Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 327 336 Transformation Diagram, Book of Life and Death

"Hahaha, Godfather is indeed invincible!"

"Now that our army has occupied Shanzhou, Guozhou, and Luoyang, if we take Zezhou, Huaizhou, and Ruzhou, the Zhu traitor's tentacles toward the capital will be completely severed!"

Inside the government office, Li Siben and Li Si'en looked excited, holding the latest military report and pointing at the huge map from time to time.

Li Cunxiao could see at a glance that the flag representing Zhu Quanzhong had basically retreated to Henan Province, with only two narrow, tentacle-shaped borders remaining in the Eastern Capital region.

During the month, Li Yisheng also had some tentative exchanges with Zhu Quanzhong, but in the end, the troops from Hedong always won one battle after another.

Regardless of military discipline, the fighting strength of the troops from Hedong was indeed among the best in the world.

"The more cities we can conquer, the more places we need to divide our troops to defend, which inevitably dilutes our military strength."

Li Siben frowned, and said seemingly casually:
"Moreover, the army has suffered considerable casualties in the series of battles. If Master Zhiheng could join the army, the pressure would be much less."

"This is not a good situation. Master Zhiheng and Master Qici are going to suppress the Huayin Buddha. They said it would take half a year, but only half of that time has passed."

Li Si'en sighed and his gaze swept over Li Cunxiao's face.

The latter remained unmoved, merely nodding as if in agreement, but offering no further comment, and continued processing the documents as if nothing had happened.

The two exchanged a glance, and immediately felt somewhat helpless.

Originally, Li Yisheng left the two of them here to check Li Cunxiao and prevent him from colluding with the nobles in the capital and disturbing the rear.

Unexpectedly, the other party was too disciplined. Since the army left, he had been either working in the government office or in the Duke of Yue's mansion, closing the door to guests and refusing to see outsiders, claiming to be cultivating.

A month has passed, and things have remained unchanged without a single flaw.

The most feared Grandmaster Qici also stayed in Huayin, watched over by Zhiheng, and remained completely still.

But with the front lines achieving victory after victory, Li Yisheng's battle reports, besides announcing good news, also hinted at whether the two guards of the Buddha could be moved around a bit.

Even without a Grandmaster's intervention, the combat power of a Grandmaster is basically decisive in the outcome of the battle.

With the Ming Cult's Dharma Kings both seriously injured and tied up in the rear, Zhu Quanzhong only had Ge Congzhou and Yang Shihou at his disposal.

At this point, having one more Grandmaster would mean gaining at least one more state in future battles.

The letter even explained to Li Siben and Li Si'en that there was no need for Qici to take action; they only needed the other party to come to Luoyang to take charge.

Their original plan was to have Li Cunxiao try to persuade him, but he just doesn't want to do anything now. What can they do?
For the rest of the day, Li Si'en and Li Si'ben tried every means to invite Li Cunxiao, hoping that he could persuade Qici to contribute to the great cause of the Prince of Jin.

However, Li Cunxiao insisted on Li Yisheng's previous instructions, determined to stay in the capital and oversee the rear no matter what.

When the two brought up their master-disciple relationship, he retorted with the same statement: "A monk is compassionate and does not get involved in wars." "How can a disciple force his master?"

These are of course lies.

Li Cunxiao desperately wanted to go to Huayin, but the more he wanted to, the less he could let others see it.

The two tried to persuade him all day to no avail. It wasn't until he returned home after his shift that he took out the talisman and wrote to Qi Ci again.

So the next day, Li Cunxiao had barely stepped into the Hall of State Affairs when Li Si'en and Li Siben rushed in, beaming with joy, carrying urgent reports.

“Oh dear, Thirteenth Brother, what a coincidence! Master Zhiheng is preparing to hold a ritual to deliver the souls of the wronged, and Master Qici has also agreed.”

"If the ritual is successful, we won't have to guard that Buddha statue for half a month anymore!"

"However, holding a religious ceremony requires a lot of rare and precious materials. I'm afraid you, Thirteenth Prince, will have to make the trip yourself."

"Is that so?" Li Cunxiao was secretly delighted, but his face showed suspicion.

"If there was a way to resolve this, why didn't you do it sooner? Why have you kept putting it off until now?"

Li Si'en thought to himself, "This is really a reversal of the natural order. We should be the ones supervising you, but instead you're the one who suspects us."

Nevertheless, he still had to patiently explain:
"That's not the case. There are many weapons in this world that are great for killing, but few that have other wonderful uses."

"The divine weapon 'Hell Transformation Diagram' passed down by Yuhua Temple is only so-so in terms of combat power, but it is first-class in its effectiveness in dispelling evil spirits."

"Previously, this divine weapon was left at Yuhua Temple for disciples and my Hedong soldiers to use in their training; it was a fundamental and important weapon."

"Now it was only after Master Zhigang dispatched his chief disciple, along with seven eminent monks specializing in this art and twenty ordained monks, with divine weapons that the conditions for holding the ceremony were met."

Li Siben echoed this sentiment:

“Thirteenth brother, now that our godfather is fighting on the front lines, we are all anxiously holding the fort in the rear.”

“We’re not forcing you to persuade Master Qici, but at least helping the vengeful spirits of Huayin find peace as soon as possible will finally put an end to your worries, won’t it?”

"I know the other brothers have been a bit hard on you lately."

"Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother, there's no need to say more."

Li Cunxiao knew he had achieved his goal, and any further performance would be excessive, so he readily agreed.

“Master Zhiheng wants to perform a ritual, and as the military commander, I have no choice but to do so.”

"As for my master, I can only say I'll try my best."

Li Siben and his companion were overjoyed to hear this and urged Li Cunxiao to quickly gather supplies, preferably to set off after noon and arrive in Huayin by evening.

Li Cunxiao only smiled after seeing the two off.

Zhiheng needs to perform rituals, which will certainly take more than just a day or two; Qici had already discussed this with him long ago.

However, he held back until Li Si'en and Li Si'ben couldn't hold back any longer and came to him for help, at which point he went along with it.

This way, things will fall into place naturally and without arousing suspicion.

Because each time, it was Li Si'en and his companion who took the initiative to request it.

That's how people are; the harder something is to obtain, the more they believe in it.

This method isn't particularly sophisticated; it's simply about understanding the other party's needs and then guiding them accordingly.

Although he had made preparations in advance, Li Cunxiao still acted as if he was frugal when allocating supplies, making it seem as if the situation had really come to a sudden turn and he had to piece things together from scratch.

Everything was ready, and it was already late afternoon. Although the distance between the capital region and Huayin County was less than half a day, it was already dark when we arrived.

The area around the capital is now the territory of the Prince of Jin, so the journey was smooth and without any surprises.

Li Cunxiao only brought a team of personal guards with him on this trip. When they arrived at Huayin, the soldiers guarding the city saw the Flying Tiger Flag and hurriedly opened the city gate.

After a night's rest, Li Cunxiao arrived at the location of the Buddha statue the next day with all the necessary supplies.

Zhiheng and Qici were sitting on the shoulders of the Buddha when they saw people coming from afar and immediately flew down.

“Master Zhiheng, Master.”

"Calling me Master would be too formal. I heard from your master that you also practiced in a Buddhist temple. Although you later joined the Louguan sect, you are still considered a half-novice monk. Call me Uncle-Master."

Li Cun readily accepted the advice of "Uncle Zhiheng".

"All the materials needed for the ritual have been prepared. When would you like to begin?"

"The Buddha statue contains yin energy, while yang energy is strongest at noon. Let's begin at noon."

Zhiheng gave a call, and more than twenty monks gathered near the Buddha statue to check their materials.

Nowadays, temples often have both ordained monks and lay monks.

Aside from looking like monks, lay monks are no different from ordinary people in other aspects, such as marrying, having children, joining the army, and becoming officials.

Ordained monks are those who have received incense and candles and have taken vows to practice Buddhism; they are the elites and the seeds of the lineage of their sect.

Among these people, Li Cunxiao observed that not only were the eight old monks at the Xuan Guan realm, but the other middle-aged monks were also at the Tian Ti and Huang Ting realms.

These are the future of the sect, no wonder Zhigang was unwilling to bring them up before.

After all, performing such rituals offers no benefit to martial artists other than tempering their minds; lower-level disciples might even succumb to demonic possession. For people in chaotic times, consuming elixirs and cultivating true qi is far more effective.

Zhiheng tactfully gave the master and disciple some space to talk. Seeing this, Li Cunxiao then chatted with his master as they strolled along:

"Master, you've worked hard these past few days."

Qi Ci knew his apprentice was referring to the preparations for this period of time, and shook his head.

"Hundreds of thousands of people died or were injured in Huayin. It is not something that can be resolved overnight. With the help of Yuhua Temple, it may be possible to completely resolve the issue in half a month or a month, leaving no future troubles."

While saying this aloud, what was actually being transmitted telepathically was:
"Disciple, I trust you, so I haven't asked many questions. What exactly do you want to do in Huayin?"

"A malevolent aura," Li Cunxiao said telepathically, just as he meant no part.

"I need the malevolent energy within the Buddha statue."

"what?"

Qi Ci was startled and immediately became somewhat anxious.

"The evil aura is the malevolent thoughts and evil intentions of the human heart. Even a grandmaster would have his heart defiled if he were corrupted by the evil aura of hundreds of thousands of people before their deaths."

"Zhu Quanzhong stole the acquired bag of our Maitreya Pure Land. Only by being able to extract its essence through the Six Paths of Reincarnation can he dare to dance on the edge of a knife."

"Dragon boats don't have that function, don't get yourself into trouble!"

"How could I do something I'm not sure of?" Li Cunxiao had already prepared his explanation.

"Master, have you forgotten what Master Taiyi's special skill is?"

"That Taoist priest, huh?"

Qi was about to refute, but then became somewhat uncertain.

"You mean his alchemical techniques that manipulate yin and yang?"

“That’s right,” Li Cunxiao lied through his teeth.

"The way of martial arts in this world is to use the spirit to control the demon, the yang spirit and the yin demon are two sides of the same coin."

"Thanks to the methods passed down to me by Master Taiyi, I can turn evil energy into my own, greatly reducing the time wasted in the inner realm and allowing me to reach the point of communion sooner."

"Otherwise, Master can check my cultivation level."

Upon hearing this, Qi Ci sensed it slightly and then fell silent.

His disciple's cultivation speed was indeed abnormally fast.

In just a few months, the entire complex has been completed and the interior design has begun.

But if it was a method left behind by Taiyi, who had already advanced to the Grandmaster level, then everything seems to be explainable.

After all, he himself had never been a grandmaster.

"how do you want to do it?"

Li Cunxiao was overjoyed to see that Qi had agreed and quickly said...

"Please ask Master to explain the midday memorial service to Master Zhiheng so that I can participate as well."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and won't let them suspect anything."

"Alright," Qi Ci finally agreed.

Anyway, he is a grandmaster, and this ritual is led by him and Zhiheng. If anything goes wrong, he can just kick his disciple out of the formation.

Now that his apprentices have grown up and are able to stand on their own, there's not much a master can do anymore.

"In this chaotic world, perhaps my duty as his master is to ensure that Cunxiao has the ability to protect himself as soon as possible."

"You old Taoist priest, you left so easily, leaving me with a complete mess."

The senior monk felt melancholy and couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his belly, only to find it empty. He then remembered that his former large belly had now transformed into the Maitreya Buddha, which made him even more melancholy.

Li Cunxiao thought his master was in a difficult position, so he remained silent for a moment.

He had actually considered telling the truth that Taiyi was not yet dead.

However, this also necessitates some explanation regarding the vajra.

He trusted Qici, but the other party was only a Grandmaster, while on the other side of Hedong, there was a Grandmaster named Li Yisheng.

If a conflict were to break out, the head monk, like the old Taoist priest, would be beaten until only his physical form remained, and then be arrested by Li Yisheng.

Wouldn't that mean my secret would be in danger?
Compared to the Vajra, the secret of Lingbao is simply insignificant.

Its existence has a revolutionary impact on the cultivation of demonic martial arts.

Therefore, except for the time when Taiyi Zhenren was on the verge of death, he had no choice but to do so.

As long as there is still room for maneuver, he will not reveal a single detail; doing so is for the good of everyone.

The wait wasn't long; soon after, when the sun was high in the sky, monks from Yuhua Temple came to invite them.

But then a huge scroll was unfurled on the ground. Various rare and precious materials in Zhiheng's hands were transformed into different shapes, and finally, they were thrown into the scroll, turning into eerie clouds and mist.

This divine weapon did not originate from Buddhism, but from a master surnamed Wu.

This Master Wu was an avid painter, and it is said that he even painted a portrait of Emperor Taizong.

There was once a Buddhist master who was acquainted with Master Wu, so he asked him to create a painting called "Hell Transformation". The painting depicts the state of people in hell after death, revealing the principle of cause and effect and retribution, and persuading people to do good.

Wu Zongshi completed over three hundred scrolls of paintings in a single night, his brushstrokes powerful and fierce, depicting bizarre and grotesque scenes that were terrifying to behold.

There is even a saying that "when Wu Sheng painted the hellish scenes of this temple, many butchers, wine sellers, and fishermen in the capital changed their professions out of fear of punishment after seeing it."

Later, the scroll was passed down to Yuhua Temple, where the current abbot used rare and precious materials to refine it, resulting in this extraordinary divine weapon.

Just as the ritual was about to begin, Qici walked over to Zhiheng and whispered a few words. Upon hearing this, the latter glanced at Li Cunxiao and then nodded.

"Alright. This disguised image is meant to have ten people dressed as the Ten Kings of Hell, and another twenty as their attendant ghost messengers."

“Junior Nephew Li has a higher cultivation level and is also a fellow Daoist disciple. Having him assist will only yield better results.”

After saying this, Zhiheng called Li Cunxiao over and gave him further instructions:

“It is truly rare for a junior disciple to possess such a compassionate heart.”

"The transformation diagram will unfold in a short while, and the divine weapon will actively draw in the evil energy into the formation."

"Do what you can. If you feel mentally and physically exhausted, do not push yourself. It is better to withdraw in time to avoid defilement of the spirit. Remember this well."

Li Cunxiao readily agreed, and then replaced the two disciples of Yuhua Temple, standing with Qici in the position of King Chujiang in the second hall of the diagram.

Once everyone was in place, the divine weapon transformation diagram immediately expanded and soared into the sky, eventually forming a long, circular scroll around the top of the Buddha's head.

With a change of hand seal, Zhiheng gently stroked the Buddha's head with the image of the Peacock King, causing the Buddha to tremble incessantly. Then, dark red evil energy surged and boiled like a vast ocean.

As soon as they broke out of the Buddha statue, they were divided into ten parts by the scroll and, under the suppression of the ten Yama Kings' phantoms formed by divine soldiers, they transformed into various kinds of ghosts and monsters.

Li Cunxiao then discovered that he too was covered by a layer of ghost messenger "skin," and that he had an extra Book of Life and Death and a judge's pen in his hand.

On the Book of Life and Death are rows of names, so scarlet they seem to drip blood. Every time the judge's pen touches them, scenes of death come to mind.

But Li Cunxiao only felt an itch, like ants tickling him. He grinned, and with a stroke of his judge's pen, he drew a large X on the Book of Life and Death.

The vajra shone with immense light!

(End of this chapter)