With virtue

Zhao Yunshu really didn't know how to describe her feelings.

A ruthless person whose spirit can leave the body for three hundred feet would be a true immortal in the outside world, far beyond the reach of a lowly Taoist like him. If such a person were to open an altar to preach, even a lowly Taoist would have to be examined to gain entry, because ordinary people are not worthy of listening.

But they just happened to run into each other, and not only did they run into each other, they also ended up fighting each other!

He was found by an old Taoist priest when he was five years old and followed him to cultivate for twelve years. He was probably still a hundred thousand miles away from being able to leave his body, but even from that distance, he knew what the method of "leaving the body" was.

When mortals cultivate the Tao, they first refine essence into qi, and then refine qi into spirit. The little Taoist is still messing around with water and fire qi and courage in the qi transformation stage, while the other party has already cultivated the 'Yin Spirit'.

Moreover, this is not an ordinary Yin spirit.

Yin spirits are the product of a cultivator uniting their life force and spirit, and the initial condensation of their soul. Their form is not yet solid, and they can only roam at night, unable to travel during the day.

When the spirit first leaves the body, it is actually the same as a human soul. Although it does not become a ghost and is not restrained by anything that restrains spirits, it is still afraid of external things. It will feel unbearable pain and sway when the wind blows, and it will feel like it has been thrown into a sea of ​​fire when exposed to the sun. If it stays there for too long, it will die from the heat.

Moreover, they cannot go to crowded or noisy places, fearing people's scolding, dogs' barking, and thunder. They also cannot stray too far from their physical bodies, otherwise they may not be able to return to their bodies and become ghosts prematurely.

Therefore, ordinary practitioners, after entering a state of spiritual awareness, need to go to a quiet room, burn incense, bathe, and fast, and carefully wander around in their spiritual state a few times, which is called "spiritual travel".

Moreover, the spirits of the underworld have no physical form; they can only observe and cannot interfere with external affairs.

Even this is an extremely profound application, and the cultivator's skill level is far superior to that of a junior Taoist. The more advanced practitioners are called "Yang Shen" (Yang Spirit).

The Yang Shen is the primordial spirit that is purely Yang.

When one cultivates to this level, the soul is no different from the physical body. One can easily resist the influence of heaven and earth and nature. One is not afraid of thunder, sun, or wind. Even if one goes out during the day, there is no hindrance. One is no different from a living person. One can eat, talk, laugh, fight, and use weapons at will.

Moreover, the Yang spirit can travel thousands of miles in spirit, setting off in the morning to travel around a thousand miles away and returning in the evening. It can go out into existence and into nothingness, connecting heaven and earth. It is an achievement that countless cultivators dream of, and there have been very few throughout history.

The gaunt Taoist in front of us, whose Yin spirit has left his body, is no longer afraid of wind or light. He can even create a phantom image and remotely control a short sword from three hundred feet away, and he can also use sword techniques!

Although it's still far from the realm of "spiritual travel across thousands of miles" like the Yang Shen, it's no longer something a junior Taoist priest can easily fake.

If it were any other time, the young Taoist priest would probably pat his chest and say, "Hey, what's the use of a Yin spirit? I'd say a Yang spirit is better." He'd have a disdainful look on his face.

But if I were to actually encounter this, I'd already be thinking about how to bury it.

How can I die in a way that looks good?

While resisting the short sword, Zhao Yunshu pondered the problem. He didn't even have the strength to curse anymore, and relied entirely on the divine light of the Six Jia Talisman to withstand the attack.

He retreated step by step, nearly falling to the ground several times and never getting up again. The Yin spirit's swordsmanship was unlike that of a living person. Although it could not compare to that of a real martial arts swordsman, it was more insidious and cunning, and also more difficult to deal with.

Zhao Yunshu was forced into a frantic struggle, his body was rubbed all over, and his Taoist robe was basically reduced to rags. Only the clanging sound of blacksmithing could be heard from the pebbles on the shore. Meanwhile, the gaunt Taoist remained standing on the treetop in the distance, without even lifting his eyelids.

Zhao Yunshu understood that it wasn't that this person couldn't be killed, but rather that there was no rush to kill him.

This was clearly a game to him, a test, an attempt to force him to reveal what his last remaining secrets were.

But it was a good thing, the young Taoist priest was only depressed for a moment.

Master's matter hasn't been resolved yet, he's not prepared to die!

But his face was ashen, his expression bitter. He slowly turned his back to the center of the lake, seemingly wanting to repeat his old trick and walk on the water again.

The Yin spirit indeed pursued them with a knife, its blade flashing like lightning, just as sharp as before.

But this time Zhao Yunshu didn't parry; instead, he lunged downwards, the short knife grazing his back before piercing the water.

Zhao Yunshu lunged onto the water! His short sword had already entered the water.

opportunity!

This is the path to survival he's seeking! It might even be his chance to win!

The first update is on suduɡu.cc, with no typos. If you don't see the ".cc" suffix in the address, you'll be taken to the first update site. A truly courageous and dedicated effort!

what!

Water is a better conductor than air! This applies not only in a physical sense, but also in the cultivation system.

The Guanzi (a classic Chinese text) states in the chapter on water and earth: "Water is the lifeblood of the earth, flowing like veins and tendons."

Water is the standard of all things, the essence of all life, and the substance of neither gain nor loss. Therefore, it is abundant in everything and dwells in everything. It gathers in heaven and earth and is stored in all things. It is produced from metals and stones and gathers in all living things.

Water is the foundation of circulation.

There is nothing in all things that cannot be filled by it, nor is there any place where it cannot stay. It can gather in the sky and on the ground, be contained within all things, originate from metal and stone, yet fill the bodies of all living beings, thus bearing a responsibility like the blood of the earth.

Water, by virtue of this property, can be responsible for transporting the energy of heaven and earth, just like blood in the human body, regulating the energy in different places to maintain the vitality of heaven and earth.

Therefore, using water to conduct thunder is more than twice as powerful as using air!

The dagger is in the water, and so is Leiyin!

With a muffled thud, a large number of small water droplets bounced up from the surface of the water, trembling and separating like a drumhead, creating ripples.

The Yin spirit in the water was struck by the thunder and flickered for a moment! The outline of the Yin spirit even blurred, and the gaunt Taoist's true form suddenly frowned, his face showing pain!

The thunderous sound was so loud that even the illusory image of his Yin spirit could not be maintained!

The spirit was struck by lightning! In an instant, it lost its grip on the knife, which fell into the water!

"Ha! You old devil! You've fallen for my trick too!" Zhao Yunshu cursed angrily, then immediately stood up and leaped up, trying to run away!

He knew that this attack must have injured the other party, but no matter what, it couldn't possibly kill them. He took the opportunity to run away!

But running away like this was definitely not an escape route. Despite his aching body, he peeled off the now dim-looking Six Armor Talisman from his body, dived into the water, grabbed the short knife that had fallen into the mud, and slapped the Six Armor Talisman onto the short knife!

His spirit is not yet substantial and cannot touch real things. He can only cause actual damage by relying on this magic weapon. If this knife is sealed, even if his spirit catches up with him, he will be unable to do anything to him!

The young Taoist priest casually stuffed the short knife into his bundle. "Damn it, you made me suffer like this, confiscated!"

While the ghosts were still trembling, Zhao Yunshu tucked his dagger into his pocket and prepared to flee.

However, in this situation where the Yin spirit was injured and unable to control itself...

Suddenly, a long howl echoed from the valley in the mountain! It reverberated through the valley, causing the vegetation to rustle!

It didn't sound like a human voice, but rather... the cry of a monkey. The monkeys' cries echoed through the two gorges, as a white shadow swept across the mountains!

Zhao Yunshu looked up and his heart skipped a beat. He saw a white figure rushing towards him from the mountains, using both hands and feet to swing across the cliffs and streams, moving with incredible speed. In a single swing, the figure covered dozens of feet, swaying among the rocks as if flying. In the blink of an eye, the figure had swung from a distance to within fifty feet of the gaunt Taoist, but the gaunt Taoist was on the mountaintop... unable to swing any further.

It's so far away, and it looks like we can't swing any further. What else can we do?

A question mark popped into Zhao Yunshu's mind.

Then, in the next instant, a beam of white light pierced through all the doubts!

A sharp, piercing explosion rang out! It turned out that the white figure had swung its arm in mid-air, and a point of cold light shot out, tearing through the dark night like a falling meteor, heading straight for the gaunt Taoist standing on the treetop!

That's a sword!

The sword flashes a hundred paces, like a shooting star!

Even though it was fifty feet away, the burst of silver light was still impossible to ignore, and the sky even felt a little dazzling.

The sword light shone like stars under the moonlight, a silver line splitting the sky like a white rainbow piercing the sun, heading straight for the gaunt Taoist with immense force!

Where the sword flashed, meteors streaked past the moon, and even the mountain wind seemed to be cut off. The buzzing sound of the swords blended into one, like the clear sound of glass.

What a fine sword! What a fine sword! Although it doesn't have the ability of a flying sword to slay dragons or take heads from a thousand miles away, its sword light is brilliant within a hundred paces, perfect for killing! The gaunt Taoist was originally a spirit separated from his body, and what remained in place was just an empty shell. So he stood motionless on the treetop. In addition, his spirit was stunned by the thunder, making him even more unable to move, as if this sword was about to pierce his head directly.

This was the moment the white figure seized! He wanted to take advantage of this fatal instant to kill the gaunt Taoist!

For the gaunt Taoist, his hand, which was forming a hand seal, suddenly trembled at that moment.

This person's cultivation was truly remarkable. Although his three souls were not attached to his body, he had practiced the Soul Control Technique for a long time, and the instincts of his seven souls were ingrained in his bones. Facing a fatal sword strike, in the critical moment, his body actually tilted his head to the side and touched the pine branch with his feet, and his whole body floated backward like a kite.

The longsword grazed his neck, and the crown of the pine tree he had just been standing on was sliced ​​off by the blade, scattering pine needles, branches, and cones everywhere.

The longsword was stuck between the cliff walls, but the white figure continued to swing, leaping towards the sword, flipping and landing lightly on a rock in the cliff face. With a wave of his hand, he caught the longsword steadily.

After receiving the sword, he looked up, revealing a furry white ape face.

It was Yuan Zhisheng!

The white ape looked somewhat surprised. He thought that the gaunt Taoist had already focused his consciousness on his Yin spirit, so his sneak attack should have been a sure thing. However, he did not expect that the Taoist would suddenly dodge the attack!

So, the white ape, sword in hand, grabbed the vines with its feet, swung gently, and charged at the body once more!

At this moment, although the Taoist's Yin spirit had not truly returned to his body, one of his three souls had separated and resided in his body. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he released a white silk whisk. The whisk's tail unfurled in the wind, each strand as sharp as a steel needle! He then swept it towards the white ape.

The Taoist priest was tall and thin, and possessed exceptional agility. As he plummeted down the cliff, he was carried by the mountain wind, his whisk flashing several times, falling like needles from above, completely enveloping the white ape. But Yuan Zhisheng remained calm, wielding his sword in one claw and gripping the vines with both feet, charging forward to meet him head-on.

The gaunt Taoist's true form was on a pine tree atop a mountain on the opposite shore of the lake, while his Yin spirit was below, terrified by the thunderous sound. He had to deal with the white ape while also regulating his breathing to alleviate the injuries to his Yin spirit, truly caught in a dilemma.

However, this person's cultivation was profound. Faced with difficulties on both sides, he managed to be distracted on both fronts without making a single mistake!

His spirit had already quietly disappeared to recuperate, waiting only for the effects of the lightning to dissipate before returning.

Meanwhile, one of his souls, combined with the seven spirits of his body, was manipulating his physical form and engaging in a sword duel with the white ape!

The white ape's swordsmanship was different from Zhao Yunshu's. Although the young Taoist had practiced swordsmanship for many years, it was nothing more than basic stances such as thrusting, chopping, pointing, flicking, picking, collapsing, intercepting, cutting, wiping, slicing, clouding, hanging, and parrying.

These movements form the basic framework of swordsmanship, which the young Taoist priest practiced year-round.

However, the white ape's swordsmanship incorporated the leaping and bounding movements of apes, displaying an unconventional style.

Seeing the whisk falling down, it didn't block it but instead dodged backward, did a somersault, and leaped through the gap in the whisk with a nimbleness that a human could not achieve. Then, it stepped on the tree trunk above, pushed off, flipped in mid-air, and thrust its sword down with a backhand!

The Taoist's body reacted extremely quickly; he retracted his whisk and tried to entangle the sword tip.

But Yuan Zhisheng merely flicked his wrist, and the sword blade, like a living snake, circled around in mid-air, the tip of the sword remaining unchanged while the blade bypassed the whisk!

The Taoist priest was startled, nearly having a sword pierce his head through to his chest! Fortunately, he reacted quickly, using his lightness technique to move, his body swaying and being blown away by the wind, narrowly escaping death. He couldn't help but blurt out, "You beast!"

His curse was three parts surprise and seven parts anger.

That white ape's sword just now almost pierced him through. If it weren't for his cultivation of the Soul Control Technique, which gave his seven souls the ability to avoid danger and seek good fortune, allowing him to dodge based on his physical instincts, he probably wouldn't have been able to avoid that attack with his own martial arts skills.

What swordsmanship! What a beast!

He immediately suppressed his earlier shock and, still as talkative as ever, said, "I wondered who it was. Turns out it's just that monkey who carries the sword for the Wang family in Shu. What, has your master also come to meddle in this mess in Dingzhou? Or is this beast trying to be a busybody, meddling in other people's business in the middle of the night?"

As he spoke, he dared not be careless with his hands, and made preparations to wait for the white ape to come up.

Upon hearing the word "beast," Yuan Zhisheng's eyes narrowed, and he let out a low gurgling sound, but ultimately did not utter it aloud. He did not argue, but simply slowly raised the snow-white longsword.

Then, attack!

The Taoist priest was preparing to launch a surprise attack, but Yuan Zhisheng was faster than him!

This white ape was born in the mountains and belongs to the ape family. It was naturally gifted to leap and bound among the trees and cliffs. At this moment, it was as free and easy as a bird or a fish.

Its claws tugged at the surrounding vines, and its body swung out. Suddenly, it turned back, pushed off the cliff face, and used the mountain's momentum to flip over and stab again.

The gaunt Taoist priest had nowhere to dodge and could only try to block with his sleeve. With a tearing sound, his Taoist robe was cut open, revealing his withered arms, and he barely managed to escape. However, he had barely escaped and hadn't even regained his footing when Yuan Zhisheng grabbed a vine with one foot and drew an arc in the air like a compass, already circling behind him.

The white ape's movements were entirely monkey-like, unexpectedly shifting left and right, up and down, treading on branches and climbing vines, stepping on rocks and clinging to the ground, like a ball of white light that completely enveloped the Taoist's figure.

With a sword thrust to the east and another to the west, the Taoist priest was left in a sorry state.

The gaunt Taoist gritted his teeth, reached into his robes, and threw out a talisman; its effect was unknown.

But the white figure ducked and dodged past, slipping past the talisman. With a backhand slash, it cut a half-foot-long gash on the Taoist's right shoulder, blood splattering onto the cliff face.

The Taoist priest was light and agile, and his movements were originally very fast, but he was still no faster than the monkeys in the mountains and forests.

Wherever he landed, the white ape would arrive first, its sword light following him like a shadow, impossible to dodge.

Before long, the gaunt Taoist priest was dressed in tattered clothes and covered in blood.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his composed demeanor had completely vanished.

Zhao Yunshu had already finished sealing the short sword over there, and even took the time to roar twice more to intimidate the Yin spirit and buy time for the white ape!

The white ape, seizing the advantage, relentlessly pursued the attacker, each sword strike faster than the last. With each strike, it would utilize the terrain, either leaping off cliffs, falling from the sky, or swinging on vines, its techniques endlessly varied.

The gaunt Taoist priest was driven to desperation by such cunning swordsmanship. Most of the silver threads on his whisk had been cut off during the parries, and the once beautiful whisk tail was now a mess, looking as if it had been chewed by a dog. His back was soaked with sweat, and his eyes were fierce, clearly showing that he was truly enraged.

As for the other young Taoist priests, he would occasionally let out a shout, then rest and meditate in place, knowing in his heart that he had most likely escaped death tonight.

At the mountain peak, Yuan Zhisheng let out another ape-like cry, his figure taking five steps on the cliff as if climbing a ladder to the clouds. With a flick of his longsword, he actually produced three sword flowers!

The sword flowers were beautiful and eye-catching, but what was even more chilling was that each of the three sword flowers had a cold glint at its stamen, and in an instant, three swords were unleashed, pointing at the three vital points of the brow, neck, and heart!

The Taoist's expression changed, and he dared not hold back any longer, stopping with a furious shout!

Yuan Zhisheng only wanted to exchange injury for life, so he did not stop his sword strikes, and the three sword lights continued.

However, just as the sword tip was about to strike, it was deflected by a strange and inexplicable force, thus avoiding injury.

Then, suddenly! Several ghostly figures lunged out of the air! These vengeful spirits stretched out their claws, trying to grab Yuan Zhisheng!

Yuan Zhisheng was almost pounced on by the ghostly figure. He immediately retreated and did another somersault, landing on an old vine several feet away. He grabbed the vine with both feet and swayed, still holding his sword and being very careful.

The gaunt Taoist priest took a few deep breaths. Although he was still talkative, his tone had become cold. He wiped the blood and sweat from his face with his sleeve and said, "You beast, no wonder the Wang family treats you like a treasure."

"However, do you really think I can't do anything to you? My cultivation is more than ten times greater than yours. If it weren't for... if I hadn't come without a protector on this trip, would you, a mere beast, dare to act so wildly in front of me?"

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, whether from anger or pain, it was hard to tell. But he was telling the truth.

The white ape was a martial artist, and martial artists do have a significant advantage in close combat, making it difficult for Taoists to use many of their techniques.

But now, the situation is different.

With so many ghostly figures protecting him, the white ape could no longer hold him back.

Zhao Yunshu, who was in the distance, had already recognized him.

This is the other party's perspective!

Luoyin Temple!

Moreover... as the method of observation appeared, some ghosts appeared around the gaunt Taoist.

The young Taoist priest could recognize the appearance of one of the ghosts even from this distance.

You could even say that you'd recognize someone even if they were reduced to ashes.

Zhao Yunshu stared in astonishment, then rose up in anger!

Master! (One more chapter tonight, totaling 11,000 words)