Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 529

The golden ordination scar on Yayoi's head was gradually fading. He had completely fallen into demonic possession and no longer possessed any Buddhist nature. In Sun Boshen's rules, he was essentially dead.

This may seem like exploiting a loophole in the rules, but the truth is that for Yayoi, becoming completely possessed by demons means "death." He is already referring to the Hollow Master as a little novice in the voice of the demons in the Demon Suppression Tower.

This is also a development that Li Zhuiyuan did not want to see. Without Miyo to act as a vessel for transferring a massive amount of Buddhist nature, even if Li Zhuiyuan wins in the end, he will be forced to become a young golden bodhisattva.

Then, in a way that one emotionally rejects and which has extremely low cost-effectiveness in reality, one tries to overturn the table with the will of Heaven.

Li Zhuiyuan shifted his gaze to the hollow.

Tan Wenbin once said that if tomorrow were the final exam, then tonight's comic book would be even more precious and enjoyable.

Similarly, even if the outcome of this wave cannot be changed, it does not affect Li Zhuiyuan's decision to kill the big monk first.

"Hehehe..."

Yayoi's cold laughter rang out, her demonic thoughts sweeping over everyone present, releasing a clear killing intent. She wanted to kill everyone, but among those she wanted to kill, she had to prioritize them.

Fortunately, due to the Demon Suppression Tower, the Hollow Mage has the highest priority in his case.

With palm open, the Zen staff flew back into his hand. The originally solemn Zen staff was now covered in a layer of black. Yayoi's demonic eyes widened, and a group of roars came from the demonic energy behind him, charging towards the hollow center.

If we only consider the short-term effects, those who are lost in the pursuit of power will at least have greater power, which is the so-called "ten times stronger when corrupted, three times weaker when cleansed".

Hollow raised his staff and went to meet him.

"Clang!"

The clash of the two staffs forced Hollow to take two steps back. He was no longer fighting Yayoi, but rather suppressing a part of the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

Yayoi's attacks continued relentlessly, her demonic energy seemingly endless, constantly generating to suppress the Buddhist light emanating from the hollow body.

The hollow body parried and retreated repeatedly, the overflowing demonic energy constantly eroding him in small ways.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Retreat."

Yayoi withdrew. Even if Li Zhuiyuan hadn't reminded her, Yayoi would have known to do so. She had fallen into demonic possession, not madness.

With a hollow hand held upright in front of him, he finished reciting the incantation, and a circle formed around him, from which true fire blazed up rapidly.

Even though Yayoi retreated in time, his left arm was still scorched by the true fire. The protection of demonic energy lost its effect, the flesh of his left arm melted, and the white bone was exposed. The remaining true fire continued to adhere to it, and he could no longer cover it with demonic energy as before.

If he hadn't retreated in time and was still inside this circle, the consequences would have been unpredictable. Even now, the great monk still possessed the power to destroy Yayoi.

The hollow body gave off an invisible sense of scorching. He was not injured, but the intense heat at the center of the fire made him very uncomfortable.

The problem with the monk lay here: Li Zhuiyuan saw through his initial reactions at the start of the ambush.

To become an elder of Qinglong Temple, one must be an outstanding figure in Buddhism and Taoism, and Kongxin is an even more outstanding one among them. He is a genius among geniuses in Buddhism, but in his time, he was probably not the one who lit the lamp at Qinglong Temple.

As a genius within a powerful force, his life has been far too good and too smooth.

He was obsessed with the study of classical texts and was well-versed in various schools of thought. In order to delve into each school of thought to a sufficient level, he took the initiative to improve his own abilities.

He can use a variety of powerful methods, but he will only use these powerful methods.

Such a powerful technique requires a certain amount of preparation time before it can be used. Even though he has tried to shorten the preparation time as much as possible, it is still not instantaneous. This methodical feeling is quite obvious.

This is why, in the gap between his two techniques, even Lin Shuyou was able to rush up and exchange blows with his series of Buddha hand seals.

It's not that he didn't want to use moderate or even low-level methods to achieve a smooth transition; he simply forgot.

It's like asking a top university student to take the college entrance exam right now; they'd be completely lost.

If the college student were given enough time to review and pick up the knowledge points of each subject, and then regain his form through repeated mock exams, with a more mature mindset, he would most likely perform better than before.

But Kongxin didn't have that opportunity; he lived a life of luxury in the temple. Now that he's here, he has six fellow disciples to assist him.

In short, a hollow piece is a precious porcelain that can only be nurtured and cultivated within a powerful sphere.

In daily life, he can give pointers to his junior brothers; in sparring, he is invincible, holds a prestigious position, is respected by others, and is flawless.

Considering that Master Konghui wanted to use a substitution spell on his senior brother right from the start, it's likely that the junior brothers discovered his "problem" after entering this place with him.

Runsheng, who killed Kong Hui, returned, looking very out of place with severely uneven shoulders, a balance that was only maintained by his dead body trying to compensate for.

However, Runsheng is still in good condition; at least he can continue fighting before the side effects of full-on venting appear.

Lin Shuyou struggled to his feet from the pool of blood. His condition was very worrying. If he hadn't mastered some martial arts principles in Nantong and used them in his movement techniques, he would have been killed by the seven-colored light. Now, he could only charge one more time at most.

Yayoi's demonic eye glanced at Ayu out of the corner of her eye.

If Ah You hadn't charged forward despite being riddled with bullet holes, he wouldn't have had time to fully succumb to demonic possession. Therefore, Yayoi decided to kill Lin Shuyou in the end.

With a pale face, Ah Li continued to form hand seals, and the broken porcelain shards on the ground gathered up once more, this time summoning a dream demon.

Buddhism emphasizes mental state. Apart from martial monks, most eminent Buddhist monks study methods to deal with inner demons. Therefore, using spiritual methods on eminent monks often backfires.

Tan Wenbin intended to achieve the opposite of his goal from the beginning, and he did succeed. Although he is now unconscious and sealed, completely losing his fighting ability, he has completed the exchange with Kong Hui.

The dragon-patterned compass in Li Zhuiyuan's hand spun rapidly, and an evil dragon flew out from between Tan Wenbin's eyebrows, rushing to bless the young man.

The array was imbued with a rich array of energy and feng shui principles. At the same time, phantom images of ghost gates stood tall, representing almost the pinnacle of instantaneous array techniques that the young man could currently execute.

He hoped to force Hollow to use a tactic to offset this, thus giving his teammates a chance for the next break.

"Seal off, trap, the town!"

The young man uttered the three-word mantra, and the formation took shape.

The high monk raised his palm upwards, and the figure of an ancient Buddha rose from his body.

Li Zhuiyuan's compass got stuck, and the evil dragon in front of him froze. Although the formation that had just taken shape was not broken, it was blocked by the hollow in this way.

He not only neutralized Li Zhuiyuan's methods but also extended the duration of his own spell. He was changing, learning to fight.

After losing all his junior brothers, the head monk began to wean himself off his mother.

But Yayoi and the others acted simultaneously with Li Zhuiyuan. The time for the hollow card was so short that it couldn't be wasted.

The great monk brandished his staff, and the phantom of the ancient Buddha mostly countered Li Zhuiyuan's attack, but the remaining part was still blessing the great monk.

"Clang!"

The two staffs clashed again, and the demonic energy on Yayoi's body was about to surge toward the head monk as before, but it was dispelled by the ancient Buddha phantom on the head monk's body. The ancient Buddha even threw a punch at Yayoi.

"boom!"

Yayoi was beaten away.

He shouldn't die; after becoming possessed by a demon, he's infinitely close to being an evil spirit.

Runsheng's Yellow River shovel arrived, and Gufo's fist was about to strike Miyo, but he didn't have time to strike Runsheng, because Gufo's other hand was supporting Li Zhuiyuan's formation.

The hollow, reverse-pulled Zen staff blocked the Yellow River shovel.

Runsheng charged forward continuously, swinging his shovel incessantly. Stimulated by Yayoi's demonic state, Runsheng completely let loose, abandoning traditional thinking and recklessly assaulting his own body.

With each swing, a cloud of humanoid blood mist would overflow from Run Sheng Qi Gate. The continuous bursts of energy when the Qi Gate was fully open prevented even the dead from recovering.

The effect was also obvious. Hollowed out, he retreated step by step, his chest heaving. This was a sign that his internal energy was unstable and he was about to suffer internal injury.

But the fist that the ancient Buddha had just used to knock away Yayoi returned and struck Junsei again.

This move is almost impossible to dodge, because you are fighting against a hollow object, and you can't dodge it this time either.

"boom!"

Runsheng was sent flying. With Li Zhuiyuan restraining the Ancient Buddha, the Ancient Buddha's destructive power was no longer as great as the spells he had previously unleashed.

After sliding a distance on the ground, Runsheng plunged the Yellow River shovel into the ground to forcibly stop the momentum so that he wouldn't be thrown too far, otherwise it would delay the next charge.

However, his shoulder had already been deeply slashed by Kong Hui with his monk's knife, and this time he was hit by the Ancient Buddha's punch on the same side. He could only use one hand to support himself with the Yellow River shovel to get up, while his other arm hung limply at his sides.

In the distance, Yayoi, who had just emerged from the demonic aura, deliberately switched hands, using her skeletal arm to grab the Zen staff.

The blackness in Runsheng's eyes intensified with anger.

"Snapped!"

Runsheng didn't dodge earlier because he saw Lin Shuyou launch an attack, and he had to create an opportunity for Ayou.

The ancient Buddha had just thrown his fist and didn't have time to strike again. Hollow was also forced to catch his breath by Runsheng. Ayou's timing was very precise. The training in the South Channel was not in vain.

But when the golden mace struck the hollow back, a protective shield of light dispersed.

Lin Shuyou: "Damn it!"

Boy: "Yiya ya ya!"

In the end, it turns out that it's all about financial resources.

Lin Shuyou hardened his heart. He knew that his attack could not hit the hollow part itself, but he was determined to break through this turtle shell no matter what!

With a powerful strike, the golden mace shattered the protective shield.

Due to his injuries and the full exertion of his strength, Lin Shuyou did not leave himself any room to retreat.

The ancient Buddha stretched out his hand, this time not to punch, but to clench, intending to crush Ah You on the spot.

All the silver needles on the back of Li Zhuiyuan's head trembled collectively at this moment, the boy's lips turned purple and blood flowed from his nose.

The malfunctioning compass continued to operate haltingly, the stagnant evil dragon roared and continued to fly, and the formation supported by the ancient Buddha's single arm pressed down again!
With no way to break through the hollow, the ancient Buddha had no choice but to return to his original position, clench his fist, and smash upwards. At the same time, the ancient Buddha's figure burst forth and charged upwards.

"boom!"

The formation broke down.

The compass scratched Li Zhuiyuan's palm, and an explosion came from inside the evil dragon. Its spirit dissipated, blood spilled from the corner of the boy's mouth, and he knelt on one knee.

The hollow spell was ultimately neutralized by Li Zhuiyuan, but this process was not what the young man wanted.

Lin Shuyou was not threatened with death by the hand of the ancient Buddha, but Kongxin picked up his Zen staff and smashed it at him. Ayou could only passively cross his double maces to defend himself.

The White Crane Child's divine body flew out from Lin Shuyou's body and met the hollow staff.

The staff flashed with golden light and struck the boy's divine body, causing it to shatter. Only a small portion of the boy's body passively returned to Lin Shuyou's body. Immediately afterward, the staff struck Lin Shuyou's double maces.

With a boy offering himself as a cushion, the force of the staff was greatly reduced. Lin Shuyou was sent flying. As he slid across the ground, with blood filling his mouth, Lin Shuyou mustered his last bit of strength to lift his head and brace the golden mace against the ground. He couldn't stop the momentum of his slide and only changed direction slightly.

In the end, Lin Shuyou bumped into the headless corpse of the martial monk Kongming. The corpse fell and landed on Ayou. Ayou tried to push it away, but found that he no longer had the strength. He could only look up with his mouth open and stare blankly at the sun in the sky.

Following Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou has also lost his fighting power.

With one hand supporting him on his staff and the other hand pressing down in front of him, he regulated his breathing and confessed to his fellow disciples:
"It's because I didn't do a good enough job, I'm sorry."

The deaths of Kongming and Konghui put Kongxin in a situation where he was surrounded by wolves, but firstly, the wolves themselves were also severely damaged, and secondly, Kongxin gradually regained his fighting spirit.

Just like in the martial arts and gangster movies that Runsheng likes to watch, the protagonist begins to awaken because of the death of the people around him.

"Pfft!"

Li Zhuiyuan opened a can of Jianlibao, drank it down with the blood in his mouth, and absorbed the sponsorship from the Ming family.

If they could fight slowly and wear each other down, their chances would be greater. But unfortunately, everyone on their side, including himself, was fighting in a state of temporary overdraft, and they simply couldn't afford to waste any more time. Even with Yayoi like that, Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe that the demonic energy in his body could really be endless; it wasn't a perpetual motion machine.

The dream ghost made of porcelain stood there, having not made a move in the previous round.

Perhaps Ah Li realized in time that the boy hadn't already neutralized the hollow technique, rendering her attack pointless, or perhaps...

Yayoi turned her head and, through the broken temple wall, saw the girl sitting inside with her head down and eyes closed, as if she had fallen asleep.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

One after another, the gates of hell stood tall, and the formation coalesced once more.

This time, the momentum is no less than before.

The boy's figure was reflected in his hollow eyes. At such a young age, he could fight against him like this. This boy's talent was truly terrifying.

This child no longer needs to cross the river, nor does he need to become the Dragon King. Given time and the current momentum, in ten or twenty years, the entire Qinglong Temple will tremble under the power of this Li family head's magic array.

We must eliminate him today; we cannot allow him a second chance to surrender.

Kongxin deliberately turned around and glanced at Lin Shuyou, who was being pressed down by his dead junior brother. Then he looked back at the boy over there. The phantom of an ancient Buddha rose up from his body again. Just like before, the ancient Buddha held up the formation above with one hand and protected it with the other. Combined with the strength he exerted by holding the Zen staff, he was able to easily defend and counterattack.

He could tell that Li Zhuiyuan's group couldn't maintain their momentum for long.

It seemed to be a repeat of the previous offensive, but even though Li Zhuiyuan still couldn't neutralize the ancient Buddha, Runsheng and Misheng were still able to break through.

The outcome remained unchanged. Although the two were able to work together to force the hollow figure to retreat, they were both repeatedly sent flying by the blessing of the ancient Buddha's hand.

After landing, one of them, supporting himself with a Yellow River shovel and the other with a Zen staff, glanced at each other and then quickly looked at the hollow space.

Runsheng's aura was no longer as strong as it had been initially, and it began to decline; Yayoi's demonic energy was no longer as active as it had been when she was fully possessed by demons.

Kong Xin noticed that the evil spirit formed from the blood porcelain still hadn't made a move.

Yayoi: "Kid, is that all you've got? If this keeps up, we'll all be killed by this little novice monk, hahaha!"

Ignoring Yayoi's ravings, Li Zhuiyuan drank another can of beverage and then reassembled his previous formation.

The ancient Buddha continues to manifest in the hollow body.

But this time, when Li Zhuiyuan's formation descended, the ancient Buddha did not try to lift him up again. Golden blood flowed from his hollow eyes, instantly covering his entire body.

Taking advantage of several breaks, the senior monk unleashed another technique, demonstrating his continued improvement.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Relying on the temporary golden shield, Hollow went against the tide of the youths' formation and took the initiative to meet Yayoi and Junsei, who were attacking again in coordination with the youths.

The ancient Buddha reached out with both hands to grab the two people.

They were too close to avoid being caught.

Just then, Ah Li raised her head; the Dream Demon behind the hollow opened its eyes.

Kong Xin noticed this, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. Since he knew that you guys were special, and with Junior Brother Kong Hui's mistake as an example, how could he be foolish enough to take advantage of the situation and retaliate?

The monk's head was split open, revealing a bloody Buddha face. This was a blessing bestowed upon him by his master when he received the precepts.

The Buddha's face is closed, and he speaks the true scriptures.

Instead of following the trail to attack Ah Li, the monk cut her off on the spot. He only wanted a heavy backlash and didn't aim to kill her. However, he figured the girl inside was almost done for, and he might be able to devour her to death this time.

The body of the dream demon continued to crack within the scriptures, and inside the hall, Ah Li's ten fingers, already bloodless, continued to form hand seals.

The ancient Buddha grasped Yayoi and Junsei in his two hands respectively.

The senior monk raised his staff and stepped forward, preparing to take advantage of the situation to finish off the two men one by one.

Just when things seemed to be going so well, the senior monk felt a sense of unease, because he hadn't sensed the sneak attack from the dream demon behind him.

The dream demon's dream was triggered, but not towards the great monk; instead, it looked at Runsheng with its left eye and at Yayoi with its right.

Runsheng exhibits clear characteristics of the Qin family and is not easily influenced by psychological tactics, but he unconditionally trusts Xiaoyuan and the girls around Xiaoyuan as well.

In terms of the time they met, Runsheng, who often came to Uncle Li's house with his grandfather to freeload meals, had met A-Li earlier than Li Zhuiyuan.

Therefore, when the girl's gaze was conveyed through the dream ghost, Runsheng not only didn't guard up, but also feared that he might be too naive and simply ignore it, so he chose to respond proactively.

The dream begins.

Runsheng found himself very itchy, a feeling exactly like the white marks Ah Li had left on his body with shards of blood porcelain when she helped him adjust his luck.

Runsheng instinctively let the Qi in his body follow the traces.

In reality, Kong Xin looked surprised. The guy who was holding a shovel and looked like a member of the Qin family in every way, yet gave people a feeling of being neither fish nor fowl, suddenly revealed the true meaning of the Qin family's movement techniques.

The Ancient Buddha's Hand is a technique that manipulates the hollow body. Its judgment is based entirely on the predictions made in the previous battles. When Runsheng, who only knows how to charge straight ahead, displays his superb Qin family movement techniques, even if it is only for a moment, it is enough for Runsheng to leap out of the Ancient Buddha's Hand like a dragon.

This dream can only last for a moment, after all, the fight is still going on, and it's impossible to let you sleepwalk forever. Through this fleeting dream, Ah Li used her understanding of the movement techniques of the "Qin Family Observing Dragon Method" to teach Run Sheng, because Run Sheng couldn't learn it, and it was something that was not in his instincts.

When he woke up, Runsheng was still a little dazed.

He didn't even realize that he had dodged the grasp of the ancient Buddha's hand.

Fortunately, the dazed state had no adverse effects on Runsheng.

Hollow in front, shovel in hand, let's go!
The Zen staff was hollowed out and raised, blocking Runsheng's shovel. He himself began to retreat, while Runsheng continued to charge, smashing the shovel fiercely, completely ignoring the ancient Buddha's hand that had turned back after missing its target behind him. He had forgotten that the hand even existed.

Yayoi also entered the dream.

The demonic entity within him was both frenzied and calm, knowing that although he would kill the other party in the future, they were at least allies for now. The demonic entity not only didn't resist, but like Run Sheng, fearing it wouldn't be able to enter the dream, it actively tried to grasp it, as if hypnotizing itself.

The dream unfolds.

From a first-person perspective, Yayoi struggles to hold up her staff while watching helplessly as her hollow two fingers are about to point at her brow, killing her instantly.

"not good!"

"You tricked me!"

"Girl, you've got some good skills!"

"She can manipulate our thoughts; she must know us very well!"

"Hahaha, this girl is vicious and cunning, no less than a demon!"

Inside the Demon-Suppressing Tower, the masters who were swallowed by Yayoi had already perished when they offered themselves as sacrifices to her. However, their lingering resentment remained. Without the suppression of her Buddhist nature, Yayoi would lose her self and become an evil spirit, a collection of demonic thoughts.

This evil spirit has been deceived.

In her dream, Yayoi closed her eyes and willingly and completely succumbed to demonic possession!

In reality, Yayoi had already been possessed by demons before. This time, her possession of demons again had a different kind of profound stimulating effect. In reality, wisps of demonic energy shot out from Yayoi's body, as if all the demonic energy in her body had been completely drained in an instant.

The surging demonic energy caused the ancient Buddha's hand that was gripping him to shift, allowing Yayoi to break free of the hand's restraint and, like Junsei, rush to the hollow body.

Meanwhile, Kongxin was being forced to retreat by Runsheng and could only parry.

Yayoi's involvement created an opportunity similar to that Lin Shuyou had previously encountered.

Without the slightest hesitation, the young monk slammed his staff into the hollow chest. The protective shield stopped rising, and the staff struck the hollow chest.

"boom!"

The hollow chest caved in, and the portal opened as well.

At the same time, the cry of a baby came, not annoying, but giving people a sense of tranquility that cleansed their souls.

Runsheng and Yayoi continued their advance, both hoping to take this opportunity to kill Hollow.

The shovel and the staff kept hitting Hollow, causing him to cough up blood and stagger backward.

The winning situation has emerged; if we can press one more step forward, the outcome will be decided.

As the hollow weapon was pushed back closer and closer to him, Lin Shuyou touched the golden mace with his fingertips. He wanted to get up and rejoin the battle, but he was completely exhausted and it was a miracle that he hadn't passed out.

Li Zhuiyuan thought to himself: The rest is up to you.

Immediately, all the silver needles on the back of the boy's head turned red, and blood dripped down from the needle tips. Blood also flowed from the boy's eyes, and after his vision blurred, it turned pitch black.

Li Zhuiyuan has gone blind.

Even with the silver needles to unleash his potential and the Ming family's pills to replenish his strength, the young man was now completely pushing himself to the limit, just like he had pushed his little apprentice Shi Sheng to the limit back then.

A new phantom of the Ghost Gate appeared. This time, the Ghost Gate was only half the height of the previous one. New formation intent condensed, and feng shui flowed in. This was equivalent to adding another half to the existing formation.

It should be noted that Li Zhuiyuan's formation had been suppressing the hollow golden body. Now that the golden body had a gap, it was already finding it difficult to continue resisting the formation above, not to mention that the boy had added half a bowl of water.

"Crack, click, click!"

The golden body on the hollow body shattered in large areas, and blood gushed out.

Once the formation above collapses, it will have a more terrifying consequence than the close-range attack from the two people in front of him. However, Kongxin did not let the ancient Buddha use his hands to support the formation, but instead continued to use his two hands to grab Runsheng and Yasheng from behind.

As the formation completely collapsed, the baby's cries reached their loudest point in the hollowed-out chest area, then abruptly ceased.

"boom!"

A terrifying force was unleashed wildly within a small area.

As the dust gradually settled, a hollow and broken body was revealed in the center of the arena.

He was no longer dignified and noble, no longer solemn and dignified. A baby, no bigger than half a palm, slipped out of his sunken chest and was caught by him.

The tiny baby slowly dissipated.

In the hollow eyes, hatred, anger, and violence appeared...

Kong Hui has more than one defensive item on her, so how could Kong Xin only have one?
Because in his chest and heart, there was always a baby being nurtured.

Wei Zhengdao's "Tales of Strange Things in the Jianghu" records such a Buddhist infant, saying that a high monk placed the resentful infant in his heart and recited scriptures day and night to help it dispel its resentment and accumulate merit for it so that it could be reborn into a wealthy family in the next life.

The plan Li Zhuiyuan devised for Tan Wenbin to take his two adopted sons across the river evolved from Wei Zhengdao's account.

However, Tan Wenbin genuinely wanted to give his two godson a better birth and didn't want them to continue to suffer hardships with him. But Wei Zhengdao made the following note when describing this kind of "Buddha-like child":
For example, when a high monk selects a ghost infant, he must consider the infant's past life destiny. Even if the high monk resolves the resentment in the ghost infant, he will not immediately let it reincarnate. Instead, he will use the excuse of accumulating more merit for it to be reincarnated in a better way, avoiding worldly and karmic perspectives, and continue to nurture the Buddha infant.

Because the Buddha infant sits in one's heart, true compassion is revealed, which can help eminent monks ward off the influence of inner demons during their practice; at the same time, it can also become one's own external life force at critical moments, helping one to avert calamities.

Generally, only those with great luck can enter the cycle of reincarnation with the great merit of a high monk upon his passing. At the time of the high monk's passing, it is difficult for those around him not to be tempted to capture him and continue to use him for their own purposes under the guise of doing what is good for him.

The hollow Buddha infant has just died.

The senior monk seemed to have a layer of Buddhist veil torn off, not only did inner demons begin to grow, but his own faith in himself also began to crack and waver.

Those who can enter this place and slaughter Buddhists are not truly compassionate, but why take it so seriously sometimes? As long as you can deceive yourself, that's enough.

He swallowed hard, his saliva stained with blood, and his gaze swept around.

Yayoi no longer possessed any demonic energy and lay in a distant corner, her bones clearly visible; the Yellow River shovel had fallen off, and Runsheng lay paralyzed on the ground, motionless.

The girl sitting inside the hall closed her eyes and lowered her head after controlling the dream demon. Broken porcelain shards scattered throughout the courtyard, unable to coalesce again.

At the other end of the courtyard, the dragon-patterned compass lay on the ground, and the boy knelt on one knee. It was clear from his hollow heart that the child was completely exhausted, and his consciousness was now fading away.

He looked up, his head agape.

That scene just now truly brought him to the brink of death, causing even his supposedly unwavering Buddhist heart to tremble.

Fortunately, he won.

However, he felt no joy, because he had only won a game that should have been an easy victory, but he had sacrificed two of his junior brothers and injured himself in the process.

He was starting to feel lost. He wasn't worried about facing Xuanzhen again. He believed he could use the rest of his time to heal his injuries. Xuanzhen would definitely be in poor condition when he finally arrived, and he could learn from his mistakes and improve his weaknesses. He wasn't without the ability to fight Xuanzhen.

What he feared was that, even if he won in the end, he wouldn't be able to compete directly with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for the highest position in the world. His Buddhist heart was already filled with fear.

"No, it's alright, it doesn't matter. In the end, whether I become a Bodhisattva or not, the most important goal has been achieved. This child will die here, and Yayoi should die too. The Azure Dragon Calamity has vanished without a trace!"

He gripped the staff in his hand again, first using it to support himself and maintain his balance, then proceeding to grind these fellows to dust.

In fact, these thoughts only flashed through his mind quickly. Without wasting time, he raised his other hand, his index and middle fingers already joined together.

Just now, he was also gathering this spell, and now the spell is ready.

Hollow out two fingers and slowly pointed towards Li Zhuiyuan's location in the distance.

His arm swayed slightly, and his body felt somewhat unsteady. In his severely injured state, it was indeed quite difficult for him to perform this kind of magic.

But the boy must die in this kind of magic, leaving no trace, before he and the entire Qinglong Temple behind him can be at ease.

"You...stinking...monk...you...dare..."

Lin Shuyou, pinned down by Kongming's corpse, struggled to issue a warning. His voice was muffled by the blood in his mouth, and his fingers were still fiddling with the golden mace.

Hollow ignored Lin Shuyou; his eyes were only on the boy kneeling on one knee in the distance.

However, the head monk still raised his staff, preparing to smash it down on Lin Shuyou's head and finish him off as well.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan, who had lost consciousness, started to move his ten fingers.

"puff!"

Hollow's body trembled, and he looked down in disbelief at the Qinglong Temple Demon-Subduing Staff that had pierced through his chest.

He had just finished condensing a spell when his weakness was being triggered.

Moreover, the one who attacked him was actually...

"Junior brother...you..."

The headless Kongming, gripping his staff, pierced through his senior brother in one fell swoop.

Li Zhuiyuan folded his fingers and clenched his fist.

He had no interest in making any explanations at this time, too lazy to criticize his opponent's crimes, too lazy to appreciate his opponent's shock, and too lazy to enjoy his opponent's despair.

First, I'll tear you to pieces.

However, before the headless monk Kongming could stir his staff, the spell he had gathered between his two fingers was unable to be released in time due to the blow, and could only explode on the spot.

"boom!"

The Hollow Master first shattered his two fingers, then the shattering spread to his arms, then his shoulders, chest, lower body, and head. He had taken a powerful spell from himself, reducing himself to ashes, along with the stick he was wearing inside his body.

"Ding Dong!"

The broken staff fell to the ground.

The headless, empty vessel lost its support and crashed towards Lin Shuyou.

At that moment, Lin Shuyou sensed a life-or-death crisis. If he were hit again, he might really lose his last breath.

"Wow..."

Fortunately, all that landed on Lin Shuyou in the end was a puddle of sticky liquid, while Kongming's body rotted into pus during his fall.

Although it was uncomfortable to have this stuff all over my face, it was nothing compared to my life. It was just a little hard to breathe.

"Not only is he strong, but he also possesses the unwavering character inherent in a high-ranking Buddhist monk. It would be very troublesome for us to control his corpse now."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up. He first touched his eyes, and found that he was still blind.

Then, he reached behind his head and pulled out the silver needles one by one.

With each plucked hair, his body trembled and swayed, almost causing him to fall.

It wasn't that he was afraid of pain; unavoidable pain shouldn't be bothered with. But this was a primal spasm that he couldn't control.

After removing all the silver needles, he opened a can of Jianlibao and quickly drank it all.

I feel a bit better; at least the intense twisting and tearing sensation in my head has eased, but my stomach is bloated.

Also, the inner demons, having previously surged so intensely, have exhausted themselves and are now dormant.

In other words, I cannot return to the depths of my consciousness yet.

Otherwise, after this body also lay down, the only one in the entire room who remained conscious was Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou is now having great difficulty breathing because his face is covered in pus, and he is about to suffocate.

"Me, I'll have to be their babysitter for you?"

Li Zhuiyuan walked over. Although he couldn't see, all the people and furnishings here were in his mind. Most of the time, he could just listen.

Feeling like he was suffocating, Lin Shuyou saw a familiar figure approaching him through the thick fog before his eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan bent down and reached out to wipe the pus from Lin Shuyou's face.

Lin Shuyou called out while taking a deep breath of fresh air, "Little...Yuan...Brother..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You've become much smarter. You know that even if you're knocked away, you should still head towards the enemy's corpse."

Lin Shuyou's lips twitched; he was smiling. That was indeed what he was thinking when he was knocked away.

Ever since I started following Brother Xiaoyuan, I find myself increasingly drawn to the corpses of my enemies, as if they were half-allies.

Li Zhuiyuan placed his fingertip against Lin Shuyou's brow and pulled it outwards, revealing the White Crane Boy's faintly closed-eye face.

In traditional customs, when there isn't enough paint for the face painting, it's painted very lightly. This is the current state of the White Crane Child. He suffered severe damage to his divine body while saving Ayou.

However, these injuries, like those on Lin Shuyou's body, can all be healed, since the White Crane Child only serves as a transit point.

Li Zhuiyuan flicked his hand, and the talisman armor flew out, revealing the two generals, Zeng and Sun.

"Brother Xiaoyuan!"

"Brother Xiaoyuan!"

During the previous battle, the two generals, Zeng and Sun, were not summoned because many of their methods were meaningless in such intense combat, and using them would only waste time.

Li Zhuiyuan: "We will take in Lin Shuyou, Runsheng, and Tan Wenbin, and clean and settle them here."

"The last general takes command!"

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked into the hall.

If Lin Shuyou hadn't been on the verge of suffocation, the first person he would have checked on wouldn't have been Ayou.

Boy: "Hoo..."

Lin Shuyou: "Boy, weren't you asleep?"

The boy said, "I am very weak, but I am not asleep."

Lin Shuyou: "Then what you just did..."

The boy said, "I'm scared."

Lin Shuyou: "Scared?"

Tongzi: "The way he looked at me just now was like he was looking at a detachable part of you."

Lin Shuyou: "But Xiao Yuan's eyes seem to be blind now."

Tongzi: "In his heart, I'm just a cog, and you're just a big cog."

General Zeng carefully picked up Lin Shuyou and said, "Spirit medium, I have something to discuss with you. Since you're no longer a True Lord, why don't you try to spirit me sometime?"

Boy: "Yiya ya ya!"

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to A Li, who was sitting there.

She suffered a severe backlash and her mind was seriously traumatized, but after examination, the problem was not serious and she could recover. This was thanks to the resilience she had developed over the years, being surrounded, cursed, and threatened by countless evil spirits.

"A very interesting innovation."

This is an evaluation from the original body, because the girl's behavior at that time was neither a pre-arranged plan with the inner demon nor an instruction from the inner demon; it was a judgment made by the girl herself based on her observation of the battlefield situation.

The original body still remembers that at the beginning, his positioning of the girl was to utilize the resources she represented, but now the girl has shown that her own value and ability are even more outstanding.

If she could speak, she would be even more suitable than Tan Wenbin to be the other side of the inner demon.

However, the original body did not feel that it had misjudged the situation. All of this was the fruit of the inner demon's constant companionship and nurturing, and it was extremely uncontrollable. When the inner demon first did this, it did not expect that the girl could bravely step out and progress to this extent.

No matter how many so-called reasons are found, from the perspective of the original being, the inner demon was initially just attracted by someone's good looks.

Li Zhuiyuan got up and walked to Yayoi outside.

He did not order the two generals, Zengshen and Nissan, to treat Yayoi, because he felt that there was no need to treat Yayoi.

A Yayoi who has become completely possessed by evil has lost her usefulness and is now only a negative threat; she should be destroyed.

Now we'll see if they can come up with a new solution in the time to come, once the inner demons awaken. It's such a waste that they've been given this golden-bodied Bodhisattva position.

Yayoi's eyelids were drooping, as if he were awake, or as if he were not; in any case, he was unable to move.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a stack of thunder talismans from his pocket. Thunder talismans have a natural ability to restrain and kill negative attributes. This stack was enough to send the demon-possessed Yayoi away in her withered state.

"Crack!"

Yayoi's two ribs loosened. His chest had been grazed by the hollow two-finger spell, which had wiped away all the flesh and blood, not to mention his monk's robe and the inner lining.

But in the inner pocket was something he had preserved during that life-or-death crisis, and which he had protected with his ribs throughout the battle, ensuring it was never damaged.

At this moment, as the ribs loosened, a red envelope fell out.

Yayoi's gaze shifted downwards and landed on the red envelope.

The ring scar on his head, which had already faded, shone gold again.

"Here you go, it's our custom in Nantong, every kid who comes to our door for the first time gets this."

(End of this chapter)