Chapter 640: Break Into the Palace to Rescue

Are you using provocation tactics now?

Li Yan was speechless, shaking his head: "Master, just speak—I'll listen first."

"Such a young boy, so dull…"

Yin Jiuge, interrupted in his stride, grumbled once before speaking: "The plan is simple enough."

"This underground palace is divided into Heaven, Earth, and Man—Heaven is manageable, sealed by the Suihou Snake Pearl, but the Man position has a flaw."

"The spirits trapped within are the wronged souls of the Six States' sorcerers; the Three Sovereigns' Spirit Wood and Qin legal codes were used to complete the Heaven-Earth-Man arrangement."

"But these Six States' sorcerer spirits were already enemies of Qin, and absorbed the demonic qi of the yao sheng, transforming into demons—the longer they're suppressed, the stronger the backlash, hence the problem."

"This is likely the loophole left by Xu Fu; Wang Xuanmo has usurped the place and can only delay the collapse by using the bloodlines of the Six States."

"Soon, I'll use a method to break the Man position, triggering major unrest—enough to slip inside."

"But the interior must have arrangements to sustain living beings; we'll have to adapt on the fly—life or death is uncertain…"

After hearing this, Li Yan nodded without hesitation: "This plan works. I'm grateful for your help, Master."

"No need to thank me!"

Yin Jiuge wasted no time, pulling another handful of tomb soil from his waist pouch, chanting a spell and sprinkling it over himself.

His life energy slowly vanished, his body swathed in yin qi, resembling a corpse.

Li Yan watched, silently impressed.

No wonder he's an elder of the Ghost Sect—this technique is unheard of.

Before Li Yan could blink, Yin Jiuge spun his body and activated earth-dodging technique again.

Wind and sand howled; in an instant, he vanished underground.

Li Yan didn't wait idly—he formed the Zi-Wu seal, flicked his little finger, and sent out a straw effigy.

"Black Emperor's Spirit Scripture, Celestial Peng Talisman. Command wind and fire, mountains collapse, trees wither."

As he chanted the "Summoning the Mighty General of Fengdu" incantation, a dark shadow howled into being behind him, merging with the straw effigy.

Again, he summoned the Eight Generals of the Inner Altar—but this time, it was General Liu.

General Liu's divine title: "Fengdu's Hound Master."

At his feet, a spectral hound also appeared.

This ghost general oversees capture and intimidation; with his power, evasion and scent-tracking abilities are enhanced.

After activating the Dark Water Dodge, Li Yan's form and qi vanished completely—not inferior to Yin Jiuge's secret art.

At the same time, movement stirred below.

The old man, Yin Jiuge, halted his earth-dodging as he neared the Ming sea formed by the underground river.

He didn't advance further, but stood by the riverbank, Quchu a compass, adjusting its position toward the Ming corridor across the water, biting his middle finger to draw a talisman on the compass, eyes locked on the opposite side, muttering incantations nonstop.

Huh~

Soon, fierce winds howled around.

Waves churned in the " Ming sea"; dust and sand swirled on the other side.

This was a sign of earth vein qi disturbance.

Yin Jiuge's nickname: "Central Mound Burial Old Man," he roamed the land, turning Xiong places into auspicious soil.

His earth-master techniques were already perfected.

Though the earth vein disturbance was minor, the already unstable Man position immediately reacted.

The spectral shadows of the "Qin officials" in the yin mist halted again, letting out piercing screams.

The Three Sovereigns' Spirit Wood stacked above the Ming corridor trembled, shedding dust.

Now!

Li Yan leapt from the stone platform without hesitation.

Using his dodge technique, his form vanished—only a mist of water surged down the slope, arriving at the riverbank in an instant.

The " Ming river" was now raging with waves.

The white figures with black hair within revealed their true forms: the Five-Colored Corpse Spiders.

But unlike those outside, these were all sealed inside pottery vessels.

Qin-era ceramic technology was still immature; mainly gray, red, and painted pottery.

These were all pottery coffins, painted with bizarre, otherworldly talismanic patterns.

Thick layers of water scale coated them, giving them a gray-white hue.

Dense black silk threads oozed from the coffin seams, resembling water ghosts.

These Five-Colored Corpse Spiders, originally meant for defense, now grew agitated due to the earth qi disturbance.

Steel-like black silk stretched out above the water's surface.

As the pottery coffins bobbed in the water, black flames seemed to rise from the surface.

The scene was truly horrifying.

Even Yin Jiuge's expression turned grave.

He knew the underground palace was dangerous—but worse than he imagined.

Just this Ming river was a major problem.

The Five-Colored Corpse Spiders were manageable—they couldn't withstand light; smash the coffins and burn them, they'd die.

But killing one would alert the entire palace.

Infiltration was nearly impossible.

Or… find another way…

As he hesitated, he suddenly saw a series of faint ripples on the river's surface.

Barely avoiding each pottery coffin, they passed without disturbing a single spider.

Excellent dodge technique!

Yin Jiuge couldn't help silently praising.

Ordinary water-dodging could only move beneath the water, at best masking qi.

But Li Yan's water-dodging moved through the misted spray, leaving no trace.

No wonder his disciple Shen Sanyou held him in such high regard.

Thinking of Shen Sanyou, Yin Jiuge's eyes filled with deep concern.

He sighed softly, then stood guard by the riverbank, watching.

Among the Five Directions Yin Sacrifice, he was the oldest; though respected, his vital energy had declined.

Now, he lacked the strength and spirit to handle such a situation.

All he could do was wait.

If Li Yan ran into trouble, he'd rush out for help…

…………

On the other side, Li Yan had pierced through the mist and slid onto the shore.

Without pause, he tapped the ground with his toes and leapt into the air again.

The commotion caused by Yin Jiuge had alerted those above.

At the summit of the fake Luo Feng Mountain, sudden gales erupted, dark mist surging.

Visible to the naked eye, countless human figures drifted down amid the black fog.

All were the paper dolls that had once ravaged Luoyang.

Though enemies, Li Yan had to admit—Wang Xuanmo's paper dolls were formidable.

With just this paper-doll art, he could rank among the top in today's Xuanmen world.

Li Yan knew this wasn't the best moment—he suppressed his qi and waited silently outside the Ming corridor.

Closer inspection revealed the Ming corridor was even more eerie.

Massive blue stones were covered in carved marks.

Their surfaces were mottled, as if once covered in moss, later stripped away.

The bricks were blackened, coated with a layer of ice; mist swirled, and even the ground outside the passage bore frost.

Li Yan felt a chill crawl up his neck.

These massive stones were all Yanzhen objects.

Usually, such things appear only in ancient graves, formed after prolonged yin-sha corruption.

Lu Ban's methods include using them to harm others.

A single tomb brick could destroy a family.

These before him? Each the size of a millstone—clearly taken from imperial tombs!

Even stranger were the faint figures glimpsed within the icy mist.

Originally dressed in Qin-era official robes, their forms now twisted, their clothing shifting.

The Six States' sorcerer spirits were nearly uncontainable.

At that moment, the paper dolls finally arrived.

Instantly, two terrifying waves of cold mist collided.

The paper dolls' shrieks merged with the spirits' howls in the Ming corridor.

Cold wind spewed yin-sha mist outward, disrupting Li Yan's dodge technique—he nearly revealed himself.

Fortunately, General Liu's power and the Dragon-Snake Tablet's blessing sustained his dodge.

What surprised Li Yan was that, under such terrifying power, those paper figures had not been torn apart; instead, they absorbed and exhaled the surrounding yin-sha energy, emitting faint, murmured sutras from within their bodies.

"Soul, return! Inscribed in Qin script upon bone, pledged by Chu shamans with sacrificial beasts. To the east lies the Tu tree, to the west the Candle Yin, to the south bury the three sacrificial animals, to the north subdue the human sacrifice…"

What a ruthless incantation!

Li Yan heard it clearly, and his heart grew icy.

Looking again at the paper figures, blood-red characters now appeared on their bodies—the very incantation they chanted.

Li Yan sensed something important; he silently memorized the words.

And this ruthless incantation was indeed effective.

As the chanting merged into a continuous hum, the vengeful spirits within the Mingdao gradually calmed.

Without hesitation, Li Yan leapt out immediately.

Now was the perfect moment.

The things within the Mingdao had just been suppressed; passing through now would not trigger chaos.

The real threat, however, was this very Mingdao.

"In the second month of spring, do not cut timber from forests or block rivers…"

"In summer, do not burn grass at night…"

"If five thieves steal property worth more than one coin, cut off their left toe and brand them as city laborers…"

As soon as he entered, a grand voice echoed in his ears.

It was the Qin Laws!

Moreover, the yin-sha energy within had penetrated his body like needle pricks.

To transform the Qin Laws into an incantation—this was a method he had never seen before.

No wonder the vengeful spirits of the Six States had all taken on Qin attire.

Enduring the searing pain, Li Yan transformed into a breeze and slipped through the dazed, ghostly figures.

He even took a detour to avoid the army of paper figures.

Finally, he passed through the passage safely.

When he opened his eyes again, he stood atop the fake Luo Feng Mountain.

Li Yan focused his gaze, studying carefully.

The layout here differed from the true Six Palaces of Luo Feng Mountain.

Most obvious was the positioning of the Six Palaces.

At the gates of each palace stood massive stone steles, inscribed in small seal script:

"Chu souls dwell east, Han and Zhao souls trapped north, the remnants of the Zhou royal house subdued west…"

So that's how it is!

Li Yan instantly understood upon seeing it.

The placement of these palaces seemed tied to the order in which Qin conquered the Six States.

Inside, without doubt, were the Yin soldiers of the Six States—once absorbing the yao-sheng energy and transforming into demonic armies.

Outside every palace gate stood coffin after coffin.

The coffins were mostly lacquered red, painted with dragons and phoenixes—in the current style.

Without doubt, they belonged to cultivators who had practiced the "Corpse Coffin Immortality Art."

They were likely under Wang Xuanmo's command, guarding the Six Palaces here.

Suppressing his murderous intent, Li Yan slipped silently into the central tunnel.

Because coffins had to be transported out, the tunnel was wide, paved with blue bricks, and utterly free of dust.

Seeing this, Li Yan grew wary.

Any cultivator knew: excessive cleanliness was never a good sign.

Among common folk who kept ghosts or curses, homes were often swept spotless.

Something must be inside…

The cavern was pitch black.

Fortunately, with Liu Yuanshuai's power bolstering him, Li Yan's sense of smell grew even sharper, unaffected by the yin-sha energy; relying solely on scent and hearing, he darted swiftly through the dark tunnel.

The tunnel's depth surprised him.

After descending a hundred meters, he found an underground palace.

Inside, coffins were packed densely, arranged according to the Bagua formation.

At each corner of the palace stood twelve bronze Qin terracotta warriors.

This… was a replica of the Qin Twelve Golden Men?

Looking closer, each warrior's palm faced inward, as if forming a seal—creating some kind of array.

Li Yan understood: this must be why living beings could survive in this fake Nether Court.

Inside those coffins were the bloodlines of the Six States, captured by Wang Xuanmo.

Yet Li Yan did not act rashly.

These coffins were specially made, saturated with yin energy, suppressing the vital qi of the living.

His sense of smell could not detect who lay inside.

Hundreds of coffins, densely packed—he couldn't possibly open them one by one…

At the center of the Bagua formation stood one massive bronze coffin, surrounded by countless wooden ones.

Its scent was undetectable too.

It must be the monster guarding this place.

At the same time, wind and howling returned outside the cavern.

The army of paper figures had returned.

Moreover, the sacrificial chants resumed.

Li Yan's ears twitched; he flashed sideways, pressing himself flat against the wall.

Dozens of paper figures swept in with the wind, fine spider-silk spreading from their bodies, wrapping a coffin tightly.

Li Yan knew—they were preparing another blood sacrifice to suppress the Mingdao below.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

From within the raised coffins, sudden thumping sounds emerged.

Someone inside was frantically pounding.

They had not been bewitched by the yin-sha—likely a cultivator.

Crack!

The lid of the wooden coffin shattered; a rough hand shot out.

The hand was strange: the thumb thick, the other four fingers perfectly even, like shovels.

It was Zhao Lüzi!

Li Yan had seen this hand before—during late-night drinking sessions, he'd even asked Zhao Lüzi about it.

This was the secret technique of Zhao Lüzi's mountain-exploiting lineage.

Children were raised from infancy inside tombs, training their eyes to see in darkness.

From age three, they began thrusting fingers into earth, stone, sand, and iron, learning the art of treasure-seeking…

Li Yan's heart leapt with joy; he acted without hesitation.

Clang!

The Dust-Cutting Blade roared like a dragon, enhanced by thunder magic—lightning crackled and flashed.

Li Yan tapped his toe, instantly piercing the air, landing atop the coffin amid the paper figures.

The Dust-Cutting Blade slashed left and right; two Soul-Cutting Flying Knives, wreathed in lightning, darted up and down.

The paper figures' weakness was fire.

But thunder magic was far more ferocious than ordinary flame.

Screams erupted all around.

Where the blades passed, paper figures split cleanly, shrieking as they burst into flames.

Even the yin spirits within turned to ash.

In an instant, the surrounding paper figures were cleared.

Boom!

The suspended coffin plummeted violently.

Li Yan pushed off with his foot; the coffin shattered on impact.

He reached out, grabbed one figure—Zhao Lüzi, whom he hadn't seen in ages.

Zhao Lüzi now looked utterly transformed.

The once simple, hearty young man had aged drastically in a short time.

His face was lined with wrinkles; white hair had sprouted.

He flailed wildly in panic, but when he saw Li Yan, he froze—then his eyes reddened, tears streamed down his cheeks, his mouth opened but his vocal cords were dry, unable to speak.

"Don't speak—I understand!"

Li Yan patted his shoulder and helped him up.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted outside the cavern.

Outside the Six Palaces, all the coffins rose into the air, controlling countless paper figures wrapped in dark winds and gloom, surging inward and completely blocking the exit.

"Zhao Lüzi, stay behind me!"

Li Yan's eyes glinted with murderous intent as black mist slowly rose from his body.

At this moment, only the Divine Transformation Art could save them—transform into the Thunder God and carve a path through blood.

Creaking~

But just then, another disturbance came from behind.

The massive bronze coffin surrounded by numerous wooden coffins slowly opened.

From the cold mist, a figure slowly sat up.

It was a man clad in a white robe, wearing a crown, dressed in Han-era attire.

His clothes were pristine as new, but his face was bluish-purple, wrinkled, his eyes blood-red, his white hair withered and dry.

Instantly, the stench of corpse qi filled the cavern.

Yet Li Yan was not alarmed—he was delighted.

With the appearance of this monster, the Soul-Grabbing Register grew scorching hot.

The demonic aura of the escaped "Yang Corpse" was on this monster!

"Zhao Lüzi, close your eyes!"

Li Yan let out a low command and immediately pulled out the Soul-Grabbing Register.

"Heaven has its order, Earth its law; the Nether Bureau seizes souls, the living must retreat!"

(End of Chapter)