Knife splashing

Chapter 792 A Demonic Wind Rises Outside Jinling City

On the dark river, three boats, one large and two small, were sailing through the night.

The large boat was a sentry boat from Jiujiang, and the small boat was a fast boat for flat land. Regardless of the type, they had all undergone special modifications, with the weak and critical parts covered with sheet metal, and talismans for warding off evil hanging on the bow.

However, all the ships were badly damaged and barely managed to stay afloat.

"Be alert, we're almost there!"

A Taoist priest stood on the deck, sword in hand, and shouted.

He had clearly been through many fierce battles; his Taoist robe was tattered and stained with blood, and he had even lost an eye, which was haphazardly bandaged with a white cloth, making his face look ferocious.

But the others on board were even more dejected, their eyes filled with despair.

After boosting morale with his one-eyed man, he turned to look at the cabin.

Inside, there is the Dali Bronze Bell, which was transported from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. This is a national treasure, and even though we are both from the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, we still had to do it for them.

The personnel escorting them have also been killed in battle, and they will have to come to apologize in person.

If even this can't save Jinling, then all his years of cultivation have been wasted.

But whether it would succeed, the Taoist priest had no confidence whatsoever; he could only hope that reinforcements would arrive sooner…

"Look, they're here again!"

A terrified scream rang out from the small boat on the side.

The one-eyed Taoist priest quickly turned his head, only to see that the river behind him had been shrouded in thick black fog. The fog seemed to be alive, surging and spreading, and soon obscured the moonlight.

Then, a bone-chilling cold suddenly descended.

The boatmen's breath turned into mist, and the mooring ropes quickly became covered with frost.

The ship's planks crackled and popped due to the low temperature, and the constantly accumulating frost caused it to slow down more and more.

On the deck, the few remaining warhorses reared up in fear, neighing loudly.

The surviving garrison soldiers, weapons in hand, looked around in terror. They could not see the enemy, yet they inexplicably felt suffocated, and their skin ached as if pierced by ice needles.

But to the cultivators, it was a different story.

Some activated their hearing abilities and heard the howls of the rampaging soldiers, which sounded like those of wild beasts.

Some people have activated their olfactory abilities and can smell the stench of animals mixed with the stench of corpses.

The one-eyed Taoist priest then formed a hand seal and used his supernatural eye powers.

He awakened the most common Yin-Yang Eyes, which allow him to see evil spirits. This is the most practical supernatural power, and with this ability, he has made a name for himself in the Jiangnan Xuanmen (Taoist sect).

But after his supernatural powers were activated, a quick glance at the scene turned his face deathly pale.

"It's over..."

Within the black mist, dozens of decaying ghost ships appeared, their hulls covered in moss and barnacles, their canvases tattered like shrouds.

The area was covered with rampaging soldiers, some rotting, others with human bodies and the heads of wild beasts, covered in rusted armor, their bodies translucent like floating corpses in water.

Their eyes burned with eerie green flames, and they roared at them incessantly.

The one-eyed Taoist was filled with despair.

After a series of bloody battles, and even with many people risking their lives to unleash powerful secret techniques, a considerable number have been eliminated.

Unexpectedly, as they approached Jinling City, they were met with the strongest wave of attacks.

Call ~
Before he could think any further, a strong wind suddenly rose up on the river.

Under the horrified gaze of the one-eyed Taoist, the Yin Sha black mist surged and spread rapidly across the entire river surface like a carpet, and the rampaging soldiers swarmed in, riding on the black mist.

But what others saw was a howling wind, a layer of frost quickly forming on the river surface, and a series of wet, dense footprints appearing out of thin air on the frost.

They were surrounded almost instantly.

Wherever they went, some soldiers suddenly developed purplish-black handprints on their necks, exhaled cold air, and fell to the ground with pale faces.

The surrounding cultivators used either secret techniques or talismans to resist.

However, their numbers were insufficient to even protect themselves.

The one-eyed Taoist gritted his teeth, pushed off with his feet, and sprinted toward the cabin.

The only chance now is to ring the bronze bell of the Dali era.

However, such national treasures cannot be activated by one person alone; they require numerous masters of the mystical arts to set up an altar.

He tried his best, and could barely manage to ring it.

But the price is the destruction of one's soul, never to be reborn.

The one-eyed Taoist priest was already prepared to die, but he wanted to fight for the lives of the remaining people.

boom!
Just then, a booming sound came from the opposite mountain.

With a flash of fire, the river surface exploded with a deafening roar, sending waves soaring several meters high.

The epicenter of the explosion was that patch of black fog.

Although the swarming soldiers were invisible evil spirits, those rotten and dilapidated ghost ships were real. They were made by carving various talismans into sunken ships that were tainted with yin energy and burying human bones and other such things.

This object serves as a makeshift altar for the rampant soldiers.

With the help of this magical artifact, one can sink into the river during the day and continue attacking at night.

The violent explosion capsized and shattered seven or eight ghost ships.

The once neat and orderly formation immediately showed flaws.

Call ~
The howling wind on the river also stopped.

There is a chance...

The one-eyed Taoist was taken aback and quickly looked towards the opposite mountain.

With the night dark and the wind high, and the river shrouded in mist, even with his supernatural powers activated, he could only see some blurry figures.

Even so, he felt a surge of excitement.

The reinforcements have finally arrived!

……

On the mountaintop, Wu Ba left a long trail at his feet.

He shook himself, and with a clatter, the tiger crouching cannon magazine, as thick as a bowl, fell out. He stuffed another one in, took a few steps forward, and aimed at the river below.

The men from the nearby commandant's office nearly popped their eyes out.

The new type of artillery was driven by one person carrying it.

Even a scaled-down version of the Tiger Crouching Cannon is truly exaggerated.

Is this thing even human?

The other members of the Twelve Zodiacs, however, paid no attention to them.

Wang Daoxuan had already set up the altar, with the Five Directions Luofeng Banners arranged around it.

As he brandished his magic sword, spewed forth Xun water, and ignited the talisman, the Five Directions Luo Feng Banners instantly soared into the air, followed by a fierce wind and five streams of black mist howling out.

These were the five battalions of soldiers from the underworld.

These Five Directions Luofeng Banners have many advantages. By consuming five Gang Tokens, five battalions of soldiers can be stationed permanently within the banners, saving the trouble of capturing, taming, and conducting daily drills. They can also be carried at all times to summon soldiers at any time.

However, the power of summoning troops is linked to the user's cultivation level.

It's fair to say they've yet to fully realize Baoqi's potential.

Even so, it is sufficient to deal with the current situation.

But then a fierce wind howled on the river, and the black mist formed by the five battalions of soldiers arrived around the bell-protecting fleet almost in the blink of an eye.

Unlike the wild beast smell and stench of the rampaging soldiers, the five battalions of soldiers were pure Yin energy, which directly dispersed the rampaging soldiers and protected them in the surrounding area.

Two plumes of black mist surged and churned, colliding with each other on the river.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers on the ship immediately perked up.

"Young Master Li, shall we make our move?"

At the mountaintop, the commander of the Thousand-Household Army who had come to provide assistance clasped his hands in greeting and inquired.

He wasn't stupid. Everyone in the Commandery had seen how Lord Qiu from the capital treated Li Yan, so naturally they didn't dare to act arrogantly.

"Not urgent."

Li Yan said calmly, "Those below are just rabid soldiers. You can't do anything going down there. Wait for the people hiding behind to show themselves."

The captain, Commander Si, hesitated for a moment, "Things don't seem too good down there..."

Although he was not a sorcerer, his eyesight was remarkable.

The black mist formed by the Yin soldiers within the Five Directions Luofeng Banner was even more powerful, but its numbers were far fewer than those of the rampaging soldiers, and it could only barely protect the fleet.

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "It's alright, we don't need to deal with these."

boom!
No sooner had he finished speaking than Wu Ba's tiger-squatting cannon opened fire again.

On the river, more ghost ships were smashed.

boom!
With two consecutive booming sounds, the ghost ship fleet on the river was completely scattered.

The gathering of numerous ghost ships is also a kind of formation, capable of gathering yin energy to sustain the rampaging soldiers in battle for a long time.

Once the fleet dispersed, it became like water without roots. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Daoxuan unleashed the Five-Headed Divine Technique, exhaling a breath of vital energy that he had been nurturing for many years onto the Five Directions Luo Feng Banner.

Wow~
With the banners waving, the five battalions of soldiers below suddenly became even more ferocious.

The howling wind swept away the remaining soldiers.

beep~
Suddenly, a horn sounded from the opposite mountain valley.

"San'er!"

Li Yan let out a low shout and leaped off the mountaintop.

Lü San and Long Yan'er followed closely behind.

The three used their lightness technique to leap and bound across the rocks on the hillside. With their supernatural abilities, they found that the darkness was no obstacle at all and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Quickly, come with me!"

The captain, Commander Si, gave a shout and led his men down the mountain.

As for the remaining Shalifei and the others, they stayed behind to protect Wang Daoxuan.

…………

Bang bang bang~
Upon reaching the riverbank, they were still unimpeded.

Li Yan used his Divine Speed ​​Technique, and Long Yan'er and Lü San also used their own escape techniques, leaping across the river and using the rocks to quickly reach the other side.

As soon as he landed, Lü San patted the demon gourd at his waist.

hum!
A dense swarm of poisonous bees emerged, like a black fog...

…………

The valley was pitch black and gloomy.

A dozen or so figures sat around in the open space.

Their identities were diverse, including monks and Taoist priests, as well as peddlers and beggars, and they ranged in age from old to young, all with gloomy expressions.

They were heretics from Jiangnan, sent under orders.

In front of them were flags tied with red ropes, and in the middle were various black pottery jars, all of which had their mouths open.

beep--!
An old man dressed in black was blowing a horn.

Seeing the sky soldiers transform into black mist and hurtle towards them, he put down his horn and cursed, "Which bastard said we were nothing to worry about? The enemy has experts and firearms. We can't do this job!"

"What did you say?!"

A Taoist nun in black suddenly stood up and angrily shouted, "This is Her Majesty's order! If you don't get the bell, do you want to die?"

The old man in black didn't reply. Seeing the black mist falling into the jar, he quickly stepped forward, his eyes filled with heartache. As he closed the lid, he said, "How can we get it? The ghost ship is destroyed. It's such a pity that it took generations of my soldiers to build this..."

"court death!"

A fierce glint flashed in the black-clad Taoist nun's eyes, and she was about to make her move.

The old man in black chuckled coldly, revealing a blood-stained soul-summoning banner in his hand. "As for Taihu Lake, at worst I won't go back. I'll just go to Southeast Asia. Once I'm there, I'm not afraid of your empress."

This old man is a practitioner of a wicked lineage that raises ghosts and casts spells.

Despite offering a large sum of money, he showed no interest in the Leiyin faction.

Since China has tightened its control over the Xuanmen (Taoist sects), many heretical and wicked people have gone overseas to spread their influence.

There is no organization like the Divine Law Enforcement Hall in those places.

Many of them wielded considerable influence in Southeast Asia.

The old man was already tempted, but he couldn't bear to leave his homeland, so he finally made up his mind.

"No, no, we're all on the same side, let's not hurt our feelings."

A fat man who looked like a merchant quickly stood up and advised, "We have men lying in ambush outside, and they also have firearms. As long as we can hold off their troops, we can take the goods back..."

The moment he finished speaking, a strong sense of alarm arose in his heart.

He hurriedly turned his head and rolled over in a heap.

However, it was already too late.

A flash of light appeared in the darkness, swirling in the air. The fat man felt a chill on his neck as his head was severed.

The blade flashed through the air, swirling and circling – it was Li Yan's Soul-Severing Flying Knife.

"Flying sword!"

"Idiot, no!"

The group immediately erupted into chaos.

Before they could react, Li Yan had already leaped through the air and arrived.

Without uttering a word after landing, he exerted force with his feet, his body moving as fast as light and shadow, the Dust-Severing Blade crackling with electricity, and two Soul-Severing Flying Blades whistling around him.

Like a tiger among sheep, it killed two more people as it landed.

"It's Li Yanwang!"

Everyone was terrified and quickly dodged.

They thought they had set up defenses against bandits outside, but Li Yan easily broke through them. It was a pity that many of them only knew magic and had average martial arts skills. When Li Yan, this fierce god, got close, they suffered heavy casualties.

At the same time, a series of screams echoed from the surrounding dense forest.

However, Lü San and Long Yan'er attacked at the same time.

The demon gourd, poisonous bees, and sesame gu were simply unstoppable in the darkness.

"go!"

The old man in black looked pained at the black pottery jars scattered on the ground, but he didn't bother to pay them any attention and turned to run into the mountains.

Others followed suit and ran around aimlessly.

Li Yan showed no mercy and pursued them relentlessly.

At the same time, the troops from the Commandery had also arrived.

Gunfire continued to roar, and the bandits hiding in the dense forest were routed...

…………

"It's here, it's here!"

When they finally saw the blurry outline of Nanjing, everyone on the ship breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Master Li, thank you for your help!"

The one-eyed Taoist stepped forward and respectfully cupped his hands.

Li Yan returned the greeting solemnly, "You're too kind, Daoist Chiyang."

This Taoist priest was also from the Maoshan Sect, but he acted with the chivalrous spirit of a hero, completely different from the people in the city, which Li Yan greatly admired.

Soon, a huge fleet of ships appeared on the river.

It was the navy defending Nanjing.

Li Yan also breathed a sigh of relief. With the navy's support, the bronze bell was completely safe.

Finally, after paying a considerable price, the battered fleet arrived at Jinling Wharf. The ancient and heavy "Dali Bronze Bell," covered with cloud and thunder patterns, was carefully carried off the ship and transported to the Qixia Mountain Taoist Temple.

The arrival of the bronze bell signifies that the core components of the "Dragon Throwing Ceremony" are now complete.

Within Jinling City, various Xuanmen sects, under Zhou Yinyao's command, were also rushing to set up array nodes in various locations, waiting for the auspicious time to arrive.

However, Li Yan knew that the real battle had not yet begun…

…………

"Wow~Wow~"

Thirty miles west of Jinling City lies a desolate mass grave.

The night was deep, and the crows cried mournfully.

The dilapidated tombstones leaned precariously, and phosphorescent lights flickered eerily among the graves.

Two completely different yet equally sinister and terrifying auras, like drops of ink falling into water, silently descended.

A figure appeared silently on the half-collapsed mound on the east side.

This person was tall and thin, wearing a wide Taoist robe made of countless pale white bone fragments, and a Taoist crown woven from tiny skulls.

His face was withered, his eyes were sunken, and his pupils were an eerie, ghastly green. He held a white bone staff with a fist-sized skull embedded at the top.

Beside a cracked, thin-skinned coffin on the west side, a hunched figure slowly straightened up, making strange gurgling noises from time to time.

Call ~
Suddenly, a fierce wind arose in the dense forest.

An old man slowly walked out, leaning on a wooden cane. His Taoist robe was covered with moss and mold, and thin grass sprouted from his withered white hair.

It was none other than the "Old Man in the Forest," the Jinling Demon whom Li Yan was currently investigating.

This old ghost was already a notorious sorcerer from Jiangnan, but facing these two figures, he was still unusually excited and thrilled, and respectfully cupped his hands, saying:
"This junior pays respects to Master Baigu! Granny Shiyi!"

"I never expected that you two would also come out of seclusion. We will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations in this battle!"

(End of this chapter)