Chapter 256

"Do not provoke them?"

Li Yan shook his head and said coldly, "Now it seems they have long had their eyes on this Daoist temple, luring away Mystic Sect disciples with evil methods."

"With such painstaking planning, what exactly is on the mountain?"

Feng Huazi hesitated for a moment. "I suspect they came to topple the Well Spiritual Aperture."

"The Toppled Well Spiritual Aperture is rumored to have originally contained a precious pill hidden by Immortal Ge Xianweng, named the Dragon-Tiger *Kan-Li* Pill, nourished by the *gang* energy of the Zigaishan Cave."

"However, this Toppled Well is very strange; although it has the name of the number one spiritual aperture, it is no different from an ordinary water well, except that the well water is better for refining medicine, and there is cloud *qi* steaming above it."

"Since the chaos of the Western Jin Dynasty, when the practice ground was destroyed, many have come to the Toppled Well to try their luck, but no one could find the pill, until one person appeared."

"Who?"

"Lu Zu, Lu Dongbin!"

"Lu Zu attained the Dao near Zhuxi County in the Yunyang Prefecture of today. At that time, a snake-python in the Han River transformed into a dragon, causing the river water to surge and killing countless people along the banks."

"Lu Zu was furious and beheaded the dragon with his Pure Yang Sword, but the snake-dragon had already gained power, and its essence soul was hard to destroy, so Lu Zu walked while holding the dragon's soul."

Passing by the Zigaishan Cave, he heard the talk of the precious pill and went up the mountain to investigate. Like Immortal Ge Xianweng, he directly overturned the Toppled Well."

"But he didn't take the precious pill; instead, he laughed three times, pressed the dragon's soul into the Toppled Well, and then cupped his hands toward Guanling, saying he was troubling the Marquis of Hanshou Pavilion to suppress it."

"Having said that, he drifted away."

"This matter was passed around, and in the mouths of the common people, it became that there was a demon suppressed in the Toppled Well, but no one has ever seen it to this day."

"The chaos in Dangyang County is perhaps for the Dragon-Tiger *Kan-Li* precious pill, as well as that dragon soul."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other.

Li Yan touched his chin and said thoughtfully, "Although this matter sounds bizarre, with so many demons and evil spirits peeking at it, perhaps it is true."

"Daoist, you continue to check the materials; Feng Feng Shixiong, could you take me to see the Toppled Well?"

"Of course."

Feng Huazi did not dawdle either; he stood up directly and took Li Yan away, while Wang Daoxuan and the others stayed behind to flip through the classics and look for clues.

After going out, they saw the men of the Commandant's Office leading guard dogs, searching carefully in the Daoist temple and the surrounding mountain forest.

The Daoist temple had been infiltrated; perhaps something could be found in the surroundings.

The Toppled Well was inside the Daoist temple, not far from the rear hall where Immortal Ge Xianweng was worshipped.

The well mouth was a single giant stone, polished smooth, like an inverted ceramic bowl; the "bottom of the bowl" was the well mouth, and a pavilion was built above to block falling leaves; there was also no well pulley around it.

"Greetings, Temple Master."

A young Daoist was guarding the well; seeing the two, he hurriedly cupped his hands in salute.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"Reporting to Master, there are no abnormalities."

"Hmm, you go back first."

After sending the disciple away, Feng Huazi shook his head and said, "I don't fear Li Li Shaoxia laughing at me, but there used to be a pulley and well rope here. However, the Toppled Well has too great a reputation, and many pilgrims who came up the mountain were curious, often climbing down the rope."

"A few years ago, a scholar even died inside. Not only did it pollute the well water, but his family also carried a coffin to cause trouble in the Daoist temple."

"In a fit of anger, I dismantled the pulley and well rope. Since someone died inside, the well water could no longer be used for refining medicine, so no one bothered with it anymore..."

Li Yan nodded and stepped forward to pinch a *yang* spell.

He took a deep breath, and various smells immediately rushed into his nasal cavity. Afterward, he frowned slightly and said in confusion, "It's just an ordinary water well; there is no abnormality in the innate *gang* energy either."

The old Daoist Feng Huazi gave a bitter smile. "Who says it isn't?"

"Many experts of past generations have come to investigate, and their supernatural powers were also strange and varied—some could distinguish *yin* and *yang* with their eyes, some could hear the words of ghosts and gods with their ears, and some were even skilled in communicating with gods—but none of them discovered anything."

"There was a Feng Shui master from Ganzhou who once observed the mountains and watched the *qi*, saying that Guanling, Yuquan Temple, and Zigaishan Cave formed a tripod; if the balance of the earth *qi* were destroyed, perhaps there would be discoveries."

"But who would dare to mess around with such a thing?"

Li Yan was still not at ease, so he asked the old Daoist to fetch a rope, tied it to the stone pillars of the surrounding pavilion, and went down the rope to investigate inside the well.

Likewise, he discovered nothing.

It was just an ordinary water well, and there were no special carvings on the well walls.

Only then did Li Yan completely give up.

Thinking about it, if the legend were true, only Immortal Ge Xianweng and Lu Zu had been able to open it in all these years, so it must have its mysteries.

With his Daoist cultivation, he was still far from it.

"Li Li Shaoxia."

Just after coming out of the well, Centurion Zheng walked over, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "We have searched the Daoist temple and the surroundings thoroughly, but have not discovered any abnormalities."

Li Yan looked into the distance. "Has the Zhushan Sect been checked?"

Centurion Zheng shook his head. "After all, it is a critical area for the Dharma lineage; without Li Li Shaoxia's order, it is not easy for us to enter and search."

Li Yan said thoughtfully, "Feng Feng Shixiong, what is your relationship with the people of the Zhushan Sect?"

Feng Huazi shook his head. "Li Li Shaoxia should know the relationship between the Dharma lineage and the Orthodox Sect; although they greet each other when they meet, that is all."

"The main altar of the Zhushan Sect was originally in the Zhushan area, but that place has now been captured by the Lord Tian Sheng Sect and the Jingchu refugees, and they burned the mountain gate to the ground.

The Zigaishan Cave will very likely become their new main altar in the future.

This old Daoist might even have to guard against them..."

The words were spoken obscurely, but how could Li Yan not understand the meaning? Impatience appeared in his eyes, and he shook his head, saying, "Things have reached this point; how can we still care about these things? Feng Feng Shixiong, please accompany me to go and speak plainly."

The Zhushan Sect was different from the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect.

The Dharma lineage acted unscrupulously at times, and sometimes didn't even follow the rules. He didn't want another argument that would waste time.

"Fine, this old Daoist will go with you."

Feng Huazi sighed and did not object.

Being in this Zigaishan Cave, his status was also very awkward. If he were too ostentatious, it would certainly trigger a backlash from the Zhushan Sect. Coupled with his fondness for the arts of *Qihuang*, he was very low-key and mostly practiced in seclusion.

He hadn't expected that so many things would happen.

Once this matter was revealed, he would certainly lose face, but things had reached this point; how could he dare to continue hiding it?

The Daoist temple of the Zhushan Sect was located on the eastern mountain peak.

When Li Yan arrived with the men of the Commandant's Office and Feng Huazi, the people of the Zhushan Sect had long been alarmed and were guarding outside the mountain gate.

Like the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, the main force of the Zhushan Sect had been transferred away due to the war in the southwest, and coupled with the previous dealing with river monsters and the war in Zigui County, there were only a dozen or so disciples left on the mountain now.

They were no better off than Feng Huazi's Daoist temple.

The leader was also an old Daoist, wearing a green Han-style robe, wearing a high crown, with an ancient and simple face.

He was originally cold-faced, but seeing Feng Huazi following along, he squeezed out a smile, cupped his hands, and said, "Daoist Friend Feng, a rare guest."

"Greetings, Daoist Friend Lu."

Feng Huazi also smiled and greeted him, then introduced him to Li Yan: "Li Li Shaoxia, this is the Temple Master of the Zigaishan Que, Lu Faqing."

"Temple Master Lu, this is Li Li Shaoxia Yan."

"Greetings, Feng Feng Shixiong."

Both sides exchanged greetings, and the atmosphere was considered harmonious.

Li Yan knew that the Zhushan Sect inherited part of the Han palace sacrificial orthodoxy and combined it with the local Chu shamanism of Ezhou, so the names of their Daoist temples also inherited the Han style, all being some kind of Palace or some kind of Que.

They only had so few people left, and the Commandant's Office had a large crowd of men, which naturally made them vigilant.

Feng Huazi did not hide it either at this time; he sighed, cupped his hands, and said, "Daoist Friend Lu, there is a great disaster in Dangyang City. This poor Daoist was derelict in his duty, allowing evil people to hide in the temple and cause trouble. I still need your help, Daoist Friend."

"Oh?" Lu Faqing became interested upon hearing this. "What happened?"

"There are rebellious disciples lured by evil people..."

Feng Huazi couldn't care about losing face either and gave a rough account of the matter.

Lu Faqing was originally in the mood to watch the excitement, but as he listened, his expression gradually became ugly.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "This Feng Feng Shixiong, the chaos in Dangyang County is all because the Orthodox Sect and the Dharma lineage were suspicious of each other, allowing evil people to take advantage of the situation."

"To tell you the truth, I just rushed over from Zigui County. That place has long been infiltrated by the Ghost Sect; if it weren't for a stroke of luck, I'm afraid something big would have happened."

"The Zhushan Sect guards the southwest; the Zhushan main altar has been destroyed, the Ghost Sect is rampant in Zigui County, and demons and evil spirits are everywhere here. How can there be any reason to stand by and watch?"

"Once something happens, I'm afraid you will suffer the greatest losses!"

"I am speaking bluntly, and I hope you will forgive me."

Li Yan's meaning was very clear: with incidents happening one after another in many places, the Zhushan Sect could not escape responsibility. The imperial court saw it all, and perhaps after the war, they would be reduced to a minor sect.

!.

Lu Faqing's eyes were uncertain, and finally, he sighed, gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and said, "The two of you, please; let's talk inside."

Li Yan strode inside, only to see that this Daoist temple was in the style of a Han palace. Unlike the traditional central axis, they had set up a huge altar in the center, built of pottery, bamboo, and wood, divided into three layers.

And the other palaces were all built around it.

This was the famous "Sacrificial Heavenly Divine Que," which was recorded in the *Book of Rites and Music of the Han Dynasty*: "The Han bamboo palace uses purple mud for the altar; the heavenly gods descend like flowing fire."

It meant that when sacrificing to the gods, flames would rise, revealing the phantom images of the gods, which is why it was called "Heavenly gods descend like flowing fire."

Of course, that was the atmosphere that could only be revealed by the sacrifices of the Han palace dynasty; with the current incense of the Zhushan Sect, it was far from reaching that level.

Li Yan took a special look.

Sure enough, this Dharma altar also carried restrictive spells, suppressing supernatural powers.

Entering a side hall, Lu Faqing couldn't care about pouring tea, his expression somewhat bitter. "To tell you the truth, in our Zigaishan Que last year, several disciples also died of illness. I thought it was an epidemic and specially held a Dharma ritual."

"Now the experts in the sect have all been transferred to Zigui to fight against the sorcerers of the Miao territory's Tusi City; self-preservation is already difficult."

"The Sect Master once sent a letter instructing us to guard the altar site well, close the doors, and not provoke trouble, which is why we didn't dare to act rashly."

Li Yan was not surprised after hearing this.

Don't look at the high status of the Orthodox Sect and the Dharma lineage in the martial world; they were not martial arts sects. After all, very few people were qualified to practice sorcery.

Those who could become experts were even rarer.

Because of his status and his acceptance of the City God Temple's mission, he had come into contact with many, but scattered across various places, they were all in short supply.

So if there was a formidable witch or shaman in a village, they could become famous and have many people coming to their door for help.

The Zhushan Sect was only a local Dharma lineage, and from top to bottom, the disciples who had stepped onto the path of cultivation were at most three hundred.

Once the war started, manpower was naturally tight.

Thinking of this, Li Yan hurriedly said, "It is not too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost. Feng Feng Shixiong, hurry and see if the graves of those people are empty."

"Everyone, please wait a moment."

Lu Faqing nodded and immediately took people away.

In less than half an incense stick of time, he returned, his expression extremely gloomy, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "They are all empty."

"I have also asked; before those people died of illness, their behavior was somewhat abnormal, and some even spoke to the air."

His eyes were full of confusion and incomprehension. "Our Zigaishan Que has a revered deity guarding it, and there are great array restrictions; what kind of person could secretly cast evil spells without touching the restrictions?"

"This poor Daoist is also puzzled by this point."

Feng Huazi shook his head. "Whether it is possession, soul leaving the body, or entering a dream, it is impossible to avoid the deities and the array."

"Could it really be an Earth Immortal causing trouble..."

Speaking of this, a trace of fear was already revealed in his eyes.

This matter was truly too bizarre.

Especially when thinking of the identities of "Lady Fan" and "Liu Gang," returning to life and appearing, laying out plans across thousands of years, it was even more hair-raising.

Lu Faqing also felt his scalp tingle. "If this is really the case, I'm afraid it is not something we can deal with; we can only ask those few on Mount Wudang to take action."

Li Yan knew that the other party was talking about those who had ascended to divinity.

To tell the truth, he was also afraid in his heart; after all, that was a mysterious Earth Immortal. But recalling the series of events after entering Dangyang County, doubt rose in his eyes again. "Perhaps it is not an Earth Immortal."

"The people of the Lord Tian Sheng Sect, on one hand, created headless knights to disturb people's hearts, and on the other hand, broke into the 'Earth Immortal Cave' and even stole things."

"If there really were an Earth Immortal, how would they dare to act so recklessly? They must have known something."

"Also, the power on Zigaishan is weak; if it were really an Earth Immortal causing trouble, would it be necessary to go to such great lengths?"

"They must have used other means!"

"Feng Feng Shixiong, please open the restrictions and search thoroughly!"

"Very well."

Things had reached this point; Lu Faqing did not dare to be careless either.

He took a few disciples, walked onto the Sacrificial Heavenly Divine Que to set up a Dharma altar, and after a bout of tinkering, wild winds suddenly howled all around.

Li Yan's supernatural powers were no longer suppressed; the rich power of incense and innate *gang* energy made people feel suffocated just by breathing.

Especially the main hall, where a divine *gang* shot into the sky like a scorching sun, making his nasal cavity ache with a burning sensation.

The main deity worshipped by the Zhushan Sect was the Taiyi God of the Chu region.

Not only him, but the disciples of the Zhushan Sect, along with Feng Huazi and Lu Faqing, also each displayed their supernatural powers to investigate.

The supernatural power of the old Daoist Feng Huazi was similar to a clairvoyant eye, able to penetrate wood and stone to see the scene inside.

That was why he was able to discover the impropriety in the divine statue and the graveyard earlier.

He pinched a spell, his eyes shooting out sharp light, searching everywhere. When he arrived in front of a side room, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

"Quick, there is a corpse underground here!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Faqing rushed over and, without a word, had the disciples pry up all the floorboards and dig three feet into the ground.

Sure enough, a corpse appeared before everyone's eyes, severely decayed, making it impossible to distinguish its appearance.

"It's Feng Feng Shixiong Wang!"

One of the disciples picked up the waist token on the corpse, his face somewhat pale. "Feng Feng Shixiong Wang was still talking to us yesterday. He... could he have been impersonated by an evil person?"

Lu Faqing's expression was gloomy. "Where is Wang Facheng?"

"Reporting to Temple Master."

A disciple cupped his hands and said, "Feng Feng Shixiong Wang said he wanted to return to his hometown to visit relatives and left yesterday."

The people of the Zhushan Sect looked at each other, all feeling their hair stand on end.

The methods of this evil person were simply unimaginable.

And Feng Huazi kept staring at the corpse, his expression gradually growing solemn, and with a *clang*, he drew his precious sword.

*Puchi! *

He directly split the corpse's head open.

Seeing this, everyone gasped.

Although the corpse had already decayed, the brain marrow was still intact, except it had turned black and was covered in dense yellow hair...

Feng Huazi's face turned pale. "Demon Body Longevity Method!"

(End of chapter)