Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 708 Exposed?
As a strategist with a background in military strategy, Shang Lu deeply understood the importance of anticipating defeat before victory, and he always had more than one backup plan.

That's why they say people who play tactics are often cunning.

The paper figures used to impersonate the sorcerer were merely bait that Shang Lu had laid out in the open. The black shadow that suddenly appeared was the real trump card he had placed his hopes on.

This dark shadow was neither witchcraft nor some remnant spirit artifact, but a "living creature" named Shadow Gu.

Back on Hailing Island, the moment that sleeping deity awoke, it slaughtered all the mad and demon-possessed cultivators of Taimo Academy.

Whether to express gratitude to Shang Lu or for other purposes, the deity threw all the precious relics of the cultivators of Tai Mo Academy to Shang Lu.

Unfortunately, most of those precious relics were damaged or mutated under the influence of divine power and might. Even if Shang Lu kept them, they were useless to him, and he had to be constantly wary of being contaminated by them. In the end, he could only sell them at a low price in exchange for a batch of materials and spiritual herbs.

However, some treasures are relatively intact.

Even after the mutation, it gained even greater power and special abilities.

This Shadow Gu is one of them.

Originally, it was just an ordinary Gu creature. When the god awakened, it was corrupted by divine power and its physical body was destroyed. However, it did not die, but instead turned into a shadow.

Once it becomes a shadow, as long as it remains hidden in the shadows and does not move, no one will be able to detect it.

When Shang Lu was examining the treasure, he almost missed the Shadow Gu because of this. Even though he had activated his Spiritual Eye, he couldn't see it in the Gu jar.

Finally, it was while raising other Gu creatures that the Shadow Gu was stimulated. Only after it released signals such as "hunger" and "wanting to eat" was Shang Lu able to discover it.

After a period of time, Shang Lu began to study the Shadow Gu and discovered that it not only had a strong ability to hide, but also a very special ability—to devour shadows.

It can treat shadows as food, devouring them to consume the life force and power of its target.

However, this ability is still weak, and it requires further training and development to use it as a "hidden weapon" for surprise attacks.

From the very beginning, Shang Lu never imagined that he could get through the checkpoints and infiltrate the Weiwu Yamen by relying on paper figures.

He knew very well that there were quite a few wizards with keen eyesight. In particular, those who were sent by King Ba to the Wizard's Office to ambush and capture wizards were the best of the best, and they were very likely to possess many strange and unusual remnants of magical artifacts.

But he still brought out the paper figure.

He needed to use the paper figure to confirm whether the "Witch Guardian" who was wandering around the town like bait was real or fake.

If it is true, then use a paper effigy to remind them and contact them.

If it's a fake, losing a paper figure is no big deal for Shang Lu. He can use the paper figure to severely injure the opponent and take advantage of the chaos to have the Shadow Gu hide in the person's shadow to find more clues.

To be honest, Shang Lu didn't expect things to go so smoothly.

The hawks and hounds of the Goddess Town failed to recognize the paper figure's identity and escorted it all the way to Wushan, where it was delivered to the Wushan Guardian's Office.

Even more unexpectedly, the Chief Justice Changsun, who was guarding the Weiwu Yamen, actually used divine power as a medium to trace the source and successfully angered the newly awakened deity on the strange Peach Mountain, causing Him to unleash a "morning grumpiness".

Unfortunately, the deity only unleashed its anger and did not reveal its true form.

Within the Weiwu Yamen and Wushan City, many special restrictions and witch formations were constructed, which could even defend against and limit the power of the gods!

Most of the gods today are in a state of madness and chaos.

As the capital of the Ba Kingdom, Wushan was known for having "shamans as numerous as dogs." Among them, there were quite a few who practiced Nuo shamanism and frequently communicated with and invoked the gods.

Without restrictions and preventative measures, one of the Nuo shaman's rituals of communicating with or invoking the gods might turn into a major disaster!

The high-ranking officials and nobles in Wushan City certainly didn't want to be enjoying hotpot and singing songs with their concubines one day when a mad god suddenly descended upon them, corrupting them and turning them into monsters.

It was all thanks to these restrictions and witchcraft arrays; otherwise, not only the Witchcraft Guard Office, but also a large area around it would have been corrupted by the power of the Mad God tonight.

The deaths are a minor matter; the real danger is that the entire area could be distorted and turned into a death zone.

Although it didn't cause greater casualties, it was still a pleasant surprise that it could crush a court official on the spot and kill dozens of Ba Wang's henchmen in a sudden turn of events.

After all, these things were not originally part of Shanglu's plan.

As for whether causing such a commotion would alert the enemy, Shang Lu was not worried.

Since the King of Ba and the high-ranking officials in the court were determined to join forces to purge the witches, they had naturally already raised their security level to the highest level. This commotion tonight would not change that.

At most, they will strengthen restrictions and prevent divine intervention to avoid similar situations from happening again.

Not to mention, during this time, many of the guardian shamans sensed something was wrong and sneaked into Wushan to investigate, so the snake had already been disturbed.

On the contrary, Shang Lu gained a clear understanding of the various arrangements made by the Weiwu government and Wushan City based on the commotion that happened tonight.

Like the Goddess Town, Wushan City appears loose but is actually quite tight.

Everything in the city seems normal on the surface, but it is full of hidden secrets, deliberately designed to lure people into being careless.

If you are careless and fall into a trap, or act rashly, you will surely fall into an abyss of no return!

"Once you enter Wushan, you must be even more cautious. It is better to gain nothing than to act rashly. If you want to save others, you must first preserve yourself."

The pokeweed silently warned itself.

Fortunately, the paper figure was destroyed, but the Shadow Gu took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the shadow of the Guardian Witch, intending to follow them into the Witch Prison.

I believe we'll soon be able to figure out what's going on inside the witch's prison.

If all goes well, we can also find out what tricks are hidden in the witch prison, and where the imprisoned witches will eventually be sent.

However, just as Shang Lu was preparing to sever the connection with the Shadow Gu and put it into complete silence, waiting for the right moment to awaken it, in the Weiwu Yamen, the Weiwei suddenly raised his eyebrows and sensed something was amiss.

"Wait a moment!"

He suddenly spoke, stopping the official escorting the two guards. In a flash, he teleported in front of the two guards, his gaze sharp as a knife, scrutinizing them as if trying to cut open their skin and see their inner selves.

The Commandant of the Guards was exceptionally perceptive to the flow of Qi (vital energy).

Just moments ago, the Shadow Gu slipped from the prison cart into the shadows of the two guards. Even though its movements were swift and its speed was incredibly fast, it was still enough for the guards to notice it in that brief instant.

Shang Lu's heart clenched instantly. He could only hope that the Shadow Gu's ability to conceal itself would fool the guard captain whose pupils were constantly flashing with witch runes and incantations.

The Commandant of the Guards activated his sorcerer's eye and carefully examined the two sorcerers. Finding nothing, he did not give up. He then ordered his trusted subordinates to retrieve a remnant spirit densely covered with sorcerer's runes. At this moment, the ground of the sorcerer's office was covered with rotten flesh and blood. The Commandant of the Guards activated his sorcerer's energy, wrapped a mass of flesh and blood in it, and poured it onto the remnant spirit.

The dense array of shamanic runes immediately emitted an eerie red light.

The minced flesh and blood were instantly devoured, followed by a burst of bloody light. Accompanied by a piercing ghostly scream, it flew towards the two guards, instantly examining them from the inside out.

But still found nothing.

Neither the Imperial Guard nor the eerie blood-red light and piercing ghostly screams detected the existence of the Shadow Gu.

They even investigated the shadows, not letting them go undetected.

Even this strange remnant spirit was corrupted by the chaotic aura remaining here, and began to vibrate incessantly, actually trying to break through the seal of the witch talisman and emerge from its "cocoon".

The Imperial Guard dared not delay and hurriedly ordered his men to seal the strange remnant spirit properly and take it back to purify it.

The strange aura they had just sensed was attributed to the chaotic atmosphere here. Furthermore, the two guardian shamans had also been corrupted, albeit to a lesser degree, but it wasn't surprising that their auras exhibited bizarre fluctuations.

The Imperial Guard, who thought he had figured out the truth, frowned and took a step back.

Although the mad god had left and the pollution had been reduced to a minimum, he still did not want to be tainted in any way.

"Take him in."

The Commandant of the Guards waved his hand, signaling the Gentleman of the Palace to continue taking the man to the witch's lair.

But then he turned and instructed his trusted aide behind him: "Go over there and wash these two medicinal herbs thoroughly. Make sure their contamination doesn't affect the master and the nobleman."

The confidant remained silent—his mouth was sewn shut with dense stitches, making him look strange and eerie.

Inside the Weiwu Yamen (a government office for the protection of witches), those who had survived by chance also noticed this strange fellow.

Although they dared not utter a word of discussion, they were all curious and wondering: how does this guy eat with his mouth sewn shut like that?
The trusted confidant accepted the order with his hands clasped, and strode after the shaman and the official, entering the shaman's prison together.

The Imperial Guard Commandant's gaze remained fixed on the two shamans until they disappeared completely. Only then did he turn to the group of survivors in the shaman's office and coldly order, "Quickly clean this place up, especially the chaotic aura. It must be concealed and purified before dawn. Do not let the shamans who come back to 'report for duty' notice anything amiss."

"Yes!"

Although the Commandant of the Guards was not their direct superior, the Court of Justice was already in disarray and scattered all over the place. They had no choice but to obey the Commandant of the Guards, quickly clasped their hands in acceptance, and began to collect the corpses and clean the ground.

Before the Commandant of the Guards could finish his order, he continued, "Send a few men, in the name of the Guardian Shaman, to seize the soldiers and shamans patrolling this area tonight and erase their memories. What happened tonight must not be known to outsiders. If there is any leak..."

He glanced at everyone present, his tone calm, yet it carried a chilling murderous intent.

"Slice his body to pieces, annihilate his soul, and exterminate his entire clan!"

Inside the Weiwu Yamen, the surviving people all shivered.

I always feel like my life is hanging by a thread, and I could die at any moment!

Meanwhile, in the warehouse in Shennv Town, Shang Lu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself how close he had come to disaster.

If it weren't for the descent of the Mad God, which caused the atmosphere in the Guardian Witch's Office to become chaotic, the Shadow Gu would have been exposed the moment it moved.

These powerful families have controlled cultivation resources for many years and have developed extraordinary skills. They should not be underestimated. We must be extremely cautious on our journey to Wushan.

"My boss?"

Bai Lingxu greeted him in a low voice, not using telepathy, for fear that fluctuations in his magical power would alert those in the darkness. He simply gave a coded signal: "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I was startled, but thankfully I woke up," Shang Lu replied. He quickly took out the remnant of the "Unlistenable" spirit to block out outside eavesdropping, and then spoke rapidly to Bai Lingxu, Zhu Quan, and the others about what had happened in the Weiwu Yamen.

After listening, Bai Lingxu, combining the information he had gathered, immediately concluded: "It seems that the entire Wushan Mountain has been turned into a trap, just waiting for the Wei Wu to rush there and fall into it!"

"Are we still going to Wushan?" Tu Bi asked hastily. He wasn't good at thinking things through and was too lazy to bother.

“Of course we have to go! We’ve already registered; if we don’t go, we’ll be even more targeted,” Bai Lingxu said. “Besides, judging from what Junior Brother Shang said, although Wushan City has become a trap, there should be guards hiding in the shadows, undetected. If we can unite these people and act covertly, we might just achieve something!”

"Senior Brother Bai is right, we still have to go to Wushan. However, everyone needs to be more cautious and must not give anything away."

Shang Lu nodded in agreement; what Bai Lingxu said was exactly what he had in mind.

Although layers of traps were laid in Wushan City to lure and capture the guards, and many wizards were dispatched to search for them, many guards still remained hidden in the shadows.

Concealment, investigation, capture... these are methods that Wei Wu is good at.

There must have been quite a few guards and witches who rushed back to Wushan, sensed something was wrong, and went into hiding to observe.

If these people could be united, it might be possible to rescue more imprisoned and persecuted witches.

With these like-minded wizards, there is a greater chance of overthrowing the monopoly and oppression of the monarchy and powerful clans.

Shang Lu summoned the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus and said, "To prevent you from being tricked into dreams or having your minds read by witchcraft after entering Wushan, thus inadvertently revealing your identities, I will add a layer of illusion to your sea of ​​consciousness. All you need to do is empty your mind."

Emptying one's mind is not easy for ordinary people. But Zhu Quan and Du Feng are both martial artists, and with Shang Lu's help and guidance, they have all touched the threshold of Qi cultivation, only lacking a little more skill. This matter is not difficult for them.

Moreover, Shang Lu and Bai Lingxu are also there to help.

Soon everyone emptied their minds, allowing Shang Lu to use the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus to weave a false memory in their sea of ​​consciousness.

These memories will not affect Du Feng, Zhu Quan, and others, but they will cause those who try to access their memories to make misjudgments.

Unless someone with cultivation far surpassing Shang Lu forcibly extracts the memories of Du Feng, Zhu Quan, and others, they will have no chance of uncovering the deception.

But would someone like that even glance at a few martial artists?
As dawn broke, Shang Lu and his group, having made all the necessary preparations, left Shennv Town and headed towards Wushan.

The journey went smoothly without any problems.

Upon arriving at the foot of Mount Wu, they queued for over an hour before it was finally Shang Lu and his group's turn to be inspected.

"The Jin family's caravan from Baiyi County?"

The wizard verifying Shang Lu's identity glanced at the documents and credentials he presented, his face suddenly darkening. He coldly shouted, "It's definitely a fake! Seize it immediately!"

(End of this chapter)