Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

The old man in black robes, who was lying on the ground with all four limbs broken, lost all the madness on his face the moment he saw the Black and White Impermanence. In its place was a deep-seated fear, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Black and White Impermanence stepped forward and bowed slightly to Shen Jingshu, their posture humble and respectful, showing none of the imposing airs of underworld officials.

"Master Shen, how have you been? What a coincidence!"

Shen Jingshu remained calm and nodded slightly: "It is indeed a coincidence. Is this person a soul that escaped from your underworld?"

Black Impermanence replied in a deep voice, his tone tinged with guilt and solemnity: "Master Shen, it is indeed the evil spirit who escaped from my underworld. It was my brother and I who failed in our duty, allowing him to escape to the mortal realm for many years. We have been searching for him for years without success. Just now, we tracked him down here and saw that you were fighting with him. We were afraid that if we appeared rashly, we would disturb your plans, so we concealed ourselves and watched from the sidelines without disturbing him."

After those few words, the entire room fell silent.

Lin Feng and Ye Shuang were completely stunned, their hearts filled with unparalleled shock.

The dignified Black and White Impermanence of the Underworld, the solemn and unsmiling deities who roam between Yin and Yang, not only took the initiative to bow to Shen Jingshu, but also patiently explained the reason, displaying the utmost humility!

At this moment, Shen Jingshu's status in their hearts rose once again, becoming completely unfathomable.

The old man in black robes on the ground was ashen-faced, and he had a complete change of heart.

He finally realized just how powerful a figure he had offended.

The young girl before him not only possessed unfathomable cultivation and methods that far surpassed his own, but also had a deep connection with the underworld. The fact that she commanded the respect of the Black and White Impermanence suggested that she must have an extraordinary background.

I have no reason to feel unjustly defeated today.

With the situation irreversible and no chance of turning the tide, the old man in black robes completely gave up the struggle, his eyes filled with dejection and despair.

The old man in black robes collapsed to the ground, utterly devoid of any will to resist. He had cultivated evil arts for many years, possessing bodies, creating illusionary traps, and harming countless souls—his sins were already immeasurable. In the past, he had relied on the protection of formations to escape punishment, but now, with the underworld's messengers present and the unfathomable Shen Jingshu involved, he had no chance of escape.

Bai Wuchang, holding a soul-summoning chain, slowly stepped forward. The chain gleamed with a cold, eerie light, carrying the supreme pressure of the underworld's soul-binding power.

"Having escaped the underworld for many years, you have harmed living beings and disrupted the order of the yin and yang realms. Today, your sins will be settled. Come with us to the underworld to be judged!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the silver chains flew out instantly, precisely wrapping around the black-robed old man's body. The moment the chains entered his body, the black-robed old man let out a shrill scream. The resentful black aura that had lingered around his body for many years was peeled away layer by layer, and the originally stable possessed body quickly withered and died. The evil soul hidden in the shell was forcibly dragged out, twisted and writhing in a sorry state.

Black Impermanence raised his hand, forming a Yin Law Seal, and pressed it firmly onto the head of the departed soul, sealing all its cultivation and evil power: "Years of fleeing and indiscriminate killing of innocents, what awaits you is only the cruel torture of the eighteen levels of hell, never to be reincarnated!"

The black-robed ghost struggled and roared frantically, but it was useless under the suppression of the underworld treasure. It could only watch helplessly as its life's cultivation dissipated, leaving it with nothing but endless regret and fear.

After dealing with the escaped evil spirit, the Black and White Impermanence turned to look at Shen Jingshu again, their expressions becoming even more respectful.

"Many thanks to Master Shen for his help in eliminating this great calamity for the underworld and averting disaster for the mortal realm. The underworld will remember this kindness."

"It's nothing." Shen Jingshu waved her hand lightly, her gaze falling on the dark and cold Locking Yin Stele on the altar. "The illusion here was created by this stele, which absorbs the souls of the living to nourish evil spirits and has harmed many innocent people. Today, we will eradicate it completely."

Having said that, she stepped forward, raised her hand and grasped the lightning-struck peach wood sword. The sword's body shone with a bright white spiritual light, and pure Taoist merit golden light wrapped around the sword, making it especially effective against evil spirits and malevolent entities in the world.

Shen Jingshu flicked her wrist, and a sharp sword light slashed out!

With a deafening roar, the Yin-Locking Stele, covered in eerie totem patterns, shattered, scattering debris and black mist in all directions.

The moment the stone tablet shattered, the entire illusion of Xiaowang Village trembled violently.

The unchanging, repetitive images of villagers working in the village vanished instantly, the stagnant wind began to flow again, the hazy sky gradually cleared, and the malevolent barrier that had shrouded the entire village for many years crumbled and disappeared without a trace.

The long-standing illusion has been shattered!

Outside the ancestral hall, Xuanfeng and Lin Yueru, who were guarding Xiaobao, instantly sensed the change in the surrounding atmosphere. The gloomy and oppressive feeling that had been weighing on their hearts was swept away, and the entire world was restored to the clear and bright atmosphere of the mortal realm.

The protected Xiao Bao stood trembling in place, the black aura surrounding him completely dissipating as the illusion shattered, and the sinister and malevolent light in his eyes vanished, leaving only the pure innocence and timidity of a child. He was originally an innocent soul controlled by an evil cultivator, nourished by malevolent energy and persecuted for many years, but his heart had never truly committed evil.

The illusion dissipated, and all the scattered souls sealed within the Yin-Locking Stele were released, their transparent soul light drifting gently and clearly in the air.

Seeing this, Hei Bai Wuchang immediately took action, gently gathering all the wandering souls: "Thank you, Master, for breaking the formation and saving us. We will now take these innocent souls back to the underworld and send them into the cycle of reincarnation for rebirth."

Peace and tranquility were finally restored inside the ancestral hall.

Lin Feng and Ye Shuang slowly stood up. Their internal injuries, which had been eroded by the evil energy, had been mostly healed under the nourishment of the medicinal spiritual power. Looking at the empty and clear ancestral hall, they were still filled with awe.

They were trapped in the illusion for several days, and their minds were almost completely assimilated, turning them into mindless zombies. If it weren't for Shen Jingshu's intervention, they would surely have perished here today.

Lin Yueru and Xuanfeng quickly entered the ancestral hall. Looking at the rubble on the ground, they exclaimed sincerely, "Junior Uncle, it's fortunate that you're here. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to break this Yin-Locking Illusion, let alone catch this evil cultivator behind it all."

Shen Jingshu sheathed her lightning-struck peach wood sword, looked at Xiao Bao who was standing timidly not far away, and said in a calm tone: "The illusion has been broken, the villains have been brought to justice, it's all over."

Xiao Bao clutched the small hem of his clothes, looked up at the clear sky, and finally all the darkness in his eyes disappeared, revealing the pure innocence that a child should have.

The illusion was completely dispelled, the turmoil subsided, and everyone's gaze fell on Xiao Bao, who was standing to the side.

Just now, the Black and White Impermanence hurriedly collected a group of dead souls and escorted away the evil spirits. In their haste, they inadvertently overlooked this little devil who had been trapped here for decades and forcibly manipulated to do evil. Whether it was an oversight on their part or something intentional in the dark, they deliberately left him a sliver of hope.

Xiao Bao was insightful and far more intelligent and sensitive than ordinary children. He knew clearly that he would no longer be trapped in this desolate illusion, repeating the same boring games with the illusory villagers day after day, nor would he be coerced by evil cultivators to lure outsiders into the cage.

The woman in front of him, Sister Shen, was the only gentleness and light he encountered during his long, dark years.

Looking at the various expressions on the faces of the people around him, he hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered all his courage, took small, quick steps forward, and tightly grasped the hem of Shen Jingshu's clothes.

Her tiny fingers were clenched tightly, as if afraid of being pushed away.