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

Chapter 68 A Thousand Trees of Flowering Vines Die, the Daoist Sect Gathers

After his master left, Zhong Bai felt the powerful true energy within his body and couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort.

Cultivation can be addictive, especially if the progress is rapid.

Instead of cultivating, Zhong Bai slept soundly until dawn.

Three days later.

In the church.

Zhong Bai's life has been fulfilling these days, but now he plans to test his newly acquired Soul Searching Technique.

The most basic use of the Soul Searching Technique is actually quite simple; it's nothing more than using one's powerful soul to directly impact the other person's soul memories.

This will most likely damage the soul of the person being searched, causing them to suffer from mental impairment afterward.

A more advanced technique would be to search the soul without affecting the spirit, something Zhong Bai is still far from achieving.

But as for a beast like Hanafō Senju from the East, heh...

The best way is to directly and forcibly search the soul!
As for whether the other party is stupid or not, they've already turned into a vengeful ghost, so why bother about that?
At the same time, he was about to leave Jiuquan Town to go to Beiman Mountain to wipe out the Corpse Refining Demon Sect.

Therefore, the thousand vines and flowering trees sealed under the well of the church in Jiuquan Town need to be completely removed.

To prevent Hua Teng Qian Shu from forcibly breaking the seal and bringing disaster to Jiuquan Town during his absence.

Uncover the talisman sealing the Three Fiends positions and look down into the well. A chilling ghostly aura surges up, and a faint corpse aura is also taking shape.

"This aura is almost on par with ghost soldiers. No wonder Uncle-Master Bailong likes to use the living souls of cultivators to fill the Hundred Ghost Banner..."

Shaking his head, Zhong Bai then formed a hand seal with his five fingers, and a terrifying bolt of lightning transformed into wisps that extended down into the well, quickly binding Hua Teng Qian Shu's soul and pulling it upwards.

Upon seeing Zhong Bai again, Hua Teng Qian Shu didn't even need Zhong Bai to search his soul; he had already gone mad.

She offered no resistance, nor did she even entertain the thought of resistance; she simply stared silently at Zhong Bai with her unfocused pupils.

"The Taoist priest of Kyushu...it's you!"

After a long while, as if finally recognizing Zhong Bai's appearance, the ghostly energy within Hua Teng Qian Shu's body surged out uncontrollably, his eyes turning blood red, wishing he could devour Zhong Bai alive right now.

"Heh, I thought you Japanese devil had forgotten about me during your imprisonment."

I never expected you to miss me so much.

"Since that's the case, I'll be a good Samaritan and see you off on your way, what's wrong with that?"

After speaking, Zhong Bai extended his five fingers and forcibly extracted what he wanted from Hua Teng Qian Shu's memories. In an instant, Hua Teng Qian Shu felt a sharp pain coming from between her eyebrows.

"You're a devil! You're a devil!"

She trembled and struggled frantically, but all her efforts were in vain. As Zhong Bai gradually extracted Hua Teng Qian Shu's memories, she soon stopped struggling, and the ghostly energy that had erupted within her body gradually dissipated.

Until Hanafuchi Chishu's eyes were filled with a dazed look.

Half an incense stick later, Zhong Bai exhaled a breath of turbid air. He had basically figured out Hua Teng Qian Shu's memories. It has to be said that the arrival of the Japanese sorcerer in Kyushu was indeed related to the Qing Dynasty.

However, Hua Teng Qian Shu was just a Japanese sorcerer at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and knew very little.

"That's enough. Just understand that this matter is related to the Qing Dynasty. As for you..."

"So what if it's a vengeful ghost? Even a mosquito is still meat."

After he finished speaking, the lightning threads in Zhong Bai's palm, which were originally used to restrain Hua Teng Qian Shu, instantly thickened. In the blink of an eye, Hua Teng Qian Shu's ghostly body was burned into nothingness by the lightning.

Slay one vengeful ghost and gain 100 demon-slaying points.

"Tsk, what a pleasant surprise. I thought I'd only get 50 Demon Extermination Points. Maybe it's because you're close to the Ghost Soldier Realm, you beast!"

With the matter basically resolved, Zhong Bai had no intention of lingering any longer.

After reapplying the sealing talisman to the Three Fiends positions, Zhong Bai left the church...

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

A few more days passed.

Early that morning, Zhong Bai opened his door and began packing his things.

After a long journey, the various sects of Taoism will arrive in Jiuquan Town around today.

After all, it was a journey to Beiman Mountain, which was thousands of miles away, and the round trip would take at least a month.

Jiuquan Town is, after all, the location of the Three Evils. Even though the evil energy has been sealed, Zhong Bai, who is responsible for the care of Chunhua and Xiahe, still cannot escape the custom.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll take good care of the courtyard. Hehe, and didn't you say that if anything happens, we'll use Huang Yu, that fat dead chicken, as a shield?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai nodded, clearly indicating that Chunhua and Xiahe had taken his instructions to heart.

"Well, so good."

After giving his instructions, Zhong Bai, along with Qian Yuan Zhenren and Bai Long Zhenren, headed towards a plain ten miles outside Jiuquan Town.

Since all the Taoist sects gathered there, it was impossible for them all to enter Jiuquan Town, as that would be too conspicuous.

When Zhong Bai, Qian Yuan Zhenren, and Bai Long Zhenren arrived, many Taoist practitioners had already arrived.

"Haha, Brother Qian Yuan, it has been ten years since we last met. If it weren't for the gathering of the Daoist sects to jointly attack the Demonic Sect, I'm afraid we would have had a hard time meeting again."

As soon as they arrived, an elderly man dressed in a purple Taoist robe, full of energy and spirit, came to greet them.

Clearly, he was an old acquaintance of Zhong Bai's master, Master Qian Yuan.

"Brother Qingyun is the Grand Elder of Longhu Mountain, so naturally he has many affairs to attend to."

Ten years have passed, and I never imagined that my Daoist brother's divine might would remain unchanged.

This is truly enviable to this humble Taoist priest.

After speaking, Master Qian Yuan began to introduce the matter to the curious Zhong Bai behind him.

"Disciple, this is Elder Zhang Qingyun, the Great Elder of Longhu Mountain!"
"He and I are old friends from back then. Come quickly and pay your respects to your senior uncle, Qingyun."

Zhong Bai smiled. It turned out to be the Grand Elder of Longhu Mountain. No wonder his master was smiling so heartily. Zhong Bai had long heard some stories about his master's past, the most frequent being the story of slaying demons and monsters with this Grand Elder of Longhu Mountain.

The two were old friends, so it was only natural for Zhong Bai to address him as "Uncle-Master".

"Qianhe greets Senior Uncle Qingyun. May Senior Uncle Qingyun enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"

"Alright, alright, you're Junior Nephew Qianhe, right? You're quite famous!"

Indeed, its reputation is well-deserved!
"Tsk tsk tsk, Qi Refining Level 7, huh? How old is he? Brother Qian Yuan, it seems we're all getting old. The future belongs to the younger generation."

As they spoke, Zhang Qingyun looked at Zhong Bai with admiration, but even more so with envy.

As the Grand Elder of Longhu Mountain, he has also taken on disciples, but now, his oldest disciple is around forty years old.

Yet he remains at the ninth level of Qi Refining. In comparison, Zhong Bai is only in his twenties and at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Haha, an unimaginable height!

Hearing his old friend praise his disciple, Master Qian Yuan was overjoyed.

"Haha, Brother Qingyun, you flatter me."

My disciple has only been cultivating for a few years; he's far from being qualified to replace us!

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Zhang Qingyun decided not to dwell on the issue any longer and started talking about serious matters.

"Brother Qian Yuan, may I ask which fellow Daoists from Maoshan have come to lend their assistance this time?"

Upon hearing this, Master Qian Yuan's excitement vanished instantly, replaced by seriousness.

"To be honest, fellow Daoist, only I, Bailong Zhenren of Tongyou Hall, Lin Junmen of Fulu Hall, and Changsheng Zhenren of Xiangshi Hall from Maoshan have come this time. At the same time, thirty-two disciples from the inner and outer sects who are at or above the sixth level of Qi Refining have also come."

These disciples were all brought here by Lin Jun's sect, and they should be arriving soon.

Hearing this, Zhang Qingyun frowned slightly.

"Four Foundation Establishment Elders and thirty-two disciples at or above the sixth level of Qi Refining."

Maoshan is quite generous, and I'm not afraid to tell you, fellow Daoist, that I, a humble Daoist, am leading the team here at Longhu Mountain.

There were a total of five Foundation Establishment elders and twenty disciples at or above the sixth level of Qi Refining.

At this point, Zhang Qingyun sighed and continued, "The environment is getting worse and worse. Three hundred years ago, when we were attacking the Corpse Refining Demon Sect, it was a Golden Core True Monarch who led the team. Even the worst disciples had to be at the ninth level of Qi Refining to participate."

Each generation is worse than the last, and I wonder if our Three Mountains can completely wipe them out this time..."

Faced with Zhang Qingyun's感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings), Master Qian Yuan also felt somewhat melancholy.

"That's true, but..."

We are declining, and so is the Corpse Refining Demon Heavenly Sect.

As if remembering something, Master Qian Yuan continued, "Brother Qingyun, what do you, the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, have to say about the Ghost King of Mangshan?"

When the Ghost King of Beiman Mountain was mentioned, Master Qian Yuan became even more serious.

With a slight smile, Zhang Qingyun said with great ease, "So that's what you're worried about, Brother Dao. Don't worry, the Celestial Master said that the Ghost King of Beiman Mountain is nothing to fear. The Celestial Master's Mansion didn't kill him back then but sealed him away to save face for those old guys in the Underworld."

But if the Ghost King of Beiman Mountain doesn't know what's good for him this time, the Celestial Master said he would deal with him!

Upon receiving the confirmation, Master Qian Yuan felt much more at ease.

After all, it's unknown whether the Corpse Refining Demon Heaven Sect has any Golden Core experts, but the Ghost King of Beiman Mountain is definitely comparable to a Golden Core expert.

Among this group, the most powerful is Zhang Qingyun, the Grand Elder of Longhu Mountain, who has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.

If one were to encounter the Ghost King of Beiman Mountain, the odds would be against them...

As a junior, Zhong Bai simply stood quietly to the side and waited.

However, he soon spotted a familiar figure in the Longhu Mountain camp.

When Zhong Bai looked at the other person, the other person also sensed it, looked up and met his gaze.

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Zhiwei!"

This was the third time the two had met. Zhang Zhiwei got up and went to Zhong Bai. Looking at Zhong Bai's calm and composed face, Zhang Zhiwei felt that the other party was unfathomable.

"It's been a while since we last met. Fellow Daoist Qianhe's aura has become even more restrained. It seems you've made a breakthrough."

Zhang Zhiwei sighed, as he had just entered the mid-stage of the sixth level of Qi Refining a few days ago.

He initially thought the gap between him and Zhong Bai had narrowed, but now it seems he was just daydreaming.

"Let's not talk about that. Fellow Daoist Zhang, you should also be going with us to this campaign against the Corpse Refining Demon Sect, right?"

"That's right, Longhu Mountain can't stand idly by when it comes to the Corpse Refining Demon Heaven Sect."

"Since I had nothing to do at the moment, I decided to come along and see for myself."

"Very well, now we have company on this journey. When we arrive at Beiman Mountain, I must observe your Yang Five Thunders and see how you display your divine power!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, that's not a fair thing to say. Your Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique is clearly more impressive, so why are you looking forward to my Yang Five Thunder Technique!"

Both of them were joking; Zhong Bai was mainly just bored.

The disciples from Maoshan have not yet arrived, and even if they do, they will be around thirty or forty years old.

Zhong Bai had little contact with Maoshan disciples who were at or above the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Given the age difference, Zhang Zhiwei was the only one available to pass the time.

Just as Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei were having a lively conversation, dozens more Taoists gathered around them.

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(End of this chapter)