Chapter 46: The Effect of the Purification Curse
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Li Xuan had studied the Taoist scriptures given by the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak and learned quite a bit. He understood the existence of the Seventy-Two Departments, which included: the Department of Teaching and Sealing, the Department of Life and Death, the Department of Life and Death Investigation, the Department of Monks and Taoists, the Department of Merit Cultivation, the Department of Scripture Inspection, the Department of Assigning Status of Birth, the Department of the Three-Month Fasting, the Department of Life and Death Pursuit, the Department of Human Capture, the Department of Seizing Remaining Wealth, the Department of Blessing Enhancement and Longevity, the Department of Official Duties, the Department of Tracking Criminals and Evidence, the Department of Petitions, the Department of Officials and Clerks, the Department of Epidemic Control, the Department of Birds, the Department of Mountain and Forest Spirits, the Department of Past Karmic Illness, the Department of Beasts, the Department of Water Mansions, the Department of Hell, the Department of Fifteen Types of Good Deaths, the Department of Fifteen Types of Bad Deaths, the Department of Ownerless Lonely Souls, and so on.
They covered almost all things—from flying insects and wild beasts, human good and evil, wandering ghosts and malevolent spirits, to demons and plagues.
In ancient times, followers who worshipped the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak would establish these departments as earthly footholds for the Emperor’s influence.
Li Xuan pulled a bank card from his pocket. To establish a department, he first needed a building, and it couldn’t be too shabby—this meant money had to pave the way.
He arrived at the target hotel.
Checking his bank card balance, he was surprised to find one million yuan available.
This greatly lowered the difficulty of setting up, as long as the local Taipei housing authority didn’t give him grief.
Night.
In the hotel room.
Li Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed, a purple-red gourd placed beside him absorbing the world’s spiritual energy for “recharging.”
He guided his magical power to circulate within his body, endlessly looping from head to toe, like a spiritual energy refinement machine continuously producing magical power that gathered in his dantian.
It was strange.
If the three great emperors of the Polar Star, Northern Yin, and Eastern Peak in the real world could manifest, why was cultivation progressing so slowly?
Li Xuan was puzzled beyond explanation.
If the cultivation speed recorded in the Taoist scriptures applied to reality, he would dare to retreat deep into the wilderness and grind for a hundred years, becoming a sword god like the Ten-Li Slope legend. Then, entering dungeons, ordinary ghosts and monsters wouldn’t stand a chance, and he could sweep through swiftly.
But dreams were full; reality was harsh.
He wouldn’t dwell on such frustrations.
Obstacles in the heart breed demons—harmful to cultivation...
Gradually, Li Xuan entered a profound state, as if his soul had left his body to roam the mysterious universe.
The Earth Deity Technique of the Eastern Peak, focusing on mindful self-cultivation, was a fundamental and traditional Taoist practice.
It involved absorbing heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, transforming it into “Qi” that cleansed the body’s limbs and bones, enhancing comprehension of spells, the intensity of magical “Qi,” and the elevation of one’s “essence,” all condensed into an internal elixir, also known as the Internal Elixir Path or Golden Elixir Path.
In simple terms, it meant refining spiritual energy within oneself like a furnace to achieve the Golden Elixir.
The Northern Yin Fengdu Technique emphasized the soul, holding that no matter how strong the exterior, any injury to the soul would bring disaster.
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Therefore, the Fengdu Technique focused on cultivating yin to return to yang, refining the soul with spiritual energy to resist temptation and mental demons. Upon reaching the Yang Spirit realm, one would nourish the physical body in return.
Li Xuan chose to cultivate both simultaneously.
He wanted the dual cultivation of body and essence from the Earth Deity Technique to enhance his methods against humans and evil spirits, as well as the yin-to-yang refinement of the Fengdu Technique to strengthen his foundation and resist “spiritual attacks” such as ghost possession or spiritual blindness.
Though it was slower.
But traveling through the various heavens to complete tasks also brought rewards, which he believed would gradually make up for his weaknesses.
Like a “tenacious life” would be a miracle itself. If he didn’t die on the spot, he could run, recover, and fight again and again. No one could tolerate such harassment...
Li Xuan could be severely injured countless times, but the enemy was finished after losing once.
The next day, his phone rang.
He emerged from his cultivation state, without any of the legendary physiological reactions like pores spraying foulness—only feeling intensely hungry.
The phone kept ringing.
The screen displayed the characters “Huang Huo Tu.”
He pressed the answer button and immediately heard Huang Huo Tu’s slightly urgent voice:
“Li Gan, you’re still in Taipei, right? Another murder happened last night, very strange. A woman was burned to death at home, but there are no signs of burning in the house…”
Li Xuan frowned, guessing what it might be.
In the film, the five prisons corresponded to five traits: wealth, subtlety, scenery, prosperity, and disbelief in ghosts.
The five victims, in order, were Liao Zhenfu, Qiu Miaofang, Lorenzo (a priest), Chen Liangwang, and lastly a foreigner named Kevin Wright.
Their deaths were spaced out.
Liao Zhenfu had just died two days ago, and then Qiu Miaofang died—was it a butterfly effect?
Li Xuan had originally planned to milk the task time, absorb the world’s spiritual energy to cultivate, then arrange a customized plan to trap Xie Yali with no chance of resistance.
Now it seemed impossible.
He had to take action...
He replied, “No fire, but burned to death? That is indeed strange. Give me the address, I’ll take a look.”
Huang Huo Tu immediately sent an address via text.
It was an upscale residential area.
The entrance alone exuded a sense of luxury, with all plants and flowers meticulously trimmed.
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Most importantly, the security guards were no longer the frail old men of sixty or seventy struggling to protect themselves, but vigorous young men in their twenties with upright postures.
Huang Huo Tu had given prior notice.
After registering, Li Xuan entered smoothly.
He arrived at the designated unit. The front door was open, and just standing outside, he smelled a stench like rotting plants in a gutter.
Could it be that fungal species that caused dopamine secretion hundreds of times over and hallucinations?
He instinctively stepped back a few paces, formed a hand seal with his left hand, and silently recited a spell:
“I cleanse my body by the moon, refine my truth by the sun; immortals assist me, jade maidens support my form. Twenty-eight constellations, follow my command; six Jia on the left, six Ding on the right; thunder and lightning in front, wind and clouds behind; chase away all evil and filth with the flow of Qi. Swift as the law commands.”
The magical power in his dantian stirred slightly.
Li Xuan felt a warm current spread from his abdomen throughout his body, exquisitely comfortable, like jumping into a hot spring on a cold winter day.
His nostrils tingled, and he sneezed several times!
A wisp of “dust” sprayed out, dancing in the sunlight streaming through the corridor window.
This dust seemed to have consciousness, drifting closer, but as it neared his skin, it encountered an invisible barrier and could not touch him.
This cleansing spell, used for the first time, had such an effect—truly excellent.
Li Xuan was greatly pleased. Even though the cleansing spell continuously drained his magical power, he had to admit it was remarkable.
In the film, Xie Yali’s most common and primary method was using his body as a nest to cultivate fungi, controlling them to attack anyone and induce hallucinations. Its power was tremendous, causing Huang Huo Tu to question his own reality.
Now that the cleansing spell could prevent the fungal life forms from approaching, Xie Yali’s threat was halved.
Li Xuan strode inside. Inside, only a few scattered people were present: police officers holding ultraviolet flashlights searching for clues, and a woman in a white coat taking photos of a curled-up female corpse on the floor.
A police officer came over to block him: “Police investigation in progress, unauthorized persons cannot enter.”
Huang Huo Tu stepped forward and said, “I have brought an expert to assist.”
The officer glanced at Huang Huo Tu, said nothing, and returned to his work.
Li Xuan noticed a small amount of ash from burnt paper in Huang Huo Tu’s nostrils—that was the fungal matter accumulated to a certain degree.