Chapter 591: The Path Turns Again

What's happened?!

Li Yan suddenly looked up and leapt onto the roof to investigate.

This kind of thing had never happened before.

Since obtaining the Gou Die and learning to summon the Yin Si troops, he had always prevailed—any evil spirit could be suppressed, and even the most powerful cultivators would flee at the mere sight.

But why now?

As the darkness was about to dissipate, Li Yan quickly pressed his left thumb against the second joint of his index finger to activate his divine ability.

Instantly, a clamor echoed from within the darkness.

"The Heavenly Court has intervened…"

"The Earth Official's Golden Palace Edict…"

"Withdraw…"

His divine ability allowed him to hear the speech of ghosts and gods, but these Yin Si soldiers did not speak—they communicated in voices resembling those of the Celestial Realm.

Thus, what he heard felt strange.

Soon, the gale calmed and the darkness vanished.

Those voices also vanished swiftly…

The Earth Official's Golden Palace Edict?

Li Yan remembered the arrow stuck outside the gate.

What kind of artifact is that?

Of course, there was no time for him to ponder now.

The Yin Si troops had not completed their mission—they had merely driven off the Black Sect lamas and slain several Garrison Commanders; the most critical Heavy Armor Black Feather Guards had suffered no more than a dozen casualties.

Fortunately, without their commanders, the remaining Garrison soldiers were thrown into chaos, retreating in terror from the preceding spectacle.

Yet the Black Feather Guards, true elites, though shaken and uncertain, began regrouping.

If the moment passed, escape might become impossible.

"Break out!"

The Formless Prince roared and charged out of the Wang Fu first.

He moved with blazing speed, his feet striking in rapid succession, power exploding as his figure darted left and right like a phantom, swiftly reaching the opposite street.

On the street lay dead Black Feather Guards.

They knelt with heads bowed, their heavy armor coated in frost, faces pale, life utterly extinguished.

As the Formless Prince flew past, he snatched up a Divine Fire Gun and fired it at once toward the distance.

The fleeing Black Feather Guards had just turned around; seeing him fire, they were startled and instinctively dove sideways.

Click!

The hammer fell, but the powder chamber failed to ignite.

This type of firearm still had weaknesses—the Yin Si troops' chilling presence had coated the gun with frost, causing malfunction.

"Unreliable!"

The Formless Prince sneered, kept moving, and hurled the heavy firearm away, smashing it into a soldier's neck and snapping it.

Seizing the moment, he leapt across ten meters in three strides, diving into the crowd, his hands flashing up and down as sharp daggers hissed forth.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Blood blossomed; men fell one after another.

Though these Black Feather Guards wore heavy armor and helmets, they left a finger-width gap at the neck for mobility.

Ordinary men could not aim precisely, but a master like the Formless Prince, even in dim light, could strike a copper coin from dozens of meters away.

Exploiting such a flaw was effortless.

He was not the only one acting.

As the Formless Prince emerged, others followed close behind, faces filled with murderous intent, sprinting toward the street's mouth.

Members of the Three Teachings and Nine Streams, underworld masters.

None of these people were gentle souls.

One raised his hand and fired a sleeve arrow coated in Red Chain Snake venom…

A Caobang master swung a broadsword, targeting legs and feet…

Once distance vanished, heavy armor meant nothing to them.

Li Yan was among them, but lagged a step behind.

Because the Nuo Goddess Jin Laopo, though high in cultivation, had weak martial skill, and her disciple had died horribly—she naturally fell to the rear.

In the Jianghu, righteousness came first, but at such a moment, everyone cared only for escape, none turning back to look.

Li Yan frowned slightly, said nothing, and stepped forward to grasp her arm. "Elder, follow me."

Saying this, he pushed off hard and leapt forward.

Just as they exited the Wang Fu's main gate, his heart stirred—he leapt into the air and tore down the yellow silk banner nailed to the signboard.

Without pausing to examine it, Li Yan shoved it into his robe, then pulled out a brocade cloth covered in talismanic patterns—the Jia Ma.

At that moment, the Formless Prince and others had already broken through the Black Feather Guards' encirclement and fled deep into the street.

Meanwhile, the frightened Garrison soldiers, under the commandant's shouts, regrouped and began firing their guns in rapid succession.

There were always clever people in this world.

Several Commanders had died, but others were eager to take their place.

"Elder, don't move around after this."

Li Yan warned her, swiftly tied the Jia Ma to his leg, then stepped the Nine Stars, clenching his fingers and chanting: "Nuo Gao! The Six Jia and Nine Chapters, Heaven is round, Earth is square, the Four Seasons and Five Elements, Sun and Moon as light…"

Jin Laopo, experienced and knowledgeable, knew exactly what this was—she immediately suppressed her entire aura to avoid disturbing Li Yan.

Huh~

As the incantation ended, fierce winds howled around them.

Li Yan seized Jin Laopo's arm, pushed off hard—the snow beneath them exploded—and with a swift whoosh, they leapt straight across the street.

It looked swift, but in truth, their speed was nearly halved.

After all, using the Jia Ma to carry another consumed far more energy than usual.

Even so, they were still much faster than the others.

Wind roared past their ears; others saw only swirling snow and wind, two figures already surging ahead.

Seeing this, the Formless Prince's eyes flashed with cold light.

Today's events had cost him dearly.

His original plan had been to use this incident to forge ties with the Court—whether it was the Wang Censor or the Grand Prince, he could further bet on one after the dust settled.

What was being the underworld boss of Chengdu?

No matter how great his Jianghu reputation, he'd spend his life hiding and fleeing.

He had not forgotten—he came from an official family.

With the Yaoren 's treasures in hand, plus his own lifelong abilities, he could one day be enfeoffed as a marquis, appointed as a minister, and enter the imperial court without fantasy.

Thus, he had spared no effort, mobilizing all his connections, posing as Chengdu's Martial Arts Alliance Leader, pulling strings left and right, and pushing hard to make this happen.

But now, everything was ruined.

The Grand Prince was dead; the Wang Censor could not be appeased.

Worse, many Jianghu peers had died—people he had personally invited, boasting of his word; future endeavors would be far harder.

And then there was Li Yan,

What false rumors did he spread!

Now he pretends to win hearts with false kindness.

Where does that leave him?

Thinking of this, his face twisted continuously—now a rugged man, now with soft, sinister brows…

The Formless Prince's cultivation method carried inherent flaws—his outward form was formless, his inner heart equally unstable.

Normally, it was manageable.

But now, shaken and disoriented, malice surged uncontrollably…

Li Yan, fully focused on the Jia Ma, noticed nothing.

He remembered the nearest secret exit was behind the courtyard well of the Lishe.

Lishe was an ancient institution, a place where nearby villagers worshipped, gathering there for weddings, funerals, and mutual aid.

Today, it was also the site of the Tudimiao.

Once inside the secret passage, they could escape pursuit.

But at that moment, Li Yan's expression changed sharply.

He smelled a fierce, murderous aura roaring toward him from two streets away—before it even reached him, thick bloodstained stench slammed into his nostrils, making his eyelids tremble violently.

What a brutal spell!

Li Yan slammed his foot into the ground—CRASH! Snow exploded—and tore off the burning Jia Ma. His spirit-sense surged, and he raised his left arm.

Whoosh!

The Thousand Thoughts Bracer's Zhenmoqian rang in unison.

The surrounding demonic and martial energies converged; the wind howled, whipping up snow into a visible vortex that enveloped the two of them.

Indeed, a crimson mist descended from the sky.

Drip! Drip!

Colliding with the wind-and-snow tornado, it turned into foul-smelling bloody sludge and fell.

"It's Ba Daiza's Blood Knife Curse!"

Old Lady Jin gazed into the distance, her eyes filled with dread.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's heart sank.

Although the Thousand Thoughts Bracer blocked this poison curse, the opponent's real intent was likely just to prevent him from escaping.

Recalling the strange talismans earlier,

He silently realized something was wrong—Lu Sheng's trap included him too!

Duifangyouduobiganglingdefangfa ， Dantingnaxieguizujiaotan ， Naishitiantingbaowu ， Yinggaiyeyouxianzhi 。

For example, it cannot interfere with capturing demonic offenders.

This is exactly what he has long feared.

Lu Sheng, Zhao Changsheng, and these demons all belong to the same faction, and the origin of this force lies within the Great Luo Dharma Realm!

Before he could think further, another wave of blood mist surged toward him.

Li Yan had no choice but to activate the Thousand Thoughts again.

As he battled his opponent, Wuxiang Prince and the others caught up.

Some hesitated, eyes shifting, considering stopping to help.

But Wuxiang Prince didn't even glance at them—he dashed past and leapt into the local earth temple.

With him leading, many others followed suit.

After all, at this moment, everyone thought: let the other guy die, not me.

！

Jiuliancaobangdenayuanzhanglao ， Yeshiyuyanyouzhi ， Suihoutanlekouqi ， Congtamenshenbianjingguo 。

These people are all shrewd.

They could see this was a setup specifically targeting Li Yan; if they stayed to help, they'd likely die here.

Indeed, three figures appeared on the rooftops in the distance.

They were the Black Sect Lama, the Blood Nuo Master Ba Daiza, and Situ Qian, missing a leg and brimming with murderous intent.

They didn't rush forward; instead, they used curses to disrupt and emitted piercing whistles to direct surrounding soldiers to block the streets.

Seizing this chance, others rushed into the well inside the earth temple.

Beneath the secret passage, Wuxiang Prince pulled out a barrel of gunpowder hidden in the wall crack, lit it without hesitation, and hurled it out.

Boom!

A deafening explosion sent rocks tumbling down, sealing the secret passage.

"What are you doing?!"

Caobangyuanzhanglaomiandainuse 。

Tamencaobang ， Zhiqianyouguojiaoqing ， Zheciruchengdu ， Zhenghaoxiangjiejiaoyifan ， Xushangzhexianghuo 。

After all, Li Yan's growing reputation had revealed his strong ties with many orthodox Daoist sects.

And cutting off someone's escape route? That's unacceptable anywhere.

"Hmph!"

Wuxiang Prince sneered, "Those people have spirit beasts—if they track us through this passage, how many more comrades will die?"

"If you want to save him, dig through it yourself!"

With that, he and his men plunged into the darkness.

The others exchanged uneasy glances, then followed suit…

…………

On the street, the situation grew increasingly dire.

Li Yan could hear footsteps approaching from all directions—the reorganized garrison soldiers.

They carried muskets, their metal clanking loudly.

On distant rooftops, the three figures stared intently at this spot.

After all, they were the top two warriors under the Prince of Shu.

Blood Nuo Master Ba Daiza held his blood blade, chanting incantations.

One after another, waves of blood mist materialized out of thin air, howling toward him without pause…

Meanwhile, the Black Sect Lama, Duoji Zaxi, pulled a bronze mirror from his robe—its surface adorned with ornate Tibetan silver patterns, inlaid with agate and turquoise.

He sat cross-legged, directing the mirror from afar at Li Yan, muttering sutras under his breath.

Li Yan didn't know what spell they were using, but he felt his vision darken in waves, as if his soul might tear free from his body…

"Young Master Li, you should go."

Old Lady Jin sighed, "I'm over sixty, I've lived long enough. You still have your whole life ahead—don't waste it here."

"Don't waste words, Elder!"

Li Yan snorted, "Can you hold them off for just a moment?"

His greatest problem now was being constantly attacked—he couldn't free his hands to use any technique.

"Fine!"

Hearing this, Old Lady Jin gritted her teeth, put the Zi Gu Nuo mask back on, waved her silver bells, stepped backward in the Seven Stars pattern, bit her tongue, and spat blood onto the ground.

As she moved, her blood mixed with snow to draw a massive talisman, enveloping both of them.

"Eee—Yaa—!"

After completing the talisman, Old Lady Jin suddenly sang out.

Her voice, ancient yet piercing, made Li Yan's hair stand on end.

"In the first month, troops muster to build border walls, Eee—Yaa—!"

"Fan Lang's letters have gone silent, Eee—Yaa—!"

"Winter clothes unfinished, threads already cold, the Qiang flute shreds the clouds at Yumen Pass…"

"Eee—Yaa—!"

Each chant carried a long, lingering echo.

The voice grew louder, shaking the air, drowning out the enemy's curses and even causing the incoming blood mists to dissipate midair.

The Blood Nuo Master and Black Sect Lama paused, startled.

"This is the Sichuan Nuo's Twelve Altars!"

Situ Qian's eyes widened, "The Middle Altar—'Jiangnu's Vow'—it's the legend of Meng Jiangnu weeping over the Great Wall, most potent at breaking spells. Who is this old woman, that she knows this technique?"

His eyes gleamed with greed.

"Singing and wailing—what good is that?!"

The Blood Nuo Master, watching the soldiers close in around the streets, sneered, "Today, they die. Killing this man will satisfy the Prince."

Li Yan's expression was grim too.

Although Old Lady Jin's spell temporarily suppressed the enemy, the cost was immense—beneath the mask, blood streamed down, dripping continuously.

Dantayegubushangfeihua ， Shouzhongqiajue ， Badaochulingzhirentengkongerqi ， Huanraoxuanzhuan ， Gangshazhiqifengkuanghuiju 。

Whoosh!

The Soul-Grabbing Chains shot out, wrapping around his entire body.

A stronger technique would take more time.

At this point, he had no choice but to use the Divine Transformation Method to carve a path through blood.

Soon, Li Yan transformed into a shadowy humanoid figure, twice the height of a normal man, resembling a demon.

But the surrounding soldiers had arrived.

"Quick! Shoot him!"

Seeing the black misty figure in the center of the street, the soldiers panicked, raising their guns to fire—many even among the Black Feather Guards.

Ziiii—!

At that moment, a piercing whistle came from the bamboo grove in the southwest.

With a buzzing hum, thick clouds of blackness rolled overhead.

Closer inspection revealed tiny black poison bees.

They were the venomous insects bred in Lü San Yao's gourd.

Buzzzz!

The poison bees instantly swarmed into the crowd.

These bees weren't just highly toxic—their bodies were extremely small, no bigger than flies, piercing through any armor.

Screams erupted one after another; soldiers collapsed in droves.

Thump-thump-thump!

Among the soldiers lurked several dark arts practitioners who immediately beat their skin drums to repel the bees.

"Young Master Li, we're here!"

At that moment, a shout rang out from afar.

It was Sha Li Fei!

He came racing from the Prefect's Mansion, holding a Divine Fire Gun, leaping onto rooftops, facing thousands of soldiers with heroic audacity.

Immediately, figures appeared all around.

Not only Wang Daoxuan, but also Situ Bo, Liang Yu, and several elderly men, each radiating an extraordinary aura — these were the Six Idle Ones of the Bamboo Grove.

"You old bastard still isn't dead!"

Situ Qian saw them, and killing intent surged in his eyes.

"What's the rush?"

The Blood Nuo Master said coldly: "No one leaves today!"

Saying this, he prepared to chant a spell to drive the poison bees.

Far away, Sha Li Fei chuckled and suddenly called out: "Young Brother Yan, take cover — don't get hurt!"

Saying this, he quickly sidestepped.

Wu Ba's muscles swelled, making him tower like a giant, holding the recovered Tiger Lord Cannon, its fuse hissing and smoking…

(End of Chapter)