After the fierce battle just now, much of Changsheng Village had been destroyed, but there were people handling that, while Ding Fan was once again invited back to the Taoist temple by the lady in white.
If it weren't for Ding Fan, the entirety of Changsheng would probably have been destroyed by the White-browed Elder, and as for the lady in white, they would have needed to find a new location. So, in essence, Ding Fan had done them a significant favor.
At this moment, after discovering the Soul Puppet Rune, the lady in white quickly thought of Jin Minchong. It was very likely that Jin Minchong had tampered with it.
Among the newcomers who had entered and left recently, only Jin Minchong had had the opportunity to get close to the White-browed Elder, and he alone had the capability to place this Soul Puppet Rune on the White-browed Elder.
It seemed that Jin Minchong had planned his escape route when he came to Changsheng; he had embedded the rune on the White-browed Elder. If any problem did arise, the White-browed Elder would wreak havoc on the entire Changsheng.
Realizing this, even someone as transcendent as the lady in white couldn't help but get angry. Changsheng had treated him with respect, yet Jin Minchong had treated Changsheng this way.
How venomous his intentions were.
Once inside the Taoist temple, the lady in white had tea served. This was considered the highest standard of hospitality here.
"Ding Fan, thank you for intervening to save us…" the lady in white said, offering tea with both hands as a sign of gratitude.
Ding Fan received the tea. "You're too polite, Master…"
The lady in white observed Ding Fan's composed and steady temperament. Although he had saved the entire village on his own, he hadn't shown any signs of impetuosity. Just this composure alone was highly admirable.
The lady in white and Ding Fan then settled into their host-guest roles and started chatting simply.
As he talked with the lady in white, Ding Fan realized that she truly was an extraordinary person; her manner of speaking was very proper, and she had broad knowledge and very unique opinions about Cultivation and handling matters.
"You should no longer call me Master. My name is Bian Zixuan, and I am probably a bit older than you, so you can call me Sister Zixuan. From now on, I will call you Brother Fan," said the lady in white, who had a good impression of Ding Fan.
Unassuming and composed, with astonishing cultivation skills, thus the lady in white voluntarily revealed her name to Ding Fan.
"Sister Zixuan…" Ding Fan addressed her.
If others were to witness this scene right now, they would surely be astonished beyond measure.
Bian Zixuan is the Lord of Changsheng.
Normally, Bian Zixuan scarcely showed a smile to her servants and subordinates and rarely spoke a few words, yet now, she was allowing Ding Fan to address her as a sister, which was indeed a very rare occurrence.
"Sister Zixuan, I have some matters I would like to inquire about, if you wouldn't mind sharing," Ding Fan said.
Bian Zixuan nodded. "Please go ahead, Brother Fan."
"Sister Zixuan, upon my arrival in Yungang, I heard many legends about Changsheng. It's said that decades ago, someone massacred over a thousand people in Changsheng Village to seize control of the land…"
This question had been pressing on Ding Fan's mind, and he felt uneasy not expressing it.
After hearing Ding Fan's question, Bian Zixuan was silent for a moment before she spoke lightly. "Brother Fan, you are a person with exceptional Divine Sense. When you came here, did you notice anything unusual?"
Ding Fan paused, recalling carefully. "I only remember that before entering Changsheng, the lake was emitting a strong poisonous gas."
Bian Zixuan nodded slightly. "That poison was not man-made. Do you know why there is such poison here?"
Ding Fan shook his head slightly.
"Brother Fan, beneath this land of Changsheng, there is a piece of obsidian…" Bian Zixuan said.
Ding Fan's eyes brightened upon hearing this.
That thing was considered a treasure for artifact refining; in the Cultivation World, it was a rare and sought-after gem that Ding Fan had long admired but never acquired.
Ding Fan had heard that obsidian was divided into nine grades, with Grade Nine being the highest. The higher the grade of the obsidian, the more formidable the magic artifacts that could be refined from it.
However, Ding Fan had also heard that the higher the grade of the obsidian, the more intense the poison it emitted around itself.
When Ding Fan thought of the lake outside, which was emitting toxic gases, he became excited. If such a large area of the lake was emitting toxic gas, then the grade of the obsidian underground must be extraordinarily high.
At this moment, Bian Zixuan continued, "Decades ago, my grandfather—the elder who went mad earlier—came here because he had learned that a huge meteorite had fallen here. Many people claimed that the meteorite contained unparalleled treasures, so many people, including my grandfather, came here."
Hearing this, Ding Fan nodded. It turned out that the obsidian was inside that meteorite, otherwise Changsheng Village wouldn't have existed before.
Bian Zixuan continued, "After arriving here, my grandfather discovered a deep pit, a hundred meters deep, in the southwest of the village. That hundred-meter-deep pit was entirely created by the impact of the meteorite..."
A meteorite creating such a deep pit was definitely a display of the power of the obsidian. Ding Fan was secretly astonished by the obsidian's power.
Bian Zixuan went on, "At that time, many people entered the cave, and some even took pieces of obsidian. Our Bian family, possessing strong mental power, discovered a secret at the deepest part of the crater. At the very bottom, a piece of obsidian, no bigger than a fingernail, was wrapped in a pile of rocks. Due to an accidental discovery, it was unearthed by my grandfather.
My grandfather cast aside the surrounding rocks, and when he cleared the view, he was overjoyed to find that it was a superb piece of obsidian..."
Ding Fan listened carefully, not intending to interrupt Bian Zixuan.
"But just then, a sudden change occurred. My grandfather suddenly felt a strong malicious aura spreading out. He hurriedly tried to control himself with his mental power, but it was already too late..." Bian Zixuan said with a sigh.
"The malicious aura spread quickly, and soon the entire village was affected; the villagers became demonized, committing acts of murder and debauchery that they would never dare to do otherwise... Everyone went mad..."
Upon hearing this, Ding Fan's expression grew stern.
It is said that top-grade artifact refining materials would possess spiritual properties.
Clearly, the top-grade obsidian's malicious aura had infected the nearby people, turning them into demons...
"Seeing that the situation had become unavoidable, my grandfather decided to take drastic measures as the villagers tried to break out of Changsheng. He killed them to prevent the situation from worsening... Up until my grandfather's consciousness remained clear, he believed it was the most cruel act he had ever committed in his life..."
Ding Fan nodded. So many demonized people, if they had indeed broken into the crowd, would definitely have caused much greater damage. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
At this moment, Ding Fan felt a newfound respect for Bian Zixuan's grandfather. If he hadn't taken decisive action, more people might have suffered.
Bian Zixuan continued, "My grandfather then said this obsidian was an ominous object, but by then, affected by the obsidian's malicious aura, he gradually became possessed. During one of his frenzies, he threw the obsidian into the lake outside the village. Later, he set up a Great Formation to completely isolate the Land of Changsheng from the outside world, all to prevent the obsidian from affecting the world again.
Unfortunately, my grandfather later discovered that the malicious aura could not be expelled from the human body. Instead, as time passed, the demonic nature only grew stronger... Later, my grandfather invented a cultivation technique to suppress the demonic nature, but as the demonic nature increased, the technique became less effective. Eventually, my grandfather could only seal his own cultivation... Later, I took over the affairs of Changsheng."
Ding Fan, having heard this, finally understood why over a thousand people were slain in Changsheng. At this moment, although Bian Zixuan still appeared calm, there was a noticeable redness in her eyes. Ding Fan was filled with respect for the two generations of Bian's family.
Bian Zixuan continued, "Later, my grandfather happened to hear about a place where warriors had fallen into demonization and had killed many people. Through investigation, my grandfather learned that these people were all linked to the obsidian of Changsheng. He then found these individuals and used the Soul Locking Technique to control them. What you see now, the warriors here, are all those who had been in contact with the obsidian. They are confined here to prevent them from causing harm due to their demonic nature."
Ding Fan nodded in understanding.
Since Bian Zixuan was unworldly, Ding Fan did not believe she would control others' souls for her own purposes. Now that Bian Zixuan had explained this, Ding Fan understood that the Bian family used the Soul Control Technique only to manage those afflicted with demonic nature.
"But why is everyone here so afraid of Sister Zixuan?" Ding Fan asked.
Ding Fan had met a few Ghost Warriors, and it seemed they were all quite afraid of Bian Zixuan.
"Having their souls controlled, these individuals naturally feel fear. To intimidate these men, my grandfather labeled them Ghost Warriors previously. My grandfather was very tough in the past, and after taking over, my methods have been cold and silent...thus it's no surprise that these Ghost Warriors are wary of us,"
"Then have you discussed the obsidian with these Ghost Warriors?" Ding Fan asked.
Bian Zixuan shook her head. "Besides the obsidian in the lake at Changsheng, my grandfather had destroyed the rest. There's no longer a need to discuss the obsidian with them anymore, avoiding unnecessary complications…"