Chapter 401
The Last Master of Shadows
"Junior brother, your technique of shifting the handle of the Big Dipper was truly brilliant. If our master were still alive, he would be very pleased."
Inside the thatched hut, Old Man Niushan smiled at Zhou Sheng, his eyes full of admiration.
“Senior brother, it is Master’s ‘Shaking Dragon Scripture’ that is superior; I am merely standing on the shoulders of predecessors.”
Zhou Sheng acted very modestly. The method he had just used to forcibly change the world and make the spiritual energy of the Zhongnan Mountains burst forth came from Liu Bowen's ultimate skill, "Hanlong Jing", which was called "Doubing Yiwei".
After passing the Taiyi Tribulation, his primordial spirit and Dao heart became more clear and resilient, like a crystal that had been polished clean of all impurities, radiating a brilliant light.
Many things that I couldn't understand while reading suddenly became clear, giving me a sense of enlightenment and understanding everything once I grasped one thing.
He had even grasped some of the essence of the profound and unfathomable "Shaking Dragon Scripture".
"The earth's veins are like dragons, the sky like scales, and I use the stars as chess pieces."
"A single move changes the course of history; half the game ends, and the sun and moon revolve."
The old man from Niushan stroked his beard and recited a poem, then sighed, "This 'Shaking Dragon Classic' is the culmination of my master's efforts and the supreme art of feng shui. I am so pleased to see my junior brother carry this art forward. I should drink a big cup of wine!"
He was so excited that he drank a whole jar of fine wine, spilling so much that it soaked his beard.
Zhou Sheng joked, "I think Senior Brother is having a drinking problem."
The two exchanged a smile, and the atmosphere became extremely harmonious.
"Junior brother, you must not be greedy and take too many of the pills I made for you, otherwise the yin and yang will be out of balance and the monarch and minister will clash, which may not be a good thing."
After laughing, the old man from Niushan gave some earnest advice.
Zhou Sheng nodded and said, "Don't worry, senior brother, I understand. I only took one pill this time, which increased my magic power by sixty years."
His senior brother refined seven elixirs for him, each of which could increase his magical power by sixty years.
If he were to consume all seven elixirs in one go, his magical power would increase by nearly a thousand years, which would be an enormous temptation, but Zhou Sheng resisted.
Because his understanding of the Tao is not yet sufficient.
After transcending the tribulation, one cultivates the Great Dao. The Great Dao is the ruler, and magical power is the subject. Using the ruler to govern the subject is the noble and righteous path. However, if the magical power is too strong and the Great Dao is too shallow, the ruler and subject will be out of balance, which will hinder his continued understanding of the mysteries of the Great Dao.
Therefore, he only took one pill, enough to bring his magical power to the level required to break through the fourth tribulation.
Next, the main task is to find the Nine Dragon Veins. With each additional dragon vein, his Dao of Time will advance significantly, allowing him to continue taking elixirs and increasing his magical power.
“As is customary for junior brother to join our sect, the master and senior brothers should present a congratulatory gift. Those pills are a congratulatory gift from your senior brothers, but the master’s gift has not yet been presented.”
Zhou Sheng was taken aback by what the old man from Niushan said.
"Senior brother, isn't the Xuanji Jade Balance ring a gift from Master?"
"That's the sect leader's token; it should rightfully belong to you. How can it be considered a congratulatory gift?"
Old Man Niu Shan waved his hand, then pondered deeply, seemingly trying to figure out what to give as a gift so as not to embarrass his mentor.
Seeing this, Zhou Sheng quickly shook his head and said, "Senior brother, I've already gained enough, any more—"
"I've got it. I'll give you a dragon vein."
Zhou Sheng's words came to an abrupt halt, and he swallowed them back.
"Junior brother, I think I just heard you say you didn't want it?"
Old Man Niu Shan stroked his beard, a half-smile on his face.
"Ahem, senior brother, you misheard me. I meant that I have already gained enough, one more wouldn't hurt."
"Haha, you're such a sly little devil..."
Old Man Niu Shan laughed and scolded, but his tone became even more affectionate.
He despises hypocritical people the most, who, despite wanting something they don't want, put on a righteous face and say sanctimonious things.
On the contrary, he admired his junior brother even more for his frank admission.
"However, there are no readily available dragon veins. What your senior brother is going to give you is the whereabouts of a dragon vein. Of course, your senior brother will also do his best to help you obtain that dragon vein."
Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed, and he asked, "Senior brother, where is that dragon vein?" He possessed the Luo Shu and could calculate the location of the dragon vein himself, but the consumption involved in the dragon vein would be enormous, so he would naturally save as much as possible. Moreover, with his senior brother's help, he felt even more at ease.
"That dragon vein..."
Old Man Niu pointed to the ground and said meaningfully, "Down there."
"If you want to obtain that dragon vein, I'm afraid you'll have to go back to your old profession and put on a show."
What play?
"Exploring Yin Mountain."
……
In Suzhou, at the Pearl Pagoda Garden, stands an ancient opera stage.
“Master, Senior Yu, we have found out that of the thirty-four apprentices who graduated from our Southern School last year, only seven have returned alive.”
"And of those seven, only four are still alive."
"As for those senior figures, there are very few left. We can only contact three now, one of whom is blind..."
Inside the theater, Tan Sheng's voice was unusually heavy, carrying a hint of deeply hidden anger.
Hearing these numbers, even though Yu Zhensheng and Yu Tianheng were already mentally prepared, they still couldn't help but sigh deeply, feeling extremely sad.
They knew that the environment for the Yin Puppet Masters was difficult, but they never imagined it would be this difficult.
Especially after Zhou Sheng suddenly appeared, Yama became even more wary of ghost performers, and the difficulty of Ghost Play during the Ghost Festival continued to increase, as if he was afraid that another Zhou Sheng would appear.
Yu Zhensheng came here to help his old friend at his invitation, hoping to see some old friends, but he did not expect that his old friends had all passed away.
The great tree of Yinxi is now reduced to a few withered leaves.
"If this continues, the sorcerer... will perish!"
Yu Tianheng had to face a very real problem: even with him and Old Stinkbug in charge of the Yinxi lineage, the two Transcending Tribulation Realm cultivators still couldn't suppress the Underworld.
The Achilles' heel of the Yin Opera lineage does not lie in the few who have reached the Tribulation Transcending Realm, but in the Tribulation of Completion of the Apprenticeship, and in the invitation to perform that must be made once a year.
The contract engraved deep within the bloodline of the Yin Master is the heaviest shackle.
"At this rate, in less than five years, there probably won't be any more Yin Puppet Masters in the world besides us."
"We will be the last practitioners of occult arts in this world."
After a moment of silence, the youngest member, Tan Sheng, said, "Master is right. When I contacted those few remaining senior disciples, they said they don't plan to take on any more disciples."
"This deadly profession... perhaps shouldn't exist in the first place."
These were words that struck at the heart. Yu Tianheng and Yu Zhensheng both frowned, but ultimately remained silent in rebuttal.
At this moment, even the two grandmasters couldn't help but feel disheartened. What good was it if they could hunt down ghosts and gods of the underworld? Ghosts and gods were endless, but Yin Xi Shi (a type of sorcerer) was becoming increasingly rare.
King Yama's move to cut off the source of the problem truly struck at the Achilles' heel of the Yin Opera lineage.
"But what's strange is that if Yama was determined to wipe out the Yinxi lineage, why did he leave a few newcomers instead of letting our entire army be annihilated?"
Despite the Ghost Festival, seven people still managed to graduate alive.
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhensheng sneered and said sarcastically, "Our King Yama is not one to be kind-hearted for nothing; He is waiting."
"Wait for what?"
"Wait until we kneel down and become His dogs, until the Yinxi lineage completely submits and becomes His knives."
I'll stab you, but I won't kill you. Instead, I'll let you watch your blood drain away bit by bit until you beg for mercy out of fear.
Tan Sheng clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger.
"Is there really no way...?"
...(End of this chapter)