Chapter 239

"Interesting..."

Looking at the thick fog around him, Li Yan was already used to it.

In this situation, it was either communication with the divine or an underworld mission.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately walked forward quickly.

Soon, the thick fog dissipated, and a figure appeared in front.

It was a pool of water, and a local deity poked half of its body out from inside, with red hair, yellow beard, green eyes, yellow face, and wearing golden armor, looking a bit strange.

However, its situation was a bit miserable.

He saw it hunched over, hands pressed on the shore, with huge bronze awls piercing through the back of its hands, nailing it to the ground.

Iron chains hung on the bronze awls, passing horizontally through its neck.

It looked like some kind of torture.

"Woo woo~"

A resentful crying sound rose, coming exactly from its mouth.

So it had been sealed!

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, lost in thought.

This should be the Huang Moshen, the water god of the Three Gorges. Judging from those records, it should be a benevolent god who protected passing ships.

After being sealed, it was no longer efficacious, and the incense naturally ceased.

Being able to hold on until now, it was obviously very powerful at the beginning.

It was likely that it couldn't hold on anymore, deeply feeling that its time was running out, so it made a crying sound at night.

Who on earth would do such a thing?

Li Yan was curious in his heart and walked forward to check.

Clatter!

With the sound of chains, the Huang Moshen's huge head lifted, and a pair of blue eyes like river water looked at him.

In an instant, the scene around changed again.

It was deep in the river water, with mud and sand churning and water plants swaying.

Two earth veins extended from the shore, looking exactly like arms reaching out from the land into the river.

And at the end of the earth veins, two bronze pillars as thick as water buckets were nailed, covered with copper green spots and crawling with water algae and shells.

There were chains wrapped around the bronze pillars, extending to the bottom of the river.

The light and shadow changed again, and the perspective followed the chains downward. The scene he saw shocked Li Yan.

He saw that at the bottom of the river, there was actually a stone coffin buried, with bronze beast heads on both sides connected to the chains above.

Subsequently, the coffin lid gradually became transparent.

Inside lay a corpse, and he didn't know from what era, its whole body white and bloated, with long black hair surging, covering most of its body, looking exactly like a water ghost...

At the same time, the illusion changed again.

But this time, it was the water well for the underworld mission.

However, it was just an ordinary water well, not that kind of black well with bloody water.

Li Yan had now figured out its pattern.

Ordinary water wells are for capturing underworld criminals who disturb life and death.

Black wells with bloody water are for suppressing demonic energy that has escaped into the human world.

He already had a guess in his heart and placed both hands on the well rim.

Sure enough, the well water quickly formed a vortex, first appearing that coffin, then the light and shadow flickered, and another scene appeared:

He saw an old Confucian scholar with white hair standing by the river, seemingly heart-dead, and jumping into the river with a splash.

Subsequently, from the dark depths of the river, long black hair rose, like water plants, wrapping around him bit by bit...

Good heavens!

It was actually communication with the divine and an underworld mission appearing at the same time.

Li Yan was shocked in his heart, and the illusion in front of him immediately disappeared.

The communication with the divine was very fast. In the eyes of others, it was just a fleeting moment, and they didn't notice it at all.

Li Yan's expression was solemn as he stepped into the main hall.

The temple was already dilapidated. If it weren't for the old man guarding the temple cleaning it, it would probably have collapsed long ago.

But the old man's legs and feet were inconvenient after all, and the corner of the hall was already covered with spider webs. In the dark, there were rats crawling around in the corners.

Li Yan pinched the Yang formula and took a deep breath.

Sure enough, there was still a bit of divine energy lingering in the statue, but it was very weak, on the verge of shattering, and carried a bit of yin evil energy.

"How is it?"

Daoist Feng knew what he was doing and hurriedly asked.

Li Yan didn't rush to answer, but said in a deep voice, "Has there ever been a water ghost causing trouble near Guizhou City?"

"That is naturally the case."

Daoist Feng said nonchalantly, "The Three Gorges waterway has been a strategic point since ancient times, a dangerous waterway. I don't know how many dead souls have been buried in it. It's normal for water ghosts to appear."

"Not an ordinary water ghost?"

Li Yan shook his head, "It's the kind that wantonly harms people, entrusts dreams to commoners, and demands blood sacrifices and the building of temples for worship."

Daoist Feng's expression immediately became solemn, "Evil god?"

"I have only been transferred to Zigui County for a few years and haven't discovered such a situation. I'll have to check the past records after I go back."

"Did Young Hero Li discover something?"

"I'll tell you later."

After the three left the broken temple, Li Yan whispered, "The water god of the Three Gorges here has been tampered with. I suspect it's related to one of the evil methods in the 'Longevity Immortal Treasury'..."

Seeing the previous illusion, he already understood in his heart.

In the "Longevity Immortal Treasury", there are many evil methods of longevity related to water, and the layout he saw before was very much like the "Water God Longevity Method".

Longevity is not just the physical body; the eternal existence of the soul is also called longevity.

This is one of them.

The practitioner must first devour the god's fortune, then turn into a ghost god, let people build temples for worship, and perform blood sacrifices.

The benefit of this method is that one can always maintain the memory of the soul, and can also possess others, borrowing other people's bodies to survive.

The demon god they worship is called Lu Li, rumored to be a demon transformed from a carp, with the image of a woman wearing white mourning clothes, often sitting by the river crying.

If someone is attracted by the crying sound and comes to the river, they will be harmed.

Of course, although this method is mysterious, it also has weaknesses, which is that the possessed body cannot be used for more than a few years before it rots, and one must find the next one.

And this period of time is the best time to deal with the practitioner.

This Huang Moshen of the Three Gorges is already at the end of its rope. It can be preserved until now only because it is blocking disaster for the practitioner.

Once the practitioner is eliminated, the Huang Moshen will also dissipate.

Obviously, it wants to ask Li Yan to take revenge for it.

"Water God Longevity Method?!"

Daoist Feng obviously knew about this, his eyes full of shock. It took him a long time to come back to his senses, and he shook his head, "This is the Three Gorges. The water gods worshipped along the coast are as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Almost every village has a water god temple. It's not that easy to find them out..."

"It's not that there are no clues."

Li Yan thought thoughtfully, "That demon is now possessing an old Confucian scholar. I suspect it is Liu Danqiu, the chief sacrificer of the Danyang Academy."

Daoist Feng stroked his long beard and nodded, "It's possible. Since his grandson died, he has lived alone in the mountains, and his movements have been mysterious."

"Perhaps it's because he doesn't want to be discovered by the smell of rot on his body."

Sha Lifei beside him was dumbfounded, "Wait, this Huang Moshen Li Siyuan only fell into disrepair during the Great Xing period. Is there really an old monster that can live until now?"

Li Yan's eyes were solemn, "It should be."

"This guy might be a remnant of the Ghost Sect from back then. During the Great Xing Dynasty, seeing that the wind was not right, he used evil methods to survive until now and secretly developed the Ghost Sect..."

At this moment, a thread had vaguely emerged in Li Yan's heart.

Ghost Sect remnants had been secretly preaching here for a long time. The "Red Woman" came to cooperate with them, and he didn't know what kind of conspiracy they were plotting.

Or perhaps, whether it was the Red Woman or Zhao Changsheng,

they were all members of the Ghost Sect!

After all, the current Zhao Changsheng was also a Daoist of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect who went to the Northern Frontier, accidentally touched a restriction, and was possessed.

A hair-raising thought floated into Li Yan's mind.

The Ghost Sect of that time was not extinct, but was hiding in every part of the Shenzhou with the help of various longevity evil methods, either turning into evil spirits or escaping life and death.

Zhao Changsheng had been appearing in various parts of the Shenzhou all these years.

He was trying to wake them all up!

This thought made his back feel a bit cold...

Although Daoist Feng didn't know what he was thinking, he also felt the seriousness of the problem and sighed, shaking his head, "What should we do next?"

"Don't alert the other party for now."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "We will continue to investigate, pretending not to know, so as not to alert the enemy."

"Daoist, is there any way to contact Zhenwu Palace quickly?" "No way."

Daoist Feng shook his head, "The Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect has the technique of long-distance sound transmission, but it must be on a high mountain surrounded by innate energy in a blessed land. It also requires large-scale rituals to cooperate, and it will only be activated when it concerns the safety of the Shenzhou."

"The fastest way is to use the imperial court's post station."

"But now there are river monsters causing trouble in the Three Gorges waterway, so we can only take the mountain road. Even if we go to Yichang, it will take a day or two."

"Didn't Assistant Prefect Zhou say that reinforcements will arrive tomorrow? I estimate that by then, the river monsters will have been suppressed, and sending letters will be more convenient."

"That's fine."

Li Yan thought for a moment and didn't insist.

In fact, the one he most wanted to contact was Luo Mingzi.

The other party was transferred to the capital and was specifically responsible for pursuing Zhao Changsheng.

The two of them were close friends, and he would definitely take this matter seriously.

!.

Finding a major clue at the Huang Moshen Li Siyuan, the three didn't stop their steps, walking along the creek, bypassing Guizhou City, and heading north.

Along the way, peach trees were planted on both banks.

Peach blossoms were in full bloom, and falling petals fell into the stream. In the misty smoke and rain, the scenery was beautiful.

Sha Lifei glanced at the water casually, his eyes widening, "Look, those peach blossoms are moving!"

"Those are called peach blossom fish."

Daoist Feng shook his head, "The peach blossoms in the stream are also one of the beautiful scenes of Guizhou. In previous years at this time, the scholars of the Danyang Academy would go out for spring outings, calling friends and companions to chant poems by the stream."

"This year, I'm afraid no one is in the mood..."

While speaking, they had already left the west of the city.

Near Guizhou City, there were many creeks and rivers, but compared to the area near the wharf in the south, there were fewer villages here, and one would only occasionally see people visiting graves during Qingming.

The road was remote, and plus they often had to detour across bridges, so it took some time.

When they arrived at the Bao'en Guangxiao Li Siyuan, it was already noon.

On the way, Daoist Feng had already introduced that this Bao'en Guangxiao Li Siyuan also had a long history. When Lu You visited Guizhou during the Song Dynasty, he stayed in the temple.

Before they even got close, the few discovered something was wrong.

Although it was misty and rainy at this time, and it was the Qingming season, at noon, the temple gate was tightly closed.

According to Wu Defa, his son Wu Shiqing liked to study Buddhist principles and often went to the Bao'en Guangxiao Li Siyuan to drink tea and communicate with the abbot inside.

The day Wu Shiqing had the accident, he was also returning from the temple at night.

But judging from the news from the yamen, the monks in this temple only chanted scriptures and meditated, burning incense and worshipping Buddha, and didn't know any magic.

It was just an ordinary temple in the red dust.

Li Yan originally just wanted to come and take a look.

But now, it was obviously a bit suspicious.

"Someone is coming, hide first!"

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, taking the two into the small woods nearby.

He saw a few men looking like merchants riding horses from the North Gate of Guizhou City, and when they arrived at the temple gate, they knocked on the door.

"It's broad daylight, why is the door still closed?"

"Could it be because of Qingming?"

These people spoke with an accent from another state and were obviously ordinary merchants.

Creak~

The big gate slowly opened, revealing a crack, and a monk looked through the crack and said to the few, "A few donors, what is the matter?"

A wealthy merchant smiled and said, "These few are all my good friends. I heard that there is a genuine work of Lu Fangweng in the temple, and we want to admire it before burning incense and adding some incense money."

The monk still had a cold expression, "Sorry, donors. The temple has something to do today and will not receive outside guests. Please go back."

After saying that, he directly closed the door.

"Sigh~ this..."

The leading merchant was obviously a bit annoyed, "These monks... I haven't added less incense money on weekdays, why are they acting like this?"

Saying that, he was about to continue stepping forward to knock on the door.

"Brother Wang, forget it, forget it."

"Perhaps they really have something important, let's go back."

Under the persuasion of the people beside him, the merchant was indignant and took the few to ride away, heading toward Guizhou City.

"It seems there really is something strange."

After the few left, Daoist Feng stroked his beard and said, "I have no friendship with the abbot in the temple, but I have heard that this person is extremely greedy for money. How could he drive away incense money delivered to his door?"

Looking at the temple in the rain, Li Yan thought thoughtfully, "No rush, let me see first."

After saying that, he stepped on the pace, pinched the magic formula, and flicked his little finger lightly.

Swish!

Yin wind rose all around, and from the leather bag at his waist, a white paper man flew out, sliding toward the temple along the ground.

The "North Emperor Taiwei Chuling Technique" has a convenient point, which is that one can prepare many paper men at once, so there is no need to chant incantations when casting spells, which can save time.

Using straw spirits in the rain is a great taboo.

After all, once the talisman paper gets wet, it loses its effect.

Fortunately, they were not far from the temple, and the paper man was fast, borrowing the cover of the surrounding trees. Although it got a few water droplets, after entering the temple, it could still barely be used.

Li Yan pinched the magic formula and closed his eyes.

With the help of the straw spirit, the scene in the temple was clear at a glance.

He saw the temple gate tightly closed, and two monks holding knives standing behind the door, hiding from the rain while cursing:

"Damn it, things that don't know what's good for them."

"According to me, we should have let them in and finished them directly."

"Forget it, don't delay the serious business."

This temple is really not right!

Li Yan felt a chill in his heart and controlled the straw spirit to continue moving forward.

There were flying eaves and arched beams in the temple, ancient in age, with wooden tenon structures stacked, extremely exquisite, but there were also many gaps.

The straw spirit traveled through them, very secretly.

Li Yan controlled the paper man to enter one of the side halls and was shocked. He saw many corpses lying densely on the ground, all wearing yellow monk robes, obviously monks in the temple.

And all the monks had their heads cut off, and their abdomens were covered in blood, their livers having been removed.

Li Yan thought thoughtfully and continued to control the straw spirit to search.

All the corpses were concentrated in this side hall, with doors and windows locked, while all the other halls were empty.

Where did everyone go?

Just when Li Yan was puzzled, he saw a man covered in mud crawl out from the water well beside the vegetable garden in the back courtyard, throwing the iron pick in his hand hard on the ground.

"Damn it, it's really hard to dig!"

He cursed, ran to the front courtyard, and shouted, "Quick, brothers are hungry, get something to eat."

"The gang leader said, we must dig up the thing today!"

After saying that, he turned and returned, crawling into the well.

And the two fake monks ran to the kitchen to get busy.

Poof~

The paper man suddenly caught fire and turned into fly ash.

In the woods, Li Yan suddenly opened his eyes and recounted what he had seen.

"Hiss!"

Daoist Feng's eyes were full of suspicion, "There is a legend in Guizhou City that there is an ancient Chu tomb behind the Bao'en Guangxiao Li Siyuan, but no one has ever discovered it for many years. Could it be that these demons found it?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "No matter what it is, these people are from the Ghost Sect, that's for sure. Daoist Feng, this place is not far from the city gate. You return immediately and tell Assistant Prefect Zhou to come and arrest people."

"We will guard here so that they don't run away."

"This..."

Daoist Feng was in a dilemma, embarrassed, "Why don't we go back together? I'm afraid I'll suffer if I'm alone."

Sha Lifei said happily, "Daoist, it's just such a short distance, you'll be there in the blink of an eye, what are you afraid of?"

"Sigh, you don't understand."

Daoist Feng shook his head, "The classics record that the Ghost Sect's methods are sinister, and the more troublesome thing is that you don't know how many followers they have."

"There must be many eyes and ears in the city right now, and the yamen is even more dangerous. I don't know martial arts, and if I'm discovered, my life will be in danger."

Seeing this old Daoist's cowardly appearance, Li Yan didn't force him anymore and said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, let's arrest them first."

"Old Uncle Sha, do it!"

Li Yan gave a low shout, and the two rushed toward the temple.

As for the old Daoist Feng, knowing that he would be a hindrance if he went up, he hid in the woods and waited...

(End of chapter)