The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 420 - 254: The Secret of the Earth Immortal_2

Chapter 420: Chapter 254: The Secret of the Earth Immortal_2

Feng Huazi said in a deep voice, "Let’s talk about this matter later."

His expression was cold and stern, but his eyes already reflected a sense of guilt.

As for Li Yan, he approached the two divine statues, lost in thought.

"Liu Gang" wore a merit crown, a light red robe with a crossed collar and right lap, and was adorned with a green ribbon, looking every bit like an official of the Han Dynasty.

"Mrs. Fan" donned a light blue plain dress and a high bun with a cloud-shaped hairpin.

Both statues possessed an extraordinary demeanor, standing to the left of Ge Xianweng.

Li Yan, deep in thought, questioned whether the one causing trouble behind the scenes was not "Mrs. Fan" but rather her husband, "Liu Gang"?

The latter had clearly been lurking on the mountain for some time...

With this in mind, Li Yan spoke up, "Brother Lv, ask them if they know where Feng Lingzi’s body was taken."

Lv San asked a few questions while looking down, then pointed towards the northwest side, "They only know it went that way, into the forest."

Feng Huazi was astonished, "That is... the burial site of the Daoists..."

...

The lush greenery was dense, and the vegetation thrived.

Half of the cliff was exposed, with a multitude of graves arranged in order, some with just a standing stele, others with ornate archways.

The deeper one went, the older the graves.

The burial grounds of the Taoists naturally wouldn’t harbor any evil beings, with only a quiet and somber environment where the forests were deep and the birds silent.

"All the Daoists of previous generations are buried here."

Feng Huazi looked around and frowned, "To hide the body in this place, one must be very familiar with the Taoist Temple."

Without the suppression of the Divine Skills, Li Yan directly performed a spell and took a deep breath, unable to help but twitch his eyelid.

Enduring various stenches of decay, Li Yan picked up several wooden sticks from the ground and planted them in front of a few gravestones, then said, "Senior Feng Huazi, these graves are all empty!"

"What?!"

Feng Huazi quickly performed the Yang Jue, his eyes instantly shining with a sharp light, and then his complexion turned extremely ugly as he gritted his teeth, "Men, dig up all these graves!"

The disciples of the Taoist Temple acted quickly, digging up several graves and opening the unsealed coffin lids one by one.

"Empty!"

"Empty!"

"This one is empty too!"

Their voices trembled, their faces somewhat pale.

By now, it was clear what had happened.

Indeed, a demon resided within the Taoist Temple,

And not just one!

They had all feigned death, their whereabouts unknown.

Even Feng Huazi was in complete disarray, murmuring, "How could this be... we had inspected everything thoroughly."

Li Yan said solemnly, "Besides these, who else died last year?"

"There’s also Brother Gu Linzi!"

One of the Taoists pointed to a tombstone that did not have a stick in front of it.

Feng Huazi said through clenched teeth, "What are we waiting for? Dig!"

At his command, the Taoist Temple disciples hurriedly dug up the grave, and inside, the coffin lid was also unsealed.

Inside lay a renowned Taoist, his corpse already decayed, his forehead shattered, his garments disheveled, and the strong stench of decay wafting through.

"It’s Brother Feng Lingzi! Woo~"

Seeing this, the young Taoist immediately began to cry.

At this moment, Feng Huazi looked significantly older, his lips pale, "It’s all this old Taoist’s fault."

"Talking about this is useless."

Li Yan looked around and said coldly, "Taixuan Orthodox Sect disciples are taken in from a young age; they must have been tempted along the way. To abandon their bright prospects and embark on a path of evil and demons."

"What could it be that holds such great temptation?"

The Taoists looked at one another, at a loss.

"I remember now!"

Among the young Taoists, one spoke with a trembling voice, "Before Feng Luzi succumbed to illness and died, he inexplicably uttered a phrase."

"Truly, there are Immortals in the world!"

...

"All of you are here."

Feng Huazi brought forth several ancient volumes, saying in a grave voice, "The records concerning Liu Gang and Mrs. Fan are all within these books."

"I’ve just looked at them, and all have been recently perused. The one who borrowed and left a name is none other than Feng Lingzi!"

Li Yan took the books and, while flipping through them, began to inquire, "Senior, forgive my impertinence, but I am truly full of doubts."

"Why have you remained indifferent to the great upheaval in Dangyang County?"

"And what secret is hidden in Dangyang that attracts the covetous gaze of so many demons and evil spirits?"

Feng Huazi remained silent for a moment, not rushing to respond, but then said, "Regarding the Earth Immortal Cave you mentioned, I have actually known about it for quite some time."

With that, his expression turned somewhat bitter, "Since you are a living Yin messenger, there’s no need to hide certain things."

"When I was younger, I was also shocked upon learning of the Earth Immortal Cave and hastily inquired of my master because we had a shrine dedicated to Mrs. Fan in the temple."

"My master said, there were once claims of King Huainan’s entire household ascending to heaven, but those were empty words. Throughout ancient and modern times, few have ever successfully ascended."

"Ge Xianweng did indeed succeed, and even blessed his descendants, earning Ge Baopu the moniker ’Little Immortal.’ It was merely because Liu Gang and his wife followed the Immortal that he included them in the ’Immortal Chronicles’..."

Li Yan mused thoughtfully and nodded slightly.

He had only realized this after ascending the mountain.

The deity enshrined in the Purple Canopy Mountain Cave was Ge Xuan, a disciple of Zuo Ci, an expert in using talismans to drive away illness, whom the people revered as "Taiji Immortal", also an Ancestor of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect.

And it was Ge Hong, Ge Baopu, who wrote the "Immortal Chronicles."

Perhaps out of nostalgia, he included these people, but clearly, their Daoist cultivation was not sufficient for them to become Immortals and ascend.

Feng Huazi continued, "In truth, Liu Gang and his wife did not become Immortals, and they were not disciples of Ge Xianweng. Their master was a mysterious expert known as ’Bai Daoist’."

"Moreover, according to the secret historical records in these books, Liu Gang was once a living Yin messenger, and the couple together subdued many spirit monsters and demons."

"Ge Xianweng studied under Zuo Ci and passed on his teachings to Zheng Yin, who in turn took Ge Baopu as a disciple. Liu Gang also passed down some Secret Techniques, which were acquired by Zheng Yin and later transmitted to Ge Baopu. The most famous of these was the Baopu Mountain Climbing Skill."

So that was it!

Li Yan suddenly understood.

The "Baopu Mountain Climbing Skill" was originally known as the "North Emperor’s Mountain Climbing Skill," which had no specific requirements and could be practiced by anyone in the Mystical Sect.

The origins of this technique were right here!

Meanwhile, a chill also rose in his heart.

Liu Gang had also practiced the "North Emperor’s Scripture"!

Thinking back, his own cheap master, who struggled to obtain the "North Emperor’s Scripture" and the "Luo Feng Scripture" from the Yin Bureau, was only able to cultivate to the level of the three-story, managing to build the first palace before meeting his end.

This Liu Gang was also an Ascender, and although he did not succeed, his Daoist cultivation was certainly higher.

Feng Huazi shook his head, "Young Hero Li must have also guessed that this couple were prisoners of the Yin Bureau, both Rejuvenators."

"Mrs. Fan appeared twice in the Human World."

"The first time was during the Tang Zhenyuan period, appearing as ’Xiang Ao’ and slaying the white turtle in Dongting, saving countless people and taking on many disciples, the most famous being a woman called ’Xiaoyao’..."

"The second was in the subsequent Changqing period, when the scholar Pei Hang failed his imperial examinations. On a boat, he encountered Mrs. Fan. Struck by her stunning appearance, he sent his Maid Niao Yan to deliver a poem on his behalf."

"Mrs. Fan reciprocated with a poem, ’A sip of Jade Liquid awakens a hundred emotions, through the vanishing frost, the brigalows shine. The blue bridge harbors the Earth Immortal Cave, why bother with the arduous climb to Jade Purity?’ After that, she left, saying she was going to the mountains to bid farewell to her husband."

"Later, Pei Hang met Brigalow, and after much hardship, married her. It was only at the wedding that he learned of Mrs. Fan’s true identity."

"This tale is recorded in Tang legends, with the origins of ’blue bridge grinding medicine’ and ’vanishing frost’ deriving from this. A play, ’The Blue Bridge’, is still performed by theater troupes throughout the Divine State."

The group listened, shock evident in their eyes.

They had not expected so many twists and secrets.

Feng Huazi sighed, "This couple were deeply versed in the Dao, managed to escape the Yin Bureau, and lived at ease for many years; not ones to be trifled with."

"And concerning the Earth Immortal Cave, it’s suspected to have been built by Xiaoyao, one of Mrs. Fan’s disciples. And back then, the formidable alchemist Yu Ji was in Jingzhou; Ge Xianweng obtained the Qin Han Alchemist Secret Book from him."

"The couple learned its Magic Methods and used them in the Earth Immortal Cave, secretly preserving the lineage, never revealing themselves to the world."

"The ’Immortal Scripture’ by Ge Baopu states, ’Superior practitioners lift their bodies to the void, known as Heavenly Immortals. Intermediate practitioners roam the Famous Mountains, known as Earth Immortals. The lesser practitioners die first and shed their bodies later, known as Corpse Resolving Immortals.’"

"Naming it the Earth Immortal Cave is enough proof of the couple’s ambition and capacities. No one who entered ever returned alive."

"Thus, my master warned me, as long as they did not cause mischief, we must not provoke them..."