Soon, Wang Yuan realized that now was not the time to space out.
Maintaining the "Ghost King Altar Sealing Seal" that consumed five points of Yin Morality per breath wasn't a solution, and he needed to deal with the constantly struggling "worm" in his hands as soon as possible.
However, looking at the hideous half-human, half-dog dried corpse at his feet, Wang Yuan suddenly found that his appetite wasn't great today.
He had no interest in Deceit Bone, Deceit Skin, or... Deceit Brain.
His eyes unconsciously swept around and suddenly paused on the sack dropped by the Wild Dog Taoist.
Then, instinctively, he smacked the Dao Foundation repaired by the "Human Face Painting Skill" onto the withered yellow face skin that had fallen out of the sack.
"Ah!"
The painful cries of dozens of men, women, old, and young exploded instantaneously.
The face skin struggled violently like a dying wild beast; the skin, flesh, fat, blood vessels, and nerves kept twitching, but Wang Yuan firmly held it down.
It was not until after three breaths, when Wang Yuan's reserve of Yin Morality dropped to 52 points, that it finally calmed down.
At this point, the appearance of the "Human Face Painting" had undergone a huge change.
The outer side seemed as delicate and tender as a young girl's skin, while the originally nauseating internal bodily tissues had turned into a jelly-like red flesh.
Although it still heaved slightly from time to time, eerily breathing on its own, it was already much better than its initial state.
At least it was close to normal human aesthetics and wouldn't cause discomfort.
Looking at the face skin, the recovered Wang Yuan suddenly realized that he had inadvertently created a "Deceit Object" using the power of the "Small Book of Life and Death"?
Although with his scant knowledge in cultivation, he couldn't yet discern the purpose of this object, nor did he know what terrible Precept Taboos it might carry.
He could only collect it for now.
At this moment, behind Wang Yuan in Wangren Town,
"As a servant before the gods I suffered injuries; as a servant I vowed to observe a vegetarian diet. As a servant I divined fortunes outside the door; as a servant I often lingered under the moonlight..."
The scene at Taohua Temple continued to sing.
Whether it was the beautiful performer whose lips were still stained with blood or the applauding audience below, their expressions were as usual, as if they hadn't just eaten a living person.
However, in Wang Yuan's eyes, although these man-eating Ghosts were terrifying, compared to those bizarre and inexplicable Deceits and Magicians, they were merely harmless lambs.
Staying here felt safer than at his home in Daling Village.
In this Divine Deceit World where Daoist Magic is manifest, various Side Doors and heterodox practices were rampant; each tomb was a treasure trove.
It was said that the Imperial Mausoleum Guards responsible for guarding the Great Yan Ancestor's Mausoleum, totaling thirty-six camps and about five thousand men, were led by Dao Generals capable of slaying Sages of the third realm of Daoist Skill.
But on Beimang Mountain, there were only Tomb Guardians, no stationed troops.
This was because at night, those residing in the tombs could protect themselves.
And behind the legend of "No Return Cliff, where one could hardly turn back once they arrive; White Bone Pool at the mountain's foot, where a hundred thousand high tombs lie ownerless; Wangren Town in the mountain, where wild ghosts feast their guests at midnight," there's actually another line.
— Abide by the precepts, and you shall not be harmed.
Ordinary Tomb Robbers who come here are highly likely to disappear without a trace, but the Tomb Guardians who have lived here for generations, relying on the Earth Qi of Beimang Mountain, simply need to strictly follow the precepts to move freely.
First, offer timely sacrifices to the Earth God in the Ancient Locust Temple throughout the year; second, do not desecrate the bones and souls in the mountain; third, do not rob graves or profit from the dead;
Fourth, do not shout loudly at night; fifth, those with light Bazi or zodiac signs are not allowed to go up the mountain at night; sixth, once the sacrifices are made, the tradition must not be discontinued.
Of course, the locations of "Wangren Town" and "No Return Cliff" were only known to the main branch of the Wang's family that Wang Yuan belonged to.
And since Wang Yunhu became the Clan Leader fifteen years ago and saw no use in the "Dragon Slaying Skill", the corresponding sacrifices were discontinued, making it a secret known only to Wang Yuan.
Grandfather said, guarding this vast mountain and getting along well with its residents, setting clear rules and boundaries, was far more effective than using fists.
According to Wang Yuan's understanding, guarding the tomb was just like escorting valuables in the Escort Agency.
Following the approach of Fuwei Escort Agency, where fortune comes before force, making friends was much more cost-effective than resorting to violence.
At this thought, the Precept Taboos that Magicians needed to observe while practicing surfaced in Wang Yuan's mind, and he suddenly comprehended:
"Perhaps the Tomb Guardian's three chapters of covenant are just another form of Precept Taboo? Both are used to constrain some kind of power that is difficult for mortals to control.
In this Divine Deceit World, the source of Magic is probably like that of fierce flames, explosives, and wild beasts—it must follow certain rules to harness its benefits and mitigate its harms.
Only this power is even more Weird, and the Precepts that need to be followed are correspondingly bizarre."
"Once the Precept Taboos are violated, it's not just as simple as getting burned, but you could even end up like the Wild Dog Taoist whose Daoist Skill spiraled out of control and mutated on the spot into some kind of 'Weird'!
And even if you eventually become 'Weird,' there is a high probability that you would kill following certain patterns. Acting as a killer, exchanging life for goods... "
Although his tone carried doubts, his heart gradually became certain.
However, his current understanding of the Cultivation World was too limited, and he was not sure if all 'Weird' phenomena originated from the loss of control of Daoist Skills.
At least the Female Ghost he encountered in the shrine that day hardly matched the title of Magician.
This first lesson in the true Cultivation World was indeed profound for Wang Yuan.
Of course.
He would not reject Divine Power Skills due to fears, but would become more cautious when coming into contact with and studying such powers.
In his previous life, Wang Yuan, like countless ordinary people, went through school and work step by step.
Then, the lofty ambitions and passionate aspirations of his youth were gradually worn down by the great millstone known as 'society.'
Struggling to break free from the muck at the bottom of society, he always ended up battered and bruised.
Society seemed increasingly beautiful, but he became more lost and confused, losing his faith and unable to see the way forward, living only to strive and remain strong.
Just living, that is.
Wang Yuan looked up at the countless tombs of princes and generals on Beimang Mountain and muttered to himself:
"Tombs line Beimang Mountain, through countless ages facing Luoyang.
Having been given a second chance at life, even if crisis abounds and tomorrow is uncertain, how could I resign myself to becoming an anonymous grave on Beimang Mountain?"
Of course, compared to those ignorant and fearless ones, he already knew the first principle of Cultivation:
Absolutely do not violate the Precept Taboos!
After calming his emotions slightly, Wang Yuan tore a piece of cloth from the Wild Dog Taoist and carefully spread it on the ground to begin searching through his sack.
Incense candles, Paper Money, Compass, Vermillion, Talisman Paper, scattered Silver Coins and Copper Coins... he ignored all these miscellaneous items.
Then there were a bunch of differently colored ceramic medicine bottles.
Probably to avoid mistakes in the midst of chaos, these were all labeled.
Apart from commonly used items in Jianghu like golden sore medicine, Blood Rejuvenation Pills, Knockout Drug, and Quicklime, the rest were the various Divine Elixir Pills that the Wild Dog Taoist had just used.
Ghost Repelling Pills for controlling ghosts, Beast-Shaped Pills that stimulate the wild nature of dogs, Human Face Beast Heart Pills that allow communication with beasts, and the last and most Weird, Wolf Heart Dog Lung Pills.
It was evident that the Peach God Tao, from which the Wild Dog Taoist hailed, was very proficient in Alchemy Skill.
Even Wang Yuan could tell that these were rare and useful items for critical moments, and he gratefully accepted them all.
As for that most powerful Wolf Heart Dog Lung Pill, having just witnessed the tragic state of the Wild Dog Taoist, he politely declined.
Even if one didn't go mad or mutate after consuming it, just turning into a dog-headed person was utterly unacceptable to him.
He continued searching.
Finally, at the very bottom of the sack, he saw a thick book that was carefully wrapped in waterproof oilcloth and clearly highly cherished.
Seeing it, Wang Yuan finally let out a deep sigh of relief:
"No matter how important the Precept Taboos are, the premise is that I must first possess a fierce 'Flame'!
The 'Ghost King Altar Sealing Seal' might be considered Magic, but it is borrowed by using Yin Morality, like water without a source, it cannot achieve Immortality."
Indeed, the Taoist Military Skill and the formidable thirty-six battalions of Daoist Soldiers are what the Great Yan Dynasty relies on to suppress the world, forming battle arrays that are unrivaled against mountains and temples.
But only by becoming a Magician and stepping onto the Daoist path is there a chance to achieve an Immortality Dao Fruit and enjoy carefree immortality!"