Long Xiao stood up, preparing to make a move, when suddenly someone approached the abandoned factory, speaking as they walked: "Master Watanabe, before you and Long Xiao debate the martial way, could you allow me to speak with him about the art of Yin and Yang first?"
Long Xiao turned to see a Japanese man in traditional attire, holding a vajra pestle, walk up opposite him.
"Matsushita Jyushin, you are no match for me."
After Matsushita Jyushin let out a hearty laugh, he shook his head and said, "You haven't seen my true strength. It's a bit early to say I'm not your opponent."
Long Xiao had initially thought that the ones who had captured Zhang Eryong and the others were the Xuan术 experts around Long Nian. He hadn't expected it to be Matsushita Jyushin, an Onmyoji by Jingguchi Gorou's side.
Ever since Long Xiao discovered the Military Saber Tower, he had collected some materials related to Japanese Onmyoji and meticulously studied the Onmyodo of the Nine Chrysanthemum sect.
On the surface, the Nine Chrysanthemum sect's Onmyodo seemed formidable, but Long Xiao discovered that the Onmyodo they practiced was merely the superficial aspect of Chinese Xuan术.
Since Matsushita Jyushin wished to duel Long Xiao, Long Xiao decided to show him the prowess of Chinese Xuan术.
"Matsushita Jyushin, reveal your true strength and let me see how capable you are," Long Xiao said with a smile.
As Matsushita Jyushin prepared to confront Long Xiao, Watanabe Kenji stood up and led his men out of the abandoned factory.
Matsushita Jyushin looked at Long Xiao and said, "You first, or shall I?"
Long Xiao made a gesture of invitation and said, "You go first. Let me see how powerful your island nation's Onmyodo is."
Matsushita then took out over a dozen small flags from his pocket and planted them one by one into the ground. He then chanted a spell, and the surroundings were suddenly filled with an eerie wind, as if something was approaching.
Long Xiao remained unfazed. He could clearly sense the flow of qi within a thirty-meter radius. Whatever was approaching, he would see it first.
As the eerie wind stirred the dust on the ground, dust flew everywhere within the abandoned factory, reducing visibility.
With a crunch, crunch, crunch of footsteps, a ferocious ghost over two meters tall, with a head as large as a bushel, appeared and lumbered towards Long Xiao.
The ghost was entirely black, with thick yellow hair as messy as weeds, and its bare feet emitted a foul odor.
As soon as the ghost approached Long Xiao, Long Xiao discerned its true nature. It was merely a humanoid form composed of over a dozen wisps of Yin qi wrapped around a dozen talismans.
While such a ghost possessed considerable destructive power, as long as those dozen talismans were broken, the Yin qi clusters, lacking their support, would quickly dissipate.
"Such trivial tricks, and you dare to present them."
Long Xiao smiled, extended his right hand, and a ball of Five Elements qi appeared, condensing into a large hand that reached out to grasp the ghost.
The Five Elements qi of Long Xiao was pure, tangible qi originating from his Dantian, far superior to the Yin qi drawn from nature and condensed through talismans.
Before the human body develops its Dantian, the Five Elements qi are dispersed throughout the internal organs, nourishing the body.
When one cultivates and develops their Dantian, they can absorb a vast amount of Five Elements qi into it.
This Five Elements qi can be used to nourish one's internal organs, or it can be used to transform the qi configuration of others.
Nourishing oneself is called health preservation or cultivation. Transforming another's qi configuration is healing them. Illness arises when the qi configuration is affected by external evils and becomes abnormal.
The theories about qi in the "Dragon Scripture" gave Long Xiao an understanding of qi far surpassing other Xuan术 masters, allowing him to utilize qi with greater ease and dexterity.
Long Xiao's qi hand directly seized the talismans within the ghost's body. The purpose of the talismans was to guide qi, and when two types of qi met, conflict was inevitable.
With a series of crackling explosions, the ghost was utterly destroyed, and the dozen talismans ignited and turned to ash.
The Ghost Technique was Matsushita Jyushin's most formidable Onmyodo, which had never failed and had never been deciphered before.
"How did you create that hand of yours?" Matsushita Jyushin couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Watching the qi hand vanish, Long Xiao smiled and said, "Want to know? Come closer, and I'll tell you."
Matsushita Jyushin, of course, wasn't foolish enough to approach. He knew that Long Xiao's martial arts prowess far surpassed his own, and getting close to Long Xiao would mean Long Xiao could crush him with one hand.
"I won't fall for that. Let me show you the power of my Qimen Thirteen Formations," Matsushita Jyushin said, biting his finger and dripping blood onto a small flag on the ground.
The thirteen small flags on the ground suddenly moved as if alive, rustling in the absence of wind. Cold, misty vapor emerged from the flags, quickly turning the area enclosed by them pitch black.
The area surrounded by the small flags was less than thirty meters in radius, so every movement Matsushita Jyushin made in the black mist was reflected in Long Xiao's mind.
As the black mist completely enveloped Long Xiao, Matsushita Jyushin's face contorted into a sinister smile. He shook his vajra pestle, dripping blood from his finger onto it.
The vajra pestle seemed to come alive, buzzing and flying into the air, tumbling as it hurtled towards Long Xiao's head.
To prevent any accidents, Long Xiao channeled his golden qi into his hand and reached out to catch the incoming vajra pestle.
With a clang of metal striking metal, Long Xiao's right hand firmly grasped the vajra pestle.
The vajra pestle struggled ferociously in Long Xiao's grip. Matsushita Jyushin, feeling the vajra pestle being held, also began chanting incantations, attempting to break free from Long Xiao's control.
Long Xiao pulled a talisman from his pocket and affixed it to the vajra pestle. With a bang, the talisman ignited, and a line of red mist shot through the black fog directly towards Matsushita Jyushin.
The vajra pestle had Matsushita Jyushin's blood on it, establishing a connection to him. The burning talisman had consumed his blood.
Losing contact with the vajra pestle, Matsushita Jyushin sensed danger and hastily crossed his palms, chanting the Diamond Sutra to intercept Long Xiao's attack.
The line of red mist struck Matsushita Jyushin's palm, silently passing through it and hitting his neck.
Matsushita Jyushin cried out in agony, clutching his throat and fleeing the abandoned factory.
Matsushita Jyushin felt as if there was a hole in his throat, and the spiritual energy within him was flowing out through it.
He tried to cover it with his hands, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop it.
Long Xiao looked at the vajra pestle in his hand and smiled in satisfaction. Although the vajra pestle exuded a chilling aura, within that chill was a trace of gentle Five Elements qi.
There were many types of spiritual energy, but Five Elements qi was the most suitable for human cultivation. Items containing complete Five Elements qi were rare, making this vajra pestle extremely precious.
The vajra pestle was only a little over half a foot long. After fiddling with it for a while, Long Xiao pocketed it.
As Matsushita Jyushin's spiritual energy completely dissipated, the thirteen small flags ceased emitting black mist, and the black fog within the abandoned factory gradually dispersed.
Long Xiao walked out of the abandoned factory and looked at Matsushita Jyushin, who was clutching his throat, and asked, "How do you feel, Master Matsushita?"
Watanabe Hengji glared fiercely at Long Xiao and said, "Long Xiao, did you kill Matsushita Jyushin?"
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "I didn't kill him. Matsushita Jyushin is still Matsushita Jyushin, but he will never have the chance to duel with me again."
Matsushita Jyushin released his grip on his throat. There was no blood on his hands, no wound on his throat. He sensed his internal state and found that not a trace of spiritual energy remained.