Chapter 209

"Chieftain Lan is warm-hearted and saved my old friends from fire and water. I am truly grateful and wish to present a pot of 'Eight-Treasure Muscle-Generating Elixir' and a pot of 'Heart-Strengthening and Blood-Activating Elixir' as thanks."

In the reception hall of the Silver Bell Miao Village, Cheng Cheng Xinzhan handed over two bottles of elixir.

Lan Lan Yinluo's eyes brightened, but she still declined,

"Daoist, you are too polite. But to be honest with you, when we saved these mortals, we didn't know they had a great cultivator like you behind them, so naturally, we didn't expect any reward from you."

"Oh?"

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan looked over with burning eyes and asked,

"What Chieftain Lan said is exactly where my confusion lies. Your village is so hidden; I don't know why you would take the initiative to expose yourselves to save my old friends?"

It was not that Cheng Cheng Xinzhan was using a small mind to measure a gentleman's belly; this Miao village looked like a paradise, not a demon nest, but in a place like the Wuling Mountains, one had to be on guard.

"Since you have questions, I will make it clear to you."

Lan Lan Yinluo knew Cheng Cheng Xinzhan's thoughts, so she explained,

"There are many reasons for taking in these mortals. First of all, our village is not some immortal sect. There are already many mortals here, all our clansmen. And our Silver Bell Village has lived in Yupan Valley for generations, isolated from the world. Intermarriage and reproduction naturally require outsiders. Taking in outside Miao people is not the first time we've done it."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded. Ethnic reproduction—this was indeed a huge reason.

"That day, these mortals were chased by several demons from the Hanging Coffin Gorge. Our village has a blood feud with the Hanging Coffin Gorge. On the surface, we dare not oppose them, but for a few demons who were alone at our doorstep, we still have the courage to kill them to vent our anger.

"In addition, Mr. Ji is a Yang-bird fire monster, and his combat power is also high, which is very rare in a place like Xiangxi. We take people in and invite Mr. Ji to be a guest minister—isn't that killing three birds with one stone?"

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan smiled. These three reasons were indeed very legitimate. He loosened his hand, and the two pots of elixir flew to the table beside Lan Lan Yinluo. Then, he took out a jade box and placed it there as well.

"The two pots of elixir are a token of thanks for your village saving my friends. This box of talismans is also presented to your village. I only hope your village will take good care of my friends."

Lan Lan Yinluo stood up, looking at the box of talismans that stirred the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and couldn't help but say,

"Daoist, the gift is too generous."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan shook his head, indicating it was fine. Then he flipped his hand and produced an ivory-colored scallop, which landed beside Lan Lan Mujin. The scallop opened by itself, revealing sixteen pearls the size of pigeon eggs inside, glowing with a shimmering water light. These were treasures given to him by the Yellow Cloud Eagle of Yellow Sulfur Island when he was overseas. They had both pearl luster and water charm, and whether used as ornaments or for refining treasures, they were rare treasures for Second Realm cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, this fan of pearls is my apology for offending you and compensation for delaying your business."

The woman was surprised to see the pearl luster and treasure light, and also stood up to decline.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan changed the subject, looked at them, and asked,

"Knowing that my friends have a place to live, a matter that had been weighing on my heart has finally been put down. In addition, Chieftain Lan just said that your village has lived here for generations, so you must have an understanding of the forces in Xiangxi. I would like to ask a question: do you know about the Soul-Lost Stream of the Mengdonghe?"

It was obvious that the three members of the Lan family changed their expressions at the same time. Lan Lan Yinluo asked,

"Why does the Daoist ask about the Soul-Lost Stream?"

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan noticed their expressions and said slowly,

"To be honest with you all, I do have some grudges, and I am preparing to go there to seek revenge."

After hearing this, the three members of the Lan family were obviously relieved, but soon they all showed worried expressions. Lan Lan Yinluo said,

"Daoist, you must think twice. This Soul-Lost Stream is not that simple."

This was exactly what Cheng Cheng Xinzhan wanted to hear, so he said, "I would like to hear the details."

"This..."

Lan Lan Yinluo thought for a moment. This Daoist was generous, and she remembered that the profound legal meaning on the demon-slaying pictures they sold on behalf of those mortals also came from this Daoist's hand. His background must be extraordinary, and the things he wanted to do were definitely not things they could persuade him against. So she said,

"This Soul-Lost Stream has always been mentioned in the same breath as the Hanging Coffin Gorge. They are the two largest demonic forces in Xiangxi. One is good at collecting human souls and refining them into soul slaves, and the other is good at stealing human bodies and raising them into corpse puppets. These two families often join forces, each taking what they need. They can be said to be rampant and doing all kinds of evil in Xiangxi."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan listened and asked,

"If no one can control them, Xiangxi would have become a ghost realm and corpse kingdom long ago. Why is it still blooming with a hundred flowers today?"

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan said "blooming with a hundred flowers" just to make his words sound better. In fact, apart from the demon sects, there were countless side-door paths, groups of loose cultivators, and local clans like the thousand-year-old Miao village. In fact, "mixed fish and dragons, demons dancing in chaos" would be more appropriate.

Hearing this, Lan Lan Yinluo explained,

"The demonic path is headed by these two places. In addition, there is a Three Kings Temple in Xiangxi, which houses the virtuous and high-cultivating sages of our Xiangxi Miao people. In addition, there is a Zhenwu Temple in Xiangxi, which worships the Great Emperor Zhenwu. It has always been rumored that the temple master has a very high realm. It is precisely because of this temple and this temple that the Soul-Lost Stream and Corpse Gorge have some scruples.

"It's just that because this temple and this temple have few people and are in a state of seclusion, they rarely take action. Therefore, the Soul-Lost Stream and Corpse Gorge only have scruples in terms of annexation and looting. Apart from that, they are still rampant on weekdays, and they don't take anyone seriously."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded. It seems that this temple and this temple are the top forces in Xiangxi, and they have gathered the Daoist sect, side-door paths, and demon sects. It's just that I don't know if this Zhenwu Temple has any relationship with Mount Wudang Mountain in Jingchu.

"Could Chieftain Lan please tell me in detail about this Soul-Lost Stream?"

Lan Lan Yinluo nodded and told Cheng Cheng Xinzhan in detail...

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan spent the night in the Silver Bell Miao Village and wrote a prescription for the old chieftain's eye disease, which he handed to Ji Kaiming.

Because he had read a lot of medical books to treat his third sister's eye disease, the old chieftain's illness, which was caused by heart fire entering the eyes, was not difficult for him to treat. The difficulty lay in the fact that the old chieftain was old and needed good medicine to slowly nourish him, and at the same time, he had to take good care of the old chieftain's body.

The prescription he wrote used local herbs, and the old chieftain should be better after taking it for two or three months.

In addition, he also taught Ji Kaiming the "Great Sun Brightness Mantra" that he had realized himself. Ji Kaiming was obviously much smarter than that fool Jiang Nanjing. He entered the door in one day and could immediately perform the thirteen-character mantra. After he realized it himself later, he should be able to simplify it a lot more.

Ji Kaiming said he wanted to follow Cheng Cheng Xinzhan to the Soul-Lost Stream, but Cheng Cheng Xinzhan politely declined. The next morning, it was Lan Lan Mujin who saw him off. They walked through the winding mountain paths, startling a group of moths, and arrived outside the valley.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist."

Lan Lan Mujin shook her head, "Take care on your journey, fellow Daoist."

After speaking, the Gu insect crawled out of the bell on the Miao girl's ear again, crawled over her face, and turned the woman back into an old woman. It seemed she was going to set up a stall at Tulong Mountain again.

The two parted ways.

————

Deep in the mountains of Xiangxi, there is a rushing Mengdonghe. Following the Mengdonghe upstream, one can see a cliff at the source.

The cliff looks as if it had been split by an axe, revealing a crack. If you look from a distance, this crack is just a shallow line on the cliff, but if you look closely, it is a huge rift valley spanning over a hundred feet.

A stream flows out of the crack; this is the source of the Mengdonghe.

On the cliff, on one side of the crack, two blood-colored characters are carved, which are:

Soul-Lost.

If your realm is low, looking at these two characters for a long time makes you feel like your soul is about to be sucked away.

Not only does the river water flow out of the crack here, but cold, greenish mist also seeps out from inside, making people feel cold even in the bright sun. This also causes no grass or trees to grow within a few miles of this crack, and the ground is covered with a layer of miserable green frost.

At this moment, just at the boundary between the green frost and the green grass, on an unremarkable mountain within the green grass boundary, a Daoist priest with a sword on his back and a whisk in his hand stood there.

At this time, a blue-robed Daoist suddenly appeared from nowhere and stood beside him.

"You got here so fast. Have you finished dealing with things on your side?"

Shen Shen Zhaoming asked.

"Yes, no problem. How about you? Did you see any reality?"

Shen Shen Zhaoming shook his head, "It's not easy to handle. From yesterday to today, people have only come out twice, and they were all in groups of three or five. It's not easy to make a move. My Dharma eyes can't see through that green mist, and I tried to use escape techniques to get in, but I couldn't get past the green mist."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan operated his Green Eyes to look into the green mist. This Dharma eye bestowed by the immortal allowed him to see some clues. In the mist, shadows were flickering, and many ghosts were clearly floating. On both sides of the crack, there seemed to be many caves and plank roads. It looked like a force built on the cliffs on both sides of the crack, but he couldn't see anything more detailed.

"It seems we have to wait."

He said.

Shen Shen Zhaoming nodded. Then, the two waited on the spot, exchanging the information they had gathered.

By the third day, the two finally found an opportunity. Two people walked out along the stream. Both of them were dressed in white, their faces as white as their clothes, as if they had never seen the sun. They wore high hats like mallets on their heads and wrapped chains with hooks on their bodies. Observing their realm, they were only in the Second Realm.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan and Shen Shen Zhaoming looked at each other and followed them.

After getting far away from the Soul-Lost Stream, Cheng Cheng Xinzhan took the lead and spat out a puff of white smoke.

Shen Shen Zhaoming looked over curiously.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan explained simply, "It's just an illusion."

Subsequently, Shen Shen Zhaoming saw that the small puff of white smoke quickly turned into a fog, enveloping the two people from the Soul-Lost Stream. Before long, the two people seemed to have seen something terrifying, kneeling down and kowtowing together, their heads bleeding and their tears flowing.

"What did you turn into to scare them like this?"

Shen Shen Zhaoming was a little curious.

But Cheng Cheng Xinzhan shook his head, "I didn't deliberately turn into anything. Whatever they fear in their hearts, that is what they will see."

Before long, the two demons gradually became dull and their eyes went straight in the face of huge fear.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan and Shen Shen Zhaoming walked up to the two.

"Do you know soul-searching techniques? Now that their souls are defenseless, it's a good time to read their memories."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan asked Shen Shen Zhaoming.

Shen Shen Zhaoming shook his head seriously, "My Daoist sect never practices soul-searching techniques. That kind of technique damages other people's souls, hurts the harmony of heaven, and also pollutes one's own mind, making the Purple Palace dusty. However, our Wanshou Palace has a technique called 'Cave True Spirit Brightness Method.' Although its original intention is to clearly identify inner demons, it can also be used to investigate memories."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan rolled his eyes at him, "You're the great one. You do yours, I'll do mine."

Shen Shen Zhaoming chuckled and pointed his finger at the center of one person's eyebrows.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan naturally had similar techniques. It was recorded in the "Secret Decree of Longevity Fetal Origin Manifesting Spirit," called "Guard One Return to True Spirit Mirror." In addition to clearly identifying inner demons and tracing memories, it could also be used to wake up people who were asleep and lost. However, when using this kind of technique on others, it is best not to try it if one's own soul power is insufficient and one's mind is not firm, as it is very easy to be polluted by other people's memories.

However, with Cheng Cheng Xinzhan's current realm and state of mind, it was naturally fine.

He directly operated his wisdom soul "Shuangling" to enter the demon's Purple Palace and browse his memories.

After a full half-hour, the two withdrew their thoughts. It seemed that they were not relaxed when performing this kind of technique. They were panting there, their brows furrowed, and they didn't speak for a long time.

"Filthy, truly filthy!"

After a long time, Shen Shen Zhaoming opened his mouth to curse, looking at these two demons with extreme disgust in his eyes.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan was still closing his eyes to adjust his breath, but he was clenching his teeth tightly. It could be seen that what he saw should be about the same as what Shen Shen Zhaoming saw.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes and only said, "Kill them?"

"Kill them quickly!"

Shen Shen Zhaoming waved his hands repeatedly.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan raised his hand, and a wind blew up. The two demons' clothes swayed, and the magic tools and treasures on their bodies fell down. Moreover, his current wind method was no longer limited to the Xun wind; he had also begun to grasp the inner wind method.

So these two demons not only had their external belongings stripped away by the wind, but even the spiritual objects placed in their internal apertures were forced out by the inner wind Cheng Cheng Xinzhan raised, falling all over the ground.

Then, two sparks of fire emerged from his left eye and landed on the two, so the two demons quickly turned into flying ash.

At the same time, the void around Cheng Cheng Xinzhan suddenly twisted, as if flames were also burning on his body. After the void returned to calm, he transformed into the appearance of the demon whose memory he had just checked.

"The Stream Master Bai Bai Wuchang should be a Five-Wash Golden Core, with a higher cultivation than the likes of Yang Yang Xuanla and Yao Kaijiang. I have a secret treasure on me that can deceive his eyes. How about you? If not, I will go in alone to scout for information, and you wait for me outside."

Shen Shen Zhaoming transformed into another demon and said,

"Don't worry. My sect leader has cast a spell on me that can cover the secrets of heaven. No one under the Immortal Realm can calculate me, and no one can curse me to death. It's naturally no problem to deceive a Third Realm demon."

At this time, the two naturally knew why the two demons went out—they had made an appointment to catch wandering souls. The disciples of the Soul-Lost Stream had all their techniques in wandering souls, and their daily practice was catching souls, refining souls, and controlling souls.

The two of them naturally wouldn't go catch any wandering souls now. They wandered outside for a day or two, using the memories in their brains to carefully memorize the situation inside the Soul-Lost Stream and familiarize themselves with demonic techniques and magic tools.

However, what made the two slightly worried was that they didn't see any situation of Jingming Sect disciples in the memories of these two demons. They could only go in and take the opportunity to get close to the elder named Qin Qin Tianzong.

(End of chapter)