Ji Ming’s eyes were shadowed with a mixture of anger and shock.
Thankfully, to be on the safe side, he brought along Paperman Zhang.
There really was something fishy at the Zhang Family Mansion!
He was both stunned and relieved in his heart.
"Let’s go!"
Ji Ming immediately stood up, ready to leave the scene.
"What about him...?"
Wang Yuanlang looked at Paperman Zhang rolling around in front of the Magic Altar.
"He’s been backfired by magic, he won’t survive!"
Ji Ming said coldly, and the two figures departed in an instant, with Ji Ming even setting Zhang’s Paper Mache Shop on fire before leaving.
The whole of Zhang’s Paper Mache Shop was instantly engulfed in a sea of flames.
However, inside, after Ji Ming and his companion left, Paperman Zhang struggled to get up, engulfed in roaring fire, like a burning paper figure, muttering.
"My grandson, my grandson!"
He struggled to crawl before the shrine, roared hoarsely.
"Lady Honghua, help me!"
With his roar, the red silk in front of the shrine suddenly fluttered, and a fierce black wind surged forth, revealing a dark demon statue with three heads and eight arms, whose enticing face had a dot of holy cinnabar in the center of its forehead.
The black wind swept out from the shrine, and countless gales rampaged inside the shop, enveloping Paperman Zhang in flames, causing the flames around him to pause.
The black wind infused his body, accompanied by shrill wailing, and Paperman Zhang’s body fell back, transforming into ashes, yet a harrowing black Qi shot out, rushing skyward with the black wind, disappearing in an instant.
The massive commotion immediately alarmed the neighbors, who hurriedly fetched water from wells to extinguish the fire in their shock.
Zhang Jian and Zhang Yi arrived at Zhang’s Paper Mache Shop almost simultaneously.
"Are we too late?"
Zhang Yi and Zhang Jian exchanged glances.
Zhang Jian frowned, the scene before him seemed like a cover-up?
Burning the body to destroy evidence?
At the same time, Zhang Jian glanced around, his sensitive Spiritual Sense vaguely detected two stares watching him from the shadows.
In a split second, his gaze shifted to a street corner.
Two figures flashed away within his sight.
As Zhang Jian invoked his thoughts, he moved ghost-like.
Beside him, Zhang Yi hesitated for a moment, immediately following in quick steps.
Seeing Zhang Jian ahead, moving with such speed, even a bit faster than him, Zhang Yi was stunned.
A dense Spiritual Mechanism emanated from Zhang Jian’s entire being.
He didn’t know when, but his young cousin’s strength had reached such a level, possibly surpassing his own.
This left Zhang Yi somewhat astonished.
How long has it been?
However, in Zhang Yi’s heart, a competitive spirit also arose.
Ahead, Zhang Jian felt his own Spiritual Mechanism stirring, exchanging continuously with the Power of Heaven and Earth in the air, with his body moving as if transformed into a wisp of Spiritual Mechanism, astonishingly fast.
He was like a large bird, blocking the two figures in an instant.
These two figures were Ji Ming and Wang Yuanlang.
Seeing the unrestrainedly oscillating Spiritual Mechanism, Ji Ming’s face was grim, confused how the opponent could sense them when he had obviously used a Left Path Secret Seal to conceal his Qi.
This feeling of facing the unknown left him uneasy, unwilling to continue entangling.
He twirled a cyan Jade Fan in his hand, inscribed with scriptures exuding a dim black light, as five intense Yin Qi emerged.
"Five Reckless Ghost Gods, summon spirits and dispatch generals!"
"Go, kill this villain swiftly for me!"
Suddenly, terrifying green-black figures emerged from the shadows at his feet, and countless black lights burst forth, rushing towards Zhang Jian.
The Yin wind rampaged, and the cold air was piercingly sharp!
In the Yin wind, five towering ghostly figures, resembling giant apes, came clawing through the void.
Zhang Jian felt countless chills piercing into the depths of his meridians from all directions, his limbs going cold, yet the blazing Spiritual Power within him violently surged, with faint crimson thunder and fire jumping in his eyes.
He didn’t feel that the ghosts rushing to kill him were very fearsome, his mind had only one thought – to punch them.
To punch and kill those ghosts.
In an instant, an unprecedentedly intense Extreme Yang Gang Qi exploded from around him, instinctively gathering his internal Extreme Yang Spiritual Power.
The moment he condensed the Extreme Yang Spiritual Power, the crimson thunder perpetually coursing through his meridians burst through an invisible barrier, transforming into a lightning blaze sweeping forth, striking the approaching five reckless Yin Soldier spirits.
The crimson Thunder Light radiated with a punch like the blazing sun, shaking the long street as the five reckless soldiers in Yin Soul encountered the Thunder Light, suffering severe blows.
The terrifying ghost faces showed human-like expressions of pain and fear.
Half of the black wind dissipated instantly, no longer daring to approach.
"Thunder Technique?"
Seeing this, Ji Ming’s face twisted.
In the realm of magic, Thunder Technique is considered one of the most profound Dharma Gate, its firm and extreme Yang nature makes it a nemesis of many ghostly Yin spirits.
He perceived in just one hit, the five reckless Yin Soldiers he painstakingly cultivated were already heavily wounded.
Fearful, he twisted the cyan Jade Fan in his hand, doling out ghostly Yin mist, grabbing Wang Yuanlang and fading into the dark swiftly, leaving without a single harsh word.
"Hmm!"
Staring at the looming black mist, Zhang Jian’s eyes darkened as his Innate Spiritual Sense extended outwards, his Spiritual Mechanism surging, seeking that invisible Qi, darting forward rapidly.
Yet, he soon lost the sense of those two Qi.
Zhang Yi also dropped from the rooftop at this time, observing the swirling ghostly mist in all directions, exchanging looks with Zhang Jian both with a hint of helplessness.
The two hadn’t yet had time to practice the latter three techniques recorded in the "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan", otherwise they wouldn’t be so constrained.
"What a pity!"
In his heart, Zhang Jian felt a tinge of regret; he had a chance to detain the two accomplices!
But there was more doubt.
The cultivators in the dark weren’t as formidable as imagined, albeit they could control ghosts, physically they were no different from normal Innate Stage Inner Cultivation Martial Artists?
Zhang Jian was unclear about the reason behind this.
However, Paperman Zhang seemed more frightening.
Zhang Jian shook off the numerous thoughts in his mind, exchanging looks with Zhang Yi, both sensing anticipation in each other’s eyes.
This was their first encounter with such Outsiders and even prevailed in battle, stirring a certain excitement deep within their hearts.
"Once we go back, it seems we must quickly develop those three techniques! I wonder if Uncle Yi and I have the aptitude?"
The "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan" records three minor techniques thereafter.
Those three techniques are the Small Wind and Thunder Technique, Soul Purification Spell, and Ten Thousand Wood Technique.
Among them, the Soul Purification Spell is a comprehensive attack and defense technique specifically for dealing with Yin Souls and Fierce Spirits, and can also transcend wandering souls.
The Ten Thousand Wood Technique condenses Wood Element Power, gathering Wood Essence Qi for protection, serving as Defense Techniques.
Whereas the Small Wind and Thunder Technique can divide into two; one being Wind Walking Skill for temporary wind manipulation.
The other is Wind and Thunder Technique, commanding considerable Divine Power.
But cultivating the three Daoist Techniques all have certain requirements.
This involves the cultivator’s constitution, such as Spirit Root.
Although not all cultivators have Spirit Roots, having one indeed grants significant advantage in manipulating certain property of Daoist Techniques.
Both Ten Thousand Wood Technique and Small Wind and Thunder Technique have certain prerequisites, without a Spirit Root, cultivation may be inevitably challenging.
In contrast, the Soul Purification Spell is universal, accessible to anyone, primarily testing the cultivator’s logic and comprehension.