Chapter 18: The Palace of Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun

In Grandma’s memory, Grandpa Qing rarely lost his temper.

This Li Ruonan was truly something; she had actually managed to infuriate Grandpa Qing, a man who usually possessed such excellent self-control!

Grandma quickly spoke up to soothe him: "It’s just a video. There’s a good chance not many people will see it, so please, don't upset yourself..."

Grandpa Qing snatched Li Xuan’s phone, pointed at the rows of uploads beneath the video, and snapped, "You call this a video? This woman hasn't just posted one; she’s posted a whole pile of them!"

As he spoke, his finger scrolled down incessantly.

More and more videos kept appearing, even organized into chapters—hundreds of them.

Li Xuan quickly took the phone back, fearing Grandpa Qing might be angered to death on the spot.

A long silence followed.

Grandpa Qing was still wheezing heavily. It was fortunate that he had an oxygen tube in his nostrils; otherwise, he might have struggled to catch his breath.

He eventually recovered, though the veins on his forehead were still bulging and his hands trembled slightly. "Young man, are you really planning to go and destroy the Great Black Mother? Setting aside whether or not you can even find the Chen Family Village hidden deep in the mountains, even if you do find it, you’ll be facing a nine-in-ten chance of death, even with your magical artifacts..."

Li Xuan’s mission was exactly that.

He could choose to stay back and develop his strength before taking on the Great Black Mother, but a portion of the Chen Family Village survivors were still scattered out in the world, and on top of that, Li Ruonan was spreading the curse everywhere.

He needed ten years to cultivate.

In those ten years, the number of victims would only grow. If they learned to share the curse—one person passing it to ten, ten to a hundred...

Would the Great Black Mother grow stronger as a result?

That was an unknown variable.

He had to strike while he could.

The ancestors of the Chen Family Village had brought the Great Black Mother from Southeast Asia, attempting to harness her power to gain influence and build an empire.

Who could have guessed that the Great Black Mother was far too malevolent? They had no choice but to seal her inside an underground tunnel, using mirrors and clay figures to disrupt her senses and prevent her escape.

In the film, six years ago, Li Ruonan and her group broke in, and the curse erupted.

Most of the Chen Family Village died, and the rest fled.

They knew better than anyone just how terrifying the Great Black Mother was.

Analyzing the ending of the film:

Chen Letong’s attempt to break the curse failed. Her paralysis suddenly vanished, and she automatically sought out the young girl who had been the sacrificial child of the Chen Family Village years ago. When Li Ruonan found the girl, she had grown into a teenager, though she was mysteriously weak and fell unconscious.

She had lost her mind; in a fit of madness, she cut off the girl’s ears, covered her own body in incantations, and went alone to the underground tunnel of the Chen Family Village. She shattered the mirrors and the clay figures, pulled the red cloth off the bronze statue of the Great Black Mother...

And then she was killed.

Li Xuan roughly understood her mindset. Since the Great Black Mother’s goal was to spread the curse, she figured she might as well release her and let her run wild in the world. If more people bore the curse, her own burden would naturally be lighter.

And if some capable person managed to destroy the Great Black Mother, then that would be a win for everyone...

Li Xuan was just a college graduate who had recently finished school. Although he was a quick learner and had decent social skills, he had yet to be truly beaten and baptized by society. Even when he first encountered someone like Li Ruonan, he had only thought about giving her a good beating to vent his frustration.

But now...

He had been taught a lesson.

Some people simply could not be given a chance.

Li Xuan heard the subtext in Grandpa Qing’s words; it was clear he needed his help.

He walked to the bedside and said solemnly, "I... I want to destroy the Great Black Mother as soon as possible. If you have any way to help, please teach me..."

The admiration in Grandpa Qing’s eyes could no longer be hidden.

He was both happy and worried. Happy for Li Xuan’s courage, but worried that Li Xuan might lose his life.

Grandma, lying in the bed next to them, also didn't want to see Li Xuan take such a risk. She quickly tried to stop him: "Young man, don't do anything reckless. The two of us have cultivated our whole lives and still couldn't defeat that evil god, let alone a novice like you who knows nothing. Don't listen to the old man’s nonsense; we have no way to help you..."

Li Xuan understood.

Grandpa Qing *did* have a way!

He urged, "Please, Grandpa Qing, grant me this... I will definitely go to the Chen Family Village."

Grandpa Qing’s mouth opened, but he remained silent for a moment. He reached into his clothes, fumbled around, and produced a business card. He handed it over and said, "This is the contact information for an old friend of mine. He is the master of the 'Original Palace' in Taipei. The main deity he worships is the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Lord!

"Although his years of cultivation are about the same as mine, we each have our strengths. I specialize in saving people, breaking curses, and exorcising spirits, while he specializes in hunting down malevolent entities. It’s just that he’s quite old now; he needs a cane to walk..."

He added, "However, he has several disciples who participate in the deity processions every year, performing rituals to drive away evil spirits. They have decent skills. Take this card, tell him I highly recommend you, and he’ll have to give me face."

Li Xuan looked at the card; it was quite old.

Seeing that he couldn't be dissuaded, Grandma sighed, "Young man, there are only the Three Pure Heavenly Lords in the highest hierarchy of Taoism. Even if you follow the Emperor of Fengdu, you must not be disrespectful when you get there, do you understand? That old man might look cold and aloof, but he’s actually quite easy to talk to. He should appreciate you!"

Li Xuan thanked them and left, no longer disturbing the two elders' rest.

The next day.

The sun was bright and clear.

Li Xuan went to check on Chen Letong, got an update from Xie Qiming, and then checked himself out of the hospital.

He had called Zhang Zhengze, who reported that Li Ruonan had been spotted in the streets near her residence. Later, as darkness fell, the night vision of the surveillance cameras lost clarity, and they slowly lost track of her.

As for Li Ruonan’s boyfriend, Chen Lidong, because he was deceased and his records had been canceled six years ago, much of the information was gone. The address on the household register was merely where Li Ruonan was currently staying.

Taipei, Original Palace.

Li Xuan stepped out of a taxi and, seeing the temple, couldn't help but sigh; its scale was far greater than the Zhou Cang Temple.

It was like a small palace.

There were many worshippers coming and going.

He walked directly toward the main hall, crossed the courtyard, stepped over the threshold, and saw three two-meter-tall statues sitting in the center.

Each statue had a plaque above it.

They read: Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Lord, Upper Pure Lingbao Heavenly Lord, and Great Pure Moral Heavenly Lord!

The Primordial Heavenly Lord sat in the center, draped in nine-colored cloud-patterned robes. His face was like polished jade, with a mysterious divine mark between his brows. His eyes were lowered, as if they contained the sun, moon, and stars, and his silver beard reached his waist.

The Lingbao Heavenly Lord and the Moral Heavenly Lord beside him wore different robes.

As Li Xuan walked in, he inexplicably felt a subtle, lingering pressure bearing down on him, and his breathing suddenly grew heavy.

Recalling what Grandma had said, he took nine sticks of incense from the altar, lit them, and placed them into the censers before each of the three Heavenly Lords.

Taoism had many branches—Longhu Mountain, Maoshan, Shenxiao, or the Fengyue Sect. Tracing their traditions back to their founders, they all essentially originated from one of the Three Pure ones.

For example, the founder of Longhu Mountain, Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, had cultivated for many years before being enlightened by the Supreme Old Lord, who granted him the Three-Five Male and Female Swords, as well as seals, talismans, and a collection of Taoist scriptures.

It was from the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice that the Celestial Master path evolved.

Li Xuan bowed with standard Taoist etiquette.

He looked up at the statue of the Primordial Heavenly Lord and said piously, "Heavenly Lord, Li Xuan has by chance joined the lineage of the Emperor of Fengdu, but because our sect is small and I lack a master’s guidance, I have yet to find the way. I pray that you will bless me so that I may soon enter the path of cultivation, learn the arts, and slay demons and ghosts..."

Just then, a few people emerged from behind the hall. They were wearing ritual robes and had various facial makeup patterns painted on their faces, discussing something.

One of them, with a snow-white face and a pattern of two wings, glanced his way.

A Crane Boy?

Li Xuan thought to himself, "Why does he look a bit fierce?"