Mythology

Chapter 313 Twenty-Four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls

The morning mist is like a veil, and the hustle and bustle of the night comes to an abrupt end at the turn of day and night.

The crow shook the dew off its feathers and let out a hoarse cry.

The town of Jiuqu was deathly silent.

The remaining dozen or so soldiers arrived on the street one after another. Led by Zhang Guifang, they hurriedly went outside the town to meet Yin Jiao and the others.

No one noticed that a bungalow had quietly settled at the east end of town under the cover of twilight.

Yang He shrank his head, almost perfectly imitating Shen Gongbao's scumbag manner, only with a hint of madness in his eyes.

Whether he could fool the immortals was unknown, but at least the Primordial Celestial Venerable had not blamed him for the time being.

Ling Shi jumped suddenly.

Yang He stood atop the courtyard wall, gazing into the distance. The mountain road outside the town was shrouded in a thick, eerie atmosphere.

The ghost soldiers, lined up in two rows, were about to arrive at Jiuqu Town. The resentment they exuded was so real that it caused gusts of cold wind to howl past.

"Damn it, they actually brought Zhao Gongming's body here?"

Yang He felt a chill run down his spine. He opened his forehead and saw a dozen pairs of eyes of different sizes, and saw a huge, pitch-black coffin, ten meters in size, mixed in with the group.

Even when it's far away, it gives me the creeps.

Boom!
dong dong! !
The black coffin shook violently every two or three breaths, as if the corpse inside was frantically pounding against the lid, trying to escape.

"It's even more troublesome than Nezha's coffin back then."

Yang He could tell that the five thousand ghost soldiers were all there to suppress Zhao Gongming, and that hundreds of them had probably died along the way, which showed how ferocious the corpses were.

"After the Ten Deadly Formations were broken, Zhao Gongming's body actually fell into the hands of the Shang Dynasty."

"kindness?"

Yang He's hand seal twitched slightly.

The idea of ​​the Dharma Seal originated from Yin Jiao, who instructed Shen Gongbao to rush there immediately to prevent Zhao Gongming's corpse from completely spiraling out of control.

Yang He squinted his eyes, responded but did not move.

"I'm the first person you think of when it comes to thankless tasks. Hehe, let's wait a bit. Shen Gongbao isn't going to be too eager."

Yin Jiao was a true disciple of Guang Chengzi. Logically, he should have descended the mountain to overthrow King Zhou. However, in the original work, he was easily misled by Shen Gongbao and betrayed the Chan Sect.

Yang He estimated that the same principle applied to Yin Jiao in the world of classical allusions.

"Guang Chengzi will most likely fall into the Nine Turns Yellow River Formation as well. You, Yin Jiao, are quite filial. Do you intend to personally send your master off at his funeral?"

Yang He returned to the courtyard and casually picked some crops from among the lush greenery.

The cucumber landed in my palm.

Yang He watched the show while munching on the food. The rich medicinal power surged into his internal organs, greatly increasing the speed at which his ghost body digested the yin energy. He was not far from the Return to the Void Realm.

There are many similar crops, and Daoxing Tianzun continues to diligently tend to them.

You can still hear him murmuring.

"The green beans will be ripe this afternoon, the sweet potatoes will probably be ripe tonight, and that corn stalk should be full of fruit in a couple of days."

In Yang He's spiritual vision, the so-called crops were all strange and inexplicable.

However, the medicinal power is extremely abundant, more than enough for cultivation at the Mixed Origin Realm, let alone the Integration Realm or the Tribulation Transcending Realm. The only drawback is that the medicinal power will be exhausted after only a short time of harvesting.

Meow!!!

Yang He glanced at the corner and saw Cihang Daoist sitting cross-legged in front of the ghost fetus with a smile on his face, chanting scriptures that were neither Taoist nor Buddhist.

The black cat curled up inside the amniotic sac, giving the illusion of receiving ordination and enlightenment.

"The subsequent methods for mastering the Qilin should be obtained from Cihang Daoren."

The messages delivered by Fayin became increasingly urgent, but Yang He ate his cucumber leisurely.

The three ghosts faced no bottlenecks before reaching the Guixu Realm, and with the selfless dedication of the two elders, their cultivation was already subtly approaching the perfection of the Hunyuan Realm.

.........

Meanwhile, Yin Jiao's army stopped halfway up the mountain.

The ghost soldiers were encased in iron armor, their exposed skin bearing malevolent features, and their discipline was so strict that even their breathing was synchronized.

As Zhang Guifang walked towards him, the horse-faced demon within his body hissed repeatedly.

The black coffin was being pulled by forty or fifty ghost soldiers, the iron chains binding the coffin were taut, and it was stuck in place, unable to move an inch.

Blood seeped from the cracks, and a pungent, fishy stench filled the air.

Boom!
dong dong! !
The surrounding rocks tumbled and rolled down due to the tremors, and the vegetation was covered with a layer of blackish-gray fuzz, like mold growing from spoiled food.

"Add more manpower! We absolutely cannot let the coffin stay here overnight!!"

Yin Jiao squinted and stepped into the black coffin. Its appearance was that of a person with three heads and six arms, clearly possessing the characteristics of a half-human, half-ghost. Its body exuded a strong yin energy, and its cultivation had reached the Hunyuan Realm.

More ghost soldiers surged forward, their chains rattling loudly.

But the black coffin remained rooted to the spot, completely still.

"General Zhang."

Zhang Guifang bowed her head respectfully, not daring to be disrespectful in front of Yin Jiao.

Yin Jiao said coldly, "What's going on with Shen Gongbao? Why hasn't he come to our aid yet? Is he going to be trapped and die in Jiuqu Town?"

Sweat beaded on Zhang Guifang's forehead as she whispered, "Your Highness, I did indeed see Shen Gongbao not long ago, but..."

"Speak! But what is it?" Yin Jiao raised an eyebrow, and the three faces turned to Zhang Guifang.

Several lieutenants were terrified. Ever since Yin Jiao became half-human and half-ghost, his temperament had become unpredictable, and he had indiscriminately killed countless soldiers.

Zhang Guifang's Adam's apple bobbed as she forced herself to say, "Shen Gongbao has encountered some trouble in Jiuqu Town. He's acting rather strangely. I suspect that he has gone mad with qi."

He had heard some rumors about Chaoge from his colleagues.

It is said that Yin Jiao grew three heads and six arms after taking the elixir bestowed by Guang Chengzi, but he broke his vow to overthrow King Zhou, causing his body and soul to backfire. He only managed to control his body and soul through the secret techniques of the immortals of the upper realm. "Heh." Yin Jiao's left side, with its blue face and fangs, twisted. "You, Shen Gongbao, do you really think this prince can't see through his intentions?"

As they were talking, the black coffin groaned as if it could no longer bear the weight.

What was seeping from the cover was no longer black blood, but strands of sticky hair, or more accurately, resentment condensed to the extreme.

"Step back!" Zhang Guifang shouted sharply, but it was too late.

The soldiers escorting the coffin suddenly froze, their skin began to swell with pustules, and with a muffled popping sound, their necks tore open from the inside out.

The bloody, mangled necks rose higher and higher, and deformed heads began to emerge wildly.

"Ahhhhh!!"

Even the ghost soldiers, whose five senses were dulled, could not withstand such torment. Before long, twenty-four heads grew on various parts of their necks.

Zhang Guifang was stunned for a moment, "Your Highness...whose body is inside!"

"General Zhang, we are here to escort Zhao Gongming to his marriage."

Yin Jiao grinned and said, "The senior brother of the Jie Sect was a Daluo Golden Immortal comparable to the Twelve Golden Immortals, and he died in the Ten Deadly Formations."

The corpse of an immortal!!
Zhang Guifang turned pale with fright, not understanding what the merchant intended to do.

Yin Jiao took out a brass bell and shook it vigorously at the ghost soldier with twenty-four heads, causing ripples of yin energy to spread around it.

Bang bang bang.

The ghost soldiers instantly turned into minced meat and exploded.

Zhang Guifang's mouth was smeared with minced meat, and she almost gagged.

Immediately after the ghost soldiers died, the yin energy generated surged towards the remaining soldiers, and it could be felt that the soldiers' aura increased, and their evil characteristics intensified.

Zhang Guifang clicked her tongue in amazement. What kind of "Great Merchant Ghost Soldiers" were they? They were clearly a bunch of puppets. Compared to them, her own supernatural powers were nothing to mention.

"Unfortunately, the Shang Dynasty's ghost soldiers are only just beginning to take shape, and each one used is one less available."

Yin Jiao seemed to have anticipated the unusual movement of the corpse. He gave his adjutant a wink, and immediately dozens of bolts of blood-red silk were brought over.

"Today's wedding must be conducted with solemnity and respect, without any negligence."

A hundred or so ghost soldiers wrapped red silk around the black coffin, tied it into a love knot, and then tied the other end to themselves.

The mournful sound of the suona pierced the sky, but it turned out to be a traditional folk wedding instrument.

The sound was distorted and strange, mixed with ghostly wails and howls.

"The auspicious time has arrived, let the sedan chair rise."

boom!
The black coffin was raised again.

The coffin-carrying ghost soldiers began to rot upon contact with the red silk, but they continued their march without stopping. Every seven steps, a ghost soldier would turn into bones and scatter, and a new ghost soldier would immediately take its place.

Zhang Guifang was horrified; this was hardly a suppression of Zhao Gongming.

They were clearly feeding the corpses with live sacrifices.

Damn it, isn't Yin Jiao afraid that the corpse of a Great Luo Golden Immortal will turn into a ghost?

No, if that's the case, the corpse will inevitably turn into a ghost sooner or later.

Zhang Guifang had previously thought Yang He was crazy, but now, compared to Yin Jiao, she suddenly realized that this prince of the Shang Dynasty was the real madman.

He reluctantly followed Yin Jiao, their path strewn with corpses.

Guided by red silk, the black coffin swayed and staggered to the entrance of Jiuqu Town. Before they knew it, the sky had darkened.

"Shen Gongbao!"

Yin Jiao's three faces were contorted as he stood not far away waiting for Yang He.

He was persuaded by Shen Gongbao to betray the Chan Sect, but he felt no gratitude whatsoever, because the price of breaking his oath was far too high.

He was the crown prince of a country, yet he was reduced to a form neither human nor ghost.

It's all Shen Gongbao's fault!!!
Despite his madness, Yin Jiao remained calm, knowing that even though Shen Gongbao often outwardly complied while inwardly defying him, he still needed this man's help.

After all, many of the true disciples of the Chan Sect are on their way to Jiuqu Town.

Yin Jiao carefully examined Yang He. It had been a long time since he had seen the latter, and his cultivation had become much more profound. His body and soul seemed to have undergone subtle changes, and he exuded a ghostly aura.

But it's far from being a case of going mad.

"Your Highness, this is..." Yang He deliberately dragged out his words, "...to act as a matchmaker for this humble Taoist priest?"

Yin Jiaoju's face stiffened with a smile. "Master Shen is joking. I believe you know who is in the coffin. Tonight, we need to trouble Master Shen to help guard the black coffin to prevent it from turning into a corpse."

Yang He did not reply, waiting for Yin Jiao to state his terms.

He understood that Shen Gongbao's identity was what it was, and he couldn't always remain uninvolved; a traitor should be aware of his own traitorous nature.

Fortunately, in its current ghost form, self-preservation is not a major problem.

"Master Shen, why must we be so distant with each other?"

A hint of disgust flashed in Yin Jiao's eyes.

His defection from the Chan Sect was due to the death of Yin Hong, which affected his Daoist heart. As for Shen Gongbao? He was a complete scoundrel.

"Does the Taoist priest know about Zhao Gongming's twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls?"

"Could it be inside the coffin?!"

Yang He's displayed greed made Yin Jiao look down on him even more.

"Yes, after the black coffin has devoured enough flesh and blood, it will give birth to a blood bead, which is an excellent spiritual object for cultivating spirituality when used in refining artifacts."

"it is good!!"

The procession escorted the black coffin toward the town's mortuary.

Yang He and Yin Jiao walked side by side, their expressions unreadable.

(End of this chapter)