Chapter 242: Spell Battle in the Rainy Night

"Bai, it really is you!"

Sha Lifei cursed angrily: "We used to call each other brothers, but you turned around and shot us in the back. Are you even human?"

Bai Ruoxu shook his head and smiled: "Haha, Little Brother Sha, you're not a fledgling who just entered the martial world. What's the point of saying all this?"

As he spoke, he began to load gunpowder.

Sha Lifei finally saw the appearance of the Divine Fire Gun.

The Divine Fire Gun had a huge stock at the back, made of black sandalwood, with silver metal-inlaid dragon patterns.

The barrel was very long, as thick as a walnut, and was made entirely of metal spiritual materials stored in a grotto-heaven, enough to withstand the power of the new-style gunpowder.

The most special part was the back of the barrel, which was a detachable module, rectangular in shape, and carved with Bagua diagrams and various talismans.

He saw Bai Ruoxu pull the module from the barrel and take another module from his waist to install it.

Sha Lifei had seen the blueprints and knew this was a Divine Fire Bullet.

The Divine Fire Gun made by Mohist craftsmen for the imperial court was naturally much more exquisite than ordinary flintlock guns.

Each gun could be equipped with more than a dozen Divine Fire Bullets.

Usually, the new-style gunpowder and bullets were loaded into the Divine Fire Bullet, and during combat, one only needed to replace the Divine Fire magazine, which not only greatly increased speed but also allowed for combat on rainy days.

Seeing Sha Lifei's gaze attracted, Bai Ruoxu smiled slightly: "Little Brother Sha, I see you're quite interested in this firearm."

"Why not defect to us and hand over the item? Maybe you can get one to satisfy your craving."

"Pah!"

Sha Lifei spat and sneered: "Only a fool would believe that!"

Bai Ruoxu laughed dumbly: "I didn't expect you to believe it either. You're not qualified to defect to us."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the Red Woman. "Senior, are you ready?"

The Red Woman grinned, revealing a mouth full of fangs, then raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

*Snap! *

A crisp sound rang out.

Sha Lifei and Old Daoist Feng stiffened instantly.

Oh no, we've been hit!

They trembled all over, veins popping on their foreheads, wanting to struggle but unable to move a single bit.

Facing this old demon with profound cultivation, they were still a bit too young, thinking that by threatening her with the blood-red Jade Cong, she would be helpless.

In reality, the moment the Red Woman took off the dragon-phoenix handkerchief, she had already shaken it lightly, scattering Gu poison into the air.

At the same time, she deliberately revealed her hideous face to attract attention.

This was the secret of ancient colorful magic—diverting attention and stealing the beam to replace the pillar. The Red Woman used it in her spells, making it even more impossible to guard against.

Of course, given the distance between the two sides, it would take time for the Gu poison to take effect.

Bai Ruoxu was also an expert in poison and saw this, deliberately coming out to chat with Sha Lifei to let the two be hit.

"Hehe."

The Red Woman's eyes were bloody and cold, and she laughed with a strange voice: "The little official on the ground, did you think faking death could fool this slave?"

She had awakened the Eye-Yi Shentong, seeing the flow of human blood, and although she was surprised why Li Yan hadn't died after being shot, it didn't prevent her from dealing with them together.

Before the words could finish, her feet pushed off violently.

*Swish! *

The red wedding dress fluttered, and she instantly appeared before the crowd.

But just at this moment, Li Yan on the ground raised his left hand.

*Clatter, clatter*, the Soul-Hooking Chain whistled out, and simultaneously, he twisted his body, stood up straight, drew the Dust-Severing Saber, and slashed down violently.

Even if the Red Woman had the Eye-Yi Shentong, how could she have known Li Yan had this move? She was instantly entangled by the Soul-Hooking Chain.

However, Li Yan was also taken aback.

The Red Woman was surrounded by a strange Yin-Sha Qi; the Soul-Hooking Chain entangled her but couldn't drill directly into her body.

This red wedding dress is a powerful magic tool!

Li Yan understood instantly.

Of course, he didn't place all his hope on the Soul-Hooking Chain.

His cultivation was limited after all, and the Soul-Hooking Chain was a supernatural ability inherited from his cheap master, which had only just begun.

At the phosphorus mine in Zhu Family Fort, that monk had relied on a magic tool to escape.

The real killing move was still the Dust-Severing Saber.

*Squelch! *

Without any obstruction, the blade inserted directly into the Red Woman's chest, and *crackle, pop*, twelve Yin thunders were injected instantly.

"Ya!"

With a shrill scream, the Red Woman instantly turned into smoke and dissipated.

This guy is not human!

Li Yan's eyes changed slightly, secretly shocked.

He could feel that the Dust-Severing Saber had only pierced the red wedding dress; the opponent's body was abnormally tough, and a pungent corpse stench was being emitted.

The Red Woman's physical body was almost like a zombie; piercing the heart and bombarding it with Yin thunder still hadn't been fatal, instead allowing the opponent to escape using an escape technique.

Without any hesitation, Li Yan directly snatched the blood-red Jade Cong from Sha Lifei's hand and pressed the Dust-Severing Saber against it.

The scene fell into a stalemate again.

Bai Ruoxu, who was originally going to fire, frowned and shook his head: "Little Brother Li, why bother?"

"Hand this thing over to us, and we'll go our separate ways, how about that?"

Li Yan sneered and said nothing.

He activated his spirit, and the Dust-Severing Saber tassel trembled immediately.

*Jingle, jingle, jingle! *

Baleful Qi overflowed, and the Gu insects in Sha Lifei and Old Daoist Feng's bodies were interfered with, causing them to squat on the ground and vomit simultaneously.

In the pitch-black mucus, there were nothing but wriggling white insects.

Although the Gu poison wasn't cured, at least they regained their mobility.

"Damn it!"

Sha Lifei cursed fiercely, hurriedly raised the flintlock firearm, while Old Daoist Feng, in a flurry, took three pills from his bosom.

He took one himself and threw the others to Sha Lifei and Li Yan.

After all, he was a Temple Attendant of the City God Temple; although his cultivation was average, he still had some life-saving items on him.

After Sha Lifei took it, he clearly improved a lot.

Li Yan had already used the Great Luo Dharma Body to detoxify, so he didn't pay attention, instead pulling the two of them and retreating rapidly.

On the other side, red smoke rose, and the Red Woman's figure appeared again, but her state was a bit wrong.

"Kill! Kill, kill!"

The Red Woman's eyes flashed with red light, frantic and bloody, and she suddenly grabbed a subordinate beside her, directly biting through his throat and sucking blood in large gulps.

Li Yan understood instantly.

Any spell has a price.

This "Red Woman" didn't know what method she had used to turn her body into something like a zombie; although she didn't fear blades, her soul would also be affected, becoming violent and bloodthirsty.

That red wedding dress magic tool was likely used to suppress the corpse Qi.

Now that it had been pierced by him and her soul had been injured by the twelve Yin thunders, the Red Woman immediately couldn't control her bloodthirsty instinct and needed to swallow human blood to recover.

As the Red Woman sucked blood frantically, the Yin-Sha Qi around her rose, and blood-colored smoke even began to rise.

Seeing this, the people of the Ghost Sect were also scared and retreated repeatedly.

How could Li Yan miss the opportunity?

He pulled Sha Lifei and the other two and retreated rapidly into the dense forest behind him.

"Hide behind the trees!"

Li Yan gave a low shout and threw the blood-red Jade Cong to Sha Lifei.

The two hurriedly hid behind the trees.

This place was relatively remote, and the trees were as thick as an arm; even that Divine Fire Gun couldn't penetrate the big trees to kill them. Moreover, those people were still busy avoiding the Red Woman.

Without any hesitation, Li Yan immediately took out the Hooking Order, cast a spell again, and chanted: "Qingjia! Above is the black heaven, below is the black earth... I serve the Northern Yin Fengdu, act as quickly as the law!"

This time, the Yin-Division Ghost Soldiers were successfully summoned.

In the dense forest, Yin Qi rose in an instant, and visible darkness spread outward, with the faint sound of armor coming from it.

It's that terrifying spell!

Recalling what the female swordswoman Liu Mei had said, Bai Ruoxu's pupils shrank, and he turned and ran.

However, he still underestimated the speed of the Yin-Division Ghost Soldiers.

Large patches of dark shadows swept past like a gale.

"Ya!"

Even the frantic Red Woman felt the threat and once again used that blood-colored smoke escape technique, wanting to flee.

However, her body was rich in demon aura, making her the primary target of the Yin-Division Ghost Soldiers; how could they let her escape?

!.

*Clatter, clatter! *

In the darkness, the sound of huge chains rang out.

The red mist transformed by the Red Woman seemed to be pulled by some force and was dragged directly into the darkness.

This Red Woman had profound cultivation, reaching the Fourth Floor, surpassing the limit that ordinary cultivators could reach.

Even so, she only struggled for a few breaths.

The shrill screams continued, and soon it returned to calm.

Those Ghost Sect demons didn't escape either; wherever the darkness passed, they all stiffened and collapsed to the ground.

Frost condensed on their skin, and their expressions of fear were frozen.

As for Bai Ruoxu, he was scared out of his wits, turned around, raised the Divine Fire Gun, and pulled the trigger violently.

*Boom! *

Fire exploded, accompanied by thick smoke.

However, it was like a stone sinking into the sea; the darkness didn't receive any obstruction and directly drowned him.

Bai Ruoxu only felt the sound of chains in his ears, and his consciousness fell into a blank, as if he were constantly falling toward the dark underground.

In just two breaths, the mountain forest became dead silent.

As for Li Yan's side, it was also pitch black.

Old Daoist Feng closed his eyes tightly, his forehead full of cold sweat, muttering to himself, begging the ancestors for protection.

Fortunately, this terrifying feeling didn't last long.

As the Yin-Division Ghost Soldiers left, the surroundings clearly became brighter, and the rustling sound of drizzle dripping on tree leaves once again drilled into the ears of the three.

Old Daoist Feng secretly turned around to look, and seeing the corpses all over the ground, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide, trembling: "This... is this the Yin-Soldier Method of the Living Yin-Messenger?"

The Daoist document didn't explain Li Yan's identity; after all, the identity of a Living Yin-Messenger was a secret, no matter how small.

If it were like Bao Longtu of the Great Song, known to everyone in the world, perhaps some Yin criminals would flee upon hearing the news.

"Daoist has good insight."

Li Yan put away the Hooking Order and walked quickly out of the forest.

Faster than him was Sha Lifei.

"Haha... Hahaha..."

Sha Lifei couldn't help but laugh, his mouth wide open, running toward Bai Ruoxu in two or three steps.

This former hall master of the Chang'an tooth-brokerage, a cunning person, was now stiff, frost covering his face, his eyes wide and mouth open, maintaining the fear at the time of his death.

However, his hands were still tightly gripping the Divine Fire Gun.

Sha Lifei was just about to pry them open, but Li Yan hurriedly said: "Little Uncle Sha, his hands are highly poisonous; don't break the gloves."

"Alright!"

Sha Lifei smiled, rubbed the joints and acupoints on Bai Ruoxu's arms, and finally made his hands loosen.

Picking up the Divine Fire Gun, Sha Lifei fiddled with it back and forth, his face blooming with joy.

And Li Yan came before the Red Woman.

Looking at her torn mouth and full mouth of fangs, Li Yan frowned slightly, first using his saber to carefully pick the dragon-phoenix handkerchief full of Gu poison to the side, then cutting open the red wedding dress.

Old Daoist Feng also walked over, and seeing the body under the red wedding dress, he was shocked: "Yin-Corpse Longevity Method?"

The Red Woman's body could vaguely still show a graceful outline, but her skin was covered in long gray hair, emitting a thick corpse stench.

"Correct."

Li Yan nodded, lost in thought.

This "Yin-Corpse Longevity Method" was somewhat different from a zombie; it was refining one's own body into a kind of demon corpse, skilled in transformation and able to use wind escape, with the weakness of being difficult to control the soul.

The demon god worshipped by this evil method was named "Gray Tiger," with a tiger's head, a human body, covered in gray hair, skilled in transformation, moving with the wind, and most fond of eating human essence and blood.

This Red Woman didn't use the Longevity Method to extend her life when she was dying, but directly practiced this method to become a demon, so she wasn't a Yin criminal.

Only after she passed the life-and-death limit, with death Qi gradually accumulating in her body, and while living and wandering in the human world, would she be wanted by the Yin Division.

Divine Silkworm Longevity Method, Water God Longevity Method, Yin-Corpse Longevity Method—in just a few months since arriving in Ezhou, he had seen three secret methods from the "Longevity Immortal Treasury." It seemed that those who practiced this method were by no means a minority.

The Ghost Sect, killing people to sacrifice to ghosts, not caring about any means to seek longevity, was simply a natural enemy to him, a Living Yin-Messenger.

Li Yan shook his head, pulled the red wedding dress off the "Red Woman," and finding nothing in the pockets, directly threw it to Sha Lifei. "Little Uncle Sha, this thing can conceal aura."

Sha Lifei understood instantly and hurriedly put away the red wedding dress.

They had many contraband items and magic tools on them, plus the strange cassock they had found earlier, which was most suitable for wrapping luggage.

Afterward, Li Yan and Old Daoist Feng checked the sedan carriers.

Just as expected, they were all zombies; this was also one of the secret techniques of practicing the Yin-Corpse Longevity Method, but zombies relied on essence and soul to move.

And the essence and soul had also been locked away by the Yin-Division Ghost Soldiers, so these zombies also collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.

The three were busy for a while, placing the bodies of the Red Woman and the zombies together, then cutting down surrounding peach wood to pile up firewood for burning.

Rolling thick smoke rose, and the corpse stench spread continuously.

After doing this, the three finally breathed a sigh of relief.

These zombies had thick corpse Qi; if not dealt with early, they would cause trouble.

After burning the zombies, the three searched carefully again.

That large flower sedan was somewhat extraordinary, actually made of spiritual wood, with a formation arranged inside that could gather Yin-Sha Qi.

It was called a flower sedan, but it was more like a coffin.

No wonder the Red Woman had to ride in a sedan to run around everywhere.

Li Yan couldn't take this thing away, so he simply dismantled it and handed it to Old Daoist Feng to deal with; after all, the team's rule was that those who saw it had a share.

Old Daoist Feng also understood that taking this thing meant he had to help Li Yan hide the matter of the Divine Fire Gun.

But this was a task for the Commandant's Office, so he couldn't be bothered to ask more.

Of course, they also found many things, the most numerous being a kind of small wooden deity statue; except for the Red Woman and Bai Ruoxu, all the Ghost Sect members had them.

The deity statue had a hideous face, a mouth full of fangs, sharp horns on its head, and was surrounded by Yin-Sha Qi, full of inauspiciousness.

"This is mostly likely the Lengzheng God."

Old Daoist Feng held the deity statue and looked at it left and right, his expression solemn. "During the Great Song Dynasty, besides Ezhou, the 'bad boys' around the capital also liked to worship this ghost. When fighting with people, the baleful Qi could intimidate the opponent's mind."

"It seems that the divine Gang of this god hasn't dissipated, and someone has built a temple for it again, but I don't know where it's hidden..."

Besides this, they also found a secret letter on Bai Ruoxu.

Li Yan looked at it for a few moments, and his expression changed drastically.

This letter was written by the leader of the Longxiang Army, a remnant of the previous dynasty's royal family, asking Bai Ruoxu to come here to find the Red Woman and pass a message to Zhao Changsheng.

The people of the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect had already prepared various heavenly spiritual treasures and magic tools, inviting Zhao Changsheng to take action and resurrect the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Duke!

The demons of all sides in Ezhou were indeed connected.

More importantly, Zhao Changsheng would also come...

Three chapters today, the third chapter will be late.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 243 =====