Good Deeds Are Rewarded

When it was time to lie low, lie low; when it was time to be brave, be brave!

From ancient times to the present, Evil Spirits had always been the greatest threat to human cultivators.

Face Evil Spirits head-on.

Unless they truly could not be matched.

Otherwise, retreat would not earn their forgiveness; fear would only fuel their evil nature.

There was no choice but to fight!

A burst of Spiritual Light erupted with Pure Yang qi and slammed heavily into the straw man's head.

"Creak!"

The straw man's head jerked sharply backward.

As though it had snapped.

Wisps of white smoke rose from its featureless face, as if it were about to catch fire.

Wang Chen drew back his hand and was just about to pull out a third Exorcism Talisman.

Without warning, a Black Grass Rope shot out from behind the straw man, then whipped back and coiled around his waist.

Wang Chen's breath caught!

This Evil Spirit was anything but ordinary. Even after taking two Exorcism Talismans head-on, it still retained formidable power to strike back.

He felt as though a giant python had wrapped around his waist, his joints grinding with sounds of unbearable strain.

His entire body was about to be twisted into two!

If Wang Chen's Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma had not already reached the Bronze Skin level, vastly strengthening his physique, he likely would have been unable to endure it.

But even now, the time he could hold on was extremely limited.

And that was not all. At the spot where the grass rope coiled around him, a Yin Evil Aura was seeping through the Cloud Light Robe and into his body.

Eroding Wang Chen's Mana!

At this moment, Wang Chen faced a crisis unlike any before.

Crack!

The straw man's head was abruptly wrenched back into place.

Its faceless visage faced Wang Chen directly.

Barely two feet away.

Wang Chen felt a chill shoot up from the depths of his heart, catching the scent of death's terror!

"Kill!"

At the critical moment, Wang Chen glared wide-eyed and roared, suddenly raising his clenched fists.

Mighty Strength Art!

His arms instantly swelled by a full circle, and the Qi and Blood Power forged through body refinement erupted fiercely.

In the next instant, his pair of fists, gleaming with a reddish bronze luster, slammed viciously into the straw man's left and right temples.

Third form of Vajra Fist!

This strike gathered all of Wang Chen's strength, Mana, and Soul Power.

It could be called the greatest power he was capable of unleashing.

Smack!

The straw man's head suddenly exploded, countless bits of straw scattering in all directions as its body collapsed and fell apart.

The grass rope wrapped around Wang Chen's waist snapped inch by inch.

Mighty Strength Art · Experience +1

Mighty Strength Art (Proficient): 0/200

Vajra Fist · Experience +1

Vajra Fist (Proficient): 0/200

Wang Chen had no time to pay attention to the messages flashing across his vision. The instant he broke free, he pulled the third Exorcism Talisman from his Storage Bag at top speed.

And slapped it onto the straw man that had already fallen apart.

Bang!

The straw man possessed by this Evil Spirit shattered into pieces, and the Yin Evil Aura that had just poured forth was swept clean away.

Human Virtue +25

Wang Chen staggered back two steps, feeling weaker than ever before.

Without thinking, he took out a Qi Replenishing Pill and swallowed it, then drew the Wild Goose Feather Saber hanging at his waist.

The earlier battle had erupted far too suddenly and had been entirely close-quarters combat, leaving him no chance to use his weapon.

But this ritual blade was no longer needed.

The information appearing in his field of vision told Wang Chen that he had already slain this Evil Spirit.

And gained a full 25 points of Human Virtue!

He stood with his blade in hand for a moment, steadying the turbulent blood and mana within his body.

Only after confirming that there were no other Evil Spirits nearby did Wang Chen put away his weapon.

That was when he noticed a curled-up corpse lying amid the scattered straw and splintered wood ahead!

Most of the corpse's flesh had already been dissolved away, exposing a stark white skeleton tightly entwined with strands of long, thin black grass rope.

There was no doubt that this was some poor soul who had fallen victim to an Evil Spirit!

Most likely a cultivator much like Wang Chen himself.

Had Wang Chen made even the slightest mistake in his response just now, he would probably have followed in that man's footsteps.

Becoming blood food and nourishment for the Evil Spirit!

He let out a long breath, filled with the relief of having survived a calamity.

Wang Chen had discovered that ever since transmigrating into this world, one danger after another had come crashing down on him.

Even trying to lie low was difficult.

He had no idea whether it was some butterfly effect caused by him, or simply fate and coincidence converging at the right moment!

After pulling himself together, Wang Chen took a bottle of Corpse Dissolving Powder from his Storage Bag.

As well as a Rebirth Talisman.

Just as he was about to dissolve the corpse.

A thought suddenly struck him.

He put the medicine bottle away. With his right hand forming a hand seal, Wang Chen pointed at the remains on the ground.

Sparks immediately flared from his fingertips, and then his entire hand was wrapped in blazing flames.

A lifelike fire crow condensed from the flames, spreading its wings as it flew toward the corpse.

Boom!

The palm-sized fire crow struck the remains and instantly transformed into crimson flames that engulfed them.

Fire Crow Technique (Beginner): 0/100

The Fire Crow Technique, which Wang Chen had failed to comprehend all this time, had crossed its most crucial threshold just like that!

Actual combat truly was a powerful aid in breaking through realms.

He looked at the string of spells marked "Mastery" in the Skill Bar of his Cultivation Panel.

His heart was filled with emotion.

Just tonight, Wang Chen's Mighty Strength Art, Spirit Light Shield Armor, and Vajra Fist had all entered the Mastery level.

Without consuming a single point of Human Virtue!

Now, the Fire Crow Technique had also reached the Beginner level.

Yet if he had a choice, he would rather lie low at home and make his breakthroughs slowly.

As the remains on the ground gradually turned to ashes, Wang Chen activated the Rebirth Talisman in his hand.

He had picked up this Rebirth Talisman on the side when he went to Yunyang City to buy Spiritual Tea last time.

It had been very cheap.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth, let the departed soul return to the generous soil..."

As he recited the Rebirth Incantation, Wang Chen silently wished for the other man to reenter the cycle of reincarnation and suffer no more hardship in his next life.

He did not know whether it was an illusion born of his thoughts.

But when Wang Chen finished reciting the Rebirth Incantation.

He actually saw an almost transparent phantom float up from the ashes.

It hovered in the air and bowed to him.

Wang Chen reflexively returned the bow.

When he raised his head again, the phantom had already vanished.

"Fellow Daoist, may your journey be peaceful."

Just as Wang Chen was about to leave, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a faint glimmer.

Hm?

Wang Chen stepped forward and bent down, digging a Crystal Bead that glowed with silvery-white light out of the ashes!

The bead was about the size of a longan. It felt cool, round, and smooth in his hand.

On closer inspection, he could faintly see mist churning within it.

Yin Qi Bead!

Wang Chen froze for a moment, then was overjoyed!

On Malevolent Spirits recorded that a small number of malevolent spirits contained Yin Qi Beads, which could drop after they were destroyed.

Yin Qi Beads were highly valuable materials. They could be used for cultivation or in artifact refinement.

Wang Chen had never expected that the very first malevolent spirit he killed would drop a Yin Qi Bead worth a considerable sum.

Newbie benefits?

Come to think of it, if Wang Chen had not inadvertently performed rites for the victim just now and simply abandoned the corpse, then this Yin Qi Bead would never have been exposed at all.

This counted as Good deeds are rewarded!

With that thought, Wang Chen formed another hand seal, and specks of Spiritual Light shimmered at his fingertips.

A moment later, a light rain began to fall in a soft, steady patter.

The rainwater, imbued with spiritual energy, soaked into the earth and blended the ashes into the soil.

Leaving not the slightest trace.

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