Chapter 657: Tailing

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The sect members could never have imagined that their prey was currently tailing them at the very back of their group, eager for action and baring sharp fangs.

Tracking and counter-reconnaissance had always been my strong suits. I was in my element in the pitch-black forest, following them like a ghost without making a single extraneous sound.

'We're almost at Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital. Once they enter the Broken Face Wenqu Terrain, they'll be detected by Mr. Paper's feng shui grand formation. Both sides will probably clash very soon.' I anticipated the coming battle with malice. 'For me, the best outcome is for them to mutually destroy each other, letting me wipe them all out in one fell swoop.'

Stroking the cold mask on my face, I felt my mindset slowly changing.

An evil spirit seemed to reside within this mask, subtly altering my personality. It was stripping away the emotions that symbolized humanity, making me just like the other live show streamers.

After moving carefully for half an hour, the sect cultivators finally arrived at the main entrance of Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital.

The group looked at the abandoned buildings hidden in the darkness, their expressions shifting unpredictably.

"This is where the ominous star shines." Xu Yan held the Compass in one hand and looked at its golden needle. "Gao Jian has already gone inside. Could the ominous star in the sky refer to the Ghost Mother?"

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Ever since night fell, my Dao heart—tranquil for decades—has been aching faintly. It feels as if a great disaster is imminent." The Lingbao Sect's mountain guardian, Lu Jingxiu, stepped forward. He took out an Eye-Opening Divine Talisman and applied it to his temples. Talisman light flashed, and divine patterns faintly intertwined within his eyes.

"What is Daoist Master Lu doing?" Wei Jianming quietly tugged his senior brother's sleeve.

"The Lingbao Sect reveres the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper and the Great Sage of the Mid-Heaven. They possess a deep understanding of the celestial stars and can foresee good and ill fortune through their trajectories," Wei Wenming whispered. "That Gao Jian is well-versed in ghost arts, and this place is illuminated by an ominous star. All of you, stay alert. This is no ordinary trial. One careless move and you will lose your lives."

"Just him? With all you senior brothers here, no matter how great his abilities are, he'll have no choice but to bow his head and confess his crimes."

Hearing Wei Jianming, Wei Wenming shook his head and made a shushing gesture.

Lu Jingxiu looked up at the sky. A moment later, he stroked his beard, his expression quite strange. "The Southern Dipper governs birth, and the Northern Dipper governs death. When mortals are conceived, they all pass from the Southern Dipper to the Northern Dipper. Yet this place is the exact opposite—transitioning from death toward life, with the Northern Dipper shining brightly!"

"Is the ominous star causing mischief?" Xu Yan asked. "Daoist Brother, are you seeing this clearly?"

"The Ghost Mother is born from the convergence of wandering souls and resentment. She exists outside of life and death, but this place exudes a dense aura of death. I can't understand it... I really can't." Lu Jingxiu removed the Eye-Opening Divine Talisman and clasped his hands behind his back. He hesitated for a long time before adding, "Why do I feel like there's an evil entity here even fiercer than the Ghost Mother?"

"Fellow Daoist Masters, tonight is a bit bizarre. Why don't we stand guard around the perimeter and wait for the morning sun before attacking?" Lu Chen cupped his hands. "I have dealt with Gao Jian before. When we last parted, his ghost arts hadn't even crossed the threshold. But when I saw him yesterday, he could actually command the Five Directions Plague Ghosts! In just a few short days, even someone with peerless talent couldn't possibly cultivate this fast. There must be a hidden secret here."

"Lu Chen, stop boosting the enemy's morale and dampening our own. We haven't even gone through the front door yet, and you're already advising us to retreat? What are your intentions?" Wei Jianming held a personal grudge against me and had always wanted revenge. Now that he was on the verge of catching me, he naturally refused to leave.

Lu Chen ignored Wei Jianming. He was the head disciple of the Celestial Master of Miaozhen temple. Although the two were of the same generation, their status was vastly different. "Back then, I listened to my junior brother Lu Jin and joined forces with the Three Yin Sect to subject this man to the Heart-Slaying Dao Inquiry. At the time, we outnumbered him several times over, and our cultivation realms were much higher than his. But the end result was the Ghost Mother arriving and sweeping the field. I was the only one lucky enough to escape with my life. And just last night, history repeated itself. We imprisoned him in Century New Garden. He emerged completely unscathed, while our people were murdered for no reason."

"Lu Chen, what exactly are you trying to say?" It wasn't just Wei Jianming; the other Jinshan Sect cultivators were also displeased. Dying Before Achieving Victory was hardly a glorious matter to begin with, yet Lu Chen kept bringing it up.

"Think carefully before acting. This man cannot be judged by common sense. He's like the reincarnation of a disaster star; anything associated with him takes a turn for the worse. I hope you all tread carefully."

Hiding nearby, I pricked up my ears and listened. Lu Chen's words made me a bit uneasy. 'This guy has actually gotten smart.'

They had begun arguing before even entering the gates. Xu Yan frowned slightly and waved his large sleeve. "Exorcising demons and defending the Dao is the duty of our generation of cultivators. How can there be any reason to back down?"

Holding the Compass, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Lu Jingxiu. "The death aura here is dense, and the terrain is unusual. It doesn't look naturally formed."

Lu Jingxiu nodded, pointing toward the tall buildings inside the hospital. "These three buildings are arranged very deliberately. They interlock like canine teeth, yet also resemble the burst belly of a dead ox. It looks somewhat similar to the rumored Broken Face Wenqu."

"A corpse-nurturing ground?" Xu Yan's expression shifted slightly, but quickly returned to normal. "Had I known earlier, we should have brought along that Maoshan Yin Master. Their lineage is the most adept at dealing with moving corpses, walking shadows, and wandering zombies."

"Leng Qingxuan is very close with Gao Jian and might leak the secret. It's better that we didn't tell him." Lu Jingxiu squatted and grabbed a handful of dirt. "The soil stratification is obvious. The feng shui here has been tampered with. There should be a feng shui layout around the hospital."

"Feng shui geomancy takes years to truly comprehend. That Gao Jian is only in his early twenties; he definitely isn't the one who set up the formation." Xu Yan walked toward the hospital's main entrance with the Compass in hand. "It doesn't fully conceal the wind, and its gathering of qi is uneven. This feng shui layout is riddled with holes. It seems the foundation of the grand formation has already been broken. It's nothing to worry about."

The old Daoist took exactly nine steps forward, no more and no less. When his final step landed, he stopped right in the center of the hospital's main entrance.

His Daoist robes fluttered as he raised his hand and took out a Jade Seal. "Ominous stars and evil ghosts, ancient cave demon spirits, raise your heads and look, bow your heads and listen! The Supreme One has issued an edict, commanding me to execute it!"

The Jade Seal descended, smashing squarely onto the hospital's main iron gates.

"Suppress!"

As the Jade Seal struck, the tightly shut heavy iron gates blasted open with a boom. Rust shook loose, and the vines creeping over them fell to the ground in heaps.

"The Profound Gate Daoist Sect is upright and honorable. Let the evil winds blow from all eight directions; I remain firmly unshaken."

The group quickly entered the hospital. I watched them walk away before stepping out of hiding.

I reached out and touched the rust on the ground. Looking at the iron gates that seemed to have been smashed open by a tremendous force, I was somewhat alarmed. 'I underestimated them before.'

Wang Shi had infiltrated the Third Ward on my orders. Following the Compass's guidance, these Daoists didn't pause for a moment either, heading straight for the Third Ward.

'The foundation of Mr. Paper's feng shui formation was destroyed by me, and it still hasn't been repaired even now.' I had obtained a useful piece of information from Xu Yan's mouth: the feng shui grand formation remained unfixed.

'The grand formation hasn't been repaired, nor has it been completely broken. This means Mr. Paper hasn't fully taken control of the situation, and it's highly likely that the Uncorrupted Bone hasn't successfully escaped yet either. He might still be suppressed underground.' I calmed down and didn't blindly follow the sect cultivators into the Third Ward.

'There are two consciousnesses inside the body of the Uncorrupted Bone. One belongs to the Gu Tongtong from twenty years ago, and the other belongs to Chen Jiuge. If Mr. Paper arrived in time, is it possible he's helping Chen Jiuge refine Gu Tongtong's consciousness?' I shook my head at that thought. 'The Uncorrupted Bone is prepared for the Two-Faced Buddha. For Chen Jiuge to recklessly touch the Buddha's property is equivalent to betrayal. I bet he's already been forced to join hands with Gu Tongtong by now, the two of them working together to deal with Mr. Paper.'

No one knew exactly what the situation inside the building was like. To figure it out, the simplest method was to go in.

Those sect cultivators paused at the perimeter of the Third Ward. Since we were a bit far apart, I couldn't hear their voices and could only use my Judging Eye to peek from the outside.

A disagreement seemed to have broken out among them. The four junior disciples of the Jinshan Sect formed an array and stood in opposition to Lu Chen. Lu Jingxiu and Xu Yan also spoke up. In the end, it seemed Lu Chen compromised, and only then did they stop arguing.

Hiding in the distance, I saw everything clearly. They walked to the main entrance of the Third Ward, smashed open the glass doors, tore down the wooden boards behind them, and walked straight through the front doors without any concealment.

'With them making such a huge commotion, Mr. Paper should have sensed it long ago. Why hasn't he shown himself? Or has he already laid out an inescapable net, just waiting for the sect cultivators to take the bait?' I was also very curious about Mr. Paper, wanting to see exactly what kind of capabilities the number one feng shui master under the Two-Faced Buddha possessed.

Quickening my pace, I slowly closed the distance between myself and the sect cultivators. Once I could vaguely hear their conversation, I slowed down to maintain that gap.

"The Compass indicates that Gao Jian is pacing back and forth somewhere underground. He's been staying in that spot for a long time. Could he have discovered us?" Lu Chen stood behind Xu Yan. "That man is incredibly cunning and might lay traps in advance. We'd be better off splitting into two groups to look out for each other from front and back, minimizing the risk."

Xu Yan shook his head. Ever since they entered the Third Ward, his expression had been unusually solemn. "You juniors don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Leaving you outside makes it too easy for accidents to happen."

He ignited a piece of Talisman Paper and held it close to the walls on both sides. Soon, a wisp of faint black smoke seeped out of the plaster.

"Cultivators sever the Three Corpses and eliminate the Nine Insects. Yet someone here is actually rearing White Worms, one of the Nine Insects? This is not the method of a Ghost Cultivator. That Gao Jian has an accomplice!" A sharp light flashed in Xu Yan's murky eyes. "He is merely a mortal, yet I cannot see through him or calculate his fate. His destiny is completely hazy. Could the true ominous star be him, rather than the Ghost Mother?"

Xu Yan hadn't deliberately lowered his voice while pondering, so hiding in the dark, I heard him crystal clear. 'Age breeds cunning. This Xu Yan won't be easy to deal with.'

The sect cultivators stopped at the entrance of the Third Ward. They had yet to continue downward when the wailing of wronged souls suddenly echoed down the gloomy corridor.

Seeing this, the corners of my mouth curled up. 'Is Mr. Paper finally making his move?'