Chapter 216: No Way, No Take, Rotten Corpses Become Fireflies

To ensure that nothing could go wrong, Cheng Xinzhan drew dozens of talismans to suppress and seal, as well as dozens of talismans to isolate the inside and the outside, and attached them to the gourd, until no movement or fluctuation of magic power could be heard from inside.

This fox must have a close relationship with Aunt Bao in the Tianshi Mansion of Longhu Mountain, and must know some secrets of Longhu Mountain. He must be sent back to the sect for thorough interrogation.

According to the legal tradition passed down by the founder of the Heavenly Master, if a Dragon and Tiger disciple was captured and brought back to the mountain for interrogation, it would cause a huge uproar. However, if a fox demon was captured in the devil’s cave in western Hunan, and some secrets of the Heavenly Master’s Mansion were known, then outsiders could not be blamed.

After putting away the gourd, he began to clean up the mess.

He shot out a spark which landed on Xue Linglong’s pile of flesh and blood, burning it clean. The body of the third-level cultivator was burned by the fire and turned into pure spiritual energy that fed back to the heaven and earth. Nothing was left, but some treasures hidden in the acupoints of the body fell out.

The most eye-catching one among them is naturally the golden elixir.

Xue Linglong’s golden elixir was blue-green in color, and looked like a piece of red pigment. Cheng Xinzhan weighed it in his hand, and felt the magical power of [Guishui], [Dark Cold], [Damn Poison], etc. in it. He thought that he could refine it again and reverse the yin and yang to see if he could extract the evil spirit from it.

Cheng Xinzhan didn’t think much of the remaining magic weapons. Like the mandrill, they were all magical weapons. They were powerful, but not up to standard. If he really used them, Cheng Xinzhan would feel ashamed of wasting his magic power.

Then, he came to the side of the Dragon Girl. After Xue Linglong’s soul and body were destroyed, the corpse slave fell to the ground and did not move at all.

He waved his hand, and the jade bottle in the dragon girl’s hand flew up and landed in his hand. This was the only magic weapon on Xue Linglong’s body that he cared about.

Cheng Xinzhan took a look and found that this thing was obviously not made by Xue Linglong himself. There were dragon patterns on the inner wall of the jade bottle, so it should be an ancient treasure.

Cheng Xinzhan put it away. After refining it, it would be perfect to give it to his junior sister.

“Burn it all!”

He did not collect the river of floating bones in the sky, but burned it clean with fire.

Xue Linglong treated the treasures in the same way as the mandrill, both using some inferior and dirty methods. One used a gourd to raise the Fire Crow Soul, and the other used a clean bottle to raise bone-eroding water, both of which allowed the treasures to be covered in dust.

Then he came to Mu Mei again.

The spirit form of Li Xiahuai at the top of the wood ghost had been burned clean by Hanba’s karma fire – Cheng Xinzhan didn’t know whether it was appropriate to call it karma fire, but in the secret method of refining corpses passed down from generation to generation in the Fire Temple, this bright red fire cultivated by Hanba was called karma fire.

Cheng Xinzhan felt that this should be related to the changes caused by the ancient Buddha’s fall into the devil. In any case, in his impression, the karma fire of Buddhism was not like this.

He picked up Li Xiahuai’s golden elixir, which was a pale green golden elixir. Observing this kind of golden elixir would be of no benefit to Cheng Xinzhan’s practice. He also wanted to re-refine it. It would be more appropriate to extract some of the evil spirit from it.

Cheng Xinzhan also collected the rest of the magic treasures, including the cave stone, and would take them all to Baihu Mountain and hand them over to the Weaponry Academy to see if they could be turned into treasures.

As for those things that are made with human bones, blood, flesh and skin as the base material, they naturally need to be purified and burned. He believes that the Weaponry Academy will handle it well, as they are the ones who specialize in their fields.

Finally, he called the wounded giant ape and placed the dragon girl and the wood spirit together, including the flying skulls on the ground. These two were the evil corpses that had been passed down from generation to generation in Tianjiao Mountain. Although they were seriously injured at this time, as long as they were fed with bones and meat respectively, they would soon recover their strength.

But Cheng Xinzhan naturally wouldn’t do that.

After he controlled the giant ape to put the Dragon Girl and Mu Mei together, he also let the giant ape sit next to them.

These three corpse slaves, who had been driven for a long time, had been subjected to all kinds of god-destroying methods. There was no possibility for them to have any intelligence or transform into corpse immortals. Even their chance of reincarnation was cut off.

Cheng Xinzhan sat cross-legged opposite the Three Corpses, forming the “Mantra of Saving Suffering and Transcendence” with his hands. For the first time since the birth of this mandrill, an expression of compassion appeared on his face.

He recited the “Taiyi Jiuku Hushen Miaojing” in his mouth, pointed his sealed fingers at the three corpses, and then rain fell from the sky.

Bathed in the Qinghua nectar, the layers of corpse-solidifying and god-destroying talismans carved on the bodies of the three corpses for hundreds and thousands of years were slowly dissolving, and the strong bloody smell lingering on the three corpses was also slowly fading away.

Cheng Xinzhan’s salvation lasted from the afternoon to the evening. The three corpse slaves’ usually dead and ruthless faces unexpectedly turned into peaceful and tranquil expressions.

Wu Qingbo, who was sitting in meditation and guarding the Dharma beside him, looked at his benefactor who was concentrating on chanting the mantra, as if he was looking up to a god.

As the golden crows set in the west and darkness fell, Cheng Xinzhan had already finished reciting the final passage in his mouth.
“…

The wonderland of Qinghua, the sweet dew cleanses the dust;
The soul crosses the East Pole, and the spirit returns to the spiritual root;
The willow branches sprinkle dew, and the lotus garden is where you will be reborn;
God has mercy on us, and we can escape from the damnation forever;
Hurry and obey the command of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun!”

As Cheng Xinzhan shouted loudly, a mysterious and magical scene appeared:

The bodies of the three corpses collapsed and turned into fireflies all over the sky, which looked like a brilliant galaxy in the dark mountain night.

This is precisely the very rare secret technique of Taiyi’s method of relieving suffering that can be seen in the world. It can only be practiced by those who have both the nectar of dew and rain in their bodies and the heart to save the world. It is what is meant by “a rotten corpse turning into a firefly.”

These ignorant fireflies eat grass and drink dew day and night, survive this life, and then they will be reincarnated in the next life.

Watching these fireflies scatter and hide in various places in the forest and grass, Bai Yongliang, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward and said respectfully,
“master.”

Bai Yongliang is now a lot younger, and has also transformed into a human form. He transformed from a ginseng grass into a white rat wood spirit, and then into a human form. He has encountered many good fortunes and is considered a blessed figure among the plant and tree clan.

Previously, one could see his old age in the form of a white rat, but now that he had transformed into a human, he looked like a middle-aged dwarf. Cheng Xinzhan sincerely felt that after a few more years, he might return to being a virgin.

Now that he has a human form, he naturally can’t call him “Old Bai” anymore. Even after the raccoon cat and the white dog transformed, Cheng Xinzhan gave them real names and no longer called them by nicknames.

Cheng Xinzhan stood up and handed all the things he had searched for from Xue Linglong and Li Xiahuai, including the gourd, to Bai Yongliang, saying,

“Yongliang, you have always been cautious in doing things. Take these items back to the sect and go underground. Don’t reveal your whereabouts.”

Bai Yongliang took them all, put them in his bag, and said,

“As the master commands.”

Seeing that Cheng Xinzhan had nothing else to say, Bai Yongliang rolled to the ground and disappeared.

When Cheng Xinzhan saw that the area had been cleaned up and there were no traces left, he took Wu Qingbo and flew to Tianshao Mountain again.

The matter was not over yet. After they returned and confirmed that Li Xiahuai and Xue Linglong were killed by Tian Xiu’e, they joined forces with Tie Pofeng from the Golden Temple and destroyed the Earth Temple before Tian Xiu’e returned, thus making the Golden and Earth Temples become mortal enemies.

If Tian Xiu’e doesn’t return or dies while trying to survive the catastrophe, then slowly take away water, wood, and earth. If Tian Xiu’e returns after receiving the message, then join forces with Tie Pofeng to kill her quickly. When only Tie Pofeng is left, things will be easy to handle, and Tianshao Mountain will be almost conquered.

—-

Having received the instructions, Bai Yongliang dared not neglect them. He dived as deep as he could in the soil and ran as fast as he could. When the moon was rising, he had already returned to Sanqing Mountain.

Only after entering the mountain gate did Bai Yongliang breathe a sigh of relief and then headed straight for Meiji Mountain.

When he arrived at Wuyou Cave, Cheng Xinzhan was already waiting for him. Since this was not an important occasion, he naturally took off the Wanfa Sutra Master’s outfit and changed into the pale peach lining and lake blue Taoist robe that he was used to wearing. However, the Dragon and Tiger Jade Ruyi was quite convenient to hold in his hand, so he kept it with him.

Bai Yongliang came to Cheng Xinzhan and bowed.

“Mountain Master, we have brought all the things back and no one has discovered them.”

Cheng Xinzhan took it and said in a gentle tone,
“Okay, you can go and take a rest.”

Bai Yongliang agreed and left for his own cave.

Cheng Xinzhan turned around and went back to the cave.

It has been more than twenty years since Cheng Xinzhan inherited the true teachings of Pi Xin Fu and opened Wuyou Cave. However, Wuyou Cave itself has not changed much. It still looks the same. The moonlight pours in from the skylight in the stone cave above, illuminating the Wuyou Cave clearly.

If there is any change, it is that the books in the cave are piling up more and more. The stone walls in the cave are full of niches. In addition, there are many wooden bookshelves in the cave. These niches and wooden shelves are filled with various kinds of books.

Talismans, spell books, elixir recipes, pharmacopoeias, sword manuals, star maps, and Taoist canons, everything was available; paper books, bamboo slips, leather scrolls, silk, jade paper, and gold foil were all in full view.

Over the years, he has been able to quickly master anything, and there is a reason for that. The largest number of items in his travertine are books.

Surrounded by numerous bookshelves is his desk, which is also where the moonlight shines directly.

His desk had been changed before.

When he first opened the cave, he simply carved a desk out of stone. However, later on, there were too many books piled on the desk to read. Sometimes, in order to meditate on the gods, he also had to practice painting. In addition, he had to always leave a space on the desk for his cat slave, so it soon became insufficient.

He once said that the desk was too small. When Bai Yongliang heard this, he immediately patted his chest and said that he would take care of it.

So we have the desk we have now. Bai Yongliang dug up the agarwood from somewhere, but it is this big, two meters long, six feet wide, and three inches thick. The wood grain on it looks like some lotus, some leaves, and some carp. From a distance, it looks like a lotus pond.

Bai Yongliang has always done things properly. When he said he would prepare a desk for the master, it definitely meant he was not just preparing a desk.

He also specially cut kudzu to get threads and weaved a large lichen and a thick futon. The lichen had the pattern of the Later Heaven Bagua, and the futon was woven into the shape of a yin-yang fish.

Place four stone steps on the lichen, carve them into the shape of Ba Xia, put the four corners of the agarwood board on the stone steps, and put the futon next to it. This will be an excellent desk.

After Bai Yongliang presented this item, Cheng Xinzhan was overjoyed. Whenever he was in Meiji Mountain, he spent most of his time at this desk.

At this time, such a large desk was also piled with books and picture albums, which buried the lotus carp painting on the desk.

Although the desk has been changed, the crane lantern brought from Bingchenyuan in Xiaowanshan Lantern Street has never been moved.

Under the crane lantern, the third sister turned back into her original form and fell into a deep sleep.

Cheng Xinzhan walked back to the desk and sat down. He picked up the open book on the desk and continued to read it attentively. The bright crane lamp illuminated the title on the cover of the book clearly, which read:
“Ganzhou Xianzhi – Gannan Xingqi Hezong Secret Book (Four Yang Clan Fengshui Affairs)”.

—-

The night passed with the sound of turning pages.

After daybreak, Cheng Xinzhan put down his book and got up. The third sister also woke up and stretched lazily at the desk.

Cheng Xinzhan picked up the cat and walked out.

Outside the cave, Bai Long was absorbing essence and Bai Yongliang was taking care of the medicine garden.

I didn’t see my junior sister.

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head helplessly and sighed. Bai Long followed Bai Yongliang to learn Taoism, so he was obviously steady and hardworking. The third sister and the junior sister stayed together every day, but they only knew how to sleep.

But there is no reason for spiritual practice. The latter two have dragon blood, so even if they sleep every day, their magic power is still stronger than the former two.

Cheng Xinzhan put his third sister down, and the raccoon slave turned into a little girl. He figured out his master’s thoughts, and without saying a word, he flew to a high place and came to the side of Bailongnai, absorbing the purple air of the sunrise.

He walked to the edge of the Dragon Pond again and stomped his feet. The earth shook gently and ripples appeared on the surface of the pond. After a while, Gu Xinshu came out, looking sleepy.

Xinshu saw his senior brother’s face and knew that he had gotten up late again today. He immediately showed a guilty expression and also went to a high place to eat without saying a word.

Cheng Xinzhan rubbed his forehead helplessly. Which cultivator would sleep until the sun shines on his butt every day and need someone to wake him up?
He sighed, then rode the wind to Yujing Peak.

The fox incident was neither a big nor a small matter. Although it certainly could not be brought to the headmaster’s attention, it was related to Mount Longhu and the fox guarding the Heavenly Master Seal, so it was not appropriate to let ordinary people come to judge. It would be more appropriate to find the Tongxuan Patriarch who was currently in charge of Yujing Peak.

The journey was smooth and he met the master.

“Good or bad?”

Seeing Cheng Xinzhan coming in, Shi Tongxuan put down the work in his hands and asked.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled when he heard this and said,

“Grandmaster, this is a good thing.”

Shi Tongxuan was very happy to hear this. He waved to Cheng Xinzhan, asking him to come closer and talk. Then he said,
“You can tell me the good things, but if you have any bad things, go find the headmaster or Shouren.”

Cheng Xinzhan responded with a smile and sat down beside the master.

“Tell me, what’s the good news?”

So Cheng Xinzhan took out the gourd and handed it to the master.

Shi Tongxuan took it, looked at it twice, and nodded repeatedly.
“Not bad! It’s a good gourd, made by nature. I’ve never seen one like this before. Where did it come from? But such a good thing has been tainted with such heavy craftsmanship and evil spirits. It’s really a waste of nature’s gift. If you refine it well, it will be able to accompany you to the fairyland in the future.”

Shi Tongxuan praised the gourd greatly, and then said,

“Hey, why is there a fox locked up inside? A female fox, and a three-tailed celestial fox at that.”

The master saw the fox from head to toe through the gourd and the talisman cast by Cheng Xinzhan.

Cheng Xinzhan replied,
“Ancestor, this is not an ordinary fox. This is a fox that escaped from the Heavenly Master’s Mansion.”

(End of this chapter)