Free Web NovelChapter 301: Chapter 300: Purifying and Calming True Skill, White Lotus Manifestation
"Hm?"
Taoist Tai Xian’s head snapped up. He stopped his drumstick mid-air. ’There’s another master here?’
The next moment, he saw a cloud of black gas suddenly rise from behind the small courtyard. A face materialized within the gas—old and savage, its gaze fixed on the courtyard.
"Where is my son? Where is my big grandson?" the old face murmured.
Taoist Tai Xian’s brow twitched and his expression changed. He hadn’t expected this family of three to have a backer. This backer had been hidden underground behind the courtyard, its aura completely concealed. Because of the distance, even Taoist Tai Xian hadn’t detected it.
But now that it had awakened, Taoist Tai Xian could feel an Evil Qi far denser than that of the other three combined.
’Another man-harming Evil Ghost!’ Taoist Tai Xian’s eyes sharpened, and he prepared to strike the drumstick again.
But before he could move, he saw the face in the black gas grow more savage, its eyes clearer, and the cadaverous yin-qi emanating from it intensify.
In just two or three breaths, the aura of the Ghost in the black smoke far surpassed Taoist Tai Xian’s own.
Without a second thought, Taoist Tai Xian immediately put away his large drum, and with a flash of movement, he rapidly retreated from the courtyard.
"My good son! My good grandson!"
The old face let out a mournful roar, then turned toward the rapidly retreating Taoist Tai Xian. A cloud of black gas billowed toward him. "Scoundrel! You killed my good son! You’ll pay for his life with yours!"
Taoist Tai Xian formed a Seal Technique with his hands. A True Qi Lotus abruptly appeared around his body. At the same time, he took out the Spirit Flying Jade Talisman and shot into the air with a WHOOSH.
"Your son and grandson were long dead! They became Corpse Ghosts, harming people in the mortal world. I purified their souls; it was for their own good!" Taoist Tai Xian shouted down, hovering in mid-air.
When the black gas had lunged at him just now, the hastily formed True Qi Lotus had two of its petals shaved off, startling him. ’This Ghost has at least three hundred years of Dao Practice,’ he thought. ’I’m just starting out; I really can’t beat it.’
So, he immediately used the Thunder Seed in his Sea of Consciousness to call for backup. After reporting his location, he took out a Golden Tiger True Talisman and flicked his wrist, sending it shooting downward.
"ROAR!"
A tiger’s roar echoed between heaven and earth, causing the old face to freeze for a moment. Then, a golden light pierced the black gas, punching straight through it. The old face cried out in pain, having sustained a minor injury.
After the single strike, however, the golden light of the Golden Tiger True Talisman, which was made of Purple Sandalwood, dimmed. It returned to Taoist Tai Xian’s hand, its aura slightly weakened.
"The Shangqing Orthodox Sect is truly extraordinary," Taoist Tai Xian remarked in admiration. He put away the Golden Tiger True Talisman and flicked his fingers repeatedly. One after another, White Lotuses formed out of thin air and drifted down toward the black gas.
"TSSSSSS—"
It was like water dripping into boiling oil. With a sizzling sound and a plume of smoke, the White Lotuses were all dissolved, but the color of the black gas also grew fainter.
"Scoundrel!" the old face shrieked. The black gas surged upward, but even after rising several hundred meters, it still couldn’t reach Taoist Tai Xian.
The old face was speechless. "..."
’His Dao Practice is clearly inferior to mine, so how can he fly through the air?’
’He’s clearly human, not some kind of bird Fairy!’
The old face was baffled, but Taoist Tai Xian was delighted. Although the Spirit Flying Jade Talisman had limits on its altitude and speed, for a weaker practitioner, it was nothing less than a life-saving divine artifact.
At the very least, if he didn’t have the Spirit Flying Jade Talisman, Taoist Tai Xian was confident he could still escape, but it certainly wouldn’t be this easy or pleasant.
’Of course, this isn’t about escaping now,’ he thought. ’It’s about taking this thing down!’
Taoist Tai Xian hovered in mid-air, his hands never stopping. He flicked out one True Qi Lotus after another, wearing down the black gas. No matter how furiously the old face raged, the black gas simply couldn’t reach him.
The two were locked in a stalemate for a moment. Although Taoist Tai Xian could hit the black gas, his own Dao Practice was insufficient to truly injure it. And while the old face’s Magical Power was great, it could only rage impotently.
"AHHHH!"
The old face let out a mournful wail, then suddenly retracted the black gas, vanishing back behind the small courtyard in a flash.
The White Lotuses fell from the sky and sank into the ground, but they had no effect and could only slowly dissipate.
Taoist Tai Xian’s gaze hardened, but he did not descend.
While he wasn’t rich in combat experience, he knew the basics from stories and shows. How could he not guess that this wasn’t a retreat born of frustration? It was a feint, a tactic of retreating to advance. The ghost was waiting for him to lower his guard and descend, ready to strike and cut off his escape route.
A glint appeared in Taoist Tai Xian’s eyes. He flew east, quickly leaving the courtyard behind, making it seem as if he no longer wanted to fight and was trying to get away as fast as possible.
Furthermore, his flight seemed a bit unsteady. He wobbled back and forth, looking as if he might fall from the sky at any moment.
After he rounded a mountain pass and a patch of woods, his wobbling grew even more severe. His body swayed, seemingly unable to maintain his high-speed, high-altitude flight. He flew lower and lower, until he had no choice but to spot a certain Gorge below and drift down for a landing.
And during his descent, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, giving the distinct impression of having narrowly escaped with his life.
But the instant his feet touched the ground, a blast of black gas erupted from beneath him, transforming into a dark shroud that enveloped him completely, cutting off any chance of escaping into the air again!
"JIE JIE JIE!"
The old face materialized before him, cackling sinisterly. "Scoundrel! No matter how clever you are, you can’t escape my grasp!"
But from the old face’s perspective, Taoist Tai Xian showed no sign of fear. Instead, he sat cross-legged amidst the black gas, a True Qi White Lotus protecting him securely. No matter how the black gas washed over and tried to wear it down, it couldn’t break through the White Lotus to harm his Body.
"Old Ghost, your Dao Practice may be high, but your foundation is poor and your aura is a mess. I could clearly sense your Divine Sense locked onto me as you followed me from below," Taoist Tai Xian said with a smile.
The old face’s expression froze. It was suddenly struck by a premonition of disaster.
"Then why did you still descend?" the old face couldn’t help but ask.
Taoist Tai Xian chuckled. "Because my reinforcements have arrived, of course."
The next moment, two figures appeared on the mountain ridges on either side. One was thin and looked lazy, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The other was stern-faced, his gaze fixed on the black gas in the valley with unconcealable killing intent.
It was Taoist Huai Yi of the Golden Mountain Sect and Taoist Xuan Yong of the Yu Mountain Sect, who had just arrived.
This was the first time the three of them had descended the mountain, and their Dao Practice was still insufficient. Although they acted alone to ensure efficiency, they never strayed too far from one another, ensuring that if one encountered a powerful enemy, the other two could provide swift support.
So, after receiving Taoist Tai Xian’s call, the two other Taoists had mounted their own Spirit Flying Jade Talismans. They sped over to provide support while communicating with Taoist Tai Xian, and together they chose this valley as the destination, preparing to hit the old ghost from both inside and out.
"Old Ghost, take this!"
Taoist Tai Xian roared. The White Lotus around him suddenly flared with brilliant light. Beams of pure, flawless lotus-white light blossomed forth. With his body as the root and his True Qi as the White Lotus, the light pierced through the black gas, revealing the lotus to the world.
At the same time, Taoist Huai Yi and Taoist Xuan Yong attacked in unison.
Taoist Huai Yi took a deep breath, then pursed his lips and whistled. A fierce gale blew out, swirling in the air and transforming into a giant, multicolored tiger that pounced on the black gas and began to tear at it savagely.
Taoist Xuan Yong drew his longsword. With a leap, his Body was shielded by rosy clouds and glowed with a green light as he charged into the black gas. Everywhere his sword passed, a sky full of cloudy light bloomed.
"Fiend! Die!"
