Chapter 601: The Plot of the Nine Cauldrons

"Die!"

Li Yan's heart was filled with killing intent as he stared fixedly at Lang Wu.

Back at the ruins of the Guiqi Tribe, he had been ambushed by people from the Dragon-Worshipping Sect who took the bronze Nuo mask; he had taken it to heart and specifically hired someone to investigate it.

Although few people knew about it, there were still some clues.

Among some mountain tribes in the Shu region, the worship of the "Vertical-Eyed God" still circulated, which was related to ancient Shu shamanic sacrifices, and they still worshipped the "Cancong Clan" as their progenitor god.

Moreover, Wang Daoxuan had also found some interesting things.

Ancient Shu was prone to water disasters, and the "dragon-shaped ear ornaments" and "Kui patterns" on this mask both symbolized the locking down of evil dragons in the river.

After Li Bing tamed the waters, he was gradually worshipped as the new Lord of the Chuan; the "Small Biography of Dujiangyan's Merits" recorded that "Bing cast iron oxen and made a bronze mask to suppress the water eye"...

And in the "Notes on the Guan River," it was also stated that "the Erlang God's eyes shot lightning, and the flood dragons would take their true form upon seeing it"...

The "Complete Collection of Search for Gods from the Origins of the Three Teachings" mentioned, "Erlang often carried a bronze ghost mask, subdued the old dragon of the Jing River, and threw it into the Dujiang Dragon-Locking Pool..."

Various clues indicated that this Nuo mask was extremely important, originating from ancient Shu, and later related to Li Bing, the Great Lord Jiang Shen, and the Erlang faith.

But this object gave Li Yan an ominous feeling.

This Dragon-Worshipping Sect leader, "Lang Wu," was also a reincarnated old demon, proficient in several inheritances and possessing profound cultivation, so Li Yan directly used the Gang Command.

But after the opponent put on the bronze Nuo mask, his entire body was immediately wrapped in a thick blood-colored mist, and the two eyes on the mask glowed faintly with red light.

It was pure demonic Qi of the demon-specter!

Although this bronze Nuo mask looked eerie, it was a true national sacrificial artifact, ancient in age, solemn and sacred.

But now, it looked as if it had completely transformed into demonic energy.

Li Yan did not know what kind of trick the opponent was playing, but his intuition told him that he must keep this person here!

Whoosh~

A wild wind howled, and darkness spread.

The altar outside the Doumu Hall was eerie and gloomy, but when the Yin False False Yin Si troops appeared, they immediately crushed everything.

In the darkness, the sounds of armor and chains surged.

The Dragon-Worshipping Sect members on the altar had just let out a scream before being wrapped in darkness; the chains surged, and the screaming stopped abruptly.

Li Yan did not care about these people.

With their level of cultivation, they could not escape the soul-hooking of the Yin soldiers.

His attention was entirely on "Lang Wu," and he even went so far as to violate taboos to use his divine ability to investigate.

However, the area near "Lang Wu" was very calm.

Not good!

Li Yan exerted force under his feet and suddenly leaped out.

The opponent had put on the bronze Nuo mask; this thing was also an ancient Shu national sacrificial artifact, capable of protecting its wearer and avoiding investigation by the Heavenly Court and the False False Yin Si.

He must force him to act to provide a direction for the Yin soldiers!

Although Lang Wu had concealed his aura and the surroundings were pitch black, Li Yan had long since noted his position; exerting force under his feet, he moved like the Eight Steps Catching the Cicada, crossing a distance of more than ten meters in the blink of an eye.

Clang!

Two Soul-Severing Blades whistled out.

In an instant, a terrifying cold sensation permeated his entire body.

This was the consequence of him taking action.

When the Yin soldiers patrol, the living must avoid them; ordinary people who were not the target had to close their eyes to avoid violating taboos, and even he was no exception.

Taking action without authorization would even lead to unknown consequences.

But just at this moment, the Gou Die in his bosom became slightly hot.

"Heavenly Official... release!"

A stiff voice echoed in Li Yan's mind.

The dense sound of chains around him also quickly receded.

The Heavenly Official had this benefit too?

Too busy to be surprised, Li Yan hooked his left hand, using the Soul-Hooking Rope to control the two Soul-Severing Blades, spinning them up and down in front of him.

Clang! Clang!

Only two crisp sounds were heard as the Soul-Severing flying blades were deflected.

It was Lang Wu, who had sensed the threat and acted to block them.

Although he had blocked the flying blades, he was exposed because of it; the sound of armor surged like a tide, and the Yin soldiers' Soul-Hooking Ropes also spread across the sky.

"Get lost!"

In the darkness, an exasperated voice rang out.

Subsequently, two red rays of light lit up.

They were like lanterns, and also like a lurking giant beast waking up.

Following that, red demonic Qi of the demon-specter rose up, entangling with those Soul-Hooking Ropes, actually causing the invisible Soul-Hooking Ropes to light up with red rays.

Dense and numerous, they simultaneously illuminated the surrounding darkness.

The demonic Qi of the demon-specter was still spreading, even causing those invisible Yin soldiers to have their outlines sketched out, vaguely revealing their armor.

But their facial features remained blurred.

This was the first time Li Yan had encountered such a situation.

He saw those Yin soldiers, infected by the demonic Qi of the demon-specter, trembling all over, their figures becoming blurred, as if they were about to have their souls scattered.

"Audacious!"

An indifferent voice echoed in Li Yan's mind.

Darkness struck again, like a giant hand, and the red demonic Qi of the demon-specter along the way was completely obliterated.

The demonic Qi of the demon-specter was originally a mutation of the innate Gang Sha Qi.

The darkness brought by the Yin soldiers' patrol came from the Netherworld, the purest Yin Sha Qi, which naturally could also restrain it.

"Roar——!"

A scream that did not sound human rang out.

Those two red rays flickered, and at a speed completely beyond reason, they instantly left, heading toward the direction of Chengdu Prefecture.

Li Yan was anxious and hurriedly went to pursue.

However, the opponent used the Nuo mask and some unknown escape technique, disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye.

And the summoned Yin soldiers, accompanied by the sounds of armor and chains, sank into the ground with the darkness and disappeared.

Looking at the surroundings again, thick white frost had already condensed.

The altar outside the Doumu Hall, along with the Dragon-Worshipping Sect members on it, had all condensed into solid ice, without a trace of life.

Li Yan could not be bothered to be annoyed and hurriedly gripped the Gou Die.

Just a moment ago, Lang Wu had leaked a trace of his aura, which was finally sensed by the Gou Die, allowing him to accept the Yin False False Yin Si mission.

His mind sank in, and the surroundings were instantly shrouded in white mist.

Taking a few steps forward, it was still that scene; passing through two huge bronze owl vessels, a stone well appeared before his eyes.

The difference was that this time, he saw the huge phantom in the distance again.

In front of a huge stone square table, there was a blurry red-robed shadow, and beside it was a giant shadow wearing armor.

It was a Yin False False Yin Si god!

Li Yan had already experienced this kind of scene.

He pretended not to see it and walked toward the stone well to check the mission, but he was fully focused, listening to the movements around him.

Sure enough, an indifferent voice came from the air.

"What happened?"

Listening to the voice, it was still that General General Wu Dao.

"Encountered someone carrying a sacrificial vessel, and used demon-specter Qi to infect it."

"Hmph, this method does not exist in the mortal world!"

"Why don't you speak?"

"General, you can guess this matter; there is no point in saying more..."

"Hahaha, is the 'Heavenly Law' useless now?"

That General General Wu Dao's voice was full of mockery, "If so, can we also step into the mortal world?"

"General, why must you make things difficult for this official?"

The red-robed Yin god also seemed somewhat helpless, "Those people have long been unwilling; the human path is changing, and the Great Luo Dala Fajie is in turmoil. If they don't move now, they will have no chance in the future."

"Besides, the passage is becoming more and more dangerous. Even without the 'Heavenly Law,' would you, General, be willing to take the risk to leave?"

"Wait, there will eventually be a result to the matter."

"Then, True Lord Erlang..."

"Just a vulgar god of the human world; even if he comes, he is only following the path of his predecessors. What difference is there between him and you or me..."

Li Yan was left confused by these words.

He had obtained the treasure left by Yin Changsheng, which pushed the Gou Die's sensing ability to the limit, allowing him to investigate the secrets of the Great Luo Dala Fajie.

But don't underestimate these.

Yin Changsheng had obtained the opportunity to ascend to godhood through this.

Although he did not understand the reason, Li Yan also heard some information. The human path was changing, and the Great Luo Dala Fajie was in turmoil.

Some people in the Great Luo Dala Fajie seemed dissatisfied with certain things and wanted to take this opportunity to cause trouble.

They were very likely the backers of Zhao Changsheng...

What exactly happened in the Great Luo Dala Fajie?

Li Yan's heart was full of doubts, but he dared not show the slightest flaw; he simply checked Lang Wu's information, accepted the mission, and left.

Opening his eyes again, his soul had returned to his body.

The time to accept the mission was only in the blink of an eye.

Footsteps sounded in the distance, and it was the others running over.

"Resolved?"

Seeing the corpses all over the ground and the frozen altar, the Yin-Yang Pen Wen Song immediately breathed a sigh of relief, guessing that Li Yan had summoned Yin soldiers.

"Hmm."

!

Li Yan replied, "Are you all alright?"

Wen Song shook his head and said, "I was just about to ask. We hadn't broken the formation yet, but those Daoists fell to the ground one after another and died; I don't know what happened."

"It was the Dragon-Worshipping Sect leader controlling them; it's a pity he ran away..."

Li Yan briefly recounted the matter and then searched around.

He had originally thought that all the people from the Daoist Qingyang Palace had met with disaster, but he did not expect that there was still an old Daoist in the backyard.

His chest and abdomen had been pierced, but he still had breath.

"It's the supervisor of the Daoist Qingyang Palace, Daoist Liu."

Liang Yu was familiar with Chengdu and recognized this person's identity.

Seeing Li Yan nod, he immediately understood and stepped forward, pulling out golden needles from his bosom, pinching spells with one hand while inserting the needles.

Renzhong, Dazhui, Shaoshang, Neiguan...

One by one, the acupuncture points were deeply pierced.

Li Yan could see that this was a technique to overdraw potential with golden needles, causing the opponent to have a flash of brilliance before death.

Sure enough, after the golden needles were inserted, the Daoist slowly woke up.

His eyes were blank as he looked at the crowd, and finally, his gaze landed on Li Yan, and he sighed slowly, "Everyone, take action. This poor Daoist knows that my sins are heavy and I deserve to die."

"What's the rush?"

Li Yan said coldly, "The Daoist Qingyang Palace has had a prestigious reputation for thousands of years and is considered a righteous path of the Mystic Sect. Why did you do this?"

After hearing this, the old Daoist remained silent and even closed his eyes.

The Yin-Yang Pen Wen Song was originally a person from the officialdom and was also proficient in interrogation. Seeing this, his eyes rolled, and he said, "Let's make a deal. If you tell the truth, we will help you cover it up afterward so that the Daoist Qingyang Palace can retain its reputation."

Upon hearing this, the old Daoist immediately opened his eyes, "Really?!"

He had taken the wrong path, and now that things had come to this, he knew he had no chance of survival; the only thing he regretted in his heart was ruining the reputation of the Daoist Qingyang Palace.

Li Yan was silent for a moment, "Of course."

The old Daoist nodded and said, "This matter can only be told to you alone."

"Otherwise, if the Daoist Qingyang Palace is ruined, this poor Daoist won't say it either."

Seeing this, the others had no choice but to exit the room.

Li Yan asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly bewitched you? Lu Sheng or Zhao Changsheng?"

The old Daoist was first a little surprised, then sighed, "Sure enough, the Heavenly Heart is hard to deceive. It seems Heavenly Official knows quite a lot."

Seeing Li Yan's vigilant eyes, he said again, "When you forced back the vulgar god in the temple, we already knew your identity."

"The one who bewitched us was Lu Sheng..."

"They have many people, and they have received guidance from immortals of the upper realm to obtain the Nine Cauldrons and recast the passage between heaven and man..."

"Passage between heaven and man?"

Li Yan sneered, "You believe this kind of nonsense?"

According to the legends of the Mystic Sect, in that ancient mythological era, there was indeed a natural passage, which was later destroyed by Emperor Zhuanxu.

The old Daoist did not refute and continued, "The Daoist Qingyang Palace has secret scriptures left by Laozi back then, which vaguely mentioned this matter, but it had nothing to do with Emperor Zhuanxu; it happened during the Great Yu's water taming..."

Li Yan was stunned upon hearing this.

When he left Shanzhou and entered Ezhou, he had made a good friend, Yan Jiuling, who was currently taking exams in the capital.

Yan Jiuling was obsessed with ancient mythology and had queried some ancient records in the Chu region, proposing a bold idea.

Between heaven and earth, there had been two major changes.

One was the outbreak of the Great Flood; after Yu, there were no more "Emperors."

The second was the Battle of the Gods, which shaped the current pattern of the Mystic Sect.

Could it be, as he said?

The old Daoist's flash of brilliance before death was now fading, his breath was weak, and his eyes became blurred as he muttered, "The place where the Heavenly Court is located is called the Great Luo Dala Fajie; it was not recorded by the Mystic Sect, but created by the Sages."

"In that place, one can live as long as heaven and earth. This poor Daoist has cultivated hard for a lifetime; I really want to go and see..."

While speaking, he completely lost his breath.

So that's how it is...

Li Yan closed his eyes and slowly stood up.

It seemed that these Daoists of the Daoist Qingyang Palace also had only a half-understanding of the Great Luo Dala Fajie, and after learning that there were some immortals behind Lu Sheng, they had evil thoughts.

Li Yan did not know whether the passage between heaven and man could be recast.

But he knew clearly that the Nine Cauldrons were already connected to the divine land's earth veins, traveling along the three major dragon veins; once taken out, it would be a catastrophe that would collapse the sky.

At that time, it would inevitably lead to the suffering of the common people.

Thinking of the old Daoist's words, his heart sank even further.

According to what he said, to recast the passage between heaven and man, all Nine Cauldrons must be taken out, so Lu Sheng was not the only one taking action.

He remembered that after Zhao Changsheng returned to life, he spent ten years wandering around the divine land.

He had originally thought he was summoning old subordinates.

Now it seemed,

The real purpose was likely the Nine Cauldrons!

Once the Nine Cauldrons appear, the divine land's fortune will inevitably be greatly damaged.

At present, the human path is changing, and gunpowder and steam engines have appeared; on the vast ocean, the fleets of various countries are competing for dominance.

He had even thought that this world would be different.

If these demon people are allowed to succeed...

In an instant, some memories from his previous life surged into his mind.

Li Yan's face became ugly, and the killing intent in his heart burned fiercely.

Outside the Daoist Qingyang Palace, the Flower God parade ceremony was nearing its end.

"Heaven and earth spread virtue, may the five grains be abundant!"

Wang Daoxuan shook his bell and shouted loudly.

"Oh~"

The surrounding commoners all held torches and cheered.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and they were nearly crazy.

Participating in this Flower God parade ceremony was just a subconscious habit; as the ceremony ended, the spell erupted, and the people also began to go mad.

"You idiots..."

Sha Lifei gritted his teeth and picked up the Fire God Gun.

He really didn't want to shoot these ordinary commoners, but he was currently surrounded by thousands of people; if attacked, he could only use the firearms to clear a path.

Lu San and the others also became vigilant.

A swarm of poisonous bees flew out, and Situ Bo also had a gloomy face, taking out a facial mask from his bosom and guarding Wang Daoxuan's side.

Just at this moment, they suddenly felt something in their hearts and turned their heads in unison.

Whoosh~

But they saw that at the bronze flower basket behind them, a whirlwind suddenly blew up, and the surrounding water mist quickly gathered, turning into a tornado and rising.

The tornado twisted and wound, and a powerful will gradually revived, as if a dragon were truly hiding within it.

The flying snow across the sky was also wrapped into it.

Swish swish swish~

The sky actually started to drizzle again.

The drops on their faces were exceptionally cold, making their spirits feel refreshed.

Wang Daoxuan touched his face and revealed a smile.

He saw that the surrounding mad commoners had all stopped in the rain, staring blankly at the sky, the blood color in their eyes gradually fading...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 602 =====