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Chapter 456 A Lawyer's Dedication to Public Service

If that temple gate leads to "Lingxiao," then many of the inexplicable things in this village become reasonable.

Decades ago, something turned this village into a "haunted place," and six months ago, someone even saw "dragon's mouth fire" here.

Then the "source of infection" that caused all of this suddenly disappeared.

The strange place also returned to normal.

But the source of the infection has disappeared, yet it hasn't completely disappeared!
If this thing left the mortal realm for some reason and hid in the "Lingxiao" like the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, then everything can be reasonably explained.

Unlike the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, he was in a much better situation, able to freely travel between the "Lingxiao" and the "Yangshi".

The reason why his "Wangming" could not find it was because it was hiding in "Lingxiao" and spying on everything in the village.

Only when necessary will they venture from the "Lingxiao" realm into the mortal world.

The fire inside the tree crackled and popped as it burned, until finally the last trunk snapped open with a crack, completely revealing the ancient temple inside.

The ancient temple consists of only one building. Although it is small in scale and appears very old and dilapidated, details such as the vermilion gate, the roof beasts, and the glazed tiles still reveal that the temple was quite luxurious in its heyday.

The old cedar tree, scattered by the explosion, looked like a pile of firewood.

They set the ancient temple on fire.

The ancient temple stood firm and unmoved.

Xu Yuan snorted coldly, his face full of arrogance and smugness as a fifth-rate powerful cultivator. He moved his tongue, and the fire in his belly surged out again.

The flames were intensely hot and thick, resembling a sheet of lava.

The remaining trunk of the old cedar tree instantly turned to ashes, and flames enveloped the entire ancient temple, creating an effect similar to a "calcination furnace" with an incredibly high core temperature.

Despite this ordeal, the ancient temple persevered for the duration of an incense stick, remaining steadfast and unmoved.

The vermilion gate and glazed tiles shone even brighter in the flames.

Xu Yuan unceremoniously spewed out a third mouthful of fire.

The ancient temple finally gave way and exploded with a loud "crack" amidst the flames, leaving a crack running through the vermilion temple door.

A hint of joy flashed across Xu Yuan's face, and he shifted his body slightly.

They were prepared to rush into the ancient temple to rescue the people.

On the ground below, Xiao Bin and his companion also emerged from the old forest. Seeing that the ancient temple had finally been breached by fire, they couldn't help but get excited.

"Seeking help from Lord Xu was the right move!"

"Young master, there is still hope."

The crack on the temple door had widened, now about three fingers wide.

Then, with another "snap," a second crack appeared on the door.

Xu Yuan rushed forward without hesitation, his body slamming into the temple door.

The temple door had indeed been burned and loosened, and Xu Yuan managed to open a crack in it by ramming it open.

Xu Yuan burst through the crack in the door.

But as soon as he went inside, the vermilion temple door slammed shut again.

That innocent, childlike voice rang out again, full of joy: "After fishing for so long, you've finally taken the bait!"

The ancient temple then burst forth from the flames within its belly with a deafening roar, instantly escaping the fire.

The flames inside his abdomen surged and chased after it, crashing against the ancient temple in layers like waves.

The ancient temple had already become separate from the fire in the belly, and were no longer on the same "level".

The flames had clearly engulfed the ancient temple, yet they hadn't touched anything.

The ancient temple rose higher and higher, and the flames could no longer keep up.

Xiao Bin and his companion were dumbfounded: the seemingly favorable situation just now was actually bait cast by an evil spirit?
Lord Xu has also been fooled!
What should I do now?
Xiao Bin collapsed to the ground in despair. It's all over. If we can't rescue the young master, the master will never forgive us…

Suddenly, Xiao Bin felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

He was disoriented and stiffly turned his neck.

He saw his companion point in a certain direction.

Xiao Bin turned his neck again and saw that Lord Xu was standing there safely not far behind him.

With his hands behind his back and a faint, cold smile playing on his lips, he looked up at the ancient temple.

"Huh?!" Xiao Bin jumped up immediately: "Why is Lord Xu still here... Didn't he just rush in..."

The cheerful child's voice suddenly turned irritable: "What is that?!"

The ancient temple was still rising.

As it ascends, it gradually becomes ethereal and distant, displaying a transcendent attitude of "detachment from this world".

But it suddenly stopped and began to sway, as if it were stuck on something.

The child's voice turned angry and fearful again: "You're only a fifth-rate person, how could you possibly affect Lingxiao!"

"You shouldn't even know that Lingxiao exists!"

Xiao Bin and his companion were both bewildered and overjoyed: It wasn't Lord Xu who had been tricked, but rather the evil spirit that had been fooled?!
That thing used the Lingxiao Mountain as a fishing net and easily caught Wei Jinyuan. Even the fourth-rate Uncle Xi was caught in the net.

Therefore, it never expected that Xu Yuan, a fifth-rate person, would have the means to influence Lingxiao.

It began to try to ambush Xu Yuan under the cover of Lingxiao.

But at the last moment, he keenly sensed that Xu Yuan was using the "Dragon Slayer Sword" to ambush him.

That thing has properties that counteract itself.

It sneered at the time, thinking, "He really doesn't know his own limitations, and he even wants to compete with me in 'fishing'?"
So he quietly withdrew, pretending to have fled far away.

He also manipulated the ancient temple, deliberately enduring the fire inside his abdomen for a long time, all to make the performance seem realistic.

It has complete confidence in the ancient temple.

If Xu Yuan comes in, his fate will be the same as Wei Jinyuan's.

Unexpectedly, a ghost-like consciousness suddenly stormed into the Lingxiao Palace!
Moreover, their strength is incredibly formidable!

At the same time, the "Xu Yuan" who had rushed into the ancient temple also disappeared.

It turned out to be just an illusion.

The real Xu Yuan has reappeared in the mortal realm!
In the heavens, Xu Yuan's "Ghost God I" attacked—but that thing was very cunning and immediately fled, without engaging in a fierce battle with Ghost God I.

I only saw a short figure with a long, thin dragon tail, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Xu Yuan found Wei Jinyuan and the others, and threw them all out of the temple gate.

Although Xu Yuan's strength in "Lingxiao" was diminished without "Dream Come True" by his side, rescuing a few people was still not a problem.

Then, "the ghost and spirit" quickly fled, and in the process of escaping, it transformed into the shape of a book.

Suddenly, a terrifying power descended and enveloped the heavens!

The furious roar shook the surrounding thoughts and wills to the ground, causing them to crumble like quicksand.

Within that terrifying power, there seemed to be a hideous head.

But it's missing one of its long horns, leaving only one that looks rather comical.

The Monkey King has arrived.

It had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

But the little thief who stole one of its horns was too cunning.

I almost caught him!

Xu Yuan chuckled inwardly, "I knew you were waiting for me!"

Fortunately, I was quick-witted.

Xiao Bin and his companion scrambled forward, calling out, "Young Master—"

The two were so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

I escaped death!

Not only did the young master and his companions escape death, but more importantly, we also escaped death.

But as soon as they took two steps forward, before they even reached the young master, they were caught by two thin, barbed insect antennae, which wrapped around their waists, flung them into the air, and stuffed into a terrifying insect's mouth!
"Ahhh-"

The two were terrified, and their shrill screams pierced the night sky.

Wei Jinyuan, relying on the auspicious object on his body, still maintained some semblance of mental clarity.

He slumped weakly to the ground, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself with his hands.

“Uncle Xi… has changed his ways…” Wei Jinyuan said.

Upon entering the ancient temple, the contamination increased dramatically.

Uncle Xi was the first to change his ways.

Then came the others.

But in that ancient temple, Uncle Xi seemed to be restrained by some force.

Although he was bewildered and confused, he did not launch an attack on anyone else.

After saying this, Wei Jinyuan quietly straightened the tattered clothes on his back.

It tried its best to cover the scales on its back and the seven eyes embedded in them!

However, the two legs had merged into a snake tail, and the scales on the head and face could no longer cover it.

Their presence caused the level of contamination in the surrounding area to rise.

Xiao Bin watched as the terrifying insect maw drew ever closer to him.

The insect's mouth was filled with sharp teeth, which opened and closed constantly.

"Lord Xu, save me—"

Xiao Bin dared not place any hope that Uncle Xi would "wake up" at the last moment; now, only Lord Xu could save his life.

However, Lord Xu did not make a move.

But then a white shadow flew across like lightning and crashed heavily into the insect's antennae.

With a snap, the incredibly tough insect antennae were broken off!
Xiao Bin fell heavily to the ground, then scrambled to his feet and ran and hid behind Lord Xu.

Looking further at the tiger, one could see the white shadow fiercely pecking at one of its eyes.

Dafu was overjoyed.

Fan Zhezi had promised a bug that was "that big" before, and Da Fu believed him.

But then I slowly realized, could it be that Fan Zhezi was lying to me?

Where in the world are there insects that big?
The food stalks just fought their way here from the old forest. Dafu has been listless ever since, because it has no interest in anything it has encountered.

Those wooden sprites were hard and dry, and it didn't like to eat them.

Dafu did smell it; there were a few parasitic worms inside those willow wood ghosts.

But Dafu is very clear about his own identity: I am not a woodpecker.

To eat those strange insects, you have to peck a big hole in the tree trunk.

Although I'm also stubborn, my mouth isn't really for this job.

It just followed the food tracks at a leisurely pace.

Until the big worm appeared!
Dafu was so excited that his whole body trembled, and his goose feathers stood on end.

As for whether such a large insect is dangerous, and whether I have the ability to eat it...

With Dafu's "clever" mind, he didn't think that much about it at all.

Just charge in and get to it.

The insect's eyes were covered with a thick layer of pale yellow wax.

Extremely hard.

Dafu took a bite, but the waxy shell didn't budge. The shock made Dafu's head buzz, and its two goose eyes twitched incessantly.

A caterpillar flew over and wrapped itself tightly around Dafu's neck.

Dafu flapped its wings with all its might, its two large webbed feet kicking wildly, but it couldn't catch the insect's antennae.

At this point, Dafu panicked. The insects were delicious—but the worst part was that the insects probably thought I was delicious too!

Daifu stretched one wing towards the rice trough with all its might:
Help! Help her!

Xu Yuan is a hit!

How dare you hit my goose and then try to eat it? I wouldn't even dare to eat it myself.

The bell-shaped spikes shot out fiercely, piercing the tiger's head with a hiss.

The giant worm was enormous, but it did not die immediately after being hit. It let out a painful roar and then struggled to charge at Xu Yuan.

Then he plunged headlong into the filthy net.

Xu Yuan had already spread the net, waiting for it to rush in.

Before the fire in its belly could be extinguished, it fell from the sky and ignited the worm with a loud bang.

The bell-shaped spikes rose up and then repeatedly fell towards the giant worm in the sea of ​​fire.

chi chi chi...

Each time a hole is poked, the fire inside the abdomen burns in through the hole.

The worm's roars quickly weakened and then fell silent.

The insect's antennae all drooped down.

Dafu fiercely pecked off the antennae that were trapping him, then held the severed piece in his mouth and swallowed it with his neck stretched out.

His eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

It was indeed delicious.

Bigger is better.

This is the truth.

Xiao Bin's companion also broke free and rushed towards Wei Jinyuan: "Young Master, Young Master, how are you...?"

But a rope flew from behind and grabbed him.

"Go ahead and die if you want!" Xu Yuan said coldly.

A look of struggle and hesitation appeared on Wei Jinyuan's face.

The snake slapped its tail on the ground and said, "Don't come any closer."

As soon as he opened his mouth, it stretched all the way to his ears, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. Drops of saliva fell, splashing up a cloud of white smoke on the ground!
Although Wei Jinyuan is currently craving living people, he still retains some rationality!

Dafu didn't care about all that; this big worm was promised to me by Fanzhezi, so it was my turn to eat it.

So when Dafu saw the big bug gradually getting charred and shrinking in the flames, he jumped up in a panic, flapping his wings and trying to extinguish the fire.

As a result, the feathers on one wing were charred by the flames.

Xu Yuan was startled and quickly extinguished the fire in his abdomen.

With half of its wing feathers missing, Dafu could no longer fly. It fluttered with its other wing and landed crookedly on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the fire on the big bug had gone out, and he became happy.

The outer shell was charred, emitting a fragrant aroma!
Dafu wobbled and ran very fast, darting onto the big worm and began to eat happily.

"Big Bug" is dead, and Uncle Xi wakes up in a daze.

Seeing his Gu worm being eaten by a large goose, he remembered his nightmare.

The Dafu before me, compared to the great evil spirit in my nightmare, seems to be just... missing a layer of dragon skin?
Uncle Xi sighed deeply, realizing that fate had indeed intervened.

He was able to control the Gu worms so perfectly that he could entrust his own soul to them.

However, after the giant worm transformed and was killed, it also affected him, causing him to lose one-tenth of his soul.

At this moment, I was extremely weak and had a splitting headache.

Moreover, it wasn't just the "big worm" that changed; he himself also transformed into a half-human, half-snake state.

Although he knew that Xu Yuan had killed his Gu worms, he couldn't blame him.

We should be grateful to them for saving us.

Suddenly, a series of metallic clanging sounds came from beside Wei Jinyuan. A giant python, half-biological and half-artificial, suddenly appeared, leaping up from the ground with its upper body raised high and its tail swaying on the ground, pouncing straight towards Dafu, who was closest to it.

When Xiao Bin and the other man saw that the strange snake face clearly still retained Old Zheng's appearance, they immediately cried out, "Old Zheng, Old Zheng, wake up!"

Hearing the shouts, Old Zheng mechanically twisted his neck to look at the two, but his eyes held no human emotion, only coldness, bloodlust, and rage.

It turned its head and continued to pounce on Dafu—but suddenly a rope wrapped around its seven-inch mark, lifting it dozens of feet into the air before slamming it heavily to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a large foot slammed down on its head, and two dragon-slaying swords flew into the air.

With a hiss, the female sword pierced the snake's tail and embedded itself in the ground.

The male sword was also driven in from its seven-inch mark.

The strange creature that Old Zheng had transformed into was then unable to move.

Its eyes were mad, gushing blood, and the parts of the craftsman's body were about to be disassembled and reassembled amidst a clattering mechanical sound.

But before it could finish, Xu Yuan had already spewed a mouthful of fire from the snake's head.

The flames spread along the snake's body and ignited completely.

Although Wei Jinyuan was extremely reluctant to ask Xu Yuan for help, he still cried out, "Save him..."

Xu Yuan gave him a cold glance.

Xiao Bin and the other man hurriedly exclaimed, "Young master, it was all thanks to Lord Xu that you were able to be rescued this time."

"If it were just the two of us, we wouldn't even be able to find where you've gotten lost."

Feeling ashamed, Wei Jinyuan reluctantly asked for help, "Lord Xu, Old Zheng is a sixth-rate craftsman who has always taken good care of me. If you can save him, please do your best to do so. I will definitely repay you handsomely."

If you say that, then Lord Xu will appear to be all-powerful and righteous.

With the blessing of the Five Cauldrons Cooking Technique, the fire in Wuliu's belly was precisely controlled like a thin blade, peeling away the strange and treacherous parts of Lao Zheng's body one by one.

This is a delicate task, and Old Zheng has become quite cunning.

It took Xu Yuan a full hour to burn all the strange and bizarre parts.

Xu Yuan drew his pair of Dragon-Slaying Swords, and Old Zheng's body slowly recovered, gradually reversing from a half-biological, half-artificial snake monster back into human form.

First, the head and face returned to a human appearance.

However, Old Zheng's eyes were unfocused, and blood kept gushing from his mouth and nose.

He looked weakly at Wei Jinyuan and said haltingly, "Young Master, Old Zheng, I...I'm afraid...I can no longer serve...you..."

Wei Jinyuan was extremely anxious: "I have some fourth-rate medicinal pills, you should take them quickly."

He took out the medicinal pill, only to find that it had transformed into a pill worm!
As soon as it emerged, it spat out a large amount of blood, which formed a blood cocoon the size of a fist!
It was wriggling inside, and I wondered what kind of evil spirit it was going to transform into.

"what--"

Wei Jinyuan was dumbfounded, then looked pitifully at Xu Yuan.

Old Zheng's body was so heavily infected that Xu Yuan used the fire in his abdomen to burn away these parts, which resulted in Old Zheng's current broken and incomplete body.

Many of his internal organs and limbs were burned away.

A high-quality medicine could save him.

But Wei Jinyuan's medicinal pills all changed strangely.

Xu Yuan took out a medicinal pill and fed it to Old Zheng.

After Lao Zheng ate it, his body gradually began to recover.

Just as his condition stabilized, Uncle Xi started scratching his head again.

As he scratched, his scalp broke open, and the entire scalp, along with his hair, fell off, revealing his white skull!
On the skull, there were countless Gu worms!

These insects were sucking Uncle Xi's blood while using their sharp legs to try and pry open the gaps in his skull and burrow inside.

Xu Yuan came over carrying a rope made of animal sinew and said, "Uncle Xi, please bear with it."

Uncle Xi was in great pain, feeling an intense, itchy scalp!
That itch inside me, I couldn't suppress it!
But he was only a fourth-rate player, and he knew that his current situation was extremely dangerous.

He gritted his teeth and stretched out his hands to Xu Yuan: "Okay, go ahead and do it."

Xu Yuan threw down the rope and tied Uncle Xi up in a ball.

Uncle Xi's legs have also fused together and grown snake scales.

This form is difficult to bind, but Master Xu's rope skills are extraordinary.

They still managed to do it!
Then Xu Yuan felt it wasn't safe enough, so he released Pi Dan and wrapped him up completely, leaving only his head sticking out.

"Dafu!" Xu Yuan called out.

The daifuku, which was enjoying its meal, suddenly raised its head from inside the "big worm" in a daze.

"come over!"

Dafu pretended not to hear and didn't want to go over.

"There's something even better here."

Dafu immediately regained his hearing and came over with a bouncy gait.

Xu Yuan pointed to the Gu worms on Uncle Xi's skull: "Peck them off, and I'll give them all to you to eat."

Dafu looked disgusted.

How could something so small possibly taste better than the bigger one?
But... since he was already there, Dafu reluctantly took a peck.

Uncle Xi let out a scream—

His Gu worms are all of a high standard.

When kept on your body, they are just small insects, but once released, they will rapidly expand in size.

Even when the "big bug" was inside the hair, it was only this big.

Daifuku pecked at one in one go, stretched its neck and swallowed it, immediately tasting the deliciousness.

Then the two goose eyes narrowed.

Satisfied.

It quickly pecked the insects off one by one.

The flat, hard beak struck Uncle Xi's skull repeatedly, each time causing Uncle Xi to scream in pain.

Xiao Bin and the others turned their faces away, not daring to look.

In the darkness of night, the scene was truly terrifying.

A "poor man" was stuffed entirely into a leather bag, with only his head sticking out. His scalp was peeled off, and a goose was pecking at his head incessantly. Each peck would cause the poor man to let out a horrifying scream.

If you don't know the inside story, and you tell someone that you're saving someone, who would believe you?
If Xu Yuan were to take action himself, these Gu worms would surely struggle in their death throes, causing immense harm to Uncle Xi.

However, Daifuku was able to control these insects.

It appears to be a skillless pecking, but in reality, its tongue curls the insects, making them go limp and allowing it to swallow them whole.

It pecked at the skull more than a dozen times, eating all the Gu worms off Uncle Xi's skull.

Dafu let out a long burp.

Xu Yuan waved his hand, and Da Fu staggered back to Da Chong's side.

My stomach feels extremely heavy.

The once fragrant worm now looks unappetizing...

I'm really stuffed this time.

Dafu lay down next to the big insect, stretched his neck, yawned, tucked his head under his wing, and quickly fell asleep.

Xu Yuan spewed out the fire from his abdomen, which enveloped Uncle Xi and began to burn away the strange parts of his body.

Uncle Xi's condition is better than Lao Zheng's.

But all his Gu worms have mutated.

Xu Yuan manipulated the flames to penetrate Uncle Xi's body and discovered that Uncle Xi's body structure had undergone significant changes.

His Gu worms are only at the fifth rank at best, but he himself can be considered a fourth-rank Gu worm!

If it weren't for Uncle Xi's self-control, Xu Yuan might not have been able to control him.

Xu Yuan nodded to himself.

That's a very wise approach.

Gu worms are, after all, external things.

This method ensures that even if there are any accidents and all the Gu worms die, one's own strength will not decline.

(End of this chapter)