Blade - Unbound

Chapter 74: The Spirit Medium, Angry!

So the puppets could do this too!

Li Yan’s divine ability remained active the entire time, so he naturally noticed the threat immediately. He had never expected the puppets to possess not only an evil Soul Calling Art, but also direct physical offensive capabilities.

What he did not know was that this was precisely what made puppet arts so terrifying. Intangible things like wandering souls and ghost soldiers primarily attacked the human spirit. So long as one prepared proper defenses or hid within temples rich with incense worship, they could be avoided.

When facing such circumstances, yin spirits and evil entities had no choice but to seek physical bodies instead. Just like when Li Yan had fought the Cold Altar Soldier, those things could attack him physically while he hid inside his home. But once he seeked shelter within the Earth God Temple, they could only possess wolves to launch assaults.

Puppet arts existed specifically to compensate for the weakness.

Chen Fakui intended to conduct an evil sacrifice. He knew that once his sect stripped him of the authority to command ghost soldiers, the only troops left under his control would be the few spirits he had personally raised. However, puppet arts remedied many of those shortcomings.

Though Li Yan did not understand the deeper workings behind it all, he felt absolutely no fear toward physical attacks like these. Twisting his body sideways, he abruptly stopped to dodge the strike. At the same time, he performed a lazy dragon roll and slashed upward with the Guanshan blade.

Crash!

The old scholar puppet was instantly split cleanly in half. Its components clattered across the ground while the hidden yin spirit inside was shredded by the killing qi contained in the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin tassel, dispersing into drifting mist.

Before the pieces even hit the ground, Li Yan rolled forward while covering his head. A blazing pillar of fire roared past him a second later. This time, it was the Jing puppet that had attacked.

In opera roles, the Jing role was commonly known as the painted-face role. Great painted faces represented loyal ministers and heroic generals. Secondary painted faces portrayed rough and reckless characters. Martial painted faces specialized in combat roles.

The particular Jing puppet wore the attire of a military general, with five command flags planted behind its back. It suddenly opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of burning lamp oil.

Of course, that was not a mystic art. A leather pouch had been hidden within the puppet’s stomach, with flint concealed inside its mouth. Controlled by the yin spirit operating the mechanism, it could spew flaming oil. Once the pouch emptied, the attack naturally could no longer be used.

Yet, the puppet did not stop attacking. Clinging to the tree trunk, it waved both hands as the five small command flags behind it shot out like hidden weapons.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Li Yan rolled aside to dodge. The five command flags all embedded themselves into the ground. Perhaps because the old scholar puppet had been instantly destroyed in a single slash, the remaining puppets no longer dared approach directly.

The Jing puppet attacked from afar with hidden weapons while the Chou clown puppet continued its Soul Calling Art. Its eerie giggling mixed together with the voices of familiar people crying for help, endlessly echoing beside Li Yan’s ears.

Li Yan’s gaze remained ice-cold. Ignoring everything completely, he turned and continued running. His task was not merely to draw away the attacks. He also had to locate the tomb where Chen Fakui hid as quickly as possible.

Moving at high speed, he suddenly performed an iron bridge maneuver while passing between two trees, sliding beneath them on his knees while simultaneously throwing his blade upward.

The Dan puppet proved to be the most sinister of them all. While the Jing and Chou puppets pursued him, it had rapidly circled ahead and drawn a razor-thin steel wire from its flowing sleeves, stretching it between the trees to intercept him.

The wire was so thin it was nearly invisible in the darkness. Had someone sprinted through carelessly, their neck might well have been sliced clean off.

However, Li Yan had detected it long ago and avoided it effortlessly. Rising to his feet, he did not even spare a glance backward. He merely pulled his blade to his side after stabbing it into the tree and continued running.

Crash!

The Dan puppet hiding behind the trunk collapsed into scattered fragments the moment the blade was pulled free, its yin spirit dispersing completely.

Watching from behind, Luo Mingzi nodded to himself.

Li Yan’s entire sequence of evasions and attacks was extremely impressive for someone his age. Most seasoned jianghu veterans could not perform at a similar level. Given time, the boy would undoubtedly become a formidable expert.

Unfortunately, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect had strict rules, especially the Enforcement Hall. They only recruited children and raised them from a young age. Still, becoming an outer disciple might not be impossible...

At last, after crossing the narrow trail midway up the slope, Li Yan once again caught the scent of Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei. Though faint, it clearly indicated the direction they had gone earlier. They were inside the ravine within the forest ahead!

The tomb entrance had already been opened, with broken bricks scattered around the area. As though desperate to stop Li Yan, the remaining three puppets no longer hid themselves. They leaped down from the trees and came whistling toward him, each carrying deadly weapons.

A savage grin appeared on Li Yan’s face as he held the Guanshan blade horizontally. He executed an advancing slash upward, followed by a reverse retreating diagonal cut. He finished the sequence with a hawk-flipping overhead strike with both hands gripping the blade!

Each slash came faster than the last, filled with murderous intent.

Crash...

All three wooden puppets shattered apart. Chen Fakui’s puppet arts might be strange and sinister, but controlling puppets at close range against a real bladesman was little different from seeking death. Yet after destroying the puppets, Li Yan felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, his expression changed dramatically as he rolled sideways.

Mud exploded as a figure shot toward him like a projectile.

It was Zheng Heibei, leader of the Iron Blade Gang.

At this moment, he had transformed completely. Already large and broad like a black bear, his body was now swollen with bulging muscles and throbbing veins. His eyes glowed blood-red, and combined with the bloody runes covering his face, he resembled a living yaksha demon.

Chen Fakui had sensed danger and dispatched Zheng Heibei to stop Li Yan. At that moment, Zheng Heibei felt the same exhilaration Yuan Qu experienced earlier. Endless strength surged through his body while killing intent flooded his mind. Using the Ape Leap like Yuan Qu, he violently burst forward.

Though slightly slower than Yuan Qu, he was vastly more ferocious. Mud exploded everywhere when he passed.

Li Yan only felt a vicious gust roar past him as he barely rolled sideways at the last instant. However, that was his first time fighting a true spirit medium.

The moment he rose and brought his blade up defensively, Zheng Heibei abruptly halted mid-charge. His right foot dug deep into the earth before hidden force erupted again.

Another Ape Leap! There was practically no pause between the two bursts.

Li Yan’s expression changed drastically, but it was already too late.

Zheng Heibei lunged toward him, shoulders loosening and elbows wrapping inward as both arms connected into a single entity. Crackling sounds exploded throughout his body as he launched a punch with his right fist.

Though possessed by a yin spirit and overwhelmed with killing intent, Zheng Heibei had only trained in the Zhou Family Monkey Fist for a short while. Instinctively, he used the Tongbei Fist he had practiced since childhood.

The Tongbei Fist produced what was known as cold force. Li Yan only managed to raise the back of his blade to block with his elbow before a terrifying force crashed into him like an iron hammer.

He flew several zhang backward, smashing violently into a tree before crashing to the ground. The impact instantly fractured his arm and left his chest tight. His vision darkened for a moment.

Across from him, Zheng Heibei laughed madly. “Hahahaha!”

But just as he prepared to continue attacking, his body suddenly froze. He no longer dared move.

Luo Mingzi slowly emerged with sword in hand from the forest behind him. His eyes were cold as ice as he gradually unsheathed his Seven Star Sword. Luo Mingzi himself felt somewhat helpless.

He obviously could not stand by and watch the young bladesman die, which had forced his hand. Moreover, despite possessing cultivation at the second level, he still could not maintain invisibility while simultaneously unleashing attacks through hidden force.

Otherwise, matters would not have become so troublesome. Luo Mingzi’s appearance not only caused Zheng Heibei to sense overwhelming killing intent and freeze in place, even Chen Fakui inside the tomb panicked slightly.

Standing before the altar, he waved his peachwood sword as several Wandering Soul Jars atop the altar exploded apart.

At the same time, he shouted, “Help me block the enemy! Today, I shall grant you freedom!”

Instantly, yin winds erupted as streams of black smoke roared out from the shattered jars. They spun once within the tomb before rushing outside and drilling directly into Zheng Heibei’s body. These were several powerful yin spirits Chen Fakui had subdued; they were already on the verge of becoming fierce ghosts. Originally, he had intended to refine them into spirit soldier puppets. Now, however, he could only deploy them early.

“ARGH!”

As multiple Yin spirits flooded into him, Zheng Heibei completely lost all sanity. His eyes rolled backward white, frosty mist sprayed from his nostrils. Inhuman roars burst from his throat.

Meanwhile, beneath the tree, Li Yan focused. Several fractures and internal injuries instantly healed. Staring at the terrifying yin qi radiating from Zheng Heibei, he knew that charging forward now would only burden Luo Mingzi.

Thus, he did not act rashly. Suddenly, a hole in the ground ahead caught his attention. The scent of those children drifted from within. Even the smell of burning incense and candles floated upward. It was faint, yet exceptionally clear.

A grave robber tunnel leading directly into the tomb!

Without hesitation, Li Yan rolled forward and dove into the hole. Luo Mingzi, having awakened his Body Root, possessed astonishing eyesight despite lacking yin-yang eyes. He immediately noticed Li Yan’s movement.

But he didn’t betray anything as he pointed his sword at Zheng Heibei. Though the two men spoke no words, their coordination was flawless. If Li Yan had served as bait earlier, now, Luo Mingzi himself had drawn the enemy’s attention.

So long as Li Yan entered the tomb and destroyed the altar, everyone could be saved.

“AWROGH!”

Unable to endure the oppressive atmosphere any longer, Zheng Heibei charged forward violently.

***

At the base of the hill, night winds howled around the altar. Sha Lifei tossed the remaining ritual paper into the brazier all at once.

The paper was made from rice straw, reeds, weeds, bamboo stalks, and other plant fibers. Rough and yellowish, it was also called earth paper or grass paper in some regions, and was primarily used for wrapping goods and ritual burning.

Instantly, fierce winds roared, whipping the flames into a spiraling fire tornado.

Sha Lifei bared his teeth and hurriedly backed away. Glancing toward Zhao Facheng, he thought to himself. As expected of a cultivator from the mystic path. This black-faced fellow’s second level cultivation makes his altar far more imposing than Wang Daoxuan’s.

At the same time, Zhao Facheng lifted another yellow talisman with his sword, ignited it, formed hand seals, stepped through ritual patterns, and thrust diagonally toward the sky.

Joy immediately appeared on Sha Lifei’s face. Though he could not perceive astral qi, he knew exactly what that meant.

Another command signal had been sent!

So long as they endured for one more incense stick’s worth of time and the third signal was sent, the City God Temple’s yin soldiers would arrive, guns blazing. At that point, even if Chen Fakui possessed three heads and six arms, he would still be forced to kneel.

But just then, a figure suddenly came sprinting down from the hill. Mud exploded beneath his feet as killing intent surged around him.

It was Yuan Qu, who had been possessed by yin spirits!