In the room.
Chen Yun saw his own body.
To be precise, he was currently suspended above his own head, with his body beneath him.
At this moment, his physical body had its eyes tightly closed, breathing faintly, as if on the edge of death.
Did it succeed?
The successful completion of the spirit seclusion truly occurred!
A surge of joy arose in Chen Yun's heart.
In fact, according to the records of the technique, escaping the physical body is not a difficult task.
Some people with weak bodies or those who have been frightened may also leave their physical bodies during their sleep.
The difficulty in cultivating the spiritual essence lies in "nourishing the spirit."
Only by nurturing and strengthening the spiritual essence can it manifest its powerful abilities.
Chen Yun felt a great curiosity when he first escaped his physical body.
Looking around, the scenery was as usual.
He tried to communicate with Zhang Gan, but couldn't make a sound.
After looking at it again for a moment, he found that even when the oil lamp was lit, his spiritual essence had no shadow at all, as if it wasn't actually there.
Formless and insubstantial, just like the records described.
Chen Yun was hesitant and wondered if he was dreaming.
Because when a person is dreaming, they may also feel as if their "soul leaves the body" and see the surrounding environment as incredibly real.
However, when a person is dreaming, they cannot control themselves fully.
But now, Chen Yun noticed that his spiritual essence was as "real" as his physical body, and he could control it completely.
This feeling was very mystical.
At this moment, a vast thought came.
A cold hmpf sound of a young man rang out, "Which fiend dare to make trouble in the town?"
As the words fell, a stream of scorching heat came at them from somewhere, seemingly out of nowhere.
This heat like the warm wind next to a stove directly rushed towards Chen Yun.
He felt as if he had been thrown into a furnace and was being burned.
It was unbearably hot, and it seemed as though his spirit might scatter at any moment!
The feeling is like being locked in by some terrifying beast.
But unfortunately, he could not do anything.
Helpless and powerless.
It feels very uncomfortable and terrifying.
At this moment, Chen Yun had only one thought: he urgently wanted to return to his physical body.
He truly didn't know where the scorching aura that locked onto him had come from.
However, he couldn't move at all, as if something was pressing down on him, and he couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried!
His mind began to blur.
What the hell am I dealing with this kind of thing for?
Even though Chen Yun had high moral character, he had thoughts of cursing his parents at this moment.
Just when he was in mortal danger.
Suddenly, from the scorching aura, a young man's puzzled voice echoed, "Huh, it's not a ghost; it's a sorcerer who has escaped his physical body. Sorry, sorry."
Upon finishing, the scorching aura dissipated like a tide.
Even so, Chen Yun's spiritual essence felt as if he had been working next to a boiler in the blazing sun all day, filled with "dehydration" and "fatigue".
In fact, he was so exhausted that he didn't even have the "strength" to want to return to his physical body.
Just as he was in great distress, an amazing scene suddenly appeared.
The sandalwood smoke around him enveloped his spiritual essence like a hot spring.
Chen Yun felt his spiritual essence being continually repaired by the incense smoke.
It only took a while for his spiritual essence to recover to its original state.
Moreover, when his spiritual essence was enveloped by the sandalwood smoke, he could distinctly feel it "absorbing" some mysterious energy within the smoke.
The spiritual essence was growing stronger little by little.
"Oh, I see. That's why the gods need offerings. Not only can it heal the damage to the spiritual essence, but it can also strengthen one's own power."
Chen Yun understood something.
Normal cultivation of the spirit only requires following the "Transforming Yin to Yang" method, which generally involves keeping the spiritual essence within the body.
However, this method nurtures the spiritual essence relatively slowly.
Of course, there is another way to enhance the spiritual essence, which is to use specially made sandalwood incense and absorb its energy after burning it.
Additionally, according to the teachings of the cultivation method, if there is enough faith, one can also nurture the spiritual essence, which is roughly equivalent to the method of becoming a god through the offering of incense.
Chen Yun is currently in the second situation.
He continuously absorbing the energy from the smoke of the burning sandalwood incense.
Time passed minute by minute and second by second.
His spiritual essence was also gradually strengthening.
Around half an hour later.
The sandalwood incense was about to burn out.
Chen Yun finally let his spiritual essence return to his physical body.
Suddenly, a feeling of "heaviness" came over, as if he had been shackled with chains.
Chen Yun slowly opened his eyes, feeling a strange sensation, as if he had become more "sensitive."
Yes!
That's the feeling!
He seemed to be able to perceive the fluctuations of air currents, not through touch, sight, or hearing, but more like a spiritual perception.
This is a miraculous feeling that Chen Yun has never experienced before.
At this moment, Zhang Gan's voice suddenly sounded in his ear, "Senior Chen, you haven't made any progress either?"
Chen Yun looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Zhang Gan's face showed a trace of despondency, obviously feeling inadequate due to his lack of progress in cultivation.
He still didn't understand the situation and asked, "How about you?"
Zhang Gan sighed and said, "I can't even do the 'Purification of Marrow Technique', let alone escaping my physical body."
Oh, so not everyone can escape their physical body as easily as myself on the first try.
Remembering all his past cultivation efforts, although some were aided by external means, Chen Yun suddenly realized that his talent might really be very high.
Seeing Zhang Gan so despondent, Chen Yun told a kind lie.
He said half-true and half-false, "I'm in a similar situation as you, just a bit further along."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gan immediately laughed, "You're not doing well either?"
Chen Yun smiled and said, "Just a bit of progress, just a bit."
Zhang Gan quickly regained his confidence, "That's good. I thought my talent was too lacking to make any progress, but now I know that even Senior Chen has only just made a bit of headway."
Chen Yun nodded and said, "You've been injured, so you should rest early. I'll work for a while longer and then get some sleep myself."
"Okay, I'll go rest first."
After speaking, Zhang Gan lay down and went to sleep.
Because the peel of the Zhu Guo fruit has fully transformed its effects.
Chen Yun couldn't refine his essence into qi tonight.
He didn't go to sleep immediately because there were things he needed to handle.
Thinking of this, Chen Yun took out the Jujube Stone of Gathering Qi from his storage ring.
In the next moment, he snorted coldly and softly spoke to the jade pearl, "Explain yourself!"
Instantly, the consciousness of Qin Liang, within the white jade pearl, sounded panicky, "Master, why do you say that?"
Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Gan looked up and said, "Who are you talking to?"
"To the ghosts, you should sleep first." Chen Yun replied and continued to communicate with the ghosts, his tone unfriendly: "At first, I didn't suspect you at all, but then I suddenly remembered that you had introduced yourself as a gambler in ordinary times. If that's the case, why did you know I possessed magical powers as soon as I met you? Later, wherever I went, that woman called Lin Fei Yun was able to follow me immediately? Say it! Did you betray me? If not, today I'll kill you!"
"Don't! Don't! Don't!" Qin Liang was scared and kept pleading, "I have something I'm hiding from Master, but Lin Fei Yun is not the one who leaked information to me. For example, a few nights ago when we were in the Cao Temple, even Lin Fei Yun's powerful spiritual essence was almost scattered to the winds by Marquis Cao. How could I, just a ghost, dare to use magic to leak information? If it weren't for the Jujube Stone of Gathering Qi protecting me, I would have been killed by Marquis Cao long ago."
Chen Yun asked, "Then what are you hiding from me?"
Qin Liang sighed deeply, "Alas, I have been hiding something from you for a few years. At that time, I had just regained my senses and control over myself. At that time, the demoness Lin Fei Yun found me and cast a spell on me. She also taught me some cultivation techniques. That law is specifically used to control me, and now that she's dead, the law should have been broken. But what puzzles me is that the law on my body doesn't seem to have been cracked. Well, those are side notes. The only thing is that the cultivation technique she taught me is very evil and requires harming others to consume their souls. Although I'm a gambling addict, I really haven't thought about harming people. So I haven't harmed the Huang family at all; otherwise, they would have died long ago."
The spell hasn't been broken?
Could it be that Lin Fei Yun isn't dead?
Chen Yun thought it shouldn't be possible, as the person was blown to pieces and there's no way they could continue living.
He thought that the spell might be special, not something that would automatically dissolve upon Lin Fei Yun's death.
So Chen Yun didn't think that Lin Fei Yun hadn't died, but rather he was mulling over Qin Liang's words.
Based on what the other party had just said and the events that had occurred, it has a high degree of credibility.
However, after being repeatedly sensed by Lin Fei Yun, Chen Yun had already lost trust in Qin Liang.
He didn't want to create harm, so he decided to take some protective measures for Qin Liang.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "You must know that I obtained a spiritual essence cultivation technique from Lin Fei Yun's storage ring, right?"
Qin Liang was startled and said, "I know, Master, what are you planning to do?"
"Understood." Chen Yun nodded slightly. "This spiritual essence cultivation technique not only has methods to refine and strengthen the spiritual essence, but also some types of jinshen (spiritual essence) magic, about three or four different spells, besides creating illusions, illusions, and attacking souls. There is also a magic to refine ghosts. This magic not only can raise ghost soldiers and generals to assist in battle, but it has a unique feature that if the owner dies, the ghost soldiers and generals under them will also disappear. I don't ask you to fight for me, but for safety reasons, I have only two choices: first, I'll destroy your soul; second, I'll refine you into a ghost general. Considering that you still have a bit of goodwill in your heart and I don't want to create more harm without reason. Therefore, I choose the second option."
The method of refining ghost generals is somewhat similar to the "recruiting immortal soldiers and horses" technique in the Lushan School's martial arts.
The Lushan School's "recruiting immortal soldiers and horses" can be divided into three types: Heavenly Immortal Soldiers and Horses, Earthly Immortal Soldiers and Horses, and Human Immortal Soldiers and Horses.
Lushan has the ability to govern military forces in all three realms, hence it is called "Three Realms and Five Camps Military".
A Lushan altar with a heritage also has several other camps of military forces.
When Lushan priests perform rituals and sacrifices, they will dispatch different types of military forces according to the different things being done, to help them complete the rituals and provide protection in the future.
Heavenly Immortal Soldiers and Horses, as the name suggests, are troops provided by the Heavenly Court's Sir Court and can be obtained through Lushan's official appointment.
Earthly Immortal Soldiers and Horses are also known as the spirit realm troops or the yin realm troops.
Yin soldiers are easier to summon and easier to damage. They can serve as cannon fodder for those with slightly cultivation. Any person with some ability can summon them at night during certain rituals. However, there is a problem with summoning yin soldiers: summoning small ghosts is fine, but if you accidentally summon a ghost king and your cultivation is not enough to control it, issues will arise in all aspects of your body, qi, health, fortune, and so on. If you don't properly cultivate and nourish them, the problems will be even more severe.
Human Immortal Soldiers and Horses are troops passed down by the altar system. They are the troops given by one's master.
There is also a type of soldiers that can be considered as spirit realm troops, known as the ruffians.
At least 33 different categories of the ruffians are known.
They include elves born from the spiritual qi gathering in a certain place, monsters that didn't follow the right path and didn't achieve enlightenment, and so on.
The "refining ghost generals" art that Chen Yun learned from Lin Fei Yun's jade is a type of ghost controlling technique.
If you want the ghost generals to become stronger, you need to perform daily sacrifices and offerings.
After years of accumulating and building up, the ghost generals will become increasingly powerful.
To the point where they can become a Ghost Immortal if they are well-cared for for a long time.
He doesn't want to cultivate Geng Liang into a Ghost Immortal, nor does he want the latter to assist in battle. Therefore, he only uses amulets to establish a certain connection with the other party and won't deliberately nourish them.
Qin Liang did not object, "As long as the master is at ease."
"Then, that's good. Our lives are inextricably linked, I think we won't do anything to betray each other. As for me, I don't have to create harm."
He said, "Then let's continue." Chen Yun took out yellow paper and red ink from his bag, and began to draw the "yin qi general seal" according to the first step recorded in the "refining ghost generals" art.
Because it was his first time drawing, he wasted several sheets of yellow paper at the beginning and had to try multiple times before he accidentally succeeded in drawing one.
"The 'yin qi general seal' is completed."
Chen Yun injected qi into the seal, then spoke to the Jujube Stone of Gathering Qi, "Quickly, penetrate into the amulet."
Qin Liang heaved a long sigh and transformed into a stream of black gas that spread from the Jujube Stone of Gathering Qi into the yin qi general seal.
After half an hour, Chen Yun bit his finger and squeezed a drop of blood into the seal.
Suddenly, Qin Liang's cry of agony rang in his ears.
Chen Yun knew that this was to establish a connection with the ghost through the yin qi general seal, not to harm him.
As expected, after Qin Liang's scream of agony faded away, Chen Yun felt a special connection had been established with the other party. He had a sense of being able to control Geng Liang, as if his body were an extension of his own arm.
After completing all this, Chen Yun said casually, "Return to the Jujube Stone of Gathering Qi."
"Yes, master," Qin Liang transformed back into a stream of black gas and penetrated back into the Jujube Stone of Gathering Qi.
The next second, the seal burst into flames and burned itself.
Chen Yun knew that this evil amulet was only for binding him with the ghost general, and it didn't have any other function. After use, it would self-combust and be destroyed.
If he died after establishing this connection, Qin Liang would also disintegrate into nothingness.
After finishing these, Chen Yun didn't bother with what Geng Liang was doing next. He casually drew another "Lieyan Seal" and injected qi into it. Only then did he lie down on the ground and make a bed for himself.
Because the Lieyan Seal consumes a large amount of true qi, Chen Yun could only make one per day if he didn't actively cultivate to recover his true qi. Since he hadn't made one today, he naturally needed to make it to prevent encountering any danger.
Including the previous Lieyan Seal, he now has two.
Chen Yun lay down on the bed he made on the ground, clearing his mind and going to sleep.
