One person: Lu family bodyguard, who shattered Longhu Mountain with a single palm strike.

Zhang Chulan's eyes widened instantly.

"Holy crap! That's the Golden Light Mantra!?"

He stood frozen in place, his gaze fixed on the translucent golden light shield, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with difficulty.

As a descendant of the Celestial Master's Mansion, he was all too familiar with this aura.

That pure Taoist Qi, that endless vitality, is undoubtedly the authentic Golden Light Mantra of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

But it was precisely because of this familiarity that the turmoil surging in his heart was even more difficult to quell.

The Golden Light Mantra is a basic technique of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Although it is basic and easy to practice, it should not be underestimated.

It emphasizes the cultivation of both body and spirit, with the Qi body originating from within oneself.

Once true qi leaves the body, it will quickly dissipate into the world; this is common sense.

But the golden light before them did not dissipate; instead, it seemed to take root in the soil, protecting the head completely.

How vast must the reserves of true qi be to sustain such terrifying consumption?

The golden light was stripped from the body and solidified in place like a dome, but the person disappeared without a trace.

This control over true qi is simply astonishing.

The faces of the old Celestial Master and Zhang Lingyu flashed rapidly through Zhang Chulan's mind, or perhaps those reclusive high-ranking seniors in the Celestial Master's Mansion.

He swallowed hard, feeling a cold sweat seep down his back.

Even if he were to cultivate diligently for several more decades, he probably still wouldn't be able to reach the threshold of this realm, or even have the slightest chance of doing so.

"Zhang Chulan, the experts in your Celestial Master's Mansion are truly hidden talents."

Wang Zhenqiu turned his head, a hint of inquiry flashing in his narrow eyes.

He pointed with the little red flag at the still screaming head, his voice tinged with a hint of mockery.

"To be targeted by someone of this level, I guess this head must have committed an unforgivable crime in its lifetime."

Zhang Chulan's lips twitched twice, and he gave a dry laugh.

"Qiu'er, don't look at me. I don't even know who this person is, let alone which senior made the move."

He laughed it off on the surface, but it felt like a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making even his breathing difficult.

This group of temporary workers gathered here, but their real target was the entire Biyou Village.

If a high-ranking figure from the Celestial Master's Mansion has already intervened, then the variables in this mission could become too great.

Just as Zhang Chulan was in a state of confusion, Hei Guan took two steps forward and stopped two meters away from the light shield.

His rugged face lost its casual expression, and his gaze fixed on the pool of flesh and the stark white spine on the ground.

He squatted down, grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, and brought it to his nose to smell it.

"There were no signs of a struggle around, which means this person was subdued instantly."

He stroked the stubble on his chin, his voice deep and resonant.

"It's not just that the Golden Light Mantra is powerful enough to kill an alien instantly, but also that the person who made this move is definitely a monster."

He stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

"It can make a person, whose only remaining head is stuck in the ground, still have their soul intact, and be able to scream like a living person."

"This method of putting people on the brink of life and death is absolutely unique in the entire world of supernatural beings."

He turned to look at Zhang Chulan, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness.

"It seems that one of the experts from your Celestial Master's Mansion really made a move ahead of time."

"If he gets involved, our mission will be difficult."

Zhang Chulan opened his mouth, but didn't know how to respond, so he could only rub his slightly cold fingertips.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zizai had already silently walked to the front of the golden light shield.

He bent down slightly, his face almost touching the golden light.

A strange red tinge gradually appeared in his eyes behind the glasses, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Xiao Zizai's gaze moved upwards inch by inch along that section of spine.

He noticed that there was no flesh or blood left where the head connected to the neck; not even a trace of extra flesh remained.

This level of precise control is even more perfect than the most delicate scalpel.

It was an expression of amazement, as if one had seen a rare treasure.

"Brother Xiao, what are you looking at?"

Wang Zhenqiu noticed that Xiao Zizai's behavior was a bit off, so he leaned over and asked him curiously.

Xiao Zizai did not turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the painfully contorted head.

"I'm looking at artwork."

He pushed up his reflective glasses, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

Art?

Wang Zhenqiu's lips twitched. Looking at the hellish scene before him, he felt a bit nauseous.

"Brother Xiao, you're not thinking of copying what others are doing, are you?"

Xiao Zizai straightened up, took a deep breath of the blood-tinged air, and his smile became even more refined.

"Good skills are certainly worth learning."

He pointed to the exposed section of the spine, his tone as if he were discussing a profound subject.

"But what I care about even more is the state of people who are clearly dead, yet still alive."

"I've looked carefully, and there's no trace of any talismans around here. It's not like the soul is being forcibly bound inside the head."

"It's as if the head itself is still alive."

Xiao Zizai made no attempt to hide his admiration in his words.

"This level of skill and these techniques truly inspire my admiration and are well worth learning from."

Old Meng, standing at the back, shrank his neck and took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Old Meng not only wiped his sweat, but also glanced uneasily at the surrounding woods.

He could sense that the birds and beasts in the vicinity were all avoiding this place.

Animals have the keenest instincts; they are afraid of the lingering sense of terror here.

"Oh dear, let's hurry up and get into the village."

Old Meng's voice trembled slightly as he pointed to the village in the distance, where wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys.

"I feel that the villagers must know what happened to this head."

Xiao Zizai reluctantly withdrew his gaze and nodded.

"That's right, let's go."

He straightened his green tracksuit and strode forward.

"I really can't wait."

Seeing this, the others looked at each other in bewilderment and could only follow Xiao Zizai's lead.

Feng Baobao walked in the middle of the group, her hands still in her pockets.

She turned her head to look at the screaming head, her expression blank, as if she were seeing nothing more than a cabbage growing on the ground.

Feng Baobao sniffed and stared at the layer of golden light for a while.

She pulled a half-eaten cucumber out of her pocket and took a bite.

"This thing looks shiny, I wonder if it's edible."

Zhang Chulan was startled and quickly grabbed her arm, afraid that this little devil would actually go up and take a bite.

He stood beside Feng Baobao, his brows slightly furrowed, his mind still heavy.

He was currently racking his brains trying to figure out which expert possessed such extraordinary abilities and why they would appear in Biyou Village.

After crossing the meadow, the view ahead gradually opened up.

When they walked along the bluestone path to the old locust tree at the village entrance, everyone stopped at the same time.

A large group of people were walking towards us on the village road ahead.

The leader was Ma Xianhong, whose head was wrapped in white bandages and who was barefoot.

Beside Ma Xianhong were several men and women with different expressions, clearly the most promising people in the village.

The two groups of people met unexpectedly at the village entrance, and the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Ma Xianhong stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Chulan and the others, finally settling on the undisguised murderous aura emanating from them.

"Gentlemen, what brings you here from afar?"

……