Chapter 449: Fortune and Misfortune Are Unpredictable

Clang!

A flash of blade, blood sprayed in all directions.

Wu Ba's chest bore a gushing wound.

But he had already entered a frenzy.

Every hair on his body stood erect, his eyes crimson, fangs bared, face twisted in fury—he ignored the wound on his chest and swung his arm with all his strength.

Wind howled as the battle-axe came down.

Right before him stood the one-eyed Daoist, dual knives in hand.

The battle-axe split him clean in two.

But it was only an afterimage.

The one-eyed Daoist had already appeared on the other side, swift as light and shadow, shrouded in black smoke, darting up and down, heading straight for Wang Daoxuan.

Boom!

Sha Li-fei immediately fired his gun.

Flames exploded, smoke billowed.

But the Daoist's evasion was astonishingly fast—the black smoke burst apart, and Sha Li-fei's firearm missed entirely.

"You cowardly rabbit!"

Sha Li-fei cursed loudly and swiftly reloaded.

The limitations of firearms were fully exposed.

Of the Three Hermits of Wushan, two had entered the cave; this one had left the valley to trouble them.

Alone, he had suppressed them all.

A flicker of black smoke—he appeared before the altar.

Wang Daoxuan had already activated the altar, controlling the Five Directions' Luo Feng Flags; around him, howling winds and frost-laced black smoke surged, aiming to trap the Daoist.

Alas, Wang Daoxuan was not the true master of the Five Directions' Luo Feng Flags, and it was still daytime—the power of the Five Camps' troops was clearly weakened.

"Hahahaha…"

The Daoist let out a wild laugh and clashed his two blades together.

Clang!

A dragon's roar rose; fierce qi churned. Though originally invisible, the energy took visible ripples under the sound, spreading outward.

The charging yin soldiers were forcibly pushed back.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

At the same time, a dull drumbeat sounded.

It was the old woman Bai Wan, leading a group of Bai family women, who had all begun the Nuo dance in unison, wearing Nuo masks, beating hand drums, staring fixedly at him.

This was a witch incantation technique; though after leaving Wushan, the Bai family could no longer use some of their blessing and rain-summoning arts, their witch curses and Gushu remained unaffected.

The chant echoed distantly; the one-eyed Daoist suddenly felt his mind grow foggy and heavy.

At that moment, Wang Daoxuan, who was presiding over the altar, suddenly pulled out a short firelock from beneath his robe and pulled the trigger.

Wang Daoxuan rarely used this firearm.

He kept it only for emergencies, when enemies drew near the altar, to protect himself.

He had poor aim, so he used only buckshot.

Boom!

A deafening blast, smoke scattered everywhere.

Even though the one-eyed Daoist moved swiftly, he was grazed by scattered lead pellets on the shoulder—blood gushed forth.

At the same time, Sha Li-fei and Wu Ba charged forward.

Whoosh!

The Daoist spun his body, rolling black smoke surged, and he vanished in a howling rush.

When he reappeared, he stood on the right slope of the valley.

"You're all asking for death!"

The one-eyed Daoist glanced at his shoulder, and murderous intent rose in his eyes.

Wang Mengsheng's orders to him were clear: control these people and hold them as leverage.

Combined with the "Ruyi Treasure Pearl," it was nearly foolproof.

But man plans, heaven laughs.

Wang Mengsheng hadn't counted on Li Yan being no ordinary yin officer.

The one-eyed Daoist hadn't anticipated that these people, working together—yin soldiers, firearms, witch curses—could actually hold him back.

If this got out, they'd all laugh until they lost their teeth…

Thinking of this, the one-eyed Daoist's killing intent surged—he plunged his right blade into the ground, bit his fingertip, and traced talismans with his left blade, inscribing forbidden seals.

Instantly, dark winds howled around him; visible yin Sha energy coiled into black smoke, spiraling toward the blade.

"Watch out—it's the Heaven-Opening Sect's Soul-Cutting Art!"

The old woman Bai Wan saw it and immediately grew grim.

The others also tensed with caution.

The Heaven-Opening Sect's infamy rivaled that of Yin Mountain Sect.

It thrived in Yuzhou and the southwest, with many taboos: no eating certain meats, no walking under spiderwebs—extremely inconvenient.

But its techniques were equally terrifying.

The sect possessed numerous sinister arts designed to attack the soul: Thousand-Pound Press, Root-Fixing Art, Soul-Binding Art, Soul-Apprehending Art, Soul-Hanging Art, Soul-Confusing Art, Soul-Searching Art, Soul-Cutting Art, and more.

They belonged to the Art Lineage but were not bound by imperial authority.

Recently, during the Daoist duel at Dujiangyan, many of the Heaven-Opening Sect's members were the main force.

In the xianxia world, there's a saying: "Rather face Shaolin and Wudang than provoke Heaven-Opening or Yin Mountain"—a testament to their fearsome reputation.

Especially this "Soul-Cutting Art"—its fame was legendary; folk tales like "Investiture of the Gods" drew inspiration from it for the "Soul-Cutting Flying Knife."

As he activated the Soul-Cutting Art, his left blade grew coated in frost, radiating lethal intent, black smoke swirling wildly.

He sneered coldly, gazing down at the crowd.

As his gaze swept over them, those he looked upon felt a chill crawl up their spines, their vision darkening, as if doom loomed.

But soon, the one-eyed Daoist himself felt a chill down his back.

From behind Sha Li-fei and the others, on the slope, a figure suddenly emerged—it was Meng Changgui, the chief constable of Fengdu and liaison of the "Yellow Spring" organization.

Now clad again in black robes, he bore no trace of his former meekness in the county office—his eyes icy, holding a soul-summoning warrant, he barked: "Heaven has its order, Earth its law; the Underworld claims souls—mortals, stand aside!"

This was Li Yan's backup plan.

Backed by Fengdu County, half-joined the "Yellow Spring" organization, and facing a revenant and a terrestrial immortal—how could Li Yan not call for help?

Before setting out, he had secretly notified Meng Changgui.

"Ahhhh—!"

The one-eyed Daoist shrieked and turned to flee.

But the incantation Meng Changgui chanted was not a Gangling —it meant he had seen the Daoist and had officially accepted the task.

Dark winds surged; darkness spread rapidly.

The Daoist's evasion was astonishing, but he hadn't gone far before the ground beneath him erupted in vast darkness—as if light had been swallowed.

Amid clanking chains and screams, the darkness vanished, leaving only a corpse covered in frost on the ground.

"Holy mother of pearl, you finally showed up!"

Sha Li-fei exhaled in relief, then complained: "Didn't we agree you'd stay behind and strike the moment you saw someone? Where the hell were you?"

"My apologies, all of you."

Meng Changgui looked apologetic, yet serious: "The Salt Guild has arrived in Fengdu, along with the Wang Fu and a naval force…"

…………

The "Dian Yi Cave" is located in Fuling.

It lies on the north bank of the Yangtze, facing Fuling City across the river.

During the Northern Song, Cheng Yi spent six years here annotating the "I Ching," composing his masterwork of rationalist philosophy, the "Yi Zhuan," from which Cheng-style rationalism originated.

It is both a Confucian holy site and a pilgrimage destination for those who study the "I Ching."

The mountain is occupied by the Dian Yi Sect, one of the "Five Flowers" among the Five Flowers and Eight Leaves of Emei, and it stands in mutual support with Qingniu Temple.

Inside the "Dian Yi Cave" where Cheng Yi once lived, Zhu Xi once inscribed a poem: "The divine abode within this tiny space holds all the world's governance; each time I gaze at the raging waves, I see endless origins springing from nothing."

Due to the high number of tourists, scholars often sneaked in to make rubbings, nearly damaging the inscribed steles—thus, the "Dian Yi Cave" has been closed.

The Dian Yi Sect built a vast estate along the mountain.

In the main hall of the sect's "Yi Tower," Master Cheng Yuanxing held a teacup, skimmed off the foam with the lid, gently blew, and drank three sips.

He wore a Confucian robe, pale-faced with a long beard, his bearing dignified.

On the dais, to the left sat the old Daoist Chongxuzi; to the right sat Commandant Liu Gan of the Regional Military Commissioner's Office, and a eunuch holding a fly-whisk, dressed in embroidered uniform.

The old eunuch had a kind face, white hair and ruddy complexion, equally dignified; he gazed upward and said calmly: "Master Cheng, the 'Ruyi Treasure Pearl' has been lost—this is hard to explain to His Majesty. What do you propose?" "Hahahaha…"

Chongxuzi's face was filled with righteous fury: "You've ordered the Salt Guild to collude with Wushan demons, murdered our sect master, slaughtered civilians—how do you account for that?"

"Master Daoist, don't speak recklessly!"

Commandant Liu Gan said sternly: "This matter has not been fully investigated; there are many Yidian. Don't jump to conclusions."

The old eunuch, hearing this, grew displeased and waved his hand: "These are merely bandits causing chaos. The Wang Fu has no interest in such matters."

"If the Daoist wishes to pursue this, let him go find the Salt Guild himself."

"You?!"

Chongxu Zi's face instantly filled with anger.

"Everyone, please calm down…"

Cheng Yuanxing, the sect leader of Dian Yi Sect, smiled faintly and said: "The imperial court is launching a campaign against the Yang family of Bozhou. Along the way, many local chieftain strongholds have rebelled, and the evil Daoists of the southwest have run rampant—even eastern Sichuan is no longer stable."

!.

"Take the area near Wushan, for instance—there are demonic cultivators secretly stirring chaos, releasing the demon 'The Fog Guest' to slaughter civilians, all in search of some 'Elixir of Immortality.' It's absurd!"

"Given how large this incident has become, we too bear responsibility. In time, we shall travel to Chengdu and personally apologize to the Wang Fu."

The old eunuch heard this, his pupils instantly contracting, then forcing a smile: "Master Cheng, you jest. The demon has already been eliminated; there is no need to dwell on this matter further."

"But… this isn't right. The 'Ruyi Treasure Pearl' is one of Tang Zhen Guo's Thirteen Treasures. It was stolen by those Wushan hermits. Old man…"

"We shall investigate this matter ourselves. No need to trouble your sect."

"Very well. How has His Highness been lately?"

"Very well. This year, he will personally preside over the Chengdu lantern festival."

"Then that's good. We shall certainly present our congratulations then…"

The two began chatting about everyday matters; the earlier tension had vanished entirely.

Chongxu Zi observed coldly from the side, saying nothing.

Two days had passed since the Wushan hermits caused chaos.

On that day, the Salt Guild and the Shu Wang Fu arrived suddenly, accompanied by a naval force. From top to bottom, Fengdu County was on high alert.

Chongxu Zi knew things were dire. He immediately sent disciples using Jia Ma talismans to travel over mountain paths, seeking help from Dian Yi Sect through the night.

Only when the Dian Yi Sect's leader arrived in person did the situation avoid becoming a disaster.

Even the Shu Wang Fu dared not act recklessly before Cheng Yuanxing.

The reason was simple: Dian Yi Sect was not only one of the Five Flowers of Emei, but also a sacred site of Confucianism, with ties to numerous academies across Shenzhou.

Sect leader Cheng Yuanxing was an expert in Yi divination; his friends spanned from imperial nobles to Confucian sages.

More crucially, Cheng Yuanxing was a member of the Cheng family.

The Cheng family was the foremost mystical clan of Sichuan. Their patriarch, Cheng Jianxin, was one of the Ten Grand Masters, the Sword Immortal of Shu, and former head of Qingcheng Sect.

Because he had long withdrawn from the world, rumors spread that he was dead. With no one to hold sway over Sichuan, chaos had erupted.

But even so, no one dared to gamble on it.

Not even the Shu Wang Fu dared to act carelessly.

Thinking of this, Chongxu Zi could not help but feel sorrow well up within him.

Compared to the other Five Flowers, Qingniu Temple had declined, and anyone could bully it. No wonder his senior brother had taken such desperate risks.

His only option was to shift all blame onto the dead Wushan hermit, preserving his reputation and preventing Qingniu Temple from falling into chaos.

Only then would there be a chance for future revival.

"Gentlemen, please have some tea."

A disciple entered from the door, carrying a tea tray, refilling everyone's cups in turn, his manners refined and courteous.

The old eunuch, seeing this, nodded and smiled: "Dian Yi Sect truly lives up to its reputation—there are worthy successors."

"Your Excellency flatters us."

Sect leader Cheng Yuanxing cast a cool glance. "Cui Cong, how did you serve this tea? Go, bring me my newly harvested 'Fangping Tea.'"

"Yes, Master."

The one who entered was none other than Cui Cong. He shrank his neck and hurried away.

He had come to serve tea to replace his junior brother, hoping to gather information—but the master had seen through him at once. The order to change the tea was a subtle warning.

Outside the Yi Tower, Cui Cong hurried to another courtyard and turned to shut the door.

"How did it go?"

A young Daoist rushed forward to ask.

It was Ling Feng Zi, Chongxu Zi's disciple.

"This matter is no longer easy to handle."

Cui Cong's eyebrows drooped. "The master saw through us. He signaled silently: we must not speak of Li Dao you and the others' affairs."

"The master first tested the waters, saying he would personally visit. The old eunuch immediately backed down, unwilling to make a fuss. This suggests someone else is pulling the strings."

"I've heard the Shu Wang Fu is locked in a bitter struggle over the heirship. Most likely, one of them is risking everything to find the Elixir of Immortality, and has ordered the Salt Guild to carry out this deed."

Ling Feng Zi frowned. "Why not tell the Wang Fu directly?"

Cui Cong shook his head. "What kind of man is the Wang Fu? Though aged, his mind is sharp. He likely knows everything already—and pretends ignorance. Otherwise, how could the 'Ruyi Treasure Pearl' have surfaced?"

"The master told me to bring 'Fangping Tea'—it's a hint that Dian Yi Sect can only protect itself and will not rashly get involved."

"Quickly inform Li Dao you—he must leave as soon as possible!"

"Understood."

Ling Feng Zi, aware of the urgency, swiftly wrote a secret letter and tied it to the pigeon beside him.

Whoosh!

The pigeon spread its wings and soared into the gloomy sky, flying toward the forest across the Fujiang River.

On the river, several naval warships were patrolling.

All vessels along the route had been stopped and thoroughly searched.

On the warships, elite officers from the Commandant Office stood with swords drawn; others carried divine fire guns on their backs.

Moreover, beside them stood peculiar sorcerers, performing divine arts to scan the area.

Li Yan's boat had already been seized, tied to the riverbank with thick ropes, and guarded by a squad of soldiers.

The pigeon flew through the dense forest and reached a valley.

Inside the valley were Li Yan and the others.

Lu San let out a whistle, and the pigeon immediately landed.

Li Yan unfolded the letter, read it, then shook his head: "As expected—the Shu Wang Fu realized the truth was exposed and wants to cover it up, yet insists on pursuing the 'Ruyi Treasure Pearl.'"

"Brother Li, we can't hand over that treasure again!"

Sha Li Fei spoke up quickly, glancing furtively to the side.

There, a Daoist reeked of alcohol, continuously drinking from a wine gourd.

It was Wu Dang's Yulong Zi, the foremost demon hunter of Ezhou.

After Li Yan ascended Wu Dang, he learned of Yulong Zi's status: his talent was astonishing, comparable to Yuchan Zi. Had he not chosen the Path to Divinity, he would have been the next heir to the Wu Dang leadership.

Hearing Sha Li Fei's words, Yulong Zi chuckled, belched, and said: "Don't worry. That thing has an owner. The Shu Wang Fu still hides two old ghosts—I don't want to touch it."

"But young friend, think carefully: taking this object means trouble."

"This object must be kept!"

Li Yan nodded seriously.

This object could block divine detection. To their team, it was practically a divine artifact. After all the effort to seize it, how could they give it up?

He bowed again. "Thank you, Elder, for your intervention."

When the Salt Guild attacked, "Fast Boat Zhang" and all their belongings had been seized aboard the ship.

Fortunately, Yulong Zi, who was visiting Dian Yi Sect, had quietly rescued them and their things without anyone noticing.

"A minor matter…"

Yulong Zi waved his hand. "Forget about Wushan. The mystical sects will settle it within half a year at most."

"The war in the southwest is raging. The evil Daoists there are stirring. Be cautious on your journey."

With that, he leapt straight up, landing on the donkey beside him, swaying drunkenly, and soon vanished into the dense forest.

From afar, a final warning echoed:

"Remember: Sichuan is full of strange people. Never seek the absolute truth…"

(End of Chapter)