Yellow Skinned Taoist Master

Chapter 181: Grand Sui Cult, Fish Bait

Chen Huangpi originally came to find the fishing rod.

Now being sucked into this bizarre and eerie world.

Although he felt it was somewhat sinister/evil, no matter what he couldn't have imagined it would actually be sinister/evil to such an extent.

That little girl was simply even more bizarre and sinister than he was.

Even the villagers within this village, every single one of them was wrong and unnatural.

Chen Huangpi had even opened his Evil Eye, utilizing the Evil Eye to observe this bizarre village.

But the Evil Eye failed to discern any wrong or unnatural areas whatsoever.

The villagers were humans, they were cultivators.

This village was also a village.

Everything appeared so incredibly normal...Arriving at the location of that Village Chief's house, Chen Huangpi took a deep glance toward the ancestral hall situated at the very deepest part of the village.

At the doorway of that ancestral hall.

That little girl who brought the two villagers back to the village was currently walking into the ancestral hall.

Exactly like the events that transpired previously when Chen Huangpi followed her into this village.

"Perhaps the villagers of this village all arrived precisely in this manner."

Chen Huangpi pondered silently within his heart: "Merely, those people are different from me. They possess neither Concealment Divine Abilities, nor the capability to kill that little girl's Daddy."

From beginning to end, Chen Huangpi had not stepped out from the Brass Oil Lamp's Concealment Divine Ability.

Although he felt that little girl was so incredibly bizarre and eerie.

It definitely shouldn't be possible for her to be completely oblivious toward his existence.

But he still refused to reveal himself, treating it merely as a sort of psychological comfort.

Thinking of this, Chen Huangpi no longer hesitated, directly entering that Village Chief's house.

Once he entered.

A gust of Yin wind (chilling/spectral wind) blew past, and that house door slowly closed, emitting a teeth-aching creak.

Inside the house.

Chen Huangpi once again beheld that dark, swarthy-skinned Village Chief.

This Village Chief was currently sitting cross-legged directly upon the ground exactly in the very center of the house. With him as the center, whether it was the wooden floorboards, or the stone-piled and wood-paneled walls, all were entirely drawn full of twisted, distorted symbols one after another.

Drifting faintly within the air was an indistinct, lingering scent of blood.

Chen Huangpi possessed ten thousand perplexities in his heart and was right about to open his mouth to ask questions.

But that Village Chief suddenly extended a finger, making a 'hush' gesture by his mouth.

Afterwards, he made no other movements.

Just like this, Chen Huangpi had no choice but to stand in place and wait.

Time passed little by little.

By the time Chen Huangpi was even growing somewhat impatient, that Village Chief finally stood up.

And then, the very first sentence he spoke was: "Just now she was watching outside, I dared not converse with you. At this moment she has already walked away; wait for me briefly while I replenish the array formation upon the door."

Saying so, this Village Chief swiftly walked to the doorway. Then, bringing his right hand into a sword finger, he used his thumb's nail to swipe across the pad of the sword finger, and crimson-red blood immediately seeped out from the wound.

Only at this time did Chen Huangpi notice the pads of both this Village Chief's hands were entirely covered in wounds.

Whereas upon the edge of the door he had entered through, some symbols had suffered damage following the opening and closing of the door.

The Village Chief began using his own fresh blood to write symbols one by one upon the door.

Chen Huangpi's gaze flickered.

He discerned the meaning of those symbols; they possessed the functions of isolation and warding off evil.

The entire interior of this house was completely painted with such symbols. The symbols interconnected to form an array formation; furthermore, it required no spiritual qi to activate, merely requiring fresh blood to maintain.

"The spiritual qi is toxic; absolutely must not touch it."

An indescribable bitterness surfaced upon the Village Chief's dark, aged face: "Otherwise, you will become exactly like those villagers, eternally and forever trapped within this Evil-Suppressing Village, becoming a part of that ghost thing."

Chen Huangpi furrowed his brows, saying: "Those villagers are a part of that little girl? Then what about you?"

"I am temporarily still not."

The Village Chief gave a bitter smile: "That ghost thing is bait; this world is a fish pond. There is an Almighty Existence using that bait to fish, merely, the ones being fished are not ants like you and I, who cannot even be counted as small fry."

"To individuals like us, the spiritual qi of this place is the bait."

"The more spiritual qi you absorb, the more of your time is snatched away."

Within this world reflected in the water.

Any cultivator who enters will treat this place as a Cave Heaven and Blessed Land.

Because here flows spiritual qi.

Having spiritual qi means one can continue cultivating.

Means one can continue living.

But the more one relies upon the spiritual qi of this place to cultivate, the deeper they will sink mired within it.

The more one absorbs, the smaller their area of activity within this place becomes.

Some villagers only possess an activity range of several dozen paces; some are capable of walking out the village and into the river—this is precisely the reason.

They are seemingly trapped within a time loop.

Based upon how much spiritual qi they absorbed, it determines the length of this loop.

However, listening to this Village Chief's words, Chen Huangpi inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Because his cultivation art had always been cultivating automatically; it fundamentally didn't require him to expend thought, nor did it require any spiritual qi or human qi. It solely required refining his own five viscera to generate vitality/essence qi.

Therefore, he had not absorbed a single wisp of spiritual qi.

"Huang Er, A Gui, and Golden Horn, you guys shouldn't have absorbed spiritual qi, right?"

Hearing these words.

The Brass Oil Lamp's tone trembled as it said: "A Gui, did you suck any?"

The latter nodded with profound difficulty.

"Then I'm relieved. I sucked some too."

The Brass Oil Lamp then looked toward Golden Horn. Golden Horn currently had its huge mouth wide open, its face flushed red holding its breath as it attempted to spit out those spiritual qi.

With this, the Brass Oil Lamp felt even more relieved.

Watching this scene, Chen Huangpi couldn't help but say in shock and fury: "You guys disappoint me too much! This place is so bizarre and eerie, yet you acted so rashly! This is blatantly dragging me down!!"

The Brass Oil Lamp cried grievance: "Heaven and Earth is my witness, who knew the spiritual qi of this place was all wrong!? Moreover, I am not you; I am a magic treasure! If I don't suck spiritual qi, what else am I supposed to suck? Suck lamp oil? There isn't any here either!"

The Life-reaping Ghost smiled miserably: "Contract Master, if it were you, you wouldn't be able to resist taking a suck either."

If there was no spiritual qi, then so be it.

At worst they just wouldn't suck any. But upon seeing spiritual qi.

For existences like the Brass Oil Lamp and the Life-reaping Ghost, they would instinctually begin absorbing spiritual qi to convert into their own power.

"Golden Horn, what is wrong with you!?"

Chen Huangpi said angrily: "You've eaten so many evil spirits, you're an anomaly yourself; why do you also need to suck spiritual qi!?"

Golden Horn lowered its head and gestured: "I was figuring this spiritual qi is completely free, not sucking it is a waste..."

"Fine, you all stop talking."

Chen Huangpi covered his face in despair, then took a deep breath, striving to calm his own mood down.

Having just arrived at this damnable place, he hadn't even done anything yet.

Huang Er, A Gui, and Golden Horn had already fallen for the trap.

Fortunately he hadn't absorbed that spiritual qi.

Otherwise, they would truly be finished this time.

And exactly during this moment.

That Village Chief seemed to have recalled something, suddenly opening his mouth to say: "Fellow Daoist, the person that ghost thing previously mentioned having eaten her Daddy shouldn't be you, right?"

Chen Huangpi said ambiguously: "Is whether it is or isn't important?"

"That fish possesses cultivation base..."

"Hahaha!"

Chen Huangpi laughed loudly: "Village Chief, your cultivation is extraordinary and your experience vast. Since one has absorbed that spiritual qi, is there any method to neutralize and dissolve it?"

Hearing these words of Chen Huangpi.

The Village Chief fell into an immediate silence.

After a long while passed, he spoke helplessly: "Once spiritual qi has been absorbed, even spitting it out is useless; henceforth one can solely merge to become one body with that ghost thing. If you haven't absorbed much, that ghost thing temporarily won't come looking for you."

"Merely, without becoming Immortal, there is always the restriction of lifespan."

"If one wishes to continue living, they can solely absorb spiritual qi to breakthrough realms."

"Thus, it is a dead end loop."

Chen Huangpi cast a glance at the Brass Oil Lamp, Life-reaping Ghost, and Golden Horn.

The Brass Oil Lamp's expression relaxed slightly.

The Life-reaping Ghost breathed a sigh of relief.

Only Golden Horn widened its eyes.

Alright then, looking at the situation, it seemed tonight that little girl would probably come knocking on their door.

Chen Huangpi spoke again: "Village Chief, that ghost thing's cultivation is merely at the Golden Core Realm. Could it be you and the other villagers have never attempted to kill her?"

"We have killed her, and killed her more than once."

The Village Chief's eyes held some blankness/haze, as if recalling past events: "Merely, she will always come back to life. And every single time after she comes back to life, very terrible things will occur. We can only begin sacrificing to the River God. The River God eats people, and the eaten person transforms into that strange fish."

Chen Huangpi understood.

Those strange fish actually absolutely held zero relation whatsoever to that little girl.

Merely, that little girl treated them as family, that was all.

"Tomorrow the River God Sacrifice must take place; by then, that ghost thing will gain another father anew, or perhaps a pair of parents, or possibly grandparents and other such relatives."

The Village Chief explained: "Fellow Daoist, I will not hide it from you. This morning, I killed that ghost thing once."

"Because a batch of evil spirits entered from the outside world; this is a first-time occurrence."

"If you and I unite our strength/hearts, perhaps we might possess a chance to escape from this place."

Killing that ghost thing once means the next day sacrifices must be offered to the River God.

And if they are capable of obtaining evil spirits, the matter of the River God Sacrifice could provide the opportunity to escape this damnable place.

Chen Huangpi asked, somewhat perplexed: "Village Chief, where exactly are the evil spirits you speak of? Ever since I entered the village, I've only seen villagers."

The Village Chief replied: "After night falls you will be able to see them. Merely, at that time I will be unable to assist you; you must act yourself. If you do not succeed this time, you will have to wait until the next time cultivators are swept into this place."

Only cultivators who have just arrived in this place, haven't absorbed much spiritual qi, and haven't been sought out by that ghost thing to become a part of her, are capable of possessing their own time, capable of going out at night.

Chen Huangpi asked again: "You possess Spirit Transformation cultivation; why do you not act yourself? Furthermore, you said you temporarily are not a part of that ghost thing. Could it be you also entered recently?"

"No, the time I have been here is so long you cannot even imagine."

The Village Chief said painfully: "I was originally an elder of the Grand Sui Cult. During the Heaven and Earth Mutation I was not within the Cult. By the time I realized the spiritual qi had vanished and wished to return, I discovered the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty was gone; I couldn't return, and could solely search everywhere for a place to eke out an existence."

"I heard that specific individual from the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty was within the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Therefore, I wished to beg him to take me in."

"Merely, right upon arriving at the Hundred Thousand Mountains, I bumped into a Daoist wearing a golden mask throwing countless poison pills into this river. That Daoist's cultivation was intensely powerful; merely casting a single glance at me, I plunged into this world within the river."

"I too, was once an Immortal, but look, right now I merely possess Spirit Transformation cultivation."

"In order to resist that ghost thing, I severed too much; up until now, there is already nothing left I am capable of severing."

These words of the Village Chief fell into Chen Huangpi's ears.

Like a bolt of lightning from the blue sky.

Chen Huangpi instinctually wished to say something.

But the words reached his mouth, and morphed into: "I haven't heard of whatever Grand Sui Cult, or the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty; what wildly arrogant titles."

The Village Chief shook his head, saying: "Ten thousand Immortals coming to court; naturally it is the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty. But those are all things of the past. At night, the evil spirits will appear. I do not know where they will be, but presumably, they ought to appear within the houses in the village."

"I am incapable of exiting my door at night; otherwise that ghost thing will come looking for me."

"Do not seek me out during the night either. After you catch those evil spirits, tomorrow early morning, bring the evil spirits to see me anew."

Chen Huangpi said: "Words from the mouth offer no proof. If I truly bring the evil spirits and seek you out, and you refuse to fulfill your promise, I possess no methods to deal with you."

The Village Chief replied: "But if I inform you of the method of escape, and you capture the evil spirits but do not seek me out, wouldn't I equally possess no methods to deal with you?"

"I can swear an oath."

Chen Huangpi blinked, saying: "I will swear a Dao Oath."

The Village Chief shook his head: "Oaths possess methods to bypass them. How about this; let us sign a written pledge, and act according to what is upon the pledge."

Saying so, this Village Chief withdrew a slightly yellowed small booklet.

"This object is called the Soul-Hooking Register (勾魂册). Inherently, it is the roll-call register within the hands of the Ten Halls of Yama from the Underworld Yellow Spring. My Grand Sui Cult formerly held ties with a certain Yama, and thus forged a batch of imitations. Although lacking such miraculous utilization, employing it to bind oaths and contracts is absolutely sufficient."

Chen Huangpi said: "What a coincidence, I also possess one of these Soul-Hooking Registers. How about we sign mine instead?"