Chapter 72: Heaven Round and Earth Square, Nine Chapters of Law

Mysterious Mirror Treasure Record, the strange path reaches this point.

Jiang Hu's solemn gaze fell on Shen Qingli, the bright moonlight crushed, making her look even more beautiful and moving than ever before.

However, Jiang Hu had never felt that the Shen Qingli before him was so strange as he did today.

"How many seekers of immortality have there been since ancient times, and how many have attained Pure Yang?" Shen Qingli murmured softly, her pure black evening gown swaying in the wind, creating a bit of posture.

"Modern times are the end of the Dharma, the red dust is filthy, and the ethereal longevity is nowhere to be seen... Now that the path to immortality is right before our eyes? That is the righteous path..."

A trace of determination appeared in Shen Qingli's beautiful eyes.

At the age of nine, she and Shen Xiangrong witnessed their father unhesitatingly offer his soul to the 【Mysterious Mirror Treasure Record】...

That courage and decisiveness born from the Dao still often echoed in her mind like an imprint.

"The bloodline of the Shen family exists for that hope and glory of longevity!"

"Ten thousand talismans must condense into one... when the 【Mysterious Mirror Treasure Record】 derives the soul password..."

"Shen family... we will all be together forever..."

The words of the previous generation, the hope of generations of the Shen family... engraved in the bones and blood, finally blossomed and bore fruit tonight.

"You are crazy..." Jiang Hu gritted his teeth.

"Jiang Hu... I said... life in the world, all have obsessions..."

"That is the only reality!"

Boom—

Just then, a loud noise fell; Xiao Qiji had already made a move; he formed seals with both hands, stepped on the Big Dipper, and chanted words in his mouth.

"Three and five combine energy, dark fight sun and moon."

"Carry armor and hold talismans, the killing gate opens wide."

"Grant me the fierce pool, wash with the ghost cave."

"Where the wandering souls are detained, the five dragons turn and extinguish."

"Kill!"

Xiao Qiji's eyes widened, his sharp expression like a three-foot magic sword, suddenly splashing, and five streams of light flew from his palms; observing with the soul, it was like five long rainbows, carrying intense true fire, spread across five different directions of the Talisman Refining Temple.

"【Five Dragons Turning and Extinguishing Talisman】!?" Jiang Hu's expression changed slightly, and he blurted out.

The Five Dragons Turning and Extinguishing Talisman is transmitted from the Mount Mao Dan book fire talisman, with great power; once displayed, infusing true Yang, the fire turns into a dragon shape, the five directions rotate, and it can burn and extinguish all yin spirits and souls.

"Mount Mao Shangqing Sect..." Shen Qingli watched coldly: "Xiao Qiji, you are as decisive and firm as you were when you were a child... you don't care about the people inside at all..."

"No wonder even my grandfather said that among the rising stars of Mount Mao, you count as a ruthless character."

"Xiao Qiji... there are still people inside..." Jiang Hu roared in a deep voice.

"Controlled by others, they are no longer considered human... they have been planted with demonic talismans... releasing one is an infinite disaster," Xiao Qiji said coldly.

Those talisman masters were just like the man who was just killed, planted with demonic talismans without knowing it; this kind of talisman rune is like a virus; if it is released down the mountain, the aftermath will be endless.

Thinking of this, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in Xiao Qiji's eyes; he took a step and was about to urge true Yang to ignite the 【Five Dragons Turning and Extinguishing Talisman】.

"Wait..."

Jiang Hu's expression changed suddenly; he blocked in front of Xiao Qiji.

"Do you want to be a savior, or are you trying to redeem yourself?" Xiao Qiji raised his eyebrows and said coldly.

"You are killing not ghosts... but people... living, breathing people..."

That night, the words of 【Wu Ma】 echoed in Jiang Hu's ears, gradually overlapping with the scene before him; he seemed to hear countless wronged souls calling and complaining inside the Talisman Refining Temple.

"I..." Jiang Hu gritted his teeth.

"Get lost!"

Xiao Qiji drank coldly, and a bright yellow talisman had already appeared in his hand.

Almost at the same moment, a talisman also appeared in Jiang Hu's hand.

"Your talisman path has long been ruined, and you still want to make a move against me!?" Xiao Qiji glanced sideways.

"【Red Snake Fire Talisman】!!"

Without extra words, the two almost simultaneously sacrificed the talismans in their hands, true Yang infused, the talismans burned out, and in an instant, they turned into intense true fire, like swimming snakes, colliding fiercely together.

The fire snakes spat letters, fangs exposed, and the splashing firelight illuminated the dark night.

However, Xiao Qiji's "fire snake" was at least five times larger than Jiang Hu's "fire snake," and in the blink of an eye, the latter was swallowed by the former...

The huge flame wave surged, shaking Jiang Hu away fiercely. Jiang Hu hit the wall violently, and with a "thud," he fell heavily to the ground, a mouthful of blood gushing out.

Over the years, his inner demons had taken root, his cultivation had regressed, and he was already too far behind Xiao Qiji...

"You are no longer qualified to make a move against me now..." Xiao Qiji looked down at Jiang Hu coldly.

At this moment, in his eyes, Jiang Hu was no longer the competitor who could compete with him on the mountain back then.

"Jiang Hu, you are always wrong, killing people who shouldn't be killed, wanting to save people who shouldn't be saved..." Xiao Qiji shook his head.

"Do you think that by saving them you can wash away the sins on your body?"

"No, those sins will follow you for a lifetime; you can't save anyone, including yourself..."

Xiao Qiji's words were heart-stabbing and murderous, like a knife stabbing into the softest part of Jiang Hu's heart.

He curled his body, as if he heard countless cries and roars coming from the Talisman Refining Temple again...

At this moment, he seemed to have returned to that night...

The moonlight was ghastly. In that mass grave, fresh blood flowed wantonly. The spirits who had died miserable deaths at his hands crawled out from deep beneath the earth—gaunt white bones, resentment soaring to the heavens. There were old men, children, men, women...

Their arms were like withered vine branches, entangling Jiang Hu's soul, as if wanting to drag it into the ground together, into that bottomless, pitch-black underground...

"It's so dark..."

Jiang Hu's soul murmured softly; as he fell into the abyss, the only light before his eyes became weaker and weaker.

"This is also fine..."

Jiang Hu's soul-aspect completely abandoned its struggle, ready to hide within the eternal abyss of the dark night alongside those countless wandering souls.

Slap...

Just then, a thick palm inexplicably reached out from above and grabbed Jiang Hu's wrist.

In his inner soul realm, a blurry figure appeared within the only remaining light, pulling him back from the darkness.

"Zhang... Zhang Fan..."

Jiang Hu's eyes widened; he simply couldn't believe it, Zhang Fan... he actually appeared in his inner soul realm.

"People, ah... in this life, there is both the petty and the bright and great..."

"That is the inseparable you... the current you..."

A sigh resounded like a shock bell, shaking Jiang Hu's soul; the light before his eyes became more brilliant, and looking back, the abyss of endless darkness was getting further and further away...

"Zhang Fan..."

Boom—

In front of the Talisman Refining Temple, Xiao Qiji walked past Jiang Hu indifferently, his warning gaze sweeping over Shen Qingli in the distance, and he was about to urge the 【Five Dragons Turning and Extinguishing Talisman】.

"Xiao Qiji, you are right..."

Just then, Jiang Hu's voice resounded faintly.

"Hmm!?"

Xiao Qiji turned to look; under his indifferent gaze, Jiang Hu lowered his head, but staggered to his feet.

"The sins on my body can never be washed clean in this life... but..."

"This is me."

Jiang Hu whispered, his eyes becoming clearer than ever before, without confusion, without hesitation, only the present.

"He doesn't want his life anymore!?"

In the distance, Shen Qingli's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly; observing with the soul, Jiang Hu's life was like a candle, starting to burn crazily, the rising smoke like the traces on the talisman, entangling toward the palace temple that was closed like a seal.

"I can save them!"

Jiang Hu whispered in a deep voice, the light in his eyes confident and powerful.

"His nature light..."

Xiao Qiji frowned; he clearly felt that Jiang Hu's soul was clearly about to be dim and lightless, but at this moment, it was like a great fire burning, rekindled.

"Little Xiao Qiji, remember... cultivation is seeing the true self... the moment you see the true self, you will be very powerful..."

At this moment, for some reason, the words of his former teacher echoed in Xiao Qiji's mind.

"Heaven round and earth square, nine chapters of law, I now put down the pen, ten thousand ghosts submit and hide!!"

Just then, a sound of chanting like gibberish resounded faintly...

Golden streams of light flickered at Jiang Hu's fingertips, creating golden ripples, drawing a harmonious and beautiful trace in the air.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 73 =====