This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

This story begins after that underground altar incident.

Chen Guodong sealed off the land in the eastern suburbs overnight, put up a cordon, erected warning signs, and sent people to guard it 24 hours a day.

But Xia En knew that what was truly beneath that land couldn't be hidden by a few signs and security guards.

He brought the black jade talisman back to Qinghe Residence and placed it under his pillow, touching it every night before bed.

It wasn't because of the treasure, but because the lingering scent on that thing was getting stronger and stronger.

It's like something is slowly waking up.

And today, it has awakened.

At four o'clock in the morning, Xia En was awakened by a violent tremor.

It wasn't an earthquake; it was an eruption of yin energy.

The yin energy surged up from the ground, so intense it almost solidified, causing the entire Qinghe Residence to tremble.

The windows rattled, plaster crumbled from the walls, and a teacup on the table shattered on the floor with a crash.

Cuihua scurried out from the corner, trembling all over, her pale face turning even whiter. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but only made a "cluck cluck cluck" sound as her teeth chattered.

Xia En rolled out of bed and grabbed the jade talisman from under the pillow.

The jade talisman was scalding hot, and blood-red patterns appeared on its black surface, spreading like blood vessels.

The symbol of the eye is glowing, flashing on and off like the rhythm of a heartbeat.

"They're here."

He said in a low voice.

The phone rang. Chen Guodong.

"Master Xia! Something's happened on that plot of land in the eastern suburbs! A crack has appeared in the ground, and black smoke is billowing out! The stench can be smelled for a kilometer around! Two of my team members have already fainted!"

"Let them withdraw."

As Xia En walked out, he said, "Don't go near that crack, don't touch anything, don't look at anything."

"And you?"

"I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Xia En walked out of the room.

In the corridor, Fang Zijian also pushed open the door and came out, his hair messy and his face blank.

"What happened? Was there an earthquake?"

"More troublesome than an earthquake."

Xia En put the jade talisman into his pocket. "You just stay in the hotel and don't go anywhere."

Fang Zijian was taken aback: "You're going alone again?"

"He's not alone this time." Xia En looked at Cuihua. "Keep an eye on him. If he comes along, I'll settle the score with you."

Cuihua nodded frantically, floated to Fang Zijian's side, stretched out her pale arm, and blocked his way.

Fang Zijian glanced at Cuihua's pale face, then at Xia En's retreating figure, opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words.

"Be careful," he said.

Xia En didn't turn around, but simply waved and disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Fang Zijian stood in the corridor, looking at the empty stairwell, and a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in his heart.

This time, it seems different.

Previously, Xia En always had a relaxed, "I'm just taking a stroll" attitude, no matter what he was facing. But just now, his expression changed.

It wasn't nervousness, it wasn't fear.

It's serious.

A genuine seriousness that Fang Zijian had never seen before.

4:30 a.m., eastern suburbs.

When Xia En arrived, the scene was already in complete chaos.

The police tape was blown about by the wind, and several policemen were lying on the ground, their faces pale and their lips purple, being dragged back by their colleagues.

The searchlight beams appeared dim and weak in the thick black fog, like candles about to go out.

A crack appeared in the ground, about three meters long and half a meter wide, and black gas was gushing out from that crack.

The black mist was as thick as ink, churning and rolling, condensing into various twisted shapes in the air.

It has hands, a face, and a struggling body, like countless trapped souls screaming.

Chen Guodong stepped forward, his face ashen.

"Master Xia! That crack is getting bigger and bigger, and the black energy is getting thicker and thicker. We can't get close at all!"

Xia En didn't speak, he just stared at the crack.

Something was moving within the black mist.

It's not ordinary yin energy; it's something tangible.

It slowly rose from below the crack, inch by inch, as if crawling out of an abyss.

"Everyone, evacuate to a distance of one kilometer."

"Hurry," Shane said.

Chen Guodong was taken aback: "And you?"

"I'll wait here."

Chen Guodong opened his mouth, as if to say, "Can you manage on your own?"

But seeing Xia En's expression, and hearing the classic lines from "This Celestial Master Cultivates Both Material and Magical Arts, Why Did You Provoke Him?" coming out in search of resonance, he swallowed his words.

He turned around and directed all his team members to retreat.

Three minutes later, only Xia En remained on the scene.

He stood ten meters in front of the crack, his hands in his pockets, staring at it.

The black aura grew thicker and thicker, almost engulfing him.

But he stood still, motionless.

When the black energy touched his body, it seemed to be bounced off by something.

A vacuum zone was formed around him.

Then, the thing from the crack came out.

One hand.

The enormous hand, at least two meters long, was covered in black scales, and its fingernails were like scimitars, gleaming coldly.

It clung to the edge of the crack and pushed hard.

A head popped out.

Its head was bigger than a small car, shaped like a snake or a lizard, with no eyes, no nose, only a huge mouth.

Its mouth was full of jagged, sharp teeth, each a foot long, with unknown bits of meat and black mud stuck between them.

It crawled out of the crack, its body extending outward segment by segment, like a giant centipede.

Each segment of its body is covered in scales, and its sides are covered with densely packed legs, each ending in a sharp claw.

Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters.

Its body continues to extend outwards, seemingly without end.

The stench was so strong it was suffocating, and black smoke poured out from every pore of its body, blotting out the sky and blocking out the moonlight.

The thing had no eyes, but it looked at Shane.

The enormous mouth slowly opened, emitting a deep sound, like an echo from the earth.

"The key...is with you..."

Xia En looked down at the jade talisman in his hand.

"You mean this?"

The thing opened its mouth even wider, as if it were laughing.

"Give it to me... and I can let you... die a quick death..."

Xia En looked at it and remained silent for two seconds.

Then he laughed.

"Do you know?"

He said, "The last thing that said that to me has now turned to ashes."

The thing closed its mouth slightly, as if it was processing those words.

Then it let out a roar.

"hiss--!!!"

The sound was sharp and piercing, shaking the ground. The surrounding trees were uprooted by the sound waves, sending pebbles flying and dust billowing into the air.

Xia En stood still, motionless.

When the roaring stopped, he picked at his ears.

"Are you done calling?"

The thing was silent for a moment.

Then it moved.

Its enormous body shot forward like a snake, with astonishing speed.

That enormous mouth, when opened to its limit, was big enough to swallow a person whole.

Xia En didn't dodge.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread.

"Palm Thunder - Thunderstorm".

"boom--!!!"

A massive bolt of lightning erupted from his palm, more powerful than ever before.

Lightning wasn't a single bolt, but a mass...

A ball of lightning, over a meter in diameter, carrying destructive energy, struck the thing directly in the face.

"BOOM—!!!"

The thing's entire head was swallowed by the ball lightning, its sharp teeth shattered, its scales flew, and the black mist was evaporated into nothingness by the lightning.

It let out a deafening scream, its entire body was blasted backward, and it plowed a furrow tens of meters long in the ground.

The ground was trembling, and the air was burning.

The aftershocks of the lightning crackled in the air, leaving behind countless tiny arcs of electricity.

The creature was embedded at the end of the ravine, half its head blasted off, black liquid gushing from the wound, emitting a pungent stench. But it wasn't dead yet.

Its body began to wriggle, and new tissue grew at a visible rate from the wound.

Xia En raised an eyebrow as he watched this scene.

"Tsk, regeneration ability? Interesting."

The thing struggled to its feet, its mutilated head turning towards Shane.

Although it had lost its eyes, Shane could sense that it was afraid.

"You...you are not...an ordinary Taoist priest..."

"I said it,"

Xia En cracked his knuckles, his fist brimming with domineering power. "I am a Celestial Master from the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain. But thunder magic alone is not enough."