Chapter 264: The Veteran Daoist Wounded, the Wandering Immortal!

“Senior Uncle, what happened to you?” Li Yanchu quickly stepped forward to ask.

The old Daoist only smiled faintly, saying nothing, but gestured with his eyes for Li Yanchu to help him inside.

The moment Li Yanchu’s hand touched the old Daoist’s body, a sharp

sizzling

sound rang out with white smoke curled into the air, accompanied by a foul stench that made one’s stomach churn.

The old Daoist shook his head slightly and walked into his room in the temple on his own, sitting down cross-legged.

Li Yanchu’s expression changed drastically.In his eyes, this Celestial Master had always been fathomless in strength, and even now, though his cultivation had dropped a realm... He had once been the foremost among the Four Celestial Masters of Mount Longhu, and one could say the very leader of the Daoist world.

Yet now he had fallen to such a state.

“What happened?” Li Yanchu asked.

“Just had a little skirmish with a few old acquaintances, took a small wound, that’s all,” the old Daoist replied.

Li Yanchu’s gaze darkened, this was no “small wound.”

The moment he touched the old Daoist earlier, that vast, oppressive yin qi had nearly forced him back. This was clearly an extremely vicious curse!

He hesitated briefly, then drew from his robe three large jujubes from Mount Jinting and offered them.

“Senior Uncle, these jujubes contain rich life essence, they can heal wounds and restore vitality.”

The old Daoist did not stand on ceremony; he nodded slightly, then ate the three jujubes. A sweet yet sharp energy instantly flowed through his meridians and limbs.

But the dense yin qi in his body nearly erupted, not just yin qi, but also the stench of rotting corpses.

If someone else were present, they might have thought this old Daoist had returned from the dead.

A flash of clear light appeared in the old Daoist’s eyes; the black haze in the whites of his eyes began to recede downward. This was a sign of possession by evil influence.

For such a being to infect a Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, one could only imagine how terrifying this evil spirit must be.

The old Daoist suddenly barked, “This is corpse poison! Your cultivation is insufficient, leave now!”

Black vapor began seeping from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. A pungent stench spread outward, like a black demonic hand reaching for the living.

Li Yanchu’s gaze remained calm. He immediately drew out a yellow talisman and slapped it onto the old Daoist’s forehead, it was a four-times-enhanced Plague-Dispelling Talisman!

Five-colored divine light instantly enveloped the old Daoist, scattering the corpse poison and yin qi in a flash. The Plague-Dispelling Talisman was the bane of all venom, miasma, and deadly toxins!

Clear light surged in the old Daoist’s eyes, his spirit suddenly revitalized. Forming a hand seal, he cast the Taiyi Lion Seal!

A vast, majestic force poured from his body, instantly suppressing the evil and yin qi and forcing it back within without letting it erupt, pinning it down entirely.

In moments, he appeared fully recovered, his complexion rosy, none of that former frailty remaining.

“Plague-Dispelling Talisman?” He removed the talisman from his forehead, a trace of surprise in his voice.

Li Yanchu smiled faintly, offering no explanation.

The old Daoist chuckled bitterly. “I’m getting old... I’m truly useless. Didn’t expect to let you see me like this.”

“Senior Uncle, your Daoist arts are profound. Even without my help, you could have dispelled the corpse qi and evil influence. I merely lent a small hand,” Li Yanchu replied.

The old Daoist gave him a long, deep look, then nodded slightly.

“Senior Uncle, you seem to have been struck by a curse. I have here a rare treasure from an immortal’s Daoist sanctuary on Mount Jinting. It may remove the curse’s influence and replenish your life force.”

With that, Li Yanchu drew from his robes a

renshen

fruit!

Now, it contained only pure life essence, without the slightest trace of evil. Just inhaling its scent brought clarity of mind and the sense of being cured of all ailments.

“This is the legendary

renshen

fruit? They say one bite grants immortality and ascension to the clouds... and you’d part with it?” the old Daoist asked after a moment of silence.

“It is indeed a

renshen

fruit,” Li Yanchu replied, “but as for immortality, that’s an exaggeration. If it can heal Senior Uncle’s wounds, such a treasure is nothing worth clinging to.”

The old Daoist laughed heartily. “Hahaha! You do know how to conduct yourself. Xuancheng did not choose wrongly when he passed the mantle to you!”

“However, while this

renshen

fruit is indeed wondrous, it’s not something I urgently need. When you break through to the third realm in the future, taking it will have miraculous effects. No need to waste it on me now.”

He smiled as he declined Li Yanchu’s offer.

“I’ve heard that you suffered from a hidden ailment in his early years, which caused your fall in cultivation. Might this fruit be able to cure you?” Li Yanchu asked.

The old Daoist shook his head. “It’s not that simple. My problem lies in my state of mind, not something that heavenly treasures can heal. But I appreciate the thought.”

He gave Li Yanchu a deep look.

“This kindness, I accept in my heart. But in the future, don’t casually show this treasure to others. The immense life essence it contains is extremely tempting to wandering spirits and scattered immortals. It can even revive the dead and regrow flesh on white bones, its uses are countless. Beware of others coveting it.”

Li Yanchu frowned slightly. “In the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting, there were a few who saw this item in my possession. Among them was Master Jiekong from the Great Xiangguo Temple.”

Chen Yang and Xiao Ce had some friendship with him, and Ding Rou owed her life to him. As for the mysterious veiled woman, he knew nothing of her background or origins. Only the Buddhist prodigy from the Great Xiangguo Temple had once tried to seize it, making it hard for Li Yanchu to believe that man would feel no temptation.

The old Daoist, however, was calm. “Master Jiekong has a heavy mind. He may seem at risk of falling into demonic ways, but in truth he bears within him the relic of a high Buddhist monk. He would never stoop to base acts. The karmic weight of a relic is something even a Buddhist prodigy cannot withstand. As for the others, I've already put in a word. You’re under the protection of Mount Longhu, and none of the great sects would dare touch you.”

Li Yanchu blinked. “The great sects?”

The old Daoist laughed heartily. “Though the orthodox sects are strong, there are plenty of desperadoes in the unorthodox paths. For some people, the name of Mount Longhu doesn’t carry that much weight.”

This was easy enough to understand; those from the orthodox sects had backing and foundations; if something happened, they’d sit down to negotiate. But as for the demonic sects, stray cultivators, and evil practitioners, they were far less concerned; after all, they were already on Mount Longhu’s wanted list. Whether or not they offended Mount Longhu hardly mattered to them.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

With their lives already worth nothing, they feared nothing.

“Thank you, Senior Uncle, for arranging this for me,” Li Yanchu said.

“You’ve called me Senior Uncle, so of course I’ll look after you. Otherwise, wouldn’t that make me a hypocrite?” the old Daoist replied with a smile.

“These past days, I’m especially grateful for how you’ve looked after the people around me,” Li Yanchu said, bowing.

The old Daoist smiled faintly. “‘Look after’ is too strong a word. But... those two women of yours are by no means ordinary.”

Li Yanchu was taken aback. After a moment, he realized the old Daoist was referring to the innkeeper and Fang Qinglan.

He didn’t explain that Fang Qinglan wasn’t his woman. But the second half of the old Daoist’s words did catch him off guard.

“Not ordinary? Isn’t Qinglan just a martial artist?” Li Yanchu asked, surprised.

The old Daoist winked. “So you really did already know that the innkeeper from Taiping Inn is no ordinary person.”

Li Yanchu chuckled. They’d been in close contact so many times, and if he hadn’t noticed anything, he really would be a fool. Still, he didn’t explain further.

The old Daoist, a man of experience, continued, “That Miss Qinglan... her spirit is light and pure, her body clear of defilement, and her whole being surrounded by merit. I don’t know what she was like before, but now her divine radiance is concealed. Clearly, she’s been blessed with incense power and has become a wandering immortal. As for the innkeeper, her fate is magnificent and layered with heavenly mysteries. Even I cannot see through her origins.”