Severing ties with family to marry the young marshal, his whole family chases me to the crematorium.

Lingzhou City has two highest mountains, one called Qinghua Mountain and the other called Yuhua Mountain.

Taiqing Temple is located at the top of Qinghua Mountain, and it is rarely visited by people on weekdays.

The other mountain, Yuhua Mountain, is completely different from Qinghua Mountain. At the top of Yuhua Mountain is a Buddhist temple, which is very popular with the people of Lingzhou City who go there to burn incense and worship Buddha.

Shen Qingyao and Si Jingnian were huffing and puffing as they climbed the steps at the foot of Qinghua Mountain, while Si Jingnian's subordinates and Mu Qingya were left at the inn at the foot of the mountain.

By the time they reached the halfway point of the mountain, both Si Jingnian and Shen Qingyao were panting heavily, and beads of sweat were forming on their foreheads.

"There are few worshippers at Taiqing Temple. Could it be because the mountain is too difficult to climb? Has your master never thought of building a main road so that cars, horse-drawn carriages, and other means of transportation can come up?"

"I believe that with the capabilities of your Taiqing Temple, if the transportation is convenient, the incense offerings should be very prosperous."

Si Jingnian sat on the steps, panting, wondering if his physical condition had deteriorated since his last injury.

Otherwise, given his physical condition and willpower, he shouldn't have gotten so tired after only climbing halfway.

“Master said that things that are too easily obtained are often not cherished. If someone really needs the help of Taiqing Temple, they will not be deterred by this difficulty. If someone cannot even overcome this difficulty, then it is definitely not time for Taiqing Temple to lend a hand.”

Shen Qingyao answered Si Jingnian, equally panting, her face flushed and her eyes filled with despair.

"It seems... to make some sense."

Si Jingnian felt that the more he rested, the more tired he became, and his body felt heavier and heavier, and his eyelids felt like they were about to droop.

"Who knows! I strongly suspect that my master is just making up an excuse because she doesn't want to cause trouble. She dislikes crowds the most."

"Alright, let's go! If you sit any longer, you'll fall asleep."

Shen Qingyao continued climbing with heavy steps, while Si Jingnian shook his head, forcing himself to stay awake and struggling to keep up behind her.

As Shen Qingyao climbed, she couldn't help but complain about her master in her heart, and finally she cursed him out loud.

"My master must have a lot of free time. He set up such a formation, which not only makes things difficult for others, but he also doesn't spare his own disciple!"

Si Jingnian had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and now, after hearing Shen Qingyao's words, he thought to himself, "I knew it."

The two finally saw the Taoist temple on the mountaintop, by which time it was already dark.

As Si Jingnian climbed the last step, he felt as if all the shackles on his body had suddenly disappeared, and he stumbled and almost fell.

He felt his legs ache, his whole body was soaked in sweat, and he almost collapsed, so he leaned against the wall and sat down.

Shen Qingyao, panting heavily, glanced at Si Jingnian in surprise, silently retracting her earlier complaints about her master.

It seems that my master isn't so cold-blooded after all; at least he showed mercy to his own disciple.

Shen Qingyao banged on the door repeatedly, and soon the door was opened from the inside, but there was no one inside.

"What is Master up to now?"

Shen Qingyao pushed open the door and went in, full of doubt. Si Jingnian hurriedly got up and followed her.

Upon arriving in the center of the courtyard, before Shen Qingyao could even call out for help, she sensed a chilling aura rushing straight towards her.

Shen Qingyao turned around and kicked Si Jingnian several meters away, then rolled on the ground to barely avoid the fatal blow.

With a loud bang, a huge crater appeared where Shen Qingyao had just stood, emanating waves of eerie energy.

Si Jingnian rubbed his chest, which was sore from being kicked, and coughed a few times. The thought of complaining was immediately stopped.

If Shen Qingyao hadn't kicked him away, he would probably be a pile of minced meat in that crater by now.

Before Shen Qingyao could figure out the reason, a wave of yin energy once again rushed straight towards her face, forcing her to suppress her doubts and dodge.

"Jie Jie Jie..."

A sinister and terrifying voice rang out, making Si Jingnian's hair stand on end.

Shen Qingyao frowned, looking around warily, her heart growing heavier with each glance.

There were no signs of a fight, either outside or inside the courtyard, yet the Taoist temple was completely deserted, which was extremely strange.

Just then, a crimson figure appeared out of thin air, surrounded by dense yin energy.

His appearance was androgynous; his beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to be able to captivate the soul, his deep eyes were both affectionate and cold, and a tuft of long black hair hung down in front of his forehead. His crimson ancient costume made him look exceptionally enchanting.

Shen Qingyao immediately recognized that the stunningly handsome man before her was a powerful evil spirit, one she was currently unable to deal with.

"Who are you? Where are the people from the Taoist temple?"

Shen Qingyao stared coldly at the evil spirits floating in mid-air, her hands already secretly forming hand seals, preparing for a life-or-death battle.

"Them? I ate them all. Little girl, do you want to be my snack too? You're so pretty, you must taste delicious."

“I will start by eating your limbs, bite by bite… You won’t feel the slightest pain, then your body, your internal organs, and finally your head. You will watch yourself being eaten bit by bit, and you will even enjoy it…”

Leng Yueming smoothed his long hair from his forehead with one hand, a captivating smile on his face. The cruel and bloody words he spoke sounded unusually gentle.

"abnormal!"

Shen Qingyao frowned deeply upon hearing this, a wave of nausea rising in her chest. However, she knew very well that she was no match for him, so she could only stall for time to think of a way to escape.

"Little girl, I know you want to escape, but I won't let you get away. No food that Leng Yueming has set his sights on has ever escaped."

As Leng Yueming spoke, he lightly pointed his finger at Shen Qingyao, and a surge of yin energy rushed towards her.

In an instant, Shen Qingyao also moved. While dodging, she threw a talisman at Leng Yueming without hesitation.

Leng Yueming put away his playful expression, dodged the talisman in a flash, and once again unleashed a burst of Yin energy towards Shen Qingyao.

Shen Qingyao's expression hardened, her beautiful eyes filled with coldness and fighting spirit. With a turn, a copper coin sword was already in her hand.

"The Five Thunderbolts Orthodox Law, Heaven punishes evil spirits, all ghosts retreat! So be it, by the law!"

As Shen Qingyao finished her incantation, the copper coin sword in her hand seemed to come alive and flew up, heading straight for Leng Yueming.

Leng Yueming frowned and immediately disappeared from the spot. The copper coin sword lost its target and flew back into Shen Qingyao's hand.

Shen Qingyao held the copper coin sword tightly, not daring to relax her grip even slightly; her hand trembled slightly as she held it.

This Leng Yueming was the most powerful evil spirit she had ever encountered since she began learning Taoist arts.

His skills were perhaps not much different from her master's, making him quite difficult for her to deal with.

Just as Shen Qingyao was slightly distracted, Leng Yueming suddenly appeared behind her, pointing at Shen Qingyao with a wicked smile.