Chapter 4 Pure and Impure (2)

  After a moment, the momentum grew stronger and Wang Changming's legs trembled even more, unable to stand still. Qing Xuan glanced at him, sheathed his sword, and the oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly. This huge drop came so suddenly that Changming shuddered all over, his face covered in cold sweat.

  "Let's go and take a look at the coffin." Qing Xuan still spoke in that light and indifferent tone.

  As the sound of Qingxuan's footsteps grew fainter, Changming finally came to from his earlier daze. Without Qingxuan's radiant light surrounding him, the place plunged back into darkness. Feeling a chill run down his spine as if he had sensed that same icy and ominous feeling before, Changming shivered and hastily followed after him.

  "May I ask, Master Dao, what are your plans next?" Chang Ming finally had a clear understanding of Qing Xuan's extraordinary abilities and felt somewhat at ease.

  "Pure and tranquil, following the imperial court, drought and famine...and also the same theory that time is running out, all of this seems to have a traceable origin. And then there's that divination I still can't figure out, what connection does it have with all this?......" From just now on, Qingxuan had been quietly thinking about the various things that happened today, and when Changming asked his question, he suppressed these doubts in his heart. "Don't worry, benefactor, this calamity won't last long, I will cast a spell soon."

  Apart from this, both of them had their own concerns and had not broken the silence. They soon arrived at the hall. In the middle of the hall stood two coffins, one large and one small, which seemed nothing out of the ordinary. However, as they drew closer, under the illumination of Qing Xuan's clear light, it was clear that there were wisps of black air lingering in the hall. Moreover, more and more black air kept emerging from the larger coffin in the center.

  "Be careful, this is evil energy, don't let it touch you. Stand behind me." Qing Xuan's long sleeve waved, and the nearby black air was all dispersed.

  In Changming's eyes, Qingxuan had become a god-like existence. However, Qingxuan was secretly suffering in his heart, with Changming behind him, he had to dispel the evil energy and couldn't calm down to cast his spell. The evil energy that could be seen was getting thicker and thicker, Qingxuan knew in his heart that he couldn't drag it on like this anymore. If he still didn't take any action, before dawn broke, the corpse in the coffin would likely break out of its restraints, and when that happened, it would be even more troublesome to deal with him.

  After weighing it in his mind, Qingxuan made a decisive decision, and with a wave of his sleeves, he dispersed the evil energy around him. He grabbed Changming's collar, gathered his true energy, and threw him three feet away. Then he sheathed his sword, sat down cross-legged, and performed the movements with a smooth and natural flow like clouds and water.

  He formed a still lotus seal in front of his chest, and muttered the Clear Mind Mantra. Although his voice was not loud, it did not disperse and lingered throughout the entire hall. The clear light around him grew stronger, and those evil spirits were all dispelled by his clear energy. Before long, the gloomy and eerie atmosphere in the hall had almost completely dissipated.

  Qing Xuan seemed to have known all along, and without looking with his eyes, he stood up in an instant. A swift flash of the sword, a long and drawn-out sword hum. Chun Jun was unsheathed once again. However, this time it wasn't for engaging in a martial arts contest with someone, but rather to play the role of a carving knife. Qing Xuan held Chun Jun in his hand, his shadow fluttering beneath his feet as he wandered around the hall, engraving all sorts of mysterious and inexplicable talismans. As Chun Jun was forged by Ou Yezi, it was naturally extremely sharp. However, what was strange was that in Chang Ming's view, the sword tip seemed to be at least an inch away from the ground, yet the talismans were deeply etched into the green stone floor tiles of the hall.

  The true energy was released to form a sword aura, which is something that only a pre-heavenly high-level expert can accomplish. "It seems that this unknown old Taoist is indeed an extremely skilled master." Wang Changming had previously made some guesses, and now he basically confirmed it, with his respect and curiosity increasing by another notch.

  A moment later, not only the floor, but also the walls and even the beams were covered with symbols. Glancing at all this, Qing Xuan's calm and peaceful face also revealed a hint of a smile. Then, he took out another blank yellow paper from his bosom.

  This time, however, it was not like last time, drawing symbols out of thin air. Qing Xuan bit his right index finger and wrote on the yellow paper in a flurry of brushstrokes.

  "Ah!" A loud and clear cry, Qing Xuan suddenly jumped up, and with a palm, he slapped the paper talisman onto Su Tian's coffin. Qing Xuan then used his palm strength to jump back, leaving the paper talisman on Su Tian's coffin. Strangely, smoke began to emanate from the paper talisman, growing larger and larger until it suddenly ignited with a "whoosh". As the flames on the paper talisman grew brighter, the symbols carved by Qing Xuan around him also emitted a faint blue glow. When the paper talisman finally turned to ashes, the carved symbols all disappeared once again.

  Qing Xuan stroked his beard, a red glow on his face, looking very satisfied with the effect. "At this moment it's already night, and it's also the seventh night of the soul returning, the yin energy is too strong, it's not suitable for casting spells. So I've set up a small array, waiting until tomorrow noon when the yang energy is strongest, watch me cast a spell to exorcise the demon."

  "Now that today's matters are settled, Master Dao can take a rest. Tomorrow will also be good with energy." Hearing Qingxuan's explanation, Changming's heart was also relieved.

  "You go rest first, I can't leave. If something unexpected happens, neither of us can afford it. Tonight, I'll just sit here and meditate. People who cultivate the Tao usually sleep very little and often use meditation to relieve fatigue." With that, Qingxuan sat down cross-legged.

  Chang Ming shook his head, "I'll stay with Dao Zhang too, having one more person will add a bit of security. Besides, I also need to adjust my true energy."

  Qing Xuan didn't open his eyes, he just nodded slightly.

  Two people sat in the courtyard under the moonlight, with a few wisps of cloud drifting by in the evening breeze. A bright moon hung in the sky, illuminating the entire Yangzhou area with clarity. At some point, a faint dark cloud covered the bright moon, casting a large shadow over the mansion. Qingxuan and the others were all meditating with their eyes closed, so how could they see the changes in the sky?

  "Bang!" A loud crash, both Qingxuan and Changming were shocked, instantly waking up from their meditation. Changming almost suffered internal injuries due to his floating blood and energy, but fortunately, Qingxuan's assistance helped him avoid serious harm.

  Changming's mind was filled with doubts. That loud noise seemed to come from the hall, and that voice sounded like a fist hitting the coffin. But Tianming had already passed away, so how could there be any movement in the coffin? And what about Qingxuan's thousand-year-old Daoist corpse, where was it? These questions hadn't occurred to him before, but now they suddenly flooded his mind.

  Looking at Qingxuan with a puzzled expression, Qingxuan was slightly surprised earlier, but now he has also calmed down. He gives the feeling of being confident again. "I indeed didn't guess wrong, when I saw the evil spirit spraying out from the coffin earlier, I had a speculation, and now it seems to be true. That thousand-year-old corpse demon is probably attached to your brother's corpse, and the commotion just now was that demon knocking on the coffin." Although what he said sounds terrifying, Qingxuan's expression becomes even more calm.

  "But listen to that sound, its power cannot be underestimated." Changming's expression still had some worry.

  "Legend has it that the Corpse is the highest form of a zombie, with a body made of copper and iron bones, impervious to knives and guns. Moreover, its strength is boundless, not something an ordinary person can contend with. However, don't worry, your brother used all his energy to seal the Corpse's soul within his own body, so it's absolutely severely injured now. Furthermore, I have set up a formation around us, so the Corpse's powers will only continue to weaken, no need to worry, just focus on recovering, and ignore any sounds you may hear." Qing Xuan glanced at Chang Ming, then closed his eyes and continued meditating.

  After that, although there were sometimes knocks like before, every time a sound was made, the arrays on the surrounding walls immediately emitted a burst of clear light, illuminating the coffin in the hall. The sound also naturally became smaller and smaller. The two people spent the night like this.

  The next morning, Wang Changming woke up from his meditation. A ray of sunlight on the horizon shone on Qingxuan's body, seeming to have a faint halo around him. Upon closer inspection, however, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Changming felt a thrill of fear in his heart, "Could he be an immortal descended to earth?"

  It seemed as if Qingxuan had sensed Changming's gaze, and he also opened his eyes to meet Changming's gaze.

  Wang Changming was shocked by Qingxuan's keen senses, but a faint smile appeared on his face. "I don't know what Long Ke needs for breakfast? I'll go prepare it for you."

  Qing Xuan's face revealed a faint smile, and he shook his head. "No need to trouble yourself, I'm currently fasting and don't require grains or fruits to fill my belly. Thank you for your concern, I'll just stay here."

  Chang Ming was not surprised at all and perhaps had become accustomed to such things. "Then I'll trouble Daozhang, is there anything I can help with?"

  "Hmm... you go and insert these three yellow flags separately at the Kan, Dui, and Gen positions of the Zeng Mansion. Remember to insert them into the ground three parts deep, not too shallow."

  Qing Xuan took out three yellow flags from his bosom, each slightly larger than a palm. The yellow flags were painted with mysterious and inexplicable talismans.

  "Don't worry, Director. I've got this small matter covered." Changming looked up at the sun to determine the direction and said confidently.

  Qing Xuan glanced at him and nodded, then sat down calmly in meditation.

  Time flies like an arrow, and the white horse passes swiftly. Unknowingly, it's already three rods high in the sun, nearing noon. Qingxuan suddenly stood up, the clear wind blew gently, and his Taoist robe fluttered ceaselessly, with a somewhat ethereal and elegant demeanor.

  "The time is near, the sun is high in the sky. Let's see how I, a poor Taoist, use my magic to summon heavenly thunder and eliminate the evil spirits."

  The clear and mysterious energy surged greatly, as if it was about to rush straight up into the sky. Under the pressure of the clear and mysterious energy, Chang Ming unconsciously retreated three steps back. "Daozhang?"

  "Take the pure sword and retreat three zhang." Qing Xuan glanced back, his tone calm, but his true energy surged like a galloping horse. Chang Ming's legs trembled, and the pressure on him increased dramatically. "Yes."

  "Hurry up and come back quickly! Don't miss the timing." The pressure that was originally like a mountain suddenly subsided, as gentle as a breeze blowing through willows. Looking at Qingxuan with some confusion, he saw Qingxuan wave his hand grandly. His impression of Qingxuan rose another notch, and without further thought, he turned around and hurried off, circulating his true energy.

  After Changming left, Qingxuan turned his head back, his eyes fixed tightly on the coffin in the hall. His eyebrows gradually furrowed, and Qingxuan stretched out his sword finger, reciting the true incantation, using his fingers to draw a line across his eyes. This is a common method of opening the heavenly eye in Taoism, but the old Taoist had already reached the level of distinguishing yin and yang with his mortal eyes, and just to be cautious, he still used the incantation. "The yin energy is indeed still quite thick, at noon it's still so dense."

  The faint sound of footsteps came from the edge of the ear. "Hmmm" The old Taoist let out a light hum, and the originally collected momentum suddenly dispersed in an instant. A fierce aura burst forth, rushing straight into the clouds. Even under the scorching sun at noon, a blue lotus flower was faintly visible blooming around Qingxuan's body.

  Qing Xuan was situated in the center of the lotus flower, with petal after petal wrapping around him. His Taoist robe fluttered without wind, as if he were a celestial being descending to the mortal world or a transcendent eagerly awaiting ascension. His aura was far from ordinary, possessing a majesty and loftiness that surpassed all else, an unfeeling quality that was the very essence of the Tao!

  Suddenly an idea struck him, "Could it be that this old Dao has reached the critical point of ascension?" This thought frightened Changming greatly. Could there really be such a high-ranking person in this world? Holding his breath and standing three zhang away from Qingxuan, Changming's heart was filled with even more shock and doubt.

  Qing Xuan's expression turned solemn, his entire body's aura came to a halt, and a surge of energy shot up into the sky. "The sword is coming!" Qing Xuan shouted loudly, but after his voice faded away, Chang Ming felt that the Pure Harmony Sword in his hand was somehow not quite right. The sword body was trembling slightly, like a person, and suddenly a sword hum sounded, like a golden dragon flying straight up. Chang Ming's hand felt light, and when he looked down, he found that the Pure Harmony Sword in his hand had vanished without a trace.