Chapter 586: Chain of Killing Intent

"Seven hundred meters southwest!"

Before the words fell, the Blood Nuo Master Ba Daiza had already leaped out.

This old demon originally belonged to the Tian family's Nuo Altar, inheriting the "Eight Great Gods" dharma lineage, and had once terrorized eighteen villages in Bashu.

The Nuo Master's method was originally to drive away evil and pray for blessings, but this person was obsessed with evil methods of killing, soaking his ancestral sword in blood, integrating the Miao region's "Gu Sorcery," the Mile Sect's "Blood Lotus Formula," and "Lu Ban's Method," creating the "Thirteen Blood Nuo Styles."

Because he lost control while practicing evil methods, several Tujia villages were destroyed. His fierce reputation was famous, provoking Cheng Jianxian to personally take action to hunt him down.

But this guy was cunning, using secret methods to fake his death several times to escape, and later sought refuge under the "Prince of Shu," saving his life.

Precisely because of this, he hated Cheng Jianxian intensely.

Having let him escape last time, he didn't want to miss it this time.

This old demon was the leader of the Southwest evil path under the Prince of Shu, his fierce might prominent. With an order, more than a dozen experts and a team of Black Feather Guards followed him out of the temple.

Situ Qian, playing "Guan Gong," secretly observed.

To tell the truth, the Blood Nuo Master's unauthorized pursuit was indeed a bit reckless, and furthermore, he hadn't received permission; it could be a hidden danger.

But to his surprise, the "Prince of Shu" only gave a faint glance, then ignored him further, walking with his hands behind his back to survey the surroundings.

Situ Qian lowered his head, his suspicion growing even stronger...

On the other side, the Blood Nuo Master and the others moved at lightning speed. They left the Martial Marquis Shrine and headed southwest, soon finding their target.

But in the depths of the bamboo forest covered in snow, a dharma altar stood impressively, with four-direction flags set up and a map of mountains and rivers enshrined.

This was the Cheng family's flying sword altar.

Controlling a flying sword was not just a wave of the hand to take a head from thousands of meters away, but required setting up an altar field.

It required both personal cultivation and the assistance of the dharma altar.

And at this moment, it had already been "blown up." The four-direction flags were crooked, the mountain and river map was shattered, and even the incense burner was split in two, with incense ash scattered all over the ground.

There were also bloodstains on the ground; it should have been the backlash from the caster's dharma sword being destroyed, and there were messy footprints on the snow leading to the distant mountain forest.

With a bird's cry, a black kite soared into the sky, circling in the air.

"My Lord, they have already run far."

The Black Feather Guard leader cupped his hands respectfully.

The Blood Nuo Master Ba Daiza didn't respond, pulled out the blood-colored curved blade from his waist, and directly picked up the clump of snow stained red.

"Ma Na Li Da, Ge Mo La Sa..."

Following his chanting of the mantra, black mist rose on the curved blade, the snow melted rapidly, and that smear of blood was eerily absorbed by the curved blade.

This was his evil magical artifact, the Blood Division Blade.

This blade was bloodthirsty and could use blood as a medium to cast curses, but it also had taboos: it needed to be quenched with the blood of boys and girls on the fifteenth of every month, otherwise it would backlash.

The Blood Nuo Master's blade was naturally well-nurtured.

He chanted the mantra while forming a seal, pointed the buzzing blood blade toward the distance, and shook it fiercely.

Whoosh~

In an instant, a violent wind rose in the surroundings.

A thick smell of blood rushed toward the distance.

"Alright, he can't run!"

In the Blood Nuo Master's turbid old eyes, a flash of bloodthirst appeared, and he sneered, preparing to continue the pursuit.

"My Lord!"

The Black Feather Guard leader was anxious and cupped his hands: "The Prince is more important. What if it's a lure-the-tiger-away-from-the-mountain strategy..."

"Nonsense!"

Ba Daiza turned around fiercely and said coldly: "You don't know who he is... in short, just follow me, the Prince is fine."

After saying this, he leaped out, accompanied by violent winds.

The Black Feather Guard leader was somewhat suspicious, but at this point, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

They rode their horses, their speed actually slower than Ba Daiza's, passing through layers of dense forest, and finally saw two black shadows in the distance, supporting someone and running wildly under the hillside...

On the other side, in the Martial Marquis Shrine.

Today's "Joyous God's tour" was completely over, and the people, seeing that the Prince of Shu's Mansion was no longer scattering money, left one after another.

After the fanaticism dissipated, they felt a trace of lingering fear.

Even the stupidest person could see it.

This Prince of Shu's Mansion wasn't performing a sacrifice today at all,

But was killing people!

Although it was risky, they had gained quite a bit today. An old man had already picked a red rope from a tree at the Martial Marquis Shrine, strung the "Joyous God Money" on it, and carefully hung it around his grandson's neck.

This was also one of the customs in the Shu region.

Watching all this, the Prince of Shu smiled, and after the people had left, he immediately ordered: "After returning, release all the remaining money, and release news that those who wear the Joyous God Money to the Qingyang Palace on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month will have good luck all year."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Zhao Tongling Eunuch Liu bowed and cupped his hands, his body trembling.

As the manager of the inner palace, he saw and heard more things, so how could he not guess that the current "Prince of Shu" was not the original person.

But he was very smart and knew how to play dumb.

That was also the reason he could stay alive.

But now, he had vaguely sensed something was wrong.

He would rather not know these things.

The Prince of Shu letting him participate clearly meant he had murderous intent......

Just as he was feeling uneasy, the Prince of Shu suddenly turned his head, looked at the roof of the Three Virtues Temple, his eyes narrowed, becoming solemn.

But on the roof, three figures had appeared at some unknown time. The leader was a blind old Daoist; it was none other than the declining Cheng Jianxian.

And beside him stood two others.

One was Cheng's Ming Shanzi.

And the other was none other than Ling Yunzi, who had received Li Yan on Mount Qingcheng.

The reinforcements from Mount Qingcheng had finally arrived!

"Act!"

The Prince of Shu still had a team of Black Feather Guards behind him, who now no longer hid, directly tearing off their red robes and simultaneously taking out Divine Fire Spears from the ceremonial procession, aiming at the sky.

But before they could pull the triggers, figures in Daoist robes appeared on the outer walls of the Martial Marquis Shrine, waving their dharma swords and pointing in unison.

Whoosh~

In an instant, the world spun around.

These Black Feather Guards discovered in horror that the sky over the Martial Marquis Shrine had turned black, and all the buildings were wrapped in thick mist, spinning rapidly.

Four giant black shadows appeared in the sky.

Judging by their outlines, they were Liu, Guan, Zhang, and Zhuge Wu Hou.

As for the people from the Cheng family and Mount Qingcheng, they had completely disappeared.

"It's the Eight Formations Diagram!"

Situ Qian's expression also became solemn, looking around, "This is performed by borrowing the incense of the folk gods of the Martial Marquis Shrine. How is it possible? I clearly had the temple priest seal the God's Eye..."

They had naturally tampered with things when choosing this place, and they had also scouted it out beforehand.

How did the people from Mount Qingcheng silently undo it?

Situ Qian was puzzled and became even more vigilant.

Their "Ghost Opera Troupe" had been re-established, and they originally thought they were strong, but now it seemed the orthodox Mystic Sects really couldn't be underestimated.

Only the "Prince of Shu" remained unchanged, looking around with his hands behind his back, shaking his head slightly: "In the past, Pang Degong often lived on a boat studying the I Ching, actually to investigate the dragon veins of the Han River, and later founded the Lumen Hidden Sect, passing down the 'Dunjia Heavenly Book' and 'Stone Soldier Eight Formations' to Zhuge, which is the foundation of the 'Eight Formations Diagram'."

As he spoke, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Unfortunately, I saw these two dharma books earlier than they did."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took down the jade sword from his waist, performed a sword flourish, and pointed to the northwest side, "Strike that way!"

With an order, the Black Feather Guards fired in unison.

Boom!

Huge roars continued, and gunpowder smoke filled the air.

It seemed like something had been shattered, the several giant black shadows in the sky began to collapse directly, and the white mist around the buildings dissipated rapidly.

Everyone then discovered that they had moved their steps and turned their direction without realizing it.

And the area they had been shooting at before was the Three Virtues Temple.

At this moment, a large collapse had appeared on the roof of the Three Virtues Temple, with bricks, tiles, and rubble falling, mixed with broken dharma flags and dharma swords.

The three people on the roof, along with those Qingcheng Daoist priests, had long since disappeared.

Facing a whole team of Divine Fire Spears, no matter how high the martial arts or how strong the sorcery, taking a hit would result in being smashed to pieces.

The "Prince of Shu" didn't care, just took a yellow talisman from his bosom, wrote on it quickly with a cinnabar brush, then folded it into a paper crane, chanted a mantra beside his mouth, and threw it out. Clatter!

The paper crane flew into the sky and flapped its wings into the distance.

Not long after, gunfire sounded outside the Martial Marquis Shrine, and the Blood Nuo Master returned quickly with a group of people.

They appeared somewhat disheveled, with several fewer people, and several Black Feather Guards and evil experts were all pale, as if they had been brushed with a layer of powder.

Just as they ran into the courtyard, they fell to the ground with a thud.

The Blood Nuo Master's face was ugly, and he cupped his hands: "Your Highness, we fell into an ambush. It was those old monks from Guangde Temple. Fortunately, we used fire guns to force them back."

He only guarded against Daoist priests, but didn't expect to fall into the monks' trap.

Situ Qian's face was also ugly, and he said in a deep voice: "It seems the orthodox Mystic Sects of Shu have united. I'm afraid it's a big trouble."

"No matter."

The "Prince of Shu" smiled slightly, "How many years has it been? They haven't made any progress. I know the power of firearms, yet they still use old methods."

Situ Qian gritted his teeth: "These people must be guarded against."

The development of things had already exceeded his expectations, and in Situ Qian's heart, an ominous feeling inexplicably rose.

!

However, the "Prince of Shu" didn't care, saying calmly: "No matter, they are all in the plan, to deal with someone else."

Situ Qian was stunned, "Who?"

The "Prince of Shu" turned his head, revealing a meaningful smile, "Haven't you already seen him?"

Situ Qian heard this, and his back felt cold.

He naturally knew who the Prince of Shu was talking about.

"Hahaha..."

Seeing his appearance, the "Prince of Shu" laughed and strode away, "The trend is set. No matter how many people they have, it's useless. Let's go, let's see what the harvest in the city is?"

Watching the other party's departing back, Situ Qian only felt his scalp go numb.

This style of acting,

Definitely not the Prince of Shu!

…………

"The noon hour has arrived!"

"Quick, act according to what I said!"

Inside the Commandery Prince's Mansion, Granny Jin gave an order, and everyone in the hall immediately became busy, spreading out the sticky rice in bamboo baskets, then using the reflection of a bronze mirror to shine on the sticky rice.

After half a stick of incense, they used cinnabar mixed with incense ash and rootless water to mix everything together.

The people Wuxiang Young Master brought this time were all from the three religions and nine schools, and there were those skilled in kneading dough figures who quickly kneaded a dummy with these materials.

And in the main hall, Granny Jin had already set up the dharma altar.

Li Yan stood guard nearby, observing carefully.

This dharma altar was completely different in specifications from the Mystic Sect dharma altar; its shape was more ancient, and on it was enshrined a pottery jar with a black-scaled snake moving inside, flicking its tongue, but it never left the jar.

It's a spirit beast...

Feeling the aura on the other party, Li Yan frowned slightly.

A spirit snake wasn't much; if talking about bloodline, it was far worse than Lu San's little white fox.

What truly shocked him was a spirit tablet behind the snake jar, which actually read: Spirit Tablet of the Wang Mu of the West.

Could it be that this lineage of the Nuo Goddess,

Is related to the Wang Mu of the West?

On the altar table, there were also roosters, raw eggs, and other items.

Granny Jin in front had already put on the Zigu Nuo mask, sat cross-legged, chanted mantras silently, and shook her staff, with all kinds of trinkets clattering.

After the blood-colored dough figure was kneaded, it was immediately placed on the altar table.

Granny Jin suddenly opened her eyes, her eyeballs rolled up, leaving only the whites, shook her head, danced the Nuo dance, and took a knife from the altar table, waving it left and right while chanting.

Suddenly, she stumbled two steps, came before the bound Grand Commandery Prince, waved the firewood knife, pierced his fingertip and brow, and smeared the blood on the dough figure doll...

Seeing these processes, Li Yan already understood the other party's method.

Driving away evil and warding off disasters was nothing more than a few types of methods. Although the forms and dharma lineages were different, the principles were all the same.

This was using the "Confusing God to Substitute Disaster" method.

Using a doll to block the disaster.

Although it could break the curse, there would inevitably be many taboos afterward.

Just like when in Chongqing Prefecture, that wealthy family used the innocent people of an opera troupe to block the disaster, which was broken by Li Yan, directly suffering a backlash, nearly exterminating the family.

After the doll was placed, Granny Jin chanted mantras again, waved the firewood knife, and pointed her toes on the ground, seeming to be avoiding something.

Vaguely, there were a few shadows of the Yu Steps.

Suddenly, Granny Jin gave a loud shout: "Heavenly snake returns to the cave, earth snake enters the seam, human snake breaks its head, ghost snake exterminates the species!"

The black snake in the pottery jar immediately became restless, darted out of the jar, coiled around the doll, and simultaneously opened its big mouth, swallowing the doll bit by bit.

Whoosh~

A violent wind rose in the surroundings, and strands of cold, gloomy mist rose from the dharma altar. A layer of white frost also formed on the black spirit snake.

The other offerings also shook with a clatter.

"Break!"

Just after the black snake swallowed the whole doll, Granny Jin suddenly waved the firewood knife and slashed in the air.

Slap!

The black snake broke directly into two halves.

When the sorcery was performed, the bound Grand Commandery Prince struggled desperately as if he had gone mad, his eyes bloodshot, emitting wild beast roars.

But at the moment the black snake broke, his body also stiffened as if hit by a sharp arrow, and he exhaled a long breath of turbid air, his eyes gradually becoming dazed.

"You... are you with the evil people?"

Looking at the people around, his face was ugly.

All his memories still remained at the time he was cursed.

"Greetings, Grand Commandery Prince."

Wuxiang Young Master smiled slightly, stepped forward to cup his hands, explained the situation, and said sternly: "Now, to stop that evil person's plot, we must seize back military power, and we also need the Grand Commandery Prince's help."

Listening to his account, the Grand Commandery Prince's face changed between cloudy and sunny, and he didn't speak, just his eyes flickered, clearly somewhat afraid.

Wuxiang Young Master rolled his eyes and quickly cupped his hands: "Commandery Prince, at this moment, you are the key. If you can restore order, this position of Prince of Shu will be within your grasp."

"Good!"

The Grand Commandery Prince gritted his teeth and agreed.

After all, there was no way back now.

He didn't hesitate to order a subordinate from his maternal family, saying in a deep voice: "Go to the garrison and invite several generals, saying that on the first day of the first lunar month, this Prince is hosting a banquet."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The subordinate took the order and hurried out of the mansion.

The Grand Commandery Prince was still somewhat uneasy and turned to look at Wuxiang Young Master, "This gentleman, can you really break the curse after coming?"

"Yes."

Granny Jin interrupted with a solemn expression: "I used the substitute disaster method, the spirit snake died in your place, and you must also observe three taboos."

"Within three years, you must not enter the Xiang region, avoid snakes, including pictures, and offer to the Zigu spirit tablet on the first day of every month."

"If you accidentally break them..."

The Grand Commandery Prince asked tentatively.

"Heh heh~"

Granny Jin gave a cold sneer, "Then the snake spirit will enter your dreams, tormenting you all night, and no one can save you."

The Grand Commandery Prince swallowed his saliva and didn't dare to talk nonsense anymore.

After another half a stick of incense, the servant who went to report finally returned, "Your Highness, the generals said they would arrive shortly."

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, but Li Yan's ears twitched, his face changed drastically, "Not good, it's a trap, prepare to break out!"

"I'm afraid you all can't leave..."

Stiff official language came from outside the main gate.

But a black-robed monk had appeared on the street outside the Commandery Prince's Mansion at some unknown time, wearing a white hat, with a string of human bones hanging around his neck.

It was the Black Sect Lama, Dorje Tashi.

And on the street in the distance, there was also the sound of a large number of horses' hooves, and the leader was none other than the several garrison generals.

Their eyes were clear, with no signs of being cursed...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 587 =====