"Disciple begs the merciful Great Venerated One above and below to offer protection... Disciple begs for salvation from suffering... Disciple requests..." Xuan Shizi, after retreating into the underground chamber, sat cross-legged and closed his eyes in the very center of the room.
In front of him was an altar set up during an earlier magical confrontation.
The altar was arranged with various bizarre and grotesque items, each glance at them enough to make one physically uncomfortable.
Xuan Shizi held a heavy bronze statue in his embrace.
He repeated a sentence incessantly, almost as if he had gone mad.
However, with such actions, all the candles in the underground chamber began to flicker, their light waxing and waning unpredictably.
Strange and eerie sounds seemed to come from nowhere, echoing continuously within the chamber.
His expression was one of devout pilgrimage; however, fury was still discernible amidst the earnestness.
One could also perceive the intense killing intent!!!
"It's coming, it's coming... The Great Venerated One... He is coming!"
Suddenly!
Xuan Shizi opened his eyes, which had turned completely black, the whites replaced by deep, unfathomable darkness, reflecting no light whatsoever.
"He is coming..."
"Coming..."
Xuan Shizi still babbled neurotically in that deranged and peculiar tone as his body began to tremble violently. He resembled a patient in the throes of an epileptic seizure.
His mouth foamed profusely, the foam sliding down his chin onto his neck, soaking the front of his clothes.
The pitch-black pupils in his eye sockets moved erratically without any pattern, a foul stench emanating from beneath him.
A strange aura enveloped him, causing his robes to flutter without any breeze.
His thinning, grizzled hair was thrown into wild disarray.
The creepy sounds from an unknown source within the chamber grew louder and louder until they became deafening!
Xuan Shizi's ears began to bleed!
But just then...
Bang!!!!!!!
A tremendous roar erupted!
It disrupted the rhythm of everything in the underground chamber, with the substantial stone door cracking open.
The fissures grew larger and larger.
Spreading rapidly!
With a "clang,"
the stone door collapsed!
Massive amounts of dust tumbled and spread throughout the room as Fan Wu's tall and robust figure tore through the dust, his Demon-slaying Sword already out of its scabbard.
The Demon-slaying Sword emanated a distinct presence, adding a different sensation to the gloomy and dismal underground chamber.
As soon as Fan Wu stepped into the chamber,
he saw the figure of Xuan Shizi, holding the sculpture and sitting cross-legged.
"Hmm?"
[Evil Taoist Xuan Shizi (Empowered by the Great Venerated One) — Life: 562 — Power: 9 — Skills: Ghost Nurturing Soul Technique, Paper Talisman Magic, 'Great Venerated One's Descent' Secret Technique, Star Lodging Sword Technique]
Fan Wu was astonished to discover that Xuan Shizi's attribute information had undergone a radical change.
The Life attribute had skyrocketed to a full 562.
The Power attribute had also reached 9.
And next to Xuan Shizi's name was a set of parentheses that Fan Wu couldn't possibly misread... especially when linked with one of Xuan Shizi's skills.
Fan Wu squinted his eyes and had a suspicion, "Something like, a Master's possession?"
Although he was not versed in Taoist magic, in his past life, he had watched plenty of supernatural movies.
Xuan Shizi's state did indeed resemble that of a Master's possession from the movies.
"How dare you!"
Suddenly.
Xuan Shizi, who had been sitting cross-legged, jerkily rose to his feet in a movement that defied the human structure.
He spat out angry words, each syllable echoing upon echo, "Seeing the descent of the merciful Great Venerated One, salvation of the world above and below, why do you not kneel at once?!!"
As soon as Xuan Shizi finished speaking, the skin on his left arm blossomed open like meat petals, with lumps of flesh rapidly multiplying upon his arm.
In the blink of an eye, it formed a massive tentacle.
The tentacle was covered with a nauseating, foul-smelling pus.
A demonic aura, somewhat different from that of ghosts and devils, spread swiftly throughout the chamber!
"Why do you not kneel at once?!!"
On the massive tentacle built from lumps of flesh, a bizarre face grew out, identical to that of the sculpture Xuan Shizi was holding!
That face also spoke, repeating the last sentence Xuan Shizi had said.
"Why do you not kneel at once?!!"
Another face emerged.
"Why do you not kneel at once?!!"
The third card.
The fourth card.
In an instant, the whole tentacle was covered with that strange face that made one feel physically uncomfortable; every single face repeated the words spoken by Xuan Shizi, making the walls of the secret room tremble slightly!
The overlapping voices were like mental pollution, flooding into Fan Wu's ears, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.
He wasn't intimidated by Xuan Shizi who had been possessed by "The Great Revered One."
He just found him noisy.
Nothing more.
"All flash and no substance."
"System."
"Add points!"
The 1 Free Attribute Point gained from slaying the group of wandering spirits outside was added by Fan Wu to his [Power] attribute.
His [Power] attribute went from 9...
Directly to 10!
When his [Power] attribute reached double digits, Fan Wu felt his entire body was different, as if he were transcending the category of "normal human."
That somewhat annoying cacophony of demonic voices, at this moment, became something he felt nothing towards.
[Name: Fan Wu]
[Life: 89＋]
[Power: 10＋]
[Technique: None]
[Free Attribute Points: 0]
Fan Wu, holding the Demon-slaying Sword in one hand, took steps towards Xuan Shizi.
As he got closer, the overlapping demonic voices...
Became more and more urgent!!
"Those who disrespect The Great Revered One—"
"Die!!!"
The piercing demonic voices abruptly ceased, and the huge tentacle made of flesh lumps hurled towards Fan Wu with vicious force!
Fan Wu's expression was unchanged.
He lifted his sword and slashed!
The moment the blade of the Demon-slaying Sword touched the fleshy tentacle, Fan Wu could barely feel the resistance of cutting through an object; it was as if the sword had sliced through air.
The tentacle was chopped, losing a large chunk of flesh, and the severed area spewed pungent, putrid gas with a "sizzling" sound.
"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!"
The intense pain traveled along the fleshy tentacle to Xuan Shizi.
He opened his mouth and let out a hoarse wail.
Fan Wu stepped forward swiftly, his eyes flashing sharply, hesitating not a bit as his sword fell.
Another sword came down!
This sword completely severed the entire tentacle at the root, and on the tentacle, each paper-mask face showed an expression—some anger, some pain, some resentment.
However, without exception, every single eye on those grotesque faces...
Was staring at Fan Wu!
Xuan Shizi continued to scream hoarsely, intense pain seemingly allowing a flicker of reason to prevail.
His pitch-black, ink-like eyes showed a glimpse of white.
His eyes regained the look of a human.
When he looked at Fan Wu, his face, wrinkled like tree bark, was filled with disbelief.
Xuan Shizi cried out in a tone filled with inconceivable shock, "I... I have sought The Great Revered One to inhabit me and slay my enemies, how can it be useless? Impossible! Impossible! I have used this secret technique to execute a man from the Qintian Department before!"
"How can a mere hillbilly Taoist from Qiulong Temple be stronger than a man from the Qintian Department? You! You must have used some devious sorcery! Yes! That must be it!!"
For a practitioner of the wicked path to accuse another of using devious sorcery...
Well, talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
Fan Wu stepped on the fleshy tentacle, pushing one of the paper-mask faces, creating a dent, and said, "If this is the so-called Great Revered One you speak of, then its purity... is too low."
He ground his foot a little, and the face under his foot exploded instantly!
This made Xuan Shizi's eyes widen: "You, you dare to step on The Great Revered One's face!!!"
But the next moment.
He couldn't utter another word.
Because he saw the murderous intent in Fan Wu's eyes!
The sensation of death approaching snapped Xuan Shizi back to soberness!
...
...