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"Damn, I thought the Corpse Puppets of Chenzhou were their deadliest weapon! Turns out the Yan Family's Twin Fiends have an even nastier trump card—the Evil Body Contract Technique! These two old freaks are seriously something else—" Shawn Young was secretly shocked, but he knew this much: since ancient times, the Yan Family of Xiangxi had flourished from the Spring and Autumn period, passing down generations of spirit-summoning and ghost-banishing arts. No wonder they possessed such a forbidden technique!
As soon as Yan Long transformed into the ancient evil god Hellhorned Behemoth, those fleshy wings spread wide—whoosh!—he shot into the air, and his blood-red maw opened—"Whoosh!"—spewing a pillar of blazing fire straight at Shawn Young.
Shawn quickly dodged to the side. The flames brushed his jacket, almost catching his body, and everything the fire touched burst into flames. Shawn broke out in a cold sweat—he knew this wasn't ordinary fire, but a special kind of 'Bone-Clinging Ghostfire'! If it got on your body, you couldn't put it out by normal means; you'd be burned alive!
The Hellhorned Behemoth opened its jaws again. Shawn focused his qi, formed the 'Lotus Seal' with his palms, slapped and spread them, shouting, "White Lotus Shield, Dharma Manifest—Absolve!"
Boom! A dreamy white lotus blossomed on Shawn's chest, radiating a soft white light.
Whoosh! The Hellhorned Behemoth's demonic flames swept down, but were instantly absorbed by the dazzling white lotus, snuffed out as if swallowed by its light.
"No matter the sins, no matter the killing, when met by the celestial lotus, all can be purified! Lay down your blade and salvation is at hand—" Shawn tossed the white lotus skyward, its light piercing the black-red miasma all around. He chanted the Soul Transcendence Sutra, as if trying to redeem the ancient evil god Hellhorned Behemoth.
"Save your preaching! Hand over your life!" The Hellhorned Behemoth roared midair, shaking both arms. Instantly, the sky grew dark as a howling wind swept in, with flames, sand, lightning, and hailstorming down on Shawn, the sheer force earth-shaking and tyrannical!
Shawn frowned, surging his qi as his hands traced a wide arc overhead. The dazzling white lotus descended, its light forming a protective barrier around him. All of the Hellhorned Behemoth's attacks crashed against it, but couldn't harm him in the slightest. Still, under the relentless assault, the white barrier's glow began to fade.
"Crap—at this rate I won't last much longer!" Shawn cursed to himself. He still hadn't figured out how to deal with the Hellhorned Behemoth, since he didn't know its weakness!
The Hellhorned Behemoth screeched and swooped through the air, unleashing wave after wave of destructive power at Shawn's barrier. It knew perfectly well that Shawn's defense wouldn't hold much longer—
Just as Shawn was feeling lost and helpless, a strong male voice sounded in his ear: "Kid, if you want to beat the Hellhorned Behemoth, you need to borrow power from a celestial spirit!"
"Uh—Borrow a spirit? But, I don't think I'm strong enough! And, which celestial should I borrow from?" Shawn shouted, looking around in confusion.
"Not strong enough? Then use the Breaking Sun Blood to unleash your potential! It's risky, but it's the only way! Once your power peaks and your spirit leaves your body, a celestial will come to possess you! I can't say which one!" the male voice quickly instructed Shawn.
"Oh! Breaking Sun Blood—I get it!" Shawn instantly understood the man's hint. He gritted his teeth, bit down hard on the middle fingers of both hands, filling his mouth with the taste of blood. Blood dripped from his fingers, but that wasn't enough—he bit his tongue, then punched his own nose—bang!—and a stream of nosebleed gushed out. Blood covered his face, but he didn't care; his barrier was fading fast!
"Kid, hurry up, or it'll be too late!" the male voice urged again.
Following the Codex of Ascension's instructions for summoning a celestial spirit, Shawn pressed his left hand to his heart, channeled his purest qi, and chanted: "The Dao gives birth to the lotus, shining on all beings, heaven and earth united, nirvana in my body, heart and voice as one, golden light radiates, a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, spirits from all directions, heaven and earth mysterious and vast, endless Dharma, grant me true divinity, celestial spirit descend—Absolve!"
Finishing the spell, Shawn formed the 'Sword Seal' with his middle fingers, then spat out a mouthful of Breaking Sun Blood—splat! He traced a talisman in midair with the flying blood, slapped his chest, and shouted, "Celestial spirit, possess me now!"
Boom!! A blinding golden light crashed down from the heavens, its force overwhelming and majestic, engulfing Shawn. He floated into the air, his body rapidly expanding—within seconds, he'd transformed into a seven- or eight-meter-tall divine general, regal and handsome, wielding a double-edged blade, clad in golden armor embroidered with an eight-clawed dragon, surrounded by swirling purple mist!
Most incredible of all—this divine general was flanked by a hawk and a hound. The hawk's silver eyes gleamed, its golden feathers shone, and its black beak and steel talons looked fierce. The hound was jet-black and glossy, not a single stray hair, barking with a thunderous roar—its presence wild and ferocious, clearly no ordinary beast!
The divine general pointed his double-edged blade at the Hellhorned Behemoth and shouted, "Vile creature, prepare to die! Howling Sky Hound—join me!" His voice was like a tiger's roar and a dragon's cry, awe-inspiring and radiant!