Knife splashing

Chapter 256: Weird Enemy

"Don't provoke?"

Li Yan shook his head and said coldly: "It seems that they have long been eyeing this Taoist temple and have used evil methods to abduct Xuanmen disciples."

"What on earth is on the mountain?"

Feng Huazi hesitated for a moment, "I suspect that they are here to overthrow Jing Lingqiao."

"It is said that Ge Xianweng hid a precious pill called Longhu Kanli Pill, which was nourished by the Qi of Zigai Mountain Cave."

"However, this Bandao Well is very strange. Although it is called the No. 1 Spiritual Well, it is no different from an ordinary well. The only difference is that the water in the well is more effective in refining medicine, and there are clouds rising from it."

"Since the war in the Western Jin Dynasty, the Taoist temple has been destroyed. Many people have come to try their luck at Bandaojing, but no one has been able to find the elixir until one person appears."

"Who?"

"Lü Zu Lü Dongbin!"

"Lü Zu attained enlightenment near Zhuxi County in Yunyang Prefecture today. At that time, a snake in the Han River transformed into a dragon, causing the river to surge, resulting in countless casualties along the river bank."

"Lü Zu was furious and killed the dragon with his Pure Yang Sword, but the snake-dragon had already grown into a powerful force and its spirit was hard to destroy, so Lü Zu held the dragon's soul in his hand and walked away.

When passing by the Zigai Cave and hearing about the precious elixir, he went up the mountain to investigate. Like Ge Xianweng, he directly overturned the Bandao Well.

But he did not take the treasure pill, but laughed three times, pressed the Jiao soul into the Bandao Well, and then bowed to Guan Ling and said that it was the Marquis of Han Shou Ting who suppressed it. "

"After that, he floated away."

"This matter was spread around, and among the people, it became a story of overthrowing the demon in the well, but no one has seen it so far."

"The turmoil in Dangyang County might be because of the Dragon Tiger Kanli Pill and the Jiao Soul."

After everyone heard this, they looked at each other.

Li Yan stroked his chin and said thoughtfully: "Although this sounds bizarre, with so many demons watching, it might be true."

"Master, you guys continue to look up the information. Can you take me to overthrow Jing Yiguan?"

"of course."

Feng Huazi didn't say anything more. He just stood up and left with Li Yan, while Wang Daoxuan and others stayed behind to look through the classics for clues.

After going out, I saw the Duweisi soldiers and horses leading mountain guard dogs, searching carefully in the Taoist temple and the surrounding mountains and forests.

The Taoist temple has been infiltrated, maybe something can be found around it.

The Bandao Well is located inside the Taoist temple, not far from the rear hall where Ge Xianweng is enshrined.

The well mouth is a whole huge stone, polished and smooth, like an inverted pottery bowl. The "bottom of the bowl" is the well mouth. A pavilion is built on top to block fallen leaves, and there are no well wheels around it.

"Meet the Master."

A young Taoist priest was guarding by the well. When he saw the two of them, he immediately bowed and saluted.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"Reporting to Master, there is nothing unusual."

"Well, you go back first."

After sending the disciple away, Feng Huazi shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by Young Master Li. Originally there was a wheel and a well rope here, but the reputation of the well is too great, and many pilgrims who go up the mountain are curious and often climb down the rope."

"A few years ago, a scholar died in the well. Not only did the well water become polluted, but his family also carried the coffin and caused trouble in the temple."

"The old Taoist priest was so angry that he removed the rope of the well. Someone had died in it, and the well water could not be used to make elixirs, so no one cared about it anymore..."

Li Yan nodded and stepped forward to practice the Yang Jue technique.

He took a deep breath, and all kinds of smells immediately rushed into his nose. Then he frowned slightly and said in confusion: "It's just an ordinary well, and there is nothing unusual about the innate qi."

Taoist Feng Huazi smiled bitterly and said, "Who said it wasn't true?"

"Many masters from past dynasties have come to investigate, and their magical powers are all kinds of strange. Some can distinguish yin and yang with their eyes, some can hear the words of ghosts and gods, and some are even good at communicating with gods, but none of them have found anything."

"There is a Feng Shui master from Ganzhou who once observed the mountains and qi and said that Guanling, Yuquan Temple and Zigai Cave are mutually supportive. If the balance of the earth's qi is disrupted, there may be discoveries."

"But who would dare to mess around with this kind of thing?"

Li Yan was still worried, so he asked the Taoist priest to get a rope, tied it to the stone pillars of the pavilion around him, and then climbed down the rope to enter the well to investigate.

Again, nothing was found.

It is just an ordinary well, and there are no special carvings on the well wall.

Only then did Li Yan give up completely.

Come to think of it, if the legend is true, there must be some mystery behind it since only Ge Xianweng and Lu Zu have been able to open it for so many years.

With his level of skills, he is still far from that.

"Young Master Li."

As soon as he got out of the well, Captain Zheng came over, clasped his hands and said in a deep voice: "We have checked the Taoist temple and the surrounding area thoroughly, and found nothing unusual."

Li Yan looked into the distance, "Can the Zhushan Sect be investigated?"

Captain Zheng shook his head and said, "After all, this is an important place for the Dharma lineage. Without the order from Young Master Li, we cannot enter to search."

Li Yan said thoughtfully: "Senior, what is your relationship with the people of Zhushan Sect?"

Feng Huazi shook his head and said, "Young Master Li should know the relationship between the Dharma lineage and the Orthodox Church. Although we will say hello when we meet, that's all."

"The main altar of Zhushan Sect was originally in the Zhushan area, but it has now been captured by Tiansheng Sect and refugees from Jingchu, and the mountain gate has been burned down.

Zigai Cave is likely to become the new main altar in the future.

I don’t know, I have to be careful…”

The words were cryptic, but how could Li Yan not understand the meaning? With a little impatience in his eyes, he shook his head and said, "Now that things have come to this, how can we care about these things? Senior, please follow me and let's talk it out."

Zhushan Sect is different from Taixuan Orthodox Sect.

When doing things, it is inevitable that the Dharma lineage is sometimes unscrupulous and even does not follow the rules. He did not want to have another argument and waste time.

"Forget it, I'll just go with you, old Taoist."

Feng Huazi sighed and did not object.

Being in this Purple Cover Cave, his identity was very embarrassing. If he was too ostentatious, it would definitely cause a backlash from the Zhushan Sect. In addition, he was fond of the art of medicine, so he was very low-key and practiced in seclusion most of the time.

I didn't expect so many things to happen.

It would be embarrassing if this matter were revealed, but now that things have come to this, how can I continue to hide it?

The Taoist temple of Zhushan Sect is located on the eastern hilltop.

When Li Yan arrived with the Duweisi troops and Feng Huazi, the people of Zhushan Sect had already been alarmed and were guarding outside the mountain gate.

Like the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, the main forces of the Zhushan Sect were transferred away due to the war in the southwest. In addition to the previous fight against the river monster and the war in Zigui County, there are now only a dozen disciples left on the mountain.

It’s not much better than Fenghuazi Taoist Temple.

The leader was also an experienced Taoist priest, wearing a turquoise Hanfu, a tall crown on his head, and had an ancient and unsophisticated face.

He originally had a cold expression on his face, but when he saw Feng Huazi following him, he forced a smile and bowed, saying, "Feng Daoist, you are a rare guest."

"Hello, Mr. Lu."

Feng Huazi also smiled and greeted him, then introduced Li Yan, "Young Master Li, this is the abbot of Quelu Faqing Temple in Zigai Mountain."

"Master Lu, this is Young Hero Li Yan."

"I've met senior."

The two sides exchanged greetings and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Li Yan knew that Zhushan Sect inherited part of the Han Palace sacrificial tradition and combined it with the local Chu witch in Ezhou, so the names of the Taoist temples also followed the Han style, with names like "Palace" and "Que".

They only had so few people left, and the fact that Duwei Siwu was leading a large group of people naturally made them alert.

Feng Huazi did not hide anything at this time. He sighed and bowed, saying, "Daoyou Lu, there is a disaster in Dangyang City. I failed in my duty, so the evil spirit hid in the temple and caused trouble. I still need your help."

"Oh?" Lu Faqing became interested when he heard it, "What happened?"

"There are traitors who have been seduced by demons..."

Feng Huazi didn't care about the embarrassment and told the general story.

Lu Faqing originally looked like he was watching the fun, but as he listened, his expression gradually turned ugly.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, cupped his hands and said in a deep voice: "Senior, the chaos in Dangyang County was caused by the mutual suspicion among the orthodox sects, and the demons took advantage of the opportunity."

"To be honest, I just came from Zigui County, which has long been infiltrated by the Ghost Cult. If it weren't for a chance coincidence, I'm afraid something big would have happened."

"The Zhushan Cult guards the southwest, the Zhushan main altar has been destroyed, the Ghost Cult in Zigui County is rampant, and here are demons and evil spirits everywhere. How can we just stand by and watch?"

"If something goes wrong, I'm afraid you will be the ones who suffer the most!"

"I hope you can forgive me for what I said."

Li Yan's meaning was very clear. The Zhushan Sect could not escape responsibility for the successive incidents in many places. The imperial court had seen it all. After the war, they might even be reduced to the bottom.

Lu Faqing's eyes were uncertain, and he finally sighed, gritted his teeth and raised his hand and said, "Please, the two of you, let's talk inside."

Li Yan strode in and saw that the Taoist temples were all built in the style of Han Palaces. Unlike the traditional central axis, they had a huge altar in the center, made of clay, bamboo and wood, and divided into three floors.

The other palaces were built around it.

This is the famous "Heavenly Sacrifice Palace". It is recorded in the "Book of Han: Rites and Music" that "the Han Bamboo Palace used purple clay as the altar, and the gods descended like flowing fire."

It means that when offering sacrifices to gods, flames will rise, revealing the shadow of the gods, so it is called "the gods from heaven are like flowing fire."

Of course, that was the kind of atmosphere that could only be displayed during the sacrifices in the Han Palace Dynasty. The current popularity of the Zhushan Sect is far from reaching that level.

Li Yan took a special look.

Sure enough, this altar also has restrictions that suppress supernatural powers.

Entering a side hall, Lu Faqing didn't even bother to pour tea, his face looked a little bitter, "To be honest, last year, several of my disciples at Zigai Mountain Palace died of illness. We thought they were infected with the plague, so we specially performed a ritual."

"Now, all the masters in the sect have been transferred to Zigui. It is difficult for them to protect themselves in the battle with the sorcerers in the Miao Tusi City."

"The leader sent a message to instruct us to guard the altar well, stay indoors and not cause trouble, so we dare not move."

After hearing this, Li Yan was not surprised.

Although the orthodox religions and Dharma lineages enjoy a high status in the martial arts world, they are not martial arts sects. After all, there are very few people who are qualified to practice magic.

It is even rarer to be able to become a master.

Because of his identity and the mission he accepted from the City God Temple, he came into contact with quite a few of them, but they were scattered all over the place and were in short supply.

Therefore, if there is a powerful witch or sorcerer in every village, she will become famous and many people will come to her for help.

After all, the Zhushan Sect is only a local lineage. From top to bottom, the number of disciples who have embarked on the path of cultivation is no more than three hundred.

When a war breaks out, manpower is naturally tight.

Thinking of this, Li Yan quickly said, "It's not too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. Senior, please take a look and see if the graves of those people are empty."

"Everyone, please wait a moment."

Lu Faqing nodded and immediately led his men away.

Less than half an incense stick later, he turned back, his face extremely gloomy, and gritted his teeth and said, "They are all empty."

"I have also asked around. Before those people contracted the disease and died, their behaviors were somewhat abnormal. Some even spoke to the air."

His eyes were full of doubt and puzzlement. "My Zigai Mountain Temple is protected by a great god and has a large array of restrictions. Who can secretly perform evil magic without breaking the restrictions?"

"I am also wondering about this."

Feng Huazi shook his head and said, "Whether it's possession, ghost leaving the body, or entering a dream, it's impossible to avoid the gods and formations."

"Could it be that the Earth Immortal is causing trouble..."

When he said this, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

This matter is really too strange.

Especially when considering the identities of "Mrs. Fan" and "Liu Gang", their reappearance and the plans spanning thousands of years, it is even more creepy.

Lu Faqing's scalp was tingling. "If this is true, I'm afraid we can't handle it. We can only ask those people on Mount Wudang to help."

Li Yan knew that the other party was talking about the deity.

To be honest, he was also afraid in his heart. After all, that was a mysterious earth immortal. But thinking back to the series of events that happened when he entered Dangyang County, doubts rose in his eyes, "Maybe it's not an earth immortal."

"The people of the Heavenly Saint Cult, on the one hand, created the Headless Horseman to disturb people's hearts, and on the other hand, they broke into the 'Earthly Immortal Cave' and even stole things."

"If there really are earthly immortals, how dare they act so recklessly? They must have known something."

"Also, the power on Zigai Mountain is weak. If it was really caused by the Earth Immortals, would it be necessary to go to such great lengths?"

"They must have used other means!"

"Senior, please lift the ban and conduct a comprehensive search!"

"Alright."

At this point, Lu Faqing did not dare to be careless.

He brought several disciples with him to the Temple of Heaven to set up the altar. After tinkering with it for a while, a strong wind suddenly howled around them.

Li Yan's magical powers were no longer suppressed. The rich power of incense and innate qi made it so hard for him to breathe.

Especially in the main hall, there was a divine force rising up into the sky, like a huge sun, which made his nasal cavity burn with pain.

The main god worshipped by Zhushan Sect is Taiyi God of Chu.

Not only him, but also the disciples of Zhushan Sect, including Feng Huazi and Lu Faqing, also used their magical powers to investigate.

Taoist Fenghuazi's magical power is similar to that of the X-ray vision, which can penetrate wood and stone and see the scene inside.

That's why Fang was able to discover something wrong with the statue and the cemetery.

He made hand gestures, his eyes gleaming as he searched everywhere. When he arrived in front of a wing room, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

"Hurry, there's a body underground!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Faqing rushed over quickly, and without saying a word, he asked his disciples to pry up all the floorboards and dig three feet deeper.

Sure enough, a corpse appeared before everyone. It was so badly decayed that it was impossible to tell what it looked like.

"It's Senior Brother Wang!"

One of the disciples picked up the badge on the body, his face pale, "Senior Brother Wang was talking to us yesterday. Could he be a demon in disguise?"

Lu Faqing's face was gloomy, "Where is Wang Facheng?"

"Return to the Master."

A disciple bowed and said, "Senior Brother Wang said he wanted to go back to his hometown to visit his relatives and left yesterday."

The people of Zhushan Sect looked at each other in bewilderment, all of them feeling frightened.

This demon's methods are simply unbelievable.

Feng Huazi kept staring at the corpse, his expression gradually becoming solemn, and he drew out his sword with a clang.

puff!

He simply chopped the corpse's head open.

When everyone saw it, they immediately gasped.

Although the corpse had decayed, the brain was still intact, but it had turned black and was covered with dense yellow hair...

Feng Huazi's face turned pale, "Demon body immortality method!"

(End of this chapter)