Chapter 50: What Did the Sage Say?

Meng Jingzhou found a piece of tiger skin. It was old, looking like it had a hundred years of history, but it was well-preserved, and the dense small characters on it were clearly visible. Lu Yang and Man Gu curiously stretched their necks to look, but they didn't recognize the script.

"This is Demon Script, the internal language of the demon race," Meng Jingzhou said, as he happened to know it.

The Fox clan is naturally promiscuous, which is reflected in their writing. They often write unhealthy books, and if someone performs certain indescribable acts with these books, the author can collect a trace of Yang energy.

Therefore, most of the unhealthy books circulating in the Central Continent are written by the Fox clan. Despite official efforts to publicize their dangers and campaigns every few years to destroy them, these books continue to circulate in the black market, impossible to ban.

Meng Jingzhou was quite obsessed with such books when he was young, though he didn't know what "indescribable acts" were back then; he just thought the books were good.

To read the original versions, he specifically learned the Demon Script.

"You're so studious?" Lu Yang and Man Gu were surprised. Cultivation can enhance memory, so learning a language doesn't take long.

But the problem was that Meng Jingzhou learned the Demon Script before he even started cultivating, which was quite impressive.

Meng Jingzhou didn't want to explain the reason, only saying he had some interest in demon culture.

Man Gu felt that Brother Meng was truly Brother Meng—studying hard without showing off, humble in behavior, and noble in character; he was worth learning from.

"What does the tiger skin say?"

"Let me see... Ghostly things, Yin moves while Yang avoids... this is a method for driving ghost servants."

Meng Jingzhou browsed through it quickly, calculated in his mind, and soon deduced the secret manual's purpose.

"The old hunter must have been refined this way."

"There are requirements for refining ghost objects: the cultivation base must differ by two major levels. Refining mortals is an exception; one can refine mortal souls after reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining."

The technique of driving ghost servants is quite useless, as only those two realms lower than oneself can be refined. Even if one refines a ghost servant, can one really expect them to fight on the front lines?

Just like the battle with the tiger demon earlier, if a ghost servant appeared, its effect would be worse than cannon fodder, posing no threat at all.

"Do you need me to translate it all for you? This thing doesn't seem to have species restrictions; humans can practice it too, though the tiger demon had the best results."

Man Gu wanted to ask what the use of learning this was, but Lu Yang analyzed: "We are joining the demonic sect, so demonic methods are indispensable. This ghost-driving technique is perfect for maintaining appearances. The hunter's residence has ready-made ghost servants. Translate the technique on the tiger skin, and the three of us will learn it together."

Lu Yang had originally planned to eliminate the remaining ghost servants, but now that the situation had changed, it wouldn't be too late to disperse their souls after using them.

According to the tiger demon, the ghost servants were all willing to serve after death, driven as ghosts to harm travelers.

They all deserved to die.

"Fine." Meng Jingzhou agreed immediately. He spread paper, ground ink, and with a flourish of his brush, quickly wrote down the ghost-driving technique.

"I won't practice it. I have a Pure Yang Spirit Root. Ghosts see me like snow sees the sun; they would quickly melt away. I can't practice this purely Yin-attributed spell."

Lu Yang and Man Gu didn't say much and practiced together.

Before long, a cold wind blew through the cave, accompanied by the faint wailing of ghosts, bringing endless chill that pierced the bones and froze the marrow.

Lu Yang felt his body lighten, his feet leaving the ground, floating in the air like a ghost.

He felt his mind was clearer than ever, his five senses sharp, able to perceive every subtle detail around him. He also felt Meng Jingzhou like a raging inferno, scorching hot!

"Hmm? What's going on?" Lu Yang was puzzled. He looked down and found his body sitting cross-legged on the ground, perfectly fine.

"No, it's not that I can fly; my soul has left my body!"

Meng Jingzhou noticed Lu Yang's abnormality and shouted in terror: "Only Nascent Soul stage cultivators can have their souls leave their bodies to travel thousands of miles. How are you doing it now?"

"Get back quickly! You're only at the Foundation Establishment stage and haven't cultivated your soul yet. It's easily damaged, and once damaged, it's hard to repair!"

Lu Yang realized the problem and operated the ghost-driving mantra to return his soul to normal.

"How did you do that?" Meng Jingzhou had never heard of anyone at the Foundation Establishment stage daring to have their soul leave their body.

There was no such spell at all.

Lu Yang was also extremely puzzled: "I just followed the ghost-driving technique you wrote. I felt I understood it completely, there were no problems, so I tried operating it to see what it was like, and it turned into this."

Meng Jingzhou looked at Lu Yang with a strange expression: "Could it be that you treated your own soul as a ghost servant and drove yourself?"

He had never heard of such a way to practice, but given the current situation, it was the only explanation.

Lu Yang thought about it and couldn't think of any other possibility.

Lu Yang asked Meng Jingzhou to stay further away and tried several more times, but the result was the same: his soul would leave his body.

"What's wrong with my spell talent?"

The two had no choice but to wait for Man Gu to wake up and ask if his situation was the same as Lu Yang's.

When Man Gu woke up, he saw Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou looking at him expectantly, leaving him confused.

"Did you learn the ghost-driving technique?"

"I have some insights; I should be able to drive eight mortal souls."

"Can you drive yourself and have your soul leave your body?" Lu Yang looked at Man Gu expectantly, wanting him to say yes, which would prove he hadn't practiced it wrong.

Man Gu was even more confused: "How is that possible? This is a ghost-driving technique. Can one really drive one's own soul as a ghost servant?"

Meng Jingzhou looked at Lu Yang and recounted his learning process, leaving Man Gu full of admiration.

Brother Lu had a sharp mind and high talent for learning spells, unmatched by anyone; Brother Meng was talented and learned.

Along the way, he had learned many things; it was just like what the Sage had said.

What did the Sage say again?

Oh right, the Sage said: "Among three people walking, there must be my teacher."

"We should go find the ghost servants." Seeing there was nothing worth looting in the cave, Meng Jingzhou called his companions to leave.

"You go first. I need to handle something and will follow shortly." Lu Yang asked Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu to leave first.

Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu didn't think much of it and left the tiger's den.

Once he was sure they were gone, Lu Yang's smile faded, and his expression gradually turned calm.

He walked to the depths of the cave, saw the mountain of bones, and sighed softly.

"So they were here."

When Lu Yang saw the various items, he had guessed that with the tiger demon's caution, it wouldn't throw bones outside after eating people, as that would be too easy to expose itself. The safe behavior was to keep the remains in the cave.

Reality confirmed his thoughts.

These poor people, who came from different places and passed through Songshan for various reasons, only to be lured and devoured, had their final resting place in this small cave.

Lu Yang didn't speak again. His Green Blade Sword cut through iron like mud, and he easily sliced a large rock from the cave wall.

He smoothed the rock, recited the Rebirth Mantra, set up a tombstone for these poor souls, stood in silence for a moment, wondering what he was thinking, and then turned and left.

"Sorry for the wait, let's go." Lu Yang called his two companions to leave this unpleasant place. ===== CHAPTER 51 =====