Taoist priests in the supernatural world

The text in yellow and white describes the content of the magical duel.

What is listed on the paper is not a simple agreement on victory or defeat, but a procedure for the contest.

After Huang Bai finished writing, he folded the paper into origami cranes and handed them to Uncle Jiu.

"This letter is addressed to Shi Jian."

"Let's see if there's anything else he needs to add."

A battle of wits doesn't necessarily start with a life-or-death struggle.

Especially since this is a public contest, with heaven, earth, humans, ghosts, and gods all watching, there must be a counter-strategy element.

It's important to distinguish between superior and inferior individuals, and also to make it clear to others.

Uncle Nine took the paper crane and nodded, saying:

"it is good."

He made a hand gesture and gently blew on the paper crane.

The paper crane flapped its wings and came to life. It flew around the ancestral hall once, then turned into a white shadow and flew out of the mortuary.

Huang Bai watched the paper crane depart, a hint of interest in his eyes.

"That paper crane message technique is quite good. Teach me sometime."

"In return, I can give you a pill that can regenerate a severed limb."

The paper cranes used for sending messages from Maoshan were indeed convenient.

Especially in this era without personal telephones, as long as the location is accurately pinpointed by the magic, the call can be delivered, no matter where the recipient is in the deep mountains or remote towns.

Uncle Nine's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the words "limb regeneration".

Such elixirs are quite valuable.

He nodded almost without hesitation.

"Okay, deal."

In the following days, paper cranes were sent back and forth continuously.

Shi Jian also added a lot of rules.

The two sides exchanged several letters back and forth, and finally determined the content of the contest.

August fifteen.

On a night with a full moon.

Yuezhou City.

……

August fifteen.

night.

The full moon hangs high in the sky, its clear light bathing the city of Yuezhou.

The usually bustling streets were much quieter at this time.

Armed soldiers guarded every intersection, and shops along the street closed early.

Ordinary people only knew that something big was happening in the city tonight, but no one dared to approach the square.

On the largest square, two altars, each nine feet tall, were placed on the left and right.

The altar on the left is based on the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), with yellow cloth covering the ground and cinnabar talismans surrounding it.

On the right side of the altar, five-colored talisman flags are arranged in formation, and golden lamps, incense burners, dharma seals, and whisks are displayed in sequence.

Around the altar, rows of seats had already been arranged.

The people sitting in the front row are Taoist masters from various schools, renowned figures from folk lineages, and members of the Huaxia Prayer Association.

Next came the VIPs who were invited to attend the ceremony.

Further out, soldiers stood guard with their guns at the ready.

The street-facing windows of nearby restaurants, inns, and hotels have already been sold for exorbitant prices.

On the top floor of the highest restaurant lived Hong Wen, the new dynasty's ruler.

Hongwu stood by his side, his gaze fixed on the square, his expression solemn.

Besides cultivators from China, many overseas spies also came secretly to investigate.

They also wanted to see just how much hidden depth this gradually rising ancient civilization still possessed.

Above the nine heavens, clouds rise and fall, and auspicious energy surges.

Ordinary people cannot see it, but cultivators can all sense it; countless gazes are falling from the void.

That is because all the dharma realms, ghosts and gods, underworld officials, mountain spirits and wild monsters are paying attention to this place.

Heaven, earth, man, gods, and ghosts—all converge from all directions.

Uncle Nine changed into a formal Taoist robe.

He wore an octagonal crown and held a magic sword, standing between two altars.

The time is approaching.

Uncle Nine looked up at the bright moon, then sang loudly:

"The time has come! Monks, take your positions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of Maoshan Taoist priests dressed in yellow robes surged into the Bagua altar on the left.

The disciples of Maoshan stood in a line and unanimously offered up yellow talismans.

The yellow talismans flew into the air, connecting with each other to form a golden floating bridge in the void.

The bridge, formed from talismanic light, spans the ground and the nine-zhang-high altar.

All the Maoshan Taoist priests bowed at the same time.

"Welcome, Master of Maoshan Sect!"

The voice just fell.

Suddenly, a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

Shi Jian, dressed in a black and white yin-yang Taoist robe, his body crackling with electricity, strode onto the talisman bridge.

With each step he took, lightning exploded beneath his feet.

Electric sparks danced, making his eyes appear like lightning and his beard and hair fly wildly.

When he ascended the nine-zhang-high altar, the entire altar was illuminated with a faint flash of lightning.

Such a grand display immediately drew gasps of surprise from those around.

"Such a powerful aura of lightning magic!"

"The Maoshan Sect Leader truly lives up to his reputation."

Shi Jian stood on the altar, looking down at the surroundings with a cold expression.

Uncle Nine withdrew his gaze, turned to the other side, and continued to sing loudly in response:

"Please welcome the President of the All-China Taoist Association."

"President of the Huaxia Prayer Association"

"Yellow and white!"

The words fell.

The full moon in the sky suddenly dimmed.

Everyone only noticed a slight change in the light before their eyes.

Someone exclaimed:

"Tengu eclipses the moon?"

More people looked up at the night sky.

Suddenly, a huge white crane appeared before the bright moon, its wings spread wide, blocking out a large portion of the moonlight.

The white crane's body is as white as jade, with a faint golden sheen along the edges of its feathers.

On the back of the crane, a Taoist priest with a golden crown and yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back.

Beside him were Yellow Turban warriors clearing the way, and golden boys and jade maidens holding lamps and incense.

Two dragons, one of fire and one of water, coiled left and right, illuminating half of the night sky as crimson and the other as deep blue.

Huang Bai, riding on a crane, slowly descended from under the moon.

His sleeves fluttered, and his expression remained calm.

As the crane landed, its wings stirred up a gentle breeze, causing the banners on the square to flutter in the wind.

The yellow and white objects landed steadily on the right side of the altar.

The white crane transformed into a paper talisman and fell into his sleeve.

The fire dragon and the cold dragon circled once and then disappeared to the left and right of the altar.

This scene also drew gasps of surprise from all sides.

A grand spectacle, paved with thunder.

A mysterious magic trick was used, and the person arrived riding a crane.

Both sides have their own unique characteristics and abilities.

Uncle Nine stood in the middle, and seeing that the two were already in place, he announced loudly:

"Both sides are in position."

"Next, the first challenge—climbing a mountain of knives."

He clapped his hands together.

Immediately, someone pulled back a long black cloth in the center of the two altars.

The black cloth fell down, revealing what lay beneath.

That was a mountain of knives.

It is 100 meters wide and 20 meters high.

The entire mountain of knives is made up of countless sharp swords stacked together.

The blade faced outwards, gleaming coldly.

The moonlight fell on the blade, reflecting a blinding, cold light.

At the center of the mountaintop, there is a colorful ball.

Uncle Nine said, "Whoever gets the colored ball first wins the first round."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Bai rushed out of the altar.

His figure moved swiftly, like a gentle breeze, heading straight for the summit of the mountain of knives.

Shi Jian watched Huang Bai's actions and snorted coldly.

He did not act immediately.

This hurdle was set up by him.

The real mystery lies not in the mountain of knives itself, but in the knives on the mountain.

Buzz!

Just as Huang Bai approached the mountain of knives, the swords and blades on the mountain suddenly glowed red.

As if controlled by an invisible force, the swords and blades broke free from the mountain of blades and soared into the air.

The next moment, countless swords and blades changed direction and stabbed at Huang Bai in mid-air.

The blades flashed densely, like a storm of steel.

Exclamations immediately erupted from all around.

puff!

A steel knife pierced through the yellow and white chest first.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen swords and knives pierced his body.

Everyone's expression changed drastically.

The next moment, Huang Bai's body suddenly floated away and turned into a piece of white paper.

The white paper was torn to shreds by the wind and fell in a flurry.

Meanwhile, the colorful ball atop the mountain of knives had already been quietly entangled by a wisp of silver hair from a whisk.

The true forms of Huang and Bai had returned to the edge of the altar at some unknown time.

He reached out and pulled, and the colorful ball flew into his palm.

Huang Bai weighed the colorful ball in his hand, looked at Shi Jian, and smiled:

"I won this round. Those who focus on technique but neglect mental cultivation cannot even see through illusions."

Shi Jian's eyes darkened, but he did not lose his composure.

"You win this round."

He is not good at illusions.

Losing at this hurdle is acceptable.

The onlookers around the ceremony were already buzzing with discussion.

"Illusion!"

"What a brilliant illusion!"

"Even the head of the Maoshan sect was fooled."

Even the ghosts and spirits hidden in the shadows marveled at it.

The knives on the mountain of knives are not ordinary swords.

Those are all consecrated magic knives, capable of cutting through iron like mud and being indestructible.

If Huang Bai's true form were stabbed, it would be impossible for him to emerge unscathed.

Among the crowd below, the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain looked on with a complex expression.

He recognized the whisk in Huang Bai's hand and also vaguely sensed the aura of Yang Pingzhi's seal.

That was clearly a magic weapon from Longhu Mountain.

Now they've all turned into yellow and white things.

Thinking of this, he could only smile bitterly to himself, blaming the previous Celestial Master for aiding and abetting the tyrant and surrendering to the barbarians.

Longhushan was in the wrong first, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

After the first challenge ended, Uncle Nine spoke again:

"The second challenge: descending into a sea of ​​fire."

"He who endures the longest in the true fire wins."

Uncle Nine waved his hand.

Crimson flames suddenly ignited in the open space in the center of the altar.

call!

The fire shot skyward.

A heat wave instantly swept through the entire venue.

Those in the front row quickly stepped back, some even getting their hair slightly curled from the heat.

To prove the flames were real, Uncle Nine picked up a bronze sword and threw it directly into the sea of ​​fire.

Before the bronze sword even hit the ground, it was already glowing red from the scorching flames in mid-air.

The moment it fell into the flames, the sword softened and turned into a pool of molten copper.

The intense heat of the real fire once again drew gasps of amazement from the crowd.

Huang Bai remained calm and stepped into the fire first.

The flames surged, and tongues of fire licked at his robes.

No matter how fiercely the flames burned, they couldn't harm a single hair on his head.

Beneath his sleeve lay a translucent, cold dragon.

A cold dragon coiled within his sleeve, exhaling wisps of chilling air.

The cold air protected Huang Bai's entire body, making him impervious to all fire.

Not to mention standing in the fire for a moment, even staying here for a month wouldn't be a problem.

This step was his suggestion.

At the same time, Shi Jian, bathed in lightning, also jumped into the sea of ​​fire.

Lightning enveloped his body, keeping the raging fire at bay.

At first, he appeared calm and even had the energy to look at Huang Bai.

As time passed, Shi Jian's calm and composed expression gradually stiffened.

The flames continued to scorch the lightning.

Although the lightning on his body was strong, it was eventually being consumed little by little.

On the other hand, Huang Bai remained motionless, without even a trace of scorch marks on the hem of his clothes.

A sense of irritation gradually arose in Shi Jian's heart.

"Just who is this person?"

He came full of confidence, believing he would definitely defeat Huang Bai.

Now, after a series of setbacks, he has begun to waver.

Thinking of this, Shi Jian secretly made a hand seal and silently recited in his heart.

"Please, Ancestral Master, grant your disciple divine power!"

Divine thoughts permeate the Yin Earth and the Dharma Realm.

Within the Yin Earth Realm of Maoshan, a giant Bagua slowly rotates.

The patriarch, bathed in golden light, sat cross-legged. A golden mirror appeared before him, reflecting the scene of Shi Jian's magical duel.

The patriarch gazed at the yellow and white figures in the sea of ​​fire, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Fine."

"This will force him to reveal his true colors and let us see what kind of sect or faction is behind him."

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden light of the Bagua symbol shone into the mirror.

On the other end.

Suddenly, Shi Jian's body, which was engulfed in flames, emitted a brilliant golden light.

The lightning, which had been swaying precariously from the raging flames, instantly stabilized.

He stood motionless amidst the flames, like a golden statue.

Shi Jian looked at Huang Bai with a smug expression.

"I have the protection of my ancestors, let's see how long you can be so smug."

Not everyone who invokes the divine power of the ancestral master can achieve such results.

The deeper the spellcaster's cultivation, the more divine power they can withstand.

The fact that Shi Jian was able to receive the blessing from the patriarch demonstrates that he possessed extremely high spiritual attainment.

Huang Bai seemed to have heard Shi Jian's words, but remained unmoved.

Beyond the flames, spies from various countries were also watching this scene intently.

A blond, blue-eyed white man couldn't help but exclaim:

"At that temperature, even steel would melt, how come these two are unharmed?"

"Are all cultivators in China this powerful?"

The attendant quickly took out an old newspaper and whispered:

"Sir, I have found some old Chinese newspapers."

The newspaper was spread out.

On the black and white photograph, one can vaguely see a winged figure.

The attendant said:

"This Taoist priest displayed such an unusual phenomenon when the Qing Dynasty fell."

Some say he is an angel, while others say he is a winged being from Chinese legend.

"However, many people believe it to be an illusion."

"Because this is the only photo that has survived."

Half an hour passed.

The golden light on Shi Jian's body gradually dimmed.

The blessings of the patriarch are ultimately not endless.

Flames licked at his Taoist robe layer by layer, and heat began to penetrate his body through the lightning.

Huang Bai remained calm as usual.

boom!

The golden light on Shi Jian's body finally dissipated, and flames instantly engulfed his face, burning half of his eyebrow on the spot.

Shi Jian's expression changed, and he hurriedly retreated from the sea of ​​fire.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, everyone present fell silent for a moment, and then burst into suppressed laughter.

Uncle Nine, barely suppressing a laugh, announced loudly:

"Huang Bai wins the second game!"

Huang and Bai won the next two games.

Shi Jian stood at the edge of the altar, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

He felt a burning pain on his face.

This is a disgrace.

A humiliation I will never forget.

What he found even more unacceptable was that all of this happened in front of the Taoist sects, the government, and the underworld spirits.

"I'm going to kill you in a moment."

Anger burned fiercely in Shi Jian's eyes.

Anger had completely eroded his reason.

The first two challenges were simply a matter of responding to each move as it came.

The third match was the real battle of wits, and the key to determining the outcome.

Both sides stood on the altar.

The atmosphere in the square instantly became tense.

Everyone could sense that the real highlight was about to begin.

call!

Shi Jian thrust out with both palms.

A thunderous roar resounded, its sound echoing for miles around.

Azure lightning cleaved through the black mist, causing the spirits and deities of all directions to sway and retreat for miles.

He stood in the center of the altar, chanting mantras aloud:

"Eastern thunder, purple aura blazing."

"The courtyard is meticulously constructed, and the temple is adorned with fine decorations."

"I now write this message, and it will fly to summon people in all directions!"

"Wooden stake, thunder, appear!"

With his own cultivation level and the blessing of the nine-zhang altar, the power of his magic instantly increased several times over.

At the same time, in the Yin Earth Dharma Realm, the Maoshan Patriarch rose to perform a ritual.

"Bless me with magical power, and lend a helping hand to my Maoshan disciples!"

Boom boom boom!

One after another, pitch-black wooden stakes descended from the sky.

Each wooden stake is as thick as a water vat, and its surface is wrapped with runes and electric light.

The wooden stakes landed, and the entire square was shaken.

At the same time, three thick, azure bolts of lightning descended from the sky, heading straight for the yellow and white altar.

"Hahaha! Die!"

Shi Jian's beard and hair flew wildly, his eyes shone with blue light, and his expression was almost insane.

At this moment, under Huang Bai's deliberate provocation, Shi Jian had become completely consumed by the desire to win.

He was no longer interested in fighting or discussing doctrines.

He was solely focused on defeating Huang Bai, or even killing Huang Bai.

"Run!"

"Don't get caught in the crossfire!"

"Hurry up!"

Many Taoist priests around them retreated in a sorry state, fearing that they would be caught in the aftershocks of the spell.

They were already mentally prepared, knowing that this battle of wits would be extraordinary.

Only when they witnessed Shi Jian unleash his full power did they realize that they had underestimated the intensity of this battle.

This is already the highest level of confrontation between mages in this world.

If one is not careful, an ordinary cultivator will be killed by the aftershocks.

But how should Huang and Bai deal with this?

Shi Jian looked up at the sky and roared.

"Yellow and white!"

"You will die today! I am the greatest under heaven!"

next moment.

It shone with golden light.

Yellow and white rose into the sky.

A pair of golden wings unfurled behind him, and he manifested the extraordinary appearance of a winged human.

With a golden crown and golden hair, his eyes shone as brightly as the sun.

Its bird-like face and golden crown reflect the moonlight, while its golden feathers swirl with the true fire of the sun.

The winged beings possess extraordinary appearances, and the immortal guests attain the fruits of Taoism.

At that moment, everyone saw the truth behind that blurry photograph in the newspaper from back then.

This is not an illusion, but the true appearance of a winged being.

Huang Bai held his magic sword and slashed at the void.

puff!

The invisible spiritual lineage was severed by the sword light.

The art of slaying dragons doesn't cut wooden stakes or lightning bolts.

Rather, it is a connection through divine intervention.

The power bestowed by the Maoshan Dharma Realm was mostly severed by Huang Bai's sword.

In an instant, the lightning and the wooden stake shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The wooden stake, originally as thick as a water vat, rapidly shrank.

Even the thunderbolts as thick as thighs no longer seemed so terrifying.

Wow!

A fiery dragon shot into the sky and coiled around the wooden stake.

The true fire of the sun burned along the runes, making the wooden stake crackle and pop.

At the same time, the Five Elements Thunder Technique fell from Huang Bai's palm, colliding head-on with Shi Jian's azure lightning.

boom!

Lightning exploded.

The entire square was illuminated by a bright, white light.

Huang Bai's figure flashed and he quickly flew to the sky above the stone altar.

His voice was melodious, yet clearly carried in all directions.

"Han Xin's stratagem of ten sides was in vain, and Shi Chong's wealth did not last a thousand years."

"Those who seek fame and fortune instead of the great path, even if they possess great talent, are not true men."

"Shi Jian!"

"The calamity has arrived, wake up quickly!"

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