Chapter 134: Zhou Qian Attacks

Zhang Jun felt as if he'd been punched in the chest, his qi and blood surging, the arms infused with internal force going numb for a moment.

Lin Xue's body also swayed, her face grew paler, and even the corners of her mouth showed red.

"No good, it's sucking in the surrounding yin qi!" Zhang Jun clenched his teeth.

"This thing is too troublesome; if we keep draining it, Liu San Ye will really be done for!"

Suddenly, the jade pendant from Pan Family Garden flashed in his mind—the yin qi on it was of the same sort as Zhou Qian's, but… perhaps purer?

Zhang Jun immediately made a decision, forming a strange hand seal with his left hand, diverting a bit of focus to draw out the yin qi he'd taken from the pendant, which was wrapped in his pure yang qi.

A swirl of pure yang true fire rapidly refined it, burning away the messy contents and leaving only a pinch of the most essential starter, retaining its original flavor.

"Lin Xue, freeze it!" Zhang Jun shouted.

Lin Xue held nothing back, pushing her profound yin internal force to the limit; the cold surged like a released flood, slamming into the black shield. The shield's surface cracked a few times, instantly freezing over with a thick layer of ice, temporarily sealing it.

Now!

Zhang Jun flicked his finger; that pinch of refined yin qi starter, like a drop of ink, shot straight into Liu San Ye's dantian, striking the ice‑capped black shield squarely!

When the two similar‑flavored qi met, the black shield's woven force instantly fell into disorder!

"Pfft!"

Like a soap bubble bursting, that hard black shield shattered apart!

The heat of the fire needle and the cold of profound yin, now unobstructed, surged straight in, thoroughly scrambling the root of that evil art!

Great billows of black smoke erupted wildly from Liu San Ye's body, twisting and struggling in midair, finally letting out an unwilling shriek before dissipating completely.

The foul, chilly yin stench in the room quickly receded.

The black lines crawling over Liu San Ye's body vanished, the frightening bluish‑black on his face visibly fading to a healthy hue. Though still weak, his breathing became much smoother, long and steady.

Zhang Jun withdrew his needle, Lin Xue lowered her hand. Both were exhausted to the point of gasping, their faces slightly pale.

Hu Lao rushed over, his words tumbling out: "Th… thank you, Divine Doctor Zhang! Thank you, Miss Lin!"

As he spoke, Liu San Ye's eyelids twitched on the bed, then slowly opened.

His gaze was still a little unfocused, but he was conscious. Seeing Zhang Jun and Lin Xue, he moved his lips, his voice very weak: "It's you… you saved me…"

"Master Liu, how do you feel?" Zhang Jun asked, bending over.

"Much better…… just…… my mind's in a mess……" Liu San Ye strained to think, "I can't recall…… I only remember…… a huge black vat…… someone beside it…… voice…… very cold……"

The clues were fragmentary, but "black vat" and "cold voice" at once sounded ominous—most likely tied to some nefarious ritual.

He had just finished speaking!

"Bang!"

The bedroom door was kicked open from outside!

Zhou Qian's face was dark enough to wring water from, and he stormed in with two lackeys, their yin qi heavier than before.

He instantly saw Liu San Ye awake on the bed, plus Zhang Jun and Lin Xue nearby, obviously exhausted from exertion, and a flare of fire rose in his eyes.

"Well, well, it's you two again!" Zhou Qian's voice sounded like poison‑iced icicle, "Medling in others' affairs, ruining my plans!"

Zhang Jun stood straight, blocking the bed, coldly staring at him: "Zhou Qian, Liu San Ye has no grudge against you—why resort to such vicious means? Corpse puppets, defying heaven and harming reason—aren't you Zhou lot afraid of karmic retribution?"

"Retribution?" Zhou Qian snorted as if hearing the funniest joke, his facial muscles twitching, "When the Zhou family acts, does a green‑horn like you get to point fingers? That old dog Liu San, if he helps our Zhou family's great cause, that's his blessing!"

He was stubborn, refusing to admit he'd done it, instead turning the tables: "It's you lot, again and again opposing me—do you really think the Zhou family are pushovers?"

He leaned forward, killing intent blazing, looking as if he wanted to strike right away.

Zhang Jun's pure yang qi surged again; though tired, his stance didn't waver.

Lin Xue stepped forward, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Zhang Jun; her chill burst forth, the room temperature plummeting, the air nearly freezing.

The opposing cold and hot mighty auras intertwined like an invisible net, tightly enveloping Zhou Qian.

That pressure was real; Zhou Qian's two lackeys instinctively retreated half a step, breathing hard.

Zhou Qian's movements froze. He sensed that these two working together were stronger than when they'd met at Pan Family Garden; if they really fought, he wouldn't gain an advantage and might even suffer a defeat.

He stared hard at Zhang Jun and Lin Xue for a few seconds, then finally suppressed the urge to attack, squeezing out a grim smile: "Fine, you've got guts. I'll remember this score. We'll see how it goes!"

Having said that, he and his two lackeys left the same way they'd come, wrapped in a gust of yin wind, slinking away.

The room fell quiet, but the malice and threat in the air hadn't dispersed.

Zhou Qian's appearance sealed this grudge once and for all.

Lin Xue watched the direction Zhou Qian vanished, her brow faintly twitching. The yin‑evil aura of Zhou Qian and his lackeys had stirred those chaotic fragments in her mind again.

An icy altar…… twisted writhing symbols…… struggling shadows…… a dagger……

This time, a clearer image emerged——

Bright red blood, staining the grooves of the altar and flowing toward the center……

And…… the face of the one made into an offering…… desperate……

Lin Xue's body gave an almost imperceptible tremor; her icy fingertips dug deep into her own palm.

Just then——

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

It sounded again! Still coming from the underground passage entrance! Deep, urgent, each hit harder than the last! This time the noise was fiercer and deeper than before—like some huge beast battering the stone gate with all its might!

Following the impact came a crushing pressure so great it stole one's breath, pouring in like a tide from the passage mouth! That force was cold and overbearing, carrying an indescribable majesty—utterly unlike Zhou Qian's foul yin qi.

The newcomer's strength is off the charts! And they've already spotted us!

"Go!" Zhang Jun didn't think, grabbed the still‑dazed Lin Xue, turned and bolted toward the outside of the stone gate.

Just as they rushed out, the stone gate behind them began to close slowly under its mechanism. But the pounding outside didn't stop—it grew wilder! That heavy stone door looked like it wouldn't hold much longer.

The two sprinted up the stone steps with all their might, that mighty aura clinging to them like a bone‑deep maggot.

Bursting out of the underground passage back to ground level, Zhang Jun fumbled to push the stone slab back into place.

Almost at the same moment, Lin Xue suddenly halted, her body stiff as ice, her face drained of all color.

Her mind is a mess.

Just now, in the altar's illusion, that gray‑robed figure chanting...

It overlaps with the old man I saw sweeping the courtyard slowly during the day!