Chapter 81

The next morning, Master Zhang began to perform rituals in the yard.

He used cinnabar to write a "Fengdu Summoning Curse", and then used the blood of his middle finger to make a blood contract, which was signed by the Dongyue Soul-Chasing Division.

Seeing this, I hurried forward and said, "Master!"

"It's okay." Master Zhang said calmly.

Seeing him prepare everything and begin the ritual, I knew he was determined, and I couldn't stop him. Master Zhang was using the Five-Direction Ghost Chasing Soul Technique. This method is extremely harmful to the caster, and each cast will reduce seven days of lifespan!

First, one must sign a blood pact with the Soul Chasing Division, one of the 72 Divisions of Mount Dongyue. Then, one must burn the "Fengdu Summoning Curse," written in cinnabar. This will command the five directional ghosts to search for the target's three souls and seven spirits, even if that person is at the ends of the earth.

After Master Zhang burned the incense, the blood contract spontaneously combusted on the altar without any fire. Once the blood contract was completely burned out, there would be no turning back.

I was touched by Master Zhang's action. This was his mission, to eliminate demons and defend justice, even at the cost of sacrifice.

The blood pact burned, and the Fengdu Summoning Curse took over. A whirlwind blew the incantation into the sky, reducing it to ash. Master Zhang bowed before the incense table, and the Five-Direction Ghost Clan Soul-Chasing Technique was complete.

I followed Master Zhang deep into the mountains. The path showed traces of someone, presumably that demon cultivator. No wonder we couldn't catch up with him last night. If we weren't familiar with the trail, we could easily have fallen. Even in the daytime, we both walked cautiously.

"We're almost there." said Master Zhang.

There are beads of sweat on his forehead now. It has not been easy for the two of us to come this far.

After walking for about ten minutes, the steep mountain road began to curve downward. Not far from this bend, a cave suddenly appeared. The entrance was obscured by dense thorn bushes, but I knew this was the demon cultivator's hiding place.

Master Zhang stopped in front of the cave entrance and said, "Wait here first. I'll go in and take a look."

But I've come this far, how can I stop?

"I'll go too," I said.

Master Zhang knew I was stubborn, so he stopped talking and pulled out a yellow talisman from his sleeve. It was triangular and tied with a red string. He handed it to me and said, "If you see him later, just watch from a distance. I can handle him."

"Don't worry, Master." I nodded.

After receiving the yellow talisman, Master Zhang and I groped our way into the cave, one in front and one behind. As soon as we stepped into the cave entrance, a group of bats attacked us.

Master Zhang threw a talisman, which spontaneously combusted in the air, and the bats flying towards us also began to burn along with the talisman. It turned out that those bats were also made of origami, and the demon cultivator had placed them at the cave entrance as an alarm.

"Chase him!" said Master Zhang.

These bats alerted the demon cultivator, and he was now on the run. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so he definitely wouldn't have just this one.

My suspicions were correct. When we ran into the center of the cave, we saw a blood-red altar, covered with a yellow cloth, strange runes drawn in blood. Three red candles rested on the cloth, and in the center was an incense burner with unburned incense sticks. On the ground were all sorts of strange ritual implements, including bronze mirrors, yellow coins, and even a human skull.

There was no time for a thorough inspection; catching him was paramount. Master Zhang and I paused only for a moment before continuing our pursuit. By the time we emerged from the cave, we were already on the other side of the mountain. Below us lay a sheer cliff, a hundred meters high, and below us lay the churning river. A fall would surely crush us to pieces.

Master Zhang and I carefully climbed along the cliff to the ridge. That demon cultivator was really fast, actually running to such a dangerous place. But no matter where he ran, he could not escape Master Zhang's pursuit.

We chased him until noon. This part of the mountain was relatively gentle, and the road was easier to walk on. At the end of the road was a dilapidated temple. However, the only way between us and the temple was a dilapidated small suspension bridge, only a dozen meters long. It looked so dilapidated that it would break if someone stepped on it.

Master Zhang stepped onto the suspension bridge step by step. Despite the mountain wind, the bridge remained motionless. I followed him, not daring to look at my feet, and walked quickly across the bridge.

"Wait for me here." Master Zhang said.

This time, I didn't insist on going in with him. There's a rule in the Xuan Sect that if one party enters the temple, it means they're desperate and need a one-on-one duel. Although he was a demon cultivator, Master Zhang is a righteous man and naturally abides by this rule. Besides, there's no point in me going in, and I might even be a burden to Master Zhang.

Seeing Master Zhang’s back disappear at the temple gate, I could only wait worriedly.

Strangely, there was no sound in the temple. I wanted to listen for the sound of a fierce fight, but all I could hear was the whistling mountain wind.

I squatted in front of the temple. Master Zhang had been there for an hour. Anyone who could fight with Master Zhang for an hour must not be a good person. I couldn't suppress my curiosity and wanted to go in and take a look.

I stood up and tiptoed forward.

Master Zhang suddenly appeared before his eyes, carrying a sword on his back, looking calm and composed.

I knew he had won, so I quickened my pace and walked into the temple.

The man lay on the ground, dead beyond death. Around him were strange magical instruments, snake corpses, human bones, dead babies, and a broken golem.

The entire temple was filled with traces of the battle, except for the circle in front of the door, which was clean and empty. That was where Master Zhang should have stood, but if the demon cultivator was unable to do anything to Master Zhang, why did the battle last for an entire hour?

When I looked closely, I saw a torn piece of paper next to the man. I walked over to his body and simply put the two pieces together. It was a name.

I see.

Master Zhang somehow managed to extract the signed contract from the villagers of Huangjiayu, then destroyed it. This way, he could eliminate future trouble. After all, no one knew if he had any accomplices. If his accomplices got their hands on the contract, then one could imagine what would happen to the villagers after we left.

After dealing with him, we returned to Huangjiayu. As we passed the cave, we set fire to the altar and ritual implements inside. These harmful things must not remain in this world.

When we arrived at Huangjiayu, it was already four or five in the afternoon.

At this time, all the villagers of Huangjiay Village were waiting for us at the intersection.

Seeing the two of us coming out, the old man walked up to us nervously and asked us, "Master, how is it?"

"That evil cultivator has been eliminated by me." Master Zhang said calmly.

After hearing this, the villagers couldn't believe it.

"That means we don't have to sleep in coffins anymore?" The old man never thought that the fear of death that had shrouded them for decades would be eliminated by Master Zhang.

After a moment of silence, the villagers behind began to cheer loudly to celebrate this sudden good news.

In the end, Master Zhang said he wanted to change the feng shui of the village, but the villagers said it was not necessary and they planned to move out with their families.

This is good, it saves Master Zhang a lot of effort.

Finally, the village held a celebration banquet, and almost everyone got drunk. Master Zhang and I took advantage of the fact that they were still drunk and quietly left.