Chapter 888: Five Ghosts Locking the Divine Technique

“Ah!” The moment he parted the bushes, a cry of alarm escaped the young man’s lips. His body stumbled back several steps, and he nearly fell to the ground.

The young man, named Tumeng, was utterly terrified.

“What’s wrong?” The Heron Tribe members, who had been intently watching everything, were startled. Some of the younger, stronger members immediately drew their swords and knives, preparing for any unexpected danger.

“Don’t act rashly. Tumeng, what happened?” Yinglu, however, remained clear-headed. He saw at a glance that the young man was unharmed, only startled.

“Clan Chief, there’s an immortal master inside, but he looks…”

“Hmph! What about how I look?”

Before the young man could finish speaking, a few flashes of green light flared wildly in the bushes before suddenly vanishing. Then, after a cold snort, a figure strode out from within.

Everyone, including the elder, froze for a moment, and quickly looked intently.

The person who appeared before them was a man in white robes. He was of average build. The style of his white robes clearly indicated he was an immortal master, but a strangely shaped green hood covered his face. Several bulging pouches hung from his waist, and on his back, he carried a wooden box about a foot long.

“I am Yinglu, Clan Chief of the Heron Tribe. Greetings, Immortal Master! May I inquire about the Master’s esteemed name?” The moment Yinglu saw the man appear, he immediately dismounted and bowed deeply to the white-robed figure from a distance. He dared not show the slightest disrespect. The other tribe members also dismounted and paid their respects.

“Heron Tribe? Never heard of it. My name is Han. I was cultivating inside just now. What are you doing here?” The white-robed man glanced coldly at Yinglu and his group, and replied frostily.

“So it’s Master Han. We truly didn’t know you were cultivating inside just now. We apologize for any offense. Please forgive us, Immortal Master! May I ask which tribe you serve as an honored master? Perhaps this old man knows your tribe.” The elder immediately felt relieved when he saw that the immortal master didn’t seem intent on harming them. His heart instantly eased.

“I’ve only recently completed my training. I’m not currently serving any tribe,” the white-robed man’s eyes flickered slightly, then he spoke indifferently.

“Ah! So you are an independent master. Since you are here alone, Immortal Master, you must also be heading to the Holy Temple. The Spirit Awakening Day, which occurs once every twenty years, I’m sure Master Han wouldn’t miss it.” Upon hearing that the other party was an independent master, Yinglu’s heart stirred. His tone became even more respectful.

“That’s right. I am indeed going to the Holy Temple. Are you on your way to pay tribute to the Holy Temple? But... why is there no immortal master accompanying you?” The white-robed man glanced at the carriages behind them, seeming quite interested.

“Our Heron Tribe is just a small tribe. We don’t currently have an immortal master stationed with us. That’s why…” the elder explained respectfully. Seeing the other party’s demeanor, he immediately judged that the master’s earlier claim of having just completed his training seemed true. Otherwise, why would he show such curiosity?

At this thought, the idea that had vaguely arisen in the elder’s mind suddenly intensified.

“Since it was unintentional, let’s consider this matter closed. You may leave!” After a moment of hesitation, the white-robed man waved his hand at them, gesturing for them to depart immediately.

Seeing the white-robed man dismiss them so easily, Yinglu, who had originally been fearful due to the unknown identity of the man and somewhat anxious, immediately made up his mind.

Instead of leaving, he took a deep breath, and suddenly, with a smile on his face, spoke to the white-robed man:

“Immortal Master, since you are also heading to the Holy Temple, might you consider temporarily accepting employment from our Heron Tribe? If you accompany us to the Holy Temple, I am willing to pay twenty spirit stones for your service on this journey.”

“Hire me?” The white-robed man was startled, seemingly taken aback.

“Indeed. In any case, you are also going to the Holy Temple. Why not come with us? Without an immortal master accompanying us to secure our journey, this old man truly fears we might not reach the Holy Temple safely. After all, there are many dangers on the road,” the elder said with a sincere expression.

“Traveling with mortals would be a bit too slow! And only twenty spirit stones…” The white-robed man didn’t immediately refuse, but he didn’t agree right away either, appearing somewhat hesitant.

“If you agree to this, Immortal Master, this old man is willing to offer twenty-five spirit stones. To be frank, Master Han, our Heron Tribe is truly small, and that is the absolute most our tribe can afford,” the elder said honestly, after a wry smile.

“Twenty-five spirit stones is not a small sum. But don’t you want to ask what cultivation level I am before offering this price? Perhaps I am merely a low-level immortal master at the second or third Qi Condensation stage, with no ability to escort your convoy?” Hearing this amount, the white-robed man chuckled lightly.

“Haha! Immortal Master, you jest. Although this old man does not possess a spirit root, I once participated in a holy war in my youth. Based on the spiritual light you emitted during your cultivation just now, you are absolutely not an immortal master at the second or third Qi Condensation stage,” Yinglu said with two dry chuckles.

“Alright! Since you are so sincere, I will accompany you on this journey. However, I will take half of the spirit stones upfront, and you must pay me the other half immediately upon arrival.” The white-robed man did not ponder for long; after a slight hesitation, he agreed.

“Naturally. This old man will pay the spirit stones to you now, Immortal Master.”

The elder was overjoyed to hear this. He immediately fumbled in his robes, pulled out a small leather pouch, then counted out more than ten spirit stones in front of everyone, and promptly handed them to the white-robed man.

After the white-robed man received the spirit stones, a flash of spiritual light appeared in his hand, and the spirit stones vanished. This caused the young members of the Heron Tribe behind them to gasp in admiration.

“What? Haven’t you even seen a storage pouch before?” The white-robed man’s voice showed surprise.

“Please don’t mind them, Master. These are all young people from the tribe who haven’t had much contact with immortal masters before,” Yinglu said, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I see.” The white-robed man nodded with a hint of understanding, then glanced at the carriages, and seemed to hesitate again.

The elder, however, who had frequently interacted with many immortal masters in the past, immediately realized and turned his head, calling out loudly:

“You few, quickly clear out the best carriage, so Master Han can meditate and rest in it. Move quickly now!”

Upon hearing the Clan Chief’s words, some young people, who had been secretly delighted by the addition of an immortal master to their group, immediately sprang into action as if awakened from a dream, unloading all the goods from one carriage and distributing them among the other carriages.

The white-robed man didn’t stand on ceremony. Once the carriage was ready, he spoke solemnly to the elder:

“Thank you for your trouble. I will rest in the carriage. If anything comes up, just call out to me from outside. I have already achieved abstention from grains, so there’s no need to disturb me during normal times.”

“Of course, this old man understands the Immortal Master’s preferences,” Yinglu bowed slightly, a deferential smile on his face.

The white-robed man nodded at this, and immediately strode towards the carriage. However, after a few steps, he suddenly turned his head and spoke coldly to the still-dazed young man, Tumeng.

“You saw my face just now, didn’t you? I do not wish for this matter to spread everywhere. Act wisely.”

After saying these few cryptic words, the white-robed man unhurriedly boarded the carriage and drew the cloth curtain, blocking the view of the onlookers.

Tumeng’s face instantly turned ashen. Even though the white-robed man was already inside the carriage, he repeatedly shook his head, muttering that he dared not.

“Alright, now that our convoy has an immortal master with us, everyone can travel with peace of mind. Everyone mount up, let’s depart immediately. Yingshan! You are to stay by the Immortal Master’s carriage. Whatever the Master requests, attend to it promptly. Make sure to serve the Immortal Master well!” The elder loudly called for everyone to resume their journey, and turned to the young woman.

Upon hearing this, the young woman understood the elder’s intention and happily agreed immediately. After mounting her horse, she promptly moved to the back.

The other young men drove the convoy forward, while constantly looking back and discussing in low voices.

Although the tribe had invited immortal masters before, they had always left immediately after completing their tasks, and the young men had no real chance to see them. Now, with such close contact, they were naturally very curious.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, which was thoroughly obscured by its curtains, the white-robed man sat cross-legged, perfectly still.

“Kid Han, it seems the scene when you were cultivating just now scared that little fellow from the abrupt tribe quite a bit! I wonder if he’ll have nightmares for days! Hehe…” An old, somewhat gleeful voice echoed in the white-robed man’s spiritual consciousness.

“Senior, is this ‘Five Ghosts Soul Lock’ technique you taught me truly effective? I wouldn’t want to turn into a monster knowing only slaughter before finding a way to dispel this malevolent aura,” the white-robed man, however, replied with a calm mental message, not directly answering the previous statement.

“Rest assured. Although this secret art was created by me to control the ‘Great Evolution Art’ from causing cultivation deviation, it is equally effective against malevolent aura. However, I must remind you again: since you’ve used the malevolent aura as a catalyst to summon the Five Ghosts for possession, what’s restricted isn’t just the malevolent aura in your body; a significant portion, roughly ninety percent, of your cultivation has also been sealed. Your current cultivation is, at most, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. You cannot recklessly use that spiritual power anymore. Do not forget this!” The old voice said lazily.

“I know this, Senior, without you telling me. I didn’t expect the backlash from the malevolent aura to be so much faster than anticipated. And its ferocity far exceeds what you described,” the white-robed man’s voice deepened, and he said with a hint of helplessness.

“Hmph! It’s not that this old man’s prediction was wrong. Who told you to engage in such intense battles with other cultivators before the malevolent aura was removed? You even suffered severe damage to your vital energy and nearly died. The malevolent aura would naturally backlash earlier. As for its ferocity, haven’t you considered how deep-seated the malevolent aura in your body has become? Naturally, its backlash is far beyond what an ordinary person could withstand. If I didn’t need you to help me refine puppets, this old man wouldn’t bother with you at all!” The voice snorted heavily, then spoke leisurely.

Needless to say, the two were Han Li and the Great Evolution Cultivator.

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