Chapter 317: One Hundred Thousand Merit Points! Azure-Silver Needles! Divine Sand! Soul-Summoning Bell! Immortal Grace!

The Xinyi Dao, the troublemakers of Feiyun Prefecture, were scheming something major within this desolate tomb and yellowed scroll.

They offered the brilliant precious treasure, the Firefly Fruit, as payment, summoning the Twenty-Four Heretics of Feiyun Prefecture to lend their hands.

Just moments ago, these demons and monsters were plotting to capture Lu Li alive, strike directly at the enemy’s stronghold[1] to kill the innate eccentric Grand Marshal Lu, and then rush to the soon-to-emerge Jade Altar Blissful Land to seize their chance at fate.

Now, all of that had turned to nothing! The Xinyi Dao’s guardians, the Twenty-Four Heretics of Feiyun Prefecture, had all perished.

Even the sect master of the Xinyi Dao, Daoist Bichen, who had feigned death to return to life and secretly refined his terrifying, monstrous body, had been utterly destroyed.

This was the truth, as the saying went, “For every foot the demon chi, the Dao rises ten zhang[2].”

“Heaven and Earth in their natural state, foul qi disperse; cut down demons, bind evil, ferry the multitude; ill-omen scatter, Daoist qi endure. Swiftly, in accordance with the command!!”

After Li Yanchu recited the Purifying Heaven and Earth Mantra, a wave of clear, rising energy radiated outward from him. Corpse qi, demonic qi, ghost qi, and monster qi dissipated.

Otherwise, after slaying the monstrous flesh creature and the six-armed Great Demon God, the lingering evil qi could easily give birth to strange phenomena. Even the birth of a single corpse-spirit or malevolent ghost could have claimed countless lives.

Once everything was resolved, Li Yanchu finally rose, preparing to continue his journey. Meanwhile, Daoist Zhao Youwei expressed a desire to accompany him.

Li Yanchu considered briefly, then took him along, as well as the bewitched scholar Cao Xing. As for Lady Yun, there was no question; she flew straight back into the Dragon-Tiger Scepter.

Then, Blackie somehow appeared out of nowhere and rushed like a gale.

“Good heavens, this donkey has become a spirit!” Zhao Youwei exclaimed in surprise, and his gaze toward Li Yanchu grew ever more reverent.

Look at him, a true Daoist master always has a strange beast following!

Li Yanchu pondered to himself whether he should get a mount of his own in the future. Perhaps an old yellow ox?

The group traveled at a steady, unhurried pace. It wasn’t until the eastern sky began to lighten that they finally reached the county town.

This place was called Donghua County. Another two hundred li to the north lay Beifeng Prefecture.

“What!? Daoist Li, you know Grand Marshal Lu’s daughter?” Zhao Youwei was utterly shocked upon hearing this news.

However, upon reflection, it didn’t seem so strange after all.

After all, Daoist Li was young yet possessed such formidable skills capable of subduing dragons and tigers. Even the Grand Marshal of Feiyun Prefecture would treat a master of this caliber as an honored guest.

“Are you hoping to secure a position at the Commander’s mansion?” Li Yanchu asked.

Zhao Youwei was taken aback. “Daoist, how did you know?”

“You carry the aura of official fortune in your destiny, and you risked venturing deep into the Xinyi Dao’s territory to gather information. You’re either hunting demons or seeking to serve the court,” Li Yanchu said casually.

Previously, when Lu Li learned of the Xinyi Dao’s whereabouts, he entrusted the relics of the Jinguang Temple’s high monks to Li Yanchu and personally went to investigate, clearly valuing the matter highly.

For Zhao Youwei to try to leverage this event to advance his own status, well, it was bold, yet meticulous.

In the end, he parted ways with Zhao Youwei and Cao Xing in Donghua County, and made his way to Wei City.

Within Donghua County, Zhao Youwei was filled with excitement. “Thanks to this, I’ll surely earn the Grand Marshal’s favor!”

He could hardly wait to deliver the news.

***

Li Yanchu’s mood was equally good. Having slain the Xinyi Dao’s demon cultivators and the Twenty-Four Heretics of Feiyun Prefecture, he had earned a total of 103,500 merits. It was easily the largest harvest of his demon-slaying career. His total merit points now exceeded 400,000!

“I and the demons are sworn enemies!”

Li Yanchu’s righteous aura was palpable, and this was

absolutely

not about the merits.

Finally, Li Yanchu returned to Wei City. Stepping into this familiar place, his heart immediately relaxed.

He first went to the Taiping Inn, where the waiter greeted him warmly.

After asking around, Li Yanchu discovered that the innkeeper was not there. She had gone to the Lady Qingyi Temple to offer incense, and she said she wished to pray for his safety and blessings.

Li Yanchu was momentarily taken aback at the news, but he simply smiled and said nothing further, and turned to return to the Daoist temple.

This time, he not only gained 100,000 merit points but also acquired three magical artifacts from the heretics.

The other evil or cursed items, such as human-skin masks, antique bowls, Seven Fiends coffin nails, and wolf teeth, were all destroyed by Li Yanchu!

He burned them together with the corpses of demons and monsters using the yang fire of a martial cultivator.

The three artifacts he kept were: a summoning bell, a four- to five-cun-long azure-silver needle, and a bag of divine sand.

The soul-summoning bell was a common Daoist artifact with the ability to control and summon spirits. This particular bell was high quality and imbued with Daoist power, likely used by a Daoist skilled in exorcism. Li Yanchu retrieved it from a tiger demon.

The azure-silver needle had the property of neutralizing magical power, capable of killing without leaving a trace.

Of the three, the bag of divine sand was what Li Yanchu valued most. It was clearly a pure yang treasure, containing 360 grains in total.

It originally belonged to the earth deity Hu Jinbao, but it had a strong protective seal. Hu Jinbao likely hadn’t had time to refine or enhance it. Li Yanchu got lucky because he acted quickly.

With his lightning-fast strikes, the heretics and some demons didn’t even have time to use their artifacts before being slain.

From this haul, Li Yanchu also learned a lesson.

It seems I shouldn’t underestimate the smaller demons and spirits in the future; they might carry valuable items as well.

The larger demons tended to refine their cursed artifacts with demonic energy, which could corrupt a cultivator’s mind. They were best avoided if possible.

The old Celestial Master wasn’t in the temple; the inn staff said he had gone to a nearby village to perform a ritual and didn’t return until the afternoon.

When he did, his face was glowing with health and happiness.

It was hard to imagine that Daoist Master Zhang, who feasted and helped himself at villagers’ homes, was actually the Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, the holy site of Daoism in the Kingdom of Qian.

His status was comparable to that of royalty.

Strangely enough, when the old Celestial Master had previously traveled the world, looking down on wild spirits and demons, as well as mocking the Three Heavenly Kings of the Bare Body Sect, he had shown no trace of a distinguished aura.

Carrying a yellow-paper umbrella, he had looked extremely plain. Now, he roamed the countryside daily, exorcising spirits, performing blessings and funerals, living the life of a common Daoist. Yet his aura had grown ever more transcendent and immortal-like.

Seeing him, Li Yanchu couldn’t help but pause in surprise. For a moment, he thought he was looking at an old immortal descended to the mortal world. But looking closer, it was, in fact, his convenient Senior Uncle.

He carried a roast chicken in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, with a Taiji eight trigams satchel slung over his shoulder. Even this simple attire could not conceal his immortal aura.

Li Yanchu laughed to himself. When serving as the Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, he had been austere to the extreme. Now, living as a countryside Daoist, his immortal aura almost overflowed. This senior uncle truly had the power to impress instantly, and the implications were deeply amusing.

When the two met, the old Celestial Master was equally delighted. The two of them shared a fat, tender roast chicken, a plate of peanuts, and a bottle of aged wine, toasting together.

One had to admire the old Celestial Master’s appetite. He had just returned from a banquet. During the meal, upon hearing of Li Yanchu’s recent exploits, the old Celestial Master’s eyes widened.

The evil one from Jinguang Temple had escaped, and the remnants of the Thousand Illusions Sect had infiltrated the temple. The Xinyi Dao had gathered the Twenty-Four Heretics of Feiyun Prefecture to conspire, and Daoist Bichen had refined a soulless, bodyless monstrosity!

And all had been slain by Li Yanchu.

“Eat some peanuts, don’t just drink wine,” the old Celestial Master said drunkenly.

1. “直捣黄龙” (zhídǎo huánglóng) is a Chinese idiom that means to strike directly at the enemy’s stronghold or core area to achieve a complete victory.

It originates from the story of Yue Fei, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty who resisted the Jin invaders. After his decisive victory at Zhuxian Town, Yue Fei encouraged his soldiers by saying, “Strike straight to Huanglong Prefecture, and we shall drink together!” Here, Huanglong Prefecture referred to the heartland and capital of the Jin Dynasty.

Later, this idiom came to be widely used metaphorically to describe directly attacking the core of a problem or enemy, or in a broader sense, resolving an issue decisively with determination and strategy. ☜

2. This conveys the idea that no matter how strong or cunning evil becomes, the power of the righteous or the Dao will always surpass it, emphasizing that virtue, skill, or righteousness will ultimately outmatch wrongdoing. ☜