Chapter Three, Shadow Cave.

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Huh, where did our figures go? Xiao Jian suddenly exclaimed.

Uncle Fei thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let me tell you a story. Pay attention. In ancient times, there was a man named Li Xuan, who was also known as Iron Crutch Li. He was not only handsome and talented but also highly intelligent. He became a disciple of the Supreme Old Lord and embarked on the path of cultivation. After achieving enlightenment, he established his own sect in a cave and began spreading his teachings. One day, he told his only disciple that his soul would leave his body and wander for a few days. During this period, his body would become as cold as ice, resembling a dead person. He assured his disciple that he would return after seven days. He instructed his disciple to take good care of his body and if he were to be eaten by wolves or other wild animals, he would be left homeless. If he didn't return after seven days, the disciple should cremate his body. After giving these instructions, Li Xuan took his last breath and his soul departed."

Upon hearing this, Xiaojian was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly grabbed onto Uncle Fei's tail with both hands.

Wu wu... Soon, the sound of a faint sobbing came from the sword, like waves surging towards the ears. Then, the Zhenwu Seven Star Sword slowly began to rotate in place, making a "shua shua..." sound that grew faster and faster, stirring up a whirlwind in the narrow cave.

Uncle Fei was also shocked and got up from the ground.

The disciple carefully followed the master's instructions and stayed by the corpse without leaving for a moment. Six days passed in the blink of an eye. On the afternoon of the seventh day, Li Xuan still hadn't returned. He began to feel doubtful. The master always acted with caution and arrived ahead of schedule for appointments. This was not his usual style of doing things.

Master, so this is the barrier. Xiao Jian rubbed his sore buttocks and said disappointedly.

Quickly draw the sword! The Immortal Saint's son rushed forward and grabbed the hilt of the sword, exerting all his strength to pull it out. Xuanji Zi and Xuanzhen Zi also rushed forward and pulled with all their might.

The immortal saint was caught off guard, and sat on the ground with both hands loose.

This is a great thing," said Ge Laoyan with a look of intoxication on his face, pointing excitedly at the bluestone tablet. "This is the 'Powa Great Method' left by Master Zhang."

Woo woo... Huang Fuchong's whistle startled Ge Laoyan.

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized that there was no reflection of them in the mirror...

Master, what is "Powa Dafa"? And what do you mean by "possession"? asked Xiao Jian, puzzled.

Oh, I see, the inscription on this stele is the spell of "body snatching," Xiao Jian said excitedly.

Passing through the mirror, Uncle Fei and Xiao Jian "thumped" and fell to the ground. Looking up, it was a stone room, exactly the same as the Seventeenth Cave of the Scripture Cave. The only difference was that there was a statue of Monk Hongbian sitting on the altar, with a kind face and a smiling gaze ahead.

The immortal saint lying on the ground watched helplessly as the piglet's head, body, and tail were gradually sucked into the mirror, followed by the yellow girl's hands, head, and body...

There are also those resentful spirits on the True Martial Seven Star Sword... Immortal Saint Zi murmured.

Uncle Fei's mane on his neck stood up as soon as he heard it, and his voice trembled: "The Shattered Tile Technique? That's the 'Body Possession' technique..."

Dot continued to climb out of the Mogao Grottoes. Xiao Jian and Uncle Fei followed suit and stepped out. The scene that appeared before their eyes left them stunned...

The immortal saint's son sat foolishly on the ground, his gaze fixed on the stone niche.

With a "squeak" sound, the spark quickly descended from the Mogao Grottoes and merged into the group of tapeworms, instantly causing a commotion.

However, everyone was surprised to recall that the statue was not in the scripture cave, but stood on the 16th cave corridor outside.

The stone niche instantly returned to its original state, still a stone wall engraved with the life story of Hongbian monk. The thrilling scene just now seemed as if it had never happened.

Little Jian saw his master so excited, so he looked up at the stone tablet. He saw that it was covered with inscriptions, with ancient and vigorous characters. Although they were all traditional Chinese characters, he could still make out the general meaning.

The black mass hovered above Xiao Jian's head, always following closely.

Uncle Fei smiled slightly, opened his mouth, revealing his large canine tooth like a Luomo.

At this moment, suddenly, Uncle Fei shouted loudly, "Xiao Jian, quickly grab hold of me." Then he opened his pig-like mouth, revealing his sharp canine tooth, and leaped towards that mysterious mirror.

A sudden "swoosh" sound was heard as the True Martial Seven Stars Sword was shot out like lightning, and "pu" it pierced into the stone niche, several inches deep into the wall... Suddenly, the stone niche transformed into a "mirror", reflecting the scenery inside the scripture cave, the colorful paintings on the stone walls, and a statue of Hongbian monk meditating on the altar...

Little Jian looked in astonishment as the heavy sword slowly rose up and gradually stopped spinning, finally pointing directly at the niche on the wall.

Walking into the cool gate cave, from afar, a huge green stone tablet standing in a weed cluster can be seen, with seven stone bottles neatly arranged on the platform. An old man is standing below the steps, engrossed in watching the stone carvings on it. This person is precisely Ge Laoyan.

At this moment, a neighbor from the village at the foot of the mountain ran up and informed him that his mother had suddenly fallen seriously ill and he needed to go back quickly. If he was late, it would be too late. This disciple was very filial, and seeing that the seven-day deadline was approaching, his master would not be able to come back. But if he went down the mountain like this, the wild wolves would come and eat the corpse. In a moment of desperation, he set fire to the body and then hurried down the mountain.

The voice of the immortal saint's disciple was hoarse and exhausted as he shouted, "Wait, Master!'' Then he forcefully pushed away the Zhenwu Seven Star Sword and the two nephews who were pressing on him, got up and rushed over. Fortunately, he managed to grab one of Miss Huang's feet just in time.

Uncle Fei smiled and looked at it, and the leader, Yellow Mongoose, finally appeared.

Huluulu, "既来之, 则安之", Fei Shu stretched his limbs and wagged his tail, saying, "Let's go, let's go out and take a look."

The transmission of the Great Way began with the Supreme Old Lord, who is the embodiment of the Way. He is the ancestor of the primordial energy and the foundation of heaven and earth. The Great Way is mysteriously derived from nature, born from non-birth, dies in non-death, living is dwelling, dying is returning. It goes beyond heaven and earth, yet enters the space between heaven and earth, only coming and going within human bodies. Laozi transformed into a barbarian, spreading the profound and vast method to the world...

Woo woo woo... Huang Fuchong immediately fell to his knees in front of Uncle Fei, his mouth emitting a sound of surprise like a deep and solemn horn.

The yellow beetle nodded its head, with a proud expression on its face.

Due to the reactive force of kicking, Xiaojian's lower body quickly disappeared into the mirror, accompanied by a thick black gas.

The ancient castle walls are adorned with tattered flags, lying horizontally on the desert, appearing old and desolate, devoid of any vitality.

It's just like a glass window. Xiao Jian snorted.

At this moment, Xiaojian's upper body has already disappeared from the mirror. Suddenly, she felt someone grabbing her left foot. Without hesitation, she kicked out with her right foot, landing a direct hit on Xianshengzi's face.

"Master uncle, has the fairy Chang'e gone back?" Xuanzhenzi, who had just fallen and felt dizzy, asked in a dazed manner as he got up.

Step aside. The Immortal Saint quickly ordered everyone to stand on both sides.

As the seventh day approached its end, Li Xuan returned to the cave only to find that his physical body had been cremated and even his disciples were nowhere to be found. He was greatly horrified because if the Yang spirit leaves the physical body for more than seven days, the soul will scatter. Helpless, he had to quickly find a substitute body. Coincidentally, there was a beggar who had just died nearby. Without hesitation, Li Xuan entered the beggar's body through the fontanelle. When Li Xuan stood up, he found that the beggar not only had an extremely ugly appearance, but also had a lame leg. This was how he got the name "Tie Guai Li". This was also the first recorded "body snatching" in Chinese history.

Xiao Jian looked at the scene in front of him, pondering in his heart that sooner or later, he would find a way to get this miraculous canine tooth into his own hands.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the body of the Zhenwu Seven Star Sword lying on the ground trembled slightly. In an instant, a faint sigh was heard in the ears of the people, but it did not come from one person, as if it came from countless people together. The sound was mournful and desolate, as if enduring great pain, evoking a sense of pity in the hearts of the listeners.

The "squeak" of a sharp cry, the big tapeworm shook its little head with excitement, joyfully crawled out of the stone room. It had just rushed in with the others, and now it could smell the strong scent of its kind.

"Huluulu, Ge Laoyan, what are you looking at?" Uncle Fei asked loudly.

"What about those seven bottles of naked people's flower juice?" Uncle Fei continued to ask.

"Huang Fuchong, did you bring them into the barrier?" Uncle Fei asked.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, feeling a chill down their spines.

What nonsense! She went into the barrier.

Woo woo, hoo hoo... Huang Fuchong turned around and carried Fei Shu towards the ancient castle, followed by a group of corpse insects. Xiao Jian sighed and followed along.

With a loud "pa" sound, the three finally managed to pull out the Zhenwu Seven Star Sword. Due to exerting too much force, both the people and the sword fell to the ground with a "thump".

Sunny and bright, under the blue sky and white clouds, there is an endless Gobi desert, with black locusts flying in the air. On the yellow sand dunes, corpse insects are playing happily, while giant toads leap and move around. White roundworms and inchworms are burrowing in the sand. All of this is exactly the same as the scenery in the "Nightmare in Dunhuang" painting, except that it is night there and daytime here.

At this moment, the Zhenwu Seven Star Sword emitted a whistling sound, and black gas began to emanate from the sword, gathering and thickening on the mirror.

"That is not a mirror," Uncle Fei analyzed and pondered, "but a forbidden entrance restriction. What we see with our eyes is actually the scenery inside the barrier."

Fei Shu leaped onto the back of the Huang Fu insect, holding his pig head high, proudly wagging his tail, and let out a small fart with a "pu" sound.

As he approached, staggering in his steps, he looked at Uncle Fei's neck with confusion, his gaze appearing somewhat hesitant.

Just then, the corpse insects in the sand dunes stopped playing and gathered together. A huge yellow-skinned monster appeared in the distance, with a pale complexion, exposed fangs, wise eyes, and its tough and wrinkled skin covered with tiny maggots the size of sesame seeds. A foul smell could be detected from afar.

Strange, why couldn't we see our reflections in the mirror just now? Could it be that we are all ghosts?

The exterior of the stone chamber is similar to the sixteen grottoes, and the murals and Buddha sculptures on the stone walls seem to be replicated.

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For a moment, tens of thousands of corpse worms erupted into cheers, with the sounds of "squeak", "rustle", "chirp", and "croak" incessantly ringing in the ears, like a great mix, exciting and suffocating.