"They were really driving people into a corner. If I wanted to complete the allusion, I had to risk my life."
The moment Yang He stepped out of the yamen, he looked up at the sky with a grave expression.
From everyone else's perspective, the clouds were merely tinged with a trace of blackish gray.
But through Spiritual Vision, he could see tangible yin energy gathering overhead.
Spiritual Vision: 37.8 points
After spending a long period in contact with the coffin, Yang He's Spiritual Vision had already begun advancing toward fifty.
He did not know whether that was good or bad, but at least it had made his perception of ghosts sharper. As for falling into the Third Layer of Hell, he would deal with that after returning to the Main World.
"Phew."
Li Feng let out a breath and tied the coffin to his back with ropes. His flesh had already turned bluish-purple, showing just how corrosive the yin energy was.
Yang He was the best candidate to carry the coffin, but a young Daoist acolyte's body was too frail.
"Daoist Yang, you don't need to worry about their lives. If danger arises, you don't even need to worry about me. Just protect yourself."
Li Feng was not confident either, or he would not have brought thirteen soldiers with him.
If necessary, the soldiers would not hesitate to buy time for the two of them. Even Li Feng himself had not expected to return to Cailian Town alive.
Drip.
Rainwater trickled down.
The yin energy was intensifying. As expected, a continuous drizzle would soon blanket several hundred miles.
Yang He found the situation extremely troublesome, but escorting the coffin could not wait until tomorrow.
Before long, Madam Yin's incarnation would likely come for the coffin. If they wanted to live, they could only reach Qing Lake as quickly as possible.
"We have no choice but to make this trip. Otherwise, Ghost Lotus will never see any hope of being completed."
Yang He took out twenty or thirty Great Replenishing Pills and handed them to Li Feng.
"There's no farewell wine, but there are plenty of farewell pills."
"Haha."
Li Feng said cheerfully, "It'll be hard for me to spare attention to deal with evil things from here on. I need to focus on resisting the yin energy. Daoist Yang, you lead the way."
He swallowed four Great Replenishing Pills, and his heartbeat accelerated. The fatigue vanished from his face.
However, he possessed only an ordinary mortal constitution. The Great Replenishing Pills brought more harm than benefit; the yang fire they bolstered was essentially fueled by burning away his lifespan.
While Li Feng still had some strength left, Yang He asked, "Lord Li, why did the General's Mansion have you bring the coffin to Cailian Town?"
"This place is remote. Even if you were heading for some town, you wouldn't pass through here, would you?"
"We really were passing through."
Li Feng smiled helplessly. "We had originally intended to go to Yuanjue Cave on Mount Lingjiu. From Cailian Town, we only needed to head east and cross the mountain range."
"Mount Lingjiu..."
For some reason, Yang He found the name familiar, yet he could not recall which immortal deity's sacred ground it was.
Li Feng no longer regarded Yang He as an eleven- or twelve-year-old child and said without reservation, "I heard the immortal of Mount Lingjiu is named Rādharana."
Yang He parted his lips slightly but did not reply.
In the original work, Daoist Rādharana and the Twelve Golden Immortals both belonged to the Chan School. After the Investiture of the Gods, he seemed to have joined Western Buddhism and become Buddha Maitreya.
Yang He knew very little about Investiture of the Gods and did not understand all its twists and turns.
But no matter what, Li Jing clearly had not intended for Nezha to survive. The arrangement in Cailian Town was very likely something Grandmaster Taiyi had planned long ago.
At that moment, the group had just passed through Cailian Town's gates.
The rain soaked the earth, turning the official road into a muddy mess. The thick yin energy rising from the ground coated the mountain forest in a layer of silver frost.
Spiritual Vision: 37.9 points
Only then did Yang He turn back to glance at Cailian Town, and a chill ran through his entire body.
Strange, inexplicable figures stood throughout the streets and alleys, watching them leave. Then, the town seemed to become a bustling market.
Living people hid inside their homes, while evil things repeated the actions they had performed in life.
"Be careful!!"
Li Feng warned, "Yin energy entering the body will affect our yang fire. Keep your minds steady. Don't let yourselves be startled and extinguish your yang fire."
He murmured in a complicated tone, "Who knew how many years the remains in these mountains had piled up for? Nourished by this cold rain, how many evil things would be born?"
Yang He's back turned cold as he felt the rate at which his yang fire was being consumed increase.
Everyone instinctively sped up. Qing Lake was separated from them by only a single mountain, yet it felt as if they were crossing the Nine Netherworlds and the Yellow Springs.
"Hehe."
Yang He heard swaying laughter in the wind and gripped the Copper-Coin Sword tightly.
One of the soldiers could not help turning his head, and the yang fire on his right shoulder immediately flickered.
"Hiss..."
Before he could even react, one section of his finger had vanished. Faint chewing sounds came from the shadows nearby.
"Damn it."
Yang He tossed out the Copper-Coin Sword. The ghost hand behind him grabbed the hilt and extended outward.
The laughter stopped abruptly. Half a damaged ghost face appeared on the Copper-Coin Sword, its mouth stretched to its ears, still mocking them even as it died.
Yang He withdrew the ghost hand, only to see more than a dozen human heads rolling toward him from the side.
The evil things were all newly born Weak Ghosts, far inferior to the Hungry Ghost he had killed in the Main World. Their bodies were clearly half-solid and half-illusory.
But... there were simply far too many of them.
Yang He swept his gaze around. Eyes lurked everywhere in the grass along the official road.
"No. Fighting our way to Qing Lake is completely unrealistic."
Li Feng panted heavily. "I'll guide their yang energy outward. Daoist Yang, don't let the evil things disturb their yang fire."
"Alright!"
Yang He said solemnly, "All of you, close your eyes!!"
The soldiers all complied. Yang He then found spare ropes and tied them around their waists, walking at the front to guide them.
"Whatever happens next, do not open your eyes."
Li Feng struck his chest and abdomen. The soldiers' mouths immediately went dry, and heat rose above each of their heads. The ghosts no longer swarmed toward them.
Rustling sounds continued without end, while the enticing scent kept the ghosts lingering nearby.
Yang He closed his eyes as well and relied on the Pupil Ghost to make his way through the darkness.
Fortunately, he had once played the Lotus Root Harvester and had experience traveling to Qing Lake at night. Otherwise, merely finding Qing Lake would have been a major problem.
By the time there was not the slightest light on the horizon, they entered the mountain where Qing Lake lay.
Black hair could already be seen winding around the branches in the forest. Occasionally, a few hanged corpses appeared, mostly beasts, though there were quite a few dead people as well.
According to Wu Hong, looking directly at the black hair would incur Madam Yin's taboo.
They traveled with their eyes closed, following the ropes. Though they were in a miserable state, it was indeed relatively safe, and Li Feng gained a brief chance to catch his breath.
After an unknown amount of time.
Yang He heard the sound of rippling water and knew they were getting closer and closer to Qing Lake. The cold wind and rain struck their faces painfully.
"Wait."
Yang He stopped everyone from moving forward. The Pupil Ghost appeared at the back of his head and scanned the surroundings.
"W-what is it?" Blood seeped from Li Feng's joints, and he constantly chewed Great Replenishing Pills in his mouth.
"I thought the evil things hadn't followed us because Madam Yin was at Qing Lake, but I caught a very familiar fragrance."
"The fragrance unique to lotus roots."
Within a hundred meters, the soil loosened as countless tender white lotus-root arms emerged.
"My son~~"
A resentful murmur echoed through the air. After Madam Yin had taken over her nest, the Three Mountains Goddess was clearly wandering through the mountains, seemingly filled with resentment.
"Daoist Yang, why do I feel like it came for you?" Li Feng clicked his tongue in amazement. The words "my son" echoed beside Yang He's ears again and again.
"Could it be lacking a child ghost, so it set its sights on me because I'm underage?"
"And..."
"Madam Yin is coming soon too."
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