CHAPTER 188: JUMPING OFF A CLIFF?

“That’s a spirit possession technique?!”

Li Yanchu’s heart stirred slightly, and he was a bit surprised.

Spirit possession involved inviting a spirit to possess one’s body.

However, unlike the orthodox Daoist Deity Summoning Arts, which called upon the power of heavenly deities, the spirit possession technique invoked wild gods, and at times, even ghosts or evil spirits.

Traditional Daoist invocation used sacred chants to draw divine power from the Celestial Court, but it did not involve possession.

Spirit possession, on the other hand, called in wandering deities or entities to temporarily take over the body. It was somewhat similar to the northern custom of inviting forest spirits, but the spirit possession technique had a much broader scope.

At present, the man who was exhibiting immense strength like a mythical giant clearly had such a spirit within him, yet it wasn’t a celestial deity.

The heavy yin qi pouring off him made that clear. He must’ve summoned a Ghost King or dark entity of some kind.

As for the third person in the group, a Daoist with an ashen, corpse-like complexion, he made Li Yanchu’s brow furrow. This man carried an aura of corpse qi.

It reminded Li Yanchu of the Old Ghost Wu, who had died in the tomb of the Southern Guardian Marquis, and they shared a similarly sinister air.

“You’d better hand over the jade fragment, Ding Rou,” the corpse-tainted Daoist said coldly. “Serve our Young Master properly, or I’ll show you what I can do. I’ll turn you into a walking corpse, so you can accompany our Young Master forever!”

The man beside him, who had summoned a Mighty Ghost King, gave a lecherous laugh, staring at the young Daoist girl’s graceful figure with clear intent.

“Daoist Master Tieshan, you disgrace the Dao! Using infants to refine pills. That’s unforgivable even in the Demonic Dao! And now you’ve joined the Mount Mao Sect?”

“That sect has become a cesspool. If the elders of the Daoist world ever find out, you’ll be the first to die!” Ding Rou’s voice was cold and sharp.

She held a whisk that radiated fierce spiritual power.

Even as she spoke, there was a BOOM. The whisk smashed a boulder weighing over a hundred jin to pieces.

Daoist Master Tieshan’s face darkened. “Such a sharp tongue. If our Young Master hadn’t taken a liking to you, I’d have already turned you into a corpse puppet for... special training.”

This Daoist had none of the calm serenity one expects from the path of cultivation; he was brimming with malice and bloodthirst.

“Demonic scum!” Ding Rou snapped.

The whisk in her hand glowed with a soft golden light and swept horizontally toward Daoist Master Tieshan.

BOOM!

A dark shadow surged up from Daoist Master Tieshan’s body, leaping out to bite at the whisk and entangling it mid-swing.

At the same time, the man possessed by the Ghost King took the opportunity to throw a powerful punch at Ding Rou’s chest.

Bang!

The jade pendant hanging from Ding Rou’s neck flashed with radiant light, and a gentle spiritual barrier flared up and blocked the blow.

All this while, Blind Zhou had said nothing, but his attacks were just as fierce.

Though he disliked Daoist Master Tieshan’s depravity, he was also a follower of Mount Mao and dared not defy their Young Master’s commands.

He struck out as well, targeting the soft spirit light around Ding Rou.

“Let’s see how many attacks your little protective artifact can take,” he sneered.

“Nurturing evil spirits for protection... Daoist Master Tieshan, you’re a complete disgrace to the Dao!”

A glint of determination flashed in Ding Rou’s eyes. She was no longer willing to compromise.

She would rather die than surrender herself to Hong Baiwei, that arrogant and domineering man!

Yet her heart sank into despair.

I fear... even in death, my body will still be defiled, Ding Rou thought bitterly.

She had heard enough disturbing rumors since descending the mountain. She heard stories of grave robbers, corpse-controlling shamans, and even twisted nobles who sought out the freshly dead bodies of women for unthinkable things.

Driven by desperation, Ding Rou activated a powerful Daoist incantation, causing the whisk in her hand to burst with a blinding golden light.

In an instant, the malicious aura surrounding Daoist Master Tieshan was forced back.

She knew she was no match for them, but to preserve her purity, she rushed toward the cliffside beside the mountain path. It was extremely steep and perilous, with depths that cannot be seen.

“Stop her!” Daoist Master Tieshan shouted coldly.

Blind Zhou moved like lightning. With a tap of his foot, he dashed forward even faster than Ding Rou and reached the cliff before she did. Beside the cliff stood a towering boulder, ancient and solitary, weathered by countless years.

When Ding Rou saw Blind Zhou already standing in her path, her expression turned to ashen despair. But at that moment, one of the most feared assassins in the jianghu, Blind Zhou, whose erhu strings had slain countless, froze.

His eyes locked on something behind the boulder. It was as if he had seen something terrifying. Then, as if scalded by molten iron, Zhou abruptly darted to the side, retreating without hesitation.

This sudden change stunned Ding Rou for a second, but it was her only chance. Only by leaping off the cliff could she avoid the fate of eternal defilement, even in death.

She lunged forward and crashed directly into someone’s arms.

BANG!

It was as if an invisible barrier surrounded the man’s chest, and a formidable rebound force knocked Ding Rou backward and sent her tumbling.

Both Daoist Master Tieshan and the man possessed by the Ghost King halted immediately.

“What’s going on?!”

“Who are you?!” Daoist Master Tieshan asked darkly.

There had been someone hidden nearby and none of them had noticed! Even Blind Zhou, a top-tier killer with sharpened senses, had failed to detect him.

This whole situation reeked of strangeness.

The one who stepped forward was a handsome and refined young Daoist with an air of calm majesty. At his waist hung a weapon of ancient design, somewhere between a sword and a saber. He also wore an old-fashioned octagonal bronze bell, clearly a Daoist artifact from the Daoist temple hall of Mount Jinting.

It was none other than Li Yanchu, who had been watching the fight unfold from the sidelines. Faced with Daoist Master Tieshan's interrogation, Li Yanchu frowned slightly. This man was cloaked in corpse qi, yet wore a Daoist robe. It was a jarring contradiction.

Before Li Yanchu could speak, Blind Zhou blurted out, “That’s him! The one who took the jujube tree and killed Mancha!”

His memory of Li Yanchu was still vivid. Even Mancha’s Flying Head Barbarian sorcery, which Zhou had greatly feared, was crushed by a single palm from this young Daoist.

“So it was you! I searched high and low, only to have you fall into my lap! Perfect! I’ll capture you and hand you over to the Young Dao Master myself!” Daoist Master Tieshan said with a chilling tone.

He had already heard about the young Daoist who seized the divine jujube tree in the Blissful Land. He didn’t expect to run into him just like this. It was practically like the heavens had gifted him a promotion on a silver platter.

The burly, twisted man possessed by the Ghost King and wrapped in ghostly qi was too impatient to wait. With a roar, he launched a fierce punch straight at Li Yanchu. He had summoned a Ghost King known for overwhelming brute strength. One punch from him could turn iron to paste, and his strikes were lethal and unstoppable!

Ding Rou couldn’t help but cry out, “Watch out!”

She had just experienced that terrifying strength herself. The protective jade pendant she relied on was nearly shattered after just a few hits from that man.

Li Yanchu’s eyes gleamed like cold lightning. He calmly raised his hand and struck out with a palm!

Divine Astral Hands! Void-Splitting Palm!

BANG!

The upper half of the ghost-possessed man's body was shattered instantly, exploding into a mist of blood and vanishing! His lower body staggered forward two steps before collapsing lifelessly.

“Spirit possession? That’s it?” Li Yanchu sneered coldly.

The entire place fell deathly silent.