Chapter 23: The Evil-Breaking Divine Needle
Chu Yun's voice echoed beneath the tower, and everyone stood frozen in shock. The Demon King! A being known only in legend, an ancient demon whose power shook the entire world! And the mastermind behind Shadow Pavilion was actually attempting to absorb the Demon King's power?! This wasn't a simple grudge, nor was it just some ordinary rebellion; this was simply... insanity! "Why would he do this?" Mo Li's voice was filled with astonishment. "I don't know," Chu Yun shook his head. "I only saw the fragmented image, not his purpose. Perhaps he wanted to become stronger, or perhaps he had a greater agenda." "Whatever his purpose, he must be stopped!" Li Ge's voice was filled with an unprecedented solemnity. "If he truly absorbs the Demon King's power, no one in this world will be able to check him." "But... how can we stop him?" The bearded man's voice trembled. "He can control the Mo family's mechanical devices and harness the power of the Demon King... How can we defeat him?" Chu Yun remained silent, clutching the jade pendant tightly. He remembered his father's sacrifice, the destruction of the Evil Suppression Division, and the infamy borne by the Mohist Clan. Everything pointed to the mastermind lurking in the shadows, intent on subverting everything. He had to stop him; his father's sacrifice couldn't be in vain! "Let's enter the Tianshu Tower first," Chu Yun said gravely. "Since he left clues to guide us here, he's confident he can defeat us within." "But... the door to the Tianshu Tower can only be opened by the Mohist core bloodline," the bearded man said. "I'll do it." Mo Li's eyes regained their resolve. She extended her right hand again, biting her index finger, and quickly drew intricate blood-red sigils on her palm. "In my name, Mo Li of the Mohist Clan, I request... to open the Tianshu!" She slowly pressed her blood-stained hand toward the empty air before her. This time, there was no Shadow Pavilion to stop her. "Buzz—" A low, humming sound echoed through the air. In front of Mo Li's palm, a ripple, invisible to the naked eye, rapidly spread, and a shimmering circular archway, composed of countless tiny gears and energy circuits, emerged from thin air. The archway slowly opened to the sides, revealing a passageway spiraling upward. On either side of the passage stood towering metal puppets. These puppets were pitch black, wielding massive black broadswords, their eyes gleaming an unnatural crimson. "Is this... the Mo Clan puppet guard?"
Chu Yun's voice echoed under the giant tower, and everyone was shocked by his words and stood there in shock.
The Demon King! He existed only in legend, a mighty ancient demon that made the entire world tremble! And the mastermind behind Shadow Pavilion was actually trying to absorb the Demon King's power?! This wasn't just a simple grudge, nor was it just some ordinary rebellion; this was simply... insanity!
"Why did he do this?" Mo Li's voice was full of surprise and suspicion.
"I don't know." Chu Yun shook his head. "I only saw the broken picture, but didn't see his purpose. Maybe he wanted to make himself stronger, or maybe he had a bigger plan."
"No matter what his purpose is, he must be stopped!" Li Ge's voice was filled with an unprecedented solemnity. "If he truly absorbs the power of the Demon King, no one in this world will be able to check and balance him."
"But... how do we stop him?" The bearded man's voice trembled. "He can actually control the Mohist mechanical techniques and harness the power of the Demon King... How can we defeat him?"
Chu Yun remained silent, clutching the jade pendant tightly. He recalled his father's sacrifice, the downfall of the Evil Suppression Division, and the infamy the Mohist School bore. Everything pointed to the mastermind hidden in the shadows, intent on subverting everything. He had to stop him; he couldn't let his father's sacrifice go in vain!
"Let's enter the Tianshu Tower first." Chu Yun said in a deep voice, "Since he left clues to guide us here, it means he is confident that he can deal with us in the tower."
"But... the door of Tianshu Tower can only be opened by the core bloodline of the Mo family." said the bearded man.
"I'll do it." Mo Li's eyes regained their determination. She stretched out her right hand again, bit her index finger, and quickly drew a complex blood-red mark on her palm.
"In my name, Mo Li of the Mo family, I request... to open the Tianshu!"
She slowly pressed her blood-stained hand toward the empty air ahead. This time, there was no Shadow Pavilion to stop her.
"Buzz—"
A low humming sound echoed through the air. In front of Mo Li's palm, a ripple, invisible to the naked eye, rapidly spread, and a shimmering circular archway, composed of countless tiny gears and energy circuits, emerged from thin air. The archway slowly opened to the sides, revealing a passageway spiraling upward.
On both sides of the passage stood tall metal puppets. These puppets were pitch black, holding huge black broadswords, and their eyes flashed an unnatural scarlet light.
"Is this... the Mohist puppet guards?" Chu Yun frowned. He could sense that these puppets exuded a cold and malevolent aura that was the same as the Shadow Pavilion's sorcery.
"Something's wrong." Li Ge's voice was a little serious, "These puppets have been infected by evil spirits."
"That's right." Mo Li's expression was equally grim. "Their energy cores were strengthened by that guy's evil magic. Normal attacks are completely useless against them."
As she spoke, she took out a small slingshot from her bosom, pulled the slingshot, and a specially made projectile made of pure iron shot out at the nearest puppet with a sharp sound of breaking through the air.
"when!"
The bullet hit the puppet's chest with a loud clang of metal clashing. The puppet's body only shook slightly before remaining unharmed.
"It's useless!" Mo Li gritted his teeth, "Their defense is three times stronger than I calculated!"
"I'll do it." Chu Yun stepped forward, took out three thunder and fire talismans from his arms, clamped the talismans between his fingers, and then injected all the strength that had just recovered in his body into them.
"break!"
Three lightning bolts shot towards the three puppets in front like lightning.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Lightning exploded across the puppets, causing them to tremble violently. The jet-black metal of their bodies burned, emitting plumes of green smoke. But they didn't fall; instead, they were pushed back a few steps by the powerful impact, and the scarlet light in their eyes became even more dazzling.
"It's useless!" Chu Yun's heart sank. He knew that the "Law Field" here was suppressing his power too much. His talismans were simply unable to cause fatal damage to these puppets strengthened by evil magic.
"They've been deeply infected by the evil." Li Ge's voice sounded nearby, "Ordinary evil-breaking talismans can only temporarily hinder them, but cannot eradicate the evil core in their bodies."
"What should we do?!" The bearded man looked at the puppet guards who were slowly approaching in front of him, his voice full of despair.
Mo Li's expression turned extremely grim. She knew that these puppets were her own designs. They were her most loyal guards and also her most powerful killing machines. Now, they were being manipulated by the enemy to turn against her, and she was powerless to stop them.
"Wait," Chu Yun suddenly spoke. He stared intently at the puppets' eyes, remembering the time he'd used his own power to purify the ghost messengers. Those ghost messengers, too, had been controlled by some kind of sorcery, losing their true selves. The same was true of these puppets; they were simply forcibly "filled" with souls by a powerful evil spirit.
Chu Yun closed his eyes, and the power within him began to slowly flow again. This time, he wasn't thinking about "breaking" or "attacking." He was thinking about "life," the power of life that soothed the souls in the nightmare abyss and altered the rules of the jade pendant. If he could use the power of life to "purify" the evil spirits that had been forcibly injected into their bodies...
He suddenly opened his eyes, his vision becoming incredibly clear. He pulled a blank piece of talisman paper from his bosom, bit his fingertip, and a drop of blood dripped onto the center of the paper. He didn't draw those complex runes, but simply concentrated the power in his body into a thin line, invisible to the naked eye, and then, with extremely precise control, slowly injected it into the talisman paper.
He wanted to condense his own strength into a needle, a "divine needle that can break evil" composed purely of the power of "life"!
He flicked his finger lightly on the talisman paper, and it silently turned to ash. At the same time, a thin, golden-glowing energy needle appeared out of thin air. It hovered at Chu Yun's fingertips, emitting a faint buzzing sound.
"Go!" Chu Yun shouted softly and flicked his finger.
The golden energy needle shot out like lightning towards the nearest puppet. Its speed was three times faster than the Thunder and Fire Talisman. The attack was silent and imperceptible, like a real fine needle, silently piercing the puppet's forehead.
Chu Yun's gaze was fixed on the puppet's brow. He could clearly feel the golden energy needle piercing through the puppet's hard exterior and then precisely piercing into the core of evil energy within its body!
“Sizzle——”
A faint sound, like a short circuit, emanated from the puppet. Immediately afterwards, the scarlet light in its eyes flickered, then completely extinguished. Its body trembled violently, and with a loud thud, it fell heavily to the ground. It was no longer the sorcerously enhanced killing machine, but merely an ordinary metal statue.
"Success?!" Mo Li and Li Ge cried out at the same time. Everyone present was completely shocked by this incredible scene.
Chu Yun's face turned even paler due to this precise energy control. But he didn't stop. He bit his fingertip again, and with the blood as a guide, he condensed the second "Evil-Breaking Divine Needle", and then the third, the fourth...
One after another, golden energy needles shot out from his fingertips, accurately piercing the evil cores of the puppets.
"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"
With a series of soft clicks, one metal puppet after another fell to the ground like dominoes. The evil energy within them was instantly purified by the pure and righteous power of "life." The entire process was silent and the energy consumption was far less than the previous thunder and fire talismans. This was a "disintegration" of a higher level than destruction.
Mo Li watched the scene unfold, her eyes filled with shock. It was the first time she'd seen someone harness energy with such exquisite precision. This wasn't just a matter of talismans, but a profound understanding and application of the essence of power.
A flicker of unconcealable admiration flashed across Li Ge's eyes. Although she didn't understand Daoist techniques, she could sense that Chu Yun's attack was purer than any of his previous ones. She knew that after that inner demonic illusion, Chu Yun had taken a crucial step forward in understanding and utilizing his own power.
In less than half an incense stick of time, all the metal puppet guards in the spiral passage fell to the ground, not a single one retaining that crimson gaze. They had succeeded.
"Too...too amazing!" The bearded man stammered as he looked at the puppets scattered all over the floor. "This is simply...a miracle!"
"Don't be too happy too soon." Mo Li's voice sounded again, her face still solemn. "Since he can control these puppets, it means that his strength is far superior to ours." She looked at Chu Yun. "That move you just made was indeed powerful, but can it be used against a real living person?"
Chu Yun looked past the fallen puppet and towards the end of the spiral passage. It was pitch black there, but he knew the real enemy was just ahead.
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