Knife splashing

Chapter 775 The Fog Disperses, the Conspiracy Revealed

Li Yan's mind raced, and his incantations flowed like boiling water.

As soon as Wen Lingguan's clone appeared, it displayed astonishing power, condensing from the void and appearing directly behind "Hundred Ghosts Infant Fiend," with lightning crackling and crimson flames surging.

The Infant Demon was originally created by Zhu Suanpan through evil magic, absorbing hundreds of Yin souls and also incorporating demonic energy, making it extremely difficult to deal with. However, it is still an evil spirit and fears thunder and fire.

"ah--!"

Sensing the power of Wen Lingguan's thunder and fire, Ying Sha let out a shrill scream and vanished instantly.

When it reappeared, it was already more than 100 meters away.

But Wen Lingguan's clone also appeared almost simultaneously.

Black mist and white shadows, lightning and fire, flickered in different places, too fast to react to.

Ultimately, the "Hundred Ghosts Infant Demon" was not fast enough and was captured directly by Wen Lingguan's clone.

Enveloped in thunder and fire, the air crackled and the evil mist rose.

The infant demon trembled violently, struggling frantically, trying to tear apart the lightning and fire shield to retaliate, but it could not escape.

However, Li Yan remained solemn, his hands forming a hand seal to stabilize the magic seal.

Just as Xu Zhenshan said, killing the "Hundred Ghosts Infant Fiend" is not difficult. What is difficult is that the opponent has merged with the demonic energy, making it immortal and indestructible. Once it explodes, it will spread everywhere and infect half of Yangzhou City.

The scene of a group of soldiers being corrupted by demonic energy during the time in Shu is still vivid in my mind.

Who knows how many will die or be injured at that time.

As Li Yan changed his hand gestures and chanted the "Wen Ling Guan Bao Gao," the humanoid thunder and fire rapidly transformed, resembling a furnace that trapped the "Hundred Ghosts Infant Evil" within.

He actually wants to try "refining demonic calamities with thunder and fire"!
Such things are also recorded in the Xuanmen (Taoist school), and there are those who have succeeded, but it is extremely difficult.

There are many examples of failure. For instance, when the Golden Horde was about to perish, Zhang Yuanhe, a high-ranking Taoist priest known as "Jade Void True Man," attempted to refine a thousand-year-old corpse king with thunder and fire in Qiannan.

At that time, the Corpse King was born from the battlefield, and it became a ferocious creature by gathering 100,000 wronged souls.

Master Zhang set up the Nine Palaces Thunder and Fire Formation, pouring all his magical power into invoking the might of heaven. However, due to the deep resentment of the evil entity, the thunder and fire were devoured. Halfway through the refining process, the thunder and fire went out of control and poured back, turning the mountains and rivers of Qiannan into scorched earth, turning thousands of people into withered bones, and Master Zhang himself was also consumed by the evil fire, leaving behind only ruins to warn future generations.

Therefore, when Xuanmen encounters such troublesome evil spirits, they often adopt a more prudent approach, suppressing them in famous mountains and rivers, or blessed lands, and using the innate Qi of evil spirits to obliterate them.

But the current situation is dangerous, and there is clearly no time for that.

Thinking of this, Li Yan became even more focused.

With the help of treasures such as the Dragon and Snake Token, the Thousand Thoughts Armguard, and the Hook and Stick, the Yin Qi around him gathered wildly, the wind howled and formed a whirlwind around him, and frost condensed on the ground.

Such concentrated malevolent energy could form a small, dangerous place, which ordinary people would not dare to attempt, because their mortal bodies certainly could not withstand so much malevolent energy.

However, after Li Yan used the "Yin Shen Transformation", he used the Soul-Hooking Rope as the carrier.

The fierce energy gathered wildly, making his Yin spirit body even larger and more solid. He also used magic and the "Bing Ding Sheng Gui Talisman" to maintain the summoning of Wen Lingguan.

You could say it's like walking a tightrope.

It all depends on whether the other party is refined first, or whether he can't withstand it first.

As the two forces were locked in a stalemate, Wang Daoxuan and Lü San also felt the restraints around them loosen.

After removing the Five Directions Luo Feng Banner, they saw Li Yan's ghost body.

Without bothering with pleasantries, Li Yan spoke directly: "Daoist Master, you stay and destroy that Netherworld Stage. This is the key to the demon's scheme. San'er, quickly go to the dock to provide support and send a message!"

Having said that, he continued to concentrate on refining the essence.

He spoke succinctly, but the two understood instantly.

Needless to say, they wouldn't use the "Netherworld Stage"; keeping it would only cause trouble.

The docks were bound to be a key target for the Japanese pirates.

If others come to help out of concern, they may misjudge the situation and end up neglecting other aspects.

"it is good!"

Without another word, Lü San led the little white fox into the street and quickly disappeared from sight.

Wang Daoxuan then went to the Netherworld Stage and observed it carefully.

At this moment, this weird thing is still running.

It stole the power from the City God Temple. Although Wang Daoxuan did not know how it did it, he saw the thick fog around him that was thinning but not disappearing, and knew that he had to destroy this thing to get rid of the calamity.

He turned his head to look into the depths of Wang Maode's mansion, where he saw a group of servants cowering in a corner like frightened birds. He immediately shouted sternly, "If you don't want to die, then obey my orders!"

"Find a bucket of black dog's blood and thirty bundles of peach wood branches!"

The servants, intimidated by his power, scattered and rushed outside the mansion to search for the item.

Among these people were many bodyguards for salt merchants, all of whom were local strongmen in Yangzhou.

Li Yan drained the surrounding Yin energy, allowing passage to proceed normally. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had gathered all the items and placed them outside the Wang family mansion.

wow~
Under Wang Daoxuan's command, a bucket of black dog blood was splashed onto the Netherworld Stage.

The surface of the stage immediately began to hiss and crackle.

Then, they piled up peach wood firewood and burned it.

As for Wang Daoxuan, he set up a makeshift altar, lit incense and candles, scattered paper money, and chanted in a series of hand seals: "Green Emperor protects the soul, White Emperor serves the spirit, Red Emperor nourishes the vital energy, Black Emperor circulates the blood, Yellow Emperor is the central ruler, none of the gods can surpass him..."

This is a mantra for calming the soul and stabilizing the will.

Although the Netherworld Stage is powerful, it cannot function without the vengeful spirits and ghosts who were murdered.

Wang Daoxuan used incantations to deliver the deceased, but in reality, he was severing the root cause...

...............

The City God Temple in Yangzhou is located in the north of the city.

It was originally built in the previous dynasty and was initially just a place for minor officials to erect steles and offer sacrifices. Later, due to frequent floods, some local gentry donated their sacrificial land and built a three-courtyard complex.

Despite enduring centuries of war, the temple's incense offerings have never waned. During the heyday of the salt trade, wealthy merchants vied to donate golden statues, and the glazed tiles on the eaves were inlaid with bright pearls, shining brightly by day and shimmering with color at night, earning it the title of "the foremost temple in the Jianghuai region."

Now, however, the fog is as dark as ink, and dark red viscous liquid seeps from the pillars of the porch, resembling dried blood and tears.

When Xu Zhenshan and his men arrived, the vermilion temple gate was wide open, and the golden plaque above the gate that read "Protect the Country and Bless the People" was hanging upside down with several foul-smelling cracks.

"Dang~dang~"

The copper bells under the eaves move automatically without wind, yet their sound resembles the cry of a baby.

"vomit"

A young disciple immediately helped the stone lion up and heaved.

The pair of auspicious beasts guarding the temple entrance had black water flowing from their eye sockets, and half a severed limb was pressed under their claws.

Xu Zhenshan, his face grim, made a hand seal with his left hand, and the peach wood token at his waist immediately buzzed as a warning.

"The altar of the local deity has been defiled."

His voice was icy, his eyes blazing with fury. "Let's go, circle around through the side hall!"

Wow!
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire bluestone road in front of the temple suddenly churned up like waves.

Suddenly, hundreds of withered hands emerged from the cracks in the blue bricks. Several disciples were caught off guard and were grabbed by those withered hands, their screams accompanied by muffled sounds of bones cracking.

The withered hands and black fingernails were coated with a deadly poison.

Within moments, some disciples turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

"A living human stake!"

Xu Zhenshan's eyes widened, and he immediately commanded his disciples to retreat using the Heavenly Gang Step, while simultaneously thrusting their swords at the ground with yellow talismans: "Five Thunder Generals, Fire Chariot General, so be it!"

zizi~
Arcs of electricity leaped along the cracks in the blue bricks, thick, foul-smelling smoke rose, and the withered hand fell silent.

"Humph!"

Xu Zhenshan let out a cold snort, his hidden strength surging forth, and he stomped his foot on the ground.

With a loud rumble, bricks and stones flew everywhere, and several small wooden boxes resembling coffins were revealed from the mud. They were bound together with red ropes and copper coins, and there was a hole in the top, from which the withered hand of a dead person emerged.

Upon seeing this, Xu Zhenshan's expression turned even more unpleasant.

This thing definitely wasn't buried just tonight. Having caused such a huge blunder, even if he successfully survives his tribulation tonight, he'll still have to return to the mountain to face punishment.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhenshan immediately looked at the dark temple gate, gritted his teeth, and said coldly:

"This bizarre Lu Ban method... it must be Cui Erwa!"

He had already guessed who was causing trouble in the City God Temple.

Li Yan, being an outsider, was unaware of the situation, but they had dealt with the ghost opera troupe near Yangzhou quite a bit and had already thoroughly investigated the background of these people.

The one inside is called "Cui Erwa," and he is a clown in the opera troupe.

He was born with facial deformities and suffered ridicule and bullying from a young age, being treated as a monster and driven out of the village.

While scavenging offerings at the cemetery, he encountered an old carpenter who possessed a fragment of the forbidden chapter of "Lu Ban's Cursed Arts." From then on, he followed him to learn his craft. Although he was treated like a donkey and whipped, he still learned a great deal of skills.

He was vicious and malicious. Even if the employer paid him enough money when he worked for others, he would still be greedy and secretly put some evil things in his house. He would then have a Taoist priest come to his house to break the curse and get a share of the money. He even committed several cases of wiping out entire families.

Wanted by the Enforcement Hall, he had no choice but to join the Ghost Opera Troupe.

Originally, Xu Zhenshan, though hot-tempered, did not want to fight to the death with these vicious people, but tonight's events had driven him to the brink, and his murderous intent was already boiling.

"Activate the Seven Killing Nails!"

At Xu Zhenshan's command, he immediately led his disciples to surround the main gate of the City God Temple. They stepped out of the Big Dipper Formation with their feet, and at the same time took out a date pit from their pockets.

Lightning-struck jujube wood is an excellent material for crafting ritual implements.

The jujube pits that sprout anew after being struck by lightning can be used to make the ritual implement, the jujube pit nail.

Puff puff!
At his command, seven date pit nails pierced through the void and entered the earth's veins in front of the gate.

Strangely enough, the ground shaking stopped immediately.

But just then, a short man suddenly emerged from the darkness of the gate, wearing a wooden clown mask and carrying a pair of mottled wooden clappers, which he began to bang on.

"Giggle giggle—"

An eerie laugh mingled with the sound of the clapper.

Upon hearing this, the disciples in the front row became disoriented and began to throw away their magical artifacts and tear each other apart.

Some people laughed wildly as they slit their own throats, spraying blood everywhere.

"Seal the ear canals!" Xu Zhenshan roared and immediately formed a hand seal.

He knew that Cui Erwa had two other skills besides Lu Ban's method.

First, they wear all sorts of bizarre masks they make themselves. Although their limbs are exaggerated and distorted, and their movements are comical, they are good at bewitching people and often play the role of a ghost or a devil who steals souls and harms people everywhere.

Secondly, the wooden clapper, a magical instrument, can also disturb people's minds.

Other disciples followed suit, making hand gestures and tapping their ears to seal their ear canals.

"Hahaha~"

A strange laugh came from Cui Erwa's mouth.

He hurled a wooden crate behind him with tremendous force.

Xu Zhenshan rushed forward and shattered it with a single palm strike.

Click!

The wooden crate exploded, revealing it to be full of human skin masks.

These human skin masks depicted a variety of faces, from the playful faces of young children to the shy faces of newlywed brides, but most were twisted and venomous. They fluttered in the air like butterflies and even stuck to the faces of some disciples on their own.

The disciples immediately collapsed to the ground in pain, and their movements became strange.

"It's the Soul-Sealing Mask..."

Xu Zhenshan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Ancient books from Maoshan have recorded this evil technique, which requires taking the face of the deceased just before they die, wrapping it with willow wood plaster from the grave, and then using it to easily control people.

What frustrated him even more was that the City God Temple was occupied, and the secular gods also suppressed them.

He was filled with rage, but he couldn't unleash it.

Call ~
Just then, a sudden gust of wind arose out of nowhere.

But the thick fog around them began to thin, and the darkness that had enveloped the City God Temple gradually dissipated.

"Young Master Li's end is successful!"

Sensing the reduced pressure around him, Xu Zhenshan was overjoyed. He leaped into the air, simultaneously forming hand seals and chanting an incantation, "Yang essence thunder, essence of fire..."

As the incantation was chanted, lightning crackled on the magic sword in his right hand.

Cui Erwa, on the other hand, was shaken by the loss of control at the City God Temple.

Clang!
As the sword flashed, Cui Erwa's mask shattered, revealing half of his face covered in burn scars.

His chapped lips moved twice, producing a hoarse, sawing sound:
"Their faces are all ugly."

Xu Zhenshan's sword momentum did not diminish, and the magic sword pierced directly through his throat in an instant.

After killing Cui Erwa, he immediately rushed into the City God Temple.

"Send a message to all observation posts: take inventory of the troops that are still mobile!"

"Notify the Commandery to come with me to the docks to provide support!"

…………

The once bustling scene of thousands of ships at the Yangzhou city wharf has vanished.

The thick, inky black fog seemed to be alive, surging in from within the city and obscuring the riverbank for miles around.

Seemingly carrying moisture from the river, the fog was far thicker than in the city, so thick that one could not see their hand in front of their face.

Only on the distant river surface, the raging fire dyed the thick fog red, mixed with the sounds of metal clashing, screams of agony, and the cracking of boat planks.

Several cargo ships tilted and capsized, and the government troops' warships were engulfed in flames one after another.

Li Yan's guess was correct; it was indeed the Japanese pirates attacking the city.

The only thing they guessed wrong was the target of these Japanese pirates.

They did not intend to enter the city, but rather to sabotage the navy's warships.

Taking advantage of the thick fog, numerous Japanese pirates and ronin emerged from underwater crevices like ghosts.

They were agile, leaping between masts and ship sides using grappling hooks. They were covered with black cloths, revealing only pairs of menacing eyes and the cold, sharp swords and short-handled axes in their hands.

Among the companions were many experts, whose movements were subtly imbued with a powerful aura.

These experts have a clear objective: to target the ship's vital points.

Some cut off the mainmast, others smashed kerosene bottles at the gunpowder barrels piled up in the superstructure, and some even used strange agility to evade the guards and directly sneak into the watertight compartments to drill through the bottom of the ship.

The imperial navy was not a rabble, but completely losing sight of the enemy and suddenly attacked from both inside and outside, they were thrown into chaos. They fought individually in the thick fog, often being ambushed before their blades even touched them.

Broken planks, burning debris, and corpses floated on the water, turning the river red.

"twitter--!"

With a loud eagle's cry, Lü San jumped off the city wall.

Meanwhile, Wang Daoxuan and the City God Temple had both succeeded. The thick fog was dissipating at a visible speed, and from a distance, it looked as if an eagle was tearing through the fog.

As the thick fog dissipated, Lü San was able to see the dock.

Their large ship was also under fierce attack.

But the attackers were not only Japanese pirates, but also many desperate men speaking with local Jiangnan accents, armed with harpoons, water-split darts, and even poisoned spears, and their fighting style was ruthless and cunning.

It turned out to be local water bandits who were familiar with the waterways and skilled in swimming!

Lu San's heart sank.

An internal traitor colludes with an external bandit!
This operation is probably more complicated than they thought…

(End of this chapter)