117 The Temple of Profound Void

"Oh no, because I performed a ritual to break the equilibrium of the boundary between the living and the dead, we have now intruded into the realm of Yin and Yang."

"I understand now. That inn was actually established by a master. Not knowing how to deal with the rotting corpses, they built the inn to keep them gathered and wandering in one place. As long as we didn't enter, there would have been no trouble. I never imagined that by blundering in, I would shatter that balance."

Zhou You watched as the mass grave reverted to its original state, realizing that his mistake had broken the equilibrium of the inn.

"Daoist Priest Zhou, what should we do now?" Chen Linqing asked, having never witnessed such a scene before.

Even as Chen Linqing spoke, rotting hands were already protruding from the earth, and corpses began to crawl out from the ground.

"These decaying corpses are merely controlled by lonely mountain spirits. I will set up a formation; as long as everyone stays within it, you will be safe."

Seeing the situation and knowing he had caused the trouble, Zhou You drew his peach-wood sword and channeled his magic. The sword transformed into a sword array, surrounding Chen Linqing and the others. Hu Qiuyan, seeing this, quickly moved away from the position of the formation, not wanting to disrupt Zhou You's spell.

"Miss, why have you come out? The situation is very dangerous now," Zhou You said, seeing Hu Qiuyan step outside the sword array.

"It is alright. I can help you, Daoist Priest," Hu Qiuyan replied, naturally not daring to reveal her true identity, yet indicating she could offer assistance.

"Very well, then please be careful. If there is danger, retreat back into the sword array."

Zhou You said no more. The rotting corpses, now packed densely, were slowly shuffling toward them.

"Master, what should we do?" Bian Yiyuan, having finished vomiting, walked over to Zhou You's side.

"Collect their spirits. Use the soul eggs. Bian Yihe, stay in the sword array and do not come out."

Zhou You took out a white soul egg, one side inscribed with a Bagua array and the other featuring an eye.

"Yes, Master!" Bian Yiyuan also retrieved a soul egg from his pack.

Zhou You moved with agility. As he tapped the soul egg against the foreheads of the rotting corpses, the spirits were sucked into the eggs amidst miserable shrieks. Bian Yiyuan, however, tried to act cool. His movements were clumsy, and even after successfully absorbing a soul, he continued to strike a smug pose.

Zhou You, moving nimbly among the corpses and continuously collecting souls, switched to a new egg whenever one was full, not paying any attention to Bian Yiyuan.

"Master, Brother, strike them quickly!" Bian Yihe watched with excitement, waving his arms in the air.

Hu Qiuyan, catching the stench of the rotting corpses, frowned. She circulated her demonic energy through her nose to create an internal breath. Unable to collect spirits, she coated her hands in demonic energy and, with a few punches, shattered the rotting corpses to pieces.

Some corpses rushed toward the sword array, which repelled them, though it did not harm them. Bian Yiyuan, seeing Hu Qiuyan’s movements, was left dumbstruck; her technique was far more elegant and effective than his own showy display.

Just then, a robust rotting corpse emerged from the inn, roaring wildly. As it exhaled, corpse-worms—much larger than those on the other bodies—crawled densely over its arms. The strong corpse pounded its chest. An old, withered corpse crawled out of the ground nearby and, while swaying, accidentally touched the strong one.

The strong corpse glared at the old one, which shrank back in fear, but the strong one would not let it go. Grabbing the old corpse by its clothes, the strong one hoisted it overhead and threw it like a bowling ball. It crashed into a cluster of writhing corpses and struck Bian Yiyuan, sending him flying into the pile as well—it was indiscriminate destruction.

The strong corpse continued to roar and pound its chest, its breath visible like steam in winter. It then charged forward. Bian Yiyuan, just having crawled up and barely having time to rub his aching body, was grabbed by the throat and lifted into the air, struggling to breathe.

Bian Yiyuan kicked frantically, but the corpse remained unmoved. It exhaled directly into his face, and the stench was so foul—like falling into a cesspit—that Bian Yiyuan’s face turned the color of pig’s liver.

"Master, save Brother!" Bian Yihe shouted at Zhou You.

Hearing the plea and seeing Bian Yiyuan’s face, Zhou You stowed his soul egg. With a kick and a palm strike, he sent the surrounding corpses flying and lunged toward the strong one. Zhou You kicked the strong corpse’s arm, forcing it to release Bian Yiyuan, then flipped in the air and delivered a heavy kick to its chest, leaving a dent. The strong corpse flew backward, knocking over several others before collapsing.

"Are you alright? Can you still move?" Zhou You asked, knowing Bian Yiyuan often liked to slack off.

"Master, I can't hold on anymore. Why are there so many? I'm done for, Master!" Bian Yiyuan gasped for fresh air, the smell still revolting him.

"Retreat to the sword array!" Zhou You used a palm strike to send Bian Yiyuan back to where Bian Yihe was.

Zhou You, a bald man with no hair, stood in simple, clean white robes. He held up a sword-finger, channeled his magic, and tapped his forehead. An eye opened on his brow, identical to the one on the soul eggs. A wave of magical energy erupted, blasting the corpses away. A blank space cleared around Zhou You, leaving only the empty husks of those whose spirits had been harvested lying motionless.

Hu Qiuyan was also affected, but she used the righteous energy within her to resist the shockwave and remain standing.

The corpses were blown away, but as if nothing had happened, they rose again and slowly approached. Zhou You’s third eye closed rapidly. He had sensed Hu Qiuyan's identity but did not react, focusing instead on the approaching corpses.

"Do not force my hand," Zhou You muttered. He knew these lonely mountain spirits were resentful souls who could not be reincarnated. He dared not commit the sin of killing them, for if he destroyed them now, they would never be able to attain salvation.

But the corpses would not stop.

Just then, a woman in black emerged. Her movements were far superior to Bian Yiyuan’s; with a few swift strikes, she dismantled two corpses, leaving them unable to move. Beside her, a middle-aged man in black flickered among the corpses. He stopped next to Zhou You, and all the spirits of the corpses he passed flew into the black soul-collecting eggs in his hands. A vast number of corpses collapsed at once.

The man sneered and, after storing his black eggs, looked at Zhou You.

"Senior Brother," Zhou You said, lowering his head after a long, steady gaze.

The man struck Zhou You in the chest with a punch. Zhou You groaned and stumbled back, shocking everyone.

"Master!" Bian Yiyuan and Bian Yihe rushed to support him.

"I am not your senior brother! I left the Xuanxu Temple long ago. Do not call me that!" the man shouted, pointing at Zhou You.

"Senior Brother, to use such vicious methods against these resentful spirits—Master taught us that collecting spirits and capturing demons is for accumulating merit, not for creating sin!" Zhou You said, standing upright and waving off his disciples.

"Bah! I have no master. We have nothing to do with each other, and it is not your place to tell me what to do! I will do as I please!"

"Old bald donkey, listen well: no matter what I do, you had best not interfere, or I will not be polite! Black Moon, let's go." Zhao Longjie, the middle-aged man, stepped forward to glare at Zhou You before signaling his disciple, Black Moon, to leave.

As Zhao Longjie turned away, he sensed something and looked toward Hu Qiuyan, instantly identifying her.

"And you call yourself a practitioner of the Dao? You didn't even notice a demon standing right there? How can you be a Sect Leader?" Zhao Longjie taunted, looking at Zhou You.

"Who are you? Who are you calling a demon? We are all human here!" Chen Yuanwen, seeing the immediate danger had passed but realizing Hu Qiuyan’s secret was at risk, stepped out of the array to confront Zhao Longjie.

"Senior Brother, I caused this trouble, and she helped me," Zhou You said, having used his magic to heal his chest.

"If you won't strike, I will!" Zhao Longjie ignored Chen Yuanwen and charged at Hu Qiuyan.

Zhou You intercepted him, and they exchanged several blows until Zhou You forced him back.

"Senior Brother, Master taught us to be benevolent and to save all living beings."

"Humph, he was a stubborn fool!" Zhao Longjie attacked again, his hands glowing with magical power.

Zhou You countered, and a fierce battle ensued. Finally, Zhou You unleashed a wave of magic that sent Zhao Longjie sliding several meters back.

"Senior Brother, show mercy. She is protected by righteous energy. If you continue, it will only bring you harm. Beware of the inner demons—you are on the path to losing your mind!" Zhou You warned, pulling back his power.

Zhao Longjie sneered and turned away as if to leave, but he was merely lowering their guard. Secretly channeling his magic, he fired a sword-light beam toward Hu Qiuyan. The speed was so sudden that no one could react.

Chen Yuanwen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the man had relented, but it was a trap.

Zhou You was too far to intervene, and Hu Qiuyan had no time to dodge. However, the righteous energy within her manifested autonomously, shattering the beam and surging toward Zhao Longjie. Zhao Longjie’s eyes widened as the righteous energy struck him, throwing him against a tree where he spat out blood.

"Master!" Black Moon rushed to his side.

"Go! The owner of that righteous energy is coming," Zhao Longjie said, realizing Li Xintian was near.

"What's this? You beat my people and think you can just walk away? Do you think the world works that way?" Li Xintian sat atop the Flying Tiger King, which let out a low growl, blocking the path of Zhao Longjie and Black Moon.