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

The moment Ling Han shouted "Kill," Xie Jinchen had already slid a specially made signal arrow from his sleeve and shot it into the sky.

A sharp whistling sound accompanied a dazzling red flame that exploded in the sky, clearly visible even in daylight.

Before the fireworks had even faded, Xie Jinchen had already flashed to Chu Jingyu's side, who was being heavily protected by guards, and spoke rapidly:

"Mingzhao, Xiaozhuang will be here with his guards to meet you shortly."

His gaze swept over Ling Han, who was directing the Imperial Guards to charge forward. "Once the battle breaks out, don't worry about anything else. Immediately retreat with them to the dense forest to the northeast. Cui Yan has arranged for reinforcements there."

"Here..." He paused, looking at Jiang Dusheng, who was already gripping the bone flute not far away, "Leave it to us."

Chu Jingyu knew that his martial arts skills were decent, but he was not proficient in magic. Staying here would not only be of no help, but might also become a burden, distracting Xie Jinchen and Jiang Dusheng.

He nodded emphatically, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ling Han, who was holding a knife and giving orders. "I understand. But before I leave, I'll kill Ling Han first!"

"Once he dies, these Imperial Guards will be leaderless, their morale will collapse, and they will be nothing to fear. You..." He looked at Xie Jinchen, then glanced at Jiang Dusheng, "Be careful in everything!"

Xie Jinchen gave him a deep look, then gripped his arm tightly, his meaning unspoken: "Be careful!"

Immediately, he swayed and returned to Jiang Dusheng's side, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground, the blade humming and exuding a chilling aura.

Abbot Hong'an and his disciples seemed to automatically block out the noise and chaos of the surrounding Imperial Guards' standoff, focusing their attention firmly on Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen.

Abbot Hong'an took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, and his nine-ringed staff thudded heavily, producing a dull thud that seemed to strike the heart.

The staff shimmered with golden light, its movements fluid and shimmering. He no longer concealed the hatred in his eyes, staring intently at Jiang Dusheng.

"Witch! I ask you this: did Shi Qinglian, along with my seven Dharma-protecting monks, and today Huijing and Huijue... all die at your hands?!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng was not afraid at all; instead, he raised his chin and let out a cold snort.

Her fingertips lightly caressed the flute, her movements gentle, yet her questioning voice was sharper than the mountain wind:

"Old bald monk, I only ask you about the prophecy of the Eldest Princess's fate back then, and what I said to the Jiang family after I was two years old: that my fate was destined to be lonely and that if my parents came to Nanchansi Temple to see me, it would harm my younger sister Jiang Wanqing and cause her to die young..."

"But they all came from your mouth?"

Upon hearing this, Abbot Hong'an's face instantly darkened to a point where it could drip water.

The causes and effects that were deliberately avoided when burning incense before the Buddha were now being revealed bluntly.

The last trace of feigned compassion in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by murderous intent, and he shouted sharply:

"Witch! Your hands are stained with the blood of the monks of Huguo Temple, and you are the root cause of sowing discord within the imperial family!"

"Stubborn and unrepentant! Today, this old monk will act on behalf of Heaven to rid you of this scourge, to set things right, and to comfort the spirits of my disciples in heaven!"

Abbot Hong'an suddenly swung his nine-ringed staff, the golden rings clanging together with a rapid, clear sound:

"Disciples, heed my command! Form the Vajra Subduing Demon Formation and capture Xie Jinchen! This demoness will be personally delivered to the afterlife by this old monk!"

"We will obey the abbot's decree!" The ten monks responded in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area.

A pale golden Buddhist light rose from the ten people, faintly connecting to form a semi-transparent golden light shield that enveloped Xie Jinchen.

Within the light barrier, Buddhist chants and hymns could be faintly heard, and the pressure increased dramatically, as if countless invisible shackles were binding it, not only suppressing internal energy but also disturbing the mind.

Abbot Hong'an pointed his staff at Jiang Dusheng and, without further ado, took action.

He muttered incantations, his voice booming like a bell:

"The righteous spirit of heaven and earth, heed my command! Track and trace, there is nowhere to hide!"

As the incantation ended, the prayer beads in his hand suddenly flew out, spinning rapidly and pointing more clearly in Jiang Dusheng's direction.

Immediately afterwards, he used his left hand to draw a golden swastika in the air.

As the last stroke was completed, the golden swastika suddenly enlarged, radiating countless rays of golden light.

"The Buddha's light shines everywhere, subduing demons and monsters! Suppress!"

The huge golden swastika in the air suddenly transformed, and a giant phantom of a Buddha's hand, carrying a heavy pressure, slammed down on Jiang Dusheng's head.

"Well done!" Jiang Dusheng shouted, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a sharp glint.

Facing the imposing Buddha's palm, she neither dodged nor avoided it, but instead formed a hand seal with her left hand, and golden light shone from her fingertips.

The light was gentle and steady, unlike the fierce golden light of Abbot Hong'an, and carried a sense of inclusiveness and protection.

She drank it down:

"Golden light protects the body, preventing all evil from invading!"

"Freeze!"

A solid, pale golden light shield instantly opened in front of her, firmly protecting her body.

"Boom!"

The golden Buddha's palm slammed hard onto the light shield, producing a loud bang and a surge of air.

Jiang Dusheng swayed slightly, and the light shield rippled, but remained as stable as ever.

Abbot Hong'an's expression changed slightly. His move contained the Buddhist power he had cultivated for decades, and it was fierce and unparalleled. Ordinary cultivators would find it extremely difficult to withstand.

Jiang Dusheng not only accepted it, but also used extremely pure Buddhist protective golden light.

Before he could think it through, Jiang Dusheng swiftly tapped the bone flute in his right hand, and his aura suddenly became ethereal and agile.

She chanted, "The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, heed my call!"

"Eastern Jia and Yi wood elements generate wind!"

"The fire element of the south, Bing and Ding, transforms into thunder!"

"Wind and thunder gather, heed my command!"

"break!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding bluish-white electric light suddenly shot out from the top of the bone flute, crackling loudly.

The lightning bolt was fast and fierce, striking straight at Abbot Hong'an's face.

"Taoist thunder magic?!"

Abbot Hong'an was even more horrified; this woman could transform Buddhist power into Taoist thunder energy in an instant.

And the switching is so seamless, it's as if the two originated from the same source.

Without a second thought, he let out a sharp shout and swung his nine-ringed staff upwards.

The staff shone with golden light, transforming into an arc-shaped light barrier in front of him.

The Taoist thunder magic clashed violently with the Buddhist golden light, the blue and gold lights flashing wildly and emitting a deafening explosion.

The shockwave blew away all the vegetation, sand, and gravel within a radius of several meters.

"Hmm!"

Abbot Hong'an groaned, feeling a scorching force travel through his staff. His entire right arm instantly went numb and stung, and he staggered back three steps before finally dissipating the terrifying impact.

There were charred marks on the cuffs of the monk's robe, and a faint burnt smell emanated from it.

Jiang Dusheng was also in bad shape. He used the force to drift backward several feet, dissipating the recoil. His face was slightly pale, and the cinnabar between his eyebrows was even more shockingly red, but his eyes were even brighter.