Blade - Unbound

"So it really was you, Bai Ruoxu!" Sha Lifei cursed angrily, "Back then, you were calling us brothers, and now you turn around and shoot us from the shadows. Are you even fucking human?!"

Bai Ruoxu shook his head with a smile. "Haha, Brother Sha, you're not some greenhorn who just entered the jianghu. What's the point of saying things like that?"

Even as he spoke, he began reloading.

Only then did Sha Lifei finally get a clear look at the Divine Fire Arquebus. It had an enormous stock made from black sandalwood spiritual timber, with silver metal inlays forming dragon patterns across its surface.

Its barrel was extremely long, with a bore as thick as a walnut. The entire thing had been forged from rare spiritual metals stored within blessed lands and secret realms, allowing it to withstand the power of the new-style gunpowder. Most distinctive of all was the detachable module behind the barrel. It was rectangular, with the Eight Trigrams and various talismanic patterns carved across it.

Bai Ruoxu pulled the module free from the barrel, then took out another from his waist and fitted it in its place. Sha Lifei had seen the blueprints before and knew that those were called Divine Fire Cartridges.

Naturally, the Divine Fire Arquebus made for the imperial court by mystic path craftsmen were far more sophisticated than ordinary flintlocks. Each gun could be loaded with more than a dozen Divine Fire Cartridges.

Normally, the new-style gunpowder and bullets were loaded into the cartridges in advance. In battle, all one had to do was swap out the cartridge module. Not only did it greatly increase the rate of fire, it also allowed the weapon to keep functioning in the rain.

Seeing Sha Lifei's attention drawn to it, Bai Ruoxu smiled faintly. "Brother Sha, you seem quite interested in firearms. Why not join us and hand over the thing? Maybe we can even get you one to play with."

Sha Lifei spat, "Pah! Only an idiot would believe you!"

Bai Ruoxu burst out laughing. "I wasn't expecting you to believe me. Besides, even if you wanted to join us, you're not qualified."

He turned toward Red Maiden. "Senior, is it ready?"

She grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs, then raised a hand and snapped her fingers. A crisp sound rang through the air and Sha Lifei, along with Daoist Feng, felt their bodies growing stiff.

Not good. We've been hit!

Their bodies trembled, veins bulging across their foreheads as they struggled, but they could not move even an inch.

They were still too inexperienced in the face of an old demon as profound as Red Maiden. They had assumed that threatening her with the blood-red jade cong would leave her helpless. In truth, the moment Red Maiden had removed the dragon-and-phoenix handkerchief, she had already given it a subtle flick and scattered Gu poison into the air.

At the same time, she deliberately revealed her hideous face to draw their attention. It was a trick from ancient illusion arts to divert the gaze and secretly substitute one thing for another. When Red Maiden incorporated such techniques into her mystic arts, they became almost impossible to guard against.

Of course, given the distance between them, the Gu poison still needed some time to take effect.

Bai Ruoxu was also an expert in poisons. He had noticed her actions and deliberately stepped forward to chat idly with Sha Lifei, buying enough time for the poison to act.

"Hehe." Red Maiden's gaze was bloody and cold as she laughed in a strange voice. "Little officer lying on the ground, did you really think pretending to be dead would fool this humble woman?"

The divine ability she had awakened was related to vision, allowing her to see the flow of blood through a person's body. Although she found it strange that Li Yan had survived being shot, that did not stop her from dealing with him as well.

Before her words had even finished, she abruptly pushed off the ground. Her red bridal gown fluttered as she appeared before them in an instant.

At the same moment, Li Yan raised his left hand from the ground.

Clatter!

The Soul-Hooking Chain shot out with a whistle. At the same time, Li Yan twisted his body, and sprang rigidly upright. He drew Earth Breaker in one smooth motion and brought it down violently.

Even with her supernatural sight, how could Red Maiden have known Li Yan still had a move like this? She was immediately caught by the Soul-Hooking Chain.

Despite catching her, Li Yan himself was also startled. A strange current of yin killing qi surrounded Red Maiden's entire body. Although the Soul-Hooking Chain had wrapped itself around her, it could not actually penetrate directly into her flesh.

That red bridal gown is a powerful spiritual artifact!

Li Yan instantly understood what had happened. Of course, he had never placed all his hopes on the Soul-Hooking Chain. His cultivation was still limited, and the Soul-Hooking Chain was only an underworld divine ability inherited from whichever master he picked up on the streets. He had only just begun to grasp it.

After all, that foreign monk at the phosphorus mine beneath Zhu Clan's Fort had once blocked it with an artifact. He never expected the Soul-Hooking Chain to be the solution to all his problems. His true killing move was still Earth Breaker.

Puchi!

The blade slid effortlessly into Red Maiden's chest. A loud crackle rang out as twelve streams of yin lightning instantly surged into her body.

"Ahhh!"

With a shrill scream, Red Maiden dissolved into smoke and vanished.

She isn't human!

Li Yan's expression shifted as alarm rose in him. He could tell that Earth Breaker had only pierced through the red bridal gown. Her body itself was abnormally tough, and an acrid stench of corpse decay had spread from it.

Red Maiden's flesh was practically no different from that of an old zombie. Even having her heart pierced and her body struck by yin lightning had failed to kill her. Instead, she had escaped with a movement art.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan snatched the blood-red jade cong from Sha Lifei's hands and pressed Earth Breaker against it. The situation was once again a stalemate.

Bai Ruoxu, who had been about to fire, frowned and shook his head. "Little Brother Li, why go this far? Hand that thing over to us, and we can each go our separate ways. How about it?"

Li Yan sneered without answering. He simply focused his spirit and activated the coin tassel that had been attached to Earth Breaker.

Jingle, jingle, jingle!

Killing qi spread in all directions. The Gu poison inside Sha Lifei and Daoist Feng were disturbed, and both men immediately bent over to vomit. Their black, sticky vomit was filled with writhing white worms. The poison had not been completely removed, but at least, they had now regained the ability to move.

Sha Lifei cursed viciously, "Fuck!"

He hurriedly raised his flintlock. Beside him, Daoist Feng fumbled through his robes and pulled out three medicinal pills. He swallowed one himself, then tossed one each to Sha Lifei and Li Yan. After all, he was the temple attendant of the City God Temple. Although his cultivation was mediocre, he still carried a few life-saving items.

Sha Lifei's condition clearly improved after taking the pill. Li Yan had already neutralized the poison with the Great Luo Dharma Body, so he ignored his own pill and instead grabbed the other two. He yanked them backward as he rapidly retreated.

On the other side, red smoke surged up from the ground and Red Maiden appeared once again, but something was clearly wrong with her.

Blood-red light flickered in her eyes, crazed and savage. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

She suddenly seized one of her own subordinates and bit straight through his throat, gulping down his blood. Li Yan immediately understood. Every kind of evil art came with a price.

Red Maiden had somehow transformed her body into something resembling a zombie. Although this made her largely impervious to blades and weapons, it also affected her soul, filling her with violent bloodlust. That red bridal gown was probably also meant to suppress her corpse qi.

Now that Li Yan had torn it open and damaged her soul with twelve streams of yin lightning, Red Maiden could no longer restrain her bloodthirsty instincts and had to drink human blood to recover.

As she drank frantically, yin killing qi surged around her body, actually forming dense blood-red smoke. Even the Ghost Sect followers recoiled in fear at the sight.

How could Li Yan possibly let such an opportunity pass? Dragging Sha Lifei and Daoist Feng with him, he rapidly retreated into the dense forest behind them.

He barked, "Get behind the trees!"

He tossed the blood-red jade cong to Sha Lifei. The two immediately took cover behind trees.

The area was relatively remote, and the trees were thick enough that a man could barely wrap his arms around them. Even the Divine Fire Arquebus would not be able to punch through trunks of such thickness and kill them. Besides, the enemy was still busy avoiding Red Maiden.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan immediately took out his Summoning Writ and started chanting again. "Qingjia! Dark Heavens above and Black Earth below; there is no light in the Dark Heavens, nor gates to the Black Earth. The dead march forth, the living withdraw. Seize evil and evil retreats; seize ghosts and ghosts perish. By command of the Great Emperor of the Northern Fengdu Underworld, quickly heed my request!"

This time, he completed the chant. In an instant, yin energy surged through the dense forest. Darkness visible to the naked eye spread outward, accompanied by the faint clatter of armor.

It's that terrifying thing!

Remembering what Liu Mei had once said, Bai Ruoxu's pupils contracted and he turned to flee. Unfortunately, he had still underestimated the speed of the yin soldiers of the Five Yin Ghost Battalion.

A vast swathe of dark shadows swept through like a violent gale.

"AHHH!"

Even the frenzied Red Maiden sensed the danger. She once again used that blood-red smoke escape art, attempting to flee. However, the demonic aura around her was extremely dense, making her the primary target of the yin soldiers. How could they possibly let her escape?

Clatter!

The thunderous sound of massive chains rang out from within the darkness. The red mist that Red Maiden had transformed into seemed to be caught by some unseen force and was dragged directly into the darkness.

Red Maiden's cultivation was extremely profound, having already reached the fourth level, surpassing the limit ordinary cultivators could attain. Even so, she only managed to struggle for a few breaths. Her shrill screams rang out repeatedly, then quickly fell silent.

None of the Ghost Sect members escaped either. Wherever the darkness passed, their bodies went rigid, and they collapsed to the ground. Frost formed over their skin, freezing their terrified expressions in place.

As for Bai Ruoxu, he was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. He spun around, raised the Divine Fire Arquebus, and pulled the trigger.

Flames erupted amid thick gun smoke, yet it was like throwing mud into the sea. The darkness was not hindered in the slightest and swallowed him whole. Bai Ruoxu only heard the sound of chains beside his ears before his consciousness went blank, as though he were endlessly falling into the depths of a dark abyss.

In the space of just two breaths, the entire forest fell silent.

The area around Li Yan was likewise shrouded in darkness. Daoist Feng kept his eyes tightly shut, his forehead covered in cold sweat as he prayed under his breath, begging his ancestral masters for protection.

Fortunately, that terrifying sensation did not last long. As the yin soldiers departed, the surroundings visibly brightened. The soft patter of rain striking the leaves once again reached the ears of the three men.

Old Daoist Feng cautiously turned around and looked about.

Seeing corpses covering the ground, his mouth fell open and he said in a trembling voice, "T-This... Is this the yin-soldier art of a living yin emissary?"

Li Yan's Daoist credential did not state his true identity. After all, being a living yin emissary was still something of a secret. If his identity became as widely known as Lord Bao Qingtian of the Great Song, then some Netherworld criminals would probably flee the moment they heard he was coming.

Li Yan put away the Summoning Writ and strode out of the forest.

"Daoist, you certainly know your stuff."

Sha Lifei was even faster.

"Haha... hahahaha..."

Unable to suppress his laughter, Sha Lifei howled with laughter and hurried toward Bai Ruoxu in just a few long strides. This former hall master of the Chang'an Broker Hall, a man known for his cunning mind, was now stiff as a corpse. White frost covered his face, his eyes bulged, and his mouth hung open, preserving the terror of his final moments. Even so, both hands were still tightly gripping the Divine Fire Arquebus.

Sha Lifei was just about to pry them open by force when Li Yan hurriedly warned, "Uncle Sha, both his hands are coated with a powerful poison. Don't damage his gloves while getting the gun."

Sha Lifei chuckled. "Got it!"

He kneaded several joints and acupoints along Bai Ruoxu's arms until his hands finally loosened. Picking up the Divine Fire Arquebus, Sha Lifei turned it over repeatedly in his hands, smiling so widely his face seemed ready to split.

Li Yan, meanwhile, walked over to Red Maiden. Looking at her mouth split open to the ears and filled with sharp fangs, Li Yan frowned slightly. He first used his blade to carefully flick aside the dragon-and-phoenix handkerchief, which was covered in Gu poison, then cut open the red bridal gown.

Daoist Feng also came over. Upon seeing the body beneath the gown, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "The Great Yin Corpse Refinement Art?"

Red Maiden's body still faintly retained a graceful feminine outline, but her skin was covered in long gray hair and gave off an intense stench of decay.

Li Yan nodded thoughtfully. "That's right."

The Great Yin Corpse Refinement Art was somewhat different from turning into a zombie. It involved refining one's own body into a kind of demonic corpse, one adept at transformation and capable of using wind escape. However, it had a weakness: the practitioner would find it difficult to control their own soul.

The demonic god worshipped through this evil art was known as the Gray Tiger. It had the head of a tiger and the body of a human, and was covered from head to toe in gray fur. It excelled at transformation, traveled with the wind, and especially loved consuming human essence and blood.

Red Maiden had not used the Great Yin Corpse Refinement Art at the brink of death to prolong her life. Instead, she had cultivated the technique and transformed herself into a demon, so she was not considered an Underworld sinner. Only once she surpassed her natural lifespan, when death qi gradually accumulated inside her while she continued wandering among the living, would she become wanted by the Underworld.

The Divine Silkworm Longevity Art, the Water God Longevity Art, and now the Great Yin Corpse Refinement Art... In only a few short months since arriving in Ezhou, Li Yan had already encountered three of the secret techniques recorded in the Immortal Longevity Treasury. It seemed that there were definitely more than a handful of people cultivating them.

The Ghost Sect killed people and sacrificed them to ghosts, stopping at nothing in pursuit of immortality. For a living yin emissary like Li Yan, they were practically natural enemies.

Li Yan shook his head, tore the red bridal gown off Red Maiden's body, and, finding nothing in its pockets, tossed it directly to Sha Lifei. "Uncle Sha, this can conceal one's aura."

Sha Lifei immediately understood, and quickly put the red bridal gown away. They carried many forbidden items and ritual artifacts, including the strange robe they had found earlier. This robe would be perfect for wrapping their luggage and hiding those things.

Afterward, Li Yan and Daoist Feng examined the sedan bearers. As expected, they were all zombies. This was also one of the secret techniques associated with the Great Yin Corpse Refinement Art, though these corpses relied on essence souls to move.

Their essence souls had likewise been dragged away by the yin soldiers, so the zombies had collapsed motionless as well.

The three busied themselves arranging Red Maiden's body together with the corpses, then cut down nearby peachwood, piled up firewood, and burned them. Thick smoke billowed upward as the stench of corpses spread through the air.

Only after finishing did the three finally breathe a sigh of relief. Those zombies were saturated with corpse qi. If they were not dealt with quickly, they could easily cause further trouble.

After burning the corpses, the three carefully searched the area again. The large bridal sedan was rather extraordinary. It had actually been constructed from spiritual timber, and formations had been arranged inside it to gather yin killing qi.

Though called a bridal sedan, it was actually more like a coffin. It was no wonder Red Maiden had traveled around inside it.

Li Yan could not carry the thing away, so he simply dismantled it and handed the materials over to Daoist Feng. After all, the group's rule was that everyone who took part received a share.

Daoist Feng also understood that by accepting the materials, he would have to help Li Yan conceal the matter of the Divine Fire Arquebus. However, since they were on a mission for the Military Surveillance Department, he could not be bothered asking too many questions.

Naturally, they also found quite a few other things. The most common were small carved wooden idols. Aside from Red Maiden and Bai Ruoxu, every Ghost Sect follower had one on their person. The idols had savage faces, mouths filled with fangs, and sharp horns growing from their heads. Yin killing qi coiled around them, filling them with an ominous aura.

Daoist Feng turned the idol over in his hands, examining it from every angle with a grave expression before he explained, "This is most likely the Lengzheng God. During the Great Song, aside from Ezhou, delinquents around the capital also liked worshipping this ghost. When fighting others, its baleful aura could intimidate and suppress their minds.

"It seems this deity's divine astral qi has not yet dispersed. Someone must have rebuilt its temple, though there's no telling where it's hidden..."

Besides that, they also found a secret letter on Bai Ruoxu. Li Yan skimmed through it, and his expression changed dramatically.

The letter had been written by the leader of the Rising Dragon Army, a remnant of the former imperial clan. It ordered Bai Ruoxu to come, find Red Maiden, and have her relay a message to Zhao Changsheng.

The people of the Heavenly Saint Cult had already prepared all manner of heavenly treasures and ritual artifacts. This was an invitation for Zhao Changsheng to take action and resurrect the Heavenly Saint Duke!

As expected, the various demons and villains of Ezhou were all connected. More importantly, Zhao Changsheng himself would be coming.