The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

When Yingfei returned, it was already evening.

As soon as they entered the main hall, before they could even sit down, Master Xuanmo had already come over.

"How so?"

Yingfei put the note back on the table, sat down, and looked serious.

"Can't the Seven-Star Lamp be retrieved?"

An elder in the Golden Register Hall asked.

"It can be taken."

"But the Dharma lamp had been in the tomb for three years, suppressing the evil spirits sealed in the ancient tomb of Qingyuan Ridge. When the Dharma lamp was taken away, the suppression was lifted, and the evil spirits broke out of the tomb that very night."

"Lin Shouzhen gave us two hours. If we don't find another way to seal the tomb within those two hours, something bad will happen to the thirteen villages."

The main hall became quiet for a while.

Master Xuanmo stopped stroking his beard.

An old Taoist priest in the alchemy room frowned.

Elder Zhu of the Five Thunder Academy spoke, his voice somewhat deep.

"It's not just about Qingyuan Ridge."

He took a handwritten note from his sleeve and pushed it onto the table.

"This was received yesterday. The three suppression sites in Jiangnan and the two seal sites in the North have been experiencing unusual activity in the last half month, much more intense than in previous years."

"It's not a problem in one isolated place; the whole system is in motion."

These words carry significant weight.

The elders exchanged glances.

"Large-scale anomalies..."

Ying Fei repeated it in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the handwritten note, his brows still furrowed.

"To put it bluntly, the evil spirits have been acting strangely lately."

"Therefore, the position of the Seven Star Lamp is stuck."

Elder Zhu spread his hands.

"If we take it, there will be immediate problems at Qingyuan Ridge; if we don't take it, the betrothal gifts will be nowhere to be found."

After a moment of silence, someone made a suggestion.

"The Dharma lamp has a special meaning, but if it's just for the purpose of symbolizing light and auspiciousness, the Jade Purity Myriad Phenomena Lamp in the Taiqing Palace Treasury is also an old artifact, so perhaps it could be used..."

"The Yuqing Wanxiang Lamp is used for sacrificial rites."

It shouldn't be a shake of the head.

"It can't suppress evil, it can't replace the Seven Star Lamp, and it's useless to Qingyuan Ridge."

"Then... should we use the Six Harmonies Sealing Talisman to cover the entire entrance to the tomb chamber, delaying the escape of the evil spirits?"

"Two hours are not enough for the Six Harmonies Sealing Talisman to suppress what has accumulated over three years."

Another round of silence followed.

After circling around in several directions, I came back to the same spot.

The main hall wasn't quiet. Occasionally, someone would offer a suggestion, but each suggestion was rejected, and the situation remained unchanged.

Master Xuanmo sighed, and just as he was about to speak, a slight noise came from the direction of the Dharma seat.

Chen Shidu stood up.

He sat on the throne for a full half hour without saying a word, just listening.

He walked to the table, glanced down at the handwritten note, and then looked up.

"I have a question for you all."

His voice was not loud.

All the elders turned to look at him.

Why can evil spirits only be suppressed, not eliminated?

There was a two-second silence in the main hall.

Elder Zhu was the first to react.

"Evil spirits are born from the yin energy of heaven and earth. As long as the yin energy persists, evil spirits will never cease. Since ancient times, they can only be suppressed and sealed to sever their connection with the human world. They can never be completely eradicated..."

"Who said that?"

Elder Zhu stopped talking.

Chen Shidu looked at him, his gaze not oppressive, but it was this calmness that made one feel a chill run down their spine.

"Just because something has been recorded since ancient times does not mean it is true."

He lowered his voice by an octave.

"Evil spirits rely on yin energy, which comes from the earth's veins. If the outlet of the earth's veins is blocked, the yin energy will not be replenished, the evil spirits will be exhausted, and then they will be destroyed."

"I need a map of the ancient tomb in Qingyuan Ridge, where is the entrance to the ley lines?"

Yingfei had already sat up straight.

Master Xuanmo's hand was resting on the edge of the table at some point, his gaze fixed on Chen Shidu.

"What the Celestial Master means is..."

"Suppression is a temporary solution."

Chen Shidu said calmly.

"Elimination is the only way to address the root cause!"

He turned to his desk, picked up his pen, and took out a talisman.

"Bring me the map, let me take a look, and I'll carve the talisman on the spot."

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what Chen Shidu would do.

Master Xuanmo reacted the fastest, bringing the map from the back hall and displaying it on his desk.

Chen Shidu bent down and scanned the area, which took about ten breaths.

Then I put pen to paper.

The first stroke is gold.

The line on the talisman paper had an archaic shape, unlike the straight lines of ordinary talismans. It was as if something had found its place on its own under the brush.

Ying Fei in the Golden Register Hall stood up, took two steps closer, and squinted to look.

After finishing carving the first talisman, Ying Fei quietly closed his fingers.

The second one has denser runes, the brushstrokes are fast, and there are gaps between each stroke.

Yingfei took off her reading glasses, put them back on, and looked at them again.

His lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

As the third page was being written, the other two Golden Register Elders in the hall also came over and stood next to Ying Fei. The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder, silently watching the desk.

When Yingfei was halfway through carving the third piece, his hand began to tremble.

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Chen Shidu's expression as he carved the talisman was exactly the same as when he sat on the Dharma seat—calm, even somewhat nonchalant.

After the twelfth talisman was pushed aside, Ying Fei finally spoke, his voice much more strained than he had imagined.

"Celestial Master".

Chen Shidu didn't stop writing, and just hummed in agreement.

"This eighth one..."

Yingfei pointed to the table, her voice trembling slightly.

"This is the 'Heavenly Gang Sealing Talisman'!" "I have seen the records of the Golden Register Academy throughout the ages, and there are written descriptions, but... but I have never seen anyone draw it."

"Because normal people can't draw it."

Chen Shidu didn't raise his head.

"A single Heavenly Gang Sealing Talisman requires three Golden Talisman Masters to activate simultaneously; a single person cannot carve the talisman."

Yingfei swallowed.

"That Master..."

"I'm not a normal person."

He said it so casually that Ying Fei was stunned for a moment before silently shutting his mouth.

A Golden Scroll Elder leaned close to his ear, speaking in a barely audible whisper.

"Brother Ying, you said before... that the Celestial Master's cultivation was like standing at the foot of a mountain whose peak could not be seen..."

Yingfei nodded.

"Now I believe it."

When the eighteenth talisman was unfolded, Chen Shidu put down his pen, picked up the last one, and held it up to the light of the eternal lamp in the hall.

The runes glowed slightly under the light, and there was a flow of air between each line.

Master Xuanmo walked over, picked up a talisman, and flicked it lightly between his fingers.

The talisman emitted a low, resonant sound that lingered for three breaths before dissipating.

He put the talisman back without saying a word, his eyes fixed on Chen Shidu.

None of the elders in the hall spoke.

After a while, the old Taoist priest in the alchemy room broke the silence first, his voice sounding a little unsteady.

"Eighteen talismans, linked together, seal the earth's veins, eradicating evil spirits at their root..."

He paused.

"In my opinion, this formation is more than enough to fight off those evil spirits."

He paused, perhaps feeling that the comment was a bit too understated, and then added...

"I think it's not a big problem to use this to attack the underworld."

The main hall was silent for half a second, then someone chuckled softly, before quickly suppressing it.

Chen Shidu ignored these words, neatly stacked the eighteen talismans, and pushed them in front of Ying Fei.

"Setting up the rune array requires twelve people to coordinate their movements. The technique is not complicated and can be learned in a quarter of an hour."

He looked at Ying Fei.

"You lead the team and teach them along the way."

It should not be received with both hands, but rather solemnly as if receiving an imperial edict.

"Yes, ma'am."

Chen Shidu turned around, walked back towards the Dharma seat, paused for a step, and turned half his body to the side.

"Bring along the disciples who bring candied fruit as well."

Yingfei: "..."

"The junior disciples of Yunze Sect cultivate near Qingyuan Ridge and know the way well. Let them lead the way so we don't have to climb trees again."

Yingfei remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand in a gesture of respect.

"Yes."

Half an hour later, in front of the Taiqing Palace gate.

Eighteen disciples, dressed in dark blue robes, stood in a solemn line.

Ying Fei stood at the head of the group, carrying eighteen talismans in his arms.

"Evil spirits of Qingyuan Ridge, this Taoist priest has come to subdue you!"