Knife splashing

Chapter 801 Back and Forth, the Situation Reversed
clap clap clap!
Li Yan swiftly tapped his fingers on his arm and chest, sealing the crucial acupoints. He then formed another hand seal and chanted, "Qing Jia! Heaven saves humanity, strictly controlling the Northern Feng. The Divine Lord receives the mandate, sweeping away all misfortune, the Eight Powers spew poison, fierce horses spread in all directions..."

This is the Northern Emperor's Curse-Removing Technique, with even stronger power to break curses.

Even so, the dense red skull-like spots continued to spread across his right arm like living things, the chilling curse power constantly eroding his meridians and soul.

"What a powerful spell!"

Wang Daoxuan's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.

Ignoring his internal injuries, he struggled to get up and help.

In terms of understanding the art of curses, he was a genius, and he was also well aware of how terrifying this curse was, especially since it was cast by an earth immortal, which meant it was a matter of life and death.

However, Li Yan raised his hand and said, "It's alright, don't move!"

Before he could finish speaking, the skull-shaped red spots stopped spreading.

Wang Daoxuan and Lü San finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What they didn't know was that even if he couldn't completely block the spell, Li Yan's Great Luo Dharma Body could still heal his injuries and wouldn't be in any danger to his life.

Of course, Li Yan wouldn't say much more.

He looked at the dark river in the distance and said in a deep voice, "That earth immortal on the other side must have borrowed the aura from my summoning slip to cast a spell from a distance."

"Look at the location, it's the ruins of Wangxiangtai, three miles downstream."

"Looking-Homeward Terrace?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Daoxuan's pupils constricted: "That was the ancient battlefield at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, where the soldiers and civilians of Jinling fought against the Jinzhang Wolf Kingdom and died for their country. The resentment and evil spirits have accumulated for thousands of years. I told you that the evil spirits there are extremely strong."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "They miscalculated one thing. Although the warrant was lost, I received the 'Living Underworld Messenger's Heart Seal' during my trip to Mount Tai, which allows me to summon underworld troops without a warrant."

"But it's not foolproof. The opponent is a Jianmu demon. If he possesses the 'Earth Official's Pardon Certificate,' our troops will scatter in an instant. So we only have one chance."

"How many experts do they actually have?"

Lü San immediately chimed in: "I heard it clearly from the Cocoon Clothes Sect's lair. Among those who came to help were two Earth Immortals, Hundred Bone Old Ghost and Corpse Clothes Granny. In addition, there was the old demon 'Forest Old Man' who killed Tian Qianhu and the leader of the Ghost Opera Troupe."

"The Ghost Opera Troupe, along with the 'Netherworld Stage,' and Granny Corpse Cloak controlling three hundred walking corpses, have gone to intercept and kill the navy. As for that old thief, Old Man Lin..."

"He is currently hiding in the forest, using the Five Poisons Yin Fire to refine my Demon Gourd, unaware that I have already hidden a 'Breaking Qi Thunder Pearl' inside the gourd's membrane!"

"Once the demon gourd is opened, the other party will be in trouble."

He was not completely unconscious, so he heard a lot of information.

Just as Li Yan was about to speak, he suddenly heard a faint, mournful opera tune coming from afar.

"What a beautiful day, what a pity!"

The opera-style singing seemed to be sung by countless people, tearing through the rain curtain, and a hundred-foot-high gray fog suddenly rose from the distant river surface, with the faint shadows of pavilions and towers visible in the fog.

boom!
The sound of cannons immediately rang out, but they missed the target by piercing through the illusory image.

Clearly, they have fallen into a predicament of being trapped in a ghostly stage.

All three could sense that the malevolent energy near Wangxiangtai was constantly rising into the air and converging towards the gray mist on the river surface.

The Netherworld Stage itself is not powerful enough, but its strength lies in its ability to serve as the central hub of an array, drawing upon the energy of malevolent forces.

"No wonder they chose this place!"

Li Yan's eyes flashed with cold light. "The arrow is on the string and must be released! I'll find a way to kill that Hundred Bones True Man first, and you all adapt to the situation."

He then used the Northern Emperor's Divine Speed ​​Technique to leap across the water and disappear into the air.

Even though he was no longer affected by the curse, he deliberately staggered.

Clutching the red mark on his right arm, feigning pain, he roared angrily:
"You old scoundrel! Using a magic token as a medium to cast this sinister curse, what kind of skill is that! If you're so capable, return my magic weapon! How dare you call yourself an earth immortal!"

Deep within the ruins of Wangxiangtai, the Hundred Bone Taoist sat in the center of the altar.

Hearing Li Yan's harsh words and sensing his "disheveled" approach, a sinister smile crept across his sunken face.
"The successor of the Northern Emperor? A living underworld messenger? How laughable, just an ignorant child!"

Three miles is but a blink of an eye for the Swift Travel Technique.

As soon as Li Yan landed on the riverbank, the ground exploded with a series of loud bangs.

On a rainy night, mud splattered everywhere, and seventy-two rotting corpses emerged from the ground.

These things are exactly the same as the walking corpses that attacked the Commandery back then, with their joints connected by Leiyin silkworm silk, forming the "Earthly Fiend Entangling Dragon Formation".

They quickly surrounded Li Yan, reeking of the stench of corpses.

"Little tricks!"

Li Yan roared angrily, pretending to be unsteady on his feet due to the pressure of the curse.

With a swift and skillful maneuver, he parried and blocked the attack from the left and right, managing to break through the formation.

Red spots on his right arm suddenly spread to his shoulder, and black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The Hundred Bone Daoist saw this clearly from the altar, and his sneer grew even louder:
"At your last gasp, I'll send you to your death!"

After saying that, he bit his index finger and used his blood to draw on the bone staff.

The power of the curse amplified through the void, and Li Yan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer.

Daoist Baigu chuckled and continued casting his spell.

He didn't care about the curses at all. As he got closer, the power of the curses increased. He was confident that he could kill Li Yan before he got close.

At the same time, Lü San, who was arriving by boat from behind, also sensed the opportunity and suddenly whistled.

boom!
In the forest where the old man in the forest was, a toxic fire, a mixture of red and blue, shot into the sky, burning a huge hole in the rain curtain.

A frantic, agonizing scream echoed across the land: "Ah—!"

This guy was really unlucky. He discovered that Lü San's demon gourd was the very thing that had helped him achieve enlightenment, so he was extremely cautious and didn't dare to break it by force. Instead, he used poisonous fire to slowly erode it.

The flames spewed from the demon gourd ignited him from head to toe.

Even a mortal immortal still walks in this mortal world with a body of flesh and blood, let alone this old fellow who was reborn by possessing a forest demon.

The yin energy emanating from the plants was instantly ignited.

"ah-!"

The old man in the forest was in extreme pain, and appeared as if he were a human torch bursting out of the woods.

"idiot!"

Upon seeing this, Daoist Baigu's face was filled with disgust and murderous intent.

When this old monster was young, he was burdened by his so-called brothers, so he became a loner. Even after joining Jianmu, he hated his incompetent teammates.

He even harbored murderous intent towards Lady Leiyin.

Moreover, this half-baked immortal, Lin Zhongweng.

Afterwards, it will surely be turned into a puppet...

All those thoughts flashed by in an instant.

But in the instant that Bai Gu Dao Ren was distracted, a sharp glint flashed in Li Yan's eyes.

Lightning crackled beneath his feet, his speed suddenly increasing as he chanted incantations: "Heaven has its rules, earth has its order, the underworld binds souls, the living must evade!"

"Hahaha~"

Seeing this, Daoist Baigu chuckled and sneered, "I was prepared for this move. The summons has already been taken away by the Ghost Class. What are you going to rely on now..."

Before he could finish speaking, he tapped his bone staff and quickly retreated.

A fierce wind was blowing along the riverbank, and darkness was spreading rapidly.

"How can it be……"

Master Baigu was shocked, his face filled with disbelief.

He hadn't expected that Li Yan could summon the underworld troops without using a warrant; the plan had gone wrong from the very beginning.

However, the old demon was not alarmed.

He turned around and instantly transformed into black smoke, which shot up with a whoosh.

Their speed was no less than that of the underworld's troops.

Joining the Jianmu organization is a relatively recent phenomenon, occurring only in the last few decades. Having been hiding for hundreds of years since the Southern Song Dynasty, how could they not have had means of protection?

The technique of escape is so exquisite that it is enough to evade the pursuit of the underworld's soldiers.

boom!
Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked out from the darkness of the riverbank.

It could be vaguely seen that it was a human figure, tall in stature, with two lightning and fire ribbons fluttering on its shoulders, as if a divine soldier from the Thunder Department had descended.

It was Li Yan using the Thor Transformation technique. Lightning flashed, and the speed increased even further.

Almost instantly, they stopped Master Baigu.

zizi~
The Dust-Severing Blade surged with lightning and fire, directly dispersing the black mist.

"court death!"

An angry shout rang out, and Master Baigu appeared and landed.

Lei Gang, possessing the power to ward off evil, merely shattered his clothes.

Li Yan didn't care when he saw it; his only goal was to stop him and focus all his attention on what was in his hand.

Sure enough, Daoist Baigu reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of leather scroll paper.

It is the Earth Official's Precious Edict of Pardon!

Those bastards in the sky, just how many of these things have they released?!

Li Yan was furious, but he didn't slow down. He quickened his pace and approached, suddenly drawing his flintlock musket.

He had a plan in mind to deal with this situation.

No matter how powerful the Earth Official's Pardon Edict is, I can use a single strand of yellow silk to shatter it before the Yin soldiers retreat, rendering it ineffective.

"roll!"

The Hundred Bone Daoist was also taken aback. He suddenly flung out his bone staff, which spontaneously combusted in the air without wind, carrying billowing green ghost fire as it pierced towards Li Yan.

The timing was perfect.

If Li Yan didn't dodge, his head would explode.

At the same time, the Imperial Edict of Pardon from the Earth Official had already risen into the air.

A strong wind blew, and the sound of chanting sutras rose up.

The black mist surrounding the underworld's troops hinted at a possible collapse.

boom!
Just then, a loud roar came from the darkness.

Before the Earth Official's Pardon Proclamation could even unleash its power, it shattered instantly.

However, Wang Daoxuan and Lü San had already disembarked from the other side.

Lu San put down the smoking mace in his hand and let out a cold laugh.

"No!"

The Taoist Master Baigu looked terrified and quickly retreated.

However, it was already too late.

In the blink of an eye, he was enveloped by the darkness surging from the riverbank, followed by the sounds of chains, armor, and angry roars of resentment.

On the other side, the old man in the forest, lying on the ground with his body charred black, was also emitting billowing black smoke that seeped into the ground.

But when this guy saw that things were not going well, he tried to abandon his damaged body and escape.

But this is like being naked and exposed to the ice and snow.

With almost no effort, accompanied by the sound of chains in the night sky, his ghostly spirit, which had transformed into black smoke, stiffened and took on a human form, struggling to be enveloped by darkness.

There are still many thugs from the Cocoon Clothes Cult on this riverbank.

They were initially eager to try, but upon seeing this terrifying scene, and with both high-ranking immortals already killed, they were so frightened that their legs went weak and they scattered and fled.

Wang Daoxuan fired two shots, killing them both, and then ignored them.

He knew there were more important things to do right now.

As for Lü San, he rushed into the woods where Lin Zhongweng had been, and when he saw the broken top of the demon gourd, he was immediately filled with heartache.

That was a tactic that would destroy everything.

The spiritual energy was damaged, and all the poisonous bees that had been brewing within were burned to death.

The good thing is that the demon gourd's spiritual power has not yet dissipated.

If you can find a way to gently nurture it and repair the gourd, it may be able to recover.

Without a second thought, Lü San carefully put away the demon gourd and hurriedly ran out of the woods to Li Yan's side. "Brother Yan, what's the next step?"

Li Yan looked towards the distant river, where the sound of artillery fire continued unabated.

"You and the Taoist priest stay here."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Find a way to break the formation here. Without the support of Yin Sha Qi, the Netherworld Stage is no longer a threat. Leave the rest to me!"

"it is good!"

Without wasting any words, Lü San immediately followed Wang Daoxuan to find the array's core.

Li Yan then ran quickly, leaped into the water with a splash, and used the Northern Emperor's Profound Water Escape technique to disappear as swiftly as an arrow released from a bow...

……

The waters of the Qinhuai River churned like ink.

On a small boat, a thick gray fog surged and spread from the "Netherworld Stage," enveloping the entire river surface.

Beside the stage of the underworld, there was a small boat. On the deck, a group of men in black were sitting or standing, holding instruments such as erhu, flute, and sanxian, swaying their heads and playing with great concentration.

These are the band members of the Ghost Opera Troupe.

Their martial arts skills may be average, but they are all proficient in music and are all sorcerers who can activate magical artifacts. It was a difficult task for the leader of the ghost opera troupe to gather them together.

The band itself is a formation; once the music starts, it can not only be like a demonic sound, inducing hallucinations, but also enhance the power of the Netherworld Stage.

The sounds of the Ghost Music Ensemble, with its string and wind instruments, pierced through the water vapor. The tunes were mournful and distorted, reminiscent of the dreamlike scene in "The Peony Pavilion," yet every word was sung with a heart-wrenching pain.

Du Liniang's tenderness transformed into a deadly howl, echoing layer upon layer in the mist.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

On the deck of another ship, the leader of the ghost opera troupe stood in the center of the stage, wearing a colorful opera robe and with brightly colored face paint, but only half of the face was painted as a female role, while the other half was a skeleton.

His flowing sleeves danced, seemingly lost in his own singing; with each flick of his wrist, a thicker cloud of gray mist billowed up as he muttered incantations.

This is how he activated the "Netherworld Stage" using his Earthly Immortal realm.

The grand formation is complete; the illusion will naturally arise!
On the decks of the naval warships in the center of the thick fog, the ordinary sailors were the first to be hit and could not withstand this terrifying formation at all.

The mist seeped into his seven orifices, and the scene before his eyes changed abruptly.

They saw their deceased loved ones, dripping wet, climbing onto the gangway; their former comrades transformed into blue-faced, fanged monsters that pounced and tore at them; the deck beneath their feet turned into a writhing swamp of flesh and blood…

Fear breeds madness; some scream as they point their muskets at their "Phantom" colleagues, while others frantically leap into the churning black water, only to be instantly swallowed by the undercurrent.

Without anyone to control it, the warships circled aimlessly in the fog.

The local Xuanmen cultivators from Jinling who were on board were also sweating profusely, their talismans flying wildly but with little effect.

"An earth immortal, it's an earth immortal!"

Someone's voice trembled as they couldn't help but speak.

To be honest, when Zhou Yinyao personally took the risk and shamelessly invited Li Yan, this living underworld messenger, to oversee things, they didn't take it seriously.

But only now do I realize the power of an Earth Immortal.

Without constraints, there is only hierarchical suppression.

A disciple of the Qingwei Sect offered up a golden protective talisman, but the golden light was eroded by layers of gray mist, like a candle flickering in the wind; a disciple of the Tianxin Zhengfa Sect stepped on the steps of Yu, drawing upon the power of the Big Dipper, but the starlight could not penetrate the veil of resentment and ghostly music.

An old Taoist priest gritted his teeth and threw his lightning-attracting wooden sword. The sword whistled into the fog, but it vanished without a trace, only eliciting a sharp, piercing laugh from within the thick mist:

"You with such insignificant cultivation dare to disturb my family's execution ground?"

boom!
The warship's main cannons roared in vain once again, stirring up towering waves.

The power of the new artillery goes without saying.

But no matter what it hits, it will all turn into thick fog and dissipate.

"what?!"

Just then, the ghost opera troupe leader, who was performing, suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at the dark river, and his heart began to pound inexplicably.

This means that the supernatural power sensed a crisis.

He hadn't felt this way in many years...

(End of this chapter)