A single strike could decide life or death. Even when the two Daoist disciples joined forces, they couldn't defeat Wang Xuan with a single blow and were beheaded by him!
However, the two Yellow Heaven Fortune Talismans above their heads trembled rapidly, turning into two streams of light that flew directly into the depths of the Purple Void Temple, giving Wang Xuan no chance to snatch them away.
Wang Xuan also felt a little sorry. Seeing that the threads of fortune in the Taoist temple were becoming even thinner, he shouted, "My good disciple Song Jiang, you must hold on! Your master is coming in to save you!"
The killing formation set up by Master Luo was indeed powerful, but with Song Jiang, the protagonist of destiny, at its peak, ninety percent of its power was removed, and it no longer posed any threat to Wang Xuan.
Wang Xuan rushed into the Taoist temple and let out a long roar: "Roar!"
This long howl contained the intense internal energy that Wang Xuan had cultivated, which could be described as the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the Qi Luck Killing Array was broken!
Without the pressure of external fortune, and with Wang Xuan's long roar just now, Song Jiang immediately woke up. The white tiger of fortune behind him also dissipated and returned to his body.
However, Wang Xuan also knew that the battle just now had also diminished Song Jiang's luck, and Song Jiang had probably lost at least several thousand luck points.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Showdown with Master Luo
"Master, what exactly happened just now?" Song Jiang had just regained consciousness when he found himself in a Taoist temple, surrounded by flowers and plants in a mess, as if they had been battered by a storm.
"That's right!" Song Jiang suddenly remembered that he seemed to have been ambushed by his master and kicked into this Taoist temple.
From Song Jiang's expression of suppressed anger, Wang Xuan could easily guess what Song Jiang was thinking. He quickly changed the subject, saying in a solemn tone, "With a formidable enemy at hand, we can discuss what happened earlier later."
Upon hearing this, Song Jiang dared not press the matter any further. He feared that Wang Xuan would lash out if he continued to question him, and he was also worried that the mysterious Master Luo might take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
Zixu Temple was no small Taoist temple; it had dozens of pavilions, towers, temples, and main halls. Wang Xuan and his companions were completely in the dark and had no idea which room Master Luo was in.
"Are we really going to search each room one by one like this?" Just as Wang Xuan was hesitating, a large group of people suddenly rushed out of a grand hall.
There were about twenty people in the group. Judging from their clothes, they were not Taoists. Instead, they were all wearing bright armor, holding steel blades, and some even had powerful bows and crossbows!
"Good heavens, the weapons and equipment of this group are almost on par with those of the generals of the Song Dynasty. They are far more elite than ordinary government troops!" Wang Xuan couldn't help but marvel at this.
It's important to understand that forging iron armor was difficult, and steel production was limited in feudal times. Although the Song Dynasty was arguably the wealthiest dynasty in history, it couldn't afford to provide every person with a suit of iron armor; only generals could be equipped with it.
Moreover, each of these people possessed martial arts skills, roughly equivalent to the first or second level of the acquired realm, and their strength, speed, and stamina far surpassed those of ordinary people.
Don't underestimate them just because they are only twenty-odd people; they are enough to go head-to-head with the imperial army of over a thousand!
“Looking at all the religions in the world, Buddhism has its own martial monks, and Taoism has its own Taoist soldiers! This group of people are most likely the Taoist soldiers from Zixu Temple!” Wang Xuan hurriedly said to Song Jiang, “You step back for now, and come over after I’ve dealt with these Taoist soldiers.”
He looked back and found that Song Jiang had already escaped to the gate of Zixu Temple without his reminder and was running wildly towards the gate, completely ignoring his master.
Wang Xuan was furious, but he had no time to be distracted, as the group of Dao soldiers had already attacked.
Even when the two sides were still dozens of meters apart, more than a dozen arrows were already shot at Wang Xuan, aiming straight for his vital points.
Wang Xuan quickly dodged. With his cultivation at the twelfth level of the Acquired Realm, his speed far surpassed that of ordinary people, allowing him to dodge most of the arrows. The remaining two or three arrows struck his chest, but they couldn't penetrate the Heavenly Silkworm Armor's defense at all.
This Heavenly Silkworm Robe is a top-grade magical artifact, impervious to swords and spears, and unaffected by water and fire. Its only weakness is its head. Wang Xuan reached out and pulled the hood of the Heavenly Silkworm Robe from the collar, covering his head.
"kill!"
In just a short moment, the group of Taoist soldiers had already rushed up to Wang Xuan, and seven or eight steel swords were slashing at him at the same time.
Wang Xuan sneered, drew his sword, and slashed forward.
All that could be heard was the clang of metal clashing against metal, and he had cleaved all seven or eight of the opponent's steel swords in two.
Taking advantage of the situation, Wang Xuan rushed forward and unleashed several more slashes, killing one person with each strike. No one could withstand his second strike.
These Taoist soldiers might be able to take on dozens of ordinary soldiers single-handedly, but they were completely helpless in front of Wang Xuan.
The gap between the main world and the Water Margin world is vividly displayed at this moment.
If this were in the main world, all the soldiers' armor would be engraved with Dao patterns. The combined aura and power of these twenty or thirty people could threaten ordinary innate experts, let alone Wang Xuan, who was at the perfected acquired realm.
However, in this Water Margin world, there are no powerful beings capable of inscribing Dao patterns. The so-called "Dao soldiers" are merely superficial, which is entirely due to the limitations of the world's level.
It took Wang Xuan about half a cup of tea to kill all twenty-odd Dao soldiers. Not one of them fled; they all fought to the death, completely brainwashed by Master Luo.
After Wang Xuan killed the last Dao soldier, he walked towards the largest hall in the center of Zixu Temple.
During the battle just now, Wang Xuan vaguely sensed that someone was watching him.
He kicked open the door and looked inside. He saw a middle-aged Taoist priest with an otherworldly air sitting on the main hall, looking at him with a half-smile.
This middle-aged Taoist priest is most likely Master Luo.
Before Master Luo lay two bizarre corpses. These two corpses were blackened and stinking, their features twisted and deformed, making even Wang Xuan feel a chill run down his spine.
"Is this what they call the backlash of fate?" Wang Xuan glanced at the two corpses on the ground and sneered at Luo Zhenren, "You even tricked your own disciples, making them bear the backlash of fate for you! You are truly vicious, rotten to the core!"
The righteous young master Wang had clearly forgotten that he had just tricked his own apprentice...
Master Luo was not angry when he heard this. He chuckled and said, "You're too late. I've already completely broken free from Song Jiang's backlash."
After he finished speaking, he made a hand seal, and eight jade talismans transformed into eight streams of light that floated above his head, forming a Bagua formation.
Those eight jade talismans were actually sub-talismans of the eight Yellow Heaven Fortune Talismans!
"The Yellow Heaven is boundless, and the universe borrows its fortune!"
As Master Luo unleashed his magic, all eight Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talismans flashed with red and white aura, intertwining to form a fireball the size of a human head, which hurtled towards Wang Xuan!
Wang Xuan felt a chill run down his spine. He sensed the approach of death and dared not resist. Without a word, he dodged to the side.
But the fireball seemed to have locked onto Wang Xuan, making a turn in mid-air before still hurtling towards him.
"I was careless this time. I didn't expect that Master Luo could use such a powerful spell. It seems that I have no choice but to take a gamble!" Wang Xuan thought bitterly, because the fireball that Master Luo used had reached the Innate level and could easily kill a martial artist who had reached the Perfection of the Acquired level.
However, Wang Xuan was protected by the Heavenly Silkworm Armor, so this fireball could not kill him; at most, it would only injure him.
Just as the fireball was about to hit Wang Xuan's chest, Wang Xuan roared and poured a large amount of internal energy into his sword, causing the low-grade magic weapon to emit a faint light.
"boom!"
He slashed at the fireball, and the fireball exploded instantly, blasting Wang Xuan away and smashing a pillar in the main hall.
After casting a fireball spell, Master Luo seemed to be feeling a bit unwell. However, seeing Wang Xuan being hit by the fireball, he smiled and said, "In ancient times, my fireball spell would have been nothing more than a low-level spell, but in this era, it's a deadly weapon. Even a cow would be killed if it got hit by a fireball."
In Luo Zhenren's view, Wang Xuan was already a corpse at this moment.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Harvest
But before Master Luo could finish celebrating, Wang Xuan got up from the ground.
Having just endured that fireball spell, even with the Heavenly Silkworm Armor protecting him, he was definitely not in good shape. His face was pale, and traces of blood even spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"I never expected you, old Taoist, to actually injure me!" Wang Xuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked coldly at Luo Zhenren: "The luck you borrowed is all one-time consumable. Every time you use a spell, you consume a lot of luck. I want to see how much luck you have left!"
Master Luo's eyes widened in astonishment as he exclaimed, "How is this possible? How are you still alive?"
Don't think that the "Fireball" spell is trash. Even the worst spell is still a spell!
Even in the main world, only a third-tier expert who has entered the Dao through martial arts can cast spells. A very few people who can cast spells when they reach perfection today are already called geniuses.
Master Luo felt that his fireball should have killed this young man in the Acquired Realm, so how could it have only caused him minor injuries?!
"Surprised? Then die with your surprise!" Wang Xuan roared, and a knife suddenly flashed from his hand.
This strike was not a random cut, but a sword technique, the secret family art of the royal family in the main world—the Burial Sword Technique!
This is the first sword of the Burial Sword Technique, named "Azure Sky Collapse"!
Although Wang Xuan used a knife to wield the weapon, the moment he unleashed this strike, it was as if the entire sky had collapsed, its power terrifying!
"Oh no! I didn't expect you to have divine skills and combat techniques passed down from ancient times!" Master Luo was shocked and tried to dodge, but his body seemed to be frozen in place and he couldn't move at all.
He was influenced by the sword intent in Wang Xuan's sword technique. With the move "Azure Sky Collapse", the sky was about to collapse. Where could he hide?
Since there was no way to escape, Master Luo had no choice but to grit his teeth and use his magic to fight back.
Eight Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talismans hung down, their strands of fortune converging into a pale yellow light shield that protected Master Luo in the center.
"Bang!" Wang Xuan's attack was almost as powerful as that of an ordinary innate martial artist. It caused the light barrier to tremble, but it was ultimately blocked.
However, Wang Xuan also noticed that the eight Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talismans on Luo Zhenren's head were not as bright as before.
Clearly, although the fortune that Master Luo consumed was not his own but borrowed from others, it was not inexhaustible.
When Wang Xuan got angry, he used the move "Azure Sky Collapse" repeatedly, almost knocking away the eight Yellow Heaven Fortune Talismans on Luo Zhenren's head.
At this point, how could Master Luo possibly maintain his composure? He quickly said, "Fellow Daoist, I possess secret techniques passed down from ancient times, and you also have divine skills inherited from ancient powerhouses. We can cooperate and secretly dominate the entire world. Why must we fight to the death?"
"Your life or my death? You're doomed, but I'm definitely not going to die here!" Wang Xuan sneered. It was time to settle the score with one decisive blow.
He threw the sword away, then reached out and touched his spatial ring, and a mid-grade magic weapon-level longsword appeared in his hand.
Using a longsword to perform the Burial Sword Technique is more suitable than using a saber, especially since this longsword is of a higher quality than the saber.
"Bang!" A flash of sword light appeared, and the yellow light shield shattered into nothingness. Eight Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talismans fell to the ground, leaving only Master Luo standing there dumbfounded.
Wang Xuan didn't even glance at Master Luo again. Although Master Luo's body showed no visible wounds, the sword energy had actually entered his body, and the backlash from the broken Qi-gathering technique rendered him practically dead.
At this moment, Wang Xuan's gaze was focused on the eight Yellow Heaven Fortune Talismans. He walked over and picked them up, playing with them in his hands, feeling a bad premonition.
When he killed Gongsun Sheng, the information he extracted from Gongsun Sheng revealed that Huang Tianyun Talismans clearly consisted of a total of one hundred talismans: ninety-nine child talismans and one mother talisman!
However, even in death, Master Luo only managed to use eight of the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman's child talismans. Including the one that Wang Xuan snatched from Gongsun Sheng, there were only nine. Where did the other ninety child talismans and one mother talisman go?
After those battles, the people in Zixu Temple were either killed by Wang Xuan or had already escaped; now there wasn't a single living person to be seen.
Wang Xuan had no choice but to plunder the Zixu Temple himself.
He first searched Luo Zhenren's body thoroughly, but found nothing of value except for a few taels of silver.
Come to think of it, Master Luo was staying in his own lair, so why would he carry anything extra on him?
He spent another half a day turning the entire Zixu Temple upside down, but still couldn't find any trace of the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman.
But he unexpectedly found something else.
For example, a batch of rare medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, lingzhi, huangjing, and tianshan snow lotus that are hundreds of years old, are worth a fortune. In this world of Water Margin where spiritual energy is depleted, even money cannot buy them.
Wang Xuan waved his sleeve and happily accepted the gifts, storing all the spiritual herbs into his spatial ring.
In addition, Wang Xuan also found a hidden compartment in Luo Zhenren's bedroom, from which he found a somewhat yellowed ancient book that recorded various methods of using Qi Luck, which were the secret methods of Qi Luck used by Luo Zhenren and Gongsun Sheng.
When Wang Xuan first found this ancient book, he thought he had found a treasure. He picked it up with great affection, but after flipping through it, he was immediately disappointed.