A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 198 Reinforcements Arrive
Shen Xiu ordered Steward Wu to prepare a fine feast immediately. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Daoist Chu took his leave first. Upon seeing this, Shen Xiu bowed respectfully.

"I'll leave everything to you, Master."

"You're too kind, Mr. Shen."

After Master Chu left, only Shen Xiu, Shen Zichuan, and Ning Caichen remained in the living room. Shen Zichuan looked at his father, whose face showed slight worry, and mustered his courage to say, "Father, don't worry. With Master Chu here, nothing will happen."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiu's eyes widened, and he was about to get angry, but then he remembered something and suppressed his anger, saying in a deep voice, "Go back to your room immediately. No matter what happens outside tonight, don't come out. Young Master Ning, thank you for your hard work."

"Uncle Shen, you flatter me. Zichuan is a good friend of mine, and I will certainly take good care of him."

Upon seeing this, Shen Zichuan felt uneasy. His father had always been calm and composed no matter what happened before, but now he looked like this, which suggested that the matter of the evil spirit was much more serious than he had thought.

"Father, I'm going back to my room now." Shen Zichuan quickly pulled Ning Caichen away.

Shortly after the two left, Butler Wu came to the living room and said, "Master, Master Song is here, he's just outside the door."

"He should be here soon. Let him in." Shen Xiu held his breath, but quickly composed himself.

"Yes."

Steward Wu acknowledged and bowed before hurrying off. He returned shortly with a fat, bloated old man dressed in a brocade robe.

Upon seeing Shen Xiu, the obese old man's face immediately contorted with rage. He demanded, "Shen Xiu, what do you mean by this? How could my son have been brought here by you for no reason? If you don't give me an explanation, I might have to petition the authorities and ask them to uphold justice!"

Song An was having a passionate affair with his newly acquired seventh concubine at home when his only son's servant told him that Song Wen had been captured by Shen Xiu. Upon hearing this news, Song An lost all interest in doing anything and immediately packed his things and led his men to the Shen residence.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiu stood up and clasped his hands in a salute. "Brother Song, it is not that I am being rude, but there is another reason behind this. Steward Wu, please leave first. Brother Song, what do you think?"

Upon hearing the implication in Shen Xiu's words, Song An muttered to himself, then waved for his entourage to leave with Steward Wu. Soon, only the two of them remained in the living room.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Song An sat down without ceremony and inquired about the details.

"The matter of leaving behind the precious child is the matter of Master Chu of Xuanxin Temple. This master is from the orthodox Xuanxin lineage," Shen Xiu said, staring at Song An, word by word.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Song An's expression changed, and his heart sank. The Xuanxin Zhengzong was the number one righteous sect in the world, with countless experts and proficient in the methods of subduing demons and monsters. It had a high reputation in the secular world, and it was said that the current imperial court had also appointed the sect leader of Xuanxin Zhengzong as the current imperial advisor, which made it famous far and wide.

Upon hearing that his son had been detained by the Xuanxin Sect, Song An's momentum faltered. Looking at Shen Xiu's calm expression, Song An took a deep breath and asked in a weak voice, "Brother Shen, what exactly is the reason that Master Chu detained my son? Please enlighten me."

Song An was eager to know the reason. If his son had offended the other party, he could simply offer money as an apology. He only had one son, and he couldn't afford for anything to happen to him, otherwise no one would inherit his vast fortune.

“Brother Song, your son is practicing evil arts, which has caused my child to have trouble sleeping and lose his appetite. Now that Master Chu has seen through it, Brother Song, you cannot escape the blame for this matter.”

Shen Xiu's deep voice caused Song Wen's expression to change drastically, and he stared at the other party with a look of horror.

"How could this be? My son has always been upright and honest. How could he have practiced such evil arts? He would never do such a thing. I don't believe it!"

Although Song An said he didn't believe it, he believed it to a large extent. After all, Shen Xiu had no reason to deceive him. If this matter were to be faked, the consequences would be beyond what a small-time rich man like him could bear.

“This is absolutely true, Brother Song. You should go home first. The matter of your son is no longer just one person’s concern. Master Chu has taken over the entire matter. Once there is a result, I will personally bring your son to the Song residence.”

After Shen Xiu finished speaking, he immediately called Steward Wu to take Song An away. The latter's dazed appearance frightened the attendants who came with him. After helping Song An into the carriage, they rushed back immediately and sent someone to invite the resident doctor of Rongshoutang.

"Master, Master Song and his entourage have already left." Butler Wu reported this after watching Song An and his group leave safely.

"Hmm, that old bastard Song An is definitely not going to behave himself. Steward, send someone to keep an eye on the Song residence. If there is any unusual activity, report back immediately. I absolutely cannot let this matter go!"

Shen Xiu patiently spoke to Song An just now entirely for the sake of his son. The most important thing now is to deal with the evil spirits on Zi Chuan's body; everything else can be put aside for the time being.

"Yes, sir."

"Give orders to everyone below not to wander around unnecessarily. If anything happens, they will be responsible for the consequences. Go now."

Butler Wu accepted the order and left, while Shen Xiu walked out of the living room and looked at the courtyard in the southeast corner, which was Shen Zichuan's room.

At this moment, in Shen Zichuan's room, on two adjacent beds, Shen Zichuan was talking to Ning Caichen.

“Caichen, do you think this Taoist Master Chu can remove the evil spirits from me? I feel like it’s a bit unreliable.”

"This Taoist priest is quite capable. He must be more skilled than that Qingquan Taoist priest. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to spot the abnormality in Song Wen at a glance. Don't worry, this matter will definitely go smoothly."

Hearing Ning Caichen's words, Shen Zichuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how powerful Master Chu was, he had never seen him, which diminished his confidence. However, he had personally witnessed Caichen's abilities, and having such a person by his side greatly improved his safety.

Outside the courtyard, Daoist Chu set up an array around the perimeter, with talisman banners fluttering in the wind. Inside the courtyard, a Bagua diagram was woven with red thread, and talisman papers were pasted on the doors and windows. An altar was placed in the main room, and he stood behind it, holding a magic sword.

Looking at the black incense sticks in the incense burner on the altar, Master Chu pointed with his fingers, and a burst of sparks landed on the tip of the incense stick, which immediately ignited.

"With this incense stick as a guide, I'm not afraid you won't come." Seeing the incense rising, Daoist Chu closed his eyes to rest.

Just as the incense was lit, Shen Zichuan inside the room suddenly felt a chill, as if a block of ice had been placed on him. His face turned deathly pale, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Ning Caichen reached out and grabbed Shen Zichuan's hand. After a while, Shen Zichuan stopped moving and said in a trembling voice, "Caichen, I feel like he's coming again, he's coming again."

Seeing this, Ning Caichen said gently, "Don't worry, Zichuan. With Daoist Chu outside, everything will be fine. If that evil spirit dares to come, it will never return."

Under Ning Caichen's comforting words, Shen Zichuan gradually relaxed, his eyelids slowly drooping, and he soon fell into a deep sleep, while Ning Caichen stared outside with a solemn expression.

Several lanterns outside suddenly went out, plunging the entire courtyard into darkness. Only two points of light in front of the main house were trying to maintain their brightness, but they were also teetering on the brink of collapse in the cold wind.

"Since you're here, show yourself."

Chu Daoren opened his eyes as the lantern went out, stood up with his sword in hand, and looked ahead.

As soon as Master Chu finished speaking, a vortex suddenly appeared in the courtyard, and an elusive figure emerged from it, stopping three feet away from the Bagua Formation. A chilling power surged from its body toward Master Chu.

"Humph!"

Chu Daoren snorted coldly, his right hand forming a sword shape with his fingers, and he slashed outwards. Several streaks of red light flashed, and several balls of flame suddenly appeared on both sides of the courtyard, floating in the air and illuminating the entire courtyard as if it were daytime. The illusory and real figures were also clearly visible.

The figure, though seemingly human, had a blurred face, long, flowing hair, dangling feet, and unusually long arms. It was surrounded by wisps of black energy that surged up and enveloped the entire figure when flames appeared.

"It turned out to be an earth spirit."

Using the "candlelight," Master Chu saw through the other party's origins and immediately felt reassured. This earth spirit and yin soul was a very common evil spirit, a special existence formed by the lingering resentment of dead beings absorbing yin energy.

However, these earth spirits are usually confined to one place and cannot go beyond that area, but this earth spirit is somewhat abnormal. Although Master Chu was a little puzzled, the sect has its own methods for dealing with such evil spirits.

The incense sticks on the altar had burned out. Seeing this, Daoist Chu drew his sword, and talismans rose from the altar, circling in mid-air as they attacked the earth spirit and the Yin Soul. At the same time, the candle flames on both sides joined the attack. Although the Yin Soul had no intelligence and only knew how to absorb spirits, it still sensed the danger. Its figure darted back and forth, preventing the talismans and flames from hitting it.

"As expected, Yin Po fears Yang Lie's energy, so he will use this move next."

Seeing Yin Po forced to dodge left and right, Chu Daoren's eyes flashed with a sharp light. After his magic sword was infused with magic power, it emitted a fierce crimson light, and a scorching power immediately emanated from his body. The talisman banners standing around him were affected by this and immediately shone brightly. Circles of golden runes formed a large net that enveloped the entire courtyard.

As Yin Po sensed the powerful and suppressive force of Yang, its figure froze. At that moment, the magic talismans and the candle flames struck its body, causing a series of explosions. A cloud of dust rose from the spot, but the sound did not travel due to the barrier of the magic array.

Master Chu stared intently at the area filled with smoke and dust. He didn't think this move could kill the spirit, but it was possible to seriously injure it.

Just as he was about to investigate, he was suddenly startled and immediately dodged. He saw that there were three deep knife marks left where he had been standing, and wisps of black energy were gathering and refusing to dissipate.

"A malevolent aura—why would the earth's spirit and yin essence possess such malevolent power!"

Master Chu's expression changed drastically. Although the malevolent energy and the Yin energy both belonged to the turbid Yin, they were incompatible. The Yin spirit was inherently Yin and was most afraid of the extremely fierce and Yang energy. Once hit by these two, the soul would be scattered.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, the evil spirit that was originally a local demon had changed its appearance. A figure dressed in white, whose gender was indistinguishable, soared into the air, its scarlet eyes fixed on Daoist Chu below.

"Not good, it's not a Yin spirit, but a demonic spirit." Daoist Chu looked at the ghostly figure opposite him with horror, then his eyes sharpened, and he pointed his magic sword in the distance. The surrounding banners moved in unison, and streaks of crimson light shot towards the demonic ghostly figure.

The demonic shadow remained unmoved, and the crimson rays striking it had no effect whatsoever.

Chu Daoren's heart sank, and he gripped his magic sword tightly. This demonic spirit had been cultivating for at least twenty years, far beyond his ability to deal with. He had been too overconfident.

"No, we can't let it break free of its formation, otherwise the entire Shen family will become its food. Now we can only delay it for a while and hope that the sect's people will arrive as soon as possible."

Seeing the ants below still putting up a stubborn resistance, the Demon Spirit Shadow grew impatient. Before it came out, someone from above told it to leave immediately after eating Shen Zichuan. Seeing that the ant had some skill, the Demon Spirit Shadow wanted to devour it as well.

With a flicker of his figure, a chilling wind swept through the entire courtyard, scattering the talismans and even causing the spirit-locking banners to sway precariously. The runes on them began to flicker and fade. Within moments, three banners had lost their effectiveness, and the entire formation began to shift between reality and illusion, threatening to collapse at any moment.

As Chu Daoren felt the yin wind blowing, the protective talismans on his body quickly burned and turned to ash in a short while. Moreover, he was horrified to find that a powerful suction force enveloped his entire body and was pulling him toward the demon spirit opposite him.

"It's a spirit-absorbing technique!"

Chu Daoren tried his best to guard his inner energy, and stuck his magic sword in the ground to resist the suction force. However, the difference in cultivation between the two sides was too great. No matter how he resisted, he was still heading towards the demon's mouth. Just then, the house opened and Ning Caichen came out with a pale face, holding a porcelain bowl in his hand.

The demon sneered. He was just a mortal. What could he possibly do? Once he dealt with this Taoist, everyone in the mansion would be his prey.

"Young Master Ning, leave quickly!" Daoist Chu shouted hurriedly when he saw him come out. As soon as he spoke, his inner energy surged, his body relaxed, and a vortex of energy swept him into the air.

Upon seeing this, Ning Caichen immediately threw the porcelain bowl in his hand, and the contents of it spilled onto Daoist Chu. The latter was slightly taken aback, and then felt the powerful profound energy contained within it. He immediately channeled his magic power, let out a deep shout, and his magic sword emitted a dazzling red light. In the incredulous gaze of the demon spirit, it slashed into his mouth.

With a soft thud, Chu Daoren, exhausted, collapsed to the ground. Though somewhat disheveled, his expression was one of indescribable satisfaction.

"Master Chu!"

Ning Caichen rushed over and helped him up. The latter struggled to his feet and looked at Ning Caichen with a determined expression.

"Young Master Ning, you have done me a great favor this time. I am very grateful." Daoist Chu looked at the dazed demon spirit in the air, his face filled with lingering fear.

If it weren't for Ning Caichen's bowl of blood, he would probably already be food for the demon spirit.

"Master, has this evil creature been destroyed?" Ning Caichen asked softly, looking at the motionless evil creature.

Upon hearing this, Master Chu's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "My magical power is insufficient. Even with Young Master Ning's help, eliminating this demon will not be easy. At most, it will only result in serious injury. However, Young Master Ning need not worry, as the one who will resolve this demon has already arrived."

A jade pendant on Chu Daoren's body emitted a faint glow. Ning Caichen thought for a moment and knew that someone from the other sect had come.

At that moment, the demon spirit in mid-air let out a miserable howl. Most of the black aura surrounding its body dissipated. The sudden attack had eroded most of its vital energy, and its foundation had been severely damaged. If it did not receive nourishment from the life force of the spirit, its cultivation would gradually decline until it dissipated and was destroyed.

"I want you to die!"

A harsh and unpleasant voice came from the demon's mouth. Upon hearing this, Daoist Chu felt dizzy and almost collapsed to the ground. Ning Caichen, who was standing next to him, also felt a wave of nausea. However, a warm current flowed through his dantian, and Ning Caichen recovered from his dizziness.

However, those talismans were not so lucky. Their spiritual power had already been greatly reduced, and now they were hit by the sound waves. The runes shattered instantly and broke off all at once. Just as the sound waves were about to spread, a red halo flew in from the horizon and a burst of red light shone down, blocking all the sound waves.

At the same time, the crimson light expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire Shen residence in an instant.

Upon seeing this, the demon's expression changed immediately. After a moment of contemplation, its figure transformed into two wisps of black smoke. One of them became a jet-black arrow, imbued with malevolent power, which struck the crimson light shield, successfully breaking through a narrow crack. The other wisp of black smoke then took the opportunity to escape.

Just as Chu Daoren regained consciousness, he heard a spirited female voice: "Chu Xu, you are in charge of handling things here."

Chu Daoren looked up and saw a crimson figure flash across the sky, chasing after the direction the black smoke had fled. Ning Caichen also sensed this at the same time and looked up at the sky, only to see the red figure disappear in an instant.

"So it's that person who has arrived. Ahem, with this person here, the matter of the demon spirit is nothing. Young Master Ning, thank you for your trouble."

"You're too kind, Daoist Master. Please go and check on Zichuan first. He was freezing cold, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar."

The demon spirit, still sensing the danger it had been fleeing, suddenly felt a chill in its heart. After struggling for a few moments, it quickened its pace and headed towards the outskirts of the city. In less than half a moment, it arrived at the long-abandoned Lanruo Temple.

As soon as the demon spirit landed at Lanruo Temple, it immediately alarmed the demons inside.

"Hun You, how did you get so badly injured? Didn't you go to collect spirits? What happened?"

A gaunt-faced woman emerged from a locust tree, looked at the weakened demon spirit, and asked in confusion.

"Someone is causing trouble. Stop talking. The people from the Xuanxin Sect have arrived. Let's fight them together quickly, or Lanruo Temple will be completely destroyed."

After Mo Ling Hunyou finished speaking, the expressions of several demons changed drastically. They cursed inwardly, "You, Hunyou, caused this trouble, and now we have to deal with it together. How hateful!"

Of all people to mess with, they had to provoke the Xuanxin Sect. This sect is infamous for its killings; I heard that a group of snake demons on Qishan Mountain were all wiped out a few days ago. Now that they've come after Lanruo Temple, the consequences are predictable.

The withered woman stared at Hun You with a gloomy expression, suppressing the urge to kill him. Looking at the red dot that appeared in the sky in the distance, she took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Let's stop the people of the Xuanxin Sect first. If we fail, we will all be finished. Everyone, don't think about deserting. No matter where you run, the people above will know everything."

The other demons were all startled by these words, for they naturally understood their meaning.

"I will obey your orders, Madam!"

The demons shouted in unison. Upon hearing this, Madam Mu's expression softened slightly. She planted her wooden staff in the ground, and sharp thorny vines grew rapidly, instantly enveloping the entire Lanruo Temple.

At the same time, clusters of green will-o'-the-wisps dotted the surface, and skulls floated in the air, creating a ghostly and eerie atmosphere that looked quite terrifying.

"What a grand display!"

The red figure landed, looked at Lanruo Temple's appearance, and couldn't help but snort coldly.

(End of this chapter)