Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 657 Strange Wooden Box

Shang Lu hurriedly used his internal vision method to check his body, but found nothing strange. Everything in his internal organs was normal, and no new offerings appeared.

However, just as Shang Lu finished his internal inspection and hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that a teardrop-shaped pattern had appeared on the back of his left hand.

It's like a tattoo, only it creates strange ripples. It bears a striking resemblance to the Earth God's seal on his right hand.

"Tu Bo gave me this mark so that I could become a messenger of the underworld and help Him subdue evil spirits. At the same time, it would also make it easier for me to use His power. But what does Wuzhiqi want to do by marking me?"

Shang Lu pondered this in his mind with great difficulty.

It couldn't possibly be that Wuzhiqi also took a liking to him and wanted him to be a divine messenger or emissary, could it? The messengers of the river god are either shrimp soldiers and crab generals or turtle prime ministers, which doesn't fit his role at all.

Not to mention, Shang Lu and Wu Zhiqi only had one encounter, and it wasn't a friendly one...

While trying to figure out Wuzhiqi's intentions, Shang Lu carefully released his essence and divine sense to examine the water droplet tattoo on the back of his left hand to see what it was all about.

The moment his consciousness came into contact with the water droplet tattoo, a frenzied, primal, and violent roar suddenly exploded in his mind.

The explosion caused a massive shock to his mind, and his vital energy was in turmoil.

"Om-"

Inside the Five Internal Organs Temple, the Yin-Yang Qi Bell and the five divine statues simultaneously burst forth with brilliant light.

Shang Lu reacted extremely quickly, immediately activating the Heart Sutra and his vital energy to protect his sea of ​​consciousness from damage.

And in this process, that primal, violent, and frenzied roar gradually coalesced into a few fragmented words.

"too weak……"

"Stronger, even stronger..."

"Help me break free from my shackles and escape this sea of ​​suffering..."

These words, like a demonic chant, kept replaying in Shang Lu's mind.

After several dozen breaths, the sounds gradually faded away.

Shang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness stopped churning and returned to normal, but the energy within his body was polluted and became chaotic.

Fortunately, Shang Lu already had extensive experience dealing with the pollution of chaotic divine power, and immediately began a methodical purification process.

However, I still have to say a few words in my heart.

"Was that Wuzhiqi's voice just now? Judging from his tone, he wants me to help him escape from his cage, but he thinks my current strength is not enough?"

Thinking of this, Shang Lu couldn't help but snort softly, secretly complaining, "Is this how you ask for a favor? Putting everything else aside, if you think my cultivation is too weak, you should at least bestow some treasures to help me cultivate, right?"

He checked his internal organs and meridians again to make sure they were intact before he was truly relieved.

At that moment, he noticed a black mass of divine power on the altar in front of the kidney god statue, exuding a slippery, fishy smell and an aura of madness.

He recognized it at a glance; it was Wuzhiqi's water-based divine power.

However, this divine power was not left behind by Wuzhiqi on his own initiative, but rather secretly retained by his internal organs.

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. In critical moments, you still have to rely on your own stomach!" While feeling proud, Shang Lu once again turned his gaze to the water droplet on the back of his left hand.

The water droplets are gradually disappearing.

To be precise, it is integrated into the subcutaneous tissue of the pokeweed.

I just don't know what the purpose of these water droplets is?

Could it be that, like Tu Bo Yin, he could borrow Wu Zhi Qi's supernatural powers?
"No matter what, Wuzhiqi needs my help and thinks I'm too weak, so I'll ask Him for help and guidance in the future. He definitely won't refuse me again."

Upon realizing this, Shang Lu hurriedly took out Wuzhiqi's divine tablet.

This sacred plaque was made by Shanglu himself.

Although the materials used are of good quality, it has never possessed divinity and can only be considered an ordinary divine tablet. Shang Lu is unsure whether Wuzhiqi will receive the incense burned for the tablet, but one thing is certain: it cannot be used to perform exorcisms.

But at this moment, something changed on the divine card.

On the card, ripples appeared, looking like waves were rising.

At the same time, the line of text "Huai Huo Shui Shen Wu Zhi Qi" also changed.

It was no longer the ancient script previously used by pokeweed, but a strange script that was more ancient, desolate, and mysterious.

Shang Lu had never learned these strange characters, but he could sense that they emanated a violent and powerful aura.

It was the aura of Wuzhiqi.

"Sure enough, this guy not only wants me to help him escape from his cage, but also wants me to offer him incense and sacrifices."

Shang Lu couldn't help but want to laugh, and it took almost all his strength to suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up.

Having desires and wants is not a bad thing.

If he receives enough offerings, he won't stand idly by when he encounters danger.

"Perhaps, after arriving in Qinglin Prefecture, I can start making Wuzhiqi's Nuo noodles." Shang Lu thought to himself. By then, he would have collected four of the five elements Nuo noodles, leaving only the metal element Nuo noodles.

Who knows which star deity is behind the Golden Deity Token?
But no matter who it is, once they have enjoyed the incense offered by his pokeweed, they will ultimately be unable to escape it.

After Shang Lu put away Wuzhiqi's divine tablet, the water droplet tattoo on the back of his left hand also disappeared.

The pokeweed wasn't in a hurry to study it; it simply continued to urge the paper horse on, and soon it swam to the other side of the river.

After getting ashore, he discovered that neither ordinary people nor cultivators seemed to know what had just happened.

He even went out of his way to find several monks, using their eloquence and sophistry to probe and inquire.

It turned out that these people genuinely hadn't seen the strange phenomenon that had just occurred in the river.

"I didn't expect Wuzhiqi to be so sensible," Shang Lu thought to himself.

If others had seen what just happened, Shang Lu would definitely have to change his identity again. Even Black Fox would have to find a way to become a yellow dog and a white cat.

Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to a lot of trouble.

After all, he was someone who was caught up in Wuzhiqi Langtao's schemes but didn't die; instead, he "swallowed" Wuzhiqi Langtao.

This is no ordinary ability or opportunity!

Someone will inevitably want to take him down and find out what's going on.

They even used secret techniques to seize this "opportunity"!
Now that no one else had seen it, Shang Lu felt much more at ease.

After crossing the river, Shang Lu continued riding his paper horse, traveling alongside San Niang and Black Fox.

Early the next morning, Shang Lu entered Qinglin Prefecture. Here, there were far more cultivators patrolling, and their ranks were also higher than elsewhere.

In particular, the matter of "the black witch of discipline intercepting and killing the monks listening to the lecture" has been reported to the Jiang Kingdom's court and the Tai Mo Academy, causing an uproar and outrage.

Therefore, the monks on patrol were especially vigilant.

Once a suspicious person is discovered, not only should they be questioned, but they should also be identified using magical artifacts and secret techniques.

Shang Lu was also questioned several times, but these were all routine checks. The cultivators did not suspect him and therefore did not use any magical artifacts or secret techniques.

Shang Lu, however, managed to get away with it all this time thanks to his eloquence and sophistry.

As evening approached, Shang Lu, riding a paper horse and carrying a black fox, arrived at the city of Qinglin.

Qinglin Prefecture is not the capital of the Jiang Kingdom, but because the Taimo Academy is located here, its scale and prosperity are in no way inferior to those of the capital.

It was even jokingly referred to as "the Second Capital" by many people from the Jiang Kingdom.

Shang Lu rode a paper horse, gazing up at Qinglin Prefecture.

The city stood majestically, like a giant that could shake the heavens and the earth.

It remains to be seen whether this giant city, like the military fortresses and garrison towns on the front lines of Xingshan, will be able to "stand up" and fight when faced with a powerful enemy.
However, from the mysterious runes, powerful magic arrays, and large magical artifacts on the city walls, it is not difficult to see that even if this giant city cannot stand up, it can still unleash terrifying power that is astonishing!
Shang Lu withdrew his gaze and jumped off the paper horse.

Black Fox was still lying on the horse's rump, staring at him with her amber eyes, looking puzzled, as if she didn't understand why he had dismounted.

However, Shang Lu not only dismounted, but also made a hand gesture and slapped the horse's rump.

"puff--"

The paper horse deflated instantly, like a balloon with a hole punched in it. In just a few breaths, it turned into a palm-sized paper horse, which Shang Lu then tucked into his sleeve.

The paper horse was shriveled, and the black fox was naturally thrown off, whimpering and whining in dissatisfaction.

Although it was evening, there were still quite a few people queuing at the city gate to enter the city, but none of them were surprised by this scene.

Qinglin Prefecture has the Taimo Academy, which already has many cultivators. During this period, many more cultivators have come from all directions. At the city gate, not only have paper horses been put away, but many other strange and unusual things have also happened. The people here are already used to it.

On the contrary, a cultivator jokingly teased Shang Lu, "It seems your spirit pets aren't very obedient to you. Let me tell you, when raising spirit pets, you can't just spoil them; you have to discipline them when necessary. Only then will they submit to you."

The black fox understood what the cultivator said, immediately turned around, bared its teeth at the cultivator, and hissed threateningly.

The cultivator was not intimidated at all; instead, he sneered and volunteered: "You beast, you dare to provoke me. Friend, why don't you hand this beast over to me, and I'll teach it a lesson for you?"

"Thank you for your kindness, brother. I will train it myself, so please don't trouble yourself." Shang Lu waved his hand and released his essence, which wrapped around the black fox. He dragged it into his arms and threatened in a low voice, "Behave yourself, or you will really be dealt with, and I won't be able to save you."

The black fox struggled a few times, but eventually obeyed and dared not bare its teeth again.

They probably realized this place was unusual, with too many cultivators and a powerful aura, and were afraid someone might actually deal with it.

Seeing that the black fox had calmed down, Shang Lu finally put it down.

Black Fox didn't dare to provoke them anymore and obediently followed behind Shang Lu in line.

Although there were many people queuing at the city gate, the process was efficient, and they soon reached Shanglu in line.

Several cultivators stood at the city gate. One of them held an ancient bronze mirror. The mirror surface was normal, but the back was covered with strange runes and eerie eyes that made people feel very uncomfortable.

The monk holding the mirror chanted an incantation, raised the ancient bronze mirror, and pointed the mirror face at Shang Lu.

Suddenly, strange clouds surged on the mirror's surface, transforming into seven bizarre eyes that stared intently at Shang Lu.

After a few breaths, the cultivator holding the mirror said, "That's enough." He then put down the bronze mirror.

Although Shang Lu's spiritual insight had not yet recovered, he still noticed with his keen eyes that the bronze mirror still displayed his face after it was put down, and that the strange eyes that Gui Yun had transformed into firmly remembered it.

"Don't worry, we're just registering your appearance and scent to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

A chubby monk standing nearby said with a smile.

Although he was smiling, his words carried a threatening undertone.

"As long as you don't cause trouble in the city, it won't affect you in any way. But if you dare to do anything wrong, the Legalist Black-Clad Strategist will use this information to take you down very quickly!"

Shang Lu knew this was a warning to him to behave himself once he entered the city.

The bronze mirror's ability to remember one's appearance is of little use to many cultivators, as they possess various methods to alter their looks. However, the bronze mirror's ability to remember one's aura makes many cultivators hesitant to commit theft, even if they have the desire.

After all, appearances can change, but one's aura is not easily altered.

But this was not a problem for Shang Lu. Whether it was the Hundred Faces Mask or Sun Wukong's Transformation Technique, he could change his appearance and aura at the same time.

However, in front of these gatekeeper cultivators, Shang Lu still bowed and agreed, putting on a docile and obedient appearance.

The portly monk smiled and then asked, "Are you here to listen to the lecture too?"

A dark-skinned cultivator standing nearby couldn't help but retort, "Isn't that obvious? Everyone who's come to Qinglin Prefecture these past few days is here to listen to lectures at the Tai Mo Academy. Let alone cultivators, many ordinary people also want to join in the fun. Why bother asking? Just give it to him directly."

"The necessary procedures still need to be followed."

The fat monk wasn't angry even after being rebuked. He still smiled and explained, "If the process is correct, even if there are problems, it's not our fault."

"What problems could possibly arise with a cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm?" The dark-faced cultivator shook his head but didn't say anything more.

After Shang Lu nodded in agreement, the fat monk took out a wooden plaque and handed it to him.

It's unclear what kind of wood this wooden plaque is made of, but it's engraved with many mysterious patterns that resemble both some kind of incantation and some kind of design.

"This is a letter of invitation to lectures."

The portly monk explained, "With this, you can attend lectures at the academy. Although the secrets of the Great Cataclysm haven't been taught yet, there are many other courses available. You might as well attend them; you'll gain something from them."

"Thanks for the advice."

Shang Lu thanked him and extended his hands to receive the letter.

However, the moment the wooden box was placed in his hands, the Yin-Yang Qi Bell in the Five Internal Organs Temple of the Pokeweed began to clang loudly.

At the same time, his mind seemed to be glaring angrily.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

"There's something strange about the wooden box!"

The pokeweed instantly became alert.

At that very moment, the water droplet tattoo that had disappeared on the back of his left hand reappeared, rippling like waves.

A cold, damp mist seeped into the wooden box without the people around the city gate noticing...

(End of this chapter)