Scaring Uncle Jiu Silly! Monstrous Talent!

[Ding! Soul Town Talisman upgraded to Soul Locking Evil Dispelling Talisman!]

"This…"

Lin Fan's eyes snapped open, and he stared blankly ahead.

He couldn't help but feel excited.

The so-called Soul Locking Evil Dispelling Talisman was far more powerful than the previous Soul Suppressing Talisman!

Not only was its effectiveness in suppressing zombies greatly improved, it could even suppress other Ghosts and Monsters!

One had to know that ordinary Soul Suppressing Talismans were mostly used for zombies.

They couldn't control formless evil entities like ghosts at all.

However, the Soul Locking Evil Dispelling Talisman could suppress ghostly energy from afar!

"This is too awesome!"

Lin Fan's face was filled with joy, and before he could think further, suddenly, streams of energy flowed, heading straight for his Dantian!

A warm current passed through the Greater and Lesser Heavenly Cycles, swirling rapidly.

Several streams of pure true qi converged.

Lin Fan didn't dare to slack off. He sat steadily, holding his breath and concentrating.

Strong winds buffeted him from all sides, and one stream of pure energy after another arrived!

[System Notification: Congratulations to the host for breaking through to Houtian Realm Layer 8!]
[System Notification: Congratulations to the host for breaking through to Houtian Realm Layer 9!]

"There's such a good thing?"

Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the surging energy within him, his heart filled with joy.

The condensed energy in his Dantian was far more powerful than in Houtian Realm Layer 7!

"System, open the Attribute Panel."

[Attribute Panel has been opened!]

Name: Lin Fan

Realm: Houtian Realm Layer 9

Magic Tool: Peachwood Sword (Daoist Magic Amplification 100%)

Daoist Magic: Purple Heaven Divine Thunder (Major Accomplishment), Soul Locking Evil Dispelling Talisman (Beginner), Calming Heart Talisman (Grand Perfection)

Merit Points: 20

Skill Points: 6623

"Not far from Xiantian Realm!"

Lin Fan clenched his fist slightly, his eyes burning with fervor.

The Houtian Realm was the beginner stage.

It was merely the point where one could begin to sense Heaven and Earth, drawing the Houtian energy of Heaven and Earth into the Dantian to cultivate.

The energy was so weak it could be called negligible.

He could only rely on talismans to cast Daoist magic; his own energy was insignificant.

But once he entered the Xiantian Realm, he would truly refine his energy to perfection.

At that time, controlling his energy would be as natural as using his own hands and feet.

Even with pure energy alone, he could use it as a means of attack!

This was the true Daoist!

"Wait for the Skill Points, and then get some Merit Points!"

Lin Fan's face was beaming, and he thought to himself.

Once he saved enough Skill Points, he would upgrade Purple Heaven Divine Thunder to Grand Perfection tomorrow!

Then, he would upgrade the Soul Locking Evil Dispelling Talisman as well!

The Calming Heart Talisman required 30 Merit Points to upgrade. He had 20 points left, so he only needed 10 more!

Following his Master, he would resolve the Ren family's matters and earn more Merit Points!

The minor Xiantian Realm wouldn't be out of reach!

Although he had been leveling up crazily these past few days, there was still a lot of room for improvement!

Leveling up, awesome!

Keep leveling up, keep being awesome!

Inside the side room.

As things changed here.

Uncle Jiu was suddenly startled awake.

He felt as if the surrounding spiritual energy had been drained dry.

The air thinned slightly, making breathing feel a little constricted.

Uncle Jiu walked out of the room.

He saw the surrounding spiritual energy all slowly converging towards Lin Fan's room.

"So it's this kid. Could it be... he's breaking through again?!"

His heart trembled, and he suddenly dashed to Lin Fan's door.

Uncle Jiu moved as lightly as a swallow. At this moment, his fingers felt softer and more elastic than cotton.

Every movement seemed to be several times slower.

He was afraid of disturbing Lin Fan, who was breaking through inside.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Lin Fan had just stabilized his breathing and stepped out the door when he saw Uncle Jiu approaching him.

"You broke through again?"

Uncle Jiu was always afraid of Lin Fan becoming arrogant, so he tried to remain calm.

But at this moment, he really couldn't hold back!

How was this possible?

But Lin Fan, before his eyes, clearly had a much stronger aura!

"Uh... I jumped two heavens."

Lin Fan shrugged and said calmly.

"Two heavens again?"

Uncle Jiu's face was filled with surprise as he quickly sensed Lin Fan's aura.

Sure enough, it was Houtian Realm ninth heaven!

What kind of monster is this kid?

His improvement wasn't just surprising; it was downright chilling.

Is he even human?

"Master?"

Lin Fan saw Uncle Jiu's strange expression and waved his hand in front of him.

"You kid!"

Uncle Jiu snapped back to reality, stepped forward, grabbed Lin Fan's arms, and sighed.

"Master, I felt something after I killed the Flower Demon tonight."

"I didn't expect it, just like last time, to have a master guide me in my dream."

Before Uncle Jiu could ask, Lin Fan used his usual excuse, the same old story.

"An immortal entered his dream, it must have been an immortal!"

"Patriarch above, your disciple bows! May your blessings be boundless!"

Uncle Jiu raised his hands and kowtowed to the heavens, his face full of piety.

Lin Fan chuckled, "Alright Master, it's almost dawn. Get some rest. We still have to move the grave tomorrow morning."

"Alright, alright, go rest. Tomorrow morning, call Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng to gather in the main hall with Old Master Ren."

"Yes!"

Lin Fan nodded and stopped lingering, turning back into his room.

"The future of Maoshan is promising!"

Uncle Jiu looked at Lin Fan's retreating back and sighed inwardly.

The next day, at the graveyard.

After Uncle Jiu performed the ritual.

He walked slowly towards Old Master Ren's grave with Lin Fan, Old Master Ren following closely behind.

"Uncle Jiu, Young Daoist Lin. This grave site was hard to find. It was a good spot back then."

Lin Fan responded thoughtfully, unhurriedly, "Indeed. This spot is called the 'Dragonfly Touching Water' grave. The grave is thirty-four feet long, but only four feet are usable. It's thirteen feet wide, with only three feet usable. Therefore, the coffin cannot be buried flat; it must be buried upright."

"Young Daoist Lin, you're amazing. Such knowledge."

Old Master Ren gave Lin Fan a thumbs-up.

"Master, what do you mean by upright burial? Is it a French-style funeral?"

Wen Cai, looking like he knew everything, leaned in to join the conversation.

"Stop your babbling. Follow along with Qiu Sheng properly."

Uncle Jiu shot a sharp glance at Qiu Sheng, who had followed them up.

"Uncle Jiu, everyone has finished setting up. Can we start digging?"

A group of workers holding hoes, ropes, and carrying poles approached Uncle Jiu.

Uncle Jiu nodded in acknowledgment, and the workers began clearing the offerings from Old Master Ren's grave.

After clearing away the offerings one by one, they prepared to unearth the coffin.

"Master, what exactly is an upright burial?"

This time, it wasn't Wen Cai asking, but Qiu Sheng.

"An upright burial, as the name suggests, means burying the coffin vertically."

"Did I say that right?"

As Uncle Jiu spoke, he slowly walked towards Old Master Ren.

"Yes, that's what the feng shui master said."

"'Bury the elder vertically, and the descendants will surely prosper.'"

Ren Fa answered with a serene expression.

"Is it really effective?"

"In the past twenty years, our Ren family's business has been declining. We don't know why."

Old Master Ren couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Uncle Jiu shook his head and asked sternly, "I suspect that feng shui master had a grudge against your Ren family. Before Old Master passed, did he have any conflict with this person?"

Ren Fa's eyes flickered. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, "Uncle Jiu, you might not know this, but this grave site originally belonged to the feng shui master. My late father knew it was a good spot and bought it with money."

Uncle Jiu's expression turned cold. "Was it just a bribe, or was there coercion?"

Ren Fa gave an awkward laugh and suddenly couldn't utter another word.

"I bet it was coercion."

Without looking back, Uncle Jiu turned and walked towards the grave.

Ren Fa quickly followed.

Lin Xi stood by the grave as the workers methodically dug into the soil.

They removed the top layer of dirt.

They saw that the grave site was covered with cement.

Lin Fan waved to Uncle Jiu, "Covering the grave site with cement, what's the use of that? It should be covered with snow, and that would be a 'Dragonfly Touching Water' grave."

"Not bad, you've improved."

Uncle Jiu nodded with satisfaction. Then, he said to Old Master Ren, "He still has some conscience. He told you to unearth and rebury the coffin after twenty years, only harming you for half your life, not your entire life. Harming one generation, not eighteen."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Ren Fa nodded repeatedly, forcing a smile. He didn't want to discuss the matter further.

He quickly turned and urged the workers on.

After several hours of digging by the workers, the head of the coffin slowly became visible.

The workers brought a coffin hoist and attached the rope to the head of the coffin.

In a short while, Old Master Ren's coffin was hoisted up.

Everyone exerted their strength, and the coffin was slowly placed flat in front of the grave.

"Open the coffin!"

Uncle Jiu gave the order.

Just as the coffin was about to be opened, the crows in the forest were suddenly startled. They seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, flying around erratically in the woods, as if disturbed by something.

As the coffin lid was lifted, a wave of black gas spread out.

A foul odor filled the air, and everyone couldn't help but cover their noses and mouths.