https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-896-Supreme-Severance-of-Emotions/12828724/
Chapter 897: Purging the Evil Aura
Chapter 897: Purging the Evil Aura
In the study of the Gu Family's Patriarch, Gu Shouyan, he sat like a mountain, his brows deeply furrowed.
Gu An and Gu Quan bowed their heads and clasped their hands, reporting:
"… The Dao Court’s mission was to raid a Demon Sect stronghold in the desolate mountains, three hundred miles west of Third-Rank Maling City. However, they fell into an ambush…"
"Fortunately, Young Master was cautious and had meticulously planned ahead. During the battle, he led from the front, working with Xia Dian to suppress the Golden Core Demon Cultivator, stabilizing the situation."
"After reinforcements arrived, a fierce battle ensued, and they managed to wipe out the entire branch of the Demon Sect. However, before dying, the Golden Core Demon Cultivator…"
Gu An paused, clenching his teeth, "… recklessly charged at Young Master, even detonating his Golden Core in a desperate attempt to take him down with him…"
"The explosion of a Golden Core is extremely powerful."
"Young Master did not back down and took the full brunt of the Golden Core explosion, protecting the Gu Family disciples and most of the Dao Court cultivators. However, he…"
Gu An and Gu Quan’s faces were filled with guilt and pain.
Gu Shouyan listened without changing his expression, nodding, "I understand. You may leave and rest well."
Gu An hesitated, "What about Young Master…?"
Gu Shouyan waved his hand.
Gu An and Gu Quan dared not say more, bowed, and left.
Alone in the study, Gu Shouyan sighed deeply.
"Such a promising young man… alas, his trials are many. Whether he lives or dies is up to his own fate…"
…
In the Gu Family’s Alchemy Pavilion.
The inner room’s door was tightly shut, and several Alchemy Masters were working to save the critically injured Gu Changhuai.
Elder Gu Hong waited outside.
Not being an Alchemy master, she could only stand guard, unable to help.
After a while, a gentle and refined woman in court attire rushed over, her face anxious. Seeing Gu Hong, she clutched her sleeve, her face pale, and asked:
"Aunt, where is Changhuai?"
Elder Gu Hong sighed, "The elders are already working to save him."
"Is he…?"
Wenren Wan looked worried.
Elder Gu Hong wanted to offer some comfort but, thinking of Gu Changhuai’s injuries and the intense black aura in his forehead, she shook her head and sighed, "It’s up to the heavens now…"
Wenren Wan’s face turned white, and her heart ached as if being cut by a knife.
She had raised this younger brother from a young age, watching him grow up.
After a moment, she looked at Elder Gu Hong with a pleading gaze, her voice trembling, "Aunt, Changhuai, he won’t…"
Elder Gu Hong patted her hand, feeling a deep sorrow, and said:
"Disciples of the Gu Family are destined for this."
"Our family has served in the Dao Court for generations, apprehending criminals, suppressing demons, and exterminating the forces of evil. Injuries and even sacrifices are common."
"As a member of the Gu Family, this is something we must accept, and Changhuai is no exception."
"Now that it has happened, there’s nothing more to say. It’s all up to Changhuai’s own fortune…"
Wenren Wan bit her lip, her fingers turning white from gripping them so tightly.
Elder Gu Hong’s heart ached as well.
She might say such things, but when it came to her own nephew, lying in bed, covered in blood, and on the brink of death, she couldn’t help but feel the pain of a relative.
Time passed, and Gu Hong and Wenren Wan waited outside, the atmosphere growing increasingly heavy, their anxiety mounting, and the wait becoming unbearable.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the inner room’s door opened, and several Gu Family Alchemy masters emerged.
Elder Gu Hong immediately stood up, her voice trembling, "How is he?"
The Alchemy masters frowned, unsure of how to respond.
Elder Gu Hong grew impatient, "Speak!"
One of the Alchemy masters smiled bitterly, "It’s hard to say… The bleeding has been stopped, and his life has been temporarily stabilized, but the root of the problem remains unresolved…"
Elder Gu Hong frowned, "What do you mean?"
Another Alchemy master sighed, "Young Master’s injuries are twofold: one in the flesh and one in the mind. The physical injuries require blood replenishment, meridian repair, and the removal of demonic aura… We have methods for these."
"However, an unknown evil aura has invaded Young Master’s mind. This aura is extremely malevolent, polluting his consciousness, and we, as Alchemy masters, are powerless against it."
"Currently, we can only use some means to keep him alive."
"But even if the external injuries are treated, if the evil aura is not purged, then…"
The Alchemy master paused, hesitant to continue.
Elder Gu Hong, impatient, said, "Speak your mind, there’s no use in hiding the truth."
The Alchemy master hesitated for a moment before sighing, "If the evil aura cannot be purged… once it fully pollutes his consciousness, even if we keep him alive, it will be useless. He won’t last more than two or three days…"
Elder Gu Hong and Wenren Wan’s faces turned deathly pale upon hearing this.
Elder Gu Hong quickly asked, "How do we purge the evil aura?"
The Alchemy master replied, "Purging evil aura is a mysterious process, not within the realm of physical or spiritual energy, nor within the domain of alchemy."
"As Alchemy masters, we can at most refine some calming and soothing pills."
"These pills can only calm the mind and spirit, but they cannot address the root of the problem."
"Against a true malevolent force, it’s useless."
"Then who can deal with it?" Elder Gu Hong asked.
Master Alchemist frowned and said, "I’ve only heard of it. Such malevolent forces at the spiritual level require cultivators who specialize in spiritual cultivation, such as fangshi, celestial strategy cultivators, wandering peculiar people, and so on..."
"But all of these are considered obscure paths. The quality varies, and there are few practitioners. True experts are as elusive as a dragon’s tail."
"The path of spiritual cultivation is profound and complex. It has many subcategories: celestial strategy, tracing causes to effects, derivation, divination, seeking paths, judging auspiciousness, predicting misfortune, witchcraft, cursing, inviting deities, exorcism, and more..."
"If we can find such connections, perhaps there are those who can exorcise the malevolent force and save Changhuai."
Elder Gu Hong’s frown deepened.
In her impression, the Gu family had few connections in this field. There were hardly any cultivators they knew of, and thus, they had no real connections.
"At this point, even if we wanted to seek help, we wouldn’t know where to go."
"Is there any sect or force that specializes in exorcism?"
Master Alchemist said, "To my knowledge, there are no cultivation techniques for spiritual awareness. Therefore, the forces that cultivate spiritual techniques, which have evolved from ancient times, have either declined, gone into seclusion, or vanished without a trace. The ones that still have a name are... the Mystic Mechanism Valley..."
"The Mystic Mechanism Valley?" Elder Gu Hong’s frown deepened. "Our Gu family has no significant ties with the Mystic Mechanism Valley..."
Wen Renwan’s eyes lit up, and she pondered, "The Shangguan family knows someone from the Mystic Mechanism Valley. I can follow the Shangguan family’s connections and ask around to see if we can invite someone..."
"The Shangguan family?"
"Yes," Wen Renwan explained, "A few years ago, when Yu'er went missing, we invited a master from the Mystic Mechanism Valley... I think his name was Master Mei. He tried to calculate, but he went mad and even went insane..."
"Insane?" Elder Gu Hong was startled.
Beside them, Master Alchemist sighed, "This path is fraught with dangers and terrifying karmic repercussions. Many are hidden in the shadows, and once they are touched, they go mad. Sudden death is not uncommon..."
Elder Gu Hong and Wen Renwan nodded, both believing and doubting.
Master Alchemist continued, "Of course, all of this is what I’ve heard over the years from various daoist friends. Whether it’s true or false, I can’t say for certain."
"And..." Master Alchemist hesitated for a moment, sighed, and said with a heavy heart, "I must say this upfront: cultivators on the path of spiritual cultivation specialize in different areas. Not everyone is skilled in exorcism, pacifying spirits, and saving lives."
"Although the Mystic Mechanism Valley follows the path of spiritual awareness, their specialty is in celestial causality and derivation. Whether they can exorcise malevolent forces is uncertain..."
Elder Gu Hong glanced at Gu Changhuai, who lay in the inner chamber, his life and death unknown. She frowned in deep thought and sighed, "At this point, we have no choice..."
They could only hope for the Mystic Mechanism Valley.
Elder Gu Hong turned her head, gripped Wen Renwan’s hand tightly, and said solemnly, "We can’t waste any more time, Wen, this task is in your hands."
"I’ll also seek out the family head and have him write a letter. You can take it with you, hoping it will help you invite a cultivator from the Mystic Mechanism Valley and that they will have a way to save Changhuai..."
Wen Renwan nodded seriously.
Later, Wen Renwan, with a letter from the Gu family head, Gu Shouyan, personally returned to the Shangguan family. Through the Shangguan family’s channels, she contacted a few cultivators from the Mystic Mechanism Valley who were currently serving as guest ministers in Qianxue Province.
These cultivators specialized in causal techniques and had also studied some exorcism methods.
Given the life-or-death situation and the urgency, everyone traveled day and night, and within a day, they all arrived at the Gu family.
In the Gu family’s alchemy pavilion.
Several Golden Core cultivators from the Mystic Mechanism Valley gathered, exchanged greetings.
There were also two other Golden Core cultivators who practiced some spiritual techniques and were invited by the Gu family.
The path of spiritual cultivation is complex. More people mean more perspectives and more strength.
After seeing Gu Changhuai’s injuries, their expressions turned grave.
"His forehead is as dark as ink... This is certainly not a common malevolent force..."
"I’ve never seen anything like this before..."
"Golden Core cultivation exploded, committing mutual destruction... This must have been a ruthless and peculiar decision... Perhaps he was influenced by some malevolent entity, driven into a frenzy, which led to such a self-destructive path, even exploding his Golden core."
"Even a golden core can be influenced? From this, the malevolent force must be quite formidable... We don’t know if its origin is a corpse, a ghost, a demon, or a monster?"
"Regardless, this is a tough nut to crack. We need to plan thoroughly and proceed cautiously..."
"We can’t afford to proceed cautiously," someone sighed, "Look at Young Master Gu’s condition. The malevolent force has entered his mind, his forehead is sunken deeply, a sign that his spiritual awareness is being devoured..."
"In this state, he can’t last... a few more days..."
"Any delay, and it will be too late."
"We can’t afford to delay any longer..."
"Having accepted the task, we must fulfill our duty. Let’s work together and think of a way. If we can save Young Master Gu, it will be a great deed."
"The best outcome..."
Afterward, they deliberated in secret, exchanged their spiritual techniques, avoided some taboos, and set the exorcism process. They also nominated a Golden Core cultivator from the Mystic mechanism valley, the most accomplished in the path of spiritual awareness, to lead the exorcism.
The Golden Core cultivator, surnamed Mei, was known as "Master Mei." He was at the middle stage of the Golden Core realm and was a clan brother to the former guest master of the Shangguan family, "Grandmaster Mei." They shared a deep connection.
This time, it was Master Mei who was tasked with the exorcism.
Several other Divine Sense cultivators also contributed in their own ways. Some offered advice, some lent treasures, and others provided medicinal elixirs and spirit wine. All their contributions were gathered and handed over to Master Mei.
Once everything was settled, Master Mei donned his Evil-Repelling Daoist Robe, equipped a Heart-Protecting Mirror, and retrieved his Copper Coin Sword. He arranged the Eight Trigram Talismans, lit the Spirit-Protecting Lamp, and burned the Heart-Cleansing Incense. Finally, he poured a cup of intensely potent and purifying Realgar Wine.
This Realgar Wine was extremely strong and fiery.
Master Mei drank it in one gulp, feeling as if he had swallowed a flame. His throat and tongue burned, and then the yang energy spread through his body, filling him with courage.
The others had already set up some evil-repelling arrays in the inner chamber to protect Gu Changhuai's physical body and prevent the evil energy from spreading.
Master Mei set up the ritual altar and then, holding the Copper Coin Sword, stepping on the Eight Trigram Talismans, and wearing the Evil-Repelling Robe, he entered the inner chamber with the effects of the Realgar Wine still potent, his courage bolstered.
The door to the inner chamber was then tightly closed.
The exorcism was a secretive and dangerous affair, not to be witnessed by outsiders. It was to prevent the leakage of divine techniques and to avoid the evil spirits from harming anyone.
Outside the inner chamber, Elder Gu Hong and the other elders of Gu Changhuai’s lineage gathered, their expressions tense.
Ren Wan held Yu'er, her heart equally uneasy.
Yu'er looked up at her mother, worriedly asking, “Mom, will Uncle Gu be okay…?”
Although he found Uncle Gu usually cold and intimidating, he was still good to him, always thinking of him when there was something delicious or fun. He didn’t want anything to happen to Uncle Gu.
Ren Wan gently stroked Yu'er’s head and smiled warmly, “He’ll be fine…”
But her smile was forced.
Yu'er felt a bit sad.
Ren Wan then said softly, “The rest period is over, and you need to continue your cultivation. I’ll have Uncle Wei take you back to the Void Gate.”
Yu'er shook his head lightly, “I’m worried about Uncle Gu…”
Ren Wan felt both touched and a bit heartbroken, sighing softly, “Alright, we’ll wait here.”
After that, Yu'er didn’t speak anymore.
His big, dark eyes stared at the door of the inner chamber, filled with worry and an unexplained fear.
It was as if something terrifying was hiding inside the room, just like the demons in his nightmares, but even more fearsome.
Yu'er tightly pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to stay, but the thought of Uncle Gu lying inside made him unwilling to leave.
The surroundings were deathly quiet, and the passage of time seemed slow and oppressive.
Suddenly, a sinister wave of energy came from the inner chamber, followed by a scream and the sound of something breaking. The faint wails of vengeful spirits could be heard, creating a chaotic and terrifying atmosphere.
The people outside were alarmed.
The two other Golden Core cultivators from Xuanji Valley looked horrified and immediately stood up, exclaiming, “It’s bad! The exorcism failed! We need to save him!”
They tried to force the door open, but it broke before they could.
Wood splinters flew everywhere as Master Mei staggered out, unable to suppress the evil energy, and blood gushed from his mouth.
His appearance was pitiful.
The Heart-Protecting Mirror was shattered, and there was a black-red burn mark on his Evil-Repelling Robe. His forehead was tinged with a blue color that was gradually turning black.
Master Mei let out a chilling cry, part human and part demon, clawing at the ground and struggling, on the verge of losing control.
The other two Xuanji Valley cultivators quickly moved forward, taking out a yellow cloth with red patterns and tightly binding him.
They then used an Eight Trigram Disc to cover Master Mei’s heart.
Another person placed a jade pendant on Master Mei’s forehead and poured Realgar Wine into his mouth to drive out the evil.
After much effort, once the jade had absorbed the evil energy, Master Mei stopped struggling. The black aura on his forehead gradually dissipated, and his breathing stabilized.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief and then turned to look at the inner chamber.
Inside, Gu Changhuai still lay motionless, his condition unknown.
The room was in a state of chaos.
The ritual altar had exploded, the incense had burned out, the Spirit-Protecting Lamp had gone out, the Copper Coin Sword was broken, and the coins were scattered on the ground. The array formations and their mediums were all cracked and useless.
While the others were shocked by the mess, the Xuanji Valley cultivators, who were well-versed in the art, exchanged glances and felt a chill run down their spines.
“A highly malevolent evil spirit!”
“How could we have encountered something like this?”
Their voices were cold, and they were still shaken when a sudden change occurred.
Gu Changhuai, who had been lying motionless, seemed to sense something and abruptly opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, like a zombie.
His eyes were tainted by evil, the whites turning black and the pupils turning blood red. His gaze was cold and scanned the room, finally settling on the young Yu'er.
“Gu Changhuai’s” face was deathly pale, and he slowly revealed a sinister smile, his voice rough and hoarse:
“I’ve found… you, my…”
Gu Changhuai didn’t finish his sentence.
This sudden turn of events also startled everyone present.
No one understood the meaning behind these words, but they all knew that something was amiss and that the situation couldn't continue like this, or disaster might ensue.
A cultivator from the Mystic Mechanist Valley, who had reached the Golden Core realm, immediately shot out several golden needles to seal the meridians of "Gu Changhuai."
Another Golden Core cultivator gritted his teeth and summoned a jade ruyi, taking advantage of the moment when Gu Changhuai’s movements were restricted to press it against his forehead, suppressing the evil aura.
Fortunately, though Gu Changhuai’s evil thoughts were rampant, his physical body was severely injured.
This jade ruyi seemed to be a remarkable treasure.
Gu Changhuai was quickly suppressed. His body couldn’t move, and his evil thoughts no longer surged. Finally, he gave Yu a long, deep look before slowly lying down, once again appearing unconscious.
The hearts of everyone present, which had been hanging in suspense, finally began to ease.
But Yu's face turned deathly pale.
After being given a look by "Gu Changhuai," Yu was so startled that his whole body trembled, and his small frame instantly turned cold.
In that look, he seemed to have seen some kind of "fate."
In that fate, he was just an "empty shell," devoid of everything, even his mother. Everyone he cared about and missed had vanished without a trace.
There was only boundless nothingness and fear...
Yu's body began to tremble violently, cold sweat pouring out.
Ren Wan noticed Yu’s abnormal state immediately and gently stroked his forehead, asking, "Yu, Yu, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yu weakly nodded.
A cultivator from the Mystic Mechanist Valley approached and pressed a finger to Yu’s forehead but detected nothing, frowning and saying, "Perhaps it was the sudden surge of evil energy that frightened this young master, causing his spirit to waver."
Ren Wan felt a pang of sympathy.
Elder Gu Hong then said gently, "You should take Yu to a quiet room to rest. Yu’s body is weak, and with so many people around, it might frighten him again."
Ren Wan glanced at Gu Changhuai and then at Yu, nodding. But just as she was about to get up, Yu gently shook his head.
"Mother, I’ll stay here."
There are more people here, and the atmosphere is livelier.
Although the quiet room is peaceful, it’s also colder and could easily make him feel fearful.
Ren Wan understood Yu’s meaning and felt a twinge of sympathy. She kissed his forehead and said softly, "Then close your eyes and sleep for a while. You’ll feel better when you wake up..."
"Um..."
Yu slowly nodded, feeling his spirit waning. His eyelids drooped, and he gradually fell asleep.
Ren Wan watched over him from the side.
After calming Yu, the chaos gradually subsided, and everyone’s expressions turned somber as they discussed what to do next.
A cultivator from the Mystic Mechanist Valley frowned and said, "What do we do now?"
"The evil energy is too strong; even Mr. Mei wasn’t a match."
"With our current cultivation, we’re even less likely to succeed."
"The Heart-Protecting Mirror is shattered, the Eight Trigram Disk is cracked, and the Evil-Dispelling Robe can’t hold it off..."
"Mr. Mei has fallen; I wonder how much sanity he retains..."
"The situation is severe. Should we send a message back to the Mystic Mechanist Valley and request the Great Elder and Master Situ to come?"
"It’s too far. By the time Master Situ arrives, it will be too late."
"Moreover, since the blood change in Lichou City a few years ago, the Great Elder has been traveling outside the valley, rarely returning. I wonder if he’s hiding something..."
"What could the Great Elder be hiding?"
"Whatever the Great Elder plans, how could I know?"
"Then what do we do now?"
"Wait for Mr. Mei to wake up..."
"But what if he doesn’t wake up? Even if Mr. Mei wakes up, what can he do? Such powerful malevolent energy, who can handle it?"
"..."
Everyone paused, frowning in silence.
At that moment, the originally sleeping Yu’s expression grew increasingly pained, his face turning even paler, and cold sweat breaking out more and more.
"Is he... having a nightmare again?"
Ren Wan looked at Yu, heartbroken.
She wanted to wake Yu, but he was trapped in the nightmare and couldn’t be woken up.
Ren Wan didn’t know what to do.
At that moment, Yu, struggling in pain and fear, murmured, "Brother Mo..."
Ren Wan was startled, snapping back to reality and quickly said to Ren Wei:
"Brother Wei, quickly, take Yu back to the Void gate and to Mo Hua’s side."
Only by Mo Hua’s side would Yu not have nightmares.
Ren Wei cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Yes!"
But after a moment, he hesitated and carefully suggested, "What if I go to the Void gate and bring Young Master Mo here to the Gu family?"
Ren Wan shook her head, "How could that be? Mo Hua is so busy; we can’t interfere with his cultivation. Taking Yu back to the void gate is best."
"No, wait," Ren Wei pondered for a moment before speaking his thoughts, "Bringing Young Master Mo here to see Yu, and while he’s here, he can also help check... Young Master Gu’s condition."
Ren Wan was taken aback.
The others present were also stunned.
(End of Chapter)
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