Master of Strange Dao

Er Han's progress in Body Refinement was terrifyingly fast, and his foundation was equally solid. Even old Yang said that this kind of talent was naturally born for Body Cultivation.

First-tier Body Refinement dealt with Qi-Blood, Second Tier with Marrow Cleansing, which were nothing special. It was mostly a matter of patience and perseverance, as long as one maintained nutritional balance, everyone could eventually complete it in different times.

Upon reaching the Third-tier Returning to the Orifices, talent began to play a role.

The human body had seven hundred and twenty orifices, but Body Cultivation couldn't utilize them all. There were fifty strange orifices and one hundred and eight vital points, most of which were untouchable, you couldn't casually refine them or you'd risk death or serious injury.

However, Er Han, with no real education and acting purely on instinct, had refined over four hundred orifices and hadn't yet ended the Returning to the Orifices stage of cultivation.

Curiously, without knowing how, he managed to refine nine out of the thirty-six deadly Death orifices among those vital points.

Old Yang, well-versed and experienced, was seeing more things lately that he had never encountered before.

Seeing that Er Han was fine, old Yang and Yu Ziqing didn't dare to mention it, fearing that if they told this simpleton about the danger, he might not maintain his current state of having no distractions and being fearless.

If even a shred of doubt appeared in his mind, things might go wrong.

In his heart, both Yu Ziqing and old Yang had long stopped perceiving Er Han as simply a Third-tier Body Cultivator. The Qi Blood Power flowing through this simpleton's body was comparable to a demon beast, far surpassing other village members of the same tier.

If it weren't for the fact that the Joy Lamp Priest pursued the Refining God Dao, with strange methods seemingly designed to counter Body Cultivation, Yu Ziqing would have already sent Er Han to smash that guy to death.

Er Han received his orders, relocated once more into the Despair Abyss, poked his head out, and asked again.

"My brother asked me to ask for your name. If we've never met before and have no enemies, we'll let you go. If you don't respond, you'll be stuck here for the rest of your life."

The Joy Lamp Priest's face turned sullen, with violent emotions surging in his heart. The Despair Abyss had little direct lethality, it merely continuously oppressed one's mind, with the sense of despair accumulating over time, eventually breaking those with insufficient mental resilience.

Beyond that, however, the place had no lethal methods, it excelled solely in trapping people.

Having been through several cycles here, the Joy Lamp Priest understood that he, pursuing the Refining God Dao, had a firm mind. The place could, at most, irritate him but couldn't break him. However, because he pursued the Refining God Dao, he had no power to violently break free from this domain.

Their specialties clashed.

Seeing Er Han getting ready to leave after dropping a sentence, the Joy Lamp Priest called out in a somber voice.

"Wait."

"What for? Speak if you have something to say, otherwise forget it. There's another person here to keep Cece entertained."

"I am Lan Sheng, Joy Lamp Priest of the White Sun Divine Sect."

Er Han ignored him and left directly.

"He said he is Lan Sheng, Joy Lamp Priest of the White Sun Divine Sect."

"Wait a moment." Yu Ziqing said, then instructed old Yang to continue: "Old Yang, keep talking."

Old Yang didn't understand why Yu Ziqing wanted such detailed information, from the structure of the White Sun Evil Cult to their Dharma Methods. He needed to know every detail.

He could only share everything he knew with Yu Ziqing.

Hearing Er Han's report, old Yang continued to add.

"The surname Lan is indeed uncommon, it seems genuine. Back in the day, there was indeed a bloodline with the surname Lan within the White Sun Evil Cult, where they bragged about being as close as siblings. If this Lan Sheng was indeed one of the children taken by the White Sun Evil Cult back then, this surname seems normal.

Given their mind-bending measures, even if those children knew they were kidnapped, over the years, they might still see those people as blood relatives."

Yu Ziqing took detailed notes, intending to test if old Yang's theories were correct.

Looking at the booklet in his hand, given by An Yue, and compared to last time's detailed assessment, this record was more comprehensive, especially on the Cultivation Techniques and Magical Treasures, as described in more detail by old Yang.

Last time, Yu Ziqing only knew the name of a Cultivation Technique.

Barring any surprise, it should meet the minimum evaluation standards.

"Er Han, come with me to meet that Joy Lamp Priest."

"Yu Ziqing, what are you doing?" Old Yang hurriedly stopped him.

"Don't worry, I think there's nothing to fear, I just want to chat with him."

Old Yang was puzzled, what would you talk about?

Where did you gain the ability to release that Joy Lamp Priest?

No one present could save a soul from Cece's Despair Abyss.

That place could only be self-escaped.

Yu Ziqing clutched the rusty sword in his arms tightly, followed Er Han into the range of the Despair Abyss. Upon seeing the Joy Lamp Priest, Yu Ziqing just knew that this practitioner of the Evil Dao lacked even the most basic honesty of humanity.

Even the name was fake.

The Evil Dao was infamous, so much so that just one sight and old Yang could fill Yu Ziqing in on all other factors besides the name, far more detailed than during the last sword draw.

While there might be errors in the information, there was enough to ensure the main points were accurate.

The name had to be fake.

So what was the point of talking about honor among adventurers?

In an instant, Yu Ziqing's mind raced, and after stopping, he assumed a serious demeanor, following old Yang's guidance, raising his hands and chanting loudly.

"With the end of Red Sun's tribulation, White Sun shall rise."

"Qing Ziyu, greets brother."

The Joy Lamp Priest never anticipated such a sight.

But before he could think further, the things engraved into his instinct, as though carved into his Yin God, decades of brainwashing, overwhelmed all his thoughts like surprise and doubt.

He too assumed a serious demeanor, raised his hands, eyes lit with madness, and shouted aloud.

"With the end of Red Sun's tribulation, White Sun shall rise."

"Lan Xiaosheng, greets virtuous brother."

Yu Ziqing gripped the rusty sword, eyes half-closed, gazing at the rust flaking off the sword's crevices silently, he chuckled softly.

With the information from old Yang in advance, it only took a small trick to fool such brainwashed followers of the Evil Dao.

He understood them too well, their strongest and most steadfast beliefs were also their weaknesses.

If you dared speak ill, they'd get agitated.

Similarly, regardless of how deceitful they might be, when faced with what they ardently and firmly believed in, they had to be sincere and genuine, with no pretense whatsoever.

In an instant, an explosive aura erupted from Yu Ziqing, skyrocketing, and the intense momentum blasted Er Han backwards.

The Joy Lamp Priest was confused, unaware that due to their infamy, several Divine Dynasties had purged them. Fearing the purification was inadequate, follow-up clean-ups lasted over a decade, compiling a comprehensive database about them.

Old Yang merely needed to connect the dots, completing most of the puzzle.

The final piece of the puzzle was provided by the Joy Lamp Priest himself.

He couldn't understand why Yu Ziqing was offering such courtesy, but it no longer mattered.

Even if he were a fool, he now realized this person before him, whose aura rapidly ascended, intended to kill him.

His white lantern spun on its own, a large character "Offering" aimed at Yu Ziqing, with blazing white light enveloping him entirely.

The Joy Lamp Priest chanted a tune, his voice escalating in volume, becoming a demonic sound like an all-pervasive thorn piercing ears and burrowing into minds.

Yu Ziqing stood firm, suddenly raising his eyelids, with sparks of electricity flickering within his eyes, indicating immense mental power overflowing through his gaze.

Electric light in the eyes revealed brightness in the dark room.

From his perspective, the white glow transformed into countless tiny lines crisscrossed into a massive net encasing him, while the demonic sound formed hordes of menacing white-faced minuscule monsters, swarming towards his ears, mouth, and all over his body.

The bizarre tune turned into an intangible force, entwined with the Joy Lamp Priest's Divine Soul power, attempting to penetrate his Divine Soul.

Yu Ziqing stood still, doing nothing, unaffected by any harm.

He simply didn't wish for it, and instead, his whole being was surrounded by an insurmountable barrier, blocking everything from the opponent, including that white glow, which stopped a mere inch from his body.

He needed to do nothing, just desire, merely speak, and it seemed enough.

So, he lifted his head and shouted loudly.

"Insolence!"

At the thought, fierce Fierce Sun Qi transformed into raging flames, igniting the white glow around him.

The purest Yang Qi flame, upon Yu Ziqing's command, surged upward along that white glow, extinguishing all the blazing white light, and setting the Joy Lamp Priest's white lantern aflame.

With a sudden puff, the lantern turned to ashes.

The net suspended in mid-air, countless mosquito-like white-faced monsters, disintegrated into nothing in the wake of the roar.

The Joy Lamp Priest grunted, as if struck by thunder, his seven orifices oozing black blood, the Yin God quaking, nearly shattering his consciousness.

An abrupt thought surfaced in his mind.

It was a backlash.

The opponent was a master of the Refining God Dao, out-of-body?

No, far beyond out-of-body.

Without the Yin God exiting the body, possessing such pure Yang Qi capable of reversing all his power back forcefully, he was fed with it, could it be he had achieved the Yang God?

He couldn't afford further thoughts, as atop his head, an ethereal, frigid Joy Lamp Priest flew out.

With just one menacing shout, his Yin God was forcefully ejected.

In the next moment, Yu Ziqing, always holding the Short Sword, drew and slashed, a gleam of icy light flickered as his Yin God and physical form were severed in half.

However, suddenly, a change occurred.

The small performance arena caught in a loop seemed as if someone pressed pause.

Cece, whom Yu Ziqing treated as a mere cartoon character, whom he babbled to every day, extended a hand to grasp the air. The Yin God of the Joy Lamp Priest, cut into two, was wrested by an invisible force, seemingly contending with an unknown power.

In Yu Ziqing's eyes, filled with electric light, he saw clearly as a series of runes emerged from the Joy Lamp Priest's Yin God upon Cece's sudden action. Those runes formed an anchor chain rooted within the Joy Lamp Priest's Yin God, connecting to an unknown void.

The chain battled with the power of Despair Abyss for control of this Yin God.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Ziqing's thought commanded, the Short Sword in hand, brought with a cold gleam, severed the illusory rune chain.

The chain abruptly shattered and dissipated, while the Yin God was crushed into a ball by an unseen force, hurled into the pitch-black depths of the Abyss behind the cliff.