Chapter 1: The Haunted Forest of Demons (Part 1)

  At noon, the golden light pours down on the crimson brick wall of Xiangyang Temple, reflecting a sparkling splendor. As far as the eye can see, it seems that the entire temple is covered with a layer of gold. The incense in the temple is flourishing, and the green smoke floats among the layers of peaks, like an immortal realm.

  Ding Lingxiu walked into the Xiangyang Temple with a fuzzy consciousness, his footsteps had just stepped through the temple gate. A small monk came over politely, staring at Ding Lingxiu for a long time before whispering:

  Ding Lingxu was taken aback, and thought: "This monk can speak a foreign language?"

  But he said in his heart, even if you can speak a foreign language, there's no need to show off your superiority here! He was already exhausted physically and mentally, and almost squeezed out these few words:

  "Don't bully me, I've been bullied enough, I'm Chinese."

  "Ah?" The little monk seemed surprised and asked in a daze:

  "May I ask if you have come to our temple to burn incense or pray for blessings?"

  Ding Lingxiu helplessly waved his hand and said:

  "I want to see Master Fangzhang, my friend is with him."

  The young monk hesitated for a moment before leading Ding Lingyu to the guest room.

  It was almost noon, and the Xiangyang Temple was bustling with activity, with many pilgrims visiting. He sat in the guest hall, sipping a few mouthfuls of tea. He overheard two young monks sweeping the floor whispering to each other.

  A young monk who was not very old said to another young monk who was slightly older:

  "Hey, Big Brother Master, can I not stay in the temple tonight?"

  The slightly older young monk looked at him with disdain and said:

  "Stop pretending, I've also spent a night out in the cold and came back to brag to my fellow disciples. Open your mind, all is emptiness."

  “……”

  The young monk who was relatively small in age stopped talking and bowed his head to sweep the floor.

  Ding Lingxiu was anxiously waiting in the guest hall when a young monk walked out of the inner hall and politely bowed to him, saying:

  "Benefactor, I have already informed Master Fangzhang. He and Zhang Zhenren are currently conversing with a visiting pilgrim who has come to pay respects. Master Fangzhang asks that you wait for the time being."

  Ding Lingxiu's body was almost falling apart with worry that Guo Mohan would catch up, and he couldn't sit still, his heart burning with anxiety.

  He was very clear that he had to leave here with Zhang Shanyi immediately, so he didn't care about these etiquettes and rushed directly into the inner hall.

  "Alas... benefactor..." The young monk wanted to stop him, but failed to do so.

  Ding Lingxiu burst into the inner hall and found a stately middle-aged woman sitting opposite Master Fangzhang and Zhang Shanyi, crying and wiping away tears as she spoke with them about something.

  When Ding Lingxiu walked in, the middle-aged woman seemed to be saying something with great emotion, and took out a large stack of banknotes from the limited edition Louis Vuitton handbag, sobbing and saying:

  "Two masters, look at me, I have everything, no lack of money, no lack of friends, clothes come with a stretch and food comes with an open mouth, but why? Why do I feel so empty and painful every day?"

  The master smiled warmly at her, continuing to turn the prayer beads in his hand, smiling but saying nothing.

  Zhang Shanyi, however, held out both hands on one side, looking at the middle-aged woman with a sincere gaze, without saying a word.

  The middle-aged woman wiped away her tears and looked at Zhang Shanyi's sincere expression and actions, immediately understanding, and exclaimed:

  "Does this Taoist master mean that I should face life with a smile and lend a helping hand to those in need?"

  Zhang Shanyi shook his head immediately after listening and said:

  "I just want to say, I've made up my mind about this friend of yours."

  Before he had even finished speaking, he felt a difficulty in breathing and looked up to see Ding Lingyu.

  Ding Lingxiu grabbed Zhang Shanyi's collar and pulled him out of the inner hall, then turned to Master Fangzheng and said:

  "Sorry to disturb you, Master, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with him, it's extremely pressing."

  The master nodded and silently recited "Amitabha".

  Ding Lingxiu stared at Zhang Shanyi, who was dumbfounded, and said angrily:

  "They are spreading Buddhist teachings over there, what's the point of you following and joining in on the fun, and even having the mood to make friends with the local tyrants? Hurry up and pack your bags, let's get out of here quickly."

  Zhang Shanyi was still in shock and asked:

  "Brother Ding, how come you've changed so much after catching those two monsters? How did you suddenly turn into a foreigner?"

  Ding Lingxiu touched his hair and only then realized that it had been scorched by the intense flames of the Red Bird, turning it a dark yellow color. Combined with his naturally blue eyes, he now looked just like a Westerner, no wonder the little monk earlier spoke to him in English.

  Ding Lingxiu smiled wryly and said:

  "It's not for your sake that I've ended up like this."

  As he spoke, Ding Lingxiu took out the Spirit Gathering Orb from his backpack and said to Zhang Shanyi:

  "Your inner elixir is in this Spirit Gathering Orb, now try to bring it out, hurry up, we don't have much time."

  Zhang Shanyi took over the Ling Ball and was stunned for a moment:

  "Didn't you subdue those two monsters? Are they going to come after us again?"

  "Don't mention it, she's not a monster, but a woman even more terrifying than a monster."

  "What's scary about women? What can women do?"

  "It's a long story, you'd better hurry up and bring out the inner elixir. We'll leave this Linggathering orb here later and rush to the underworld. As long as we enter the underworld, she won't be able to catch up with us because the yin energy in the underworld is too heavy. Generally, a demon hunter can only enter once every three months."

  Zhang Shanyi was shocked and stared at Ding Lingxiu in disbelief:

  "Ding brother, didn't I hear that wrong? You went through great difficulties to obtain this Spirit Gathering Ball from the hands of two demons, yet you don't plan on taking it away?"

  Ding Lingxiu pouted and looked helpless.

  "Now you finally recognize the value of this treasure, but when your inner elixir was taken away earlier, why did you have such a lustful expression? Do you think I don't want to take away this Spirit Gathering Ball? This Spirit Gathering Ball is that woman's treasure who wants to kill me. If I don't leave it for her, she will definitely not let me off."

  "Oh, I see, well then, I'll extract my inner elixir now."

  Zhang Shanyi finished speaking and first brought over a small incense burner, on which he lit three earth-yellow colored incense sticks.

  The fragrance wafts out, bringing a subtle and refreshing scent that lifts one's mood.

  Zhang Shanyi gently stroked the smooth surface of the Linggathering Orb with both hands, amidst a faint fragrance. He used his spiritual energy to slowly draw out the inner elixir from within the orb. The Linggathering Orb emitted a soft, eerie green glow, followed by a blinding flash of golden light. Amidst the dazzling radiance, a majestic and overflowing spiritual energy sphere emerged.

  Ding Lingxiu was also seeing the physical body of a Taoist internal elixir for the first time and couldn't help but feel extremely surprised.

  This golden elixir may not have adapted to the changes after leaving the Spirit Gathering Orb, and it was jumping and flashing in the air like a living thing. Zhang Shanyi quickly wrapped this golden elixir with spiritual energy, reciting the Blessing Incantation:

  "The Way is learned from the heart, and the heart borrows fragrance to spread. The fragrance of jade and incense fills the imperial court, with the heart remaining in front of the Emperor. The true spirit descends to gaze, and the celestial banner arrives at the throne. I am ordered to inform the officials, and directly reach the Nine Heavens."

  As soon as the incantation was finished, the three sticks of incense suddenly burst into fierce flames, and the red incense heads actually burned with golden sparks, looking like three candles. The fragrance enveloped the inner elixir, which had just calmed down slightly, its light flickering uncertainly in the midst of the fragrance. Zhang Shanyi quickly formed a hand seal, his hands changing rapidly as he shouted at the inner elixir:

  "Hurry up! It's an order!"

  In an instant, the golden light of the inner elixir flashed and slowly poured into Zhang Shanyi's body. A strong and unmatched spiritual energy surged up, causing the tables and chairs in the hall to shake violently. Only when the inner elixir was fully absorbed into Zhang Shanyi's body did the hall stop shaking.

  The elixir entered his body, and Zhang Shanyi's eyes also became clear and bright again. His face, which had been somewhat haggard just now, was radiant with energy once more.

  He slowly rotated his inner elixir, extremely excited, and hugged Ding Lingxiu saying:

  "Ding brother, you are truly a good brother of mine, thanks to you, I can recover my cultivation."

  Ding Lingxiu smiled weakly and replied:

  "Alright, now that you've also recovered your inner elixir, hurry up and pack so we can get on the road. I think Master Fangzheng will be coming out soon too."

  "Alright, I'll go prepare." Zhang Shanyi had just stood up when he suddenly furrowed his brow, as if something was off.

  "What's wrong?" asked Ding Lingxiu.

  "Not good, although the inner elixir has been recovered, however..." Zhang Shanyi paused for a moment, and the joyful emotions from earlier instantly vanished. "But it actually dropped from a third-grade inner elixir to a second-grade inner elixir."