Chapter 758

Above Taishan, the surging dark clouds poured down like ink, swallowing the last trace of daylight.

The entire mountain range sank into an eerie gloom.

The mountain wind, carrying bone-chilling cold, whipped up withered leaves and gravel, twisting and circling in the air.

Li Yan looked up and saw the outline of Taishan being devoured by the writhing black mist; he could barely distinguish human figures even a few yards away.

"The earth qi is completely chaotic!"

Wang Daoxuan looked at the Turtle Shell Luo Pan in his hand.

This treasure was trembling crazily, its magnetic needle spinning wildly like a headless fly.

His expression grew solemn as he said: "The earth vein's yin qi is flourishing, and the spiritual apertures have lost their yin-yang balance."

"Can the Daoist priest tell what kind of method this is?" Li Yan asked in a deep voice.

Wang Daoxuan was also full of confusion, "I have never seen this before; I fear it is not something humanly possible."

The Master from Mingde Academy who had followed, as well as the Prince De's Chief Clerk, were all dumbfounded, looking at each other in dismay.

They had thought they were just coming to handle the chaos in the city, never expecting such a thing.

The entire Taishan being shrouded in yin mist was already beyond their comprehension.

As soon as his voice fell, a strange rustling sound suddenly rang out in the forest.

On the mountain path, more than a dozen garrison soldiers suddenly rushed out, crawling and scrambling.

They were panic-stricken, all covered in blood, their faces pale, as if they had encountered something terrifying.

Rumble!

Several wild boars crashed through withered trees, charging behind them, their tusks dripping with white foam, their eyes bloodshot.

Even more terrifying was the howling yin wind behind them, with leaves and dust surging.

Several human figures appeared among them, all in tattered clothes, their faces full of rotting flesh, emitting a sky-high stench.

They were not only chasing those garrison soldiers, but even the wild boars were their targets.

Every time they pounced on one, they would frantically claw and bite.

For a time, the screams of the wild boars and the people merged into one.

Several of the rotting corpses, seemingly attracted by the blood qi of the crowd, roared and pounced toward them.

Boom! Boom boom!

Sha Lifei directly raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Several rotting corpses were directly shattered, pus and blood splattered everywhere, and the bluestone slabs on the ground hissed as they were corroded.

"What powerful poisonous blood!"

Seeing this, everyone's expression changed abruptly.

The leading squad leader was clearly more sober, his armor shattered, his left ear dripping with blood; seeing the officials, he collapsed on his knees:

"Report! My lords, they… they are all dead! The stone steps eat people!"

"Speak clearly!"

The garrison commander who had followed grabbed him by the collar and shouted angrily.

This commander was already somewhat desperate at this moment.

The matter at the Prefectural Yamen could still be explained as following orders, helpless.

But the death of so many soldiers was no longer just a matter of losing one's official position.

The squad leader swallowed his saliva and gestured incoherently: "Reporting to the commander, we were ordered to guard the mountain, when suddenly the earth shook and the mountains swayed, and yin winds rose everywhere. Battalion Commander Wang led the team to patrol the mountain, but just after passing the Zhongtian Gate… the ground suddenly collapsed, and the brothers were immediately scattered…"

"And then?"

"We encountered a ghost wall, the wild beasts on the mountain all went crazy, and some people were possessed…"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his eyes beginning to turn blood-red, and black lines spreading under the whites of his eyes.

Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly, immediately drew out a talisman, stuck it on his forehead, and chanted: "By the Emperor's decree, sweep away the universe, the twenty-eight mansions, horizontally aligned with the seven stars, the universe opens the Dipper, the flying heavenly wolf, the master of Kan and Li, marching with heavenly soldiers, left is the heavenly contract, right is the heavenly authority, thunder soldiers and generals, do not linger long, act quickly as the law commands!"

This was the Soul-Calming Spell, specifically for evil qi entering the brain.

A wisp of black qi rose from the captain's head, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

At the same time, the dark clouds over Taishan thickened a bit more.

Whoosh!

The gale howled, and the air was so oppressive it felt like it was about to drip water.

The Mingde Academy Master's face turned livid, his beard trembled slightly, and he suddenly looked at the Prince's Chief Clerk, Xiao Chengyou, with a hint of nervousness: "Chief Clerk Xiao! Such celestial phenomena are definitely not ordinary!"

"The common people at the foot of the mountain are in danger! We should quickly send a message to Jinan Prefecture, asking the Prince and the Provincial Administration Commissioner to mobilize more elite garrison troops, and invite high-ranking Mystic Sect masters to come and sit in command!"

Speaking of which, he was also very wronged.

Originally, upon receiving the news, it should have been that Master Zhao Tong who came to handle it, after all, the case of the Duke Yansheng being assassinated was his responsibility.

But as it happened, he had been humbled by Li Yan, and Lu Hongyuan had ordered them to be on good terms and not to retaliate, so he had invited this Master to come, out of sight and out of mind.

Never expecting that such a big thing would happen as soon as he arrived.

Although he was a Master, his martial strength was average, and he was more proficient in Confucian studies.

In this situation, he could only get rid of the responsibility as soon as possible.

Prince De's Chief Clerk, Xiao Chengyou, also lost his composure at this moment, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, "The Master's words are very true, I will use the Prince's seal right now! Besides the Jinan Prefectural Yamen, we must also immediately invite Daoist Xu Cangsong from the Jinan Chenghuangmiao… He is the City God under Taishan's jurisdiction, and matters of the divine path should naturally be borne by him!"

When the name "Xu Cangsong" was mentioned, Li Yan's brows furrowed subconsciously.

That person from the Jinan Chenghuangmiao…

He had met him once in Jinan Prefecture.

He could be described as incompetent in maintaining order, shirking responsibility when things happened, and fearing power.

Relying on people from the Jinan Chenghuangmiao to deal with such a fierce situation was no different from a fool's dream!

Even if Lu Hongyuan were invited, the journey was long, and by the time he arrived, Taishan would likely have turned into a dead zone, and everything would be over!

A strong sense of warning pulsed wildly in his heart.

On this Taishan, it was definitely not just as simple as a landslide or wild beasts going crazy.

It was very likely that the other two Earth Immortals had already made their move!

They dared to plot for the position of the Prefect… could this be the reason?

"It's too late!"

Thinking of this, Li Yan spoke directly to the crowd in a deep voice, "Distant water cannot quench near thirst, the two lords can go and fetch reinforcements, I will take people up the mountain first!"

After saying that, he looked at his companions beside him, his expression solemn:

"This time, it's a bit dangerous…"

"Hahaha!"

Sha Lifei laughed, took out his firearm and said: "What danger or not, we've come through mountains of blades and seas of blood all the way here, haven't we still killed our way through."

"We wouldn't be happy to let you face the danger alone."

The others nodded one after another.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, his expression gentle and calm…

Wu Ba picked up his tiger-crouching cannon and giggled foolishly…

Lu San and Long Yan'er also stepped forward without hesitation.

Li Yan looked at Kong Shangzhao and the others again, "You three stay at the foot of the mountain for now…"

"Hey, looking down on us, are you!"

Before the words fell, he was interrupted by the eager Kuai Dayou, who was completely fearless, but instead full of excitement, turning his head to look at Kong Shangzhao, "Scholar, are you afraid?"

Kong Shangzhao looked at Taishan, "Such things, naturally, cannot be missed."

Seeing that both of his good friends were going, Fatty Lin's face turned bitter, "This… don't leave me behind."

"Hahaha."

Kuai Dayou laughed, "Just follow me."

Seeing that the three were determined to go, Li Yan no longer blocked them.

Since they wanted to join the Twelve Yuan Chen, such things would be indispensable in the future.

He took a deep breath and looked at the increasingly dark Taishan:

"Everyone, follow me up the mountain!"

As the words fell, he took the lead, the Dust-Severing Blade clanged as it left its sheath, and his figure resolutely crashed into that thick, impenetrable darkness.

Wang Daoxuan followed closely behind, holding the Turtle Shell Luo Pan.

The Luo Pan's needle spun wildly, but it pointed firmly toward the mountain peak.

Sha Lifei and Wu Ba gripped their firearms tightly.

Following the formation they had practiced many times on the road, they all entered the black mist.

Behind them, Xiao Chengyou and the others looked at each other in dismay.