"Bold!"
Seeing this, Luo Mingzi flared with anger, ready to hurl his treasured sword.
Yet Chen Fakui showed no fear, seizing a candle from the table.
Luo Mingzi froze, halting in his tracks.
Chen Fakui, realizing he couldn't stop him, had placed several gunpowder packets on the altar. For a swift detonation, he'd even piled gunpowder at the fuses.
Gunpowder wasn't rare in the Great Xuan Dynasty.
Though the court strictly banned its private use, many martial sects and bandit strongholds concocted it, beyond control.
Especially after the seas opened, maritime trade and bloody naval battles relied on cannons, making gunpowder indispensable. Many merchant guilds secretly stockpiled it.
By now, the ban was a hollow formality.
Martial artists rarely used it in fights, as doing so triggered major cases, often investigated by the Commandant Bureau. Regardless of right or wrong, using it was a death sentence.
If Chen Fakui tossed the candle, the entire tomb would collapse, destroying both the children and Wang Daoxuan's soul jar.
At that moment, a glint flickered in Luo Mingzi's eyes.
His keen vision spotted a hand emerging from a thief's tunnel above the rear of the tomb chamber, pressing downward gently, signaling him not to act rashly.
It was Li Yan, who had sneaked in using an invisibility technique to mask his presence. He, too, had noticed the gunpowder and refrained from attacking.
Luo Mingzi's expression remained steady as he spoke gravely, "Fellow Daoist, I heard from Zhao Facheng that you once protected a region. Why do this?"
"Protected a region?"
Chen Fakui seemed struck by a memory, laughing bitterly. "Yes, I thought so too—accumulating virtue, staying true to my heart, seeking enlightenment, aiming to bring glory to my sect."
"But what did I get?"
"Why do evildoers live carefree and die peacefully, while I, with unfulfilled ambitions, am struck with a terminal illness?"
"What damned virtue! The heavens are unjust—why should I uphold them?"
Seeing his near-madness, Luo Mingzi narrowed his eyes,劝说, "You haven't committed a grave sin yet. Even in death, you could reincarnate peacefully. But if you tread the demonic path, there's no turning back."
"Reincarnation?"
Chen Fakui laughed. "Immortality, longevity, reincarnation… everyone's said it since ancient times, but who's seen it? It's all lies to fool the masses."
Luo Mingzi sneered coldly. "That's your shallow experience. The玄门 has seen countless brilliant cultivators over generations. Do you think they're all fools?"
"Honestly, I do know a thing or two…"
"Oh?"
Chen Fakui's attention was hooked, his grip loosening slightly.
Li Yan, from behind, seized the moment, leaping out and flicking his right hand, sending a flying locust stone whistling through the air.
Crack!
The candle in Chen Fakui's hand was knocked away.
Untrained in martial arts, his reflexes couldn't match a warrior's.
Luo Mingzi, across from him, struck without mercy. With a flick of his hand, the Seven Star Sword flashed like a bolt of silk, piercing Chen Fakui's heart with a schlick.
Simultaneously, Li Yan landed, flipping his Guanshan blade and slashing. Chen Fakui's head flew off, rolling across the ground.
Thud. The corpse collapsed, and Li Yan exhaled in relief.
Luo Mingzi sprang forward, swiftly moving the surrounding braziers and candles away from the gunpowder packets at the altar's center.
Twelve children lay on the ground. If one woke in panic and knocked over a brazier, they'd all be buried with the tomb.
Li Yan sheathed his blade and helped.
But then, the hairs on his back stood on end, a chill surging through him, as if a beast had appeared behind him.
Clang!
Li Yan drew his blade and spun around.
Chen Fakui's severed head on the ground was staring at him.
Though dead, a wave of resentment surged toward him.
"Bold!"
Luo Mingzi, noticing this, unhooked a soul-suppressing bell from his waist. Shaking it with his left hand and forming a seal with his right, he said sternly, "Guard your mind. I'll dispel the curse."
In his final moment, Chen Fakui had ignited his spirit tower with his last shred of will, cursing Li Yan.
The bell chimed, its righteous aura spreading with the sound.
But it was a step too late.
Li Yan's vision darkened, his head throbbing as if splitting. Chen Fakui's venomous roars echoed in his mind, and hallucinations emerged:
Six gashes on Chen Fakui's forehead slowly opened, turning into six eyes gazing in different directions, utterly eerie.
Then, a searing pain erupted in his abdomen.
Though agonizing, it snapped Li Yan's mind back to clarity.
Looking again, where were the six eyes on Chen Fakui's forehead?
Gritting his teeth, he pulled an object from his waist—Wu Laosi's soul hook!
After Wu Laosi's death, it had returned to normal, its aura gone, like an ordinary token.
Sha Lifei, too timid to handle it, left it to Li Yan, who wrapped it in red cloth and kept it at his waist.
Unexpectedly, it now stirred with a strange change.
Gripping the soul hook, Li Yan sweated profusely, feeling as if he held a red-hot iron, the stench of burning flesh rising. Yet he couldn't let go.
The pain was like a blade piercing his heart, his entire arm numb.
His Da Luo Dharma Body in his dantian began repairing itself.
The wound on his hand vanished, only to be scorched again by the soul hook.
In moments, it cycled several times.
Finally, the burning pain subsided.
The soul hook clattered to the ground, and Li Yan's vision blackened, nearly collapsing.
Lifting his hand, he saw a scar branded by the soul hook.
Charred black, it looked like a tattoo.
Luo Mingzi, having dispelled Chen Fakui's death curse, placed a yellow talisman on his forehead before stowing the bell.
Seeing the scar on Li Yan's hand, he froze. "Soul hook? A living yin agent?"
"Impossible!"
Whoosh!
At that moment, a fierce wind roared outside.
The shrine's spirit soldiers arrived, gales howling and yin mist enveloping the mountain. Lone ghosts hiding in the fog were dragged by invisible ropes, vanishing into the air.
The sight was truly spectacular.
Li Yan, with his scent-based divine sense, felt it deeply.
No wonder the City God Temple could maintain local peace—these spirit soldiers were like an army. Though individually weaker than the Cold Altar's fierce troops, their numbers were vast, making any yin spirit or ghost flee in terror.
Looking at Chen Fakui's corpse, Li Yan sighed. "These soldiers always show up to clean up the mess, don't they?"
"Tonight was unusual. Normally, it's not this troublesome."
Luo Mingzi shook his head, his face grave as he turned to Li Yan. "Forget that—you're in deep trouble."
"Not a yin traveler, yet a living yin agent…"
"I've never heard of such a thing!"
…
Morning light streamed through the window slats, casting beams of light.
Wang Daoxuan's eyelids twitched, then slowly opened, revealing a circle of figures around him.
Li Yan, Shopkeeper Wan, Sha Lifei, and an unfamiliar道人.
As if waking from a long nightmare, he felt dazed.
"Daoist, how do you feel?"
Sha Lifei, anxious, spoke up quickly.
His voice, like a key, unlocked Wang Daoxuan's chaotic memories. Piecing together the situation, he understood what had happened.
"Thank you all for the rescue."
He forced a smile, his voice hoarse.
Luo Mingzi stepped forward, pulling back Wang Daoxuan's eyelids to check his eyes, nodding. "He's fine. His spirit is damaged, but a few days' rest will restore it."
"Good. Thank you, Daoist Luo."
Shopkeeper Wan sighed in relief, waving. "Let's leave first. Daoist Wang, rest up. We'll talk when you're better."
Wang Daoxuan nodded, as if speaking had drained him. His eyes closed, and he sank into deep sleep.
Outside, Shopkeeper Wan clasped his hands. "Thanks to Daoist Luo's help. I've prepared some wine…"
After finding the soul jar, Li Yan had invited Luo Mingzi to Shangyi Village to help Wang Daoxuan's soul return, fearing complications.
A disciple of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect was indeed exceptional, resolving it before dawn.
"No need, Senior Wan."
Luo Mingzi shook his head. "The aftermath isn't settled, and I have other matters. I'll speak with Brother Li briefly and leave."
He pulled Li Yan to a secluded spot.
The others tactfully withdrew.
Luo Mingzi said gravely, "It's daylight now. Check if the mark on your hand is still there."
Li Yan raised his hand. The soul hook's pattern on his left palm hadn't faded—it was clearer, like a jet-black tattoo.
"Senior, what's going on?"
Seeing this, Li Yan couldn't help but panic.
Not only his hand, but even the Da Luo Dharma Body in his dantian bore the same soul hook mark!
*(End of Chapter)*