Stop! Let Me Do It!

So fast!

Chen Yan was startled, but Old Daoist Liu beside him remained impassive, his expression cold and even carrying a trace of disdain.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot."

As he spoke, the old Daoist drew out a blue talisman paper. Pinching it between his index and middle fingers, Old Daoist Liu wrote the character "slay" in the air and chanted:

"Heaven is round, earth is square; the laws and commands have nine chapters. With this stroke of my brush, ten thousand ghosts hide and submit. Break evil, slay wickedness, swift as the law commands!"

"Go!"

At the command, the Evil-Slaying Talisman flew from his hand and burst into flame without wind.

Boom!

Raging flames surged forth, wrapping into a ball and forming a crimson fireball as large as a washbasin.

The flames scorched the air, and the searing heat waves even stung Chen Yan's cheeks, making him squint involuntarily.

On the other side, the Talisman Fire moved with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it slammed viciously into the Skin-Peeling Puppet!

Bang!!!

A tremendous explosion rang out.

Violent gusts swept everything around them into the air. Wood chips flew everywhere, and dust billowed skyward.

"Damn! What terrifying power!"

Chen Yan sucked in a sharp breath at the sight.

If that struck a person, wouldn't it blast them to pieces?

Though he had never underestimated the cultivators of the Martial Dynasty, witnessing it with his own eyes still left him deeply shaken.

Such a tiny sheet of talisman paper possessed power no weaker than the bombs of his previous life—perhaps even greater. More importantly, it seemed to come with its own tracking and targeting function. It was practically a spell-version RPG!

Looking up, he saw that the lower half of the Skin-Peeling Puppet had completely vanished.

If it had not been merely a sheet of human skin, the pigsty would already have been splattered with blood, flesh, and organs.

And this was after striking the tough human skin of the Skin-Peeling Puppet. If it had hit him instead, Chen Yan did not even dare dwell on the consequences.

Chen Yan could not imagine what kind of flesh-and-blood body could withstand a talisman explosion like a bomb blast.

No wonder Old Daoist Liu had said that a Qi and Blood Martial Artist would not be a match for an Essence Cultivation cultivator in a one-on-one fight. This talisman technique alone left Qi and Blood Martial Artists helpless. Once the distance was opened, death was all but certain.

Even so, the Skin-Peeling Puppet was not dead.

Yes, it was still alive. For a Skin-Peeling Puppet, as long as its head remained, it would not die.

But it had learned just how formidable the old Daoist before it was. Though it possessed no intelligence, the Skin-Peeling Puppet had the simple instinct to seek fortune and avoid disaster.

Dragging half its ruined body, it tried to flee outside.

"Trying to run?"

Old Daoist Liu sneered and drew out another Evil-Slaying Talisman, ready to eradicate the Skin-Peeling Puppet completely.

But how could Chen Yan possibly let such a once-in-a-thousand-years chance to earn merit slip away?

If Old Daoist Liu destroyed this Skin-Peeling Puppet, then wouldn't Chen Yan's trip here have been for nothing?

"Stop! Let me do it!"

Chen Yan shouted. Before he even had time to set Facai down, he stepped forward and leaped high into the air.

The sudden movement startled Facai, but Facai was nimble by nature. The instant Chen Yan shouted, he sprang down from his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Chen Yan's hand had already gripped the hilt of the Fish Dragon Saber at his waist. Blade scraped against scabbard, and amid the piercing friction, a chilling flash of saber light tore through the air in a sweeping slash.

Blood Fiend Saber Technique!

The union of ultimate speed and strength erupted with ultimate killing power!

"Splat!"

A head the size of a bucket soared high into the air. The black smoke dispersed, and it turned into a sheet of dead skin that collapsed limply onto the ground.

Even Old Daoist Liu was stunned. He stared wide-eyed at Chen Yan, who had lunged out like a starving tiger pouncing on prey, and could not help thinking:

Good lad! He might be a bit greedy for money, but when something happens, he really steps up!

Having landed the killing blow, Chen Yan sheathed his saber. Seeing two hundred merit points credited to him, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

This Skin-Peeling Puppet was not actually weak. If he had fought it alone, even if Chen Yan could win, it would have taken considerable effort. How could it have been so easy?

Sure enough, picking up leftovers was the most satisfying.

"Why are you grinning foolishly at a sheet of human skin, brat?"

Old Daoist Liu came over and gave Chen Yan a baffled look.

"Nothing."

Chen Yan shook his head, then asked eagerly, "How is it? Was there only this one? Are there any more?"

"You want there to be more?!"

Old Daoist Liu glared at him irritably. "One Skin-Peeling Puppet is already more than Tianmen Village can handle, and you want two? Are you trying to wipe out Tianmen Village?"

Chen Yan gave an embarrassed smile. He hurriedly picked up the human skin from the ground and changed the subject.

"That's not what I meant. Please take a look and see if you can find any clues."

Old Daoist Liu shot Chen Yan a sidelong glance, took the human skin, and sniffed it with his large nose.

After a while, Old Daoist Liu looked at Chen Yan and shook his head.

"This demon Daoist is rather cautious. Aside from the Osmanthus Fragrance the human skin carried before death, there are no other scents."

Chen Yan nodded, not surprised. From the previous Skin-Peeling Puppets, it had already been easy to see how cautious the true culprit behind them was.

The two left the pigsty in the backyard and came to the front courtyard. The farmer's family had long since fallen to their knees, endlessly kowtowing and bowing to Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu, calling them immortals.

Old Daoist Liu helped the farmer's family up, then took out half a tael of silver from his sleeve and placed it in the husband's hand.

"I damaged your pigsty just now. Take this half tael of silver as this old Daoist's apology."

How could the farmers possibly accept it? They repeatedly refused, until Old Daoist Liu blew out his beard and glared, saying, "Do you think this old Daoist's money is dirty?" Only then did they have no choice but to accept the silver.

Old Daoist Liu turned around, thoroughly pleased with himself, only to meet Chen Yan's gaze filled with contempt.

The old Daoist looked utterly baffled.

"What is it?"

"Didn't you say you only had half a tael of silver on you?"

Chen Yan gave Old Daoist Liu a sidelong look.

"..."

The old Daoist's aged face reddened, a flicker of embarrassment crossing it. Then he coughed lightly and said with a solemn expression:

"If this old Daoist said I picked up that half tael of silver on the road, would you believe me?"

"Heh heh."

Chen Yan gave a hollow laugh, and Facai on his shoulder wore the same disdainful look.

"So what if this old Daoist has one tael of silver on him?!"

Old Daoist Liu flew into a rage out of embarrassment, craning his neck as he spoke indignantly.

"No, I was just praising you for being kindhearted."

Chen Yan replied with a smile.

"Humph!"

Old Daoist Liu gave a proud snort, raised his chin, and strutted toward the door with his feet turned outward.

But just as he was about to step over the threshold, the farmer suddenly threw himself before Old Daoist Liu. Holding up the half tael of silver the old Daoist had just given him with both hands, he knocked his head against the ground with loud thuds.

"Old immortal! I don't want the money. I beg you, old immortal, please save my little sister's life!!!"

The farmer's wife and children also knelt with him, kowtowing without pause.

"Please, old immortal! Please, old immortal!!"

Old Daoist Liu frowned. "Don't get worked up yet. Tell me, what happened to your sister?"

The farmer raised his head, bitterness mingling with a trace of fear in his voice.

"My little sister... she, she's come down with madness..."