Chapter 333: Yin Masters Grapple

Behind Pangzi stood more than ten figures in red Daoist robes. Although they looked no different from ordinary people, I knew they were Yin Masters like Fan Tiansheng. Only Fan Tiansheng's group were Yin Masters of my Yinshan Sect, while the Yin Masters behind Pangzi belonged to the Huaguang Sect.

Those summoned by Pangzi were undoubtedly my helpers, no need to ask. Yet what frightened me was this group of helpers, for they were Yin Masters of the Huaguang Sect.

The Yinshan Sect emphasizes yang, the Huaguang Sect emphasizes yin; their magical arts and supernatural powers are innately mutually restrictive. Before the 1970s, the two sects often clashed, Huaguang Daoists and Yinshan Daoists were like fire and water, meeting meant a fight to the death. Who would have known whether the Yin Masters Pangzi brought and the ones I invited were enemies or friends.

No need for me to guess; in the next minute, the Yin Masters of both sects gave me an answer with their actions.

"Fan Tiansheng, you son of a bitch!"

"Zhong Renhai, do you still remember Tang Fei of the Yinshan Sect?"

After exchanging a round of insults, in less than a minute the Great Harmony Hall became a battlefield again. Only the opposing sides had switched: from a battle between the Dragon Phoenix Hall and the Yinshan Sect, it turned into a melee between the Huaguang and Yinshan Sects.

Seeing the Yin Masters of both sects start fighting, Pangzi froze on the spot, at a loss. As a gust of Yin wind swept toward him, I quickly grabbed him and dragged him under a table to escape the chaotic battlefield.

"Holy shit, Hai Sheng, what the hell is going on?" Pangzi stared at the melee in the field and asked me in astonishment.

I glared at him angrily and said, "You still have the nerve to say that? Don't you know the Yinshan Sect and your Huaguang Sect have been mortal enemies, just like Maoshan and Lushan?"

Pangzi scratched his head, puzzled: "I didn't even know you'd summoned Yin Masters. I originally wanted to settle this trouble for you in advance, give that damned Fox Immortal a lesson so he wouldn't dare look down on your Yinshan Sect."

Pangzi muttered to himself, his tone tinged with a hint of self‑pity.

"Settle it for me ahead of time, so I don't have to go through all this trouble?"

That offhand mutter of Pangzi's stirred up a mix of emotions in my heart, and the words tugged at my heartstrings again.

Looking at his chubby face, I suddenly felt moved and wanted to cry. If I hadn't invited the Yin Masters today, it would have been Pangzi who came. If the Yin Masters Pangzi summoned could defeat the Spirit‑Inviting Hall, that would be good; if they couldn't, Pangzi's fate…

I dare not think further; I want to cry, yet my heart also feels genuine happiness for having such a brother.

"Damn it, don't just stand there—tell me what to do now!" Pangzi shoved me hard, pulling me out of my daze.

Having come to my senses, I shook my head and hid that sentimental feeling. Some things are best remembered; some favors must never be forgotten. But there's no need to speak them aloud—doing so only makes one appear affected.

I forced a wry smile and said, "What can we do? Just mix it cold—wait till they finish fighting, then we'll talk."

"That makes sense. First, see how things go. If your Yinshan Sect's Yin Masters win, remember to protect me. If the Huaguang Sect's ancestral master wins, I'll drag you out and give you a beating just for show, to put on a performance for them." Pangzi's bulky frame shrank further under the table.

"I… why would I protect you if Yinshan wins, but you'd beat me if Huaguang wins?"

In fact, Pangzi is just that kind of person—sometimes moving, sometimes making you want to beat him up. Besides those two feelings, there's also a sort of bewilderment at his illogical behavior… for example,

"Hey, want an egg? Here's one." At that moment, Pangzi pulled an egg from a small packet and handed it to me.

"This… this isn't right!"

"If you don't want it, I'll eat it." Having said that, Pangzi shoved the egg into his mouth, finished it, then pulled out a bun and siu mai, wolfing them down while mumbling indistinguishably, "Delicious, delicious."

Finally, I couldn't hold back either—having gone two days without food, my reason couldn't withstand the protest of my five viscera, so I simply grabbed a bun and stuffed it into my mouth.

While the patriarchs of the two sects fought to the death in the main hall, their disciples hid under the table, sneaking bites of buns—looking rather heartless. Anyway, it doesn't matter; this big bunch of 'old fogeys' won't listen to our advice, and they'll naturally stop once they're tired from fighting.

As I wolfed down the bun, a sudden bad premonition flickered through my heart. Then the surrounding air seemed to solidify instantly, even the wind fell silent, making it hard to catch my breath.

"Not good… Pangzi, quickly tell your Huaguang Sect's Yin Masters to leave, hurry!" I anxiously grabbed Pangzi and shouted, "Hurry up, or it'll be too late!"

"What's the fuss? Your Yinshan Sect's Yin Masters are formidable, and our Huaguang Sect's aren't pushovers either—let them fight." Pangzi took a big bite of the bun, still unaware that disaster was imminent.

"Hurry… if you don't go now, you won't make it." I frantically tugged at him, trying to pull him out.

But I was ultimately a step too late. In the span of a single breath, a chant echoed in the hall—azure, crimson, yellow, white, green, the Five Direction Five Ghosts—lifting a bronze coffin, which appeared in the middle of the hall.

After the bronze coffin appeared, the hall fell silent to the point where a pin drop could be heard; the fighting Yin Masters all stopped. It wasn't that they didn't want to move, but nobody could. The air seemed to condense into a thousand‑jin weight, pressing on every body—moving a finger was impossible, even breathing felt difficult.

This overwhelming pressure was obviously from the Bronze Coffin Patriarch, and only he could possess such an aura. The moment the air solidified, I realized it was him, yet I never expected him to arrive so swiftly—so fast that I couldn't even have Pangzi take the Huaguang Sect's Yin Masters away.

"Damn it…" Although I couldn't move, I was now extremely anxious. Even though the Huaguang and Yinshan Sects had long‑standing grudges, these were the Yin Masters my brothers had summoned to help me; no matter what, I couldn't let them come to harm. Moreover, my brother is from the Huaguang Sect—if the Bronze Coffin Patriarch blames them, the innocent will suffer, and even my brother might be killed. What then?

I could not sit and wait for death; instantly I bit the tip of my tongue, letting the pain stimulate my brain nerves to shake off this oppression.

I barely managed to struggle out from under the table.

"Bronze Coffin Patriarch, please show mercy and spare them—these Huaguang Sect Yin Masters were invited by my brothers to help me, acting purely out of goodwill. I beg you to let them go, do not make things difficult for them." I knelt before the Bronze Coffin Patriarch and pleaded earnestly.

After I spoke those words, the air fell silent again; nobody dared to take a breath. Even without lifting a hand, I could be absolutely certain that the combined strength of everyone present could not withstand a single round from the Bronze Coffin Patriarch.

After a long while, a voice finally drifted out from the bronze coffin.

"Have your brother come out to see me as well?"

As soon as the Bronze Coffin Patriarch spoke, the pressure on everyone instantly eased, and they involuntarily exhaled. The Yinshan Sect's Yin Masters retreated orderly to the side, while the Huaguang Sect's Yin Masters also gathered together, cautiously on guard.

With a gurgling sound, a ball‑like object rolled out from under the table, drawing everyone's attention.

Pangzi's manner of appearing left me thunderstruck, my eyes and mouth askew. Moreover, after standing up he showed no awareness that he had just made a huge fool of himself; he nonchalantly patted his sleeves, bit into a large bun, and mumbled indistinctly to the Bronze Coffin Patriarch, "Coffin‑grandpa, uh… I'm Hai Sheng's brother."

I was so embarrassed I wanted to find a crack to crawl into. You say you, speak properly—yet you're biting into a bun like a starving ghost.

Unexpectedly, Pangzi's appearance instead made the Bronze Coffin Patriarch chuckle, and he asked Pangzi.

"As the master, I ask you: as a successor of the Huaguang Sect, why are you helping a disciple of my Yinshan Sect? Don't you think my Yinshan Sect is an evil path?"

Faced with the Bronze Coffin Patriarch's question, Pangzi simply answered bluntly: "I don't care about orthodox or heterodox; I only know Hai Sheng is my brother. If a brother is in trouble, I must help."

After Pangzi finished speaking, the Bronze Coffin Patriarch did not continue questioning. After a moment of silence, he then said.

"Take the Huaguang Sect's Yin Masters and leave; this time the grudge is between my Yinshan Sect and the Spirit‑Inviting Hall—you need not interfere."

Although he didn't blame anyone, his words still carried an overbearing aura that made one dare not defy him.

Pangzi gave an 'oh' and said, "Thanks, Coffin‑grandpa."

He then ran to my ear and muttered softly: "With such a formidable person around, I reckon the Dragon Phoenix Hall is doomed. Take it easy, don't create too much killing karma—I'll first lead the Yin Masters away."

Having said that, he led the Huaguang Sect's Yin Masters out of the courtyard of the Dragon Phoenix Hall.

Before leaving, the Yin Masters of both sects couldn't help but hurl a couple of insults at each other, scoring some verbal points.

After the Huaguang Sect's Yin Masters left the courtyard, the Five Direction Ghost Kings lifted the Bronze Coffin Patriarch and approached the remaining Spirit‑Inviting households.

The leading Yellow Skin was already ashen‑faced, devoid of any trace of spiritual aura.

"Hold on, Priest Chen—the one who snatched the Cat Immortal is me, and the one who clashed with you is also me. A true man takes responsibility for his own actions; if you want to kill, kill me, Fang Xin, and don't drag the other immortals of the Great Harmony Hall into it." Under everyone's gaze, Fang Xin stepped forward, chest out, displaying the solemn grandeur of a man ready to die for his duty.

"You can't bear this responsibility." I shook my head and said, "It's your Great Harmony Hall that has been overbearing, trying to exterminate the Yinshan Dao lineage; for self‑preservation I had to strike first."

Fang Xin looked at me in surprise and asked, "Priest Chen, where did you get that idea? Our Dragon Phoenix Hall has never said such a thing."

I gave a self-deprecating laugh and said loudly: "But this saying, I heard it from the immortals of your Great Unity Hall; you dare say no one has ever said it?"

By the end, my tone grew colder and colder.

"Enough nonsense, let's fight." The Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor spoke again; this sentence was like the judgment of the apocalypse, sentencing this group of Great Unity Hall immortals to death.

Fan Tiansheng drew a flower character on his hand, step by step approaching the remaining horse-riding immortals, preparing to carry out the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor's order.

However, as Fan Tiansheng was just approaching this group of trapped-beast horse-riding immortals, he stopped.

The reason was simple: another situation had arisen outside the gate.

"Three planks make one layer of heaven; part the clouds and mist to see the blue sky, hey..."

This ballad had a strong Northeastern accent; although I didn't know what he meant by singing those words, from the ballad I guessed the answer: three planks make one layer of heaven, part the clouds and mist to see the blue sky—this likely refers to a coffin.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the door, and the originally collapsed Huang Pizi, his ashen eyes rekindled with brightness.

"Qingfeng Sect Ancestor, Qingfeng Sect Leader has come!" He shrugged his shoulders, his expression excited. Not only him, after this ballad appeared, the previously listless horse-riding immortals all rekindled hope in their eyes, each standing up and gazing hopefully toward the door.

I furrowed my brows; could it really be that the Dragon and Phoenix Hall's Qingfeng Grandmaster has come?

Among the Northeastern horse-riding immortals, there is also a type of immortal little known, whose status is no less than that of the Fox, Yellow Weasel, Python, and Boa; this immortal is called the Ghost Immortal, and Qingfeng is the ancestor of the Ghost Immortal.

I turned my gaze toward the door, and an old person walked over, singing a song while slowly advancing, her left hand holding a large water vat, her right hand holding a large bowl, walking and sprinkling water as she went.

Behind the old person, to the left stood two old women; these two old women were immortals of the Immortal Hall, invisible to ordinary people.

One of them was none other than Hu Nainai, who had fought me for the Cat Immortal in the forest; beside her followed a large gray rat, which I at once recognized as the rat Pangzi had caught in the castle, the one he told me Hu Nainai had sworn to destroy the lineage of my Yin Mountain Sect.

Seeing them both, I felt a surge of violent rage rise in my heart; I immediately charged forward, shouting as I went: "You bastard, pay with your life for Qingqing!"

As soon as I saw this Hu Xian, I thought of the Cat Immortal, I thought of the Cat Immortal, I thought of the deceased Qingqing; my anger clouded my judgment, and I subconsciously blamed Qingqing's death on this Hu Xian, regarding him as the murderer.

"Stand still." Fan Tiansheng grabbed me from behind and pulled me back.

I turned around, looking at him in surprise, not understanding what he meant by doing this. Could it be that the name Qingfeng is so great it even frightened him?

In the moment of pause, this group also slowly walked into the Horse-Riding Hall.

However, when I saw the two horse-riding immortals guarding the figures behind the old person, I couldn't help but be greatly startled.