Master Duanchen, standing not far away, gazed blankly at the two malevolent spirits that had appeared above Goodman Cui’s home, then looked down at the one he had brought in a birdcage, which was shivering with fear, a rare expression of bewilderment on his face.

His original plan had been, should Lu Yang and his companion kill the Three-eyed Ghost Child too quickly, to bring over a malevolent spirit and continue the killing spree, aiming to cause a larger disturbance.

"Where did these two come from?"

Now it seemed there was no need for his preparation, as the malevolent spirits at Goodman Cui’s house were much stronger than the one he had brought.

Master Duanchen picked up the malevolent spirit, speaking calmly and peacefully, "As one who has renounced worldly ties, compassion should be my abode. I can’t be bothered to take you back, just kill yourself."

The malevolent spirit understood human speech and shook its head vigorously.

Seeing this, Master Duanchen sighed gently, "Since you are unwilling to kill yourself, then I can only help you."

After saying this, Master Duanchen chanted scriptures and released the light of Buddha, which directly incinerated the imprisoned malevolent spirit in the birdcage.

...

The Three-eyed Ghost Monk glared viciously at Lu Yang with all three eyes, "Who would have thought that after hiding in Kaihuang City for over fifty years, I would be discovered by you today, you all deserve to die!"

"Just two juniors at the half-step to Golden Core, do you really think you can defy the heavens!"

The Hollow Shadow glared at Meng Jingzhou, its resentment overwhelming, "The power of Qi and Blood reminds me of the old monk who doomed me to become a fierce ghost, such a repugnant feeling!"

The Three-eyed Ghost Monk and the Hollow Shadow, both Nascent Soul Peak Ghost Cultivators, joined forces, utilizing forbidden secret techniques in addition to various magic artifacts, Talismans, Array Methods, and then, stirred by Elixirs that unlocked their potential and backed by the reinforcement of Cultivation Techniques at night, they could just manage to match the power of a cultivator in the initial stage of Spirit Transformation.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to show themselves so brazenly in Kaihuang City; they were confident they could escape from Master Duanchen’s hands.

Lu Yang slowly drew his Green Peak Sword, the moonlight reflecting off the blade and illuminating his furrowed brows with a brilliant shine.

Facing such formidable enemies, Lu Yang dared not hold back, "Even though I knew Goodman Cui was haunted by a malevolent spirit, I didn’t expect them to be two Great Powers on the verge of Body Integration."

Meng Jingzhou took the fighting stance of Arhat Fist, ready to launch an attack at any moment, "Three-eyed Ghost Monk, could it be that you’ve cultivated the ’Three Talents Heavenly Eye’? And this Hollow Shadow, unfathomable, must have been cultivating a world-defying Divine Ability and went mad from walking the ’Incorporeal Path’."

"Tough opponents indeed."

The Three-eyed Ghost Monk and the Hollow Shadow were somewhat muddled by these words. What "Three Talents Heavenly Eye," what "Incorporeal Path"? If we could practice such outlandish Divine Abilities, would we still be stuck at the Nascent Soul Peak, unable to break through, and then have to lurk in Kaihuang City for over fifty years?

Lu Yang no longer concealed his Cultivation Level, his aura erupting like a volcano, the space around him twisting and barely forming the shape of mountains.

Meng Jingzhou’s Qi and Blood turned into a great dragon, while his Pure Yang Power shone like a brilliant sun, illuminating the entirety of Kaihuang Temple.

The Three-eyed Ghost Monk and the Hollow Shadow, feeling the aura from Lu Yang and his companion, experienced a drastic change in expression. They had surpassed the scope of their senses.

"You’ve been hiding your Cultivation Levels! Who are you!"

"Wait, there may be some misunderstanding between us..."

"Today, even if it costs us our lives, we, two brothers, must stop you!" Lu Yang, embracing his fate, raised the Green Peak Sword, the Sword Qi soaring to the sky and the sound of the sword’s hum unceasing, frightening the Three-eyed Ghost Monk, whose already pale face turned even paler without a trace of blood.

We really aren’t at the realm of Body Integration.

"Sword Sever Eternal Ages!" Lu Yang shouted loudly, his hair ties snapping as hair fluttered in the air, one sword strike as if it were cleaving through the river of time, freezing the moment, an ordinary strike filled with his full force.

"Overlord’s Sky Punch!" Qi and Blood formed a dragon twined around Meng Jingzhou’s fists, veins popping, clothes bursting open, eyes bloodshot, his cry echoing heaven and earth, an ordinary punch thrown as if it were the last of his life.

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Boom, boom, boom—

The Green Peak Sword fell, cleaving the Three-eyed Ghost Monk in half from the middle, its cross-section sprouted countless tentacles, which put its body back together again.

Meng Jingzhou’s body shot out like a Profound Arrow, breaking through layers of sound barriers. He threw a punch that tore a large hole in the gut of the Hollow Shadow, one that could not heal.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou engaged in a one-sided battle, various Sword Qi and Qi and Blood swirling in a dazzling array, painting the sky with a riot of colors. The townspeople came out to watch but couldn’t see anything or make out who was fighting in the air.

Cui Que’er pushed open the window and looked up at the sky, noticing the kaleidoscopic movement and occasionally hearing the cries of Fierce Ghosts, terrified, she murmured, "Is this the evil spirit hiding in our house? How scary."

No one could see that the Three-eyed Ghost Monk and Hollow Shadow floating in the air didn’t dare to move; any slight movement would cause them to be hit by the attacks, leading to their death and the destruction of their paths.

As for them being able to rival the Initial Stage of Spirit Transformation through various means, facing such attacks, there wasn’t much difference between the Nascent Soul Peak and the Initial Stage of Spirit Transformation.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, having watched enough, shouted together. Their moves collided, causing a huge explosion. Taking advantage of the blinding explosion which made it hard to open one’s eyes, they swiftly grabbed the Three-eyed Ghost Monk and Hollow Shadow and handed them over to Master Duanchen, who stood next to the Cui Family estate.

Then they returned to the center of the explosion, feigning severe injuries, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood. They fell from the sky, landing powerlessly in the center of the courtyard.

"Two masters!"

Goodman Cui, seeing this, ran over heedless of the danger, trying to lift the two.

Lu Yang, lying on the ground, gestured with his hand, his breath was frail—inhaling with no exhale—and yet he mustered his body to say in a weak voice, "We have not dishonored our mission, those two have been dealt with by us brothers."

"Goodman, do not panic, we are just tired and want to take a rest …"

"Masters!"

An elderly monk’s figure appeared in the courtyard, squatting down to carefully examine Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou’s injuries.

"Master Duanchen," Goodman Cui bowed, guessing that the battle had attracted Master Duanchen.

"Master Duanchen, are these two masters in trouble?"

Master Duanchen brought his palms together in prayer, "The two benefactors are not in great distress, after the poor monk takes them to the temple, they should recover."

"That’s a relief," Goodman Cui exhaled a huge sigh of relief.

Master Duanchen carried the two back to Kaihuang Temple, holding two bird cages in his hand which contained the Three-eyed Ghost Monk and Hollow Shadow.

Master Duanchen lived up to his monastic integrity, never speaking falsely. After bringing Lu Yang and the other to the temple, they immediately bounced back to life.

For tonight, their mission was complete. What remained was to wait for Kaihuang Temple’s propaganda.

"Finally, it’s resolved."

"But speaking of which, are the Three-eyed Ghost Children from your Buddha Country always this big?" Lu Yang carefully examined the sealed Three-eyed Ghost Monk. This didn’t match the descriptions in the books. The books said Three-eyed Ghost Children were only knee-high, but the captured ghost monk was half a head taller than himself. Could this thing evolve?

"Why were you frightening Goodman Cui’s family?" Meng Jingzhou asked.

At Nascent Soul Peak, they shouldn’t need to feed on fear. Besides, scaring Goodman Cui’s family every day wouldn’t fill them up, would it?

The Three-eyed Ghost Monk angrily retorted, "Who is scaring Goodman Cui? The two of us were just discussing meeting underground tonight, we have never been to the Cui Family before!"

Lu Yang let out a light "huh," puzzled, "Then where did the Three-eyed Ghost Child go?"

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