The Guan Gong's Great Saber used in the opera is slender, just a piece of iron that shakes when swung, unlike a real Yanyue Saber.
But in the hands of Sun Yan, who had invited the god into his body, it transformed into a Divine Weapon. At the moment it struck the Red-Clad Evil Spirit, it directly split its body in half.
Sizzle!
Black smoke poured out of the Red-Clad Evil Spirit's body, and it immediately released Zhou Haidong's neck and quickly vanished from the spot.
Sun Yan gazed around cautiously, his eyebrows furrowed.
The Evil Spirit was this troublesome, if it were just a mere Evil Spirit, the strike infused with General Sun's Divine Power should have reduced it to ashes.
He looked at Zhou Haidong, who had collapsed unconscious on the ground, Chen Xijiu, who was slapping himself like a madman, and Wang Heqiang kneeling in front of the headless copper statue.
Sun Yan felt a heavy weight in his heart, as the two people who fled were now nowhere to be seen in the passage.
The Evil Spirit had not been completely eradicated. Sun Yan couldn't pursue them now, fearing they had met a grim fate.
Swish!
Sun Yan's Celestial Eye scanned the area; if the Red-Clad Evil Spirit was still hiding here, it couldn't escape the Celestial Eye's search.
Just then, a gust of sinister wind rose behind him, and a bright red figure emerged from beneath the ground, grabbing Sun Yan's ankles from both sides, attempting to drag him underground.
The human body cannot pass through walls, but under the influence of the Evil Spirit, it became possible.
If dragged into the soil by the Evil Spirit, even an Exorcist would suffer the fate of becoming a living stake.
Sun Yan swung the Guan Gong's Great Saber, and the blade cleaved into the ground, severing the Evil Spirit's wrist.
Before it could howl, Sun Yan, with General Sun's power coursing through him, bent down and seized the Red-Clad Evil Spirit by the hair, forcibly yanking it out of the ground.
No matter how the Red-Clad Evil Spirit struggled, it couldn't escape Sun Yan's grip.
Inviting the god into one's body uses an Immortal's power, allowing an ordinary human to wield external forces against demons and evil spirits for a short time.
This is similar to effects seen in practices like Divination, Coming Out, Divine Strike, and Nuo Opera.
With the successful invitation, Sun Yan effectively had General Sun's blessing, making him invulnerable to evil and lending his actions the power of General Sun.
While the Guan Gong's Great Saber was well-crafted, it ultimately lacked Mana, unlike the Ghost Torturing Stick, which could deliver immense spiritual damage.
The reason he could harm the Red-Clad Evil Spirit just now was entirely due to the strength given by General Sun's Divine Power.
Seeing the Red-Clad Evil Spirit captured in his hands, Sun Yan discarded the Guan Gong's Great Saber, simultaneously gripping the Red-Clad Evil Spirit's head with both hands.
Ignoring its piercing screams, Sun Yan applied force with his palms, tearing the Red-Clad Evil Spirit apart like a watermelon.
"Ah!!! I am not reconciled, I am not reconciled, why am I the one to die? I hate you all, hate you!"
Blood-tears streamed from the Red-Clad Evil Spirit's eyes as it wailed and struggled incessantly.
Its hands clawed frantically at Sun Yan's chest but couldn't even scratch him.
It could only watch helplessly as it was ripped in half by Sun Yan, its soul utterly destroyed in place.
'Mission Accomplished'
'Nuo Mask Inheritance (Random Selection)'
'Obtained: Mountain-Opening Fierce General (Inheritance)'
'Obtained Cemetery Entry: Nuo Opera Opening Dance'
As Sun Yan personally tore apart the Red-Clad Evil Spirit, the bounty notebook task was completed simultaneously.
An extraordinarily vivid scene suddenly flashed in Sun Yan's mind.
At the witching hour, deep in the primeval forest, demonic winds howled.
A burly man with a painted face, carrying a Golden Halberd, walked proudly on a mountain path.
He bore two horns, exposed fangs, eyebrows crimson like flames, his eyes protruding fiercely, his steps causing the ground to tremble, while the Five Directions Ghosts and Ten Directions Evil Demons dared not approach him in fear.
Wherever he went, peace prevailed, demons dared not show themselves, and he couldn't help but sing loudly, "The Mountain-Opening God has come, the Mountain-Opening God, raising five-colored clouds~"
Sun Yan slowly returned to his senses from the vision, realizing that the three incense sticks had burned out and a package had inexplicably appeared at his feet.
Resting atop the package was a Golden Halberd with a simple, ancient design.
This was precisely the Magical Artifact of the Evil God Mountain-Opening Fierce General from Nuo Opera.
Sun Yan removed and put away General Sun's Mask, bending down to lift the Golden Halberd, which wasn't light, weighing an estimated eight or nine pounds.
Upon opening the package, he found a neatly folded Red Numbered Shirt, a Battle Skirt encircling the waist, and a Nuo Mask of the Mountain-Opening Fierce General.
This was a complete outfit for the Mountain-Opening Fierce General from Nuo Opera.
"It's really comprehensive," Sun Yan said, unable to hold back his joy as he looked at the outfit.
Nuo is an ancient ritual for expelling plagues, requesting blessings, warding off disasters, and inviting fortune.
Nuo Opera is a theatrical form evolved from original Nuo rituals, prevalent across the regions of Sanxiang and Sishui, with appearances in Miao, Dong, Yao, and Tujia villages.
Different places may call Nuo Opera by different names, commonly Nuo Hall Opera, Nuo God Opera, Land Opera, Master Son Opera, Master Tao Opera, Lion Opera, Face Opera, and others.
Nuo Opera Masks' gods are generally divided into True Gods, Evil Gods, Secular, Clowns, and Oxhead and Horseface.
The Mountain-Opening Fierce General belongs to the Evil Gods and is the most fierce evil god responsible for subduing demons.
In Nuo Opera, the Mountain-Opening Fierce General's duty is often to clear a path with a large axe at the start, symbolizing the slaying of lurking demons and evil spirits, allowing other gods to be invited, illustrating this Fierce God's power.
Now, Sun Yan had randomly obtained the inheritance of this Demon-Subduing God's Nuo Mask.
For Sun Yan, trapped in the underworld of Chen Family Village, this was undoubtedly great news; he finally had a handy Exorcism Magical Artifact again.
The Golden Halberd of the Mountain-Opening Fierce General seemed more menacing compared to the Ghost Torturing Stick, appearing designed specifically to kill ghosts.
Carrying the Golden Halberd over to the unconscious Zhou Haidong, Sun Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, and soon Zhou Haidong slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing Sun Yan, Zhou Haidong immediately pushed himself up with his hand, holding his head, still a bit dazed, and asked, "Where is that thing? Did you drive her away?"
"Don't worry, the Evil Spirit has already been exorcised by me," Sun Yan comforted.
"Just you alone?" Zhou Haidong widened his eyes in surprise, quickly looking around, unable to see any sign of the Red-Clad Evil Spirit.
He felt a sense of relief, as his choice to invite Sun Yan along was proven correct.
Without Sun Yan, his life might have ended in the underworld of Chen Family Village tonight.
Although young, this guy is truly a powerful Exorcism Master.
Coming to his senses, Zhou Haidong felt a bit helpless. While awake, Sun Yan hadn't yet dealt with the Red-Clad Evil Spirit, but once he fainted, Sun Yan swiftly wrapped everything up.
What does this mean? Was my being awake hindering your performance?
"Yes, dealing with that Evil Spirit wasn't too challenging, but now both Chen Xijiu and Wang Heqiang are possessed. Even though the Evil Spirit is gone, they haven't recovered,
I suspect their issues aren't related to the Evil Spirit but that this shrine conceals other problems. Chairman Zhou, please help check if you can restore these two," Sun Yan pointed to Chen Xijiu and Wang Heqiang.
As for the two who escaped, Sun Yan was at a loss for time to pursue them and could only hope they would fend for themselves.
As Zhou Haidong examined Chen Xijiu, Sun Yan hurriedly donned the Mountain-Opening Fierce General's Red Numbered Shirt and Battle Skirt.
Once he wore the Nuo Mask and wielded the Golden Halberd, who could tell him apart from the Mountain-Opening Fierce General or Jackson?
With the outfit, there was an overwhelming sense of security.
"Hiss!"
Squatting by Chen Xijiu to observe his complexion and seeing a black patch on Chen Xijiu's forehead, Zhou Haidong couldn't help but gasp: "His brow is darkening, a sign of great evil."