Chapter 40: The Ruined Taoist Temple-Você disse que me daria um divórcio digno, mas depois de se divorciar se arrependeu(Uma noite tão bela, por quê...)

"Chen... Dao Leader?"

Fu Ankang was bewildered. As a businessman, he obviously had no idea what the title "Dao Leader Chen" signified. However, judging by the shock—and even the kneeling—of Jiang Mingyuan, the weight of Chen Fan’s reputation was self-evident.

The terrified Soul-Swallower finally snapped back to reality. Looking at the young man before him, he pushed himself backward with his hands. "You! You are that Dao Leader Chen?"

Trembling, the Soul-Swallower stared at Chen Fan. "No, no! That’s impossible! How could Dao Leader Chen come to Qingcheng?"

Chen Fan walked slowly toward the Soul-Swallower and said indifferently, "Whether I am Dao Leader Chen or not is irrelevant. Because it is I who will be the one to kill you."

Chen Fan raised his hand, and a vortex of yin energy coalesced in his left palm. The vortex resembled an abyss, impossible to gaze into or fathom, and it began to pull at the Soul-Swallower's spirit.

"You can't kill me!" the Soul-Swallower cried out frantically. "If you kill me, the Ghost Nether Sect will never let you go! I am the most brilliant disciple the Ghost Nether Sect has produced in a hundred years. If you kill me, you will be hunted for all eternity!"

Chen Fan said nothing. Instead, several spectral wraiths flew out from the yin vortex in his left hand. They passed through the Soul-Swallower’s physical body, cutting off his words instantly. His body went rigid, and his struggling soul was forcibly dragged out and pulled into the vortex. The spectral wraiths that the Soul-Swallower had released scattered and fled in every direction.

"He's dead..."

"Such a powerful evil cultivator... just like that, he’s dead..."

Jiang Mingyuan stood there, his face blank. Was this... the legendary Dao Leader Chen? A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of his own earlier attitude toward Chen Fan. Would he, too, be dragged off by Chen Fan to be refined into a spectral wraith?

Chen Fan retracted the Bodhisattva of Seeking Dao and the Vajra of Seeking Dao, then turned his attention to Fu Ankang. A slight smile touched his lips. "It is done. Your crisis has been averted."

"However, there is one more thing. If you want the Liangmian Mountain project to be profitable and avoid making people feel uneasy, you should go and dismiss the construction crew that came today immediately. If you let them keep searching, they are going to stumble upon this bastard’s lair." Chen Fan gestured toward the lifeless body of the Soul-Swallower lying on the ground.

"Understood..." Fu Ankang nodded repeatedly. He couldn't see what was happening, but the occasional cold drafts, gusts of wind, and mournful wailing that echoed around them filled him with awe. "Xiao Li, come with me to notify them at once." Fu Ankang hurried off with his assistant.

Jiang Mingyuan looked at Chen Fan with eyes full of reverence. "Chen, Dao Leader Chen..."

"What is it?" Chen Fan glanced at him. Even though Chen Fan’s expression remained unchanged, an inexplicable pressure made it difficult for Jiang Mingyuan to breathe.

"About what happened earlier, I was blind and failed to recognize that you were the renowned Dao Leader. I..." Jiang Mingyuan wanted to apologize, but Chen Fan waved his hand coldly, cutting him off.

"What happened before is unimportant," Chen Fan said calmly. "I no longer wish to be involved in the affairs of the Feng Shui world. I hope you understand that."

"Understood! Understood!" Jiang Mingyuan nodded vigorously, his face filled with gratitude. "I will certainly not know anything about a 'Dao Leader Chen' being in Qingcheng!"

"Bring a light and follow me." Chen Fan did not respond, but after speaking, he headed deep into Liangmian Mountain.

As part of the Liangmian Mountain project, a new highway was planned for the area. Whoever secured the development rights would be able to drive economic growth. Fu Ankang’s plan to build an amusement park, regardless of its profitability or economic impact, first required changing the landscape of the mountain, which meant leveling a section of land. Coincidentally, the planned site included the Soul-Swallower’s hideout.

Chen Fan’s left hand gathered yin energy, and the Soul-Swallower’s soul, now refined into a spectral wraith, leapt out from the vortex. Watching this, Jiang Mingyuan was filled with awe. "As expected of Dao Leader Chen. Legend has it that for an evil cultivator to refine a ghost, even a common human soul takes ten days or half a month."

Chen Fan ignored the flattery and spoke to the Soul-Swallower, "Go, lead me to your hideout."

The Soul-Swallower, expressionless, flew toward a corner. He came to a halt, hovering three inches above the ground.

"Three Purities, three cleanses, let the hidden laws be revealed."

Chen Fan cast a spell, and the corner of the cliff at Liangmian Mountain instantly shifted. Before them appeared an old Taoist temple. The temple did not worship the Three Pure Ones or the heavenly immortals; instead, it housed a statue with three heads, six arms, and a green face with fangs. The two statues at the entrance were smaller, only human-sized, but inside stood a statue at least ten meters tall.

"Why does this thing feel familiar?" Chen Fan frowned. He could tell this was not the wild mountain god he had encountered before, but rather a demonic entity being worshipped.

"The yin energy is too heavy!" Jiang Mingyuan trembled, feeling his hair stand on end. Even though the statue with the green face and fangs was staring straight ahead, he felt as if its eyes were watching him every single second.

Chen Fan studied the eerie statue, unable to recall where he had seen it before. "Forget it, it’s just a demon; it doesn't matter."

Chen Fan pushed open the temple doors, and a thick, foul stench surged out. The smell of long-rotting decay, once the doors were opened, seemed to 'flee' out into the open air. Jiang Mingyuan’s face turned deathly pale.

Chen Fan stepped inside, and what met his eyes were large porcelain jars, row after row. The jars had lids, and Chen Fan walked over to uncover one. The sight inside made him fall silent. Jiang Mingyuan, enduring his discomfort, stepped forward to peek inside out of curiosity. Immediately, he could no longer hold it back, and he bent over, retching violently.