I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

To be precise, it was the dynasty before that.

Who let Xiao Zhao usurp the throne again? The Xiao Qi regime lasted too short a time. The former crown prince of Liu Song was still in hiding to restore the country and had only accumulated strength for a period of time when he rebelled.

For Liu Jian, this was a good thing.

The Xiao family, a royal clan, was embroiled in internal strife, causing turmoil in the court. His seizing this opportunity to launch a rebellion would give the court a headache for some time.

The Liu Song dynasty had always been determined to launch a northern expedition. Although it failed and lost its throne, it still maintained some power on the border, which was the foundation for Liu Jian's restoration of the country.

At this time, Hanzhong Commandery is in chaos. The commandery governor, Chen Nan, is Liu Jian's man, and the garrison commander, He Qian, has been killed by Lin Yi. In a short period of time, the army is leaderless.

Chen Nan temporarily stabilized the military camp, but at this time, the Hanzhong army had little fighting power. In addition, the prefects were all traitors, so Liu Jian took Hanzhong Prefecture with ease.

However, after taking Hanzhong Commandery, he will have to turn this hidden move into an open one.

After years of lying low, this was bound to happen eventually.

Liu Jian sat down and, noticing Chen Nan's somewhat uneasy expression, couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Chen, what's the situation in Hanzhong now? Has something changed?"

Chen Nan nodded solemnly and said, "I originally thought that after He Qian's death, I could stabilize the military camp for the time being, and you could bring your troops to open the city gates and seize the camp, so that the turmoil could be quelled as quickly as possible."

But who could have predicted that the monk would actually summon two reinforcements, one of whom was a powerful demon with considerable magical abilities.

Even one first-grade cultivator is difficult to deal with, let alone three. If they intervene in the battle, it will likely cause a lot of trouble.

As the prefect, Chen Nan naturally knew where the line between cultivators and the imperial court lay.

If a cultivator kills an official, he will naturally suffer a backlash from the court's fortune and be punished by heaven.

But this kind of divine retribution is not a sudden bolt of lightning from God that kills a person, but rather a misfortune that befalls them.

For example, you might trip over a stone while walking and then fall onto a knife.

Or perhaps you step outside and run into your mortal enemy, who chops you up with a single blow.

In short, the consequence of being plagued by misfortune is that there are countless ways to die, making it impossible to guard against them; this is the legendary retribution.

However, this kind of retribution is also limited.

The stronger one's luck, the stronger the divine punishment the other party will receive; and the stronger one's cultivation, the stronger one's ability to resist divine punishment.

Another aspect is the scope.

A place in the world, protecting its people.

The divine retribution of the Southern Dynasty could only take effect on the land of the Southern Dynasty.

If someone kills an official of the Southern Dynasty and then flees to the Northern Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty's fortune will backfire and it will be unable to pursue him to the Northern Dynasty.

Just like the Bone Demon who killed Lu Ningchuan, she was just as fearless. The Bone Demon's body was merely a puppet; her true form was still in the Northern Dynasty, so naturally she wasn't afraid of any backlash.

However, she underestimated the effect of the backlash of luck. She took only a few steps outside and ran into the Thousand Illusion Ghost Princess. Part of her true spirit was destroyed, which was also a considerable injury to her.

There aren't many cases like hers; it's rare for someone to kill someone in the heart of the country and then escape unscathed, but the border is a different story.

As long as I run fast enough, misfortune can't catch me.

Therefore, although being an official on the border is protected by good fortune, it is not so secure.

Of course, Chen Nan didn't need the protection of the imperial court's fortune; no one knew that he was actually a first-rank Confucian scholar...

Confucian cultivators are the most difficult to discern in terms of their cultivation level. In Buddhism and Taoism, those with profound cultivation can always be distinguished by their demeanor. However, Confucianists are known for their refined and elegant demeanor, and even those with little cultivation can still exude the air of a first-rank cultivator, making them particularly difficult to identify.

By disguising himself, Chen Nan served as the governor of Hanzhong County for more than ten years without anyone noticing anything unusual about him.

He had seen the demon at the inn before, but pretended not to notice.

After hearing what Chen Nan said, Liu Jian also felt that it was quite a difficult problem.

If there were only one monk, he wouldn't have anything to fear, but with two more, things might get difficult.

Chen Nan had already told him the whole story in the secret letter. There was a chivalrous matter involved, and a three-day agreement was made with the demonic monk. During this time, the chivalrous man killed He Qian, which was a great help to them, but it also brought more trouble.

Originally, Liu Jian and Chen Nan were planning to start a rebellion. However, because Xiao Zhao sent a group of imperial concubines and princesses to the auction, Chen Nan received the news and decided to use this opportunity to start a rebellion.

However, Chen Nan also knew in his heart that those who would respond to him would definitely be ambitious people, not people loyal to the court.

If he takes the lead, it will only lead to endless wars across the land. But if he does nothing, the tyrannical Emperor Liang will leave the people in dire straits.

After weighing the pros and cons, and at Liu Jian's insistence, he finally agreed to start the uprising. But then Lin Yi appeared out of nowhere, completely disrupting his plans.

They were now in a limbo, neither here nor there. In the end, Liu Jian made the decision: no more waiting, let's charge!

If we miss this opportunity, we don't know how long we'll have to wait.

Now that Xiao Zhao holds imperial power, he can fully take his time to reclaim the country. If he doesn't act now, he may never have another chance.

Moreover, Liu Jian had been secretly developing his power in Baishui County for many years and had some understanding of the situation in Northern Wei. The new emperor of Northern Wei was incompetent and powerful ministers were gaining too much influence. Within ten years, Northern Wei would surely fall into chaos.

If he could subdue the former territory of the Southern Dynasty and then take advantage of the situation to launch a northward campaign, he might be able to achieve the goal of conquering the Xiongnu and fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the Liu family.

"Uncle Chen, there may only be one way out now."

Liu Jian pondered for a moment and said, "That evil monk wants to seize the benefits, so he will definitely seek refuge with the imperial court. If we start an uprising, he will definitely try to stop us, and it is inevitable that we will become enemies."

"In that case, why don't we join forces with that young hero? We can then slay that wicked monk as a sacrifice to his banner!"

These words immediately woke Chen Nan up; he hadn't even considered this path.

Although the enemy outnumbers us, Chen Nan controls a prefecture and is the governor of Hanzhong. With the troops brought by Liu Jian, the outcome may be evenly matched.

Chen Nan's eyes hardened, and he said, "Since Your Highness is so ambitious, this old minister will risk his life to fight for this sliver of fortune for Your Highness!"

Upon hearing Chen Nan's statement, Liu Jian immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude: "I will never forget your great kindness, Lord Chen."

Having said that, they naturally had to take action.

Chen Nan went ahead to scout out the situation at the inn, while Liu Jian returned to his camp to muster his troops and make final preparations. He was waiting for Chen Nan's signal to storm into the city and seize control of Hanzhong.

Xiao Yue had also gathered three hundred able-bodied men and ambushed them under the walls of Hanzhong City.

To be honest, these three hundred people really seemed like a rabble; they didn't even have armor, and not a single one of them was armed.

But Xiao Yue was inexplicably confident. Since Lin Yi had said that this was a test, she was sure she could complete it!

Unbeknownst to her, Lin Yi was currently being surrounded by three opponents!

It was supposed to be a three-person team supporting one person, but in reality, only two people were actually putting in the work.

The White Dragon Protector kept striking the wooden fish, making it impossible for Lin Yi to escape from this space, while also seemingly expanding the space itself.

At first, there were only corpses strewn across the ground, the victims of knife wounds. Now, there are more: bodies roasting over fire, bodies hanging up, bodies dismembered…

These things all seemed to be illusions, but with each additional tragic scene, Lin Yi felt that this space had gained an inexplicable ominous aura.

These two monks were truly wicked. They both had a compassionate appearance and carried either a wooden fish or a staff, yet their methods were extremely vicious and bizarre.

It is said that Lin Yi and Moonlight Buddha had fought for hundreds of rounds. Lin Yi secretly held back, while Moonlight Buddha, worried that Lin Yi would fight like a cornered beast, also prioritized self-preservation and only used half of his strength.

Neither side seemed to be in a hurry. Lin Yi thought that the duration of this trapping formation must be limited. Even if it was a long-term space-sealing, for him, taking a steady and methodical approach was the most appropriate way to deal with it at present.

The situation is dangerous; self-preservation is the priority.

He has always maintained his fighting strength, so even if the opponent suddenly attacks, he is sure he has a way to protect himself.

The Moonlit Buddha thought the same thing.

First, they would wear down Lin Yi's stamina. The three of them could take turns attacking, with one attacking and the other two providing support. Whenever Lin Yi showed any sign of wanting to launch an attack, they could provide assistance at any time.

Moreover, the secret technique that the White Dragon Protector is currently using is more powerful the longer time passes.

This secret technique is called the Eighteen Levels of Hell. It is a Buddhist secret technique that truly communicates with the power of the eighteen levels of hell, using the power of hell to secretly erode a person's body and soul.

Without a certain level of Buddhist or Taoist cultivation, being corrupted by this power is a dead end.

He and the Moonlight Buddha are certainly not afraid, and the Underworld King also has his methods and is not afraid of hell.

Therefore, dragging the battlefield to the pseudo-eighteenth level of hell will give them a huge advantage.

As time goes by, Lin Yi's chances of survival only become slimmer.

Finally, the final illusion of the eighteen levels of hell was also depicted, and the ominous aura instantly multiplied many times over.

How can mortal cultivators withstand the might of hell?

The sound of the wooden fish drum rang out as the White Dragon Protector finally ceased. He looked at Lin Yi and chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha, benefactor, have you decided which of the eighteen levels of hell you wish to go to?"

Lin Yi scoffed, "Hell? Would it dare to take me?"

That tone was incredibly arrogant. The White Dragon Protector's face darkened, and with a flick of his sleeve, a white snake emerged from it, quickly growing into a giant python about ten zhang long.

The White Dragon Guardian leaped up and took control of the snake's head.

"Senior brother, you rest for now, let me handle him!"

The White Dragon Guardian stood on the giant snake's head; unless one looked closely, one could not find his trace. The Moonlight Buddha did not persist and quickly retreated to rest and observe the battle.

This series of attacks, in turn, was exactly what he had envisioned.

If Lin Yi were so capable, would he kill one of them first?

Little did they know, Lin Yi's eyes lit up when he saw the white snake appear.

[Guardian White Dragon: The companion spirit serpent of the White Dragon Guardian, possessing immense strength, impervious to blades and spears, and the ability to control water and ice. Killing it grants four thousand years of cultivation.]

This White Dragon Protector is quite something; even his companion spirit snake has four thousand years of cultivation, so his own cultivation must be even higher.

Since the snake's cultivation level surpassed that of Bai Lianxian, it naturally possessed extraordinary abilities.

Snakes have no merits or demerits, good or evil, because they are merely spiritual creatures whose special ability is to change size at will.

When small, it can be as thin as a hair; when large, it can blot out the sky.

A snake with four thousand years of cultivation was just right for Lin Yi.

If he kills this snake, he will be on the verge of a breakthrough again.

Achieving a tribulation every two days—such a cultivation speed would terrify even ghosts.

The White Dragon Protector saw Lin Yi as his prey, unaware that Lin Yi was also lusting after the snake.

The white snake did not attack Lin Yi rashly, but tentatively stretched its neck forward.

Although it had grown larger, its speed had not slowed down. This slight movement stirred up a gust of wind that blew onto Lin Yi's face.

Lin Yi stood motionless in place.

His eyes have dynamic vision; you could say that a snake moves very fast, but it still appears to him in slow motion.