Chapter 9: A Battle of Ideas
The golden light array flickered, emitting a humming sound as it struggled under the weight. Every time the evil spirit on the altar struggled, the entire temple shook violently. "Your formation won't hold for long," Li Ge's voice echoed in Chu Yun's ears, rapid and solemn. "I know." Chu Yun stared intently at the evil spirit on the altar, a flicker of determination in his eyes. "So we must deal with it before it breaks free!" As he spoke, he pulled the last three Thunder and Fire Talismans from his pocket, stacked them together, and held them between his fingers, pressing his other hand against his chest. "What do you want to do?" Li Ge immediately sensed his intention. "Use all my strength, combine the three talismans into one, and use the strongest force of thunder and fire to completely incinerate it!" Chu Yun's response was firm and decisive. "No!" Li Ge shouted without hesitation, "You can't do that!" "Why not?" Chu Yun turned to look at her, his eyes filled with confusion and suppressed anger. "Do you still want to wait for it to break free and make us and the townspeople outside a snack?" "That's not what I mean!" Li Ge's tone was filled with anxiety for the first time. "Look carefully, there's something trapped inside that evil spirit!" Chu Yun followed her gaze and looked back at the altar. He concentrated, mobilizing the power within him, and his eyes seemed to be able to see through the chaotic black energy. He saw that within the evil spirit's core, several small, curled-up figures emitting a faint glow. Those shadows looked like... human souls. "Are those... the children who disappeared before?" Chu Yun's voice was a little dry. "That's right." Li Ge's answer confirmed his suspicions. "The souls of Tailor Wu's daughter and the other children it abducted are trapped within the evil spirit, forming the 'core' that sustains its existence." Chu Yun's heart suddenly tightened. "Now you are using your extremely yang and powerful power of thunder and fire to forcibly purify it," Li Ge's voice became extremely serious. "The evil spirit will certainly be reduced to ashes, but the souls of the children trapped by it will also be instantly evaporated in the thunder and fire, without even a chance to reincarnate!" "Then what do you say we should do?" Chu Yun's brows were tightly twisted into a knot. "Are we just going to watch?" "I'll find a way." Li Ge said quickly, "I can use my ghost doctor skills to try to separate the souls of those children from the evil spirit's body. As long as the separation is successful, you can do it without any scruples." "Separate?" Chu Yun immediately shook his head...
The golden light array flickered, emitting an unbearable buzzing sound. Every time the evil spirit on the altar struggled, the entire land temple shook violently.
"Your formation won't last long." Li Ge's voice sounded in Chu Yun's ears, rapid and solemn.
"I know." Chu Yun stared at the evil spirit on the altar, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes, "So we must deal with it before it breaks free!"
As he spoke, he took out the last three thunder and fire talismans from his arms, stacked them together and held them between his fingers, while his other hand pressed on his chest.
"What do you want to do?" Li Ge immediately realized his intention.
"Use all my strength, combine the three cards into one, and use the strongest power of thunder and fire to burn it completely to ashes!" Chu Yun's answer was firm.
"No!" Li Ge stopped him immediately without thinking, "You can't do this!"
"Why not?" Chu Yun turned and looked at her, his eyes filled with confusion and suppressed anger. "Do you still want to wait for it to break free and eat us and the townspeople outside as snacks?"
"That's not what I meant!" Li Ge's tone was filled with anxiety for the first time. "Look carefully, there's something trapped in that evil spirit's body!"
Chu Yun followed her gaze and looked back at the altar. He concentrated, channeling the power within him. His eyes seemed to penetrate the chaotic black energy. He saw, within the core of the evil spirit, several small, huddled figures emitting a faint glow. Those shadows looked like... human souls.
"Is that... the child who disappeared before?" Chu Yun's voice was a little dry.
"That's right." Li Ge's answer confirmed his guess. "The souls of Tailor Wu's daughter and several other children abducted by it were trapped in the body of the evil spirit, becoming the 'core' that maintains its existence."
Chu Yun's heart suddenly tightened.
"Now use your extremely masculine and powerful power of thunder and fire to forcibly purify it," Li Ge's voice became extremely serious. "The evil spirit will certainly be reduced to ashes, but the souls of the children trapped by it will also be completely evaporated in the thunder and fire in an instant, without even the chance to be reincarnated!"
"Then what do you think we should do?" Chu Yun's brows knitted tightly into a knot. "Are we just going to stand by and watch?"
"I'll find a way." Li Ge said quickly, "I can use my ghost doctor skills to try to separate the souls of those children from the evil spirits' bodies. As long as the separation is successful, you won't have to worry about taking action again."
"Stripping?" Chu Yun immediately shook his head, rejecting the proposal without hesitation. "No, it's too risky!" He looked at Li Ge, his eyes filled with distrust. "Your ghost doctor skills aren't legitimate martial arts to begin with. Who knows if what you call 'stripping' means you want to make those souls your own?"
Li Ge's body trembled violently. She looked at Chu Yun, and for the first time, real anger ignited in her cold eyes.
"In your eyes, am I this kind of person?"
"Isn't it?" Chu Yun stared at her without giving in. "You absorb evil spirits, use Yin energy to save people, and now you want to target innocent souls. Everything you do is no different from the evil spirits!"
"What do you know!" Li Ge's voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp tone of deep pain. "If I hadn't absorbed that evil 'shadow', I wouldn't have been able to locate the source of the curse! If I hadn't used Yin Qi to protect their heart meridians, they would have been sucked into mummies by the curse long ago! Everything I do is to save people! Of course, you, an idiot who only knows how to use brute force to destroy things, can't understand it!"
"Rescue? You call that saving people?" Chu Yun sneered. "In my opinion, you're just being soft-hearted! For a few souls that might be beyond saving, you're risking the lives of everyone out there! Do you know that every second my formation lasts, my strength is depleted! By the time it breaks free, it'll be too late!"
"So you chose the simplest solution and sacrificed those children for what you call the 'greater good'?" Li Ge's eyes turned extremely disappointed, even tinged with a hint of contempt. "I finally understand. You, the people of the Evil Suppression Division, are just like the legend says. You are a bunch of reckless men blinded by power, who only know how to destroy but not protect!"
"You!" Chu Yun was so angry at her words that his chest heaved, and the surging power in his body almost got out of control on the spot.
"boom!"
As the two were arguing fiercely, the evil spirit on the altar let out a deafening roar, and the black energy on its body suddenly surged outward.
“Crack!”
The golden light array on the ground, formed by the evil-suppressing nails, shattered with a sound! The restraints were released.
"Roar!" The freed evil spirit roared to the heavens. The entire temple trembled violently at its roar, and tiles from the roof fell down. Chu Yun and Li Ge's faces turned pale at the same time. The worst had happened.
"Are you satisfied now?" Chu Yun said to Li Ge with gritted teeth.
Li Ge didn't answer. She just stared at the evil spirit on the altar, her pale face full of solemnity.
The evil spirit seemed to recognize the two men before it as its greatest threat. Rather than attack immediately, it opened its invisible maw, composed of black energy. As if receiving some kind of command, the bewildered townspeople outside the temple began to move once again toward the bottomless cavern. Streams of blood-red energy rose from their bodies, flowing continuously into the evil spirit's body. As the energy flowed in, the evil spirit's already massive form began to expand at a visible rate. Its aura grew increasingly powerful and terrifying.
"It's absorbing power! We can't wait any longer!" Chu Yun growled, knowing that now was not the time to argue. He raised the three stacked Thunder and Fire Talismans in his hand again.
"Wait!" Li Ge reached out again to stop him.
"What else do you want to do?!" Chu Yun's patience has run out.
"Give me ten breaths." Li Ge looked at him, his eyes filled with unquestionable determination. "I'll try one last time. I'll get close to it and use Requiem to try to soothe and separate the souls of those children. You'll stand in front of me and block its attacks for me. After ten breaths, whether I succeed or not, I won't stop you anymore."
Chu Yun looked at her, at her eyes that burned with rage yet were incredibly determined. He saw that beneath her cold exterior, there was a kind of persistence that he couldn't understand, yet couldn't deny...
"Okay." Chu Yun squeezed out a word from between his teeth, "I'll give you ten breaths."
After saying this, he took a step forward and stood firmly in front of Li Ge, completely protecting her behind him. He transferred the Thunder Fire Talisman to his left hand, and with his right hand, he raised his sword finger, once again condensing a ball of golden light. This time, the light was no longer just for attack, but also for... protection.
Li Ge looked at him deeply, then took out a crystal-clear bone flute from her bosom and put it to her lips.
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