Chapter 50: What Did the Sage Say Again?

Meng Jingzhou uncovered another tiger pelt. It was ancient, appearing to have endured a century of time, yet it remained impeccably preserved. The dense rows of tiny characters inscribed upon it were perfectly legible. Lu Yang and Mangu craned their necks in curiosity, but the script was entirely foreign to them.

"This is demon script, the written language used among the demon race," Meng Jingzhou explained. As it happened, he recognized it.

The fox race was dissolute by nature, a trait vividly reflected in their literature. They frequently authored salacious books; if a reader committed certain unspeakable acts inspired by these texts, the author could harvest a shred of their vital yang energy.

Consequently, the obscene literature circulating through the markets of the Central Continent was predominantly penned by the fox race. Despite the authorities launching aggressive campaigns every few years to proclaim their hazards and incinerate the volumes, these books continued to flow through the black market, impossible to suppress.

In his youth, Meng Jingzhou had been utterly captivated by such literature. He had no conception of what those unspeakable acts actually entailed back then, finding the books thoroughly engrossing merely for their narratives.

To read the original texts, he had gone so far as to master the demon script.

"You were that dedicated to your studies?" Lu Yang and Mangu asked in sheer astonishment. While cultivation could enhance memory and make learning a new language a brief endeavor, the crucial detail was that Meng Jingzhou had mastered the demon script long before he ever embarked on the path of immortality. That was truly extraordinary.

Reluctant to elaborate on the circumstances, Meng Jingzhou merely stated he possessed a passing interest in demon culture.

Mangu felt that Brother Meng truly lived up to his reputation—studying diligently without boasting, acting with humility and noble character, a model well worth emulating.

"What is written on the tiger pelt?"

"Let me see... 'Creatures of the dark, yin walks while yang recedes...' This is a method for commanding ghost servants."

Meng Jingzhou skimmed the text rapidly, running a brief calculation through his mind, and quickly deduced the function of the secret manual.

"The old hunter must have been refined using this very method."

"There are specific requirements for the ghosts one can refine. The target's cultivation must be two major realms lower than the caster's, with the exception of mortals. Once a cultivator reaches the seventh layer of Qi Refining, they can refine the souls of mortals."

The art of commanding ghost servants was rather underwhelming. Only those two realms below the caster could be refined. Even if one managed to obtain a ghost servant, it was hardly practical to deploy them on the battlefield to slay enemies.

Taking the recent clash with the tiger demon as an example, had a ghost servant materialized, its contribution would have been inferior even to mere cannon fodder, posing absolutely no threat.

"Do you need me to translate the entire text for you? It doesn't seem to place restrictions on race. Humans can cultivate it too, though it yields the best results for a tiger demon."

Mangu was about to question the utility of learning such a technique when he heard Lu Yang analyze the situation: "Since we are joining the Demon Sect, demonic methods are indispensable. This art of commanding ghost servants happens to be the perfect front. Conveniently, there are existing ghost thralls back at the hunter's residence. Translate the art from the pelt, and the three of us will learn it together."

Lu Yang had originally intended to eradicate the remaining ghost thralls. Now that circumstances had shifted, it would not be too late to dispel their souls after utilizing them.

Judging by the tiger demon's words, those ghost thralls had willingly chosen to serve as servants after death, acting as malevolent spirits to bring ruin upon travelers.

Every single one of them deserved death.

"Very well," Meng Jingzhou agreed without hesitation. He laid out paper, ground the ink, and with a swift, flowing brush, rapidly transcribed the art of commanding ghost servants.

"I shall abstain from cultivating this. I possess a Pure Yang Spiritual Root; spirits melt away like snow before the sun the moment they encounter me. I cannot practice a technique of such pure yin attributes."

Lu Yang and Mangu said no more, commencing their cultivation together.

Before long, a sinister wind arose within the cavern. The chilling draft was accompanied by the faint, ephemeral wails of spirits, bringing an absolute cold that pierced the flesh and froze the marrow.

Lu Yang felt his body grow weightless as his feet left the ground, floating through the air exactly like a ghost.

He felt his mind achieving an unprecedented clarity. His five senses grew exceedingly sharp, capable of perceiving the slightest nuances around him. Furthermore, he perceived Meng Jingzhou as a roaring, blazing inferno, radiates intense heat!

"Hmm? What is going on?" Perplexed, Lu Yang looked downward, only to find his physical body sitting cross-legged exactly where he had left it.

"No, it is not that I have learned to fly. My soul has left my body!"

Noticing something amiss with Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou cried out in terror: "Only the Nascent Soul stage allows the yin soul to leave the physical shell and travel thousands of miles! How can your soul depart your body at your current stage?"

"Return at once! You are only at the Foundation Establishment stage and have not yet tempered your soul. The spirit is highly susceptible to harm, and once damaged, repairing it is an arduous task!"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lu Yang circulated the mantra for commanding ghost servants, drawing his soul back to normalcy.

"How did you manage that?" Meng Jingzhou had never heard of anyone in the Foundation Establishment stage daring to project their yin soul.

No such technique existed.

Lu Yang was equally mystified: "I simply cultivated according to the art of commanding ghost servants you transcribed. I believed I understood it entirely without issue, so I thought I would give it a rotation to see what it was like, and it turned out this way."

Meng Jingzhou stared at Lu Yang with a bizarre expression: "Could it be that you treated your own soul as a ghost servant, commanding yourself?"

He had never heard of cultivation working in such a manner, yet given the current circumstances, it remained the sole logical explanation.

Reflecting on it, Lu Yang could conceive of no other possibility.

Lu Yang instructed Meng Jingzhou to step further away and attempted the process several more times. The outcome remained identical each time; his yin soul would leave his body.

"What is going on with my talent for techniques?"

Left with no alternative, the two could only wait for Mangu to awaken and inquire if he experienced the same phenomenon.

When Mangu finally opened his eyes, he was met with the expectant gazes of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, leaving him utterly bewildered.

"Have you mastered the art of commanding ghost servants?"

"I have gained some insight. I should be able to command eight mortal souls."

"Can you command yourself to let your yin soul leave your body?" Lu Yang looked at Mangu expectantly, hoping for an affirmative response to prove that his own practice had not gone awry.

Mangu grew even more perplexed: "How could that be possible? This is the art of commanding ghost servants. Could anyone truly treat their own soul as a servant to command?"

Meng Jingzhou glanced at Lu Yang and recounted the details of Lu Yang's practice, filling Mangu with profound admiration.

Brother Lu possessed a swift mind and a supreme, peerless talent for acquiring techniques, while Brother Meng was immensely gifted and widely read.

He had learned a great deal along this journey, matching the very principles spoken by the ancient sages.

What was it the sage had said?

Ah, yes. The sage proclaimed: When three walk together, all of them are my teachers.

"It is time we find the ghost thralls." Seeing nothing else left to salvage within the cavern, Meng Jingzhou called for his companions to depart.

"Go on ahead. I have a matter to attend to and will catch up shortly." Lu Yang requested that Meng Jingzhou and Mangu leave first.

Suspecting nothing, Meng Jingzhou and Mangu departed from the tiger's lair.

Once certain the two had gone, the smile vanished from Lu Yang's face, his expression gradually settling into a calm solemnity.

He strode toward the deeper recesses of the cavern, letting out a soft sigh upon beholding a small mountain of bones.

"As expected, they are here."

The moment Lu Yang had spotted the various belongings earlier, he deduced that given the tiger demon's cautious nature, it would never discard bones outside. To do so would expose its presence too easily; the prudent course of action was to leave the remains within the cave.

Reality confirmed his hypothesis.

These unfortunate souls, originating from diverse lands and lured to their demise while passing through Song Mountain, found their final resting place within this cramped cavern.

Lu Yang spoke no further. His Green Peak Sword severed iron as though it were mud, easily slicing a massive block of stone from the rocky wall.

He smoothed the stone slab, silently reciting the Rebirth Mantra as he erected a tombstone for the unfortunate victims. He stood in silence for a brief moment, lost in unknown thoughts, before turning to depart.

"Apologies for the delay, let us go." Lu Yang called to his two companions, leading them away from that grim place.