Dongxuan Spiritual Realm

Chapter 75 The General's Greed for Treasure

Despite Yang Qisheng's questioning, Bao Wancheng's smile remained unchanged.

"That talisman was sent a few days ago by a cousin of this young friend Jing from Wanliu Village. He said he found it by chance and wanted to use it as a gift for becoming an apprentice."

We saw it as a treasure, seemingly from the 'Eight Yang Divine Curse' lineage, so we accepted it. Logically, shouldn't it have originated from the Taiyi Palace?

"I obtained that talisman by chance. Although it is an unorthodox item, I have refined it with the essence of the five elements of our sect. If you have any doubts, bring it over and we will test it to find out."

"Haha, there's no need for testing. As long as Fellow Daoist Yang says it's yours, then it's definitely yours. We trust Fellow Daoist Yang's character."

Yang Qisheng had been in the underworld for many years and had seen this kind of way of speaking many times: "Just tell me whether you're going to pay it back or not?"

“Return it! Since Fellow Daoist Yang says it’s yours, it should naturally be returned. However, there’s a problem.” Bao Wancheng looked troubled. “We recently have an enemy, a very powerful one, who’s about to come knocking on our door.”

If we slacken our efforts even slightly, our entire family will be wiped out. That talisman happens to possess the power to counter the enemy's magic; therefore, we humbly request that you grant us some time to temporarily borrow this treasure. Once we have defeated our formidable foe, we will certainly return it in its entirety and offer you a generous reward!

"What enemies you encounter is your business, it has nothing to do with me." Yang Qisheng refused directly, "Give me back my things."

Bao Wancheng chuckled and declined, saying, "I hit it off with Fellow Daoist Yang at first sight, and I was originally planning to ask you for help. To be honest, my enemy is a well-known figure in the Taiyin Ghost Path, with great magical power, and is treacherous and cruel. Fellow Daoist Yang comes from the orthodox Xuanmen sect and is full of righteousness. I'm sure he can share our hatred and fight against evil with us."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qisheng raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected that they also had a grudge against the Taiyin Ghost Path. They could indeed be said to share a common enemy and join forces in the future.

"One thing at a time. Return the talisman first, and then we can talk about other things."

Yang Qisheng's tone turned serious: "If you don't return it, I will be your enemy now, and your Huailing Temple will soon be wiped out!"

“Uh…” Bao Wancheng was taken aback by Yang Qisheng’s usual amiable words and was momentarily speechless.

Yang Qisheng didn't give him much time to hesitate. He raised his right hand, and a ball of five-colored light had already condensed in his palm.

“Return it! I’ll return it right away!” Bao Wancheng made a quick decision. “Fellow Daoist Yang, please be patient. The talisman is with my junior brother. Please wait a moment, and I will fetch it for you immediately.”

After saying that, he got up and left.

Meanwhile, the talisman was stolen by Jing Laoliu and presented to Liu Duxian, one of the three elders of Huailing.

If it were the original talisman of the Golden Light Cauldron, they would have been able to decipher and use it. However, the talisman had been reforged by Yang Qisheng using the Five Spiritual Treasure Talismans, so he could not use it. He regarded it as a treasure and sent it to his personal deity, General Rengong, to guard it, asking General Rengong to use his divine power to refine it.

Bao Wancheng arrived at the Hall of the Three Dukes Generals to return the talisman to Yang Qisheng.

Liu Duxian was unwilling. He had obtained it through his own abilities and had spent a lot of time refining it. Why should he give it back?

“That guy surnamed Yang came with a lot of force and was very aggressive. If we don’t give it to him, there might be trouble.”

Liu Duxian was indignant: "So what? He's all alone, and he's joined our temple. We're the butcher, and he's the fish. He's just a newly appointed Taoist priest; how much skill could he possibly have? Isn't he just someone we can slaughter?"

“It’s not that I’m afraid of him,” Bao Wancheng sighed slightly. “I’m worried that if we kill this young one, the older one will come later. I’ve heard the Wind and Fire Emperor and my master mention the prestige of the Taiyi Palace. They participated in the Great Battle of Ten Thousand Immortals at the foot of Xiandu Mountain a hundred years ago, and later participated in the Universal Ritual.”

From that time on, all beings—humans, gods, demons, and ghosts—hid themselves and fled in terror. Even the Great Emperor of Wind and Fire was forced to retreat to his grotto and cease spreading his teachings. How many temples did our Divine Skill Sect have throughout the world? They were all smashed and destroyed. All the immortals went into hiding, daring not to resist. This is the power of the Great Universal Ritual.”

Fu Duyou, who was enshrining the Heavenly General, also spoke up: "That's right. Last time I saw the other disciples of their Taiyi Palace, they were all extraordinary, especially that one named Liu Hanzhang. His refined qi contained the thunder of the nine heavens, which even the Heavenly General was quite wary of. And Liu Hanzhang is only a junior among them. Their masters and elders are probably even more powerful!"

Liu Duxian was still indignant: "Even if their elders are strong, can they be stronger than the Wind and Fire Emperor who created the cave heaven and attained enlightenment through incense offerings? The Emperor has at least tens of millions of believers throughout the world! Besides, we also have the Three Dukes and Generals, as well as various immortal beings. Are we afraid of their Taiyi Palace?"

Bao Wancheng advised, "The wicked young master of the Taiyin Ghost Path is about to come to Guteng County to spread his teachings. We can't fight that wicked ghost while also offending the Taiyi Palace! Yang Qisheng only wants this jade talisman, but the wicked ghost wants the incense offerings of the entire Guteng County! If we can't defeat him, we won't even have a foothold and will be wiped out!"

After he finished speaking, the three old men fell silent.

Liu Duxian reluctantly turned around to retrieve the talisman from in front of the statue.

The talisman was placed in a pure gold bowl. He reached out to take it, and the bowl suddenly emitted light, and gusts of cold wind rose up, making the banners and pennants in the hall rattle.

"General Ren Gong!" Liu Duxian hurriedly knelt down, and his two other companions also knelt down side by side. Only Bao Wancheng bowed.

The statue of General Ren Gong was carved from a thousand-year-old locust tree. He held a large sword that concealed the moon in his hand, and his whole body was radiant. He actually appeared to be a deity.

Liu Duxian turned around happily: "General Rengong forbids us from returning the talisman!"

Bao Wancheng asked, "Then how will Yang Qisheng respond?"

Liu Duxian laughed, "Who cares! If he's not satisfied, let him come to General Rengong and take it himself. Let's see if he dares to come!" Bao Wancheng sighed, respectfully walked to General Rengong, bowed again, and advised, "General Rengong, although Yang Qisheng is not to be feared, we are about to go to war with the Black-Hearted Young Master. Although the Taiyin Ghost Path was severely weakened back then, and the Eight Ghost Immortals went into seclusion and never showed their faces again, their disciples have emerged one after another in recent years. The six young masters under the Judge are all highly skilled in magic."

Although only the Black-Hearted Young Master came this time, there might be others coming to reinforce him. We must focus all our efforts on dealing with him first. As for Yang Qisheng, we not only cannot offend him, but we must also find a way to win him over and get him to help us deal with the Black-Hearted Young Master. This disciple solemnly promises that after we drive away the Black-Hearted Young Master, establish a foothold in Guteng County, and seize Liuxi County to the east, we will definitely find an even better treasure to present to the General!

After he finished speaking, the statue of General Ren Gong quickly returned to calm, the wind in the room stopped, and the golden bowl on the table stopped shining.

Bao Wancheng bowed again, took out the Golden Light Talisman, and hurriedly returned to see Yang Qisheng.

Having retrieved the Golden Light Talisman, Yang Qisheng noticed wisps of yin energy on it, indicating that it had been refined by someone. He pointed and infused it with the essence of the five elements. Immediately, the five talismans of the spirit treasure appeared, their colorful light flowing, and the yin energy on them vanished.

He put the talisman back around Jing Han's neck and then prepared to leave.

Bao Wancheng then brought up the matter of the wicked young master: "Once he comes here and establishes a Taoist temple, he will surely turn this place into a ghost town, and the people of the surrounding villages will suffer."

He wanted Yang Qisheng to help them deal with the ruthless young master, but Yang Qisheng refused.

He sent eight children to deliver a message yesterday, and visited in person today, which was in accordance with custom and left room for the other party. If the other party sincerely apologizes and explains the misunderstanding, there is still a possibility of cooperation between the two parties.

However, the other party showed no remorse and returned the talisman half-heartedly, so Yang Qisheng decided to disdain cooperating with them.

Dealing with the Taiyin Ghost Path and disciplining the Black-Hearted Young Master are Yang Qisheng's own business. He can go if he wants to, or not if he doesn't. It's none of anyone else's business!

As he led Jing Han outside, he asked about Bao Wancheng building the Taoist temple.

The Divine Skill Sect has countless branches and lineages. If you worship your family's ancestors and establish a shrine, you can also be considered a branch of the Divine Skill Sect.

In a broad sense, as long as you can communicate with ghosts and spirits, that counts!

For the past century, all sorts of demons and monsters lay dormant and hid from the world, only gradually beginning to emerge in the last few years.

Bao Wancheng worshipped the Wind and Fire Emperor, while the three elders with the character "Du" worshipped the Three Dukes General. The two sides were not originally of the same lineage, but they came together in the first few years to jointly establish a Taoist temple.

During this period, four more demon gods were brought in, and together they paid to buy the mansion, hung up a plaque, and named it Huailing Temple.

Since the Universal Ritual ceased to exist, they have grown rapidly, their faith has swept through surrounding villages and towns like a flood, their incense has become more and more prosperous, and they have gained more and more disciples.

So he spent money to buy the best location in the center of the county town, acquiring a large plot of land, intending to build an even bigger and more luxurious Taoist temple.

Jing Han's father, Jing Lei, now works there as a carpenter.

After Yang Qisheng understood, he took Jing Han to the construction site.

He landed directly on his sword at the carpenters' camp, attracting many onlookers who wondered if it was a divine manifestation from Huailing Temple.

Yang Qisheng found Jing Lei and told him, "I think Jing Han is a good kid, and I'm going to take him to cultivate immortality. You've raised him for so many years with all your heart, I can't just leave you in the mountains like this. Jing Han said last night that he originally planned to go to Poison Dragon Ridge to hunt dragons when he got older, and use the money to buy you a big house in the county town. He's a filial son, so I'll grant his wish. Pack your things, and I'll take you to the provincial capital right now to buy you a house and land, and set up a business for you, so he won't always worry about you."

Jing Lei was stunned by this windfall and it took him a while to react: "You mean you're going to take Han'er to become an immortal, and you're going to send me to the provincial capital and buy me a house and land?"

Yang Qisheng nodded.

Jing Lei felt it was all unreal, but he was certain that Yang Qisheng was a sword immortal, and a very upright one at that, and would never lie to him, nor did he have anything worth lying about.

"Alright, alright, I'll pack my things right away. But if Han'er goes with you to cultivate immortality, will he never come back?" He was reluctant to part with his son.

Jing Han sensed that they were about to part ways, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"No, once he has mastered the flying sword, he can come back to the provincial capital to see you anytime."

"That's good! That's good!"

Jing Lei went to pack his luggage, along with tools such as adzes, chisels, axes, and saws, and Jing Han went to help.

There were many coworkers nearby, as well as the apprentices that Jing Lei had temporarily taken in. They all asked what was going on, and some even said to Yang Qisheng, "My goodness, we also have a boy of this size in our family. He's quite clever and mischievous. We brought him here for you to see. Do you want to take him along to cultivate immortality too?"

Yang Qisheng waved his hand.

He was planning to leave after Jing Lei finished packing, but suddenly he noticed that each of these people had a black line in the white of their eyes.

(End of this chapter)