One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

"Alright."

Zhang Taichu didn't even glance at the crazy woman again, casually waving his sleeve as if shooing away an annoying fly.

He turned around, his eyes, now clear and bright again, slowly sweeping over everyone present.

Wherever his gaze swept, whether it was Zhang Chulan, Wang Ye, or even Feng Zhenghao and Lu Jin, two of the Ten Elders, they all subconsciously tensed up and slowed their breathing.

The fear of having just witnessed the manipulation of souls and the trampling of the sea of ​​consciousness is not something that can be dispelled in a short time.

Zhang Taichu walked to the stone table that hadn't been broken yet, reached out, and gently patted the floating manuals.

Pop, pop, pop.

The crisp sound echoed in the night sky.

"The Heavenly Records", "The Spirit Capture and the Generals", "The Mysterious Gate of the Wind"...

These peerless manuals, which had caused generations of people in the world of supernatural beings to fight to the death and families to be destroyed, were now scattered there like a few old books that no one cared about.

Now that we've seen the excitement, let's get down to business.

Zhang Taichu casually picked up a copy of "Tongtian Lu," a book that Old Master Lu Jin had treasured for years, even sacrificing his best friend's life for.

Zhang Taichu looked at Lu Jin with a half-smile, his fingers tracing the yellowed pages of the book:

"Old Master Lu, may I ask you a question?"

"Over the past few decades, have you been living with this thing? Has it made you successful, or has it... trapped you?"

Lu Jin shuddered violently, a trace of confusion flashing in his cloudy old eyes, which then turned into deep bitterness.

Trapped?

It's more than just being trapped.

This Heavenly Scroll was like a mountain, pressing down on the Lu family and on Lu Jin's heart, making it hard for him to breathe. To protect it, to prevent it from falling into the hands of villains, he had lived a life far too tiring.

"And you, President Feng."

Before Lu Jin could answer, Zhang Taichu turned his gaze to Feng Zhenghao, who was standing on the other side.

This powerful figure from the World Society was adjusting his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses revealing a complex and unfathomable expression.

"The art of summoning and controlling spirits, the method of subduing spirits." Zhang Taichu clicked his tongue twice, his tone filled with undisguised mockery. "It makes the dead restless and turns the living into monsters. The Feng family guards this thing, and besides attracting mad dogs like the Wang family, what good has it ever brought them?"

Feng Zhenghao clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his flesh.

He wanted to argue.

That is the foundation upon which the Feng family stands; that is the legacy left by their ancestors.

But looking at Qu Tong, who was still eating mud not far away, and at the mess all over the place, the words of rebuttal that were on the tip of his tongue turned into a heavy sigh.

"As for you..."

Zhang Taichu finally looked at Wang Ye.

Master Wang gave a wry smile, hid the thermos behind his back, and shrugged.

"Alright, Lao Zhang, you don't need to mention me anymore."

I know what you're trying to say.

"Feng Hou Qi Men, it's all about disrupting the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) and covering the changes of the heavens. It sounds impressive, but it's actually just a lousy guide who leads people into dead ends."

"The more you calculate, the faster you die."

Zhang Taichu nodded in satisfaction:

"Looks like you guys aren't too stupid after all."

call--

Without any warning.

A golden flame suddenly rose from Zhang Taichu's palm.

The flames were no ordinary fire; they flickered with lightning and emanated a terrifying, world-destroying aura.

"Since everyone knows they are a menace, then they cannot be allowed to live."

"Don't!!"

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

But it was too late.

Under the licking of the golden flames, those few rare manuals containing the secrets of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques couldn't even last a second.

wow-

There wasn't even any black smoke coming out.

They transformed directly into the purest nothingness and vanished into the air.

"That's...that's one of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques!!"

Zhang Chulan's eyes widened, feeling his heart clench. Although he knew it was a menace, witnessing such a treasure reduced to ashes was still incredibly shocking.

"baby?"

Zhang Taichu shook his hand as if he had just burned a few pieces of waste paper.

He raised his head, looking at the still-dark night sky above, and his voice suddenly became ethereal:

"Do you really think that those thirty-six audacious fellows back then comprehended some profound truth in those twenty-four sections of the Heavenly Valley?"

"That's bullshit."

Zhang Taichu chuckled, raised a finger, and pointed it to the sky:

"The rules set by God were originally perfectly in place."

"But those thirty-six thieves managed to... tear several holes in the sky."

"The Eight Extraordinary Techniques, to put it bluntly, are bugs that were exploited within the rules of Heaven."

"BUG?" Zhang Chulan was stunned. The word sounded completely out of place coming from a Taoist priest.

"That's right, it's a vulnerability."

Zhang Taichu paced back and forth along the edge of the cliff, his hands behind his back.

"The Dual-Handed Technique modifies the soul, the Feng Hou Qi Men manipulates time, and the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief devours life force..."

"Which of these abilities doesn't challenge the bottom line of the rules? Which one doesn't defy the heavens?"

"Use it once, and the day will be lost by one minute."

"I used too much..."

Zhang Taichu stopped in his tracks, his golden eyes suddenly fixed on Feng Zhenghao, Lu Jin, and Wang Ye:

"This divine punishment will fall upon you."

The three people whose gazes were fixed on him felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

"so."

Zhang Taichu slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread, his palm facing the three of them:

"Since I'm going to clean up this mess today..."

"Then... let's go all the way."

Buzz!

An irresistible suction force suddenly erupted from Zhang Taichu's palm.

That's not a suction force targeting the physical body.

That is a domineering plunder that directly affects the primordial Qi and the depths of the soul!

"Ugh!!"

Feng Zhenghao let out a muffled groan, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Black smoke began to seep from his seven orifices, and even from every pore of his body.

That's... a spirit contract for binding and commanding spirits!

The spirits that had originally resided in his body and were worshipped or enslaved by the Feng family for generations now seemed to have encountered some terrifying natural enemy. They rushed out of his body and gathered into a black torrent, heading straight for Zhang Taichu's palm.

"My... Qi..."

Lu Jin's face also turned red. He felt that the Tongtianlu runes that had been circulating in his body for decades were being forcibly stripped away by a brute force.

Those were phantom images of talismans formed from primordial Qi.

Shangqing Thunder Talisman, Ghost Wandering Talisman, Scripture Sealing Talisman...

Hundreds and thousands of runes flew out from his aged body, leaving dazzling trails of light in the air.

As for the king.

The young Taoist priest reacted the most.

The Qimen formation beneath his feet unfolded automatically, only to crumble in an instant.

"Holy crap... Old Zhang, are you serious?!"

Wang felt as if a giant hand had been shoved into his head, pulling out all his insights about Feng Hou Qi Men and all the intricate changes in location.

Does it hurt?

It doesn't hurt.

in contrast.

As those powers fade away.

Feng Zhenghao's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. He felt as if his already overburdened soul had been relieved of a tremendous burden. The anxiety of constantly fearing backlash and walking on thin ice vanished completely as the black energy departed.

Lu Jin's previously hunched back gradually straightened. Without the violent force of the Tongtian Talisman, the somewhat disordered qi and blood in his body miraculously calmed down.

"call……"

Wang Ye plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, but a relieved smile appeared on his face:

"That feels so good..."

"This damn interior... finally I don't have to suffer from it every day."

Three distinct energy flows—black spiritual energy, white talismanic light, and cyan Qimen formation.

It gathered, compressed, and spun wildly above Zhang Taichu's palm.

Squeak, squeak...

The space groaned under the strain.

Zhang Taichu's palm was as steady as Mount Tai. No matter how the three forces struggled or raged, they could only obediently submit between his five fingers.

"Give this to me... Condensation!"

Zhang Taichu gave a soft shout and clenched his fist tightly.

boom!

A low, muffled thud.

All the light and all the energy fluctuations vanished in that instant.

Zhang Taichu slowly opened his palm.

In the palm of his hand.

A bead the size of a longan lay quietly.

The bead was crystal clear, with black, white and blue halos flowing across its surface. It looked incredibly beautiful, yet it also exuded a terrifying aura.

This is the essence of the Eight Extraordinary Skills.

This is the culprit who has stirred up trouble across the world for decades.

Now, it's just a bead.

"Master...Grandmaster..."

Zhang Chulan swallowed hard, looked at the bead, then at Zhang Taichu standing on the edge of the cliff, and a strange sense of panic suddenly welled up in his heart.

Its daybreak.

On the eastern horizon, the once thick darkness was finally torn open.

A pale, fish-belly white light, carrying the first rays of dawn, quietly fell upon the summit of Longhu Mountain.

The light was not strong.

But when the light shone on Zhang Taichu, a scene unfolded that sent chills down everyone's spines.

The light... passed through it.

Zhang Taichu's white robe and his originally solid body suddenly became somewhat... translucent.

It's like a projection that could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

An indescribable air of otherworldly grace emanated from him.

The feeling was as if he was still standing there, yet he no longer belonged to this world.

"Junior brother..."

Zhang Zhiwei, the old master who had been standing silently to the side, finally spoke up.

The old celestial master's hand trembled slightly, and a rare hint of reluctance appeared in his eyes, which had seen through the vicissitudes of life.

"What are you doing...?"

Zhang Taichu turned around.

At that moment, he was radiant. The light wasn't dazzling, but gentle, as if it were washing away all the filth of the world.

He looked down at the bead in his hand that contained the power of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, then looked up at the increasingly bright sky above.

His lips curled up slightly, revealing his signature smile, which carried a hint of laziness and arrogance.

"There's nothing I can do, senior brother."

Zhang Taichu played with the beads in his hand, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about what to have for breakfast today:

"I ate too much at this meal."

He pointed to the bead, then to his own body, which was beginning to fade into nothingness:

"If you can't digest it, your stomach will burst."

The wind blew by.

The wind blew his long hair, making his body appear even more ethereal.

Zhang Taichu took a deep breath of the morning air, which was still damp with dew. A faint trace of longing flashed in his eyes, but more than that, there was a resolute determination to embark on a long journey.

"This world..."

He sighed softly, his voice carried away on the morning breeze to a very, very far place:

"Too small."

"It's already... impossible to keep this humble Taoist priest."