Lu Chengshan saw the resentful spirit charging towards them, calmly drawing out the sword with the Big Dipper and seven stars. He pressed a talisman onto the sword with his left hand and then thrust it forward. The light and shadow created by the spiritual energy resembled a giant sword of flame splitting the sky, slicing through the swirling black mist and the resentful spirit in half. The black mist quickly dissipated, and I heard a shrill scream.
After Lu Chengshan swung the sword, he immediately dashed towards the coffin, running around it quickly. His movements were as fast as lightning, and he stabbed the four willow branches attached with talismans into the corpse. I saw the willow branches emit bright red light, and where they pierced the corpse, a large amount of black mist and a small amount of black blood sprayed out. The corpse trembled violently, trying to sit up but unable to rise, quickly shriveling away.
This silver corpse and resentful spirit seemed formidable, but since they had not truly formed and had not combined, they were actually powerless. In front of Lu Chengshan, they were easily defeated, and it took no effort for him to resolve them.
But Lu Chengshan did not pause, instead he dashed to the incense table and began to execute a series of peculiar steps, while making specific hand gestures and reciting incantations. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but it was evident that each of his actions was precise and deliberate, accompanied by waves of spiritual energy. When he chanted, he gritted his teeth and his voice thundered, a stark contrast to the chaotic movements and singing of charlatans seen on TV. In an instant, Lu Chengshan radiated an overwhelmingly powerful aura, his presence was commanding, and he thrust his sword into the ground.
At that moment, I saw dazzling lights illuminate various spots around the teaching building, in red, black, white, green, and yellow, with yellow being the most predominant. These glowing spots were where Lu Chengshan had earlier secretly buried colorful stones, black jade, copper coins, talismans, and other items.
Lu Chengshan laughed heartily and triumphantly to the sky: "Hahaha, demonic creature, you have been trapped by my Seven Star Flying Hammer Array, and there is no escape for you!"
I finally understood why Lu Chengshan had never mentioned exorcising demons before. It turned out that he had always anticipated that the demon was cunning and suspicious, difficult to catch, so he quietly set up an array near the teaching building during the day without activating it. With his strength, dealing with the resentful spirit was a piece of cake, but he deliberately went through the trouble of bringing the coffin here, making a big show of it, just to arouse the curiosity of the demon, hiding nearby to watch the fun. Because he had never shown his strength before, the demon didn't take him too seriously, and as a result, it fell into his trap.
A figure flashed inside the classroom, and a somewhat frightened young girl's voice rang out: "Taoist priest, I have no grievance or grudge against you, why do you scheme to harm me?"
Lu Chengshan sneered, "You've harassed the villagers, caused chaos in the human world, and have already violated the law. The Heavenly Net is vast and has no loopholes. Surrender yourself!"
The shadow remained silent for a moment and said, "I have only recently passed through here, I have not harmed anyone, much less killed anyone. My crimes do not warrant death. Please, revered immortal, spare me for the hardship of my thousand years of cultivation. I will never dare to cause trouble again in the future."
Lu Chengshan's face showed a moment of hesitation, but he quickly became firm: "You have not done more evil because you do not have enough strength, it does not mean that your nature is good. If I had not trapped you, would you be willing to grovel like this? Now that the world is peaceful and the people are content, there is no room for you, these demonic beings, to stir up trouble. Show yourself and accept your fate!"
"How heartless and cruel you are, you old ox nose. Just now, that female ghost suffered injustice and pain, and you did not help her resolve her inner turmoil. That's fine, but you were so heartless as to want to exterminate her completely! Although I am mischievous and have made some minor mistakes, even according to your laws, it is not a capital offense. You recklessly kill the innocent, do you not fear the consequences of your actions?"
Lu Chengshan sneered: "Don't try to scare me with the Buddhist concept of karma and reincarnation. I am a legitimate Taoist priest. Slaying demons and exorcising evil is my duty and responsibility. Killing a demon like you is only meritorious, not sinful. Moreover, I am serving the country, following the will of heaven, and have no need to worry about any karmic consequences!"
The shadow was furious: "You are a disgrace to the Taoist sect, a lackey of the government, without any compassion or mercy. Even if I die, I will make you suffer!"
Lu Qingwen couldn't help but scold angrily: "Dirty fox spirit, how dare you insult my grandfather, I'll skin you alive!"
"There's no need to quarrel with it, it's already doomed!" Lu Chengshan quickly made a talisman and chanted spells, activating the array.
I saw various colored light columns emanating from near the teaching building, interlocking, converging, and gathering, like a net of electric currents. The buildings could not hinder this, which should be some kind of magnetic or force field energy. The shadow inside the classroom began to rush out, and as it moved, light balls the size of watermelons shot towards it from all directions, exploding on its body into dazzling colorful lights. Although it tried its best to dodge, it was still hit by a large number of light spheres, but it didn't seem to be severely injured.
The fox spirit rushed east, then west, constantly changing direction, but no matter which way it went, it would be attacked. In fact, if it had just walked a few steps southeast, it could have broken through the light net and escaped through the window, but it was inside the array and didn't know, instead moving towards Lu Chengshan.
Although I am an outsider, I could see that the fox spirit's strength was very strong. If it were to fight one-on-one, Lu Chengshan might not be its match and could not catch it. Now, although the array was continuously attacking, it was only weakening its abilities and could not directly kill it. Of course, it could also be that Lu Chengshan's array was not as powerful as I imagined. Without opening the heavenly eyes, nothing would be visible.
The fox spirit emerged from the classroom, illuminated by the glow of a few candles. It was dressed in a floral patterned shirt and dark, wide-legged pants, its hair in a thick, long braid, resembling a rustic village woman. Yet, as it drew closer, its beauty became evident, outshining even Lu Qingwen, who could be considered a great beauty.
After seeing it clearly, my eyes could not leave it. Perhaps I did not really see its appearance at that time, but no matter where I looked, I found it beautiful, and any movement was captivating, evoking a strong sense of sympathy for it. Such a peerless beauty, to be killed would be a waste.
If the fox spirit should not be killed, then was it Lu Chengshan who was wrong? Suddenly, I woke up, and hurriedly closed my eyes, not daring to look again. After closing my eyes, I could still "see" its appearance, but without the seductive charm. Moreover, it was enveloped in a large mass of white mist, definitely not something humans possess.
At that moment, the fox spirit wasn't deliberately casting a spell on me; it was her innate charm that naturally captivated men, a trait well-earned by the name 'fox spirit'.
I couldn't judge whether Lu Chengshan's actions were right or wrong, but he was entirely different from the virtuous person I had envisioned, more like an unwavering enforcer of the law. Similarly, I couldn't comment on whether the fox spirit deserved to die, as all this was new to me, something I had never encountered or considered before.
Lost in the array, the fox spirit couldn't distinguish her direction and gradually moved towards Lu Chengshan's side. As she approached, the strength of Lu Chengshan's attacks intensified, essentially leading her to her own demise. Minutes later, she began to weaken, struck by a talismanic technique from Lu Chengshan, she collapsed to the ground and transformed into a particularly large white fox with glossy, lustrous fur and eyes like green gems.
The white fox continued to walk forward. Lu Qingwen, with her youthful impulsiveness and love for excitement, couldn't resist pulling out a small dagger and thrusting it towards the fox spirit's neck as it passed by her. Her sudden movement caused a ripple in the array's spiritual energy, creating a gap. The fox spirit's eyes immediately lit up with a bright light.
"No good!" Lu Chengshan rushed over like a flying bird, striking the fox spirit on the head with a palm. Ah Liang was also quick to act, leaping forward at the same time, his military dagger piercing the fox spirit's chest. The enormous body of the fox spirit rolled and fell to the ground, its limbs twitching, clearly on the brink of death.
I saw a human-shaped shadow suddenly leap off the fox spirit's body and crash into me. I quickly dodged, but couldn't avoid it. I felt the shadow hit me, and then I couldn't move at all, my head was dizzy, as if my body didn't belong to me anymore.
Lu Chengshan swung his sword, but failed to stop the ethereal shadow, roaring in anger, "Dare to do this, you demonic creature, leave him immediately!"
Uncontrollably, I let out a sharp, feminine voice: "You want to kill me, I'll make sure you don't have a good time either. Now, see what you can do to me!"
Lu Chengshan yelled in anger, "Evil spirits may be clever, but the path of Tao is higher. How can I be influenced by you?"
"Hahaha," the fox spirit controlled me to laugh, "If my soul scatters, he won't live either. He's a righteous man, never done any wrong. Can't you even spare him?"
"Despicable and shameless!" Lu Chengshan's anger boiled over, but he dared not release the hand gesture he was pinching. With his profession and status, he could exterminate demons and monsters, but he couldn't harm ordinary people. Neither the laws of heaven nor the laws of the country would allow it.
Lu Qingwen knew she had caused trouble and was so frightened her face turned pale, and Ah Liang was also at a loss. When the fox spirit's true form was killed, its spirit attached to my body. It had nearly a thousand years of cultivation, while I was just an ordinary person, so I was immediately controlled by it. Confident in its strength, it controlled my body and turned to leave. Although I understood everything clearly, I was like a bystander, unable to make any movements.
"I, Lu Chengshan, never succumb to threats!" Lu Chengshan roared, suddenly striking me with a burst of energy on my back, hitting me eight or nine times. My body fell forward. He picked me up and carried me to the incense table, where he placed me down. Quickly cutting his left middle finger, he dripped blood into a dish of cinnabar, picked up the brush, and mixed the cinnabar and blood to start drawing talismans. His brushwork was swift and fluent, completing eight talismans in an instant. One was pasted on my head at the Baihui point, one on my chest at the heart area, one at the Dan Tian, one on each palm, and one on each foot. Finally, he burned one and fed it to me.
What on earth is happening? I was filled with waves of despair and panic, hoping that Lu Chengshan would release the fox spirit and not involve me, but I couldn't speak or move, not even able to turn my eyes.
Lu Qingwen asked with a sobbing voice, "Grandpa, how is it?"
Lu Chengshan didn't answer her, his thick eyebrows furrowed, holding the Big Dipper peach wood sword, wanting to strike but hesitating. Clearly, he had trapped the fox spirit with talismans, preventing it from escaping, but he dared not act rashly, afraid of killing the fox spirit and me at the same time. But if he didn't act immediately, the longer the time passed, the stronger the fox spirit's soul would fuse with my body, succeeding in the possession, and I would be as good as dead.
I thought he would give in and release the fox spirit, but his expression grew increasingly fierce and determined. I felt a bone-chilling coldness, unable to comprehend his thoughts. Why did he insist on eliminating a not-so-bad demon, risking my life as a bet? Just a short while ago, he wanted to take me as his disciple!
Lu Chengshan still began to perform the spell, first praying to the heavens, then chanting, "The supreme method entrusted to me, according to the will to follow my actions, please gods to join and protect my body, according to my changes, responding to my path, concealing with me, quickly as the law!" After finishing the chant, he made a talismanic gesture and struck me at my head, forehead, throat, navel, palms, and soles of my feet.
At this moment, he summoned the gods to possess him, radiating an astonishing aura, his movements were as fast as lightning, powerful and unmatched. Every strike felt like a heavy hammer hitting my head, scattering me entirely.
After that, I fell into a state of alternating unconsciousness and wakefulness, but even when I was conscious, I could only hear sounds, couldn't see anything, and couldn't do anything.