Chapter 372: Mountains Hide Demons and Evils

"Such a young age, yet so sharp-tongued."

The mist grew thicker, the voice erratic and elusive, its shadow appearing simultaneously in multiple directions, strange and unpredictable.

"Hmph!"

Li Yan slowly drew his Broken Soul Blade, scanning all around, and sneered without mercy: "You're no longer young—only your mouth still holds out!"

Pfft!

Behind him, Sha Sha Li Fei couldn't help laughing: "Young Master Li, he's still an elder, and nearly dead—speak with a little more respect."

Both men mocked aloud, yet their eyes brimmed with caution.

Li Yan activated his divine ability, but even his sense of smell and hearing became chaotic—countless scents, countless noises, impossible to pinpoint the enemy's location.

Sha Sha Li Fei had long raised his firelock, ready to fire at any moment.

Yet no matter how refined the technique or powerful the firearm, if you can't hit the target, it's all useless.

Seeing some members of the Commandant's Office growing restless, Li Yan snapped coldly: "Don't move! Maintain formation! This is a Qimen Qimen Dunjia array—if you break ranks, you die!"

Cheng, the Battalion Commander, startled, barked: "Hold!"

At his command, the Commandant's Office members instantly shifted formation—hundred men swiftly encircled into three concentric rings.

The outer ring raised shields and swords in defense; behind them, gunners leveled their long guns; the remaining masters stood alert, blades ready to support.

In an instant, the formation became a porcupine.

Li Yan watched, silently impressed.

These men were truly elite of the Commandant's Office—not just skilled, but unshaken under pressure, rigorously trained.

If anyone panicked and ran now, casualties would be catastrophic.

Seeing they didn't panic, the voice in the woods clearly hesitated: "Interesting… but you'll die today anyway—why waste energy struggling?"

As he spoke, a rustling sound rose all around, like gentle rain—yet from the gloom, serpents surged toward them, dense as a tide, endless in number.

"Retreat!"

Lu San suddenly formed a hand seal and roared.

The serpent swarm stirred in response.

But from within the mist came a haunting, mournful flute melody, reassembling the serpents—then the old voice sneered: "Not bad. Rare to meet a junior who understands the speech of beasts and birds."

"Too bad—these little creatures were bred by my own hands. You can't steal them away…"

"Fire!"

Before he finished, Cheng, the Battalion Commander, gave the order.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Commandant's Office troops opened fire at once—gunpowder smoke rose, flashes of fire erupted, shooting in all directions.

Though Cheng was an ordinary man, his response was flawless.

They were trapped in the array, senses disrupted—but bullets don't care. Even if they miss, they disrupt the enemy's spellcasting, and might even reveal his position.

Indeed, the voice vanished instantly; the serpents lost control, thrashing wildly in all directions.

Snakes have territories, and different species hunt each other—some massive Mountain-Crossing Vipers opened their jaws and devoured nearby venomous snakes outright.

But soon, the voice returned: "This bounty's harder to claim than I thought—forcing me to exert myself…"

His tone dripped with cold fury, utterly devoid of its earlier calm.

Soon, the mournful flute melody drifted through the mist, weeping and wailing, shifting position constantly. Meanwhile, the previously agitated serpents all froze, raising their bodies and slowly writhing, as if dancing.

From the mouths of these venomous snakes, faint toxic mists rose.

Clearly, they intended to kill with poison.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts tightened.

From the old man's words, they knew he was a reclusive rogue cultivator, hired by a demon to ambush them—primarily targeting Li Yan.

He knew Li Yan's group had arrived, even knew Lu San understood beast speech, so he used the snakes to lure them into a death trap.

But his trick was exposed when Li Yan heard the ghostly whispers.

Seeing his plan ruined, the enemy immediately set up a grand array, trapping them alone—no wonder he dared take this job.

Seeing the toxic mist spreading, Li Yan wouldn't wait to die—he gripped the Divine Tiger Talisman at his waist, formed a hand seal, and chanted low: "Nuo Gao, open for the descendant Wang Jia, the Six Jia Azure Dragon, the Six Yi Meeting Star…"

It was the long-unused Northern Emperor's Mountain Ascension Technique.

Instantly, fierce winds surged—the toxic mist scattered—but Li Yan held the seal, and the wind did not cease.

He had long discovered this trick: using the energy flow of the Mountain Ascension Technique to disperse poison—though it drained his spirit.

"Hmph!"

The old man in the mist snorted—he realized words alone couldn't unsettle them, so he stopped talking and resumed his spellcraft.

This time, clusters of green ghostly flames rose from the mist, drifting like lanterns, converging toward them.

At that moment, Wang Wang Daoxuan, who had been studying the Luo Pan, whispered: "Wu position!"

Sha Sha Li Fei didn't hesitate—he swung his gun barrel.

Boom!

A thunderous crash.

The new firelock's power was undeniable—the blast tore through the gloom, leaving a visible path, snapping and toppling bamboo along its route.

"Ahh—!"

A scream echoed from the woods—the ghostly flames scattered.

"Impressive work, everyone!"

Cheng, the Battalion Commander, couldn't help praising.

He'd seen clearly: since learning he was the target, Li Yan had mocked, cast spells—all to draw the enemy's attention.

Whether Sha Sha Li Fei, Lu San, or Wu Ba, all had shielded Wang Wang Daoxuan at the center, letting him focus on breaking the array.

They could've forced their way out—but this method was perfect: no losses, minimal cost.

Cheng had met many Some Jianghu types—some relied on strength, others on experience—but he'd never seen a team like Li Yan's—better coordinated than any he'd known.

He didn't know Li Yan's thinking was shaped by his past life—borrowing Special Forces tactics, training each member according to their strengths.

Hearing the praise, Wang Wang Daoxuan merely shook his head: "He's not dead yet. The array isn't broken. Don't move yet."

"This array uses a place of malevolent energy to cast Qimen Qimen Dunjia, combined with Daoist Hidden Earth Eight Techniques. He himself is the 'Jia'—the object controlling the array is hidden on his person."

"Fortunately, he's wounded and fled. Find those born under Dragon or Tiger signs—each take two hundred steps in these two directions, then dig."

"Sha, give them some oil and salt."

"Everyone—no matter what you dig up, don't panic. Burn it. The array will break."

"Quick! Those born under Dragon or Tiger—step forward!"

Cheng gave the order without hesitation—six men stepped out and walked into the mist, following Wang Wang Daoxuan's directions.

"One, two, three…"

They silently counted their steps. Though the mist swallowed them behind, hiding their comrades, the venomous snakes ignored them entirely—giving them confidence.

These Commandant's Office elites had guts—after two hundred steps, they immediately swung their sword scabbards and began digging.

The bamboo forest had loose soil; after clearing thick layers of rotting bamboo leaves, they dug less than half a foot and found a small coffin.

The coffin was two feet long, made of locust wood, carved with grotesque, terrifying inscriptions, with a small hole open—inside, countless maggots writhed. A venomous snake crawled over it.

Swish!

Suddenly, a black, rotting little hand shot from the hole, snatching the snake into the coffin.

The Commandant's Office elites felt their scalps crawl—remembering Wang Wang Daoxuan's warning, they didn't delay—doused it in oil and salt, then tossed a firestarter.

Boom!

Flames erupted instantly—the coffin emitted a baby's wail, then a gale swept through the woods, the mist vanishing rapidly.

The Qimen array was broken. Though the bamboo grove remained dim, moonlight spilled through, revealing their surroundings.

Somehow, they had reached an unfamiliar bamboo forest, densely packed with ancient graves, built of brick and stone.

Years had passed—roots had shattered everything, leaving a scene of ruin. Every hundred steps, a cow skull hung from a bamboo stalk, decayed and yellow, eerily grotesque.

Ahead, an ancient stone tablet lay toppled, its inscriptions faded, yet still legible: "The heart governs the nine orifices; the sovereign is the chief of the five senses…"

"It's the 'Fu Yan'—from Guiguzi."

Wang Wang Daoxuan's eyes lit up.

Li Yan suddenly remembered something—his face changed slightly, but he forced calm: "Find the attacker first!"

!.

He walked toward the direction Sha Sha Li Fei had fired.

Wang Wang Daoxuan realized his mistake and fell silent.

He, too, had just remembered something.

Yunmeng Marsh holds three treasures: the Divine Palace of Yunzhong Jun, the Soil of Xi, and Wang Chan the Ancestor's Scripture Grove.

They'd asked Master Tu to investigate and learned Wang Chan's Scripture Grove lay near Xiangyang, with mysterious figures secretly searching for it.

The attacker was likely connected to it!

Meanwhile, Li Yan strode forward—and indeed, two hundred steps away, he found a pool of blood, mixed with bits of flesh.

At that distance, even Sha Sha Li Fei's marksmanship would lose accuracy, especially with mist obscuring vision—so he'd used shrapnel.

The enemy was wounded and fleeing.

Without hesitation, the group began pursuit.

Following the scent of blood, they soon spotted a cave, beside which brick and stone were piled—like a hermitage.

"Don't enter! There's toxic miasma inside!"

This was the enemy's true killing move: using an array to lure them into the cave, disrupt their spiritual arts, and by the time they realized they were poisoned, it was already too late to escape.

After giving further warnings, Li Yan led the others around the miasma cave, passed through a bamboo grove, and suddenly the view opened up.

Before them lay a flat stretch of land halfway up the mountain, with a study and thatched hut surrounded by a fence; moonlight spilled down, creating a serene atmosphere.

But the fence gate stood wide open, and bloodstains dotted the ground.

An old man in blue Confucian robes sat on the steps, his face pale, clutching his chest as drops of blood continuously seeped out.

This old man was unlucky: though Sha Li Fei used shrapnel, one shard had pierced his chest cavity and damaged his lungs.

Now his face was ashen, gasping heavily like a dying fish, staring at them with eyes full of bitter resentment.

Even Li Yan felt a pang of frustration seeing him.

The old man's spiritual arts were surely formidable, but his lungs were injured—he couldn't chant spells or wield techniques, barely managing to crawl back to his lair.

Li Yan glanced around, a thought striking him, and shook his head: "Without the array to conceal it, the courtyard's traps won't fool us."

"Isn't that right, Elder An Fade?"

He suddenly recalled that when Lu the Tutor had tried to quell the unrest, he had advised Captain Zhou to seek out a hermit named An Fade in Lu Men Mountain.

This old man was almost certainly him.

"Yes… it's this old man…"

The old man's lungs were damaged; each word panted out, his face darkening with venom: "Wait—you'll pay! My disciples will avenge me!"

"Hmph!"

Li Yan let out a cold snort and suddenly leapt into the courtyard.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dust exploded as iron animal traps sprang out, snapping shut in a faintly octagonal pattern.

One misstep and your shins would be crushed.

Yet Li Yan moved swiftly, dodging them all, leaping straight to the old man's side, his Duan Chen blade pressed against his throat: "Don't worry—your disciple won't find the scripture grove where Wang Chan the Ancestor hid his texts."

The old man's eyes flew wide open.

The shock seemed to drain his last strength; he clutched his chest, eyes blazing with resentment, and finally went still.

Li Yan had only been testing his words—he hadn't expected it to kill him outright. Probably the lung damage triggered cardiac failure.

"Tsk tsk… at his age, why risk his life?"

Li Yan shook his head, searched the body, and found nothing but a few flutes and poison-filled leather pouches.

Then he turned toward the thatched hut.

After muttering a spell and searching inside, Li Yan suddenly waved his hand: "Come in—all of you—there's something here!"

The others rushed in to find wooden floorboards pried open, revealing a hidden tunnel below.

Inside, it opened into a stone chamber.

Straw littered the ground, reeking of foul odor, with drag marks leading toward another tunnel.

Without hesitation, they followed the tunnel deeper.

Someone had lain in wait—meaning their intel had been leaked. The Medicine Saint Li family's people were likely hidden here, then moved again.

The tunnel was dark and deep, but thankfully, no traps.

After walking for a quarter-hour, another stone chamber appeared ahead. Inside lay a man, raggedly dressed, hair disheveled, bound tightly with straw ropes, unconscious.

"It's Doctor Li!"

Cheng the Battalion Commander rushed forward, checked his breath, and finally exhaled in relief.

As long as they rescued him, the mission wasn't a failure.

"Tsk tsk!"

On the other side, Sha Li Fei exclaimed: "Damn, old Sha's seen it all now!"

He was crouched in the opposite corner of the chamber, peering through two holes in the wall, clearly staring at something unseen.

Li Yan frowned, glanced around, then walked to the wall and pulled a rusted iron chain.

Boom!

The entire stone wall began slowly rotating.

Instantly, a languid, intoxicating scent drifted in.

The group filed out—and the sight before them stunned them.

It was clearly a Buddhist chapel, with Robed Guanyin enshrined above.

But inside, men and women, half-naked, tumbled chaotically together, each grinning vacantly, drool streaming from their mouths.

"Watch out above!"

Li Yan drew his Duan Chen blade and pulled everyone back.

There, clinging to the chapel's beam, was a colossal lizard—its color fused with the wood—breathing heavily downward, as if devouring some kind of aura…

Second chapter, afternoon

(End of chapter)