Chapter 1576: Ghost Controlling Art

Chapter 1576: Ghost Controlling Art

Outside Qingchou City, at the hour of Blood Noon (11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ), seven Golden Core cultivators held a brief meeting before the pit of the tomb.

An elder with a full head of white hair was the first to cup his hands in greeting toward Mo Hua, respectfully saying:

"This old man is surnamed Pei, humbly serving as the presiding 'Tanggong' of Qingchou territory. Greetings to Esteemed Master Mo."

This elder who referred to himself as "Tanggong" was withered and wrinkled, possessing a Late Golden Core Stage cultivation, and was a family elder of the Qingchou Pei Family.

He was also the very same white-haired, sharp-tongued elder from that day's council at the Qingchou Division Office.

He was one of the local family leaders. The local Golden Core family patriarchs and landholders of Qingchou all respectfully addressed him as 'Tanggong.'

This was not the first time Mo Hua had seen Pei Tanggong, so he merely gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before slightly shifting his gaze toward another middle-aged cultivator clad in yellow robes.

This middle-aged cultivator was also remarkably a Late Golden Core Stage cultivator, but he looked unfamiliar to Mo Hua.

Seeing Esteemed Master Mo look his way, the yellow-robed cultivator cupped his hands and said in a cold voice:

"This one is surnamed Wen, master of the Wen Family Manor in Qingchou City. Previously in seclusion comprehending a Cultivation Method, I was unable to meet the Esteemed Master. Seeing you now, the Esteemed Master's aura is profound and wondrous, truly an extraordinary person."

His words carried flattery, but his attitude lacked any true reverence. He was likely the reinforcement invited by Pei Tanggong and the Lü family to contend against Mo Hua's group on equal terms.

The remaining person was the current head of the Lü family, and the eldest son of Lü Chongshan: Lü Jingxiu.

Lü Jingxiu also cupped his hands to greet Mo Hua, his gaze indifferent:

"Greetings, Esteemed Master."

Though the seven were traveling together, Lü Jingxiu, Pei Tanggong, and Wen Zhuangzhu faintly stood together in a triangular formation of mutual support.

Two Late Golden Core Stages and one Golden Core middle stage, within Qingchou Prefecture, this was already top-tier combat strength.

On Mo Hua's side, outwardly, there was only one Late Golden Core Stage, one Golden Core middle stage, and one Early Golden Core stage.

Though Great General Chang was a Late Golden Core Stage, he was ultimately a local general of Qingchou. At a critical juncture, he might choose to remain neutral without helping either side.

As a result, the combat strength of the two sides was barely on par.

The Lü family faction even faintly held the upper hand.

Once inside the tomb, if anything happened, they would not be too passive, and if the situation shifted, they might even take the initiative...

With just a glance, Mo Hua understood the Lü family's small schemes and the dynamics of the situation completely.

However, he said nothing and gave no indication of his thoughts.

Instead, Pei Tanggong glanced at Mo Hua, his voice raspy as he spoke up: "Esteemed Master Mo, you brought no other helpers to open the tomb and relocate the grave?"

Mo Hua nodded. "It is enough."

Tomb Raiding was unlike other matters; fewer people were better, and having too many would only make it easier for things to go wrong. Mo Hua was well familiar with this.

Seeing this, Pei Tanggong's gaze darkened slightly, and he gave a slight nod as well.

"As long as the Esteemed Master is confident, that is well."

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded, then glanced around. Seeing that everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, he spoke in a solemn, slow voice:

"Great Philanthropist Lü of Qingchou City spent his entire life accumulating Merit and performing good deeds; his benevolence and righteousness are evident to heaven and earth..."

"Our Tongxian Cult's Sect-Master True-Person was moved by Philanthropist Lü's virtue. Unable to bear seeing him suffer, he specially issued a Decree ordering this Esteemed Master to relocate the grave, modify the tomb, alter the Feng Shui, and suppress the filth for Great Philanthropist Lü using the Supreme Secret Method of the Tongxian Cult, so that goodness meets a good end and virtue receives its reward, neither defying the Heavenly Dao nor going against human relations..."

"This journey and purpose can be witnessed by Heaven above and Earth below."

Mo Hua's voice was low, solemn, and profound, carrying the natural charm of one upholding Heaven and inheriting the Dao.

Hearing this, Great General Chang was moved by Esteemed Master Mo's benevolence, deeply touched in his heart.

The three Golden Core cultivators of the Lü family faction, however, wore indifferent expressions, clearly not believing a single word.

Lü Jingxiu sneered internally. Opening my Lü family grave and excavating my biological father's tomb, yet babbling about goodness meeting a good end, isn't this ridiculous?

Pei Tanggong's eyes trembled slightly when Mo Hua mentioned the 'Tongxian Sect-Master True-Person,' apprehension rising in his heart:

Just how vast is the power of this Tongxian Cult?

Could it be that they really possess a Profound-Hollow-Void Ancestor...?

Wen Zhuangzhu in his yellow robes glanced slightly at Mo Hua, who was cloaked within his black Daoist robe, a glint of sharp light flashing across his eyes.

Why must this Esteemed Master Mo, with his low cultivation yet unfathomable mystery, insist on unearthing Lü Chongshan's tomb?

And why did that old thing Pei pay such a hefty price to hire my aid?

Just what on earth is contained inside this tomb...?

The sharp light in Wen Zhuangzhu's eyes flickered, but he remained outwardly calm.

For a moment, each harbored their own thoughts.

Mo Hua swept his gaze across the crowd with clear understanding and asked, "Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone fell silent.

Mo Hua nodded. "Good, then let us descend into the tomb."

Saying so, Great General Chang cleared the path while the two protectors flanked him to guard Mo Hua. Under the protection of the three Golden Core experts, Mo Hua slowly descended toward the bottom of the deep pit.

Once Esteemed Master Mo had descended first, Lü Jingxiu, Pei Tanggong, and Wen Zhuangzhu exchanged looks, leaping down after them.

This deep pit had originally been excavated by Bai XiaoSheng with his sword.

Before descending into the tomb, Great General Chang had ordered people to widen it considerably, but with seven people entering together, it was still somewhat cramped.

All seven were Golden Core cultivators with superb Movement Techniques. Amidst flashes of spiritual light, it was not long before their figures appeared at the bottom of the pit.

Reaching the bottom, it was still damp, cold, and foul-smelling.

Within the isolation of the Formation, the ghost-headed tomb gate and the shattered clay effigy remained in their original state, entirely undisturbed.

Mo Hua glanced at the tomb gate with its ghastly, chilling Evil Ghosts, then looked at Lü Jingxiu and asked:

"Are you familiar with the ghost heads on this tomb gate?"

Lü Jingxiu fell silent, seemingly not knowing how to reply.

Mo Hua asked again, "Could it be... that the tombs of your Lü family are all suppressed with Ghost Gates?"

Lü Jingxiu's face went pale.

Seeing this, Pei Tanggong sighed, knowing that this nephew of his was unable to handle Esteemed Master Mo. He cupped his hands to take over the conversation:

"Esteemed Master might not know... Suppressing tombs with Ghost Gates is a local custom of our Qingchou. Though uncommon, it is not unheard of..."

Mo Hua looked at Pei Tanggong.

Pei Tanggong said, "Esteemed Master should know of 'ghosts,' correct?"

Mo Hua gave a slight nod.

Pei Tanggong continued, "'Ghosts' are formless things of heaven and earth, invisible to the naked eye and untraceable by Divine-Sense."

"Ordinary cultivators either scoff at the talk of ghosts and spirits, dismissing it as superstitious nonsense with contempt."

"Or they place too much faith in it, fearing spirits and dreading ghosts, terrified of formless threats and living in constant panic."

"Neither approach is advisable."

"This old man is aged and has met many extraordinary individuals, thus possessing some understanding of this."

"The category of 'ghosts' encompasses a vast range. There are human ghosts, Yao ghosts, corpse ghosts, Demonic ghosts, evil spirits, vicious fiends, demons and monsters, as well as various spirits born of heaven and earth, such as mountain specters, marsh fiends, wood spirits, and the like..."

"Because they are formless and hard to perceive with the naked eye, mundane cultivators lump all these entirely distinct conceptual entities together as 'ghosts.' They do not know that ghosts are divided into ranks and types, with distinctions between good and evil, and are not entirely malicious Evil Spirits."

Mo Hua's eyes shifted slightly. "So... what Pei Tanggong implies is that the ghosts carved upon Philanthropist Lü's tomb gate are benevolent ghost entities, rather than sinister and evil Karmic Obstructions?"

Pei Tanggong nodded. "Precisely so."

Mo Hua asked again, "Then why do these ghost entities have large heads, bared fangs, and such hideous appearances?"

Pei Tanggong said, "As the saying goes, one should not judge a person by their appearance. If even people cannot be judged by appearances, how much more so for ghosts?"

Mo Hua paused slightly, his thoughts turning. He felt that what Pei Tanggong said made sense.

Those of handsome appearance might harbor all manner of filthy, wicked thoughts. Those with ugly features might instead harbor benevolence in their hearts.

Even humans were so, to say nothing of ghosts.

Mo Hua looked once more at the ghosts on the tomb gate, saying slowly:

"Yet according to what this Esteemed Master sees, these ghosts are not only hideous in appearance, but their aura is also exceedingly sinister and vicious... Could Tanggong perhaps be mistaken?"

Pei Tanggong's cloudy eyes trembled, and he spoke again, "Esteemed Master is wise. Even if the tomb ghosts are vicious, the one controlling them is not necessarily so."

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow slightly. "How so?"

Pei Tanggong said, "Men control ghosts using Ghost-Controlling Art. There are benevolent men who control benevolent ghosts, and there are also benevolent men who control Evil Ghosts."

"Controlling benevolent ghosts promotes goodness and accumulates Merit; controlling Evil Ghosts slays evil and suppresses wickedness."

"Promoting goodness through benevolence and eliminating evil through ferocity, both can be deemed Merit."

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised. He had not expected this Pei Tanggong to understand so much about the matter of Ghost Control.

Mo Hua asked again, "How does one control benevolent ghosts, and how does one control Evil Ghosts?"

Pei Tanggong said, "There are numerous intricate ways to this."

"Ghosts are formless and colorless, invisible to the naked eye and hard to detect even with Divine-Sense. Therefore, for a human to raise and control ghosts is exceedingly difficult."

"Generally speaking, benevolent ghosts are raised, while Evil Ghosts are suppressed... The specific methods vary in a thousand ways, with no single standard..."

"Some cultivators use their own essence blood to feed Little Ghosts. When Little Ghosts consume human essence blood, the human and ghost become linked in Blood Qi, allowing them to sense each other. Whether out of gratitude or greed for essence blood, the Little Ghost will obey the cultivator's commands."

"Besides feeding them essence blood, there are also those who use their Sea of Consciousness to raise Little Ghosts..."

"A cultivator cannot see ghosts with the naked eye, but once a ghost is allowed to burrow into one's Sea of Consciousness, it can take form within."

"By feeding it with Divine-Sense, explaining the benefits and harms, conversing with the ghost, trading, and establishing covenants where master and servant alternate, one can also command a portion of the ghost's power."

"However, such a practice is exceedingly dangerous. Unless one is an expert of the Unorthodox Path possessing wondrous Fāng Arts, none would dare lead a wolf into the house and invite a ghost into their head."

"Furthermore, one can use certain unorthodox treasures or methods to bind ghost entities, making the evil spirits obey. Driving Little Ghosts through the power of cause and effect..."

Having spoken to this point, Pei Tanggong suddenly paused, looking at Mo Hua with an apologetic sigh:

"This old man almost forgot that Esteemed Master is himself an expert of the Unorthodox Path. You must know these ghost-related matters like the back of your hand."

"This old man was merely preaching to the master, making a fool of himself before an expert. I pray the Esteemed Master will not take offense..."

Mo Hua, who had been listening intently, felt a tiny bit awkward upon hearing this.

He truly did not know much about these things...

Previously, he never bothered to distinguish them so clearly. Regardless of what kind of Demon-Beasts, Devils, and Evil Spirits they were, no matter their breed or cultivation, he simply slaughtered them all, refined them with Formations, and devoured them whole in a single gulp like swallowing dates without chewing.

A giant whale swallowed the ocean, welcoming all rivers.

Would a giant whale of the deep sea care whether it was swallowing small fish or shrimp?

Only when encountering truly powerful Evil Spirits that he could not defeat or that exerted pressure on him would Mo Hua diligently research, distinguish, and record the specific varieties of Evil Spirits.

Ordinary little ghosts, demons, devils, and fiends died to a random punch, vanishing before he could even look properly. How could he have differentiated them?

Yet times were different now.

Mo Hua was currently an "expert of the Unorthodox Path." He had to earnestly study these little ghosts and demons to enrich his knowledge of the Divine Dao.

The Dao transformed into all things; some beings in the world might be weak in strength, yet they were born upholding the Dao and might contain unknown Dao Arts and principles.

In particular, the various methods of Ghost Control described by Pei Tanggong intrigued Mo Hua greatly.

In the Divine Dao, Mo Hua purely relied on his Divine-Sense Thought being excessively overwhelming, subduing ten tricks with sheer force. However, his finesse and underhandedness were somewhat lacking.

At least, Mo Hua was not quite satisfied with himself.

Unlike these Unorthodox Cultivators of the Great Spirit Field Realm, they raised Gu, cast curses, performed Soul Splitting, set up altars, bound souls, summoned generals, and controlled ghosts...

Though their Divine-Thoughts were not strong, their tricks were truly abundant, leaving one in awe.

Looking at it conversely, perhaps precisely because their Divine-Sense Thoughts were insufficient, they were forced to rack their brains, ponder deeply, and exhaust all ingenuity on the practical level of techniques, methods, and Fāng Arts, using all manner of ingenious Spell Formulas to bring a cultivator's meager Divine-Sense power to its absolute utmost limit...

From any perspective, Mo Hua found it astonishing.

If he learned all these tricks, wouldn't he become... even stronger in the Divine Dao?

And versatilely strong at that?

Mo Hua's thoughts shifted slightly, and he glanced at the ghost heads on the tomb gate before him again, asking Pei Tanggong, "Could Great Philanthropist Lü also have been skilled in Ghost Control?"

Pei Tanggong said, "This... is hard to say..."

"Hard to say?" Mo Hua asked.

Pei Tanggong sighed, "Ghost-Controlling Arts are obscure and formless, generally never displayed to others. Therefore, this old man does not know whether Great Philanthropist Lü truly cultivated Ghost-Controlling Arts during his life, or what means he used to control ghosts."

Mo Hua asked, "Then the ghost heads on this tomb gate..."

Pei Tanggong said, "This is the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth Diagram, an item for Ghost Control rather than a method of Ghost Control."

"Knowing how to use this treasure allows one to raise certain sprite Little Ghosts to amass wealth and fortune."

"Though it touches slightly upon 'unorthodox paths,' it is by no means an evil method."

"So long as one's virtue matches the position and one carries Merit to suppress the Little Ghosts so they dare not act rashly,"

"Then this Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth Diagram is a propitious treasure diagram that ushers in wealth and prosperity."

"Of course..." Pei Tanggong sighed, "these wealth-transporting ghosts are indeed a bit ugly and do not look like good things, but so long as they bring in wealth, what does beauty or ugliness matter?"

Bringing in wealth...

Hearing Pei Tanggong explain it like that, Mo Hua had an epiphany. Looking at the ghost heads on the tomb gate again, they truly no longer seemed sinister or eerie.

He even felt that these ugly, large-headed ghosts looked somewhat handsome...

After all, how could a ghost that transported wealth possibly be ugly?

Even if it was ugly, that was a problem with one's own eyes, not with the ghost itself.

However...

Was this true?

Were these ghosts truly free of problems? Just how much truth and falsehood lay in Pei Tanggong's words?

Mo Hua's gaze focused slightly, and he turned his head to look at the clay effigy nearby.

This was the very effigy that Bai XiaoSheng had cleaved apart with his sword earlier, breaking the illusion on the tomb gate.

The flesh paste that had flowed out was already dried, yet the putrid stench still lingered.

Looking at this clay effigy, Mo Hua asked Pei Tanggong again, "Then what is this clay effigy? Is it also a medium for the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth Setup?"

"This..." Pei Tanggong frowned, looking at the clay effigy, seemingly caught by surprise:

"This old man does not know... what this clay effigy is. An ordinary Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth Setup should not require such a material medium..."

Mo Hua's gaze narrowed slightly, and he turned to look at Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai understood Mo Hua's meaning. He stepped forward a few paces to the shattered clay effigy, produced a silver needle, and inserted it into the flesh paste.

The flesh paste began to boil, discoloring the silver needle.

Mo Hua asked, "What kind of meat?"

Looking at the silver needle interlaced with various dark brown and bloody shades, Gu Changhuai frowned slightly. "A mixture of flesh, highly complex..."

Mo Hua fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Is there human flesh?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the expressions of both Lü Jingxiu and Pei Tanggong changed slightly, and Wen Zhuangzhu's gaze narrowed as well.

(End of Chapter)