The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 422 - 255: The Bizarre Enemy_2

Chapter 422: Chapter 255: The Bizarre Enemy_2

Unexpectedly, they had stirred up such a mess.

Once this matter was revealed, disgrace was inevitable, but with things at this stage, how dare they continue to conceal it.

The Taoist temple of Zhushan Sect was located on the eastern hilltop.

When Li Yan arrived with the troops from the Captain Bureau and Feng Huazi, people from Zhushan Sect had already been alerted and were guarding outside the mountain gate.

Like the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, the main force of Zhushan Sect had been transferred away due to the warfare in the Southwest. Coupled with the previous skirmish against the river monster and the war in Zigui County, only about a dozen disciples were left on the mountain by now.

Their situation was not much better than that of Feng Huazi’s Taoist temple.

The person in the lead was also an elderly Taoist, dressed in greenish-blue Han clothing, wearing a tall crown, and with an ancient-looking face.

Originally, his face was cold, but upon seeing Feng Huazi also coming, he squeezed out a smile and greeted with clasped hands, "Daoist Feng, what a rare guest."

"Greetings to Daoist Lu."

Feng Huazi also returned a smile and greeted, then introduced to Li Yan, "Young Hero Li, this is Lu Faqing, temple master of the Purple Cover Mountain Divine Que."

"Temple Master Lu, this is Li Yan, Young Hero Li."

"Greetings to the elder."

After a round of cordial greetings, the atmosphere was still relatively harmonious.

Li Yan knew that Zhushan Sect had inherited part of the priestly Daoist lineage of the Han Palace and had also integrated the local Chu Witch practices of Ezhou, which was why their temple names also followed the Han style, all being named after some palace or divine que.

With so few left, the sight of an overwhelming number of troops from the Captain Bureau naturally put them on alert.

Feng Huazi, at this point, did not hide anything. He sighed, clasped his hands, and said, "Daoist Lu, a great misfortune has befallen Dangyang City. I have been remiss, allowing a demon to sneak into the temple and cause trouble. I must ask for your help."

"Oh?"

Interest piqued upon hearing this, Lu Faqing asked, "What has happened?"

"Traitors have been seduced by demons..."

Feng Huazi had no choice but to swallow his pride and briefly explained the situation.

Initially looking as if he was enjoying the spectacle, Lu Faqing’s expression gradually turned ugly as he listened.

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He clasped his hands and said in a serious tone, "Elder, the unrest in Dangyang County was caused by the mutual suspicion among the orthodox sects’ Magic Veins, and a demon took advantage of this."

"To be frank, I have just rushed here from Zigui County. That place had already been infiltrated by the Ghost Sect, and were it not for a serendipitous turn of events, a major disaster would have occurred."

"As Zhushan Sect guards the Southwest, and the main altar of Zhushan has been destroyed, with Ghost Sect rampaging in Zigui County and demons rampant here, how could we stand by and watch?"

"Should an incident arise, I fear it is you who would suffer the most losses!"

"My words may seem unpleasant, but I hope you understand."

Li Yan’s meaning was clear: with troubles arising in various places, Zhushan Sect could not evade its responsibility, and the court was keeping a watchful eye. It’s possible that after the war, Zhushan Sect would be reduced to insignificance.

The look in Lu Faqing’s eyes fluctuated uncertainly. Eventually, he let out a sigh, gritted his teeth, and raised his hand to say, "Please, let’s discuss this inside."

Li Yan strode into the temple and saw that it was constructed in the style of the Han Palace—different from the traditional central axis layout. They had set up a huge sacrificial altar in the center, constructed of clay, bamboo, and timber, divided into three levels.

And around it were built all other palaces and que.

This was the renowned "Sacrificial Altar of the Heavenly God." It was recorded in "Han Shu - Rites and Music Annals" that "the Han Zhu Palace used purple clay for the altar, as if Heavenly God descended amidst Flowing Fire."

This meant that during the worship of the gods, flames would rise, revealing the illusory shadows of divine beings, hence the phrase "as if Heavenly God descended amidst Flowing Fire."

Of course, this was an effect that could only be seen during sacrifices by the Han dynasty’s palace, far beyond what Zhushan Sect could currently summon with their incense power.

Li Yan took a special look.

Indeed, this magic platform also carried restrictions to suppress Divine Skills.

They entered a side hall where Lu Faqing did not even care to serve tea, his face somewhat bitter, "To be honest, last year in our Purple Cover Mountain Divine Que, several disciples passed away from illness; we thought it was an epidemic and conducted a ritual."

"Now with all the experts of our sect dispatched to Zigui to duel the witches and wizards of Tusi City in Miaojiang, it’s difficult to even protect ourselves."

"The Sect Leader once sent a message instructing us to secure the altar, stay indoors, and avoid inviting trouble. That is why we dared not act rashly."

Hearing this, Li Yan was not surprised.

No matter how esteemed the orthodox sects and Magic Veins were in the pugilistic world, they were not Jianghu Sects—after all, very few had the qualifications to practice spells.

Even fewer could become experts.

Due to his identity and the missions from the City God Temple, he had encountered quite a few, but spread across various places, they were extremely scarce.

Hence, in every ten or eight villages, if there were a powerful witch or wizard, they were renowned and frequently sought after for help.

Zhushan Sect was, after all, only a local Magic Vein. From top to bottom, the number of disciples who had stepped onto the path of cultivation was at most around three hundred.

When war broke out, manpower was naturally stretched thin.

Thinking of this, Li Yan quickly said, "It’s never too late for the lost sheep to mend its ways. Elder, please check whether the graves of those people are empty."

"Please wait a moment."

Lu Faqing nodded and immediately left with his men.

In less than half an hour, he returned, his face unusually grim, grinding his teeth, "They’re all empty."

"I’ve asked as well; those people, before succumbing to the disease, all acted abnormally, and some even spoke to the air."

In his eyes was a mix of confusion and incomprehension, "My Purple Cover Mountain is protected by a revered god and magical prohibitions. Who could secretly use evil techniques without triggering the prohibitions?"

"I too am puzzled by this."

Feng Huazi shook his head, "Whether it be possession, projection of a yin soul, or entering dreams, none could evade the gods and magical arrays."

"Could it really be the mischief of an Earth Immortal..."

As he reached this point, a hint of fear had already crept into his eyes.

The matter was indeed too strange.

Especially considering the reappearances of "Mrs. Fan" and "Liu Gang," their return to life, and the schemes spanning over a thousand years, which were enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

Lu Faqing also felt a chill on his scalp, "If that’s really the case, I fear we’re not capable of handling it. We can only ask those from Wudang Mountain to intervene."

Li Yan knew they were referring to the Ascenders.

To be honest, he was scared too; after all, these were the mysterious Earth Immortals. But recalling everything that happened upon entering Dangyang County, his eyes filled with doubt again, "Maybe it’s not the Earth Immortals."

"The people from the Heavenly Saint Sect, on one hand, conjure the Headless Knight to disturb the public; on the other, they breach into the ’Earth Immortal Cave’ and even stole something."

"If there really were Earth Immortals, they wouldn’t dare create such chaos. They must have uncovered some truths."

"What’s more, the power atop Purple Cover Mountain is weak. If it were really the work of an Earth Immortal, would there be a need for such elaborate machinations?"

"They must have employed other methods!"

"Elder, please lift the prohibitions and conduct a thorough search!"

"Very well."

At this point, Lu Faqing could not afford to be careless.

He led some disciples up the Sacrificial Altar and began arranging the magic platform. After some manipulation, wild winds howled around them.

Li Yan’s Divine Skills were no longer suppressed; the rich Power of Incense and Innate Astral Qi immediately made breathing feel stuffy.

Especially the main hall, where a stream of Divine Astral surged into the sky like a raging sun, causing his nostrils to burn with pain.

The main deity worshipped by the Zhushan Sect was the Chu Territory’s Supreme One.

Not just him, the disciples of Zhushan Sect, along with Feng Huazi and Lu Faqing, also utilized their Divine Skills to search.

Feng Huazi’s Divine Skill resembled X-ray vision, able to penetrate wood and stone to see what lay inside.

That’s how he was able to detect something amiss with the Divine Statues and the tomb earlier.

He formed a spell with his hands, his eyes gleaming brightly as he scanned around. When he arrived in front of a chamber, his expression subtly changed.

"Quick, there’s a corpse under here!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Faqing rushed over and without a second word, ordered his disciples to pry up the floorboards and dig three feet into the ground.

Sure enough, a decayed corpse appeared before everyone, too decomposed to make out any features.

"It’s Brother Wang!"

One of the disciples picked up a waist token from the corpse, turning pale, "Brother Wang was still talking with us yesterday, could he have been... impersonated by a demon?"

Lu Faqing’s face darkened, "Where is Wang Facheng?"

"Reporting to the temple master,"

A disciple bowed and said, "Brother Wang mentioned that he was returning home to visit his family, and left yesterday."

The members of the Zhushan Sect looked at one another, feeling a creeping horror within.

The methods of this demon were unfathomably eerie.

Meanwhile, Feng Huazi was intently staring at the corpse, his expression growing more serious as he unsheathed his sword with a clang.

Thwack!

He directly cleaved open the corpse’s head.

The sight made everyone gasp in shock.

The corpse might have been decayed, but its brain was still intact, except it had turned black and was growing dense yellow hairs...

Feng Huazi went pale, "Devil Body Immortality Technique!"