After a while, old Gong came to his senses and made everything clear and understandable.
The extraordinary Gao Tian Dao, neither man nor ghost, was supposed to be a celestial being after achieving the great transformation of the Yang Spirit.
However, this is a paradox.
Instead of ascending to heaven and leaving, he established the Daoist sect of Gao Tian Dao in an eerie existence.
Those who could initially see him were undoubtedly of high cultivation, with fates that matched and extraordinary talents.
He was seeking the right person to borrow a body and restore his soul.
To be "knocked down a level" means that the Guanlun Mingjing had brought him from the state of Yang Spirit Awakening to the stage before he had unraveled the mysteries of the Three Demons.
The Three Demons are the stage problems faced by most sages and Daoists.
A part of them encounter these issues in their lifetime, while another part unfolds after they transform like a cicada.
Gao Tian Dao had necessarily unraveled it.
However, when he returned from the state of having no desires to one with desires, his realm began to slowly descend.
My appearance made him yearn for more, which became a catalyst.
The Four Regulations Mirror was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
His soul was dispersed and divided into three parts.
That is the reason why others could see him.
Old Gong told me to remove the sword from his mouth because the lowering of his soul's tier would cause corresponding changes in his corpse, leading to the growth of three worms.
And there would still be a breath of qi left in his corpse.
Beforehand, Gao Tian Dao's soul had taken over my body, as if a ghost had possessed me, to remove the sword. It might have been using that breath to completely stabilize his body and soul, achieving the purpose of borrowing a body to restore his soul.
I would have taken out the sword at that time, which would cause the qi to disperse. The soul and spirit of the level-down Gao Tian Dao would be injured!
The sword itself is a treasure that can counter ghosts. He was not a ghost before, but after being broken into three pieces, he is definitely a ghost.
Old Gong's explanation cleared everything up for me.
Suddenly, I remembered some things.
For instance, Old Qin Head...
Old Qin Head's current state is that of transformation, with the Three Demon Worms flowing out.
In the village, I saw him again.
However, his character had undergone a drastic change, completely different from who he used to be!
Is that one of the three souls?!
There should be three Old Qin Heads in Old Cane Village?
It is only when the Three Demon Worms on Old Qin Head are broken, or when his soul awakens, that he can reach the next level?
He is in the stage of transformation, but he still has a certain distance to go before reaching immortality.
But... does the transformation into immortality really exist?
Gao Tian Dao himself did not succeed!
My parents were looking for stripped bodies, and Old Qin Head was searching for corpses to uncover a huge secret.
Could the secret Old Qin Head was searching for be the result of transformation like a cicada?!
Is the concept of transformation to ascension to immortality just a fraud!?
If someone reaches the high level of Gao Tian Dao and transforms to ascend to immortality, they would be wandering in this world, except for some special people. Most others cannot see them.
They are unable to communicate with humans either.
Are they also unable to communicate with people? In that case, is ascending to immortality a form of transcendence, or is it the extreme loneliness, which in turn evolves into pain?
My head is buzzing.
I am not sure if my judgment is right or wrong. My intuition tells me that there is a good chance this could be the possibility.
Old Gong didn't say anything. I don't know what he is thinking, whether he is thinking the same as me.
Mingying clearly didn't understand these things, crossing her legs and hugging her knees, her gaze shifting from me and Old Gong to the cautious look at the mouse.
After a while, the growling sounds of hunger could be heard in our stomachs. It was because we had been walking for too long without eating, making our bellies touch our backs.
We ate some dried food from our pockets and felt a bit better.
A sense of drowsiness washed over us.
Old Gong began to mutter, no longer talking about Gao Tian Dao but instead cursing Yang Guijin for not being a good person. He had taken the lead and triggered the mechanism to lock us in the tomb passage, which was truly sinister.
Mingying whispered to Old Gong, "Please calm down. Perhaps we will soon be able to break through."
Suddenly, a faint light appeared from the end of the sealed passage.
Mingying immediately showed a look of surprise and joy.
But Old Gong widened his eyes and let out a soft hiss.
Later, Old Gong's mouth began to move as he spat out a few big yellow teeth. His lips moved, as if he was muttering something, but there was no sound.
However, I heard a very weak voice, it was Yang Guijin's.
"They should be dead. I accidentally triggered the mechanism."
"Ah my Buddha, wait a bit longer. There's no harm in waiting." The dry voice carried a slight hint of serenity.
My expression changed.
The twin monks have descended?
Indeed... We have been delayed for quite some time, and it's not impossible that the twin monks changed their minds and descended.
As for the conversation between me and Yang Guijin...
It is not very likely that Yang Guijin and the twin monks are of the same faction, but it could be that Yang Guijin escaped and encountered the twin monks.
I wonder how Lao Chu will think about this?
He and the twin monks collaborating certainly includes the possibility that he was unaware of the truth and was deceived by the twin monks.
In fact, he didn't get a chance to deal with us; first, it was Yang Guijin who suffered misfortune.
"Master Yang brought out books from within Gao Tian Dao. This is a feat that has never been accomplished before. I believe, they might also be able to bring them out and bring even greater surprises to our temple and to the entire Gao Tian Dao."
The other elderly voice echoed again.
The twin monks are two people, so the voices are naturally two.
"Well... can you release me and Lao Chu... I've given you the things, and inside the situation, I've told you..."
"I really don't have much use anymore..."
The voice of Yang Guijin, slightly pleading, resonated.
"I've been crazy for so many years, and no one has cared for me. My brother had his legs broken by someone, and now no one..."
"This has nothing to do with the monk," the older voice replied. "If you really have nothing left to offer, the monk will take you on a journey."
"As it seems now, it's not quite like that."
"If they die in here, the monk still has to make a trip."
"Perhaps, you have already eliminated many dangers."
The alternating voices of the two elderly monks were so similar that they confused the mind, making it difficult to distinguish between them.
Yang Guijin remained silent.
At this moment, a weak jar-like voice sounded: "Holding a dignified appearance, he is treacherous and unscrupulous..."
The scream suddenly erupted.
"Holding a dignified appearance, he is talking about Dao, not a monk. Ah my Buddha."
...
...
All seemed quiet down...
For a moment, I didn't know what to do, and Mingying's face was equally panicked.
The passage must still be some distance away to reach the exit, and the conversation was actually still very weak.
By the way, if the distance was close, they should have heard the sound of digging long ago.
It's just that due to the geographical issue, the sound penetrates deep into it.
At this moment, Old Gong swallowed his teeth one by one, glancing at a particular direction and saying very softly, "Dig this way, dig diagonally outward, and dig higher."
Mingying nodded.
However, before she began, she first chanted a spell, commanding the mouse to block the small hole with many broken pieces of soil and rocks.
Soon, the broken rocks blocked the hole approximately halfway.
She followed Old Gong's instructions and again controlled the mouse to dig the hole.
