Chapter 606: Erlang Returns

Boom!

The explosion was deafening, and fragments of stone splashed across the sky.

Sha Lifei liked to exaggerate when he spoke on weekdays, and he was the same when playing with gunpowder, always afraid it wouldn't be enough.

This time, he used up all his stock.

"Earth-Listening String" Yue San'er was worthy of being an old-school Earth Master; he might not be called a Feng Shui master, but his positioning was extremely precise.

The location of the explosion was just right at the city gate.

Back then, a "Jingguan" (monument of enemy corpses) was built underground here, which was considered a merit, and when the Shu Prince's Mansion was built, they didn't taboo it and even buried large vats to monitor underground movements.

Therefore, there were still quite a few gaps in the ground here.

The explosion of the new-style gunpowder directly lifted the entire piece of land.

After the rubble splashed, a huge pit appeared, and the vermilion-lacquered bronze-nailed palace gate of the Shu Prince's Mansion collapsed with a bang in the firelight.

Even the surrounding city walls cracked and collapsed, appearing with gaps.

The Shu Prince's army gathered in the square in front of the gate; as the sky full of rubble fell, many were smashed until their heads were broken and bleeding.

The military formation that had been set up also appeared with flaws because of this.

What was even more troublesome was that several formation flags around were also smashed down by giant rocks, and the huge white mourning lanterns fell, being ignited by the candle flames.

This Soul-Guiding Lantern formation also lost its effect.

Almost instantly, the wild wind and flying snow wrapped in thick fog surged in, like a flood breaking a dam, swallowing the Shu Prince's army.

Even the mourning lanterns in the distance burned and shattered one after another.

These thick fogs were triggered by the Long Gong Water Mansion secret realm; the Sha Qi was not much, but the water vapor was heavier, and except for triggering a blizzard, its power was not great.

The chaos in Chengdu Prefecture now was due to the "Joy God Coins," the hints from those red lanterns, and the thick fog of the Long Gong Water Mansion, which created such a big scene.

The Shu Prince's Mansion soldiers were startled, finding they were not injured.

However, the thick fog and flying snow roared toward them, blocking their vision, leaving a vast expanse of white before their eyes, unable to see anything.

"Steady!"

"Steady!"

The Black Feather Guards held their guns and galloped on horseback, shouting loudly.

They recovered from the shock, trying to stabilize their formation.

However, the reinforcements from Chongqing Prefecture would not miss this opportunity, raising their firearms one after another and pulling the triggers to fire.

They had quite a few types of firearms.

Some fired bamboo thunder arrows, which exploded with a bang upon falling into the enemy formation.

There were also rows of soldiers releasing wind-fire crows.

This was a kind of toy similar to a paper kite, with bamboo and wood as bones and skin paper as shape, carrying viscous fire oil.

Now with the wind, it was the perfect time to release them.

Dense wind-fire crows soared into the sky, accompanied by thick fog and flying snow, crossing the high walls and falling into the Shu Prince's Palace.

Several main halls were immediately ignited.

And these were just appetizers.

"Move aside!"

Wu Ba roared, looking like a Vajra descending to the mortal world; his huge body carried the Tiger-Crouching Cannon, waving his hand to push aside the soldiers blocking the way, and ignited the fuse.

Only a loud bang was heard as this heavy weapon sprayed out a three-foot tongue of flame, and countless scattered pellets flew into the thick fog with a shrill whistle.

The terrifying lethality was immediately revealed.

These soldiers of the Shu Prince's Mansion had already formed a military formation, using giant shields to block in the front and firing in the back.

The Tiger-Crouching Cannon roared, the giant shields in front shattered directly, and together with the soldiers in the back, they were beaten until they were riddled with holes, flesh and blood splashing everywhere.

And Wu Ba was also exceptionally strong.

His physical body was extremely powerful; after using it several times, he had long been accustomed to the power of this heavy cannon, operating his whole body's strength, retreating several steps in succession, and the bricks and stones under his feet cracked with a clatter.

Although in a sorry state, he still stood tall.

Thud!

He put down the heavy Tiger-Crouching Cannon, and three soldiers immediately stepped forward, quickly cleaning the cannon chamber, replacing the pellets, and inserting the gunpowder bag.

In the past, Wu Ba was alone, and no matter how fast he was, he would be in a rush.

But with others helping, it only took a few short breaths.

He pressed the Tiger-Crouching Cannon and ignited the fuse again.

Boom!

With a loud bang, the thick fog and flying snow in the distance were dyed red...

Suffering successive blows, the Shu Prince's army suffered heavy losses, and coupled with the previous suspicions, their morale completely collapsed to the bottom.

"Run!"

Some clever squad leaders directly pulled their brothers to escape.

Because the thick fog blocked their vision, the Black Feather Guards responsible for supervising the army didn't even mention stopping them; they didn't even notice.

With the first, there was the second.

As more and more people fled, the military formation completely collapsed.

"Kill!"

Zhao Xianda stood up suddenly, waving his long saber and roaring.

Several Battalion Commanders of the Chongqing Garrison also shouted loudly in unison.

"Kill!"

The soldiers from Chongqing Prefecture rushed out of the dark alleys, gathering like a tide, directly rushing through the military formation and pouring into the Prince's Palace through the gap.

In any other war, the outcome would have been decided by now.

However, the power this time was not just that of mortals.

Under the Shu Prince's command, many evil cultivators from the Southwest were gathered, as well as experts who had defected from the Salt Gang, all gathered on the city wall in front of the Cheng Yun Gate.

Unlike those at Dujiangyan, they came for profit and didn't think about truly selling their lives for the Shu Prince; seeing the destroyed Xiao Wall and Duanli Gate, they all felt their scalps tingle.

However, they didn't dare to run away.

Because there were two fierce gods beside them.

One was a Blood Nuo Master.

One was the Black Sect Lama Duojizhashi.

Although the two of them were not as good as Zhao Jie, they were also confidants of the Shu Prince and knew the plan this time was to plot for the Nine Cauldrons.

They were already old, and the Nine Cauldrons were also their last chance.

Looking at the soldiers swarming over below, the Blood Nuo Master gritted his teeth and directly pulled the bamboo tube in his hand.

Whoosh—Boom!

A firework rose and exploded in the sky.

The square in front of the Cheng Yun Hall was the largest in the palace.

Previously, a kitchen-god Nuo dance had been held there.

Situ Qian and Zhao Jie's two dharma altars were also located here.

At this moment, Situ Qian was dressed as Ghost Zhong Kui.

Beside him was the Netherworld stage.

At this moment, this treasure of the ghost opera troupe had small red lanterns hanging all over it, black mist surging, and tiny human shadows flickering.

Vaguely, it seemed to form a connection with the lanterns all over the city.

This was his mission.

Lu Sheng asked him to preside over the dharma altar, using "Joy God Coins" as a medium and the "Netherworld stage" as the hub, taking advantage of the Long Gong Water Mansion's descent, the inversion of Yin and Yang, and the chaos of dreams and reality, to sing this great play.

The fireworks in the distance were naturally seen by Situ Qian.

This was a signal for him to participate in the defense.

To tell the truth, he was already very tired, but seeing the "Shu Prince's" indifferent eyes below, he still felt a tremor in his heart.

"Wa ya ya~"

Situ Qian gritted his teeth, his red beard fluttering.

Around him, there were also several child mediums caught temporarily; at this moment, they were all dressed as little ghosts, with talismans stuck on their backs, their eyes blurred.

Hearing this opera tune, they all rolled over, gathered in front and behind Situ Qian, as if lifting feet, and jumped upward.

And Situ Qian, following their rhythm, waved the Bagua umbrella in his hand and leaped up.

"Netherworld fire, illuminating the night stage, paper horses and incense carriages come out of the weeds, the judge's pen hooks the debt of life and death, the Ghost King marries his sister to the mortal world..."

Situ Qian opened his throat and sang "Zhong Kui Marries His Sister."

While singing, he cooperated with the little ghosts around him to step, three in front and four in back, five on the left and six on the right, secretly matching the numbers of the Luo Shu.

Not only that, he also used tung oil mixed with sulfur to spray out streams of flame, which looked very eerie against the red light of the Netherworld stage.

The red lanterns all over Chengdu Prefecture also flickered accordingly.

The commoners on the street became even more fanatical. Situ Qian was wrapped in black mist, revealing only two blood-colored eyes, and led the little ghosts down from the dharma altar, wrapping up thick black mist and heading toward the Cheng Yun Gate.

"Gang wind tears the robe and sweeps the sea of evil, how could the green face ever change, breaking the scholar's crown in front of the hall, blood splashing on the red steps to dye the ghost fetus..."

His singing was fanatical and sorrowful.

In the square in front of the Cheng Yun Gate, a wild wind howled, black mist surged, and it was pitch black; the army that rushed in was now as if blind, full of panic, looking around randomly.

Some even started fighting with the people beside them.

This kind of method was somewhat like when Bai Qihong summoned the Blood Basin Holy Mother before, and he would inevitably be severely injured after using it.

Situ Qian didn't want to either, but he knew he was already on a pirate ship and could only fight for his life, having no other choice.

The Blood Nuo Master on the city wall saw this and revealed a cold smile, saying in a low voice: "This Situ Qian, still wanting to plot for the Nine Cauldrons, is truly seeking his own death."

The Black Sect Lama Duojizhashi beside him had a very solemn face, "The critical moment has arrived; don't be careless."

"Don't worry, look."

!

The Blood Nuo Master pointed to the east and west sides.

But it was the troops guarding the city gates on both sides, who had already entered the city to support after the Soul-Guiding Lantern formation was broken and the main gate fell.

All in all, the number had already reached ten thousand.

As long as the army under the city was dragged down, they could wait for reinforcements.

The evil cultivators from the Southwest also saw this, and were overjoyed, each performing their own skilled sorcery to attack the soldiers below.

For a time, ghosts raged and ghost fires drifted.

The Black Sect Lama Duojizhashi saw this and prepared to take action, but was stopped by the Blood Nuo Master, "You and I guard the formation to prevent the opponent's experts from breaking through; Situ Qian cannot die yet..."

In the army below, the reinforcements' experts had also gathered.

Even Sha Lifei and the others had come from the nearby secret tunnel.

"It's the Twelve Altars of Chuan Nuo!"

Granny Jin was an inheritor of this sect and saw the trick at a glance.

She had been injured before, and her cultivation had declined, but her vision was still sharp, and she said in a deep voice: "He is singing the middle four altars to suppress the human world, Zhong Kui Marries His Sister, originally symbolizing 'using joy to neutralize evil,' and the Ghost King also values human relations."

"But this 'joy' has become 'evil,' which is the Yin Nuo opera; we must enter the fog to kill him and break the formation."

"I'll go!"

"Ghost-Faced Scholar" Situ Bo looked at the black mist ahead, his eyes full of determination, "I was soft-hearted back then and didn't teach this beast well; today, even if I die, I must clean up the sect!"

Situ Qian learned his craft here, but had long since surpassed his master, and coupled with this Yin Nuo opera and the Netherworld stage, he had no confidence at all.

At this moment, Wu Ba also came carrying the Tiger-Crouching Cannon.

Seeing the black mist blocking the way ahead, he prepared to ignite the fuse.

"Don't mess around!"

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly stopped him, shaking his head, "There are Chongqing garrison soldiers inside; Situ Qian will inevitably use them as meat shields..."

……

In the distance, on the roof of the Top Scholar Tower.

The Qingcheng crowd had all kinds of investigative divine abilities, and everything that happened in the Shu Prince's Palace was naturally clear.

The situation was urgent, and they all looked at the center of the Jingyang Altar.

He saw Li Yan pinching spells, his whole body trembling slightly, but his feet didn't move, just looking up at the sky.

The thick fog above rolled, and whenever thunder flashed, one could see a huge black shadow swimming.

That was not a living thing, but innate Gang Sha Qi that had condensed to the extreme, circling in the air.

Li Yan was only one step away from summoning Wen Lingguan.

But pinching the spell without releasing it was like drawing a bow without firing.

"Young Hero Li..."

Mingshanzi finally couldn't help but remind him.

"No rush, they can handle it."

Li Yan stared fixedly at the Shu Prince's Palace, the blue veins on his forehead bulging.

Summoning Wen Lingguan, even if he had the help of the crowd and the assistance of the sect's dharma artifact, was very difficult for him now.

After the technique succeeded, it couldn't be maintained for long.

In other words, he only had the power of one strike.

And now, whether it was Lu Sheng, Zhao Jie, or the Dragon-Worshipping Sect leader and the descended immortal Li Wenyuan, none of them had taken action, and they must have hidden cards.

He couldn't waste his power on Situ Qian.

And he was also very certain that this person was not a problem.

Sure enough, there was another change below.

Wang Daoxuan's words had just finished when he saw Yang Chenghua shake his head slightly and hand the bronze flower basket to him, "Hand it to that kid for me."

After saying that, he walked forward alone.

"What is he going to do?"

Situ Bo was stunned and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

But he was blocked by Cheng Jianxin, who said indifferently: "Just watch; you won't see this kind of thing in your lifetime."

The crowd heard this and looked at each other.

Before they could think more, Yang Chenghua had already arrived in front of the black mist.

On his back, he didn't know when, he had already carried a huge black cloth bag; his right hand pulled, the black cloth scattered, and a huge weapon rolled up.

The three-pointed, double-edged blade was exactly the divine statue's treasure weapon lost from the Guanjiang Mouth.

Snap!

Yang Chenghua grabbed it, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

In an instant, a wild wind howled, almost blowing away the black mist.

And the others also felt the rich incense Qi.

Suddenly, Yang Chenghua opened his eyes, his eyes already becoming extremely cold, and at the same time, he chanted: "Gang wind tears the robe and treads on snow waves, the heavenly eye between the brows illuminates the monsters..."

As soon as the words fell, streaks of blazing white Gang Qi appeared out of thin air in the surroundings, gathering toward his brow, as if an extra eye had appeared out of thin air.

"It's Erlang Searching the Mountain!"

Granny Jin was surprised when she heard this, "This is the authentic Twelve Altars of Chuan Nuo; how does he know it too?"

Sha Lifei hurriedly changed the subject, "Can it break the formation?"

Granny Jin affirmed: "Using righteousness to suppress evil, naturally it can; with someone presiding, this old woman can also help."

Saying that, she picked up the dragon-headed cane.

Her old injuries had not healed, and she couldn't open the opera alone, but with someone presiding, she could assist from the side.

But before she finished speaking, she widened her eyes.

But she saw Yang Chenghua swing the three-pointed, double-edged blade horizontally, then follow up with a backhand sweep, and instantly the Gang wind blew up, like an invisible sharp blade, directly breaking open the black mist in front of him.

Subsequently, the strength under his feet exploded.

Boom!

The bricks and stones on the ground shattered.

Yang Chenghua's figure had already disappeared.

The broken black mist gathered again, but inside, there seemed to be an invisible giant blade stirring up and down.

This formation that gathered the evil Qi of the entire Chengdu Prefecture couldn't even hold on.

And that Netherworld stage even had cracks appearing with a clatter.

"You... who are you?"

Situ Qian spat out a mouthful of blood, his face full of horror.

But before the words were finished, a ray of light flashed before his eyes, and then his vision flipped in the air, but his head had already been cut off.

Boom!

A wild wind howled, and the black mist exploded.

A clear voice came from the wind:

"A thousand years of incense cannot suppress it, this family is the Guan Kou Lang!"

Everyone heard this sound clearly.

"He, he..."

Even Mingshanzi stuttered, looking at Li Yan, full of disbelief.

And Li Yan looked into the distance and sighed slightly.

Yang Chenghua had finally inherited all the incense.

From now on, there is only Erlang in the world...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 607 =====