Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 133 Master's Blade
Stone mill

"Chen Sheng had lived in Jingxing for a long time and was skilled in matters of demons and ghosts. The people of Ruyi Village asked Chen Sheng to tell them about a demonic calamity. Chen Sheng said that the demon was playing tricks on people but not harming them, so he went to investigate. When he arrived at the village, he found that the stone mill in the village had become a demon, but it had protected the villagers for sixty years. The villagers listened to the sorceress's wicked words and destroyed their bodies and paths, and were punished in a small way to lure the culprit. Chen Sheng felt that the stone mill demon was happy, so he helped the sorceress to ambush and kill her. The stone mill demon was seriously injured and feared that it would die. Chen Sheng then asked to become its ghost messenger, and he also knew the art of turning stone into stone."

Fossilization?
Chen Ji was in a daze for a moment, and then the secret of this fossil technique came to mind.

This should be a skill that the Stone Mill Demon was born with, and now Chen Ji has also mastered how to use it.

It does resemble the illusion technique of clouds and mist, except that one transforms into clouds and the other into stone.

If it weren't for the record in "Strange Tales," which exempted Chen Ji from the preparations for his early cultivation, he would not have had to get close to the earth, feel the nature of stone, and imagine that his body was stone, and that life could only undergo such a change without breathing.

Upon closer inspection, one realizes that the mystery of this technique is not simple at all.

After transforming into stone, one can not only conceal their life signs and hide their form, but also truly avoid damage from swords and spears like a stone.

Previously, the stone mill demon transformed into a stone mill, half of which was controlled by itself and the other half by this magic. No wonder it was able to withstand the attack of the weapon transformed from a vengeful ghost.

Moreover, at a high level of spiritual cultivation, one can even turn things they've touched or seen into stone.

Just thinking about this made Chen Ji inexplicably think of another demon in the medicine hall.

One turned into stone, the other into bronze; it would be very interesting to meet.

So Chen Ji smiled and looked at the Stone Mill Demon.

“I have a demon on my side whose magic is quite similar to yours, fellow Daoist. I imagine that discussing magic with him would be very interesting.”

"Oh?"

The stone mill demon emerged from the peach fairy's body, quite curious.

Chen Ji simply smiled.

"You'll know when you see it, fellow Daoist. There's no point in saying it now."

The stone mill demon had no choice but to suppress his thoughts and look at what was in front of him again.

"Fellow Daoist, what should we do with this sorceress's physical body?"

"The little ghosts are invisible, all inside this magical artifact, which is easy to deal with. Fellow Daoist has authority over the underworld, but this sorceress is still human after all, I'm afraid..."

"It's alright. She's related to the case the underworld is investigating, and I'll make arrangements."

After saying that, he looked at the stone mill demon and smiled slightly.

"It would be perfect if you could trouble me to go and meet a fellow Daoist."

"Where?"

"The Underworld".

Chen Ji said slowly.

As she spoke, she realized she hadn't explained the situation to him yet.

Before, when I wasn't a ghost messenger, some things were hard to explain, but now it's a good time to make things clear.

They quickly moved from the previous attack on the Ghost Gate and the incident with the City God of the Water to the predicament in Tongshan Village and the current actions of the sorceress.

"This... why does this sound somewhat familiar?"

The stone mill demon was only surprised by what he heard at first, but later he realized that this was exactly what he was experiencing.

The only difference is that the villagers have been replaced by shamans, but what remains the same is that they all use talismans and spells to erase the villagers' memories.

"Fellow Daoist, are you saying there's a connection between these things?"

"There should be a connection, but we need to find out more details."

"You are a ghost messenger, and you have experienced this matter, so it is to give you the opportunity to explain the situation to the underworld."

"Understood."

The stone mill demon nodded in agreement.

Seeing that the Stone Mill Demon agreed so readily, Chen Ji felt a little embarrassed.

"However, I have never been to the underworld, so I don't know how to get there. I would have to ask other ghosts for advice."

Upon hearing this, the stone mill demon burst into laughter.

"Fellow Daoist, you worry too much. I am a soul, so I naturally know how to get to the Underworld. There is no need to ask."

"I had heard before that there is a rule in the underworld that if a ghost goes there without a proper background, the patrolling underworld officials will arrest it first and then deal with other matters."

"Fellow Daoist, you should report to the Underworld and write me a letter or give me a token, so as not to be captured by the Underworld officials."

"This is natural."

When Judge Lu gave Chen Ji the Token of the Day of the Gods, he had mentioned this matter before. Now, as soon as he took out the token and had a thought, a wisp of yin energy flowed out of the token and imprinted itself on the Stone Mill Demon.

Although invisible to the naked eye, beings associated with the underworld can sense the aura emanating from it.

"Alright, when you go to the Underworld, just talk to Judge Lu. You have my aura on you, he will understand."

"Okay, I'm going."

After saying this, the stone mill demon cupped his hands in farewell, but then stopped.

"I don't know how long I will be gone from the underworld. Fellow Daoist, there's no need to wait for me here. I know the way to Iron Gold Town. Once this matter is settled, I will come to find you."

"Alright."

Chen Ji nodded in agreement.

Looking again at the stone mill demon, it had already burrowed underground and disappeared, just like Lu Pan's every coming and going.

"It's amazing."

Chen Ji clicked his tongue in amazement, somewhat admiring the Yin Si's abilities, as they could burrow underground and return to any place. He wondered if Mr. Su had such methods.

Chen Ji thought to himself that he must ask about it next time he returned to the mountain.

Since it was still early, Chen Ji was too lazy to travel back in the dark. It would be bad if he disturbed the monsters in the courtyard, so he simply took stock of what he had just gained.

The sorceress's physical body?
Chen Ji glanced at it and then looked away.

This human body had been tainted by the deathly aura of demons and ghosts, turning it into tattered rags. It exuded an eerie aura, and according to the aura-gazing technique, it looked no different from a rag.

Then his gaze fell on the ground, looking at the shaman who had thrown down the cleaver.

The shaman's knife was originally a ritual implement used by shamans and sorcerers to exorcise evil spirits and ward off ghosts. It should be a dignified and upright instrument, blessed with the golden light of merit.

But the bloodthirsty aura contained in this blade was even greater than that of an ordinary butcher's knife; it was unclear how it had become so tainted.

and……

The shape of this master's knife is also different from the common ones.

Master knives are mostly used for slaying ghosts, so the blade is blunt and heavy. But this one even has a sharpened blade with a gleaming blue light. Even if used as an ordinary dagger, it would still be a sharp weapon.

Moreover, there were no imperial edicts or runes on it, which was quite strange.

Chen Ji picked it up and examined it. As soon as he touched it, he felt a chilling, murderous aura emanating from the blade, and he subconsciously frowned.

Then, he used his magic to grip the master's sword tightly, channeling a wisp of light energy to suppress the blood energy, and with a gentle shake, he sensed something.

Six fierce ghosts were sealed inside this sword.

The three that the sorceress summoned just now were from inside.

However, she was only human and didn't have many magical abilities. Controlling three was already her limit, and she still needed a talisman array to suppress them. If she were to summon three normally, she herself would probably be affected and turn into a ghost.

But Chen Ji had no such worries at all.

With a thought, he brandished his sword, and six fierce ghosts emerged simultaneously, roaring and revealing their hideous faces.

The three who had seen Chen Ji before were now trembling as they looked at him, not daring to make the slightest move.

They had personally witnessed how this Taoist priest could imprison all the vengeful ghosts and wronged spirits in the entire graveyard with a single spell, and he could even extract and imprison the souls of the living. Dealing with them was effortless for him.

The remaining three vengeful ghosts shook their heads left and right, not seeing the sorceress, their surprise mixed with excitement.

They treated Chen Ji as an ordinary mortal, grabbing him and about to swallow him whole.

Chen Ji looked at the three ghosts.

There was no need to dodge, nor was there any need to dodge; I simply exhaled gently.

"boom!"

A crimson fire dragon exploded in the air, binding the three demons tightly with clouds and mist.

"Ow!"

Under the scorching heat of the flames, the three vengeful ghosts instantly screamed and howled in agony.

The flames Chen Ji spewed were originally formed from the essence of the sun through visualization, which naturally restrained all evil spirits, and fire control was one of the techniques he was quite proficient in.

Unlike when they encountered ghosts on the road and could only watch helplessly as the flames burned them to death, they could now control the fire, turning it into ropes, leaving only wisps of flame dancing around the vengeful ghosts, tormenting their souls like lamps.

This is also a method that Chen Ji learned from the Netherfire Technique.

It's gentler than ghost fire, at least it won't burn away the soul; it's just punishment.

"Ow! Ah!"

The three ghosts screamed incessantly, and the three ghosts from before trembled involuntarily upon hearing it.

The one with only its head instinctively shrank its body and looked at Chen Ji more obediently.

"Can you understand me?"

Chen Ji glanced sideways at the most unusual ghost and became somewhat curious after discovering that it seemed to be able to understand human emotions.

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, the vengeful ghost gritted his teeth, nodded, and spoke.

"Can you say something simple?"

"Ok?"

Chen Ji carefully examined the vengeful ghost, and his eyes lit up.

He had initially thought the vengeful ghost came from the master's sword, which explained its malevolent aura.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it wasn't the vengeful ghost that had been tainted by the master's sword; rather, it was the master's sword that had been tainted by the little ghost's aura.

The other five ghosts were indeed ghost generals imprisoned within the Master's Blade, but this little ghost was a spirit born from the Master's Blade.

No wonder they are able to do other things and talk to people.

Seeing this, Chen Ji simply recalled the other five ghosts, leaving only the little ghost to talk to.

"What's the deal with this Master Dao? And what about the Five Ghosts and you?"

"Master's Blade..."

The little devil paused, his eyes glazing over, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"That's it."

Chen Ji gripped the master's sword and shook it, the bone fragments rattling like flowing water.

"This!"

The little devil perked up and answered Chen Ji's questions.

It was roughly as he had guessed; this master's knife was originally a ritual implement used by a Nuo master, and it contained the five guardian deities.

Although they are called guardian deities, they are actually the souls of spiritual practitioners who are more powerful than ordinary ghosts.

Later, somehow he arrived near Fenshan Town and heard about the Blood Demon. He accepted the money and went to capture the demon, but unexpectedly, he was captured by the demon and lost his life. All his magical artifacts were given to the Blood Demon King.

This is one of them.

The Blood Demon King then used the blood and souls of mortals to defile the golden light of merit accumulated on this magical artifact, forcibly corrupting the five guardian deities into vengeful ghosts, and forcibly confining them inside the master's sword to obey his commands. If anything went wrong or went wrong, he would use the sword to slap them half to death.

Since he didn't have the means to skin and separate the soul, he used this master's knife to sharpen the edge and use it as a skinning knife.

Later, as the Blood Demon's strength improved and he no longer needed the item, he gave it to his trusted subordinates to carry when they were on missions.

"Can it still be like this?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Ji's eyes.

No wonder I felt a little familiar when I saw these ghosts earlier. Now that I think about it, they do look a bit like the guardian deities in the Taoist temple. It's just that their blood and ferocity were too strong, so I didn't recognize them.

"Is there any way to recover from this?"

Chen Ji asked.

Although he now possesses some magical artifacts, none of them are quite suitable for him.

This sword itself possesses certain abilities, and even has a consciousness within it. If it could be restored to its original form, it would still be one of the Five Guardian Deities, making it a truly excellent magical artifact.

The little devil wasn't quite sure either, and slowly shook his head.

"I don't know either. When I first gained intelligence, there were no such methods. I'm afraid I'll have to ask someone else."

Chen Ji nodded.

"understood."

I was a little disappointed not to get an answer, but not too surprised.

After all, this is already considered a profound weapon-refining technique. Even the magical artifacts that Miss Bai refined earlier did not have any weapon spirits.

This is perfect to take back with me; it can be used as a toy for the foxes, and also allow Bai Shi to conduct research.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji put away the little devil, packed up his master's sword, and prepared to leave.

Looking up, they found that the formation was still there.

This thing can even trap witches and stone mill demons. If it were an ordinary villager, they would probably be trapped inside and never be able to get out. Staying here would only bring trouble.

So, on a whim, he manipulated the sword and casually slashed through the void.

"Bah!"

A sound like tearing silk rang out, and the array before them quietly shattered.

Chen Ji nodded in satisfaction.

But they discovered that outside the formation, there were already yamen runners and dozens of villagers standing, holding black dog blood ropes, machetes, hoes, sickles, and carrying poles...

"Immortal Master, you've come out?"

Upon seeing Chen Ji, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Didn't I tell you to rest at home? Why are you out here again?"

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows and looked over.

Zheng Yuan and the old man quickly waved their hands.

“We didn’t call them together; they came on their own.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the men not far away shouted loudly.

“Master, it really wasn’t them who shouted. We couldn’t sleep at night, so we were chatting in the house when we heard rolling thunder, the sound of a millstone grinding, and ghostly wails coming from the village square.”

"We thought that you, Immortal Master, were inside fighting demons and ghosts for us, and we didn't even have a night watchman. That's not right, so we came to check on you."

"I never imagined that with so many people, it would turn out like this!"

"Yes, Immortal Master, it has nothing to do with Lord Zheng and Fourth Uncle."

……

Chen Ji felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

This Ruyi Village truly lives up to its name; the people here are completely different from those in Tongshan Village. No wonder the Stone Mill Demon risked his cultivation to protect this place.

While they were still thinking, Zheng Yuan and the old man had already stepped forward.

After looking around and seeing that Chen Ji was not injured, he asked in a trembling voice what had happened inside.

Chen Ji then explained to them what had happened inside.

He pointed casually as he spoke.

"That's the culprit. The body of the sorceress who killed the villagers is over there."

"Pah! You've ruined people! You've ruined people!"

I'll beat you to death, you bastard!

"I even brought people to you for help before, I was so blind!"

……

As soon as Chen Ji finished speaking, some people rushed forward, spitting and cursing, while others, not satisfied with that, even kicked him a few times.

If it weren't for Chen Ji's presence, preventing me from using sharp weapons, I'm afraid I would have used all sorts of tools like hoes and hammers.

Chen Ji simply watched without stopping them.

After all, both the underworld and the mortal realm are capital offenses, so it really doesn't matter which one dies first.

It would be better to let the villagers vent their anger.

But before he could say anything more, a thought struck him. He looked at the ground, took a step forward, and stood to the side, bowing respectfully.

"Why has Judge Lu come here in person?"

(End of this chapter)