Chapter 124: Luo Feng Divine Palace

“It’s just a giant centipede with Dao cultivation.”

Dian Shu drank wine, his neck flushed red, and he became even more talkative: “I heard from my master that all living things, once they gain spiritual awareness, gradually cultivate, hiding in places where heaven’s and earth’s fierce energies converge, their wisdom growing, their supernatural powers emerging.”

“Some, upon swallowing celestial treasures or earthly essences, also change their forms and become extremely formidable. The Huainanzi mentions a flying centipede that, though the flying serpent glides through mist and perishes from maggots, its nature can subdue snakes—when it spots a giant snake, it climbs up and devours its brain. This flying centipede especially loves to eat snake brains…”

“The Earth Master’s Burial Classic also mentions one resembling a locust but with a large belly and long horns, capable of eating snake brains—but this demon fears thunder and fire, and also fears roosters crowing; upon hearing them, it flees…”

“The earth centipede is also one such creature. Though wingless, it excels at burrowing underground, concealing its qi so thoroughly that ordinary supernatural senses cannot detect it. You must either wait for it to reveal itself and slay it, or find its exact location and set up an altar to suppress and kill it…”

“But such creatures are also matters of fate. A few years ago, in Lingnan, an earth centipede caused havoc—its size rivaling serpents and pythons, capable of feeding on morning mist and exhaling fog, its nature vicious, having claimed many lives…”

“One of my uncle’s fellow Daoists, working with disciples of the Dharma line, laid a net and suppressed and slew it, obtaining a single centipede pearl, as large as a walnut, uniquely effective against all snake venom—even a serpent with Dao cultivation, upon touching this pearl, would go limp and weak…”

Though young, Dian Shu knew many tales of demon-hunting from Doumu Palace, leaving Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan stunned and silent.

The night wind howled across the mountain, darkness enveloped all around, the bonfire flickered uncertainly—listening to these mysterious Daoist tales held a peculiar charm.

Among the scattered rocks a hundred meters away.

The demon-hunter Hong Yecha, draped in the tattered cloth that concealed his qi, sat cross-legged with closed eyes, his breathing and heartbeat slowed to the extreme.

His ears twitched constantly, alert to every sound around him.

The goat he had captured had already been released.

Clearly, this demon-hunter had taken the three men by the bonfire as new bait…

…………

Within the cavernous spiritual orifice, utter darkness.

With the cave sealed off, it was as if completely severed from the outside world—not a single sound reached in.

Cold and lonely, as if cut off from all existence.

Li Yan was not idle; since earlier, he had sat cross-legged, entering stillness and cultivating his spirit, preparing for the upcoming ritual.

Unconsciously, midnight approached.

As the hour of Zi neared, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a wisp of white mist.

It was not qi—it was simply that the cave was bitterly cold, like an ice cellar; his breath turned to mist instantly.

Standing up, Li Yan did not rush to set up the altar; instead, in the darkness, he practiced the Ten Rounds of Red Fist, loosening his body.

Huh!

He lit the fire starter and ignited each of the incense candles and spirit lamps; the cave instantly glowed with dim, comforting light.

Li Yan gazed at the altar, mentally reviewing the procedure once more.

The Building the Tower ritual is every cultivator’s first rite.

Only by successfully opening the altar can one trigger changes in the spiritual orifice.

Opening the altar generally involves two steps.

First: stepping the Dipper and treading the Gang , forming seals and chanting incantations, so the altar forms its own pattern and resonates with the external fierce energies of heaven and earth.

Second: summoning the divine Gang .

This divine Gang is the origin of the cultivator’s sect—some visualize their ancestral master, others visualize heaven’s stars and constellations, drawing forth primordial Gang and Sha .

After so long of study, Li Yan had gained insight.

If primordial Gang and Sha energy were likened to a vast night sky, then the immortals and gods revered by orthodox sects were the stars above.

A mortal body naturally cannot summon heaven’s and earth’s power.

But with these immortal stars as coordinates, they become channels through which primordial Gang and Sha are drawn forth.

Yet primordial Gang and Sha are deadly; mortals cannot withstand them, so when stepping the Dipper and treading the Gang , forming seals and chanting incantations, one must precisely calculate the direction from which the Gang and Sha will strike.

Only by avoiding the first deadly strike can one intercept and use the Gang and Sha .

Whether drawing talismans or performing rites, none can escape this method.

And the method of avoiding deadly strikes requires supernatural skill.

This is the true secret of the Daoist path.

Without understanding this key, one will never truly enter the path.

The Luo Feng Jing is no ordinary scripture—it explains this clearly.

Li Yan cultivated his spirit within, formed the seals, and began stepping the Dipper and treading the Gang .

Stepping the Dipper and treading the Gang means using the Gang steps, with the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper (seven main stars plus two auxiliary stars) as the Nine Palaces, heaven as the guideline, earth as the record, connecting with the Gang and Sha energy of heaven and earth.

Each step lands on a star, as if paying homage to the immortals above.

Li Yan had learned two techniques and was thoroughly familiar with stepping the Dipper—but this time, his hand seals were entirely different, as if a lotus bloomed upside down.

This was the Luo Feng Seal, unique to his sect.

As he stepped the Dipper and chanted the incantation, Li Yan felt a cold, sinister energy rise from the ground, like a sharp arrow thrusting straight toward him.

Li Yan stepped his Gang step, sidestepped Shunshi , avoiding the deadly strike, and at the same time, held the ritual seal and drew backward.

The seal instantly grew cold and heavy.

This seal was carved from peach wood, enshrined on the Doumu Palace altar, usable by all sects, priced at one hundred taels each.

To be honest, it was merely an entry-level artifact.

The seal’s power depended on how much Gang and Sha it could channel; in the future, he would certainly forge a better one.

But for now, Li Yan had no time to think of anything else.

This strand of Gang and Sha seemed drawn from the Nine Heavens of Luo Feng Mountain—carrying a chilling dread, yet ready to vanish at any moment.

Without hesitation, Li Yan seized the seal and struck the altar three times, then lifted the bowl of rootless water and spat it out in a fine mist.

Huh~

Instantly, wind arose from nowhere.

Li Yan felt the primordial Gang and Sha energy of the entire spiritual orifice had connected with the altar, surging toward him from all directions.

This sensation was exactly like the day at Baxian Terrace—terrible Gang and Sha energy converging, making him dizzy and disoriented.

Fortunately, the twelve lotus spirit lamps now activated, occupying the Twelve Earthly Branches, like candles in the dark, guarding his spirit.

Li Yan did not dare delay; he sat cross-legged and entered stillness.

Again cultivating his spirit, he sensed a difference.

The spirit he had cultivated, though its form had gradually become fuller and shimmered with light, was surrounded by nothingness—like a candle in the night, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Had it not been for the Great Luo Body, his cultivated spirit would have vanished many times over.

The Luo Feng Jing called this state Tai Yi.

Tai Yi: yin and yang have not yet changed, vast and empty, without light or form, without shape or name, silent and still—that is Tai Yi.

Thus, Tai Yi is the origin of spirit, yet no qi has yet appeared.

But in this cavernous orifice, performing the ritual, the primordial Gang and Sha energy had stained this void of Tai Yi, causing change.

This step is called Tai Chu.

Tai Chu is the beginning—qi first stirs; this is called Tai Chu.

According to Western creation texts, originally heaven and earth were void; then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light…

At this step, heavenly fate shifts, and all things are born.

Huh!

The Gang and Sha energy flowed, wind stirred in the dark chamber, the twelve lotus spirit lamps flickered dimly, their light unstable.

Li Yan felt a hurricane raging within his spirit; his cultivated spirit, like a dim spirit lamp, swayed and flickered, ready to be snuffed out.

This was the first great trial of Building the Tower—if the cultivated spirit perished, the spirit would be severely damaged, requiring long rest before cultivation could resume.

Fortunately, this process was brief.

Within his spirit, the space around the cultivated spirit, influenced by primordial Gang and Sha energy, changed again—darkness stirred as if something moved.

Then, faint luminous sparks appeared, gathering, increasing, forming misty light around him; the light condensed and dispersed, gradually rising and sinking as black and white yin-yang energies.

This is called the Five Primordial Stages: Tai Yi, Tai Chu, Tai Shi, Tai Su, Tai Ji—representing the process of heaven and earth emerging from nothingness.

Only now were the conditions for Building the Tower fulfilled. All sects in the world shared this stage.

But after this, the paths diverged.

Some sects’ methods visualized a small temple—easy to form, sufficient to house the cultivated spirit, but a small temple cannot hold a great Buddha…

Others visualized pavilions and palaces, lavish and grand, like heavenly abodes—but with no foundation, they could not go far…

The Luo Feng Jing, however, first requires visualization of Luo Feng Mountain.

“Luo Feng: in the lower north lies a boundless sea, and at its center stands a mountain, reaching the azure heavens above and descending into the yellow springs below, its black, dense qi coiled together—this is the Northern Capital Luo Feng…”

The scripture echoed endlessly in Li Yan’s mind; around him, changes gradually emerged.

First came the black primordial yin Sha energy, flowing beneath the cultivated spirit, condensing into a river of black water.

At its limit, change occurred at the center—void became substance; a stretch of black mountain slowly rose beneath the cultivated spirit’s feet.

Then, white primordial Gang energy was drawn in, gathering around the spirit, shifting, condensing, dispersing, finally forming a divine palace.

!.

The palace was ancient, majestic, imposing—the cultivated spirit dwelled within.

How long passed, no one knew; gradually, all stabilized.

The dark chamber no longer stirred with wind; the spirit lamps no longer flickered.

Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, sighed in relief, yet could not hide his inner excitement.

The Northern Capital Luo Feng Mountain: above, the Nightlight Palace; below, the Nine Courts. Yin and yang, life and death, nurture and doom—all rest within.

This first level, where yin and yang unite,

Has finally been built!

In the days that followed, he devoted himself to constant cultivation.

The higher Luo Feng Mountain rose, the more stable his foundation became; even the yin-evil qi below could be transformed into a Minghai , giving birth to Six Great Demon Kings who became his protective spirit generals—far stronger than any mortal army.

Of course, all this was still in the future.

With the first level of the pavilion completed, his spirit now had protection and would not easily dissipate, and he could begin practicing certain techniques from the Northern Emperor Scripture.

No cultivation method in the world is without its flaws.

If the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect primarily relied on grand ritual altars and ceremonies, then the Northern Emperor Scripture was mostly filled with offensive techniques.

The Baopu Ascending Mountain Technique and the Thousand Gold Protective Charm both originated from the Pre-Qin era; Li Yan judged they had been passed down from the Northern Emperor Scripture.

Their original true names were the Northern Emperor Ascending Mountain Technique and the Northern Emperor Protective Charm.

These two protective arts could be used by anyone.

But other techniques could only be used by those who cultivated the Luo Feng Scripture.

Of course, his current cultivation level was only at the first pavilion, so the techniques he could practice were limited.

Li Yan had long set his sights on two: the Northern Emperor Divine Step Technique and the Northern Emperor Straw Spirit Technique—both auxiliary arts.

There was no choice; at his current level, he was merely a novice cultivator, and any more advanced methods were beyond his control.

The Northern Emperor Divine Step Technique was, in fact, a talismanic horse made of yellow cloth, gathering the essence of Gangsha qi.

When bound to the legs and activated, it made the feet feel as if wind were beneath them, granting astonishing speed and leaping power—the ideal choice for chasing enemies, killing foes, or fleeing.

The difficulty of this technique lay in its materials.

The minimum requirement was yellow silk that had been offered at an altar for five years, and the talisman had to be inscribed at a place where Gangsha qi converged, sealing the essence into the incantation.

Such a talisman horse lasted about the time it took to drink a cup of tea—roughly ten minutes.

The better the materials and the higher the cultivation level, the greater the speed and duration of the talisman horse.

The other technique, the Northern Emperor Straw Spirit Technique, involved crafting paper dolls for reconnaissance and tracking—perfectly complementing his nasal spiritual sense.

The Northern Emperor Scripture focused on offense; even at the first pavilion, there were offensive techniques available.

For example, the Northern Emperor Yin Thunder Hand.

Similar to the Daoist Palm Thunder, it was a foundational thunder art.

But it used yin thunder.

Yin thunder was quiet, like a muffled rumble—the thunder of the underworld.

As the saying goes: yang thunder strikes mortals, yin thunder strikes demons. Though both arise from the transformation of heaven and earth’s yin and yang, they target different foes.

Yin thunder specifically targeted the soul.

If used against a spirit-medium, a single palm strike would scatter the possessing yin spirit. Though not as forceful as palm thunder, it was relentless, clinging like a parasite that could not be shaken off.

Moreover, the Yin Thunder Hand could injure mortals; when combined with hidden force, it was fatal upon impact.

Of course, the Yin Thunder Hand required deeper cultivation to practice.

Thinking of this, Li Yan immediately rose, dismantled the altar, and walked to the blocked cave entrance, unleashing hidden force as he thrust both palms forward with sudden power.

CRASH!

The piled stones collapsed instantly.

Outside, the entire night had passed.

A faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon; the mountain wind howled, the light dim and hazy, as if a crimson hue were about to be born.

Li Yan’s spirits lifted, and he took a deep breath.

The morning wind was bitterly cold, sharpening his mind.

With the pavilion completed, his earlier restlessness vanished completely.

“Young Master Li, you’ve emerged from seclusion!”

Hearing the noise, Sha Lifei and the others rushed over.

With demons lurking nearby, they had stayed awake all night—not only to guard Li Yan, but also fearing an attack.

Nights on the mountain were freezing; even wrapped in wool-lined fur coats and thick quilts, they could barely endure the cold.

Seeing their weary faces, Li Yan felt warmth in his heart and said solemnly: “Rest well now. I’ll take watch from here on.”

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan both smiled.

No need to ask—this clearly meant he had succeeded in building the pavilion.

Even the young Daoist Dian Shu had stayed up all night. All three were cold and exhausted, warmed some dried rations over the fire, then wrapped themselves in quilts and fell into deep sleep in the leeward spot.

Li Yan’s thoughts shifted, and he gazed into the distance.

There, the demon-hunter Hong Yecha, who had kept watch all night, now removed his disguise and stood up to stretch.

The night had passed peacefully—the demons had not appeared.

Li Yan did not bother with formalities and called out directly: “Brother Daoist, thank you for your vigil. Please come over, warm yourself by the fire, and have some hot tea.”

The demon-hunter hesitated, then strode over.

At over three thousand seven hundred meters, the tea could not be kept hot, but it still brought some warmth.

The two sat by the fire, sipping tea in silence.

Li Yan could tell the man was not skilled in conversation; he wisely asked no questions.

“Thank you.”

After warming himself with tea, the demon-hunter rose at once. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled something from his person and tossed it over, saying calmly: “Carry this—it may help you avoid demons.”

Li Yan caught it in one hand—the demon-hunter had already turned away.

He let out a quiet laugh and looked at the object in his palm.

It was a small bone, with claw-like protrusions along its side, smooth and jade-like, fashioned into a protective talisman.

Li Yan was surprised—a chicken’s claw bone?

(End of chapter)