Chongxuzi flicked his duster, "I observe your face, young hero, it doesn't resemble the look of a Celestial Killer."
"But I'm particularly unlucky, why not give it a try?"
Li Rui rubbed his hands together, "There's no danger inside, right?"
Seeing that he wasn't joking, Chongxuzi pondered and said, "Entering the tower, drawing upon Evil Qi, there might be some danger, but if you trust me, rest assured."
Without hesitation, Li Rui said, "I trust you."
After speaking, he walked to the Spirit Bone Tower and kicked open its door.
Boom—
Inside the tower were over ten levels, each with very low ceilings, making it impossible to stand upright, though it was unnecessary because there were no stairs. The tower wasn't meant to be climbed; the walls of each level were inscribed with unknown symbols, probably scriptures.
Beneath Li Rui's feet, there were spiral patterns and some symbol imprints in the center.
Chongxuzi pointed to a specific position for him to stand, then pinched his fingers together, a few golden talismans appeared out of thin air and floated around him.
"Young hero, stay put here, inside the tower is safer than outside."
"Don't worry, I guarantee I won't leave."
Chongxuzi left the Spirit Bone Tower, put away his duster, and reached into the air to grab a wooden sword covered in talisman papers.
He held the wooden sword upright in front of him, a gentle breeze wafted from in front, blowing against his flowing robe sleeves.
The old Daoist chanted indistinct words, and talismans began to peel off the wooden sword, fluttering everywhere.
The wind's force grew stronger, making his robe flap loudly, even stirring the clouds above the temple.
Crack—
A clap of thunder echoed, and then the sky suddenly darkened, dim as the night.
Chongxuzi raised his sword to the sky, and all the Evil Qi suddenly manifested, converging on the sword's tip.
Rumble...
The ground trembled, the wind howled, and a shadow as towering as a mountain gradually appeared at the temple's main gate.
"Chu Xuanxu! I have no grudge against you, yet you dare to destroy my array and harm my cultivation!"
The colossal shadow's voice was like a muffled thunder, imposing great pressure, but Chongxuzi remained unflappable, holding his sword with one hand, calmly saying, "Shadow Incarnation, are you Sun Qian? Forty years ago, you lost the contest for Fengdu's Northern Emperor position with Cui Jiu'an, and then vanished. I never expected you to hide here and commit such heinous acts."
"Cui Jiu'an used trickery to damage my cultivation. I swore to tear him to pieces, so I lay low here. It has nothing to do with your Shenxiao Palace!"
Chongxuzi's eyebrows lowered as he stood in front of the Spirit Bone Tower, with countless talismans swirling around him, his aura growing stronger.
"The entire world is connected to Shenxiao Palace."
A brilliant golden light shot up to the sky, dispersing the thunderclouds in an instant.
The shadow incarnation of Sun Qian seemed greatly apprehensive of it, almost mobilizing all the Yin Sha Qi in Demon Wind Temple to block it.
However, as soon as the golden light touched the Evil Qi, the latter quickly disintegrated, as if losing its morale, and the colossal incarnation was pierced by the golden light, dispersing into nothing within moments.
The two exchanged blows for a very short time before determining life and death.
Chongxuzi exhaled a turbid breath, evidently having expended a lot of effort in releasing the talisman array move. As he turned to call Li Rui out of the Spirit Bone Tower, his expression suddenly changed, and he cursed in anger.
"Mother Chaser Evil, despicable Fengdu tricks!"
He rushed into the tower, only to find Li Rui, who had been meditating, now lying on the ground, his face clouded with Evil Qi, unconscious.
"Young hero! Young hero!"
Chongxuzi lifted him up, appearing somewhat at a loss and deeply regretful.
.....
In Li Rui's consciousness, the shadowy incarnation of Sun Qian, the powerful entity from Fengdu, was floating around.
"The old guy is indeed powerful. Even at my peak, I might not be his match."
"But it doesn't matter, I've waited here for decades and finally encountered the Celestial Killer physique."
"The Shenxiao Palace prides itself on orthodoxy and is very stubborn. Old Man Chu is unlikely to want this boy's life harmed. If I can infiltrate his soul and release my intent after he seems fine, I can guide him to a fate of calamity when he's grown stronger and seek vengeance!"
As he talked to himself, he saw the soul deep in the sea of consciousness, with Li Rui naked, floating in darkness.
No matter what, even if Li Rui was strong, he couldn't resist this figure who once contended for Fengdu's Northern Emperor position. Now, his consciousness was like a lamb before a tiger, waiting to be devoured.
Sun Qian eagerly lunged toward the soul emitting a faint white light.
As his plot was about to succeed, a fierce whirlwind erupted from Li Rui's forehead.
Though it was also cold Evil Qi, compared to Sun Qian's, it was overwhelmingly dominant.
The force, darker than darkness, transformed into a warrior armed to the teeth, standing before Li Rui, coldly watching the treacherous villain.
With a disdainful snort through his nose, he brandished the sharp spear, casting a million cold lights.
"It's you! Wait, let's discuss this, I a——"
Sun Qian's spiritual sense had no time to react before it was destroyed with a wretched cry, the warrior too reverted to formless Evil Qi, returning to Li Rui's soul.
...
"Hiss, ouch."
Amid a pained groan, Li Rui opened his eyes and found himself in a warm embrace. Before he could figure out what was happening, he saw the old Daoist's wrinkled face.
"Daoist, what are you doing?"
He had just asked when he noticed the status bar at the edge of his vision.
Wow, at least a dozen buffs were counting down, unsure of what the old Daoist had done to him.
"Young hero?!"
Chongxuzi was even more surprised, perhaps even pleasantly, "You've awakened on your own, truly blessed."
Li Rui frowned, "What?! So fainting wasn't normal?"
.....
The old Daoist recounted the defeat of Sun Qian and the Mother Chaser Evil.
After hearing it, Li Rui's face darkened, "I barely closed my eyes and opened them again, who knows what he was doing in my soul?"
Chongxuzi also looked tense, "I failed you. I focus on martial techniques and haven't delved into arcane skills, which is how he deceived me. Fortunately, you could awaken. It's uncertain if it affected your soul."
Li Rui glanced at the status bar, seeing positive buffs bestowed by the old Daoist with no side effects, he relaxed a lot.
After all, this place is just a virtual dungeon. As long as I'm not dead, I should be fine, right?
He was pondering this when Chongxuzi said, "I still have important matters and must leave soon. I'm sorry for the trouble caused by these temple evils, so let me teach you Shenxiao Palace's orthodox Heart Method. With regular practice, it might protect your mind, and if you master it, even if Sun Qian has more tricks, he won't be able to harm you."
"Oh, Daoist, you're too kind. My own misfortune isn't your fault, it's not necessary."
Li Rui quickly waved his hand, "How will you teach it?"
Chongxuzi smiled faintly, then pressed his palm against Li Rui's forehead, fingers gripping the top.
In the old Daoist's eyes, light flickered between their skin, but to Li Rui, it was like a stream of data.
[Skill——Shenxiao Thunderbolt Heart Scripture lv1.]
[Affiliation: Shenxiao Palace.]
[Rarity: Legendary.]
[Effect: Active skill, temporarily enhances action and thought speed.]
[Eternal: Yes.]
Legendary gold!
The rarity alone suggests this skill's significant boosts.
Seeing its rarity, Li Rui was instantly delighted, as most items in his inventory were plain.
"But why doesn't the grand tournament have a rarity ranking?"