Chapter 225: Want to Put on a Show?

This sudden scene startled Lu Yuan and the other two, and before they could even figure out what was happening.

Over a dozen annihilation talismans flew out from the darkness, arranged in a wild goose formation, skimming close to the ground as they rapidly approached.

Before the talisman papers even arrived, flames ignited first.

The fire wasn't ordinary red fire, but carried a bright cyan color that swelled violently upon contact with Yin energy.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The fire talismans exploded in succession, the cyan flames spreading along the group of evil puppets, instantly burning a wide gap.

Immediately after, three figures leaped out from behind the flames.

Leading them was a young Taoist priest in his early twenties, wearing a navy-blue Daoist robe with an old cloth bag slung diagonally across his back.

His hair was tied up with a hairpin, and his features were clean and upright, though his face still carried the sharp edge of youth.

That object was about three inches long, shaped like an ancient token, yet also resembling half of a broken bronze ruler.

Its surface was covered in rust, the edges severely worn, yet faintly visible on it were ancient seal-script thunder patterns.

As soon as the token was raised, the surrounding Yin mist parted like tidal water to both sides.

A cyan-white ray of protective light cascaded down from the token, shielding a three-foot radius around him.

Following behind him were a young man and a young woman, both also Taoist priests.

The man was tall and thin, holding a peach wood sword with three talismans affixed to the blade. His face was pale, but he gritted his teeth and charged forward.

The woman was younger, wearing a gray-white Daoist robe with a talisman bag on her shoulder. She continuously flung out yellow talismans with both hands, her movements urgent yet still stable.

The three fought their way in from outside the group of evil puppets, putting on quite an impressive show.

Especially the ancient token in the lead Taoist priest's hand. With every swing, it sent out a wave of cyan-white hostile qi.

Whenever those "spectators" were struck by that hostile qi, at the very least their forms would collapse, and at worst they'd explode on the spot into black smoke.

In an instant, the frontmost wave of evil puppets that had surrounded the ritual altar was fiercely cut down by more than half.

The shadowy hands and ghostly figures that had been pressing nearly to the incense ash circle immediately cleared a space.

Wang Cheng'an's eyes showed surprise.

"Someone's rescuing us?"

Xu Erxiao was also both startled and delighted.

"Fellow Daoists from the Daoist tradition!"

Lu Yuan's fingers paused on the sixth red cord.

He didn't immediately continue untying the black cloth pouch but instead raised his eyes to look at the three young Taoist priests.

The lead man walked with Seven Star Steps, holding the ancient token as he charged at the forefront.

His incantation was fast, but his voice sounded somewhat weak, his breathing clearly unsteady.

Every time he swung the token, his shoulder would tremble slightly, and sweat rapidly beaded on his forehead.

Lu Yuan watched for only a moment before making a judgment in his heart.

These three didn't have very high cultivation.

In fact, if he assessed their foundation, it was probably only three to five years at most.

That tall, thin male Taoist's footwork was somewhat scattered. His peach wood sword looked neat when he swung it, but it was entirely propped up by the talismans.

That gray-robed female Taoist's talisman technique was quite practiced, but her wrist lacked strength when flinging them, and the talismans always landed half an inch off.

The truly formidable thing was that old relic in the lead young Taoist priest's hand.

The thunder patterns on that ancient token were definitely not of recent workmanship.

Its aura was ancient, heavy, and condensed. Though incomplete, it carried a majestic and upright presence befitting an orthodox Thunder Department ritual tool.

If it weren't for that object protecting them, the three of them charging recklessly into Wildman Ditch probably wouldn't have been able to withstand even the first wave of Yin tide from those peripheral "spectators."

Lu Yuan's gaze shifted slightly as he temporarily released the black cloth pouch.

He pressed the sixth red cord back down and said in a low voice:

"Let's hold off for now."

Xu Erxiao was startled.

"Brother Lu?"

"Someone's buying us some time."

Lu Yuan's eyes fell on that ancient token.

"Let's wait and see."

At that moment, the three young Taoist priests had already fought their way to about ten paces outside the giant rock.

The lead youth abruptly pressed the ancient token forward, shouting:

"Thunder Qi, open the boundary!"

The cyan-white light on the ancient token suddenly erupted.

A half-arc-shaped wave of hostile qi pushed forward horizontally, sending over a dozen evil entities that stood between them and the ritual altar flying backward.

Those evil puppets twisted and struggled in midair, but before they could even land, they were torn apart into wisps of black smoke by the hostile qi.

The youth seized the opportunity to shout:

"Is that a fellow Daoist ahead?"

Lu Yuan stood at the edge of the ritual altar holding his sword, responding in a deep voice:

"Yes."

"Enter the altar in three steps, but do not step on the incense ash circle."

"Take the Gen position."

The youth was clearly stunned for a moment.

He looked down at the ground, then at the ritual altar hidden in incense clouds beneath the giant rock, and immediately understood that the other party had already set up the altar foundation.

Though young, he wasn't reckless. He immediately shouted to the two behind him:

"Follow me, take the Gen position!"

The three quickly adjusted their direction, circling in from the northeast side.

Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an each guarded their corners of the altar, giving them a narrow opening.

The lead youth was the first to step into the range of the incense clouds.

The moment he entered, the cold, oppressive Yin feeling around him suddenly relaxed, and he couldn't help but stumble slightly.

The light of the ancient token in his hand also dimmed by three points.

The tall, thin male Taoist behind him was even worse off. The moment he charged in, he leaned on his knees, panting heavily, his face as pale as paper.

The gray-robed female Taoist pressed one hand on her talisman bag while using the other to support him, sweat also beading on her forehead.

Though the three had put on an impressive show all the way here, their consumption had clearly been substantial.

The lead youth barely steadied himself and cupped his fist toward Lu Yuan.

"Thank you for the guidance."

"I am Lin Zhaoxuan, an itinerant Taoist priest."

He then pointed to the two behind him.

"These are my junior brother Zhou Heng and junior sister Song Qinghe."

"May I ask for your name, fellow Daoist?"

Lu Yuan didn't immediately answer.

His gaze was still fixed on the ancient token in Lin Zhaoxuan's hand.

Up close, that token looked even more ancient.

The bronze had turned black, its surface covered in dense fine cracks. On the front was carved a fragmentary character "Ting" (Thunderclap), while the back was surrounded by cloud and thunder patterns.

At the very edge was an extremely shallow trace of cinnabar.

That cinnabar had long since seeped into the bronze body, having been refined through generations of practitioners using their magical power.

Lu Yuan felt a chill in his heart.

Sure enough, it was an old relic.

And not just any ordinary old relic.

This object had passed through the hands of several generations of orthodox Daoist traditions, been enshrined and refined, with a pure and genuine Thunder Qi stored inside.

But now, the artifact body was damaged, its spiritual nature incomplete.

Otherwise, that last strike wouldn't just have sent the first wave of "spectators" flying; even those few evil entity opera performers on the distant stage would have been shaken into revealing their true forms.

Lin Zhaoxuan saw Lu Yuan staring at the token in his hand, and his expression involuntarily tightened. He subconsciously pulled the token back half an inch.

But soon, realizing this was somewhat rude, he explained:

"This is the Thunderclap Token passed down from my ancestors."

"Just now, the situation was urgent, so I had no choice but to use it."

Only then did Lu Yuan look up at him.

"We are also itinerant Taoist priests. I am Lu Jin..."

"No sect, no temple. We follow our ancestral lineage and walk the path."

Ever since encountering the fake Tan Jiji by that parent-child malevolent deity on the back mountain last time, Lu Yuan had learned to be smarter.

With this kind of thing, it's best not to reveal his origins too quickly.

Especially when the other party appeared out of nowhere. Who knew if this was another "fake Tan Jiji"?

After all, this sudden help was really suspicious.

And they claimed to be itinerant Taoist priests? Which itinerant Taoist priest could possibly possess such a powerful orthodox Daoist ritual tool?

To be honest, if it weren't for that orthodox Daoist ritual tool in his hand, Lu Yuan would have had to reconsider even letting these three in.

Lu Yuan simply nodded indifferently.

"Your timing is quite convenient."

Lin Zhaoxuan gave a bitter smile.

"It wasn't convenient."

"We three were also chasing the evil qi from Wildman Ditch."

"Originally, we wanted to scout from outside. We didn't expect that as soon as we entered the valley, we'd hear the opera music."

"Then we saw the righteous altar's incense lit up here, so we guessed there was a fellow Daoist surrounded."

Zhou Heng, having caught his breath, couldn't help but interject:

"What do you mean, 'surrounded'?"

"From what we saw outside, it was this Fellow Daoist Lu's altar that held off the Yin tide."

"If you hadn't insisted on charging in, I think they might not have even needed our help."

Song Qinghe shot him a glare.

"Say a little less."

A trace of embarrassment flickered across Lin Zhaoxuan's face, but he still said seriously:

"Regardless, with the evil puppets right in front of us, we fellow Daoists can't just stand by and do nothing."

These words were spoken with frankness.

Lu Yuan looked at him, his expression softening slightly.

Regardless of how deep these three's cultivation was, at least they had the courage to charge in from outside. They weren't the type to just talk about righteousness.

Xu Erxiao also grinned.

"Now that you're here, you're one of us."

"But that move you guys pulled off just now was really brilliant. Whoosh, and half those ghostly things were gone in an instant."

Zhou Heng was just starting to show a hint of pride at these words when the Thunderclap Token in Lin Zhaoxuan's hand suddenly let out a faint "crack."

The sound was extremely subtle.

But Lu Yuan heard it clearly.

Lin Zhaoxuan's expression immediately changed. He hurriedly looked down.

He saw that at the edge of the Thunderclap Token, a crack that had already existed seemed to have extended just a little further inward.

The cyan-white light also began to flicker, growing dim and bright by turns.

Lu Yuan frowned.

"Your ritual tool can't hold out much longer."

Lin Zhaoxuan pressed his lips together and didn't refute.

Zhou Heng and Song Qinghe's faces also sank simultaneously.

Clearly, they themselves knew it too.

That last round of charging in and smashing through might have looked like they'd destroyed the first wave of evil entities, but the cost had been immense.

The Thunderclap Token was already a damaged relic. Forcing it to this extent had already injured the artifact body.

Lu Yuan said in a grave tone:

"Your cultivation is insufficient. Relying on this old relic to hold on, you can at most make three more strikes."

"After three strikes, the artifact will crack, and you'll also suffer backlash."

Lin Zhaoxuan's pupils contracted sharply.

He looked at Lu Yuan, a hint of surprise and doubt in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Lu can tell?"

Lu Yuan didn't answer. He only turned his head to look toward the center of the valley.

The gong and drum sounds from the opera stage started up again.

And they were more urgent than before.

After the first wave of "spectators" had been scattered by the Thunderclap Token, a brief empty space had appeared in the darkness.

But that gap was quickly being filled by new figures.

Further in the distance, the evil eye on that willow tree slowly rotated.

Countless willow branches hung down, lightly patting the dry bones on the ground.

With every pat, the bones on the ground trembled.

Those hundred bones that had been lying silent began to stand up one by one, as if someone was reassembling them in the darkness.

On the opera stage, that old sheng role dragged out his voice and sang faintly:

"First act, welcome the guests to their seats—"

"Second act, a hundred bones take the stage—"

"Honored spectators, please don't leave—"

"The best part... is still to come..."

As the final line of the song faded, the black mist around Wildman Ditch surged once more.

This time, what sounded wasn't the dragging footsteps.

But the sound of bones colliding.

"Crack."

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

Countless scattered dry bones throughout the valley were standing up in the darkness.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, his tone turning stern.

"The first wave was just spectators."

"The second wave will be the soldiers in the play."

Lin Zhaoxuan gripped the Thunderclap Token tightly and forced himself to say:

"Then we'll kill another wave."

But Lu Yuan shook his head.

"Can't just kill indiscriminately."

"These things can't be wiped out."

"If the stage isn't broken, if the willow tree isn't injured, the Yin malevolence will keep piecing them back together endlessly."

He looked at the Thunderclap Token in Lin Zhaoxuan's hand.

"Your Thunderclap Token still has its uses."

"But it can't be used to clear out minor evils anymore."

Lin Zhaoxuan immediately asked:

"Then what should we do?"

Lu Yuan raised his hand and pointed toward the distant opera stage, illuminated by those pale lanterns.

"Wait until I open the altar and suppress the evil eye of the willow tree. Then you use the Thunderclap Token to strike the stage."

"Strike those eight lanterns."

"Once the lanterns are out and the opera music is cut off, this offering formation will lose one corner."

Lin Zhaoxuan looked at Lu Yuan with a completely bewildered expression and said:

"What kind of 'offering formation'?"

"Offering what?"

Hearing Lin Zhaoxuan's words, Lu Yuan looked at him again with a strange expression.

"You don't know what's going on here?"

Lu Yuan didn't know if Lin Zhaoxuan was genuinely clueless or deliberately faking it.

But Lu Yuan felt it seemed faked.

You'd dare charge into Wildman Ditch without knowing anything about it?

What would you even come here for if you knew nothing?

Wasn't that just being mentally ill?

And as soon as Lu Yuan finished speaking, Lin Zhaoxuan stubbornly craned his neck and said loudly:

"Of course we know!"

"Isn't this place haunted? We came here to deal with these evil spirits!"

Lin Zhaoxuan's serious expression left Lu Yuan, Xu Erxiao, and Wang Cheng'an all staring dumbfounded.

Wait...

Was that really the only reason they came?!

And after arriving...

They'd even used the top-tier ritual tool passed down through their family?

Umm...

Honestly, Lu Yuan didn't believe it.

Not one bit.

Hearing from others that this place was haunted by evil puppets, so they came to deal with them? With no benefit for themselves?

What's more, they even used a top-tier ancestral ritual tool that diminishes with each use...

Not wanting anything in return, just wanting to deal with the evil spirits?

Speaking of which, Lu Yuan considered himself someone who fairly upheld the principle of "guarding the common people."

Lu Yuan also considered himself a very upright, very righteous person.

But this...

Lu Yuan felt he couldn't do it himself.

Maybe if, while traveling, he encountered someone's grandson being possessed by evil spirits, or someone stained with something unclean.

In that case, Lu Yuan would definitely take care of it and wouldn't charge them.

After all, it was a convenient deed, a daily act of kindness.

But to say that Lu Yuan would immediately rush over upon hearing of evil puppets somewhere, and even use a top-tier ancestral ritual tool...

Especially one that diminishes with each use...

Lu Yuan felt he couldn't do that.

After all, this was a world overrun with evil spirits, not Earth.

If he went after every evil spirit he heard about...

He'd truly be exhausted, and still never clear them all.

So, Lu Yuan simply didn't believe these three.

Once bitten, twice shy. After being stabbed in the back last time, Lu Yuan simply didn't trust anyone who appeared suddenly like this, especially in such an extremely strange manner.

Lu Yuan thought these three might possibly be members of the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family, just like that "fake Tan Jiji," here to maintain the shrine feeding the malevolent deity.

As for why, since Liu Xuanyin was already dead and the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family had disbanded, these three hadn't left yet...

Hmm...

The situation was a bit urgent, and Lu Yuan hadn't figured that out either.

But it didn't matter!

Since you want to...

Lu Yuan snapped back to reality, pointing at the lanterns below.

"Anyway, the way to break this situation right now is for you to take out those eight lanterns."

Lin Zhaoxuan followed the direction of his finger and looked, his face sinking.

"It's too far away, and there are too many evil puppets in between."

"With my current cultivation, the Thunderclap Token can't reach there."

Lu Yuan said flatly:

"I'll send you off."

Want to put on a show?

Well then, Lu Yuan wanted to see how these three would perform next.