Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 401 If you're not a buddy, are you sure you're human?

Difficulties?

The middle-aged Taoist priest was about to politely decline—he had even thought about how to phrase it.

He first sighed and declined, saying, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but rather that my own cultivation is still shallow."

but now!

Not to mention that we cultivators have taken it upon ourselves from the day we entered the path to slay demons and eliminate evil spirits. Slaying evil spirits and protecting peace in the world is a duty etched into our very bones.

Not to mention that behind this operation is a mysterious old man with unfathomable strength and almost terrifying invincibility, who is in charge of eliminating the treacherous creature in the reservoir.

This is a just act that is perfectly timed and supported by the people.

If he dares to utter even half a word of "no," how will he face his long-deceased master when he goes to the afterlife?

Even the peach wood sword that his master personally passed down to him back then would be ashamed of him in the afterlife.

"it is good!"

..........
Suddenly, the candlelight in front of the altar crackled and sparked.

The middle-aged Taoist priest, who was still lost in thought, was suddenly jolted awake.

"It's yin energy! Such powerful yin energy!!!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest's voice trembled slightly, not out of fear, but because the sudden chill had made his nerves tense.

It felt as if tiny ice crystals were floating in the air, and breathing them into your lungs brought a chill. Even the yellow talisman paper on the altar swayed gently.

He gritted his teeth, stretched out his arm, and steadily took the peach wood sword handed to him by his disciple.

He immediately began chanting incantations, each word clear and resonant, flowing with the incantation.

The middle-aged Taoist priest's eyes gradually changed from initial surprise to firmness and sharpness as he stared intently at the direction from which the yin energy was emanating.

As he flipped his wrist, a faint golden light instantly emanated from the blade of the peach wood sword.

Time passed slowly, and the middle-aged Taoist unconsciously tightened his grip on the peach wood sword, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

The yin energy of this thing in the reservoir is several times stronger than the hundred-year-old vengeful ghost that he and his master fought together back then!
How ferocious that vengeful ghost was back then, capable of sneaking into the county town at night to suck the yang energy of the living.

The master used the ancestral Bagua Mirror and expended half of his cultivation to seal it.

Afterwards, he was also advised, "If you encounter such a fierce ghost again in the future, you must avoid its sharp edge."

But now, the thing in the reservoir hasn't even shown its face, yet the mere yin energy it exudes is enough to make the middle-aged Taoist's hair stand on end.

…This level of power far exceeded his understanding of “fierce ghosts”.

It all started a few days ago when the middle-aged Taoist priest received a message from an old friend.

The message said that a powerful ghost had appeared in Qinghong City, occupying a reservoir on the outskirts of the city, and four colleagues had already gone there to exorcise it.

The result was either a complete disappearance or the only thing left behind was a corpse that had been devoured by yin energy and was unrecognizable.

His old friend specifically instructed him, "If you encounter anything related to Qinghong City, be sure to take a detour."
At that time, the middle-aged Taoist priest was secretly thinking to himself, "What kind of evil spirit has such abilities?"

Now, standing by the reservoir, I was enveloped by that chilling aura that almost froze me to death.

Only then did he realize the tragic end behind the "losses" mentioned in the message.

The middle-aged Taoist priest was not only a highly experienced veteran sorcerer, but also had practical experience in suppressing evil spirits several times, so he was confident in dealing with danger.

Coupled with the evil spirits harming people and his fellow believers suffering, this sense of righteous mission made him not hesitate for a moment and immediately led his disciples to Qinghong City.

He had just gotten off the plane a few days ago and didn't even have time to adjust to the time difference before driving straight to the reservoir.

I thought that with my cultivation level, I could handle even the most troublesome evil spirits.

But as soon as they reached the edge of the reservoir, an extremely terrifying aura of yin energy instantly enveloped them.

The intensity of that malevolent energy was so great that even this veteran sorcerer felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.
The middle-aged Taoist priest knew perfectly well that with such a huge disparity in strength, even if he had a heart full of righteousness, it would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.

He was never a rigid or inflexible person; he knew that taking forceful action would not only fail to eliminate the evil spirits, but would also cost him and his disciples their lives in vain.

Such meaningless sacrifices are by no means the right thing to do.

So he simply settled down in Qinghong City with his disciples.

While keeping an eye on the movements in the direction of the reservoir, he also secretly observed news from the magic circle, hoping that a stronger magic expert would arrive upon hearing the news.

After all, it would be difficult for him to defeat a powerful enemy on his own. If he could wait for like-minded people to join forces and set up an array to eliminate the evil spirits, he would have a better chance of winning.

"Master!" The disciple's voice suddenly rang out, filled with unprecedented panic. His finger was pointed tightly at the ground, and he stammered, "You...you...look...there!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest was intently staring at the surface of the reservoir, trying to detect traces of the flow of yin energy.

Pulled back to his senses by the exclamation of the disciple beside him, an ominous premonition instantly welled up in his heart.

Looking down at the trembling fingertips of his disciple, he saw that the shadows clearly reflected under the streetlights were always those of him and his three disciples.

His shadow loomed ahead, broad-shouldered and upright, the hand holding the peach wood sword leaving a clear outline on the ground.

The shadows of the three disciples followed closely behind, some crouching, some standing; though they appeared immature, they were still clearly distinguishable.

But at this moment, the scene has completely changed.

A slender, dark figure appeared silently beside their shadows without them even noticing.

Like a tattered cloth soaked in ink, it clung tightly to the edge of the shadow of the outermost disciple.

A small section of it had even overlapped with the disciple's shadow, making them indistinguishable.

Even more bizarrely, the shadowy figure had no clear head shape; its top was just a blurry black halo, as if it might spread out at any moment.

Moreover, even though there was no wind around and the grass on the shore was completely still, the edges of this dark figure were slightly twisting and swaying, as if it were alive.

The middle-aged Taoist priest's breath caught in his throat, and his grip on the peach wood sword tightened abruptly.

He could clearly feel a cold, eerie energy creeping up the ground and into his trouser leg.

The three disciples were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they involuntarily shrank back to the middle-aged Taoist priest, not daring to even breathe.

The middle-aged Taoist priest didn't even have time to respond to his disciple. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the dark shadow was still slowly seeping into his disciple's shadow.

A bone-chilling cold instantly shot up the back of his neck. Almost instinctively, drawn from decades of demon-slaying experience, he swiftly raised his right hand, pressing his thumb firmly against the tip of his index finger.

Before the sharp pain could reach his fingertips, he abruptly pressed his blood-soaked index finger against the blade of the peach wood sword.

With a soft "hiss," blood slowly spread along the patterns on the scabbard.

The once dark peach wood sword, like a sleeping creature awakened, instantly broke free from the middle-aged Taoist's hand and floated in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, a layer of scorching yellow light burst forth from the sword.

The light was intense yet not dazzling, like a burning warm sun, pushing back the surrounding chill.

Even the eerie black shadow on the ground shrank slightly under the light, temporarily halting its spread.

"Drink!" The middle-aged Taoist priest let out a deep shout. Although the voice was not loud, it carried a fierce momentum of slaying demons and eliminating evil, without the slightest ambiguity.

He swiftly made a demon-suppressing incantation with his left hand, while his right hand tightly gripped the peach wood sword that was already emitting a yellow light.

With a flick of his wrist, the sword sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by a whistling sound, and slashed fiercely down at the unfamiliar black figure clinging to the disciple's shadow.

His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation; they were all instincts honed through decades of real combat experience.

The moment the peach wood sword touched the shadow, a piercing "sizzle" sound suddenly exploded, like a red-hot iron meeting ice water.

Where the shadowy figure was struck, a burst of scorching sparks instantly erupted, scattering across the ground and carrying a faint smell of burning. Immediately afterward, a thick plume of grayish-white smoke rose from the shadowy figure, carrying an indescribable stench.

As soon as they dispersed, they were sizzled by the yellow light of the peach wood sword.

The dark figure that had been clinging to the shadows of the group also shrank back sharply after this attack.

The edges were even slightly transparent, indicating that it had suffered a considerable loss.

"Ah—!!!" A sharp, piercing scream suddenly came from the depths of the reservoir.

The sound was not like a human voice, but more like the wails of countless wronged souls mixed together, carrying a bone-chilling resentment and pain.

The once calm surface of the reservoir was suddenly rippled.

Immediately afterwards, a bubbling sound came from underwater, and turbid water surged up from the depths, making the chill in the air suddenly several times stronger.

The chill that had just been forced back by the yellow light of the peach wood sword returned like a tidal wave, even condensing into a thin layer of white frost on the ground.

The middle-aged Taoist priest's heart sank, and he gripped the peach wood sword that had automatically flown back even tighter.

He knew perfectly well that the lurking monster in the reservoir had been thoroughly enraged by that sword strike.

What we will likely face next is a counterattack several times more intense than before.

In the blink of an eye, before the middle-aged Taoist could recover from the ghostly roar, the situation had changed drastically.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of countless strange figures emerging from under the row of temporary streetlights on the reservoir dam.

Those shadows had no physical support; they seemed to "seep" directly from the halo of light cast by the streetlights.

Some shadows were hunched over, some had twisted limbs, and some had shadows with no clear head outline at the top, just a chaotic blackness, densely packed under the lamppost.

As the lights swayed and distorted slightly, dozens of beams could be seen from a distance.

Even more chilling was that the dark figure that had been struck earlier was still struggling on the ground.

The roars from the depths of the reservoir continued to echo, intertwining with the rustling sounds of these figures.

What should have been a gloomy and eerie reservoir bank was now strangely transformed by the crowds and noise thronging the dam, resembling a bustling market in the early morning.

There was no warmth or life in it, only a bone-chilling cold and a deathly silence filled with resentment.

The middle-aged Taoist priest tightened his grip on the peach wood sword, his breath catching in his throat.

The three young apprentices beside him were so frightened that they trembled all over and their faces turned ashen.

One of the youngest disciples even shrank back, his teeth chattering.

Clearly, they were terrified by this bizarre scene that exceeded their wildest imaginations, and even the thought of resisting was almost suppressed.

"Damn it!" A young disciple couldn't help but swear, his voice filled with shock and solemnity.

"Master, what the hell is this thing?!"

The scene before them had far exceeded everyone's expectations.

The most alarming thing is that the ghostly figures emerging from under the streetlights are increasing in number, densely covering the surface of the reservoir dam.

Some crawled slowly along the ground, while others stood upright. Though they were just shadows, they seemed to be infused with life, slowly converging on the four middle-aged Taoists.

What's even more unsettling is that no matter how close they got, the four middle-aged Taoist priests couldn't make out the faces of these ghostly figures.

The heads of each shadow seemed to be shrouded in thick fog, just a blurry blackness, with no outline discernible, as if concealing countless unknown terrors.

The overwhelming sense of oppression alone made the middle-aged Taoist priest's heart tighten, and even the hand holding the peach wood sword was slightly sweaty.

The yin energy rose like a surging tide, and the middle-aged Taoist's hand holding the peach wood sword was already numb with cold, with a thin layer of ice crystals forming on the sword.

Even the originally blazing yellow light dimmed a bit, barely able to protect a small area around it.

The ghostly figures continued to surge from under the streetlights, their shadows intertwining and converging towards the center, almost completely surrounding the four of them.

But no one noticed that the middle-aged Taoist priest's left hand, hanging at his side, was tightly clenched under the long sleeve of his robe.

He held a Bagua mirror with a cracked edge against his palm.

Although the mirror has cracks, one can still vaguely see the faint light flowing inside. This is a protective treasure passed down from his master's ancestor, which has never been lost in the past few generations.

Faced with the countless ghostly figures, the middle-aged Taoist priest would not easily use his last trump card unless absolutely necessary.

The middle-aged Taoist's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to suppress all his dignity and cry out from the bottom of his heart, "Senior, save me!"

Rumble!
A deafening roar, comparable to the collapse of thousands of mountains and rivers, suddenly erupted, causing the reservoir dam to tremble slightly.

Even the stagnant yin energy in the air was stirred up by this tremendous force.

The sound didn't come from underwater, nor from the ground; it was as if it had crashed down from some corner of the world, making people's eardrums ache and their chests feel tight.

The middle-aged Taoist priest swallowed back the cry for help that was on the tip of his tongue, and everyone stared blankly in the direction from which the sound came.

In the darkness in the distance, a dazzling golden light quietly emerged.

At first, it was just a tiny speck of light, but in the blink of an eye, it silently grew larger and spread across the surface of the reservoir. Even the chill in the air was somewhat dispelled by the golden light.

The middle-aged Taoist priest subconsciously squinted, only to feel that the golden light was growing stronger and stronger, and in fact, it reflected the illusion of thousands of majestic mountain peaks in the eyes of him and his three disciples.

Each mountain peak stands tall like a pillar supporting the sky, as if it will fall from the golden light at any moment, pressing down with the force of the sky collapsing and the earth sinking.

The aura was so overwhelming that, even though it was just an illusion, it exuded a weight and majesty that could suppress heaven and earth.

The ghostly figures that had been gathering just moments before instantly stopped moving and even began to tremble slightly, as if they were too frightened by this power to move any further.

The middle-aged Taoist priest loosened his grip on the Bagua mirror slightly, his heart filled with disbelief and shock.

Such a feat is beyond the capabilities of an ordinary sorcerer; it must be that mysterious old man who has arrived!

At the center of that boundless, seemingly towering mountain shadow.

Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming with dazzling golden light, exuding an aura of dominance that seemed to scorch the surrounding air.

The chilling, corrosive yin energy, enveloped by the golden light and the illusory mountain peaks, melted away as quickly as snow meeting the blazing sun, replaced by an incomparably scorching yang energy.

The aura was warm and powerful, like the blazing sun high in the sky at noon, dispelling all darkness and fear.

The middle-aged Taoist priest and his three disciples suddenly relaxed their tense nerves, and an unprecedented sense of security welled up in their hearts.

The dense, previously menacing black shadows were crushed by the masculine energy and the illusory mountain peaks.

Without even the slightest chance to resist, they were instantly crushed into ashes and vanished into the air.

The reservoir's originally turbid and churning waters now indifferently reveal a huge fist-shaped imprint several meters wide.

The moment the fist landed, there was a loud "boom," and water sprayed into the sky, truly as turbulent and surging as "water striking three thousand miles."

This incredible scene is enough to prove the terrifying power of Lu Xuan's punch.

"The last one is done, that's about it..."

Lu Xuan still stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from the four middle-aged Taoists, as if the feat of suppressing heaven and earth, crushing ghosts, and stirring up waves with a single punch was nothing more than a casual act.

The middle-aged Taoist priest and his three disciples stood frozen in place, their eyes wide open, their mouths agape, and their jaws almost dropping to the ground.

"Wait, buddy, are you sure you're human?"

These words were like a red-hot iron, stuck in the throats of the middle-aged Taoist priest and his three disciples, and none of them dared to utter them.

The images of the mountain peak's illusory shadow looming over them, the golden light dispelling evil, and the punch startling the water kept replaying in their minds.

Such extraordinary methods are beyond the reach of a "human".
(End of this chapter)