Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 170 Paper Head
"You're going to die now?"

Chen Ji was a little surprised.

Judging from their auras, the white bone demon was not much different from the wolf blood demon, so I didn't expect to kill it so easily.

Although it was he who acted together with Daoist Xiyun and Monk Zhenru.

But it wouldn't necessarily mean death.

"Fellow Daoist, be careful, this demon is not dead yet."

Master Xiyun suddenly reminded him.

"Ok?"

Just as he was about to turn around and ask for details, he heard the broken bone fragments on the ground surge like flowing water, piecing themselves back together to form the large, standing skeleton that was still holding a spiked club with a human head in its hand.

"You old bastard, you're asking for death!"

The white-boned demon swung its spiked club at Daoist Xiyun.

He used his brute strength without holding back, and an explosion rang out in the air.

Master Xiyun had a flowing white beard and didn't look like someone skilled in physical combat. Chen Ji subconsciously raised his finger to unleash the Wall-Opening Technique.

But in the blink of an eye, Master Xiyun acted even faster.

With a flick of his wrists, several yellow talismans burned, instantly releasing a rich aroma of incense.

Master Xiyun emitted more than a dozen rays of light, his whole body swelled up, and he was coated with a layer of golden light, dazzling and eye-catching.

"Well done!"

Master Xiyun roared and drew his peach wood sword to meet the white bone demon.

"Zhi!"

The sword struck the white bones, and although they were made of peach wood and bone, they produced a metallic clang.

Chen Ji was even more surprised that Master Xiyun's power was far greater than he had imagined.

Swords clashed, and Daoist Xiyun did not retreat a single step, while the White Bone Demon was forced back several steps.

Even the point where the spiked club and the peach wood sword collided exploded with fine spiderweb patterns, and emitted thick black smoke that shot straight towards Daoist Xiyun.

"Fellow Taoist, be careful!"

As soon as the monk Zhenru uttered his words, the smoke stopped two feet away from Daoist Xiyun.

Master Xiyun raised his finger and lightly touched the smoke, just like melting snow in a furnace, causing the ice and snow to melt away in an instant.

As the monk Zhenru watched this scene, he clasped his hands together and silently recited Amitabha.

"Fellow Daoist, be careful... Don't kill this demon, Fellow Daoist Chen might ask you questions."

"..."

Chen Ji couldn't help but turn his head to look.

This monk Zhenru is indeed a Buddhist master with profound wisdom; ordinary people cannot react so quickly.

However, Chen Ji was somewhat surprised.

Although Master Xiyun also went to exorcise demons and capture ghosts before, he did not directly use magic to fight the demons and ghosts.

Judging from his appearance, I originally thought he was skilled in the art of setting up an altar to invite gods.

After all, the impression of enlightened masters is that they are like this.

Unexpectedly, he used a talisman to enhance himself before wielding a sword to slay demons, and in terms of swordsmanship, he seemed to be much more skilled than Yan Chixia.

No wonder Yan Chixia wanted him to settle scores for him after they met.

Fortunately, Master Xiyun did not personally intervene at that time, otherwise I probably would not have been able to defeat him either.

Chen Ji thought to himself silently.

Looking at the field again, death energy surged from the White Bone Demon's body as it repaired the spiked club in its hand.

He stared at Daoist Xiyun with empty eye sockets, gritting his teeth.

"That old bull-nose has ruined my cultivation!"

"Today I'll risk my life to make you know..."

"Bang! Whoosh!"

Before the white bone demon could finish speaking, he heard the sound of a mechanism being activated, and the next instant, he heard the sound of air being torn apart.

It wasn't just directed at Daoist Xiyun.

Instead, all around him, as far as the eye could see, were three-inch-long sharp bone spurs, faintly gleaming with blood and black light.

Without needing to react, Chen Ji's mind raced, and he simultaneously unleashed the Cloud Avatar and the Fossil Technique.

The bone spur on one side pierced through the clouds without harming Chen Ji in the slightest.

The other half landed on the stone, making a few scattered noises, leaving only some white spots on the petrified skin.

Even a monk like Zhenru has ways to resist.

After quickly reciting a Buddhist scripture, a large bell formed of golden light appeared around him, enveloping him.

The bone spur pierced the golden bell and dissipated just like the black energy that had attacked Daoist Xiyun earlier.

As for Miss Bai, she was probably the most relaxed one.

He didn't even move, but simply looked up in the direction of the white bone demon.

The air became blurred as if scorched by flames, and the bone spurs were charred black before they even reached Miss Bai.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted bone marrow.

However, Chen Ji dared not even entertain the slightest thought of eating.

Putting aside the fact that this skeleton demon might have been human in his previous life, just looking at the human heads he ate completely made me lose my appetite and even feel disgusted.

So he simply looked at Daoist Xiyun.

Their eyes met, and they both understood each other's meaning.

This demon needs no living; just kill it.

"Fellow Daoist, please be careful. The Bone Demon has no soul; all its spirituality and demonic nature are contained within its bones. The fragments from before are not enough to kill it; you must burn its spirituality."

"You old bastard, you're asking for it! You're courting death!"

The white bone demon roared and cursed angrily.

Unfortunately, Chen Ji already knew how to kill him.

He raised his hand to perform the Wall Spreading Technique, then lit the Netherfire Candlestick and blew out a breath.

"Wow!"

The bone fragments shattered on the ground, but unlike before, each fragment pulsed with green ghostly flames.

"what!"

The white bone demon cried out in pain, and the fragments scattered on the ground twisted and swayed, as if trying to reassemble into a skeleton.

"You... have ruined my cultivation and damaged my power, and now you want to kill me all! You will all die a horrible death!"

"I...I'll make you all pay with your lives!"

The white bone demon was engulfed in ghostly flames, and its phantom appeared in the air, gritting its teeth as it stared into the depths of the chaotic graveyard.

Where is the Ghost King?

"I've agreed to what you asked for. As long as you kill these Taoist priests to avenge me, I will..."

"Ah! You will all die a horrible death!"

The white bone demon, clinging to its last breath, uttered these words before struggling a few times and finally lying motionless on the ground.

"This time he's really dead."

Under the Qi Observation Technique, Chen Ji couldn't see even a trace of spiritual energy, so he leisurely explained the situation to Daoist Xiyun and the others.

The monk and the Taoist priest looked at the bone fragments on the ground and both nodded.

"He is indeed dead."

Then he looked at Miss Bai and bowed deeply.

If it weren't for Miss Bai's reminder, they wouldn't have thought of isolating themselves from breath and sound.

It was thanks to Miss Bai's methods that the White Bone Demon's dying counterattack might have actually attracted the Ghost King.

After all, the existence of the Ghost King is a secret. This Bone Demon is a local demon, and may even be related to the corpses in the mass grave, which is why it knows the news and is still alive.

If they knew, the Ghost King probably wouldn't let them off the hook.

"We still need to be careful. After all, this is where the Ghost King resides. I've been isolated for too long, and it's easy for him to discover problems."

"go!"

"Wait a moment!"

Master Xiyun called out to the three of them and hurriedly bent down to gather the bone fragments on the ground.

Take the opportunity to ask them.

"Do you still want these bones, fellow Daoists?"

As Master Xiyun bent down to gather the bone fragments, he casually asked a question.

Chen Ji asked in confusion what the thing was for.

"Demon bones are good materials. They can be used to summon soldiers and draw talismans. If used to make mechanical puppets, they can also be used to inscribe magic arrays."

"Skeleton demons like this are rare, and when combined with lightning-struck wood, they become even better materials."

"I thought that the Taoist priests on the mountain had never seen these things before, so I took them back for use."

"I don't need it."

The young lady in white waved her hand casually.

"This humble monk has no use for it."

Even if a monk were to clasp his hands in thanks, it would be unnecessary.

"Then I'll take a few slices."

Chen Ji didn't want it at first, but then he remembered that he still had the Copper Puppet Technique, so he still needed some.

This technique begins by refining copper coins into puppets, taking the human energy from the copper coins to facilitate the later awakening of the puppet's spirit.

At this point, it is necessary to inscribe rune arrays inside in order to cultivate puppets for different purposes.

If this bone fragment can be inscribed with runes, it will save time searching for materials. "How much do you need, fellow Daoist? You may take it first."

Master Xiyun quickly stepped aside.

Chen Ji stopped him from moving.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so polite. Ten or so pieces will be enough for me."

Chen Ji didn't pick and choose, he grabbed a handful and put them away, and handed the rest to Daoist Xiyun.

In just a few breaths, everything was ready, and then they used their abilities to conceal their presence and ride the wind away.

Just arrived at the City God Temple.

Chen Ji then saw Bai Qi absorbing the essence of the moon in the courtyard.

There was a lifelike paper head lying next to him. If they didn't know that Bai Qi had gone to find paper heads, they would have thought that he had brought back a real human head.

As the group landed, Bai Qi's ears twitched, and he woke up.

"Hey, Miss Bai, sir, where have you been?"

"Since I wasn't in a hurry to wait for you, I went out to bask in the moonlight for a while."

Chen Ji smiled slightly.

"Can you sunbathe under the moon?"

"nature."

The three people and the fox laughed together, without revealing that they had already returned from exorcising the demon, lest Bai Qi complain again about why he hadn't taken him to see the excitement.

Chen Ji then asked Bai Qi why it took him so long to get the paper offerings back.

After listening, Bai Qi poured out his grievances.

"Sir, you may not know this, but there are only three paper craft shops in this town."

“When you asked me to find paper offerings, I went to the first shop, but he was out on business and wasn’t there.”

"I went to the second shop, but when I said I only wanted a head, he said I was joking and that no one would just make a paper head, and he kicked me out."

"Only the third company spoke to me properly, asking what kind of head I wanted and even asking for a portrait. Only then did they slowly make it for me."

"Sir, the people in this town are all bad; only the third paper-craft shop has good people."

"Is it?"

Before Chen Ji could speak, Miss Bai asked with a smile.

Chen Ji stepped aside and looked at Bai Qi, shaking his head slightly.

I'm afraid Bai Qi is going to suffer some hardship today.

Master Xiyun and Monk Zhenru understood what was going on when they saw the severed head, and they stepped back together.

"This……"

Seeing their reaction, Bai Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly grinned at Miss Bai.

"Miss Bai, has...did I do something wrong again?"

"Didn't you take a closer look at this paper offering?"

Bai Qi hurriedly grabbed the paper head and examined it closely, but after turning it left and right, he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"Miss Bai, this seems to be just an ordinary paper effigy..."

The young woman picked up the paper offering and sighed.

"I told you to learn more magic beforehand, so that you wouldn't be harmed by evil blood demons in the future due to your lack of knowledge."

"You're something else. All you know is how to practice the Wall Opening Technique. Have you not studied any other techniques at all?"

"We didn't just follow the master's instructions to repair the road."

Bai Qi lowered his head and muttered to himself.

"You dare to bring up the gentleman!"

Miss Bai glared fiercely at Bai Qi.

"Explain in detail how these paper offerings were made."

Bai Qi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly began to speak earnestly.

“When I arrived, he was splitting bamboo strips, and that’s when I told him my requirements.”

"He said there was no problem, and told me to wait aside while he went to process the bamboo strips and paper."

"They took some paint and paper to mix colors, and this is what they gave me in the end."

"Didn't I tell you there were any talismans in this?"

"That was mentioned."

Bai Qi scratched his head.

"The shopkeeper said that they do this for the sake of peace, so each paper offering contains a talisman for the deceased to be reincarnated soon."

“He had a stack of them, and I noticed he always kept them like that, so I didn’t pay any attention to it.”

"But I also need to see one. It is indeed a talisman for the Rebirth Mantra."

After saying that, he suddenly realized something and looked at the paper effigy.

"Miss Bai, could there be something wrong with this talisman?"

"Not stupid."

The young lady casually tapped the paper offering and took out a neatly folded triangular piece of yellow paper from a distance.

"Take a look now, what kind of talisman this is."

As he spoke, he unfolded the talisman and handed it to Bai Qi.

"How... how is this a corpse-controlling talisman?"

Bai Qi took it and stared at it, stunned.

"What would an ordinary person like him want a corpse for?"

"Blood food, puppets, oil refining, ghost soldiers—there are many things that can be done."

"I'll go find him right now!"

Bai Qi, his blood boiling, grabbed the paper offering and was about to rush out.

"return."

Miss Bai raised her hand and pulled back, and an invisible force lifted Bai Qi back, making him hang obediently in mid-air.

It's just that Miss Bai is used to the way she usually catches foxes.

Looking at Bai Qi in human form before him, he realized that he was almost suffocating from being held by the neck, so he let go and shook his head.

"Wouldn't you be alerting him if you went over there now? How would you know what he wants with this corpse?"

"so what should I do?"

Miss Bai thought for a moment, then looked at the headless ghost and nodded slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you for a while."

"It's alright. The immortals helped me get revenge and solved a big problem. It's just that I'll have to lie in a coffin with this paper head for a while. It's nothing."

"Besides, this matter was started because of me, so please don't let it delay your important business, immortals."

The headless ghost was not stupid; upon hearing their discussion, it understood that they wanted it to act as bait to lure out the paper craftsman behind them.

If I agree, my body will certainly be in danger.

However, a scholar can die for one who understands him. Now that the other party has shown him great kindness, and he is already dead, why should he be reluctant to part with his body?

Upon hearing this, Miss Bai's eyes flickered slightly, and she nodded in thanks.

"No need to thank me, otherwise I would be embarrassed."

The headless ghost bowed respectfully and then asked what he needed to do.

"Just bury him with this paper effigy of a human head on his head."

"Can we go back to the old coffin?"

"nature."

The headless ghost laughed loudly.

"Then we'll have to ask the immortals to help dig up the grave and send my body in. I can't move the earth right now."

"As it should be."

Chen Ji's eyes flickered, and he led the headless ghost to the place where it had been buried to perform the Wall-Opening Technique.

The ground cracked open, revealing a thin-skinned coffin.

"Pah! How heartless! They killed me and won't even give me a decent coffin."

The headless ghost, now topped with a paper head, could see normally, but it still looked annoyed at the coffin.

After uttering a curse, he bowed to Chen Ji.

"Please forgive me, Immortal. It was truly unbearable to see this. I felt much better after cursing it."

"It's okay to scold them."

After Chen Ji finished speaking, the headless ghost paused for a moment, then grinned and lay down in the coffin.

"My lord, you are truly different from all the other masters I have ever met."

"Ok?"

"You're more humane than they are, Immortal."

Chen Ji remained silent upon hearing this.

Before I could say anything more, I saw that the headless ghost had already lay down, his face peaceful, and the sound of roosters crowing could be heard in the distance as the sky began to lighten.

Delaying any further would be detrimental to the spirits and would be counterproductive.

They didn't say anything more, only telling him that they would be watching over them and that he could rest assured.

They then used their magic to bury the coffin again.

Since the burial was fresh, there was no need to cover up the traces of digging.

After cleaning up the surrounding dust, he lit three incense sticks, took out some offerings, and performed a ritual before returning to the City God Temple to wait for the paper craftsman to begin.

(End of this chapter)