Rebirth of the Scumbag and the Retribution of the White Lotus

As Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan finished their words, the vibrations intensified, as if the entire world had lost its balance. The black fog surged forward, engulfing everything around it, its oppressive force nearly suffocating. The place where Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan stood had long since become a suspended void, with only this dark shadow confronting their resolve.

The shadow's laughter was deep and creepy. "You think you can break this seal? Foolish! You don't even understand the true power behind the seal, so how can you prevent my resurrection?"

Zhao Shufang wasn't overwhelmed by the terrifying aura; instead, she grew calmer. "Really? Then give it a try." She gripped the talisman tighter, her gaze as hard as steel.

Lu Lingyuan stood beside her, his eyes sharp, the tip of his sword pointed forward, emitting a fierce aura: "We have no way out. Now that we are here, we have no choice but to fight."

A trace of contempt flashed in the shadow's eyes. It extended its ethereal hand, a dark aura gathering within its palm, nearly freezing the air. It sneered, "You don't understand. This seal no longer holds me captive. All your efforts are in vain."

Before he finished speaking, the black mist had already gushed out from his hand, quickly sweeping in all directions. Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan launched their attacks almost simultaneously.

"break!"

Zhao Shufang's talisman flew into the air and instantly transformed into a flame, rapidly approaching the black fog. However, the black figure simply waved his hand, and the flame was instantly swallowed up by the black fog, as if absorbed by the air, leaving no trace.

"It's really a futile effort." The black shadow's voice was filled with sarcasm. Its eyes were like bottomless black holes, emitting endless coldness.

A flash of anger flashed in Lu Lingyuan's eyes, and he swung his sword. The sword energy, like a dragon, rushed straight into the shadow's heart. The sword energy was so powerful that it could even tear through space. But just as the sword energy was about to reach the shadow, the shadow simply smiled, extended his palm, and gently pressed down.

The sword energy suddenly disappeared, as if it was strangled in mid-air by an invisible force.

"Foolish." The shadow whispered, "You simply cannot understand the power behind me."

"Why..." Zhao Shufang felt a little shaken. The power of the black shadow was too strong, and there was almost no way to shake its foundation.

"Why does your power have no effect on me?" The shadow seemed to sense her confusion and spoke coldly, "Because you only know how to utilize the power you have, and ignore a fundamental truth. Do you think that Taoism and swordsmanship can break everything? No, you are wrong. Your power cannot even touch the slightest clue of the 'truth' behind this seal."

Zhao Shufang took a deep breath, countless thoughts flashing through her mind. It suddenly occurred to her that the "truth" the shadow mentioned must be some deep secret hidden within this seal. If they couldn't uncover this truth, they would never be able to defeat this shadow.

"You're right," Zhao Shufang suddenly whispered. "If we only rely on our current strength, we really can't compete with it. But, can you tell me what the 'truth' behind this seal is?"

The shadow's eyes flickered, as if her words had touched a sensitive spot. It sneered, "The truth? You don't deserve to know."

Zhao Shufang's gaze grew more resolute, a bright light flashing in her eyes. "If that's the case, then let me unveil this veil."

Her palm suddenly flipped, and instantly she pulled a shimmering talisman from her sleeve. It was no longer a simple attack talisman, but rather contained all her understanding and accumulation of the Dao. At that moment, her heart was as calm as a lake, and she could even feel a faint connection with the heavens and the earth.

"The Tao is infinite, and destiny is at hand." Zhao Shufang whispered, and the talisman began to emit a clear sound in the air. The runes on the surface of the talisman rotated violently, and gradually a grand picture emerged.

Seeing this, Lu Lingyuan's eyes flashed with surprise. He knew that Zhao Shufang's talisman was extraordinary, beyond the scope of conventional Taoism, and might be the key to uncovering the true identity of the black shadow.

However, the black shadow's face instantly turned gloomy when it saw this scene. "You want to reveal the 'truth' with this little power? Wishful thinking!" It suddenly stretched out its hands, black air surged, the space instantly twisted, and the terrifying breath almost swallowed everything.

Zhao Shufang's heartbeat quickened, but she didn't flinch. She held the talisman high, feeling the deep power surge into her body. Instantly, she felt her connection with heaven and earth grow ever closer.

"Break!" She shouted softly, and the talisman suddenly emitted a bright light and shot straight into the sky.

The light illuminated the entire dark space, dispersing all the black fog. The shadow's body began to vibrate violently under the light, as if it had suffered great damage.

"No..." The black shadow let out a painful roar and struggled to break free from the restraints of the light.

Zhao Shufang gritted her teeth, concentrated all her strength, and continued to release the energy of the talisman. She knew that she had to completely destroy the black shadow in this short time, otherwise once it recovered, everything would be irreversible.

"Lingyuan, are you ready?" Zhao Shufang looked at Lu Lingyuan, with a glimmer of faith in her eyes.

Lu Lingyuan nodded, his sword pointing at the black shadow. He didn't say anything else, but the determination and anger in his eyes were enough to explain everything.

"Sword Qi, Endless Slash!"

With a low shout from him, he swung his sword, instantly tearing through the space, and with the force of thunder, he chopped down fiercely at the weak point of the black shadow.

The black shadow's body finally couldn't withstand the blow anymore. A fierce light shot up into the sky and the entire space began to collapse.

"It's over." Zhao Shufang took a deep breath, feeling relieved.

They won this battle.