Invoking the Divine Technique

At this point, Rosa finally came to her senses. Although she was highly skilled, it was clear that she had been injured under the relentless attack of the ghostly soldiers. Her clothes were tattered, and she looked somewhat miserable as she limped over to me, patted my shoulder, and asked, "Are you alright?"

I gave a wry smile and shook my head.

"I brought some needles and thread for stitching wounds, as well as alcohol and such. It's no problem to perform a simple surgery. If you trust me, I'll remove the broken spear from your shoulder when we get back. Otherwise, if it's left too long, you could get tetanus, and that would be bad."

Rosa said a few words with a smile, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "What happened to you just now?"

I was somewhat helpless and twitched the corner of my mouth. What happened?

Even I couldn't figure out what had happened!

I fumbled through a few evasive answers, and Rosa thought I didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't press further and just stood aside with a smile.

At that moment, Zhang Jinya and Wu Fatty, those two troublemakers, also came out of the ancient temple, surrounding me and laying it on thick with flattery. They said things like "Little Tian is mighty and powerful, with boundless fortune, unparalleled in the world." They went on about how I fought against thousands of ghostly soldiers, going in and out twice, claiming it was even more impressive than Zhao Yun charging through Cao Cao's camps. These two would say anything no matter how sycophantic, and by the end, they were close to comparing me to the Invincible East...

But what was the use of that?

All their words couldn't change the fact that they had betrayed me just now!

So without another word, I punched Zhang Jinya right in the nose, sending him stumbling backward a dozen steps before he sat down hard on the ground, his nose bleeding profusely. I figured if my punch had been a few centimeters lower, it would have knocked out the gold tooth he had pried from a rice dumpling.

"Next time something like this happens, you'd better give me a heads up."

I glared fiercely at Zhang Jinya. Tonight's experience was truly frightening. I had been scared for myself, and if it hadn't been for the mysterious woman's appearance, I might have been done in by that beast Zhang Jinya. I didn't want something like this to happen again. I glared at him and said, "If there is a next time, I'll make sure to slit your throat before I die, so you can cushion my fall."

Zhang Jinya was so stunned by my punch that he just sat there, whimpering with his nose covered.

I then turned to look at Wu Fatty.

Wu Fatty was even worse off. His chubby face immediately broke into a grin, and he slapped himself twice on the cheek, saying, "Oh, brother, don't be angry. Although we did it for the team, it was indeed wrong to send you out there. I apologize to you here."

This guy was shameless...

He was slapping himself, making a sound, but there was no real force behind it, nothing like the punch I had given Zhang Jinya.

But since he did that, I didn't have the heart to hit him again. After this ordeal, I realized that I had to rely on myself in this world. In a life-or-death situation, the weakest person is always the first to be eliminated. I glared at them both and then ignored them.

After a while, Qingyi also returned. He looked even more disheveled, covered in blood, obviously having had a tough time dealing with the ghost general. He had several wounds on his body and looked pale, clearly having sustained serious injuries.

Qingyi glanced at me and then said, "Come with me!"

Before I could speak, Rosa was the first to interject, "Whatever it is, let's wait until I've removed the broken spear from his shoulder. We don't have blood bags with us, and if we wait any longer, it'll be too late. He could easily die from blood loss if he can't hold on!"

"What do you know!"

Qingyi frowned, "The issue with his body is minor. I have a way to stop the bleeding immediately, but before that, I need to check him for other hidden dangers. He used a power that he shouldn't have, which could easily leave him with a chronic illness that ruins his life!"

Hearing Qingyi's words, I was startled and quickly nodded, following him with difficulty to one side.

Once we were alone, Qingyi took my wrist and began to take my pulse without a word. He examined me for a good ten minutes or more.

Seeing that Qingyi had no reaction, I felt a sudden pang of anxiety and looked at him nervously, asking, "There's nothing wrong with my body, is there?"

Qingyi opened his eyes, frowned, shook his head, and said softly, "Strange! You used a power that wasn't your own, and yet you're fine?"

Relieved to hear that I was fine, I then asked, "Why did you say I had a hidden illness?"

"Because you used the Invocation Technique!"

Qingyi explained slowly, "Zhang Jinya and the others, with their limited spiritual cultivation, couldn't sense the anomaly just now, but I felt a very powerful presence descend here from that small hillside. That aura came from you. If I'm not mistaken, you must have used the Invocation Technique to invite a very powerful ghost to possess you, didn't you? How else could you have made those ghostly soldiers retreat with your own strength?"

I was shocked. In the eyes of an expert like Qingyi, nothing about me could be hidden!

I didn't hide anything and told him everything that had happened to me just now, and then asked what exactly the "Invocation Technique" was.

Qingyi explained in detail that the Invocation Technique he referred to was a spell from their Taoist practices. It involved inviting extremely powerful ghosts from the underworld to possess oneself and aid in battle. It was a very powerful spell. He said that some particularly strong individuals could even summon ghost generals or ghost kings from the underworld. To the ordinary ghosts of the mortal world, these beings were like tigers to domestic dogs, and they had no choice but to submit. Qingyi also mentioned that when he fought the drought demon, he had used the Invocation Technique three times in one day. The first time, he summoned a powerful Taoist figure; the second time, a Buddhist disciple; and the third time, he directly summoned the mightiest ghost king from the underworld, the Boundless Ghost King, to subdue the demon. Of course, this wasn't the limit of the Invocation Technique. Legend has it that Zhang Daoling, the sage of Longhu Mountain, could even summon gods, but that's all just legend. I don't believe in the existence of gods. I've seen and don't deny the existence of demons and spirits, but gods? If they do exist, I suspect they're just more powerful ghosts pretending to be something they're not, and when they die, they're nothing more than a puff of air.

However, as good as the Invocation Technique is, it has its drawbacks. If the entity summoned is too powerful, it can cause damage to the body because a mortal's body simply cannot withstand such power. It can leave chronic conditions that are difficult to recover from. After all, those powerful beings don't care about your life or death. They come to subdue demons and will use as much power as necessary to quickly eliminate their target, but your body will suffer the consequences!

Qingyi himself had summoned three powerful beings in one day, which had ruined his body, and now he suffers from bone pain whenever it's damp and rainy.

He said that the power of the entity I had summoned was beyond what my body could bear, and the main reason I didn't collapse was that the entity had come to help me. So even though I didn't know how to use the Invocation Technique, it still came, and while using my body, it was very careful, which is why I was well protected.

As for why the entity wanted to help me, that was a question that would probably have to wait until I entered the Qinling ancient tomb and met the entity in person. Qingyi said I might have some karmic connection with that being; otherwise, it wouldn't have helped me.

My curiosity about the mysterious woman grew even stronger, and I couldn't help but ask, "How powerful is the one who helped me?"

"Perhaps... about as powerful as me."

Qingyi thought for a moment and then added, "Or even a bit more powerful than I was at my peak. When I fought the drought demon, I used the Invocation Technique three times in one day, which greatly damaged my body. I'm no longer as strong as I used to be, which means she is much more powerful than me now. Even if she's not as strong as the drought demon, she's probably not far off."

I was stunned after hearing this and it took me a long time to recover from the shock. For some reason, I developed a great curiosity and desire to learn the Invocation Technique. I looked at Qingyi with hope and asked, "Can you teach me the Invocation Technique?"

"Do you want to learn?"

Qingyi looked at me deeply, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "Since you want to learn, I will teach you. You have a naturally weak yang constitution, which makes you the most suitable candidate for learning the Invocation Technique. The powerful beings of the underworld like to possess bodies like yours. They can perfectly merge with you and better experience the breath of the living, which is also beneficial for them. So, if you use the Invocation Technique, the success rate is almost 100%. The beings of the underworld will almost fight to possess you, and you can easily summon unimaginable entities, which can easily damage your body. Have you thought this through?"

I nodded. There was nothing to say. If I learned it, I would have a skill to rely on, and at least in dangerous situations, I could take control of my own fate. After this test of life and death, I really understood a lot and no longer wanted to leave my life in the hands of others. It's too unreliable!

And after going through this ordeal and experiencing so many thrilling events, even if my physical problems were resolved, could I really go back to being a good student at university?

It's simply not possible!

When I was impaled by a spear, leaning against a tree, waiting to die, I never want to experience that kind of despair again. And the realization that there was nothing in my life worth remembering at the moment of death was truly sad!

Now that fate has given me another chance, I have to make some changes!

So when Qingyi told me about the drawbacks of learning the Invocation Technique, I almost ignored them completely. After the trials of great joy and sorrow, life and death, what was there to fear?

Seeing my determination, Qingyi nodded, took out a small blue-covered booklet from his bosom, and handed it to me, "The essentials of the Invocation Technique are in there. Take a look yourself, and if you have any questions, just ask me."

After that, Qingyi left.

"Thank you!"

I silently said two words in my heart and clutched the booklet tightly. No matter what, I had to become stronger.

At the very least... I couldn't be inferior to the mysterious woman who saved me!

I don't know why this thought came to me, but I truly wish that one day I can stand on equal footing with that mysterious woman. I don't aspire to surpass her, but I don't want to be looked down upon either. That sense of distance makes me quite uncomfortable...