Strength was different, so naturally, treatnt was different too.
Li Yan could clearly perceive that, after Lv San and himself had taken action one after another, the attitude of both the Captain Bureau and the three Taoists of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect had significantly improved.
After so formal greetings, the four n dragged the corpse and left the mountain village.
Watching their receding figures, Gu Hanzi looked grave. "Each of these individuals possesses unique Magic Skills; they are not ordinary itinerant magicians. When we get back, we should cross-check with Chang’an, and register them in the records."
"Yes, elder brother."
...
Having left the stronghold, they all simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
They looked at each other, each slightly shaking their heads.
Wang Daoxuan sighed, "Refugees and the court, it’s a tangled ss indeed. I have pondered again and again, and it seems like a knot of death, with no clue on how to untangle it."
"Why think so much, Daoist?"
Sha Lifei chuckled, shaking his head. "In this world, there are many things that can’t clearly be classified as right or wrong."
"Through the ages, so many powerful figures haven’t solved it, thinking about these things is just asking for trouble."
"Just do what we need to do!"
"That’s true," Wang Daoxuan nodded slightly, then looked at Lv San, "Brother Lv, where shall we find the foxes?"
"No need; they are coming!"
Li Yan suddenly beca aware and looked into the distance.
He saw in the woods, a yin wind and black fog were rising, and ghostly fires flared up again.
Besides that powerful ghost fox, there were also large and small foxes, mountain wolves, leopards, and other wild beasts.
Under the coercion of the ghost fox, these wild animals were all at peace with each other.
Sha Lifei was startled, "So many, could it be that they have ill intentions?"
"Don’t ss around!"
Lv San whispered a command, then picked up the monk’s corpse and holding the heart of the Fox Immortal in his other hand, walked ten ters outside the forest and set down the corpse and the heart.
He then started chattering in an upper dialect.
Soon after, he retired back.
Imdiately, several wild beasts dragged away the monk’s corpse. A fox with a skull head erged, picked up the heart of the Fox Immortal from the ground, and ran toward the woods.
But halfway through, the skull head on its head rolled down to the ground with a clunk, causing it to squeak anxiously. After returning the heart, it rushed back to pick up the skull head.
"Hahaha..."
Sha Lifei was amused and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
At that mont, the ghost fox that was sowhat invisible started chattering in the upper dialect again.
Lv San was stunned and hurriedly responded.
After murmuring for a while, he looked around sowhat surprised, and said, "The spirits in the nearby mountains want to perform a Witch Sacrifice for the old Fox Immortal. This ghost fox has invited us to go."
They had thought that after completing the transaction, the foxes would disperse.
But then, another event arose.
Foxes inviting people to a funeral was indeed very rare.
Li Yan exclaid in surprise, "Even wild beasts have funerals."
Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard smiling, "Of course, all things in heaven and earth, only life and death are treated equally. The old crow witnesses its dead companion, the leader cries mournfully, carrying the corpses to the pond’s edge, circling, and saying goodbye in grief..."
"A text bird encountering a dead friend, caries flower petals and green leaves, lightly covers its body, to express its mournful feelings..."
"When a macaque encounters a dead companion, strong monkeys carry the corpse, young monkeys cry, they stay behind after the burial, the breeze moves the tail as if it’s alive, they dig and bury it again, repeatedly before they finally leave..."
"A badger seeing a dead fellow, drags the carcass into the river, stands on the shore crying mournfully, heartbroken..."
Lv San scratched his head, "Animals also fear death just the sa, but they think differently, in our view, it’s also considered a funeral."
Beside him, Sha Lifei looked sowhat concerned, whispered, "Brother Lv, when you say they conduct funerals..."
"It won’t be us as the offerings, right?"
"Rest assured, that won’t be the case."
Lv San gave a wry smile, "After the old Fox Immortal’s death, this ghost fox is the leader of the nearby mountains; it possesses extraordinary intelligence. We keep our word, so they won’t ss around."
Li Yan’s eyes were filled with interest, and he nodded, "In that case, let us witness this rare opportunity!"
...
The bright moon hung high, and the mountain forest was deep and tranquil.
Li Yan and his companions followed the animals through the mountains.
They had been walking for an hour, passing through dense forests, wading through streams, climbing winding hills...
This place was already far from human habitation, let alone any roads.
Animals of various types ran under the bright moonlight, whether fox, badger, wolf, or deer, none attacked each other.
Even on the way, a few bears and tigers joined in, silently following without so much as a grunt.
The scene before them made everyone click their tongues in wonder.
Finally, they arrived at a valley.
"Eh?"
After climbing the ridge, Wang Daoxuan was sowhat surprised. He looked around at the bright moonlight scattering over the mountains and dense forests and couldn’t help but whisper, "This is a Fengshui treasure spot, the Huilong Cave. If I’m not wrong, there must be a great tomb inside the mountain!"
He was right. Soon, they saw so stone buildings, but tarnished by the years, only ruins remained, so entangled by vines and covered in bird droppings.
"This... is not a tomb!"
Wang Daoxuan looked around with a surprised face. "This is the standard of a Divine Temple’s sacrifice site. Look at those stone pillars, each representing heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars, and the central altar—it’s an Ancient Chu sacrifice site."
As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face as he stroked his beard, "Riding the Red Leopard and following Wen Li, in the Xinyi Car with the Gui banner, this is where the Chu Witches would worship the mountain ghosts!"
Li Yan thoughtfully asked, "The Ten Gods of Chu Territory?"
"Mm."
Wang Daoxuan nodded and whispered, "The worship of the Mountain Ghost is indeed the worship of supernatural elents, rarely seen on such a scale even in the ti of Ancient Chu, unless it was a specific Witch Sacrifice..."
Li Yan imdiately understood, "Daoist, you an this place was once ho to a Magic Veins sect?"
Wang Daoxuan replied, "It’s possible."
Li Yan was moved and reached for the Phoenix Gold Ornant in his chest.
According to Yan Jiuling, this artifact, called the Chu Witch’s Order, when absorbed could enhance one’s Divine Skills and was quite rare.
His visit to Hubei was also motivated by a desire to find similar items.
Could this place hold any clues?
Of course, he also did not dare to act rashly.
At this mont, more and more animals gathered in the valley.
Various birds perched on branches, and animals large and small hid in the bushes, all motionless, quietly watching the center of the valley.
A group of foxes gathered at the center of the ruins.
They waved their front paws, constantly digging at the ground.
Then, they dragged out a snow-white fox carcass.
Li Yan and the others gasped at the sight.
This white fox carcass was quite large, comparable in size to a common mule, and as the night wind blew, its silver short fur slightly fluttered.
Its chest was torn open with a crack, and the surrounding dirty blood had already turned black. More importantly, its head had burst open, leaving only half intact.
Wang Daoxuan was surprised, "This... this Fox Immortal is no ordinary mutant. It might have had the chance to beco a Heavenly Fox."
Sha Lifei frowned and observed for a while, "This injury... looks like it was caused by a modern firearm."
Li Yan’s eyes flashed with sharpness, "Are you sure?"
Sha Lifei nodded, his voice low, "An ordinary firearm wouldn’t have this power, at most there would be a blood hole. Moreover, this is a Fox Immortal, known for its keen sense. It’s virtually impossible to hit from close range."
"It must have been a modern firearm with such power!"
Li Yan suddenly thought of a figure.
The Hall Master of the Chang’an Brokers, Bai Ruoxu!
This guy had conned the Maitreya Sect in Shan State and then stole a modern firearm from the Captain Bureau, disappearing without a trace.
Could he be in this place?
In the center of the ruins, there was also an altar-like stone platform, overgrown with weeds from years of neglect.
As everyone whispered in discussion, the white fox’s carcass had been dragged onto the altar and its direction turned to face southeast.
Following its gaze, Wang Daoxuan speculated thoughtfully, "Fox dies, head to the hill. That place would be the Fox Immortal’s cave."
At the sa ti, the ghostly fox finally showed itself.
It slowly crawled out of the woods, the eerie wind and ghostly fires around it dissipating. The bright moon shone overhead, revealing an old fox with white hair and beard.
The old fox climbed onto the high platform, holding the Fox Immortal’s heart in its mouth, stuffing it into the abdon, and occasionally nudging the body with its head, seemingly hoping to awaken the Fox Immortal.
Seeing this, Li Yan instantly understood.
Perhaps the old fox thought this could summon the yin soul of the Fox Immortal.
They had been invited here, possibly to find an apprentice, to follow and continue cultivating through worship and incense offerings.
This old fox knew quite a lot.
But unfortunately, during the ti of the Fox Heart Technique cultivation, the Fox Immortal’s essence and Divine Soul had already been sacrificed to the Demon God, Yuan Zii.
"Woo~"
After busying itself to no avail, the old fox let out a mournful cry.
"Woo~"
In the valley under the bright moon, all the foxes raised their heads, their wails unceasing...
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