Chapter 61: Heinous Crimes, Heretical Arts

After finishing the three methods, the next part was the even more crucial chapter of esoteric arts.

There were three esoteric arts.

1. The Beast-Transforming Art: An extremely malicious and dark spell. It originally originated from certain heterodox practitioners who, for the sake of profit, combined Daoist techniques with witchcraft. It was exceptionally convenient for human trafficking and later spread among the lower strata of society, where it was absorbed and widely practiced by the beggar faction of the thousand thieves, beggars, and prostitutes. It was an evil art within the beggar sect whose status was no less than the secretly transmitted art of harvesting and dismembering living bodies for parts.

The entry-level requirement demanded an animal skin, breaking the subject's joints, and, if necessary, poisoning the subject mute. Then, boiling water was poured over the subject's skin, a secret medicinal paste was applied, and the animal skin was draped over them. The human was raised like an animal for a period of time until they deeply fused with the animal skin and grew accustomed to the animal's way of walking. Once accomplished, the process was complete, though this was merely the method for those without cultivation. (The success rate was low, and those who failed would die.)

Subsequent proficiency and mastery levels both required the practitioner to possess cultivation or consume their remaining lifespan as the cost to cast the spell. At the mastery level, a mere trace of animal fur and skin was enough to transform a living human into an animal. (Mostly used on women and children.)

Note 1: This method violates natural law to the utmost degree and is already a demonic art. If discovered by the righteous path, they will surely join forces to attack the practitioner.

Note 2: This method defies the heavenly Dao, and if the underworld exists, it will severely damage one's karmic merit.

Note 3: Even with profound mastery in practicing this method, the subject must never be allowed to drink water; contact with water will break the spell.

Looking at this spell, Louis felt somewhat dazed. As if to warn the inheritor, this page of heritage did not merely consist of textual records, but also contained many phantom-like processes and procedures.

Blood, screams, wails, flesh tearing apart, shattered limbs, dog-men...

The bloody and cruel nature of it caused even Louis to take several deep breaths before recovering, feeling quite oppressed.

"Ancient human traffickers... No wonder they were subjected to capital punishment; they deserved it."

As for why the Folk Codex presented this as image data, Louis could roughly guess the reason. After all, this was a heterodox folk codex, not a supreme demonic scripture.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose and taking a moment to recover, Louis turned his attention to the next esoteric art.

2. The Disaster-Transferring Art: A bizarre and shifting spell whose origins are connected to the ancient Book of Changes. Back then, certain sects among those cultivators, seeking to alter their destinies, devoted immense effort to the path of fate. To acquire sufficient cultivation resources and experimental subjects, they even applied this art to worldly, powerful, and wealthy individuals who had demands for altering their luck and destiny.

Altering fortune through geomancy, modifying destiny through burial sites, swapping fates, stealing dragon veins, responding to the mandate of the stars...

The most successful attempt had even nearly artificially influenced a dynastic transition during a prosperous era. Consequently, it was strictly prohibited and suppressed by wise monarchs of successive dynasties, leading to its rapid decline. Only some disaster-relieving talismans, fortune-smoothing talismans, and trouble-resolving talismans continued to circulate within the Buddhist and Daoist religions as well as among the common people, while the Disaster-Transferring Art was merely a minor technique among them.

Disaster-transferring, as the name implies, shifts one's own disasters onto someone else.

When one feels that their personal fortune is unfavorable, experiencing bad luck, or suffering from a severe illness, they should burn incense, bathe, take a sheet of cinnabar paper to draw a Bagua diagram, arrange their own birth characters according to the Bagua in a special order, and drip blood upon it. Afterward, they should take a close-fitting garment or personal item, burn the cinnabar paper above it, and then cast the item away.

As long as someone picks it up, one's own bad luck will gradually transfer away. Conversely, the other person will encounter bad luck, and their misfortune will be even worse than what one would have originally faced.

Note: Luck is in dynamic equilibrium and remains elusive. Use with caution!

Looking at this spell, Louis found it quite interesting. In traditional studies, transforming fortune and altering destiny had always enjoyed a massive market, and feng shui masters capable of indirectly interfering with these matters had risen to prominence in modern times, commanding flattery and obsequiousness even from the ultra-wealthy.

Coincidentally, Louis felt that his luck probably hadn't been very good lately; otherwise, he wouldn't have stumbled into encountering Mammon, the Demon Lord of Hell.

Though the other party had no idea who Louis even was...

"I'll have to give it a try after a while. But I'll only try it once, just to reach the entry level. After all, those two words—'use with caution' at the end—look like a warning. One must heed advice."

Louis thought to himself.

Having made his decision, he looked toward the final esoteric art, his expression immediately turning peculiar.

"Ancient times... Zoroastrians came here? They even proselytized? And integrated into local traditional culture?"

3. The Poisonous Fire Art: Originating from the teachings of Ao, also known as Zoroastrianism, Mazdeism, and so on, it was an exotic Persian theology that revered a dualistic theology of good and evil. Introduced during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and flourishing in the Tang dynasty, Zoroastrian temples were built. When Emperor Wuzong suppressed Buddhism, it was banned along with the others, but traces of it always remained. Its final known location was around the Henan region, where it had evolved into local customs down to the present day.

The Poisonous Fire Art was a special spell created by the followers of Zoroastrianism by blending local Daoist legends of the underworld punishing evil. It used the burning of malicious souls as its source to erupt with powerful flames.

The more malicious the soul, the longer the burning duration and the fiercer the fire output.

This flame was extremely potent, capable of incinerating souls, igniting upon contact, and possessing specialized effects against evildoers and ghosts. Like a bone-deep ulcer, its toxicity was fierce, while its physical temperature remained relatively moderate.

Note: Using this spell requires an internal judgment. The stronger the sense of guilt, the heavier the backlash suffered by the practitioner.

Gazing at this spell, Louis let out an exclamation of admiration.

"Amazing, it even includes heterodox religious spells."

Actually, it was quite normal. That vast land had existed for too long, and many foreign religions had attempted to proselytize there. Though few succeeded, their traces remained.

Each of the three spells was extraordinary.

The Beast-Transforming Art was devastatingly cruel, the Disaster-Transferring Art was bizarre and shifting, and the Poisonous Fire Art incinerated souls.

Not a single one of these three spells could be openly discussed. If someone caught you casting them, nine times out of ten you would be treated as a witch or a demon.

However, these spells fit this land just perfectly.

They could not have been more suitable.

It was a pity they came a bit too late; had he arrived earlier, the Beast-Transforming Art would have been used on that pack of little beasts.

Yet, it wasn't too late either. Drug addicts, murderers, hoodlums, violent criminals... there was no shortage of materials.

Ah, I'll give my uncle a call later and ask him to ship over a few more human traffickers and drug dealers. After all, talents of that kind are plentiful on his end.

Louis pondered for a moment, just as he was about to check the final three arts—which were also the newly unlocked chapter of Miao and Dai Gu sorcery.

A piercing shriek pierced the sky.

The sound seemed imbued with a certain power, carrying an extreme penetrative force.

Startled, Louis gave a slight jolt and hurriedly looked out the window. The source of the sound was right beside his house, seemingly not far away.

The next second.

The door next door flew open, and Carrie's mother, Margaret, was actually shoving and chasing a girl out.

Looking closely.

It was actually Emma!

Behind Margaret, Carrie was pushing forward continuously, trying to come out, yet not daring to exert too much force, since the person blocking her way was her mother.

"Bitch! Shameless! Get out of my house!"

Margaret roared furiously at Emma.

Emma did not speak, merely gazing at her coldly. Her gaze shifted slightly, seemingly looking toward Carrie in the back.

Carrie hurriedly cried out, "Emma, I'm sorry!"

Before her words could finish, the door slammed shut with a heavy crash, cutting off the sound.

Only faint, muffled noises filtered through.

Apologies, hysterical roars, the sound of someone hitting a wall...