"The younger generation is truly formidable."
Wufeng and Yigeng were quite familiar with each other, and since they were both cultivators of the Yuheng Lineage, Wufeng couldn't help but sigh in front of Yigeng.
Yigeng laughed and said, "Who are you talking about, young man?"
"Of course, he's the Shangbing," Wufeng said irritably. "I'm of the same generation as Zhou Wuji, how dare I call him a junior?"
He paused for a moment, then said seriously, "This guy is very powerful. Several True Person are watching him; how can I compare?"
Yigeng scratched his chin, which was hidden in his beard. "Indeed, I've been in the Demon-Expelling Hall for several years, and this is the first time the Hall Master has spoken to me so much."
"Such a genius is really troublesome."
Yigeng didn't want to flatter Zhou Wuji, but he was also afraid that if something happened to Zhou Wuji, he wouldn't be able to explain it.
Wufeng disagreed. "Why should Uncle-Master overthink it? Just assign him tasks as usual."
"He's a grown man, does he really need you to give him special treatment?"
"If they were really afraid of something going wrong, they wouldn't have put him in the Demon-Expelling Hall."
Yigeng hesitated for a moment. "That's true..."
"If even the Northern Emperor's Blessing can't protect it, what can you do?" Wufeng retorted.
Yigeng chuckled dryly, "That seems true. Oh well, I'll just assign them normally..."
Zhou Wuji and Yang Tie Ying moved to the Demon-Expelling Hall. Their rooms were next to each other, but Zhou Wuji's room was larger.
In fact, all the rooms have the same structure: one room, one window, and one door; it's just a place to rest and sleep.
Fortunately, Zhou Wuji was a steward, so there were servants to help him with cleaning and washing his bedding.
Yang Tie Ying was no match for him; as an Eighth-Rank Qi Ingestion, he had to handle everything himself.
Fortunately, Yang Tie Ying had practiced martial arts since childhood. Although his family was well-off, Yang Shuling was afraid that he would indulge in pleasure and therefore had extremely strict requirements for him.
He didn't care much about these everyday pleasures.
He traveled around with his master to practice, and he was always able to take good care of himself and his two fine horses.
Zhou Wuji was quite satisfied with this disciple. He was brave and daring in battle, loved cultivation, and was hardworking and unpretentious in life.
With Yang Tie Ying's martial arts skills, he would be able to dominate the area once he returned to Siming County.
With his grandfather's foundation, the Yang Household would dominate Siming County in less than twenty years.
Yang Tie Ying might not have thought of this, but Yang Shuling certainly did. The reason Yang Tie Ying didn't keep Yang Shuling last time was because he had even greater ambitions for this grandson.
Zhou Wuji also thought this was correct. The world is vast, and it may seem impressive to dominate a small county town, but in the end, one is just a pawn on someone else's chessboard.
Taking advantage of his free time, Zhou Wuji spent his days instructing Yang Tie Ying in cultivation.
He Mind Mirror that reflected both his inner and outer self, and could always point out where Yang Tie Ying's True Qi and strength were stagnant.
A single, targeted piece of advice is more valuable than several months of hard practice by Yang Tie Ying himself.
During this time, Zhou Wuji became acquainted with the group from Ding Group and gained a general understanding of each person's situation.
Everyone treated him with great respect; in the Demon-Expelling Hall, cultivation level was still the most valued criterion. Being able to fight earned respect.
Regardless of Zhou Wuji's abilities, his apprentice Yang Tie Ying alone is ranked in the top ten in Ding Group.
During a casual conversation that day, someone said that it would be more convenient to learn the Water Mirror Technique when going out on errands, as many things could be recorded through the water mirror...
A single sentence reminded Zhou Wuji that when he entered the Heavenly Authority Hall for seclusion, he only selected a few of the most important and fundamental Secret Method.
Now he realized that one could actually cultivate the Water Mirror Technique at the Sixth Rank.
This Law Technique itself is not very difficult, but it consumes a lot of True Qi and Divine Sense, and each time it is used, it must be stored in fine jade.
Having the Water Mirror Technique is quite useful when traveling.
Zhou Wuji immediately went to the Heavenly Authority Hall and spent one hundred taels of silver to obtain the Water Mirror Technique.
After reviewing the manual several times in the Heavenly Authority Hall, he returned to his room and invested two two-ounce life stones, thus elevating the Water Mirror Technique to the Great Perfection level.
The main reason is that his Divine Sense is strong, even surpassing that of Fourth Rank cultivator like Lu Wuyuan.
Therefore, practicing this Law Technique becomes very easy.
Zhou Wuji went to the Tianji Hall and bought several exquisite white jade plaques, each only two inches square.
The finest white jade has virtually no impurities and can store Divine Sense for a long time.
The Water Mirror Technique involves using Divine Sense Divine Sense reflect all directions and store everything seen within the jade artifact.
The jade tablet can repeatedly store Divine Sense; however, multiple storage will cause the Divine Sense Divine Sense to overlap, thus destroying its integrity.
Zhou Wuji found it very interesting; the Water Mirror Technique was like a camera, and the jade tablet was like a storage hard drive.
He first used the Water Mirror Technique to reflect his own sword practice.
After storing it in the jade tablet and looking at it again, Zhou Wuji felt that he was both handsome and beautiful, truly like a sword immortal.
Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful it is, it can only be appreciated by oneself. If there were a Law Power network that could upload it, it would probably attract many beautiful women, right?
In mid-July, Yigeng called Zhou Wuji over and said, "Something has happened in Jade River County. It is said that there are ghosts killing and eating people in the villages, and some people have already died."
"The Jade Star Temple there couldn't solve the problem, so they sent a letter asking for help."
" Jade River County is very large, with well-developed water transportation, numerous gangs, and many Devil Cultivator cultivators.
"East of the Jade River lies the Yue Ridge Mountains, teeming with bandits. The situation there is quite complex, and I fear that others might not be able to handle the situation. I can only trouble you, fellow Daoist, to make the trip..."
Zhou Wuji nodded. "This is my duty, there's no need for you to be so polite, sir."
Yigeng was very satisfied with Zhou Wuji's attitude. He said, "Then let's set off today. We'll be going upstream on the Jade River, so it'll be faster for you to ride horses."
"I've sent Shang Ming with you. He's been to the Jade River several times and knows the area very well."
The situation was urgent, Zhou Wuji used the Five Spirit Pouch to pack his luggage and also took many of Yang Tie Ying's belongings.
Shang Ming was a twenty-year-old Daoist priest with the Eighth-Rank Qi Ingestion and the Eighth Rank Hidden Force. He had bright black eyes and a cheerful personality. Every time he met Zhou Wuji, he would respectfully bow and greet him.
Zhou Wuji had a good impression of Shang Ming. When he saw that Shang Ming was carrying a large bag, he used the Five Spirit Pouch to help Shang Ming put it away.
With their luggage gone, the three of them were able to travel much faster on horseback.
Shang Ming's horse was a decent steed, though it couldn't compare to Wind Chaser or Crimson Cloud, its speed wasn't slow either.
It was mid-July and the weather was scorching hot. There was no shade on the main road, and after walking for a short while, Shang Ming and Yang Tie Ying were sweating profusely from the sun.
Zhou Wuji wore a sun hat, but seemed quite carefree.
He possesses abundant True Qi, and it is not difficult for him to constantly circulate his True Qi to adjust his own state.
Once the Profound Yin Sword Qi within the Tianji Sword circulated once, a cool aura emanated from his body.
He also held a white jade whisk, which could generate a gentle breeze.
Even though he was wearing a thick, gold-embroidered Daoist robe, Zhou Wuji wasn't hot. Seeing the two juniors' faces burning from the heat, he would wave his whisk to share some coolness with them.
Shang Ming was extremely envious. "Uncle-Master, your Law Artifact is amazing. I'll definitely buy one when I have money in the future."
Yang Tie Ying scoffed, "This is a magical Law Artifact bestowed upon us by the Heavenly Master's Manor; it wasn't bought."
Shang Ming was even more envious. "Uncle-Master is amazing!"
"Haha, keep cultivating, and you'll get it all," Zhou Wuji encouraged.
He quite liked Shang Ming's personality; he was cheerful, generous, and could take a joke.
Yang Tie Ying is not usually very talkative, but it's nice to have Shang Ming around and chat with him.
Taking this opportunity, Zhou Wuji inquired about the situation in Jade River County.
Shang Ming had been to the Jade River and knew something about the situation there.
He said, "Everyone in the Jade River practices martial arts, and there are several large gangs. These gangs are backed by powerful figures in the martial arts world, who are themselves local gentry and nobles."
"They have powerful sects backing them and connections with the government. The situation in the Jade River is very complicated; it's best to stay away from the local gangs..."
Shang Ming had clearly learned his lesson in this regard, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant when he talked about it.
Zhou Wuji nodded. The situation sounded even worse than in Siming County, but it had nothing to do with him.
Even in the previous life, there were always people who used violence to form gangs and make money.
Not to mention that this world is so backward and closed off, and has powerful martial artists and cultivators, it would be strange if there weren't any gangs.
The three of them rode horses all day, and by the time they rested in the evening, they had traveled less than two hundred li.
This is already an extremely fast speed; a horse can't maintain such a high speed all the time, especially in this hot weather.
In contrast, Zhou Wuji's Flying Star Armored Horse Technique was tireless, covering a speed of a hundred li per hour, and could run for several hours in a row, surpassing 99% of the best horses in the world.
The next day, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), while it was still dark, Zhou Wuji set off with the two children. Traveling in the dark was more comfortable than being exposed to the scorching sun.
When it got to the hottest time of noon, Zhou Wuji took the two children to find a place to rest.
After traveling for two days, they arrived in Jade River County City on the third day.
From afar, you can see the mighty river flowing, and near the county town, a large number of boats are moored along the banks, with people coming and going at the dock, creating a lively scene.
Yang Tie Ying said, "Master, it's much more lively than Siming."
Siming also relies on water transport, and its commerce is quite prosperous. However, the scale of the wharf in Jade River County City is much larger than that in Siming County.
The city was also much larger, with a vast city wall visible from afar, and outside the city wall stretched a large shantytown that seemed to go on forever.
Shang Ming pointed to a hill in the west of the city and said, "Uncle-Master, the Jade Star Temple is over there."
As the three walked through the city, they attracted a crowd of onlookers, some of whom gave them rather unfriendly looks.
This was the first time Zhou Wuji had encountered such a situation. Daoist priests were popular everywhere for slaying demons and monsters.
Upon arriving at Jade Star Temple, Shang Ming hurriedly went inside to announce his arrival, and soon led out a middle-aged Daoist priest of about thirty years old.
The middle-aged Daoist priest wore a dark blue Daoist robe and had only a wooden hairpin in his hair, looking quite simple.
"I am Wuyun, the abbot of Jade Star Temple. Greetings, fellow Daoist." The middle-aged Daoist bowed first.
Zhou Wuji returned the greeting. " Wuji of the Demon-Expelling Hall."
"So it's Master Hongde. I've heard of your esteemed name."
Wuyun was very polite, and immediately began to flatter Zhou Wuji.
Zhou Wuji didn't know if the other party had genuinely heard of him or if Shang Ming had introduced him, so he exchanged a few polite words with him.
Wuyun led Zhou Wuji and the others into the Daoist temple and gave a brief introduction to the temple.
Jade Star Temple very big, but it has a main hall with three bays, side halls on both sides, a rear hall, and a large backyard.
Wuyun settled Zhou Wuji and the others in the backyard, and several young Daoist priests came to help.
Several young Daoist priests were quite surprised to see Zhou Wuji throw out a large pile of items with a flick of his sleeve, clearly having never seen such a method before.
Wuyun, standing to the side, repeatedly praised, " Five Spirit Pouch, Fellow Daoist, your skills are truly remarkable."
Zhou Wuji smiled. This Daoist priest was indeed very polite, but he could distinguish between the Five Spirit Pouch and the Five Yin Pouch, so he did have some discernment.
Upon reaching the side hall, Wuyun had someone bring over chilled plum juice before speaking, "Fellow Daoist, you've come at the right time. Ghosts are rampant in Lin Household Gully, but I can't discern what they are. Dozens have already died, and the remaining hundred-odd residents of Lin Household Gully have temporarily moved away..."
After hearing the situation, Zhou Wuji said, "Let's go there now."
Wuyun was surprised that Zhou Wuji was in such a hurry. He said, "Fellow Daoist has come from a long journey, please rest first."
"It's not too late to rest after dealing with the ghosts."
Wuyun exclaimed in admiration, "Fellow Daoist, your actions are swift and decisive; I am far inferior to you..."
Wuyun led the way, with Zhou Wuji, Yang Tie Ying, and Shang Ming following behind.
The four men rode their horses along the rugged mountain path and arrived at Lin Household Gully just before dark.
The village is small, with dozens of wooden houses built on a gentle hillside, which look quite simple.
The hillside has been extensively terraced, and on the other side of the village is a ravine with a shallow river flowing down its length.
Before Zhou Wuji even entered the village, he could see a cloud of Yin Qi gathering above it from afar.
The sun had just set, and the sky was still dark, with a faint blood-red glow emanating from the darkness.
Wuyun pointed to the village and said, "I can sense ghosts hiding inside, but I can't find any trace of them."
"The village has cultivated vast tracts of land, spending over a century removing stones and sifting sand to create this fertile land capable of supporting hundreds of people. Naturally, it cannot be abandoned..."
Zhou Wuji nodded. "Let's go in and take a look."
Large patches of dried blood could still be seen inside the rough wooden huts, but there were no flies, mosquitoes, or other small insects.
The main reason is that the yin energy here is very strong, and no snakes or insects dare to approach.
Zhou Wuji activated his Six Yang Dharma Eye, but saw no trace of the ghost.
He was somewhat surprised, as low-level ghosts generally have very strict requirements for their environment and almost always stay in fixed areas.
Those so-called wandering souls, without the nourishment of the earth's energy, are easily assimilated by the endless spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
If the ghosts were very powerful, there would definitely be no survivors in the village.
Zhou Wuji looked at Wuyun: "Perhaps it's a ghost released by Devil Cultivator..."
Wuyun nodded. "That's possible too."
He was only Seventh Rank, so he dared not make any definitive statements. He could only listen to Zhou Wuji.
"We'll stay here overnight and see how things go."
Zhou Wuji instructed Yang Tie Ying to Shang Ming, telling them to find a clean wooden hut to rest...
Deep in the mountains, two people were watching Lin Household Gully from afar.
A burly man with a pointed snout and monkey-like face muttered, "These bastards aren't leaving yet, damn it!"
Another man, who was somewhat ugly, asked, "Third Brother, why don't we go back first?"
"If those few scoundrels won't leave, there's no point in us waiting."
The man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks punched the ugly man. "You idiot, I've gathered dozens of living souls and nurtured them with earth energy for seven days."
"Once their obsession is dispelled, we must collect the blood within the next two days, otherwise their spiritual essence will dissipate. How can we then refine the Blood Soul Pill?"
"How are we going to explain this to the Second Gang Leader?!"
The burly man with a pointed snout and monkey-like face said with a gloomy expression, "If the Second Gang Leader gets angry, he'll punch you to death, you son of a bitch!"
The ugly man looked frightened. He hesitated for a moment and said, "What should we do if those scumbags won't leave?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Third Brother, don't you have the Hundred Spirits Banner? You can kill them all."
The man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks was furious. If he had that kind of ability, he wouldn't have needed to sneak into Lin Household Gully to kill people and refine elixirs.
The man was about to shout when he heard someone behind him say, " Hundred Spirits Banner, are you a member of the Yin Yang Dao?"
Both men were terrified upon hearing this. The man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face pulled out two throwing knives from his waist and turned to throw them.
But before he could turn around, everything went black and he fainted...
Another ugly man turned around, jumped up, drew his knife, and slashed fiercely at the man behind him.
He couldn't see clearly in the darkness, only that the other person was rather tall and seemed to be wearing a long robe with wide sleeves.
Zhou Wuji casually pointed, and seven points of starlight flashed as they landed on the man with the knife, instantly freezing him in place.
The ugly man was even more frightened; his face was filled with terror, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead...