Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapter 502, Section 512: The Southern Branch of the Daoist Lineage

“These…these aren’t people from our Fengjia Village!” Wang Youde finally came to his senses.

He squinted at the group of Taoist priests ringing bells and took a soft breath.

"These are people from the Southern Sect!"

Zhong Kui, standing nearby, asked in confusion, "What is the Southern School?"

Wang Youde explained in a low voice: "In the secular world, Taoism is just a general term, which includes nine branches."

"Quanzhen, Zhengyi, Shangqing, Lingbao... as well as the largest Southern and Northern Schools."

"Among them, the Southern School prioritizes life over nature, and is compatible with talismans and thunder magic, while the Northern School cultivates both life and nature, and is skilled in alchemy and swordsmanship. Both eventually return to the Divine Firmament, but in the end they became enemies of each other."

"The most obvious characteristic of the Southern School is that, influenced by the Miao people in the Ten Thousand Mountains, they like to stick a piece of yellow paper on their face."

The two whispered conversation inevitably reached the Taoist's ears.

The leading Taoist looked in the direction of the two, the yellow paper seemingly unable to block his view at all, and chuckled softly.

"Back then, everyone in the village was trapped in the Nightmare Realm and became Nightmare Ghosts, but you were the only exception and were not affected. The Daoist Master turned a blind eye and chose to spare your life, allowing you to enjoy your old age in peace."

"Who would have thought you'd be so useless, insisting on courting death by letting a doll in?"

The Taoist shrugged helplessly and sighed, "The King of Liang's plans cannot be known to outsiders, so please don't blame me."

As he spoke, the Taoist priest shook the bell in his hand.

In an instant, countless armored ghost soldiers, driven by the sound of the bell, rushed forward.

Li Ping'an's iron chains danced in the air, creating whistling sounds as they struck the onrushing Yin soldiers.

The Scissors of Sorrow and Joy in his hand were even more ferocious, their sharp blades turning into afterimages as they shredded the ghostly soldiers before him.

Upon seeing this, the Taoist priest ordered the ghost soldiers to cease their attack, his tone turning icy: "A desperate struggle."

"I don't want to waste these trained ghost soldiers, so go!"

Several figures suddenly flew out from beside the Taoist. These figures, like the Taoist, had yellow paper pasted on their faces, but their clothes were different.

As soon as they flew out, they scattered talismans into the air. The talismans floated in the sky but did not fall, quickly sealing Zhong Kui and his companions in a special environment.

"They're setting up a formation!" Li Ping'an felt his internal energy rapidly draining away and thought to himself, "This is bad."

Zhong Kui also realized something was wrong.

He was now full of doubts, such as what Southern Sect the other party came from, and what Li Ping'an was said to be a demon-level infant spirit.

Li Ping'an had been by his side for quite some time, and he was even more afraid of fierce ghosts than he was, so how could he possibly be a demon?

However, when he thought of Li Ping'an rescuing him and his fierce figure as he easily killed the Yin soldiers in front of them, Zhong Kui had to admit the truth.

However, the situation is urgent now, and there is no time for him to think about these things.

Zhong Kui raised his Shadow Sword, intending to step forward to help, but was grabbed by Wang Youde at that moment.

"What are you going up there for!" Wang Youde glared at Zhong Kui.

At this moment, Li Ping'an did not try to hide himself, so Wang Youde had already noticed Li Ping'an and quickly realized what was going on.

His previous assumptions about Zhong Kui were overturned once again, and now he was beginning to believe Zhong Kui's claim that he was a Yin-Yang walker.

To be protected by a malevolent spirit, to say that the other party has no one behind them is pure nonsense.

Unable to break free from Wang Youde's grasp, Zhong Kui could only say urgently, "Of course we'll help! Are we just going to watch him face so many powerful enemies alone?"

Wang Youde completely disregarded Zhong Kui's emotions and held on tightly, saying, "With your and my meager strength, going up there will only cause trouble, and we'll die even faster."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui gradually calmed down.

He watched as Li Ping'an's power gradually weakened within the talisman array, and his body was covered in wounds from the attacks of several Taoists. He felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

"But we can't escape. Are we just going to stand by and watch Ping An besiege and die?"

Wang Youde's eyes also looked rather grim. He knew all too well that once the infant spirits in front of them were trapped, the leading Taoist priest would certainly not let them go.

However, given the vast difference in strength, his main cultivation method was of little use in the battle and might even backfire.

If this continues, we're all just slowly waiting to die.

Just then, Li Ping'an, who was struggling to hold on in front, suddenly turned around and shouted to Zhong Kui.

"Take out the shrine from your bundle!"

Zhong Kui was taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately opened the bundle, taking out a simple wooden shrine.

This shrine was a gift from his sister before he left. It was carved by Zhong Xiaomei herself. When she gave it to him, she said that every household in Zhaoshan City would enshrine and worship this shrine, which could ward off evil spirits and prevent epidemics, and protect peace.

Zhong Kui also knew who the little sister had carved in the shrine was—it was none other than the Northern Underworld Lord who had unified Luozhou.

However, this shrine was a simple one. Zhong Xiaomei didn't even carve the face of the shrine; it only had a rough outline. Strictly speaking, it could only be considered a piece of wood and could not be considered a formal shrine at all.

"What's the use of this?" Zhong Kui asked Li Ping'an, puzzled.

Li Ping'an suffered a few more wounds and said with a hint of exasperation, "Of course you should pray! Haven't you ever asked a god for protection in your family?"

"Yes, there is one, but this shrine was carved casually by my younger sister, so you can't see the face at all."

"Just bow when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense!" Li Ping'an said after dodging an attack from a Taoist priest.

When the Taoist priest opposite saw Zhong Kui take out the shrine, his eyes narrowed slightly beneath the yellow paper, and with a wave of his sleeves, the nightmare corpses beside him rushed out.

"call!!"

The nightmare-like figure, carrying a terrifying killing intent, rushed straight towards Zhong Kui and his companion.

"I'll block it for you!"

Wang Youde dared not squat behind Zhong Kui any longer, and took out a slingshot from his waist and threw it out.

Seeing this, Zhong Kui finally stopped hesitating, placed the shrine on the ground, quickly took out three long incense sticks, lit them, and bowed down to the shrine in worship.

"Will this work?!" Zhong Kui wondered to himself.

His parents' death made him instinctively distrust the function of the shrine, especially since it was carved by his younger sister and even the facial features were blurry.

"Bang bang bang!!"

The bullet exploded in mid-air, barely buying Zhong Kui a moment's time.

The Nightmare Corpse emerged from the smoke, its body completely unaffected by the runes on the bullets, except for some black ash.

The Taoist sneered and said, "My nightmare corpse has been nurtured by many of my talismans. How could your simple exorcism talisman possibly stop it?"

"Kill them!"

Wang Youde felt a blur before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain in his abdomen. A cold, stiff hand had pierced through his body and emerged from his back. "Tear!"

Wang Youde's body was split in two by the immense power of the Nightmare Corpse, and the two remains were flung into the air.

Zhong Kui's heart trembled upon hearing the sound of flesh being torn apart. After guessing what was happening before him, he still chose to continue the ritual.

He slammed his head heavily against the ground, blood seeping from his forehead, and kept chanting in his mind.

But at that moment, a large hand grabbed him.

Under the power of that arm, Zhong Kui felt like a little chick, completely powerless to resist.

He stared at the nightmare corpse in front of him, and just like before, drew his sword and slashed.

However, when the Shadow Blade struck the Nightmare Corpse's face, it was like metal striking stone, unable to penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

He knew that his strength was too weak, and he couldn't unleash the true power of the Shadow Blade.

Seeing this, Li Ping'an became anxious and tried to break free from the attack of the Taoists. However, the Taoists coordinated well and kept attacking him with runes and spells, making it difficult for him to escape.

At this moment, on Zhong Kui's side, the Nightmare Corpse seemed to be completely enraged by Zhong Kui's attack, letting out a muffled roar that made the surrounding air buzz.

It raised its massive arm, grabbed Zhong Kui, and slammed it down.

If that blow lands squarely, Zhong Kui's physical body would probably explode into a pool of blood mist on the ground instantly.

"Zhong Kui!"

Li Ping'an was extremely anxious, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes. He was just about to risk his life to rush over and save Zhong Kui when...

Suddenly, a long, slender, and clean hand caught Zhong Kui as he fell.

Zhong Kui originally thought he was going to die, but to his surprise, he felt like he had fallen on a cotton ball. Not only was he not injured at all, but he also heard a clear, cold, and inexplicably reassuring voice.

"Don't panic!"

Zhong Kui opened his eyes, looked up in surprise, and saw a young man in a flowing robe with a cold and aloof demeanor standing beside him.

It was the other person who used their hands to hold his body, stopping the Nightmare Corpse from crashing down.

The Nightmare Corpse stared at Lin Beixuan, a hint of doubt in its murky eyes.

Then, a slender hand slowly reached out in front of it and flicked its fingers.

"Bang!!"

With a muffled thud, the force of the long, slender fingers shooting out was like a cannonball, seemingly tearing the space itself apart, and it slammed directly into the Nightmare Corpse's forehead.

The hard head, which even the Shadow Sword couldn't penetrate, burst open like a balloon punctured by a needle.

Without using any strange magic or a spectacular battle, with just a simple flick of his finger, the head of the nightmare corpse that Zhong Kui felt was like a mountain blocking his way was blown to pieces.

Praying to the shrine really works!
The Lord of the Underworld has really come to save them!
Zhong Kui was shocked, his heart filled with indescribable excitement.

After the nightmare corpse's head exploded, the bell in the hand of the Taoist priest with yellow paper pasted on his face also turned to dust. He raised his head and looked coldly at Lin Beixuan.

"Impressive! Which mountain's mortal deity are you?"

Lin Beixuan ignored the Taoist and turned his gaze to the direction where Li Ping'an was. He simply snapped his fingers, and the talisman array that was weakening Li Ping'an's power instantly collapsed.

Li Ping'an felt a sense of lightness throughout his body as the previously suppressed power returned. He moved his body with delight and smiled happily at Lin Beixuan.

"Old...Lord!"

He instinctively wanted to call him "Father," but he quickly stopped himself and changed it to "Lord."

The Taoists who were besieging Li Ping'an stopped what they were doing and stood still, quietly watching Lin Beixuan.

Seeing that Lin Beixuan ignored him, the leading Taoist frowned and sneered, "It is common for mortal gods to incarnate and come to save people at the request of their believers, but do you know who we are?"

"I'm not interested in knowing."

Lin Beixuan glanced down at Wang Youde's body, which had been split in two, and slowly walked to Li Ping'an's side, praising him.

"Well done, you're much more sensible than before!"

Li Ping'an was happy inside, but on the surface he turned his head away arrogantly.

Seeing that Lin Beixuan was ignoring him again, the Taoist priest was already beginning to feel a surge of anger.

"Does Your Excellency truly not take us seriously?"

"You're just an avatar that was brought in. Do you really think we can't handle you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a black banner appeared out of thin air in the Taoist's hand. The banner was filled with yin energy, and the faces of countless yin spirits appeared and disappeared on the banner, emitting mournful howls.

As the Taoist waved his hand, the black banner billowed violently, and streams of black energy swept towards Lin Beixuan.

"Hiss! How many human souls must have been sacrificed inside this!" Li Ping'an exclaimed in shock, sensing the chilling aura emanating from the black banner.

These black currents expanded violently in the air, quickly condensing into a giant skull that opened its mouth, attempting to devour Lin Beixuan and the others.

At the same time, several Taoist priests made hand seals and chanted obscure incantations. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky, and thunder rumbled incessantly from within the clouds.

"Today, even if you are the incarnation of a mortal god, you will perish here!"

The Yellow Paper Taoist smiled sinisterly: "When the time comes, I will report to King Liang, and we will find out where your true form is and destroy your mortal god form as well."

"Just a minor deity, yet he actually thinks he's something. Everyone who knows about King Liang's plan, whether human or deity, must die."

The Yellow Paper Taoist, seemingly unaware of the source of the information, appeared completely unconcerned, prompting Li Ping'an to roll his eyes.

Lin Beixuan remained calm. Facing the enormous skeleton rushing towards him, he simply raised his right hand, and a crimson lotus flower fell, instantly incinerating the skeleton into nothingness.

"Ye Yan!" Upon seeing this, Huang Zhi Dao Ren's eyes widened suddenly, staring at Lin Bei Xuan with some surprise, and a figure appeared in his mind.

At the same time, the lightning arrays cast by the other Taoists also became completely ineffective, and the viscous yin lightning in the sky transformed into a giant python that devoured the lightning they had summoned with their magic.

Wisps of dark lightning spilled out and struck the Taoist priests, instantly tearing their skin and flesh apart.

Moreover, the powerful adhesion of the Yin Lightning was not temporary, but rather a continuous stimulation of their bodies. Before long, several Taoists collapsed to the ground, their bodies turning into charred remains.

"Karmic Fire, Black Thunder, you are the Northern Underworld Lord of Luo Prefecture!" The Yellow Paper Taoist said through gritted teeth, his voice trembling slightly.

Since the disappearance of the Underworld, the karmic fire in the world has also disappeared. The only one who can control the karmic fire is the Lord of the Northern Underworld, who is in Luozhou and has cleaned up the hungry ghosts.

The karmic fire fueled by souls and karma has also become one of the other party's signature characteristics.

Adding to Li Ping'an's words and the viscous black lightning, these factors combined make it almost certain that the avatar before them is none other than the Northern Underworld Lord.

The Yellow Paper Taoist gasped, abandoning his previous arrogant attitude, and respectfully bowed to Lin Beixuan.

"This humble Daoist, Wuyou of the Southern Sect, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)