Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 679 The One Who Went Astray from Cultivation

ghost!!!
This word is like thunder from the heavens!
It slammed into this humid and oppressive southern courtyard!

moment!

All the discussions and noises vanished without a trace.

But no one laughed at these words, no one questioned them; there was only a heavy silence.

Clearly, those present were generally aware of the situation.

Under the heavy gazes of Bei Kong and Liang Jin, Li Ba swallowed hard, his narration becoming more coherent but still unable to conceal his fear.

turn out to be:

Bei Yi, driven mad by demonic possession, is like a ferocious, out-of-control humanoid beast, indulging in bloodshed and slaughter.

To prevent bloodshed, the caravan brothers used their agility as bait, along with delayed-sounding traps and the scent of live animal blood, to lure the irrational beast, Bei Yi, step by step into the remote, untouched forests.

The strategy was initially successful; Bei Yi was trapped in that designated hellish labyrinth for over a month, like a caged beast being pulled by invisible ropes.

However, the peace was completely shattered.

Just a few days ago, the team responsible for setting up bait traps deep in the forest disappeared one after another, vanishing without a trace.

Li Ba initially thought it was the work of foreign enemies, and in anger, he sent out a capable team deep into the forest to search for and fight back.

But when the searchers finally pinpointed the culprit, fear instantly overwhelmed their anger.

That was not a living person, and it was definitely not a martial artist from any known sect or school.

It was a dark shadow that appeared and disappeared amidst the dense foliage and swampy mist.

Its movements are contorted, its speed exceeds the limits of visual capture, and it also possesses...all the characteristics of a ghost!
It is elusive, ignores terrain obstacles, and can even evade physical attacks.

The skilled members of the caravan attempted to encircle and capture the void, using chains of flesh and blood to bind it, but all they got in return was a bloody lesson of a defeated army.

The inhuman black shadow, like a ravenous demon in the forest, tore apart and devoured its pursuers.

Even though Li Ba withdrew from the stronghold and gathered all the comrades at the demon-slaying conference to join forces, the hunting operation deep into the forest still ended in failure, with even losses of soldiers and generals.

"That's definitely a ghost! No living person could ever do that!"

As Li Ba spoke, the muscles on his dark, gaunt face contorted, and his pupils held the lingering remnants of deep-seated fear:

"Master Beikong! Great Teacher! We beg you to enter the mountain as soon as possible! Too many of our brothers have died, and our restraints on that demon... are about to break!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jin seemed to be deep in thought.

After he obtained the severed hand of the Uncorrupted Corpse of Guixu, a dark figure approached him.

At that time, the dark figure was indeed exceptionally light and strange, and seemed to possess some kind of peculiar martial arts that prevented Liang Jin's internal energy from touching him.

Even the [Si Mian] could not clearly see his true appearance.

Even though the shadowy figure was once swallowed by the giant snake, it was still able to try to escape until the snake swallowed it a second time and finally destroyed it completely.

If it resembles a ghost, then it does bear a striking resemblance!
In addition, Lü Chenzhou had also told Liang Jin that her father-in-law, the pirate leader who roamed the oceans, one of the ten most notorious villains in the martial arts world, and the leader of the Iron Dragon Gang, Zheng Jiaogu, had been haunted by a vengeful ghost for twenty years because of the severed hand of the Uncorrupted Corpse of Guixu.

However, Liang Jin did not easily believe in ghosts and gods.

This is a world where martial arts flourish, yet it is also bizarre and fantastical.

He did not know whether ghosts and gods existed.

But he knew that countless secret techniques and bizarre martial arts skills were enough to turn a person into an "evil spirit" in the eyes of others.

The presence of that dark figure became the most powerful corroborating evidence that there were indeed uncorrupted corpses in this place.

At this moment, Bei Kong turned to Li Ba, his expression carrying the solemnity and reassurance befitting a Buddhist:

“I have already understood your feelings, Benefactor Li. Please rest assured, now that the Great Teacher of Virtue has come in person, even ghosts and monsters from the underworld are nothing to fear.”

He waved his hand, signaling the pale-faced and still-shaken Li Ba to step back.

Immediately, his compassionate eyes turned to Liang Jin, his lips moved slightly, and a concentrated internal force, carrying information, was delivered precisely to Liang Jin's ear like a gentle breeze. He had actually used the technique of telepathic communication:
“The great and virtuous teacher, the former abbot of our temple, traveled all over the world and once witnessed the strange phenomenon of an incorruptible corpse in the Ruins of the East Sea. Before his death, he wrote the Collection of His Travels and Treasures, and when describing this object, he left an eight-character note: ‘This object is strange and evil, and easily attracts evil spirits.’”

"When I was young, I read about it and thought it was just a strange tale from another world, without understanding its deeper meaning... until I experienced it myself. I hope that the great and wise teacher will not regard Li Ba's use of the word 'ghost' as nonsense."

"This thing is strange, and this humble monk is helpless. This is why this humble monk dares to ask the great and wise teacher to come out of the mountain... for another deeper meaning."

Bei Kong's tone was solemn, each word carrying the weight of confirmation, clearly indicating that he had personally experienced the ghost's terror and feared that Liang Jin might underestimate the enemy and take unnecessary risks.

Upon hearing this, Liang Jin felt a chill run through him, like an icy spring.

It seems that this monk Beikong has a compassionate appearance but no compassionate heart.

He knew all along that the uncorrupted corpse would attract unknown "things," but he kept it a secret from Li Ba and others who worked for him, resulting in the caravan suffering heavy casualties.

The supposed compassion of disciples from prestigious families is so cold-hearted in the face of the cheap lives of these lowly江湖人 (jianghu people, people from the lower classes of the martial arts world).

The lives of the weak are indeed not worth mentioning.

He remained expressionless and decisively gave the order:

"There's no time to lose, let's head into the mountains immediately."

Liang Jin had his own judgment regarding that "ghostly figure".

Liang Jin had encountered one before, who did not show any aggression or danger.

Zheng Jiaogu was said to have been tormented by a vengeful ghost for twenty years, yet he still lived a good life.

The fact that this monk Beikong was able to retreat calmly from this "ghost" shows that the "ghost's" martial arts level was not very high.

Liang Jin had long wanted to see what kind of organization was behind this, that was putting on a show to obtain the Uncorrupted Corpse of Guixu.

Seeing Liang Jin's decisive action and lack of hesitation, Bei Kong felt a barely perceptible sense of relief in his eyes and clasped his hands in praise:
"The great and virtuous teacher is compassionate; this humble monk is ashamed to admit his inferiority."

He then made the following arrangements:
"We will prepare some simple food immediately, and after eating, we will set off into the mountains."

Liang Jin simply shook his head:
"no."

Bei Kong was taken aback for a moment, then stopped talking and immediately began packing his things.

Soon, Bei Kong, Liang Jin, and their group, along with dozens of martial artists from the Demon Extermination Conference, led by the forest expert Li Ba, left the noisy and chaotic Nanzhou City like a winding snake and plunged into the dense, dark green jungle that exuded a primitive and wild atmosphere.

It is now the dead of winter; in the north, the land would already be covered in ice and snow.

But upon entering the mountains and forests of Nanzhou, one is immediately greeted by thick, sticky, and humid steam, like a giant, damp cloth covering one's mouth and nose.

Local martial artists distributed insect repellent powder with a strong, pungent odor, which was then carefully applied to exposed areas such as collars, cuffs, and ankles.

Li Ba reminds:

"The smell of this medicine will attract ferocious beasts, but compared to the poisonous insects of the Southern Continent, the beasts are a minor threat."

"If one is bitten by a poisonous insect, even a fifth-rank expert will suffer severe burns, festering and oozing pus until death!"

The group had only been traveling for two hours when the weather suddenly changed.

While the other side of the mountain forest was still bathed in golden sunlight, a torrential downpour suddenly descended upon everyone.

The rain was icy cold, soaking people instantly.

Fortunately, the plants in the southern region were large and sturdy, with huge, shield-like leaves and tough, giant banana trees that could be torn off to make natural rain gear, providing temporary shelter for everyone.

As you venture deeper, all human habitation disappears, leaving only twisted and gnarled ancient trees and vines, and slippery, damp paths covered in decaying leaves—the trade routes carved out by countless caravan porters with their blood, flesh, and lives.

Li Ba solemnly instructed:
"Remember to stay close and don't stray from the trade route! This dense forest is a monster; besides insects, snakes, and ferocious beasts, there are things even more terrifying than them..."

“Those uncivilized mountain dwellers deep in the mountains. They regard outsiders as ‘hunting animals.’ They come down from the mountains to hunt when they lack food, slaves, or live sacrifices. If you encounter any trace of unfamiliar mountain dwellers, do not turn back, do not hesitate, retreat immediately! If you are too late, you will be hunted!”

Li Ba's words were not meant to scare people. Only the northern part of Nanzhou had come under the rule of the king, and the local officials there were constantly learning the culture of the Great Qian Dynasty, so it could still be considered a civilized society.

The vast central and southern regions were largely far removed from royal rule and civilization, filled with xenophobia, bloodshed, ignorance, and barbarity, and contained some evil customs that were incomprehensible to ordinary people.

However, these words had limited effect on the martial artists in the group.

We must be wary of poisonous insects and wild beasts, but what about the dangers facing the "mountain dwellers"?
How could such well-organized and armed martial arts figures be intimidated by mere mountain barbarians?

The majority of people looked relaxed, except for a few cautious individuals who tightened their grip on their weapons.

Liang Jin did not bring his altar into the mountains and forests.

His altar was too large and too high, making it difficult to move forward in the dense jungle.

He rode in a simple sedan chair, the seat of which was tied between two poles, and was carried by two Yellow Turban warriors.

To traverse this primitive landscape of tangled thorns and gnarled roots requires immense strength and keen sense of direction.

The Southern Rainforest is like a vast and ever-changing green maze.

A heavy rain can cause the path that was just cleared yesterday to be swallowed up again by the rampant vegetation. Without a guide, one's sense of direction will immediately become chaotic and confused.

Only Li Ba and his few old horse herders could accurately guide the large group through the green maze by relying on subtle clues such as the shape of ancient trees, the degree of weathering of rocks, and the hidden course of streams.

Soon, the warriors' disdain was worn away by the harsh environment.

The pungent smell of insect repellent is not a cure-all.

The forest was like a living insect hell, with all sorts of venomous insects, unlike anything they had ever heard of, fearlessly attacking the group of alien creatures that reeked of sweat and medicine.

There are tiny, hair-like "itchy flies" that, upon touching the skin, instantly cause a fist-sized red bump to swell up, causing unbearable pain and itching, leading to exhaustion and diarrhea.

If you accidentally kill its corpse, the splattered mucus will cause countless blisters and large areas of skin to peel off.

Even more terrifying are the "black silk leeches" that hang from the branches like puppets on strings. After the rain, when the forest is quiet, they fall like tiny black raindrops as soon as they sense human presence. They burrow into the skin through the gaps in the fabric to suck blood, and the cold, sticky touch is chilling.

Li Bali told everyone to tighten their clothes, cuffs, and ankle socks, especially tucking their trouser legs into their boots and tying them shut, to prevent poisonous insects from sneaking into that shameful place.

The most terrifying of all is the "golden thread" venomous snake.

They are long and slender like whips, their color blending seamlessly with decaying leaves and wood. They lie curled up under a thick layer of fallen leaves, and when someone steps close, they will spring out like lightning and bite the person's leg with precision.

If a low-level martial artist is bitten, and cannot immediately sever the bitten limb to stop the poison from spreading to their heart, they will die stiff and cold in this foreign, decaying soil within half an incense stick's time.

Li Ba ordered two local martial artists, who were experts in this art, to lead the way. They used specially made long bamboo poles coated with a strong medicinal juice to continuously whip the bushes and grass in front of and on both sides, making a crackling sound and scaring away any hidden snakes.

And then there's the silent killer—"Soul-Destroying Mushroom".

A poisonous mushroom, only the size of a fist, with a dull gray color and unremarkable appearance.

If accidentally stepped on, its cap will burst open, and deadly spores, like dust, will immediately drift and mix into the forest mist.

The person who inhales the poison is initially unaware of it, but after walking less than two miles, their lungs will feel like they are burning, blood will flow from their mouth and nose, and they will collapse and convulse to death, never knowing where the poison came from.

This kind of death, which was impossible to prevent, filled the team with an indescribable sense of oppression and tension.

Even with experienced caravan members clearing the way, providing warnings, and avoiding danger, deadly traps still abound in this green maze.

Having trekked all the way here, two low-level martial artists have already perished in this strange land. Their bodies can only be hastily wrapped in leaves and placed on the spot, awaiting further processing.

Lu Qiannan was a hard-working, agile, and energetic person, but even now, her temples were damp with sweat, the yellow headscarf binding her hair clung to her cheeks, and her breathing was slightly rapid. She couldn't help but whisper, her voice heavy with weariness:

"The southern wilderness is so desolate that it is no wonder the ancients regarded it as a 'land that cannot be conquered'."

She was exhausted by the constant natural threats, and her mental and physical strength was greatly depleted.

Liang Jin sat in the sedan chair, his gaze sweeping over the dense, gloomy vegetation. His voice, calm and inquisitive, asked Li Ba:

"Chief Li, how do the native mountain people of this place manage to survive in such a desperate situation?"

Li Ba wiped the mixture of sweat and dew from his face and said, panting:

"Reporting to the Great Master, the martial arts practiced by the mountain people here is quite different from that of the Central Plains. The Central Plains emphasizes cultivating internal energy."

"The mountain people here cultivate 'external refinement.' From a young age, they are soaked in their clan's 'Gu Elder' using secret medicines, whipped, and bitten by poisonous Gu, to temper their muscles, bones, and skin, pursuing a body of copper and iron, so that a knife can cut through it and insects cannot penetrate it. However..."

He shook his head and sighed, with a detached indifference that suggested he had seen life and death many times before.

"That refining method... is too cruel and domineering. If you send ten children in, at most only one or two will survive and become useful."

"Therefore, the population of each village is not large, and you can never see a large city with hundreds of thousands of people like those in the Central Plains in this southern state."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiannan's handsome eyebrows furrowed, unable to hide her shock.

With such an alarming attrition rate, how did this body-refining technique manage to be passed down?
Li Ba noticed her confusion, and forced a bitter, numb smile.
“Miss Lu, you’ve been in the Central Plains for too long.”

"Here, human life? It's not even worth a handful of rotten taro in the forest of Nanzhou."

These words, spoken lightly, struck Lu Qiannan like a hammer blow.

She thought that the powerful and wealthy in the Central Plains treated the people like dirt, which was already extremely cruel, but she never expected that in the depths of this wild forest, life would be ground down to such a lowly and insignificant state.

Liang Jin seemed to be deep in thought, and raised his hand to signal the sedan chair to stop.

He beckoned Bei Kong closer as he approached and asked in a low voice:

"Master, may I ask where exactly did my senior brother, Bei Yi, go astray and fall into demonic possession?"

Bei Kong clasped his hands together, a hint of suppressed worry flashing across his brow:

“Reporting to the Great and Virtuous Master, my senior brother was cultivating in Yangzhou. At that time, it was after the war, and there was suffering everywhere. My senior brother was compassionate and went there to chant sutras day and night to help the deceased pass on.”

"Perhaps he was consumed by resentment, or perhaps he was too grief-stricken by witnessing human tragedies, causing his inner demons to rise suddenly... and he unfortunately fell into misfortune."

A glint of light flashed in Liang Jin's eyes, and he immediately pressed for the key question:

"Yangzhou? Yet here I am, deep within Nanzhou?"

He pointed to the slippery, decaying leaves at his feet:
"Although Yangzhou is adjacent to Nanzhou, this place is located in the heart of Nanzhou, more than a thousand miles away from the border of Yangzhou. There are high mountains and deep ravines, with countless cliffs and rapids in between."

"How could a 'demon' who has lost his mind and is driven only by the instinct to kill be so clear about his purpose, rushing south all the way to this place before being discovered?"

Bei Kong remained silent for a moment, a complex and indescribable expression flashing across his serene Buddha face, before finally sighing:
"This matter...is indeed strange. Even I, a humble monk, found it hard to believe on the day of my death."

"After my senior brother fell into demonic possession, he not only did not cause trouble in Yangzhou, but instead avoided cities and wilderness along the way, and his path south was surprisingly persistent and accurate."

“This humble monk, following the Dharma decree, has painstakingly pursued and desperately tried to intercept him. If it weren’t for such utmost effort, he would probably have already escaped into the deepest part of these Hundred Thousand Mountains, truly becoming a peerless scourge that has been secretly growing and leaving endless poison.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Jin felt an even stronger sneer in his heart.

This monk Beikong was indeed hiding many secrets, like an old oyster holding a pearl, which could not be opened without prying it open.

However, his mind was not on the scandal at Wanfo Temple; his goal was to return to the Void and prevent his corpse from decaying.

He didn't point it out, but simply responded with a faint "yes" and gestured to continue onward.

After several hours of arduous trekking, the setting sun was almost completely hidden behind the inky mountains, and the sky quickly grew dark.

Strangely, the mountains and forests of Nanzhou did not fall into quiet slumber as night fell; instead, the entire forest seemed to come alive.

Countless owls, insects, and beasts that had been hidden by day suddenly seemed to awaken, emitting eerie cries, flapping their wings, crawling, and growling in waves, creating a boundless symphony of the wild night.

The humidity was even heavier with the night, like a cold ghostly hand crawling into the skin through the collar and cuffs of clothing. The sticky, damp clothes clung tightly to the body, making people irritable and increasing their physical exertion.

at last.

In the impenetrable darkness, the group climbed up a high hillside.

Below the slope lies a deep valley covered by dense forest.

This is the "cage" that Li Ba mentioned, used to imprison Bei Yi.

This was also the demon-slaying base that Beikong and the others had chosen earlier, possessing the advantage of a commanding view of the entire situation.

The crowd huddled at the edge of the hillside, peering down through the sparse shadows of the trees.

The valley originally intended to use various time-delay sound devices and human and animal blood as bait to create sounds and a bloody smell, thus luring the irrational beast to circle around a fixed area.

But at this moment——

The valley was deathly silent.

That kind of deathly silence was so empty it was unsettling.

There was no noise from the decoy mechanism, no roaring or crashing of trees as if in a fit of rage.

Only an impenetrable darkness filled every inch of the valley.

Li Ba leaned against a slippery tree trunk, straining to see, his face not just pale in the dim light, but ashen.

"All the guards... have vanished without a trace! This can't be! This is impossible!"

His voice was distorted by extreme fear:
"It's that ghost! It must be that vengeful spirit! It has... harmed them all! Killed them all!!"

Bei Kong's expression also changed drastically.

There should be at least twenty elite mule caravan members and thirty or forty martial arts practitioners remaining here!
Even in the event of an emergency requiring a relocation of the core camp, contact markings and guard personnel will always be left behind!
The scene before us exuded an indescribable, chilling eeriness.

"We must find my senior brother!"

Bei Kong's voice was filled with alarm:
"If he were to break free and escape completely, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"We'll split up immediately to search for him!"

Upon hearing this, the group of martial artists were about to take action.

"and many more."

Liang Jin's voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry a strange power, instantly suppressing Bei Kong's urgency and the movements of the surrounding crowd that were about to disperse.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, pierced the night and fell upon the deathly silent valley below, his voice carrying a chilling judgment:

"Don't you think... it's too quiet there?"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Everyone was startled and instinctively held their breath, listening intently.

With that moment of concentration, everyone sensed something was amiss.

The "pulse" of the Night Forest has disappeared!

There was no whisper of rustling leaves, no lonely cry of owls, no rustling of snakes, no buzzing of insects' wings... there was no sound at all.

Only the wind, occasionally sweeping across the treetops higher at the far end of the valley, emits a low, mournful sigh.

This valley, which should have been full of life, now seemed to be covered by a huge, invisible glass dome, cutting off any sound transmission from living things, turning into a pure, chilling...dead silence vacuum.

Bei Kong followed Liang Jin's deep gaze to the center of the deepest darkness, his pupils suddenly contracting.

An indescribable chill crept up my spine.

He made a quick decision, raised his hand to signal, and lowered his voice considerably:
"The Great and Virtuous Teacher, with his discerning eyes... is there!"

"Maintain formation! Encircle them! Move slowly and carefully!"

He largely believed Liang Jin's intuitive judgment.

Everyone was on high alert, their hearts pounding like drums.

They dispersed, forming a net that tightened silently. Under the cover of the shadows of the jungle and the thick trees, like a group of the most cautious hunters, they slowly advanced towards the area in the center of the valley that was shrouded in invisible cold and deathly silence.

The closer you get to the core, the more the air seems to freeze.

An indescribable chilling aura grew stronger and stronger. It wasn't the misty, cold air of the mountains, but rather a kind of decaying, desperate, and even faintly bloody smell. It silently seeped into the depths of the bone marrow through the pores of the skin, raising goosebumps.

The encirclement gradually tightened.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, their palms soaked with cold sweat, their eyes fixed on the unusually concentrated darkness ahead.

at last.

A pale beam of moonlight miraculously pierced through the layers of dense, impenetrable tree canopy above, casting a solitary glow on a small patch of decaying leaves in the center of the valley, like a pale stage light.

A towering, ancient tree, twisted and gnarled, stands in the open space, its shape resembling the twisted and struggling arm of a giant.

And beside the gnarled and thick roots of that giant tree...

A figure!
His clothes were tattered and torn; what might have been bright yellow or grayish-brown monk's robes were now tattered and filthy, hanging on his withered and emaciated body.

He stood there in an extremely stiff posture...

A bald head, now leaning forward, rests heavily against the cold, damp, rough tree trunk covered with moss and sphagnum moss.

His hands hung stiffly at his sides in a posture that completely violated the natural way of the human body.

The fingers, stained with thick, dark brown blood, were slightly spread apart like eagle claws.

Slowly, drop by drop, thick beads of blood seeped from the fingertips, gathered, and fell, merging into the rotten, black, mud-like fallen leaves below.

That blood was definitely not his own.

The scene was incredibly bizarre.

His entire body was taut like a bowstring, maintaining this "head touching wood" posture, as if fixed there by an invisible hammer, motionless...

Like a living corpse sculpture that has just crawled out of a pile of bones and has been frozen in place.

As the silent hunters closed in to within tens of feet of him, the almost frozen atmosphere was slightly stirred—

"Crack!"

A very faint sound, yet it seemed to strike everyone's heart like the snapping of a dry branch.

The figure suddenly moved!
The head, pressed against the tree trunk, suddenly jerked backward!
The stiff back then emitted a series of cracking, teeth-grinding sounds as the joints rubbed together!
He...slowly...turned his head!
By the pale moonlight, which seemed to have foreseen this horrific scene, everyone finally saw the face clearly—

His mouth was ripped open all the way to his ear, revealing his white, blood-stained teeth!
His facial muscles were extremely spasmodic and contorted, covered with purplish-black blood and scratches!
What's most chilling is... those eyes!
No whites in the eyes! No black pupils!
His entire eye socket seemed to be filled with boiling, viscous blood, exuding a strong, fishy smell... rage! venom!

A pure, all-consuming desire for destruction spun wildly within!
Those weren't human eyes; they were the eyes of a demon crawling out from the deepest part of hell!
It stared intently at the group of people who had instinctively stopped in their tracks!
He is Bei Yi!

A person who has gone mad with evil spirits!
(End of this chapter)