Chapter 637: False Fengdu on Mangshan

"Who's there!"

Li Yan was startled and quickly turned around.

The Duan Chen knife lowered, his left hand's Soul-Grabbing Rope ready to lash out.

This "Snake Mirage" mist, though capable of obscuring spiritual perception, was not powerful.

Scents and sounds within a li's radius remained distinctly clear.

Someone who could approach them silently must be a master!

And that aged voice grew ever closer.

"Hastily flustered—how on earth did you earn such a reputation…"

As he spoke, an old man emerged from the mist.

The old man was hunched, his face lined with age, wearing a tattered straw hat, with a clay pipe tucked behind his waist.

To any glance, he looked like a country farmer.

Yet Li Yan saw him and instantly understood, sheathing his blade and bowing respectfully: "So it's you, Elder."

At the Longmen Inn, he had been visited in a dream, seemingly to inform him of Zhao Lüzi's condition—but his soul was too strong, and he had many protective talismans; he forcibly woke, rushed out, and found no one.

This old man had appeared at the inn before.

He had hidden well then, unnoticed; now, seeing him clearly, Li Yan guessed at once.

He gave a glance to Wu Ba beside him, signaling him to stow the Tiger Squat Cannon, then bowed: "If I'm not mistaken, Elder, you must be Yin Jiuge, the 'Central Mound-Father' of the Five Yin Sacrifices of the Mingjiao?"

"Oh?"

The old man's eyes drooped slightly. "How did you know?"

Li Yan glanced at the leather pouch tied to the man's waist and said: "I've heard Elder excels in feng shui, wields the Burial-Yin Spade, and carries the 'Houtu Sack' filled with soil from a hundred graves—whenever you pass a lonely tomb, you add a handful of earth to turn ill omen into auspicious ground…"

This information came from Pei Niangzi at the Longmen Inn.

This elder of the Mingjiao travels across Shenzhou, often soothing restless souls and improving the feng shui of malevolent sites.

Hence, he is called the 'Central Mound-Father.'

He operates in secrecy, obscure yet a true Daoist.

"Enough, enough..."

Yin Jiuge waved his hand, looking exasperated. "That ungrateful disciple Shen Sanyou spends his days crawling into women's skirts—my little secrets are all spilled."

Though this was a revered elder, Li Yan had no time for idle talk now; his face grew grave. "Elder, do you know the condition of my friend Zhao Lüzi? And what exactly happened to Brother Shen?"

"Why the rush?"

Yin Jiuge shook his head slightly, glanced around, and said: "This isn't the place to talk. Follow me."

With that, he turned, hands behind his back, and walked into the mist. Li Yan and the others followed closely.

The old man clearly knew Mangshan well—even with thick fog, he did not slow.

Turning left, then right, soon they reached a trench of yellow earth.

Most of Mangshan's terrain was like this.

But unlike other places, the trench was littered with large bricks and stones, coated with lime—clearly an ancient tomb.

Without a word, Yin Jiuge leapt into the trench and entered the tomb passage.

Li Yan and the others exchanged glances, then jumped down after him.

Shen Sanyou's condition was unknown; even if this respected Yin Jiuge was his master, caution was necessary.

After all, they had seen too many aged men, afraid of death, who took the wrong path.

The tomb passage was shallow, barely allowing a person to enter bent over; ahead, it had collapsed into a small stone chamber. Once inside, they all had to crouch, cramped and uncomfortable.

Li Yan frowned slightly, about to speak.

But Yin Jiuge looked outside the tomb and shook his head softly: "Those things are coming soon. We'll talk later."

As he spoke, he grabbed a handful of grains from another leather pouch at his waist, murmured a few incantations over them, then casually scattered them at the entrance.

Hū~

A cool breeze swept through, carrying the scent of plants; the air inside the cave instantly grew fresh.

The Five Grains Expel Evil Art!

Seeing this, Li Yan's eyes brightened.

This was a common technique among folk Yin-Yang masters—many knew it, used in house purification or weddings and funerals; he had seen Wang Daoxuan use it.

But when Yin Jiuge used it, it was on another level entirely.

The lingering yin-evil qi inside the cave was swept clean; the grains continued to act, blocking external qi from entering.

This was no longer merely the "Five Grains Expel Evil Art."

It seemed mixed with "array techniques" and "Sowing Beans to Become Soldiers."

Coupled with his earlier use of paper-man dream-walking, Li Yan was deeply impressed.

As he was about to speak, his body hairs suddenly bristled—he turned toward the cave entrance.

Wū~

The wind outside grew violently fierce.

Like wind whistling through cracks, or someone sobbing, wrapped in an eerie rhythm.

The mist outside grew denser.

Once pure white, now it turned leaden gray, dimming the light further.

Li Yan's nostrils flared; his pupils shrank sharply.

He smelled copper rust and the acrid stench of burned spirit money, mixed with a faint trace of blood.

This odor reminded him of the wild rites at the mass graves outside Xianyang.

"Clank—!"

Suddenly, the piercing screech of dragging iron chains rang through the mist.

Li Yan and Lu San both clapped hands over their ears, faces twisted in pain.

The sound made their teeth ache.

The others were unaffected—they clearly could not hear it.

The change wasn't only auditory: deep within the leaden mist, countless phosphorescent lights rose.

Then, all of them heard the disturbance.

The rustling of paper robes, the muffled thud of leather boots stepping.

As if an invisible army marched through the mist.

"Ee-yaa—"

A shrill Nuo opera chant pierced the mist, shifting between male and female tones, in an ancient cadence.

Beside them, Yin Jiuge suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed another handful of grave soil from his waist pouch, and scattered it toward the entrance.

The soil hovered in midair, rising and falling.

The gray mist about to invade the cave swiftly retreated three feet.

"Squeak-squeak~"

The sound of rats suddenly arose.

These were the few rats summoned by Lu San that had entered the cave.

They squealed in panic, then suddenly stood upright on hind legs, front paws clasped together, bowing toward the cave entrance.

"Rat Worship of the Evil?"

Seeing this, Li Yan's brow tightened.

Wang Daoxuan had told him of this phenomenon—it was one of the "Xiang Zhan" methods of the Xuanmen.

"Xiang Zhan" meant interpreting omens to judge what had occurred.

"Rat Worship of the Evil" occurred in only one case:

The Ghost King appears!

The Ghost King was no ordinary yin spirit or malevolent ghost.

To compare, it was like the difference between common yin soldiers and the Eight Generals of the Inner Altar.

A Ghost King had been summoned on Mangshan.

With a Ghost King leading them, the yin soldiers' power grew stronger.

And the scale and number—Li Yan had never seen anything like it since entering the Jianghu.

No wonder Wang Xuanmo dared call himself Ghost Emperor.

The spectacle of yin soldiers passing by came swiftly—and vanished just as fast.

In the time it took to smoke half a pipe, the eerie sounds howled away, and even the Snake Mirage mist vanished completely.

Li Yan took a deep breath. "Elder, can you speak now?"

"Of course."

Yin Jiuge replied: "I was going to find you anyway—this matter cannot proceed without your involvement."

As he spoke, he sat cross-legged on a broken stele, pulled out his clay pipe, and lit it.

"What you saw outside isn't ordinary yin soldiers. Do you know of Xu Fu's subjugation of the ancient ghosts of the Six States?"

Jin Yanfeng, who had been terrified moments before, now perked up eagerly. "Elder knows of this? I was right! Are those yin soldiers the ghosts of the Six States from back then?"

"Yes, and no."

Yin Jiuge drew a slow puff of smoke, his voice grave. "Few know the true details—only recorded in our Mingjiao scriptures. I tell you now—but you must not speak of this outside."

In ancient times, Emperor Qin swept the Six Kingdoms; the people of Chu mourned Ying, the Han princess wept for her ancestral shrine, and the noble remnants of the Six Kingdoms poured their rage into the heavens. Their sorcerers exploited this fury, summoning the demonic qi of calamity and using the dragon vein of Mangshan to breed demonic soldiers of the mortal realm…

Had this succeeded, it would have been a great calamity for all under heaven. Even among the remnants of the Six Kingdoms, many opposed it—but they were mad with despair, and ultimately completed the deed. Owing to the demonic qi, ordinary methods could no longer contain it; even if scattered, its poison would spread far and wide…

Xu Fu, indeed, was a devilish genius. He took sacred wood from the tombs of the Three Sovereigns—Yao, Shun, and Yu—and, mimicking the structure of Luofeng, built a false Underworld, luring all the vengeful spirits of the Six Kingdoms into it, thus thwarting the conspiracy and burying every one of the Six Kingdoms' sorcerers alive…

The tobacco pipe glowed and dimmed in the darkness; the ancient tale left the listeners stunned.

"A false Underworld?"

Li Yan could hardly believe it. "How is that possible?"

The Underworld is unique because it exists within the Great Luo Dharma Realm.

Even places like the "Cloud Lord's Divine Palace" or the "Corpse Forest" cannot achieve such a thing.

"He naturally lacked such power."

Yin Jiuling tapped his pipe and continued: "This feat was made possible only because of the Sui Pearl bestowed by Emperor Qin!"

"The Sui Pearl?"

Jin Yanfeng's mouth hung open. "The Sui Pearl is hidden here!"

Li Yan and the others were also greatly startled.

There was no reason—it was simply that the Sui Pearl's reputation was too great.

The Huainanzi records: "The Lord of Sui once saw a great serpent, its body severed. He saved and healed it. Later, the serpent returned with a pearl as thanks. The pearl was an inch in diameter, pure white, glowing at night like the moon."

The "Sui Pearl" and the "He Shi Bi" were known together as the "Two Treasures of the Spring and Autumn," symbols of state authority.

Countless scholars and poets through the ages had praised them in verse.

Yin Jiuling nodded: "Correct. After Qin destroyed the Six Kingdoms, both the Sui Pearl and the He Shi Bi came into Qin's possession. The He Shi Bi was forged into the Imperial Seal of State; the Sui Pearl was meant to be made into a crown and buried with the Emperor—but in truth, it was placed here."

Li Yan recalled the thick fog he had seen. "So the 'Snake Mirage' was caused by the Sui Pearl?"

"Yes."

Yin Jiuling nodded: "The Sui Pearl was originally a demonic serpent's treasure. Later, it became a state ritual artifact, nurtured by the incense and devotion of the entire Qin realm—its mystery profound. The Snake Mirage formed its own illusion, trapping the ghosts of the Six Dynasties within the false Underworld."

Long Yan listened intently and could not help praising: "Xu Fu earned his place in history—he truly had talent."

"Hmph!"

Yin Jiuling sneered. "Xu Fu harbored evil intent. No matter how talented, he deserved to die."

"I suspect he tampered with the false Underworld on Mangshan, leaving behind these countless calamities!"

He turned to Li Yan. "You are a living yin official. When I saw you at the Longmen Inn, I decided to seek your aid—but first, I needed to investigate. That's why I didn't reveal myself. I never expected you to find this place too."

"Naturally."

Li Yan nodded. He too was curious about the "false Underworld." He asked: "If the Sui Pearl holds it down, how did the Ghost Emperor of Mangshan manage to usurp it?"

Yin Jiuling replied coldly: "Precisely because Xu Fu tampered with it."

"The Sui Pearl should never have surfaced. With Mangshan as the locus, drawing on the central dragon vein's power, it would have eventually ground the demonic soldiers to dust. But during the Tang dynasty, a flaw emerged—the pearl's qi leaked. It spawned countless mirages and attracted a serpent demon, which was slain by Shan Wuwei's incantations."

"To be honest, I've been in Yuzhou for months, and finally uncovered Wang Xuanmo's origins."

"He is the patriarch of the Yin Fu Sect of Northern Wei. This lineage descended from the Yinshan School, blending Daoist talisman traditions. He excels at forging yin soldiers. After being hunted by the northern and southern xian sects, he fled south to the Southern Dynasties."

"Though Wang Xuanmo possessed extraordinary cultivation talent, he understood nothing of warfare. After his northern campaign failed, he retreated to Xingyang and dug open the ancient battlefield of Hulao Pass, using the Five Pecks of Rice Sect's 'Soul-Collecting Banner' to gather eight thousand fallen spirits. In old age, he faked his death and retreated to Mangshan to cultivate."

"During the Yongxi era, when Erzhu Rong massacred Luoyang, he seized the chance, using the blood-sha qi to enter the false Underworld. I found an old record stating someone saw a stone stele roll down Mangshan—its inscriptions resembled writhing worms, sealed with the blood of young boys to suppress it. It was a fusion of Qin seal script and Xianbei shamanic runes!"

"So half the yin soldiers on this mountain are the ghosts of the Six Kingdoms, and half are the vengeful spirits of Luoyang!"

"So that's how it is…"

Li Yan mused: "Brother Shen, has he already entered the false Underworld?"

Mangshan concealed grave dangers—no wonder Shen Sanyou looked ready to sacrifice himself.

But Yin Jiuling fell silent after hearing this, his eyes filled with sorrow. "He uncovered something. Compared to that, Mangshan means nothing. He likely left Shenzhou long ago—crossed the sea."

"Crossed the sea?"

Li Yan was stunned. "Where is he going?"

"Japan."

Yin Jiuling named the place, then refused to speak further.

Li Yan immediately fell silent, asking no more.

He now knew what Shen Sanyou had discovered.

Zhao Changsheng!

Clearly, Xu Fu and Zhao Changsheng were connected.

If he truly hid in Japan, Li Yan would chase him to the ends of the earth and kill him.

Thinking of this, Li Yan asked again: "What of Zhao the Ass?"

This time, Yin Jiuling did not conceal anything. "I discovered something: travelers passing through the Longmen Inn often vanished without trace. So did people in Luoyang—all sent to Mangshan."

"After capturing a beggar gang leader who snatched people, we learned the victims were all descendants of the Six Kingdoms' bloodlines. Zhao the Ass's wife was taken for the same reason. Di Longzi, encountering the Mangshan Snake Mirage, guessed the Sui Pearl was hidden here, so the two planned to steal it together—but they were discovered."

"Di Longzi returned to Yuzhou and was lured and killed."

"As for Zhao the Ass—he's likely imprisoned in the underground palace."

"But whether he lives or dies, I do not know."

Li Yan's heart sank. "Why do they need the bloodlines of the Six Kingdoms?"

Yin Jiuling shook his head. "All cultivation methods demand a price. Even Wang Xuanmo, with his heavenly talent, ruling the false Underworld as Ghost Emperor, must pay dearly. The Snake Mirage leaks more frequently now—he likely intends to use the Six Kingdoms' bloodlines to appease it."

He turned his gaze toward the cave's mouth. "The Taoists of Shangqing Palace are no longer the true inheritors—they only care for money. They've noticed nothing of this scale. There may even be traitors among them. Untrustworthy."

"The first appearance of the Snake Mirage was at Jingling."

"If you wish to rescue them, tonight may be your chance…"

(End of Chapter)