Settling the Dust

The great yin formation obscured the sun and sky, plunging the entire town into darkness and gloom, with screams and cries echoing everywhere.

Jia Song cackled sinisterly, still slaughtering indiscriminately, prioritizing the killing of martial artists with cultivation and even the armored soldiers foolishly accompanying him.

Like long-starved evil ghosts, they devoured flesh and blood, continuously strengthening their cultivation.

That Old Ghost Tushan was even more rampant. Transforming into a mass of sinister ghostly energy, wherever it swept, townsfolk who were just alive became piles of white bones.

Amidst the chaos, the Daoist Priests seemed to descend into internal strife. A few Daoist priests, each leading a small squad of armored soldiers, began fighting Tu Xiong's subordinates…

But this was no longer something Li Qingyun could get involved in.

After continuous rushing and fighting, he too was exhausted, his mana severely depleted.

He could only sit in the Zhou Mansion, doing his best to fulfill his promise and protect Zhou Gang's family.

To break the larger situation, they could only wait for the powerful experts from above to arrive before the town's residents could truly be saved.

"Counting the time, it should be about right..."

Li Qingyun, who was sitting cross-legged before the Daoist effigy, murmured.

BOOM!

Just then, the entire town shook violently.

Countless panicked and fleeing civilians looked up, seeing a great seal radiating golden light suddenly appear in the sky, majestic, overbearing, and awe-inspiring!

The great seal struck down fiercely, hitting the great formation that enveloped Yinshan Town.

Instantly, the sky filled with yin clouds collapsed, and a large amount of light shone into the hell-like town from outside!

Figures with powerful auras appeared in the sky.

"Old Ghost Tushan, Jia Song, you villains, you will surely die!"

"Yinshan Town has been out of contact for a long time, so it turns out Jia Song was the one causing trouble..."

"Those who sided with the rebels will be punished as they deserve, those who deserve immediate execution will be executed..."

"Zhou Gang, as governor, you failed to govern effectively, leading to widespread suffering. However, your final act of using the Azure Blood Talisman with your own blood is commendable..."

"..."

Above Yinshan Town, there was the elegant and ethereal master of a temple, as well as powerful experts from the Daoist Bureau clad in golden-robed Daoist attire.

Outside the town, large numbers of armored soldiers approached like a tide.

With their first moves, they were like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, suppressing the rebel army that had sided with the traitors and calming the chaotic situation.

Several powerful experts from the Dao Division, led by a middle-aged man in the Opening Mansion Realm, pursued Great Yin Mountain, vowing to kill the escaped Old Ghost Tushan and the most detestable former Deputy Commander Jia Song.

To prolong his lifespan, Jia Song did not hesitate to cultivate demonic arts, becoming half-human, half-ghost, wantonly devouring the flesh and blood of the common people, and even intending to perform a blood sacrifice on the entire town.

The arrival of experts from all sides was timely. In the recent chaos, about five to six hundred people had died at the hands of Jia Song and that Old Ghost Tushan.

Jia Song's ambitions were great, but in the end, he failed.

Fortunately, Zhou Gang's blood splashed onto the Azure Blood Talisman, and Li Qingyun broke out of the city walls, activating the golden talisman, which shocked a thousand miles, interrupting this tragic blood sacrifice orchestrated by humans and ghosts.

"Commander, we arrived late..."

In the Zhou Mansion, a Daoist priest from the town's former Daoist Bureau, covered in blood, rushed in with a few armored soldiers.

Upon seeing the corpses filling the hall, he was greatly shocked and burst into tears.

"You indeed arrived late!"

A young Daoist priest with a calm expression slowly rose from before the Dao Lord effigy in the hall and looked at them indifferently.

"Clean up!"

Li Qingyun ignored them and walked directly to the entrance of the back hall's underground chamber, opening the cover.

A faint light shone from above into the dim and silent chamber, first illuminating the boy standing at the front, Zhou Heng, whose face was swollen but whose eyes were resolutely calm.

"This child is good. No wonder Zhou Gang valued him so much."

Li Qingyun then spoke gently to Zhou Heng, Madam Zhou, and the others, "It's alright now, it's all over..."

In the underground chamber, crying and laughter erupted.

With powerful experts taking charge, the aftermath was dealt with.

In less than a day, Yinshan Town had stabilized.

Under orders, the shops and halls in the town reopened, and more pedestrians appeared on the streets, gradually restoring the long-lost prosperity and liveliness.

On this day, Li Qingyun stayed at the Zhou Mansion.

He meditated in the courtyard pavilion, but his hands were not idle.

His fingers moved like butterflies dancing through flowers, folding out swallows, white cranes, and frogs.

The young boy Zhou Heng, though still immersed in the grief of losing his father, became attached to this "big brother" who was the most formidable in his eyes. He sat in the pavilion, watching with adoration as his big brother effortlessly folded toy after toy.

After folding the last paper frog, Li Qingyun's handsome face shifted slightly, and he stopped.

"Whoosh!"

Feeling a bit childlike, he wanted to show off for Zhou Heng and puffed out his cheeks, blowing at the dozens of folded paper animals on the ground.

Ripples of spiritual sense spread through the air.

The folded paper immediately seemed to come alive, some flying, some jumping, lifelike, scattering in all directions.

A paper crane flew onto the roof of the Zhou Mansion, its movements graceful.

A paper frog leaped into a nearby spring, splashing water.

Five or six paper swallows flew onto the beams of the Zhou Mansion, like a flock of swallows returning in spring...

"Big brother, you're amazing! Is this Daoist magic?"

The young boy held a butterfly in his small palm, his childish eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Mhm, this is a type of Daoist application called the Illusionary Object Technique!"

Li Qingyun patted Zhou Heng's head, feeling pleased and happy.

While guarding the Zhou Mansion and meditating on the [Illusionary Spirit Technique], with the blessing of the mysterious Daoist effigy, this technique had finally broken through to the next level, undergoing a fundamental change.

Illusionary objects were merely a combination of illusions and minor spells like object manipulation, which had evolved into a method of controlling objects.

Just two days ago, he had envied Wang Muyun's skill with illusionary objects, and now he had reached her level.

The breakthrough in the technique's level was thanks to the near-death experience last night, where he had frequently used the Illusionary Spirit Technique, maximizing his learning and comprehension abilities through practice.

Of course, the most crucial factor was "him" in his mind, observing the Daoist patterns imprinted on the dark wall, which always brought him gains!

For the entire day, he did nothing but sit in the pavilion, meditating and practicing the Illusionary Spirit Technique.

His senior brothers Zhao Yifan and Chi Hui, along with Old Daoist Wang from the Purple Gold Temple, successively came to the Zhou Mansion to find him. They told him about their perilous encounters last night and lamented the deaths of many fellow Daoists.

The group then cheerfully went to the Dao Division to collect their rewards.

Li Qingyun was engrossed in the paper folding illusion, so he had his senior brother collect his share for him.

He had no intention of "sticking his head out."

Even without claiming the reward, his gains were already substantial, and there was no need to draw attention or take risks.

As for what exactly he did last night, Zhao Yifan and Chi Hui could only vaguely guess, not knowing the truth.

"Once senior brother collects the reward, we'll set off immediately and return to the Lingbao Temple..."

Li Qingyun stood up, waving his sleeve as if generating magnetic force.

The folded paper figures, which had come alive and were leaping around the courtyard, immediately flew into his sleeve. Their "life" dissipated, and they turned back into a pile of ordinary folded paper.

He looked up at the sky above the pavilion's corner, his expression shifting. He then leaned down and said, "Zhou Heng, I'll leave this butterfly for you to play with. Go find your mother."

Zhou Heng was obedient, holding the paper butterfly and hopping away.

"So you're Li Qingyun. You did well last night! With such a good illusionary technique, it seems you were the key to breaking the deadlock..."

Above the Zhou Mansion, a middle-aged figure suddenly appeared.

The man stood in the air, wearing a black robe with gold trim. His face was stern, and three black whiskers on his chin fluttered in the wind.