Chapter 254: The Secret Land

"Spirit language?"

The old Daoist Feng Huazi, however, saw much more. He was widely experienced and knowledgeable, and even had several friends among the northern frontier immortal halls, so he understood spirit language quite well.

This language was extremely ancient. Once any of the countless living creatures beneath heaven and earth developed intelligence and attained cultivation, they would naturally come to understand it.

It was not particularly sophisticated compared with human language. In fact, it was even chaotic. But that was precisely what made it troublesome. The spirit language was usually filled with large numbers of trilled sounds and noises imitating nature. It was disorderly, with no grammatical rules to speak of.

When using it, meaning took precedence.

Simply put, it was more like gestures, using various movements to convey intent. Except here, movement had been replaced by sound. However, precisely because there were no fixed rules, it was extremely difficult for humans to learn. Those proficient in it were mostly shamans, spirit mediums, and immortal halls. By allowing immortal spirits to possess them, they would gradually come to understand the language.

As for orthodox mystic sects, their righteous gods did not possess people, so it was almost impossible for them to learn.

There was, however, one other special circumstance. Someone like the young man before him could first obtain a divine ability that allowed him to understand the speech of birds and beasts, then learn the spirit language afterward. That would make the process far easier, and might even produce better results.

At this thought, Feng Huazi turned and glanced at everyone outside the hall, then strode out and said solemnly, "No one is to move without permission."

Li Yan also turned and gave a signal. Captain Zheng immediately understood and ordered in a deep voice, "Guard every important passage!"

The men of the Military Surveillance Department were elites after all. Although they were also curious about the rat demons hiding inside the hall, they obeyed orders without hesitation, swiftly spreading out to guard every part of the rear courtyard.

The Daoists in the courtyard, meanwhile, looked somewhat uneasy. They were not fools. How could they fail to understand the purpose behind this?

There was probably an evildoer or spy hidden within their temple!

Quite a few people secretly glanced toward Feng Gangzi. The Temple Master had not even given an order earlier, yet Feng Gangzi had been eager to attack. It even looked somewhat like he had wanted to silence the witnesses. Moreover, he was one of the temple's guardian Daoists and had handled Feng Lingzi's case, making him the most suspicious.

Feng Gangzi looked both aggrieved and furious as everyone's gazes landed on him. He clenched his fists tightly without saying a word.

On the other side, Lu San continued communicating intently with the rat demons.

These two huge rats had truly been living like immortals. They ate offerings for free and enjoyed incense worship on a regular basis, leaving their fur glossy and sleek and their cheeks plump. Moreover, now that the two creatures had gained intelligence, they were very shrewd.

During the day, they hid inside the divine statues without making the slightest sound. At night, when they came out to steal offerings, they left everything neat and orderly, terrified of being discovered. The restrictions meant to protect the hall had instead become their cover.

"Click-click, da-da..."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

After a long exchange, the two rats huddled together without daring to move, deliberately looking at everyone around them piteously.

Lu San turned and said, "These two little things were originally just ordinary rats. Someone damaged the divine statues a long time ago, causing the divine astral qi to dissipate. They entered to make nests, and that was how they awakened.

“Other than stealing offerings, they haven't really done anything evil. They often listen to you recite scriptures during the morning and evening lessons, so their temperaments are actually fairly peaceful..."

Lu San was usually a man of few words, yet this time he patiently explained everything. Li Yan immediately understood. Lu San had taken a liking to these two little creatures, and wanted to keep them as pets.

Thus, Li Yan turned directly to Feng Huazi. "Senior Feng, I have an unreasonable request. Could you spare these two little creatures? We'll compensate you for anything they damaged."

Feng Huazi replied solemnly, "No need. This is Immortal Elder Ge's sacred site. He saved countless lives, so we too should show compassion. The auras of these two demons are pure; clearly, they have not harmed anyone. There is no harm in letting them go.

"Ask them clearly what they saw."

Lu San nodded delightedly, then bent down again and communicated with the two rats. Gradually, his expression became grave and puzzled. Then he looked up to say, "They don't know who damaged the statues, but someone else stole the artifact.

"They saw Feng Lingzi enter this place in the middle of the night. At first, he stood dazed in front of one of the statues, then began talking to empty air, behaving strangely. Afterward, he struck his own forehead with his palm and killed himself."

Feng Huazi's expression changed instantly. "Is that true?"

Lu San nodded. "These two little things wanted to come out and steal offerings that night, but when they realized someone was here, they kept hiding. They saw everything clearly. Not long after Feng Lingzi killed himself, another person entered the hall, dragged away his corpse, put on a human-skin mask to disguise himself as Feng Lingzi, and stole the item."

As he spoke, Lu San lowered his head and squeaked twice more. One of the rats trembled all over and shuffled over beneath one of the statues. When Lu San saw where it had gone, he looked somewhat surprised.

"The statue Feng Lingzi was staring at was this one!"

This time, even Li Yan was confused. "How could it be him?!"

The statue the rat had pointed out was not Lady Fan, but her husband, Liu Gang!

Could there be some hidden truth behind all this?

Li Yan turned toward the Daoists outside the hall and said solemnly, "Brother Lu San, divine abilities are suppressed inside the shrine, but rats have keen noses. Have them check whether the person who carried away Feng Lingzi's corpse is among these people."

No matter what the other party's scheme was, once they found the person, the truth would naturally come to light!

Lu San nodded, picked up the two rats, and walked toward the Daoists outside the hall. Li Yan did not stand on ceremony either. With a clang, he drew Earth Breaker and followed Lu San to protect him.

The Daoists outside the hall all looked uneasy. Even the way they looked at one another carried a hint of wariness. It was especially so for Feng Gangzi, around whom an empty circle had formed.

Strangely, Lu San carried the rats past everyone one by one, but nothing unusual happened. Only at the end did he make two squeaking sounds.

Lu San shook his head slightly. "That person isn't here."

Only then did Feng Gangzi speak. His expression was somewhat dejected as he bent at the waist and cupped his fists toward Feng Huazi. "Master, although this disciple is incompetent, I would never dare collude with demons or evil beings. Please punish me."

Feng Huazi said solemnly, "We'll discuss this matter later."

Although his face remained stern, guilt had already appeared in his eyes. Li Yan, meanwhile, walked over to the two divine statues and fell into thought.

Liu Gang wore a jinxian crown, a pale-red robe with a crossed collar fastening to the right, and a blue official sash, in the manner of a Han Dynasty official. Lady Fan wore plain light-blue clothing, her hair piled high and secured with a cloud-shaped hairpin. Both possessed extraordinary bearing and stood to the left of Immortal Elder Ge.

Li Yan pondered. Could it be that the one secretly causing trouble was not Lady Fan, but her husband, Liu Gang? The other party had clearly been lurking on the mountain for a very long time.

At that thought, Li Yan spoke again. "Brother Lu, quickly ask them whether they know where Feng Lingzi's corpse was taken."

Lu San lowered his head and asked a few questions, then pointed northwest. "They only know it was taken that way, into the forest."

Feng Huazi was stunned. "That is... the Daoist burial ground..."

***

Dense greenery covered the area, with luxuriant grass and trees all around. Half of a cliff face was exposed, and rows upon rows of graves were arranged across it. Some had nothing more than a simple gravestone, while others had elaborate tomb gates and memorial arches.

The farther inward they went, the older the gravestones became. Naturally, a burial ground for Daoists would not contain ordinary evil things. Even so, the surroundings were gloomy and secluded, with deep forests and silent birds.

"Daoists of every generation have been buried here." Feng Huazi looked around and frowned. "Whoever hid a corpse in this place must have been extremely familiar with the temple."

There were no restrictions suppressing divine abilities here. Li Yan immediately formed a hand seal and drew in a deep breath, causing his eyelid to twitch involuntarily.

Enduring the various stenches of corpses, Li Yan picked up several sticks from the ground and planted them one by one in front of several gravestones.

Then he said, "Senior Feng Huazi, these graves are all empty!"

"What?!" Feng Huazi hurriedly formed the Yang Seal with his fingers. A brilliant gleam instantly flashed through his eyes, and his expression became exceptionally ugly.

Gritting his teeth, he ordered, "Someone, dig up all these graves!"

The temple disciples moved quickly. Before long, they had opened several graves and lifted the lids from the coffins that had not been nailed shut.

"Empty!"

"This one's empty too!"

"So is this one!"

Their voices trembled, and their faces turned pale. By now, how could anyone fail to understand what had happened? There really were evildoers hiding within the temple, and there was more than one of them!

They had all faked their deaths, and no one knew where they had gone!

Even Feng Huazi was completely shaken now. He muttered, "How could this happen... I clearly examined them."

Li Yan said solemnly, "Aside from these people, who else died last year?"

One of the Daoists pointed toward a gravestone where Li Yan had not planted a stick. "There was also Senior Brother Gu Linzi!"

Feng Huazi gritted his teeth. "What are you waiting for? Dig!"

At his command, the temple disciples hurriedly excavated the grave. Just like the others, the coffin lid inside had not been nailed shut. But this time, a Daoist lay within. The corpse had already begun to rot, its forehead shattered and its clothes disheveled, giving off a powerful stench of decay.

The young Daoist from earlier immediately began crying, "It's Senior Brother Feng Lingzi! Wuwu..."

Feng Huazi, meanwhile, suddenly looked much older. Even his lips had turned somewhat pale. "This is all my fault."

"Saying that is useless." Li Yan glanced around and said coldly, "Disciples of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect are usually taken in and raised from a young age. These people must have been tempted midway through their cultivation. They abandoned such promising futures and stepped onto an evil path. What could possibly have tempted them so greatly?"

The Daoists looked at one another, completely at a loss.

"I remember now!" One of the younger Daoists said in a trembling voice, "Before Junior Brother Feng Luzi died of illness, he once said something strange. He said, 'There really are immortals in this world'!"

Feng Huazi brought over several old books and said solemnly, "Everyone, these are all the records. Everything concerning Liu Gang and Lady Fan is recorded here. I just checked. These books were all borrowed recently by Feng Lingzi!"

Li Yan accepted the books and flipped through them while asking, "Senior, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I truly have many questions. Major incidents have occurred throughout Dangyang County. Why have you remained unmoved? And what exactly is hidden in Dangyang that has attracted so many demons and evil cultivators?"

Feng Huazi fell silent for a moment. Instead of answering immediately, he said, "This Earth Immortal Cavern you mentioned... I have actually known about it for a long time."

His expression turned somewhat bitter. "Since you are a living yin emissary, there is no need to conceal certain matters from you, young friend. When I was still young and first learned of the Earth Immortal Cavern, I was also greatly shocked. I hurried to ask my master about it, especially since Lady Fan is still enshrined in this temple.

"My master said that the old story of the Prince of Huainan ascending to heaven together with his chickens and dogs was merely fanciful nonsense. From ancient times to the present, very few people have truly succeeded in ascending to godhood.

"Naturally, Immortal Elder Ge succeeded, and even protected his descendants, allowing Ge Baopu to earn the title of 'Little Immortal Elder'. It was only because Liu Gang and his wife had once accompanied Immortal Elder Ge that they were later written into the Biographies of Divine Immortals..."

Li Yan fell into thought and nodded slightly. That was something he had only figured out after arriving on the mountain. The one enshrined at Mount Zigai Cavern was Ge Xuan, Zuo Ci’s disciple. He had been skilled in using talismans to cure illness, and the world revered him as the Transcendent Duke. He was also the ancestral master of the Gezao branch of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect.

But the Biographies of Divine Immortals had been written by Ge Hong, Ge Baopu. Perhaps he had included these people in the Biographies of Divine Immortals out of sentiment, but it was obvious their cultivation had still fallen short of true immortality or godhood.

Feng Huazi continued, "In truth, Liu Gang and his wife never became immortals, and neither was actually a disciple of Immortal Elder Ge. Their master was a mysterious expert known as Daoist Bai.

"Moreover, according to secret historical records, Liu Gang himself was once a living yin emissary. The husband and wife had worked together to kill many spirits, demons, and evil creatures.

"Immortal Elder Ge studied under Zuo Ci and passed his teachings to Zheng Yin, who later accepted Ge Baopu as his disciple. Liu Gang also transmitted several secret arts that eventually came into Zheng Yin's possession, and were passed on to Ge Baopu. The most famous among them was Baopu's Mountain-Climbing Art."

So that was it!

Li Yan suddenly understood.

The Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique had originally been the Northern Emperor Mountain-Climbing Technique. It imposed no particular requirements and could be learned by any mystic path practitioner.

So this was where its lineage came from!

At the same time, a chill rose in his heart. That would mean that Liu Gang had also cultivated the Northern Emperor Scripture!

Back then, Li Yan's supposed master, had gone through immense hardship to obtain the Northern Emperor Scripture and the Luofeng Scripture from the Underworld. Yet because his aptitude had been mediocre, he had only managed to cultivate to the third level and construct the first palace before dying.

Liu Gang had also been an aspirant to godhood. Although he had failed to succeed, his cultivation must certainly have been much deeper.

Feng Huazi shook his head. "Young Hero Li has probably already guessed it. Both husband and wife were both fugitives wanted by the Underworld! They were Returned Souls.

"Lady Fan appeared in the mortal world twice. The first time was during the Zhenyuan era of the Tang Dynasty. She assumed the identity of Old Woman Xiang, slew a white soft-shelled turtle in Dongting, saved countless people, and accepted many disciples. The most famous among them was a woman named Xiaoyao...

"The second time was during the subsequent Changqing era. After the scholar Pei Hang failed the imperial examinations, he encountered Lady Fan aboard a boat. Struck by her peerless beauty, he asked her maid Niaoyan to deliver a poem expressing his feelings.

"Lady Fan replied with a poem: One drink of jade nectar gives rise to a hundred emotions; only after the mysterious frost is fully ground does one behold Yunying. The Blue Bridge itself is an immortal Cavern, why struggle up the rugged road to Jade Purity? She then departed, saying she was going deep into the mountains to bid her husband farewell.

"Later, Pei Hang met Yunying. After enduring many hardships, he finally married her. It was only at the wedding that he learned Lady Fan's true identity.

"This story was recorded in the Tang tales of the marvelous. The expressions grinding medicine at Blue Bridge and grinding the mysterious frost to completion both originated from it. A play called The Tale of Blue Bridge is still performed by theatrical troupes throughout the Divine Continent to this day."

Everyone was stunned after hearing this. None of them had expected so many twists and hidden secrets behind the matter.

Feng Huazi sighed. "This husband and wife pair possessed profound Daoist arts. They roamed freely for so many years despite being hunted by the Underworld. How could they possibly be easy to deal with? Moreover, that Earth Immortal Cavern is suspected to have been constructed by Lady Fan's disciple Xiaoyao. Moreover, the formidable Yu Ji was also in Jingzhou at the time, and Immortal Elder Ge obtained secret Qin and Han ancient texts from him.

"Liu Gang and his wife also learned methods from those texts, which were then incorporated into the Earth Immortal Cavern and secretly passed down without interruption, hidden from the mortal world.

"Ge Baopu's Immortal Scripture says: Superior adepts raise their physical forms into the void and are called Heavenly Immortals. Middle adepts roam among famous mountains and are called Earth Immortals. Inferior adepts first die and later shed their bodies, and are called Corpse Immortals.

"The very name 'Earth Immortal Cavern' is enough to show the ambition and capability of that husband and wife pair. No one who has entered it has ever returned alive. That was why my master repeatedly warned me that as long as they did not cause trouble, we were never to provoke them!"