Chapter 1 The Fallen Immortal's Predicament

The fallen immortal had never suffered such a crushing defeat. His physical body was destroyed, and his opponent was also a Huang Ting cultivator, yet he had been instantly killed upon meeting him!

His primordial spirit fled into a mountain temple. Inside, the Earth God was enjoying offerings when a great gust of wind suddenly blew through, sweeping away all the fruits and vegetables before him and blasting his true form out of the clay statue!

The fallen immortal transformed into a whirlwind, casually snatching a few fruits and vegetables from the Earth God, along with his divine effigy, as a voice echoed across the heavens:

"Old Earth God, I'll borrow your clay body for a while!"

The Earth God chased after him to the entrance, cursing and ranting incessantly.

What kind of hairy devil dared to steal food from an Earth God's temple? Unforgivable!

The fallen immortal carried away the Earth God's statue and headed towards a mountain gate temple. After landing, he possessed the statue, and in an instant, the clay body became as mobile as a living person, though vulnerable to water. Fire and metal could not harm this body.

The Xuanmiao Temple was a flourishing Daoist site for the Quanzhen sect in Suzhou. Compared to the declining ancestral temples in the north, its incense offerings were quite prosperous.

"Which mountain, which land's Earth God are you?"

A disciple from the Daoist temple came out to greet the clay spirit, inquiring about its origins.

The fallen immortal glared, his clay body radiating a fiery aura:

"You little whippersnappers don't recognize me?"

The disciples were startled. "Fallen… Fallen Martial Uncle!"

"Fallen, fallen! I call myself the Fallen Immortal, but your martial uncle is truly fallen today!"

The clay god flew into the main hall of the Xuanmiao Temple, settling down in the Miro Treasure Pavilion, which was built during the Ming Yingzong era.

With upturned eaves reaching towards the sky, the pavilion housed divine images. The upper level was dedicated to the Ten Thousand Emperors, flanked by the Twenty-Eight Constellations. The lower level was dedicated to the Ten Thousand Earth Emperors, flanked by the Sixty Jiazi Gods. The palace was filled with a red light that soared into the sky, dazzlingly bright.

Mortals could not see this palace in the mortal realm.

Many Daoists were lecturing on scriptures when they saw the clay spirit enter. The leading Daoist stopped his sermon and laughed, pointing at the clay god at the entrance: "Fallen Immortal, what form have you taken to come home this time?"

The surrounding people, upon learning that the clay god was the Fallen Immortal, burst into laughter. An elder said, "Fallen Immortal, you must have gone to harass those talented scholars and beautiful ladies again. They are a match made in heaven, while you are unkempt and slovenly. Although your cultivation is high, they are mere mortals. Who would want to follow you to the mountain for cultivation!"

"Longevity is good, but Quanzhen doesn't indulge in women. We are true renunciates, with no attachments. Yet you insist on breaking up those couples. That's detrimental to your virtue; it's best to do less of that!"

The fallen immortal immediately protested, "I haven't harassed those people today yet... or rather, I haven't succeeded yet!"

"My physical body was destroyed, so I borrowed the Earth God's clay statue..."

"Borrowed? Isn't your borrowing just stealing? You went again..."

Before the Daoist in the center of the palace could finish speaking, green vegetable leaves fell from behind the clay god.

"Stole the Earth God's food again!"

The fallen immortal stuffed the vegetable leaves into the clay statue's mouth and angrily told everyone what had happened that day.

The whole story, from beginning to end!

"I am a Huang Ting cultivator, and that black-robed Daoist was also a Huang Ting cultivator. Furthermore, he reconstructed his physical body, yet I was destroyed in one exchange! He said he was the Lord of the Dao Record Division, the one in charge of Daoist affairs in the world. I have never heard of such a position! Does the Dao Record Division even have a master? Wasn't it always managed by the Celestial Master Zhang?"

"And since when have the imperial dogs become so powerful! I can understand the cultivation of those guardian generals who defend their territories; after all, they are local tyrants. But this imperial Dao Record Division must have come with the Mandate of Heaven. The Ming Dynasty has become increasingly weak in recent years. Besides the Celestial Master Zhang holding down the fort, where else are there Huang Ting realm figures among the Ming court's Heavenly Generals!"

"I couldn't beat him, and I'm extremely frustrated. I implore my senior brother to avenge me! He even said he would spare my life and have me register my name at the local Daoist Association after I rebuild my physical body! I am a detached hermit; how can I leave my true name on the imperial records? Entering the mortal world to leave my name would defile my soul!"

The fallen immortal hoped that one of the Daoists lecturing on scriptures would avenge him. The Daoist's eyes narrowed as he said to the fallen immortal:

"He wears black robes, travels by boat, comes from the north, is young and promising, and his physical body is reconstructed?"

The fallen immortal quickly replied, "That's right! That kid should still be on the Grand Canal right now! I'll take senior brother to fight him!"

"No!"

The Daoist waved his hand, looking at the fallen immortal. "Fallen Immortal, you have encountered a great figure this time."

"Tiger Eye Chan Master of the Yellow Heaven Teachings, he is a great demon!"

After saying that, he told the fallen immortal about recent events. The fallen immortal's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Tiger Eye Chan Master killed several great cultivators? His daughter set the Forbidden City on fire?! Heavens, is he crazy! The Ming Dynasty's imperial palace isn't something one can enter and leave so easily. It is true that there aren't experts there, but the imperial prestige isn't fake. How did she manage to burn it down!"

"It is said that she exploited a loophole, using a special divine position to achieve it. It cannot be replicated."

The Daoist straightened his posture. "Qiu Hong, the founder of the Quanzhen ancestral temple, died. This caused a huge uproar. Now that Tiger Eye Chan Master has come to our territory, we cannot let him leave."

"But he has a technique that ignores protective defenses and directly takes one's life. Any protective magic treasures or spells seem to be ineffective. The founding Daoist's last thoughts described the horror of this technique. Two righteous Nascent Soul realm Daoist friends were silently crushed to death by this move."

"Of course, although the technique is strong, fortunately it cannot be cast instantly. During that time, a decisive blow, locking his soul and preventing him from casting spells, is key."

The fallen immortal's clay eyes darted around as he said to the Daoist, "I have a plan. There are a few people with him. I'll go capture that scholar and that little fox spirit. He will definitely come straight to my Xuanmiao Temple. Then we can lure him in, trap him like a turtle in a jar, and beat him like a dog behind closed doors..."

The Daoist frowned. "We are a reputable sect. You can't just go and capture people and force him to come here. Tiger Eye Chan Master is not a kind person; he is one of the great demons of the world. Aren't you afraid he will go on a killing spree?"

"I don't know anything about his background. It is even more inadvisable to bring him in rashly. You are not allowed to capture anyone. I will personally meet him and test his foundation. From what I see now, he is not afraid of the Huang Ting realm..."

"My Quanzhen Dao, in the entire south, has barely enough incense to be considered passable. I will invite a few fellow Daoists, not in the name of Nanyangzi, but in the name of Xuanmiao Temple, mobilizing all the Quanzhen sects in the south to block him. You help me keep an eye on him, see where he goes, and inform me at any time!"

The Daoist flew out, performed a遁術 (dùn shù, escape technique), and disappeared in an instant.

The fallen immortal scratched his head, dropping clay all over the ground. "That's a good escape technique, disappearing without a trace in an instant. But he won't let me learn it. How stingy!"

However, just as he was joking around, he turned his head and discovered that there was an additional person in this realm.

The magnificent and brilliant red light shone down, looking particularly strange on the person in the straw raincoat.

The Daoists in the palace all noticed the appearance of this person and wondered, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

People who are not from the Xuanmiao Temple, or who have not been invited, cannot enter here.

The person in the straw raincoat's eyes darted around, but he only had one eye. A laugh escaped from his withered mouth: "This humble Daoist is your founder..."

"This humble Daoist is He Suoyi."

The other Daoists all stood up in surprise, knowing that He Suoyi was the founder of the Xuanmiao Temple, but the next moment...

The fallen immortal's clay eyes widened!

"He is not alive! No, he is a corpse!"

"Who dares to steal the corpse of our founder!"

The surrounding Daoists immediately shouted!

"Gaga!"

The corpse of this "founder" suddenly opened its mouth, and in an instant, those with lower cultivation had their souls leave their bodies and were sucked dry and died!

.....

It was night in Suzhou. After staying here for a few days, Ji Xiang felt that the fallen immortal would return, so he agreed to protect Feng Menglong here for a few days. Once everything was settled, they would go their separate ways.

Ji Xiang was preparing to go directly to the other party's lair.

Feng Menglong couldn't help but say, "Daoist Priest, are you really planning to carry a cannon to cause trouble for him?"

Ji Xiang said, "Don't worry, this humble Daoist never kills innocent people indiscriminately. Those who are killed deserve it! If he resists, then he is a demon, and if he doesn't resist, then he is a determined demon..."

It was a pity that the old lecher was elusive, and after many inquiries, there was no specific address.

Feng Menglong retained Ji Xiang, fearing that the old lecher would return for revenge, and wanted Ji Xiang to live near the brothel. The woman surnamed Hou was on extremely good terms with Feng Menglong, and thanked Ji Xiang like a sister-in-law, thanking Ji Xiang for his help during the day.

Ji Xiang also needed Feng Menglong to write novels to help him accumulate the Power of Faith, so he naturally agreed. After all, a future Confucian saint with upright Qi was definitely worth befriending. This friend had great potential and could help him, so there was no reason not to protect him.

There was a curfew in Shuntian, but not in the south. In fact, in the late Ming Dynasty, curfews were abandoned. Other than the nine border towns and Shuntian Prefecture, there were not many places where curfews were still in effect.

At night, the brothels in Suzhou were still bustling with activity. Talented scholars, beautiful ladies, and famous opera singers brought joy and pleasure to the world in this ancient city.

But under the cover of night, ghosts and monsters also roamed rampant. Some ghosts entered cities where living people lived and lived with them. These ghosts were called "living ghosts," and they had no magic power, never harmed people, and even engaged in basic work. Some ghosts even crowded into temples, relying on chopping wood to exchange for charcoal to make a living. They could also warm themselves by the fire.

Ji Xiang saw that many living ghosts were working in the city. At least half of the merchants and one-third of the buyers at the so-called night market were these ghosts.

Living ghosts were mentioned in Southern Song Dynasty records. As long as their ghost bodies were not exposed, they would not disappear or die, but would live like living people, and might not even know that they were actually dead.

"Legend has it that one-tenth of the population of Lin'an City in the Song Dynasty was ghosts."

The courtesans in the brothels could not come out, but the sound of the zither strings could travel far along the streets. Daughters from noble families were generally accompanied by attendants, and martial artists also roamed around at night. Some places even saw revenge killings.

However, when Ji Xiang turned around, many people or ghosts slightly turned their heads. Their faces were normal, but one of their eyes was gradually bulging out, and then, swirling around, staring at Ji Xiang.

"Ji Xiang... Wherever you go, it will be transformed into a domain of yin demons."

"The Myriad Longevity Immortal Palace will not forget you."

"Tonight is the time of your burial."

Many people muttered to themselves, their eyeballs rolling, but when Ji Xiang turned his head, everything returned to normal.

......

When Nanyangzi returned to the Xuanmiao Temple.

Everything was as usual. The surrounding Daoists' physical bodies were slightly swollen, facing him and bowing to him respectfully.

But after Nanyangzi entered the palace, the teeth of those Daoists outside began to become sharp, and their faces were filled with a ghastly aura.