On the ruins, Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai looked at the man before them with complex expressions, in silence.
Though they had not personally experienced it, they could still feel a sense of emotion from the other's description.
The inability to die, trapped in one place and enduring an eternal loneliness, was likely unbearable for any living being.
That Zhu Wudang had not collapsed mentally and become a mindless beast was a testament to his immensely powerful will.
"What do you wish for us to do?" Lin Yubai asked.
However, both of them already had a vague guess, anticipating that the other party's hope lay in their ability to dispel the grey-white death qi.
Perhaps only by removing the death qi from his body could he find release and no longer be bound to this physical form.
"I implore you both to exert your full strength and destroy all the death qi within me."
As expected, Zhu Wudang's request was no different from what they had imagined.
Yet, upon confirming their thoughts, they couldn't help but murmur to themselves, their expressions filled with a hint of worry.
If it were ordinary death qi, it would be child's play for them. But this death qi, accumulated over thousands of years, had become unimaginably dense. With only the cultivation of the Ling Realm, it might prove insufficient.
"If we can do this, what is the great fortune you previously promised?" Ji Yuan asked directly after a moment of thought.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Wudang's voice immediately responded, "As long as you possess the means to eliminate this death qi, you will gain immense merit that a sect could barely accumulate over a thousand years of effort!"
He clearly stated that death qi was a form of filth in heaven and earth, causing damage to the Great Dao. If it could be refined and dissolved, unimaginable merit would be obtained.
And in this once-prosperous Xuanhuang City, there were many beings like Zhu Wudang!
Even without doing much, solving one or two such existences would yield heavenly bestowed merit in quantities that a powerful sect could not accumulate through centuries of effort.
At this moment, Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai were inevitably moved, their eyes gleaming with fervor.
If the other party had only offered treasures or spiritual items, no matter how precious, they would have carefully considered whether to agree.
But if it were a vast amount of merit, regardless of any suspicion or caution, they would have to try their best.
"Alright! We agree!"
The two exchanged glances, then spoke one after another.
Although Zhu Wudang's expression remained stiff, showing no emotion, he immediately turned and led them to a more open area.
As they walked, his figure seemed somewhat rushed, as if eager to begin dispelling the death qi immediately.
"There are not many ruins around here, and the ground is quite stable. You can use your methods with confidence," Zhu Wudang's voice rang out, his tone filled with nervousness.
Even with his millennia of accumulated mental fortitude, enduring endless loneliness and torment, it seemed to be faltering at this moment.
The two nodded, exchanged glances, and a silent understanding passed between them.
Then, Lin Yubai stepped forward two to three paces, his spiritual energy slowly surging, transforming into streaks of violent lightning.
With a flick of his finger, countless bolts of lightning erupted, striking Zhu Wudang's body.
The physical body, tempered by death qi for thousands of years, emitted a dull, bell-like thud the instant the lightning struck, followed by a torrent of grey-white death qi spewing forth.
He immediately amplified his spiritual energy, making the lightning several times stronger, causing the grey-white death qi to dissipate under this power.
However, at this rate, even if all the spiritual energy stored in the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower were exhausted, it would likely not be enough to remove even one-tenth or two-tenths of the death qi from his body.
But this was merely a test. After observing for a moment, Lin Yubai had a plan forming in his mind.
He quickly formed hand seals, weaving intricate incantations. His lightning grew more concentrated, and with a low roar, it suddenly burst outwards.
Thick lightning bolts intertwined, forming a lion phantom. This was the lightning lion he had previously unleashed, capable of rivaling cultivators in the third realm.
Compared to the hurried display before, this lightning-drawn lion was now more complete, and the aura it exuded was several times stronger.
With an endless supply of spiritual energy, Lin Yubai unhesitatingly spat out a lightning pearl. His hand seals shifted, and he manipulated it to ascend into the air, merging into the head of the lifelike lightning lion.
"Beast of Thunder, descend!"
He whispered, and the ten-foot-tall lightning lion leaped into the sky twenty feet above, transforming into a mighty bolt of lightning that struck downwards.
A flash of lightning streaked by, followed by a violent thunderclap. The area was instantly engulfed in a blinding light, and the deafening roars of thunder echoed.
Half an hour later, as the extraordinary phenomena gradually subsided, Zhu Wudang's figure reappeared before them.
However, compared to before, his entire body was now shrouded in grey-white death qi. Even from several yards away, an incessant chill could be felt emanating from within him.
This icy chill was unlike ordinary阴 coldness; it carried a sharp sense of annihilation, as if it could sever all life in the world.
And indeed, this power of death and annihilation was the antithesis of all life. If left unchecked and allowed to grow, it would not only bring disaster to living beings but also cause irreparable damage to the entire world.
"Your strength is considerable, but you are still a bit short of removing this death qi," Zhu Wudang's voice resonated, tinged with helplessness and disappointment.
The power of this technique was comparable to a full-power strike from a third-realm cultivator. While it had a decent effect on dissipating death qi, it leaned more towards offensive combat, consuming an excessive amount of spiritual energy.
A single strike had depleted nearly twenty percent of the spiritual energy accumulated within the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower.
Lin Yubai gave a wry smile. His abilities were all focused on offensive combat. The lightning techniques he cultivated were primarily designed for destruction. Though they had a remarkable effect on death qi, they were not specifically suited for its eradication.
If he used too little power, he would spend all his spiritual energy without much effect. If he used too much, it would be a loss.
Helpless, he retreated a few steps, his gaze falling on the young Daoist beside him.
Ji Yuan sighed, thinking that if even Lin Yubai was at a loss, could he possibly do better?
But the thought of immense merit filling him upon success, he knew he had to try his utmost.
After a brief contemplation, he took out dozens of talismans and flung them all outwards, causing them to float densely around Zhu Wudang.
Within a few breaths, as the talismans' cores were ignited, several different energies manifested.
The powers released by these talismans included Buddhist scriptures for transcendence, Confucian prayers, and Daoist incantations.
There was also no lack of pure, majestic righteousness, robust and upright Yang energy, and even fiery, furnace-like vital energy.
These powers could all exert a significant effect on death qi. It was visible how, amidst the multicolored light, large amounts of grey-white energy rose, constantly dissipating and being annihilated.
When the light subsided, the damage inflicted on the grey-white death qi by these dozens of unranked talismans far exceeded Lin Yubai's full-power strike!
However, Ji Yuan soon became worried rather than pleased, as the speed at which the death qi regenerated within the other party was exceeding his expectations.
The death qi that had been dissipated by the talismans was almost entirely restored within a few breaths, recovering nearly ten percent.
At this rate, even if he consumed all the talismans he possessed, or even frantically drew them on the spot, the outcome would likely be in vain.
"Will I never be free, forever enduring this torment?" Zhu Wudang's voice was filled with profound powerlessness and indescribable despair.
The thought that thousands of years were not the end, and that he might have to endure such torment forever, made him wish for immediate annihilation.
But if his wish were to come true, he would not be here now, begging the two before him for help.
"You have no way either?" Lin Yubai couldn't help but ask.
Disappointment also flickered in his eyes. He had thought he would gain immense merit, but even after exhausting all his methods, he was unable to completely remove the death qi that had festered for thousands of years.
"There is one more method we can try."
Ji Yuan's brow furrowed, and he then gently tossed the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower, which he held in his palm, into the air.
The tower slowly flew above Zhu Wudang's head, and under the manipulation of various hand seals, countless radiant lights descended, enveloping his body.
He silently circulated the core principles of the Xuan Tian Dao Jing, allowing the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower to draw in a wisp of death qi and slowly absorb it into the tower. It began to refine it bit by bit with its spirit-devouring power.
Previously, he had hesitated to try refining death qi, fearing it would pollute his artifact. Now, he could only attempt it.
Under the expectant gazes of the two, a wisp of death qi was entangled by layers of light within the tower. With a slight spin of the small tower in mid-air, it was actually annihilated in a flash, transforming into a wisp of pure spiritual energy.
Seeing this, the two's eyes lit up with joy. This method actually worked, and not only did it not consume their own spiritual energy, but it also replenished it.
Ji Yuan immediately formed several hand seals, steadily increasing the amount of death qi being absorbed, continuously refining it into streams of pure spiritual energy.
Later, as countless lights descended, a dark void appeared at the bottom of the small tower, and a powerful suction even formed a vortex, relentlessly devouring the dense death qi.
"I can feel the shackles that have bound me for thousands of years weakening bit by bit!" Zhu Wudang's voice rang out, filled with excitement and joy.
At this moment, an endless torrent of grey-white death qi was erupting from his body, all of it flowing into the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower above his head.