Chapter 589: Linked Traps of Death

Seven hundred meters southwest!

Before his words had even faded, the Blood Nuo Master Baidai Zha leapt forward.

This old demon had originally belonged to the Tian Clan Nuo Altar, inheriting the lineage of the "Eight Great Deities," wielding the "Tima Divine Song," and once ruled eighteen Tujia villages in Sichuan.

The Nuo Master's art was meant to expel evil and invoke blessings, but this man became obsessed with killing through dark arts, soaking his ancestral ritual knife in blood and fusing Miao border "Tong Art," Maitreya Sect's "Blood Lotus Scripture," and "Lu Ban Method" to create the "Thirteen Blood Nuo Forms."

Due to uncontrolled cultivation of dark arts, several Tujia villages were wiped out; his infamous reputation drew the personal pursuit of Master Cheng Jianxian.

But the fellow was cunning, using secret techniques to fake his death multiple times and later taking refuge under the "Shu Prince," preserving his life.

Precisely because of this, he harbored intense hatred toward Master Cheng Jianxian.

Last time he escaped; this time, he wouldn't miss the chance.

This old demon was the commander of the southwestern dark sects under the Shu Prince, feared and formidable; with a single order, over a dozen skilled fighters and a squad of Black Feather Guards immediately surged out of the temple.

Situ Qian, disguised as Guan Gong, secretly stole glances.

To be honest, the Blood Nuo Master's unauthorized pursuit was recklessly rash, especially since he hadn't received approval—likely a hidden threat.

But to his surprise, the "Shu Prince" merely cast a casual glance and ignored him, standing with hands behind his back, surveying the surroundings.

Situ Qian lowered his head, his suspicion deepening…

On the other side, Baidai Zha and his group moved swiftly, leaving the Wuhou Shrine and heading southwest, quickly locating their target.

Deep within the snow-dusted bamboo grove stood a ritual altar, flanked by four directional flags and bearing a map of mountains and rivers.

This was the Cheng family's flying sword altar.

Controlling a flying sword isn't as simple as waving a hand to sever a head a thousand meters away—it requires setting up a ritual ground.

It demands both personal cultivation and the altar's assistance.

But now the altar had already been "exploded": the four flags leaned crookedly, the mountain-river map was shattered, even the incense burner split in two, with ash scattered everywhere.

Blood stains marked the ground—likely from the caster's sword being destroyed and rebounding; snow bore chaotic footprints leading toward distant woods.

A bird cried out; a black kite soared into the sky, wheeling overhead.

"My lord, he's long gone."

The leader of the Black Feather Guards bowed respectfully.

Baidai Zha ignored him, drawing his crimson curved knife and slicing up a clump of blood-stained snow.

"Ma nali da, ge mo la sa…"

As he chanted the incantation, black mist rose from the blade; the snow melted rapidly, while the crimson stain was mysteriously absorbed into the knife.

This was his dark artifact: the Blood Ritual Knife.

The blade thirsted for blood, using it as a medium for spells, but it had taboos: every fifteenth day, it required the blood of a virgin boy and girl poured over its edge, or it would turn on its wielder.

Baidai Zha's knife was, of course, meticulously maintained.

As he chanted and formed hand seals, he raised his humming, trembling blood knife, pointed it far off, and sharply flicked it.

Whoosh~

Instantly, a violent wind surged around them.

A thick stench of blood surged toward the distance.

"Good—he won't escape!"

In Baidai Zha's cloudy old eyes flashed a glint of bloodlust; he sneered, ready to pursue.

"My lord!"

The Black Feather Guard commander urgently bowed: "The Prince's safety is more critical—what if this is a diversion?"

"Ridiculous!"

Baidai Zha whirled around, coldly saying: "You don't know who he is… Just follow me. The Prince is fine."

With that, he leapt forward, surrounded by howling winds.

The Black Feather Guard commander was puzzled, but since it had come to this, he gritted his teeth and followed.

They rode horses, moving slower than Baidai Zha, threading through dense forests until they finally saw two dark figures far down the slope, dragging a third as they fled…

On the other side, inside the Wuhou Shrine.

Today's "Joy God's Pilgrimage" had ended completely; when the people saw the Shu Prince's men no longer scattered coins, they dispersed.

Only after the frenzy faded did they feel a tinge of dread.

Even the dumbest could see:

Today, the Shu Prince's household wasn't performing a ritual—

They were here to kill!

Though risky, today's gains were substantial; an old man had already plucked a red string from a tree at the Wuhou Shrine, threading the "Joy God Coin" onto it and carefully hanging it around his grandson's neck.

This was also one of Sichuan's customs.

Watching all this, the Shu Prince smiled; once the crowd had vanished, he immediately ordered: "Return and distribute all remaining coins. Spread word: wear the Joy God Coin on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month at Qingyang Palace, and you'll enjoy endless good fortune."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The eunuch Liu Eunuch bowed deeply, his body trembling.

As head of the inner palace, he'd seen and heard too much—he couldn't fail to realize the current "Shu Prince" was not the real man.

But he was clever; he knew how to pretend ignorance.

That was why he was still alive.

Yet now, he sensed something amiss.

He wished he'd never known about any of this.

The Shu Prince involving him clearly meant to kill him…

As he fretted inwardly, the Shu Prince suddenly turned, gazing at the roof of the Three Righteous Temple, eyes narrowing, his expression turning grave.

There, atop the roof, stood three figures—its leader a blind old Daoist: the fallen Master Cheng Jianxian.

Beside him stood two others.

One was Cheng Jia's Mingshanzi.

The other was Lingyunzi—the very man who had greeted Li Yan atop Mount Qingcheng.

The Qingcheng Mountain reinforcements had finally arrived!

"Attack!"

Beside the Shu Prince stood a squad of Black Feather Guards; now they no longer concealed themselves, ripping off their red robes and drawing divine fire guns from their ceremonial gear, aiming upward.

But before they could pull the triggers, figures clad in Daoist robes appeared along the Wuhou Shrine's outer walls, their ritual swords raised, pointing in unison.

Whoosh~

Instantly, the world spun wildly.

The Black Feather Guards realized in horror: the sky above the Wuhou Shrine had turned black; all buildings were swallowed by thick mist, spinning rapidly.

Four colossal dark shadows appeared in the air.

From their silhouettes, they were Liu, Guan, Zhang, and Zhuge Liang, the Sage Strategist.

As for the Cheng family and Qingcheng people, they vanished entirely.

"It's the Eight Trigram Array!"

Situ Qian's face darkened as he scanned the surroundings: "This uses the folk worship of the Wuhou Shrine's deities—how? I personally ordered the temple keeper to seal the divine eyes…"

They'd chosen this location precisely after tampering with it and thoroughly scouting beforehand.

How had Qingcheng's people undone it silently?

Situ Qian racked his brain but found no answer; his vigilance deepened.

Their "Ghost Opera Troupe" had been rebuilt, and they'd assumed themselves powerful—but now he saw: orthodox Daoist sects were truly not to be underestimated.

Only the "Shu Prince" remained expressionless, hands behind his back, shaking his head slightly: "In ancient times, Pang Degong often studied the Book of Changes aboard a boat, actually examining the Han River's dragon vein, later founding the Lu Men Hidden Sect and transmitting the 'Dun Jia Heavenly Book' and 'Stone Soldier Eight Array' to Zhuge Liang—the foundation of the Eight Trigram Array."

He smiled: "Unluckily for them, I studied these two texts long before they did."

As he spoke, he drew his jade sword from his waist, spun a flourish, and pointed northwest: "Fire there!"

At his command, the Black Feather Guards fired in unison.

Boom!

Continuous thunderous explosions filled the air, smoke spreading thickly.

Something seemed to shatter—the four colossal dark shadows in the sky began to dissolve; the surrounding mist vanished rapidly.

Only then did they realize they'd unconsciously shifted position, turning around.

The area they'd fired upon was the Three Righteous Temple.

The temple's roof now lay in ruins, bricks and tiles scattered, mixed with broken ritual flags and swords.

The three figures atop the roof, along with the Qingcheng Daoists, had vanished entirely.

Facing a full squad of divine fire guns, no matter how high one's martial skill or potent one's spells, a single hit meant utter annihilation.

The "Shu Prince" didn't care; he pulled a yellow talisman from his sleeve, swiftly inscribed it with cinnabar ink, folded it into a paper crane, whispered a spell over it, and tossed it aloft. Whoosh!

The paper crane took flight, wings beating as it soared away.

Not long after, gunfire erupted outside the Wuhou Shrine—Baidai Zha and his group rushed back in haste.

They looked disheveled; several men were missing, and a few Black Feather Guards and dark sect fighters were pale as if dusted with powder.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they collapsed with a thud.

Baidai Zha's face darkened as he bowed: "Your Highness, we were ambushed—those old monks from Guangde Temple. We barely drove them off with fire guns."

He'd only feared Daoists, never expecting to fall for Buddhist trickery.

Situ Qian's face was grim as he muttered: "It seems the orthodox Daoist sects of Shu have united—this is a major trouble."

"No matter."

"The Shu Prince" smiled faintly, "How many years have passed? They've never improved. I know the power of firearms, yet they still rely on old tricks."

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

The course of events had surpassed his expectations; a sense of dread rose inexplicably in Situ Qian's heart.

!

Yet "The Shu Prince" paid no heed, calmly saying, "It's fine. They're all within our plans—to deal with someone else."

Situ Qian froze. "Who?"

"The Shu Prince" turned his head, revealing a knowing smile. "Didn't you already meet him?"

Upon hearing this, Situ Qian's spine turned icy.

He knew perfectly well who the Shu Prince meant.

"Hahaha…"

Seeing his expression, "The Shu Prince" burst into laughter and strode away. "The tide has turned. No matter how many they are, it's useless. Come, let's see how the city fares."

Watching the man's retreating back, Situ Qian felt his scalp prickle.

This mannerism—

Was certainly not the Shu Prince!

…………

"It's noon!"

"Quick, act as I instructed!"

Inside the Commandery Prince's mansion, Golden Granny gave the order, and everyone in the hall immediately sprang into action, spreading glutinous rice in bamboo baskets, then using bronze mirrors to reflect light onto the rice.

After half an incense stick, they mixed cinnabar with incense ash and added rootless water, blending everything together.

The Wuxiang Young Master had brought along people from all walks of life, including a skilled dough-figure maker who quickly shaped a dummy using these materials.

Inside the hall, Golden Granny had already set up the altar.

Li Yan stood nearby, observing closely.

This altar was entirely different from the Xuanmen altar in form—it was far more ancient, and upon it rested a clay jar, inside which a black-scaled snake slithered, flicking its tongue, yet never leaving the jar.

A spirit beast…

Sensing the aura emanating from it, Li Yan frowned slightly.

A spirit snake was nothing special; in terms of bloodline, it paled in comparison to Lu San's white fox by an incalculable margin.

What truly stunned him was the spirit tablet behind the jar, clearly inscribed: "Sacred Seat of the Queen Mother of the West."

Could it be that the Nuo Goddess lineage—

Was connected to the Queen Mother of the West?

On the altar table also rested a rooster and raw eggs.

Before them, Golden Granny had already donned the Zi Gu Nuo mask, sat cross-legged, silently chanted incantations, and shook her staff, causing various small objects to jingle.

Once the blood-colored dummy was finished, it was placed upon the altar.

Golden Granny suddenly opened her eyes, her eyeballs rolling upward, leaving only the whites. She swayed her head, danced the Nuo dance, took up a cleaver from the altar, swung it left and right, and muttered incantations.

Suddenly, she staggered forward two steps, reached the bound Commandery Prince, swung the cleaver, pierced his fingertip and forehead, and smeared his blood onto the dummy.

Watching this process, Li Yan understood her method.

Exorcism and averting calamity involved only a few techniques; though forms and lineages differed, the principles were identical.

She was employing the Deceptive Spirit Substitution Calamity Method.

Using a dummy to absorb misfortune.

It could break the curse, but would inevitably bring many taboos afterward.

For instance, back in Chongqing Prefecture, a wealthy family had used innocent performers from a theater troupe to absorb calamity—Li Yan had disrupted it, triggering a backlash that nearly wiped out the entire household.

After placing the dummy, Golden Granny chanted again, swung the cleaver, tapped her toes on the ground, as if dodging something unseen.

There was a faint resemblance to Yu Steps.

Suddenly, Golden Granny shouted loudly: "Heavenly Snake return to its den! Earthly Snake enter the cracks! Human Snake sever its head! Ghost Snake perish entirely!"

The blackness within the jar immediately grew agitated, bursting out and coiling around the dummy, then opening its jaws and slowly swallowing it whole.

Huh~

A sudden gale swept through the hall; thick, chilling mist rose from the altar, and frost formed on the black spirit snake's body.

The other offerings trembled violently.

"Break!"

As the black snake finished swallowing the dummy, Golden Granny suddenly swung the cleaver, slashing through the air.

Crack!

The black snake split cleanly in two.

As the spell unfolded, the bound Commandery Prince thrashed wildly like a madman, his eyes bloodshot, roaring like a beast.

Yet the instant the snake split, his body stiffened abruptly, as if struck by an arrow, then exhaled a long, foul breath, his eyes gradually growing vacant.

"You… are allies of the demon?"

He glared at those around him, his face dark.

All his memories still stopped at the moment he was cursed.

"Greetings, Commandery Prince."

The Wuxiang Young Master smiled faintly, stepped forward, bowed, and explained the situation solemnly: "To stop the demon's scheme now, we must reclaim military authority—and we need your help, Commandery Prince."

As he spoke, the Commandery Prince's expression shifted uncertainly; he said nothing, only his eyes darted nervously—he was clearly afraid.

The Wuxiang Young Master 's eyes flickered, and he quickly bowed again. "Your Highness, you are the key now. If you can restore order, the title of Shu Prince is yours for the taking."

"Fine!"

The Commandery Prince gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

After all, there was no path left to retreat.

Without hesitation, he ordered: "Release one of my maternal family's men. Tell the generals to come to my banquet on the first day of the New Year."

"Yes, Your Highness."

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

The Commandery Prince still felt uneasy, turning to the Wuxiang Young Master. "Sir, will your man truly break the curse?"

"Yes."

Golden Granny interjected gravely: "I used the Substitution Calamity Method. The spirit snake died in your place. You must abide by three taboos."

"For three years, you must not enter Xiang territory, avoid all serpents—including depictions—and offer to Zi Gu's spirit tablet on the first day of every month."

"If you accidentally break them—"

The Commandery Prince ventured cautiously.

"Hmph~"

Golden Granny sneered. "The spirit snake will enter your dreams and torment you night after night. No one can save you."

The Commandery Prince swallowed hard and dared not speak further.

After another half incense stick, the messenger returned. "Your Highness, the generals say they'll arrive shortly."

Everyone finally sighed in relief—but Li Yan's ears twitched, his face turning pale. "No good—it's a trap! Prepare to break out!"

"I'm afraid none of you will leave…"

A stiff, formal voice came from outside the gate.

A black-robed monk stood on the street outside the Commandery Prince's mansion, wearing a white hat and a necklace of human bone beads.

It was the Black Sect lama, Duoji Zaxi.

From afar, the sound of hooves grew louder—leading the group were several Garrison Commanders.

Their eyes were clear, showing no sign of having been cursed…

(End of Chapter)