Deliverance

"You have committed a grave offense in the formation. The Yin-Yang formation balances Yin and Yang; where there is Yin, there is Yang. This Yin Sha Qi is so powerful that its opposing Yang Sha Qi is capable of bringing the dead back to life!"

Before the imperial mausoleum, the Daoist Ran Deng made no attempt to conceal the irrationality of the Yangling tomb's construction.

Even though the details of Yangling have reached the point of renaming the tomb, there are still high risks involved. Failure could lead to a major disaster, and even cause widespread death and destruction in Chang'an City.

"Can this transformation of extreme yin and yang truly bring the dead back to life?" The Empress Dowager asked after waiting for several seconds.

"Yes," the Daoist Ran Deng nodded, "But you probably wouldn't want to see those walking corpses!"

"The Walking Dead..."

"Reversing Yin and Yang does not prolong life. Yang Sha Qi cannot truly extend life; it merely transforms corpses into mindless zombies, vengeful spirits, ghosts, and other such beings!"

The Daoist Ran Deng explained calmly, then glanced at the Empress Dowager, who was shrouded in malevolent Sha Qi.

The dead, when exposed to yang Sha Qi, can transform into zombies or other yin entities; the living, when exposed to yin Sha Qi, will naturally experience a reversal, transforming from vibrant life into a state of mere existence.

"It won't be easy for you to sever the Yin Sha Qi within you either," said Daoist Ran Deng.

"I hope the Daoist priest's wondrous methods can help me," said the Empress Dowager.

"I will use my magic to dispel the calamity and let all souls return to their original state. If the source of that Sha Qi can subside, it might also be able to absorb the Sha Qi within you," said Daoist Ran Deng. "However, this old monk cannot guarantee that the magic will necessarily heal you."

"It's still better than having this Sha Qi clinging to me," the Empress Dowager said. "Daoist Master, you are free to rest in Chang'an City. I will have someone relay any news from either the Buddhist disciple or Baozhu to you!"

"Very well, I have already been performing rituals here for seven days. Let me first use the Rebirth Mantra to help this place transform into a Pure Land!"

Compared to searching on one's own, it is far less effective to rely on the power of the imperial court that controls the territory.

The Daoist Ran Deng nodded in agreement.

He stared intently at the leader of the Eastern Land sect, whom he was meeting for the first time.

The Daoist forces in the Eastern Land have a declining Heavenly Court hidden in secret places, as well as mixed schools of thought, but the Daoist forces within the truly powerful territories are controlled by the other side.

It was rare for such a powerful figure to fall into trouble, so Daoist Ran Deng gave him face and also resolved his own affairs in a perfectly reasonable way.

The Empress Dowager needs time to handle matters, but performing rituals to deliver the souls of the dead and exorcise evil spirits is something he can do immediately.

The Daoist Ran Deng did not pretend to refuse.

He invited the Empress Dowager to sit in front of the imperial tomb, and then reached for a monk's knife.

The dagger landed lightly in the Empress Dowager's hand, and the tip of the dagger drew out a drop of blood.

"Namo Amitabha Night..."

The Daoist priest raised his monk's knife and muttered incantations.

The drop of blood on the tip of the knife quickly transformed into a blood-red lotus flower, from which countless tiny, tentacle-like things extended and took root on the mound of earth surrounding the imperial tomb.

"The Western Sect methods of deliverance are truly miraculous!"

The Eastern Land and the Western Sect separated by vast distances; while they may not be as friendly as neighbors, they certainly don't have any major conflicts.

The Empress Dowager and the Daoist Ran Deng did not compete with each other, but rather cooperated with each other.

At the end of the year, the Empress Dowager learned from Cheng Bushi, the Cheng Bushi of the guards at Anle Palace, that a monk lacking "discipline" had come from the west. The monk called himself Randeng and had been traveling without any "discipline," which caused a series of problems.

After reviewing the classic texts, the Empress Dowager quickly made contact.

She finally determined that this lamp belonged to the great cultivator recorded in ancient books.

The other party had some irreconcilable conflicts with the Daoist school of the Eastern Land Immortal Court, which led them to flee to the West. They have no conflict with the current Eastern Land court.

The other party was a Buddhist disciple who came to seek the Western Sect and also wanted to search for the twenty-four precious treasures he had lost.

The profound knowledge and experience of this Sacred Land's lord left the Empress Dowager far behind. She found it difficult to recount the glorious era of cultivators hundreds or thousands of years ago, and even more difficult to fathom the depth of Daoist Ran Deng's cultivation.

However, after communication, the two sides had an extremely friendly cooperative relationship.

The Daoist Ran Deng immediately saw the calamity afflicting the Empress Dowager and was willing to perform a ritual to deliver the souls of the deceased. In return, the Empress Dowager had to fulfill his request to find a precious treasure and a Buddhist disciple.

After seven days of sacrificial chanting to determine the range of the Sha Qi, the Daoist Ran Deng officially entered the final stage.

Nighttime is when yin Sha Qi is most intense, making it the best time to perform rituals.

He murmured incantations, and a blood lotus slowly turned from red to white.

At the same time, white lotuses began to emerge one after another from the loess layer used to fill the imperial tomb.

Like mushrooms in a forest after the rain, these white lotuses kept sprouting on the imperial tomb, scattered like stars in the sky.

"Amitabha!"

The Daoist Ran Deng pointed to the red lanterns hanging in the imperial tomb, which resembled an ocean, and the lanterns immediately floated and drifted towards the white lotus.

"Each of these white lotuses is formed from the negative Sha Qi of the dead," the Daoist Ran Deng said, pointing upwards. "I use the Netherworld Fire within the coffin lamp as a guide to illuminate the path of these people's reincarnation. Once their resentment dissipates, this Sha Qi will also dissipate!"

"The Daoist Technique Method is superb!"

The Empress Dowager looked up and saw that among thousands of red lanterns, a red palace lantern stood in the very center.

Like a stabilizing iron rod, the flame in this red palace lantern draws in thousands of other red lanterns, making the Sha Qi as gentle as a white lotus.

What appeared to be a beautiful white lotus was actually the source of her unbearable pain and malevolent Sha Qi.

Compared to the medical skills of doctors who perform craniotomies to cure intractable diseases, the Lord of the Sacred Land, Randeng Daoren, possesses incredible power.

The Empress Dowager felt that her luck had turned around, and this finally gave her a glimmer of hope.

She vaguely felt as if she had been slashed inside her body, and for a moment she felt a pain as if she were having a cramp.

Her expression changed slightly, but she forced herself to endure it and continued to bear the Daoist Ran Deng's spell to expel the Yin Sha Qi.

Compared to the pain she is currently experiencing, she was tormented by even more pain some time ago, which even caused her cultivation level to fluctuate and decline.

Her muscles trembled slightly, but she forcefully suppressed her facial expression.

But when the pain of another cut into her body came, even the Empress Dowager couldn't help but change color.

"Daoist Master, how many times must I have my Sha Qi drawn out to expel the ailment from my body?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"If the resentment of these thousands of vengeful spirits can be dispelled, perhaps it can be completely eliminated in one go," Daoist Ran Deng replied earnestly. "If the resentment of these thousands of buried people is difficult to eliminate, it will inevitably recur repeatedly. Moreover, those who use sacrificial methods to construct the great array rarely have a good ending. I hope that you, benefactor, can treat others kindly in the future!"

"The Daoist priest is right!"

The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement, but as she spoke, she felt another sharp pain in her body, which made her unable to hold it in any longer.

"Could you slow down a little when you're using your magic to draw out my Sha Qi? I've been tormented by Sha Qi lately, and my body can't take it anymore," the Empress Dowager said.

"That's natural," Daoist Ran Deng nodded. "I'll use a drop of your blood as a catalyst to create a blood lotus. This blood lotus will draw out the Sha Qi slowly and naturally, and won't knock you down all at once!"

Is this current extraction considered a gradual process?

"Naturally, we should proceed slowly. After all, I have been casting spells for seven days, and I have already ensured that everything is as safe as it can be. There is no need to rush into anything!"

The Daoist Ran Deng nodded in agreement, which made the Empress Dowager breathe a deep sigh of relief. She had no choice but to endure the excruciating pain of being cut.

When the Daoist Ran Deng smiled, and she felt a sharp pain in her body, the Empress Dowager wondered if craniotomy would be less painful.

A jumble of thoughts crossed her mind, but she only focused her attention when the Daoist Ran Deng spoke.

"It's the coldest time of night, when the Sha Qi is at its strongest. I will draw it from your Sha Qi then," said Daoist Ran Deng. "By dawn, the Sha Qi will have receded significantly under the morning light, and that will be the time when the icy Sha Qi within you melts away!"

"Drawing the Sha Qi from my body at midnight... Oh no!"

The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly as she listened.

When she finally realized what was happening, she was shocked to discover that Daoist Ran Deng had not yet begun to use his magic to extract her Sha Qi.

This caused her expression to change drastically.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, I'll be busy with various things and won't have regular writing time. I need to stockpile some drafts to prevent a break in updates during the holiday. I'll be updating twice a week for a while before resuming three updates a week.