Li Jindou was utterly shocked. The porcelain transformation of his body was worsening, eating away at his already recovered flesh. His legs were still in a porcelain state, and it seemed like the transformation would soon spread to his thighs and waist. He quickly calmed his mind, fully resisting the porcelain change, but inside, he was in turmoil.
The Heavenly Yang Hermit was a legend in the Western New Bull Continent. No one knew his real name, only his title. His creation, the Heavenly Heart True Qi Technique, was widely used in almost every private school in the Western New Bull Continent.
It was the easiest to learn, the easiest to sense qi, the easiest to establish a foundation, and the easiest to receive the True God's blessing for a Divine Fetus. The technique seemed simple but laid the most solid foundation.
It was paired with a straightforward spell called the Midnight Demon Slaying Sword, consisting of six basic sword moves, far less complex than the techniques of major families.
However, it was universally acknowledged that the Midnight Demon Slaying Sword was the most powerful among all basic techniques!
Some even said that one could build upon the Midnight Demon Slaying Sword to create incredibly powerful and intricate spells, stronger than those foundational spells of the great families. Anyone who practiced this technique deeply admired the Heavenly Yang Hermit, respecting him as a master.
Unexpectedly, the unassuming old man in the countryside house where Li Jindou was staying turned out to be the Heavenly Yang Hermit!
Even more legendary was the "Comprehensive Guide to Talismans" he authored, a must-read for all talisman practitioners and anyone training in spells!
Because talismans and spells are inseparable, talismans might seem to require materials like cinnabar, black dog blood, and yellow paper to draw, gaining power only when completed, but in reality, talismans are spells. The structure of talismans is the structure of spells!
For example, the Supreme Eight Trigram Protection Talisman, drawn on paper, becomes a protective talisman, but when used as a spell, it becomes an impressive technique!
The "Comprehensive Guide to Talismans" records thousands of talismans, which means it records thousands of spells, making it a spell encyclopedia that no practitioner can ignore.
Even those from great families with aspirations for cultivation must read it.
"I can't believe I was injured by the Heavenly Yang Hermit; it's a blessing in disguise!"
Li Jindou was both shocked and delighted, thinking to himself, "I've also studied the Talisman Guide. Should I bow to him later to show my respect? No, that would be too obvious. I must remain composed. By the way, why did he suddenly disappear when he was at the peak of his fame?"
He was puzzled. The Heavenly Yang Hermit was famous worldwide, yet suddenly vanished without a trace, as if he had died.
But this half-life had already become a legend, admired by countless people.
"Where's that little rascal Li Tianqing? Let him bow a few times for me to show my respect. Strange, where did that kid go? He's been gone all day and hasn't come to check on his grandpa!"
He was confused. Li Tianqing was usually obedient, always by his side, but now he seemed to have turned into a wild monkey, nowhere to be found.
In a valley of Heavenly Yang Mountain, Chen Shi and Li Tianqing were catching monkeys.
Working together, they had already caught four monkeys.
Li Tianqing's spell was incredibly accurate. Every time the jade wheel flew out, it precisely hit the towering tree where the monkey was, causing the monkey to fall with the branches.
As soon as it hit the ground, Chen Shi would step forward, hold it down with one hand, and tie it up with a rope with the other.
Chen Shi handed the monkeys over to Heiguo to watch. The monkeys were tall, standing as high as adults and stronger than adults, but they behaved obediently in front of Heiguo, sitting quietly and not daring to escape.
Other young people from Bridge Bay Town's private school were also in the valley catching monkeys. Seeing how many Chen Shi and Li Tianqing had caught, they looked on enviously.
Catching monkeys not only trained their spells but also helped with household expenses. Chen Shi planned to catch more, sell them, and save some money to attend a private school in town.
The two were having a great time, and by noon, they had caught six monkeys.
"We've caught enough today; let's go to town and sell them!"
Excitedly, they took Heiguo and the monkeys to the market. They sold the six monkeys for three taels of silver. Though it wasn't much, both were thrilled.
The two of them and the dog weaved through the bustling market crowd. The streets were lined with delicious food, fragrant and mouthwatering. Chen Shi first bought two pounds of exotic beast meat for Heiguo, then took Li Tianqing to browse the stalls, sampling a little bit from each, just enough for two or three bites.
They moved from stall to stall, eating from the east end of the market to the west.
Li Tianqing ate until his belly was round, his hands and mouth greasy, and he worriedly said, "We've eaten so much, have we spent all the money?"
Chen Shi laughed, "Three taels of silver, and we've spent less than half. Most of it was on Heiguo's two pounds of exotic beast meat. Two pounds of that meat cost a tael of silver."
Exotic beast meat was expensive because it contained a lot of spiritual energy, which scholars needed for cultivation. Chen Shi had once given each household in Yellow Slope Village ten pounds of spirit beast meat, equivalent to gifting each family seven or eight taels of silver.
The two and the dog were full. Li Tianqing planned to walk home, but Chen Shi stopped him, hailed a bull cart back to the village, paid ten copper coins, and the two of them and the dog lay in the cart, looking up at the sky, listening to the clattering wheels, feeling very relaxed.
Li Tianqing looked up at the blue sky, stretched comfortably, and said with a smile, "I wish life could always be like this, carefree. But I need to grow up quickly so I can take care of my mom and grandpa."
Chen Shi rested his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and said, "I need to grow up quickly too. I still have to take care of my grandpa. I feel like he's getting weaker."
Li Tianqing turned on his side, looking at him seriously, "Little Shi, I don't think your grandpa is as weak as you think."
Chen Shi sighed, "You just came to my house and haven't been around grandpa much. He's very proud, always pretending to be strong, but he's actually very weak. Adults are like that."
Li Tianqing nodded, "Adults are like that. My mom acts strong in front of me, but I've seen her secretly wiping away tears several times."
Seeing him sad, Chen Shi quickly changed the subject, "Tomorrow, I'll take you to fish for the big Gun Fish. We'll buy a thicker rope so it won't bite through it!"
Li Tianqing's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Yes, yes! Tie the big hook on my back, and I'll be the bait!"
Heiguo rolled his eyes at the side. These two kids probably never went to school and didn't know how many ways there are to write the word 'death.'
"Not using you for fishing; we'll tie the iron hook to Heiguo and use him."
At the southern foot of Heavenly Yang Mountain, Zhao Yanlong, the master of Dark Jade Manor, led his elite team to rest. Zhao Yanlong looked up at the sun, noting there was still some time before sunset.
He looked away, and the Zhao family steward had already instructed everyone to wear Peachwood Talismans, and the carts were also hung with them.
The talisman master was distributing talismans. Every Zhao family member, regardless of closeness, received a Golden Bell Talisman, an Evil-Repelling Talisman, and a Protective Talisman. These talismans were for protection, enough to save their lives if evil spirits appeared.
As for the Imperial Guards, they also wore Evil-Repelling Talismans. The group was divided into three shifts. The first shift set up the Divine Altar, using divine light to illuminate the surroundings. The second and third shifts rested.
After half an hour, the second shift set up the Divine Altar, and the first and third shifts rested. They rotated like this!
Seeing the arrangements were in order, Zhao Yanlong waved his hand, "Enter the mountain!"
The forty-eight Zhao family members and two hundred sixty Imperial Guards marched into Heavenly Yang Mountain, heading towards the kiln factory.
His daughter, Zhao Minrou, had taken this route.
The first time Zhao Minrou entered the kiln factory, she was chasing Chen Shi and didn't remember the way.
She left the kiln factory on a different route, needing to cross several mountains, then pass through the southern foot, and head to the provincial post road, following it to New Township Province.
To be cautious, Zhao Yanlong decided to enter the mountain from the southern foot.
"By now, Second Uncle should have killed Chen Yin and Chen Shi, right?"
Zhao Yanlong thought, "He didn't come home for dinner last night; maybe something held him up. If he could come and break into that spirit realm, it would be a sure thing."
He felt a bit regretful.
However, with the strength of Dark Jade Manor, they were confident enough to venture into the kiln factory realm.
He had this confidence!
Zhao Minrou had spent more than half a month crossing the southern mountains, losing most of her companions, and barely escaped Heavenly Yang Mountain. But Zhao Yanlong arrived outside the kiln factory before dark, losing only two Imperial Guards who fell off a cliff.
Zhao Yanlong ordered the area outside the kiln factory to be cleared of trees, set up camp, and hung Peachwood Talismans around, planning to spend the night there.
"Since this is the kiln factory for making burial porcelain for the True King, we should be able to find the whereabouts of the True King's Tomb inside!"
Zhao Yanlong smiled slightly and first sent a few Imperial Guards into the kiln factory. As soon as they stepped into the kiln factory, their bodies shrank rapidly, turning from adults into porcelain dolls less than a foot tall!
"Just as expected."
Zhao Yanlong picked up a few porcelain dolls, examined them closely, and broke one of their legs to check the hardness.
After pondering for a moment, he smiled slightly and said, "Father, Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, you three have the highest cultivation. Stay outside to monitor the kiln factory's movements. If we encounter danger, please use your spells to save us and do not enter the kiln factory."
Zhao Cunping, Zhao Cunsi, and Zhao Cunxiang each nodded and positioned themselves around the kiln factory, forming a triangle with their primordial spirits.
Zhao Yanlong then gathered his siblings, a total of eight people, and said, "Everyone, let's enter the kiln factory and see what kind of spirit power it holds!"
They all laughed, "It's just a kiln factory for making porcelain in a spirit realm. How much spirit power could it have? The manor master is too cautious."
They entered the kiln factory one by one, but even with their nascent souls, they couldn't resist the power of this spirit realm and were all turned into porcelain dolls.
Our goal this time is to find the source of this spirit realm, a four-headed, eight-armed porcelain statue, much larger than a normal porcelain statue.
Zhao Yanlong also turned into a porcelain doll, speaking in a voice like bird chirping. Although others couldn't understand, the eight people who entered with him could.
"As long as we find this statue, we can control this spirit realm, take over this place, and the kiln factory will be ours! Finding the True King's Tomb won't be difficult then."
They chatted and laughed, delving deeper into the kiln factory.
Chen Shi, Li Tianqing, and Heiguo were still on the bull cart. The cart moved slowly, swaying gently, but they would definitely reach home before dark, so they weren't in a hurry.
Just then, the bull cart stopped. They were surprised and got up to look outside.
Not far away, a caravan, likely traders, with seven or eight carts of goods, including mountain products and grain, was passing through the mountains, intending to find a place to rest before dark. However, they encountered another caravan, also likely traders, mostly carrying furs, on the same mountain road.
Two of the carts collided while passing each other, causing chaos, with scattered goods blocking the road, making it impossible for either side to pass.
The people from both caravans didn't think to move the carts. Instead, they argued about whose fault it was, shouting until their faces were red and necks were thick.
Dozens of people from both sides blocked the road completely.
"If you don't move soon, it'll be dark, and you'll all be feeding the evil spirits!" shouted the bull cart driver.
Chen Shi was startled, and Li Tianqing whispered, "Are all you countryside folks this bold?"
"Many bold ones have been beaten to death."
Seeing the argument continue, they jumped off the bull cart, planning to bypass the mountain stream.
"There are red fish in the stream!"
"Why are these fish suddenly sinking?" Li Tianqing said excitedly, then puzzled. Chen Shi came over and saw some fish swimming while others lay at the bottom. Suddenly, more fish seemed to lose strength and sank straight to the bottom.
Chen Shi reached in and pulled out a red fish. It was heavy—it was a porcelain fish!
He was stunned, quickly looking towards the kiln factory.
In the forest, a violent aura surged into the sky, turning into a red light shooting straight into the clouds, then descended like a curtain, covering several miles. The red curtain spread in all directions, turning insects and fish into porcelain wherever it passed!
In the fields, a gentle breeze swayed the corn stalks, nearing harvest season.
But as the wind blew, the corn stalks turned into porcelain. A New Township Rat holding a corn cob tried to bite it, breaking a few teeth.
The corn in its paws also turned into porcelain.
At the place where the red light rose, a four-headed, eight-armed porcelain Bodhisattva statue grew larger and taller, soon towering over the forest like a small mountain, smashing Zhao Yanlong's siblings into pieces with a swing of its porcelain weapon!
Zhao Yanlong frantically ran out of the kiln factory, shouting, "Retreat quickly—"
In Yellow Slope Village, Li Jindou also sensed the abnormality, his face changing dramatically, "Who the heck disturbed the Eight-Armed Bodhisattva statue? Are they tired of living? Wait a minute!"
His face turned ashen, "A demon! There's a demon sealed in the Eight-Armed Bodhisattva statue! Its demon domain is expanding!"