Taoist priests in the supernatural world

Chapter 85 A Celestial Being Descends to Earth, Turning Gold into Gold and Playing with Jiajing

The lights flickered, and ghostly shadows loomed large.

Inside the underground palace, the eerie green firelight illuminated the four walls. As soon as Li Xuan came down, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Two ferocious shikigami stood silently on either side of the white jade screen.

"This is Mr. Abe, the owner of the Yin-Yang Bureau."

The shopkeeper respectfully knelt down and kowtowed, then turned to Li Xuan and said.

Li Xuan suppressed his fear and was about to speak.

Before he could speak, Abe Onmyoji, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the white jade screen, waved his hand.

His voice was hoarse, like fingernails scraping against a stone.

"I'm here to investigate the cause of my brother's death."

"Whoever the murderer is, I will tear them to pieces."

As he spoke, he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were cloudy and yellowish, yet they carried an indescribable chill.

"As for you, as compensation, you shall pay 20,000 taels of silver."

"There are also twenty boys and girls."

As the Onmyoji spoke, the two shikigami behind him revealed their ferocious appearances with blue faces and fangs.

The red demon moved its giant axe slightly, and a dull thud came from the ground. Black smoke billowed from the bottle in the blue demon's arms, and the faint sound of an infant crying could be heard from within the smoke.

The scene was horrifying.

Li Xuan's face turned pale, but he dared not hesitate for a moment and nodded hastily.

"Of course, of course."

"We will prepare 20,000 taels of silver, as well as young boys and girls."

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head, especially since they were the ones asking for a favor in the first place.

Abe, the Onmyoji, nodded in satisfaction and put down his wine cup: "Very good, tell me the information you know."

Li Xuan swallowed hard, just about to speak.

Suddenly, the ceiling above everyone's heads rippled.

Wow!

A pure white figure flew in from above.

The person arrived so quickly that no one had even seen their face clearly.

boom!

Crimson flames rained down from the sky.

Flames rained down, instantly engulfing the entire underground palace.

The two shikigami had just raised their heads when they were drenched in real fire.

With a roar, the Red Demon's body was burned and cracked apart before it could even raise its giant axe.

The green bottle in the green ghost's arms exploded, and the black smoke that had just emerged was burned into nothingness by the flames.

In the blink of an eye, the two ferocious shikigami turned to ashes.

The remaining golden light followed closely behind, shooting through the air from all directions.

Puff puff!

The heads of the shopkeeper, guards, Japanese pirates, and Yin-Yang Master disciples were all pierced by golden light.

The corpses collapsed to the ground before they could even scream.

Only then did the figure become visible in the lamplight.

It is yellow and white.

"The mages in this world seem a bit weak."

Huang Bai looked around, pondering to himself.

In the past few days, he made a special trip to a temple and a Taoist temple.

The investigation revealed that there were indeed some sorcerers in this world, but they did not exhibit any obvious signs of ghosts or gods.

Most of those monks and Taoist priests were only skilled in some unorthodox techniques, and some were even just street magic tricks.

The Yin-Yang Master before him was one of the stronger cultivators he had encountered so far.

This so-called shikigami is only comparable in strength to the twin spirits.

"So, this world must be devoid of ghosts and gods, a world where magic is primitive?"

In that case, the problem most likely lies with the evil spirits that threaten the nation's destiny.

Or perhaps, it originates from the so-called last dragon vein.

Perhaps Jiajing knew the answer.

After searching the underground palace for a while, Huang Bai quickly found an account book in a corner.

He glanced through it briefly but couldn't find what he was looking for.

This ledger records the transactions between Japanese pirates and officials and gentry in Jiangnan. The transactions between the Japanese pirates and traitors were far more in-depth than he had imagined.

A portion of the spoils plundered by the Japanese pirates would be distributed to the gentry of Jiangnan, who in turn provided the pirates with food, ships, hiding places, and information on coastal military affairs.

Some of the so-called Japanese pirates were actually bandits secretly kept by gentry and powerful families.

They disguised themselves as Japanese pirates, but their actions were those of local powerful figures who killed, seized land, and eliminated dissidents.

"The ghostly soldiers must arrive quickly!"

Yellow and white hand finger pinching technique.

A cold wind swept by, and black mist rose from the ground.

Twin spirits, the girl in red, the King of Offering, Yakshas, ​​and other ghostly soldiers emerged one after another from the black mist.

The underground palace was already eerie, but now it seemed even more like a ghost town.

Huang Bai divided the list in the ledger into several parts and handed them over to various spirits.

"Take the list and deal with them."

Since we didn't find what we were looking for, we might as well take care of these scoundrels.

These people colluded with Japanese pirates and harmed the people; they deserve to die.

"yes!!"

The ghost soldiers took the list and answered in unison.

The next moment, the ghosts turned into wisps of black smoke and disappeared into the underground palace.

Night was falling.

The stars twinkled.

Dark clouds spread from afar, gradually obscuring the bright moon and stars.

A dark and windy night, a night for murder.

A mansion on the outskirts of the city.

The once bustling mansion was now deathly silent.

Prefect Ma was fast asleep, embracing his newly acquired concubine.

The bed was filled with a rich fragrance, and the curtains hung low.

The elder twin spirit, Lingzhu, appeared silently on the ceiling.

She hung upside down, her long hair falling slowly.

The long, thin strands of hair parted silently, transforming into steel needles.

puff.

The needles pierced Magistrate Ma's heart, and several more pierced his brain.

The spirit pearl twisted gently.

Prefect Ma's body trembled slightly, and then he died silently.

He didn't even have time to open his eyes.

After doing all this, Lingzhu pasted a piece of evidence of her crime on the side of her bed, and then her figure turned into black smoke and disappeared.

"ah!!!"

"Someone's dead!!!"

The next morning, the concubine let out a piercing scream, waking the entire mansion.

When everyone rushed over, they found that Prefect Ma was bleeding from his mouth and nose and had been dead for some time.

He had evidence of his crimes, including trading with Japanese pirates, pasted on his body.

In the following days, a storm swept through Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Officials, merchants, renowned scholars, students, military men, and even eunuchs sent from the palace all died mysteriously one after another.

These people died in different ways.

Someone bled from all seven orifices and died in the study.

Someone suddenly screamed in the middle of the night. When the servants rushed in, they found the body hanging from the beam.

Some people slept under heavy guard, but the next day they were still found with a bloody hole in their chest.

Some people were laughing and chatting at the banquet, but the next moment they collapsed on the table, spitting out black blood.

Without exception, these dead bodies or their doors bore evidence of their crimes of colluding with Japanese pirates.

Some people with guilty consciences would invite monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals during the day, and have dozens of servants guard their doors at night.

In the end, he died quietly.

This bizarre scene sparked widespread discussion and rumors among the public.

Inside the teahouse.

Merchants traveling on their way, scholars taking the imperial examinations, and idle people in the marketplace with nothing to do.

The group sat around a table, whispering amongst themselves.

"All the corrupt officials who died in the past few days were colluding with the Japanese."

"I heard they are soldiers who died on the battlefield, and they've come back to claim their lives."

"I heard that a passing deity couldn't stand by and watch them die, so he killed them on a whim."

"They must be gods."

"If the soldiers could take lives, they would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?"

"I've also heard that some people saw a white light fall from the sky at night, and a white-haired Taoist priest was standing in the light."

Rumors about the appearance of deities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are spreading rapidly.

Some people solemnly claimed that they had personally seen immortals on Jinhua Mountain.

Outside Chun'an County.

Hai Rui followed the path to the thatched cottage in the wilderness where Huang Bai lived in seclusion.

The thatched cottage was small, surrounded by bamboo groves.

There is a stream in front of the house, the water is shallow and clear, and moss grows on the stones.

Huang Bai was sitting in front of his thatched hut, brewing tea and lost in thought.

Hai Rui stepped closer, remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "Master Huang, is doing this... really alright?"

His tone carried a rare hint of hesitation.

One hundred and fifty-three people died this time, most of them were powerful and high-ranking officials, and at the very least, they were wealthy merchants and gentry.

There were even eunuchs sent by the imperial palace.

Too many people have died.

It is easy to imagine how much shock this will cause to the government and the public.

Hai Rui had studied the classics for so many years, but this was the first time he had encountered such a way of punishing evil and promoting good.

Huang Bai picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "When immortals kill, why should they need worldly etiquette?"

The carefree and unrestrained nature of immortals lies precisely in their freedom from worldly constraints.

In this kind of intertwined officialdom, the best approach is to cut the Gordian knot.

Hai Rui remained silent.

He knew that Huang Bai's words made sense, but this sense of reason ultimately conflicted with the Confucian teachings he had learned over the years.

Huang Bai glanced at him and smiled:

"You are an official in the human realm, so you speak of the law; I am a person outside the secular world, so I speak of cause and effect and retribution."

"Each goes its own way, and there is no contradiction between them."

Upon hearing this, Hai Rui finally let out a long sigh.

"If the laws of the world could truly kill all evil people, why would there be any need for immortals to intervene?"

The capital city, Wanshou Palace.

Jiajing remained behind the curtain, his figure shrouded in mystery and unpredictable.

The air in the hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and the sound of bells echoed far and wide.

The eunuch Yang Jinshui knelt to one side and presented a secret letter from Jiangsu and Zhejiang with both hands.

Jiajing reached out and took it, then slowly opened it.

The letter described the bizarre murder cases that had recently occurred in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

One hundred and fifty-three people died, all of whom were involved in collusion with Japanese pirates, and the evidence was pasted onto their bodies one by one.

After reading it, Emperor Jiajing's expression changed slightly.

After a long while, he finally let out a breath.

"Send top imperial guards to thoroughly investigate this case."

"yes!"

Yang Jinshui bowed his head and agreed.

Jiajing continued reading the following content.

When he saw the rumors of immortals descending from the Jiangnan region, a sarcastic smile appeared on his face.

"Yang Jinshui, do you also believe he's a deity?"

Yang Jinshui lay on the ground, hesitating for a moment.

"Your Majesty, this matter... is indeed extremely strange."

"A centurion died in the army camp, bleeding from all seven orifices, in full view of everyone."

"The people guarding the door didn't hear a sound."

"I think... perhaps it really was the work of a deity."

He wasn't entirely flattering when he said that.

He truly knew that some people were colluding with the Japanese, and he understood that such matters were kept extremely secret.

To be able to pinpoint those who colluded with the Japanese so accurately and present the evidence of their crimes so clearly is something only a god could do.

Yang Jinshui cautiously said, "Your Majesty, shall we invite some monks and Taoist priests to hold a Buddhist and Taoist ritual to appease the gods...?"

"No need."

Jiajing placed the letter over the candle flame and watched it slowly turn to ashes.

He got up and walked to the wall.

A portrait hangs on the wall.

The painting depicts an elderly Taoist priest, with the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers painted behind him. His expression is compassionate and profound.

Jiajing stood with his hands behind his back and said:

"Two hundred years ago, when Emperor Taizu established his rule over the world, Liu Bowen was ordered to sever all the dragon veins in the world and isolate humans, gods, ghosts, and monsters."

"It also destroyed the classic texts of immortals, causing cultivation to disappear from the world."

"Therefore, the so-called legend of immortals descending to earth is utter nonsense."

Emperor Jiajing, as the ruler of the realm, sought immortals for many years but never actually saw one.

Let alone mere mortals?

In his view, these so-called immortals were mostly wandering sorcerers and military knights who acted under the guise of supernatural powers and deities.

"It was probably done by someone in the army. Send someone to ask Qi Jiguang."

"yes!"

Yang Jinshui stood up and accepted the order.

Before leaving, he added:

"Your Majesty, the gold I collected has been delivered to the alchemy room."

"Go down."

"Yes."

After Yang Jinshui left, Jiajing pondered for a moment in the tent.

Then, he slowly walked out of the bedroom and headed to the alchemy room.

Inside the alchemy room, the Taoist priest was still refining elixirs.

The Longevity Elixir requires eighty-one ingredients, and Emperor Jiajing could not possibly refine them all himself. These trivial steps were all handled by the Taoist priests below him.

Only the final, crucial step was under his personal control.

The alchemy room has a dome above it and a dark well below.

The unusual stones, flowers, and bronze lamps are arranged according to the eight trigrams.

Small skylights open in the dome, allowing sunlight and moonlight to penetrate.

Beneath the Yin Well lies a connection between subterranean fire and water vapor, where the intermingling of hot and cold creates a unique fire temperature.

This is the place where Jiajing practiced the alchemy of the Gold Sand School.

The piece of gold transported from Jiangsu and Zhejiang was placed on top of the well.

The gold shone brilliantly under the lights, its size astonishing.

Jiajing stepped forward, examined it carefully for a moment, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Excellent, a fine piece of natural gold."

This naturally formed gold, nourished by the essence of the sun and moon, often contains a higher level of metallic properties than ordinary gold.

It's perfect for him to practice his alchemy.

boom!

The heavy doors closed.

The alchemy room was completely isolated from the outside world.

Emperor Jiajing meditated and regulated his breathing.

After a long while, he lit the tinderbox and threw it into the well.

call!

Azure flames rose from the well.

This is an alchemical flame made with special kerosene, which is hotter than ordinary flames and can easily melt and forge metals and stones.

Undeterred by the intense heat of the flames, Jiajing sat cross-legged beside the golden throne.

He formed a hand seal and slowly circulated the incantation, preparing to absorb the metal element within.

Just then.

Wow!

A ripple suddenly appeared on the surface of the gold.

The once brilliant gold quickly faded.

The next moment, the huge piece of gold turned into a grayish stone.

boom!

The stone could not withstand the impact of the flames and magic, and it exploded with a bang.

Gravel flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

The Jiajing Emperor's clothes were disheveled from the explosion, and his face was covered in dust, making him look quite disheveled.

"Hmm? Gold plating?"

Jiajing's expression immediately darkened.

My first thought was that someone was trying to deceive me with gilded items.

The next moment, he suddenly stopped.

"wrong."

Jiajing's expression changed as he looked at the pile of rubble.

"This is the art of alchemy! What a profound art of alchemy!"

The firelight reflected Jiajing's shocked expression.

It was clearly a piece of real gold just now.

Now that I think about it carefully, I realize that his foundation in metal was extremely shallow, and it was clearly something that was temporarily enlightened by a master.

This is truly turning lead into gold.

Moreover, the other party's methods were far more sophisticated than the alchemy he had mastered.

Emperor Jiajing was not angry, but pleased.

Over the years, he sought immortality and enlightenment, meeting many alchemists and extraordinary people.

He had never seen anyone who could truly reach this level in the art of alchemy.

"Just who is this person?"

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