The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 402 - 245 Mountain Thunder Descends on Demon_2

Chapter 402: Chapter 245 Mountain Thunder Descends on Demon_2

In the blink of an eye, the rain had thoroughly drenched the ground, streaming through the gaps in the wild grass and forming puddles all over the place.

Li Yan and his companions had already donned their straw raincoats and bamboo hats.

They were not in a hurry, still calmly waiting.

But the people from the merchant team couldn’t stand it any longer. A burly man said anxiously, "Boss, if the cargo gets damp, it’ll be ruined!"

The boss gritted his teeth and, without backing Li Yan and the others, clasped his hands in apology, "I’m sorry, everyone, but we have to go inside first. Our goods are tea leaves and cloth, they can’t get wet."

Sha Lifei shook his head and said, "How can you not listen? Don’t rush, money is not as important as life."

"What a joke!"

A porter couldn’t hold back any longer, his face cold as he said, "I’ve walked this mountain path countless times and nothing has ever happened."

"Trying to scare us with some hocus-pocus and swindle money, right? Don’t try these pugilistic tricks in front of an expert!"

With that said, he lifted his load, intending to barge into the temple.

"Damn it, no appreciation for courtesy!"

When Sha Lifei heard this, his temper flared. He quickly stepped forward and pushed the porter away, saying sternly, "Everyone stay put!"

At once, it was as if a pot had exploded.

Bang! Clang!

The people from the merchant team all drew their weapons.

In their eyes, the few people before them were very strange.

Boom! Rumble!

Just then, a thunderbolt struck from the sky.

Everyone only saw a flash of white light before their eyes and a roaring sound in their ears that was almost deafening, making the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand on end.

After the thunder, the wind became even more ferocious.

The members of the merchant team shielded their faces from the wind, only to see some of the overgrown grass on the decrepit roof of the Mountain God Temple being ignited but then immediately quenched by the rain, sending up plumes of green smoke.

In front of them, the doors of the Mountain God Temple were half-open, the decayed wooden doors swaying wildly in the fierce wind, creaking as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

One could faintly see the dilapidated Divine Statue inside, covered in dust and cobwebs.

"Wooooo~"

In the midst of the howling wind, there seemed to be the sound of a woman weeping.

The voice was sorrowful and heartbreaking, like that of a woman encountering robbers.

However, no one dared to move.

They widened their eyes, watching as a whirlwind suddenly formed inside the trembling temple doors, swirling dust as it darted to and fro, as if trying to escape but trapped inside.

Crack! Boom!

There came another terrifying clap of thunder.

Then, with a loud crash, a wooden beam inside the temple collapsed.

"Ahhhh—!"

Along with a shrill scream, the whirlwind also came to an abrupt halt.

"I win!"

Sha Lifei laughed heartily, clapping his hands, "Brother Yan, don’t think of leaving us behind. We’ll take on the Purple Canopy Cave together!"

Li Yan helplessly replied, "Alright, we’ll do as you say."

At this moment, the leader of the merchant team was no longer concerned with his cargo as he clasped his hands and said with a trembling voice, "So you all are mystics from Mystical Sect, what exactly is happening here?"

"Let’s go inside and take shelter from the rain before we talk,"

Li Yan and the others did not waste any time on idle chatter, leading their horses into the temple and quickly drying the droplets of water from the luggage and the horses with a cloth.

This Mountain God Temple was quite spacious, but even so, it became somewhat crowded after the merchant team pushed their carts inside, so they had to tie their donkeys outside the temple doors.

"Hee-haw! Hee-haw!"

The donkeys immediately voiced their discontent loudly.

"What is that smell? It stinks!"

Just as the lead merchant was about to continue questioning, one of his subordinates started sniffing the air and then looked up at the roof, suddenly going pale with shock, his eyes bulging as he collapsed onto the ground.

"Demon, a demon!"

Everyone’s hearts jumped, and they all looked up.

The Mountain God Temple was very old, and the beams were high. Several of the supporting pillars were as thick as water buckets, which is why they had lasted until now.

On one of these beams, there lay a lump of something black, seemingly with limbs and a large head, and it was emitting a wisp of green smoke.

"Don’t worry, it’s already dead,"

Li Yan looked up, his brows furrowed slightly as he covered his nose and said, "I’m sorry to trouble everyone, but throw that thing out."

The people in the merchant team looked at each other in bewilderment, but at that moment, who dared to ask more? They clambered up to the rafters with all hands and feet, poking that thing down with a stick.

It thudded to the ground before they could get a clear look.

It turned out to be a huge gecko.

At that moment, its entire body was burnt and emitted an awful smell.

After throwing this thing out of the courtyard, Lv San went outside the temple, pinched a spell, and whistled a few times.

The rats swarmed from all directions, not minding the foul smell, and devoured the gecko until nothing was left.

Among the multitude of rats, there was one with the largest head, its neck actually adorned with a gold chain and a Jade Pendant, of ordinary design and crude workmanship, evidently a folk artifact.

Who knows which grave mound it was dug out from.

But a rat adorned in gold and silver was indeed strange.

After the gecko in the courtyard was devoured to the bone, only a puddle of skeleton remained, which faintly emitted a jade color.

The mouse king with the necklace stood up on its hind legs and looked at Lv San.

At once, Lv San cursed, "We agreed on the rules. Don’t go back on your word, dare to make a wrong move, and the big bald guy inside won’t let you off!"

"Squeak, squeak!"

With a cry from the mouse king, the rats immediately scattered and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a skeleton being washed away in the rain.

"Haha, consider yourself sensible, little fellow!"

Sha Lifei chuckled, donning his raincoat and bamboo hat, grabbed a cloth bag, and rushed into the courtyard to collect the bones.

This unusual scene left the onlookers dumbfounded.

The loquacious peddler from earlier trembled all over, hanging his head low, not daring to look at Li Yan and the others.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do not be afraid."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard with a smile, "We are on a task from the City God Temple. It’s been said that people have been disappearing continuously in the nearby mountains, so we came to check it out on the way."

He appeared with a celestial aura, and his words were kind, immediately easing the merchant team’s apprehension.

"The Daoist has my respects."

The leader of the merchant team swallowed hard, "What kind of monster was that thing? We have passed through here many times, so why have we never seen it before?"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "This gecko must have absorbed the incense from the Mountain God Temple, gained spirituality, and gradually acquired Dao."

"Geckos are originally creatures of good fortune, but with the incense of the Mountain God Temple cut off and occasional blood meals, it naturally becomes a demonic pest."

"You’re fortunate not to have encountered it; those who did wouldn’t have the chance to speak of it. Moreover, after eating a person, it needs to rest for quite some time."

"This creature is a bit troublesome; the key is that it will burrow back into the mountain cracks when it senses danger, surviving by eating mountain rats."

"Furthermore, it knows how to avoid disasters. If you enter the temple, you would have been used as scapegoats for it, struck by Heavenly Thunder without even realizing what happened."

"That’s why we stopped you."

"We thank the Daoist for saving our lives."

Listening to this, everyone was terrified and quickly bowed and thanked him.

"Think nothing of it."

Wang Daoxuan smiled and waved his hand, then stopped talking, taking out a book from his bag and flipping through it on his own.

Subsequently, Sha Lifei came back, murmurering with Lv San, examining the bones, and discussing how to use them.

As for Li Yan, he went to the doorway, gazing at the distant lightning, his chest and abdomen resonating and rumbling as if straining to echo the thunder.

Each was busy with their own tasks, not disturbing one another.

However, their actions appeared very strange to the merchant team. Had it not been for the heavy rain, they would have fled a long way by now.

Seeing the somber atmosphere, the leader of the merchant team took heart and struck up a nearly inquisitive conversation, "Daoist, are you heading to Dangyang County?"

"Hmm."

Wang Daoxuan was quite patient and put down his book with a smile, "There’s a bit of trouble there. We’re going to handle it."

Unexpectedly, this sparked the leader’s interest, "Is it because of the disturbances caused by Emperor Guan?"

No sooner had this been said than Li Yan, who was cultivating the Thunder Sound, turned his head back with a frown and said, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

In Dangyang, besides the tales of Zhang Fei single-handedly holding off a thousand soldiers, and Zhao Zilong’s seven in-and-out expeditions on Changban Slope, there was the famous Guan Ling.

Legend has it that Guan Yunzhang died in this place, and fearing Shu Han’s retaliation, Wu Kingdom sent his head to Cao Cao. They also buried his remains in Dangyang with the honors due to a Duke.

Hence the saying, "His body lies in Dangyang, his head in Luoyang."

Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, Emperors through the generations have conferred titles on him, and Guan Yunzhang’s status has been elevated repeatedly, with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism all showing the utmost respect—he has gone from being known as the Martial Saint to Emperor Guan.

A few years ago, the court even decreed him as: Emperor Guan, the Great Deity of the Three Realms and Mighty Sovereign with the Power to Ward Off Demons.

This is a truly righteous deity of wealth and virtue.

To speak of him causing trouble, what are these people thinking?