Chapter 414: Hundred Dispel Talisman

"Better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. We're just in time for a good show." A man stepped out from among the newly arrived Daoists. He wore a black robe with a colorful venomous snake embroidered on the collar. "Gao Jian, you trespassed into the restricted grounds of the Three Yin Sect, broke our taboos, and released the Infant-Feeding Ghost alongside nearly a hundred Infant Spirits. Do you confess your crimes?"

"You commit heinous acts! You breed Ghost Infants and build a black-hearted hospital with zero regard for human life. Who knows how many people die there every year, how many young lives perish in that place? And you have the nerve to point the finger at me and demand a confession?" I gnashed my teeth. Neither the Three Yin Sect nor Profound Truth Dao were any good.

"I was just bluffing, yet you admitted it directly. What nerve." The leading black-robed Daoist let out a sinister laugh. He had an effeminate aura and an androgynous appearance. I had seen him once before on the way to Xinhu High School.

"So what if I did? Your sins run deep. You're like rats scurrying across the street—everyone has the right to exterminate you!" The situation was heavily stacked against me. I frantically weighed my options between Profound Truth Dao and the Three Yin Sect. Taking them both on at once was impossible; my best bet was to focus all my strength on taking down one side first.

"Everyone has the right to exterminate us? If I'm not mistaken, those sitting in the lobby right now are Daoist friends from Profound Truth Dao. Why don't you go ask them if they're willing to join you in smiting evil?" A playful glint flashed in the black-robed Daoist's eyes. He deliberately raised his voice, shouting into the Laboratory Building, "She Qian, disciple of Lord Snake of the Three Yin Sect, greets the Celestial Master of Profound Truth! This man is Gao Jian. He broke the Infant Spirits' seal and murdered the disciples our sect left behind to stand guard. His crimes are heinous. I hope you Daoist friends can step forward and help us capture him."

Inside the building, Lu Chen didn't say a word. Lu Jin, however, called back to the black-robed Daoists of the Three Yin Sect: "This man secretly learned the Profound Truth Mental Method! His nature is perverse, and he is guilty of the Ten Unpardonable Evils. Our two sects must work together to restore clear skies to Jiangcheng!"

"Excellent!"

She Qian cupped his hands in greeting, and Lu Jin nodded with a smile. The two sects essentially shared the same goal: they both wanted to eliminate me.

With the Jiang family in turmoil and the Infant Spirit breeding ground destroyed, the Three Yin Sect naturally needed to capture the chief culprit. They wanted to make an example out of me to intimidate the surrounding areas and remind everyone that Jiangcheng was their territory.

Lu Jin used my supposed theft of the Profound Truth Mental Method as an excuse to constantly pick fights. His ultimate goal was simply to kill me and seize everything I had.

Truth be told, Lu Chen was the only person here who had no direct grudge against me. Lu Jin was his junior brother; out of sectarian camaraderie, he was bound to help him. Meanwhile, I was suspected of stealing the Profound Truth Dao Method, which gave him plenty of reason to stand against me out of loyalty to his sect. Perhaps he didn't even view me as an enemy, and capturing me was just a routine task. Or, it could simply be that the gap between our realms was so vast that I wasn't even worth his attention.

She Qian and Lu Jin quickly reached an agreement: no matter the outcome, they would join forces to capture me first.

Both sides glared at me like tigers stalking their prey. My time was running out. I glanced left and right.

The Three Yin Sect had come fully prepared. Furthermore, Xinhu High School itself was a massive nexus of Yin energy, allowing them to exert two hundred percent of their usual strength here.

In contrast, Profound Truth Dao practiced orthodox techniques. Their teachings emphasized letting nature take its course and focusing on self-cultivation, meaning they were never particularly skilled at brawling to begin with. As for Lu Chen, while his cultivation was unfathomable, he was currently suppressing five years of accumulated Yin energy in this building. He likely couldn't free himself easily.

I rapidly analyzed the situation, looking toward the inside of the Laboratory Building. Wang Yu had already been force-fed the venomous insect brew. He lay on the floor, dry heaving uncontrollably, yet nothing came up. Bloody fissures had cracked open on his thin lips, and he kept desperately digging his fingers into his throat. His complexion was dreadful, his brows twisted into a tight knot, and a sheen of cold sweat coated his skin.

He was enduring an agony no one his age should have to bear—or rather, he had already suffered far too much pain that didn't belong to a child.

"Save Wang Yu first!" With venomous insects entering the stomach, the pain would be unbearable even for an adult, let alone a child.

"Follow me! We fight our way in!" I took the lead, darting forward like an alpha wolf straight for the Laboratory Building's lobby. Er Gou and the others followed close behind, no one falling out of step. Mr. Gu brought up the rear, hugging his earthen jar and keeping a wary eye on the Three Yin Sect behind him. Only when he saw the Three Yin Sect members holding their ground, with no immediate plans to attack, did he let out a sigh of relief and follow us inside.

"Gao Jian, it's only been a few days, yet your guts have grown." Lu Jin and Zhong Jiu each grabbed one of Wang Yu's arms and retreated behind Lu Chen. Wearing an eerie smile, Lu Jin watched me lead the charge. "This world has never been equal. People are different. You could have lived out your days peacefully as an ordinary mortal, but you didn't cherish that. You destroyed everything with your own two hands."

"Enough of your bullshit!" Having undergone multiple physical enhancements, my full-speed sprint rivaled that of a professional sprinter. I crossed the dozens of meters in the blink of an eye. "Hand over Wang Yu!"

"You want me to let him go? You sure are confident. Why don't you take a look behind you?" Lu Jin looked entirely self-assured, paying me no respect whatsoever. He pointed a finger casually. I instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Snapping my head back, I saw the Yin energy within the building whipping around like frantic pythons, launching a frenzied assault on Er Gou and the others.

The Yin energy raged completely out of control, impossible for ordinary people to withstand. Once Yin energy invaded the body, the victim would suffer a severe illness at best, or lose their life at worst.

Smack! Li Li was charging forward with his blade drawn, but he couldn't dodge in time and was struck by the surging Yin energy. As if lashed by a giant whip, he was sent tumbling backward out the door.

"Li Li!"

"Brother Li!"

Er Gou's brothers cried out in alarm. Li Li struggled for a moment before scrambling back to his feet. A faint halo of light flared to life on his chest, and strange characters radiating a comforting warmth swiftly dispelled the Yin energy that had invaded his body. "What the hell is this thing?"

He stared at the Yin energy thrashing like long whips through the lobby, his heart pounding with lingering fear. "I'm fine, but you guys be careful!"

With that, he raised his blade and charged back in.

"An ordinary person got swept by Yin energy and came out completely unscathed?" Lu Jin gasped in surprise. He quickly spotted the faint halo of light glowing on Li Li's chest. "Hundred Pardons Talisman! These people are all carrying the Hundred Pardons Talisman! Gao Jian, it seems you didn't just steal the Profound Truth internal mental method, but our temple's secret talisman arts as well! Senior Brother, the evidence is undeniable. Please take action and subdue them!"

Lu Chen's eyes half-opened, seemingly piqued by this. He swept his gaze over the faint glows radiating from Er Gou and the others. "The plea of the masses... the Talisman Core harbors the will of the people. The law cannot punish the multitude, and the heavens will not fail the common folk. The way this talisman is drawn is rather intriguing. It isn't entirely the same as what we have studied."

"Senior Brother, how can you speak in defense of an outsider? The Hundred Pardons Talisman is a secret Lesser Vehicle Talisman of our Profound Truth sect. Now that it has appeared in the hands of an outsider, doesn't that prove there's something wrong with him?" Lu Jin fanned the flames from the sidelines.

Lu Chen shook his head. "A few modified talismans alone do not prove anything. However, I am rather curious to see this man's limits. The last time I saw him, he used ghost arts. Today, his companions are carrying Profound Truth Talismans. If I apply a little more pressure, will he reveal yet another trick?"

Without even moving his feet, Lu Chen simply flicked his left hand, throwing out a few light-colored Talisman Papers. "Hundred Dispel Talisman!"

"First, dispel ten disasters and a hundred calamities! Second, dispel the baleful stars of the four seasons! Third, dispel all taboos and restrictions! Fourth, dispel sores, injuries, and illness! Fifth, dispel lawsuits and slander! Sixth, dispel unrest within the home! Seventh, dispel floods, fires, and thieves! Eighth, dispel the baleful stars of the day! Ninth, dispel ominous omens! Tenth, dispel the perching bird of evil tidings!"

'Not good!' I thought the moment Lu Chen waved his hand. I tried to shout a warning for everyone to be careful, but I was a step too late. Those light-colored talismans fluttered like paper cranes in the wind, gracefully dodging the Yin energy to slap directly onto each person.

"What is this thing?"

"It's the Talisman Paper that ox-nosed old Daoist threw out!"

The others didn't pay it much mind, but Mr. Gu and I clearly saw the faint light on their chests dissipate. The Hundred Pardons Talisman had been effortlessly broken.

Stripped of the talismans' protection, their physical bodies would grow sluggish the moment they touched the Yin energy, allowing the venomous cold to strike straight at their hearts. If it wasn't purged in time, both their luck and lifespans would be drastically reduced.

Very soon, Li Li and Knife were struck by the surging Yin energy. Their agonized screams echoed through the lobby. My heart skipped a beat, and I roared at them, "The talismans failed! Get out, now!"

The group fought as they retreated. Soon, Er Gou and Mr. Gu were the only ones left in the Laboratory Building's lobby still struggling to push their way toward me.

"Without them to help you, how do you expect to fight us? By yourself?" Lu Jin threw his head back and laughed, his eyes brimming with mockery. "I've waited a long time for this day, Gao Jian. Be a good boy and do exactly as I say. If you do, you and this child might just have a sliver of hope to survive."

Standing behind Lu Chen, he waited for me to beg for mercy.