Chapter 255: Strange Enemy

"Don't provoke them?"

Li Yan shook his head and said coldly, "From the looks of things now, they set their sights on this Daoist temple long ago and used evil arts to lure disciples away. What exactly is on this mountain for them to scheme so painstakingly?"

Feng Huazi hesitated for a moment. "This old man suspects they came for the spiritual node in the Overturned Well. According to legend, Immortal Elder Ge once concealed a precious pill there called the Dragon Tiger Water Escape Pill, nourishing it with the astral qi of Mount Zigai."

"However, the Overturned Well is very strange. Although it is known as the foremost spiritual node here, it looks no different from an ordinary well. Its water is merely somewhat better for refining medicines, with clouds of vapor rising above it.

"Ever since the wars of the Western Jin destroyed the sanctuary, countless people have come to the Overturned Well hoping to try their luck, but none have ever found the pill, until one person appeared."

Li Yan frowned. "Who?"

Feng Huazi declared, "Ancestor Lu, Lu Dongbin! Ancestor Lu attained the Dao near what is now Zhuxi County in Yunyang Prefecture. At the time, a serpent in the Han River transformed toward flood dragonhood, causing the river to swell violently and killing countless people along the banks.

"An enraged Ancestor Lu then slew the flood dragon with his Pure Yang Sword. But the creature had already reached a formidable level of cultivation, and its essence soul could not easily be destroyed, so Ancestor Lu traveled while holding the flood dragon's soul in his hand.

"When he passed through Mount Zigai and heard the story of the precious pill, he climbed the mountain to investigate. Like Immortal Elder Ge, he overturned the Overturned Well.

"But he did not take the precious pill. Instead, he laughed three times, pressed the flood dragon's soul into the Overturned Well, then cupped his hands toward Guanling and said that he would trouble the Marquis of Hanshou to suppress it.

"After saying that, he drifted away.

“As the story was passed down, it gradually became the common belief that a demon was suppressed within the Overturned Well. Yet to this day, no one has ever seen it. The chaos in Dangyang County may be for the Dragon Tiger Water Escape Pill and that flood dragon soul."

Everyone exchanged glances.

Li Yan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It sounds bizarre, but with so many demons and evil cultivators coveting this place, perhaps there really is some truth to it. Daoist, continue searching through the records. Senior, could you take me to see the Overturned Well?"

Feng Huazi did not waste words. "Of course."

He immediately stood and led Li Yan away, while Wang Daoxuan and the others remained behind to search the old texts for clues.

Once outside, they saw the men of the Military Surveillance Department combing through the temple and surrounding forest with guard dogs. Since the temple had been infiltrated, perhaps they could find something nearby.

The Overturned Well was located within the temple grounds, not far from the rear hall dedicated to Immortal Elder Ge. The mouth of the well had been carved from a single massive stone, polished smooth and shaped like an overturned pottery bowl. The bottom of the bowl formed the well opening. A pavilion had been built above it to keep fallen leaves out, and there was no windlass around the well.

A young Daoist was standing guard beside the well. When he saw the two approach, he hurriedly cupped his fists in salute.

"Greetings, Temple Master."

"Have you found anything?"

"Reporting to Master, nothing unusual."

"Mm. You may return for now."

After dismissing the disciple, Feng Huazi shook his head. "Young Hero Li, don't laugh at us. There used to be a windlass and rope here, but the Overturned Well's reputation is simply too great. Pilgrims coming up the mountain were often curious and would climb down the rope without warning.

“A few years ago, a scholar even died inside. Not only did he foul the well water, his family carried his coffin here and caused a scene at the temple.

"In a fit of anger, I removed the windlass and rope. Since someone had died inside, the water could no longer be used for pill refinement, so no one paid much attention to it afterward..."

Li Yan nodded and stepped forward, forming the Yang Seal with his fingers. He drew in a deep breath, allowing all kinds of scents to flood his nose.

After a moment, he frowned and said in puzzlement, "It really is just an ordinary well. There is nothing unusual about the innate astral qi either."

Feng Huazi gave a bitter smile. "Exactly. Over the generations, many experts have come to investigate it, using all kinds of strange divine abilities. Some could distinguish yin and yang with their eyes; some could hear the speech of ghosts and gods; and some were even skilled at communicating with deities. Yet none discovered anything.

"There was, however, a fengshui master from Ganzhou who once surveyed the mountains and observed the qi. He said Guanling, Jade Spring Temple, and Mount Zigai form a mutually supporting triangular configuration. If the balance of the earth qi was disrupted, something might be revealed. But who would dare meddle recklessly with something like that?"

Li Yan still was not reassured. He asked the old Daoist to bring a rope, tied it around one of the stone pillars of the pavilion, then descended into the well to investigate personally.

Once again, he found nothing. It was simply an ordinary water well. It did not even have special carvings on the walls. Only then did Li Yan finally give up.

It made sense. If the legend was true, then across all these years, only Immortal Elder Ge and Ancestor Lu had been able to open it. There had to be some profound mystery involved. With his current cultivation, he was still far from enough.

"Young Hero Li."

Just as Li Yan climbed out of the well, Captain Zheng walked over and cupped his fists. "We have searched the Daoist temple and surrounding area thoroughly, but found nothing unusual."

Li Yan looked into the distance. "What about the Zhushan Sect?"

Captain Zheng shook his head. "It is, after all, an important site of a ritual lineage. Without Young Hero Li's orders, we did not think it appropriate to enter and search."

Li Yan fell into thought. "Senior, how is your relationship with the people of the Zhushan Sect?"

Feng Huazi shook his head. "Young Hero Li should know the relationship between the ritual lineages and the orthodox sects. We greet each other when we meet, but that is about the extent of it. The Zhushan Sect's main headquarters was originally in the Zhushan region, but that area has now been overrun by the Heavenly Saint Cult and Jingchu refugees, who even burned their mountain gate to the ground. Mount Zigai may very well become their new headquarters in the future. I may even have to be somewhat wary of them..."

His words were indirect, but how could Li Yan fail to understand the implication? A trace of impatience appeared in his eyes as he shook his head. "Things have already reached this point. Who has time to worry about that? Senior, please come with me. Let's speak openly with them."

The Zhushan Sect was different from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect. Ritual lineages sometimes acted without restraint and did not necessarily care much for rules. Li Yan did not want another round of arguments wasting time.

Feng Huazi sighed and did not object. "Fine. I will go with you."

His position here at Mount Zigai had always been somewhat awkward. If he acted too aggressively, it would provoke backlash from the Zhushan Sect. Coupled with his own fondness for medicine and the healing arts, he had always kept a low profile and spent most of his time cultivating in seclusion. He had never expected matters to deteriorate this far.

Once word of this spread, he would certainly lose face. At the same time, now that things had reached this point, how could he dare continue concealing anything?

The Zhushan Sect's Daoist temple was located on the eastern peak. By the time Li Yan arrived with the Military Surveillance Department men and Feng Huazi, the Zhushan Sect had already been alerted and was waiting outside the mountain gate.

Like the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, most of the Zhushan Sect's main force had been transferred away because of the war in the southwest. Combined with their previous efforts against the river monster and the fighting in Zigui County, only a dozen or so disciples remained on the mountain.

They were not much better off than Feng Huazi's temple. Their leader was likewise an old Daoist, dressed in blue-green Han-style robes and wearing a tall crown. His features were ancient and austere.

His expression had originally been cold, but when he saw Feng Huazi accompanying them, he forced out a smile and cupped his fists. "Fellow Daoist Feng, what a rare guest."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu." Feng Huazi smiled in greeting, then introduced him to Li Yan. "Young Hero Li, this is Temple Master Lu Faqing of Mount Zigai Que.

"Temple Master Lu, this is Young Hero Li Yan."

"Greetings, Senior."

After both sides exchanged formal greetings, the atmosphere remained relatively harmonious.

Li Yan knew that the Zhushan Sect had inherited part of the sacrificial traditions of the Han imperial court and combined them with the local Chu shamanic traditions of Ezhou. That was why even the names of their Daoist temples retained a Han-style flavor, often ending in names such as Palace or Que.

They only had a handful of people left, while the Military Surveillance Department had arrived as a group of armed men. Naturally, the Zhushan Sect was wary.

Feng Huazi no longer concealed anything. He sighed, cupped his fists, and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu, a great calamity has descended upon Dangyang. I was negligent, and allowed evildoers to infiltrate my temple and cause trouble. I need your assistance."

"Oh?" Lu Faqing immediately became interested. "What happened?"

Feng Huazi no longer cared about losing face and roughly recounted what had happened. "A traitorous disciple was enticed by evildoers..."

At first, Lu Faqing had looked as though he were enjoying the spectacle. But the more he heard, the uglier his expression became.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, cupped his fists, and said solemnly, "Senior, all the chaos in Dangyang County arose because the orthodox sects and ritual lineages distrusted one another, giving these evildoers an opening to exploit.

“To tell you the truth, I only just came from Zigui County. The Ghost Sect had already infiltrated the place long ago. If not for a fortunate coincidence, something disastrous might have happened.

"The Zhushan Sect is responsible for guarding the southwest. Your main headquarters in Zhushan was destroyed; the Ghost Sect ran rampant in Zigui County; and now this place is crawling with demons and evil cultivators. How can you possibly stand aside and watch?

"If something truly goes wrong, I'm afraid you will be the ones who suffer the greatest losses! My words may be unpleasant to hear. I hope you'll forgive me."

Li Yan's meaning was clear. Trouble had broken out in place after place, and the Zhushan Sect could not escape responsibility. The imperial court had seen all of it. Perhaps once the war ended, the sect would fall into the ranks of minor lineages.

Lu Faqing's expression shifted uncertainly. In the end, he sighed, gritted his teeth, and raised a hand. "You two, please come inside. We'll talk there."

Li Yan strode in and saw that the Daoist temple had been built in the style of Han imperial palaces. Unlike the traditional central-axis layout, there was an enormous altar in the middle, constructed from clay, bamboo, and timber and divided into three tiers. The other halls and towers had all been built around it.

This was the famous Divine Que Altar for Heaven's Sacrifice. The Treatise on Rites and Music in the Book of Han recorded: At the Han Bamboo Palace, purple clay was used to construct the altar, and when the heavenly gods descended, it was like flowing fire.

It meant that during sacrifices to the gods, flames would rise and reveal faint divine silhouettes, hence the phrase: when the heavenly gods descended, it was like flowing fire.

Of course, this was a spectacle produced by imperial sacrifices of the Han court. With the amount of incense worship the Zhushan Sect currently possessed, they were still far from reaching such a level.

Li Yan deliberately took another second glance. Sure enough, the ritual altar was also protected by restrictions that suppressed divine abilities.

Once they entered a side hall, Lu Faqing did not even bother having tea served. His expression was bitter as he said, "To tell you the truth, several disciples of our Mount Zigai Que also died of illness last year. We thought it was some kind of epidemic, and even performed a ritual because of it. Now, every expert in the sect has been transferred to Zigui to contend against the practitioners of the Miao chieftain cities. We can barely protect ourselves.

"The Sect Master sent instructions that we were to guard the ritual grounds at all costs, keep our gates shut, and avoid inviting trouble. That is why we have not dared to act rashly."

Li Yan was not surprised. Although orthodox sects and ritual lineages held a lofty status in the jianghu, they were not ordinary martial sects. After all, very few people were qualified to cultivate mystic arts.

Those who could become true experts were rarer still. Li Yan had encountered quite a few because of his status and the missions he had accepted from the City God Temple, but such practitioners were always in short supply across the land. That was why a capable witch or spirit medium serving a cluster of villages could become famous, with countless people coming to seek help.

In the end, the Zhushan Sect was only a regional ritual lineage. From top to bottom, it probably had no more than three hundred disciples who had truly stepped onto the path of cultivation. Once war broke out, manpower naturally became tight.

At the thought, Li Yan immediately said, "It is not too late to mend the pen after the sheep are lost. Senior, quickly check whether the graves of those people are empty."

Lu Faqing nodded and immediately left with several people. "Please wait a moment."

Before half an incense stick had burned, he returned. His expression was exceptionally dark as he gritted his teeth. "They're all empty.

"This old man also asked around. Before those people supposedly died of illness, their behavior had already become somewhat strange. Some of them even spoke to empty air."

His eyes were filled with confusion and incomprehension. "Our Mount Zigai Que is protected by a revered deity and guarded by a great formation. What kind of person could secretly use evil arts here without triggering the restrictions?"

"I have been wondering the same thing." Feng Huazi shook his head. "Possession, a soul leaving the body, entering dreams... None of those methods should be able to evade both the deity and the formation. Could it truly be an Earth Immortal causing trouble?!"

As he spoke, a trace of fear appeared in his eyes. This entire matter was simply too strange. Especially when they considered the identities of Lady Fan and Liu Gang, fugitives who had returned from death and laid plans across hundreds or even thousands of years, the very thought sent chills down the spine.

Lu Faqing also felt his scalp go numb. "If that is truly the case, then I'm afraid this is beyond our ability to handle. We can only ask those few on Mount Wudang to intervene."

Li Yan knew he was referring to the God Ascendants. Truthfully, he was frightened as well. After all, Earth Immortals were unfathomably mysterious. But recalling everything that had happened since entering Dangyang County, he couldn’t help but start to doubt.

He interjected, "Perhaps it isn't an Earth Immortal. The Heavenly Saint Cult created the headless rider to spread panic on one hand, while on the other they broke into the Earth Immortal Cavern and even stole something from inside. If there truly was an Earth Immortal present, how would they dare behave so recklessly? They must know something.

"Also, the forces on Mount Zigai are currently weak. If an Earth Immortal were behind all this, why would they need to go through so much trouble? They must be using some other method!

"Senior, please lift the restrictions and let us conduct a full search!"

With matters having reached this point, Lu Faqing did not dare be careless. "Very well."

He took several disciples up onto the Divine Que Altar for Heaven's Sacrifice and began arranging the ritual. After some work, fierce winds suddenly began howling all around them.

Li Yan's divine ability was no longer suppressed. Dense incense energy and innate astral qi immediately pressed down so heavily that even breathing became stifling. The main hall in particular had a column of divine gang shooting straight into the sky, like a blazing sun in full glory, making even the inside of his nose sting painfully.

The principal deity worshipped by the Zhushan Sect was Taiyi, the supreme god of Chu. Li Yan was not the only one, even the Zhushan Sect disciples, Feng Huazi, and Lu Faqing all began using their own divine abilities to investigate.

Feng Huazi's divine ability was similar to penetrating vision. It allowed him to see through wood and stone and observe what lay inside. That was how he had previously discovered the abnormalities within the divine statues and graves. He formed a hand seal, brilliant light flashing from his eyes as he searched everywhere.

When he reached a side chamber, his expression suddenly changed and he gasped, "Quickly! There's a corpse beneath this room!"

Lu Faqing rushed over. Without another word, he ordered his disciples to pry up the entire floor and dig three feet into the ground. Sure enough, a corpse appeared before everyone. It had decayed so badly that its features were impossible to distinguish.

"It's Senior Brother Wang!" One disciple picked up the waist token from the corpse and went pale. "Senior Brother Wang was still talking to us yesterday. Could he... have been an evildoer in disguise?"

Lu Faqing's face darkened. "Where is Wang Facheng?"

One disciple cupped his fists in response. "Senior Brother Wang said he was going home to visit family. He left yesterday."

The Zhushan Sect members exchanged glances, all of them feeling chills in their hearts. The methods of these evildoers were simply beyond comprehension.

Feng Huazi, however, continued staring at the corpse. His expression gradually became grave, and with a clang, he drew his treasured sword.

Squelch!

He split open the corpse's skull. Everyone sucked in a sharp breath at the sight. Although the corpse had already decayed, the brain inside remained completely intact. It had merely turned black, and dense yellow hair had grown all over it.

Feng Huazi's face turned pale.

"The Demon Body Longevity Art!"