Chapter 61: An Exclamation of Astonishment—Moral Blackmail

“Sealing and collecting low-level ghost soldiers: reward, fifteen days of cultivation.”

There were so many, as countless as the hairs on an ox.

Within Lin Yi’s body, waves of warm energy surged one after another, continuously and unceasingly. At this moment, Lin Yi could only think of one thing: “Come on, come on, don’t stop, don’t stop…” He seemed almost possessed, nearly mad.

As Lin Yi hurled another Fierce Fire Talisman, and then another, he paused only to throw all the remaining ones in his hand. A series of explosions echoed—crashing, rumbling, each blast following the next in rapid succession. Before the last of the ghost soldiers had been vanquished, Lin Yi heard an angry shout.

“Stop! Are you trying to kill my disciple?”

With that thunderous roar, an old man in the robes of the Star Sect came running over. The elder’s robe was even more imposing than Zhang Qiang’s or Song Yuyan’s, the Star Sect’s emblem glowing as if bathed in light. Gold threads were woven densely throughout, and the base fabric held a hint of purple—a sharp contrast to the yellow robes the others wore. He looked every inch the image of a true master.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on Lin Yi, stunned by his audacious maneuvers. The items he threw had burned away the ghostly shadows before him, leaving countless dead, and the black mist significantly thinned. So Lin Yi was, in fact, a hidden master! They had been searching for a high-level expert, and now it was clear: the young man they’d looked down upon was the very person they sought.

Many wore expressions of utter shock, so much so that they nearly lost their balance and tumbled to the ground as the earth trembled beneath them. The three middle-aged men felt their worldview shatter. The honest, straightforward youth among them was a master all along! The true expert was right beside them; the clown was themselves. One of the men slapped his thigh hard.

“Damn, we were wrong about him. He refused to leave Talent Garden not because he was stubborn, but because he was a true master, here to vanquish demons. We misunderstood him. Thank goodness… whatever happens now, we’re saved. We really are saved…”

The black mist no longer swirled, the fierce winds eased, and the trembling earth stilled as the ghost soldiers and their shadows were eliminated. Even the lake, once tempestuous, calmed to a gentle stillness. All of this was thanks to the overwhelming power of Lin Yi’s Fierce Fire Talismans, blocking off much of the ghost soldiers’ passage.

A tingling, soothing warmth surged through Lin Yi’s body, pouring into his three dantians—upper, middle, and lower. The upper dantian, already on the verge of a breakthrough and housing his nascent spirit, grew even stronger under the nourishment. His spirit was nearly ready to leave his body, progressing to a new stage.

At that moment, the Star Sect elder arrived, throwing a gourd from his hip. Though it looked like an ordinary yellow gourd, as it flew through the air, faint yellow light shimmered across its surface. The elder’s aura expanded, the starlight around him even stronger than Zhang Qiang’s, flickering over the outer layers of his robe.

A fierce hissing filled the air as the gourd began to swell, growing larger and larger. A string yanked the stopper from its mouth—clearly, the Star Sect elder had tied a thread to it before tossing it out. As the stopper was removed, a powerful, sun-like energy whistled from the gourd, instantly surging toward the remnants of black mist, burning them away.

The elder quickly shed his Star Sect robe, waving it as he charged into the lingering black mist. Lin Yi hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw where Zhang Qiang was—luck had spared him from the brunt of the Fierce Fire Talismans, and he’d fallen behind, just out of range, narrowly avoiding death.

Entering the mist, the elder covered Zhang Qiang with his robe and dragged him out. The gourd destroyed even more black mist, and as the elder retrieved it, the gourd’s mouth continued to pour out pure, blazing energy, burning away the mist all around him.

As he leaped free, black tendrils formed from the mist tried to pull him back, but he narrowly escaped. In his hands, Zhang Qiang was now as emaciated as a skull, his eyes dull and lifeless like a puppet on strings. The elder, shocked to find his disciple’s spirit unchanged, saw him stubbornly trying to return to the ranks of the ghost soldiers.

Furious, the elder slapped Zhang Qiang several times, but it was useless. Only after shrouding him in starlight did Zhang Qiang’s eyes regain some color, and the elder finally exhaled a few heavy breaths.

The baleful energy had already been greatly depleted by Lin Yi, and the elder’s intervention further slowed the ghosts’ recovery. In a blink, the ghost soldiers reached the artificial lake. Above the lake, the black mist vanished, leaving a yawning, pitch-black hole in the water, eerie and chilling, with the river swirling into a watery tornado.

As the ghost soldiers shrank, the condensed black mist was drawn into the dark hole beneath the water. Soon, the lake returned to normal, the ground ceased shaking, and the streetlights illuminated the earth once more. The lotus flowers and other plants on the lake had been reduced to powder, drifting as green debris, along with trash bags and other refuse—giving the complex’s property managers plenty of work ahead.

The black coffins under the tents had been blown askew, the lights flickering eerily, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Now, the Star Sect elder, seeing Zhang Qiang’s color return, took a pill from his pocket and gave it to him.

After Zhang Qiang swallowed the medicine, the elder turned to Lin Yi.

“If I’d come a moment later, you’d have killed my disciple! Do you know how dangerous the ghost soldiers’ passage was just now? My disciple risked his soul to save everyone and nearly became a puppet, while you, holding such powerful talismans, did nothing! You just watched as my disciple nearly died. You’re a malicious little wretch!”

The elder glared at Lin Yi, his eyes blazing like a tiger’s, fists cracking with rage.

Lin Yi thought, “Well, isn’t this just moral blackmail?” He shook his head and replied, “What does Zhang Qiang’s life or death have to do with me? I’m not his father—I have no obligation to save him. Besides, do you have any idea how valuable these talismans are? The fact that I used them to save others is already kindness enough. And you? All you did was let the ghost soldiers escape. I wanted to wipe them all out!”

In truth, Lin Yi was the angriest of all—his opportunity for reaping benefits had been ruined. The mysterious energy core of the ghost soldiers’ passage had been almost completely destroyed by his own Fierce Fire Talismans, leaving only a sliver of ominous energy. In Lin Yi’s view, with the Fierce Tiger Ghost-Headed Blade, the Secret of the Walk, and the Great Void Sutra, he could have endlessly harvested power. Who knows how high his cultivation could have climbed? But this old man had ruined everything, and now had the nerve to turn the blame on him.

Hearing Lin Yi’s words, the people around nodded in agreement. It was obvious Zhang Qiang was the elder’s disciple, and the old man was clearly a Star Sect master. His strength was impressive, but his sense of right and wrong left something to be desired. Someone gritted their teeth and stepped forward to speak up.

“Master, whatever you say, it was Lin Yi who saved us. Zhang Qiang isn’t dead, so let’s let it go. This young man was well-intentioned, and those talismans are clearly priceless—he used them without hesitation.”

“Exactly, Master, Lin Yi didn’t mean any harm. He was sitting on the ground with the rest of us, obviously scared, and that’s why he was slow to act.”

“Right, Zhang Qiang is strong—this isn’t Lin Yi’s fault.”

As everyone calmed down, they concluded that the power was in Lin Yi’s talismans, not in Lin Yi himself. That was why he’d been as terrified as the rest of them moments before. Having been saved by Lin Yi, they felt grateful, and their words naturally favored him. No one sided with the elder simply because he was stronger.

Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction. At least they weren’t ungrateful—his efforts hadn’t been in vain. The three middle-aged men were especially enthusiastic in their support.

Yet, their words only provoked the elder further.

“Silence! This is my disciple. His three souls and seven spirits have been severely damaged, his body invaded by baleful energy. Even if he’s healed, making any progress in his cultivation will be extremely difficult. Can you afford this loss? So… Lin Yi, you must compensate me!”

“…”

Lin Yi was speechless.

“…”

So were the three middle-aged men and Zheng Guoqiang.

Now it was clear to everyone—he was just here to demand compensation.

From the crowd, Song Yuyan, having just picked herself up and dusted off her robe, saw her master rescue her senior brother Zhang Qiang and hurried over to help him. But as soon as she touched him, a surge of baleful energy grazed her, forcing her to withdraw her hand in fear.

Hearing her master’s words, she blushed with embarrassment and looked at Lin Yi apologetically. After all, Lin Yi had saved her too, and for her master to demand compensation now was truly shameless.