Chapter 472

Midnight, a carriage team, a stone coffin...

No matter how you looked at it, it leaked an air of eeriness.

Li Yan was thoughtful and couldn't help but take a few steps forward, getting a little closer, forming the Yang Seal with his hands, and using his supernatural powers to investigate.

He originally thought it was internal strife among the same sect, killing and robbing goods.

Now it seemed there were other hidden circumstances.

More importantly,

that stone coffin looked very familiar...

With his current cultivation, his range of investigation had expanded quite a bit; as the carriage team slowly approached, Li Yan's expression also became solemn.

Sure enough, he had seen similar things before.

When they first entered the Wushan region, they found a stone coffin of the ancient Saltwater Tribe in the mountains; because of the resentment toward the Ba State, they performed curse witchcraft, creating monsters like the "Guest in the Mist."

They wiped them out and saved Chaoyun and Xingyu.

Could it be that the Huang Ling Sect had found something similar again?

The carriage team got closer and closer, the huge wooden wheels rolling and making creaking sounds, which were unusually obvious in the silent night.

This team had a total of two carriages.

The front one was pulled by two horses, carrying the stone coffin; the back one was also pulled by two horses side-by-side, carrying several large boxes, tied and fixed with thick hemp ropes, looking equally heavy.

In the team, most were men in black warrior robes, carrying lanterns, holding sharp blades, looking around with full vigilance.

And on the front carriage, there was an old Daoist priest, sitting sideways on the carriage shaft, holding a soul-suppressing bell, eyes full of vigilance, staring at the stone coffin behind him.

From time to time, he would form hand seals and shake the bell.

Ring, ring, ring!

The crisp bell sound echoed in the dark night.

There is something in the coffin...

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he raised his vigilance.

The one from the Saltwater Tribe had a corpse hidden inside, which was the main body of the "Guest in the Mist," and at the same time gathered demonic miasma.

This aura was a bit different.

But it was also a coffin from that ancient era, and only a wizard who was a tribal leader was qualified to use it.

Who knew what kind of thing it would hide...

Suddenly, the Daoist's body stiffened; he turned around, drew his sword, jumped off the carriage, and guarded in front of the stone coffin, while saying, "There's an ambush, be careful!"

Reminded by him, the team stopped immediately.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of swords being drawn was incessant.

The other men in black, although not occultists, all had good martial arts and were well-trained, instantly forming a sword formation around the carriage.

Not only that, but there were also several people in the team who took out firearms.

Rustle, rustle, rustle... the sound of grass.

Two monks holding spears walked out of the darkness.

"Fakong, Fase?"

After seeing them, the Daoist's brow twisted immediately. "I heard you broke the commandments and were kicked out of the temple by Shijing Temple; why have you started doing this kind of business?"

"Greetings, Feng Feng Shixiong Wu."

The two monks cupped their hands respectfully at the same time.

Although Buddhism and Daoism are different, the two were also of the Emei lineage, and since they had already returned to secular life, calling him "Feng Feng Shixiong" was acceptable.

The monk named Fakong had a face full of helplessness and said, "I didn't want to make things difficult for Feng Feng Shixiong, but I was entrusted by someone and had to make this trip."

"Feng Feng Shixiong, leave the things and you can go. I really don't want to resort to arms; if you want revenge, we brothers will accept it."

"Ridiculous!"

The Daoist surnamed Wu gave a cold snort. "You two brothers have some reputation, but you are just discarded disciples; where do you get the guts to say this to me?"

The other monk named Fase turned gloomy upon hearing this. "Are occultists so amazing? Don't be ungrateful!"

Having said that, he held his spear and rushed out directly.

Fakong sighed and followed closely behind.

Bang!

A disciple of the Huang Ling Sect immediately pulled the trigger.

Fire and smoke scattered, but it was just an ordinary firearm.

And the two monks, Fakong and Fase, just flashed their bodies the moment he fired, dodging in advance, their speed not slowing down at all.

This was also one of the drawbacks of firearms.

Among martial artists, experts have all practiced dodging and hidden weapon techniques; firearms are the same principle, as long as one avoids the muzzle in advance.

Ordinary people, naturally, don't have this reaction speed.

But the two monks were both experts at the peak of Dark Jin, their cultivation far exceeding the Huang Ling Sect disciple who fired.

With a raise of his hand, he saw his movement.

Bang, bang, bang!

The remaining few people fired one after another.

However, the two monks stepped on "mud-treading steps," their bodies crossing left and right, their speed not slow at all, and in the blink of an eye, they had approached.

What they used were double short spears.

Not many people in the martial world use this kind of weapon.

After all, spears are mainly long spears, the so-called "seven-foot flower spear, eight-foot staff, large spear one zhang and 0.8 inches."

But the spear as a weapon emphasizes "using long weapons as short ones," because long spears are easy to get old when blocking; if one doesn't understand the method of short use, one miss, and if someone invades with short weapons, one will fall into a disadvantage.

Short spears abandon the advantages of long spears and push "using long weapons as short ones" to the limit, equivalent to an extension of fist techniques.

The two monks were exactly like this.

Their feet were neither "Ding" nor "Ba," which was the characteristic of Monk Sect Fist; the double spears spat out like snakes, blocking, covering, picking, and shielding, as if they were extensions of their arms.

Those Huang Ling Sect disciples stabbed with swords, only to be ding-ding-dang-dang all deflected away, appearing extremely relaxed.

The gap in cultivation was revealed without doubt at this moment.

These Huang Ling Sect disciples were mostly just at "Ming Jin," with only one having stepped into "Dark Jin," likely disciples accepted by a martial arts school.

Not only cultivation but even the techniques were too far apart.

After seeing this, Li Yan's heart also raised doubts.

Escorting this stone coffin was clearly a dangerous errand; why only send this group of ordinary disciples?

The two big monks were like wolves and tigers, and with every gesture, they easily knocked down the people around them.

But they clearly held back; these disciples were beaten to the ground, and although they wailed incessantly, there were no fatal injuries.

"Stop!"

The Daoist guarding the stone coffin finally couldn't hold back.

He was full of anger and gritted his teeth. "There is no wealth inside here; it is an evil object that is causing trouble, and it needs to be escorted back for suppression. If you mess around, the thing inside will cause trouble, and we will all die!"

This Daoist was also furious.

He didn't fear these two brothers at all, but the thing in the stone coffin was constantly stirring, dragging him down so he didn't dare to make a move.

"Feng Feng Shixiong Wu."

Monk Fakong sighed. "There must be a reason for us to come here. The thing inside is of great importance; your Huang Ling Sect cannot protect it at all. Even if you drag it back, it will only invite disaster."

"Oh?"

The Daoist surnamed Wu narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, what exactly is inside?"

The Huang Ling Sect controlled the Chenghuangmiao of Chengdu Prefecture and was also the main force of the Law Enforcement Hall; he was clearly investigating a tragic village-extermination case and accidentally discovered that it was related to this object.

Because of the battle between righteousness and evil at Dujiangyan, the sect had no time to attend to other things, so he had to call some martial arts school disciples, rest during the day, and travel at night, preparing to drag this thing back to the Chenghuangmiao.

As for what was inside, he really didn't know.

"The thing inside..."

Fakong hesitated for a moment, preparing to speak.

But Fase beside him suddenly flicked his hand, and the short spear whistled out, straight toward the Daoist's chest.

This move exceeded everyone's expectations.

Just now, he had held back against those disciples, but against this Daoist, he actually launched a sneak attack directly, and it was aimed at killing.

"Dog thief!"

The Daoist roared and hurriedly dodged.

Although the distance was very close, his martial arts were also not bad; he turned sideways, his large Daoist robe sleeves flew and rolled, actually directly entangling the cold spear that shot over, and turned to throw it out.

At the same time, he exerted force under his feet, and a cold light whistled out.

Huang Ling Sect kung fu takes "Fire Dragon Rolling Fist" as its core, emphasizing "feet like snake movement, waist softly turning, fast and lively changes, steps first."

Especially since this Daoist also knew martial magic.

His right hand stabbed with the sword, his left hand formed a seal, and his Gang Qi rose, actually creating a momentum of fire burning the plains.

Even Li Yan in the distance smelled a scorching Qi. "Feng Feng Shixiong, we have no way back!"

Monk Fase roared, dodged the short spear that shot over, and went up holding the spear with one hand.

Monk Fakong sighed, waved his double spears, and cooperated with his brother, blocking several swords in a row with ding-ding-dang sounds.

It could be seen that in terms of martial arts alone, this Daoist Wu was slightly inferior to the two monks, but by cooperating with martial magic, he could suppress the two.

And the Huang Ling Sect disciples who had fallen to the ground nearby also began to struggle to get up, trying to surround them again.

Thump!

Just at this moment, there was a muffled sound from the stone coffin behind.

In an instant, evil winds rose all around.

The cinnabar red ropes tied to the stone coffin snapped one after another, and the yellow talismans pasted all over it also burned spontaneously.

"Not good!"

The Daoist secretly thought it was bad and hurriedly retreated.

However, it was already too late.

!.

He had deployed a talisman formation for suppression, but the stone coffin moved, and immediately a burst of Yin evil Qi rushed straight over.

"Ah—!"

The Daoist was hit in the face by the Yin evil Qi, screamed, spat blood, and fell straight to the ground, fainting.

The Huang Ling Sect disciples nearby also began to have confused eyes, then became manic, actually starting to attack each other.

And the two monks, Fakong and Fase, seemed to have expected this long ago; they took out a Vajra pestle from their bosoms at the same time, Dark Jin exploded, and they waved and threw them out.

Bang, bang!

With two crisp sounds, gravel splashed everywhere.

Two Vajra pestles were nailed one after another onto the stone coffin, vibrating and humming, shaking the iron rings above and making them ring.

The stone coffin also quieted down accordingly.

"Run!"

Fase gave a low shout, jumped onto the carriage, stabbed the horse's butt with his short spear; the horse felt pain and immediately ran wildly.

Fakong in the back looked at the Huang Ling Sect disciples who were dead or injured all over the ground, as well as the unconscious Daoist Wu, sighed toward the sky, and also jumped onto the carriage.

The sound of horse hooves, the rolling of wheels, soon disappeared into the dark night.

Li Yan was thoughtful and exerted force under his feet to follow.

These two monks only had high martial arts and were not occultists; they relied entirely on the two Vajra pestles to suppress the stone coffin.

Wanting to transport this thing away, I'm afraid it won't be that easy...

Sure enough, after following for not long, Li Yan felt a chill in his heart, stopped, and at the same time gripped the hilt of the Duanchen Saber.

He felt a murderous aura permeating the dark night.

The two monks clearly didn't have this spiritual sense and continued to gallop wildly.

Clang~

In the dark night, a zither sound suddenly came.

Clear and melodious, capturing people's souls.

"Whoa~"

The two monks' expressions changed, and they hurriedly pulled the reins.

Fakong looked around, gritted his teeth, and cupped his hands. "Is that Feng Feng Shixiong Pei Yufang? We have obtained the item!"

But he saw an old woman slowly walking out of the darkness, wearing a green robe, with a thin face and gray hair, using a withered branch to casually tie a bun at the back of her head.

She held an ancient zither in her arms, pacing as she walked, her eyes cold.

The two monks immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Fase's face was ugly, and he shouted in a low voice, "What do you want to do? Aren't you afraid of the Prince's blame?"

The old woman holding the ancient zither gave a faint glance. "Two traitors who don't keep the pure rules and commandments—do you really think the Prince accepts just anyone?"

The older Fakong suddenly realized and sighed. "Feng Feng Shixiong, stop talking. They just want to frame us; they never intended to let us live from the beginning."

Fase's eyes were also full of regret; he gritted his teeth. "Feng Feng Shixiong, this is all my fault. I'll hold him off, you go!"

Having said that, he jumped up directly, stepped on the horse's head, waved his spear with his right arm, like an arrow leaving the string, straight toward the old woman holding the zither.

How could Fakong leave his brother to wait for death?

But a flash of inspiration crossed his mind; he didn't rush to make a move, but instead swung his spear, preparing to kill the two horses first.

The reason they were let to come and grab the item was to frame the Monk Sect for this matter and cover up the real culprit.

They were afraid they wouldn't escape death today.

The stone coffin behind was heavy; without the horses, it would be difficult for the old woman alone to transport it, and the Huang Ling Sect people weren't dead either.

Perhaps, they could still leave a glimmer of opportunity.

Being kicked out of the temple gate didn't mean they had no feelings for the sect.

Swish!

He raised his double spears, preparing to pierce the horses' heads.

However, a lazy voice sounded from behind him.

"Yo, don't monks talk about compassion..."

Fakong's scalp felt cold.

It was because on the stone coffin behind him, someone had already stood there at some point, wearing a black robe, with a Sichuan opera face mask painted on his face, and the word "Evil" written on his forehead.

Fakong turned around suddenly and stabbed with his spear.

However, that eerie face mask directly entered his eyes, followed by his whole body stiffening, his arms trembling, and he couldn't stab the double spears out no matter what.

Nightmare Art!

Although Fakong was not an occultist, he had heard of this art.

The old woman in front was a famous side-door expert in the Chengdu Mystic Sect circle and was also his brother's superior; he knew how powerful she was.

But he had never seen this strange person in front of him.

Before he could think more, the strange person with the painted face mask suddenly formed a seal and stretched out his finger.

Pfft~

A flame ignited at the fingertip, and the strange person puffed out his cheeks and blew.

Fakong turned into a human torch directly, was kicked away, fell to the ground, and burned into charcoal in the raging flames.

"Big Feng Feng Shixiong!"

Fase in mid-air gave a shrill roar, his eyes blood-red, and he was about to turn and rush toward the carriage.

"Sure enough, you're an idiot..."

The old woman holding the zither looked indifferent; she pulled the zither strings and waved her fingers to pluck them.

Hum!

Seven zither strings whistled out, dancing in the air like spiritual snakes, directly entangling Fase the monk's body, limbs, and neck.

"Feng Feng Shixiong..."

Fase couldn't move; looking at the fire pile in the distance, his eyes were full of tears.

The old woman behind waved her fingers to pluck the zither strings.

Fase was torn apart in an instant.

"Tsk tsk, what a bother..."

The strange person with the painted face mask jumped down, burned Fase's corpse into ashes, and then said with dissatisfaction, "Dealing with these two little things, why did you still need me to make a move?"

The old woman holding the zither put away the zither strings and said faintly, "This is the ancient coffin of the Wuxian Kingdom; the Fangxian Dao found it back then and left clues to the Dragon Palace Water Mansion. The Immortality Medicine is likely inside, and the Prince values it very much."

The face-mask strange person said speechlessly, "You could have just sent it; why look for me?"

The old woman holding the zither said faintly, "I have other important matters. At the Wu Hou Shrine, people have been disappearing one after another, eaten until only their skins remain."

"According to those who survived, they all heard zither sounds that bewitched people."

"Zither Insect?"

"Possibly."

The face-mask strange person was full of envy in his words. "Good, you really have good luck. Catch this thing, and you can advance further. Damn it, why don't I have this luck?"

"How could this thing appear at the Wu Hou Shrine?"

"Not clear, but the news has already spread, and I must obtain it!"

After the old woman holding the zither finished speaking, she turned and disappeared into the darkness.

And the face-mask strange person cursed, "Why are you all standing there like idiots? Hurry up and get to work."

With an order, dozens of people walked out of the darkness, all wearing armor and carrying Fire God Spears...

(End of chapter)