"Click, click—"

The sound of the jade talisman shattering was so crisp it sent shivers down one's spine.

The fine golden lines spread across the surface of the blood-red rune, like cracks in the ice of a lake in early spring, each line flowing with ancient and mysterious runes. When the last chain snapped, the entire blood-red archway trembled violently, emitting a teeth-grinding creak.

"boom!"

The moment the blood talisman exploded, countless vengeful spirits surged out like a flood bursting its banks.

Strangely, these hideous vengeful spirits automatically split up when they approached Bai Ying, like a turbulent river encountering a pillar in the middle of the stream.

A female ghost dressed in a tattered wedding gown suddenly stopped. Her mutilated face gradually regained its former beauty under the moonlight, and she bowed gracefully to Bai Yingying.

The hem of the blood-stained wedding dress swayed gently in the wind, revealing shoes embroidered with twin lotus blossoms.

"ah!!"

Xuan Chengzi's scream shattered the silence of the night. His Taoist robe was torn into countless pieces by the vengeful spirits, and his exposed skin was covered with dense, dark blue handprints—there were the withered finger marks of an old man, the slender finger marks of a woman, and even more of the small handprints of children.

Most terrifyingly, these handprints seemed to wriggle as if they were alive, dragging him little by little toward the ground.

"Master, save me! Save me..." Xuan Chengzi's cries for help came to an abrupt halt.

To everyone's horror, he discovered that his left leg, below the knee, was completely embedded in the bluestone slab, and the hard surface was now rippling with eerie waves like a swamp. He frantically waved his hands, trying to grab onto something, his fingernails scratching ten bloody marks into the stone.

The entire long street was deathly silent.

The most shrewish man from before was now cowering in a corner like a quail; the butcher who had threatened to cut Xia Qingdai into a thousand pieces was slumped on the ground, even his machete was lying there; several idlers who had thrown stones at the princess's mansion were chattering, making a "clucking" sound.

They couldn't understand why the powerful Master Xuancheng was so easily defeated by this seemingly weak girl.

"Splash—"

Just as Xuan Chengzi was about to be completely dragged into the ground, a streak of azure light streaked across the night sky like a meteor. Wherever the light passed, the solidified crimson sparks retreated, tracing a clear trajectory in the air. A withered hand emerged from the azure light and abruptly gripped Xuan Chengzi's wrist, which was already embedded in the ground.

"rise!"

With a low shout, Xuan Chengzi was dragged out like a dead dog and slammed onto the bluestone slab with a "thud". He was covered in foul-smelling black mud, and his Taoist robe was already tattered, revealing skin covered with bluish-black handprints - those handprints were still writhing, as if unwilling to let their prey be taken away.

With a flick of his sleeve, the newcomer sent an ancient bronze bell soaring into the air, emitting a clear and melodious sound. The vengeful spirits clinging to Xuan Chengzi immediately let out shrill screams, turning into wisps of black smoke as they were sucked into the bell.

"Master!" Xuan Chengzi cried out as if he had seen a savior. He scrambled towards the figure in blue and clung tightly to the person's legs.

His fingers were white from the excessive force, and his fingernails were filled with dirt and blood. "Please save me! This witch...this witch is trying to kill me!"

His voice was a mixture of sobs and ecstasy, and his face was contorted with tears and snot streaming down his cheeks.

The figure in cyan silently looked down at his most prized disciple, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. He gently raised his hand, and a beam of clear light enveloped Xuan Chengzi, causing the still writhing cyan-black handprints to gradually fade away.

Xuan Chengzi was trembling uncontrollably. Just now, he had truly felt the fear of death—the claws of those vengeful spirits had pierced his soul, and the suction from the ground almost tore his three souls and seven spirits apart.

Now that he had survived the ordeal, his gaze towards Bai Ying was filled with not only boundless hatred but also an undisguised fear.

"Master, quickly slay this demon!" Xuan Chengzi suddenly pointed at Bai Ying with a frenzied rage, his voice shrill and piercing. "She destroyed the blood talisman you bestowed upon me and almost took my life!"

Only then did the people see clearly that the newcomer was an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face. He wore a black Taoist robe embroidered with the Big Dipper, and a purple-gold bell jingled at his waist. Most peculiar was the blue mist swirling around him, within which dragon-like figures could be vaguely seen moving. Several sharp-eyed people suddenly knelt down, their foreheads slamming heavily onto the bluestone slabs: "It's Master Xuanyin! I've seen the immortal's image at Qingyun Temple!"

The crowd immediately stirred. "Master, please stand up for us!"

"That vixen has caused countless harm!"

Xuan Chengzi wiped the blood from his face, his eyes blazing with renewed arrogance. He straightened his back and pointed triumphantly at Bai Ying: "Rest assured, everyone, my master is a Nascent Soul stage expert. This demoness is no match for him!"

The people also shouted in unison, "Kill this witch!"

"Please, Immortal Master, rid us of this scourge!"

But no one noticed that the Xuan Yin Ancestor's face was extremely pale—his once ethereal face was now ashen, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead and even his beard trembling slightly.

"shut up!"

Suddenly, the Xuan Yin Ancestor roared, and a beam of green light flew out from his sleeve, striking Xuan Chengzi's face with a "smack".

He was knocked so hard that he rolled three zhang away.

To everyone's disbelief, this renowned Nascent Soul ancestor straightened his robes and bowed deeply to Bai Ying, his forehead almost touching the ground.

"Fairy Xia, please forgive me! This old Taoist priest failed to discipline this wicked child properly, allowing him to offend you."

These words exploded like a thunderbolt from the heavens above everyone's heads. Xuan Chengzi lay on the ground, half his face swollen high, yet he forgot the pain: "Master...Master? Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? This demoness..."

"You beast!" A golden-glowing Immortal-Binding Rope flew from the Xuan Yin Ancestor's sleeve, binding Xuan Chengzi tightly. He then kicked Xuan Chengzi hard in the inside of his knee, the sound of bones cracking clearly audible. "Kneel down! Apologize to Fairy Xia!"