Chapter 604: The Nine Cauldrons' Scheme

"Die!"

Li Yan's heart brimmed with murderous intent, his eyes locked onto Lang Wu.

Back at the Ghost Qiang tribe ruins, when the Worship Dragon Cult had ambushed him and stolen the bronze nu mask, he had taken notice and specifically hired someone to investigate.

Though few knew of it, there were still some clues.

Some mountain tribes in Shu still preserved worship of the "Zongmu God," linked to ancient Shu shamanic rites, continuing to revere "Cancong" as their ancestral deity.

Moreover, Wang Daoxuan had uncovered some intriguing details.

Ancient Shu suffered frequent floods; the "dragon-shaped ear ornaments" and "Kui patterns" on this mask symbolized the sealing of evil dragons in the river.

After Li Bing tamed the waters, he gradually became venerated as the new River Lord; the "Brief Biography of the Dujiangyan's Merits" records: "Bing cast iron oxen and forged bronze masks to seal the river's eyes…"

The "Supplementary Notes on Guanjiang" also states: "Erlang's eyes shot forth lightning; dragons who saw them transformed into shape…"

The "Comprehensive Search of the Three Teachings' Origins and Divine Traditions" mentions: "Erlang often carried a bronze ghost mask, subdued the old dragon of the Jing River, and cast it into the Dujiang Dragon Locking Pool…"

All these clues indicated that this nu mask was of immense importance, originating in ancient Shu and later tied to Li Bing, the River Lord, and Erlang worship.

Yet this object gave Li Yan an ominous feeling.

The leader of the Worship Dragon Cult, "Lang Wu," was also a reincarnated ancient demon, skilled in multiple lineages and possessing profound cultivation—thus Li Yan had directly used the Gang Ling.

But after the man donned the bronze nu mask, his entire body was instantly shrouded in thick crimson mist, and the two eyes on the mask glowed faintly red.

It was pure yao sheng qi!

Though the bronze nu mask appeared eerie, it was a true national sacrificial artifact, ancient, solemn, and sacred.

Yet now, it had been entirely transformed into demonic qi.

Li Yan did not know what trick the man had played, but his intuition told him he must keep this man here!

Huh~

Wild winds howled; darkness spread.

The altar outside the Doumu Hall was eerie and sinister, but the moment the Yin Army appeared, everything was shattered.

In the darkness, armor clanked and chains surged.

The Worship Dragon Cultists on the altar had barely cried out before they were swallowed by darkness, chains churning—then their screams cut off abruptly.

Li Yan did not care about these people.

With their cultivation, they could not possibly evade the Yin Soldiers' soul-snatching.

His full attention was fixed on "Lang Wu," even risking taboo by using divine power to probe.

Yet around "Lang Wu," everything remained eerily still.

Bad!

Li Yan pushed off with his feet and leapt forward sharply.

The man had donned the bronze nu mask—this artifact, too, was an ancient Shu national sacrificial tool, capable of shielding its wearer from heavenly and underworld detection.

He must force the man to act, to give the Yin Soldiers a target!

Though Lang Wu concealed his aura and the surroundings were pitch-black, Li Yan had memorized his position; he pushed off with his feet, moving like eight steps chasing a cicada, crossing over ten meters in an instant.

Clang!

Two soul-severing knives shot forth.

Instantly, a terrifying chill spread over his entire body.

This was the consequence of his action.

When the Yin Soldiers patrol, the living must avoid them; ordinary people not targeted must close their eyes to avoid violating taboo—even he was not exempt.

Acting without authorization invited unknown consequences.

But just then, the soul-hooking tally in his bosom grew warm.

"Celestial Official… release!"

A stiff voice echoed in Li Yan's mind.

The dense clinking of chains around him rapidly receded.

The Celestial Official had this advantage?

No time to rejoice—Li Yan hooked his left hand, using the soul-snatching cord to make the two soul-severing knives spin above and below before him.

Clang! Clang!

Two sharp rings rang out—the soul-severing knives were deflected.

Lang Wu, sensing the threat, had struck back.

Though he blocked the flying knives, he thus revealed himself; the armor clanks surged like a tide, and the Yin Soldiers' soul-snatching cords swept down from all directions.

"Get lost!"

A furious voice rang out from the darkness.

Then two red glows ignited.

Like lanterns—or like a lurking beast awakening.

Crimson yao sheng qi surged upward, entangling the soul-snatching cords, causing the invisible cords to glow red.

Dense and countless, they lit up the surrounding darkness.

The yao sheng qi continued spreading, even outlining the invisible Yin Soldiers, faintly revealing their armor.

But their faces and features remained blurred.

Li Yan had never encountered such a situation before.

He saw the Yin Soldiers, corrupted by yao sheng qi, trembling violently, their forms growing indistinct—as if their souls were about to scatter.

"Audacious!"

A cold voice echoed in Li Yan's mind.

Darkness surged again, like a giant hand, erasing all the crimson yao sheng qi in its path.

Yao sheng qi was an aberration of primordial gang sha qi.

The darkness brought by the Yin Soldiers' patrol was purest yin sha qi from the Underworld—naturally capable of suppressing it.

"Roar—!"

A inhuman shriek rang out.

The two red glows flickered, vanishing at a speed beyond reason, heading toward Chengdu Prefecture.

Li Yan panicked and rushed after him.

Yet the man, using the nu mask, had employed some unknown escape technique—within a blink, he vanished from sight.

The summoned Yin Soldiers, along with their armor clanks and chain rattles, receded into the ground with the darkness, disappearing entirely.

Looking around, thick white frost had formed.

The ritual altar outside the Doumu Hall, along with all the Worship Dragon Cultists upon it, were now frozen solid, utterly lifeless.

Li Yan had no time to rage—he immediately clasped the tally.

Just now, Lang Wu had leaked a trace of aura, finally detected by the tally, allowing him to claim a task from the Yin Bureau.

He sank his spirit inward—immediately, white mist enveloped him.

He took a few steps forward—the same scene: past two colossal bronze owl statues, a stone well appeared.

This time, however, a massive shadow loomed again in the distance.

Before a huge stone table stood a hazy red-robed figure, beside whom loomed a massive armored silhouette.

It was a Death God of the Yin Bureau!

Li Yan had experienced this sight before.

He pretended not to see it, walking toward the stone well to check the task, yet he focused entirely, listening to every sound around him.

Sure enough, a cold voice came from the air.

"What happened?"

The voice was unmistakably that of the Five Roads General.

"Encountered one bearing a sacrificial artifact, who used yao sheng qi to corrupt."

"Hmph. Such methods do not exist in the mortal realm!"

"Why are you silent?"

"General, you already know the answer—saying more is useless…"

"Hahaha! Even the Heavenly Code is useless now?"

The Five Roads General's voice dripped with mockery: "If so, can't we also step into the mortal world?"

"Why torment this official, General?"

The red-robed Death God sounded somewhat helpless: "Those people have long been dissatisfied. The human realm is changing; the Dalaofajie is in chaos. If they don't act now, they'll lose their chance forever."

"Besides, the pathways are growing more dangerous—even without the Heavenly Code, would the General dare risk leaving?"

"Wait. Everything will eventually come to a conclusion."

"What of Erlang Zhenjun…?"

"Merely a mortal deity. Even if he comes, he'll merely follow the path of his predecessors—what difference does it make to you or me?"

These words left Li Yan utterly confused.

He had obtained the treasure left by Yin Changsheng, allowing the tally's sensing ability to break its limits and probe into the secrets of the Dalaofajie.

Do not underestimate these insights.

Yin Changsheng had gained his divine ascension opportunity precisely through this.

Though he did not understand the reasons, Li Yan had gathered some information: the human realm was changing; the Dalaofajie was in turmoil.

Some within the Great Luo Dharma Realm seem dissatisfied with certain matters and intend to exploit this opportunity to stir up trouble.

They are likely the ones behind Zhao Changsheng…

What exactly has happened in the Great Luo Dharma Realm?

Li Yan was filled with doubt but dared not reveal any weakness; he briefly checked on Lang Wu's information, accepted the mission, and left.

When he opened his eyes again, his soul had returned to its body.

The time allotted to accept the mission lasted only a blink.

Footsteps approached from afar—it was others running over.

"Done?"

Seeing the corpses scattered on the ground and the frozen altar, Yin-Yang Brush Wen Song let out a sigh of relief, deducing that Li Yan had summoned Yin Soldiers.

"Mm."

!

Li Yan asked: "Are you all right?"

Wen Song shook his head: "We were just about to ask you—the Daoists all collapsed and died before we could break the formation. We don't know what happened."

"It was the Dragon Worship Sect Master controlling them—but he escaped…"

Li Yan briefly recounted the events, then began searching the area.

He had assumed all Qingyang Palace disciples were dead, but unexpectedly, an old Daoist remained in the back courtyard.

His chest and abdomen had been pierced through, yet he still breathed.

"He's Liu Daoist, the overseer of Qingyang Palace."

Liang Yu, familiar with Chengdu, recognized his identity.

Seeing Li Yan nod, he immediately understood, stepped forward, pulled out golden needles from his sleeve, and began pressing acupoints while chanting incantations.

Renzhong, Dazhui, Shaoshang, Neiguan…

One by one, the acupoints were deeply pierced.

Li Yan could tell this was a technique using golden needles to exhaust the man's latent potential, inducing a final surge of vitality.

Indeed, as the needles sank in, the Daoist slowly revived.

His eyes were blank; he looked around at everyone, then fixed his gaze on Li Yan, sighing softly: "Go ahead, my lords. I know my sins are grave—I deserve to die."

"Why the rush?"

Li Yan said coldly: "Qingyang Palace has stood for thousands of years as a righteous sect of the Daoist path. Why did you do this?"

The old Daoist fell silent, even closing his eyes.

Wen Song, once a government official and skilled in interrogation, glanced around and spoke: "Let's make a deal: tell us the truth, and we'll cover it up afterward—preserve Qingyang Palace's reputation."

The old Daoist immediately opened his eyes: "Really?!"

He had taken the wrong path; now he knew death was certain. His only regret was tarnishing Qingyang Palace's name.

Li Yan paused, then said: "Of course."

The old Daoist nodded: "This can only be told to you alone."

"Otherwise, if Qingyang Palace is ruined, I won't speak."

The others, seeing this, stepped out of the room.

Li Yan asked sternly: "Who deceived you? Lu Sheng or Zhao Changsheng?"

The old Daoist first looked surprised, then sighed: "So the heavens cannot be deceived—the Celestial Official clearly knows much."

Seeing Li Yan's wary gaze, he added: "When you drove back the worldly deities in the temple, we already knew your identity."

"The one who deceived us was Lu Sheng…"

"They have many followers, and have received guidance from immortals of the higher realms—they seek the Nine Tripods to restore the Heavenly-Human Passage…"

"The Heavenly-Human Passage?"

Li Yan sneered: "Do you really believe such nonsense?"

According to Daoist legends, in the ancient mythic age, there once existed a natural passage, later destroyed by Emperor Zhuanxu.

The old Daoist offered no rebuttal, continuing: "Qingyang Palace holds a secret scripture left by Laozi, which cryptically mentions this—but it has nothing to do with Zhuanxu; it occurred during Yu the Great's flood control…"

Li Yan froze in shock.

When he left Shanzhou and entered Ezhou, he met a friend named Yan Jiuling, who was now taking the imperial exams in the capital.

Yan Jiuling was obsessed with ancient myths and, after researching old records from Chu, proposed a bold theory.

There had been two great transformations in heaven and earth.

The first was the great flood; after Yu, no more "Emperors" appeared.

The second was the Divine Enthronement War, which shaped today's Daoist order.

Could it truly be as he claimed?

The old Daoist, in his final flicker of life, was now barely breathing; his eyes grew hazy as he murmured: "The Heavenly Court's location is called the Great Luo Dharma Realm—not from Daoist records, but created by the Sages."

"There, one may live as long as heaven and earth. I've cultivated my whole life—I truly wish to see it…"

As he spoke, his breath faded completely.

So that's how it is…

Li Yan closed the old man's eyes and slowly rose.

It seemed the Qingyang Palace Daoists understood little of the Great Luo Dharma Realm; learning that Lu Sheng had immortal patrons behind him, they had been tempted by evil thoughts.

Li Yan did not know whether the Heavenly-Human Passage could truly be restored.

But he knew the Nine Tripods were bound to the land veins of Shenzhou, traveling along the Three Dragon Veins—removing them would bring catastrophic collapse.

At that time, countless lives would perish.

Recalling the old man's words, his heart sank further.

According to him, restoring the Heavenly-Human Passage required removing all Nine Tripods—meaning the conspirators were not merely Lu Sheng.

He recalled how Zhao Changsheng, after returning from death, had wandered Shenzhou for ten years.

He had assumed it was to rally old followers.

Now it seemed…

His true goal was the Nine Tripods!

When the Nine Tripods are taken, Shenzhou's destiny will suffer grievous loss.

Currently, human civilization is transforming—gunpowder and steam engines have emerged; on vast oceans, fleets of nations vie for dominance.

He had thought this world might be different.

If these demons succeed…

Suddenly, memories from his past life surged into his mind.

Li Yan's face darkened; his killing intent burned fiercely.

…

Outside Qingyang Palace, the Flower Goddess Procession was nearing its end.

"Heaven and Earth bestow virtue; the five grains flourish!"

Wang Daoxuan shook his bell and cried out.

"Ooo~"

The surrounding civilians raised torches and cheered.

Their eyes were bloodshot, nearly insane.

Participating in the Flower Goddess Procession was merely an unconscious habit; when the ritual ended, the spell erupted, and they descended into madness.

"Damn it…"

Sha Li Fei gritted his teeth and raised his Fire God Rifle.

He truly did not wish to fire upon these ordinary civilians, but surrounded by thousands, if attacked, he had no choice but to blast a path with his gun.

Lu San and the others also grew alert.

Swarms of poison bees buzzed out; Situ Bo's face turned grim as he pulled a mask from his sleeve and stood guard beside Wang Daoxuan.

At that moment, they all felt something and turned their heads together.

Hoo~

A whirlwind suddenly erupted from the bronze flower basket behind them; mist gathered rapidly, forming a towering tornado.

The tornado twisted and coiled, and a powerful consciousness gradually revived—as if a true dragon lay hidden within.

Snowflakes from the sky were drawn into it.

Shhh shhh shhh~

Rain began falling from the sky again.

Drops landed on their faces, icy cold, refreshing their spirits.

Wang Daoxuan touched his face and smiled.

The mad civilians around them stopped, staring blankly at the sky as the redness in their eyes slowly faded…

(End of Chapter)