Few people in the entire Daoist martial world are as insane as I am.
When at a complete disadvantage, I not only refrained from summoning the twelve demon souls for assistance.
Instead, I used this fish-headed monster as a whetstone for my sword.
I leveraged the pressure it exerted on me to find an opportunity for a breakthrough.
Of course, I had a certain degree of confidence, this wasn't mindless recklessness.
Back when the fox tribe of Fox Mountain was worshipping the Fox Ancestor, I had already touched the gateway to the True Light realm.
I was just lacking a catalyst to push open that gate.
Encountering this fish-headed demon spirit now was perfectly timed.
As I unleashed my sword strike.
A sword energy six or seven meters long blasted forth.
The river water churned, and the surface continuously roared with the sound of rushing water.
The ghostly phantom fish that had been close to me suffered heavy casualties.
The fish-headed monster, pushed back, revealed an expression of astonishment.
Its green eyes held disbelief:
"You've actually… broken through!"
I couldn't speak, but I offered a cold smile.
Seeing this, the fish-headed monster, enraged, continued to speak:
"Don't think that with two beads, you are invincible. In this water, I am the one who calls the shots!"
With that, the fish-headed monster clapped its hands together.
Before it, a swastika symbol appeared.
But this swastika was condensed from black light.
And coalesced from the malevolent yin energy of corpse demons.
I was surprised inwardly, did this fish-headed monster believe in Buddhism?
Though I didn't know what it intended to do, I could already feel an evil power gathering within the fish-headed monster's entire body.
Hai Zhu's voice also echoed in my ear at this moment:
"Young Master Qin, last night I suffered a great loss under this black swastika symbol."
Hai Zhu's cultivation was not low, for this swastika symbol to cause him trouble.
It was evident how dangerous it was.
As I was contemplating how to respond.
Suddenly, a golden light shone from the treasure pouch at my waist.
A wave of Buddhist aura emanated outwards.
I looked down and a hint of joy appeared on my face.
It was the vajra pestle…
This item was one of Shaoling's magical artifacts.
The exclusive Dharma artifact of the previous Shaolin Abbot.
It belonged to the category of Buddhist Dharma treasures.
I had brought it back from Mount Wudang but hadn't used it since.
Because it felt awkward to handle, and I didn't know how to use it.
I only knew it was an extraordinary magical artifact.
But I never expected that at this moment, it would be triggered by the fish-headed monster's swastika symbol.
Amidst my surprise, I didn't hesitate.
I directly took the vajra pestle out of the treasure pouch.
The vajra pestle emitted a golden radiance in the water.
The inscriptions on it became clearly visible.
That Buddhist energy flowed through the vajra pestle.
"Heaven aids me!"
I retracted my peach wood sword and held the vajra pestle.
The fish-headed demon spirit opposite me was also somewhat startled at this moment.
It also noticed the vajra pestle in my hand.
Its face held disbelief:
"Aren't you a Daoist? How do you have a vajra pestle?"
I really wanted to retort, "You talk too much."
However, at my current realm, I couldn't speak underwater.
I could only brandish the vajra pestle and charge towards the fish-headed monster.
The swastika symbol before the fish-headed monster had already formed; the arrow was on the string and had to be loosed.
It pushed its hands forward:
"Evil Buddha Swastika Annihilation!"
It roared muffledly in the water, and the black swastika symbol rapidly attacked me.
I held the vajra pestle and smashed it towards the swastika symbol.
"Break!"
A muffled roar erupted from my mouth.
Following that, a dull thud.
"Bang!"
The swastika symbol, condensed from malevolent yin corpse energy, instantly shattered under my vajra pestle.
The surging energy transformed into water ripples, rippling outwards in all directions.
Those minor ghostly phantoms, apart from mournful cries, were utterly incapable of resistance.
Those corpse fish were also torn apart by the shockwave, with more than half of them killed.
The fish-headed monster was terrified, shrinking back repeatedly.
Meanwhile, I had formed a hand seal with one hand.
Controlling the Yin and Yang beads, I sent them attacking rapidly…
The Yin and Yang energies converged, carrying the water ripples, like a water cannon.
The fish-headed monster swiftly dodged, barely evading it.
But I, holding the vajra pestle, had already reached its front.
I plunged it directly towards its head:
The fish-headed monster was filled with terror, instinctively raising its hand to block:
"No!"
"Bang!"
Another cracking sound, and the vajra pestle in my hand pierced through its palm and stabbed into its chest.
Its entire body was pinned to the bottom of the water by me.
In an instant, a golden swastika symbol appeared on the fish-headed monster's chest.
The fish-headed monster's face contorted in pain:
"Ah! Ah…"
I stared at him coldly, gazing at his big carp-like head.
With a cold snort.
I exerted more force with my hand.
The swastika symbol erupted with golden light.
The fish-headed demon spirit, at that very second, exploded, its soul scattered and vanished.
As soon as the fish-headed demon spirit died, the surrounding specters began to wail "wuwuwu" and flee in all directions.
Those corpse fish also expelled a puff of black gas from their mouths, then their bellies turned white, and they floated towards the surface.
At this moment, I looked at the fish-headed monster whose soul had vanished.
I discovered that a black bead had appeared at the bottom of the water, bearing a swastika symbol.
When ghosts die, they leave behind their core; but this was the first time I had seen such a ghost core.
It was extraordinary.
The next second, I heard Shen Hou's voice.
"This is a ghost sarira, the bead of the ghost Buddha."
Ghost Buddha's bead?
This was the first time I had heard of it; it was likely either a greatly auspicious or a greatly evil item.
I couldn't leave it here.
I directly picked up this ghost Buddha bead and put it away.
I paid no attention to the fleeing specters, as these specters were no threat.
Without demonic energies to coalesce them, they were like headless flies.
No one to guide them, no one to escort them.
They would dissipate upon encountering intense sunlight.
Therefore, I, holding the ghost Buddha bead, swiftly swam towards the surface…