Chapter 125: Qingyun Temple Is a Proper Daoist Temple, Right?

Bai Hongtu responded without needing to ask any questions and promptly cast a fire talisman.

Whoosh!

Daoist Master Jin Feng’s corpse ignited instantly, and it was promptly engulfed in fierce flames.

The whole sequence was fluid as water; one shouted a name, while the other cast the spell. Their cooperation was seamless, like two halves of a single thought. Within moments, Jin Feng’s body was entirely consumed by fire.

Behind them, the group of injured cultivators exchanged looks, their gazes shifting back and forth between Li Yanchu and Bai Hongtu. These two... were way too practiced at this.

Qingyun Temple... it’s supposed to be a proper, upright Daoist temple, right...?

Even Yan Chixiao, the demon-slaying exorcist known for his bloodthirst, grinned wide. It was as if he’d just found a kindred spirit.

Meanwhile, Wang Yunting’s expression turned a bit grim. He was already badly injured by the old ape, and his internal organs were damaged. As he watched Li Yanchu chop off limbs and kill without blinking, and Bai Hongtu calmly burn the corpse in sync, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He’d thought the two young men looked carefree and handsome, showing no hint of aggression. He never expected them to act with such ruthless decisiveness.

At this time, he made up his mind.

If I make it out of this tomb of the Southern Guardian Marquis alive, I’ll never, ever deal with these two again.

He had originally only felt wary of Li Yanchu, whose swordplay was brutally domineering.

But now? Even Bai Hongtu, with his refined and delicate features, turned out to be the kind who burns bodies without a second thought. He never expected that Bai Hongtu, with his delicate, refined features, would also be such a ruthless brute who would burn corpses.

Li Yanchu didn’t realize that after he and Hongtu had pulled off that display, the cultivators trailing behind were already gripped by wariness, admiration, and all manner of other emotions.

Needless to say, even Wang Yunting was quite pleased to have such teammates at this moment. After all, the real enemies here were the old ape and the Bare Body Sect.

Li Yanchu raised his voice and called out, “Everyone, be careful! The remaining members of the Bare Body Sect are likely still nearby, so watch your backs and stay alert!”

This sect was far too insidious. They’d managed to set deadly traps without anyone noticing, and even embedded people like Daoist Master Jin Feng right within their group. At once, the crowd’s expressions turned more guarded.

Yet at the same time, having someone like Li Yanchu among them gave them a bit more peace of mind. After all, both the yin-yang master and Daoist Master Jin Feng had already died by his hand.

And from what Jin Feng had implied before his death, Li Yanchu had apparently disrupted the Bare Body Sect’s schemes more than once. A young man like that was truly impressive.

Li Yanchu walked over to Bai Hongtu, speaking quietly, “Be careful.”

Bai Hongtu understood instantly and gave a subtle nod. After all, even now, there might still be Bare Body Sect infiltrators hidden within the group.

Though several top experts had managed to trap the old ape, its demonic qi was only intensifying. Its attacks were getting sharper and more violent by the moment.

Even Master Shenshan and the others were beginning to feel immense pressure. Who would’ve imagined that a single demon ape sealed in a tomb could possess such terrifying power?

What made things worse was that the cooperation among the experts wasn’t ideal. Shenshan and Yuanyi, being from the Buddhist and Daoist sects, radiated bright, righteous energy and spirit essence. But Old Ghost Wu carried a heavy death qi and corpse qi. Those two energies naturally clashed.

As for Granny Chang, her power was a mix of both orthodox and sinister forces. The razor-thin wires in her hands were eerie and dangerous. And yet, she could also perform mystic Daoist hand seals, which was utterly baffling.

As a result, the group’s siege on the old ape wasn’t a matter of simple math. It was messy and mismatched.

Bang!

Old Ghost Wu took a solid punch to the chest from the ape and stumbled seven or eight steps backward, nearly losing his footing. As he stumbled, each of his steps left deep craters in the ground.

At this point, his hair was loose and wild, and fangs jutted out from the corners of his mouth. His jet-black, glossy fingernails were razor-sharp and stretched over half a chi long. He no longer looked human, and instead looked like a

jiangshi

!

When Li Yanchu leapt into action and saw Old Ghost Wu’s appearance, he too was taken aback.

Isn’t this guy supposed to be from the corpse-rearing lineage!? Why does he look more and more like an actual jiangshi!?

If someone didn’t know better, they’d probably think some evil corpse had escaped from the depths of the tomb.

There was no denying it; some people were just born to be the center of attention, like Li Yanchu. Although the old ape was locked in a fierce fight with several top experts, it had not yet completely lost control. But the moment Li Yanchu stepped onto the platform, an overwhelming killing intent surged in the ape’s eyes.

“ROAR!”

A deafening roar erupted from its throat.

In that instant, the aura surrounding the old ape surged upward and grew even more intense. The leading experts besieging the old ape took the brunt first, and the pressure on them instantly intensified.

At this moment, Master Shenshan shot a glance at Li Yanchu.

A young man with courage is admirable, but your presence just made this ape lose its mind...

He had just opened his mouth and was about to tell Li Yanchu to step back, when suddenly, his eyes widened.

This high-ranking monk, with profound Buddhist cultivation and rich battle experience, couldn’t help but be shaken. Li Yanchu had actually just tossed the powerful Demonslayer Pestle back to the old ape!

If he knew how to wield it, that’d be one thing. But as it stood, it looked exactly like he was tossing the Demonslayer Pestle directly into the old ape’s hands!

Seeing this, the few top experts were instantly stunned, and Master Shenshan stared at Li Yanchu in disbelief.

This young man had been righteous and unyielding all along the journey. He was calm, composed, courageous, and without equal. Who would’ve guessed he was a traitor who’d hidden himself so thoroughly?

In a split second, killing intent surged in Shenshan’s heart.

He’d been watching Li Yanchu this whole time, and if he turned out to be a plant from the Bare Body Sect, or some other hidden force, he’d be far more dangerous than people like the yin-yang master or Daoist Master Jin Feng!

“Vajra Hellbane!” Shenshan let out a thunderous shout, and his body blazed with Buddha’s golden radiance.

A majestic vajra phantom materialized behind him, but just as he was about to strike, he suddenly sensed something wasn’t right. The old ape’s aura abruptly plummeted, and the intense malice surrounding it significantly faded.

With a single slash, Li Yanchu brought his saber down on the old ape’s neck with fierce battle intent and blazing murderous qi.

Huh?

In an instant, Shenshan’s thoughts whirled, and instead of aiming for Li Yanchu, he struck the old ape with a Vajra Hellbane Great Hand Seal.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Boom!

Having just caught the Demonslayer Pestle, the old ape was momentarily dazed, standing there stunned. Two conflicting energies inside him seemed to be wrestling for control. Caught completely off guard, he was struck by Shenshan’s golden palm.

At the same time, Li Yanchu swung his Jiaoslayer down. Though it didn’t pierce the old ape’s defenses, the strike left a white mark on its neck.

Immediately, the old ape let out a miserable howl. Seeing this, everyone rushed forward and began beating the fallen beast while it was down.

Incredibly, the entire battle took a dramatic turn, all because of one unexpected move.

“Don’t take his life!” Li Yanchu shouted.

The moment the old ape caught the Demonslayer Pestle, its aura dropped off a cliff, confirming Li Yanchu’s suspicion that there was some strange connection between the pestle and the old ape.

The veteran experts surrounding the ape were quick to react. Li Yanchu’s words made them realize that this pestle not only protected the old ape, but also acted as a seal on its true power. With magical artifacts like this, if the one being suppressed were to face a life-or-death threat, it could trigger a violent, uncontrollable backlash.

At this time, Li Yanchu stood with his saber drawn and faced the now greatly weakened old ape.

“Go,” he said. “Take your pestle and go back. Staying here will only get you killed.”

Earlier, he had used Qi Sight to inspect the old ape. Though the beast was shrouded in demonic qi and exuded intense murderous intent, there was no bloody murderous qi around it.

On the contrary, there was a faint spiritual resonance hovering around its body. It seemed this old ape wasn’t just a beast, but a creature with spirit essence.