The Blade-Wielding Legend -
Chapter 151 - 118 Overturning Altars and Destroying Temples, Below Taibai Mountain_2
Chapter 151: Chapter 118 Overturning Altars and Destroying Temples, Below Taibai Mountain_2
A small temple stood starkly atop the mountain, with no surrounding walls, just a main hall and two side rooms.
Locks were on all three rooms, but the locks had rusted, and the ground was overgrown with weeds. In the distance, on decaying wooden stumps, the wood-cutting axes also bore the spotted stains of rust.
Wang Daoxuan shook his head and murmured quietly, "It seems that someone once secluded themselves here for cultivation, maybe they met with an accident when they went out and never returned."
Li Yan asked, "Daoist, what should we do?"
Wang Daoxuan said solemnly, "Overturn the altar and break the temple!"
The three of them were quite agile. Wang Daoxuan took out a Magic Umbrella with the Eight Trigrams of Yin and Yang painted on it, and the tassels around it were adorned with various talismans.
Phut!
He spat a stream of water to open the altar again, then performed the Astral Step, holding the umbrella in his left hand and making hand seals with his right, drawing talismans in the air above the Magic Umbrella while chanting, "Heaven is clear, earth is clear, Xuan Qi manifests its might, Heavenly Lord protect me, Evil Spirits shall not violate, overturn the altar and break the temple, suppress souls and capture spirits..."
Having said this, he took up the Dharma Seal, gestured towards the sky, swiftly dodged to the side, then, following the Astral Step, he slowly approached the ruined temple.
This time, Li Yan saw everything exceedingly clearly.
This was the temple breaking ritual of Wang Daoxuan’s Western Mystical Sect lineage.
It appeared simple, but it was very dangerous.
Previously, when the magic platform was raised and the Dharma Seal was brandished in midair, it was summoning the Divine Evil of Xuan Qi, but this thing carried a spirit of severity; one had to dodge at the precise moment, or else the ritual would fail and one would be injured.
Now that Wang Daoxuan was stepping with the Astral Step, protected by the Magic Umbrella, and drawing the Divine Evil with the Dharma Seal, he was about to break open the old temple’s altar site.
As for the Divine Evil itself, it was unique to the lineage of the Western Mystical Sect, equivalent to the strength of the Divine Astral of an Ancestor.
Finally, Wang Daoxuan arrived at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.
Bang bang bang!
He struck the Dharma Seal three times, and dust and ash trembled.
Li Yan could smell it, the original decayed and cold scent that shrouded the ruined temple completely dissipated amidst the tremors of the Dharma Seal’s Divine Astral.
Then, Wang Daoxuan raised his foot and gave a kick.
Boom!
The rusted lock broke apart, and the temple doors were kicked open.
Whoosh~ A gust of decayed Yin wind howled out.
Wang Daoxuan’s Magic Umbrella buzzed in the wind, but he did not fear it and stepped boldly inside, reciting a few incantations before slamming the Dharma Seal onto the altar table where the Divine Statue was placed.
In an instant, the Yin wind ceased.
Without another word, Li Yan strode into the temple.
He opened his eyes and saw that the Divine Statue was of a Daoist with a Compass in hand and a treasured sword at his waist, but due to decay, the lacquer on the statue had already peeled off.
And on the altar, there were five Wandering Soul Vases in a row, three of which were already shattered, and two were intact, but the talismans on them were withered yellow, as if they would break apart at any moment.
"It’s from the Baoxiang Sect of Ganzhou in the southeast."
Wang Daoxuan glanced at the Divine Statue and said, "This Magic Vein is adept in Fengshui and skilled at commanding Rampaging Soldiers."
As he spoke, he picked up a yellow copied scroll from the table, looked at the name on the title page, and read, "Hou Faming... It seems he was a direct disciple, who knows what happened to this Daoist brethren."
After a quick inspection, Wang Daoxuan and Li Yan worked together to reseal the two Rampaging Soldiers that had not yet escaped back into the Wandering Soul Vases.
"Done,"
Wang Daoxuan was in a good mood, "These three Rampaging Soldiers, once we return, only need to be offered incense in front of the Ancestor Master Altar to be subdued and trained, and they will be excellent helpers."
Li Yan laughed, "The Rampaging Soldiers are quite fierce, Daoist, it would be best to find something to suppress them so they will obey."
"Hahaha, naturally."
Wang Daoxuan laughed heartily, and he and Li Yan resumed their search.
There were some magic artifacts refined by incense fire, but they were too decayed over time, and the Divine Astral attached to them had long dissipated, rendering them useless.
The two did not care much, as obtaining the three Rampaging Soldiers was already a significant gain.
"Eh?"
After exiting the small temple, Wang Daoxuan looked towards the opposite mountain peak and could not help but praise, "I said the location of the Baoxiang Sect could not be ordinary, this place actually hides a top-grade treasure spot, it’s likely the remaining charm of the dragon in the Qinling."
Saying so, he pointed ahead, "Gathering wind and accepting Qi, accumulating water and shaping momentum, and those three surrounding mountains, this is called the Dragon’s Returning Treasure Seat Land. If one’s ancestors were buried there, the descendants’ fortune would be unspeakable."
Sha Lifei’s eyes lit up, "Is this treasure spot valuable?"
Wang Daoxuan gave a wry smile and said, "Depends on who you’re asking, if taken to Chang’an, those wealthy and noble families, for the sake of this treasure spot, would be willing to pay a hundred thousand Silver."
"Ten... a hundred thousand taels?"
Sha Lifei’s mind went blank, and with a trembling voice he said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go and take it."
"Wait, not so fast..."
However, Wang Daoxuan furrowed his brows, took a closer look, and even pulled out a compass to check before he finally sighed and said, "What a pity, this treasure spot can no longer be used."
Sha Lifei was taken aback. "Ah, why not?"
Wang Daoxuan pointed ahead and said with a wry smile, "See for yourself. The mountain flood and land collapse have destroyed its foundation. It may appear sound on the surface, but if we buried our ancestors here, I fear serious problems would arise."
"What kind of problems?"
"Without a foundation, the lineage would surely end."
"Perhaps there would be temporary wealth, but the family’s incense would be extinguished, extremely ominous, extremely ominous..."
Li Yan shook his head slightly, "Fengshui is but a small influence. Since it’s worthless, let’s not delay any longer and head down the mountain to return to Lantian early."
With that, the three of them passed through the thorny jungle and headed toward the ridges...
...
The cold wind howled, and the mountains were desolate.
Suddenly!
On the official road, three horses sped by, their hooves kicking up dust.
"Strange, how come there’s not a single traveler in sight for half the day."
"Today is the day of Xuanyuan, when the Water Official Relieves Calamity. The common folk are at home offering sacrifices to their ancestors, and Taoist Temples are setting up vegetarian banquets and rituals. Who has the time to come out?"
"Tsk, tsk, my mind is all muddled by the cold. It’s a good thing the Daoist reminded me."
The newcomers were none other than Li Yan’s group.
After crossing the Qinling Mountains and making another trip to Li Family Castle, the three rented horses in Lantian and traveled day and night. They bypassed cities and towns, and if they were tired, they would rest in abandoned houses or desolate temples.
After several days of trekking, they finally arrived at the foot of Taibai Mountain.
Having ridden for half an incense stick’s time, Sha Lifei began to complain again, "Brother Yan, Old Sha can’t take it anymore. Look even the Daoist’s face has turned purple from cold. Let’s find a place to rest."
It was already winter, and the weather had become increasingly cold. Although it had not yet snowed, riding on horseback in the biting wind made not just Wang Daoxuan, but also Li Yan and Sha Lifei numb with cold.
Li Yan looked into the distance and saw a high mountain wilderness. He pulled his horse to a stop and passed the wine flask at his waist to Wang Daoxuan, "We need to find a place out of the wind to light a fire. Daoist, should we head to Mei County?"
"No need."
Wang Daoxuan took the flask and drank a few sips, then rubbed his numb cheeks, pointing to a dirt road on the left:
"Entering the county would take us too far off our path. If we continue on this road for another ten miles, there’s an old fort. Many who head up the mountain rest there."
"There’s also an inn. Just hold on a bit longer and we’ll be there."
"All right, let’s follow the Daoist’s suggestion."
Li Yan and Sha Lifei were unfamiliar with the road, so they followed Wang Daoxuan’s lead.
The group spurred their horses on and after a few miles, turned a corner and saw a fort standing beneath the vast high mountains.
A fort, also known as a fortress, has been built since the Han Dynasty. Whenever there were disasters, famines, or the fall of a dynasty that led to unrest in the north, landlords and gentry would build forts for their own protection.
Forts varied in size but typically had high walls around them with paths on top where people could walk, and even arrow loops and watchtowers, resembling miniature city walls.
Once built, these became small military works. Since the time of the founding Emperor Guangwu, emperors of successive dynasties had ordered their destruction, yet they persisted.
This fort before them, its time of construction unknown, covered no small area. The city wall on the left had already collapsed, the tower on top had lost its roof, and only charred wooden pillars remained, clearly having endured battles.
If not for the several carts parked outside and the hanging lanterns and fluttering wine banners, Li Yan would have mistaken it for an abandoned ancient ruin.
Before even approaching, they saw a tall wooden pole erected outside the fort with a yellow flag hanging on it.
"That’s called a Heavenly Pole."
Noticing Li Yan’s gaze, Wang Daoxuan explained, "Erecting a Heavenly Pole signifies the presence of Taoist followers. At night, three Heavenly Lanterns will be hung atop the pole as offerings for the ’Three Officials’ fast."
The presence of the trio raised no interest.
The reason was that the fort was already crowded with people: merchants and peddlers, groups coming to offer incense, and even monks and nuns from the Buddhist and Taoist traditions, as well as oddly dressed witches and wizards.
Li Yan was taken aback and looked at Wang Daoxuan.
Even from afar, he could smell the unusual auras within. This small place had gathered quite a number of people from the Mystical Sect!
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