Gou Zai Yao Wu Simulated Immortal

"At the abandoned shrine, first bury three Yin-gathering nails, the locations are respectively..." He pointed to the direction on the map, "to the left of the shrine gate, behind the broken pillar, under the blood-stained ruins."

"Once you activate the formation, the zombie horde will surely surge outwards."

"At that time, we must not linger in battle. We only need to leave a trace of a strong attack, and then we will immediately circle back to the Corpse Cave from the west."

Li Qian focused his mind and memorized it.

Lu Chenchuan then pointed to another spot below.

"We need to hurry up with the locking of the dragon's eye."

"After you enter the semi-circular stone hall, first nail three tide-breaking points on the outer layer to cut off the flow of the underground river."

"Sprinkle more vein sand to sever the connection between the Corpse Cave and the Dragon Eye Lock."

"Finally, the remaining openings on the surface of the living flesh are sealed with a locking talisman, and then drawn out by something of the same origin."

"The entire process must not exceed thirty breaths."

Li Qian frowned slightly: "Thirty breaths?"

"That's right."

Lu Chenchuan calmly explained, "What you need is live flesh, not inanimate objects. If the formation is relaxed, it might awaken them."

"And the other two places were also not noticed."

"Therefore, it can only be fast, not slow."

Li Qian memorized the items listed on the paper.

"Sir, could you please write down all the items I need?"

Lu Chenchuan handed over the paper.

"It was already written."

Li Qian took it and looked at it; he saw that it was listed on the paper.

Six Yin-gathering needles and three Mi-flowing flags.

Several talismans, three tide-breaking nails, one packet of vein-separating sand, and ten sheets of Yinhe animal skin paper.

Half an ounce of dragon blood sand, a pot of agarwood ink, four lock-the-orifice talismans, a piece of bone-guiding stone, and a lock-the-mechanism lamp.

The cost here is quite substantial. If it fails... Li Qian frowned. It seems he'll have to exploit Lü Liang and Sima You again.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lu Chenchuan added, "There's one more thing you must remember."

Li Qian looked up.

"Yuan Youdao is not trustworthy."

Li Qian's eyes darkened slightly: "Does the master think so too?"

Lu Chenchuan scoffed.

Li Qian solemnly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for the reminder, sir."

Lu Chenchuan waved his hand: "No need for thanks. Our business is just that—business. Since Wen Qianji has already accepted your spirit stones, I won't do this for nothing."

Upon hearing this, Li Qian readily agreed and immediately took out thirty low-grade spirit stones, arranging them evenly on the table.

"Please take a look, sir."

Lu Chenchuan glanced at them, then with a flick of his sleeve, collected all the spirit stones.

His expression softened slightly.

"I have three Tide-Breaking Nails here. Take them with you when you leave."

"Things like 'separated vein sand,' 'agarwood,' and 'yinhe animal skin paper' can still be found in the market. 'Bone-drawing stone' is a bit more obscure; you could try asking around on Heiqu Street in the west of the market..."

"If we really can't find it, we'll go back to that madman Wen Qianji's place. He's probably hiding one in his possession."

Li Qian nodded.

Lu Chenchuan then placed three thin, long black nails on the side of the table.

The nail was only about a foot long, dark and heavy, and icy cold to the touch. Its body was densely engraved with tiny water patterns, making it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary object.

"These are the Tide-Severing Nails," Lu Chenchuan said. "They are specifically designed to sever the branches of the Yin River. I have already drawn their locations on the map."

Li Qian collected them one by one, then folded the picture again and put it close to his body into his sleeve.

With that, the purpose of this trip has been fully accomplished.

He rose and cupped his hands in greeting: "I have remembered your words, sir. If this succeeds, you may come to me if you ever need any more talismans in the future."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chenchuan looked up at him.

"You have a better chance of being a decent human being than Wen Qian."

After saying that, he raised his hand to see the guest out, while he himself lowered his head to continue fiddling with the plate of fine sand.

Li Qian, knowing better, said no more and turned to leave the courtyard.

Following the note given by Lu Chenchuan, they went to several shops on South Street that regularly sold talisman paper and spirit ink.

I bought Yinhe animal skin paper and agarwood ink.

Although these two items are uncommon, they are still considered legitimate talisman materials and are not difficult to find in the market.

The real troublesome ones are the Yin-gathering needle, the Bewitching Flag, and the Bone-guiding Stone.

The Yin-gathering needle must be made by calcining cold iron from a dark place with water, and most ordinary shops do not have it.

The Miliu Flag needs to be soaked in stagnant, damp water, so few people sell it.

As for the Bone-Guiding Stone, it is extremely rare and mostly used for binding bones and pulling skeletons. Unless one is a cultivator who makes puppets or drives corpses, they would never touch it on a normal day.

Li Qian walked along the street for half a day, asking at several shops, before finally collecting four Yin-gathering needles and two Bewitching Flags.

It's still a bit short of the required number.

He stood outside a flag shop, his fingers lightly tapping the list in his sleeve.

"Looks like I still have to make a trip to Heiqu Street."

Heiqu Street is located west of Linfang, next to Lingxi Canal beside Baixifang.

The shops there were small and sold out of the way.

You can often find old ritual implements that have not been properly documented there.

After nightfall, the place becomes even more chaotic and disorganized.

Li Qian had visited the fishing camp several times in the simulation, so he had some impression of the place.

After searching back and forth for a shop, it was almost nightfall when the materials were finally gathered.

After returning to their temporary lodging, they laid out all the items they had acquired that day and carefully counted them on the table.

Nothing is missing.

Li Qian sat down cross-legged and slowly sank his mind into the space between the two realms.

The candlelight around them flickered slightly.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, he could smell that familiar mixture of dampness, corpse odor, and muddy smell.

The person is still inside the semi-circular stone hall beneath the Dragon Lock Eye.

The defensive runes that had been set up around him were still there, but their light was dimmer than before he left.

Take out a talisman for escaping into the ground and hold it between two fingers.

As soon as the yellow talisman was lit, the earth's energy stirred slightly.

Li Qian's body sank, and he quietly withdrew from below the Dragon Lock Eye, diving upwards along the earth vein fissures he had previously explored.

Night had fallen.

The river wind howled, and the water surface was dark and murky.

The Duolong River is formed by the confluence of the Heishui River and the Liuyue Creek.

Under the moonlight, two different layers of dark light, one dark and one cold, collided and stirred up layers of reverse waves.

There was no sign of anyone on the shore.

Only the distant shadows of the forest swayed, and occasionally the hooting of owls could be heard.

Li Qian looked up and gazed at the waters in the middle of the river.

Following Lu Chenchuan's instructions, he chose a slightly higher rocky spot on the shore.

He raised his hand and spread out the Yinhe animal skin paper, then quickly drew three evil-attracting talismans with deep-water ink.

Then, he lightly touched the ground with his feet and silently sped away along the riverbank.

First, go to the position diagonally to the left of the ancestral hall entrance on the riverbank.

It is precisely where the yin energy outside the abandoned shrine easily gathers and does not disperse.

With a flick of his fingers, he obtained a Yin-gathering needle.

Li Qian observed the change in the water's flow, flicked his finger, and the Yin-gathering needle silently disappeared into the mud, sand, and rocks.

He shifted his position and circled around to behind the broken pillar.

This place is more dangerous than before. As soon as you get close, you can feel the faint corpse energy moving back and forth at the bottom of the river.

Clearly, this place is frequently visited by drowned corpses.

Li Qian pinched a concealing talisman and stuck it on his sleeve.

Then, holding his breath, he pressed the second Yin-gathering needle under the root of the broken pillar.

As soon as the needle hit the ground, the nearby stagnant water noticeably sank.

The last place is behind that broken, blood-patterned wall.

This is the most dangerous place.

Because it is closest to the center of the abandoned shrine.

Li Qian took out the third Yin-gathering needle with his backhand, and at the same time, he also held a piece of the drowned corpse's flesh that he had secretly left behind between his fingers.

Using a swirling undercurrent as cover, he suddenly snapped his fingers.

The Yin-gathering needle broke through the water and disappeared.

He casually flicked the piece of flesh from the drowned corpse into the mud and sand outside the shrine.

With the three needles inserted, a simple formation was thus completed.

Li Qian dared not linger and immediately retreated several feet.

The three evil-attracting talismans in his hand flew out simultaneously, landing at the positions corresponding to the three needles he had previously used.