182: A Funeral Nearly Turned into a Celebration; the Luo Family Ancestor Came Right to Their Door

As the saying goes, ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring. The chill and pressure brought about by the renewed war Eastern and Western Regions are also felt first by ordinary cultivators at the bottom level. Those living in the large and powerful Longevity Sect do not feel too much pressure.

Chen Dengming rode the Black Cloud Leopard out of the territory of the Thirteen Peaks of Longevity, he passed through some surrounding Marketplace and found them to be much more desolate and quiet.

Even large Marketplace like Chang'an Workshop are now quite deserted.

In the past, countless beams of spiritual light would float and come and go outside Chang'an Workshop, but now only a few scattered beams of light appear and disappear quickly.

The war Eastern and Western Regions has been raging for some time now, and the cultivators who are still willing to stay in the Eastern Region have begun to tighten their belts and eat frugally, so they naturally rarely come to the Marketplace to spend money.

Those cultivators who refused to stay in the Eastern Region and wanted to stay away from the war had already left.

This is still the relatively peaceful Longevity Sect Territory. If it were the territory of the war-prone sects like the Tiandao Sect in the southern part of the Eastern Region, the cultivation environment would probably be much more intense.

After searching along the map for a while, Chen Dengming found the location of the Du Cultivation Family.

The Lineage is now shrouded in sorrow and despair. White mourning banners hang at the entrance and in the courtyard, some copper coins flutter in the wind, and the bells that are meant to soothe the Soul Spirit ring out. Everyone in the Lineage has a sorrowful expression, and the faint sound of sobbing can be heard from inside the house.

For a small Lineage like the Du family, the death of Foundation Establishment cultivator like Du Baoyue meant the collapse of the Lineage's pillar. It not only dealt a devastating blow to the Lineage's economy and power, but also severely damaged the morale of the Lineage members.

After all, Du Baoyue is a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Longevity Sect. In terms of status and influence alone, she is enough to protect her Lineage and ensure their smooth development in many areas.

But now, the hope of this Lineage is dead. The former Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Du family has been dead for more than ten years. Now the Du family has been completely reduced to an insignificant Lineage without Foundation Establishment cultivator to preside over it.

All the businesses and resources that were once operated must be abandoned.

Even the Lineage may have to relocate, leaving the First-Rank Spirit Vein region where they currently live.

When Chen Dengming arrived at the Du family's door on his Black Cloud Leopard, he immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Upon seeing Chen Dengming wearing the Longevity Sect Foundation Establishment robe, the Du family cultivators immediately bowed respectfully and ushered him inside.

Some of the surrounding Lineage who also came to pay their respects were also there to observe the situation of the Du family.

Suddenly, seeing that one Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Longevity Sect had just entered, another one arrived right afterward, and even riding a powerful and intimidating Foundation Establishment Demon Beast, the Black Cloud Leopard, they were all a little agitated and secretly alarmed.

According to the Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Longevity Sect, the Du family member was quite popular within the sect.

As the saying goes, the world is fickle, and people forget you when you're gone. After Du Baoyue's death, in addition to the condolences and compensation from the Longevity Sect, other Foundation Establishment disciples came to visit and comfort her Lineage. This is enough to show that Du Baoyue still had some friends in the Longevity Sect.

As a result, even if some surrounding Lineage wanted to exclude or drive out the Du family, they would have to think twice and have some reservations, and dare not act recklessly.

"Senior Brother Chen, I didn't expect you to be here too."

As soon as Chen Dengming was ushered into the inner courtyard of the Du family, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a weasel-like face and wearing the robes of the Longevity Sect took the initiative to greet him respectfully.

Chen Dengming looked surprised. "Fellow Daoist Qian."

To Chen Dengming's surprise, it was Qian Yingquan who came to greet him.

When they fought the Blazing Flame Blood Devil, this person was the first to flee without lingering.

He seemed to feel ashamed these past few days and disappeared for a while, but unexpectedly, he ran into him at the Du family's house now.

"Senior Brother Chen, I've come to visit and offer my small token of appreciation."

Qian Yingquan noticed the fleeting surprise in Chen Dengming's eyes and put on an embarrassed smile.

Chen Dengming suddenly understood, and nodded with a smile, encouragingly saying, "Very good! Fellow Daoist Du would surely be pleased if he knew this in the afterlife."

Qian Yingquan's smile became more natural, and he nodded, "I hope so."

Chen Dengming didn't say anything more, but in his heart he looked at Qian Yingquan respect.

This person may not be particularly handsome, but he is quite a man of character.

In that critical situation, it would have been understandable if this person had simply fled; most people would have done the same when facing a powerful demonic cultivator.

Perhaps this person felt guilty after escaping, believing that he had caused Du Baoyue's death, which is why he came to visit the Du family. It is estimated that he had some interaction with Du Baoyue when they were in the sect.

Chen Dengming walked towards the old man who was in charge of the Du family, took out a prepared Storage Bag, and handed it to him.

The old man and the group of Du family members accepted the gifts with utmost gratitude and trepidation.

They could tell that Chen Dengming was obviously someone of great importance, since even Qian Yingquan Qian Yingquan so deferential, so they dared not be negligent.

For them, what Chen Dengming brought was no longer important; what mattered was that Chen Dengming came in person.

This powerful figure's attitude towards the Du family is like sending charcoal in snowy weather. It can resolve a lot of troubles and allow the Du family to escape the vortex without being in such a sorry state. This is something that no amount of money can necessarily solve.

About half an hour later, Chen Dengming and Qian Yingquan left the Du family one after the other.

The short time that Du Jiaxiao spent at the Du family's residence had already had a very good deterrent effect.

If they stayed any longer, Du Daoyou's funeral would turn into a celebration, because the Du family's excessive enthusiasm made the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

This also highlights the status of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Cultivation World. For many Cultivation Family, such figures are important people who are usually inaccessible to them.

As Chen Dengming left, he remarked that in the past, a Cultivation Family was already considered a very powerful force to him.

Now, even this once-powerful force that one had to look up to must treat him with utmost respect, simply because he is now False Core Great Cultivator of the Longevity Sect.

He descended the mountain at dusk, and now he returns in the evening.

Riding the Black Cloud Leopard, just as he was about to find a secluded mountain to test his <Puppet Technique> and <Gold Control Technique>, the Unseen suddenly felt a sudden urge, as if he were being watched.

Soul House, the Little Array Spirit issued a warning.

"Daoist, fellow Daoist, a familiar Malevolent Spirit Power is nearby, rapidly approaching you."

"Familiar Malevolent Spirit Power?"

Chen Dengming's heart tightened, and he immediately thought of the evil ancestor of the Wonderful Sound Sect.

Could the other party be so audacious as to dare to come near the Longevity Sect and cause him trouble?

At this moment, he sensed a powerful and malevolent Divine Sense force invading him, seemingly trying to penetrate his spirit and explore the secrets deep within his soul.

This power was indeed incredibly familiar, carrying that malevolent aura, but it wasn't particularly strong. It was just extremely arrogant and rude, like being walking down the street when suddenly a pervert pounces on you and forcibly rips off your clothes.

"Presumptuous!"

Chen Dengming snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with lightning-like light, like Divine Weapon. His Divine Sense spread out, shattering the invading evil Divine Sense, and even quickly counter-invading, sweeping towards the clouds behind him.

A beam of light suddenly pierced through the clouds from behind, radiating a powerful Foundation Establishment Late Stage aura.

In the spiritual light, the figure of an old man appeared, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, his eyes bloodshot and radiating Evil Qi.

Chen Dengming's Divine Sense struck the old man, who immediately let out a miserable groan, but his escape speed only paused slightly. Then, he roared with ferocity, transforming into a fierce and glaring figure. With a wave of his hand, a short Spirit Artifact pierced through the air and directly stabbed towards Chen Dengming.

The short dagger hummed and trembled, transforming into two daggers. The two swords created four afterimages, piercing Chen Dengming's brow, left and right shoulder blades, and throat.

Chen Dengming frowned slightly, casually made a hand seal, and with a sudden flash of light, the Divine Transformation Blade flew out with a whoosh, its blade energy sweeping across the area.

A soft crackling sound rang out as an icy blue blade of energy made contact with the four piercing shadows.

"Roar!--"

The Black Cloud Leopard roared and spat out a ball of lightning carrying wind and thunder energy, heading straight for the old man.

The old man let out a long roar, advancing without retreating. He formed a hand seal and grabbed, and a silver disc instantly appeared, transforming into a silver screen to block in front of him.

With a crackling sound, the screen shook, and the old man shuddered, but he remained standing firm, his Movement Method billowing, and his spiritual power gradually increased.

"Foundation Establishment Late Stage. I wonder which unlucky elder from the Wonderful Sound Sect has been controlled by evil spirits and attacked me again. He seems to have lost his mind."

Chen Dengming frowned, and Golden Light flashed from his chest, like a small sun bursting forth.

A Core Power was mobilized, and with a flick of a finger, the Divine Transformation Blade suddenly hummed and trembled, flashing with cold light.

A beam of light shot through the air before the old man's eyes.

First, it was a glimmer of starlight, then it transformed into a long beam of light, with an astonishingly sharp energy swirling rapidly around the blade.

He only heard a loud 'clang' of metal, his eardrums throbbed, and the silver disc Law Artifact in front of him exploded. Then, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and his body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string by a powerful force.

A searing pain, as if his body were being torn apart, and a life-or-death threat jolted him awake from the abyss of evil obsession.

But in the next instant, he was overwhelmed by even more vicious and evil thoughts within him.

His body plummeted rapidly downwards, but after only a moment, he suddenly stopped in mid-air.

A strange force came from his waist, lifting him up and sending him soaring back into the air.

It was as if all his strength was suspended on that one metal button on his belt.

In the air, Chen Dengming cast the Gold Control Technique for the first time, making hand seals. Even with his exceptional talent among High-grade Spiritual Root, it took him a full breath to successfully cast the spell.

Seeing that the Gold Control Technique had successfully controlled the metal on the old man's body and pulled him back to his original state, Chen Dengming nodded slightly.

At this moment, he even felt that with just a slight adjustment of his magic, the metallic substances on the other person's body would move at his will, or turn into sharp needles that would pierce through the other person's body directly.

"Ahh!"

At this moment, the old man let out a series of roars like a wild beast, his eyes bloodshot and filled with evil thoughts as he stared intently at Chen Dengming. Even though a hideous wound had been pierced through his chest, he felt no pain or itch and completely ignored it, even gathering spiritual energy to continue his attack.

"Even when the evil spirit controlled Han Yongxu, it didn't control him this badly."

Chen Dengming frowned, a hint of suspicion in his eyes, and then moved his five fingers.

The old man groaned, and the metal button on his belt twisted and lengthened strangely, transforming into a long metal needle under Chen Dengming's control, which pierced directly into his body.

But this did not interrupt the old man's spellcasting. The Law Artifact he controlled, a long thorn, created sixteen afterimages, drawing a cross shape in mid-air and stabbing straight at Chen Dengming.

Chen Dengming remained expressionless. With a hand seal, the Divine Transformation Blade suddenly transformed into hundreds of blades, spiraling around his body and easily deflecting the incoming spikes.

Sparks twinkled in the night sky.

He had already performed the Puppet Technique.

A breath later.

The immense Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy, like swirling smoke and mist, rapidly invaded the old man's body.

The old man let out a shrill scream like a wild beast's roar. His struggling body gradually floated in mid-air, losing all resistance. His muscles trembled violently, and dense Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy condensed beneath his skin, causing mycelia to grow from his pores.

Countless mycelia quickly intertwined, forming seedlings resembling plant buds, which covered the old man's entire body.

"Roar--"

The Black Cloud Leopard was terrified; its eyes were filled with fear.

Chen Dengming frowned, sensing the resistance from the old man's spiritual energy; he was not satisfied with the control over the Puppet Technique.

In order to control the other party, he actually needed to expend 20% of his Core Power.

In fact, this depletion intensifies as the opponent's spiritual energy resists.

Twenty percent of his Core Power was enough for him to kill this Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator who had lost his mind, but it wasn't enough to control him using Puppet Technique.

This technique requires further practice and leveling up before it can unleash its full power to his satisfaction.

Chen Dengming flew closer to the old man, trying to ask him about his identity and purpose.

But after a while, he had to abandon this futile attempt to communicate with a wild beast.

This person has clearly been deeply invaded by the evil power of the Wonderful Sound Sect.

Even though she was now subdued, she still couldn't help but want to attack him, and if she wasn't careful, she would be hit by his Divine Sense.

Even that evil power wanted to invade the depths of his mind along with his Divine Sense, just like Han Yongxu had done before, impossible to defend against.

Chen Dengming looked at the other person's blood-stained and ferocious old face, sighed inwardly, and his eyes gradually hardened with coldness.

"We have no grudges against each other. It was all caused by your evil master, the Master of the Wonderful Sound Sect. If I have the ability in the future, I will definitely go to your Wonderful Sound Sect to settle this karmic debt and destroy the instigator."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Dengming clenched his fist, and the metal button embedded in the other person's body quickly swept through the body, piercing the other person's heart.

The old man's body trembled, and the intense, pure, and sinister light in his eyes faded slightly, revealing a hint of relief and gratitude.

Chen Dengming frowned, and couldn't help but think of Lüo Bing, whose mind had also been invaded by evil spirits and controlled as a furnace. His mind was a little complicated.

A thought struck him, and he quickly spread his Divine Sense, sweeping it across all directions below. After searching for a while, he found no trace of Lüo Bing, which made him somewhat puzzled.

Han Yongxu initially said that the reason his mind was so deeply affected was mainly because the evil spirit used Lüo Bing, the furnace, as a medium to spread its influence, ignoring distance and amplifying its impact.

There is no trace of Lüo Bing anywhere in the surrounding area now.

The mind of this Foundation Establishment Late Stage elder was more deeply affected by the erosion, perhaps due to his weak strength.

Suddenly, he sensed something, released the Puppet Technique from the old man's corpse, and frowned as he looked at the old man's brow.

But then his brow suddenly split open.

A malevolent and putrid odor, accompanied by a drop of black blood, slowly seeped from between the eyebrows.

This drop of blood seemed to have existed for many years and did not belong to the old man's body.

There was even Malevolent Spirit Power condensing in the blood, causing it to writhe and protrude strange, sharp, tentacle-like shapes that extended toward Chen Dengming.

Soul House, the Little Array Spirit warned, "Dao, fellow Daoist, be careful. This should be the blood of a corpse, the blood from the heart of that evil spirit's former corpse."

"A thousand times, never get involved with it, or the Evil Qi will take hold of you. You'll become like a walking corpse, eating human hearts and all sorts of hearts every day, turning into a monster."

"The heart's blood of an evil spirit's corpse? No wonder."

Chen Dengming's furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

No wonder this Foundation Establishment Late Stage elder was so tightly controlled by the Malevolent Spirit Power and completely lost his mind; it turns out that his mind had been corrupted by the heart blood of the evil spirit's corpse.

So, who injected the corpse's heart's blood into the other person's body? Could it be the evil spirit itself?

Chen Dengming couldn't help but think of Lüo Bing again.

He didn't intend to keep such a dangerous thing with him.

Summon the Heart-Illuminating Mirror of Shattering Delusions, which has been repaired by He Yingyu.

A beam of bluish-white light shone out, illuminating the drop of blood from the corpse's heart.

Instantly, plumes of thick smoke, accompanied by astonishing evil power, erupted from the churning blood, finally dissipating with a 'bang'.

After doing all this, Chen Dengming took the old man's Storage Bag, descended with the old man's corpse, and burned the corpse to ashes with several Great Fireball Techniques.

Upon opening the old man's Storage Bag, it was found to be empty, except for a token that appeared to symbolize his identity.

I took it out and looked at it.

The token is engraved with a single character – 'Luo'!

"Luo?"

Chen Dengming's eyes narrowed, and suddenly a flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind as he abruptly looked at the old man's corpse, which was burning with thick smoke.

"The Luo Family Ancestor?"

He suddenly remembered the spirit crystal and the Luo Family Waist Token that Lüo Bing had given him as wedding gifts on his wedding day.

At the time, he only thought that Lüo Bing was reminding him with the Luo Family's Waist Token, not to forget who brought him into the Cultivation World and who gave him the Waist Token as support...

Yes, he remembered all these kindnesses, but he also said when Xu Wei committed suicide that he would sever all ties with the Luo Family from now on.

Looking back now, there were many misunderstandings in this matter. Lüo Bing's mind was affected by evil spirits, which amplified his profit-seeking side. Although he needs to take responsibility, he is not entirely responsible. Therefore, it would be too much to blame Lüo Bing entirely.

Therefore, Chen Dengming had also thought that if he had the ability in the future, he would go to the Wonderful Sound Sect to destroy the evil spirits.

This was not only about eliminating the evil spirit, a huge hidden danger that had been threatening him all along, but also about putting an end to his relationship with Lüo Bing. The other party took some responsibility for her mistakes, and he made some amends for the misunderstanding. That was all, and he felt that he had a clear conscience.

However, given his current lack of strength, he couldn't knowingly venture into dangerous territory, so he kept putting it off.

But now it seems that both the Waist Token Lüo Bing gave him at the last wedding and the sudden attack by the Luo Family Ancestor this time carried some intriguing meanings, as if Lüo Bing was asking him for help, hoping that he would go to the Wonderful Sound Sect to find her.

"It could also be a trap. Lüo Bing is now a furnace, and her actions and thoughts may not be entirely her own, or even if they are, they are driven entirely by self-interest."

"What she pursues for profit is nothing more than the orthodox tradition sought by evil spirits, and I am the key that evil spirits can access the orthodox tradition."

Chen Dengming paced back and forth in thought, "Last time, the evil spirits came into contact with the Ancient Human Immortal Palace through me, but ultimately perished."

This proves that the power of evil spirits could not completely enter the Ancient Human Immortal Palace, yet they still persisted. Is this due to their obsession, or do the evil spirits have other methods at play?

"Lüo Bing wanted me to go to her, but I didn't. So she used me to kill the Luo Family Ancestor and bear the consequences of this karmic debt. I had my doubts, so I knew I would eventually go to her."

If she wanted to see me, why didn't she come to me herself? Could it be that...

Chen Dengming felt as if he was gradually guessing the truth.

Under the influence of the evil spirit, Lüo Bing probably hoped that he would go to the Wonderful Sound Sect, because the true form of the evil spirit was inside the Wonderful Sound Sect's Repentance Cave.

He will be in danger once he sets foot in the Wonderful Sound Sect.

While the divided power of evil spirits may be unable to enter the Ancient Human Immortal Palace, their true forms may not be unable to.

The fact that Lüo Bing didn't actively seek him out might also be due to being controlled by evil spirits, and her concern that this only furnace would be destroyed after contact with him, which could also be explained.

However, even though he felt he had sorted out many thoughts, Chen Dengming still suppressed his many ideas and did not intend to impulsively go to the Wonderful Sound Sect.

His strength was insufficient; under the threat of evil spirits, he could only defend himself on numerous occasions, let alone eliminate them. However, he could not remain passively attacked indefinitely.

Furthermore, communicating with Lüo Bing would not require him to personally go to the Wonderful Sound Sect.

By having others relay messages or Sound Transmission Jade Talisman, one can ascertain the woman's intentions and then probe the state and reality of the evil spirit.

Furthermore, now that he has established a firm foothold in the Longevity Sect, there is no need to rush to deal with many dangers that threaten his safety personally.

They could also try to leverage their sect connections to see if there are other, better ways to handle this.

What he needs to do right now is to improve his strength and break through to the Golden Core stage.

Even for a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Luo Family Ancestor, the power of evil spirits still required the use of the heart's blood from a corpse to control him.

That heart's blood, stored up year after year, is enough to squeeze out a few drops; how could it possibly yield a whole bucket?

Controlling Golden Core Great Cultivator who is not from the Wonderful Sound Sect is naturally even more difficult. Once one becomes a Golden Core cultivator, one can easily deal with the evil ancestor of the Wonderful Sound Sect.

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