Nothing like this had ever happened before.
The Daluo Dharma Body was his greatest secret. Apart from absorbing heavenly spirit earthly treasures to mend itself, this was the first time an outside force had ever acted upon it.
And it came from the mysterious Nether Bureau itself!
It felt as though ghosts and gods had peered into his deepest secret.
How could Li Yan not panic?
Luo Mingzi shook his head. "I don't know either.
"Though the gods of the Nether Bureau are innate orthodox deities worshiped across the land, our Taixuan Orthodox Sect has never meddled in their domain. In fact, one of our sect's explicit precepts is never to interfere in underworld affairs. At most, we perform prison-breaking rites to deliver departed souls to the beyond.
"All I know is that whoever bears the mark of the nether warrant has been chosen by the Nether Bureau to become a living underworld runner—an emissary of the Netherworld walking the mortal realm.
"Yet you are no underworld crosser. Many yin souls hide deep within the subterranean fissures. If you cannot cross into the underworld, you cannot apprehend them—so how are you supposed to carry out the Nether Bureau's mandates?
"Alas, seeing your decent aptitude, I had planned to petition the sect upon my return and bring you into the Enforcement Hall as an outer runner. Now that's out of the question."
Recalling the gruesome manner of Wu Laosi's death, Li Yan asked with lingering dread, "If I fail to complete the tasks, will I die?"
Luo Mingzi shook his head. "I cannot say. Since it concerns the Nether Bureau, the living underworld runners carry out their duties in utmost secrecy, largely hidden from the eyes of outsiders.
"How about this: I'll ask my master when I return to see if he knows anything. In the meantime, your most urgent task is to uncover the origin of this nether warrant."
Li Yan frowned. "Junior doesn't quite understand."
Luo Mingzi sighed. "The Nether Bureau is obscure and unpredictable. Some worship the Great Emperor Beiyin of Fengdu, who commands the Five Ghost Emperors beneath him; others revere the Ten Hell Lords, who take turns serving as the Lord of Mount Tai. In our sect's scriptures, all of them are innate orthodox deities. Only by figuring out where your warrant originates can you decide what to do.
"Furthermore, it would be best to seek out a senior living underworld runner and consult them."
Li Yan nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Senior. Junior will keep that in mind."
Luo Mingzi continued, "Also, do you know about the Mountain Tai Sui at the mass graves?"
Li Yan replied, "I know a little."
Luo Mingzi said coldly, "A mountain god is an orthodox deity. Now that word has reached us, how could the Taixuan Orthodox Sect allow those people to run wild? My haste to return is precisely for this reason.
"In a few days, several of my senior and junior martial brothers will return. Senior Martial Uncle Qingyangzi will preside over a sacrificial offering at the jiao altar to help the mountain god return to his station, thereby warding off calamity and dispersing the yin qi over the mass graves. The imperial court will also step in to scatter the Westbound Beggars' Den and those jianghu opportunists.
"Do not let greed entice you into taking part in this. However, if you wish to broaden your horizons, you may come to the foot of the mountain when the time comes to observe the ceremony."
"Thank you, Senior."
Li Yan hastily cupped his hands in gratitude.
A liturgical rite of this caliber would inevitably draw many masters of Xuanmen. Being able to witness it from the outside would be of great benefit to his future path of cultivation.
Luo Mingzi nodded and sighed softly. "No need for thanks.
"Cultivation in Xuanmen is an arduous road. Cultivation depth is only part of it; what matters most is holding fast to righteousness. Ever since I joined the Enforcement Hall, I have seen far too many fellow Daoists stray onto the wrong path. Blinded by petty, immediate gains, they clouded their original hearts and met their ruin, their cultivation coming to naught.
"I see an underlying sha qi lurking between your brows. Walk this path with care and steady your footing!"
With those parting words, he cupped his hands and drifted away.
Li Yan bowed respectfully to see him off.
He had previously harbored reservations about the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, assuming its members were aloof and arrogant, and that as the state religion, it would inevitably be filled with people driven by greed.
Now, however, it seemed that Luo Mingzi—at least among those he had encountered—was truly an admirable man of the Dao.
With that thought, Li Yan looked down at the nether warrant brand in his palm, feeling a surge of worry.
A living underworld runner sounded formidable, commanding even the courtesy of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect. Yet judging from Wu Laosi's fate, it was truly no pleasant errand.
Right—Wu Laosi had worshiped the Great Emperor Beiyin of Fengdu.
Could it be that this very deity had conscripted him?
As Li Yan was lost in thought, Shopkeeper Wan walked over with a smile. "Brother Li, the person has been saved—what are you still frowning about?
"Your war drum is finished. Why not come take a look?"
"Oh, it's done?"
Hearing this, Li Yan's eyes immediately lit up.
* * *
Arriving in the back courtyard, a war drum already rested upon a wooden rack.
Just as Shopkeeper Wan had promised, the drum had been scaled down.
The original dimensions of a Qin-Han war drum were as long as an adult's wingspan. The performance was divided into three movements—setting out on campaign, engaging in battle, and returning in triumph—accompanied by drums, cymbals, gongs, suonas, horse bells, sabers, spears, gate banners, and more. When performed, a hundred drums boomed in unison with magnificent, awe-inspiring power.
This drum, by contrast, was only as wide as a washbasin, appearing rather compact.
Even so, Li Yan dared not underestimate it.
Across the drum shell, the lightning-struck jujube wood had been rubbed with tung oil until it took on the glassy sheen of amber, covered in branching lightning patterns resembling ten thousand strikes of celestial lightning falling from above.
The drumhead was crafted from prime si hide, dark in color, embedded with dense, fine copper studs that formed swirling cloud patterns. Merged with the lightning patterns below, the design formed an image of lightning descending from the clouds.
Li Yan had already activated his divine power of smell.
He could detect a blazing, scorching thunder-fire gang qi radiating from the drum shell—an aura far mightier than that of the Hundreds of Battles plaque from his old family residence.
"What a fine drum!"
Filled with delight, Li Yan could not help but exclaim in praise.
Shopkeeper Wan stroked his beard and smiled, his face brimming with pride. "If you wanted me to craft any other Dharma artifact, Little Brother, this old man wouldn't have the skill. But when it comes to making drums, our Wensheng Pavilion bows to no one in all of Guanzhong."
He was speaking the truth; otherwise, he never would have landed commissions from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect.
Seeing Li Yan eager to step forward and strike it, Shopkeeper Wan hastily stopped him. "Brother Li, don't rush. This drum hasn't been consecrated yet. Help me carry it into the hall."
Saying so, he had Li Yan carry the drum into the Ancestral Master Hall and place it before the offering altar.
Shopkeeper Wan changed into ritual attire—a black robe tied with a red sash. Then, with a solemn expression, he arranged the offerings one by one and draped a red cloth over the drum.
Once finished, he took a bell in his left hand, chanting incantations under his breath without pause.
Li Yan did not enter the room, but remained standing quietly outside in the courtyard, watching.
He knew that for every Dharma artifact—from the construction of colossal statues of gods and buddhas to the consecration of straw figures and paper horses, or even the yarrow stalks used for invisibility—the final step was always consecration.
Like dotting the eyes of a painted dragon, only through consecration could the ritual dynamic truly take form. Xuanmen artisans excelled in this art, and the fact that Shopkeeper Wan did not hide it from him was itself a form of guidance.
Shopkeeper Wan chanted while shaking the bell, circling the ritual altar nine times. Then he lit forty-nine incense sticks, bowed before the deity statue, walked into the courtyard to bow in the direction of the Six Household Gods, and finally kowtowed to Heaven and Earth before returning to the hall.
"We respectfully invite the Ancestral Master to descend upon the altar!"
With a low shout, Shopkeeper Wan planted the incense in the burner. He then swept aside the red cloth covering the drum, picked up a red brush dipped in cinnabar mixed with rooster-comb blood, and traced talismans in midair—knotting sha and inscribing the divine name—while chanting aloud:
"Heaven and Earth hold eight sounds: earth is the xun, gourd is the sheng, hide is the drum, bamboo is the pipe, silk is the string, stone is the chime, metal is the bell, and wood is the zhu.
"Heaven and Earth open in harmony on this auspicious day and hour, by the decree of the Ancestral Master…
"Open your drum shell, holding the universe within its belly!
"Open your drum studs, the stars anchoring the cosmos!
"Open your drumhead, thunder shaking Heaven and Earth!"
With each line chanted, Shopkeeper Wan lowered his brush, leaving marks across various parts of the drum.
With his divine power of smell active, Li Yan perceived it even more vividly.
The Ancestral Master's altar inside the hall had coalesced into an active dynamic, centered on the divine gang, enveloped by incense smoke, and harmonized with the Six Household Gods to form a cohesive array.
And with every stroke of cinnabar from the brush, the drum's gang qi condensed and gathered, gradually taking shape before slowly settling inward.
When the consecration concluded, the war drum appeared as ordinary as any mundane object.
Yet Li Yan knew that this Cloud Thunder Drum had only now truly become a Dharma artifact. So long as he used spirit preservation to activate it, it could unleash thunderous sounds capable of terrifying and dispelling evil.
"Hahaha!"
Noticing Li Yan's eager gaze, Shopkeeper Wan stroked his beard with a laugh. "Brother Li, give it a try!"
Li Yan dispensed with pleasantries. He carried the drum out, placed it onto the rack in the courtyard, sank into a horse stance, vibrated his chest and abdomen, and let out a "Hum!" sound as he struck the drumhead with his palm.
*Dong!*
Though the Cloud Thunder War Drum was not large, it produced a deafening roar.
The sound reverberated clearly throughout the entire compound.
The carpenters working in the courtyard were all masters of drum-making. The moment they heard it, they knew a magnificent drum had been born. Unable to sit still, they tossed aside their tools and rushed into the back courtyard to watch.
A look of delight surfaced in Li Yan's eyes.
He could feel that as the drum vibrated, his chest fascia resonated in tandem, sending a numb, tingling sensation through his entire body like an electric shock.
In terms of effectiveness, it far surpassed the large drum from before.
Yet this was still not the true Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound.
Li Yan hesitated slightly and looked toward Shopkeeper Wan.
Shopkeeper Wan stroked his beard and smiled. "Go ahead, don't hold back! If you break it, this old man will give you his shop sign to smash!"
"Senior jests."
Li Yan took a deep breath and struck the drumhead once more.
This time, however, he channeled the yin jin of hidden jin.
*Boom!*
A tremendous explosion rang out, forcing the onlookers around him to grimace and clap their hands over their ears.
Li Yan's entire body shuddered as though struck by lightning. Only after drawing several deep breaths did he recover, an involuntary grin spreading across his face.
This was the true Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound!
The vibration of the drum not only rapidly stimulated the fascia, rounding the force into a cohesive whole to concentrate his physical power and enhance his cultivation, but it could also be used to temper hidden jin.
Hard and soft, yin and yang, vibration, silk-reeling…
The applications of hidden jin held a myriad of subtle variations. If one could employ them continuously and seamlessly integrate them into combat techniques, one would reach the pinnacle of hidden jin.
With this Cloud Thunder Drum to assist him, none of that would be an obstacle!
Shopkeeper Wan nodded slightly, visibly satisfied. Then he called out loudly, "Men, carry the drum rack outside the gates!"
The apprentices rushed forward, hoisting the rack and the Cloud Thunder Drum out of the main courtyard.
Only then did Shopkeeper Wan take on a solemn expression, explaining, "This Cloud Thunder Divine Drum is a Dharma artifact. Striking it with spirit preservation can terrify and dispel evil. Since the Ancestral Master's altar is inside the courtyard, carrying it outside avoids both disrespect and the clashing of gang qi."
Li Yan nodded. Aligning his spirit preservation with hidden jin, he struck out with his palm.
*Buzz!—*
This time, the drumhead trembled. The sound was similar to before, but a wave of thunderous gang qi surged outward with the drum's resonance.
*Flap, flap, flap!*
In the distance, startled birds took flight from the branches, and the village dogs tucked their tails between their legs, whimpering in terror.
The onlookers felt as though thunder had crashed inside their skulls, taking quite a while to regain their senses.
Li Yan's eyes gleamed with wild excitement.
This artifact could intimidate even the living souls of mortal men. Weaker lonely souls and wild ghosts would likely flee in terror the moment they heard it; if they drew too close, their souls would be blown to pieces.
Unfortunately, such great power came at a steep cost.
Striking it just once left him feeling slightly fatigued.
Shopkeeper Wan leaned in close, pointing to a small brass beast head on the drum's rim, and whispered, "You can hang the demon-suppressing coin saber tassel here to unleash even greater might. However, given your current cultivation, you might find it difficult to drive. Besides, as a trump card, it is best not displayed in front of a crowd."
"Understood. Thank you, Senior."
Unable to conceal his joy, Li Yan cupped his hands in gratitude once more.
Just then, a horse came galloping along the dirt road leading into the village.
A young man clad in a martial warrior's robe rode upon it. Reaching the front of the courtyard, he dismounted with a nimble flip, cupped his hands, and said, "Liu San of the Zhang Martial Arts School greets Young Hero Li!"
Wasn't the Zhang Martial Arts School fiercely locked in conflict with the Zhou family? Why had he come looking for him?
Puzzled, Li Yan asked, "Has something happened for you to come here?"
Liu San said in a deep voice, "My master requests your presence.
"Zhou Pan intends to wash his hands in a golden basin and retire!"
"Washing his hands in a golden basin?"
Li Yan's gaze turned dark. "With our grudges unsettled, he dares to dream!"
Chapter 77