Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 353 The final madness
"I have been traveling in the First Ghost Realm, the 'Realm of Life and Death', for nearly thirty years. While waiting for the Ghost Market to open, I accidentally offended a stingy ghost named 'Feng Shang', and it planted a little 'ghost' in my body. I rewarded it with a 'mortal' soul entanglement, and both sides are even, and no one suffered a loss."

Mr. Kou, who was wearing a half-worn Confucian robe, stood up and returned the greeting.

He saw the confusion on Xu Yuanchang's face, stroked his white beard, and explained the reason with a smile.

The old man had an open mind and did not take seriously the "ghosts and spirits" that were deeply entangled with the glorious literary style.

Yan Ruoxing bowed and praised: "With a little noble spirit in your heart, what's the harm if the ghost spirit enters your body?"

He and Kou Xueqian had worked together in the Qingping County Academy for thirty years and had a good relationship with each other. He was one of the few people who could enter Master Kou's study. However, Master Kou was notoriously old-fashioned and never allowed books on the bookshelf to be loaned out, no matter how good their friendship was.

He didn't know what kind of great opportunity the old man had got. In just over a hundred years, he had made a rapid breakthrough from the third floor to the sixth floor. He heard from the old man that he had traveled to the Barbarian Yuan Realm, the Fushan Realm, and the Life and Death Ghost Realm.

Compared with a hundred years ago, Mr. Kou has become calm, humble and easy to talk to.

If his own righteousness had not changed, he would almost suspect that the old man was possessed by a ghost.

This was the third time Meng Shanhe had dealt with the old Confucian cultivator. They were both from the Daning Dynasty, so they were naturally close emotionally. He said, "Fellow Daoist Kou, don't be careless. It is said that the ghost energy of the wronged souls of the sixth-level ghost cultivators is very troublesome. It is better to find a way to remove it as soon as possible, so as not to affect your future practice."

Master Kou traveled through the three realms and experienced countless dangers. He showed a bitter smile on his face: "I was hit by the ghost energy of the wronged soul of a seventh-level ghost cultivator. It's more than just a trouble. It's almost life-threatening."

The Feng Shang whom he offended was only at the sixth level, but he did not expect that the sinister ghost cultivator had the ghost energy of wronged souls that had been refined by the seventh-level Yuan Ghost.

He nearly lost his life in the ghost world of life and death, but fortunately he found a Youluo Ghost Inn in the ghost town. He almost spent all his money and went through a lot of trouble to return to Qianfangding Continent.

Meng Shanhe, Yan Ruoxing and Xu Yuanchang were all surprised at the same time.

"How can you suppress the outbreak of the 'Ghosts of the Wrath' spell?"

Xu Yuanchang knew a lot about supernatural things. He used the Yin-Yang Magic Fire to protect his eyes and looked the old man up and down. He did not see that Old Kou was in danger of being killed. However, the cold aura that was not obvious gave him a creepy feeling in his heart.

Master Kou said whatever he wanted to say, "When I was traveling in Wuxian Mountain, I was lucky enough to pick up a jade pen, which benefited me a lot. I am currently using the ancient pen to suppress the wronged souls and using my cultivation to slowly dissipate the cold aura, but it is not a long-term solution." He looked at Xu Yuanchang and said, "I heard that Mr. Mu, who is on good terms with you, is proficient in the art of medicine and alchemy. There is also the mysterious Fellow Daoist Ye, who has even greater magical powers. Can you introduce him to them?"

No matter how open-minded and broad-minded he is, he doesn't want to die because of the revenge of wronged souls.

I also want to go to a higher place and broaden my horizons in the upper realm.

Half a year was enough time for him to understand the situation of the masters in the four continents. Unfortunately, everyone's cultivation strength was similar, and no one could help him, so he did not rashly go to them to ask for help.

Mr. Mu is not only an expert in medicine and alchemy, he is also the first master in Qianfang Realm to condense the Dharma Image.

He had been waiting for Xu Yuanchang, who had been out on business, to return to the dark world.

Xu Yuanchang was very grateful for the old master's teachings, so he did not refuse and said, "I will contact Daoist Fellow Ye when I leave the city. I wonder if Daoist Fellow Ye is willing to meet him? Mr. Mu is no longer in the dark world. If necessary, I will go to Dingzhou again and try to communicate with Mr. Mu."

He spent decades studying the jade slips left to him by Lao Li and learned a lot from them.

Although I don't know to what extent Lao Li has recovered, I guess there should be no problem with him leaving phantom clones in more than ten cities in Dingzhou. Otherwise, why would the young man in green robe be seen everywhere every time something happened?
Old Master Kou stood up, bowed, and together with several other people, escorted Xu Yuanchang out of the hall.

Xu Yuanchang did not let his nephew follow him. He left the city alone and shouted "Ye Changmeng" several times from a distance of a hundred miles. He greeted him and briefly explained the matter. Finally, he asked, "Do you have a way to deal with the ghost energy of the wronged souls and spirits cultivated by the seventh-level ghost cultivators?"

After waiting for a long time, a piece of paper came floating in the wind from afar.

Xu Yuanchang caught the note, which had two lines of scribbled words on it, in his usual sarcastic and mean style.

"Mind your own business, and you'll get into trouble. You should find a way to solve the problem yourself. I don't have time to deal with you."

"Mr. Ye, can you please talk properly... Uh, let me 'figure it out myself', can I solve Mr. Kou's troubles?"

Xu Yuanchang was shaking the note and shouting curses, when he suddenly realized that Lao Li was reminding him that he had a way to deal with the ghost energy of the wronged souls cultivated by the seventh-level ghost cultivator.

He suddenly thought of the Altar of Creation. After decades of continuous feeding with various materials, the Altar of Creation seemed to have entered a bottleneck period of stagnation, and its progress was extremely slow.

Perhaps, after overcoming the bottleneck, the Creation Altar will usher in a new upgrade.

After advancing to the fifth level of the Creation Divine Platform, his power in smelting materials and exorcising evil spirits will be greatly enhanced, which will also improve his combat power.

In the past two years, because the feeding effect was extremely slow, the amount of materials he fed was much less than before, and the quality was also a bit perfunctory.

After returning to Quze City, Xu Yuanchang tactfully said that Ye Changmeng was powerless. He did not mention asking Mr. Mu again because it was useless. Mr. Mu was far inferior to Ye Changmeng. Seeing that Mr. Kou looked normal and did not show any disappointment, he asked, "Mr. Kou, how many years do you think you can suppress the wronged souls with your ancient brush?"

Kou Xueqian thought for a moment and said, "Thirty to fifty years is no problem."

Xu Yuanchang nodded and said, "When I break through and advance to the sixth floor, I will use my method to help you try it."

He has already found the way to become a mortal, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to spend thirty years to find an opportunity for a breakthrough. Moreover, if he feeds it with massive amounts of fifth- and sixth-level materials, it will take at most ten years for the Altar of Creation to be upgraded to the next level.

With a two-pronged approach, there is no need to worry about not being able to help the old man.

Kou Xueqian smiled and nodded. He seemed to trust his former disciple who had made such a shocking statement. He said, "I will wait for good news. If you need any rare items, please feel free to tell me."

Xu Yuanchang was not polite and said with a smile: "I do need a few items. I wonder if you have the Brilliant Wood Crystal, the Pulling God Tree, or the Magic Wood Stone. I will exchange them with treasures."

Kou Xueqian took out a few gems and threw them to Xu Yuanchang, saying, "I happen to have the Divine Tree and the Magic Wood Stone on hand, so just use them. There's no need to exchange them for anything."

He has traveled to many places and come into contact with countless rare treasures. Even a lean camel is bigger than a horse.

Meng Shanhe threw three Brilliant Wood Crystals and said, "This is for you. If it's not enough, tell me later."

Yan Ruxing spread his hands, revealing his cynical nature, and said, "Don't look at me, I'm the poorest one."

Xu Yuanchang laughed and said, "Even a hair of Yan Jijiu is thicker than my waist, so don't complain about being poor." He then looked at Master Kou and said, "I haven't seen you for nearly a hundred years. Please teach me your calligraphy."

Kou Xueqian laughed and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Let's stick to the old rules. Each person should write one."

He took out his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, spread them out in class, and with the ink ground by Xu Yuanchang, he wrote a line of elegant characters in bold and colorful strokes: "In the mortal world!"

The two words "fanchen" (Fanchen in Chinese) describe the artistic conception of a sky full of dust and covering one's eyes, and also imply a state of being detached from worldly affairs.

"Great calligraphy, natural style, full of ancient charm!"

Yan Ruoxing was full of praise. He believed that he was indeed a great calligrapher. His brushstrokes contained everything, which made him want to try it.

Xu Yuanchang took the brush, entered the world with fantasy, and wrote seven words on the newly spread rice paper: "I feel the same as others, my mind is like a fantasy." His writing was boring and stereotyped as usual, but when he finished the last stroke of the word "illusion", the rhythm was connected, the reality and illusion were light, and the various changes became vivid.

"The clouds parted to reveal the moon, the ever-changing world is indescribably wonderful!"

Kou Xueqian praised it highly and put away the freshly-made calligraphy with unique artistic conception.

Xu Yuanchang took the old master's masterpiece without hesitation, sat down again, and talked for about an hour. Meng Shanhe could not sit for long and left early. Xu Yuanchang invited the old master to live in Fucailing for a long time.

At present, Master Kou holds the honorary position of the chief of the academy and does not take care of affairs, which is equivalent to supporting Yan Jijiu.

The two free-spirited people wrote and discussed with each other every day, talked about their insights on cultivation, and discussed magic. It was as if they had returned to the courtyard of the Qingping City Academy, with the room full of books, and they were having a great time writing.

"'Climbing the building is easy, but breaking through the door is like ascending to heaven'. In fact, it refers to the sixth level of cultivation, the last key to refining qi and transforming into spirit, 'leaving the mortal world and forging the soul gate'. It is the soul gate realm, communicating with heaven and earth, sensing the soul, and breaking many obstacles of the body. Unfortunately, I cannot explain it in too much detail. Your cultivation of illusion is completely different from Confucianism and calligraphy. If I say too much, I will mislead you."

Mr. Kou talked eloquently and wrote fluently.

His experience in cultivation cannot be learned by others. He considered himself to be of poor aptitude. He spent more than 180 years writing, reading, and studying piles of old papers. Only with a profound foundation could he break out of the "ordinary" dilemma and escape. This was how he had the great opportunity to travel through the endless mountains later.

Neither of them is indispensable, and replacing one person will not work.

"I have already gotten a little bit of a handle on the 'Heart Illusion Barrier'. For the next few years, I will just relax and prepare for the next level."

In his left hand, Xu Yuanchang played with a wooden staff inlaid with six gems of different colors. He spent time refining the gems using the Creation Altar, and then carved them into suitable sizes. He kept the staff with him every day to practice and nourish it.

With the gray phantom wood stone, the Yin-Yang Phantom Fire Spirit had a place to stay when it went out.

"Relaxation and tension are the way of civil and military affairs."

Mr. Kou wrote in his essay.

Before he knew it, three years had passed. Xu Yuanchang became more and more idle, with his staff tucked into his sleeve. He almost didn't do his daily homework. He wandered around the mountain, looking at the trees, the flowers, and the gray sky, often staying there for most of the day.

A talisman light flew closer, and Xu Yuanchang, who had regained consciousness, reached out to take it. It was an emergency message from Meng Shanhe.

"Send an emergency message to the city in the body channel. The Black Spirit is launching a full-scale counterattack. Please help!"

Xu Yuanchang hurriedly called out to Mr. Kou who was writing in the yard at the foot of the mountain. The two of them turned into streams of light and rushed towards the passage to their physical realm 40,000 miles away. Xu Shengtian fell behind and was no longer visible.

"I have not accomplished anything yet. This is a great opportunity. I hope to get there before the city is taken."

"There are only ten years left. The Black Spirits are making a desperate bet. Even if they break through the passage, what does it matter? We can just kill them and go back."

"I will take advantage of the time I have on the road to prepare a few words with my mind."

By the time the two men arrived at the passageway in their area, the formation outside the concave city was completely destroyed, and the battle was fierce. The black spirits rushed out desperately, and the battlefield had stretched for dozens of miles.

Masters such as Meng Shanhe, Wen Yining, and Xie Yunchuan arrived one after another.

"Fortunately, fortunately, there is still time."

Old Master Kou said as he took out an ancient jade brush with a landscape pattern wrapped in wisps of black air and wrote a "War Manifesto" in the air. The characters flew up and faded, floating down towards the fierce battlefield.

The strokes turned into sharp translucent blades, which fell on the monk's body without any damage and went straight through.

It was a completely different scene when stabbed into the black spirit's black air. Those who were hit died instantly, and a passage dozens of feet wide was immediately cleared. The more characters fell in the air, the more the black spirit was cut in two, greatly reducing the offensive.

"Kill him, kill him!"

Several Black Spirit masters screamed wildly and rushed towards the old Confucian scholar who was more than ten miles away.

Meng Shanhe, Wen Yining, Xie Yunchuan and others were overjoyed, and they intercepted and entangled them one after another, not giving them the chance to destroy. The calligrapher's great supernatural power, transforming words into weapons and swords, was just in time.

Xu Yuanchang stood three hundred feet in front of Kou Lao, intercepted two fifth-level black spirits that were sneaking up on him, waved his staff and shouted softly, "Fire!"

The two invisible black spirits in the air burned into two balls of flames. The Yin-Yang fish formation circled around them, completely trapping the guy who tried to steal the chicken but ended up losing the rice.

With the six wooden staffs in hand, Xu Yuanchang was like a fish in water. He was confident that he could entangle the approaching sixth-level black spirit for a while.

"It's like a dream, like reality, like fire, like wind, explode for me!"

Xu Yuanchang subtly controlled and influenced the mood of the black spirit that was rushing left and right inside the flame. After a moment, with a loud shout, the two flames exploded into sparks that flew more than ten feet away.

The magical power of the illusionist was undoubtedly demonstrated at this moment.

Seeing that they could not interfere with the old scholar's spellcasting and that their retreat was in danger of being completely blocked, several Black Spirit masters screamed a few times, suddenly attacked, and then broke free and fled.

Mr. Kou wrote down the character “石” with more than ten different strokes.

With a loud "boom", the huge rock turned from transparent nothingness into substance and smashed hard into the passage, connecting to become rocks.

The passage was blocked all at once, and the morale of the Black Spirits who were blocked outside plummeted. They were all killed in just over a quarter of an hour. Thousands of remnants fled outside, but all could not escape the fate of being wiped out.

Master Kou put away the jade pen, his face a little pale, and hurriedly swallowed several pills.

This was the first time he had experienced a large-scale battle like this, and he exerted too much force.

In the past, when he was traveling, he had to face dangers mostly by himself against five or six people. Occasionally, he would encounter twenty or thirty people besieging him alone. He would fight if he could, but if he couldn't, he had the magical power to escape.

Meng Shanhe greeted and invited Master Kou and Xu Yuanchang to stay here for a day.

He, Wen Yining, Xie Yunchuan and others were going to reinforce another passage city where Juzhou was located, while the army led by Zhu Zongshan happened to be in the weakest territory of Laizhou, so they would go to help Laizhou kill the black spirit that dared to offend.

This was the last time the Black Spirit went crazy.

Must be defended.

……

(End of this chapter)