Chapter 734: A Single Sword Strike to Slay Black Mountain

Nanguo Town.

This is a very ordinary small town within the vast territory of the Tang Empire.

When Yan Hongye and Ning Caichen arrived at the small town, they immediately felt that something was wrong.

Ning Caichen was just an ordinary person; he only vaguely felt a gloomy and oppressive aura permeating everywhere, and he couldn't help but shiver.

As a master of the Daoist sect, Yan Hongye slightly furrowed her brows, discovering that a type of extremely thick demonic aura and baleful aura was flowing in the air. It was as if it came from the Nine Nether Hells—profound and melancholy, yet vast and deep.

The last ray of the setting sun vanished, and a crescent moon quietly climbed into the firmament.

When the dim moonlight spilled onto Nanguo Town, figures surged out from the streets and alleys. They were all commoners from the town, their eyes dull and their movements stiff, yet they seemed to possess immense strength, knocking down and overturning the brick walls and gatehouses that blocked their path.

"Puppet String Technique!"

Yan Hongye observed for a moment and quickly reached a conclusion: "Sure enough, there is a peerless great demon using demonic aura as strings to pull and perform a play; it is undoubtedly the Heishan Lao Yao."

A burst of eerie ghost aura gushed out from the other end of the street like a physical substance. Immediately following this, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out, and a wedding procession appeared floating in front of Yan Hongye and Ning Caichen.

Everyone in the wedding procession wore bright red clothes; their pale faces lacked any discernible features, and they were filled with eerie ghost aura.

Four paper figures carried the bridal sedan chair, their feet not touching the ground. A cold wind rolled up the sedan curtain, revealing a young bride inside with a pretty face but a dull expression.

"Xiaoqian!"

Ning Caichen couldn't help but shout.

As it turned out, that young bride was Nie Xiaoqian, though she now seemed to be controlled by the Puppet String Technique as well.

"Scholar, get back!" Yan Hongye bit her finger and quickly drew a talisman in the void. A Talisman soon took shape, and urged by her magic power, hundreds of thunderbolts immediately blasted out. The power of thunder is the greatest bane to ghosts and demons; the wedding procession composed of ghosts and monsters was bombarded by the endless lightning, perishing in screams and dissipating into wisps of green smoke.

"Alright, now we can go save that little fox."

Yan Hongye looked at Ning Caichen, who was running toward Nie Xiaoqian, her brows slightly furrowed as she cast her gaze toward the depths of the town.

"The Heishan Lao Yao has indeed appeared. I don't know if that person will keep his promise and deal with the Lao Yao. Moreover, this Lao Yao's strength is extraordinary; I fear it will not be easy to deal with..."

The person she was thinking of was naturally Yu Liancheng.

After witnessing Yu Liancheng's "Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique," Yan Hongye could not help but be suspicious of the former's identity. After all, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique can only be cultivated by the Holy Monarch of the Yinyue Dynasty, and the Profound Heart Sect and the Yinyue Dynasty are mortal enemies.

Yu Liancheng seemed to see that she had this concern, but he was too lazy to explain, only leaving behind the words: "I shall go first; I hope you do not break your word," before riding away on a White Python.

If that person really just walked away, Yan Hongye's injuries had not yet fully healed, and with the burdens of Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian, how could she possibly handle the Heishan Lao Yao, who was famous throughout both the Yin and Yang realms?

While Yan Hongye was deep in thought, a spider crawled down from the bridal sedan and, upon reaching a hidden spot, transformed into a ball of demonic aura and headed into the distance.

"It's that woman Yan Hongye again. I am no match for her; I must quickly go report this to the Heishan Lao Yao."

This demonic aura arrived in the depths of the small town.

Here, there was a black vortex, appearing like a gateway.

The eerie ghost aura was leaking out from this gateway.

The demonic aura transformed into a mature woman dressed in a red dress with a beautiful appearance. A look of hesitation appeared on her face, unsure whether she should step into this Ghost Gate.

This spider spirit was called Meiji. She was entrenched in Lanruo Temple, driving female ghosts to absorb essence for her, and it was also she who decided to marry Xiaoqian to the Heishan Lao Yao.

Although she had long since latched onto the Heishan Lao Yao, she was a human-world demon after all; once she stepped into the Afterlife, the Yin energy would devour her body, which was not conducive to her cultivation.

Clatter!

Just at this moment, that Ghost Gate suddenly expanded.

The gateway, which previously only allowed one person to pass, was now a wide thoroughfare that could accommodate ten riders abreast.

At the same time, cold, chilling energy poured out into the outside world like a physical substance. Clusters of ghostly green fire lit up, and a black, dense army of ghosts walked out from the massive Ghost Gate.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The army marched, each step causing the ground to rumble, uniform and orderly.

Not to mention the combat power of this ghost army, but just this upright military bearing was not inferior to the battle-hardened armies on the frontiers of the Tang Empire.

The ghost soldiers at the very front held black flags in their hands, wreathed in ghost fire and rolling black smoke, with the words "Black Mountain" and "Afterlife" written upon them.

And at the rear of this ghost army was an altar built of withered bones. Surrounded by eerie ghost soldiers, one could see a massive figure on a Bone Throne through the semi-transparent black gauze curtains. Although it was just sitting there and its face was not visible, it gave off a vast and immense aura like a mountain rising from the ground, the overwhelming pressure making one's heart tremble with fear.

"Meiji pays respects to the Heishan Lao Yao." Meiji hurriedly walked forward.

"Where is Nie Xiaoqian?" A heavy, cold voice came from behind the black gauze curtains.

"Xiaoqian was originally picked up by the ghost soldiers, but she was intercepted halfway. It was Yan Hongye of the Profound Heart Sect," Meiji said hurriedly.

"Oh, Yan Hongye?"

"She is the standout of the current generation of the righteous path; even this little demon is no match for her."

"You took my benefits, yet you let her run away. You deserve to die!"

The Heishan Lao Yao behind the gauze curtains let out a cold snort.

"Lao Yao, spare my life! Lao Yao, spare my life! It is truly because this little demon's cultivation is shallow and I am no match for Yan Hongye." Meiji's pretty face changed, and she kowtowed repeatedly.

Swish!

The gauze curtain suddenly lifted at one corner, and a streak of black energy shot out from behind the curtain, piercing through Meiji's shoulder blade, blood gushing out.

"You didn't even try to stop her; this is your punishment."

"Thank you, Heishan Lao Yao, for sparing my life."

"Hmph, take me to find that Yan Hongye..."

The Heishan Lao Yao's voice sounded again, but as if it had sensed something unusual, the voice stopped abruptly, followed immediately by a low, angry roar: "Who is spying? Why don't you get out here, you wretch!"

"

Following this shout, thick black energy rolled and surged, and the entire Nanguo Town shook with a rumble, the ground undulating like waves, demonstrating the Lao Yao's profound cultivation.

At the same time, in the void that had originally been empty, a black figure appeared.

Accompanying this was an extremely terrifying sword light. The demonic aura and ghost aura in mid-air came into contact with this sword light and crumbled inch by inch, like ice and snow melting under the scorching sun. Wherever the sword light passed, the energy boiled and was entwined with wind and thunder. And the ghost soldiers and ghost generals who stood in the path of this Sword Qi were cut down without any power to fight back, dissipating into a mass of Yin energy; the entire long street was instantly sliced in two.

Meiji had also been standing in the path of this sword strike. Her cultivation was, after all, much higher than that of the ghost soldiers and ghost generals, and at the critical moment, she dodged away, though one of her arms was severed, and blood splattered everywhere.

The entire Bone Altar was also unable to withstand this sword strike and shattered with a boom.

Unfortunately, this sword strike did not achieve the effect of clearing the field.

As the dust and smoke dissipated, a strange and sinister demonic shadow appeared within the broken altar.

——Heishan Lao Yao!

He wore a golden mask on his face and had a slender figure, with rolling black Qi behind him that, after a moment, intertwined into a colossal skull visage that seemed capable of devouring heaven and earth. The skull opened its massive mouth, spitting out thousands of strands of pitch-black smoke, each strand manifesting a face struggling in agony; cries and wails emanated from the smoke, shrill and desperate.

"How preposterous! Daring to strike at me, your grandfather? I shall extract your soul and torture you for all eternity."

The voice of Heishan Lao Yao had changed, as if thousands of voices were speaking at once—men, women, old, and young—yet all were hoarse and eerie, making one's skin crawl upon hearing them.

At the same time, the already hideous and terrifying hole became even darker, emitting a desperate aura that pressed down upon Yu Liancheng like a black cloud.

"To be able to block one of my strikes, you have some cultivation. Kneel now, submit to me, and hand over your Nine-Turn Demon Pearl, and I may yet spare your life." Facing the terrifying demonic aura of Heishan Lao Yao, Yu Liancheng remained calm and indifferent.

"Submit to you?" The Heishan Lao Yao was startled, then immediately let out a strange laugh, the laughter filled with mockery and disdain: "Hahaha, you little brat, your cultivation doesn't even amount to a fraction of mine, and you dare tell me to kneel? And you want me to hand over the Nine-Turn Demon Pearl? Is there something wrong with your brain?!"

"The waves of the Changjiang push the waves ahead; as for an old thing like you who is stubborn and unyielding, it is better to..."

Yu Liancheng shook his head, and boundless demonic Qi gushed forth—this was the demonic Qi from Yue Mo, pure and powerful—which was then poured entirely into Wan Dao Wuji.

The blade of Wan Dao Wuji instantly turned scarlet, as if it had been salvaged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

He rotated his five fingers to grip the sword, as if about to draw it from its scabbard.

——Although this sword had no scabbard.

Following this simple movement, the demonic Qi between heaven and earth, and even the demonic Qi on Heishan Lao Yao's body, began to stir, as if wanting to break free and rush toward Wan Dao Wuji.

"How is this possible?"

Heishan Lao Yao naturally sensed this bizarre situation and found it unbelievable.

"Go to hell!"

However, before he could be more surprised, Yu Liancheng had already taken a step forward and swung a sword strike at him.

A shrill sword light like a blood-red rainbow shot into the sky, spreading out at an incredible speed.

Heishan Lao Yao had not even had time to react before the sword light passed through his body, instantly spreading hundreds of feet further and flying diagonally toward the high firmament; the air was filled with the rolling sound of wind and thunder, terrifying to the soul.

"One sword... Heaven-Slaying!"

Meiji clutched her injured right arm, her face pale, looking slightly upward at the long red crack that had appeared in the starry night sky.

It was as if the previous sword strike had split the very firmament of the night sky in two, and a look of indescribable shock could not help but appear in her eyes.

"This is... the Heaven-Slaying... Sword-Drawing Art!"

Heishan Lao Yao lowered his head with difficulty; a thin, long red sword mark appeared on his body, and demonic Qi gushed out from the wound. He looked at Yu Liancheng with difficulty once more, stretched out a trembling hand as if wanting to say something, but it was too late; with a "bang," he exploded into countless dark red blood mists.

As the blood mist dispersed, a pitch-black primordial pill appeared out of thin air where Heishan Lao Yao had vanished.

Yu Liancheng reached out and grabbed the black primordial pill. Within this pill was an extremely violent and vast energy; it was the inner core formed from Heishan Lao Yao's thousand years of cultivation.

The reason he had sought out Heishan Lao Yao was partly for the Mysterious Heart Secret Canon, and partly because he wanted this "Nine-Turn Demon Pill."

If an ordinary demon were to swallow the Nine-Turn Demon Pill, they would quickly become a peerless great demon, capable of suppressing an entire region.

And Yu Liancheng intended to use this demon pill to further perfect his Heaven-Slaying Sword-Drawing Art.

After putting the "Nine-Turn Demon Pill" into his pocket, Yu Liancheng turned to look at Yan Hongye, who had just arrived with a grave expression, and smiled: "I have fulfilled my promise, and you should fulfill yours as well."

"That is only natural."

Yan Hongye hesitated for a moment and nodded.

After saving Xiao Qian, she had sensed the appearance of vast demonic and ghostly Qi, so she had rushed over and witnessed the sword light that had easily slain Heishan Lao Yao.

Such a sword strike could perhaps only be barely resisted by someone who had cultivated the Mysterious Heart Secret Canon to its peak and condensed the legendary Blood Talisman.

And if she were to break her word, she feared the other party could kill her with a casual strike.

Yan Hongye said: "The 'Mysterious Heart Secret Canon' which records the Mysterious Heart Secret Canon is not with me; you will need to wait a few days for me to go back and retrieve it."

"There is no need for such trouble." Yu Liancheng suddenly appeared before Yan Hongye, extended a hand, and tapped a finger on her forehead: "Do not resist, or do not blame me if you become an idiot." An unfathomable fluctuation instantly invaded Yan Hongye's mind, scouring for the secrets regarding the Mysterious Heart Secret Canon.

Yan Hongye frowned slightly, but did not resist.

A moment later, Yu Liancheng withdrew his finger and sighed: "What a Mysterious Heart Secret Canon; it is indeed infinitely powerful, but it is too extreme—a technique that destroys oneself."

He did not necessarily need to cultivate this technique, but he could take its essence and dissolve it into the Gui Cang Nine Paths.

Furthermore, this Mysterious Heart Secret Canon was created by the peerless woman Su Tianxin; in some respects, that woman could be considered the founder of the Mysterious Heart Sect, an existence who had lived for hundreds of years and was nearly an immortal.

Perhaps he could use the Mysterious Heart Secret Canon to find that extraordinary woman.

"Stop." Yu Liancheng spoke suddenly, causing Meiji, who had been preparing to sneak away, to stiffen. She gave a fawning smile: "Meiji greets this young master; I wonder what instructions the young master has."

"Nothing much, just sending you to meet Heishan Lao Yao." Yu Liancheng waved his hand casually, and a violent sword Qi swept out. Although this Meiji had some beauty, she was a spider demon by nature, and the resentment and baleful aura on her were extremely heavy; she had likely harmed countless people, so it was best if she died.

"Ah!

" Meiji screamed, her face pale with terror. Although this strike was far less terrifying than the one that had slain Heishan Lao Yao earlier, it was more than enough to kill her.

Boom!

Just then, another blood-red sword light slashed over.

The two sword lights collided, emitting a huge roar, and the scattered sword Qi vented in all directions, as if stirring up a storm of sword Qi.

There were not many people in the world who could block a strike from Yu Liancheng, even if it was just a casual strike.

And the person who had unleashed that sword Qi earlier could be considered an "acquaintance" of Yu Liancheng.

"Hmph, Meiji deserves to die, but she is also a member of our Yinyue Dynasty; it is not for an outsider to kill her."

The Holy Monarch Qiye had arrived.