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墨書 Inktalez
As I took in the situation, I thought to myself that it was too late to call my old partner back. I was so anxious that I almost wanted to rush in. However, calling out to the Five Spirits meant that we couldn't have any protective items on us, let alone any talismans. If I charged in like this, with just my brute strength, I wouldn't have anything to contend with the White Shirt Spirit.
To be precise, the Five Spirits were also Spirit Gods, but their value and existence were different from typical Spirit Gods, which made them equally fearful of protective items.
Just as I hesitated about whether to charge in, another armored high-ranking Five Spirit suddenly burst out from the room next door. It flashed by like a gust of wind, and in the dim candlelight, I could only see a faint gray shadow. It was incredibly strong.
Before I could pull my gaze away, there was a dull thud, and I saw my Five Spirit being knocked back directly into my master's Five Spirit. There was no sign of retreat; the high-ranking Five Spirit casually grabbed my Five Spirit and flung it toward me. Without a moment's pause, it charged straight at the White Shirt Spirit.
My old partner was tossed like a balloon and floated right next to me. I reached out to stop it and said, "Hold on, let's watch your brother perform." Then I recited a spell that stabilized the situation and prevented the Five Spirits from recklessly charging forward.
In my previous understanding, the Five Spirits and Spirit Gods played a game of cat and mouse; whenever the Five Spirits appeared, the Spirit Gods would flee. But this time was completely different—the White Shirt Spirit not only didn't run away but instead began an exchange of blows with the Five Spirits, leaving me momentarily stunned.
"Don't just stand there! Stick talismans on the walls and doors; don't let it escape!" My master had already placed talismans on the door when he entered and began applying more talismans on the walls in intervals. All of them were used for sealing doors and walls—non-offensive but effective enough to prevent Spirit Gods from passing through. I pulled out a few talismans from my bag and quickly closed the door behind me before starting to seal off the entrance.
As my master and I nearly finished sealing off the entire room, there was another dull thud. My master's Five Spirit hadn't gained an advantage in battle; instead, it was kicked against the wall not far from me by the White Shirt Spirit. Normally, there wouldn't be any sound from such an impact, but after sealing it with talismans, it could no longer remain silent upon collision.
My master's Five Spirit fell at my feet. I turned to glance at it. It looked back at me with an expressionless face that suddenly became animated as it uttered three words: "Interesting." After saying that, it shot up again and charged toward the White Shirt Spirit. Seeing this scene made my old partner tremble; perhaps those three words ignited its fighting spirit. Clearly unable to hold back anymore, I released its binding spell, allowing it to regain its freedom—after all, learning is best achieved through real combat.
My master was much faster at applying talismans than I was. After finishing his work, he told me, "Set up a Soul-Trapping Formation." With that, he grabbed his Great Seal and rushed into battle. He had no protective items on him—only an offensive Great Seal—so charging in recklessly showed how anxious he was after seeing his own Five Spirit being attacked.
I didn't observe the battlefield any longer but focused on setting up the Soul-Trapping Formation at the entrance. All I could hear were sporadic sounds of bodies colliding with wooden walls. I didn't know who had taken a hit this time.
Setting up the Soul-Trapping Formation required my full attention; even though I worried inside, I couldn't afford to be distracted. The only thing I could do was finish this formation as quickly as possible. Just as I completed it, a cold snort suddenly came from behind me—it sounded like it came from the White Shirt Spirit.
I turned around and gasped; a dramatic scene unfolded before me: the White Shirt Spirit leaned against the ceiling, floating above in the room while my master's two Five Spirits stood below watching helplessly. It seemed neither side could do anything to each other; I felt utterly speechless.
"You two youngsters think you can capture this master with just two broken Five Spirits? How ridiculous," taunted the White Shirt Spirit.
"Ridiculous? You were scared off! And who are you calling master? Look at this master crush you with stones," I retorted boldly. In terms of banter skills, I clearly surpassed my master. After saying that, I squatted down to pick up a shard of broken pottery and hurled it at him. Even if I couldn't hit him directly, I'd at least annoy him. From what I guessed, this Taoist must have been arrogant in life; those who did many bad deeds typically had terrible tempers.
With two loud thuds, the shard passed through its body and hit the wooden ceiling above while it retaliated by swinging its Great Seal at me. The two Five Spirits also reacted quickly and charged toward me.
After hitting the ground, I rolled aside just in time to hear several varying sounds of impacts behind me. Suddenly pain shot through my left leg; turning around revealed that my master's Great Seal had rebounded off the wall and struck my calf. Thankfully it was made of wood; if it had been made of metal, my leg would have surely been broken. Not only did that Great Seal hit me but it also rebounded back and knocked over a red candle.
Before I could even rub my sore calf, I saw my old partner fly out again and crash directly onto the dilapidated wooden bed across from us.
Looking up, I saw that my master’s Five Spirits had already pinned the White Shirt Spirit down. Both of them were trapped within the Soul-Trapping Formation. My master strode over, saying, "Quickly straighten the candle and activate the formation." Ignoring the pain in my legs, I rolled to the edge of the formation, propped up the candle, and began chanting the Activate Formation incantation while reaching into the Cloth Bag to grab a handful of Cinnabar Ash. By the time my master reached the front of the formation, he had pulled out a talisman from his pocket. At the same time, he chanted a spell and signaled for his Five Spirits to let go.
At that moment, as his high-level Five Spirits flew backward, my master's talisman stuck to the White Shirt Spirit. Simultaneously, I finished chanting the Activate Formation spell. After completing it, I scattered the Cinnabar Ash at the entrance of the formation, sealing it shut. After placing the talisman, my master picked up his Great Seal and drew several Hand Seals on it before forcefully smashing it onto my Cinnabar Ash at the entrance. Then he produced two more talismans and placed them on either side of the Great Seal.
Inside the formation, the White Shirt Spirit was now nearly devoid of any resistance, only thrashing around desperately and roaring in frustration. It seemed unwilling to accept its fate. But what could it do? No matter how skilled it had been in Daoist Arts in life, it was now just a Spirit God. Inside the Soul-Trapping Formation, there was no room for its defiance.
The two Five Spirits approached expressionlessly, resembling an audience watching a spectacle as if this matter had nothing to do with them. My master walked over to his Five Spirits and quietly recited a spell before patting one on the shoulder. The expressionless Spirit then turned and returned to the room from which it had emerged, presumably to rest inside its vessel.
I looked at my old companion; it too stared blankly at the White Shirt Spirit within the Soul-Trapping Formation. However, its body trembled slightly as if yearning for revenge. I softly said to it, "You've worked hard, old friend. When we return, I'll treat you to fine wine and good meat. As for revenge, my master and I will take care of that." I then chanted another spell to send it back into its vessel.
Once all Five Spirits were back in place, my master and I silently observed the White Shirt Spirit within the formation. I hesitated to speak first with my master present; for some reason, he remained silent as well.
The White Shirt Spirit continued to struggle inside, seemingly furious. My master gave me a look that urged me to speak up. Since he had tacitly allowed it, I felt no need to hold back: "Hey, Master Spirit! Look at me! I'm only 24 years old this year while you're over a hundred! How did you end up in my hands? Why don't you come out so we can have a real fight?" At that moment, my youthful exuberance made me somewhat reckless; victory over such a formidable foe filled me with pride.
The White Shirt Spirit ceased its struggles without even glancing at me; instead, its eyes fixed on my master as it said, "Is this how you disciple your students?"
Just as I was about to retort, my master waved his hand to stop me and replied, "You are also a senior; we are all fellow practitioners here. Just because you were powerful in life doesn't give you the right to recklessly take lives and leave Human Souls behind. How I teach my disciple is my own business; at least he won't resort to hiding like you did after sealing yourself away from Yin Chai for over a hundred years just to harm others."
My master's words brought me great satisfaction. Seeing the White Shirt Spirit rendered speechless filled me with joy; usually serious and mild-mannered, my master had spoken so boldly against it. It was clear how much he disdained its actions.
"Hmph! It's easy for you to say that; you were born in a good era. If you lived in my chaotic times of war and strife, perhaps you would be worse than I was! What wrong have I done? As a respectable Cultivator proficient in ghostly arts, I was annihilated by baseless accusations! All I've done is seek revenge relentlessly!"
"Don't you understand about karmic retribution? Evil deeds will eventually be punished by heaven! Why cling so stubbornly? We are all Cultivators; you should know better," my master countered.
The Spirit God snorted coldly and said, "Heaven's punishment is too slow for us! Even if my Soul Shatters, I will still seek revenge! What does being a Cultivator mean? We are still flesh and blood with emotions! If we lose everything, what is there left to learn?"
"Master," I interjected cautiously, "it seems there’s some truth in what it's saying—there's a clear distinction between good and evil."
My master replied tersely, "There’s nothing wrong with distinguishing good from evil; its downfall is certainly not as simple as just seeking revenge."
"Indeed! I harmed a few innocent people in pursuit of vengeance; that's their misfortune for crossing paths with me!" The Spirit God stubbornly insisted without an ounce of remorse in its tone.
I understood what it meant when it said that the pitiful must have their faults. Hearing such words from its mouth made me come to terms with it.
The Master said, "Alright, today is the day you will dissipate. You’ve hidden in this cursed spot for over a hundred years, so consider it a gain. Don’t try any tricks; accept your fate. We are all practitioners here, so I won’t beat around the bush. Do you want me to send you down below, or would you prefer to be scattered?"
"There’s no good outcome in going down. Just scatter me directly. If you're interested, I can share my story with you," the White Shirt Spirit seemed to feel it had no other choice at that moment.
"No need for that. Just go peacefully," the Master said as he opened his Cloth Bag, took out a box of Cinnabar and a stack of talismans, and collected the Great Seal from the ground, continuously drawing Hand Spells on top.
A few minutes later, the Master slammed the Great Seal onto the White Shirt Spirit's Fontanel. As the White Shirt Spirit slowly dissipated, the Yin Qi in the room vanished completely. The Master put away his things and said, "Let’s go home."
On the way back, I asked the Master why he didn’t want to hear its story. He replied, "Every mistake has its reasons, but no matter how justifiable those reasons may seem, they cannot be built on harming the innocent. As practitioners, we must remember this. Why should I listen to its story? Did it listen to the stories of those innocent people while it was harming them? It’s better not to hear such things. One must treat others with a forgiving heart to be accepted by others. Its quest for revenge is something that Heavenly Principle does not allow. Let’s go." With that, the Master walked toward the door.
I followed silently behind him. Indeed, not everything in this world can be forgiven, and not everyone is willing to forgive you. It is better to prevent illness than to treat it once it has occurred; one must be cautious in speech and action.
With this matter concluded, good night to everyone.
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