In the room, the coffin that suppressed the Yi Qi San Yuan began to tremble wildly.
The Taoist talismans pasted on the coffin seemed to be enduring immense pressure!
The next second, the talismans tore apart with a rip, turning into countless fragments!
Bang!
The coffin lid suddenly flew up, and the small wooden bird, San Yuan, broke free from the coffin and soared upwards!
“Northern Emperor’s Palace, hasten to the clear clouds. Strong envoys, arrive quickly in the altar.
Summon with urgency, thunder roars, the sky darkens, the sun and moon dim.
Myriad demons bow, obey upon arrival. Devour demons, consume ghosts, cut down evil and eliminate ferocity.
Dare to defy the black laws, be brought to Sang Tong. Confined to the black prison, eternally without end.
Deep, deep night, sword edge and blade, now I release the seal, ten thousand ghosts submit!”
Three golden threads formed from the Taoist talismans converged onto San Yuan, which then let out a clear cry, noble and mysterious like a phoenix's call!
Its body also rapidly grew larger!
From a small wooden bird no bigger than a palm, it transformed into a colossal aerial creature the size of a car!
It crashed into the roof, the fragile tiles no match for its might, easily smashed aside by San Yuan!
San Yuan ascended straight into the sky, spreading its wings to their fullest amidst a clap of thunder!
Boom—
Witnessing this scene, Zhu Shanzao was dumbfounded, "A Gong plays with paper figures, and you play with wooden puppets. A foot of Taoism is no match for a yard of demonism!!"
While paper figures were indeed powerful, wood was always stronger than paper. Now that Yan Shouyi had summoned such a formidable wooden bird, San Yuan, the difference between them was starkly evident!
This was the divine skill recorded in the second volume of the Luban book, Mu Kui Fa Tian!
Legend had it that when Luban traveled through the states, he left a wooden bird at home. His wife, missing Luban terribly, rode the wooden bird into the sky, hoping to visit him. That wooden bird was precisely what Luban had created using Mu Kui Fa Tian. However, due to an accident, the wooden bird and Luban’s wife fell together, causing Luban to experience the pain of losing his wife. From then on, Luban listed Mu Kui Fa Tian as a forbidden technique in the Luban book.
Yet, even so, Fa Tian Mu Kui remained an extremely powerful divine skill, a must-know art for every Luban successor!!
San Yuan was not merely an ordinary wooden bird, nor just a soul sealed by Yan Shouyi’s father into dark wood, but the key to Mu Kui Fa Tian!
Only at this moment did San Yuan reveal its true strength!!
A Gong gazed at San Yuan in the sky, his heart filled with shock, yet his competitive spirit was ignited.
Previously, he hadn’t seen any of the prowess of a Luban successor in Yan Shouyi. Now, the pressure from Mu Kui Fa Tian made him wish to truly spar with Yan Shouyi.
But before A Gong could react, San Yuan in the sky had locked onto him!!
San Yuan's eyes emitted a chilling aura as it circled above A Gong’s head. Then, it suddenly retracted its wings and dived towards A Gong!
Yan Shouyi shouted, “San Yuan, force A Gong out!”
A Gong was instantly engulfed by San Yuan’s shadow. He was forced to flee from his hidden corner to evade San Yuan’s dive.
However, this also exposed A Gong himself.
Yan Shouyi finally saw A Gong’s true appearance. Just as Zhu Shanzao had described, he wore coarse cloth and a mask. From the side of his face, not covered by the mask, a burn scar could be faintly discerned.
Indeed, A Gong was the man who had caused trouble at the Liu family!
Liu Yiren must also be nearby!
“Finally, I meet you, A Gong the paper crafter,” Yan Shouyi said calmly.
A Gong stopped, his entire being resembling a scarecrow propped up by wooden sticks, possessing form but no spirit.
A Gong sized up Yan Shouyi, “A Luban successor, so this is how far you’ve fallen.”
This statement instantly enraged Yan Shouyi, “If you can’t speak properly, shut your mouth. Are you paper crafters doing so well?”
Insulting Yan Shouyi was permissible, but insulting a Luban successor was something Yan Shouyi would not tolerate.
Besides, how were they, the Luban successors, faring poorly? They had merely remained anonymous for a few decades.
Did they need to be mocked by a paper crafter?
“Chirp—”
San Yuan flew to Yan Shouyi’s side and seemed to communicate something to him. Zhu Shanzao couldn't understand, but Yan Shouyi could comprehend San Yuan’s meaning.
Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief. From San Yuan, he learned that Liu Yiren was alive and was in the very room San Yuan had emerged from.
So, Yan Shouyi said to Zhu Shanzao, “You go protect Liu Yiren, I’ll keep this A Gong occupied.”
Zhu Shanzao was loyal. Having chosen to stand with Yan Shouyi, he was thoroughly impressed.
Thus, he scampered towards the direction of the room San Yuan had come from.
But A Gong clearly would not allow this so easily.
With a wave of A Gong’s hand, the doors and windows of other houses in the courtyard instantly shattered. Countless white paper snakes surged out like a tide, blocking Zhu Shanzao’s path.
Seeing this, Yan Shouyi climbed onto San Yuan’s back. San Yuan flapped its wings and descended from the sky, landing before Zhu Shanzao.
“Horn and Di’s essence, Jia Yi divine spirit. Raise waves and dance, clouds and thunder quickly rise. Myriad demons roam, all unbound by thunder. Thousands cut off heads, ten thousand sliced in form. Those who follow me live, those who oppose me fall. Violate my command, and ascend to the pure heavens. Hasten, as the law commands!”
With Palm Thunder unleashed, the paper snakes retreated, and Yan Shouyi easily cleared a small path. Zhu Shanzao quickly followed this path, breaking through A Gong’s defense.
Riding on San Yuan’s back, Yan Shouyi chuckled at A Gong:
“I can see it now. We Luban successors are truly devoted to wood, willing to spend a lifetime carving a satisfactory piece. While you paper crafters are promiscuous, liking mass production, resulting in clumsy works that can’t improve no matter the quantity.”
Yan Shouyi was not one to be outdone. Since A Gong had mocked the Luban successors earlier, he now taunted the paper crafters.
A Gong was indeed provoked. Yan Shouyi saw a flicker of killing intent in his eyes from beneath the mask.
“Form!”
A Gong formed hand seals, chanting incantations. Then, countless white paper snakes all converged beneath A Gong’s feet.
Lifted by these paper snakes, A Gong soon rose to eye level with Yan Shouyi. The paper snakes beneath his feet coalesced into a giant python over thirty meters long!
The python’s body was thicker than a car tire. Its fearsome triangular head bore three pairs of six dark eyes. Upon opening its mouth, it revealed rows of jagged teeth, and its forked tongue, over two meters long, flicked out!
A single bite from this giant python was enough to swallow a grown man whole!
As if to mock Yan Shouyi, A Gong asked, “What do you think of my giant python?”
Yan Shouyi smiled, “Snakes eat small sparrows, but they are also eaten by eagles. Guess whether my San Yuan is the sparrow or the eagle?”
“Shall we find out?”
With A Gong’s command, the giant python surged forward. The man and the python attacked Yan Shouyi and San Yuan together!