Chapter 262 The night is dark and the demonic fog is thick
"Good guy!"
Commandery Commandant Office The old man quickly squatted down, measured it with his hands on the ground, then looked at the broken branches around him, and said in a trembling voice, "This Mountain Lord is too big, at least two meters high!"
Everyone took a breath of cold air.
True Martial Palace's Yang Chengzi looked a little bitter, "This Tiger Demon is probably born with a different species. There are at least three to four hundred people in the village, all of whom turned into Chang Gui..."
"Fellow Daoist Li, we can't deal with this thing!"
Li Yan looked at the messy footprints going deep into the dense forest, and nodded with a solemn expression. "Find the altar in the village, destroy it and leave."
After saying that, he immediately led everyone back and went straight to the village ancestral hall.
Unlike other places, this old ancestral hall is a masonry and civil engineering building. It has also been burned down. The beams have collapsed, leaving only messy charred wood and burning smoke.
For everyone, it is naturally not a problem.
Commandery Commandant Office's men wielded their iron hooks and tore apart the charred wooden beams one by one, revealing a secret door on the ground.
The secret door was made of wood and was also burnt black.
Li Yan kicked it to pieces, held the spell and smelled it, murderous intent suddenly appeared in his eyes, and walked in directly.
Everyone looked at each other and followed closely behind.
As soon as we entered the secret passage, the smell of putrefaction hit us.
This tunnel looks very old at first glance. The surrounding earth walls are even covered with mold and moss, and there are some earth holes on both sides, neatly arranged and connected to each other.
Centurion Zheng looked at it and said solemnly, "It's the ancient Tibetan Soldier Cave. This place should have been Military Fortress before."
Moving forward along the underground cave, another circular cave soon appeared, and the strong smell of blood assaulted your nostrils.
When everyone lit torches and took a look, their expressions changed.
I saw a statue of a god standing in the center of the cave. He was dressed in a handsome robe and a crown that reached the sky. He had raised eyebrows, deep features, a long beard hanging down his chest, and he looked like he was of foreign origin.
Li Yan has seen this statue, it is Heavenly Saint Duke.
In front of it, stands an altar.
On top of the altar, there were more than a dozen human heads placed one after another, and next to them lay an old man with disheveled hair, his eyes wide open and his face full of horror.
What's strange is that his chest and abdomen were neatly cut open, and there seemed to be an explosion of power, causing his internal organs to spew out and scatter on the ground.
Wang Dao Xuan glanced at the altar, Attendant there was a small black statue of a god on it, with no head, but full of baby heads.
It should be that Leng Zheng God.
Next to the statue, there are small green paper clothes, paper armor, paper horses, and paper Guan Sword. If you put it on the statue, it will look exactly like Headless Knight!
"This is the paper maker's method!"
Wang Dao Xuan shook his head and said, "I traveled around the world and learned this craft from an old man. The master was average, but he was also Xuan Gate People. He can charge Yin Soul for the paper-pierced people he made."
"I heard from him that the powerful paper-tying technique can be called a large-scale illusion. It can turn into immortals and Buddhas, and palaces and temples. It's like a dream, and it's lifelike."
"It seems that this person is the one causing trouble."
Li Yan looked at the neat cracks in the opponent's chest and abdomen, with fear in his eyes. He turned around and asked, "Have any of my fellow Daoists seen this kind of technique?"
"It's Straw Man Curse."
Bamboo Mountain Sect's disciples' eyes were full of disbelief, "Using a straw man to cast a spell will either hurt the soul, make people sick, or at most be a poison."
"This curse can disembowel one's stomach. I have never heard of it."
Li Yan pondered for a while, "It seems that the tiger Demon Arts has done what he did, so let's not provoke him until True Martial Palace's master comes."
The strength of this Tiger Demon is more powerful than he imagined, and with so many bodies missing, there are probably Chang Gui legions.
Relying on the power of numbers is useless.
To avoid accidents, it is better to leave first.
Anyway, the arrangements of Purple Canopy Mountain Cave and "Headless Knight" have been destroyed by them. It is estimated that Heavenly Saint Sect's conspiracy will not succeed.
The others were not fools either. Seeing this terrifying spell, even the disciples of the True Martial Palace and Bamboo Mountain Sect agreed to evacuate.
Without saying a word, they destroyed the idol in the cave, lit another fire, and then left Three Mountain Hollow Village.
Along the way, everyone was extremely vigilant. Lu San released falcons, which were always hovering in the sky to monitor all directions.
Maybe it was because of the daytime, but I didn't encounter any obstacles until I left the mountain forest and successfully returned to Official Road.
As soon as they left, mist began to rise in the mountains and forests.
It became thicker and thicker, covering the entire mountain.
In the thick fog, figures emerged one after another.
They were all dressed up as mountain folk, in rags and covered with blood.
These were clearly no longer living people, scattered in twos and threes throughout the mountains and forests, with hunched backs, drooped heads, and disheveled hair, more like Lonely Souls and Wild Ghosts in the fog.
"Roar!"
A dull roar came.
A pair of blood-colored eyes appeared in the thick fog, as big as a lantern.
Then, a huge tiger slowly crawled out from the thick fog, with colorful fur, a hanging forehead and white eyes, blood red eyes, exuding cold murderous intent.
What's even weirder is that there is a talisman hanging from an iron chain around his neck, shaped like a wat, made of topaz and covered with golden threads, like a naturally formed Gold Inlaid Jade.
Not only that, the gold wire also vaguely forms Cloud and Thunder Pattern.
The blood in its eyes flashed, and it seemed to be able to pass through the dense fog and forest, and see Li Yan and others on Official Road below, gradually moving away.
Next to it, there was another figure, stumbling forward, but it was a middle-aged Daoist priest. His crotch was full of the smell of urine. He knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing. He said in a trembling voice, "My lord, please forgive me!"
It wasn't until Li Yan and others disappeared completely that Tiger Demon slowly turned his head and said human words in his mouth, "The traitor, after all, can't wait any longer?"
The Daoist was so frightened that he trembled all over and kowtowed repeatedly. "Tongtian San Niang, no, that witch was originally Master Heavenly Saint Duke. She only wanted to take over the body of the Earth Immortal by worshiping the king as her teacher."
"The witch has opened the secret cave and is preparing for rituals these days to ask her master Huang LiuShi to return the sun!"
"As long as the king spares my life, I am willing to lead the way..."
"Roar!"
Before he finished speaking, the giant tiger became furious and bit off his head with a sharp mouth.
Snap, the headless corpse fell to the ground spurting blood.
Tiger Demon's ferocious fangs bit the skull with a crunching sound. His eyes were full of fierceness and he growled, "That's me cave abode, do you want you to lead the way?"
As he spoke, he looked into the distance, his eyes full of hatred.
"One Living Underworld Messenger, God help me!"
"That's just the way it is."
Li Yan and others return to the city and will give a brief account of their journey.
Magistrate Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt uneasy in his heart. He raised his hands and begged, "You have solved the case of 'Headless Knight'. Dangyang County is deeply grateful."
"But those evil spirits are still there..."
Sha LiFei on the side heard this and shook his head directly. "Your Majesty, the county magistrate, and Non-Self are not trying their best, but their abilities are really limited."
"We can't afford to offend those old demons. True Martial Palace has sent experts here, and we can leave the rest to them."
Li Yan also nodded in agreement without refuting.
Originally, he thought that with Purple Canopy Mountain's soldiers and horses, coupled with his own dark soldiers, he could kill all kinds of monsters and monsters.
But this Dangyang County is probably hiding the earthly immortal, Tiger Demon who is ignorant of the Daoism, and the Liu Gang.
The other party was Living Underworld Messenger from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and he also practiced <North Emperor Scripture>. He must have a deeper understanding of Yin soldiers than he did.
Maybe there is some way to avoid it.
The risk is simply too great.
If they can do this, they have already overfulfilled the City God Temple task, leaving the rest to the True Martial Palace.
"This..."
Magistrate Zhang still refused to give up and begged, "Can you please stay a few more days until True Martial Palace's reinforcements arrive?"
Li Yan thought for a moment, nodded and said, "That's fine."
Magistrate Zhang was overjoyed immediately and quickly ordered a banquet to entertain everyone, and also invited Guan Peide to accompany him.
After running around for days and staying up all night last night, everyone was exhausted physically and mentally. After eating and drinking, they returned to the Guan Family Courtyard to rest.
As for Centurion Zheng, he continues to be busy with Commandery Commandant Office.
Interrogating prisoners, arresting Heavenly Saint Sect spies in the city, and writing letters to report to Yichang... their errands are far from over.
Before you know it, it's sunset.
Li Yan When several people woke up, the sky was already dark.
I asked the servants in the small courtyard to prepare some dinner. They chatted while eating and discussed the next step accordingly.
"What a coward."
Sha LiFei took a sip of wine and cursed, "I have never heard of so many strange things before. Why are there more and more monsters and ghosts along the way?"
Wang Dao Xuan shook his head and sighed, "Human Path Change is like this, the fate of the world is changing, the forces of all parties are fighting, and the murderous intent is skyrocketing."
"Even Orthodox Xuan Gate can't be alone. He can only participate in it. The demons hidden in various places will take advantage of the situation and seek opportunities for themselves."
"Many of the current troubles are hidden dangers left by the previous administration. As long as they can be overcome smoothly, Divine Land can be stable for decades."
Sha LiFei heard this and shook his head and said, "Anyway, just let the taller person handle this kind of thing. It's important for us to save our lives."
Seeing that the atmosphere was dull, he rolled his eyes and changed the topic, "Yan XiaoGe, when are we going to Western Zhou Ancient Mine?"
Li Yan smiled and said, "We will leave immediately when True Martial Palace's people come to take over. Wuchang Prefecture is far away from the war and should be much more stable."
"Yeah."
Sha LiFei also said happily, "People from Commandery Commandant Office often follow me, but I don't dare to use it even if I have Divine Firearm. This time I went to find a good craftsman to cover it up, so I won't be afraid of being recognized in the future."
Li Yan nodded, "Let's transfer to Xiangyang first. There are many Ancient Battlefield there and there are many tombs. I need to practice some training."
After Wang Dao Xuan heard this, his eyes lit up, "Yan XiaoGe is about to break through?"
"Hmm."
Li Yan was in a good mood and nodded. "Although it is dangerous to travel around the world, I have gained a lot of insights. When the summer is over, I can build a building on Mount Wudang."
"It's almost as good as a poor Daoist."
Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and smiled and said, "When we build the building together, we can still practice on Mount Wudang for a period of time. The three-story Daoism and many spells can also be used."
Lu San said in a dull voice, "Me too."
"Okay, okay!"
Sha LiFei suddenly beamed with joy, "Your moral conduct has improved, what do these monsters have to fear?"
As he said that, his face changed again, and he cursed, "True Martial Palace guys are a bit stingy. We are going through life and death, but the reward is not much, and I don't know if the money will be enough."
"Don't worry."
Li Yan shook his head and smiled, "Have you not noticed that although those Spiritual Material magic weapons are rare, their prices are obviously inflated?"
"This is also Orthodox Xuan Gate's method. Then we will find a way to let them pay with Spiritual Material, so that they will not be exploited."
"This is also why we have a good relationship with the True Martial Palace..."
After some small talk, everyone returned to their respective rooms.
They had just slept during the day and they were not sleepy.
Sha LiFei lit the candle, looked at <Thunderbolt Fire Scripture> under the candlelight, wrote and drew, and giggled from time to time...
As for Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan, they practice meditation deeply.
Only Lu San stayed in the room, sometimes feeding Demon Gourd, sometimes watching the little fox chasing Rat One Rat Two, with a smile on his face.
His practice method is somewhat special, requiring him to go to the mountains and forests with the help of various spiritual beasts to comprehend the wonders of heaven and earth.
The Village Guardian who preached at the beginning was crazy most of the time, but he would be sober sometimes.
According to his instructions, Lu San helped Cao Gang, earned some money, and went to Zhongnan Mountain to build the first floor of the building.
Unfortunately, his skills were incomplete, so his cultivation speed was slow. Only after controlling Rat Immortal City Patrol that night did he gain enlightenment and his Daoism improved slightly.
After a while, it was already dark.
Lu San yawned and lay down on the bed. The little fox immediately ran into his arms and nestled.
As for Rat One Rat Two, he was afraid of the little fox, so he climbed on the table and ate the pastries bought by Lu San.
The only shortcoming of these two little guys is that they are greedy. They were not happy to follow Lu San at first, but after eating all kinds of snacks at the foot of the mountain for a few days, they were already happy and reluctant to leave...
The streets of the old city were also dark and silent.
"Dang! Dang-dang! Prevent fire and theft, be careful of candles."
A hunchbacked watchman beats gongs and drums and walks through the street.
Phew~
Behind it, Yin Wind suddenly blew up.
A cloud of black smoke quickly traveled along the corner of the wall.
If the hunchbacked person notices something, he turns his head to check.
At this moment, black smoke suddenly fell on him.
The watchman froze, and then black lines appeared on the whites of his eyes, and his eyes became cold.
He looked around, came to a dark corner, picked up the topaz gold medal from the ground, hung it around his neck, and then headed towards the Guan family's residence.
Its speed was so fast that there was no sound under its feet.
When he was approaching the house, he suddenly made two secret gestures and said in a muffled voice, "Nogao, the great-grandson Wang Jia, Six Jia Azure Dragon..."
It is Northern Emperor Mountain Climbing Art!
Phew~
The token on his chest trembled slightly, and mist rose around him, making his figure blurry and looming.
His mountain climbing skills can be called escape method.
The figure of the watchman flickered, shuttled through the mist, arrived in front of the small courtyard, and turned over lightly.
In the mist, his eyes flashed red.
First, he looked at the rooms of Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei, shook his head slightly, and then looked at the room of Lu San, with a trace of satisfaction in his eyes.
Quietly, he came to the house.
Wow!
Suddenly, he let go of his spell and broke through the door directly.
Lu San and the little fox were suddenly awakened.
Buzz buzz!
Demon Gourd trembled, and poisonous bees roared out.
However, despite the poisonous bees covering his body, the watchman didn't care. He grabbed Lu San regardless of everything, and then opened his mouth suddenly.
Phew!
Black smoke roared out and entered Lu San's mouth.
Click!
Li Yan also broke out of the door. With a clang, he pulled out Severing Dust Blade, used both of his feet to jump into Lu San's room.
The room was as cold as ice.
Rat One Rat Two was shivering. The little fox grinned and scurried around anxiously. The ground was full of poisonous bees, but it couldn't fly at all.
"Lu San" turned his back to Li Yan, hung the topaz talisman around his neck slowly, turned around slowly, and the blood in his pupils flickered.
"You are Living Underworld Messenger, did you bring the ultimatum?"