Lu Yun sat on a simple wooden stool by the bed. He leaned the Wisteria Spirit Staff against his leg and, with his free left hand, took hold of Lu Hai City’s right wrist.
The moment his fingertips touched Lu Hai City’s skin, the young man’s tightly shut eyes snapped open. Deep within them, the phantom image of a beast’s vertical pupil flickered.
Then, Lu Hai City’s head turned with a stiff, slow motion toward Lu Yun and Chen Shouzhuo.
His face held a trace of dazed confusion, as if he had just woken up. "Who... are you?"
This seemingly normal display left Chen Shouzhuo, who was standing nearby, completely dumbfounded. Holding a small candle, he leaned in suspiciously, nearly pressing his face to Lu Hai City’s as he muttered.
"Huh? That’s weird! How come this kid looks like he’s woken up? Just yesterday he was like a mad dog trying to bite me! Don’t tell me he was actually subdued by Lord Lu’s sheer presence?"
"And the foul beast knew what was good for it and scurried off?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the dazed look in Lu Hai City’s eyes was instantly consumed by savage brutality.
Two phantom images of cold, pale-yellow beast eyes completely filled the whites of his own. Then, a yellow, weasel-like beast phantom about the size of a washbasin "drilled" its way out of the contours of his face with a savage snarl!
The phantom was terrifyingly lifelike, with a pointed snout, sharp fangs, and crimson eyes. It let out a piercing shriek the moment it appeared.
It then snapped open its fang-filled maw and shot out two claws glinting with a cold light, lunging to bite and claw at the face of the candle-holding Chen Shouzhuo!
"Aah! Dammit!"
Chen Shouzhuo was terrified, with only one thought left in his mind: ’Damn this foul beast! The cunning fiend! It actually used a cheap trick to fool me, a master Daoist!’
’I’m a dead man!’
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yun lifted the dark purple Wisteria Spirit Staff, placing it squarely between Chen Shouzhuo’s face and the weasel phantom!
The beast’s fangs and claws scraped and bit against the staff, yet not a single scratch appeared on its surface.
Seeing this, the weasel phantom let out an furious screech. It whipped its head around, its pale-yellow beast eyes locking onto the calm-faced Lu Yun, and spoke in a human voice.
"Hey, old man! Do I look like a human, or a god?"
This was the classic ploy of a wild spirit seeking an "investiture"!
Lu Yun acted as if he hadn’t heard the question. His response, in the next instant, was his right fist, which had been resting in a loose clasp.
An invisible, scorching Qi began to gather over his knuckles.
With no wasted motion, Lu Yun bent his right arm slightly, then snapped it straight!
A searing Fist Force shot from his hand, blasting into the weasel phantom from across the space between them!
The weasel phantom let out a horrifyingly shrill shriek. The Fist Force, losing none of its momentum, carried the screaming, struggling phantom with it and slammed it violently into the room’s thick brick wall!
BOOM! Brick and stone fragments flew as a large hole was blasted straight through the wall!
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, filling the air with yang energy. The moment the light hit the already grievously wounded weasel phantom, it began to SIZZLE violently, erupting in a great plume of white smoke!
It thrashed in agony under the sunlight, unable to last even half a second before being burned into nothing.
With a large hole now in the wall, the room suddenly became much brighter.
But Lu Hai City, still on the bed, did not return to normal. Instead, he let out an inhuman roar!
The ropes binding him were snapped by a sudden surge of brutish strength!
At the same time, thick, yellow beast fur, reeking of a foul, musky stench, began to sprout wildly from his exposed skin—on his cheeks, neck, and arms—at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His mouth jutted forward, his teeth sharpened, and his fingernails rapidly elongated and curved into claws.
After completing his "bestial transformation," only rabid savagery remained in Lu Hai City’s eyes.
With a low snarl, Lu Hai City opened his fang-filled mouth and bit down hard on Lu Yun’s left arm, which was still gripping his wrist!
At the same time, one of his bestial claws began to frantically scratch and tear at Lu Yun’s arm!
Chen Shouzhuo’s heart pounded as he watched, and he cried out in alarm, "Lord Lu, be careful! Dammit! I knew this thing was going to be a handful!"
"So he wasn’t just possessed by one! There’s an even fiercer one hidden inside!"
Faced with this sudden, violent attack, Lu Yun did not release his grip on Lu Hai City’s wrist, letting the transformed man bite and claw at him.
The sleeve of his black tunic was easily shredded by the sharp fangs and claws, fluttering to the ground in tatters.
Yet, beneath the shredded fabric, his skin was completely unscathed!
When Lu Hai City’s bestial fangs clamped down, it felt as though he had bitten into a piece of tempered steel.
Not only did his fangs fail to leave a mark, but his claws only managed to scrape a few faint white lines across the tough skin.
Lu Yun gave him no further chances. The fingers of the left hand gripping Lu Hai City’s wrist tightened in an instant.
The next moment, a pure, scorching Qi surged from his palm, following the meridians in Lu Hai City’s wrist and pouring into his body like a torrent breaking through a dam!
This Qi, the epitome of yang and firmness, swept through Lu Hai City’s meridians and blood vessels!
Everywhere it passed, the cold and sinister demonic energy that had been entrenched in his body, eroding his life force, was swiftly and utterly annihilated.
Lu Hai City began to tremble violently. The bestial fur on his face rapidly receded, his protruding snout returned to normal, and his sharp teeth and claws retracted.
A few breaths later, the bestial red glow in his eyes faded completely, and his body went limp, falling back onto the bed.
Nearby, Chen Shouzhuo’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head. He stared at the now-peaceful Lu Hai City on the bed, then at Lu Yun’s unbroken skin on his left arm, and was left speechless for a long moment.

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