Chapter 198: Chapter 141: Yin and Yang_1
Translator: 549690339
The ruined ancient temple, the gloomy mansion, the crowd surrounded the bonfire, sitting in a circle, listening to a storyteller narrate ancient tales.
Such a scene was also marvelous.
The expressions on everyone’s faces were filled with fear, but they were helpless to do anything.
The storyteller, however, was the picture of composure, wielding a folding fan that seemed to snap open from nowhere, as if awakening wood, and tapped it against his palm.
“Do you know which mountain this is, what tree this is?”
The crowd was silent, unable to speak.
The storyteller smiled and unveiled the riddle.
“The mountain is the Soul-Devouring Life Death Mountain, and the tree is the Tree of Gloomy Yin-Yang!”
“This story begins with this mountain and this tree!”
“Before endless years had passed, at the beginning of time, the Supreme Elder Lord created the heavens.”
“The clear Qi rose, and the turbid Qi sank, forming Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow, and the vastness of the cosmos!”
“One domain of Heaven and Earth, yet divided into two halves, one bright, the other dark, known as the Dual Realm of Yin and Yang.”
Xu Yang eloquently proceeded to recount the origin of this world.
In this realm, there was also a tale of the heavens and earth being created, but not by Pangu; it was by the Supreme Elder Lord.
Contained within the Dao Zang was the “Scripture of the Highest Heavenly Opening,” which recounted the deeds of the Supreme Elder Lord opening the heavens and educating all living beings.
“The Supreme Elder Lord split the world into Yin and Yang, with both realms separate and governing their own affairs.”
“Thus, in the Netherworld, there was a Black Mountain, whose age was beyond record.”
“The Netherworld is the place of reincarnation, where souls wander hither and thither, naturally carrying an aura of shadowy spirits.”
“Over thousands and thousands of years, the accumulation of Yin Qi eventually bestowed Black Mountain with Spirit Wisdom, transforming it into a Mountain Spirit!”
“As Black Mountain gained sentience, it began, both intentionally and unintentionally, to devour Underworld Souls, strengthening itself.”
“After thousands and tens of thousands of years, Black Mountain eventually became a great Demon; and as the Yuan Spirits fell silent and the Immortal Gods ascended, leaving the Netherworld without a master and reincarnation in disarray, it declared itself the king, establishing the City of Unjust Death on Black Mountain!”
“That is the Black Mountain Old Demon!”
With a tap of his folding fan, Xu Yang finished narrating, turning back to the crowd, who remained confused and terrified.
They didn’t know the origins of this inexplicable storyteller, nor if he was human or ghost, demon or fiend, and why he would tell them these seemingly unrelated tales.
But one thing was certain—their current situation was very bad.
This Orchid Temple, this storyteller, everything was imbued with an eerie air.
The crowd was terrified, but Xu Yang paid them no mind and continued.
“As the saying goes, when one attains the Tao even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, and Black Mountain becoming a spirit also brought quite a few benefits to others.”
“Among these beneficiaries was a locust tree that grew on Black Mountain.”
“This tree was a locust tree by kind, and naturally extraordinary, with the ability to bridge the Dual Realm of Yin and Yang.”
“This is the Locust Tree of Gloomy Yin-Yang!”
With a stern tap of his folding fan, Xu Yang spoke, “After Black Mountain became a spirit, this Yin-Yang locust also transformed into a demon. Although not as ancient as Black Mountain Old Demon, it too possessed Taoist cultivation of thousands of years and called itself the Demon Tree Grandma.”
“A mountain and a tree, born and grown together, deeply rooted and intertwined, especially that tree demon whose life and fortune were entirely in the hands of Black Mountain Old Demon, dared not to rebel, and could only be driven to do its bidding unwillingly.”
“There is a way of the world and laws for all living beings—alone, Yin does not produce life; Yang alone does not sustain growth. Even demons are not an exception.”
“Both the tree demon and Black Mountain Old Demon, being spirits and demons of the Underworld, needed to absorb the vital Qi of the living from the world of light; otherwise, without this nourishment, not only would their cultivation struggle to advance, but they would also face the danger of perishing along with their path.”
“Thus, Black Mountain Old Demon controlled the tree demon and used its ability to bridge Yin and Yang to open a channel between the two realms, slaughtering a temple and transforming it into a haunted ghost realm.”
Having said this, Xu Yang lowered his gaze to look at the baffled crowd: “Do you know the name of that temple?”
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, their eyes filled with even greater terror.
“The temple was called West Peak.”
“Later, it became Orchid Temple.”
With a light tap of his folding fan, Xu Yang looked at the crowd: “Your fortunes are quite good to have made it here.”
The crowd found his jesting words hard to bear, not knowing how to respond, on the verge of tears.
Xu Yang, however, did not care for their reactions and continued speaking.
“Since then, the Orchid Ghost Realm fed on living humans, becoming a pair of old demons nourished with flesh and blood; ultimately, it attracted a person of high Taoist cultivation to take action and suppress it.”
“However, few know that the tree demon possessed not only the ability to bridge Yin and Yang but also the skill to travel through space; it was just highly consuming, which made it not worth the trouble, so it was seldom used.”
“After the ghost realm was sealed, living beings could no longer enter, the supply of fresh blood discontinued, and without the nourishment of Yang Qi, not only was advancement in cultivation difficult, but there was also the risk of madness.”
“Madness?”
Hearing this, Ning Caichen could no longer contain his curiosity and broke the silence, “Do demons also suffer from madness?”
Xu Yang smiled and explained, “Going berserk due to cultivation is not the same as falling into the Demon Path; instead, it happens when the Yin spirit and physical body lose control over mana and Inner Yuan, causing chaos and self-destruction. All cultivators face this danger, and Demon Spirits are no exception.”
“I see.”
Ning Caichen nodded, “So…”
“So the Black Mountain Old Demon couldn’t sit still anymore.”
Xu Yang laughed, “He had no choice but to order the Underworld Soldiers of the City of Unjust Death to spread out and capture the fresh souls of the newly deceased to devour, while at the same time allowing the Demon Tree to use its innate ability of spatial displacement to create Gloomy Ghost Realms in various places, luring living beings into their trap.”
Having said this, he looked at everyone, “You all came here because of this.”
“This…”
The crowd was unsettled, their questions fading, but soon they were filled with terror again.
Orchid Temple, the Yin-Yang Locust Tree, a pair of hungry Old Demons.
This…
“Young Master, spare our lives!”
The crowd was terrified, and before they could speak, the girl beside them stood up and knelt on the ground with a thud.
It was Nie Xiaoqian.
Nie Xiaoqian knelt on the ground, which left Qin Die and another person behind her at a loss, but she paid them no mind and pleaded with tears to Xu Yang, “Young Master, we were originally wandering lone souls, captured by the Demon Tree and turned into ghosts lured to tempt men into this temple, to their demise.”
“This…”
The crowd was taken aback upon hearing this, especially Feng Sheng, who was even more incredulous, “Miss Nie!”
Nie Xiaoqian ignored him, tears streaming down her face as she continued, “Xiao Qian is aware of the heavy sins we carry which are unforgivable, but I still boldly beg the Young Master to free us sisters from the fate of being ghosts; even if our souls disperse, at least a hint of our True spirit will be free!”
After speaking, she began to knock her head on the ground.
Xu Yang watched her but merely smiled, “You are quite clever.”
His words made Nie Xiaoqian’s heart skip a beat, knowing that her little schemes could not be concealed from one so skilled in the ways of Taoism. She quickly bowed, “Xiao Qian was bold, deceiving the Young Master, deserving of death, deserving of death!”
After speaking, her head bobbed up and down like pounding garlic, leaving everyone staring in amazement.
Seeing this, Xu Yang shook his head, “Get up.”
“Young Master…”
Nie Xiaoqian lifted her head, staring blankly at him, then her eyes filled with surprise and joy, and she once again kowtowed on the ground, “Thank you, Young Master, thank you, Young Master!”
Xu Yang said nothing more and turned to leave.
Indeed, there was nothing more to say.
A female ghost, lonely and helpless, captured by the Demon Tree to serve its will. If she hadn’t possessed a shred of cunning or a hint of the will to survive, how could she have lived until now?
The world of ghosts is not necessarily simpler than that of humans!
So, Xu Yang did not probe any further but gave her a chance at life.
“Brother Li…”
As Xu Yang turned to leave, the crowd finally snapped out of it, and Ning Caichen hastily followed.
Nie Xiaoqian rose to her feet, “Young Master, be careful. This place is no longer part of the living world but the Netherworld, a Ghost Realm carefully crafted by the Black Mountain Old Demon and Grandmother, and it is connected to the City of Unjust Death of Black Mountain, which is extremely dangerous…”
“Boom!”
Before she could finish speaking, a thunderous noise was heard, and dust and broken stones fell. The already dilapidated ancient temple was on the verge of collapse.
“Not good!”
“It’s Grandma!”
“Young Master, be careful!”
Witnessing this scene, all three ghosts’ faces changed, and Nie Xiaoqian called out in warning.
Before the cries of alarm had ended, a dark figure shot through the air, countless tendrils and roots like giant pythons, twisting into Orchid Temple, grinding the building to rubble.
“Boom!”
As the ancient temple fell apart and the hall crumbled, amidst the chaos of stones and clouds, a giant tree rose into the sky, its thousand-foot form casting a menacing shadow as it took root behind the grand hall.
The ground shook and stones shattered, terrifying everyone into taking cover, but there was nowhere to run.
In the moment of utter despair…
“Hum!”
Sword Qi burst forth, its light dazzling, engulfing everyone’s vision.
For an indiscernible amount of time, the sword light finally scattered, and vision gradually returned.
The terrified crowd looked around and found themselves in a wild and desolate place surrounded by menacing trees, but the gloomy ancient temple, as well as the towering storyteller and the frightening Yin-Yang Locust Tree Demon, were nowhere to be seen.
Could all that they had experienced have been nothing but a bizarre dream?
But this…
The group exchanged puzzled looks, recognizing each other, both familiar and strange, including Nie Xiaoqian and the similarly bewildered ghostly sisters, their thoughts in turmoil, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
Just as everyone was at a loss…
“Heavenly path returns, Seven Stars as the sword!”
“Form the array!”
A soft shout rang out, and swords of light rose from all around, brilliantly converging and weaving tightly together to form a realm of swords, revealing a grim Ghost Realm within.