Blade - Unbound

No one understands hunting spirit soldiers better than me!

Li Yan wasn't qualified to say those words yet, but with the Soul-Hooking Chain, he at least had the potential to say them someday.

The Soul-Hooking Chain specialized in suppressing souls and spirits. The reason ghosts, spirits, and evil entities were so terrifying was because they were invisible and intangible. Aside from members of the mystic path, who could sense them through divine abilities and deal with them through rituals, ordinary people had no means of handling such things.

The Soul-Hooking Chain was similarly invisible. As long as something possessed a soul, whether ghost, wandering spirit, living soul, or spiritual entity, it could be captured. According to the information he had received, once his cultivation reached a certain level, he could even seize and suppress the souls of local deities.

If he had possessed the divine ability back in Wu Family Gully's ancestral hall, that ritualist would've been courting death the moment he attempted possession.

Unlike the six Yang Roots, the Soul-Hooking Chain required neither Yang nor Yin seals to activate. A single thought while preserving the spirit was enough.

Clatter... Clatter...

The sound of chains echoed in Li Yan's ears once again. Apart from him, only someone who had awakened a hearing divine ability capable of hearing the speech of ghosts and spirits could perceive it.

With his current cultivation, the Soul-Hooking Chain could extend only one foot, but that was enough. Li Yan strode to the tree and suddenly slammed his left hand onto the possessed guard's head.

With a thought, the invisible Soul-Hooking Chain immediately pierced into the man's body. The guard's living soul had already been devoured, leaving only a powerful Yin spirit that radiated a cold, rotten stench mixed with the muddy odor of river silt within the body.

It was a water ghost.

Li Yan now understood that spirit soldiers came from many sources; not all originated from ghosts. Some were born from resentful thoughts that formed within dark and decaying places deep in the mountains. They were called spirit soldiers because they were reckless, lawless, ferocious, and fierce, thus the name "Chang."

Whatever lurked inside them was equally savage.

Once bound by the Soul-Hooking Chain, it struggled like a wild beast, refusing to submit. Li Yan gritted his teeth and forcefully dragged it out. His left hand trembled as the sound of chains rattled continuously in his ears. He could clearly feel the spirit soldier changing shape over and over as it desperately attempted to escape.

Li Yan shouted, "Daoist!"

Wang Daoxuan replied, "Coming!"

He spread out the yellow talisman cloth covered in cinnabar markings. As Li Yan pressed his hand against it, Wang Daoxuan immediately wrapped the cloth around the entity layer upon layer, tied several dead knots, and stuffed it into a Wandering Soul Jar.

Though invisible, the spirit soldier could still be sensed. The talisman-wrapped bundle felt like a block of ice, leaking waves of chilling Yin energy. Still unsatisfied, Wang Daoxuan sealed the jar with a wooden stopper, pasted a Suppression Talisman on top, then wound red cords around it and tied two evil-repelling knots.

Only then was the cold completely sealed away.

Wang Daoxuan finally let out a sigh of relief. Looking at Li Yan, he couldn't hide the smile on his face. Though Li Yan hadn't said it out loud, Wang Daoxuan could guess that the technique he'd just used was likely part of the inheritance he'd recently obtained.

Looks like I evaluated him right after all...

Sha Lifei looked completely baffled. "That's it?"

From his perspective, Li Yan had simply grabbed the man's head, wrapped something in yellow cloth while trembling, and stuffed it into a jar. Wasn't a spirit soldier supposed to be formidable? Why hadn't there even been a sound?

Wang Daoxuan laughed. "Isn't it better this way? If Brother Yan weren't here, I wouldn't dare come capture spirit soldiers alone."

Then he pointed ahead. "Look."

Sha Lifei raised his head and immediately felt a chill. The guard tied to the tree was gradually losing the smile on his face. Moments later, his head slumped to one side as he stopped breathing.

Wang Daoxuan surveyed the surroundings and shook his head. "This man was killed by the spirit soldier. Yin killing qi and resentment have gathered here, and this place already possesses strong yin attributes. I'm afraid the corpse may be possessed again. Let me deal with it."

He instructed Sha Lifei to lower the body. Soon, they found an open area, piled up firewood, and lit it. Thick smoke and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Sha Lifei asked, "What about the one in the river?"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head. "Too late. Once we're back, I'll notify the City God Temple. They'll send masters to handle it."

After speaking, he walked over to the Wandering Soul Jar. Lighting three sticks of incense, he planted them beside the red cords tied around the jar.

"With this spirit soldier, finding that ruined Cold Altar will be easy."

Sure enough, the smoke rising from the incense seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. It drifted toward the forest on the right.

Wang Daoxuan led the way. "This way!"

Li Yan and Sha Lifei guarded his flanks as they disappeared into the dense woods.

Their route happened to diverge from Lu Xiaowu's group as the two parties headed toward different mountain peaks.

***

“Hoo, hoo...”

Under the moonlit forest, night owls called out.

"We have arrived, it's right here!"

After a difficult trek, Lu Xiaowu's group finally reached a mountainside shortly before midnight. There was a flat clearing at the summit. When one stood there, one could see mountain peaks rising on all three sides behind it.

The formation resembled both a dustpan and a throne. Looking down, one could see the river flowing below. Excitement filled Lu Xiaowu's eyes as he pulled out the cloth map once again and compared every detail carefully, not daring to overlook a single thing.

Under the moonlight, another line of writing could be seen beside the map: "Lord Lu, I gift you this treasure site in repayment for your past assistance. – Hou Faming"

He searched frantically through the grass until his fingers touched a rusty iron nail. "It's here!"

His voice trembled as he quickly gave the instructions, "This is the place. Quick, dig seven chi down. Also, Father must be buried upright!"

***

Crack!

Sha Lifei's long blade chopped through another branch blocking the path. Li Yan followed close behind, eyes full of vigilance.

"Daoist, it's up ahead, but there are still more inside."

The three had reached the summit. However, the place was buried beneath dense undergrowth and thorny brush, forcing them to hack a path through it. When they finally emerged from the vegetation, they saw a small temple standing atop the mountain. There was no surrounding wall, only a main hall and two side rooms.

All three structures were locked with rusted locks, and were surrounded by weeds. A rotting chopping stump stood nearby, with a woodcutter's axe rusting atop it.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head. "It seems someone once cultivated in seclusion here. Perhaps they encountered misfortune after leaving and never returned."

Li Yan asked, "What now?"

Wang Daoxuan replied solemnly, "We overturn the altar and break the ruined temple."

The three worked quickly.

Wang Daoxuan produced a ritual umbrella painted with both yin yang symbols of the Eight Trigrams. Its tassels were also covered in talismans. After spraying ritual water and establishing an altar, he stepped in the pattern of the Big Dipper, holding the umbrella in his left hand and forming seals with his right.

Drawing talismans in the air toward the umbrella, he chanted, "Clear Heavens and clear Earth, mystic qi reveal your might. Heavenly Lords protect me and evil entities shall not invade. Overturn the altar, break the ruined temple, suppress souls and capture spirits..."

When he was done, he raised his ritual seal toward the sky. Then he abruptly sidestepped before continuing his measured advance toward the temple. This time, Li Yan watched very carefully. This was the temple-breaking ritual of Wang Daoxuan's western mystic lineage.

It appeared simple but in reality, it was dangerous.

When he established the altar and raised the seal, Wang Daoxuan was drawing mysterious divine qi that carried killing intent. His timing had to be exact. If he failed to evade it correctly, the ritual would collapse, and he himself would be injured.

Now, with the ritual umbrella protecting him and the seal guiding the strange energy, Wang Daoxuan was dismantling the ruined altar ground before them.

Mysterious divine qi was unique to the Western Mystical lineage. Essentially, it was a form of divine astral qi that drew upon the power of their specific Patriarch.

At last, Wang Daoxuan arrived before the temple doors.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ritual seal struck three times, shaking loose the dust and ash. Li Yan could smell the cold, decaying aura that had enveloped the temple being shattered by the vibrations of divine power.

Then Wang Daoxuan kicked the door, snapping the rusted lock. His kick also caused the temple doors to burst open.

Whoosh!

A blast of rotten yin wind surged outward, violently rattling Wang Daoxuan’s ritual umbrella. But not a trace of fear could be seen on his face as he strode inside, recited several incantations, and slammed the ritual seal onto the altar table.

Instantly, the yin wind ceased, and Li Yan entered without hesitation.

The temple housed a statue of a double-pupiled Daoist holding a compass and carrying a sword at his waist. Time had peeled away most of the paint.

Upon the altar sat five Wandering Soul Jars. Three had already shattered, leaving two intact, though the talismans attached to them had yellowed and looked ready to crumble.

After examining the statue, Wang Daoxuan said, "This is the Baoxiang Sect of Ganzhou. This lineage specialized in two things, fengshui and controlling spirit soldiers."

He picked up a handwritten scripture from the altar after speaking. Reading the name on the cover, he continued, "Hou Faming. So he was a direct disciple. I wonder what happened to this fellow Daoist."

After a brief inspection, he and Li Yan worked together to reseal the two spirit soldiers that had not yet escaped.

"Done!"

Wang Daoxuan was in an excellent mood. "Once we return, we need only offer incense before the Patriarch Altar. After taming and training these three spirit soldiers, they'll become useful helpers."

Li Yan smiled. "Spirit soldiers are vicious creatures. You had better find a method of suppression, otherwise they won't obey."

Wang Daoxuan laughed heartily. "Haha, naturally."

The two conducted a thorough search of the temple. There were several incense-refined ritual artifacts, but the passage of time had reduced them to useless relics. The incense power attached to them had long since dissipated.

Neither man cared. Obtaining three spirit soldiers was already a substantial gain.

"Hm?" After leaving the temple, Wang Daoxuan looked toward a neighboring mountain and exclaimed, "I knew a Baoxiang Sect site wouldn't be ordinary. There's actually a superior treasure fengshui site hidden over there! It’s probably a lingering dragon vein from the Qinling Mountain Range."

He pointed ahead and explained, "That spot gathers wind and stores qi. Water converges to create momentum, and those three surrounding ridges are called the Returning Dragon Throne.

"If one's ancestors are buried there, their descendants could attain extraordinary status."

Sha Lifei's eyes widened as he asked, "Is it worth a lot?"

Wang Daoxuan laughed. "Depends on who's buying. If this were sold in Chang'an, wealthy nobles would gladly pay a hundred thousand taels of silver."

"A hundred... thousand?!" Sha Lifei nearly lost his mind and he yelled, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's claim it and sell the location!"

"Wait, not so fast." Wang Daoxuan frowned. After studying the terrain and consulting his compass, he finally sighed. "What a pity. This treasure site can no longer be used."

Sha Lifei blinked. "Why?"

Wang Daoxuan pointed and explained, "See that? Flood damage and land collapse destroyed its foundation. It still looks impressive from the outside, but burying your ancestors there would cause serious problems."

Sha Lifei couldn’t help but ask, "What problems?"

"Without a foundation, it cuts off any chance of future descendants. You might enjoy temporary wealth and prosperity, but your family line would eventually perish. It is extremely inauspicious." Wang Daoxuan sighed.

Li Yan shook his head. "Forget it, if it isn't valuable anymore, let's not waste time. We should descend the mountain and head over to Lantian County."

The three passed through the thorny forest and headed toward the mountain ridges.

***

Cold winds howled across the mountains. The landscape had become bleak and barren.

Neigh!

Three horses raced down the official road, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Strange, we haven't seen a single traveler for ages."

Wang Daoxuan explained, "Today is the Xiayuan Festival, the day when the Water Official relieves misfortune. The common folk are all at home honoring their ancestors, while temples and Daoist monasteries are conducting rituals. Who would be out wandering around?"

"Tsk, the cold's gotten to my head. Good thing you reminded me."

The riders were naturally Li Yan and his companions. After crossing the Qinling Mountain Range, Li Yan had returned briefly to the Li Clan’s Fort. Then they rented horses in Lantian and traveled day and night.

They bypassed all the cities on the way, sleeping in abandoned houses and ruined temples. After several days of travel, they finally reached the foot of Mount Taibai.

After riding for another quarter hour, Sha Lifei began complaining again. "Little Yan, I can't take it anymore. Look at him, his face has turned purple from the cold! Let's find somewhere to rest."

Winter had already arrived. Though snow had not yet fallen, the wind was bitterly cold. If even Li Yan and Sha Lifei felt numb from the chill, Wang Daoxuan was faring far worse.

Li Yan looked into the distance. All he could see were desolate mountains and wilderness. He reined in his horse and handed a flask he carried to Wang Daoxuan. "We need somewhere sheltered from the wind. Should we head to Mei County?"

"No need." Wang Daoxuan took several gulps of wine and rubbed his frozen cheeks. Pointing toward a dirt road on the left, he said, "Going into the county would be a detour. There is an old fortified settlement ten li down this road that is often used by people who climb the mountain. There's also an inn. We'll be there soon."

"Fine. We'll follow Daoist’s lead."

Neither Li Yan nor Sha Lifei knew the area. Only Wang Daoxuan had been here before.

They continued onward. After several more miles and a turn in the road, a large fortified settlement appeared beneath the towering mountains.

These fortifications had existed since the Han Dynasty. Whenever famine, unrest, or dynastic collapse struck, local landlords and gentry built fortified compounds to protect themselves. Some were large, while others were small. Whatever the size, most featured high walls, elevated walkways, arrow slits, and watchtowers. They were essentially miniature military fortresses.

Despite repeated imperial efforts to dismantle them throughout history, they never truly disappeared. The settlement before them was ancient, and no one knew when it had been built. Its left wall had collapsed, and the watchtower roof was gone. Only charred support beams remained as evidence of long-past warfare.

Were it not for the carriages parked outside, the lanterns hanging overhead, and the wine banners fluttering in the wind, Li Yan would've mistaken it for abandoned ruins. Before they even approached, they spotted a tall wooden pole standing outside. A yellow banner fluttered from it.

"That's called a Heavenly Pole." Noticing Li Yan's gaze, Wang Daoxuan explained. "When one is raised, it means Daoist believers are present. At night, three heavenly lanterns are hung from the top. They're offerings to the Three Officials."

Their arrival attracted little attention as the place was already crowded. There were traveling merchants, peddlers, pilgrimage groups, Buddhist and Daoist practitioners, and even strange shamans and spirit mediums.

Li Yan was startled. Turning toward Wang Daoxuan, he raised an eyebrow. Even from a distance, his nose could detect numerous unusual auras.

A tiny settlement like that had gathered a surprising number of practitioners of the mystic path!