Chapter 230 News of the Black Dragon Xuanming Sha

The candlelight in the main hall flickered.

The old lady sat in the armchair, and the black cat closed its eyes again, curling up in her arms.

Wang Shouren stood beside her, bowing slightly, and was speaking in a low voice.

"Spirits and monsters are born between heaven and earth, and are born with a wisp of spiritual energy. That is the life force born from grass, trees, mountains and rivers, which is much purer than the yang energy of living people."

"I invited them to my wedding banquet because of the spiritual energy they possess."

"When the evil energy of the god of joy surges forth, the spiritual essence naturally disperses. Then, when I gather it into the eye of the array, it is poured into my son's corpse, which may add a bit more ferocity."

The old lady was silent for a moment, then slowly stroked the cat's back with her withered fingers.

"Your method is clever, but the spiritual energy of mountain spirits is mixed and impure. It might work once or twice, but too much of it will damage the foundation of the corpse."

She paused for a few seconds, then continued, "Your son already possesses only a fraction of yin energy. Even with the spiritual energy from the courtyard, he can't become a true god of joy."

Wang Shouren's hands trembled slightly, but he still managed to keep his voice steady: "So, what does the old lady mean...?"

"What your son lacks now is not yin energy, but malevolent energy."

"A malevolent aura?"

"Yes, yin energy nourishes the skin and flesh, while evil energy nourishes the tendons and bones."

"Your son's body has already acquired a third of its spiritual essence. To achieve a complete burial, you must find a place with pure malevolent energy and bury him there."

Wang Shouren's eyes lit up: "Where? Tell me, old sister, no matter how hard it is to find, I will find it."

The old lady didn't answer directly, but instead lowered her head and looked at the black cat in her arms.

The cat opened its eyes at some point, its golden pupils reflecting the flickering candlelight.

"In this world, malevolent energy is divided into different grades. Ordinary mass graves and ancient battlefields all have malevolent energy, but it is too mixed and turbid, and the things it breeds are muddled and confused, no different from walking corpses."

"To cultivate a true auspicious spirit, one must find the true evil spirit formed by the creation of heaven and earth."

She raised her eyelids and looked into Wang Shouren's eyes: "Have you heard of the ranking of the True Fiends?"

Wang Shouren shook his head.

"The true evil spirits of heaven and earth are divided into nine ranks." The old lady's voice grew softer and softer. "The first one is called the Chaotic Profound Yellow Evil Spirit, which is the turbid energy left over from the creation of heaven and earth, but it is now impossible to find."

"The second one is called the Nine Netherworld Meteorite Fiend, which was created when stars fell from the sky. It is said to be located at the bottom of Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain."

She paused for a moment, and a slight smile curved her lips.

"The third one is called Black Dragon Xuanming Sha."

Wang Shouren's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Black Dragon Xuanming Sha?"

"That's right," the old lady said. "Where a true dragon falls, the dragon's energy lingers and merges with the yin energy underground. After thousands of years of brewing, it forms the Black Dragon Xuanming Sha."

"This malevolent aura carries the might of a dragon; ordinary ghosts cannot withstand it, but if one can resist it, then the creatures raised..."

She didn't continue speaking, but simply stretched out two fingers and slowly twirled them in the air.

An unnatural flush rose on Wang Shouren's pale face: "Old sister, where can we find this Black Dragon Xuanming Sha...?"

The old woman glanced at him, a hint of amusement flashing in her cloudy old eyes.

"You've hit the nail on the head," she said. "There just happens to be such a place within a thousand miles."

He leaned forward abruptly, his voice trembling: "Where?"

The old lady didn't answer; she just lowered her head and stroked the cat's fur back.

The air in the main hall suddenly became heavy.

"Older sister, if you know of any treasure trove of land, please name your price. I've saved up some money over the years..."

"It's not about the money," the old woman interrupted him. "I can't tell you about that place right now."

Why?

"Because your son's body hasn't been preserved to that extent yet."

"The Black Dragon Xuanming Sha is filled with the might of a dragon. Your son only has three-tenths of Yin energy, not even enough to be considered fierce. If you bury him in that kind of place, his body will be crushed into dust by the dragon's might within three days."

"You won't even be able to get the ashes back by then."

Wang Shouren's face turned pale.

"Then...when will that be?"

"Only when his yin energy reaches more than six-tenths, his ferocity transforms into malevolent energy, and his corpse develops its own aura, can he withstand the dragon's might."

The old lady tapped her fingers twice on the armrest of the armchair. "First, you should complete the third ghost marriage. Take all three of the woman's essence, energy, and spirit, and let the yin energy seep into her bones."

"Your son's ferocity will be even more intense then, and the coffin lid probably won't be able to hold him down. Come find me then."

"After all, that Black Dragon Xuanming Sha was the burial place of a real dragon."

Wang Shouren's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

"Underground?"

"Not here."

"Neither in the underworld nor in the world of the living."

"That place is a gash torn open when the dragon fell, the boundary between Yin and Yang."

"During the day, it appears as the world of the living, but at midnight, the gates to the underworld open."

"If your son could be buried in that place for forty-nine days, until the evil energy seeps into his bones and the dragon's might is bestowed upon him, then the power of the God of Joy will be..."

The sounds in the main hall grew fainter and fainter...

Even though the paper figure pasted under the windowsill had moved closer stealthily, the words and phrases that could be gleaned were becoming increasingly scarce.

Sitting outside, Chen Mo lowered his eyes, his heart beating faster.

"Black Dragon Xuanming Sha..."

"The boundary between Yin and Yang..."

The true evil spirit ranks third.

The place where a true dragon was buried is the boundary between Yin and Yang. During the day it is the Yang realm, and at midnight it opens the Yin gate.

If this place really exists, it's not just a place to raise the god of happiness.

This kind of true evil spirit of heaven and earth has an extremely powerful effect on tempering the physical body.

An ordinary person couldn't withstand it, but if it were him...

Chen Mo slowly circled his fingers along the rim of the teacup, his eyes flickering slightly.

That old woman's strength is unfathomable; I estimate I'm no match for her.

Unfortunately, the exact location of that true evil spirit is unknown.

......

He put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

Inside the courtyard, the spirits and ghosts were still clinking glasses and laughing, their voices rising and falling, as lively as if it were Chinese New Year.

Master Long leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Master Chen, when are we going to rescue them?"

Chen Mo didn't open his eyes: "It's still early, now is not the time."

"But......"

"Wait, it's too dangerous to act now..."

"......"

Time passed little by little.

The candles in the courtyard were changed again and again, and the banquet was set off and then set off again.

The spirits and monsters were flushed from drinking, and some had already revealed their true forms, lying on the table snoring, their tails still swishing.

Chen Mo remained seated at the octagonal table near the door, without touching anything.

The moon slowly climbed to its zenith.

The crimson moonlight shone down, making the entire courtyard look as if it were soaking in blood.

It's almost midnight.

The noise in the courtyard suddenly subsided, and all the spirits and ghosts raised their heads, their gazes fixed on the main hall.

The doors to the main hall slowly opened.

Wang Shouren walked out, followed by eight paper figures dressed in red.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" His voice carried far on the night breeze, "The auspicious time has arrived. Please follow me to the ceremony!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the courtyard.

The spirits and ghosts all stood up and surged toward the main hall.

Chen Mo also stood up.

"Let's go," he said. "Let's see what they're up to."

Master Long's hand was already on the butcher's knife. The two sailors supported each other, their legs trembling, but they still gritted their teeth and followed the two men.

The main hall is much larger inside than it appears from the outside.

In the center of the hall stood a large red sedan chair, its curtains tightly closed, but a pair of feet wearing embroidered shoes could be vaguely seen hanging half an inch off the ground.

In front of the bridal sedan chair was a mourning hall.

Red lanterns and white mourning banners hung together, and the characters for "happiness" and "funeral" were pasted side by side on a wall. Three incense sticks were stuck in the incense burner, and the smoke that came out was black, thick and viscous.

A pitch-black coffin was placed in the very center of the mourning hall.

The coffin lid was half open, and a hand was sticking out from inside.

Her skin was as white as paper, but her fingernails were black, unusually long, and curved like eagle claws.

Chen Mo's gaze fell on that hand, and his brows furrowed slightly.

There was something dark red embedded in the fingernails, like blood stains that had dried for a long time.

Moreover, there is a thin layer of black downy hair at the joints of the fingers, which is barely noticeable unless you look closely.

This is a sign of a zombie turning into a corpse.

Two ghost marriages have already begun to transform this corpse into a ferocious zombie.

Wang Shouren stood beside the coffin, his smile growing ever brighter.

"Son, don't worry, your wife will be here soon."

He turned around and waved in the direction of the bridal sedan chair.

"Please welcome the bride!"

Eight paper figures bent down in unison, crawled under the sedan chair poles, and simultaneously exerted their strength to steadily lift the bridal sedan chair.

Their posture while carrying the sedan chair was extremely strange; their knees didn't bend, their heels didn't touch the ground, and they seemed to float.

The bridal sedan chair was carried to the center of the mourning hall, and the curtains opened automatically without any wind.

A woman was sitting in the sedan chair.

She was in her early twenties, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, complete with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, her makeup exquisite, making it impossible to tell whether she was beautiful or not.

Because her face was covered with heavy rouge and powder, making it look like a mask.

Her eyes were open, but her pupils were dilated.

Master Long gasped, and the two sailors immediately covered their mouths.

Chen Mo's eyes narrowed slightly.

The woman's three souls and seven spirits had been tampered with. Her body was still alive and her heart was still beating, but half of her soul had been taken away, and the remaining half was locked inside her body. She could neither walk nor control her own body.

She is now a living puppet.

The watchman's drum sounded outside.

Thump...thump...thump...

The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM).

An elderly woman dressed as a matchmaker stood beside the coffin and pulled a red silk ribbon from her sleeve.

One end of the red silk was tied to the pale wrist inside the coffin, while the other end was handed to the bride in the bridal sedan chair.

"The newlyweds tie the knot, symbolizing the union of Yin and Yang."

The bride raised her hand by herself.

The hand inside the coffin suddenly tightened, its knuckles making a cracking sound.

The monsters and ghosts in the courtyard roared excitedly, their eyes turning green and drool dripping from their mouths.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth..."

The matchmaker's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

The bride's body was pushed by something, and she stiffly turned around, bending over to face the door.

A dull thud came from the coffin, as if something inside had turned over.

"Bowing to the parents a second time..."

The bride turned around again, facing Wang Shouren, and bowed.

The coffin lid was pushed open a little more, and another hand reached out from inside. Both hands gripped the edge of the coffin, their fingernails digging deeply into the wood.

"Husband and wife bowing to each other..."

The bride turned around one last time, facing the direction of the coffin.

As she bent down, a pair of arms suddenly reached out from the coffin, grabbed the bride's shoulders, and dragged her toward the coffin.

Just then, a furious shout came from the sky.

"The Bureau of Suppression of Strange Things is on duty!"

"Not a single spirit or ghost in this courtyard is allowed to leave!"

The moment the sound faded, countless lights illuminated the area outside the Wang Family Compound.

Then dozens of figures climbed in.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with a scar on his left cheek that ran from the corner of his eye down to his chin.

He stood on the courtyard wall, holding a copper coin sword in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the monsters and ghosts filling the courtyard, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"Wow, they really are a whole nest."

The courtyard was in an uproar.

The monsters and ghosts screamed and revealed their true forms, scattering all over the ground.

One by one, the possessed living people lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth and with unfocused eyes.

But the people from the Zhenyi Division acted even faster.

Dozens of people quickly dispersed, completely surrounding the courtyard.

Scarface jumped down from the courtyard wall, brandishing his copper coin sword.

The copper coins on the sword jingled, and a sliver of gold gleamed faintly from the hole in each coin.

"town!"

At a single command, dozens of members of the Zhenyi Division attacked simultaneously.

The demon-binding rope and the cinnabar net descended, instantly filling the courtyard with flashes of golden light and echoing screams.

A hungry ghost with a blue face and fangs was dragged to the ground with a demon-binding rope wrapped around its neck.

Another disheveled female ghost was covered by a net of cinnabar, her body emitting blue smoke. She screamed and rolled on the ground, getting thinner with each roll, until she finally shrunk into an empty red dress.

But more spirits surged toward the courtyard wall, trying to escape.

Scarface snorted coldly, took out a bronze mirror from his waist with his left hand, and raised it to the sky.

The moonlight shone on the bronze mirror, reflecting a dazzling beam of light that swept across the courtyard.

Any spirits or monsters that were touched by the light were instantly frozen in place, unable to move.

"I said, not a single one of you is allowed to leave."

Scarface's gaze swept across the chaotic crowd and suddenly settled on Chen Mo.

"You..." He pointed the copper coin sword at Chen Mo, "Who are you?"

Before Chen Mo could even speak, the scarred man was in front of him in a few steps, his copper coin sword pointed directly at his throat.

"He is free from any yin energy or demonic aura."

The other person's gaze swept across Chen Mo's face. "It's neither a spirit nor a ghost, probably just a rat from the underworld."

He waved his hand: "Take it down!"

Two officers from the Zhenyi Division immediately pounced on him, their Soul-Locking Chains rattling as they aimed for Chen Mo's wrists.

"Don't lay a hand on them, they're on our side!"

Chen Mo quickly pulled out his inspection bureau token from his pocket, waved it in front of the group, and said, "I'm here to investigate!"

Scarface's eyes widened suddenly.

"Are you from the inspection bureau?"

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