Exorcism

It was already late at night. A young Taoist priest walked out of the tavern and looked around at the door, looking a little nervous. Fortunately, the residents of Huangjing had fallen asleep and the street was very quiet. Otherwise, he would have been used to the cold, arrogant and aloof Taoist priests. They will definitely feel that this young Taoist priest is not qualified.

The young Taoist priest walked slowly towards the street, his eyes never leaving Zuo Liuying standing there.

Zuo Liuying lost to the Patriarch in the daytime fight as everyone expected. After that, not many people continued to pay attention to him. The entire imperial capital was talking about the fight three days later and the man named Mu Xingqiu. Every time Start with a shake of the head and end with a laugh.

Zuo Liuying stood still and everyone didn't think it was strange. They just thought he was depressed after the defeat.

The young Taoist priest stopped when he walked more than ten steps in front of Zuo Liuying. He could only see the lower half of his face. After waiting for a long time, the brim of his hat slowly lifted up, and he saw the whole face, which was so handsome in the moonlight. Like a flower, only that gaze penetrates the heart and puts a layer of frost on the flower.

Very few people can remain calm in front of Zuo Liuying, and even less so the young Taoist priest. He shook slightly, as if he was about to jump up, and then respectfully performed the Taoist ritual. His posture was slightly stiff, as if he had just learned it. "Pangshan disciple Shen Cunyi pays homage... pays homage to Zuo... senior."

Zuo Liuying has withdrawn from the Taoist tradition. The titles of leader, Taoist priest, and fellow Taoist are not appropriate. Many people don't care about such trivial matters. However, Shen Cunyi is an honest person and always feels that titles must have practical meaning. After thinking for a long time, he called out He used the word "senior" and his face turned red as soon as he said it, because Zuo Liuying opposite him looked younger than him.

Shen Cunyi looks a lot like his father Shen Xiuming. Even if he becomes a real Taoist priest, he still has a nervous look on his face, worried that he doesn't work hard enough and won't be recognized by others.

Mu Xingqiu would miss this look, but Zuo Liuying didn't care, his eyes were cold and he didn't say a word.

"My father is Shen Xiuming. He was also a disciple of Pangshan in the past, but he did not have the Ningdan. Later, he planted flowers for Pangshan..."

"I recognize your father." Zuo Liuying finally spoke. His voice seemed to come from the void, empty and ethereal, and the tone and emotion it should have been completely deprived of.

Shen Cunyi was startled, and finally saw that something was wrong, "Senior, are you injured?"

Zuo Liuying slowly shook his head.

Shen Cunyi's face turned even redder, "I'm sorry, my inner alchemy has only reached the third level of Dinxia, ​​so I can't see anything..."

"Do you have a problem with me?" Zuo Liuying asked directly.

"I...I came to seek advice from seniors." Shen Cunyi whispered. Seeing that Zuo Liuying had no intention of refusing, he mustered up the courage to continue, "I feel that my practice has come to an end. I will practice again." It's a waste of time to go down. I thought... I wanted to go home, but they said that I was suffering from homesickness. If I could let go of my parents' relationship, my spiritual practice would improve a lot. I couldn't make up my mind, and I always wanted to find something outside the Taoist tradition. Practitioners asked for their opinions, but...I'm sorry, I'm too verbose, please forgive me, senior."

"Do you want to withdraw from the Taoist tradition?" Zuo Liuying took a step forward.

A trace of panic flashed across Shen Cunyi's face. His Taoist heart was in a mess. He bit his lip and thought for a while, "Yes, I have thought about withdrawing from the Taoist tradition. Both seniors and Uncle Mu Xingqiu have withdrawn from the Taoist tradition. I think You can do it yourself." Shen Cunyi looked back at the Dao Tong Tower in the sky, "I originally planned to quit when the Dao Tong returned and the war with the demons was over. After all, it is the duty of a Taoist priest to kill demons, but I can't retreat now. After the Patriarch, the demons are vulnerable, and it seems that I am no longer needed. But on the other hand, since the Patriarch was born, everyone’s practice has become easier, and I feel that it is too hasty to withdraw from the Taoism now..."

In order to explain his inner conflict clearly, Shen Cunyi was indeed a bit verbose. Zuo Liuying listened quietly and occasionally took a step. When Shen Cunyi finally finished speaking, the two were only three steps away.

Even for ordinary people, if they are not particularly familiar with each other, this distance seems a bit too close. Shen Cunyi stood still and did not move, purely out of respect for the other party. When Zuo Liuying raised his right hand and put it on his shoulder, Shen Cunyi instinctively made evasive movements. For the Taoist priest, any contact seemed too dangerous.

But he couldn't escape. Zuo Liuying's palm pressed down firmly. Shen Cunyi leaned slightly to the left, barely standing still, with an awkward smile on his face, "Father always told me about Senior Zuo and Mu Regarding Uncle Xingqiu, I have always treated you as...senior, what's wrong with you?"

Zuo Liuying's arm was shaking slightly, but he refused to admit that he was injured. Shen Cunyi suddenly woke up: "Senior is still fighting with the ancestor!"

The battle between Zuo Liuying and Kun Chaos was not over yet. During the day, he lost the first battle and most of his memories were revealed to Kun Chaos. Just when everyone turned the focus of discussion from Zuo Liuying to Mu Xingqiu, the two began to He won the second battle because there was still a small piece of memory in Zuo Liuying's mind that had not been taken away.

Hidden in this memory is the plan he and Mu Xingqiu made together. Various signs indicate that this plan is closely related to how to find the demon soul, so Kun Chaos must get it.

This is a silent battle. The competition is not about the strength of magic, but about illusion skills. Therefore, even some powerful casual cultivators did not notice it. Only a handful of Yuemang Taoist priests knew about the existence of this battle. No one publicized it at will, and low-level Taoist priests like Shen Cunyi knew nothing about it.

Zuo Liuying came prepared. He sealed this important memory and blessed it with 55 spells. With just a slight touch, he could completely destroy the memory, even if it would damage other memories at the same time.

Zuo Liuying's will has been fully conveyed to Kun Dun.

The 38th generation ancestor of the Taoist tradition is now sitting in a small room on the eighth floor of the Taoist tower, casting one exquisite spell after another. These spells are divided into two paths. One is used to contain Zuo Liuying, so that he cannot destroy his memory. The other is to drive straight into his mind, approaching that important memory, carefully dismantling the 55 blessing spells wrapped outside, not daring to use more mana.

The fight has lasted for at least five hours, and Zuo Liuying's mana has been restrained. This is no longer a counterattack, but a purely passive response. He is a puppet in Kun Dun's hand, controlled, playing a fighting game with Kun Dun's other hand.

Zuo Liuying was like fighting a multi-armed monster in the midst of the raging sand. Occasionally, he could cut off one or two arms, but he never saw the monster's body, and couldn't even tell which direction it was in. There were arms everywhere, and attacks everywhere.

"He can't control the entire Taoist sect anymore." Zuo Liuying said.

"What? Who is controlling the Taoist sect?" Shen Cunyi was puzzled and regretted coming to Zuo Liuying for advice, but it was difficult for him to find someone in the Taoist sect who could discuss this issue. When he talked about quitting the Taoist sect, he would only attract surprised and vigilant eyes.

"Even if there is a torrent of water, it can only flow along the way. There are several outlets in the lake and several streams of water. If there are too many, it will cause a dam to burst, hurting others and yourself. Mana is the lake, and magic is the outlet."

"Senior... what are you talking about? I... why don't I come back in a few days." Shen Cunyi was really nervous. He finally realized how wrong he was to come and mistakenly entered a place he didn't know anything about.

Zuo Liuying's voice was still hollow and lifeless, because he didn't have much energy to speak. The few steps he had just taken were already very difficult. "The Taoist tradition emphasizes letting nature take its course. Even Grandmaster Pangshan can't force you to make a decision. If you feel embarrassed, you don't have to quit the Taoist tradition. If you miss home, go home. If you are tired of practicing, stop practicing. You can make your own choice and change your mind later."

"Really?" Shen Cunyi's eyes lit up. He knew the principle of "letting nature take its course", but no one had ever taught him how to use this principle and how to do it without violating the Taoist precepts.

"What you need to do is to be firm and unwavering." Zuo Liuying said, never teaching another person so seriously, "It is natural for a heart to be as hard as stone. The Daotong can only comply with it, not refuse it. This is how the hermit temporarily withdrew from the Daotong. Make your decision."

"Now?"

"Right now, a thought has arisen and the state of mind has moved. If you don't make progress bravely, how can your heart be as hard as stone?"

Shen Cunyi seemed to have realized something, thought seriously for a while, and finally said firmly: "I want to go home, I must go home."

Zuo Liuying nodded, retracted his arm, and lowered the brim of his hat slightly, and entered a pure fighting state again.

He finally launched a counterattack, not using magic, but it would eventually affect the magic.

Shen Cunyi turned and ran to the tavern, where the entrance to the Daotong Tower was. He felt as light as a swallow, and all the hesitations in his heart disappeared completely. He didn't know if his current state could be considered "heart as hard as stone", but he really didn't need any opinions anymore.

At the entrance of the tavern, Shen Cunyi raised his head and shouted loudly: "I am Shen Cunyi, a disciple of Pangshan. I want to go home now. Please tell Grandmaster Pangshan that he has gone out and will be back soon, but I don't want to wait any longer."

No Taoist priest responded, Shen Cunyi didn't care. He made up his mind and shouted out another thing that had been suppressed for a long time. Zuo Liuying was right. Once a thought arises, the state of mind has moved. Instead of letting it disturb one's state of mind, it is better to end it directly.

"Zhang Xiang'er, I like you! Although you don't want to be with me or go home with me, I still like you. That's it, I have nothing else to ask for, goodbye!"

Shen Cunyi felt a heat gushing out from every pore of his body. He suddenly knew what it felt like to have a "heart as hard as stone". In his more than 20 years of life, only at this moment did he not care about anyone's opinion. Zhang Xiang'er's arrogance or the ridicule of other Taoist priests could not affect his current state of mind.

"Thank you, Senior Zuo. You are as powerful as my father said." Shen Cunyi summoned his magic sword and flew up into the sky, heading out of the city. Zuo Liuying also silently thanked him in his heart. There was a small loophole in Kun Dun's omnipresent offensive. Zuo Liuying still had no chance of winning, but he could open up a small position for Mu Xingqiu.