This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 162 Zhong Bai Establishes His Authority, The Price of the Gu Clan

"what!"

A series of roars came from Miao Tianci's mouth, and the flames, after burning his arms, did not extinguish but surged onto his chest.

The moment the internal organs were burned by the Samadhi Fire, it meant the demise of Miao Tianci's physical body.

This isn't over yet...

Zhong Bai extended his palm slightly, and a powerful suction force surged out, instantly capturing Miao Tianci's soul. Miao Tianci never expected that even though he was dead, his soul could still be extracted.

His gaze was fixed on Zhong Bai, and he roared, "What are you doing? Release me! My soul is under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. Aren't you afraid of the Underworld's punishment?"

Zhong Bai laughed, not expecting Miao Tianci to actually talk about rules and principles at this time.

"Do you think that I, a humble Taoist priest, would be bound by the rules of the underworld and cannot do anything to your soul?"

Zhong Bai's gaze was cold and aloof, while Miao Tianci said with great pride, "Of course, I have already signed a contract with the Underworld."

After death, your soul returns to the underworld to serve as a messenger. Do you dare to defy the underworld?

"Are these your last words?"

Zhong Bai was somewhat disappointed. It seemed that the Miao High Priest was too foolish. Rules were set by those in power to restrain those in power. If it were someone else, they might have been concerned about the rules of the underworld and not be able to do anything to Miao Tianci's soul. But Zhong Bai's identity was that of a Taoist from Maoshan!

Throughout the underworld, the Taoist forces are intricately intertwined, but if we're talking about who the giants are, Maoshan is second to none, and even Longhushan cannot compare to Maoshan in the underworld.

Given his status, even setting aside the fact that Zhong Bai is an inspector of the mortal realm, you could easily give Miao Tianci any title and make him disappear without a trace.

Even if they don't hold any official position in the mortal world, the underworld has to be wary of Maoshan and pretend they didn't see or hear anything.

"What do you mean?!"

Miao Tianci's soul began to panic; he keenly sensed Zhong Bai's contempt.

Soon, strands of pure soul essence were extracted from his body.

Then, Zhong Bai waved his hand, and the seal of the Yang Realm Inspector from his sleeve leaped into the air, opening the gate between the Yin and Yang realms.

With synchronized, rhythmic footsteps, hundreds of Yin soldiers stepped forward, including seven or eight ghost generals comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"We pay our respects to Your Excellency the Inspector!"

Watching the assembled ghostly soldiers and generals bow and pay homage to Zhong Bai before him, Miao Tianci felt nothing but irony; he truly was a clown...

"See? Not only do I dare to refine your soul, but I can do it right in front of all those Yin soldiers and generals. You are truly foolish!"

After the final evaluation, Zhong Bai completely refined Miao Tianci's entire soul.

The group of ghost soldiers and generals pretended not to see anything. What a joke! They were all ghost soldiers under the command of the Lord of Maoshan. Not to mention King Zhuanlun, they were all founders of Maoshan.

Even a mere Maoshan Lord made them crawl like ants. Zhong Bai, standing before them, not only possessed exceptional talent but also had an incredibly terrifying background. As for Miao Tianci, he was simply dead.

"You all, listen to my command and return!"

As Miao Tianci's soul was refined, Zhong Bai gave an order, and all the Yin soldiers and generals who witnessed it returned to the underworld.

After taking back the seal, Zhong Bai looked around at the shocked Gu Clan members.

The reason Zhong Bai went to such lengths to refine Miao Tianci was actually to establish his authority and make it clear to all cultivators and evil spirits who had designs on Maoshan disciples that Maoshan was not to be trifled with!

Some things can be done, but once something crosses the line, even if someone has connections to the underworld, Maoshan will still kill them without hesitation!

Clearly, this had a good deterrent effect. Seeing the shocked Miao Gu Clan members, Zhong Bai immediately went to Lin Fengjiao's side.

Thanks to the efforts of Miao Yun, the second priest, Lin Fengjiao's injuries, though not fully healed, had stopped bleeding and began to heal slowly.

However, due to excessive blood loss, he has not yet regained consciousness.

“Zhong Daozi, we…”

At this moment, the Gu clan chief, along with several priests, approached. Seeing the numerous wounds covering Lin Fengjiao's body, they were secretly alarmed. Thankfully, she had been saved; otherwise…

Zhong Bai's gaze was very calm.

"Let's heal my senior brother's injuries first, then we can talk about other things..."

Zhong Bai's words relieved them, but they still couldn't relax. They could only carefully carry Lin Fengjiao to a new pavilion in their Miao Gu tribe to treat her with the best medicinal herbs.

As the night passed and dawn broke, Zhong Bai was meditating in the pavilion when he heard Lin Fengjiao's faint voice.

"Water... water..."

The loss of blood made Lin Fengjiao thirsty the first thing she felt upon waking. The Miao priest and chieftain, who had been waiting all night, quickly brought water to Lin Fengjiao and fed it to her little by little before they breathed a sigh of relief.

After a stick of incense had burned, Lin Fengjiao had regained some strength. She opened her eyes and looked around at everything.

The moment Lin Fengjiao saw Zhong Bai, she knew she had survived.

"Junior Brother Qianhe!"

Lin Fengjiao was somewhat excited, but due to her injuries, she felt a tightness in her chest as soon as she spoke. It wasn't something a cultivator could recover from in a day or two, and Zhong Bai understood that as well.

"Senior Brother Lin, there's no need for further words. Just focus on recovering your injuries..."

After speaking, Zhong Bai pushed open the pavilion door. He had already sensed three approaching auras with his divine sense, two of which were quite familiar. The Miao priest and chieftain were puzzled, but when they also probed with their divine sense, their expressions immediately became tense. They knew that people from Maoshan had come again!
Whoosh whoosh!
The three figures, using the ability to shrink the ground to an inch, moved quickly and soon arrived outside the pavilion.

"Senior Brother, the aura of Junior Sister Feng Jiao is inside, along with the Dao Child..."

After arriving here, Lin Junmen, Huang Zhen, and Mao Xiaofang were finally relieved. Since they could sense the presence of the two, it meant that Zhong Bai had rescued Lin Fengjiao in time.

Without hesitation, the three of them rushed into the pavilion. The moment they saw Lin Junmen and his two companions, the Second Priest Miao Yun felt like a mouse encountering a cat. He knew Lin Junmen and had crossed paths with them when they were young. This was why Miao Yun fought so hard when he learned that Lin Fengjiao was a disciple of Lin Junmen.

Only those who have truly faced Maoshan can know its terror. In this respect, Miao Tianci is far inferior to Miao Yunyuan!
"Brother Lin Dao!"

Miao Yun stepped forward to greet him, but Lin Junmen had no interest in paying him any attention.

Looking at Zhong Bai, Lin Junmen asked, "Daozi, how is Feng Jiao?"

Zhong Bai looked at Lin Fengjiao lying on the bed and said calmly, "Senior Brother Lin was seriously injured, but he should be fine now. He can recover after a period of rest."

After hearing Zhong Bai's affirmative answer, Lin Junmen looked at Lin Fengjiao on the bed. At this moment, Lin Fengjiao and Lin Junmen's eyes met. No matter how strong Lin Fengjiao was usually, she still couldn't help but shed a tear when she saw her master.

He was so close to never seeing his master again.

"division……"

"Don't move, just lie still!"

Lin Junmen felt a pang of heartache, and his gaze finally fell on Miao Yun. Looking at this old acquaintance, Lin Junmen said angrily, "Miao Yun, you'd better give this old Taoist a reasonable explanation!"

Now that Lin Junmen had arrived, Zhong Bai simply left the pavilion.

Zhong Bai couldn't interfere in the ensuing conversation, since it was Lin Fengjiao who was injured.

No matter how the Miao Gu Clan is dealt with, it's up to Master Lin Junmen to decide.

......................................................

Mao Xiaofang came out with Zhong Bai; the two had met once before.

Back then, Zhong Bai visited Mao Xiaofang at Fuxi Hall. In the past ten years, it has to be said that both of them have changed a lot.

"Daozi is truly terrifying!"
"I never imagined that after we parted years ago, Daozi would now be close to reaching the Golden Core True Monarch level..."

Zhong Bai smiled faintly, looking at Mao Xiaofang beside him with a similar sense of emotion.

"Senior Brother Mao has also made great progress over the years. He is about to enter the middle stage of Foundation Establishment from the early stage. Speaking of which, Senior Brother Mao is the number one among the Maoshan disciples besides Junior Brother!"

This assessment is quite accurate. Even Shi Jian has only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and will need several more years to reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"Haha, Daozi, you flatter me!"

Mao Xiaofang only listened to Zhong Bai's words, knowing that he was older than the other Maoshan disciples. Not to mention others, Shi Jian, the current Third Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, was six or seven years younger than him. When Shi Jian reached his age, he might already be in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The two chatted casually.

Meanwhile, negotiations were still underway in the attic.

"Chief Miao, although this matter is unrelated to any of you here, in the end, your Gu Clan High Priest is also a member of the Gu Clan."

"There are some things the old Taoist priest won't say, but even broken bones are still connected by tendons. If this matter is to be settled simply, the Gu clan still needs to provide compensation."

Lin Junmen's actions can't be called extortion. Miao Tianci's death was normal, but it doesn't mean that the two sides can just leave each other alone after Miao Tianci's death.

The deed is done, and the Gu Clan must take responsibility for it.

Upon hearing Lin Junmen's words, the Gu Clan Chief realized that it was impossible to extricate himself from the situation.

Moreover, judging from Lin Junmen's words, Maoshan did not intend to kill the other members of their Gu clan; they were merely asking them to make compensation, which was quite merciful.

"Alas, in the end, our Gu Clan is indeed inextricably linked to this matter. Elder Lin, please just tell us what price you want our Gu Clan to pay!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Junmen was taken aback. He was still waiting to bargain with the Gu Clan members, but he didn't expect... well, their attitude was that they were letting him ask for an exorbitant price?
Lin Junmen, who had originally intended to ask for an exorbitant price, suddenly hesitated. Was he being too harsh?
"Ahem, what are you saying, Gu Clan Chief? My Maoshan sect is not one to bully others by virtue of its power!"

Hearing this, Huang Zhen, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but stare. Was he really not abusing his power to bully others?
Okay, Lin Junmen said no, so Huang Zhen simply shut up and didn't say a word.

"Yes, yes, we all understand that. If our Gu Clan High Priest hadn't provoked you two first, how could Maoshan have bothered with our Gu Clan?"

"It's all because my Gu clan failed to properly restrain its members that this has led to the current situation."

"If that's the case, Gu Clan Chief, I won't ask for an exorbitant price. Your Gu Clan will be fully responsible for the medicinal herbs and pills needed to cure my disciple."

Add some cultivation resources and you're good to go.

Besides, since this trip involved my own Maoshan Daoist, we old folks can pretend it never happened, but the Daoist should still express his gratitude with a gift. Your Gu Clan will be responsible for that gift, is that alright?"

To be honest, these requirements aren't high at all.

However, the gift given to Zhong Bai put the Gu Clan Chief in a difficult position; it was hard to strike the right balance.

Zhong Bai's current strength is at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and he will soon be able to transcend Foundation Establishment and achieve the Golden Core stage.

With such a level of skill and such terrifying strength, a simple gift would be insufficient to show sincerity. However, the Gu Clan Chief couldn't think of anything suitable to give such a precious gift.

At this moment, Miao Yun suddenly thought of a suitable gift and stepped forward to remind her: "Clan leader, speaking of which, the treasure in our clan's forbidden area is just right!"
Since we have no use for it anyway, wouldn't it be wonderful to give it to Zhong Daozi so that it can be put to its true purpose?

(End of this chapter)