Chapter 77: Cloud Thunder Divine Drum

This kind of situation had never happened before.

The Great Luo Dharma Body was his biggest secret. Besides absorbing heavenly treasures to repair it, this was the first time something had acted upon it.

And it was from the mysterious Yin Office Netherworld!

This feeling was like having one's secrets pried into by ghosts and gods.

How could Li Yan not panic?

Luo Mingzi shook his head. "I don't know either."

"The Yin Office deities are all primordial orthodox gods, and there are offerings everywhere, but my Profound Heaven Sect has not been involved. Moreover, one of our teachings is not to interfere in the affairs of the Yin Office; at most, we perform prison-breaking rituals to transcend Yin souls."

"The only thing I know is that those with the Hooked Order brand are chosen by the Yin Office to become living Yin Messengers, becoming walkers in the human world for the Netherworld."

"But you are not a Crossing-to-the-Yin person. Many Yin souls hide in the crevices deep underground; if you can't Cross to the Yin, you can't arrest people, so how can you complete the mandate of the Yin Office?"

"Sigh, I saw that your aptitude was okay and originally thought about reporting it when I returned to let you join the Law Enforcement Hall as an outer walking disciple, but that's not possible now."

Li Yan remembered Wu Laosi's miserable state before he died and said with lingering fear: "If I can't complete the task, will I die?"

Luo Mingzi shook his head. "I don't know either. After all, it involves the Yin Office, and the actions of living Yin Messengers are mostly secretive and unknown to outsiders."

"How about this: when I return, I will ask my master to see if he knows anything. Your top priority now is to figure out the origin of this Hooked Order."

Li Yan frowned. "Junior doesn't quite understand."

Luo Mingzi sighed: "The Yin Office is unfathomable. Some worship the Great Emperor of Northern Yin, Mount Luo Feng, and under his command are the Five Direction Ghost Emperors; some worship the Ten Hell Lords, who take turns serving as the Mount Tai Prefect. In the classics of my sect, they are all primordial orthodox gods. Figuring out where the Hooked Order comes from is the only way to make a decision."

"Also, it's best to find a senior living Yin Messenger to ask."

Li Yan nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Senior; Junior will remember."

Luo Mingzi continued: "Also, do you know about the Mountain Tai Sui in the mass grave?"

Li Yan replied: "I know a little."

Luo Mingzi said coldly: "The Mountain God is an orthodox god. Since we know the news, how could the Profound Heaven Sect let those people mess around? I am in a hurry to return for this matter."

"In a few days, several fellow sect members will return, and Uncle-Master Qingyangzi will preside over a ritual sacrifice to help the Mountain God return to his position, to dispel the Yin Qi in the mass grave. At that time, the imperial court will also take action to disperse the West-Traveling Beggar nest and those Jianghu people."

"Do not participate in this matter out of greed. Also, if you want to gain some insight, you can go to the foot of the mountain to observe the ceremony."

"Thank you, Senior."

Li Yan hurriedly bowed to thank him.

This level of ritual must involve many Mystic Sect experts. Being able to witness it would be helpful for his future cultivation path.

Luo Mingzi nodded and sighed: "No need to thank me."

"Cultivation in the Mystic Sect is difficult. Cultivation level is only one aspect; more importantly, one must guard the righteousness. Since I entered the Law Enforcement Hall, I have seen too many fellow Daoists go astray—obsessed with immediate petty gains, obscuring their original hearts, and ending up with their bodies destroyed and Dao dissipated."

"I see Sha Qi hidden between your brows. You must walk this path steadily!"

Having said this, he bowed and drifted away.

Li Yan bowed respectfully to bid farewell.

He had some thoughts about the Profound Heaven Sect before, feeling that these people were high and mighty, and as the state religion, there must be many people driven by profit.

But now it seems that at least the Luo Mingzi he contacted was an admirable person of the Way.

Thinking of this, Li Yan looked at the Hooked Order mark on his hand again, feeling somewhat worried.

A living Yin Messenger sounds very fierce, and even the Profound Heaven Sect treats him with courtesy, but judging from Wu Laosi's performance, it is definitely not a good job.

By the way, Wu Laosi worshipped the Great Emperor of Northern Yin, Mount Luo Feng.

Could it be that this person grabbed his strong labor?

Just as Li Yan was deep in thought, Shopkeeper Wan walked over again and smiled: "Little Brother Li, the person has been saved, what are you still worrying about?"

"Your war drum has been made; why not come and see it."

"Oh, it's ready?"

Hearing this, Li Yan's eyes lit up.

…………

Arriving at the back courtyard, a war drum had been placed on a wooden frame.

Just as Shopkeeper Wan said, this war drum had been reduced in size.

The original Qin-Han war drum size was as long as an adult's two arms, divided into three parts: expedition, battle, and triumphant return, and also had drums, cymbals, gongs, double-reed woodwinds, horse bells, swords, spears, and gate flags to cooperate. When played, a hundred drums sounded together, and the momentum was majestic.

And this drum was only as wide as a washbasin, appearing somewhat small and exquisite.

However, Li Yan didn't dare to underestimate it.

I saw that the drum body, after being wiped with tung oil, had turned into a glazed amber color, and there were tree-branch-like lightning strike patterns, as if ten thousand lightnings had fallen.

The drum skin was high-quality rhinoceros skin, darker in color, with dense copper nails inlaid, forming cloud patterns, which, combined with the lightning patterns below, constituted a picture of lightning falling in the clouds. 【77-

Li Yan had activated his olfactory supernatural ability.

He could smell the scorching thunder-fire martial energy coming from the drum body; compared to the hundred-battle plaque in the old house, its momentum was far stronger.

"A good drum!"

Li Yan was delighted in his heart and couldn't help but call out in praise.

Shopkeeper Wan stroked his beard and smiled, his brow full of pride. "If Little Brother wanted to refine other ritual implements, I wouldn't have the ability, but when it comes to refining drums, my Wensheng Pavilion has never yielded to anyone in the entire Guanzhong region."

He was telling the truth; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken on the job for the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao.

Seeing Li Yan eager to try and wanting to go up and strike it, Shopkeeper Wan hurriedly stopped him. "Little Brother Li, don't be impatient. This drum hasn't been consecrated yet. Follow me and move it into the hall."

As he spoke, he let Li Yan carry the drum into the Patriarch Hall and place it in front of the offering table.

Shopkeeper Wan first changed his attire, wearing black clothes with a red belt around his waist, then with a solemn expression, he placed the offerings in order and covered the drum with a red cloth.

After doing this, he shook a bell with his left hand and muttered incessantly.

Li Yan did not enter the room but stood outside the courtyard, watching quietly.

He knew that for all ritual implements, from the construction of huge divine Buddha statues to the consecration of straw men and paper horses, and even the yarrow stalks used for invisibility, the final step was consecration.

It was like dotting the eyes of a painted dragon; only after consecration could it form a momentum. Mystic Sect craftsmen were skilled in this art, and Shopkeeper Wan not avoiding him was, in a way, a form of guidance.

He saw Shopkeeper Wan chanting and shaking the bell, circling the ritual altar nine times, then lighting forty-nine sticks of incense, bowing to the divine statue, then coming to the courtyard to bow to the directions of the six household gods, and finally kowtowing to heaven and earth before returning to the hall.

"Respectfully invite the Patriarch to descend to the altar!"

After a low shout, Shopkeeper Wan inserted the incense, then lifted the red cloth covering the drum, picked up a red brush, dipped it in cinnabar and rooster blood, drew a talisman in the air, formed a seal and entered the secret name, while chanting, "Heaven and earth have eight sounds: earth is the xun, gourd is the sheng, skin is the drum, bamboo is the guan, silk is the string, stone is the qing, metal is the bell, wood is the zhu."

"Heaven and earth open in peace, an auspicious day and hour, I respectfully follow the Patriarch's decree..."

"Open your drum body, full of hidden heaven and earth!"

"Open your drum nails, the stars determine the universe!"

"Open your drum skin, the sound of thunder shakes heaven and earth!"

Following the chanting, Shopkeeper Wan held the brush and placed marks all over the drum body.

Li Yan had activated his olfactory supernatural ability and felt it more deeply.

The Patriarch altar in the hall had already formed a momentum, with the divine martial energy as the center, surrounded by incense, and coordinated with the six household gods to form a formation.

!.

And that war drum, after each stroke of cinnabar, saw its martial energy converge and condense, gradually forming a momentum, then slowly receding.

The consecration ended, and the war drum looked like an ordinary object.

But Li Yan knew that this Cloud-Thunder Drum now truly counted as a ritual implement; as long as he focused his spirit and activated it, it could emit thunder sounds to deter evil spirits.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Li Yan's impatient gaze, Shopkeeper Wan stroked his beard and smiled. "Brother Li, try the drum!"

Li Yan didn't stand on ceremony, moved the drum out directly, placed it on the rack in the courtyard, tightened his horse stance, vibrated his chest and abdomen, and while emitting a "Hum" sound from his mouth, struck the drum surface.

Boom!

The Cloud-Thunder war drum was not large, but it emitted a roaring sound.

The entire large courtyard could hear it clearly.

The carpenters in the courtyard were all experts at making drums; as soon as they heard it, they knew it was a good drum. How could they sit still? They all put down their work and ran to the backyard to watch.

And in Li Yan's eyes, a trace of pleasant surprise appeared.

He could feel that with the vibration of the drum sound, the fascia in his chest and abdomen resonated with it, like a lightning strike, leaving his whole body numb.

In terms of effect, it far exceeded the previous large drum.

But this was still not the true divine drum Cloud-Lei Yin.

Li Yan hesitated slightly and looked at Shopkeeper Wan.

Shopkeeper Wan stroked his beard and smiled. "Rest assured, if it breaks, I'll give you my shop sign to smash!"

"Senior, you joke."

Li Yan took a deep breath and struck the drum surface again.

But this time, he used the Yin Energy of Dark Energy.

Boom!

With a loud noise, the people around grimaced and covered their ears.

Li Yan trembled all over, as if electrocuted, and only after taking a few deep breaths did he recover, a look of joy appearing on his face involuntarily.

This was the true divine drum Cloud-Lei Yin!

The drum sound vibrated, which could not only quickly stimulate the fascia, wrap the energy into a circle, concentrate his entire strength, and increase his cultivation, but also train Dark Energy.

Hard and soft, yin and yang, vibration, silk-reeling...

Dark Energy's power had a hundred twists and turns; if one could use it continuously and perfectly coordinate various types of energy with moves, one would reach the peak of Dark Energy.

With the help of this Cloud-Thunder Drum, everything was no longer a problem!

Shopkeeper Wan nodded slightly, evidently also very satisfied, and ordered loudly, "Someone, carry the drum rack out of the gate."

The crowd hurriedly stepped forward and carried the drum rack and the Cloud-Thunder Drum out of the courtyard.

Only then did Shopkeeper Wan look solemn and explain, "This Cloud-Thunder Divine Drum is a ritual implement; by focusing one's spirit and striking it, one can deter and drive away evil. There is a Patriarch altar in the courtyard, and to avoid disrespect and conflict of martial energy, it can only be carried outside."

Li Yan nodded, focused his spirit, coordinated with Dark Energy, and struck with one palm.

Hum!

This time, the drum surface vibrated, and the sound was about the same as before, but the thunder martial energy spread rapidly with the drum sound.

Flutter!

On the tree branches in the distance, birds were startled and flew away, and the dogs in the village whimpered and tucked their tails.

As for the others, they only felt a thunderous roar in their brains and took a long time to recover.

Li Yan's eyes were filled with wild joy.

This object could even deter the raw souls of living people; weaker wandering ghosts would likely flee at the sound, and if they were close, their souls would be scattered.

It was a pity that while the power was great, the consumption was also not small.

Just using it once, he felt slightly exhausted.

Shopkeeper Wan leaned over again, pointed to a small copper beast mouth on the drum body, and whispered, "Hang a Demon-Suppressing Coin tassel here for greater power, but with your cultivation, I'm afraid it's hard to activate. And as a trump card, it's best not to reveal it in public."

"Yes, many thanks, Senior."

Li Yan could not hide the joy on his face and cupped his hands in thanks again.

Just then, a rider galloped over from the dirt road at the village entrance.

On the horse was a young man in a martial robe. Arriving in front of the courtyard, he performed a beautiful dismount and cupped his hands. "Liu San from the Zhang Family Martial Hall, greetings to Little Hero Li!"

The Zhang Family Martial Hall wasn't that currently fighting fiercely with the Zhou family? Why were they coming to find him?

Li Yan was somewhat puzzled. "You have come, has something happened?"

Liu San said in a deep voice, "My Master invites you to come over."

"Zhou Pan wants to wash his hands in a golden basin and retire!"

"Wash his hands in a golden basin?"

Li Yan's eyes turned gloomy. "The grudges are not settled; he thinks too beautifully!"

(End of chapter)