The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 55 Obey My Edict
The resentment expanded instantly, transforming into a surging surge of yin energy. Zhou Yan pressed the sheathed longsword in his right hand against the ground, his five fingers clenched together, and the white crane on the sword almost flew out.

The swirling winds that clung to the sword instantly spread out.

In Zhou Yan's mind, the jade book had already been turned to the side about the Mountain Lord. So, accompanied by a series of deep and murderous tiger roars, Zhou Yan's blood surged, and his ability to control the wind and the magic spells that were already present in the scabbard of the magic sword converged.

Transforming into a wisp of wind, it swept away the malevolent aura. Zhou Yan's sword-wielding fingers formed a Daoist incantation, and with a sudden sweep, the gourd at his waist instantly glowed with a hazy, clear light. In a flash, the gourd flew out from his waist.

It spun around and grew several times larger, then hovered in the air.

The tail end faces upwards, and the gourd mouth faces downwards.

With a hum, the gourd's mouth seemed to turn into a vortex, surging in and absorbing the incoming malevolent energy and resentment. The entire gourd emitted a faint glow. Zhou Yan realized that the malevolent energy was not directly attacking him, but was unconsciously dissipating.

boom! ! !
Two streams of dark, malevolent energy surged out from the courtyard, striking Zhou Yan like sleeves. Zhou Yan's eyes were different from ordinary eyes; he could see many traces that were invisible to the naked eye. His expression changed, and he rolled away to avoid the attack.

Two streams of malevolent energy struck the ground, causing cracks to appear.

Zhou Yan grabbed the sheathed sword directly, ignoring the old man's words that it was a magic sword, and swung it around in a wide arc. A storm swept around the sheath, violently dispersing the evil energy. Then, Zhou Yan lowered his body slightly and used his shoulder as a ramming motion.

From within the jade scroll, the faint roar of a fierce tiger could be heard.

My blood and energy surged throughout my body.

The jade talisman possessed the power of a fierce tiger, reaching the limit of Zhou Yan's current physical strength in an instant. It charged forward, smashing open the gate with its shoulder and crashing into the courtyard. The gourd followed behind, swirling and absorbing the surrounding miasma.

The entire yard was kept clean.

Inside the main house, there was a table laden with dishes, exuding both aroma and resentment. An elderly man in faded fine clothes sat at the table, his head bowed, his face obscured and indistinct.

White threads were scattered around the old man, falling onto his body, wrapping around his arms, and around his face. The old man slowly raised his head, but Zhou Yan still couldn't see his face clearly.

Only the smoke from the cooking fires grew ever richer and clearer.

Zhou Yan held his magic sword horizontally in front of him, and the bundle in his hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

Confronting spirituality.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yan charged forward with his sword. With the support of the Mighty Tiger Mountain Lord's power, even though Zhou Yan's own cultivation foundation was limited and he couldn't fully unleash the terrifying power of the tiger demon, his strength was still significantly increased compared to his original level.

With the added power, the heavy sword cleaved and slashed horizontally, tearing open a path.

The most powerful ability of this twisted spirit is its malevolent and yin energy. However, the gourd that Yin Zichuan had extorted from Hei Feng was enlightened by the old earth god and it just happened to be able to restrain this thing. Within a radius of ten feet around Zhou Yan, all the malevolent energy was absorbed.

Zhou Yan approached the old man.

His gaze swept across the area and he saw the white threads entangled around the old man.

It's spider silk.

Not just the Master of the Azure Netherworld, or at least not only the Master of the Azure Netherworld.

hum!
The malevolent energy entangled the spider silk and swarmed towards Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan dodged sharply, and the sheathed magic sword in his hand was wrapped in flowing wind, which directly deflected the spider silk. However, the deflected spider silk turned a corner and directly grabbed Zhou Yan's wrist.

Zhou Yan pulled with the force of a tiger.

Spider silk is extremely tough and cannot be torn.

"Spider demon..."

"The weaver Zhao Man mentioned?"

Zhou Yan threw away his sword, grabbed the bronze Buddhist lamp at his waist, and with a sudden jolt, golden flames lit up on the lamp and swept across the room. Accompanied by the faint Buddhist chants in the air, the once tough spider silk was immediately curled and burned.

That magic sword can float in the air on its own.

Zhou Yan, carrying a lantern and holding a bundle, walked to the table and looked at the ferocious spirit of the Kitchen God. Terrifying evil energy swirled around it, and the incense sticks transformed into arrows that shot towards Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan picked up his bundle and said:

"I brought them back."

"They're all here..."

The wisps of smoke, which had been shooting up like arrows, paused. Then, right in front of Zhou Yan, they slowly turned into smoke and dispersed. The malevolent energy swirled around them and did not disappear.

The magic sword seemed to disdain this guy who only had the status of a mountain god but no magic power or cultivation, and automatically hovered in the air next to Zhou Yan.

The Buddha lamp continuously emits a warm light, warding off evil spirits.

Zhou Yan knew that the commotion here would attract the demon seditioners. He opened the package in his hand, inside were blood-stained copper coins, a rag doll that had been trampled on but then washed again, a wooden sword, and a letter written in blood on a white cloth.

The scroll of letters written on the mourning cloth flew up and landed in front of the old man, like a swirling gust of wind. The old man stared at the words written in blood and saw that when he had no home, the flowing evil energy began to collapse.

Zhou Yan placed the Buddhist lamp on the table, reached out, and grasped the Dharma sword.

The spirit of the Kitchen God, distorted by evil laws, began to fluctuate violently, and then emitted a low wail. So-called spirits are born from the heart; they are the fine rain that the great Dao of Heaven and Earth sprinkles down on the human world.

Moved by the heart, distorted by obsession, and restored by the heart.

The Kitchen God's malevolent aura surged wildly. Zhou Yan heard voices beside him, furious voices carried by the wind: "What's going on?" "Who? Who's ruining our plans!"

"Go drag that person out and tear him apart! That damned Kitchen God has been locking the door tightly all this time, trying to refine living souls, but He won't accept it. He's just been closing the door and waiting for those people to come back?"

"damn it!"

"If this continues, we'll sacrifice the entire village to him!"

"He has no choice but to accept that he doesn't want to become a demon!"

The demon-luring envoys under the command of the Azure Netherworld Master were activated and quickly approached. Zhou Yan heard the old earth god Mu Degong sigh and say, "Mountain God, this old man will help you. Hold on tight!"

The rumbling sound seemed to shake the entire earth.

The old elm tree emitted a flowing light, and outside Zhang Shoutian's small house, its roots spread out, suddenly rising and intertwining, covering the small courtyard under the roots.

Wood belongs to the category of yin and cold, and its roots are located at the bottom.

As a result, the Yin energy spread. The Demon Summoners, who were preparing for a blood sacrifice, rushed over but saw the old tree's roots intertwined. Instead of being angry, they were delighted and exclaimed, "Good, good, good!"

“You old blockhead, you’ve finally come out. You lot, hurry up and go to the village entrance and drag out that thing that’s hiding there. The rest of you, come with me and split this old blockhead. This time we can get two spirits with a bit of divine charm.”

"We're determined to keep the treasure the shopkeeper gave us."

Several monsters outside the door, each wielding a sword, chopped at the roots of the old tree, while others transformed into their true forms to tear it apart. After the old earth god exerted his power, the evil aura was isolated, and the spirit of the Kitchen God gradually returned.

The old man's clothes were still dirty. He held the bundle, looked at the contents, and sobbed, unable to speak, tears streaming down his face. But his twisted and distorted spirit could not return to normal.

He held these things in his hands: the doll that the little girl who used to smear wine on his lips loved most; the wooden sword that the boy he had watched grow up loved; and the blood-written letter that the person who drew his likeness on it wrote last. He looked at Zhou Yan.

Thank you.

"But I can't go back anymore."

"They've already gone home, leaving only me."

The old man, tears streaming down his face, looked at Zhou Yan and choked out, "Please."

"I want to go home too."

Zhou Yan gripped his sword in his right hand and took out the ancient talisman given to him by the old earth god in his left. Holding the talisman between his index and middle fingers, the young swordsman exhaled a breath of stale air and chanted:
"Heaven and earth are natural, the foul air dissipates, the cave is mysterious and vast, the primordial energy shines brightly..."

“The evil and filth dissipate, and the Dao Qi remains forever.”

With the aid of the mountain god's status, this talisman glowed faintly.

Zhou Yan looked at the old Kitchen God in front of him, who was closing his eyes, looking ferocious and twisted, yet waiting to die. His eyes were different from others, so he could see things that ordinary people could not see. In the faint light, the room didn't seem so cold anymore.

Zhou Yan saw a happy child running past.

They saw a kind-hearted little girl tiptoeing to smear wine on the Kitchen God's lips, watched a boy holding his sister and lifting her up, a woman watching them and smiling, and a man writing Spring Festival couplets.

Smoke rose from the chimneys, visible behind them on yellowed sheets of paper.

The Kitchen God's smile seemed much more genuine.

But they left.

They will come back...

They will come back.

When are you guys coming back...?

I miss you all so much.

Zhou Yan spoke, holding up the talisman, and said:
"Imperial Edict—"

The Daoist energy surged, not to guide the aura of this talisman to exterminate evil spirits. Looking at this remnant of memories or past longings, he said softly, "Your duty is over."

The Kitchen God looked at him.

Zhou Yan's right hand rested on the sword, while his left hand held the talisman in his hand, which lit up inch by inch.

A clear yet warm Taoist aura wafted out.

The Taoist sect subdues demons and monsters, their lives hanging in the balance.

But ultimately, all living beings...

The wind blew through the past, through the painful waiting and the torment of being bewitched, through the sleeves and hem of the young man's robes, and the Taoist spirit emanated calmly and warmly. Zhou Yan said softly, "Your waiting has come to an end."

"They didn't intend to abandon this family."

"You can rest now."

(End of this chapter)