Chapter 396

Li Yan was having a strange dream.

He looked around and was still on the mountaintop, the bonfire flickering, but it didn't make a sound, as if he were in a state between dreaming and waking.

Sha Sha Li Fei and Wu Ba were nowhere to be seen.

He wanted to get up but found he couldn't move at all.

The sound of water waves came from all around. Li Yan couldn't move, but he could see water splashing on the ground in front of him, quickly submerging his feet.

What happened?

Just when Li Yan was puzzled, his whole body suddenly stiffened.

He could feel something pressing against his back, fine hair tickling the back of his neck, and a pair of tender, jade-like hands passing from both sides to embrace him.

In an instant, illusions rose before Li Yan's eyes.

He saw rivers churning, destroying countless villages and towns along the way, the barrier lakes in the mountains collapsing and turning into mountain torrents rushing down, the water mist of the tide churning, looking exactly like yellow flood dragons...

Countless mountain torrents rushed and gathered into the Yangtze River, thunderclouds pressed down on the sky, lightning roared, and heavy rain poured down, a scene of the apocalypse...

On the river surface where giant waves churned, all kinds of soft-shelled turtles, turtles, fish, and shrimp scurried about, each with a huge body, devouring the livestock and villagers that fell in, and there was a giant black shadow below, twisting like a snake...

On the surrounding high mountains, Dharma altars stood one after another.

Countless cultivators were performing rituals at the same time. They were dressed somewhat strangely, similar to Daoist robes, and also similar to shamanic priests, sometimes performing rituals, sometimes driving giant copper nails into various places on the mountaintop...

The irritable rivers calmed down, and officials in black robes appeared with countless villagers, cutting off the rivers and building embankments.

Looking down from the sky, it looked like a giant tiger tally, suppressing the entire river...

Everyone's faces could not be seen clearly, but Li Yan vaguely understood that this was the scene of the construction of Dujiangyan back then.

The black robe was the straight-hem robe of the Qin Dynasty, with patterns embroidered on the collar, cuffs, and hem, and wearing a crown and jade pendant; it should be Li Bing.

Once Dujiangyan was completed, the rivers were calm, the sky cleared, and the villagers along the banks cheered and boiled over, but Li Yan could see more clearly from above.

The giant black shadow originally in the Yangtze River constantly merged into the mountain range, turning into a dragon-shaped white energy, merging with a vast mountain range.

The area where its tail was located was very familiar to him; he had just met the mountain god "Zouyu" a few days ago, and it was exactly Inside Shennongjia!

The rivers calmed down, and the evil water creatures that had been raging were also hunted down. Some were skinned and deboned, while others were bound with chains and placed at the entrances of some tomb waterways under construction...

Li Yan immediately understood the identity of these people.

Fangxian Dao sorcerers!

And after the rivers calmed down, another dragon-shaped white energy rose, moving with the wind and thunder, and landed on Inside Shennongjia...

………

Whoosh~

Li Yan took a deep breath and opened his eyes suddenly.

The bonfire crackled, and Sha Sha Li Fei, who was keeping watch, was adding firewood. Seeing him wake up, he hurriedly said, "Little Brother Yan, if you're tired, sleep a little longer. Wu Ba and I will keep watch tonight."

Originally, the three of them took turns keeping watch, but Li Yan's snoring had been thunderous just now, and Sha Sha Li Fei thought he was too exhausted from the day's battle, so he didn't disturb him.

Li Yan was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly took out the dragon-patterned jade tablet from his bosom. Feeling that the residual heat on it hadn't dissipated, he suddenly said:

"I understand!"

Sha Sha Li Fei was confused, "Understand what?"

Li Yan rubbed the dragon-patterned jade tablet in his hand, his eyes somewhat complex. He looked toward the Northwest and said in a deep voice:

"The Dragon-Suppressing Stakes should have been pulled out over there, and the Dragon Lady entrusted me with a dream just now."

"Dragon Lady?!"

Sha Sha Li Fei's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Is she pretty? Could it be that like Liu Yi, she wants to marry Little Brother Yan as his wife?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Li Yan shook his head, "Deities are different from what you think. They are the essence of the mountains and rivers, don't measure them with human hearts. Besides, I didn't see what she looked like."

Sha Sha Li Fei was full of interest, "What did she say?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "I know the reason why the Dragon Lady fell into this place, and I finally understand why she moved."

"Back then, the River God Great Lord was the Dragon God of the Yangtze River, raging and causing disaster. He was defeated by the joint efforts of Li Bing and the Mystic Sect, and Dujiangyan was built to suppress him. The dragon soul was suppressed under Dujiangyan, but the dragon form merged with the dragon energy of the Mount Daba Mountain earth vein..."

As he spoke, his eyes were somewhat complex, "Back then, the River God Great Lord demanded that all cities along the river offer two young girls for blood sacrifice every year. The Dragon Lady was formed by the fusion of the essence of these girls after their deaths and a wisp of dragon energy."

"Precisely because of this, the Dragon Lady often protected the surrounding villagers. Inside Shennongjia is also part of Mount Daba Mountain. After the River God Great Lord was suppressed, the Dragon Lady instinctively fell into this place."

"The people of Daoist Qingyang Palace thought the Dragon Lady was fleeing, but in fact, it was the law of heaven and earth. The Dragon Lady was attracted by the dragon energy of the same source and fell into Inside Shennongjia, gradually absorbing the dragon energy of the River God Great Lord and replacing him."

"Originally, this matter could have proceeded smoothly, but two years ago, the Dragon Lady suddenly sensed the movement of the River God Great Lord's aura and tried to leave..."

Sha Sha Li Fei was surprised upon hearing this, "Wasn't the River God Great Lord suppressed under Dujiangyan, and guarded by Li Erlang Shen? How could there be a problem?"

"I don't know about that."

Li Yan looked at the dragon-patterned jade tablet in his hand and said with a headache, "This object is the key to opening the Dragon Palace Water Mansion. The Dragon Lady gathered a wisp of her energy on it. I guess she wants me to find the Water Mansion and figure out what happened?"

"So that's it..."

Sha Sha Li Fei touched his bald head, "I understand, this is a commission from the Dragon Lady. We need to find out what happened, and the treasures in the Dragon Palace Water Mansion are the reward!"

Li Yan was stunned, "Thinking about it that way, it's not wrong."

Sha Sha Li Fei muttered, "It sounds like a big trouble, but if we can really find it, we'll be rich!"

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "It's too early to think about these things now. We'll make plans after entering Sichuan. On the contrary, the Dragon Lady also told me the origin of that trapped dragon."

"Oh?"

Sha Sha Li Fei hurriedly asked, "What is the origin of that thing?"

Li Yan recalled what he saw in the illusion and said in a deep voice, "This matter also has to do with the Great Song Dynasty and Li Erlang Shen."

"At that time, because of the imperial edict to Li Erlang Shen, a lot of trouble was caused. There were even people in the Bashu region who rebelled because of this, leading to the movement of the Bashan mountains. A wisp of dragon energy leaked out and was absorbed by a snake demon in Inside Shennongjia, which practiced and turned into a dragon."

"Unfortunately, the terrain in various places was abnormal, and there were people meddling in it, forming a trapped dragon situation. Over time, it left behind such a disaster."

"So there was this layer of cause and effect..."

Sha Sha Li Fei said thoughtfully, "Back then, Zhao Zhao Changsheng was the leader of the Great Song Ghost Sect, with immense power, and he got the dragon gu from the trapped dragon to set a trap for the East Lake Ancestor."

"Could these things be his handiwork?"

"Very likely!"

Li Yan said with a solemn expression, "Behind this matter, it is far from simple. I'm afraid the chaos of the Mystic Sect in Sichuan and Shu these past two years is also related to this. After going down the mountain, I'll find an opportunity to report it to the True Martial Palace."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

After setting the plan, Sha Sha Li Fei didn't ask any more questions, but said excitedly, "Little Brother Yan, that Tiger-Crouching Cannon is a good thing. If it's modified, that kid Wu Ba could use it alone."

Li Yan couldn't help but laugh, "Are you kidding? That's a cannon. No matter how strong Wu Ba is, he can't carry it. And if we run around carrying a cannon, the guards of those cities will be scared to death."

"I'll think about it again, there must be a way!"

Sha Sha Li Fei still didn't give up, took out the "Thunderfire Scripture," picked up a branch, and started writing and drawing on the open ground by the fire, soon becoming absorbed.

Li Yan smiled slightly and didn't disturb him.

After standing up, he looked toward the Northwest, his expression solemn.

That is Shennong Peak, the highest peak of the Mount Daba Mountain range. In the illusion given by the Dragon Lady, the dragon energy leaked from there.

After finishing the business here, I'm afraid I'll have to take a trip there to see if anyone has tampered with it...

Boom!

Suddenly, a roar came from afar.

Li Yan turned around suddenly and looked toward the Southeast.

That is exactly the border between the Shenkui tribe and the Lord Tian Sheng Sect's sphere of influence. This sound is clearly the roar of a cannon. "It's starting again!"

Sha Sha Li Fei was also awakened, looked into the distance, and said with a face full of schadenfreude, "They're making a fuss every night. The Lord Tian Sheng Sect is also unlucky to be entangled by these things."

Li Yan's expression was solemn, and he didn't speak.

That "White Duke" is indeed terrifying. He is the mountain god of Inside Shennongjia, commands a powerful tribe, and practices evil arts, having devoured other mountain gods in the vicinity.

But if the Lord Tian Sheng Sect were easy to deal with, how could they stir up the situation and force the spirits and monsters in the Jingxiang mountains and forests to flee in panic, and even take refuge in the Qinling Mountains?

Also, what is Huang Huang Liushi doing...

…………

In the dense forest, firelight rose.

The ground was pitted, smoke filled the air, the trees in the distance swayed, and countless black shadows retreated rapidly.

"Damn it, giving face but not wanting it!"

A big man spat fiercely, picked up a machete, and cut off the head of a Shenkui that was struggling on the ground.

!.

His appearance had already changed: his eyes were blood-red, his face was full of whiskers, and his teeth had become sharp.

Around him, many people were the same.

Some had pupils that had changed, similar to cat eyes, and some had hunched bodies, with fine scales growing on their necks...

They were the demon army of the Lord Tian Sheng Sect.

These people all practiced the "Demon Body Longevity Technique," not for longevity, but to borrow various evil arts to enhance their combat power.

Among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, the "Demon Body Longevity Technique" is somewhat special, as it borrows the bodies of various monsters and spirits to practice secret techniques.

For example, the "Fox Heart Technique" Li Yan saw in Shangjin City involves taking the heart of a fox demon to obtain a powerful bewitching technique.

This method has great power, but there are also many drawbacks.

First, by borrowing external force, it is easy to be invaded by baleful energy and become cruel and violent. Over time, they are no different from demons.

Second, this method requires killing monsters and spirits, and will be rejected by these spirits between heaven and earth.

For example, the demon monk who practiced the "Fox Heart Technique" in Shangjin City would have been torn to pieces by countless foxes at that time if there hadn't been a formation to protect him.

This is also the reason why the Lord Tian Sheng Sect was attacked by Shenkui.

They themselves would be rejected by this mountain forest.

Even the imperial army was implicated, and after entering the mountain forest, they were often attacked by spirits and wild beasts.

In the distance was the Lord Tian Sheng Sect's army.

Most of them were farmers holding broken knives, and there was also a neat and uniform army of believers holding muskets in formation.

Even they stayed far away from these demon armies, their eyes full of vigilance, as if they would raise their muskets to shoot at any time.

The current demon army is becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

Over the past month or so, people have often been attacked after being left alone, and when they were found, they were already torn to pieces.

The high-level officials of the Lord Tian Sheng Sect said they were attacked by wild beasts, but everyone knew clearly that it was done by the crazed demon army.

Seeing the defensive eyes in the distance, the demon army didn't care at all, just sneered, their eyes full of bloodthirsty light.

Suddenly, a man with a sharp, protruding nose raised his head and sniffed in the air, then sneered, "Hey, there's someone hiding!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped out, climbed into the nearby bushes in two or three steps, and dragged a person out of the soil.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

This was a man wearing coarse cloth clothes, his body smeared with corpse oil, his face pale, his body covered in mud, and he was babbling in terror.

His fear made the sharp-nosed man even more excited, his eyes manic, and he was about to open his mouth to bite someone.

Bang!

Someone made a move and kicked him flying.

It was the leader of the demon army, the man with dense hair.

"I'll kill you if you go crazy again!"

The demon army leader's pupils were like a tiger's, his eyes cold, scaring the sharp-nosed man into lowering his head and not daring to speak.

"Humph!"

The demon army leader snorted coldly, looked at the man covered in mud, and sneered, "Isn't this Brother Yu of the Longxiang Army? How did you end up in this state?"

The Longxiang Army had long since lost heart, and not everyone would follow Guo Xiu's orders; some even sensed something was wrong early on and began to retreat.

This person's name is Yu Yu Heizi, and he learned the methods of grave robbing. After being attacked by the earth fire thunder, he faked his death and hid in the forest.

Later, the Longxiang Army was defeated, and he followed closely behind. After all, it was too dangerous for one person in this Inside Shennongjia.

This person also had many methods. Seeing the Shenkui tribe attacking, he smeared corpse oil on his body and used the breath-holding technique to hide in the soil.

This is a method to avoid zombies in tombs, and it also allowed him to avoid the attack of the Shenkui tribe.

Seeing the firelight all around, this Yu Yu Heizi finally came to his senses and hurriedly shouted, "Don't kill me, don't kill me, I have important information!"

…………

Inside the Lord Tian Sheng Sect camp tent, the candlelight was dim.

"Li Yan!"

A scholar in a Confucian robe stood up suddenly.

Yu Yu Heizi kowtowed like a pestle pounding garlic, "Reporting to the Right Prime Minister, it is indeed Li Yan. They used firearms, the Longxiang Army was completely wiped out, and the master... Guo Xiu was also killed by the Shenkui old demon."

An old man with a white beard beside him frowned, "This kid is also strange, how did he pass through our defense line and enter the mountain?"

The speaker was Protector Wang, who had caused trouble in Near Wuchang.

The Lord Tian Sheng Sect takes "Lord Tian Sheng Duke" as its god. To show their determination to resurrect the Holy Duke, they never set up a sect leader, but are led by the Right Prime Minister and Left Prime Minister, assisted by many protectors.

"Don't worry about how he got in!"

A man in a blue robe stood up suddenly, gritting his teeth, "This kid has ruined things many times and also harmed the princess of our Tusi City. He must not be let off."

The speaker was Qin Qin Zhihai, sent by the Tusi City of Tangya, who is proficient in beast-taming techniques and came to connect with the Lord Tian Sheng Sect.

He is an admirer of Princess Qin Yun'er of Tusi City and wanted to marry into the family and become a high-level official in the future. Now that everything has come to nothing, he is naturally full of resentment.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, don't be impatient!"

The Right Prime Minister hurriedly appeased him, "We also hate that kid to the bone, but now we must prioritize the overall situation."

Qin Qin Zhihai glanced coldly, obviously not intending to listen.

"Stop arguing, it's settled!"

Suddenly, an old voice sounded from the side.

The speaker was dressed in a Confucian robe, with white hair and a beard, eyes full of bloodshot, and a cold expression.

Speaking of which, Li Yan had also seen this person.

Previously in Xiangyang City, the city was sealed due to the plague, and the villagers gathered to make trouble, but were blocked by Master Lu of the Longzhong Academy. Later, it was learned that this person was a dark pawn planted by Zhao Zhao Changsheng in Xiangyang.

The Nanmu King, who was once famous in Xiangyang, was beheaded by this person, and the remains of the demon king were turned into the source of the plague.