Chapter 491: You Come, I Go

The water churned, swirling up muddy silt.

Li Yan used the Dark Water Escape, darting swiftly through the Fujiang River.

Boom! Water exploded in all directions.

It was Li Yan emerging from the riverbank, bursting through the surface.

As he landed, his entire body erupted with force, the earth beneath his feet shattering violently as he leapt into the air like a bird piercing the dense forest.

A sliver of moon hung in the sky, illuminating the great river; the forest canopy was thick, blocking even the faintest light, leaving the woods pitch black.

Of course, none of this could stop Li Yan.

His sense of smell granted him full mobility even in darkness.

He leapt and bounded along tree trunks, weaving ceaselessly through the forest.

Ahead, a shadow moved faintly, its speed equally astonishing.

It was the "Ghost Flower Face."

Li Yan relied on his formidable physique and precise control.

The "Ghost Flower Face" was a renowned master from years ago; logically, he was old, his vital energy already waning, his stamina depleted—even if he, too, had reached the Transformation of Strength, he could not escape Li Yan's pursuit.

But he employed a unique body technique.

His wide black robe spread open like a bat at night, leaping while gliding, his movement ghostly, even outpacing Li Yan slightly.

Moreover, the two remained always over a hundred meters apart.

Li Yan's Soul-Grabbing Chain could not reach him.

Yet if he used the Spirit Horse Talisman, the moment he stopped to activate it, the enemy would vanish without a trace.

The "Ghost Flower Face" was luring him!

After chasing for a while, Li Yan immediately grew wary.

But now that he was this far, he could not stop.

The enemy had already obtained his hair and blood—essential mediums for casting curses.

There were surely other curse masters nearby, ready to assist.

Once they obtained them, he would be at a decisive disadvantage.

Thinking of this, Li Yan abandoned all hesitation, tore open the oilcloth at his waist, and pulled out the wrapped flintlock pistol.

Boom!

The moment he spotted the shadow again, he fired.

Fire roared, smoke blurred the night, shattering its silence.

Rustle-rustle-rustle!

Flocks of birds took flight, beasts scattered in panic.

The dark, quiet forest was, in truth, teeming with life.

The thunderous blast echoed through the forest valleys.

The "Ghost Flower Face" ahead suddenly lost balance, but just before hitting the ground, he executed a hawk's flip, kicked hard against a tree trunk, and shot forward again.

Li Yan's shot missed, only tearing the black robe.

Though it did not strike true, the "Ghost Flower Face"'s magical robe was ruined; now relying solely on his own strength, he slowed slightly.

The distance between them continued to close.

Swish!

But at that moment, Li Yan abruptly halted, hooked his foot around a tree trunk, spun midair, and hid behind a massive tree.

Boom! Boom!

Two more flashes of fire erupted in the distance.

Like thunder, trees as thick as water barrels snapped clean in two.

Li Yan lunged out, taking cover behind a boulder on a slope, his face grim as he gazed upward at the slope two hundred meters above.

He could smell—dozens of men were hidden there.

Ordinary men, yet each held a Divine Fire Gun.

It was the Shu Prince's fire gun corps!

Long ago at Longquanyi, Li Yan had secretly glimpsed this secret force of the Shu Prince's mansion; he never expected to encounter them so soon.

The Shu Prince had even sent these men.

He was the richest man in the region—what treasures did he not possess?

He must be overestimating the "Ruyi Treasure Pearl."

Could there be some hidden truth behind this…?

Strange as it was, Li Yan had no time to ponder further.

This sudden force had shattered all his plans; the enemy now held the curse mediums—he was already at a disadvantage!

…

Whoosh!

The "Ghost Flower Face" leapt up, landed, ripped off his tattered black robe, and hurled a small cloth bundle.

A withered hand seized the bundle.

It was Tan Wanpei, the Dharma Master of Putan Temple in Shu.

The old Daoist had already set up a temporary altar atop the mountain, burning incense and candles, offering the Five Offerings, with a small black coffin placed in the center.

Beside the coffin lay a straw effigy.

"Master, truly remarkable skills!"

The old Daoist opened the bundle, gazing at the hair and the blood-stained white handkerchief inside, unable to suppress a sigh of admiration.

Acquiring these items was no easy feat.

Though Li Yan was a young upstart, he mastered both magical arts and martial cultivation; none here dared claim they could fully overpower him.

Especially with his mastery of water escape—he could vanish in an instant.

And most troubling of all: his Gang Ling.

Only a seasoned fighter like the "Ghost Flower Face" could retrieve these items successfully.

Even Tan Wanpei, with his vast experience, could not help but praise him.

"Master, you flatter me."

The "Ghost Flower Face" remained cold-faced. "No time to waste—please perform the ritual swiftly, lest complications arise."

He then glanced aside. "Open fire to harass—do not let the boy summon the Yin Soldiers."

Beside him stood the Shu Prince's fire gun corps.

They were not sorcerers; in the pitch-black night, they could not see their target.

But behind them stood Jin Cuilian.

Her slender fingers formed a seal, her eyes blazing—like a cat's, even in darkness, glowing with a faint green luminescence.

"There!"

"Fire!"

At Jin Cuilian's gesture, the fire gun corps immediately pulled their triggers.

Boom! Boom!

Two more thunderous roars sent stones flying from the slope.

The Shu Prince's fire gun corps were well-trained and clearly had refined their use of new firearms.

They operated in pairs, taking turns firing.

As Jin Cuilian's finger moved, they fired without pause.

The new gunpowder was devastating; continuous explosions shook the slope, churning up dirt and shattered rocks, as if under artillery bombardment, soon leaving the ground pockmarked.

Jin Cuilian watched, her heart trembling.

She knew many heretical arts, had mediocre martial talent, yet reached the peak of Hidden Strength; her cunning and cruelty had earned her this position.

She had previously looked down on the fire gun corps—but seeing their power, fear now stirred within her.

At least she herself, in such a situation, could only wait to die.

Tan Wanpei's expression was grave too, but he did not forget his task; his hands flew as he shoved the bundle into the straw effigy's abdomen.

He formed seals, inscribed Li Yan's name.

Then he stepped the Nine Stars, right hand holding a peachwood sword, left hand ringing the Soul-Subduing Bell, muttering incantations nonstop.

Jingle-jingle-jingle!

The Soul-Subduing Bell swirled above the effigy.

Three circles left, three circles right.

The fire gun corps' commander did not join the attack; facing Jin Cuilian's reverent gaze, he felt no pride.

He knew the fire gun corps still had many weaknesses.

Like now—without Jin Cuilian guiding them, they were blind, unable to sense if a sorcerer crept up behind them.

No wonder the Prince said firearms alone could not overturn the situation.

Only with sorcerers aiding them could their power truly surge.

Thinking of this, he could not help but glance at Tan Wanpei, who was performing the ritual.

The "Ghost Flower Face" saw his gaze and whispered, "This is Master Tan's ultimate skill: the Soul-Striking Curse—crafted from the Putan incantation fused with Shu's shamanic secrets."

"Shake the bell to steal souls; ten incense sticks beside the straw effigy represent the three hun and seven po. If three hun are lost and seven po scattered, place it in a black coffin to draw the boy's soul forth."

"With fire guns suppressing him, even if he loses only one po, he cannot summon yin soldiers—he can only be slaughtered at our leisure."

He explained in great detail, as if the earlier unpleasantness had vanished entirely.

Though the fire gun squad leader was a soldier, he was no fool; seeing the "Ghost-Faced One" extend an olive branch, he nodded and said, "The esoteric methods of the Xuan Sect truly open one's eyes. I speak bluntly—if I offended you before, I beg your pardon, Master."

"There."

The "Ghost-Faced One"'s tone softened accordingly.

It seemed like flattery, but his eyes had already flickered with a hint of killing intent…

…………

BOOM!

The gunfire roared, shards of stone spraying in all directions.

Li Yan exploded with power beneath his feet, crouching low, and leapt out just as the boulder shielding him shattered, shifting his hiding position.

Though suppressed, he remained calm, dodging while thinking of a countermeasure.

The current situation was extremely unfavorable for him.

Even facing those masters directly, he would not have been reduced to such desperation.

!.

These old devils truly had abundant experience.

His combat style favored close-range attacks; now pinned here, though he wasn't hit, he had no chance to strike back.

How could he break this deadlock…?

As he pondered, he suddenly heard a sound near his ear.

Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!

It sounded as if someone was shaking a bell right beside his ear.

The bell's chime carried a strange power—listening to it made one drowsy, the mind heavy, the chest nauseous and ready to vomit.

It was a spell!

Li Yan knew the enemy had begun casting.

The "Dragon-Snake Talisman" did offer some protection, preventing the enemy from sensing his aura and avoiding many spells.

But if one obtained his hair or blood, the spell could be cast through the medium—even the "Ruyi Jewel" could not block it.

Without hesitation, Li Yan immediately activated the Great Luo Body.

Instantly, all discomfort vanished.

Spells harm the spirit-soul; the Great Luo Body naturally restored him.

But as long as the source remained, the spell continued.

Soon, the bell's chime returned to his ears; his mind grew foggy, forced to rely on the Great Luo Body to constantly repair itself.

Though the damage was minor and the Great Luo Body's strength had long since increased, the continuous repairs finally caused a faint crack to appear on its head.

If this continued, he would eventually lose his life!

……

On the other side, Tan Wanpei was drenched in sweat.

He chanted incantations, fingers forming seals, shaking the bell relentlessly.

One incense stick had already gone out.

But before he could proceed further, the nearly extinguished incense suddenly rose with blue smoke and reignited.

How strange!

Tan Wanpei's eyes nearly popped out.

He had cultivated for most of his life,

and he had never seen such a thing.

The "Ghost-Faced One," watching, frowned. "Tan Dao-you, can you even do this? We don't have much time."

Tan Wanpei felt humiliated.

He quickly lifted a bowl of water from the altar, drank it down in three gulps, then held it in his mouth and spat it forcefully onto the altar.

Instantly, dark winds surged around him.

In the gale, the old Daoist's hair and beard flew wildly as he swung his peachwood sword, bit his fingertip, and drew a blood line along the blade. He slashed the sword horizontally and struck the straw effigy of Li Yan three times.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

All three incense sticks went out at once.

Below, Li Yan's vision darkened; he nearly collapsed, but the Great Luo Body repaired him in time. As the fire guns fired toward him, he leapt again, shifting position.

On the mountaintop, the old Daoist Tan Wanpei panted heavily.

Seeing the three extinguished incense sticks, he felt secretly triumphant.

Luckily, he had kept a couple tricks up his sleeve.

The "Ghost-Faced One" risked his life to obtain the spell's medium—if he failed now, he'd never hold his head up again.

But his triumph lasted only a moment before his face froze.

The three extinguished incense sticks simultaneously emitted blue smoke.

"This…"

Tan Wanpei nearly spat blood. In desperation, he cried out, "This boy must be carrying some protective treasure!"

Unfortunately, the others' faces were grim; they had stopped bothering to respond.

Below, Li Yan's anger rose.

All those people on the mountain were masters, yet they hid behind the fire gun squad—like dogs biting a porcupine, unable to get a grip.

Damn it, these old ghosts came to deceive and ambush—no martial virtue at all!

They were all renowned figures—why so cautious?

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Li Yan—he understood why.

His Gang Ling had already been used up; he hadn't even considered it.

But these old ghosts didn't know.

Their entire strategy—suppressing him with firepower, disrupting him—was clearly out of fear he'd use his Gang Ling to summon yin soldiers.

Realizing this, Li Yan shouted loudly: "Qing Jia! Ascend black heavens, descend black earth—black heavens without light, black earth without gates…"

The incantation's cry echoed across the mountains and fields.

"No good!"

The people on the mountain were startled.

But before they could move, Jin Cuilian stared in shock at the retreating figure below and cried out, "That boy is running away!"

The "Ghost-Faced One" instantly understood.

Even with his vast Jianghu experience, his face flushed with rage: "That brat used up his Gang Ling long ago—we went to all this trouble for nothing!"

The others' faces were equally sour.

All their planning had been performed for ghosts.

Tan Wanpei laughed bitterly. "Fine then—I'll keep casting. Even if the boy has protective treasures, he'll still be disturbed. You two go—kill him outright."

The "Ghost-Faced One" said nothing—he charged out immediately.

Jin Cuilian followed close behind.

Without the Gang Ling, their martial and spellcraft skills made them worry-free.

The fire gun squad leader frowned, raised his hand, and ordered: "Cease fire. Gather up. Don't waste cartridges."

He was also annoyed.

The earlier suppression had wasted precious cartridges.

Though the Wang Fu secretly controlled several mines and had no shortage of gunpowder, cartridges were heavy, and their carrying capacity was limited.

If they ran out, the fire gun squad would become a toothless tiger.

The squad leader, irritated, glanced at the old Daoist busily performing rites and let out a cold snort.

These Jianghu sorcerers truly aren't reliable…

…………

This time, the roles had reversed.

Earlier, Li Yan had been chasing the "Ghost-Faced One."

Now, it was the "Ghost-Faced One" and Jin Cuilian jointly chasing the fleeing Li Yan.

"Hurry! Don't let him reach the river!"

The "Ghost-Faced One" moved swiftly, turning to roar.

Seeing Li Yan vanish into the dense forest, Jin Cuilian wasted no words. She pulled a black cat's tail from her sleeve, chanted an incantation, and waved her hand.

Whoosh~

Dark wind surged; a pair of cat footprints appeared on the ground far away.

It was the Cat Ghost Technique.

The Cat Ghost had no physical form and moved faster.

Jin Cuilian said grimly: "Don't worry—he won't escape."

The two accelerated their pursuit, fearing Li Yan would reach the river and flee using Water Escape.

But what they failed to notice was that the scent the cat ghost was tracking belonged to a straw doll, swiftly skimming along the ground.

After they left, Li Yan emerged from the dark depths of the dense forest, his body wreathed in mist, eyes brimming with murderous intent as he gazed toward the mountain peak.

Then his figure vanished swiftly.

(End of Chapter)