Chapter 477: The Terrifying Old Daoist Priest
The Clashing Powers
Linda was never a person with a good temper, and the old man's series of actions fueled her anger.
"Old Daoist, you'd better hand over the object, or else..."
She put force into her right leg, which sank deeply into the stone slab.
Zhang Haoyan raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised.
"Such great force. I didn't realize you, little girl, possessed such a terrifying body. However..." he shifted his tone, "relying solely on this to defeat me may not be so easy."
"You asked for this!"
The girl's foot stomped, and she instantly appeared in front of Zhang Haoyan. She didn't dare use too much strength, only giving a light push with her palm to his chest. Though the movement was light, the contained power was enough to shove a heavy-duty truck.
However, in the next second, a strange thing happened: her right hand didn't meet anything solid and passed right through the man's chest.
"This..."
Linda was stunned and quickly retreated, her eyes flashing with undisguised shock.
"You... you're not human?"
"Of course this old Daoist is human, but a Spirit Man."
Zhang Haoyan stroked his beard. His body grew taller at a visible speed. Golden light overflowed from his body, illuminating the entire mountain. The intense light almost seared the eyes. In the blink of an eye, the withered old man transformed into a golden-armored giant over three meters tall.
The giant stood on a lotus pedestal, and various weapons like golden maces, golden whips, golden rings, and golden swords emerged from behind him.
At this moment, he resembled a celestial war god descending into the mortal world from myth and legend, radiating immense power.
Linda's eyes were wide as saucers; she was completely bewildered. No such thing was heard of on Krypton or Earth. What exactly was this?
"Girl, one last warning: leave Qingyun Mountain, or the old Daoist will have no choice but to keep you."
After transforming into the "Giant God," Zhang Haoyan's voice became vast and magnificent, like a massive bell tolling in the ear. With just one sentence, Linda felt dizzy and disoriented.
Mental attack?
Another mental attack.
Damn Luke, this is all your fault! I wouldn't be suffering this if it weren't for saving you.
The girl cursed the scoundrel countless times in her heart, but her body refused to retreat. Red light suffused her eyes, and high-temperature rays shot out. After passing through the "Giant," they left a deep pit in the stone wall.
Zhang Haoyan shook his head slightly, grabbed the golden mace, and brought it down hard.
Golden light rushed toward her, carrying a soul-shattering momentum. Linda wanted to dodge, but found she couldn't move. She could only watch with wide eyes as the weapon descended.
Just as the golden mace was about to strike the target, Zhang Haoyan suddenly sighed and retracted the mace. He flexed his finger, and a beam of golden light pierced the space between the girl's eyebrows, landing on the wall.
Linda stood still, her eyes vacant, as if she had lost her soul. After a long time, she finally recovered from her daze.
She took a step back in fear.
"W-What did you do to me?"
Zhang Haoyan said indifferently, "The old Daoist has no grievance with you and no intention of taking your life. That blow was just a warning. If you remain unrepentant, don't blame the old Daoist for being merciless."
Linda was silent. Though she didn't want to admit it, the reality was that she seemed, perhaps, genuinely unable to defeat the old Daoist priest.
What was going on with Earth?
Why were there so many strange things?
As the eldest daughter of the House of Cal and a Kryptonian Superwoman, she was actually being defeated by an old man.
"I can't accept this!"
The girl gritted her teeth, her eyes gradually turning red. Energy boiled around her, morphing into a streaked tiger shadow.
Killing intent burst forth, carrying bone-chilling coldness.
"The Tiger Fiend Scripture!"
Zhang Haoyan's expression changed slightly. "What is your relationship with Lingxu Zi?"
"Mind your own business!"
The girl roared, and the fierce tiger roared along with her. Its body became increasingly solid, almost materializing.
The fierce killing intent counteracted the spiritual pressure emanating from Zhang Haoyan. Linda regained control of her body, her right fist clenched, her murderous intent overwhelming. The energy in her palm took the shape of a ferocious tiger head.
Roooooaaar!
The tiger's roar exploded in the mountains. At this moment, both the disciples cultivating in the temple and Number Eleven at the front gate heard it.
Boom!
The mountain cracked, and white light shot into the sky.
"Oh no!"
Number Eleven slapped his thigh and rushed toward the back mountain. Just as he feared, the violent girl had actually started a fight.
The Apostles Retreat
Below the cave, looking at the huge pit in the wall, Zhang Haoyan's expression became extremely serious.
"At such a young age, you've cultivated the Tiger Fiend Scripture to this extent. It seems the old Daoist must keep you here."
As he spoke, he raised the golden mace. Linda was utterly fearless. Her body encased by the fierce tiger, she delivered a punch upward.
The golden mace shattered, and the momentum of the fist did not diminish, striking through the old Daoist's body and heavily hitting the wall.
Zhang Haoyan let out an angry grunt.
"Five Elements Soul Binding!"
"Go!"
The chains in the cave seemed to come alive, their surfaces flashing with light as they lunged from all directions. The girl quickly threw punches, batting all the chains away. She then changed her fist into a palm, and a chopping hand strike severed a chain.
The old Daoist was furious. The Five Elements Monument and the Five Elements Chains were the treasured artifacts of White Cloud Temple, yet they were being wantonly destroyed by his opponent.
"Lord of Thunder, heed my command! Execute!"
Above the sky, a dark cloud quickly formed. With a thunderous boom, golden lightning pierced through the layers of space and struck down heavily.
The fierce tiger roared at the sky, struggling to fight the lightning.
Alas, its power was too weak. It only lasted for two seconds before being shattered by the lightning. The residual electric light struck Linda, and unimaginable pain surged from the depths of her soul, as if it were about to crack.
Zhang Haoyan moved in close, gently touching the space between the girl's eyebrows with his index finger.
Golden light flashed, turning into a golden talisman that sealed all her senses.
The blood-red glow in her eyes rapidly retreated. The girl stood stock-still, her pupils dilated and unfocused.
Zhang Haoyan raised his hand, and the chains instantly wrapped around her, suppressing her and the wooden box containing the red metal beneath the Five Elements Monument.
On the other side, Number Eleven, who was rushing toward the back mountain, suddenly stopped.
"I think we'd better not go."
"What do you mean?"
Number Eight said in a deep voice, "Linda has lost."
"It can't be!"
Number Thirteen was skeptical. "The violent girl is a Kryptonian, and she had the Tiger Fiend Scripture."
"Given her personality, if she had won, she would have come out long ago. She wouldn't wait this long."
Number Six said solemnly, "White Cloud Temple is no ordinary place!"
"I have the same feeling."
Number Three added, "The magic world of Europe, the voodoo spirits of Africa, the Mayan Church of South America, the Shiva Brotherhood of India—in contrast, the longest-lasting Chinese civilization couldn't possibly be without its own extraordinary power."
Number Twelve gave a wry smile. "Let's stop discussing this. What should we do? We can't just wait."
"Go back," Number One suddenly spoke up. "Let's thoroughly investigate the background of White Cloud Temple before conducting any other activities."
Number Eleven hesitated. "Is that really a good idea? Linda is still in there."
Number Eight shook his head.
"White Cloud Temple is not a normal place. Rushing in would be walking straight into a trap. While we can control the green flame, we don't have the infinite supply the Original Body does. Once our energy is exhausted, we could easily be captured."
Number Six also spoke. "I agree with Number Eight's opinion. We should go back first, investigate thoroughly, and then plan the next step."
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