Chapter 429: A Hidden World Within

"You… what are you doing?!"

Lu Jiu was startled and asked in a trembling voice.

His plan was not this—he intended to detonate the cave after everyone entered, trapping them alive.

There's a trick to it.

Li Yan's identity as a Yin Cha gave those people their greatest protection, so they dared not split up; even those left outside would be easily killed by the Three Sisters of the Si Ming Society.

And the array here could conceal divine abilities from detection.

Lu Jiu was proud of his plan, yet never expected these three old hags would suddenly attack.

"Shut up, or I'll throw you in too!"

The lead old woman spoke coolly: "Gunpowder may be powerful, but you've underestimated the secret arts of the Xuan Men—blocking the exit is useless."

Plop! Plop!

The Salt Gang members kept killing themselves, leaping into the pond.

Lu Jiu finally understood now.

Gunpowder may be strong, but its users are still human—faced with these strange arts, they never even got a chance to fire.

He no longer cared for his subordinates, fearing for his own life, and bowed with trembling voice: "Elder, your wisdom is unmatched, but I don't understand—what are you trying to do?"

The old woman spoke in a deep tone: "In ancient times, Shenzhou suffered a great calamity—floods drowned the land, and demons roamed freely."

"Yu the Great tamed the waters, aided by the gods—he subdued or slew the serpent Xie, Jimen, Yuer, and Wuzhiqi, bringing peace to Shenzhou."

"The Goddess of Wushan likewise aided Yu, imprisoning the demon 'Shui Hu' here, even transforming into a land spirit to guard this place."

As she spoke, a flicker of venomous rage and madness passed through her eyes: "But now, temples and monasteries thrive with incense, while the Goddess's palace lies in ruins—why? We refuse to accept it!"

"If so, let us release the 'Shui Hu'—let the world know what retribution truly means!"

"The demons from Yu the Great's time?"

Lu Jiu's heart trembled, yet he couldn't help doubting: "Could that 'Shui Hu' still be alive today?"

The old woman cast him a cold glance: "The mysteries of heaven and earth are beyond the understanding of a mortal like you."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Lu Jiu shrank his neck, daring not to speak again.

He now deeply regretted it—Wang Mengsheng was merely cunning and cruel, hard to deal with, but these old hags were outright madmen!

While they spoke, the two women beside her did not stop—they waved peach branches, danced the Nuo dance, then pulled out several weathered jade discs and smashed them one by one, tossing all into the pond.

Gurgling!

The already blood-stained water boiled instantly.

Deep in the pond lay countless stone eggs, the size of winter melons, ancient and pitted, covered in algae.

As the shattered jade discs fell, the divine energy trembled, and waves of transparent ripples spread, sweeping over the stone eggs.

Splash!

The stone eggs began to shake.

As the blood spread, the eggs were further agitated, shaking violently and churning up the silt at the pond's bottom.

Crack!

Finally, one stone egg cracked open—a small claw covered in black scales emerged, waving frantically, as if trying to grasp something.

Soon after, the egg shattered completely—a dark shadow shot out, surging to the surface, tearing wildly at the corpses.

Lu Jiu saw it, and his heart turned cold.

From the pond emerged a humanoid monster, small as a two- or three-year-old child, its entire body covered in black scales, hands and feet tipped with webbed claws.

Its eyes were pitch black; when its mouth opened, it split ear to ear, revealing jagged, uneven yellow fangs.

It tore relentlessly, splattering blood across its face.

A water monkey?

Lu Jiu was puzzled.

He had spent years on the rivers and seen strange things—he knew water monkeys, but this thing was far more ferocious.

But such a tiny creature required Yu the Great to imprison it?

As he wondered, the water churned—another, then another 'Shui Hu' emerged, tearing wildly at the Salt Gang's corpses.

The Salt Gang members kept killing themselves to feed them, but they couldn't withstand the tearing—even their bones were devoured.

What terrified Lu Jiu even more was that black smoke began rising from the 'Shui Hu'—faintly forming human faces, twisted in agony, as if screaming.

The old woman's eyes were now filled with dark blood vessels; she hissed: "These 'Shui Hu' are born of the demon plague—they can command 'Shui Chang.' The more they eat, the stronger they become."

She looked up at the waterfall: "The summoning of Yin Soldiers has limits—once the divine command is spent, not one of them will escape!"

At that moment, the 'Shui Hu' in the pond had devoured all the corpses; their formerly dry scales now glowed with metallic luster.

Yet their hunger seemed insatiable—they suddenly raised their heads, fixing their gaze on the people on shore, preparing to climb out.

Lu Jiu recoiled in terror.

But the old woman remained calm, pulling another jade disc from her bosom—golden, radiant, exuding nobility.

Whoosh!

She flung it backward—the yellow jade shot through the waterfall, piercing deep into the cave.

Splash!

The pond boiled as shadowy forms surged up along the waterfall…

…………

"Right here!"

Deep in the cave, Lu San stopped.

He listened carefully, then said: "In my dream, the sound of water I heard was exactly like this."

His words sounded strange, but Li Yan understood.

Just as he possessed the divine sense of smell, far keener than ordinary men, and remembered certain scents with exceptional clarity.

Lu San could hear the speech of beasts and birds—he possessed the ear divine sense; sound was likewise a profound memory for him.

Around them, it was just an ordinary cave—stalactites jutted like fangs, water droplets falling steadily, pooling on the ground.

The cave was also arrayed with feng shui formations—impossible to break through quickly, and divine perception was hindered.

Looking at the stone wall behind Lu San, Li Yan frowned and turned to Bai Wan: "Elder, after the Goddess's Palace was destroyed, were all its relics guarded by the Si Ming Society's Earth Immortals?"

Bai Wan shook her head: "The Goddess's Palace was destroyed during the Warring States period—long ago. I've never been here before; I don't know."

"Oh."

Li Yan nodded, realizing he had mistaken the location.

He had assumed the relics of the Goddess's Palace had been taken and hidden by those Earth Immortals in some secret cave, along with the spirit tablets.

But now it seemed even the Si Ming Society didn't know—had it not been for Lu San's divine sense, they'd never have found this place.

This was one mystery since entering Ezhou.

Lu San first performed a ritual by the lake, received an object from Yunzhongjun's Divine Palace in a dream, exchanged it for a legacy, then obtained the Blood Jade Cong inside the Goddess's Palace.

Receiving objects in dreams—that is the method of gods.

Finding the hidden secret and entering Yunzhongjun's Divine Palace might not be difficult.

But the situation was urgent now—there was no time to seek treasures.

Just as Li Yan was about to speak, his heart suddenly trembled—he spun around sharply, staring back toward the cave entrance.

There, the torches flickered; in the dim yellow light, a dark figure emerged, gaping its fanged maw, crawling swiftly toward them.

"Watch out!"

Li Yan shouted low, drawing his blade instantly.

He unleashed hidden force, condensed space into a step, closed the distance in two strides, stepped into a Ding stance, gripped his blade with both hands, and slashed upward.

The monster leapt—right into the blade.

Clang!

Sparks flew, stench filled the air.

The monster was split open, flying backward.

Yet Li Yan's heart sank.

The monster's hide was as hard as iron, infused with yin-sha energy—had his blade not been capable of breaking evil, he couldn't have cut through.

And inside its abdomen, there were no organs—only severed fingers, bones, and flesh, wrapped in foul black fluid.

As he struck, a vengeful spirit tried to invade his soul—but was instantly shattered by the Yin Thunder of Duan Chen Dao.

Something even more shocking happened.

The monster was nearly cut in half, its spine and back scales still connected—but black fluid surged within its belly, its body convulsing on the ground as the wound visibly resealed. At the same time, crackling sounds erupted.

More monsters surged forward.

"It's the 'Shui Hu'!"

Bai Wan's pupils contracted; she immediately blew her flute.

Wuuu~

The mournful tune summoned a tide of "Zhi Ma parasites," which rushed forward and swarmed the monsters, burrowing into their bodies.

Plop! Plop!

One by one, the monsters collapsed, snoring loudly.

"Don't move!"

Seeing Li Yan step forward with his blade, Bai Huan hurriedly stopped him, exclaiming urgently: "This demon was sealed by a goddess during Emperor Yu's flood control—it was born from the yingsheng qi. Even if you cut it to pieces, it will reassemble."

As she spoke, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

"We must leave quickly—the zhima parasites won't hold much longer…"

!.

BOOM!

Before the words were out, an explosion rang out.

It was the explosive pack carried by Lu Jiu, thrown in as well; with a violent blast, dust and stones flew, sealing the entrance.

The "water tigers" sleeping on the ground began to stir again.

The Bai women all blew their flutes in unison, suppressing them once more.

Li Yan spun around sharply, staring at the stone wall: "I'll hold them off—you dig fast!"

THUD!

Wu Ba, the most obedient, swung his axe straight at the stone wall.

Li Yan cried urgently: "The yingsheng qi—I can force it into the Underworld, but the divine command will be used up."

"If I'm right, those people are hiding outside. Once the divine command is spent, they'll strike immediately."

This is the difference between ancient methods and modern ones.

The establishment of the Underworld likely came after the Divine War, and over time, as mortal worship changed, it took on its current form.

In Emperor Yu's era, though powerful masters summoned wind and rain, they could only suppress the yingsheng qi, relying on sacred mountains and great rivers, primordial divine energy, to slowly erode it bit by bit.

Now, Li Yan can force it into the Underworld—just as he once dragged the yingsheng-formed Rakshasi in Guodu Village into the Underworld by accident.

It's not that he's stronger than those ancient gods—it's the power of time.

After countless ages, these demons still exist; in Emperor Yu's time, they would have been far more formidable.

"Move aside!"

Sha Lifei, staring at the monsters scattered on the ground, felt his scalp crawl; he quickly ordered Wu Ba to retreat, then pulled a firecracker pack from his satchel and shoved it into the crack he'd carved.

Li Yan saw this and made no move to stop him.

Though it might wake the "water tigers," time was short—the Bai family could no longer hold out; the monsters would likely erupt before they even broke through the wall.

"Everyone back!"

After placing the explosive, Sha Lifei hurriedly ordered everyone to take cover to one side.

The firecracker pack was small, but mixed with a touch of new-style gunpowder—Sha Lifei had carefully formulated it for tunneling and ambushes.

BOOM!

A deafening roar sent chunks of ceiling crashing down.

Some "water tigers" were directly struck; though their heads were crushed, they still stirred, rose, and opened their fanged maws.

This was the terror of the yingsheng.

"Yingsheng" was mutated primordial sha qi—Rakshasi, Feiyi, Mist Walker, Water Tiger—each more tenacious than the last.

At the same time, Sha Lifei let out a startled cry:

"There's a secret chamber!"

"You go in—I'll hold the rear!"

Li Yan let out a low roar and stood behind them.

SWISH!

A "water tiger" lunged—but froze midair.

It was Li Yan's Soul-Grabbing Chain, trapping its yingsheng qi, followed by a swift slash of his blade.

ZZZZZ!

Lightning flickered along the blade's edge.

Yin Thunder shattered souls—but the "water tiger's" soul was formed from yingsheng qi, impossible to destroy; Li Yan had to use Yang Thunder.

His Duan Chen Blade held twelve yuan coins, storing twelve thunder techniques—he'd stored six Yang and six Yin, ready to unleash without hand seals.

BOOM!

As the Duan Chen Blade slashed down, thunder roared—the "water tiger" exploded into fragments, utterly still.

Yet Li Yan felt no joy.

On the corpse's remains, the yingsheng qi had been partially burned away by Yang Thunder, but what remained swirled into black mist, beginning to coalesce again.

This thing was truly relentless…

Li Yan's face darkened, but he had no time to dwell on it—more "water tigers" were awakening, charging toward him.

At this moment, Li Yan dared not hold back.

Both Soul-Grabbing Chains shot out, guiding two Duan Hun Flying Knives as they whistled above and below; any "water tiger" pierced stiffened instantly.

CLANG!

A frontal slash split the charging water tiger in two, sending its halves flying…

THUD!

He shifted his stance, driving his elbow into the chest of the water tiger on his right—its ribs shattered, slamming it hard against the stone wall…

CRACK!

His left hand formed a seal, fist crackling with lightning, blasting the skull of the water tiger pinned by the Duan Hun Knives to pieces…

His movements were lightning-fast—he held off the assault alone.

To the others, Li Yan seemed like a battle god—electricity crackled over his body, his motions swift as shadow and light; the charging "water tigers" flew apart—either shattered or bent into unnatural angles.

The Bai women stared in stunned awe.

Only now did they understand why Bai Huan treated this young man with such reverence—it wasn't just because he was a Living Yin Officer.

Long Yan of the Parasite Sect, however, fixed her gaze on Li Yan, her expression shifting uncertainly, lost in thought…

"Young Master Li, hurry!"

Wang Daoxuan shouted loudly.

He knew that though Li Yan was fierce now, his physical strength and spirit reserves were draining rapidly—he couldn't last long.

At this moment, everyone had entered the secret chamber.

Li Yan kicked the lunging water tiger away, then unleashed hidden force, stomping the ground hard and launching himself backward into the hidden cave.

The remaining "water tigers" moved just as swiftly, surging forward.

Li Yan's eyes blazed with killing intent—he raised his hand sharply.

WHOOSH!

The Soul-Grabbing Chains shot out, triggering Heavenly Thunder.

BOOM!

Everyone felt a thunderous roar in their ears—before them, blinding lightning flashed, hurling every "water tiger" backward, lying motionless on the ground.

"Old Sha!"

Li Yan called out; Sha Lifei immediately stepped forward, pulling out two more explosive packs and placing them on either side of the passage.

BOOM!

A deafening crash brought down earth and stone, sealing the passage.

Li Yan finally exhaled.

Though the water tigers were tenacious, they had physical bodies—even if they could dig, they couldn't emerge anytime soon.

He turned again, scanning his surroundings, a deep frown forming. "Why are these things here?"

The cavern was large, dark and deep, its contents unclear—but before them stood row upon row of terracotta figures.

All wore long robes with right-over-left collars, armored overcoats, short pants, leg wrappings, and held long halberds, arranged in perfect ranks.

He'd seen these before—in his past life.

The Qin Emperor's Terracotta Warriors…

Today's gone

(End of Chapter)