Chapter 88: Feinting to the East and Attacking to the West

That's right, it really is gunpowder!

Li Yan started with a shock, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

Chen Fagui used dynamite packs to threaten, and Zhou Pan died from new-style firearms. Since experiencing these two things, Li Yan had paid extra attention to gunpowder.

Kung fu must be practiced hard, and sorcery must be cultivated diligently, but gunpowder weapons can be used by anyone. If one is not careful, one will die and disappear.

Fortunately, his nose was sensitive enough.

Soon, Li Yan found the target.

Near the altar, in addition to the people of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, there were also some logistics soldiers.

The so-called logistics soldiers, to put it bluntly, were logistics miscellaneous soldiers. They were not good at fighting and took on miscellaneous tasks such as feeding horses, chopping wood, cooking, and digging ditches.

Building the altar required leveling the surrounding land and cutting down some trees. The City God Temple didn't have enough manpower, so they asked these people from the yamen to do it.

The ritual began. Some logistics soldiers looked respectful and stood solemnly, some even knelt down directly, burning incense and kowtowing, taking the opportunity to pray for blessings for their families.

Only one person pushed a wooden board cart and approached slowly.

That person was sturdy, with a face full of stubble, looking honest and dull. On the wooden wheel cart, there was also some slag soil and dry grass.

But Li Yan vaguely smelled that the smell of gunpowder came from the soil.

Pinching the Yang Seal to smell carefully, it was indeed clearer.

That man was also alert. Finding Li Yan looking at him, he immediately accelerated, and his eyes became gloomy and fierce.

"Someone is making trouble!"

Li Yan gave a low shout and rushed out.

At the same time, he had bent down to pick up a few stones from the ground and threw them out with the flying locust stone technique.

He had already heard that the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect enfeoffing the Mountain God was a benevolent act, and he had just received their guidance, so he naturally had to help.

But that was gunpowder!

To avoid accidents, he had to throw the flying locust stones.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! *

Three stones flew toward the man's forehead.

That man was also extraordinary in skill, twisting his body to the side, his head swaying left and right, and he easily dodged the flying locust stones.

At the same time, he no longer disguised himself, knocked the fire stone on the wooden board cart, and sparks flew, igniting some dry grass.

It was also sprinkled with fire oil, and the fire spread instantly.

"Go to your grandfather's!"

He exerted strength in his arms and gave a loud shout, and the burning wooden cart rolled toward the altar.

At the same time, several Law Enforcement Hall Daoists also pulled out their swords and rushed out.

"Be careful, it's gunpowder!"

Li Yan hurriedly reminded them.

However, although those Daoists showed shock, their footsteps didn't stop.

They guarded the altar and would not retreat because of danger.

Among them, two people had hidden strength erupting from their feet, their bodies flying out, their large sleeves fluttering, turning in the air, and simultaneously kicking the wooden board cart.

*Clatter, clatter! *

The wooden board cart flew backward instantly.

But the soil and stone debris on the cart also scattered, and a few dynamite packs fell off.

The fuse on the dynamite packs had already burned to the end.

*Boom! *

A loud noise, smoke filled the air.

At the same time, the sound of *whoosh, whoosh* in the air was constant.

Li Yan's expression changed, and he directly flipped over and lay on the ground.

It turned out that the dynamite packs were also stuffed with many hidden weapons. When the explosion occurred, the hidden weapons scattered like heavenly maidens scattering flowers.

The Law Enforcement Hall Daoists closest to it bore the brunt.

Their kung fu was excellent, and they waved their long swords to block some, but the hidden weapons were too dense, and someone was hit immediately, letting out a muffled groan.

"Ouch, you thief!"

At the same time, Sha Lifei also let out a miserable scream.

They were far away, and after Li Yan's reminder, Sha Lifei immediately grabbed Wang Daoxuan and threw him to the ground, but he was still hit by a dart on his butt.

The few Law Enforcement Hall Daoists also pulled out the hidden weapons on their bodies one after another.

For them, not hitting a vital point didn't count as anything at all.

But someone pulled out a hidden weapon and smelled it lightly, and their expression changed on the spot.

"It's poisonous!"

At the same time, the man turned and ran.

The dynamite packs didn't know what was mixed in, smoke rose everywhere, and it carried a pungent smell, just forming a cover.

The man's figure immediately disappeared into the fog.

Li Yan heard it was poisonous, and without a word, he flipped over and chased closely.

*Clang! *

He pulled out his knife horizontally, and after running wildly for a few steps, suddenly hidden strength erupted from his legs, and with a *whoosh*, he leaped up and slashed down.

This move was learned from the Zhou family.

Red Fist was also known for its flexible body method. With the powerful force of Hidden Strength, he leaped directly over six meters and simultaneously used the Guanzhong Fast Guanshan Daozi, slashing down like a life-taking and soul-chasing move.

Possessing the olfactory supernatural power, night battles were no different from broad daylight.

A little smoke was like nothing to him.

That man's body method was not fast. Seeing the sharp blade slashing from behind, he hurriedly twisted his body and crossed his hands to protect his head.

*Ding! *

A crisp sound, Li Yan's brows furrowed slightly.

His cultivation was ultimately not good enough. Using Hidden Strength in his legs to leap into the air in one breath, the strength in his hands was much worse.

But the Guanzhong Fast Guanshan Daozi didn't rely on strength to win.

Even a Transformation Strength expert is still a creature of flesh and blood; slashing with a knife would still cause bleeding.

However, the opponent had extra iron on his wrists.

The Guanshan Guanshan Daozi had already cut through his sleeves, revealing a series of copper rings.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "Iron Wire Fist?"

The sound of the explosion, the sound of horse hooves in the distance.

The Law Enforcement Hall Daoists were caught off guard and hit by poison darts, but the Commandant's Office still had nearly a hundred people guarding the perimeter.

The man looked at Li Yan standing with a knife, knowing that if he didn't repel this person, he would have no chance to escape, so he snorted coldly and struck with his fist.

Iron Wire Fist belongs to the Hong Fist system, prevalent in the south, emphasizing hard bridges and hard horses, using the twelve bridge hands as longitude and latitude, using Yin and Yang together, using *qi* to penetrate strength, and the power is extraordinary.

This man was strong, with nine copper rings on his hands, also an expert in Hidden Strength, although not at the peak, but much deeper than Li Yan.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! *

His fist path was fierce, continuously entering hands, every move and style had the sound of wind whistling, coupled with the unique seven-emotion breathing sound of Iron Wire Fist, the power was truly amazing.

Li Yan only felt like he had encountered a fierce general of the military, his fists like hammers, continuous and endless, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

The moves between his attacks were not fast, and there were even some flaws.

However, Li Yan just dodged and didn't rush to use his knife.

His father had mentioned that don't look at the ferocity of Iron Wire Fist, it is stronger in defense than attack, good at turning weakness into strength.

These moves were all bridge hands, the so-called "if there is a bridge, cross over the bridge; if there is no bridge, ask for a bridge." Those flaws were all traps; in reality, the opponent was fast but not chaotic, slow but not relaxed.

Moreover, this man also used Iron Wire Fist. This thing, if used well, between shaking hands, could apply the gaps of the iron rings to lock weapons.

As long as he made a move, he would be seized by the opponent and given a ruthless blow.

He just needed to drag the opponent, why fight for his life.

"Cunning little brat!"

Seeing Li Yan not falling for it, the man spat and turned to run.

"Yo, the fist is so hard, why run?"

Li Yan sneered and advanced with his knife again.

His body method was fierce, and the Guanzhong Fast Guanshan Daozi was known for its speed. Within a breath, the blade had already been delivered to the back of the opponent's head.

But this man seemed to be prepared, his body twisted at the same time, his fists raised, and it was a strike of "Tiger Hiding Tracks," iron rings clanging, directly locking Li Yan's knife. It was because he saw Li Yan dodging, so he pretended to run away to lure the enemy.

Locking the weapon this time, he could make a move to kill.

However, he underestimated Li Yan.

Li Yan's cultivation might be slightly worse, but his heart had more eyes.

This knife slash was already expected, directly letting go of the knife, changing shoulders sideways, and a side kick.

*Bang! *

This kick had Hidden Strength erupting, and the man was kicked away directly.

He fell to the ground, let out a muffled groan, and blood had already seeped from the corner of his mouth.

This is the struggle of martial artists, success or failure in life and death is only on the line.

Li Yan's cultivation was slightly weaker, but his mind was sensitive, his moves were ruthless, and the opponent was anxious to escape, so he fell into a disadvantage.

*Whoosh! *

Just at this moment, the Guanshan Guanshan Daozi that was knocked away flipped and fell.

Li Yan didn't even look, caught it smoothly, and sheathed the knife.

!.

His kick of Hidden Strength was fierce, the opponent's internal organs were injured, and he couldn't run far, and he had no chance anyway.

Sure enough, the sound of horse hooves rang out in the distance.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! *

Two wolf-tooth sharp arrows whistled over.

*Puff, puff* two sounds, blood splashed, directly nailing into the man's legs.

Li Yan's brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything.

The one who came was the Commandant's Office; this was their style. To prevent the enemy from escaping, they would first abolish the legs. As for whether the other party would be disabled, it was not in their consideration at all.

That man was also tough. Although he couldn't help but scream, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and waited for death.

*Neigh! *

The war horse neighed, and a few people dismounted and walked over with large strides.

The leader was Chang Xuan, a hundred-household official of the Commandant's Office. He looked at it expressionlessly and said calmly, "Drag him down for interrogation, pull him far away, don't disturb the Daoists."

"Wait!"

Just at this moment, a person ran over quickly; it was the person from the Law Enforcement Hall. He said with a gloomy face, "There is poison on the hidden weapon, very fierce."

Before the words fell, he squatted down and fumbled on the man.

"Don't bother, I don't have the antidote."

The man was sweating from the pain, his lips pale, but he sneered, "If you have the ability, then solve the poison. If you don't have the ability, then talk to your father properly!"

The Law Enforcement Hall Daoist's eyes were sharp, "Ignorant and fearless, isn't it just Corpse Gu Poison? After the ritual ends, someone will be able to solve it."

The man laughed, "I'm afraid you won't be able to wait!"

Just at this moment, Guan Wanche suddenly said coldly, "As expected of a madman of the Maitreya Sect, I just don't know if your mouth is hard, or the Commandant's Office's means are hard."

"Maitreya Sect?"

The man was clearly stunned, hurriedly shook his head and said, "You don't need to frame me, I was just entrusted by others, and it has nothing to do with the Maitreya Sect."

Guan Wanche and Chang Xuan immediately exchanged a look.

Chang Xuan said calmly, "Whether it is the Maitreya Sect or not, it doesn't matter anymore. Using gunpowder is already a capital crime. Speak clearly, and I can let you die happily."

The man took a deep breath and smiled, "Don't scare me. Falling into your hands, whether to kill or scrape, if I beg for mercy, I'm what you raised."

"However, someone entrusted me to bring a word: his old man has no intention of being an enemy of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, but the things in the mountain must be taken."

"Either stop the ritual and save people, and the antidote will be offered."

"Or, die a few to accompany me!"

At the same time, Luo Mingzi also returned. Seeing this situation, he said solemnly, "More than one group of people acted, all to interfere with the line of sight. Some people have already taken advantage of the explosion and the gap in the defense line to sneak into the mountain."

Guan Wanche nodded, "It seems to be an old thief of many years!"

Hearing the few people talking, Li Yan had already figured out the whole picture.

The other party's methods were indeed extraordinary. From the beginning, they didn't think about charging hard, but used explosions to disturb the line of sight and used Gu poison to hurt people and threaten.

Once the ritual of enfeoffing the Mountain God starts, it cannot stop.

If the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect stops enfeoffing the Mountain God to save people, then their treasure taking will not be affected. If they don't stop, they will also consume most of the strength of the encirclement and suppression, creating opportunities for them to escape.

Also, listening to Guan Wanche, the Maitreya Sect also sent people?

Luo Mingzi on the side said solemnly, "The ritual will not stop. If I guessed correctly, after one compromise, you will only get an inch and make more demands."

Seeing that the talk couldn't be reached, the man stopped talking.

Chang Xuan said coldly, "Do you know that this is a capital crime of copying the family and exterminating the clan!"

The man sneered, "No worries, it doesn't matter."

Chang Xuan said, "The martial world is nothing more than mixing a meal, is it worth it?"

The man's expression was calm, "The grace of saving life, use life to resist!"

After saying that, he closed his eyes.

Chang Xuan nodded, "A pity."

*Puff! *

Someone stepped forward and pierced his heart directly.

The other party already had the will to die, and forcing a question would just be a waste of time.

The crowd returned to the side of the altar. Sure enough, the enfeoffing ritual had not stopped. Qingyangzi and several old Daoists were still on the altar, their expressions solemn, performing Dharma rituals one by one.

And beside them, the injured had all been moved back to the tent.

They all had gray faces, eyes tightly closed, breathing weakly, and in a short time, a corpse smell emanated from their whole bodies.

Among them, Sha Lifei was included.

A lotus lamp was lit around everyone, a talisman was pasted on their chests, and a strange fragrance was burning in the tent.

Li Yan could smell that the incense smell was constantly suppressing the corpse smell on everyone.

"This is Corpse Gu Poison."

Luo Mingzi said solemnly, "Only evil sorcerers who deal with corpses all year round have this means, and according to the situation of the cave where the corpse is buried, the solution is also ever-changing."

"Only Qingyangzi Senior Uncle can perform rituals to forcibly drive out the poison, but he can only do one person at a time. We use sorcery to suppress it, and we should be able to hold on until tomorrow..."

"Daoists, rest assured."

Chang Xuan suddenly said, "Since they have already entered the mountain, let's catch them in a jar. If we catch them, there will naturally be an antidote."

Li Yan looked at the unconscious Sha Lifei and said solemnly, "I'm going too."

The matter was urgent, and Luo Mingzi didn't be polite, "That's good. The junior brother who is also good at nose supernatural powers is also poisoned. With Li little friend's help, we will definitely be able to catch this group of people."

Just at this moment, a squad leader of the Commandant's Office walked in hurriedly, cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to my lord, three living captives have been caught!"

The crowd walked out of the tent, only to see three people thrown on the ground, all with arrows in their legs, blood flowing continuously, their eyes full of fear.

These three were not as tough as the previous man. Without forcing a question, they said tremblingly, "My lord, spare my life, we were just coerced."

"I was poisoned by Mo Laowai..."

"Who is he?"

"An old thief who steals graves."

"I was forced by the beggar head Mountain Master..."

It turned out that these people were also bait.

They were poisoned and simultaneously led the Commandant's Office away from all directions.

According to them, the main actors were two groups of people, one was a famous grave robber in Guanzhong, and the other was the beggar head Mountain Master who escaped.

Both sides originally had conflicts, but later seeing that the mass grave defense was tight, they temporarily gathered together to take the treasure together, each according to their fate.

The one who released the poison was the old grave robber Mo Laowai.

Hearing that it was these two, Chang Xuan showed a trace of disappointment in his eyes.

And Li Yan suddenly remembered the black-clothed old man he met when looking for Zhao the Donkey, and said solemnly, "That person is also a treasure-stifling person of the Xunyuan lineage. I have a good friend who lives in seclusion in the Mountain God Temple in Shangyi Village. He is also a treasure-stifling person and might be able to solve the poison."

"Xunyuan lineage, no wonder..."

Luo Mingzi nodded to the side, and a Daoist child immediately rode away.

And after the crowd arranged everything, they also went toward the mass grave...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 89 =====