I Am Your Natural Enemy

Wen Yan felt that the people of Zhongnan had misunderstood him—he truly wasn’t deliberately targeting anyone, nor was he intentionally trying to do anything.

Just like how he sent the surveillance footage straight to Scorching Sun Headquarters at the first moment, and now, as soon as the sun set, he had appeared at the foot of Mount Zhongnan—purely to make it in time.

If someone dies during the day, there are only two possible outcomes: disperse on the spot, or their nether soul remains.

Considering the person likely died with deep resentment and outside the sect gates, if even then he could find satisfaction and peace of mind, his soul would have dissipated to the wind after death, leaving no lingering regrets.

Wen Yan would accept that.

Evidently, no matter how much courage or resolve someone has to do a thing, their true thoughts can never lie to themselves.

This Taoist named Ma Mingzi—his nether soul remained.

During the day, there’s nothing anyone can do; the only option would be to scatter the soul entirely.

Wen Yan didn’t believe such a big event could be accomplished by a single Taoist and a few young disciples.

Even less did he believe this Taoist could be beaten until his soul was utterly annihilated.

What Wen Yan wanted was to wait until just after sunset—the very first moment when something could be done—and forcibly pull over the opposing nether soul.

An unregistered, unranked Taoist stripped of all honors, in terms of status, was truly less than an ordinary mediocre man—what ability could he possibly have to withstand Wen Yan’s burst qi soul summoning?

What Wen Yan really wanted was to know—exactly why?

If it had been some deep, bitter hatred driving people to such madness, at least, honestly, Wen Yan could comprehend the reasons.

But now, there was no obvious vendetta—so he was especially eager to figure out why.

Only by knowing why, could he start taking particular actions in response.

If not, after today’s ambush, who would dare do anything tomorrow—he didn’t even want to imagine it.

Wen Yan slapped Ma Mingzi hard a few times across the face; Ma Mingzi’s face lengthened, resentment began to fester around him, yet he still didn’t say a word, putting on a look that said: ”If you have the guts to destroy my soul, so be it, but I won’t tell you a thing.”

Wen Yan stomped his foot, gave three low, stern shouts, and at once, golden light flickered over the altar beneath his feet; the nether souls of three young Taoists rose from the earth, wrapped in gold light.

Their faces were twisted in pain, mouths seemingly howling in anguish, and at the center of their brows was a trace of blood—on closer inspection, it looked like a black nail had been nailed right into their foreheads.

It seemed some force was binding them, yanking at their nether souls, trying to struggle against the golden light—unfortunately, to little effect.

”Ha, coffin nails to suppress nether souls, to suppress spiritual intelligence, porcelain coffins for sealing—such a grudge-filled, ruthless burial method. Haven’t heard of this for ages, and yet today, witnessing it with my own eyes—truly an eye-opener.”

Seventh Great-Uncle Master played with zombies every day—at a glance, he recognized exactly what was wrong with the three young Taoists’ nether souls.

This was suppression of soul and spirit intelligence—such burial magic, in the old days, was employed only when burying the bitterest of enemies.

For those suppressed like this, common folk say they never return home on the seventh day after death—their souls cannot ascend nor descend, eternally imprisoned in their coffin. Even if they become ghosts, their spiritual intelligence will never be restored.

And with a nether soul present, even buried in a corpse nourishing land, the body would never turn zombie.

Ultimately, after a certain time, the nether soul would naturally dissipate, the corpse rot away, all returning to earth and sky.

Even the great corpses of Fuyu Mountain weren’t treated this brutally.

To think, these former disciples of Zhongnan met such an end.

At this sight, all the Zhongnan disciples’ expressions changed as one.

Some among them, better informed, saw at once—this could not possibly have anything to do with Wen Yan.

It’s just that Wen Yan’s soul summoning, for some reason, was extremely forceful—even under such conditions, he was able to forcibly summon the nether souls of those three Taoists from the place they died.

Wen Yan simply glanced at the three young Taoists’ nether souls; he knew nothing could be learned from them.

With a wave, Wen Yan set the three young Taoists’ nether souls free—their mouths wide as if wailing, swiftly sinking into the earth and vanishing.

He turned his gaze back to Ma Mingzi clenched in his hand.

”Seems there are still some in Taiyi Observatory with a hatred for evil—those three young Taoists must have been heinous culprits indeed, to receive such a punishment.

I imagine you were simply misled, truly ignorant, and so were treated differently. Now you remain as a nether soul, with your intelligence intact. Very good.

That means I can still ask some other questions.”

Wen Yan looked again at the people of Taiyi Observatory.

Their expressions were all unsightly; some were glancing toward their Sect Master.

After all, as the representative of Mount Zhongnan, Taiyi Observatory was supposed to have even stricter rules than other sects—and was never known to use such ruthless and vicious secret techniques.

And even supposing, as an extreme, that Ma Mingzi was included in such a burial, it could then be said that Taiyi Observatory was severely punishing a disciple who committed a grave sin.

But if all the other disciples received such a burial, while Ma Mingzi clearly did not, it makes no sense at all.

The Taiyi Observation Master shot a cold look over, flicked his horsetail whisk, and turned away in silence.

Plenty of disciples in Taiyi Observatory clearly had more to say, but there was no chance now.

The more proper Taoists looked at Wen Yan with rather complex expressions; then, turning back, looked along the long stairway up into the clouds to where Taiyi Observatory sat—their gazes only growing more conflicted.