*Flap, flap~*
The moment Qiu Huan turned around, he flung several Flame Explosion Talismans backward.
With his other hand, he grabbed the woman and prepared to bolt.
*Bang, bang, bang...*
The talismans struck Tao Bai's defensive barrier, causing only slight ripples on its surface.
They failed to inflict even a scratch on him.
Gui Nianqiu, hiding behind Tao Bai, watched the talismans explode in mid-air and hugged him even tighter.
"Nianqiu, I'm leaving the Wind-Devouring Bug here to protect you. We can't let them escape. I'll be back soon."
Hearing this, Gui Nianqiu finally loosened her embrace.
Only now did the woman feel a hint of regret.
She had assumed Tao Bai would be wary of the Youhuang Division backing them, but she had miscalculated...
At this moment, she was following Qiu Huan, using her movement techniques to sprint toward the woods.
Tao Bai followed from behind, chasing them at an unhurried pace, curious to see where they would run.
Oh, the woods?
That would be nice...
After sprinting for five minutes and realizing they still hadn't shaken Tao Bai off, the woman shouted again,
"If Your Excellency doesn't fear the Youhuang Division, do you not fear the Maoshan Sect either?"
"You two are from Maoshan?"
Tao Bai asked as he gave chase.
"Have you heard of the Maoshan Resentment Stowing Curse?"
Sensing death closing in, the woman pulled out the Maoshan Sect banner again to intimidate him.
This was indeed a formidable banner. Born into a family of cultivators, there was no reason Tao Bai hadn't heard the great name of the Maoshan Sect.
However, this [the Maoshan Resentment Stowing Curse ] was new to him.
His face revealed a look of pure curiosity as he continued to pursue them at the same leisurely speed.
"Your Excellency, do not push us too far!
Are you not afraid of making enemies of all Maoshan disciples under heaven?"
"Hmph!"
Tao Bai scoffed coldly, his voice filled with disdain.
"How does killing two pieces of trash like you make me an enemy of all of Maoshan?"
"All Maoshan disciples know the Resentment Stowing Curse!
Before death, we can plant a wisp of resentment into our opponent's body, allowing our fellow disciples to track you down for revenge.
I ask You, are You afraid now?"
The woman shouted.
"So that's how it is."
Tao Bai came to a realization, then spoke with a playful tone,
"BenZuo would actually like to see if you are capable of stowing a resentment curse in BenZuo's body!"
Hearing this, the woman was terrified out of her wits.
She had run into a reckless fool who didn't believe in curses...
Her tactic was completely useless.
She hadn't expected that even threatening him with the Maoshan Resentment Stowing Curse and the entire Maoshan Sect wouldn't faze him.
In reality, the Maoshan Resentment Stowing Curse wasn't one hundred percent successful.
It had a high probability of failing against anyone with a heavy baleful aura, let alone Tao Bai, who drank Malevolence-Dissolving wine and tempered his body with Resentment Blood.
The woman's attempt was akin to kicking a steel plate.
Furthermore, the grudge only lasted for half a month before the resentment would dissipate on its own.
And finally, didn't they claim to be from the Youhuang Division earlier?
That meant they had either betrayed Maoshan or been expelled from the sect.
Even if he were cursed by two Maoshan traitors, how could that possibly make him an enemy of the sect?
If anything, he was cleaning up their mess.
Maoshan should be thanking him...
Thinking this through, Tao Bai lost his last shred of hesitation.
He instantly unleashed two Wind Feather Blades.
Two golden arcs of Qi slashed through the air, speeding toward them.
"Get down!"
Sensing the intense killing intent, Qiu Huan instinctively pulled the woman down.
They barely dodged the attack as the Wind Feather Blades flew over their heads.
To their horror, they saw the vegetation ahead of them sliced apart.
Trees as thick as an arm were sheared cleanly in two, the cuts smooth and polished!
"You... you aren't in the Qi Condensation Stage!?"
The woman looked back, her face ashen as she muttered.
To achieve this level of power, he naturally couldn't be a mere Qi Refiner.
"Now you know fear?"
Tao Bai walked slowly toward the pair, his voice teasing.
"Senior, spare us!"
At this moment, the woman's tone was incredibly respectful.
"Senior, please spare our lives!"
Qiu Huan performed a fist-and-palm salute, bowing his head in shame.
"Attack me with everything you have. If you can survive for fifteen minutes, I will let you leave."
The two exchanged a glance.
Although the hope was slim, they had to risk it.
Clearly, the man before them had no intention of just letting them walk away.
They stood up, mobilizing the spiritual power within their bodies to form balls of lightning in their palms.
Palm Thunder?
*Pfft, pfft...*
Four bolts of Palm Thunder arrived in the blink of an eye, striking the defensive barrier.
This time, the tremors on the shield were noticeably stronger than with the Flame Explosion Talismans.
But it was still insufficient to break Tao Bai's Spirit Shield.
This time, Tao Bai condensed ten Xuan Ice Arrows at his fingertips.
With a wave of his hands, the ten arrows tore through the air, covering a wide range to seal off their potential escape routes.
Although the pair put up their own defensive shields, their barriers couldn't withstand the assault for even a second before being pierced by the Xuan Ice Arrows.
...
A short while later, two more souls were added to the spectral mill, bringing the count to 57.
Tao Bai shook his gourd, sighing in admiration.
"Such a heavy, baleful aura. It's enough to distill an ounce of wine."
Two wisps of resentment flew rapidly toward Tao Bai.
He reached out, grabbed them, and crushed them on the spot.
Stowing a resentment?
Hehheh.
Two balls of red flame enveloped the corpses, burning fiercely.
Soon, they were reduced to flying ash.
...
"Ah!"
Gui Nianqiu gasped, startled by Tao Bai suddenly appearing in front of her.
After recognizing him, she said happily, " Tao Gege, you're back."
Tao Bai patted Gui Nianqiu's head and asked softly,
"Flashlight out of battery?"
"Mn."
"Give it to me."
Gui Nianqiu handed the dead flashlight to Tao Bai.
It lit up instantly, shining even brighter than when they had left the house.
"Open the lid."
Tao Bai shone the light on the coffin where Pan Yaoyin lay, signaling Gui Nianqiu to go over.
It took a tremendous amount of effort for Gui Nianqiu to push the coffin lid completely open.
Tao Bai walked over and shone the light inside.
A black talisman was pasted on the wood above Pan Yaoyin's head.
Her eyes were still tightly closed, and a red string was tied to the ends of two locks of hair at her waist.
"Tear off the black talisman and remove the red string."
"It's so cold!"
Gui Nianqiu cried out when she touched the black talisman.
"Just tear it off."
Throwing the black talisman aside, Gui Nianqiu rubbed her hands together, then removed the red string.
"Why are there two locks of hair tied to this red string?"
"That is the hair of a dead person."
Gui Nianqiu jumped in fright.
Her hand trembled, and she quickly flung the red string away.
Tao Bai continued, "Tying it together with the hair of a living person connects their souls, forming a Yin-Yang marriage.
If we were a few hours later, she would have become a truly dead person."
"What do we do now?"
"Turn her over."
Gui Nianqiu struggled to flip Pan Yaoyin's body in the coffin.
When she saw the black talisman on the lower back, she screamed,
"Ah, there's another black talisman!"
The black talisman depicted a man and a woman who appeared to be bowing in marriage.
"Tear it off."
As Gui Nianqiu tore off the talisman, a gust of Yin wind burst forth, rushing toward her face.
Tao Bai wrapped his right arm around her waist and erected a defensive shield, blocking the oncoming Yin wind.
Once the wind passed, Tao Bai had Gui Nianqiu lay Pan Yaoyin back down properly.
Then, he showed her the back of the black talisman.
Under the light of the flashlight, Gui Nianqiu saw clearly what was written there:
It's the Ba-zi of two people.
"Geng Xu, Jia Shen, Ji Wei... Ji Si, Bing Zi, Wu Xu..."
Note: Here is "庚戌,甲申,己未...己巳,丙子,戊戌..."
As Gui Nianqiu softly read the Ba-zi, Pan Yaoyin, lying in the coffin, opened her eyes once more.