Chapter 311: Ambush on the Demoness

"Retreat!"

Li Yan let out a low shout and swiftly retreated.

Along the way, he grabbed two others and pulled them along.

This move caught him completely off guard.

Earlier, when he used his spiritual probe, he had only detected a secret passage and a qi signature rapidly departing—likely the Lady Liu.

The tunnel was not deep beneath the ground, so he directly shattered it with thunder magic to prevent her escape.

He hadn't expected the demoness to be so alert.

And he certainly hadn't anticipated how many cat ghosts there were!

His father had likely died from this dark art; Li Yan had inquired about it in detail.

The cat ghost technique is typically cultivated at midnight, for "zi" corresponds to the rat, implying sacrifice, and such rituals must never be interrupted, or the practitioner will be devoured in return.

This art flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

The most famous case was in the eighteenth year of Kaihuang under Emperor Wen of Sui, when Duke Du Gu Tuo, the half-brother of Empress Du Gu, was accused of using cat ghost curses to harm the Empress and the wife of Yang Su.

Both the Book of Sui and the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government recorded that Du Gu Tuo's maid Xu A'ni confessed and demonstrated the cat ghost summoning ritual.

Then came the feud between Wu Zetian and Consort Xiao. As Consort Xiao lay dying, she cursed: "May Wu become a mouse, and I a cat—generation after generation, I shall strangle her throat."

Since then, phantom cats have appeared intermittently within the Great Ming Palace.

Even the Tang Code Commentary contains specific laws and punishments for those who raise cat ghosts.

When a cat ghost casts its curse, the victim feels as if ten thousand needles pierce their heart, dying in excruciating agony, and because the symptoms resemble illness, the practice remains elusive and stubbornly persists despite repeated bans.

This art is Jiyizaodaofanshi, and requires daily sacrifices without pause, so most people keep only two or three at most—it is already their limit.

Who could have imagined the demoness raised so many? It was no different from summoning an army.

Even with his warning, some still fell victim.

Two martial monks from the Enforcement Hall and several Beggar Sect disciples had no time to react before they were surrounded by cat footprints on the ground; their faces turned pale, lips blue-purple, clutching their hearts as they collapsed, writhing in screams.

The frost and cat footprints continued to spread.

"Great Wheel King Array!"

Cheng Jue roared upon seeing this, then removed the prayer beads hanging from his neck and gave them a light shake, wrapping them around his arm.

Next, he plunged his spade firmly into the ground.

Simultaneously, the other monks leapt into position around the perimeter, performing the same motion—gripping their staffs and slamming them hard into the earth.

Boom!

The ground and surrounding air trembled.

Then, the monks all fixed their gazes on the center, continuously chanting sutras, not a single one showing fear or retreat.

They formed a perfect large circle; the howling yin winds, the frost, and the cat footprints were all trapped within.

Chan cultivation emphasizes "no dependence on words, direct pointing to the mind, seeing one's nature to become Buddha," focusing on inner cultivation rather than external forces.

Yet since they must suppress local evils and subdue demons, they never objected to learning other methods.

For instance, the Shaolin ancestral temple possesses various martial hand seals, while Baotong Chan Temple here also employs a wide array of techniques, even studying feng shui.

In Buddhism, the Vidyaraja is the wrathful manifestation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The Great Wheel Vidyaraja is one of the Eight Great Vidyarajas in Esoteric Buddhism; thus, the Great Wheel Vidyaraja Array, like the Daoist Pure Altar, possesses the power to expel inner demons and external evils.

When many martial monks perform it together, the power is formidable.

The rampant cat ghosts were also trapped within, unable to break free.

But these malevolent things were too numerous; even as the martial monks loudly chanted sutras, their faces grew pale, and frost gradually covered their bodies.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Li Yan immediately pulled out his Soul Summoning Warrant.

The sky was now thick with dark clouds, drizzling rain; if the enemy could summon cat ghosts, so could he summon the yin bureaucracy's troops.

Though somewhat regrettable, for dealing with these things, the yin bureaucracy's troops were still the most effective.

But at that moment, Lu San moved.

The small cat in his arms had already died.

Others could not see the cat ghosts' forms, only hear piercing cat cries echoing through the air.

To them, the sounds were grating.

But to Lu San, they were the wailing cries of countless cats.

His face darkened; suddenly, he pierced the tongue of the dead cat, smeared some blood on his forehead, and drew an "s"-shaped symbol.

This was the oldest divine incantation.

On ancient pottery from the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, one often sees dense rows of "s" patterns.

This symbol represented the divine.

Its further evolution became the Taiji!

After completing this, Lu San shook his head, formed a hand seal, his eyes suddenly went vacant, raised the cat's corpse above his head, and began dancing the Nuo dance, emitting various long and short sounds and clicking tongue noises.

His Nuo dance steps bore a faint resemblance to Yu's Steps.

Seeing this, Li Yan immediately retracted his Soul Summoning Warrant, drew his Broken Dust Blade with a metallic clang, and stood guard beside Lu San.

Cheng Jue also looked thoughtful, glancing toward Lu San.

The remaining martial monks focused entirely, straining to hold the formation.

As Lu San danced the Nuo, a desolate, ancient qi rose, carrying a wild, primordial resonance that echoed around them.

Even stranger—the cat ghosts all stopped moving; the frost-covered ground and the cat footprints ceased their erratic spread.

Soon, the cat footprints began vanishing one by one.

"Amitabha, excellent, excellent!"

Cheng Jue sheathed his crescent spade, clasped his hands together, and chanted the Buddha's name.

Anyone could see the cat ghosts were being liberated.

So swiftly— even the monks were stunned.

In Li Yan's heart, a suspicion quietly formed.

Lu San cultivated the ancient shamanic scripture, the Classic of Mountain and Sea Spiritual Response, which excelled in communicating with spirits and gods; the cat ghost technique, after all, evolved from ancient shamanic incantations.

One was a method to harm; the other, to liberate the dead.

One was a dark art; the other, orthodox shamanic practice.

The difference was clear—the dark art was directly suppressed.

"Die!"

From within the tunnel came a woman's shriek.

With her art broken, Lady Liu was clearly injured; worse still, the cat ghosts she had painstakingly gathered had been wiped out.

In truth, it was fortunate Lu San possessed compassion—he could not bear to hear these pitiful creatures suffer, and directly liberated them.

Had he instead turned their power against them, controlling the cat ghosts, he could have caused Lady Liu to be instantly devoured by their collective assault, her heart torn apart.

She clearly knew this; without hesitation, she turned and fled.

"Where do you think you're going!"

The giant monk Cheng Jue roared, his powerful body hurtling forward.

Though his awakened ability was bodily transcendence, the tunnel had already been opened by Li Yan; relying on his acute hearing, he could still roughly judge Lady Liu's position.

He stomped hard, two thunderous booms echoing as he leapt into the air, suddenly changing his hand seal—right palm downward, fingers naturally extended, descending like a golden statue of a Vajra.

This was the Buddha's Demon Subduing Seal.

It represented the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas subduing demons and protecting all beings. With a thunderous crash, earth sprayed everywhere.

Unlike Li Yan's thunder magic, using the Buddhist hand seal and his formidable body, Cheng Jue caused the ground above the tunnel to collapse outright.

Whoosh!

A figure burst from the earth.

With her path blocked, Lady Liu could only flee upward.

Li Yan finally saw the woman's appearance.

She was short, with a graceful figure, a pretty face, pure yet tinged with seduction—but her complexion was deathly pale, blood trickling from her lips.

Judging by her age, she was at most seventeen or eighteen.

Though injured by the art's backlash, her qi remained formidable, and her movements revealed she had already entered the Hua Jing realm!

No!

This woman had not been reborn!

Li Yan frowned, sensing something amiss.

Based on the time his father was killed, if this woman had been reborn, she would be no older than ten—unless she had never been reborn, but instead possessed a body.

!.

But if she possessed a body, her soul and flesh would be mismatched, enduring constant torment day and night—how could she possibly cultivate so many cat ghosts?

Though puzzled, Li Yan still crossed his Broken Dust Blade and rushed forward three steps, blocking her escape route.

But faster still was Cheng Jue.

"Stay!"

The giant monk roared, lowered his stance, stepped forward, and arrived directly beneath Lady Liu; his powerful body took on the posture of a dragon, his palm tracing an arc before leaping upward.

Sparrow Soaring, Dragon Rising!

Li Yan recognized this move—it appeared in many fist styles, including the Red Fist he cultivated, which specializes in attacking the lower body.

But this big monk was clearly using the Diamond Fist.

Liu Niang had just leapt into the air when Master Chengjue unleashed this move—exquisitely timed, he seized her ankle.

Thud!

With no trace of chivalry, Master Chengjue yanked hard, and Liu Niang's entire body crashed to the ground.

A normal person would have shattered bones and tendons from such a blow, but Liu Niang only suffered internal injuries, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

She reacted with astonishing speed, twisting her body like a serpent, coiling her legs up Master Chengjue's arm in an intensely intimate posture.

Liu Niang had already entered the Hua Jing realm; this seemingly amorous embrace was in fact a crushing force, like a python suffocating its prey.

"Witch!"

Master Chengjue's cultivation ran deeper—he stood at the peak of Hua Jing—how could he fear her? He surged power through his arm, muscles knotting like forged steel; no matter how hard Liu Niang strained, she could not snap it.

At the same time, Master Chengjue's other palm shot forward.

His palm glowed crimson, swollen as if inflated, howling through the air—it was the Mighty Diamond Palm.

A direct hit from this palm could shatter Liu Niang's legs.

Yet Liu Niang suddenly opened her mouth and spat a thick gush of red mist, engulfing Master Chengjue's entire body from head to toe.

Simultaneously, she twisted her body and lunged forward in an unnatural posture, evading Master Chengjue's palm strike.

Master Chengjue grunted, said nothing, and immediately sat cross-legged, palms upresting on his lower dantian, right hand atop the left, thumbs touching tip to tip.

This was the Buddha's Meditation Seal, capable of guarding the spirit.

Li Yan naturally understood why he had ceased fighting.

That red mist was strange—he was still ten meters away, yet even a whiff made his nasal passages cloying, and his little brother had begun to stir.

What an potent aphrodisiac!

"Poisonous! Stay back, all of you!"

After shouting this, Li Yan immediately held his breath.

In the same breath, he pushed off the ground, as if shrinking distance into inches, taking two steps to reach Liu Niang's side and thrusting out his Broken Dust Blade.

"Hahahaha…"

Liu Niang let out a wild laugh, her body boneless, contorting in a way utterly defying logic to effortlessly dodge the Broken Dust Blade, while her other foot kicked straight for Li Yan's head.

At the same time, she taunted mercilessly: "Boy, your father was killed by me. Too bad—he never knew what kind of person he'd provoked before he died…"

Li Yan had repeatedly sabotaged the Ghost Sect's plans, especially killing the "Red Woman," so when he left Dangyang County, his information had already been leaked.

He came to Near Wuchang; Liu Niang naturally knew. That time she ordered the Meishan Three Brothers to ambush him—that was her command.

This speech was meant to disrupt Li Yan's composure.

Yet though Li Yan's expression darkened, his eyes remained icy calm, his Broken Dust Blade slashing left, upward, sweeping sideways—each cut faster than the last.

Though Liu Niang's mobility surpassed Li Yan's, under this storm of blades, she could not escape.

Meanwhile, Master Chengjue sat in meditation; the howling wind around him had scattered the red mist, and his crimson skin gradually returned to normal.

The enforcement hall's warrior monks had gathered around.

So had Lu San, cradling the dead kitten, eyes locked on her, muttering under his breath—clearly performing a spell.

Liu Niang could distinctly feel a chilling killing intent surging from her heart; the wound from her Cat Spirit technique being broken now erupted in backlash.

"Die!"

Liu Niang panicked, dodged the Broken Dust Blade with a flash, then coiled her legs around Li Yan's body like a serpent.

The posture was intimate, yet bristling with lethal intent—she meant to crush his spine with overwhelming force.

Her technique resembled yoga from ancient India, but mixed with underhanded, venomous martial tricks.

Yet Li Yan had been waiting for this.

Whoosh!

The Soul Snatcher Whiplash shot out.

Liu Niang's evasive movements were terrifyingly erratic; Li Yan feared she'd dodge, so he held back the Soul Snatcher Whiplash until now.

Now that she'd willingly entangled herself, there was no time to evade.

True enough—the Soul Snatcher Whiplash coiled around her, and Liu Niang froze stiff, pupils losing focus, slumping lifelessly off Li Yan's body.

As Li Yan suspected, the witch carried some kind of protective talisman—the Soul Snatcher Whiplash had been resisted.

But his Soul Snatcher Whiplash had already been enhanced.

From Liu Gang, he'd learned the method to absorb the ancient night owl's bone claws; with a mere flick, it shattered her artifact.

Without hesitation, Li Yan spun his blade, severing her limbs, then drove one final cut through her dantian.

No matter her technique, once the dantian was shattered and limbs severed, she could no longer circulate qi or exert force—her escape was impossible.

She knew too much—he had to extract information before killing her.

After finishing, Li Yan retracted the Soul Snatcher Whiplash, spun a blade flourish, and flicked off the blood.

"Ahh!"

Liu Niang snapped back to awareness, screaming in agony.

In her perception, she'd merely seen darkness—when consciousness returned, her limbs were gone, and searing pain radiated from her dantian.

Realizing escape was futile, her eyes burned with madness. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain, and glared at Li Yan: "Boy, wait. When I return, I'll make you beg for death…"

Before she finished speaking, she spat a fresh gush of blood.

The witch had poisoned herself—her heart had already ruptured, her breath growing fainter.

Li Yan frowned, instantly understanding her plan.

Zhao Zhao Changsheng had mastered the art of reviving the dead. She'd rather die, then use secret rites to return to the world.

Li Yan cast a cold glance; the Soul Snatcher Whiplash shot out again, yanking out a cold, icy essence from within her, and crushed it without mercy.

"Nice fantasy…"

The second chapter will come later.

(End of Chapter)