Chapter 163: Gunshots in the Dark Night

Since ancient times, it has been rumored that rhinoceros horn has the ability to communicate with spirits.

The "Book of Jin" mentioned a story:

The famous minister Wen Brother Qiao returned to Near Wuchang and arrived at Niuzhu Ji, where the water was unfathomably deep. Local legends said there were many monsters below, so Wen Brother Qiao ordered people to light rhinoceros horn to look.

Soon, the monsters in the water came to cover the fire, strange in shape, and there were also those wearing red clothes riding in horse carriages.

Wen Brother Qiao found it curious, but that night he dreamed of a person angrily saying to him: "I am separated from you by the netherworld, and we do not disturb each other. Why do you come to look at us?"

Later, Wen Brother Qiao had a stroke and died in less than ten days.

It counts as curiosity killing the cat.

And in the "Records of Strange Things" of the Southern Dynasty, there was also a sentence: Raw rhinoceros horn dares not be burned, burning it has a strange fragrance, sticking to clothes and belts, people can communicate with ghosts.

Since then, rhinoceros horn can communicate with spirits, which has been widely circulated among the people.

Even discerning evil is called "burning rhinoceros" or "rhinoceros illumination."

Later, many people also had curiosity and lit rhinoceros horn, but saw nothing, thinking it was just nonsense, and laughed it off.

Of course, they didn't know that ordinary rhinoceros horn was useless.

Zhao Lvzi, a treasure-hunting expert, once told Li Yan about this.

The Divine Land has had rhinoceros since ancient times, divided into mountain rhinoceros and water rhinoceros.

Water rhinoceros are active by the river, have spirituality, and after having Daoist practice, they only eat poisonous grass, are honest by nature, and will help poisoned people detoxify.

This kind of spirit beast is called the Heaven-Reaching Rhinoceros.

Only the horn of the Heaven-Reaching Rhinoceros can communicate with ghosts and gods.

However, as the saying goes, holding a jade ring is a crime, this kind of spirit beast with a gentle personality was also hunted and killed in large numbers because of this.

To what extent was it killed?

"Guoyu" once recorded Goujian scolding Fuchai: Now Fuchai wears water rhinoceros armor, one hundred and thirty million, not worrying about the lack of shame in his ambition, but worrying about the lack of his crowd.

One is to scold his lack of Dao,

The other is to scold his army.

This army was established with ancient secret techniques, wearing water rhinoceros armor, capable of commanding mountain spirits and ghosts along the way, with strong winds and flying sand and stones when marching, worthy of being called mysterious.

And those who play like this are not just one family.

Today, water rhinoceros are extremely rare, and only the Dharma lineages in the Wu-Master Yue region raise them in blessed lands, regarding them as good fortune.

On weekdays, they borrow the power of the Heaven-Reaching Rhinoceros to detoxify people, and only after the spirit beast dies of old age will they cut off the horn and skin, becoming materials for making magic tools.

The Heaven-Reaching Rhinoceros horn is so precious, the soul-guiding incense is naturally not cheap.

Even so, it is because of the opening of the sea that Heaven-Reaching Rhinoceros are captured from other places, which brought the price down.

Of course, soul-guiding incense also has grades.

High-quality goods not only have a high content of rhinoceros horn powder but also need to be worshipped by incense for decades, with extraordinary spiritual charm.

Lighting it can illuminate ghosts and gods, replacing the Yin-Yang eyes of ghosts and gods.

The quality in Li Yan's hand is the lowest, only capable of attracting nearby Yin things.

Whoosh~

The head of the soul-guiding incense flickered, and Yin wind rose all around.

The candle flames of the twelve lotus lamps also swayed unsteadily.

Li Yan sat cross-legged, only feeling a chill rushing to his heart, as if placed in the netherworld, and even the sound of wind and snow outside became smaller and smaller.

In the end, it was dead silent.

Between heaven and earth, it seems there were only these twelve candle flames guarding the soul.

This is the "Northern Emperor Yinshan Law"!

The Yinshan mentioned in it is not a mountain range in the mortal world, but the Yinshan of the netherworld, rumored to be where the Ten Directions Masters of Yama reside.

In short, this method is to artificially create an underworld environment.

The method of cultivation emphasizes the unity of heaven and man, so when building the tower in the "Luo Feng Jing," one must enter the spiritual aperture of the blessed land. Only by practicing there, where the innate Gang energy is rich, can the tower be built successfully.

And now, Li Yan is borrowing this artificially shaped place of Yin evil to force the Mount Luo Feng in the concentration to improve, maintain the balance of Yin and Yang, and thereby increase the strength of the tower.

Whoosh~

The wind and snow outside the cave became heavier and heavier.

On the snowy ground, dense footprints appeared, very dim, covered by wind and snow in the blink of an eye, but then more footprints appeared.

The smell of the soul-guiding incense attracted ghosts from the mass grave to gather.

However, all Yin things just guarded the cave entrance.

Practicing this method cannot be separated from the treasure of protection.

On the altar, the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Money, the Gou Die, and the Divine Tiger Order were placed in order, their aura constantly overflowing, making the ghosts dare not cross the thunder pool by half a step.

However, the real threat was not them.

The Yin evil energy on the mass grave constantly converged, causing strange phenomena in the cave: cold air emerged all around, and the light became more and more dim.

Darkness seemed to turn into a living thing, wanting to swallow this light.

The twelve lotus lamps were both protection and represented Li Yan's soul.

At this moment, the lamp flames were suppressed to only the size of a mung bean, seemingly ready to go out at any time.

Li Yan was like walking alone in the boundless darkness, with rustling sounds in his ears, and indescribable fear constantly rushing to his heart.

The Northern Emperor Scripture says: Those who practice this method should have great fearlessness and great fortune!

Fortune is not mentioned for now, Li Yan practiced this method purely with the attitude of extinguishing a soul fire at worst, which can be considered as putting life and death aside.

He kept his mind tightly, and the magic seals in his hands changed constantly.

Complex and complicated, simply dazzling.

This is the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch Seal.

Human hands secretly match the heavenly mechanism of Yin and Yang, such as the Zi text at the root of the ring finger, the Chou text at the root of the middle finger, the Yin text at the root of the index finger...

Pinching the seal in a circle is to represent the operation of heaven.

And the Jia text is at the lower end of the index finger, the Yi text is in the middle of the ring finger, the Bing text is at the upper end of the index finger...

Pinching the seal in a circle represents the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, all distributed in the two palms.

This is what the "Yin Fu Jing" says:

"The universe is in the hands, all transformations are born in the body!"

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches rotated for a circle, and the Mount Luo Feng in the concentration also vaguely rose a section, instantly Yin energy rose, making the deity in the tower dim and uncertain.

This is the most dangerous moment!

Li Yan kept his mind tightly, not daring to have the slightest negligence.

His thumb was placed at the root of the ring finger, the other four fingers were bent and tightly gripped the thumb, the five fingers formed a ring, matching the principle of the Five Elements generating each other.

This method is called "Grasping Firmly," also known as the Infant Seal.

Infants "have weak bones and soft tendons but grasp firmly," so this seal has both the meaning of returning to the innate and detaining the soul gate, closing the soul door, and forcibly closing the soul's portal.

Once he discovered that his soul was damaged, he would immediately repair it with the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen.

Finally, after consuming it several times, the Yin and Yang in his body were balanced again, the tower became more ancient and substantial, and the concentration shone brightly.

Li Yan didn't relax at all, and the magic seals in his hands operated again.

This time, the cultivation went even more smoothly.

By the third time, he no longer needed the assistance of the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen.

Outside the cave, dense ghost fires swirled, looking like the Netherworld Realm...

Inside the dilapidated Mountain God Temple, the bonfire was equally dim.

On the door frames, windows, and beams, yellow talismans were pasted, and even on the ground, candles flickered, reflecting the surrounding coffins, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Daoist, how is it?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Yan had told them to avoid the area and set up a formation to guard it.

He hadn't originally cared, but now he was truly frightened.

Outside the door, the wind and snow howled. He could vaguely hear the howling of wolves and some rustling footsteps; it seemed there was even a woman crying.

Before, he couldn't feel these things at all.

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei stammered, "Daoist, I remember you saying that ordinary people only notice these things when bad luck descends or when they are about to die..."

"Don't be afraid."

Wang Wang Daoxuan shook his head slightly. "This is because the yin evil energy is too dense. Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan's method causes the yin evil energy to rise, gathering a hundred ghosts, which is why this strange phenomenon appears."

He said it lightly, but his brows were tightly furrowed.

This method seemed even more dangerous than he had imagined.

Once something went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wang Wang Daoxuan's heart stirred, and he gripped the yarrow stalks and yellow talismans in his hand. As soon as he sensed anything unusual, he would use the Thousand Gold Body-Protection Mantra to save him.

The two of them were anxious, waiting until the end of the Zi hour was near, when the strange movements outside finally stopped, and those sounds disappeared along with them.

"Did it succeed?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei asked in a hurry.

Wang Wang Daoxuan was somewhat doubtful and shook his head. "It shouldn't have yet. Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan said that after the cultivation ends, he will come out of seclusion on his own. Let's not approach easily."

"Uh, alright then." Sha Hearing Sha Lifei scratched his head.

However, they waited for a while longer, and even the dense yin evil energy had dissipated and submerged into the ground, but Li Yan still hadn't returned.

"I'm afraid something happened. Let's go!" Wang Wang Daoxuan's expression was solemn, and he hurriedly stood up.

Bang!

Just at this moment, a sound echoed through the night sky.

The two were instantly startled.

"Did it thunder?"

"Doesn't look like it. Never mind that, save him first!"

The two immediately rushed out of the Mountain God Temple and headed toward the cave...

Li Yan had indeed run into a small problem.

Because the yin evil energy was too dense, at this moment, he was wrapped in a layer of solid ice, his breathing and heartbeat almost non-existent.

The cultivation of the "Northern Emperor Yinshan Method" was very successful. The spirit of Mount Luo Feng inside him had suddenly risen by a large margin, representing that his cultivation had also leaped forward.

!.

However, the dense yin evil energy caused his body's metabolism to drop to the extreme, keeping his spirit in one place, similar to a state of turtle-breathing.

He wasn't injured, but he had fallen into a deep sleep and found it difficult to wake up.

Bang!

That loud noise also woke him up.

His consciousness returned, and he instantly felt a bone-chilling cold.

Crack!

Li Yan suddenly shook, and the ice shell all over his body shattered.

He stood up and looked, only to see that the soul-attracting incense had turned to ash, and the oil in those lotus lamps was also about to run dry.

These one-time magic tools were no longer of any use.

Li Yan couldn't care about that. He kicked the giant log at the cave entrance away and walked out with long strides, just in time to see Wang Wang Daoxuan, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei, and the others running over.

"You melon-head, you almost scared me to death!"

Seeing that he was fine, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei laughed and scolded.

Wang Wang Daoxuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

Bang!

Just as he was about to speak, that strange loud noise appeared again.

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei shrank his neck and looked around nervously. "Damn it, what is this thing? Could it be a zombie breaking out of its coffin..."

"No."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance.

"This is the sound of gunfire!"

"Gunfire?!"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei was amused. "Could it be we ran into colleagues?"

They had come up the mountain this time not just to cultivate.

Li Yan had also brought that flintlock gun out, wanting to practice in this desolate mountain wilderness where there was no one around.

This thing was banned by the imperial court; once discovered, it would be trouble.

But whether to use it was one thing, and whether one knew how to use it was another.

Not to mention anything else, if Wang Wang Daoxuan learned to use this item and could hit someone within ten meters, then if someone ambushed him while he was performing a ritual, one shot would let the other party know what a protective divine weapon was!

And Li Yan, if he ran into a martial arts expert, he could completely lure them into attacking and then solve it with one shot.

At worst, he would destroy the evidence afterward.

They weren't the only ones in the martial world playing with gunpowder.

When facing a life-and-death crisis, who would care about any imperial bans?

Wang Wang Daoxuan also stroked his beard and gave a bitter smile. "It seems Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan is right. Others are using it, so we can't just stick to the old ways."

However, Li Yan's expression remained serious.

"This... I'm afraid it's not an ordinary gun."

Whoosh!

Snow fell with a rustle, and the three slowly pushed aside the leaves.

The sound of gunfire in the darkness was very far away; even with Li Yan's supernatural sense, he couldn't smell a thing.

Fortunately, it rang out a few more times afterward and became increasingly dense. Following the sound, the three finally found a mountain hollow and looked down from the top of the mountain through the trees.

Although the wind and snow were howling, they could see clearly.

There were quite a few people gathered at the foot of the mountain, setting up tents and holding torches—it was clearly a small camp.

They were all dressed in black, and the style was quite familiar.

"It's the Commandant's Office..."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Li Yan nodded slightly and pressed his hand down, signaling him to be quiet.

The distance they were at was just right.

If the other party had sentries, they couldn't escape his nose, and if there were sorcerers in the camp, this range was already beyond their limit.

Li Yan couldn't smell what was below, and those below couldn't detect them.

Around the camp, a dozen members of the Commandant's Office were keeping watch. Li Yan even discovered acquaintances: Battalion Commander Chang Da Xuan, Company Commander Captain Guan Wantie, and the Daoist nun he had seen when he first entered Chang'an.

Two black-clad members of the Commandant's Office stood in front.

They both had flintlock rifles strapped to their backs, but the distance was too great to see what model they were.

At the foot of the mountain, Captain Guan Wantie raised his hand.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two wolves suddenly darted out of an iron cage.

They were terrified of these black-clad men; as soon as they left the cage, they ran wildly toward the mountain, their speed extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, they had darted very far away.

However, the two members of the Commandant's Office didn't move at all.

"Act!"

When the wolves had run out two hundred meters, Captain Guan Wantie gave the order.

The two members of the Commandant's Office shook at the same time, and the firelocks on their shoulders instantly appeared in their hands. Their movements were clean, and they pulled the triggers to fire.

Bang! Bang!

With two loud bangs, the wolves' heads instantly shattered like watermelons.

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's eyes widened, and he sucked in a cold breath.

Even Li Yan frowned tightly.

The power of this gun had exceeded his imagination; ordinary flintlocks couldn't be this fierce.

The huge flash of fire from the muzzle indicated that the shooting range could be even longer, and the sound was also terrifyingly loud.

After firing, the two members of the Commandant's Office stepped back at the same time, clearly shaken by the massive recoil of the bullets.

This gun used a new type of gunpowder!

Not only that, their accuracy was also too shocking.

It looked like they hadn't used their eyes to aim at all...

They were sorcerers!

Li Yan felt his brain go numb.

The perception of sorcerers, plus new gunpowder...

The era was indeed about to change!

Looking at the Daoist nun stepping forward to lecture them, Li Yan understood immediately: Captain Guan Wantie had invited this woman down the mountain to train gunmen.

If he remembered correctly, Red Red Yecha had once said that the lineage this sister of Captain Guan Wantie belonged to was most skilled in the art of talisman arrows.

After shooting the wolves, the training hadn't ended.

They saw several members of the Commandant's Office release Kongming lanterns, which rose slowly, swaying left and right in the wind and snow, flying higher and higher.

This time, the two gunmen didn't fire immediately but reloaded quickly and aimed carefully for a while.

Bang! Bang!

Two gunshots rang out.

Not a single Kongming lantern was extinguished.

Seeing this, Li Yan guessed the reason.

At a distance of about two hundred meters, it was still within the perception range of the two sorcerers, and the gun's trajectory was stable, with maximum lethality.

If the distance were too far, exceeding the range of their supernatural perception, the gun would no longer be stable, and the accuracy would naturally drop significantly.

Even so, it was truly shocking.

With the power of this gun, if the distance were close and there were experts dragging the target, even a Dan-strength expert would die if hit.

With this, many things flooded into his mind.

Li Li Siyuan's promotion, the theft of gunpowder, the changes in the Ministry of Works, the imperial decree to strictly control the Mystic Sect...

I'm afraid the balance of the Great Da Xuan Dynasty is about to be broken!

(End of chapter)