Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s semi-transparent ghostly hand passed through his body. A sweet, metallic taste filled his throat, and suddenly, he spat out a large puddle of blood. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Damn you!” Rolling aside into the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to stand, but his entire body felt like it had been shattered, leaving him unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, eyes filled with mockery. “Hmph, I thought you were somewhat capable, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Your petty little spells—what can they possibly do to me? Hahahaha!”
With that, he burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, his voice swollen with arrogance and pride, piercing the ears painfully.
“Jiang Siwen, you can’t even spare a child? You’ve truly lost your mind! Today, this old woman will demand justice from you. Child, run quickly!”
With great effort, Liu Dashao pushed himself up and focused his eyes. The voice belonged to Grandma Liu, the willow spirit.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen finished, straightening his body and rising from beside Liu Dashao, fixing his gaze on Grandma Liu.
As Grandma Liu moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground beneath him tremble.
Several thick willow branches shot out from the earth, alive like serpents, wrapping tightly around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen laughed eerily without dodging, allowing the branches to coil around him and drag him toward Grandma Liu.
Grandma Liu seized Jiang Siwen’s neck with a firm grip, the branches binding him tightly.
“Today, I shall eliminate you, you thousand-year-old demon, and fulfill the duty of justice!”
Jiang Siwen chuckled. “This is your willow branch exorcism? Hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide toward Grandma Liu. Before she could block with her other hand, black mist spewed from his mouth, striking her directly.
With a groan, Grandma Liu vanished, along with the willow branches.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
Struggling to his feet, he steadied his breath, wiped blood from his lips onto his hand, and, with a determined sidelong stance, recited an incantation and struck a palm toward Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen waved his hand lazily, effortlessly deflecting Liu Dashao’s palm strike, then advanced toward him.
Liu Dashao retreated toward the back of the hill, anxious about whether Huang Erye had prepared everything.
As he reached the spot where he had previously spat blood, he thought to himself, “Perfect.”
“Li Gua, western direction, golden light shield, as per the command!”
After reciting the spell, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The blood on the ground immediately transformed like silk, expanding into a wall-like barrier between them. Jiang Siwen halted, no longer advancing.
Seeing his chance, Liu Dashao unleashed four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, landing them on Jiang Siwen. Surprisingly, Jiang Siwen staggered backward. Seizing the moment, Liu Dashao turned and fled toward the back hill without looking back.
As Liu Dashao neared the hilltop, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without turning his head, he redirected the force with a transference technique toward the side.
Liu Dashao knew that Jiang Siwen had sent that ghostly wind to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to neutralize it.
Liu Dashao scrambled over the hill, but couldn’t see Huang Erye anywhere.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen leap over the hilltop, likely having broken through the blood wall, charging straight toward him.
Liu Dashao felt a chill of fear. He thought he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed forward and kicked Liu Dashao in the face. Unable to defend, Liu Dashao raised his arms instinctively.
He felt a heavy impact on his chest, sending him sliding backward a great distance. He nearly lost consciousness from that single kick.
With great difficulty, Liu Dashao opened his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen approaching.
Despair gripped him. Where was Huang Erye?
Suddenly, he heard a ‘whoosh’ overhead. Looking up, he saw a life-sized stone statue flying toward Jiang Siwen, crashing into him.
Jiang Siwen struck the statue with a palm, shattering it into pieces that scattered in all directions.
Then, three more statues flew from above toward him.
“Quick, get behind me!” Huang Erye shouted.
It was Huang Erye’s voice, but Liu Dashao was too weak to move, barely able to stand. He looked toward the three statues, now surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with hatred.
Huang Erye ran up to Liu Dashao, positioning himself in front of him to face Jiang Siwen. He spun rapidly in place.
A tremendous rumbling sound erupted from the ground. The earth shook violently, as if something was emerging from beneath, sending up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled. The three statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, and around them stood a wall of identical stone statues, like guardian figures from temple gates.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the center, laughed bitterly.
“Hmph, a mere fox spirit dares to interfere? Do you think this stone array can scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive! Haha!”
As he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms wide. Two streams of black qi shattered the three statues and struck the surrounding stone figures with a series of black palm strikes.
“Quick, find cover!” Huang Erye shouted, then began circling the statue wall.
The entire ring of statues began to rumble and slowly rotate, concealing Jiang Siwen within.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, watching the statues closely.
He saw Huang Erye running around the statue circle, the stone wall rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing, but through his ghost-seeing eyes, he could see a golden glow swirling around a mass of black qi.
Liu Dashao felt anxious for Huang Erye. Suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ one of the statues was thrown outward, and Jiang Siwen leapt through the gap.
Liu Dashao inwardly cursed. He quickly looked for Huang Erye, who had darted into the bushes.
Seeing Huang Erye disappear into the grass, Jiang Siwen was about to follow when a chorus of barking erupted from all directions, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Confused, Liu Dashao saw a surge of over a hundred dogs burst from the bushes around the hill, all rushing toward Jiang Siwen.
Among them were large yellow dogs, fierce black guard dogs, and even a few tiny puppies, newly born. Dogs of all sizes charged toward Jiang Siwen.
Snarling and growling, Jiang Siwen raised his arms in shock as the fastest of the large dogs lunged at him, biting furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and tearing, the number growing until Liu Dashao could only see a massive, moving ball of dogs.
Some dogs that couldn’t climb onto the ball waited nearby, licking their paws, eyes fixed on their companions surrounding Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “Now you’re finished. Not even a bone will be left. Even a thousand ghosts couldn’t withstand this.”
Suddenly, Huang Erye darted from the bushes, running to Liu Dashao’s side. With his small eyes fixed on Liu Dashao, he said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been invaded by that scholar’s ghostly energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Huang Erye’s instructions, closing his eyes, steadying his breath, and taking several deep breaths. Immediately, he felt lighter, regaining some strength.
Seeing Liu Dashao recover slightly, Huang Erye said, “Liu Dashao, we must leave quickly. These wild dogs won’t last long.” With that, Huang Erye led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao hadn’t gone far when he suddenly noticed the barking had vanished.
He turned his head.
Not only was the giant ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs at all. Only chaotic marks on the ground hinted at the fierce battle that had just occurred.
A sense of foreboding gripped Liu Dashao. As he turned to call for Huang Erye, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his neck.
He felt himself lifted off the ground.
Looking down with great difficulty, he saw Jiang Siwen gripping his throat.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn, his scholar’s cap missing, his long hair disheveled. His once-handsome face was now twisted with rage.
Nearby, Huang Erye lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat blood at Jiang Siwen. Knowing Jiang feared yang blood, Liu Dashao felt the grip loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he landed, Liu Dashao immediately activated his footwork, forming a hand seal. He couldn’t get too close—he had to use the Heavenly Soldiers’ Swift Technique.
“Nine Palaces, Swift Gate, soul transfer, form stabilization, borrowing heavenly speed, peace and calm, as per Laozi’s command!”
As he finished chanting, Liu Dashao instantly appeared before Huang Erye, picked him up, and in a single step, reappeared before Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang could react, Liu Dashao struck him with a palm, forcing him backward.
Then Liu Dashao stepped back once more, instantly retreating far to the edge of the hill.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking gaze. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into a maniacal laugh, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane! Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Willow who spoke.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood beside Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Willow.
As Granny Willow moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to entangle him and pull him towards Granny Willow.
Granny Willow grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Willow. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Willow and the willow branches vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from his mouth onto his hand, and chanted an incantation. With a side step, he struck out with a palm towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang was ready.
At that moment, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was just what he wanted.
“Hexagram of Separation, Western Shield, Golden Light, Urgent as the Law Commands!”
Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but saw no sign of Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was shocked, thinking that he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect himself.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. He was almost knocked unconscious by the kick.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was in despair, wondering why Master Huang hadn’t appeared yet.
At that moment, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above him. Something flew over his head, and when he looked up, he saw a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, attacking Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come over here!”
It was Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with hatred.
Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun around in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, and the ground seemed to split open as if something was emerging from beneath, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled, and Liu Dashao saw that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen, with a circle of stone statues forming a wall several feet away, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The statues were identical, resembling the evil-repelling statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle of the stone statues, laughed eerily.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms towards the surrounding stone statues, sending out waves of black palm winds.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Master Huang said, then began circling around the stone statue array.
The entire stone statue array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the commotion within the stone array.
He saw Master Huang quickly circling the stone array, the stone wall rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang when suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ a stone statue was sent flying, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao knew it was bad and quickly looked for Master Huang, who had retreated into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Master Huang enter the grass and was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, all running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms to protect himself.
The faster wolves reached him first, leaping onto him and biting him fiercely.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving around.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was doomed, not even his bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
At that moment, Master Huang emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes looking at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang said, “Liu Dashao, we must leave quickly. I fear these wild dogs won’t hold him off for long.” With that, Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dog. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling and was about to call for Master Huang when he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
He felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up.
Liu Dashao struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen’s hand gripping his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn, his scholar’s cap was gone, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face was now twisted in a grimace.
Not far away, Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close to Jiang Siwen. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi Urgent as the Law Commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, reaching Master Huang. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step towards Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm, forcing Jiang Siwen back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldiers’ speed, borrow the Supreme Lord Laozi’s talisman, and then shift steps and forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its swiftness.’
Now, Liu Dashao had to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So, with Master Huang in his arms, Liu Dashao quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm in front of Jiang Siwen, then quickly jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he dared not relax for a moment, rapidly moving his body while pressing Jiang Siwen tightly.
Liu Dashao charged at Jiang Siwen again, but before he could strike, he felt a burst of black mist erupt from Jiang Siwen’s body, knocking him down.
The black mist hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling cold in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to stab Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but at that moment, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, inhaled, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like sword from his back and threw it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash outside his ear. When he looked, Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated, and Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted his head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! Master has let you suffer. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were splitting open. His long hair covered his face, and only his extended mouth was visible.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black mist from his mouth, which rushed towards Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest in a few elegant moves, and the black mist was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
Having dispersed the black mist, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to charge at Jiang Siwen, swinging the Heavenly Master Sword in a flurry of strikes.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, chanting, “Heaven and Earth, lend me your power, urgent as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, and the talisman trembled before flying towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a large piece of cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans of pain came from within.
“Yin hides in the second realm, the talisman envelops the demon!” Zhang Enpu chanted, and the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from within the large talisman, and Liu Dashao was about to relax when he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, his hand thrusting towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly, and the strike hit him squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back, and Liu Dashao, with his body feeling like it had fallen apart, struggled to help him up.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been struck by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, held the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
Jiang Siwen began to gesture strangely, and the black mist around him grew thicker, accompanied by the sounds of wailing ghosts.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw countless vengeful spirits surrounding Jiang Siwen, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging yellow talisman paper around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth’s Envoy, South calls the Elder of the Forest, West calls the Azure Lord, North calls the Spirit of the River, each to their position, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, his veins bulging. With a loud crack, the sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot up, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses galloping filled his ears. When he looked, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him were ancient soldiers, each wielding swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons rang in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns echoed around them.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army charged towards Jiang Siwen, who sat cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit. His cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, speaking.
Now, he could only rely on this Heavenly Soldiers’ Swift Technique to keep Jiang Siwen at bay.
Holding Huang Erye, Liu Dashao darted rapidly around Jiang Siwen. Every time he got close, he struck a palm blow.
Jiang Siwen became disoriented, forced to block Liu Dashao’s relentless palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted everywhere, striking, then quickly jumping away.
He became dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never experiencing such speed before. As he moved, Liu Dashao strangely began to enjoy this sensation of rapid movement.
But he couldn’t relax for even a moment. While moving swiftly, he kept pressing Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao charged again, but before he could strike, Jiang Siwen suddenly erupted with black qi, knocking Liu Dashao down.
Before Liu Dashao could react, the black qi struck his chest. A bone-deep chill filled his body, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to rise.
“Hmph, little brat, have you run enough? It’s time to meet your end!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and lunging toward Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my apprentice immediately!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
He turned his head, tears streaming down his face.
Zhang Enpu, the one he had longed for day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally arrived!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao saw the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, then the fury as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Siwen.
“A Qing scholar, born into a scholarly family—should you not even in death behave with dignity? How shameful to take it out on a child!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen.
He raised his dagger high, ready to stab Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge. In a flash, Zhang Enpu stood tall, inhaled deeply, bent slightly, and with a swift motion, drew a clear, flowing long sword from behind, hurling it toward Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. Glancing sideways, he saw Zhang Enpu’s Master Sword strike Jiang Siwen’s dagger precisely, knocking it aside.
Jiang Siwen missed his strike and hastily retreated. Liu Dashao took the chance to turn and sit up.
Zhang Enpu leapt to Liu Dashao’s side, shielding him behind him. Liu Dashao felt a surge of emotion and clung to Zhang Enpu’s legs.
Zhang Enpu looked down tenderly, gently stroking Liu Dashao’s head, his eyes glistening with tears as he softly said, “Ah, I’ve let you suffer, my disciple. Now, I shall deal with this ghostly scholar and avenge you.”
After speaking, Zhang Enpu gently pushed Liu Dashao further behind him.
“Hmph, another to join the grave!”
Jiang Siwen’s mouth stretched wide, as if it would tear open. His long hair covered his face, hiding his expression, only his elongated mouth visible.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, gripping the Master Sword, pointing it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spat a stream of black qi. Before Zhang Enpu could react, it surged toward him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, blocked with his sword, and with a few swift movements, scattered the black qi like wind.
With the black qi dispersed, Zhang Enpu leapt forward, swinging his sword at Jiang Siwen in a flurry of slashes.
Jiang Siwen, clearly afraid of the sword, could only block with black qi from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees weakened, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen, with his hands behind his back, looked at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some real skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you don’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane. Today, I, the old woman, will seek justice from you. Child, run away!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who spoke.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He recited an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
Just then, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, west direction, shield of golden light, as fast as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like a wall of silk, separating the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Seizing the moment, Liu Dashao turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a chilling wind at his back. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the chilling palm strike was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he didn’t expect Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but saw no sign of Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was desperate, wondering why Master Huang Er hadn’t appeared yet.
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun around in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen. A wall of stone statues had formed a few feet away, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the stone statues, only laughed darkly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He swiftly struck the surrounding stone statues with black palm winds.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling the stone statue array.
The entire stone statue array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the commotion inside the stone array.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling the stone array, the stone wall rotating rapidly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, only a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist through his yin vision.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er when suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ a stone statue was sent flying, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought it was bad and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who darted backward into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, all running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms to shield himself.
The faster wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and biting furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled up, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, moving ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to join the pile, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions engulf Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was done for, not even bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, a thousand men couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
Just then, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes glancing at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang Er’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing Liu Dashao recover some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Liu Dashao, we must leave quickly. I fear these wild dogs won’t hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when the barks of the hundreds of dogs suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call for Master Huang Er, he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
He felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up.
Struggling to look down, he saw Jiang Siwen’s hand gripping his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s hat gone, his long hair disheveled. His once handsome face was now twisted with malice.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen and his feet touch the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Steady, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, appearing in front of Master Huang Er. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him in the face with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the speed of heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of the True Lord of the Great White, and thus move swiftly, covering three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly circled around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm winds.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he dared not relax for a moment, rapidly moving his body while pressing Jiang Siwen tightly.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly emit a burst of black mist from his body, knocking Liu Dashao down.
The black mist hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil creature, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, which then turned to anger as he glared at Jiang Siwen.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should act with grace. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high, ready to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but at that moment, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like sword from his back, hurling it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash near his ear. He glanced sideways and saw Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword precisely deflecting Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sorrow and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted Liu Dashao’s head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! Master has wronged you. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were splitting open. His disheveled hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black mist from his mouth. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black mist rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black mist was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black mist, Zhang Enpu seized the opportunity to rush towards Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, shouting, “By the power of heaven and earth, as fast as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, rapidly dodging.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately placed a yellow talisman on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted an incantation. The talisman trembled and then flew towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman glowed with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second realm, the talisman envelops the demon!” After Zhang Enpu finished chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the talisman, and Liu Dashao was about to relax when he heard a ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen suddenly leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu’s chest squarely.
Zhang Enpu stepped back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been struck by the talisman, was somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
Jiang Siwen made strange gestures with his hands, and the black mist around him grew thicker. The sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging yellow talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth’s envoys, south calls the Forest’s elders, west calls the Azure’s guardians, north calls the Spirit’s rivers, each in their place, swiftly summon the yin soldiers!”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, the veins on his hand bulging. With a loud crack, the sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and pointed it skyward. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin soldiers, make way!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him were ancient soldiers, each holding swords, spears, and halberds. The sound of clashing weapons echoed in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns filled the air.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the thousands of soldiers charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grand spectacle before him.
The yin soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength summoning the yin soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the yin soldiers’ battle cries.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent, motionless.
“The yin soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one spirit. It seems his cultivation is indeed profound,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… my centuries of cultivation… evading countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
A series of loud explosions rang out. Jiang Siwen, overwhelmed, could only dodge frantically.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, leaving craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched and hurled another dagger, this one coated in black qi, straight at Zhang Enpu’s face.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking gaze. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane! Today, I, the old woman, will seek justice for this child. Run, child!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Willow who spoke.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Willow.
As Granny Willow moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Willow.
Granny Willow grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Willow. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and enveloped her.
With a groan, Granny Willow, along with the willow branches, disappeared without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and faced Jiang Siwen. He recited an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxious about whether Master Huang was ready.
Just then, he reached the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, western direction, shield of golden light, as fast as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like a wall of silk, separating the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but saw no sign of Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, Jiang Siwen appeared over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and charged towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect himself.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. He was almost knocked unconscious by the kick.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen approaching.
He was in despair, wondering why Master Huang hadn’t appeared yet.
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, striking at Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come over here!”
It was Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. The three stone statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with hatred.
Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to emerge from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen. A wall of stone statues had appeared, encircling the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the guardian statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle, laughed darkly.
“Hmph, even a little Huangxian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
With that, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He quickly struck at the surrounding statues with black palm winds.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang said, then began circling the stone array.
The entire stone array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved behind a large rock, crouched down, and quietly observed the situation inside the stone array.
Master Huang circled the stone array rapidly, and the stone wall also spun quickly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light surrounding a large mass of black mist spinning inside.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang when suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ one of the stone statues was blasted away, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao panicked and looked at Master Huang, who darted backward into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Master Huang enter the grass and was about to chase after him when a chorus of dog barks erupted from all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, all running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled and barked, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms to protect himself.
The faster wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and biting him fiercely.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs gathered into a large, writhing ball.
Some dogs, unable to join the fray, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions swarm over Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was doomed, not even his bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
Just then, Master Huang emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes glancing at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered somewhat, Master Huang said, “Let’s go, Dashao. I doubt these wild dogs can hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when the barking of the hundreds of dogs suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the writhing ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of them at all. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling and was about to call for Master Huang when a pair of hands grabbed his neck.
He felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
Struggling to look down, Liu Dashao saw that it was Jiang Siwen who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap gone, and his long hair disheveled. His once handsome face was now twisted in a grotesque expression.
Not far away, Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close to Jiang Siwen. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier’s Swiftness technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, reaching Master Huang. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.
Liu Dashao then took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier’s Swiftness Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, “Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier’s speed, borrow the Supreme Lord Taibai’s talisman, and then shift steps and form, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.”
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier’s Swiftness to hold Jiang Siwen at bay.
With Master Huang in his arms, Liu Dashao quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking him with palm strikes whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm winds.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking Jiang Siwen with a palm strike and then leaping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so quickly before. As he leaped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But he didn’t dare relax for a moment, moving swiftly while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at Jiang Siwen again, but before he could strike, Jiang Siwen suddenly erupted with black mist, knocking Liu Dashao to the ground.
The black mist struck Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling cold in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had been longing for day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
He could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, which then turned to anger as he glared at Jiang Siwen.
“A scholar of the Qing dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet you take your anger out on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but at that moment, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, inhaled, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like sword from his back and hurled it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash near his ear. He turned to see Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword precisely deflecting Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn over and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted his head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah, my disciple, I’ve let you suffer. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and avenge you.”
With that, Zhang Enpu gently pushed Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were splitting open. His long hair covered his face, and only his extended mouth was visible.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black mist towards Zhang Enpu.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of him in a few elegant moves, and the black mist was dispersed like a gust of wind.
Having scattered the black mist, Zhang Enpu seized the opportunity to leap towards Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, chanting, “By the power of heaven and earth, as fast as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wreathed in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately placed a yellow talisman on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, causing the talisman to tremble and then fly towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist to envelop the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation, causing the large yellow talisman to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans of pain came from inside.
“Yin hides in the second realm, the talisman envelops the demon!” Zhang Enpu chanted, and the large talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the talisman, and Liu Dashao was about to relax when a loud ‘bang’ echoed.
The large talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly, and the strike hit him squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back, and Liu Dashao, despite his battered body, struggled to help him up.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been struck by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
With that, Jiang Siwen made strange gestures with his hands, and the black mist around him grew thicker. The sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw countless vengeful spirits surrounding Jiang Siwen, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu remained calm, quietly arranging a formation around the Heavenly Master Sword with yellow talisman paper.
“East calls the Earth Official, South calls the Forest Elder, West calls the Azure Lord, North calls the Spirit River, each in their place, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
With that, Zhang Enpu grasped the peach wood sword, his veins bulging. A loud crack echoed as the sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken half of the sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot into the heavens, and a strong wind rose around him. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of galloping horses filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him were ancient soldiers, each wielding swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons rang in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns echoed.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army charged towards Jiang Siwen, who sat cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady, and Liu Dashao supported him, realizing that summoning the Yin Soldiers had drained Zhang Enpu’s strength.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the Yin Soldiers’ battle cries.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit, showing how deep his cultivation is,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking gaze. “Hmph, I thought you had some real skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane! Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Willow who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood beside Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Willow.
As Granny Willow moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and didn’t dodge, allowing the branches to entangle him and pull him toward Granny Willow.
Granny Willow grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, which was tightly bound by the branches.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and spat out a black mist toward Granny Willow. Before she could block it with her other hand, the black mist hit her.
With a groan, Granny Willow, along with the willow branches, vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, mustered all his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked toward him.
Liu Dashao retreated toward the back hill, anxiously wondering if Master Huang was ready.
Just then, he reached the spot where he had spat out blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, western direction, shield of golden light, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and didn’t advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran toward the back hill, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a chilling wind behind him. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the chilling palm strike was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back hill but didn’t see Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging toward him.
Liu Dashao was shocked, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao didn’t have time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if something heavy had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking toward him.
He was in despair, wondering why Master Huang hadn’t appeared yet.
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying toward Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading toward Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The earth shook as if it were splitting open, and something seemed to emerge from beneath, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything around.
After a long while, the dust settled, and Liu Dashao saw that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen. A wall of stone statues had appeared, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen within.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues found at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the center, laughed darkly.
“Hmph, even a little yellow immortal is joining the fun. Setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He then rapidly struck the surrounding stone statues with black palm winds.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang said, then began circling the stone statue wall.
The entire stone wall rumbled and slowly began to rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the commotion within the stone wall.
He saw Master Huang quickly circling the stone wall, which was also rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black energy, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang when suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ one of the stone statues was blasted away, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao knew it was bad and quickly looked for Master Huang, who had darted backward into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang enter the grass, was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging toward Jiang Siwen.
Among them were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running toward Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and even Jiang Siwen seemed shocked by the sight, raising his arms to protect himself.
The faster wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and beginning to bite furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled up, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, moving ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood nearby, licking their paws and watching their companions engulf Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “You’re done for. Not even a thousand-year-old ghost scholar could withstand this, let alone a thousand men.”
Just then, Master Huang emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes glancing at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by this scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing Liu Dashao recover some strength, Master Huang said, “Liu Dashao, we need to leave quickly. I doubt these wild dogs can hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. He was about to call out to Master Huang when he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, his hand gripping Liu Dashao’s neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap missing, and his long hair disheveled. His once handsome face now looked utterly ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao quickly stepped back, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Soul Shift and Form Pause, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, appearing in front of Master Huang. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm strike, forcing Jiang Siwen back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, “Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier Speed, borrow the True Lord of Venus’s talisman, and you can move and pause your form, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.”
Now, Liu Dashao could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So, with Master Huang in his arms, Liu Dashao quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm winds.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close, then quickly jumping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he didn’t dare relax for a moment, rapidly moving his body while pressing Jiang Siwen tightly.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly erupt with black energy, knocking Liu Dashao down.
The black energy hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it toward Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a family of scholars, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you take your anger out on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words didn’t stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high, about to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in that split second, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and hurled it toward Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. He turned to see Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword precisely deflecting Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted Liu Dashao’s head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah, master has let you suffer. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were splitting open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spat out a burst of black energy, which rushed toward Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest in a few intricate moves, and the black energy was dispersed like a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black energy, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to rush toward Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and used the other to draw a talisman in the air, chanting, “Heaven and Earth, lend me your power, as fast as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, rapidly dodging.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew from his sleeve, whistling toward Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately pulled out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, and the talisman trembled before flying toward Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black energy, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman glowed with golden light.
The talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from within the talisman, and Liu Dashao was about to relax when he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand toward Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly, and the strike hit him squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back, and Liu Dashao, despite his weakened body, struggled to help him up.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, seemed somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen then sat cross-legged on the ground, appearing as if he were about to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, held the Heavenly Master Sword with one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s work!”
Jiang Siwen began making strange gestures with his hands, and the black energy around him grew denser. The sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu, unfazed, quietly arranged yellow talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East, summon the Earth Official; South, summon the Elder of the Woods; West, summon the Azure Lord; North, summon the Spirit of the River. Each to their position, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, his veins bulging. With a loud crack, the sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot upward, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, clear the path!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers roared in his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a spectacular sight.
Before him stood ancient soldiers, each armed with swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons echoed in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ battle cries filled the air.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army charged toward Jiang Siwen, who was still sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the battle cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit. His cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… my centuries of cultivation… I’ve avoided so many reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, speaking softly.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some real skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to entangle him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, which was tightly bound by the branches.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and spat out a black mist towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block it with her other hand, she was hit by the black mist.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, disappeared without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to stand up, steadied his mind, gathered all his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, and turned sideways to face Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
At that moment, he happened to step on the spot where he had just spat out blood, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Li Gua West, shield of golden light, as urgent as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but did not see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw that Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having likely broken through the blood wall, and was charging straight towards him.
Liu Dashao was secretly alarmed, thinking that he was about to be defeated.
Jiang Siwen rushed up to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if something heavy had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. He was almost knocked unconscious by the kick.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
Liu Dashao was in despair. Why hadn’t Master Huang Er appeared yet?
At that moment, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and when he looked up, he saw a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen and smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao’s head and struck at Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back quickly!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring venomously at Liu Dashao.
Master Huang Er ran up to Liu Dashao and stood in front of him, facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place several times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, and the ground seemed to split open as if something was emerging from beneath, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a haze.
After a long while, the dust settled, and Liu Dashao saw that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen within a radius of several feet. A wall of stone statues had risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues found at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle of the stone statues, only laughed coldly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone formation to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms wide, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms towards the surrounding stone statues, sending out waves of black palm winds.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling around the stone statue formation.
The entire stone statue formation began to rumble and slowly rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside with Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock. He crouched down and quietly observed the movements within the stone formation.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling around the stone formation, and the stone wall was also rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he could see a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black energy, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang’ as one of the stone statues was blasted away, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought, “This is bad,” and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to follow when he heard a chorus of dog barks all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled, but then he saw hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
Among them were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies that looked like they had just been born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards where Jiang Siwen stood.
The dogs were snarling, and even Jiang Siwen seemed stunned by the sight, raising his arms in front of him.
The faster large wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and beginning to bite him fiercely.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs kept coming, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, writhing ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to get onto the ball, stood by the side, licking their paws and watching their companions engulf Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought, “You’re done for. Not even your bones will remain. Even if you were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, you wouldn’t stand a chance against this.”
At that moment, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran up to Liu Dashao. His small eyes looked at Liu Dashao and he said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by this scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as Master Huang Er said, closing his eyes and steadying his mind. After a few breaths, he felt much better and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Liu Dashao, we need to leave quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs at all. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call out to Master Huang Er, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck from behind.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap was gone, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground again.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao quickly stepped back, forming hand seals. He thought, “I can’t get too close to him. I’ll have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.”
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, appearing in front of Master Huang Er. He picked up Master Huang Er and tucked him into his robe, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm strike, forcing Jiang Siwen back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, “Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier’s speed, borrow the Supreme Lord Laozi’s talisman, and you can shift steps and forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.”
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So Liu Dashao, with Master Huang Er in his robe, quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown off balance, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close to Jiang Siwen, then quickly jumping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, going up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he even began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But he didn’t dare relax for a moment, moving quickly while pressing Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao charged at Jiang Siwen again, but before he could strike, he felt a burst of black energy erupt from Jiang Siwen’s body, knocking him down.
Liu Dashao was hit in the chest by the black energy, feeling a bone-chilling coldness in his chest and a dryness in his throat. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little brat, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang out in Liu Dashao’s ear.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had been longing for day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the kindness in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his expression turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a family of scholars, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you’re taking out your anger on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to thrust it into Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in that split second, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind his back and hurled it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. When he looked, Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patting Liu Dashao’s head. Tears welled up in his eyes as he said softly, “Ah, master has let you suffer. Now, I will take care of this ghost scholar and vent your anger for you.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu pulled Liu Dashao closer behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spat out a burst of black energy. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black energy rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black energy was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black energy, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to dart in front of Jiang Siwen and swung the Heavenly Master Sword at him repeatedly.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and raised the other, drawing a talisman in the air. He shouted, “Qiankun borrows the law, as urgent as the law commands!” Then he bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge quickly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted waves of golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
At that moment, Jiang Siwen suddenly crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew out from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He crossed his hands and chanted, and the talisman trembled before flying towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black energy, wrapping it around the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, enveloping Jiang Siwen.
Zhang Enpu immediately closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman glowed with a brilliant golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the talisman, and Liu Dashao was just beginning to relax when he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly, and the strike landed squarely on his chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support Zhang Enpu.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, as if preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it high into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s work!”
Jiang Siwen began making strange gestures with his hands, and the black energy around him grew denser. The air was filled with the sounds of wailing ghosts.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was surrounded by vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging yellow talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth Official, South calls the Cong Elder, West calls the Green Fang, North calls the Ling River, each in their place, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword with one hand, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword snapped in half.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot up, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, clear the path!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The air was filled with the sound of galloping horses and marching soldiers. When Liu Dashao looked, he saw an awe-inspiring sight.
Before him stood ancient soldiers, each armed with swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons filled the air, and the atmosphere was tense, as if a battle was about to begin.
The leader, a general on horseback, drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns echoed around them.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise. The army of soldiers charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was still sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the magnificent sight before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything within.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength in summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching as the thick smoke dispersed with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent, motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one spirit. It seems his cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Heh… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees weakened, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking gaze. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
With that, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to entangle him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, which was tightly bound by the branches.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
As he spoke, he suddenly opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, she was hit by a black mist that spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, mustered all his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, and turned sideways towards Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
At that moment, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Li Gua West, shield of golden light, as swift as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but did not see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw that Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having likely broken through the blood wall, and was charging straight towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking that he was about to be caught.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if something heavy had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
Liu Dashao was in despair. Why hadn’t Master Huang Er appeared yet?
At that moment, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and when he looked up, he saw a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back quickly!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao and stood in front of him, facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place several times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long time, the dust settled, and Liu Dashao saw that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen within a few feet. A wall of stone statues had somehow risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the stone statues, only laughed darkly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian is joining the fun. Setting up this stone formation to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms towards the surrounding stone statues, sending out waves of black palm winds.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling around the stone statue wall.
The entire stone statue wall began to rumble and slowly rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock. He crouched down and quietly observed the movements inside the stone wall.
Master Huang Er was rapidly circling the stone wall, which was also rotating quickly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he could see a circle of golden light surrounding a large mass of black energy, spinning in circles.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang’ as a stone statue was shattered, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought, “This is bad,” and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Master Huang Er enter the grass and was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled, but then he saw hundreds of dogs emerging from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs howled, and Jiang Siwen seemed stunned by the sight, raising his arms in front of him.
The faster large wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and beginning to bite furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled up, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving around.
Some dogs, unable to join the pile, stood nearby, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought, “You’re done for now. Not even your bones will remain. Even if you’re a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, a thousand men couldn’t withstand this.”
At that moment, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao. His small eyes looked at Liu Dashao and said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang Er’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Let’s go quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call for Master Huang Er, he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled. His scholar’s hat was missing, likely taken by a dog, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance and formed a hand seal. He thought, “I can’t get too close to him. I’ll have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.”
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Steady, Supreme Lord Laozi, as swift as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward and appeared in front of Master Huang Er. He picked up Master Huang Er and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step towards Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him in the face with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which states, “Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the speed of heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of the True Lord of the Great White Star, and thus shift steps and forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.”
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly circled around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm winds.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then quickly jumping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, going up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he even began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now he dared not relax for a moment, moving swiftly while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt a burst of black energy erupt from Jiang Siwen’s body, knocking him down.
Liu Dashao was hit in the chest by the black energy, feeling a bone-chilling cold in his chest and a dry, cold sensation in his throat. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had been longing for day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to stab Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and threw it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. When he looked, Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patting Liu Dashao’s head. There were even tears in his eyes as he said softly, “Ah, master has let you suffer. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger for you.”
With that, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a burst of black energy from his mouth. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black energy rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black energy was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black energy, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to charge at Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, with no ability to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and used the other to draw a talisman in the air, shouting, “By the power of heaven and earth, as swift as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted waves of golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
At that moment, Jiang Siwen suddenly crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately placed a yellow talisman on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, causing the talisman to tremble and then fly towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black energy to envelop the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a large sheet of cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with a brilliant golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from within the large talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was beginning to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen lunged forward, his hand thrusting towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
As Jiang Siwen spoke, he made strange gestures with his hands. The black energy around him grew denser, and the air was filled with the sounds of wailing ghosts.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging a formation around the Heavenly Master Sword with yellow talisman paper.
“East calls the Earth Official, South calls the Forest Elder, West calls the Green Lord, North calls the Spirit River, each in their place, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword with one hand, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot upwards, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses galloping filled his ears. When he looked, the sight before him was awe-inspiring.
Ancient soldiers stood before him, each holding swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons rang in his ears, creating a tense, battle-ready atmosphere.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns echoed around them.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise. The thousand soldiers charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the majestic sight before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength in summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one wisp of his spirit. It seems his cultivation is truly profound,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees weakened, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen, with his hands behind his back, looked at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who spoke.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to bind him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s tightly bound neck.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from his mouth onto his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He recited an incantation and struck out with a palm.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
At that moment, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was just what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, Western direction, shield of golden light, as urgent as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like a wall of silk, separating the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but didn’t see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, likely having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. Liu Dashao was almost knocked unconscious by the kick.
With great difficulty, Liu Dashao opened his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
Liu Dashao was in despair. Why hadn’t Master Huang Er appeared yet?
At that moment, Liu Dashao heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao’s head, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come over here!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun around in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from beneath, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen. A wall of stone statues had somehow formed a few feet away, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-repelling statues found at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle of the stone statues, only laughed sinisterly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms wide, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He swiftly struck out with black palm winds towards the surrounding stone statues.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling the stone statue array.
The entire stone statue array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the situation inside the stone array.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling the stone array, the stone wall rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwan inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwan was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black energy, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang,’ and a stone statue was sent flying. Jiang Siwan leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao cursed inwardly and quickly looked for Master Huang Er, who had darted backward into the grass.
Jiang Siwan, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled, but then he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwan.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, likely just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards Jiang Siwan.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwan, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms in front of him.
The faster wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and biting furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled up, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, writhing ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions engulf Jiang Siwan.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, ‘You’re done for now, not even a trace of your bones will remain. Even if you’re a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, a thousand men couldn’t withstand this.’
At that moment, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao’s side. His small eyes looked at Liu Dashao and said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been invaded by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as Master Huang Er instructed, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing Liu Dashao recover some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Liu Dashao, we must leave quickly. I fear these wild dogs won’t hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed the barks of the hundreds of dogs had ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dog. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just occurred.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call for Master Huang Er, he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwan, who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwan’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s hat was gone, likely taken by a dog, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face was now twisted and menacing.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwan. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought, ‘I can’t get too close to him. I’ll have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.’
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Halt Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao moved forward and appeared in front of Master Huang Er. He picked up Master Huang Er and tucked him into his robe, then turned and leaped in front of Jiang Siwan. Before Jiang Siwan could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm, forcing Jiang Siwan back a few steps.
Liu Dashao then took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the speed of heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of the True Lord of the Great White, and then shift steps and halt form, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly darted around Jiang Siwan, striking out with a palm whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwan was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm when he got close, then quickly jumping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he dared not relax for a moment, swiftly moving his body while tightly pressing Jiang Siwan.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwan suddenly emit a burst of black energy from his body, knocking Liu Dashao down.
Liu Dashao was hit in the chest by the black energy, feeling a bone-chilling coldness in his chest and a dry, cold sensation in his throat. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwan said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwan, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Now you’re taking your anger out on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwan’s actions.
He raised the dagger high, about to stab Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in that split second, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, inhaled, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like long sword from his back, hurling it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash outside his ear. He glanced sideways and saw Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwan’s dagger.
Jiang Siwan, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted Liu Dashao’s head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! Master has wronged you. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger for you.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu pulled Liu Dashao closer to him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwan suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, and only his extended mouth was visible.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwan.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwan spewed a burst of black energy from his mouth. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black energy rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and like a gust of wind, dispersed the black energy.
Having dispersed the black energy, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to leap in front of Jiang Siwan and swung the Heavenly Master Sword at him repeatedly.
Jiang Siwan seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, with no chance to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, chanting, “Qiankun borrows the law, as urgent as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwan repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwan was thrown into disarray by Zhang Enpu’s strikes, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palms emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
At that moment, Jiang Siwan suddenly crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately placed a yellow talisman on the ground. He clasped his hands together, chanting, and the talisman trembled before flying towards Jiang Siwan.
Jiang Siwan casually waved a stream of black energy, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwan.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwan began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans of pain came from within.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwan inside.
Low growls came from within the large talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was about to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwan leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwan to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike landed squarely on Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his weakened body, struggled to get up and support Zhang Enpu.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwan’s strike.
Jiang Siwan, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwan sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu held the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and raised it high, stabbing it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this move, the culmination of my life’s cultivation!”
Jiang Siwan began to gesture strangely, and the black energy around him grew denser. The sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwan was surrounded by vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwan was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu remained calm, quietly arranging yellow talisman paper around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth’s envoys, South calls the Forest’s elders, West calls the Azure’s guardians, North calls the Spirit’s rivers, each to their positions, swiftly summon the Yin soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, veins bulging on his hand. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot into the heavens, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwan could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin soldiers, clear the path!”
As Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses and soldiers galloping filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him stood ancient soldiers, each wielding swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons echoed in his ears, creating a tense, battle-ready atmosphere.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and waved it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns filled the air.
“Charge!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise as the army of soldiers charged towards Jiang Siwan, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grand scene before him.
The Yin soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength to summon the Yin soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin soldiers.
Jiang Siwan lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit. His cultivation is indeed profound,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwan lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body felt as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking gaze. “Hmph, I thought you had some real skill, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
With that, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane! Today, I, the old woman, will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and didn’t dodge, allowing the branches to bind him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen chuckled, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from his mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from his lips onto his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then began to walk towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back hill, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
Just then, he reached the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, western direction, shield of golden light, as urgent as the law decrees!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and didn’t advance further.
Seeing his chance, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Seizing the opportunity, Liu Dashao turned and ran towards the back hill, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without turning around, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back hill but didn’t see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, likely having broken through the blood wall, and was charging straight towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed up to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao didn’t have time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was in despair. Why hadn’t Master Huang Er appeared yet?
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran up to Liu Dashao and stood in front of him, facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place several times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from beneath, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen within a few feet. A wall of stone statues had risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the guardian statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the statues, only laughed darkly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
With that, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He swiftly struck out with black palm winds towards the surrounding statues.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began to circle around the stone statue wall.
The entire stone circle rumbled as it slowly rotated, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the situation inside the stone circle.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling the stone wall, which was also rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black energy, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang’ as one of the stone statues was blasted away, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao cursed inwardly and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to follow when he heard a chorus of dog barks all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
Among them were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few tiny puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps stunned by the sight, raised his arms in front of him.
The faster large wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and beginning to bite ferociously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled up, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, writhing ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions engulf Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was done for, not even bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
Just then, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran up to Liu Dashao. His small eyes looked at Liu Dashao and he said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as he was told, closing his eyes, steadying his mind, and taking a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered somewhat, Master Huang Er said, “Let’s go, Dashao. I doubt these wild dogs can hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
After only a few steps, Liu Dashao noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs at all. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call out to Master Huang Er, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
Struggling to look down, he saw that it was Jiang Siwen, who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap was missing, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, forming a hand seal. He thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close and would have to rely on the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Settle, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law decrees!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, appearing in front of Master Huang Er. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm strike to his face, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier’s speed, borrow the True Lord of Venus’s talisman, and thus shift steps and forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only rely on this Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then quickly jumping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he even began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he didn’t dare relax for a moment, swiftly moving his body while tightly pressuring Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly erupt with black energy, knocking him down.
The black energy hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little brat, had enough running? Time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil creature, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had been longing for day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, which then turned to anger as he glared at Jiang Siwen.
“A scholar of the Qing dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you take your anger out on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words did nothing to stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high, ready to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and hurled it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. He glanced to the side and saw that Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patting Liu Dashao’s head. Tears welled up in his eyes as he said softly, “Ah! Master has let you suffer. Now, I will subdue this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
With that, Zhang Enpu pulled Liu Dashao closer behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black energy from his mouth. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black energy rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black energy was dispersed like a gust of wind.
Having scattered the black energy, Zhang Enpu seized the moment to charge at Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and used the other to draw a talisman in the air, chanting, “By the power of heaven and earth, as urgent as the law decrees!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, quickly dodging the attacks.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately placed a yellow talisman on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, causing the talisman to tremble before flying towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black energy, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman glowed with golden light.
The talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, indicating Jiang Siwen’s pain.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” As Zhang Enpu finished chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from within the talisman, and just as Liu Dashao began to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, despite his weakened body, struggled to help him up.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been struck by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
Jiang Siwen began to make strange gestures with his hands. The black energy around him grew denser, and the air was filled with the wails of ghosts.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw countless vengeful spirits surrounding Jiang Siwen, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu remained calm, quietly arranging yellow talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East, summon the Earth Official; South, summon the Forest Elder; West, summon the Azure General; North, summon the Spirit River. Each take your position, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
With that, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the sword snapped in half.
Zhang Enpu raised the broken sword towards the sky, and a blue light shot upwards. A strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm strike, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses galloping filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him stood ancient soldiers, each armed with swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons echoed in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the war horns of thousands of soldiers sounded.
“Charge!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was still sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything within.
Zhang Enpu swayed unsteadily, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit. His cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Heh… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… evaded countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body felt like it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking expression. “Hmph, I thought you had some real skill, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and didn’t dodge, allowing the branches to entangle him and pull him toward Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, which was tightly bound by the branches.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen chuckled, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and aimed it at Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He recited an incantation and struck out with his palm.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then began to walk toward him.
Liu Dashao retreated toward the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Second Master Huang was ready.
Just then, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat out blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Li Gua West, shield of golden light, as urgent as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and didn’t advance further.
Seeing his opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran toward the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without turning around, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but didn’t see Second Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging straight toward him.
Liu Dashao was shocked, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao didn’t have time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if something heavy had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking toward him.
He was in despair. Why hadn’t Second Master Huang appeared yet?
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and when he looked up, he saw a life-sized stone statue flying toward Jiang Siwen and smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao and struck Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Second Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. The three stone statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with hatred.
Second Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao and stood in front of him, facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place several times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, and the ground seemed to split open as if something was emerging from beneath, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled, and Liu Dashao saw that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen within a few feet. A wall of stone statues had risen, encircling the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues found at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle of the stone statues, laughed sinisterly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian is joining the fun. Setting up this stone formation to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He quickly began to strike the surrounding stone statues with black palm winds.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Second Master Huang said, then began to circle around the stone statue formation.
The entire stone statue formation rumbled and slowly began to rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside with Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, squatting down and quietly observing the movements inside the stone formation.
Second Master Huang quickly circled the stone formation, and the stone wall rotated rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist, rotating.
Liu Dashao was worried for Second Master Huang when suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ one of the stone statues was sent flying, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao cursed under his breath and quickly looked at Second Master Huang, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Second Master Huang enter the grass and was about to follow when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when suddenly, hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging toward Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, all running toward Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen seemed stunned by the sight, raising his arms to protect himself.
The faster dogs reached him first, leaping onto him and biting furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled on, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, writhing ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions swarm over Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “You’re done for. Not even a thousand-year-old ghost scholar could survive this, let alone a thousand men.”
Just then, Second Master Huang emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes glancing at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as instructed, closing his eyes, calming his mind, and taking a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Second Master Huang said, “Let’s go, Dashao. I doubt these wild dogs can hold him for long.” With that, Second Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when the barking of the hundreds of dogs suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call for Second Master Huang, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s hat missing, and his long hair was a mess. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Second Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt the grip on his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao quickly stepped back, forming a hand seal. He thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close and would have to rely on the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Settle, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law commands!”
After reciting the incantation, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, reaching Second Master Huang. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and leaped toward Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him in the face with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.
Liu Dashao then took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, “Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the speed of heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of the True Lord of the Great White, and then shift steps and forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.”
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Second Master Huang, quickly circled around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm when he got close, then quickly leaping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he leaped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But he didn’t dare relax for a moment, rapidly moving while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, Jiang Siwen suddenly erupted with black mist, knocking Liu Dashao to the ground.
The black mist hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little brat, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it toward Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the kindness in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his expression turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet here you are, venting your anger on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words didn’t stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in that split second, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, inhaled, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and hurled it toward Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash near his ear. When he looked, Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patting Liu Dashao’s head. Tears welled up in his eyes as he said softly, “Ah, master has let you suffer. Now, I will subdue this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu gently pushed Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were splitting open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black mist from his mouth, rushing toward Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black mist was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black mist, Zhang Enpu seized the opportunity to leap toward Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist around his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, shouting, “By the power of heaven and earth, as urgent as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, quickly dodging Zhang Enpu’s strikes.
Zhang Enpu’s palm emitted golden light, and the ground was pitted with craters from the strikes.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling toward Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately pulled out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, causing the talisman to tremble before flying toward Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist to envelop the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation, and the large yellow talisman glowed with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” As Zhang Enpu finished the incantation, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from within the talisman, and just as Liu Dashao was beginning to relax, there was a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand toward Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly, and the strike hit him squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, despite his weakened body, struggled to help him up.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been struck by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost really cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, the culmination of my life’s cultivation!”
As Jiang Siwen spoke, he made strange gestures with his hands, and the black mist around him grew denser. The air was filled with the wails of ghosts and spirits.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was surrounded by vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu paid no heed, quietly arranging yellow talisman paper around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth Official, South calls the Cong Elder, West calls the Green Fang, North calls the Ling River, each to their place, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
As Zhang Enpu finished speaking, he gripped the peach wood sword with one hand, veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the sword snapped in half.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and pointed it skyward. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind whipped around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with his palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers roared in his ears. When he looked, the sight before him was awe-inspiring.
Ancient soldiers filled the area, each armed with swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons rang in his ears, and the atmosphere was tense, as if a battle was about to begin.
The leader, a general on horseback, drew his sword and swung it, and the sound of thousands of soldiers’ war cries filled the air.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army charged toward Jiang Siwen, who was still sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the spectacle before him.
The Yin Soldiers kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything in the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke dissipate with the war cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit. His cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side as he spoke.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t anticipated Jiang Siwen’s sudden escape. The blow landed squarely on his chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered backward. Liu Dashao, dragging his battered body, hurried to support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, blood seeping through his fingers.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen, with his hands behind his back, looked at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you don’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, which was tightly bound.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
After saying this, he suddenly opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, she was hit by the black mist he spat out.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, disappeared without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to stand up, steadied his mind, gathered all his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, turned sideways towards Jiang Siwen, recited an incantation, and struck out with a palm.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Second Master Huang was ready.
Just then, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, western direction, shield of golden light, as urgent as the law commands!”
After reciting this, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Seeing this, Liu Dashao turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he didn’t expect Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but didn’t see Second Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, likely having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was secretly alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao didn’t have time to use any technique to block the kick and could only cover his face with his hands.
He felt as if something heavy had hit his chest, sending him sliding backward. He was almost knocked unconscious by the kick.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
Liu Dashao was in despair. Why hadn’t Second Master Huang appeared yet?
Just then, Liu Dashao heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back quickly!”
It was Second Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. Looking at the three stone statues, they surrounded Jiang Siwen in the middle. He didn’t move, just glared at Liu Dashao with hatred.
Second Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him facing Jiang Siwen, and quickly spun in place several times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long time, the dust settled, and the three stone statues surrounded Jiang Siwen within a few feet. A wall of stone statues had somehow formed, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the stone statues, just laughed sinisterly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? Too naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms wide, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms towards the surrounding stone statues, sending out waves of black palm wind.
“Find a place to hide quickly!” Second Master Huang said, then began circling around the stone statue array.
The entire stone statue array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, walking behind a large rock, crouched down, and quietly observed the movements inside the stone array.
Second Master Huang was rapidly circling the stone statue array, and the stone wall was also rotating quickly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he could see a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Second Master Huang. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang,’ and a stone statue was sent flying. Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought it was bad and quickly looked at Second Master Huang, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Second Master Huang enter the grass and was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
Among them were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards where Jiang Siwen stood.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms in front of him.
The faster-running wolfhounds reached him first, pouncing on him and beginning to bite furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs gathered more and more until Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving.
Some dogs, unable to get onto the ball, stood by, waiting, occasionally licking their paws, watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, ‘You’re done for now, not even bones will be left. Even if you’re a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, a thousand men couldn’t withstand this.’
Just then, Second Master Huang emerged from the grass nearby, ran to Liu Dashao, and with his small eyes, looked at him and said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been invaded by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as Second Master Huang said, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, took a few breaths, and immediately felt much lighter, gaining some strength.
Seeing Liu Dashao regain some strength, Second Master Huang said, “Liu Dashao, let’s go quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold out much longer.” With that, Second Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dog. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just occurred.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call Second Master Huang, he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up.
He struggled to look down and saw it was Jiang Siwen who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap was gone, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Second Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. Jiang Siwen, somewhat wary of the yang blood, loosened his grip, and Liu Dashao’s feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought, ‘I can’t get too close to him; I’ll have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.’
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Settle, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law commands!”
After reciting this, Liu Dashao moved forward and appeared in front of Second Master Huang. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step to appear in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him in the face with a palm, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which states, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier Speed, borrow the talisman of the True Lord of the Great White, and then shift steps and forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So Liu Dashao, holding Second Master Huang, quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm when he got close, then jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, going up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now he dared not relax for a moment, rapidly moving his body while pressing Jiang Siwen tightly.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly emit black mist from his body, knocking Liu Dashao down.
Liu Dashao, hit by the black mist on his chest, felt a bone-chilling cold in his chest, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil creature, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, which then turned to anger as he glared at Jiang Siwen.
“A dignified scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, should be refined. Now you’re venting your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high, about to thrust it at Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but at that moment, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like sword from his back, and hurled it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. Looking sideways, Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted Liu Dashao’s head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! Master has wronged you. Now I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘whoosh,’ Jiang Siwen spat out a stream of black mist, which rushed towards Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and like a gust of wind, dispersed the black mist.
After dispersing the black mist, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to rush at Jiang Siwen, swinging the Heavenly Master Sword in a flurry of strikes.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand, raised the other, and drew a talisman in the air, shouting, “Heaven and Earth lend me power, as urgent as the law commands!” Then he bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray by Zhang Enpu’s strikes, only able to dodge quickly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted waves of golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Just then, Jiang Siwen suddenly crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together, muttered an incantation, and the talisman trembled before flying towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist to envelop the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and recited an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, talisman envelops the demon!” After reciting this, Zhang Enpu saw the large yellow talisman shrinking, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the large talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was about to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman in front of him exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen suddenly lunged forward, his hand thrusting towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu’s chest squarely.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his weakened body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu held the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand, raised it high, and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s work!”
After saying this, Jiang Siwen made strange gestures with his hands. The black mist around him grew thicker, and the sound of ghosts wailing filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu didn’t seem concerned. He quietly arranged yellow paper talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth Official, South calls the Forest Elder, West calls the Azure Fang, North calls the Spirit River, each to their position, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword with one hand, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and pointed it skyward. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu said this, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers galloping filled his ears. Looking ahead, the scene was spectacular.
In front of them were ancient soldiers, each holding swords, spears, and halberds. The sound of clashing weapons rang in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and waved it, and the battle horns of thousands of soldiers sounded around them.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise. The thousands of soldiers drew their swords and charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur of the scene.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength to summon the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the battle cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body almost transparent, motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one spirit. It seems his cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao was shocked—could a ghost truly cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, unfazed, picked up the Master Sword and drove it into the ground.
“Hmph, old man, face my ultimate technique!” Jiang Siwen shouted.
He began strange hand movements. Black qi gathered around him, thickening. Ghostly wails filled the air.
Looking closely, Liu Dashao saw countless vengeful spirits surrounding Jiang Siwen, ready to attack.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen, with his hands behind his back, looked at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you don’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Willow who was speaking.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Willow.
As Granny Willow moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Willow.
Granny Willow grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen smiled and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
As he spoke, he suddenly opened his mouth wide towards Granny Willow. Before she could block with her other hand, she was hit by the black gas he spat out.
With a groan, Granny Willow, along with the willow branches, disappeared.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he could only fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back hill, anxiously wondering if Master Huang was ready.
Just then, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat out blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, western direction, shield of golden light, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back hill, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he didn’t expect Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back hill but didn’t see Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao didn’t have time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect himself.
He felt as if a heavy object had hit his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
Liu Dashao was in despair. Why hadn’t Master Huang appeared yet?
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. The three stone statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao and stood in front of him, facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place a few times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen. A few yards away, a circle of stone statues had risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the stone statues, only smiled sinisterly.
“Hmph, even a little yellow immortal is joining the fun, setting up this stone formation to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As he spoke, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black gas shattered the three stone statues. He quickly struck out with black palm winds towards the surrounding stone statues.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang said, then began circling the stone statue formation.
The entire stone statue circle rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step to a large rock, crouched behind it, and quietly observed the situation inside the stone formation.
Master Huang was rapidly circling the stone statue formation, and the stone wall was spinning quickly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black gas, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang. Just then, a loud ‘bang’ was heard, and a stone statue was sent flying. Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought it was bad and quickly looked at Master Huang, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Master Huang enter the grass and was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms in front of him.
The faster wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and biting him fiercely.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs kept coming, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving around.
Some dogs, unable to get onto the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was done for, not even bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
Master Huang emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes looking at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as Master Huang said, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt much better and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang said, “Let’s go quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold out much longer.” With that, Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of the dogs either. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call out to Master Huang, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap nowhere to be seen, and his long hair was a mess. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen and his feet touch the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Steady, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward and appeared in front of Master Huang. He picked up Master Huang and placed him in his arms, then turned and leaped towards Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm strike to his face, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, quickly summon the speed of the heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of the Supreme Lord Laozi, and you can move swiftly, traveling three thousand miles in a day.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang, quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm winds.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then leaping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he leaped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he didn’t dare relax for a moment, moving swiftly while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at Jiang Siwen again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly emit black gas from his body, knocking Liu Dashao down.
Liu Dashao was hit in the chest by the black gas, feeling a bone-chilling cold in his chest and a dry, cold sensation in his throat. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be civilized. Now you’re taking your anger out on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to stab Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and hurled it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang outside his ear. He turned to see Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword precisely deflecting Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted his head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! I’ve let you suffer. Now, I’ll take care of this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were splitting open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spat out a stream of black gas. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black gas rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black gas was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black gas, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to leap towards Jiang Siwen and swung the Heavenly Master Sword at him repeatedly.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black gas from his arms, completely unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and raised the other, drawing a talisman in the air. He shouted, “By the power of heaven and earth, as fast as the law commands!” Then he bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge quickly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black gas flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted. The talisman trembled a few times and then flew towards Jiang Siwen with a ‘whoosh.’
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black gas, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, Zhang Enpu saw the large yellow talisman shrinking, as if trying to compress Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the large talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was beginning to relax, a loud ‘bang’ was heard.
The large yellow talisman exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu didn’t expect Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his weakened body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and raised it high, stabbing it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, the culmination of my life’s cultivation!”
Jiang Siwen made strange gestures with his hands, and the black gas around him grew denser. The sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging yellow talisman paper around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East calls the Earth Official, South calls the Forest Elder, West calls the Azure Lord, North calls the Spirit River, each in their place, quickly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword snapped.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses and soldiers galloping filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Ancient soldiers, each armed with swords, spears, and halberds, stood before him. The sound of clashing weapons rang in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and waved it, and the battle horns of thousands of soldiers sounded.
“Charge!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything within.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one spirit. His cultivation is indeed deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen, with his hands behind his back, looked at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some real skill, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
With that, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly mad! Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood beside Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to entangle him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, tightly bound by the branches.
“Today, I will rid the world of this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen chuckled, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and aimed it at Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
Just then, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Li Gua West, Screen of Golden Light, as urgent as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen. The pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Seizing the moment, Liu Dashao turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but saw no sign of Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging straight towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to shield himself.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. He was nearly knocked unconscious by the kick.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was desperate, wondering why Master Huang Er hadn’t appeared yet.
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, aiming at Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen. A few yards away, a circle of stone statues had risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues found at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle of the stone statues, only laughed coldly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
With that, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He swiftly struck the surrounding stone statues with black palm winds.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling the stone array.
The entire stone array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the movements inside the stone array.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling the stone array, the stone wall rotating rapidly, trapping Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er when suddenly, with a loud ‘bang,’ one of the stone statues was sent flying, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao cursed under his breath and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to follow when a chorus of dog barks erupted from all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when suddenly, hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms in front of him.
The faster large wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and biting furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs kept coming, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving around.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “You’re done for now, not even a bone will be left. Even if you’re a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, a thousand men couldn’t withstand this.”
Just then, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes glancing at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as Master Huang Er said, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Let’s go quickly. I doubt these wild dogs can hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when the sound of the hundreds of dogs suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling and was about to call for Master Huang Er when he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
He felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up.
Liu Dashao struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap nowhere to be seen, his long hair disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Soul Shift and Form Pause, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward and appeared in front of Master Huang Er. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier Speed, borrow the True Lord of Venus’s talisman, and then shift steps and pause forms, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly circled around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he even began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he dared not relax for a moment, moving swiftly while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly emit a burst of black mist from his body, knocking Liu Dashao down.
The black mist hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a family of scholars, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to thrust it into Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like sword from his back, hurling it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. He turned to see Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword precisely deflecting Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted Liu Dashao’s head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! Master has wronged you. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
With that, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black mist from his mouth, rushing towards Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black mist was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
Having dispersed the black mist, Zhang Enpu seized the opportunity to rush at Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, chanting, “Qiankun borrows the law, as urgent as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted. The talisman trembled a few times and then ‘whooshed’ towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the large talisman, and Liu Dashao was just beginning to relax when he heard a ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, his hand thrusting straight towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to suddenly break free from the large talisman. The strike hit Zhang Enpu’s chest squarely.
Zhang Enpu stumbled back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support Zhang Enpu.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been struck by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it high into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
With that, Jiang Siwen began to gesture strangely. The black mist around him grew thicker, and the sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging yellow talisman paper around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East summons the Earth Official, South summons the Forest Elder, West summons the Azure Fang, North summons the Spirit River, each to their position, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
With that, Zhang Enpu grasped the peach wood sword, the veins on his hand bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and pointed it skyward. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm strike, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses galloping filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him were ancient soldiers, each holding swords, spears, and halberds. The sound of clashing weapons echoed in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and swung it, and the battle horns of thousands of soldiers sounded.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the thousand soldiers charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength in summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the battle cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent, motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one spirit. It seems his cultivation is indeed profound,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Heh… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… evaded countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Zhang Enpu gripped the peach-wood sword, veins bulging. With a loud crack, the sword snapped.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After speaking, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who spoke.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and twisting towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck, which was tightly bound by the branches.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen smiled and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
As he spoke, he suddenly opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to stand up, steadied his mind, mustered all his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth on his hand, turned sideways towards Jiang Siwen, chanted an incantation, and struck out with a palm.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
At that moment, he happened to walk past the spot where he had spat out blood earlier, just as he had hoped.
“Li Gua Xi Fang, Ping Zhao Jin Guang, Ji Ji Ru Lu Ling!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like a wall of silk, separating the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes that passed through the blood wall and hit Jiang Siwen, forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind at his back. Without looking back, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but did not see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, likely having broken through the blood wall, and was charging straight towards him.
Liu Dashao was shocked, thinking that he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was in despair, wondering why Master Huang Er hadn’t appeared yet.
At that moment, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and when he looked up, he saw a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen and smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao and struck towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. Looking at the three stone statues, they surrounded Jiang Siwen in the middle. He did not move, only glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao and stood in front of him, facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place a few times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long time, the dust settled, and Liu Dashao saw that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen within a few feet. A wall of stone statues had somehow risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the middle.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the stone statues, only smiled sinisterly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian is joining the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms towards the surrounding stone statues, sending out waves of black palm winds.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling around the stone statue array.
The entire stone statue array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside with Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, squatting down, and quietly observing the movements inside the stone array.
Master Huang Er quickly circled around the stone array, and the stone wall also rotated rapidly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he could see a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black energy, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang,’ and a stone statue was sent flying. Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought, “This is bad,” and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who had darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled, but then he saw hundreds of dogs rushing out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
Among them were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies that looked like they had just been born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards where Jiang Siwen stood.
The dogs snarled, and even Jiang Siwen seemed shocked by the sight, raising his arms to protect himself.
The faster dogs reached him first, leaping onto him and biting him fiercely.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs kept coming, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving around.
Some dogs, unable to get onto the ball, stood by the side, licking their paws and watching their companions swarm over Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought, “You’re done for. Not even your bones will remain. Even if you’re a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, not even a thousand men could withstand this.”
At that moment, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao’s side. His small eyes looked at Liu Dashao and said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by this scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as Master Huang Er instructed, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt much lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Liu Dashao, we need to leave quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold him off for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dogs at all. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call out to Master Huang Er, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, who had grabbed his neck with his hand.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s hat was missing, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought, “I can’t get too close to him. I’ll have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.”
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Pacify, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant and appeared in front of Master Huang Er. He picked him up and tucked him into his arms, then turned and took another step to appear in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm to his face, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which taught, “Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, quickly summon the speed of the heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of the True Lord of Venus, and thus move swiftly, covering three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.”
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm whenever he got close to Jiang Siwen, then immediately jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, going up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he even began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he dared not relax for a moment, moving swiftly while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt Jiang Siwen suddenly erupt with black energy, knocking him down.
The black energy hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his chest, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the kindness in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a family of scholars, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to stab Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in that split second, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and threw it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang near his ear. When he looked, Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted Liu Dashao’s head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah, master has wronged you. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger for you.”
After speaking, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen suddenly spewed a stream of black energy from his mouth. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black energy rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black energy was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black energy, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to rush towards Jiang Siwen and swung the Heavenly Master Sword at him repeatedly.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and raised the other to draw a talisman in the air. He shouted, “Qian Kun Jie Fa, Ji Ji Ru Lu Ling!” Then he bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray by Zhang Enpu’s strikes, only able to dodge quickly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted waves of golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
At that moment, Jiang Siwen suddenly crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew out from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted. The talisman trembled a few times and then flew towards Jiang Siwen with a ‘whoosh.’
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black energy to envelop the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu immediately closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin Bi Cang Er Jian, Fu Long Zhao Yao Guo!” After chanting, Zhang Enpu saw the large yellow talisman shrinking, as if it were compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the large talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was about to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman in front of him exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen suddenly lunged forward, his hand thrusting towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu’s chest squarely.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman earlier, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, took the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s work!”
After speaking, Jiang Siwen began to gesture strangely. The black energy around him grew denser, and the sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging a formation around the Heavenly Master Sword with yellow talisman paper.
“East, summon the Earth Official; South, summon the Cong Elder; West, summon the Green Lord; North, summon the Spirit River. Each to their position, quickly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword with one hand, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword snapped.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm towards him, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers galloping filled his ears. When he looked, the scene before him was spectacular.
Ancient soldiers stood before him, each holding swords, spears, and halberds. The sound of clashing weapons rang in his ears, creating a tense, battle-ready atmosphere.
The leader, a general on horseback, drew his sword and swung it. The sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns echoed around them.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise. The thousands of soldiers drew their swords and charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grand scene before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted all his strength in summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the rolling smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent, motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. Now he can only gather one spirit. It seems his cultivation is truly deep,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
As he spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him down.
It sounded like thousands of cavalry charging. Looking closely, an awe-inspiring sight unfolded.
Ancient warriors, armed with swords, spears, and halberds, charged forward, weapons gleaming. A tense, battle-ready atmosphere filled the air.
The leading general, riding a horse, raised his sword. Thousands of soldiers sounded their war horns.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears would burst. The entire army charged toward Jiang Siwen, who sat cross-legged. The earth trembled with the sound of galloping hooves and marching feet.
Liu Dashao stood stunned by the magnificent sight.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees weakened, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with a mocking expression. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such petty tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his hand, and turned to face Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
At that moment, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Li Gua Xi Fang, Ping Zhao Jin Guang, Ji Ji Ru Lu Ling!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without turning his head, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but did not see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was shocked, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect himself.
He felt as if a heavy object had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was in despair, wondering why Master Huang Er hadn’t appeared yet.
At that moment, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him, and quickly spun in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen. A wall of stone statues had formed several feet away, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen within.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, trapped in the middle of the stone statues, laughed eerily.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black energy shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms, sending out waves of black energy towards the surrounding stone statues.
“Find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling the stone array.
The entire stone array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step to a large rock, crouched down, and quietly observed the movements within the stone array.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling the stone array, the stone wall rotating rapidly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black energy, rotating.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er when suddenly, there was a loud ‘bang’. A stone statue was sent flying, and Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao panicked and quickly looked for Master Huang Er, who had darted backward into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Master Huang Er enter the grass and was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, all running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms to protect himself.
The faster dogs reached him first, leaping onto him and biting him fiercely.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled up, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving.
Some dogs, unable to join the pile, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was doomed, not even bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
At that moment, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes looking at him. “Close your eyes and focus. The scholar’s yin energy has entered your body.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang Er’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Let’s go quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had disappeared.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of the dogs either. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling and was about to call for Master Huang Er when he turned around and was grabbed by the neck.
He felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up.
Liu Dashao struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap was gone, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face was now twisted with malice.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The blood, being yang energy, caused Jiang Siwen to loosen his grip, and Liu Dashao’s feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close. He had to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Soul Shift and Form Pause, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Peace and Calm, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, arriving in front of Master Huang Er. He picked up Master Huang Er and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step, appearing in front of Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm strike, forcing Jiang Siwen back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, quickly summon the Heavenly Soldier’s speed, borrow the Supreme Lord Laozi’s talisman, and then move and pause, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique to hold Jiang Siwen off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly circled Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around quickly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then quickly jumping away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own speed, moving up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But he didn’t dare relax for a moment, rapidly moving his body while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, Jiang Siwen suddenly erupted with black energy, knocking Liu Dashao down.
The black energy hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his chest, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his expression turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Now you’re venting your anger on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to thrust it into Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but at that moment, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and with a ‘swish,’ drew a clear, water-like sword from his back and threw it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash near his ear. He turned to see that Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patted his head, and even had tears in his eyes. He said softly, “Ah! Master has let you suffer. Now, I will capture this ghost scholar and vent your anger.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu moved Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, and only his extended mouth was visible.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black energy from his mouth, rushing towards Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black energy was dispersed like a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black energy, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to charge at Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black energy from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and with the other, drew a talisman in the air, shouting, “Qian Kun Jie Fa, Ji Ji Ru Lu Ling!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black energy flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately took out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted, causing the talisman to tremble and then fly towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black energy, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded to the size of a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin Bi Cang Er Jian, Fu Long Zhao Yao Guo!” After chanting, Zhang Enpu saw the large yellow talisman shrinking, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the large talisman, and Liu Dashao was about to relax when he heard a ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu’s chest squarely.
Zhang Enpu took a few steps back, and Liu Dashao, with his weakened body, struggled to help him up.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, held the Heavenly Master Sword with one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s ultimate technique!”
Jiang Siwen began to gesture strangely, and the black energy around him grew denser. The sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw countless vengeful spirits surrounding Jiang Siwen, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu remained calm, quietly arranging yellow talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East invites the Earth Official, South invites the Forest Elder, West invites the Azure Lord, North invites the Spirit River, each to their position, quickly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, veins bulging on his hand. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and raised it to the sky. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, make way!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers galloping filled his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Ancient soldiers, armed with swords, spears, and halberds, stood before them. The sound of clashing weapons echoed, creating a tense, battle-ready atmosphere.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and waved it, and the battle horns of thousands of soldiers sounded.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise as the army charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grand spectacle before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything within.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself by summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit, which shows how deep his cultivation is,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, and spoke.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Rolling in the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to get up but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some skills, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial tricks, what can they do to me? Hahaha…”
After saying this, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums.
“Jiang Siwen, you don’t even spare a child, you’re utterly insane. Today, this old woman will seek justice from you. Child, run!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who had spoken.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and writhing towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year-old demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed and said, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and engulfed her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, disappeared without a trace.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to his feet, steadied his mind, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from his mouth onto his hand, and turned to face Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Second Master Huang was ready.
Just then, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Li Gua West, Screen of Golden Light, as urgent as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a cold wind behind him. Without turning his head, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the cold wind was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he didn’t expect Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but didn’t see Second Master Huang.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was shocked, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao didn’t have time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect himself.
He felt as if a heavy object had hit his chest, sending him sliding backward. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was desperate, wondering why Second Master Huang hadn’t appeared yet.
Just then, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Second Master Huang’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. The three stone statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Second Master Huang ran to Liu Dashao, stood in front of him facing Jiang Siwen, and quickly spun in place.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything.
After a long time, the dust settled, revealing that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen. A wall of stone statues had formed around them, enclosing Jiang Siwen and the three statues within.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the guardian statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the statues, laughed eerily.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He quickly swung his palms, sending out waves of black palm winds towards the surrounding stone statues.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Second Master Huang said, then began circling the stone statue wall.
The entire stone statue wall rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, squatting down, and quietly observing the situation inside the stone wall.
Second Master Huang was rapidly circling the stone wall, which was also spinning quickly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Second Master Huang. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang,’ and a stone statue was sent flying. Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao cursed inwardly and quickly looked at Second Master Huang, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen saw Second Master Huang enter the grass and was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled when he saw hundreds of dogs emerge from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, all running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms to protect himself.
The faster wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and beginning to bite furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs piled on, and soon Liu Dashao could only see a large, writhing ball of dogs.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that Jiang Siwen was done for, not even bones would remain. Even if he were a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
Second Master Huang emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao, his small eyes glancing at him. “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao did as instructed, closing his eyes, steadying his mind, and taking a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing Liu Dashao recover somewhat, Second Master Huang said, “Let’s go, Dashao. I doubt these wild dogs can hold him for long.” With that, Second Master Huang led Liu Dashao away.
After only a few steps, Liu Dashao noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of the dogs at all. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call for Second Master Huang, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, who had grabbed his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap was gone, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face was now twisted in a grotesque expression.
Not far away, Second Master Huang lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao immediately took a stance, formed a hand seal, and thought to himself that he couldn’t get too close to Jiang Siwen. He would have to use the Heavenly Soldier’s Swiftness technique.
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Settle, Supreme Lord Laozi, as urgent as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward and appeared in front of Second Master Huang. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and took another step towards Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck out with a palm strike, forcing Jiang Siwen back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Divine Soldier’s Swift Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier’s speed, borrow the Supreme Lord Laozi’s talisman, and move with the speed of three thousand miles in a day.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier’s Swiftness to hold Jiang Siwen at bay.
Thus, Liu Dashao, carrying Second Master Huang, quickly darted around Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm strikes.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm strike in front of Jiang Siwen, then quickly jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own rapid movements, going up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But he didn’t dare relax for a moment, rapidly moving his body while keeping Jiang Siwen at bay.
Liu Dashao charged at Jiang Siwen again, but before he could strike, he felt a burst of black mist erupt from Jiang Siwen’s body, knocking him down.
The black mist hit Liu Dashao’s chest, and he felt a bone-chilling coldness in his lungs, his throat dry and cold. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned his head and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high and was about to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but at that moment, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, took a deep breath, bent over, and drew his hand back. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from behind and threw it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clash near his ear. He glanced to the side and saw that Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu jumped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, stroking Liu Dashao’s head. His eyes were also moist as he said softly, “Ah! Master has let you suffer. Now, I will take care of this ghost scholar and avenge you.”
After saying this, Zhang Enpu pulled Liu Dashao closer behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split open. His long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression, only his extended mouth.
Zhang Enpu took a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a stream of black mist from his mouth. Before Zhang Enpu could react, the black mist rushed towards him.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest a few times, and the black mist was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
After dispersing the black mist, Zhang Enpu took the opportunity to rush towards Jiang Siwen and swung the Heavenly Master Sword at him repeatedly.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and raised the other to draw a talisman in the air. He chanted, “By the power of heaven and earth, as urgent as the law commands!” Then he bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen repeatedly.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to dodge rapidly.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew out from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately pulled out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground. He clasped his hands together and chanted. The talisman trembled a few times and then flew towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a large cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman wrapped around Jiang Siwen began to glow with golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding very painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” After chanting, Zhang Enpu saw the large talisman shrinking, as if trying to compress Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from inside the talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was beginning to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large talisman in front of him exploded into pieces, and Jiang Siwen suddenly leaped out, his hand thrusting towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the talisman so suddenly. The strike hit Zhang Enpu squarely in the chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu picked up the Heavenly Master Sword with one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s work!”
After saying this, Jiang Siwen began to make strange gestures with his hands. The black mist around him grew thicker, and the sound of wailing ghosts filled the air.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu was unfazed, quietly arranging yellow talismans around the Heavenly Master Sword.
“East summons the Earth Official, South summons the Elder of the Forest, West summons the Azure Lord, North summons the Spirit River, each in their place, quickly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, veins bulging on his hand. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and pointed it skyward. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm strike towards him, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, clear the way!”
As soon as Zhang Enpu finished speaking, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of thousands of horses and soldiers thundered in his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
In front of him were ancient soldiers, each holding swords, spears, and halberds. The sound of clashing weapons filled the air, creating a tense, battle-ready atmosphere.
The leading general on horseback drew his sword and waved it, and the battle horns of thousands of soldiers sounded.
“Charge!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst as the army of thousands charged towards Jiang Siwen, who was sitting cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring the view of what was happening inside.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed that summoning the Yin Soldiers had drained Zhang Enpu’s strength.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit, which shows how deep his cultivation is,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side as he spoke.
They stood silently, watching the thick smoke dissipate with the sounds of battle.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, nearly transparent, motionless.
Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s translucent ghostly hand passed through his body. He felt a sweet sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a large pool of blood. His knees weakened, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Bastard!” Liu Dashao rolled in the weeds, trying to get up, but found his body as if it had fallen apart, unable to move.
Jiang Siwen, with his hands behind his back, looked at Liu Dashao with mockery in his eyes. “Hmph, I thought you had some ability, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Such trivial Taoist magic, what can it do to me? Hahaha…”
After speaking, he burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with arrogance and conceit, piercing the eardrums painfully.
“Jiang Siwen, you won’t even spare a child. You’re utterly insane. Today, I, the old woman, will seek justice for this child. Run, child!”
Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and saw that it was Granny Liu Xian who spoke.
“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up, standing next to Liu Dashao, looking at Granny Liu Xian.
As Granny Liu Xian moved, Liu Dashao felt the ground around him shake.
Several thick willow branches emerged from the ground, alive and winding towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen smiled eerily and did not dodge, allowing the branches to wrap around him and pull him towards Granny Liu Xian.
Granny Liu Xian grabbed Jiang Siwen’s neck tightly.
“Today, I will eliminate this thousand-year demon and uphold justice!”
Jiang Siwen laughed, “You’re using willow branches to fight a ghost, hmph.”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide towards Granny Liu Xian. Before she could block with her other hand, a black mist spewed from Jiang Siwen’s mouth and hit her.
With a groan, Granny Liu Xian, along with the willow branches, vanished.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.
He struggled to stand, steadied his mind, mustered all his strength, wiped the blood from his mouth onto his hand, and faced Jiang Siwen. He chanted an incantation and struck out with a palm strike.
Jiang Siwen casually waved his hand, deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, and then walked towards him.
Liu Dashao retreated towards the back mountain, anxiously wondering if Master Huang Er was ready.
At that moment, he happened to step on the spot where he had spat blood earlier, which was exactly what he wanted.
“Hexagram Li, western direction, shield of golden light, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen, and the pool of blood on the ground suddenly expanded like silk, forming a wall that separated the two.
Jiang Siwen stopped and did not advance further.
Seeing the opportunity, Liu Dashao struck out with four or five palm strikes through the blood wall, hitting Jiang Siwen and forcing him back a few steps. Liu Dashao then turned and ran towards the back mountain, not caring about Jiang Siwen’s reaction.
As Liu Dashao was about to climb over the hill, he felt a chilling wind at his back. Without turning his head, he used a transfer technique to redirect the force to the side.
Liu Dashao knew that the chilling palm strike was Jiang Siwen’s attempt to stop him from escaping, but he hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to counter it.
Liu Dashao scrambled to the back mountain but did not see Master Huang Er.
Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen had already climbed over the hill, likely having broken through the blood wall, and was charging towards him.
Liu Dashao was alarmed, thinking he was doomed.
Jiang Siwen rushed to Liu Dashao and kicked him in the face.
Liu Dashao had no time to cast a spell to block the kick and could only raise his arms to protect his face.
He felt as if something heavy had struck his chest, sending him sliding backward. He was almost knocked unconscious by the kick.
Liu Dashao struggled to open his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen walking towards him.
He was desperate. Why hadn’t Master Huang Er appeared yet?
At that moment, he heard a ‘whoosh’ above his head. Something flew over him, and he looked up to see a life-sized stone statue flying towards Jiang Siwen, smashing into him.
Jiang Siwen shattered the statue with a single palm strike, scattering the pieces.
Then, three more stone statues flew out from above Liu Dashao, heading towards Jiang Siwen.
“Dashao, come to the back!”
It was Master Huang Er’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left and could only struggle to stand. He saw the three stone statues surrounding Jiang Siwen, who stood still, glaring at Liu Dashao with malice.
Master Huang Er ran to Liu Dashao, standing in front of him and facing Jiang Siwen. He quickly spun in place several times.
A loud rumbling sound came from the ground.
The surroundings shook violently, as if the earth was splitting open. Something seemed to be emerging from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that enveloped everything in a gray mist.
After a long while, the dust settled, revealing that the three stone statues had surrounded Jiang Siwen within a radius of several feet. A wall of stone statues had risen, enclosing the three statues and Jiang Siwen in the center.
The stone statues were identical, resembling the evil-warding statues at temple entrances.
Jiang Siwen, surrounded by the statues, laughed coldly.
“Hmph, even a little Huang Xian dares to join the fun, setting up this stone array to scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive, haha!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spread his arms, and two streams of black mist shattered the three stone statues. He swiftly struck the surrounding stone statues with black palm winds.
“Quick, find a place to hide!” Master Huang Er said, then began circling the stone statue array.
The entire stone statue array rumbled and slowly began to rotate, obscuring Jiang Siwen’s movements inside.
Liu Dashao slowly moved step by step, hiding behind a large rock, crouching down, and quietly observing the activity within the stone array.
He saw Master Huang Er quickly circling the stone array, the stone wall rotating rapidly, enclosing Jiang Siwen inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing inside, but through his yin vision, he saw a circle of golden light enveloping a large mass of black mist, spinning around.
Liu Dashao was worried for Master Huang Er. Just then, he heard a loud ‘bang,’ and a stone statue was sent flying. Jiang Siwen leaped out from the gap.
Liu Dashao thought, ‘This is bad,’ and quickly looked at Master Huang Er, who darted backward and disappeared into the grass.
Jiang Siwen, seeing Master Huang Er enter the grass, was about to chase after him when he heard a chorus of dog barks, as if thousands of dogs were howling.
Liu Dashao was puzzled, but then he saw hundreds of dogs burst out from the grass around the hill, all charging towards Jiang Siwen.
There were large yellow dogs, black guard dogs, and even a few small puppies, seemingly just born. Dogs of all sizes were running towards Jiang Siwen.
The dogs snarled, and Jiang Siwen, perhaps shocked by the sight, raised his arms in front of him.
The faster large wolfhounds reached him first, leaping onto him and beginning to bite furiously.
The rest of the pack followed, barking and biting. The dogs gathered more and more until Liu Dashao could only see a large ball of dogs moving around.
Some dogs, unable to join the ball, stood by, licking their paws and watching their companions envelop Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao thought, ‘You’re done for now. Not even your bones will remain. Even if you’re a thousand-year-old ghost scholar, you can’t withstand this.’
At that moment, Master Huang Er emerged from the grass and ran to Liu Dashao’s side. His small eyes looked at Liu Dashao and said, “Close your eyes and focus. You’ve been infected by the scholar’s yin energy.”
Liu Dashao followed Master Huang Er’s instructions, closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and took a few deep breaths. He immediately felt lighter and regained some strength.
Seeing that Liu Dashao had recovered some strength, Master Huang Er said, “Let’s go quickly. I’m afraid these wild dogs won’t hold him for long.” With that, Master Huang Er led Liu Dashao away.
Liu Dashao had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the barks of the hundreds of dogs had suddenly ceased.
He turned to look.
Not only was the ball of dogs gone, but there was no trace of any dog. Only the chaotic marks on the ground proved that a fierce struggle had just taken place.
Liu Dashao had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to call out to Master Huang Er, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck.
Liu Dashao felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the air.
He struggled to look down and saw that it was Jiang Siwen, gripping his neck.
Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn and disheveled, his scholar’s cap nowhere to be seen, and his long hair was disheveled. His once handsome face now looked ferocious.
Not far away, Master Huang Er lay motionless.
Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The yang blood seemed to have some effect, as Liu Dashao felt his neck loosen, and his feet touched the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, Liu Dashao quickly stepped back, forming hand seals. He thought, ‘I can’t get too close to him. I’ll have to use the Heavenly Soldier Speed Technique.’
“Nine Palaces Swift Gate, Shift Soul and Halt Form, Borrow Heavenly Speed, Calm and Settle Fear, Supreme Lord Laozi, as fast as the law commands!”
After chanting, Liu Dashao moved forward in an instant, reaching Master Huang Er. He picked him up and placed him in his arms, then turned and leaped towards Jiang Siwen. Before Jiang Siwen could react, Liu Dashao struck him in the face with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.
Then Liu Dashao took another step back, retreating to the edge of the hill.
This was the “Heavenly Soldier Speed Talisman” from the Qimen Dunjia, which stated, ‘Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, swiftly summon the Heavenly Soldier’s speed, borrow the True Lord of Venus’s talisman, and you can shift and halt your form, traveling three thousand miles in a day, such is its speed.’
Now, he could only use the Heavenly Soldier Speed to hold him off.
So Liu Dashao, carrying Master Huang Er, quickly circled Jiang Siwen, striking out with a palm strike whenever he got close.
Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, only able to block Liu Dashao’s continuous palm winds.
Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.
He darted around rapidly, striking out with a palm strike when he got close, then quickly jumping far away.
Liu Dashao was dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never having moved so fast before. As he jumped around, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.
But now, he dared not relax for a moment, swiftly moving his body while tightly pressing Jiang Siwen.
Liu Dashao charged at him again, but before he could strike, he felt a burst of black mist erupt from Jiang Siwen’s body, knocking him down.
Liu Dashao, hit by the black mist on his chest, felt a bone-chilling coldness in his chest and a dry, cold sensation in his throat. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Hmph, little ghost, you’ve run enough. It’s time to go!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and thrusting it towards Liu Dashao’s throat.
“Evil spirit, release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.
Liu Dashao turned to look, and tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Enpu, whom he had missed day and night, stood not far away.
“Old man, you finally came!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his might.
Liu Dashao could see the affection in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, but when he looked at Jiang Siwen, his gaze turned to anger.
“A scholar of the Qing Dynasty, born into a scholarly family, even as a ghost, you should be refined. Yet now you vent your anger on a child? How laughable!” Zhang Enpu’s words did not stop Jiang Siwen’s actions.
He raised the dagger high, about to strike Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge, but in that split second, Zhang Enpu straightened his chest, inhaled, bent his waist, and drew his hand. With a ‘swish,’ he pulled out a clear, water-like sword from his back and hurled it towards Liu Dashao.
At the same time, Liu Dashao heard a metallic clang by his ear. He glanced to the side and saw Zhang Enpu’s Heavenly Master Sword had precisely deflected Jiang Siwen’s dagger.
Jiang Siwen, having missed his strike, quickly retreated. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to turn his body and struggle to sit up.
Zhang Enpu leaped in front of Liu Dashao, shielding him. Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness and hugged Zhang Enpu’s leg.
Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pity, patting Liu Dashao’s head. Tears welled up in his eyes as he softly said, “Ah! I’ve let you suffer, my disciple. Now, I will subdue this ghost scholar and avenge you.”
After speaking, Zhang Enpu gently pushed Liu Dashao behind him.
“Hmph, another one to join the funeral!”
Jiang Siwen suddenly opened his mouth wide, as if it were about to split. His disheveled hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression, only his elongated mouth.
Zhang Enpu assumed a stance, holding the Heavenly Master Sword, and pointed it directly at Jiang Siwen.
With a ‘hiss,’ Jiang Siwen spewed a burst of black mist from his mouth, rushing towards Zhang Enpu before he could react.
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly, swung the sword in front of his chest in a few elegant moves, and the black mist was dispersed as if by a gust of wind.
Having scattered the black mist, Zhang Enpu seized the opportunity to leap towards Jiang Siwen, slashing at him with the Heavenly Master Sword.
Jiang Siwen seemed to fear the sword, only able to block with the black mist from his arms, unable to counterattack.
Zhang Enpu held the sword in one hand and used the other to draw a talisman in the air, chanting, “Heaven and Earth lend me power, as fast as the law commands!” He then bit his tongue and spat blood onto his palm, striking out at Jiang Siwen with a series of palm strikes.
Loud bangs echoed around them as Jiang Siwen was thrown into disarray, quickly dodging.
Zhang Enpu’s palm strikes emitted golden light, creating large craters in the ground.
Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched down, and another dagger wrapped in black mist flew from his sleeve, whistling towards Zhang Enpu’s face.
Zhang Enpu blocked the strike and immediately placed a yellow talisman on the ground. He clasped his hands together, muttering an incantation. The talisman trembled and then flew towards Jiang Siwen.
Jiang Siwen casually waved a stream of black mist, enveloping the talisman.
Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a large piece of cloth, wrapping around Jiang Siwen.
Seeing this, Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and chanted an incantation. The large yellow talisman glowed with intense golden light.
The large talisman twisted and turned, and muffled groans came from inside, sounding painful.
“Yin hides in the second space, the talisman envelops the demon!” Zhang Enpu chanted, and the large yellow talisman seemed to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.
Low growls came from within the large talisman. Just as Liu Dashao was beginning to relax, he heard a loud ‘bang.’
The large yellow talisman exploded into fragments, and Jiang Siwen leaped out, thrusting his hand towards Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free from the large talisman so suddenly. The strike landed squarely on Zhang Enpu’s chest.
Zhang Enpu staggered back a few steps, and Liu Dashao, with his battered body, struggled to get up and support him.
Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, which was bleeding from Jiang Siwen’s strike.
Jiang Siwen, having been hit by the talisman, was also somewhat wary.
Jiang Siwen sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly preparing to cast a spell.
Liu Dashao was shocked. Could a ghost also cast spells?
Zhang Enpu, seeing this, held the Heavenly Master Sword in one hand and thrust it into the ground.
“Hmph… old man… take this, my life’s work!”
Jiang Siwen made strange gestures with his hands, and the black mist around him grew denser. The air was filled with the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves.
Looking around, Liu Dashao saw that the ground around Jiang Siwen was filled with vengeful spirits, ready to attack. It seemed Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to deal with them.
Zhang Enpu remained calm, quietly arranging yellow talisman paper around the Heavenly Master Sword in a formation.
“East calls the Earth’s Officials, South calls the Forest’s Elders, West calls the Azure Fang, North calls the Spirit River, each in their place, swiftly summon the Yin Soldiers!”
After chanting, Zhang Enpu gripped the peach wood sword, his veins bulging. A loud crack was heard as the peach wood sword broke.
Zhang Enpu pulled out the broken sword and pointed it skyward. A blue light shot into the sky, and a strong wind blew around them. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck out with a palm strike, shouting, “Yin Soldiers, clear the path!”
As Zhang Enpu spoke, Liu Dashao felt the ground shake violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
The sound of a thousand horses and soldiers thundered in his ears. Looking ahead, he saw a magnificent sight.
Before him were ancient soldiers, each armed with swords, spears, and halberds. The clashing of weapons rang in his ears, a scene of imminent battle.
The leading general, mounted on a horse, drew his sword and waved it. The sound of thousands of soldiers’ war horns echoed around them.
“Kill!”
Liu Dashao felt his ears were about to burst from the noise. The army of thousands charged towards Jiang Siwen, who sat cross-legged. The ground rumbled with the sound of hooves and footsteps.
Liu Dashao was stunned by the grandeur before him.
The Yin Soldiers stirred up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything within the thick smoke.
Zhang Enpu was unsteady on his feet, and Liu Dashao supported him. It seemed Zhang Enpu had exhausted himself by summoning the Yin Soldiers.
Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu stood still, watching the thick smoke disperse with the cries of the Yin Soldiers.
Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his body nearly transparent and motionless.
“The Yin Soldiers have scattered his soul. He can still gather one spirit. His cultivation is indeed profound,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.
“Haha… I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years… escaped countless reincarnations… yet I couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, speaking softly.
“Heh… My centuries of cultivation… Surviving countless reincarnations… Yet I still couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen murmured, lying on the ground, his face turned sideways.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage