Chapter 423: Demons Outside the Pass

On Xu Jia's side, disciples had already gone to recruit scientists, and some had also delivered several "ghost-catching gourds."

"Ancestor, should we try to summon the soul of Ai Yin Si Tan?"

"You really are a genius?" Xu Jia looked at this disciple, who had a pointed head and massive muscles, and couldn't help but say: "Even a character like Hannibal has become a Demon God; if he were still in the Dharma Realm, he would surely have attained the Dao. Not to mention, with your strength, whether you could even summon him is another matter."

"A newly dead ghost can still be summoned within seven days. After seven days, one doesn't know if they have sunk into the Dharma Realm or have been demonized and mutated. After all, America is a land of demons."

Xu Jia released the souls of the Chinese scientists from these ghost-catching gourds, then pointed at them, causing flames to burn their souls. With another retraction, the flames vanished, and moonlight dew washed their spirits. After seven refinements and seven washings, the souls returned to an infant state. After casting a Dao Register, he restored their memories from when they were alive.

"Although you have been refined and cleansed of resentment and malice, and have gained a bit of clear, spirit-like yang nature, it is not something you cultivated yourselves. You only count as the initial stage of Ghost Immortals. You have received the Dao Register, but without an official appointment, you are not ranked officials and cannot serve as an Underground Lord or Underground Commander. Since you are not living cultivators, you cannot pass through the Lushan Five Prisons. However, in my Cave Heaven Blessed Land, we treat the dead as if they were alive; I can extend your Yin Life. This body can live for three hundred years, during which you may cultivate on your own. It is not impossible to pass the Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, and Thunder Tribulation, refine Yin into Yang, and achieve the Yang Spirit."

These Chinese scientists' souls understood the cause and effect, knowing they had died due to persecution by the American authorities, and their feelings were complex.

Because it was Xu Jia who personally refined them, they had no other thoughts and settled down peacefully. They were sent to the Dharma Realm Manor to establish the Fa Jie Ke Xue Yuan and explore the rules of the Dharma Realm.

Although the Dharma Realm is a projection of reality combined with the thoughts of all living beings, and is full of changes, it must have basic rules. Since ancient times, the existence of the Dharma Realm has been the secret of secrets, generally unknown to outsiders.

As long as one masters the basic rules of the Dharma Realm, one can utilize these rules to gain incredible benefits in cultivation.

Of course, Xu Jia also knew that these few Ghost Immortals might not make much progress, but it was a start nonetheless. Stockpiling more talent was never a mistake.

On the other side, in Dongda, Wang Jianguo had already returned to the vicinity of Changbai Mountain. Leaders from various departments and armed police had surrounded an area, and tall barriers had been erected.

"Constructing a Spirit Vein—it sounds like a fantasy."

This was said by another Earth Immortal: "Cultivation is nothing more than breathing, bathing in the sun and moon, and visualization. Even if there is the theory of Feng Shui, it is merely borrowing the Clear Spirit Qi of great mountains and rivers. Over these years, we have never absorbed any Spirit Qi from the outside world; Precious Medicine is always harvested internally, or at most, external pills are taken."

"What harm is there in trying?" Wang Jianguo said: "Next time we visit, you can go and see for yourself, won't you know then?" He was indifferent and did not argue; after all, the style of things was different now.

"This place was originally a wild temple outside the pass, worshipping the Fox Immortal." Wang Jianguo pointed to the wild temple built of a few red bricks. Inside the temple was a strange white porcelain Fox Immortal statue, outside was a broken Incense Burner, and around it were some offerings, ashes of burnt paper, and half a candle...

"This is what is called a place with a Yin vein. At least this Fox Immortal wouldn't randomly find a place to build a temple; there must be a space in the Dharma Realm below."

"Detain him."

Guo Zhanghai, who was nearby, immediately stepped out. Although their Tiesha Mountain was the Ancestral Court of Quanzhen in the Northeast, it had now become a sacred site for Shamanism, where all kinds of demons and monsters practiced magic and put on airs.

Originally, Tiesha Mountain did indeed have a "Lei Bu Ya Men" that specifically managed the affairs of the demons in the Northeast. The so-called "Black Mother" was merely a Protector among them. But later, as this world entered the End of Dharma Era, the Thunder Department of the Shangjie no longer sent personnel to be stationed there, and the demons were left without oversight.

Coupled with the exchange between Shamanism and Central Plains culture, and the publication of the Investiture of the Gods during the Ming and Qing dynasties, these demons and monsters all acknowledged this illusory "Tongtian Jiaozhu" as their Ancestor. Of course, some believed they were helping Jiang Ziya; in short, everyone had their own story.

Among the immortals outside the pass, besides the Five Immortals, there were also Qingfeng, Bianwang, and other strange immortals.

Tiger Immortal, Long Xian, Bear Immortal...

The Tiger Immortal is the Mountain Lord, but he has not yet attained the true fruit of a Mountain God. Long Xian is even more mysterious. As for the Bear Immortal, it also started from the legend of the "human-bear," being both righteous and evil.

After the founding of New China, the slogan "No becoming a spirit after the founding of the country" actually did not include the area outside Shanhai Guan, but there was a rule: "The immortals do not cross Shanhai Guan."

But later, with the mess of things and the development of the internet, no one cared about that anymore. Madmen and crazy immortals appeared one after another. Whether there were really that many immortals was hard to say, but many were using the name of immortals to make money.

However, this temple did indeed belong to a "Fox Immortal."

This fox actually didn't have much cultivation; it didn't even pass the "childhood tribulation" and was beaten to death by children, dragging its corpse home.

Then, strange things kept happening to that household. It wasn't that it caused trouble after death, but the fox's kin took revenge, biting chickens and ducks to death and making strange noises. Raising geese and dogs didn't work.

The family had no choice but to find a master of the immortal hall to take a look, and finally "sent the god away," inviting it to this small temple.

As for Incense Fire, there wasn't much. The villagers were wary and wouldn't provoke it, only this family occasionally made sacrifices.

But after the sacrifices, the family gradually prospered and opened a small factory. People spread the word that it was the Fox Immortal's protection that brought wealth, and only then did some villagers secretly make sacrifices at night.

At this moment, the place was surrounded, and there were armed police on guard. The Fox Immortal in the temple was terrified, feeling the Official Malice and blood-Qi surging together. In the statue, his soul was unstable, and it seemed he would dissipate at any moment.

Then, Wang Jianguo used the "Spirit Detention Method" to detain him.

"Ah!"

The soul body fell outside and felt as if it had entered a hell of fire, screaming. It was vaguely visible as a red fox.

He then struck this red fox into a small yellow paper doll. The doll immediately stood up, bowing and kowtowing to the crowd.

"You little beast, I ask you, how many years have you built a temple here?"

"The little beast was beaten to death eight years ago, and the temple was built seven years ago. I have always been diligent and have never harmed anyone or created karmic sin, only hoping to attain the true fruit one day."

"Very well. According to modern rural customs, the government doesn't care about your small temple. Unlike ancient times, your wild sacrifice would be a capital crime!"

"The little beast knows it was wrong! The little beast won't dare again, I hope the Immortal will spare the little beast..."

"Sparing you is easy. In this Dharma Realm, do you have a Yao Cave, and is there a Yin vein in the Yao Cave?"

"Although the little beast built a temple, the Dharma Realm is not a formal temple site. I dug a cave to house some lonely ghosts. There is often Yin-Qi in the cave, so I think there is a Yin vein."

"That's right." Wang Jianguo nodded: "Go back. Tonight I need you to lead the way and bring our people into the Dharma Realm." At the same time, Wang Jianguo said to another old man with a goat beard: "You are a Feng Shui master, can you lead out the Yang vein of this Feng Shui?"

"The Feng Shui here is sinister, otherwise there wouldn't be such a demon temple. However, there is a method to gather Qi. We can connect the Feng Shui here with the Feng Shui of the surrounding villages to become a place for sewage disposal."

"But if we do this, I'm afraid that even if we create a Spirit Vein, the Spirit Vein will carry filth."

"It's fine, it's just an experiment."

That night, Wang Jianguo brought several cultivators from the Imperial Observatory who had received the Dao Register to this place.

They all looked strange, wearing paper-made clothes and having rouge on their cheeks.

Wang Jianguo held a lantern in his hand. This lantern flickered with a ghostly light; it was a Magic Tool of the Underworld Messenger, the "Soul Summoning and Path-Guiding Lantern." It is said that the soul-hooking messenger uses this lantern to open the path, and as they walk, they can cross between the Yin and Yang worlds.

These Daoists were, after all, at the Human Immortal realm, and their Primordial Spirit projection was hindered, so they could only use "ghost methods."

As Wang Jianguo walked with the lantern, a fog rose around them, and the group arrived at the Dharma Realm.

In the Dharma Realm, there was a small emerald green temple flashing with red light, and a fox-faced person was respectfully guarding the front.

"We have indeed entered the Dharma Realm."

Next, all kinds of grotesqueries arose in the Dharma Realm. They entered the temple and saw the fox-faced person leading the way: "Behind this temple, the little beast dug a cave, which can enter the depths of the Dharma Realm. My temple is not a proper temple after all, and some divine evils often come in and out. I can't control them, so I can only absorb Yin-Qi in the cave to strengthen my soul. Sometimes, when I encounter monsters I can defeat, I kill them and use the materials on their bodies to practice magic..."

"In addition, there is a tradition of holding a big market here. Every month on the seventh day, at three or four in the morning, there is a big market where demons and monsters from a radius of twenty miles gather to trade with each other..."

"If the Immortal wants to find a Yin vein, that Dharma Realm market should have one."

"Never mind that for now."

Wang Jianguo and the others began to arrange things: those setting up prohibitions did so, those planting flags did so, those casting spells did so, those purifying the altar did so, and those summoning ghost soldiers to clear the field did so.

He fixed this Yin Pulse in place, and only then did he explore and dig downward, seeing a strange monster in the depths: it was a stubborn child with a large head, a green face, and a dried fox corpse hanging around its neck; the eyes of that dried corpse emitted a strange light, and it was precisely the monster guarding the deepest part of this Yin Pulse.

It was also the stubborn child who had killed this fox, only by this time it had already undergone a transformation.

Wang Jianguo did not need to take action; several Daoists from the Imperial Observatory each held their Magic Tools and killed it. These Magic Tools were also very modernized, being precisely thunder-fire firearms. This Tiangang Thunder-fire was not exclusive to Xu Jia, but firearms were prohibited in the interior, and the Daoists could not access them; however, the Imperial Observatory belonged to a state department and naturally had been using them for a long time.

After blasting this stubborn child monster to death, a golden light descended, which was exactly a palm-sized Yin Pulse Spirit that looked both like a fox and a Flood Dragon.

Taking it away, the group returned to the soul, walked out of the Dharma Realm, and saw that the Feng Shui master had already fixed the burial site and forced out the Yang Pulse.

Because it was a dangerous pulse, it was not some golden loach, golden duck, or golden chicken, but a poisonous creature: a golden centipede.

Following the secret method, he combined the Yin Pulse Spirit with the Yang Pulse Spirit, and instantly a brand-new Earth Spirit burrowed into the ground. Only then did Wang Jianguo set up the Heaven and Earth Prohibition Law, but his Daoist Practice was not as good as Xu Jia's, and his understanding of the prohibition law was not profound; he only relied on the information left by Xu Jia in the Register, copying it mechanically.

Yet they heard a "Boom—" sound, and a strange noise came from deep underground, but no Spirit Spring gushed out; instead, a small sapling quickly took root and sprouted, growing to the height of a person, and it was standing tall and graceful.

At the same time, some "Spirit Qi" leaked out, though not much.

Following the breathing of the small sapling, it was also continuous.

"Why is this different from what Senior Brother Xu demonstrated? It is somewhat similar to the legendary Spirit Root of Heaven and Earth?"

He took out his phone to take a picture and used the object recognition function, identifying it as a "hazelnut tree." The few of them circled it for a while and reached a conclusion: "There were seeds in the soil, and when we just set the prohibition, we happened to strike this seed, or rather, the moment the Yin Pulse combined with the Yang Pulse Spirit, it burrowed into this seed..."

Another Earth Immortal was also surprised: "There really is such a secret technique..."

The Feng Shui master stroked his beard and said: "The manifestation of Earth Veins is actually quite common. One can often see Earth Veins forming Stone Turtles or stone pythons, and I have also seen trees growing human faces, almost in human form; it is nothing more than them cultivating like this. Once they form a climate, they are also easily destroyed by human intervention."

"Thinking about it now, it is not necessarily that a Spirit Spring must gush out. That San Francisco Blessed Land in America is set up with the Heaven One Water-Gold Feng Shui Array, surrounded by water on three sides, and Heaven One gives birth to water, so a Spirit Spring eye emerged. There is no underground Water Vein here, so creating a Spirit Root is not bad..."

"Fence this place off, then go experiment on the next location; find a place with an underground Water Vein to try..."

Their experimentation stirred up the Spirit Machine. Although it was only a Small Spiritual Vein, the Northeast had abundant spirituality; once a thought stirred, the Dharma Realm trembled, and for a time, countless demons, ghosts, and Immortals in the deep mountains and old forests were all alarmed.

One must know that apart from the few Immortals who had been subdued, in the Greater Khingan Range, the Xiao Xing An Ling, and even further north, reaching the Xi Bo Li Ya Ping Yuan, there were still many Great Demons hiding in deep mountains and ancient caves to cultivate, and there was no lack of Great Demons at the Earth Immortal realm or even the God Immortal Realm.

These demon Immortals even included some who had been reborn as humans during the Ming Dynasty and had borrowed the last wave of late Qing Dynasty Dragon Qi to cultivate. Although they had rolled back to Dongbei after the founding of the nation, they could still be considered "lawless" and ancestors of their own regions.

Previously, when Xu Jia performed rituals in America, it was across the ocean after all; even if the Earth began to ascend in dimension, they could not understand it for a time.

But this place was too close, and the fluctuation of the Spirit Machine instantly made them reach "Omniscience."

Among those old demons, one was a "Bei spirit," a creature from legends. Some say it was transformed from a female wolf whose front legs were broken by a hunter's trap, and it was carried on the back of a male wolf to move about; this is the origin of "colluding like wolves and Bei."

After this Bei spirit sensed the reaction, it went directly to the Dongfu of "Black Mother." Black Mother was a black bear who had achieved Didao; she was subdued by Guo Zhenren during the Ming Dynasty and became a Protector, but later she was in a semi-free-range state. Because her realm was high, the Imperial Observatory did not subdue her, but only reached an agreement.

This Bei spirit said: "Black Mother, these humans have actually mastered such a secret technique. I fear there will be no place for us demons to survive, and Dongbei is no longer safe. It is just that this method plunders the Spirit Machine of heaven and earth and invades the Dharma nature of the sun and moon; I do not know where they got it from. If only we could learn it too."

(End of this chapter)