Chapter 364

The wind whistled in his ears,

and the houses on both sides retreated rapidly.

Li Yan's cultivation was now at the third story, and he had also built a Luofeng Palace; his strength had almost doubled.

Using the Jia-Ma (spirit-horse) technique, his speed was naturally even faster.

The wind whistled around him. With a light tap of his toes on the beams, he could leap more than ten meters into the air, and his changes in direction were agile.

The buildings of Xiangyang City, with their varying heights, were not an obstacle at all.

At the same time, shouts kept coming to his ears:

"Run run run, scared, hurts..."

"Fire fire, they want to burn me!"

The voices were sharp and chaotic, as if they had no logic.

Li Yan heard this but did not find it strange.

This was his new divine ability, which allowed him to understand the language of ghosts and gods.

And the things before his eyes were all Wild Gods!

They also transformed into Yin wind, carrying a pungent earthy fishy smell, walking rapidly through the streets, and exiting directly from the Xicheng Gate on the west side.

Li Yan frowned and turned his head to take a look.

That was where the Xiangyang City God Temple was located.

The fact that Wild God Yin spirits could come and go at will meant that the City God had already neglected his duty.

The Xiangyang Law Enforcement Hall probably had problems too!

Of course, he did not have time to think too much at this moment; he stepped on the city wall and leaped into the air, quickly flipping over it.

"Who!"

Soldiers happened to be patrolling by and hurriedly drew their blades.

However, they could only detect the whistling wind in the night sky; something had flashed by, and then it disappeared without a trace.

"Look!"

Another soldier was dumbfounded and pointed below the city wall.

Several people hurriedly leaned over to watch.

But under the bright moon, a black shadow swept across the wide moat of Xiangyang City, leaving ripples behind, and then quickly disappeared...

…………

Outside Xiangyang City were large stretches of hills.

Branches of the Han River intertwined and connected around the hills, with villages of all sizes hidden among them.

And in the distance, there were undulating high mountains.

Walking west led to Longzhong, where Zhuge Liang had lived in seclusion, while walking south led to Xianshan, where Liu Bei had once leaped across the Tanxi on his horse, and Sun Yi Jian had also died.

Li Yan was moving fast, always following behind.

He had already guessed the roots of the things in front; they were just some minor spirits.

These things usually had some spirituality in their original form, but they could not be considered precious. For example, a large rock at the entrance of a village, an old tree in the fields, or even a large broom used at home...

Once they had spirituality, it was hard to avoid them causing trouble.

After being discovered by the common people, sometimes they would think of ways to deal with them, and sometimes they would burn incense to worship them. Those with full spirituality would even be worshipped by children as godfathers or godmothers, seeking protection.

Besides this, there were also some household gods.

These minor gods were distributed all over the Divine Land, as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Many of them were originally just wool threads, so they were also called "Wool Gods."

Their nests might be the places where the demons were hiding.

Li Yan was moving fast, but he was not in a hurry to catch up. And in the air, Lu San's hawks were also flying up and down, following closely.

Without realizing it, they arrived at a mountain hollow.

In this mountain hollow stood a dilapidated temple, leaning against the mountain and facing the water. The old trees around it were dead, and the strange rocks were jagged. Under the moonlight, Yin mist was swirling; one look and it was clearly not a good place.

Li Yan frowned slightly and stopped.

This place gave him a strange feeling; the evil energy was dense, very similar to those places of great misfortune.

Xiangyang City had the Sheling soldiers and horses guarding it.

Being so close and having such a place appear meant there must be something strange.

Thinking of this, he did not rush to go in, but hid himself.

The situation in Xiangyang City was not as simple as just a plague; behind it were old demons and monsters like Huang Huang Liushi and the Ancestor of Donghu causing trouble.

If they were all hiding here, he had to be careful.

Fortunately, the other party clearly had not discovered him. He saw several Yin fires flash within the dilapidated temple, and miserable screams could be heard in the wind.

Before long, Yin mist rose and surged between the ruined temples.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and listened carefully.

Suddenly, bursts of chanting came, as if countless monks were chanting, but they were using Sanskrit, and he did not know what scripture they were chanting.

Ghost monks chanting...

There was indeed a problem here!

After a while, the sound of horse hooves rang out like thunder, and it was Wu Wu Dehai and Lu San riding over, bringing hundreds of experts from the Commandant's Office.

Li Yan leaped out, stopped them, and then took Wu Wu Dehai and Lu San to crouch on a mound, looking into the distance.

"So they were hiding here!"

Wu Wu Dehai frowned upon seeing this.

Li Yan asked, "It seems Battalion Commander Wu knows what place this is?"

"This is Zhaode Temple."

Wu Wu Dehai shook his head and said, "This place was built during the Daxiang years by the Prince of Xiang to commemorate his mother. Just a few years ago, the Han River surged, destroying Xiangyang City, and this place could not escape the disaster."

"There were quite a few monks in the temple, not Mystic Sect practitioners, but some ordinary monastics. When the flood came, they all died in the temple."

"But the situation here is a bit strange. After they died, their souls kept hovering and would not leave. Occasionally, when someone strayed in, they would hear chanting, and it is said that they were chanting the 'Infinite Life Scripture'..."

"The City God Temple once wanted to eradicate this place, but when the Sheling soldiers and horses came, these souls would disappear without a trace. Once the soldiers and horses left, they would appear again after a few days, and no one knew where they were hiding."

"As time went by, no one paid any attention to it. Almost all the common people in Xiangyang City know about it and call it the 'Ghost Buddha Temple'. Because it is far from the official road, very few people come near..."

"So that's how it is..."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and looked at Lu San.

Lu San understood immediately, formed a spell seal, and whistled in a low voice.

Before long, figures of all sizes crawled over—snakes, insects, badgers, and rabbits. They were clearly afraid and did not dare to approach.

Lu San hurriedly stepped forward to soothe them, making murmuring sounds.

Soon, these small animals also made sounds.

The scene before their eyes made everyone from the Commandant's Office widen their eyes.

Wu Wu Dehai was also full of interest.

He had long heard that there was a strange person in Li Yan's team who could understand the language of birds and beasts, but he did not expect it to be even more miraculous than he had imagined.

Soon, Lu San turned back and said in a deep voice, "Since last month, people have often come and gone here. Every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, when the moon is bright, they also burn fires and kill people for sacrifices."

"It seems this is the thieves' lair!"

Wu Wu Dehai was full of excitement and eager to try, "Young Hero Li, what should we do?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "How many gunmen are there in the team, and how many firearms are they carrying?"

"Thirty ordinary muskets, two new-style firearms, plus the one we confiscated, that makes three. Besides that, there are some bamboo thunder arrows..."

"That makes it easy to handle."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "I will lure the people out, and you use the firearms to line up and kill them. Don't care what kind of thing it is, just open fire."

Wu Wu Dehai nodded hurriedly, "Young Hero Li, rest assured."

After saying this, he immediately began to deploy. Thirty musketeers lined up in formation and cooperated with the crossbowmen.

As for the experts, they moved in groups to block the exits.

Li Yan nodded slightly upon seeing this.

These people acted swiftly and were organized, clearly having undergone tactical training with the appearance of the new-style firearms.

He signaled Lu San to act according to circumstances, then pulled out his Dust-Severing Saber, walked the pace of the Big Dipper, formed a spell seal, and whispered, "Nogao! Heaven's Truth and Great Purity, the essence of Ren and Gui. Internally corresponding to the kidneys, externally corresponding to the Water Star..."

Whoosh~

Water mist rose, and Li Yan's figure gradually became blurred.

Seeing this, Wu Wu Dehai could not help but praise him in his heart.

They had carried out all kinds of missions and had dealt with many Mystic Sect practitioners, but Li Yan's team, with their mysterious and efficient spells and advanced tactics like firearm cooperation, was the first of its kind.

No wonder they could achieve such a reputation... Li Yan was naturally unaware of his thoughts. He used the Northern Emperor's Mysterious Water Escape to cover his entire body's aura, quickly passed through the stream, and entered the vicinity of the ruined temple.

Just as he entered the range of the strange rocks and dead trees, the chanting in his ears suddenly grew louder, and the Yin mist surged. In the haze, there were many monk shadows, standing silently with their hands pressed together...

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and ignored them.

These monks might have been ordinary people during their lifetimes, but after long-term cultivation and chanting, their divine souls would always be somewhat stronger.

They were lonely souls, but not fierce ghosts.

He sniffed, entered the temple from the side of the collapsed wall, and then immediately stabilized his figure, not moving at all.

In the dilapidated temple, there was silence.

But in Li Yan's eyes, it was extremely dangerous.

From the rotten door panels, broken stone tablets, pillars, and the main hall, he could smell that rotten earthy fishy smell, and there was also the smell of incense lingering.

Not only that, various fine sounds came to his ears.

"Kill kill kill, tear down this door panel!"

!.

"Amitabha, put down the butcher's knife..."

"Burn it!"

"I want incense and blood food!"

Good heavens!

Li Yan's pupils shrank, and he was secretly shocked in his heart.

What is going on in this place?

The monks outside had turned into Yin spirits, wandering everywhere, while inside the temple, all kinds of messy things had become Wild God spirit monsters.

Squeak~

Just at this moment, the pitch-black temple gate opened.

All the noisy sounds of the Wild Gods, including those ghost monks, instantly dissipated, and it returned to a state of deathly silence.

He saw more than a dozen people walk out of the ruined temple.

Most of them were dressed like ordinary mountain folk, only they were carrying various weapons in their hands, and each was full of energy.

And the few leaders among them had strange appearances.

Among them, three were dressed like Miao people, wearing fur armor, with long bows on their backs and curved sabers hanging at their waists.

These three were the Meishan brothers from before.

They were surrounding an old man who was leaning on a cane, wearing a black robe, with eyes that were completely snow-white.

"Let's go, it's not safe here."

The old man said in a deep voice, "Xu Huang Sanlang is a piece of trash. The people in the city will be found sooner or later. Let's leave first."

"Elder, what about the things inside..."

"Rest assured, even if they get here, they won't be able to guess..."

Before he could finish speaking, the old man suddenly felt a chill in his heart, turned his head to look in the direction of Li Yan, and his ears twitched, "There's something over there!"

He had been discovered!

Murderous intent flashed in Li Yan's eyes, and he charged out directly.

The Mysterious Water Escape he used was covered by water mist. Under the moonlight, light reflected off it, and this movement was immediately discovered by those with extraordinary eyesight.

"Escape technique, there's an expert!"

"Kill him!"

This group of people was suddenly in chaos.

The Meishan brothers were even more startled and hurriedly scattered, while roaring incessantly and nocking arrows to their bows.

However, Li Yan's movements were faster.

Seeing that he was about to get close, he suddenly pulled out the flintlock pistol from his waist and pulled the trigger directly.

Boom!

With a loud noise, fire and thick smoke scattered.

Li Yan's target was not the three brothers, but the old man at the front. The power of the firearm was immense, directly shattering his legs.

"Ah!"

Miserable screams rang out.

The old man fell to the ground in pain, and several Heavenly Saint Sect disciples behind him also had their legs shattered.

"New-style firearm!"

The Meishan brothers were startled and hurriedly scattered, while roaring angrily, "The firearm only has one shot, quick, kill him first!"

After saying this, they scattered directly and pulled out their curved sabers.

The three brothers had a tacit understanding, and their cooperation was astonishing.

One person swung his saber, attacking Li Yan from the front, while the other two rolled, came to Li Yan's side, and released flying darts directly.

However, Li Yan today was not someone they could deal with.

Facing the whistling curved saber, Li Yan did not even blink. With a leap and a step, he swung his saber upward.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, the Miao saber broke into two pieces.

Not only that, the person swinging the saber was also struck by Yin thunder, his whole body stiff, and his pupils were full of fear.

Before he could react, Li Yan grabbed him and spun him around his side, just in time to block the incoming flying darts.

Pfft pfft!

This unlucky ghost was the eldest of the Meishan brothers.

The flying darts were deeply inserted into his chest, his complexion turned iron-blue rapidly, and he spat out white foam, as the flying darts were coated with deadly poison.

"Big Brother!"

The remaining two brothers were filled with grief and indignation and hurriedly stepped forward.

But as soon as they took a step, Li Yan swung the corpse toward one of them, and at the same time, using this force, his hidden strength exploded, and his body flew out diagonally, charging toward the third brother.

"Go to hell!"

Seeing the ghostly movement, the third brother knew he was no match. His eyes were blood-red, and he stabbed out with his curved saber, preparing to die together.

But as he got close, Li Yan suddenly raised his hand and used the Pi-Gua palm technique, carrying the momentum of the Earth.

Whoosh~

The third brother only felt a violent wind blowing in his face, and the palm above his head felt like a hill falling down.

This was the psychological impact caused by the momentum of the fist.

Even though he was prepared to die, he was still terrified and could not help but retreat.

And this palm was just a feint.

Li Yan suddenly turned his body, crossed paths with the other party, changed his palm into a hand-blade, and tapped lightly on the back of his head.

Bang!

The third brother fell directly to the ground, unconscious.

Li Yan's movements were like a fierce ghost in the eyes of everyone; they could not even see his face clearly, and their most powerful experts had been injured or killed one after another.

"Run!"

Those Heavenly Saint Sect disciples did not say a word and fled the ruined temple one after another.

Looking at the third brother on the ground, whose life or death was unknown, the second Meishan brother gritted his teeth, his eyes full of hesitation.

If they stayed, all three brothers would definitely die.

If they fled, there might be a chance for revenge.

This was the instinctive hesitation of a human. Before he could make a decision, gunshots rang out incessantly outside, and miserable screams continued.

"Ah!"

The second Meishan brother knew there was no escape. With an angry roar, he charged out with his saber, while taking off the leather bag at his waist.

Pfft!

The Soul-Severing Flying Knife was inserted directly into his chest and abdomen.

The second Meishan brother lost his focus, and with a thud, he fell to the ground.

Li Yan's expression was cold. He stepped forward to pull out the flying knife, and then stabbed it through his dantian, before turning to walk toward the old man.

The old man's legs had already been shattered, and he was panting heavily on the ground, but he was completely fearless, a trace of madness flashing in his eyes.

"It's you again, it's you again..."

Li Yan frowned, "You know me?"

"Hahaha..."

The old man laughed maniacally, "The Cult Master has already given the order; the Ghost Sect will put a bounty on you. From now on, in this vast world, there will be no place for you to hide!"

After saying this, black blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he died on the ground...

(End of chapter)