Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 887 Five Immortals Open the Hall

squeak! !

The car made a screeching screeching sound as it went out of control, and then crashed straight into the rocks on the side of the road.

The windshield shattered instantly, the car body deformed upon impact, and the airbags were ejected.

With a loud "bang!"

The back door of the car flew off and flew more than ten meters away. Xiao Ran stepped out of the car and gently patted the dust off the corner of her clothes.

Looking up at the surroundings, all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white snow. The old man Bai Jing, as well as the driver in the car, had all vanished.

Even when Xiao Ran looked back at the road she had come from, she found that the road behind her was also covered by heavy snow. Further away, apart from a patch of glistening snow, nothing could be seen clearly.

Xiao Ran opened her palm, looked at the snowflakes falling into it, and frowned.

Is this the beginning?

At this moment, Xiao Ran suddenly noticed something, turned around, and not far behind her, an old man sat under a cedar tree, smiling and waving at Xiao Ran.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran took a step towards the old man.

However, as soon as Xiao Ran took a step forward, the frozen ground beneath her feet immediately sank, and a strong sense of strangeness filled her entire body.

This step felt like stepping into an invisible quagmire, or perhaps it touched the pulse of the sleeping earth.

A heavy, viscous, and chilling aura, seemingly capable of freezing one's bones, surged upwards from the soles of his feet and leg bones, violently assaulting his internal organs.

"Huh!" At this moment, the old man sitting under the cedar tree showed a strange expression. A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes. His original smile disappeared, and he carefully looked Xiao Ran up and down.

"Four hundred years ago, Master Zhang emerged from the mountain and took seven steps in my path, which was already considered the pinnacle of martial arts..."

The old man spoke calmly, as if he were reminiscing about the past.

He looked at Xiao Ran, the young Plum Blossom Taoist, with great curiosity and asked, "Young man, how many steps can you take?"

"Master Zhang? Seven Steps?"

Xiao Ran squinted and looked over, only to see that beneath the old man's skin was the face of a fox.

Possessed by a deity?

Xiao Ran spread her mental energy outwards. Under the perception of her mental energy, the white snow scene was already like boiling water, with malevolent energy surging and rising. If she moved even slightly, this malevolent energy would rush into her body.

Xiao Ran squatted down, examined it carefully, and then looked up at the old man; "I thought it was a curse, but now it doesn't seem like it."

"A curse spell?" The old man grinned coldly. "This is a technique of my immortal family, not something that mere magic can compare to."

"Hmm! I think I understand."

Xiao Ran nodded, then straightened up and asked, "You just said that Master Zhang only took seven steps back then, right?"

The old man nodded: "What, you think you can take seven steps too?"

"No!"

As Xiao Ran took a step forward, countless baleful energies surged into her body. These baleful energies were like catfish burrowing into her body, making Xiao Ran feel as if her whole body was on fire.

"I'm afraid I'm not as good as this Master Zhang, but I can take twelve steps."

With that, Xiao Ran took another step.

Bang! My feet landed on the snow, and a deeper sense of sinking followed, accompanied by a thicker, more powerful burst of cold air, like a sudden eruption from the depths of hell!

It was like the legendary karmic fire, scorching Xiao Ran's internal organs and meridians.

But Xiao Ran's face remained unusually calm.

Then comes the fourth step, the fifth step...

Xiao Ran's pace quickened, and in the blink of an eye, she had already reached the seventh step.

"you!!"

The old man stared wide-eyed at Xiao Ran, his face full of disbelief, as if he saw the shadow of Zhang Sanfeng in Xiao Ran.

"Impossible! Zhang Sanfeng, that old rascal, cultivated pure Yang energy. Who are you to ask him?" he screamed in surprise.

This "purifying the desolate land" technique is a unique immortal method of the Hu family.

It can burn away the impurities of the physical body and the distractions of the mind.

Back then, it was Zhang Sanfeng who possessed pure Yang energy and was a virgin, so his mental cultivation was already beyond perfection, which is why he lost so badly. But after so many years, Master Hu has long since figured it out.

There is no such thing as invincible magic in this world. How many people are like Zhang Sanfeng?

I can't possibly encounter that every time.

Unexpectedly, upon leaving the mountain, he encountered Xiao Ran.

He just couldn't understand why Xiao Ran didn't seem like someone like Zhang Sanfeng, who had reached such a high level of spiritual cultivation.

Faced with the old man's doubts, Xiao Ran generously explained, "I can't compare to Zhang Sanfeng, so why should I compare myself to him?"

As she spoke, Xiao Ran took another step, her expression becoming increasingly relaxed.

"There are too many things in this world that cannot be changed. Your magic covers a ten-mile radius, a desolate land where life is cut off and all things are extinguished. I cannot change that. Since I cannot change it, I will make it ever-changing. I am not pure gold, but I am of the same origin as fire."

Xiao Ran smiled as she looked at the old man, then took a few more steps, exactly twelve steps in total. Her aura merged seamlessly with the fiery flames of the Burning Purity Land, becoming one with it.

This move is very simple; it's a basic skill in soul cultivation.

Every time Plum Blossom Taoist makes a move, he completely imitates the opponent's abilities. If the opponent is an immortal, he is an immortal; if the opponent is a demon, he is a demon. Xiao Ran cannot do as mystical things as Plum Blossom Taoist because of the limitations of his physical body, but it is not difficult for him to deal with the old guy's methods.

"Excellent method, remarkable."

Upon learning of Xiao Ran's methods, Master Hu gave a thumbs up. Just based on Xiao Ran's skills, Master Hu knew he was no match for her.

But he still couldn't help but ask Xiao Ran, "Such evil methods, I believe you if you say you are the Plum Blossom Taoist, but at your age, I don't believe you are the Plum Blossom Taoist from back then."

“But I didn’t say I was the Plum Blossom Taoist from back then,” Xiao Ran explained to Master Hu. “The Plum Blossom lineage has four branches. When the Dharma is exhausted, one naturally returns to the source. I am the Plum Blossom Taoist of this era.”

Upon hearing this, Master Hu suddenly realized what was going on.

It's not that they're ignorant; it's just that immortals don't leave Shanhaiguan, and the area within the pass is vast and rich in resources, so they naturally wouldn't pay attention to things in the Central Plains. Therefore, it's understandable that they wouldn't know about this matter.

"Let's go. You've gotten past me, but things won't be so easy to deal with if you go any further."

Uncle Hu pointed behind him and said to Xiao Ran.

"Concession."

Xiao Ran cupped his hands in greeting and leaped over Master Hu, disappearing into the snow in an instant. Master Hu glanced down at the white ground and frowned when he saw that not a single footprint had been left. "Leaving no trace in the snow? It seems that Huang Wu's methods won't work."

After saying that, Uncle Hu's figure gradually disappeared under the cedar tree.

"The first barrier has been breached!"

At this moment, in a guesthouse near Changbai Mountain, several elderly people sat around a campfire. When they received the news, their expressions changed.

They knew the other party was up to no good, and that Master Hu alone probably wouldn't be able to stop them, but they didn't expect the first hurdle to be overcome so quickly.

"It seems we've met our match today. Let Huang Wu stall for time, and we shouldn't wait any longer. Let's make our move together."

The old lady who was speaking was about the same age as Hu Wuye, whom Xiao Ran had just met. She was Hu Si Nai Nai from the Hu family, but her seniority was twice that of Hu Wuye.

He was also the most senior among the elderly people present.

"Fourth Aunt, isn't it a bit too early for us to start right away? Shouldn't we wait a little longer?" Bai Jing said after a few seconds of hesitation.

After all, there are so many evil spirits watching from afar. If we reveal our secrets so early, the Five Immortals Hall will not be able to maintain its stability in the future.

"Confused!"

Grandma Hu snorted coldly: "You all know Hu Wu's methods. The fact that the other party was able to break his methods so quickly shows that his strength is unfathomable. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, so how dare we be careless?"

After saying that, Grandma Hu turned around and looked at her great-grandson, who was about seven or eight years old, beside her: "Chongshan, do you think what your great-grandmother said is right?"

"Our ancestors were right. If you kill a dog, you go in one; if you kill a tiger, you go in a whole den. If you go in one by one, it's like the Calabash Brothers saving their grandfather, lining up to die."

The child was young, but his bright, clear eyes were exceptionally bright. Although his words were somewhat childish, they were quite reasonable.

Upon hearing this, the elderly people in the room burst into laughter, but they no longer paid any attention to what Fourth Grandmother had said. They all stood up and said, "Then let's start the altar ceremony."

After saying that, he quickly walked out of the room.

"Grandma," the boy tugged at his great-grandmother's clothes, "Does this fight really have to happen? What I mean is..."

The boy's eyes showed worry, but he didn't know whether he should express his thoughts.

Fourth Grandma saw what her great-grandson was worried about: "Fighting is fighting, and struggle is struggle. Only by fighting and struggling can there be room for maneuver."

Since this young man from the Xiao family is so brave and willing to fight, it means that the other party is not willing to fight the Five Immortals Hall to the death.

What's truly frightening is the kind of person who comes silently, sneaking in under the cover of darkness. Such people either don't make a move at all, or when they do, they leave no room for retreat.

The question now is how to fight in a way that reveals the bottom line of both sides while still maintaining a dominant advantage.

As for those evil spirits outside, the Five Immortals Hall hasn't reached that point of desperation yet. As long as these wolves and tigers don't figure out the Five Immortals Hall's true strength, they'll have to obediently keep them at bay.

On the other side, Xiao Ran had already arrived in front of Master Huang.

The mountain forest was shrouded in white mist, and even Xiao Ran could not see clearly beyond thirty paces. Master Huang sat in the pavilion, burning a charcoal stove with a pot of hot wine boiling on it, and two plates of roast chicken were placed in front of him.

Master Huang is a very interesting person.

He didn't fight with Xiao Ran, but instead offered her a drink.

"Do not hit?"

Xiao Ran sat down and looked at Master Huang. The old man was almost eighty years old, and his hands were covered in calluses. But Xiao Ran could see that the two scars on his face were quite ferocious.

But now, sitting in front of me, he has a very kind smile on his face.

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, Grandpa Huang waved his hand: "I'm eighty years old, with old arms and legs, why would I fight? Let's just have a chat, that's enough."

As he said this, Master Huang personally served Xiao Ran a bowl of wine: "Try it, it's my family's homemade 'Mendao Lv' (a type of strong liquor)."

Xiao Ran looked at the yellowish wine, but without hesitation, she picked it up and drank it down in one gulp.

The liquor had a sorghum flavor upon first sip, but a rice milk flavor followed by a burn. It was hot but not spicy, and tasted better than the liquors Xiao Ran had drunk before.

"Great, another one, please."

"Hahaha, good!"

Master Huang picked up a spoon to serve Xiao Ran wine. Suddenly, his gaze turned cold as he looked at the wine falling from the spoon into the bowl and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll poison you?" Xiao Ran smiled wickedly and said, "Poisoning is no fun. If I were you, I'd give you aphrodisiacs."

Master Huang was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, you're a real bastard, kid. I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'll drug anyone I meet with aphrodisiacs."

After a few rounds of drinks in the pavilion, Huang Wuye finally asked Xiao Ran, "Are your grandfathers still alive?"

“They’re gone.” Xiao Ran put down her wine cup and said, “Now only the elders of the Li, Yang, and Zhou families are still alive, but among their descendants, I’m the only one who has come out of poverty. The other lineages have basically been broken.”

Xiao Ran's words were not entirely untrue.

When they left Ruzhou, both Mr. Li Qing and Mr. Zhou Shang were in good health and would have the opportunity to become beginners in the future.

Yang Fengchui is still quite young. With these old men together, the road ahead is long, but they can't say for sure what it will be like.

However, the situation of the seven families in Los Angeles back then has long since disappeared.

Hearing Xiao Ran say this, Master Huang nodded: "With the passage of time, it's not easy to have come this far."

After drinking for a while, Xiao Ran raised her eyelids and said, "I'm afraid the situation in Changchun isn't much better right now."

"Hmph!" Master Huang sneered, "Isn't it all your fault?"

He then realized something and glared at his father: "You little brat, are you trying to trick your father into talking?"

"It's not that bad. If the Five Immortals Hall really had that kind of power, those evil spirits outside would have run away long ago. Would I need to trick you into saying that?"

Xiao Ran nonchalantly picked up her wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

"you!"

Master Huang's lips twitched a few times, then he slumped down and said dejectedly, "Time changes too fast. What unparalleled dynasties or unparalleled traditions are there? Who could have imagined that the world would change so quickly?"

Huang Wuye was born when the Manchus entered the pass. He watched the dynasty rise to its peak, and Wuxiantang also developed to its zenith.

Once again, they watched helplessly as times changed, the world descended into chaos, and in the end, even the emperor's position was lost.

Then I looked at the black soil and saw high-rise buildings rising up one after another.

The Five Immortals Hall completely declined.

Wu Xian Tang did make efforts, but in the end, all their struggles were destined to be in vain under the wheels of history.

Only now that the Lost City has been established has the Five Immortals Hall been given a chance to catch its breath. However, beneath this seemingly glorious surface, there are actually many holes everywhere.

If the Five Immortals Hall has even the slightest flaw, those evil spirits outside will likely swarm in and devour it, leaving not even bones behind.

Since the Five Immortals Hall has already reached this point, why can't they choose to resolve this matter amicably with Xiao Ran?
On the one hand, this matter needs to be addressed, not only to give an explanation to the people, but also to give an explanation to the immortals who died in Luo City.

On the other hand, with so many evil spirits watching from the outside, if the Five Immortals Hall backs down now, it will attract endless trouble later.

This is similar to the story of Grandmother Jia in Dream of the Red Chamber celebrating her birthday. Even though she knew the Jia family was already in dire straits, she still went to great lengths to celebrate.

If you don't maintain this semblance of dignity, those wolves and tigers will know that the Jia family is no longer so unapproachable, and everyone will know that your family has fallen on hard times.

By then, those above will think your family is insignificant, and those below will think your family is meat on a display board. I'm afraid that before Grandmother Jia passes away, the Jia family will be finished.

Of course, despite all of Grandmother Jia's careful planning, the Jia family still chose the wrong side.

Leaving aside these idle chatter, Xiao Ran and Master Huang Wu sat in the snow and drank until they were almost done. Only then did Xiao Ran stand up and say, "Let's go. This wine was good, but don't poison it next time."

After saying that, Xiao Ran opened her mouth and exhaled a cloud of black gas, which then hit a pine tree next to her. The pine tree, as big as a bowl, was instantly snapped in two by the blow. Upon closer inspection, a dark, glaring liquid was visible in the snow.

Upon seeing this, Master Huang's expression changed drastically. He exclaimed in surprise, "Damage Wind? This is the Hu family's secret technique. How do you know it?"

I learned it by accident.

Xiao Ran waved his hand casually and disappeared from Huang Wuye's sight.

After Xiao Ran had walked away, Huang Wuye plopped down in a chair, his face turning deathly pale, and vomited a puddle of yellow liquid.

He cursed, "This little bastard, damn it, if you weren't afraid of poison you should have said so earlier. What a waste of me drinking so much with you."

After saying that, his stomach was churning so badly that he could no longer bear it and darted into a nearby snowdrift.

A crackling sound came from behind, and a plume of yellow smoke rose from the snow.

"Yellow smoke?"

Several elderly people from the Five Immortals Hall in the distance had strange expressions on their faces: "It seems that Huang Wu has already perished."

"Hmph, we were just letting him stall for time, and now we have enough time. Let's make our move." After saying this, the elders formed hand seals and began chanting around an altar.

"First, I invite Hu; second, I invite Huang; third, I invite the snake and python; fourth, I invite the fox and wolf; fifth, I invite Doukou; sixth, I invite Yama... seventh, I invite Changxian to preside over the hall! All kinds of spirits and monsters display their divine power, their awe-inspiring might suppressing all directions!"

At this moment, we are on the mountain road on the other side.

Whether it was the evil spirits, Jin Chanzi and the others, or even Chang Dawei, they were all watching the valley ahead from afar.

From afar, Xiao Ran's figure, as small as an ant, could be seen appearing in front of the valley.

"How could it be so fast??"

Looking at Xiao Ran's figure, Chang Dawei felt incredulous. Both the Fifth Masters of the Hu and Huang families had made a move. Even if he wanted to force his way through, he wouldn't be able to get through without the help of Seventh Master Liu.

But in just two hours, Xiao Ran had already arrived at the entrance of the Five Immortals Hall.

This shocked Chang Dawei, and his eyes filled with even more intense jealousy towards Xiao Ran, adding another layer to his hatred for her.

This hatred came out of nowhere.

Logically speaking, Xiao Ran and Chang Dawei had no conflict whatsoever; if there was, it was merely a matter between him and the Five Immortals Hall.

Chang Dawei, on the other hand, was an outsider and simply watched quietly.

But if everything in the world were like that, then there probably wouldn't be that many eggs in the world.

In fact, although Chang Dawei didn't want to admit it, Xiao Ran's appearance was like a mirror that revealed his true colors, stripping away all the halo he was so proud of and exposing the fact that he was just an ordinary person.

"Boom!!"

Just then, a gong suddenly sounded from the distant valley.

Then a cloud of black mist erupted from the valley like a mudslide.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of the gong grew louder and louder, and Chang Dawei and the others could hear it from afar. Each gong rang out, sending chills down their spines.

Even from a great distance, everyone could sense an ominous aura emanating from the black mist.

Even the evil spirits retreated hundreds of meters.

"Open the court!!!"

A long shout echoed from the valley, and in an instant, all the birds and beasts in the surrounding mountains and forests were awakened from their nests and scattered in all directions.

"This is!!" Chang Dawei's heart tightened, and he exclaimed in surprise, "The Five Immortals opening the hall?"

"Court is now in session!!!"

From the void came a sharp cry, followed by a deafening chorus.

"Open the hall!"

Immediately afterwards, a series of rhythmic sounds came from sticks striking the floor.

All that could be seen was billowing black mist and a demonic aura soaring into the sky.

Even the sky was dyed pitch black. Looking into the distance, the world ahead seemed to have been devoured of light, becoming a forbidden land where no living being could enter.

"What does 'opening the hall' mean?" Wu Man looked at Jin Chanzi with a face full of doubt.

Jin Chanzi frowned and explained, "Actually, it's similar to the Taoist magic soldiers and the Legalist 'rampant soldiers.' Once the altar is opened, the immortals inside will enter the mortal world and take action."

The term "spirit master" often refers to fox spirits, willow spirits, white spirits, yellow spirits, and gray spirits. Many people may think that a person is considered to have become a spirit master simply because one of these spirits is attached to a shaman.

Actually, that's not the case. True shamans don't worship a single spirit, but a group of spirits.

The first thing a shamanic disciple does upon leaving the mountain is to establish a shrine.

They enshrine their own spirit as the head of the temple, and recruit spirits and monsters from all directions into the temple as departments.

It can be said that only by establishing a shrine can one be considered a true shamanic disciple, and commanding spirits and ghosts to perform rituals is as easy as snapping one's fingers.

The more powerful the shamanic disciple, the larger the scale of their shrine.

Besides the headmaster and deputy headmaster, there are also command attendants, seal attendants, flag attendants, sword attendants, hall officials, hall generals, hall soldiers, and so on. According to their different positions and functions, every spirit and monster has a place.

It can be said that the scale of a temple is by no means small.

Moreover, the one who opened the hall at this moment was not a junior like Chang Dawei, but the true head of the Five Immortals Hall.

These old businesses, which have been operating for hundreds of years, have their guild halls passed down from generation to generation within the same family.

One can imagine how large it is. This is the true foundation of the Five Immortals Hall, and also the strength with which the Five Immortals Hall stands in Guandong and suppresses all kinds of evil spirits.

The Five Immortals have opened the hall! This is far more powerful than the one in the Dream Pool back then.

Xiao Ran stood in the black mist, his brows furrowed as he looked at the swirling demonic winds around him, and he couldn't help but take the situation seriously.

Xiao Ran had experienced the power of the Five Immortals Opening the Hall back in the Dream Pool. At that time, the Five Immortals Opening the Hall was only a simplified version, and its power was incomparable to what it was now.

Just then, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from ahead.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

The sound of gongs and drums grew closer, and from the darkness, a group of figures clad in silver armor and wielding swords emerged from the left, forming a killing formation.

The silver-armored general at the head of the group had a pair of deer antlers, a sallow complexion, and carried two swords. He also carried three large banners on his back and charged forward menacingly.

"General Liu, Lu Shou, has come on orders to slay the evil spirits!"

As the voice faded, another group appeared on the right, dressed in black armor, carrying longbows, and with swords at their waists, charging in orderly formation.

The leader, a black-armored general, had a round head and was covered in black fur. He held two millstone-sized hammers in his hands.

"Bai Family General Xiong Gang has been ordered to slay the evil spirits!"

Then three more teams attacked from behind.

"General Hu, with the might of a tiger!"

Huang Jiatang general, Leopard punishment!
General Huijiatang, Pig Lie!
"We have come under orders to slay the demons!"

(End of this chapter)