Chapter 402: Beast Assault on the Mountain

The night was pitch black, all around devoid of light; only the gale atop the mountain howled, making the bonfire crackle fiercely.

Under such conditions, fifty paces away was utter darkness; merely this atmosphere alone was enough to terrify some into trembling.

"They're coming!"

Li Yan and Lu San spoke almost simultaneously.

Though they could not see, both possessed the Ear Divine Power.

What they heard, however, was entirely different.

Lu San could hear the speech of beasts and birds; he heard countless wild animals roaring wildly in the distance, their cries varied yet all driven mad, murderous intent surging like a tide…

Li Yan could hear the speech of ghosts and gods; in his ears, it seemed countless beings wailed, mixed with human screams…

Even he felt his back tighten and his hairs stand on end.

In contrast, Sha Li Fei and Wu Ba heard nothing and saw nothing, naturally fearless, gripping their weapons tightly.

Gazing at the blackness below the mountain, Li Yan formed a spell, flicked his little finger, closed his eyes, and the straw spirit paper doll flew instantly into the night.

Through the doll's eyes, he finally saw the enemy.

One glance was enough to make his scalp tingle.

As far as he could see, there were countless wild animals.

Black bears, tigers, leopards, jackals, wild boars, pythons… nearly every creature with a name was there.

He had long known the Inside Shennongjia held many animals; upon entering the mountains, he had smelled their scents, but all had hidden away.

After all, their own aura was not to be trifled with.

Now that the birds and beasts had gathered, he realized just how lively Inside Shennongjia truly was.

Fortunately, fierce beasts were few; most were smaller creatures—rabbits, muntjacs, monkeys, badgers, foxes, and the like.

As for the spirit-herders, not a single one could be seen.

Seeing this, Li Yan immediately sensed trouble.

The weakest animals charged straight into the dense forest below, instantly triggering the ground-fire bombs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid a series of explosions, soil sprayed, flesh and blood flew.

"It went off! How many did we kill?"

On the mountaintop, Sha Li Fei beamed with excitement.

From the Longxiang Army, they had acquired vast quantities of ordinary gunpowder; useless for combat, he had turned them all into ground-fire bombs.

The ground-fire bombs from the Thunderfire Scripture required iron or ceramic casings, and crucially, a small device filled with flint and phosphorus powder.

Sha Li Fei lacked sufficient materials, so he gathered all the large water jars used by the "Jingren," modifying them.

Though not using new gunpowder, he used ordinary gunpowder liberally and placed broken stones all around—its power was certainly not to be underestimated.

Yet Li Yan, eyes still closed, shook his head: "Useless. The Shenkui tribes have learned to counter gunpowder from fighting the Tian Sheng Army."

"All the dead are small animals. Not a single fierce beast is injured."

"What?!"

Hearing this, Sha Li Fei was instantly disappointed.

Li Yan had no time to elaborate; he kept observing the enemy.

Indeed, after the forest smoke cleared, the scene was a ruin—ground littered with corpses; the surviving small animals, terrified by the explosions, scattered in all directions.

The fierce beasts, however, pressed forward.

Reaching halfway up the mountain, they halted.

It was Lu San's Mountain Ghost Barrier that had taken effect.

The fierce beasts spun in place, visibly agitated, even frenzied, beginning to tear at each other.

Yet even so, they refused to take a single step forward.

Just as Li Yan exhaled in relief, deeper within the forest behind the beasts, more massive shadows emerged.

Donkey-headed wolves!

Li Yan's gaze turned grim.

He had not expected the Shenkui tribe could command such monstrous creatures.

There were roughly twenty to thirty donkey-headed wolves; behind them stood two even larger aberrant beasts.

Their bodies were pitch black, limbs long and thin, heads like oxen with horns, yet bristling with grotesque fangs.

Most peculiar was their torso—resembling a black coffin.

They were even more savage; when they ran, the ground rumbled. Donkey-headed wolves in their path, unable to dodge, were bitten in the rump.

They howled in pain but dared not resist.

Coffin beasts!

Li Yan had heard of these aberrant beasts from Zhou Li, the village head of Longtan Village; he had thought them legend, never imagining they truly existed in Inside Shennongjia.

And one by one, the Shenkui emerged.

Though each had only one leg, they were immensely strong, leaping seven or eight meters high in a single bound, bursting from the dense forest.

Their bodies were grotesquely disproportionate, yet their movements were agile, leaping about while emitting rhythmic, eerie cries—as if dancing some kind of Nuo ritual.

The tigers, leopards, jackals, and other beasts were blocked by Lu San's Mountain Ghost Barrier, but the donkey-headed wolves and coffin beasts were unaffected.

With their grotesque fangs, they hesitated only briefly before surging past the barrier, racing up the mountain.

Meanwhile, dark mist surged from behind, engulfing the aberrant beasts; within it, shadows flickered, filled with countless wails and cries.

The straw spirit paper doll, enveloped by the mist, instantly disintegrated.

"Old Sha!"

Li Yan snapped open his eyes, bellowed sharply, then drew the Dust-Cutting Blade, fixing his gaze ahead.

Sha Li Fei was already prepared; he angled the tiger crouching cannon toward the slope, raised his torch, and lit the fuse.

Boom!

A deafening roar, fire and thunder erupted.

The tiger crouching cannon used new gunpowder; since it was pitch black and impossible to aim, he had loaded it entirely with scattered shrapnel.

Like a downpour of pear blossoms, dense pellets screamed out, covering the entire slope; several donkey-headed wolves were immediately wounded.

Some had legs shattered and tumbled down the slope to the cliff.

Others had bellies pierced, yet grew even more frenzied.

The unluckiest were pierced clean through the skull.

In ancient times, martial masters possessed strength of a thousand jin, drew powerful bows, wielded divine weapons; though not of the Mystic Gate, they left legends of slaying monstrous beasts.

New-style cannons could certainly do the same.

This was why the demons of Jingxiang's forests fled.

The emergence of new gunpowder changed more than just the martial world's balance.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

After firing one shot, Sha Li Fei and Wu Ba swiftly reloaded.

Sha Li Fei grabbed a mop handle and scrubbed the scorching barrel, wiping away gunpowder residue, then stuffed in an explosive packet; Wu Ba inserted iron plates and packed crushed shrapnel tightly.

Though their coordination was seamless, it still took time.

With no time to spare, Sha Li Fei lit the fuse again.

Boom!

Another thunderous roar shook the entire mountaintop.

Dense pellets screamed out.

The donkey-headed wolf pack moved swiftly; they were nearly at the summit, directly catching the blast.

Several were blown backward, rolled on the ground, riddled with bloodied holes, dead within moments.

Others suffered grievous wounds.

This slope was easy to defend, and the cannons made it even more deadly.

Given the donkey-headed wolves' cunning nature, they would never rashly attack—but driven by the Shenkui tribe, they had long lost their reason.

Just these two shots had killed half the donkey-headed wolves.

As Sha Li Fei prepared to reload, a whistling wind came from above—several boulders the size of washbasins crashed down.

It was the faceless owls, taking advantage of the chaos and darkness to strike.

"Roar!"

Wu Ba bellowed, punching the boulders aside—but the delay allowed the remaining donkey-headed wolves to surge onto the summit, lunging at them.

"Damn it!"

Sha Li Fei, sweat dripping from his brow, abandoned the cannon, raised his Divine Fire Gun, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! One donkey-headed wolf's head shattered, flying backward.

In marksmanship, he was unmatched among them all.

As for Li Yan, he stood squarely in the center of the path, one hand gripping the Dust-Cutting Blade, the other clutching the Spirit Summoning Tablet, murmuring incantations.

Hssss~

Instantly, the entire mountaintop howled with dark winds.

Beneath the cave, Wang Wang Daoxuan swung the Coin Sword, chanting: "Heaven clears, earth spirits awaken, soldiers follow the seal, generals obey the command…"

Whoosh!

The ritual altar trembled, and the five ritual flags above swayed incessantly.

Where the five Fang Luo Feng flags were buried atop the mountain, a chilling aura howled forth; frost instantly spread across the ground, leaving countless human footprints and horse hooves.

!.

Five streams of white mist surged forth, like five battalions answering orders to march out, moving at blistering speed and immediately surrounding the mountaintop.

Alongside the donkey-headed wolves, the Shenkui tribe's summoned chimei, wanglei, and other specters emerged from the gloom, their forms flickering indistinctly.

These chimei and wanglei were mostly the lingering souls of wild beasts that had died, hiding among jagged rocks and withered trees.

Unlike humans, they lacked the seven emotions and six desires, nor did they harbor obsessions; thus, they were not vengeful spirits or malevolent ghosts—merely yin spirits and malevolent qi.

Drawn by the yang energy of the living, they attacked travelers on night paths, causing ghostly illusions and possession.

Sometimes, villagers struck by these things would go mad, babbling incoherently; ordinary spirit mediums could easily dispel them—they were not powerful.

In this world, the Inside Shennongjia region, due to its unique geography, was perpetually shrouded in thick fog, making chimei and wanglei especially numerous.

When gathered into a tide, their numbers were terrifyingly vast.

Yet compared to the yin bureaucracy's troops, they were not even in the same league—they were instantly scattered.

Though the ghostly mist surged like a tide, it was held back at all times by the troops.

But Li Yan saw it, and his heart suddenly lurched.

As expected, without the support of the yin bureaucracy's power, the troops' strength had clearly weakened.

Recall that when the yin bureaucracy's troops had once marched, all things darkened, and every evil spirit fled in terror.

Now, they were only slightly stronger than the she ling troops.

Struck by the yin bureaucracy's troops, the chimei and wanglei collapsed en masse; even the donkey-headed wolves regained a sliver of reason and hesitated, refusing to advance.

Boom! Boom!

At that moment, a rumbling sound came from behind.

It was the coffin beasts that had been following behind, now charging forward.

These monstrous beasts were massive; on the narrow slope, they could only move one after another, but their movement shook the ground violently, sending rocks and sand flying, their aura terrifyingly immense.

The donkey-headed wolves blocking their path were directly smashed aside.

Startled, some of the donkey-headed wolves rolled straight into the yin bureaucracy's troops, howling wildly and thrashing, their eyes gradually losing focus as frost spread over their skin.

Others, however, leaped high off their companions' backs, clearing the yin bureaucracy's troops entirely and sprinting toward the group.

Bang! Bang!

Two gunshots rang out in quick succession—Sha Li Fei and Lu San acted simultaneously.

They killed two donkey-headed wolves, but one slipped through, darting and dodging on the ground, jaws wide open as it lunged forward.

"Roar!"

Wu Ba roared, his muscles swelling as he swung his massive battle-axe.

With a wet *thwack*, the donkey-headed wolf's body was split open from mid-torso; before it even hit the ground, Wu Ba seized its head, slammed it to the earth, and snapped its neck.

In close combat, Wu Ba was only slightly weaker than Li Yan.

With Wu Ba guarding them, Sha Li Fei and Lu San grew calmer, quickly reloading their ammunition.

As for Li Yan, he had no time to assist.

The coffin beasts were strange—not only had they scattered the donkey-headed wolves, but they now lowered their heads and charged forward, ignoring the yin bureaucracy's troops entirely.

Their hides were extraordinarily tough, seemingly capable of resisting the impact of gangsha qi; despite being covered in frost, they still broke through the yin soldiers' line.

"Die!"

Li Yan's eyes flared with fury.

He stood before the group, and both Soul-Severing Daggers shot out simultaneously, streaking toward the coffin beast.

At the third level of Dao cultivation, his spiritual power had strengthened—he could now control two Soul-Grabbing Chains at once, and the Soul-Severing Daggers had become two.

Puff! Puff!

Both daggers pierced the coffin beast's neck nearly at the same instant.

But something astonishing happened.

This monstrous beast could resist the Soul-Grabbing Chains' suppression; though dazed, it kept moving, jaws wide, lunging straight for Li Yan.

Li Yan stepped in a continuous spiral, sidestepped the attack, and unleashed hidden force from his entire body, driving his elbow sideways into the beast's flank.

With his current hidden force, he could shatter a stone wall.

But the moment he made contact, Li Yan sensed something wrong.

The beast possessed astonishing strength—he could not knock it over; instead, he was thrown back two steps.

Compared to these monstrous beasts, the human body had inherent limits; even at the Hua Jing stage, one could not match them.

Li Yan reacted with astonishing speed: as he retreated, he casually swept his Dust-Cutting Blade.

*Thwack! *

The blade's flash cut a gash into the coffin beast's black hide—but only a trickle of blood seeped out.

Fine. Li Yan was thoroughly convinced.

This monstrous beast's fearsome reputation was well-deserved: beneath its hide, its ribs were fused into solid plates, extremely hard, shielding its internal organs.

No wonder even the donkey-headed wolves dared not challenge it.

Meanwhile, another coffin beast charged forward.

Li Yan no longer held back—he focused his spirit, and the heavenly thunder stored within the Soul-Grabbing Chains surged instantly.

Crack!

Two lightning serpents darted from his palms, tracing the shape of the Soul-Grabbing Chains in midair, then connecting to the Soul-Severing Daggers.

When heavenly thunder erupted, all evils could not withstand it.

The coffin beast was instantly struck into oblivion, crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom, its breath gone forever.

And the other coffin beast had already charged up.

Li Yan waved his hand, and the two Soul-Severing Daggers shot out again; he leapt high into the air, performed a kite-flip maneuver, dodged, and drove the daggers once more into the second beast's neck.

This time, he had experience—he no longer wasted heavenly thunder. He changed his hand seals midair and slammed one palm forward.

Sparks crackled—this was the Northern Emperor's Yin Thunder Palm.

With his cultivation level raised, the Northern Emperor's Yin Thunder Palm had grown stronger; the yin thunder spread along the Soul-Grabbing Chains and surged directly into the coffin beast's body.

Yin thunder suppressed the soul; though it did not kill outright, it robbed the beast of all resistance.

Li Yan pulled sharply—and as the Soul-Severing Daggers returned, he seized a furious, writhing yin soul in his hand.

Zzzt!

The Heavenly Thunder Demon-Smiting Hammer's yang thunder erupted, instantly scattering it.

Thud!

The other coffin beast also crashed to the ground.

With these two giants gone, the situation improved instantly.

The chimei and wanglei, scattered by the yin troops, were now left with only the remaining donkey-headed wolves—already reeling under the yin troops' assault, they were picked off one by one by Lu San and Sha Li Fei's gunfire.

Aowu~

A howl of anguish rose from below the mountain; the wild beasts scattered in terror.

Atop the mountain, silence finally returned.

Yet the group grew even more alert.

From the dense forest below, figures of Shenkui warriors emerged—one by one, even enslaved wildmen stood in dense, dark masses…

Second chapter update later

(End of Chapter)