Deadly Battle

This... that damn thing could summon lackeys too!

The sudden turn caught Li Yan completely off guard.

Plans could not keep up with changes. Though he had no idea how this Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier had done it, the situation had undoubtedly shifted from a one-on-one fight to a gang beating.

Looks like I provoked it too much just now...

Li Yan had no time for regret. He rose and drew his saber.

Clang!

He held the saber in his right hand, its tip slanting upward. He crouched in a half-empty stance, while his left hand gripped the scabbard in reverse before his waist as he slowly backed away.

This was called the Blade Pressing Stance.

He could attack when advancing and defend when retreating. With the blade tip angled upward, he could immediately stab at any charging beast, while the scabbard could also be used as a blunt weapon for striking or defense.

He retreated to the incense burner before the Land God Temple, stopped, swiftly crouched down, picked up the offered sword tassel, and tucked it into his chest.

The wolf pack was terrifying, but the greater threat was the Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier.

This Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Sword Tassel was the key to victory.

Of course, he could not use it rashly yet.

Without the slightest pause, the wolf pack launched its attack at once.

Roar—!

Three wolves directly ahead suddenly sprang forward.

They bared their vicious fangs. Two came in low from the ground, fierce and menacing, targeting Li Yan's lower abdomen as though they meant to rip him open.

The remaining one leaped high, opening its jaws to bite at Li Yan's throat.

This was an exceptionally vicious coordinated assault of the wolf pack.

Even if an ordinary prey animal avoided the vital point of the neck, it would still be knocked down, and the other two wolves could then tear open its belly.

But Li Yan had long been prepared.

His half-empty stance stepped forward. Before his right foot even touched the ground, Blade Light had already flashed.

It created the illusion that the blade was faster than the man himself.

This was the secret of the Guanzhong Quick Saber.

When ordinary people wielded a saber, their feet had to be planted firmly on the earth. Power rose from the ground, gathered through the waist and arms, and whether they chopped or swept, their strikes carried the force of a thousand pounds.

But the Guanzhong Quick Saber was delivered before the foot had landed.

Powerful arm and wrist strength, coupled with a fine sharp blade, was enough to compensate for the lack of full force.

No matter how ferocious a saber strike was, what use was it if your throat had already been cut?

The Guanzhong Blade Wielders had built their enormous reputation on this peerless skill.

Those proficient in this saber art could move so quickly that others had no chance to react.

The charging wolf was no exception.

While it was still in midair, the blade had entered through its throat and plunged straight into its skull.

Its momentum did not diminish, and combined with the sharpness of the Guanshan Knife, half its head was sliced clean off, blood spraying everywhere.

At the same time, the two vicious wolves on the ground had also attacked.

Li Yan retreated with the momentum, hooked upward with the scabbard in his reversed left-hand grip, and drove it into the throat of the wolf on his left, making it howl in agony. His right hand wielded the saber, his arm flicking as he swept downward.

Pfft!

The wolf attacking from the right had one foreleg cut off and immediately lost its balance.

Li Yan then planted his forward half-step and unleashed a Horse Blocking Leg Sweep, sending the crippled wolf flying seven or eight meters away. It rolled several times across the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

With one leg severed and its soft waist struck by the kick, it whimpered and struggled, coughing blood before gradually falling still.

Only then did Li Yan spin his saber in a flourish and drive it downward.

The wolf on the left had the scabbard lodged in its throat and was snapping madly. This blow entered straight through the back of its neck, pinning it to the ground and leaving it motionless.

Pfft!

Wolf blood sprayed out, splattering Li Yan's face.

His expression did not change. His chilling gaze remained fixed ahead.

Wolf packs had their tactics. They did not swarm all at once, but sought out weaknesses and attacked in waves.

Even when they failed, they would find ways to injure their prey.

No matter how large the beast, under those tide-like waves of attacks, both its body and mind would quickly collapse.

The benefit was that it kept losses to a minimum.

After all, being injured in the wilderness often meant death.

The wolves' tactics had not changed, but they clearly had not expected Li Yan's saber technique to be so sharp that he would slaughter three wolves within the space of a few breaths.

Their follow-up attack had been disrupted.

Sensing the killing intent surging from Li Yan, the remaining wolves whined and circled about. Though they did not leave, they also did not dare rush forward recklessly.

But all of Li Yan's attention was on the alpha wolf.

He could smell that familiar rank stench on it.

Compared to last night, it was clearly much weaker.

Widow Wang had been right.

After suffering injuries several times in succession, this Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier had reached its weakest state, even after devouring the wandering ghosts and stray spirits within ten li.

The vicious wolf it possessed merely prowled beyond the range of the Land God Temple's incense offerings, with no intention of entering.

It seemed it wanted the wolf pack to drag him out.

Li Yan's face was stern as he stood in place with his saber ready.

He wanted to eliminate this scourge, while it coveted his soul and Physical Body.

At this moment, it came down to who would lose patience first.

Roar!

Perhaps afraid that the time of the rooster's crow was approaching and yang energy would rise again, the vicious wolf possessed by the Rampaging Soldier suddenly let out a roar.

The stench around it erupted, and several wolves immediately pissed themselves in fright.

Under its coercion, they all charged toward the Land God Temple.

"Kill!"

Li Yan bellowed, his back against the Land God Temple. The Guan Shan Saber chopped left and swept right, and he followed with a Heaven Facing Kick that sent a charging wolf flying.

Cold light burst forth, and two wolves were immediately slain.

But his weakness from lack of experience revealed itself at once.

With so many wolves attacking simultaneously, he simply could not handle them all. After one round of attacks, his moves had become spent, leaving an opening that immediately put him at a disadvantage.

Even his saber-wielding right hand was clamped tightly in a wolf's jaws.

The rest opened their fangs and tore at him.

Even when Li Yan kicked them away, they would wheel around and attack again.

Awooo!

Another wolf howl sounded from afar.

It was the vicious wolf possessed by the Rampaging Soldier. Afraid that the pack would damage Li Yan's Physical Body, it snarled out an order.

Sure enough, the wolves stopped striking viciously. Instead, they bit down on his limbs and dragged him outward.

Li Yan was wracked with pain, and a vicious fury surged within him.

He knew this was the critical moment.

Even if he could break free, he would be exhausted by the wolves' siege. At that point, even if he used the Substitute Divine Statue to recover and killed the remaining few, he would still be doomed when facing the Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier.

His only chance now was to kill the Rampaging Soldier.

With that thought, Li Yan endured the agonizing pain and clutched the Guanshan Knife without letting go, allowing the wolves to drag him toward the Rampaging Soldier's wolf.

Dust billowed, leaving a horrifying trail of blood behind him.

Before long, he was dragged to the side of the Official Road.

This place was already beyond the range covered by the Land God Temple's incense offerings.

The vicious wolf possessed by the Rampaging Soldier could no longer restrain itself. It pounced directly at him, its forepaws pressing against Li Yan's chest as it bared its hideous fangs and growled low.

Li Yan could clearly feel the icy sensation at the back of his heart suddenly surge and spread outward.

The chill was so astonishing that it seemed poised to invade his five viscera and six bowels. His skin began to go numb, and even his consciousness grew hazy.

The Substitute Divine Statue also began taking effect at this moment.

Li Yan's judgment had been correct. The curse acted upon the spirit, but if this Rampaging Soldier wanted to possess him and seize his soul, it would inevitably alter his Physical Body.

If it fully took possession of him, he would likely become as Widow Wang had described, with black water beginning to seep from his five viscera and six bowels.

The Substitute Divine Statue's restoration brought Li Yan back to clarity.

At that moment, he hesitated no longer. He pulled the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Sword Tassel from his chest, pressed it against the Guanshan Knife, and thrust upward with all his might!

The Rampaging Soldier was in the midst of performing its possession technique and had no time to dodge.

With a pfft, wolf blood mixed with black water and dripped down.

Roar—!

A strange howl came from within the wolf.

It sounded somewhat like a beast and somewhat like a human, as though two voices overlapped and echoed endlessly around them.

The remaining vicious wolves seemed to have broken free of control as well. Their bodies trembled, shit and piss streaming from them as they bolted madly into the grass and Disappeared.

But Li Yan had no attention to spare for them.

The moment the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin joined with the blade hilt, an ice-cold chill spread along the blade and pierced through the wolf above him.

What it pierced was not merely the Physical Body.

Li Yan could distinctly smell the cold, bloody scent emitted by the union of the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin and the blade. It pierced into the rank stench of the Rampaging Soldier.

The Yang Six Roots corresponded to the six senses, which were six kinds of divine abilities.

The divine ability he had awakened was his sense of smell. It was clearly not as direct as Yin Yang Eyes, but through scent, he could feel the changes in both sides' strength most deeply.

The "Victorious in a Hundred Battles" plaque and the incense offerings of the Land God Temple should have been similar kinds of power. They gave off a warm feeling and possessed yang attributes.

When they collided with the Rampaging Soldier's power, they canceled each other out.

But the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin possessed yin power, even more frigid and sinister than the Rampaging Soldier's, like ice sinking into water.

Not only did it not weaken, it was even absorbing the Rampaging Soldier's power.

Roar—!

The strange howls grew weaker and weaker.

Finally, after the Rampaging Soldier's rank stench had completely Disappeared, the wolf above him also stopped moving, leaving only the scent of the wolf corpse itself.

Thud!

Li Yan pushed with the momentum, and the wolf corpse rolled off to the side.

He gasped for breath and continued using the Substitute Divine Statue.

The wounds all over his body vanished within a few breaths.

If not for his torn clothes and bloodstains, no one would have been able to tell that he had just endured a brutal battle.

The Substitute Divine Statue could replace every adverse condition of the Physical Body, including the soreness caused by muscle exertion.

Thus, to a certain extent, it could restore stamina as well.

But although his body recovered, it could not erase the fatigue that followed extreme mental strain. Li Yan lay there for a while before slowly getting up.

Then his expression stiffened.

Within his Dantian, the accumulated injuries on the Substitute Divine Statue had finally reached their limit. Dense cracks appeared across it, as though it might collapse at any moment.

Whew~

A ghostly flame on the statue's left shoulder suddenly went out.

As though rebooting, the statue instantly recovered without a single scar.

So... I lost a life?

Li Yan felt annoyed and could not help spitting fiercely.

But he also knew that without the Substitute Divine Statue, he would never have survived this calamity.

What Widow Wang worshipped was the legendary Chuma Xian. Though its condition was somewhat unusual, it did not even dare show its head, which made the Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier's terror all too clear.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed. The Guanshan Knife in his hand was growing ever colder, as if he were gripping an icicle.

The cold pierced into his bones, and even his skin began to numb.

Li Yan hurriedly threw down the sword tassel in his hand.

On the yellow earth, the once-exquisite tassel knot, including the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin, had been soaked through with wolf blood and emitted a bloody stench.

After absorbing some of the Rampaging Soldier's power, this treasure had actually become stronger!

That was no good thing.

It meant that using this treasure in the future would only become more difficult.

He would have to find a way to solve this.

Or rather, find a master and learn the art, stepping into that mysterious world!

With that in mind, Li Yan cleaned up the traces on the ground, carefully placed the demon-suppressing sword tassel into a red cloth bag, and vanished into the night.

Before long, he arrived outside Widow Wang's door.

Before he even drew close, his expression changed.

The rank, urinous smell mixed with incense had already Disappeared.

Sure enough, after pushing open the gate and entering the small courtyard, he found it completely empty.

The offering table, Spirit Tablet, red cords, incense burner...

All traces of Widow Wang and the Chuma Xian having ever existed there had been cleaned away. It looked no different from an ordinary residence.

Li Yan's heart stirred as he looked around.

Sure enough, the Mystic Gate Array formed by those jars had also been casually scattered, with all kinds of filth and dirty water flowing across the ground.

At this point, Li Yan was completely certain.

Widow Wang and the others were hiding from something...