Chapter 545: Massive Absorber of Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth! Leaders of the Righteous Dao!

Colorful auspicious clouds now hovered over the sky.

This time, Li Yanchu, being experienced, quickly suppressed the pendant’s extraordinary manifestations.

However, the Clearheart Jade Pendant was replenishing the Five-Lightning Talisman’s spiritual resonance, drawing the surrounding energies of heaven and earth frantically. It simply could not be suppressed!

“The phenomena just now and the current draining of spirit qi of heaven and earth... is this related to Daoist Master Li?” the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, dressed in a crimson official robe, asked, looking more like a general than a civil official.

“Remarkable! Such a young man, already wielding a powerful treasure. His future is limitless!” Master Baoshu of Great Xiangguo Temple said.

Although the Great Xiangguo Temple had some friction with this young Daoist, Master Baoshu saw those as ordinary disputes.

Master Guanxin had colluded with the Bare Body Sect, tainting his Buddha heart, so his death was well-deserved. Even if Li Yanchu didn’t act, Great Xiangguo Temple would personally intervene to suppress and clean up its own affairs.

As for Master Jiekong, he actually bore no grudge against Li Yanchu. Their conflict in the Blissful Land was simply a matter of competing for a cultivation opportunity, and he had lost. Master Jiekong lost, and so did Great Xiangguo Temple.

As for the mysterious Master Jianan, he had never mentioned anything about Li Yanchu. Even if Baoshu knew that Jianan had clashed with Li Yanchu, he would most likely have remained uninvolved.

Master Jianan held a very high position, high enough that even the enlightened monks of Great Xiangguo Temple treated him with a degree of reverence.

Strictly speaking, Jianan’s ties to Great Xiangguo Temple were never deep; in some sense, he belonged to the wider Buddhist fraternity rather than being a disciple of Great Xiangguo Temple.

At least, that was Master Baoshu’s understanding.

Moreover, Jianan’s temperament made Baoshu, an accomplished and enlightened monk, uneasy. He was overly focused on power, haughty and indifferent.

Among ordinary cultivators, such a person might be considered morally ambiguous. Among Buddhist disciples, such a temperament made him all the more exceptional.

Therefore, unlike other powerful figures whose subordinates were dealt with by others, Master Baoshu harbored no ill will toward Li Yanchu. He did not see any reason to oppose someone so powerful who had contributed greatly to the Righteous Dao in the mortal world.

On the contrary, Master Baoshu greatly admired Li Yanchu’s character. He was aware of some of his deeds: decisive in battle, slaying demons, eliminating evil. Such a person might seem impulsive, but if you did not cross him, he would bear no personal grudge. And a personality so resolute would never fall to the Demonic Dao; it formed a foundation of the Righteous Dao.

Some young prodigies had an easy cultivation path and became arrogant; when struck, they might become disheartened. When facing powerful demonic forces, they might even commit disgraceful acts to survive.

But in Master Baoshu’s eyes, this young Daoist was firm in character, hated evil, and would not tolerate any injustice. Even when faced with calamity, he would never submit. Such a person was a blessing to the Righteous Dao of the mortal world, and Master Baoshu was willing to cultivate a good relationship with such a young prodigy and had no wish to create enmity.

At this moment, the celestial and earthly phenomena caused by Li Yanchu evoked admiration in the hearts of the three observers. Celestial Master Zhao of Mount Longhu fell silent, his eyes thoughtful.

Li Yanchu, as the disciple of Xuancheng, could very well become a leading figure of the Righteous Dao in the Kingdom of Qian in the future.

Wei City is a place of chaos; we must find a way to take him away from here

, Celestial Master Zhao thought.

Meanwhile, Master Wuse of Jingguang Temple was meditating in the camp. His inner demon had nearly broken through last time.

Until now, he had been suppressing it with Buddhist dharma, but thinking of that day when he had been misled by Daoist Spiritual Master Jiugong into killing the soldiers of Donglin Prefecture, he felt a subtle flaw in his mind.

His previously flawless state developed a tiny crack, which the inner demon seized upon. This change was extremely slight, so subtle that even Master Wuse himself was unaware, as he had only been focusing on restoring his injuries.

As spiritual energy flowed continuously into his body, this crack slowly widened. This indicated that the demonic force inside him, or his inner demon, was growing stronger by taking advantage of the situation.

Yet at this moment, the surrounding spirit qi of heaven and earth suddenly became faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

When two Yang Spirit experts cultivated together, the rate at which they absorbed the spirit qi of heaven and earth was usually similar. Even if there were differences in cultivation or technique, it would not cause extreme disparities. But now, the surrounding energies seemed to be absorbed in an instant. They were completely gone!

Master Wuse’s cultivation to heal his injuries was forcibly interrupted, and he awoke from his deep meditation. At this time, he did not attempt to sense why the spirit qi of heaven and earth was being drained so quickly, nor did he concern himself with the celestial phenomena. Instead, he took a deep breath, chanting the Six-Character Mantra aloud.

He empowered himself with a strong Buddhist ward, suppressing his inner demon.

I nearly let my inner demon escape!

Master Wuse felt chills at the thought.

This time, with his inner demon suppressed, as long as no extraordinary events occurred, it would be unable to emerge for the time being.

The loss of spirit qi of heaven and earth... it actually helped me. I wonder why?

Master Wuse felt puzzled.

He stepped outside the tent, intending to investigate the situation. Yet at the same time, a subtle worry lingered in his heart.

My inner demon’s influence over me is growing stronger, and almost imperceptibly so! If this continues, can the Buddhist wards truly suppress it? Or will I gradually be assimilated by it...

He sighed.

If it ever reached that point, things might truly be beyond recovery. Even the most powerful Buddhist wards would not be able to restrain him.

Li Yanchu paid no attention to any disturbances that might arise outside. He simply wanted to stay low-profile, but that didn’t mean he intended to hide everything about himself.

Feeling the rapid recovery of the twenty-thousand-merit-points Five-Lightning Talisman, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Is my fortune really that incredible, luck shining so brightly, or is it the Dao Dust Bead working, offering blessings for me?” Li Yanchu murmured to himself.

Earlier, he had enhanced the Clearheart Jade Pendant, spending 120,000 merit points. If this successfully restored the Dao resonance of the Five-Lightning Talisman, then this round would be a huge gain, because re-enhancing a single Five-Lightning Talisman would cost far more than 200,000 merit points.

“Enhancing the Clearheart Jade Pendant means there will now be an endless supply of talismans!” Li Yanchu laughed.

Moreover, he could effectively get a ten-thousand-merit-points treasure for free. This was certainly not a loss!

Next, he enhanced a brand-new Five-Lightning Talisman, and with that, he had enhanced the talisman six times in total. He didn’t have time to learn lightning arts personally, and talismans were the most efficient and time-saving method. With the Clearheart Jade Pendant as an infinite “power bank,” these talismans were no longer consumables!

In this light, enhancing talismans was far more practical than enhancing treasures. For the same merit expenditure, talismans delivered greater power than treasures. Treasures sometimes could not unleash their full strength due to his current cultivation level.