The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 424 - 256: Eliminating Hidden Dangers_2

Chapter 424: Chapter 256: Eliminating Hidden Dangers_2

At the command, all disciples of the Taoist Temple were gathered together, including Wang Daoxuan and others who were also called out.

Seeing the look in Li Yan’s eyes, they immediately stood behind him.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Before anyone could ask, several guard dogs barked furiously at one person.

That person was none other than Feng Gangzi, who had cried out his innocence before.

His complexion changed, Hidden Energy surged from his feet, and he turned to flee.

"Where do you think you’re going, renegade disciple!"

Feng Huazi was instantly furious.

He had thought he’d wronged this disciple before and felt guilty, planning to teach him some spells as compensation after the matter was resolved.

But now, all his guilt had turned into a killing intent.

He too, with a flash of his figure, lunged out.

After all, he was the temple master seated in charge of a Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

The gap between them was immediately apparent.

The boxing they both specialized in was Wudang’s Pure Yang Fist.

This fist, passed down by Lv Zu, focuses on "the wind swirling through lotus flowers, swinging left and right, clouds flowing and water streaming, threading together endlessly," with a Fist Force that is light and graceful.

Wudang’s Cultivation Technique is naturally extraordinary, both exuded Hidden Energy, Daoist robes fluttering, as if cranes were dancing.

Especially when they tiptoed on the ground, it looked a bit like Li Yan’s shrinking earth into inches, but even more graceful, seemingly as though their feet did not touch the ground.

This is the characteristic of the Pure Yang Fist, emulating the White Crane and Ling Gui, cultivating through the special Magic Method of "stepping" to inhale and "Floating Foot" to exhale.

Feng Gangzi was very fast and reached the surrounding wall in a blink of an eye, intending to leap over it.

But faster than him was Feng Huazi.

The old Taoist’s face was full of rage, like a crane flapping its wings to descend, while shaking his shoulders, he lightly slapped with his right hand.

This slap felt as though it landed in mud, exerting no force, sticky and clingy.

However, Feng Gangzi’s spine made a crackling sound as it shattered, his body hitting the wall and collapsing it, bricks tumbling down with him.

"Hmph!"

Feng Huazi’s anger had not subsided, he shook his sleeve as if shaking off a handful of wet mud.

Wudang’s Yellow Mud Palm!

Li Yan’s eyes twitched slightly when he saw this.

This old Taoist seemed timid, but he was unexpectedly fierce.

Wudang’s Yellow Mud Palm is an ultimate technique of Zhenwu Palace, hitting through bones, splitting steles and rocks, where Yin Force is executed to the extreme.

With this move, the person would undoubtedly be crippled.

Sure enough, Feng Gangzi lay in the rubble, not dead, but with the lower half of his body already paralyzed, biting his teeth in cold sweat.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

The Captain Bureau’s guard dogs had found three more people.

These three disciples were clearly victims as well, faces full of confusion, but seeing Feng Huazi’s murderous look, they were all frightened and collapsed on the ground.

"Temple master, it’s an injustice!"

"We really didn’t collude with the demon!"

Of course, under interrogation, the two confessed that they indeed had dreams recently, dreaming of immortals instructing them in spells.

But the symptoms were not severe, and they thought it was just a dream.

Later, a tattered tiger skin soaked in murky medicinal water was also found in a hidden compartment in Feng Gangzi’s room.

Feng Gangzi originally tried to commit suicide, but the experienced Households Commander Zheng promptly stepped forward, dislodged his jaw, pulled out the teeth that concealed poison, and detained him in the room.

Then, Li Yan spoke, "This is called the Tiger Form Technique."

"The Devil Body Immortality Technique is not simply one technique, but rather requires gathering the power of a hundred demons, completely transforming oneself into a demon, then repeatedly shedding the cocoon and transforming back into human form."

"Tiger Form Technique, Fox Heart Technique, Serpent Scale Technique... various techniques, harming people is only secondary; ultimately, they serve the transformation into a demon body."

"But this Devil Body Longevity Technique is extremely dangerous, one wrong step and it’s the end of everything. I guess that Xue Daoxun and the following victims were all experimented on..."

Feng Huazi was somewhat surprised, "These things, there’s no record of them in the Eternal Immortal Vault, how did Mr. Li come to know of this?"

Li Yan said gravely, "From the Yin Bureau!"

These things, he had learned from the books the Yin Bureau had transformed into while he was on his mission to suppress the Demonic Qi.

That was also the first time he had obtained clear information from the Yin Bureau.

The document listed various characteristics and flaws of the "Devil Body Longevity Technique," but the specific cultivation method was not passed down.

Feng Huazi’s eyes became sharp, "Is it Liu Gang?"

Liu Gang was a living Yin messenger, and since the other party could pass down the "Northern Emperor’s Mountain Climbing Skill," perhaps they had also obtained the cultivation method for the Devil Body Longevity Technique.

Li Yan also had his doubts.

Could it be because of this person that the Yin Bureau was on guard, only mentioning the characteristics and weaknesses, but hiding the cultivation method?

Of course, these were all just speculations.

The interrogation of Feng Gangzi was the key.

The man started out stubborn, with a defiant attitude as if a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water, just closing his eyes and waiting for death.

The orthodox sect and Magic Veins didn’t have any soul-searching spells, and with his two levels of Dao cultivation, he was not afraid of any Enchantment Technique.

However, people from the Captain Bureau were present.

When it comes to various interrogation tortures, only the prison heads in the Ministry of Justice, who specialized in this business, could be compared with them.

Feng Gangzi was pampered and privileged on normal days, but after being dragged into a room and dealt with, he immediately broke down mentally, crying and telling the story.

"They got hold of my weakness and blackmailed me time after time, Master, I have let you down, but I truly had no other choice..."

"What weakness?"

"A year ago, I helped a wealthy family exorcise evil spirits, and their concubine seduced me. When the affair was discovered, there was a struggle, and in the commotion, I accidentally killed someone. Afraid, I used an exorcism to kill the entire household, reporting that a fierce ghost was to blame..."

"Later, they used this to blackmail me."

"You, you deserve to die! Who are ’they’?"

"I only know they are from Earth Immortal Cave. The person who met with me each time was an old man dressed as a woodcutter."

"What exactly are they plotting?"

"I don’t know. At first, they only asked me to investigate the collapsed well. Later, they said they needed Xuanmen Practitioners, so they had me poison those disciples."

"Those poisoned disciples all became delirious, as if controlled by someone. They would then fake their deaths. After I helped dig up their graves and open their coffins, these disciples, like possessed, would leave on their own."

"Later, when I discovered Feng Lingzi was secretly investigating this matter, I also poisoned him. But to escape control, he chose to end himself."

"I sensed something was wrong. As they wanted the Colorful Cloud Shoes, I let those hiding in the Zhushan Sect cooperate and framed it on Feng Lingzi."

"The Zhushan Sect member, was that also your doing?"

"No, the Zhushan Sect also had someone who was blackmailed by them, named Wang Falin. But that man was even greedier, reversing the blackmail to become a whistleblower, desiring to cultivate the Longevity Method, and ended up being eliminated."

"That night I saw with my own eyes a person from Earth Immortal Cave used secret techniques to shrink his bones and change his form, taking on the appearance of Wang Falin."

"He was there on the mountain mainly to monitor me. Later, fearing that too many disciples were poisoned, he started acting in the Zhushan Sect as well..."

"What do they want with these disciples?"

"I am not clear on that. Oh, right, they also asked me to locate a tiger demon and to blow up the Yin soldiers’ altar at the Guan Ling temple fair."

"You, you are utterly heartless and crazy!"

The recount of events nearly enraged Feng Huazi to death.

Households Commander Zheng beside him also couldn’t help sighing, "Many people are like this, making one mistake and fearing the consequences, they cover it up with a greater wrong, sinking deeper with every step."

"One of our Thousand Households Commanders in the Yichang garrison was similarly won over by the Longxiang Army."

Li Yan consoled him, "Senior need not harm your health with anger. Regardless, at least we’ve eliminated the hidden danger on Purple Cover Mountain."

"It seems their goal is the collapsed well; there’s frequent trouble at Yuquan Temple, and the time they chose to act is at the Guan Ling temple fair."

"There’s still a good ten days left, enough to settle this matter!"

Eliminating the hidden danger on Purple Cover Mountain was the greatest achievement of this journey. With the help of the Zhushan Sect and the Taixuan Orthodox Sect’s yin soldiers, many things became more assuring.

At this moment, Wang Daoxuan spoke up, "We have also found some clues."

As he spoke, he took out an ancient book and said solemnly, "The ’Immortal Chronicles’ records that Liu Gang and his wife entered Si Ming Mountain. They encountered a tiger on the road, and upon seeing Liu Gang, the tiger bowed its head, not daring to look up. The wife tied the tiger under the bed with a rope."

"This matter is also recorded in the ’Comprehensive Records in the Taiping Era.’ We did not pay much attention to it initially, but we then found a travelogue written by a Daoist from the Tang Dynasty mentioning what happened after ’Xiang Ao’ carved up the white turtle."

"’Xiang Ao,’ taking her disciples with her, left in good spirits. They encountered a fierce tiger on the road which blocked their path. ’Xiang Ao’ lamented, ’Why bring trouble upon yourself?’

""After saying this, she and her disciples rode the tiger away."

Li Yan frowned, "The tiger demon has returned to life as well?"

He found it hard to believe. What kind of breach existed within the Yin Bureau that allowed so many people to secretly return to life? Could it be some kind of Secret Technique?

If so, wouldn’t it be chaos between Yin and Yang?

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "Daoist is also puzzled by this matter. Nevertheless, the people from Earth Immortal Cave are looking for this tiger demon, which must have its reasons."

"Perhaps finding it will unveil all the mysteries..."