Chapter 761

Upon Mount Tai, churning dark clouds poured like spilled ink, swallowing the last sliver of daylight.

The entire mountain range sank into eerie gloom.

The mountain wind carried bone-chilling cold, whipping dead leaves and shattered stones into twisted spirals.

Li Yan looked up and saw Tai’s silhouette being devoured by writhing black mist; even a few zhang away, human shapes were indistinguishable.

“The earth’s qi is completely disrupted!”

Wang Daoxuan stared at the turtle-shell Luo Pan in his hand.

The treasure trembled violently, its magnetic needle spinning like a headless fly.

His face grim, he said: “The underground yin qi has surged wildly; the spiritual orifices are out of yin-yang balance.”

“Can the Daoist priest discern what method is at work?” Li Yan asked in a low voice.

Wang Daoxuan was equally baffled. “I’ve never seen anything like this—it may not be the work of mortals.”

The scholars from Mingde Academy and the Chancellor of De Wangfu stood stunned, exchanging glances.

They had come expecting only to quell chaos in the city, not this.

The entire Mount Tai shrouded in yin mist had surpassed their understanding.

No sooner had he spoken than a strange rustling arose from the woods.

On the mountain path, a dozen soldiers tumbled out, crawling and scrambling.

They were panicked, drenched in blood, faces ashen, as if they had witnessed something horrific.

Boom! Boom!

Several wild boars smashed through dead trees, charging behind them, fangs dripping froth, eyes bloodshot.

More horrifying still, behind them howled a yin wind, leaves and dust swirling in chaotic waves.

Among them appeared several figures, all in tattered rags, faces rotted with decay, emitting a reeking stench.

They pursued not only the soldiers but also the wild boars.

Each time they brought one down, they clawed and bit furiously.

Soon, the screams of boars and men merged into a single cacophony.

Several of the rotting corpses, drawn by the scent of blood, shrieked and lunged toward them.

Boom! Boom-boom!

Sha Li-fei raised his rifle and fired.

Several rotting corpses shattered instantly, pus and blood spraying everywhere; the green stone slabs beneath his feet hissed as they corroded.

“Such potent poison blood!”

Everyone’s faces turned pale at the sight.

The squad leader, visibly more conscious than the others, armor shattered, left ear streaming blood, collapsed to his knees upon seeing the officials:

“Report, my lord! Everyone… everyone’s dead! The stone steps eat people!”

“Explain clearly!”

The Regional Military Commissioner who had followed them seized the man by his collar and roared.

The commissioner was already on the brink of despair.

The affairs at the yamen could still be excused as following orders—helpless.

But so many soldiers dead? That was more than losing rank or office.

The squad leader swallowed hard, gesturing incoherently: “My lord, we were ordered to guard the mountain when suddenly the ground shook and yin winds rose. Commander Wang led a patrol, but just past the Zhongtian Gate… the earth collapsed beneath us—our brothers scattered immediately…”

“And then?”

“We encountered a ghost wall. The mountain beasts went mad, and some men were possessed…”

As he spoke, he grew more agitated, his eyes turning bloodshot, black veins spreading beneath the whites.

Wang Daoxuan frowned, drew a talisman, slapped it onto the man’s forehead, and chanted: “By the Lord’s decree, scour the cosmos! The Twenty-Eight Mansions line the Seven Stars. Heaven’s Gate opens, the Flying Wolf of Qian moves. Master of Kan and Li, array the Heavenly Troops! Left: Heavenly Seal, Right: Heavenly Authority. Thunder Soldiers and Generals, do not linger! Swiftly, as the Law commands!”

It was the Soul-Stabilizing Spell, specifically for expelling demonic qi from the mind.

Black vapor rose from the captain’s skull; his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

At the same moment, the yin clouds over Mount Tai grew denser.

Whoosh!

The gale howled; the air grew so heavy it seemed ready to drip.

The Mingde Academy scholar’s face turned ashen, his beard trembling as he sharply turned to Chancellor Xiao Chengyou, voice tense: “Chancellor Xiao! This celestial phenomenon is no ordinary occurrence!”

“The people below the mountain are in peril! We must immediately send word to Jinan Prefecture—ask the Prince and the Provincial Administration Commissioner to mobilize more elite soldiers and summon high-ranking Daoists to hold the mountain!”

In truth, he felt wronged.

He had been told Zhao Tong, the scholar, would come to handle this—after all, Zhao Tong had been in charge of the case involving the stabbing of the Sage’s Heir.

But Zhao Tong had been humiliated by Li Yan, and under Lu Hongyuan’s orders to make peace, not retaliate, so he had been sent here instead—out of sight, out of mind.

Now he had arrived and caused this disaster.

Though a scholar, he was weak in martial arts, skilled only in Confucian learning.

In this situation, he must shed responsibility as quickly as possible.

Chancellor Xiao Chengyou of De Wangfu, too, had lost his composure, sweat beading on his brow: “The scholar speaks truly—I shall use the Wangfu seal immediately. Besides Jinan Prefecture, we must urgently summon Xu Cangsong, the Daoist of Jinan Prefecture’s City God Temple… He is the City God under Mount Tai’s jurisdiction; matters of the spirit path must fall to him!”

Upon hearing the name “Xu Cangsong,” Li Yan’s brow tightened involuntarily.

That man from Jinan Prefecture’s City God Temple…

He had met him once in Jinan.

A man utterly incapable of holding the line, always shifting blame, fearful of power.

To rely on the City God Temple of Jinan to handle this deadly crisis? It was like dreaming of fish in the sky!

Even if they summoned Lu Hongyuan, the distance was too great—he would arrive too late. By then, Mount Tai would already be a dead land, all hope lost.

A fierce warning throbbed wildly in his heart.

This was no mere landslide or beastly frenzy on Mount Tai.

Very likely, the remaining two Earth Immortals had already moved.

They dared plot to seize the position of Prefect… could this be why?

“There’s no time!”

Thinking this, Li Yan spoke directly to the group in a low, firm tone: “Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. You two may go for reinforcements—I will lead a party up the mountain.”

He turned to his companions beside him, face grave:

“This time… it’s dangerous.”

“Hahaha!”

Sha Li-fei grinned, pulling out his rifle: “Dangerous? We’ve fought through mountains of blades and seas of blood—didn’t we still cut our way through?”

“We won’t let you go alone into peril.”

The others nodded in unison.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, calm and serene…

Wu Ba lifted his tiger squat cannon, grinning foolishly…

Lu San and Long Yan stepped forward without hesitation.

Li Yan turned to Kong Shangzhao and the others: “You three stay below.”

“Hey, you look down on us?”

Before he finished, Kuai Dayou interrupted, eager and fearless, face alight with excitement, turning to Kong Shangzhao: “Scholar, are you afraid?”

Kong Shangzhao gazed at Mount Tai: “Events like this? We can’t miss them.”

Seeing both friends determined to go, Lin the Fat grimaced: “Don’t leave me behind.”

“Hahaha!”

Kuai Dayou laughed: “Stick with me.”

Seeing the three insisted, Li Yan no longer stopped them.

Since they wished to join the Twelve Yuan Chen, such trials would only multiply.

He took a deep breath and stared at the increasingly dark Mount Tai:

“Everyone, follow me up the mountain!”

As his words fell, he led the way, the Duanchen blade flashing out with a clear ring, his figure resolute as he plunged into the thick, unyielding darkness.

Wang Daoxuan followed close behind, cradling the turtle-shell Luo Pan.

The needle spun wildly, yet remained fixed on the mountain’s peak.

Sha Li-fei and Wu Ba gripped their firearms tightly.

Following the drill they had practiced countless times, they all entered the black mist.

Behind them, Xiao Chengyou and the others exchanged stunned glances.

The Netherworld Mount Tai