Chapter 262: Qiyun Mountain Temple Master! The Secret of Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si

Late night.

The lonely moon hung high, like a fox's eye, looking indifferently at the human world.

Western suburbs of Annan City, Qingdeng Hostel.

The wall with the big white paint had been there for a long time, and most of the white skin had fallen off, faintly retaining yellow stains. The dilapidated door frame had long been loose, and a light push would make a creaking sound.

Such a hostel, the decoration style was very much like the 1970s or 80s, and now it was long ignored.

In the large hostel, it seemed that even a waiter could not be found. At the end of the dim corridor, there was faintly the sound of a faucet dripping water.

Drip... drip... drip...

Just at this moment, a figure pushed the door and walked into the hostel. The dim, flickering light pulled his shadow long.

"Dilapidated hostel, freezing and starving, who is here finding joy in bitterness?"

The person whispered. He stood in front of the empty service desk for a moment. The dim light reflected his face—it was none other than Qiyun Mountain's Yuan Lingguan...

At the same time, he was also the Shen Monkey Yuan Lingguan.

After the battle of Fangya Mountain, he and Qin Wangsun both disappeared without a trace. Even the Huizhou Province Dao Alliance found it difficult to track his traces.

Who could have thought that this Wu Wei Gate expert lurking in Qiyun Mountain would appear in this inconspicuous, dilapidated hostel.

"Rootless tree, the flower is lonely, may I ask if Yin and Yang can be classified?"

Just at this moment, a low chant came from the depths of the dark corridor, sounding old and hoarse.

Yuan Lingguan's gaze sank slightly. He turned his head to look at the corridor, showing a helpless expression, and walked over.

"Female chicken egg, difficult to hold the chick, backing away from the Yin and Yang Creation Furnace..."

That low chant became closer and closer, as if it were right in front of him. The rooms on both sides were empty, and even the doors were open.

"A woman without a husband is a resentful woman, a man without a wife is a lonely man. Sighing at the lost path, too blurry, sitting alone and cultivating, the Qi turns withered."

Finally, Yuan Lingguan arrived at the end of the corridor. The door of the last room was closed, and the sound came from inside.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door. The low chant inside stopped abruptly.

The next moment, Yuan Lingguan pushed the door and walked in.

The bright moonlight spilled through the window onto the bed. A figure was sitting cross-legged there, with a head of white hair mixed with strands of black, and an upright figure that was more spirited than a young man.

The old man was dressed simply, with a big gold chain hanging on his chest, and there was even a tiger-head tattoo on the tiger's mouth of his right hand.

"Master Sanfeng's poem is well written. Seeing Yin and Yang within the Daoist sect is the true marvelous path to seeking immortality." The old man had his back to Yuan Lingguan, looking at the hazy moonlight outside the window, and slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, his body seemed to be draped in a layer of silver, and as it flowed, there was a golden radiance shining, disappearing in a flash.

"The marvel is in the reversal, the mystery is in the Yin and Yang... worthy of being the temple master." Yuan Lingguan saw some mysteries, murmured softly, but the expression toward the old man added a touch of solemnity.

This old man was no one else, but the Qiyun Mountain Temple Master, Mo Ranchen.

"Little Yuan, you are too careless. How could you reveal your identity in front of people?"

Just at this moment, Mo Ranchen slowly stood up and turned around. The big gold chain on his chest looked particularly dazzling.

"Revealing your identity is one thing, but you actually left a living mouth—too inappropriate." Mo Ranchen sighed gloomily, then his old gaze condensed into a line, looking at Yuan Lingguan, and a powerful pressure surged over.

Even someone as strong as Yuan Lingguan could not help but change color, abruptly taking two steps back.

"Little Yuan, can I understand that you did it on purpose?"

"Old Mo, speak with a conscience. Who could have thought that Qin Wangsun could still live? He slept for twenty years..."

Yuan Lingguan defended himself. Toward this Qiyun Mountain Temple Master, just from the address, it could be seen that he seemed to have no respect, but instead carried a bit of dissatisfaction.

"A monster is still a monster after sleeping for twenty years. It was your own carelessness." Mo Ranchen said coldly.

"Little Yuan, I want to remind you, your position is too important. Don't have other thoughts."

As he spoke, Mo Ranchen's gaze became cold as frost, carrying a warning flavor.

"Playing rogue with me, right? At first, you said it was a ten-year plan, then five, then five again. How many years has it been? Do you know how I've been living these years?" Yuan Lingguan shouted.

"Now you're showing your cards, right? And you can't quit?"

"Yes!" Mo Ranchen said in a deep voice.

Such a straightforward and sincere answer made Yuan Lingguan stunned for a moment, and for a time, he did not know how to respond.

"Little Yuan, I can understand you, but you should also understand—Shen Monkey, that is the Thirteen Zodiacs. How many years, how many people, how many lives did it take to push you to this position..."

"At this time, you want to quit? Can you quit?"

"Walking on this path, there is no turning back."

As the words fell, Yuan Lingguan remained silent.

Seeing this, Mo Ranchen's expression softened slightly. He walked to Yuan Lingguan's side and patted him on the shoulder.

"Little Yuan, three years. After three more years, I will definitely find a way to get you out."

"Three years..." Yuan Lingguan murmured softly, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

"Alright, let's talk about business."

Mo Ranchen waved his big hand, indicating that all the affectation ended here.

"The Human Zodiac's place of seclusion—you knew that place long ago. In that case, the new Human Zodiac is inside..." Mo Ranchen said in a deep voice.

"It seems he has already cultivated the Demon Aspect. You didn't hesitate to reveal your identity to guard his seclusion. I need a reason." Mo Ranchen said indifferently.

"I..."

"For so many years, there have been quite a few people here who entered the Wu Wei Gate. Some lost their lives, some disappeared, and of course, some defected."

Before Yuan Lingguan could finish speaking, Mo Ranchen interrupted him.

"I know, you will definitely give me a reasonable explanation."

"Old Mo, are you beating me?" Yuan Lingguan raised an eyebrow, somewhat dissatisfied.

Wandering between night and day, whether he belonged to darkness or light, sometimes even he himself could not tell.

People like him, after a long time, whether it was the night or the day, would not be willing to accept them.

"This is a friendly reminder."

"The path where night and day intertwine is often the hardest to see clearly, and the easiest to go astray." Mo Ranchen said gloomily.

"The Human Zodiac cannot die, at least not now..." Yuan Lingguan did not continue to struggle and gave his own explanation.

"His climate is not yet formed; living, the impact is not great. But once he dies, Li Cunsi's line will be broken."

As soon as these words came out, Mo Ranchen showed a thoughtful expression.

"Li Cunsi, the previous Lord of the Xuan Palace. How many years has he been dead? I can't remember, but having cultivated one of the Nine Great Inner Alchemy Methods, Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si, is it so easy to die?" Mo Ranchen said indifferently.

"For so many years, there is finally some news. I just didn't expect his seed to have become the Human Zodiac." Regarding the Wu Wei Gate, the Daoist sects had indeed collected many important pieces of intelligence over the years.

"Pity, I still cannot determine the Human Zodiac's identity in reality, but his relationship with Li Cunsi is eight or nine out of ten, otherwise how could he sit in such a high position." Yuan Lingguan said in a deep voice.

The Lord of the Xuan Palace, Li Cunsi, was a supreme expert of the Wu Wei Gate. Back then, he had cultivated one of the Nine Great Inner Alchemy Methods, Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si.

It was just that later, he suddenly died suddenly, but the death was strange and suspicious.

"Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si is not so easy to cultivate. This little brat also practiced this method—life and death, the marvel is in the reversal, dying and returning to life, reincarnation and repetition." Mo Ranchen said in a deep voice.

Cultivating this method allows one to break the boundaries of life and death. However, breaking the boundaries of life and death is like reversing the creation of the Great Dao, naturally leading to many calamities.

Precisely because of this, since ancient times, this lineage has circulated a method of 【Dividing Life to Substitute Death】 to deal with calamities.

"Dividing Life to Substitute Death!?" Yuan Lingguan heard this and could not help but show a strange expression.

"Not bad. Everyone only has one life. Using one life to comprehend the mysteries of life and death is wishful thinking. Just like if you live, you cannot die, and if you die, you cannot live—just like Schrödinger's cat."

"..."

Yuan Lingguan remained silent.

【Note: Garbled text again.】

"But if there are two lives, it's different. Life and death, a perfect cycle, dividing life to respond to the calamity, cultivating the Great Law together." Mo Ranchen said in a deep voice.

"You mean, Li Cunsi passed the method of dividing life to his son, and the two of them are cultivating Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si together—if one lives, the other must die?" Yuan Lingguan's eyebrows trembled, and he could not help but show a strange expression.

Even though his cultivation was deep and he comprehended the mysteries of the Dao, the magic of the Nine Great Inner Alchemy Methods still opened his eyes and made him marvel.

"You did well in this matter. Keeping that little brat's life will allow us to fish out this big fish, Li Cunsi..."

"Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si—the White Crane Temple has also been struggling to pursue it for these years."

Mo Ranchen nodded, agreeing with Yuan Lingguan's explanation.

"Qin Ming, Song Yunqi, and Ji Huanshan—how did these three young people die?" Mo Ranchen changed the subject and asked again.

"I don't know about this. They should have been killed by the Human Zodiac." Yuan Lingguan said indifferently.

"Although they are excellent enough, they are not enough to look at in front of the Human Zodiac. Dying is a matter of course."

The new Human Zodiac, even if the fire is not yet formed, is a supreme among the younger generation. Jia-Sheng-Gui-Si and the Human Zodiac Demon Aspect are enough to sweep the peers invincible.

"A matter of course? There was a successor of my Qiyun Mountain among them." Mo Ranchen said coldly.

"Old Mo, it's not that I'm saying it, but your eyes for picking successors are really not very good. That Qin Ming looks like he has a rebellious bone, a complete white-eyed wolf. If Qiyun Mountain were handed over to him, I fear the ancestors' coffins would be overturned." Yuan Lingguan evaluated sincerely.

Mo Ranchen did not commit himself, changed the subject, and suddenly asked: "Does that young man named Zhang Fan have any problems?"

"Zhang Fan? I don't know. I'm not familiar with him. I only know he is a disciple of Zhenwu Mountain." Yuan Lingguan shook his head, indicating he did not know.

"Is that so?" Mo Ranchen did not say a word, staring at Yuan Lingguan's face. After a long while, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

"When did Zhenwu Mountain produce such an excellent disciple? Very interesting."

"Are you interested in this young man?" Yuan Lingguan asked subconsciously.

"This doesn't seem to be something you should ask more about." Mo Ranchen raised an eyebrow, looking at Yuan Lingguan with deep meaning.

"I was just asking casually."

"Casually, that is an unintentional meaning, intending to think before..." Mo Ranchen said indifferently: "Perhaps I can meet this young man."

As the words fell, Mo Ranchen did not wait for Yuan Lingguan to react and continued to exhort: "Don't show your face during this period. Wait until I have settled your problems."

As he spoke, Mo Ranchen patted Yuan Lingguan on the shoulder and picked up a small box from the table next to him.

"This is the peach crisp cake you like to eat. I made it myself. Take it back and taste it."

"Haven't eaten this for a long time." Yuan Lingguan sighed.

"Little Yuan, take care of yourself."

As he spoke, Mo Ranchen walked out of the room.

The empty hostel seemed to be left with only Yuan Lingguan. He walked to the window, watching Mo Ranchen walk out of the hostel and gradually disappear into the vast night.

Yuan Lingguan raised his hand and threw the peach crisp cake in his hand into the trash can next to him.

He leaned against the window, sitting there, closing his eyes to rest, humming a strange tune in his mouth, and the wall clock slowly turned...

An hour and a half later, a heavy sound of footsteps sounded again in the quiet corridor.

Yuan Lingguan opened his eyes abruptly.

Just at this moment, the door opened. A figure stood at the door, standing in the dim shadow. He did not enter the room, as if a ghost, keeping his distance from this room and Yuan Lingguan.

"Did Mo Ranchen suspect you?"

At the door, a hoarse voice came, like electromagnetic noise, and even the dim light began to flicker.

"On the surface, no, but behind the back, it's hard to say." Yuan Lingguan glanced at the door and said indifferently.

"That old fox!"

"Did you find out clearly? Did Qiyun Mountain have a share in the destruction of the Southern Zhang back then?"

Suddenly, at the door, that shadow's voice sounded again.

"I don't know. It seems not." Yuan Lingguan shook his head.

"Seems? How can such a thing be 'seems'?"

At the door, that shadow said coldly, his voice carrying a trace of coldness.

"Back then, Li Cunsi's death had the shadow of the Northern Zhang. That woman colluded with the Northern Zhang. Pity, Zhang Lingzong had entered the Third Great Night-Without-Light Calamity at that time."

"As long as you find evidence of the connection between Qiyun Mountain and the Northern Zhang, it is enough to conclude that the Southern Zhang's destruction had their shadow." At the door, that shadow said decisively.

"Old Mo? Not very likely, right? I heard..." Yuan Lingguan hesitated.

"Heard what? Heard that he was on good terms with the Southern Zhang in his early years? He was a sworn brother with Zhang Lingzong's father, but so what? Even biological brothers will stab each other in the back, let alone sworn brothers?"

"The closer the person, the more fatal the knife stabbed."

At the door, that shadow said coldly.

"I understand. I will continue to investigate this matter." Yuan Lingguan nodded.

"You have already leaked the bottom. Don't show your face recently. From now on, we shouldn't meet again."

At the door, that shadow reminded.

As the words fell, a wind blew gently, moving the loose door, making a creaking sound.

Looking again, the big shadow at the door was gone—not a trace of a figure, and that ghost-like existence had completely disappeared into the silent and empty hostel.

"What kind of person am I!"

Yuan Lingguan looked at the ceiling, his eyes empty, letting out a sigh from the bottom of his lungs.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 263 =====