Chapter 744: Jailbreak, Besieged

Gone mad?

Seeing Kong Zhanggui in such a state, Li Yan's face darkened instantly.

He and this Kong Zhanggui couldn't be said to have any deep friendship, but since he had previously stepped in to smooth things over for him and intended to take his son, Kong Shangzhao, into his group, he had formed a causal link—some things he simply had to shoulder.

Now that he had ended up like this, how was he supposed to answer to anyone?

He looked toward Wang Daoxuan beside him.

Wang Daoxuan understood immediately and whispered, "To investigate, we must first break the spell."

They were currently maintaining a high-level concealment technique; to find the root of the problem, they would have to drop the concealment, which would inevitably alert the jailers.

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan exchanged a nod.

No words were needed; a tacit understanding had formed.

This was no place to linger; they had to use thunderous means to uncover the truth!

"Disperse!"

Wang Daoxuan let out a low shout, spinning his Daoist robe.

As the Five Directions Luo Feng Flags were retracted, the black mist suddenly dissipated into the surroundings.

Almost the moment their figures were exposed, the cold air in the gloomy dungeon surged, and the wooden peach-wood charms hanging on the stone wall at the entrance shattered with a *crack*, startling the dozing jailers.

"Who goes there?!"

The jailers were terrified out of their wits, instinctively reaching for their waist blades and blowing their alarm whistles.

However, in Li Yan's eyes, their movements were as slow as if frozen in time.

Li Yan exerted force through his feet and lunged forward.

He had already stepped into the Dan Jin realm; he had practiced diligently every day at the Qiankun Academy and had used all the treasures he obtained to repair his Great Luo Dharma Body, so his progress was rapid, and his Dan Jin was already perfectly rounded.

With his cultivation improved, his movement technique had naturally strengthened.

His technique was a fusion of the "Inch-by-Inch Horizon" martial art and the *Northern Emperor Divine Movement Technique's* Yu Steps, already showing the rudiments of a martial art form; when executed, it was as fast as thunder and unpredictable as a ghost.

*Swish! *

His figure flickered like a phantom, leaving behind afterimages.

In just a single breath, he had crossed several yards to close in on the jailers.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! *

Without drawing his blade, he used the hilt to strike the "Jade Pillow" acupoint at the back of each man's neck with lightning speed.

These jailers hadn't even seen a shadow before their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed limply.

Meanwhile, Wang Daoxuan had withdrawn his Five Ghosts Transport technique at the same time as Li Yan's movement.

He drew a dagger and sliced through the chains, walking quickly into the cell.

"I don't want to become an immortal, let me go!"

The crazed Kong Zhanggui lunged at him, scratching and clawing.

Wang Daoxuan remained calm, forming the "Calm Heart Seal" with his right hand and striking Kong Zhanggui's forehead.

Kong Zhanggui stiffened and stopped.

Wang Daoxuan then raised his left hand, fingers together like a sword, and tapped the "Danzhong" acupoint on Kong Zhanggui's chest, chanting: "Spirit settled, Qi steady, evil delusions cannot invade, Command!"

A gentle stream of Daoist Gang Qi surged in, and the crazed Kong Zhanggui seemed to have all his strength drained away. The chaotic bloodshot look in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by a vacant emptiness, leaving only a "he-he" wheezing sound in his throat.

He no longer attacked, but he also ignored everything before him.

Wang Daoxuan frowned, pushed him over to lie flat on the straw, his expression solemn.

He first lifted Kong Zhanggui's eyelids, seeing the pupils were dilated and lifeless, then checked his pulse.

"How is it?" Li Yan walked over at this moment.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard while checking the pulse, "The pulse is as weak as a gossamer thread, erratic and chaotic, like a frightened bird or a lamp running out of oil. This is not caused by ordinary fright or drugs..."

"Soul damage?" A glint flashed in Li Yan's eyes.

He wasn't a Daoist physician, but he had seen enough to know a thing or two.

"Yes."

Wang Daoxuan nodded, formed a Yang seal with his left hand, and swept his right fingers across his eyes.

"Heaven clear, Earth bright, Profound Light reflects the truth, Penetrate the dark, reveal the subtle, Wisdom Eye open quickly!"

This was the "Clear Vision Method" from the *Five Heads Divine Formula*.

Wang Daoxuan had already awakened a divine eye ability, and with this method, he could see much more.

Once the spell was cast, his fingertips swept past, and a faint golden light seemed to flash across his eyes.

In Li Yan's view, his expression grew increasingly ugly.

After a long while, Wang Daoxuan retracted the spell and shook his head, "Trouble. A soul has been lost!"

"Kong Zhanggui still has his seven *Po*, but among the three *Hun*—Heaven, Earth, and Man—the 'Man *Hun*' is missing."

"The 'Man *Hun*' governs intelligence, consciousness, and the sensing of Yin and Yang; it seems to have been forcibly extracted! No wonder he is like an idiot. Kong family experts might have sensed the soul was unstable, but they couldn't locate this bizarre 'lost soul' because once it left the body, it vanished without a trace. Ordinary soul-summoning methods likely won't work!"

"This must be an evil art, and a highly sophisticated and sinister one at that!"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "Can it be retrieved?"

"There is a way!"

Wang Daoxuan nodded, then looked around, "But the commotion would be too great; it cannot be done here."

Sneaking into a jail to investigate wouldn't alert the authorities, but taking a prisoner away was the crime of jailbreaking.

If it were ordinary Jianghu people, they would weigh the consequences.

But would Li Yan fear such a thing?

"Let's go, before we cause too much of a stir."

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan stepped forward, grabbed Kong Zhanggui's arm, and with a clever twist of force, the man was lifted into the air and onto his back.

Wang Daoxuan cooperated perfectly, pulling several yellow talismans from his robes and walking beside him.

Soon, the two rushed out of the cold prison corridor.

"Who goes there!"

Two night-duty jailers ran over at the sound, their faces showing shock in the dim lantern light.

Wang Daoxuan didn't stop; he flicked his wide sleeves, and two talismans between his fingers ignited without fire, turning into a blue mist invisible to the naked eye that instantly filled the air.

The jailers stumbled, their eyes glazing over, and the lanterns in their hands fell to the ground with a *clatter*.

In the blink of an eye, they collapsed softly, snoring like thunder.

This was a simple soul-bewitching technique, perfectly suited for dealing with ordinary people.

"Bold thieves! Don't run!"

Just as they were about to leave, another sharp shout exploded.

A man dressed in indigo constable attire, with a four-foot Goose-Quill Saber at his waist, sprinted over from a rooftop in the distance, then leaped down from the shadows of the corridor like a hawk.

His movement was agile and swift, and though his blade remained sheathed, a cold, murderous wind had already whistled down.

Within the official ranks, there were naturally not only mediocre talents.

This man was one of the experts of the Jinan Prefecture Yamen, "Wind-Chasing Goose" Zheng Kun, whose Goose-Quill fast saber and movement techniques had captured countless river bandits and were well-known in the Qilu Jianghu.

He was on night duty tonight and hadn't expected to run into someone daring enough to break out of jail!

In the jail... it seemed there was only that prisoner, Kong Zhanggui.

If he performed this great service, he would surely rise to prominence!

Thinking of this, his eyes gleamed, locking onto Li Yan who was carrying Kong Zhanggui. His right hand gripped the hilt, and with a swallow-like somersault in mid-air, his blade rang out like a dragon, thrusting toward Li Yan's neck.

Of course, he was merely an expert of the Dark Jin realm; how could he possibly harm Li Yan?

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged. He stepped back, shielding Kong Zhanggui and Wang Daoxuan, then lifted his leg in a rising kick.

*Clang! *

A massive force transmitted through, and the Goose-Quill Saber was deflected.

Zheng Kun was experienced; seeing this, he immediately retracted his blade and force, using the momentum to roll away on the ground, then stood up, held his saber horizontally, and said coldly: "What kind of thieves are you, daring to..." ===== CHAPTER 745 =====