Chapter 122 Reforging Souls

The things brought back by the Tai Xu Treasure Light were the condensed products of the seven Po spirits.

When a person dies, the Po spirits leave first; the seven Po spirits depart first, followed by the three Hun spirits. Once the three Hun spirits reunite and the seven Po spirits are reborn, a new life begins.

These corpses were not originally buried here. Only after the Azure Dragon Crimson Blood Formation was activated did the Profound Yin Red Furnace Formation begin to spew out these things.

Now, the Red Furnace has been restarted, burning the corpses, and the slag that is scattered is these things.

The Inner Vision Divine Tablet told Ji Xiang that these were good things.

Many Maoshan sorcerers, after slaying demons, subduing evil, or even cleansing their own ranks, after killing and destroying ghosts, if the opponent possessed a physical form, they could use spells to refine them before the seven Po spirits dispersed, thus obtaining these things, which they mainly used for refining corpses.

However, they only knew that this object could refine corpses and were unaware of its other wonderful uses.

[Essence of Sentient Souls: Yin energy reverts to its origin, governing the physical form, opening up wisdom. This is the collection of essence gathered after melting countless Yin creatures' corpses using Maoshan spells.]

[The Essence of Sentient Souls has five uses. When using it, the amount of essence separated must not be less than one-quarter of the total.]

[First, it can be taken internally to greatly improve a person's reaction speed, concentration, judgment, and immunity, enhance the foundation of original Yin and original Yang, and increase the efficiency of Yuan Qi absorption, which can transform one's physique into a "Profound Yin Body" or a "Dan Yang Body".]

[Second, the Essence of Sentient Souls can be used to animate the dead, turning them into zombies, which can evolve into Indestructible Bone at the highest level, which is the Maoshan Corpse Refining Technique.]

[Third, the Essence of Sentient Souls can be used to empower wooden puppets, animating them with the essence, which is the Suspended String Puppet Technique.]

[Fourth, the Essence of Sentient Souls can be used to warm and nourish tea sets and utensils, and after refining, one can obtain the Shadow Stepping Gu, which can separate a person's nine shadows, which is the External Incarnation Technique.]

[Fifth, after learning transformation spells, taking the Essence of Sentient Souls, plus the "Cave Light Pearl", "Crimson Rainbow Jade", and "Rootless Fire" (the three can be substituted), one can give birth to a divine power—the Thirty-Six Transformations of Tiangang, Fetal Transformation and Shape Shifting. (Refining Shape Ghosts are failed products obtained after using substitutes to acquire the spell.)]

[The Cave Light Pearl was seen by King Zhao of Yan during the Warring States period. There was a bird with black feathers and a white head, and it had this pearl in its mouth. This pearl is jet-black, and when suspended in a room, even the spirits of a hundred gods cannot hide their essence; the Crimson Rainbow Jade is transformed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth. Legend has it that when Confucius wrote the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, a crimson rainbow descended from the sky and turned into yellow jade; Rootless Fire is the Six Ding Divine Fire.]

Each use requires separating no less than a quarter of the total. Ji Xiang saw that it was a choice of four out of five.

Each one seemed quite good.

Changing one's physique, refining zombies, borrowing divine power with puppets, turning shadows into external incarnations, and the Thirty-Six Transformations of Tiangang.

"All are good, but changing the physique seems to be dispensable. My physical body has already taken the alchemical powder of the Jiajing Emperor, and changing the physique will not bring any important benefits to my most important form and spirit."

Ji Xiang decided to go to Maoshan. Maoshan was not too far from Suzhou.

As for the divine power of Fetal Transformation and Shape Shifting, the Cave Light Pearl seemed to require luck to obtain, and the Six Ding Divine Fire was already within his body, but he just couldn't release it. However, it could be nurtured in his dantian, after all, the remaining power of the divine fire was still there.

The Crimson Rainbow Jade was even closer!

"Scholar Feng, if you write books in the future, if a crimson rainbow descends from the sky and turns into a piece of yellow jade, you must be careful to preserve it and not let outsiders know. When I return, quickly hand it over to me."

After explaining things to Feng Menglong, Ji Xiang immediately set off for Maoshan to inquire about the Azure Dragon Crimson Blood Formation and other corresponding formations, including the origin of Wu Bao Yi. This information was very important.

When he was recovering, the other party used the body of a dried corpse to cause trouble, but he didn't see anything special about it. Later, he was too busy avoiding the Tai Xu Treasure Light, and as a result, this guy died too quickly.

"Daoist, are you going to Maoshan?"

Lady Hou asked, and Ji Xiang smiled and said, "Don't tell me you're from Maoshan."

"No, I'm not. I was indeed just a courtesan before, but just like the Fallen Immortal said, someone took a liking to my aptitude before, so they taught me the art of driving gods. That person was from Maoshan."

"Bai Mei Shen (White Eyebrow God) is the patron saint of our industry. He was the first to tell me the method of driving him, which was to use mediums such as wooden carvings."

Ji Xiang frowned slightly and suddenly said to the two scattered immortals who had lost their physical bodies, "There must have been another person here before. He was the one who opened this great formation. Judging from the annihilation of the Quanzhen Sect, this person has been waiting in Suzhou for a long time."

"That is the Song Court's proxy."

Nanyangzi suddenly said, "A proxy! Our Quanzhen Sect has seen one before, named Zhou Sheng!"

"Zhou Sheng? What a coincidence, I've heard his name too, but I'm telling you, this matter should have nothing to do with Zhou Sheng, because I heard that he was transformed from Black Evil Qi, and the black Qi in this matter is not Black Evil. I've seen that kind of thing."

"Then let's go, shall we go to Maoshan?"

Nanyangzi, to thank Ji Xiang, expressed his willingness to use his escape technique to go with them.

The Fallen Immortal quickly asked his senior brother to pass on the escape technique to him, otherwise, the next time he encountered an extermination event, he wouldn't be able to run away. Who knew that Nanyangzi would be furious:

"There will never be a next time! Disasterous words come from the mouth, are you trying to cut off the roots of my Xuanmiao Temple completely!"

Feng Menglong also wanted to go with them. Ji Xiang was just about to tell him, what are you going to do, a mortal, when Feng Menglong immediately said:

"Even if I don't go, I can't stay here! Now Suzhou is a ghost town, and I'm the only one here. If the constables from other prefectures come, what am I supposed to say? Daoist, aren't you still waiting for me to write a novel? You wouldn't bail me out of jail, would you?"

Ji Xiang was slightly silent and nodded: "That's true.... If you're alone, and you're captured by some demon or monster, that would be the end of it. I still need you to do me a big favor."

"I'll introduce you to a pen pal later and have him protect your safety."

Feng Menglong: "That would be great, who is this pen pal, where does he live, is he very rich? Preferably a high-ranking official."

Ji Xiang: "Don't worry, there is no official in the world bigger than him. The pen pal I want to introduce to you is the Wanli Emperor."

As they were talking, Nanyangzi initiated his escape technique, and the few of them instantly turned into light and ascended, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

In just a few breaths, they had already toured famous mountains and rivers, and when they reappeared, they were already at the foot of Maoshan!

Ji Xiang was amazed by this escape technique. It was much more useful than the Earth God's escape technique. Although Earth Escape was the fastest of the Five Elements Escapes, this kind of escape that transformed into a rainbow of light was even more powerful than Earth Escape.

"During the Han Dynasty, both Jie Rugao and Zhang Diao were able to disappear and enter and exit without going through doors. This is the ancestor of later generations' escape techniques. I wonder what kind of escape technique this is?"

Nanyangzi smiled: "My Quanzhen Sect doesn't have as many spells as the Zhengyi Sect. We cultivate the path of nature and life, and escape techniques are also something we specialize in. My junior brother likes to make trouble for others and act recklessly, so I didn't pass this kind of escape technique on to him."

"There are seventy-two minor escapes and thirteen major escapes. I use the Human Escape Technique from the thirteen major escapes, which emphasizes the human being as the body and mind, the mind is the spirit, and the body is the Qi. In fact, it means that wherever the mind is, the body is. In other words, the body follows the mind."

[Guān] "Normal cultivation of this technique requires not eating six kinds of animal meat, five kinds of spicy flavors, and abstaining from sexual activity, avoiding even the slightest trace of female Qi. If one persists in practicing for thirty years, practicing escape every day, one can eventually escape, and at this point, even if one's cultivation is ordinary and does not reach above the seventh realm, one can still travel five hundred miles a day."

"The place I meditate on is reflected in my heart, so I fly away. If the distance is not far, I can arrive in the blink of an eye. The disadvantage is that I can't go to places I haven't seen before. If I meditate randomly on a piece of land, I might enter an unexpected and ominous place."

Nanyangzi said this with lingering fear and expressed his willingness to pass on this escape technique to Ji Xiang in its entirety to repay him for saving his life.

Ji Xiang clicked his tongue. It would take thirty years to master this skill, which was even longer than the twelve years of the Yellow Court's Transformation into the Primordial. Of course, abstaining from sexual activity was normal, after all, it was a Quanzhen Sect technique, and the Quanzhen Sect didn't marry.

Sure enough, escape techniques were not something that ordinary people could cultivate. Minor escape techniques were easy to learn, but major escape techniques were difficult.

Nanyangzi noticed Ji Xiang's surprise and also said that this escape technique had a simplified version that didn't require thirty years, only forty-nine days, called the "Supreme Three Caves Escape God Incantation."

This was not actually for one's own use, but to transform into a kind of invisible escape armor god who knew escape techniques, and then let this escape armor god carry you and run....

It was like summoning Yellow Turban Warriors or similar spells, except that this Escape God Incantation was much more advanced than the Yellow Turban Warriors.

The group arrived in front of Maoshan, but found that there was no incense at all at the foot of Maoshan. It was deserted. This was a mortal Daoist temple, not the Maoshan Sect in the underworld, but the mortal Daoists told Ji Xiang and the others that they did not accept overnight stays.

Maoshan was closed!

"Other Daoists cannot temporarily stay at the Maoshan Sect. Sorry, everyone, please return."

The Fallen Immortal didn't know where he got a wooden body, and at this time, the wooden man stepped forward and scolded: "We are not asking about your mortal Daoist temple!"

The young Daoist was expressionless: "What this poor Daoist is talking about is not the mortal Daoist temple either."

Everyone was shocked, and Nanyangzi said, "Please ask the Daoist child to report that the master of the Xuanmiao Temple of the Quanzhen Sect is here to pay his respects to the Maoshan High Official. We have important matters and ask that we be allowed to enter and speak with you."

The young Daoist shook his head: "Everyone, there is no need to insist any longer. Maoshan is closed and will no longer accept inquiries from anyone. The Mountain Lord has ordered that no matter whether the visitor is from the Zhengyi Sect or the Quanzhen Sect, or a High Official or Dharma Master from any sect, they will all be refused!"

*Pa—*

Suddenly, Ji Xiang reached out and handed a token to the young Daoist:

"Even a great figure from the Southern Quanzhen Sect was rejected by you. What a big face you have, but no matter how big it is, it can't be bigger than this!"

"Take this token to your Mountain Lord and tell him that the person who wants to see him is not a small family from any sect, but the Lord of the National Daoist Registry, under heaven. You may not recognize the token of the Daoist Registry, but that Mountain Lord must recognize it."

"Since we are within the Great Ming Empire, he should recognize it!"

Ji Xiang's tone was unquestionable. The young Daoist was expressionless and, after looking at Ji Xiang for a while, gave a salute:

"Then this poor Daoist will go and report. Everyone, please wait here."

After the young Daoist left, the Fallen Immortal was a little surprised: "Is that token really from the Lord of the Daoist Registry? I thought you were just making up a random identity before you shattered my physical body. I've really never heard of this position. Has the Daoist Registry always had an owner?"

Ji Xiang told him: "Actually, it does have an owner, and the token itself also exists, but the person who held it before was guarding the gate in the Forbidden City, so you didn't know about it."

The Fallen Immortal was first at a loss, and then greatly shocked: "Guarding the gate?... Could it be Zhang Tianshi (Celestial Master)!"

He immediately shut his mouth.

No wonder he had never heard of it.

Zhang Tianshi had been guarding the gate for many years before returning a few years ago, and he didn't take the token with him. Everyone knew that Zhang Tianshi was a doorman in the Forbidden City, but they didn't know that he was also the concurrent Lord of the Daoist Registry.

........

The young Daoist passed through the gate of the underworld and entered the real Maoshan in the underworld from the mortal Daoist temple. Maoshan towered into the clouds, and palaces and pavilions covered the mountains and plains. Maoshan belonged to the Zhengyi Sect and was also the main sect of the Shangqing Sect, with thirty-six sects, also known as "Upper Maoshan."

Lower Maoshan was the orthodox folk Dharma sect, but it even had heretical traditions such as the White Lotus Sect. Overall, it had little to do with the immortal traditions of Upper Maoshan. Most of the folk Maoshan Daoists came from the seventy-two sects of Lower Maoshan.

"Mountain Lord, several scattered immortals have arrived outside, ignoring the mountain closure order, saying they have important matters to discuss with you."

The young Daoist, holding the token, did not enter the uppermost Nine Heavens Palace, but a rebuke had already been issued from the palace, not from the Mountain Lord, but from a hot-tempered sect master:

"Tell them to get lost!"

The voice was deep and powerful, and the surging Qi caused the sea of clouds to churn. This sect master's strength had already reached the Yellow Court realm!

The young Daoist's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to state: "There is a clay sculpture god who claims to be the master of the Xuanmiao Temple of the Quanzhen Sect."

"The second person, dressed like this... He gave this poor Daoist a token, claiming to be the Lord of the Ming Dynasty Daoist Registry."

With a burst of wind and thunder, a figure suddenly rushed out of the palace and grabbed the token. It was the Yellow Court sect master who had just spoken, and he was furious:

"The Lord of the Ming Dynasty Daoist Registry? Bullshit! The Lord of the Daoist Registry is Zhang Tianshi, and everyone knows the commotion he makes when he travels. The person you described is not Zhang Tianshi at all!"

"Can just anyone be the Lord of the Daoist Registry? Are you trying to tell me that there is a Pure Yang realm person standing outside now who is comparable to Zhang Tianshi!"

"If he is the Lord of the Ming Dynasty Daoist Registry, I will kowtow to him three times and prostrate nine times on the spot!"

Two more bursts of wind and thunder emerged, and two more sect masters appeared. They looked at the expressionless Daoist child and told him:

"Let them leave. Maoshan has important matters to attend to now and it is really inconvenient to receive guests. Whether this Lord of the Daoist Registry is real or fake, we have no intention of paying attention."

The Daoist child said expressionlessly: "I think if I go back like this, they will break in."

"The person who claims to be the Lord of the Daoist Registry looks like he is in the seventh realm, but in fact, he has an aura above the Golden Core realm. However, I can't see through his true cultivation level at all. Preliminary judgment is that he may be a reincarnated master above the Primordial realm."

The hot-tempered sect master immediately said angrily:

"So what if he's Primordial? He's already reincarnated, isn't he crippled? Alright, I'll go with you. If he dares to act wildly in Maoshan, I'll let him know the power of the Shangqing Sect! I will definitely break his bones and send him rolling down the mountain!"