"Hmph, I'm letting you two off the hook because that old monster forced you into this. Go and reincarnate obediently. If I find out you dare to harm people again, I'll beat you until your souls are scattered."
Yan Chixia was inclined to let the two female ghosts go. However, Lu Xuan, who was standing to the side, shook his head.
“It’s not that simple. At least Nie Xiaoqian probably won’t be able to enter reincarnation.” Lu Xuan said, gently pressing his right hand on Nie Xiaoqian’s forehead. After a moment, he released his hand, and a faint blood-red skull pattern appeared on Nie Xiaoqian’s forehead.
A moment later the pattern disappeared, but Yan Chixia's face also fell.
"This is because some great demon has marked her."
Nie Xiaoqian then realized what was happening.
"It was my maternal grandmother. Before she died, she betrothed me to the Black Mountain Demon."
"The Black Mountain Demon, that fiend who seized control of the City of the Wrongfully Dead in the underworld." Yan Chixia frowned upon hearing this name. The Black Mountain Demon was not on the same level as the Tree Demon. The Tree Demon was a powerful demon with considerable cultivation. But the Black Mountain Demon was a demon god who had stolen a portion of the underworld's power. The difference between them could not be measured in words. The Tree Demon went to great lengths to curry favor with the Black Mountain, merely hoping to gain the Black Mountain's favor and protection.
"Another powerful demon has arrived. Sigh, we still have no clue about the master those two zombies spoke of. Now, the Black Mountain Demon has come. This world..."
Yan Chixia sighed helplessly. Even a cultivator as powerful as him was beginning to feel overwhelmed when facing these endless streams of demons.
"Brother Yan, you're giving up already?"
"Giving up? I, Yan Chixia, have roamed the martial world for decades and have never known what giving up means. I am merely lamenting the hardships of the world, where even cultivators like myself struggle to move forward. I wonder what kind of lives the common people of this world are living!"
“Brother Yan, I admire your concern for the world. Since you have no intention of giving up, shall we take charge of this matter?”
"Of course we'll manage it. I don't care what kind of Black Mountain Demon he is. If I encounter him, I'll still kill him with a single sword strike."
"Alright, then we agree to this. Listen carefully, you two. I'm not exaggerating. But right now, some of the power in the underworld has been seized by demons. You two are both under Granny's command. I'm afraid you'll attract Black Mountain's attention. Even if you want to reincarnate, there will be risks involved."
"Please, Taoist priest, save us!" The two female ghosts kowtowed frantically. They were terrified that they couldn't even enter the cycle of reincarnation.
"Don't panic too much. Since we said we'd take care of this, we'll see it through to the end. You two, stay with me for now. I can teach you some methods to cleanse yourselves of the evil and ghostly aura, allowing you to enter the Dao as ghosts. Heaven and earth are unjust, so we cultivators must defy fate. Are you two willing?"
"Thank you, Master!" Xiao Lan was quick-witted and immediately addressed her as Master. She was originally Grandma's servant, and now she had a stronger master who would teach them Taoist magic, so she was naturally overjoyed. Nie Xiaoqian hesitated slightly, then also bowed gracefully and addressed her as Master.
"Very good, now you are my people. I will take responsibility for the Black Mountain Demon's matter."
The four thoroughly searched the tree demon's lair. Surprisingly, they actually found quite a few various spiritual herbs that the tree demon had stockpiled. This creature was a wood-type demon, so it was naturally easier for it to find these spiritual herbs that possessed sentience.
Afterwards, Lu Xuan collected all the roots the tree demon had used to block his attacks. The great battle was now over. Lu Xuan lost the Five Elements Spirit Realm, but his gains were considerable. He not only acquired a pile of rare and precious materials but also gained two beautiful ghost servants. It was certainly a worthwhile trade.
Yan Chixia also received a considerable amount of spiritual herbs. Since Lu Xuan had taken the lion's share, he naturally had to compensate him. Fortunately, he retrieved two jars of spiritual wine from Xiao Qing's belly and gave them to Yan Chixia.
"How could I possibly accept this?"
Yan Chixia outwardly refused, but his longing eyes and furtive hands betrayed him.
Having tasted it last night, he knew that Lu Xuan's spiritual wine not only restored spiritual energy but also healed injuries and enhanced cultivation. It was a rare and exquisite treasure. Furthermore, its taste was unparalleled. For a wine enthusiast like him, it was truly a nuclear-level weapon of mass destruction.
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Chapter 355 Separation and Punishment of Evil
Two days later, Yan Chixia and the others met at Lanruo Temple to say goodbye.
Dealing with the Black Mountain Demon is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two. At the same time, the unknown great demon hiding in the human world is an even greater hidden danger.
Lu Xuan and Yan Chixia decided to investigate the matter separately. Yan Chixia, having been the chief constable of the Six Doors, was naturally adept at investigating cases. And this time, his investigation wasn't limited to just this one matter.
After the previous battle, he began to feel somewhat powerless. Although he didn't say it explicitly, Lu Xuan guessed that he should return to the sect for further training, or perhaps request some magical artifact.
The original novel doesn't mention Yan Chixia's sect. However, judging from the strength of his Taoist techniques, he must belong to a top-tier hidden sect. Yan Chixia was previously subtly outshone by Lu Xuan, so he was naturally resentful and was determined to improve himself and regain his pride this time.
Lu Xuan continued his journey. For him, this travel was his form of spiritual cultivation. At the same time, he prepared to begin investigating the demon. Having read the original novel, Lu Xuan naturally had some guesses. However, the situation was now complex, far different from the movie. Lu Xuan needed to act cautiously. After all, the other party's lurking presence meant they were plotting something. Before figuring out their purpose, Lu Xuan didn't intend to confront them directly.
The battles between cultivators are far more dangerous and brutal than fights between ordinary people. A single misstep could result in death, even if one wished to. Since we've decided to get involved, we need to be fully prepared.
There was another matter that greatly concerned Lu Xuan: the land decree that Yan Chixia had obtained before the great battle. Lu Xuan later learned after inquiring that Yan Chixia's land decree did not directly command the local land gods. In reality, in this chaotic world, most of the local land and mountain gods had long since disappeared, or even fallen into demonic possession.
Yan Chixia's move actually involved enlisting the help of his own faction's bigwigs, and even his powerful backers. Simply put, the superior of the local official issued a direct order to seal off the area. However, the frightening thing was that even this direct order to the emperor still had a flaw.
Lu Xuan asked Yan Chixia, who simply replied with a dark expression. This meant that the mortal realm, like the underworld, had likely been corrupted. This statement sent a chill down Lu Xuan's spine. The Black Mountain Demon had carved out a territory in the underworld, becoming a powerful figure. He hadn't really felt much about it. After all, it was the underworld, quite far away, and easily overlooked.
However, even the right to control the land in the human realm has been partially stolen. This is truly alarming. The key point is that the one who stole this right is not as blatant as the Black Mountain Demon. It has remained completely hidden until now. What it covets is likely more than just the control of this small portion of land.
Looking up in the direction of Kyoto, Lu Xuan knew. If nothing unexpected happened, that guy was hiding in the imperial court...
After Yan Chixia left, Lu Xuan didn't rush to leave. First, Ning Caichen's injuries weren't fully healed. Lu Xuan could use spiritual medicine to treat him, but that would be too wasteful. Since no vital organs were injured, he might as well let him recover on his own, and also teach him a lesson.
He himself took some time to organize his findings. Then he prepared a magical artifact for Xiaoqian and Xiaolan. In this world, no matter how powerful the ghosts are, they cannot appear in sunlight. It seems to be a kind of law-level restraint. Sunlight almost infinitely suppresses ghostly energy. Lu Xuan guessed that ghostly energy belongs to the yin energy category. This should be a manifestation of the yin-yang principle of mutual restraint.
There are two ways to solve this problem. One is to make them true ghost cultivators, washing away their ghostly aura and transforming them into true spiritual beings. Then, they will naturally be able to appear in the sunlight. This path, in its later stages, should lead to the path of ghost immortals. However, this path is clearly not easy, and results won't be seen anytime soon, so for now, we can only choose the second path.
He had considered sending the two female ghosts to their own caves to cultivate, and then reuniting with them once they had cleansed themselves of their ghostly aura. However, these two were subordinates of a thousand-year-old demon, especially Nie Xiaoqian, who was also the fiancée of the Black Mountain Demon. If they left Lu Xuan, they would probably be dealt with within three days. Therefore, Lu Xuan ultimately decided to keep them by his side.
Therefore, Lu Xuan decided to forge two magical artifacts to conceal the ghostly aura emanating from the two female ghosts.
This wouldn't be too difficult for a master craftsman like Lu Xuan. But if you put this in the cultivation world, which ghost would receive such treatment? Even ghosts who follow their masters at most possess a magical artifact for shelter. Besides Lu Xuan, you'd practically never find another ghost who would specifically craft magical artifacts for their ghost servants.
Actually, the most practical item would be an umbrella. You could craft two umbrella-shaped magical artifacts to block the sun. It's simple and aesthetically pleasing. However, umbrellas have too many limitations. Two beautiful women walking down the street with umbrellas wouldn't raise any suspicion. But if you were in an inn or restaurant with umbrellas, that would be a bit too much.
So, in the end, he decided to put in a little more effort and crafted two rings. These two rings could form two close-fitting spiritual energy barriers, blocking direct contact between sunlight and the ghostly bodies. However, completely blocking sunlight was still a bit difficult. At least under sunlight, the two of them couldn't cast spells.
Even so, this surprised and delighted the two female ghosts. After all, compared to Grandma's oppressive control, Lu Xuan was incredibly kind to them. That very night, Xiao Lan pulled Xiao Qian into the master's room.