Chapter 258: Eliminate the Threats

"The Demon Body Immortality Method?"

Li Yan was also startled.

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

The first time was in Shangjin City, where a Lord Tian Sheng Sect demon used the demonic technique Fox Heart Art to massacre an entire family, all to obtain "coal jade."

Of course, that time he also received a Yin Si mission—the Black Well Blood Water—to summon a Yin Si divine general and repress a fleeing demonic aura.

Could they have been mistaken?

Was this the work of the Lord Tian Sheng Sect?

Looking beside him, not only did Feng Feng Huazi's face turn pale, but even Lu Luo Faqing was filled with shock and terror.

Li Yan frowned, "Two senior masters, from your expressions, have you encountered this technique before?"

"Correct."

Lu Luo Faqing said gravely, "This Demon Body Immortality Method has long spread among the evil sects of Ezhou, poisoning the land since ancient times."

"In the first year of Taiyuan during the Eastern Jin, Xue Xue Daoxun of Anlu County in Jiangxia Commandery suddenly fell mad, then vanished, transforming into a tiger and beginning to devour people—numerous victims."

A year later, he returned to human form and went home, even becoming a high official. While chatting with others, he mentioned he had once fallen ill, gone mad, turned into a tiger, and devoured people for a year, listing the appearances and locations of those he had eaten."

Coincidentally, someone in the gathering had a relative among the victims, who wailed and had Xue Xue Daoxun seized and delivered to the authorities. He eventually starved to death in prison."

"This was the first recorded appearance of the Demon Body Immortality Method, documented in the Southern Dynasties' 'Qi Xie Ji.'"

"In truth, the disasters it caused extended far beyond this."

"In the years that followed, outbreaks occurred periodically across Ezhou's lands, most severe during the Wei-Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties, the chaos at the end of the Tang, and the rise of the Great Song's Ghost Sect."

"This Demon Body Immortality Method allows humans to cultivate demon bodies, gaining various secret arts—numerous in variety, impossible to guard against."

"Many do not even seek immortality; they cultivate solely for these powerful demonic arts, causing much chaos."

Feng Feng Huazi also rose to his feet, his face grim. "Old man finally understands—no wonder the Mountain Guard Array and the Guardian Spirits detected nothing."

"When Xue Xue Daoxun was afflicted by this technique, he went mad and vanished, believing himself transformed into a tiger, devouring people everywhere—yet he had truly become a demon body."

"Later, similar cases repeatedly occurred, yet no magical traces could be found. At the time, Guo Pu traveled to Ezhou and was entrusted to investigate."

"He eventually discovered this demonic art was uniquely special—it caused a person to contract a grave illness, thus evading detection by sorcerers. Those afflicted were all manipulated from behind."

"Later, when the masterminds were uncovered, they learned this art originated from the Demon Body Immortality Method—but its exact name remained unknown."

"It is not recorded in the 'Immortality Scripture Repository.'"

Li Yan looked at the two and said gravely, "I do know something, but I cannot reveal it yet."

"Oh? Why?" Feng Feng Huazi frowned.

Li Yan said coldly, "You'll know soon enough. Get me a pair of scissors and a yard of yellow silk."

"Hurry, fetch them!"

Though confused, Lu Luo Faqing immediately ordered a disciple to bring scissors and yellow silk.

Li Yan, enduring the stench of decay, crouched before the corpse of the dead Zhushan Sect disciple, cut out all yellow hairs from the brain matter, wrapped them in yellow silk, and set them ablaze, reducing them to ash.

After collecting the ash into a container, he formed the Yang Seal, sniffed it, then leapt up, drew his long blade with a clang, and pointed it at the two Zhushan Sect disciples. "Arrest them!"

"What are you doing?"

"We are not demons!"

The two Zhushan Sect disciples panicked instantly.

Yet not only did the Commandant Corps raise their crossbows, but even other Zhushan Sect disciples drew their swords and aimed them at the pair.

The two dared not move, only crying out their innocence.

Lu Luo Faqing, no longer concerned with mercy, flickered a hint of killing intent in his eyes. "Li Li Jushi, are you certain?"

Li Yan said calmly, "They may have no direct connection to this, but they are already afflicted by the demonic art—certainly hiding something."

Hearing this, their faces turned deathly pale.

Lu Luo Faqing said coldly, "Speak! What are you concealing?"

One Zhushan Sect disciple, pale as death, said, "These days, I often dream of immortals transmitting teachings, yet upon waking, I remember nothing—only a great joy, a great freedom."

"I've had the same dreams."

The other's voice trembled, "Moreover, recently it's grown worse—I often see illusions, believing my fellow disciples are demons, and that immortal occasionally appears before my eyes."

"What does he look like?"

"He seems like a scholar, but I cannot see his face."

"Why didn't you report this?"

"I feared being called mad…"

"Foolish! Lock them up!"

Lu Luo Faqing exploded in fury.

Li Yan paid no heed, handing the ash-filled box to Zheng Company Commander. "Have the Mountain Guard Dogs resume their search!"

"Yes!"

Zheng Company Commander nodded urgently.

This climb up the mountain had opened his eyes wide.

All kinds of demon and ghost legends were utterly unbelievable—and this young master Li, no wonder the former Battalion Commander ordered obedience to him.

Soon, the Mountain Guard Dogs made a discovery.

From a side chamber, they found numerous acupuncture needles and a large jar filled with murky medicinal fluid, soaking a rotted tiger hide.

"It's Wang Wang Falin's belongings."

Lu Luo Faqing said gravely, "He specializes in acupuncture and medicine; disciples injured in cultivation always seek his treatment."

"Hmm."

Li Yan had no time for idle talk. "Let's return to the Daoist temple!"

The group hurried back to the temple.

Because Commandant Corps troops guarded the site, news of the Zhushan Sect's events did not leak outward.

Seeing the large group return, the temple disciples' hearts lurched.

Feng Feng Huazi naturally guessed what was coming. Before they could ask, he ordered sternly, "All disciples, assemble in the front courtyard!"

At his command, every disciple of the temple was gathered, including Wang Wang Daoxuan and others.

Seeing Li Yan's glance, they immediately stepped behind him.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Before any questions were asked, several Mountain Guard Dogs barked furiously at one man.

He was Feng Feng Gangzi, who had previously cried out his innocence.

His face changed, he unleashed hidden force underfoot, and turned to flee.

"Traitorous disciple, where do you think you're going!"

Feng Feng Huazi erupted in rage.

He had previously thought the disciple wronged, felt guilt, and planned to compensate him with some techniques after the matter ended.

Now, that guilt had turned entirely to killing intent.

He too flashed forward in a blur.

After all, he was the master of a cave heaven and blessed land.

This moment revealed the gap.

Both men's primary martial art was Mount Wudang Pure Yang Fist.

This fist style, passed down by Lu Zu, emphasizes: "Wind stirring lotus, swaying left and right; flying clouds, flowing water, continuous and unbroken," with light, ethereal movements.

Mount Wudang's arts were naturally formidable; both unleashed hidden force, their robes fluttering like cranes dancing. Especially their toe-treading stance—resembling Li Yan's Earth-Shortening Step, yet even more ethereal, as if their feet never touched the ground.

This was the hallmark of Pure Yang Fist: imitating the crane and the tortoise, cultivating through the special methods of "stepping" to inhale and "hovering foot" to exhale.

Feng Feng Gangzi moved swiftly, reaching the wall in an instant, ready to leap over.

But faster still was Feng Feng Huazi.

The old Daoist's face was filled with fury, descending like a crane spreading its wings, simultaneously shaking his shoulder and lightly slapping with his right hand.

The strike felt as if hitting mud—no resistance, sticky and clinging.

Yet Feng Feng Gangzi's spine cracked with a snap; his entire body crashed through the wall, tumbling down amid a clatter of bricks and stones.

"Hmph!"

Feng Feng Huazi's fury did not fade; he flicked his sleeve as if shaking off a handful of mud.

Mount Wudang Mud Palm!

Li Yan's eyes twitched slightly.

This old Daoist, seemingly sluggish and ineffectual, was unexpectedly fierce.

!.

Mount Wudang Mud Palm was a secret technique of the Zhenwu Palace—striking through bone, shattering stone, pushing Yin force to its extreme.

Once used, the target would be permanently crippled.

Indeed, Feng Feng Gangzi lay among the rubble, alive but paralyzed from the waist down, teeth clenched, sweat beading his face.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The Commandant Corps' Mountain Guard Dogs found three more.

These three disciples were clearly victims too, faces filled with confusion—but seeing Feng Feng Huazi's murderous gaze, they collapsed in terror.

"Master, we're innocent!"

"We didn't collude with any demon cultists!"

Of course, after intense interrogation, the two confessed they had recently been dreaming of immortals instructing them in magical arts.

But the symptoms were still mild, and all had assumed it was merely a dream.

Later, in a hidden compartment within Feng Feng Gangzi's room, they found a tattered tiger pelt soaked in murky medicinal fluid.

Feng Feng Gangzi had originally intended to commit suicide, but Zheng Zheng Baohu, an experienced officer, stepped forward, dislocated his jaw, and pulled out the hidden poison-filled teeth before locking him in a room under guard.

Li Yan then spoke: "This is called the Tiger Form Art."

"The Immortal Body Longevity Method is not merely one technique—it requires gathering the power of a hundred demons to fully transform oneself into a demon, then repeatedly shedding its shell and retransforming back into human form."

"The Tiger Form Art, the Fox Heart Art, the Snake Scale Art… all these techniques serve the demon body first; harming others is secondary."

"But this Longevity Method is extremely dangerous—mistake one step and you face eternal ruin. It's likely Xue Xue Daoxun and later victims were all his experimental subjects..."

Feng Feng Huazi looked surprised. "These details are not recorded in the Longevity Immortal Library. How did you come to know them, Master Li?"

Li Yan replied solemnly: "From the Netherworld!"

He had learned these from the phantom scrolls revealed to him during his mission to suppress demonic qi.

That was his first clear information from the Netherworld.

The scrolls recorded the characteristics and weaknesses of the various techniques of the Immortal Body Longevity Method, but did not transmit the actual cultivation methods.

Feng Feng Huazi's gaze sharpened. "Liu Gang?"

Liu Gang was a living yin officer; if he could pass down the Northern Emperor's Mountain Ascension Art, perhaps he had also obtained the cultivation method of the Immortal Body Longevity Method.

Li Yan himself was troubled by this thought.

Could it be precisely because of this man that the Netherworld had become cautious—only mentioning characteristics and weaknesses, but concealing the cultivation method?

Of course, these were merely speculations.

Interrogating Feng Feng Gangzi was the key.

At first, he remained defiant, as if resigned to death, eyes closed, waiting.

Neither the orthodox sects nor the magical lineages possessed soul-searching techniques, and with his cultivation at the Second Story, he was immune to mind-distorting spells.

But the Commandant's Office personnel were present.

In matters of interrogation and torture, only the jailers of the Ministry of Justice's prison could rival them.

Feng Feng Gangzi, accustomed to comfort and privilege, was dragged into the room and subjected to a beating—his spirit shattered instantly, and he wept uncontrollably as he recounted everything.

"They seized my secret and kept threatening me. Master, I've betrayed you—but I had no choice..."

"What secret?"

"A year ago, I exorcised a demon for a wealthy household. The concubine seduced me, but the affair was exposed. In the struggle, I accidentally killed her. Frightened, I summoned a ghost to slaughter the entire family and reported it as the work of a vicious spirit..."

"After that, they used it to blackmail me."

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

"I only know they're from the Earth Longsheng Xianku. The one who met me each time was an old man dressed as a woodcutter."

"What are they plotting?"

"I don't know. At first, they only asked me to investigate Ban Dao Well. Later, they said they needed Daoist cultivators and ordered me to poison those disciples."

"The poisoned disciples became erratic, as if controlled, then pretended to die. After I dug up their graves and opened their coffins, they would leave like possessed men."

"Later, I realized Feng Feng Lingzi was secretly investigating this, so I poisoned him too—but he chose to end his own life to break free from their control."

"I sensed danger, and just then they demanded the Cloud-Shoe. I arranged for someone hidden in the Bamboo Ge Ge Shan Jiao to frame Feng Feng Lingzi for it."

"Was that Bamboo Ge Ge Shan Jiao person also your doing?"

"No. Someone in the Bamboo Ge Ge Shan Jiao was also blackmailed—Wang Wang Falin. But he was greedier, turned traitor, and tried to blackmail them for the Longevity Method—so they eliminated him."

"That night, I saw one of the Earth Longsheng Xianku men use a secret technique to shrink his bones and change his appearance into Wang Wang Falin's likeness."

"He was on the mountain mainly to watch me. Later, fearing too many poisoned disciples, he also struck at the Bamboo Ge Ge Shan Jiao..."

"What do they intend to do with these disciples?"

"I don't know. Oh—they also ordered me to locate a tiger demon and destroy the Yin Soldier altar during the Guanling Temple Fair."

"You—you've lost your mind!"

The full account nearly drove Feng Feng Huazi to rage.

Zheng Zheng Baohu beside him sighed: "Many people are like this—make one mistake, fear the consequences, then cover it with a greater one, sinking deeper with each step."

"One of our Unlike Yichang Garrison's Battalion Commanders was similarly turned by the Longxiang Army."

Li Yan comforted him: "Senior, don't harm your health. At least, the threat on Purple Gai Mountain has now been cleared."

"It seems their target is Ban Dao Well. Trouble has also been stirring at Yùquán Temple—their strike will come during the Guanling Temple Fair."

"We have ten days—plenty of time to resolve this!"

Clearing the threat on Purple Gai Mountain was the greatest gain of this journey. With the Bamboo Ge Ge Shan Jiao and the Grand Da Xuan Orthodox Sect's Yin Soldiers aiding us, many tasks now stand a chance.

At that moment, Wang Wang Daoxuan spoke: "We've also uncovered some leads."

He pulled out an ancient text and said solemnly: "The Biographies of Immortals records: 'Gang and his wife entered Mount Siming; on the road they met a tiger. The tiger bowed its head before Gang, daring not to look up. The wife tied the tiger to the bedpost.'"

"This is also recorded in the Taiping Taiping Guangji. We previously paid it no mind, but we later found a Daoist's travel journal from the Tang era, which described what happened after 'Xiang Ao' slew the white turtle."

"'Xiang Ao' and her disciples wandered away, then encountered a fierce tiger blocking their path. 'Xiang Ao' sighed: 'Why must it be so?'"

"Then she and her disciple rode off on the tiger."

Li Yan frowned. "Has the tiger demon returned to life?"

He found it unbelievable—what flaw in the Netherworld allowed so many to secretly return? Was it some secret technique?

If so, wouldn't the balance between yin and yang collapse?

Wang Wang Daoxuan shook his head: "I find this strange too. But the Earth Longsheng Xianku people are also searching for this tiger demon—there must be a reason."

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

Second update at 10:30

(End of Chapter)