Chapter 443: Heavenly Soldiers Exorcise Demons

Again, the "Immortal Treasury of Longevity"!

Li Yan's expression turned grave, and many things finally clicked into place.

Ma Santong—mentioned only by name in the "Immortal Treasury of Longevity"—but Li Yan, through several captures of demonic qi, had obtained intelligence on all seventy-two demon lords.

This entity was an ancient spirit born from the pestilential miasma of mountains, often taking the form of a red child, riding winds and sand, wandering among mortals, possessing and harming them.

Compared to Yuan Zimei, who passed down the "Immortal Body Longevity Art," and Ran Tong, who passed down the "Spirit-Penetrating Longevity Art," Ma Santong was somewhat weaker.

But nearly every one of the seventy-two demon lords possessed a unique skill.

Ma Santong, born of a spirit, excelled at possession; unless protected by secret methods, any living being's body was as open as a door to him, allowing free entry and exit.

Moreover, this demon had another trait.

As a spirit born from an inanimate object, he could forge three magical artifacts.

First, a fan capable of summoning winds and sand.

Second, a gourd capable of cultivating poison and dark spirits.

Third, a qi sack capable of absorbing plague and miasma.

With these three artifacts, Ma Santong was a walking plague god, and he could also manifest three spirit clones.

The Underworld records mention that where he appeared, three blood-red children were often seen playing with the three artifacts.

Hence, he was called "Ma Santong."

The technique he left behind, called the "Qi-Consuming Longevity Method," involved perpetual ingestion of plague toxins and miasma to achieve immortality, like a venomous insect.

Qingniu Guan must have someone practicing this dark art…

With this realization, Li Yan no longer wasted words; he turned to the two men and said, "Fine, go."

This time, it was the two men who froze in shock.

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

The thin, gaunt man: "Don't play tricks on us…"

Li Yan cast them a cool glance. "If you don't leave now, I might change my mind."

Before he finished speaking, the two bolted out the door and vanished like smoke.

They sprinted all the way, braving the night rain to leave Fengdou County, but knowing a ritual was being held by the river, they escaped from the rear of the city.

"Should we find Lu Jiu?"

"Find him? What for? If we leak this, the Sichuan Salt Guild won't let us live. Better to flee while we can."

"True. Jinling, Tianjin—where isn't prosperous…"

After a brief discussion in the woods, they immediately fled under cover of night.

After they left, Li Yan revealed himself, glancing thoughtfully in their direction before returning to the inn.

"That old man's had bad luck."

Sha Li Fei chuckled maliciously: "They thought they could match us here, unaware their own nest is about to be torn apart."

"This isn't the time to rejoice."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head. "Under these circumstances, we truly need Qingniu Guan's help."

"Only if they capture the demon can we clear our names and give the Commandant's Office no reason to act."

"Qingniu Guan is part of Emei, a proper Daoist sect in Sichuan with wide connections. Exposing this will throw the Salt Guild into chaos, leaving them no time to bother us."

"The Daoist is right."

Li Yan nodded. "Though that old fool Chongxu is foolish, the Salt Guild is far more hateful—they've been harassing us since the start. We must bring them down."

"And that purple-faced old man!"

The old woman Bai Wan's eyes flared with anger. "The one who cast spells to intercept you at Longmen Gorge is named Yu Mo. His master is that purple-faced old man—Wang Mengsheng."

"He's infamous for his treachery. He was the one who led the rebel troops to destroy our temple and release the 'Mist Walker.' Our climb up the mountain that day? Likely his betrayal."

"Now it seems he's come to Sichuan too."

Li Yan listened, his killing intent deepening. He spoke low and grim: "Everyone, prepare. If we don't wipe out this vermin, we won't sleep peacefully…"

Before he finished speaking, Lu San suddenly rose:

"Something's happened at Qingniu Guan!"

…………

Whoosh!

Wind howled, waves churned.

On the river's surface now appeared a bizarre scene:

In the center of the river, a patch of water remained utterly still, frozen into a vast sheet of ice, bearing a pair of footprints, motionless.

Around it, waves roared, forming a colossal whirlpool.

Two invisible forces clashed—the outer one appearing mighty, yet gradually losing ground.

The area of ice in the center was slowly expanding.

The witch priestess of Wushan, already of profound cultivation, had been forced to seal her body with a secret art—she was a living corpse of terrifying power.

Her soul was far stronger than those "water tigers."

Merged with the demon's aura, freed from bodily constraints, her soul's power surged fully, becoming a true "demon."

Crack!

On the ritual altar, a ritual flag suddenly snapped.

An entire company of spirit soldiers vanished.

"You vile beast!"

Chongxu the Daoist was both shocked and furious.

He hadn't expected this demon to devour spirit soldiers—not only destroying his sect's ancestral reserves, but growing stronger by the moment.

"Master, what do we do?"

Beside him, Ling Fengzi held his ceremonial tablet, face filled with panic.

At that moment, Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan and the others emerged from the city gate, shouting: "Old Daoist, don't panic—we'll help you!"

"What are you doing? Get out of the way!"

The yamen runners rushed to block them.

Meng Shopkeeper sighed in relief and told the nearby runner: "You idiot, can't you see things are wrong? Let the masters handle it."

He had nearly activated the Gang Command.

Unlike Li Yan, who ran around everywhere and attracted trouble easily, we living yin officers rarely get chances to use the Gang Command.

That's a life-saving artifact—no one would use it like Li Yan, summoning Underworld troops just because some thug attacked at night.

It's like using a cannon to swat a mosquito.

With Li Yan acting, he wouldn't need to reveal his identity.

But when Chongxu saw Li Yan and the others, his first reaction was fury: "How dare you show yourselves!"

"Hey, you old man!"

Sha Li Fei glared and shouted: "We came to help you out of kindness—how can you act like this!"

"Let me tell you straight: this whole thing is a trap. Their real target is you. Your Qingniu Guan has probably already been raided!"

"Nonsense!"

Chongxu remained furious, eyes bloodshot.

At this, even Ling Fengzi sensed something was wrong. He snatched up the soul-stilling bell beside him and chanted a spell: "By the Lord's decree, purify heaven and earth, the Twenty-Eight Mansions arrayed, the Seven Stars aligned, Heaven and Earth open, the Flying Wolf of Heaven…"

This was the Daoist spell to calm the soul and stabilize the spirit—Wang Daoxuan knew it too.

The bell's chime was clear, cutting through wind and rain.

Under the spell's effect, Chongxu suddenly calmed, a strange unease stirring in his heart—but he refused to lose face. He glared at Li Yan and the others: "We'll settle this later. First, let me subdue this demon!"

Crack!

As he spoke, another section of the ritual flag snapped.

Relying solely on ancestral spirit soldiers could no longer suppress the demon—only temporarily contain it.

Chongxu took a deep breath and said grimly: "Ling Fengzi, bring me the 'Purple Qi Treasure Box.'"

Ling Fengzi's face paled. "Master…"

"Bring it."

Chongxu sighed softly. "I've brought this upon myself through my own greed. I may fall today, but Qingniu Guan's reputation cannot be tarnished. If we ask the 'Yellow Springs' for help, how can we ever face the people of Eastern Sichuan again?"

"Yes, Master." Ling Fengzi understood at once. He leapt down from the altar and retrieved a wooden box from a chest guarded by a junior disciple.

It was made of blood-dragon wood, ancient in design, dark purple-black with age.

"Master, here."

Ling Fengzi handed it over, reluctant and sorrowful.

Far away, Li Yan watched, his interest piqued.

Indeed, a proper Daoist sect—even in decline—still had hidden treasures. He wondered what this artifact might be.

Chongxu took it, bowed respectfully to the box, then gently opened it and withdrew a bamboo slip.

The slip was ancient, covered in large seal script on the front, and densely inscribed with scriptures and talismans in cinnabar ink on the back.

"Raise the altar! Assist me!"

Chongxu gave the order. The Daoists on the altar all sat cross-legged at once, holding their ceremonial tablets, chanting in low, solemn tones:

"With sincere devotion, I take refuge in the Primordial Master, the One Qi Divine Lord, the Great Inspector of Heaven, the Mighty General of the Three Realms, with golden eyes and crimson hair, known as the Thunder Lord of the Three-Five Fire Chariot…"

!.

The voice had a rhythmic cadence, rich with resonance and authority.

"It's the Sacred Litany of Wang Lingguan!"

Wang Daoxuan heard this and was slightly startled.

At the same time, Chongxu Zi held a bamboo slip, formed hand seals and invoked the sacred characters, stepped the Great Dipper Pace, and bowed in all directions.

Then he lit the bamboo slip and silently chanted the incantation.

Huh~

Instantly, fierce winds howled around them.

After the bamboo slip burned, it turned into a wisp of blue smoke, dense and unscattered, soaring rapidly straight toward the heavens.

Boom!

Soon, thunder rumbled across the sky.

Li Yan's eyelid twitched slightly as he looked upward.

Those thunderclaps sounded different to him—like massive drums pounding, with shouts of battle echoing.

Unlike his previous dream on Mount Wudang, he saw no figures this time, yet the stormy clouds above changed with startling clarity.

This Wang Lingguan also commanded thunder.

But unlike the Thunder Bureau, he wielded thunderfire, holding a distinguished status among the Daoist sects, hence called the "Great Inspector of the Heavenly Capital."

Just last night, he had just clashed with the mortal temple deities of this very figure.

Thinking of this, Li Yan quickly pulled his neck in.

Meanwhile, the demon on the river seemed to sense the danger; the footprints on the ice flickered incessantly, appearing everywhere.

Clearly, it was trying to flee.

But the remaining three battalions of Ancestral Troops now proved their worth—though unable to subdue the demon, they pinned it down tightly.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, a bolt of lightning split the sky and fell from above, illuminating the black rain-soaked night, instantly linking heaven and earth.

The ice at the center shattered instantly.

Even the surrounding Ancestral Troops immediately plunged into the lakebed, not daring to move a muscle.

Before such a cataclysmic thunder, even the troops had to cower.

As the ice shattered, the pair of footprints collapsed instantly; black mist dispersed, reverting to pure demonic qi.

Before it could escape, a bolt of thunderfire traced the path carved by the lightning, once again linking heaven and earth.

Before he could escape, a bolt of thunderfire traced the path of the lightning and once more linked heaven and earth.

Gales surged violently, and the demonic qi completely disintegrated.

A furious wind surged, and the demonic miasma completely scattered.

Sha Li-fei stared in awe. "At Lake Liangzi, the Longhu Shan disciples spent hours summoning heavenly thunder. What artifact did this Green Ox Temple use?"

Sha Li Fei stared in stunned silence. "At Liangzi Lake, the Longhu Mountain disciples spent hours summoning heavenly thunder—what artifact did this Qingniu Temple use?"

Li Yan's expression turned grave as he shook his head. "It's Lu Troops."

That was right—he had finally witnessed the Daoist Lu Troops.

In that instant, he had heard battle cries approaching from afar, and the thunder carried a sharp, blade-like edge—as if someone had wielded thunderfire as a weapon, descending from heaven to slay the demon outright.

This feeling was nothing like thunder magic.

No wonder, among all magical troops, the Daoist Lu Troops were the strongest—even the Underworld Troops fell slightly short.

Underworld Troops required dark Ming force to activate.

But these Lu Troops wielded primordial thunder Gang as their blade.

That bamboo slip was also an extraordinary treasure.

Daoist orthodox sects summoning Lu Troops must perform rituals days in advance, burning yellow talismans to petition heaven for troop deployment.

They also require a grand altar and numerous high adepts as assistants.

What was the origin of that bamboo slip?

Li Yan's curiosity deepened.

Chongxu Zi, seeing the demon destroyed, showed no surprise—only a look of deep regret as he carefully resealed the wooden box.

After finishing, he descended the altar, his face stern, and spoke to Li Yan and the others: "What were you just about to say?"

This old man… is putting on an act.

Li Yan was speechless, but since matters had come to this, he no longer cared. He bowed deeply and said gravely: "Master, behind the Salt Guild lies a Earth Immortal plotting against Green Ox Temple, because someone on the mountain practices a long-life heretical art…"

Li Yan was speechless, but since matters had come to this, he no longer cared to argue; he bowed and said solemnly, "Elder, the Salt Guild is backed by a terrestrial immortal plotting against Qingniu Temple, for someone on the mountain practices a long-life heretical art…"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chongxu Zi flew into a rage. "Green Ox Temple has guarded the demonic evils of eastern Sichuan with diligence and never slackened for a moment. You listen to rumors and dare to slander our orthodox sect's reputation!"

He had barely finished speaking when Chongxu Zi flew into a rage. "Qingniu Temple has long suppressed the demonic evils of eastern Sichuan, diligent and unwavering, never daring to slacken. You listen to rumors and dare to defile the purity of our orthodox teachings!"

"Master, calm down."

His disciple Lingfeng Zi, though mild-mannered, intervened and then bowed to Li Yan: "Thank you for the warning, but you've likely been deceived by Wu Faluo."

"He is a lay disciple, steeped in martial world ways. He barely learned the Heavenly Gang Finger Qi Technique and immediately fought and injured his fellow disciples."

"His master was equally corrupt. Sent to Chengdu's Qingyang Palace, he stole treasures during the chaos and was later hunted down, vanished without a trace."

"We're searching for him to clarify this matter—he never returned to Green Ox Temple, let alone witnessed anything unusual here."

"Look at us—do we look possessed by demons?"

Li Yan and Sha Li-fei both stared at Chongxu Zi.

"What are you staring at?!"

Chongxu Zi immediately grew angry, but recalling what had just happened, he suppressed his fury and growled: "I failed my flying sword cultivation, went out of control, damaged my heart meridian, hence my inner fire burns fiercely—not because of any possession."

Li Yan listened, then pondered: "Then Wu Faluo's words are likely false—but your sect still has problems."

"The Salt Guild and Earth Immortal wouldn't waste effort on nothing."

"Have any of you in Fengdu heard of a red child carrying a fan, a gourd, and a qi pouch?"

Lingfeng Zi shook his head. "Never heard of it."

But when Li Yan finished speaking, Chongxu Zi's eyes flickered with shock, then his face twisted with doubt; he gritted his teeth: "I'll believe you this once—come up the mountain with me."

When Li Yan finished speaking, Chongxu Zi's eyes flickered with shock, then his face twisted with doubt; he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll trust you once—follow me up the mountain."

Saying this, he hurriedly packed his things and rushed back.

The other disciples, confused, saw Chongxu Zi's dark expression and dared not ask questions.

Li Yan, deep in thought, gave a signal and led the group to follow closely behind.

Green Ox Temple was not far from Fengdu City; by dawn, they arrived to find a small hill standing, neither tall nor large, yet shaped like a reclining ox—quite intriguing.

Qingniu Temple was not far from Fengdu City; as dawn broke, they arrived to find a small hill standing firm—neither tall nor large, yet shaped like a reclining ox, oddly fascinating.

Wang Daoxuan exclaimed upon seeing it.

But Chongxu Zi paid no attention, charging straight up the hill.

There stood on the hilltop a sizable Daoist temple, ancient in age; autumn rain had ceased, morning mist curled around it, and Daoists swept the grounds—peaceful and serene.

Chongxu Zi finally sighed in relief and said coldly: "See? Where's the evil on this mountain?"

But Li Yan's expression changed slightly; his Gou Die suddenly grew hot.

This was the sign of a task being issued…

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)