Chapter 6: A Duel of Spells
“This zombie has been secretly suppressed by my Talisman and can no longer cause harm. I can use this to draw out the Evil Path Cultivator hiding in the shadows.”
“I don’t know what kind of demonic Spells this Evil Path Cultivator possesses. I must concentrate fully to avoid being taken advantage of by him…”
Just then, a shrill voice cried out, “Lingmen, you dare to ruin my plans and even try to ambush me? How can I not seek revenge for this grudge?”
A puff of black smoke, carrying two long black nails, flew from outside the Chen Family Village courtyard wall, heading straight for Daoist Lingmen.
Daoist Lingmen was already on guard. A bell flew out from his sleeve, ringing twice. The two black nails slowed down slightly. The person hidden outside the courtyard wall hastily recalled the black nails, circulated his True Qi once, and then launched them again.
One was inside the courtyard, and the other outside. Just like that, they began to duel with Spells.
Chen Qianliu, in his previous life, was also a Cultivator. His experience was far richer than Daoist Lingmen’s. He could tell that the reason the zombie couldn’t get up was not only because Daoist Lingmen’s Talisman was suppressing it, but also because all its hard bones had been shattered, making it as soft as it was.
He also realized that someone was controlling this zombie, and the hidden Evil Path Cultivator would surely make a move next. Fearing that he would be caught in the crossfire, he quickly retreated two steps, wanting to go back to his room.
At this moment, seeing the two of them each driving Magical Artifacts and engaging in a Spell duel, his heart actually settled slightly. He thought, “So it’s not some powerful individual.”
Only upon reaching the Qi Refining Third Layer, the ‘Qi Condensation into Orifices’ realm, can one remotely control Magic Treasures. The Qi Refining Second Layer cannot truly control Magic Treasures; it is only equivalent to a martial artist using hidden weapons, ‘launching’ the Magic Treasure. Although one can slightly manipulate it by relying on the Magic Treasure’s inherent spiritual properties, as soon as the True Qi disperses, the Magic Treasure will fall to the ground and must be quickly retrieved after one strike.
Both individuals in the Spell duel were at the Qi Refining Second Layer. Daoist Lingmen’s cultivation was similar to Chen Qianliu’s in his previous life, also only at the Qi Refining Second Layer. However, he was younger, had better Aptitude, cultivated a more advanced Cultivation Technique, and had a much brighter future. The Evil Path Cultivator’s cultivation was similar to Daoist Lingmen’s.
This kind of Spell duel was very inconvenient; otherwise, Daoist Lingmen’s Shaking Silver Bell wouldn’t have been able to force the opponent to recall the Black Dog Nails.
The Shaking Silver Bell was good at vibrating True Qi. If the attacking Evil Path Cultivator desperately launched the Black Dog Nails, even if they could injure Daoist Lingmen, once the True Qi dispersed, these two Black Dog Nails would not be able to be recalled.
Chen Qianliu cultivated diligently in his previous life, but he died at the age of eighty-six, unable to Cultivate to the Qi Refining Third Layer, stopping at the Qi Refining Second Layer, the ‘Boiling Liquid into Qi’ realm. Even now, he still sighs when he thinks about it.
He watched the Spell duel for a while, initially wanting to avoid it, but then he came to his senses and broke out in a cold sweat. He thought, “This Evil Path Cultivator is so vicious. If Daoist Lingmen loses the Spell duel, I fear the Chen Family Village will be annihilated. When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain whole? I must lend Daoist Lingmen a hand; helping others is helping myself.”
He secretly observed the direction from which the Black Dog Nails were coming. He rummaged around on the ground for a while, found a broken brick, used his mind to replace a brush, and the air to replace yellow paper, secretly drawing a Talisman of Stability. He walked a few steps towards the courtyard wall, and when the Black Dog Nails came again, he forcefully threw the brick, hitting the Black Dog Nails squarely.
Daoist Lingmen’s eyes lit up, and he let out a clear shout. The Shaking Silver Bell rang several times in quick succession. A shrill voice cursed, “Who is playing tricks and ruining my Spell?” The Black Dog Nails became slightly unstable, turned around and flew several zhang, unable to sustain themselves any longer, and immediately fell to the ground outside the wall.
Chen Qianliu’s Talisman actually had little power, as it was drawn in haste. Even though he had comprehended the Xin Fu Technique (Heart Talisman Technique), it was only the Foundation of Spells, not a true Spell, incomparable to the Magical Artifacts that the Evil Path Cultivator had refined for many years. Hitting the Black Dog Nails could at most cause the True Qi controlling this Evil Path Magical Artifact to slightly disperse, but it was already enough for Daoist Lingmen to use the Shaking Silver Bell to make it fall.
Daoist Lingmen struck down the Black Dog Nails, flew forward a few steps, leaped over the courtyard wall, and shouted, “Let’s see how much ferocity you still have!”
The black-robed Daoist was greatly alarmed. He didn’t even bother to pick up the Black Dog Nails. He took out a small banner from his Pregnant, shook it against the wind, and black smoke billowed, obscuring his body.
Daoist Lingmen didn’t know what kind of Magic Treasure this small banner was, or what its wondrous uses were, so he dared not make a move.
After the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, the black smoke dispersed, and the black-robed Daoist was nowhere to be seen.
Daoist Lingmen leaped down from the courtyard wall, picked up the two Black Dog Nails, and turned back to Chen Family Village.
Without a Master to control it, the zombie was now motionless. He glanced at the Black Dog Nails in his hand, then slammed them into the zombie’s forehead and heart, shouting, “Add some tung oil to strengthen the fire!”
Although Chen Qianliu’s father felt a pang of sadness, he still called for two buckets of tung oil to be brought out and poured onto the bonfire. The flames immediately grew much larger.
Chen Qianliu adopted his most obedient posture, standing quietly to the side. With his experience from his previous life, he knew that offering treasures now would likely cause aversion. It was better to act like a mature young man, which would please the immortal more.
He was still unwilling to give up, hoping to seize an Opportunity.
Daoist Lingmen’s cultivation was not deep, but he was, after all, a He Mountain Sect Disciple, with a proper Legacy.
Daoist Lingmen glanced at him, and indeed, felt a slight increase in closeness. He mused, “This child is quite clever, and both bold and meticulous. If he hadn’t thrown that brick and hit the Black Dog Nails, my Shaking Silver Bell might not have been able to make this treasure fall.”
“This child also wants to become my Disciple. He does have some inclination towards the Dao, but unfortunately, his Aptitude is too poor, and he has no fate for Cultivating the Dao. Later, I will give him a boxing manual to strengthen his muscles and bones, prolong his life, and ward off illness, as a reward for throwing that brick.”
Daoist Lingmen was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer. He neither saw that Chen Qianliu had hidden Talisman art in the brick, nor did he see that he possessed cultivation. Therefore, he still had no intention of taking him as a Disciple.
Chen Qianliu waited expectantly for a while, but Daoist Lingmen never mentioned his brick-throwing incident. He secretly sighed, thinking, “Why is it so difficult to find a Master?” He turned and left the front courtyard, returning to his dwelling in low spirits.
He wasn’t worried about that Evil Path Cultivator returning. The opponent was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, and had lost his effective Magical Artifact. If he was given more time to draw more Talismans, he wouldn’t fear such an Evil Path Cultivator.
In just over an hour, the zombie was burned to ashes.
The villagers watching were all overjoyed and encouraged, everyone saying that a major hidden danger had been removed, and the village would be peaceful from then on.
The Chen Family Patriarch let out a sigh of relief, secretly thinking, “This Daoist Lingmen truly has magical power; he’s not a swindling charlatan.”
After the fire had completely died down, Daoist Lingmen performed a fire-avoiding Spell, retrieved the two Black Dog Nails, and said to the Chen Family Patriarch, “This humble Daoist has already eradicated the evil and must return to the mountains.”
The Chen Family Patriarch was startled. He was worried that the black-robed Evil Path Cultivator would return, so he dared not let Daoist Lingmen leave. He grabbed his Daoist robe and said, “That black-robed Daoist can refine one zombie, and he can surely refine a second. If he returns, the village will have no peace.”
“Daoist priest’s Spells are powerful. Why not remove the root of this disaster for our Chen Family Village?”
Daoist Lingmen pondered slightly. He was just passing through and had other important matters to attend to, so he couldn’t stay here for long.
Furthermore, the black-robed Daoist had lost his Magic Treasure, and refining corpses was an extremely arduous task, often requiring several years to refine one. Cultivators also firmly believed in geomancy, and having lost face in this place, the chances of him returning were very slim. However, for a moment, he didn’t know how to explain this to these mortals.
The new book urgently needs investment, collections, and monthly votes. Everyone, keep up the good work, let’s go!