Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Xie Lingya was already seventy or eighty percent confident, but hearing the little monk admit it himself still left him somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought that Mount Youdu originated from Taoist legends and was hidden in Kunlun, so he hadn’t initially connected Tan Qing with the Son of Youdu.
However, their trip to Mount Youdu had been useful; Fang Zhe’s device, the time Tan Qing entered the city, and his words were enough to wake Xie Lingya up.
Seeing the innocent smile on Tan Qing’s face, Xie Lingya felt a chill run down his spine.
You couldn’t reason with the Son of Youdu; their world was upside down, born from the aura of death. That’s why Tan Qing could say he liked Xie Lingya without any difficulty, yet also wanted to take his life.
Lian Tan instantly understood some key points, “Where is the real Tan Qing?”
He had naturally checked the records before taking on a disciple; there really was such a little monk whose master lived deep in the mountains and later went to a Buddhist academy. This “Tan Qing” in front of him was probably impersonating the little monk.
“Aren’t you going to ask about that person from earlier?” Tan Qing pouted.
Xie Lingya frowned. What did he mean? Was that Hongyang Daoist related to Tan Qing?
Tan Qing stomped his toes through the dirt and said softly, “My master named me Tan Qing because of ‘me,’ not the other ‘me.’ Therefore, I am the real Tan Qing, aren’t I?”
He suddenly smiled at Xie Lingya and said, “There are no remnants left in the Hongyang Dao. I taught them all.”
The expressions of the crowd stiffened.
Tan Qing hadn’t experienced the siege of the Hongyang Dao. What he knew was probably all from Lian Tan, including Lingga’s methods, which he probably heard from Lie Cuo. Just with that? He could imitate them and even teach others? No wonder Pei Xiaoshan’s strength increased so much after he returned.
Even knowing that this “Tan Qing” wasn’t even the same kind of being as them and couldn’t be judged by common sense, everyone was still surprised, and the pressure was even greater.
How could you deal with someone like that?
You could only ask the gods for help, right?
They thought to themselves.
Xie Lingya took out the incense he always carried, lit the incense beads, and a wisp of thick white smoke rose and drifted into the sky.
Tan Qing smiled slightly and saw that the smoke only drifted three meters high before dissipating instantly, as if blown away, never reaching any higher.
Xie Lingya’s heart sank.
Back then, Pei Xiaoshan had also severed their connection with the gods, but Zhang Daoting’s incense had worked. Now they were using incense directly, and Xie Lingya himself had done it, yet the connection was still severed.
Xie Lingya had never encountered such a situation since he began studying Taoism; his senses had always been the strongest. But if the connection with the gods was severed… unable to summon them, would he have to rely on himself? Furthermore, his supposed ability to “trap” Tan Qing here was completely invalid. Without the blessing of the patriarch, this was just an ordinary house.
Even if others didn’t understand, seeing Xie Lingya’s unpleasant expression after burning the incense, they should be able to guess what was going on.
“My body hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Tan Qing said nonchalantly, almost like a child, “and I haven’t finished learning the Buddhist methods.”
That’s why he only sent others to cause trouble for Baoyang Temple, instead of taking action himself. It wasn’t that he was being cunning or trying to cover things up; he simply couldn’t wait.
Tan Qing bent down, and a plum blossom branch, about the thickness of an infant’s wrist and nearly two feet long, appeared on the ground, covered with tender leaves and flowers, and an eight-petaled lotus was carved at the other end.
Tan Qing waved the plum branch, and the glistening dew on it sprinkled out, landing droplets on the Taoists’ foreheads.
Xie Lingya knew something was wrong but couldn’t stop him.
“Sprinkling water of wisdom, giving rise to Bodhicitta,” Tan Qing murmured to himself, then asked Lian Tan, “Master, do you think this way of guiding people is good?”
Lian Tan’s face turned ashen.
Tan Qing laughed heartily: “That’s right, I remember now, I got it mixed up again, this is a Tantric practice.”
After being touched by the dew, the Taoists’ minds became confused, and they actually put their hands together and began chanting Buddhist mantras. Most of the people in the courtyard were instantly “turned” by Tan Qing, making it clear how he had created the Hongyang Taoist.
If he could convert people to Buddhism, could he use this method to turn them into beings of the Netherworld? Probably not.
“Namo Bhagavate, Prajnaparamita…” Tan Qing chanted, then waved the peach wood, and a faint black mist rose around them, remarkably similar to what Xie Lingya and the others had sensed in the Netherworld Mountains.
In Tantric practice, one could create a protective barrier to enhance the environment for cultivation. Tan Qing also used a barrier, but the one he created was deathly still.
Xie Lingya watched helplessly as the surrounding halls and statues vanished under the black mist, leaving behind a desolate wasteland— truly their current predicament.
Only a few people remained untouched by the dew: Xie Lingya, Shi Changxuan, Lian Tan and his disciple, Fang Zhe, and Xiao Dian, along with three or five monks and Taoists.
Unable to see the city, nor Father Xie or Sisi, Xie Lingya was in a state of confusion. Even knowing he shouldn’t let his emotions get the better of him, he couldn’t help but worry. Tan Qing could change an ordinary person’s mind with just a drop of dew; what would he do to others?
At this moment, Shi Changxuan held Xie Lingya’s hand tightly, silent, conveying comfort only through his body heat.
Xie Lingya tried to calm his breathing, hearing Tan Qing say with a grin, “Teacher Xie, are you scared? Humans seem to be very afraid of death; many cultivators are no exception.”
“What am I afraid of?” Upon hearing Tan Qing’s words, Xie Lingya calmed down, saying with a roguish grin, “My uncle said I have a Star Bone[1]. If I fight you, the worst that can happen is I’ll go to heaven and become a god after the fight.”
Everyone: “…”
Tan Qing: “…”
Tan Qing said quietly, “Teacher Xie, I can’t argue with you. You’re too mischievous. Do you know how to deal with a mischievous fellow?”
Come on. Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan drew their peach wood swords in perfect unison.
Tan Qing, however, turned and disappeared.
Xie Lingya was bewildered and looked around warily. Tan Qing seemed to have created a vast illusion within the barrier, surrounded by an endless wilderness.
“Tan Qing?” Xie Lingya called out again, but Tan Qing didn’t reply.
Even if he wanted to launch a sneak attack, he should at least come out.
“Is he trying to trap us here and then go and ‘save’ more people?” Tan Xing suggested.
Instead of a direct confrontation, he was trapping them in the illusion of the barrier?
Given Tan Qing’s temperament, no one could say for sure.
“Even the most realistic illusion has flaws. Let’s get out,” Lian Tan said calmly, having already recovered from his shock. Although he had been pulled into the illusion despite his strong will, he was confident he could escape.
However, Tan Qing’s magic was too advanced, and he hadn’t created any strange sights like skeletons, leaving everyone at a loss. Some chanted sutras, while others set up arrays with talismans.
Fang Zhe formed a hand seal, chanting, “Heavenly autumn, earthly autumn, Laozi bestowed upon me the Iron Fish-like creature, I will break through the heavens and shatter the earth, splitting the earthen walls in two!”
He stomped his foot forcefully, but there was no reaction from the surrounding world.
Fang Zhe sighed in disappointment, deciding to rely on Teacher Xie.
Xie Lingya, however, did not act immediately. After looking around, he said, “Let’s see if we can find the boundary of this illusion before breaking the spell.”
He had already realized that Tan Qing’s magic was far superior to that of the mortals he had encountered before. In the past, he had always relied on brute force, but now he had to resort to technique. Tan Qing was not a god after all. He could create an illusion, but when they tried to find the boundary of this place, there would always be something amiss. This discordant point was the weak point.
But the surrounding area was vast, and how could they possibly reach the boundary on foot? Even if they did reach the point where the illusion appeared— this place was not really that big, and they would definitely encounter “ghost walls” as they walked.
Shi Changxuan whispered, “Try summoning the Four Ghost Kings here.”
Xie Lingya’s eyes lit up. Indeed, humans are less mobile, but ghosts aren’t. With a thought, he used his mind seal, “Four Ghost Kings, come before the altar!”
A chilling wind blew, and the Ghost Kings of the four directions— east, west, south, and north— truly entered.
This was precisely because Tan Qing reversed Buddhist teachings; otherwise, the Tantric barrier was meant to protect practitioners, not allow ghosts to enter. Unfortunately, the Ghost Kings couldn’t leave once they arrived, so they couldn’t be sent to the underworld to deliver messages. As soon as the Ghost Kings entered, they immediately sensed something was wrong. They were all old ghosts who had lived for many years and were very knowledgeable. “This place… why, why does it have the aura of Youdu?”
“Not Youdu, but the Mountain of Youdu,” Xie Lingya said.
The Ghost Kings had heard that the monster from Youdu Mountain had escaped from the Underworld. Their already bloodless faces turned even more ashen. “Teacher Xie really is… getting into bigger trouble each time.”
“I’m sorry,” Xie Lingya said without a hint of remorse, “I need to trouble you with something now.”
The four Ghost Kings took the talismans Xie Lingya had given them and each set off in a different direction to find the boundary of this place, or the place where the distance began to blur, so that Xie Lingya could activate the talismans.
“Let’s sit here and wait,” Xie Lingya said expressionlessly.
They looked at each other, knowing that they had no other choice now. Lian Tan had been chanting incantations until his lips were chapped, but he hadn’t left the illusion.
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[1] “Star bone” in Taoism, often associated with the practice of Bone Breathing (or Bone Marrow Nei Kung), refers to the cultivation technique of filling the skeletal system with Qi (energy) sourced from the stars, planets, and nature. This practice is designed to strengthen the body, regenerate bone marrow, and transform the physical body into a “light body”. This means that XL is gifted and can cultivate automatically without actually trying.
