Chapter Fifteen: The Illusion of the Hanging Temple

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“Whoosh, whoosh…”
Countless white paper offerings fluttered down through the air, chilling and eerie. Pale prayer flags swayed gently, their inscriptions ignited by flickering flames. The barren land stretched endlessly, dotted with graves and tombstones.

A fire blazed amidst the black mist, accompanied by faint, sorrowful cries.

The Netherworld had descended!

“Four dead…”

The Black Cat Empress’s golden eyes gleamed brightly. She leapt down from the wall, the small jade talisman tied with a red string around her neck swaying lightly. With graceful, unhurried steps, she began to clear the battlefield left by the duel.

Drawn by the scent of death, she had come to this little riverside village, silently observing the entire tragic demise of the Qi Practitioner.

Chen Xuan followed her shadow closely.

Activating his Heart Altar, the scene of the Netherworld unfolded before his eyes.

“That black cat… it’s a ‘Chimei’.”

The Chimei were one of the twenty-four types of ghosts and monsters. Typically, they were ancient spirits born from mountain beasts and marsh creatures. The four-eyed spirit and the bronze horse Chen Xuan had encountered earlier also belonged to this category in a strict sense, though they originated from ancient artifacts and were numerous, so Qi Practitioners classified them separately as archaic spirits.

As for the latter two among the Chimei, the Wangliang were spirits of mountain wood and stone.

“These three streams of immortal Qi are utterly ruined… the young man’s attack was too heavy-handed.”

The Black Cat Empress stepped over the grotesque corpses on the ground, her expression slightly displeased, feeling that the feast had been desecrated. She walked towards the ruins of the collapsed houses in the distance.

“This immortal Qi of the great monk is somewhat interesting. He comes from the Hanging Temple and once practiced illusions, infused with a trace of the Mountain-Sea fate…”

The Hanging Temple?

Chen Xuan, possessing the Black Cat Empress’s vision, heard her inner voice and felt a heavy sinking feeling in his heart… It seemed he had killed a Qi Practitioner of notable background?

The Hanging Temple was a hidden sect of ancient Chu Kingdom, not within the territory of Red Crow City. Legend had it that on the mountain lived ascetic monks who subsisted on wind and dew, devoting themselves to Dharma study and ignoring worldly affairs.

This was a Qi faction no less formidable than the Azure Deer Mountain!

“Whoosh!”

At that moment, the Black Cat Empress inhaled sharply, drawing a white beam of immortal Qi from the great monk’s body among the ruins. Along with a dimly glowing clip of light, it flickered and flashed rapidly in midair.

“The Little White Ape Illusion… Qi flowing through the Purple Palace, passing the Spiritual Ruins, the Heavenly Mansion acupoint, reaching…”

In the silhouette, a robed great monk was seen in a deep mountain temple with towering ancient trees, secretly overhearing a profound illusion technique…

Panicked, he fled down the mountain, heart pounding, eager to practice it. Yet his talent was poor, and for years he failed to break through.

“Can’t master it… ha ha, the masters at the Hanging Temple were right, my bones are too weak. I’ll never cultivate the Golden Virtue White Qi in my lifetime!”

In a torrential downpour, the great monk looked up and laughed bitterly, utterly despondent.

Greed had led to a grave mistake; the mountain gate was lost. The great monk wandered the world, still using the sect’s name as a facade and eventually drifting to the remote Red Crow City territory, becoming a local hero of the martial world.

“So the great monk was a traitor after all. Am I cleaning house for the Hanging Temple?”

Chen Xuan chuckled inwardly. He was not afraid of making enemies, but peace was preferable.

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Then, he saw in that clip of light, a strand of immortal Qi suddenly emerge, tracing a unique trajectory in the air, gradually sketching an outline resembling the human form.

“This is the Qi flow map of the Hanging Temple’s ‘Little White Ape Illusion’!”

Chen Xuan’s heart trembled. He immediately focused, imprinting the entire Qi flow diagram deeply into his mind.

“Roar!”

The snowy white immortal Qi swirled and connected to some strange power. Suddenly, a gigantic white ape, mountain-sized, appeared, its fists planted on the ground, snarling fiercely toward the heavens.

A white ape!

“Interesting.”

Chen Xuan was entranced. From this vision, he seemed to have grasped some insight into the illusion technique that had eluded the great monk for years.

It didn’t seem so difficult to learn?

“When a Qi Practitioner dies, the illusions they practiced in life, tainted by their fate, will evolve in the Netherworld.”

Chen Xuan murmured, as if a bright path lay before him… Would it mean that if he coveted an illusion technique, killing its master would grant it to him?

Kill one and become a thief, kill ten and become a demon, kill a thousand and ascend to immortality?

When wicked thoughts arise, the world suddenly seems vast and boundless.

“This is definitely a method for a great demon’s rise.”

Chen Xuan shuddered. The sudden idea was far too extreme, not a righteous path.

“I’m not a bloodthirsty person… but if some do evil and seek their own death, then it’s no fault of mine.”

Firm in character, Chen Xuan quickly dismissed such thoughts. His talent was already excellent; no need to seek shortcuts. He would proceed naturally.

The Black Cat Empress stared intently at the Qi flow map for a long moment, wrinkling her delicate nose as she muttered, “What conspiracy are those mad ascetics at the Hanging Temple scheming? They’re so busy plotting they don’t even care that their illusion technique has spread to the mortal world.”

Chen Xuan frowned, sensing he had overheard a secret. He sharpened his ears.

“Could it be that their treacherous hearts remain, still imagining awakening ‘Yonghe’? They’re all long dead… The Hanging Temple might as well cultivate a living Buddha in this world!”

The Black Cat Empress sneered, “Let them stir up chaos, tear the Chu Kingdom apart. It’s better if all Qi Practitioners perish! The Netherworld will feast well!”

Chen Xuan was startled. Awaken Yonghe?

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: There is a beast resembling an ape, with red eyes and red beak, yellow body, called Yonghe. Its appearance portends great terror for the nation.

Those ascetic monks of the Hanging Temple were secretly plotting such an earth-shattering event!

The Yonghe giant ape was a legendary beast rivaling the ancient Chu Kingdom’s Firebird. Its emergence would ignite warfare, with Golden Virtue White Qi enveloping the world, clashing fiercely with the Firebird’s flaming Qi, spawning great calamity. The ancient kingdom might even be split in two.

“The Little White Ape Illusion was created by the Hanging Temple to study Yonghe…”

Chen Xuan whispered, then resolved to keep his distance from any monks of the Hanging Temple in the future. Those ascetics were probably madmen.

Of course, he knew awakening Yonghe was nearly impossible, and the mighty imperial court of the ancient Chu Kingdom, dominating vast lands, would never tolerate such blasphemy.

“Whoosh!”

Then, the Black Cat Empress opened her mouth and swallowed the immortal Qi containing the great monk’s past memories and fate.

By now, Chen Xuan had fully memorized the illusion’s Qi flow map. Though this descent into the Netherworld yielded no direct gain from the Black Cat, he had discovered another wondrous function of his Heart Altar and obtained an illusion technique to cultivate Golden Virtue White Qi — a worthy harvest indeed.

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After the Black Cat Empress had eaten her fill, she suddenly turned her head, a trace of solemnity flashing in her golden eyes.

Chen Xuan was startled. In her vision, she saw him—just after his duel—sitting on the courtyard steps with eyes closed, resting.

“Why is she staring at me for no reason?”

The Black Cat Empress scrutinized Chen Xuan, even stepping forward on all fours to inspect him closely.

Her whiskers brushed gently across his face…

“I misjudged you last time, little one. You’ve got your own secrets hidden about you…”

Her cold inner voice echoed in Chen Xuan’s ears, chilling him to the bone. What had she discovered?

A few days ago, during the turmoil caused by the “Yellow Millet Dream” in Willow Town, she had seen this ill-fated youth. At that time, he had obtained a scroll containing the Twelve Spirit Qi Breathing Method, but it seemed he had not dared to practice it recklessly.

Now, he was learning the Cat Breathing Technique…

Although Chen Xuan had instantly adjusted his breathing rhythm the moment the Black Cat appeared, his body had already undergone subtle changes from prolonged breathing practice, which the Black Cat Empress had detected.

This was a very ancient breathing technique, one she was quite familiar with, rarely seen except in the Netherworld and a few select places.

“The Yellow Millet Dream has manifested; another anomaly won’t be surprising. Someone placed an early bet and provided you with this breathing method.”

The Black Cat Empress’s lips curved into a bloodthirsty smile. “The Peach Blossom Source is about to fall from the sky. You’d better not die, or I’ll uncover your secret…”

Why would a perfectly ordinary person choose to learn to breathe like a cat?

She could not comprehend it and felt a vague sense of shame… Whoever secretly taught Chen Xuan this breathing technique was truly unorthodox, leading him astray.

“Phew…”

Chen Xuan exhaled in relief. The Black Cat had only discovered this fact; he had long been prepared. Secretly learning the Cat Breathing Technique meant it was almost impossible to hide it from its rightful owner.

He just hadn’t expected the Black Cat to associate it with such a mess of implications.

The one placing bets behind the scenes? Wasn’t it her!

The Netherworld’s mysteries were not as terrifying as imagined. After prolonged contact, Chen Xuan felt less of the cold mystery from the Black Cat and more of a friendly aura.

“I’ll be watching you closely…”

The Black Cat Empress left with a sharp warning.

In the distance, torrents of black rain poured down like a waterfall, obscuring all in sight.

…

Soon after,

Chen Xuan ended his Heart Altar meditation and opened his eyes in the small courtyard.

“The Little White Ape Illusion…”

He quickly recalled and deepened his impression, then began cultivating according to the Qi flow map.