The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan was drawn by the sound and was immediately startled. After exchanging a glance with Ao Shuang, Ao Shuang rushed into the temple first. Wang Zhenhuan wanted to follow, but then remembered that there were still people in front of him.

He turned and shook the advisor's hand, saying, "Take the silver and go have some fun with the brothers. I'll leave my friends at my residence in your care."

The advisor, understanding the urgency of the situation, nodded without hesitation and said, "Don't worry, young Taoist priest. Leave it to me, Lu Zhaohua. If anything goes wrong, I'll offer my head to you."

"You two Taoist priests should also be careful. If things get too difficult, you should retreat to Xiayi first and not be reckless. I will wait at your residence for your return!" After saying this, he cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and led the soldiers down the mountain.

Wang Zhen didn't say anything more, turned around and hurriedly followed in the direction Ao Shuang had gone. As soon as he entered the temple, he noticed something was wrong. The entire temple courtyard was deserted.

It was completely different from when he last visited. The novices in the temple seemed to have been dismissed, and the sounds of fighting were coming from the main hall. Wang Zhenhuan pondered for a moment, then ran towards the main hall.

Upon entering the hall, they found Ao Shuang and a middle-aged man in a long robe standing to one side. In the center of the main hall, Daoist Chong Hezi was confronting a strange monster that looked like a small dog.

Wang Huanzhen looked closely and realized that the monster was none other than the ferocious beast Qiongqi, which had escaped from its cave. However, for some reason, it was only showing itself in its true form at this moment.

It didn't transform into a large tiger like it had that night. Instead, it lay on its two front paws, emitting a low growling warning. Its eyes, the size of soybeans, were filled with rage.

Wang Zhenhuan stopped beside the two men. The middle-aged official nodded to him upon seeing him. Wang Zhenhuan returned the greeting with a cupped-back bow, but neither of them spoke. This was clearly not the time for pleasantries.

The statues in the main hall were shattered and scattered all over the floor. The entire hall was in a mess, clearly indicating that before they arrived, Daoist Chonghezi and the Qiongqi had been fighting for quite some time.

It must be said that Qiongqi truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient ferocious beast. Even after being sealed for hundreds of years and having lost only a tenth of its spiritual energy, it could still fight Ziqi Zhenren to a standstill.

Seeing that it couldn't escape in a short time, the puppy gave up the idea of ​​running away. It let out a low growl, and its body suddenly swelled up, transforming into a tiger the size of a calf, covered in spiky feathers.

When Wang Huanzhen saw it transform, he instinctively wanted to warn Daoist Chonghezi. But before he could speak, Daoist Chonghezi calmly drew a whisk from his robes.

The entire handle of this whisk was made of white jade, clearly not an ordinary object. And just as Wang Zhenhuan had thought, the Daoist Chonghezi took the whisk and waved it at the enlarged Qiongqi.

A visible streak of light flashed by, and then something astonishing happened. Under the illumination of this light, the Qiongqi's body gradually shrank and became smaller.

After the light faded, in just a few breaths, Qiongqi transformed back into the little dog. It whimpered twice at Chong Hezi, clearly indicating this wasn't the first time this had happened.

Seeing this, Wang Zhenhuan suddenly realized. No wonder he saw Qiongqi confronting Chong Hezi in its true form as soon as he entered. He had been puzzled at first, but now he finally understood.

It turns out that Qiongqi didn't want to, but rather couldn't. Earlier, in that cave, Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang witnessed Qiongqi attacking the spiritual energy barrier.

The Qiongqi's attack methods are very limited, basically consisting of scratching, biting, and ramming. Moreover, it seems to lack intelligence, with its only ranged attack being its innate supernatural ability.

However, it can only be used after transforming three times. So although Qiongqi was extremely angry and kept growling, it was completely helpless against Daoist Chong and Zi.

This little dog, far from being frightening, actually possessed a surprisingly adorable and goofy appearance. However, its faintly protruding canine teeth and the chaotic state of the main hall seemed to be a reminder to everyone that it was not to be trifled with.

Master Chonghezi clearly recognized what the monster was. He didn't continue to act, but stood there pondering, seemingly thinking about how to deal with the monster.

Although the Qiongqi is not very intelligent, it is indeed a troublesome creature upon closer inspection. It is impossible to kill, but if we let it go, we are afraid that it will run away and harm people.

After much thought, it seemed there was only one way: to seal this thing, just like the Daoist Wujiaozi had done before. But the problem was, this was a Buddhist temple.

They were all Taoist priests, and it was truly inappropriate for them to rashly seal such a ferocious beast within a Buddhist temple. If word got out, who knew what the people would think of them?

There was no good solution, and for a time, they were at a stalemate. Wang Zhenhuan could also see Chonghezi Daoist's concerns. However, after thinking it over, he couldn't come up with a good solution either.

"Fellow Daoists, do you have any thoughts on how to deal with this ferocious creature?" Daoist Chong Hezi turned to the three and asked. This thing is impossible to kill, impossible to release, and impossible to seal away.

"This..." Wang Zhenhuan frowned and pondered for a long time before speaking hesitantly in a low voice.

"If you have any thoughts, please speak freely. All the monks of Puji Temple have been dismissed, and now only a few of us remain in the temple," said Daoist Chong Hezi.

"May I ask, Master, do you possess any magic to subdue strange creatures? I wonder if this Qiongqi can be brought under your control?" Upon hearing Chong Hezi's words, Wang Zhenhuan immediately asked without hesitation.

"Yes... there are, but generally, spells like these require the caster's mind to be connected with the creature they are trying to subdue. Moreover, this Qiongqi is different from ordinary creatures."

"It is an ancient ferocious beast, and no one knows what it is thinking. If one were to rashly connect with its mind, one might be influenced by it. It seems rather difficult." Daoist Chonghezi pondered for a moment and shook his head.

"Difficult doesn't mean impossible. How about this, Master, you teach me this spell, and I'll give it a try. You can protect me while I do it. Otherwise, this stalemate isn't going to work either," Wang Zhenhuan asked, looking up.

"Little brother, let me do it. Although my cultivation is not high, I am older than you and my spiritual sense is definitely stronger. Master, shall I give it a try?" Seeing that Wang Zhen was about to take the risk, Ao Shuang hurriedly stepped forward and said.

"You can't do it. You are an anomaly, born with incomplete seven orifices, making you more susceptible to mental influence. Don't worry, let me think of another way..." Oki Kazuko waved her hand at him.

"Since that's the case, and fate is unavoidable, I'll do it..."