Seeing this scene before us, Mo Ting and I were both stunned, showing expressions of horror.
We truly hadn't expected that after I had exploded its essence spirit twice, this old wood spirit had not only survived with its primordial spirit intact but could now snap Mo Ting's measuring tape.
This left both of us immensely surprised and astonished.
Now, the old wood spirit, which had been hunched over like an old woman, had transformed into a tall, imposing monster with bark all over its body.
Its face was still blood-red, but its body was no longer clad in green robes; instead, it was covered in old tree bark resembling muscles.
It stood half a head taller than Mo Ting and me, appearing very robust.
"Holy cow, this thing can shapeshift?"
Mo Ting's eyes widened in surprise as he spoke.
Watching this, my heart pounded erratically.
Looking at its bizarre appearance, I felt extremely uneasy.
The old wood spirit before us was now vastly different from what my master had predicted.
Not only did it possess offensive capabilities, but it was also very powerful.
The old wood spirit straightened up, its hands transforming into thorny wooden claws, and its entire body emitted a pale green mist.
It glanced back at the mostly withered yellow-horned tree, its anger reaching its peak.
It was evident that reaching this state, capable of snapping the measuring tape, had consumed a great deal of its vital energy.
Now, it looked at Mo Ting and me, growling in a low voice:
"It's all your fault! I will make sure you both die a horrible death..."
As soon as it finished speaking, the old wood spirit raised its giant clawed hands and lunged at us fiercely.
Seeing such a large creature suddenly charge at us,
Both of us felt our hearts sink, a sense of fear creeping in.
Involuntarily, we retreated two steps.
However, behind us, the white mist swirled, and beyond that was the park wall. We had nowhere left to retreat.
Moreover, this old wood spirit would not let us go.
Running away was likely the most foolish choice.
Gritting my teeth, I made a swift decision:
"Mo Ting, let's take her down together!"
As soon as I spoke, Mo Ting responded with equally dramatic flair:
"I agree! Let destiny make its choice."
But the old wood spirit had already swung a claw down, accompanied by a whistling sound.
Startled, Mo Ting and I both dodged.
Simultaneously, Mo Ting drew his dagger and thrust it towards the old wood spirit's back.
I also grabbed my fox claws and, seizing an opportunity, plunged them into the old wood spirit's body.
Although the old wood spirit's physique had enlarged and its strength had increased considerably, its movements had become significantly slower.
Its giant wooden claws looked terrifying, but as long as we maintained our distance, they couldn't harm us.
Now, Mo Ting and I attacked from left and right, engaging in a back-and-forth struggle with the old wood spirit.
After more than ten rounds, Mo Ting found an opening and stabbed his dagger into the old wood spirit's back.
His dagger was no ordinary blade; it was a consecrated artifact.
With this stab, it pierced a hole directly through the old wood spirit's back.
The pain drove the old wood spirit into a frenzy, and it swiped back at Mo Ting.
Terrified, Mo Ting stumbled backward, but his shirt was torn, and he was narrowly saved from having his stomach ripped open.
The old wood spirit, its face filled with resentment, was now determined to crush Mo Ting, intending to kill him.
It even cornered Mo Ting, and as he found himself with no escape,
I lunged from the other side.
This time, I wasn't holding fox claws but a talisman for warding off evil.
I had been practicing drawing this talisman every day recently.
And I happened to have one with me when I went out today.
However, I had never actually used it and didn't know its power.
But if I could cast it successfully, its power would surely be no less than that of the fox claws.
Given the situation, I didn't overthink it.
Leaping up, I rushed forward, brandishing the talisman.
Although the old wood spirit was focused on attacking Mo Ting, at that moment, it seemed to sense the danger from behind.
The instant I got close, it suddenly turned its head and saw my approaching talisman.
Its green eyes flickered, revealing a hint of ferocity.
"Ah!"
It let out a low roar and raised its claw, preparing to strike at my head!
Seeing this, my heart tightened, and I knew something was wrong.
Just as I was about to dodge and look for another opportunity,
A chill seemed to descend from behind me…
In the next second, I saw the fierce-looking old wood spirit, as if it had seen something terrifying behind me.
Its expression instantly contorted into one of extreme panic.
Its body visibly trembled, and it froze on the spot.
The raised claw was instinctively retracted.
I watched this, utterly bewildered.
Although the creature's actions were strange, I recognized this as an excellent opportunity.
Applying force with my feet, I propelled myself forward.
Wielding the talisman, I slapped it onto her chest.
The moment the talisman made contact with the old wood spirit, its body gave a violent shudder.
As if electrocuted, it stiffened in place.
Before the old wood spirit could react, I leaped back a step.
Following the hand seals my master had taught me, I quickly formed a sequence of gestures.
Finally, I completed a sword finger incantation.
With a shout, I recited the incantation:
"Talisman for Warding Evil; Haste as the Command, Decree!"
As the incantation left my lips, the talisman stuck to the old wood spirit's back suddenly flashed with golden light and exploded with a "boom."
I felt a wave of hot air surge from the old wood spirit's body.
And the old wood spirit let out a piercing scream.
"Ah!"
Its entire body was blown backward by the talisman's power and slammed onto the ground.
The old bark on its chest had cracked completely.
It lay on the ground, twitching, completely immobilized.
Green mist continued to emanate from its body.
Its glittering green eyes had lost their luster. Its mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
It seemed to be evaporating, gradually decomposing and diminishing...
Watching the old wood spirit being knocked down by my single talisman, I found it hard to believe.
I truly hadn't expected my master's talisman techniques to be so potent.
And that my first real-world application of a talisman had yielded such remarkable results.
With just one talisman, the old wood spirit was defeated.
In my shock, I also felt a surge of excitement.
Mo Ting, not far away, saw the once ferocious old wood spirit lying on the ground, its body evaporating and decomposing.
It was clear that its primordial spirit had been severely damaged.
Mo Ting gasped, his expression one of disbelief:
"Qin... Brother Qin Ze, you... you can use talisman techniques now? That's... that's amazing!"
Hearing Mo Ting speak, I finally snapped back to reality.
With a grateful smile, I let out a slight sigh…
Lowering my hands that had been forming seals, I finally felt my suspended heart settle.
However, a cold sweat had broken out on my forehead.
My heart rate had suddenly accelerated, and I found myself short of breath.
It felt as if I had just finished a 400-meter sprint and couldn't catch my breath.
It seemed that talisman techniques were not easy to perform. Although I had managed to cast it successfully this time through sheer luck,
My current abilities still placed a significant physical burden on me.
I took several deep breaths before my breathing and heart rate stabilized.
In that instant, I felt an immense sense of relief…