Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology-Chapter 322 - 288: Netherworld’s Yin Spring Palace, Holy Might’s Enemy

"Taoist Master!"

The two people stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Hmm, go down first and observe the situation."

Song Lin nodded.

After speaking, the three of them used a disguise technique to alter their appearances, then changed into plain garments, appearing as ordinary cultivators.

They then flew into one of the craters at the basin’s bottom.

The Smoke Cave Ghost Market exists in the subterranean depths of the basin.

As the group navigated through the winding space, the view abruptly opened up to reveal rows of ancient and simple palaces.

Pale green mist enveloped the entire underground expanse, with glowing mushrooms on the walls providing illumination.

Figures moved ceaselessly within the mist, weaving between various shops.

The three arrived at the entrance gate, and on its signboard, four large characters were inscribed.

"Smoke Cave Ghost Market."

Song Lin looked at this ghost market; it was the financial hub of Mei Mountain Jungle, where most of its resources originated.

During the Fire Cloud Era, this ghost market did not exist but was instead established by Zhengsi and his loyal faction.

Securing this place meant severing the financial lifeline of Mei Mountain Jungle.

As the three entered, nearly everyone wore cloaks, and even those whose faces were visible were clearly disguised.

Besides the shops, there were numerous stalls.

Demon Blood Ghost Ink, Beast Bone Demon Pills.

And various sect-created spells and cultivation materials; among them, pills and magic treasures were the bestsellers.

Some magic artifacts were unimaginably heinous, reaching the utmost levels of cruelty, such as the Ghost Mother Soul Summoning Banner.

This banner is extremely easy to craft, requiring only the blood of infants—the more, the stronger its power—and corrupts the heart god of the user.

At the center of the ghost market were rows of massive cages.

The cages contained various grotesque and bizarre abnormal soldiers.

The most striking of all was the central cage.

Inside was a young maiden.

The maiden’s skin was white as snow, with faint ghostly markings on her arms beneath her burlap robe, as she lay half reclined with her eyes closed in slumber.

The girl herself was stunningly beautiful, with delicate brows, an elegant nose, and hair as black and smooth as silk clouds. Coupled with the faint markings on her skin, she exuded an exotic charm.

A plaque hung nearby with an explanatory note.

"Netherworld Demon Clan. Possesses dual forms of human and ghost. Calm state is human, transformed into demon in anger. Core Formation cultivation. Selling price: Five million dharma coins."

Whispers filled the air among the crowd.

Song Lin focused his attention, listening carefully while examining the ghostly markings on the maiden’s skin.

This individual was not truly a so-called Netherworld Demon but rather a human cultivator who had succumbed to deviation due to cultivation technique flaws, thus being misunderstood as a demon.

And this cultivation technique... Hmm? It turned out to be the Netherworld Demon Scripture Map, likely one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Divine Demon Forms.

Impossible!

Song Lin was inwardly shocked.

The Netherworld Demon Scripture Map was something he had retrieved from the Golden Demon World. According to Mount Tai Lady, this map was a unique secret technique—even those of the Netherworld could not possibly have knowledge of this spell.

In this world, only he should know it.

Besides this maiden, there were two other middle-aged individuals also identified as Netherworld Demons, similarly embodying one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Divine Demon Forms.

Logically, one should practice all Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Divine Demon Forms, not merely one; no wonder they succumbed to deviation in their cultivation.

Song Lin grew intrigued and wanted to find out where these people had learned the divine demon secret technique.

With this thought, he stepped forward and asked the nearby Taoist disciple:

"Excuse me, but who is the shopkeeper? I’d like to buy this item."

"You truly want to buy it?"

The Taoist disciple was surprised.

Due to the exorbitant price, most people simply stood and watched, with no intention of purchasing the object.

"Of course."

"Very well, please follow me."

The Taoist disciple led Song Lin to a pavilion called Lingyan Pavilion.

"To be frank, the shopkeeper of Lingyan Pavilion is the ghost market’s secret overseer. There is nothing Lingyan Pavilion does not possess; as long as you require something, we can acquire it for you."

The Taoist disciple boasted in a manner of showing off.

After all, a wealthy customer had arrived.

Song Lin and the others exchanged glances; indeed, they had come to the right place.

Very soon, the group arrived at the backyard.

An elderly Taoist, dressed in a yellow robe, sat by a pavilion sipping tea.

Upon hearing footsteps, the elderly Taoist turned around.

"Three fellow Taoists, I am Huang Pao, the shopkeeper of Lingyan Pavilion. May I ask for your esteemed name?"

Huang Pao smiled.

He had just heard from his disciple about the arrival of three customers who claimed they could afford the five million.

Song Lin’s pupils inexplicably turned pale.

Hmm, this person was not particularly strong—merely late-stage Core Formation.

There were also two Core Formation cultivators hidden nearby, and the ground appeared to be embedded with an array formation.

"Ah, a name? The one responsible for killing you!"

Whoa!

The Eight Sceneries Divine Sword was unsheathed, splitting into three directions.

On the other side, Gu Yuchan unleashed a strike of purple lightning.

Shi Yinhua summoned the Five Directions Immortals.

A killing intent erupted instantly!

"You? Song..."

Huang Pao clearly recognized Song Lin. Upon seeing the Eight Sceneries Divine Sword, he immediately understood who this person was!

Swoosh!

Before Huang Pao could react, the flying sword had already severed his throat.

Huang Pao felt his body grow weightless, glancing to see a headless corpse falling to the ground. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be his own.

What a swift sword!

Such audacity!

Gu Yuchan and Shi Yinhua transformed into streaks of shadow, darting back and forth, dispatching every individual onsite in quick succession.

"Taoist Master, Lingyan Pavilion has only three survivors remaining—shall we kill them?"

"Not yet; first, extract their ledgers."

Cultivators at the Purple Mansion Stage could dismantle this place effortlessly.

Even though Zhengsi was the Heavenly Master’s son, it was unlikely he’d send Purple Mansion cultivators as overseers.

After all, the Purple Mansion stage represented upper-tier combat strength within sects.

"Understood!"

Shi Yinhua left to tally the accounts.

Song Lin stepped outside and, under the curious gazes of the crowd, removed Lingyan Pavilion’s signboard, renaming it Jade Tripod Pavilion.

"From today onward, the ghost market has a new owner."

As he spoke, a powerful aura burst forth.

All those present felt a piercing Sword Qi stab at their foreheads, their hairs standing on end, cold sweat soaking their clothes.

Such strength!

The crowd murmured internally.

"Oh..."

"Understood."

The merchants nodded indifferently, expressing no opposition.

As long as they had somewhere to exchange goods, it didn’t matter who the owner was.

Since the opponent had defeated Lingyan Pavilion’s leader, they were undoubtedly stronger; best not to meddle.

Within the World in the Pot.

Xiangling opened her eyes, the piercing white light stinging them. She instinctively shielded her eyes, taking a moment to regain her senses.

She stood up and took in her surroundings—floating islands hovered all around. But wasn’t she imprisoned in a cage before losing consciousness?

Xiangling felt bewildered.

She recalled being ambushed by Ghost King Sect members, separated from her kin, and then captured.

While scanning her surroundings, she noticed a Mystical Robed Taoist standing nearby.

The Taoist turned to her, offering a gentle smile.

"Die!"

Xiangling bared sharp tiger-like teeth, her talismanic markings glowing.

Her sudden transformation into demon form shrouded her in inky demonic Qi, turning her into a ten-zhang-tall silver-armored giant.

Though her silver mask obscured her face, her enlarged form clearly resembled Xiangling. On her back was a broadsword.

Sword Qi radiated furiously, murderous intent thick as a palpable haze, forming swords, spears, and axes directed toward Song Lin.

Xiangling wanted to end this man’s life.

She reasoned that his unexpected appearance here must be linked to her original captors.

Song Lin remained motionless, his demeanor calm and never-changing.

As the Sword Qi closed in, Song Lin spoke lightly: "Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Divine Demon—Sword Demon!"

He said this in the Netherworld Seal Character tongue.

The moment these words were uttered, Xiangling froze in shock, immediately reverting to her original form.

"How do you know?"

Xiangling’s pretty face turned as pale as snow, like a frightened fawn.

"Because I have the Netherworld Demon Scripture Map..."

Song Lin casually recited a few verses.

Xiangling listened intently; indeed, it was the very same technique, but even more detailed.

"This is salvation... Salvation..." Xiangling’s eyes reddened, mumbling as if possessed, abruptly kneeling. "Greetings, my Lord. The Yin Spring Lineage has awaited you for ages."

"What did you say?"

Song Lin was somewhat speechless.

Initially, he was plotting how best to leverage this technique to make them serve him.

Unexpectedly, she submitted outright—did he truly possess royal dominion?

"The Supreme Elder once said that our lineage’s cultivation technique is flawed. It’s prone to deviation, leading to failure in our practice. The Elder foretold that the one who possessed the complete technique would be the Taoist Master destined to lead our lineage to prosperity."

Xiangling answered honestly.

At the same time, she pledged loyalty to him.

Song Lin found it rather ridiculous.

"Who was the founder of your magic vein?"

"Unclear."

As Song Lin continued questioning, he discovered that the Yin Spring lineage’s rules bore an uncanny resemblance to those of Donghua Temple.

Despite their eerie demeanor, they seemed strangely ethical?

Song Lin instructed Xiangling to explain the origins of the Yin Spring Lineage.

The lineage’s Grandmaster was shrouded in mystery—their name and details of their life unknown.

While considered the Grandmaster, it was actually another individual who truly established Yin Spring Palace.

Master Yin Quan, in his youth, had been tutored in Taoist skills by an unknown immortal.

This included the Netherworld Scripture Map.

Due to wars later on, parts of the scripture were lost, leaving the lineage’s cultivation defective ever since.

"Could it be a splintered technique passed down from Mount Tai Lady’s faction?"

Song Lin speculated.

The myths of this world and the tales in Monster Chronicles might intersect.

Another possibility—was it his doing?

He often wandered through mythical realms spreading teachings, so it wouldn’t be surprising if fragments leaked out.

As he ventured further into these realms, would he encounter formidable figures from this world?

At that moment, Song Lin uncovered an important revelation.

The Yin Spring Palace and Ghost King Sect were mortal enemies. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

During the founding of Taoist schools, Ghost King Sect defeated Yin Spring Palace, thus successfully establishing the Holy Might Taoist School.

This meant they were, in fact, adversaries of the Holy Might Heavenly Master.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend; thus, Song Lin realized they were worth cultivating as allies.

"You mentioned the Yin Spring Lineage has a Supreme Elder. Where is this Elder now, and what is their cultivation level?"

"The Great Elder and Second Elder are masters of Heavenly Tribulation. Before our separation, they were searching for clues within the Black Heaven Law Realm Alliance."

The descendants of Yin Spring Palace were not few but had retreated into obscurity.

"Let’s do this: I’ll teach you part of the Netherworld Scripture Map’s spell. For now, help me guard the ghost market—is that acceptable?"

Xiangling nodded eagerly, "Absolutely. I’ll try to contact them. If the Supreme Elder learns of your presence, he’ll surely be excited."

"Hmm, I’ll await your news." Song Lin smiled, inwardly doubting their proclaimed allegiance. Only someone as innocent as Xiangling would likely adhere sincerely to ancestral instructions.

Anyone else discovering sect secrets in another’s possession would desire their immediate extermination to prevent leakage.

Of course, Song Lin wasn’t concerned.

The Yin Spring Palace as a trump card, coupled with their deeper grudge against Holy Might, could prove beneficial for directing trouble their way.

The more chaotic the situation became, the better it would be for him.

Soon, Shi Yinhua entered the World in the Pot, holding a ledger in both hands.

"Taoist Master, I’ve investigated. The Smoke Cave Ghost Market has thirty-seven shops and one hundred and two stalls, with a one-tenth revenue share, roughly generating five hundred and fifty thousand annually."

Five hundred and fifty thousand?

If one-tenth translates to that, the overall annual revenue must exceed five million?

Clearly, this was lucrative.

Shi Yinhua wore a peculiar expression and said, "I’ve also uncovered an interesting matter."

"What is it?"

"The ledger records several incidents of missing female cultivators. It turns out Zhengsi was behind it, with the stolen goods from these women sold through the Smoke Cave Ghost Market."

"Excellent, another wild card."

Although it wasn’t enough to overthrow Zhengsi, tarnishing his reputation was entirely possible.

Song Lin began contemplating how best to circulate the ledger.

"Alright, later I’ll introduce you to someone. She’ll be the ghost market’s new custodian, and you’ll liaise with her from now on."

...

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