Chapter Thirty-Nine: Loss of Magic

  The cave was about 21 meters deep, and I couldn't help but admire the high efficiency of the people in front. After coming down, Jin Gang Cannon and I simultaneously turned on our headlamps, and under our feet were flat, slightly dark red stone slabs. I squatted down to open my backpack, took out the dry willow ancient sword directly from its scabbard, and threw it at Jin Gang Cannon. Now was not the time to be careless, if this guy couldn't pull it out again, it would be fatal.

  I took out the Jiuyang dustpan and put my backpack on, carefully moving forward and measuring this spacious tomb passage. The tomb passage is about three meters wide and five meters high, very spacious. I pinched the key and didn't find any unusual aura around me, then accelerated my pace.

  A thick stone gate appeared in front of me soon, the stone gate was already damaged and half open, and some unnameable tools were scattered on the ground.

  "Lao Yu, look, there's a bloodstain here." Jingang Cannon pointed to the bottom of the stone gate.

  I lowered my head to take a look, and indeed there were bloodstains on the stone gate below. I pinched the observing qi technique again to explore the aura inside the stone gate, but strangely, I still didn't find anything unusual.

  "Come on in!" I said, throwing away the cigar and sidestepping through the stone gate. This thing is really hard to smoke.

  "Wait a moment..."

  I had just entered the main tomb chamber and hadn't had time to observe my surroundings when a cold light flashed towards me, barely missing my nose. I dodged to the side, swinging my head so that the beam of my headlamp shone in the direction of the sudden attack. My hair stood on end as I exclaimed, "What the...?!"

  A withered ancient corpse wearing ancient armor stood in the dark just a few steps away from me, its dry arm raised high with a long halberd, about to charge and chop me down.

  Just as I was stunned, the Golden Cannon had already stretched out from outside the door and grabbed my backpack, pulling me out violently, barely avoiding the downward swing of the long spear.

  "Lao Yu, what's going on? I clearly felt a strong soul aura behind the door just now, how could you say it was okay to enter?" Jingang Cannon and I stood on either side of the stone gate, holding our weapons at the ready to ambush the ancient corpse that followed us out. What's strange is that the armored ancient corpse inside didn't come out!

  "I grasped the key and looked again, but didn't find anything out of place." I grasped the key once more and tried it again, but still couldn't find anything unusual.

  "Lao Yu, what kind of ghosts are inside?" Jin Gang Pao didn't enter the door so he doesn't know the situation inside.

  "It's not a ghost, it's a corpse wearing armor, I don't know from which dynasty, all dried up" I said with a wave of my hand.

  "Impossible! I clearly felt a soul aura just now. How can a corpse emit a soul aura?!" The Diamond Cannon's hand tightened around the grip as he stared at the slightly ajar stone door.

  "But I clearly saw an ancient corpse just now." I said with some urgency.

  Jin Gang Cannon stopped talking, puffed a few mouthfuls of air "Upper teaching door people, purple energy through the sky, slaying evil and suppressing demons, temporarily borrowing the golden body, Kuai Mu Lang quickly returns to his true form, the Great Supreme Taoist Lord urgently orders as if by law!" Jin Gang Cannon loudly chanted the mantra for expelling evil with his vital energy, suddenly turned around and entered the main tomb chamber.

  I followed closely behind, and by the light of the miner's lamp I saw that the golden cannon was like a furious eye of Buddha, its handle held straight out to chop at the entrance of the main tomb chamber where that ancient corpse manipulated the halberd.

  With a loud "crack", the ancient corpse fell to the ground.

  "Haha, the spell is so effective! Oh my god, how are there so many of them?!" Just as Jīn Gāng Pào was rejoicing over his successful use of the "Exorcism" spell, he suddenly looked up to see rows and rows of ancient armored corpses standing upright in the main tomb chamber, their withered heads turning towards us in unison.

  "Not only can they move, but they also have a soul. Are these people dead or alive? My god, how did these few people get chopped up like this?" Jin Gang cannon swung and wielded the dry general to intercept the ancient soldiers who were rushing towards us, accidentally stepping on a pile of rotten flesh.

  "It should be a dead person, but I don't know why the soul hasn't left the body after death." I made an inference based on the current situation, and I couldn't care less about the fate of those thieves who deserved to be punished.

  I observed the Vajra Cannon's spell, pinched out the incantation, and also recited the Demon-Expelling Mantra. It's strange, why did my Nine Yang Dust Sweeper have such a poor effect in suppressing the yin spirits today? The Vajra Cannon's blow was almost like cutting withered grass, while my dust sweeper could only make the ancient corpse that rushed towards me retreat a few steps, without any obvious suppressive effect.

  "Haha, Old Yu, this time I've got good luck, you see they're not hitting me." The gunner was busy operating the cannon and didn't stop talking.

  I looked around and indeed it was! How all the armor ancient corpses rushed towards me, and the guys in their hands also waved at me. And the Diamond Cannon, who was wildly slashing beside him, was ignored by the ancient corpses.

  I relied on the left and right dodges on the stone gate, with the golden cannon strolling by like a sword, beautiful to the point of almost humming a little tune.

  "Change!" I shouted loudly.

  The golden cannon threw the dry general towards me, I caught it in one hand and chopped towards a long spear that had already arrived in front of my eyes. The long spear was instantly cut off by me, and then with a flick of my wrist, I directly stabbed into the chest of the nearest suit of armor ancient corpse.

  "Damn it, how can't I get in?" I cursed loudly, looking back at the Golden Gun, my left hand pinching a spell, my right hand waving the duster I threw down, the sound of bones shattering still echoing in my ears!

  Damn it, let your souls leave your bodies and see what you're relying on! "Mysterious and obscure, yin and yang are born together. When they are born, they take shape; when they die, they become energy. The nine underworlds and the various souls show their true forms. The great Taoist master is urgent, like a law." I cut off the ancient corpse in front of me with one sword, and in the midst of chaos, I recited the Soul-Searching True Words.

  After waiting for a long time, it didn't work at all! I had already practiced this technique and mantra to perfection a year ago, so why did it have no effect today? Had my magic lost its power? The thought sent shivers down my spine.

  "Old Cow, recite the True Words of Searching Soul and Observing Qi!" I shouted loudly.

  "Hauler!" The golden cannon transformation incantation, recited the soul-searching mantra. "Yin and yang are born together......" As soon as the words fell, only to see the dark wind rising, in an instant, transformed into many dark souls, whistling from the stone gate gap beside me and Jin Gang Pao's body, rushing out, while the withered body also turned to dust in an instant, leaving only helmets, armor, and spears.

  "Cough...cough..." I and Jin Gang Pao were choked by the dust blown up by the dark wind, and when the dust settled, we saw a sturdy young soldier's soul in ancient armor kneeling before us.

  "Immortal master, your divine skill has freed us from the suffering of being trapped for a thousand years. Your humble servant Yuan Kui offers his deepest gratitude to the immortal's heavenly kindness!" The soul and spirit borrowed energy to speak out loud and knocked their heads in thanks.

  Alas, humans and ghosts are alike, they all have things to attend to. Those who ran away didn't even say thanks, but this guy still knew to leave a word of gratitude!

  "Those who are not of the Three Purities do not receive worship, your words are serious indeed. Why do you dwell in this place?" I asked casually. As soon as the words left my mouth, I was stunned - did I just say that?

  "I inform the true person, in the past when the rebellion usurped the dynasty, the protector of the country, the true person, took me and my subordinate soldiers to this distant place, saying 'this is a place where five dragons gather, we should dig the earth and build an array to practice the supreme Taoist techniques for the eternal continuation of dragon energy'. Who knew that on the day the array was completed, this thief would use the soul-sealing technique to forcibly bind our souls here, driving us like pigs and dogs, day and night without rest, to seize the yang and guard the tomb. Twenty-five years have passed since then, and now this thief has..."

  "Lao Yu, why is it so hot?" I was so absorbed in listening that the sound of a cannon wiping sweat from his face interrupted my thoughts.

  "The old thief is about to wake up, the true man is precious!" This ghost named Yuan Kui bid us farewell with a fearful expression.

  "Wait a minute, go to the north ten miles away and wait for me. Help me with something and then leave. After it's done, I'll let you be reborn without having to suffer in the underworld." I suddenly thought of something and called out to him.

  Yuan Kui's face showed a puzzled expression, I had no choice but to use ancient language to explain it to him again, he promised before turning into wind and leaving.

  "Lao Yu, what were you just talking about? I could understand it for a moment and then couldn't the next," Jin Gang asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

  "The first sentence wasn't said by me, the latter two sentences were said by me." I replied casually.

  "Here we go again..." Jingang Cannon was already used to my occasional neurosis.

  "Old cow, I don't know why, but I suddenly can't cast spells." I furrowed my brow.

  "What? How can this be?" The Golden Cannon opened its mouth again, wanting to swallow the Toad.

  "It's possible that the formation here is suppressing my magic, the spiritual energy is still there, it's just not being released." It was getting hotter and hotter, I could feel my throat starting to dry out, I reckon Yuan Ke's "old thief" was really about to wake up.

  "What's going on? You're the mainstay, if you can't handle it, I won't be able to hold on either." Jin Gang Pao's face was filled with anxiety.

  I let out a loud sigh "Old Cow, are you still thinking of learning 'Stellar Absorption Technique'?"