Chapter 111: Deception, Blood, Fire, Kill!

The thunder Gang ’s killing intent activated, revealing the divine drum’s power.

Thunder is the transformation of yin and yang, the natural nemesis of all yin entities, demons, and malevolent spirits; thus, thunder arts are the strongest method in the Profound Heaven Sect.

Luo Mingzi had cultivated since childhood and was an elite of the Enforcement Hall, yet even he had only just learned Palm Thunder, its power merely capable of dispersing qi patterns.

Li Yan using this method was naturally very strained.

Even with the aid of a talisman artifact, it would harm both others and himself.

“Hōng!”

The drum’s sound turned into thunderous roars; Li Yan felt his mind ringing, his vision flooded with blinding white light, nearly fainting.

His body swayed, and the stench of blood surged up his throat.

Damn!

Li Yan inwardly recoiled and immediately used the Great Luo Body to recover.

This technique’s power was astonishing, and its backlash exceeded his wildest expectations.

Just one strike had already inflicted internal injury.

Fortunately, the thunder drum had also scattered most of the yin entities.

The people in the ancestral hall were also dazed and disoriented.

Sha Lifi covered his ears, grimacing, and was about to speak when he noticed Yue Bala looked unusual.

He looked like he’d suffered a stroke, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, making his vicious features appear grotesque.

“Old Yue, you…”

Sha Lifi was about to ask, but saw Yue Bala’s eyes suddenly change—previously vacant, now filled with hatred and madness.

Clang!

Yue Bala suddenly drew the dagger at his waist, leapt up, and stabbed toward Li Yan’s back.

Li Yan had just activated the divine drum, his soul shaken; his abilities had not yet recovered, so he sensed no attack from behind.

“Watch out!”

Sha Lifi, quick as lightning, tackled Yue Bala, gripped his wrist holding the knife, and slammed it hard against the ground, knocking the dagger loose.

“Old Yue’s possessed! Help me pin him down!” Sha Lifi held Yue Bala down tightly and roared.

He wasn’t a fool.

Though Yue Bala looked fierce, he was a family-oriented, honest man who deeply respected Li Yan—how could he harbor murderous intent?

The only possibility was that he’d been targeted.

Yet before he finished speaking, Sha Lifi felt a tremendous force surge from Yue Bala’s body, nearly flipping him over.

Fortunately, the other bearers had also noticed and rushed forward, pinning Yue Bala down with multiple hands.

Even so, everyone was flushed and straining.

Yue Bala’s strength had inexplicably surged; they felt like pinning down a wild beast that might break free at any moment.

“Impossible…”

Wang Daoxuan’s face also darkened; he glanced at the motionless five grains on the ground and the talismans on the pillar, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Though he didn’t understand why, he took out another exorcism talisman, formed the hand seals, activated it, and prepared to press it onto Yue Bala’s forehead.

Talismans of this kind were mostly single-use; only precious talismans with self-sustaining formations could be reused, and once applied, they couldn’t be moved.

So he had to expend another one.

The exorcism talisman given by Luo Mingzi was a genuine one, written by a Talisman Master of the True Profound Sect, inscribed with blessed ink before the Ancestral Altar, sealed with binding spells, and consecrated with incense offerings.

Altogether, he had no more than ten.

Wang Daoxuan hated to waste it, but now he had no choice.

Yet before he could act, the prostrate Yue Bala rolled his eyes back and fainted.

The group barely exhaled when the other bearer holding Yue Bala began trembling, his eyes turning fierce.

Swish!

He snatched up the fallen dagger and stabbed straight down at Yue Bala’s chest.

Boom!

Before he could strike, Li Yan kicked him away.

The bearer rolled twice on the ground, then rose smoothly, no longer rushing to attack, but staring blankly at the group.

In the firelight, he wore a strange smile.

Especially his feet—he stood on tiptoes, stepping directly on the protective five grains, showing no reaction.

Sha Lifi swallowed hard. “Master Dao, what kind of demon is this?”

“Not a yin entity—it’s a living soul.”

Wang Daoxuan stared intently at the man and said grimly: “A sorcerer has detached his living soul to possess and kill.”

“Friend, who are you?”

The bearer ignored Wang Daoxuan’s question; his eyes rolled unnaturally, then turned toward the coffin inside the hall and the temporary spirit tablet of Wu Laosi on the altar.

His facial muscles twitched, and he roared: “Wu Laosi is dead? How dare he die? What right does he have to die!”

His speech was incoherent, his gaze more deranged, breathing like a beast: “Where’s the death warrant? Where did he hide the death warrant?”

“Are you looking for this?”

Li Yan pulled a token from his chest—it was the Underworld Death Warrant.

His abilities had now recovered; he clearly smelled a new scent on the bearer, but it was strange.

It resembled a living soul, yet carried the chill of decaying corpses.

He had a suspicion: this man was likely one of the sorcerers who had come seeking Wu Laosi; he never expected the fellow to be so patient, waiting so many years.

Could the Death Warrant have hidden secrets?

Indeed, as soon as he produced it, the man’s breathing grew rapid, his eyes fixed on the token—fear and longing warring within.

Swish!

He suddenly raised the dagger and pressed it against his own throat, gasping: “Give it to me—now! Or everyone here dies!”

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed, and anger flared.

To some extent, he bore partial blame. After all, Wu Laosi’s request had been to return the Death Warrant to the ancestral altar before the statue of the Northern Yin Grand Emperor.

Yet he had accidentally become a Living Yin Official.

Thinking the man might be Wu Laosi’s fellow disciple, acting out of misunderstanding, Li Yan had taken out the Death Warrant to explain.

He never expected the man to threaten lives.

Clearly a vile creature!

Though his killing intent had risen, faced with this bizarre method, Li Yan truly didn’t know how to respond—he could only hand over the Death Warrant.

“Wait!”

Seeing Li Yan about to throw the Death Warrant to him, the possessed bearer seemed startled and shouted urgently: “Don’t play tricks—throw it on the ground!”

Hm?

Li Yan’s mind stirred—he had an idea.

He still didn’t fully understand what a Living Yin Official was, but Wu Laosi had once vaguely mentioned something.

The criminals they pursued were varied: those who returned from death by accident, malevolent ghosts, living corpses practicing dark arts… some were extremely powerful.

Wu Laosi’s cultivation was at the Second Story, which was impressive, but still insignificant compared to these criminals.

So he said that when capturing a soul, merely throwing the Death Warrant would force the target directly into the Underworld.

Could this man be a prisoner too…?

But he was watching Li Yan—if Li Yan made any move, he’d strike immediately.

Thinking this, Li Yan slowly crouched, placed the Death Warrant on the ground, and kicked it forward.

His kick was precise, using subtle force.

Rustle!

The Death Warrant rolled along the ground, passing just beside Sha Lifi, then stopping a short distance ahead of him.

At that moment, Sha Lifi had his back turned to Li Yan.

Li Yan trusted that as an old hand, Sha Lifi would notice the inconsistencies in the sorcerer’s words.

He had been present when Wu Laosi recounted his past.

He just didn’t know if Sha Lifi could guess his intent.

As the Death Warrant came to rest, the possessed bearer’s gaze dropped, his breathing quickened, his eyes filled with longing, fear, even madness and confusion.

A flash of sharpness lit Li Yan’s eyes.

He was certain—the man’s mind was unstable!

True enough, drawn by the Death Warrant, he forgot his surroundings and slowly crouched to examine it closely.

But soon, his face twisted in horror: “What’s wrong? It’s gone—someone beat me to it…”

“It was Brother Fang… no, I clearly killed him already…”

“To hell with you!”

At that moment, Sha Lifi’s eyes changed—he stepped forward, snatched up the Death Warrant from the ground, and slapped it onto the bearer’s forehead.

It was like a lightning strike.

The possessed bearer collapsed backward onto the ground.

“Roar!”

!.

He trembled all over, letting out a bestial, desperate scream, but the summoning scroll now clung to him like a immobilization talisman, rendering him motionless.

Sha Li-fei and the others rushed forward simultaneously, pinning him down tightly.

“Hss!”

Sha Li-fei sucked in a sharp breath and cursed, “What the hell did this kid do? Why is his body as cold as ice?”

“It’s the summoning scroll!”

Li Yan hurried forward, his expression grim.

He could smell it—the moment the scroll touched the man, something changed, as if an invisible force had spilled out, trapping him instantly.

But that scent lasted only an instant.

Afterward, nothing could be sensed at all.

This situation was nearly identical to what had happened when Wu Laosi died.

Divine powers are not omnipotent; if one’s cultivation is insufficient, lower-level divine powers cannot perceive higher-level forces.

This force might originate from the Underworld!

Of course, there was no time to dwell on it now—the key was how to break this bastard’s technique.

“Master, do you have a way?” Li Yan asked urgently.

Wang Daoxuan frowned deeply and shook his head slightly.

At that moment, the corpse-bearer possessed by the spirit heard their conversation. First stunned, then ecstatic, he laughed wildly, “Hahahaha… You don’t know how to use it! What a joke!”

The voice now had completely changed—hoarse and cruel, “Be sensible. Let me go at once. This summoning scroll can only hold me for one incense stick’s time. After that, you’ll die far worse.”

Li Yan’s eyes flickered with a hint of killing intent, yet his tone softened considerably. “Elder, we were merely entrusted to deliver this coffin home. We know nothing of your feud with Wu Laosi.”

Sha Li-fei nodded as well. “Exactly. Anything can be negotiated. This thing’s a treasure to you, but a nightmare for us. How did it come to this…?”

The possessed sorcerer seemed to calm down. Though his body couldn’t move, his eyes darted toward Li Yan. “You’ve become a living yin official?”

Seeing Li Yan nod, his eyes flooded with fury again. “The Underworld’s officials are blind dogs! First Wu Laosi, now you—a clueless fool! We refuse to accept this!”

“What good does refusal do?”

Sha Li-fei sneered, “The Underworld’s masters clearly despise you. Even with the summoning scroll, you’re useless.”

This struck a raw nerve in the sorcerer. He roared, “You know nothing! If a living yin official breaks a taboo, he’s doomed to die—and the summoning scroll will change hands!”

“Hmph. Wu Laosi, that idiot, probably didn’t even know at the moment of death that the method he used to revive his friend as a vengeful ghost was taught to him by us…”

“Even if he escapes this time, next time we’ll go after his son…”

So that’s how it was. Li Yan’s killing intent intensified.

Sha Li-fei shouted in outrage, “You’re despicable—even your own sect mates you stab in the back!”

“Sect mates? Hahahaha…”

The man laughed until tears streamed down his face. “I was better than him in every way. Why was it this stupid fool chosen?”

Li Yan suddenly spoke: “You’re lying. If you’re from the same sect, why did the Cold Altar Traveling Master guide me? Your lineage’s incense has long been extinguished.”

“What?!”

The man frowned. “You’re full of shit. I’m still alive, and my little disciple still guards the altar. Where did you hear of a Cold Altar Traveling Master…?”

Hearing this, Li Yan was momentarily baffled…

……

While they were entangled with the sorcerer, Zhao Kui and the others guarding outside the village grew increasingly impatient.

They could not sense the yin entities gathered within the village.

“Huh? Strange. Why’s there drumming in the middle of the night?”

“Captain, I’ve seen it before—shamans often beat drums to exorcise evil.”

“What shaman? That’s Qin-Han war drums!”

“Shut the hell up, all of you!”

“Why did the drumming stop?”

“No signal from the other side either, Captain. Could something have gone wrong?”

The men chattered among themselves. Zhao Kui’s expression darkened, then he gritted his teeth. “Lu the Master probably failed. The target’s alerted—if he runs, we’re all doomed.”

“Brothers, follow me into the village!”

At his command, the constables immediately lit torches.

This was their agreed signal. Other squads, too, lit torches and charged into Wu Family Gully from different directions.

At the same moment, Li Yan had just confirmed the Cold Altar Traveling Master had no connection to this lineage. Though his mind swarmed with questions, he had no time to ask more. He growled, “Someone’s coming—many of them. Grab your weapons!”

Everyone seized their weapons and turned toward the door.

Torches blazed like dragons, accompanied by a flurry of hurried footsteps, as forty or fifty constables surged to the ancestral hall’s entrance.

“Surround them! Let none escape!”

Seeing only this small group, Zhao Kui relaxed instantly. He barked an order, then glared fiercely. “Who are you? Sneaking around at this hour? Hand over your weapons and come with me to the yamen!”

He hadn’t seen Lu San. His mood soured further.

Li Yan ignored this clown and turned to Sha Li-fei.

Sha Li-fei muttered under his breath, “Damn it. I saw Qiao Sanhu and his men go to pay respects to their ancestors. Why are they causing trouble again…?”

He didn’t know that today’s events were the result of misjudgments from multiple sides.

Seeing the people inside the hall ignore him, Zhao Kui’s eyes flared. “What? You’re planning a rebellion?”

In the past, just this threat alone would cause most martial artists to swallow their anger.

But he didn’t know that Li Yan was just as exasperated.

Even after two lifetimes, he was still just a mortal—no divine foresight, no heavenly power.

The sorcerer behind him could break free at any moment.

And now this bunch of fools had come to cause trouble.

Hearing Zhao Kui’s threat, a foul fire rose in Li Yan’s chest. He swung his Guanshan blade sideways, glaring. “Worthless pig-dogs! So what if we’re rebelling?!”

With that, he charged out, blade in hand.

At that very moment, a strange whistle pierced the air.

“Ah! Snakes! Snakes!”

The constables at the rear erupted into chaos.

Dozens of venomous snakes had appeared beneath their feet, slithering toward targets and biting over a dozen men outright.

Li Yan, meanwhile, had already burst forth, slashing through the constables in the confusion. Blade flashes lit the air as two men fell instantly.

Bathed in torchlight, his face streaked with blood—he looked like a demon of slaughter…

(End of Chapter)