Chapter 63

For several days, Zhan Yi and his few subordinates were exhausted, but they still found no clues about the Yin-Yang Forest. This greatly worried them, especially Zhan Yi. Over this period, he had continuously absorbed the soul energies of Nu Lin and Gong Wai Yunsheng, significantly increasing the evil energy in his body. He was already starting to feel that he could barely control it, always having a desire to kill.

Zhan Yi was very afraid of really turning into a half-human, half-demon killing monster. After much consideration, he finally decided that they should split up to search, to expand the search area. After all, Zhongnan Mountain was too vast. If they didn't act separately, it might take one or two months to search, by which time the demonic evil energy in his body would likely be uncontrollable.

The subordinates, though reluctant to split up, understood the urgency of Zhan Yi's situation and finally agreed. Thus, the four of them split into three groups: Zhan Yi alone, Lu Hu alone, and Mo Lin, who was less intelligent, with Dong Dabao. They continued to search and agreed to immediately inform each other if they found any information about the Yin-Yang Forest.

The day after they split up, Zhan Yi arrived at a forest in Zhongnan Mountain. Despite it being the height of summer, the dense foliage and the mountain breeze made the forest quite cool. However, just as he reached the middle of the forest, he suddenly heard a woman's frantic cry: "Help! ... Come and save me!"

At first, Zhan Yi didn't hear it clearly, but as he moved forward, he could tell the woman's voice was increasingly panicked. He couldn't help but stop and listen carefully. Finally, he realized that the cries for help were coming from the southeast of his position.

Zhan Yi didn't know why there would be a woman in this remote mountain, but he firmly headed in that direction. When he reached the spot and pushed aside the branches, he was shocked. In the middle of a clearing, an old man dressed as a Taoist was approaching a masked woman who was injured on the ground. As he walked, he said, "Hehe... Little lady, no one will come to save you here. You might as well give in to me."

This scene wasn't enough to surprise Zhan Yi, but the old man's appearance was all too familiar. He had eagle-like eyebrows, rat-like eyes, a garlic nose, a high-arched donkey mouth, and a goatee, with a body as thin as a skeleton. It was none other than the old Taoist Xuan Ming, whom he had observed before.

Since Zhan Yi obtained his special abilities in Xuan Ming's basement, he hadn't seen the old man again, but his hatred for him had never faded. Especially after watching the DVDs he had taken from Xuan Ming's villa, which were all pirated and some even had censorship, Zhan Yi had been so angry that he wanted to strangle Xuan Ming.

Now, seeing him trying to molest a woman, Zhan Yi couldn't hold back any longer. He shouted, "Bold evil Taoist, release that woman!"

The shout stunned both people in the clearing. They turned to look at Zhan Yi. When Xuan Ming saw his face, his eyes showed a complex expression. Then, he stopped approaching the woman and, gritting his teeth, said to Zhan Yi, "Boy, I finally found you. You messed up my basement and ran away, and you even destroyed my beloved treasures. Today, you must return my treasures, or I'll kill you."

"Ah... How do you know it was me who destroyed your basement?" Zhan Yi was momentarily stunned by Xuan Ming's words, then asked curiously.

"Hmph... Do you think I couldn't see you when I left? Let me tell you, my villa has hidden cameras. The ancient treasures I obtained with great effort were destroyed by you. Today, you must return my treasures, or I'll kill you," Xuan Ming snarled, his eyes filled with hatred.

Zhan Yi finally understood what was going on. He regretted not thinking of this earlier. If he had known, he would have stolen the computer as well. But now that he had encountered Xuan Ming, he wasn't afraid. With his recent power breakthrough, he felt he could handle Xuan Ming without much difficulty. So, he smirked and said, "Hehe... Xuan Ming, you scum of the cultivation world, not only do you kill innocents, but you also molest women. So what if I destroyed your basement? F**k, today I'm going to destroy you."

"Boy, I didn't expect you to still dare to insult me, the Taoist, even at the brink of death. I see you won't repent until you see your own coffin. Today, I'll let you taste the power of the Taoist. Take this!" Xuan Ming's triangular eyes flashed with venom, and he suddenly drew a duster from his waist and swung it, sending a beam of white light straight at Zhan Yi.

His hatred for Zhan Yi was extreme. The Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace was an ancient treasure that countless cultivators dreamed of. He was about to complete its first refinement, but after leaving for a while, he found the treasure shattered and all the evil materials he had collected destroyed.

Since then, he had been using facial recognition to track Zhan Yi, but due to Zhan Yi's body's special abilities, he could only find a general location. Every time he arrived at a place, Zhan Yi had already moved. Now, seeing his enemy, his attack was filled with hatred and was merciless.

Zhan Yi was startled by the white light. He had thought his recent rapid improvement would be enough to defeat Xuan Ming, but seeing Xuan Ming's power, he realized that Xuan Ming was a cultivation expert not far from the Transcendence stage. He quickly dodged to the side.

A loud explosion shook the ground where Zhan Yi had been standing, and when the dust settled, a five-meter-wide crater appeared.

"F**k, old Taoist, I didn't expect you to have some skills. But I'm not someone to be trifled with. Show me your treasure!" Zhan Yi knew that defeating Xuan Ming today was unlikely. The old man was too powerful, and he lacked long-range attacks. His only option was the Demon-Binding Silk. If he could bind Xuan Ming, he would have a chance. So, he immediately released his only treasure.

A red light flashed, and the Demon-Binding Silk shot towards Xuan Ming. Xuan Ming was also startled, but he quickly waved his duster, and the strands of the duster extended and struck the Demon-Binding Silk, quickly entangling it.

Seeing this, Zhan Yi was anxious. This was his life-saving tool, and he hadn't expected Xuan Ming to break it so easily. He took advantage of Xuan Ming's focus on the duster and moved to attack him.

He knew that only by getting close to Xuan Ming did he have a chance to defeat him. Although he lacked long-range attacks, his soul energy was now incredibly powerful, and with the energy he had absorbed from Gong Wai Yunsheng, he was not weaker than Xuan Ming in terms of overall energy. He was at a disadvantage only because he lacked long-range attacks. But once he got close, the situation would be completely different.