Knife splashing

Chapter 763 Netherworld Mount Tai
On Mount Tai, surging dark clouds poured down like ink, swallowing the last ray of sunlight.

The entire mountain range sank into an eerie gloom.

The mountain wind, carrying a biting chill, whipped up withered leaves and pebbles, causing them to twist and swirl in the air.

Li Yan looked up and saw that the outline of Mount Tai was being devoured by the writhing black mist, and it was difficult to see any human figure a few feet away.

"The earth's energy is completely disrupted!"

Wang Daoxuan looked at the black-armored compass in his hand.

The device was vibrating violently, and the magnetic needle spun rapidly like a headless fly.

He said with a solemn expression, "The Yin energy in the earth's veins is extremely strong, and the spiritual aperture has become imbalanced in Yin and Yang."

"Can you tell what kind of technique it is, Daoist Master?" Li Yan asked in a deep voice.

Wang Daoxuan was also full of confusion. "I have never seen anything like it before. I'm afraid it is beyond human capability."

The teachers from Mingde Academy who followed, as well as the chief secretary of the Prince of De's mansion, were all dumbfounded and looked at each other in disbelief.

I thought they were just here to deal with the chaos in the city, but I didn't expect this to happen.

The entire Mount Tai was shrouded in mist, which was beyond their comprehension.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a strange rustling sound came from the woods.

On the mountain path, a dozen or so garrison soldiers suddenly rushed out, tumbling and crawling.

They were panicked, covered in blood, and pale-faced, as if they had encountered something terrible.

Rumble!
Several wild boars crashed through a dead tree and charged behind, their tusks dripping white foam and their eyes bloodshot.

Even more terrifying, a cold wind howled afterward, and leaves swirled with the dust.

Several figures appeared among them, each dressed in tattered clothes, with faces covered in rotting flesh, and emanating a stench that filled the air.

They not only chased after the garrison soldiers, but also targeted wild boars.

Whenever it pounces on one, it scratches and bites it relentlessly.

For a moment, the screams of wild boars and people mingled together.

Several of the rotting corpses, seemingly attracted by the blood of the group, roared and pounced on them.

boom! Boom boom!

Shalifei immediately raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Several rotting corpses were smashed to pieces, splattering pus and blood everywhere, and the bluestone slabs on the ground hissed as they were corroded.

"What potent poisonous blood!"

Upon seeing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

The leading junior officer was clearly more conscious; his armor was shattered, and blood was streaming from his left ear. Upon seeing the officials, he collapsed to his knees.

"Report! My lord, they're all...all dead! The stone steps are devouring people!"

"make it clear!"

The garrison commander who followed grabbed him by the collar and angrily rebuked him.

The commander was now in despair.

As for matters concerning the government office, one could say they were simply following orders and had no other choice.

But the deaths of so many soldiers are more than just a matter of losing one's position or being dismissed from office.

The junior officer swallowed hard, gesturing incoherently, "Sir, we were ordered to guard the mountain when suddenly the ground shook violently, and a chilling wind arose. Commander Wang led the patrol, but just past Zhongtian Gate... the ground suddenly collapsed, and the brothers were immediately scattered..."

"and after?"

"We encountered a ghostly maze, the wild animals on the mountain went mad, and some people were even possessed..."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his eyes turning bloodshot, with dark lines spreading beneath the whites of his eyes.

Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly, then immediately took out a talisman and stuck it on his forehead, while chanting: "By imperial decree, sweep away the universe, the twenty-eight constellations, the seven stars are arranged horizontally, the universe opens the Dipper, the flying wolf Qian, the master of Kan and Li, marching heavenly soldiers, the left is the Heavenly Contract, the right is the Heavenly Authority, thunder soldiers and generals, do not linger, hasten as the law commands!"

This is a calming spell, specifically designed to suppress evil spirits from entering the brain.

A plume of black smoke rose from the captain's head, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Meanwhile, the dark clouds over Mount Tai grew even thicker.

call!
The wind howled fiercely, and the air was so oppressive that it felt like it was about to drip water.

The teacher of Mingde Academy turned ashen-faced, his beard trembling slightly. He suddenly looked at Xiao Chengyou, the chief secretary of the Prince's Mansion, with a hint of nervousness: "Chief Secretary Xiao! This celestial phenomenon is no ordinary occurrence!"

"The people at the foot of the mountain are in grave danger! We must immediately send a message to Jinan Prefecture, requesting the Prince and the Provincial Governor to mobilize more elite troops from the garrisons and invite a high-ranking Taoist master to come and oversee the situation!"

In truth, he was wronged.

Originally, the message was that it should be Master Zhao Tong who would handle the matter, since he was in charge of the assassination case of the Duke Yansheng.

However, he had just suffered a setback with Li Yan, and Lu Hongyuan had ordered him to be on good terms with the teacher and not to retaliate. So he invited this teacher over so that he wouldn't have to see him or be bothered by him.

I never expected that my arrival would cause such a big problem.

Although he was a scholar, his martial arts skills were average, but he was more proficient in Confucianism.

In this situation, the only option is to shirk responsibility as quickly as possible.

Xiao Chengyou, the chief secretary of the Prince of De's mansion, also lost his composure at this moment, his forehead covered in cold sweat. "What you say is absolutely right, Master. I will use the seal of the Prince's mansion right away! In addition to the Jinan Prefectural Government, we must also immediately invite Master Xu Cangsong of the Jinan Prefectural City God Temple... He is the City God under the jurisdiction of Mount Tai, and he should be in charge of matters of the gods!"

When the name "Xu Cangsong" was mentioned, Li Yan's brows furrowed involuntarily.

That person at the City God Temple in Jinan...

He had met me once in Jinan Prefecture.

They can be described as incompetent at maintaining the status quo, shirking responsibility, and fearing authority.

Those who look to the City God Temple in Jinan to deal with this ominous situation are simply deluding themselves!

Even if we invite Lu Hongyuan, the journey is long, and by the time he arrives, Mount Tai will probably have become a dead end, and everything will be over!

A strong sense of alarm pounded wildly in his heart.

On Mount Tai, there are far more than just landslides or wild beasts going berserk.

It's very likely that the remaining two Earth Immortals have already made their move!
They dared to plot to seize the position of Prefect... Could this be the reason?

"That's too late!"

Thinking of this, Li Yan spoke directly to the crowd in a deep voice, "Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. You two gentlemen can go and call for reinforcements. I will lead my men up the mountain first!"

Having said that, he looked at his companions beside him, his expression grave, and said:
"This time, it's a bit dangerous..."

"Hahaha!"

Shalifei chuckled, pulled out his musket, and said, "What's so dangerous about it? We've fought our way through mountains of knives and seas of blood, and we still managed to get here."

"We're not happy to let you take the risk alone."

Others nodded.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, his expression gentle and calm…

Wu Ba picked up the tiger-squatting cannon and chuckled foolishly…

Lü San and Long Yan'er also stepped forward without hesitation.

Li Yan then looked at Kong Shangzhao and the others, "The three of you stay down the mountain for now..."

"Hey, you think you can look down on men?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Kuai Dayou, who was eager to try. He was not afraid at all, but rather excited. He turned to look at Kong Shangzhao and asked, "Scholar, are you afraid?"

Kong Shangzhao looked at Mount Tai and said, "This is something we can't miss."

Seeing that his two friends were going, Fatty Lin looked distressed. "This... don't leave me behind."

"Hahaha."

Kuai Da was amused, "Just follow me."

Seeing that the three were determined to go, Li Yan did not stop them.

Since they want to join the Twelve Zodiacs, this kind of thing will be inevitable in the future.

He took a deep breath and looked at the increasingly gloomy Mount Tai:

"Everyone, please follow me up the mountain!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead, his Dust-Breaking Blade flashing as he drew from its sheath, his figure resolutely crashing into the thick, impenetrable darkness.

Wang Daoxuan followed closely behind, carrying a black-armored compass.

The compass needle spun wildly, yet remained firmly pointing towards the mountain peak.

Shalifei and Wuba gripped their firearms tightly.

Following the formation they had practiced multiple times on the road, they all entered the black fog.

Behind them, Xiao Chengyou and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They couldn't understand why the Twelve Yuan Chen would take such a risk.

Thick fog rolled in, and deathly silence enveloped the mountain gate once more, leaving only the mournful sound of the wind…

…………

Along the mountain path, the dark, gloomy mist was thick and watery.

The rocks, the trees, and even the last ray of light were completely swallowed up.

Unlike outside the mountain, as soon as Li Yan and the others stepped inside, it was as if they had fallen into a cold swamp. The surroundings were eerily silent, with only their heavy breathing and heartbeats echoing in their ears.

Wang Daoxuan glanced at the compass in his hand, his eyelids twitching. He smiled bitterly and said, "As I expected, it has indeed become an extremely inauspicious place. Mount Tai is the Eastern Peak. Who could possibly do this?"

"Go up and see for yourself."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "The usual rules!"

With a low shout, the Dust-Slaying Blade was drawn from its sheath with a clang.

zizi~
Lightning crackled and flashed, tearing through a small patch of darkness and becoming the central anchor point for everyone.

They each possess unique abilities, and darkness is no obstacle to them.

However, in this situation, one should still be careful and use one's own protective methods.

Lu San lit the sachet of spirit herbs at his waist, Sha Lifeng stuffed the talisman given to him by Li Yan into his pocket, Wu Ba let out a low shout and used his martial arts, his whole body became like stone, and Long Yan'er waved her fingers, and tiny Gu worms as fine as sesame seeds quickly flew around them.

"Take them all."

Fatty Lin spoke in a low voice, took out two jade pendants with money on them from his pocket, and handed them to Kuai Dayou and Kong Shangzhao respectively.

"Hey, Fatty, you've got some good stuff..."

Just as Kuai Dayou uttered a witty remark, Wang Daoxuan took out a bead from his backpack, propped it up on a bamboo pole, and instantly a cool, moonlit light enveloped everyone.

"What, what kind of treasure is this?" Kuai Dayou was dumbfounded.

Fatty Lin swallowed hard. "The Wish-Fulfilling Pearl."

Without bothering with pleasantries, the team instantly deployed, with Li Yan and the others displaying their usual tacit understanding.

He and Wu Ba walked at the front.

Li Yan, needless to say, had his arm guards crackling as he prepared to transform into Thor at any moment.

Wu Ba, a man as powerful as a giant, held the Tiger Crouching Cannon with its muzzle lowered.

His bulging muscles gleamed with a metallic sheen, ready to fire at any moment.

Wow~
Not long after we left, the vegetation in the forest began to rustle.

Two wolves, their eyes bloodshot and corrupted by yin energy, had just emerged from the mist.

Bang!Bang!
Just as it leaped out of the bushes, a massive fist, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, slammed down upon it.

One wolf's head was shattered, while the other was grabbed by the neck by a large, fan-like hand and snapped off with a sharp crack—the action was fierce and swift.

Li Yan stared intently ahead, not even glancing at anything else.

He now completely trusts Wu Ba and entrusts his back to him.

On the left, Shalifei, carrying a musket, darted along the ground like a cat.

boom!
Suddenly, the musket in his hand opened fire.

A distorted, drool-covered wild dog was reduced to blood and flesh powder.

Although Shalifei has not yet reached the point of perfect harmony between man and gun, his marksmanship is already extremely high. He can even attack without aiming, relying on his extraordinary gun sense and intuition.

Combined with kung fu, it's even somewhat like gun-fu.

Kuai Dayou volunteered to serve as the right-side guard.

Faced with the charging corpse, he did not confront it head-on. Instead, he flicked his fingertips, and several inconspicuous iron balls clattered to the ground, instantly popping out barbs.

Stepping on a rotting corpse, accompanied by the scraping of bones and hissing sounds, a short arrow pierces the brain.

Lu San provided support from behind. He spread his hands slightly and hissed. Immediately, snakes, scorpions, poisonous spiders, and swarms of tiny black poisonous bees surged out from the cracks in the rocks and the base of the tree roots like a tide, forming a moving barrier around the group.

These little creatures prefer shade and were therefore unaffected.

Long Yan'er flicked her finger, and tiny specks of silver powder seeped into Lü San's swarm of insects, making them even more agitated and engulfing the onrushing corpses.

Most of these corpses were soldiers guarding the mountain.

However, his face was now bluish-purple, and he had already turned into a walking corpse.

At the very core are Kong Shangzhao and Wang Daoxuan.

The Taoist priest gripped the black-armored compass tightly, chanting incantations as he guided the group: "Three steps to the left, Gen position... three steps forward, one step back... halt! Yin energy is lurking ahead!"

And so they struggled forward through the pitch-black darkness.

Wild beasts and zombie-like evil creatures have no effect on them whatsoever.

But the closer you get to the summit, the denser and more stagnant the yin energy becomes, gradually acquiring a tangible quality.

A cold wind blew by, but it no longer carried a chill; instead, it felt as if raindrops had gathered.

After walking only a few steps, everyone was soaked to the bone.

As they drew closer, frost began to form.

Finally, as they approached the summit, they could go no further.

"Master Dao, set up the formation using the Five Directions Luo Feng Banner. I'm going up there."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, and then his figure suddenly disappeared.

Kuai Da was incredulous, "Invisibility?"

"That cowardly invisibility technique."

Shalifei spat, "Brother Yan's escape technique is even stronger when it's in water."

As he spoke, Wang Daoxuan had already raised the Five Directions Luofeng Banner.

A sudden gust of wind howled, obscuring everyone's presence.

At the same time, Li Yan took a deep breath and fully activated the "Northern Emperor's Profound Water Escape Technique".

Using the surrounding mist, he completely concealed his tracks, leaving only a blurry watery shadow in the air, and sped off toward the Jade Emperor Temple.

Finally, after breaking through layers of blockades, we arrived outside the Jade Emperor Temple.

The moment you put your feet on solid ground, the pressure decreases dramatically.

Li Yan looked around, and even though he was somewhat prepared, he was still taken aback by the scene before him.

The ancient and majestic buildings of the Jade Emperor Temple were now enveloped in a halo of incense light.

Beyond the light membrane, a surging, almost tangible black mist continuously churned and eroded.

Inside the light membrane, there was a complete mess.

Dozens of Taoist priests, monks, and even martial monks from various sects lay sprawled on the ground, many with injuries and bloodstains, while others were pale, with their eyes closed or covering their foreheads, looking utterly dejected.

On the open ground in front of the hall, the few elders who were barely holding on were also losing their strength.

Their robes were tattered, and their faces showed a mixture of fear, exhaustion, and bewilderment.

Everyone was startled to see Li Yan appear like a ghost at the edge of the Divine Realm.

"My name is Li Yan..."

Li Yan didn't bother with pleasantries and directly revealed his identity to ask questions.

The crowd's eyes held a complex mix of wariness and a glimmer of hope.

Finally, it was the Taoist priest Mingzi who was guarding the mountain who spoke in a hoarse voice: "We don't know what happened either. Suddenly, the ground shook and the valley split open, and the evil energy surged out."

"Yes, the source must be in the back mountain!"

"This is definitely not the work of an ordinary Earth Immortal!"

Another female elder from the Bixia Yuanjun Palace looked alarmed. "The Yin Qi is so heavy that it is corroding the earth's veins. Even... even the Empress's divine energy seems to be deflected by some force, making it difficult to suppress it with full force!"

Hearing everyone talking at once, Li Yan was shocked!
"The back mountain?!"

Something suddenly flashed into my mind.

It was the vague argument between General Wudao and Judge Cui in the dream of the underworld.

"Mount Tai has a passage to the underworld..."

"That place can only be entered in a split second, when the cycle of Yin and Yang is reversed..."

Is it possible?

These guys actually opened a passage to the underworld!

(End of this chapter)