Knife splashing

Chapter 209: The Dark Hand Appears
"It's the man from Meishan Sect!"

Wang Daoxuan squatted down and looked around, then said in a deep voice: "Before hunting, the Meishan Sect often performs pre-hunting sacrifices and burns incense to pray to the gods. The powerful ones will also bring their own soldiers and perform hunting techniques."

"This is a pre-hunt sacrifice. The other party must have discovered something."

Li Yan pinched the Yang Jue, took a deep breath, frowned and said in a deep voice: "It rained continuously for the past two days, and the smell has been washed away. I will go down to explore the way, and you can come later."

After saying that, he leaped and jumped down the steep slope.

He had extraordinary eyesight and agile body movements. He moved left and right, and each time he was able to step on the exposed rocks to gain leverage.

It seems to be very fast, but it is surprisingly stable.

After a while, the figure disappeared into the dense forest.

At the same time, accompanied by an eagle's cry, the falcon on Lu San's shoulder took off again and circled above the dense forest as a guide.

The eyesight of eagles and falcons is extremely strong, even some warlocks who have awakened their eye powers are far inferior to them.

If Li Yan is in danger or fighting with others, the falcon can give an immediate warning and ask others to provide support.

During the day, there are swarms of poisonous bees from Lu San.
At night, Wang Daoxuan's soldiers came.

Whatever the situation, they have a plan for it.

This was more than just a tacit understanding. Whenever they got together in their free time and there were no outsiders around, they would always discuss various tactics.

They each have their own strengths, and with Li Yan's various creative ideas, the power of their cooperation is far greater than that of any one person working alone.

Lin Yu, who was watching from the side, was secretly shocked.

Although he lacks experience, he is born with amazing talent. In addition, his teacher is also an extraordinary person, so he cannot be treated with common sense.

If not for this, I wouldn't have the courage to go alone.

But compared with the people in front of me, it is far behind.

Many of the things he thought were dangerous, such as forest patrols and explorations, could be minimized by simply cooperating with these people.

It seems that nature is always successful.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel envious, but then his eyes dimmed and he shook his head.

Traveling alone this time is already a willful act.

His family had already made an effort, so unless he messed up on purpose during this exam in Beijing, at worst he could return to his hometown and become a county magistrate.

By then, there will be no room for willfulness...

The others naturally had no idea what he was thinking. They found a relatively flat slope, held each other's hands, and headed towards the valley.

After all, their skills were not as good as Li Yan's, and Wang Daoxuan had never practiced martial arts, so he could only slow down.

Halfway through the walk, a falcon in the sky suddenly cried out and circled up and down.

Lu San took a look and shook his head, saying, "Don't worry, there's no danger. It's just that the little brother has made a discovery."

Sharifei and Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickened their pace upon hearing this.

What they didn't expect was that although this rich young man Lin Yu was fat, he was extremely flexible and he jumped and slid down the slope without slowing down at all.

Half an incense stick later, they finally met Li Yan.

"Who did this?"

The scene before them surprised several people.

I saw a dead body hung high up on a big tree in the valley with a thin hemp rope stretched tight. Its head was flattened, its chest and abdomen were cut open, and its internal organs were scattered all over the ground.

It looks extremely bloody.

"This is a way to trap prey."

Lin Yu looked around, murderous intent rising in his eyes, "Judging from their clothes, they are locals, most likely the Meishan Cult did it!"

It was the first time he had seen such a bloody scene.

He doesn't take human life seriously at all.

"This man died before he was used as bait."

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something. He picked up a stone from the ground, and with his hidden strength bursting out, he swung his hand and the stone flew out with a whistling sound.

Bang!
The hemp rope broke and the body fell heavily.

Li Yan covered his nose, squatted forward, and twisted the corpse's head to the side, immediately revealing the wound on the neck.

It was tattered, as if the skin had been torn off by something.

"I was bitten by a zombie!"

Wang Daoxuan's face was solemn. "There are many types of zombies, and their methods of attacking people are also different. Some suck souls, some devour energy, and some live on blood."

"This is a blood-sucking creature. The wound was bitten like this, which shows that it is extremely bloodthirsty and has already become powerful."

After saying that, he took out a yellow talisman from his bosom, stuck it on the forehead of the corpse, pinched the magic formula to light it, and then used the flame to light the three incense sticks in his hand.

The green smoke curled around and floated away into the depths of the dense forest.

This is the tracking technique of the Xixuan lineage.

No matter it is a ghost, monster or zombie, it can be tracked.

Without saying anything, Li Yan drew out his Dust-Breaking Sword and walked ahead. Sha Lifei and Lu San each drew out their weapons to protect Wang Daoxuan.

And Lin Yu also took out his weapon.

It turned out to be a meteor dart, with a gun head made of fine steel in the front and a metal chain at the back, which was engraved with runes and had a faint aura lingering around it. It was obviously also a magical weapon.

It was already afternoon, the sun was setting, and the valley was in the shade with tall trees, making it seem even darker and more eerie.

Not long after, Li Yan suddenly raised his hand and signaled everyone to stop.

All I saw in front of me was an open space under the forest, with piles of weeds and rotten leaves, and a human figure could be vaguely seen.

At the same time, the green smoke from the incense in Wang Daoxuan's hand was also floating in the air, swirling, and slowly falling into the dead leaves.

"Don't move, I'm here!"

Li Yan had already smelled the strong smell of corpse, which was bloody and disgusting, so how could he not hesitate at all?

He exerted force with his legs and leaped out with a whoosh. He raised his left hand and chopped down with the knife in his right hand.

Zombies are very difficult to deal with.

Especially the powerful zombies, who are invulnerable to swords and guns, have infinite strength, and are extremely bloodthirsty. They can only be suppressed by magic or killed with magical weapons.

But it has a weakness.

Zombies are souls that have dispersed but their spirits have not left their bodies, so they can absorb evil spirits and cause trouble. Various talismans to suppress corpses can only work by suppressing their spirits and making them unable to move.

The so-called soul and spirit, the soul is yin and the spirit is yang.

The Soul-Hunting Lock can also be used to restrain it.

Bang! Leaves were scattered all over the place.

Before the zombie hiding in the dead leaves could react, its neck was chopped off by the Dust-Breaking Knife, and a hideous head rolled out.

Its skin was purple and black like rotten leather, its muscles had atrophied and exposed, revealing a mouth full of fangs, and its eyes had long since shriveled, with black holes forming in its eye sockets.

Call ~
The dark and gloomy energy inside the corpse suddenly spread rampantly.

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly stepped forward, brandished the Money Sword, stepped on the Gang Step, lit the yellow talisman, and chanted the spell to dispel evil.

Soon, the stench gradually dissipated.

This is the trouble with dealing with zombies. The corpse qi and the evil qi are entangled in their bodies. If there is some resentment, it will be the "disaster qi" in folk legends.

Once I was hit, I couldn't get out of bed for several days.

If it is too old and becomes a terrifying thing like the drought demon, it can only be suppressed, otherwise the corpse qi will spread everywhere, leaving poison for thousands of miles and causing drought.

"Fortunately."

Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the sky. "The sun is about to set. At night, this thing will not be so easy to deal with."

Lin Yu was a little stunned.

"This... this is an old zombie."

No matter what kind of zombie it is, when it first forms, it will chase people by following the blood and qi, move very fast, and run on two legs, just like a living person. It looks scary, but its flesh and blood is not much stronger than that of ordinary people. Not to mention the masters, even the common people can chop off its head with cooperation.

But over time, when evil energy gathers, hair will grow on the body, which is called a hairy zombie. The color of the hair will be different depending on the hiding area.

There are white zombies, black zombies, red zombies, and green-haired zombies.

The color does not represent a difference in strength, it is just related to the local environment.

What is really scary is the old zombie.

The hair has fallen off, the flesh has become as hard as iron, the joints are no longer flexible, the whole body is stiff, and it moves in a jumping manner. A lot of evil energy has gathered around it, making it invulnerable to swords and guns, making it very difficult to deal with.

The old zombie in front of him had his head chopped off before he could even show his power. How could Lin Yu not be shocked?

Seeing his gaze, Li Yan calmly put away his sword, "My sword is sharp, what's so strange about beheading a zombie?"

Believe it or not!
Lin Yu secretly complained in his heart.

Although it is not noon now, in this dark and dense forest, the old zombie can still sense the attack. How could he have no reaction at all?
There must be other reasons.

Of course, he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Li Yan was too lazy to pay attention to the fat man. He quickly stepped forward and kicked the zombie body, which rolled out from the pile of dry grass.

His eyes changed slightly and he rubbed his feet calmly.

Even though the old zombie used his hidden strength, his kick was like kicking a huge rock, and his toes became numb.

Or is it because the evil aura has dissipated?

If it was a normal night, ordinary people wouldn't be able to handle it...

Then, everyone was attracted by the zombie's clothes.

This zombie,

He was actually wearing armor!
It was not the tattered armor used for burial, but the Shanwen armor from the army. Although it was a little rusty, it was the standard of the Daxuan Dynasty.

"What a coward..."

Sharifei's eyes widened and he cursed, "This zombie was raised by a human. What do you want to do by putting it here to harm people?"

Lin Yu saw this and his lips became dry for no reason. "The zombies are wearing the White Tiger Mountain armor of the army. Only guerrilla generals are qualified to wear it. It is forbidden to disclose it. Anyone who keeps it privately is a rebel!"

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other.

Li Yan shook his head and said, "It seems that the matter of Qinglong Mountain is not that simple. Brother Lin, when do you think that thing will appear?"

Lin Yu answered honestly: "Master said that on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, when the moon is full, there will be dragon energy rising."

"According to his calculations, today is the day when the treasure will be born."

Li Yan nodded and said, "It seems that there is another group of people on the mountain. They hid zombies here. I don't know what they are going to do."

At this moment, a falcon flapped its wings and fell from the sky, standing on Lu San's shoulder and chirping a few times.

Lu San's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "A group of people have gone up the mountain and are already at the foot of the mountain. There are about ten of them."

Sharifei said with a headache: "He keeps an old zombie and dares to hide the imperial armor. He must be difficult to deal with. What should I do?"

"It's not easy to mess with, but there's nothing you can do about it."

Li Yan said coldly: "The Taixuan Orthodox Sect, Chen Yuanqing, and the boatmen all know that we came to Qinglong Mountain. We can't hide it at all."

"It's not easy to raise old zombies. Now that the feud has been made, there's no need to hold back."

Then he looked at Lin Yu and said, "Brother Lin, you are already involved in this matter. Do you want to live or die?"

"I want to live."

Lin Yu looked frustrated and felt a little regretful.

Li Yan's eyes were cold, and he nodded, "If you want to live, don't tell anyone about what happened tonight."

"Uncle Sha, it's up to you."

"okay!"

Upon hearing this, Sharifei became excited. He quickly put down his bag, took out a fire caltrop the size of a watermelon, installed a small copper tube at the seal, and pulled out two lines from each.

Lin Yu was shocked. "This... is this gunpowder?"

He had heard that people in the martial arts world were bold and reckless, but he did not expect that they would dare to ignore the court's taboos and use this thing directly.

Li Yan glanced at him indifferently, and Lin Yu quickly shut up.

He finally understood what those words meant.

Sharifei held the fire caltrop and said proudly, "The Military Scripture is a good thing. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, someone used this thing to bury it underground to fry horses."

"Use it as a trap. Those people will be in trouble!"

In fact, he still had something to say.

He stuffed a piece of the coal he got in Shangjin City into the fire caltrop, which inevitably increased its power, and he also added a lot of poisoned hidden weapons.

Lu San poured a basin of cold water on the side, "The other party can raise old zombies, so there must be a sorcerer. What if he has the ability to smell and detects the smell of gunpowder?"

When Sharifei heard this, he was speechless and scratched his head, saying, "There is nothing we can do about it. We can only try our luck."

Lin Yu, who was standing by, had a gloomy look in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "I have a solution for this."

As he spoke, he took out a small wooden bottle from the leather bag behind him.

Everyone then discovered that all the items in his leather backpack were wrapped in oil paper and stuffed in sealed fish skin bags, so they were naturally not afraid of being soaked in water.

Lin Yu picked up the small wooden bottle and said, "This thing was passed down by my master. Just a little bit can eliminate the odor. Even if you have the ability to smell it, you can't smell it. It is specially used for hiding in the mountains."

"Oh?"

Li Yan became interested and said, "Brother Lin, please help."

Lin Yu didn't want to get involved, but everyone was tied to a rope at this moment.

Those people dared to hide the armor and use zombies to harm people. If we catch him, he will definitely not show mercy. We can only take out the treasure and deal with it together.

He took a step forward, opened the small wooden bottle, poured some white powder into his palm, and blew gently at the fire caltrop.

Call ~
As the white powder was stained, Li Yan's eyes suddenly condensed and he praised: "Good baby!"

As soon as Sharifei heard it, he knew it was working, and he quickly walked towards the zombies, "Come, help me."

They moved the zombie back into the pile of dead leaves, buried the fire caltrops underneath, and tied a rope to its head at one end and its body at the other.

After doing all this, pile the dead leaves up again.

Afterwards, everyone quickly moved away and found a bush to hide in.

To prevent being discovered, Wang Daoxuan set up a small formation, using red ropes and copper coins wrapped around tree branches to surround the men.

This formation is simple and can prevent the breath from leaking out.

Of course, if the other party finds something wrong, they will still not be able to hide it even if they use magic to search.

Sharifei looked at Lin Yu next to him and couldn't help but whispered, "Master Lin, where did you get this treasure?"

They also have a treasure that can block out auras, which is the mysterious cassock, but it obviously cannot be used to conceal the fire caltrops.

If you have this thing, you will be invincible.

Lin Yu whispered, "This thing is actually easy to make. Use mandrill hair and a kind of 'lichen' that turns into a treasure from heaven and earth, burn them in equal proportions, and collect the ashes."

"But both the mandrill and the 'lichen' are hard to find..."

"Hush, someone is coming!"

Li Yan quickly spoke up and signaled the two to keep quiet.

Soon, a group of people appeared in the dense forest.

It is the fifteenth day of the lunar month and the moon is full.

Under the moonlight, it can be clearly seen that these people are dressed like ordinary mountain people, but some of them are strong and hold sharp blades, while others have disheveled hair and various tattoos on their faces.

When Li Yan saw this, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Those are refugees at first glance.
How did I end up with the barbarians?

　The third update is not finished yet, it will be posted later
　　
　
(End of this chapter)