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Now that we have the upper hand, Zhu Mingyao naturally prioritizes safety and makes a hasty retreat.

It wasn't that he was disloyal or unwilling to join forces with his bad friends to fight the enemy; it was simply that the difference in strength between him and the two on the field was too great.

Although Zhu Mingyao was just a novice, he had received orthodox Xuanmen cultivation education and still had some insight.

Whether it's Bai Ziyuan or the black-clad vampires, they're at least three or four times stronger than us, if not ten times stronger.

Staying there would only make me a bystander, and I might even die from some unknown area-of-effect attack. It would be better to find another way to help.

Therefore, while the two were fighting, he left behind a paper doll phantom and secretly went downstairs.

Apart from the wandering ascetics native to South Asia who adhere to the doctrine of never staying more than three nights in Kongsang, practitioners of all schools, whether in the East or West, put a lot of thought into arranging their permanent residences.

This includes, but is not limited to, setting up various techniques for concealment, attack, defense, and escape to prevent being discovered by strangers or enemies from coming to attack.

Needless to say, even the legendary Taoist monasteries and caves built by enlightened masters, even the village witches and shamans know to nail a Bagua mirror above the door and bury a stone guardian under the main room to ward off evil spirits and demons.

As a long-time resident sparrow, Zhang Shouzhong had naturally laid many hidden traps in this small building where he had lived for decades. As long as he could be on the central altar, Zhu Mingyao could preside over the pre-set restrictions, helping Bai Ziyuan to suppress the powerful enemies in front of him.

However, the enemy was too alert. He had only gone down to the first floor when several vengeful ghosts chased after him.

Zhu Mingyao stood at the top of the stairs on the first floor, looking at the several vengeful spirits blocking his way, their intestines ripped out and their bodies rotting in a gruesome manner. He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

This is not the kind of wandering spirit or lingering remnant that I usually encounter when exorcising spirits for others, which cannot even fully manifest their physical form and can only frighten people. This is a vengeful ghost that can truly kill and harm people!

With his current abilities, he can easily defeat one, barely manage two, and if several attack at once, he'll have no choice but to flee in defeat.

The problem is that they've unfortunately blocked the corridor, so if you want to get down to the basement to activate the altar, you have to rush past them!

Before Zhu Mingyao could decide whether to bite the bullet and charge out, or think of another way, a vengeful spirit with bared fangs and claws rushed in front of him, waving its sharp claws and scratching at him.

He nimbly leaped backward, retreating several feet, causing the enemy to miss their target.

However, the undead creature, which had long lost its mind and was filled with resentment towards the living, did not care and was about to continue its pursuit when a square-shaped ruler came down on its face, instantly crushing the ghost.

The cinnabar runes engraved on the Heavenly Ruler lit up, and then shattered into clumps of gray mist.

The system then relayed the information.

Destroy 1 vengeful spirit, reward 9 Karma Points.

However, Zhu Mingyao couldn't pay attention to the system's notification at this moment, because the two ghosts in front of him were flanking him from the left and right again!

He channeled his inner energy into the magic ruler and struck it with all his might, extinguishing one of the vengeful spirits. Then, he spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at the other vengeful spirit.

If a tiny spit lands on a passerby's clothes, such a lack of public morality will most likely only provoke angry stares and insults directed at their family.

When the blow landed on the vengeful spirit, the damage was no less than that of a heavy-duty sledgehammer costing eighty yuan a strike. It caused the spirit's body to shimmer with phosphorescence, its spiritual form flickering between light and shadow, before it floated back upside down.

[Ding Bo’s Ghost-spitting Technique]!

For any Chinese person who has received nine years of compulsory education, the story of Song Dingbo catching ghosts is familiar. According to the theories of Taoism, saliva is the essence of the human body, containing yang energy. If a cultivator uses their own magical power to refine a mouthful of magical saliva, it can be used to exorcise ghosts.

This technique is easy to learn and use, and has no other drawbacks except for its low power.

Fearing that this minor spell might not be powerful enough, Zhu Mingyao secretly bit his tongue and added his own blood.

With all three enemies retreating, a gap appeared in the blocked corridor.

Before the rest of the enemies arrived, the boy sprinted forward, crouched low, made a sharp turn, and ran towards the basement.

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Chapter 20 The Long Christmas Night 5

"Bang!"

Zhu Mingyao kicked open the basement door, jumped down in a few strides, rushed to the central altar made of blue bricks, grabbed the wooden scepter placed on it, and slammed it down heavily, shouting urgently:

"Azure Dragon Mengzhang, White Tiger Jianbing, Vermilion Bird Mausoleum..."

As he chanted the incantation, a surge of pure and holy energy rose from the altar, spreading rapidly upwards like a tide. At the same time, spiritual light flickered on the four walls of the basement, gradually outlining the true forms of the four divine beasts.

Under the aura of the surrounding light, the Azure Dragon swam, the White Tiger leaped, the Vermilion Bird flapped its wings, and the Black Tortoise paced. The true forms of the Four Symbols became increasingly agile, as if they were about to materialize and leap off the wall at any moment.

"...The Black Tortoise, the Guardian of Light, and the Four Gods of the Four Directions, respectfully request the Mandate of Heaven—"

Before Zhu Mingyao could finish reading, there was a sudden jolt upstairs!

The entire building seemed to tremble slightly, and countless tiny specks of dust cascaded down from the cracks in the ceiling, soaking him completely.

All I could hear were the sounds of shattering, cursing, and crashing, all mixed together.

Immediately afterwards, the wooden basement door, which he had already kicked and was about to collapse, burst open with a bang, and a large dark figure rolled in amidst flying wood chips.

The black shadow landed and dispersed into two figures, namely Bai Ziyuan and the black-clad vampire.

Bai Ziyuan's appearance was no longer as carefree as before. His face was slightly pale, and his hands and feet trembled slightly. A white bone armor with two illusory horns on top covered him from head to toe, making it clear that the battle just now was not easy.

The black-clad vampire was in an even more miserable state, half of his body was charred black, and his tough combat suit had turned into strips of rags, fluttering like a beggar's clothes. Neither of them seemed to have gained much of an advantage.

Bai Ziyuan glared at the boy on the altar, his face contorted with constipation, and snapped at him irritably:

"Use your brain, brother. When I ask you for help, don't use any exorcising or demon-slaying spells!"

"Then I'll have to surrender too!"

"grass!"

Zhu Mingyao suddenly realized that if the situation weren't so urgent, he would have loved to slap himself.

The two great lineages that Bai Ziyuan inherited, whether it was the Yinshan Sect or the White Bone Sect, were not originally cultivated in a very orthodox way. Even after many outstanding disciples in later generations worked hard to add to and improve upon them, they only managed to barely steer the style from the demonic sects and evil schools to the unorthodox paths. The various supernatural powers and techniques they used still could not shake off that sinister aura.

He activated the ritual on the altar, clearing away impurities and eliminating all kinds of evil energy. This could indeed effectively suppress vampires, who were dark creatures. However, Bai Ziyuan's magic was also greatly affected.

In real-world combat, there's no such thing as friendly units being immune to damage!

If Bai Ziyuan hadn't been so skilled and quick-witted, he would have been tricked and left covered in blood on the spot.

"You almost injured my handsome face! I'll settle the score with you later!"

Bai Ziyuan cursed fiercely with lingering fear, then moved swiftly to block the black-clad vampire who was pouncing on him.

Knowing that his lack of combat experience had caused the blunder, Zhu Mingyao sheepishly shrank back, quickly changing his hand seals. He twisted his left thumb and forefinger together, aiming at the enemy who was locked in battle with Bai Ziyuan.

"Immediately order the expulsion of all ghosts and the sweeping away of all misfortune!"

All evil will vanish instantly, and all demons and monsters will flee!

With his spell, an invisible wave descended upon the black-clad vampire's head.

Just as he was struggling to deal with the various tricky and strange supernatural powers of the Eastern sorcerer opposite him, the black-clad vampire suddenly felt his movements stop. The originally light air suddenly became many times heavier, becoming like a large blob of sticky glue. Although not strong, the invisible pressure with great force kept squeezing in from all directions!

[The Spell to Ward Off All Ghosts!]

Having learned from his previous mistake, Zhu Mingyao chose this time a curse technique specifically targeting dark and otherworldly beings. Even if Bai Ziyuan's methods were sinister, he was still a normal, living person, and there was absolutely no risk of him being accidentally harmed.

The black-clad vampire's movements slowed slightly, and the cunning Bai Ziyuan immediately seized the opportunity to exploit the gap between offense and defense, unleashing a barrage of punches, kicks, and spells, delivering several devastating blows.

With the support of that set of bone armor, Bai Ziyuan's punches and kicks were accompanied by boundless power, almost capable of shattering gold and breaking rocks, far surpassing the so-called champion boxers in the world. If it weren't for the fact that the black-clad vampire's body had been half-dead due to the constant immersion in death energy, he would have been beaten to a pulp by now.

Even so, he felt waves of excruciating pain emanating from his neural network, which had been numbed by practicing necromancy, and it was clear that countless bones in his body were broken.

Feeling that if he hesitated any longer, he would be blown to bits in the next second, a ruthless look appeared on the face of the black-clad vampire. He waved his hands to raise a blood-red shield, barely managing to withstand the storm of attacks. Then, his crimson skull claws crossed and slashed fiercely at his own ribs!

Fresh blood spurted out, quickly vaporizing into large clumps of dark red blood mist that spread outwards, not only completely covering his head and feet but also continuously expanding to the sides.

The blood mist, which had a damp, cold, and sticky feel, seemed to transform into an impenetrable wall at this moment, rendering all kinds of fist, foot, and Taoist techniques ineffective.

Bai Ziyuan tried seven or eight methods in a row, but all to no avail. Phosphorous fire, Yin thunder, and talismans flew into the blood mist without making a ripple, and his punches and kicks were like hitting a tough inflatable ball, bouncing back directly.

Moreover, as the blood mist spread, strange, thin red threads gradually emerged from it, like the tentacles of some creature, swaying gently in the air. Once they touched anything else, they would lash out and pierce it without hesitation, like poisonous insects that had come to bite.

Seeing several wooden frames and chairs, which were instantly riddled with holes by the sinister red threads, and then crushed into pieces on the ground, the faces of the two comrades next to them were extremely ugly.

If you can't break the defense, how can you fight?

Fortunately, the building occupied a considerable area, including a spacious basement, so the blood mist couldn't reach the two people immediately.

Bai Ziyuan lightly touched the ground with her toes, gliding to Zhu Mingyao's side. She frowned and asked in a low voice:

"I'm out of ideas. If you have any, use them quickly, or we'll have to get out of here!"

"Damn it! Judging by the shape of this thing, it could tear my whole house down in no time!"

What am I going to say when the old man comes back in a few days?

We can't exactly say it's being demolished, can we?

"This dojo, built over thirty years, is gone in an instant! He'd eat me alive!"

Zhu Mingyao vented his anger through gritted teeth, then suddenly formed the Laozi Mudra with both hands and finished reciting the divine incantation that had been interrupted earlier:

"...Four Gods of the Four Directions, I respectfully request the mandate of the talisman, Your disciple humbly invites the Four..."

His gaze swept over the spreading crimson mist, and in a flash, he changed his words:

"Respectfully inviting the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum God Lord!"

next moment!

It was accompanied by a clear chirp.

A crimson light flashed, and waves of flame surged like a tide!

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Chapter 21 The Long Christmas Night 6

Amidst the crimson flames, a five-foot-tall divine bird with a phoenix beak, eagle eyes, and crimson feathers leaped down from the south wall of the basement, flapping its wings!

The Four Symbols God, the True Form of the Vermilion Bird!

The Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Symbols of Heaven, is associated with the Yan Emperor in human culture, the South in terms of direction, the Li trigram in the Eight Trigrams, the Fire element in the Five Elements, and the Summer season. It symbolizes the old Yang energy among the Four Symbols. In Taoism, it is revered as the Vermilion Bird Lingguang Divine Lord, who is good at driving away evil spirits and sweeping away filth, burning away all demons!

Although it is far less powerful than the legendary Taoist guardian deity, this divine beast's true form restriction was meticulously drawn by Zhang Shouzhong when he moved it here, and has been refined over the past thirty years. Ordinary enemies would find it extremely difficult to withstand its attack.

Moreover, Zhu Mingyao had a sudden inspiration and deliberately abandoned the other three divine beast forms, pouring all the power of the restriction into the Vermilion Bird in the south.

Therefore, the divine bird was radiant with divine light, as if it were real, and its imposing presence far surpassed that of ordinary birds.

As soon as the Vermilion Bird took shape, without the caster needing to perform any rituals, its pair of eyes, as red as fire melting gold, automatically looked toward the writhing and expanding eerie blood mist, as if it knew that it was its target.

It was clearly just a phantom summoned by a spell, yet it revealed a trace of sentience!