Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 137 - 133: Temple Master of the Five Ghosts, Reforming the Liturgy

Chapter 137: Chapter 133: Temple Master of the Five Ghosts, Reforming the Liturgy

Smack!!

Song Lin’s teacup was thrown directly at Tongyou Taoist’s feet, startling him.

No one expected this young brat to be so bold.

Tongyou Taoist’s face alternated between green and white as he couldn’t help but glance at a middle-aged Taoist in white robes nearby, who had a Five Thunders Talisman Jade Token at his waist.

Song Lin followed his gaze and finally understood something.

This man was standing alongside Chi Hai; he must be one of the Five Masters. If the guess was correct, it should be Zhao Wuji, the master of Lian Wenzhao.

When Zhao Wuji saw Tongyou’s gaze, he nodded slightly, granting permission for a duel between Tongyou and Song Lin.

Tongyou’s face turned pale. Although Song Lin was young, his battle achievements were there for all to see.

One move had injured a Core Formation Stage horned giant fish; even though Tongyou had lived for over a century, he did not possess such cultivation prowess.

Thinking of this, Tongyou ultimately backed down.

"Taoist Master, look at this guy, he clearly doesn’t respect you!" Tongyou Taoist sought help from Fire Cloud.

Fire Cloud frowned. After all, throwing a teacup wasn’t unique to Song Lin, so he only scolded mildly, "Stop mimicking those old slicksters. Deduct 100 dharma coins; go to the Grand Commissioner Institute later to pay the fine."

"Understood!"

And that was the end of the matter.

Song Lin was not truly reckless but acted with deliberate intent.

Having cultivated for so many years, he wouldn’t throw a cup over trivial words; it was all for show.

If anyone dared harbor ambitions, he didn’t mind going all out against them.

The so-called Gathering Yin Land was actually the shaded burial grounds behind the mountain.

Ordinary bones placed there would become yin bones within a few months.

Although soldier refining no longer required bones, these materials could be sold to other Taoist temples as a source of income.

Without this practice, life at the temple would become difficult.

Some Taoist temples were financially unsustainable and scavenged nearby demons like vicious ghosts to earn rewards, with some even sending disciples to larger Taoist temples to perform tasks as helpers.

In fact, the meeting had just ended when a thin, monkey-like old man with a dark yellow complexion and age spots approached slyly.

"I am Five Ghosts Temple Master Wutong Taoist, paying respects to the new Temple Master!"

The Five Ghosts Temple Master appeared very courteous.

"And you are?" Song Lin asked, perplexed.

"I wanted to inquire whether the former agreement with the old Temple Master still stands."

"Pray tell, Taoist, let me hear it."

Five Ghosts Temple was a small Taoist temple in a small southern county within Shanyin County, primarily focused on cultivating the Five Ghosts Taoist Skill.

Due to its meager resources, many of its high-ranking practitioners conducted ghost refining at the Xuanke Temple’s Gathering Yin Land behind the mountain.

Hence, an agreement was established between the two.

Five Ghosts Temple would pay 1,000 dharma coins in monthly rent and limit the number of evil ghosts to fifty for cultivating in the Gathering Yin Land.

"Of course, the agreement stands! But my Dharma Seal needs to be affixed again."

The Temple Master’s Three Seals included the Dutian Great Master Seal, Summoning Supervisor Seal, and Yellow God Seal.

These three seals had already been updated with the new Taoist Master’s title.

From now on, all official documents would bear these seals.

Song Lin headed to the Grand Commissioner Institute to pay the fine. Given the wartime circumstances, ascending to Temple Master did not require undergoing the Grand Precept Ceremony.

The so-called Grand Precept Ceremony was merely a formality: fasting, seclusion for some time, copying scriptures praising the Three Elements God, and learning rituals—a simple procedure.

"Taoist friend, let me handle it!" The Five Ghosts Temple Master appeared exceedingly attentive.

"Alright, you do it." Song Lin replied.

It was the first time Song Lin had been so fawned over by another Temple Master.

"Since it’s on the way, why not travel back together, Taoist friend?" Wutong Taoist suggested with a smile.

"Alright!"

Wutong Taoist summoned five ferocious evil ghosts, which turned into five-colored smoke, gently lifting him into the air.

The two soared towards Xuanke Taoist Temple.

On the way, Song Lin gained a clearer understanding of the cultivation techniques at Five Ghosts Temple.

The entire temple focused on the Five Ghosts Technique.

This involved "Five Ghosts Refining Qi" and "Five Ghosts Refining Spirit."

The cultivator would grow alongside the five ghosts.

The first stage was called Five Ghosts Warriors; after Divine Establishment, they were known as Five Ghosts Envoys. Following this were Five Ghosts Generals, and finally, the Five Ghosts Plague God.

The techniques were singular, with the highest realm being the Purple Mansion—the path to longevity nonetheless.

Cultivators in the Purple Mansion Realm could live up to 3,000 years, comparable to a Land Immortal.

Refining five ghosts required vast amounts of yin energy, which led them to seek Song Lin’s assistance.

"Rest assured, the agreement will remain." Song Lin promised.

In fact, if deeper cooperation were established and he became the leader, he wouldn’t mind sharing the laurel tree resources for a fee.

Now, he no longer feared exposing these opportunities; in fact, exposing them would attract others to pledge allegiance.

Taoists didn’t always have to train their own disciples.

Many disciples pledged allegiance mid-path.

Some were loose cultivators; others were Taoist practitioners without temples.

It was just that his reputation wasn’t strong enough yet, which was why no one had approached him.

Soon enough, Song Lin and Wutong Taoist didn’t return to the bustling construction site of the Taoist Temple. Instead, they bypassed the site and headed to the mountains behind.

Shanyin County, as the name suggested, was located in the shadows of the mountains.

The two arrived in a dense virgin forest, in front of which was an ancient offering site for the Rampant Soldiers—the Main Altar Spirit Hall.

Massive, towering cedar trees blocked out sunlight, leaving the ground in perpetual twilight even at noon.

A faint green mist filled the air, and the temperature dropped perceptibly.

Not far ahead appeared to be a chaotic burial ground, with mounds and wooden tablets inscribed with birthdates and designations.

Some of the tablets were broken, likely from prolonged neglect.

Nearby were also a dozen or so stone chambers.

These were secluded retreat spots for Taoists.

Rustle!

As soon as the two entered, a mist of yin energy billowed up, and hundreds of towering figures with hawk-like and dog-headed appearances—the Erlang infantry—emerged.

A plain-faced middle-aged Taoist stood at the center of the infantry, bowing respectfully.

"Greetings, Temple Master."

"There’s no issue. Carry on with your work." Song Lin waved the group off dismissively.

The Taoist just now was Song Yijin, the former Patrol Taoist, whom Song Lin had recently reassigned as the Mountain Patrol Officer.

The temple had eight main stewards: Lin Yang managed the warehouse, Li Hu oversaw public affairs, Li Jing handled accounting, Lu Qian patrolled minor residences, Wu Ming was the Guest Steward, Zhao Gong managed the estate, Ouyang Kun was in charge of Dianzao, and Dongyang monitored the Ghost Market. Song Yijin managed the smallest portfolio, mountain patrols.

The previous Temple Master’s subordinates were almost entirely replaced, except for Song Lin, Li Jing, and Lin Qing in the Grand Commissioner. Other positions were occupied by Qi Refinement cultivators, some of whom Song Lin was still unfamiliar with.

"Swap tokens with Song Yijin later so you won’t need to report to me when you come here in the future."

"Thank you, Taoist friend."

After chatting for a while, Wutong Taoist excused himself and departed.

Song Lin then proceeded to the temple’s construction site.

Yellow Turban Warriors transported massive stones and bricks, Rampant Soldiers focused on masonry, the infantry handled roofing, and others conjured Yin Wind to clear mud.

Some Taoists set up a massive tripod cauldron.

Inside was molten copper, and both trainees and disciples supervised the flame.

Lin Qing led a team as they crouched on the ground, engraving intricate symbols with chisels.

Once engraved, the Taoists poured molten copper along the grooves, allowing it to cool and solidify.

This was the foundation for an array, a simple Qi Gathering Formation and an anti-tunneling array, both of which Song Lin knew how to set up.

"It’s nearly finished. We can move in tomorrow. The nearby residents have mostly returned. Including the lower villagers, there’s a total of over 300,000 people. The County Magistrate and the government staff were wiped out entirely. A new County Magistrate from the upper level may arrive to pay respect."

"Understood. Prepare to set up the dharma altar for the Temple Master ceremony."

Three days later.

Five-colored cloth draped across the entire Taoist Temple, clear water cleansed the streets, and talisman papers paved the roads.

All the Taoists dressed in wide-sleeved Taoist robes.

Atop a five-foot-tall dharma altar of Five-colored Soil stood a colossal offering table adorned with ten cows, ten sheep, ten pigs, ten deer, ten rabbits, and more.

Beside them were bowls of clear water, copper bells, jade scrolls, the Immortal Name List, and the Heaven and Earth Three Officials Tablet.

Song Lin faced the crowd, standing before the thirty-six remaining Taoists and 175 disciples.

His face was like white jade, his deep black eyes carried a mysterious air, and his features were dignified yet firm.

With his purple dragon-and-phoenix robe, he exuded elegance and majesty.

The crowd below gazed intently at this new Temple Master, who had led them through hardships.

"Light the incense!!"

Lin Qing, serving as Sacrificial Wine, called out loudly, as Li Jing followed behind with disciples carrying the burning incense.

Song Lin followed the steps; the disciples bowed in tandem.

What followed were the invocation of deities, gestures of respect, presentation of the jade talisman, offerings, and rounds of greeting rituals: the Preliminary, Secondary, and Final Salutations, ending with the retraction of talismans and the departure of deities.

Each ritual was accompanied by the sounds of dharma conches and drums.

Without Lin Qing and Li Jing, the two elders, the younger generation wouldn’t have known these formalities.

As the final offering of wine concluded,

the dharma conch sounded long and deep. The ceremonial dismissal of deities marked the ceremony’s end!

"Salutations to the Temple Master!!"

The crowd bowed deeply.

"Rise." Song Lin gestured for them to stand. With the ceremony now behind them, it was time for the main event—the first act of a new regime.

"I hereby announce that from this day forward, all liturgies will be revised! Precepts will be added, stricter evaluations implemented, additional rules introduced, and coursework increased! Additionally..."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.