Blade - Unbound

Luo Faqing froze for a moment as he heard Li Yan's plan. Charging ahead as bait was naturally the more dangerous role. Although it was undoubtedly the best option under the circumstances, they had clashed before. Was Li Yan really not afraid he might stab him in the back?

The thought only lingered for an instant. The next moment, Luo Faqing leaped into the cavern after him, planting his ritual banners upside down as he stepped in the formation of the Big Dipper and formed hand seals. A sinister wind immediately began to rise around him.

Li Yan had naturally noticed and gave a slight nod. Luo Faqing certainly had some of the faults common to disciples of established lineages. He thought highly of himself and looked down upon independent practitioners, but he also possessed a certain pride. If he had been a smooth-talking old schemer, Li Yan truly would not have trusted him.

The clearly ancient tunnel stretched deep into the earth. Along the way were earthen jars once used to store water and grain, most of them shattered and covered in dust. They had likely been stored by the monks long ago so they could use the tunnel as shelter during troubled times.

Li Yan suddenly came to a halt. He could smell the passage suddenly opening into a much larger chamber beyond the bend ahead. Strangely enough, however, there was no unusual odor coming from within.

Holding his blade horizontally, Li Yan drew the last Nether Torch from his waist. Though fully prepared, he did not rush inside. Instead, he pressed himself against the wall and waited quietly.

Before long, a sinister wind arose around him. Dust billowed into the air as frost spread across the ground. Three strange sets of footprints then appeared: one resembling an animal's, another belonging to a one-legged creature, and the last an ordinary shoe print. Each carried a completely different aura.

They were the spirits Luo Faqing had summoned. Those beings had once been local heretical gods worshipped through illicit sacrifices, each individually far beyond ordinary yin soldiers or Cold Altar Soldiers in strength and with far more savage temperaments.

Even though he was pressed tightly against the wall, the cold, blood-soaked stench they emitted filled Li Yan's senses, causing visions to flash before his eyes.

Moreover, the three seemed to have discovered him. Like wild beasts, they slowly approached, their scent growing stronger with every step.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, ready to unleash the Soul-Hooking Chain at any moment.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

Just then, crisp bells chimed from the distance. Urged onward by Luo Faqing, the three Ghost Gods appeared extremely displeased. They stirred up violent yin winds, yet refrained from approaching Li Yan any further. Instead, they surged around the corner and into the cavern beyond.

Only then did Li Yan turn and follow. He had no intention of foolishly confronting an underworld sinner head-on. As long as Luo Faqing's Ghost Gods could draw its attention, he could simply strike with the Summoning Writ and force the truth from it.

Dim candlelight flickered within the cavern. Though the illumination was faint, everything remained clearly visible. This cavern had obviously been remodeled. Five steps beyond the entrance stood yet another torii gate, hung with sacred ropes, white talismans, and small bells. Three zhang beyond the torii, a massive ritual formation had been drawn across the ground using various white powders.

Its outer boundary formed a circle, containing the Eight Trigrams, while a five-pointed star was embedded within them.

At its center were the words: Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing.

An oil lamp burned at each node of the formation, while in the very center lay the remains of the Du family's ancestor.

Unlike the vision Li Yan had seen earlier, the corpse had already decayed into a horrific state, with white bones exposed through rotting flesh. Dozens of daggers had been driven into the body. An elderly monk with snow-white hair and beard danced before the corpse while holding a folding fan.

He paid no attention whatsoever to Li Yan's intrusion. Entirely absorbed in his ritual, he slowly waved his fan with each step, his white socks stained with dirt.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

Luo Faqing's Ghost Gods charged forward. As sinister winds surged, the bells hanging from the torii rang wildly. The sacred ropes trembled violently, while countless white talismans shattered into fragments. Yet despite everything, the ghostly winds remained unable to break through the torii.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. Leaping into the air, he planted a foot against one of the torii's pillars for leverage. Metal flashed as he swung his saber straight at the sacred rope overhead.

The torii seemed capable of isolating auras. Not only could the Ghost Gods not pass through it, even Li Yan's divine sense of smell was suppressed, leaving him unable to detect anything beyond.

Destroy the torii, and victory would immediately follow.

Just then, however, the dancing old monk abruptly opened his eyes. Reaching into his robes, he drew out an exquisitely crafted flintlock pistol.

Fire flashed and gunpowder smoke erupted.

Although Li Yan's instincts had screamed in warning moments before, he was still struck. A sharp pain exploded in his abdomen as he tumbled from the air. Rolling across the ground, he threw himself behind one of the torii's pillars.

Suppressing the pain, he dug a lead ball out of his abdomen. His Great Luo Dharma Body immediately activated, and the injury rapidly healed.

Damn it... The times really have changed.

Li Yan cursed to himself. The old monk was truly insidious. With the torii blocking his senses, his divine ability had been suppressed, preventing him from detecting the scent of gunpowder.

That single oversight had earned him a bullet to the body.

According to Lu Gongyuan, the old monk possessed formidable mystic arts and was likely a yin yang master who had returned from death by possessing another body. Anyone capable of such a feat could hardly be ordinary. Yet instead of using mystic arts, the man had opened the fight with a firearm.

The old monk remained calm. Unhurriedly reloading his pistol, he glanced at the tottering torii and sighed in admiration. "The techniques of the Central Plains truly are impressive. I spent many years establishing this sacred domain, yet it still cannot withstand your assault."

His official language carried an elegant cadence, completely devoid of any foreign accent.

Secretly drawing several throwing knives, Li Yan sneered. "Old man, you're not getting away. Why not surrender now? I'll grant you a quick death."

Though it sounded like mockery, he was actually probing for information. As Zhao Changsheng's trusted confidant, this monk might know something about his origins.

"Escape?" The old monk calmly shook his head. "My lord's task remains unfinished. I have no intention of fleeing. To devote oneself wholly to one's master is only proper."

Listening to the monk's archaic mixture of literary and vernacular speech, Li Yan suddenly burst into laughter. "You're certainly loyal. Don't tell me Zhao Changsheng is from the eastern land across the sea as well?"

"No... He is not." The old monk slowly shook his head. His eyes brimmed with reverence as he declared, "My lord is a true god. Even during the Honno-ji Incident, when I still served mortal men, I did not flee. What remains that could force me to abandon the Divine Lord?"

Honno-ji? What kind of nonsense is that...?

Li Yan grew even more confused, yet continued taunting him. "Divine Lord? Zhao Changsheng is nothing more than a joke. You've been deceived."

Murderous intent flashed across the old monk's eyes. "You are the fools. You dance in the palm of my lord's hand without even realizing it. Truly pitiful..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Yan's arm suddenly jerked. Hidden force erupted through his arm as two throwing knives shot forth with a shrill whistle.

Clang!

One of the bronze bells hanging from the torii was instantly knocked away, but to Li Yan's surprise, the sinister winds continued to howl. The torii remained intact.

"Hahaha..." The old monk laughed. "So this is all the mystic arts of the Central Plains amounts to!"

At that very moment, in the hall above, Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan happened to tear away the sacred ropes tied around the Buddha statues one by one.

The old monk had been rather crafty. Within his own tradition, the torii represented the entrance to a sacred domain, separating a divine realm from the mundane world.

First, it reminded visitors that stepping beneath the torii meant entering sacred ground, where one's conduct should be especially respectful.

Second, it served to establish a spiritual barrier. Such power could not arise from nothing. It borrowed astral qi from the gods themselves to create a localized spiritual formation. The orthodox mystic sects and established lineages of the Central Plains possessed similar arrangements.

Their strength depended entirely upon the divine astral qi of the deity being worshipped.

Here, the only deity was the Buddha of Xiangji Temple. Unfortunately, after enduring multiple catastrophes, even though incense offerings had resumed, its power had become extremely weak. Otherwise, the old monk never would have succeeded.

The instant Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan tore apart the sacred ropes, the spell collapsed.

Crack!

The sacred ropes snapped and even the torii itself split apart with loud cracks and sinister winds howled through the chamber. The layers of white powder forming the ritual array were blown away, while one oil lamp after another went out.

Clatter!

The daggers embedded in the corpse at the center of the formation immediately began trembling violently.

The old monk’s expression sank as he shouted, "You fools!"

Cursing loudly, he hurriedly picked up an ornate golden reliquary from beside him and placed it atop the corpse.

He suddenly started chanting, "Om Mani Padme Hum!"

Still using his divine senses, Li Yan suddenly felt his mind go blank as his vision turned completely white. A majestic Buddhist chant echoed beside his ears, and the reliquary burst forth with dazzling radiance. The three Ghost Gods currently destroying the formation seemed to suffer heavy injuries and retreated instantly.

The sinister winds vanished in an instant.

At the cave entrance, Luo Faqing, who had been controlling the Ghost Gods through his ritual, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward before collapsing onto the ground.

He paled, crying, "A Buddhist Treasure!"

Li Yan felt his ears ringing violently as his head throbbed with splitting pain. Even his inner deity had grown unstable.

Realizing his spiritual consciousness had been injured, he hurriedly used the Great Luo Dharma Body to repair it. Although the Great Luo Dharma Body had recovered after the mass grave incident, he had used it repeatedly since then. He had healed two severe injuries within such a short period, and thus it was once again riddled with cracks, as though it might shatter at any moment.

What is that thing?

Li Yan looked at it in astonishment.

However, the old monk seemed equally surprised that Li Yan had not fainted. Shaking his head, he mocked, "The Central Plains possesses countless treasures, yet you people no longer recognize your own relics. How pitiful.

"During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong bestowed over a thousand sacred relics upon Xiangji Temple. They were worshipped day and night, their Buddhist radiance driving away all evil.

"Though the temple was later looted during times of war, some relics remained hidden within these underground chambers. After lying here for over a thousand years, absorbing the spiritual essence of the earth's veins, they have become Buddhist Treasures..."

A Buddhist Treasure?

Li Yan frowned as he recalled what Zhao Luzi had once told him. They had talked until dawn, and Li Yan had learned much about heavenly spiritual treasures.

Most heavenly spiritual treasures were born naturally from the blessings of heaven and earth. Some, however, had originally been man-made. For example, the drumstick he had found in Gushui Village was the latter.

The Drum King's lifelong spirit and will had accumulated within it, gradually granting it spirituality. Later, through a fortunate coincidence, it received the blessings of heaven and earth and became a true spiritual treasure.

Objects like that usually served as ideal materials for forging spiritual artifacts. Others had already begun as spiritual artifacts. Once they evolved into heavenly spiritual treasures, they became known as Dao Treasures or Buddhist Treasures, objects of immeasurable value.

With the Buddhist Treasure suppressing it, the corpse finally ceased struggling.

The old monk sighed softly. "I originally intended to refine the Yin Demonic Fiend for my lord. Now that something has gone wrong, if I claim it for myself instead, surely my lord will not blame me..."

Though his words sounded humble, naked greed gleamed within his eyes. He drew out a wooden carving depicting a bird-headed, human-bodied figure and placed it upon the corpse's forehead. Then, once again waving his folding fan, he resumed that strange ritual dance.

Li Yan snarled, "Dance on your grandfather's corpse!"

Grinding his teeth, he clutched his abdomen and pretended to stagger outward as though badly wounded. The old monk frowned before raising the flintlock once more. Smoke exploded from the muzzle as another shot rang out.

This time, however, Li Yan was prepared. Twisting to the side, he allowed the bullet to strike only his shoulder. At the same instant, hidden force burst from beneath his feet.

With the wind whistling around him, he shot straight toward the monk. His earlier act had merely been to shorten the distance. That single leap brought him directly into close combat.

The old monk showed no panic whatsoever. Discarding the spent pistol, he hooked one foot beneath a spear lying on the ground and flicked it into the air. Catching it smoothly, he thrust directly toward Li Yan.

Just as Lu Gongyuan had said, the old monk was also highly skilled in martial arts. He even employed something similar to hidden force. The spear screamed through the air with astonishing momentum.

To his surprise, Li Yan instead drew the Nether Torch and yanked its firing mechanism. Burning oil mixed with phosphorus erupted forward in a blazing torrent.

"AAAAAH!"

Though the old monk reacted quickly enough to avoid the worst of it, half his body still caught fire. Screaming in agony, he rolled wildly across the ground, throwing the ritual formation into complete chaos.

At the same time, the corpse also burst into flames. Even the golden reliquary suppressing it was kicked aside by the writhing monk. It rolled several times before coming to rest.

Seemingly freed from its shackles, waves of black smoke immediately billowed forth. The smoke gathered in the air, forming the shadow of a Rakshasa Bird. Its wings slowly beat as a ghastly pale human face appeared and disappeared within the darkness.

This is bad!

Li Yan vaguely realized what had happened. The old monk had intended to refine the Yin Demonic Fiend, but his interference had ruined the ritual.

Now the creature had broken free. Without the corpse, how could anyone establish another formation to suppress it?

At that moment, the old monk tore away his robes. Ignoring the pain, he rubbed dirt over his smoking burns until the flames were extinguished. Even so, his body had been horribly charred. His flesh had split open in countless places, making him resemble a demon.

He no longer spoke the official language of the Central Plains. Instead, he cursed loudly in his native tongue. Clutching the bird-shaped wooden carving, he formed hand seals while opening his mouth wide. The Rakshasa Bird dissolved once more into black smoke and flowed into his mouth.

As soon as it disappeared, his eyes turned completely black. The aura surrounding him became less and less human. Clearly, he was performing some unknown technique.

Seeing this, Li Yan immediately formed a hand seal and chanted, "Heaven has its order. Earth has its laws. By the authority of the underworld, the soul is seized. Let the living withdraw!"

Terror instantly appeared in the old monk's eyes. However, he was in the midst of devouring the black smoke and could no longer move.

While continuing the incantation, Li Yan slammed the Summoning Writ directly against the old monk's forehead. The moment he connected, it was as though a body-locking art had taken effect. The old monk collapsed stiffly to the ground.

Clink... Clink... Clink...

The sound of chains echoed once more beside Li Yan's ears. The power of the underworld surged upward from the earth, wrapping itself around the old monk's soul.

"Mercy, underworld lords..."

Before the monk could finish, the light vanished from his eyes. At the same time, black smoke spewed from his mouth once more.

The Yin Demonic Fiend appeared once again, as it attempted to scatter and flee. However, it too was bound by an invisible power. The sound of chains rang out again and with a dull thud, it crashed to the ground before disappearing without a trace.

Li Yan stood there in astonishment.

The underworld captured that thing too?

Before he had time to think further, three streams of icy energy flowed from the Summoning Writ into his hand before vanishing once again.

A smile immediately spread across Li Yan's face. The mission had been completed! He had gained three additional astral decrees!

Each allowed him to summon the Five Yin Ghost Battalions once, with a total force of five hundred soldiers. He had six in total. If all were used together, he could command three thousand ghost soldiers!

According to Luo Mingzi, these were genuine Underworld Ghost Soldiers. Even the lowest among them ranked as Upper Altar Soldiers. They were incomparable to ordinary Cold Altar Soldiers and Yin Soldiers.

Three thousand ghost soldiers... That was enough to serve as a true trump card capable of turning the tide.

Suppressing his excitement, Li Yan turned toward the Buddhist Treasure lying on the ground. Without hesitation, he picked it up. Before he even opened it, mysterious energy poured directly into his dantian.

The Great Luo Dharma Body rapidly repaired itself and at the same time, its very material began changing. Originally, it had resembled rough green stone. After absorbing the drumstick in Ancient Water Village, its surface had become smooth, with a faint luster. Now, as the fortune contained within the Buddhist Treasure was rapidly absorbed, the Great Luo Dharma Body gradually took on the appearance of colored glaze.

It represented an increase in durability, which meant it could withstand far more damage. For example, if he were deeply slashed before, enormous cracks would spread across the statue. Now, after its strength had increased, the damage would be far less severe.

The Buddhist Treasure could actually strengthen it directly!

Joy filled Li Yan's eyes as before long, every trace of fortune within the Buddhist Treasure had been absorbed. Next, he opened the box and found it filled with countless Buddhist relics. Even without their fortune, they still shimmered with the brilliant radiance of colored glaze.

Li Yan chuckled as he closed the lid.

The relics were useless to him and to most mystic path cultivators, but those wealthy Buddhist believers in Chang'an would surely pay handsomely to enshrine them in their homes.

With that thought, he held the box in his left hand while picking up the flintlock pistol with his right. He examined it carefully. It was exquisitely crafted. The grip was made of dark ebony, while the metalwork bore intricate engravings in a distinctly western style.

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside. Li Yan's gaze flickered once and without hesitation, he slipped the pistol into his robes.