After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Shi Qinglian stopped a few steps behind Xie Jinchen, put her hands together, and murmured, "Amitabha."

The Buddhist chant sounded hollow and ironic in the Taoist temple filled with malevolent energy.

He spoke slowly, his voice still calm, "At first, I truly regarded you as my junior brother."

"You are taciturn, but you are willing to endure hardship. I thought that since we are all on the wrong path, having another fellow disciple might bring a little more warmth."

He paused, a fleeting, almost distorted expression crossing his pristine face—a movement so swift it seemed like an illusion, yet undeniably real.

"But why are you that person's son? Why are you Xie Dai and the Princess's son?"

Shi Qinglian took half a step forward, her gaze falling on Xie Jinchen's back, which trembled slightly from pain, and her tone gradually became sharp:

"If it weren't for that night when I overheard Xuan Chenzi using forbidden techniques to command ghosts to gather intelligence, I wouldn't have known... that my exceptionally talented junior brother was actually the legitimate son of my high and mighty father and his noble legal wife."

"Heh..." Shi Qinglian suddenly chuckled softly. The laughter was initially suppressed, but then became somewhat crazy, and it was especially eerie amidst the thunder and rain.

"Xie Dai concealed everything for your mother's sake, causing my mother to die without a proper status and in despair."

"Why should you have everything just because your mother is a princess? Why should you be a pampered prince with a bright future since childhood, while I... can only survive like a rat in the gutter, relying on other people's charity and scheming?"

His voice remained calm, yet carried years of pent-up resentment: "He owes my mother, he owes me... someone has to pay for it."

"Xuan Chenzi used me, so why can't I use him to set up a scheme? Xie Jinchen, Xie Dai wronged my mother, so I can only apologize to you as well."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Qinglian suddenly raised her hands, her hand gestures changing.

His aura suddenly changed; the seemingly peaceful Buddhist power now exuded a cold and malevolent aura, faintly echoing the evil energy remaining in the Taoist temple.

Unbeknownst to him, he had secretly learned some of Xuan Chenzi's evil arts and forcibly combined them with his original Buddhist foundation.

"Does Xuan Chenzi think that if he doesn't teach me, I won't be able to learn?" Shi Qinglian's face was calm but twisted.

"The Buddha has the wrathful gaze of a Vajra, and also the means to subdue demons. Today, I will make Xie Dai taste the bitterness of losing a loved one."

The wave of malevolent energy converged towards Shi Qinglian's palm, carrying an ominous black-red light.

At this critical moment, Xie Jinchen, who seemed to be on the verge of collapse, suddenly turned around.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his murderous aura almost burst out of his pupils.

Instead of trying to dodge, he faced Shi Qinglian's attack and struggled to his feet.

"No wonder..." Xie Jinchen began, his voice hoarse and almost incoherent, "No wonder Xuan Chenzi was always unwilling to teach you the method."

"It's not because he hates you, but because you... are so stupid. Stupidly self-righteous."

Xie Jinchen tugged at the corner of his bleeding mouth, revealing a cruel smile, "Shi Qinglian, I'll show you what it truly means to use evil to attract evil."

After speaking, Xie Jinchen's fingertips flashed with spiritual light, piercing his palms, and his hands began to form hand seals using a trajectory that even Xuan Chenzi had not fully taught him.

The blood seemed to have a life of its own, turning into a fine mist in the air and merging into the hand seals at his fingertips.

In an instant, all the remaining malevolent energy within the Taoist temple, including the evil power that Shi Qinglian had just activated, was frantically drawn away.

A terrifying vortex formed around Xie Jinchen.

This is a life-or-death technique he comprehended by combining the evil arts taught by Xuan Chenzi with the characteristics in his own blood.

By sacrificing their own blood, they forcibly and briefly control all evil forces within their range, unleashing a destructive attack far exceeding their own limits. However, the price is likely to be the depletion of their essence and blood, resulting in complete backlash and being devoured.

Upon seeing this, Shi Qinglian's expression changed drastically. He discovered that the power he had gathered was beginning to flow uncontrollably towards Xie Jinchen.

He shouted and shoved the still-unfinished evil technique toward Xie Jinchen.

"boom!"

Two forces collided.

The remaining window frames of the Taoist temple were completely shattered, and the beams and pillars groaned under the weight of the broken walls.

Shi Qinglian was violently thrown away by the raging shockwave, crashing into the wall. His monk's robes were torn, he coughed up blood, and his face was no longer sanctified, only filled with pain.

Xie Jinchen was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. Blood seeped from his seven orifices, and the evil energy and external forces within his body raged wildly, almost swallowing up the last bit of his clarity.

The world before my eyes began to turn blood-red, and all that remained in my ears was the roar of destruction…

Just as his fingertips twitched, instinctively wanting to grab the sword beside him and tear everything in front of him to shreds, the jade prayer beads on his left wrist suddenly lit up without warning.

The soft, pure emerald green light, like the first ray of sunlight in early spring piercing through the ice, flowed from the prayer beads and instantly spread throughout his entire body.

This power was not strong, but it gently soothed the rampant evil energy within him, cleansed the invading evil forces, and was like a cool spring, extinguishing the raging flames of slaughter in his heart.

His mind was forcibly pulled back from the brink of depravity.

Xie Jinchen lay on the ground, breathing heavily, watching the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist gradually dim.

He struggled, using his sword for support, and stood up again, staggering as he looked at Shi Qinglian, who was slumped on the ground in the corner.

After a moment of silence, Xie Jinchen spoke: "Considering the brief time you took care of me when I first entered the Taoist temple..." He paused, his eyes turning cold, "Today, I will not kill you."

Xie Jinchen dragged his heavy legs, walking step by step toward the entrance of the Taoist temple.

Just before stepping over the threshold and being swept away by the torrential rain outside, he paused slightly, without turning back, leaving only his last words, which drifted into Shi Qinglian's ears with the wind and rain:

"Shi Qinglian, if we meet again in the future, it will surely be a battle of arms, a fight to the death."

After saying that, his figure disappeared completely into the raging wind and rain.