The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 538 - 308 Demon God Ran Tong_2

Chapter 538: Chapter 308 Demon God Ran Tong_2

Li Yan hurriedly formed a hand sign and took a deep breath. He then looked in all directions and urgently said to Cheng Yuan, who had chased after him,

"Quick, have someone close the city gates, and conduct a thorough search!"

"Brother Lv, dispatch all the animal scouts!"

"We’ve all been deceived..."

In less than half an hour, the city gates of Wuchang roared closed. Faced with soldiers ferocious as wolves and tigers, the people, though dissatisfied, did not dare to ask questions and could only inquire privately.

Meanwhile, outside the city gates in a nearby forest, a scholar quietly watched everything unfold. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth revealed a smile, his eyes whites flashed, and he turned to slip into the dense forest, vanishing without a trace...

...

Inside the Great Hall of the Baotong Zen Temple,

"Everyone has been deceived, including the demoness Lady Liu..."

"She believed that her practice of spells had improved, but in reality, she was possessed by a strand of Demonic Qi which allowed her to control so many Cat Ghosts..."

"She thought she could escape, but it was the influence of that Demonic Qi that made her release the Cat Ghosts to divert our attention; that Demonic Qi had already left using the body of one of the onlookers..."

"I initially thought that the disaster here was orchestrated by Zhao Changsheng using Lady Liu, but in fact, it had always been the Demon God manipulating from the shadows..."

Several high-ranking monks were all present at Baotong Zen Temple.

Hearing Li Yan’s account, their eyes were also filled with shock.

Even Li Yan himself felt a chill run down his spine.

Thinking carefully, from the moment they found Lady Liu, the adversary had already planned an escape method, like a gecko shedding its tail. Lady Liu’s lively escape was merely that wriggling severed tail.

Had it not been for Lv San’s Secret Technique, Lady Liu might have died from the Cat Ghosts’ backlash immediately after the Demonic Qi had departed, which would also have diverted their attention.

Abbot Mingzhu frowned deeply, "Could this demon be so cunning?"

To be honest, what Li Yan said was so unbelievable that he even had a hard time trusting it.

"More cunning than imagined!"

Li Yan shook his head solemnly, "Thinking about it now, although the adversary could have used other methods to silence the victim, they deliberately chose to use the Cat Ghost Evil Skill to kill Wu Jiucheng to focus our attention on the brothel."

"Had it not been for Brother Lv San’s Secret Technique, who would have thought that Lady Liu and the Demonic Qi could be hiding in such a filthy place?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, Lady Liu hiding in the city must be ready to collaborate from the inside to accomplish something significant, to ruin the Fengshui layout."

Cheng Jue, who had just walked into the Great Hall, also put his hands together and said, "Report to the Abbot, Young Hero Li’s guess is correct."

"According to the confessions of those scum from the pugilistic world, Lady Liu has three Miao people under her command, all of whom were dressed as hunters and likely disciples of Mei Mountain Taoist Sect. They left secretly yesterday, and it’s unknown what they are planning to do."

"Furthermore, a cargo ship from Xiangyang has delivered a large quantity of gunpowder, and they are responsible for transporting it into the mountains. There are people there to receive it, but it’s unclear where they have taken it..."

One of the elderly monks shook his head slightly upon hearing this and said, "Demons are cunning, often deceiving the common folk, inverting Yin and Yang, but their paths are biased and they too have weaknesses."

"Does Benefactor Li know this?"

Li Yan nodded, "This Demon God Ran Tong excels at controlling ghosts, but his weakness is also clear. He needs to inhabit a host body to cause trouble and cannot appear under the brilliant sun; he must hide underground at daylight."

"He’s fled hastily this time, and we’ve obtained the Divine Statue. The Taoist Sect has the Demon-Suppressing Jiao Altar; does the Buddhist Sect have a similar Magic Method?"

The ravages of the Demon Path are extensive, but the Proper Xuan Sect has methods to suppress it, including various large-scale Demon Suppressing Ceremonies prepared for this.

As with the monster that emerged from the Three Gorges, even if it hid at the bottom of the river, the Zhushan Sect could use rituals to suppress and kill it.

These types of Magic Methods usually involve a medium.

And that Divine Statue, often possessed by Demonic Qi, was the adversary’s weakness.

The elderly monk nodded, "The Buddhist Sect has its own ways of suppression here. Mingzhu, the water demon suppressed under the Shadowless Tower at Xingfu Temple has been exterminated, leaving it empty. I will personally oversee the ritual to suppress this demon."

"Benefactor Li, since the demon has escaped from the Yin Bureau, I’m afraid that your assistance will be needed when the time comes."

Li Yan quickly bowed in gratitude, "Many thanks to Grandmaster Tong Xuan."

He spoke out not only to expose the schemes of the Ghost Sect but also to borrow the power of the Buddhist Sect.

After all, capturing the Demonic Qi would be difficult with his strength alone, even if he could summon a Divine General, he needed to find where the Demonic Qi was.

With the situation so urgent, the people of Baotong Zen Temple naturally didn’t dare to delay, and soon a large number of monks left the temple wielding various Magic Artifacts...

...

Xingfu Temple was located at the eastern foot of Hongshan.

Baotong Zen Temple was also on Hongshan, just to the south. Hence, it took the group less than half an hour before they saw a temple hidden among the mountains.

Li Yan had heard Wang Daoxuan say that both Taoist temples and Buddhist temples pay close attention to Fengshui when they are constructed, but each has its own differences.

The sites chosen for Taoist temples always conform to the pattern of the "Four Spirit Beasts," yet sometimes they transcend Fengshui, seeking Famous Mountains and great rivers to hide deities within, thus creating what’s known as Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

In Divine State, the three teachings coexisted, and Buddhism had absorbed similar characteristics. Aside from the Four Spirit Beasts, they also used names of Buddhist deities like Vajrapani Bodhisattvas and Wrathful Kings.

The temple in front of them did the same, nestled between the trees, lush and verdant. If one changed the viewing angle, only the tip of a pagoda could be seen poking through the trees.

While walking, Cheng Yuan started to explain, "This Xingfu Temple was initially built in the first year of the Renshou era of Emperor Wen of Sui; it was later destroyed by war and rebuilt during the Southern Song dynasty."

"In the past years, a water demon caused trouble in the Yangtze River, stirring winds and waves. After it was suppressed and killed, its soul remained restless and thus was confined below the pagoda."

The leading old monk, named Tong Xuan, emitted no scent that Li Yan could detect. Having stepped into Dan Strength, he was an expert and also proficient in Buddhist teachings, constituting one of the foundations of Baotong Zen Temple.

Hearing this, he shook his head slightly, "This pagoda was built during the Southern Song dynasty to combat the Ghost Sect and their demonic forces, another cycle of karma."

Outside Xingfu Temple, monks in charge had already received the message and came out to welcome the group after opening the gates.

Without wasting any words, the monks entered the temple directly and arrived in front of a towering pagoda.

This four-tiered pagoda was built entirely of stone blocks in an octagonal plan. The structure of the pagoda stood on a Sumeru base and an upturned lotus seat, with wooden eaves and brackets hanging bells.

Above on the pagoda body, carvings of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Heavenly Kings, and Powerful Warriors could be seen, looking very exquisite.

Li Yan had heard of this "Shadowless Tower" as well. Rumor had it that on the summer solstice each year, the pagoda would cast no shadow, hence it was considered one of the sights in Wuchang.

Little did he realize, it also served to suppress evil spirits.

Below the pagoda was a well, with the sound of gushing water inside. Next to it stood a stone stele that read, "The pagoda was built to pacify the waters."

Seeing Li Yan’s curiosity, Cheng Yuan explained, "Beneath this well lies an underwater current directly connected to the Yangtze River. Any water demon that wreaks havoc in the river can be suppressed through a ritual right here."

Li Yan praised upon hearing this, "Impressive tactics!"

He could smell the rich fragrance of Sandalwood Incense from this precious pagoda, which had merged with the surrounding innate intense Sha Qi of the earth, making it one of the focal objects of Wuchang.

Indeed, it was no ordinary feat for the Zen Han to establish a foothold here.

Of course, the Buddhist disciples did not idle either, rapidly arranging the altar around the pagoda.

At the same time, several monks lifted the scroll covering the entrance of the pagoda and brought out a treasure box that resembled a magic artifact.

Inside the box lay a set of desiccated bones, shaped like a serpent-fish yet complete with a pair of human hand bones with fully-intact fingers, an odd sight to behold.

The bones had already decayed, and the last traces of Yin Evil Qi dissipated instantly after being taken out of the pagoda.

Soon after, the monks wrapped the Divine Statue of the Demon God Ran Tong in Scripture Banners, nailed the Demon-Subduing Pestles around it, and carried it into the pagoda.

Boom boom boom!

As the stone doors of the pagoda shut, the monks began to chant scriptures and beat the wooden fish under the direction of Master Tong Xuan.

By then, night had already fallen.

The rhythmic beat of the wooden fish accompanied by the swirl of incense, and the chanting of scriptures resonated within the temple, as if drifting up into the sky.

Li Yan also sat cross-legged, holding the Hook Paper tightly in his hand.

Just waiting for that thread of demonic Qi to be hooked in, he could immediately summon the Divine Generals of the Yin Bureau...

...

Outside Wuchang City, deep within the forest.

The three brothers of the Mei Mountain moved swiftly through the dense woods.

The events that had transpired in the city were no secret, and urgency filled their eyes as they converged at the location Lady Liu had mentioned beforehand.

To be honest, they also held onto a sliver of hope.

Arriving outside a decrepit temple in the woods, the three men suddenly brightened.

Bathed in the moonlight stood a scholar, pale as death, with Yin Evil Qi forming into black mist around him, baring fangs and claws...