Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 614 The Remnant Spirit's Calamity

On a remote and deserted mountain path, Shang Lu rode his paper horse at breakneck speed.

The paper horse was moving quite fast, but it was a bit bumpy.

Shang Lu's paper-tearing skills hadn't improved much, and the paper horse he was riding was torn into strange shapes, with even its four legs being unusually long.

Fortunately, it was just a bit bumpy, but there were no other problems. Shang Lu could barely accept it and took it as an opportunity to practice his movement techniques.

With Third Sister helping to keep an eye on the surroundings, Shang Lu wasn't afraid of running into the patrolling Chu witches and witch beasts—don't be fooled by the remoteness and desertedness of the mountain path, there really are witch beasts patrolling back and forth, and witchcraft is also used to detect things in all directions.

Whenever a witch beast approaches or witchcraft attacks, Third Sister would give a warning in advance, allowing Shang Lu to put away the paper horse, conceal his aura, and hide in time.

Although there were Chu witches and witch beasts patrolling the road to the north, they were much smaller and weaker than those heading directly to the west or south.

Not only did Shang Lu progress smoothly, but he was also able to dedicate more time and energy to cultivation, nourishing his soul and consolidating his newly achieved breakthrough.

However, on this rugged mountain path today, Shang Lu did not cultivate. Instead, he took out the remnant spirit of the Nightmare Jellyfish that he had unexpectedly obtained when he left the Water Mansion Secret Realm.

After several days of observation, Shang Lu determined that although this remnant spirit carried a chaotic aura, it was no longer related to the Nightmare Jellyfish—at least the Nightmare Jellyfish's consciousness was not attached to this remnant spirit.

So he took out the remnant of the spirit, wanting to see what its uses and strangeness were.

Previously, underwater, the pokeweed didn't have time to examine it closely.

Only when he took out the remnant of the spirit did he see its appearance clearly—it looked like a small, semi-transparent umbrella.

No, a more accurate description would be that it resembles a small jellyfish.

It has a translucent, ethereal blue color throughout, which is very beautiful.

As soon as Shang Lu removed the purification talisman wrapped around the remnant spirit, a violent mental pollution immediately erupted from the remnant spirit, like thousands of invisible spikes piercing Shang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness.

To corrupt his mind, to shatter his brain, to drive him mad.

Shang Lu was prepared and gave a soft snort: "Burn!"

The mental image within his internal organs immediately responded, its eyes widening and spewing forth a raging fire that instantly burned away all the mental pollution that had invaded his consciousness.

At the same time, the kidney deity statue, which was urging the practice of the Heart Sutra, created a black mist that protected Shang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness.

The water and fire were perfectly harmonious in Shang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness, creating a state of yin and yang balance and water and fire in harmony, so that the spiritual pollution released by the remnant spirit could not harm Shang Lu in the slightest.

Shang Lu opened his spiritual eye and carefully observed the remnant spirit. He quickly discovered that the remnant spirit's release of mental pollution was its own characteristic and had nothing to do with the Nightmare Jellyfish.

The remnants of spirits in this world, while possessing various strange effects, also release all sorts of negative influences.

Otherwise, the remnant spirits wouldn't have been sealed away in the witch's academy.

At this moment, although this remnant spirit is constantly releasing mental pollution, it no longer poses a significant threat to Shanglu.

I just don't know if it has any other negative effects.

Shang Lu chanted the incantation, attempting to release a wisp of divine sense to probe the internal state of the remnant spirit and find its true purpose.

As Shang Lu's divine sense entered the remnant spirit, he discovered that there were wisps of water flowing inside it.

At the center of the water waves, there is a suspended "core" that resembles a water crystal, filled with countless tiny holes from which the water waves flow.

The "core" seemed to possess self-awareness and sensed the intrusion of Shang Lu's divine sense. In an instant, thin threads shot out from those countless holes.

These fine threads, all formed from condensed water vapor, constantly changed color, sometimes dark blue, sometimes scarlet, like a surging torrent rushing towards Shang Lu's consciousness from all directions.

Shang Lu raised an eyebrow and was about to withdraw his divine sense.

But he quickly changed his mind, wanting to see what this remnant spirit was trying to do by releasing the water vapor wisps—based on his perception, these water vapor wisps were not enough to harm his divine sense.

The fine mist instantly surged forth, tightly enveloping Shang Lu's consciousness.

However, it merely wrapped around the object; it did not devour or harm it.

Meanwhile, Pokeweed also discovered that these fine water vapor wisps seemed to be recognizing their owner—just like new dogs that identify their owners by sniffing out their scent.

They were also sniffing out the scent of the pokeweed spirit.

"interesting."

Shang Lu's eyes lit up. The remnant spirits that could recognize a master were all of high rank! Even if they were a bit lacking now, they still had a lot of room for growth and could continue to improve.

Previously, the remnant spirits distributed in county and thief bureau offices did not require a master. However, they were much weaker in terms of rank and effectiveness.

However, Shang Lu remained vigilant and prepared for any unforeseen changes.

A few breaths later, the remnant spirit seemed to have remembered the aura of Shang Lu's divine consciousness. The fine strands of water vapor loosened their binding and returned to the "core".

"Is this the end?"

Shang Lu was somewhat surprised, wondering whether this remnant spirit had recognized him as its master—there was no indication of it at all.

He could only try to infuse his vital energy into the jellyfish-shaped remnant spirit to see if any changes would occur.

As soon as the essence entered the remnant spirit, it was immediately absorbed into the orifices on its "core".

The next moment, a cacophony of sounds immediately emanated from the orifice of the "core".

Among these sounds are the songs chanted by shamans in ancient rituals; the clanging of swords and the fierce fighting on the battlefield; the terrifying roars of eerie beasts; and the roars, howls, and wails of countless people...

All the sounds converged and transformed into a highly aggressive and polluting mental sound field, which expanded instantly, centered on the pokeweed, and covered an area of ​​several meters around it.

In this area, strange, cacophonous noises are everywhere and remain constant.

These strange noises, however, did not make Shang Lu feel agitated at all. On the contrary, they had a special rhythm that not only dispelled the fatigue of his journey, but also slightly enhanced the flow of his vital energy, as well as his will and concentration.

However, Shang Lu also discovered that within the area covered by the sound field, birds, insects, and other creatures were all fleeing in panic.

Even birds and insects went completely mad.

"Can the range of sound not only inspire me, but also corrupt others?" Shang Lu became increasingly interested.

The fact that I received a buff effect indicates that the remnant spirit was indeed recognizing me as its master.

I wonder how large an area this remnant spirit's sound range can cover, and what kind of effect it can achieve?
Since they were on the road anyway and had nothing else to do, Shang Lu simply began to study it in depth.

After a day of exploration and practice, Shang Lu became basically familiar with this remnant spirit.

First of all, the range of sound it expands is not simple; it directly affects the soul and brain, so that whether you cover your ears or use other sounds to interfere, it has no effect.

Secondly, the scale of the sound range and the effect it produces are related to the essence and energy infused by the pokeweed, as well as the grade and vitality of the remaining spirit itself.

The more essence and energy the pokeweed infuses, the stronger the quality and vitality of the remnant spirit, the wider the range of its sound field, and the greater its power!
Furthermore, once its power reaches a certain level, it can not only weaken the enemy, but also directly confuse and severely damage their mind and even soul! That's right, this remnant spirit, shaped like a small jellyfish, is capable of growth.

In a sense, it, like the ice crystal blue lotus, belongs to the category of "living things".

They feel hungry and need to eat constantly.

However, unlike the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus, which consumes flesh, blood, and souls, the remnant spirit of the little jellyfish prefers to eat various emotions and desires.

It eats everything, regardless of good or evil.

Pokeweed discovered this while studying the remnants of a small jellyfish, where it had "stolen" his emotions and desires.

At first, the pokeweed was caught off guard and had a lot of its food "stolen" by the remnant spirit of the little jellyfish, which greatly reduced its desire to conduct research. It even had the thought of "being too lazy to go any further and just staying here as a lazy bum, passing the rest of its life in peace."

Fortunately, Shang Lu's cultivation had reached the Mingxin Realm, greatly improving his mental resistance. The kidney god statue in the Five Internal Organs Temple was also constantly circulating the "Supreme Goodness is Like Water Heart Sutra," which allowed him to quickly realize that something was wrong and prevent him from being swayed by the remnant spirit of the little jellyfish.

Unlike witchcraft artifacts, remnant spirits have negative effects.

Fortunately, the pokeweed can withstand these negative effects.

Even so, after gaining a general understanding of the effects and uses of the remnant spirit of the little jellyfish, Shang Lu used the Purification Talisman to reseal it and put it back into the Impermanence Token.

This thing can't be left outside all the time, otherwise it will constantly steal your emotions and desires, which will affect your training progress.

It's one thing to practice other skills, but if it hits you while you're practicing the Yin-Yang Covenant with Third Sister, wouldn't that affect your performance?

However, this negative effect of the jellyfish remnant spirit might actually be a life-saving measure in certain special circumstances.

While sealing the remnant spirit of the little jellyfish, Shang Lu sensed its reluctance and immediately laughed, "Who told you to be unable to control your mouth and even steal my emotions and desires? Don't be unhappy, once we reach a populated town, I'll release you and let you eat your fill!"

Then Shang Lu pondered to himself, in the town, where are the emotions and desires most abundant and intense?
After much thought, he figured that brothels and gambling dens couldn't be bad. So he planned to find a nearby town after he got off the mountain, sneak out next to a brothel or gambling den, and release the remnants of the little jellyfish spirit to let it eat its fill.

As for whether doing so will affect the performance of some people, that's not something he needs to consider.

Since people who don't perform well often use excuses like "not in good spirits," "not in good condition," or "too tired from work," let's just let them prove it once and for all, so they won't be accused of lying.

"Hey, if we set up a jar and sell medicine next to the brothel the next day, wouldn't we make a fortune?"

Shanglu suddenly had a brilliant idea.

You know what, this is actually a good way to make money.

If he weren't in such a hurry to escape, and if he weren't afraid of revealing his identity, he really would have liked to give it a try...

After putting away the remnant jellyfish, Shang Lu felt he should give it a name.

After pondering for a while, he turned to Third Sister and asked, "Third Sister, what do you think of the name 'Calamity Lamp'?"

"Okay." Third Sister nodded.

No matter what Shang Lu said, she always replied "okay".

"My wife agreed, so we'll call it the Calamity Lamp!"

In fact, Shang Lu would prefer to give the little jellyfish remnant a name like "portable speaker" or "entrance background music".

After all, the effect of the Little Jellyfish Remnant Spirit is actually somewhat like a character's exclusive background music – once the background music starts, combat power increases rapidly.

Shang Lu even hoped that one day he could arrogantly declare, "No one can defeat me with my background music playing!"

To achieve this goal, not only must the Calamity Lamp devour more emotions and desires, but his own cultivation must also be maintained.

After all, someone who can carry a sound system and win every battle must possess immense strength. Those without strength have no right to have their own personal background music.

Shang Lu quickly adjusted his mindset, and even while riding on the bumpy paper horse, he remained fully focused on practicing the Five Organs Elixir Offering Technique.

By the time the pokeweed emerged from the mountains, it was nearly dusk.

There was no sign of a town outside the mountains for the time being, so the matter of feeding the evil spirits would have to be postponed.

However, after Shang Lu left the mountain, he saw several wisps of smoke rising from chimneys.

However, there was a village.

Shang Lu's current identity is that of a Confucian scholar who travels around to study and spread his teachings. If he travels through the night and is spotted by the rampant ghosts released by the Chu witch, it will surely bring him a lot of trouble.

"We can stay here for the night and set off at dawn."

Shang Lu laughed and jumped off the paper horse, made a hand gesture, and slapped the paper horse's rump.

The paper horse immediately shrank, reverting to its original torn paper form, and was collected into the Impermanence Token by Shang Lu.

Riding a paper horse doesn't fit the image of a traveling scholar and could easily frighten the villagers.

Since the village wasn't far away and it was still early, Shang Lu wasn't in a hurry and strolled over slowly, without using any magic like shrinking the distance.

Like many villages built on mountainsides, this village is surrounded by a wall.

It is used to defend against wild beasts, as well as some low-level demons and zombies.

Shang Lu could see from afar that a layer of dark red blood had been splattered on the wooden and stone walls of the stockade.

I'm guessing it's either chicken blood or black dog blood or something like that.

In addition, at intervals, black donkey hooves and other items are hung on the walls of the stockade, and there are even a few shamanic talismans. Although there are fluctuations of shamanic power, they do not look like they were made by shamans in towns. They should have been drawn by folk shamans.

Before they were even a distance from the village, the pokeweed was spotted by the local militia on guard duty, who shouted orders:

"Stop!"

"who?"

This village is located near the mountains and few outsiders come here. When the villagers on duty suddenly see a stranger, their first reaction is to find out whether the person who came is a human or a mountain spirit or monster.
There are many spirits and monsters in the mountains, and many of them transform into human form and come down the mountain to do evil.

Even some wild animals will disguise themselves as humans and launch surprise attacks when people are not paying attention.

Especially today, when a woman in the village is about to give birth, it is even more likely to attract the covetous eyes of demons and monsters.

Although Shang Lu was unaware of what was happening in the village, he could understand the tension and wariness of the people there.

He immediately stopped as instructed, smiled and raised his hand to indicate that he meant no harm.

At the same time, he used his eloquence to introduce himself:
“I am a scholar traveling around. I was in a hurry and missed the time. It is getting late. I would like to ask to stay the night in your esteemed place. Don’t worry, I am not a bad person.”

(End of this chapter)