The Strange Taoist

Situ Yuelan did not insist. She left behind a talisman for the ghost cultivator Wuhun and said, "Since that's the case, once you've decided what you want, just burn this talisman and let me know!"

Wuhun carefully put away the talisman, then respectfully escorted Chen Ming and Situ Yuelan out of Soul Hook Cave.

"Although Wuhun is a ghost cultivator transformed from a demon, he's quite an interesting fellow."

The two left Soul Hook Cave, and Chen Ming spoke.

Situ Yuelan, however, reproached him with a pout. "I could have given him a treasure and sent him on his way. You had to say one more thing, Fellow Daoist. What if it brings trouble later?"

"You're completely penniless right now. What treasure could you give him? I was just helping you out."

"When you regain your Spirit Condensation Realm strength, finding a few treasures will be as easy as picking them up.

"If you truly wanted to give him a treasure just now, you could have taken one out directly. Why ask what he wanted? Or did I misunderstand your intentions?"

Chen Ming did not hold back, directly exposing Situ Yuelan's thoughts.

Situ Yuelan was not annoyed at having her thoughts exposed. She smiled and said, "Then I should be thanking you, Fellow Daoist!"

"You always speak so bluntly, laying people's thoughts bare for all to see. How dull!"

Chen Ming laughed heartily and summoned the Blood Bead. "Fellow Daoist Situ, whether things are interesting or dull, it makes little difference. What matters most is that you regain your strength soon and I complete the Magic Art!"

"Until I reach the Spirit Condensation Realm, I can never quite feel at ease!"

As they spoke, the two sensed the locations of the two boys, Qing Ling and Hong Ling, and went looking for them.

Following Chen Ming's instructions, Hong Ling and Qing Ling had avoided all territory with an owner, searching only in secluded places where spiritual energy was faint.

Over the past few days, they had found quite a few Spiritual Items formed from Situ Yuelan's body.

That day, Hong Ling and Qing Ling came upon a ruin.

The ruins covered a wide area. The shattered halls were ancient, and a faint air of mystery lingered over them.

"Judging by how this place looks, it must once have belonged to a sect. Perhaps it was destroyed later, leaving it in this state!"

"But there probably isn't anything good left here. Cultivators travel back and forth through the Vast Mountain Range. If there were any treasures, they'd have been picked clean long ago," Hong Ling said.

Qing Ling breathed out a stream of Yin Cold Qi. It circled above the ruins for a while, then flew back.

Qing Ling held the Yin Cold Qi and sensed it carefully.

The Yin Cold Qi she had cultivated came from Situ Yuelan, so they shared the same source.

She could sense Spiritual Items formed from Situ Yuelan's body with great precision.

On their journey, Qing Ling had sensed the locations of every Spiritual Item.

"The aura is strong in one spot in the ruins. It must be a Spiritual Item formed from Senior Situ's body. Let's hurry and retrieve it!" The Yin Cold Qi in Qing Ling's hand dispersed, and she turned to Hong Ling.

The two exchanged a nod, then took flight. In an instant, they reached the spot in the ruins where the aura was strongest.

Qing Ling stepped forward and transformed her body into a tree. Its roots plunged deep into the earth, probing beneath the soil.

Hong Ling stood watch nearby, holding the Spirit Devouring Jar.

The two had become very adept at working together. They had encountered many unexpected turns while collecting Spiritual Items before, and after several fights, they had grown far more experienced at treasure hunting.

Before long, Qing Ling's roots found the Spiritual Item buried deep underground.

She circulated her magic power, and her roots coiled around it and began pulling it up.

But no matter how much magic power she used, the Spiritual Item would not budge.

"Huh? This Spiritual Item is different from the ones we've found before. It's a Profound Yin Cold Stone!"

"Luckily, Senior Situ taught me a special Magic Art before we left. She said to use it if we came across a Spiritual Item that wouldn't move!"

Qing Ling circulated her magic power and recited the incantation.

Sure enough, the Profound Yin Cold Stone stirred. As Qing Ling's roots tugged at it, it slowly began to rise.

It was just about to work.

Suddenly, a bright yellow beam of light descended from afar and landed in the ruins.

As the light faded, it revealed a strangely shaped Taoist.

"How could a treasure like this be touched by two little demons like you?" the Taoist shouted.

His voice carried magic power and contained a Supernatural Ability.

When it entered Hong Ling and Qing Ling's ears, it was like a great bell tolling right beside them.

Qing Ling's roots, embedded in the soil, shook, and the Profound Yin Cold Stone sank back down.

Red Spirit Boy had already been on guard. The sudden attack injured him somewhat, but he reacted quickly.

Blue light flew from the Spirit Devouring Jar, forming a barrier that protected him and Qing Ling.

Then Golden Light Divine Flame shot out, followed by several Great Yin Demonic Water Lightnings.

The Taoist was utterly unafraid of such Supernatural Abilities. Yellow light shimmered from his body, and a faint sandalwood fragrance drifted through the air.

The Golden Light Divine Flame landed on him, then went out soundlessly.

He glanced at the Great Yin Demonic Water Lightnings right behind it. "So you really are connected to the Myriad Laws Sect!"

"Roar!"

He let out a roar, and the Great Yin Demonic Water Lightnings exploded in midair.

The air shook, and sparks of lightning flashed through it.

Yet the Taoist remained completely unharmed.

Hong Ling and Qing Ling exchanged a glance, understanding each other's thoughts.

They had to save their lives first.

"Run!"

The two immediately activated their Secret Methods. Hong Ling turned into a cloud of Poisonous Smoke, while Qing Ling became a stream of Yin Cold Qi, ready to flee.

But the Taoist shouted, "Where do you think you're going?"

At his cry, strange Buddhist chants rose from all directions, and bright yellow light descended, trapping Hong Ling and Qing Ling.

"This man is too strong for us!"

Hong Ling and Qing Ling immediately crushed the talismans Chen Ming had given them.

The talismans instantly turned into an ethereal wisp of aura and vanished into the unseen.

A wisp of aura descended from the unseen, and Chen Ming immediately sensed it.

He and Situ Yuelan had already been heading out to find the two boys, and they were now close!

"The talismans I gave them were crushed. They must be in trouble!"

Chen Ming spoke, and he and Situ Yuelan immediately circulated their magic power and raced toward the source of the aura.

The two moved swiftly. With their Supernatural Abilities bolstering them, they arrived at the ruins in moments.

There, they saw the strange Taoist trapping Qing Ling and Hong Ling in bright yellow light.

He continued to chant Buddhist sutras at them.

"You two demons, quickly open your minds and come serve beneath me!"

The strange Taoist had seen that, although the two boys were demons, they possessed considerable strength and potential. He had decided to subdue them.

Chen Ming was furious. Without a word, he recited an incantation, and two Great Yin Demonic Water Lightnings quietly appeared in his hand. He sent them hurtling toward the strange Taoist's back.

The strange Taoist seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He paused and actually dodged them.

But Chen Ming's Yin Lightning had another trick: two streams of Golden Light Divine Flame sprang from them and shot toward the Taoist.

"Plenty of tricks, but none of them are any use!"

The strange Taoist opened his mouth and chanted a few strange syllables. The Golden Light Divine Flame hung suspended in the air, unable to advance.