After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Taking advantage of the moment when the snake demon's attention was drawn to the movement in her belly, Jiang Dusheng quickly turned his head and whispered to Xie Jinchen:

"I'll attack with all my might to create an opening. You seize the opportunity and make sure to rescue the little girl."

Xie Jinchen replied in a deep voice, "Okay. Be careful."

Jiang Dusheng turned his head, and the Buddhist beads on his wrist seemed to sense the pure Buddhist power that their master was mobilizing at this moment, emitting a faint golden light.

She raised her face, staring directly at the serpent demon radiating an overwhelming aura. Her clear, cold voice echoed within the barrier, carrying undisguised mockery and a chilling righteousness:

"Enough with the nonsense. I've slain countless evil spirits and demons, but today is the first time I've actually killed a demon."

As Jiang Dusheng spoke, his hands moved rapidly in front of his chest, forming mudras and chanting in a low voice.

A faint golden light emanated from his body, reflecting the soft glow of the Buddhist beads and dispelling some of the eerie feeling of the dark green demonic aura.

"For your own spiritual cultivation, you impersonated a deity, harmed innocent women, devoured their souls, and severed their cycle of reincarnation. Your sins are heinous and unforgivable by Heaven and Earth!"

Jiang Dusheng's voice suddenly rose, each word like thunder, questioning his evil heart:

"Today, I will use this righteous Buddhist Dharma to shatter your evil practices, sever your delusions, and restore peace and clarity to this place!"

The snake demon was enraged by the contempt in Jiang Dusheng's words, and let out a piercing shriek:

"You mere junior Buddhist disciple, with your shallow cultivation, dare to speak so arrogantly before me! Watch as I first tear apart your pretentious golden body, and then slowly devour your soul!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred, transforming into a blurry black shadow, carrying a stench of poison and mist, and rushed straight towards Jiang Dusheng.

Within the black mist, five fingers formed claws, nails swelled, and carried potent poison and soul-destroying power.

Jiang Dusheng neither dodged nor evaded, but instead thrust his hands, which were in hand seals, forward with a sudden, clear shout, his voice like the tinkling of gold and jade:

"Om Mani Padme Hum, Vajra Subduing Demon Seal!"

A giant swastika phantom appeared out of thin air, spinning as it approached the snake demon's claws.

"boom!"

The golden light and black energy collided violently, producing a muffled roar. The shockwaves rolled and even caused the barrier to tremble slightly.

The snake demon was forced back several steps, and much of the black energy on its claws dissipated, leaving it bewildered and uncertain.

Jiang Dusheng also took a half step back, his qi and blood slightly churning.

The snake demon steadied itself, its eyes flashing with even greater ferocity, no longer holding back.

He opened his mouth and spewed out a cloud of dark green poisonous smoke, which had a pungent stench and caused the ground to sizzle and corrode wherever it passed.

At the same time, he moved like a ghost, attacking from different angles at extremely high speed, leaving behind afterimages.

Jiang Dusheng's expression was solemn. This snake demon was quite powerful, and he was in a barrier formed by its demonic power, giving it a geographical advantage.

She wrapped the prayer beads around her left wrist, and with her right hand fingers together, swiftly wrote Sanskrit in the air:

"Namo Ratna Trayaya".

She murmured mantras, each syllable seeming to invoke the compassionate and majestic power of the Buddha.

"Pure Lotus, protect my true self!"

With a final shout, countless golden Sanskrit characters flew from her fingertips, swirling and coalescing around her, transforming into a gigantic golden lotus phantom that slowly bloomed.

The lotus petals unfold one by one, sacred and solemn, protecting her at the center.

The poisonous smoke sizzled as it hit the lotus petals, and was continuously purified by the golden light. However, the poisonous smoke was endless, and the light on the lotus petals gradually dimmed.

Jiang Dusheng was protected by the lotus flower, her face slightly pale, as maintaining this supernatural power consumed a great deal of her spiritual energy.

She observed intently, trying to catch the rhythm of the snake demon's attack.

Just as the serpent demon pounced again from the left, its claws tearing through the air and accompanied by a piercing shriek.

Jiang Dusheng suddenly ripped the Buddhist prayer beads from his wrist with his left hand, channeled all his Buddhist power into them, and threw them forward: "Go!"

The string of prayer beads scattered in response, each bead bursting forth with intense purifying Buddhist light, crashing towards the snake demon like a meteor.

The snake demon roared and swung its claws to block, its demonic energy colliding and annihilating with the Buddhist light, producing a series of explosions.

A Buddhist bead broke through the defenses and struck the snake demon's shoulder heavily.

"what!"

The snake demon cried out in pain, and blue smoke rose from its shoulder, revealing a charred mark. Its movements faltered.

It's now!

Xie Jinchen, who had been waiting for the right moment, suddenly had a glint in his eyes.

He darted out, taking advantage of the slight opening in the snake demon's defenses due to its injuries, and swiftly slashed his right-hand sword across his left palm, instantly staining the blade with blood.

The sword hummed and emitted a faint halo.

Xie Jinchen swung his longsword—

"Sizzle!"

The longsword sliced ​​across the snake demon's abdomen.

Xie Jinchen used a clever technique in this attack, taking advantage of the moment when the snake demon's skin rippled and undulated due to the interference of Buddhist power, to cut a wound that was not deep but sufficient.

"puff!"

A "thing" mixed with eerie green light and pure spiritual energy suddenly squeezed out from the foot-long gash that had been cut open by the sword.

The thing wasn't big; it was curled up and seemed to be struggling.

Xie Jinchen swiftly reached out with his left hand, scooped up the object with his wrist, and caught it steadily.

At the same time, taking advantage of the momentum of the forward rush, he grabbed her and rolled forward several times to dissipate the impact and also to increase the distance between himself and the snake demon.

The girl he was protecting in his arms was a little girl of about five or six years old, with a delicate and beautiful appearance.

She was wearing a pale yellow dress made of a special material, embroidered with patterns of dark mountains and rivers, and her hair was styled into two cute buns, but it was now quite disheveled.

Her face, which should have been rosy and lovely, was now deathly pale, her dark golden eyes filled with lingering panic, and tears still clung to her long eyelashes.

Her body, face, and hands were covered in a sticky, foul-smelling, dark green residue of demonic energy, making her look utterly disheveled.

As soon as the little girl was freed from that dark, foul-smelling confinement, she coughed violently and gagged a few times.

Immediately feeling the protection of Xie Jinchen's embrace and the warmth of a living person, she suddenly raised her head, first glancing blankly at Xie Jinchen, then quickly turning her head to glare angrily at the roaring snake demon.

Her little mouth twitched, and her pent-up grievances and anger finally erupted, and she burst into tears, mumbling curses between sobs:

"Waaah... You stinking snake demon! You wicked snake demon! You're so black and smelly... I'm going to tell my father and mother, and they'll beat you to a pulp!"

Her small hands gripped the fabric of Xie Jinchen's wedding dress tightly, as if she had grasped the only straw to save him.

The snake demon's soul-transforming pouch was forcibly ripped open, causing it excruciating pain as if its heart and lungs had been ripped out.

"You insignificant ants, how dare you destroy the foundation of my Great Dao! I will make sure you die a horrible death!"

He went completely mad, burning his life-bound demonic essence without a care, his body suddenly swelled a bit, his demonic energy surged, and his attacks became chaotic yet incredibly powerful.

In an instant, Xie Jinchen, who had just rescued the little girl and was still breathing heavily, was also enveloped in it.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Dusheng's expression turned solemn. The snake demon was burning its life essence, a desperate act.

She took a deep breath, bit her tongue, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the already somewhat damaged golden lotus phantom on her chest.

"With my lifeblood, I invoke the Vajra!"

"Draw upon the true fire of the great sun to forge a sharp blade to vanquish demons!"

Her hands flew into hand seals again, and the broken golden lotus phantom not only did not dissipate, but instead, it suddenly contracted rapidly as she pulled it along.

All the remaining golden spiritual energy frantically converged towards her right index and middle fingers, which were clasped together.

A long lightsaber, its entire body engulfed in blazing golden flames, suddenly took shape at her fingertips.

"Great Sun Tathagata Sword! Slash!"