Chapter 119: Flipping altars and breaking temples, beneath Mount Taibai

No one understands catching ghosts better than I do!

Although Li Yan is not yet qualified to say this, with the Soul-Snatching Chain divine ability, he at least has the opportunity to say it in the future.

The False False Yin Si's Soul-Snatching Chain is specifically designed to restrain yin spirits and divine souls.

The reason some ghosts and evil spirits are terrifying is that they are formless and traceless; aside from those in the Mystic Sect who can perceive them through divine abilities and dispel or capture them with arts, ordinary people have no way to deal with such things.

Yet, the False False Yin Si's Soul-Snatching Chain is likewise formless.

As long as it is a soul—whether it be a ghostly yin spirit, a living person's soul, or the divine soul of a spirit—it can be captured.

According to the information obtained, if one's cultivation reaches a certain realm, even the divine souls of local deities can be captured and suppressed!

If he had possessed this divine ability earlier, back at the Wu Family Village ancestral hall, that sorcerer would have been courting death by daring to possess someone.

This Soul-Snatching Chain divine ability is different from the Yang Six Roots divine ability; it does not require the use of Yang or Yin Jue to control. With a single thought of the mind, it can be activated.

Clatter, clatter...

The sound of chains rang out once again in Li Yan's ears.

Aside from him, only those who have awakened the Ear divine ability and can distinguish the language of ghosts and gods can hear this sound.

With his current cultivation, he can only extend the Soul-Snatching Chain by one foot.

However, this is already enough!

Li Yan arrived before the tree, his left hand suddenly reaching out to press firmly onto the guard's head. With a mental command, the formless Soul-Snatching Chain instantly burrowed into the body.

The guard's living soul had already been devoured; within this body, there was only a mass of fierce yin spirit, emitting a cold, putrid stench, accompanied by a hint of the fishy smell of riverbed silt.

So it was a water ghost!

Li Yan knew that there were many sources for "Chang soldiers"; they were not necessarily ghosts, but could also be resentment born from dark and decaying things in the mountains.

The reason they are called Chang soldiers is because they are rampant, bold, unrestrained, fierce, and brave, hence the name "Chang."

The thing inside was equally tyrannical.

After being bound by the Soul-Snatching Rope's divine ability, it acted like a cornered beast, struggling frantically and refusing to submit in the slightest.

Li Yan gritted his teeth and pulled it straight out.

His left hand trembled, and the sound of chains clattered in his ears; he could clearly feel the Chang soldier constantly changing its form, attempting to break free.

"Daoist!"

Li Yan shouted loudly.

"Coming!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan spread out the cinnabar talisman yellow cloth. As Li Yan pressed his hand onto it, he immediately wrapped it layer by layer, finally tying several dead knots and stuffing it into a Wandering Soul Jar.

Although the Chang soldier was formless, he could feel that inside the yellow cloth talisman wrap, it felt as if a block of solid ice was wrapped within, with cold yin energy constantly leaking out.

Wang Wang Daoxuan still felt uneasy; he plugged the Wandering Soul Jar tight with a wooden stopper, pasted on a Spirit-Suppressing Talisman, and wrapped it with red rope on the outside, tying two warding-off knots.

The chill was completely sealed off, and Wang Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Li Yan, his smile impossible to hide.

Although he didn't say it, he could guess that the move Li Yan had just used was likely the inheritance he had obtained earlier.

He really hadn't followed the wrong person...

"Is that it?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei watched from the side, completely confused.

In his eyes, Li Yan had just grabbed the man's head, then trembled while wrapping it in yellow cloth and stuffing it into a jar.

Wasn't it said that Chang soldiers were very powerful?

How come there wasn't even a sound...

"Isn't it better to be relaxed?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "If not for Brother Li Yan, I wouldn't have dared to come catch a Chang alone."

As he spoke, he pointed forward, "Look."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei looked up, his heart suddenly startled.

He saw that the guard tied to the tree had the smile on his face gradually disappear, then his head tilted to the side, and he completely lost his breath.

Wang Wang Daoxuan looked around and shook his head, "This person was harmed by the Chang soldier; yin evil gathers resentment, and this place is full of yin energy. I fear he will undergo a corpse transformation. Let me handle it."

Having said that, he called Sha Hearing Sha Lifei to take the person down, find an open space, pile up some dry firewood, and light a fire. Instantly, thick smoke accompanied by a scorched stench rose up.

"What about the one in the river?" Sha Hearing Sha Lifei asked hurriedly.

Wang Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "It's too late. Later, I will notify the City God Temple, and they will send a master to handle it."

Just as he finished speaking, he came to the Wandering Soul Jar, lit three sticks of incense, and inserted them into the red rope tied outside the jar, "With this Chang soldier, finding that cold altar and broken temple will be easy."

Sure enough, once the three sticks of incense were inserted, the blue smoke that emerged seemed to be guided by an invisible force, flying toward the dense forest on the right.

"It's over here!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan led the way, with Li Yan and Sha Hearing Sha Lifei guarding from the sides, drilling into the dense forest, gradually disappearing from sight.

Their direction happened to diverge from Lu Lu Xiaowu and the others, heading toward different mountain peaks...

…………

Coo-coo!

The bright moon shone on the mountain forest, and night owls hooted.

"We're here, it's right here!"

After a difficult trek, nearing midnight, Lu Lu Xiaowu's group finally climbed to the hillside.

They saw an open space on the mountain, very level. Standing on it, there were mountain peaks on both sides and behind, like a winnowing basket, or like a chair. Looking down, they could see the river below.

Lu Lu Xiaowu's eyes were full of excitement; he took out the cloth scroll from his bosom again, carefully comparing it, not daring to have the slightest omission.

Under the moonlight, a paragraph was written beside the cloth scroll: "Magistrate Lu, I gift this burial site to you to repay the kindness of your assistance. Respectfully, Hou Faming."

"It's right here!"

Lu Lu Xiaowu felt around in the grass, finally touching a rusted nail. He said with a trembling voice, "It's right here."

"Quick, dig seven feet deep."

"Also, Father must be buried vertically!"

………

Crack!

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei brandished his long saber, cutting off the branches blocking the path.

Li Yan followed closely behind, his eyes full of vigilance, "Daoist, it's right ahead. It looks like there are still things inside."

The three of them had reached the mountaintop, but it was covered by dense forest and thorns, and they could only hack out a path with their sabers.

Finally, the three of them walked out of the thorny grass.

They saw that atop the mountain peak stood a small temple, without walls, only a main hall and two side rooms.

All three rooms were locked, but the locks had rusted. The ground was overgrown with weeds, and on a distant decaying wooden stump, a wood-chopping axe was also covered in rust.

Wang Wang Daoxuan shook his head and whispered, "It seems someone once practiced in seclusion here. Perhaps they met with an accident after going out and never returned."

Li Yan asked, "Daoist, what should we do?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan said in a deep voice, "Flip the altar and break the temple!"

The three of them were quite nimble. Wang Wang Daoxuan took out a ritual umbrella, on which was drawn a Yin-Yang Bagua, and the tassels around it were all kinds of talismans.

Pfft!

He once again spat out ritual water to open the altar, then performed the pace of Yu, holding the umbrella in his left hand and pinching a Jue with his right, drawing talismans in the air toward the ritual umbrella, while chanting: "Heaven is clear, Earth is clear, the Profound Qi manifests its power, the Heavenly Lord protects me, evil spirits do not invade, flip the altar and break the temple, suppress souls and capture spirits..."

Having said that, he picked up the ritual seal and guided it toward the sky, dodging to the side, then stepped the pace of Yu and walked slowly toward the broken temple. This time, Li Yan saw it extremely clearly.

This was the broken temple ritual of Wang Wang Daoxuan's West Profound lineage.

It looked simple, but it was very dangerous.

Earlier, when the ritual altar was raised and the ritual seal was guided in the air, it was to draw the Profound Qi and Divine Evil. But this thing had a killing aura, and one must calculate the timing to dodge it; otherwise, if the ritual failed, one would also be injured.

Now, Wang Wang Daoxuan stepped the pace of Yu, with the ritual umbrella protecting his body, and the ritual seal guiding the Profound Qi and Divine Evil; he was going to break the cold temple altar field before him.

As for the Profound Qi and Divine Evil, it was unique to the West Profound lineage, equivalent to the Divine Gang power of the Ancestral Master God.

Finally, Wang Wang Daoxuan arrived at the entrance of the broken temple.

Bang, bang, bang!

The ritual seal slapped three times, shaking the dust.

Li Yan could smell that the decaying, cold aura that had originally shrouded the broken temple completely dissipated under the shock of the ritual seal's Divine Gang.

Subsequently, Wang Wang Daoxuan raised his foot and kicked.

Boom!

The rusted lock snapped, and the temple door was kicked open.

!.

Whoosh~ A decaying yin wind whistled out.

Wang Wang Daoxuan's ritual umbrella was blown until it rattled, but he was not afraid at all. He walked inside with broad strides, and after chanting a few incantations, he slapped the ritual seal onto the statue's offering table.

In an instant, the yin wind ceased.

Li Yan didn't say a word and walked into the temple with broad strides.

He opened his eyes to look, only to see that the statue was a double-pupiled Daoist holding a compass and carrying a precious sword at his waist, but because of the decay, the lacquer on the statue had already fallen off.

And on the divine altar, there was a row of five Wandering Soul Jars, three of which were already shattered, and two were intact, but the talismans on them had withered yellow, seemingly ready to shatter at any moment.

"It is the Treasure Appearance Sect of Ganzhou, Jiangyou."

Wang Wang Daoxuan looked at the statue and said, "This Dharma lineage is first proficient in Feng Shui, and second, skilled in controlling Chang soldiers to handle affairs."

As he spoke, he picked up a yellow copied scripture on the table, looked at the name on the title page, and chanted: "Hou Faming... It seems he was a direct disciple. I don't know what happened to this fellow Daoist."

After a simple inspection, Wang Wang Daoxuan cooperated with Li Yan to reseal the two Chang soldiers that had not yet escaped into the Wandering Soul Jars.

"Alright."

Wang Wang Daoxuan was in a great mood, "These three Chang soldiers, after returning, only need to be offered incense before the Ancestral Master altar, and once subdued and trained, they will be good helpers."

Li Yan smiled, "Chang soldiers are very fierce. Daoist, it's best to find something to suppress them so they will be obedient."

"Hahaha, that goes without saying."

Wang Wang Daoxuan laughed heartily, and searched with Li Yan.

Although there were some ritual artifacts refined with incense, too much time had passed, and they had already decayed. The incense Divine Gang attached to them had long since dissipated, and they were of no use.

The two didn't care; having these three Chang soldiers was already a significant harvest.

"Eh?"

After walking out of the small temple, Wang Wang Daoxuan looked at the mountain peak opposite and couldn't help but praise, "I said the location of the Treasure Appearance Sect must be extraordinary. This place actually hides a top-grade treasure cave; I fear it is the lingering charm of the Qin Ling Mountains."

As he spoke, he pointed forward, "Hiding wind and gathering Qi, gathering water to form a trend, plus the three surrounding mountains, this is called the Returning Dragon Treasure Seat. If an ancestor is buried within, the descendants will be unimaginably noble."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's eyes lit up, "Is this treasure cave very valuable?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan laughed dumbfoundedly, "It depends on who you ask. If it were taken to Chang'an, those wealthy gentry and nobles would be willing to pay 100,000 taels of silver for this treasure cave."

"One... hundred thousand taels?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's brain went blank, and he said with a trembling voice, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and occupy it."

"Wait, no rush..."

However, Wang Wang Daoxuan frowned tightly. After observing carefully for a while, and even taking out a compass to look, he sighed, "What a pity, this treasure cave can no longer be used."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei was stunned, "Ah, why?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan pointed ahead and said with a bitter smile, "See that? The mountain floods and land subsidence have destroyed the foundation. It looks fine on the surface, but if you bury your ancestors here, I'm afraid there will be big trouble."

"What problems?"

"Without a foundation, naturally, it means the end of the lineage."

"Perhaps there will be temporary wealth, but the family will lose its incense. It's very ominous, very ominous..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "Feng Shui is only a minor trend. Since it's not valuable, let's not delay. Let's go down the mountain early and return to Lantian."

Having said that, the three of them passed through the thorny forest and headed toward the mountain ridge...

…………

The cold wind whistled, and the mountains were desolate.

Neigh!

On the official road, three horses trod on dust and flew past.

"Strange, how come there hasn't been a single pedestrian for half a day."

"Today is the Lower Yuan Festival, the day of the Water Official resolving disasters. The common people are at home offering sacrifices to ancestors, and Daoist temples are holding fasts and rituals; how could they have time to come out?"

"Tsk tsk, frozen silly, and you even blame the Daoist for reminding you."

The arrivals were none other than Li Yan's group.

They crossed the Qin Ling Mountains, and after Li Yan returned to Li Family Fort for a turn, the three of them rented horses in Lantian, traveling day and night, passing cities without entering, and when tired, they slept in abandoned houses or wild temples.

After several days of trekking, they finally arrived at the foot of Mount Taibai.

After riding for half a stick of incense, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei shouted again, "Brother Li Yan, I can't take it anymore. Look, the Daoist's face is frozen purple. Let's find a place to rest."

It was already winter, and the weather was getting colder. Although it hadn't snowed yet, riding on horseback with the cold wind biting, let alone Wang Wang Daoxuan, even Li Yan and Sha Hearing Sha Lifei were frozen numb all over.

Li Yan looked into the distance, seeing only high mountains and wilderness. He stopped his horse and handed the wine flask at his waist to Wang Wang Daoxuan, "We must find a place to shelter from the wind and roast a fire. Daoist, how about we go to the county seat of Mei County?"

"No need."

Wang Wang Daoxuan took the wine flask and took a few gulps, then rubbed his numb cheeks and pointed to the dirt road on the left:

"Entering the county seat would be a detour. Ten miles ahead on this road, there is an old fortress where people going up the mountain often rest."

"There are also inns there. Just hold on for a while and we'll be there."

"Alright, let's listen to the Daoist."

Li Yan and Sha Hearing Sha Lifei were not familiar with the road, and only Wang Wang Daoxuan had been here before, so he was the one pointing the way.

The group continued to ride forward, and sure enough, after traveling a few miles and turning a corner, they saw a fortress standing beneath the vast high mountains.

The so-called fortress, also known as a dock wall, had existed since the Han Dynasty. Whenever there were disasters or famine in the north, or the dynasty collapsed, there would be turmoil. Landlords and gentry, for the sake of self-preservation, would build fortresses for defense.

Fortresses came in all sizes, but usually, they were built with high walls and walkways on the outside where people could walk, and even had arrow holes and guard towers, equivalent to small city walls.

Once this thing was built, it was a small fortification. Since the time of Emperor Emperor Guangwu, successive dynasties had ordered their demolition, but they were never completely eradicated.

The fortress before them, it was unknown in what era it was built. It was quite large, the left city wall had long since collapsed, and the guard tower above had lost its roof, with only scorched wooden pillars remaining, clearly having experienced the flames of war.

If not for the few carriages parked outside the fortress, and the lanterns hung high and wine flags fluttering, Li Yan would have just taken it for an abandoned ancient site.

Before even getting close, they saw a tall wooden pole erected outside the fortress, with a yellow flag hanging on it.

"This is called a Heaven Pole."

Noticing Li Yan's gaze, Wang Wang Daoxuan explained, "Erecting it means there are Daoist believers. At night, three Heaven Lanterns will be hung at the top of the pole to offer food to the Three Officials."

The arrival of the three did not attract attention.

This was because quite a few people had already gathered in the fortress, including traveling merchants and peddlers, pilgrimage groups, and even quite a few people from the Buddhist and Daoist sects, as well as strange-looking witches and shamans.

Li Yan was taken aback and looked at Wang Wang Daoxuan.

From far away, he could smell many abnormal auras inside. In this tiny place, quite a few people from the Mystic Sect had actually gathered!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 120 =====