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“Supreme Commander is the leader of those branches of the White Lotus Sect. They all refer to him as Supreme Commander, Grandmaster, or the shopkeeper,” Zhou Hong explained.
“Is the Supreme Commander the strongest?” Master Xiao asked.
Zhou Hong shook his head and replied, “Not necessarily the strongest, but definitely the most persuasive.”
“What should we do now? Should we go directly into the Human Cave?” Zhang Chuanzheng inquired.
Mao Ruiliang said, “What’s uncertain now is whether there are more Vengeful Spirits. If there are more than these two, then going to the Human Cave wouldn’t be safe.”
Hearing this, Zhou Hong quickly reassured them, “Don’t worry, it’s definitely just these two. I suspect these two Vengeful Spirits are guardians.”
“What do you mean by guardians?” Master Xiao asked again.
Zhou Hong cleared his throat, seemingly ready to explain at length. Everyone was quite interested in this topic, so they fell silent.
“The teachings of the White Lotus Sect have become a thoroughly evil cult in its later stages. They can no longer achieve anything politically and have begun to cause chaos among the people. They are ruthless and manipulate hearts everywhere. During the Late Qing Dynasty, the domestic situation was very turbulent; in many places, even having enough to eat became a problem. They were unable to receive fresh blood. So some people within the sect began to think about using Daoist Arts to preserve souls for continuity. They specifically targeted remote mountain villages, slaughtering the villagers in a special way and leaving their souls behind. They gathered these souls together and retained guardians and missionaries based on the number of souls collected. The guardians specifically protect these souls, while the missionaries persuade those souls to join the White Lotus Sect.” Zhou Hong conveyed this information clearly enough for everyone to understand.
I spoke up and asked, “You’re so sure that if someone invades, the guardians will resist together? If we’ve only encountered two, does that mean there are only two on this mountain?”
Zhou Hong nodded, “Yes, if they appear, they will appear together. Now that these two guardians have been dispersed and there hasn’t been any movement for so long, it indicates that the guardian power on this mountain is gone; what remains are just ordinary yin spirits. As for that missionary, he is actually just like an ordinary yin spirit without any special abilities.”
“Are you sure?” As soon as Zhou Hong finished speaking, Meng Biao looked at him.
Zhou Hong stood up and said confidently, “I’m sure. Don’t worry.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s go; each of us can perform our own exorcisms and earn points when we get there.” Zhang Chuanzheng stood up and prepared to leave, but we hadn’t reached a consensus yet.
“Wait.” I quickly stopped him. “There are too many yin spirits; if we fight separately, it won’t be efficient. I suggest we cooperate.”
“Cooperate? How would that work? What about our scores? I’m currently at the bottom; I don’t want to give my artifacts to anyone,” Zhang Chuanzheng immediately countered.
Mao Ruiliang also stood up and said, "Let's rely on our own abilities. This is a great opportunity to train our personal skills. If we can't finish the exorcism, we can stay an extra day."
I didn't expect Mao Ruiliang to agree with Zhang Chuanzheng's suggestion. Logically, if we all worked together to exorcise the numerous wandering souls, it would be much more efficient, and they would have company along the way. If we each worked separately, the timing and routes would naturally differ, and in pursuit of efficiency, we might not deliver the souls to the right places, causing them to stray and continue as lost spirits.
I wanted to argue further, but Liu Zhiqiang and Meng Biao both agreed to the idea of relying on our own abilities for the exorcism. With that, I had no other options left. The disciples of Zhengyi were eager to showcase their skills. Influenced by them, it was clear that achieving the best results quickly was no longer possible.
"Brother Liu, let's team up. You can bring along your junior sister," Master Xiao said with a grin. My eyes lit up; this was a good idea. Although there were only three of us, it would be much faster than going solo. Most importantly, with Wang Xiaolu's Yuanxin, I could focus on sending souls.
The exorcism ritual is different from others; it emphasizes that many hands make light work. The effectiveness of four people is not just double that of two; it's far greater than that. It's similar to the Five Elements Formation—without one person, it can't be set up properly. With ten people, the defensive effect could increase several times over. However, the Zhengyi disciples were all eager to prove themselves, so the hope of performing the exorcism ritual together faded.
"Sister Wang..." I turned to Wang Xiaolu.
"Liu Shixiong, I'll join you for the exorcism. You know my speed is slow, so just give me thirty percent of the results," Wang Xiaolu said after hearing Master Xiao and me talk; she volunteered.
"No problem, we'll split evenly."
Once everyone reached a consensus, Zhang Chuanzheng expressed his concerns: "Let's swear an oath based on our sects. I'm worried some might not be sincere and report false results later. After all, we don't even know how many wandering souls are here."
After Zhang Chuanzheng spoke, there was a moment of silence. Swearing an oath based on our sects was no trivial matter. It wasn't that we were afraid; rather, everyone felt that using our sects as a guarantee for character was itself an indication of poor integrity.
I thought for a moment and said, "No need for that. I'll set up a large Soul Summoning Array at the cave entrance and slowly draw out the souls in batches. Zhou Hong can help us count; once we have fifty souls out, I'll close the Soul Summoning Array. Then everyone can perform their exorcisms about a hundred meters outside my formation. Given the sheer number of souls, it’s clear that no one will have enough capacity to collect them all first before sending them off; we’ll have to exorcise while collecting."
I truly couldn't understand why they insisted on working independently. If we gathered the souls together, we could perform the exorcism right there without needing to collect them first; going solo meant we'd have to gather each soul before sending them off one by one—a massive waste of time.
"Alright then, we'll do as Liu Shidi suggested. I'll make sure to give you some points," Meng Biao said. "Now let’s pack up and head out."
Everyone began gathering their things and handed most of their Joss Paper over to me. Sending souls required Joss Paper; without it, the souls wouldn't be able to move on properly. Since there were too many souls for us to provide more Joss Paper than necessary, everyone concentrated their Joss Paper in my Soul Summoning Array so that each soul would receive only what I designated for them. This way ensured fairness and prevented any dissatisfaction among the other souls.
As we stepped outside onto the flat ground near Human Cave, the moonlight was bright that night. There weren't many tall trees around Human Cave, so visibility wasn't an issue—we didn't even need flashlights.
I set up a large Soul Summoning Array using the materials everyone had on hand, while others prepared in different positions around it. In the center of the Soul Summoning Array lay all the offerings we had brought. I first burned the Joss Paper and then began chanting the Soul Guiding incantation. As the Soul Summoning Spell was recited, shadows began to emerge from within, one by one making their way toward the Soul Summoning Array.
These spirits varied in age and gender, all dressed similarly. They were not from our time, but judging by their forms, they were indeed ordinary spirits, and their paths to Reincarnation were still open. If someone were to guide them, they could move on to fulfill their earthly duties before being reborn.
I must say, this was indeed a rare opportunity for accumulating merit and Yin De.
"Fifty," Zhou Hong counted the number of spirits emerging at the cave entrance.
I paused my chanting of the Soul Summoning Spell and quickly approached Master Xiao and Wang Xiaolu. "Sister Wang, bring your Yuanxin spirit over here. Master Xiao will collect it and toss it into my Soul Sending Array, and I'll send it off."
As each spirit passed through the Soul Summoning Array, they picked up their respective Joss Paper and began to wander aimlessly in different directions. They had lost all awareness and were merely trying to find their path to Reincarnation based on instinct. This method was futile; after so many years without a guide or Passerby, they would never find their way.
We spread out a hundred meters from the cave entrance. Once the spirits scattered, everyone began to showcase their skills like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea. Mao Ruiliang, Meng Biao, Zhang Chuanzheng, and Liu Zhiqiang moved among the spirits, each employing their own methods to collect souls. When their tools ran low, they began to guide them.
At the moment I completed my Soul Sending Array, Wang Xiaolu started striking her Yuanxin. The effect of Yuanxin was remarkable; aside from those spirits distracted by the incantations of the four men, all other spirits slowly moved toward us.
"Wow, little junior sister is amazing," Master Xiao exclaimed in surprise before rushing toward the approaching spirits with his tools ready to collect souls.
Before long, Master Xiao had five pieces of soul-collecting tools beside me and turned back with my five pieces to continue gathering souls. I wasted no time tossing one into the Soul Sending Array to begin sending souls.
These spirits were easy to send; just one recitation of the Send Soul spell was enough. After sending away five spirits, Master Xiao was still busy collecting more.
In comparison, Master Xiao's speed was quite fast—only slightly slower than Meng Biao and Mao Ruiliang. However, during the second round, Master Xiao no longer needed to run around because those spirits were already close by us. With this advantageous condition, his speed surpassed everyone else's. While others had to chase after spirits to collect them, Master Xiao simply stood still waiting for them to come.
When Wang Xiaolu first struck her Yuanxin, everyone else was stunned; they never expected her to have such a trick up her sleeve. However, with so many spirits present, they didn't pay much attention. By the time I reached the sixth round of sending souls, all spirits had been successfully guided away. Over an hour had passed.
Out of fifty in total, we three sent away thirty. I must say that this collaborative approach allowed us not only to work efficiently but also made it easier for us. After we finished sending souls, the last spirit was still being guided by the other four. At this rate, our results would surely rank at the top.
In the first batch of Send Souls: I, Master Xiao, and Wang Xiaolu each sent ten; Mao Ruiliang sent seven; Meng Biao sent six; Liu Zhiqiang sent four; while Zhang Chuanzheng only managed three. Seeing these results made me even more puzzled about where Zhang Chuanzheng's confidence came from in wanting to show off.
"Ha ha, brothers, I must admit, the three of us have truly outsmarted you all," Master Xiao said with a cheerful tone.
They remained silent, but their expressions were not very pleasant. Meng Biao said, "Liu Shidi, wait a moment before Soul Guiding. I need to check how many more Yin spirits are inside."
I nodded in understanding; he wanted to know the number of Yin spirits inside to prepare for his next move.
Zhou Hong also smiled lightly and moved aside from the cave entrance to make room for Meng Biao. Meng Biao took out a talisman and held it in his hand. This time, the talisman was different from the last; it was pure black with golden runes on it. It was also twice the size of a regular talisman and stood out clearly in the moonlight.
At that moment, an unexpected event occurred. Before Meng Biao could recite the incantation, it was as if someone had forcefully pulled him inside; he vanished from the entrance in an instant.
This sudden turn of events left everyone at a loss. Wasn't it said that there were only two guardians and the rest were ordinary Yin spirits? Who could possibly have the strength to pull Meng Biao in?
Everyone rushed toward the cave entrance. Zhou Hong, who was closest to the entrance, was particularly anxious. After seeing Meng Biao being pulled inside, he ran to the entrance first, shouting loudly before rushing in after him.
"Zhou Hong, come back!" Mao Ruiliang shouted urgently as he sprinted toward the cave entrance...
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