[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-cursed-blade-s-walk":3,"chapter-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-735":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Cursed Blade's Walk",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263040,4415,"Chapter 735: Sudden Visitors","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-735",735,"\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavy church doors toppled backward as a whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four Capital Commandant officers instantly entered, two wielding knives and scanning the surroundings, the other two leaping forward in a roll, rising to a crouch with firelocks in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both ranged and close combat capabilities, they could handle most situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of this world were by no means that foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drawing on his past-life experience, Li Yan had immediately devised relevant tactics for his squad after the advent of new gunpowder; though the court was slow to respond, it had since been making continuous efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the Capital Commandant’s Firelock Unit was specifically formed to deal with Grand Masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the church nave, darkness remained as before, torches flickering, pungent incense masking a faint stench of decay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the altar and idols, a dense crowd of black-robed figures knelt in rows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the commotion, the black-robed figures did not panic but silently rose and turned, their faces pale, eyes pitch-black and cold, their skin covered in large ulcerous sores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of them suddenly produced short knives and charged toward the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re off—attack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Capital Commandant officers, seasoned veterans, immediately fired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Firelocks roared, smoke scattering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two frontmost cultists were instantly blown apart, flesh and blood spraying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the rest, as if possessed, twisted grotesquely, scattering instantly in animal-like crawling motions—some scaling walls, others leaping onto stone pillars, some even hanging upside-down from the ceiling, surging toward the officers from all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with this eerie sight, the Capital Commandant officers remained utterly unfazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Retreat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At their leader’s command, all of them pushed off the ground with force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floor tiles cracked apart as they flew backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out every one of the intruders was a master of hidden force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they leapt out the doorway, they scattered, and the firelock unit already lined up outside simultaneously pulled their triggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gunfire erupted continuously; the dozen or so cultists who charged out were reduced to bloody shreds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone else encountering such an eerie situation would likely be terrified, suffering heavy casualties—but the Capital Commandant officers under Luo Mingzi were long accustomed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, behind them stood Daoists from the Enforcement Hall, holding the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, what do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the wooden scaffolding high in the church, the samurai Sanada whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had arrived, yet watched helplessly without reinforcement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re surrounded—use the escape technique and leave now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Yi Yuan Shi Guan gave the order without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she bit her thumb and drew the “Nine Character Cut Seal” on her palm—Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian—while chanting rapidly in Japanese: “Heaven and earth grow dark, wind and dust conceal form. Earth’s essence clears the path, wood spirits shift shape—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the true incantation for escape techniques recorded in the Japanese text *Wan Chuan Ji Hai*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Sanada and the other samurai scattered “earth-dust”—a mixture of ash and cinnabar—upon the ground, instantly raising a gray-yellow smoke barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the “Earth Spider Technique” of the Iga school, as recorded in the *Zheng Ren Ji*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their coordinated effort formed a large-scale escape technique, its essence lying in using filth and malevolent qi to obscure the yang energy of living beings, allowing the practitioners to sink into the earth like insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Yu Yi Yuan Shi Guan leading, their joint casting was the very foundation of their infiltration into Shenzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HU~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust erupted from the ground; the group vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, a plume of dust surged into a dark alley behind the church, spreading outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>RING! RING! RING!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the gray smoke neared the street, a continuous clanging of bronze bells erupted at the intersection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Daoist from the Enforcement Hall sneered, waving his ritual flag; the “Soul-Startling Banner,” adorned with Five Emperors’ coins, clattered loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound, surging with Gang qi, formed a vast net enclosing all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The churning smoke on the ground instantly vanished, like hot soup poured on snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PUFF!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several samurai staggered out, their forms revealed, black blood oozing from nose and mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the backlash of the escape technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Sanada’s blade, the Hundred Ghosts Entwined Blade, a layer of filthy black stains appeared; faint wails of vengeful spirits echoed in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Yu Yi Yuan Shi Guan, the “Nine Character Cut Seal” on her palm had turned black as charcoal, her finger bones bent unnaturally backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This too was backlash—the ancient saying: “Those who pervert escape arts shall have their fingers devoured by yin poisons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Barbarian tricks dare disturb Shenzhou!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Battalion Commander emerged from the morning mist with a cold laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once been ambushed by Japanese in the south; now, he would vent his rage without hesitation, ordering: “Kill!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the clacking of anti-evil crossbows sounded like sudden rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were also treasures of the Capital Commandant: every arrow shaft was made of peach wood, the tips forged of steel and carved with anti-evil cloud patterns, specifically designed to counter Daoist sorcerers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bolts tore through the air, weaving a net of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The samurai leader Sanada let out a piercing cry, drawing his blade; black-purple Yuan qi coiled around it—his lineage’s artifact, the Hundred Ghosts Entwined Blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steps alternated left and right, both hands wielding the blade in a swirling torrent of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the blade passed, arrows shattered; others seized the chance to surge forward behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Japanese samurai were fierce warriors, knowing they had no choice but to fight to the death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think you can escape?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Enforcement Hall held not only Daoists but other sorcerers as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man in a small cap smiled faintly, suddenly pulling out a Wen Wang Drum from behind him, striking it as he danced, singing nonstop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The old immortal sits steady in the Soul Gathering Hall, Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu, Hui hold the eight directions—third watch calls me eastward, the demon star falls upon your crown ridge~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that—he shook his head, crouched low, and stomped the ground, as if possessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Huang holds a lantern to illuminate souls, seven hun nailed to the Soul-Guiding Banner~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To others, the song meant nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to the Japanese, it caused mental turmoil and churning blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanada, at the forefront, froze in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PUFF! PUFF!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two crossbow bolts pierced his shoulder blades instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Protect the Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanada, loyal even in death, still shouted as his demonic blade fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before the words left his mouth, a bullet struck him—his head exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, flee!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining samurai frantically threw themselves before Yu Yi Yuan Shi Guan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Yu Yi Yuan Shi Guan, she was suffering too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had also been struck by the backlash of the escape technique, blood trickling from her lips; the ancient sword “Moon Coffin” in her arms trembled violently, frost spreading from the scabbard’s seams as she struggled to suppress it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Break his legs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Luo Mingzi immediately ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Japanese had committed many crimes in the capital—they would die regardless—but they clearly had ties to the Jianmu; it would be best to capture them alive for interrogation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the shattered church doors, over a dozen priests with pitch-black pupils screamed and charged out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their chests were bound with oilcloth-wrapped bundles, hissing and smoking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Retreat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Battalion Commander urgently ordered a change in formation.\u003C\u002Fp>",1241,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0c9f466e3e2cf972c2a2ca8b4eb58966c7071fc5be19f70e9a44f94ad8b1ca9d","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-736","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-734",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]