The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 292 Tian Shu establishes the head, Tian Xuan establishes the gate

"receive!"

The white paper suddenly shrank, turning into a black dot the size of a grain of rice, and fell into Lu Yuan's palm.

There was no burning pain in my palm, only a deep chill.

A chill crept up his veins, finally settling between his brows, transforming into a low sob: "Ah Sheng, come back."

Ah Sheng swayed and almost knelt down.

Song Qinghe caught him.

Don't listen.

"It wasn't her calling."

Ah Sheng raised his head, his face pale.

"It's the bottom of the well."

Lu Yuan sealed the black dot into a piece of yellow paper, folded it into a triangle, bit his fingertip, and pressed it against the corner of the paper.

"This is not its true form."

"It's a silhouette of the mother that it created using Ah Sheng's memories."

"When the mother's shadow fades, the thing at the bottom of the well will change its face."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a loud "thump" came from deep within the rear hall.

It looked like something hit the wooden board.

The second sound followed immediately.

thump.

thump.

Inside the hall, more than a dozen small beds moved backward at the same time, their legs leaving black marks on the ground, eventually forming a semicircle.

The children who had been rescued were all huddled in the corner, while only three children remained in bed.

The black rice on their chests didn't split open; instead, it began to sprout.

Black buds break through the skin, stretching outwards from the chest, and grow tiny leaves.

Xu Erxiao's expression changed.

"Will this thing grow back?"

"It's not about growing," Lu Yuandao said, "it's about taking root."

He looked up at the beams of the rear hall.

Strings of small wooden plaques hung from the beams, each bearing the children's birth dates and times. Red threads were attached to the bottom of the plaques, extending down to the chest level of the three beds.

"These three people weren't trapped inside the light."

"They were planted in the altar."

Lin Zhaoxuan raised his hand and touched the ink line; a layer of black frost clung to the line.

"The red line runs through the roof beams, and beyond that is the foundation of the Taoist temple."

There's something under the foundation.

"root?"

"Like a root, and like a bone."

Lu Yuan took out the piece of broken wood from Gu Chuan's memorial tablet that he had previously accepted and placed it on the ground.

As soon as the wooden piece touched the ground, black water flowed out from the cracks in the bricks of the rear hall.

The black water flowed upstream along the red line, climbing up the roof beams, and the children on the three beds opened their eyes at the same time.

Their eyes had no pupils, only rings of blue wicks.

"Help me."

"Help me."

"Help me."

The three voices were exactly the same.

Song Qinghe raised the bronze lamp, the flame trembling slightly.

"They are still alive."

"Alive, but with a suppressed soul."

"How can we save him?"

"First cut the roof beam, then cut the foundation."

Zhou Heng gripped the short knife tightly.

"I'll go to the roof beam."

"No."

Lu Yuan looked at the wooden plaque on the roof beam.

"The card has the birth date on it, so you can't just execute him directly."

"Birth date is a certificate in the mortal world; if it is cut off, the child's soul will not be able to find its body."

"What should we do then?"

Lu Yuan took out three pieces of yellow paper from his pocket and wrote the names of the three children on them.

He walked to the first bed, bent down, and asked, "Child, what's your name?"

The boy's lips moved.

"My name is Xiao Shun."

When were you born?

The boy did not answer.

Black buds suddenly sprouted from his chest, like a hand covering his mouth.

Lu Yuan used his left hand to form the "Opening the Mind Technique," with his index and middle fingers touching the boy's forehead, his thumb pressing down on his ring finger, and his palm slightly turned inward.

"The gates of heaven open a sliver, and the gates of earth are left with a fraction."

"Years and months return to the body, days and hours return to the bones."

"It's not about fate, it's about where we came from."

"open!"

A wisp of white vapor rose from between the boy's eyebrows.

He said with difficulty, "The twelfth year of the Republic of China, the third day of the sixth month."

Lu Yuan immediately looked up.

The same birth date was written on the roof beam.

He pasted the yellow paper next to the wooden sign.

"Those born on the same day are of the same kind."

"The cards are old records, the paper is new evidence."

"The old account is refunded, and the new account is retained."

"retreat!"

The black lettering on the wooden sign faded quickly.

The black bud on the boy's chest immediately stopped growing.

Xu Erxiao leaped onto the bed frame, braced himself against the roof beam, and reached out to remove the wooden plaque.

Instead of tearing it up, he turned the wooden sign upside down on the beam, with the back facing out.

Lu Yuandao said, "That's right."

"Why not just take it off?"

"The talisman can be left in the temple; the evil spirits can still use it to identify people."

"After being turned inside out, the old characters no longer reflect the soul."

Xu Erxiao asked again, "Does this count as a lockdown?"

"Only seal half."

Lu Yuan walked toward the second bed.

The second child was a girl, pale-faced, with wet hair plastered to her forehead.

"What's your name?"

"Chunni".

When were you born?

"The seventh day of the twelfth lunar month in the fourteenth year of the Republic of China."

Lu Yuan pasted the yellow paper on in the same way.

But just as he finished reciting "retreat," the black bud on the girl's chest suddenly stabbed at his wrist.

Lu Yuan dodged to the side, and the black bud brushed past his sleeve, instantly freezing it.

Song Qinghe shone the bronze lamp forward.

In the firelight, a tiny copper coin was revealed inside the black rice on the girl's chest.

The words "Mother's Wish" are engraved on the copper coin.

"This is not her own offering," Song Qinghe said.

"It was her mother who made the wish for her."

"What is wish?"

Black tears streamed from the girl's eyes.

"My mother said that as long as I don't die, she's willing to live ten years less."

Lu Yuan looked at the copper coin.

"Living ten years less is not a wish to protect life."

"It was an evil god who transformed kinship into a longevity shroud."

He raised his hands to form the "wish-fulfilling incantation," overlapping his hands, with his left thumb pressing down on his right middle finger and his right index finger touching the copper coin.

"A mother's thoughts belong to her, a daughter's fate belongs to her."

"Ten years without incurring debt, one wish without incurring punishment."

"Affection can be preserved, but debts cannot be set up."

"untie!"

The copper coin broke free from the black rice and fell to the ground.

Lu Yuan didn't crush it; instead, he wrapped it in yellow paper.

"Send it back to her mother."

"If her mother still wants to make a wish, she must say it to her own child, not to the well."

The second memorial tablet on the roof beam is turned upside down.

The black bud on the girl's chest withered away immediately.

The child on the third bed remained motionless.

He looked only three or four years old, with an old blue cloth covering his face.

Lu Yuan reached out and lifted the blue cloth.

The child's face was covered with bluish blemishes, and the needle mark between his eyebrows was even deeper than Xiaoman's.

"What's his name?"

no respond.

"child?"

Still no response.

Ah Sheng walked to the bedside and whispered, "He can't hear."

Why?

"His name has been eaten."

Lu Yuan looked at the roof beam.

The third wooden plaque had no name on it, only a blot of ink that had been painted over with black paint.

He took out the broken knife, and slowly scraped away the black paint along the edge of the wooden sign.

layer.

Two layers.

Three floors.

The writing gradually emerged from beneath the black paint.

"Zhao————"

"Smoothly?"

Wang Chengan asked from behind.

"No."

Lu Yuan continued scraping.

Below is the character "安".

"Zhao An".

The child on the bed suddenly opened his mouth.

No sound.

A plume of black smoke billowed from his mouth, condensing into a Taoist priest in a black robe.

The Taoist priest held a wooden fish, wore a Hunyuan turban, and had two crooked cinnabar lines drawn on his face.

Mr. Meng stood outside the palace gate and saw the dark figure; his expression immediately changed.

"The Altar Guardian".

"Do you know him?"

Lu Yuan asked.

Mr. Meng did not answer.

The shadowy figure tapped the wooden fish.

thump.

All the lights inside the hall were turned off at the same time.

The second time.

The black stamens on the chests of the three children suddenly grew out of control.

The third time.

The dark figure slapped Lu Yuan with its palm.

Lu Yuan raised his sword to parry.

The shadowy figure held no flesh or blood in its palm, only stacks of yellow talismans. The talismans coiled around the blade like snakes, and the cinnabar on the talismans seeped into the blade.

"Heavenly Protector!"

Lu Yuan stepped out with his feet in a Gangbu stance, his left foot landing on the Kan position and his right foot on the Qian position, pressing down with the blade.

"The Big Dipper illuminates destiny, and the Five Sacred Mountains guard the gate."

"Evil talismans cannot bind, and wooden fish cannot ferry."

"Borrow an inch of the mountain gate, and press down!"

The dark figure was forced back half a step by the force of the blade.

But suddenly a black archway appeared behind it.

Four lanterns hung on the archway, each bearing the inscription: "Father".

"mother."

"division."

"Door."

Lu Yuan's eyes darkened.

This is not an altar for offering sacrifices.

It is a "family reunion forum".

The evil god wants to use the relationships that are hardest for people to sever to nail the child's life back to death.

The shadowy figure raised a hand and pointed at Lu Yuan.

"You also have a sect."

"Your junior brother is here."

"If you do not withdraw, they will enter the altar in place of these three children."

Xu Erxiao and Wang Chengan both looked down at their feet.

Before they knew it, their shadows had been entangled by the red thread.

The other end of the red line is connected to the character "师" (teacher) under the archway.

Wang Cheng'an lifted the abacus frame, intending to break the red thread, but Lu Yuan shouted, "Don't smash it!"

"The line between master and disciple cannot be severed by brute force."

Why?

"It recognizes relationships, not ropes."

Lu Yuan sheathed his sword, raised his left hand, and placed his right hand on his forehead.

"A teacher should have a proper lineage, but that lineage does not confine one's soul."

"The younger brother has a name, but his name is not used for sacrifices."

"Today, in the name of my senior brother, I summon my two junior brothers back to my side."

"Xu Erxiao!"

"exist!"

"Wang Cheng'an!"

"exist!"

"Do you acknowledge your sect?"

Xu Erxiao answered without hesitation: "I admit it!"

Wang Chengan also said, "I admit it!"

"Do you believe there's something supernatural about this archway?"

"I don't admit it!"

They both answered at the same time.

Lu Yuan continued reciting: "Recognize gratitude, not debt; recognize the law, not evil."

"The sect protects people, but does not make offerings to the mountain gate."

"

"Blood ties may be severed, but the righteous path will never be extinguished."

"Return!"

Two red lines detached from the shadows of the two people and rolled back onto the archway.

The archway bearing the character "师" (teacher) suddenly cracked open.

The dark figure roared and suddenly reached out to grab Xu Erxiao.

Zhou Heng blocked the attack with his sword.

The blade collided with the black palm, and Zhou Heng was thrown back, his back slamming into a pillar.

"Zhou Heng!"

"fine."

Zhou Heng exhaled, his wrist trembling slightly.

"Its strength is wrong."

"It's not its strength."

Lu Yuandao.

"It's the gloomy atmosphere of the entire Taoist temple behind the archway."

Lin Zhaoxuan looked around.

"Many coffins are buried beneath this place."

"The Taoist temple was originally a charitable institution."

"Later, someone converted the mortuary into an altar."

"The remains are all beneath the foundation."

Lu Yuan looked up at the roof beam.

"Then let's get the people below out of trouble first."

He inserted the broken wooden tablet of Gu Chuan into the ground and formed the "An Tu Jue" with his right hand.

"There are bones in the soil, and there is a name in the bones."

"The dead are not made into bricks, and corpses are not made into roots."

"Today, we open a new path in the earth, and send all the bones to be restored."

"Yin and Yang each return to their proper places, and neither is subject to evil influences."

"open!"

The ground suddenly cracked open.

Rows of white bones were visible beneath the black brick seams.

The bones were bound with red thread, their heads all facing the back hall, as if they were still guarding the evil god even after death.

As soon as the red thread broke, the white bones began to slowly turn over.

The dark figure let out a sharp whistle.

"They are my gatekeepers!"

"They are the dead."

Lu Yuan severed the first red thread with a single stroke.

"The dead have their own door."

"You have no right to guard them."

Skeletons were unearthed from beneath the foundation.

Some were wearing Taoist robes, some were wearing old military uniforms, and some still had patches on their clothes from their journey north from the interior of China.

One of the skeletons had a bronze plaque hanging on its chest.

The bronze plaque is engraved with: "Qingxu Temple, the disciple guarding the altar, Song Shouyi."

Upon seeing the bronze plaque, Mr. Meng suddenly knelt down.

"Master————"

Lu Yuan glanced at him.

"Your master?"

"no."

Mr. Meng's voice was hoarse.

"He is my father."

"He led me here from inside the pass to escape the snow, and we took shelter in this temple."

"Later he said that the mountain god could protect us."

He became the first guardian of the altar.

"And what about you?"

"I took his light."

Mr. Meng looked up, his eyes filled with pain.

"I thought that as long as I kept guarding, I could live forever."

"But I've been guarding this place for over twenty years, and everyone else has become just a shadow in the lamp."

Lu Yuandao said, "Now you see clearly."

"Then don't just kneel."

Tell me, what else is beneath the oath monument?

Mr. Meng looked at the cracked ground.

"Below is Genmiao Temple."

"Gen Temple?"

"The altar offering does not begin in the well."

"There was a stone temple in the mountains before this Taoist temple was built."

"The stone temple is not dedicated to a mountain god, but to a breathing stone."

"My father said that the stone can remember the wishes of the dead."

"Later it grew eyes."

"Then it started to make a sound."

Ah Sheng said softly, "It's it."

Lu Yuan looked at him.

"You've seen it before?"

"In the main cave."

"It says it is a mountain."

"That's not a mountain."

Ah Sheng gripped the hem of his clothes tightly.

"It represents all the unfulfilled wishes in the mountains."

Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, the dark figure suddenly transformed into a black gust of wind and swept towards the depths of the rear hall.

Lu Yuan raised his sword and gave chase.

"We can't let it into the temple!"

The group passed through the rear hall.

The crack in the ground stretched out, revealing downward stone steps.

There were no lights on either side of the stone steps, only rows of upside-down wooden signs.

Each wooden plaque has the character "生" (life) written on it.

As Lu Yuan stepped down the first step, a voice immediately came from beside him: "Hand over Ah Sheng."

Second stage.

"Hand over Xiaoman."

Third stage.

"Hand over all the children."

In the fourth stage, the voice changed to Lu Yuan's own: "Put the knife down."

"You've saved enough."

"You don't need to continue."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

He had everyone rearrange themselves along the red cloth knot.

"From now on, whoever hears their own voice should use their left hand to perform the Meridian Mudra."

"Whoever hears the voice of a loved one should press their right hand to their brow."

"Sound can deceive the ear, but it cannot deceive hand gestures."

Song Qinghe asked, "What if I could learn the hand gestures too?"

"Then let's see who sweats first."

Wang Chengan was taken aback.

"Do evil spirits sweat?"

"If there is blood, it will flow."

"What about the ones without blood?"

"Without blood, there is no heat."

Lin Zhaoxuan raised his hand and touched the stone wall in front of him.

"It's windy down here."

"Is it the wind from outside the mountains?"

"No, it was blown out from inside the temple."

Lu Yuan stopped at the end of the stone steps.

There is a stone door there.

The stone gate is inscribed with three lines of text: "Those who enter, offer your wishes."

"Whoever sees the stone, shall offer his name."

"Those who go out are giving their lives."

There is a groove in the center of the door, shaped like a human hand.

Mr. Meng walked to the stone gate.

"To open a temple, someone must press their palms."

"Who pressed it?"

"The Altar Guardian".

"Come here."

Mr. Meng shook his head.

"I pressed it once."

"That time, my father engraved my name on it."

He spread out his right hand.

There was a deep black palm line on his palm, as if it had been carved in with a knife.

"Press it down, and the temple will recognize me."

"They will also release the things that guard the temple."

"The door won't open unless you press the button."

Mr. Meng looked at Lu Yuan.

"Unless you have a stronger name."

Lu Yuan walked to the stone gate and raised his right hand.

Ah Sheng grabbed his sleeve.

"Brother Lu, no."

Why?

"The door will eat its name."

"It ate mine first, then spat out yours."

Lu Yuan looked at Ah Sheng.

"Do you want to press it?"

Ah Sheng did not answer.

"You just said it came out from where."

"Want to go in and take a look now?"

"I want to take back the rest of my anger."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Then it's not about seeking fame."

"You submitted your name in yourself, and then retrieved it yourself."

He took out the blank wooden plaque from his pocket and affixed it to the handprint on the stone gate.

The wooden plaque has no palm print, only an empty groove.

Lu Yuan raised his hand and formed the "Stop Name Incantation".

"Names are determined by people, but seals are opened by the heart."

"Do not offer gifts upon entering, nor bow before stones."

"I use an empty plaque as proof, leaving no full name, only a single thought."

"As long as the memory remains, the person will not be lost."

"open!"

The palm print on the stone gate began to turn black.

Thin threads emerged from the slot and wrapped around Lu Yuan's wrist.

Lu Yuan did not struggle, but instead placed his palm on it.

The bloody wound on his palm was sucked into the stone door.

Two words were quickly written in black: "Lu Yuan".

A low laugh came from the stone gate.

"The name has been established."

You are mine now.

Lu Yuan looked down at the two black characters.

He raised his left hand and pressed it against his chest.

"Name is the entry point, but destiny is not."

"The words are on stone, but the person is away."

"If you only recognize the words, you will mistake things for things."

He inserted the broken knife into the palm print groove and turned the handle.

"Fame is not a lock, blood is not a key."

"The empty sign reflects the old door, which has crumbled on its own."

"break!"

A crack blasted open in the center of the stone gate.

The black line was cut by the blade.

A strong, fishy smell wafted out from behind the crack.

The wind carried the smells of incense ash, blood, and damp earth.

The stone gate slowly opened.

Behind the door is a low stone temple.

There are no statues of gods in the temple.

There was only a black stone, about half a person's height, standing on a three-foot square platform.

The black stone is breathing.

With each breath, all the white lights outside the temple dimmed a little.

With each exhale, an eye opens on the surface of the black stone.

Countless red threads are wrapped around the bottom of the stone, leading to the land beyond the pass.

The three thickest pillars lead to Xiaomantun, the birch forest, and the main cave in the mountain, respectively.

The figure in black robes stood before the black stone.

It no longer resembled a Taoist priest; only a skeleton covered with talisman paper remained.

"Lu Yuan."

"You've finally arrived."

"6

Lu Yuan stepped into the stone temple.

"What's your name?"

"I am the spirit of the temple guardian."

"Not a name."

"I am the root of this mountain."

"It's not a name either."

The black skeleton raised its head.

Why are you so obsessed with fame?

Lu Yuan pointed the tip of his knife at the black stone.

"Because things without names love to make decisions for others the most."

The eyes on the black stone opened simultaneously.

A loud roar came from underground.

The red lines surrounding the stone temple suddenly taut.

In the direction of Xiaoman Village, dark marks reappeared on the wrists of the villagers who had just loosened their grip.

Deep within the mountain, the three cracked root tablets lit up again.

Ah Sheng clutched his chest and knelt down in anguish.

"It's drawing new words from my vocabulary list!"

Lu Yuan stepped forward and inserted the broken sword into the square platform in front of the black stone.

"Qinghe, protect Asheng."

"Zhao Xuan, cut the left thread."

"Zhou Heng, guard the stone gate."

"Erxiao, Cheng'an, go to the right and rescue the villagers first."

"Mr. Meng, please stay."

Mr. Meng was stunned.

"What are you going to do staying?"

"Look at your father's bones."

Lu Yuan pointed to the corner of the stone temple.

There lay a skeleton dressed in a Taoist robe, its fingers still clutching an extinguished bronze lamp.

"Help him down from his position as the altar guardian."

"He guarded it his whole life; he shouldn't be guarding it even after he dies."

Mr. Meng staggered over.

The black skeleton let out a cold laugh.

"He wouldn't dare."

Mr. Meng reached out and touched the skeleton.

The bronze lamp in the skeleton's hand suddenly burst into black flame.

An aged voice emerged from the flames: "Meng Jun, guard the lamp."

"We can't let it die out."

Mr. Meng was trembling all over.

"father."

"Hold the light."

"You said the same thing back then."

"Keep the light, and the whole village will live."

"But you're dead."

"Your son is dead too."

"You're not guarding the light."

Mr. Meng looked down at the skeleton.

"It was it that gave you the lock."

The black flames suddenly shot up, trying to burrow into Mr. Meng's brow.

Lu Yuan shouted, "Don't look at the fire!"

Mr. Meng closed his eyes and made a "sending-off-the-bride" gesture with his hands.

He had not learned the complete Taoist techniques; he simply pressed his thumb against his palm and extended his four fingers forward, as if pushing open a door.

"Father, I'm not going to keep watch over the lamp anymore."

"Go back to the earth."

"I'm going back to the human world."

"Neither my son nor I will guard its gate."

He slammed the bronze lamp to the ground.

The black fire went out.

The skeleton's fingers loosened, and the bronze lamp rolled to the side.

Mr. Meng picked up his father's skeleton and walked out of the stone temple.

The black skeleton shrieked as it pounced.

Zhou Heng blocked the attack with his sword.

"It's my turn now."

The black skeleton clawed at Zhou Heng's chest.

Zhou Heng did not retreat. He placed his left foot on the ground, gripped the short sword in his right hand with the hilt against his wrist.

"Those fleeing from within the Great Wall borrowed passage from outside."

"I do not acknowledge your Mountain God Sect."

"The dead have graves, and the living have paths."

"Who dares to stop my brother?"

He slashed with his sword.

"retreat!"

The black skeleton was split in half.

At the same time, Lin Zhaoxuan threw out the ink line, which got tangled in the thick line leading to the birch forest.

"Ink defines the three realms, lines divide yin and yang."

"The shadow that perished in the forest returns to the earth today."

"If the red thread is not tied, the lamp will not be kept warm."

"Break!"

The thread broke.

The sound of trees falling came from the direction of the birch forest.

Xu Erxiao and Wang Chengan had already rushed to the right side.

The red line connecting Xiaoman Village there is as thick as a bowl, and its surface is densely engraved with the names of the villagers.

Xu Erxiao swung his sword, but the blade was deflected by the red thread.

Wang Chengan sandwiched the abacus frame between the red lines.

"Second Brother, don't chop!"

"This thing is too thick!"

"First, let's determine whose house it starts from."

Wang Chengan moved the remaining beads.

One, two, three.

The names on the red line began to flash.

"Starting with the Zhao family."

"Next to the Chen family."

"Finally, the money was deposited into the Meng family's old house!"

Xu Erxiao looked at Lu Yuan.

"Senior brother, the red thread can't be completely severed, or something bad will happen to the village!"

Lu Yuandao: "Disconnect the main bus, but not the home bus."

"First, disconnect the bus from the black stone."

Wang Chengan immediately understood.

He wedged the abacus frame between the red line and the stone platform, gritting his teeth and straining.

"This debt cannot be placed on the villagers today!"

Xu Erxiao inserted the short sword into the bottom of the abacus frame, using the sword as a lever.

Both exerted their strength simultaneously.

The red line loosened half an inch from the stone platform.

The black stone emitted a muffled thud.

All eyes turned to them at the same time.

A surge of black energy rushed towards the two of them.

Lu Yuan formed the "Big Dipper Locking Gate Incantation" with both hands.

"Tian Shu determines the head, Tian Xuan determines the gate."

"Tianji determines the Qi, Tianquan determines the course of Qi."

"Yuheng suppresses the soul, Kaiyang suppresses the spirit."

"Shake off the light and seal the roots!"

He took seven steps in a row, each step landing on a different part of the blue bricks of the stone temple.

As the final step was taken, seven beams of white light rose from the ground, forming the Big Dipper.

The black energy crashed into the bucket-shaped light screen, emitting a sharp hiss.

Lu Yuan raised his sword and pointed it at Black Stone.

"Angry man returns home."

"Death returns to the earth."

"May my spirit return to its source."

"Power supply line disconnected."

"Today, instead of cutting down the mountain itself, I'll first sever the root of your reliance on it!"

The blade fell.

The black stone did not break.

Black water flowed from the eyes on the stone surface at the same time.

The black water landed and solidified into a giant human shape.

The humanoid figure had no face, but had three black nails on its chest.

These are the three nails, "Name," "Life," and "Death," that were in the main cave earlier.

It raised its hand and pressed it towards Lu Yuan.

Ah Sheng suddenly broke free from Song Qinghe's side.

He placed his hands on his chest and whispered, "You can't take my anger anymore."

An eye on the black stone turned toward him.

"I raised you."

"I'm supporting you, not so you can take me away."

"You're not supporting me."

Ah Sheng gritted his teeth.

"You simply hid the life that others dared not spend into me."

A blue light emanated from his chest.

One, two, three.

Countless broken faces emerged from the light.

Those survivors who had been suppressed by the evil god within the word "life" stood behind Ah Sheng one by one.

They didn't speak, but simply placed their hands on their chests.

Ah Sheng raised his head and formed a hand seal that was not quite standard.

With hands clasped together, thumbs overlapping, and index fingers pointing upwards, it resembles a tender sprout emerging from frozen soil.

"Born of oneself."

"Life cannot be borrowed from the altar."

"My name is Asheng."

"My life belongs to me."

"return!"

The blue light suddenly expanded.

All the eyes on the black stone closed at the same time.

Lu Yuan seized the moment and slashed the broken sword at the three wires on the stone platform.

"Break!"

The first tree, passing through the birch forest, is broken.

The second one, Tong Xiaoman Village, is cracked.

The third one, the main cave in the mountain's belly, is still taut.

The thickest thread was the one from which the roar of the evil god's true form could be heard.

"You have already seen me."

"Why won't you provide for me?"

Lu Yuan gripped the knife with both hands, the blade pressed against the line.

"Because you don't deserve it."

"I've protected the mountains."

"You're living off the land of the mountains."

"I've saved people."

"What you're borrowing is people's fear of death."

"I remember the deceased."

"You carved the names of the deceased onto doorplates."

"If you cannot protect them, do not call yourself a god."

The evil god's roar shook the snow off the stone temple roof.

A huge crack appeared on the surface of the black stone.

Behind the gap, a clump of black fetal flesh was revealed, pulsating slowly.

Countless lamps were embedded in the fetal flesh.

Each lamp illuminates a face that is praying.

Lu Yuan stopped abruptly when he saw one of the faces.

That was Xiaoman's face.

The next moment, he transformed back into Ah Sheng.

The next instant, they became Xu Erxiao, Wang Chengan, Lin Zhaoxuan, Song Qinghe, and Zhou Heng.

The evil god is using the faces of the people to try to reconstruct a "human face".

"Senior Brother Lu!"

Lin Zhaoxuan shouted.

"There are three locks in the bus!"

Which three?

"The first path is fame, the second is desire, the third path—"

He looked at the crack in the black stone.

"The third path is life!"

Lu Yuan understood.

This bus is not a single wire.

It consists of three layers of offerings stacked together.

Names make evil gods remember people.

I want people to approach me willingly.

Let it truly grow into a physical form.

If any one of the three is missing, the power supply line will break.

He took out Gu Chuan's broken wood, Meng An's old plaque, and the yellow paper with his mother's image sealed on it, and placed them on the stone platform.

"Gu Chuan, return to the earth."

"Meng An, return to your name."

"Mother's Image, My Wish to Return."

All three items emitted a faint glow at the same time.

Lu Yuan formed the "Returning Incantation" with his left hand, and placed the broken sword horizontally across the three objects with his right hand.

"Fame is not for the sake of a gate, vows are not for the sake of incense, and life is not for the sake of food."

"The dead return to the earth, the nameless return to the register, and the living return to their bodies."

"The evil god borrowed money; today the debt is settled."

"Accounts settled"

He suddenly pushed the three items toward the bus.

"The line broke!"

Three things collided with the bus.

The first layer of black lines cracked.

Countless names flew out from the line and landed outside the stone temple.

The second layer of red lines emitted a mournful cry.

The characters for "wish" fell off one by one, turning into tiny white flames.

The third layer of bluish-black lines began to shrink.

The fetal flesh inside the crack in the black stone throbbed violently.

"Just one last breath to get angry!"

The evil god roared fiercely.

It suddenly pressed all the faces in the darkness toward Ah Sheng.

Ah Sheng's body trembled, and the blue light on his chest was forcibly pulled out.

Song Qinghe immediately stepped forward and formed the "life-protecting mudra" with her hands.

He placed his left palm behind Ah Sheng's back and his right palm on Ah Sheng's chest, with their thumbs touching.

"Fire guards his heart, lamp protects his name."

"Humans have three souls, which cannot be lent out."

"We are born from the earth, and our lives return to the body."

"Evil cannot be taken away, and one's will cannot be changed."

"Protect!"

But the power of the evil god was too great.

Song Qinghe was so shocked that she staggered back three steps, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Lu Yuan caught her.

"Qinghe, step outside."

"I can still hold on."

"You guard the lamp, not the lamp itself."

"The light is here."

Song Qinghe raised the bronze lamp.

The last bit of flame in the lamp had shrunk to the size of a bean, yet it still burned steadily.

"The fire isn't out yet."

Lu Yuan looked at the lit lamp and suddenly said, "Give the lamp to Asheng."

Song Qinghe was taken aback.

"He's angry and unstable right now; the light will be sucked away."

"You just have to let it inhale."

Lu Yuan pulled Ah Sheng to the stone platform.

"Ah Sheng, hold the lamp up."

Ah Sheng accepted the bronze lamp with both hands.

"Will it take my life?"

"meeting."

"Then what should I do?"

"Don't protect the lamp."

"Protect what?"

"Protect your own name."

Ah Sheng closed his eyes.

The flame in the bronze lamp suddenly rose higher.

Black energy surged wildly from the cracks in the black stone, like countless snakes, and crawled into the lamp.

The bronze lamp emitted a humming sound.

Ah Sheng's body is becoming increasingly transparent.

Lu Yuan stood behind him, his hands forming the "Soul-Stabilizing Incantation".

"Guard your name between your brows, guard your voice in your throat, and guard your life in your heart."

"If the name is not confused, the voice is not changed, and no offspring can be born."

"Ah Sheng, I'm saying your name."

"My name is Asheng."

"Read it again."

"My name is Asheng."

"Read it again!"

"My name is Ah Sheng!"

On the third fall, the bronze lamp suddenly shattered.

The lamp did not go out, but instead transformed into a blue flame that fell directly into Ah Sheng's chest.

The black energy within the black stone was forced back by the fire.

The thickest busbar, losing its life support, finally broke off from the stone platform.

The broken wire flew up like a black snake, fleeing towards the back of the stone temple.

Lu Yuan raised his sword and caught up, slashing the black snake at its vital spot.

The black snake was cut in two.

The first half landed and turned into countless black offering papers.

The latter half, however, burrowed into a crack in the black rock.

The black stone did not completely shatter.

It began to shrink rapidly, its surface eyes closing one after another, until finally only a fist-sized black stone heart remained.

Four words appeared on the black stone: "Unfinished, awaiting offering."

Looking at those four words, Mr. Meng suddenly said, "It's not dead."

"I know."

"It will also grow from other power lines."

"Maybe."

Lu Yuan pressed the broken sword against the black stone heart.

"But it has no body today."

The Black Stone Heart emitted a low, resonant vibration.

"You can't shut me down."

Lu Yuan took out a blank offering paper from the cave, wrapped the black stone heart in it, and then drew three doors on the paper with cinnabar, salt, and incense ash.

The first question is to write "名止".

The second one is written as "Wish to disperse".

The third one says "survived".

Finally, he used his own blood to write the character "封" (seal) on the back of the paper.

"The mountain gate is the boundary, and the black stone is the heart."

"Without a name, one cannot emerge; without a wish, one cannot gather."

"Life returns to man, death returns to earth."

"Temporarily sealed off today. No one is allowed to borrow lamps, wells, or people."

"seal up!"

The yellow paper suddenly tightened.

The black stone heart was sealed inside the paper, still beating gently within.

Lu Yuan handed it to Lin Zhaoxuan.

"Wrap the ink line three times and bury it in the foundation of the mortuary."

Lin Zhaoxuan accepted it and immediately ordered that it be carried out.

"How deep should it be buried?"

"Seven feet."

"What if it moves?"

"The thread breaks first, then the stone cracks."

"What should we do then?"

"Pingzhan" (萍斩).

Outside the stone temple, the sky was already turning white.

The wind and snow gradually stopped.

A rooster crowed in Fangheng, Xiaomantun.

The first sound was very weak.

When the second sound rang out, the red lights that had been turned on again in the village went out one by one.

After the third sound, the red rope on the snow turned to ashes.

Those footprints that the evil god took away gradually emerged from the birch forest, the old village, and the offering cart, and fell back to their respective owners' feet.

The three children in the back hall also woke up one after another.

Xiao Shun cried and called for his mother.

Chunni clung to Song Qinghe's legs and refused to let go.

Zhao Anze simply opened his eyes and stared blankly at the roof beam.

Lu Yuan walked over and took the yellow paper with his name on it off the beam.

"Do you still remember your name?"

Zhao An opened his mouth.

"Zhao An".

"Where did you come from?"

"Xiaomantun".

"Where do you want to go?"

Zhao An looked outside Hengmen.

"go home."

"Then let him go."

The child got off the bed, his steps were still a little unsteady, but Ping didn't drag him back with Hei Gen.

Mr. Meng carried his father's skeleton out of the stone temple.

He held the broken wooden tablet of Gu Chuanchao, the old tablet of Meng Anchao, and several unclaimed wooden tablets in his arms.

He stood in the bright, snowy ground, and suddenly looked ten years older.

"Master Lu, the Root Temple has been sealed off."

"But the oversupply lines to the thirty-seven villages are still in operation."

Some of the wires are broken.

""

"Some have only loosened."

"Some altars have encroached upon the ground."

Lu Yuan put away the sealed black stone heart.

"Do you know where they are?"

Mr. Meng nodded.

"My father left behind a picture."

"The map shows three areas with the largest oversupply of land."

"The first place is Xiaomantun."

"The second location is north of the birch forest, beyond Majiagou."

"The third place————"

He looked up at the main mountain.

"The third addition is in the large cave where you first entered Shanchao."

"The main cave has been sealed off."

"Feng Chao is the gatekeeper."

Mr. Meng said in a low voice.

"The power supply line is still in operation."

"Moreover, since last night, the evil god has stopped sending vital energy into the main cave."

"It transferred the remaining excess gas supply to Majiagou."

"There is a temple dedicated to Guan Yu there."

Zhou Heng frowned.

"Can a temple dedicated to Guan Yu also enshrine evil gods?"

"The deity enshrined in the temple is not Guan Yu."

Mr. Meng said.

"It's a righteous well behind the Guandi Temple."

"The well contains the remains of the superhero who fled during the war."

"They believed that as long as Guan Yu protected the weapons and the mountain god protected the way to survival, they could pass through the pass safely."

Lu Yuanwang Hengbei.

Beyond the snow line, a wisp of black smoke could be faintly seen rising.

There was no wind above the black smoke, yet it formed an inverted super blade.

The tip of the knife was pointing directly at Majiagou.

Asheng stood beside Lu Yuan, the cyan flame on his chest glowing faintly.

"It's over there."

"Did they call you?"

"You weren't calling me."

Ah Sheng looked at the black smoke.

"It's calling everyone."

Lu Yuan sheathed the broken sword.

"First, send the children and villagers to Anmei's place."

"Then we'll go to Majiagou."

Xu Erxiao immediately asked, "Senior brother, shall we proceed from here?"

"It's just dawn, let's rest for half an hour first."

Will the evil god give us a break?

"It won't."

Lu Yuan looked at the black, upside-down sword hanging in the distance.

"So we need to rest even more."

"Next, we need to break the deadlock, and it's not just one lamp."

"It's a temple, a well, and a group of superheroes willing to give themselves up."

Wang Chengan hugged the broken frame of the abacus tightly.

"That's a huge problem."

"Even large accounts must be settled."

Lu Yuan turned around and looked at the snow-covered mountains beyond the pass.

From deep within the mountain, a very faint chime rang out.

thump.

The black stone heart, sealed in yellow paper, skipped a beat.

A thin crack appeared on the back of the paper, beyond the character "封" (seal).

Lu Yuan glanced down and then used cinnabar to patch it up again.

"It's not dead."

"But it is not a god either."

"Walk."

The group traveled north along the snow-capped mountains.

Behind us, in the small village of Mantun, the first rays of sunlight finally shone into the village entrance.

The old man, Zhao Shude, knelt beside the old well and personally buried his son, Zhao Xiaoman, in the ground.

The sound of Jing Lichao crying stopped.

Only a gust of wind blew by, carrying the smells of roasted potatoes, cooking smoke, and freshly turned earth.

Further beyond Majiagou, the broken bell at Guandi Temple suddenly rang on its own.

Behind the temple, in the well, a hand wearing a red rope slowly emerged from the well opening.

A wooden plaque was wrapped around his wrist.

The wooden sign had two new characters written on it: "Lu Yuan".

""