Chapter 126 The Eve of the Sixth Battle of Nine Mountains
In a remote village outside Mount Qingcheng, the last human head tower collapsed under Wang Suqing's finger.
This was the third time she had spotted something like this near Shu City. Previously, she had only heard of it through rumors. Judges severed the heads of the Three Death Gates' commanders and stacked them into a tower of tongues. Every year during the twelfth lunar month, the heads would begin to sing, relaying the good and evil of the human world to the distant Nine Mountains, where the ethereal, almighty spirits would reward and punish the good and evil of the living.
But recently, these inexplicably appearing human head towers were filled with resentment and strange energy, more like some unknown altar. Her intuition made her dare not neglect them, so she handed the affairs of the temple over to a reliable disciple, and went down the mountain alone to eliminate the anomalies inside and outside Shu City.
This is the last one in front of me.
Countless twisted grievances were born from the Human Head Tower, and were forcibly pressed back into the depths of the earth by a clear and righteous spiritual power.
In an instant, the Tibetan Tongue Pagoda shattered into pieces and was buried in the charred soil.
Wang Suqing stood still with her eyes lowered, her whisk gently sweeping the chaotic spiritual currents around her, gradually calming them. But her brows furrowed ever more tightly—something was wrong.
All this happened so suddenly, as if someone had deliberately gathered and dispersed this filth to lure her over.
Wang Suqing's eyebrows twitched, and she suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of Qingcheng Temple. An uneasy thought in her heart gradually grew stronger.
After a moment, she snapped back to her senses. She lowered her eyes and stepped on the ruined Tibetan Tongue Pagoda, muttering, "Gathering Qi into a formation, offering sacrifices from all living things, heaven and earth as an altar..."
Her pupils suddenly shrank, and a gleam of light suddenly flashed in her quiet and peaceful eyes, sweeping away the look of old age. The fluctuation of spiritual power made her eyes and brows more sharp than when she was young. In an instant, the Taoist Lingsu, who was as famous as Meng Bujiu in his early years, returned to this old body again.
Wang Suqing's fingers trembled rapidly as she made hand gestures, her expression becoming increasingly solemn. Almost the second after she stopped calculating, she waved her sleeves and rushed back towards the Qingcheng Temple.
Her figure was like a phantom, and she could travel a hundred miles in the blink of an eye. At the same time, she pinched her fingertips, and a blood talisman dispersed into countless streams of light, flying in all directions like arrows.
The Abnormal Control Bureau building was still brightly lit under the cover of night.
Bai Jingze had just finished reviewing his last report and was pressing his fingertips against his swollen temples when a stray flash of light suddenly passed through the window. He looked up abruptly, only to see a fiery crimson glow.
This is... Zhu Meng's call to action!
He stood up suddenly, and the long table in front of him made a dull sound.
How many years has it been since I last saw this blood talisman? The last time I saw it was during the siege against Zhao Fu in the 1970s...
Last time, after handling the matter of Hongfu Village in Langang, Bai He also stayed in Hecheng for a few days. He was sitting opposite Bai Jingze at this moment. Seeing this situation, he said quickly: "Cousin, it's Taoist Lingsu's call. I'm afraid Qingcheng Temple is in trouble."
Bai Jingze calmed down and nodded. "I guess the others have received the news too. I'll inform the official department first. You go ahead."
Bai He also said "OK", and in a moment he turned into a breeze and disappeared in the room in an instant.
Qingcheng Temple is now immersed in an almost stagnant silence.
Moonlight filtered through the gnarled branches of ancient cypress trees, casting shadows across their intertwined twigs and falling on the plaque outside the temple gate that read, "Don't Seek Outside." The staggered mountaintops and the silhouettes of the double-eaved, soaring buildings took on a rustic charm against the night sky. Rainwater, trapped between tiles somewhere, dripped onto the stone slabs, creating a hollow sound that added to the stillness.
Wang Suqing, holding a whisk in his sleeve, stepped into the temple.
The air was filled with the faint aftertaste of incense from years of accumulation. After a hundred years of immersion, she had almost ingrained the memory of this smell into her bones.
There was no one around, no insects chirping, and it was so quiet that it was a little abnormal.
Her expression gradually became serious, her lips were tightly pursed into a line, and her spiritual power was stretched to the limit, as if she was about to unleash a palm of five elements fire magic to ward off any disturbance.
In the distant hall, the long-burning lamp is as small as a bean, quietly illuminating the world, and it is like a pair of faint eyes, lurking in the darkness waiting for an opportunity to move.
Wang Suqing's slow steps, her sleeves brushing against the damp ground, were barely audible. Her gaze swept across a few pines in the courtyard, said to be relics of a previous dynasty. Their branches twisted like dragons, their needles lush and green. Deep in this mountain landscape, they had quietly witnessed the rise and fall of centuries. But now, their silent demeanor was broken. The wind rustled the leaves, making a restless rustle like drums beating before a battle.
She finally stopped and looked up in the direction of the wind. Four strange figures were already standing on the roof, motionless, like statues.
Wang Suqing suddenly realized something, waved his sleeves, and quickly walked to the front of the hall, only to see a person lying quietly on the table, with his hands placed safely in the middle, his expression calm and peaceful, as if he was sleeping soundly.
——That person was Wang Fengxu.
Wang Suqing opened her eyes slightly and was about to move closer when four figures fell from the roof and blocked her way.
A little girl with pigtails, grinning with pointed teeth and an innocent smile like a flower; a tall female monk holding two hammers, looking down with a compassionate look; another is an old acquaintance, holding a sanxian in his arms, smiling with curved eyes, and an apologetic expression; the short man in the front is dressed in black, and the lower half of his face is still wrapped in bandages.
Wang Suqing took a step back and said, "Your Excellency, you didn't even inform us of your sudden visit. This temple doesn't have any treasures that the Fourth Judge would be interested in."
"Master Lingsu, there is no need to be modest. Qingcheng Temple is the leader among the four great temples. It is filled with treasures that people all over the world dream of. Everyone has curiosity, and we are no exception..." Before Ren Qi finished speaking, he turned his head to avoid several leaves that were attacking his face. With a clang, the roots of the leaves sank into the cylinder behind him, leaving only a thin cut.
He gave a wry smile and said in amazement, "We are old friends after all. Don't you have any mercy on me?"
Wang Suqing said coldly, "I told you last time that the next time we meet, we will be enemies, not friends, and it will be a fight to the death."
She looked at Tianjiu, her eyes filled with fear. "The Hidden Tongue Pagoda is built around the Qingcheng Monastery, and it contains a great deal of resentment, forcing my mountain protection formation to be severely weakened. They've gone to such great lengths, what do they want to do to my disciple?"
Tianjiu's expression was calm, and his voice was indistinguishable between male and female: "With heaven and earth as the altar, and all living beings as offerings, I will seek the one who is destined to become an immortal."
Wang Suqing clenched her hands, her tone slightly angry: "As expected, you want to revive Master Dongxuan."
The original name of Laojun, who founded Sanximen, was Dongxuan Zhenren. People in later generations wrote many mythological biographies for her. In order to express respect and admiration, the title gradually became "Dongxuan Zhenjun" and "Dongxuan Laojun". In modern times, because of the Laojun Temple, people have gradually forgotten the original name of Dongxuan Zhenren and only call her Laojun.
Tian Jiu intertwined his fingers in front of him, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "She should have been rewarded and enshrined as an immortal a thousand years ago, and entered the immortal realm. This is not my personal wish, it is the will of the world. Please do not try to stop her in vain, it will do you no good."
"What does your resurrection of your master have to do with my disciple?" Wang Suqing was anxious and had to ask the question even though he knew the answer to delay time.
Di Ba, who was standing behind Tian Jiu, said, "Master Ling Su, you should be the one who knows best about your apprentice's affairs."
Her voice was so low that it made her ears buzz and her feet numb. "Such a person, who is not well known in Qingcheng Temple and is almost unknown in Zhu League. Taoist Lingsu, you really hid him very well. He was right under our noses, but we didn't realize he was the last reincarnation of Laojun."
Wang Suqing frowned slightly, then laughed a moment later: "So what if it's reincarnation? In this world, aren't you and I the reincarnation of the same soul? Even if she, the True Lord Dongxuan, has been dead for thousands of years, her soul still has to go through reincarnation."
She changed the subject: "But, what does this 'last reincarnation' mean?"
Di Ba looked at Tian Jiu, as if waiting for some permission from the other party.
Tian Jiu didn't intend to hide it and replied softly, "Back then, she destroyed her soul, and her spirit shattered into millions of pieces. Then, all of those pieces entered the cycle of reincarnation. Every reincarnated person carries a fragment of her soul, to a greater or lesser extent. And your disciple is the last one I found."
"Tens of millions of souls have entered the cycle of reincarnation, and you're actually going to look for them one by one?" Wang Suqing couldn't help but feel absurd and terrified. "Even if you gathered them all, would the person you pieced together really be the one you're looking for?"
Tian Jiu was silent for a while, then he spoke in a firm tone, "In heaven and on earth, in the past and in the future, she is the only one who is qualified to be appointed as an immortal. I have no choice."
"In that case," Wang Suqing lowered her whisk and slowly raised her arm. A cluster of flames suddenly appeared in her palm. "Then I will also fight for my apprentice."
Ren Qi plucked the strings a few times and sighed, "Why bother? For a little unknown disciple, I'm hundreds of years older than you, but I still can't beat him."
Di Ba snorted coldly: "Shut up."
He Wu smiled and pulled the red string in his hand, jumped up and shouted, "Come out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, swaying black shadows moved over from all directions. Upon closer inspection, they were all disciples of Qingcheng Temple. They were controlled by red threads nailed into their limbs and walked forward numbly and stiffly.
Wang Suqing's eyes darkened with anger: "Despicable!"
"I knew you'd complain about that," Ren Qi said with a nonchalant smile. "A despicable person like me naturally only has despicable methods. But it also has its advantages. At least we can both resolve the problem amicably. Fighting back and forth would be so troublesome. Just think about it. If the two of you started fighting, the entire area around Qingcheng Mountain would be affected. The Abnormal Control Bureau wouldn't have enough time to evacuate so many ordinary people."
"As long as you don't interfere in our affairs, these disciples who are temporarily controlled by the red line will be returned to you intact when the time comes."
As soon as he finished speaking, something unexpected happened. The ground suddenly shook violently, and spikes made of rocks shot out from under his feet, cutting off the red lines one after another.
A white figure appeared on the stairs on the mountain ahead, with black eyes and red pupils. He had the posture of an immortal, but also the appearance of a ghost.
Bai He also flew over and landed beside Wang Suqing, then turned to look at the Four Judges in front of him: "The people from the Alien Management Bureau have already set up a barrier at the foot of the mountain. Even if a fight breaks out, I don't think there will be any concerns."
"Master Bai is such a joke," Ren Qi said, clicking his tongue in frustration. "I'm just being kind and thinking about everyone else. Harmony brings wealth."
Wang Suqing appeared calm on the surface, but her attention was secretly turned to the interior of the hall. On the desk, Wang Fengxu was lying with his eyes closed, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.
Suddenly, she noticed that between the caissons in the hall, there were countless tiny glowing objects swirling in the mist, slowly settling down and sinking into the center of Wang Fengxu's eyebrows bit by bit.
She was stunned and asked in shock, "Are you planning to use his body as a vessel? Absolutely not! His spiritual power is low, and his body is unforged. If he were to receive tens of thousands of souls, he would be reduced to ashes and explode! Your plan would then fail. Why bother hurting both of you?"
"Of course I will help him." Tian Jiu suddenly spoke, raised his eyelids and glanced at the two people in front of him, his eyes calm. In a moment, a very faint shadow left his body, floated into the hall, and slammed the door shut.
This is "distraction".
Wang Suqing's frown remained unchanged.
Even if the person in front of her was Tian Jiu, who had half of his soul left, she was still not completely sure that she could defeat him.
It would take at least two hours to place all those soul fragments into Wang Fengxu's body. During this time, Tianjiu would be distracted to protect the law. They had to find a way to control the Four Judges before them. With only her and Bai Heye...
"Why didn't you inform me earlier about such a lively scene?"
Not far away, a voice suddenly rang out.
"That's right, I've been annoyed with you three Death Gates for a while now. Why don't we have a good fight today to see if you four judges are really that evil."
More and more figures appeared on the eaves and under the stone steps.
But they were all familiar faces, the Ruan family of southern Hunan, the Song family of Miaoxuan Temple, incense burners, sorcerers... They were all members of the Zhu Alliance who rushed here without stopping after receiving the call.
Ren Qi showed a sour expression and curled his lips and said, "How can I fight like this? I just repaired this piano not long ago."
Di Ba slowly rolled up his sleeves and still scoffed at him: "Shut up."
Tianjiu, who was left with half of his mind, closed his eyes and stood still like a wooden stake. A circular barrier expanded from him as the center.
Wang Suqing concentrated and said, "He has divided his power among the three judges. Everyone, be careful!"
The war was about to break out, and not far from Shu City, in the old house of the Chen family, Zhao Fu was sitting under rows of wooden tablets, observing the development of the situation through the eyes of a listening general.
Zhao Xin, who was waiting nearby, said, "We have buried silent characters on several of the Tongue-Hiding Pagodas. This will reduce the power of the Qingcheng Mountain Protective Formation."
Zhao Fu nodded: "When Tian Jiu succeeds, the Immortal Gate will surely reopen."
"But Tianjiu was there at that time. If he knew that you wanted to seize the Immortal Sect, then..."
"You don't have to worry about it. I have a plan for it." Zhao Fu smiled with confidence.
Zhao Xin asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
"Don't worry," Zhao Fu closed her eyes again. Strands of dark energy detached from the countless tablets and entered her body. "By that time, he will definitely be unable to take care of himself."
At the same time, Long Zhu, who was still staying in the talisman, found that the mobile phone in his coat pocket kept ringing as if it was out of control.
A message from Almighty Housekeeping flashed on the screen, but unlike before, these notification texts seemed to have a bug, with incomplete radicals and misplaced word order. The same message kept popping up every second, which was like some kind of ghost brainwashing visual effect.
Long Zhu stared at the strange notification and murmured, "Qingcheng Temple...?"
Something happened to Wang Fengxu?
She put her phone back in her pocket and was about to leave when Lei Xiao grabbed her sleeve and said, "Remember, if you encounter any problems, just go back."
"What?" Long Zhu turned around and looked over with some confusion.
Lei Xiao smiled and said, "I don't know either. These are the words you 'deposited' with me a long time ago. You know you have a bad memory, so you asked me to tell you in the future. It seems that time is now."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
