A pool of blood had gathered where the man was kneeling. Without a word, he propped himself up and prostrated before the stone statue in full submission, remaining completely silent.
For a moment, the temple was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Yu Nian sized him up calmly. The man's eyes were dull and listless. Although he was a living person, there was a chilling aura of death around him, as if he were a walking corpse.
Her eyes darkened. "He's possessed by an evil spirit."
Hardly had she finished speaking when a wild gust of wind suddenly swept in from outside the temple. As it howled past, it sounded like a baby crying and a wild animal moaning.
Then, a man in white slowly stepped over the threshold of the dilapidated temple and walked straight towards the man on the ground.
The man was extremely tall and thin, with delicate and feminine features, but there was a heavy aura of malevolence between his eyebrows.
Yu Nian noticed that the moment the man entered, the originally faint demonic aura became so thick that it almost pierced the sky. She was almost certain that the man in front of her was the snake demon, and a powerful one at that.
The snake demon looked coldly at the man lying on the ground and let out a sneer from his nostrils. Then he waved his long sleeve, and the wall behind the stone statue, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened. A middle - aged woman with her eyes closed and a pale face was lying inside. Black qi coiled around her body, and it seemed that she was on the verge of death.
At the sight of the woman, the originally dejected middle - aged man let out a guttural moan. He was in a hurry and staggered to his feet, but was roughly trampled to the ground by the snake demon. The snake demon's slitted pupils reflected a dark, eerie light as he cursed, "You despicable and shameless humans! I'll make you watch her die right in front of you, and then scatter her soul so that she'll never be reborn!"
Qian Lin clenched his fists tightly, but he was no match for the snake demon. As he anxiously stepped back, he accidentally kicked a potted plant by the wall, making a clear sound.
"Who's there?" The snake demon's eyes instantly turned into vertical pupils. His thin lips parted slightly, and his scarlet snake's tongue suddenly lashed out in the direction of the crowd. A foul stench wafted over. Yu Nian frowned and quickly drew a talisman with one hand. A flash of golden light later, their figures appeared in the temple. The snake demon staggered back a step. He couldn't believe it as he raised his hand to wipe the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. A burning pain shot through his tongue.
Seeing the snake demon's gaze turn towards them, the ghosts trembled in fear. The leading male ghost immediately knelt on the ground, secretly hoping that the two sides would fight and both be severely injured so that he could reap the benefits.
The snake demon scanned each person with venomous eyes until his gaze fell on the Five - Emperor Coins around Qian Lin's waist. He cursed loudly, "You puny Taoist priest, how dare you overestimate yourself! Today, I'll kill you first and then deal with the others!"
The next second, a thick black mist filled the air, making everyone squint. They heard the sound of tearing clothes. The man who had been standing there disappeared, replaced by a colossal creature tens of meters tall. It was a pitch - black snake. The closely arranged scales glowed eerily in the moonlight. Its huge snake head looked down at them haughtily, with two faint green lights shining in its eyes. The snake demon's eyes were filled with undisguised venom. It opened its huge mouth and suddenly lunged at Qian Lin.
Although Qian Lin was a Taoist priest, he was just a novice. He had never seen such a fierce and huge demonic creature before. He was so scared that he froze on the spot.
Feeling the stinking wind approaching, he closed his eyes in despair. But then a force came from the collar behind his neck, lifting him up and perfectly avoiding the snake demon's attack.
Qian Lin turned his head in confusion and met Yu Nian's clear eyes. He was stunned for a moment. Where did this girl get the strength to lift an adult man like him with one hand?
Before he could think further, Yu Nian in front of him asked, "Can you draw talismans?"
Qian Lin hesitated. "I can, but..."
Yu Nian didn't wait for him to finish. She patted his shoulder and took out a box of cinnabar and some yellow talisman paper from her pocket, stuffing them into his hands.
Qian Lin:???
Seeing the huge snake about to pounce, he immediately picked up a brush and quickly and shakily drew all the talismans he could remember on the yellow talisman paper. The moment he finished, the snake demon suddenly spat out a thick column of water at them. A bone - chilling coldness swept over. He thought he was doomed and instinctively raised the talisman paper to resist.
Just when he thought he was surely going to die, he heard something fly past his ear. There was a soft "crackling" sound, and the talisman paper suddenly glowed with an orange - yellow light in the air and burst into flames. A fire dragon as big as the snake demon suddenly appeared in front of everyone. After drying up the water column, the fire dragon, without the slightest hesitation, charged straight at the snake demon with great force.
The scene was so shocking that everyone forgot to breathe.
Qian Lin looked back in the direction of the sound and saw Yu Nian's hand that hadn't been retracted yet. Her fair and slender fingers were stained with a touch of vermilion, giving an eerie and solemn beauty.
The snake demon was startled and instinctively tried to back away, but it was no match for the speed of the fire dragon. After being engulfed in the flames, its huge body twisted and rolled violently. The place where its tail swept up was filled with wood chips and dust, making everyone's heart skip a beat.
Qian Lin stared blankly at Yu Nian and murmured in disbelief, "Talisman Fire Dragon..." This was a spell that only a top - level Taoist priest could master.
He suddenly remembered the records in the ancient books and looked at Yu Nian with a complex expression. "How... how do you know this?"
Yu Nian calmly withdrew her hand and paused. "Didn't you draw the talisman?"
Qian Lin was stunned for a moment and gradually came to his senses. He had almost suspected that the girl in front of him was a powerful figure who had taken over a new body, but on closer inspection, Yu Nian had almost no spiritual energy around her, even weaker than an ordinary person. If it was really a takeover, why didn't the powerful figure choose a body with great talent?
Could it be that he had really summoned the fire dragon out of desperation?
With tears in his eyes, he looked up at the moon and murmured, "Master, your disciple has finally made something of himself!"
When the fire dragon gradually dissipated, Yu Nian leaped forward. While the snake demon was struggling, she nimbly stepped onto its slippery body along its tail. The snake demon had now come to its senses and let out a growling roar with a sinister look in its eyes.
There was no trace of fear on Yu Nian's face. Everything in the world had its weakness. What was the snake's weakness? Naturally, it was the seven - inch point!
She made a fist with one hand and slammed it down, accurately hitting the snake demon's seven - inch point.
The snake demon let out a sudden whimper, and its body slumped to the ground, no longer able to resist.
Yu Nian clapped her hands, jumped off the snake demon's body, walked to the man's side, and drew an exorcism talisman on him.
About three seconds later, the man's originally dull eyes gradually cleared. He first let out a hiss, covered the wound on his forehead painfully with a grimace, and then staggered to his feet. He looked around in confusion. "Why am I here?"