Chapter 251: Earth Immortal Cavern

"The most famous feature of Mount Zigai is undoubtedly Immortal Elder Ge's Overturned Well. Everyone also knows that the Biographies of Divine Immortals was also written by him."

Guan Peide glanced at the others and explained, "Thus, inside the Daoist monastery on Mount Zigai stands a statue of Immortal Elder Ge, with four other figures enshrined beside him.

"Two are daughters of the Qu family from Dangyang. Legend says that when Immortal Elder Ge was refining pills and cultivating on Mount Zigai, he often walked barefoot over thorns and gravel.

"The two Qu sisters from a village at the foot of the mountain saw that the soles of Immortal Elder Ge's feet were covered in blood and could not bear it. So they spun multicolored thread and made a pair of five-colored silk shoes for him. Seeing how simple and kindhearted they were, Immortal Elder Ge later brought the two sisters with him when he ascended to the heavens.

"The other two are Lady Fan and Liu Gang. Both of them are figures recorded in Immortal Elder Ge's Biographies of Divine Immortals. Liu Gang was the magistrate of Shangyu County during the Eastern Han, while Lady Fan was his wife. Both practiced Daoist arts, and legend says they ascended to immortality right here on Mount Zigai."

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan both looked puzzled. There was no doubt that Immortal Elder Ge had successfully become a God Ascendant. Those enshrined beside him were either his disciples or people with extremely close ties to him. All of them were figures from the distant past.

But just what had the old monk discovered that brought about his death?

Unable to make sense of it, and with the two young novices still sobbing, everyone worked together to first lay Venerable Miaoshan's body out properly.

Seeing the corpse, Li Yan secretly grew more vigilant. The old monk had been killed by a single palm strike. The killer would have been at the peak of the Dark Jin Realm, and had also used a martial technique that completely dispersed the monk's soul.

It had been an utterly vicious blow.

Rumble!

Just then, lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and torrential rain came crashing down. The rain was even heavier than before, as though the heavens themselves were enraged. Trees throughout the mausoleum grounds creaked and swayed violently in the wind, looking as though they might snap at any moment.

The downpour hammered against the rooftops with a rapid crackling like exploding beans. Water poured from the eaves like waterfalls and rushed along the drainage channels. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, while the candlelight inside the room flickered dimly. The sobbing of the young novices made the atmosphere even more oppressive.

Everyone exchanged looks. They had originally intended to head to the county courthouse, especially now that someone had been murdered, but given this kind of weather, they could only shelter for the time being.

Wang Daoxuan sighed. "Brother Yan, since we can't leave for now anyway, why don't we go offer a stick of incense to Sage Emperor Guan?"

Li Yan nodded, his expression grave. "Alright."

He understood that Wang Daoxuan wanted him to see whether he could commune with the deity. The situation in Dangyang County was deeply abnormal, shrouded in layer after layer of mystery. Some things might be concealed from people, but they could not necessarily be hidden from gods and ghosts.

Guan Peide quickly stepped forward to lead the way. "I will accompany you two."

In weather like this, an oil-paper umbrella would be torn apart by a single gust of wind. Besides, the main hall was not far away, so the three of them simply dashed through the rain and arrived outside.

Above the front eaves of the main hall hung an enormous golden plaque bearing several characters: Might That Shakes Huaxia.

Inside the hall, rows of lotus lamps swayed unsteadily in the wind. The air was thick with incense, and statues of Sage Emperor Guan, his son, and Zhou Cang were enshrined within.

Li Yan gave Wang Daoxuan a slight shake of his head. He finally understood why the murderer had taken the risk of entering personally to kill someone. That golden plaque was an extraordinarily powerful treasure that suppressed any divine abilities. The moment Li Yan entered the hall, his divine ability were suppressed and could not be used.

If someone were bold enough to use curses or command ghosts to kill in the presence of the plaque, the backlash would probably destroy them before they could even approach. The only option was to infiltrate the place and strike personally.

Even so, Li Yan could faintly sense a terrifying pressure emanating from the divine statues in the main hall. The divine might was like a prison, making it difficult even to breathe.

The three of them respectfully offered incense and kowtowed in turn. Sage Emperor Guan had long since become a totem of the Divine Continent, embodying benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. He was far beyond comparison with ordinary immortals or local deities.

After finishing his kowtow, Li Yan could only give Wang Daoxuan a helpless shake of the head. Truthfully, he really did want to meet the Martial Sage, but his Summoning Writ showed no reaction whatsoever.

Temples dedicated to Sage Emperor Guan were spread across the entire Divine Continent. With such abundant incense offerings, the divine astral qi gathered around him had probably reached an unimaginable level.

Lightning striking the mausoleum seemed like a major matter to them, but perhaps it did not even amount to an itch to Sage Emperor Guan. Li Yan might be a living yin emissary, but even for him, an existence like this was not someone he could simply meet whenever he wished.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head. "Let's go take a look behind the hall."

Guan Peide immediately understood. The two of them wanted to investigate the cause of the lightning strikes, so he hurriedly led them around the sleeping hall and toward the burial mound.

Sage Emperor Guan's tomb was an enormous earthen mound covered in dense greenery and planted with countless trees, making it resemble a small hill. In front of the tomb stood a pavilion and a stone stele. Carved boldly into the stele were the words: Marquis of Hanshou.

Wang Daoxuan first bowed respectfully toward the stele, then took out his compass and examined the surroundings. He could not help praising, "Excellent fengshui! This place faces east with its back to the west. Behind it rests the Tapa Mountain Range, like a dragon traversing the earth with magnificent momentum, forming the dragon throne of Lord Guan's Mausoleum. In front lies the Ju River, like a jade belt wrapped around the waist, while Mount Jing stands facing it in the distance.

"When we saw Mount Jing earlier, it resembled a brush rack lying horizontally. That happens to use the aura of Wenchang to harmonize with the martial bearing of the Emperor. This is what is meant by having illumination before you and support behind you..."

Crack!

Before he could finish, heaven and earth suddenly turned snow-white. A deafening thunderclap exploded, and a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the burial mound.

All three men were horrified and immediately looked up. Atop the mound, the crown of a tall tree had been blasted clean off. It fell, blazing merrily, only to be extinguished moments later by the torrential rain.

Guan Peide's face turned pale, and his voice trembled. "It... It happened again!"

Wang Daoxuan, however, frowned deeply and carefully studied the burial mound. Seeming to realize something, he raised a hand. "Old Master Guan, don't panic. Wait a little longer and keep watching that tree."

Li Yan looked up. The crowns of all the other trees had already been broken off. Only one still retained a thick, flourishing canopy. A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he started to understand what was happening.

Crack, crack!

Less than half an incense stick later, another enormous bolt of lightning descended. Sure enough, the crown of that tree was also blasted apart.

Guan Peide stared wide-eyed. "What is going on?"

Wang Daoxuan let out a breath of relief and said gravely, "This is resonance between Heaven and Man! Sage Emperor Guan's body is buried here, but without his head. Now that the Sage Emperor's divine astral force has grown so immense, the signs naturally become increasingly efficacious. How can a headless place have trees bearing crowns?

"Olrd Master Guan, there is no need to worry. There is no evil entity under heaven that would dare cause trouble here. If I’ve guessed correctly, there will be no more lightning strikes from now on.

"This is actually a good thing. It means Lord Guan's Mausoleum has become even more spiritually numinous. At the next temple fair, you only need to let word of this spread beforehand. Then no one will dare gossip anymore, and the incense offerings will rise to an even higher level.

"But from now on, the crowns of the trees must be trimmed in advance, lest they be struck by lightning again."

Guan Peide was both shocked and delighted. "Is... Is that really true?"

Wang Daoxuan nodded. "This is not an isolated occurrence. During the chaos at the end of the Qin, strange lights were said to rise around the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. People living nearby often heard the sounds of armies clashing in their dreams at night.

"During the upheavals at the end of the Tang, blood was also said to seep from Wu Daozi's murals in Daming Palace, and people at the time regarded it as an ominous sign.

"There are also certain blessed lands where, if there is a resonance between Heaven and Man, the surrounding vegetation is often the first thing to change. The purple cypresses of Mount Hua are one example."

As he spoke, Wang Daoxuan looked around and frowned. "The only thing I find strange is that this resonance between Heaven and Man has been far too violent. I'm afraid something has also gone wrong with the fengshui arrangement."

Beside him, a thought suddenly flashed through Li Yan's mind. He quickly asked, "Old Master Guan, what was the Ju River originally like?"

Guan Peide replied, "The channel is narrow, but the water used to be clear, like a jade belt."

Li Yan followed up, "When did it start turning muddy?"

Guan Peide hissed in realization. "Sss... now that you mention it, it was right before the lightning strikes began!"

"Then that should be it." Wang Daoxuan heaved a sigh of relief. "The Ju River is also part of Lord Guan's Mausoleum's fengshui. Its waters becoming turbid and violent, combined with the appearance of a resonance between Heaven and Man, gave rise to these phenomena."

"That's good, that's good." Guan Peide finally relaxed as well, but then seemed to remember something. He asked in puzzlement, "I often drank tea and chatted with Venerable Miaoshan. He was also well versed in fengshui. Why didn't he see this?"

Wang Daoxuan was momentarily speechless before shaking his head. "That, I cannot say. I can only see this much. Perhaps the Venerable discovered something else."

In any case, the mystery of the lightning striking Lord Guan's Mausoleum had finally been resolved. As dusk neared, the thunderstorm finally stopped. Everyone immediately set out, taking Venerable Miaoshan's corpse with them toward Dangyang County.

Guan Peide found a carriage to transport the body. The roads were muddy and difficult to traverse, thus night had already fallen by the time they returned to town. A small county town like this could not compare with Chang'an. Once night came, the teahouses and restaurants had all closed, and only a few wealthy households still had lanterns hanging outside their gates.

Puddles still covered the narrow bluestone streets.

The Guan clansmen pushed the carriage directly to the entrance of the county courthouse. When the gatekeeping courthouse runners heard that something else had happened, they did not dare delay. They hurried to the rear courtyard and summoned the county magistrate along with all the runners on night duty.

The county magistrate was named Zhang Cheng, and hailed from Jiangsu-Zhejiang. He was thin-featured and enjoyed literary pursuits. Though he was not particularly capable, he was fair and incorruptible, and had a decent reputation among both the common people and local gentry.

He hurriedly put on his official robes and examined the corpse in the main hall. He immediately began developing a headache; he rubbed his brow and said, "The Heavenly Sage Cult has already been causing trouble in Dangyang. I sent word to the Yichang Military Surveillance Department, and they should arrive tomorrow. I never expected another person to be killed.

"These Heavenly Sage Cult bandits truly have no humanity!"

Just then, Head Constable Yang Desheng suddenly cupped his hands. "My lord, Young Hero Li asked me to investigate those grave robbers. We did indeed uncover something."

"Oh?" County Magistrate Zhang Cheng quickly asked, "How did this become connected to grave robbers as well? Could these people be planning to make a move on Lord Guan's Mausoleum?"

His expression turned anxious, sweat appearing on his forehead. If anything happened to Lord Guan's Mausoleum, his official career would be finished.

Li Yan glanced around, then cupped his hands. "My lord, there's no need to worry. There is nothing wrong with Lord Guan's Mausoleum. But there are many suspicious aspects to this matter, and more than one faction may be involved."

With so many people around, he did not want to say too much and risk leaking information.

County Magistrate Zhang Cheng relaxed and smiled at Li Yan. "That's good. I have also heard about Young Hero Li's deeds. You truly are wise and martial. You had only just arrived in Dangyang and already uncovered the real culprit.

"Young Hero, investigate as you see fit. Everyone in the county courthouse will do their utmost to cooperate!"

The words sounded good, but in truth, he simply wanted to avoid the headache and push the matter onto someone else. At the same time, Li Yan did not care. He cupped his hands and followed Head Constable Yang Desheng toward the prison, with the others close behind.

The conditions inside the county jail were even worse. The scent of mottled stone walls, damp straw, and all kinds of foul odors mixed with the stench of rot and mildew assaulted them the moment they entered. Torches also flickered dimly from time to time. Looking around, the prisoners inside the cells were disheveled, some groaning and others crying that they had been wronged. It was practically like a hell filled with malicious ghosts.

Li Yan genuinely could not endure it. He shut off his divine ability, held his breath, and followed Head Constable Yang to the death-row cells.

A man covered from head to toe in festering sores was sleeping soundly. Several chicken bones were scattered around him.

Head Constable Yang halted, and said, "Young Hero Li, this is the man. His nickname is Earth-Burrowing Wolf. He was the leader of a gang of grave robbers. He demanded a pot of wine and two chickens before he would talk."

With that, he drew out a wooden baton and knocked loudly against the bars. "Hey, Earth-Burrowing Wolf, wake up! Repeat what you told me earlier."

The man slowly sat up. His gaze was cold as he casually scratched himself, breaking open several of the sores on his body.

He said indifferently, "Fine. Bring me another pot of wine and two chickens."

Head Constable Yang immediately became furious."Fuck your m..."

But he did not want to delay the matter. He could only instruct one of his men, "Go. Bring them!"

There was really no way to deal with a death-row prisoner who feared neither threats nor punishment.

Only after drinking an entire pot of wine and eating half a chicken did the man finally glance sideways at them and sneer. "Strange. Since when did the government become interested in digging through graves?"

Head Constable Yang cursed viciously, "Just answer the question and stop talking nonsense!"

The man did not get angry. Smacking his lips, he said, "Dangyang County was called the State of Quan during the Shang dynasty. Later, it was destroyed by Chu. Thus, there used to be plenty of great Chu and Han tombs in these mountains. But once Chancellor Cao arrived, he had his Tomb Raiding Commandants clean the place out completely. What remained afterward were mostly small tombs, the sort we brothers dug up just to make a living.

"There are only three places around Dangyang we absolutely do not dare approach. The first is Lord Guan's Mausoleum. The second is Mount Zigai. As for the third, it is called the Earth Immortal Cavern."

Guan Peide frowned. "Earth Immortal Cavern? This old man has lived in Dangyang all his life, yet I have never heard of this place."

Earth-Burrowing Wolf sneered. "Heh. Of course you haven't. The name is something only people in our trade would know. There is an ancient Yelang road in the mountains southwest of Dangyang. It originally connected the Tapa Mountain Range with Yichang, but later an earthquake destroyed it completely. The road was too difficult to repair, so it was abandoned.

"But there was said to be an immortal cultivating in a cliffside cave along that ancient Yelang road during the Zhenyuan era of the Tang dynasty. Her name was 'Old Woman Xiang'. Because she had slain a giant softshell-turtle demon in Dongting Lake and saved countless people, many went to visit her.

“Later, she took in many disciples and had countless followers. After she passed away, those disciples built a great Earth Immortal tomb, saying that 'Old Woman Xiang' would return to the mortal world many years later.

"An immortal's tomb naturally tempted plenty of people. Many went searching for it, but they either found nothing or never returned at all. In any case, the place is extremely strange. It is considered taboo among people in our line of work."

Head Constable Yang cursed. "What immortal's tomb?! Sounds to me like it's probably just a hideout of the Heavenly Sage Cult. They deliberately spread frightening stories so no one would go looking."

Earth-Burrowing Wolf sneered disdainfully. "What the hell do you know? Stories about the Earth Immortal Cavern have been circulating since the Tang and Song dynasties. The Heavenly Sage Cult didn't even exist back then. Don't think I'm making this up. Old Woman Xiang was recorded in the Taiping Guangji during the Song dynasty.

“Oh, right. She had another identity as well...

"She was Lady Fan, the immortal from the Eastern Han!"