Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Exorcising Evil (Complete)

Swish!

Wang Chen tore his clothes open, revealing a palm-sized patch of dark, coarse hair.

With a glint of silver in his eyes, he gazed greedily at Widow Li lying on the bed.

Her hair was disheveled, her delicate face swollen, and thin trails of blood seeped from her nose and mouth. Her eyes were tightly shut, a picture of pitiful vulnerability.

Wang Chen spread his arms, ready to seize her curvaceous figure.

At that very moment, a ghostly dark shadow materialized behind him.

In an instant, the shadow extended long, sinuous tentacles, silently reaching toward the lust-blinded Wang Chen.

The room was suffused with an oppressive malevolence!

But just as the tentacles were about to touch Wang Chen, searing flames erupted from his body.

Hiss—

The tentacles recoiled from the scorching heat.

Simultaneously, Wang Chen spun around, his eyes now gleaming with divine light.

The lecherous greed that had consumed him moments ago was gone!

He raised his arm and thrust his palm toward the shadow. The Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil, embedded in his forearm, activated instantly, transforming into a large net that enveloped the shadow.

Wang Chen’s counterattack was too sudden and swift. The shadow sensed the danger but had no time to evade, and it was firmly ensnared in the Exorcising Net.

“Ah!”

A piercing, agonized scream tore through the air.

The swirling black mist rapidly contracted, revealing the true form of the attacker.

It was a gaunt man in his forties or fifties.

“Zhou Shenzhi!”

Wang Chen, controlling the Exorcising Net with one hand, sneered, “I’ve finally found you!”

The hundred thousand spirit stones spent on intelligence had not been in vain; this Purple Palace evil cultivator had indeed been hiding in Shangyang Village.

Wang Chen had gone to great lengths, employing all his acting skills, to lure the man out.

And now, with a single decisive strike, he had succeeded!

“Who are you?”

Zhou Shenzhi, tightly bound by the Exorcising Net, thrashed wildly, his face contorted with rage, his eyes blazing crimson with madness.

Yet no matter how he struggled, the Exorcising Net only tightened further, rendering his formidable spells useless.

He couldn’t even access the storage bag on his person.

What terrified Zhou Shenzhi the most was that the dark forces within him were leaking uncontrollably.

The very net that bound him absorbed every last drop!

What in the world is this thing?

The evil cultivator let out a beastly roar, black energy swirling around him, and the bones in his body creaked.

But it was of no use; the Exorcising Net acted like a silent killer, methodically and mercilessly stripping away his life and power, little by little.

In just ten breaths, Zhou Shenzhi curled up into a ball, his size shrinking to nearly half of its normal state!

His roars grew weaker, and his struggles became feeble.

He was on the verge of demise!

Seeing this, Wang Chen immediately withdrew the Exorcising Net.

Without giving Zhou Shenzhi a chance to catch his breath, a bright flash of sword energy slashed down like lightning.

It severed his head.

【Heavenly Merit +167】

Success!

Wang Chen let out a long sigh and reached out to grab the evil cultivator’s head, placing it into his storage bag.

This head was an important proof of completing the mission; if it turned to ashes in the Exorcising Net, he wouldn’t be able to explain it.

Then, he used the Fire Crow Technique to incinerate Zhou Shenzhi’s body along with the storage bag hanging from his waist, turning them to ashes!

The storage bag of a Purple Palace evil cultivator might contain valuable items, but without knowing how to handle them, he didn’t want to take any risks, so it was best to burn everything clean.

Finally, he placed a few Exorcism Talismans to tidy up.

The Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil transformed back into an arm guard, solidifying on his arm.

Wang Chen touched this treasure, feeling satisfied.

The Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil was truly a powerful weapon against evil spirits and cultivators, and it had never let him down.

This time, he undoubtedly achieved a great feat!

Otherwise, even if Wang Chen could defeat this evil cultivator, completing the mission would not have been so easy and simple.

However, there was a small loose end—Widow Li.

Earlier, when he had disguised himself as a villager and knocked on the courtyard gate, he noticed the evil energy on her.

This confirmed that Zhou Shenzhi was hiding here.

He wondered why this charming widow had taken in the evil cultivator and even helped him.

But Wang Chen had no intention of digging deep, wasting time on insignificant people.

He glanced at the still unconscious Widow Li and returned to his original appearance.

Stepping out of the room, Wang Chen summoned the Wind and Thunder Sword, merging with it to fly into the sky, instantly covering a hundred steps.

Riding on this spirit sword, he dashed back to the West Sea Sect at lightning speed!

By the next evening, he arrived at Wailing City.

Wang Chen couldn’t afford to rest and headed straight for the inner mountain gate.

Previously, Elder Zixiao had directly transported him from the Great Hall of Guidance to Wailing City, so he didn’t know the entrance to the inner mountain gate.

But that was hardly a problem.

As long as he infused his mana into the identity token, the precise coordinates of both the inner and outer mountain gates, along with the ten immortal cities, would vividly manifest in his Sea of Consciousness, offering him the most accurate guidance.

The inner mountain gate of the West Sea Sect lay merely a hundred miles from Wailing City, its entrance a vast valley enveloped in swirling clouds and mist.

Upon landing at the valley’s entrance, Wang Chen was greeted by the sight of a towering stone tablet, standing ten zhang high.

This stone tablet bore the marks of antiquity, its surface weathered by the relentless forces of wind, frost, rain, and snow. Its front was engraved with the bold and vigorous characters “West Sea Immortal Sect.”

Beneath the tablet rested a colossal black turtle.

The instant Wang Chen’s feet touched the ground, the giant turtle’s eyes flickered open, and it uttered, “Hmm?”

Wang Chen felt a sudden jolt in his spirit, as though some unseen presence had peered into his very soul, leaving no secret untouched.

Though inwardly alarmed, he maintained a composed exterior, bowing respectfully to the giant turtle before him: “Wang Chen, a newly inducted inner sect disciple of the West Sea Sect, pays his respects to you, venerable senior!”

The giant turtle appeared to be firmly anchored by the stone tablet, yet the aura it radiated was unmistakably that of a great beast—perhaps even a beast king!

Wang Chen couldn’t help but recall the old turtle that guarded the inner mountain gate of the Yunyang Sect, and so he dared not show the slightest hint of disrespect.

“Hmm,” the giant turtle drawled slowly. “You must have completed the entry assessment task, haven’t you?”

Wang Chen promptly replied, “Indeed, I have. I humbly request your guidance, senior.”

Without the turtle’s assistance, he would have no idea how to proceed.

“Very well,” the giant turtle exhaled a deep breath and inquired, “Do you know the rules?”

“Rules?”

Wang Chen hesitated briefly before comprehension dawned on him.

After a moment’s thought, he retrieved all the spirit fruits stored in his storage bag and laid them out before the giant turtle.

Wang Chen wasn’t certain whether these fruits would meet the turtle’s standards; if not, he would have to return to Wailing City to procure higher-quality spirit fruits.

That would undoubtedly cost him a considerable amount of spirit stones.

However, the giant turtle proved to be quite amiable, opening its mouth to devour all the spirit fruits without a hint of fuss.

“Very well,” it said. “I shall now escort you inside.”