Secret chamber in the residence.
Song Lin sat before twelve jars.
Beside him stood two tall warriors, pale as paper, clad in golden paper armor.
The warriors had storage bags around their waists; these jars had just been taken out from the storage bags.
"Farewell!"
Whoosh!
As soon as the words were spoken, the two warriors dissolved into ash and vanished.
Song Lin watched with envy; these things were Taoist Soldiers meant for carrying items.
He had just been worrying about how to transport them, but the stall keeper had given him two talisman papers. After burning the papers upon returning, Taoist Soldiers would arrive from the depths of the earth.
The twelve black jars before him were also known as Soldier and Horse Altars. They contained remains of twelve souls who died violently, placed in an Extremely Yin Land to provoke their malevolence.
Song Lin took out a talisman and began chanting softly.
"Disciple ventures forth, summoning mountain spirits, transforming into earth-shaking Five Rampant Soldiers..."
With the recitation of the spell, the black jars emitted an eerie green light, illuminating the entire chamber. Song Lin's expression alternated between light and shadow.
He took a knife, cut open his finger, and dripped a drop of fresh blood into each black jar.
The blood seeped into the jars slowly, creating an eerily grim scene.
Soon, the talisman revealed a gruesome image of an evil ghost, accompanied by five large characters: "Hunt Rampant Spirits through Mountains."
These Rampant Soldiers were versatile, capable of traversing mountains and rivers with minimal True Qi consumption. Beyond them, there were also Cold Rampant Soldiers, Flag-Bearing Rampant Soldiers, and Soul-Gathering Rampant Soldiers.
After completing the ritual, Song Lin stepped out of the door and arrived at the entrance of the Capital Institute.
He passed by Taoists and Taoist disciples, some adorned in black script, others with golden pupils and jade-green eyes, moving with effortless grace and composure.
The Capital Institute had a side hall called Shuiyun Hall. A registration with Lord Chief Clerk granted entry into Shuiyun Hall to study.
Its first floor contained various introductory books, travelogues of different regions, and elementary cultivation insights—accessible to all for reading and browsing.
Higher levels required proper Taoist credentials.
Song Lin navigated through rows of bookshelves, beginning with cultivation basics.
"Jiuyou Taoist's Explanation of the Acupoints of the Cycle," "Shen Valley Extreme Argument," "Breathing Technique Insights"...
Next, he moved to the gold-and-stone explanation bookshelf, the artifact-refining bookshelf...
After searching tirelessly, he couldn't find what he needed. Faced with the vast sea of texts, Song Lin eventually gave up.
At the front entrance, there stood a redwood table covered in dusty, yellowing books whose covers bore no titles.
Song Lin approached the ancient manuscripts.
To his surprise, the cover of one manuscript revealed a face—eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth.
"What is your business?"
"Lord Book Spirit, I am seeking information concerning 'Taiyin Refining Body.'
This was a Book Spirit, a spirit formed from the catalog of texts, who knew all the contents of Shuiyun Hall.
"One Taoist Merit."
"Will Dharma Coin suffice?"
"It will."
Song Lin took out a bronze Dharma Coin and placed it on the table.
Ten coins remained after purchasing the corpses; now, he had only nine.
Whoosh!
As though a gale swept through, the spirit flipped through the pages of books rapidly.
"Found fifty-six records for 'Taiyin Refining Body,' fifteen thousand, six hundred and five records containing the word 'Taiyin,' eighty-one thousand, five hundred and one entries for 'Refining Body.'"
The pages revealed related materials, and Song Lin flipped through them one by one.
Finally, he came upon a clue.
This excerpt was from "Xiaoyao Zi's Travels in the East Ghost Country," written six thousand years ago by a Taoist from Wu Country.
It recounted a tale.
Xuanqiu Mountain in Youzhou.
A traveler lost his way in the mountains, accidentally entering a cave where he discovered a corpse—unusual and grotesque.
The entire body decayed, yet the internal organs remained fresh, with the heart still beating, blood vessels active, and nails and hair continuing to grow.
In astonishment, the traveler retrieved five colorful stones from the corpse's organs, believing them to be Immortal Pills and consuming them.
For decades thereafter, the traveler experienced good health and retained his youthful appearance, until one day he vomited uncontrollably and spat out the five colorful stones, which floated into the air and vanished.
The traveler, obsessed with the corpse and the desire for Immortal Pills, returned to the cave.
But the corpse was gone. In its place stood a Taoist with an immortal aura and five elderly figures hovering in the air. They pointed to the traveler and declared, "Taoist Master, this is the thief who stole your treasure."
The Taoist smiled faintly, drew his sword, and beheaded the traveler, before flying to the traveler's home and annihilating his entire family.
Xiaoyao Zi remarked: "A corpse resembling life retains a skin free from decay, eyes undestroyed, hair fallen, but otherwise intact—such is Corpse Dissolution. With Taiyi guarding the corpse, the Three Souls consolidate bones, while the Seven Spirits defend flesh; the fetal soul records Qi. This is called Taiyin Refining Body."
"After sixty years of death, the Taiyin Refining Body revives the corpse anew for another sixty years, repeating Corpse Dissolution and Refining Body for another Jiazi."
"Thus, through endless cycles, one achieves immortality!"
"I see now."
Song Lin finally grasped why Huan Yuan sought to kill him—it was due to uncovering his grand secret.
Taiyin Refining Body involves the art of Corpse Dissolution.
Upon life's end, one conducts Corpse Dissolution, enabling the soul to depart, absorbing the pervasive Taiyin Qi. The physical body decays like any corpse, but the internal organs remain untouched.
Approximately sixty years later, the soul returns, reviving the corpse, granting another sixty years of life.
After sixty years, one repeats the Taiyin Refining Body for another Jiazi.
Theoretically, this method could allow lifespans of thousands of years, provided the corpse remains undamaged during Taiyin Refining Body; otherwise, the soul cannot return, resulting in permanent death.
Clearly, Huan Yuan's intention mirrors that of the aforementioned Taoist: leave no witnesses to reveal his secret.
"Huan Yuan should have lived for thirty years; once his time is up in another thirty years..."
Song Lin plotted inwardly. Since he now knew the secret, he would wait for Huan Yuan's death to seek his corpse.
"Haha, you old immortal, don't let me find your corpse!"
Song Lin laughed with defiant malice. After being pursued for two decades, even a clay figurine could muster wrath.
Resolving his plan, Song Lin returned to his dwelling, preparing to enter the Taiyin Refining World.
Walking back, his steps slowed as he sensed something amiss.
Whoosh!
A group emerged from the shadows, the left side dressed in white, wearing tall hats, holding mourning staffs.
The right side donned black garments, with mysterious crowns atop their heads and iron chains in hand.
Song Lin instantly recognized them as Soul-Gathering Rampant Soldiers, part of the Taoist Temple's night patrol enforcement squad.
The Rampant Soldiers surrounded him completely.
"Haha, Song Lin, your crime has been exposed!"
Entering his home, Song Lin found the door wide open, furniture strewn about as though rummaged through.
Inside, Taoist Wude and his disciple emerged.
"What are you planning to do?"
Song Lin's heart sank; it was clear he'd fallen into their trap. He prepared to summon Tongshou Taoist through the talisman; only he could provide assistance now.
"You've stolen Taoist Wude's Feather Transformation Pill—confess now! Or must we add stricter punishment?" Li Xuan sneered.
"Oh, and don't think Tongshou Taoist will save you—I've already informed him."
Taoist Wude laughed.
"Impossible. I haven't touched your pills. Moments ago, I was reading in Shuiyun Hall," Song Lin denied.
"You were reading? Then what about your Rampant Soldiers? Such audacity to still lie!" Taoist Wude snapped.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a sinister cloud descended.
Tongshou Taoist manifested, and the ghost soldiers bowed in respect.
Seeing the ghost soldiers, Tongshou Taoist knew he couldn't intervene. Once ghost soldiers from the patrol squad were involved, even subordinates of his could not interfere.
However, hearing the preceding event, he still questioned:
"Is there evidence? If I place a bottle of pills in your home tomorrow, would that allow me to convict you similarly?"
"My lord, I swear I've been wronged. Troubled by the loss of my pills, I reported it to the patrol, who then searched and summoned ghost soldiers. The Dharma Eye has shown the pill bottle bears only Song Lin's aura."
The patrol ghost soldiers' Dharma Eye could detect footprints and traces of aura.
Taoist Wude wore an innocent expression, feigning disbelief at Song Lin's involvement.
"Tongshou Taoist, such a mere Taoist disciple isn't worth your intervention."
At this point, even the Ghost Soldier General spoke.
Tongshou Taoist's face darkened; he realized he'd been outmaneuvered.
"According to Xuanke Temple's rule, theft of an elder's belongings, exceeding fifty Taoist Merits, warrants immediate execution!"
With that, the ghost soldiers unsheathed their weapons, advancing slowly toward Song Lin.
"It's over."
Song Lin felt despair washing over him, realizing his helplessness against the chains of fate.
Advanced Taoist disciples remained mere disciples; silencing them wasn't complicated if those in power desired it.
Despite knowing the evidence was absurdly flawed, eliminating a disciple required little effort from the powerful.
Song Lin scanned his surroundings, searching for an opportunity to break away and rush to the Story World, hoping against hope for a solution.
Time was of the essence, as his physical form couldn't remain in the Story World long.
He caught a glimpse of Li Xuan's smug gaze and Taoist Wude's taunting expression. Sighing inwardly, he lamented missed chances to eliminate them.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.
"Hold it!"
"What now?"
"If I truly stole the pills, at least let me see them before I die—so I may die with clarity!"
The Ghost Soldier General was uncertain of Song Lin's intentions but indulged his request, producing the evidence from within his robes.
Upon seeing the item, Song Lin pretended to relax and chuckled, "Haha, you've made a mistake. General, allow me to clarify—this bottle of pills is of my own making, not Taoist Wude's."
"You made it? Prove it then. Or do you mean you picked it up randomly on the ground?" Li Xuan sneered.
"There's my aura on it, isn't there?" Song Lin replied confidently.
Taoist Wude couldn't believe his ears, exclaiming, "Fine, recreate the pill. If you can, I'll believe your innocence."