Chapter 265: Truly a timely rain

In the mother-son duel, the Grey Old Lady narrowly won.

But as Hui Moqiong said, a crafty rabbit has three burrows; Hui Cong isn't so easily defeated.

Moreover, he has many brothers and sisters; whoever harbors ambitions to seize power first bands together with Hui Cong.

First, they must topple the Grey Old Lady from her position as head of the family; only then will it be time for the siblings to settle their scores.

As long as the Grey Old Lady remains, the siblings cannot openly turn against each other.

But before we act, if the Grey Old Lady can hold onto the Grey Immortal Hall, that would be our greatest help.

Pressured like this, Hui Cong will keep an even closer watch on the corpse demons.

The corpse demons……are likely his only chance for a desperate counterattack.

The pressure has fallen on us.

After joining forces with Hui Moqiong, we discussed only the deployment for tonight.

Because the corpse demons' tribulation is tomorrow night.

To our surprise, a violent rainstorm fell in the evening.

In early spring, such rainstorms are rare; the raindrops strike the skin, even carrying a hint of icy chill.

That rainstorm came suddenly; I specifically checked the weather forecast for parts of Chang City, which had been clear all week.

Liu Junyan stood with hands behind his back under the eaves, watching the occasional lightning and thunder in the rain curtain, and said, 'It looks like someone summoned this rain through ritual.'

I don't know why, but as soon as Liu Junyan said that, the image of a Great Lama conducting a ritual instantly appeared in my mind.

The passing of the White Old Lady……

The Ox Tiger Mountain prison……

Those Great Lamas are everywhere.

Furthermore, in the battle at Ox Tiger Mountain, the false ascetic monk ultimately escaped capture.

They are the most skilled at raising corpses.

Beneath the temples on Ox Tiger Mountain, they finally dug up so many corpses, and those corpses had even been trained to form battle arrays!

What if…… Chang City is also one of their strongholds?

This rain……

'Mo Qiong!' I was still speculating when Liu Junyan suddenly spoke, ordering, 'Send a team with good sense of direction, sharp eyesight, and light feet to sneak quietly into the mountains to check whether there is any ritual site or rain‑summoning altar on the mountains or peaks; do not startle the snake, and report back immediately if you find anything.'

Hui Moqiong asked nothing, obeyed absolutely, and immediately went to deploy.

I stepped to Liu Junyan's side and asked, 'Do you also suspect this rain was summoned by someone with intent?'

'Yes.' Liu Junyan said, 'If I'm not mistaken, they may intend to use this rainstorm to activate the Nine Heavens Soul‑locking Formation.'

I felt alarmed: 'You mean they want to release the zombies in the mine tunnels?'

Liu Junyan nodded: 'Our plan must be moved up, Xiao Jiu—check what you're bringing into the mine tunnels; we'll break the formation tonight.'

I'm carrying a lot of stuff.

I brought some high‑grade talisman paper and have already given some to Hui Moqiong and the others.

The rest, what I usually carry, I have with me today as well.

The extra item is the Soul‑guiding Lamp.

I checked the Soul‑guiding Lamp; its Merit Light is full.

I also silently ran through that list in my mind once more, making sure nothing was missed.

Half an hour later, news came back from Hui Moqiong's side.

Contrary to my expectation, it wasn't a Great Lama performing a ritual; rather, as Liu Junyan had supposed, someone had set up an altar on the mountain peak and was conducting a rain‑summoning ceremony.

What's worse, the valley was filled with the sound of frogs.

Hui Moqiong described it thus: you can't see the toads, but their croaking rises from underground, pervasive everywhere.

Hui Moqiong asked Liu Junyan, 'Are we still going to wait?'

'No more waiting,' Liu Junyan declared firmly. 'We must quickly interrupt their ritual, otherwise once those toads seep into every anchor point of the mine tunnels, it will be too late.'

Hui Moqiong then asked, 'The altar is on the highest, steepest peak—should we assault it head‑on?'

'I'll go,' Liu Junyan said, stepping into the rain curtain.

We immediately followed.

As it turned out, something else we hadn't anticipated happened: before we could reach the mountain hollow, a subordinate reported that Master Hui Quan had arrived.

I had handed all the post‑funeral affairs of Qiu Fengnian's family over to Master Hui Quan.

I recall that Qiu Fengnian had invited Master Hui Quan and his disciples to conduct a month‑long ritual to settle his household matters.

Master Hui Quan thus earned a substantial fee, and later even called specially to thank me.

'He hasn't even left Chang City yet?' I asked. 'What is he doing here at a time like this?'

The subordinate replied, 'Master Hui Quan came with four disciples; the five of them, upon arrival, set up a formation at the base of the peak where the rain‑summoning altar was, and by the time I rushed to deliver the message, they were already performing the ritual in the downpour.'

I suddenly realized: Master Hui Quan was here to help break the formation behind this rainstorm!

My heart eased a little, and I couldn't help but sigh, 'Master Hui Quan truly is our timely rain.'

Liu Junyan took my hand as we walked, saying, 'Xiao Jiu, this is the good karma you've sown; of course it will bear good fruit.'

I carried the Soul‑guiding Lamp, almost jogging to keep up with their pace.

The Soul‑guiding Lamp was covered with a black cloth, yet Merit Golden Light seeped out from its base, tinting the rain‑screen with gold.

Before we even reached the mountain base, a thunderclap exploded nearby; a bolt of lightning as thick as a baby's arm shot straight down in one direction, and for an instant heaven and earth turned deathly pale.

Boom—

A tremendous roar shook the earth and mountains.

Our steps halted simultaneously.

Hui Moqiong clapped his hands excitedly and said: "Hey, it really was broken by that little old man!"

"Mo Qiong, notify your subordinates to help Master Hui Quan and the others withdraw as soon as possible." Liu Junyan gave an orderly deployment: "Xiao Jiu, head east, stay as hidden as possible, and wait for my signal."

I nodded, held the Soul-guiding Lamp, and quickly went east to hide.

Master Hui Quan destroyed the Altar atop the mountain peak; next, he would face a massive counterattack from the enemy, so Liu Junyan had to rush over immediately and quickly suppress them.

But I had to wait for the Corpse Demon to be forced out of the grave pit, and for Liu Junyan to open the Nine Heavens Soul-Locking Formation, before I could act.

My target is the mine tunnel beneath the Formation Array.

I had just finished hiding to the east when I saw Liu Junyan soar into the air, heading straight for the mountain peak that had just been struck by lightning.

I raised my hand to shield my forehead, narrowed my eyes, and followed Liu Junyan's silhouette through the rain.

I saw him make a hand seal, and dozens of Golden Copper Coins instantly linked together into a Copper Coin Sword, which he slashed toward the mountain peak!

Another loud boom rang out.

Rumbling rocks poured down from the mountain peak.

At the base of the mountain peak, Hui Moqiong had already led Master Hui Quan and his four disciples away.

But just then, a chorus of croaking frogs rang out, echoing continuously throughout the mountains.

I saw that in a mountain valley to the west, a thick black energy was spreading outward continuously.

Dang!

An ancient, clear copper bell rang out from the mountain valley, and a sharp voice followed: "I summon the five-direction ghost god soldiers; the Yin soldiers and ghost generals are true spirits……"