Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 352 [The Burning Sound Array for Identifying Strange Phenomena] (Third Update!)

The cultivators moved swiftly, and in a short while, the group arrived at the lakeside, where they could already directly feel the grandeur and majesty of Qingrao Prefecture.

The massive city resembled a ferocious beast lying prone, while the continuous mountain range behind it unfolded like a peacock's tail, displaying the majestic grandeur of Qingrao Prefecture.

At this moment, the city gates were wide open, and uniformly armored soldiers patrolled back and forth.

Caravans and pedestrians came and went, including many cultivators exuding spiritual energy. The sounds of people, vehicles, children, and livestock mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere.

Without delay, the three people and the ghost quickly passed the groups of pedestrians on the road and headed towards the city gate.

After getting closer, you can see colorful talismans set up at the city gate. The positions and angles of these talismans are very tricky, as if they have formed some kind of formation.

Everyone entering the city must pass through this formation.

However, after the crowd lined up and walked through one by one, nothing happened.

Just then, a burly man dressed in a crimson robe with a black face and long beard stepped into the formation. Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed through the formation, and all the talismans began to burn rapidly. The burly man was instantly frozen in place, unable to move at all.

The armored guards around the city gate immediately surrounded several on-duty cultivators and rushed forward.

These cultivators, each holding a talisman, surrounded the burly man in the blink of an eye.

"Hmph! Another ghost is trying to infiltrate the city!"

"Be careful, everyone! This ghost is very good at concealing its presence!"

"With this [Burning Sound Detection Array], no matter how well this ghost hides its aura, it won't be able to fool anyone!"

The cultivators chattered amongst themselves, then immediately took action, throwing out talismans at the burly man.

Whoosh...

"what!!!"

The burly man, who had appeared no different from any other ordinary person, suddenly let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the ground.

A cloud of yin energy escaped from the back of the burly man's neck, transforming into a bizarrely shaped ghost that fled into the distance.

hum!
The ghost hadn't gone far when it saw several chains made of flames extend from the formation and lock it firmly in place.

Immediately afterwards, more talismans carrying the aura of thunder and fire fell, instantly engulfing it.

Boom boom boom boom…

The loud noises continued incessantly, and in no time, the ghost was blasted to pieces.

After dealing with the ghosts, the cultivators immediately dispersed and returned to their original positions.

No one, whether alone or in groups, paid any extra attention to the possessed mortal.

Clearly, the people of the prefecture were already used to what had just happened.

Upon seeing this scene, Zheng Que frowned. There was actually a formation at the city gate of this prefecture that could detect the identity of ghosts!

Mu Xiangu is currently disguised as a disciple of the Heavenly Artifact Sect and has even fooled Gao Yinxia of the Heavenly Artifact Sect, but she is unaware of this formation...

As Zheng Que was pondering, he was about to speak to stop Mu Xiangu from entering the city when he saw Mu Xiangu walk into the [Burning Sound Detection Array] without stopping at all.

Zheng Que's heart jumped, and he stared intently at the detection array.

The detection array showed no reaction whatsoever.

Gao Yinxia followed Mu Xiangu inside, and the two quickly passed the array test and entered the city without stopping. Zheng Que secretly breathed a sigh of relief; Mu Xiangu's methods had fooled not only the disciples of the Heavenly Artifact Sect but also the detection array at the city gate!
In the blink of an eye, he followed Lu Maohong through the detection array and entered the city.

The city of Fucheng was much larger than Taiping County, and its prosperity was no less.

Just outside the city gate, one sees neat roads, orderly houses, tall and lush trees lining both sides of the road, and a constant stream of pedestrians.

Zheng Que noticed that cultivators made up the vast majority of these pedestrians, suggesting that mortals were a minority here. Many cultivators even directly controlled corpse puppets or ghost servants, who moved or worked in large groups along the streets.

This appears to be a city for cultivators!

At this moment, Lu Maohong, who was beside him, seemed to exhale a breath of relief and said with a sigh of relief, "It's safe now."

"The bizarre occurrence of the 'Iron Tree Prison' in Taiping County is of great importance."

"Let's go see the magistrate now."

"When you see the prefect later, don't say anything, just listen to me."

Zheng Que immediately nodded: "Okay!"

Lu Maohong didn't delay and led him in one direction.

But the two had only taken a few steps when Gao Yinxia suddenly blocked their way.

"Where is my storage bag?" Gao Yinxia stared at Zheng Que and asked coldly.

Zheng Que glanced at Mu Xiangu behind Gao Yinxia, ​​and Mu Xiangu smiled faintly.

So Zheng Li immediately took out a purple storage bag embroidered with flowers and leaves and threw it directly at Gao Yinxia.

Whoosh!
Gao Yinxia caught the storage bag and glared at Zheng Que, but she didn't intend to make things difficult for him. Instead, she turned around and pulled Mu Xiangu away in another direction: "Senior Sister Fu, this time it's my treat. We'll stay at the best floating immortal island cave in Xuanyuan Pavilion."

Seeing the two walk away, Lu Maohong asked in surprise, "Zheng Que, do you know that disciple of the Heavenly Artifact Sect?"

Zheng Que shook his head and casually explained, "I wouldn't say we know each other. The female cultivator was under an illusion and couldn't retrieve the talismans from her storage bag, so she asked me to help her out..."

Lu Maohong was relieved and nodded slightly before asking no more questions. He then led Zheng Que in a certain direction.

The prefectural city is much larger than Taiping County, and the overall cultivation level of the cultivators there is also far higher than that of Taiping County.

After walking just two streets, Zheng Que had already seen more than a dozen cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and even several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Lu Maohong's cultivation level was such that he was a retainer of the city lord's mansion in Taiping County! He was a top expert in the retainer's quarters!
He could walk around the entire county with impunity.

But in this Qingrao Prefecture, he was just an ordinary cultivator. The only reason he was able to see the prefect was because of his fifty years of service to the imperial court...

After some time, Zheng Que followed Lu Maohong to a long street where there were few pedestrians. Those who did pass by were all highly skilled and in a hurry.

Lu Maohong quickened his pace and arrived at the gate of a government office. The government office had copper nails and vermilion doors, blue stone steps in front of the gate, stone lions on both sides, and a row of hitching posts next to it.

Ancient pines with lush foliage peek over the wall, exuding the unique fragrance of pines and cypresses.

Two monks dressed as yamen runners, with swords at their waists, stood guard on either side of the gate. They were both very spirited, and their eyes shone brightly as they looked around.

Lu Maohong immediately stepped forward and bowed, his eyes showing pain yet remaining respectful, and said, "Seniors, it's been a long time! I am Lu Maohong, the City Lord of Taiping County, and I have an urgent matter to report to the Prefect."

"Please convey my message, senior!"

(End of this chapter)