Chapter 192: Turmoil under the cover of night

The moon hung in the center of the sky, casting withered shadows on the branches.

Along the long, winding road, the large plane trees stood like sentinels, forming a unique feature of Yujing City.

"Senior Brother, is Brother Fan really a disciple of the Profound Truth Mountain? Why haven't I heard of such a figure from Profound Truth Mountain before!?"

On the way back after a full meal, Ji Fengting chatted casually.

They had eaten at the same restaurant as Zhang Fan; although they encountered him, they didn't feel it was appropriate to greet him. After all, Zhang Fan had a beautiful woman by his side, and rushing over would have been somewhat of a mood-killer.

"I heard it from Jiang Hu... I don't know the specifics either. Every mountain and sect secretly cultivates some disciples; not everyone is famous," Xiao Qiji said.

The world of Daoist sects is filled with numerous factions, among which the Ten Great Famous Mountains naturally attract the most attention. Their disciples are also the focus of various parties, as it concerns the continuation of their lineages.

If a sect produces a disciple with peerless talent, once they grow up, it is not merely a matter of continuing the incense; they can seize immense destiny for the sect's lineage.

Just like Chu Chaoran, a living True Person of the current age, who once slew the former number one expert in the world.

With such an identity and status, just standing there makes the status of Profound Truth Mountain incomparably transcendent, even faintly suppressing the other nine great mountain gates.

Precisely because of this, every mountain and sect attaches great importance to their disciples, to the point that the Daoist Alliance summarizes and evaluates the outstanding disciples of each sect every year, even publishing a special edition titled 【Living Up to the New Era, Good Daoist Youths】. Among them, the most famous from Profound Truth Mountain is naturally Xia Weisheng; the most famous from Old Lord Mountain are the two brothers Qi Delong and Qi Dongqiang; and the most famous from Mount Zhongnan is An Wuyang...

"Fame doesn't represent everything. The Three Tian Shi Liu of Profound Truth Mountain was also unknown in his youth, but later he suddenly exerted his strength and surpassed a crowd of fellow disciples," Xiao Qiji recounted a piece of Profound Truth Mountain's past.

Liu Liu Nan Xu is the youngest of the three Celestial Masters of Profound Truth Mountain and is known as the "Twin Heavens" along with Three Tian Shi Ye Beichen of Mount Zhongnan. However, he did not appear particularly outstanding in his youth, stagnating at the 【Qi Worker】 rank for a full seven years—a speed inferior to most Daoist priests.

Yet, among his peers, he was the only one to step into the Three Tian Shi rank, ranking among the great experts of the current age, and is worthy of leaving his name in the history of Profound Truth Mountain.

Conversely, another expert of Profound Truth Mountain, named Zhuo Kuangsheng, is rumored to be the junior brother of the Transcendent True Person. He was brilliant in his youth, to the point that even the Transcendent True Person held him in high regard, accepting him as a junior brother on behalf of his master.

At the time, everyone thought Profound Truth Mountain would produce another living True Person.

But who could have imagined that such a heaven-sent figure would be like a comet, vanishing in an instant—rising only to fall. He practiced the 【Inner Demon Guide】, went into demonic deviation, and to this day is imprisoned in the South Profound Palace of Profound Truth Mountain, never to see the light of day.

"Learning has no order of seniority; the one who achieves is the master... Cultivation is a long process. Do not belittle yourself because of a temporary setback, and do not be complacent because of a temporary lead..."

"A calm heart is best," Xiao Qiji said in a deep voice.

He had heard these principles repeatedly from the elders in his sect since he was a child, to the point where his ears had grown calluses. Now, he could finally admonish newcomers with the identity and tone of a senior brother.

This feeling was indeed quite satisfying.

"We have taken your teachings to heart, Senior Brother."

Ji Fengting and Mo Yun nodded obediently. Especially Ji Fengting; ever since witnessing Zhang Fan's methods, he thoroughly understood what it meant that there is a heaven beyond heaven and people beyond people. His former sharpness and arrogance had indeed converged significantly.

"Cultivate diligently; you two also have great hope."

Xiao Qiji whispered, his gaze sweeping over the two, but it paused on Ji Fengting.

Ji Fengting and Mo Yun were indeed decent seedlings, especially the former; the elders in the sect held high hopes for him.

Xiao Qiji had heard that there was an aged elder in Maoshan who had been in seclusion for many years, ignoring worldly affairs. He had once seen Ji Fengting and calculated his fate, calling him 【Inheritor of Fire, Fated for a Killing Tribulation】. Some interpreted this to mean that Ji Fengting's future achievements would be limitless, perhaps becoming a pillar of Maoshan.

Such an evaluation was quite high, yet it drew much skepticism among the high-ups.

Because although his aptitude was good, it had not reached that level, and Maoshan's incense did not need to rely on him to be passed down.

Moreover, that aged elder also said he was fated for a killing tribulation, and that his hands would be stained with blood in the future, inevitably involving massive loss of life.

Regarding this, even Xiao Qiji was skeptical. Although his junior brother had been a bit arrogant in the past, his nature was pure and kind; how could he have anything to do with killing tribulations and human lives?

From this, it can be seen that the theory of fate is ethereal and also has its inaccuracies.

"Senior Brother, can we play for a day tomorrow?"

Just then, Mo Yun whispered in a focused voice, looking at Xiao Qiji pitifully, pulling the latter's thoughts back.

Having been in Yujing City for over half a month, they had been honing talisman Daoist arts, catching ghosts, and killing ghosts, and hadn't even been to the Liujin River, strolled through the Confucius Temple, or seen the Wuyi Lane.

"Please, Senior Brother..." Mo Yun pressed her hands together, begging pitifully.

"Fine, I'll let you relax for a day tomorrow," Xiao Qiji nodded, rarely putting down his stern senior brother demeanor.

"Long live Senior Brother!" Mo Yun said joyfully.

Life in the mountains was stifling, and cultivation was dull; she hadn't had a good time in a long while.

"Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth; the three souls and seven spirits have no place to return."

Just then, a cold voice echoed faintly through the empty, deserted street.

The group was dazed as a fallen leaf drifted down, swaying and landing exactly on Mo Yun's forehead.

Her delicate body trembled slightly, and she seemed to lose all vitality, her eyes becoming vacant, unable to move any longer.

"Junior Sister!"

"Little Mo Yun."

Xiao Qiji and Ji Fengting's expressions changed drastically, and they called out in shock.

Whoosh...

Just then, a night breeze blew, and that withered leaf rose with the wind, drifting and landing in the distance.

A figure walked out slowly, probing with two fingers, and caught the fallen leaf.

"Who are you?" Ji Fengting roared sternly.

He stepped forward to check and saw that Mo Yun had lost consciousness, her whole person dazed, as if only a shell remained.

"My name is Fang Changying."

The newcomer whispered, his fingers shaking slightly, and a soul-aspect rose from the withered leaf, like clouds and mist, held in his hand—it was precisely Mo Yun's soul-aspect.

"The Yansheng Method!?" Xiao Qiji's pupils trembled, revealing a look of astonishment.

The Yansheng Method is an ancient Daoist technique, originally transformed from the witchcraft of ancient fangshi, which merged into the Daoist sects and gradually evolved.

The so-called Yansheng means to suppress and overcome; it can control people or objects with techniques, achieving the divine effect of suppression and overturning.

Just now, Fang Changying had used a fallen leaf to cast the spell, suppressing Mo Yun's body and imprisoning her soul-aspect.

"Who are you people?"

Ji Fengting clenched his fists and was about to rush forward, but was stopped by Xiao Qiji raising his hand.

"Are you people from the Wu Wei Sect?"

The corners of Fang Changying's mouth lifted slightly, noncommittal, as if his mind were entirely focused on the struggling soul-aspect in his palm.

"The soul-aspect, truly wonderful."

Whoosh...

Just then, Xiao Qiji moved. A talisman in his hand dissolved, and a gale rose suddenly, like a blade gone mad, wrapping around his whole body, surging and moving.

"Xun Wind Talisman!"

As soon as Xiao Qiji made a move, it was a 【Six-Character Origin】. His speed was unimaginably fast, as if he had merged into the wind, reaching Fang Changying's front in an instant. The billowing wind wrapped around his palm like a sharp blade, easily piercing the latter's chest.

This is the mystery of Maoshan's 【Xun Wind Talisman】; it can both enhance movement techniques and transform into blades for damage.

"Maoshan disciples are nothing more than this."

Just then, a light laugh brushed past Xiao Qiji's ear. His eyes suddenly widened; the Fang Changying in front of him had turned into a mass of airflow and slowly dissipated.

"Mirage Method!?" Xiao Qiji's expression changed drastically.

As a Maoshan disciple, he had some knowledge. The so-called "Mirage" is a type of ancient dragon-like creature; legend says the breath it exhales can create mirages, confusing mortals.

If one sees a mirage, there must be such an exotic creature nearby.

Later, Daoist priests observed this strange scene and created the 【Mirage Method】, which can create illusions in reality and often causes Daoist technique confusion.

The mist slowly dissipated, but standing in front of him was a beautiful woman...

Xiao Qiji's body stiffened suddenly, and he felt a wave of warmth surge at his neck, but scarlet blood couldn't stop flowing out.

Thump...

His figure swayed, and he could no longer support himself, collapsing to the ground.

"You..."

"I thought Maoshan disciples would have some fancy tricks," Jiang Li laughed lightly, her long nails gleaming with a metallic luster.

"Senior Brother..."

Ji Fengting's eyes were bloodshot, and a talisman appeared in his hand.

"Run..."

Xiao Qiji knelt on the ground, covering the wound on his neck, and spat out a word with difficulty.

"Don't worry, I will let you be reunited."

Fang Changying whispered indifferently. He crossed his five fingers, and the soul-aspect in his palm suddenly exploded, turning into dots of fluorescent light, which he swallowed in one gulp.

"You..." Xiao Qiji raised his head with difficulty, watching helplessly as Mo Yun's soul-aspect was devoured by the man in front of him.

"Truly wonderful."

Fang Changying's eyes turned white, his body couldn't stop trembling, and he let out a low, joyful roar.

Harvesting and nourishing the soul-aspect is always so wonderful, like ascending to the nine heavens; perhaps this is the feeling of being an immortal.

"You... you people..."

At this moment, Ji Fengting's body began to shake. He didn't know if it was because of anger or fear.

He didn't even know if he should run for his life at this very moment, or disregard everything and rush up to fight for his life.

He watched helplessly as his Junior Sister's soul-aspect was devoured and his Senior Brother was defeated and dying... Ji Fengting, who had grown up in a greenhouse since childhood, felt the cruelty and despair of this world for the first time in his life.

"Eat while it's hot, don't waste it."

Fang Changying looked down at Xiao Qiji, from whom blood was constantly gushing, and walked past him indifferently toward Ji Fengting.

"I thought it would take some effort."

Jiang Li laughed lightly, unable to help licking the corners of her mouth; Xiao Qiji's soul-aspect was enough to fill her appetite.

As for Ji Fengting, being so weak, he could be left to Fang Changying; two soul-aspects would barely be enough to feed him.

"Is this 120? Someone here needs medical treatment..."

Just then, a heavy voice sounded slowly on the cold street.

Fang Changying stopped his steps and turned to look. Jiang Li also stopped her actions, her gaze subconsciously casting outward.

Not far away, a young man was on the phone, reporting the exact address, but his cold eyes had locked onto the two of them. Behind him followed a girl with shoulder-length short hair.

"Brother... Brother Fan..."

Ji Fengting saw the newcomer, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, his pupils trembling, and he called out in shock.

"There's an extra meal!?" Jiang Li laughed.

Only three soul-aspects were indeed a bit reluctant and not enough to share.

Now that two more who didn't know whether they were living or dead had arrived, they could be full.

Whoosh...

The night breeze blew, stirring his hair. In the split second Jiang Li was distracted, Zhang Fan had already disappeared from her line of sight.

"Retreat quickly!"

Just then, Fang Changying's shout echoed in his ears, as urgent as a raging fire.

"How full do you still want to eat?"

Almost at the same moment, Zhang Fan's palm had already landed on Jiang Li's face. The latter's eyes widened, and before she could react, a terrifying force surged like a tidal wave, actually pressing her head and smashing it fiercely into the ground.

A loud explosion rang out, and the ground suddenly exploded into a large pit, with sky-high dust accompanied by scarlet blood energy.

"Jiang Lai, save him."

Zhang Fan glanced sideways. Xiao Qiji's condition was extremely bad; blood was flowing incessantly from his neck, and he had already fainted, completely losing consciousness.

Hum...

Before the words fell, withered leaves danced in the air and landed on Zhang Fan's body.

In an instant, the flow of blood in his body became incomparably slow, his True Yang flowed backward, and his body felt as if it were bound by shackles.

"The Yansheng Method!?"

Rumble...

In the blink of an eye, a deafening sound suddenly erupted. Fang Changying's figure appeared in front of Zhang Fan like a ghost. A golden light floated between his eyebrows, as if spiritual energy were gathering, like scales appearing.

He swung his right arm, arriving through the air, and there was actually the sound of blades clashing...

"The God-Descending Method!?"

Zhang Fan couldn't help but show a strange expression. The 【Yansheng Method】 and 【God-Descending Method】 are both extremely ancient Daoist techniques, extremely difficult to practice and requiring extremely high talent.

Especially the 【God-Descending Method】, which often uses ancient strange scholars, immortals, demons, or even patriarchs to invite gods to descend into the body, as if having divine help, often possessing unimaginable abilities.

At this moment, Fang Changying didn't know which supreme god he had invited, but that arm cast from flesh and blood, at this moment, was like a divine weapon, slashing toward Zhang Fan's head.

Hum...

Just then, Zhang Fan moved. His right hand flicked, and a golden light flashed in his palm. The Weiling Demon-Suppressing Golden Seal slapped toward Fang Changying like a brick.

"You are actually not restricted by the Yansheng Method?" Fang Changying's expression changed drastically, deep in his eyes revealing deep astonishment.

Since he mastered the 【Yansheng Method】, he had never seen such a strange thing. Clearly, the person was under the spell, yet they were completely unaware, their body moving freely—it was simply unimaginable.

However, there was no time to think more; the golden seal in Zhang Fan's hand had already smashed over.

Clang...

A sound of metal and stone colliding, the Weiling Demon-Suppressing Golden Seal sounded as if it had smashed into a blade, emitting a crisp sound.

The next moment, Fang Changying's arm actually snapped under his gaze, emitting the sound of bones shattering.

"What is this thing? How can it break my 【God-Descending Method】?" Fang Changying simply couldn't believe it.

His arm was like a blade, relying on the 【God-Descending Method】, but the 【Weiling Demon-Suppressing Golden Seal】 in Zhang Fan's hand is a Long Hu Dharma Seal, with Long Hu Dao secret talismans on it; touching it breaks the method, and all techniques are extinguished.

Fang Changying collided head-on with the golden seal; how could the 【God-Descending Method】 last?

"Yujing City still has such a young expert?" Fang Changying's heart was stirred with monstrous waves.

He never imagined that in just one encounter, the other party would break his 【Yansheng Method】 and 【God-Descending Method】. The tyranny of the methods and the strangeness of the cultivation had completely exceeded his expectations.

"Run!"

In the blink of an eye, Fang Changying gave a violent shout, but his figure didn't move. A withered leaf danced in the air, like a sharp blade, actually shooting toward Ji Fengting's eyebrows.

Hum...

Almost at the same moment, Zhang Fan stepped out and blocked in front of Ji Fengting. With a cold snort, the terrifying aura shattered the withered leaf, which was like a flying knife, into powder.

"Escaped quite fast!"

Zhang Fan looked up, but Fang Changying's figure was no longer visible. On the empty street, only withered leaves were flying and scattering.

"Truly an expert!"

Although it was only one encounter, Zhang Fan could see that Fang Changying was no ordinary expert. He himself had the strength of the Gao Gong rank, his 【Yansheng Method】 was unpredictable, and his 【God-Descending Method】 was exquisite and extraordinary...

These two Daoist techniques combined were enough to allow him to kill his way through the 【Gao Gong】 rank, almost rarely meeting an opponent.

In fact, Fang Changying's own realm was extremely high. Relying on the two Daoist techniques, he was almost invincible among his peers. Precisely because of this, he had a high status in the Wu Wei Sect and was highly valued.

It just so happened that when he came to Yujing City, it was as if he had run into eight lifetimes of bad luck, encountering a freak like Zhang Fan. Both Daoist techniques were useless, simply completely countered to death.

"Are you okay?"

Zhang Fan looked at Ji Fengting beside him. The latter's expression was somewhat dazed, as if he had suffered a huge shock, and at this moment, he just shook his head blankly.

Just then, a series of urgent wailing sounds came, and an ambulance roared over.

Late at night, Yujing City People's Hospital.

Sui Chunsheng and Zhan Xinyue represented the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance and rushed over, completing the handover procedures with the relevant departments and taking over the case. Once it involved the Daoist sects, it was not something ordinary forces could intervene in.

"Thanks to you being nearby." Sui Chunsheng looked at Zhang Fan, his expression solemn.

Two great experts of the Wu Wei Sect appeared in Yujing City, and the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance hadn't received a single bit of news.

Fortunately, Zhang Fan appeared in time. Fang Changying ran away, but Jiang Li was captured alive by him, which could be considered a not-so-small harvest.

"How is Xiao Qiji?" Zhang Fan asked.

"Still in emergency rescue, there shouldn't be any major issues, but Mo Yun..." Xiao Qiji shook his head.

The soul-aspect was gone, so the person couldn't be saved. Although she only became a vegetable, they knew that Mo Yun would never wake up again, and they could only give her humanity and send her on her final journey.

At this point, Sui Chunsheng looked at Ji Fengting, who was sitting outside the operating room, and brought Ji Fengting to the side.

At this very moment, no one noticed that Ji Fengting, who had just encountered a huge change, was lowering his head, his hands clenched tightly, veins exposed, and his eyes were full of blood red.

"Damn it... all of them should die... all of them should be killed..."

Ji Fengting whispered to himself, his thoughts had never been so intense, an unprecedented thought.

Such a thought actually caused his soul-aspect to quietly transform!!!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 193 =====