Chapter 259: Maoshan Daoist Priest |
The hollow skeleton stared straight ahead, yet it didn't give off the eerie sensation of being watched.
Because these remains had not been preserved with the same embalming methods as the other mummies in the Tomb Chamber, centuries had reduced it to nothing but bare white bones and tattered clothes.
On the ground in front of Bai Mu sat a rotting cloth bag. Spilling out of it were a few broken segments of a peach wood sword, a small packet of blackened talisman paper, and a delicate bronze bell.
Beside the bag lay a blue brick with words written on its surface. They were not carved with a tool, but scratched out with fingernails. The strokes were incredibly shallow, yet still legible: "To those who come after, if you see this brick, please read the letter beneath it."
Bai Mu moved the blue brick aside, revealing a rolled-up item pressed underneath.
It was not paper, but rather silk fabric inscribed with writing. The cloth was folded neatly and tied shut with a hemp rope.
The silk had yellowed with age, but the ink remained perfectly clear.
This person clearly knew they were going to die here and had left behind a complete final testament.
Bai Mu untied the hemp rope and unrolled the silk. The handwriting upon it was still vibrant and clear, as if some sort of Daoist spell had been cast to preserve it perfectly to this day. However, the moment Bai Mu loosened the hemp rope, it suddenly crumbled into ash, as though it had aged centuries in a single instant. Watching the dust fall from his palm, Bai Mu opened the silk and slowly read this final testament. The fact that this person had not been discovered when the tomb was sealed, and that his illusions and letter remained intact even after hundreds of years, proved he possessed genuine skill and knew quite a bit of the inside story. The first sentence on the letter detailed his origins. Bai Mu took out his bracelet, compared it, and read aloud: "So it's a Maoshan Daoist Priest."
"This humble Daoist is Xuan Mingzi, a native of Kuaiji Commandery. Since childhood, I have studied under Perfected Yang, practicing the orthodox magic of the Maoshan Daoist Priests.
"In the autumn of the first year of Yuanshou, I followed my master to answer the King of Huainan's summons to survey and select an auspicious burial ground for the royal estate. Unexpectedly, I stumbled into this tomb by mistake. By the time I discovered the truth, the tomb doors were already sealed. I have been trapped here ever since, losing count of how many times the moon has waxed and waned.
"This tomb is no ordinary royal mausoleum. The King of Huainan somehow obtained half a volume of the 'Profound Yin Corpse Nurturing Secret Record' and intended to use this tomb to become a 'Corpse Liberation Immortal'. This is not the orthodox Daoist corpse liberation, but a dark method of using the vitality of living humans to nurture his own soul. Buried here after death, his physical body would not rot, and his soul would not disperse. Once he breaks out of his coffin, he will become a 'Ghost King', turning a thirty-mile radius into a ghost domain.
"My master accepted heavy bribes to preside over this matter. Initially, I was kept in the dark, believing we were simply selecting an auspicious plot and determining the burial orientation for the royal estate. It was only during the excavation of the tomb chambers and the arrangement of the formations that I realized something was wrong. The layout of this tomb is nominally called the 'Seven Stars Soul Lock', but in reality, it is the 'Seven Fiends Corpse Nurturing'.
"The tomb faces due north, occupying a position of extreme yin.
"The large tomb chamber is divided into seven rooms, arranged according to the Big Dipper.
"The Main Tomb Chamber is located at the handle of the Dipper, exactly where the Dubhe star rests, creating a configuration known as 'Gathering Yin and Converging Fiends'.
"According to the 'Profound Yin Corpse Nurturing Secret Record', a living person was buried in each of the remaining six chambers—three men and three women in total. Buried alive in their respective rooms, their pure yang and pure yin energies were harvested to nourish the corpse in the main tomb.
"However, the King of Huainan wielded monstrous power and influence. He did not merely select six individuals with special constitutions as human sacrifices; he also buried hundreds of soldiers, scholars, young children, maids, and laborers alive... all to serve as his slaves in death."
Reading this, Bai Mu instantly realized that the female ghost he had encountered at the very beginning was one of those three men and three women.
'In that case, there should be six minor elite monsters just like that female ghost in this Script.'
'If I can manage to kill all six elite monsters, will there be some kind of hidden reward?'
Bai Mu pondered as he continued reading. From this point on, the handwriting became a bit heavier.
"This humble Daoist... I originally thought I could conspire with my master on this matter. I believed that afterward, I would enjoy endless wealth and glory, and possess all the wealth, companions, and Daoist arts I could ever want. However... however, a trace of conscience remained. Unable to bear witnessing the tragic deaths of the young children in the tomb, I changed my mind at the last moment and intended to expose this scheme, only to be discovered by my master.
"Disregarding our bond as master and disciple, he joined forces with the royal guards to hunt me down. Grievously wounded, I relied on an escape technique to hide in this place, but I lacked the strength to flee any further. With the tomb doors sealed and my rations completely exhausted, I know I am doomed to die here, accompanied only by the lingering souls of a few young children.
"Thus, I write this letter so that if any later generations find it, they will know the entire truth of this matter.
"Additionally, I have left behind Earth Yang materials to aid those who come after.
"It is made by combining cinnabar, realgar, and sulfur, and setting the mixture ablaze. Its flame burns a pale blue-white and can scorch ghosts and evil spirits.
"My pouch still contains these three items; they are ready for use.
"Furthermore, there is no daylight within this tomb. However, if you can break through the tomb's ceiling and channel the sunlight inside, you can shatter the yin energy of the ghostly creatures.
"If you are a strong-bodied man, you can use the blood from your fingertip or the tip of your tongue to strike the ghosts at the Yintang Acupoint between their eyebrows. This is where their yin energy gathers, making it their weakest point. The pure yang blood will break their force."
Reading this, Bai Mu looked down at the rotting cloth bag. Sure enough, there were three Small Bottles made of porcelain inside, labeled with cinnabar, realgar, and sulfur respectively. The mouths of the bottles were sealed with wax, preserving them fairly well.
"You have learned the 'Earth Yang Breaking Force Method'."
"You have learned the 'Human Yang Force-Breaking Method'."
As he finished reading, two system notification chimes rang in Bai Mu's ears.
Thanks to this letter, he had acquired two new skills, though their skill levels were only graded as common.
A new segment of knowledge flowed into his mind. In an instant, he fully understood how to mix cinnabar, realgar, and sulfur into Earth Yang and ignite it, with the skill guaranteeing he wouldn't make a mistake in the process.
As for this "Human Yang," it was even simpler. He didn't need any external tools to pierce his fingertip or tongue; he only needed to consume Health to launch a direct attack.
Each use would consume 5% of his Health, but it could only be activated if his Health was above 50%. Furthermore, it couldn't be spammed continuously; there was a one-minute cooldown between each use.
'Does this count as one of the quest rewards?'
The writing on the silk ended there, yet the quest had not updated.
"Pardon the intrusion," Bai Mu muttered, left with no choice but to search the remains.
He first stored away the three small bottles. The rest of the items had become useless trash due to their immense age. However, even after thoroughly patting down the Daoist robe draped over the remains, he found absolutely nothing else.
"Am I missing some other relic?" Bai Mu murmured, looking up at the Ghost Child hovering above.
The pale, ghastly face stared blankly down at him. Truthfully, the sight was quite terrifying, but Bai Mu was busy wondering if these Ghost Children had scavenged the Daoist's relics and dragged them somewhere else.
Seeing Bai Mu staring intensely at it, the Ghost Child hopped down. As if remembering something, it reached into a narrow crevice Bai Mu couldn't possibly access and actually pulled out another piece of silk cloth.
This piece also had writing on it, but the contents were extremely brief and heavily blurred.
"Master, you played a masterful game of chess..."
The moment he discovered this sentence, Bai Mu heard another notification chime.
"Side Quest updated."
"Quest Requirement Changed: Escort Xuan Mingzi's letter out of the Prince of Huainan's Tomb."
However, Bai Mu no longer had the presence of mind to care about this quest. He frowned deeply. That single sentence seemed to change everything. A sudden, creeping chill crawled up his spine as an eerie gust of sinister wind blew from the darkness.