Chapter 714

“Still trying to escape?”

Li Yan’s eyes flashed with icy light, and his body shot forward like an arrow released from a taut bow.

With no one to hinder them, the Yin Bureau troops descended unimpeded!

Around him, thick darkness instantly swallowed everything; the damp ground from earlier rain froze in an instant, hardened into glistening ice by the chilling death-qi from the Netherworld.

The howling demonic qi moved with astonishing speed, vanishing mysteriously into the veil of night.

Behind him, the dark zone spread by the Yin Bureau troops expanded rapidly.

Li Yan gripped the Soul-Stealing Writ tightly, his finger seals shifting rapidly to maintain the spell, while his feet pushed off with force.

“Boom!” The ground exploded beneath him; his entire body launched upward like a cannonball, instantly leaping onto the opposite courtyard wall, his movement faster than thunder, employing the “Eight Steps Chasing the Cicada” technique, relentless in pursuit.

The demonic qi had been locked—escape was impossible.

But Li Yan’s goal extended far beyond this.

The lair of the “Nine Gates Yin Void” had been shattered; Zhao Qingxu had fled to the capital with five demonic qi, possibly lying hidden nearby!

If he used the “Earth Official’s Pardon Scripture,” Li Yan would seize the chance to strike again.

Previously at Jinmen, capturing an external demonic qi had granted him one divine gang and one gang token.

Re-forging the “Five Directions Luo Feng Flag” required not only a superior vessel but also the collection of five gang tokens, so he had hoarded them, daring not to use them lightly—but if he could kill Zhao Qingxu, it would be worth it!

The capital at midnight was shrouded in deathly silence.

Li Yan raced across rooftops of varying heights, the only sound the howling wind rushing past his ears.

Though his speed was swift as a falling star, it still lagged slightly behind the airborne Yin soldiers.

Looking up, the ink-black darkness swept across the night sky, swallowing every scattered star; lanterns hanging along the way flickered and died one by one.

And the demonic qi had drawn near Xuanwu Gate!

Nine Gates Yin Void!

Li Yan instantly understood the demonic qi’s intent.

The “Nine Gates Yin Void” was a spatial rift, its scenery shifting unpredictably, layered with projections from different dynasties—step wrong, and you’d be lost forever; the nine gates of the capital were its entrances.

Now, precisely at Zi Shi, the gates stood wide open!

Others could not enter—but for the formless demonic qi, passage was effortless.

Realizing this, Li Yan’s heart tightened.

To enter the “Nine Gates Yin Void,” he needed prior preparation—his soul must wander as a yin spirit.

Once the demonic qi slipped inside, he’d be helpless, waiting in vain.

If Zhao Qingxu used the “Earth Official’s Pardon Scripture” within, even the Yin soldiers would have to retreat!

Whoosh!

In a flash, Li Yan didn’t hesitate—he flicked his left arm!

The copper coins on his “Thousand Thoughts” bracer suddenly hummed; around him, yin winds roared, death-qi swirling into a vortex.

“I am no mortal flesh—I am the Northern Emperor’s true form. My head like black clouds, my hair like chaotic stars. Above, reaching the Yang realm; below, pervading the Netherworld. In all ten directions, death-qi sinks deep…” Li Yan formed his seals, and the colossal death-qi Ningju by the “Thousand Thoughts” instantly wrapped him in layers.

As the death-qi spun, his body swelled and twisted rapidly within the black mist, transforming into a towering, indistinct human-shaped phantom.

It was the “Northern Emperor’s Divine Transformation Scripture”: Yin Spirit Transformation!

Hoo~

Now in his Yin Spirit form, Li Yan felt weightless, his speed exploding.

Like a black lightning bolt tearing through the night, he shot straight toward Xuanwu Gate!

All of this happened in the space of a breath.

In Yin Spirit form, Li Yan’s distance to the demonic qi shrank rapidly.

Even faster were the Yin Bureau troops—they arrived at Xuanwu Gate’s outskirts nearly simultaneously with the demonic qi.

Success! Li Yan’s heart eased slightly.

He could now clearly hear the chilling sounds of armor clanking and chains rattling in the darkness.

Encircled from within and without, the demonic qi had nowhere to flee!

But at that very moment, an extremely powerful yet profoundly hidden cold aura suddenly appeared.

He was not unfamiliar with this aura.

It was the Five Generals!

The demonic qi’s disturbance had drawn the attention of the Yin Bureau’s divine general in charge of apprehension—understandable.

Yet this aura’s depth and magnitude far surpassed anything before—it left him utterly unable to gauge its limits…

Could it be… his true body had descended?!

The moment Li Yan’s doubt arose, a sudden change followed.

The Five Generals’ overwhelming aura surged outward.

Every Yin Bureau soldier about to pounce on the demonic qi froze in place!

In that split-second pause, the demonic qi shot “whoosh” into the thick shadow of Xuanwu Gate—and vanished completely.

What…?!

Li Yan’s pupils contracted, his sword-like brows bristled—he couldn’t believe it.

Before he could think, the street before him twisted and stretched grotesquely—as if an invisible hand compressed space, Xuanwu Gate suddenly loomed enormous before him, then abruptly dissolved into bottomless blackness.

When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had been utterly transformed.

The sky was dim, the sun and moon gone.

Only broken walls, decaying dwellings, faintly visible through thick fog…

It was the “Nine Gates Yin Void”!

Had his yin spirit been forcibly dragged in?

A bone-chilling cold surged up his spine to his skull.

Li Yan instantly drew his blade, its icy edge pointing at the swirling fog around him, scanning warily.

It was the Five Generals!

He had directly snatched his soul and pulled him into this dense dimension.

What exactly did this creature intend…

A terrifying thought exploded in Li Yan’s mind, sending ice through his veins.

Could it be… the Five Generals was also a deity in the Great Luo Dharma Realm who supported the Jianmu?

Whoosh!

Suddenly, from deep within the distant fog, a tidal roar erupted!

Through the haze, the silhouette of a military formation emerged—tattered, ancient banners hung limp; rusted, patchwork armor encased grotesque figures: beasts with human bodies, faces deathly pale, creatures with bleeding skulls…

Though monstrous in form, they moved with strict discipline, orderly ranks, radiating chilling martial dread!

It was the Yin Bureau troops!

Li Yan instantly understood.

In this liminal realm between the Great Luo Dharma Realm and the mortal world, these beings normally unable to manifest clearly in the mortal realm now revealed their blurred forms.

Whoosh!

The dark mass of soldiers raised their hands simultaneously—instantly, countless heavy, pitch-black soul-snatching chains surged like venomous snakes, howling with bone-chilling yin wind, tearing through the fog as if driving into nothingness.

Interwoven horizontally and vertically, they sealed heaven and earth, forming a vast net.

Was this… the Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Trap?

The Soul-Snatching Chains… could be used this way too…

“Roar—!”

Before Li Yan could judge friend or foe, a shrill, inhuman, non-animal scream pierced the fog, shaking the soul.

Had the demonic qi been blocked?

Li Yan frowned slightly, his confusion deepening.

If the Five Generals had no intention of shielding it, why had he blocked the Yin soldiers’ arrest at Xuanwu Gate just now?

And why had he forcibly dragged him into this perilous place?

Hoo~

Amidst the rising doubts, the towering, golden-armored figure reappeared from the fog.

His face was indistinct, yet his build was unmistakably familiar.

It was the Five Generals.

Only a few zhang apart, Li Yan had no time to speak when the Five Generals simply waved his hand toward Li Yan’s direction…

Instantly, the “solid” ground beneath his feet twisted and stretched wildly again.

Though Li Yan stood perfectly still, the surroundings surged backward like a scroll pushed by an invisible giant hand!

In the blink of an eye, the disciplined Yin soldiers and the roaring demonic qi were swallowed whole by the churning fog.

And in the sky, a colossal ancient gate, its plaque bearing the giant characters “Chongwen Gate,” rushed toward him at an impossible speed!

Shhh!

No time to dodge—Li Yan’s figure instantly passed through the cold, massive gate.

Beyond, the same trapped ancient merchant shadows still played out their endless, hopeless cycles.