Graybeard

Their journey was delayed by the four demonic corpses, and they would have to spend the night in the wilderness. The area was deserted, and there was no doubt that there were unclean things like mountain spirits and ghosts around. The scholar and his two attendants had their blood sucked and were tainted with demonic energy, so they needed to rest. Li Fan would not Moon Worship that night, but would sit at the bow of the boat to protect the Dharma.

Feeling bored, and after hearing about Yang Sheng's story of the four "things" and their destined immortality, Li Fan became interested and laid out all the items he had drawn from the system so far on the deck to examine them. Perhaps one of them could even transform into human form?

The two mascots, Profound Heaven Sword Intent and Kun, are not present, and the Rubik's Cube that was traded for by the Thousand-Faced Immortal with the pyramid is a separate item. Li Fan has now drawn the following items: Flying Disc, Si Nan, Ink, Gui Xu Dao Yi, Bagua Mirror, Jade Tablet, Jade Ring, White Porcelain Bowl, Ruby, Jade Flute, Lantern, Bed, and Bone Fan.

Among them, the Daoist robe and bone fan are equipment with clearly defined attributes. The flying disc, Si Nan, Bagua mirror, porcelain bowl, jade flute, and couch also have relatively clear uses. However, the uses of the remaining items are unclear, and their hidden functions remain to be discovered.

Now Li Fan piled these things together, picked up this one to look at it, held up that one to examine it, and pieced them together. Maybe an apple plus a pen equals an apple pen...

As he was shining the lantern on each piece of equipment to check for any changes, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a shadow appearing behind him!

This lantern shouldn't be able to cast a shadow...

Li Fan feigned ignorance and scanned the area with his Divine Sense, finding nothing. However, his blindness told him that there were indeed things around, exactly like what he had encountered in the Tai Su Realm. They were probably some kind of subspace ghost. It seemed that lanterns could detect these things, but even if he found them, he couldn't interact with them...

Having a bunch of odds and ends on hand, Li Fan simply held up the lantern and shone it on the shadowy figure. He picked up the Bagua mirror, jade ring, ruby, and other items one by one, examining them against the shadow. He even brought out a bed, inviting the figure to "have a chat." Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Even the system's response was ambiguous. It was like one of those things where the background work was done, but the interactive functions weren't implemented yet, requiring patience while waiting for a future DLC release...

Currently, it seems that only lanterns are effective against those subspace entities. When you shine a light on them, the shadows disappear on their own, whether they escaped or were dispelled, it's unclear.

However, setting aside this minor incident, Li Fan pondered for a whole night and still discovered some ingenious uses.

First is the ink. The system says it's an item developed based on the <Immovable Mount Tai Scripture>. When drawing the image of Qiongqi before, the flag waved, creating a gale effect, which highly overlaps with the description of the bone fan.

So this time, Li Fan tried using the Mount Tai ink to trace his own Gui Xu Nascent Soul image on the talisman paper by the light of the lantern. Then he activated the talisman paper and, sure enough, triggered the invisibility effect of the Gui Xu Dao Yi. Of course, it still consumed Li Fan's own Nascent Soul True Essence, but at least he could lend the special effect of the Gui Xu Nascent Soul to others, just like Qiongqi.

Then Li Fan copied the flying disc Si Nan with ink, and even drew a picture of Xiang Liu from memory, but these had no effect. It seems that, just like the transmission of power and techniques in the <Immovable Mount Tai Scripture>, Li Fan can only use his own Dao body to borrow the special effects.

So Li Fan made a portrait of each of his Five Mountain Gods Dao Body and Kun Dao Body. The Five Elements Flag of the Mountain God Dao Body felt that it could be used as Magic Treasure to set up the array eye, while the Kun talisman could ignore the restrictions of the barrier array and freely enter and exit the array. These were all special effects that he had experienced. With the help of Taishan Ink, he prepared them in advance as talisman paper, making them more operable.

Unfortunately, the Mount Tai ink seemed to be a consumable. Li Fan had used up most of it in just a few drawings. These abilities were things he already possessed, so for him, it was like taking off his pants to fart—completely unnecessary. He could only lend it to others to save their lives in case of an emergency, so he kept it for later use.

Secondly, there was the Bagua mirror. Yes, Li Fan had also been experimenting with those props while testing the effects of the ink-painted talismans. The most clearly defined use of these was the Bagua mirror, which allowed observation through the Yang Fish symbol in the center. That's why Li Fan could see through the mirror that each time the ink-painted talisman was triggered, both the talisman and Li Fan himself would generate black hole-like vortices of the same size and frequency, as if some kind of channel had been opened, which was probably how magic power or energy was transferred.

The barrier set up by the Five Mountain Gods Body Formation is similar. After the formation is completed, countless tiny vortices move in a regular direction, forming a turbulent river of spiritual energy that is difficult to break through. If a cultivator gets too close, their perception will be interfered with by the surge of spiritual energy, making it impossible to approach. However, after being triggered by the Kun's Dao Talisman, those tiny vortices are shattered, and the formed barrier seems to have had a new tributary opened up. It is in this way that the Kun 'swims' in and 'swims' out.

Well, it looks quite interesting, but it doesn't seem to be very useful...

Finally, there was the white jade ring. Li Fan also used the Bagua mirror to observe it and discovered its effect. All the turbulent, chaotic, rushing, and torrent-like currents he had observed could be blocked by the patterned side of the jade ring, which would then smooth out a stable tributary from the center of the ring.

Within this tributary, there were no longer any tiny, chaotic eddies, only pure, clear air flowing in a single direction. In a way, it was like a sieve or filter. Li Fan wore the jade ring around his waist and could see that the true energy he absorbed into his body was also in a streamlined state, free from those tiny eddies that interfered.

Honestly, without the Bagua Mirror, you can't really feel any difference. The only difference is that the turbulence caused by the vortexes is gone from the Inner Landscape, making cultivation feel smoother psychologically. After all, Li Fan rarely gets out of breath during cultivation. This thing might be more helpful for people with average aptitude, but for him, it's just icing on the cake.

After this investigation, the purpose of the scepter and ruby remains unclear. They cannot be seen in the mirror or illuminated by the lamp, so their effects are probably not related to true qi.

However, these things are quite functional. As Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, the equipment made by the system doesn't have any 'spirit' in it. But judging from the completion level of Mo and Dao Yi, perhaps we can ask some people who are good at crafting for methods of refining weapon spirits. If there is analysis from heavenly books or something, then with the system's technical capabilities, replicating the 'object' shouldn't be a problem.

Having run out of ideas for the time being, Li Fan flicked his sleeves, put away his props, fanned himself, and picked up his gourd to drink. He was in a good mood after just winning the lottery, and next time Moon Worship, he'd better cultivate his Dao Body to lower his mood and recharge his energy. But Qiongqi eats people, so he couldn't continue cultivating. The Five Mountain Gods were basic entry-level Dao Bodies with limited potential. As for the Kun, its special function was enough; don't expect it to be of any use in the short term. Thinking about it this way, cultivating a new Dao Body was indeed the most urgent matter... Huh? What the heck?

This is truly unbelievable.

Right in front of Li Fan, there was clearly a lady in a silk dress, her sleeves billowing in the wind, coming with the clouds, landing lightly on the flying boat, squatting on the gunwale, stretching out one of her fair legs, and smiling coquettishly at Li Fan.

Li Fan was stunned for a moment, speechless.

No, it's fine if you can't tell my background. After all, the baleful aura used by Gui Xu Nascent Soul is inconspicuous in the Taiji Realm. Unless he releases his aura, it's difficult for ordinary cultivators to detect it.

But this monster is so stupid as to think that by eating human flesh and then wearing a shell on its head, it can lure people away?

This is clearly a moth, probably a mutated species influenced by the False Moon. It should have developed an inner core and become a somewhat intelligent beast. However, its intelligence is obviously lacking. It actually carried the body of a maid who had been eaten clean on its head, like wearing a hat, and flew over to hang people up to eat.

The 'lady' was covered in livid lividity and blood clots, yet she could still beckon with a smile and move her legs. It's just a pity that her death was so gruesome, and the moth's head was stretched so much that the skin was about to burst. A normal person would probably be terrified to death at the sight of her. I doubt anyone could resist such lust.

Sigh, I guess moths, those creatures that fly into fire, are just not very smart...

Li Fan rolled his eyes. Just watching this disgusting thing make him nauseous. So he flicked his finger and released a sword aura, severing the monster in two and knocking it off the ship's side.

Alas, it's a pity that killing a demon at the Golden Core level doesn't even lift my spirits.

Before he could even swallow his second sip of wine, another whooshing sound came from above.

Li Fan frowned and looked up. Another one. This time, the moth was even more formidable; it had an old woman on its head...

Li Fan flicked the moth away and scanned the area with his Divine Sense. There were over a hundred of them; they had flown close without him noticing. Because these demonic creatures were now as harmless as midges to Li Fan, he hadn't even noticed them the first time...

Li Fan flicked his hand, swatting away the approaching moths. He then drew a large circle around the flying boat to activate the barrier, and his Sword Light flew straight towards the swarm of moths.

Under the moonlight, a hundred or so enormous moths fluttered their wings, scattering large patches of scales like raindrops. Most of these monsters had human heads, and judging from their freshness, they had been killed recently. There were men and women, servants, guards, laborers, maids, and old women. It looked like an entire family had been wiped out by the monsters.

This is not surprising. Two or three inner core demons are manageable for an average Golden Core cultivator, but with hundreds of moth demons, no one can survive without Nascent Soul Stage guarding them.

What surprised Li Fan even more was that these monsters actually gathered around Li Fan. It seemed that they weren't originally after the flying boat, but were actually targeting him.

After a moment's thought, Li Fan drew a bone fan from his waist and fanned it twice. Sure enough, a strange fragrance filled the air, and swarms of moths fluttered their wings excitedly, rushing towards him as if to a flame. The human-shaped shell above his head also danced around, looking just like a zombie with wings.

So that's it, they were attracted by the aroma, you beasts...

There was no need to waste words with these demons. Li Fan flicked his wrist and unleashed a barrage of sword energy, slicing down the demonic moths one by one. In any case, as long as he fanned the wind, these demons would be drawn by the scent and pounce on him again. There was no need to worry about them escaping; a casual glance was all it took to kill them with a single sword strike.

In an instant, Li Fan killed seven or eight more. Suddenly, a bright light flashed in the distant night sky, looking like a lighthouse. The moths seemed to hear the call, abandoning the fragrance from the fan and converging on the light.

Li Fan scanned them with his Divine Sense and couldn't help but sneer. "Heh, so these moths are domesticated after all. They're out hunting at night!"

To catch the thief, Li Fan immediately mounted his Sword Light and flew straight to the bright light.

Where the Sword Light fell, a swarm of moths could be seen circling around. A young man dressed in white, draped in colorful silk scales and feathers, with long gray hair cascading over his shoulders, was making a hand seal. A precious pearl, gleaming and emitting a faint blue light, hung three feet above his head, summoning the moths to fly back.

The man was also at the Nascent Soul Realm, with long eyebrows, slender eyes, thin lips, and a jade-like face. He had a red mark on his forehead and two blue marks tattooed under his eyes, the nature of which was unknown. He wore black iron gloves and had a blue waist knife that shimmered with a ghostly light at his waist. His bluish-gray pupils looked at Li Fan.

"This fellow Daoist is a complete stranger, why such a murderous aura?"

Li Fan smiled at him, "This fellow Daoist is truly ungrateful, daring to allow demonic beasts to devour people on the territory of Li Country? Does he not take my Ink Bamboo Mountain seriously?"

The man in gray clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Fellow Daoist," he said, "These are not citizens of your country, but my own enemies. Even if they flee to the ends of the earth, there's no reason for me to let them go. Besides, I've heard that cannibalism is not forbidden in Ink Bamboo Mountain, and that they themselves eat quite voraciously."

Li Fan was speechless for a moment.

To everyone's surprise, the gray-haired man said again, "Regardless, you killed ten of my adopted sons. This grudge must be avenged. Please accept ten of my moves."

As soon as he finished speaking, he drew the blue sword from his waist and threw it. The eerie ghost fire on the sword blazed up and transformed into a ferocious beast with a ghostly face and a lion's body, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced down!

Li Fan laughed loudly, realizing that the magical power on the Nascent Soul Stage magic weapon had changed. So he flicked his sleeve and threw out the Golden Dragon White Star, which was wrapped with the power of the Qiankun Twin Dragons Sword and transformed into two black and white coiled Coiled Dragon. The earth shook and the Netherfire Ghost-faced Lion was surrounded and attacked.

The gray-haired man seemed startled, but showed no fear. Instead, he lunged forward and smashed his iron fists toward Li Fan's head!

Good judgment. With just one move, you saw that you couldn't win with your magic weapon in a ranged duel, and that even if you managed to hold out for a while, you would still be cut down by my sword. So you simply closed in for hand-to-hand combat! Too bad I had already anticipated your prediction!

"Good timing!" Since this guy at least gave a heads-up before starting the fight, let's make it fair. Li Fan won't have to use his plate and hidden sword combo to bully everyone anymore.

So he also unleashed the Ghost Hand, gathering a fierce aura in his claws, and exchanged blows with the gray-haired man bare-handed, which was a good opportunity to improve his proficiency with the Ghost Hand.

In this exchange, after only three or five moves, both of them were taken aback.

The gray-haired man was astonished by the unparalleled strength and incredible power of Li Fan's claw technique. If he hadn't been wearing boxing gloves, he probably would have had his shinbone shattered and his meridians broken after just a few moves.

Li Fan was surprised by the man's superb skills. His cultivation was solid, and his Qi was comparable to Li Fan's. However, his strength was slightly inferior to that of the Tai Su Dao Body. In terms of moves and footwork, he seemed to have a slight advantage over the Ghost Hand!

No, it can't be called restraint, but rather a precaution. Whenever the opponent is about to use a killing move that involves tearing out the heart and abdomen, breaking bones and limbs, or smashing the skull and taking the head, the opponent can anticipate it in advance, dodge it, and flexibly switch between offense and defense by changing the style of the fist and finger techniques. Sometimes they will strike acupoints and cut off meridians to counteract the joints and energy points, and sometimes they will use a punch to counterattack, only attacking the heart and abdomen!

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged ten blows. Gray-haired man kept his word and, without the slightest hesitation, withdrew and separated.

Li Fan didn't pursue. He had already figured it out; the other party was so familiar with the Ghost Hand technique, and his appearance on the border of Xun Kingdom made his identity obvious. So, with a flick of his finger, he gathered the Golden Dragon White Star into his sleeve and bowed.

"Baiyue Mountain truly has excellent methods. Qingyue of Ink Bamboo Mountain."

The gray-haired man also raised his hand, and the Netherfire Ghost-faced Lion leaped twice, jumping back into his hand, gathering its flames and transforming into Wu Hook.

"Ink Bamboo Mountain truly lives up to its reputation. Luo Feng Wu Cheng Palace..."

"Ah! Xie Mingchen! You slaughtered my entire family! Today I'll make sure you die a horrible death!!"

Before the gray-haired man could finish speaking, three Nascent Soul General, leading a group of Golden Core soldiers, and more than twenty streaks of light, chased after the moths flying around the corpses overhead and surrounded the two of them!