I used folk talismans to ward off the evil spirit.

Chapter 28 Mirage Stone Evil Array, Green Bamboo's Hidden Secrets

The so-called strange creatures are like the Blue Fish Ghost Child.

They are monsters in themselves, but if a blood pact is formed from the oviposition stage, they can also be regarded as monsters.

Just like the strange insects of the Five Gu Sect, or Zhou Xia's Yin Maggot Gu.

Lin Zhengyang's two giant pythons, though solid, did not follow this pattern; rather, they seemed to be objects that had been refined from fakes into real ones.

Lin Zhengyang's expression changed, as if his secret had been exposed. He took a deep breath: "Since you've seen through me, I won't hide it from you anymore."

"These two giant pythons are actually real-world ghosts. They were created from one of the illustrations in the storybook 'The Legend of the White Snake' and were projected into the Mirror Ghost Realm."

"No wonder they felt somewhat familiar." Jiang Jun suddenly realized, "Daoist, you are quite lucky. If these two elite-level real-world artifacts can be transformed into divine objects, perhaps you too will have hope of opening the path to enlightenment."

Seeing that he had no intention of taking advantage of him, and instead praised him for his potential to open up new paths, Lin Zhengyang couldn't help but feel ashamed: "A true master is so upright and noble, possessing the Dao of suppressing all things; how could he possibly care about such a paltry sum?"

He felt like the owl that had been frightened by a rotten rat, and said with embarrassment, "You flatter me, Master. In the past forty years, only a handful of strange creatures in reality have transformed into divine beings."

"The only true path to enlightenment is paved with the 'Seven Sins Nails' of the Star River Federation. What merit do I possess to dare to indulge in such unrealistic dreams?"

"The Seven Deadly Sins Nails?" Jiang Jun received another important piece of information, but he was maintaining his superior demeanor and didn't dare to ask.

Fortunately, Cai Liang and Lin Dingxuan returned with the strange stone and quickly divided up their spoils.

Lin Dingxuan said excitedly, "The elite-level ghost children and the fish mother both dropped elite-level ghost stones, and these wandering-level ghost children also dropped ordinary ghost stones, and they are all quite large."

Cai Liang played with the strange rock shaped like the mother fish, adding, "This nest feels a bit different from other bluefish strange child colonies..."

Jiang Jun raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the ordinary strange stones. Sure enough, they were larger and their strange energy was purer.

The strange stone left by the Fish Mother, though still of elite grade, possessed a very pure aura, and even faintly resembled a lord-level strange stone.

Lin Zhengyang spoke first: "This nest must have been artificially created. Combining what the True Man said, it might be the work of the Ghostly Soul Sect and the Five Gu Sect!"

He took out an oil-paper umbrella and pointed it heavily forward. Dark red bloodstains surged and turned into a blood wave that directly destroyed the nest.

Beneath the lair, a sinister formation was clearly revealed.

The bizarre runes resembled twisted insects. The skeletons of these grotesque creatures were piled and intertwined in contorted postures, as if still enduring the endless torment of reproduction.

Between the runes and the bones, wisps of eerie energy could be faintly seen, connected like an umbilical cord, continuously supplying a sweet yet filthy life force to the surroundings.

At the very center of the evil formation, a multicolored stone emanated an aura that seemed both real and illusory, enveloping the entire nest.

"Mirage Stone?" Lin Zhengyang exclaimed in surprise. "With this object to suppress it, no wonder the Ghostly Cult's setup could withstand the reset of the Ghost Realm."

"This kind of evil formation actually uses the method of human sacrifice to accelerate reproduction, treating the strange children like livestock to be bred and raised..."

He felt a chill run down his spine: "No wonder even the female fish appeared. If we hadn't discovered it early, a Lord-level monster child might have been induced to be born!"

Jiang Jun recalled the Lord-level strange stone and thought to himself, "Perhaps not. A Lord-level strange child might have already been cultivated, but I just happened to snag it."

He stared at the eerie magic array and felt a wave of nausea.

"The Cursed One" flew into the sky, and with the full power of its true energy, it manifested a purple light sword, with the "Divine Rooster Talisman" flames rising and empowering it.

"Clang—" The sword light flashed, and the magic array trembled violently.

Suddenly, a spherical monster resembling rotting flesh appeared, its gray, scaly skin studded with toad-like warts, and the tiny legs of centipedes darting through the crevices.

Eight spider legs emerged from the bottom of the ball, their joints twisted, supporting it as it moved slowly.

Seven snake heads emerged from the top of the sphere, hissing as they peered out. A horizontal slit opened in the chest area, with scorpion claws protruding from the edge of the slit, constantly opening and closing.

It emitted a strong odor, and the four of them felt their mouths dry and their lower abdomens burning, as if something was about to burst out of its shell.

"As expected, the Five Gu Sect got involved too!" Lin Zhengyang realized.

Jiang Jun had a gut feeling that this thing would be difficult to deal with.

The next moment, the "Divine Rooster Catches the Five Poisons Talisman" burst into flames, and a rooster flew out of the talisman, raising its head and crowing once: "Cluck cluck cluck—"

The monster collapsed to the ground, as if struck in the vital spot.

The divine rooster strolled over to it unhurriedly, lowered its head, pecked at it, and swallowed a pearl.

Jiang Jun pressed his advantage, slashing with his Flowing Flame Sword, shattering the evil magic array. The mirage stone fell into his hands.

Lin Zhengyang was greatly impressed when he saw the strange creature that was holding the fort be killed by the rooster with a single blow.

This was clearly meticulously crafted by the Five Gu Sect. An ordinary cultivator at the Refinement Realm would likely be no match for it, but in the face of the "Divine Chicken Talisman," it was utterly powerless and was quickly defeated.

He greatly admired Jiang Jun's method of suppressing evil spirits, and said frankly, "The true man's method is righteous and majestic, and heaven can overcome evil."

Jiang Jun waved his hand, saying that he had only restrained himself.

With the evil formation broken, the Ghostly Cult's schemes will be difficult to accomplish.

But Lin Zhengyang was still worried that they had other plans and had no intention of hunting the Azure Fish Ghost Child anymore, so he turned to Jiang Jun and cupped his hands, saying, "Master, I wish to go to the Bureau of Mysteries to inform them of what happened here, but I don't know...?"

Jiang Jun waved his sleeve and said, "Please go, Daoist. We met by chance, and we will surely meet again in the future."

Seeing that he did not want to meet with the Bureau of Divine Wonders, Lin Zhengyang did not insist. He bowed to Lin Dingxuan and then left in a hurry.

Before leaving, he left behind the fish-finding compass and explained how to use it.

This compass is actually a real-life mystery!

"He is indeed a truly upright and honest Taoist priest," Jiang Jun praised. "If he still stagnates when I successfully establish my own path, I will guide him..."

Cai Liang was about to take the compass and activate it with his life essence when Jiang Jun waved his hand, saying, "Your power to suppress things is weak, and your cultivation is still shallow. You can't easily consume this life essence."

As he spoke, he forced out a drop of his essence blood, which landed on the compass. Instantly, the compass trembled violently, and the needle pointed directly to the northwest.

Cai Liang asked curiously, "Teacher, you seem to locate the Azure Fish Ghost Child even faster than Master Lin?"

Jiang Jun pondered for a moment: "My blood essence must be of a higher quality."

Those who wield demons are constantly corroded by demonic energy and frequently need to deplete their vital essence. Even with secret medicines to replenish their energy, their vitality is ultimately damaged.

The power of suppressing things is completely the opposite; it nourishes his body at all times, and his essence and blood are naturally tempered and enhanced.

"Am I some kind of prey for Tang Sanzang?"

Jiang Jun's heart tightened, and he solemnly instructed Cai Liang: "Our essence and blood may be more suitable for controlling strange creatures than those who control them. If you have to use strange creatures in the future, remember not to let others discover anything."

Cai Liang wasn't stupid; he quickly understood the key point: "Teacher, I'll be careful."

The master and apprentice walked and talked as they continued to hunt down the Blue Fish Ghost Child in Qixia Lake.

With the compass as a guide, the efficiency was much faster than Jiang Jun's aimless search.

However, once they leave the nest where the mother fish resides, the quality of the ghost children noticeably declines, and there are fewer elite-level ghost children.

Cai Liang exclaimed, "Teacher, this compass is amazing! Qingzhu Temple seems quite powerful too, with three elite-level artifacts of the real world..."

Jiang Jun pondered, "He became a Demon Tamer upon descending from the Ghost Realm, went astray, and yet still managed to approach the peak of the Refinement Realm. This old Taoist priest might not be so simple after all..."