Pure Yang!

Chapter 482 The Secret of the Eight Princes Carrying the Coffin! The Last Surveillance Footage
Zhang Beiming was the first ruler of the Northern Zhang clan.

Eighty years ago, after the great calamity of the Daoist sect, he followed Zhang Taixu and left the Jiangnan region, heading north all the way, eventually becoming the leader of the Northern Zhang.

"According to seniority, this first leader of the Northern Zhang clan is considered a disciple of the last Celestial Master," Boss Liang murmured.

“When the last Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain stayed in Zhongnan Mountain for two years, Zhang Beiming was by his side.”

"Was this page of the manuscript left behind at that time?" Zhang Fan asked thoughtfully.

“Zhang Beiming was highly respected in the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain back then, and was considered a strong contender for the next leader of Longhu Mountain,” Boss Liang murmured.

"Unfortunately, Longhu Mountain disappeared later."

“If one did not have such prestige, how could one become the leader of the Northern Zhang?” Zhang Fan said in a deep voice.

"Not only in Longhu Mountain, but in the entire Taoist sect at that time, this person could be considered one of the top masters. He fought countless times with the Wuwei Sect, and it is said that even the former number one master in the world, the Three Corpse Taoist, spared his life three times," Boss Liang added.

To survive the clutches of the world's number one martial arts master is already a miracle; to survive three times is an incredible stroke of luck.

"Therefore, this page of the manuscript is truly invaluable."

Mr. Liang circled back, attempting to add a footnote to the value of this page of the manuscript.

"So, those eighty yuan weren't too expensive after all." Zhang Fan nodded in agreement.

"..."

Zhang Fan casually slipped the manuscript page into his pocket. Once he got back, he would only be able to find out what Li Yishan had gained by deciphering the runes on it one by one.

Perhaps this is related to Li Yishan's disappearance.

"Boss Liang, I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Let me see if you have any other treasures that I can use to support your business."

Zhang Fan changed the subject and started wandering around the shop, making no mention of the eighty yuan.

"what is this?"

Just then, Zhang Fan suddenly stopped and looked at the shelf. In a crystal dish was something that looked like a placenta, with a faint fishy smell. Its shape resembled a strange beast.

"This is a jackal fetus," Boss Liang said calmly.

When a wolf gives birth to a different species, it becomes a jackal, which is sinister and ferocious, and was rarely seen in ancient times.

The idiom "colluding with each other" refers to this kind of thing.

It is said that out of ten thousand wolf cubs, perhaps only one will turn out to be a jackal.

The fetus of the jackal is considered a rare and potent medicine. If it is ground into powder and swallowed with well water, it will emit a unique and subtle aura. If a member of the opposite sex smells it, they will involuntarily develop feelings of attraction, and the more they smell it, the harder it is for them to control themselves.

Besides that, this thing has another crucial use.

In the past, if a Taoist priest skilled in feng shui found a wolf fetus and buried it in a plot of land three feet squared around someone else's ancestral grave, then all the descendants of that family would be illegitimate and would have no blood relation to them.

"There aren't many of these kinds of treasures left now," Boss Liang said in a low voice.

He was originally a powerful demon who had cultivated from a wild wolf in the Qinling Mountains. In this day and age, the living environment for wild animals is becoming increasingly harsh. It is already good enough that they can reproduce and thrive. It is almost impossible for them to give birth to a wolf.

Such strange beasts might have been seen in the past, but in this degenerate age, they are practically just legends.

That is precisely why this jackal fetus is so precious.

"If you're interested, I can give you a discount."

Boss Liang lowered his voice and held up three fingers: "Three hundred..."

"Three hundred yuan!?" Zhang Fan exclaimed.

"..."

“Ten thousand! Three million!” Boss Liang rolled his eyes and corrected him.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Fan gave an awkward laugh, then said, "Boss Liang, I really want to patronize your business, but the things here are just too grotesque."

As he spoke, Zhang Fan took out his phone: "Next time, next time I'll definitely buy something big."

"Should I scan your code, or will you scan mine, for those eighty dollars?"

"..."

Boss Liang's eye twitched. Eighty yuan wasn't even enough for a meal of meat.

"No need, I'll just consider this as making a friend."

As he spoke, Boss Liang immediately composed himself, bowed, and asked, "May I ask your honorable name, young friend?"

“My name is Zhao Jiexuan!” Zhang Fan whispered.

“Zhao Jiexuan!?” Boss Liang pondered for a moment. The name sounded unfamiliar. It didn’t seem to belong to a major sect or the Chunyang family.

"Thank you for your hospitality today, Mr. Liang. We won't bother you any longer."

As he spoke, Zhang Fan prepared to leave with Meng Qiwu.

"Farewell, fellow Daoist."

Boss Liang saw Zhang Fan to the door, and as he watched the two figures walk away, a meaningful look appeared in his eyes.

He looked around, then closed the shop door, turned and walked to the back. Through a narrow and deep stone path, which twisted and turned, he found himself at the entrance of a cave.

A bronze ring with an animal nose hung on the stone door of the cave. Boss Liang knocked on it twice and then pushed the door open and went inside.

Unlike the ruined stone walls outside, the interior of the cave is decorated in a very modern style, with air conditioning, floor heating, air purifiers, refrigerators, color TVs, and large sofas...

Under the warm yellow light, a graceful and beautiful woman was brewing tea at the table, her pair of snow-white legs faintly visible through the long hem of her dress.

Boss Liang walked up to the beautiful woman and whispered a few words in her ear.

“Zhao Jiexuan…”

"I've heard of this name before. He stirred up trouble in Xijiang a few days ago, and it's said that even Yu Xuanji, the successor of Sanqing Mountain, died at his hands."

The beautiful woman paused, a meaningful look appearing on her fair face.

"This young man is extraordinary. He has mastered the art of cultivating life force and has already developed his inner core. Ordinary people cannot train such a disciple. There are quite a few people outside inquiring about his identity."

"Old Liang, you did a good job. You can step down now."

"Yes." Boss Liang bowed and left the cave, closing the stone door behind him.

Just then, the beautiful woman picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and the aroma of the tea filled the air.

She gently raised her hand and pushed the teacup in front of her to the opposite side.

“Mr. Rosen, as you can see, you’re not the only one staring at this page of the manuscript right now.”

The beautiful woman raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, and looked at the cold and aloof young man sitting opposite her.

……

Late at night.

Holiday Inn Chang'an West Suburbs

The room lights were still on. Zhang Fan sat at the table, which was covered with draft paper, densely covered with all sorts of talismans and strange characters.

After returning from Yinxu, Zhang Fan ate a few bites with Meng Qiwu and then began to decipher the photocopy of that page of the manuscript.

The various runes on these runes are extremely ancient and complex, including not only those from Longhu Mountain, but also many other unique rune scripts from other sects, making them quite difficult to decipher.

Fortunately, Zhang Fan had put in the effort to learn talismans when he was young. His family was the head of the Three Mountains Talismans, and Zhang Lingzong had spent a lot of time training him in this area.

In addition, Li Linglong traveled to various places when she was young, and practiced in seclusion in places such as Zhongnan Mountain and Qingcheng Mountain. She learned from many sources and taught Zhang Fan a lot.

Now that he has long since succeeded in becoming one with the gods, these things are naturally in his mind.

However, as Zhang Fan deciphered the text word by word, his expression gradually became serious.

"The immortals imparted the Dao through nine methods, and the eight kings carried the coffin, treading the Dipper..."

As night deepened outside the window, the scratching sound of the pen echoed in the quiet room.

"The Qianding Kunlu burns the star marrow, the dragon's bones and phoenix bones forge the Dao form..." The warm yellow light seemed to dim, and the content on the paper grew thicker and thicker.

"The tomb of life and death holds the secrets of heaven and earth, the coffin of yin and yang suppresses the spirits of the past and present. Eternal life is like a silent night, but suddenly the primordial deities awaken..."

Suddenly, Zhang Fan stopped writing. He looked at the translated and organized content on the A4 paper, a serious expression appearing on his face.

At this moment, he finally knew what was recorded on that Northern Darkness manuscript.

"Eight princes carrying a coffin!?"

An ancient painting suddenly appeared in Zhang Fan's mind. He had seen this painting before, both at Xu Xuanguan's place and in Tai Sui Village.

A lone moon hangs in the sky, and towering mountains rise. Eight figures with disproportionately large bodies carry a coffin through the endless night. They wear ancient Taoist robes and each holds a weapon: a sword, a seal, a mirror, a cauldron, a ruler...

This is the "Eight Princes Carrying a Coffin" picture, and the establishment of the coffin-carrying association was related to this picture.

Zhang Fan knew that this picture involved the secrets of the Nine Methods.

The manuscript left behind by Zhang Beiming contains detailed clues related to the "Eight Princes Carrying a Coffin".

In the manuscript, he said that over those countless years, eight princes carried the coffin and he was buried in an empty mountain, along with eight funerary objects.

That is...

"Nine artifacts!?" Zhang Fan frowned slightly, revealing a strange expression.

The legendary nine artifacts were actually burial objects for that mysterious coffin!?

"Nine artifacts... how come there are only eight?"

Zhang Fan seemed to be deep in thought, recalling the details of the "Eight Princes Carrying a Coffin" painting in his mind. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a glint of light flashed in them.

Each figure held a different object, which were the so-called burial items. If the mysterious coffin is added, there are exactly nine objects.

"The origins of the Nine Methods and Nine Instruments!?"

Zhang Fan spoke softly.

He finally understood why Li Yishan said he had made a major discovery. This page of the manuscript not only mentioned the connection between the Nine Methods and the Nine Weapons, but also some scattered clues.

It also mentions that eight princes carried the coffin into the central dragon chamber, where it remained for seven days.

The dragon veins of the world originate from Kunlun. Since the ancestral Kunlun, the dragon veins have been divided into three.

The so-called "Central Dragon" refers to the dragon vein that runs through the Qinling Mountains and Chang'an.

Back then, the eight princes carrying the coffin must have stayed in the Qinxi Province, or even the area near Chang'an, for seven days.

The location where the coffin was placed is also mentioned on this page of the manuscript.

The key point is that Zhang Fan had heard of the place's name before.

"The Tomb of the Living Dead at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain!?"

"So it's that place?" Zhang Fan's expression turned strange.

The Tomb of the Living Dead is a highly secret realm for Taoist cultivation.

Back then, the immortal Chongyang dug a tomb and secluded himself at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain. He finally comprehended the secrets of life and death, embarked on the path to immortality, ascended to heaven, and left behind the legend of immortality.

As for today, the Tomb of the Living Dead is just a legend, and even disciples of the Chunyang royal family cannot enter this tomb without great fortune.

In retrospect, perhaps this great tomb was not excavated by the immortal Chongyang, but rather he discovered it by chance, entered it, and thus had the opportunity to break through the laws of life and death and become an immortal.

On that day, in order to avoid calamity, Li Yishan cultivated the "Jia Sheng Gui Si" technique and, by chance, entered the Tomb of the Living Dead.

That incident was extremely dangerous, even alarming Wang Qiankun, the Celestial Master of the Wang family. If Zhang Sheng hadn't intervened in time, they might not have been able to escape unscathed.

"That Tomb of the Living Dead is actually the place where the coffins of the Eight Dead Men once rested... Could he have gone in again?" Zhang Fan pondered.

The Tomb of the Living Dead is a place to reverse life and death and comprehend the principles of Yin and Yang.

Back then, Master Chongyang also mastered the method of "Jia Sheng Gui Si," which is why the secret technique of "Sheng Si Ming Zhang" of the Chunyang Wang family is derived from this method.

In other words, apart from the destined disciples of the Wang family, only cultivators of the [Jia Sheng Gui Si] type can find this place and enter the great tomb.

All these factors combined suggest that Li Yishan has a very high probability of entering the Tomb of the Living Dead.

"Damn it, why are they going in again? Are they messing around with the graves?"

Zhang Fan pursed his lips, suddenly feeling a wave of powerlessness.

Dong Dong... Dong Dong...

Just then, a soft knock on the door brought Zhang Fan back to his senses.

Zhang Fan got up and went to open the door.

"Why did you open the door without asking?" Meng Qiwu stood outside the door, holding a laptop in his hand.

"In the dead of night, besides you, who else would knock on my door?" Zhang Fan said calmly.

"My friend pulled up the surveillance footage."

As he spoke, Meng Qiwu walked into the room and opened his laptop.

"Did you find anything?" Zhang Fan asked casually.

He already had a rough idea of ​​where Li Yishan was, so he wasn't too concerned about the so-called surveillance.

"Yes, the last surveillance footage before he disappeared showed that he had contact with someone."

"Alone?" Zhang Fan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Who?"

"I do not recognize."

Meng Qiwu shook his head and opened the copied surveillance video.

The somewhat blurry image shows roadside stalls on a street, with the time displayed as 22:58.

"This is a street near the university town called Jingkou Street. It gets very lively after nine o'clock at night, with many stalls," Meng Qiwu said softly.

Zhang Fan remained silent, staring at the screen.

Soon, Li Yishan and Qin Ergou appeared in the frame. They sat at the table on the right and ordered four bowls of mutton soup, a plate of hand-pulled mutton, and two roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers).

"You really know how to eat," Zhang Fan said, pursing his lips.

“That night, he originally asked me to come with him, but something came up at the last minute…” Meng Qiwu sighed.

"Can you fast forward?"

Zhang Fan couldn't help but speak up; he was getting a little hungry just looking at it.

"OK."

Meng Qiwu tapped the video and immediately switched it to 16x speed, causing the screen to jump around rapidly.

Suddenly, a figure entered the frame and sat at the table where Li Yishan and his group were, but his back was to the monitor.

"Stop, reverse!"

As soon as Zhang Fan raised his hand, Meng Qiwu stopped accelerating and slowly rewound the video footage, capturing the moment the suddenly appearing figure turned and entered the surveillance camera.

"stop!"

At that moment, the scene froze, and Zhang Fan looked at the figure in the picture. Although it was only a side view, the figure and the face were very clear.

He was a young man with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a straight nose, tall and thin, and incredibly energetic.

Zhang Fan was stunned after just one glance.

"Why is it him?"

"You know him?" Meng Qiwu asked upon hearing this.

“Zhang Wang!” Zhang Fan said solemnly.

(End of this chapter)