Netherworld Chapter 83: The Only Life Pulse (10)
Have you ever been inside a temple? asked the old Taoist priest.
Tao Tiansong said: But I didn't see anything unusual. That thing only appeared recently, and we don't even know if it was born from the temple.
The old Taoist glanced at both sides of the mountain temple, then walked forward. It seemed that he wanted to go into the temple to take a look.
I quickly followed him and asked him in a low voice : Did you see anything?
It is a bit strange. The old Taoist replied: The mountains and rivers around are tall and majestic, but this one is the shortest. The so-called mountain god is mainly responsible for suppressing the mountains and rivers. Such a terrain weakens the spirituality. The people who built the temple must have chosen this place for a reason.
As we were talking, we walked into the mountain temple. There was a musty smell inside, spider webs were everywhere, and dust flew everywhere when people walked in.
The mountain god statue was enshrined on a large table, with several stone bowls and a stone-carved incense stand. I looked inside and saw a gray-black substance covering the incense stand. I couldn't tell whether it was incense or dust.
Just as Tao Tiansong said, there is nothing special here. It just looks like a dilapidated mountain temple.
Our only lineage was located in the mountain in front of the mountain temple thousands of years ago. Later, for some unknown reason, our ancestors moved the lineage and moved the mountain gate ten miles away. Tao Tiansong also led people in, and said with a nostalgic look behind us: But even so, this is still the place where my only lineage belongs, but now my lineage is as lonely as this temple, and no one dares to bully it.
I looked at him twice. He was a scheming man who was determined to revive his family.
The old Taoist priest glanced around, then looked down, then shook his hand, ignited Taoist fire and threw it on the ground.
The Taoist fire was bright, illuminating the nearby ground. I looked down a few times but didn't see anything unusual. But the old Taoist asked: Has anyone come in recently?
Tao Tiansong shook his head and said: We rarely come here, so we don't know much. Maybe...
He only said half of his words and stopped talking. The old Taoist priest did not continue to ask. After extinguishing the Taoist fire, he said: That thing is hidden in the mountains and rivers and cannot be detected. It keeps wandering, probably to absorb the essence of the mountains and rivers, and it should not go out for the time being. But when this mountain collapses, it will probably leave. As for whether it will go to your only life meridian, I don’t know.
These words made Tao Tiansong look a little ugly, and he asked: With your erudition, can't you tell the origin of this thing?
The old Taoist shook his head: "I haven't seen it, so I don't know. But judging from its traces, it should be a mountain spirit or some wild monster."
Now even a cultivator like me can hardly achieve enlightenment, how can mountain spirits and wild monsters take shape? Tao Tiansong looked puzzled.
The old Taoist shook his head again: I don't know. But perhaps, the movement of your only meridian ten miles away is related to this thing.
Oh? Tao Tiansong was surprised, but then he became thoughtful.
Senior brother, what should we do now? Junior brother Zhou asked.
Tao Tiansong thought for a while and said: Go back and check once a day to prevent accidents.
The Du Shengmai people looked at each other, and nodded without saying anything. This action surprised me a little.
The Mountain God Temple is ten miles away from the Du Sheng Mai, and that ghost thing may not really go to the Du Sheng Mai, so why do these people value it so much?
Obviously, there was a secret here. Tao Tiansong lied to me and the old Taoist priest.
After leaving the mountain temple, Du Shengmai used his magic to drive the trees to help him move forward, while the old Taoist and I walked slowly behind.
They have a problem, I said.
"Yes." The Taoist nodded.
Will it be...
It has nothing to do with us, said the old Taoist priest.
So what do you see?
I have already said that, the old Taoist priest replied.
He said before that the thing was probably a mountain spirit, born to absorb the essence of mountains and rivers. This answer was surprising, just like what Tao Tiansong said, if even humans can't cultivate, how can mountain spirits and monsters cultivate?
To this, the old Taoist replied: Although the essence of mountains and rivers is a kind of essence, it is heavy and difficult to absorb. Otherwise, the Du Shengmai would not have to worry. Therefore, those who can absorb the essence of mountains and rivers are all different species, not ordinary mountain spirits and wild monsters. For example, plants and animals cannot absorb it, only rocks can do it.
Stone can also turn into a monster? I was a little surprised.
All things have spirits, if plants and trees can become demons, why can't rocks and mountains become demons? The old Taoist priest asked back.
I had no way to refute him, so I asked him: Have you ever seen a stone monster?
The old Taoist shook his head: "It is hard to find demons nowadays, only they are recorded in the classics. In ancient times, there were twenty kinds of demons and ghosts, namely Ba Chi, Zhu Xiao, Zhu Kui, Zhu Xiao Mei, Zhu Xiao, Zhu Xiao, Zhu Xiao, and Zhu Xiao. Among them, Shan Chi was transformed from rocks.
Shan Chi? This word is somewhat familiar, but I can't remember what it is at the moment.
Shan Chi is the mountain god. The old Taoist said: There are good and bad ones, just like people. The mountains here are short and it is not a place to suppress mountains and rivers. Therefore, this mountain temple should actually be a place to suppress Shan Chi.
There are bad mountain gods... I was a little surprised, because I always thought that mountain gods were also gods, just like the land god.
Mortals' speculations should not be taken seriously. The old Taoist said: But in ancient times, there were indeed mountain gods who suppressed hundreds of mountains and thousands of rivers. This mountain demon may have accidentally escaped from the place of suppression a thousand years ago and disturbed the Du Shengmai. Therefore, after being suppressed again, the Du Shengmai stayed ten miles away from this place to prevent accidents.
Why don't they just move away from here? Wouldn't that be safer? Ten miles away is just a blink of an eye for people like you. I asked in confusion.
Perhaps there are other reasons for the Du Sheng pulse, but we cannot know this, the old Taoist said.
Now that it has the ability to move and absorbs the essence of the mountains and rivers, will it... I asked worriedly.
It's okay. The old Taoist said: The world is not as good as it was in ancient times, and there is little essence left in the mountains and rivers. Even if it is all sucked away by it, it will not be a big problem. What's more, the Du Sheng pulse must be moving, so we don't need to ask more questions.
I said "oh" and asked: What does that mountain demon look like?
The old Taoist replied: "It is made of rocks and has its own aura. It is surrounded by clouds and mist, so it is difficult to distinguish its shape. But its body looks like a piece of stone, so it is not difficult to deal with."
How can he be called a mountain god? I thought people with the word "god" in their names were very powerful.
I am talking about now. The old Taoist said: Mountain gods are not gods, they are a kind of mountain spirits and wild monsters, but some mountain demons roam in fixed places. They survive by extracting the essence of mountains and rivers, so they can suppress thousands of mountains. People are divided into different levels, and monsters are naturally divided into different levels. The most powerful mountain demons can blend into the mountains and travel a hundred miles in an instant. Absorbing the essence of mountains and rivers, causing the mountains to change, it is not difficult to change the sea. Therefore, although they do not have great magic power, they have great supernatural powers.
Great magic power? Great supernatural power? What's the difference? I'm totally confused.
The old Taoist priest looked at me, shook his head and sighed, then walked away quickly, leaving me behind.
Huh? What do you mean?
Mr. Jiao poked his head out of his pocket, looked at me, spit out two mouthfuls of saliva, shook his head, and then went back into his pocket.
What do you mean?
An old man and a little snake, what's going on?
After all, I am also the descendant of the Eight-thread Sect! I just know a little, why are you shaking your head? Do you really think I am a piece of rotten wood... that Byakuya!
Walking back to Dushengmai from the mountain temple almost killed me. The straight-line distance is five kilometers, but this is a mountain road, and mountain roads are difficult to walk on. Five kilometers can almost be regarded as ten kilometers.
When we got back, the meeting hall of the Dusheng Clan was already closed, and several young men were guarding the door. When they saw us, they all looked at us with vigilance.
The old Taoist priest didn't even look at them and turned and walked back to the room.
After closing the door, he sat cross-legged on the bed to heal his wounds, while I sat on a chair to rest.
My waist is almost broken from walking all the way. Walking with the Taoist priest is more terrible than shopping with a woman. If I had known earlier, I would have left him and run back by myself using the Taoist magic.
I was bored, so I teased Mr. Jiao for a while. After making it drowsy, I took out the jade pendant without any sense of accomplishment.
There are just a few people guarding the door. Even if we can't get in, we can still see what you are doing.
I put the jade pendant on my forehead and extended my vision to the meeting hall. As expected, the elders of the Du Sheng Cultivation ...
Although the Jade Pendant can see things thousands of miles away, it cannot hear any sound. I don’t understand lip reading, so I can only watch the people in the room discussing with their mouths opening and closing.
Tao Tiansong sat in the main seat and listened quietly, occasionally flipping through an ancient book in his hand. His brows were furrowed, sometimes showing a little joy, and sometimes a little doubt and trouble.
I extended my vision to ancient books, which used traditional Chinese characters, and the fonts were different from modern ones, making them difficult to recognize.
Tao Tiansong would only flip through it once and then close it, never reading it more than once. I spent a long time reading it before I understood the meaning of two lines of words: A mountain demon is born, and the six paths are in chaos. Kill the demon, take its essence, and retreat overseas.
There was another line that read: Return to Middle-earth a hundred years later to fight for the secrets of heaven.
These two lines of words mean a lot to Du Shengmai, but to me...what do they have to do with me?
After watching for a long time, I only saw a group of people's lips trembling, and I couldn't hear any sound. This made me drowsy, so I simply took off the jade pendant and sat quietly in the room.
The old Taoist sat cross-legged on the bed without saying a word, his whole body trembling slightly, and hot sweat kept flowing down his forehead. It seems that healing is not an easy job.
