Chapter 75

As the abbot of Tianyin Temple organized the monks to perform the ritual for the wandering souls, he also instructed the burly monk to see off the guests, telling the four of them that after consulting with the abbot, they would naturally give an explanation. The hurried farewell clearly indicated that the abbot had also realized the urgency of the situation and had no time for formalities.

Although the burly monk was rough and tough, his attitude was very humble. Compared to Juesei... it was better not to compare. When Lin Fan and the others left, the bell of Tianyin Temple rang, signaling the gathering of the monks. It seemed that Tianyin Temple did not intend to remain aloof from the Ghost Gate incident; they were about to enter the secular world.

Bai Mu said, "Apart from the water disaster in Xiaodongzhou, the monks of Tianyin Temple usually go out for ascetic practices. Only those who cultivate in the Dao know that Tianyin Temple is actually extraordinary. It is a good thing that Tianyin Temple is willing to enter the secular world."

Lin Fan nodded, "The hidden danger of the Ghost Gate is still among the people. It seems that not only will Tianyin Temple enter the secular world, but we also need to contact the emperors of each continent."

Bai Mu agreed, "However, everything needs a leader. Currently, the largest sect is Zixiao Hall, but the head of Zixiao Hall seems to be preoccupied with trivial matters. Does he have the intention to manage the Ghost Gate issue?"

Lin Fan replied, "We will know once we see."

...

The four disciples returned to Yunqing Mountain and reported to Qianyu Zhenren. Qianyu Zhenren then convened the leaders of various sects to discuss the matter. In the end, Qianyu Zhenren sent a letter to Zixiao Hall, hoping that Ziyun Zhenren would take the lead for the righteous path. In addition, Qianyu Zhenren asked the leader of Qingyuan Sect to visit the imperial palace of Dongzhou. By letting Zixiao Hall take the lead, he did not want to steal the thunder from Zixiao Hall, as he already knew a bit about Ziyun Zhenren's magnanimity. Meeting with the Emperor of Dongzhou was the responsibility of the largest sect in Dongzhou. The followers of the Ghost Gate mostly came from the people, and to refine the Wandering Souls Banner, many lives were needed. The emperor could order the local areas to intensify the investigation of murders. Once multiple murders occurred in a certain place, they would report to the court, and the court would inform Yunqing Sect, which would send experts to investigate.

This was just a precaution. The best way was to find the headquarters of the Ghost Gate and destroy it.

Although the Ghost Gate had just appeared, a sense of impending storm had already enveloped Lin Fan and the others. The main issue was how to deal with the Wandering Souls Banner. Not only Yunqing Sect, but even Zixiao Hall knew very little about the Ghost Path. At most, they knew about vengeful ghosts and wandering souls, which were born from the three souls and seven spirits and had low Daoist powers. There were very few records of Ghost Path techniques in the literature. Apart from the Wandering Souls Banner of the Ghost Gate, there was only one Ghost Gate treasure. This treasure was called the Yin Soul Skull, also known as the Yin Soul Cry. The treasure consisted of nine skulls, but these were not ordinary human skulls. The more cultivated a person was, the more powerful the skull left behind after their death. This treasure was recorded in the headquarters of the Ghost Gate, but no one had fully refined it, so its power was unknown.

The four of them traveled in silence over the Jiulang Mountains. Suddenly, the leading Gu Yan stopped and said, "The Wandering Souls Banner is not without flaws."

"Hmm?" Everyone was puzzled.

Gu Yan said, "Using the Thunder Shocking Light Technique and the Nine Transformations Demon Trapping Array can counter it. This is for lower-level cultivators, and with two of us. We can also use the Body Fixing Spell or even the Golden Thunder Lightning to immobilize it, preventing the Wandering Souls Banner from being activated, and then we can take it down."

Ye Wushuang asked, "What if the cultivator is powerful?"

Gu Yan said, "The Wandering Souls Banner is different from other treasures. When using the Wandering Souls Banner, the evil person must continuously use it, similar to the Nine Transformations Demon Trapping Spell. After using the Wandering Souls Banner, the black aura forms a single entity, both offensive and defensive. As long as we can break through the black aura and directly attack the Wandering Souls Banner, we can destroy it."

Ye Wushuang said, "But we can't break through."

Gu Yan shook his head, "When the senior brother was captured by the black aura, he immediately attached to the Wandering Souls Banner. He could not defend against external attacks and could only resist internally with his true qi. I think if the cultivation is high enough, one can directly destroy the Wandering Souls Banner. In addition, there is..." Gu Yan said this, and the peach wood sword he was riding flew diagonally and stuck to a tree. Gu Yan made a hand seal, and the peach wood sword exploded into powder, and the tree's center shattered.

That was a bit wasteful; it takes a ten-year-old peach tree to extract the main trunk to refine a peach wood sword.

Gu Yan said, "In addition, only thunder techniques can work. Fire Thunder breaks evil. On the Dadu River, the Fire Thunder collided with the black aura of the Wandering Souls Banner, giving it an advantage. However, Fire Thunder alone is not enough. The Fire Earth Thunder Technique's Flying Fire Meteor has power but lacks the ability to break evil."

Bai Mu said, "After mixing the two types of thunder techniques, they lose their ability to break evil."

"Unless it's Divine Thunder," Gu Yan replied.

Divine Thunder is the heavenly thunder that Lin Fan saw in the East Sea, not one of the five elements of thunder. It is good at breaking evil and qi and is extremely powerful. Lin Fan said, "I have heard of the Taiyi Divine Thunder, but it is only recorded in literature. Yunqing Sect does not have a cultivation method. Even the strongest technique of the Southern Continent's Lei Mountain Sect, which specializes in thunder techniques, is the Kui Water Yin Thunder."

Bai Mu, who read a lot, said, "The essence of Taiyi Divine Thunder is Divine Thunder. In the literature, only the founder of Yunqing Sect, Yunqingzi, could use Taiyi Divine Thunder. Taiyi Divine Thunder is arranged with the乾宫 (Gan Palace) as one, 离宫 (Li Palace) as two, 艮宫 (Gen Palace) as three, 震宫 (Zhen Palace) as four, 五 (five) as the central palace, 兑宫 (Dui Palace) as six, 坤宫 (Kun Palace) as seven, 坎宫 (Kan Palace) as eight, and 巽宫 (Xun Palace) as the array. There are many techniques involved, but the literature does not provide detailed records. Its power is immense, but the main array is still Divine Thunder. Without mentioning Taiyi Divine Thunder, even Divine Thunder seems to be only recorded in Yunqingzi's literature, with no one else known to have cultivated it."

"There is one person who can use Divine Thunder, and he is a disciple of Yunqing Sect," Gu Yan added. "And he is still alive."

The other three were surprised and asked, "Who?"

"Lin Xiege," Gu Yan said. "It is said that when Lin Xiege was wandering in the South Sea, he encountered a wandering immortal undergoing a minor tribulation. His heart was as high as the sky, and he was somewhat rebellious, so he helped the immortal. Unfortunately, the immortal still could not overcome the tribulation and, before dying, taught him the method to drive Divine Thunder. Ten years later, Lin Xiege killed into an evil sect for his lover, flattening three evil sects. Apart from two divine weapons, he was also aided by Divine Thunder."

Lin Fan was surprised and doubtful, "How do you know?" This was not recorded in the literature, and Lin Xiege, who had killed his master, was a person whose existence was erased by Yunqing Sect. Even if outsiders had records, they would not be so detailed. Moreover, his sect leader was Lin Xiege's junior, and he never mentioned Lin Xiege's encounter with the immortal.

Gu Yan thought for a moment, "Just hearsay. Let's go."

Hearsay? Of course not. Gu Yan's father, Gu Ping, was once the leader of Tianxing Sect of Yunqing Sect and a close friend of Lin Xiege. They were known as the three dragons and one phoenix of Yunqing Sect. The seniors of Yunqing Sect believed that Yunqing Sect would grow and develop under their hands, becoming the first righteous path. Unfortunately, one dragon, Gu Ping, joined the Blood Shadow Sect and became its leader. Another dragon, Lin Xiege, was entangled by love and committed the sin of killing his master, becoming a hermit. The third dragon, Meng Sheng, the Sanzhen Zhenren, was like a dream, with a lazy personality. Only Qianyu Zhenren, the current leader of Yunqing Sect, stood out. Although Yunqing Sect has taken on a new look under Qianyu Zhenren's leadership, it is still far from the expectations of the three dragons and one phoenix.