Chapter 246

As Li Zhuiyuan waved the formation flag, the scenery ahead began to ripple and distort.

Lin Shuyou's eyes constantly bulged, reflecting the spirit's current emotional state.

Previously, the spirit was only summoned for battle through a ritual, and its time was strictly limited. Theoretically, this was the first time it had fully accompanied them on an entire journey.

Although this was just the beginning of their journey, the spirit was already deeply impressed by the smooth and seamless experience.

The previous day, the young man had only sent Tan Wenbin and the others to scout ahead while he went to the hospital. This showed his confidence that he could easily break through the guardian formation at the mountain gate, even without prior reconnaissance.

Status is earned through one's own strength. Despite not practicing martial arts, the young man commanded everyone's respect and loyalty due to his overwhelmingly powerful abilities in everything except close combat.

In other words, if the young man didn't have this one flaw, there would be no need for any of them.

In fact, there would be no reason to form this team at all.

It was precisely because of the young man's exceptional abilities that he could share a significant amount of the journey's spiritual merits with them.

The young man wasn't intentionally doing this; he simply didn't need much for himself.

Lin Shuyou was now somewhat irritated by the spirit's frequent emotional outbursts. The previous night, while showering and looking in the mirror at the guesthouse, he had noticed his eyes starting to bulge.

If the spirit had something useful or valuable to say, that would be acceptable. But at this crucial moment, it kept repeating in his mind:

"Medium, follow him diligently!"

"Medium, this is both your opportunity and mine!"

Lin Shuyou had deliberately applied to Jinling University to escape the constant nagging of his elders at home. Who would have thought that, after all these twists and turns, he would now be carrying a nagging entity inside him?

A rift opened.

Runsheng was the first to rush in, followed closely by Lin Shuyou, then Yin Meng, and finally Tan Wenbin, who was being pushed on a "twin-ghost cart."

Everyone had already mentally rehearsed their actions inside numerous times.

These people had explicitly threatened to wipe out their entire family, and it was highly probable they had already sent someone to Nantong. So, upon entering, they weren't expecting to casually greet anyone.

The plan was to fight from beginning to end, from outside to inside, crushing everything in their path. Only after reaching the enemy's core area and eliminating all remaining key figures would they pause for a moment to drink some water, without any conversation or empty threats.

The young man's team always acted with such decisiveness, never dragging things out.

However, their elaborate plans met a surprisingly stark reality.

Runsheng had just entered, his spiritual energy still surging and his shovel raised, but he froze in place.

Lin Shuyou, who was behind him, assumed Runsheng had encountered a powerful enemy that had stopped him. He naturally moved around Runsheng's back, intending to join the fight, and then he, too, froze.

When Yin Meng entered, her poison jar was already raised. She instinctively sought out the most densely populated area to throw it, while also checking the ground in front of her for suitable fresh corpse parts.

Before they entered, she had specifically reminded Runsheng not to smash the bodies too badly at the outset.

But when Yin Meng saw the full scene, she subconsciously bit her lip.

The good news was that she no longer had to worry about finding suitable bodies for sacrifice; the bad news was... there seemed to be no need for her to make any sacrifices at all.

Everywhere, there were bodies in gruesome states of death.

Although the Taoist temple was protected by a formation, and its climate differed from the outside, which preserved the bodies better, it was still evident that they had been dead for two or three days.

Runsheng held his shovel horizontally in front of him, switching from an offensive to a defensive stance. He worried that an even more powerful entity might be lurking inside.

Lin Shuyou's eyes bulged, showing a mix of dissatisfaction and anger, as his and the spirit's thoughts intertwined:

"Who did this? They stole my kill."

Yin Meng didn't dwell on it. Instead, she observed the nearby bodies, releasing her gu-worms to help identify which ones were more unique and had higher utility value.

Tan Wenbin, seated in his "automatic wheelchair," entered and, seeing the situation, immediately instructed the two children to stop pushing.

He immediately hunched his body, crossed his arms into his sleeves, and entered a state of semi-hibernation.

He had a guess in his mind; it was audacious and somewhat exaggerated, and he didn't know how it was achieved, but he felt it was likely that specific possibility.

He also suspected that Brother Xiaoyuan might have had an inkling.

Li Zhuiyuan entered.

The young man hadn't anticipated this scene, but he wasn't surprised by it either.

"Let's go further in and see."

Runsheng led the way.

Lin Shuyou pushed Tan Wenbin's wheelchair.

Throughout the entire Taoist temple, bodies were scattered everywhere, as if a sudden massacre had occurred. The attackers didn't seem to have come from outside; instead, it looked like an internal conflict had taken place.

Li Zhuiyuan saw the body of the old sweeping Taoist. He was kneeling there, eyes wide open, holding a large broom completely soaked in blood.

A gu-worm crawled around the body, then excitedly waved its antennae at Yin Meng, signaling that this corpse was a "minor treasure."

Even though the old sweeping Taoist was dead, his cultivation foundation was perfectly preserved.

Yin Meng looked at Runsheng, who nodded back, indicating he could chop it up and help her take it when they left.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and gently touched the old sweeping Taoist's brow.

Lin Shuyou also walked over at this point: "Brother Xiaoyuan..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let it speak."

A-You's vertical pupils opened, and the spirit spoke: "The other Taoists in this area were all killed by this broom; the wounds match. As for this old Taoist, he died from a 'tribulation'."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Be more specific."

Spirit: "A 'tribulation'... is simply a tribulation. It could be a qi deviation during cultivation, a backlash of spiritual energy, the premature failure of a vessel, or even a mistake in the cultivation path that brings about a fatal tribulation."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You're not explaining it clearly."

The spirit pursed its lips. It had merely wanted to demonstrate its knowledge and assert its presence, but the young man was clearly unimpressed.

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is a fatal tribulation formed by the power of Feng Shui."

"Feng Shui?" The spirit's vertical pupils narrowed slightly. "How is that possible? Who can inject Feng Shui energy and transform it into a tribulation that befalls others?"

"As long as the method is right, nothing is impossible. I did something similar once in the Dream Ghost's dream, but I was in a passive state then."

"I have no memory of that; it must have been erased by myself."

Li Zhuiyuan continuously tapped the old sweeping Taoist's forehead with his knuckles. As he tapped, a faint sandalwood imprint slowly emerged.

"There are many ways to draw power from external sources. Your 'General Commanders,' 'Eight Generals,' and 'Holy Children and Maidens' are just one method. Taoism also has ways to invite ancestral masters for assistance.

This person, despite holding a broom and dressing ordinarily, was an ancestral master-level figure within this Taoist temple's system.

As I observe this Taoist temple, its formation layout and internal furnishings are all perfectly preserved. Only its Feng Shui structure is utterly riddled with holes.

Therefore, I deduce that Feng Shui energy was injected into the method used to invite ancestral masters, creating a fatal tribulation specifically targeting the ancestral master."

Spirit: "Then it could only kill him..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "When I have the power to kill you, is it difficult to threaten you into killing others first?"

The spirit fell silent.

It had just said that the nearby Taoists were killed by this old sweeping Taoist. It all fit perfectly.

Li Zhuiyuan's fingertip continued to scrape the old sweeping Taoist's forehead. A bloody cut slowly appeared, from which all his life force had drained.

The young man suddenly felt a pain in his fingertip. He withdrew his hand and looked down to see a small cut on it.

The spirit's vertical pupils focused. After careful observation, it said: "Sword intent."

Yin Meng pulled out a band-aid, but Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, refusing. He rubbed his fingertip, and a faint bloody mist gathered as the wound scabbed over.

The spirit continued: "Everything here was done by a powerful entity skilled in swordsmanship and proficient in Feng Shui."

At this moment, Tan Wenbin spoke: "Brother Xiaoyuan, will doing this be dangerous?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Since they dared to do it, they must have known what they were doing."

Tan Wenbin: "Then they must be ecstatic; they've finally gotten their chance."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Indeed, an excellent opportunity. If we go inside and find that the number of ancestral masters also matches perfectly, then this opportunity will seem a bit too deliberate."

Every action has its consequence; it's the will of heaven. Li Zhuiyuan had previously guessed that the difficulty of this "wave" might decrease, but not necessarily in terms of wave height. Instead, it might mean a layer of the wave was removed before it even hit.

If that were the case, then the orchestrator's operation was truly seamless.

It was perfectly interconnected and logical, yet left no flaws for anyone to exploit or replicate.

The spirit looked at the young man, then at Tan Wenbin, and asked:

"So, who was it?"

After asking, the spirit felt a strong palpitation within itself, an emotion coming from its medium.

"What are you afraid of?"

Lin Shuyou remained silent, only feeling lingering fear.

It was almost that the same scene would have occurred in his own temple.

Compared to the current scene, it seemed more humane for Uncle Qin to simply arrive and destroy the temple.

Because what was hardest to accept was this life-or-death survival choice. A-You believed some in the temple would remain true to their hearts, preferring death over submission, but there would certainly be elders he respected who would make the same choice as the old sweeping Taoist.

If that happened, when he returned home, he would witness the horrific aftermath of internal strife in the temple, a trampling far more painful than simply being killed.

The spirit's vertical pupils faded, returning to his body, and then it incessantly asked in his mind:

"Tell me, who did it? Who?"

"The one who lives at home, the Old Lady."

After getting the answer, the spirit finally fell silent.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's keep going."

Runsheng responded and continued to lead the way. Subsequently, almost every area was a repeat of the previous scene, effectively presenting a series of different "old sweeping Taoists."

All of them had killed those around them, and then they themselves were killed.

This meant that none of the elders in this Taoist temple chose to remain true to their hearts; all of them, under the threat of death, began killing their own disciples.

Of course, this wasn't surprising. The atmosphere of this Taoist temple was inherently like this. How could those who, after their child-stealing actions were exposed, still stubbornly threatened retaliation and vowed to wipe out an entire family, truly cultivate the upright and vast qi of Taoism?

Though they wore Taoist robes and chanted "Boundless Heavenly Venerable," they were nothing more than a group of utterly selfish individuals.

The deeper they went, a certain sound became more and more apparent, but this sound posed no threat.

The deepest and largest building appeared before everyone.

At the entrance, an old Taoist was sitting there in pain. In front of him, a middle-aged Taoist, with a few flowers stuck in his hair, was running around happily with outstretched arms.

"Flying, flying, flying up, hahaha..."

The sitting old Taoist was Wen Chenzi. He had been placed in a secret room for recuperation due to a curse, and thus avoided the massacre in the Taoist temple that day.

Seeing the newcomers, Wen Chenzi's lips trembled, and his gaze finally settled on Tan Wenbin.

That night in Nantong, it was this person who came out to stop him from taking the child and even cursed him.

In his panic, he had even stabbed the other person. Now, thinking back, it was probably intentional on the other person's part.

"Flying, flying, flying!!!"

Ling Fengzi ran down the steps and approached Li Zhuiyuan and the others, running in circles around them like a madman.

Li Zhuiyuan: "There's no smell of excrement on him. Even after going mad, he still knows to keep clean and hygienic."

Ling Fengzi's running posture stiffened.

Tan Wenbin: "Exactly. There are so many historical cases of feigning madness. Even a prince would at least live in a pigsty. You're being too perfunctory."

"Flying... flying..."

Ling Fengzi's shouts grew weaker and weaker.

Yin Meng pointed at Ling Fengzi: "Then why didn't he run away? Why did he stay here instead?"

Tan Wenbin: "He was both terrified by the scene that day and unwilling to abandon his assets and legacy here. Knowing we would come for the final resolution, he deliberately feigned madness and idiocy, hoping to make us feel sympathetic and let us leave this place alone."

Ling Fengzi continued to stumble, no longer making sounds.

He had indeed thought this way, but he hadn't expected his performance to be utterly meaningless.

"Thump!"

Ling Fengzi simply knelt down, his face no longer showing madness, and instead said earnestly:

"I was blind and foolish, arrogant and ridiculous. Now that the Taoist temple has reached this state, I shall atone for my sins with death. But I implore you, please show mercy and leave a spark of inheritance for my Seven Stars Temple!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You are willing to die?"

Ling Fengzi nodded vigorously: "I have already committed a capital offense and brought this calamity upon the temple. I should die to atone for my sins; I only ask that the lineage and legacy be preserved."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Very well, I promise you."

Ling Fengzi's heart rejoiced.

But then, the young man reached out and pointed to Wen Chenzi, who was still sitting: "You are the lineage I will leave for this Taoist temple. Come, kill this abbot, and I will spare your life."

Ling Fengzi was struck as if by lightning.

Wen Chenzi shakily stood up, walked down the steps, picked up a discarded sword, and drew it.

"R-really?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Really. This is your abbot's request, and I have agreed to it."

"Then... my curse..."

Tan Wenbin: "I'll remove it for you."

Wen Chenzi, holding the sword, walked behind Ling Fengzi. He raised the sword and said: "Abbot Brother, please rest assured, I will definitely continue the legacy of my Seven Stars Temple, at least... the lineage and sacrifices will not perish."

After speaking, the long sword thrust down.

Just then, a hand grabbed the blade, twisted the long sword, and plunged it into Wen Chenzi's body.

Wen Chenzi lowered his head in horror, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"You..."

Ling Fengzi: "It was you, you waste, who did such a thing and caused my Seven Stars Temple to fall to this state today. You deserve to die!"

His palm continued to exert force, and the blade pierced deeper. Wen Chenzi's body trembled and he died.

Ling Fengzi withdrew his hand, and Wen Chenzi's body fell to the ground.

"Before I die, I have one request..."

Ling Fengzi wiped the blood from his hands on his Taoist robe as he stood up.

As he stood up, the formation enveloping the entire Taoist temple began to twist and operate. Clusters of green flames shot out from various buildings within the temple.

Ling Fengzi now understood that he could not survive, and this Taoist temple could not be preserved.

He simply gave up completely, destroying the place himself and ending the history of the Seven Stars Temple.

Ling Fengzi: "I want to know, who exactly are you?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer him, but instead looked at the stiff area on Ling Fengzi's cuff, where something seemed to be hidden inside.

For him to carry it even while feigning madness and idiocy, it must be extremely important, at least to him at that moment.

Seeing that he didn't receive an answer, Ling Fengzi took a deep breath, opened his palm, and continued to operate the formation, saying:

"As long as you tell me, I will thoroughly burn this place down, saving you... trouble."

Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuiyuan, who nodded, mainly to save trouble.

Seeing that Brother Xiaoyuan agreed, Tan Wenbin, sitting in his wheelchair, spoke with a voice that was inevitably sharp due to his current physical condition:

"Listen carefully. The one standing before you now is the sole contemporary heir of the Qin and Liu families."

As for the name, it wouldn't be announced.

"The Qin and Liu families..."

Ling Fengzi began to ponder the forces in the martial world. His initial thoughts were already at a high level, but he couldn't find a match. He continued to think higher and higher, until finally, he remembered the legendary lineage where two families had once united through marriage.

"Dragon... Dragon King Family?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes."

Ling Fengzi: "Hahahahaha!"

At that moment, Ling Fengzi truly became "Madman Ling."

He thought of the sudden, drastic change within the Taoist temple that day. He remembered Wen Chenzi's return, alive, claiming to have severely wounded his opponent. He recalled his own conversation with the young man while attempting to break the curse.

He had actually boasted that he would wipe out the entire Dragon King Family.

At this moment, all reluctance and indignation, all fear and trepidation, completely vanished into thin air.

That he had offended the Dragon King Family and brought about the destruction of his lineage, this was perfectly justified!

At this moment, his laughter came from the bottom of his heart.

Tan Wenbin: "May you die now?"

Ling Fengzi: "Yes."

As he spoke, Ling Fengzi began to tidy his messy hair and wrinkled Taoist robe. As if still dissatisfied, he pointed to a small pond nearby and said:

"May I clean my face with water, because I want to..."

Tan Wenbin: "Runsheng."

Ling Fengzi: "No need to trouble you, I can go myself..."

"Thud!"

Runsheng's shovel smashed onto the unsuspecting Ling Fengzi's head.

Ling Fengzi's head exploded like a watermelon.

Runsheng's qi portals opened, blowing all the red and white viscous matter that should have splattered everywhere, away from his companions.

The headless body stood for a while before falling backward.

Runsheng: "So much trouble."

Some people, even if they are opponents, can earn final respect.

But clearly, Ling Fengzi did not belong to this category.

Often, the former depart most gracefully, while the latter, people like Ling Fengzi, create an extraordinary amount of trouble.

Tan Wenbin: "A-You, check his cuff, see if there's anything inside. Runsheng, go inside and see what's there."

When Tan Wenbin was present, Li Zhuiyuan could say much less.

Lin Shuyou turned up Ling Fengzi's cuff, pulled out an invitation, and handed it to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin didn't take it, gesturing with his eyes.

A-You immediately handed it to Brother Xiaoyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan took it and opened it. Inside was a very simple map, and the terrain shown should also be within the larger Qingcheng Mountain area.

"Taoist Demon Sealing Conference, date is five days later."

Lin Shuyou: "This kind of character can also go seal demons?"

Tan Wenbin: "Perhaps they're being designated as demons?"

Yin Meng: "Then many Taoist temples must have been invited, not just this one."

Li Zhuiyuan: "This should be a clue for the next stage. Five days are enough for me to resolve matters at the hospital. By then, there should also be a new clue from a different perspective."

Tan Wenbin: "There's still plenty of time. I think we can even take two days to go to Rongcheng..."

Lin Shuyou: "To see pandas?"

Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes at A-You and corrected him: "To pick up clues."

Although flames were springing up everywhere, the fire hadn't reached its peak, so the danger was low; it was just very smoky.

Runsheng ran out of the burning main hall, carrying a mummified corpse.

He placed the mummified corpse in front of Yin Meng and said: "Inside, besides statues, there were many broken coffins and mummified corpses all over the floor. Mengmeng, see if this one can be used."

Tan Wenbin felt a bit like laughing.

Others give flowers or perfume, or at least fold stars and paper cranes, but Runsheng directly gives you a mummified corpse.

And Yin Meng actually looked surprised and pleased; the gift was indeed correct.

However, after Yin Meng inspected it with her gu-worms, she said with some regret: "The age is sufficient, but unfortunately, it's been drained and completely ruined."

If it had been preserved intact, it would indeed have been an excellent offering.

Runsheng nodded: "Then should we carry away all seven of those killer bodies?"

Yin Meng: "No need for so many, and they're hard to preserve. Just cut off a section of the outermost old sweeping Taoist and take that."

Runsheng seemed to recall something else and said to Li Zhuiyuan: "Xiaoyuan, there are seven large incense burners inside, enshrining seven nameless spirit tablets."

Lin Shuyou: "Branches. This means there are seven branches in this temple; some places also call them 'veins'."

Tan Wenbin: "You're still the most knowledgeable; after all, you're the head of a branch."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, my branch is already defunct; it no longer exists."

Tan Wenbin: "Oh, sorry, I forgot. You're now truly listed as your own distinct lineage in the family records."

Lin Shuyou scratched his head: "Hehe."

Runsheng: "The names of the elders would all have to be written below yours."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Seven veins, seven murderous vein masters. This also meant that at least seven people must have been sent to Nantong, representing all seven veins. Otherwise, the Old Lady wouldn't have been able to wipe out the entire temple in one go, and when they arrived, they would have had to face resistance from at least one vein.

Was this a coincidence?

Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe in such coincidences.

It was almost certain now that this was deliberately orchestrated by the Heavenly Dao.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't moved by this, nor would he be grateful. Whatever Heaven gave now, it would demand back twofold later. Heaven never loses.

The fire was growing, and this place would be burned to ashes, then revealed by the formation. However, the mountain environment would quickly rebury these traces.

After leaving the Taoist temple, they walked down the mountain path. There was still a long way to go to the road where their vehicle was parked.

Lin Shuyou once again carried Tan Wenbin on his back, while the folded wheelchair was carried in his hand.

Tan Wenbin sighed: "Young people's bodies are truly good."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, after this is over, won't you recover?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Shuyou felt a chill deepen on his back; even the new version of the sealing talisman was struggling to hold up.

The two children, pouting, blew hard on Lin Shuyou's neck.

There was nothing he could do; he just had a knack for bringing up sensitive topics.

Tan Wenbin pacified the two children, signaling them to stop playing, and then said:

"Sigh, I've basically experienced old age during this time. I can already imagine my wife pushing me in a wheelchair for some fresh air when I get old like this."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, you're a river walker; you have a lot of merit and a long life. You'll definitely outlive your wife."

A-You's eyes bulged, and he immediately added a correction:

"Walking behind his wife, pushing her wheelchair."

Tan Wenbin: "I'm telling you, when Yunyun brings her classmate back after we go home this time, think before you speak when you're with that classmate."

Lin Shuyou: "Don't worry, Brother Bin, I will, even for sister-in-law's sake."

Tan Wenbin: "Yunyun said that classmate is also from Fujian."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan, so that means many nearby Taoist temples will attend this 'Demon Sealing Conference'?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Not necessarily just Taoist temples."

Lin Shuyou: "Aren't these all Taoist temples here? Are there other forces?"

Tan Wenbin understood what Brother Xiaoyuan meant and said: "For example, forces like us."

Lin Shuyou: "Forces like us?"

Tan Wenbin: "Did you forget that time in Lijiang when we also competed for an invitation? That was for