Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 277 [Slaying] (Supplement)
I had something come up over the weekend and couldn't update, but I finally had time to write last night and stayed up all night.

I'll add a little bit to this chapter first, and I'll add more later when I have time.

There's more to today's update.

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Chapter 271 [Slaying] (Supplement)
The Soul-Suppressing Lamp suddenly lit up!
That tiny spark of green fire flickered, as small as a bean, but it instantly transformed into a strange brilliance.

A transparent, ethereal figure stepped out of the light from the private room, dressed in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, holding a wooden sword, and wearing a Taoist crown!
He pointed his wooden sword at the evil cultivator from the Li family and uttered a low murmur.

With a sudden buzz, Chen Yan felt as if something had gently vibrated his brain, and he seemed to hear a faint humming sound.

"disease!"

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The phantom pounced forward in a flash, rushing towards the evil cultivator from the Li family like a bolt of lightning. The phantom seemed to pass right through him, passing right through him in the blink of an eye.

The old ghost of the Li family, whose body was originally emitting black smoke, suddenly stiffened for a moment. His posture, which was still trembling and struggling slightly, suddenly froze as if the power had been cut off.

Then, his body crashed to the ground, turning into boundless black mist that dissipated in all directions!

Looking again in mid-air, the phantom figure resembling a Taoist priest was already floating there, his wooden sword hanging down, and he bowed with one hand towards the ground.

The black mist surged and dispersed, evaporating into the air and forming a curtain upon which images materialized...

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A tiny baby, its body as white and tender as a lotus root, was wrapped in a red cloth swaddle. Adults stood indistinctly around it, watching and laughing. Then the baby reached out for a traditional Chinese first birthday celebration, seemingly grasping a golden lock symbolizing longevity and good fortune…

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A three- or four-year-old child mischievously climbed up the artificial hill. At the foot of the hill, two women who looked like maids were anxiously waving their hands to stop the child, but the child just laughed and giggled.

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The child held a book, humming aloud as he read. Behind him, a woman in elegant clothes gently placed a bowl of soup on his desk...

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As the child grew taller, guided by a dignified middle-aged man, the child knelt in the ancestral hall filled with memorial tablets and respectfully offered incense...

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Black smoke and flames were everywhere, and corpses littered the houses. A child stood blankly by the lotus pond, soaking wet, stunned for a moment before letting out a heart-wrenching scream…

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In the mountains, beneath a gloomy ancient tomb, a boy lay in the burial chamber, his clothes tattered, writhing and screaming in pain.

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A young man knelt in the moonlight, his face grim, slashing his own arm with a knife, letting the blood flow freely. Before him lay piles of white bones on the ground...

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Images appeared one after another, like a movie playing, and then vanished.

It's as if I've lived through the tragic life of this old devil from the Li family!
In the very end, in the final scene...

An old man with a ferocious expression knelt in the dilapidated courtyard, grinning maliciously. He raised his hand and unleashed a cloud of black mist, completely transforming the crumbling courtyard. Then, rats and snakes, among other things, transformed into human figures in the golden light, walking around the courtyard like servants in a household…

The old man knelt in the middle, looking at the scene around him, his face full of tears.

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"……Hey!"

Chen Yan sighed: "Although he is hateful, he is also a pitiful person."

Finally, the black mist gradually dissipated, and the body of the old ghost of the Li family, who had been lying on the ground, turned into a pile of bones. His clothes and flesh turned into dust one after another, and were blown away by the wind.

With a thud, Shen Shiqi slowly knelt down on the ground beside Chen Yan.

The Taoist phantom in mid-air slumped down and landed in front of Shen Shiqi. It gazed at Shen Shiqi quietly before slowly bowing with its hands clasped in greeting.

"Congratulations, young friend, your wish has come true."

"Congratulations, old Taoist priest, you have avenged your great grudge." Shen Shiqi's face was pale, and he forced a smile.

The old Taoist's remnant soul turned to look at Chen Yan and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your help, fellow Taoist."

As Chen Yan watched the old Taoist's remnant soul become increasingly transparent, he suddenly said, "Your remnant soul's spiritual power is about to be exhausted, and it will dissipate soon."

"My long-cherished wish has been fulfilled, and I have no regrets," the old Taoist priest said with a faint smile.

Chen Yan suddenly twitched his lips and said, "Old Taoist, I have something to ask you."

"Fellow Taoist, please tell me."

"Do you want to die?"

The old Taoist's semi-transparent shadow seemed to tremble, and he looked at Chen Yan with a puzzled expression: "What do you mean, fellow Taoist?"

Chen Yan said calmly, "Do you want to live or die?"

"If I must die, then I will die. If I can avoid death, then naturally I would like to live." After the old Taoist finished speaking, his expression changed, and he respectfully bowed deeply to Chen Yan: "Please enlighten me, fellow Daoist!"

Chen Yan stretched out his hand, and a white candle appeared in his palm.

The old Taoist priest, seeing this, suddenly brightened his lifeless eyes: "Fire of Separation!"

"Your Soul-Suppressing Lamp only contained a small amount of Fiery Copper, but it's already exhausted and can no longer provide shelter for your remnant soul. However, I..."

The old Taoist priest took a deep breath: "May I ask, fellow Taoist, what do you desire?"

Chen Yan smiled faintly: "There's no time to talk now. Your soul won't last much longer. Go in first. Since I've taken out a treasure to extend your life, you..."

"Fellow Daoist, whatever you ask for, I will grant it without hesitation!" The old Daoist was quite compliant, immediately raising his hand to swear an oath: "Heaven is above, as long as what you ask for does not violate the principles of Heaven and morality, I will have no objection!"

"Go in!" Chen Yan nodded in satisfaction.

The old Taoist priest was overjoyed. He cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Yan, then glanced at Shen Shiqi and said, "Young friend... this old Taoist is off!"

Shen Shiqi twitched the corner of his mouth, nodded to the old Taoist priest, and then the old Taoist priest transformed into a beam of light and with a whoosh, plunged into Chen Yan's Li Huo candle.

After Chen Yan and the other old Taoist priests entered the Li Huo Zhu (a type of fire candle), they nodded and put the Li Huo Zhu away.

"Fellow Daoist, you have indeed hidden some fine treasures." Shen Shiqi stared at Chen Yan's hands for a moment, then spoke with a complicated tone.

Chen Yan didn't respond to that, but turned around and looked directly at Shen Shiqi's small face. He couldn't help but sigh, "I originally thought you were doing this to repay Dean Shen's kindness, but I never expected that you were doing it for revenge."

"Kindness must be repaid, and so must revenge. If one cannot live a life of vengeance and vengeance, then one has lived in vain." Shen Shiqi said calmly.

Chen Yan looked at Shen Shiqi, at the child's increasingly pale face, and at the little body that seemed to be unable to straighten up, gradually becoming hunched over.

Chen Yan sighed: "The Soul-Suppressing Lamp's fire energy is insufficient. Over the years, you have been using your own life essence to nourish the Soul-Suppressing Lamp in order to keep the old Taoist's soul from dissipating?"

After a pause, Chen Yan said seriously, "Do you know the price you'll pay for what you've done?"

Shen Shiqi smiled nonchalantly: "I know, but the price is my lifespan."

Chen Yan fell silent, staring at the child for a while before asking in a low voice, "Is it worth it?"

"In this life, there are always some things that must be done—no matter the cost. If you don't repay the kindness of your parents, or avenge the death of them, you are not worthy of being called a human being. Even if it costs you your life, it's worth it!"

Chen Yan sighed, pondered for a moment, and said, "Good child, since you understand so well, I'll be frank with you... you..."

"I'm dying!"

Before Chen Yan could finish speaking, Shen Shiqi had already spoken up. Chen Yan raised an eyebrow. Beads of sweat were already streaming down Shen Shiqi's forehead. He forced a smile and said, "My life hangs by a thread! Fellow Daoist, you don't need to tell me, I know it in my heart."

“You…” Chen Yan frowned.

Shen Shiqi sighed: "If my essence blood had nourished the Soul-Suppressing Lamp, it wouldn't have caused me to exhaust my lifespan so quickly, but just now... the old Taoist's final attack consumed a lot of my lifespan."

Chen Yan said in a low voice, "Actually, I could have killed that guy just now."

“It’s different.” Shen Shiqi shook his head: “My parents raised me with great kindness, and if revenge is carried out by someone else, it’s a different story. Besides…”

As he spoke, he gave Chen Yan a deep look: "I can't predict the future. When I started using my blood essence to nourish the Soul-Suppressing Lamp, I didn't know I would meet someone like you in the future."

I have been nourishing the Soul-Suppressing Lamp with my life essence for many years, which has made me weak and sickly. Even if I don't die now, I won't live for more than a few years, and I will spend the rest of my life bedridden with illness, with few good days to enjoy.

"Even if I were to keep this life, I would only be a burden, a drag on Dean Shen, and a burden on my sister."

At this point, Shen Shiqi's smile became strange: "Fellow Daoist, you don't need to feel bad for me. To be honest, the reason I insisted on using my own lifespan to trigger the old Daoist's final move was because I myself didn't want to live anymore."

Having killed my enemy and avenged myself, I have no regrets in this life. To die now is the best outcome.

Chen Yan sighed, "You little one, you're actually more insightful than I thought."

"Ha!" Shen Shiqi laughed. "Since we can't live a good life, it's better to die immediately after we've had our revenge. That's a good outcome too."

As he spoke, his originally pale face gradually turned sallow, and a layer of ashen color gradually enveloped his skin!
Even when he was speaking, his breathing gradually became rapid and heavy.

Shen Shiqi took a deep breath and his tone became solemn: "While there's still some time, let me give you the reward I promised you, fellow Daoist!"

He finally managed to sit up a little straighter on the ground: "I will recite the entire 'Spiritual Revelation' to you, and you must remember it well! Moreover, do not forget your vow: this text comes from my mouth and enters your ears; it must not be passed on to anyone else through your hands!"

Then, Shen Shiqi began to recite in his childish voice.

"The spirit is the darkness, the darkness is split into valleys, branches and vines separate, and the valleys become the abodes of the spirits..."

The child recited the words in his tender voice, and Chen Yan listened attentively, carefully memorizing each word.

His spiritual sense was so strong that he had the ability to remember everything he heard, and he could remember something after hearing it only once.

A moment later, Shen Shiqi had finished reciting the entire "Sent to the Gods" text.

As his childish voice gradually became hoarse and his breathing became more and more rapid and difficult, he gasped for breath after barely finishing reciting the passage.

Chen Yan had been listening intently, feeling that this cultivation technique was incredibly profound and truly a supreme method! He was increasingly shocked—how could a cultivation technique of this caliber possibly appear in this world?!

However, as Shen Shiqi began to breathe heavily, Chen Yan snapped out of his reverie, stopped thinking, walked to Shen Shiqi's side, squatted down, and sighed: "I... can't save your life... Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Shen Shiqi raised his head, his face grim, but he managed a smile as he looked at Chen Yan: "If I had to entrust you with something, there are actually two more things I would like to ask you to do."

“Go ahead!” Chen Yan replied seriously.

"The first thing... after I die, please help me return my parents' memorial tablets. Help me burn some paper money at their graves and tell them that the eldest son of the Shen family has avenged his parents. The location of my parents' graves is..."

After Shen Shiqi finished speaking, Chen Yan nodded solemnly: "Okay!"

"The second thing... Dean Shen has been kind to me in raising me, I..."

"Don't worry, there will be someone to take care of things at the orphanage."

Shen Shiqi nodded: "In that case, I can rest assured."

He suddenly went limp and fell backward, but Chen Yan caught him and held the child in his arms.

Shen Shiqi was small and thin. When Chen Yan held her in front of him, it was like holding a bundle of firewood. She was light and thin.

Shen Shiqi suddenly chuckled softly: "Fellow Daoist helped me with these two things, so I'll give you a gift in return."

Chen Yan said softly, "Little one, I don't ask for anything in return for doing these last two things for you."

"No, you must repay kindness you have received. This is the natural order, and you cannot go wrong!" Shen Shiqi shook his head, but coughed twice before he could catch his breath. He quickly said, "You took the old Taoist's remnant soul. The move he used to kill the old ghost of the Li family in the end... is actually a supernatural power. I'll say one word, and you can arrest the old Taoist, and he will pass on that supernatural power to you."

"..." Chen Yan looked at Shen Shiqi with a complicated expression.

"Just tell that old Taoist priest eight words: 'Act righteously and let your emotions run wild.'"

To settle scores and indulge in unrestrained passion?
Upon hearing these eight inexplicable words, Chen Yan was momentarily baffled, but he vaguely felt a sense of familiarity.

"Fellow Daoist, our fate ends today. You are actually a good person, but your nature is too cold. You should know that in this life, if one can act swiftly and decisively, indulging in one's desires without restraint, then..."

Shen Shiqi suddenly became urgent, his breath growing weaker and weaker: "Then...then...it won't be a wasted life!"
You...you'll have to figure these things out sooner or later...before that happens.

At this point, Shen Shiqi's arm suddenly went limp and fell to the ground, and he remained silent.

Chen Yan looked at the child's face in his arms, which seemed to be asleep, sighed softly, and gently placed him on the ground.

After standing quietly beside Shen Shiqi's body for a moment, Chen Yan took out a piece of yellow paper and covered Shen Shiqi's face with it.

Turning around, Chen Yan looked at the dilapidated house and let out a sneer.

He walked to the spot where the old ghost of the Li family had last lain down, picked up an object from the ground, and it was none other than the book scroll.

The scroll felt heavy in his hand, the paper was yellowed, and the writing was blurry and invisible. It only emitted a faint light, and when Chen Yan released a little bit of his energy, he could feel that the light was still subtly repelling him!

It is indeed a magical artifact, but it must have been restricted by its master.

If one wants to control this magical artifact, one needs to remove the original owner's restrictions and refine it anew.

Chen Yan put the scroll away and placed it into his storage jade pendant.

As the scroll entered the jade pendant, the world suddenly changed color, and the old houses with broken walls and ruins around them vanished into smoke like shattered paintings!

In an instant, the fog dissipated, and when Chen Yan looked again, he saw that he was standing in the valley he had been in before!

The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, and not far away was a large patch of grass that was half a person tall.

The wind rustled through the grass, and the surrounding valley was silent. Where was the old Li family mansion?

In front of Chen Yan, only Shen Shiqi's small corpse remained on the ground.

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized what was going on.

It turns out that the Li family mansion and the misty environment were actually just secret realms created by that magical scroll.

This is not uncommon—some advanced magical artifacts can create an independent secret realm out of thin air.

(End of this chapter)