The disheveled hair was sticky with blood and sweat, obscuring his vision.
Feng Chong didn't dare to take out his hand and brush it away.
He formed seals with his hands and tried his best to activate his magic power, trying to complete the spell as quickly as possible.
"The true fire of the sun casts your true form."
In the midst of rapid chanting, in a blazing flame in front of him, a golden phoenix bird began to plume.
However.
"Help me become accustomed to it, and intimidate thousands of soldiers. Urgent..."
Suddenly.
A sword with cold light was handed out like a ghost and came straight to the neck.
He was stuck at a time when the fire spell was about to be completed and he was unable to use other means.
As a last resort.
Unlock the seal and put your palms together.
The fire phoenix, which could flutter its wings at a glance, let out a cry.
Exploded with a bang.
The raging fire wave forced back the fatal sword blade, and also threw Feng Chong violently away, and smashed into the alley at the end of the street.
Ignoring the backlash that caused sharp pain in my chest and sweetness in my throat.
He climbed up on his hands and knees and plunged into the dark alley.
That's it again.
That's it again!
From the moment the two sides fought, he was almost forced into a desperate situation.
There is no other reason.
This ghost-faced man seems to have the ability to predict the future. He can see through all his tricks at a glance, understand all his movements, and can always deliver a fatal sword before the spell is completed.
All his Taoist cultivation was almost useless, but he suffered a lot of backlash because his spells were forcibly interrupted.
If it weren't for some means of saving his life, he would have become a dead soul under the sword.
While gnashing one's teeth.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a cold light sweeping over him in panic.
Feng Chong tried his best to turn around and dodge, but his weak skills could not avoid this swift sword light. The sword edge undoubtedly fell on him, smashing the green light all over his body.
"The last talisman."
As soon as this thought came to Feng Chong's mind, he received a heavy blow on his waist and eyes.
The whole person was thrown out in a spin, and hit the base of the wall with a "bang".
Don't care about crying out in pain.
He raised his hand and threw out several talismans.
However, where the yellow talisman fell, it was empty, with not a single person in sight.
right.
That's it.
The opponent was like a roundworm in his belly, and every move he made was expected by the Ghost-Faced Man.
Fight back?
Where can this be done?
Feng Chong suddenly had a premonition.
Maybe I won't be lucky tonight.
But... he gritted his teeth and made a gesture.
"disease!"
All the talismans were ignited, forming a huge fire ball that filled the entire narrow alley.
He rolled over and struggled to escape.
…
Xiaoshui has a large population and a small area, and the buildings are crowded.
Various wide and narrow alleys are connected together, like a maze.
Feng Chong was fairly familiar with the terrain in this area, and could barely avoid the increasingly sharp swords of the Ghost-Faced Man with the twists and turns of the alleyways and some small tricks.
However, blindly running away will eventually come to an end.
He once again dodged a fatal sword, leaving a deep wound on his arm, and got into an alley.
What was waiting for him ahead was a towering wall.
dead end?
It's over.
He smiled miserably and looked back in panic.
The moonlight is bright and the lane is deep.
The ghost-faced man jumped down from the wall, like an eagle swooping down.
The sword light connected with the moonlight.
Sparkling.
It was blindingly bright and heart-piercingly cold.
Fast as the blink of an eye.
Phew.
His chest felt cold, and hot blood flowed along the cold steel.
Feng Chong's body suddenly stagnated, his head hung down weakly, and his left hand weakly pulled in the air a few times.
His face was buried in the shadows, his lips pursed.
The sound is small but clear enough.
What he said is:
"caught you!"
With the voice.
The blood condensed on the tip of the sword dripped down.
But it is like a spark thrown into firewood.
Suddenly I saw a bright light floating on the ground.
The ghost-faced man looked down.
At the feet of the two people, there were seven bloody footprints arranged in a Beidou pattern entwined with golden flames.
The ghost-faced man was about to run away immediately, but Feng Chong's left hand, which seemed to be weak just now, was holding him firmly.
The Taoist raised his face, with a determined smile on his embarrassed face.
With blood still pouring from his mouth, he was finally able to say it completely:
"Hurry up like a law."
This is his final act.
The flames on Kui Dou's footprints suddenly spread and formed a golden talisman.
immediately.
Raging golden flames soared into the sky.
…
Feng Chong did not look at the enemy struggling and screaming in the flames.
He staggered a few steps, trying to regain his balance.
But this moment.
All willpower and strength quickly drained away along with the trauma on his chest.
He finally fell down and lay on his back on the hard and cold bluestone.
His gradually distracted eyes looked at the moon caught between the high walls of the alley.
Somehow.
What flashed through his mind was the scene in his dream where he, as a glazed lion, feasted on a living person in a fire.
He tried his best to drive these thoughts out of his mind.
I recall all the details that I had forgotten when I was practicing meditation in the mountains, and I remember the repeated instructions from the vague Master.
"Eliminate demons and protect the Tao..."
he murmured.
The bright moonlight dimmed little by little in front of my eyes.
…………
The flames soaring into the sky naturally caused some commotion.
But the people in Xiaoshui are really obedient.
Under curfew.
Not only did no one come out to check, but even the commotion quickly subsided.
Not long after.
A patrol of government officials rushed to the scene.
All that was left for them, or rather them, was the mess on the ground and a burnt corpse.
Blow by the evening breeze.
Then it turned into fire ashes and scattered.
The government officials lingered for a while, whispered a few words, and finally retreated.
A while passed.
A corner in an alley not far away.
The light and shadow in the sky distorted for a while, and finally two figures appeared out of thin air.
Both of them had ghostly faces made of bronze, one was laughing wildly, the other was furious, which seemed to complement each other.
Needless to say, it is naturally Yu Mei and Li Changan.
"The last spell of the Glazed Lion..."
Yu Mei looked at Li Changan solemnly.
Although the Taoist priest's current condition is not as miserable as it was before Feng Chong's death, his wig was completely burned by the flames, only some blackened strips of cloth were left on his clothes, and his body was covered with burns.
"You could have ducked."
Li Changan took off his mask and said:
"Fellow Daoist Feng told me that the spell is called the 'Golden Flame Curse', which is derived from the Golden Light Curse. Although it is powerful, it only hurts evil spirits. It is his last resort to face the enemy..."
The Taoist priest kept looking at the place where Feng Chong died. He opened and closed his lips for a long time. In the end, he didn't say anything more. He just turned his head and said to his eyebrows:
"Thanks."
Even if he thanked her for helping him hide his whereabouts, he also thanked her for not intervening.
Yumei turned away.
"There is no more chance."
"I can spare it."
Li Changan forced a smile, but then asked doubtfully:
"Where's the Tai Sui demon?"
"Water Moon View."
…………
The next day.
The golden crow is beginning to bloom.
On the low hill on the outskirts of the city.
Shuiyueguan is hidden in the secluded forest and bathed in the glow.
In front of the mountain gate, believers have been coming in droves since early. When they entered, they were not in a hurry to go to the front hall to burn incense. Instead, they went to the backyard under the guidance of the Taoist boy.
Because the Xiaoshui River has been unstable recently, with demons showing off their evil deeds at night and various strange mischiefs, the county magistrate invited Master Qingping to hold a grand ceremony before the Dionysus Festival, not only to pay tribute to the souls of those who died in the previous nights. Badu also prays for disasters in Xiaoshui City to remove some bad luck and welcome the festival.
However, Shuiyue Temple has always been frugal and does not accumulate assets. The number of Taoist priests and boys who practice in the temple can only be counted on one finger.
How can such a small manpower handle a grand ritual?
Fortunately, if Guanli is unable to do anything, the believers will help.
These men and women who came to the mountain early in the morning were the ones who came to the mountain after receiving the news. They had the money and ability to contribute their efforts to participate in the grand event.
However, when there are more people, it is inevitable that there will be a mixture of good and bad, and some different people will be mixed in.
…
From the moment you step into the mountain gate.
Li Changan realized that this operation might be in vain again.
the reason is simple.
In the Water Moon View, there is no mold stain where resentment condenses.
"Have you found anything?"
Li Changan glanced sideways and saw a rough-footed peasant woman approaching, pretending to pick and wash fungus carelessly.
He looked around again as if nothing had happened.
At this moment, the two of them were in the kitchen of Shuiyueguan. Because they had to prepare tributes and vegetarian meals, the kitchen was crowded with busy people, smoky and lively.
Seeing that no one was paying attention, Li Changan responded in a low voice to the peasant woman, who was actually Yu Mei.
"Nothing, what about you?"
Yu Mei also shook his head.
This is not unexpected.
The absence of mold spots means that in Shuiyue Temple, the two of them were deceived by the illusion like everyone else. Since they can't see through the illusion, how can they find clues?
Fortunately, the two of them had made plans for this situation before they ventured in to investigate.
Li Changan called again:
"Is Bacchus here?"
This time there was finally a response.
"I'm really sorry." Dionysian's apologetic voice sounded in his ears, "It was difficult for my spiritual thoughts to penetrate into Shuiyue Temple, which delayed a lot of time."
"It doesn't matter." Li Changan asked, "Are you ready?"
"Everything is ready, you two close your left eyes."
Li Changan followed the instructions.
In the eyes, everything remains the same, no change.
"Close your right eye again and open your left eye."
Li Changan did as he was told.
This time, the world in my eyes suddenly changed drastically.
The room was once again covered with mildew, and the cutting boards and the pigs, beef, and mutton hanging on the beams were now stripped and cleaned of human corpses.
The large wooden barrels in the corner that originally contained wastewater were now filled with blood-stained hair and tattered public uniforms.
Come to think of it, these are the people we need to save today.
Look at the stove again.
The Taoist Taoist priest had transformed into a four-armed monkey, holding various kitchen utensils. He took the "fungus" that Yu Mei had just picked and washed with his own hands - a basin of soaked ears that turned white, added oil and salt, and cooked them under the blazing fire. Stir fry in the pot. During this period, I also picked up a piece and tasted it, chewing it in my mouth, it was crisp and clear.
Even if Li Changan often walks in ancient tombs in deserted houses and is used to seeing the strange and tragic things in the world, he can't help but sigh at this scene, let alone Yu Mei, a tree demon who has lived in Xiaoshui for hundreds of years. , for a moment, he was in a daze and lost his mind.
Sudden.
behind.
"What are you looking at?"
Yu's eyebrows suddenly twitched, and he was about to express his thoughts.
Li Changan held her down, turned around as if nothing had happened, and complained:
"You suddenly startled me by talking behind my back. What's the matter?"
The speaker was also an aunt who was helping the cook. She laughed and cursed a few times and then got down to business.
"Stop and help deliver the tributes to the yard first."
Yu Mei had never seen such a scene before, so she was shocked for a moment, but now she reacted, and together with Li Changan, she accepted the tribute brought by the aunt.
In the right eye, there are two pig heads.
In the left eye, there are two human heads with hair permed, two heads with the same face.
This face impressed Li Changan very much.
This is the face of Gu Tianshi or Tai Sui Yao.
…
"Judging from these two heads, the Tai Sui Demon is probably used by the Phantom Butterfly as a food source."
"Can the flesh and blood of the Tai Sui demon be eaten?"
"The flesh and blood of the original body will make people go crazy with hunger, and the incarnation will only make people hungry. It's okay to fill the belly of the worms."
"So the Tai Sui Demon must still be alive and well, and is probably hiding somewhere in Shuiyue Temple."
The two exchanged a few words in a low voice and entered a spacious courtyard.
In the world of the right eye, the sun is warm, the sky is in full swing, and the place is full of joy. Under the command of a few Taoists, many men, women, old and young, deftly build the prayer venue bit by bit; but in the world of the left eye, the yard is full of The mold stains made it look dirty and dilapidated, the believers looked numb like puppets, and the Taoist priests turned into ferocious monsters, staring at the believers in the field with salivation.
"It seems that the Tai Sui Demon's incarnation is not very hungry either."
Li Changan still had time to make wisecracks, so he raised an eyebrow at him.
"There are no clues in the front yard. We have to look in the backyard."
Li Changan straightened up and responded quietly:
"good."
But at this time.
"Dong~"
Suddenly there was a faint sound of bells in the yard.
The believers in the courtyard raised their heads and listened to the sound, and went about their business as if nothing had happened. However, the monsters in the field raised their heads together, and the ferocious faces showed the same kind of enthusiasm.
The Taoist priest's heart moved and he looked up.
But when I saw where the bell came from, in the direction of the mountain behind Shuiyueguan, the traces of resentment and mold spreading among the clouds, sky, and mountains melted as quickly as ice and snow exposed to the sun amidst the sound of the bell, and continued to spread, and soon spread to This courtyard.
Almost in the blink of an eye.
The "reality" that the Taoist priest glimpsed disappeared, and the dirty and dilapidated courtyard in his left eye became the pure Taoist temple in his right eye.
My heart skipped a beat, and I had a bad feeling.
He has always been bold.
He simply grabbed the monster passing by and pretended to be in a hurry.
"It's already past the morning meal, why are we still ringing the morning bell? Could something have happened?"
The captured monster looked ferocious one second, but turned into a courteous young Taoist the next.
"Mom, don't panic, that's not the morning bell. The real person has been fasting for several days in order to pray for this blessing. It's time to leave the seclusion at this time. The bell is to remind us to prepare for the ritual ceremony."
Fasting and leaving the country?
Where's the ghost? !
Li Changan asked again, but he heard a "pop" sound, and the man next to him fell to the ground for some reason. The head of Tai Sui Demon's clone fell from his hand, rolled to the Taoist priest's feet, and turned into a white pig head. .
"How……"
Just when he opened his mouth, his vision went dark, and his spiritual thoughts came out.
…………
at the same time.
"What's wrong?"
There is a deserted forest somewhere outside Shuiyue Temple.
Li Changan jumped up, tore off the yellow talisman on his forehead, and raised his sword to alert the surroundings.
pity.
The person he was questioning, Yu Mei, was still sitting cross-legged in the forest, holding the yellow talisman on his forehead, looking in a daze.
Just as seen.
The two people who had just sneaked into Shuiyue Temple were not their true bodies.
Instead, he used a spell called "Soul Soul Technique", which can possess other people's spiritual thoughts and turn them into puppets.
This kind of weird magic that can be called heretical, according to Yu Mei's setting as "Secret Agent of the Zhenfu Division", he shouldn't be able to do it. But she got rid of the influence of the illusion, realized her past life, and was one of the hubs of the illusion. She was also an incarnation of Master Yu, so she gained some legacy and gained some new abilities.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the new spell was used, it unfortunately collapsed.
She looked a little shocked, and it took her a while before she responded:
"My spell has been erased."
"We were discovered?"
The Taoist priest thought for a moment and realized that he didn't reveal any flaws.
But now is not the time to get entangled. This place is too close to Shuiyue Temple, so I might get dumped and have to run away quickly.
Unexpectedly.
Yu Mei shook her head.
"No, it was erased."
There was a profound meaning in Yu Mei's words, but Li Changan really didn't understand it.
Fortunately, Dionysus sent a message at this time:
"What Yu Mei means is that this magical butterfly has become a phenomenon."
He explained it carefully to the Taoist priest.
Everything in the illusion, whether it is the clouds in the sky, the trees in the mountains, the houses in the city, or people's appearance, memory and personality, and even the spells used by Feng Chong, Yu Mei and others are actually transformed by illusion, and existence and Whether or not it is all just a thought of the owner of the illusion.
Just now, Yu Mei said that her spell was not broken, but erased, which meant that after the sound of the bell, the "soul-sending spell" was regarded as an error that should not exist, and was directly corrected by the illusion.
Back then, when Li Changan and Yu Mei were fighting, they used the talisman obtained from Feng Chong many times, but Yu Mei could not erase it. But now, Bai Huandie has done this inadvertently.
This shows that Huan Die has surpassed Yu Mei as a manager and truly controls the illusion.
At least, within the confines of Shuiyuekuan.
This is terrible news.
The Taoist priest's plan was originally based on Huan Die's failure to fully control the illusion, but now, the space for the plan to be implemented has become increasingly narrow, and the key Tai Sui Demon has also fallen into Huan Die's hands.
The situation became more and more difficult. I really wanted to give up and go north to the Central Plains to ask for help from the Zhenfusi or the Zhengyi Sect or the Lushan Sect.
Of course, in this chaotic world, whether people have the energy to come to these barren mountains and ridges to slay demons and demons is another question.
Li Changan was picking up the flowers on his teeth.
Dionysus whispered in his ear: "Taoist priest, please stop this kid."
He looked up in shock.
His brows were like ice and the corners of his eyes were evil, and he was about to go up the mountain.
the Taoist asked her.
"what you do?"
Yu Mei: "Robbing people!"
"who?"
"Tai Sui demon?"
"With the presence of phantom butterflies, it's hard to tell the difference between a human and a demon in Shuiyue Temple. Even if the Tai Sui demon is right in front of you, how can you tell the difference?"
"Then kill Baihuandie!"
"The climate of the Phantom Butterfly has become a reality, and it has many minions and claws. With just you and me, I'm afraid there will be no return."
Dionysus also duly echoed.
"You can kill Huandie. It has replaced Yu Mei and become the hub of maintaining the illusion. When the illusion is shattered, how will we deal with these tens of thousands of monsters?"
Of course, there is also a perfect solution, which is to control the phantom butterfly and let it help maintain the illusion, and at the same time use the Tai Sui demon to kill all the monsters in the city. However, if a few people have this ability, why waste their time here?
All in all, the Taoist priest and the God of Wine finally calmed down the concerned and confused eyebrows with their words.
"What should I do?"
Yumei looked at the mountain dejectedly.
The quiet and clear Shuiyueguan in the distance is in sharp contrast to the dark, musty mountain forest in front of you.
"Watching phantom butterflies take over the illusion and taint the hard work of real people?"
Li Changan was also helpless. After thinking for a long time, he really couldn't find any better way.
"For the current plan, we can only try to lure the phantom butterfly out of Shuiyue Temple, and then take the opportunity to steal the Tai Sui Demon."
"How to lead?"
"Follow the original plan."
The mountain wind rustles.
Li Changan looked at Xiaoshui City, half hidden in the morning fog.
"kill."
