Chapter 413: Treading Knife Sacrifice, Guest in the Fog

Hearing Xie Chengzhu's words, Li Yan and the others looked at each other.

To be honest, this old man looked like he had a crow's mouth, and what he said was both unpleasant and unlucky.

But looking at his appearance, it seemed he was really scared.

Also scared was Zhang Zhang Sibei. This young man also had no backbone, trembling all over, and had lost his head.

"Fast Boat Zhang," however, was an old hand in the martial world. Hearing this, he cupped his hands and said in a low voice, "Sir, please make it clear. Even if we are to die, let us die knowing why!"

Xie Chengzhu looked at Li Yan, gritted his teeth, turned to his disciples, and said, "Go, bring the cloth for covering the god."

"Yes, Master."

His disciple hurriedly turned around and soon brought a red cloth.

Li Yan and the others had seen this thing before. It was the red cloth used to cover a statue when it was being worshipped, before it had been consecrated or if it was a bit fierce.

But this one was a bit different.

Looking at the material, it seemed to be a special pigment mixed with cinnabar, and it had been used for a long time, smoked by smoke and fire, and was very dilapidated.

Heavenly treasure!

Li Yan's eyes narrowed, a bit surprised.

The moment this object was brought in, his Great Luo Dharma Body felt a sense of hunger, wanting to swallow it.

This situation had been rare recently.

His Great Luo Dharma Body was now in a complete state, not only with the three fires on his head and shoulders burning, but there wasn't a single crack on his body.

Ordinary heavenly treasures, after absorbing their spiritual charm, were used for repairs. Only objects that could enhance the Dharma Body would cause such a disturbance.

The last time he had this feeling was on Mount Mount Wudang.

But there was the Great Emperor Zhenwu there, so he didn't have the guts to take action.

He didn't expect to find one in this remote village.

Of course, he wasn't in a hurry to take action, but was watching from the side.

They saw the old man Xie Chengzhu take the red cloth, carefully approach the "Duhuo divine coffin," shake it lightly, and cover it.

Instantly, Li Yan could no longer sense the aura of the "Duhuo."

After doing all this, the old man signaled for everyone to stay away, took off the large tobacco pipe from his waist, smoked a few puffs, and said, "I've only heard of this kind of thing, this is the first time I've seen it."

"This medicinal herb, Duhuo, likes shade, coolness, and dampness, and is cold-resistant. It mostly grows under the forest of damp and gloomy shrubs, and the rotten black soil is the best."

"If they grow near a tomb with rich Yin evil energy, they are no longer medicine, but poison, extremely cold and Yin. Taking them will worsen the illness."

"This kind of Duhuo is most easily favored by some powerful things, used as a coffin, breeding poisonous insects, and eventually becoming a ghost-god body."

"If you break open that Duhuo, there must be strange insects inside. That is the body chosen by the mountain ghost-god. Once pulled out, the unformed insects inside will also die."

"This hatred is deeply forged. Behind that 'Yellow Baby,' I'm afraid there's something even more powerful. I really can't afford to provoke it."

Li Yan heard this, but his expression didn't change. He nodded slightly and said, "Senior, thank you for the guidance. Leave the rest to us."

Xie Chengzhu was surprised, "You're not afraid?"

Sha Sha Li Fei patted his chest and laughed, "To tell you the truth, we brothers have been through big storms and waves. We really don't take these small village ghosts seriously."

He loved to brag, but what he said wasn't wrong.

Along the way, they had seen too many powerful things, and recently they had even seen a poisonous flood dragon, so their guts had grown bigger.

"Young people have such big mouths!"

Seeing his appearance, Xie Chengzhu felt inexplicably angry. He snorted coldly, stood up, knocked off the tobacco ash, and instructed his disciples, "Go, set up the knife mountain,"

"Master, how many knives should we use?"

"Seventy-two... no, use all one hundred and eight!"

His disciples heard this and immediately ran outside to get busy.

They took down two wooden poles, which were three feet high, fixed and tied them tightly, and opened the wooden box, arranging the sharp firewood knives like a ladder.

The blades were sharp, and as the bleak autumn wind blew, it added a touch of killing intent.

There were many common people in Jinyangping, a mix of Tujia and Han people. Such a big commotion naturally couldn't be hidden from the villagers, who gathered around and whispered.

Soon, an old Tujia man, surrounded by a crowd, came over and took a look. His expression became solemn, and he respectfully cupped his hands to Xie Chengzhu, "This Earth Teacher, you are a person with true ability."

"One hundred and eight knives... Is the Zhang family's matter hard to handle?"

Xie Chengzhu shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Tell the fellow villagers to stay away tonight. Don't get close if you hear any strange sounds."

After saying that, he sighed, "We can't just watch people die. We'll save as many as we can tonight..."

Inside the Zhang family mansion, Li Yan and the others were also watching all this.

"This is the 'Treading Knife Sacrifice' in the 'Nuo Hall Play'."

"Fast Boat Zhang" said in a low voice, "The 'Hall Play' is the same as the ordinary theater troupe of us Han people, but the 'Nuo Hall Play' is a ritual of the Tujia people."

"I don't know much either, but I know that to set up one hundred and eight knives, this Earth Teacher must have a true inheritance."

"Young Hero Li, what should we do?"

"Don't be in a hurry."

Li Yan looked at the "Duhuo divine coffin" covered with red cloth in the room and asked Zhang Zhang Sibei, "Where did your father find this thing?"

Zhang Zhang Sibei shook his head, "I don't know. Since we bought a piece of land, my father rarely went into the mountains to catch wild goods. Even if he did, he would take servants and old hunters from the village."

"But seven days ago, he mysteriously went into the mountains alone. After he came back, he got this thing and said that the Zhang family's wealth all depended on it."

"Think carefully, what else did he do?"

Zhang Zhang Sibei pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said tremblingly, "I remember now. After my younger brother had an accident, my father seemed very afraid. He ordered the steward to take offerings to the back mountain."

"The servants who came back secretly told me that they followed the steward to the back mountain, and suddenly there was thick fog. The steward kept kowtowing and burning incense alone, muttering something, and then the fog dispersed."

"The next day, the steward also died."

"Father hurriedly sent someone to send a message to Uncle, but before you all arrived, something happened last night."

"This second brother!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" was furious after hearing this, "Greedy beyond measure, recklessly provoking disaster, I... sigh~" Li Yan was thoughtful, "What is the background of that steward of yours?"

Zhang Zhang Sibei replied, "The steward is named Hu Cen, he is from Wushan. He studied for a few days, but failed repeatedly and didn't even pass the scholar exam. Later, he followed my father and has been diligent and conscientious all these years."

"Where is his body?"

"Buried in the old graveyard in the village."

"Take me to see it!"

Zhang Zhang Sibei didn't dare to neglect. He immediately called two servants and took Li Yan and the others to the old graveyard.

The old graveyard was quite large, on the other side of the back mountain. The common people of Jinyangping were mostly buried here after death.

The Feng Shui couldn't be considered good, but it wasn't bad either.

"It's here!"

Zhang Zhang Sibei led them to a new grave, "Steward Hu was alone, without children, so he was buried here."

"This area was bought by my father to be the Zhang family's Yin mansion. After my mother passed away, she was buried over there."

!.

Li Yan pinched a magic formula and took a deep breath. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, and he said in a low voice, "There's a problem inside. Dig up the soil, open the coffin!"

Now that things had come to this, Zhang Zhang Sibei had no more scruples. He immediately ordered, "Quick, dig it up!"

The servants immediately swung their hoes, and soon the coffin was dug out.

"Stop!"

Just as the coffin lid was revealed, Li Yan raised his hand to stop them.

He glanced at Lu San and said in a low voice, "There's something inside. I'll suppress it, you come and ask."

After saying that, he jumped into the pit and flicked his toe.

Bang bang bang!

The coffin nails flew away, and the coffin lid spun and flew out.

Seeing the situation inside, everyone gasped.

They saw a "Guoshanfeng" (a type of snake) as thick as an adult's arm and pitch black lying on the corpse, coiled in a snake formation, as if it were hibernating.

Disturbed, this "Guoshanfeng" was furious, suddenly raised its body more than a meter high, and hissed at Li Yan.

Li Yan didn't take action either. His eyes narrowed, killing intent appeared, and he just relied on his aura to force the "Guoshanfeng" to retreat repeatedly.

Swish!

This large black snake turned its body and wanted to escape.

Others then saw that there was a large hole on the side of the coffin, leading to the ground. The "Guoshanfeng" had drilled out from here.

However, as soon as it moved, Li Yan followed. In an instant, he arrived behind it and grabbed its head.

The "Guoshanfeng" seemed to be held by iron pliers, its body twisted, wrapping around Li Yan, and its arms gradually exerted force.

This poisonous snake was the overlord of the mountains and had spirituality. Wrapping around foxes and wild dogs, it could break their bones.

However, Li Yan just exerted a little force, and it felt as if its head was about to be crushed, and it instantly went limp, not daring to move again.

Lu San then stepped forward, pinched a magic formula, and began to speak in the upper language with a clucking sound.

"Hiss hiss..."

The Guoshanfeng spat out its snake tongue and responded repeatedly.

After listening, Lu San had a flash of surprise in his eyes, "Little Brother Yan, we caught the wrong one. This guy isn't the culprit."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Zhang Sibei, "It was supported by your father. It usually hid in the mountains to help your father find medicinal herbs. Only your father and the steward knew about the entire Zhang family."

"This guy originally wanted to protect your family, but your father provoked a great disaster, so it was scared and drilled into the steward's grave to avoid disaster."

"Ah?"

Zhang Zhang Sibei was a bit confused.

He knew that although his father was an ordinary person, he understood some treasure-hunting methods and could always find good wood and medicinal herbs, which was why the Zhang family made a fortune.

But he didn't know that there was a snake spirit worshipped in the family.

"This is a method of the Xiangxi Snake Sect."

Li Yan shook his head slightly and looked at "Fast Boat Zhang," "It seems your brother isn't honest. He hid a lot of things behind his back."

"Fast Boat Zhang" had a bitter look on his face, "He joined the Gelao Society before. I don't know what he did. If I had known earlier, I would never have let him come into contact with these things."

This is the difference between ordinary people and people of the Mystic Sect.

For ordinary people to deal with these things, the best way is to keep a respectful distance, just like "Fast Boat Zhang," who learned some taboos and could avoid disasters when sailing.

But if one is too curious about this matter without the ability to investigate and doesn't understand the principles, it often leads to disaster.

Just like some people, for the sake of wealth, recklessly raise some family gods and little ghosts, and don't follow the rules, bringing disaster upon themselves.

This is also something that people of the Mystic Sect often deal with.

Li Yan nodded and was thoughtful, "It seems that on that day, the steward went to the back mountain to worship the snake spirit. Let's ask it again, what exactly did it provoke?"

"Hiss hiss..."

Under Lu San's questioning, the Guoshanfeng spat out its snake tongue repeatedly.

"It's the 'Guest in the Fog'!"

Lu San said to everyone in a low voice, "That 'Duhuo meat coffin' originally grew in the nest of the 'Guest in the Fog.' Later, the 'Guest in the Fog' was suppressed, and this thing was revealed."

"After the snake spirit discovered it, it took Zhang Zhang Linsheng to take it out, intending to sell it for a good price. Who knew that Lingyunguan was destroyed, and the 'Guest in the Fog' returned again."

"The 'Yellow Baby' was originally enslaved, but it happened to be freed, and it was happy to see Zhang Zhang Linsheng take it away. But the 'Guest in the Fog' returned, and the 'Yellow Baby' was driven again to come to the Zhang family for revenge..."

Up to this point, the cause and effect were finally clear.

"Isn't this matter simple?"

Sha Sha Li Fei laughed, "Let's go straight to its nest and kill that 'Guest in the Fog,' and the Zhang family's crisis will be solved."

"Little Zhang, when the time comes, we must take away that 'Duhuo divine coffin'."

Zhang Zhang Sibei, seeing their methods, was already very convinced. He nodded hurriedly, "That's natural, this thing is a disaster for my family."

"It's not that simple..."

Wang Wang Daoxuan frowned and shook his head, "Lingyunguan has already taken action. They are people of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect. Daring to go to Wushan to be the vanguard, they must have some methods."

"If it were an ordinary evil thing, they would have suppressed it directly. Why bring it back to Lingyunguan to suppress it? It must be a troublesome thing."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Li Yan immediately understood what he meant.

Things that need to be suppressed cannot be easily destroyed.

For example, the "Drought Demon" in the Qinling Mountains, once destroyed, would poison thousands of miles, causing drought and plague to rage. It could only be suppressed on Mount Huashan, slowly ground away by the innate gang energy.

For example, the Yellow River Stone Dragon Coffin, it was also the joint effort of the entire Taixuan Orthodox Sect to send it to Mount Wangwu for suppression.

What kind of terrifying thing was hidden inside is still unclear.

If it were this kind of thing, I'm afraid it wouldn't be so easy to deal with.

Li Yan looked at Lu San again, "Ask it, where is the nest of the 'Guest in the Fog'?"

After Lu San asked, he pointed to the northwest, "Over there, twenty miles away, there is an ancient relic of the ancestors."

"I know that place!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" hurriedly opened his mouth, "That is where the ancient Ba people boiled salt..."

Second update in the afternoon

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 414 =====

"If it were an ordinary evil object, it would have been suppressed and killed directly. Why bring it back to Master Lingyun Temple to be suppressed? It must be a troublesome thing."

He did not say it explicitly, but Li Yan immediately understood his meaning.

Things that need to be suppressed are those that cannot be easily destroyed.

For example, the "Drought Demon" in the Qinling Mountains; once suppressed and killed, it would spread poison for a thousand miles, causing drought and plague to run rampant. It could only be suppressed at Mount Huashan, borrowing the innate Gang Qi to grind it away bit by bit.

For example, the Yellow River Stone Dragon Coffin was also sent to Mount Wangwu to be suppressed by the joint efforts of the entire Great Void Orthodox Sect.

What terrible things are hidden inside is still unclear to this day.

If it is this kind of thing, I am afraid it will not be so easy to deal with.

Li Yan looked at Lu San again, "Ask it, where is the nest of the 'Guest in the Mist'?"

After some questioning, Lu San pointed to the northwest, "It's right over there, twenty miles away, there is an ancient relic of the ancestors."

"I know that place!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" hurriedly spoke, "That is where the ancient Ba people boiled salt..."

Second update in the afternoon

(End of this chapter)