Chapter 257

"Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Method?"

Li Yan was also taken aback.

After entering Ezhou, he had already heard of the Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Method twice.

The first time was in Shangjin City, where a Lord Tian Sheng Sect evil person used the Fox Heart Technique from evil methods to cause trouble, slaughtering a whole family just to obtain "coal essence."

Of course, he also received a mission from the Yin Office that time, and it was black well blood, summoning a Yin Office Divine General to re-suppress a wisp of demonic *qi* that had escaped.

Could it be that they had guessed wrong?

Was this matter the work of the Lord Tian Sheng Sect?

Looking to the side, not only did Feng Huazi's expression change drastically, but even Lu Faqing was full of shock, his expression terrified.

Li Yan frowned. "Two Seniors, looking at your expressions, have you seen this technique before?"

"That's right."

Lu Faqing said in a deep voice, "This Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Technique has long been circulating among the evil paths of Ezhou, and its poison has flowed from a long time ago to the present."

"In the first year of the Taiyuan era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xue Daoxun of Anlu County, Jiangxia Commandery, suddenly fell into a mad illness and then disappeared, turning into a tiger and starting to eat people in large numbers.

A year later, he turned back into a human and returned home, even becoming a high official. When chatting with people, he mentioned that he had once fallen ill, gone mad, turned into a tiger, and eaten people for a year, and he listed the appearance and locations of the people he had eaten.

As it happened, someone in the audience had a relative who was a victim, so they wailed and captured Xue Daoxun, sending him to the government office. In the end, he starved to death in prison."

"This was the first appearance of the Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Technique, and it is even recorded in the Southern Dynasty's *Tales of Qi Xie*."

"In fact, the disasters it caused went far beyond these."

"For many years afterward, it would break out on the land of Ezhou every once in a while; the most severe times were during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and when the Ghost Sect of the Great Song Dynasty was flourishing."

"This Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Method uses humans to cultivate demon bodies, through which they obtain various secret techniques; there are many types, making them impossible to guard against."

"Many people don't even seek longevity; they just practice because of these powerful evil techniques, causing many disturbances."

Feng Huazi also stood up, his expression ugly. "This old Daoist has finally figured it out; no wonder the mountain-guarding array and the guardian deities didn't notice."

"Back then, that Xue Daoxun was afflicted with this technique, and after appearing mad, he disappeared, thinking he had turned into a tiger and eating people everywhere, but in reality, he had already turned into a demon body."

"Later, people in the same situation appeared repeatedly, but no clues to any sorcery could be found. At that time, Guo Pu traveled to Ezhou and, entrusted by someone, investigated this matter."

"He finally discovered that this kind of evil technique is very special; it makes people suffer from a malignant disease, so it can avoid investigation by sorcerers. The people afflicted with the technique all have someone manipulating them from behind."

"Later, when they found the person behind the scenes, they knew that this technique originated from the Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Technique, but no one knew what it was specifically called."

"It is not recorded in the *Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng* either."

Li Yan looked at the two and said in a deep voice, "I do know some things, but I cannot say them at this time."

"Oh, why?" Feng Huazi frowned.

Li Yan said coldly, "You two will know in a moment. Help me find a pair of scissors and a foot of yellow silk."

"Quick, go get them!"

Although Lu Faqing didn't understand why, he still hurriedly gave the order, and a disciple found scissors and yellow silk.

Li Yan endured the stench of the corpse, squatted in front of the dead Zhushan Sect disciple, cut off all the yellow hair on the brain marrow, wrapped it in the yellow silk, and lit it with a fire, burning it to ashes.

After collecting the ashes into a container, he pinched a *yang* spell and smelled it. He stood up abruptly, drew his long blade with a *clang*, pointed at two Zhushan Sect disciples, and said in a deep voice, "Take them down!"

"What are you doing?"

"We are not evil people!"

The two Zhushan Sect disciples were immediately panicked.

However, not only did the men of the Commandant's Office raise their crossbows, but even the other Zhushan Sect disciples drew their swords and aimed them at the two.

The two didn't dare to move either and could only shout their grievances repeatedly.

Lu Faqing couldn't care about mercy at this time, a flash of murderous intent appearing in his eyes. "Layman Li, are you sure?"

Li Yan said calmly, "These two may not be related to this matter, but they have definitely been afflicted with evil techniques and must have something to hide."

Hearing this, the two turned pale.

Lu Faqing said coldly, "Speak! What have you been hiding!"

One Zhushan Sect disciple said with a pale face, "These days, the disciple often dreams of immortals passing down techniques, but when I wake up, I can't remember anything; there is only a kind of great joy and great freedom."

"The disciple is the same."

The other person's voice trembled: "Not only that, these days it has become even more severe; the disciple often sees hallucinations, feeling that the senior brothers are all demons, and that immortal also occasionally appears before my eyes."

"What does he look like?"

"He seems to be a scholar, but I can't see his face clearly."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"The disciple was afraid of being treated as a madman..."

"Confused! Lock them up!"

Lu Faqing scolded, unable to contain his anger.

Li Yan couldn't care about paying attention to them and directly handed the box containing the ashes to Centurion Zheng. "Have the guard dogs search again!"

"Yes!"

Centurion Zheng nodded hurriedly.

This trip up the mountain had truly opened his eyes.

The legends of various demons and ghosts were simply unimaginable, and there was also this Young Hero Li before him; no wonder Centurion Yuan told them to listen to his orders.

Soon, the guard dogs made a discovery.

From a side room, they found many silver needles and a large jar containing a piece of rotting tiger skin soaking in turbid medicinal water.

"These are Wang Falin's things."

Lu Faqing said in a deep voice, "He is skilled in acupuncture and medicine; if disciples were injured while practicing, they would all go to him for treatment."

"Hmm."

Li Yan couldn't care about idle talk. "Go, back to the Daoist temple!"

The group rushed back to the Daoist temple in a flurry.

Because there were men from the Commandant's Office guarding, the events that occurred at the Zhushan Sect had not leaked out.

Seeing the large crowd of men return, the hearts of the Daoist temple disciples skipped a beat.

Feng Huazi naturally guessed what they were going to do. Before they could ask, he gave the order in a deep voice: "Everyone, gather in the front courtyard!"

At the order, all the disciples of the Daoist temple were gathered together, and even Wang Daoxuan and the others were called out.

Seeing Li Yan's signal, they immediately stood behind Li Yan.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Before any questions could be asked, several guard dogs barked wildly at one person.

That person was Feng Gangzi, who had been shouting his grievances earlier.

His expression changed, dark energy surged under his feet, and he turned to flee.

"Where are you going, you rebellious disciple!"

Feng Huazi was suddenly furious.

He had previously thought he had wronged this disciple and felt guilty in his heart, thinking that after the matter was over, he would pass on some techniques to compensate him.

But now, all that guilt had turned into murderous intent.

He also flashed his figure and pounced out.

After all, he was a Temple Master sitting in a blessed cave.

At this moment, the gap between them was revealed.

The fist techniques they both practiced were the Wudang Pure Yang Fist.

This fist technique was passed down by Ancestor Lu and emphasized "wind blowing lotus flowers, swaying left and right, flying clouds and flowing water, continuous and unbroken," with a fist style that was light and elegant.

Wudang's techniques were naturally not mediocre; both of them had dark energy surging, their Daoist robes fluttering like cranes dancing. Especially when their toes touched the ground, it was a bit like Li Yan's "shrinking the ground to an inch," but even more elegant, looking as if their feet were not touching the ground.

This was the characteristic of the Pure Yang Fist, imitating white cranes and spirit turtles, practicing through the special method of "stepping" to inhale and "suspending the foot" to exhale.

Feng Gangzi was very fast and reached the wall in the blink of an eye, wanting to leap over it.

But faster than him was Feng Huazi.

The old Daoist was full of anger, falling like a crane flapping its wings, simultaneously shaking his shoulders and lightly patting with his right hand.

This pat felt as if it had landed in rotten mud, without any force, and was sticky and connected.

However, Feng Gangzi's spine shattered with a *crack*, and his whole body collapsed the wall, tumbling to the ground accompanied by bricks and stones.

"Hmph!"

Feng Huazi's anger had not yet subsided; he shook his large sleeves as if shaking off a handful of rotten mud.

Wudang Yellow Mud Palm!

Li Yan's eyelids twitched slightly as he watched.

This old Daoist, who looked so pathetic, was unexpectedly so fierce.

!.

The Wudang Yellow Mud Palm was a unique skill of the True Martial Palace, striking through bones and splitting stones; it was a martial art that brought *yin* energy to its extreme.

Once this move was unleashed, the person would inevitably be crippled.

Sure enough, Feng Gangzi fell into the pile of rubble; although he didn't die, the lower half of his body was paralyzed, and he gritted his teeth, covered in cold sweat.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

The guard dogs of the Commandant's Office found three more people.

These three disciples were clearly also victims, their faces full of confusion, but seeing Feng Huazi's murderous gaze, they were all so scared that they collapsed to the ground.

"Temple Master, we are wronged!"

"We really didn't collude with evil people!"

Of course, under a round of interrogation, the two honestly confessed that they had indeed been dreaming recently, dreaming of immortals pointing out magic techniques.

But the symptoms were not yet severe, and they all thought it was just a dream.

Afterward, the rotting tiger skin soaking in turbid medicinal water was also found in a hidden compartment in Feng Gangzi's room.

Feng Gangzi had originally wanted to commit suicide, but the experienced Centurion Zheng stepped forward directly, dislocated his jaw, pulled out the teeth hiding poison, and locked him in a room to be guarded.

Only then did Li Yan say, "This is called the Tiger Form Technique."

"The Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Method is not a simple technique; it requires gathering the power of a hundred demons to thoroughly turn oneself into a demon, and then shedding the cocoon time and time again to transform back into a human body."

"Tiger Form Technique, Fox Heart Technique, Snake Scale Technique... various techniques, harming people is secondary; in the end, it still serves the demon body."

"But this longevity method is extremely dangerous; one wrong step and you are doomed forever. I estimate that Xue Daoxun and the later victims were all experimental subjects..."

Feng Huazi was somewhat surprised. "These things are not recorded in the *Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng*; how did Layman Li know?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "From the Yin Office!"

He had learned these things from the books manifested by the Yin Office when he accepted the mission to suppress demonic *qi*.

That was also the first time he had obtained clear information from the Yin Office.

It recorded the various characteristics and flaws of the techniques of the *Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Technique*, but the specific cultivation methods were not passed down.

Feng Huazi's eyes became sharp. "Is it Liu Gang?"

Liu Gang was a Living Yin Messenger; since the other party could pass down the *Northern Emperor Mountain Climbing Technique*, perhaps they had also obtained the cultivation method for the Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Technique.

Li Yan was also muttering in his heart.

Could it be precisely because of this person that the Yin Office was on guard, mentioning only the characteristics and weaknesses while hiding the cultivation method?

Of course, these were all just guesses.

The interrogation of Feng Gangzi was the key.

This person was stubborn at first, with a "dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water" attitude, closing his eyes and waiting for death.

The Orthodox Sect and the Dharma lineage didn't have the kind of soul-searching techniques, and the other party had two-story Daoist cultivation, so he wasn't afraid of any soul-bewitching techniques.

However, it just so happened that the men of the Commandant's Office were there.

When it came to various torturous interrogations, in the whole world, only the jailers of the Ministry of Justice who specialized in this could be mentioned in the same breath as them.

Feng Gangzi had lived in luxury after all; after being dragged into a room and given a round of treatment, he immediately had a mental breakdown, crying and recounting the process.

"They held my handle and threatened me time and time again. Master, this disciple has failed you, but I really had no choice..."

"What handle?"

"A year ago, I was driving away evil for a wealthy family. The concubine of the master seduced this disciple, and as a result, the affair was exposed. In the struggle, I accidentally killed her. The disciple was afraid, so I drove a ghost to kill the whole family and reported that a fierce ghost was cruel..."

"Later, they used this to threaten me."

"You, you deserve to die! Who are 'they'?"

"I only know that they are people from the Earth Longsheng Xianku. The one who contacted me every time was an old man dressed as a woodcutter."

"What exactly is their plot?"

"The disciple doesn't know either. At first, they just let me investigate the Toppled Well; later, they said they needed Mystic Sect cultivators and let me poison those disciples."

"Those poisoned disciples all became deranged, as if controlled by someone, and then they would fake death. After I helped them dig graves and open coffins, these disciples would act like they were possessed and leave on their own."

"Later, I discovered that Feng Lingzi was investigating this matter in secret, so I poisoned him too, but to escape control, he chose to end his own life."

"I sensed something was wrong. It just so happened they wanted the Colorful Cloud Shoes, so I let the person hiding in the Zhushan Sect cooperate to frame Feng Lingzi for this matter."

"Was that person from the Zhushan Sect also brought by you?"

"No, the Zhushan Sect also had someone whose handle was held by them, Wang Falin, but that person was even greedier and instead threatened to report them, wanting to practice the longevity method, but he was eliminated."

"That night, I saw with my own eyes that a person from the Earth Longsheng Xianku used the secret method of bone-shrinking and shape-changing to turn into Wang Falin's appearance."

"He was mainly monitoring me on the mountain. Later, fearing that there were too many poisoned disciples, they acted simultaneously on the Zhushan Sect side..."

"What did they want to do with those disciples?"

"The disciple doesn't know. By the way, they also let me check the location of a tiger demon and blow up the Yin Soldier Temple altar during the Guanling Temple Fair."

"You, you are simply insane!"

The process of the matter made Feng Huazi almost die of anger.

Centurion Zheng on the side also couldn't help but sigh: "Many people are like this; they do one wrong thing, fear the consequences, and then use an even bigger wrong to cover it up, sinking deeper step by step."

"A Centurion of our Yichang Garrison was also turned by the Longxiang Army in this way."

Li Yan comforted him: "Senior, there is no need to ruin your health. Regardless, at least the hidden danger on Zigaishan has been cleared."

"It seems their goal is the Toppled Well. There are also people causing trouble at Yuquan Temple from time to time. The time for the launch is the Guanling Temple Fair."

"There are still ten days or so; it is enough to settle this matter!"

Being able to clear the hidden danger on Zigaishan was the greatest harvest of this trip. With the help of the Zhushan Sect and the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect's Yin Soldiers, many things would be certain.

Just at this moment, Wang Daoxuan said: "We also have some clues."

As he spoke, he took out an ancient book and said in a deep voice: "The *Biographies of Immortals* writes: 'Gang and his wife entered Siming Mountain and met a tiger on the road. When the tiger saw Gang, it lowered its head and dared not look up. The wife tied the tiger to the bed leg with a rope.'"

"This matter is also recorded in the *Taiping Guangji*. We didn't care about it originally, but we found a travelogue written by a Daoist from the Tang Dynasty, which recorded what happened after 'Xiang Ao' beheaded the white turtle."

"'Xiang Ao' took her disciple Xiaoyao and left. On the road, they met a fierce tiger that blocked their path. 'Xiang Ao' sighed: 'Why bother?'"

"Having said that, she rode the tiger away with her disciple."

Li Yan frowned. "The tiger demon also returned to life?"

He found it somewhat unbelievable. What kind of loophole did the Yin Office have to allow so many people to secretly return to life? Could it be a kind of secret method?

If so, wouldn't the Yin and Yang be in chaos?

Wang Daoxuan shook his head. "This poor Daoist also finds this matter strange, but the people of the Earth Longsheng Xianku are also looking for this tiger demon; there must be a reason."

"Perhaps finding it will reveal all the mysteries..."

Second update at 10:30

(End of chapter)