I used folk talismans to ward off the evil spirit.

Chapter 98 Divine Rooster's Path of Derivation, Branch of Suppressing Objects (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Longhu Mountain, Celestial Master's Mansion.

Jiang Jun sat cross-legged in the center of the Seven Star Ancient Camphor Tree, the purple and silver lightning around him gradually receding. He opened his eyes and sighed softly.

The old celestial master stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the terrace, the Azure Dragon Stone and the Crimson Tiger Stone radiating light, steadily suppressing the ancient tree's struggle and resistance.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Jiang Jun, and said in a calm tone, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to take it to heart. You've already done your best."

"The fact that so many people survived in Santos is largely thanks to you. But—in the end, they still have to save themselves."

Jiang Jun shook his head, remained silent for a moment, and slowly said, "Our ancestors once expressed their aspirations in a poem: 'Wailing cries fill the land, blood stains the city, all for the sake of saving the common people.' I am not lamenting for the Samba Kingdom, but for those innocent people who lost their lives—"

He paused, his voice lowering slightly: "Celestial Master, the founder of the Samba Kingdom—why haven't you taken action?"

The old master understood another layer of meaning in his words: it also implied that he was asking why he didn't take action.

He did not evade the question, but stated frankly, "The crisis facing Earth is far more complex than just the outbreak of strange disasters in a few cities or countries."

"Every Pathfinder has to deal with too many calamities. Just like this Dragon Tiger Mountain," he pointed to the plateau beneath his feet, "this is one of the earliest front lines of the Abyss's invasion."

"The entire territory of the Celestial Master's Mansion actually faces the Abyss of Ghosts, and a ghostly calamity erupts here and there from time to time. If I leave, chaos could break out here at any moment—"

"When I dealt with the Five Gu Sect and the Ghost Soul Sect, and when I went to the Root Land to protect you, my fellow Daoist, I took advantage of the calm in the Ghost Abyss to leave."

"It is only because you, fellow Daoist, have recently embarked on the path and have not yet established a sect that you need to protect a place. Otherwise, I would not have easily invited you to come and help purify this Seven Star Ghost Camphor Tree."

Jiang Jun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

The old master continued, "The Daoist who pioneered the Samba Kingdom was also held back. But I cannot say more about the specifics."

"But that city was abandoned not because he didn't want to save it, but because he couldn't. The Samba Kingdom did a poor job in this strange disaster, but—it did try its best."

Jiang Jun remained silent and did not ask any further questions.

Just as he was about to continue using the "Five-Colored Stone" to purify the Seven Star Ghost Camphor Tree, his divine sense suddenly detected a familiar aura.

In Santos, Marcos was holding the lightning-struck peach wood sword, looking up at the sky with a hesitant expression, seemingly wanting to return the sword but unsure how.

Jiang Jun's heart stirred, and the guiding force descended.

Marcos and Fire Feather emerged from the void and landed within the blue-red light curtain.

As soon as Huo Yu landed, she shook her wings and then saw Jiang Jun sitting in the middle of the ancient tree.

It immediately dropped its arrogant posture, shrank its neck, folded its wings, and tried to curl itself into a ball. It squatted on the ground, its big eyes blinking as it looked at Jiang Jun.

But with its height of over a meter, it couldn't shrink much, looking more like a giant bird trying to pretend to be a chick, which was quite comical.

The old master's lips twitched slightly as he looked away.

Jiang Jun didn't laugh. He reached out his hand, and Huo Yu cautiously walked over, lowered her head, and rubbed her palm against his.

Jiang Jun gently stroked its fiery crest and said softly, "Good bird. Much better than many of those two-faced beasts."

Huo Yu murmured something, her eyes shining.

Marcos quickly stepped forward and handed back the lightning-struck peach wood sword with both hands: "Senior, your magic sword."

Jiang Jun took the sword and casually placed it beside him. His gaze fell on Marcos, and after a quick scan with his divine sense, he nodded slightly: "You've already completed your 'Creation Lotus'? The progress was a bit slow, but fortunately, the foundation is solid. You've turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise!"

"In that case, I will pass on to you the visualization diagram for the later stage of the Five-Colored Stones. You should diligently practice it in the future and strive to advance to the Fusion Realm as soon as possible."

He raised his hand and pointed, a point of golden light entering Marcos's brow.

Marcos closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, then opened them, his face full of gratitude: "Thank you, senior!"

Jiang Jun glanced at Huo Yu again, then suddenly paused, a hint of surprise in his expression.

He sensed it carefully for a moment, then slowly said, "You bird are quite fortunate. You actually possess a unique aura—are you—a phoenix?"

He looked at Marcos: "Do you carry your 'Divine Rooster Talisman' with you at all times?"

"I brought it!" Marcos quickly took out a yellow talisman and respectfully presented it to Jiang Jun.

Jiang Jun reached out and took it, his divine sense sweeping over the talisman inch by inch, his brows gradually rising: "A talisman that has already taken shape can actually evolve on its own?"

The large characters "The Divine Rooster is Here" on the divine rooster talisman had become somewhat blurred, while the fire patterns below had gained a more sacred connotation.

He examined him for a moment, then looked at Marcos: "Unexpectedly, you've stumbled upon something new based on the 'Divine Rooster Talisman.' You've actually gotten ahead of Cai Liang and the others—"

Marcos scratched his head and said honestly, "Senior, I—I don't know! It was all thanks to Fire Feather's own efforts. I—I was carried by it."

Jiang Jun smiled and patted Marcos on the shoulder: "Take good care of it. You might go further on this path than anyone else—"

Marcos nodded vigorously and looked down at Firefeather.

Huo Yu held his head high, glancing at him sideways with an air of arrogance.

Marcos chuckled and reached out to hug it, but Firefeather flapped its wings, jumped back two steps, and made two "cooing" sounds, clearly disgusted.

Marcos and Firefeather were quickly sent back.

The old celestial master looked at the lightning-struck peach wood sword beside Jiang Jun, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

"No wonder your peach wood sword can directly kill a lord-level monster. It turns out it's made of this divine object, lightning-struck peach wood, which can influence the laws of the real world."

"In this way, as long as the absolute power is strong enough, it is indeed possible to ignore the extraordinary characteristics and directly kill the lord-level monster."

""

He paused, then asked, "Fellow Daoist, aren't you worried about your Dao being destroyed by using the laws of the world like this?"

Jiang Jun was also somewhat surprised.

He sensed it for a moment, then laughed, "This time, the Daoist energy that was triggered—was absorbed by this lightning-struck peach wood sword. As a result, not only is it unharmed, but it has become even more wondrous, further enhancing its effectiveness against monsters—"

The old celestial master's eye twitched slightly, and his tone carried a hint of admiration: "Fellow Daoist, your method of suppressing objects—is indeed extraordinary."

"You flatter me, Celestial Master," Jiang Jun said modestly.

After exchanging a few more polite words, Jiang Jun sat down cross-legged again.

He closed his eyes, and five-colored light emanated from between his brows once more, guiding his divine sense and true energy to seep into the Seven Star Ghost Camphor Tree.

Sensing the approaching purification fluctuations, the eerie face on the tree trunk twisted and deformed, emitting a silent roar, and the eerie energy surged like a tide, colliding with the five-colored light.

Outside the blue and red light curtain, the old Celestial Master stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the intertwined light and shadow, without uttering another sound.