Chapter 788: Crisis Approaches

This attitude of Forest Old Man was simply humble to the extreme.

If Li Yan had seen it, he would definitely have raised his vigilance.

Without him, this old monster was a genuine Earth Immortal, and many events caused by the Cocoon Clothing Sect and the Jianmu organization in Jin Ling were presided over by him.

Li Yan and the others still hadn't found out what means he used to kill Battalion Commander Tian.

Being able to make him so respectful, the other party's Daoist practice and status must be even higher.

"Hmph!"

That strange old Daoist called "Hundred Bones True Lord" took a step forward, and the death energy and resentment emanating from his body caused the wild grass under his feet to wither and turn black instantly.

He slammed his skull staff, making a dull impact sound, interrupting Forest Old Man's words, and said in a hoarse voice: "Lei Yin is greedy and never satisfied, bringing humiliation upon herself, ruining the great matter of the Holy Sect! If it weren't for her many years of bitter labor, she should be punished according to the sect rules right now!"

And on the other side, a strange owl-like laughter came from the throat of that "Corpse Clothing Old Woman," like an owl crying in the night: "This old woman said long ago, is that Yangzhou Tripod something easy to deal with? However... her injury also saved some trouble."

"Next, it will be taken over by the two of us."

This old woman's appearance was even stranger.

She wore a "corpse clothing" pieced together from countless rags of different colors and textures, with dark brown stains and strange curse talismans remaining on each rag.

Her face was covered in wrinkles, like a dried orange peel, and her eyes were turbid and yellow. She held a dilapidated earthen jar in her hand that kept wriggling and making *gulu* strange sounds.

Where her filthy black bare feet stepped, countless tiny poisonous insects burrowed out of the soil.

Listening to the two people's words, Forest Old Man lowered his head quickly, not daring to say more.

Being Earth Immortals, he knew the chasm between them.

He was just a last-generation disciple of the mountain-wild small sect "Guardian Mountain Sect," who by chance fused with the mountain god's skeleton after death, becoming an "Earth Immortal Mountain Demon," and driving hundreds of beasts was his limit.

And these two in front of him were old demons who had shaken the world with their ferocity hundreds of years ago, and were even more unfathomable core members of Jianmu, on equal footing with Lady Lei Yin.

No matter which side it was, he couldn't afford to offend them.

Naturally, he didn't dare to take this topic.

*Whoosh~*

Just at this moment, a wild wind blew up for no reason from the depths of the mass grave.

From the wind came a fine, *sasha* sound like fingernails scratching paper.

Five pale figures, wrapped in withered leaves and wild wind, drifted from between the graves.

They were fluttering, their movements stiff and uniform; they were five paper-cut puppets covered in lead powder, with rouge on their cheeks and wearing burial clothes.

On the shoulders of the paper people was a light small sedan chair also tied with white paper and bamboo strips.

The sedan curtain moved without wind, revealing an old man in a green shirt sitting inside.

The old man had white hair and beard, a refined face, and a scholarly aura between his brows. If it weren't for being in the mass grave, he would look like an old Confucian scholar who had read many books.

He was twisting a string of pitch-black, shiny beads that were neither wood nor stone. On the surface of each bead, a phantom of a distorted and painful human face vaguely appeared.

The paper sedan landed silently.

The five paper people stood with their hands down, their eye sockets empty, full of death energy.

Forest Old Man narrowed his eyes, squeezing out a smile, "Is the Zhou Banzhu not in Lingnan? Why have you come to Jin Ling?"

He spoke politely, but his eyes were full of vigilance.

The person who came was exactly the true core of the Ghost Opera Troupe, the mysterious "Zhou Banzhu"!

He had stirred up bloody storms in the Jianghu many years ago, and after being silent for decades, he appeared again, rebuilding the Ghost Opera Troupe in a short time, a hundred times larger than before.

Being able to do this naturally meant he was no good person.

He was also an Earth Immortal, but no one knew his roots.

But Forest Old Man had seen with his own eyes that this "Zhou Banzhu" had once forcibly extracted the soul of an opera actor who had made a mistake, sealed it into a thin human-skin shadow, and that shadow person was still screaming shrilly in the backstage of the opera troupe, performing a never-ending solo play.

His methods were fierce and powerful, making him very wary.

The Ghost Opera Troupe's participation in the Jin Ling matter was at the invitation of the Jianmu organization. This "Zhou Banzhu" who was far away in Lingnan suddenly visited, naturally making Forest Old Man raise his vigilance.

"Hmm."

Facing Forest Old Man's inquiry, the "Zhou Banzhu" just nodded slightly, then looked to the side, and spoke: "Daoist Brother Hundred Bones, Friend Corpse Clothing, long time no see."

His voice was gentle and mellow, completely out of place with this gloomy place.

He nodded slightly, carrying a kind of old-fashioned scholar's etiquette.

Seeing him like this, Forest Old Man was a bit annoyed, but hearing the other party directly call Hundred Bones True Lord and Corpse Clothing Old Woman "Daoist Brother" and "Friend" made him even more shocked in his heart.

No wonder Lei Yin told him to be respectful to this "Zhou Banzhu."

It turned out his roots were also not simple.

Hundred Bones True Lord's green fire on the skull staff jumped, rarely not snorting coldly, just pulling the corners of his mouth with a fake smile: "The Zhou Banzhu has also arrived. It seems this 'play' in Jin Ling is becoming more and more exciting."

In his words, there was clearly not as much arrogance as toward Forest Old Man.

Corpse Clothing Old Woman's turbid yellow eyeballs stared at the human-face beads in the Zhou Banzhu's hand, and a *gulu* swallowing sound came from her throat, as if she were drooling: "Hehe... this 'Hundred Resentment Bead' of the Zhou Banzhu, the resentment is becoming more and more pure... this old woman is jealous just looking at it."

"A few minor tricks, hard to enter the eyes of the Old Woman."

The "Zhou Banzhu" smiled gently, tucking the beads into his sleeve, "I came here at the invitation of Jianmu this time. One is to assist the two Daoist friends in accomplishing the matter, and the second is... also to borrow this 'stage' in Jin Ling to submit a 'letter of intent' to join the Holy Sect."

"I hope the two Daoist friends will speak more kind words in front of the Venerable Envoy."

Forest Old Man trembled in his heart, not daring to breathe.

It turned out that this mysterious Zhou Banzhu was accepting Jianmu's inspection.

How harsh was Jianmu's standard for absorbing members? Only the best among Earth Immortals could enter their eyes. Once joined, he would be on the same level as Lady Lei Yin!

"Talk after you've accomplished the matter."

Hundred Bones True Lord neither promised nor denied, and turned his head to look at Forest Old Man again, saying in a deep voice: "Lei Yin, that waste, is recuperating and can't do anything. Jin Ling is taken over by the three of us. Speak, what is the situation now?"

Forest Old Man felt as if he had been granted amnesty, but his waist was still bent respectfully: "Yes, True Lord!"

He didn't dare to hide anything, quickly telling all the intelligence he had mastered:

"Reporting to the three Venerables, Jin Ling has now become the center of the vortex! The various sects of the Jiangnan Daoist path reacted extremely quickly. The old Daoist Qingwei of Maoshan has already arrived at the periphery of Taihu. Although they failed to penetrate deep into the monster army camp, the news of Lady Lei Yin's serious injury and seclusion has probably been passed back..."

"Experts from Dharma lineages such as the Tiger Gate Order, Lushan, and Jade Emperor Sect are constantly gathering at the Qixia Mountain Daoist Temple, fully deploying the nodes of the 'Nine Dragons Locking Abyss Array' to guard the bronze bell. What's more troublesome is..."

He paused, his voice carrying a trace of solemnity: "There is definite news that the contemporary Celestial Master of the Jiangnan Mystic Sect leader 'Southern Celestial Master Dao,' Zhang Jingxuan, has left the Long Hu Mountain main altar and is rushing here day and night!"

"Several high-merit Dharma masters of his 'Five Thunder Commandant's Office' have also arrived first. In addition, the leader of the 'Tianxin Orthodox Method Sect' in Minzhong is also on the way!"

"Both of these people have brought the sect's treasure..."

"The time left for us is probably at most three days!"

Hearing the name "Zhang Jingxuan," the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Kou Qianzhi of Northern Wei reformed the Celestial Master Dao, establishing a new Celestial Master Daoist field in Pingcheng, which was Datong in Jinzhou, historically known as the "Northern Celestial Master Dao." Later, because Northern Qi worshipped Buddhism throughout the country, Daoism was an evil religion in Northern Qi, and Emperor Wenxuan ordered the abolition of Daoism. Thus, there were no Daoists in Qi territory, and the Northern Celestial Master Daoist group vanished.

During the Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, the Lushan Daoist Lu Xiujing founded the "Southern Celestial Master Dao." Later, the Northern and Southern Celestial Master Dao merged, with Long Hu Mountain as the ancestral court.

Originally, there was no "Southern Celestial Master Dao," but there was a small story in it. ===== CHAPTER 789 =====