I used folk talismans to ward off the evil spirit.

Chapter 59 Hungry Bat, Agate Lotus Seed

Jiang Jun did not deliberately pursue that feeling, but simply recited it quietly.

Once, twice, three times.

The invisible thread emerged from the lotus seed once more, extending straight towards a certain direction.

Jiang Jun's divine sense followed the sensation, and in a daze, he sensed another lotus seed.

Unlike the Brahma Lotus Seed in his hand, that lotus seed had a completely different aura, carrying a gentle yet firm power.

It should be in the water, with something stirring around it, quite a few of them, vaguely exuding a cold and oppressive feeling.

Although the light from that lotus seed was not intense, it never went out, like a bonfire in the darkness, suppressing the monster in a small space.

Jiang Jun tried to see more clearly, but his senses were cut off by a chilling aura. He opened his eyes, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

"Teacher?" Cai Liang looked at him cautiously.

"It's nothing." Jiang Jun wiped his sweat, took the Brahma Lotus Seed, and examined it in his palm.

"I sensed another Brahma Lotus Seed. It's in Qixia Lake, probably in an underwater cave."

Cai Liang's eyes lit up: "The other one? Where is it?"

"Tomorrow morning, we'll follow our senses and go look for it."

The next morning, the light in the Ghost Realm was still hazy, but much brighter than at night.

Jiang Jun closed his eyes and sensed for a moment. The connection became blurred during the day, but it did not disappear completely.

He pointed in a direction and led Cai Liang and Huang Jing Tongzi to search along the lake shore.

The search lasted for three days.

Over three days, they traversed nearly half of Qixia Lake. Occasionally, the remains of a few monstrous creatures floated on the lake's surface, their origins unknown.

Hidden within the reed marshes are many elusive, monstrous creatures.

Upon seeing this, Huangjing Tongzi rushed forward. With a "pop," golden ripples spread out, and the low-level monsters, as if encountering their natural enemy, scattered in all directions.

A few that didn't have time to run away were touched by the golden light, their bodies swayed a few times, and then they disappeared.

The little guy was having a blast, and Cai Liang followed behind, picking up any leftovers. He ended up acquiring a few incomplete and strange items as well.

Cai Liang was both envious and puzzled: "Teacher, isn't it said that divine and strange creatures are generally not used for direct combat, as they are prone to the danger of being destroyed? How come this little guy..."

Jiang Jun laughed, "It merely activates the inherent characteristics of the lotus seed; it's just that those monsters can't withstand it. If it were truly used for combat, it wouldn't be this kind of operation..."

On the evening of the third day, they arrived at a deserted island. At the end of the lotus seed's perception was a cave on the island.

The island is small, about the size of two football fields, and is covered with dead trees with bare branches, like countless limbs reaching towards the sky.

A group of dark shadows hovered in the sky above the island, densely packed, emitting sharp squeaking sounds.

"Vampire bats?" Cai Liang recognized them. "There are so many?"

Jiang Jun squinted and looked over.

These vampire bats were a size larger than the ones we encountered last time, their bodies were dark red, and their wing membranes were covered with strange patterns.

Judging from their imposing presence, they are not skirmishers, but rather guerrillas.

Just as Jiang Jun was pondering, Cai Liang's stomach suddenly emitted a series of loud gurgling sounds, as if something was churning inside.

He clutched his stomach, his face pale, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead: "Teacher, I... I'm so hungry, it feels like my stomach has been emptied out..."

Huangjing Tongzi patted his little belly, then looked up at the bat, seemingly confused, but not showing any strong hunger.

Jiang Jun did not react at all.

Cai Liang squatted down with difficulty, panting heavily: "That's not right, teacher... The Mirror Realm has compensatory energy, so it shouldn't feel hungry. What... what's going on?"

"It's those bats causing the problem," Jiang Jun pointed to the sky. "The pollution they emit causes people to feel intensely hungry."

"Your strength is the lowest, but your reaction is the most obvious. Huangjing Boy is protected by the lotus seed, so he's not greatly affected. As for me..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Cai Liang looked miserable, but fortunately Jiang Jun took out some dry rations from his sleeve and handed them to him. He wolfed down two pieces, which slightly relieved his hunger.

"We need to clear out these strange bats before we can enter the cave." Jiang Jun looked up at the dense black shadows in the sky and was about to take out "Ghostly Sorrow" when Huang Jing Tong Zi suddenly jumped down from his arms.

The little one, holding the lotus seed, sat cross-legged on the ground, cradling it to his chest, and began to chant in a childish voice, "Ba...ba...ba..."

The lotus seed glowed with a soft golden light, and as it was chanted, ripples of pale gold spread outwards.

Wherever the ripples passed, the vampire bats all scurried away, not daring to approach the cave entrance.

Several ripples overlapped, gradually forming a semi-transparent golden light curtain at the cave entrance, sealing the entire entrance completely.

This is one of the great abilities of the Brahma Lotus Seed: the Lotus Dharma Realm.

Although it is still in its early stages, it is already sufficient to seal the cave entrance and block the vampire bats.

Some defiant bats swooped down and crashed into the light screen, as if hitting a soft wall, and were bounced back. A few crashed harder, wisps of black smoke billowing from their wing membranes, and they flew away screaming.

Jiang Jun nodded, took out the "Demon-Swallowing Gourd" artifact from his sleeve, and handed it to Cai Liang.

"Leave the gourd here. Use the power of the lotus seed to deal with the bats that have escaped. If you really can't handle them, use the gourd to catch them."

Cai Liang took the gourd, looked at the swarm of bats circling overhead, then at his own hands, and felt a little weak: "Teacher, I... I'm afraid my cultivation at the Spirit Realm level is no match for a Wanderer-level monster."

"That's why I let you fight on the edge of the Dharma Realm." Jiang Jun pointed to the golden light screen. "With the Lotus Dharma Realm protecting you, the strength of the Ghost Bat will be suppressed."

"You don't need to fight them head-on. Just restrain them and wait for them to show an opening, then use the power of your protective aura to launch a sneak attack. This is also a rare opportunity for practical combat training."

Cai Liang gritted his teeth: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

Jiang Jun glanced at Huang Jing Tongzi again.

The little guy was focused on reciting "Ba," enveloped in the golden light of the lotus seed. The light screen flickered on and off with the recitation, stable and resilient.

"Take care of yourself," Jiang Jun said, then turned and walked towards the cave entrance.

He took out the "Divine Rooster Talisman" and the "Deceptive Sorrow" to protect himself, and used the "Deceptive Impermissible" to conceal his presence before leaping into the cave.

The cave was pitch black, with only a few rays of light shining through from the golden light of the Dharma realm overhead.

Jiang Jun enhanced his eyes with his true energy and discovered that the cave extended downwards, the stone walls were covered with slippery moss, and the water under his feet was knee-deep and icy cold.

He followed his senses and walked down step by step.

The water got deeper and deeper, rising from knees to thighs and then to waists.

The golden light overhead had disappeared, leaving only darkness and the sound of dripping water all around.

Suddenly, a ripple appeared in the water ahead.

Jiang Jun stopped and flicked a spark to illuminate the water.

In the silt underwater, there were layers upon layers of white bones, whether human or animal, it was unknown.

Amidst the white bones, countless dark shadows slowly moved about.

They didn't look like fish; they were more like twisted shadows, intertwined and emitting faint hissing sounds.

The sheer number of them is enough to make one's scalp crawl.

In the center of this shadowy area, in the recess at the top of the stone wall, is a lotus seed.

It is bright red, smooth as agate, and exudes a soft yet firm luster.

The light was not strong, but it pushed back a small patch of the surrounding darkness, like a bonfire that had been burning for a long time in the cold night; the flames were not high, but they never went out.

The dark figure was kept at bay by the red light, not daring to approach, yet unwilling to leave, circling and swimming underwater as if waiting for the moment the red light would go out.

Jiang Jun held his breath and slowly approached.

that's it.