Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 242 Understanding People's Hearts. (First Update!)

Bang.

As soon as Lu Maohong led Shentu Jinghai and Yu Zhongyin across the threshold, the door immediately closed. He looked around the courtyard in front of him and saw that dusk had fallen. The spacious courtyard was deserted, with not a single person in sight.

The area outside the courtyard was also deathly silent, like a huge tomb.

Lu Maohong immediately took out a bronze compass and held it in his palm. The compass had an antique color and many pale fragments were engraved on the edge, emitting a faint spiritual energy.

As soon as it appeared, the pointer spun rapidly for a moment before pointing in a certain direction.

Without hesitation, Lu Maohong, along with two companions at the eighth level of Qi Refining, headed directly in the direction indicated by the compass.

This is the [Resentful Bone Guide], which can be used to deduce the location of the life gate in the formation.

Of course, the quality of this compass won't have much effect on the "strangeness" of the [Scissors Prison], but it's still better than wandering around the temple like a headless fly.

At this moment, Shentu Jinghai asked in a low voice, "Senior Lu, shouldn't we go find the other people in the convoy?"

Lu Maohong stared at the compass needle and shook his head slightly, saying, "The more people there are, the more troublesome it can be sometimes."

"In the current situation, it's actually better for those independent cultivators to stay in their rooms and not come out."

"A Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivation level is ultimately a bit lacking in this 'strange' environment."

"The only one who was passable, Zheng Que, needed to stay in the house and keep watch."

"Otherwise, if we encounter danger, we won't even have anywhere to hide."

Upon hearing this, Shentu Jinghai nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Chen Zhentao from Xuanyuan Pavilion must also know something."

"We're all trapped in this Wanshan Temple now, so we're all in the same boat. Should we go and discuss this with him?"

Lu Maohong calmly rejected the suggestion: "No."

“Disciples of such great sects, regardless of their original background, have been the focus of attention and have received much cultivation since they entered the sect at a young age. They all seem to be respectful and humble, but in reality, they are proud and arrogant.”

“In ordinary times, such a person would be polite and courteous, never giving anyone cause for gossip; but in this situation, if you want to ask him for clues or to act together, he would never agree.”

"Moreover, what these disciples of Xuanyuan Pavilion know may not be as much as what I do!"

Lu Maohong sneered inwardly. Chen Zhentao must be very talented and strong to be chosen by Xuanyuan Pavilion. But they are also people of the imperial court, not ordinary rogue cultivators. Knowing that most sect disciples are arrogant, why bother to embarrass themselves and lose face for the imperial court!
As they were talking, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of them. He was tall and his copper-green robe with bamboo patterns looked like ink in the dim light. Only the sash at his waist reflected a few cold glints. He held a maple branch in his hand and walked with long strides, seemingly without any scruples.

It was Chen Zhentao from Xuanyuan Pavilion!
The three of them immediately stopped talking and looked at each other.

Chen Zhentao also saw the three of them at that moment, and immediately walked towards them, saying in a gentle tone, "Gentlemen, I have found the way out."

"Follow me quickly!"

"I can get you out of here!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Maohong's expression remained unchanged. This Chen Zhentao was a fake!

The real Chen Zhentao, regardless of whether he would care about their lives or deaths, came to Wanshan Temple specifically to draw lots. How could he possibly be thinking about escaping?
In a flash, Lu Maohong gestured to Shentu Jinghai and Yu Zhongyin behind him, signaling them not to respond to each other.

So, Lu Maohong and the other two stood still, silently watching the "Chen Zhentao" in front of them, without saying a word.

After gesturing wildly for a while, Chen Zhentao frowned and asked, seeing that the three of them were unmoved, "What's wrong with you?"

"Come with me now!"

"I also know where there are opportunities to establish your foundation!"

"If you come with me, you can not only escape from here, but also establish your foundation..."

As they spoke, "Chen Zhentao's" figure gradually blurred, like a reflection on calm water. Ripples spread across the surface, quickly transforming into a distorted, mottled mass of color. In the blink of an eye, it materialized into a burly, grotesque ghost, baring its fangs and claws, roaring incessantly at Lu Maohong and the other two. After roaring for a while, the ghost suddenly collapsed like a sandcastle, turning into a dense cloud of yin energy that howled and scattered in all directions.

The surroundings returned to calm, and a few golden leaves drifted down from the ginkgo trees overhead in the night breeze. The night in the mountains was eerily quiet.

Lu Maohong watched this scene calmly and said in a flat tone, "These kinds of ghosts can see what people desire most in their hearts."

"However, as long as one is determined and not swayed by their words, they are easy to deal with."

"Let's go next..."

At this point, he suddenly felt something was wrong and immediately turned around to look, only to find that the courtyard behind him was empty. He was all alone in the huge courtyard. Shentu Jinghai and Yu Zhongyin, who had just been behind him, had disappeared without a trace.

Lu Maohong frowned immediately, glanced at the compass in his hand, and continued walking in one direction.

※※※

As Zhang Guitu and Yan Zhiyong were in a state of panic, they rushed out of the room, only to hear a loud "bang" behind them. The room then fell into a deathly silence, with no further movement.

The two stood on the brick floor, exchanging a lingering glance, and Yan Zhiyong asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Did you see what was that thing that just went into the house?"

Zhang Guitu slowly shook his head and said in a low voice, "No."

"Fellow Daoist Shi... has likely been affected!"

"Let's hurry and find Senior Lu."

Yan Zhiyong nodded immediately.

So the two of them immediately headed toward Lu Maohong's room.

The two guest rooms were not far apart, and they arrived in no time. Looking at the door in front of them, Zhang Guitu raised his hand and knocked without hesitation.

Boom boom boom!
A crisp knocking sound rang out in the empty courtyard.

While keeping watch over his surroundings, Zhang Guitu addressed the room, saying, "Senior Lu, I am Zhang Guitu, and I would like to inquire about the situation of Wanshan Temple."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was no response from the room in front of him, but the tightly closed door opened a crack.

Without hesitation, the two pushed open the door and went inside.

This room was exactly the same as the one they had just been in; it was simply furnished, covered in dust, with layers of cobwebs in the corners, and hardly any clean areas.

However, Lu Maohong was nowhere to be seen in the room. There was only a familiar figure standing in the innermost corner, with his back to them, his hands hanging down at his sides, his head slightly lowered, motionless, as if he were reflecting on his mistakes.

The figure was obese and wore a green robe; it was none other than Shi Yiquan!
Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Guitu and his companion's expressions changed drastically. This was not Lu Maohong's room, but the guest room they had just escaped from!

They returned to their guest rooms!

Without hesitation, the two turned and fled towards the door.

The door behind them had closed again at some point, and the two of them immediately tried to open it with force.

Ping Pong Pong...

The seemingly flimsy wooden door was being pounded on so hard it made a loud cracking sound, as if they wanted to jump up from the threshold. However, with their cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Refining, no matter how much they pounded on the door, it remained unmoved, blocking their way.

Just then, Shi Yiquan, who was in the corner, seemed to sense something. He didn't move at all, but his body turned around little by little.

As he turned around, the entire guest room was instantly filled with a surge of yin energy, like a raging tide, which engulfed the whole room in an instant...

(End of this chapter)