Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

A demon is hiding inside a zombie's body. Although they exist in different forms, one real and one illusory, their basic attributes overlap. For example, they are both things that living people become after they die, and the methods of suppressing yin energy are effective against them.

As fellow members of the Taoist sect, whether it's Master Li or Jian Feidao, even though their cultivation systems differ, their abilities are all specifically designed to attack demons and ghosts. Trying to bypass the zombies and target the evil spirits inside is indeed quite difficult.

Neither physical nor magical means can guarantee that the zombie's body will remain intact. But that's okay, this is Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. If physical and magical methods fail, we can still work on the soul level.

As Jian Feidao said, they could go to the City God Temple and ask the underworld officials there to extract the evil spirits from the zombie's body. From both sides' perspectives, this would benefit both the City God and them.

If the ghosts inside are also related to the White Lotus Sect, they can be interrogated on the spot using the City God Temple, saving them the trouble of conducting their own investigation and making it easier to obtain information by leveraging the City God Temple's authority.

No matter how you look at it, it's a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

It's late at night now, everyone in the living world is asleep, but the people in the underworld are active, so we can just go and visit the City God Temple.

"How do we get there? By the way, Daoist Master, do you know about the Transformation of Light..."

"I know, but going like this is probably not appropriate."

In fact, Master Li did not know what Ren Pingsheng was talking about, but from the way the other man pressed his shoulder and tried to pull him away, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in Master Li's heart. He suddenly remembered his encounter when he caught the Painted Skin.

When the painted skin ghost ran away, he and the man who called himself Sword Immortal went after him. Master Li originally planned to walk by himself, but he was caught off guard and was pulled by the arm and sent flying into the sky. Before he even attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven, he experienced a somersault that covered 108,000 miles.

Although he didn't know what "transformation into light" meant, it didn't stop him from seeing what Ren Pingsheng was trying to do. That "transformation into light" was probably similar to the soaring flight he had experienced before. Master Li wasn't afraid of heights, but he didn't want to experience it again, so he interrupted him in advance.

Master Li felt that if he didn't interrupt, the two of them might carry him to the City God Temple at a speed that he wouldn't even be able to react to.

“We are all living people in this world. Even if there is a reason for this, it is still inappropriate to visit us so abruptly.”

Yin and Yang are distinct. In the underworld, the City God Temple is equivalent to a government office. Those who have the ability to communicate between Yin and Yang and to exorcise ghosts and capture demons are somewhat like wandering knights in the human world.

If you rush up to the City God without saying anything and ask for his help, by worldly standards, that would be another version of "a knight-errant breaking the law with martial arts".

The City God is a righteous deity, after all. For the three of them to actually fly up to his face with a zombie doesn't seem like they're asking for help, but rather like they're looking for trouble. Master Li felt this wouldn't do. He still had to continue exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path, which would inevitably involve dealing with underworld officials. He didn't want to have any strange reputation spread in the underworld.

“…What the Taoist priest said makes sense.”

Master Li's words reminded Jian Feidao that they were asking for help, not coming to settle scores. It's true that people of the Innate Realm like to fight close-quarters combat; whether attacking or seeking medical help, they often go straight to someone's doorstep, some even ignoring their own doorstep and storming into their home.

The feuds in the martial arts world are different from those in officialdom. This time, they weren't there to support Xi Fangping and seek justice; instead, they rushed directly in front of the underworld officials, which seemed more like they were there to cause trouble.

"We can go outside the City God Temple to burn incense and call upon the gatekeeper ghosts to explain our purpose."

The City God Temple mentioned here has two meanings. One refers to the City God Temple in the mortal world, where people burn incense and worship on ordinary days. The other refers to the City God Temple in the underworld, where the City God is truly in charge and you can see the ghost messengers.

Although Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao didn't say which one to go to first, Master Li had a gut feeling that they were definitely talking about the latter. Even though they didn't say what method they would use to go directly to the underworld, he had a premonition that they could get to the underworld in the blink of an eye.

Three living people, accompanied by a zombie, rushed towards the ghost messenger. Master Li didn't really want to get involved in this scene.

His method was to first go to the City God Temple in the mortal realm, light incense to express their intentions, and once the other side agreed to help, a messenger would naturally take them there.

So what we need to do now is to return to the city under the cover of night and go to the City God Temple.

"Are you sure you don't need us to take them?"

"Need not."

Because of the matter of this person's head today, the group has already made several round trips outside the city. In particular, Jian Feidao and Ren Pingsheng first chased the zombie from one village to the outskirts of the town, then from the outskirts to other villages, and then returned with the captured zombie body. They have already gone around in circles several times.

Master Li didn't beat around the bush. He came out of the city and saw the white shadow chasing after him in mid-air. After that, he didn't move much and just took one trip.

But that doesn't mean he had it easy. When a person with innate lightness skills uses their lightness skills, it's like they're on high speed. Master Li had to put in a lot of effort to keep up with them. In terms of physical exertion, he was actually the most tired of the three.

For the sake of speed and efficiency, the two did have the idea of ​​carrying Master Li directly over, but the person in question resolutely refused, saying that he had enough physical strength and did not need such a big fuss.

Taking advantage of the short journey to the City God Temple, the three were finally able to have a proper chat, and Master Li finally learned their names.

The process of seeking help from the ghost messengers went smoothly because humans and ghosts see different worlds. They felt that the resentment on the zombies was strong by sensing its aura, but in the eyes of the ghost messengers, this soaring resentment was so real that it could be seen from afar.

Without Li Daoshi saying anything more, and without Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao showing up, the City God took the initiative to open the door and welcome them in. This level of ghosts was already fierce, and even the ghost messengers would have to put in a lot of effort to capture them. Their arrival was equivalent to helping the City God Temple boost its performance.

Once in the underworld, Gu Ji was less concerned. He had heard that evil spirits of this level were difficult to control and might break free of their shackles and escape. Jian Feidao simply blocked the door with his sword, which served as an extra layer of insurance.

However, because his aura was so strong, even the ghost guards who were also guarding the gate didn't dare to approach him, so let's just ignore this matter.

Most of the previous guesses came true. The evil spirit hidden in the zombie's body was one of the leaders of the White Lotus Sect who led a rebellion in his previous life. That year, there was a severe drought followed by a famine, and the people were suffering. Several sorcerers who were already doing well in the sect decided to start a rebellion.

"You two are the ringleaders?"

"No, three."

When the evil spirit was forcibly dragged out by the ghost messengers, the zombie's body immediately stopped struggling. Their heads joined together, and this time there was no repulsion. The head and body merged, and the person seemed to have truly come back to life. He spoke on his own, and his behavior looked no different from that of a human. It was unclear whether he had been suppressed by the evil spirit before or whether going to the underworld had been beneficial to him.

Even after the evil spirit was captured, it was still not very cooperative, and most of the information obtained during the interrogation came from the awakened zombie.

There were three people who led the rebellion back then. They each knew some powerful evil magic, such as raising ghost soldiers and summoning yakshas. With these spells, many people who had never seen them before were frightened and enjoyed themselves for a long time.

Once things are going smoothly for someone, they tend to get carried away. Each of the three of them took on many apprentices. These apprentices wanted to learn their skills, so they naturally flattered them. With both methods working together, the three of them felt invincible and wanted to take another step forward.

They still had to rebel, but they no longer wanted to be generals and emperors; they wanted to live forever.

"...What a cliché dream."

Because no matter what earth-shattering statements they make, the result is still the same few things.

"You absolutely mustn't tell me that you turned yourself into a zombie in order to achieve immortality."

"How can it be!"

The zombie, whose head had been reconnected and who had regained consciousness, let out a defiant roar.

"A disciple betrayed me, using my corpse to create a zombie with evil magic. I regretted it when I was beheaded. I originally wanted to go to the underworld to be reincarnated and start anew! Oh dear!"

Seeing the zombies roaring and about to lose control, the City God on the platform waved his hand, and a ghost messenger beside him gave him a whack to calm him down.

"Based on your actions in this life, you will not be reborn as a human in your next life; you should first go to hell to be punished."

First, he practiced evil arts in the White Lotus Sect, and then, taking advantage of the people's suffering, he led his followers in a rebellion. When he was captured and about to die, he said he wanted to repent. Now you want to lay down your butcher's knife, but the judgment of the underworld will not allow you to become a Buddha on the spot.

The trial continued, but the smooth sailing was only temporary. The imperial court sent someone who was said to have experience in suppressing the White Lotus Rebellion. Changing officials was like a promotion, and the three men's rebellion, which had just begun to take off, collapsed midway. Their research on immortality had only just begun.

The three leaders were captured, but their men were quick to run. They used to be incredibly loyal apprentices, and when the soldiers came, they ran away as fast as they could. In particular, some of them who had learned real skills not only hid and could not be caught, but after the three were executed, they even had the means to take their bodies away.

For various reasons, none of the three beheaded people were able to go to the underworld. One was turned into a zombie by evil magic, and the other two became vengeful ghosts. But this was not their intention; it was the work of their "good disciples."

The disciples had a good plan: they wanted to use their master to go south and develop their careers in search of immortality. Unfortunately, things were too chaotic at the time, and they couldn't take the materials with them; they ended up staying here.

"There are two people now, who's the last one?"

"He was caught."

"Who arrested him?"

“A man who looked like a black smoke monster said he also came from the Three Treasures Sect.”

The Three Treasures Sect was originally the White Lotus Sect, which they led. It wasn't originally called that, but because there were three leaders at the same time, and many people in the leadership were replaced due to the rebellion, it was eventually renamed the Three Treasures Sect.

Since the three of them did not intentionally become ghosts or zombies, and with the interference of external forces, they had been hiding in a deserted place, living in a daze for many years. They did not know how many years had passed. In their eyes, a strange person, like a ghost, suddenly came to capture them, which was suspected to be instigated by their former disciples.

That guy was very strange. He was wearing a cloak and surrounded by black smoke. He was neither a monster nor a ghost. He seemed to have no physical form, but his magical power was extremely strong.

This description was quite distinctive. Upon hearing these descriptions, Master Li and his group immediately thought of that wisp of black smoke—wasn't that him?

"So, that guy wanted your head back then?"

Seeing the person nod, Master Li thought carefully and realized that the other party had approached under the cover of darkness, and their target was indeed the human head on the ground.

They're from the White Lotus Sect, targeting three former leaders of the sect, and also connected to a former escaped disciple. The situation is getting increasingly complicated.

"That guy is really strange. His cultivation level should be higher than mine, so why did he run away?"

The target is right in front of me. I only set up a fire ring for lighting purposes. The people on the other side could easily catch even a vengeful ghost. If they were discovered, they could probably kill me to silence me. Why should I run?

The person targeted was unaware of this; it was incredibly easy for the other side to capture them. To escape, another ghost entered his body and controlled him to run around, leaving only his head rolling about, running as far as he could.

They ran around, and it was purely by accident that they were seen by the living. Then they were seen by the villagers, and ran into Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao, ending up in their hands.

In their eyes, the guy covered in black smoke was far more terrifying than a vengeful ghost. They discovered that he was hiding behind Master Li. He had only one head and wanted to run away as fast as he could, but Master Li, who had been observing him, noticed him. He felt that something had triggered him and led him to discover the person in the shadows.

Why are you being arrested?

It has been confirmed that the wisp of black smoke was transformed from an illegal transmigrator. As for the Three Treasures Sect, it was probably merged into Wan Jie's group and used as subordinates by several transmigrators.

Those disciples in the past wanted to achieve immortality, and probably turned their master into this state to conduct some experiments. But for a transmigrator, the allure of immortality is pitifully low.

Regardless of which system it is, as long as the host and the system don't fall out and the host keeps following the mission, they can live indefinitely. Although the form is somewhat special, the lifespan is practically infinite. The pursuit of the Three Jewels Sect has no appeal whatsoever.

“I don’t know, he only said it was material for the ceremony.”

After a thorough interrogation, the three White Lotus leaders were all questioned before their deaths, but all of this happened a long time ago. Apart from serving as a reference for their trial in the underworld, it was of no use in investigating the White Lotus's conspiracy today.

It seems the illegal transmigrators are up to something big. The most direct way to find out the truth is to contact Shou Wanjie, but doing so risks premature exposure, so we can't do that. We can only let them run rampant within the White Lotus Sect.

However, capturing a rebel leader who should have gone to hell years ago was also a major event. Although he was involved by accident, the local city god still thanked the three of them and assured them that they could come to him anytime if they needed any help.

Looking at the City God before him, Ren Pingsheng felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. It seemed that many City Gods and Judges were officials in life who were recommended to become City Gods after their deaths.

The more I look at it, the more familiar it seems. Who does it resemble?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Ren Pingsheng's mind, and he asked the City God's surname.

The City God's surname was Luo, and he was not a local. His hometown was on the other side of the mountain, but that was a long time ago.

...Suddenly I realized who he looked like; the Luo family really does produce extraordinary people.