Chapter 322

The one who picked up the red Red Mohe was an old man.

His appearance was very strange: he wore a black robe, his head was wrapped in black cloth, and his complexion was a greenish-gray, covered in age spots.

Especially those eyes, which were also a sheet of gray-white.

The "Book of Physiognomy" once mentioned that a lusterless complexion with a pervasive whiteness is a great omen of misfortune, called the "Mourning Net," indicating disaster for oneself or one's family.

And this old man's condition was even more severe.

This was the complexion only dead people had.

Not only that, but even his body faintly emitted a stench of rot, and his mud-stained fingers had many whitish wounds.

It would be no exaggeration to say this old man looked like a walking corpse.

Beside him stood several men, all wearing wax-dyed blue cloth vests, their hair braided into queues coiled on top of their heads.

They were all strong and sturdy, wearing various bone ornaments on their wrists and necks, and belts made of five-colored ropes around their waists.

This attire was somewhat similar to that of the Tujia people, but with some differences; it was dressed according to the customs of the ancient Jiangxia Man.

Of course, the ancient ethnic group "Jiangxia Man" had disappeared long ago, and even this attire wasn't entirely accurate.

The origins of these people were very complex.

Most were Miao and Tujia people dissatisfied with the Han, who gathered under the name of "Jiangxia Man" to form a secret society.

And the place where they secretly gathered on weekdays was this Barbarian King's Tomb; often they just drank and complained, or disguised themselves to rob Han merchant caravans to vent their dissatisfaction and earn some silver.

Guided by someone with ulterior motives, they began to do big things.

"Elder Elder Ge Lai."

One of the Miao men stared fixedly at the red Red Mohe in the old man's hand and said incredulously, "With this thing, can the White Tiger Holy King reappear in the world?"

The old man nodded, looked at the thunder in the sky, and said in a hoarse voice, "The White Tiger Holy King is envied by Heaven; once he appears in the world, he will surely suffer a thunder tribulation, which is why he sleeps in the Barbarian King's Tomb."

"This is a Tang Dynasty national divine artifact; with it, the White Tiger Holy King can escape his predicament!"

The men looked at each other, their eyes filled with excitement, and they bowed in unison, "We ask Elder Elder Ge Lai to perform the Dharma so the Holy King may descend!"

The old man nodded, "No time to lose, let's act immediately."

Having said that, he led the crowd through the mountain forest.

Before them was a large clearing where overgrown weeds and vines had been cleared, and in front were mound after mound of earth, mostly covered in old trees and withered branches, with broken stone tablets collapsed on the ground, their inscriptions already mottled.

The Jiangxia Man had disappeared long ago, so naturally, no one performed sacrifices; among the withered trees and fallen leaves, one could even see grave-robbing holes.

It was originally just an ordinary area.

The Divine Land had an ancient history, with countless imperial tombs from past dynasties; one might stumble upon one just by walking in the mountains.

However, with the White Tiger Sha permeating the air, the atmosphere of this Barbarian King's Tomb also became somewhat eerie, especially in the dark places of the withered trees, where there seemed to be a few shadows revealing pale faces.

Those were all grave robbers who had died here.

With the overflow of the White Tiger's fierce Sha Qi, they could also be seen by ordinary people.

And in the clearing in front of the burial mounds, mud and filthy blood were mixed together, and there was a huge pottery jar filled with human heads and severed limbs, soaking in blood.

Beside the pottery jar altar stood several men with gloomy faces.

When the Miao men saw this, their hearts trembled.

This "Elder Elder Ge Lai" was a treasure-seeker from Western Hunan who claimed to be of the "Hidden Exploration" clan, having spent most of his life searching for the White Tiger Holy King.

According to him, the Jiangxia Man originated from the Ba people, descendants of Lin Jun, and once had a peerless hero, the Wu-Man Xu Sheng, known as the "White Tiger Holy King," who led his people to resist the Han.

This "White Tiger Holy King" slept in the deepest part of the Barbarian King's Tomb, waiting for his descendants to awaken him.

And the process of "awakening" was extremely brutal.

They not only killed the villagers in the surrounding villages for sacrifice, but also performed daily blood sacrifices after going up the mountain; after being besieged by people from the Chan Sect and unable to go down the mountain, they began to slaughter their own people for sacrifice.

According to this Elder Elder Ge Lai's statement, once the blood sacrifice began, it could not stop until the "White Tiger Holy King" appeared in the world.

To tell the truth, their fear now outweighed their joy.

They had followed the rebellion wanting to get rich and live a good life, but before they had succeeded, most of their companions had already died.

The next one might be them.

But these people dared not resist, not only because this Elder Elder Ge Lai could summon ghosts and gods and control zombies, but also because the several Tusi City experts standing in front of the altar were enough to handle them.

"Greetings, Elder Elder Ge Lai."

The several experts from Tusi City bowed in unison upon seeing him.

Elder Elder Ge Lai looked at the burial mounds ahead and asked in a deep voice, "How is it? Still the same?"

"Even worse."

After one man spoke, he immediately took a gourd ladle, scooped up blood from the pottery jar, and splashed it violently onto the burial mound.

A strange thing happened.

The blood that splashed onto the ground mixed immediately with the mud and water, but the blood that landed on the burial mound seeped into the soil at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was as if something was sucking it up.

Elder Elder Ge Lai was about to speak when his heart suddenly trembled, and he looked up violently toward the north.

The White Tiger Sha permeated the air, and the entire mountain peak was wrapped in thick fog.

But he could feel a force surging over, trying to disperse the White Tiger Sha, and the thick fog on the mountain began to churn.

"Open it quickly, it's too late!"

At the old man's order, the crowd immediately stepped forward, frantically pushing aside the withered branches and fallen leaves to reveal a huge grave-robbing hole.

Around the hole were coffin nails, and it was intertwined with red ropes soaked in chicken blood, forming a grid, clearly guarding against something coming out.

Seeing this, everyone felt a sense of fear.

"A bunch of trash!"

Elder Elder Ge Lai was furious at the sight; he stepped forward himself, pulled out all the coffin nails and red ropes, then lowered his body and crawled into the hole.

The Jiangxia Man people poked their heads out, their eyes full of anticipation.

And the several experts from Tusi City exchanged glances and slowly retreated.

The cave was damp and dark, with many tree roots protruding; because it was a rainy day, rainwater seeped in, making it muddy.

Although this cave was much larger than other grave-robbing holes, entering it required crawling forward.

Soon, this Elder Elder Ge Lai became a mud monkey.

But he didn't care at all; he held the red Red Mohe in his mouth, his eyes full of fanaticism, and kept crawling down along the passage.

Suddenly, his hand touched something.

Strangely, Elder Elder Ge Lai's eyes were white, and he was like a blind man outside, but upon entering the cave, they emitted a faint green light, seeing everything around him clearly.

In his hand was a human head, its flesh already shriveled, and the skull gnawed to pieces. Elder Elder Ge Lai didn't care at all, threw the head aside, and continued crawling down, the depth already exceeding other Barbarian King's Tombs.

Clatter!

Accompanied by mud and gravel, he rolled onto the ground.

Before him was a huge tomb chamber, surrounded by blue stones to form a square, with a circular stone platform in the center.

Some tomb chambers emphasize the "Heaven is round, Earth is square" pattern, but this tomb chamber was the opposite: Heaven inside, Earth outside.

Not only that, but the ground was also covered with a layer of black soil that emitted astonishing coldness, and even large patches of white frost could be seen in the soil layer.

Nine Yin of Black Soil, Old Cat Crouching on the Ground.

This was exactly the legendary corpse-raising ground.

Even more brutal was that the four directions of this tomb chamber—Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui—were all inlaid and polished with obsidian, making them look like mirrors.

This was a man-made "Four Yin Land," also a corpse-raising ground.

Buried in such a place, even a Buddha would have to become a zombie!

Elder Elder Ge Lai was also down here for the first time and couldn't care about looking around; he stared fixedly ahead, trembling all over, and covered his nose tightly.

On that circular stone platform sat a huge stone coffin, carved with a fierce tiger in the center, and surrounded by all kinds of demons and monsters.

!.

The lid of the stone coffin at the top had already shattered.

On that stone platform, piled with severed limbs, lay a monster; although it had a human shape, it was hairless, its skin was pale and smooth, it had blood-colored nails, sharp fangs, and a ferocious face like a demon.

Sure enough, it hasn't taken shape yet!

The old man covered his mouth, not daring to reveal half a breath.

The "White Tiger Holy King" was all a lie he had fabricated to fool those big fools.

His real name was Elder Ge Lai Chong; although he also came from the Miao people of Western Hunan, he had long been wandering the martial world, and to him, there was no difference between Miao and Han.

His true identity was a treasure-seeker of the Hidden Exploration lineage, traveling from tomb to tomb, searching for various longevity techniques, cultivation methods, and heavenly treasures.

At the same time, he had been recruited by Zhao Zhao Changsheng to join the Ghost Sect.

This Feng Shui formation of the Four Symbols Disturbing the Earth Veins was arranged by Zhao Zhao Changsheng himself; Liu Niang lurked in Near Wuchang City, and he lured the Jiangxia Man to assist Poliu Han Baling together.

This matter was originally flawless, but he hadn't expected Poliu Han Baling to turn against them, causing a flaw in the plan.

Those buried in the underground palace were indeed Tujia people, but they had nothing to do with the Jiangxia Man; they were a Miao Tusi from the Song Dynasty named Peng Peng Sanli.

Although he was a Miao, he was obsessed with Daoist Mystic Sects.

During the reign of Emperor Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the Ghost Sect's influence had already infiltrated the imperial court. The Feng Shui master Lai Lai Buyi offended the powerful and resigned to go far away, only to be pursued and killed halfway, luckily being saved by this Tusi Peng Peng Sanli.

During his recovery, Peng Peng Sanli followed him and learned many Feng Shui secret techniques. After Lai Lai Buyi left, he traveled through the surrounding mountains and rivers and discovered this corpse-raising ground beneath the Barbarian King's Tomb.

Originally, it was nothing, but this Tusi also encountered many difficulties from Mystic Sect people, and his lifespan was coming to an end while his cultivation remained unfinished.

He was unwilling, and just then Zhao Zhao Changsheng, the Ghost Sect Leader Zhang Zhang Huaisu of his previous life, tracked Lai Lai Buyi's trail here; with some luring, he began to practice the "Yin Corpse Longevity Method."

The "Yin Corpse Longevity Method" was the evil technique practiced by the monster in the bronze coffin that Li Yan discovered in the Yangtze River in Zigui County.

That monster was Luo Xing, a disciple of Tongtian Tongtian San Niang.

The "Yin Corpse Longevity Method" can transform one into a monster corpse for longevity, and the cultivation methods also vary according to the Five Elements.

The one in Zigui County practiced the Water Method.

And this Peng Peng Sanli practiced the Earth Method, and Zhao Zhao Changsheng also played tricks, integrating the Daoist "Taiyin Refining Form Technique" into it.

Zhao Zhao Changsheng lied to Peng Peng Sanli, saying he could cultivate into an Earth Immortal, but at most, he could only cultivate into a Corpse Immortal, no different from a demon.

To put it bluntly, he was Zhao Zhao Changsheng's test subject.

This hairless thing before him was still far from a Corpse Immortal, but it had another resounding name: Unchanging Bone!

Its body was as hard as refined iron, its strength far exceeded that of an ordinary zombie, and its body was full of Yin Sha Qi, capable of using Dharma techniques.

The Feng Shui grand formation of the Four Symbols Disturbing the Earth Veins had now failed; if he couldn't even do this, Zhao Zhao Changsheng would definitely not spare him.

Thinking of this, the old man Elder Ge Lai Chong held his breath and took a white bead from his bosom, throwing it out.

Roar!

Smelling it, the Unchanging Bone immediately went crazy, its body flashed, and it jumped into the air, swallowing the white bead into its mouth.

Afterward, the Unchanging Bone's aura seemed to be suppressed; its body stiffened, and it fell straight to the ground.

Old man Elder Ge Lai Chong rushed out violently, took a copper talisman from his bosom, stuffed it into the Unchanging Bone's mouth, lit incense, and according to the secret method taught by Zhao Zhao Changsheng, shook the scripture banner, chanting words.

Whoosh~

In the tomb, a cold wind suddenly rose.

The ground became bone-chillingly cold, and then rolling black fog rose, constantly churning, vaguely forming the ferocious face of an old man, finally attaching itself to the Unchanging Bone.

Afterward, the Unchanging Bone's body began to tremble violently, its head swinging abnormally, occasionally letting out low roars, occasionally chanting strange incantations.

For a full half-stick of incense, the Unchanging Bone finally quieted down.

It opened its blood-red eyes violently and stood up straight; those blood-red eyes were no longer bloodthirsty and crazy, but carried a coldness that had seen through the vicissitudes of life.

"It" looked at its own blood-red sharp claws, eyes full of doubt, and looked at the old man opposite.

The old man's eyes lit up with joy, and he hurriedly bowed:

"Subordinate Elder Ge Lai Chong, pays respects to Yellow Master!"

The one who had returned to the world of the living was the famous Yellow Master of the Ezhou Ghost Sect.

Zhao Zhao Changsheng traveled everywhere; whether it was the Earth Immortal body of the Liu Gang couple or the Unchanging Bone zombie before him, they were all physical bodies he had prepared for important figures in the sect!

Originally, this physical body hadn't taken shape to become a Corpse Immortal, but Tongtian Tongtian San Niang of the Night Wolf Ancient Road had failed, so Zhao Zhao Changsheng sent a letter immediately, asking them to awaken the physical body in advance to help Yellow Master return to the world of the living.

Poliu Han Baling was just an object of Zhao Zhao Changsheng's cultivation, but the one he truly trusted in Ezhou and relied on as his right-hand man was only this famous Yellow Master.

They were in urgent need of manpower, so even if the Four Symbols formation layout failed, they had to let Yellow Master successfully return to the world of the living!

Although Yellow Master was in a zombie body, his soul had returned to its place; hearing the old man describe the current situation, there was no surprise on his face, but he looked into the distance, his voice aged, muttering:

"Sect Leader, is he finally going to take action?"

Elder Ge Lai Chong didn't understand what he meant but didn't dare to ask more, hurriedly taking the red Red Mohe from his bosom and handing it over respectfully, "My Lord, with your current body, you will surely be struck by lightning when you go out, so please take this."

"Also, the Chan Sect monks have already surrounded the Barbarian King's Tomb, and we must break out and leave immediately!"

Rumble!

The sky was filled with thunder and lightning, and rain fell continuously.

It was already near dusk, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, even dimmer.

Below the Barbarian King's Tomb, several old monks looked at the sky.

The cloud Qi surging from the Turtle and Snake Mountains had almost dispersed the White Tiger Sha, and the thick fog in the distance was gradually fading.

An old monk pinched a Dharma seal, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

"Over there!"

With the White Tiger Sha dispersed, his supernatural powers were no longer affected.

And behind them, the garrison army was already in position, and there were more than a dozen Buddhist-style cannons set up.

"Fire!"

Following his pointing, the garrison commander immediately gave the order.

Boom, boom, boom!

In an instant, the cannons roared, mud splashed, and the trees and tents hidden within were torn to shreds...

Second update later

(End of chapter)