Chapter 482

The paste on the paper person hadn't dried through yet.

Drip, drip.

It kept dripping onto the wooden board.

Li Yan's craftsmanship was learned when he was making paper people with Wang Daoxuan.

To tell the truth, it didn't look like anything at all.

It was just fixed with bamboo sticks, barely creating a human shape, with layers of earth paper randomly covered; there were no details like facial features or fingers.

For some reason, Li Yan had no talent for this kind of dexterous craft; if anyone saw it, they would probably laugh their teeth off.

But making it like this was enough.

After his cultivation improved, the "North Emperor Taiwei Chuling Technique" also had more changes.

As a scout, the range for investigating information was larger.

Moreover, it could also simulate his aura.

Don't underestimate this point; many sorcery and curse attacks target aura, so the current Taiwei Chuling Technique could both protect the body and confuse the enemy.

Just like now, the opponent couldn't detect any abnormality at all.

Making the paper person was just to make it more like him.

On the other side, at the back door of the inn, Li Yan had lowered his bamboo hat, looked around, and then quickly traveled along the dark alley.

Wufeng Creek was named so because it had five main streets, respectively called Golden Phoenix, Green Phoenix, Jade Phoenix, White Phoenix, and Little Phoenix.

Every street was connected by small alleys.

The area didn't look large, but it was very prosperous.

In some places, construction was even underway, building guild halls for various regions to allow fellow merchants to rest and communicate.

Li Yan didn't enter the main street, only traveling in the dark alleys.

He had the "Dragon Snake Token," and when he used supernatural powers to investigate, others couldn't detect any movement, which was very secretive.

Soon, he detected an abnormality.

In this small Wufeng Creek Wharf, there were quite a few sorcerers gathered, and several had truly ferocious auras, not much different from his own.

As for whether they were enemies, it was hard to judge.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Li Yan only noted the locations and the scents on those people, without getting close.

His target was first the sorcerer who was using magic to monitor him.

If he didn't kill this person first, he wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace.

Finally, when he found a dilapidated warehouse, that feeling of being watched, as if a sharp sword was pointed at his back, appeared again.

This was sorcery targeting him.

A fierce light flashed in Li Yan's eyes; he suddenly exerted force under his feet, crashed through the wooden door with a "boom," and charged directly inside.

Sure enough, it was the black-robed old Daoist and the spirit medium child.

The old Daoist also had rich martial world experience.

Although he didn't understand why the target of his monitoring suddenly appeared, his ability to respond was extremely strong; he flicked his Daoist robe and wrapped up the small black altar on the dharma altar.

"Take this!"

With a cold snort, the black altar exploded instantly.

This black altar was not large, but it was filled with incense ash and bone powder, mixed with some red phosphorus, scattering into gray mist in the air.

Whoosh~

The gray mist ignited without wind, turning into two balls of emerald green ghost fire, tossing and turning, whistling toward Li Yan.

Altar-protecting technique!

When a sorcerer sets up an altar, the biggest taboo is having someone approach to interfere, especially when casting spells, as they are most vulnerable themselves.

Usually, one must arrange for altar-protecting divine generals.

But when there were no such conditions, one had to arrange altar-protecting techniques in advance, which could be activated at any time to block the enemy.

And this black-robed old Daoist didn't stay idle either.

He leaped and crashed toward the warehouse wall to the side.

Other places were walls built of mud, but this place had collapsed before and was only nailed with wooden boards, simply repaired.

Crack!

The Daoist crashed through the wooden boards and charged out.

As the cold wind blew, the old Daoist was secretly happy; fortunately, he was cautious and had found an escape route in advance.

As for the child behind, he didn't even care.

But just as he ran out of the warehouse, his expression changed drastically, followed by his whole body stiffening, his eyes becoming dazed, unable to move.

Subsequently, a hand reached out from the darkness, directly wrapping around his neck and dragging him back.

It was Li Yan, who had shattered the ghost fire with one punch and suppressed his soul with the Soul-Hooking Rope, easily capturing him.

Clatter!

Accompanied by the sound of debris shattering, the old Daoist rolled to the ground.

"Master!"

The spirit medium child exclaimed, throwing himself on the old Daoist, staring at Li Yan with hatred, looking as if he wanted to block the blade for him.

Li Yan frowned, turned his Dust-Severing Blade horizontally, and asked suspiciously: "Why are you blocking in front of him?"

The child gritted his teeth: "He is my benefactor and master; if you want to kill, kill me!"

Li Yan laughed, "What kind of damn benefactor and master. You little brat, don't you know this technique consumes your life?"

"You're lying!"

The child's face flushed red, not believing it at all.

Li Yan shook his head: "This old Daoist's cultivation is only at the second floor; for him to make me feel threatened, how could it be a normal Du Yuanguang Technique?"

"If you don't believe me, touch two inches below your left rib; is there a lump? Do you have nightmares every night and can't sleep?"

The child hesitated, "Master said I was sick, and that earning money was to treat my illness."

"Nonsense!"

Li Yan said coldly: "This is called a 'Ghost Tendon,' born from being infected with sha qi; you are so young, how could you withstand this technique?"

"Once the Ghost Tendon connects to the heart pulse, you will die."

He had heard Wang Daoxuan talk about this kind of thing; some unscrupulous martial world sorcerers used this technique to make money.

Children who have awakened supernatural powers, if seen by Mystic Sect dharma lineages, will mostly not be missed, and those with good aptitude will even be fought over.

But when found by these heterodox people with evil intentions, they will only become tools for accumulating wealth, dying an unclear death.

"You... you're farting!"

This spirit medium was only seven or eight years old; everything Li Yan said had overturned his cognition, so how could he imagine that his master, who had always been kind and benevolent, would harm him.

Before he could think more, he suddenly couldn't breathe.

It was the black-robed old Daoist behind him, who had suddenly stood up, grabbed the spirit medium's neck, and said sternly: "Back off, let me go, otherwise I'll slaughter this brat..."

Seeing Li Yan like this, he thought he was the kind of pedantic person who cherished chivalry, so he threatened him with his disciple's life.

Swish!

But before the words were finished, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist.

He saw a flying blade suddenly appear, severing his wrist, and it stayed in the air, pointing dead at his forehead.

"Fly... Flying Sword Technique..."

The old Daoist couldn't believe it, his face deathly pale.

In his heart, there was no longer any intention to resist.

Li Yan naturally wouldn't explain, glancing at him indifferently, "I ask, you speak; if you answer well, I'll spare your life."

"Is this true?"

"Of course, I, Li Yan, have always kept my word. First, tell me your name, and who sent you?"

The old Daoist clearly knew Li Yan's reputation, hope rising in his eyes, and he hurriedly said: "Old man is Bu Xu, a person from the Golden Gate; I'm not anyone important, just skilled in the Du Yuanguang Technique, hired by someone with money."

"The one who hired me, no one knows his real name, only the nickname 'Ghost Painted Face'; he comes from the Pear Garden troupe, was a member of the famous 'Ghost Opera Troupe' back then, and later joined the Prince of Shu's mansion. His cultivation is profound, and everyone who has seen him take action is dead."

"Who else is on this trip?"

"There is Wang Han, leader of the Lotus Sect in the Shu region; Jin Cuilian, the 'Demon Black Seat' of the Yan Gate; Tan Wanpei of the Pu'an Institute... They received benefits from the Prince of Shu's mansion, usually scattered in various places, only taking action when summoned by the Prince of Shu..."

"What is your plan?"

"There is a boat on the river loaded with explosives; you were staying here, the plan was originally paused, but tomorrow Wang Han will come to ask for instruction..."

Listening to the old Daoist's account, Li Yan was lost in thought.

That the Prince of Shu's mansion sent people was within his expectations.

Anyway, this matter didn't go through official channels, but played with martial world rewards, so it was simple; in the end, it had to rely on fists to speak.

What surprised him was the identity of these people.

Besides heterodox experts, there were also leaders of folk dharma lineages.

Although they weren't people from the main altar, they were also experts responsible for the branch altars in the Shu region, and in the Mystic Sect, they were all people with status. They had all actually joined the Prince of Shu's mansion.

Regardless of the reason, this was considered a taboo.

Especially for members of the imperial family.

Back then, the Prince of Chang'an in Shanzhou, to avoid being gossiped about, even watched the Drum King Assembly from the city wall.

The sorcerers who could enter the Prince's mansion were either from the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect or the Shangshan Dharma Sect in Shanzhou, and they were all open and aboveboard, only responsible for the safety of the Prince's mansion.

But the Prince of Shu's mansion was a bit indiscriminate.

That "Ghost Painted Face," no matter how you look at it, is an evil expert.

According to the intelligence, the changes in the Prince of Shu's mansion had happened in these years.

Was it also bewitched by Zhao Changsheng...

Unfortunately, the secret agents of the Commandant's Office specifically responsible for tracking Zhao Changsheng were elusive and didn't know where they had gone, otherwise, they could have informed them of this matter.

!.

Thinking of this, Li Yan flipped his wrist, blade light flickered, directly piercing the old Daoist's dantian, and at the same time, he sent out a bolt of underworld thunder.

"Ah-!"

The old Daoist let out a shrill scream, roaring: "Didn't you say you'd let me go? Why are you breaking your word?"

Li Yan glanced coldly, "I said I'd let you go, but I didn't promise not to cripple your cultivation."

He nodded to the spirit medium child who was lost in despair beside him: "Find a good family, don't use sorcery anymore, perhaps you can live out your old age in peace."

Having said that, he sheathed his blade and left the inn.

"Brat, just you wait!"

Behind him, the old Daoist's eyes were full of resentment, malice growing.

Although he had survived, he was like a cripple, and his future days would surely be difficult; he must find a way to avenge this hatred...

Pfft!

Just as he was lost in thought, his body suddenly stiffened; he looked down at his chest, the blade tip had already pierced through his body, and blood was dripping.

Behind him was the equally angry spirit medium child.

Not long after, the inn caught fire.

In the firelight, a small figure carrying a bundle ran toward the outside of the town...

"Fire!"

The fire was raging, attracting the surrounding common people to rescue.

Fortunately, this place was relatively remote and close to the river, so the fire was extinguished in a while, leaving only broken walls and ruins emitting blue smoke.

In the chaotic crowd, several figures looked at each other, all with gloomy expressions...

…………

The next day was a long-lost sunny day.

The autumn sun hung high, dispelling the haze of the past few days.

The sky was high and the clouds were wide, and the small town that had just rained was refreshing.

"Something happened!"

"Something happened!"

In the inn, someone said with excitement: "That brat Li Yan is arrogant, and a senior expert can't stand it and wants to teach him a lesson!"

"What, which expert is it?"

"The leader of the Lotus Sect, Wang Han."

"Who is that?"

"He is a great expert of the Mystic Sect!"

Guided by those with ulterior motives, the news immediately spread throughout the town.

Many of those staying in the town were ordinary people.

Although they were also martial world guests wandering in all directions, they didn't have many opportunities to come into contact with sorcerers, let alone true Mystic Sect experts, and a sect leader at that.

Naturally, they wouldn't miss this opportunity to gain knowledge.

Not long after, outside the inn where Li Yan was staying, it was surrounded three layers deep and three layers out, packed with people, everyone standing on tiptoe, wishing they could grow three feet taller.

Li Yan was also well-prepared, sitting in the guest room and closing his eyes to rest.

He knew that killing the Du Yuanguang sorcerer last night and later causing the fire must have alerted these people.

It was possible they would change their strategy.

But he didn't care much at this moment.

No matter who came, they must be killed today.

His reputation was loud now, many things couldn't be hidden, and many methods were no longer secrets; pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger was simply impossible.

Since things had come to this, there was no need to cover up anymore.

Only by killing his way to a ferocious reputation could he make some people afraid to have ideas.

"They're here, they're here!"

The crowd outside suddenly became restless.

He saw a black-faced man walking over with broad strides.

"Is this that sect leader?"

Many people in the crowd had doubts.

It was no wonder; this leader of the Lotus Sect looked too ordinary—a big black face, wearing a coarse cloth jacket, and carrying a long spear on his back.

He was no different from ordinary martial world people.

It was really hard to see the style of a sect leader.

"You know nothing!"

Someone explained in a low voice: "The dharma lineage is passed down among the folk, and it's not like those old Daoists of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect; what's the use of dressing up brightly?"

"This person can perform 'Divine Possession'; just watch in a moment..."

The person who came was none other than Wang Han.

He looked at the sun in the sky, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Fengdu was in the Shu region; he had naturally heard some things about the living underworld official, and he also knew the power of the underworld soldiers.

But after all, they were formless soldiers; even if they could be summoned in broad daylight, their power would definitely be weakened by the bright sun.

Moreover, there would be others assisting from the side.

A team of fire-gunners from the Prince of Shu's mansion had already secretly infiltrated this place early this morning; once Li Yan summoned the underworld soldiers, they would shoot him to death with a volley of gunfire.

Of course, unless it was absolutely necessary, they wouldn't use new-style firearms in public; after all, that Censor was still in Chengdu.

A whole team of unregistered fire-gunners.

Even the Prince's mansion wouldn't dare to easily expose this matter...

Hearing the gossip from the people beside him, a cold sneer appeared at the corner of Wang Han's mouth.

He didn't talk nonsense, walking directly to the bluestone outside the residence, and without even looking, he slapped it with his backhand.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The bluestone vibrated, and all the melon seed shells flew out.

"Good!"

Cheers in the crowd were constant.

"He's also a Hua Jin expert!"

Someone with sharp eyes exclaimed immediately.

The difficult problem Li Yan left was not to touch the melon seeds and not to break the bluestone.

So to take them out, one could only rely on energy to shake the melon seed shells out, and one had to control the subtle energy within, which was harder than piercing the melon seed shells into the bluestone.

A sect leader, also a Hua Jin expert, and proficient in martial arts...

That brat is going to be unlucky!

Hearing the exclamations beside him, Wang Han didn't pay attention, but looked coldly at the top of the inn, saying in a deep voice: "Brat, come out, let's see if you can bear this reputation!"

According to the original plan, he was to pretend to be unable to stand outsiders being arrogant in the Shu region, so he would appear to teach this rude junior a lesson and accidentally kill him.

But the Du Yuanguang sorcerer Bu Xu was already dead, so this matter had likely been known by the other party, and there was no need for nonsense.

Anyway, Li Yan also wouldn't expose this matter.

If this matter was brought to the surface, the Prince of Shu's mansion might have many troubles, but there would be no more hesitation, and they would take action with all their might.

Li Yan was also well-prepared, walking out of the inn carrying the Dust-Severing Blade.

The two looked at each other coldly, not hiding their killing intent at all.

And in the inn pavilion in the distance, several Divine Fire gunners also changed magazines and extended their gun barrels out of the window...

(End of chapter)