Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 890 Shamanism

Xiao Ran's voice came, and the five elders on the altar remained silent.

After a moment, Grandma Huang sighed, "We've won in terms of face but lost in terms of substance. Let's take down the jar."

Xiao Ran said that the Five Immortals Opening the Hall couldn't be broken, but does that mean it really can't be broken? Of course not. The Five Immortals Opening the Hall is indeed unique, imitating the Five Directions Hell, enough to bury all evil spirits and creatures within it.

But a fake is still a fake.

The art of skill is ever-changing, but in the end, it is all just a smokescreen.

You can either use brute force to pull it, which won't break the formation directly, or you can simply make the Five Immortals Open the Hall spell lose its balance and it will naturally break.

Either Xiao Ran has other methods, since you are imitating Hell, you can use the Yin-Yang Path to forcibly pull the void into the Netherworld. At that time, Xiao Ran won't even need to lift a finger; someone else will take action.

The solutions are not limited to either of these, but only those that Xiao Ran can achieve.

Because he had already experienced its power in the Dream Pool, understood its mysteries, and knew it inside and out, the method to break the formation was too simple.

However, breaking the formation was meaningless to Xiao Ran.

I came here to ask for help, and since there's already a grudge, I just want to let them vent their anger and save face.

If the formation is broken, I will certainly feel good, but how will I continue to talk to the Five Immortals Hall afterwards?
Moreover, after both sides had tested each other's strengths and weaknesses, even though I had conceded defeat, I had gained the upper hand, making the rest of the discussion much easier.

As Grandma Huang Si finished speaking, the five elders simultaneously removed the altar. With a sound of a drum, the five family members outside immediately withdrew and returned to their halls.

The black fog that had been shrouding the valley gradually dissipated.

"it's over?"

On the viewing platform in the distance, everyone looked up, wondering who had won and who had lost. But then they saw Xiao Ran emerge from the valley and bow towards the valley entrance, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, seniors. I am completely convinced."

Xiao Ran's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears.

Chang Dawei smiled with delight and said, "Haha, it seems that although this Plum Blossom Taoist's methods are high, they are still no match for the immortal magic of my Five Immortals Hall."

The shadowy figures flickered in the distance, and the evil spirits hiding in the shadows, though suspicious, dared not linger and retreated.

A moment later, five figures slowly emerged from the valley; they were the five elders who presided over the "Five Immortals Opening the Hall" formation.

Aunt Huang walked at the front, her face revealing neither joy nor anger, but she looked at Xiao Ran with a complicated expression.

She nodded slightly, her expression calm, a faint smile on her face, as kind and gentle as a kind old lady from a farming family. She said to Xiao Ran, "The Plum Blossom Taoist's reputation is well-deserved. Our Five Immortals Hall has also learned a lot."

Her words were very clear, especially Xiao Ran's methods, which were enough to shake the great formation and force Aunt Huang to sacrifice blood at the altar. This made the five elders realize that this young man was not incapable of breaking the formation, but had chosen a more tactful way to handle the situation.

Xiao Ran cupped his hands again, lowering his posture even further: "Senior, you flatter me. It is my lack of skill that is the problem. The Five Immortals Hall has a profound foundation, and I admire you."

At this moment, Chang Dawei, accompanied by several members of the Chang family, quickly came forward, his face full of fawning smiles. He repeatedly bowed to the five elders, saying, "Congratulations, ancestors! Congratulations, ancestors!" As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Ran smugly, as if he were also one of the victors.

However, the five elderly people's reaction was beyond Chang Dawei's expectations. Grandma Hu only glanced at him indifferently, her eyes calm and unwavering, but it made Chang Dawei's heart skip a beat, and the flattering words he was about to say immediately got stuck in his throat.

Master Liu snorted coldly and didn't even look at him.

Grandma Huang turned directly to Xiao Ran, as if Chang Dawei didn't exist.

“Fellow Daoist,” Granny Huang said, her tone much gentler than before, “The battle has been fought, and the anger has been released. Let’s go into the mountains and talk about what we have to say.”

Although Xiao Ran was young, she was addressed as a fellow Daoist by Grandma Huang Si. As an equal, even if Chang Dawei was slow-witted, he should have realized something.

"it is good!"

Xiao Ran waved to Jin Chanzi and Wu Man behind her, and then the three of them followed the group back into the valley.

Entering the valley again, it was completely different from before. After walking several dozen steps, I felt a warmth. I saw that the trees on both sides were covered with thick silver frost and icicles, and a stream with white mist flowed down from the side. The scenery was like a fairyland.

The further you go in, the warmer it gets. Tender green grass begins to appear on the ground, and the temperature slowly starts to rise, as if you've stepped into the warm spring of March.

"Fellow Daoist, if I may be so bold as to ask, how did you learn the secret of the Five Immortals' Hall?" Granny Huang asked, glancing at Xiao Ran as she led the way. Her tone was calm, but a hint of inquiry was hidden deep in her eyes.

Xiao Ran didn't hide anything about this; he hadn't come here to make a mortal enemy. He glanced at the strange scene on both sides and said in a calm tone, "I once witnessed a simplified version of the Five Immortals Opening the Hall in a maze city, so I was able to glean some insights. Combined with some deductions, I roughly understood the key to its operation."

Xiao Ran spoke casually, as if she had simply seen through a little trick by chance.

He did not mention his specific experiences at Dream Pool, especially those details that might involve conflict or unpleasantness, but only pointed out the source of the information and the process of deduction.

Upon hearing this, Grandma Huang's eyes flashed with understanding, which then turned into deep emotion. She exchanged glances with the other elderly people, and they all saw the complex emotions in each other's eyes.

So that's where the root of the problem lies.

No wonder it was so easily cracked.

Everyone tacitly agreed to this and didn't pursue the matter any further.

Upon entering the valley, one is surprised to find a place filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, nestled deep in the mountains. While the surrounding cliffs are covered in silver frost and white frost, the interior is a world apart, warm as spring.

"What a wonderful place! It's actually a yang eye, truly a blessed land of immortals, amazing indeed!"

After looking around, Jin Chanzi couldn't help but praise him.

This place is located in the Yang Eye area, with earth fire beneath it, like a warm stove or kang (heated brick bed), maintaining a constant temperature throughout the year. It is a rare and auspicious place.

Grandma Huang led Xiao Ran and the other two to the main hall in the valley. There, they saw a plaque for the Five Immortals Hall hanging above the entrance. It even had the seal of the Kang Emperor's Imperial Seal on it, which meant that the emperor had personally written the plaque.

Upon entering, one can see that there are still many plaques written by emperors during the Qing Dynasty hanging in the hall.

Actually, this is not surprising.

Changbai Mountain, as the place where the Qing Dynasty rose to power, is the location of the Qing Dynasty's dragon vein.

Both Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong visited Changbai Mountain to offer sacrifices.

After the Qianlong Emperor, the Jiaqing Emperor, the Daoguang Emperor, the Xianfeng Emperor, the Tongzhi Emperor, and the Guangxu Emperor all sent envoys to Changbai Mountain to offer sacrifices.

As the guardian of Changbai Mountain, the Five Immortals Hall naturally has these plaques hanging here.

However, the fact that these plaques were hung in the front hall shows that they were not highly valued.

Otherwise, in an ordinary family, this would be hung in the ancestral hall for worship, and would never be hung in the front hall.

The valley was full of the elders of the Five Immortals Hall, the seniors of various families. When they learned that Xiao Ran had arrived, many of them came specifically to visit.

For a moment, a large number of people stood inside and outside the huge front hall, all wanting to see how this fourth aunt planned to settle this score with Xiao Ran.

After Xiao Ran and the others took their seats, they were first served tea, followed by some pastries.

"Come, come, don't be shy, have something to eat first. You must have used up a lot of energy in the hungry ghost realm. Let's eat and talk."

Bai Jing pointed to the pastries on the table with a grin and said.

Xiao Ran didn't stand on ceremony. He was really hungry. Although he had only been in the Hungry Ghost Realm for a short while, even if he only went in for a second, the energy consumption of his body seemed to be magnified several times, and it would continue to increase over time.

The reason Xiao Ran acted decisively and forcefully was, frankly speaking, because even if he wanted to show off, he was afraid of being caught off guard and losing his life.

Now that she was out, she naturally couldn't be polite, and Xiao Ran wolfed down two or three pieces of pastry.

Seeing this, Bai Jing and the others relaxed considerably.

At least Xiao Ran dared to eat their food, which in itself was a sign of sincerity.

After Xiao Ran took a sip of tea, Grandma Huang said, "The things that happened back then are all in the past. I've heard from Huang Wu that the families from back then have either declined or died out. Everyone is having a hard time. I don't think there's any need to pursue it anymore."

These words were not spoken to Xiao Ran, but to the older generation, including Huang Wu, and the younger generation, including Chang Dawei.

Chang Dawei frowned, naturally feeling extremely dissatisfied. He had already heard Master Liu talk about what happened back then, a blood feud, and he thought, "Just let it go like that?"

However, it was Huang's fourth aunt, who spoke, who was of a very high generation, and it was not his turn to speak as a junior.

However, since he didn't speak, someone else did. An elderly woman from the Chang family stepped forward from the back of the crowd, her face dark, and said, "Grandma, I just don't understand this. Does this mean our family members died for nothing back then?"

"Chang Lengzhou, do you even have the right to speak here?"

Master Chang glared at him coldly.

But the old man from the Chang family was not afraid at all. Instead, he shouted even louder, "Fifth Master, I'm not convinced! Back then, there were more than ten people from our five families, including the inner and outer branches and the younger generation. In the end, only three of them came back. Is this debt really over?"

"Fuck you."

Master Chang flew into a rage, stood up and kicked Chang Lengzhou to the ground, then swung his cane to strike him.

Suddenly, chaos erupted around them. Some tried to break up the fight, some burst into tears, and some pointed at Xiao Ran and cursed.

Xiao Ran sat in the chair, calmly stuffing pastries into her mouth.

The whole "good cop, bad cop" act was more lively than a theatrical performance, and the purpose was clear: to shut Xiao Ran up and make him too embarrassed to say anything.

Xiao Ran has already given face to the Five Immortals Hall, and she can't afford to lose face here in a muddle.

He ate quietly, occasionally taking a sip of tea, as if he were a nobody, completely unconcerned about the noisy scene.

Seeing this, Bai Jing and the other elders couldn't help but curse inwardly, "How did we end up with such a stubborn person?"

Judging from Xiao Ran's appearance, he wasn't very old, but just from his calm and composed demeanor, you could tell that this kid was even more shrewd than a seasoned veteran.

Seeing that continuing the commotion would only make things worse, Grandma Huang finally spoke up: "Hu Shang, ask them all to leave. All irrelevant people, get out."

Upon hearing this, Master Hu stood up and said, "Get out! All of you, get out of here! This is not your time to be in charge. Get out!"

Uncle Hu used violence to clear the area, and most of the people were immediately driven out.

Only a small group of people remained, standing quietly to the side, neither crying nor making a fuss, standing there without saying a word. Xiao Ran also noticed these people, and found that they were all dressed in simple cloth clothes, and their ages varied.

Who are these people?
Xiao Ran could sense that these people did not have the aura of beginners, but it was also not right to say that they were ordinary people.

They simply stood there, as naturally as if they were meant to be there, and one wouldn't even notice their presence if they weren't paying attention.

This is quite extraordinary. You have to know how terrifying Xiao Ran's mental power is. Nothing around him, not even an ant, can escape his notice.

However, these ordinary people forced Xiao Ran to pay extra attention to them and observe them.

Only after everyone had dispersed did Xiao Ran withdraw her gaze.

At this moment, Granny Huang looked at Xiao Ran and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what exactly do you want us to do at my Five Immortals Hall?"

After saying that, before Xiao Ran could speak, he continued, "As you have seen, the Five Immortals Hall can barely protect this area now. As for other things, we will do what we can, and we don't have any good solutions for what we can't do. So if it is within our power, the Five Immortals Hall will not refuse. But if it is something that the Five Immortals Hall cannot do, please understand."

Grandma Huang's words were both based on the noble cause of protecting the common people and also meant to lay the groundwork for future problems.

If Xiao Ran makes an unreasonable request and the other party refuses, Xiao Ran has nothing to say.

After carefully considering his words, Xiao Ran said, "We don't want to cause trouble for the Five Immortals Hall. We just want to enter Changbai Mountain, so we hope the Five Immortals Hall can make things easier for us."

"Let's go to Changbai Mountain!"

Grandma Huang and the others were taken aback, then exchanged glances.

Fifth Master Bai stood up and asked incredulously, "It's that simple?"

"Yes, that's all. Changbai Mountain is the place guarded by the Five Immortals Hall, so we always have to greet your hall master before going up the mountain."

Xiao Ran's expression was very sincere, with no intention of hiding anything.

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, the elderly men's faces immediately fell.

Good heavens, all that fuss they made was for nothing. The other party wasn't there to seek revenge or make any unreasonable demands; they were just saying hello. It turns out they were making a mountain out of a molehill.

But Xiao Ran was right. The fact that they came to greet them was a sign of respect for Wu Xian Tang. In fact, even without this greeting, if Xiao Ran insisted on barging into Changbai Mountain, Wu Xian Tang wouldn't have been able to stop her.

"Haha, what a mess this is! If you had just told me earlier, it would have been fine."

"Fifth Master Dai said with a smile."

"I just meant to say hello, but..."

Xiao Ran briefly recounted what had happened at Chang Dawei's place. Upon learning that Huang Ba and Hu Ba had caused all this trouble after learning about Xiao Ran's background, the elders were speechless.

In the end, it was all a big misunderstanding.

However, this matter also resolved a knot in everyone's heart.

After all, it was a long-standing feud from many years ago, and these old guys were unwilling to demolish the entire Five Immortals Hall for something that had already passed.

Of course, they thought this way not because they were truly open-minded, but because Xiao Ran's strength was undeniable.

Otherwise, if it were an ordinary person, they would probably be severely punished, even to the point of tearing Xiao Ran apart and turning him to ashes.

At this moment, Grandma Huang frowned and said, "Let me say something more. Fellow Daoist, do you know that there are many dangers in Changbai Mountain? Although you have extraordinary supernatural powers, the way up the mountain is not so easy."

Not long ago, a group of people forcibly broke into the mountain. About three days later, only one person escaped. By the time we found him, he had gone mad and died suddenly soon after. We couldn't determine the cause of death even with our methods. Fellow Daoist, please be careful.

"Oh!" Xiao Ran's voice was calm, but her eyes sharpened. She wondered if this group of people were from the Changchun Association or the overseas team.

"Is the body still there?"

"It's already buried. If you need it, I'll dig it up for you later. It's freezing cold outside, so it'll probably still be fresh."

"That's what Uncle Hu said."

"Then it'll be hard work."

Now that there's a body, everything is easy to handle. You'll know what happened as soon as you see it.

Uncle Hu then went outside and began digging up the body.

“Fellow Daoist, there are many paths leading up the mountain, and the further you go, the more dangerous it becomes. I can recommend a guide to you, but I dare not say whether I can get him to come.”

Master Dai said to Xiao Ran, took out a piece of paper, wrote down the address on it, and handed it to Xiao Ran: "This guy is a rogue from Maoshan. He has some skills. He came here as a ginseng merchant and is familiar with Changbai Mountain."

"What is this person's surname?"

"I don't know. This guy has a very strange temper. He always carries a broken knife. In the martial arts world, he's known as Master Knife."

"Master Dao!"

Xiao Ran frowned. The name sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it.

In that short time, Master Huang had already dug up the body and placed it outside.

Despite the freezing weather, the body, though buried for some time, remained remarkably fresh.

Xiao Ran walked over and took a look, and was immediately disappointed. It was an unfamiliar face, neither from the Changchun Association nor from the overseas team.

Xiao Ran crouched down, his fingertips brushing against the corpse's cold skin. Just as Grandma Huang had said, there were no external injuries or bruises on the body, and the lividity was a natural dark red, clearly indicating that the death was not caused by disease or poisoning. He pressed two fingers together on the corpse's brow, and a faint, chilling aura coiled up from his fingertips—this was the "empty shell" feeling left after the soul had completely dissipated.

"spiritualism."

A faint light flashed from the [Suppressing Calamity Token] in his palm, and the [Soul Book] with its pitch-black cover appeared out of thin air.

The pages moved without wind, making a soft rustling sound. Suddenly, a wisp of pale gray mist floated out from the top of the corpse's head and struggled to be sucked into the gap between the pages.

Soon, this person's memories surfaced in the book.

Xiao Ran directly flipped through the other person's memories to the scene before they went mad.

The gray mist writhed wildly on the paper, eventually solidifying into several fragmented images.

Amidst a blizzard, a team braved the wind and snow to move forward.

Everyone was wrapped up tightly, but the biting cold wind was still unbearable for many.

"Hang in there a little longer. Let's find a sheltered spot up ahead and get some rest."

The leader, who was walking in front, called out to the man. The leader was covered up so that his appearance could not be seen, but the voice sounded like a man's.

Upon hearing this, the others slumped down in dejection, but they didn't even have the energy to complain.

Seeing that they were dawdling, the leader turned around and shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up! This place has an eerie aura about it, it's not a place to stay for long, let's go!"

As they were talking, the ice beneath the feet of the team leader walking in front suddenly cracked.

Black blood seeped from the cracks, and a mournful wail pierced directly into the brain.

The next second, the team leader's figure was instantly swallowed up by the black blood gushing from the ground.

Then the sky suddenly turned scarlet.

The man looked up in horror, only to see three enormous pupils appearing in the sky, staring straight at them.

A flood of chaotic memories rushed into the man's mind in an instant.

Xiao Ran and the others looked at the chaotic memories above, which were filled with blood and bits of flesh flying everywhere, and they couldn't see anything clearly.

Xiao Ran continued flipping through the pages, and when the man woke up, he was horrified to find that all the team members, including the team leader, were hanging from a tree.

They were not dead, but their bodies were entangled with the tree, their limbs twisted around it like pretzel, and they were emitting low, mournful howls.

The scene abruptly ends there.

Xiao Ran closed the Soul Book, and a slight tremor came from the spine of the book. The following scenes were already blurry, and the fragments of memory were tainted by some kind of pollution, making it impossible to continue reading.

Xiao Ran did not hide the man's memories; in fact, she made them public for everyone to see.

He was also taking this opportunity to see how everyone would react.

After seeing the horrific deaths of the entire group in the video, Xiao Ran noticed that Grandma Huang and the others looked perfectly normal, though they appeared quite shocked.

But the group of people standing next to them remained unusually calm.

When three eyes appeared in the sky, the people's expressions became solemn and dignified.

Xiao Ran wasn't the only one to notice these changes; Jin Chanzi and Wu Man did as well.

Seeing this, Jin Chanzi moved closer to Chang Dawei and asked, "Brother Chang, who are those people? They don't look like they're from your Five Immortals Hall."

Chang Dawei was staring intently at the image of the corpse when he heard Jin Chanzi's question. Without turning his head, he replied, "They are from the local shamanic sect. I don't know the specifics."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi nodded thoughtfully. After the scene ended, he came to Xiao Ran's side and whispered, "These shamans might know something. You should try it later."

"How about we give it a try?"

"Simple!"

Without making a sound, Jin Chanzi reached out and pulled open Xiao Ran's sleeve.

Suddenly, the five-dragon bracelet on his sleeve was exposed to the air.

Upon seeing the Five Dragons Bracelet on Xiao Ran's wrist, Grandma Huang and the others' eyes widened in surprise, exclaiming, "This thing is actually on your wrist!!"

(End of this chapter)