With virtue

The middle-aged man saw his elderly companion die instantly, even his soul was shattered, and his expression turned to panic. He was stunned by the thunderous sound, seeing stars before his eyes, and seemed powerless to resist.

But the other party was, after all, a black-headed monk from Lushan, a man of considerable cultivation and genuine skill when he went out. How could he possibly surrender so easily? He bit his tongue, knowing that if he didn't show his skills now, he would be in deep trouble.

In the world of martial arts, skill only accounts for 30% of success; the ability to consistently demonstrate one's skills at any time and place accounts for 70%. In fact, there are quite a few who die feeling frustrated because they cannot demonstrate their true abilities.

At that moment, he suddenly rolled up the sleeve of his left hand, revealing his thin, bony arm. With a flick of his right hand, a sharp dagger appeared in his palm, covered with various spells, clearly a magical artifact that had been refined.

He moved very quickly; before Zhao Yunshu could catch his breath, he had already completed the set of movements.

Blood gushed from his cut arm, but instead of wiping it away, he quickly dipped his finger in the blood and smeared it on his sleeve, beginning to draw talismans.

The talisman was drawn more and more hurriedly, almost becoming a blurry mess, but it was still completed.

After he finished drawing, he stuck it to his forehead.

He then took out a red-faced, fanged Nuo mask from his bosom, placed it over his face, leaned back, muttered incantations, lifted his left foot, and stepped out with his right.

He cut open his arm to draw blood to smear on talismans, made paper figures, burned them, pasted the talismans on his face, put on a mask, and began the Nuo dance.

The Nuo dance began slowly and deliberately, with a twist to the left and a turn to the right, spinning and jumping, lifting a leg and moving on one foot. But after only two or three breaths, the speed increased and the movements became more and more frenzied. They were already wearing Nuo masks and had blood-written runes. The wounds on their hands were not bandaged to stop the bleeding. Blood splattered everywhere as they danced, and their robes swayed. At first glance, they looked like humans but were not human.

The young Taoist priest, of course, couldn't wait for him to continue jumping. He took a deep breath, gathered his energy, and charged towards him! But...

Just then, he suddenly retreated because a voice came from behind him. Although the voice was not as righteous as Lei Yin's, it still made him feel a sense of unease and forced him to turn towards another burly man.

But the burly man had changed completely; his appearance, physique, and even his height had changed!

At this moment, the burly man was singing a strange song, which was completely unlike the elegant music of the Central Plains or the folk tunes of the marketplace. The song's pitch fluctuated, sounding like the cries of monkeys and the hiss of snakes, or like the cooing of owls.

It was this song that made Zhao Yunshu feel particularly uncomfortable in her heart, forcing the young Taoist priest to shift his attention here.

The song was incredibly strange, and he couldn't understand a single word. However, the old Taoist priest had traveled all over the country when he was young, and he had taught the young Taoist priest many distinctive things. So, although he was upset and it was the first time he had seen the real thing, he still recognized it.

This is something the old Taoist priest once told the young Taoist priest.

Li Ge.

It turns out that this burly man was a Li person from Lingnan.

The Li people have lived in the Limu Mountains for generations. The mountains there are vast and numerous, though not extremely high or steep. They are very difficult to traverse, with almost no flat land.

The place where they live is surrounded by peaks with five and seven fingers. The Li people live in caves, and there is a distinction between the raw and cooked Li people. The cooked Li people live around the mountains.

In ancient times, when the Yellow Emperor fought against the Jiuli, some of them assimilated into the Central Plains and became known as the "Limin" in ancient books. However, another group of Jiuli people fled to the southern wilderness and settled outside the Central Plains, later becoming known as the "Sanmiao". This Sanmiao tribe, the Li people, lived among snakes, insects, tigers, and leopards for generations. Their incantations were passed down from ancient times and inherited the customs of the Chiyou era. Their shamanistic practices were extremely prevalent, quite different from the Taoist practices of the Central Plains.

His Li Ge is essentially an ancestral witchcraft incantation, but this incantation is not just a song; it also needs to be combined with his tattooed body.

He suddenly ripped off his clothes, revealing the tattoo underneath.

But what could be seen was that the body covered by the clothes was no longer flesh-colored; it was almost entirely bluish-black, covered with patterns formed by needle-like piercings. There were centipedes, poisonous insects, large snakes, fierce tigers, banana trees, and all sorts of strange beasts, covering the chest, abdomen, and back. When the lamplight shone on them, they seemed to writhe and squirm under the strong man's muscle movements.

As he sang Li songs, it had the effect of a spell. Then he unleashed it, and the tattoos took effect, as if possessed by an ancestor, transforming him into a half-human, half-ghost.

But then he saw that his height had increased dramatically, his arms had bulged and turned iron black, with bulging veins and sharp fingertips.

But this was just a normal change. What was even more terrifying was that the flesh and bones under his back, where his shoulder blades were, began to writhe, and soon two more hands emerged from them! He transformed into a four-armed monster!

The new arms were slightly thinner than the original arms, but they were still bluish-black like iron. After he grew four arms, he also suddenly acquired two more sets of weapons.

The same hands produced a strange bow. The bow was made of mountain vines, as if the vines had naturally grown into the bow. There were bows at both ends to hold the string, which was also made of twisted vines. The arrowheads were made of bamboo, without feathers, but the three branches were shaped like water chestnuts and had barbs. Even without knowing anything about arrows, one would know that once the arrow entered the flesh, it would never come out.

With his other hands, he pulled out two javelins from under his armpits, and then, from who knows where, he pulled out a suit of armor and put it on his head.

The helmet was neither gold nor iron, but a piece of peeled fragrant wood bark that naturally formed the shape of a helmet. When placed on the head, it transformed into armor.

Zhao Yunshu observed carefully. Although the fragrant wood bark was light, it was glossy and shiny, clearly made by soaking and drying some kind of wood core for a long time. Its texture was exceptionally tough, impervious to swords and spears. His face darkened. The old Taoist priest had mentioned these things when he talked about Li Ge. The Li people were skilled in using rattan bows and rattan armor, which were impervious to arrows and water, making them extremely powerful.

Moreover, these Li people are all tough and invulnerable, with heads of bronze and foreheads of iron. The bows they use are called Li bows, which weigh more than 200 catties and are extremely powerful. The person to be shot has to lie under a bamboo forest, with the bamboo end hanging down and the arrowhead tied to it. Several people hold the person down to keep them still, and then slowly release the bamboo end. The arrowhead will come out immediately, but the muscles and bones will be shattered. After applying medicine, they will barely survive.

That body was covered in fragrant wood bark, and was also made of rattan armor. Arrows could not penetrate it and all fell to the ground. Knives and spears could not cut it either. Moreover, it floated on water and did not sink. It was not afraid of water magic.

The burly man transformed into a four-armed monster, possessing immense strength. With all four arms outstretched, wielding a bow and two swords, he charged towards him.

The lyrical song continued unabated, its melody drawn out and sharp, making one's heart ache terribly. It was as if someone were scraping glass with their fingernails, or as if an iron skewer was being inserted into one's ear, pulling and tugging at Zhao Yunshu's mind.

He gritted his teeth and drew his sword, having no energy left to look in the direction of the Nuo dance Taoist.

It was too late to stop the other side; the only option was to fight the monster in front of them.

The four-armed monster stretched out its arms, its bow fully drawn, and its bamboo arrow nocked. Zhao Yunshu's heart skipped a beat as the arrow was released from the bowstring, whistling through the air!

This bow and this arrow—if you know them, you can call them a bow and arrow; if you don't, you can only think of them as spear launchers!

Fortunately, the young Taoist priest was quite skilled with his sword. He struck the center of the arrow with his sword, and with great effort, he deflected the arrow shaft. Upon touching it, the iron sword made an unpleasant creaking sound, and it was almost bent by the arrow.

At the same time, he dodged quickly, the arrow grazing his shoulder, kicking up a piece of cloth, and flew more than ten steps before embedding itself in a large tree like a spearhead, causing leaves to fall and form a green waterfall.

The man in brown robes brandished all four arms, one holding a bow and nocking an arrow, the other two wielding knives as he lunged forward, roaring like a beast, straight at Zhao Yunshu. Zhao Yunshu was now firmly entangled, unable to break free to interrupt the Nuo dance Taoist's spell.

However... the Taoist priest performing the Nuo dance on the other side couldn't stop either, and saw that more than a dozen paper figures had already been burned.

The paper figure burned and turned into blue smoke in mid-air. From the smoke, more than a dozen Nuo soldiers who looked exactly like him jumped out.

These Nuo soldiers, all wearing Nuo masks and clad in five-colored paper armor, each holding a paper knife and shield, moved with him in a strange step, forming a semicircle and jumping around wildly.

The group of Nuo soldiers jumped faster and faster, and soon gathered together, shouting in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

After jumping for a while, just as the shouts subsided, golden light suddenly appeared in mid-air, banners fluttered, horns sounded, and war drums beat. In mid-air, dozens of divine soldiers and generals stepped out from the void!

At the forefront were several men riding tall horses, their armor gleaming, exuding an imposing aura.

The helmets gleamed, the armor shone.

Swords and spears gleamed, halberds and spears gleamed.

They were like heavenly soldiers descending to earth, so powerful that no one dared to look up at them!

The celestial soldiers were led by several mounted soldiers, with flying dragons circling and serpents tumbling in front of them, and a line of fish-shaped formations lined up in a row, with banners appearing and disappearing and swords and spears like a forest, truly displaying the grandeur of a celestial official's marching formation.

As the divine soldiers and generals move, there are transformations of flying dragons, soaring serpents, and fish leaping! Go to Bing and search for "German Flag" to see the latest chapter!

However, when Zhao Yunshu dealt with the four-armed monster, he only glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and saw through its secrets.

Those "divine soldiers and generals," though clad in golden armor and wielding weapons, all wore paper masks, their entire bodies completely covered by armor. Only through the gaps could one vaguely discern some features: the scales on one arm were still visible, the markings on another's neck remained, and beneath the masks of the "heavenly generals" behind them, several pairs of vertical pupils gleamed, like snakes or lizards.

Upon seeing this, the young Taoist priest made a judgment.

The so-called flying dragon is nothing more than a giant python in disguise.

The so-called Tengshe was originally a centipede that had attained enlightenment.

The heavenly soldiers and generals in the formation were surrounded by auspicious clouds and golden light, but occasionally there was a trace of bloody wind. They were not heavenly soldiers descending to the mortal world at all, but a group of snakes, insects and evil spirits. They were made to appear as divine soldiers by Taoist priests who performed rituals and sealed them with talismans.

The masked Taoist priest danced more and more frantically, urging his soldiers to press down on Zhao Yun.

In an instant, the forest was filled with shimmering golden shadows and eerie atmosphere, just like a Nuo opera at a temple fair, so lively it made one's scalp tingle. At the same time, the four-armed demon in front had also pressed down, its murderous aura even more overwhelming.

Leaves and dust swirled in the forest, and the torches and golden light caused shadows to sway wildly. On one side were the Nuo formation posing as heavenly soldiers, and on the other side were the barbarian shamans with four arms. Zhao Yunshu was caught in the middle, feeling that there was danger all around him.

The four-armed monster, now with all four arms outstretched, charged forward with monstrous strength. With each step it took, the soil on the ground exploded and scattered, leaving footprints a full inch deep!

He drew his bow to its fullest extent, unleashing a barrage of arrows, but his figure drew ever closer, wielding two javelins in a close-quarters attack. He was truly unstoppable; in the midst of a military formation, even a hundred or so men couldn't hold him off. Zhao Yunshu, however, no longer retreated. Instead, he met him head-on, brandishing his iron sword and directly engaging in combat with the opponent's javelins. He crouched beneath his opponent, forcing him to limit his use of arrows and minimizing the advantage of having four hands.

The young Taoist's swordsmanship was extremely agile. Knowing that he was no match for the opponent in terms of strength, he chose to use unorthodox methods and did not engage in a direct confrontation of strength.

But then he saw the tip of his sword touch the opponent's heart, and using the force, he turned sideways and nimbly slid past the opponent's armpit. The four-armed monster roared and swung its sword horizontally with its backhand. Zhao Yunshu ducked to avoid it, and then his iron sword slashed diagonally, stabbing the opponent's soft rib.

If this were a fight against a mortal, those two swords would have already pierced his heart twice, killing him long ago.

But when the sword tip pierced the other person's body, it was like stabbing into a block of iron, leaving only a shallow white mark, without even breaking the skin.

He thrust his sword several more times, aiming at the throat, lower back, and knees. Each thrust was swift and hit its mark, but none of them were effective. An ordinary person would have been riddled with holes by now, but the Li Wu's skin was as tough as cast iron and he was protected by fragrant wood armor, making him truly impervious to swords and spears.

The more Li Wu fought, the more frantic he became, his arms flailing wildly and his chanting growing more scathing. Zhao Yunshu was forced to dodge his attacks constantly, but fortunately, Li Wu's swordsmanship was equally superb. He used his strength to deflect the blows, moving like water, and thus never managed to touch a single corner of Zhao Yunshu's clothes. Instead, Zhao Yunshu was struck repeatedly on the ribs, neck, and lower back by the tip of his sword.

Although Zhao Yunshu was able to hit the target, he couldn't even break through the skin, and was completely helpless.

Knowing he was invulnerable, Li Wu became even more fearless, brandishing his sword and drawing his bow, attacking without defending, intending to overcome skill with brute force, or to continue suppressing the heavenly soldiers until they landed and besiege Zhao Yunshu to death.

However, Zhao Yunshu's swordsmanship had now reached a profound level, far surpassing his own. Li Wu had only brute strength, but his attacks were completely chaotic, relying solely on his four arms to slash and smash wildly. Zhao Yunshu's sword moved with him, his steps as fluid as water, and no matter how his four arms swung, they could not touch him at all.

He parried and struck, his sword tip landing dozens of times on his opponent. Although he couldn't break through the iron skin, he managed to deflect and push the opponent's force, using the opponent's strength against him, forcing the Li Wu to retreat step by step. The more chaotic his steps became, the more urgent his roar grew.

Just then, Zhao Yunshu seized an opening, suddenly rushing into the center. With a twist of his iron sword, he sent both of the opponent's javelins flying. He then kicked the opponent in the back of the knee, causing the sorcerer to stagger. Zhao Yunshu had already flipped over and mounted his back. "You can't break my skin! You can't hurt me. Once I catch you, or when the heavenly soldiers descend from over there, you're dead!" The four-armed demon put down his bow and arrows, and with all four hands, grabbed Zhao Yunshu's legs, threatening him in this way.

He was telling the truth.

But how could Zhao Yunshu not know that it was the truth?

He already had a plan in mind.

He suddenly took a deep breath and gently blew on the face of the witch.

This breath contained a spark of true fire ignited by his inner fire.

The flame was not large, only like a lamp wick, drifting out from between his lips.

That fragrant wood armor is said to be waterproof and impervious to swords and spears, but it is most afraid of fire. In the past, when Zhuge Liang was in the southern barbarians, he was forced to use rattan armor and had no other choice but to rely on fire.

That bit of real fire was even more powerful. When it landed on the armor, it was like oil being added to a raging fire, and it shot up with a bang, bursting out a pillar of fire that almost scorched the young Taoist priest.

Fortunately, he was skilled in fire magic and was able to suppress the fire, preventing it from spreading only to the four-armed monster.

Flames erupted, engulfing the opponent's entire head. Li Wu let out a deafening scream, and Li Ge, who had been singing, fell silent, his four arms flailing wildly.

He screamed and howled in agony, put Zhao Yunshu down, and slapped his body repeatedly with both hands. But... as he slapped, his hands secretly formed several hand seals. This armor was afraid of fire; as a wizard, how could he not know that?

So, many years ago, he had also practiced water magic to protect himself. At this moment, he pretended to be helpless, but secretly used it to drench himself with water, hoping to catch Zhao Yunshu off guard!

But then a column of water descended, like a small river falling from the sky and pouring down from above.

To everyone's surprise, when the water was poured onto the real fire, it not only failed to extinguish the flames, but instead, like oil being poured into a furnace, the flames hissed and rose even higher.

Water vapor entering the fire only fuels its flames, making it burn even more fiercely the more it is poured on!

This is real fire, how can it be extinguished by water?!

That's when Li Wu panicked. The fire had already burned into his soul, and he was writhing on the ground in pain, yelling loudly. He frantically clawed and pounced at his body, tearing off his armor and skin, but it was too late.

The true fire had already penetrated the flesh and burned into the bone. The flesh on that bluish-black iron body had turned into charcoal, and even the bones were exposed. The whole body turned into fire, rolling and crashing wildly on the forest ground.

Wherever he went, the grass turned to black ash, his screams rose and fell, then grew hoarse, and finally he collapsed in a cloud of black smoke, motionless.

Zhao Yunshu had already jumped away, stood with his sword in hand, and coldly watched the flame gradually diminish until it finally stopped moving.

The air in the forest was filled with a strong, acrid smell, mixed with the odor of flesh, which was nauseating.

It is just as the saying goes: A spark of true fire ignites in the vast sky, and the heart, like a furnace, naturally glows red.

A thousand rivers cannot quench the fire, and ten thousand feet of ice cannot melt it.

The fire in the forest dissipated in an instant, and the drumbeats of the Nuo dance Taoist seemed to slow down a beat.

Zhao Yunshu extinguished the true fire and looked up ahead.

Seeing that his companions were dead, the Taoist priest who performed the Nuo dance realized that the encirclement he had intended had not only failed to materialize, but he was now left all alone.

However, his ritual was already complete, the Nuo dance was finished, so instead of retreating, he pressed the Nuo mask down further, chanting even more urgently: "Dance, soul! Dance, soul!"

The dozen or so paper figures, acting on the incantation, continued their frenzied dance.

As they danced, the heavenly soldiers and generals, who had just solidified their bodies, rushed towards Zhao Yunshu, stepping on the flying dust!

In mid-air, the heavenly soldiers and generals brandished their weapons, raising dust to blot out the sky. They wore golden crowns, battle robes, golden armor, and tiger belts. With their heads held high and chests out, they held long whips and charged forward with great fanfare!

Dragons flapped their wings, serpents flicked their tongues, and in the fish-scale formation, soldiers and generals brandished their swords and spears, their cold light gleaming, and they pressed down upon us accompanied by the sound of drums and horns.

In an instant, Zhao Yunshu felt a murderous aura surrounding him, as if a thousand troops were charging at him!

However, he knew in his heart that the heavenly soldiers and generals before him, though appearing to be wielding weapons, were in reality nothing more than a bunch of evil spirits and demons baring their fangs and claws. Unfazed, he advanced instead of retreating, suddenly raising his right fist and delivering a heavy blow to the abdomen!

With a single strike, the righteous spirit of liver and gall exploded forth, unleashing a powerful, thunderous roar:

"ha!"

The sound was like thunder from the sky. As the sound wave passed, the heavenly soldiers and generals who had rushed the closest were immediately sent flying backward. Their paper armor shattered, revealing the empty bamboo bones and grass fibers inside.

The "heavenly soldiers" who had not yet arrived were also shaken and staggered, their banners broke, their masks shattered, revealing snake heads, insect eyes, and tentacles underneath.

It was the thunderous sound that shattered illusions and the righteous law that subdued evil. With this shout, the heavenly soldiers ceased to be heavenly, the divine generals ceased to be divine, and the evil forms throughout the forest were revealed in their true forms.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Yunshu took out the peach charm given to him by the sorceress from his bosom.

Tao Fu struck out, slapping the pile of defeated soldiers. From within Tao Fu, two beams of golden light burst forth, like the sun piercing through the clouds.

Within that golden light, two great generals stood majestically in form.

The man on the left, with a face as black as iron, a beard as thick as a halberd, a face as black as charcoal, angry eyes and a bushy beard, holding a steel whip, exuding the might of a bear and the strength of a tiger, his aura soaring into the sky! It was none other than Yuchi Jingde.

The man on the right, with a fair face and red lips, phoenix eyes that held a commanding presence, commanded the entire army with his sharp edge. He could break through enemy lines and shatter enemy formations, his movements as swift as an eagle soaring and as powerful as a whale leaping. He was indeed Qin Shubao.

The door gods descended to earth, one holding an iron whip high, the other a golden sword horizontally. Just standing before the heavenly soldiers and generals, who were originally snakes, insects, and evil spirits, and now, seeing the two door gods, and further imbued with decades of incense smoke, they were momentarily speechless, unable to utter a sound. Only a crackling sound could be heard as the paper figures burned and the ghostly figures scattered.

Some paper figures turned to ashes on the spot, while some heavenly soldiers discarded their weapons and fled out of the forest in a panic. In a short while, the entire evil formation collapsed.

Zhao Yunshu quickly walked towards him, the scattered ghostly figures behind him had already fled completely.

He kicked out, knocking the Taoist to the ground, the tip of his sword pointing at his throat.

But the last Taoist priest seemed to want to chant a spell, but he could only utter a few dry murmurs and could not utter a single word in the end.