6kv Chapter 261 Road
Chapter 261 Road
Chapter 261 The Road (5000)
The sound of a wooden fish.
This time it wasn't from afar, but much closer, as if it were echoing from behind some unseen stone platform, separated only by the mist.
Immediately afterwards, all the shadows around them stopped at once.
Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed: "They're here."
Almost simultaneously, he raised his hand, pulled the copper coin covered in black dust from his bag, wiped the hole in the coin with his fingertip, and then flicked it into the air.
As the coin flipped, he swiftly formed a very short "shadow spell":
Bring your two fingers together and press them into your palm, then tap your thumb on the outside of your middle finger.
The left foot lightly steps forward three-tenths of an inch, while the right foot pulls back one inch.
He held his breath firmly in his chest, and his eyes shone with unwavering brilliance.
Then he spoke with a clear, resonant voice: "Heavenly light illuminates shadows, earthly energy returns to its roots."
"The true form is not hidden, the false appearance is revealed."
"A copper coin can open my eyes; lend me a glimmer of light."
"To illuminate the path ahead, to expose evil spirits."
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Understand!"
As the character "明" (Ming) was written, the copper coin fell to the ground with a "ding" sound.
That faint golden light flashed briefly in the fog.
But that one flash made it visible to everyone.
Behind the fog was neither a stone platform nor the end of a mountain road, but an old place surrounded by half-collapsed earthen walls.
The wall was not high, and it was badly mottled. Inside the wall stood several black wooden stakes, with faded paper banners hanging on them.
The words written on the paper banner had long been washed away by the wind and rain and were no longer legible, leaving only a few grayish-white creases, like the fingernail marks left by a dead person.
In the middle of that old wall stood a black jar, about half a person's height.
The jar was small but extremely stable. A yellowish mat covered the mouth of the jar, with seven small black nails pressed along the edge of the mat.
On either side of the altar, a thin bamboo pole is inserted, with a thin hemp rope tied to it. The ends of the ropes dangle into the ground, as if connected to something below.
Most terrifyingly, a shadow was kneeling in front of the black altar.
The shadow had no face, but its back was hunched low, and its hands were clasped together in front of its chest, as if it were offering something to an altar.
And that wooden fish sound came from the wooden box beside the shadow's knee.
Zhou Heng glanced at it and felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen; his throat tightened: "What... what's in that jar?"
Lu Yuan stared at the black jar, his eyes so deep they seemed to be filled with water.
"Provide road access."
"Just like before, 'Sitting Altar'."
"The mat pressed down on the road, the nails locked the mouth, the banner fluttered the shadow, and the wooden fish calmed the spirit."
"This is the way to exploit the living, but the way to make the dead."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out and pulled Song Qinghe by the waist, dragging her back half a step.
Almost at the same instant, the faceless shadow kneeling before the altar suddenly raised its head.
Although it has no facial features, everyone can clearly feel that it "looked" at them.
The next second, a very light and subtle rustling sound came from the black jar, as if something was slowly scratching under the mat with fingernails.
Lu Yuan's expression finally turned completely cold.
"It's about to be opened."
Before the words were finished, the mountain fog suddenly thickened, the paper banners fluttered without wind, and the shadows all around leaned forward.
At that moment, it felt as if something had lifted the entire valley from the ground.
As soon as the mountain fog descended, it was as if someone had covered the surroundings with a black cloth, swallowing up even the faint morning light.
Zhou Heng felt his vision blur, his ears ringing, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making his breathing short.
Lin Zhaoxuan subconsciously took half a step forward. As soon as his toes touched the ground, he heard a soft "crack" sound under his feet, as if he had stepped on an empty shell.
Looking down, I saw a small wooden wedge buried in the ground, its head coated with blackened oil, and a trace of incense ash clinging to the surface.
"wrong."
Lin Zhaoxuan's expression changed drastically: "There are buttons on the ground!"
Lu Yuan had already seen it.
He glanced around and said in a deep voice, "Don't step on anything."
"This is the 'foot-sealing buckle' on the outer edge of the mat."
"Once you step firmly, the yang energy in your feet will be trapped, making it difficult to walk."
After he finished speaking, he first raised his hand to block Song Qinghe behind him.
Then he took two small steps, like stepping on plum blossoms or walking in the Big Dipper, but each step landed on an unseen gap.
The steps seemed light, yet extremely steady; what the feet pressed against was not soil, but the somber pulse of the mountains.
As Lu Yuan walked, he spoke in a low voice, not loud, but as if he were reciting it specifically to this mountainous region: "Heaven has its gates, and earth has its doors."
"Mountains have mountain passes, and rivers have waterways."
"People walk the path of life, while ghosts guard the corners of the underworld."
"You can press down on my feet, but you can't press down on me."
"I borrow the Qi of the Central Heaven and tread the Qi to break through the fog."
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Execute!"
Lu Yuan stomped his right foot, and the aura that had been tightly contained around him suddenly sank into the ground like a nail.
The paper-faced figures that were slowly moving in the mountain mist were all jolted to a halt by this kick.
Zhou Heng finally caught his breath and hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Brother Lu, what—what do we do?"
"Are they about to swarm us?"
Lu Yuan's eyes never left the black jar in front of him: "They dare not attack first."
"There are rules for the altar; if the altar is not opened, the shadows will be tested first."
"Only when the altar is opened can the real game begin."
As he spoke, the faceless figure in front of the black altar slowly raised its hands.
Those hands were inexplicably incredibly slender, the wrists almost as thin as reeds, yet the knuckles were clearly defined.
It raised its hands to its chest, and with a gentle flip, pushed the wooden fish box forward.
"Thump."
The wooden fish made another sound.
This sound was deeper than the previous one, as if it came from the depths of the jar, making people's hearts go numb.
Immediately afterwards, the yellowish mat on the black altar bulged slightly, as if something underneath was slowly turning over.
Song Qinghe's face turned pale, and she blurted out, "There's life in the jar!"
Lu Yuan's expression turned cold: "It's not alive."
"It's for gas supply."
"If a living person is kept alive by incense for too long, the thing below will start to consume the person's breath as if it were fire."
After saying that, he suddenly raised his hand, pulled out three yellow talismans from his bag, gently pinched the first one with his fingertip, and whispered, "The Four Symbols suppress the earth, the Eight Winds return to their source."
"I am now opening this talisman not for killing or warfare, but only to sever the path in front of the altar."
After he finished reading, he flipped his thumb, and the yellow talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, with only a wisp of blue smoke rising from the corner.
Lu Yuan flicked his wrist, but the talisman didn't dissipate. Instead, it floated towards the altar like a thin flame.
Before the talisman was even placed down, the two thin bamboo poles beside the altar suddenly snapped with a "crack" at the same time.
Zhou Heng was taken aback: "It's broken?"
Lu Yuandao said, "Sever the eye at the mouth of the jar."
"These two bamboo poles aren't just for show; they're for measuring the path of that thing in the jar."
"If the bamboo is broken, the mouth of the jar will lose one layer of air-drawing capacity."
The faceless shadow in front of the black altar seemed to sense something was wrong, and its body suddenly swayed as if it wanted to shrink back.
But the moment it moved, a very faint "rustling" sound suddenly came from below the mouth of the jar.
The sound was like something scratching under the mat, or like someone slowly digging at a wooden board with their fingernails.
Then, the entire black jar slid forward gently.
Just this one inch.
But after that inch slid out, everyone saw that what was pressed under the jar was neither soil nor stone.
Instead, it was a layer of grayish-white dry bone powder, mixed with fine bits of black hair.
The black hair was tangled together, as if it were a woman's long hair that had been cut off in the early years, soaked in sesame oil, and pressed against the bottom of the jar for a long time, and was now half withered and half alive.
At first glance, it looks like a nest of tiny black insects.
Song Qinghe gasped, her voice trembling: "This—this jar is covered in hair?"
Lu Yuan glanced at it and said coldly, "It's the root of the altar."
"Only by taking a person's hair and binding their bones with yin energy, and pressing them down on the bottom of the jar, can the mouth of the jar be kept from disintegrating."
Lin Zhaoxuan's expression was also extremely grim at this moment. He finally lowered his voice and said, "This is not a simple evil altar."
"This is a proper jar for nourishing the palate."
Lu Yuan nodded: "More or less."
"First, use a mat to press down the road, then use a banner to cast shadows, use a wooden fish to calm the mind, use black nails to lock the position, and finally use hair root and bone powder to nourish the mouth of the jar."
"This thing isn't in a hurry to eat people; it first eats people's sense of direction."
"7
"As soon as a person takes the wrong path, it can follow your footsteps and slowly lead you into the altar."
Zhou Heng felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but ask, "Then—what do we do?"
Lu Yuan looked up at the black jar that was slowly shaking, as if he were looking at an old grave that had been buried for many years.
"Break the seats first."
"The mat must not be broken, the jar must not be opened."
"The jar hasn't been opened yet, so the contents inside aren't fully awakened."
After saying that, he suddenly took out a pinch of fine salt from his pocket, and then took out the copper coin that had been covered in black dust, and sprinkled the salt on the copper coin.
He then held the copper coin between two fingers and whispered, "Salt is for cleanliness, gold is for sharpness."
"A single coin in the eye can cause all evil to crumble."
"There is a mat before the altar, and on the mat is darkness."
"Golden salt falls to the ground, severing your roots."
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Break!"
As soon as the word "break" left his mouth, Lu Yuan flicked his two fingers sharply.
The copper coin flew out with a "ding," drew a very short arc in mid-air, and landed precisely on the corner of the mat in front of the black altar.
With a "sizzle" sound, the edge of the mat was scorched as if by fire, instantly creating a small black hole.
The black hole wasn't large, but in that instant, the mat that had been steadily pressing down on the mouth of the jar was lifted upwards, and a surge of extremely cold, yin energy immediately rushed out from below.
The moment that breath was released, everyone shivered.
It was as if a dozen invisible ice snakes had suddenly appeared in the ravine, climbing up along my ankles, and even my breath carried a fishy, cold smell.
Zhou Heng almost knelt down because he lost his balance, but luckily Lin Zhaoxuan reached out and helped him up.
"Hold on!"
Lu Yuan hissed, "Don't let it crawl under your knees!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the black jar suddenly trembled.
The mat at the mouth of the jar seemed to have been pushed up from the inside by something, creating a clear human-shaped outline.
The outline started with the chest, then the head, then the shoulders, and finally even a raised hand was clearly imprinted.
Song Qinghe's face turned deathly pale, and she practically spat out the words through clenched teeth: "There's something inside—there really is something inside!"
Lu Yuan stared at the mouth of the jar, his gaze intensely serious: "Of course there is."
"The altar for feasting, the altar for cultivating words—where is there an empty altar?"
"It's just an empty shell; something else has been living inside for a long time."
After saying that, he suddenly took out another yellow talisman. This time, he did not burn the talisman immediately, but instead pressed his fingers together on the surface of the talisman.
Then, he took a half step back with his left foot, stepped forward with his right foot, and crossed his hands in front of his chest to form a deeper mudra.
As soon as the hand seal was used, Zhou Heng felt that Lu Yuan's entire aura had changed.
It's like going from being a "person" to a "jar" in an instant.
The next moment, Lu Yuan spoke in a low voice, but instead of the usual short and concise incantation, he recited a settling-in incantation that was very particular about the rules of the altar: "The incense has roots, the lineage has a lineage."
"Every altar has its rules, and every path has its way of being."
"We beseech the Three Pure Ones above, and the Four Divine Blessings below."
"Seal the yin opening on the left, and lock away the evil wind on the right."
"I am not acting out of personal interest, but to inquire about the cause."
""
"Asked the master of this altar: who offered this image?"
"If a person is evil, their name shall be revealed."
"If it is a demon, it shall be punished by my nails."
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Manifest!"
As soon as the word "manifest" was uttered, the yellow talisman seemed to be supported by an invisible fire, slowly standing upright in mid-air.
The cinnabar patterns on the yellow talisman lit up, and then the entire talisman rippled gently like water.
Immediately afterwards, a very short, muffled laugh came from the mouth of the jar.
The laughter didn't sound like human laughter; it sounded more like someone squeezing out a little air through a very thick layer of dirt between their teeth.
Everyone was shocked.
The next moment, the bulging human figure in the black jar suddenly popped open, creating a crack.
A hand emerged from the mouth of the jar first.
Her hands were extremely white, as white as dough frozen in winter, but her fingers were very thin.
The fingers are segmented and look disproportionate.
There were still a few pieces of half-rotten paper stuck to the back of his hand, like the paste from making paper figures in the old days that hadn't been scraped off.
After the hand reached out, it didn't rush to grab anyone. Instead, it slowly raised its hand, put its five fingers together, and gently beckoned to Lu Yuan.
The gesture even seemed like an invitation.
Zhou Heng suddenly jolted awake: "What...what is it doing?"
Lu Yuan's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"It's inviting people in."
Please come over.
Lin Zhaoxuan said in a deep voice, "If you go over there, will it be able to borrow your energy?"
Lu Yuan said, enunciating each word clearly, "It's a change of positions."
"Those things in the jar love to swap the living and the dead."
"Once you stand on its altar, it can emerge by following the yang energy on your body."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly pressed the yellow talisman in his hand into his palm, then pressed it against his chest, and took a very short step.
Three steps to the left, two steps to the right, one step to the center, turn around halfway, touch the ground with your toes, and sink your breath to your dantian.
Immediately afterward, Lu Yuan opened his mouth and uttered a shorter, yet as steady as a nail: "Heavenly thunder rumbles faintly, earthly thunder roars loudly."
"When protected by Yang lightning, Yin lightning cannot arise."
"When the evil altar speaks, it first shakes the heart."
"7
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Beware!"
Immediately, Lu Yuan slammed his left hand forward.
Snapped!
In that instant, it was as if an invisible thunderclap exploded in the sky.
The hand that had been extended from the mouth of the jar suddenly recoiled as if it had been struck by lightning.
At the same time, an even sharper scratching sound came from the mouth of the jar, as if the thing inside had been stimulated and was desperately trying to pounce out.
The paper banners around the black altar swayed on their own without any wind, and the faded paper edges made a "rustling" sound, as if someone was pulling them from behind.
As soon as the paper banner moved, the paper faces in the mist all looked up at the same time.
In an instant, the entire valley seemed to come alive.
Countless white figures surged forward from the mist, their feet barely touching the ground and their faces indistinct, and in a flash they pressed down on the four of them.
Zhou Heng was terrified, his hands flailing as he reached for the short stick at his waist, but Lu Yuan stopped him with a sharp shout: "Don't do it!"
"Preserve your energy first!"
As Lu Yuan spoke, he suddenly pulled out a stack of yellow talismans from his shoulder bag.
They were thrown at Lin Zhaoxuan, Zhou Heng, Song Qinghe, Wang Chengan, and Xu Erxiao respectively.
"Take it!"
"Stand back to back!"
"Put the talisman on your chest, and don't shout anything!"
He took a step forward, his left hand forming a mudra, his right hand pointing outwards, and he quickly recited a mantra: "When the altar comes, I will not retreat; when the evil spirits come, I will not leave."
"Evil cannot penetrate the bones, nor can it enter the heart."
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Surround them!"
As the last character "围" (surround) was written, Lu Yuan pressed both hands to the ground.
At that moment, the surrounding earth seemed to be suddenly pulled up by something, and a very thin, invisible circle faintly rippled around the four people's feet.
The circle wasn't large, but it was extremely stable. The air inside the circle warmed slightly, as if temporarily pulling people out of the fog.
The group of white figures that rushed towards them immediately emitted a series of extremely fine and sharp hissing sounds as they collided with the invisible aura.
Like paper meeting heat, or ice meeting fire.
They are not real entities; when you hit them, they scatter into a layer, but they scatter and then gather again, gathering and then colliding again, as if they feel no pain.
Zhou Heng, watching from the sidelines, turned pale and stammered, "How...how many of these are there?"
Lu Yuan's gaze was cold and hard as he said in a deep voice, "There are plenty of junks."
"It's like the jar has been opened halfway, and the old shadows that were suppressed inside have all awakened."
After he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly shifted and fell on the center of the black jar.
He saw something under the corner of the uncovered mat.
It is neither a corpse nor a ghost.
It is a small wooden plaque that is half black and half yellow.
The wooden sign had only one character engraved on it. The character was small, but it was shiny from being soaked in sesame oil and the smell of blood.
"road."
The moment Lu Yuan saw the words, his eyelids twitched violently.
He finally understood.
This jar is not solely for offerings to evil spirits.
This is someone using the "road" to support things.
The offerings are not to gods, evil spirits, or even simple ghosts.
What is offered is a "yin road" that can lead the living into the deep mountains, into the old situation, and into death.
The character "路" (road) on the wooden plaque is the true heart of this jar.
As long as this thing isn't destroyed, the underground network in these mountains will remain intact.
Lu Yuan stared at the wooden sign, his face as dark as if it were covered with iron.
"So it was you."
He said something in a low voice, as if he were talking to the thing in the jar, or as if he were talking to himself.
No one else heard him clearly. They only saw Lu Yuan suddenly raise his hand and take out the copper coin covered in black dust from his sleeve.
With a flick of his finger, he pressed the copper coin into his palm.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yuan shifted his feet and suddenly rushed forward half a step.
He stepped out of that invisible aura and headed straight for the black altar.
The faceless shadow in front of the altar immediately let out a shriek and spread its arms wide as if to stop him.
But Lu Yuan was even faster. He flicked a yellow talisman with his left hand, formed a thunder seal with his right, and stomped his feet in rapid steps, shouting, "Open the altar to see the way, first sever your heart!"
"Thunder and fire illuminate one's destiny; evil spirits are to be avoided!"
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Break!"
As the word "break" fell, the yellow talisman exploded upon contact with the altar. Although there was no open flame, it suddenly burst forth with a blinding white light.
As the white light shone, the mat on the black altar finally "ripped" and a corner of it was lifted off.
But the moment the mat was lifted, something real was finally revealed deep within the jar!
One eye.
An extremely large, extremely black, extremely deep eye.
The eye had no whites, only a thick, impenetrable blackness, as if it had been buried at the bottom of a jar for decades, waiting for this moment to open.
As soon as it opened its eyes, the fog in the entire valley seemed to freeze instantly.
Even the wind no longer blows.
And that eye was staring straight at Lu Yuan.