Volume Two: An Eventful Autumn, Twists and Turns Chapter Ninety-Four: The Power of the Wood Spirit, The Three Wonders of the Jade Platform

Before Chen San could even cry out, the yellow-robed corpse-man in front of them dragged its toes, thrust its hands forward, and charged straight at Yang Chengzi. Though Yang Chengzi was prepared, the creature's movements were simply too fast.

"Xun is Wind, the Sparrow grasps the Heavenly Pivot!"

The grand array shifted once more, and Yang Chengzi instantly flashed to the side of the coffin, barely dodging the yellow-robed corpse-man's sharp claws.

In an instant, the corpse-man was beside the Spirit Tiger. Unlike the shamelessly cowardly Chen San, the Spirit Tiger had been waiting for this moment. It struck out with its waiting paw, and with a resounding thud, the corpse-man was sent sliding backward.

The impact rang out like a bronze bell. Yang Chengzi's brow furrowed instantly, and he shifted the array again.

"Qian is Heaven, pulling Tianxuan with might!"

With another heavy thud, Yang Chengzi delivered a palm strike. The sound was still like a great bell. Struck before it could even regain its balance, the corpse-man crashed straight into the wall and fell to the ground.

It was just as Yang Chengzi had suspected. Having been infused with centuries of Imperial Qi, the corpse-man possessed skin of bronze and bones of iron, making it completely invulnerable. Even the Spirit Tiger's claws, which could shatter mountains and split stones, had failed to harm it. It seemed the Shangqing Sword would be useless here.

Although it had taken two heavy blows, the corpse-man was completely unharmed. It stood straight up, raised its arms, and leaped toward Yang Chengzi. The Spirit Tiger pounced through the air, aiming a claw at the creature's head. However, it had jumped too high; the corpse-man spun around and swung its raised arms, slamming them heavily into the tiger.

The immense force sent the Spirit Tiger's massive body flying toward Chen San.

A soul-shaking thump reverberated in Chen San's ears.

Being so close, he watched as the Spirit Tiger crashed heavily against the chamber wall, shaking loose a shower of dust and dirt from the ceiling and walls. Chen San frantically patted the dust off his head and waved away the cloud in front of his face.

The Spirit Tiger, thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, was unhurt. It stood up, shook the dust from its fur, and prepared to strike once more.

Yang Chengzi took all of this in. A mere swing of the creature's arms could throw the Spirit Tiger so far; such force was definitely not something his own mortal flesh and blood could withstand.

Before he had time to think, the corpse-man spun around and leaped right in front of him. Yang Chengzi bit his finger and flicked a drop of blood forward, drawing a semicircle with his foot.

A hand dripping with molten lava burst from the ground, grabbing the mid-air corpse-man and attempting to drag it down. Yang Chengzi did not expect to actually drag it under; he only did this because he hadn't yet figured out how to defeat it.

Taking advantage of the brief restraint, Yang Chengzi kicked off the wall and rolled away.

The Spirit Tiger's claws struck from behind, slashing down. A screeching sound of metal scraping against metal rang out. The tiger kicked off the corpse-man and leaped back to Yang Chengzi's side.

The mountain-shattering claws had struck the creature as if it were solid iron, producing a grating shriek. Such a sound meant the corpse-man was undoubtedly unscathed.

Indeed, as the creature's gaunt body was exposed through the torn fabric, the tiger's claws had left no mark, though the bright yellow imperial robe was ripped into shreds.

Peering through the shredded clothing, Yang Chengzi saw that the withered, wood-like skin was riddled with tiny, dense holes. Though faint, their sheer number made his scalp tingle.

There were no yellow talismans, no inklines, and no peach-wood sword. Aside from the Shangqing Sword in Chen San's hands, Yang Chengzi had nothing.

It was clear that the Shangqing Sword was useless against a corpse-man with bronze skin and iron bones. It wasn't that Yang Chengzi had been unprepared; it was just that this village only grew mulberry trees, not peach trees.

There were no peach-wood stakes to substitute for a peach-wood sword, and a tiny village like this would never have yellow talismans or inklines unless a Daoist priest lived there.

Roosters were available, but with the corpse-man infused with Imperial Qi, using ordinary rooster or black dog blood to suppress it with pure Yang energy was pure fantasy. Thus, Yang Chengzi had not bothered to prepare them.

Without any tools to counter it, and with the corpse-man already out of its coffin, time was running out.

In the blink of an eye, the corpse-man leapt into the air, breaking free from the lava hand, and bounded toward Yang Chengzi and the Spirit Tiger.

"Chen San, find a way to trap it! We have to drain its Imperial Qi before we can kill it!" Yang Chengzi shouted to Chen San as he dodged.

Although he and the Spirit Tiger were temporarily helpless against the creature, they still had to evade its attacks. Draining its Imperial Qi was their only chance.

Chen San heard the words, but his mind was a complete blank. Staring in shock at Yang Chengzi, who was darting left and right, he stammered, "If-if-if you can't think of anything, how the hell am I supposed to? If-if-if you want to trap it, the coffin can trap it! Make it jump back inside, and try putting the lid back on!" Terrified by the sight of the corpse-man, Chen San hardly knew what he was saying.

"Put the lid back on my foot! Can't you see the coffin is broken? Think of something else!"

With a heavy thud, Yang Chengzi channeled the power of the Celestial Array and struck the corpse-man with a powerful palm.

Although the creature had bronze skin and iron bones, it could not withstand the army-vanquishing force of the array's Qian position. Though unharmed, its body was sent flying into the wall, bouncing off it.

Working in tandem with the Spirit Tiger—one strike after another claw slash—they managed to temporarily keep the corpse-man at bay. However, as it repeatedly crashed into the walls, dirt and dust kept raining down from the ceiling.

Terrified that the chamber was about to collapse, Chen San huddled against the wall, too scared to move forward or run out, sweating profusely in panic.

Just as Yang Chengzi and the Spirit Tiger were fully occupied, serpent-like roots began to coil up from beneath their feet. Chen Wan'er appeared behind Yang Chengzi, her hands raised as she unleashed her spiritual energy, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Roots as thick as arms burst from the ground, wrapping around the corpse-man layer upon layer, forcing a barrier between the creature and Yang Chengzi.

Yang Chengzi was astonished; he had not expected Wan'er's Wood Spirit to be so powerful.

Although the corpse-man continuously broke the roots, more and more surged up to bind it.

Freeing his hands, Yang Chengzi leaped back, flipped the coffin lid onto the ground, and stepped on it.

With a loud bang, eight coffin nails shot up from the lid.

Yang Chengzi quickly pulled out three of them and kicked the lid over to Chen San.

"Pull out the rest!"

Before Chen San could reply, Yang Chengzi rushed forward with the three nails.

"Wan'er, bind its limbs!"

No sooner had he spoken than the corpse-man shattered the remaining roots and lunged forward.

Chen Wan'er instantly unleashed the full force of her spiritual energy. A layer of white frost swept across the entire burial chamber, and a freezing blast of air made Chen San shiver as he pulled the nails.

Her long hair fluttering, Wan'er's soul began to turn translucent. Two roots as thick as arms shot out from the stone walls on either side, instantly binding the corpse-man mid-leap.

Bound by this sudden force, the corpse-man plummeted straight down, its head falling toward Yang Chengzi. Quick-eyed and swift-handed, Yang Chengzi seized the opportunity.

"Shanzhong! Baihui!"

Channeling the power of the Qian position, he drove two coffin nails firmly into the corpse-man's Shanzhong and Baihui acupoints. Before the creature could even touch the ground, a blast of black energy spewed from its mouth, and it crashed heavily onto the floor.

Yang Chengzi did not waste a second. As the corpse-man lay flat, he leaped into the air and drove the last nail in his hand into its Qihai acupoint with a single palm strike.

Infuriated, the corpse-man stood straight up and swung its arms at Yang Chengzi.

"Xun is Wind, the Sparrow grasps the Heavenly Pivot!"

The array shifted instantly. In a flash, Yang Chengzi appeared in front of Chen San and snatched the two nails Chen San had just pulled out.

"Qian is Heaven, pulling Tianxuan with might!"

Holding a nail in each hand, he struck them home with two loud thuds.

"Juque! Shenque!"

In the blink of an eye, the two nails were driven deep into the corpse-man's vital acupoints. With five nails now embedded in its body, the creature began to react strangely.

Black mist billowed from its form, and its body shook violently. With a sharp rustle, two roots burst from the ground, quickly wrapping around the corpse-man's hands and dragging it down.

Now, with its hands and feet bound, more roots erupted from the earth, pinning the creature flat against the ground in a spread-eagle position.

Taking the last three nails from Chen San, Yang Chengzi struck them in rapid succession—clack, clack, clack.

"Zhangmen! Jiuwei! Shangqu!"

Targeting each acupoint with precision and without a moment's hesitation, he drove all eight coffin nails into the corpse-man's eight vital acupoints.

Despite its bright yellow imperial robe and pearl-tasseled crown, once the eight vital acupoints were pierced, the black mist began to pour out of the creature uncontrollably.

The black mist was the Imperial Qi from its lifetime. It should have dissipated over the centuries following its death, but for some reason, it had remained condensed within the corpse. As the black mist poured out, the corpse-man's body began to shrivel.

Just as Yang Chengzi let out a sigh of relief, Chen San pointed at the corpse on the ground, his eyes wide with horror.

"Go-go-gold... Golden Silkworms!"

A dense swarm of golden silkworms crawled out from the shriveled corpse, a sight so repulsive that Chen San nearly threw up his dinner.

Yang Chengzi looked closer. Indeed, they were the same golden silkworms he had seen on the mulberry tree.

These golden silkworms feared neither water nor ordinary fire; normal flames had no effect on them. They could only be killed with magical artifacts or the Li Fire of the Eight Trigrams.

If it were just one, it would be easy to handle; Yang Chengzi could have sliced it in two with his Shangqing Sword. But now, a continuous stream of golden silkworms was pouring from the corpse. If he was too slow and allowed them to burrow into the soil, the villagers would suffer terribly.

Before the silkworms could fully emerge, Yang Chengzi had Wan'er use the roots to lift the motionless corpse back into the shattered coffin. He and Chen San then grabbed the broken planks and pieced them back together.

The roots wrapped around the coffin, quickly binding it twice. Yang Chengzi took the Shangqing Sword and carved the Eight Trigrams Array onto the coffin lid.

Once finished, he and Chen San worked together to heave the lid onto the coffin. Although it could not close completely, it was enough for Yang Chengzi to use the Li Fire of the Eight Trigrams to incinerate both the corpse and the silkworms.

Biting his finger, he let a drop of blood fall onto the Li position. He paced the steps of the Big Dipper, raised his fingers, and chanted:

"Majestic heaven, myriad forms of Li Fire, Daoist light of the Three Purities, incinerate the heavens and tear the earth, Command!"

The moment Yang Chengzi finished the chant, crimson flames erupted from the gaps in the coffin. There was no smoke, only pure fire. The steady, unyielding Li Fire burned furiously like a harbinger of doom. In the blink of an eye, the icy frost in the tomb vanished.

Chen Wan'er returned to Chen San's consciousness. The wooden coffin, along with the corpse and the golden silkworms, was reduced to ash in an instant, leaving nothing behind but the glowing, white-hot bones of the corpse-man.

Once outside the tomb, Yang Chengzi collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. It wasn't the way out that tired him; the Spirit Tiger had practically blasted a straight path through when it entered, allowing them to walk right out.

Rather, it was the immense toll that maintaining the Celestial Array had taken on his soul energy, coupled with the grueling battle against that unusual corpse-man.

If Wan'er's Wood Spirit hadn't restrained the creature, he and the Spirit Tiger might not have been able to slay it.

As for Chen San, that coward had done nothing but pull a few coffin nails and cower behind the wall. Still, the fact that he hadn't run away was progress.

Yang Chengzi did not blame him. Against a corpse-man like this, even if they had summoned the Daoist ancestors to possess them, they would have been severely constrained within the tomb and unable to defeat it.

In any case, the corpse-man was dealt with. Looking at the open pit and the tunnel they had dug, Yang Chengzi shook his head. He had never imagined that the eldest disciple of Mount Mao would one day resort to grave-robbing, and an imperial tomb at that.

Chen San was stroking the tiger's head, staring into its mesmerizing eyes, when the Spirit Tiger growled, nudged his hand away, and vanished into the distance as a streak of white light.

After resting for a while, it was nearly midnight. They still had to fill in the tunnel, but Chen San had used their hoe to make a torch and burned it.

Chen San came up with an idea: he climbed to the top of the mound and jumped up and down a few times. The small hill, which resembled a golden toad carrying its offspring, collapsed along with the shrubs. Though he landed hard on his backside, the hole was successfully buried.

This place was remote and rarely visited by the villagers. Although the ground was uneven and poorly filled, it was covered.

They returned to the pitch-black village, which was just as quiet as when they had left. Under the cover of night, Yang Chengzi and Chen San went to the tree with the golden silkworms. An Eight Trigrams symbol had already been carved onto the trunk. Using the same incantation, Yang Chengzi burned the entire mulberry tree to ashes with the Li Fire.

Back in the house, Chen Xin and Chang Yu were already asleep. Ever since Chen Xin had joined them on the road, Chang Yu had felt much less afraid.

In the past, when the men went out to hunt demons, she was left all alone. No matter how brave a girl might be, staying in a strange place by herself was always terrifying. Having someone to talk to made a world of difference.

At cockcrow, noisy chatter erupted outside.

Chen Xin and Chang Yu woke up early and squeezed into the crowd to see what was happening. There was only one thing to look at: the mulberry tree at the crossroads, which had been burned to nothing but ashes.

The villagers bandied theories back and forth, the most common being that it had been struck by lightning. No one suspected the travelers, and so the matter was quietly resolved.

Yutai Town was a wealthy and bustling town with a population of several thousand, home to everyone from beggars to princes, peddlers to itinerant sorcerers.

Nestled against the mountains and overlooking the river, Yutai Town possessed a feng shui layout known as the "Immortal Pointing the Way," giving it an air of clearing clouds to reveal a bright future.

A dozen miles away lay Mount Qiwei, its three towering peaks permanently shrouded in ethereal mist.

Although the White Dew solar term had passed and late autumn had arrived, the cotton rose hibiscus and blanket flowers covering the slopes adorned Mount Qiwei in a vibrant coat of red, brimming with life.

On Mount Qiwei, spring brought goldenrain trees, crabapples, and lacecap hydrangeas; summer featured rose of Sharon, Chinese trumpet creepers, and French hydrangeas; autumn saw hibiscus, red spider lilies, and blanket flowers; while winter was painted with red maples, plum blossoms, and poinsettias.

Through the changing seasons, whenever one looked toward Mount Qiwei, it was always wrapped in immortal mists and draped in red. Thus, the locals also called it the Three Immortals Mountain.

Yutai Town owed its prosperity to Mount Qiwei. With such a divinely crafted, eternally spring-like paradise nearby, scholars, poets, and high officials flocked to the area, fueling the town's bustling economy.

"The Paradise, the Beauties, and the Crimson Peaks" were the three wonders of Yutai Town.

The "Paradise" and "Crimson Peaks" referred to the mist-shrouded peaks of Mount Qiwei and its year-round red blossoms, while the "Beauties" referred to the courtesans of the local brothels like Piaoxiang Pavilion and Lichun Courtyard.

Looking from afar, the scenic beauty of Mount Qiwei filled Chen Xin and Chang Yu with wonder and delight.

For one, they had never seen a mountain so vibrant and red in the dead of winter. Furthermore, after traveling through barren wilderness for so long, the contrast with this mist-shrouded paradise was staggering.

"Sister Chang Yu, am I dreaming? How can a mountain be this beautiful?"

"It's no dream. If it were, that annoying Chen San certainly wouldn't be in it. Look at him, grinning like an idiot and drooling."

Chen Xin looked over at Chen San and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Chen San indeed had a dazed, infatuated expression on his face, looking thoroughly ridiculous.

Yang Chengzi shook his head. "Wipe your drool. You look like the dog at the east end of the village staring at a piece of meat. Can we keep moving?"

With a loud slurp, Chen San sucked back his drool. The sight disgusted Chang Yu so much that she looked ready to tear him apart on the spot.

Chen San wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I say, Daoist Yang, it's fine that you practice cultivation, but before a once-in-a-millennium paradise and two breathtakingly beautiful ladies, you don't even have a normal human reaction. You're a total blockhead. Even the dog at the east end of the village would turn its nose up at you."

Choked by Chen San's words, Yang Chengzi felt a bit self-conscious and knitted his brows. "Where did you learn to be so glib?"

Before Chen San could reply, a wave of murderous intent washed over him. Chang Yu stood with her head lowered, her eyes flashing with fury as she glared at him, her small fists clenching until they popped.

"Even the dog at the east end of the village would turn its nose up at him? Are you implying that I am not even as good as that dog?"

A cold shiver ran down Chen San's spine, and he took several steps back.

Only someone with a death wish would talk back now, and Chen San was no fool. He bolted toward Yutai Town, vanishing in the blink of an eye without once looking back.

Chen Xin laughed uncontrollably and held back Chang Yu, who was about to give chase. Chang Yu finally let it go with a huff, though in her mind, she had already torn Chen San to shreds a thousand times over.

As they entered the bustling Yutai Town, Chang Yu found herself dazzled by the sights. Archways three or four stories high stood one after another. The most grand among them was flanked by stone lions, with "Yutai Town" carved in bold letters across the top.

The neatly arranged tea stalls, street vendors, and the clamor of hawkers and chatter all spoke of a prosperity unlike any ordinary town.

The three of them walked a long way through the town but saw no sign of Chen San. They did, however, pass several brothels and gambling dens. Chang Yu was grumbling and cursing Chen San when suddenly, her eyes widened, and she pointed toward a brothel named Tianxiang Pavilion.