Chapter 121: Night Walking and Enlightening the Dao, False False Yin Si Official Task

In the deep mountains, breathing turns into mist.

With Li Yan leading the way, the three were naturally unafraid of the darkness, but the mountain wind was quite strong, blowing the torches until they flickered, illuminating the surrounding trees as they clawed and bared their fangs, which was very eerie.

Not long after, they saw a pool of water, the chill penetrating, emitting faint smoke, and a giant rock stood beside it, with the three vermilion characters "Three Officials Pool" written on it.

Although it looked eerie, Li Yan opened his supernatural ability and did not smell any strange odor; on the contrary, a cool, refreshing aura surged into his nasal cavity, making his head feel refreshed.

"This is the Three Officials Pool."

Wang Fu said, "In the old days, prayers for rain in Guanzhong were all taken from this path. The path is steep, but there are many strange sights along the way. Ahead, there is the Aihuo Terrace, which is quite dangerous."

Just as he said, not long after walking, a mountain path appeared. The place to set foot was very narrow, and one could only walk by sticking to the stone wall, which was very dangerous.

Fortunately, the three had decent physical strength and were careful, so they passed this dangerous path safely.

After leaving, Wang Fu breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, "Fortunately, it hasn't snowed yet; otherwise, I really wouldn't dare to go up the mountain."

"Look!" Sha Lifei suddenly pointed to the rear.

Li Yan looked up and saw a spark of fire appearing again on the steep mountain path. Clearly, someone else had chosen to go up the mountain at night.

His vision was extraordinary, and he immediately saw that it was the woman from before. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he whispered, "Daoist, this woman is somewhat extraordinary. Can you tell what her background is?"

"Let's talk while we walk."

Wang Fu led the two to continue forward.

This section of the road was relatively wide. He turned his head and looked at the rear again, explaining, "That is a demon-catcher from Chang'an City."

"Unlike Dharma masters, these people have extraordinary martial arts and know all kinds of miscellaneous arts, specializing in catching spirits and monsters, suppressing corpses, and beheading demons. They also accept imperial rewards to hunt down evil paths, and their methods are ruthless."

"I have vaguely heard of this woman, but I can't remember her name. I only remember her nickname is 'Red Yecha,' and she is a notoriously ruthless person."

"She is an expert, so she should have had a Daoist certificate long ago. It stands to reason that she wouldn't be in a hurry. I don't know why she wants to go up the mountain overnight..."

The group chatted as they walked and soon arrived at another mountain peak.

They saw that the forest in the mountain was dense. Although it was dark and lightless all around, the starry sky was exceptionally bright, with stars filling the sky and the Milky Way hanging straight in the sky.

"Tsk tsk, what a beautiful scene!" Sha Lifei exhaled and rubbed his hands, unable to help but praise.

Wang Fu looked at the sky and smiled, "The 'Records of Strange Things' states: The essence of the Golden Star fell to the west of the Guifeng Peak of Zhongnan, and its essence turned into white stone like beautiful jade, often covered by purple energy. This is the origin of the name Mount Taibai."

"This place is a blessed land and is suitable for stargazing. Quite a few seniors in the Doumu Temple are proficient in stargazing and divination."

"Daoist, which one are you proficient in?"

"This... I know a little about both, but I am not proficient in either."

"Let's go. After passing this Panlong Mountain, let's find a place to rest."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked, just to relieve the chill on their bodies. They had been so heroic when they left, but now they were so disheveled.

As for Li Yan, he gradually fell silent.

It was difficult to see in the darkness of the mountains. Even with torches, he couldn't see the road ahead clearly.

He had to keep his olfactory supernatural ability open to lead the way at all times, but precisely because of this, his perception of the blessed land was deeper.

This mountain range was majestic and vast, with innate Gang qi that was vast and boundless, like an ancient giant, hooking the earth's veins below and connecting to the stars above.

And he was just a flea walking on the giant.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered the words of the old woman on Mount Tianzhu.

A mortal's short life is like a flickering spark. Even if there is a path to the heavens, it is difficult to go far.

Just like the "Luo Feng Jing" he obtained, eighteen floors, six palaces, each floor more difficult than the last. Mortals simply cannot see the end...

Just like this Daoist blessed land, Mount Taibai, the reason for its formation is unknown. Perhaps, as Wang Fu said, the essence of the Golden Star fell, but I fear it also had to experience thousands of years of time before forming such a situation...

"Sigh, Brother Li Yan..."

Sha Lifei saw that Li Yan's expression was unusual and was about to speak, but was stopped by Wang Fu, who shook his head slightly.

He knew that Li Yan was experiencing an epiphany.

When first arriving at a blessed land, many cultivators would have this situation. Ultimately, it was a small opportunity, and it should not be interrupted rashly.

Although Sha Lifei didn't understand, he was sensible enough to shut his mouth.

The two stopped talking and followed Li Yan, walking forward in silence.

Fortunately, at this moment, Li Yan was like a machine, climbing the mountain with a torch, leading the way in silence ahead, always able to find a place to exert force without making a single mistake.

But gradually, the two couldn't keep up.

Another hour passed, and with the freezing cold, Wang Fu felt numb all over, his legs stiff, and he could no longer persist. His foot slipped, and he almost fell to the ground.

"Brother Li Yan!"

Sha Lifei couldn't help but shout.

"Oh!"

Li Yan suddenly came back to his senses, looked around, and immediately understood what had happened. He apologized, "I was lost in thought. Let's find a place to rest first."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look and found that he had already bypassed Panlong Mountain, so he led the two away from the mountain path, passed through a small forest, and arrived before a mountain wall.

A hundred meters ahead, there was a small cave.

Before they even got close, Li Yan took out the Divine Tiger Token, paced the ritual steps, formed a seal, and chanted: "Nuogao, open alone, Great-Grandson Wang Jia, Six Jia Green Dragon, Six Yi Meeting Star, Six Bing Bright Hall... Hurry, hurry, like the law!"

Whoosh~

Wang Fu and the other felt the cold wind around them rise suddenly.

And at this moment, Li Yan seemed to have turned into a fierce tiger in the mountains.

Clatter, clatter!

Inside the cave, a black bear suddenly darted out, looking disheveled. It didn't dare to get close to the three and rushed into the dense forest to escape without looking back.

At the same time, there was rustling all around, and some wild animals like mice, wild rabbits, black-striped snakes, and skinks crawled out and scattered.

The technique Li Yan used was naturally the Baopu Dengshan Technique.

He was already proficient in this technique, and with the blessing of the Divine Tiger Token, it was naturally the best for scaring away wild beasts.

"We are really uninvited guests..."

Wang Fu laughed dumbfoundedly, but the exhaustion on his face was hard to hide.

Entering the cave, the bear's stench had not yet dissipated.

The three did not care; before long, they lit a campfire, warmed wine to ward off the cold, and casually gnawed on some dry food.

The night wind whistled. Even though they were all wearing sheepskin coats and wrapped in blankets, they still felt the chill all over their bodies.

Suddenly, Li Yan's brow furrowed. He slowly pressed his hand on the saber hilt, looked at the cave entrance where the night wind whistled, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Friend, since the night road is hard to walk, why not come in and rest for a while."

"Thank you, no need."

A cold voice sounded from outside the cave, and then the footsteps went further and further away.

Sha Lifei naturally knew it was that female demon-catcher. After the other party had gone far away, he shook his head, "What a strange person."

"Forget it, don't pay attention to her."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Daoist, you two don't keep watch today. Rest early. We'll continue our journey tomorrow. I have some insights and want to think them through."

"Oh?"

Wang Fu was stunned, but didn't ask further.

After riding day and night and going up the mountain at night, he really couldn't hold on anymore. He wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and entered dreamland before long.

Sha Lifei fell asleep as soon as his head hit the ground, snoring constantly.

Only Li Yan sat before the fire, staring blankly outside the cave.

Since obtaining the "Luo Feng Jing," he had been contemplating it, but there were a few sentences that he was always confused about.

This method was of great importance and could not be mentioned to others.

But just a moment ago, when climbing the mountain, his spirit sank into the innate Gang qi of Mount Taibai, making many key points suddenly clear.

"Therefore, the body is where the spirit resides. If one wants the spirit to reside and exist for a long time, there is nothing better than establishing a pillar. The pillar is the master of the house, using qi as the layout, neither sinking nor floating..."

This is the foundation of building a temple.

This world has no spiritual qi, but it has innate Gang qi and evil qi, forming various "layouts" and "trends." The so-called building of a temple is to borrow the Gang and evil qi after storing the spirit, and form a small layout in the spirit's mind.

Famous mountains and great rivers have blessed lands, which are the layouts and trends of heaven and earth.

The layout in the stored spirit is externally manifested as a temple. And storing the spirit is like giving birth to a deity within a blessed land. When performing magic, one can draw out or borrow the Divine Might.

The "Luo Feng Jing" is a method of the False False Yin Si ghosts and gods, and is naturally more extraordinary.

Ordinary cultivators only need to borrow the layout of a blessed land to infect some innate Gang qi to build a temple. Some external sorcery even borrows yin evil or poison qi.

And the so-called Mount Luo Feng, above it is the Night Light Palace, below are the Nine Offices, Yin and Yang, Life and Death, and the disaster notes stop there.

The metaphors in this scripture point out the key to building a temple in the "Luo Feng Jing," which is the balance of Yin and Yang.

When the time comes, he will not only infect the innate Gang and evil of the Taibai blessed land, but also hold a ritual, simultaneously hooking the earth's yin qi to become the base of the temple.

According to the scripture, when this method is cultivated to a profound level, the temple will shine with ten thousand rays of light, and the yin qi below will turn into the Six Heavenly Great Demon Kings, who can leave the body at will like apostles or servants, and be used like an arm.

Of course, at least one must build a Three-Story Temple and form the first palace, the "Gansi Lianwan Lütian Palace," before this secret method can be used.

However, Li Yan still had a question in his heart.

Thanks to his cheap master, he had already obtained the first False False Yin Si supernatural ability, the Soul-Hooking Rope. He didn't know if it would strengthen the Soul-Hooking Rope or if he would obtain a new supernatural ability...

Just as Li Yan was deep in thought, thick fog suddenly rose all around.

!.

Why is it here again!

Li Yan's brow furrowed, his face ugly.

He was all too familiar with this thing. He formed a magic seal, but couldn't activate the supernatural ability. Sure enough, he had fallen into a dream again.

But he had already received the inheritance from his master,

Why was he hooked into a dream again?

Could it be...

An ominous premonition rose in Li Yan's heart.

Could it be that the False False Yin Si has a task?

He already had experience and ran rapidly through the fog.

Sure enough, after running for who knows how long, the scene ahead changed again, and a stone well appeared, ancient in style, not knowing what era's style it was.

Li Yan was about to move forward when his heart suddenly stirred.

He began to contemplate, and the appearance of the ancient well changed.

However, that stone well remained motionless.

Seeing this situation, Li Yan vaguely had a guess.

The "Gansi Lianwan Lütian Palace" he saw before was mostly his cheap master's contemplation, so it could change.

And this one before him might be an object of the False False Yin Si.

He carefully arrived at the wellhead and peered down.

He saw that the water surface in the well was only half a foot from the wellhead, pitch black, like a glazed mirror, without a single ripple.

After looking for a long time, the well water had no change.

How should this high-end False False Yin Si item be used?

The "Yin Law" given by the old woman on Mount Tianzhu mentioned the matter of living False False Yin Si officials taking False False Yin Si tasks, but it didn't explain it specifically, only mentioning that the scenes everyone saw were different.

Some were spoken to by black shadows in dreams, some saw handwriting, and others were confused, waking up to receive False False Yin Si information.

What about his?

Li Yan was a bit dumbfounded and carefully touched the well rim.

Clatter, clatter!

The moment he touched it, the well water began to spin rapidly.

The pitch-black water surface first formed a vortex, then thick fog rose, and gradually, light and shadow swirled.

This is a bit like the Round Light Technique mentioned by Wang Fu...

Just as Li Yan was puzzled, the scene finally became clear.

First was a cave filled with cold ice, then deep inside on an open ground, the land gradually became transparent.

Three feet below the ground, a large black jar was actually buried.

The black jar was wrapped in red rope, and densely hung with copper coins, and the opening was covered with yellow talismans, looking exactly like a wandering soul jar.

Subsequently, the jar also became transparent.

Seeing the situation inside, Li Yan's pupils shrank.

Inside the jar, an old Daoist was actually sitting cross-legged, wearing a black Daoist robe, his face aged, full of wrinkles, his white hair and beard piled up like a spider web, and his fingernails had grown several inches long, curved and crooked.

His appearance was exactly like an old zombie.

However, his chest was still rising and falling...

Li Yan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, vaguely guessing the identity of the False False Yin Si criminal.

A cultivator who used evil methods to extend his life!

These people are not immortal, but have no vitality, yet they try every way to force their three souls and seven spirits to stay in their bodies, and death qi constantly gathers, like evil spirits.

Perhaps, these people are thinking they can be resurrected from the dead.

But this behavior disturbs Yin and Yang and violates the taboos of the False False Yin Si.

The problem is, this kind of old zombie is who knows how many years of a Mystic Sect expert; how could he, a rookie, deal with it?

Thinking of this, Li Yan shook his head hurriedly.

"I can't take this task..."

Just as he finished speaking, he woke up abruptly.

He saw the campfire was still burning, but outside, who knows when, a light rain had started to fall, rustling in the darkness.

The matter just now was like a dream.

"This living False False Yin Si official, it seems, is not easy to be..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly and didn't care.

Right now, he must focus on building the temple; others can be put aside for now...

The light rain fell all night and finally stopped when it was about to dawn.

Although Sha Lifei and Wang Fu were frozen, after sleeping for a night, their spirits were quite recovered.

And Li Yan had been storing his spirit for most of the night.

Storing the spirit requires entering meditation, so he wasn't that tired.

"Why did it rain so well?"

Sha Lifei looked at the mud outside and couldn't help but complain.

Wang Fu shook his head, "This Mount Taibai is the crown of the Qin Ling Mountains and the highest peak in the eastern part of the Divine Land. Its climate is notoriously changeable."

"Even the 'Commentary on the Water Classic' mentioned that when marching down the mountain, one must not beat drums or blow horns. If drums and horns are sounded, swift wind and rain will arrive, showing how unpredictable it is."

"We are still just at the foot of the mountain. The higher we go, the colder it gets. We might even experience wind, frost, rain, and snow in a single day. Fortunately, we don't need to go to the Pulling Immortal Terrace, just to the Doumu Peak."

"Let's go, the road is still long..."

"Daoist, you have been to the Pulling Immortal Terrace."

"That place is too steep, I don't have the interest, but it is rumored that the Pulling Immortal Terrace is the place where the Grand Duke conferred gods, and there is even a ritual altar from that time left behind. If there is a chance, I still want to go and see it..."

The three talked while packing their things.

After leaving the cave, under Wang Fu's guidance, they continued forward, passing a suspension bridge, crossing the ancient Three Kingdoms plank road, sometimes seeing flying waterfalls and flowing clouds, sometimes observing cliff carvings.

As one of the blessed lands, although the road on Mount Taibai is difficult to walk, there are quite a few strange sights along the way.

Of course, the environment is also getting worse and worse.

As the altitude increased, Wang Fu developed altitude sickness and couldn't catch his breath. Fortunately, they encountered a Mountain God Temple on the road, and the group rested for another night before recovering and continuing their journey.

Further up, light snow actually began to drift, and the road became increasingly difficult to walk.

Just as Sha Lifei said, the mountain road was blocked, and with the accumulation of snow and solid ice, quite a few people were trapped halfway.

Among these people, some were witches and shamans from near Chang'an, who were afraid they wouldn't get a Daoist certificate next year, so they came to borrow the spiritual apertures.

Unfortunately, their bodies were worse than Wang Fu's, and they couldn't continue, so they could only watch the group leave with unwillingness.

One day later, the three finally arrived at the Doumu Palace.

They saw that between the high mountains, strange peaks and rocks stood, like a palm, holding a magnificent palace in the palm, looking up at the firmament...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 122 =====