The daylight was dim, and the morning mist hung heavy.
Among the mountain ridges, piles of rocks were stacked high, covered in vines and green grass, while the steep cliffs on either side were densely vegetated, resembling erald barriers.
Among the jagged rocks, one could faintly discern an ancient path, sadly desolate and seemingly buried by the passage of ti.
The ancient path of Yelang was not singular, and its origins were nurous.
So were carved by the troops Emperor Wu of Han dispatched to intimidate the Kingdom of Dongyue.
So were ordered by Emperor Shi to construct the Bo road, also known as the Yelang road.
The one in Dangyang, however, was even more ancient, pre-dating the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Ancient people from Ba Chu could travel this route by water to reach the sea or head towards Shu, traveling from Dian State to Ancient India.
Once, it had been a flourishing trade route.
But now, it had long been abandoned, with ancient Bo coffins occasionally visible between the cliffs.
In the foggy morning, stripes of fierce tigers appeared.
Liu Gang, transford into a huge tiger, slowly erged from the mist, his large, lantern-like eyes twinkling with blood-red light. In the dense underbrush, he gazed at the opposite cliff, growling low, "We’ve arrived, it’s right there!"
Li Yan looked up and saw on the opposite cliff carvings of sacred statues, similar to Buddhist caves but all Taoist divine figures.
Overgrown with wild grass and vines, many of the statues were broken, so even missing their heads, resembling a lost relic.
Located in the central area of the ancient Yelang path, surrounded by mountains, it seed that an earth dragon had twisted around, stuffing the path with scattered rocks at places, which even ford small lakes in so areas.
Without Liu Gang leading the way, it would have been impossible to find.
In the center of the opposite cave was a suspended Taoist Temple that appeared neglected with age, its uphill pathways flanked by only a few wooden stakes.
As for the temple, only broken walls and ruins remained.
Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "Why is it so desolate?"
A trace of nostalgia flashed in Liu Gang’s eyes as he spoke gravely, "Unlike , my wife’s nature was gentle. Even after returning to life, she didn’t change her disposition."
"When we both returned to life, I had no attachnt to the human world and secluded myself in the mountains to practice, whereas she still traveled extensively, acting chivalrously but covertly, using the na ’Xiang Ao.’"
"She saved many people in those days and even took in a few disciples. Even though she was low-key, she still had a crowd around her, forming a secretive group practicing Magic Veins."
"This Earth Immortal Cave was initially built by those disciples, but later, ignorant Ten Halls Yama ’living Yin ssenger’ ca knocking, which also attracted another Magic Veins to pry."
"Although we repelled them, such nuisances would inevitably beco troubleso, so I decided to renovate the Earth Immortal Cave."
"I had obtained the Luo Feng’s scriptures from Yu Ji, and being familiar with the thods of Fang Xian Dao, I took my disciples to excavate several Chu and Han royal mausoleums, bringing the arrangents found there and placed them all within the Earth Immortal Cave."
"The thods were sinister, but they also brought much peace."
And Li Yan then noticed sothing else and said, "Senior, I’m curious, what’s the difference between the Luo Feng lineage’s ’living Yin ssenger’ and the Ten Halls Yama’s ’living Yin ssenger’?"
Having encountered such an old relic who knew many secrets of the world, Li Yan naturally wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible.
However, upon hearing this, Liu Gang fell silent, seemingly recalling so unpleasant mories, and shook his head, "That, I cannot really say."
"Such matters are deeply hidden within the Mystical Sect, and though descendants can borrow their power after their Ascension, details are not disclosed to them, as it’s said doing so would violate the ’Heavenly Rules.’"
"We Rejuvenators may sound powerful, but in reality, we are rely pitiful creatures who layout plans in advance in the Human World and dare not wander randomly after falling into the Netherworld, waiting for the ti to return to life."
"What the situation in the Yin Bureau really is, I’m not even sure."
"But having lived for so long, I have vaguely seen so clues."
"In the Pre-Qin period, ’living Yin ssengers’ were already present, referred to as ’Huang Quan Envoys.’ During the Han dynasty, they were known as ’Taishan Visitors.’ The traditions they studied ca from the Luo Feng lineage, similar to ours."
"Perhaps, it’s related to Sealing God."
"But after Buddhism was introduced, things began to change. The ’living Yin ssenger’ of the Luo Feng lineage beca fewer."
"By the late Tang Dynasty, many were now ’living Yin ssengers’ under the command of Ten Halls Yama, with their tradition no longer deriving from Luo Feng Scripture but from Six Paths Scripture, and they beca even more secretive."
"I’ve always been cautious of them and have discreetly found out that these people seem to also have secret connections, mainly stationed in Taishan and Fengdu, hardly involved in Mystical Sect affairs..."
Li Yan caught the implication, "Is it related to the human incense?"
"Maybe."
Liu Gang seed a bit weary, "Without Ascension, one ultimately cannot control one’s fate. What Yin Bureau really is, I can’t clearly say. When you die, you’ll naturally understand. Thinking about these things is useless."
After speaking, he looked towards the opposite side, "The entrance to the Earth Immortal Cave lies within that Taoist Temple, containing arrangents that even those with high Dao can’t withstand."
"Once inside, follow my instructions completely."
As his words fell, a low roar echoed.
In an instant, countless grieving ghosts sward, using both hands and feet, scrambling towards the Taoist Temple from all sides of the cliff.
The mountain pathway had been destroyed, but obviously, this didn’t deter these ghosts.
They climbed and leaped with rapid movents.
Grieving ghosts, whose attached bodies last only three days, cared little, each one’s limbs flesh blurred, even grinding their bones in the process.
The people of the Ghost Sect naturally were prepared.
Hush~
As they reached the cave entrance, flas suddenly surged forth.
Phosphorus fire mixed with kerosene imdiately turned several grieving ghosts into fireballs, emitting thick smoke as they rolled down the mountain.
However, the terror of grieving ghosts wasn’t in their physical form.
Before the corpses even hit the ground, a foul, cold wind howled upwards, slipping through the cracks and into the Taoist Temple.
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