Chapter 174

Long Hu Dharma Seal, majestic spirit suppressing demons.

The golden seal shone with magnificent ferocity, like a brick, slamming directly onto the back of the corpse-skin black shadow's head.

Roar...

The corpse-skin black shadow let out a shrill roar. Golden light flickered like fire patterns, branding the seal onto that skin...

In an instant, lines of patterns spread out like tendons, connecting the head, four limbs, throat, heart, dantian, tailbone, and other nine talisman locations.

Hum...

The nine dark-black talismans wriggled and wound; in an instant, they were dyed a reddish-gold color. The corpse-skin black shadow, which had been arrogant just a moment ago, was like a deflated ball. Its form stalled, gradually shriveled, and finally turned back into a skin, collapsing limply to the ground.

The dim and gloomy great hall returned to silence, like a pool of stagnant water.

Zhang Fan's other soul-aspect also returned to his body. He let out a long breath, which scattered like a white line.

The battle just now happened in the blink of an eye, but the danger within and the massive consumption were unimaginable. In just one minute, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and the high temperature caused the sweat to evaporate, turning into mist that rose from the top of his head.

"I... did I just see things!?"

Liu Xingchui subconsciously raised his hand and pinched Liu Xingyu hard. It wasn't until the latter let out a scream like a slaughtered pig that he came back to his senses.

"Brother, he... was his soul-aspect just now... splitting..."

"Don't speak... don't speak, brother begs you... brother begs you..."

Liu Xingchui grabbed Liu Xingyu's hand, his gaze toward Zhang Fan filled with awe.

If the various methods Zhang Fan had displayed before made him feel admiration and want to follow him from the bottom of his heart, then at this moment, his heart held only fear, deep fear...

There are some things and some people he cannot know, nor can he come into contact with. Once he reaches that level, there is no retreat to speak of; he can only walk down that path to the end.

At this moment, he would rather they, the brothers, were blind, deaf, and mute.

"This thing is truly useful to death."

Zhang Fan looked at the 【Majestic Spirit Suppressing Demon Golden Seal】 in his hand, simply unable to put it down. It is no exaggeration to say that this is simply the best birthday gift he has ever received in his life.

Zhang Fan held the 【Majestic Spirit Suppressing Demon Golden Seal】, put it away, and his gaze fell on the skin on the ground that was glowing with a dark light, with a reddish-gold seal stamped on the back of its head.

"Nine-Refinement Living Corpse... the methods of the Zhai Head are indeed terrifying." Zhang Fan's gaze narrowed into a line.

This skin is too powerful. If his methods hadn't been unexpected, he wouldn't have been able to take down this monster for a while. If it were an ordinary 【Gao Gong】, nine times out of ten, they would already be lying here.

"Brother Fan, you have truly obtained a treasure."

Just at this moment, Liu Xingchui walked over, his gaze burning as he stared at the skin glowing with dark light on the ground.

"Treasure? Are you talking about this thing?"

Zhang Fan's heart stirred, and he picked up the shriveled skin from the ground; it was ice-cold to the touch.

"A treasure transformed from a Nine-Refinement Living Corpse," Liu Xingchui couldn't help but say: "This thing is much more powerful than an ordinary Gao Gong. Keeping it means having a Dharma Protector."

The monster transformed from corpse skin was able to withstand the two great True Fires of the Liu brothers; its defense was simply hair-raising. Besides that, this skin should have originated from Long Hu Mountain when it was alive, and the methods it possessed were also the methods of a Long Hu Mountain Daoist; there is naturally no need to mention how powerful it is.

"Long Hu Mountain Zhang family..."

In the history of the Daoist school, the nine times of breaking mountains and destroying temples were almost all initiated by the Long Hu Mountain Zhang family, slaughtering the Wu Wei evil people. The blood feud between the two can be said to be irreconcilable.

It is not surprising that there is a skin of the Long Hu Zhang family in the Daoist temple left by the Three-Corpse Daoist.

"Let me try."

Zhang Fan held the skin, stirred his True Yang, and blew a breath of air violently at the skin. The breath containing intense True Yang blew into the skin, and the latter quickly filled up like an inflatable doll.

Hum...

Following that, the corpse-skin black shadow transformed back into the state of a dried corpse just now. Its eyes opened, glowing with reddish-gold light. The nine great talismans wriggled, and streams of gray-black Qi spread throughout its body, like tendons connecting its four limbs and hundred bones.

A fierce and terrifying aura rose again, startling the Liu brothers until their faces turned pale, and they subconsciously took a step back.

"Good treasure."

Zhang Fan's eyes immediately lit up. He could feel his True Yang like a fire burning inside the corpse-skin black shadow's body, and his soul-aspect developed an extremely subtle connection with it.

"A Dharma Protector far exceeding an ordinary 【Gao Gong】," Liu Xingchui stood ten steps away, whispering to himself.

For ordinary practitioners of the Dao, being able to embrace oneness and enter stillness, and having the soul-aspect activate, is already one in ten thousand. Most people might stay at the 【Qi Worker】 rank for their whole lives, moving Qi their entire lives and achieving nothing.

A Gao Gong, even among the top ten famous Daoist mountains in the world, can be considered a pillar. If it were in a secular family, it would be the fortune of a clan's rise or fall.

Like the He family of the Chu Ma that Zhang Fan met before, and the Shen family of the Talisman, neither had existence at the Gao Gong level.

Even the Xiong family of Yinshan, for the sake of family inheritance, spent painstaking effort and didn't know how much wealth and resources they had poured in, only barely refining a Ghost Commander with strength comparable to a Gao Gong, only to have it beaten up by Xiong Sanqi.

Because of this, how precious is a combat power at the Gao Gong level, especially one that can be used as a Dharma Protector and passed down through generations?

Just taking this skin out, I'm afraid that even if the Xiong family were asked to exchange half of their family property for it, they would be willing and would still be grateful.

"Let me give you a name."

Zhang Fan looked at the eerie creature that looked like a dried corpse before him, and the more he looked, the more pleasing it became. His gaze swept over, and he saw a strange symbol on the wrist of its right hand, looking very much like the character "North".

Perhaps, when it was alive, its name contained the character "North", or perhaps the name of someone it cherished when it was alive contained the character "North". Regardless, the past is over; now, it is a Dharma Protector by Zhang Fan's side.

"Zhang Beijiang!!!"

Zhang Fan whispered solemnly, spitting out a name.

Using Zhang as the surname—the Zhang of the Long Hu Zhang family—and Beijiang as the title.

Zhang Beijiang! Roar...

Zhang Beijiang seemed to feel something in its heart, letting out a low roar that set off waves of Yin wind, and the ground beneath its feet shattered.

The Liu brothers looked at each other, their eyes filled with deep lingering fear.

This thing is probably even more terrifying than they imagined.

"Brother Fan, just this Dharma Protector alone makes this trip not in vain," Liu Xingyu couldn't help but say.

If an ordinary person had a Dharma Protector like Zhang Beijiang, they could almost walk sideways in the secular world.

"Do serious business, do serious business." Zhang Fan grinned, took a deep breath, and dissipated the True Yang inside Zhang Beijiang's body. The latter quickly shriveled up and turned back into a skin.

Zhang Fan folded it up and put it into his backpack, carrying it with him; it was quite convenient.

"You can even use it as a blanket later; one corpse, two uses, good stuff," Liu Xingyu couldn't help but say.

Once these words were spoken, Zhang Fan's eyes widened, and he looked at him with a strange expression.

Even Liu Xingchui stared at his inexplicable younger brother with some incomprehension.

What kind of brain circuit is this!? "Brother Fan, if you want to carry it conveniently, I can also make you a handmade backpack. I used to be at Xiao Xiaole..."

Involving his professional comfort zone, Liu Xingyu's chatterbox seemed to have been opened, and he spoke with even more zest.

"Alright, stop talking."

Liu Xingchui glared at his stupid younger brother. Although they were brothers, sometimes he couldn't fully understand his brother's thoughts.

"Let's go."

Zhang Fan didn't want to waste time. He took the Liu brothers and went straight out of the 【Corpse Refining Hall】, continuing to go deeper.

Rumble... Just at this moment, a violent sound came from far away. Zhang Fan's group suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

"What's the situation?"

"Someone has come in... perhaps this Daoist temple has other entrances," Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow.

The Prisoner Immortal Temple was left by the Three-Corpse Daoist; perhaps people from the Wu Wei Sect have come in. After all, not long ago, Hai Zhu had appeared in Luoxia Town.

"Hurry up and go."

Zhang Fan quickened his pace, and a moment later, he arrived at the inner hall.

"Great Luo Bao Hall!"

Looking up, on the towering and ancient hall, four large characters were written, solemn and dignified, making people not dare to speak lightly when they saw them.

The Great Luo Bao Hall of the Daoist school is equivalent to the Great Hero Treasure Hall of the Buddhist school. Generally, what is enshrined inside are the Three Pure Patriarchs and the Dharma-protecting Venerable Gods.

"This Daoist temple has finally become normal."

After seeing the 【Corpse Refining Hall】, arriving here, everything could finally be considered normal.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan slowly pushed open the hall doors.

"Hmm!?"

A ray of light shone out from within. With just one glance, Zhang Fan was stunned. What first caught his sight were the Dharma-protecting Venerable Gods standing on both sides of the great hall. They were not the traditional Lingguan Heavenly Kings, nor were they the immortal gods known to the general public...

On both sides, there were six stone statues each, totaling twelve, but they had human bodies and animal heads, guarding the main god statue in the center.

"Twelve Zodiacs!?" Liu Xingchui whispered.

"No... not the Twelve Zodiacs... but the Thirteen Zodiacs."

Zhang Fan's gaze narrowed as he looked beneath the god's altar in the center, where another stone statue stood, with a human body and human face, holding a Dharma sword in its hand, guarding the god statue on the seat.

The god statue on the seat was also not the Three Pure Ones Zhang Fan had thought, but an extremely strange clay sculpture, with one body and three heads, facing three different directions, hands forming seals, the treasure appearance solemn, and on the spirit tablet was written:

Spirit Tablet of the Three-Corpse Daoist Lord!!! "Three-Corpse Daoist Lord? What kind of immortal is this? I've never heard of it?"

"Is it an evil god or a licentious sacrifice!?"

The Liu brothers' gazes sank slightly, both revealing strange expressions.

Zhang Fan's heart trembled, and he couldn't help but think of his father and the Zhang family's old house.

In the old house, Zhang Lingzong also enshrined a god statue, named 【Great Lingzong King】, symbolizing himself, almost identical to this 【Three-Corpse Daoist Lord】 before his eyes.

Human body in the red dust, feasting on incense, a strange sense of mystery rushed toward him.

Zhang Lingzong is like this.

The Three-Corpse Daoist is also like this.

Perhaps, there is a very special meaning in this, or perhaps this is an extremely ancient Daoist method... but Zhang Fan has never heard of it.

"I think... it's better to come quietly and leave quietly..." Liu Xingchui suggested.

He stared fixedly at the god statue of the 【Three-Corpse Daoist Lord】, feeling it was incomparably strange.

"Agreed."

The three of them hit it off immediately, but after walking around the great hall, they couldn't find a back door to leave.

"Enter but not exit?" Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at the clay sculpture on the god altar.

"Look, you guys."

Just at this moment, Liu Xingyu seemed to have discovered a new continent, pointing at the clay sculpture of the 【Three-Corpse Daoist Lord】 and shouting in a low voice.

Before the god statue high above, in the ancient incense burner, the incense smoke curled endlessly, the red scorching firelight was flourishing, and wisps of clouds and mist rose and coiled.

Looking closely, one could find that there were neither candles nor incense in the burner.

"No candles, no incense... where did this incense smoke come from?"

The Liu brothers looked at each other, revealing expressions of doubt.

"This is true incense smoke!"

Zhang Fan's gaze narrowed into a line, staring at the incense smoke coiling before the 【Three-Corpse Daoist Lord】, like a cloud, whispering to himself.

Immortals and Buddhas all love incense smoke.

Why? Because incense smoke contains incredible power, and this power comes from people's thoughts.

All living beings respect gods and worship Buddhas, offering incense smoke, carrying their thoughts—whether it be piety, prayer, respect, or fear... various thoughts are born, merging into that incense smoke, becoming the sustenance for immortals and Buddhas.

Therefore, thoughts are one of the most incredible powers in this human world.

A person, if they hold a certain intention, such as getting rich, being promoted, becoming famous, etc., as long as they have firm belief and work naturally and hard, they can often achieve success.

This is what is called getting what you wish for.

It's just that some people have weak will, give up halfway, doubt themselves, and are confused about the results. This is an unfixed mind, and thoughts naturally cannot achieve their wishes.

Therefore, in fact, mortals can do whatever they want in the secular red dust. The key lies in the four words "do whatever you want," but this requires constant training, because thoughts cannot tolerate the slightest impurity. Any hesitation caused by setbacks or rebellion will produce new thoughts, thereby abandoning the power of the initial thought and making it impossible to get what you wish for!! For example, if you think you will get rich, then you will definitely get rich, but after just three or five days, you are still short of money and doubt, "Will I get rich?" Once such a new thought is born, the initial thought cannot be achieved! For practitioners of the Dao, thoughts are like floods and wild beasts. Thoughts are mixed, the consciousness is fierce, and the soul-aspect will return to silence, disappearing into the red dust, with no fate to practice the Dao.

So-called, when one thought does not arise, ten thousand conditions are extinguished; when various thoughts are mixed, the barrier gate is suddenly opened.

Because of this, thoughts contain incredible power, which can lead to great success or great failure. The creation is mysterious, wonderful, and inexplicable, born from fire and rising with the clouds...

That is incense smoke!!! The incense smoke that gods and Buddhas feast on! Therefore, seeking gods is seeking oneself!

"Incense smoke... I have heard elders in the sect say that gods and Buddhas eat it for eternity, and practitioners of the Dao gather it for longevity..."

Liu Xingchui whispered to himself. Even as a practitioner of the Dao, incense smoke is still illusory to them, like a legend, just like the so-called immortals.

He had never thought that this legendary thing could actually appear concretely before him.

"The Three-Corpse Daoist is worthy of being the Three-Corpse Daoist, such a big lump..."

Zhang Fan's eyes lit up. It must be said that this 【Prisoner Immortal Temple】 is full of treasures everywhere. Besides the 【Zhang Beijiang】 he just obtained, there is actually even incense smoke.

He had seen records in the 【Dao Secret Record】. So-called incense smoke is illusory. Even among the top ten famous Daoist mountains in the world, methods for gathering incense smoke are rare. They can respect gods and worship Buddhas, but no matter how flourishing the incense smoke is, they have no method of stealing it.

The Three-Corpse Daoist's methods are truly heaven-reaching, actually concretizing this power and stealing it from the secular red dust.

It is rumored that incense smoke is almost omnipotent, surpassing any great medicine, prolonging life, practicing Daoist arts, and even repairing the soul-aspect is not a problem.

Thinking of this, the figure of his father couldn't help but appear in Zhang Fan's mind.

The Great Lingzong King, that god statue might have the same wonderful effect as the 【Three-Corpse Daoist Lord】 before his eyes, and it can also condense incense smoke.

There seems to be some subtle connection between Zhang Lingzong and the Three-Corpse Daoist!!

Clang... clang... clang...

Just in the deepest part of Zhang Fan's soul-aspect inner landscape, in the darkest place, the heavy sound of chain collisions rang out again, and the huge shadow rose and fell suddenly like a giant beast hiding in the ocean...

That mysterious voice came out from within, low and hoarse, echoing in Zhang Fan's mind.

"We will divide it... divide it..."

(End of chapter)