"Who's there!"
Li Yan jolted, the vision before his eyes vanishing.
Luo Mingzi waved a hand, and a nearby Taoist tilted his ear to listen. The one skilled in clairvoyance scanned the surroundings, then shook his head slightly.
"What happened?" Luo Mingzi asked.
Still shaken, Li Yan recounted the incident.
Protected by the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin, ordinary soul-bewitching spells were useless against him. In a place like this, he couldn't afford to hide anything.
"This… is it the awakening of the mind root?" the elderly Taoist said, eyes wide with astonishment.
A younger Taoist exclaimed, "Impossible! Only those who've built three-story towers can awaken a second spirit root. This young layman hasn't even built one, has he?"
Luo Mingzi studied Li Yan's left palm, musing, "Perhaps it's the hook tally's effect. This isn't the mind root—it's divine communion!"
"Divine communion?" Li Yan heard the term for the first time.
Luo Mingzi nodded. "Yes, divine communion."
"Earthly deities, spirits, demons… all have true forms. There's no such thing as shapeshifting, as the common folk believe. The body is a vessel, and changing form transcends worldly rules."
"Thus, they communicate with humans through divine thoughts, manifesting as human-like figures. Those with the mind root may dream of strange beings and converse with them. Some, charmed by demons, think they've met a beauty, only to wake in a grave, their vital essence drained…"
"This may be the hook tally's power. Once you build your tower, you could master this, communing with ghosts and gods—a remarkable ability."
The young Taoist, Gu Chenzi, said enviously, "Exactly! Take treasure seeking, for instance. Treasure seekers spend years learning. If you could bargain with spirits, they might reveal their secrets."
"To think the hook tally has such power. Why don't I have this chance…"
"Nonsense!" Luo Mingzi scolded. "Sect rules forbid meddling in underworld affairs. Joining the Taixuan Orthodox Sect means never gaining a hook tally. Likewise, hook tally bearers can't summon heavenly generals. Each has its strengths—don't covet what's not yours."
He turned to Li Yan. "If I'm right, the mountain god of this graveyard, sensing your hook tally, sought your aid. Try communing again."
Li Yan was speechless. "I don't know how…"
Gu Chenzi's eyes lit up. "You must've done something unconsciously. Think carefully."
Li Yan pondered, recalling his actions. "I didn't do much—just followed you in and glanced at the shrine…"
As his gaze fell on the shrine, his vision blurred again.
The same scene reappeared:
The old man sat in a pit, facing him, lips moving.
This time, Li Yan steadied himself, observing closely.
The old man was no human. His bark clothing sprouted leaves, his beard was moss-covered, and his skin was eerie—like bloated, pale-gray flesh.
His lower body resembled a tree, with fleshy tendrils like roots burrowing into the ground.
Good heavens, this was the mountain god? Li Yan marveled, then noticed something odd.
The hat on the old man's head was out of place—a greasy, foul-smelling sack piled atop it.
That's it! Li Yan recalled the intelligence he'd gathered.
Every celestial treasure had a counter.
The mountain ginseng spirit's bane was the Beggar Sect's ancestral cloth sack. Mountain Lord had lingered in the graveyard, armed with it, to seize the treasure.
His thoughts wavered, and the vision faded. Li Yan said gravely, "We need to hurry. They've already succeeded…"
He described what he saw.
"It's a sign," the elderly Taoist mused. "The divine hides in the cave, called the hidden, tied to the spirit lair acupoint. The mountain god is revealing its location."
Gu Chenzi was stunned. "The spirit lair is a human acupoint. What's it got to do with celestial treasures?"
The elderly Taoist glared. "You don't read enough. The Manual of Meridian and Acupoint Study states: 'The spirit lair aligns two inches beside the Purple Palace.' The Purple Palace, or Purple Star Wall, lies north!"
He pulled out a compass, glanced at it, and pointed to the right fork. "That way!"
Li Yan sniffed. "The scent spreads left. Something's off—like it's deliberate. Nearly fooled us."
Before he finished, another vision appeared.
The chained, bloodied mourner priest pointed south.
Li Yan sighed. "Can you come one at a time…"
Seeing Luo Mingzi's glance, he shook his head. "The cold altar mourner priest showed up again."
Luo Mingzi mused, "The hook tally's likely triggering this. When seeking the cold altar, this could summon its guidance."
"Let's move. Stay cautious."
He led them toward the right tunnel.
With the mountain god subdued, they quickened their pace to prevent mishaps.
Sure enough, after a hundred meters, the ear-skilled Taoist's ears twitched. "Crossbow ambush ahead, about ten people."
The group heightened their guard, advancing carefully.
Soon, a corner appeared, blocking their view.
At Luo Mingzi's signal, the clairvoyant Taoist stepped forward, pulling two black pellets from his waist. Igniting them, he flicked them around the corner, where they ricocheted right.
Puff, puff, puff!
The pellets weren't explosives but burned fiercely, releasing choking smoke and blinding white flashes.
Li Yan shut his eyes, inwardly amazed.
Wang Daoxuan had told him that during the Qin and Han dynasties, the Immortal Way sect sought longevity through external alchemy. Though proven futile, it birthed strange techniques.
Like the "red-haired red-face" tomb guardians.
Or substances discovered by chance in alchemy.
These flash-bang-like devices likely contained white phosphorus. That the Law Enforcement Hall used them in combat was fascinating.
In the dark tunnel, the ambushers' eyes were blinded, and the acrid smoke threw them into panic. They loosed their crossbows.
Bang, bang, bang!
Arrows rained, striking the stone walls.
Some, with startling force, lodged in cracks, their fletching buzzing.
But even the fastest crossbows had a reload pause.
As the first volley ended, Luo Mingzi and two Taoists charged, swords drawn.
Masters of physical prowess, their body control was uncanny, and they were hidden strength experts.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
They leaped, rebounding off walls, weaving left and right like lightning, blending into the smoke and flashes. In a breath, they reached the enemy.
Their teamwork was seamless.
Swords flashed, slashing left and right. Their Taoist swordplay was both graceful and lethal. Screams and the sound of blades tearing flesh echoed.
"Too strong, quick—"
Thud!
The last man, trying to flee, was pierced through the throat by Luo Mingzi's sword.
In mere moments, the ambushers were slaughtered.
Li Yan and the others followed.
As the captives had said, the two groups infiltrating the graveyard had allied. The ambushers included fierce martial artists and ragged, vicious beggars.
Some were hidden strength masters, but against the Law Enforcement Hall's tactics, they were powerless.
Watching Luo Mingzi, Li Yan had an idea.
The Taixuan Orthodox Sect's millennia of knowledge gave the Law Enforcement Hall many tools: yarrow grass for invisibility, blinding pellets—small but pivotal in victory. He'd need to snag some before leaving.
Putting aside his scheming, the group pressed on.
The deeper they went, the eerier the tunnel grew.
Chill air swirled, and a sinister mist cloaked the ground in frost. No figures were visible, but dense footprints marked the floor.
Even with the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin, Li Yan smelled clusters of rotting, sinister energy, as if countless eyes watched them.
He kept feeling cold breaths on his neck.
Luo Mingzi was right—on the ninth day at noon, the graveyard's restless spirits had burrowed underground.
If the Bailiff Division had come, a possession could turn their martial prowess into a disaster.
With so many spirits, even the Taoists avoided conflict, using invisibility to pass through the frigid tunnel.
Fortunately, the spirit-haunted stretch was short. They soon reached another fork, with two nearly identical tunnels, each flanked by ancient stone incense burners and altars.
"Another maze?" Gu Chenzi frowned.
The elderly Taoist said gravely, "Both are real!"
He pointed to the center between the tunnels.
Li Yan looked up, seeing a smooth, rounded stone protrusion, seemingly natural.
A faint pulse of earthly righteous energy flowed.
"This is the graveyard's earth vein spirit node," the elderly Taoist explained. "It's the Purple Palace's core. The spirit lair opens two inches beside it, meaning both nodes are valid."
Li Yan sniffed, nodding. "Both paths have scents."
Luo Mingzi mused, "We don't know treasure seekers' methods, but with two spirit lairs, they likely need to act on both to subdue the mountain god."
"Split up. Gu Chenzi, Gu Yuanzi, go left with Brother Luo Fengzi. The rest, with me to the right."
Li Yan saw the logic. Luo Fengzi, the elderly Taoist, was experienced, and both teams had combat and scouting experts.
Splitting up in unfamiliar terrain was risky, but they had no choice.
This was the most rational plan.
Without hesitation, they divided and entered the tunnels.
Soon, the path opened into a natural stone chamber, small and lit by torches, its contents clear.
Occupying it were Western Beggar Sect members.
After court purges, their numbers had dwindled. Ordinary disciples had fled, leaving only vicious beggars loyal to Mountain Lord.
With prior losses, fewer than four beggars remained, all robust, clutching blades, glaring at them.
At the chamber's far end, Mountain Lord sat cross-legged.
The ground beneath him was unlike the rest—a writhing mass of flesh, its surface petrified, revealing white flesh between cracks as it moved, covered in moss.
Mountain Lord's massive frame rested on it, his buttocks atop the Beggar Sect's greasy, blackened ancestral sack.
Tweet~
Venomous snakes slithered in the chamber. As the group appeared, the beggars blew snake whistles and flung throwing knives.
This time, Li Yan's group was caught off guard.
The chamber somehow masked scents, revealing snakes and beggars only upon entry.
As before, celestial treasure sites had innate "formations" that concealed presence.
Still, the group reacted swiftly.
Luo Mingzi and another Taoist stepped forward, shielding Li Yan and the others.
Masters of physical prowess, their swordsmanship was superb.
Li Yan couldn't trace their style, but Taixuan Orthodox Sect's Taoist swordplay was versatile, with fluid, dragon-like strikes—head and tail in harmony, blending hard and soft.
They parried left and right, tracing circles that deflected the knives.
The Taoist beside Li Yan raised an Upper Mysterious Bamboo Envoy Talisman, forming seals and chanting, "Soldiers and fighters, all arrayed, march forth!"
The Pure Embrace Mountain-Climbing Technique was ideal here.
But the four beggars fought fiercely, dancing and blowing whistles, scattering black powder.
Both sides deadlocked, the snakes growing restless.
Li Yan drew his Guanshan Blade, focusing his mind. The Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Blade's tassel quivered, radiating icy killing intent.
This broke the stalemate.
The snakes turned, lunging at the beggars.
"Ah!" Two were bitten, screaming as they tore at the snakes.
Then, Mountain Lord's eyes snapped open. Forming a lotus seal, his chest and abdomen swelled, and he roared, "Scram!"
The shout thundered, echoing in the chamber.
Not only did the snakes flee, but Li Yan and the others felt their minds reel, nearly losing balance.
"Maitreya's Great Brahma Sound!" Luo Mingzi staggered, then steadied, eyes wary. "So you're with the Maitreya Cult."
Mountain Lord rose, his fleshy bulk quivering, his small eyes glinting coldly. Glancing at his snake-bitten men, he sneered, "Useless trash!"
As he spoke, he hefted a nearby spiked mace.
Most maces had wooden handles with iron spikes, but his was solid iron, blackened with dried bloodstains.
Its weight was staggering.
Yet in Mountain Lord's meaty hands, it seemed as light as a child's stick.
Li Yan was surprised. The Western Beggar Sect's leader was a hidden Maitreya Cultist, concealing his identity for years with remarkable restraint.
Wasting no words, Mountain Lord swung the mace upward.
Boom!
A boulder shattered, and debris shot toward them.
The stones carried terrifying force. Blocking with swords risked damaging the blades, so Luo Mingzi and the Taoist beside him used fists and feet to deflect them.
Both were at the peak of hidden strength, their strikes powerful. Bang, bang! The stones crumbled.
But some slipped through.
A fist-sized rock passed between them.
The Taoist casting the Pure Embrace technique couldn't dodge. Struck in the head, he collapsed without a sound.
Li Yan's keen senses let him sidestep a stone. He grabbed a fallen throwing knife, flicked his arm, and hurled it.
Infused with hidden strength, it flew with force.
Mountain Lord's bulk made dodging impossible.
Thud!
The knife sank into his belly.
But what shocked them followed.
His flabby flesh quivered, and the knife lodged only halfway, unable to pierce deeper.
Only a trickle of blood oozed out.
The mountain of a man sneered coldly, seemingly unfazed by pain…
*(End of Chapter)*