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

Chapter 440: The demons and monsters of the six counties were completely wiped out, and the points skyrocketed!

In the following days, the Talisman Battalion under the Dingnan Army launched attacks in all directions, and a large number of military intelligence reports and requests for assistance were sent to the commander's mansion.

"Report——!"

Lieutenant Mo, holding the dossier, reported loudly to Lu Xuan: "General, the tomb of the former empress has been discovered in Fengluo Town, Dingnan County. The feng shui layout is extremely ominous. We have dispatched three Taoist priests and a thousand elite talisman soldiers to deal with it."

"A report has been received from Yelangyu in Beiyu County that a ferocious beast, suspected to be a spirit, has been sighted. It is savage and bloodthirsty, and has already claimed the lives of more than ten people."

Five hundred talisman soldiers went to clear out the inhabitants and discovered a large number of ancient remains and burial jade artifacts in their lair, suspected to be related to an ancient tomb dating back a thousand years.

"The Zhou family, the richest family in Cen County, were all killed overnight. Their deaths were gruesome, and their resentment was so strong that they turned into vengeful ghosts and occupied the mansion, and began to invade the neighbors."

"Three hundred talisman soldiers have already set out, preparing to forcibly annihilate them."

"Deep within the Jushi Mountains of Pan'an County, the tomb of the first prime minister of the previous dynasty is emitting malevolent energy, and strange phenomena are appearing in the sky."

According to the feng shui master's analysis, this tomb has a "reverse dragon ascending to immortality" layout, indicating that the tomb owner attempted to achieve immortality through corpse liberation.

I have already dispatched an additional 1,500 talisman battalions, carrying "evil-dispelling talismans" personally bestowed by the commander-in-chief, to suppress the evil.

"In the Dahei River basin of Heishi County, a vengeful water ghost has gained considerable power. After slaughtering Huangshi Village, it is now spreading along the river to other towns and villages."
Two thousand talisman-wielding soldiers have arrived, and thirty civilian boats have been requisitioned in preparation for a comprehensive sweep.

Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge map of Qingzhou, his gaze sweeping over the marked locations, and he nodded slightly.

"Send orders to all departments: when encountering demons, subdue them; when encountering monsters, slay them."

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, in Fengluo Town, Dingnan County.

The isolated mountain, which the locals considered a forbidden area, was now filled with soldiers from the Dingnan Army's Talisman Battalion.

The group was led by three Taoist priests employed by the army and a squad leader. All of them looked down at the valley below, which was shrouded in yin energy, with solemn expressions.

"Masters, what is the layout of this tomb? Have you found the entrance?" the captain asked in a deep voice, his hand on the pistol at his waist.

"The commander-in-chief has ordered that our duty as the Talisman Battalion is to exterminate all evil spirits in the world and to never allow any filthy thing to harm the people."

Among the three Taoist priests, the white-bearded old man in the lead held a compass, the needle of which was spinning wildly.

He pointed to an inconspicuous pile of rocks in the valley, where dark energy could be faintly seen seeping out.

"Found it. This is the sign of 'Yin Spring Draining the Earth,' indicating that the tomb owner was drawing upon the Yin energy from the earth to nourish himself, attempting to reincarnate from the dead." The old Taoist priest's tone was stern.

"The entrance is right beneath those rocks, but the aura of corpses there is extremely strong, and there may be some powerful tomb-guarding corpse puppets."

"It's alright." Upon hearing this, the captain was not afraid at all; instead, he revealed a cold smile.

He made a gesture, and the soldiers behind him chambered their bullets in unison, the talismans affixed to their guns glowing a crimson light in the dim daylight.

The three Taoist priests simultaneously reached into their robes and each took out a stack of fiery red "evil-slaying talismans".

This is precisely the anti-evil weapon that every soldier in the Dingnan Army must have, personally taught by Commander Lu.

"Go in," the captain ordered.

"Today is the day to vanquish evil and destroy malevolent forces!"

The soldiers formed a battle formation, using the muzzles of their guns covered in talismans to clear a path, and stepped into the desolate, deathly land that the locals dared not tread.

.........

Cenxian County is a prosperous area to the east of the city.

The once bustling streets are now eerily silent, with doors tightly shut and only the autumn wind swirling fallen leaves across the bluestone slabs.

The source of all this was the most magnificent mansion in the center of the street—the residence of the Zhou family, the richest family in Cen County.

In just one night, more than twenty members of the Zhou family died suddenly, their deaths gruesome.

Subsequently, nightly mournful cries and inexplicable noises emanated from the area, terrifying wealthy and powerful families in the surrounding neighborhoods who fled the place in panic.

Just then, a series of neat and heavy footsteps broke the deathly silence of the street.

A troop of about three hundred soldiers arrived, their military bearing impeccable and their equipment excellent.

Most striking were the faint red runes visible on their rifles.

The leader was a stern-faced military officer.

Two men who appeared to be local gentry had been waiting at the street corner for a long time. Upon seeing the army, they were overjoyed and immediately ran to greet them.
"Captain Yi! You've finally arrived!"

One of the portly gentry men wiped the cold sweat from his brow, pointed at the eerie Zhou mansion, and said with lingering fear, "This is it! Now this whole street, no, the entire Cen County, is pointing to the commander-in-chief's troops!"

Fortunately, we have Commander Lu and the Dingnan Army in Qingzhou. Only then do we ordinary people feel secure and dare to close our eyes at night!

The captain surnamed Yi nodded slightly, glancing at the lifeless high walls of the Zhou residence ahead.

"We don't need the two of you here. You can go back now."

He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a resolute face, and was a true veteran who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He showed no fear whatsoever at the sight of ghosts and spirits that ordinary people would dread, only the resolute determination to carry out military orders.

The next moment, he waved his hand, and three soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward and kicked him without hesitation!
With a loud bang, the vermilion gate, which was sealed shut with white strips of government seal, symbolizing misfortune and taboo, was flung open!

Three hundred soldiers immediately filed in in battle formation and quickly took control of all the key positions in the front yard.

The courtyard was deathly silent, with only the last rays of sunset casting their glow upon this blood-soaked place.

As far as the eye could see, dried, dark red bloodstains covered the bluestone slabs, artificial hills, pillars, and walls, as if a brutal massacre had taken place.

The air was thick with a pungent, fishy stench, and a chilling cold that seeped into the very bones.

Captain Yi swept across the land. He deliberately chose to come at dusk, taking advantage of the moment when yin and yang were changing and night was approaching.

He wanted to see if the vengeful ghost lurking here would dare to show itself before his Dingnan Army tonight!

The sky quickly darkened, the last glimmer of light was swallowed by the night, and the Zhou residence was completely shrouded in darkness.

Three hundred soldiers stood still, their breathing steady, as if they were waiting for something.

"ignition."

At Captain Yi's command, the ten soldiers behind him immediately set to work and lit the torches.

These torches were exactly the same as those used in Dry Stone Town, with red talismans wrapped around their handles.

As the talismanic light swirled, the flames shot up with a "whoosh," steady and bright, completely unaffected by the breeze.

"crunch-"

A faint sound of wood rubbing came from behind, standing out clearly in the deathly silence of the flat ground.

Captain Yi's face was as cold and stern as iron; he didn't even blink.

"boom--!!"

There was a sudden loud explosion!

The door that had been kicked open slammed shut as if pushed violently by an invisible giant hand!

The heavy impact echoed inside the mansion.

Almost at the same instant the gate was closed, a faint sobbing sound came from the embroidered tower at the deepest part of the mansion.

The voice was mournful and plaintive, sometimes loud and sometimes soft. It didn't seem to be right next to your ear, but rather it seemed to be ringing directly in your heart, making your blood boil and your scalp tingle.

Captain Yi's eyes suddenly sharpened. Instead of showing any fear, a cold, almost cruel smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Finally willing to come out?"

He muttered to himself, his thumb on the pistol gently pushing the safety off. A cold wind swept by.

Less than a meter in front of Captain Yi, more than twenty figures appeared out of thin air without warning.

They were dressed in brightly colored silk funeral clothes.

There was an old man with a cane and a dark complexion, a woman holding a baby with blood flowing from her seven orifices, and a young man with a twisted neck and a sinister smile.

Men, women, young and old—a complete family, staring silently and blatantly at Captain Yi with a strange "welcome home" attitude.

However, their "welcome" was truly horrifying. Some had half of their cheeks rotting to the bone, some had their limbs bent at abnormal angles, and some even had their bellies ruptured and intestines spilling out, yet still had stiff smiles on their faces.

Even Captain Yi, a veteran of countless battles and well-prepared, and his three hundred soldiers were stunned when this extremely terrifying scene suddenly appeared face to face.

Everyone instinctively felt a chill and took a half step back in unison!
The next moment, the twenty-odd ghosts seemed to be pulled forward by invisible threads!

Countless ghostly hands with sharp, black fingernails, exuding a chilling cold, reached out to grab Captain Yi, who was standing right in front of him!
Just as the deadly claw was about to touch his face.

"Buzz!"

With a deep, resonant sound, Captain Yi's chest suddenly erupted with a blazing crimson light!

A crimson barrier composed of countless cinnabar runes instantly appeared, its righteous aura blazing like the sun in the sky.

The moment those ghostly hands touched the crimson light, it was as if they had encountered their nemesis, instantly emitting thick white smoke and emitting a "sizzling" burning sound!
"what--!!!"

A piercing, inhuman wail erupted simultaneously from the mouths of more than twenty ghostly spirits.

They were struck as if by an irresistible force, flying backward and landing awkwardly on the bluestone slab six meters away.

Upon closer inspection, these ghostly creatures were surrounded by swirling black energy, clearly indicating that they had suffered considerable injuries.

After the crimson light slowly subsided, Captain Yi still stood proudly, completely unharmed.

He coldly watched the horde of ghosts writhing and howling in front of him, and slowly raised his right hand.

"Fire."

The next moment, a burst of gunfire erupted!

The blazing barrage, drawn by the crimson runes, instantly enveloped the horde of writhing, wailing ghosts in front of them.

The bullet pierced the weakened ghostly bodies, and the spirits could not even put up a decent resistance. Their bodies rapidly dissolved and disintegrated amidst increasingly faint and mournful howls.

In the end, it turned into wisps of smoke, along with the suffocating resentment, and completely dissipated into the night sky.

The gunfire ceased, and the front yard of the mansion returned to silence, leaving only the lingering smell of gunpowder.

The Zhou family's vengeful ghost, which once entrenched itself here and struck fear into the hearts of the entire street, was reduced to ashes in no time before the overwhelming force of the Dingnan Army's Talisman Battalion.

"Ten men per team, search the entire prefecture to confirm whether these ghostly things have completely disappeared." Captain Yi holstered his gun, his tone still calm, as if he had just wiped out a bunch of chickens and dogs.

The moment he gave the order.

"what!!!"

A scream, far sharper than before and filled with resentment and pain, suddenly came from above everyone's heads!

A solid, cyan ghostly figure suddenly appeared directly above Captain Yi, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced down!

Its speed and the strangeness of its form far surpassed those of the miscellaneous ghosts from before.

However, just as it was about to succeed, Captain Yi's body flashed with red light once again.

"Oh!"

The azure shadow and the crimson light collided violently, producing a dull, loud bang.

This time, the counterattack was even more powerful. The blue ghostly figure seemed to have been struck by an invisible heavy hammer, letting out an even more shrill scream.

It shot back at an even faster speed than it had come, crashing heavily into the darkest main building deep within the mansion.

"Hey! There really was a big one hiding there!"

Captain Yi was not surprised at all; on the contrary, he showed an expression that suggested he had expected this.

"I was prepared for this! Now, the walls outside the manor are covered with divine talismans bestowed by the commander-in-chief. Even if the King of Hell himself came today, he'd have to obediently squat in here!"

He turned around, raised his arm, and shouted, his voice echoing throughout the entire mansion: "Brothers! The time to make a name for yourselves has come!"
Whoever is the first to find that bastard gets all the food and drink tonight—I'll treat the whole team to an extra meal, it's my own money!

"Captain is wise!"

Three hundred soldiers cheered in unison, their voices shaking the rooftops, instantly transforming the originally eerie and terrifying haunted house into a thrilling hunting ground.

For thousands of years, it has been evil spirits that have claimed lives. When have you ever seen a living person holding a torch and chasing after a vengeful ghost all over the streets in this deep mansion?
The blue ghostly figure hiding in the shadows finally understood what it meant to be feared like prey.

It runs away from him and he chases it, but it can't fly away even if it has wings.

"Open your third eye!"

At Captain Yi's command, the three hundred soldiers moved in unison, each taking out a crimson talisman from their robes and pressing it without hesitation between their eyebrows, close to their eyes.

The moment the talisman touched the skin, a faint red light flowed, seeping into the skin like a living thing.

The next moment, all the soldiers' eyes were simultaneously enveloped in a hazy red halo, like sparks in the dim courtyard, which was very strange!
From this "sky eye" perspective, the world suddenly changes.

The previously barely perceptible Yin energy and malevolent aura were now clearly visible, and the trails left by the fleeing blue ghostly figure were as conspicuous as a lighthouse in the night.

"Southeast corridor, it's heading towards the well in the inner courtyard!" a soldier immediately reported accurately.

"They've run away again! This house is fucking huge! Quick, go look over there!"

"Huh? Wait... behind the rockery! Hehe, turns out to be a pretty girl, but she has too much of a menacing aura, with such a fierce face."

"Enough with the nonsense, take this shot!"

"Hahaha! I shot inside her thigh! Let's see if she can still run away!"

"Damn it! He slipped through the wall and ran! Chase him!"

The entire Zhou mansion seemed to have become a huge hunting ground. The female ghost in green was in a sorry state. Her once fearsome ghostly powers seemed so ridiculous under the sky full of talisman bullets and the omnipresent "heavenly eye" tracking her.

She had just escaped into a seemingly safe courtyard by using her ghostly body to pass through walls when she was suddenly confronted by a group of fierce soldiers.

The enemy gave her no chance to breathe, raising their gun and firing. The hot bullets made her ghostly body tremble violently, and she screamed incessantly.

Finally, with a desperate scream, she was driven to the brink of despair, and dozens of bullets hit her at the same time, causing her solidified ghostly form to be unable to be maintained any longer.

With a "poof," it exploded into a pool of thick, bluish liquid that kept writhing and emitted a foul stench.

Captain Yi walked forward expressionlessly and casually tossed a crimson talisman onto the liquid.

"boom!"

The intense heat of the sun shot into the sky, and with a final, mournful echo, it completely purified the filth, burning it away without a trace.

"Mission complete." Captain Yi turned around, his voice calm and even. "Fall back."

The ghosts exterminated in these six counties were all converted into Lu Xuan's system points.

Host: Lu Xuan, the Immortal of the Mortal World (Seventh Incarnation)

Realm: Celestial Master (Minor Success)

Technique: Yangyan Talisman Fire True Scripture (10/9) - Can be deduced
Score: 1480000
Consume 140 million system points to deduce the Yangyan Talisman Fire Scripture!

"Deduction!"

(End of this chapter)