Chapter Ninety-Six: Purging Evil at the Altar and Using the Formation to Exorcise Darkness (Please Subscribe and Vote)

At the scene, apart from their group, everyone else had more or less gained something.

Rare herbs, precious medicines.

The Phantom Cavern was seldom trodden; even the herb gatherers from Qianjia Village dared not enter. Naturally, the cavern was abundant with various herbs, rare medicines, and precious medicines.

Although the rare medicines were valuable, fetching only about ten taels of silver each, that was already considerable.

Most of the warriors and guards present were, after all, apprentices from the Liu family’s pharmacy. Having been exposed to various herbs and medicinal materials since childhood, they were more experienced in identifying herbs than many gatherers.

Thus, their bags soon filled with numerous medicinal materials.

During this time, Chen Yushu found three rare herbs, the least valuable of which was worth three taels of silver.

Unfortunately, no precious medicines were discovered.

Precious medicines were rare; even in such an unfrequented place, they were not something one could stumble upon casually.

“Brother Yushu, don’t go further,”

At that moment, Xiaoyin gently placed her small hand on his arm and called out.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Chen Yushu paused, then carefully observed the area ahead, employing his Qi Perception Technique.

Immediately, he perceived a surging aura of deadly energy ahead, and glimpsed several streaks of red, though veiled by dense yin energy, making them indistinct.

Qi Perception Technique +5

In an instant, his heart stirred, countless experiences and insights about the Qi Perception Technique flashed through his mind, giving him the illusion that he had been practicing this technique for dozens, even hundreds of days.

“Qi Perception Technique reaching minor mastery?”

Chen Yushu’s heart leapt as he glanced at his attribute panel.

Sure enough, the Qi Perception Technique had advanced from proficiency to minor mastery.

Looking again in the direction Xiaoyin indicated, he was astonished to see an astonishing aura—not deadly energy, nor the red killing aura of fierce ghosts, but a somewhat seductive glow.

Besides that, he detected three streams of red light and over twenty streaks of black killing energy concealed within.

Though scattered, when gathered, they resembled a black cloud pressing down, exuding an overwhelmingly terrifying presence.

With the Qi Perception Technique at minor mastery, his perception had greatly improved.

It was because of this that he realized how perilous that area truly was.

“There are several stronger than Xiaohong.

And one keeps calling me to enter.

But I’m afraid to go in; I fear it will devour me.”

Xiaoyin continued.

“Stronger than Xiaohong? Calling you in? Is it the one in the very center?”

Chen Yushu's heart trembled, guessing it was the one with the strongest aura—the seductive glow. Could it be an entity beyond fierce ghosts, perhaps an evil spirit?

His heart immediately wavered.

More than twenty killing ghosts, three fierce ghosts, and an unknown being comparable to an evil spirit…

Chen Yushu knew very well that he was not currently capable of dealing with such a threat.

Just as he planned to avoid that area, two figures approached from the other side—Liu Qingyan and Lü Yizhi.

Liu Qingyan remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings, while Lü Yizhi occasionally planted small flags in certain special spots.

Seeing this, Qian Qian immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Third Miss, Mr. Lü.”

Chen Yushu had no choice but to follow.

“So it’s you all.

Looks like you’ve had a good haul.”

Liu Qingyan smiled kindly.

“Thanks to Third Miss, we’ve had some gains,” Qian Qian said, waving his hands repeatedly, though the smile on his face betrayed his excitement.

Though they had only gathered one precious medicine, the number of rare medicines was substantial. This trip's haul rivaled his usual earnings from half a year, naturally making him quite excited.

---

“Yushu, you noticed it too?”

At that moment, Lü Yizhi looked toward Chen Yushu and said.

“Yes.

But I think we’d better not take any risks.”

Chen Yushu nodded first, then shook his head.

“The yin energy inside is indeed much denser; it should be an extremely yin place nearby.”

Lü Yizhi frowned.

No one truly knew what lay hidden in such a place.

“But this is also the most likely place for the Great Yin Spirit Flower to grow.

No matter what, we have to try.”

Liu Qingyan said solemnly.

“I sense an ‘Evil’ inside.”

Chen Yushu frowned further and continued, “At least one evil spirit, three fierce ghosts, dozens of killing ghosts…”

“That’s why I need your help.”

Lü Yizhi clearly understood this and said earnestly, “You might not know much about us geomancers. Our strength alone isn’t formidable.

But by leveraging the terrain, we can exert power far beyond ourselves.

While the shadow walkers dispel evil using ritual altars, we geomancers can vanquish evil through formations.

At best, we can barely stand toe-to-toe with these entities.

However, significant preparation is required.

I need your help to select several places rich in earth energy and plant formation flags at each.

Then I will set up a Yin-Yang formation to drain the surrounding yin energy while inviting sunlight in to suppress the malevolent spirits.”

“How certain are you?”

Chen Yushu asked.

“Clear sunshine: seventy percent.

Overcast or rainy: thirty percent.”

Lü Yizhi replied.

Liu Qingyan added, “We’re not just here for show.

Martial artists’ vitality may have limited lethality against ghosts, but it’s enough to intimidate them.

And as Lü said, within the formation, we can see those things clearly; even using vitality pressure, we can crush them.

Rest assured, if this succeeds, there will be a generous reward!”

“Alright.

Then let’s give it a try.”

Chen Yushu thought for a moment and nodded.

He then took the formation flag Lü Yizhi handed him, who quickly instructed him on how to find places rich in earth energy, the threshold required to serve as formation bases, and how to plant the flags.

After Chen Yushu nodded in understanding, he began walking toward the center of that area.

“Wait, Yushu, what were you just talking about?

Geomancers? Shadow walkers?

You know about this?”

At this moment, Qian Qian finally seemed to realize and hurried over to ask.

“I never said I didn’t know,” Chen Yushu said calmly.

Using his Qi Perception Technique, he quickly spotted a nearby area rich in earth energy, took a flag, and planted it firmly.

Immediately, he felt the surrounding earth energy grow calmer, even gradually moving toward the flag.

“There is subtlety even in these formation flags,” Chen Yushu murmured to himself, unsurprised.

Previously, Lü Yizhi used formation flags to build a house and trapped the bear demon with the Seven Star Steps. The considerable effect was partly due to the power of those flags.

Otherwise, that place was quite ordinary, and no matter how skillful Lü was, he wouldn’t have been able to use the earth energy drawn by just seven steps to capture a black bear demon that lasted the burning of two or three incense sticks.

After all, Chen Yushu himself now understood the Seven Star Steps.

“So, you are also a shadow walker like Lord Wu?

No wonder you have talismans.

And just now, you kept muttering to yourself—not just me hearing things, right? You had something with you…”

Qian Qian was stunned. Piecing together the clues during their journey, a look of sudden realization appeared on his face. But as he spoke, his body suddenly shuddered, lowering slightly with hesitation as he asked, “Is it really true?”

“Yes,” Chen Yushu nodded.

At this moment, Xiaoyin mischievously smiled and, placing her hand on Qian Qian’s, teased, “Uncle, are you talking about me?”

No sooner had she spoken than Qian Qian jolted violently and darted to the side, nearly stumbling.

“Xiaoyin,”

Chen Yushu said, then looked at Qian Qian and explained, “Sorry, Master Qian, Xiaoyin is still young and playful.

Don’t worry; she won’t harm you.

Also, please keep my identity as a shadow walker confidential; I don’t want many people to know.”

“D-don’t worry.

But in the future, if I encounter such problems, can I ask for your help?”

Qian Qian exhaled in relief and immediately asked.

“If it’s within my ability, of course.”

Chen Yushu nodded.

Shadow walkers often interact with ordinary people.

When ordinary people encounter ghosts or evil spirits, their first call is usually to shadow walkers.

Moreover, ghost shamans are also a type of shadow walker, though their abilities vary, most lacking the divine fire or spiritual merit.

The orthodox shadow walkers hail from Beijiao Village’s Zhong Bo, though according to Lord Wu, his methods are eclectic and not widely accepted; the other known practitioners are the Li family, where Li Chao is.

Chen Yushu knew the Li family well, despite their downfall, since the “Ghost Record” mostly documented cases started by ordinary people seeking help.

As a shadow walker, Chen Yushu knew that to grow stronger, he would inevitably encounter various ghosts and deities.

This time, besides the generous reward, he was also eager to accompany Liu Qingyan’s group and gain firsthand experience.

Without delay, he used the Qi Perception Technique to find a second place rich in earth energy.

It was worth noting that within the Phantom Cavern, the richer the earth energy, the denser the yin energy. These places were often haunts for yin souls and ghosts.

At that moment, a killing ghost was hovering at the spot.

Rarely, it was a beast-shaped killing ghost; its original form was likely a wild wolf.

Sensing Chen Yushu’s approach, it immediately stood up, preparing to strike.

Chen Yushu simply formed hand seals and forcefully suppressed it.

“Hidden Yin Art!”

At once, an overwhelming oppressive force bore down on him, crushing the wolf ghost’s just-raised body.

Then, Chen Yushu hurried forward, suddenly producing a ruler and striking the ghost’s head hard.

Puff!

Under the shock of yin energy, the killing ghost burst like a punctured balloon and quickly dissipated into nothingness.