Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

Yi Chen tilted his neck, his joints cracking with a clear sound.

This zombie was his for the taking today; not even Daozun could keep it from him, he had declared.

The colossal strength and evil-dispelling properties of the fifth level of the Minor Pure Yang Skill allowed him to perfectly suppress the bridal zombie in front of him.

Looking at the ghastly fanged bridal zombie, Yi Chen's eyes revealed a deep longing.

How is this a terrifying zombie? Isn't this my beloved Deep Red Points?

Little did he know, his yearning gaze gave the onlookers around him goosebumps...

Could this Taoist Yi Chengzi have some peculiar tastes?

This is a zombie after all!

Hiss!

Truly, the experts of this era are unconventional.

"Evil creature, why don't you just give up and get caught!"

With a loud shout, Yi Chen charged at the bridal zombie like a cannonball.

Seeing this, the bridal zombie that had just gotten over the shock now showed a human-like horror in its eyes. Fortunately for her, she was as hard as an ironclad shell.

If she had been human, that kick might have sent her to meet her great-grandmother.

Having pulled itself out of the wall with difficulty, the bridal zombie faced the oncoming Yi Chen with a renewed ferocity in its gaze.

It roared at the sky and leaped forward, its black zombie Qi vibrating around it, its nails elongated, and with a retraction and extension of its elbow, it posed as if it wanted to stab Yi Chen to death.

However, things did not go as it wished.

The idea was nice!

Reality was cruel!

"Nine Heavens Thunderous Double Kick," Yi Chen's emotionless voice rang out.

The bridal zombie, leaping high into the air, was struck hard again and sent flying, not into a wall this time but sliding down the bluestone street, sparking as it went.

The onlookers' teeth ached at the sight.

This was the first time they had seen anyone exorcise demons in such a fashion.

It was simply a one-sided beating.

"The Lord of Fengyun County was indeed insightful to have me invite the priest from Hidden Dragon Temple to deal with this evil spirit. Hidden Dragon Temple truly is the pillar of Fengyun County, absolutely reliable," muttered Chief Zhang, dumbfounded.

But now, Chief Zhang felt a bit numb, finding something odd. This Taoist Yi Chengzi's style seemed somewhat different from his master, Bai Yunzi...

Yi Chen naturally wasn't concerned with the people behind him; at the moment, he was conducting a test on the fifth level of the Minor Pure Yang Skill's Inner Qi.

Understanding the suppression of his Pure Yang Inner Qi over evil spirits, the novice ironclad zombie in front of him was an excellent test subject.

The previous kick, the Nine Heavens Thunderous Double Kick, had borne running and leveraging force but had not been like the 'Hundred Pace Divine Fist' where he channeled Pure Yang Inner Qi to its fullest onto his legs.

Therefore, although the red armored zombie appeared miserable and the visual effect was strong, the damage inflicted was not as severe as his first strike.

"It seems that against zombies cloaked in zombie Qi, one must rely on Pure Yang Inner Qi to neutralize and break through their defenses," Yi Chen mused to himself.

At that moment, his pupils constricted sharply as he suddenly considered a possibility.

"Spiritual nature, the very thing my master broods over. Could it be that those more vicious evil creatures, with their strong ghost Qi, demon Qi, or zombie Qi, become nearly impervious to ordinary attacks as they are protected?"

"There's no such thing as ants overwhelming an elephant; only beings of not too dissimilar essence can harm each other."

"Strength has its uses in fighting evil spirits, but it's not substantial; it only becomes more than the sum of its parts when enhanced by Inner Qi of comparable quality."

Hissing, Yi Chen drew a sharp breath, unknowingly contributing to global warming by his minuscule measure.

The world's waters were deep, and he felt out of his depth.

The handsome dreamer's aspirations for invincibility through the Origin Point crumbled.

It looked like he had to work on both Deep Red Points and the Origin Point — both hands needed to be strong.

Shaking his head, he pressed down the thoughts for now. The battle continued.

The bridal zombie that had slid for tens of meters leaped to its feet and roared toward Yi Chen, then turned around in a hurry to run toward the town's outskirts.

In the opposite direction, Season Group Leader, with his waist sword and accompanied by several strong men, had just arrived to block the way.

Yi Chen was momentarily stunned; he had not expected that a zombie would flee if it couldn't win the fight.

To flee was one thing, but to bare its fangs at him before fleeing? Unacceptable.

"How audacious!"

"You dare to offend me and think you can run away?" Yi Chen bellowed in rage as he powered his back leg, his legs suddenly swelling, denting the bluestone pavement and launching himself like a cannonball towards the bridal zombie.

Meanwhile, Monk Lianhua had arrived from the other side of the street, but seeing the distance, he couldn't help yelling anxiously at Season Group Leader: "Stop him."

Seeing the bridal zombie, the stout Season Group Leader was not alarmed but pleased.

His moment of fame and glory was upon him.

Having diligently practiced the Fiery Heart Skill for years, he had reached the threshold of a first-tier master in his middle age, and his Inner Qi could now momentarily cling to external objects.

"Evil spirit, if you want to cross here, first ask if my blade is sharp enough!"

"Fierce Fire Blade Technique."

Facing a zombie bride in a wedding dress that had leapt several meters towards him, Ji Tuanlian bellowed loudly. He soared into the air, with the inner qi of the Fierce Fire Heart Technique staining his waist saber a pale red.

With one strike, he met the zombie bride's arm.

Clang!

A muffled sound.

Ji Tuanlian, always strong and unwilling to show weakness, spat out blood and was sent flying, his life or death uncertain.

Obviously, his blade was not sharp enough.

His Fierce Fire Blade Technique only left a pitch-black mark on the zombie bride's arm. The wound was as shallow and as narrow as a chopstick. Soon after, he was struck by the zombie's immense strength and sent flying.

If it weren't for the fact that the zombie bride had been shadowed by Yi Chen's attack, Ji Tuanlian might have been devoured on the spot, drained of blood and turned into cured meat.

However, his obstruction was somewhat effective. The speed of the zombie bride was hindered, and Master Lianhua had already arrived nearby.

"Yuan Tong, Yuan Yue, bring me the dharma net, glutinous rice, and black dog blood. I will go stop this fiend first," Master Lianhua urgently ordered the novices behind him, turning to move forward.

But he stopped almost immediately, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

In an instant, a figure as menacing as a demon chased after the zombie, trailing a deep red streak behind him.

This was the phenonenom caused by Yi Chen's cultivation of the Pure Yang Inner Qi to the fifth layer.

"Think you can offend me and run? Are you playing with me?"

"It's like you're not giving the Three Pure Ones any respect."

The zombie bride shuddered when she heard this indifferent voice, its corpse qi fluctuating, and it jumped into the air, abandoning the thought of biting Ji Tuanlian's neck to replenish its blood. It only wanted to get as far away from this scourge as possible and prepared to leap away.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Failure to leap!

A giant hand, as broad as a fan, grabbed the zombie bride's ankle. Muscles bulging and with terrifying strength, she was yanked downwards and then fiercely smashed toward the ground.

Boom!

A dull thud rang out.

The ground shook.

Too brutal, too overwhelming.

Everyone, including Master Lianhua, widened their eyes at the scene before them.

They didn't understand, but they were greatly shocked!

No, it was not over yet.

After flinging the zombie around by the ankle, Yi Chen immediately began the signature move of the classic character from King of Fighters '97, the chain and sledgehammer wielding big fat guy, Chang Koehan.

The flinging of the corpse continued.

Left, right, left, right.

Left, right, left, right.

This scene left everyone completely dumbfounded.

Everyone was at a loss for words.

The novice Yuan Tong couldn't help but step forward and tug at Master Lianhua's sleeve, asking, "Master, what kind of technique is Taoist Yi Chengzi using now? How is it so... brutal?"

"It seems like he doesn't need black dog blood or glutinous rice at all..."

Master Lianhua remained silent for a long moment, wiping the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead before finally speaking, "From what I observe, Taoist Yi Chengzi must have awakened his spiritual nature and has cultivated the Hidden Dragon Temple's secret 'Supreme Pure Yang Origin Point Daoist Scripture'."

"Naturally, he wouldn't need external items like black dog blood or glutinous rice."

"Taoist Yi Chengzi might now belong to the order of True Persons of the Daoist arts, different from us."

"My 'wisdom roots' are insufficient, and I can only use external methods to exorcise demons. I have to make other sacrifices as fuel to forcibly use some spells, while Taoist Yi Chengzi is different."

"Master, what are wisdom roots? When can I and my junior brother awaken our 'wisdom roots'?" Yuan Yue, standing by the side, couldn't help but ask.

"Spiritual nature or wisdom roots, it's just different terminology used by our Daoist and Buddhist practices.

"It is profoundly mysterious and elusive, a gift from heaven and earth, the beginning of transcendence."

"There might be some unique objects in the world that can forcefully awaken one's 'spiritual intellect', but the price is also immense, beyond what we can aspire to."

Master Lianhua paused, smiled, and ruffled the shaved heads of Yuan Tong and Yuan Yue before continuing, "You should focus on your cultivation, striving to reach enlightenment and awaken your wisdom roots."

"Your grandmaster once said that when the time for awakening comes, you will naturally understand; it is something that cannot be expressed in words."

"Even if the spiritual intellect is nurtured by heaven and earth, it requires cultivation to awaken."

"Great Strength Bodhisattva has said even more so that everyone has spiritual intellect, differing only in depth. Cultivate earnestly, and you will reach enlightenment, awaken your 'spiritual intellect', and attain great mana."

Master Lianhua cheerfully filled his two disciples with a large bowl of metaphorical chicken soup, then squinted his eyes at Yi Chen, who was still tossing the zombie bride left and right.

Still, something felt slightly amiss in his heart. He had been fortunate enough to witness Bai Yunzi in action; Pure Yang True Qi flowed through him, with the force of wind and thunder, moving unhindered, and common evil spirits would surely die upon contact.

However, his disciple seemed a bit off.

The deep red inner qi had the power to ward off evil far surpassing the capabilities of ordinary martial artists, yet it was still a few notches below Pure Yang True Qi, resembling a weakened version of it.

"Could it be that Taoist Yi Chengzi has awakened his spiritual nature but not completely?" Touching his own smooth chin, Master Lianhua mused to himself.