No need to even look to know; this limb must be Lin Yurong’s.
Watching the severed limb in the pit, Jiangli pinched a Spirit Talisman and sent a wisp of Spiritual Energy over.
The vibrations of the Spirit Talisman immediately lessened considerably.
Jiangli turned to look at the two people lying on the ground, squatted down, and placed her hands on their wrists.
Seeing her seemingly taking the pulse of the two, Director Xu was somewhat surprised and couldn’t help but look towards Xun Tianhai.
Xun Tianhai was even more full of doubts, observing Jiangli’s every move closely.
Within the Taoist Sect, indeed, many people practiced medicine.
But these days, traditional Chinese medicine was in decline, even within Xuanmen, and those who knew medical practices were rare, especially since the cultivation of Taoist Doctors was even slower.
People of Xuanmen nowadays were more inclined towards martial cultivation.
However, seeing Jiangli’s movements, they were extremely skilled, clearly the work of a trained individual.
Xun Tianhai couldn’t help but be astonished.
After a moment, Jiangli withdrew her hands.
Xun Tianhai immediately asked, "Abbot of Jiaoyang Temple, what’s wrong with my two colleagues? Did they encounter an ambush of some kind?"
Upon hearing this, Jiangli stood up and said, "What did Mu Dayang tell you before?"
"Him?" Upon mentioning Master Mu, Xun Tianhai’s expression darkened, and he said bitterly, "He explained things clearly to us at the time, telling us that he had set up a Seven-star Soul-locking Array here. I came to inspect and confirmed the array was indeed present and had already been disarmed in advance, but I don’t know why such an incident would still occur!"
Director Xu continued, "Mu Dayang must have come prepared. Knowing there was a problem at Yan Mountain, he set his conditions. As long as we let him out, he would tell us the situation in the mountain."
Jiangli sneered, "He sure has guts." She looked at Xun Tianhai with a mocking glance, "Of course, you guys are indeed foolish."
Xun Tianhai’s face twitched, for his talent within Xuanmen was considered noteworthy; otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached the position of Director at the Unusual Affairs Management Office.
However, times had changed...
Xun Tianhai was inwardly indignant but had to admit the fact that he had been outwitted by Master Mu.
He had no face to argue, "Then may I ask the Abbot of Jiaoyang Temple, what exactly is the current situation in these mountains?"
"The Seven-star Soul-locking Array is real," said Jiangli calmly, "but it’s merely a decoy, a Blinding Technique."
Xun Tianhai was stunned, "A Blinding Technique?"
Jiangli looked up towards the mountain, "The Seven-star Soul-locking Array set up here is just a fake facade. The real lethal move is the Eighteen Dark Nails."
"The Eighteen Dark Nails?"
Xun Tianhai and Xie Shan jolted sharply.
Being from Xuanmen, unlike ordinary people, they naturally knew what the Formation of Eighteen Dark Nails was.
The Eighteen Dark Nails was an ancient, undocumented burial method used in hill burials, generally employing intelligent animals like deer, foxes, and leopards, as Spiritual Arrays, divided into eighteen array nodes. Using Mystic Techniques as the primary method and supplemented by mechanisms, they constituted the Formation.
Then, the main tomb chamber would be placed directly above the Array’s Eye, with the Formation surrounding and protecting it to prevent others from digging graves and tomb-raiding.
Anyone attempting to tomb-raid upon entering the Formation of Eighteen Dark Nails would either be hit with the curse or trapped by the mechanism.
Later on, some developed it into a malevolent art substituting the animals with children to create the eighteen array nodes, which became the true Formation of Eighteen Dark Nails.
Such a Formation of Eighteen Dark Nails had greater power, but it was too contrary to the principles of Heavenly Dao and harmful to humanity, so it gradually disappeared over time.
And the legendary Formation of Eighteen Dark Nails had also been lost.
Xun Tianhai had only read about the Eighteen Dark Nails in ancient texts, which mentioned its popularity for a period during the Tang Dynasty, but he had never seen what the real Eighteen Dark Nails looked like.
How could he have imagined that Master Mu would use such a Formation!
"Is it really the Eighteen Dark Nails?" Xun Tianhai could hardly believe it. How could Master Mu know of such a long-lost Formation as the Eighteen Dark Nails?