Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

Not long after the man in black left, several people from the special department arrived at the scene.

The leader, with disheveled blond hair and a handsome face, smiled broadly upon seeing Shen Wang: "Daoist Shen!"

Seeing Qin You Rong's radiant smile, Shen Wang's mouth twitched slightly as he approached: "Daoist Qin."

After Gu Dongting left last time without leaving any contact information, it was Qin You Rong, who had been following Gu, who exchanged contact details with Shen Wang.

Faced with a metaphysical incident, the only person Shen Wang could contact was Qin You Rong, who belonged to the special department.

Shen Wang himself hadn't expected Qin You Rong to arrive so quickly and without any doubt in what he had said.

Following Qin You Rong were several elderly men with greying hair, dressed in gray Taoist robes. Their eyes immediately fell on Lin Yinyang trapped in the formation, and they simultaneously exclaimed in recognition: "Lin Chengming!"

Lin Yinyang's face changed dramatically upon seeing them, and he quickly lowered his head.

Raising an eyebrow, Shen Wang asked Qin You Rong, "What's going on?"

Qin You Rong surveyed the surroundings and casually replied, "They are seniors from the Maoshan Ghost Control Sect, here to deal with a sect traitor."

The more he observed, the more astonished Qin You Rong became.

Although practitioners of the Ghost Control Sect were not skilled in combat, it was incredible that Shen Wang, a young man in his early twenties, had captured a traitor who had been practicing for decades.

He had come so quickly partly because Shen Wang was someone whom Gu Dongting, of the prominent Gu family, had taken a special interest in. If he didn't trust his own judgment, he at least had to trust Gu Dongting's.

Another reason was the traitor of the Ghost Control Sect, who had lived nearly a hundred years and possessed unpredictable strength. A mishandling of the situation could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Little did they expect that the traitor, who had caused them to rush over in such urgency, had already lost the ability to resist.

The members of the Ghost Control Sect exchanged glances, equally surprised.

In this age of declining spiritual energy, the scale of each sect had diminished significantly. To capture the traitor, the senior elders of the Ghost Control Sect had all come out, standing here now.

They observed Lin Yinyang, who was completely powerless to resist.

Observing their own heavily prepared stance.

This scene, without exaggerating, was akin to using a cleaver to kill a chicken.

The head of the sect, who was leading the group, was the first to regain composure. He looked at Shen Wang amiably: "Young friend, what exactly happened here?"

The others quickly gathered around, bombarding him with questions.

"How did this traitor surrender so easily?"

"What's the deal with those two formations?"

"This place reeks of resentment. What unforgivable acts did this traitor commit!"

Shen Wang, feeling somewhat helpless, stepped back and explained everything Lin Yinyang had done, even having the little ghosts from the purification formation come out to greet them, proving the truth of his words.

After hearing everything, the elders were so furious they saw black: "Scoundrel! Utterly disgraceful!"

"Our Maoshan is a reputable and orthodox sect. Even though we are only a branch of the Ghost Control Sect, we take it upon ourselves to vanquish demons and uphold justice in the human world. How could we have produced such a disgrace to our sect!"

"We should never have been lenient in the first place. If we had destroyed his cultivation, so many children wouldn't have been harmed by him!"

It was evident that the elders were extremely angry.

Shen Wang discreetly took another step back. Even though they were cultivators, it didn't rule out the possibility of them having health issues like hypertension or heart disease. He didn't want to be responsible for causing any medical emergencies.

While everyone was consumed with righteous indignation, one of the elders remained calm. He looked at Shen Wang skeptically: "You claim to have subdued this traitor by yourself? He is a well-known expert in our sect. You..."

Shen Wang blinked innocently and sincerely: "Whether he's an expert or not... isn't really that important."

"Under heavy firepower, no matter how skilled one is, they can't compare to a wealthy person who can afford to use a plethora of talismans."

After hearing Shen Wang's words, everyone present fell silent.

"High-quality talismans are worth a fortune. How did you get so many?"

Shen Wang bashfully smiled: "Actually, I have some talent in creating talismans."

After all, he made them himself, spending only a little on talisman paper and cinnabar ink.

Then, seeing the dubious looks from everyone, Shen Wang, in a fit of temper, took out a talisman from his pocket and threw it at Lin, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Shen Wang said, "Now do you believe me? I really did knock him down with a talisman."

The onlookers who practiced cultivation: "!!!"

Such a powerful talisman would cost at least five figures each! To just throw it like that!

Heartache!

Lin, the feng shui master, lying on the ground, a victim of an unexpected talisman attack: "......"

"So you're mighty, aloof, using me as a demonstration for your product."

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, causing Lin to spit out another mouthful of blood.

The others: "!!!"

The talisman could cause secondary damage!

Such a terrifying power!

After the shock, someone asked, "And these two formations?"

Shen Wang bashfully smiled: "To be honest, I also have some talent in formation arts."

Qin You Rong exclaimed in surprise: "You drew this purifying formation?!"

With the discerning eyes of those present, it was clear that the purifying formation was unprecedented, capable of gently removing the malice of evil spirits without harming their souls.

Such a powerful and fearsome formation was actually crafted by this young man?

Startled by their intense scrutiny, Shen Wang asked: "Yes, I drew it. Is there a problem?"

"No problem at all!"

"No problem!"

"Definitely no problem!"

Several people chorused in unison.

Qin You Rong felt a wave of relief inside. Shen Wang appeared ordinary at first glance, remarkable only for his looks. Yet, he turned out to be a dark horse.

It was Gu Dongting who had the discerning eye to recognize his talent.

"May I ask which sect or school does Brother Shen belong to? How come I’ve never heard of you before?" the head of the Ghost Control Sect cautiously inquired.

Shen Wang looked up at a forty-five-degree angle, solemnly stating, "I belong to no sect or school, just a lone cultivator with only one master."

A lone cultivator... The people present exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

Before the founding of the nation, there was a period of chaos in the country, leading to the decline of the metaphysical community. Various sects were scattered, with their members hiding their identities.

After the country stabilized, these sects reconnected, only to find that almost all had diminished in strength and lost many of their classic texts.

To unite the remaining power of the sects, the metaphysical community voluntarily established the Metaphysical Association.

Over the years, the influence of the Metaphysical Association gradually grew, and the government also established a special department to recruit talented individuals.

Those cultivators who remained independent of both the Metaphysical Association and the special department, and unaffiliated with any sect, were known as lone cultivators.

Could he be the disciple of a reclusive master? This thought crossed the minds of both the head of the Ghost Control Path and Qin You Rong.

Having such a talented disciple who preserved a complete lineage of formation techniques amidst chaos, the strength of this reclusive master was not to be underestimated.

The head of the Ghost Control Path smiled kindly, "Shen, you helped us catch a long-absconding traitor. As a token of our gratitude, our Ghost Control Path would like to offer a reward."

A glint of interest flashed in Shen Wang's eyes, but he modestly declined, "Exorcising demons and defending the righteous path is a cultivator's duty. There’s no need for gratitude... How much are you planning to give?"

"Shen is indeed forthright," the head pondered and then gestured with one hand.

"Five million!" Shen Wang was overjoyed, quickly expressing his gratitude, "The head of the sect is truly generous and righteous, a grateful and exemplary figure for the world!"

The head of the sect's smile froze. He actually meant to offer five hundred thousand.

But with others watching, and Shen Wang having praised him profusely, even Qin You Rong showed an expression of surprise and admiration.

The head of the Ghost Control Path retracted his hand, his smile inscrutable, "Everything for justice."

A puzzled elder behind him poked the head's back hard: Aren't we in the Ghost Control Path really short on funds? Where did we get so much money?

The head stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, trembling slightly.

Looking up at the sky, he sighed deeply, "Lin Chengming on the ground, in fact, was my junior brother..."

Both were orphans who joined the sect simply to survive. As they grew older, the differences in their personalities became increasingly apparent.

The head was gentle and strictly adhered to the sect's rules, while Lin Yin Yang was clever and only focused on the results, regardless of the means.

Originally, their personalities weren’t inherently good or bad; they just had different approaches to handling matters.

The head found Lin Yin Yang's methods too ruthless and complicated, while Lin Yin Yang despised the head's rigid adherence to rules, lacking flexibility.

It wasn’t until they together captured a powerful malevolent ghost, which had killed countless and was filled with intense resentment, that their conflict intensified. If not for a fortunate coincidence, the young duo could never have caught it.

After capturing it, the head intended to follow the rules and completely annihilate the ghost, but Lin Yin Yang had different ideas.

The Ghost Control Path follows the righteous path, employing ghosts through mutually agreed contracts.

The sect's rules prohibit three types of contracts: with ghosts that have killed humans, those with strong obsessions, and those with intense resentment.

Lin Yin Yang, blinded by obsession and led astray, insanely wanted to make a contract with the malevolent ghost. When the head refused, he even tried to steal the ghost, planning to act first and report later.

Fortunately, it was just an attempt and was discovered in time.

"For the sake of power, he violated the sect’s rules and his own conscience," the head of the sect looked at Lin Yin Yang, his gaze a mix of regret and disdain, "After his betrayal, I knew he wouldn't abandon this idea."

Unfortunately, in that era, finding someone who deliberately hid themselves was harder than reaching the sky.

Over the decades, the head was often jolted awake by nightmares, worried that Lin Yin Yang would commit unforgivable atrocities and stain his hands with blood.

Now, the man was found, and his worries had become reality.

"His current fate is well-deserved," the head withdrew his gaze, turning towards the small ghosts in the purification array with another sigh, "Such a pity for these children."

When counted carefully, he also owed these children a debt of karma.

After hearing the head's words, the other members of the Ghost Control Path had teary eyes, while Shen Wang remained noncommittal.

In the array, most of the small ghosts had already vanished, entering the cycle of reincarnation, leaving only a few older ones who stared unblinkingly at Lin Yin Yang.

They watched as his cultivation was drained into the purification array, as he gradually weakened, visibly exuding an aura of death.

Finally, one of the small ghosts diverted his gaze, smiling at Shen Wang and waving before disappearing.

Following his action, the last few ghosts in the array also completely vanished.

They all went to where they were meant to be.

"I hope they can have a complete life in their next incarnation," someone murmured.

They didn't need to be rich or overwhelmingly happy, just to grow up normally, leading a healthy, ordinary, and mundane life would be enough.

Shen Wang smiled, "They will."

The members of the Ghost Control Path picked up Lin Yin Yang, who was now like rotten flesh. Qin You Rong glanced around before approaching Shen Wang, "Shen, are you selling this array?"

"You actually want my array!" Shen Wang was astounded, "This is the heritage of my sect."

Qin You Rong was filled with embarrassment.

"It will cost extra."