Chapter 37: Burial Ground Scorched Earth, Yin Mountain Sect

Dusk, the setting sun like blood.

Zhang Fan sat in the back seat of the Wuling Hongguang, watching the high-rise buildings constantly receding outside the car window, while the records about the 【Northern Emperor Method】 in the 【Dao Secret Record】 appeared in his mind.

The Northern Emperor Method originated in the two Han dynasties, was completed in the two Jin dynasties, and was derived from the faith in the Northern Pole Ziwei Emperor Star.

The early Tang Daoist Deng Ziyang absorbed the Heavenly Master Dao's method of dispatching generals and the essence of the Three Emperors sect's summoning of gods, thus forming his own sect, known as the number one killing great method of the Daoist world.

"Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method!?" Zhang Fan whispered, unable to help but look at Jiang Hu who was driving.

"You didn't succeed in practicing this art?"

"Didn't succeed..." Jiang Hu shook his head, not hiding it.

"The arts of the Northern Emperor sect are not so easy to practice, and there are too many rules."

The Northern Emperor sect's main methods are the 【Marshal Tian Peng Method】 and the 【Fengdu Method】. Once practiced, one must strictly abide by the 【Northern Emperor Black Law】, which is known as the most stringent commandment in the Daoist world.

For example, anyone who practices the Northern Emperor Method cannot face north when going to the toilet. Offenders lose three years of life, repeat offenders lose six years of life, and after death, they enter the Fengdu Mountain of Knives Hell.

Another example, those who practice the 【Marshal Tian Peng Method】 must curse and insult other religions when they encounter them.

"This lineage is too fierce and ruthless, and the rules are huge. It seems that apart from them, other foreign Dharma lineages are not good things."

Jiang Hu curled his lips. The 【Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method】 he obtained by chance belongs to one of the 【Marshal Tian Peng Method】 lineages.

This method is fierce and violent, and the key is that it is extremely difficult to practice.

Precisely because of this, Zhang Fan couldn't help but want to see it.

"Where are we going now?"

"Suburban cemetery!"

A moment later, the sun set, and Jiang Hu drove the car to the largest cemetery in the western suburbs of Yujing City, Taiping Courtyard.

"A grave here starts at 200,000."

Jiang Hu got out of the car and looked up. Under the sparse starlight, tombstones were densely packed, like dominoes, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"200,000... and starting at?" Zhang Fan's eyes widened.

"This is more expensive than housing prices."

The average price of a house in Yujing City is about 30,000 per square meter, and a grave is about one square meter, yet it starts at 200,000?

"The location is good, near the subway, convenient for sweeping graves in the future, and this is a famous school district grave." Jiang Hu said casually.

"What the hell? School district grave? I've never even heard of it? Can ghosts go to school?" Zhang Fan said with a strange expression.

"See that?"

Jiang Hu pointed to the mountain in the distance: "That is the famous Fengming Temple. Being buried here, listening to Buddhist chanting day and night, being liberated early, reincarnating early, the starting point is decades earlier than ghosts buried elsewhere..."

"No matter how bitter, you can't be bitter to your ancestors; no matter how poor, you can't be poor to your burial ground..."

"Outrageous... is it so competitive to be a ghost now?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but say.

"I will pass you the 【Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method】 now..."

Just then, Jiang Hu's voice pulled Zhang Fan's thoughts back.

"Why run here to pass it?" Zhang Fan asked, puzzled.

"The Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method is a method of refining Yin into baleful energy, suppressing all demons and evil spirits, and it is extremely fierce..." Jiang Hu said solemnly.

Daoist cultivation is about refining the Yin dregs with the soul-aspect to achieve Pure Yang Limitless.

Therefore, except for a few Dharma lineages that have methods of gathering Yin to refine arts, most Daoist priests avoid such Wang Xuanmiao Yin Qi as if it were a plague.

But the 【Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method】 requires absorbing Yin Qi from all directions, refining it into baleful energy with arts, and suppressing evil with fierceness.

"This method operates the soul-aspect, drives True Yang, absorbs Yin Qi, and actually has the wonder of Yin-Yang operation..." Jiang Hu explained in detail to Zhang Fan.

In art cultivation, the soul-aspect is the hub, the physical body is the carrier, and True Yang is the energy.

All arts must be operated through the soul-aspect, driven by True Yang, and manifested by the physical body, only then can they have various wonders and powers.

Precisely because of this, the beginning of the nine ranks is 【Qi Worker】, which is both accumulating True Yang and conditioning the physical body.

Some spells require sufficient True Yang, but it won't work if the physical body cannot bear it.

For example, the 【Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method】 requires absorbing Yin Qi into the body. If an ordinary person does this, they will definitely get sick, and those with weak constitutions will likely have to buy a cemetery plot.

"The soul-aspect is so mysterious, why can't it be refined directly by the soul-aspect?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"Absolutely not." Jiang Hu raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhang Fan deeply.

"Soul-aspect duels are extremely dangerous, just like speeding on a motorcycle. If you are not careful, you will be separated from your body."

"Don't have such delusions."

In Daoist duels, unless it is a life-and-death struggle, one will not leave the body with the soul-aspect to fight to the death.

The most critical thing is that the soul-aspect is mysterious and incomparable. Without entering the realm of Pure Yang Limitless, no one can spy on its true mysteries, and who would dare to experiment with their soul-aspect at will!? "I am secretly passing this method to you now, listen carefully..." Jiang Hu whispered: "I'm not afraid to tell you, I also have selfish motives in passing this method to you."

"What selfish motives? To keep me from resigning?" Zhang Fan asked subconsciously.

Jiang Hu paused slightly, then shook his head: "Back then, when I was expelled from the sect, I met that master... I was young and shallow, didn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth, and thought I had obtained a great opportunity..."

"Now that I think about it, passing this method involves great consequences..."

"If you really succeed in practicing this method, I'm afraid there will be karma in the future."

At this point, Jiang Hu's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Zhang Fan deeply.

"Is this why you didn't practice it?" Zhang Fan said lightly.

"Not entirely... The Northern Emperor Baleful Ghost Method is too fierce and overbearing. Wang Xuanmiao Yin enters the body, Yin and Yang change suddenly, the consciousness becomes restless, and there are infinite demonic illusions. The Great Night-Never-Bright is right before your eyes..." Jiang Hu shook his head, his eyes showing a sense of powerlessness.

Apparently, he had also tried to practice this method, but failed.

In fact, if it were really so easy to practice, the Northern Emperor Method would not be called the number one killing great method of the Daoist world. "I understand."

"I pass this method to you, whether you learn it or not is up to you."

As he spoke, Jiang Hu lowered his voice and taught Zhang Fan the formulas, talisman apertures, footwork, and the method of commanding ghost gods one by one.

"It is indeed broad and profound, and it is indeed difficult."

After Zhang Fan accepted it and digested it slightly, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Although the method is complex, the most critical step is 【True Yang Refines Wang Xuanmiao Yin】..."

At this point, Jiang Hu took out a utility knife from his backpack and actually cut his palm directly, and scarlet blood dripped onto the ground.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Fan raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Practitioners, blood contains True Yang, so this can test whether you are suitable for absorbing Yin Qi, and how much you can absorb..."

Jiang Hu explained: "You can activate your soul-aspect to see..."

All images are not real. Many things can only be spied on by the soul-aspect. Ordinary people standing here can only see blood falling into the soil, and nothing else.

"Soul-aspect activation!"

Zhang Fan held his breath and focused his mind, letting his consciousness return to stillness as his soul-aspect gradually emerged. Sure enough, he saw the soil where Jiang Hu's blood had dripped seemingly ignite, turning charred black. A faint firelight continued to spread to the surroundings, and in the blink of an eye, it covered a hundred-meter radius as wisps of black smoke darted out from the ground.

"This is a cemetery, and it's close to Fengming Temple. Although the Yin Qi is not that intense, with my True Yang and body, I can probably absorb Yin Qi within a range of one thousand meters..."

Just from the first level of 【True Yang Refines Wang Xuanmiao Yin】, Jiang Hu had no problem practicing this method, but the subsequent steps were more difficult than the last.

"You try..."

As he spoke, Jiang Hu handed the utility knife to Zhang Fan. The latter took it, hesitated slightly, gritted his teeth, and cut a wound on his palm.

Scarlet blood dripped slowly and seeped into the soil.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

Five minutes passed, and even with the soul-aspect spying, the ground stained with blood still had no reaction.

"How can this be? Could it be that you are not suitable for practicing this method?" Jiang Hu frowned.

He knew that some people's True Yang could not absorb and carry Yin Qi, and would only repel it, canceling each other out...

"Does this mean I failed?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"I'm afraid so..." Jiang Hu couldn't help but smile bitterly: "It seems you have no fate with this method..."

As he spoke, Jiang Hu hooked Zhang Fan's shoulder and said helplessly: "Brother, I can only help you to this point. Heaven's will is like this, destined to have no fate."

"It doesn't matter, just consider it gaining experience." Zhang Fan was very open-minded.

"Let's go back first."

Jiang Hu saw that it was getting late, greeted Zhang Fan, drove the Wuling Hongguang, and sent him back.

It was late at night.

Eleven o'clock, which is what the ancients called the Zi hour, is also the time when Yin Qi is heaviest in a day.

A flashy pink Lamborghini slowly stopped in front of the cemetery. The headlights were dazzling, bringing a little vitality to this dark and eerie cemetery.

"Master, why are we coming to this kind of place in the middle of the night? I... I'm scared..."

Just then, a young man got out of the car with an old man with white hair and beard. The former looked nervous, looking at the surroundings, his eyes full of fear and precaution.

"Useless thing, you're a Daoist priest, what are you afraid of?" The old man with white hair and beard cursed.

"Don't say you're a disciple of our Yin Mountain sect when you go out... truly shameful." Gu Yuming looked at his only precious disciple's cowardly look and was so angry he wanted to strangle him immediately.

The Yinshan Sect is notoriously fierce and worships the Yinshan Ancestor. Among the Daoist sects, they are considered an extremely mysterious lineage. Since ancient times, they have possessed methods of harvesting Yin to cultivate longevity; the Yin-cursed objects and entities that others avoid at all costs are viewed as treasures by the Yinshan Sect.

Therefore, in the eyes of other Daoist sects, the Yin Mountain sect is extremely mysterious and weird.

In fact, there are millions of Daoist Dharma lineages, but none of those that can be passed down to this day are simple characters.

"Master, I'm still scared... will there be ghosts..." Xiong Ba asked tremblingly, hiding behind Gu Yuming.

"Do you think my resentment is heavier than a ghost's right now?" Gu Yuming looked at his only precious disciple with resentment, wishing he could kill him immediately.

"Today is the first time I've brought you to gather Yin Qi, learn something."

As he spoke, Gu Yuming ignored his precious disciple. He pinched the seal and was about to perform the method when his expression suddenly changed.

"Strange, why can't I feel any Yin Qi?"

"Master, what's wrong? Did you see a ghost?" Xiong Ba asked nervously.

"Shut up!"

Gu Yuming pointed to his brow, activated his soul-aspect, and the scene before his eyes was no longer the same.

"This... this is..."

The scorching firelight reflects against the sky, as if ghost cries startle the earth's depths. Where they stand, the land is charred black; as far as the eye can see, everything is devastated.

"Ten miles of burial ground, all turned to scorched earth!?"

"This... who is this!?"

Gu Yuming's expression changed drastically, and a touch of solemnity emerged in his turbid eyes.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 38 =====