Exorcism

In the middle of the rectangular hall, there is a three-foot-tall four-legged giant cauldron. The cauldron is engraved with strange patterns, such as clouds, fog, beasts, birds, and deformed talismans. Three Taoist priests circle around it. The cauldron was walking, each holding a different magic weapon, and chanting sutras as they walked. A ball of extremely pure fire burned under the cauldron. The body of the cauldron was slightly red, and the inside of the cauldron was filled with smoke. The hall was as hot as a furnace.

There are more magic weapons placed in the four corners of the hall and along the walls, more than fifty in total. The whole room is fragrant and humming. Occasionally, there are bells ringing. More than a hundred Taoist priests are sitting around the giant cauldron. They closed their eyes and thought, most of them showed pain on their faces, only a few remained calm.

Yang Yannian, the master of Pangshan, brought Zuo Liuying here and said to him at the door: "You still want to go back to Pangshan, right?"

Zuo Liuying glanced over, and he recognized all the magic weapons in the hall. Although they were not as good as the Nine Great Treasures, they were all ninth-grade treasures and above. They belonged to the Nine Taoist Traditions. They were rarely used in normal times, but now they were all gathered together. In the same room.

"If there is still Pangshan Taoism." He said.

Yang Yannian lowered his eyes and then raised them, but did not answer this sentence, "Taoist priests who have returned to the Taoist tradition must refine their inner elixir here again - the founder is particularly gracious and will keep your inner elixir at its current state, no matter how it came from."

Yang Yannian exited the hall. He had nothing to explain to Zuo Liuying.

Another Taoist priest came over. Master Shen Zangqi of Yashan personally presided over the formation of the inner elixir, and more than ten Taoist priests standing in the hall were under his command.

"The Patriarch personally injected mana into the magic circle." Shen Zangqi and Zuo Liuying stood side by side, as if handing over tasks.

Zuo Liuying saw that the source of the Patriarch's mana was not the giant cauldron in the middle, but an incense burner in the southeast corner. The smoke it emitted rose straight up, forming a smoke ring three feet in diameter on the roof.

"The Patriarch is too tolerant, and many disciples are confused. Why do disciples who quit the Taoist order receive such treatment? Most of them have not made any contributions to the Taoist tradition. Shen Zangqi himself did not appear confused. "The Patriarch has used facts to dispel all the rumors. Some people actually claim that the Patriarch wants to exterminate all living beings in the world, even the Taoism. It's really ridiculous. "

"Do you think it's funny?" Zuo Liuying asked.

The corner of Shen Zangqi's mouth moved slightly. He knew that this question was a trap. A true Taoist priest would not find rumors ridiculous. For hundreds of thousands of years, there have been endless rumors about Taoism, and there is no need to take it seriously.

"The first person to return to Daotong was six months ago. After you, there are less than ten people left living outside. However, Daotong has given up hope on them, so you are likely to be the last one." Shen Zangqi turned around. Facing Zuo Liuying, his expression was slightly solemn, "So far, no one has successfully re-refined the inner elixir. There are a few who have made rapid progress. They did not spit out the elixir at first, but over the years, the inner elixir has been mixed with many impurities. Maybe it will be It will take a month to return to purity.”

Before Tao Tong retired, a group of Taoist priests were left behind. They received special treatment, except that the Niwan Palace inheritance was removed and they did not have to spit out the inner elixir. Since the death of the leading Yashan Taoist priest Shen Jiyi, these Taoist priests have gone into hiding, and Tao Tong recalled The old disciples, they were the first batch to come back.

Shen Jiyi's death was directly related to Zuo Liuying. Shen Zangqi stared at him and didn't speak for a long time. Zuo Liuying didn't speak either and had no reaction to the gaze.

"I hope you can take the lead for everyone." Shen Zangqi's tone became gentler, "Zuo Liuying, who has served at the seventh level of Moonlight, the entire Taoist order needs you."

"I don't need orthodoxy, I just need it." Zuo Liuying pointed to the incense burner in the corner.

Shen Jiyi raised his hand in a gesture of invitation. A Taoist priest had already placed a futon near the giant tripod. Zuo Liuying walked over and saw many familiar faces on the way: Shen Shang from Pangshan and Gan Zhiwei from Hongshan. , Meng Xu from Zhaoshan... They are also the group of people with the most painful expressions.

Zuo Liuying did not sit on the designated futon, but took a few more steps forward and stopped at the foot of the giant cauldron. The three Taoist priests who were circling showed obvious surprise, but they did their duty and did not stop casting spells. They just passed by Zuo Liuying took two or three more steps around.

The other Taoist priests also looked over, and some wanted to step forward to persuade Zuo Liuying to leave, but Shen Zangqi waved his hand, indicating that there was nothing to do. An exception can be made for a Taoist priest who serves the seventh level of Yue Mang, even if this realm is achieved through the practice of heresy.

"The great road is dead, and it is everywhere." Zuo Liuying pressed a hand on the hot foot of the tripod, and with a sneer, a sheet of white smoke immediately rose from the edge of his palm.

"The fire of the Tao is never extinguished, and the ultimate Tao is the only one." Shen Zangqi said loudly from a distance, "You are a proof."

Zuo Liuying, who claims to be "Taoist everywhere", returns to Taoism, which just proves that other "Tao" are dead ends.

Zuo Liuying kept tapping on the feet of the tripod, and with each stroke, white smoke rose up. Instead of disappearing into the air, there were more and more smoke, gradually spreading outward, as if it would occupy the entire hall.

The three Taoist priests who were walking around the cauldron felt deeply uneasy and looked frequently at the Shen Zangqi. Once they got the hint, they stopped casting spells and retreated.

Shen Zangqi watched silently, his eyes deep and his expression becoming more and more serious.

The white smoke continued and occupied half of the hall. More than a dozen auxiliary Taoist priests stopped casting spells and retreated to the door, waiting for Shen Zangqi's instructions.

Zuo Liuying was still tapping the tripod feet, his palms were burned black, but he didn't feel any pain at all.

Shen Zangqi finally stopped watching, and in a flash, he reached the opposite corner, with his back to Zuo Liuying, and stretched out his fingers to scratch on the incense burner. The expansion of the white smoke was stopped, but it had already enveloped the entire area. Some returning Taoist priests who are thinking about this.

Shen Zangqi once lost to Zuo Liuying in public. At that time, the competition was about illusions, which were not his strong point. He did not use magic weapons, so his strength was greatly reduced and he was very unconvinced by the defeat. This time he wanted a fairer fight. .

The more than fifty magical weapons in the hall are basically controlled by Shen Zangqi. Only the giant cauldron in the middle is taken advantage of by Zuo Liuying and is regarded as his magical weapon.

The Patriarch's magic was so invisible that even the Taoist Priest Yuemang couldn't detect it. However, this time he did not participate in the battle and allowed Zuo and Shen to fight for it. Not long after, the situation in the hall changed drastically. Dark clouds and white mist mixed together. There was lightning and thunder, and all the magical instruments began to vibrate and make strange sounds.

The Taoist priest who was thinking was still thinking, but the more than ten Taoist priests at the door gradually showed panic. With their realm, they would not be tempted easily, but this time both sides of the fight were Taoist Yue Mang, whose strength exceeded them by much, and The fighting area is right next to you, and the overlapping spells are almost touching the bodies of the spectators. If you breathe a little heavier, you may provoke the spell's retaliation.

The Taoist priests held their breaths and stood erect, not daring to move or ask what the fight was about and when it would end.

Shen Zangqi gradually gained the upper hand, and many magical weapons greatly improved his strength. For Taoist priests, this was not opportunistic at all. Magical weapons were originally an important part of Taoism.

Bang bang bang... The explosions continued continuously, and the many spells that filled the hall disappeared one after another, gradually returning to normal from the edge to the middle. The dozen or so auxiliary Taoist priests standing at the door were the first to get out of danger, and they all exhaled involuntarily. In front of the incomprehensible stronger person, Xingluo Taoist priest was as confused as any mortal.

The last bolt of lightning struck Zuo Liuying's head. His bun was opened and his hair was disheveled. His right hand stopped in the air and did not slap on the tripod's feet.

Shen Zangqi turned around, his expression was calm, but his face was slightly red. Even with the help of a large number of magic weapons, he still won with great reluctance. He was both proud of himself and secretly admired Zuo Liuying, and even the Taoist priest's heart was a little unstable. "The only one who has the best path, Zuo Liuying, the only one with the best path."

Zuo Liuying said nothing, and gave Shen Zangqi the Taoist gift. He turned around and walked past the returning Taoist priests who were still thinking, and went straight to the door. The auxiliary Taoist priests hurriedly gave way, and he actually pushed the door open and went out.

Everyone was puzzled. After all, Zuo Liuying was a Taoist priest named Yuemang, so he wouldn't throw away his sleeves after losing a battle. Half a year ago, although Shen Zangqi was defeated by Zuo Liuying in public, he behaved extremely generously. That's what a Taoist priest should be like.

Shen Zangqi was even more puzzled. He knew Zuo Liuying better than the average Taoist priest... Suddenly he woke up and laughed twice: "Zuo Liuying is Zuo Liuying. He has regained the Taoist inner elixir and does not need the magic circle." ”

The auxiliary Taoist priests were shocked. Among the more than a hundred returning Taoist priests in the hall, none of them could remove all the impurities in the inner elixir after several months. Zuo Liuying actually succeeded after a battle.

"His inner elixir itself is very pure. Others use thoughts to remove impurities, but he did the opposite and refining the inner elixir through a method of fighting. Even I got the idea and helped him unknowingly. "Shen Zangqi sighed, his pride gone, "Zuo Liuying really hasn't changed at all."

"Unchanged" Zuo Liuying walked out of the hall, stood on the first floor of the Daotong Tower, and looked up.

Taoist priests from the Nine Dao Traditions were coming and going. Everyone recognized Zuo Liuying and looked at him with puzzled eyes. Yang Yannian, the master of Pangshan, walked out of a door and stared at Zuo Liuying for a while, secretly wondering why he was like this. Yang Yannian had walked out of the hall a long time ago. Suddenly, Yang Yannian understood everything and shouted loudly: "Zuo Liuying, if you return to Taoism, you will be Taoist Pangshan!"

This is not a reminder, but a warning, a warning issued by Grandmaster Pang Shan to his disciples.

"There is only Taoism in this tower, not Pangshan." Zuo Liuying turned his eyes to Yang Yannian, and his voice showed a rare coldness, "I want to see the ancestor."

"The Patriarch did not summon you." Yang Yannian was very sure of this.

Several other masters also walked out of their respective rooms, and the Taoist priests who came and went avoided each other. There was no one around Zuo Liuying.

"Whether you can see the ancestor is a test and has nothing to do with the summons."

Zuo Liuying rose from the ground and rushed straight to the eighth floor of the Taoist Tower. Many Taoist priests saw it, and no one stopped him, not even the masters. They all wanted to see the result of the "test".