I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 791 Blood Moon Appears, Demons Emerge
A blood moon hung in the sky, dyeing Zhongnan Mountain an eerie crimson. Guo Jing carried Yang Guo on his back, walking swiftly alongside Xiaolongnu. Yang Guo's breathing was weak, and the skin around the four bloody holes in his shoulder had already turned black.

"The entrance to the ancient tomb is just one mile away." Xiaolongnu's voice was cold, and her white clothes were stained with blood.

Suddenly, a lynx with crimson eyes darted out of the bushes on the left. Guo Jing handed Yang Guo to Xiaolongnu, dodged the attack, and sent the lynx flying with a single palm strike.

“Even the lynxes…” Guo Jing’s heart sank. “All the wild beasts on the mountain have become unusually frenzied.”

Xiaolongnu's expression was solemn: "According to the ancient tomb sect's records, a hundred years ago, a blood moon appeared in the world, and wild beasts went berserk for three days and nights."

More roars of beasts echoed from all directions. Guo Jing picked up Yang Guo again, and the three of them sped towards the ancient tomb.

The pursuers drew ever closer, twenty or thirty pairs of green eyes gleaming in the darkness. Guo Jing, his inner strength greatly depleted, was breathing heavily. Xiaolongnu's white robes were soaked with sweat.

A familiar boulder appeared ahead; the entrance to the ancient tomb was in sight. However, a pack of wolves flanked them, blocking their path. These wolves had bloodshot eyes, foam at the mouth, and were consumed by pure, murderous lust.

Guo Jing suddenly stopped: "Miss Long, you take Guo'er into the ancient tomb first, I'll hold them off."

Little Dragon Girl glanced at Yang Guo, whose breathing was weak, and finally nodded: "Take care, Hero Guo."

She carried Yang Guo and sped towards the entrance of the ancient tomb. Guo Jing turned to face the horde of beasts, assuming the starting stance of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. In the moonlight, his figure was lonely yet majestic.

The first wave of wild beasts pounced. Guo Jing pushed forward with both palms, unleashing the "Regretful Dragon" technique, which sent the three-headed wolf flying before it could even get close. But more beasts followed, tearing Guo Jing's sleeves and leaving several deep, bone-revealing claw marks on his arms.

Just as things were at their most critical, the clear, melodious sound of a jade flute drifted from the direction of the ancient tomb. Like a clear spring flowing through a mountain stream, it seemed completely out of place in the blood-soaked night. Upon hearing the flute, the wild beasts surprisingly ceased their attack, their eyes flashing with an uncertain green light.

Guo Jing turned around and saw Xiaolongnu playing a jade flute. The wild beasts began to stir restlessly, some even tearing at each other. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Guo Jing quickly retreated to the entrance of the ancient tomb.

"Go in quickly!" Little Dragon Girl put down her jade flute, her voice weak. The two quickly entered the ancient tomb, and the heavy stone door slammed shut.

Inside the ancient tomb, the luminous pearl emitted a soft glow. Guo Jing placed Yang Guo on the stone bed, and Xiaolongnu tended to his wounds.

"It's the Black Wolf King's poison; the Ancient Tomb Sect has the antidote. But Guo'er has lost too much blood and needs time to recover." After bandaging Yang Guo, Xiaolongnu could barely stand.

Guo Jing helped her sit down to regulate her breathing, while he stood guard at the entrance. The roars of wild beasts seemed to have faded away, but the occasional scratching sound of the stone door could still be heard.

After an incense stick had burned, Xiaolongnu finished her meditation and explained that what she had just played was the "Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra" created by the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, which was used to appease wild beasts a hundred years ago.

After Yang Guo woke up, he said weakly, "That black wolf king seemed to be intelligent, as if he was commanding the wolf pack."

Suddenly, a muffled impact sound came from deep within the ancient tomb. Little Dragon Girl frowned slightly: "The sound is coming from the direction of the forbidden area."

Another impact rang out, accompanied by the sound of stones scraping together. The entire ancient tomb suddenly shook, and dust fell from its top.

Little Dragon Girl touched a brick in the wall, and the wall moved aside, revealing a passage: "This is a shortcut to the forbidden area."

At the end of the passage, a stone door cracked open. Peeking through the crack, a jade coffin sat in the center of the room, its lid shifted. Even more chilling, several dark figures with glowing red eyes stood within.

"It's the tomb guardian puppet, it's been activated." Little Dragon Girl's face was pale. One of the puppets turned towards the doorway, revealing its true form—a humanoid puppet made of bronze and wood, with red gems embedded in its eyes. It emitted a piercing mechanical sound as it walked towards the door.

The three retreated quickly, but the puppets had already caught up. Little Dragon Girl suddenly took out her jade flute: "Hero Guo, please take Guo'er back to the main stone chamber first, I will distract them."

Without waiting for a response, she ran towards the fork in the road and began to play her jade flute. The puppets turned and gave chase.

Back in the main stone chamber, Guo Jing had just put Yang Guo down when the entire tomb shook violently again, and a crack appeared in one of the stone walls. Even more terrifying, the roars and scratching sounds of wild beasts echoed from the crack—they were digging a passage into the tomb!

Guo Jing's expression was solemn. There were raging beasts outside and puppets inside, and the ancient tomb was also damaged by the tremors.

"Guo'er, you rest here, I'll go help Miss Long."

Just as Guo Jing was about to step out of the stone chamber, the ancient tomb shook violently again, a deafening roar coming from deep within, accompanied by the sound of collapsing stones. The roars of wild beasts suddenly became clearer—they had dug through a section of the wall!

A jumble of footsteps echoed through the passage—not just from Little Dragon Girl and the puppet, but also from the sound of wild beasts running!

Guo Jing assumed the starting stance of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, ready to face whatever came his way. Under the influence of the blood moon, this night was destined to be long and dangerous.

Guo Jing took a deep breath, his inner energy flowing between his palms like a surging river. The sounds from the depths of the passage grew closer, mixed with the roars of wild beasts, the grating sound of puppet joints grinding together, and Xiaolongnu's clear but gradually weakening flute music.

Yang Guo, calling himself "Uncle Guo," struggled to get up from the stone bed, but the excruciating pain forced him to gasp for breath. Blood seeped from the wound on his shoulder again, staining the newly changed bandage red.

"Don't move, concentrate and regulate your breathing." Guo Jing didn't turn his head, his voice as steady as a mountain, "Trust your master, and trust me."

Before the words were even finished, three figures rushed out of the passage. Leading the way was Xiaolongnu, her white robes stained with blood, yet her steps remained as light as a feather. Her jade flute occasionally emitted short, sharp notes, disrupting the pursuers' movements. Close behind were two bronze puppets, their eyes blazing red light, their mechanical arms whistling as they swung. Finally, three wild wolves emerged, their eyes still bloodshot, drool dripping from their mouths, clearly having crawled into the ancient tomb through some crack.

Little Dragon Girl dodged the puppet's heavy attack with a whirlwind, her voice urgent: "A corner of the west tomb wall has been knocked down by a wild beast, and more beasts are pouring in!"

Without hesitation, Guo Jing drew a circle with his left palm and thrust straight out with his right, unleashing the powerful "Dragon Appearing in the Field" move. The palm strike, as solid as a physical object, collided with the puppet charging at the forefront, producing a deafening clang of metal against metal. The puppet was forced back several steps, leaving a clear palm print on its chest, yet it still relentlessly lunged forward again.

"These puppets feel no pain; the only way to destroy them is to destroy them completely!" Little Dragon Girl warned. Her flute playing suddenly changed, like a silver bottle shattering, and the other two wolves immediately fell into chaos, tearing at each other.

Guo Jing nodded in understanding and unleashed the full power of his Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. The cramped stone chamber only amplified the power of his palm strikes, each one causing the entire space to vibrate. A puppet swung its arm at him, but Guo Jing neither dodged nor evaded, meeting the blow head-on with his "Regretful Dragon Soaring" technique. With a loud "crack," the puppet's arm was snapped off by the force of the palm strike, its parts scattering across the ground.

But another puppet seized the opportunity to approach Yang Guo's stone bed, its mechanical arm aimed straight for the boy's face. Yang Guo mustered his strength and managed to unleash half a move of the Jade Maiden Sword Technique with his left hand, but due to his injuries, he was powerless and was about to be killed.

At the critical moment, Xiaolongnu abandoned her flute and used her sword. The golden bell rope, like a serpent emerging from its hole, wrapped around the puppet's neck and pulled sharply. This pull slightly slowed the puppet's attack, and Guo Jing's palm strike arrived, smashing the puppet's head to pieces with a "boom".

The puppet with its shattered head did not immediately stop moving; instead, it began to spin wildly, sparks flying from the broken pieces. Guo Jing stood protectively in front of Yang Guo's bedside, his robe sleeves torn in several places.

"Attack the crystals in their chests!" Little Dragon Girl suddenly remembered the records in the ancient tomb's texts. "That's their energy core!"

At that moment, the last puppet and the two wolves pounced simultaneously. Guo Jing let out a long roar, unleashing both palms, his dragon-shaped energy whistling as it aimed straight for the puppet's chest. Meanwhile, Xiaolongnu's golden bell rope precisely wrapped around the neck of one of the wolves, twisting it with force.

(End of this chapter)