Daoist Master, I'm really not an evil cultivator.

Chapter 94 The Origin of the Black Light, A Contingency Plan

Xu Changqing stared intently, and the broken lotus platform's flesh and blood writhed like a living thing, intertwining and merging with the foul-smelling black mud on the ground, emitting a tooth-grinding "gurgling" sound.

"Heh heh... After a thousand years of suppression, I am finally free."

A deep laugh came from the filth, and then the black mud rapidly contracted and shaped itself, eventually solidifying into the image of a black-clad, pot-bellied True Lord.

He was draped in a dark black cloak, his chest and belly exposed, and he sat cross-legged on the newly formed black lotus platform. He had a smile on his face, but there was no trace of compassion, only a deep and eerie aura.

"Damn it, it's like a toad on your foot—it doesn't bite, but it's disgusting."

Xu Changqing glanced at it and felt a sense of filth, as if looking at it for too long would dirty his eyes, so he spat out a mouthful, but felt a sense of relief.

"This fellow has been suppressed for many years and is now emaciated. Although he swallowed the remains of the fox demon and those few wicked Taoist priests just now, it was like swallowing dates whole, and he hasn't digested them completely. Although his aura is rising now, it's like an old ox climbing a hill, not going very fast. As the saying goes, 'A hungry ghost eats too much food and chokes on its own throat,' which gives me, the Taoist priest, an opportunity to strike while the iron is hot."

Just as he was pondering this, the black-clad True Lord suddenly slapped his belly and burst into laughter, the sound like a broken gong:

"Now that you have seen the True Lord, why do you not pay your respects?"

The moment those four words were uttered, the demonic sound penetrated the brain, becoming several times more domineering than the previous power of salvation.

Xu Changqing felt his soul tremble, and illusions arose before his eyes, as if he were prostrating himself on the ground, calling himself a disciple, and offering his life's cultivation as a sacrifice to this fiend.

Before he finished speaking, thick black mud gushed out from the cracks around the Black-Clad True Lord once again, like a burst dam and a raging tide, instantly flooding most of the hall.

Wherever it passed, beams and pillars rotted, floor tiles melted away, and even the evil spirits with blue faces and fangs on both sides were engulfed and turned into part of the black mud, emitting a foul and pungent blue smoke.

"You son of a bitch, you filthy thing, do you even deserve my worship? Take this sword strike! [Slaughtering Life and Refining the World] · [Slaying Ghosts]"

Xu Changqing's body surged with magical power, and blood-red light suddenly gathered in the void. A scarlet blood sword that seemed capable of annihilating the netherworld and exterminating ghosts was formed out of thin air. The killing aura of the sword soared into the sky, causing the lights in the hall to dim.

This is one of the heavenly methods of killing and slaying that he obtained in the "Scripture of Killing and Refining the World" after he held the "Feast of Killing" to pay homage to the Jade Emperor of the Sea of ​​Calamity and the Heavenly Venerable of Killing and Saving the World. It is specifically designed to subdue evil spirits and ghosts.

"Boom!"

The crimson blood sword slashed down, colliding violently with the viscous black mud that was spreading out, producing a tooth-grinding "hissing" sound, like boiling oil being poured onto snow.

The blood sword's killing aura was fierce and unparalleled. Wherever it passed, the black mud quickly melted and evaporated, turning into wisps of foul-smelling black smoke rising up.

However, the black mud seemed endless, gushing out from the cracks in the black-clad True Monarch's body, surging up one after another like a tide, constantly consuming the power of the Blood Sword.

Blood and black mud clashed fiercely, stirring up violent air currents in the hall, causing the remaining evil spirit statues on both sides to sway precariously.

"Hehe..." On the lotus platform, the black-clad True Lord chuckled as before, the sound of his clapping crisp yet carrying an eerie rhythm, as if striking the heart. "Stubborn and ignorant, unaware of the True Lord's presence. The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. Take refuge in me, and you will attain great freedom and liberation."

Suddenly, the sound became grand and solemn, and illusions appeared before one's eyes. It was as if one could see the black-clad True Lord's body transformed into boundless compassion, and black lotuses bloomed beneath the lotus platform to guide all living beings. It was as if thousands of believers were chanting the title of "True Lord of Black Light" in one's ears. The grand and majestic sound made one's mind tremble and almost want to kneel down in worship.

"Freedom? Liberation?" Xu Changqing bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain clearing his mind. His eyes flashed with bloodlust, and he shouted fiercely, "I'm used to being free, I don't need you to give me that! You filthy thing, you dare call yourself a 'True Lord'? I think you're more like a 'fungus,' specializing in rotting in the gutter!"

While he provoked him with words to disturb his mind, he also fully activated the "Killing and Refining the World Scripture" within his body.

The blood sword, infused with his magical power, shone even brighter, its blade humming, its killing aura solidified into a tangible form, temporarily resisting the erosion of the black mud and remaining suspended in mid-air.

The black-clad True Lord maintained his smile, but a flash of cold anger appeared in his eyes.

He is a great ghost that has been nurtured for 1,200 years in the Yinshi'ao Mountain. He calls himself "True Lord Black Light" and hates it most when others question his status.

He had already gained the favor of the major unorthodox sect, the "Evil Path Sect," and was to be recruited as a protector. However, his luck ran out, and he bumped into Qi Qinzi, who was traveling down the mountain for the first time.

After a discussion, the Seven Birds captured and suppressed this place, under the pretense of "purifying the impure heart with the rain of righteous Dharma," hoping that this ghost would one day "reform and turn over a new leaf."

Xu Changqing's words hit him where it hurt.

"Those who blaspheme against the True Lord shall be condemned to the Avici Hell and eternal damnation!" The True Lord in black suddenly turned stern, his clapping gesture changed, and he formed a strange hand seal.

A phantom image of a filthy river of blood, seemingly rising from the depths of the underworld, appeared, with a foul stench and countless severed limbs floating in the churning waves of blood.

"The blood-stained river shines with a foul light, illuminating the netherworld, guiding you back to your true nature!"

With a command from the Black Light True Lord, a thick beam of blood-red light split off from the crimson waterfall and swept towards Xu Changqing like a bolt of lightning.

Before the blood-red light even arrived, a terrifying aura that seemed to melt flesh and defile the soul was already overwhelming.

"Well done!"

Xu Changqing let out a long roar, and the blood-red killing sword suspended in mid-air suddenly trembled. Countless dark red scripture phantoms, as fine as mosquitoes, appeared on the sword's body, and a more pure, more violent killing aura, as if it were born solely for destruction, spread out.

The sword light surged, forcefully pushing the surrounding black mud back several feet.

At the same time, Xu Changqing flipped his right hand, and the [Pure and Benevolent Spirit Pearl] he had obtained from Qi Qinzi was already in his palm.

Xu Changqing's mind raced: "This old ghost was suppressed here by Qi Qinzi, there must be a backup plan in the hall... That's it, that yellow paper gold talisman from earlier."

Xu Changqing recalled the tattered yellow paper talisman he had seen at the bottom of the evil statue.

Xu Changqing channeled a surge of pure magical power into the spirit pearl, while simultaneously uttering a low cry: "Daoist Qiqinzi (Pikachu), lend me a hand."

The spirit pearl shone brightly, its clear light surging out like a tide, precisely scattering onto the broken, dim ancient sealing runes around the palace.

"Buzz".

The palace shook violently, as if a mechanism that had been dormant for thousands of years had been suddenly activated.

The broken runes covering the walls, ground, and beams came to life instantly under the clear light, like a parched riverbed receiving sweet rain.

The rune lines lit up one by one, intertwining with golden light and clear radiance, connecting and spreading with each other, quickly repairing and completing, and in the blink of an eye forming a magnificent and complex, golden and dazzling huge magic net that enveloped the entire side hall.

"What?! Seven Birds? I hate it!" The sinister smile on the face of the black-clad True Monarch froze instantly, turning into boundless terror and rage.

He frantically channeled the black mud and blood-red light around him, attempting to impact and corrode the suddenly revived seal chains.