novelhk Page 103
Page 103
Those foreigners exuded an aura of otherworldly strangeness, completely different from that of the Chinese, both eerie and malevolent.
On the ground in front of them lay a young woman who had fallen unconscious. Her abdomen was slightly swollen, indicating that she was pregnant.
A foreigner was holding a strangely shaped ritual object, resembling a glass bottle, with its mouth pointing directly at the woman's abdomen.
As he chanted the difficult incantation, a faint ray of light carrying the breath of life was forcibly drawn from the woman's abdomen and slowly absorbed into the bottle.
Within that radiance, one could vaguely see the illusory image of a curled-up infant that had not yet taken shape.
Extracting living souls to forge evil weapons!
A cold killing intent flashed in Zhang Yunyuan's eyes.
Just as he was about to intervene to stop this inhumane atrocity, he keenly sensed that another group of people were lurking in the shadows on the other side of the warehouse.
The leader was a young man in his early thirties.
He wore a well-tailored dark suit, stood tall and straight, and his eyes, in the dim light, were as sharp as a hawk's.
He was accompanied by seven or eight stern-faced men, whose auras circulated around them, clearly indicating that they were also local extraordinary individuals.
Without the slightest hesitation, the young man let out a low shout.
His guards, like tigers released from their cages, pounced out of the shadows in an instant, their short guns and sharp blades flashing deadly under the light.
The thugs in the warehouse were caught off guard and several of them were knocked down on the spot.
But the foreigners reacted very quickly. One of them let out a strange laugh and slammed his hands on the ground.
The ground seemed to come alive, turning into quicksand that instantly swallowed the ankles of the guards, leaving them unable to move.
Another foreigner opened his mouth and spewed out a cloud of green poisonous mist, which made people dizzy.
Although the young people were all fearless and worked together seamlessly, they were ultimately at a disadvantage when faced with these unheard-of and bizarre methods.
In just a few rounds, the army had suffered heavy casualties, with only the young man leading the last two guards in a desperate struggle, on the verge of total annihilation.
Zhang Yunyuan no longer hesitated.
With a thought, the myriad forms of magic instantly activated.
In a mere instant, the once handsome young man's face transformed into an aged face with white hair, a youthful appearance, and an air of otherworldly wisdom.
His coarse cloth shirt had been transformed into a flowing black Taoist robe.
At the same time, he flicked his finger, and a barely perceptible wisp of Qi struck Feng Baobao, dressing her in the attire of an ordinary little Taoist boy.
After decades of cultivation, his myriad forms have long been perfected.
Not only can you disguise yourself, but you can also disguise others.
Even one's voice and physical appearance can be altered accordingly.
"Follow closely."
He said something softly and took a step forward.
This step was like shrinking the distance to an inch, or like a ghostly phantom.
It is the Wudang's ultimate martial art, the Cloud Ladder Leap.
One moment he was outside the warehouse, the next he was in the center of the battlefield, blocking the young man's path.
"Where did this old Taoist priest come from? He's asking for death!"
Upon seeing this, a foreigner grinned maliciously. A flash of light appeared in the magic weapon in his hand, and a black chain formed by countless entangled wronged souls descended upon Zhang Yunyuan with a shrill shriek.
Zhang Yunyuan didn't even glance at him.
He merely flicked his whisk and uttered a single word.
The sound was not loud, yet it seemed to contain some profound truth of the universe.
The primordial energy that had always been contained within him suddenly surged forth.
The terrifying black chain, just three feet away from him, melted and disintegrated instantly, like ice and snow under the scorching sun, dissipating into the most primitive energy particles and vanishing into the air, with a slight hissing sound.
The foreigner's sinister smile froze instantly, and his pupils contracted violently in extreme shock.
Before he could react, Zhang Yunyuan had already struck out with a backhand palm.
There was no earth-shattering display, just a simple palm strike.
Before the foreigner could even react, he felt an irresistible, immense power penetrate his body, instantly destroying all his meridians and vital energy.
He screamed in agony, as if struck by lightning, and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall, where he immediately lost consciousness.
The remaining foreigners were terrified when they saw this and turned to run away.
But they no longer have a chance.
Zhang Yunyuan's figure blurred, leaving several afterimages as he passed through the group.
boom! boom! boom!
Several dull thuds sounded almost simultaneously.
Those foreigners, who were as powerful as gods in the eyes of the young people, were like being hit head-on by a charging rhinoceros. They spat out blood, flew backward, and when they landed, their bones were broken, their cultivation was destroyed, and they were completely crippled.
The entire warehouse instantly fell silent.
The young man who had narrowly escaped death and his two remaining men stared blankly at the unbelievable scene before them, their minds completely blank.
It took the young man a long time to recover from his shock.
He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, straightened his somewhat disheveled clothes, quickly stepped forward, and solemnly and deeply bowed to the old Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom.
"Thank you so much, Taoist priest, for saving my life!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement, but his eyes were fixed intently on Zhang Yunyuan, trying to discern some clues from this unfathomable master.
"I am Zhao Fangxu from the Zhao family of Tianjin."
"I do not know where Changxian Township is, nor what your honorific title is."
Zhang Yunyuan lightly flicked his whisk, turned aside, and avoided the bow.
“My name is Yun. I travel around and happened to pass through this place. I saw evil spirits causing trouble, so I took action. There is no need for you to be so polite, layman.”
His voice was ethereal and distant, as if it came from the clouds.
His gaze swept over the young man in front of him, and he understood.
The Zhao family of Tianjin has produced a leading figure of this generation, and their reputation is indeed well-deserved.
Remaining calm and composed even in dire straits, and dignified and unyielding after escaping death.
This temperament and demeanor truly reflect the spirit of his ancestors.
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to reveal their background, Zhao Fangxu did not press the matter further.
With his keen mind, he immediately realized that the appearance of this mysterious Taoist priest was by no means accidental. His ability to cripple several powerful enemies with a mere gesture was unheard of and unfathomable.
He immediately turned around and began to handle the scene methodically.
"Tie all these people up and take them back for thorough interrogation."
"Take that woman to the church hospital immediately and find the best doctor!"
"Seal off the scene, clean up all traces, and leave no loose ends."
He issued a series of clear and decisive commands.
While directing his subordinates, he secretly glanced at the "Master Yun" who was still standing there with an indifferent expression, and the little Taoist boy behind him who had not uttered a word from beginning to end.
His intuition told him that this matter was far from over.
And this mysterious Taoist priest before us may be the key to changing the landscape of the entire Tianjin, and even the entire northern world of supernatural beings.
Chapter 119 Hasty Night Escape
The night in Tianjin is shrouded in a thin layer of sea fog, and the city lights dissolve in the fog, forming hazy halos.
Zhao Fangxu moved with lightning speed. The elite Tianjin guards he brought quickly took over the warehouse, locking the still-groaning foreigners and local thugs in specially made shackles and dragging them like dead dogs onto several black cars that were already waiting outside.
The frightened pregnant woman was also properly placed in another vehicle and, accompanied by a female guard, was taken directly to the best church hospital.
The entire process, from controlling the scene to cleaning up the traces, took less than fifteen minutes, an efficiency that was breathtaking.
After doing all this, Zhao Fangxu straightened his well-tailored suit, walked quickly to Zhang Yunyuan, and bowed respectfully.
"Master Yun, this place is a mixed bag, not the place to talk."
Would you do me the honor of visiting my humble abode for a chat?
He adopted an extremely humble posture, and his words no longer contained any hint of probing, only pure reverence.
Zhang Yunyuan, who plays "Master Yun," still maintains his otherworldly and serene demeanor. He lightly flicks his whisk and nods faintly.
Zhao Fangxu's private residence is located in an extremely secluded corner of Tianjin. It is a three-story villa with an independent garden.
It looks ordinary on the outside, but it is heavily guarded inside, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, all of whom are skilled practitioners with a deep and imposing presence.
Upon entering, Zhao Fangxu dismissed all the servants and personally led the two to an elegant study on the second floor.
He skillfully boiled water, warmed the cups, and rinsed the tea, then respectfully presented a cup of top-grade Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao to Zhang Yunyuan.
"Master, please have some tea."
Zhang Yunyuan picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and found the tea to be mellow and full of rocky flavor—truly a fine tea.
He didn't speak, but just quietly looked at Zhao Fangxu, waiting for him to speak.
Under Zhang Yunyuan's all-seeing gaze, Zhao Fangxu felt an inexplicable pressure.
After a moment's consideration, he finally decided to get straight to the point.
"To be honest, Daoist Master, I am not an ordinary merchant."
He said in a deep voice, "This junior belongs to an official secret organization called 'Jinmen Guard,' which is responsible for handling all abnormal events related to supernatural beings within the territory of Tianjin."
"What happened tonight was no accident."
In the past six months, several similar cases have occurred in Tianjin, all involving foreigners colluding with local thugs to abduct pregnant women. Their methods are cruel and their intentions are despicable.
Our Tianjin police have been investigating for a long time, but we have never been able to catch them. They act extremely secretly and have very strong counter-surveillance capabilities.