Dense Forest Clash with the Evil Beggars

Dense Forest Clash with the Evil Beggars

Screams and barking erupted, instantly throwing everything into chaos.

The beggars' lantern also fell to the ground, igniting some dry grass. Firelight scattered through the thick smoke, driving the wild dogs even crazier.

The remaining beggars immediately scattered.

"They found us! Watch out for Hidden Darts!"

"Call in the willow strips—make him an immortal!"

"Don't startle that Pure Wind!"

They dodged the wild dogs while trading code words.

Jianghu Vernacular was a curious thing. Although every region and gang had its own peculiarities, the entire martial world shared a set of common expressions. After hearing them often enough, one could distinguish their meanings.

Translated plainly, they meant, "We've been discovered; watch out for hidden weapons," "Release the snakes and kill him," and "Don't alert that ghost."

Those words might have fooled outsiders, but Li Yan naturally understood them.

Beggars were experts at handling snakes in the first place. Since they had a secret method for driving the wild dogs, it was only natural for them to unleash snakes for a sneak attack as well.

But "Don't alert that ghost" made Li Yan's heart sink.

That was most likely the beggars' next move.

Inviting a troublesome thing down from the spirit world could lead to unpredictable consequences.

With that thought, he stopped hiding his whereabouts. He leaped from the hillside and charged down the mountain.

Woof! Woof woof!

The already-agitated pack of wild dogs spotted him at once.

These creatures had long since unleashed their viciousness. Some chased after the beggars, but even more bared their sharp fangs and lunged toward him.

That was not all. The few beggars also removed the Cloth Bags from their bodies, undid the clasps, and hurled them forward. More than a dozen black snakes shot out, swiftly slithering across the ground toward Li Yan.

Clang!

Li Yan's expression did not change as the Guanshan Knife sprang from its sheath.

With a single thought of preserving his spirit, the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Sword Tassel immediately swayed from side to side.

Having crossed the threshold into the Profound Gate and successfully preserved his spirit within his sea of consciousness, he had yet to build the Tower. The deity he had visualized was still only a blurry ball of light, but this ritual artifact could already be used.

Guided by his spiritual sense, the fierce Baleful Intent on the sword tassel immediately spread outward.

The entire blade seemed to turn into ice, radiating a sinister chill.

According to Wang Dao Xuan, only when the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin was combined with the plaque bestowed by the imperial court did it form a small suppressive configuration—secretive, vicious, and capable of circulating on its own.

When the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin was taken out by itself, it formed a "force."

Although this "force" was Yin Energy, it was fierce and ferocious, making it especially suited for suppressing evil.

The wild dogs were merely flesh-and-blood animals, but they had eaten dead flesh for years and could not avoid becoming tainted with Yin Energy. Their senses were exceptionally sharp.

"Whimper..."

The instant Li Yan drew his blade, the wild dogs' fur stood on end. As though they had encountered their natural nemesis, they turned and fled in all directions.

The black venomous snakes fled as well.

These creatures were even more sinister. They directly turned back the way they had come. Some crawled back into the Cloth Bags, while others suddenly erupted and attacked the beggars.

Clearly, the venomous snakes had also lost control.

The few beggars were greatly alarmed. Although caught off guard, they were ultimately experts at handling snakes. Listening to the movement of the air, they formed claws with their right hands and snatched the snakes' vulnerable spots in midair, stuffing them haphazardly into their bags.

But in that brief moment, Li Yan had already closed in.

Splurt!

Before one beggar could react, his neck was slashed. Blood sprayed as he fell to the ground, clutching his throat and making a "kh-kh" sound. Soon, he stopped moving.

An old beggar beside him clearly had far more experience in combat. As he leaped backward, the Dog Beating Stick in his hand came howling down.

This move was called Strike the Dog's Head.

When a beggar encountered a vicious dog, he would leap backward the instant it pounced to create distance, then bring his staff down vertically to strike its vital point.

When used against people, however, it did not necessarily target the head alone.

The staff was a long weapon. As long as it struck the enemy's wrist, it could shatter the bones and make him drop his weapon. Then, with a step forward, it could be thrust diagonally into the throat.

If the opponent dodged, the attacker could use the opportunity to open up some distance.

The old beggar had planned it well, but Li Yan was clearly faster. At the same time as he killed the other beggar, he rolled sideways and dodged the descending staff.

The old beggar withdrew the staff with the momentum, twisted his body, and prepared a sweeping strike.

However, as Li Yan rolled to his feet, he had already scooped up a handful of broken stones and mud. He flicked his wrist and hurled them.

The old beggar was hit full in the face.

His heart jolted. Just as he tried to retreat, he felt a chill at his neck. His vision spun wildly as Li Yan severed his head.

This was a life-and-death struggle. The quick blade in Li Yan's hand showed no mercy.

"The target's tough! Run for it!"

Seeing how vicious Li Yan was, the remaining beggars turned and fled.

The Beggars' Gangs throughout the world had always been packed with people, a mixed bag of all kinds.

Although these men were trained fighters from beggar dens, they were only capable of bullying ordinary people. When they encountered others from the martial world, they relied on their numerical advantage, using dogs and snakes to catch their opponents off guard.

But against a ruthless man like Li Yan, even their methods of driving dogs and playing with snakes had been broken. All they could do was flee in disarray.

Li Yan gave a cold snort and followed close behind.

He was now in a dangerous predicament, and he could not afford to act blindly.

He had to find out why these beggars had caused trouble.

The few beggars ahead scattered in every direction. Although they had already lost their lantern, they knew the terrain well and plunged toward the densest stands of trees.

With the aid of his Olfactory Mystical Power, Li Yan could smell everyone's location, but these fellows were slippery as eels. Some even crawled directly into openings in the tombs and vanished without a trace.

There were hidden passages beneath the Mass Burial Grounds!

Li Yan realized that things were bad. While running, he bent down with the momentum, picked up a stone, and flung it with a flick of his wrist.

"Ow!"

A stone struck one beggar in the back of the head. His foot slipped, and he smashed headfirst into a tree. His skull buzzed, and his vision went black.

Clang!

Just as he tried to get up, he felt a chill at his neck. The Guanshan Knife was already pressed against it.

"Who sent you? Why did you attack us?"

Li Yan did not waste words and asked coldly.

Unexpectedly, with the blade at his neck, the beggar showed not the slightest trace of fear. He chuckled, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth, pursed his lips, and began to whistle.

"You want to die!"

Li Yan's brows shot up. He flicked his wrist and directly slit the man's throat.

Whistling in the middle of the night was a major taboo.

Especially in this Mass Burial Grounds, where Yin Energy gathered.

Wang Dao Xuan had once explained the principle to him.

In the age of the ancient ancestors, before writing had been invented, people still recorded events by tying knots. When they went hunting, they relied on various hand signs and whistles.

These were the origins of hand seals and witchcraft incantations.

Other things with similar origins included the colors white and red.

White symbolized bitter cold, while red symbolized blood.

These things were deeply engraved in the soul and bloodline, passed down from generation to generation. Even today, many arts were still connected to them.

For example, when certain lineages and folk Witch Doctors used arts for summoning souls and subduing ghosts, they still used whistles as accompaniment.

That beggar had clearly intended to drag him into the mire.

However, it was already too late.

The instant the beggar's throat was slit, a Yin Wind suddenly rose around them. Cold, damp mist churned, and the sound of shouting and killing seemed to drift over.

At the same time, Li Yan smelled a cold, bloody odor.

It was somewhat weaker than the Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier from before, and it lacked the stench carried by wild beasts, but it was brimming with killing intent, like rusty blades and weapons.

A Soldier Soul!

Li Yan's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly retreated while sheathing his blade.

Wang Dao Xuan had told him about this Yin entity.

There had never been a shortage of wars across this Divine Land.

From the wars between ancient tribes and the struggles between Shang and Zhou, to every change of dynasty, countless people had died in battle. When Yin Energy gathered, compounded by the burden of slaughter and the failure of the heavenly souls to disperse, Soldier Souls would appear.

In some places, they even gathered in great numbers and became passing Yin Soldiers.

These things wandered the land and were also the source from which soldiers and horses were recruited.

The characteristic of a Soldier Soul was that it could not stand the aura of blades and weapons. Once it sensed one, entangled by the memories of its former life, it would pounce like a wild dog.

A passing host of Yin Soldiers had once appeared outside a town. The cries of battle had continued every day. Some fraudulent charlatan had spouted a foolish idea, telling the common people to wave cleavers and strike their blades together, hoping to frighten the Yin Soldiers away.

The result went without saying. Not a single person in the entire town survived.

Although Li Yan had the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin, he had fought Rampaging Soldiers before and knew that this thing could not be judged by ordinary reasoning.

If he could avoid it, he should. There was no need to extinguish another Life Flame.

Whoosh~

The Yin Wind grew deeper and heavier. The cold, bloody air rose from among the grave mounds, drifting and swirling until it actually burrowed into the beggar's corpse.

Crack!

Accompanied by the unnatural twisting of bones, the beggar's corpse rose stiffly to its feet.

Li Yan held his breath and gathered his energy as he slowly retreated.

He had originally intended to put as much distance as possible between himself and the thing, but unexpectedly, the corpse staggered toward him, the cold blood aura around its body growing denser and denser.

Li Yan stopped at once. Fierce light flickered in his eyes as he gripped the hilt of his blade.

It seemed this thing could not be shaken off.

But the Soldier Soul had made a mistake as well. Its longing for a physical body had caused it to possess a corpse.

The physical body was a vessel, but it was also a cage.

If he simply destroyed the corpse, the entity would leave directly and continue searching for its next body. But he had the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin. As long as he seized the right opportunity, he could kill it.

"Wait!"

Just as he was preparing to strike, a noise suddenly came from behind him...