Compared to the unscrupulous Ku Mountain Sect, Shi Zhongyu suffered the greatest shock.

She skipped over the horrifying history of two hundred years ago and went straight to the point: "Using human corpses as materials for the disaster-blocking talisman? Isn't that desecrating innocent victims? This kind of thing..."

The stubbornness common to Taiheng Sect disciples had appeared.

Chen Qianfan sneered, "The disaster-blocking talisman is powerful, so the requirement for materials is naturally high. It's not strange to use humans as materials. Little girl, if you don't want to offend the dead, then choose a person with abundant inner energy and kill them yourself. They can also be used as materials - I think that fox-eyed boy is very suitable."

Shi Jingzhi: "..."

He was originally still marveling at the strangeness of the Secret Book, but now his attention had to shift back.

Shi Zhongyu naturally refused to kill indiscriminately: "Senior must be joking."

"Isn't that settled then? A living person's life is more important than preserving the dignity of a dead person. Are you going to protect your sect leader or preserve the corpse of someone who died two hundred years ago? You decide."

Shi Zhongyu's face turned pale and green, but in the end, she gave in. She sighed softly, "After going through this, I no longer have the face to accuse the Red Hook Sect of being a demon cult."

Chen Qianfan nodded in satisfaction, "Being stubborn is one thing, but at least you're not stubborn to the point of no return. Not bad."

This old man had a way of complimenting people with a hint of insult.

Meanwhile, the eerie Secret Book finished devouring the body of the deer demon and stood quietly in place, waiting for the surrounding small demons to feast on the remains. The white snow reflected the early spring sunlight, making the pile of corpses clear as day.

The bodies were stuck together, their skin melting into each other like some kind of eerie flesh scales. The writing on the skin slowed down, but the content was still visible. It wasn't the neat handwriting style common of the Yun Dynasty, but rather a tadpole-like symbol of a spell.

"Alright, for the next few days, it will only wander around this area. If you can tear one of the bodies down, our work will be complete."

"Miss Shi, I'll go, my Yang fire can overcome Yin evil," volunteered Shi Jingzhi.

But before he could take a step, he received a loud slap from Chen Qianfan. Chen Qianfan's slap was full of internal force, and Shi Jingzhi covered his head, his eyes seeing stars.

"Like hell you're going. You're the most dangerous one among this group," Chen Qianfan said angrily. "Didn't I just tell you that this Secret Book needs to be handled with care? Just the formation spell engraved on a piece of corpse can take someone four or five years to study. This is the treasure of the entire Mi Mountain Sect - what Yang fire, would your family use a torch to retrieve gold and ink paintings?"

"But..." However, ordinary landscape paintings don't bite people, and this thing looks dangerous no matter how you look at it.

"Only those who are capable can obtain the Secret Book, so you must be careful. If you damage parts of the Secret Book that haven't yet been decoded due to overestimating your abilities, you will be expelled from the sect if you're lucky, and hunted down by the Mi Mountain Sect if you're unlucky. Do you want to give it a try?"

Shi Jingzhi choked on the spot.

Yin Ci shook his head silently on the side.

Setting aside the unknown strength of the Secret Book, just this rule alone has got Shi Jingzhi stuck. When it comes to fighting, Shi Jingzhi relies on brute force and uses the power of the Yang fire to suppress his opponents. Now that his internal skills and qingging are up to par, the only thing he lacks is finesse and control.

This matter can only be done by Shi Zhongyu and himself.

"Alright, I've said what needs to be said. Wait another half an incense stick's time, then you can give it a try. Remember to be gentle, and I'll assist you with my spells."

Yin Ci raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you coming with us, senior?"

Old Man Chen stood his ground. "This thing is extremely dangerous, and I value my life. What, you've already made me do so much, and now you want me to risk my life too?"

Yin Ci suspected that the old man had been eyeing the ancient corpse's formation spells, but he couldn't face the Secret Book alone. That's why he had brought them along to do the heavy lifting.

However, this suited them just fine. This transaction of the disaster-blocking talisman was fair and just, without owing any favors.

While he was thinking, Chen Qianfan opened his old record book and quickly jotted down a few lines with a charcoal pencil. He didn't hide anything from them and his handwriting was neat and clear, easily visible at a glance.

Old Man Chen recorded the arrival time of the Ku Mountain Sect and Shi Zhongyu, their purpose for coming, and the need for two sets of disaster-blocking talismans. Then, he glanced at Yin Ci and added a few unfamiliar characters that looked like tadpoles before stopping.

After finishing the recording, Chen Qianfan spread the record book on the snowy ground together with the charcoal pencil. He then used his true energy to form a formation out of thin air.

Yin Ci's expression changed slightly.

It was a delicate destructive spell, specifically designed to destroy memories. Years ago, Yin Ci had also considered using it to seek liberation. He had asked someone to use this spell on him, but unfortunately it relied on physical destruction and was no match for Yin Ci's self-healing ability, so it had no effect on him.

This spell had definitely been improved by Chen Qianfan. If the original spell was compared to a bone-cutting knife, then the one he was using was more like a delicate sculpting knife, quick and precise in his actions.

The spell took effect, but the target of the attack was Chen Qianfan himself.

A faint white light flashed, and Chen Qianfan was stunned for a moment. He looked around the environment somewhat dazedly, then lowered his head to read the words on the record book.

After reading those few lines, he straightened his back and packed up the heavy book.

No one recognized the true nature of the technique except for Yin Ci. The technique was completed and applied to Chen Qianfan himself, and they all thought that the old man wanted to enhance his own abilities.

However, Chen Qianfan's reaction was strange. He didn't seem to be strengthened by the technique, but rather confused by it.

The tense atmosphere before the battle suddenly turned into confusion. Chen Qianfan calmly soaked in the confusion, his eyes scanning everyone one by one.

His gaze was cold and clean. His desire for Shi Jingzhi as a "good material," his approval of Shi Zhongyu, and even his thirst to question Yin Ci for his technique had disappeared without a trace.

It was as if it was their first meeting yesterday.

Compared to before, the old man's attitude hadn't changed much. After observing everyone, Chen Qianfan grunted and his sharp tone remained: "Enough, go already."

Yin Ci cleared his throat and asked on behalf of his two confused companions, "Senior, this is...?"

"Just deleting unnecessary memories," Chen Qianfan replied, as if he was already familiar with this situation and couldn't be bothered to even look over.

"Becoming an immortal means severing the seven emotions and six desires. Any unnecessary fate should be discarded, as it will only cause trouble. Alright, you guys go and deal with the corpses. Little fox-eyed boy, I've just given you a convenient look at how easy it is to remove memories."

Yin Ci understood.

No wonder Chen Qianfan didn't ask for their names. He was prepared to forget them from the very beginning.

In his eyes, they were just three young juniors he had met for the first time. Chen Qianfan knew nothing about them, and even if they were covered in bloody injuries in front of him, he wouldn't have any personal feelings towards them.

Turning such worldly encounters into a few words on paper is a heartless and ruthless way to deal with them.

No wonder Chen Qianfan, who had been a man of passion, was able to isolate himself from the world for thirty years in the northern lands.

Yin Ci wasn't surprised, this method was cruel but effective. He had already sent away generation after generation of people, from young men in their prime to old men being buried and incensed. Countless love, hate, and grudges were washed away, forgotten by all but leaving a faint impression in his heart.

No matter how big the stormy waves were, looking back now, they were just a short phrase of "such a matter did happen" and could not evoke any nostalgia.

Unfortunately, Yin Ci and Chen Qianfan were ultimately different, and Yin Ci didn't have such a convenient spell to make memories fade away instantly. Before time could dilute his memories, he could only keep them engraved in his heart.

Yin Ci drew his sword, the Hanging Shadow Sword, and glanced at Shi Jingzhi unintentionally. A few steps away, Shi Jingzhi stared at Chen Qianfan, his fear of the Secret Book dissipated, his face pensive.

A hundred years later, would Shi Jingzhi just be another "such a matter did happen"to him?

Yin Ci tightened his grip on the sword.

He let out a breath, leaving behind the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and charged towards the terrifying Secret Book not far away.

......

To be honest, the Secret Book was even more difficult to deal with than Yin Ci had imagined.

Nowadays, the land of Mi Lan is barren, but the Secret Book is large in size. Its energy source is insufficient, and its movements are not very fast. Yin Ci's precise swordsmanship with the Sweeping Bone Sword should have been able to restrain this thing.

Unfortunately, with Shi Zhongyu by his side, the Sweeping Bone Sword was not convenient to use. Secondly, the spells of this thing were really strange and mysterious. He and Shi Zhongyu had been busy for half an hour, but they still couldn't even scratch its skin.

It seemed as though there was an invisible, sticky aura surrounding the Secret Book. Whenever Yin Ci's sword swept past, nearby corpses convulsed and magical symbols instantly gathered, flashing a bright red light.

Yin Ci felt as though he had hit something soft and resilient, causing his sword to slip and not even touch the corpse. The ground beneath the Secret Book's feet was crawling with annoying little monsters, so he couldn't stay on the ground for too long and had no time to wear it down slowly.

Therefore, Yin Ci decided to focus his attack on one spot.

He locked onto a corpse on the Secret Book's waist, his black sword reflecting the snow's light, fast as lightning, as if it wanted to shatter the cold wind.

However, the Secret Book seemed to have seen through his plan. The aura gathered around Yin Ci's attack point, and murky liquid oozed out of the corpse's seams, mixing with the aura to form a soft, mushy pus-filled sac, making the surface even more slippery.

Facing the giant monster, having no inner strength was always the most fatal weakness. It was like cutting through a lump of mud and water for Yin Ci, who couldn't even leave a scratch on the creature's body.

Not far away, Shi Zhongyu, although possessing inner strength, was in a tigher spot than Yin Ci.

Several snake-like spells wrapped around the blade of her Green Maiden Sword, corroding it with pits and bumps.

If it weren't for Shi Zhongyu's quick decision to abandon the sword, she would have lost her right hand. One of the spells had already touched her fingertip, turning it into an unnatural shade of green and white.

Shi Zhongyu acted decisively, pulling out a small knife and cutting off half of her fingertip. Blood splattered everywhere as the spell was satisfied and the small piece of finger was quickly rolled up into the Secret Book.

"Hmm. I've pretty much figured out your techniques."

Throughout the whole process, Chen Qianfan watched on with a calm demeanor, stroking his messy beard. Shi Jingzhi clenched his fists tightly, his face serious, lost in thought.

"The girl has some determination, but her talent is limited. You, with your dead person's face, why are you still holding back at this point?"

Yin Ci sheathed his sword and landed gracefully on the snowy ground. "I was just testing it a little."

Shi Zhongyu also stopped at the sound of his words. She hadn't had time to bandage her wounds, and drops of blood stained the snow like scattered plum blossoms. "Please, senior, give us some guidance."

Chen Qianfan waved his hand. "Rest for a while. It won't leave immediately. First, sort out your own problems. If you're distracted and helpless, you won't be able to deal with the Secret Book."

"From what I've seen of your skills, if you want to deal with it, you'll have to go all out."

Chen Qianfan's eyes fixed on Yin Ci.

"Especially you," he said.