The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 396 - 243 The Legend of the Ascender

Chapter 396: Chapter 243 The Legend of the Ascender

"We found the demon and stealthily followed it..."

In the cabin of the small boat, Wang Daoxuan took a sip of wine and then fiercely bit into a piece of roast chicken before continuing, "The hawk led the way, and Brother Lv and I ran all night, finally finding their lair."

"Where?"

"It’s in what was once the city of the King of Chu."

"The old site of the city of the King of Chu used to be the county seat of Zigui County. Following a great downpour, landslides collapsed the mountain’s foundation, and the city of the King of Chu transformed into a marshland, becoming today’s Lake of the King of Chu, while the county seat moved to Guizhou City."

"I deduced that beneath the original city of the King of Chu, there must be a large hollow tomb, surrounded by an underground lake, and that fish monster is the Tomb Guardian Beast. But the shifting of the earth’s veins freed it; after devouring all the fish and shrimp below, it emerged from somewhere to wreak havoc."

"The fish monster had rusty iron spears on it, ancient and likely the work of Tomb Robbers. Their rash actions probably triggered the disaster back then. Now, members of the Ghost Sect are assembling a large force, digging around Lake of the King of Chu..."

"Around Lake of the King of Chu, there are still a few villages, but they have long been infiltrated by the Ghost Sect. The villagers overthrew the Land God Temple and blatantly committed human sacrifices to ghosts..."

"These people are insane, wanting to sacrifice children. Brother Lv and I couldn’t stand by, so we stepped in to rescue, not expecting troops from Tusi City to be hiding nearby, and we ended up being chased all night..."

Both men appeared to be famished; Wang Daoxuan managed to eat with decorum while Lv San gorged himself, too preoccupied to speak, including the hawk and Little Fox.

Of course, Li Yan also shared their discoveries.

"The Fengshui formation of the Nine-headed Bird?"

Wang Daoxuan was clearly shocked, stunned for a moment before shaking his head, "The Mystical Sect of the West Xuan line doesn’t specialize in Fengshui; it was when I was traveling the pugilistic world that I apprenticed under an old man from a village in Ganzhou."

"When he was drunk, he mentioned that the art of Fengshui lies in observing the shapes and managing Qi. In the eyes of those great Fengshui masters, the land of Shen Zhou is blessed with the presence of dragons and phoenixes, and some Ancient Times Fengshui topographies can be glimpsed in the ’Classic of Mountains and Seas’..."

"There are dragons in the world; dragons can be big or small, can rise or hide. When large, they generate clouds and engulf mist; when small, they secrete their shape and hide. When they ascend, they soar across the universe; when they hide, they lurk within the waves."

"Dragon Veins are just like that. Perhaps some Divine Beasts in the ’Classic of Mountains and Seas’ are the mysterious topographies of the Ancient Times era, though now they hide their shapes and are rarely seen."

"If these mysterious topographies are right, then the landscapes of Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure described throughout the ’Classic of Mountains and Seas’ truly existed in Ancient Times..."

All who heard couldn’t help but be captivated.

As everyone chatted, the boat flowed past Xiling Gorge. As the water surface suddenly cleared up, a sight of battle ships lined up on the river, banners waving, and a killing aura reaching the heavens met their eyes.

"Reinforcements are coming again!"

Sha Lifei quickly stepped out onto the deck, laughing heartily, "It seems the court is set on thoroughly addressing the chaos in the Southwest this time."

Li Yan and the others also emerged onto the deck.

In the distance, a formation of boats large and small were neatly arranged; the large ones were like towering buildings—even equipped with catapults to launch fire thorns among other projectiles.

Some had flat and wide hulls, with soldiers training on top...

Others had narrow hulls, swift, patrolling around with agility...

"Battleships, Meng Chongs, Battle Ships, traveling Galleys!"

Since Sha Lifei became fascinated with firearms, he sought out various military books and knew the types of boats inside out, pointing at the most common ones and saying with a smile, "I knew it, why did Fuchuans arrive yesterday? Those are sea battle ships, probably mobilized temporarily."

"Those Jiujang-style patrol boats are more suited for river warfare, stable and fast..."

Li Yan also gazed into the distance, silent.

His attention was captivated by the cannons on the boats.

Almost every ship had numerous cannon ports.

New gunpowder required Earthly Treasures and even casting cannons needed spiritual materials, both prohibitively expensive and surely not equipped in large quantities.

But even having one was extremely formidable.

No wonder the court could suppress the Mystical Sect with such authority.

No matter how powerful spells were, they couldn’t compare to the roar of thousands of cannons. Under the bombardment of a great army, both orthodox sects and Magic Veins would be reduced to rubble.

Deciding to stay away from the battlefield seemed wise...

Of course, with such a scale of war, the recently recovered state treasury was likely to be emptied again, and the Sea Opening Sect would completely dominate.

While Li Yan was deep in thought, a swift boat cut through the wind and waves approaching from afar. Before it even drew near, someone on the boat shouted angrily:

"The river is under martial law, stop for inspection!"

These were the fierce and formidable forces of Great Xuan, not comparable to the regular garrison. The soldiers exuded an intimidating presence, with some already setting up strong bows.

The boatmen were terrified, hastily stopping the boat.

Sha Lifei was not afraid; he took out a document from his bosom and said with a smile, "Do not worry, gentlemen. We have just come from Zigui, and this is a passage document given by the court."

Swipe!

As his words ended, several soldiers aboard the opposite boat grabbed ropes and leaped down, landing on the deck.

Their eyes were piercing, two holding down their sword handles defensively, while the leading junior flag took the document from Sha Lifei.

After examining it closely, the skeptical look in his eyes dissipated, and he nodded and saluted, "So you are the pugilistic heroes helping the court. Forgive my impudence."

Although Li Yan and the others couldn’t stay, Prefect Zhou Kai was generous with praise and helped them acquire a high-level passage document.

In case of trouble, they could request military assistance.

Seeing the big seal of the Commander Department on it, the soldiers became noticeably more polite, declaring in a stern voice, "Gentlemen, the Yangtze River is heavily patrolled with military forces at all key points, fortified with strict defenses. Do not venture recklessly."