Knife splashing

Chapter 761 Night Raid on the Valley
"Damn...so many people!"

Shalifei swallowed hard, somewhat incredulous.

There were quite a few people, at least a hundred. Each of them had their hoods pulled down low, their faces covered with black cloths, and the torches in their hands flickered with eerie light, casting distorted shadows on the rock walls, as if a hundred ghosts were on patrol.

The strong smell of tung oil and sulfur mingled in the night wind, but it couldn't suppress the chill that seeped from the very marrow of one's bones.

"They're all trained fighters..."

Having spent years mingling in the wilderness, the group immediately recognized that the "black-cloaked" figures moved with steady steps and stood in a well-organized manner.

He was clearly a seasoned fighter, not an ordinary yamen runner or servant!

"Silence!" Li Yan gently reminded everyone, signaling them to hide completely.

He, Lü San, and Wang Daoxuan simultaneously formed the Yang Mudra with their hands, activating their supernatural powers.

Everyone was a cultivator, so they all possessed supernatural abilities, but each had their own strengths.

For example, Wu Ba is strong in physical strength, Fatty Lin can see the aura of treasure, and Kuai Da has supernatural powers and is good at precise control.

However, in terms of reconnaissance capabilities, Li Yan and his two companions are still stronger.

Lü San had amazing hearing, Li Yan could smell things from dozens of miles away, and Wang Daoxuan could observe mountains and sense qi.

With the three working together, they had a clear view of everything on the other side.

Soon, they all frowned.

Lu San's ears twitched slightly, and he whispered, "Many people inside are speaking Japanese."

Wang Daoxuan's eyes flashed with a ghostly light as he exclaimed in surprise, "Such a heavy ghostly aura!"

As for Li Yan, he smelled a strong stench of blood and sweat, which was coming from the oxcart cage behind the men in black.

Before long, the open space at the bottom of the valley was occupied by these men in black.

They first cleared the huge stone platform in the center of Laojunyu, freeing up a large area. Then, they used a mop dipped in cinnabar and red ink from a bucket to outline a huge and eerie octagonal diagram on the stone platform.

This formation resembles the Eight Trigrams, but each trigram is replaced by a blood-red talisman.

They are connected end to end, like snakes holding their tails.

"Master Dao, could you see something amiss?" Li Yan looked at Wang Daoxuan beside him.

Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly. "I do have some recollection of this formation. It is called Tongyou Bagua, and it belongs to a sect on Luoshan Mountain in Zhaoyuan. They are half witches and half Taoists, and they are skilled at using talismans to summon ghosts and exorcise spirits. I saw it from afar when I was wandering around the land of Qi and Lu, but I heard that there were only three people on that mountain, and they rarely traveled far. How did they end up here?"

Everyone immediately understood what was going on.

This is a small local sect, somewhat stronger than the usual secluded witch doctors and shamans.

"Wait a little longer and see what happens..." Li Yan said thoughtfully, whispering to the others.

After those people finished drawing the array symbols, one by one the musical instruments were moved up.

Kuai Dayou's eyes lit up. "They're the same ones I saw in the workshop during the day!"

Before he finished speaking, another group of mysterious men in black cloaks opened the iron cage on the oxcart behind them.

The cage was filled with countless tiny figures, all gagged with strips of cloth and bound with ropes, emitting desperate whimpers.

"Young boys and girls... are blood sacrifices!"

Wang Daoxuan's face immediately turned gloomy.

Since human sacrifice was gradually abolished, this practice has been regarded as evil magic.

Using young boys and girls is something only demons would do.

Li Yan patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

Originally, I just wanted to find out what was going on, but since the other party wanted to sacrifice young boys and girls, I had to take action no matter what.

Beside the altar, three figures stood out prominently.

Their figures, dressed in crimson robes and wearing Nuo opera masks, stood watching as they directed black-cloaked figures to drag children out of iron cages and forcefully press them against the edge of the "Tongyou Bagua Formation's" blood groove.

The children struggled desperately in fear, but their mouths were gagged, and they could only make muffled noises with tears streaming down their faces.

Suddenly, the crowd parted like a tide.

Several people in black cloaks escorted a person to the edge of the altar.

The other person lifted his cloak, and the firelight illuminated his seemingly refined and kind face.

"Lin Yaozong!" Fatty Lin almost ground his teeth to powder.

The visitor was none other than his uncle.

Lin Yaozong's expression was also not good at this moment. He glanced at the crying children and then quickly turned his head away.

"Hahaha…"

Two more men in black lifted their hoods; they were Zhao Bingzhong, the commander of the Tai'an Military Command, and Zhou Xian, the prefectural magistrate.

Zhao Bingzhong sneered, "What's wrong, Manager Lin? Still pretending to be a good person even now? You should know that your son is alive only because of these kids' lives!"

Lin Yaozong's face was grim, and he remained silent.

Zhou Xian, the prefectural magistrate on the other side, patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Manager Lin, just close your eyes and treat them like livestock. Anyway, in this world, it's nothing more than you eating me and me eating you."

"Humph!"

Hearing this, Lu San's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Zhao Bingzhong, the commander of the Tai'an Commandery below, turned to the chief priest in red and said respectfully, "Divine Envoy, the blood sacrifices are ready and the auspicious time is approaching. Mr. Zhao asked me to convey that the 'raft' on the East Sea is ready, awaiting only the change of the Lord's position and the return of the dragon's energy to the sea!"

The tall, red-clad Nuo masked figure at the head of the group nodded, holding a jade tablet in his hand, and began chanting incantations.

boom!
The flames in the altar brazier suddenly rose several meters.

The surrounding air began to thicken and distort, and a nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell permeated the air.

The men in black also became excited, circling the altar and offering their prayers.

"Get ready to make your move..."

Li Yan gave a low shout and pulled out a flintlock pistol from his pocket.

Wu Ba excitedly began loading the Tiger Crouching Cannon.

The murder weapon underwent another round of modifications at Qiankun Academy, resulting in even less recoil.

Since the battle of Beiman Mountain, they haven't had a proper meal.

hum…

Just then, the hook at Li Yan's waist suddenly became hot and trembled.

"Wait a minute!"

He quickly stopped everyone and looked up at the back of the altar.

In the shadows of that canyon, a small, unmarked blue sedan chair had appeared out of nowhere.

The curtains were drawn low, yet they gave him a vague sense of unease.

"A celestial being has arrived!"

He reminded everyone, then immediately grasped the scepter and focused his mind.

The surroundings fell into dead silence, and all that could be seen was thick fog.

Li Yan was already familiar with this process and quickly rushed forward.

It's the familiar Ishii Kuromi again; as expected, they're still arresting criminals.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan immediately placed his hand on the edge of the well and received the message from Yin Fan.

Yin Fan: Hu Yueniang, nicknamed "Wuyin Mountain Granny".

Born into a family of corpse-driving craftsmen in western Hunan, he fled into the deep mountains after his family was massacred by his enemies. To seek revenge, he cultivated evil magic, using living souls to create the "Hundred Ghosts Miasma." After defeating his enemies, he obtained secret techniques such as the "Eight Trigrams Formation for Connecting with the Netherworld." He possesses the magical artifact Blood Plague Umbrella: made from the heart blood of young boys and girls, it can spread the poison of corpse-poisoning insects...

Yo~
Li Yan was somewhat surprised to see this.

The information from the underworld this time is more detailed than before. Could it be that this person is unusual?
Without a second thought, he turned to leave.

But just then, he caught a glimpse of the sky out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat.

Two more enormous figures appeared in the sky.

One of them, dressed in a red robe, was the most familiar Judge Cui.

The other one, clad in golden armor, was very familiar; it was none other than General Wudao.

Li Yan's heart stirred, and he pretended to look at the documents while pricking up his ears.

Soon, a faint, deep voice came from the sky:
"Judge Cui, is this all the information you're going to give me?"

"That's already a lot."

"Hmph! You're so pedantic. Someone's been tampering with things. The living underworld messengers have been hunted down, and there aren't many left. Clearly, something big has happened. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"

"General, you are mistaken. The Heavenly Laws stipulate that if we disobey them, how are we any different from them?"

"We have to give them some help, just in case this one dies too."

"The Heavenly Laws..."

"Don't mention the 'Heavenly Laws,' they were broken a while ago, weren't they?" "They cannot be violated, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Mount Tai has a passage to the underworld; if souls wander in, we are not considered to be disobeying orders."

"Nonsense! That place requires a split second of Yin and Yang to enter; how could a mortal possibly have the chance to enter in such a short instant?"

"General, please don't make things difficult for me..."

The two men's voices gradually faded, but Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

It turns out that the underworld also knew about the hunting down of the living underworld messengers.

It seems that this is true not only in the capital, but also in other places.

These five generals are quite generous.

The Netherworld Passage of Mount Tai, I wonder where it is...

Seeing that he could not hear any other news, Li Yan quickly withdrew from this dream.

When I opened my eyes again, it was only for two breaths.

"There's an Earth Immortal below, I'll deal with him. Make your move!"

At the command, Wu Ba pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Boom!

A thunderclap shattered the silence of Laojunyu!
Wu Ba's eyes, as large as copper bells, flashed with a fierce light, and the muzzle of his tiger-squatting cannon blazed with explosive fire.

A heavy, solid iron pellet, the size of a bowl, carrying a terrifying gust of wind, slammed into the densest part of the crowd.

No mercy!

No hesitation!

The cannons were aimed at those who deserved to die.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The next moment, a terrifying scene unfolded:
The flower of flesh and blood suddenly bloomed in the firelight.

The three figures in black cloaks were instantly torn to pieces like tattered rag dolls, their severed limbs and fragments of internal organs scattering outwards and staining the cold stone platform red.

A terrifying shockwave followed closely behind, the airflow sweeping across like an invisible giant hammer.

A dozen or so men in black screamed as they were thrown into the air, or were struck by the high-speed flying debris, their bones broken and their muscles snapped, as they writhed on the ground in agony!
Broken arms and legs were everywhere, and the strong smell of blood instantly overpowered the aroma of sulfur and tung oil.

“Enemy attack—!!”

Beside the altar, Commandant Zhao Bingzhong's voice cracked with rage.

However, this fatal blow was just the beginning!
Before the echo of the cannon shot had even faded, Shalifei, like a hawk darting through the forest, leaped out from a crevice in the rocks on the other side like a ghost.

While the person was still in the air, the newly crafted musket had already pulled the trigger.

He is still training his weapon and has not yet mastered the art of man and gun becoming one, but his accuracy has already surpassed that of ordinary sharpshooters.

From the crowd, more than a dozen figures drew their Japanese swords and charged in all directions.

They were the Japanese who had been hiding.

The person at the very front had only taken a few steps when his upper body exploded, killed by Sha Lifei.

The Japanese samurai behind him did not back down; instead, they quickened their pace.

They knew about firearms, of course, and could only fire one shot.

This distance is enough for him to rush to Shalifei's side and engage in close combat.

However, they were unaware that Sharif's musket had been replaced with a revolver that could hold five bullets.

Boom boom boom!
As Shalifei fired repeatedly, he landed and killed nearly half of the charging Japanese samurai.

Upon landing, Shalifei didn't stop. He crouched down, rolled over, and drew his Guanshan knife with a clang.

The last Japanese samurai who approached was also slit in the throat by him.

Lü San did not charge directly, but stood on high ground, his bone whistle emitting a sharp and rapid melody.

In the darkness, countless rustling sounds arose!
From the grass, from the crevices of rocks, and even from the overturned iron cage, swarms of snakes, scorpions, and venomous insects poured out as if they had received a unified command.

Just as a Japanese ninja concealed himself and attempted to ambush Wu Ba, he was suddenly entangled by several venomous snakes around his calves and reappeared with a scream.

The snow-white fox, Chu Qi, moved swiftly through the chaotic crowd. Its bright green eyes gleamed with an eerie light, and a silent glance from it could instantly disorient someone, leading to their demise at the hands of their own kind.

Kuai Dayou also displayed extraordinary combat prowess.

He was skilled in mechanical craftsmanship and had quite a few odds and ends on him.

He tossed out several inconspicuous iron balls the size of walnuts, which bounced off the ground with a "crackling" sound.

In an instant, they transformed into countless tiny, barbed flying blades, shooting towards the surrounding black-clad archers.

Although the flying blades were small, their armor-piercing power was extremely strong, and the archers immediately fell to the ground, clutching their eyes and screaming in agony.

The most ferocious of them all is Wu Ba.

Like a humanoid tank, after firing his cannon and achieving victory, he roared, put on his boxing gloves, and charged into the crowd.

A Japanese samurai, confident in his superb swordsmanship, slashed at the enemy from the side, only to have his blade grabbed by the man's large, fan-like hand. Ignoring the cut on his hand, the man pulled the samurai towards him with overwhelming force.

Immediately afterwards, his head was smashed by an iron fist like a watermelon.

Wu Ba then unleashed a barrage of powerful punches, palm strikes, and kicks, leaving no one who dared to stand in his way!
"You've ruined my plans! You're asking for death!"

At the heart of the altar, surrounded by men in black robes, Wuyin Mountain Granny Hu Yueniang let out a shrill cry like a night owl!

Her face was contorted with rage, her eyes flashing with a venomous, blood-red light. Her hand gestures changed rapidly, and she suddenly pointed at the dilapidated temple behind her.

"disease!"

Woo——!
A streak of blood-red light shot into the sky from inside the sedan chair.

It turned out to be an oil-paper umbrella stained with dark red, exuding an eerie aura.

The umbrella opened with a "whoosh," and a fishy, ​​stench wafted towards Li Yan and the others on the wind.

At the same time, Hu Yueniang pointed her withered fingers at Li Yan from afar, uttering rapid and eerie incantations:
"Five ghosts haunt the soul, malevolent spirits erode the heart... Imperial decree!"

In an instant, an invisible curse power, filled with decay and death, swept in from afar!

This is an extremely powerful spell, no less powerful than Wang Daoxuan's Seven Arrows Book.

"You're the one I've been waiting for!"

Li Yan, who had been in charge of the overall situation, suddenly turned colder than ice!
Just as Hu Yueniang's oil-paper umbrella flew out, the scorching hot warrant in his hand was raised high!

"Heaven has its rules, earth has its order; the underworld collects souls, and the living must avoid it!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the valley plummeted, and a chilling wind swept up from the ground.

A thick black fog surged up and quickly spread to the surrounding area.

"A living underworld messenger!?"

The fierce look on Hu Yueniang's face instantly turned into boundless fear and disbelief!
The greatest nemesis of earth immortals is the living underworld messenger.

That is why he fled to Mount Ling and was protected by the great Xuanmen sect.

In her extreme horror, she no longer cared about manipulating the Blood Plague Umbrella or cursing Li Yan.

With a scream, his body suddenly transformed into a swirling cloud of black mist, unleashing his trump card, the "Five Yin Escape Technique," to escape using the earth's energy.

Call ~
The billowing black mist also broke through the air and chased after it.

"Lin...Lin Yu!"

Lin Yaozong was terrified when Lin Pangzi cleaved his sword away with a single blow, and he turned to run away.

Zhao Bingzhong and Zhou Xian were also pale-faced, and took advantage of the chaos to try to escape into the depths of the valley.

"Trying to run?" Shalifei grinned maliciously as he blocked their path.

"Keep them alive! Take them back to Tai'an!" Li Yan's voice cut through the noise and reached everyone's ears.

Soon, under the fierce attacks of the Twelve Yuan Chen, the remaining black-clad warriors were either killed or surrendered on their knees.

The main culprits Zhao Bingzhong, Zhou Xian, and Lin Yaozong, along with those evil cultivators who practiced the Eight Trigrams Formation, were all bound together like dumplings by Kuai Dayou's ropes and Lü San's vines, and dragged on the ground like stray dogs.

At the same time, the billowing black fog surged back and seeped into the ground.

Li Yan knew that the Five Yin Mountain Granny was already dead.

The valley was a scene of bloodshed and devastation, with broken blades and limbs scattered everywhere, and corpses piled up on the ground.

The boys and girls trembled with fear under the comforting words of Wang Daoxuan and Long Yan'er, and were temporarily safe.

Looking at the main culprit being escorted together, Li Yan's eyes were icy cold:
"Keep them safe! Take the children from the mountain temple...we're heading back to Tai'an City!"

"Look at the government offices in the city, see just how rotten they've become!"

(End of this chapter)