strokinit Chapter 46 First Clash
Chapter 46 First Clash
Several miles outside Shanghe Village.
A long-abandoned, chaotic graveyard.
Overgrown with weeds, with broken steles and incomplete monuments, a gloomy atmosphere pervades the area.
Yin Zhizi did not recklessly enter the village.
They chose a collapsed grave with the strongest yin energy and set up an array.
The center of the formation was a white bone lamp, with three small oil lamps arranged in a triangle. The eerie green flames flickered and connected with the Yin energy from the ground, instantly blending their aura with the surrounding environment, making them extremely difficult to detect.
Yin Zhizi sat cross-legged in the formation, a black cloth covered with twisted runes spread out in front of him. His hands formed a strange hand seal, and he chanted incantations in a difficult and obscure manner, like the hiss of poisonous insects. Strands of almost transparent gray-black energy slowly seeped from the tips of his ten fingers, clinging to the ground like living things, and silently spreading towards Shanghe Village not far away, aided by the shadows of the grass and trees and the flow of the earth's yin energy.
One of their targets was the newly built shrine, which had the strongest incense offerings. They also sent out several other threads to explore the homes of those who had been rescued from the plague or those who were the most diligent in their daily worship. They were probing along multiple lines to see if they could find any loopholes in the protection provided by the newborn wild god.
Yin Zhizi tried several times, and a few wisps of air successfully seeped into the village silently from relatively mixed places such as the wasteland on the edge of the village and the downstream of the stream. One of the wisps successfully found Zhao the Cripple's house, one of the people who were the key to be saved during the plague and who usually performed the most frequent sacrifices.
Huh?
What is this?
Yin Zhizi paused for a moment, then looked closely and saw a simple altar under the window, with a bowl of water and a small amount of incense ash.
Yin Zhizi hesitated, unwilling to back down, and cautiously continued to climb. He had just reached the windowsill and was trying to find a way to absorb the weak connection between Zhao the Cripple and the Dragon God.
A sudden and unexpected change has occurred!
The seemingly ordinary water in the bowl suddenly rippled outwards, even without any wind.
A clear, cool aura, carrying a faint spiritual essence of the pool, spontaneously rose from the water, directly dissolving the approaching wisps of evil energy.
"Hmm? Spiritual self-protection? This wild god has actually infused his divine aura into the everyday objects of his believers?!"
Yin Zhizi was startled.
What surprised and puzzled him even more was that, almost at the same time, from the direction of Shixi Village, a spiritual sense, though seemingly less powerful than the vast protective pressure, was exceptionally pure and refined, carrying a clear sense of scrutiny and inquiry. Like an invisible probe, it followed the trail of the remaining wisps of energy that had not yet completely dissipated, tracing back to its source and sweeping in the opposite direction at an astonishing speed.
"We've been discovered! And there's a master host?!"
Yin Zhizi reacted extremely quickly, alarm bells blaring in his mind. Without hesitation, he severed all the outward-emitting energy strands and simultaneously activated the formation with all his might, compressing his own life force and aura to the extreme, completely blending into the Yin Sha death energy of the surrounding graveyard.
Yin Zhizi broke out in a cold sweat instantly. Luckily, he reacted quickly; otherwise, he would have been discovered immediately.
"Such a swift reaction! Such refined spiritual perception! This is definitely not the spontaneous protection of a naive wild god; there must be a cultivator behind it, and no ordinary one at that!"
Yin Zhizi frowned. The strength his opponent had displayed during that brief probing had far exceeded his expectations. This target was clearly not someone to be trifled with or easily captured.
"Troublesome! A tough nut to crack!"
"However, the more abundant the nutrients, the better! It's worth paying attention to."
Yin Zhizi's expression shifted between light and dark, his eyes flashing with green light. He quickly made a decision: a direct attack was not advisable, at least not now, but he was absolutely unwilling to give up this piece of meat that was already in his mouth.
"snort!"
"I, this Taoist priest, will concede and allow you to live a few more days."
"It's good to spend some time figuring out your background, your manpower, and your weaknesses."
"That toad is actually quite useful. Let's release it and stir up some trouble to see if we can lure the snakes out of their holes or create some opportunities."
Yin Zhizi grinned coldly, then without hesitation, swiftly put away the white bone lamp and black cloth. His figure, like a ghost blending into the night, silently slid out of the tomb, carefully erasing any trace he left behind, and quickly disappeared into the thick darkness, far away from Shixi Village and Shanghe Village. However, despite his meticulous planning, he made a mistake. No trace was left inside the tomb, but a faint, yet lingering, gray-black aura remained on the wild grass at the entrance. It was cold and sticky, faintly exuding filth, blood, and resentment.
A pale, fish-belly-like dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.
The morning breeze carried the chill of early autumn.
Lin Shi, carrying a machete, chopped through the weeds and vines blocking his way. He walked to the grave and his gaze fell on the few withered grasses. During this time, the dragon had gained more and more spiritual power, and its senses had become more and more acute. Without needing to carefully distinguish or even touch them, it keenly caught the lingering foul aura that was out of place with the surrounding environment.
Lin Shi extended his index finger and hovered it about an inch above the wild grass. There was no direct contact, but his fingertip immediately felt an icy, bone-chilling sensation. It wasn't just a low temperature; it was a sinister chill that penetrated deep into the bone marrow and tried to erode his spiritual senses.
The air was mixed with a faint, rusty smell of blood, and even more subtle resentment from countless painful cries that had been forcibly suppressed.
"Based on malevolent spirits, fueled by blood and qi, and fueled by resentment. Manipulating the souls of the dead, stealing life, and defiling the spirit."
Lin Shi frowned.
This wasn't something I knew on my own; I was only able to see and understand it clearly thanks to the abilities of the cloned dragon.
"He couldn't possibly be a rogue cultivator who accidentally acquired evil techniques; rather, he's a wild Taoist priest with an extremely unorthodox path, specializing in plunder and devouring—a legendary evil cultivator."
"Their methods are vicious. They not only covet the power of incense offerings and faith, but they are also likely more adept at using evil methods to defile statues of gods, sever the connection of faith, and may even imprison living souls and forge evil weapons, directly shaking the foundation of the gods."
Lin Shi withdrew his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, and his expression immediately became serious.
This is far more complex and dangerous than the simple monster's revenge that was expected.
Demons act primarily on instinct, with direct targets. These evil cultivators are cunning and ruthless, possessing a clear understanding of the power of incense and faith. Like jackals in the shadows, they do not rush to kill their prey but patiently seek out its weaknesses, constantly harassing and weakening it until the time is ripe, at which point they will launch a fatal attack.
"This was merely a test, far from our full strength."
Lin Shi looked in the direction the wild Taoist priest had retreated to the northwest, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as a pool.
"The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Their greed has been aroused, and they will not give up easily. The believers in both villages, especially the core believers and the objects they worship at home, need to be reminded to strengthen their mental defenses. Around the ancestral hall, perhaps by using the water veins and earth energy, the dragon can set up a hidden formation with even greater vigilance and purification power."
After figuring out a solution, Lin Shi left and returned to Shixi Village. He went directly to the edge of Bibo Pool and sent his thoughts to the avatar dragon, transmitting his judgment and plans to it.
"roar!"
Deep in the pool.
The dragon let out a roar, which was suppressed but still deep and powerful, and the chains clanged.
Lin Shi smiled.
After replacing the stone toad and directly absorbing faith and belief to spread to Shanghe Village, the dragon's faith and belief grew day by day, its power increased significantly, and the chains loosened more and more.
heretical practice?
The dragon was full of fighting spirit, and the message it sent was crystal clear. If it sensed a similar aura again, it would strike and kill it with lightning speed.
Lin Shi felt a slight sense of relief as he sensed the boiling anger and growing power of his clone, but his vigilance only increased. He calmed the dragon down, telling it not to be too agitated, as the dragon's killing intent was boundless and the evil cultivator was cunning; he needed to plan carefully before acting.
Lin Shi looked towards the gradually brightening sky in the east.
Worry?
Are you definitely worried?
Scared?
impossible!
Lin Shi knew early on that the surge in confidence and the loosening of chains were opportunities and sources of strength, but at the same time, they meant stepping onto a broader and more dangerous stage.
The unorthodox Taoist priests and evil cultivators will not be his first danger, much less his last. The road ahead is destined to be filled with more open and covert attacks and unpredictable storms.
Only by making the fire of faith burn brighter and purer can the dragon's power be quickly restored. This is his own clone; the greater its power, the greater his own power will be. Only then can he not only survive in this perilous world but also thrive, and only then will he have a chance to glimpse the ultimate mystery of this world.