Chapter Nine, The First Battle

Li Ping'an muttered to himself: "This must be the soul of the serpent demon!"

The serpent demon slithered before the crowd, lowering its head to bite the village chief

With a thunderous roar, a massive serpent's head crashed onto the Taiji diagram like a dragon emerging from the water, sword energy crisscrossing in all directions, the scales on the serpent's head bursting with a series of explosive sounds, and streams of fresh blood gushing forth.

The rumbling sound echoed through the mountains and forests

"Beast, do not be so audacious!" With a furious shout, Li Ping'an soared into the air, drawing his long sword, its white blade gleaming as it struck towards the serpent's head

Mangshan stood still, silent and motionless.

A Tai Chi sword wheel composed of sword energy rises from the mountains and forests, and the sound of painful howls echoes beneath the Tai Chi diagram

"Enough!" The village chief shouted angrily at the two people who had fallen in the courtyard of the temple, "Da Lin, Er Lin, you two go and bring those two girls back."

All the Han people trembled all over, their eyes revealing a look of fear. Da Lin and Er Lin hurriedly rushed towards the Sanqing Hall, their faces showing a fierce expression

Help!

"Where are you going?" Li Ping'an shouted sharply, his figure descending like a sword from the sky. With a loud crash, everything returned to calm.

Mangshan slowly stood up, blocking the entrance of the Taoist temple, remaining motionless.

The snake demon suddenly raised its head, opened its large mouth, and fiercely lunged forward, attempting to bite Li Ping'an with a swift motion resembling a shooting star

A colossal serpent demon rumbled towards the Sanqing Temple, leaving a path of broken trees and upheaved earth in its wake

Spare me, oh spirits, spare me!

A glimmer of mockery and murderous intent flashed in the serpent demon's eyes, and a foul-smelling gas was expelled from its mouth, causing all those who were fleeing to stagger and fall to the ground with a series of thuds

With a clang, Li Ping'an struck the fangs of the snake with his sword. A tremendous force surged forth, causing him to grunt softly, and in an instant, he soared into the air.

The village chief also raised his head in terror and shouted: "Spirit of the Ritual, I am the village chief, you cannot eat me. I provide you with offerings, it is I who provide you with offerings!"

A group of people beside the village chief were screaming in terror, running and crawling in a frantic escape

A spiritual talisman illuminated in Li Ping'an's palm, and the fleeing snake demon suddenly paused, fiercely retreating and charging towards Li Ping'an. He swiftly caught it in his hand, and the black snake shadow struggled in Li Ping'an's palm, yet could not break free no matter how hard it tried.

Qing Yu nodded repeatedly and said, "Indeed!" Proudly, she continued, "This is a temple, and it enshrines deities, and there are three of them, you know~"

Li Ping'an, with a heart full of peace and blessings, extended his hand and shouted: "Summon the spirits and dispatch the generals"

Li Ping'an's Daoist robe shimmered with spiritual light, and he soared into the sky like a roc, leaping from the forest, stepping with his left foot on his right and his right foot on his left, ascending with a whoosh.

However, when it comes to fighting, Li Ping'an falls far short. When he was on Earth, he was a model student: he did not fight, did not engage in early romantic relationships, and did not leave school early. When faced with issues at school, he would seek help from teachers; when outside of school, he would turn to the police. Throughout his life, the number of times he has fought can be counted on one hand. The previous encounters with those strong men were also due to a significant disparity in their realms.

Just after taking two steps, a loud bang resonated as if struck by an invisible force. Two burly men spat out a mouthful of blood and were sent flying, crashing out of the Sanqing Temple and landing heavily on the ground. They rolled several meters before lying motionless, uncertain of their fate

Qing Yu curiously asked: "Was that a spirit offering just now from Uncle Mangshan? Why did it fight with Master?"

In the distant mountains and forests, a rumbling sound echoed continuously. After a fierce battle, Li Ping'an gradually grasped the rhythm and began to apply the martial arts he had learned into the fight.

On the battlefield, Li Ping'an, with his disheveled Daoist robe and bruised face, stood atop the enormous head of the serpent demon. His magic sword was thrust deep into the demon's skull, all the way to the hilt, when a serpent-shaped shadow suddenly burst forth from the demon's body and fled into the forest.

The serpent demon unleashed a plume of black smoke, causing the trees beneath it to emit a hissing sound as they rapidly turned black and decayed

Two men in the courtyard of the Taoist temple exchanged a glance and stood up.

The village chief trembled with anger and shouted, "Mangshan, do you intend to rebel?"

Mangshan said in a deep voice: "I want to see who dares!"

With a dull thud, Li Ping'an was instantly sent flying like a ping-pong ball, crashing into the forest with a loud bang, while the snake demon swiftly turned and chased after him

Mangshan rose from the ground and looked up towards the battlefield, the rumbling sounds echoed continuously, and clusters of trees broke and fell, a glimmer of hope instinctively flashed in his eyes

Dalin and Erlin immediately stood in place, hesitating.

The battle has ended, and the numerous strong men in front of the Taoist temple all trembled, their eyes shining with excitement. Could it be that the serpent demon has been defeated?

Qing Xue and Qing Yu ran out of the Sanqing Temple and came to the side of Mang Mountain

The village chief shouted sternly: "Mangshan, what are you waiting for? Hurry up! Do you want your son to be a sacrifice?"

The remaining Han individuals also looked curiously at Qingyu

Li Ping'an let out a long sigh and slumped down on the snake's head, feeling a lingering fear as he said: "It was too dangerous; fighting is truly perilous. I nearly died several times. Shouldn't cultivators of the Dao be able to wield flying swords to confront enemies with just a thought? Or at least summon heavenly thunder and earthly fire with a mere incantation! Close combat is exceedingly dangerous and not at all elegant. System, don't you agree? System, speak up! Don't play dumb! Give me a flying sword!" Close combat is exceedingly dangerous and not at all elegant. System, don't you agree? System, speak up! Don't play dumb! Give me a flying sword!

All the strong men suddenly changed their expressions, a temple? This is actually a temple? No wonder Da Lin and Xiao Lin were suddenly injured; it must be the wrath of the gods. All the strong men immediately became anxious.

The palm's spirit-binding seal emitted a beam of light, and the serpent demon's soul was instantly devoured by the spirit-binding seal, vanishing without a trace

Mangshan's heart stirred as he said: "Is he your master?"

In terms of realm, Li Ping'an is still superior to the snake demon, and both his techniques and martial arts are extraordinary, with his overall strength far surpassing that of the snake demon.

Now faced with a relatively competent opponent, Li Ping'an found himself in a dire situation, his mind in a daze, having forgotten more than half of his skills, and ultimately becoming a target of relentless assault

Mangshan was taken aback, seeing the eager expressions in their eyes, yet he did not know how to articulate his thoughts.

A glimmer of despair flashed in the village chief's eyes, is it finally my turn? I do not want to die

The village chief was also taken aback in an instant, this ...? ... what is going on? How did they fly out?

The serpent demon crashed to the ground with a loud bang, its figure swiftly darting away into the distance

Aren't you afraid of angering the spirits of the ancestors?" the village chief shouted angrily

... ...

Only the village chief was filled with unease, murmuring to himself: "The spirit offering is invincible, invincible..."

... ...

A glimmer of brilliance flashed in Mangshan's eyes as he turned to look at the Sanqing Hall and the bewildered Qingxue and Qingyu.

Qing Xue looked up with concern and asked, "Uncle Mangshan, how are my parents? Are they seriously ill?"

The snake demon let out a painful hiss, and with a swift turn, its tail struck towards Li Ping'an like a long whip, creating a shadow in the air

The village chief came to his senses and immediately reacted, No, I cannot die, I want to live, there is a chance, there is still a chance, as long as I satisfy the spirit of the sacrifice, it will not kill me. He hurriedly shouted, "Mangshan, quickly catch those two girls for me."