Chapter 438: Fengdu Night of Divine Alarm

Ding ding ding!

The tassels of the Three Talismans Suppressing Demon Coins trembled, and Li Yan temporarily stabilized his spirit.

He forced himself to calm down and surveyed his surroundings.

Fortunately, his spiritual abilities still functioned here; he formed the Yang Seal with his fingers, activated his sense of smell, and immediately detected incense odors on both sides.

Based on the scents, he conjured images in his mind.

Two divine effigies stood beside the path.

They were figures wearing jeweled crowns, bare-chested, with ribbed torsos and sinews like ancient tree roots, muscles thick as gnarled trunks, holding vajra clubs, feet planted wide, standing tall and imposing, gazing down at him.

They were none other than the famed "Heng and Ha Generals!"

Of course, the term "Heng and Ha Generals" became widespread only due to The Investiture of the Gods.

Their true identities were Buddhist guardian vajra deities.

The Heng General's name was Vajra Secret Keeper.

The Ha General was Narayana Deva.

Legend says they held vajra clubs, glared fiercely, and guarded the Buddha's realm and Dharma with majestic power.

The presence of Buddhist vajras on a sacred mountain was not strange.

The fusion of the Three Teachings was mainstream; many famous peaks hosted both Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, and some shrines even enshrined the founders of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism together.

This was the hallmark of folk incense shrines.

Commoners entered seeking literary fortune, worshipped Laozi, and could also pay respects to the Buddha—all in one stop.

The only dispute was over ranking.

Seeing who stood first in the shrine revealed which sect had built it.

Li Yan's only confusion was why they blocked him.

"Heng and Ha Generals" were commonly used to guard mountain gates; commoners invoked them to ward off evil, and they often appeared in temple fairs as performers, or in paper cuttings and New Year paintings.

Could they have mistaken him for a demon?

Li Yan gritted his teeth and prepared to accelerate away.

But as soon as he took a step, the left guardian roared "Ha!" with an open mouth, while the right one snarled a muffled "Heng!" with clenched lips.

Both faces were grotesque, their expressions stern, eyes blazing with fury.

The sounds "Heng" and "Ha" struck Li Yan's body and spirit simultaneously, nearly knocking him down again.

Yet if he stood still, the two generals ignored him.

Li Yan suddenly realized: this was not expulsion, but a blockade and trial—if his strength was insufficient, he could not even enter.

"Damn it!"

Thinking of this, Li Yan laughed bitterly.

With his current Hua Jing cultivation and Third-Tier Dao practice, he stood at the peak of mortal strength—even compared to disciples of prestigious sects, he held an edge.

If even he struggled so much, who else could pass?

The "Huangquan" organization was utterly shameless!

Anger fueled his courage; Li Yan's stubbornness flared. He focused his spirit, stepped forward, and roared the Great Cloud Thunder Sound.

"Hum!"

"Heng!"

"Ha!"

The three sounds erupted nearly simultaneously.

Instantly, fierce winds howled around him.

Amid thick mist, the two colossal divine effigies flickered in and out of view.

The three sounds clashed; Li Yan felt markedly better, stepped forward again, and roared the Great Cloud Thunder Sound.

This time, the sensation was clearer.

He had trained the Great Cloud Thunder Sound since the Cloud Thunder Divine Drum; today, he no longer needed the drum—his daily practice alone could emit thunderous sound to vibrate his meridians and fascia.

After cultivating Thunder Art, its power grew even stronger.

These two guardians were formed from the accumulated devotional energy of commoners' incense offerings—essentially incense deities—and their power was amplified by their location in a Celestial Grotto.

Honestly, they shouldn't have reduced him to such a state.

But there was an added trace of "spiritual momentum."

A feeling of immovable stillness, divine might like a towering mountain.

Li Yan carefully sensed it, and faintly understood.

This must be "Shi!"

Warriors gather their strength, consolidate their essence, concentrate Qi in the dantian, and gradually cultivate "Fist Shi"—a single punch strikes terror into the enemy's spirit.

The next step is to use "Shi" to draw forth gang jing.

Though young, his body had not yet reached its limit, his strength not yet perfected, and he had not achieved Dan Jing—but a month ago, by accident, he had grasped Shi through Thunder Art.

It was only a weakened version, incapable of summoning gang jing.

But for this situation, it was enough.

Li Yan stepped forward again.

This time, he visualized thunder in his mind—thunder roaring across the nine heavens, shaking heaven and earth—while exhaling and shouting.

"Hum!"

Finally, the Great Cloud Thunder Sound completely drowned out the "Heng" and "Ha." Li Yan was no longer affected and passed through effortlessly.

The two towering effigies in the mist dissolved.

After passing, Li Yan bowed respectfully and continued forward.

His mood was now quite good.

Though blocked, his martial path had advanced—as if he had pushed open a door crack a little further, now knowing the next step.

Shortly after he passed, the mist behind him gradually cleared, revealing two mighty mountain-guarding vajra statues, lifelike and vivid.

But was it an illusion?

Within moments, the statues appeared even more weathered…

…………

Beyond the mountain-guarding vajras lay a rugged mountain path, locally called the Incense Road, built since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, patched and repaired countless times, many steps now cracked.

The area remained shrouded in thick mist.

Li Yan stared ahead along the path, wary of straying, and nothing unusual occurred until he reached a stone archway and city wall.

Only three characters were inscribed: "Ghost Gate Pass."

There were no doors, no guards—only the ancient archway and gate stood alone in the mist, dim and gloomy, as if he had truly arrived at Ghost Gate Pass.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, raised his vigilance, and carefully passed through.

Instantly, the scene shifted again.

The mist thickened, carrying a chilling, eerie cold; his vision blurred, and everything appeared doubled.

Beside the path stood a jagged boulder, inscribed with three large characters: "Yin-Yang Boundary"—no one knew when it had been erected.

Whoosh!

A shrill, ghastly wind howled; Li Yan stared at the boulder and was stunned to see the three characters "Yin-Yang Boundary" begin oozing blood.

Instantly, the stench of blood filled his nose; beneath the rock appeared piles of white bones; the mountain path and distant palaces blurred.

Li Yan rubbed his eyes—the illusions vanished instantly.

But when he looked again at the boulder, the thick scent of blood returned, and the same illusions reappeared.

Li Yan quickly lowered his gaze, refusing to look further.

He was deeply shaken.

This place resembled some kind of array, yet it wasn't—it seemed the mountain's primordial gang qi had already transformed, capable of influencing people through spiritual means.

No wonder ordinary people saw nothing and attracted no gang sha—remaining on the mountain was perfectly safe.

But for Daoist cultivators, illusions multiplied.

This power seemed specifically targeted at spiritual abilities.

Li Yan had activated his sense of smell and hearing; his nose often detected strange odors, and strange noises constantly echoed in his ears.

"Ten circuits completed, summoning the ten directions; now I approach the throne. Celestial Great Deities, Supreme Honored Sages, Marvelous Practitioners, countless innumerable…"

This was the Daoist Scripture of Transcending the Dead.

"Due to illusory cycles, beings wander in delusion. Due to defiled cycles, beings wander in contamination. Due to clinging cycles, beings wander in attachment…"

"Through desires and karmic causes, they fall into the Three Evil Realms. Repeating the Six Realms, enduring all suffering…"

This was the Buddhist Lotus Sutra.

Besides these, there were wooden fish, bronze gongs, flutes, and bamboo pipes.

The cacophony confused and overwhelmed Li Yan.

His hearing ability was unusual—he could perceive ghostly and divine sounds—and thus suffered more than others.

These sounds may have originated from ancient rituals or unknown realms, now fused with the mountain's primordial gang qi—unavoidable and inescapable.

Li Yan tried forming the Yin Seal to shut off his abilities, but it was useless; he gritted his teeth and pressed forward.

Not long after, a palace appeared on his right—eaves soaring, bracket sets crowning, nine dragons coiled around the beams; on either side of the gate, couplets read: "Nine Pythons Soar, Astonishing Sun and Moon; One Hall Descends, Calming Heaven and Earth."

Above the gate, three characters: "Nine Pythons Palace."

Inside, faint candlelight flickered.

Li Yan couldn't help turning his head to look.

There, on a massive altar table, offerings were piled high, incense and candles burning, and an old Daoist lay sprawled beneath the table, snoring thunderously.

Above, dark mist swirled, faintly revealing a colossal shadow, its eyes blazing with you light.

Huh~

In an instant, fierce winds surged.

The soul-binding warrant in Li Yan's arms grew colder, like a block of ice, threatening to freeze him from within to dust.

!.

But just then, a force surged forth, the warrant's chill vanished, and Li Yan's body no longer stiffened.

Without a word, he quickened his pace and left.

Only when he neared the edge of the shrine's grounds did he turn to look back.

Inside the hall, the candles still burned; the shadow's green-eyed glow had dimmed, yet it still seemed locked onto him.

Inside the Nine Serpents Hall, they enshrined the Grand Inspector of the Netherworld.

In other words, all living Soul Collectors were subject to his authority—at least within the Netherworld.

And the force that had just surged forth came from the Five Directions Luo Feng Flag, seized during the annihilation of the Qiongqi tribe's ruins.

The Grand Inspector is the current divine office of the Netherworld.

Yet he cultivates the Northern Emperor Scripture, an ancient method from the Six Palaces of Luo Feng Mountain, known to few among the common folk today.

Li Yan suddenly felt something strange.

These phenomena might have nothing to do with living Soul Collectors.

He didn't understand why, but now there was nothing to do but press forward.

Soon, another palace appeared on his right.

Above it were written the characters: "Spirit Ancestor Hall."

Li Yan knew this one—it enshrined the True Lord of Abundant Grace, the Great Spirit Inspector Wang Lingguan.

Known as "Three Eyes See All Under Heaven, One Whip Awakens the World," he commands thunder and fire, and is likewise a guardian deity of Daoist sects.

In many Daoist temples, the first deity worshippers see is Wang Lingguan.

Unlike the Nine Serpents Hall, this one also glowed faintly with firelight, and thunder rumbled within, its aura fierce, as if about to burst forth.

"You cowardly bastard, you're here too!"

Li Yan couldn't help cursing aloud.

The Grand Inspector of the Netherworld was at least related to him.

But why the hell is Wang Lingguan beating me?

Li Yan didn't understand why, but he had no choice but to hurry on.

Huh~

A scorching breath roared out.

Using his scent ability, Li Yan sensed the breath was saturated with incense power—it seemed to be a massive wheel.

At the same time, lightning crackled through the thick fog.

"Take this!"

Li Yan too lost his temper.

The soul-binding chain shot out, unleashing the heavenly thunder sealed within.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as the scorching breath was instantly shattered.

After all, it wasn't the true form—just a conglomeration of earthly incense power; how could it compare to the brilliance of heavenly thunder?

Inside the Spirit Ancestor Hall, the light dimmed.

Inside, candles glowed faintly; beneath the altar sat a black-faced Daoist, also asleep, now awakened by the thunder.

Strangely, he seemed to see Li Yan outside, staring with confusion, muttering: "Why's it thundering? Hmm… tomorrow's pilgrims will be few…"

Before he finished, his head nodded again, sinking back into sleep.

Li Yan clenched his teeth hard and looked ahead.

At this moment, he too felt uneasy.

Tonight was too strange—encountering the Spirit Ancestor Hall had already cost him one heavenly thunder; above, there were still many more shrines, each enshrining a deity fiercer than the last.

Even a deity of incense power couldn't withstand this random beating.

Damn it, what sin had he committed?

Li Yan grumbled inwardly and pressed forward…

…………

Boom!

Down by the riverbank, the old man suddenly lifted his head.

Though autumn rain drizzled and night was dark, he still saw a flash of lightning on the mountain.

"What's going on?"

Alarm flickered in his eyes.

He'd escorted several people up the mountain before, but never had this happened—what had that boy encountered that required thunder magic?

"Grandpa."

From the cabin, his grandson's voice suddenly rang out.

"Kuwa, it's nothing."

The old man shook his head. "That boy's probably trapped in a hallucination, flinging thunder spells recklessly. If he breaks anything, he'll pay tomorrow."

"No."

Inside the cabin, the grandson's voice trembled, his face pale, body shaking, pointing shakily southward.

"Something's coming… from over there…"

"Huh?"

The old man snapped his head up; his black ghost eye glowed green, then his scalp prickled. "Retreat! Send the signal!"

The boat's disciples immediately rowed, while one pulled a bamboo tube.

Shhh!

A firework shot skyward.

The old man pulled out his coin board, clapped both hands together, chanted a spell, and faint black smoke rose from his body.

His entire aura suddenly turned uncanny.

His Yin Mountain Sect cultivation resembled spirit possession, except he sealed fierce ghosts within himself, enhancing both martial and magical abilities.

The method was powerful, but the cost was great.

This ghost eye was the result of repeatedly casting spells—so much so that he could never approach cities; land gods and city temple guardians all saw him as a demon.

Helpless, the grandfather and grandson spent their lives drifting on the river.

Pachi!

Before he could cast, a pair of footprints appeared on the bow; frost spread, and the deck rotted.

In an instant, the old man realized with horror that he could no longer move—nor could his disciples.

"At that time, the World-Honored One emitted great light, illuminating the Yama Realm…"

Just then, a faint voice came from the cabin.

It was the grandson expending his gang ling to summon Netherworld troops—but his incantation was clearly different from Li Yan's.

Soon, darkness swallowed all around.

Shhh!

The footprints vanished instantly.

The old man and his disciples regained control, all staring in terror at the river around them.

The grandson's Netherworld troops, now without a target, circled once over the river and vanished—wasting a single gang ling for nothing.

"Master, what… what was that?"

"I don't know. Send word—evil demons have infiltrated Fengdou!"

The old man didn't know that the thing was a monster formed from the fused remnant soul of the Wushan Goddess's priestess and a demonic plague.

Driven by obsession, it had followed them to Fengdou.

And atop the sacred mountain, Li Yan's scalp prickled too—another palace appeared on his right.

A stench of blood surged forth, like a raging river…

Second chapter, afternoon

(End of chapter)