Chapter 89: Awesome!!

The person before them showed no obvious malice.

And...

He also knew that Lu Yuan and the other two were breaking Nurturing Malevolence Sites...

After a brief silence of half a second, Lu Yuan immediately cupped his hands and said:

"Zhenlong Temple, Lu Yuan."

After speaking, Lu Yuan looked at Tan Jiji before him, his mind frantically recalling the booklet the old man had given him.

The booklet about the Ten Families.

Clearly, the Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family was one of the Ten Families.

Of course, with the Life-Severing Wang Family's "exemplary" precedent.

Wang Cheng'an and Xu Erxiao instantly tensed up.

But for Lu Yuan, having read the old man's booklet recording information about the Ten Families, he was relatively calm.

That booklet said that the Ten Families' inheritances had mysterious origins, and whether they were righteous or evil depended entirely on the current family head's choice.

Even the Life-Severing Wang Family was like this.

The Book of Malevolent Spirits, made from human skin, was not originally used to create Nurturing Malevolence Sites to harm people.

The original purpose of the Book of Malevolent Spirits was to absorb the malevolent energy between heaven and earth to benefit the common people.

The top-grade malevolent spirits created by the Book of Malevolent Spirits could also be used to control and fight against powerful evil entities, protecting a region and its people.

It was just that the hunchbacked old man was blinded by greed, unsatisfied with merely collecting and absorbing the malevolent energy between heaven and earth, and instead directly cordoned off land to artificially create Nurturing Malevolence Sites.

That originally people-protecting top-grade malevolent spirit also turned into a thing that harmed people.

So the Ten Families couldn't be simply labeled as good or bad.

It wasn't that because a Life-Severing Wang Family appeared, all members of the Ten Families were bad seeds, all wanting to harm people.

In just a short moment, Lu Yuan recalled the description of the Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family from the old man's booklet about the Ten Families.

The Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family specialized in punishing evil ghosts that escaped the laws of the netherworld.

Gathering his thoughts, Lu Yuan already had some guesses about Tan Jiji's purpose for coming, so he decided to get straight to the point.

"Brother Tan Jiji, did you come here for the dried-up well on the mountaintop too?"

Tan Jiji was also a straightforward person. Upon hearing this, he nodded without any evasion.

"Naturally."

"This place is an evil god altar set up by the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family. My Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family upholds the righteous path of heaven and earth, so it is our duty to eradicate it."

Lu Yuan really liked this kind of dialogue where neither side beat around the bush and both were straightforward.

Tan Jiji looked Lu Yuan up and down and said:

"Taoist Priest, you don't need to intervene in what comes next. Please continue on to break the Nurturing Malevolence Site."

"Leave this place to me."

Hearing Tan Jiji's words, Lu Yuan slightly frowned and said:

"You seem to know quite well what we are doing?"

Tan Jiji grinned and said:

"Taoist Priest, don't take offense. It was purely a coincidence. I happened to be in the vicinity when you broke those two Nurturing Malevolence Sites."

Speaking of this, Tan Jiji looked at Lu Yuan with some confusion and said:

"Logically speaking, after the Life-Severing Wang Family was captured in Fengtian City and the Book of Malevolent Spirits was destroyed, these Nurturing Malevolence Sites would loosen and leak malevolent energy, that's true."

"But it shouldn't be that obvious. You gentlemen seem to know the locations of the Nurturing Malevolence Sites a bit too well."

There was probing in these words.

Lu Yuan understood in his heart but didn't take the bait, only replying lightly.

"Chickens don't pee, each has their own way."

Lord Huang's way of speaking is just so pleasing to the ear~

Tan Jiji was stunned for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh, cupping his hands and saying:

"Alright then, Taoist Priest Lu, let us part ways here."

Before his words even faded, his figure flickered, like a wisp of azure smoke, drifting and darting towards the mountaintop.

Lu Yuan, however, curled his lip, his feet not stopping, leading Xu Erxiao and the other directly following him.

Lu Yuan's movement made Tan Jiji, who was ahead, notice. His body paused slightly, and he turned his head to look at Lu Yuan and the other two behind him, puzzled.

"Taoist Priest Lu, what is this?"

Lu Yuan glanced at Tan Jiji, his body not stopping as he led Wang Cheng'an and Xu Erxiao up the mountain, saying:

"Naturally, to vanquish demons and exorcise evil!"

Tan Jiji's figure moved like a swallow, leaping a few times to land about ten meters ahead of Lu Yuan's group, but he didn't continue upward.

Instead, he turned around, spreading his arms to block the center of the narrow mountain path.

The hearty smile on his face faded a bit, replaced by a rare seriousness.

"Taoist Priest Lu, hold on."

Lu Yuan stopped, and behind him, Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an immediately became vigilant. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

"Brother Tan, what do you mean by this?"

Lu Yuan's gaze was calm, but the True Qi within his body had already begun to circulate quietly.

Tan Jiji sighed, pointing towards the mountaintop.

There, obscured by dense gray-black tree canopies, it felt as if something even heavier was pressing on their hearts.

"Taoist Priest Lu, I know your Daoist arts are profound and your heart is filled with benevolence and righteousness."

"But that well up there, and the entire arrangement of this mountain, are definitely not as simple as the 'Nurturing Malevolence Sites' you encountered before."

He spoke extremely fast, his voice lowered as if afraid of disturbing the presence on the mountaintop.

"That is the handiwork of the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family of the Ten Families!"

"It's their 'Family Inheritance Ritual'!"

"Ritual?" Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

This term wasn't unfamiliar in the Daoist world, generally referring to the fixed patterns of ceremonies and spells.

But Tan Jiji's emphasis clearly had a deeper meaning.

"Yes, ritual! But not the kind understood by your orthodox Daoist sects!"

Tan Jiji emphasized his tone, his eyes filled with gravity:

"The inheritances of the Ten Families are bizarre, their origins complex. Many of their methods differ greatly from the mainstream of the current Daoist world."

"They are closer to a mixture of ancient shamanic rites, fangshi forbidden arts, and some... unspeakable paths."

"Especially this Commanding Ghosts Liu Family. They specialize in ghost children and yin spirits. The core of their ritual lies in 'contracts' and 'cycles of resentful power'."

"It's fundamentally different from the logic of the righteous path of heaven and earth, which is 'repelling evil and breaking malevolence'!"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but frown, then said:

"No matter its thousand rituals, its ten thousand variations, I shall break them all with a single divine thunderbolt!"

As his words fell, Lu Yuan's right hand clenched in a loose fist. In his palm, a silvery-white electric arc crackled with a *crackle*!

Although the thunderous sound was small, it shook the fallen leaves in the forest, causing them to rustle down!

In an instant, the air was filled with the yang, majestic aura of heavenly authority.

Across from him, Tan Jiji's pupils suddenly contracted. His breathing seemed to stop for half a beat, his tanned face filled with shock.

Celestial Master Realm!

This young Taoist priest was actually a Celestial Master!

Lu Yuan slightly raised his head, withdrawing the Palm Thunder, looking proudly at Tan Jiji. This was also one of the benefits of becoming a Celestial Master.

You didn't need to explain.

Because the thunder arts on your body would explain everything for you.

Lu Yuan thought that showing the thunder arts would make Tan Jiji shut up, but he didn't expect Tan Jiji to shake his head even more frantically, saying:

"That makes it even more impossible!"

"The most bizarre aspect of the Liu Family's ritual lies in 'the mutual generation of illusion and reality' and 'the grafting of cause and effect'. The malevolent energy and ghost children you see might just be the 'surface appearance'."

"The true 'ritual core' or 'killing move' might be attached to some 'contract object' you cannot see."

"Or it might be connected to the life and fortune of some innocent villager down the mountain!"

"If you rashly use thunder arts to attack forcefully, the malevolent energy might disperse, but you might also simultaneously trigger a hidden 'life-exchange contract' or 'transfer of resentful power'."

"By then, those you might end up harming could be the villagers down the mountain you want to protect!"

Hearing this, the expressions on the faces of Lu Yuan and the other two couldn't help but freeze.

Before this, Lu Yuan had indeed seen the phantom of the "interlocking knot" formed by the two streams of malevolent energy on Wang Laohan's grandson.

At that time, the two streams of malevolent energy were seeping towards the crown of the little grandson's head and the soles of his feet.

Polluting the soul aperture, blocking the qi roots!

The malevolent energy had already transformed into a spiritual guide, for the "Soul Transfer and Spirit Replacement" technique!

Presumably, this was what Tan Jiji called the life-exchange or transfer of resentful power.

Therefore, Lu Yuan had also prepared a baby figurine carved from lightning-struck peach wood to serve as a substitute for that little grandson.

Lu Yuan thought this was useful, able to block one fate for the little grandson.

But clearly...

Tan Jiji should know more details.

Seeing the change in expression on Lu Yuan and the other two, Tan Jiji knew they were listening, and he quickly seized the opportunity to press his advantage.

"The methods of the Ten Families, in order to achieve their goals and protect themselves, often stop at nothing."

"Our Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family deals with these 'sins' all year round, so we know this too well."

"To break their rituals, you often cannot use brute force. You need to first find their 'contract core' or 'ritual loophole'."

"Then use targeted methods to 'dissolve' or 'distort' their rules."

"It's like solving an intricately designed lock. You need to find the corresponding key, or understand the lock's internal structure to pry it open with clever force."

"Smashing it hard with a hammer will likely not open the lock but instead trigger the poison needles or mechanisms inside."

Tan Jiji looked at Lu Yuan, his words sincere:

"Taoist Priest Lu, I am absolutely not exaggerating to scare you, nor do I want to monopolize the credit."

"Handling this matter to my Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family is the safest option."

"In the remnant scrolls of my family's 'Punishment Codex Original', there are many records of various yin evil contracts and soul-body restrictions."

"There are even specialized 'contract-breaking' techniques to deal with the Liu Family's 'Ghost Child Contract'."

"If I go to break it, I have at least a seventy percent certainty of safely dismantling this situation without affecting the innocent."

"If you go, the risk is too great, and it's extremely easy to make things worse by being too clever, or even... alert the enemy."

Tan Jiji's words were reasonable and well-supported.

He clearly analyzed the bizarreness of the Ten Families' rituals, the insidiousness of the Liu Family's methods, and the potential risks of rash action.

Tan Jiji stood on the mountain path, his figure appearing somewhat solitary and upright amidst the dappled tree shadows, but his blocking attitude was exceptionally firm.

However, after a moment of silence, Lu Yuan slowly shook his head:

"No, we still have to go!"

Lu Yuan took a step forward.

The aura around him seemed connected to the pulse of the entire mountain forest. An imposing presence, as solid as a mountain yet as nimble as wind and thunder, spread out powerfully.

"My Zhenlong Temple lineage inherits the dharma lineage of the Celestial Master of Thunder, and upholds the law of dispelling illusions and vanquishing evil."

Lu Yuan's voice was calm, yet each word rang like a bell.

"No matter how many changes and variations its rituals have, no matter how bizarre and insidious, its foundation is nothing more than yin energy, resentful power, evil curses, and contracts."

"Despite all changes, it does not depart from its origin."

"Thunder is the command of heaven. Its authority is the greatest. Everything within the Three Realms and Nine Earths falls under the jurisdiction of thunder."

"Utmost yang, utmost strength, breaking all illusions, severing all evil entities!"

He stared at Tan Jiji, asking word by word:

"No matter how strange the Liu Family's ritual is, can it be stranger than being outside the jurisdiction of heaven's thunder law?"

Tan Jiji's expression changed, thinking Lu Yuan hadn't understood the key points, and immediately wanted to explain again.

But Lu Yuan raised his hand to stop him.

"Of course, I understand and respect what you said."

"So, after we go up, we'll just stand by and watch you handle it."

Huh?

Tan Jiji was completely stunned, a look of astonishment on his face.

Just watch... and not take action?

Lu Yuan's voice carried an unquestionable determination.

"We have our own 'Dao', and we also have our own 'methods'."

"As cultivators of our generation, when encountering evil entities harming people, how can we shrink back just because it's bizarre, difficult to predict, and full of risks?"

"And entrust the lives of the common people to an outsider who is 'perhaps more professional'?"

"Moreover..."

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze was like a probe, trying to pierce into the depths of Tan Jiji's soul, weighing the truth of his every word.

"You say you are from the Punishing the Netherworld Tan Family, so you are?"

"You say you can break the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family's ritual, so you definitely can?"

"Even, how can you prove you are not an actor sent by the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family?"

"We've only known each other for three minutes. Even children playing house don't trust people this easily, right?"

This series of questions, like a sudden storm, left Tan Jiji speechless.

He opened his mouth, only to find he couldn't refute a single word.

Lu Yuan slightly cupped his hands, his expression returning to calm, but his tone was extremely serious.

"So, Brother Tan, don't worry too much. After we go up, you do your thing, and we absolutely won't mess around."

The tone of his words suddenly turned cold.

"It's just that you'd better not lie to me. Otherwise, if I go up and find out you're lying..."

"I'll strike you down along with it!"

These words were straightforward and domineering.

Regarding this Tan Jiji, Lu Yuan's heart held more trust than suspicion, but it was necessary to guard against others.

Moreover, they were already here. To put it bluntly, since they were already here!

They had to go up and see with their own eyes. There was no reason to be persuaded to retreat by someone else's few words.

Since he, Lu Yuan, had promised the villagers of Mangniu Hamlet down the mountain, he must protect their lives!

If Tan Jiji could solve it, that would be best.

If he couldn't solve it, or if he ran away midway, then Lu Yuan's thunder arts would be the villagers' final guarantee!

He absolutely could not break his promise to the common people!

Tan Jiji: "..."

What Lu Yuan said was truly reasonable. Tan Jiji opened his mouth, but the words of persuasion could no longer come out.

He looked into Lu Yuan's clear yet thunder-holding eyes, and finally let out a bitter sigh, stepping aside to make way.

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate any longer. Leading Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an, their figures moved like lightning, once again darting towards the mountaintop shrouded in gloom.

Seeing this, Tan Jiji could only immediately follow!

A moment later, the four finally reached the mountaintop.

Here, the yin energy was so dense it had almost materialized into gray mist. The trees were sparse, and in the center was clearly a clearing.

And the moment they set foot on this place, before Lu Yuan's eyes, the long-absent crimson text suddenly appeared.

[Type: Red-Clothed Evil Spirit]

[Cultivation: Seventy-Nine Years]

[Weakness: Thunder, Lightning]

[Danger Level: ★★]

Uh...

Lu Yuan's steps halted. He was completely stunned.

This...

This red text had appeared...

But...

But this thing, it doesn't seem very strong?!

Only two stars?

This... isn't right, is it??

Forget about the evil god he had speculated about, even based on Tan Jiji's earlier analysis, with "rituals" and "causal grafting"...

How...

How could the danger level be so low??

System error?

Lu Yuan thought carefully, then frantically tried to justify the doubts in his heart.

Perhaps...

Perhaps it was still because he was too strong.

After all, he was already a Celestial Master now.

Looking across the entire region beyond the Great Wall, among the registered, living, and normally active adult Celestial Masters capable of subduing demons and exorcising evil, there were actually only just over two hundred.

These two hundred-plus people might sound like a lot, as if they were common.

But in reality, one must know this was across the entire four provinces beyond the Great Wall.

If compared to Earth, gathering all the top scorers in the college entrance exam from all the top high schools across the three northeastern provinces would still outnumber these just over two hundred Celestial Masters.

And of these two hundred-plus Celestial Masters, the Upper Three Gates alone—Wuqing Temple, Riyue Temple, Tianlong Temple—accounted for over a hundred.

The remaining hundred-plus were scattered among the Daoist sects throughout the region beyond the Great Wall.

It could be said that the vast majority of Daoist temples, even now, didn't have a single Celestial Master.

Celestial Masters could truly be considered among the top echelon of the Daoist world beyond the Great Wall.

Compared to the total population of the four provinces beyond the Great Wall, they were absolutely as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

And although this Red-Clothed Evil Spirit only had two stars, which seemed very low, it also represented the ability to harm Lu Yuan.

Being able to harm an orthodox Celestial Master possessing surging thunder arts was truly quite strong.

Hmm...

It should... be like this, right?

Anyway, that's what Lu Yuan thought.

On the mountaintop clearing, a sinister wind howled.

Tan Jiji, completely different from his earlier casual demeanor, looked solemn as if facing a formidable enemy.

He first signaled for Lu Yuan and the other two to retreat to an old locust tree at the edge of the clearing, saying gravely:

"You three, please observe the formation here. Remember, no matter what happens, do not step into the circle I draw, do not make a sound, and do not use any ritual tools."

Lu Yuan nodded, indicating he understood.

Only then did Tan Jiji take out a palm-sized black leather pouch from his bosom.

The pouch was neither leather nor cloth. Its surface texture subtly matched some kind of star chart, with faint flowing light.

Tan Jiji did not directly walk towards the dried-up well in the center, half-covered by scattered rocks. Instead, he slowly walked around the edge of the clearing.

His left hand held a fist-sized, dark-colored bronze compass.

The compass had an ancient style. The Celestial Pool in the center was not a magnetic needle but a drop of suspended, rolling black mercury.

His right hand formed a sword finger, slicing through the air.

Where his fingertip passed, a fleeting, faint golden light trace actually remained in the air.

"The Kan position is offset by three inches, it's a 'resentment lock'."

"The Li position's energy flow is clogged, it retains the smell of 'blood feeding'."

"Dui connected to Dui, ha, the Liu Family's classic 'mother-child cycle'..."

He muttered rapidly under his breath.

And the things he mentioned were extremely professional. Not exaggerating, Lu Yuan felt they were on par with his own knowledge!

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly. Each of the Ten Families truly had real skills!

Every time Tan Jiji determined a spot, he would take out a bone nail carved full of talismanic patterns from the pouch. With a flick of his finger, the bone nail would silently sink into the ground.

In less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, forty-nine bone nails had been driven into the ground around the clearing.

*Hummm*——

All the bone nails trembled simultaneously, emitting a low hum of resonance. An almost invisible light curtain rose, completely enveloping the central area.

"Alright, the 'Seven Absolute Forbidden Formation' is complete."

Tan Jiji clapped his hands, a perfectly measured hint of self-satisfaction at the corner of his mouth as he looked in Lu Yuan's direction.

"This formation can temporarily sever the 'life-exchange contract' between this place and the villagers down the mountain, and also prevent the leakage of malevolent energy. It's a secret formation from my Tan Family's 'Punishment Codex Original' specifically designed to counter the Liu Family's evil methods like this."

Lu Yuan gave face by clapping.

"Brother Tan is truly professional. I admire that."

"I was overly worried before."

Tan Jiji's methods were professional, his steps clear, and his judgment of the "ritual" structure was precise and swift.

He truly displayed profound family learning and a deep understanding of the Liu Family's methods.

Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an also exchanged a glance. The stone in their hearts mostly fell. This guy really seemed to have some skills.

Tan Jiji nodded with satisfaction, strolling towards the dried-up well, stopping three steps away from the well mouth.

He again took out three things from that miraculous pouch.

A bronze oil lamp shaped like a ferocious ghost head.

A small section of rope soaked to a dark red color.

A faceless clay doll with a slightly bulging abdomen.

He placed the oil lamp directly east of the well mouth. The wick ignited without fire, emitting an eerie green flame. The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped several more degrees.

Then, he tied one end of the red rope around the clay doll's neck and slowly lowered the other end into the bottomless well mouth.

"Using the 'Soul-Guiding Lamp' to illuminate its form, the 'Karmic Bond Rope' to pull its thoughts, and the 'Substitute Figurine' to bear its wrath..."

Tan Jiji operated while not forgetting to give Lu Yuan and the other two a live lesson, his tone confident and composed.

"This method can bypass all the peripheral ghost children and illusions, directly targeting the main body of the 'Red-Clothed Evil Spirit' at the bottom of the well, and can also redirect its first wave of attack. It's foolproof."

Lu Yuan silently took out his small notebook and pencil.

A good memory is not as reliable as a written record. Brother Tan's knowledge, learning it is earning it.

As Tan Jiji chanted a secret incantation with strange syllables, the red rope lowered into the well suddenly pulled taut!

*Whoosh*!

Thick, ink-like black qi gushed out from the well mouth, mixed with dark red blood threads. A sickly sweet smell of decay instantly exploded.

The ground began to tremble. From under the well came dull thuds and the scraping sound of dragging chains.

Something was being forcibly pulled up!

"Boom!"

With a loud noise, a dark red figure shot out of the well mouth, landing in the center of the clearing.

It was a woman wearing a dark red long skirt as if soaked in blood. Her figure flickered between illusion and reality, the hem of her skirt dripping with sticky black liquid.

Long hair covered her face, revealing only one pale white eye, fixed unblinkingly on Tan Jiji.

In her arms, she tightly held a "thing" wrapped in tattered swaddling clothes. That "thing" occasionally squirmed, emitting a teeth-grating sound of bone friction.

The entire mountaintop's temperature instantly dropped to freezing.

Evil energy surged to the heavens, the yin cold piercing to the bone.

The center of the clearing instantly seemed to turn into an ice cave.

Facing this terrifying scene, Tan Jiji remained completely unruffled. Instead, he took a step forward and shouted sternly:

"Wretched evil entity! You originally died with grievances, which is understandable. However, the Liu Family used evil methods to control your soul, refined you into an evil spirit, and even used innocent infants and villagers as sacrifices. Your sins are monstrous!"

"Today, this envoy, in the name of the 'Punishment Codex Original', gives you an opportunity. Tell me the identity of the Liu Family's person in charge of setting up the formation here and the location of the core 'contract object'!"

"I can consider, on a discretionary basis, using the 'punishment redemption' method to reduce your sins. You might have a sliver of a chance to pass on peacefully!"

His voice was loud and resonant, righteous and solemn. He held a black token engraved with the character for "punishment".

The token shimmered with an eerie light, faintly resonating with the surrounding "Seven Absolute Forbidden Formation", his aura full of authority.

The Red-Clothed Evil Spirit slowly raised its head. From within the gap of its hair, that pale white eye stared at Tan Jiji.

Then... it grinned, revealing a silent, extremely resentful and venomous smile.

The next second.

*Swish*——!

A dark red afterimage, seemingly a strand of its hair or an extension of its skirt, transformed into a poisonous whip, tearing through the air, lashing straight at Tan Jiji's face!

Tan Jiji was clearly prepared. He shouted urgently:

"Defend!"

The black token in his hand shone brightly, forming a palm-sized eerie light shield in front of him.

*Smash*!!!

A sound clearer than shattering glass.

The eerie light shield shattered in response!

The dark red afterimage, its momentum unabated, solidly struck Tan Jiji's hastily raised left arm.

"Ah——!"

Tan Jiji let out a shrill, miserable scream, his entire body sent flying sideways two to three zhang, crashing into a pile of dead leaves like a ragged sack.

The sleeve of his left arm exploded, revealing flesh that instantly split open, a patch of charred black, sizzling with black smoke.

Lu Yuan and the other two: "???"

This??

This Red-Clothed Evil Spirit is this strong??

It sent Tan Jiji flying with just one encounter??

Lu Yuan subconsciously glanced again at the red danger prompt text above the Red-Clothed Evil Spirit's head.

Hmm...

[Danger Level: ★★]

Strange...

It didn't get stronger...

While Lu Yuan was full of question marks, Tan Jiji grimaced in pain, scrambling to stand up.

The composure and confidence on his face had vanished without a trace, replaced by panic and disbelief:

"Impossible! The 'Defending Sin Light' of the 'Punishment' token specifically counters resentful power impacts. How could..."

Before he finished speaking, the figure of the Red-Clothed Evil Spirit flickered.

Holding the thing in its arms, it appeared out of thin air less than one zhang in front of Tan Jiji!

Extremely fast!

Tan Jiji was so scared his soul almost flew away. Flustered, he grabbed a handful of black sand from his pouch and threw it out!

Lu Yuan quickly lowered his head, writing in his notebook: Use Soul-Suppressing Sand...

He had just written the character for "use" when he saw the black sand scatter before even getting close, blown away by the yin energy surrounding the evil spirit.

Tan Jiji then panickedly threw out a bone talisman!

Lu Yuan quickly changed his writing: Use Malevolence-Breaking Talisman...

He had just written the first horizontal stroke of the character for "break" when the bone talisman was slapped into powder by the evil spirit!

Tan Jiji finally pulled out a small bronze mirror and shone it towards the evil spirit!

Lu Yuan muttered, lowering his head again: Use Demon-Revealing...

Crack!

The mirror surface instantly became covered in cracks.

Lu Yuan: "..."

He *snapped* his notebook shut.

Damn it, I'm not taking notes anymore!

Can't you fucking use something that works?!

Tan Jiji had numerous methods, emerging one after another. Each one looked quite impressive.

Clearly, they were various secret Tan Family ritual tools and talismans designed to subdue ghosts and dispel resentful power.

However, in front of the Red-Clothed Evil Spirit, they were like children's toys.

The evil spirit simply ignored these flashy things. It merely raised its hand.

That pale, swollen hand with black nails passed through the layers of "protection" Tan Jiji had panickedly set up, grabbing the front of his robe!

"Urk!"

Tan Jiji was lifted until his feet left the ground, struggling desperately, legs kicking wildly. The ritual tools and talismans in his hands clattered to the ground.

His face turned red with suffocation. His previous cool guy image was completely gone.

The Red-Clothed Evil Spirit, holding Tan Jiji, was step by step moving towards the dried-up well emitting a sinister, chilling air.

Under the tree, Lu Yuan and the other two rested their chins on their hands, looking thoughtful.

Wang Cheng'an lowered his voice:

"Brother Lu, I understand. Brother Tan is feigning weakness, deliberately getting captured to infiltrate the enemy's lair, striking directly at the heart!"

Xu Erxiao nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with admiration:

"Brilliant! This is the boldness and decisiveness of a true professional!"

Lu Yuan also nodded deeply in agreement.

Hmm... feels like that's the reasoning...

For a moment, the three of them had eyes shining with brilliant admiration.

Whoa~~~

Brother Tan is awesome!!

Great acting!

Truly worthy of being a prodigy of one of the Ten Families!!!

Using his own body to enter the game!!

Awesome!!

Truly awesome!!

Lu Yuan thought, even if it were him, he probably wouldn't do such a risky thing.

After all, that was the evil entity's lair.

At most, he would just blast this Red-Clothed Evil Spirit from outside with thunder arts.

The next second.

This Tan Jiji looked towards the tree not far away, where Lu Yuan and the other two were currently looking at him with admiration, and panickedly shouted loudly:

"Taoist Priest!!! Save me!!!"

Lu Yuan: "..."

Fuck!!!

Then what the hell were you pretending for earlier, you motherfucker!