Chapter Twenty-Six: The Master of the Void Cavern

"Hmph, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin!"

Yang Nan had long since had Old Crab find out that most of the dozens of small demons he had killed were evil creatures who ran rampant in the countryside and demanded blood sacrifices. They were not worth pitying. As for the rest, as long as they were properly pacified, he could easily control these ten counties and one hundred townships.

Demons had always been wild and undisciplined; if one did not use heavy hands and impose harsh punishments, how could they ever develop a sense of awe?

Yang Nan did not care whether they were Earth Gods or minor deities; if they dared to bring disaster upon the human world, he would slay them first and ask questions later!

This show of intimidation left all the Earth Gods trembling. From that day on, they dared not harbor thoughts of acting recklessly again. As Yang Nan sat in the shrine, seeing the awe in the eyes of the demons, he felt slightly more at ease. Suddenly, a minor demon guarding the door came forward to report: "Young Master, the Prefect of Hot Spring City has arrived with a group of gentry to offer incense at the temple, and there are countless commoners behind them. Should we stop them?"

"The mortal authorities are here? It would not be appropriate to block them..."

Yang Nan frowned. He looked at the statue on the altar, which had been smashed into several pieces. With a thought, he waved his hand to gather the fragments into his Jiangshan Ring. He turned and said, "We practitioners, if not necessary, need not reveal our true forms to mortals. You may enter my Jiangshan Ring to take shelter for now."

As Yang Nan spoke, he flicked his sleeves and ushered the hundreds of Earth Gods into the Jiangshan Ring. He took out the purple jade avatar and commanded it to transform into a divine statue, standing upon the altar.

The group of ghost servants attached themselves to their own idols. Yang Nan shifted his form, appearing as a ghost servant, and stood beside Ox-Head and Horse-Face. The two ghost servants, seeing the great supernatural powers of the Immortal, were secretly filled with admiration at how he still strictly adhered to the Heavenly Statutes. It was only a bit strange that a ferocious-looking Yaksha idol had suddenly appeared beside them...

Firecrackers erupted like thunder. The Prefect of Hot Spring, dressed in official robes, led the city's gentry into the temple. Seeing that the statue on the altar had changed into an elegant and transcendent young Immortal Master, he was startled, though his expression remained unchanged. He took sandalwood incense, lit it, and after offering his respects, knelt and prayed: "With the Immortal Master above, your humble believer, Prefect Sun Jindou of Hot Spring, leads the city's gentry and commoners to offer incense and worship. Since you have graced Hot Spring City with your presence, you shall enjoy our incense and protect our people. If you are divine, your believer will surely reshape your golden body and hold a blessing ceremony for you in the coming days."

Once Prefect Sun took the lead, the gentry and the men and women of status followed one after another, offering incense with great reverence. Then came the countless commoners of the city. As wisps of incense smoke rose continuously, Yang Nan was astonished to see golden specks of light flying from the heads of every person offering incense, sinking into the purple jade avatar. Once the avatar activated the supreme Golden Body technique, it absorbed all the mental energy, and more and more light spots appeared on its body, revealing a faint golden glow.

Different people offered different wishes, but regardless of the desire, they all transformed into golden light and flew into the purple jade avatar!

Seeing that the officials, gentry, and commoners seemed completely unconcerned about the change of deities, Yang Nan was surprised. He sent a divine thought to Ox-Head: "I executed the Sky Demon and Sky Talisman sects today; why are the Prefect and the commoners not the least bit surprised?"

Ox-Head, being a Yin god, spoke in a way that mortals could not hear. He immediately replied, "The Immortal Master may not know this, but this Earth Temple has seen many Immortal Masters come and go. One leaves, another arrives; it is a common occurrence. Although mortals could not see the battle in the sky today due to the thunder and dark clouds, they know from experience that someone has come to contest for Hot Spring City. As long as practitioners do not harm mortals, they do not care who becomes the master of the Earth Temple."

Yang Nan laughed in spite of himself. These mortals possessed their own survival wisdom; if practitioners fought fiercely without harming them, they wouldn't care who was fighting to the death for control.

It was not that there were no evil-doing practitioners, but most rarely slaughtered people openly and recklessly.

The common people were the foundation for cultivating the supreme golden body. If the mortals were terrified, who would provide the power of faith?

The stream of people offering incense was endless. Yang Nan grew annoyed and closed his five senses, turning to his own cultivation. He cast his consciousness into the Five Spirits God-Sealing Diagram and began to spar with the shadows within. Every time he mastered a new technique or reached a new realm, the diagram verified the power of his new moves. Such a magical artifact was like an opponent that grew alongside him without ever causing him harm; it was truly a rare and invaluable treasure.

After all the commoners had left, Yang Nan returned to his true form and opened the Jiangshan Ring to release all the Earth Gods. Seeing the Immortal Master's ability to shift shapes at will, the Earth Gods were even more awestruck. Yang Nan comforted them with a few kind words and told them to return and inform the people that they no longer needed to burn incense in the future.

***

The atmosphere in Hot Spring Prefecture was cleared in one stroke. Yang Nan took command of the prefecture and expanded his influence to the ten prefectures of the Southern Continent. With Old Crab, Dapeng, the Octopus General, and Chiyang taking action, sweeping away the Sky Demon Sect and the Sky Talisman Sect was effortless. Within a few days, through killing or suppression, they had purged the ten prefectures of all demons, ghosts, and monsters.

The people of the various prefectures suddenly discovered that overnight, the demons and ghosts that had roamed the streets had disappeared. Even the Earth Gods they worshipped sent dreams saying that from then on, there was no need for daily offerings of three sticks of incense or monthly blood sacrifices. This miraculous phenomenon left them both surprised and delighted.

For mortals, while praying and offering incense was essential, being forced by gods to do so versus doing it voluntarily were two different things. Once the City God Temple in Hot Spring Prefecture was guarded by demon soldiers, even small wishes of commoners were easily fulfilled, and even the lonely and destitute could have their prayers answered. Thus, the fame of the Immortals in Hot Spring Prefecture spread far and wide; not only the ten prefectures of the Southern Continent but even the people of the Eastern and Western Continents heard of the efficacy of the Immortals here.

Consequently, a massive crowd of incense-bearers arrived at the City God Temple in an endless stream...

Yang Nan laughed at the mortals' behavior of seeking favors from immortals. Though there were true immortals in the world, some wishes could not be fulfilled even by the immortals themselves; how could they truly be responsive to every request?

True immortals could not manage the trivialities of the human world either!

He was merely letting his demon soldiers handle matters of relieving suffering and helping the poor. Having heard too many wishes, he found it tiresome. The scenery in Hot Spring Prefecture was pleasant, and sitting in the City God Temple all day was not a true journey through the human world. A plan suddenly formed in Yang Nan's mind.

In Hot Spring City, Yang Nan walked with Fang Qingyan and the other two women through the bustling streets, enjoying the myriad phenomena of the mortal world. Yang Nan had not descended the mountain for over a decade; returning to the human world, he found many things quite different from ten years ago.

Hot Spring City was one of the liveliest major cities in the Southern Continent. The streets were filled with street performers, fortune tellers, and food vendors; the sound of hawking echoed continuously—a scene of vibrant life.

"The desires of the mortal world disturb the heart; the prosperity of a thousand things confuses the soul."

After achieving success in his cultivation, Yang Nan had long since grown indifferent to these worldly things. Did the finest scenery lead to endless Daoist powers?

Fang Qingyan and the other two women were quite different. Seeing such a lively scene, they were overjoyed, frequently taking out gold and silver to make grand purchases. Old Crab followed behind with several better-looking demon soldiers, each carrying piles of clothes, accessories, and snacks.

Old Crab, who had never been to the human world, was bewildered: these items had no spiritual energy and no utility; why were the three mistresses so tireless in their shopping?

Though he was puzzled, he dutifully acted as a storage unit. Since they couldn't reveal magic artifacts on the street, they had to carry everything themselves.

In front of an exquisitely decorated pavilion, Fang Qingyan said, "Husband, this is the famous Heavenly Garment Pavilion of the Southern Continent. The clothes produced here are renowned throughout the world. Shall we go in and have a look?" It was rare for them to go out for fun, and seeing that Yang Nan was in the mood to accompany her, she led the way into the shop.

Yang Nan shook his head. The gold and silver in his possession could be piled into mountains; what was the point of buying so many trivialities?

However, since Qingyan liked it, he would let her buy whatever she wanted. She had not returned home for over a decade because of him; such a small matter should naturally be left to her heart's desire.

Yang Nan turned and said, "Old Crab, take a few men and follow the ladies. Whatever they want to buy, just pay for it."

Old Crab puffed out his chest and shouted loudly, "Old Crab obeys!" His voice was booming, echoing with a heroic spirit. Behind him, several master-level experts, carrying piles of items, wore expressions of utter misery!

***

Taking women shopping, whether in ancient times or the present, was a bitter chore for any man, and demons were no exception.

Fang Qingyan knew her husband never cared for such trifles, so she just smiled, led the two women and the demon soldiers into the shop. Yang Nan stood in front of the Heavenly Garment Pavilion, observing the crowds passing by. Just as he was lamenting the fleeting nature of youth and time passing like water, someone beside him suddenly said, "Worldly affairs are like water; fortune and misfortune have no gate. Young master, would you like this poor Daoist to cast a fortune for you?"

Yang Nan turned his head. The person speaking was also a Daoist. This middle-aged man had three long whiskers under his chin, wore a "pure heart" crown on his head, and was short and stout with a peculiar, refined appearance. He held a banner with the golden words "Predicting Past and Present Lives, Divining the Current and Future." He stroked his long beard and looked at Yang Nan with a faint smile.

"Eh? This Daoist has no magic power at all, no wonder he can't tell I'm a practitioner..." Seeing the fortune-teller's charlatan-like appearance, Yang Nan amusedly asked, "May I ask, Daoist, which sect do you belong to? And can you truly calculate everything?"

Yang Nan's tone was teasing. The fortune-teller seemed confident, his expression calm as he replied, "This poor Daoist is Zhu Ding, Master of the Void Cave. I have studied the Art Sect's 'Three Lives Reincarnation Determination Technique' and the 'Celestial Bone Divination Method.' Whether human or demon, once deduced, I can calculate the fate of past and present lives. If the fortune is inaccurate, you are free to smash my sign!"

"A sign?" Yang Nan looked rather gloomily at the banner, which was about a zhang long and held up by a bamboo pole. Even if the prediction was wrong, what good would it do to smash the banner?

However, Yang Nan still held a certain fondness for fortune-telling Daoists. In his past life, he had lived next to an old Daoist who set up a stall for several months, and in this life, he considered himself a member of the Daoist community. This Daoist, who had no spiritual energy, was not worth mentioning in terms of power, but perhaps he possessed some peculiar techniques.

Yang Nan chuckled, "I have heard that the Art Sect excels in the five arts of divination, fortune-telling, deduction, determination, and analysis, and is the largest sect in the secular world. Since you are so confident, why not cast a fortune for me? If it is accurate, gold and silver will be no object."

Divination: knowing a person by writing a character. Fortune-telling: using tools to determine luck. Deduction: calculating fate through bone structure. Determination: observing aura to know a person's origins. Analysis: drawing a definitive conclusion after the previous four.

Only by using all five arts could one be considered a true practitioner of the Art Sect. Yang Nan had, of course, been taught these basics by his master; otherwise, a disciple of Kunlun would be a laughingstock for knowing nothing when out in the world!

The Art Sect was a branch of the Daoist Law Sect. Most fortune tellers in the world came from this school. These men mostly relied on their tongues to swindle commoners. Finding dragon veins, choosing graves, and feng shui were all part of the Art Sect's studies. Most fortune-telling Daoists one saw only learned a few superficial scraps. High-level masters capable of determining past and present lives or luck were rare, and having glimpsed the secrets of heaven, how would they easily reveal them?

Yang Nan smiled, thinking, 'Since I have nothing better to do, I might as well see what kind of Art Sect skills this Daoist has.'

He spread his hands and said with a smile, "Daoist, you aren't going to tell me that my brows show signs of disaster or that my forehead is dark with bad luck, are you?" Thinking of the old Daoist's words from his past life, a warmth surged in his heart. Seeing this fortune-teller, how could he not tease him a little?

The fortune-teller shook his head and said solemnly, "Young master, wait. The art is not lightly passed on, and fortune-telling has its price. This poor Daoist charges a thousand gold for a reading. Money first, then the reading. This thousand gold cannot be less."

Most people offering fortune-telling would say "no charge if inaccurate," but this Zhu Ding was straightforward, reaching out for the money immediately.

Yang Nan did not care for gold and silver at all. He waved his hand and laughed, "Daoist, don't worry about the gold. Just go ahead and calculate."