Chapter 150: Spectators

Boom—boom—clang—boom—boom—clang—

In a secluded valley, gongs and drums thundered; nearly three thousand convicts, shackled, sat cross-legged on the yellow earth, as soldiers distributed wine bowls and handfuls of salted pepper peanuts.

Several actors dressed in dazzling opera costumes performed the famed martial tale "Seven Maidens Trick the Buddha."

The play depicted seven Wu Sect demonesses seducing a Buddhist holy monk; the actor playing the monk sat on the ground, while seven vividly dressed dan actresses twirled and posed around him, displaying their magical arts.

Though the dan roles were played by men, with makeup and posture they rivaled women, their glances and gestures understood men better than women ever could.

The convicts serving labor sentences at the imperial mausoleum were mostly serious criminals, many having not seen a woman in over a decade; with fine wine and food, and a lewd opera to watch, they needed no enchantment—already their eyes were bloodshot, their expressions ecstatic.

The hundreds of guards stationed here were clearly not elite troops; serving as jailers meant risking a lifetime of confinement, while the convicts were only locked up for ten or twenty years, and even the guards, stirred by the meat rations issued by their superiors, were more excited than the prisoners.

The Imperial Mausoleum Official overseeing the construction enjoyed the best treatment, seated on a platform in the field, before him chicken, duck, fish, and meat, conversing with his subordinates:

"His Majesty is truly benevolent—when the Empress Dowager celebrates her birthday, hosting a grand banquet for court officials is one thing, yet he still remembers this place…"

"To serve the dead as if serving the living, Lord Wang has overseen this site for years with diligence and merit—he deserves reward. Alas, affairs in Jingcheng have been busy; we arrived a few days late…"

"Not late at all. The official notice said tomorrow or the day after, yet you've arrived today—this is already an unexpected joy…"

"I toast Lord Wang…"

"Hehe…"

As the wine flowed past the third round, the entire valley grew increasingly lively.

Over three thousand convicts and guards, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, grew increasingly frenzied; even their formations began to collapse.

Dozens of men armed with weapons guarded the valley's entrances and exits, yet no prisoner fled in the chaos—instead, all surged eagerly toward the center of the yellow earth field.

In the center, eight actors waved colorful silks, summoning a pink mist, from which emerged dozens of plump, naked women, carrying wine jars, the most stimulating meats, and gold coins, beckoning with fingers, laughing like silver bells:

"Hehehehe~~…"

"Come~…"

…

The three thousand souls, amid laughter, descended into madness, trampling each other as they crawled and scrambled toward the red mist, drenched in sweat, their breaths exhaling faint blood mist.

From above, the scene resembled countless ants converging from all directions toward the queen at the center.

No one found this bizarre spectacle strange—not even the officials seated on the platform, who wore rapturous smiles, swaying drunkenly into the crowd, reaching out toward the plump beauties just inches away, yet always half a step beyond grasp.

At the heart of the red mist, a cloaked figure chanted the mysterious incantation, fingers forming seals.

Threads of blood qi surged from all directions, gradually gathering in the palms.

But as the blood sacrifice array proceeded smoothly, a pale-blue lightning bolt suddenly slashed across the night sky above the valley:

Boom—

The thunder in the empty valley rang like a bell awakening the soul, making Xie Jinhuan atop the mountain ridge hear a deafening buzz in his ears!

The three thousand frenzied prisoners jolted awake—their illusions vanished, their minds cleared, and terror, unspeakable, flooded their faces:

"Demonic… demonic arts! Run—!"

"It's a demonic blood sacrifice…"

…

Since most prisoners were serious criminals, many recognized this ritual—pale-faced, they scrambled and rolled away in panic.

The hundreds of guards also snapped to their senses, drawing weapons and retreating in unison; a full-scale rout, irreversible, erupted within the valley.

Outside the valley perimeter…

Seven or eight sentries lay sprawled on the ground, each with a single sword wound across the throat, dead without a sound.

Li Jing, clad in a scholar's robe, wiped blood from his blade's edge and pushed upstream through the chaotic crowd:

"Three thousand people in panic—controlling them, forcing them back into bliss, is nearly impossible. The master of the array must be fleeing."

Zhang Guan, carrying a yellow-brown sword case at his side, stared at the churning red mist at the valley's center:

"He hasn't fled—the blood calamity surges skyward; he's been enraged. This man is highly accomplished—don't underestimate him."

Tap-tap-tap…

The scholar and the Daoist strode forward, while countless panicked prisoners scattered in all directions; soon, only a swirling pillar of blood mist remained at the valley's center.

The eight actors burst from the mist, weapons in hand; Zhang Guan formed the Thunder Seal with both hands, blue light swirling around his arms, silently chanting the incantation, then slammed his palms into the ground—eight thunder columns, as thick as bowls, tore through the yellow earth and instantly surged beneath the feet of the eight thugs.

Boom—

In a flash of lightning, the eight actors collapsed without a sound, their blood qi surging out and merging into the mist behind them.

Li Jing, sword Jinjiao in hand, did not pause his stride, even as he complained:

"You're quite the gentleman—won't step in until your minions are all dead."

Thud… thud…

As he spoke, heavy footsteps echoed from within the mist, like a wild ox or giant elephant.

Nangong Ye had reached the valley's edge; he frowned, watching as a figure over two meters tall emerged from the red mist.

The figure had long arms, towering shoulder and back muscles, thick, knotted thighs, radiating terrifying blood calamity; his skin glowed crimson, his long black-red hair streaming in the wind.

Though a half-demon, his physique displayed exceptional human beauty, paired with the black Asura mask on his face—he looked like a blood-soaked war general.

Zhang Guan, seeing this, frowned:

"His body is flawless—must have been refined entirely with human blood essence. How did the Jingzhao Prefecture raise such a demon Daoist?"

Li Jing, sword in hand, stepped forward, staring straight at the towering figure before the mist:

"Won't you introduce yourself?"

The towering figure's beard and hair fluttered; he made no move to attack, instead scanning the surroundings:

"Where is Xie Jinhuan?"

His voice was low yet powerful, like a lion or tiger's growl.

Li Jing looked puzzled: "Xie kid is in Jingcheng—why are you waiting here for him?"

"There are some accounts to settle with him. As long as the two of you are here, he is definitely here."

"Oh?"

Li Jing thought that since Sect Master Nangong was nearby, it was quite possible they had brought Xie Jinhuan along; to avoid scaring off this hard-won trial opponent, he replied:

"To kill you, we two old bones are enough; there is no need for Little Xie to step out."

As the words fell, Li Jing leaned forward, and his entire body suddenly surged out; along the way, his sword unsheathed, carrying a brilliant flowing light, looking from afar like a brocade dragon breaking the sky, drawing a dazzling semi-arc within the valley!

Zhang Guan followed closely behind, halfway slapping the back of his yellow-brown sword case; the sword case emitted a faint glow, and then:

Clang clang clang—

Seven magical swords flew out of the sword case, like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers toward the surroundings of the blood mist, instantly forming the 'Slaughter Immortal Array'.

As he formed the Thunder Seal with his fingers and Qi circulated through his body, the seven swords simultaneously erupted with bowl-thick brilliant lightning, like thunder chains, smashing into the blood-colored figure at the center!

Boom boom boom—

The half-demon with long hair fluttering in the wind, though struck by Lei Guang, did not stiffen; instead, like a wild ox dragging the thunder chains, he leaped forward violently, charging straight at Li Jing's center.

But Zhang Guan is the Vice Sect Master of Mount Zihui, and Li Jing is the Vice Chancellor of Danyang Academy; both are elite First Rank in the Immortal and Martial paths. Two against one against a demon Daoist who has not entered Super Rank should not crumble upon first contact.

Boom boom boom...

The entire valley became alternately bright and dark, with thunder and sword sounds echoing through the whole mountain range.

On the mountaintop, Xie Jinhuan sat among the tree canopy, holding a spyglass in his left hand and dried meat in his right, eating while watching the show, and even commented:

"Li Lao's sword technique is all flash and no substance... Old Daoist's Thunder Art is a bit cool; I must find a chance to learn a couple of moves from Seeing Mo Mo later..."

"The demon Daoist cultivates the body, with all his strength in his physique; if we gain no advantage at the start, as long as Li Lao doesn't act foolishly later, there is no chance of a comeback. Why not run..."

"The local gangs, it seems, are nothing special..."

Ye Hongshang, carrying a red umbrella, sat in front and noticed Xie Jinhuan acting as a keyboard warrior, ranting wildly, and replied:

"Below Super Rank, all are ants; indeed, there is nothing worth watching. How about Sister shows you something interesting?"

Xie Jinhuan put away the telescope, looked at the charming and moving ghost girl, and hesitated a bit:

"Won't it be another choose-two-out-of-three again? I've already spent enough time."

Ye Hongshang knew Xie Jinhuan had completed the mission, so at this moment she kept her promise and was no longer angry; she raised her right hand, and a sphere appeared in her palm, inside which was the scene of:

The Princess, Seeing Mo Mo, and Nai Duo forming the Three Talents Array, dancing the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss...

Ho~

Xie Jinhuan's eyes lit up; he felt this scene was far more interesting than three old things fighting in the valley, so he immediately leaned in to examine it closely.

However, after watching for not long, the red-clad ghost girl playing the recording frowned and looked up toward the north.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan raised his eyelids, slightly puzzled:

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm... something is not quite right. There seems to be blood-evil Qi on the other side of the river."

"Is there?"

"Yes. But it is very faint, concealed by the blood-evil Qi shooting up from the valley."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan thought it was the fleeing demon bandits burning, killing, and looting outside.

Staying here would only let him act as a keyboard warrior directing Jiangshan, unable to play any real role; thinking it over, he leaped down from the tree canopy and, following the ghost girl's guidance, crept toward Huai River...

(End of this chapter)