Chapter 239 - 179: Hundred-Eyed High Priest

Chapter 239: Chapter 179: Hundred-Eyed High PriestZhou Xuan spent some time today studying ancient texts about divination and discovered that his own tattoo could activate it. "Totems are the manifestations of gods. When a totem is tattooed on the body and one’s perception merges with it, divine power can be borrowed. However, it’s said there are many taboos." "I know the taboos." This time, the Blood Tree Sect was meticulous, passing down knowledge of materials and needle techniques orally. They also informed about the taboos of three specific tattoos. As for the materials for the three tattoos, there’s not much particularity—they simply use the blood of the person getting the tattoo. However, the recipient of the tattoo is important; their physique must be examined to ensure it’s strong enough. To bear the totem of the gods on one’s body, a frail person wouldn’t be able to withstand it. This is commonly referred to as "checking the hardness of the person’s eight characters." "Xiao Zhou, the further along you go with these tattoos, the harsher the backlash becomes if any taboo is violated. For one incense stick’s duration, violating a tattoo’s taboo might just play a few pranks or reveal some filth to people, but from now on, as tattoos are imprinted on living people, the backlash can range from constant nightmares to possession by an evil ghost." After Yun Ziliang had finished warning Zhou Xuan, he headed downstairs but then turned back halfway, stretching out his hand. "What are you doing?" "Card money." "Haven’t you ever won?" Zhou Xuan pulled out a green hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, slapping it onto Yun Ziliang’s hand. "Don’t bet so much; I don’t want my shop going under because of you." "I, Yun Ziliang, will turn this hundred yuan into two hundred thousand. That’s no problem..." "Go, go, go! I’ve heard that spiel way too many times already." Zhou Xuan waved him off with annoyance. Once Yun Ziliang left, Zhou Xuan closed his eyes again to recuperate, feeling his energy gradually replenished thanks to High Monk Moon Gaze. He finally reconnected with his Divine Revelation and his spiritual link, as well as Li Chengfeng’s calling. "High Priest, I bring new information; please descend upon me." Ever since receiving Zhou Lingyi’s secret letter, Li Chengfeng had been trying to locate Zhou Xuan. But Zhou Xuan hadn’t responded. Left with no choice, Li Chengfeng used his connection to the Blood Well to search for Zhou Xuan every half hour. "Finally, you’ve come." Zhou Xuan entered the world within the Scarlet Moon, descended into Li Chengfeng’s body, and quickly asked, "What’s the news?" "Master Zhou wants you to complete the information on the Ancient Tattoo Clan!" "Old Li, I’ll trouble you to make a trip. Go to the first drawer in my shop’s counter later and take a sealed letter. The updated details are inside. I’m low on energy and can’t sustain this state for long." "Understood." Zhou Xuan received his reply and immediately exited the possession state without wasting a moment. This quick and decisive possession left Zhou Xuan not too disheveled, though he appeared slightly tired, but he had no time to relieve his weariness; pressing matters awaited him. He grabbed a piece of blank white paper, folded it casually, and put it in his pocket. Then, he retrieved a Wash Away Injustice Talisman, opened a fountain pen, and wrote down a line of text. "Zhou Family’s Jingyi Shop, East Market Street, Mingjiang Prefecture, August 29th." Zhou Xuan entered a rift in time and space. In the time-space rift, even the spiritual connection of Divine Revelation could be severed. He pulled the white paper from his pocket, spread it out on the writing desk in his bedroom, and meticulously recorded all the information he’d gathered about the Ancient Tattoo Clan. Hundred Bone Song, Ancient Clan Link, East Market Street, Netherworld Stone, Yumen, Hundred Eyes, Copper Coin— everything was written down in detail, every stroke of ink revealing the information piece by piece. Once finished, ensuring no omissions, Zhou Xuan folded the paper into a small, square chunk and stuffed it back into his pocket. After smashing through the time-space rift, he returned to the front hall of his shop. He opened the first drawer of the counter, glanced up at the ceiling, and blindly operated with his hands—reaching into his pocket, pulling out the letter, tossing it into the drawer, and then shutting it. Having completed this, Zhou Xuan headed to the backyard to watch his fish. In the backyard was a fish he had raised since the day he first learned he was being targeted by the Ancient Tattoo Clan. The shop usually had some dry bread prepared to feed the fish. Sitting on a bench, Zhou Xuan tore off small pieces of bread and tossed them into the basin, all the while listening for sounds from outside. Minutes ticked by, second by second, until finally, after half an hour, there was some commotion outside the shop, starting with three honks from a car horn. Then came the sound of the counter drawer being opened. Next were the sounds of fading footsteps. Li Chengfeng had already taken the letter. "The secret web still needs more people. Relying on just Old Li is too much on him." Zhou Xuan pondered silently. ... Zhou Lingyi and Yuan Buyu sat under the Ancestor Tree, waiting for Zhou Xuan’s secret letter. At last, the lantern reappeared. After reading the letter, Zhou Lingyi said to Yuan Buyu, "The Ancient Tattoo Clan is too cunning." "How so?" Yuan Buyu asked. "Mingjiang Prefecture is a major metropolis, especially the prefectural city area where the God Traveling Department’s surveillance is strict. For outsiders entering other state capitals, anyone with an incense fire level exceeding six sticks will be detected by magic artifacts at city entrances or train stations. Then the God Traveling Department will interrogate, record, and track them to prevent high-incense individuals from causing trouble within the prefectural city. Because of this, the Ancient Clan’s Copper Coin and Hundred Eyes High Priests, along with other Ancient Clan experts beyond six sticks of incense level, find it extremely difficult to enter the prefectural city of Mingjiang. Even if they do, they’ll face strict monitoring." Zhou Lingyi said, "That’s why the Yumen High Priest of the Ancient Clan placed the Hundred Spirits Song twenty-three years ago. The origins of the Hundred Spirits Song are mysterious, seeming to link the entire Ancient Clan. With one person, they can summon the arrival of the entire Ancient Clan into the prefectural city, bypassing the God Traveling Department’s and Bone Elder Association’s artifact monitoring!" Yuan Buyu’s previously relaxed demeanor became somber. The Ancient Clan’s advance planning showed they had foretold Zhou Xuan’s rise twenty-three years ago! Not only foreseen but also devised an intricate strategy—the Hundred Bone Song, a stroke of unrivaled brilliance. It allowed for bypassing the stringent artifact surveillance, enabling all Ancient Clan experts to gather in Mingjiang Prefecture at once. With the two high priests of the Ancient Tattoo Clan, coupled with an unknown number of other experts beyond six sticks of incense level, pinning Zhou Xuan down would be all too easy. No matter how many Daoist Guardians Zhou Xuan had by his side, they couldn’t stand against the power of an entire clan. "It’s a clever plan, but human schemes can’t surpass divine will. The Netherworld Stone that the Ancient Clan needed to activate the Hundred Spirits Song has accidentally fallen into my brother’s hands. They haven’t found the Hundred Bone Song despite knowing it resides on East Market Street." Zhou Lingyi said, "So we just need to prevent the Ancient Clan from finding the Hundred Bone Song." Yuan Buyu agreed, saying, "The Ancient Tattoo Clan must have stationed people in East Market Street to search for the Hundred Bone Song." "I’ll find people to guard East Market Street and clear out all members of the Ancient Clan." Zhou Lingyi once again drew a Blood Talisman and sent the latest information to Lord Jiu and Lord Jian. ... That night, on a small hill to the east of East Market Street, stood a tall man in a long gown. On the ground by his left and right feet were two long wooden boxes, three feet long and one foot high, each fitted with a carrying handle. He wore amber-tinted glasses as he observed the passersby on East Market Street. Time seemed to hold no meaning for him. As an hour, then two, passed, he did not move a muscle, like a stone statue standing upon the hill. ... In the Yunluo Mountain Range, at the sacrificial site, the Human Skin Temple now stood empty. The Copper Coin Priest leaned on a cane, limping his way toward the mountain cave at the back of the Ancient Clan. This cave was the secluded chamber where the Hundred-Eyed High Priest was meditating. "High Priest, it’s Copper Coin." The Copper Coin Priest stopped at the cave entrance, not daring to enter recklessly, and called out softly. "Come in." The Hundred-Eyed High Priest sat cross-legged on a massive rock inside the cave. He was bare-chested, his body covered with hundreds of tattooed "eyes," all of which were currently closed. "High Priest, the Netherworld Stone of the Yumen High Priest has been lost—it was picked up by the Nuo God." The Copper Coin Priest bowed his head as he reported to Hundred Eyes. "It’s been lost for so long, and you’re only telling me now?" The tone of the Hundred-Eyed High Priest seemed slightly reproachful but did not carry genuine anger. "Sigh... Peng Long and Peng Hu are both dead, the Netherworld Stone is lost, and I’ve failed terribly." "These aren’t the worst things." The Hundred-Eyed High Priest said, "I feel as though the Blood Well has abandoned me! I can still see the Blood Well, but my connection to it is weakening. My divination no longer yields answers. If the Blood Well could respond, I might not even need the Yumen High Priest’s Netherworld Stone; I’d have a chance to locate the Hundred Bone Song on my own." "High Priest, our Ancient Clan’s fortune seems to have run out." "What instructions does the Ancestor have?" The Hundred-Eyed High Priest opened his eyes and asked the Copper Coin Priest. "The Ancestor has instructed us to follow the original plan—keep an eye on the Nuo God. Wait until their incense fire grows stronger, then take action!" The Copper Coin Priest relayed the message clearly. "The Ancestor doesn’t want to miss this opportunity! Three hundred years—we’ve waited long enough, and the Ancestor has no more patience. Neither do we, and the Ancient Tattoo Clan has no time left to wait. Deploy the Shi Family’s four brothers to infiltrate East Market Street and conduct a thorough search from house to house." The Hundred-Eyed High Priest sighed and said, "If nothing works in the end, then we’ll have no choice but to act in the wilderness the way we once nailed down the four great Nu Gods. The Nine Tangkou lodges of the Nuo Cult can’t stay in the prefectural city of Mingjiang forever. We’ll need to track the Nuo God’s movements in advance and ambush strategically. Ah, but we still need the Blood Well. Copper Coin Priest, leave now. I’ll continue trying to sense the Blood Well!" The numerous eyes on the Hundred-Eyed High Priest’s body had been acquired through countless "Blessing Rituals" performed within the Blood Well. If he were truly abandoned by the Blood Well, those eyes would lose their mystic properties, and his cultivation would significantly diminish. "Oh, Blood Well God, I am your most faithful servant. Please, do not cast me aside." ... The morning light broke, and Zhou Xuan was feeling well-rested and rejuvenated. Little Fuzi had already bought breakfast. After eating, Zhou Xuan resumed flipping through ancient texts about divination. By around ten o’clock, workers from the Mingjiang Prefecture telegraph office arrived to install a telephone. At this time, the telegraph service handled the bulk of communication, whereas telephone usage was still relatively rare—a luxury service under the telegraph office. "Hello, are you Mr. Zhou?" "Yes." Zhou Xuan nodded. "Please confirm the order details." The worker handed him a document. Zhou Xuan glanced at the address, name, and telephone model before signing. "Old Si really went all out—he ordered me an automatic-style telephone." "Sir, this model is quite expensive. Only wealthy households would purchase it." The staff member laughed as his colleagues set up a long ladder, climbed the pole, and began wiring the phone. The installation ran from morning until afternoon, but the phone was finally set up. The telephone was placed on the counter, and many neighbors gathered around to take a look. It was, after all, a novelty, and the locals were curious. "Boss Zhou’s business must be booming if he’s already got a phone installed?" "The Jingyi Shop is making such good money?" "I suspect Boss Zhou stitches corpses by day and smuggles opium by night." "Alright, enough gawking! Come to see my phone if you must, but stop spreading silly rumors!" With his sharp ears, Zhou Xuan waved off the neighbors, chasing them all away. Aside from installing the phone, the workers also provided a phone directory. Of course, it wasn’t free—its price was included in the installation fee. The directory came in two versions: a large sheet resembling a newspaper that could be pinned to the wall, and a hardcover bound book, thick and substantial. Si Ming had money, so naturally, he had chosen the latter for Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan took the phone and, following the instructions in the directory’s guide, dialed the operator’s number to connect with the Zhou Family’s Troupe. With the automatic phone, dialing within the prefectural city didn’t require an operator. But for connecting between prefectures, an operator was still needed. In no time, a familiar voice came through on the line. "This is Xu Li, vice manager of the Zhou Family’s Troupe. May I ask if you’re looking to hire the Netherworld Play Troupe?" "Big sister-in-law, it’s me—Xuanzi..." Zhou Xuan replied with a cheerful smile. ps: Brothers, here are your two updates. Mwah!