Lin Yan's right hand snapped open, his knuckles popping like claps of thunder. Golden light coiled around his fingertips, accompanied by the faint, ethereal roar of a dragon.
With a mid-air clawing motion, he tore the entire right arm off the third fox demon. With another sweep of his arm, he pierced the abdomen of the last demon; its entrails spilled out as it collapsed into a heap on the ground.
In the span of a single breath, the five demons were utterly routed. Two were dead and three were maimed, whimpering and convulsing on the ground with charred fur and fading breath.
"Great Master, have mercy!" "Please, show some leniency!" "We have cultivated for three hundred years just to take this human form... please, give us a way out!" "Master, we beg of you! Fourth and Fifth Sister have already had their souls dispersed. The three of us have broken bones and severed tendons; we can't even stand. How could we ever commit evil again? We only hope for your compassion to grant us a chance at life!"
Lin Yan pressed his palms together. His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the three foxes wailing on the ground. A cold sneer escaped him.
"I gave you a chance to live, yet you insisted on charging down the path to death. If I spare you, who will seek justice for the villagers you tore apart or the children whose essences you drained?"
His voice then boomed like spring thunder: "Earth-Fire Curse—COMMENCE!"
Buddhist power surged like a tide as the curse seal flew from his hand like a bolt of lightning. He pressed his palm downward, and crimson-gold flames poured forth, instantly engulfing the five fox shadows in a sea of incinerating heat. In moments, fur curled, bones cracked, and the five husks were reduced to black ash scattered by the wind.
With the evil purged, Lin Yan glanced at the System interface in his mind—five glittering gold Gift Bags hung in the air. He cocked an eye, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Five monsters, five heavy gifts. Not bad!"
He tapped his finger, and the bags burst open one by one. The System notifications chimed incessantly.
The trip had been fruitful: the five fox demons yielded four Qi-Replenishing Pills and a bottle of Golden Sore Ointment—a translucent yellow paste that provided instant cooling, stopped bleeding, and regenerated flesh with miraculous speed.
Lin Yan held the four pills in his palm. They emitted a delicate fragrance—sweet with a hint of bitterness, the true scent of hundred-year-old Lingzhi mixed with Mysterious Yin Grass. These pills didn't just nourish Buddhist essence; they tempered the bones and sinews, giving the flesh a Vajra-like resilience.
He didn't swallow them immediately. Instead, his gaze fixed on the final reward:
[Earth-Fire Incantation]: A secret Buddhist manual for suppressing evil. It specializes in incinerating Yin filth, cutting through wickedness like a blade!
Lin Yan sat cross-legged and immersed his mind in the scripture. Half an hour later, his hands formed a seal, and Buddhist power erupted, condensing into a stream of red-hot fire at his fingertips. With a wave of his sleeve, a fire dragon lunged across the floor; the bricks exploded inch by inch, leaving scorched marks coiling like pythons.
"The power of Earth-Fire is indeed three times fiercer than Heaven-Fire, but..." Sweat beaded on his forehead. "A single move drains thirty percent of my Buddhist essence!"
Buddhist cultivation followed two paths: External Arts to forge a body of iron (The Subduing Demon Fist/Palm and the Dragon Claw Hand), and Incantations to harness heaven and earth. To become a true master, one had to master both.
After fully integrating the Earth-Fire Incantation, Lin Yan swallowed the four pills. The heat surged into his Dantian, and his power climbed. Three hours later, a golden halo appeared on his skin, thin as a cicada's wing.
"Mid-stage Dharma Master!" He opened his eyes, a golden light flashing within.
Outside the ancient temple, two tall, thin black shadows stepped through the moonlight. They carried scythes, and the word "Detain" (拘) was embroidered on their chests.
"The foxes have harmed seven households. If we don't catch them, we'll taste the whip before the Hall of the Yama King."
They were Underworld Envoys—the Soul-Reaping Ghost Constables!
As they crossed the threshold, they saw the young monk sitting in the hall. His white robes were spotless, and the faint Buddhist light around him illuminated the ruins like broad daylight.
"A mortal Dharma Master?!" They froze, exchanging glances. "He looks barely twenty, yet he has already condensed the Golden Light of Buddha Essence?"
Lin Yan looked up. "From the Underworld?"
The two constables stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Master! Have you seen five wild foxes in this area? We are under orders to arrest them."
Lin Yan stood and pressed his palms together. "They were executed just moments ago."
"No wonder their aura vanished... Thank you, Master, for removing this plague for the Underworld!"
"When demonic auras disturb the world, a son of Buddha must uphold the precepts," Lin Yan said clearly.
The constables laughed. "The world is in chaos; even the Underworld is a boiling pot. It is a blessing for all living beings that a righteous Master like yourself stands guard in the mortal realm. We shall take our leave!"
They vanished into the night like ink dissolving in water. Lin Yan watched them go, realizing that with a higher cultivation, even the Underworld's servants treated him with reverence.
Lin Yan left the temple, his feet moving like lightning. Within minutes, he had crossed two hundred miles of wilderness.
"Hmm? Yin energy is surging into the clouds!"
He activated the Heavenly Eye. Through the thick fog, a village appeared, swirling with a strange current—it wasn't the charm of a fox or the cold mist of a ghost.
"Corpse Qi!"
He bolted toward the village. As he reached the entrance, villagers were fleeing in terror. "The Jiangshi are here! Help!"
Three grey-skinned Jiangshi (vampires) hopped along, their joints stiff and fangs bared. Lin Yan stepped forward. "Get back!"
With three explosive punches, the jumping corpses were sent flying into a mud wall, their skulls shattered and black mist erupting from their chests. He was about to use the Earth-Fire to burn them when he heard a noise from the forest.
Dozens of Jiangshi emerged, following a figure in yellow robes with gold-rimmed glasses and a peach-wood sword on his back.
"Master, wait! Don't strike!"
Lin Yan withdrew his seal. The Taoist arrived, huffing. "Thank you for showing mercy! These corpses were entrusted to me by a client; they escaped due to my negligence."
Lin Yan looked at the man's glasses, his robes, and his steady spirit. A realization hit him:
Four-Eyed Taoist? (Daozhang Simu)
The Taoist was also staring at Lin Yan. This youth looked eighteen or nineteen, yet his Buddhist power was so vast it made the Taoist's robes flutter.
"Thirty years of bitter cultivation at Mount Mao, and I've only just touched the Earth-Teacher threshold. This youth is already on my level?!"
The Taoist bowed again. "To reach the rank of Dharma Master at such an age... I am in awe!"
"You flatter me, Daoist," Lin Yan replied.
"May I ask which temple you hail from?"
"Hanging Temple. Lin Yan, Dharma name: Xiuyuan."
The Taoist's expression turned solemn. "Four-Eyed, 13th generation disciple of Mount Mao! It is an honor to meet you!"
Lin Yan's eyes narrowed. It was indeed him. They chatted, and Lin Yan learned that Four-Eyed was heading to Ren Family Town to visit his senior brother, Lin Fengjiao (Uncle Jiu).
"Ren Family Town." The words made Lin Yan's back stiffen. The plot was finally beginning. The Feng Shui master secretly refining the "Iron Corpse"... Uncle Ren's grandfather... he knew this story by heart.
"Brother Lin Yan, we get along well. Why not come with me to my brother's villa? He is profound in Taoist arts; a discussion between the two of you would be a grand event."
"Fine," Lin Yan agreed.
He had to go to Ren Family Town. To slay the Iron Corpse and the Feng Shui master behind the scenes might just drop a rare Buddhist artifact or a secret manual pointing toward the High Monk realm.
To Four-Eyed, a Dharma Master was like a high mountain. But Lin Yan knew—this level of power was still far from enough.