Chen Shuangbai didn't pay much attention to Chang Yuan.
He stood in front of the main hall, gazing at the magnificent golden statue of Buddha inside, and at the wisps of smoke rising from the incense burners before it, and a cold smile appeared on his face.
"An incompetent person who exploits the people."
"Zha!"
With a soft shout, Chen Shuangbai unleashed a bolt of cold, misty white Midnight Month Cold Light Yin Thunder that blasted the three golden Buddha statues to smithereens.
As the once magnificent Mahavira Hall collapsed with a deafening roar, the believers felt as if a string had snapped in their hearts, leaving them with a profound emptiness.
Even more extreme, some collapsed to the ground, kneeling and begging for forgiveness from all the Buddhas in the sky.
Chang Yuan was overjoyed to see Chen Shuangbai completely demolish Compassionate Light Temple.
Turning his head, he saw these foolish men and women so obsessed, even weeping for inanimate objects, and anger rose in his heart. He ordered his servants to glare fiercely at the believers kneeling on the ground, wailing and lamenting.
"Beat them! Beat them hard!"
"Anyone who dares to shed a single tear or utter a single complaint for this wicked monk and temple shall have their entire family killed!"
He was the county magistrate, and he brought with him only the best men from the county government.
The water-and-fire sticks, each the size of a bowl, suddenly rose high and fell heavily, accompanied by cries of agony and despair.
Soon, no one dared to cry anymore.
Chen Shuangbai couldn't help but glance at this mortal county magistrate, thinking to herself: He does have some discernment.
He stood before the ruins of the main hall, when several loud "screech" sounds rang out in succession, accompanied by the rumbling of collapsing bricks and stones, and white dust that had engulfed half the mountain.
This kind of deceptive and shady place should be destroyed completely.
Not long after.
Bi Sheng returned with his men, carrying seven or eight camphor wood chests.
With a series of thuds, the box landed with a dull thud.
"Uncle-Master, we found all of these in a tunnel at the back. Inside were account books recording the amount of land Compassionate Light Temple openly and secretly controlled, where its gold and silver treasures were stored in banks, as well as some old medicines, antiques, calligraphy and paintings..."
Chen Shuangbai waved her hand, indicating that there was no need to continue.
He looked at Chang Yuan, who was standing not far away, waved to him, and the latter smiled and jogged over.
"My lord, is there anything I can do for you?"
Chen Shuangbai said, "There's no need to be so formal."
"Our Jade Spring Sect receives offerings from the royal family, so it is only right that we do our part for the people of the Jing Kingdom."
That's all.
Chen Shuangbai pointed to the items and said, "The evidence of Compassionate Light Temple's crimes is all here. I'll hand it over to Magistrate Chang so he can investigate thoroughly and bring justice to those innocent people."
Chang Yuan's face flushed red, and he wanted to say something more.
But Chen Shuangbai had already left.
Then a voice came from the clouds, instructing Bi Sheng watch on the place. A cloud streaked across the sky and disappeared into the distant mountains.
It wasn't that Chen Shuangbai simply abandoned this group, but rather that he sensed from the Blood Pact that Feiguang seemed to be having some trouble dealing with those remaining foes.
Chen Shuangbai was also somewhat curious.
Logically speaking, those remnants' cultivation levels were not as high as Feiguang's, and Feiguang was a flying bird, which naturally had an advantage in speed. How could he not be able to handle those monks Early Qi Refining?
Chen Shuangbai decided to go on her own.
He steered the Flowing Cloud Flying Pouch swiftly, and before long, it gradually approached the location of the Feiguang.
Chen Shuangbai saw that in the distance, among the mountains, the Feiguang transformed into a white line, soaring up and down, sometimes rising into the air, sometimes folding its wings and diving down. But this was not because it had gone mad, but because it was trying to avoid a black cloud that was flashing with an ominous red light following behind it.
As they got closer, Chen Shuangbai was able to see clearly.
It wasn't a dark cloud, but a cluster of countless flying insects, each about the size of an index finger, with sharp, ring-shaped mouthparts at the corners of their mouths. They flapped their thin, membranous wings, emitting a high-frequency vibration that made people feel nauseous and dizzy.
Gu worms? Or Gu magic?
Feiguang also sensed its master's approach and saw Chen Shuangbai on Flowing Cloud Flying Pouch in the distance. It let out a long cry, turned into a white line, and lightly increased the distance between itself and the cloud of insects.
The swarm of Gu worms, not wanting to miss such a delicious feast, surged forward in a dense, dark mass, heading straight for Chen Shuangbai.
Standing atop the Flowing Cloud Flying Pouch, Chen Shuangbai witnessed this scene and formed a Method Formula.
The mountain was shrouded in a thin mist, rich in moisture. This Method Formula captured the mist, transforming it into a mist dragon that crashed directly into the cloud of insects.
Suddenly, a sharp laugh echoed from the mountains.
"You little brat, you've got the skill to gather your energy into mist, but how can mist compare to my Gu worms?!"
Chen Shuangbai remained silent.
A Chen Shuangbai. Any Gu insects that came near it would fall down as soon as they touched the moisture around the mist dragon, as if a rain of insects was falling in the mountains.
"Huh?"
The man in the mountain suddenly exclaimed, and then a wisp of black smoke rose from somewhere in the mountain, transforming into an old man dressed in a tattered black robe, unkempt, and resembling an ordinary beggar.
The old man picked up a fallen Gu worm and examined it closely.
The Gu worms were covered with a layer of frost, and it was this frost that had extinguished their life force.
This resulted in a situation where touching it meant certain death.
A glint of light flashed in the old man's eyes, and a terrifying aura suddenly descended, pressing down on Chen Shuangbai. But in the next instant, it was broken by an even stronger aura that surpassed the Qi Refining Stage.
"Cultivation beyond Foundation Establishment?"
The old man's expression changed drastically, but he quickly recovered.
"No, it's a token of superior cultivation... Kid, who are you?"
As the old man manipulating the Gu worms looked at Chen Shuangbai, Chen Shuangbai was also scrutinizing him.
Upon hearing this, he explained the origins of his lineage.
" Chen Shuangbai, an outer disciple of the Jade Spring Sect and the newly appointed garrison commander of Wind Howling Ford, may I ask who you are, senior?"
Upon hearing the words "Jade Spring Sect," the old man raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of the Jade Spring Sect's reputation. His previously arrogant attitude immediately wilted somewhat.
However, he was also arrogant, so he patted his chest, stirring up layers of black smoke, and introduced himself.
"The master of the Black Smoke Cave on Spirit Fang Mountain is none other than Black Feather Immortal."
Black Feather... Immortal?
If Chen Shuangbai wasn't mistaken, this old man in front of her hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment; at most, he was at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. How dare he call himself an immortal?
But instead of mocking him openly, he asked...
"I have long admired your name, but why would you target my spirit pet, senior?"
Black Feather Immortal gave an awkward smile. Without saying anything more, she simply waved her hand, and an enormous Gu worm, as large as a mosquito, flew up from the mountain, its feet gripping three people.
It was those three remnants of Compassionate Light Temple that Chen Shuangbai had sent Feiguang to capture.
The old man who called himself Black Feather Immortal touched his nose and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Young... young fellow Daoist, did you come here for these three?"