CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: OLD SUN RETURNS

Night fell once again.

The last traces of sunset gradually disappeared from the horizon, and the darkness, like a heavy curtain, slowly enveloped the entire Dongwu Market. Occasionally, the wind would blow, lifting a few fallen leaves to dance in the air.

Xu Ping sat on the bed, cross-legged, with his eyes closed, meditating.

Time passed second by second, the room was silent, with only the sound of his breathing and the occasional wind.

The night grew deeper, as if countless eyes were hidden in the darkness, coldly watching the small house.

Xu Ping’s heartbeat gradually steadied. He tried hard to enter a deep meditative state to enhance his spiritual power and perception.

Suddenly, a slight "click" broke the silence.

"It’s here!"

Xu Ping’s eyes snapped open, a gleam of light flashed through them.

He quickly opened the door, took a few swift steps, and leaped up, landing steadily on the top of the wall.

The night was like water, a thin mist spread over the ground, like a light veil covering the earth.

Xu Ping’s gaze swept around, and soon, his heart almost skipped a beat.

He saw a thin figure, disheveled and covered in a layer of shadow, standing at the entrance of the Bai family, a pair of crimson eyes staring intensely at him, exuding a strange and eerie aura.

The two of them faced each other in silence, as if time had frozen at this moment.

"Old... Old Sun!!" Xu Ping was shocked. He could never have imagined that this malevolence was actually the long-missing Old Sun.

Old Sun continued to stare at him, the fierce light in his eyes growing stronger, the chill emanating from him made the surroundings feel colder, Xu Ping’s hands and feet felt numb, and even his Mana operated sluggishly.

Xu Ping was startled, realizing that this was definitely Old Sun’s doing.

An Exorcism Talisman appeared in his hand.

He cast it immediately.

The Exorcism Talisman quickly ignited and dissolved in the air.

A powerful surge of yang energy swept around.

Old Sun let out a low growl, a sound not unlike a human, reminiscent of an ancient beast, with an intimidating savageness.

At the same time, Xu Ping saw a blur in front of him, the figure turned into a shadow and rapidly fled, soon disappearing without a trace.

"Such incredible speed..." Xu Ping was startled.

This speed was almost enough to rival his own.

As Old Sun left, the chilling air around gradually faded, hands and feet warmed, and the Mana within flowed smoothly.

Looking at the ink-black night, Xu Ping felt a heaviness in his heart; Old Sun, possessed by malevolence, had grown substantially in power.

With the strength it displayed, even cultivators at the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation might not be able to match it.

Xu Ping took a deep breath and returned indoors, closing the door behind him.

He sat on a stool, without any joy in seeing Old Sun off, feeling rather burdened.

"It seems Old Sun has taken a liking to me."

He came yesterday, and again today, clearly targeting him.

"I absolutely cannot sit and wait for death!"

Xu Ping quickly made up his mind, determined to eliminate Old Sun.

This malevolence feeds on the blood of cultivators; if it manages to suck enough, he might also end up drained.

"The Exorcism Talisman is somewhat lacking," Xu Ping frowned.

The Exorcism Talisman was easily dodged by Old Sun. Although it managed to scare him away, it was not enough to kill him.

"I’ll ask Zhang Chenyu tomorrow and see what other talismans can restrain malevolence."

"Damn it, is it because I didn’t lend him money, so after becoming malevolent, he specifically targeted me?" Xu Ping felt a wave of frustration.

He dared not sleep tonight, unsure if Old Sun might return again.

...

...

The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the curtains.

Old Sun did not return after he left.

Xu Ping let out a sigh of relief, got out of bed, stretched, and headed to the kitchen.

He fetched a basin of water from the water jar.

"Splash"

The calm water surface was broken.

Xu Ping washed his face quickly, and the cold water revitalized him quite a bit.

After freshening up, he made his way to Zhang Chenyu’s house.

...

"What! You encountered malevolence last night!!??"

Before Xu Ping could finish speaking, Zhang Chenyu jumped up with a start.

"Daoist Zhang, please calm down first." Xu Ping wanted Zhang Chenyu to sit down and talk slowly.

"How can I not be agitated? This is malevolence, man-eating malevolence!" Zhang Chenyu’s voice was filled with fear and panic.

"I know..."

"No, you don’t understand the horror of malevolence!"

"Since malevolence is already here, getting worked up solves nothing. It’s better to sit and discuss how to deal with it."

Zhang Chenyu was stunned, his mouth slightly open, speechless, and he sat down in frustration:

"Why am I so unlucky, I was about to leave this damned place, who knew that a Golden Core Demon Beast might show up. Finally settling down, and now malevolence appears."

Listening to Zhang Chenyu’s complaints about his bad luck, Xu Ping felt nothing, even found it amusing.

Comparing misfortune with him?

Zhang Chenyu had nothing on him.

"One should look forward. Don’t mind being unlucky now, maybe things will get worse later."

Zhang Chenyu: ???

"Just kidding, just kidding, Daoist Zhang. Besides the Exorcism Talisman, are there other talismans that can restrain malevolence?" Xu Ping asked.

Zhang Chenyu gave Xu Ping a resentful look, and slowly replied, "There are, the Five-Thunder Talisman can also restrain malevolence."

"The Five-Thunder Talisman can restrain malevolence?" Xu Ping was a bit surprised.

"Of course." Zhang Chenyu nodded, talking about his area of expertise, he grew confident.

"The Exorcism Talisman’s yang power, the Thunder Power of the Five-Thunder Talisman, and even the flame power of the Fireball Talisman can restrain malevolence."

"It’s just that the flame power in the Fireball Talisman isn’t as strong as the first two," he added.

"Then between the Five-Thunder Talisman and the Exorcism Talisman, which restrains malevolence more?" Xu Ping asked.

"Of course, the Five-Thunder Talisman. The Exorcism Talisman is merely a First Rank Lower Grade talisman, whereas the Five-Thunder Talisman is a First Rank Upper Grade talisman."

"I remember Daoist Zhang can draw the Five-Thunder Talisman, right? Can you sell me a few?"

"I could, but even if I give my all, the success rate of drawing a Five-Thunder Talisman isn’t high. Plus, with malevolence lurking, I probably can’t sell you many."

"It’s alright, sell me whatever you can."

...

In the end, Xu Ping left Zhang Chenyu’s house with three Five-Thunder Talismans.

At home.

Xu Ping silently took a sip of water, lost in thought.

"Though the Five-Thunder Talisman is more effective against malevolence, Old Sun is too fast. Catching him won’t be easy. I’ll wait until my Light Body Technique reaches Minor Achievement before going after him, to ensure success."

Xu Ping looked at the skill panel and focused on the skill.

[Light Body Technique Minor Achievement: 712/800]

"Almost there, just five or six more days."