Chapter 226: Extra Story 3: A Dream of Past Lives Bound to a Name (Part 2)

Extra Story 3: A Dream of Past Lives Bound to a Name (Part 2)

The clapper for the third watch had just struck; it was the dead of night, and the town was utterly silent. Only the occasional bark of a dog or the cry of a startled cat could be heard; there was no other sound.

Yet at such an hour, in the graveyard behind the mountain, two people were searching for something. Their footsteps were light, their expressions composed, and these two were none other than Lingxiang and Xin Yi.

Lingxiang's words were indeed correct; as sect disciples, it was truly inappropriate to interfere in matters of worldly training. However, although the group had been ready to set off, she had specifically kept herself behind. Xin Yi had not been able to figure this out the entire way.

Lingxiang ordered Xin Yi to dig up the grave, yet she herself was actually cracking pine nuts on the side. The *crack-crack* sounds echoed through the graveyard; it could not have been more eerie.

Finally, Xin Yi could bear it no longer. He straightened his back and looked at Lingxiang. Just as he was about to speak, Lingxiang raised a hand to stop him.

"The reason I kept you behind is simply because your cultivation is the highest, and I wanted to keep a backup. The method of the Saintess's death that Chengkai mentioned during the day is very concerning, but in the dead of night, do you have the heart to leave a weak woman like me alone in a graveyard?"

In the end, it was just wanting a laborer.

Xin Yi rolled his eyes and continued digging the soil. But just then, by the light of the lamp, he discovered something amiss: the grave soil, which should have been red, was getting blacker the deeper he dug. And those black things—it would be more accurate to call them sand than soil.

He was just about to reach out and pinch a bit to examine it, but was sharply stopped by Lingxiang, who only urged him to be careful and continue digging.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a corpse was unearthed. Lingxiang looked at the corpse and could not help but frown.

When Chengkai spoke earlier, it was not hard to guess that the Saintess had died of poison, but now it seemed it was not that simple.

If it were ordinary poisoning, the soil burying the corpse would certainly not have turned into this state. Furthermore, as for the corpse, although it had been dead for a long time, there was no sign of decay; its fingernails had become abnormally sharp, its lips were curled back, and its teeth were exposed.

"It's a Corpse Change!" Lingxiang was shocked. She looked at Xin Yi, and the latter understood immediately, hurriedly searching for the graves of the other three Saintesses.

Looking at the corpse before her, Lingxiang could not help but feel fortunate. Fortunately, a Corpse Change requires a hundred days; finding it now was still in time. If it were allowed to become a Corpse Demon, Longqiao Town would likely suffer.

It seems that Sutong is not simple; I wonder what exactly Mother taught her back then.

……

Lingxiang was concentrating on applying needles to Madam Cheng, when Madam Cheng suddenly smiled and said, "Just now I felt the Fairy looked familiar, but for a moment I couldn't remember who it was. Now that I look again, I remember. More than ten years ago, my husband fell gravely ill. At that time, a Fairy also came. Your brows and eyes look eighty percent similar to hers."

A Fairy? Lingxiang was puzzled in her heart, but she did not show the slightest bit on her face.

"We are all people who cultivate; kindness is the foundation. It is not strange for our appearances to have some similarities."

Hearing what Lingxiang said, Madam Cheng shook her head: "That Fairy was no ordinary person. Although she was a practitioner, her bearing was extraordinary, and she was extremely skilled in medicine. My husband was hanging by a thread, but with just one Pill, she pulled him back from the Ghost Gate Pass."

A Pill? Could it be that Escort Master Cheng has cultivation? Or perhaps...

Lingxiang seemed to have suddenly remembered something and hurriedly took a Painting Scroll out of her Universe Bag.

"Is the Fairy you mentioned, Madam, the person in this painting?" Lingxiang said, unfolding the painting; it was indeed Tumi Xianzi.

Madam Cheng nodded, but Lingxiang could not help but frown. She hurriedly took Tumi's notes from her waist, and after a flurry of searching, she finally found a passage on one of the pages:

"Year 37, passing through Longqiao, stayed at Zhiguan. Chanced upon the Chengfeng Spirit Star, so I went to inquire. Learned that the Escort Chief, Chengnan, had been ill for over a month, incurable by medicine, in a very strange state. I observed his complexion to be dark and dull, with shadows under his eyes—a sign of lost Yang. I used Round Yang supplemented with Eucommia and Goji to heal him in three days.

During this time, I caught a Snake, white-patterned with red eyes, with compelling Spirit Qi, the source of Cheng's illness. It had already gained intelligence and could take human form. I could not bear to bury its talent, so I used Spirit Nurturing to help it transform and taught it Daoist principles. However, being tied up with many matters, I could not stay. Fearing it might go astray in the future and bring disaster to the region, I bound it with a Contracted Spirit, tying it to the name Sutong."

……

The reason Escort Master Cheng fell ill was because of this Sutong. At that time, Sutong already had demonic nature but could not transform. It seems she used Witchcraft to make Escort Master Cheng infatuated with her.

However, humans and demons are on different paths. Escort Master Cheng was enjoying his romance, but little did he know that his beloved only wanted to use his Yang energy to improve her own cultivation.

Mother was truly daring with her medicine. Ordinary people are not supposed to take the Round Yang Pill, but by supplementing it with Eucommia and Goji, the Pill poison could be neutralized. Moreover, both Eucommia and Goji have the effect of replenishing Yang, which was exactly the right prescription for Escort Master Cheng.

Looking at the corpse before her, Lingxiang sighed. Although it was disrespectful, this corpse could only be burned away with Pure Spirit Fire. It was just that she was a bit worried; she wondered how Long Qi and the others were doing now...

Inside Sutong's cave dwelling, Long Qi and the others split into two groups. He, along with Zhao Wuyang and Chengkai, encountered the guarding believers. Although they were just ordinary commoners, they were unusually persistent.

It wasn't that these believers had high cultivation; the group had wanted to knock them out with a palm strike, but for some reason, they remained conscious, completely unaffected by external force.

They were just ordinary commoners, so they could not use heavy force, and they could not knock them out, so for a time, they were caught in a dilemma.

Especially since there were even Escorts from the Chengfeng Escort Agency among them. They seemed to be under a nightmare; no matter how Chengkai called out, they still brandished their weapons.

Moreover, the Escorts possessed Martial Arts, making them even more troublesome to deal with.

Just as Zhao Wuyang was about to be defeated and Long Qi was losing his patience, Chengkai blocked in front of them, turned his hands, and folded the Jinglei Staff in his hand into two halves.

This Jinglei Staff was the divine weapon Chengkai found in Xuancang Cave. The staff was like its name; when swung, it was like rolling thunder, deafening.

However, what was even more powerful was that this staff could be divided into two or three sections. When used as two sections, by striking them against each other, it could dispel illusion techniques.

Under Chengkai's striking, those Escorts and commoners all regained their senses, but before they could say anything more, they fainted again.

"If you had this method, why didn't you try it sooner? You made us waste so much effort for nothing," Long Qi said, putting away Longyuan and complaining.

Chengkai did not say much, only leaning down to check on the fainted Escorts and commoners. After a long while, he sighed: "The commotion just now will definitely alert that Sutong Immortal. I imagine it won't be long before someone comes looking here."

Hearing him say this, Long Qi finally remembered that their group had snuck in quietly. With that strike from Chengkai, the whole cave rumbled; even a deaf person could feel the tremors.

Now they still had to deal with the coming enemies, and he didn't know if Liu Xia and the other were safe.

Banxia had followed the guidance of the Eight Trigrams of Wen Wang all the way, which could be considered safe, but she always felt a bit awkward. Usually, Liu Xia always had a look of disdain for her, but recently, for some reason, he was always staring at her endlessly, making her feel completely uncomfortable.

She recalled it carefully and felt she had not done anything to offend him, but Liu Xia's straight-on gaze made her feel uncertain. Could it be that he was plotting something against her?

Just as Banxia was trembling with fear, on one hand being careful not to reveal any traces, and on the other hand guarding against Liu Xia behind her, Liu Xia suddenly covered her mouth and pulled her into his arms.

That was it; Banxia was instantly shocked, her eyes wide as copper bells, her limbs kicking and struggling wildly, her mouth making muffled sounds.

At this moment, Liu Xia leaned into her ear and whispered: "Don't move! Don't get discovered."

Banxia then saw that there was a large hall in front of them. She had only been focusing on what was behind her just now and had forgotten what was in front.

To have such a hall in a stone cave was quite rare, but there were only some simple objects placed in the hall, and no other furnishings; it looked very plain.

Banxia examined it carefully for a long time and found nothing. Just as she was about to step inside, she was stopped by Liu Xia again. Liu Xia pointed to a dark corner in the hall, and Banxia then saw that someone was actually sitting on a stone seat in the dark.

That person's face was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen clearly. One could only see that he was in plain clothes, his black hair cascading down; he had the appearance of an immortal, and he was currently resting his hand, as if he were asleep.

The two were careful not to disturb the person on the seat, but a thunderclap suddenly came from behind, and the entire stone cave trembled.

Just as Banxia was muttering about what that reckless ghost Long Qi had done again, the person on the seat actually moved.

They saw that person's black hair move slightly; his face was still hidden in the shadows, but his two eyes were glowing, red and terrifying. Even in the darkness, they could be seen clearly, making one's heart grow cold.

Banxia and Liu Xia did not even dare to breathe, but the person on the seat seemed to have sensed their presence. Without even a greeting, with a flick of his finger, a piece of Witchcraft was cast at them.

……

"The other three are the same as this woman," Xin Yi said, hurriedly seeking out Lingxiang.

Hearing what Xin Yi said, Lingxiang immediately furrowed her brows; seeing her like this, Xin Yi hurriedly asked if something was amiss.

"It is rumored that there are many kinds of dragons, and it is the mercy of the Heavens to give many living creatures the chance to cultivate their bodies and become saints, but there is only one kind that even the Heavenly Dao does not permit, and that is the snake."

"If a snake wishes to become a dragon, it must endure all sorts of hardships: it takes one thousand years to become a python, five hundred years to become a boa, then it becomes a flood dragon, and only then can it finally shed its form and become a dragon."

"Yet every time it transforms, it will encounter a Thunder Tribulation; if it cannot evade it, it can only perish, its soul scattered."

Upon hearing this, Xin Yi's brows were also deeply locked; he knew that if a person wished to ascend and become a saint, there was the concept of undergoing a tribulation, but he had not expected a snake to have such a difficult path.

"But why would it be like this?"

Lingxiang sighed, her face appearing to show some pity: "Do you still remember the Long Family ancestor who was demoted to a Qiu Ti in the Long Family Tomb?"

Xin Yi nodded upon hearing this; that old senior was truly impressive, but what did that have to do with this matter?

Seeing Xin Yi looking at her in confusion, Lingxiang sighed softly again: "I once read in the *Sea Mirage Heavenly Fragrance* that only those who have committed sins will be reincarnated as snakes. Because of this, the Heavens have little leniency toward the snake race."

"However, there is a method that can allow them to evade every Thunder Tribulation: by falling into the state of a viper, and from a viper transforming into a flood dragon, they can bypass two fatal Thunder Tribulations, and the risk becomes much smaller."

"But if one transforms into a viper, it is the ultimate darkness, and its poison is extremely fierce; it is said that even a heavenly god, if bitten by one, would find it very difficult to escape danger..."

Looking at the solemn-faced Lingxiang, Xin Yi suddenly felt a sense of foreboding: "You mean..."

Lingxiang turned her head to look at the woman in the tomb who had already undergone a Corpse Change, her brows remaining deeply locked: "I hope I am just worrying needlessly." Afterward, she took a small porcelain bottle and a paper packet from her Universe Bag and handed them to Xin Yi.

"In the bottle is the Anti-Poison Pill, and in the paper is the Realgar Powder; your pace is fast, hurry and find them, I hope it is not too late." As she spoke, she took a piece of Talisman Paper from her bosom; it was a Child Talisman.

But a Corpse Demon was no ordinary thing; how could Xin Yi feel at ease leaving her here alone? Just as Lingxiang was pinching the talisman, he stopped her: "A moment ago, one of the corpses in the tomb had already opened its eyes; I imagine it will turn into a Corpse Demon within these two days. Can you handle it alone?"

Lingxiang, however, smiled: "Do you think my title of Fucang Elder was given for nothing?" As she spoke, she began to activate the Child Talisman.

That Witchcraft came with fierce momentum; Banxia could not dodge in time, and it looked as if it were about to strike her. It was then that a powerful force pulled her back, and afterward, she saw the place where she had originally stood explode with a boom.

Liu Xia was so shocked that cold sweat covered his forehead; if not for his timely pull, the one torn to pieces now would likely be this little girl, Banxia.

Before the two could even be surprised, they heard that person speak: "Where did these rats and thieves come from, daring to trespass into this seat's cave dwelling?"

It was actually a woman; Liu Xia and Banxia looked at each other. In that case, this person was the rumored Sutong Immortal.

Judging by the Witchcraft just now, this person's cultivation was certainly not shallow; relying only on the strength of the two of them, they were definitely no match.

Thinking this, Liu Xia pulled Banxia and was about to leave, but who would have thought that behind them they would be surrounded by a group of people in white clothes with their eyes covered by white cloth.

"Disturbing my quiet cultivation, and you still want to run?"

As soon as the words fell, they saw those white-clothed people brandishing weapons and swarming up together.

Liu Xia and Banxia fought back, but discovered that these white-clothed people did not seem to have much skill, and it was very easy to deal with them; yet for some reason, they could never be defeated. Every time they were beaten back, they could crawl up again, as if they were born not knowing pain.

For a time, the two fell into a bitter battle; it was then that Banxia, while dodging one person, saw that the eyes of a white-clothed person covered by the white cloth were exactly the same as Sutong Immortal's, only his eyes were wide open, not even blinking once.

If she was not mistaken, the reason these people were like this was definitely because they were under the control of Sutong Immortal.

While dodging the attacks, Banxia secretly prepared a Fire Talisman and moved closer to Liu Xia, hiding her movements behind Liu Xia's frame. Once Liu Xia dodged past, she threw the Fire Talisman in her hand toward Sutong Immortal.

However, Sutong Immortal only gave a light grasp and caught the talisman; one could hear a sizzling sound in her hand, and in an instant, the Talisman Paper turned to ash.

"With just this bit of cultivation, you dare to provoke this seat? You overestimate yourselves!" As she spoke, she leaped up and headed straight for Banxia.

Banxia only had time to see a white shadow flash by before her body was tightly bound by white cloth, unable to move in the slightest.

That Sutong Immortal stared at Banxia with scarlet eyes; Banxia clearly saw that those were not human eyes—the pupils in her eyes were actually as thin as raw rice paper.

Seeing this, Liu Xia hurriedly wanted to step forward to rescue her, but he was entangled by the white-clothed people and could not get away.

Sutong Immortal's eyes glowed with red light as she pressed closer and closer to Banxia...