I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

A sudden gust of cold wind arose, and a ghostly mist pressed in!

Even as the Taoist priest held the wooden sword, his heart tightened involuntarily.

Suddenly he felt a pain on his face. When he reached up and touched it, he found a faint layer of blood on his fingers.

If blood is seen before it appears, this creature is extremely ominous!

Shen Yuan's pupils contracted, and Xuan Qingzi shouted from behind, "Fellow Daoist, be careful! It might be a vengeful ghost!"

He turned his head and saw Xuan Qingzi covering his right hand, looking as if facing a formidable enemy, his body emitting a faint glow to resist the invasion of the surrounding ghostly energy.

A quick glance around revealed that every Taoist priest wore the same thing, suggesting that the talismans they were carrying were the key to their success.

The sky was incredibly dark, and tangible gray vapor rose from the air, exuding an eerie and chilling aura. It looked more like the ruins of the dead than the human world.

An ordinary person would probably be terrified by such a scene. For example, Wang Duangong was huddled at the feet of a Taoist priest, trembling all over, his face pale, and muttering repeatedly, "May the Bodhisattva protect me! May the Buddha protect me!"

Shen Yuan was speechless. He hugged the Taoist priest and chanted Buddhist prayers. This was only because Taoism emphasizes tranquility and non-action. If it were any other sect, they would have beaten the person up long ago!

However, at this moment, there was one person who made Shen Yuan look at him with new eyes.

The moment the anomaly occurred, Zheng Baozhu shielded her brother and Chen Cuier behind her, then took out amulets and distributed them to each of them.

Even her eldest brother, Zheng Baojin, was still a little stunned and hadn't come to his senses, but Zheng Baozhu was already acting as if nothing had happened. She even patted her little chest with relief, saying, "Luckily, I brought three amulets with me. Father was so farsighted!"

This girl has a bit of a fierce streak!

Shen Yuan shifted his gaze and looked ahead.

Zhuang Ping, who was lying on the ground, sensed the Taoist's gaze. He suddenly turned his head, smiled eerily, arched his body, and prepared to pounce forward—

The Taoist priest flipped his wrist, didn't move his feet, and raised his hand to strike with his sword!

"Duh!"

He exhaled, his voice booming like a bell, and subconsciously used a weakened version of the "Word of Power" technique, like a thunderclap that struck everyone's minds.

The universe possesses a righteous energy, which manifests itself in various forms!

The crowd, who were initially timid, couldn't help but shudder after hearing that shout. It was as if the sun was shining down on them, and a warm current quietly sprouted in their hearts, instantly dissipating much of their fear.

The stiff and obscure scene before my eyes began to show the vitality unique to living people, and the sounds around me gradually grew louder, transforming from a silent film into a sound movie.

"Bang!"

The wooden sword moved with lightning speed, striking Zhuang Ping squarely in the chest.

"Squeak—" A strange cry rang out, like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on, which then turned into a shrill scream of pain.

The surrounding ghostly mist seemed to sense this and began to churn violently!

The Taoist priest stared intently and could vaguely see a ghostly figure flying out from Zhuang Ping's body. It landed, rolled, and then, in an extremely eerie manner, quickly crawled to the side into the ghostly mist and disappeared.

"Please, my precious one, grant me your light!"

Unfortunately, even though it's fast, there are people who are faster than it.

Xuan Qingzi had picked up the Pure Yang Mirror at some point and shone it in the direction where the ghostly figure had disappeared.

A pure golden light suddenly shone down from the sky, illuminating the gloomy alley and turning the world white.

"ah--!!!"

Like a red-hot iron blade inserted into solidified grease, the ghostly mist quickly dissipated, revealing the true form of the ghostly creature hidden within—it was none other than the blind and tongue-severed Chen Jun!

"Jun-ge'er!" Chen Cui'er cried out from behind the crowd, her mind in turmoil.

Xuan Qingzi shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Kill him!"

"yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the disciples responded in unison, then raised their magic swords, their tips facing each other, arranged in a three-dimensional formation, and stepped out in a protective pattern to form an array.

Three people form a small formation, thirty people form a large formation, and the large formation contains the smaller formations. The comings and goings are complex and mysterious, with a grand and boundless momentum.

Then they shouted in unison: "Observe the Way of Heaven, govern all spirits, embrace the spirit in stillness, let the ancestral energy surge! Slash! Slash! Slash!!!"

The Taoist was also shocked by what he saw, and it was the first time he had experienced what it meant to "the Qi of the heavens is abundant and my Tao is flourishing".

With only thirty people, they shouted out the momentum of a thousand troops!

The Taoist thought to himself: No wonder the current emperor is wary of the Taoist sect. Even if I were the emperor, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to feel much at ease!

The celestial aura grew thicker and thicker, like thunderclouds, with faint rumbling sounds of thunder echoing from within.

The boundless spirit descended with a resounding echo, followed by thunder and fire wherever it passed, like a drop of hot oil falling into boiling water, instantly causing an explosion.

"ah--!!!"

A sudden gust of cold wind arose, swirling up a cloud of gray mist, and countless mournful cries echoed from within the ghostly fog.

The wandering ghosts and spirits all around were so frightened by this aura that their souls became unstable, and they all turned into ghostly lights and fled.

Even the female ghost, who had been docile in the Taoist's hands, was now trembling and struggling and howling incessantly.

Many hands make light work; the sword formation of thirty virtuous men was not something ordinary ghosts could withstand. Their mere presence was enough to terrify any ghost.

"cut!"

As the Taoists uttered their final "Slay," the immense and powerful Taoist aura surged forth like a calm lake, transforming into a devastating force that swept towards the ghostly figures within the ghostly mist.

"Boom!"

A purple light flashed across the sky, and thunderclaps erupted all at once, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

The thunder dragon surged and raged, and the Taoist priest knew not how many innocent ghosts had died under its bolts of lightning.

Heaven and earth returned to peace. The Taoist gazed intently and saw that the terrifying ghostly figure was no longer visible beneath the Pure Yang Mirror.

"Destroyed?"

He glanced around and saw that all the Taoist priests around him had collapsed, their faces pale, their hands and feet trembling, as if they had been dead for three days and three nights, their energy and spirit completely drained.

To be honest, even with the Jade Emperor Palace's rich resources, forcing these Taoist priests to wield such a powerful magic array with mortal bodies was an extremely energy-consuming task.

Xuan Qingzi, clutching his hand, staggered forward, panting, and said, "Don't worry, fellow Daoist, I have the Pure Yang Mirror to reveal the ghost's form, and then I'll use the 'Minor Strategic Sword Formation' to slay it. It will have nowhere to escape. You should know that this sword formation was created by the Jade Capital Daoist Master Xuan, and it is the second most powerful killing sword formation in our Quanzhen Sect. This mere evil ghost is no match for it!"

He sounded somewhat smug. Today, the Jade Emperor Palace turned the tide, and once the news spread, its reputation would surely soar. At least the One Yuan Temple didn't steal the spotlight.

The Taoist priest merely chuckled softly and countered, "That number one killing sword formation of the Quanzhen Sect, it wouldn't be the 'Grand Strategy Sword Formation,' would it?"

"Huh, fellow Daoist actually knows?" Xuan Qingzi's eyes widened.

Shen Yuan was silent. Was that name hard to guess?

Seeing that his expression remained indifferent, Xuan Qingzi assumed he was upset that he had stolen his thunder, so he coughed lightly and said, "However, I still have to thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. If you hadn't forced the evil spirit out of this person, my Pure Yang Mirror really wouldn't have been able to do anything to him!"

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked over: "Oh? Why is that?"

Xuan Qingzi said, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but although my Pure Yang Mirror is incredibly powerful, it has a fatal flaw: it only harms ghosts and cannot affect living people. If a ghost possesses a human, there is nothing that can be done!"

Having said that, he looked at the wooden sword in the Taoist's hand and said with a half-smile, "I suppose your magic sword must also have an extraordinary origin?"

Shen Yuan glanced down at his companion divine sword and thought to himself that it was of extraordinary origin. This was a treasure of a transmigrator, and if I told you, you would be scared to death!

He smiled but said, "It can't compare to your precious mirror, but to me, it's still a priceless treasure!"

"Naturally! Naturally!"

Xuan Qingzi casually agreed, not taking the Taoist's words to heart. Instead, he nudged the unconscious Zhuang Ping and ordered his disciples, "Take him away!"

"Yes!" The two disciples forced themselves to step forward.

Chen Cuier protested, "Daoist Master, why are you arresting my master?"

Xuan Qingzi ignored the other party and snorted coldly, "The matter of the ill-gotten silver is of great importance. If I don't find out the truth, how can I report back to my superiors?" He glanced at the Taoist and said, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for him. If he really got the silver by chance, I will release him after I find out the truth."

"This...this..." Although Chen Cuier was uneasy, she didn't say anything more.

The Taoist priest gazed at the sky and suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist, now that the wicked demon has been slain, why do these evil energies still linger?"

Xuan Qingzi looked in the direction of the sound, and upon seeing the ghostly mist filling the sky, his brows furrowed, then relaxed, and he smiled, "It seems that the evil spirit's aura is too strong, causing a celestial phenomenon, and it won't dissipate anytime soon..."

"Really?"

The Taoist priest felt that things were not so simple, and he dared not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

Xuan Qingzi could tell what he was thinking just by looking at him. He felt that the other party was making a fuss over nothing, and he was also a little unhappy.

"What? In this matter of slaying demons and eliminating evil, is my Quanzhen sect inferior to your Zhengyi sect?"

Thinking this to himself, he didn't show it on his face, but instead smiled: "However, fellow Daoist's concerns are valid. This is, after all, the mortal world, and a ghostly atmosphere is never pleasant. So let this humble Daoist do his part once more!" With that, he slowly raised the precious mirror and cried out, "Please bestow upon me, my treasure..."

It just goes to show that people shouldn't think too much about the worst, otherwise it's easy for the worst to come true. Xuan Qingzi still hadn't pronounced the word "light" when the unexpected happened.

"ah--!!!"

A piercing scream rang out.

But Zhuang Ping, who had been unconscious, had somehow woken up. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, he pounced on the Taoist priest who came to capture him, opened his menacing mouth, and bit down hard on the priest's neck.

Fortunately, his companion reacted quickly and punched Zhuang Ping, knocking his head to the side.

Even so, he still bit down on the Taoist's shoulder, letting out a low growl, and with a forceful tear, a piece of flesh was ripped off with a soft "plop".

Blood gushed from the Taoist's shoulder, and he immediately cried out in pain.

Xuan Qingzi's eyes were bloodshot, and despite the excruciating pain in his hand, he picked up his magic sword and slashed!

"You beast, how dare you!"

"hey-hey……"

Zhuang Ping suddenly raised his head, his mouth full of blood, his face contorted in a ferocious expression. He chewed and swallowed the piece of meat, letting out a strange laugh. Just as the magic sword was about to strike him, he rolled backward in a bizarre manner to dodge.

"Whoosh—"

A gust of wind blew behind him as Shen Yuan quietly stepped forward and slashed with his sword.

Having experienced the power of the wooden sword and knowing the Taoist's strength, Zhuang Ping dared not be careless and quickly ducked to avoid the sword.

He tilted his head back, twisting his neck at a strange angle, his eyes seemingly veiled by a thin gray film. When he looked up in the light, they seemed to be like the vertical pupils of a wild beast, giving Shen Yuan a malicious smile before hunching over and disappearing into the fog.

"What happened?"

Although the Taoist's divine sword was effective against him, his own speed was far inferior. The ghost had learned its lesson earlier and now possessed Zhuang Ping, so it refused to let the Taoist strike it.

The Taoist priest chased after them several times, but found that he couldn't catch up at all. Moreover, the area was shrouded in ghostly fog, obscuring the sky and the sun. If he chased too deep, he would easily lose his sense of direction. He was afraid that he had fallen into the enemy's trap of luring him away from the mountain, so he would retreat after chasing for a short distance.

Just as he had predicted, the ghost appeared and disappeared mysteriously in the ghostly mist. It would run forward, but then suddenly leap out from behind and attack and bite everyone.

Fortunately, they had talismans to protect them, otherwise they would probably be dead by now. Even so, several people were injured.

On the contrary, Zheng Baozhu, because she was holding the Taoist's peace talisman and had great magical power, was actually ignored by the ghost, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Xuan Qingzi knew that if things continued like this, the entire army would be wiped out. He was so anxious that he jumped up and down, shouting, "Quick! Quick! Form ranks! Form ranks! Everyone, do your best to protect the wounded!"

Then, he looked at the Taoist priest, his voice pleading, "Fellow Daoist, is it possible to force the wicked ghost out of that person again?"

The Taoist priest's expression turned solemn. He neither agreed nor refused, only saying, "He has become more cunning, and I am not as fast as him!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of despair flashed in Xuan Qingzi's eyes. He murmured, "The curse follows me, the curse follows me. I'm truly getting old. How could I be so careless? The troublesome thing about this cursed ghost is never its ability to kill, but its ability to be reborn using cursed silver and escape without a trace. As long as there is still a single piece of cursed silver left out, it won't be easily killed!"

Shen Yuan was speechless. How could he forget such important information? Was the old man just thinking about showing off?

He held his sword horizontally in front of him, turned his head, and without wasting words, said, "I can only try, fellow Daoist. Do you have a way to determine the opponent's location?"

"have!"

Xuan Qingzi's eyes lit up. He took out a compass, chanted an incantation, and whispered, "Please guide me, my treasure!"

The acupuncture needle began to jump erratically, and suddenly, as if pulled by an invisible force, it straightened up and pointed in an unexpected direction.

The Taoist slowly closed his eyes, his spiritual light invigorated, and his five senses were instantly enhanced, allowing him to perceive his surroundings.

Suddenly feeling a gust of wind beside his ear, the Taoist priest abruptly opened his eyes and shouted sharply, "Go!"

His body moved at will, and his long sword moved with lightning speed, seemingly piercing through with a cold light.

"Bang!"

Zhuang Ping tried to use the same trick again, but as soon as he emerged from the fog, the Taoist's wooden sword arrived first and struck the oar in the middle of the river.

He was terrified, but it was too late to dodge, and he was stabbed solidly by the wooden sword.

The ghostly figure sprang from the body, and Xuan Qingzi's furious shout immediately rang out: "Please, my precious treasure, grant me your light!"

"Chirp chirp—"

The ghost clearly reacted, letting out a strange cry, and then split in two, leaping to the left and right.

Xuan Qingzi was immediately at a loss, not knowing which one to look at. Before he could finish, the ghost had already disappeared.

He was filled with remorse, but the Taoist priest took Zhuang Ping away first, stuffing a talisman to his pocket to prevent the other party from being possessed again.

"Fellow Daoist, please show me the way again!"

Xuan Qingzi's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly raised the compass. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his back, and he cried out, causing all the magical artifacts in his hands to fall to the ground.

Turning around again, he found a young man standing behind him, who, like Zhuang Ping, had crooked limbs and a strange smile.

"Fourth Brother!"

Zheng Baozhu was stunned. He never expected that his fourth brother would also be possessed.

"Fourth brother!"

Zheng Baojin was also anxious. Although his fourth brother was unreliable, he was still his own brother. If something really happened to him today, how could he face his parents?

The Taoist priest didn't react much; it was just that his last suspicion had been confirmed!

Zheng Baojuan stared at the Taoist with his gray, gloomy eyes. Surprisingly, he did not run away. Instead, he tilted his head, grinned, and uttered a hoarse, eerie voice.

"Taoist priest, do you want to kill me?"

Shen Yuan didn't stand on ceremony, twirling his sword and raising an eyebrow, saying, "I truly wish to kill you as soon as possible!"

"hey-hey--"

He let out a strange laugh, then suddenly spread his arms wide and said, "Then come on, Taoist priest, I'll give you a chance to kill this body along with me!"

Shen Yuan stared at him and said in a deep voice, "You must be the silver refiner behind this, right? So are you provoking me now?"

"Guess!" Zheng Baojuan stared at the Taoist, drooling as if he were eyeing a large piece of fat meat, and sneered coldly, "Taoist, aren't you going to make a move? Aren't you afraid that after I leave, you'll start another massacre? Then you'll be a sinner for all eternity!"

Shen Yuan remained silent.

Zheng Baojuan suddenly laughed, his mouth splitting into an exaggerated arc, then raised his right arm and took a bite.

"ah!!!"

Upon seeing the blood streaming down his right arm, the Zheng siblings couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Zheng Bao curled his tongue, sipped the blood, savoring it, then gave Shen Yuan a sinister look and chuckled, "Killing one person to save ten thousand, that's a great act of merit. Daoist, are you sure you want to miss this opportunity?"

"Fellow Daoist, do not be so sentimental!" Xuan Qingzi was clearly tempted. He was just too soft-hearted to do it, otherwise he would have been the first to kill Zheng Baojuan.

"No! No!" the Zheng siblings pleaded in a low voice in anguish.

Shen Yuan glanced at everyone, then sheathed his wooden sword and sneered, "You can fool others, but you can't fool me. You just wanted to trick me into killing someone, to corrupt my Daoist heart!"

Zheng Baojuan chuckled and said, "How will you know if it's true or false if you don't try?"

"There's no need to try. If you possess someone, I will kill that person. This is not exorcising a demon, but becoming a demon yourself!" Shen Yuan said coldly.

Zheng Baojuan also suppressed his smile and slowly said, "Since you won't kill me, then I'll be leaving. I hope you won't regret it!" After saying that, he slowly retreated into the mist.

"You can't leave!" Shen Yuan suddenly said.

"What?"

Shen Yuan raised his head and said, enunciating each word clearly, "I said you can't leave!"

Zheng Baojuan laughed: "Then let's see what you're capable of, Taoist!"

Shen Yuan didn't speak, but silently took out three sticks of incense and lit them with a tinderbox.

"Taoist, isn't it too late to think about burning incense when things are at their worst?" Zheng Baojuan said with a mocking smile, and then, as if teasing him, he opened his mouth and blew.

A strange gust of wind blew in and extinguished the tinder in the Taoist's hand.

"Look, Taoist, now you don't even have any fire left!" Zheng Baojuan provoked.

Shen Yuan glanced at him, then simply put away the incense and laughed, "So what if there's no fire? This humble Taoist has three sticks of incense from the heart..."

As he spoke, he interlocked his thumbs, palms facing each other, making a yin-yang gesture, and raised three fingers to the sky, slowly chanting, "I humbly request the Ancestral Master to descend with divine intervention and help this disciple capture this demon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a divine response descended from the sky, and the Daoist energy and power gathered and expanded continuously before condensing into a pillar.

Zheng Baojuan's expression froze, and by the time he tried to escape, it was too late.

The overwhelming spiritual responses had already firmly imprisoned him in place.

"There's a saying that goes, 'The villain dies from talking too much,'" the Taoist said calmly.

Zheng Baojuan stared at the Taoist's serene and untouched face with his ghostly eyes, and finally began to get furious.

The Taoist kept his head down, his spiritual energy surging, his hand caressing his long sword, his mind constantly echoing with the unparalleled sword power of the "Minor Strategy Sword Formation".

He thought: If I possessed this sword...

"Snap!"

As if a flash of inspiration passed by, the Taoist felt something shatter in his heart, and an indescribable power was sprouting anew.

The wooden sword was trembling, yet also excited!

He stared at the wooden sword and slowly said, "Today I have seen the swords of the Daoist sect, which are used for killing. I have a sword that I would like to ask you to appraise—"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Taoist's life force began to drain away, and he began to age rapidly.

The vitality flowed into the sword, transforming into a stream of light that continuously circulated on the two cloud patterns, "Binding the God" and "Slaying Evil," exuding a chilling mystery.

Immediately, he casually recited, "By obeying the divine commands, evil spirits will tremble and be slain!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the sword was drawn.

Sword light flashed like water!

A full moon rose into the sky from the hazy, ghostly mist!