The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 410 - 249 Wavy Clouds and Deceptive Tricks_2

Chapter 410: Chapter 249 Wavy Clouds and Deceptive Tricks_2

Wang Daoxuan nodded, "It seems our guess was not wrong; these two parties are not on the same page, and they are still fighting in the shadows."

Li Yan said gravely, "Senior, do you know their origins?"

The rice witch, Guo Wang’s wife, sighed, "The origins of that tiger demon are unclear, but it has many fierce ghosts under its command, and its nature is somewhat brutal. It seems to have been guarding outside Guan Ling for decades."

"Usually, it’s devoted to cultivation and doesn’t cause trouble. Who knows what it’s plotting..."

"As for the other group of people, this old lady does have a guess. The magicians with varying magic methods are all sly and vicious. Perhaps they are related to the demon people hiding in the Jing Chu mountain forts."

"These people are wanted by the orthodox sects, have caused trouble in the mountains, and this old lady has encountered them a few times before. Now, taking advantage of the chaos of war, with the orthodox sects preoccupied, they are making large moves, certainly with considerable plots in mind."

Li Yan was somewhat puzzled, "Although Dangyang is a small county, it is a strategic choke point. Could it be that the people in Jing Chu’s mountains want to break through here? But why would they stir up such a commotion?"

"This old lady has a guess."

The rice witch’s voice was hoarse as she spoke, "Have you heard the story of the Overturned Well on Mount Zi Gai?"

Wang Daoxuan became interested, "Please, Daoist, share with us."

The rice witch, Guo Wang’s wife, sighed, "The cave of Mount Zi Gai is a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. Though not widely known, it’s by no means insignificant."

"The mountain gets its name because its peak droops down on all sides like an umbrella canopy, and the trees and rocks are purplish black. Climbing the mountain, one can see a sea of purple clouds. Hence the name, Mount Zi Gai."

"In the late Eastern Han, Ge Xianweng once practiced alchemy on this mountain, cured diseases and saved people. It’s said that when he made an elixir, he fed it to a rooster to test its effects, but the rooster died..."

"In a fit of anger, Ge Xianweng threw the pill furnace into the well. But then the rooster transformed into a phoenix and flew away. Delighted, the immortal used his divine skills to flip the well upside down, pour out the pill furnace, and successfully completed the alchemy."

"Since then, the Overturned Well became a sight on Mount Zi Gai, with clear water that doesn’t rise with the rain nor falls in drought, and above the mouth of the well, clouds of mist would often steam up."

"There are rumors within the Mystical Sect that this well is no small matter, being the number one spiritual acupoint of Mount Zi Gai and supposedly containing Ge Xianweng’s Immortal Pills. However, nobody has ever discovered them."

"Later, who knows where rumors started spreading again. They say the Overturned Well suppresses a powerful demon, that Yuquan Temple on Mount Yuquan and Guan Ling together with Mount Zi Gai form a massive formation, trapping the demon."

"Now, with a tiger demon hiding in the mountain and demon people from Jing Chu causing trouble, and with continuous lightning strikes in Guan Ling, could it be that this group of people intend to activate the formation?"

Everyone looked at each other after hearing this.

It was unexpected that such rumors hid within the small Dangyang County.

To ordinary people, these tales were nothing but myths to laugh off. But they were all members of the Mystical Sect and knew some truths.

Sometimes the truth is exaggerated into stories, stories pass from mouth to mouth, and once again, they are embellished into myths.

Between myth and reality, there’s always a thread of connection.

Li Yan said with a heavy voice, "Let’s not talk about Guan Ling, which is one of the top three City God Temples in Divine State, surely guarded."

"Yuquan Temple, I heard, is the ancestor court of the Buddhist Tao, and there are many magic veins on top of Mount Zi Gai. Don’t they know about this?"

The old rice witch chuckled bitterly, "That’s unclear. Although the war is pressing, they only sent a few novices to handle it, but I’m afraid there’s more mystery involved."

"My advice to you all is to not meddle any further. Be careful not to invite disaster."

Her words were veiled, but everyone instantly understood.

Although Dangyang County was small, it had three holy sites, involving the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, Buddhist Tao, and several local magic veins.

For example, the Zhushan Sect had built an incense hall on the mountain.

Such a commotion had been caused, yet all were playing dumb, and the underlying reason must not be so simple.

The rice witch was old and had just returned to her senses, feeling rather exhausted. After sharing all this, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Li Yan and the others returned to their room.

They looked at each other in silence.

Sha Lifei cursed outright, "Damn it, with demons running amok in Dangyang County, each and every one of them is turning a blind eye, surely involving fights within the Mystical Sect."

"Brother Yan, let’s not get involved in this mess!"

"No,"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "First, we’ve promised Gu Hanzi and the Guan Family line, and we must finish what we started. Second, with demons wreaking havoc, harming the people, and tarnishing the reputation of the Emperor Guan, that’s the issue."

"So many things are like this, if everyone plays dumb, it will only let the demon people succeed. We ought to investigate thoroughly and report this matter to the City God Temple."

Li Yan also nodded in agreement, "Since we’ve made a promise, we must keep it."

"Alas, alright."

Sha Lifei seemed somewhat helpless, "This affair must have a proper procedure. We don’t want to be taken advantage of without actually resolving anything."

Li Yan seemed thoughtful and said coldly, "The enemy is in the dark, we are in the light. Those who know the inside story are pretending to be deaf and dumb. Do you know why?"

Wang Daoxuan smiled, "They have a guilty conscience!"

"Exactly!"

Li Yan spoke in a deep voice, "With a guilty conscience, one naturally acts in a secretive and furtive manner, creating many mists of confusion."

"No matter who it is, taking advantage of the chaos in the Southwest, they will certainly have their reservations. Let’s just do things openly and honorably. Whether it’s the Buddhist or Taoist Magic Veins, if they don’t want to incur punishment from above, they can only cooperate."

"Tomorrow we will go to Guan Ling, then visit Yuquan Temple, and finally ascend to Mount Ziga, to see who is causing trouble."

"Have all the gear prepared, and if anyone gets desperate, then we need not hold back!"

"Agreed."

With the plan set, the group hesitated no longer. They first went to inform Old Master Guan that the person had been rescued, then got the Magic Artifacts ready, went to bed to rest, and gathered their energy.

...

"Gentlemen, there has been an incident!"

As dawn broke, Old Master Guan, his face flushed with anger, found the group and scolded them as if they were wastes, "That Wu Laosi, blinded by greed, left his family in the middle of the night and ran off with the Silver."

"I sent people to search on the roads, and only found the dropped Silver, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. The roads are muddy with footprints still on them, it looks like he went into the mountains."

Wang Daoxuan was speechless, then shook his head, "If it’s the Blood Ghost, I fear he’s already dead by now."

Li Yan thought for a moment, "Let’s go and take a look."

The group packed up their gear and followed Old Master Guan outside the village.

At this moment, the sky was still gloomy, the clouds dark as ink. Although it hadn’t started raining, the road was muddy with clear footprints.

"He was misled by the Blood Ghost."

Wang Daoxuan examined the prints and pointed to the tracks on the ground, "Look at these footprints, they’re circling in place, which means he encountered a Ghost Wall, and at the end, only the tips of the feet are seen walking, he has clearly been possessed by a fierce ghost."

Li Yan followed the footprints with his gaze.

Seeing that the half footprints led straight to the nearby woods, he asked, "Has anyone been sent to search?"

Old Master Guan’s face turned red with embarrassment, "This... no one dared to go."

"Old Master did the right thing!"

Li Yan nodded and looked at Lv San.

Lv San immediately understood, waved his hand, and a hawk soared into the sky, hovering above the nearby woods.

Before long, they made a discovery, swooping up and down.

"Over there, not far off."

Lv San pointed his hand towards the northwest corner of the woods.

Without another word, the group immediately entered the forest.

They hadn’t even drawn close when Li Yan’s face darkened and he sneered, "It seems that last night, more than one party came to find us."

Old Master Guan and his clansmen did not understand what he meant, but after walking for a while, they immediately grasped what Li Yan was saying.

They saw in an old grove that branches were densely lined with about a dozen people hanging, all of pale complexion, eyes bulging, tongues stretched out long.

Even more sinister was that on their faces and skin, there were black and blue handprints all over.

Wu Laosi was among them.

The rest were all black-clothed men holding sharp blades.

"What... what’s going on here?"

Old Master Guan felt a chill in his heart.

Li Yan, deep in thought, suddenly leapt up, using the tree trunks to gain momentum, and soared into the air, cutting a few ropes with his knife.

Thud, thud!

Several bodies fell one after another.

Li Yan ripped open the chest of one of them.

On their chest, there was the distinct pattern of a Qiongqi beast.

"So it’s the Heavenly Saint Sect that is causing this trouble!"

Old Master Guan understood at a glance, his teeth clenched angrily.

Whereas Li Yan and the others exchanged glances, their expressions grave.

Their initial conjectures were somewhat conservative.

The ones lurking in the shadows were not only the tiger demon.

There might also be an old ghost from the tomb!

What secrets were hidden in Dangyang County...