Chapter 170: Crying Through the Seven Passes (Second Update)

(Extremely sorry! Chapter 169 replaces the repeated chapter from yesterday; you can read it directly without needing to spend money to subscribe again.)

"Hundred Taboos" blocked part of the sinister technique's power, but another part still affected Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan looked as if his entire body had grown a size fatter, his two arms round and bulging.

Seeing the opponent still approaching, the gong and drum struck even more urgently.

Xu Yuan shifted his mind, using the Skin Pill to completely wrap his body, lest he swell too much and burst his own skin.

The suona remained unmoved.

It was not yet time to blow.

The erhu struck a pose, then suddenly sounded again.

Accompanied by the gong and drum, it was exceptionally urgent.

Xu Yuan could not even crawl; he felt that with the erhu's squeaking, not only his limbs but even his intestines and hair were about to automatically twist together!

Xu Yuan fell headlong...

but he shifted his mind, and the carriage sealed itself completely around him.

Instantly, all outside sounds could not enter.

Xu Yuan let out a long breath; his entire body's strange state rapidly faded under the resistance of "Hundred Taboos."

If Xu Yuan carried the carriage while moving, he could not seal the carriage.

The carriage could only count as a layer of armor.

The funeral troupe's music could still penetrate in.

After recovering, Xu Yuan suddenly crawled out of the carriage again and lunged forward fiercely.

This lunge covered three zhang!

The erhu sound and the gong-drum sound rang out together, and Xu Yuan fell down once more.

The carriage drew him inside.

But this time, the funeral troupe no longer gave Xu Yuan a chance.

The gong-drum and erhu continued sounding, their target being the entire Purification Bureau group!

Screams rose and fell one after another.

Xu Yuan quietly threw the Haikou Toad Skin Shadow out from inside the carriage.

His gaze swept across, and poison mist rose!

"Boom!"

"Clang!"

"Squeak—"

The instruments sounded one last time, then suddenly all froze.

The drumstick rose in midair, unable to fall.

The gong mallet had just left the gong surface and wanted to strike again.

The bow had been drawn to one end, just about to push back...

Xu Yuan quickly seized the opportunity and surged forward another three zhang, already arriving before the funeral troupe.

The Haikou Toad Skin Shadow could probably only freeze them for a brief instant.

Xu Yuan raised the Yin-Yang Cleaver and slashed down.

Almost simultaneously, the drumstick, gong mallet, and bow all moved.

The mournful music surged greatly!

Xu Yuan split the cymbals with one slash.

The Sword Pill shot out with a whoosh, horizontally severed the erhu's strings, then pierced the drum surface with another sword thrust, and finally crashed against the gong surface with a clang, failing to pierce it but leaving a dent!

Thud!

Xu Yuan fell to the ground; the intestines in his belly and the blood vessels in his body were all twisted into a knot!

The cymbals had become four pieces, clearly lagging for a moment, as if unable to believe that one slash had actually cleaved them open.

Then these four pieces leaped about like fish dragged onto land.

Their movements and postures revealed shock and fear.

The erhu knew clearly it could no longer be played, yet the bow still moved back and forth rapidly, as if somewhat panicked.

The big drum struck the drum rim with the drumstick, and the bronze gong also urgently struck out a series of broken notes.

All shouted at the suona:

Why haven't you attacked yet?

This fellow can break through us! He has the ability to "Cross to the Yin"!

Ordinary cultivators, let alone injuring them, could not even see them.

Because although they could influence the Yang World, they were actually not located within the Yang World.

The funeral troupe acted with boldness, certain they stood in an invincible position.

But Xu Yuan's ability to injure them made them lose their confidence.

The suona finally lifted up...

but suddenly, from among the Purification Bureau Captains rolled into a ball, one person stood up, spitting blood from his throat, and emitted a thunderous sound:

"Ha!"

The funeral troupe shuddered together!

The already shattered cymbals, the string-snapped erhu, the skin-broken big drum, and the dented bronze gong all fell simultaneously, crashing into a patch of dark-blue dust, and for a time showed no movement again.

Jia Yi broke through his own limits and, exerting all his strength, emitted this single "thunderous sound."

Then his eyes stared straight ahead, and his whole body went rigid as he collapsed.

Thud! He crashed heavily onto the ground.

The suona also froze for a moment, only to regain its freedom a while later.

Obviously enraged, it lifted high, about to blow out a loud, clear note—

A flat beak reached over from the side and clamped down on the suona's mouthpiece.

The suona paused in surprise.

What is that?

Where did it come from?

Is it alive?

As long as it's alive, we can dominate it. How did this thing sneak up beside me without my noticing?

The suona struggled with all its might to break free.

Dafu flapped its wings and lunged forward, its two large webbed feet stepping on either end of the suona, and for a moment they were locked in a tussle.

Snow-white goose feathers flew everywhere...

The more Dafu fought, the colder his heart grew; it seemed he couldn't win...

After forcing himself to hold on a bit longer, Dafu spread his wings with a honk, honk, honk, turned around, and ran.

Seven or eight long, snow-white feathers on his wings had been knocked out.

The suona, furious beyond measure, chased after and gave Dafu's head a sharp Duang!

Dafu let out a tragic "Ga!" cry; the white feathers on top of his head were stained red with blood!

But suddenly, a broad, snow-bright sharp blade swung down horizontally.

Crack!

The suona was severed in two!

Xu Yuan's eyes were filled with rage.

Under the treatment of the medicinal pills, he had finally recovered.

He saw this sinister creature beating up my goose!

Do you think you can bully my goose?

It... is the symbol of Uncle Mao Si and Wang Laoshi's love!

Xu Yuan, holding the Yin-Yang Guillotine, stepped forward and chopped the suona down.

The suona, driven to fury by Dafu, had been so focused on chasing and beating Dafu that it never expected such a sudden disaster!

In the Funeral Assistance Troupe, the loudest suona was broken in two, dropping to the ground with a clatter.

Xu Yuan took a breath, preparing to turn back and go treat his companions.

Suddenly, he frowned again, turned around, and looked at the spirit hall.

The spirit hall had not vanished.

The tattered members of the Funeral Assistance Troupe on the ground were still lying there.

But Xu Yuan remembered that this Funeral Assistance Troupe was still missing its most important member.

Xu Yuan stared at the vermilion-painted, bright red coffin and asked, "The wailer?"

The most important part of the Funeral Assistance Troupe is not the band, but the wailer.

When Xu Yuan was young, he had attended a few funeral banquets.

Whether the Funeral Assistance Troupe makes money depends entirely on the wailer's skill.

If the wailing is good, the host family will give a heavy reward.

If the host family is wealthy and powerful and hires several troupes to handle the affairs, then the wailers from each troupe must show their true skills.

The winner receives a generous reward from the host family; the loser will have no way to make a living in this area in the future.

The coffin creaked and groaned as it pushed open a crack, and a female opera singer's voice emerged, singing mournfully:

"One, ah, one stick of incense, the incense smoke rises to the nine heavens,

Paper money hangs on the main gate, white banners hang on the second gate.

Father has returned to heaven, ah, the daughter kneels below,

To spare you, old one, from disaster,

Kneeling before the spirit, I weep through the seven gates,

Weep, oh, weep through the seven gates, ah, weeping until the first gate,

The first gate is the Gate of Gazing at the Hometown,

The second gate is the Gate of Evil Ghosts,

The third gate is the Gate of the Golden Rooster,

The fourth gate is the Gate of Evil Dogs,

The fifth gate is the Gate of King Yama,

The sixth gate is the Gate of the Magistrate's Guards,

The Seventh Gate is the Yellow Spring Gate.

..."

As soon as this voice spoke, all the funeral dirges began to dance through the sky.

The surrounding Yin energy surged fiercely, like a rising tide!

It was as if the "Seven Gates" of the Netherworld had truly descended into the mortal realm!

(End of this chapter)