Sun Guofu took the bronze mirror and carefully examined it. He also did some calculations, his face showing increasing astonishment.
"This thing is extraordinary. Could it be the legendary Qin King's Bone-Illuminating Mirror? However, something is amiss. Forgive my poor eyesight, but I cannot make a definitive judgment."
"Most people believe this is the Qin King's Bone-Illuminating Mirror. But it's not. This thing should be a Zhou Tian Gua Mirror, a feng shui artifact based on the I Ching. And it's the most advanced kind."
"I see. I was wondering why this mirror needed to be sealed with silver foil. It must be to prevent the energy contained inside the mirror from leaking out and ruining this magical artifact for nothing."
"This thing is already damaged. Unless it's placed in a special location where the wind and energy gather, it will inevitably leak out. The previous collector didn't understand the secret. He used sealing wax to seal the mirror, trying to prevent the energy from leaking out. But that sealing wax reacted with the bronze, damaging the mirror and causing the energy to leak out, which was unstoppable. I'm only sealing it temporarily. After I'm done using it, it needs to be buried."
"I see. This magical artifact carries its own energy. If used to examine feng shui and landforms, no matter how deeply hidden a feng shui mystery is, it will be crystal clear. Which major scheme is Master Lu planning to unleash this time?"
"More or less, it's not your average tomb."
After decades of wandering, the Guanshan Taibao have finally returned to this place. Lu Xuan has never given up tracking these guys. Although all indications suggest that the Guanshan Taibao should have disappeared, Lu Xuan knows that these guys are definitely still alive and have probably set up an even bigger mystery.
Relying on his foresight, he has spent a great deal of manpower and resources over the years, finally leading him to the Immortal Village mentioned in the original Ghost Blows Out the Light novel (this is just using the background of Ghost Blows Out the Light and needs to be significantly modified. After all, the protagonist is going to cultivate immortality. And I estimate that not many people have read this volume).
Lu Xuan knew that Dixian Village was the final piece of Guanshan Taibao's plan.
Back then, the Guanshan Taibao were divided into two factions. One faction, led by Feng Shigu, discovered that the body of the Black Sheep King was incorruptible and believed that he had found the path to immortality. So he rallied his clansmen to build the Feng family's ancestral tomb and tricked countless people into being buried with him.
Another group of Guanshan Taibao, led by Feng Shiqi, were unwilling to enter. Feng Shigu left behind the "Guanshan Zhiming Fu" (Guanshan Guide to Enigma), allowing Feng family descendants who couldn't make it in the village to enter, but they had to keep it a secret. Feng Shiqi led those unwilling to enter away from their homeland. Later, Feng Shiqi contracted a serious illness and never had the chance to return. He left a will instructing his descendants to go to Dixian Village to investigate, and if Feng Shigu had become a demon, they must eliminate him.
It's clear that Feng Shiqi was aware of some of Feng Shigu's plans. After all, Feng Shigu must have made various attempts to achieve immortality. The Corpse King inside the Ping Mountain Tomb that Lu Xuan had previously broken into was one of his test subjects.
Fengjia Ancient Village is likely the culmination of numerous experiments by Feng Shigu. The entire village is protected by Feng Shigu's lifelong skills as the "Mountain Guardian," along with various ingenious formations collected by generations of the Feng family. Ordinary people simply cannot enter.
Later, Feng Shiqi's descendants made several attempts, all ending in failure. His lineage eventually nearly died out, leaving only two brothers, Feng Xuewen and Feng Xuewu. Feng Xuewu was adopted by a family surnamed Sun at a young age and renamed Sun Yaozu. As for Feng Xuewen, he went alone to the Earth Immortal Village, attempting to break its curse and fulfill his ancestor's dying wish.
However, we can tell from the fact that he sent his younger brother away and gave him up for adoption that he had no confidence in this matter and did not want his younger brother to bear this mission (in the original work, he died in the village of the immortals, and the trio found his body).
Sun Yaozu is currently in the team Lu Xuan assembled. He's one of those students. Even the original novel couldn't possibly describe all the mechanisms and formations in the Earth Immortal Village in detail. Lu Xuan wasn't sure what dangers awaited there either. So naturally, he needed to be fully prepared.
First, there's the divine artifact-level Zhou Tian Gua Mirror, primarily used to locate the core of the Earth Immortal Village. Sun Guofu will be in charge of that. Secondly, there's the Feng family bloodline; it might come in handy sometime.
The Earth Immortal Village has been closed off for hundreds of years. It's also home to a master of the Furnace Fire Technique. No amount of caution is excessive. Moreover, regarding the Earth Immortal within, whether it's actually Feng Shigu is still debatable.
After all, the reason Feng Shigu had the idea of becoming an immortal through the path of corpses was because he had dug up the tomb of the Black Sheep King and seen the Black Sheep King's living corpse immortal.
He built the Earth Immortal Village, recreating the formation that allowed the Black Sheep King to become a Corpse Immortal. At the same time, he planned to merge with the Black Sheep King's Corpse Core to become a true Corpse Immortal in one step.
The concept of a Corpse Immortal is truly bizarre. Seeking immortality in a tomb seems like a joke. But whether it's a Corpse King or a Corpse Immortal, they can indeed run and jump. Even though their original will has long been extinguished, turning them into monsters, they can't truly be called dead. Of course, they're not exactly alive either.
What Lu Xuan cared about was that Feng Shigu had conducted experiments more than once. He must have known about the drawbacks of achieving immortality through corpse liberation. But he still did it anyway. Did this mean he had solved the problem?
If that's the case, then the significance of this matter is immense. The level of danger will also increase exponentially. However, Lu Xuan isn't afraid. As he said before, although he cultivates immortality, he never lags behind in modern technology.
Therefore, this operation involved more than just himself and his apprentices. Lu Xuan also hired an entire construction team. Yes, the kind that specializes in demolition and construction.
At the same time, he also invited Elder Liao Chen, who had already retired, to serve as an advisor. After all, he was a true disciple of the Tomb Raiders, so he was bound to be of some use.
After preparing all this, Lu Xuan waited for two days. Then Partridge Whistle returned, travel-worn, bringing Lu Xuan something.
Four bronze talismans appeared in *Ghost Blows Out the Light*: a human talisman, a ghost talisman, a fish talisman, and a dragon talisman. The fish talisman was on the bronze mirror Lu Xuan gave to Sun Guofu. The ghost talisman was on the corpse king beside Lu Xuan, so it had long since fallen into Lu Xuan's hands. The human talisman was among the spoils of war at Ping Mountain. It was found by Chen Yulou and given to Lu Xuan.
Partridge Whistle brought the last Dragon Talisman. In the original novel, it was described as granting immortality by transforming one into a dragon. However, Lu Xuan knew that this item could also summon thunder energy. In the end, Hu Bayi threw out the Dragon Talisman, unleashing the power of heaven and earth to shatter the entire Earth Immortal Village into dust.
Therefore, he arranged for Partridge Whistle to go to the grasslands in advance to search for the Dragon Talisman. Now that the four bronze talismans have been obtained and all the people have been gathered, Lu Xuan's archaeological team of more than thirty people has finally set off.
To find the Immortal Village, one originally needed to solve a riddle poem. What a king, headless and without a body... and there's still a long way to go.
However, Lu Xuan didn't need that. He had Sun Guofu with him, using the Zhou Tian Bagua Mirror to directly search for the core location of the Earth Immortal Village. Sun Guofu was also extremely nervous. After arriving at Qingxi Village, he burned incense and bathed before solemnly removing the silver foil sealing the ancient mirror. He then used the Zhou Tian Bagua to deduce the location of the Earth Immortal Village.
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Chapter 226 Qi Seal, Heavenly Secrets Unharmed
Qingxi Village was once a strategic location. Therefore, numerous air-raid shelters were built here. Some were not completed until the end of the war and were thus forgotten underground. There were also large salt mines here. The mine shafts and air-raid shelters intertwined, eventually forming a complex underground network.
The entrances to these places were easy to find, and the group quickly entered the underground tunnels. Sun Guofu, holding the Innate Divination Mirror, led the way.
These tunnels, interconnected in all directions, were the closest passages to the ancient tomb in Dixian Village. Taking this route would save a considerable amount of time. Sun Guofu used all his skill, leading the group through the winding tunnels until they reached a dead end.
There was a wall in front of me, clearly man-made. There used to be salt mines around here. It's probably the remains of those abandoned salt mine buildings.
Fortunately, no one intended to go straight in. They just wanted to save some time. Seeing an obstacle ahead, several members of the demolition team immediately prepared to move forward and blow up the wall.
However, Partridge Whistle reached out and pressed against the wall, saying...
“No need, it’s already rotten beyond repair.” With that, he took a deep breath and struck out with his palm. To the astonishment of the crowd, he smashed down the dilapidated wall.
Lu Xuan vaguely noticed that Sun Yaozu's expression changed slightly in the crowd. This guy wasn't the cunning Professor Sun he would later become.
After breaking through the wall, the group realized that they had unknowingly wandered into a huge canyon.
Lu Xuan stepped forward and saw that everyone was in the middle of a cliff. Looking down, the sky was filled with smoke and clouds, making it impossible to see the ground below.
Looking around, opposite is a vast expanse of sheer cliffs, towering thousands of feet high, shrouded in mist and clouds. Dozens of waterfalls, formed after the rain, rush forth from the mountains, cascading down into the valley through the crevices of the precipice. Due to the extraordinary height of the cliffs, the cascading water resembles straight silver threads, plunging from the air between the ancient, rugged cliffs, creating a magnificent spectacle.
"Just looking at the surrounding mountains and waters, the feng shui of this place is undoubtedly one in a million. Sun Guofu, what can you tell?"
"Reporting to Master Lu, this should be Coffin Mountain Gorge. However, the feng shui layout here has clearly been altered by external forces. Countless energies within the gorge are intertwined and extremely chaotic. I will need at least half a month to find the correct one."
"The Zhou Tian Gua Mirror can't last that long. Is there any other way?"
"Hmm, perhaps we can start with that limerick."