CHAPTER 180: YOUNG MASTER

Li Yanchu focused his gaze into the distance and saw lightning tribulations churning within the sea of clouds, as if a heavenly lightning pool had descended.

A terrifying bolt of divine lightning crashed down, striking somewhere within the Blissful Land in Mount Jinting.

As the saying goes: "Struck by heaven's wrath!" Lightning arts represented the purest yang force in heaven and earth. When a place was filled with too much yin qi, demonic aura, or devilish influence, it naturally drew down heavenly lightning!

Li Yanchu looked toward the distant sky, which had been lit up white, and this thought crossed his mind. Could it be that some evil entity has broken free?

The scene was utterly awe-inspiring. The might of heavenly lightning chilled one to the bone!

RUMBLE!

Within the sea of clouds, it was as if a Heavenly King had opened his angry eyes, and wielded lightning to battle a monstrous evil.

The ground quaked, and the mountains shook.

But strangely, Li Yanchu saw only the heavenly lightning and the vague figure of a Heavenly King within the clouds. There was no sign at all of the demon or monster, not even a single roar.

RUMBLE!

The lightning tribulation lasted a full fifteen minutes before it gradually dissipated. The ground stopped shaking, and everything seemed to return to calm.

Li Yanchu remained quietly within the ruins of the Daoist temple hall, never stepping beyond the Thunder Pool[1].

From the sheer scale of tonight’s upheaval, if a demon or great beast truly emerged, it would surely be one of those terrifying thousand-year-old fiends.

And combined with the mighty heavenly lightning... It gave the impression of immortals battling on high. If he ran out to watch the show, he could easily become collateral damage.

At worst... What if, on his way back, he unknowingly brought some dark creature or evil spirit with him?

Though Li Yanchu was skilled and confident, he wasn’t foolish enough to tempt fate. Fortunately, the lightning tribulation didn’t last long, nor did it cause a chain reaction.

Once night fully fell, the outside of the Daoist temple was plunged into pitch-black darkness, so dark that one couldn't even see their hand before their face.

Just earlier, thanks to the faint illumination from the lightning in the distance, Li Yanchu seemed to catch glimpses of some hidden figures in the dark. They were humanoid, but he couldn’t make out any clear features, and wasn’t entirely sure what he had seen.

However, there was one thing Li Yanchu could be certain of: This Blissful Land in Mount Jinting... was haunted! Ordinary wandering ghosts and spirits wouldn’t even be able to approach him, as they’d be incinerated on contact by the furnace-like qi and blood he exuded.

Not to mention, he carried numerous treasures on him, all of which were effective in warding off evil and suppressing demons.

But if a celestial Daoist sacred site like this was haunted, that was no trivial matter!

Li Yanchu’s brows furrowed with a trace of heaviness. Aside from the righteous energy within the Daoist temple hall, once night fell, this so-called Blissful Land became eerie and terrifying, like a hell on earth.

It was completely baffling.

He burned the two corpses to ashes, reducing them to dust. Only then did he feel at ease enough to rest. Because who knew what might happen to the bodies of two people who practiced Gu sorcery? What if they suddenly got up again in the middle of the night?

After meditating and refining his breath all night, Li Yanchu felt utterly refreshed. He was full of energy, brimming with vitality. He wasn't the least bit hungry or thirsty, and his entire being felt perfectly at ease.

As expected of the Daoist Fasting Art, it truly allows one to feed on wind and drink dew, without consuming anything of the mortal world.

That was what Li Yanchu thought to himself.

He continued making his way toward the massive divine mountain in the distance. At this point, he truly felt the meaning of the phrase "Looking at the mountain, the horse dies from running.[2]"

That towering Mount Jinting, which from afar already pierced the clouds, looked exactly the same after two full days of travel. There was no change in its size or proximity.

Li Yanchu even began to wonder if it was a mirage. Anyone who laid eyes on it and was tempted by greed might simply keep running and running, until they collapsed and died from exhaustion!

Still, that colossal divine mountain radiated not only abundant spirit qi, but was also surrounded by a faint mist.

Yet this mist was no ordinary fog, nor was it poisonous miasma; it was spiritual mist. Mist imbued with dense spirit qi. Even just that spiritual mist was incredibly rare, something almost never seen in the outside world.

After sprinting through the ruins for two days, Li Yanchu finally came to a realization that the teleportation into this Blissful Land was most likely random. He didn’t know if the place he had entered was the outermost edge, but it definitely wasn’t near the center.

Over the course of his journey, he had seen only one living person. It was a corpse bearer carrying a white coffin on his back, yet his movements remained swift and agile.

The corpse bearer profession belonged to the category of “eccentrics of the jianghu.” Most were active among common folk. Corpses of those who died unnatural or violent deaths often harbored malice, and ordinary people didn’t dare handle them.

That was where corpse bearers came in, to carry the bodies away and bury them, dispersing resentful or ghostly qi.

Back in Wei City, Song Sanlang was such a corpse bearer. He even nurtured a two-part corpse within his body. But before his cultivation had matured, he was killed by Li Yanchu!

So Li Yanchu was no stranger to corpse bearers. What piqued his curiosity, though, was the color of the coffin on this person’s back. White coffins were typically reserved for unmarried young women or men who died before marrying. They weren’t used for ordinary burials.

Corpse bearers spent their lives around the dead, and some of them, over time, developed disturbing tendencies. Unable to find wives, many even developed indescribable fixations toward corpses.

Usually, corpse bearers were burly, rough men with extremely “tough” Bazhi destinies[3], and the coffins on their backs were their primary tools.

Their methods were somewhat akin to the corpse-rearing or corpse-herding branches of Daoist arts. Cultivating a powerful corpse was, to them, a form of cultivation.

Li Yanchu and that corpse bearer had only exchanged a distant glance. They gave a mutual nod of acknowledgment but didn’t stop to talk, and each continued on their way. Finding immortal fate was what truly mattered!

Li Yanchu pressed onward toward the enormous divine mountain that sat at the heart of this Blissful Land.

Along the way, he encountered no other living beings. There were no birds, beasts, rare herbs or strange plants. There was nothing at all, and this was nothing but a desolate wasteland.

Everywhere he looked was steeped in bleakness, and even the ruins scattered along the path held not a single item of value.

Even the occasional object that looked like a magical artifact was so rotted and decayed that it had completely lost its divine aura. There was absolutely no point in taking any of them.

Li Yanchu darted and leapt through the vast ruins, until finally, he came upon another Daoist temple hall. This temple hall was clearly much grander in scale than the one he had encountered before. From a distance, it looked like a tower of jade and crystal, a temple hall fit for emperors.

But now, in its ruined state, the stones and bricks were heavy with the weight of time, as if they might collapse and vanish into the dust of history at any moment.

Just then, Li Yanchu suddenly spotted someone standing at the entrance of the great hall. It was a fierce-looking, burly monk. His presence exuded divine might, and his gaze was proud and imposing.

“Hold it right there!” the fierce monk shouted, stopping Li Yanchu in his tracks.

His massive body barred the entrance to the temple hall.

“What business do you have?” Li Yanchu asked calmly.

“I’m here on behalf of my young master,” the monk said in a deep voice. “We’re recruiting top experts from within this Blissful Land. Only those who are part of our own may enter this hall.”

Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow.

Another young master from some major power? So arrogant! They’re actually blocking the entrance to a Daoist temple hall!

One had to understand that once night fell, this kind of temple hall served as a sort of sanctuary. Judging from this monk’s attitude, it was clear that if he didn’t join up, he wouldn’t be allowed in without a fight.

1. “不敢越雷池一步” (bùgǎn yuè Léichí yī bù) is a Chinese idiom meaning "not daring to overstep one’s bounds." It originates from a historical reference to Leichi(Thunder Pool), an ancient place in present-day Anhui. Originally referring to not crossing a literal boundary, it later came to describe someone who is overly cautious, conservative, or unwilling to act beyond limits. It can also imply that an opponent doesn't dare to provoke or intrude. The idiom is often used to indicate restraint or fear of crossing established lines. ☜

2. 望山跑死马 ("Looking at the mountain, the horse dies from running") is a Chinese idiom meaning that something appears close or easy to reach, but is actually much farther or more difficult than it seems. It describes situations where appearances are deceptive, leading to misjudged effort or unrealistic expectations. The phrase highlights the gap between perception and reality, often used to caution against underestimating a task or goal. ☜

3. A tough Bazi refers to a strong and resilient birth chart in Chinese astrology. People with a tough Bazi are often seen as determined, able to endure hardship, and resistant to misfortune. While this strength can bring success and leadership qualities, it may also lead to imbalance, conflicts, or power struggles if not properly harmonized with other elements in the chart. ☜