year to maintain connections in the county town.
"If that's the case, once the sage's text on the building dissipates, we'll have to rely on ourselves," Jiang He said in a low voice, glancing at the young Taoist beside him. If there were no other means or trump cards, the Zhao family was indeed useless now, and they would even need to protect them. Although the Zhao family still had over a dozen martial artists, several skilled family servants, and Old Master Zhao himself, whose martial prowess ranked among the top three in hundreds of miles, they were all either severely injured or had severely overdrawn their strength. Forget dealing with a second-realm evil entity; even a few poorly skilled young men could likely overwhelm them with some effort.
"If so, we'd best find a way to deal with the evil entity outside before the sage's text dissipates," Xu Qiqi said thoughtfully. If the sage's text were still present, it would naturally protect the Zhao family members inside the wooden building, relieving them of the need to divert their attention to protection, allowing them to concentrate on dealing with the malevolent entity. Fortunately, although the opponent possessed second-realm cultivation, their nature was that of a sinister evil entity. As long as the methods were appropriate, it was not impossible to fight them. If it were a different kind of entity, they would not be considering a desperate fight now, but rather how to escape this place.
"Daoist Ji, if you decide to kill the evil entity, could you save my youngest son?" Old Master Zhao's expression became agitated upon hearing the three's plan. He tremblingly reached out and firmly grasped Ji Yuan's wrist, then said with tears streaming down his face, "My youngest son, Yuebai, was abducted by the evil entity two days ago, and his fate is still unknown!"