By this point, it had already melted halfway.

The old Daoist’s skeleton was still alive, writhing on the ground, but its movements had become much smaller.

It trembled and rolled, trying to reach the Daoist Scripture lying on the ground.

But before it could, the long whip formed from talismans struck it again.

Between the Talisman Paper Whip and Shen Bai’s chanting of the Mystic Heart Spell activating the Daoist Scripture, a dense web of cracks appeared all over the old Daoist’s bones.

Just as the old Daoist had said, the book had been absorbing his power for many years—part of it used to fight the hundred-foot-tall strange entity, and the rest stored away.

The amount stored over so many years created a terrifying amount of energy, more than even the old Daoist himself could withstand.

A few breaths later, the old Daoist’s skeleton finally failed to withstand the immense power and crumbled into a pile of ash.

As for the hundred-foot-tall strange entity, it was suppressed by the Daoist Scripture’s power and instantly dissipated into a sky full of smoke.

Ten wisps of Evil Qi appeared before him, which Shen Bai collected.

Shen Bai’s eyes widened slightly. ’Good heavens,’ he thought. ’A strange entity at the level of ten wisps of Evil Qi. Truly terrifying. Just as expected from the condensed resentment of all the disciples of the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple.’

Shen Bai felt that if he had tried to deal with it himself, he might not have succeeded.

Fortunately, the Daoist Scripture, which held the old Daoist’s power from over the years, had completely reduced both the strange entity and the old Daoist to ash.

Because Shen Bai had been chanting the Mystic Heart Spell, it seemed to count as him having killed the strange entity, allowing him to reap the reward of ten wisps of Evil Qi.

Adding the nine wisps of Evil Qi he had left from before, he now had nineteen.

For Shen Bai, this was a massive harvest.

Looking at the ashes on the ground, Shen Bai shook his head.

"The Temple Master actually gave you a chance, but you never cherished it."

In Shen Bai’s view, if the old Daoist had genuinely dedicated himself to dispelling the strange entity, he would naturally have been able to get out afterward.

But it seemed that even after all this time, the old Daoist remained unrepentant.

As for who was right and who was wrong, just as Shen Bai had said before, there was no longer any need to pursue the matter.

He was Shen Bai’s enemy. That Shen Bai had killed him was enough.

With the old Daoist and the strange entity dealt with, the cavern fell silent once more.

Shen Bai looked at the Daoist Scripture before him. A wisp of smoke that only he could see appeared in his vision, sparsely gathering in the void to form a new line of text.

[Handwritten Daoist Scripture]

[Identification Progress: 0%]

[One wisp of Evil Qi can be used for quick identification.]

A new Deceitful Object. This was an extra gain for Shen Bai, besides the Evil Qi.

Shen Bai stroked his chin, then stepped forward and circulated the Qi in his body.

As the Qi surged through him, Shen Bai activated various Divine Powers.

Countless rays of light shrouded Shen Bai in all sorts of terrifying special effects.

Shen Bai seemed even more bizarre than the strange entities themselves.

Once prepared, Shen Bai reached out and took the Daoist Scripture in his hand.

It was a Deceitful Object, which held great benefits for Shen Bai.

Shen Bai felt he would be at a loss if he didn’t take a Deceitful Object when he saw one.

Of course, being in this cavern, Shen Bai was also extremely cautious.

If anything unusual happened while he was picking up the Daoist Scripture, he would drop the scroll without hesitation and flee this place.

Fortunately, nothing unusual occurred after he took the Daoist Scripture.

Shen Bai pondered for a moment, then, with lightning speed, tucked the Daoist Scripture into his robes.

There were no longer any dangers around. Shen Bai planned to leave the cavern, return to the shore, and then explain the details to Daoist Chongling in person.

After all, the things he had just witnessed sounded too fantastical.

And of course, the seal on the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple was finally broken at this moment.

But just as Shen Bai turned around, ready to leave with Cold Moon in hand...

The previously calm environment suddenly changed.

Shen Bai noticed a distorted illusion appearing on the cavern walls.

After the distorted illusion emerged, the surrounding environment changed in an instant.

He seemed to be in the cavern, yet not in the cavern.

A white mist suddenly surged from one part of this Space, quickly enveloping everything.

Shen Bai’s vision was blocked by the mist. He couldn’t see what was ahead and could only rely on his other senses, through which he perceived what seemed to be the sound of soft footsteps.

Fortunately, the mist didn’t last long, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Not far in front of Shen Bai stood an old Daoist with a long beard and white hair, holding a Floating Dust whisk and wearing a smile.

"This humble Daoist, Nanyangzi, greets you, young friend."

When the name "Nanyangzi" was spoken, Shen Bai narrowed his eyes.

That name represented the history of the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple. It was the name of the Temple Master who had condensed the Supreme Dao Fruit and completely ended the bloodshed in Fenglin State.

Shen Bai was about to speak, but in the next moment, Nanyangzi shook his head.

"I know you wish to speak, young friend, but it is useless. This is merely an afterimage I left behind. There is no need for you to say anything; just listen to what I have to say."

Hearing this, Shen Bai’s expression cleared with understanding.

’So it’s a recording. That makes sense.’

Someone who had been dead for many years coming back to life—there was no precedent for that in history.

But if it was just a recorded image, that was perfectly explainable.

After all, with the various Cultivation Techniques of the Daoist Sect, leaving behind a recording was not difficult.

Shen Bai figured that if Nanyangzi had left a recording here, he must have had something important to tell him.

Thinking this, Shen Bai remained silent and watched patiently.