Chapter 999: The Sun-Moon Rotation, Three Sacred Methods

The ghost opera troupe, along with the Daoist Tongshen, widened the tunnel and reached the vaulted ceiling of the underground palace.

Gazing at the hole opened at the bracket set, Tongshen Lao Dao stroked his beard and studied the inscribed talismans on the bracket.

Earlier, he had carelessly revealed too much.

It was because he had underestimated these tomb robbers.

Now that he knew the Nine You General’s path of cultivation was truly extraordinary, he naturally had to be more discreet.

The Nine You General bent down to peer into the pitch-black hole and said to those beside him: “Golden Rooster!”

A golden-robed rooster with dragon eyes and phoenix wings was handed over; the Nine You General embraced it and hurled the half-man-tall bird downward.

The golden rooster flapped its wings and vanished into the darkness.

At that moment, the Nine You General tossed a bronze goose lamp toward the southeast corner of the underground palace; it landed firmly on the ground.

But the tiny flame, glowing faintly in the dark, illuminated the surroundings—numerous bizarrely shaped paper figures, carriages, and horses, exquisitely crafted; had they not appeared too thin, they would have seemed utterly real.

The flame burned faintly on the ground, then flickered once—its color shifted to green.

The tomb robbers beside the Nine You General stirred slightly, but he remained calm: “What’s there to fear? In an ordinary grave, this ghost fire lantern would be a dire omen—but this is one of the Three Great Ghost Tombs of Zhigucheng. Isn’t such a bad omen expected here?”

The tomb robber beside him frowned: “General! This life-lamp is as small as a bean—this indicates the tomb’s owner had an ordinary fate, fitting for a eunuch with no roots. But the flame is green with a tinge of red—no, green with blood. The tomb’s master may have become something… unnatural…”

“As long as the lamp hasn’t gone out, it’s fine!”

The Nine You General remained as unmoved as Mount Tai.

At that instant, the once-steady flame suddenly flickered twice—within that moment, the outer green flame nearly extinguished, leaving only a single thread of blood-red flame trembling like a dying candle.

The Tongshen Lao Dao, who had been studying the talismans, suddenly turned his head; that fleeting flash of crimson sent a chill through his heart.

In that instant, Tongshen Lao Dao’s pupils contracted into coin shapes—and he seemed to see every paper figure illuminated by the life-lamp transform into corpses with faces smeared in filth, staring up at them.

The small black dog circling the Nine You General’s feet let out a yelp, cowering and trembling, leaking a few drops of yellow fluid.

The Nine You General grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck, slit its small paw marked with plum-blossom prints, and squeezed out a few drops of black dog blood. Then he picked up the bamboo horsewhip—a six-section black bamboo rod tied with five white silk tassels, resembling a fly whisk.

He swung the whip and roared: “Unfurl the fan!”

Two attendants raised two copper-wire bamboo combs covered in fire-silk cloth, painted on both sides with Suzhou embroidery: one side depicted a dragon and jade phoenix, the other showed stars and moon shining high, the third showed clouds and the rising sun—exactly the Sun-Moon Treasure Fan used in Beijing Opera, only raised when the Emperor appears.

As the black dog blood splattered, a long cry erupted from a dark corner of the underground palace.

The golden rooster had landed atop the coffin platform, stretching its neck to crow.

Its piercing cry shattered stone; the entire underground palace was flooded with light, the sound tearing through darkness and dissolving the writhing, unknown entities within.

The entire palace blazed with illumination—the life-lamp had suddenly swelled from a bean-sized green flame into a blazing orange-yellow fireball, so bright it blinded the eyes.

With the palace now lit, its contents became plainly visible to all.

In the front section, where burial goods were placed, pearls, jewels, coral, and precious zithers filled the space with opulence—three chariots, court ladies resembling palace maids, eunuchs resembling attendants, arranged in rows in postures of dance, music, service, and offering.

But this lavish burial, if made of paper, appeared profoundly eerie.

Each painted, red-and-green paper figure was lifelike; even the pearls, jewels, and coral resembled the real thing nine-tenths of the way.

Behind the paper figures and horses stood row upon row of blue-and-white porcelain jars, then a coffin platform of blue stone, atop which rested a bronze coffin.

This was not the main burial chamber; the coffin had been placed here, and no one knew whose burial goods these were.

The Nine You General stared at the paper figures occupying half the palace, his expression startled. Tomb robbers might speak of countless theories, but in truth, they only cared for “treasures.” Seeing these paper offerings, he was first startled, then furious.

“This tomb rivals a royal mausoleum—how could the burial goods be so meager?”

“Even a Han prince’s tomb wouldn’t use only paper offerings! Even a wealthy commoner wouldn’t bury his dead with nothing but paper! What’s the point of burying this stuff without burning it?”

Several young tomb robbers couldn’t hold back: “Don’t let him fool us with Zhang San’s tricks!”

The older tomb robbers, however, wore grim expressions. The Nine You General exhaled slowly: “Paper People Path…”

“Even the most powerful eunuch of the previous dynasty, who died loyal to his fallen monarch, would have no burial goods in such a grave. Could the invading barbarians of the Gan Dynasty have had such refined tastes?” An older tomb robber snapped back: “Even their emperor likely had nothing fine—this one was utterly destitute.”

The Nine You General raised his hand to stop him: “Poverty strengthens resolve—it’s no bad thing. Besides, he died loyal to his country… Don’t speak ill.”

“Even if they’re paper figures, the Paper King of Zhigucheng might not have been able to craft these.”

“They’ve been painted with eyes—they’ve likely gained spirit. Watch yourselves!”

The Nine You General turned to Tongshen Lao Dao and asked: “Dao Master, after all this study, have you uncovered anything?”

Tongshen Lao Dao raised his thumb: “Not as impressive as your black dog barking at the moon, golden rooster calling the sun, and reversing yin and yang. I thought your ‘life-lamp’ was merely avoiding the word ‘ Ming ,’ but now I see—this lamp is neither yin nor yang. It truly is a ‘Bright Lamp.’ It illuminates not only the tomb’s master’s fate, but the fate of heaven and earth.”

“Heaven and earth are the great tomb; the tomb is a small heaven and earth.”

“You speak with profound insight!”

“The lamp rests in the southeast; the mirror is placed in the northwest…”

Tongshen Lao Dao pointed to the tunnel they had dug—this was the northwest corner of the underground palace.

One of the Nine You General’s men held a bronze mirror, reflecting the scene below.

The small black dog crouched at the Nine You General’s feet; its reflection appeared in the mirror.

“But where is the tripod?”

Tongshen Lao Dao’s words revealed the ritual the Nine You General had performed.

In this world, lamp, mirror, and tripod are the most sacred symbolic objects. Thus, the Nine You General used the bright lamp to represent the sun, the bronze mirror to represent the moon, then summoned the black dog to bark at the moon, driving back the silver moon, and the golden rooster to herald dawn, summoning the golden sun—reversing day and night within this miniature realm of the tomb.

To bring the tomb’s temporal sequence into daylight!

With this bright lamp illuminating the tomb, suppressing all evil, the tomb now resembled a grave exposed to midday sunlight—any evil spirit would lose seven-tenths of its power.

More potent than simply digging open a grave to let in daylight.

Haven’t you seen how the spirit-awakened paper figures have all returned to their true forms, their malevolence vanished?

Yet Tongshen Lao Dao, though highly accomplished, missed one crucial detail: the Sun-Moon Treasure Fan represented the true form of the Yin-Yang Dao Lord and was itself a vital artifact. The Nine You General used the fan to replace the tripod, constructing the “Small Heaven and Earth Reversing Yin-Yang Array,” with additional control methods—each swing of the sun fan symbolized the sun rising higher; any demon or spirit facing even one swing would have its soul scattered.

Three swings brought it to noon—the peak of its power.

But each subsequent swing grew weaker; after the sixth, dusk fell, and the array’s power diminished greatly.

Yet the moon fan held its own mystery—it could aid yin and strengthen ghosts. Each swing summoned the tomb’s malevolent spirits, amplified their ferocity, nourished their spiritual forms, and pacified the undead and zombies.

After sensing Tongshen Lao Dao’s unusual insight, the Nine You General had invested heavily, deploying the “Small Heaven and Earth Reversing Yin-Yang Array” and activating the “Sun-Moon Rotation Three Sacred Methods.”

Watching Tongshen Lao Dao speak so confidently, the Nine You General reined in his pride and said solemnly: “Dao Master, sharp eyes indeed!”

Tongshen Lao Dao leaned on his chess banner, gazing down at the underground palace: “This place imitates palace architecture—eaves and bracket sets—likely built by a Gan Dynasty master or shaman. Even if the tomb is a microcosm, containing only transformation, it remains a ghost tomb. Yet its overall structure must leave traces. Why would a mere eunuch warrant such a grand mausoleum from the Gan Dynasty? It’s strange.”

“Moreover, examining the talismans carved on the bracket set, aside from the usual protective, exorcising, and Tai Shan talismans used in yin dwellings, there is one set that surprised even me.”

The Nine You General’s expression flickered with surprise; he praised the Daoist: “Oh? Dao Master, please elaborate…”

“Yao Guang Soul-Seizing Talisman!” Tongshen Lao Dao pointed to the engraved, blood-red talismans on the bricks: “There… and there…”

He marked several spots on the palace-style brick beams, forming the shape of the Big Dipper’s ladle.

“This entire set is called the Nine Stars Soul-Sealing, Evil-Destroying, Illusion-Dispelling, Truth-Revealing Talisman…”

The Nine You General interrupted: “It is used to suppress evil, wear down malevolent spirits, control falsehood, and dispel illusions to reveal truth!”

Tongshen Lao Dao’s expression changed slightly—he knew the first eight words roughly, but “control falsehood, dispel illusions to reveal truth”? Did this set of talismans have another function in this world?

The Nine You General merely took a deep breath and said: “Descend!”

He leapt forward, executing a perfect eagle flip, landing steadily from several zhang high—his martial arts foundation evident in his flawless posture. Behind him, the bandits lowered a rope ladder; the Nine You General’s troupe, having disguised themselves as performers since childhood, were all agile and swift.

After landing, the group circled wide around the eerie paper figures and reached the six large jars placed in the palace.

The jars were blue-and-white porcelain dragon-patterned jars, sealed with bronze lids.

Fan Cun, trailing quietly with the Reincarnation Squad, saw the six jars and his expression shifted—he recalled the black Taosui kept by the Xuanzhen Sect Master in a similar jar, the scene of human heads bobbing within it haunting his dreams.

Could these jars also contain human heads?

Tongshen Lao Dao stood before the jars, motionless. In this world, lamp, mirror, and tripod—and their variants—were the most dangerous. Wasn’t this blue-and-white porcelain jar a “cup” or “tripod”? Could it be linked to the Three Transformative Lords? Who knew what lay inside?

Tongshen Lao Dao stood still; the Nine You General did too—he understood the taboos even better.

Especially since, when setting up the “Small Heaven and Earth Reversing Yin-Yang Array,” he had originally concealed a “tripod” in the shadows—but sensed its symbolism triggered some hidden opportunity, he immediately withdrew it.

Now it seemed clear: the source of the tripod’s disturbance was these six jars.

A knowledgeable tomb robber stepped forward: “These are Qing Dynasty palace fire-prevention porcelain jars…”

Fan Cun stared at the two rows of jars and murmured: “If they sealed them with bronze, why use porcelain? So brittle, so easily broken…”

“All living things are made of clay. Fired into porcelain, they achieve a kind of transcendence. Thus porcelain borders on the divine—ideal for sealing certain things, especially dragon-patterned porcelain from the palace.”

The Nine You General glanced at Fan Cun and explained kindly.

Beside the Nine You General, a tomb robber dressed like a bookkeeper, holding a compass, stroked his goatee and added: “Firing one such jar costs a fortune.”

“That foolish emperor, to brew elixirs, ordered Jingdezhen to fire these dragon-patterned jars day and night—said they were for cultivating the ‘Great Medicine.’”

Tongshen Lao Dao’s heart stirred—these Nine You troupe members clearly held deep hostility toward the Gan Dynasty!

Fan Cun stared at the six jars. The sensation he felt was no illusion—something seemed to whisper from within, a murmur, a babble—he thought he heard the contents writhing, crawling…

Thud!

A heavy thump echoed from the jar’s mouth—the bronze lid jolted upward, as if something inside was trying to burst out.

Everyone in the Nine You troupe shuddered—even those advancing toward the bronze coffin turned back.

“There’s something inside!”

The Nine You General frowned. Under the Small Heaven and Earth Reversing Yin-Yang Array, even evil spirits shouldn’t be this active.

He extended his right hand; someone handed him the Sunlight Treasure Fan. The fan, mounted behind an emperor’s back, stood nearly a man’s height—heavy in hand, yet the Nine You General lifted it steadily and swung it hard. A wave of heat surged forth, like the scorching air of summer, even carrying the scent of sunlight.

Tongshen Lao Dao’s eyes narrowed—he had misjudged again.

The Nine You troupe had lost several men to a single dog—but even a hundred flesh-eating dogs would be reduced to charred bones before this fan.

Even a green-furred great zombie would be incinerated by a single swing—yet the blue-and-white jar remained unmoved, showing no reaction. Instead, the bronze lid thudded again, two of the nine dragon locks sealing the jar’s rim snapping clean.

Tongshen Lao Dao kicked off and leapt onto the blue-and-white jar, crossing his legs and sitting atop the bronze lid.

Only then did he notice a massive “ Wan ” symbol cast into the lid, surrounded by lotus petals and six Sanskrit seed syllables: “Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra, Lotus Jewel Canopy, Wan Radiance!”

“The Gan Dynasty summoned a Vajrayana master to suppress what’s inside!”

The General of Jiuyou also hurried forward to examine it; this time, he carefully studied the patterns and rubbed the copper surface, his face filled with astonishment: “Xuande brazier!”

“Can this even suppress the thing below?”

“What?” The Daoist of Divine Penetration slightly lowered his head.

“The story of how the previous dynasty cast Xuande braziers is not unknown to everyone in the antiques trade—it’s practically beginner’s knowledge! But few know that Xuande braziers are so rare not merely because the copper was refined nine times and nine times, mixed with gold, silver, and precious gems, and forged under the guidance of high Daoist masters, but because in the final years of the previous dynasty, when Liaodong was in dire straits, the emperor melted down every incense burner, Buddha statue, ritual vessel, and ancient artifact in the palace to mint coins!”

“Of course, these weren’t ordinary coins—they were military pay for the front-line troops, meant to protect them and ward off evil, shielding them from shamanic sorcery and the demons of the northeast.”

“Had these coins actually reached the hands of the Liaodong troops, the previous dynasty might still have had a chance to recover. But half of these treasures, forged at great cost from the imperial collection, vanished before they even left the capital; half more disappeared before reaching the Liaodong front. Not a single coin ever reached the common soldiers—the last batch fell into the hands of the Guan-Ning military clan!”

“Later, when the Shun army stormed the city and looted extensively, they unearthed hundreds of thousands of these talismanic coins.”

“Eventually, these talismanic coins fell into the hands of the Gan Dynasty, who periodically bestowed them upon esoteric masters to forge magical artifacts—still, they have not been exhausted to this day. All these copper lids were cast from that very batch of talismanic coins!”

Grave robbers were half-antique dealers; the General of Jiuyou needed only one glance to recognize the origin of the copper lid.

The Daoist of Divine Penetration slapped a verification talisman, crafted by a Wheel Lord: the Great Radiant Lotus Cover—forged by a Tibetan Living Buddha using supreme mental power, imprinted with the Six-Syllable Great Radiant Mantra, and guided by thousands of lamas chanting the Heart Mantra of the Great White Umbrella Goddess during a grand assembly on the Great Snow Mountains; its main material is crimson fire copper, mixed with minute traces of heavenly fire purple copper, solar gold essence, and lunar silver soul, possessing immense suppressive power against yin and evil.

Sssss…

The Daoist of Divine Penetration drew in a sharp breath—the last emperor of the previous dynasty must have melted down more than one legendary artifact.

Heavenly fire purple copper, solar gold essence, lunar silver soul—these were Jipin materials for forging magical artifacts, worthy even in the celestial realms.

Even with the immense power of a Tibetan Living Buddha, these materials could not suppress the thing inside the porcelain jar—how terrifying must that thing be?

He felt even he, a Yangshen-level master, dared not lightly provoke it!

“No!” The Daoist of Divine Penetration suddenly realized: “If even this artifact cannot suppress it, how could a mere ordinary porcelain jar possibly seal it? This thing only targets the copper lid—it doesn’t even touch the jar. There must be something amiss!”

At that moment, the seat beneath the Daoist of Divine Penetration shook violently, as if a true dragon were about to burst forth.

Even the power of the Five Elements could not match its terror!

The Daoist of Divine Penetration formed the Lion Mudra with both hands and roared: “Ba… Mi…”

Above the copper lid, the lotus phantom surged, blooming instantly into three tiers, Cengcengdiedie petals cradling the old man’s buttocks; the golden lotus trembled, barely holding down the thing beneath.

Countless Buddhist chants echoed through the underground palace, the wave of lamas’ mantras pouring into the porcelain jar beneath him…