Chapter 571

"Senior, I've found you!"

Li Yan smiled, his joy unhidden.

He never expected that after all these twists and turns, the reincarnation of Erlang Zhenjun was in Chengdu—he had thought he'd never see him again in this lifetime.

Opposite him, the water ghost craftsman Tian Qiye wore a grim expression.

His cultivation was slightly higher than Li Yan's, and he had even been confident enough to escape the Yin Si troops' encirclement, which was why he came to ambush.

The facts proved him right.

It was he who plotted to sabotage the Huangquan organization; the previous fools had been deliberately led by him to probe Li Yan's secrets and even lure out the Gangling.

Unfortunately, those fools were utterly powerless.

He had no choice but to act himself.

But he hadn't expected someone else to be hiding nearby.

His heart pounded violently; though the other appeared lazy and revealed not a trace of Qi, he felt as if a ferocious beast had locked its gaze upon him, making his breath grow tight.

And from Li Yan's words, they were acquainted!

Thinking of this, Tian Qiye swung his oar, chanted a spell, and struck the water's surface hard.

Splash!

Water sprayed in all directions, Yin energy spread thickly, the wooden boat sank rapidly, and black mist swirled, concealing his figure.

Li Yan frowned slightly and began forming a spell.

But unexpectedly, the Chengdu magnate moved first.

Whoosh!

A dark shadow shot past with a piercing, howling wind.

Like a heavy hammer, it shattered the escape technique outright.

The black mist dispersed, revealing Tian Qiye's form.

He gripped his oar backward, spun sideways, and flicked the water droplets from the hem of his straw cloak upward, shattering the shadow.

As one of the Four Demons under the Prince of Shu, a fearsome master of the southwestern dark Dao, Tian Qiye was no ordinary man.

The black wooden oar in his hand alone was a cruel artifact, carved from yin-sunken wood from the Wu Gorge, engraved with Kui dragon patterns, its handle wrapped in the skin of the Three Gorges' rope-puller women.

Heavy with resentment, it was a true weapon of malice.

Yet after shattering the shadow, Tian Qiye's face grew even darker.

Splash!

Shattered bone fragments fell onto the boat, filling the air with the stench of mutton—it was plainly the lamb leg the Chengdu magnate had just finished gnawing.

Gang jing!

Li Yan felt a surge of delight and slowly loosened his spell.

Lamb leg bones were mundane objects; now they could break a spell and force the opponent to use an artifact to block them—clearly, another method had been used.

This was pure Gang jing, driven by a mighty martial spiritual will, channeling primordial Gang Sha energy.

Above Dan jing lies Gang jing; once a martial artist attains it, even without divine arts, he gains power to rival sorcerers.

On the land of Shenzhou, even the orthodox Daoist sects treat such men with respect.

Seeing this, Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The reincarnation of Erlang Zhenjun was different—he was an earthly deity reborn through worship, and no one knew his true state.

He had wandered the mortal world for decades, yet remained obscure; combined with what Li Yan had seen before, it seemed he was lost in doubt about his own identity.

Li Yan had feared most that this one was a fraud.

Now he felt slightly reassured.

His Gang jing could be summoned or withdrawn at will; after suppressing his aura, even Li Yan could not sense it—he had reached a realm beyond Li Yan's comprehension.

"Who exactly are you?"

On the sinister wooden boat, Tian Qiye stood fully alert.

The Chengdu magnate leapt from the boat onto the dock, clapped his hands, and said calmly, "You don't need to know."

Tian Qiye gritted his teeth again. "Do we have a grudge?"

"Not exactly."

The Chengdu magnate rubbed his temples, sounding weary. "I ask you: on the rivers of Shu, people often summon water ghosts to kill. Your boat is thick with resentment—does this have to do with you?"

Tian Qiye narrowed his eyes. "So what?"

The Chengdu magnate nodded. "Good enough."

He glanced at the sky. "Tomorrow is the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month—when the Jade Emperor descends. Killing is forbidden. Good thing it's not past midnight yet…"

"Is that all you've got?"

Tian Qiye suddenly roared, spun his body, shed his straw cloak, and flung it out with force.

His straw cloak was also an artifact.

In midair, it exploded into pieces—each greasy straw, drenched in Yin Qi, whipped through the air like a storm of rain.

Li Yan could even smell the rotting poison clinging to the straw.

More horrifying still was Tian Qiye's body.

His face looked normal, but his skin was corpse-white and wrinkled, as if soaked for days, with black, foul-smelling fluid oozing from his pores.

Water Ghost Longevity Technique?

Li Yan frowned the moment he saw it.

Though the "Book of Immortal Longevity" contained no record of it, he had slain demonic-possessed beings before and learned its traits.

The Water Ghost Longevity Technique has two forms: Yin Shen and Yin Shi.

The Yin Shen method resembles the ghost cultist hidden in the river outside Zigui County—burying the body in water, letting the Yin Shen impersonate a water deity to steal worship.

The Yin Shi method is even more gruesome.

It requires forging a personal Water Ghost Talisman, piercing the lower abdomen, and embedding it within the navel—when the talisman is wet, power grows; when dry, the soul scatters.

Thus, those who practice this method spend most of their time in water.

Simu Bo had told Li Yan about Tian Qiye's background—he was from a rare Shu lineage called the "Hanging Coffin Sect," originally specializing in funeral rites for hanging burials.

They had minor arts, but nothing this brutal.

So he had practiced the "Water Ghost Longevity Technique."

Only because his cloak concealed it had Li Yan not noticed.

The cloak exploded in midair, and Yin Qi-soaked straw rained down like arrows.

Facing this overwhelming assault, the Chengdu magnate paid no heed—he formed a hand seal and strode forward.

Facing this overwhelming assault, the "Chengdu Magnate" paid no heed, fingers forming a seal as he strode forward.

Every straw that drew near shattered and fell to the deck.

Is this… a protective spell?

Li Yan's eyes filled with curiosity.

He never imagined that such an ordinary protective spell, in the hands of Erlang Zhenjun's reincarnation, could achieve such power.

Tian Qiye was not surprised either.

He had recognized this man as a great master—the pressure he exerted was no weaker than that of Cheng Jianxian in his prime.

Using up his protective artifact was merely to buy time.

He gripped his oar, lifted it left and right, and the iron chains binding the bronze coffins on the boat snapped one by one.

Seeing this, Master Tian Qi gripped his wooden oar and flicked it left and right, causing the iron chains encasing the bronze coffins on the boat to snap one by one.

【91】 Yet the "Chengdu Magnate" did not halt his steps; facing the frenzied rush of water ghosts and sodden corpses, he merely whistled.

Black vapor seeped from the coffin seams.

Then he removed the ritual conch from his waist, formed a hand seal with his left hand, gripped the conch in his right, and blew into it with puffed cheeks.

The melody resembled the work chants of riverboatmen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

All the coffin lids exploded open, and several pale figures shot out—each a water ghost wet corpse, slick with slime, nails and eyeballs pitch-black, wrapped in thick Yin mist, charging toward the Chengdu magnate.

Li Yan frowned, gripping his sword scabbard, ready to assist.

These water ghost wet corpses were recorded in the "Records of Mysterious Spirits"—zombies buried in underwater corpse-breeding grounds, possessed by water ghosts.

Extremely Yin and ferocious, they required the most Yang and rigid methods to destroy. He had no fire arts, but could use Thunder Gang to subdue them.

Yet the Chengdu magnate kept walking, and as the wet corpses lunged wildly, he simply whistled.

Unknown to them, the "Chengdu Magnate" did not slow his steps; facing the wildly charging water ghosts and sodden corpses, he merely whistled.

Instantly, fierce winds erupted around them.

Gang Sha energy whirled like a storm, lifting the dock's snow, and faintly, Li Yan heard the sound of barking dogs.

What in the world is this?!

Li Yan sniffed, stunned.

Legend said Erlang Zhenjun had a Xiaotian Quan—but that was folk mythology; surely the dog hadn't reincarnated with him.

The barking wasn't from just one dog.

These invisible fierce hounds weren't Yin entities, but formed from primordial Gang energy—some unknown secret art.

In moments, the snowstorm ceased.

The water ghost wet corpses lay in pieces, as if torn apart by some force, the snow littered with paw prints.

Those water ghosts and soggy corpses had long been torn apart, as if ripped apart by some force, and the snow was covered in dog paw prints.

Not a single error in content, one look is enough!

"Elder, he ran away!"

Ignoring his shock, Li Yan quickly warned.

But Tian Qi had been terrified beyond measure and had directly abandoned his artifact—the Yinchen Wood Boat—leaping into the water.

This old devil was a water ghost; once in the water, he moved silently and with incredible speed, swiftly swimming away from shore.

"He won't get away!"

The "Chengdu Magnate"'s eyes grew cold; he pulled a silver pellet from his waist, and suddenly a golden slingshot appeared in his hand, firing with force.

Hum!

The air trembled as the silver pellet pierced through the water.

It's a national sacrificial divine artifact!

After seeing it, Li Yan's expression turned slightly strange.

Near Guanxian, they had visited the Erwang Temple at Guanjiangkou to worship and search for clues to the reincarnation of Erlang Zhenjun, and had learned a piece of news.

On the Erlang Zhenjun statue dating back to the Song Dynasty, the golden bow with silver bullets and the three-pronged, two-edged blade used in offerings had all been stolen.

So it was the true master who took them.

After firing that shot, a muffled thud echoed beneath the river; the "Chengdu Magnate" didn't even look, walking toward Li Yan.

On the distant water's surface, Tian Qi's corpse slowly rose, his head shattered by a massive wound, his soul utterly obliterated.

"Elder Yang, your skill is extraordinary!"

Li Yan immediately bowed, his eyes filled with awe.

He had never seen such a level of power before, yet he could vaguely sense it was far more than mere spellcraft.

In his movements, the scent of incense and devotional power drifted out.

Could it be that this reincarnated being still commands the devotional power of his own worship?

If that were true, it would be truly astonishing.

Erlang Zhenjun is the Lord of Sichuan; thousands of years of worship have accumulated immense, terrifying power.

The "Chengdu Magnate" rubbed his temples and shook his head. "Someone keeps whispering in my ear—unless I kill this man, I can't find peace."

He gazed into the distance and sighed. "Over the years, the voices in my ears have grown louder, making it impossible for me to rest."

Li Yan mused, "Could it be the incense and devotional power at work?"

The "Chengdu Magnate" was surprised, then nodded. "You know quite a bit—I only realized this recently myself."

"Speak then—what do you want from me?"

The opportunity was too rare; Li Yan feared this man might vanish again, so he spoke bluntly: "Elder, your karmic reckoning has arrived. Are you going to watch helplessly as others destroy you?"

The "Chengdu Magnate" fell silent, his eyes narrowing with a chilling authority. "What do you mean?"

Hearing this, Li Yan was startled, quickly activating the Dragon-Snake Tablet to block his aura, and whispered: "Elder, to be honest, I am both a Living Yin Officer and have received the office of Celestial Official."

"Within the Great Luo Dharma Realm, a celestial has descended secretly and fused with the River God Lord—likely intending harm to you…"

After hearing Li Yan's account, the "Chengdu Magnate" was also startled; after a long pause, he coldly laughed: "So that's why I've felt uneasy for years—I sensed it was tied to that old dragon, searched everywhere in Mount Daba, yet never found his trace…"

Perhaps because of Li Yan's identity, this man no longer concealed anything, and recounted the events of recent years.

Everything begins with the Mei Mountain Brothers.

In those days, the Mei Mountain Brothers secretly worshipped and protected Erlang Zhenjun; perhaps due to the immense accumulation of incense and devotional power over a thousand years, a true spirit emerged within the statue.

Coincidentally, Yang Laoyuan, who had no sons, came with his concubine to offer incense; the Mei Mountain Brothers drugged him, set up an altar, and cast the true spirit into the concubine's womb.

Thus, the reincarnation of Erlang Zhenjun—Yang Chenghua—was born.

Naturally, the Mei Mountain Brothers rejoiced; though they didn't understand what had truly happened, they knew their deity had descended, bringing great fortune to all…

But disaster followed immediately.

The "Ghost Opera Troupe" received their assignment, infiltrated the Yang household, set fire, and slaughtered everyone; the Mei Mountain Brothers, secretly guarding the house, fought to the death to rescue Yang Chenghua.

The sole survivor, the Lu Artisan, placed Yang Chenghua under the care of a widow, secretly protecting him until he came of age and left.

"I don't even know who I am…"

Yang Chenghua shook his head, speaking gravely: "Uncle Lu told me I was Zhenjun, constantly bowing to me—it made me deeply uncomfortable, so I left under the pretense of traveling."

"Over the years, wandering everywhere, I've always been confused, trying to understand why I came into this world—I infiltrated many cultivation lineages, hid my identity to practice, yet never found the reason…"

"Until recently, I suddenly discovered I could summon incense power—voices of countless people constantly echo in my ears. I no longer know whether I am Yang Chenghua, Li Erlang, or Mr. Zhenjun…"

"You are certainly Mr. Zhenjun!"

Li Yan suddenly understood, speaking solemnly: "You were born a celestial saint—this mortal world is merely a chain. Your answer must lie within the Great Luo Dharma Realm!"

He now understood this man's situation.

Whoever possessed a thousand years of incense, entangled with countless emotions and devotional forces, would long ago have transcended the mortal realm, with no attachment to worldly affairs.

Some things simply cannot be compared.

No matter his origin, the reincarnated Yang Chenghua, if unimpeded, was born destined for godhood.

He paused, then added: "Also… that Mr. Lu is dead…"

"What?!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Yan felt two massive hands seize his shoulders, the flesh already aching.

Yang Chenghua's eyes were bloodshot, brimming with murderous intent.

"He was murdered."

Li Yan remained calm, gently disengaging the hands, then recounted in detail what had happened in Guanxian.

Yang Chenghua seemed unable to accept it, his eyes vacant, murmuring: "Parents died before I could understand… my foster mother died… Uncle Lu died too… why did everyone die? I just took a walk…"

As he spoke, the muscles on his face began to writhe.

His thick beard fell away one by one; his features transformed into something strikingly heroic, resembling the statue in the temple.

Combined with his stature, he truly looked like a heavenly god descending.

"Zhenjun!"

Li Yan smiled bitterly: "All mortals must die. We struggle desperately—but you are not of this world. When the time comes, you must go."

"Hmm."

Yang Chenghua fell silent for a moment. "What must I do?"

Though he was the reincarnation of Erlang Zhenjun, he was not the invincible Erlang of legend—he was merely a lost stranger wandering the mortal world.

He had not even fully inherited Erlang Zhenjun's incense power.

"Simple!"

Li Yan glanced toward Chengdu Prefecture. "Help us eliminate the Celestial, and destroy the two Ghost Opera Troupe demons."

"Clear your karmic debt—and your true self will appear!"

(End of Chapter)