Under Qiuxia's Medical Ninjutsu, it didn't take long for the three men's wounds to knit back together. The sight left them awestruck. Was this truly Daoist magic? To recover from such injuries so easily was beyond belief. If even the disciple was this powerful, they could only imagine the true extent of Uncle Jiu's strength.
Once the treatment was finished, Qiuxia was about to speak when his nose twitched. He turned to Uncle Jiu. "Master, they're here. I can smell a foul stench on the wind. If I'm not mistaken, those Yellow Weasels have arrived."
The three men grew pale and tense again, looking back and forth between Uncle Jiu and Qiuxia with wide, frightened eyes.
"Qiuxia, take them to the Ancestral Hall where the Patriarch is enshrined. I will go and have a look!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Follow me, brothers!" Qiuxia led the way.
After bringing the three into the Ancestral Hall, Qiuxia took out three sticks of incense, lit them, and placed them upon the altar. He turned to the men. "Stay here, brothers. You are under the protection of the Patriarch here. It's arguably safer than being by my master's side. I'm going to see how things are going on his end."
"Wait, young man... wouldn't it be better if you stayed here with us? Uncle Jiu should be more than enough to handle a few Yellow Weasels."
"That's right! It's far too dangerous for you to go out there."
Qiuxia chuckled. "Don't you worry. I've got a few tricks of my own. Have you already forgotten how I just healed your wounds? The sooner we settle things with these weasels, the sooner you can rest easy."
Hearing this, the men didn't dare say another word. Qiuxia stepped out of the Ancestral Hall and headed toward Uncle Jiu's position.
He soon arrived outside the Mortuary. There, Uncle Jiu stood alone, facing off against an old woman in black with a face full of deep wrinkles and a pack of snarling weasels.
The old woman's eyes lit up when she saw Qiuxia emerge. "Lin Fengjiao, we can let those three men go. But in exchange, I want this boy to grant a Canonization for my grandson."
Uncle Jiu's expression turned cold, his gaze sharp enough to draw frost. "There is nothing to discuss. That is my disciple."
"Are you sure we cannot reach an agreement?" the old woman asked, her voice sinking into a dark, ominous tone.
"If I were to hand my disciple over to the likes of you, I would be failing in my duty as a master. I wouldn't have the face to see the Patriarch, much less return to Mount Mao."
"Fine! Since that's how it is, don't blame me for being ruthless!" As the old woman's voice fell, she waved her hand, sending a blast of black Qi toward Qiuxia. At the same time, the cluster of weasels surrounding her lunged at Uncle Jiu.
Facing the incoming black Qi, Qiuxia blurred, reappearing a short distance away. He raised his hands and began to draw rapidly in the air.
Seeing this, both the old woman and Uncle Jiu cried out in shock, "Void Talisman Drawing!?"
Void Talisman Drawing was the art of using one's mana to paint talismans directly into the air. By combining internal power with the spiritual energy of the world, these charms were no less potent than those written on paper; in fact, they often surpassed them. To achieve such a feat, one usually had to be a specialist in talismans who had reached the realm of a Celestial Master.
"Is this child a Celestial Master? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" the old woman hissed to herself. "It has to be a trick. I can sense it he isn't at that level yet."
While she muttered, Qiuxia finished his work. The talismans he had drawn took flight, soaring toward Uncle Jiu. Trusting his disciple completely, Uncle Jiu didn't dodge, recognizing the familiar scripts of the charms.
As they made contact, Uncle Jiu's body was instantly enveloped in a layer of golden light and white Qi. The golden light was thick and heavy, wrapping around him like a suit of impenetrable armor.
After buffing his master, Qiuxia reached into his Space Ring and pulled out a Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It was over two meters long, with a snow-white blade face and a lifelike green dragon winding around the shaft.
Once the weapon was in hand, Qiuxia raised his other hand, which now sported a glove that seemed to be woven from rainbows. He wiped it across his face.
With that single motion, the theatrical face paint of Guan Gong appeared on Qiuxia's features. "Audacious demons! How dare you behave so insolently before Guan? A mere pack of scoundrels seeking their own deaths!" Qiuxia's voice had changed entirely, taking on the resonant, stylized pitch of a traditional opera performer.
"Little brat, do you think you can please this old woman by putting on a play?" she sneered. "It won't work. Your grandmother is going to have you regardless."
"Impudence!" Qiuxia shouted. The light around him intensified as he began to hover, a massive, red-faced phantom image forming behind him.
Qiuxia tossed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade behind him with one hand as he sprinted toward the old woman. Behind him, the red-faced phantom caught the weapon, dragging the heavy blade along the ground as it mirrored his charge.
The distance between them was short. In just a few breaths, Qiuxia reached her and swung his arm. Following his lead, the phantom of Guan Gong unleashed a devastating blow with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Though she didn't know the exact power behind the strike, the old woman wasn't about to stand there and find out. She scrambled out of the way. A split second later, the ground where she had been standing was split by a blade mark dozens of meters long. Every weasel caught in the wake of the strike was instantly cleaved in two.
Seeing the sheer destruction caused by Guan Gong's blade, the old woman sucked in a breath of cold air. Thank the gods I dodged that. Had I taken that hit, I'd be dead or crippled.
Qiuxia didn't stop. He continued his assault, blow after blow raining down on the old woman. However, perhaps because the blade was too cumbersome or because the old woman's footwork was too refined, while the surrounding weasels were being slaughtered in droves, the old woman herself remained unscathed.
Seeing that he couldn't take her down quickly, Qiuxia retracted the blade. From his Space Ring, he summoned five new items: a ring, a spear, a brick, two wheels, and a long sash.
Qiuxia wiped his face once more. The five treasures began to float, glowing with multicolored light. "Demons! How dare you show such insolence before the Third Prince?"
As his voice rang out, the two wheels beneath his feet flared with light. In a flash, Qiuxia appeared directly in front of the old woman, thrusting his spear toward her heart.
The move was too fast; she couldn't dodge in time. She could only circulate her demonic power to shield herself. The weapon, shrouded in radiant light, collided with the black demonic Qi. After a brief stalemate, it pierced through the shroud and bit into the old woman's flesh. She recoiled, managing to avoid a deep wound, but she was finally bleeding.
Seeing her dodge, Qiuxia, his face now painted as Nezha, performed a series of hand seals. Suddenly, he manifested Three Heads and Six Arms. Some hands held physical weapons, while others wielded ethereal phantoms of the treasures as he pressed his attack further.
Relentlessly pursued by Qiuxia, the old woman had no time to cast her own spells. She was forced to expend all her energy on defense, mitigating damage where she could while waiting for the boy to make a mistake. If he showed even a moment of negligence, she would strike with a lethal blow.
Having taken such a beating, she no longer cared about capturing him alive. Killing him and taking his corpse back would still be a massive gain. She felt that if she devoured him, her cultivation would surely breakthrough, perhaps even allowing her to reach the level of a Demon King comparable to a Celestial Master.
If she were facing the normal Qiuxia, she might have found that opening. After all, Qiuxia was inexperienced in combat. But she was facing a Qiuxia performing the Deity Cognition Mask.
What was God-Acting? It was the process of assuming a deity's role and gaining their abilities and, more importantly, their combat experience. Qiuxia might be a novice, but could Nezha be inexperienced?
As time ticked by, the old woman found no openings. Instead, her injuries continued to mount. Worse yet, her weasel descendants had been almost entirely wiped out by the "Golden Man" Uncle Jiu. Once Uncle Jiu finished off the remaining minions, she was as good as dead.
Sensing the impending doom, the old woman abandoned all thoughts of a counterattack. She wanted only to escape and seek revenge later. Gathering her demonic power,
she burned her very life essence. Her body erupted in size, transforming into a giant Yellow Weasel nearly three meters high the size of a bull. She prepared to trigger her innate talent and flee.
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