With virtue

Just a few seconds earlier, Zhao Yunshu was standing at the door of the sedan chair.

The moment the burly man with the mask reached out and lifted the curtain.

The burly man with the ghostly face had clearly seen him and was already furious. He thought to himself, "This pretty boy, I should just kill him with a single stroke."

So he reached out to grab it.

If this grip is firm, even a stone will be crushed to pieces; how can flesh and blood bear it?

Life or death hangs in the balance.

But the young Zhao Yunshu remained calm, showing neither fear nor surprise.

This unusual behavior even made the masked man pause for a moment.

After all, something unusual must be going on.

as predicted.

A clear, distinct click of teeth could be heard.

"Imperial edict."

With a loud bang.

A golden light appeared, and the burly man with the ghost face was sent flying backward.

But the burly man with the ghostly face was unharmed. After being sent flying backward, he quickly regained his balance and landed steadily on the ground, leaving two deep footprints.

"Golden Light Mantra? So he's a Taoist priest. He's renounced worldly life, yet he's still acting like a gigolo?"

"Or are you saying that just because you've used this overused spell, you think you can meddle in other people's business?"

The Golden Light Mantra is one of the eight great divine mantras of Taoism. It is certainly not a common, ubiquitous mantra, but it is the real, renowned Golden Light Divine Mantra of Taoism.

With fame comes more embellishment. The world is full of people who only know a few tricks, who have picked up a few words from somewhere and are just pretending to know the tricks, or who have just given it the name of the Golden Light Mantra but don't actually know where the spell came from. So, the Golden Light Mantras used by these people are all kinds of different and each shows their own unique abilities.

These fake practitioners are rarely hermits in the mountains; most are wanderers in the martial arts world. They pass on their skills to each other, from east to west and from west to north. In this process of blending and changing, they often chant the Golden Light Mantra, but who knows what they actually use? They just all have some golden light about them.

At that moment, the burly man with the ghost face was struck by a golden light and realized the true strength of the young Taoist priest.

The ubiquitous Golden Light Mantra can't even break his skin.

The burly man then raised his knife, and his iron-like body slammed into the sedan chair!

With a crash, the sedan chair was smashed to pieces.

Amidst a cloud of dust and screams, the ghosts pounced on the sedan chair.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

A loud bang was heard, accompanied by the voice of a Taoist priest giving orders. Golden light flashed and multicolored, and bursts of thunderclaps resounded, just like the "Thunder Magic" in Taoist legends.

If the Golden Light Mantra is just a sham, then the Thunder Magic is the real deal.

Thunder magic, revered as the "head of all magic," can summon wind and thunder, subdue demons and monsters. When a bolt of lightning strikes, even the most powerful demon kings and ghost kings will be terrified and die. It is known as "the supreme master of divine power, who can vanquish demons with thunder."

But how can ordinary people master such techniques? Only those with true knowledge, cultivation, and high level of attainment can use them.

Could this young Taoist priest be—?!

The maids and the ghosts were all startled.

But after a cloud of dust—

The Taoist priest inside the sedan chair had vanished without a trace.

The burly man with the mask frowned: "Gone?"

"This smells like... sulfur?"

The beautiful woman beside him stopped fighting with the ghosts and monsters and frowned as she said, "I heard that in the Tianyou era of the previous dynasty, there was a fire-starting device that burned down the Dragon Temple. The attackers then led brave warriors to break through the fire and enter the city first, their bodies scorched. That fire-starting device was made of sulfur and charcoal."

"So...we've been let go? If we can't catch the young Taoist, what should we do with the old Taoist?" The burly man with the ghost face looked bewildered.

Only the girl who was slapped to the ground looked completely bewildered.

Huh? What's going on?

Then a maid who looked like an older sister came over, helped her up, and pointed at the burly man with the ghostly face, saying, "Little sister, don't you understand? I was just afraid you'd give yourself away. I'll explain in detail later. Why don't you come and meet our second uncle? We'll be related by marriage from now on!"

"Second Uncle?"

The younger sister was stunned.

Regardless of whether the young woman was confused or not, Zhao Yunshu was quite clear about the situation.

"Hey, a bunch of devils, they might be good at fooling ghosts, but how could they possibly fool you, sir?"

"You really think you can fool me with a couple of dishes and a change of clothes? I can tell this is a honey trap at a glance!"

But at that moment, he was actually standing next to the shattered sedan chair, holding a bundle of grass in his hand, folded in half and held in his palm, holding his breath and standing still.

Despite this, not a single ghost in the entire room noticed him.

If someone knowledgeable were to look at it, they might be able to tell that this is the art of escape and concealment.

The art of escaping and manipulating is a Taoist incantation, which is divided into three levels: superior, middle, and inferior.

The Master of Embracing Simplicity said: "Use the day and time of the Heavenly Stem to exorcise ghosts and demons, and use talismans and writings. Enter famous mountains on the day and time of the Heavenly Bird, so that all evil spirits, tigers, wolves, poisonous insects, thieves and robbers will not dare to approach people."

This is of the highest quality; there's no need to hide anything. After the spell is cast, no evil spirits will dare to approach.

There is also a middle one, which says: "During the time of Yin virtue, also known as the Heavenly Heart, one can hide and disappear. This is what is meant by the sun sinking into the darkness, the sun and moon losing their light, and neither humans nor ghosts can see it."

While the medium level cannot scare away all evil, it can disappear into thin air and become invisible, unseen by humans or ghosts.

There is also a lower method: Go into the mountains and forests, take the grass from the Azure Dragon with your left hand, break it in half and place it under the Fengxing star, pass through the Mingtang and enter the Taiyin, walk with the Yu steps, and say three times, "No Gao Dayin, General alone hears, Great-grandson Wang Jia, do not open the door to outsiders; if anyone sees Jia, he is a bundle of firewood; if anyone does not see Jia, he is not human." After reciting, break the grass you are holding and place it on the ground, take soil with your left hand to cover your nose and philtrum, hold the grass in your right hand to cover yourself, put your left hand in front, walk with the Yu steps, and when you reach the Liugui, hold your breath and stay there, so that ghosts cannot see you.

In layman's terms, it means choosing an auspicious day to go into the mountains, picking herbs, chanting incantations, and taking specific steps to make ghosts and spirits unable to see you.

Among them, Nuogao is the name of a deity, Nuogao is the title of a Taiyin General. The caster silently recites his name to obtain the power of invisibility. Then, he takes any bunch of grass from the "Azure Dragon position" in the ritual, puts a little soil on it and covers it on the philtrum. Combined with his own magic power, he can make ghosts and gods unable to see him.

Superior and average quality are naturally good techniques, but unfortunately Zhao Yunshu doesn't know them, and he's not from a legitimate sect of Xuanmen.

The old Taoist priest had collected various kinds of magical techniques throughout his life. Although he may not have had any profound ones, he had all the basic skills for escaping.

Zhao Yunshu was also quite skilled; he was an expert at escaping under the noses of these ghosts and gods.

Otherwise, how could the old Taoist have lived to his seventies, died peacefully in his old age, and attained enlightenment and returned to heaven? Although he cannot compare to those immortals who have cultivated for hundreds or thousands of years, how could he have lived to this day without some skills?

The ghosts searched around.

Zhao Yunshu stood still, motionless.

It's not that he didn't want to move, but this technique was indeed inferior. After performing it, one had to first step on the Yu step, then cover one's mouth, nose, and philtrum, and finally hold one's breath. After this whole process, one really couldn't move at all.

Despite being unable to move, he still clearly heard what the other person was saying.

The other person asked, "What about the old Taoist priest?"

These words... mean they've got their eyes on the old Taoist priest?

He should have everything on himself.

If it's not this, then it must be in your own Taoist temple?

Damn it, the old Taoist priest had only been dead for less than two hours, and these demons and ghosts had already arrived?

Zhao Yunshu was somewhat annoyed. Although the old Taoist priest was usually a bit slick, he was a good person at heart, and he had only just died!

However, he did not act rashly.

He should hold his breath for now. With his lung capacity, five or six minutes is his limit; he simply can't hold it any longer.

Even with some cultivation, a young Taoist priest is still made of flesh and blood.

Seeing Zhao Yunshu's face growing redder and her neck growing thicker as she strained to hold it in, she could see that Zhao Yunshu's face was turning increasingly redder and her neck was becoming increasingly thicker.

Fortunately, the beautiful women and burly men did not linger. Finding they could not find anything, they each took advantage of the mountain winds and disappeared without a trace.

Zhao Yunshu remained motionless.

After holding it in for more than five minutes, seeing stars, I saw a cold wind rise again. It turned out that the beauties from before had returned.

The young Taoist priest remained motionless.

Afterwards, the beauties looked around but found no movement, so they had to disperse again.

Zhao Yunshu didn't hold back any longer. He scattered grass, covered it with soil, and slid down the slope with a sliding tackle.

As he walked through the dark forest, he skillfully stepped over mounds of earth and climbed over hills, occasionally glancing at the moon and stars in the sky to determine his location.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, I saw a cold wind howling beside me, and I could not distinguish up from down from left from right. The wind brought a chill, the clouds over the stream rose, the mountain colors suddenly darkened, and the thick clouds and the moon appeared and disappeared intermittently.

The mountains are inherently dark, and with the moonlight appearing and disappearing intermittently, any ordinary person here would inevitably feel terrified and break out in a cold sweat.

Zhao Yunshu remained calm and composed. Before long, he passed through the howling wind in the mountain forest, stopped at the foot of a mountain, and found a cave to hide in.

He took two talismans from his pocket and carefully pasted them on the entrance of the cave. These were two "Road-Prohibiting Talismans." If ghosts or spirits saw them, they would think there was no way to pass and would take a detour.

This kind of talisman is already a rare find in the martial arts world. It requires some sorcerers who are well-versed in talismans to draw it. Even Zhao Yunshu himself couldn't draw it; it was drawn by an old Taoist priest. Moreover, he doesn't have many talismans of this caliber.

Fortunately, some parts of the talisman can be reused, so he naturally took it out and used it after inheriting the old Taoist's property.

Hidden in the cave, Zhao Yun breathed a long sigh of relief.

Then, he took out a book.

The book was a yellowed book, seemingly made of cowhide. The cover had no design, but when he opened it, he saw a ghost slowly emerging on the first page, as if someone were sketching it with ink.

A ghostly face, blue-faced and fanged, with a tall and imposing body, holding a large ghost-headed sword, standing proudly.

It was none other than the evil ghost that had just commanded a hundred ghosts, smashed the sedan chair, and nearly killed Zhao Yunshu with a knife!

The painting is incredibly lifelike; it's clearly a painting.

As the picture appeared, a biography also appeared beside it, as if someone had compiled a record of ghosts and gods, and he just happened to be in it.

The book says:

Soul-Stealing Ghost General

This former general, known for his brutality, was abandoned by his commander during a battle, resulting in the deaths of three thousand soldiers. He was struck by seventeen arrows, yet he still stood atop the mountain of corpses, leaning on his broken spear.

The judge crossed out his name with a vermilion brush, and he should have been reborn as an animal. However, he used his general's seal as proof, gathered the spirits of three thousand armored soldiers, and built a fortified camp in a shady spot on the mountainside.

Every midnight, he would lead his ghost soldiers to practice formations, with eerie winds and flickering will-o'-the-wisps. On the darkest night of the month, he would drive a hundred ghosts on patrol, devouring those whose yang energy was weak. He was clad in armor, impervious to swords and spears, and only feared the sound of thunder.

"Okay, there are still some, that makes things easier." Zhao Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

If you don't know the other party's background, you won't know what they want to do.

His arrival in this world was not without its abnormalities.

Zhao Yunshu also had his own extraordinary encounters.

At first, there was a book in his mind in his dreams. Later, as he grew older, the book manifested in his hands. He told the old Taoist priest he trusted most about this, and the two wild Taoist priests pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out what it was.

But this book is indeed extraordinary.

Most ghosts and spirits in the world have origins and backgrounds, but they generally don't tell outsiders. Only the most famous ones have their origins told and circulated.

But this book, as long as you get close to the true form of the ghost or god and absorb a trace of its aura, can manifest a picture and then attach its origins, abilities, and weaknesses.

The painting starts out as an ordinary picture, but what's amazing is that if enough energy is infused into it, the painting will become more and more realistic, and may even turn into a series of visualizations!

Visualization diagrams are the foundation of many spiritual practices. Visualizing ghosts, gods, demons, the sun and moon, immortals, and strange phenomena can help one learn spells and increase magical power.

For example, some low-level visualization diagrams only depict tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals. However, if one observes and practices them carefully, one can visualize the murderous aura and domineering presence of a fierce tiger or mountain lord. One might even comprehend some martial arts such as Tiger Form Fist.

However, visualization diagrams can depict a great deal of information and are extremely difficult to create. They are not something that ordinary people can draw. Not to mention the preciousness of the materials, they also require a high level of skill from the artist.

In the glorious Tang Dynasty, Yan Liben painted Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, and Wu Daozi painted Zhong Kui; both were among the most outstanding paintings in the world.

Even ordinary visualization paintings require a lot of precious materials and must be carefully crafted by a skilled artist before they can be considered visualization paintings.

However, the more energy a book absorbs, the more realistic the illustrations become, gradually approaching the level of visualization paintings. If a ghost is slain and all its energy enters the book, the ghost becomes even more real, as if it were right in front of you.

Unfortunately, while the old Taoist priest was skilled at escaping, he wasn't very good at killing enemies; only a few of the little ghosts inside were so lifelike.

The ghost general before them had only a wisp of aura, so it looked no different from an ordinary painting.

But knowing the other party's weaknesses is enough.

He stayed in the cave, planning to return and take a look after nightfall and into the daytime.

If it were an ordinary person, after burying their master, they would be abducted by demons and have to hide in a cave. Even if they weren't terrified, they would still be somewhat frightened. But Zhao Yunshu didn't care.

It's nothing, he's just bold.

Moreover, sudden misfortune is not a rare occurrence nowadays; we've all gotten used to it.

Decades ago, after the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos.

How prosperous was the Tang Dynasty? Treasures piled up like mountains, and hundreds of precious items flowed like water. Merchants from all over the world flocked to the area like clouds. Persian coral, Arabian glass, Fulin gold-inlaid knives, and Indian Mani beads were displayed in shops, dazzling the eye.

Young girls sing and dance, young men ride horses, a Hu woman serves wine at a wine counter, wine brimming in the cups, Western Region illusions, Eastern Sea acrobatics, fish and dragons dancing, the elegance of the Tang Dynasty, unparalleled in any era.

However, the most abundant fruits breed the deepest corruption.

During the An Lushan Rebellion and the Huang Chao Rebellion, the capital fell six times and the emperor was moved nine times. Heroes rose up across the land, and everyone worked together to turn the rotten fruit of the late Tang Dynasty into a bitter cup of wine, which was then shared with the people of the world.

Since then, the world has been in complete chaos. Today you claim to be king, tomorrow I claim to be emperor. Countless people have died or been injured. Demons and monsters have taken advantage of the chaos to run rampant, and ghosts and monsters have appeared frequently. Several emperors have changed hands over the decades. It is unknown how many generations and kingdoms it will take to bring this situation to a close.

That's just how the world is now.

When I think about these things.

The "Road Impassable" sign outside suddenly burst into flames.

Zhao Yunshu immediately turned her head and looked outside the cave.