Chapter 551: Breaking the Impasse

Strange beast?

Watching the blood parrot flap toward him, Li Yan narrowed his eyes and gripped the pistol at his waist.

The term "strange beast" is what beast hunters call them.

This world has Gang and Sha energies; due to bloodline, special environments, or magical influences, ordinary beasts undergo transformation.

Some grow beyond physical limits, like the Tu Shi.

Some revert to ancestral forms; others even change their entire shape.

Such beasts are typically called "strange beasts" by beast hunters, and they more easily develop spiritual awareness and become demons.

But this blood parrot before him was clearly not of Shenzhou origin…

"Hahahaha! Another one!"

The blood parrot flapped its wings, circling in the air, radiating dense Sha energy, its malice unhidden.

Though merely an animal, its cultivation was deep—comparable to a Second-Story cultivator—and brimming with Sha energy; its screech sounded like a soul being summoned.

Li Yan bore the Dragon-Snake Token, concealing his aura.

The beast sensed nothing, mistaking him for an ordinary man, flitting about, trying to frighten its prey as usual.

Seeing Li Yan unafraid, the blood parrot's eyes flooded with crimson; it spiraled midair and dove straight down, venomous talons aimed at his face.

Its venom was potent—even a tiger could not withstand it.

But as it neared, the parrot sensed something wrong.

Below, Li Yan merely stared coldly at it.

Where was the fear of prey?

A strange chill rose within it; the parrot shrieked, whirled sharply, and tried to flee upward—but it was too late.

Whoosh!

The Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain shot out.

Now, the chain reached fifteen meters.

At this distance, no matter how fast the parrot flew, it could not evade—it was bound tightly by the invisible tether.

Its body stiffened, plummeted vertically, and rolled helplessly into the snowdrift.

Li Yan walked forward expressionlessly and retracted the Soul-Grabbing Chain.

The blood parrot regained consciousness, flipped over, and flapped its wings to escape—but a Soul-Cutting Flying Knife whistled past and pressed against its skull.

The beast froze instantly, not daring to move.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "Where's the last one?"

This was why he hadn't killed it outright.

The moment the blood parrot saw him, its first words were "Another one!"—meaning there had been victims before.

And this creature was clearly a demonic cultivator's spirit pet.

Very likely, it was the enemy.

"Waa~"

The blood parrot remained motionless, its eyes gleaming with cunning malice, pretending to be a foolish bird to deceive him.

Puff!

The Soul-Cutting Flying Knife plunged straight down, embedding itself in its shoulder.

"Pain! Death! Spare me…"

The blood parrot, writhing in agony, blurted nonsense; seeing the kill-light in Li Yan's eyes, it shrieked: "In the house! In the house!"

Li Yan frowned, seized its neck, and strode forward, following the parrot's direction into a dilapidated thatched hut.

Before entering, the stench of blood hit him.

A man was bound to a post, drenched in blood, as if beaten by thorned vines; his head hung low, lifeless.

Li Yan frowned. "Who is this?"

The blood parrot answered obediently: "Waa, don't know."

Li Yan asked coldly: "Who is your master?"

Though cruel and vicious, the blood parrot was shrewd; sensing Li Yan's danger, it spoke at once: "Old Lady Chang, Old Lady Chang…"

"Who is she?"

"Ghost Opera Troupe, Ghost Opera Troupe, Old Dan…"

"Where did you come from?"

"Captured, captured, brought by ship, sold…"

After this exchange, Li Yan understood the cause.

This blood parrot was indeed not native to the Central Lands; it had been captured by a sorcerer exploring beyond the sea after the opening of the oceans.

Brought back to Shenzhou, they intended to sell it for a fortune—but encountered rivals, were killed, and their treasures stolen.

Old Lady Chang had once been a remnant of the Ghost Opera Troupe; after hiding in Jinling for years, she assumed a new identity and continued her atrocities.

When the Ghost Opera Troupe reformed, she followed them to Shu.

As for deeper secrets, the blood parrot knew nothing.

Of course, more important still were Sha Lifi and the others.

The Ghost Opera Troupe had entered the distant snow mountains and found Sha Lifi; both sides were now engaged in magical combat.

The blood parrot had been sent here as a lookout.

He must rush to support them immediately!

As for this blood parrot—though a strange beast—it was inherently vicious, useless to keep…

Sensing Li Yan's killing intent, the parrot shrieked: "Don't kill me! I know their weakness! Kill me, bad luck!"

"Oh?"

Li Yan's interest stirred. "Tell me."

He remained wary of the Ghost Opera Troupe; their reputation was too great, and they were wanted by orthodox Daoist sects.

After years of hiding, their emergence could not be taken lightly.

Sha Lifi and his companions had traveled far and wide with him; they were no longer what they once were. To force them into retreat, their opponents must be formidable.

"Clown, clown, Dogwa."

The blood parrot shrieked: "Puppet art is strong! Must find the true body—or you can't kill it! Location—I know!"

"Take me there!"

Li Yan wasted no words; he seized the blood parrot and headed for the snow mountains.

He moved swiftly, aided by his scent ability, soon crossing a snow mountain and arriving at the edge of a pine forest.

The pine forest stood tall and deep, its canopy thick with snow, its undergrowth dim; faintly visible was a figure seated cross-legged in the snow, surrounded by several lotus lanterns.

"That's him! That's him!"

The blood parrot immediately shrieked, its tiny eyes gleaming with excitement.

Crack!

Before it could enjoy the moment, its neck was snapped by Li Yan's hand, and the Soul-Grabbing Chain reversed, scattering its yin soul.

This creature was too vicious; Li Yan never intended to spare it.

Of course, such strange beasts typically carried valuable parts, useful for crafting talismans—never to be carelessly discarded.

Li Yan stuffed it into his waist pouch, then stepped lightly, slowly approaching the figure.

When only twenty meters away, Li Yan exploded forward.

Boom!

The snow beneath his feet shattered as his body shot forward.

The figure seated in the snow was none other than Clown Dogwa, who had used the Yin Soul Separation Technique to possess a puppet.

For Li Yan, that distance was but a breath.

Puff!

The opponent made no reaction—his head was crushed instantly by Li Yan's palm.

Yin winds howled; all the soul-guiding lanterns went dark.

Clown Dogwa was no ordinary expert; he was extremely cautious, always hiding his true body far from his companions.

But precisely because of this, he met his doom.

He forgot the troupe had a blood parrot—and didn't realize Old Lady Chang always made the parrot locate his true body.

Mutual scheming ultimately brought ruin.

As for Li Yan, he didn't even glance at the corpse; he activated the Northern Divine Speed Technique, becoming a blur as he raced across the snow mountains.

He had already heard the distant explosions…

…………

"Watch out!"

Sha Lifi shouted a warning and fired his rifle.

Boom!

Fire roared, smoke scattered.

Far across the snow, Wu Ba was locked in combat with the black-faced Wu Sheng Xie Sanyang, trading blows, waves of energy surging.

On a nearby slope, a massive tiger had leapt out, eyes blood-red, fangs gnashing, charging wildly at Wu Ba's back—then its head exploded from the gunshot.

But Sha Li-fei had no time to celebrate; he leapt aside, shifted position instantly, and swapped his magazine.

BOOM!

The spot where he had just been exploded in turn.

"Cowardly bastard!"

Sha Li-fei cursed, ducked behind a boulder, then sprang up again, raising his rifle and aiming at the dense forest on the opposite slope.

Behind him, in the cave, Wang Daoxuan had set up his altar, stepped the Nine Steps, chanted incantations, and activated the Seven Arrow Secret Spell.

On the altar, the straw effigy trembled continuously, emitting blue smoke, with a copper arrow already embedded in its body.

Wang Daoxuan held a second copper arrow in his hand, muttering incantations and forming hand seals, trying to thrust it into the effigy—but his arm shook uncontrollably.

It was as if he were locked in a struggle with some unseen force.

Meanwhile, Lu San stood guard at the cave entrance, clutching a bone club; he glanced at the stalemate ahead, then turned to look at Wang Daoxuan, his eyes filled with anxiety.

Not a single error in form, shot, or content!

They had still underestimated their opponent's capabilities.

At dawn, before daylight broke, they had buried several talismans and set traps within the gorge, as Wang Daoxuan had arranged.

The original plan was for Wang Daoxuan to perform the spell here, luring the enemy into breaking the formation, while using the Seven Arrow Secret Spell to seal and kill Chang Aba.

But that clown had sent another zombie puppet, using Earth Submersion Technique to directly destroy the formation.

Worse still, the enemy now had a marksman.

Had it not been for Sha Li-fei's distraction, they would have been overwhelmed long ago.

From dawn until now, both sides had clashed several rounds.

Had it not been for the potency of Wang Daoxuan's Seven Arrow Secret Spell, forcing Chang Aba to set up her own altar to resist, they would have already been on the defensive.

But even so, the situation was dire.

The enemy not only had a music troupe master using sonic illusions to harass them, but also that elusive clown launching surprise attacks.

One misstep, and they would lose everything.

CLANG!

Another thunderous crash.

Wu Ba's battle-axe, though a treasured heirloom among the Renxiao tribe, could not match the long blade in Xie Sanyang's hands.

After several battles, it was already riddled with scars.

With the final strike, it shattered completely.

Meanwhile, Xie Sanyang, now wearing the mask of Di Qing, pressed his advantage, twisted his wrist, and unleashed the move "Serpent Emerging from the Cave"; the blade hissed like a tiger's roar, driving straight for Wu Ba's chest.

In martial combat, there is a universally known rule:

"One inch longer, one inch stronger; one inch shorter, one inch riskier." In battles of equal rank, the one with a weapon always holds the advantage.

After all, everyone is flesh and blood.

No matter how strong Wu Ba was, he had no ability to barehandedly catch a blade against Xie Sanyang—he could only retreat swiftly.

But this retreat sealed his disadvantage.

Xie Sanyang pushed off with his feet, wind howling, each slash faster than the last, like a soul-snatching reaper.

SPLASH!

He was already fast; Wu Ba failed to defend in time, and a gash opened across his waist, blood spraying everywhere.

"ROAR!"

Wu Ba's ferocity surged; his pupils turned blood-red.

Instead of retreating, he charged forward, stomped his foot in a sweeping kick, sending snow flying, then twisted his body like wading through mud, barely avoiding the blade's edge.

Even Wu Qu would have praised this move.

The Eight Extremes Fist: "Upper strikes: cloud-piercing, point, lift; middle strikes: press, jab, shove, lean; lower strikes: root-grabbing, root-burying." Once distance closed, there was a chance to break the deadlock.

Once close, Xie Sanyang's long blade became unwieldy.

One solid palm strike from Wu Ba, and he'd be dead.

But Xie Sanyang was far too experienced—he refused to engage in close combat, instead pushing off with his feet, sliding sideways, and retreating again.

Before he could even steady himself, he vanished again with a quick retreat.

BOOM!

Gunfire roared; a massive crater appeared instantly on the ground.

It was Sha Li-fei, sensing danger, attempting to fire and rescue.

His instinct was correct.

After being wounded, Wu Ba had grown reckless; if he kept attacking, he would fall straight into Xie Sanyang's trap.

This shot not only forced Xie Sanyang back, but also snapped Wu Ba back to his senses—he lunged forward suddenly.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Wu Ba also erupted into a crater.

It was the enemy marksman, no longer restrained, now emerging to fire.

The distance between both sides was hundreds of meters; neither had good accuracy.

Wu Ba dodged the gunfire without hesitation, rolled over, pushed off with his feet, and sprinted to the boulder where Sha Li-fei was hiding.

Seeing Sha Li-fei's raised rifle, Xie Sanyang frowned slightly and retreated swiftly into the dense forest.

This was why the stalemate had formed.

Both sides had firearms, both had close-combat masters, and both had sorcerers locked in magical combat—neither could afford the slightest mistake.

Sha Li-fei exhaled in relief, quickly pulled a small leather pouch from his waist, and tossed it to Wu Ba. "Eat it fast!"

Wu Ba didn't hesitate—he opened the pouch, pulled out a small porcelain vial, crushed it, and swallowed the pills inside.

The wound on his waist immediately stopped bleeding and began to close.

This pill was made from a spirit herb they had obtained in Xiangyang, refined with the help of Li Shizhen's descendants—it had miraculous effects on external injuries.

Though they had repelled one wave of attack, Sha Li-fei felt no relief.

"Ahhhh—!"

At that moment, a scream echoed from beneath the ground.

In the chaotic valley, snow and dirt sprayed upward as a short figure burst forth, wreathed in black smoke, dashing into the forest.

Sha Li-fei saw this and frowned in confusion.

It was the clown from the ghost opera troupe—he had used Earth Submersion Technique to hide underground, waiting to ambush Wang Daoxuan.

Lu San's guard duty was meant to distract this very man.

What had happened to him?

In the opposite forest, the short figure stumbled in, eyes wide with terror, screaming: "Quick! Save me! Someone destroyed my true body!"

Xie Sanyang's face darkened instantly.

Without a word, he pulled a leather pouch from his waist, his fingers dancing like wind as he plunged golden needles into the clown's skull.

This was the weakness of the clown's puppet technique.

His soul had left his body to control the puppet; once his true body was shattered, he was no different from a homeless ghost.

He needed golden needles to seal his acupoints—otherwise, Doggie's soul would be scattered by the heavenly Gang wind.

But even this only bought time.

He had not reached the realm of Yangshen Out-of-Body; even if he clung to this zombie puppet, he would forever be a malevolent spirit, unable to face the light, and eventually his soul would dissolve entirely.

"Who?! Who?!"

Doggie's eyes were filled with despair as he screamed hoarsely.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Xie Sanyang glanced coldly at him. "Either way, you're dead. If I were you, I'd just attack—kill one, and that's one less."

His words were pure provocation—but Doggie's soul was already unstable, bordering on madness; he suddenly stared toward the distance.

"Die!"

He shrieked, lunged forward, and used Earth Submersion Technique to dive into the snow.

SWISH!

A line of snow shot straight toward Sha Li-fei and Wu Ba.

"Watch out!"

Sha Li-fei raised his Divine Fire Rifle instantly.

But at that moment, a gust of wind howled, and a figure flashed past, descending from the sky to land on the ground.

The newcomer was Li Yan.

He stood before them, and his invisible Soul-Grabbing Chain shot out with a whistle, diving underground and binding the clown tightly.

Then he drew his waist-long blade and plunged it down sharply.

Beneath the snow, all movement ceased…

(End of Chapter)