Chapter 374: Seeking the Trail of Demons

There were little people underground.

Li Yan finally understood Wu Ba's meaning.

With this big man's language ability, he couldn't possibly misunderstand "little people"—the little people he meant were truly tiny.

Li Yan immediately activated his spiritual sense to probe, then frowned slightly. "Lu San, ask him how he knows."

With his current scent ability, he could detect everything tens of meters underground—but he smelled nothing.

Wu Ba's talent lay entirely in his physical body; how could he have detected anomalies underground?

Lu San quickly communicated in the upper tongue, muttering for a while before finally clarifying the reason.

"Wu Ba's tribe lives in Inside Shennongjia, where little people often emerge from underground to steal their grain.

These little people wear clothes and carry jade pendants; Wu Ba, having encountered them often, knows something like this must be lurking nearby…"

"Little people! Little people!"

Wu Ba nodded eagerly, then squatted and gently lifted the stone.

Everyone leaned down to look—and were instantly startled.

Beneath the stone lay a small cave, no larger than a rat's burrow, with smooth, even edges; most crucially, a wooden plank covered the opening.

The plank was rough but bore clear carvings; when flipped over, a tiny handle could be seen on the back.

"Little people! Little people!"

Wu Ba gripped the wooden plank, his expression furious.

Li Yan, intrigued, asked: "Wood spirits?"

In this world, many legendary beings truly existed.

For instance, in Yunyang Prefecture's Jiang-Zhe Merchants' Guild, he had met Lin the Young Master from Jiang-Zhe, who carried a "wood spirit."

It was a humanoid spirit that dwelled in the dense southern forests of Shenzhou, occasionally harvesting spirit wood to trade with humans—hence the name "wood spirit."

"Probably not."

Wang Wang Daoxuan also took the small wooden plank, studying it with interest. "'Wood spirits' are forest spirits; they typically live in trees, never wear jade, and never use metal tools."

"The Shanhai Jing mentions the 'Zhou Rao Kingdom' and the 'Jiao Yao Kingdom'—both were little people living underground, dressed in robes and caps, practicing agriculture; one stood three chi tall, the other one chi six cun—much larger than this."

"Only two kinds are this small: one is called 'Jing Ren,' who serve the gods; the other is 'Jun Ren,' dressed in red robes and red hats, skilled at cultivating Che Ma Zhi mushrooms, riding them underground."

"From my observation, it's most likely 'Jing Ren.'"

He glanced around the mountains. "These tiny spirit folk are recorded in ancient texts; today, their traces are rarely seen."

"Legends say Xianshan is where Fuxi was buried, where Chisongzi, Changsangzi, and Yuzi once dwelled, where the Han River goddess manifested—this place is truly extraordinary…"

Li Yan took a deep breath and shook his head. "This cave is too deep, branching in all directions—we don't know where it leads. It's probably just an ordinary exit."

He then asked: "If, as the Daoist says, 'Jing Ren' serve the gods, then there must be a deity in this mountain?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan nodded. "If there are 'Jing Ren,' there must be a deity. These little people collect jade to offer to their gods."

Li Yan pondered a moment. "I have a technique, but I haven't perfected it yet—and it risks offending others. Let's search first; if we find nothing, we'll consider it."

What he meant was the Northern Emperor's Divine Command.

This method was extremely forceful: it used thunder arts to forcibly subdue ghosts and gods, forcing them to obey.

He possessed thunder arts and the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Rope; cultivating it wasn't overly difficult. These past days, he had studied it nightly and made progress.

But suppressing ordinary minor spirits was one thing—truly powerful mountain or river deities would only be angered.

With a plan settled, the group pressed on.

Though Xianshan was not a sacred grotto or blessed land, it was a famed mountain and river, and since ancient times, immortals and sages had dwelled here—numerous temples and monasteries had been built, along with many famous tombs.

Jin Dynasty physician Wang Shuhe, Tang Dynasty's Meng Meng Haoran, Liu Biao, Du Fu… most of Xiangyang's historical figures were buried here.

To be honest, this wasn't some remote wilderness; if not for the recent plague, travelers would abound.

Li Yan simply couldn't understand why Wang Chan the Ancestor would hide his scriptures in such an obvious place.

To avoid danger, the group avoided the main path and traveled through the forest. Soon, they spotted a valley.

In the valley stood a Buddhist temple, small in size, modest and ancient in design—the kind of humble shrine found everywhere.

Eagles circled overhead. Lu San glanced up and said gravely: "The temple is empty. No one's inside."

Li Yan nodded. "Go down and check."

The group descended the slope and entered the temple.

Indeed, the small temple was deserted. The kitchen stove had long gone cold; the porridge inside had molded. The interior was in disarray, with dark bloodstains and drag marks on the floor.

The altar table was equally chaotic, covered in dust.

Li Yan surveyed the surroundings and shook his head. "The monks here were killed—at least four or five days ago. It must have been those people."

Wang Wang Daoxuan frowned. "Why would they capture monks?"

"No idea."

Li Yan chanted a spell, took a deep breath, and shook his head. "It rained two days ago—the scent has been washed away. Lu San, see if any animals know anything."

Lu San immediately cast a spell and whistled.

But after a while, nothing appeared.

Even Lu San was puzzled. "The animals in this mountain refuse to communicate with me."

Sha Sha Li Fei frowned. "That's strange—I've never seen this before. Lu San, are all the animals dead?"

"Not likely."

Lu San's expression turned grave. He scanned the surrounding mountains and said solemnly: "This situation is described in the Shanhai Lingying Jing—it means there are rules here, and a mountain deity exists."

"I'll try communicating with the mountain deity again!"

He stepped outside the temple, arranged a simple altar with stones, lit incense he had prepared in advance, chanted a spell, and began dancing the Nuo dance.

Ancient shamanic chants rose. Lu San inhaled the incense, his eyes slowly rolled back, his movements grew more frantic, as if entering a trance.

After a while, he suddenly screamed, stumbled, and collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, staring around in confusion.

"What happened?"

Li Yan rushed forward to help him up.

Lu San gasped for breath, incredulous. "I felt something… but a sound interrupted me."

"What sound?"

"Like an instrument—yes, a qing bell!"

"Qing?"

Li Yan was baffled. "That's a ritual musical instrument. Where would there be a qing bell on this mountain? I heard nothing."

He had the ear-sense too—and heard nothing.

Wang Wang Daoxuan mused: "Since entering the mountain, we've encountered the 'Jing Ren' cave, failed to communicate with the mountain deity—this mountain is clearly strange. Let's find a high point; let me use my spirit sight to investigate."

Li Yan immediately agreed and led the group uphill.

Xianshan wasn't tall. Soon, they reached a peak. Wang Wang Daoxuan chanted a spell, held his Luo Pan, and surveyed all directions.

He had awakened a new spiritual sense: spirit sight.

Others saw only ordinary mountains and rivers; to him, multicolored auras rose in swirling patterns, vast and varied.

After watching for a while, Wang Wang Daoxuan couldn't help but exclaim: "Xianshan is truly extraordinary. Though not a sacred grotto or blessed land, its Gangsha qi flows, and its spirit veins and acupoints are far more numerous than elsewhere."

"No wonder so many famous figures are buried here."

Sha Sha Li Fei grew impatient. "Daoist, forget the famous people—find those people's trail first!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan looked at the sky; the sun had risen high. He shook his head. "Hard to find. It's daytime—yang qi rises, yin qi sinks. Only at midnight can we detect demonic qi." "Roar!"

At that moment, a distant roar echoed.

Everyone turned their heads toward the riverbank.

They were now on high ground, able to see the Han River below—but it was too far to make out what it was.

Lu San raised his hand; the eagle shrieked and soared, circling the riverbank before suddenly rising higher.

Boom!

A gunshot rang out.

"Trouble!"

Lu San was startled.

The eagle dropped several feathers midair, flapped hard, and glided toward them—but barely made it halfway before plummeting straight down.

"I'll go first!"

Without hesitation, Li Yan leapt down.

!.

He unleashed hidden force beneath his feet and leapt directly from the cliff, stepping on protruding trees and rocks as he rapidly descended.

The others lacked his skill and had to descend the opposite side.

Li Yan moved swiftly, soon reaching the forest below, leaping across tree trunks, and arriving at the eagle's crash site in moments.

He looked down—and froze in shock.

Lu San's eagle lay on the ground, blood staining its wings, unconscious. Around it stood a group of tiny figures.

They were gray little people, dressed in cloth robes, holding tiny guns forged from jade, picking up feathers.

"Die!"

Li Yan roared and dropped from the air.

Shhh!

The little creatures could earth-dodge—they vanished instantly underground.

After landing, Li Yan immediately activated his divine ability and sensed numerous qi signatures, but they instantly merged with the earth's vein qi.

These were precisely the "Jing people" Wang Wang Daoxuan had mentioned.

Ignoring these petty villains, Li Yan quickly checked on the falcon.

Fortunately, the falcon had only injured its wings—likely from hitting a tree during its fall—and had fainted.

Not long after, Lu San and the others arrived in quick succession.

Lu San's face was pale, clearly terrified; even the little white fox, who usually disliked the falcon, stared with wide, glossy eyes, fixed on the bird and pacing anxiously in circles.

Fortunately, the falcon's injuries were not severe. After examining it, Lu San immediately acted, using a small knife to extract the pellets from its wings, applying herbal ointment, and bandaging the wounds.

Sha Li Fei took the small iron pellet and said gravely: "It's a new-type firearm, firing scatter shot—that's why it can reach so far."

"Wait here—I'll find out who it was!"

Li Yan gave a low order and swiftly vanished into the dense forest.

Not long after, he reached the riverbank.

The man who had fired the shot was long gone, but there was a pool of blood on the shore, along with numerous footprints leading into the river.

Without hesitation, Li Yan first hid his personal firearm, then stepped to the bank, stepped the Nine Stars, and chanted the incantation: "Nuogao! Heavenly Primordial Simplicity, essence of Ren and Gui. Inner correspondence to the kidneys, upper correspondence to the Water Star…"

This was the Northern Emperor's Dark Water Escape.

Before the incantation ended, mist already surrounded him, blurring his form into obscurity.

After completing the spell, Li Yan immediately leapt into the water.

Splash!

With his cultivation improved, the Dark Water Escape had become astonishing—not only could he hold his breath underwater for long periods, but his swimming speed rivaled that of a fish.

With a flick of his body, Li Yan darted along the riverbed.

Finally, he noticed something strange.

Not far from the shore, a rocky cliff of Xianshan rose high, half-submerged in water, and beneath the surface lay a massive cavern.

The cavern's entrance alone was as large as four or five rooms, pitch-black, its depths unknown.

At the mouth of the cavern, several figures were slowly gliding.

They were three men clad in diving suits; one held an oilcloth bundle—clearly a firearm.

The other two dragged a corpse.

They were equally skilled in water, and soon vanished into the cavern.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, shook his foot, and shot toward the cavern like an arrow through water.

Firearms were useless underwater; with his Water Escape and the Soul-Grabbing Chain, dealing with these men would be effortless.

Yet as he neared the cavern's mouth, Li Yan's heart jolted—he twisted his body and swiftly retreated like a fish.

Swish!

A dark shadow shot past him, grazing his side.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

More dark shadows erupted, growing in number—like colossal water serpents—sending violent undercurrents surging.

Li Yan's heart pounded as he swam a hundred meters before turning back.

From within the cavern slowly emerged a giant toad, its eyes blood-red, its head sprouting thick, writhing fleshy tentacles like giant snakes.

It was the Old Ancestor of Donghu Lake!

Li Yan's heart leapt—he instantly recognized its identity.

Damn, such a massive ancient demon—its malevolent aura was so heavy it made his hairs stand on end. No wonder it had wounded the Turtle Master.

But upon closer inspection, he noticed something odd.

The Old Ancestor's enormous eyes were filled with madness and bloodlust, as if it had lost all reason; numerous massive iron pillars were embedded in its body, inscribed with talismanic script.

The Old Ancestor did not pursue—it merely blocked the cavern's entrance.

As if following some command.

But as Li Yan's guard lowered, the Old Ancestor suddenly opened its mouth, spewing a white mist mixed with water.

Upon closer look, it was countless tiny flesh-worms, writhing wildly like white threads.

It was the curse the Turtle Master had been afflicted with!

Li Yan gasped and turned to flee.

Fortunately, his Dark Water Escape was swift—he reached the shore in mere breaths, bursting from the water with a splash.

Sssshhh~

As soon as he stepped onto land, a strange sound came from behind.

Li Yan turned—those white Gu worms were crawling up the riverbank, twisting and wriggling like countless white ironworms.

"Get lost!"

Li Yan cursed.

The tassels of his Broken Dust Dao at his waist trembled with the Three Talismans' Demon-Subduing Coins.

A chilling aura spread—the Gu worms immediately died in droves.

He finally exhaled. Though these little things were fragile, their numbers were overwhelming—especially underwater, where they were impossible to guard against.

The demon cultists' lair must lie beneath the water.

That cavern likely led to Wang Chan's Hidden Scripture Grove.

Perhaps even the Turtle Master was trapped inside.

But with the Old Ancestor of Donghu guarding it, how could he enter?

At that moment, several warships surged across the river in the distance—reinforcements from the garrison troops had arrived.

Li Yan's heart leapt—he shouted urgently: "Fall back!"

Second Chapter, Afternoon

(End of Chapter)