Chapter 142: Chapter 141: The Old Daoists’ Harvest

Facing the three shimmering Celestial Warriors imbued with Incense Divinity, and feeling the immense True Qi that filled the air and nearly suffocated her, the woman’s expression instantly froze.

"Wait!" The woman suddenly raised a hand.

"Attack!" Taoist Ming Yu roared.

The spear-wielding Celestial Warrior executed Poison Dragon Emerges from the Cave, thrusting straight at the woman’s chest. The sword-wielding Celestial Warrior followed with Iron Chain Across the River, cutting off her escape to the left as he slashed at her waist. Meanwhile, the whip-wielding Celestial Warrior unleashed Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain, bringing his steel whip crashing down on her head.

At the same time, Taoist Ming Yu paced out a Gang Step, circulated his Qi, chanted the Celestial Thunder Curse, formed the Celestial Thunder Seal with his hands, and locked his blazing gaze upon the woman.

BOOM!

A Thunderbolt materialized out of thin air, descending from the sky. It shattered the tiles and beams of the main hall, striking straight at the crown of the woman’s head.

"AHHH!"

The woman shrieked. The Yin Qi she had just gathered to resist the three Divine Generals was blasted apart. Then, a spear pierced her chest, a sword slashed her waist, and a whip cracked against her head.

True Qi flooded her body, shredding her Ghost Qi. In a single exchange, her Ghost Body was destroyed, and she dissolved into a wisp of smoke, trying to escape.

Taoist Ming Yu snorted coldly. He formed the Divine Thunder Seal, locked on with his Divine Sense, and a chill light glinted in his eyes.

BOOM!

Another thunderclap echoed as a Divine Thunder descended from the heavens. It utterly dispersed the wisp of smoke, shattering the woman’s Divine Soul. Wisps of Evil Qi flowed into the Thunder Seed in his Sea of Consciousness, increasing his Cultivation.

Taoist Ming Yu cultivated the Shenxiao Taiji Thunder Concealment Book. He had also practiced the Five Thunders Curse of the Celestial God Dragon Water Society. Though he wasn’t an expert, it was more than enough to deal with a Female Ghost of low Dao Practice.

"Blessed Infinite Celestial Venerable!"

Having eliminated the evil fiend and harvested the Evil Qi, Taoist Ming Yu felt a sense of comfort spread through his body. He couldn’t resist sending a message to the other two old Daoists. "I just ran into a Female Ghost who specialized in absorbing the Three Yang Qi from men born in a yang month, on a yang day, at a yang hour. I summoned the Divine Generals and killed her in just a few moves!"

Taoist Yi Hong scoffed in response. "I just came from Luoye Ridge. I destroyed a nest of weasels that had set up a private Divine Temple, pretending to be gods to absorb people’s Vitality and kill them. The oldest one had nearly a hundred years of Dao Practice."

From the other side, Taoist Yan Song’s voice transmission came through. "Was your Female Ghost pretty? This old Daoist has been searching for ages and hasn’t found a single pretty one. I did, however, follow the Chang River and find two Fish Demons hiding in the shadows, stirring up waves and harming people. They must be remnants from the Bian Palace."

Taoist Ming Yu raised an eyebrow. He had heard Taoist Yan Song mention this before.

The two old Daoists had trapped and annihilated the residents of Three Extremes Mountain, leaving no demon to escape. But at Bian Palace, they had only killed the Bian Ancestor and five Water Division Commanders, failing to eliminate the rest of the River Demons.

According to their new recruit, The Golden Dog of Bond Huang Yuan, after the Bian Ancestor’s death, several of the most powerful River Demons in Bian Palace had fought like cats and dogs, but none could unify the palace.

As a result, many River Demons left Bian Palace and scattered throughout the waterways of Changping Prefecture, causing trouble everywhere. Fortunately, these rogue River Demons didn’t have high Cultivation, so they hadn’t caused any major incidents.

"Good, good," Taoist Ming Yu nodded repeatedly.

The demons of Three Extremes Mountain were all evil without exception, and the River Demons of Bian Palace were, of course, just as malicious. Now that they were running rampant everywhere, it was the perfect opportunity for them to slay demons and monsters, and clean them all up at once.

Taoist Ming Yu recalled something. That afternoon, he had heard a man who came to town to sell fish mention that Fish Demons had appeared in a certain river bend, already killing two or three fishermen and ferrymen. He had been thinking of checking it out, but then he ran into Yan Wenhong, who was on his way home.

Speaking of Yan Wenhong, Taoist Ming Yu turned his head. He saw the scholar had collapsed to the ground in fear, a large wet patch spreading across his crotch. Having just witnessed the Magical Combat, his eyes were vacant, and he still hadn’t snapped out of it.

Taoist Ming Yu shook his head, took two steps back, retrieved his paper effigies, and turned to leave. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Mage, please wait!"

Seeing the Female Ghost vanquished and the Mage about to leave, Yan Wenhong ignored his own disheveled state and hurriedly stopped Taoist Ming Yu. "Thank you, Mage, for saving me from the Ghost! Please, stay for a moment and allow this humble scholar to serve you tea to express my gratitude."

Seeing the evasive look in Yan Wenhong’s eyes, Taoist Ming Yu, who was old and shrewd, knew exactly what he was thinking.

Taoist Ming Yu pointed at him and chuckled. "Rest assured, the Female Ghost is dead. No one will be draining your Yang Qi anymore. From now on, take good care of yourself and abstain from intercourse for two years. If you do, you might be able to recover what you’ve lost."

’Two years...’ Yan Wenhong felt like dying. Unwilling to give up, he still wanted to beg Taoist Ming Yu to help him.

But Taoist Ming Yu had no intention of dealing with him any further.

’A lust-addled, restless scholar, and not even a pious believer. If it weren’t for his Three Yang Body attracting the Ghost, I wouldn’t have even spoken to him.’

Taoist Ming Yu’s figure flickered and vanished before Yan Wenhong’s eyes. He left the courtyard and headed toward the Chang River outside the city. A faint, almost imperceptible murmur drifted on the wind, "This old Daoist does have a Dual Cultivation Method, but it’s a secret technique of the Taoist Sect. How could I possibly pass it on to you?"

...

「Meanwhile」 Taoist Yi Hong, having just left Luoye Ridge, carried a large bamboo basket on his back. Inside were several dead weasels. He arrived at the nearest settlement, Luoye Town, and sought help to skin and butcher them.

"Mage... are these..." The townsfolk who set to work were trembling, their voices filled with disbelief.

Taoist Yi Hong nodded. "A pack of harmful Fairies. They’re already dead, so you don’t need to be afraid. Skin them and give the pelts to me. Handle the fur on the tails carefully; I need it to make talisman brushes. The rest of the meat and bones are for you. Eating it can enhance your Qi and blood, and strengthen your bodies."

"Huh?"

The moment they heard it could enhance their Qi and blood and strengthen their bodies, the townsfolk were no longer afraid. They immediately got to work. One bled the carcasses while another skinned them. The town’s experienced hunters all pitched in, and in no time, the batch of weasels was properly processed.

After handing the pelts over to Taoist Yi Hong, the remaining meat and bones were divided among several families. With words of thanks, they left, overjoyed.

The next day, many of the people who returned to Luoye Ridge discovered that the yellow Divine Altar that had stood before the ridge looked as if it had been ravaged by a fierce gale. It was shattered beyond recognition. Some observant individuals even found smooth, cut-like marks on the ruined bricks.

...

「At the same time」 on the bank of a small river bend, a tributary of the Chang River, two fishermen and a fisherwoman had set up a rack, started a fire, and were boiling a pot of fish soup in a clay pot from their boat. Even with just a sprinkle of salt, the fragrant aroma wafted uncontrollably in all directions.

"Mage, please eat!"

The fisherwoman ladled out a bowl of fish soup with large chunks of fish floating in it and respectfully handed it to Taoist Yan Song.

Taoist Yan Song accepted it and slurped down a few mouthfuls, nodding in satisfaction. Though there weren’t many seasonings, the soup itself was fresh enough to taste delicious.

"Have you heard about River Demons causing trouble anywhere else?" Taoist Yan Song asked.

The fisherwoman thought for a moment before carefully replying, "I heard that last month, a River God Temple was erected upstream at Pingbo Bay. They make offerings there every day. I don’t know if it’s River Demons causing trouble or not."

Taoist Yan Song raised an eyebrow and drained the fish soup from his bowl in one go. "How about you take me there to have a look?"