Chapter 8

It turned out that apart from being injured by Xuanming, everything else Xiaojiao had said was a lie. She was a practitioner of evil arts and a disciple of a demonic sect in her lifetime. At the time of her death, she had cast the Nine Yin Spirit Gathering Formation on herself, turning her into a Nine Yin Vengeful Ghost. This was why she was much stronger than an ordinary ghost and was not afraid of the strong yang energy emanating from Zhan Yi.

Moreover, from the very beginning, she had approached Zhan Yi because she sensed something different about him. After getting closer, she discovered that he was the reincarnation of a hundred-world monk. She deliberately told him a pitiful story to make him help her retrieve her lost soul fragment. Only someone as special as Zhan Yi could pass through the Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace's formation without being harmed.

After recovering, she even planned to devour Zhan Yi to absorb the virtue and karmic energy of the hundred-world monk. However, she had not realized that Zhan Yi had not only damaged the Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace but had also merged with the entire Yin-Yang Five Elements Formation and the energy of a thousand ghosts and demons inside it. His body had acquired the abilities of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace, which was why she was absorbed by Zhan Yi when she attacked.

What made Zhan Yi even more fearful was that Xiaojiao had been entrenched in the courtyard for a hundred years, having killed people in the past and often absorbing the yang energy of ordinary people. In the basement, she had even absorbed the yin and evil energy from the bottles after Zhan Yi came up, which explained the sounds of breaking glass he had heard.

Understanding the whole story, Zhan Yi felt a heavy weight in his heart. He never imagined that he had risked so much to save such an evil female ghost. Fortunately, he had not done anything improper with her, or it would have been even more absurd. Especially when he thought of Xiaojiao's terrifying appearance when she opened her mouth, he still found it hard to believe.

He sat alone in the room for a long time, his heart gradually calming down. Through absorbing Xiaojiao's memories, he not only understood her true nature but also learned several other things.

The first was about himself. The reason he had such extraordinary yang energy was that he was the reincarnation of a hundred-world monk, meaning he had been a practitioner in his previous hundred lives, either a monk or a Taoist, accumulating immense karmic energy.

The second thing was about the Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace. It was an ancient treasure that had been missing for a long time. By placing over a thousand ghost or demon souls inside and using the light of the five elements and blood talismans to refine them, the furnace could change size at will, repel most demons and ghosts, and absorb the soul energy of humans, demons, and ghosts. If it collected ten thousand demons and ghosts and underwent a second refinement, it could become a divine treasure capable of collecting immortal souls.

The mysterious vortex in his mind was a function of the furnace after its first refinement, meaning he would not only be immune to ordinary demons and ghosts but could also absorb their soul energy.

The third thing was the most troubling. When he opened the Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace, it was in the process of refining demon and ghost souls. His body had merged with the Yin-Yang Five Elements Formation and the furnace's energy due to the karmic energy of the hundred-world monk. However, because the demon and ghost souls had not been fully refined, his body had absorbed too much evil energy. If he did not find a way to completely refine this evil energy, he would eventually be overwhelmed by it and become a half-human, half-demon monster.

Refining the evil energy in his body was extremely difficult, as it required his body to generate the energy of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Formation again. To achieve this, he needed to find the Five Elements Grass, Soul Merging Water, and Yin-Yang Fruit. Only by consuming these could he hope to restart the Yin-Yang Five Elements energy in his body.

However, these three items were extremely rare treasures. Although Xiaojiao's memories contained some records, they were very vague, either referring to general areas or places he had never heard of.

This made his already depressed mood even worse. He had just discovered how unique he was, but now he was about to become a half-human, half-demon. That would be a monster, and it was too unfortunate.

Looking at the dark sky outside, Zhan Yi felt as if he had entered a turning point in his life. Things he had never imagined were now happening to him, especially the matter of being the reincarnation of a hundred-world monk, which he found incredibly hard to believe. Even one or two lifetimes of being a practitioner was understandable, but a hundred was too much to accept. The most famous monk in history, Tang Sanzang, was only a ten-world monk, and eating his flesh could grant immortality. What would happen if he, a hundred-world monk, were eaten by demons and ghosts? No wonder Xiaojiao wanted to eat him so much.

The more Zhan Yi thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. However, he was also relieved because, through Xiaojiao's memories, he knew that the preciousness of the hundred-world monk's body allowed it to automatically conceal its aura before the age of twenty. Apart from the strong yang energy, it did not reveal any other special characteristics, which was why he had not been targeted by high-level demons and ghosts before. He had encountered Xiaojiao in the first month after his twentieth birthday.

It seemed as if everything was predestined, allowing him to gain the abilities of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Soul Refining Furnace after his hundred-world monk's body was revealed. In the future, not only would ordinary demons and ghosts not dare to approach him, but even if he encountered higher-level ones, he could absorb their soul energy and eliminate them.

However, the pressing issue he needed to address was refining the evil energy in his body. He did not want to become a half-human, half-demon monster. After much consideration, he finally decided to use his summer vacation to search for the spiritual items needed to refine the evil energy.

The next morning, Zhan Yi began packing his things. Fortunately, he had a stack of cash from Xuanming, totaling over 40,000 yuan, which was enough to cover his expenses for the search.

After packing, he explained his intention to leave to Old Lady Li and told her that there had been a ghost in the house, but he had already exorcised it, so she could now find someone to live there safely. However, Old Lady Li scolded him for spreading rumors and stirring up trouble, much to Zhan Yi's frustration. Fortunately, she eventually agreed to his request.

After leaving Old Lady Li's residence, Zhan Yi went to the train station and bought a high-speed train ticket to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He then set off on his journey. He was not going for a vacation; he was heading to the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, where the Five Elements Grass was rumored to grow.

As he traveled, he enjoyed the scenery and thought about the famous historical sites in Tianshan, which made the journey less lonely. However, when he finally climbed Tianshan, he realized he had been completely wrong. His enthusiasm turned to confusion as he looked at the vast mountains. "Damn, this is too damn big. I just need to find the Five Elements Grass; I can't possibly search the entire Tianshan."

"Sir, would you like to pray? The Buddhas at our Jinguang Temple are the most effective. The entrance fee is only eighty yuan, and you can get a twenty percent discount on fortune-telling and divination." As Zhan Yi was feeling lost, a voice sounded in his ear.

Zhan Yi turned to see a young man with a crew cut and wearing a monk's robe standing beside him, holding some tickets. He clearly worked for the tourist attraction. However, Zhan Yi was not in the mood to visit any temples, so he politely shook his head and said, "Sorry, Master, I'll pray when I have time. I just want to ask where the Tianshan Mountains produce rare flowers and herbs."

"Sir, you misunderstood. I'm not a master; I'm just an actor. The real masters are at Jinguang Temple, where...," the young man seemed surprised by Zhan Yi's lack of interest but quickly began to enthusiastically describe the unique features of his temple, such as the masters who could predict the future and the talismans that could bring good luck.

Zhan Yi's forehead was sweating, and he felt uneasy. Before the young man could finish, he interrupted, "Ha, sir, it seems you didn't understand me. I just want to know where to find rare flowers and herbs in Tianshan."

"Ah... Sir, you're looking for rare flowers and herbs, right? We have them at Jinguang Temple. Our masters have practiced in Tianshan for decades and know everything about the area. Even if you can't find what you're looking for at our temple, our masters can guide you."

"Really? Your masters really know everything?" Zhan Yi, seeing the young man's enthusiastic expression, had initially wanted to leave but decided to visit Jinguang Temple since he had no clear direction. He might learn something useful from the masters.

"Absolutely, sir. You just need to buy an eighty-yuan ticket to meet the masters." The young man nodded vigorously.

"Alright, let's go then." Zhan Yi took out his wallet and handed the young man a hundred-yuan note.

"Ha, sir, you're so generous. I'll keep the twenty yuan as a tip and give you a fifty-yuan Jinguang Temple talisman for good luck." The young man took the money and quickly handed Zhan Yi a yellow paper talisman along with the ticket.

"Um... Alright." Zhan Yi hesitated but, seeing the young man's expectant face, took the talisman and put it in his pocket, though he inwardly cursed. "What the hell kind of talisman is this? It looks like a cheap knockoff. If it were really that effective, why would I need to go to Jinguang Temple?"

Following the young man, they eventually arrived at a large temple. The grand architecture and ancient atmosphere gave it a solemn and dignified feel.

However, the people at the temple gate were a different story. Most were tourists, guides, and ticket sellers. The only two monks guarding the gate had their hands clasped in prayer but were staring intently at the smooth, white legs of female tourists, as if using some divine power to inject all their essence into the tourists' bodies.

Seeing this, Zhan Yi felt a wave of disappointment. He had hoped to meet genuine masters, but the behavior of these young monks suggested that the masters inside were not much better.