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

The next day, Fang Zijian noticed that Xia En was different.

He was still lying in the wicker chair, still sucking on a lollipop, still with that carefree attitude.

But his eyes changed.

It wasn't the tired, hesitant look in her eyes that she had before.

It was that familiar, bright, fearless look in his eyes.

"Xia En," Fang Zijian said.

"Um?"

"Are you alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Fang Zijian smiled. "It's good that you're alright."

Xia En took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at the sugar residue left on the stick.

"Young man, you must hold fast to your principles," he said.

Fang Zijian was taken aback. "You said that again."

"Because this sentence is very important."

Xia En threw the stick into the trash can. "Life is a journey of self-cultivation. If your resolve is not firm, you will go astray. And once you go astray, there's no turning back."

He looked up at the sky, the sunlight shining on his face and giving him a golden glow.

"I won't go astray."

Looking at his profile, Fang Zijian suddenly realized that this person was truly practicing cultivation.

It's not the kind of practice involving meditation and chanting; it's a more authentic and challenging form of spiritual practice.

Find a balance between killing and compassion, between power and morality.

Find a balance between "showing no mercy" and "adhering to one's principles".

"Xia En," Fang Zijian said.

"Um?"

"You are the best Taoist master I have ever met."

Xia En glanced at him and smiled. "I know."

Fang Zijian burst into laughter.

The incident occurred at 2 a.m.

In the old city of Jiangzhou, in that alleyway bathed in pale moonlight.

Xia En was sleeping.

But a suffocatingly strong evil aura surged in from the east.

Like a tidal wave, it swept through the entire alley, seeping into every crevice of Qingheju.

Cuihua fell off the roof beam, trembling all over, her teeth chattering, and she could barely float.

Fang Zijian suddenly jumped out of bed in the next room, his heart pounding.

An instinctive fear gripped his throat, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Then, a voice came from deep within the alley.

It was deep and resonant, with a chilling echo.

It was as if a huge bronze bell had been struck, the sound waves bouncing back and forth between the alley walls, making the windows creak.

"Shane—come out here—!!!"

Xia En opened his eyes, sat up, and took out the black jade talisman from under his pillow to take a look.

The runes were glowing, flickering and constantly pulsating.

He stuffed the jade talisman into his pocket, put on his coat, opened the window, and jumped out.

Under the moonlight, a person stood in the middle of the alley.

No, it's not a person.

It looks like a human, with hands, feet, a torso, and a head.

But the proportions are clearly wrong.

He was 2.5 meters tall, with shoulders over 1 meter wide, arms as thick as tree trunks, and fists as big as watermelons.

Its skin was a deep purple, covered with dense black lines that resembled blood vessels or incantations, undulating slightly in the moonlight.

Its eyes are golden, without pupils, only two burning lights.

But what's most striking is the aura it exudes—an evil one.

The evil aura was so intense it was almost tangible, enveloping its entire body like an invisible armor.

The evil energy surged and rolled in the air, coalescing into countless distorted faces that roared silently.

Xia En stood ten meters away from it, looking it up and down. "Who are you?"

The thing's golden eyes stared at him, and its mouth slowly grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"My name is Mingyuan. I am one of the four guardians under Lord Xuanming."

"The guardian of Xuanming?"

"right."

Mingyuan took a step forward, causing the ground to tremble. "Lord Xuanming sent me to test your abilities. He said you are very strong, but I don't believe it."

Xia En raised an eyebrow. "Don't believe me?"

"I don't believe it."

Mingyuan's smile widened. "What strength can a mere twenty-something-year-old Taoist priest possibly possess? I've cultivated for eight hundred years, and I've killed more Taoist priests than you've ever seen. What makes you think you can fight me?"

Xia En paused for a moment.

Then he laughed, not the kind of carefree laugh, but a very calm laugh with a hint of mockery.

"What makes you think you can go toe-to-toe with me?"

He said.

Mingyuan was taken aback. "What?"

"I'm telling you, what makes you think you can go toe-to-toe with me?"

Xia En took the lollipop out of her mouth. Prefers urban novels? Click here.

He grabbed one as he jumped out of the window.

Looking at the sugar residue left on the stick, "Are you still not awake?"

A flash of anger crossed Mingyuan's golden eyes. "Boy, you're too arrogant."

"Not madness."

Xia En flicked the lollipop stick into a roadside trash can, hitting it precisely. "To be honest. You've cultivated for eight hundred years, killed many Taoist priests, so what?"

"Have you ever seen a palm strike? Have you ever seen someone blast a zombie king apart with a single punch? Have you ever seen the golden light of a superhuman body?"

Mingyuan's smile froze.

"You don't."

Xia En cracked his knuckles. "Because the Taoist priests you've met are all ordinary people. I'm not."

He took a step forward.

Mingyuan subconsciously took half a step back.

Then it realized it was backing away, and the expression on its face changed from contempt to anger.

"court death!"

It suddenly swung its right fist, a fist the size of a watermelon, carrying a strong evil aura.

It moved so fast that it left a purple afterimage in the air, heading straight for Shane's face.

But Shane didn't dodge. He didn't even raise his hand to block.

He just stood there, watching the fist get closer and closer, and then...

"Bang--!!!"

The fist slammed into Shane's face.

No, it didn't hit my face.

The fist was blocked by a layer of golden light when it was an inch away from Shane's face.

A golden aura emanates from the body.

Mingyuan's fist stopped in mid-air, as if it had hit an invisible iron wall.

The golden light remained motionless, while the purple evil energy on Mingyuan's fist began to dissipate, sizzling like snow meeting fire.

Mingyuan's expression changed.

"What...what is this?"

"Golden Light of Overlord Body"

Xia En said, "A defensive spell. Haven't you seen it before? Oh, right, none of the Taoist priests you've met know it."

He raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing Mingyuan's chest.

"Palm Thunder".

"boom--!!!"

A bolt of lightning erupted from his palm; it was no ordinary lightning, but a golden lightning spell imbued with the power of talismans.

The lightning struck Mingyuan squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward as if hit by a speeding train.

It crashed through the wall at the end of the alley, then through an abandoned house behind the wall, and finally got stuck in a third wall.

Bricks and stones flew everywhere, dust billowed. The entire alleyway trembled.

Mingyuan was embedded in the wall, a large hole blasted into his chest, purple blood gushing from the wound, and evil energy emanating uncontrollably.

It looked down at the hole in its chest, its golden eyes filled with disbelief.

"No...it's impossible..."

Xia En walked over, stood in front of it, and looked down at it.

"You said you've cultivated for eight hundred years and killed many Taoist priests."

His voice was calm. "But have you ever considered that the reason you killed those Taoist priests wasn't because they were strong, but because they were weak? They were weak, so you won. But now you've met me."

He crouched down, looking directly at Mingyuan.

"I am not one of those Taoist priests. I am Xia En. I am from the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain, and I cultivate both physical and magical techniques. I am proficient in thunder magic, talismans, physical techniques, and the Golden Light Body Technique."

"What do you have to fight me with? Your eight hundred years of cultivation? Your record of killing countless Taoist priests? Your pathetic aura of evil?"

A flicker of fear flashed in Mingyuan's golden eyes.

"What makes you think you can go toe-to-toe with me?"

Xia En stood up. "You can't even do a 30/70 split."

Mingyuan opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But Shane didn't give it a chance.

He raised his right hand and made a fist.

Lightning flashed and golden light flowed across the surface of the fist.

"This punch is called 'Overwhelming Force'."

He said, "The last one to take this punch was your evil spirit's zombie king. It was reduced to dust."

Mingyuan's pupils contracted sharply. "Wait, wait... wait a minute, do you remember? I treated you to a meal!"

Without waiting, Xia En threw a punch.

"boom--!!!"

A golden beam of light pierced through Mingyuan's body, blasting a hole the size of a washbasin from his chest to his back.

The purple blood evaporated, the evil spirits were dispelled, and the bones were shattered.

Mingyuan's body shattered inch by inch from the cave entrance, turning into purple powder that was scattered by the force of the punch.

"No--!!!"

A final scream echoed through the alley, then all was silent.

……