Chapter 440

It's the "Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng" again!

Li Yan's face was solemn, and many things were finally understood.

Ma Santong—the "Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng" only recorded his name, but Li Yan had already obtained the intelligence of all seventy-two Demon Lords through several captures of demonic Qi.

This thing was an ancient spirit, born from the pestilence in the mountains, often transforming into a red boy, driving wind and sand, traveling through the human world, and possessing people to harm them.

Compared to Yuan Zimei who passed down the "Demon Body Zhao Changsheng Technique" and Ran Tong who passed down the "Profound Zhao Changsheng Technique," Ma Santong was a bit weaker.

But the seventy-two Demon Lords almost all had unique skills.

This Ma Santong was born a spirit and was most skilled at possession. Unless there were secret techniques for protection, the physical bodies of living beings were like open doors to him, entering and exiting as he pleased.

Not only that, this demon also had a characteristic.

Because he was a dead object that had become a spirit, he could refine three types of magical treasures.

One was a fan, which could stir up wind and sand.

Two was a gourd, which could cultivate Gu poison.

Three was an air bag, which could collect pestilence and miasma.

With these three magical treasures cooperating, Ma Santong was a walking God of Pestilence, and he himself could also manifest three clones.

It was mentioned in the Yin Si records that where he was, one could often see three boys in blood-red all over, playing with three magical treasures.

Therefore, he was called "Ma Santong".

What he passed down was called the "Qi-Eating Zhao Changsheng Method," consuming pestilence and miasma all year round, borrowing it for longevity, like a poisonous insect.

Qingniu Temple—I'm afraid someone is practicing this evil technique...

Thinking of this, Li Yan didn't talk nonsense anymore and said to the two: "Fine, you can go."

This time, it was the two's turn to be stunned.

The short, sturdy man: "You're not killing us?"

The thin scout: "Don't play tricks, Young Hero..."

Li Yan glanced indifferently, "If you don't leave, I might change my mind."

Before he finished speaking, the two rushed out the door and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

They ran all the way, leaving Fengdou City in the night rain, but knowing that a ritual was being performed on the riverbank, they left from behind Fengdou.

"Are we going to find Lu Jiu?"

"Find him my ass. Leaking the news, the Sichuan Salt Gang won't let us off; it's better to take the opportunity to leave quickly."

"That's true. Jin Ling, Tianjin—which one isn't a prosperous place..."

The two discussed in the forest and immediately took advantage of the night to leave.

After they left, Li Yan revealed his figure, glanced thoughtfully, and returned to the inn.

"This old man is unlucky enough."

Sha Lifei gloated: "Struggling with us here, not knowing his nest is about to be overturned by someone."

"Now is not the time to be happy."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head: "In the current situation, we really can't do without Qingniu Temple's help."

"Only when they catch the evil demon can our suspicions be cleared, so the Commandant's Office can't find a reason to take action."

"Qingniu Temple also belongs to Emei, an orthodox Mystic Sect in Sichuan, with wide connections. Exposing this matter can also make the Salt Gang busy and unable to find trouble with us."

"The Daoist is right."

Li Yan nodded: "This old Daoist Chongxu of Qingniu Temple is muddled, but the Salt Gang is even more hateful. They have been finding trouble all the way; they must be pulled out."

"And that old man with the purple face!"

The old woman Bai Huan also had anger rising in her eyes, "The one who cast spells to intercept you at Longmen Gorge that day was named Yu Mo, and his master was that old man with the purple face, named Wang Mengsheng."

"This person is famously insidious. Back then, it was he who brought in the chaotic army and destroyed the Daoist temple to release the 'Guest in the Mist'. Our trip up the mountain that day was also most likely pointed out and tipped off by this person."

"Now it seems he has also followed to Sichuan."

After hearing this, Li Yan's murderous intent became even stronger, and he said in a deep voice: "Everyone prepare. If we don't destroy this bunch of scum, we won't even be able to sleep peacefully..."

Before the words fell, he saw Lu San stand up abruptly:

"Something happened at Qingniu Temple!"

…………

Clatter!

Wild wind roared, and water waves surged.

At this moment, an eerie scene appeared on the river surface:

An area in the center of the river was calm, and a large area of ice had formed, on which there was a pair of footprints, standing still in place.

The surrounding water waves were towering, forming a huge whirlpool.

Two types of formless forces were confronting each other; the one outside seemed to have great momentum, but was gradually falling into a disadvantage.

The area of the ice in the middle was expanding bit by bit.

The Wushan female priest was originally a powerful existence with profound Daoist cultivation who had to use secret techniques to seal her physical body, becoming a living dead person.

Her divine soul was powerful, far exceeding those "Water Tigers".

Merging with the evil demon's Qi, without the restraint of a physical body, her divine soul power was fully exerted, becoming a true "demon".

Crack!

On the altar, a ritual flag suddenly broke.

A camp of troops completely dissipated.

"Good evil beast!"

The old Daoist Chongxu was both shocked and angry.

He also didn't expect that this evil demon could devour troops, not only destroying his temple's foundation but also gradually growing stronger.

"Master, what should we do?"

Beside him, Lingfengzi held the tablet, his face full of anxiety.

Just at this moment, Li Yan, Wang Daoxuan, and the others also walked out from the city gate, seeing this and shouting: "Old Daoist, don't panic, we are here to help you!"

"What are you doing? Move aside!"

Seeing this, the Yamen runners hurriedly blocked them.

Meng Changgui also breathed a sigh of relief, saying to the Yamen runner beside him: "You idiot, didn't you see the situation is wrong? Let the gentlemen talk."

Just now, he almost used the Gang Decree.

Unlike Li Yan, who ran around everywhere and was especially easy to provoke, the opportunities for them, these living Yin messengers, to obtain the Gang Decree were few.

That was something used to save one's life; how could it be like Li Yan, who would summon Yin Si troops when encountering a bandit's night raid?

It was purely using a cannon to hit a mosquito.

With Li Yan taking action, he didn't need to expose his identity.

But when Chongxu saw Li Yan and the others, his first reaction was anger: "How dare you come out!"

"Sigh, you old man!"

Sha Lifei's eyes widened, shouting: "We came here with good intentions to help, why are you like this!"

"To tell you the truth, this matter is a trap. The real target is you guys. At this moment, your Qingniu Temple has probably already been overturned by someone!"

"Nonsense!"

Chongxu was still angry, his eyes bloodshot.

This time, even Lingfengzi sensed something was wrong, picked up the Soul-Suppressing Bell beside him, and pinched a seal while chanting: "Decree of the Emperor, sweep away the universe, twenty-eight constellations, arranged in seven stars, heaven and earth open the Dipper, flying heaven wolf..."

This was the Mystic Sect's Soul-Calming and Spirit-Fixing Curse, which Wang Daoxuan also knew.

The Soul-Suppressing Bell was crisp and clear in the wind and rain.

Under the effect of the spell, Chongxu also suddenly calmed down, feeling inexplicably that something was wrong in his heart, but unwilling to lose face, he said in a deep voice to Li Yan and the others: "We'll talk about this later. Let me subdue this demon first!"

Crack!

Just as he was speaking, another section of the ritual flag broke.

Relying solely on the ancestor's troops could no longer suppress this demon; it was just temporarily trapping it.

Chongxu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Lingfengzi, take the 'Purple Qi Treasure Box'."

Lingfengzi heard this and was anxious, "Master..."

"Bring it here."

Chongxu sighed and said in a low voice: "Because of my own selfishness, I'm afraid I've fallen into a trap this time, but Qingniu Temple's reputation cannot be lost. If we let the 'Huang Quan' people help, how will we have the face to stand in eastern Sichuan in the future?"

"Yes, Master." Lingfengzi understood instantly and hurriedly jumped off the altar, taking out a wooden box from the box his junior brother was guarding.

Looking at its appearance, it was made of blood dragon wood, with an ancient style, long history, black and purple.

"Master, here."

Lingfengzi was full of reluctance as he handed the item over.

In the distance, Li Yan saw this and also became interested.

Sure enough, it was an orthodox Mystic Sect; even if it had declined, it still had treasures at the bottom of the box. He just didn't know what kind of treasure it was.

After Chongxu took it, he first bowed respectfully to the wooden box, then gently opened it and took out a bamboo slip from inside.

The bamboo slip was very ancient, with large seal characters written all over the front, and the back was densely written with scriptures and talismans using cinnabar as ink.

"Set up the altar, help me!"

Chongxu gave an order, and the Daoists on the altar sat down cross-legged in unison, holding tablets, and chanted in a deep voice:

"With sincere heart, I take refuge in the decree, the innate main general, the One-Qi Divine Lord. The Great Spirit Official who inspects the capital, the fierce general who is selfless in the three realms, golden eyes and vermilion hair, known as the Three-Five Fire Chariot Thunder Lord..."

!.

The sound was very rhythmic, full of charm and majesty.

"It's the Precious Eulogy of Wang Lingguan!"

Wang Daoxuan was somewhat surprised when he heard it.

And at the same time, Chongxu also held the bamboo slip, pinched the seal, stepped on the Gang steps, and bowed in all directions.

Afterward, he lit the bamboo slip and silently recited the spell.

Whoosh~

In an instant, wild wind roared all around.

After the bamboo slip burned, it turned into a blue smoke, which did not dissipate, rising rapidly and rushing straight into the clouds.

Rumble!

Soon, there was the sound of thunder in the sky.

Li Yan's eyes twitched, looking at the sky above.

Those thunder sounds were different in his ears; it seemed like large drums were being beaten, and there were sounds of shouting and killing coming.

Different from his dream on Wudang Mountain last time, he couldn't see any figures this time, but the wind and clouds in the sky changed drastically, which was exceptionally clear.

This Wang Lingguan also controlled thunder.

But unlike the Thunder Department, he was skilled in using thunder fire and had an extraordinary status in the Mystic Sect, so he was called the "Great Spirit Official who inspects the capital."

Just last night, he had just fought with the secular god of his human temple.

Thinking of this, Li Yan hurriedly shrank his neck.

And the evil demon on the river surface seemed to sense danger, the footprints on the ice surface flickering constantly, appearing in all directions.

Clearly, it wanted to escape this place.

But the remaining three camps of ancestor troops were now playing a role; although they couldn't subdue the demon, they could entangle it tightly.

Rumble!

With a crash, there was a thunderclap in the sky.

Lightning tore through the firmament, falling from the sky, illuminating the black rainy night, almost in an instant, connecting heaven and earth.

The ice surface in the center exploded instantly.

Even the ancestor troops around it immediately dived to the bottom of the lake, not daring to move at all.

In front of this heaven-shaking thunder, the troops had to shrink back.

And the ice surface exploded, and that pair of footprints also collapsed instantly, black mist dissipated, turning back into the purest evil demon Qi.

Before it could escape, a thunder fire followed the trace of the lightning, connecting heaven and earth again.

Whoosh~

Wild wind blew, and the evil demon Qi also completely collapsed.

"Good fellow!"

Sha Lifei was dumbfounded, "At Liangzi Lake last time, the people from Long Hu Mountain spent several hours to summon heavenly thunder. What kind of ritual implement did this Qingniu Temple use?"

"This is not a thunder technique."

Li Yan's face was solemn, shaking his head: "It's Lu Troops!"

That's right, he finally witnessed the Daoist Lu Troops.

At that moment just now, he heard the sound of shouting and killing from far to near, and the thunder also carried a sharp aura, as if someone was using thunder fire as a blade, falling from the sky and directly destroying the evil demon.

This feeling was completely not a thunder technique.

No wonder, among all kinds of Dharma troops, the Mystic Sect's Lu Troops were the strongest, even the Yin Si troops were slightly inferior.

Yin Si troops needed to be driven by the power of the Netherworld.

And these Lu Troops used innate Lei Gang as blades.

That bamboo slip was also an extraordinary treasure.

Orthodox Mystic Sects summoning Lu Troops needed to hold rituals several days in advance, burn yellow paper, and request troops from heaven.

It also required a large altar and many high-merit assistants.

What was the background of that bamboo slip?

Li Yan also had thick curiosity rising in his heart.

And the old Daoist Chongxu saw the evil demon destroyed, seemingly not surprised at all, just feeling pained, and put the wooden box away again.

After doing all this, he walked down the altar, his face cold and stern, and said to Li Yan and the others: "What exactly did you want to say just now?"

This old man... he's putting on airs.

Li Yan was somewhat speechless, but since things had come to this, he couldn't be bothered to argue, bowed and said in a deep voice: "Senior, the Salt Gang has an Earth Immortal behind them, plotting against Qingniu Temple, all because someone on the mountain is practicing longevity evil techniques..."

"Nonsense!"

Just as he finished speaking, Chongxu was furious, "My Qingniu Temple suppresses evil in eastern Sichuan, working conscientiously, not daring to have the slightest slack. You guys listen to rumors and dare to slander the reputation of my orthodox sect."

"Do you really think this old Daoist won't kill!"

"Master, calm down."

His disciple Lingfengzi was actually more broad-minded, persuaded him, and then bowed to Li Yan: "Thank you for the reminder, Daoist, but you have most likely been deceived by Wu Faluo."

"This person is a lay disciple, his martial world aura is too heavy. Just after learning the Heavenly Gang Finger Qi Technique, he fought with his fellow disciples and injured people."

"His master also has a crooked heart, ordered to go to the Qingyang Palace in Chengdu, but instead took advantage of the chaos to steal the palace's treasures, was later hunted down, and disappeared."

"We are also looking for him, wanting to clarify this matter. He never returned to Qingniu Temple at all, let alone seeing us have any abnormalities."

"Everyone, do we look like we've been possessed by evil demons?"

Li Yan and Sha Lifei looked at Chongxu in unison.

"What do you mean by looking at me!"

Chongxu was annoyed, but remembering what happened just now, he suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "This old Daoist failed in practicing the flying sword, went into a demonic frenzy, injured my heart pulse, so my heart fire is blazing, not possessed by anything."

Li Yan thought after hearing this: "Looking at it this way, Wu Faluo's words are most likely false, but your sect is afraid there are also problems."

"The Salt Gang and Earth Immortals won't waste this effort for nothing."

"Everyone, have you heard of an evil thing in Fengdou, a red child holding a fan, a gourd, and an air bag?"

Lingfengzi shook his head: "It's the first time I've heard of it."

And after Li Yan finished speaking, a flash of shock appeared in Chongxu's eyes, followed by a look of suspicion, and he gritted his teeth: "This old Daoist will believe you once. Follow me up the mountain."

"Go, back to the mountain!"

After saying that, he hurriedly packed his things and rushed back.

The other disciples didn't understand why, but seeing Chongxu's gloomy face, no one dared to ask more.

Li Yan thought thoughtfully, gave a gesture, and led everyone to follow closely behind.

Qingniu Temple was not far from Fengdou City. By the time the sky just brightened, they had already arrived, but saw a small mountain standing, not high or large, but shaped like a lying ox, which was very interesting.

"What a treasure land!"

Wang Daoxuan exclaimed upon seeing it.

And Chongxu couldn't be bothered to pay attention, rushing straight up the mountain.

But on the mountain terrace stood a large Daoist temple, ancient in age, the autumn rain had stopped, morning mist curled, and there were Daoists sweeping the floor outside, a scene of tranquility.

Chongxu finally breathed a sigh of relief and said coldly: "Look, where are there any evil people on the mountain."

But Li Yan's face changed slightly, and the command token in his arms suddenly became hot.

This was a sign of a mission being issued...

(End of chapter)