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

Jiang Dusheng's hand holding the bone flute froze in mid-air, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly.

As soon as the figure finished speaking, it flew down from the treetop and landed in the center where the energy was most chaotic.

His movements were incredibly fast, even leaving behind several afterimages.

He casually reached out with both hands, seemingly slowly, but like an eagle snatching a chick, and grabbed the back of Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen's collars respectively.

"rise!"

He gave a soft shout, and with a slight shake of his arms, he flung the two of them away from the center of the encirclement of intertwined Buddhist light and malevolent energy, as if they were two light sandbags.

Jiang Dusheng felt a gentle yet powerful force come from him. The scenery before his eyes spun around, and he was thrown away from the danger zone. He staggered a few steps before regaining his balance.

After regaining her balance, her first reaction was to rub the back of her collar, which had been pulled slightly tight, and a hint of unease appeared on her face. She then spoke to Xie Jinchen:

"My Taoist master, Master Xuanji. He... has always acted this way, um... unconventional." There was a hint of gritted teeth in his tone.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen merely gazed at the gray-robed figure in the arena, a smile playing on his lips, and said softly, "I know him."

Jiang Dusheng abruptly turned to look at him: "?"

My eyes were filled with astonishment and doubt; I almost thought I had misheard.

How could her elusive and seemingly unreliable master know Xie Jinchen?

But at this moment, she had no time to ask further questions.

After throwing the two people out, Xuanji Zhenren turned around and swept his wide sleeves like an iron fan.

A gentle breeze pushed several nearby guards who were still fighting back, and he shouted:

"Get out of the way! Swords have no eyes, and the Buddha's light is scorching. Don't get in the way of the old man's stretching! Get away, or you'll get splattered with blood!"

Caught off guard, the guards were pushed about by the gentle breeze, only to be horrified to find that they could not resist the force and could only retreat.

Master Xuanji's meddling instantly shattered the previously tense and chaotic battle situation.

The formation formed by the monks of Huguo Temple suddenly froze due to the forced removal of the target and the intervention of Master Xuanji.

The leading old monk was furious and was about to capture Xie Jinchen when this disheveled old Taoist priest, who appeared out of nowhere, ruined the situation.

He roared, "Where did this eccentric Taoist come from! Daring to meddle in the affairs of the imperial court and the Huguo Temple! You're asking for death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his staff, and the remaining monks roared in unison. The formation shifted again, surrounding Master Xuanji in the center. Rays of Buddhist light intertwined like chains, attempting to restrict his movements.

Master Xuanji laughed heartily, clicking his tongue as he faced the surging Buddhist power and attack:

"The imperial court? The National Protection Temple? What a show of power! What a pity, this old man just loves to meddle in other people's business, especially the business of bald monks."

Despite being in the middle of the formation, he remained completely unconcerned, even having the leisure to pick at his ear.

As he effortlessly sidestepped the two intertwined chains of Buddhist light, like a fish swimming through water, he turned to Jiang Dusheng and called out, his tone tinged with reproach:

"You brat! What are you standing there for? Forget about that little brat, come help your master! These old bald monks are something else, it'll be hard for one person to handle them! Hurry up!"

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

She nearly choked on her breath, pointing to herself, then to the direction where she had been thrown, and couldn't help but raise her voice:

"Then why did you throw me out here?"

Master Xuanji, who was squeezing through the gap between the three Zen staffs at an extremely tricky angle, didn't even turn his head upon hearing this, and replied confidently in a loud voice:

"Oops, I just threw it by mistake! I'm getting old, my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I meant to throw a couple of monks out to clear the area, but I ended up throwing you two instead. It was a mistake, a complete blunder!"

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

Xie Jinchen's smile deepened, but he knew this was not the time to explain.

He glanced at Jiang Dusheng and quickly said, "Go help your master, leave this to me."

After saying that, he flashed away and joined the melee between Xie Dai and Shi Qinglian not far away.

Although Xie Dai was experienced and ruthless, his cultivation foundation was indeed not as profound as Shi Qinglian's. He relied more on a reckless fighting style to maneuver.

Just now, Shi Qinglian was distracted by the appearance of Xuanji Zhenren, and her attack slowed down. Now that she has come to her senses, the killing intent in her eyes is even stronger. She found an opening in Xie Dai's mind and shot a burst of energy at Xie Dai.

Xie Dai realized it was too late; his pupils suddenly contracted.

Xie Jinchen arrived just in time, his longsword slashing at the side of the qi aura. The tip of the sword trembled slightly, and a burst of skillful force deflected it by several inches.

"Sizzle!"

The qi grazed Xie Dai's ribs, tearing a gash in his robe and leaving a bloody mark on his skin, but avoiding any fatal blows.

He grunted and took a half-step back to deflect the remaining force.

Xie Dai glanced at Xie Jinchen, who had acted in time, his eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression, but he didn't say anything more, only nodding slightly.

He then focused his mind again, forming a pincer movement with Xie Jinchen to face Shi Qinglian together.

Looking at Xie Dai and Xie Jinchen standing side by side, Shi Qinglian's smile grew even colder.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips swirling with an eerie aura that was both pitch black and tinged with golden light, his voice so soft it sent chills down your spine:

"Father and son of one mind? Ha... Perfect, I'll send you both on your way, so you'll have each other's company in the underworld."

On the other side, Jiang Dusheng lightly touched the rocks and grass with his toes, and with a few leaps, he returned to the arena, standing side by side with Xuanji Zhenren, facing the eight monks of Huguo Temple.

"Master, how should we fight?" Jiang Dusheng asked sharply.

"Simple!" Master Xuanji chuckled, his eyes gleaming. "Don't those bald monks love chanting scriptures? Let's make sure they can't! You to the left, I to the right, let's use thunder magic to clear the way and destroy their very foundation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Xuanji made his move, shouting, "Disciple, hit the one with the stick who's red-faced and thick-necked first! He almost poked my butt!"

Master Xuanji seemingly stomped his foot casually, causing the ground to tremble slightly. An invisible shockwave emanated from the ground, directly striking the lower bodies of the two nearest monks.

At the same time, his hands formed hand seals like phantoms, and he chanted incantations:

"The profound origin of Heaven and Earth, the fundamental source of all Qi!"

"Golden light swiftly appeared, protecting the true person!"

A solid, illusory talisman emerged from his palm, transforming into dozens of incomparably sharp golden arrows that rained down upon the monks' vital points.

Jiang Dusheng reacted extremely quickly; almost at the same time that Xuanji Zhenren moved, the thunder talisman in his hand also flew out.

"Five thunders, five thunders, hasten to Huang Ning, the mists and clouds transform, roaring with lightning speed!"

"break!"

With a sharp shout, five bolts of lightning of different colors shot out in a fan shape, blocking the monk's space to dodge and gather strength to unleash the Lion's Roar again.

Lightning crackled and sputtered, the air crackling with electricity, mingling with the piercing whistles of golden arrows.