Chapter 137: Maiden of Prayer

“Where’s Fellow Daoist Chen?”

The dried-up old ghost suppressed his anger, having waited at the medicinal garden entrance for quite some time without seeing Chen Luo enter.

After painstakingly finding this alchemist, to lose him now would be devastating. Even if they obtained the Mind-Focusing Grass, where could he find such a reliable alchemist again?

“Let’s search for the Mind-Focusing Grass around here.”

Wang Tianji, the last to arrive, glanced at the dried-up old ghost before commencing his search for spirit medicines.

As Peak Qi Refinement cultivators, each had their own objectives. The imminent prospect of personal gain outweighed concern for an unrelated stranger. Besides, hadn’t everyone fled swiftly enough earlier?

Lu Zhaotian and Sun Ji didn’t even respond; they were not close with Chen Luo, so his fate held no significance for them.

The dried-up old ghost waited by the entrance a while longer, convinced that Chen Luo had met his demise. Suppressing his regret, he began searching for herbs. However, after taking just a few steps, something felt amiss.

This third medicinal garden was unnaturally quiet.

After taking just a few steps, he heard the sound of flesh being torn and chewed. Despite the darkness enveloped by mist, his instincts signaled danger. It felt as if somewhere unseen, a monstrous creature was devouring human remains.

‘Shadow Fellow Daoist, do you know about evil spirits?’

For some inexplicable reason, these words suddenly echoed in the dried-up old ghost’s mind, reminding him of Chen Luo’s earlier question.

Wait!

Fellow Daoist Chen must have discovered something crucial.

“Fellow Daoist Wang? Fellow Daoist Lu?” The dried-up old ghost paused and cautiously called out, but received no response. His sense of unease intensified. Just as he hesitated whether to retreat, Sun Ji’s excited voice rang from ahead.

“Mind-Focusing Grass! So much Mind-Focusing Grass!”

This exclamation instantly resolved any doubts lingering in the dried-up old ghost’s mind.

He had come here specifically for the Mind-Focusing Grass. If he left now, where else could he find it?! Returning to the sect to exchange resources? But with such means, he wouldn’t have ventured here in the first place.

With determination, the dried-up old ghost moved towards Sun Ji’s voice. Out of caution, he summoned his Iron Body Art refined corpse to lead ahead.

Meanwhile,

Chen Luo glanced towards the narrow path on the right side of the medicinal garden, from where the voices originated. To the left lay the garden, but what lay to the right was unknown to him.

As the sounds drew closer, two figures gradually appeared within his field of vision. In front was a woman dressed in plain clothes, her face filled with terror as she desperately fled. Pursuing her was a white paper figure, seemingly weightless; with each step, it leaped nearly three meters high before gently descending. Its eerie smile looked unnaturally painted onto its face, evoking a chilling sensation.

‘Paper Cuts Man: An evil spirit fueled by resentment, thin as parchment, feeds on fear - Notes from the Herbal Cottage.’

A memory surfaced from some obscure reading material in his mind, recalling a description of this particular evil spirit encountered during his time at the mountain sect.

The benefits of being well-read and having a sharp mind slowly became evident.

“This Guo Mountain County is truly a haven for fiends. Just dealt with a Mountain Spirit woman, and now I encounter a Paper Cuts Man.” Chen Luo retrieved a piece of talisman paper, holding it in his palm.

“And this woman…”

Chen Luo gave her another glance; an ordinary woman had no chance of surviving in Guo Mountain County. Unless she was an outsider like himself, but Lu Zhaotian and the other two local cultivators had previously mentioned that after the county’s destruction, only they remained alive. With this information, her identity became clear.

She certainly wasn’t human!

With that thought, he took out ten more sheets of talisman paper, tucking them between his index and middle fingers. Any sudden movement from these entities, and he would unleash a powerful strike.

“Gongzi, save me.”

As the fleeing woman spotted Chen Luo, a desperate glint of survival flashed in her eyes, urging her to run towards him even faster.

Getting closer…

Suddenly, Chen Luo raised his hand, channeling spiritual energy, and the spirit talismans whizzed forth. The burst of spiritual energy exploded mid-air, transforming into a scorching fireball.

A Flameburst Talisman!

Boom!!

A wave of heat surged outward as flames blossomed, engulfing both figures within.

The trailing paper figure let out a shrill scream, revealing fear on its drawn face. As an evil entity, it dreaded spirit flames most, and the inferno unleashed by the Flameburst Talisman perfectly countered it.

Before even landing from its leap, the paper figure ignited, emitting piercing cries amidst the roaring blaze.

As the screams continued, Chen Luo mysteriously vanished from his seated position. In the next instant, he reappeared above the flames.

His fingers pierced through the fire, firmly grasping the paper figure’s head.

“No brain?” A hint of disappointment flashed in Chen Luo’s eyes as he looked at the burning paper figure.

He had hoped to retrieve another evil entity’s brain, only to find it hollow inside.

Tear!

Just as the flames were about to consume it completely, the paper figure unexpectedly sacrificed the burning part, tearing itself in half. The remaining half coiled like iron spikes and lunged towards Chen Luo’s head.

Clang!!

The iron spike collided fiercely with Chen Luo’s head. Having cultivated the Iron Body Art, his body was incredibly resilient; the paper figure’s ambush failed to even pierce his skin.

The force of impact sent both adversaries staggering apart.

The Paper Cuts Man possessed terrifying strength, equivalent to that of a Peak Qi Refinement body cultivator. Without relying on fire techniques, even a typical body cultivator might struggle against it.

As the paper figure reassembled its form, anger now twisted its expression.

Chen Luo, momentarily pushed back, swiftly flipped his hand revealing two additional spirit talismans, which had appeared unnoticed. Harnessing the momentum from his retreat, he launched both talismans forward once again.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted as the two spirit talismans penetrated the freshly reconstructed body of the paper figure, exploding within it this time. The spiritual energy-infused flames instantly consumed the Paper Cuts Man, causing it to scream and roll on the ground before finally falling silent.

“Decent power, but the weakness is too apparent.”

Chen Luo approached and collected the black ash left behind after the paper figure burned completely. Evil entities’ ashes might have unforeseen value, so it was best to keep them for later examination.

“Many thanks, Gongzi, for saving my life.”

The rescued woman walked over, her face filled with gratitude, and bowed deeply to Chen Luo. Her pitiful demeanor was almost heart-wrenching, stirring sympathy in anyone who witnessed it.

Chen Luo glanced at the woman but paid her no further attention.

She was quite peculiar; his recent scan with spiritual energy revealed that she truly seemed like an ordinary person. This was strange—how could an ordinary individual evade the flames from the exploding spirit talisman?

The external brains offered no additional insights, clearly indicating their knowledge gap. The only potentially informative source, the mummified brain, remained silent this time.

“Gongzi, may I beseech you…”

“No.”

After collecting the ashes, Chen Luo sat back down beneath the whipneck tree and immediately rejected her plea without even hearing it out. Ignoring the mysterious woman, he continued studying the remnants of Guo Mountain County’s formation. He needed to find a way out as soon as possible. Otherwise, once Lu Zhaotian and the others couldn’t hold on any longer, the ensuing trouble might fall squarely on him.

With a look of anguish, the woman took two steps forward and knelt before Chen Luo.

“I beg Gongzi for mercy.”

Before Chen Luo could react, the recently acquired Foundation Establishment array master’s brain provided feedback:

‘Maiden of Prayer: If her prayer fails, she transforms into a vengeful ghost capable of harming Foundation Establishment cultivators.’

This thought startled Chen Luo instantly. Abandoning his study of the formation, his gaze swiftly shifted to the woman opposite him.

“I plead with Gongzi…”

Boom!

The moment the woman opened her mouth, Chen Luo swiftly activated twenty talismans and slapped them onto the Maiden of Prayer’s head. Instantly, the combined power of these spirit talismans erupted, converging fire spells and lightning techniques at one point, completely disintegrating the Maiden of Prayer’s body. Not only did it destroy her, but it also blasted a deep crater into the ground.

Following this, he unleashed the Wind Control Technique on the spot where the Maiden of Prayer had exploded, shredding the remaining fragments of her corpse to dust with the fierce gales.

With a final sweep using the Dust Removal Technique, he gathered the pulverized remains into a pile and ignited them with a Flameburst Talisman until they turned to ash.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, may your journey be peaceful.”

Chen Luo retrieved a shovel and gloves, dug a pit, filled it with earth, and recited the incantation taught by his Third Uncle. Only then did the array master’s brain calm down, indicating that the threat from the Maiden of Prayer was neutralized.

That was close!

Relieved, Chen Luo took a deep breath. After this encounter, he decided against sitting under the whipneck tree any longer. The location was too conspicuous, and who knew how many more evil entities lurked within Guo Mountain County? If not for the hanging man’s brain providing crucial information, he might have met his downfall.

An evil capable of harming Foundation Establishment cultivators posed an absolute lethal danger to him at his current stage.

No wonder the three great sects chose not to deal with such entities directly. It was both troublesome and offered minimal rewards, far less convenient than simply sealing them away.

Rising to his feet, Chen Luo gathered his belongings and retraced his steps, intending to descend the mountain back to Guo Mountain County. However, as he walked, something felt off. When he finally realized it, he found himself once again at the entrance of the spirit herb garden, the words “Spirit Herb Garden” written in blood silently mocking him.

“This formation is quite formidable.”

Chen Luo glanced towards the spirit herb garden before turning in another direction.

To the left was the spirit herb garden, while the right led to an unknown area.

As Chen Luo continued, he discovered a similar bamboo gate resembling that of the spirit herb garden’s entrance. Sensing another formation node nearby, he approached cautiously, pushed open the gate, and stepped inside.

Surprisingly, it revealed a courtyard.

Directly opposite stood a straw hut, with a small yard in between containing a stone table and stools. To one side, there was a wooden pigpen, and near the entrance lay a vegetable patch—where Chen Luo now stood.

The garden contained various seasonal vegetables; among them, Chen Luo spotted cabbages, radishes, and some peculiar-looking produce.

“Mind-Focusing Grass?” Chen Luo’s eyes widened suddenly.

Adjacent to a cabbage, he found the elusive Mind-Focusing Grass they had been desperately seeking. Incredibly, within this vegetable patch, the Mind-Focusing Grass was planted alongside large white radishes!

Chen Luo didn’t rush to harvest it but instead scanned the surroundings first.

‘No array nodes detected.’

The array master’s knowledge in his mind provided no immediate feedback. It was unclear whether it was due to insufficient stored information or if there were genuinely no formation nodes present.

Chen Luo drew his magical sword and cautiously approached the Mind-Focusing Grass.

The vegetable garden was not large, spanning approximately twenty steps at most, resembling a plot of land hastily enclosed by its owner for improving their livelihood.

As Chen Luo reached the Mind-Focusing Grass without encountering any danger,