Chapter 5: The Path of Magic

The Lord of the Void changed his expression, a cold smile escaping his lips. He pointed his right hand, holding a bone staff, towards the sky and whispered, "Four Aspects Soul Lock, Celestial Demon Extermination, Kill!"

Another tall man gently stroked the beard on his chin and pointed at Hua Wuniang, commenting, "Although she is a bit older, she still has some charm. Doesn't the second leader like this kind of style?"

Suddenly, these strange individuals simultaneously displayed expressions of joy and stood up. They shouted in unison: "The Lord has found an excuse—Black Blade, issue the order to slaughter the city!"

Gently stroking Huawun's cheek, Lin Shan said with a warm smile: "Since you have learned about the secret vault from the Master, how could you forget that our Huichun Hall is entitled to recommend a disciple to the inner sect for training every ten generations? This is a privilege earned by our Huichun Hall after thousands of years of hard work for the inner sect, how could you not know this?"

Lin Xiao screamed, "Father!" He discerned certain ominous signs from Lin Shan's words

Lin Xiao spent many years before understanding this point

Standing on the black poisoned land, Lin Shanzheng just saw the bald monster strike Hua Wuniang, sending her flying. Under the monster's palm, Hua Wuniang didn't even have the ability to evade.

Hua Wuniang coughed once, and the true energy within her was rapidly melting away like a snow pile under the sunlight, taking her life along with it. She coldly glanced at the strange man and nodded, saying: "Yes, and what of it?"

Lin Shan sealed Lin Xiao's mute acupoint and several critical acupoints, rendering Lin Xiao completely immobile and unable to speak. He could only desperately widen his eyes, staring intently at Lin Shan.

The bald man narrowed his eyes, his hands forming a fiery seal in front of his chest, and silently bowed to Lin Shan.

However, just as the vital energy within Hua Wuniang was about to burst forth, she unexpectedly let out a muffled groan, and two streams of blood gushed from her nostrils, causing her entire vital energy to dissipate completely. The long arrow made a 'whoosh' sound as it grazed her palm, creating a blood arrow several feet long that pierced through Lin Yao's heart, emerging from his back.

"You are not wrong, I am not wrong, and no one is wrong." Lin Shan gently patted Hua Wuniang's face, just as he did when he first became his master's disciple, patting the face of the ten-year-old Hua Wuniang at that time. "What is wrong is fate. We are all not wrong. Even if I know that you poisoned her, I still say that, in fact, we are all not wrong"

The phrase "massacre" spoken by this strange person seemed as casual as eating or drinking. A deep, chilling aura naturally emanated from his words, forcing Hua Wuniang to involuntarily change color and step back a few paces. At this moment, the impression this strange person gave Hua Wuniang was akin to a highly venomous "three-headed golden python" that Huichuntang had once acquired; he had lost all semblance of humanity, exuding only the most brutal intent to kill and the most ferocious desire to slay. How could Hua Wuniang have ever encountered such a terrifying figure?

Hua Wuniang cried out in desperation, jumping up and down: "My lord, my lord, could you really be so heartless as to abandon the two of us? Wuwu—Yao'er is also your son!"

The city has now turned into a sea of blood and a hellish landscape, with tens of thousands of civilians being slaughtered one by one by the rampaging black-bladed bandits. All those who were killed had their vital spirits absorbed into the four great pillars. The black mist seeping from the pillars has become increasingly dense.

A burly man, with a face smeared with soot and only a pair of large, bulging white eyes amidst a sea of black, was barely visible as he stealthily climbed onto the wall of the courtyard behind the Huichuntang. Holding a specially made longbow measuring six feet, he couldn't help but let out a sinister chuckle upon seeing Lin Yao shouting loudly. Drawing the bow and releasing the arrow, a dark shadow shot towards Lin Yao's heart like a venomous snake.

Lin Xiao was pondering this issue when Lin Shan had already roughly kicked him to the ground, forcefully pressing his head down to knock it against the small banner nine times. Subsequently, Lin Shan also knelt on the ground, worshipping the banner and saying: "Great Master of the Da Luo Dan Dao, the world is in chaos today, with those of the demonic path stirring up trouble. The one hundred and seventh generation disciple of the outer sect, Lin Shan, is incompetent and unable to manage this responsibility. Today, I will transfer the position of outer sect steward of the Da Luo Dan Dao to my younger son, Lin Xiao. I implore the great master to bless and protect Lin Xiao, allowing him to escape this calamity."

Wow, Hua Wuniang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood into the air, mixed with countless fragments of internal organs.

"It is you who killed Wuniang." Glancing at Lin Yao, whose chest had been pierced by a large hole, and then at the sharp arrow embedded in the ground behind him, Lin Shan said with a faint smile: "Your people killed my son, Hetushu."

Lin Shan let out a soft grunt and casually tossed the medicinal hoe out of his hand

Lin Shan looked gently at Hua Wuniang, and was about to say that his feelings for the two of them were no different. However, seeing the light in Hua Wuniang's eyes growing dimmer, as if she could lose her breath at any moment, Lin Shan's heart softened. He reluctantly sighed and said: "Wuniang, in my heart, you will always be my little junior sister, the person I love most in this lifetime"

Hua Wuniang squinted her eyes, her pupils already filled with blood vessels. She repeatedly mobilized the true energy of the Evergreen Technique within her body, but each time the energy barely surged into her meridians, it inexplicably transformed into formlessness. With each dissipating surge of true energy, it felt as though a part of her flesh and blood was being devoured, and her internal injuries grew increasingly severe. Two streams of blood flowed from her nostrils like small brooks, and blood began to seep from her nostrils and the corners of her mouth. However, Hua Wuniang seemed oblivious to the pain within her body; her mind was consumed by a single thought. Two streams of blood flowed from her nostrils like small brooks, and blood began to seep from her nostrils and the corners of her mouth. However, Hua Wuniang seemed oblivious to the pain within her body; her mind was consumed by a single thought.

"My lord, it is Wuniang, I have been wrong all these years!" Huawuniang tilted her head slightly and immediately took her last breath

Lin Shan looked at Lin Xiao with unparalleled affection and smiled, saying: "Good child, remember to live well. You must remember that the ancestors of the Lin family cannot be without descendants to offer incense and worship"

"If you still love me, Yao'er, then why are you seeking other women outside, and why did you bring back an illegitimate child?" Hua Wuniang suddenly regained her senses, and with great effort, she pressed Lin Shan on a question she had long wanted to ask but had always deemed unworthy of inquiry.

Lin Xiao was taken aback; what kind of strange character is this? How could it possess such bizarre power? Just by glancing at it, it was able to draw upon the true energy within him. Who could the person be that wrote this character, such an extraordinary figure?

On the wall facing due north of the stone chamber, there hung a small banner featuring a square character for 'Dan' measuring about a foot on each side. The font was ancient and robust, yet the strokes conveyed a sense of ethereal grace, as if they might be carried away by the wind. Lin Xiao gazed at the character 'Dan' and found himself momentarily entranced. After taking a deep look at the dot within the character, he felt a sudden surge of vital energy within him, as if it were about to break free from his body.

A cold, knife-like sneer suddenly echoed. A middle-aged man, dressed in an incongruous manner—wearing a robe yet sporting a completely shaved head, with his left foot in a coarse monk's boot and his right foot in a brocade cloud boot—abruptly appeared before Hua Wuniang. This man had a gaunt face, dark skin, and an unremarkable appearance, save for a large hooked nose that added an air of sinister malice to his presence. He cast a shadowy glance at Hua Wuniang and coldly asked, "Little girl, did you kill these people?"

Whoever killed Yao'er must pay with their life for her

Lin Shan, this feeble old man, appears to have been oppressed by Hua Wuniang his entire life, unable to protect even the woman he loves, and incapable of taking action to avenge her. Yet, deep down, he is truly a real man. Therefore, his death was already destined the moment the Black Knife Bandits appeared

The strange person squinted his eyes and said softly, "Very good!"

Lin Shan softly said: "Therefore, I will kill you"

The leader of the Black Knife bandits, riding a unicorn buffalo, charged through the bandits. His enormous broadsword stirred up a dark, shimmering light in the air, and with a stance reminiscent of splitting Mount Hua, he cleaved the Wang family head and the elderly matriarch on his back into four pieces.

Ultimately, no one knows what Lin Yao would never dare to do again

Hua Wuniang's eyes widened suddenly, her eyeballs seemingly hanging outside their sockets. A low 'gurgling' sound emerged from her throat, her body trembled violently as she slowly turned to face the burly man.

For Hua Wuniang, Lin Shan truly cannot muster a shred of hatred. He can fully understand Hua Wuniang's feelings for the things she did for Lin Yao.

Lin Yao heard the increasingly closer sounds of shouting and killing from all directions, and could not help but scream: "Father, save me, save me—your child is wrong, your child will never dare again—"

Naturalization City, destroyed

The bald man was taken aback; he actually did not know when Lin Shan had appeared! For him, this was an impossible occurrence. Ordinary martial artists, even if they had reached the so-called innate realm, were still just martial artists and could not escape his keen senses. Lin Shan had unexpectedly circled around him without a sound! This could only prove one thing: Lin Shan was no different from him in terms of identity. The strange man tilted his head, his hooked nose twitching, and an ugly yet gleeful smile appeared on his face: "Good, very good!"

Father, where is this? Lin Xiao saw Lin Shan quickly rushing towards the dreaded death zone within the Huichuntang, and could not help but change his expression as well

A sinister voice enveloped the entire city of Guihua: "Boys, plunder to your heart's content. Today, you may revel as you wish!"

"Do not be afraid, my dear child! With the Dan Ling on you, the poisonous earth cannot harm you." Lin Shan let out a faint hum, and suddenly stepped on a rather inconspicuous round stone in the black soil. The ground trembled slightly, and a crack no wider than two feet suddenly opened in the black earth. Lin Shan, holding Lin Xiao, stepped into the crack in one stride. The ground shook gently again, and the crack vanished without a trace. When Hua Wu Niang rushed to the backyard with Lin Yao, where could she find any trace of Lin Shan or Lin Xiao?

Lin Shan cast a gentle glance at the bald man, extending his right hand to perform a bow. However, Lin Shan's gesture was a standard salutation of a Daoist practitioner.

Lin Xiao widened his eyes, staring blankly as he watched that slender and delicate figure walk out of the secret vault with such grace, heading towards the unfathomable danger

Gently patting Lin Xiao's head, Lin Shan turned and left. As he walked away, he coldly remarked: "This secret vault can only be accessed by the outer sect stewards. Therefore, although Father has passed the steward position to you, it does not violate the sect's rules. Now, Father is going to fulfill the promise made to your master’s ancestor back then. As long as Father is here, the Huichun Hall will exist. Only when Father is gone can the Huichun Hall perish"

I have always loved you, and also Yaor. Lin Shancheng's pure gaze gently fell upon Huawuniang's face, as streams of soft, everlasting true energy continuously flowed into her body, sustaining her breath. "Wuniang, in my heart, you have always been that innocent little girl from back then, without a trace of scheming. Therefore, I have always tolerated you, yielded to you, loved you, and protected you! Even when you poisoned Xiaor's mother for Yaor, I knew it was you who did it, yet what did I do?" So, I have always tolerated you, yielded to you, loved you, and protected you! Even when you poisoned Xiaor's mother for Yaor, I knew it was you who did it, yet what did I do?

Lin Shan moved swiftly, catching up to Hua Wuniang in just two steps, gently embracing her in his arms. Hua Wuniang was spitting out blood, the crimson liquid staining Lin Shan's blue robe a deep red.

Several burly men, dressed in black short jackets and with faces smeared in black and gray, jumped onto the wall. They looked at Lin Yao, who was lying on the ground, and Hua Wuniang, whose nostrils were dripping with blood, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. One of the later arrivals patted the shoulder of the man with the bow and joked, "Old Five, did you shoot down someone's lover or what? This old woman looks like she wants to swallow you whole!"

The blood-soaked head of the Wang family swung a golden knife, carrying an old woman with yellow hair on his back, charging into the backyard like a mad tiger. While fending off dozens of black-bladed bandits pursuing him from behind with his knife, he shouted loudly: "Mr. Lin, let us join forces and fight our way out! I can no longer care for my family; I can only escape with my mother on my back! This damned group of black-bladed bandits, I will not let this matter rest!"

In the conference hall, the members of the Hua family, along with numerous gentlemen and pharmacists, were in a state of panic. However, Mr. Wei maintained a semblance of composure, displaying the demeanor of a general. He hurriedly summoned several martial artists from the guards and instructed them to gather everyone in the backyard, preparing to resist using the sturdy walls and buildings there. Yet, Mr. Wei was also uncertain about how long they could hold out. The process of the fall of Huahua City was indeed too bizarre; how could the city be breached after just a few thunderous sounds?

A flash of green light flickered in Huawuniang's eyes as she laughed maniacally: "Thief, pay for my son's life! My son!"

"Master—Sir—me!" Hua Wuniang was taken aback. Suddenly, she began to cough violently: "Then, in your heart, what is the relationship between me and that woman, after all..."

With a sullen expression, Lin Shan dragged Lin Xiao all the way to the backyard, bursting into the storage room where Lin Xiao lived. He tore off a piece of wrapping leather and securely tied the Lin family's genealogy along with some scattered gold, silver, and copper coins into a small bundle, fastening it tightly around Lin Xiao's waist. Before Lin Xiao could react, Lin Shan was already pulling him towards the most secluded corner of the backyard.

Lin Shan felt a sharp pain in his heart as he recalled Lin Xiao's mother, the woman who was as gentle as water, who regarded Lin Shan as her sky, her earth, and her everything. He swore by his own conscience that in Lin Shan's heart, he truly loved both women equally. However, the woman he held in his arms had committed an act that nearly drove Lin Shan to the brink of collapse. And *illustration*.

At the eastern gate of the city of Guohua, a fierce-looking man clad in heavy black and red armor, riding on the back of a one-horned wild buffalo and wielding a long spear measuring eight feet, could not help but raise his head to the sky and cheer upon hearing the shouts of these strange individuals: "Boys! Slaughter the city! Slaughter the city! Do not plunder! Damn it, slaughter the city—hahaha, kill!"

Lin Shan's small medicinal hoe flew out with a trail of purple smoke, striking the left shoulder of the Wutian Order Master, leaving it a bloody mess and causing him to curse loudly in pain

"May the ancestral master bless and preserve the Lin family's lineage." As Lin Shan stepped out of the secret vault, he continued to pray silently. His heart was filled with anxiety. He had other sources of information and knew that besides the Black Blade Bandits, there was another, even more terrifying band of outlaws lurking within a thousand miles. Therefore, he dared not send Lin Xiao out of the Reformation City. For now, he could only hide Lin Xiao in the secret vault. However, while the vault appeared to be hidden, it was only so in relation to the people of the Huichun Hall—no one from Huichun Hall dared to approach this toxic land.

Hua Wuniang reacted swiftly, her hand moving back to precisely grasp the long arrow.

Suddenly, the brightest smile blossomed on Hua Wuniang's face, and for a moment, she seemed to return to a long, long time ago, to a season filled with blooming spring flowers

It was not until one day that Lin Xiao realized that, compared to life, there are certain things in the world that are more important to a man

Thunderous cheers echoed from all directions, and upon listening closely, it became evident that the four city gates of the naturalized city in the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest had been breached simultaneously, with bandits pouring in from all sides.

The Lord Wutian gritted his teeth and covered his shoulder, shouting angrily: "Nonsense! The Four Symbols Soul Locking Formation is the guardian formation of our Jimo Sect, possessing boundless power. It is just that—" The dark, aged face flushed red, and the Lord Wutian muttered under his breath: "It is just that our cultivation is insufficient, and we cannot unleash its full strength. Hmph, if the Four Symbols Soul Locking Formation could be fully activated, a single strike would turn the entire Guihua City into dust. Why would we need to painstakingly capture and kill one person at a time?"

The strange person said softly: "Yes!"

Hua Wuniang lay in Lin Shan's arms, spitting blood while staring blankly at him. She trembled, using her last bit of strength, and gritted her teeth as she shouted: "Yao'er—he's—dead—Master—you are truly—so heartless—"

Hua Wuniang's body trembled violently, and she screamed: "Lin Shan—no, husband—no, sir, please, please don't go! Yao'er, you must protect Yao'er!" She grabbed the terrified Lin Yao, whose face was pale with fear, and rushed after Lin Shan.

He tightly embraced Lin Xiao and kissed him forcefully on the forehead, shouting loudly: "Good child, remember! If you encounter anyone holding a Dan Ling, you must plead with them and definitely join their sect. Your talent is sufficient! Outer disciples, outer disciples—hahaha, the 'Outer Sect of the Great Luo Dan Dao' will be severed today!"

On Hua Wuniang's face, a trace of a sinister and frenzied smile suddenly appeared. The corners of her mouth curled up, and her face was suddenly shrouded in a layer of eerie green light. Since she could not mobilize the true energy within her body, and each breath only worsened her injuries, she decided to self-destruct her dantian. Within Hua Wuniang's dantian, a ball of eerie green energy suddenly exploded, transforming the originally gentle and nurturing evergreen true energy, which was like a spring breeze and silent rain, into furious dragons that surged into Hua Wuniang's meridians.

Lin Shan separated his hands and, without knowing where he had pulled it from, held a small medicinal hoe over two feet long in his grasp. He fixed his gaze on the strange man and said calmly: "I am Lin Shan, the steward of the Outer Sect of the Great Luo Dan Dao, here to experience your profound skills and techniques, fellow Daoist"

Before Lin Xiaoxiao could ask, Lin Shan had already taken the bracelet and ring from the tray and fastened them onto Lin Xiaoxiao's hand. With remarkable agility, Lin Shan pointed a finger, pricking Lin Xiaoxiao's brow to let a drop of hot blood fall onto the bracelet and ring. The bracelet, which had originally shimmered with a cerulean glow, and the ring, which appeared to be lush and verdant, instantly lost their brilliance, becoming ordinary. They looked like a crude bronze bracelet and a child's haphazardly woven vine toy.

Beneath each large banner, there are a dozen or so peculiar individuals, neither monks nor Taoists, sitting cross-legged, lazily muttering some scriptures.

The palms struck out repeatedly like iron plates, each containing the pure vital energy cultivated by Hua Wuniang over more than thirty years. Each strike possessed a force of thousands of pounds; each blow shattered the bones and tendons of those burly men, with some strikes penetrating through their fronts and emerging from their backs.

The four sacred beasts let out a silent roar towards the sky, transforming into four beams of black light that shot straight towards Lin Shan

As Wang Laojia turned around, he happened to see the bizarre scene of Lin Shan's body dissipating in the dark light. He stammered in a scream: "What—what is happening? Mr. Lin! Mr. Lin! Oh no—"

The force contained in the long arrow is not strong; with Hua Wuniang's cultivation, she could easily shatter the arrow and rebound it to kill that big man

The dull thuds of "bang, bang" reverberated through the courtyard of Huichuntang, causing it to tremble. Hua Wuniang held her breath and, in the blink of an eye, unleashed nearly a hundred strikes, brutally turning the several burly men into a pile of minced flesh. Especially the fifth man with the bow, who could no longer be recognized as a human; all that remained on the ground was a pool of chaotic blood.

"Yao'er, Yao'er!" The vital energy within Hua Wuniang surged forth, and blood gushed from her seven orifices. She looked up to the sky and cried out frantically: "My dear child!"

If it is necessary for someone to bear the responsibility for the crime, then the most culpable person is him – Lin Shan

However, by the time he understood all of this, his heart had already become like Lin Shan today, seemingly soaked in the bitter water extracted from the yellow bitter herb, utterly exhausted in both spirit and mind

With a sigh, the strange man said ominously: "However, although the Great Yuan Kingdom is the territory of the Dao of the Great Luo, their reputation cannot intimidate us. Lin Shan, you may prepare to die!"

The large knife handle struck fiercely against the rear of the seated wild bull, as the strong man cheered and led nearly one thousand bandits into the city of Guihua

Lin Shan looked gently at Hua Wuniang, his right hand softly caressing her face, which had been over-applied with foundation. The fine white powder slowly slipped from his fingertips, revealing Hua Wuniang's still delicate features.

The strange person smiled ominously, casually extending his right palm, and pressed it down towards Hua Woniang's heart.

Lin Shan gently shook his head and sighed, "Can Yao'er truly be someone who can focus on cultivation? Are you willing to let him leave for a hundred years, never to be seen again? In my generation, it is just the right time to allow a disciple to enter the inner sect. Considering the foundation of the Rejuvenation Hall, how can I not plan carefully? Xiao'er is steady in temperament and possesses excellent character. If he achieves success in the future, he will certainly not mistreat Yao'er. " Lin Shan had one more thing he did not say: if it were not for Hua Wuniang's excessive haste in her practice, which harmed the source of her vitality, how would he have encountered Lin Xiao's mother?

If even the most solid city walls can be breached, how long can the mere three-foot-thick courtyard wall of the Huichuntang withstand?

Lin Yao lowered his head, staring blankly at the transparent hole the size of a teacup in the center of his chest. He struggled to lift his head, and blood slowly dripped from the corner of his mouth. He looked incredulously at Hua Wuniang, who had a similarly stiff expression, and asked hoarsely, "Mother—why don’t you save your child? Your child doesn’t want to die yet, your child doesn’t want to die—"

Beneath the black toxic soil in the backyard of Huichuntang lies a small stone chamber, measuring no more than ten feet in length and width. Inside the chamber, there are two long tables made of blue stone, each adorned with a white jade tray. On the trays rest a blue bracelet, three fingers wide, and a delicate ring intricately woven like a vine.

Could the secret vault be discovered by them

"The Great Luo Dan Dao!" The strange man's eyes twitched slightly, and he suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Indeed, it should be someone from the Great Luo Dan Dao. Hmm, the Rejuvenation Hall is engaged in the trade of medicinal materials; if one were to say that the Great Luo Dan Dao, which specializes in refining pills, has no connection with you, that would indeed be strange"

With a thud, Lin Yao fell to the ground, having already lost all signs of life.

"Hey!" Lin Shan shouted loudly, his right hand wielding a small medicinal hoe of a bluish-purple hue, which emitted a faint purple smoke as it swung down fiercely towards the Lord of Wutian.

For a long time thereafter, Lin Xiao could never understand why Lin Shan chose not to hide with him in the secret vault, but insisted on going out to face death.

The old five strange men holding a bow laughed a few times and said nonchalantly: "Swallow me? She must have such a big appetite! Hehe, the old immortal has set up the 'Four Phases Soul Locking Formation'. No matter how many experts there are in the city of Guihua, they have all become like little chicks now. Who can swallow me?"

"Kill me?" The strange person laughed in a bizarre manner, "Are you joking? Do you know that the city of Huiru has already been surrounded by the Four Phases Soul Locking Array I set up? Even if you are a master at the Innate Realm—no, even if you are a high-level practitioner on the verge of forming a Golden Elixir, your strength can only be exerted to less than ten percent! How could you possibly kill me?"

Lin Shanchang sighed, saying: "If you can escape this great calamity, there will naturally be a place for you in the future"

With both hands clasped in front of his chest, the strange man coldly laughed and said, "Heaven has a benevolent nature, so before every city massacre, I always need to find some excuse for myself. This time, I have an excuse!"

Gently placing the corpse of Hua Wuniang aside, Lin Shan straightened his body, his eyes fixed with a ghostly green light on the strange person.

In the flowerbed of the backyard of Huichuntang, there lies a patch of bizarre soil, pitch black and devoid of any vegetation. It is said that this place once cultivated a peculiar poisonous herb, and even after the herb perished, its toxicity lingered in the soil, resulting in not a single blade of grass growing here, and those who touch it meet with death. Consequently, this plot of over one mu of land is absolutely avoided by anyone. Over time, due to the lack of maintenance, it has become a scene of utter disarray, with the black soil covered in decaying fallen leaves and some unidentified trash, and a foul odor wafts in from a distance.

You—Hua Wuniang stared blankly at Lin Shan

Four beams of black light struck Lin Shan's body, causing his slender frame to swell momentarily before suddenly exploding into countless fragments amidst the black light

Fires suddenly broke out all over the city, with plumes of black smoke swirling around the flames and shooting up into the sky. The sounds of battle echoed from all directions, intermingled with the terrified and desperate cries of countless civilians.

They killed Yao'er! Yao'er is dead, slain by their arrows!

A group of strong men all burst into laughter, and they jumped down from the wall, approaching Hua Wuniang with a chuckle.

The power has once again returned to Hua Wuniang's body

The strange person nodded vigorously and said with a peculiar smile, "So what?"

The large banner outside the four city gates of the Guohua City suddenly shook violently, and four beams of black light burst forth from within the banner, coalescing in the air into the indistinct phantoms of four sacred beasts, each shrouded in faint black smoke. They darted towards the sky above the Huichun Hall like lightning

Stepping out of the secret path, Lin Shan instantly cast aside all his worries. At this point, there was nothing left to be concerned about. Now, all he could do was to share life and death with the Huichun Hall. This was a promise he made to his mentor, the previous master of Huichun Hall, a disciple of the outer sect of the 'Great Luo Dan Dao.' Lin Shan is a man of his word. This was a promise he made to his mentor, the previous master of Huichun Hall, a disciple of the outer sect of the 'Great Luo Dan Dao.' Lin Shan is a man of his word.

The Black Blade forcefully spat a thick phlegm onto the ground, and with a strange laugh, said: "My lord, the head of the Wang family in the Huguo City, truly possesses remarkable skills! Trapped by the Four Symbols Soul Locking Array, yet still managed to kill seventy-eight of my men and escape here! Hmm, this Four Symbols Soul Locking Array doesn't seem to be very powerful after all!"

The bald monster initially intended to take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Lin Shan with a palm strike, but upon hearing the conversation between Lin Shan and Hua Wuniang, a flicker of warmth unexpectedly crossed his eyes. The monster lowered his head in contemplation for a moment, then quietly stepped back a few paces, indicating that he could wait for Lin Shan and Hua Wuniang to finish their conversation.

Lin Shan gently nodded and said gloomily, "Wu Niang has a bad temperament, and Yao Er is even more unworthy. However, one is my lawful wife, and the other is my child."

Outside the city of Guihua, at a distance of ninety-nine zhang from the four city gates in the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, tall banners approximately ten zhang high were erected. On the black banners, the four spiritual beasts—Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu—were embroidered with red silk thread. However, instead of exuding the righteous and majestic aura that these divine beasts should possess, the banners were filled with a sinister and oppressive energy. Wisps of black smoke continuously seeped from the banners, slowly drifting into the city of Guihua. Instead of exuding the righteous and majestic aura that these divine beasts should possess, the banners were filled with a sinister and oppressive energy. Wisps of black smoke continuously seeped from the banners, slowly drifting into the city of Guihua

But what about those black knife bandits? What will they do when they discover that there is such a highly toxic area in the backyard of the Huichuntang?

The strange man reached behind his back and slowly pulled out a three-foot-long beast bone, which was topped with a stark white skull. The eye sockets of the skull glimmered with two bright red phosphorescent flames, making it look as terrifying as possible. The strange man chuckled darkly: "The Lord of the Silent Demon Sect, I seek to learn your esteemed skills! Hehe, you are an outer sect steward, so your cultivation level is likely not very high; I, too, am the Lord of External Affairs, and my cultivation has barely broken through to the innate realm. We are indeed a good match!"

A piercing scream echoed, as Hua Wuniang transformed into a myriad of fading shadows, lunging towards the burly men who were leering and advancing upon her.

"The Nine Abyss Bracelet and the Rejuvenation Ring are treasures of our sect; you must remember to protect them well." Lin Shan said urgently while patting Lin Xiao's head, "This secret vault may seem hidden, but it actually harbors great dangers. That patch of poisonous soil above is truly too conspicuous. However, your father has no better place for you to hide. My dear child, just wait quietly here for a few days."