181: Chapter 181

Chapter 181

The Taoist walked up to the red-robed woman and asked, “Is the female benefactor here to offer incense?”

The red-robed woman shook her head, pointed at Li Yunshu, and said, “I’m here for him.”

Li Yunshu no longer cared about completing the mission at this moment. He quickly drew his Starfall Sword, preparing to flee.

Countless red threads flew from the red-robed woman’s hand, coiling around Li Yunshu’s limbs.

With a pull of the red threads, Li Yunshu was yanked in front of the red-robed woman.

“Little brother, let’s see how you’re going to fly now.”

“I’ve already run so far. You still managed to find me here. Why be so persistent?” Li Yunshu struggled to say.

The Taoist was about to step forward to mediate when the red-robed woman snapped, “I advise you not to meddle in others’ affairs.”

She completely disregarded this Taoist of Xuan Ming Realm sixth level.

The Taoist drew the peach wood sword from his back and said,

“My Master once said that if a pilgrim comes to offer incense, they must be protected.

I see that the female benefactor is entangled in grievances, likely having committed countless acts of slaughter. If you do not turn back today, there will surely be a bloody disaster.”

Li Yunshu struggled, “Don’t just talk, do something! Go on!”

The Taoist, holding the peach wood sword, lightly stomped his right foot on the ground and chanted incantations.

Then he shouted loudly, “I invite Grandmaster to possess me!”

A golden light flew out from the portrait on the wall, enveloping the Taoist’s entire body.

The Taoist’s aura surged, and his Realm directly Broke through from Xuan Ming Realm sixth level to Xuan Ming Realm ninth level.

The red-robed woman grabbed Li Yunshu’s neck and said, “Big sister will kill you first, then deal with this annoying Taoist.”

Li Yunshu felt his throat about to be crushed. At this moment, the Taoist’s sword thrust forward.

The peach wood sword glowed red, like a sharp treasured sword.

The red-robed woman released Li Yunshu, taking a step back to evade the sword’s edge.

The Taoist seized the opportunity, slicing through all the red threads on Li Yunshu with one swing of his sword.

Cough, cough… Li Yunshu coughed violently. By this time, the Taoist and the red-robed woman were already fighting in the small courtyard.

“Is your Master capable?” Li Yunshu asked, panting heavily.

The young Taoist boy made a shushing gesture and whispered, “As long as Master’s True Qi doesn’t break, he will definitely be capable.”

Seeing the Taoist holding off the red-robed woman, Li Yunshu quickly knelt on the prayer mat and kowtowed three times to the portrait.

He comforted himself, thinking, since this portrait has manifested and possessed someone, it might really be a Grandmaster’s portrait, so bowing is appropriate.

“Ding! Master has completed the Purity Tao sign-in. A new sign-in location has been activated.”

Hearing the sound of successful sign-in, he didn’t have time to open the System interface to check the new sign-in location.

Just as he was about to get up, a huge impact force came from behind him, pushing him through the wall.

The Taoist, who was pressing on him, quickly got up.

“Weren’t you possessed by Grandmaster? How did you lose so quickly?”

Li Yunshu hadn't expected that in the time it took him to just kowtow, the Taoist would be kicked away.

The Taoist said, “I was careless, I was careless. Let’s do it again.”

Immediately, he again lightly stomped his right foot on the ground, chanted incantations, and after a moment, shouted loudly, “I invite Grandmaster to possess me!”

But this time, there was no reaction.

He stomped his right foot hard twice more, shouting, “I invite Grandmaster to possess me!”

Li Yunshu pointed to the large hole in the wall. Only half of the Grandmaster’s portrait remained.

When they broke through the wall just now, they also tore the Grandmaster’s portrait.

At this moment, the red-robed woman flew out of the wall hole. Her fingernails had become very long, like sharp claws.

Her speed was very fast, directly knocking Li Yunshu, who was about to fly on his sword, to the ground.

Pfft—

Li Yunshu’s back was pierced, leaving five bloody holes.

Just as the red-robed woman intended to finish off Li Yunshu, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, striking the red-robed woman and sending her flying two zhang away.

“Master, it hit, it hit!”

Li Yunshu turned around to see the Taoist and the young Taoist boy behind him. Only then did he notice that a large Formation had lit up around them.

And that bolt of lightning earlier was the power activated by the Taoist manipulating the Formation. After a short while, the Formation dimmed.

“Like Shadow Following Form.”

He used his movement technique, appearing beside the Taoist in an instant.

The Taoist quickly said, “This Formation consumes a lot of Spirit Stones. Does the benefactor have any more Spirit Stones? Please take them out quickly.”

That last strike, he had barely managed to activate the large Formation with the ten Spirit Stones Li Yunshu gave him. With just one strike, the Spirit Stones were exhausted.

Li Yunshu threw a Cosmos Sack to the Taoist. The Taoist opened the Cosmos Sack and found hundreds of Spirit Stones inside.

He quickly grabbed a handful and placed them into the Formation’s eye, and the large Formation lit up again.

The red-robed woman stood up, her crimson robe tattered and broken by the previous strike.

“You are simply courting death.”

The red-robed woman’s Xuan Ming Realm ninth level pressure erupted, and the next two bolts of lightning only struck at her feet.

Li Yunshu shouted, “Taoist priest, do you have any aim?”

“My Mental Energy is insufficient, it’s difficult to control such a large Formation!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yunshu took out a profound stone from his storage ring and placed it into the Formation’s eye, saying,

“Let me do it.”

The Taoist stepped aside, and Li Yunshu’s Mental Energy surged into the Formation’s eye.

He gritted his teeth, looking at the red-robed woman who was pressing closer, and said,

“I refuse to believe I can’t kill you with lightning.”

The Spiritual Qi contained in the profound stone was several times higher than that of ordinary Spirit Stones. At this moment, the large Formation was activated with even more power.

Suddenly, it was as if a Lightning Tribulation had descended from the sky, and nine bolts of lightning struck down simultaneously.

The red-robed woman quickly circulated her Spiritual Power, forming a protective shield around her. The lightning instantly engulfed her.

The immense force, upon touching the ground, caused an explosion, with sparks flying everywhere.

After the lightning and fire, the red-robed woman still stood in place, but she was completely blackened, her hair completely burned away, and a scorched smell permeated the air.

The young Taoist boy quickly covered his eyes with both hands, leaving a gap between his fingers to secretly peek at the red-robed woman.

“She should be dead by now, right?” the Taoist said uncertainly.

“Blast her to smithereens. If she’s not dead, she will be.”

Li Yunshu added dozens more Spirit Stones, and three more bolts of lightning condensed in the Formation, striking the red-robed woman, whose fate was unknown.

Just as the lightning was about to strike the red-robed woman’s body, she suddenly opened her eyes and transformed into a streak of light, rushing out of the Formation.

The lightning instantly changed direction with the red-robed woman. Just as the red-robed woman was about to fly out of the Formation, three bolts of lightning struck her body again.

With a bang, the red-robed woman turned into a cloud of blood mist.

“This woman is truly hard to kill,” Li Yunshu sighed.

The red-robed woman had not died, but had used a blood escape technique to flee.

Li Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief. The blood escape technique consumed a great deal of vital essence.

After this incident, the red-robed woman would not be able to trouble him again for a while.

Li Yunshu circulated the Spiritual Power in his Dantian throughout his body. After a moment, he forced out a drop of liquid from his palm. This was why the scent-seeking bird could find him.

He flicked his hand, flinging the drop of fragrant liquid onto the ground.

Li Yunshu only then noticed his surroundings: a scene of ruins, mostly demolished.

However, from the many architectural traces on the ground, one could still discern its past glory.

“No wonder it was protected by such a powerful Formation.”

The Taoist smiled, “I’ve never activated this grand Formation. I only heard from Master that such a protective grand Formation existed.

It just consumes too many Spirit Stones. Purity Tao no longer has the Spirit Stones to activate this grand Formation, and there’s nothing left here worth protecting.”

Li Yunshu bowed to the Taoist and said, “Thank you, Taoist priest, for saving me.”

The Taoist waved his hand and said, “It’s a small matter. The benefactor just needs to fix the broken wall hole.

Of course, if you’re busy, you can also pay in cash, one hundred Spirit Stones, and I’ll repair it myself.”

Li Yunshu looked at the Cosmos Sack in the Taoist’s hand. In his haste earlier, he had thrown the entire Cosmos Sack to him.

After all, it was a life-saving grace, and the Spirit Stones were in the Taoist’s hand.

Li Yunshu nodded and said, “That’s only right.”

The Taoist took out one hundred Spirit Stones from the Cosmos Sack and returned the Cosmos Sack to him.

“Ding! Devilish Qi value detected: 5000.”

Li Yunshu was delighted, thinking, could there be an unexpected gain?

He opened the System and found that he was at the location of the 5000 Devilish Qi value.

Having had several experiences absorbing Devilish Qi, he knew that in this situation, the Devilish Qi was likely underground.

The Taoist saw Li Yunshu seemingly searching for something and asked,

“Benefactor, what are you looking for? It’s better to turn off this Formation first; it’s too wasteful of Spirit Stones.”

Hearing this, just as Li Yunshu was about to close the Formation, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

His Mental Energy re-entered the Formation’s eye, discovering another profound mystery within.

There was another Formation’s eye within this Formation’s eye, which was the Formation’s eye of a teleportation array.

Suddenly, a three-meter diameter area around the Formation’s eye lit up with a strong light.

The Taoist had never seen such a sight: “What’s going on?”

After the strong light, the three of them vanished from their original spot.

Opening their eyes again, they were already in another space.

Li Yunshu was shocked by the scene before him. In front of him was a Dragon Soul over two hundred meters long.

Countless chains on nine Dragon Locking Pillars bound this Dragon Soul, and each Dragon Locking Pillar was covered with Talismans.

He couldn't help but murmur in his heart.

Could it be true that the legendary Grandmaster of Purity Tao slayed an evil Dragon?

Can Dragons also be possessed by Devilish Qi?

The young Taoist boy had never seen such a sight and asked, hiding behind the Taoist,

“Master, why is there a Dragon here?”

The Taoist, however, knelt on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

Li Yunshu was startled by the Taoist’s actions, thinking to himself, no need to be this emotional, I haven’t even seen a Dragon before and I haven’t knelt.

The Taoist knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, making loud thuds: “The twenty-seventh generation Disciple of Purity Tao, greets all Ancestral Masters.”

Li Yunshu then noticed twenty-odd skeletons around the nine Dragon Locking Pillars, as if the successive Ancestral Masters of Purity Tao had all passed away here.

The Talismans on those nine Dragon Locking Pillars must have been placed by these Ancestral Masters of Purity Tao.

He probably understood why Purity Tao had gradually disappeared over the years.

Talismans also require Mental Energy. The core of Talismanic Incantations is Mental Energy condensed onto carriers like yellow paper.

This meant that every Ancestral Master of Purity Tao had to find someone with Mental Energy to be a Disciple.

Moreover, the investment and output of Talismans were vastly different. A slight mistake could destroy the Talisman paper, making it extremely difficult to cultivate a high-level Talisman Master.

Observing the high-grade Soul Suppressing Talismans on the Dragon Locking Pillars, it seemed that the successive Ancestral Masters of Purity Tao had all been doing the same thing: suppressing and eliminating the Dragon Soul before them.

Until Purity Tao declined, and no one could enter here again.

At this moment, the Dragon Soul spoke in human tongue: “Alright, alright, stop crying. Those old geezers have been dead for how many years now.

You three little brats probably don’t have the ability to stick Talismans, do you?”

The Taoist pulled out a crumpled, mid-grade Soul Suppressing Talisman from his In my arms, respectfully placing it on a Dragon Locking Pillar.

“This was left by my Master. I think he intended to place it here.”

The Dragon Soul scoffed, “A mid-grade Talisman like this, you dare to place it here? Are you looking down on your Dragon Grandfather?”

The Dragon Soul let out a roar, and the Talismans on the Dragon Locking Pillars rattled loudly. The mid-grade Talisman placed by the Taoist was blown off the Dragon Locking Pillar.

The Taoist looked at the nine Dragon Locking Pillars with some worry. Each pillar already had some tiny cracks.

“This Dragon Soul seems to be about to break free from here.”

The Dragon Soul said disdainfully, “Good that you know. Has Purity Tao already declined? I haven’t seen anyone decent come here in all these years.

If you know what’s good for you, let your Dragon Grandfather out now, and perhaps I can spare your lives.

Otherwise—”

Li Yunshu interrupted the Dragon Soul, “Otherwise what?”

He could tell that this Dragon Soul had been so worn down by the Talismans that it had little power left.

The reason it showed signs of breaking free from the Dragon Locking Pillars was because of the Devilish Qi on the Dragon Soul.

The Dragon Soul suddenly twisted its body wildly, and one of the iron chains on the Dragon Locking Pillar snapped in response.

The chains on the Dragon Locking Pillars were originally a Formation, suppressing the Dragon Soul along with the pillars.

With one chain broken, the power of the Formation suppressing the Dragon Soul was greatly reduced, and the nine Dragon Locking Pillars alone were no longer enough to suppress this Dragon Soul.

“Otherwise, I’ll make sure all of you die here!”

The young Taoist boy muttered, “Master, is your mouth blessed or something?”

As one chain snapped, all the chains broke simultaneously.

Roar—

Originally, the Dragon Soul was only suppressed in a separately opened space beneath Purity Tao. Now, the evil Dragon flew into the sky.

That night, by the Weak Water River, a Dragon’s roar echoed through heaven and earth.

The evil Dragon constantly weaved through the clouds, enjoying the feeling of free flight.

“Get out of here quickly.”

Li Yunshu’s Mental Energy surged out, activating the teleportation array. With a flash of light, the three of them returned to the ground.

The Dragon Soul instantly flew in front of Li Yunshu and the other two, roaring at them.

The successive Ancestral Masters of Purity Tao were dead, and its suppressed anger was now unleashed upon Li Yunshu and the two others.

The Taoist asked tremblingly, “What do you want?”

“What do I want? Hehe, I’m going to destroy everything here.

I want Purity Tao to completely vanish from this world. I want those annoying Taoists to see that I’m still alive.”

The young Taoist boy poked his head out from behind the Taoist and asked curiously,

“Aren’t you already dead? You’re just a Dragon Soul.”

Both the Dragon Soul and the Taoist simultaneously shouted at the young Taoist boy, “Shut up!”

The Taoist couldn’t help but mutter to himself, what kind of blunt truth is this Disciple spouting?

“Oh.”

The young Taoist boy obediently shrank back behind the Taoist.

The Dragon Soul gestured with its Dragon claws in the air, “Only by tearing you three to shreds can I quell the hatred in my heart.”

The Taoist stepped forward and said, “If you want to tear, tear me. It has nothing to do with these two.”

The young Taoist boy stepped forward and said, “Tear me first. A Disciple should die before his Master.”

The evil Dragon’s claw slammed down on the ground, “Who exactly should I tear first?”

The Taoist and the young Taoist boy exchanged glances. With resolute expressions, they both took a step back simultaneously, leaving only Li Yunshu standing at the very front.

Li Yunshu looked at the two behind him, unable to stop himself from complaining, “My goodness, what kind of Master and Disciple are these?”

“Then let’s start with you.”

With that, the Dragon Soul’s sharp claw directly struck towards Li Yunshu. Although it was a Soul body, it unleashed the power of a True Dragon.

Li Yunshu pressed the start button to absorb Devilish Qi.

“Ding! Absorbing Devilish Qi value: 5000.”

As this System sound rang out, the Dragon Soul, which was originally over two hundred meters long in front of him, instantly shrank to the size of a palm.

Looking at Li Yunshu approaching step by step, the mini-sized Dragon Soul couldn’t help but retreat, “What did you do to this great lord?”