Ghost Immortal

Li Feng naturally shook his head; he didn't know how to tell fortunes.

Master Four Eyebrows slowly said, "Last night, I checked the old records left in the mortuary. Before Qingyan City was built, this place was indeed a mass burial ground, but the history of the mass burial ground is much longer than I thought."

He took out a yellowed parchment from his pocket and spread it out on his lap.

The parchment contained a rudimentary map with a few vague place names marked on it.

"This map was left behind by the previous caretaker of the mortuary fifty years ago. It marks all the tombs and inauspicious sites around Qingyan City. There is one place that is circled with three red circles in cinnabar, and next to it are four special red characters: 'Phoenix Burial Site'."

Qiu Sheng and Qiu Lan both came over, quite interested.

The Taoist priest with four eyebrows continued, "The Phoenix Burial Ground does not bury humans, but demons. In ancient times, a great demon transformed into human form and intermarried with mortals, giving birth to offspring who were half-demon and half-human."

"These descendants can neither fully integrate into the demon race nor be accepted by mortals. They can only be buried separately after death because they have the blood of the demon race in their bodies. Their graves must be sealed with burial soil to prevent their demonic energy from leaking out after death and turning into vengeful ghosts."

He pointed to the red circle on the parchment: "The tomb below the quarry is a phoenix burial ground. The person buried in the tomb should be a female demon who married a mortal cultivator."

"When she was alive, she was probably a demon cultivator of a high rank. After she died, her husband sealed her underground with burial soil and a demon-suppressing talisman array, hoping that she could rest in peace."

"But she couldn't rest in peace." Li Feng shook his head.

The Taoist priest with four eyebrows said solemnly, "Someone found her grave, broke the seal, and woke her from her slumber. Perhaps they want to steal something from her, and this person is very cunning."

"He knew that the female corpse would go berserk and kill people after she woke up, so he deliberately sold the tomb map and the Moon Soul Key to tomb raiders, letting them go and probe first. Once the tomb raiders lured the female corpse out, he could reap the benefits."

Qiu Sheng couldn't help but ask, "Master, what exactly is this mastermind trying to do? What benefit would he gain from releasing the female corpse?"

The Taoist priest with four eyebrows pinched his chin and guessed, "The resentful aura on the female corpse is an extremely pure and powerful Yin energy."

"If we can absorb and refine this malevolent energy, we can increase our cultivation level rapidly in a short period of time. Moreover, the female corpse is a half-demon, and her bones, blood, and internal organs are all top-quality materials for refining evil magical artifacts."

He looked at Qiu Sheng: "Although the female corpse had a lot of resentment and evil energy burned away by my Samadhi White Flame last night, her demon bones and corpse core are still there. If she escapes back to the deep mountains and is captured by the mastermind behind the scenes, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Everyone felt a chill; was there a second challenge?

Li Feng asked thoughtfully, "Master, could the mastermind behind this be the source of the evil energy?"

The Four-Eyebrowed Taoist priest gave him an approving look: "You are indeed very perceptive. I think so too. The black aura is the most yin and evil aura. It may be produced by a large-scale massacre, or it may be the decomposition of a great demon's corpse."

"The timing of the female corpse's birth perfectly coincides with the time when the black aura drifted into the city; this is no coincidence."

He stated his judgment: "I suspect that deep in the mountains, there is a great demon that has died or been killed by someone. The person who killed the great demon took the demon's core and some materials, but the body was not properly disposed of, causing the demon's corpse to rot and turn into black miasma that drifts out."

"His release of the female corpse was likely an attempt to create another living corpse capable of generating resentment and malevolence using the same method."

This speculation sent a collective gasp through everyone present.

If that's the case, the mastermind behind it all is not only ruthless but also has grand ambitions.

He not only wanted to absorb the dark energy for cultivation, but he also wanted to create more dark energy and more vengeful zombies!

"These are just my speculations; there is no conclusive evidence yet."

Master Si Mei put away the parchment and said solemnly, "But from today onwards, each of you must be extra careful. Qiu Sheng and Qiu Lan, when you are guarding the mortuary during the day, pay close attention to whether any suspicious people come to inquire about information."

"Li Feng, you must be even more vigilant when you are on night watch. If you discover anything unusual, immediately use this communication talisman to notify your master."

He took a talisman out of his sleeve and handed it to Li Feng.

The talisman was only the size of a palm, with winding tadpole-like runes drawn on it, much more steadily than Li Feng's.

"This is a sound transmission talisman. After you infuse it with spiritual power, I can sense your location and voice within a three-mile radius. Remember, safety comes first. If anything seems amiss, do not act recklessly. Be sure to notify me first."

Li Feng took the communication talisman and solemnly put it into his pocket.

The next few days passed relatively peacefully.

During the day, Li Feng studied the "Maoshan Qi Cultivation Manual" at home and practiced breathing techniques as recorded in it.

This cultivation method is completely different from his previous method of breaking through by eating monster meat and drinking spiritual soup.

The key is to proceed step by step, nurturing the meridians with gentle, persistent effort to solidify the foundation.

To be honest, Li Feng still prefers to break through with meat.

Not only is it fast, but the meat is also really delicious.

Li Feng discovered that although this mental cultivation method could not help him break through quickly, it could purify the spiritual energy in his body.

The spiritual power I had previously gained from the spiritual soup was great, but somewhat mixed and superficial, and the circulation of my meridians was not smooth enough.

After several days of nourishing the Qi, the foundation of the nine-inch spiritual root became significantly more stable.

This made him even more convinced that although relying solely on cooking food in the cauldron could lead to rapid breakthroughs, problems would inevitably arise sooner or later if he didn't combine it with orthodox cultivation methods to solidify his foundation.

The night watchman's shift continued as usual.

He knew the routes of the twelve alleys in the south of the city by heart.

The rhythmic sound of the clapper echoed through the empty alley, dispelling the fragments of wandering souls along the way.

Unlike before, he now pays more attention when he's on watch, constantly glancing at the dark corners behind him and on both sides of the alley.

But Li Feng always felt that someone was watching him from the shadows.

The feeling of being spied on was subtle; several times he turned around abruptly, but saw nothing.

That evening, as usual, Li Feng walked across the alley opposite Yihonglou, tapping his clapper.

The red lanterns at the entrance of Yihong Tower were still dazzlingly bright, and the sounds of string and wind instruments and laughter could be faintly heard coming from inside.

Madam Zhou, the madam, stood at the door, seeing off a drunken customer.

Upon seeing Li Feng, the smile on her face froze slightly.

He cursed his bad luck and turned back, clearly still remembering the night he was taken to the yamen.

Li Feng ignored her and continued walking forward, banging on his clapper.

I had only taken a dozen or so steps when I suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps behind me.

He turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a blue silk robe stumbling out of the brothel, his face pale, shouting something unintelligible.

Mrs. Zhou chased after him, cursing, "Another drunkard! I've had the worst luck of my life today!"

The middle-aged man staggered toward Li Feng, looking back as he ran, his expression terrified, as if something was chasing him.

Li Feng subconsciously gripped the wooden clapper at his waist, while simultaneously using his five senses to explore his surroundings.

However, he sensed nothing.

There was no yin energy, no demonic energy, and nothing unusual.

The middle-aged man ran up to Li Feng, suddenly grabbed his arm, and dug his nails into it tightly.

"Help me! Please help me!"

Li Feng frowned and asked, "What's chasing you?"

"I...I don't know...I drank alcohol, went out to pee, and when I came back I saw..."

The middle-aged man's voice trembled so much that he could barely speak.

"I saw a will-o'-the-wisp chasing me from behind!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his body suddenly straightened and stiffened.

Li Feng felt the hand that was gripping his arm instantly become hot.

In front of Li Feng, his entire body was enveloped in green flames!

The flames died down quickly. He looked perfectly normal on the outside, but all his internal organs were burned to a crisp!