Chapter 1653: Chapter 838: Looming Doubts (Part 2)
This time, the darkness is much denser and fiercer than before.
There is no light, no wind, as if it were a dead-end isolated from the world.
But Li Yan and Lv San stood on the periphery, yet could clearly feel that within that darkness, a fierce battle beyond imagination was raging.
Not the Five Dao General...
Li Yan frowned slightly, a bit of worry in his heart.
The Five Dao General had established a connection with him, and would rush to his call at the first moment, exchanging information along the way.
Not appearing this time, perhaps those yin soldiers earlier are hard to deal with...
His heart worried, while the battle opposite continued.
The ground trembled faintly, as if something deep within the earth vein was repeatedly torn, crushed, and scorched. The edges of the darkness occasionally swelled violently, as if a massive creature was trying to burst out from within, yet was firmly locked by an invisible barrier.
Occasionally, some kind of piercing scraping sound would emanate, like a blade scraping over bones, or like metal rubbing against hard armor, making one’s teeth ache.
Li Yan’s expression also became heavy.
The yin department soldiers that came this time, their murderous intent and decisive actions far exceeded those of the past, and it was unclear who they were with.
Lv San’s throat bobbed as he spoke softly, "Brother Li, inside..."
Li Yan shook his head, signaling him to be silent, focusing his attention.
After about half an incense stick’s time, that darkness receded like a receding tide, gradually thinning, finally dissolving into the drizzling rain, as if it had never appeared.
On the cliff platform, daylight was once again visible, though it was still a gloomy rain curtain.
Where the "Black Earth Mother" once resided, was now a mess.
Dark sludge and shattered internal organs splattered all around, staining the vast rocky areas a murky color.
In the center, two bodies lay quietly in the mud.
One was the corpse of that withered old daoist.
His entire body seemed to have been drained of all moisture, his skin clinging to his bones, exhibiting a pale plaster color, his hair all dry, with no external wounds visible except for dark blood at the edges of his seven orifices.
His face still bore the twist and horror of his final moments.
His eyes wide open, staring blankly at the leaden sky.
The other, was the remnants of the "Black Earth Mother."
The massive lump of flesh had collapsed for the most part, as if having lost some kind of supporting power, sprawled on the ground like mud, lifeless, unmoving.
The originally ferocious and evil earth immortal and spirit monster were now silent dead things, left to the rain’s cleansing.
The previously tense atmosphere eased a bit.
Li Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air from his chest, finally noticing that the shirt under his nightwear was somewhat damp and cool, unclear whether from rain or sweat.
He walked to the pirate captive beside him, lifting the man by his collar.
Lv San had already pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, uncorked it, and waved it under the captive’s nose.
The man’s eyelids fluttered, coughing up some muddy water, slowly coming to, opening his eyes to meet Li Yan’s cold pond-like gaze, shivering all over with fright.
Li Yan didn’t waste time with nonsense, directly asking, "What’s the name of your leader? Besides colluding with this old daoist and seeking those Mountain Immortals, what else are you plotting in Nanling?"
The captive’s eyes flickered, just about to hedge, when Li Yan’s hand was already pressing on the seam of his shoulder blade.
A few light bone-cracking sounds came, cold sweat beaded on the captive’s forehead, rasping in his throat, he immediately shouted hoarsely, "I’ll tell... the leader, the leader is called Miyamoto Qizhao... We, we are under the orders of the Divine Lord, coming to seek the Mountain Immortals."
"Hmph!"
Li Yan let out a cold snort, the killing intent even stronger, "Half truth, half lie, still trying to fool me, the Divine Lord is Zhao Changsheng, isn’t it? You know what I’m really asking!"
"If you dare hide any more, I’ll send you straight to the Netherworld!"
He spoke these words out of habit, as a bluff.
He naturally knew about the Japanese fake Yin Constables, but based on his understanding of Zhao Changsheng, such intricate arrangements were not just for a few hiding Earth Immortals.
Sure enough, the Japanese Divine Han was momentarily bewildered, then after a bout of Li Yan’s Bone Shattering Hand, he screamed repeatedly and confessed, "I’ll talk, I’ll talk, searching for the Mountain Immortals is just a façade... in reality, it’s to seek out thirty-six ’Earth Vein Intersection’ Ancient Altars throughout Lingnan... to set up ’Pillars of Passage’ through the method of living Yin messengers!"
"Pillars of Passage?" Li Yan’s gaze sharpened.
"I only know a bit, vaguely, it’s an ancient site to connect the ’Divine Country’ to the world... One is a hundred miles northwest at the ’Ghost Master Cave’, another, another is right beneath this ’Black Earth Mother’s’ lair... Earlier, their leader took the opportunity during your fight to head for that cave entrance!"
The captive pointed towards the depths of the fork where the Japanese had fled, his mud-covered face full of fear, "As for the details... I truly don’t know!"
Li Yan released his hand and exchanged a glance with Lv San, both looking solemn.
This was no simple assassination or subjugation.
These Japanese had penetrated deep into the heart of Nanling, intending to use the Earth Vein Ancient Altar, along with the so-called "living Yin Constable power," to set up some sort of pillar foundation to draw in the power of the Daluo Law Realm!
This was uncannily linked with the conspiracy Li Yan had seen in the Returning Ruins Immortal Mountain Secret Realm, where Immortal Gods intended to descend on a large scale.
Although not clear what method this was, it must not be allowed to succeed.
Li Yan hesitated no more, kicked and shattered the Japanese’s head, and said in a deep voice to Lv San, "I’ll quickly head to the cave entrance of the lair—these Japanese were delayed by us for a while, they may not have dug that quickly, inform them to come and support us."
Lv San nodded and immediately blew a whistle.
Soon, from the distant hidden mountain forest, Eagle Falcon Lidong soared skyward.
As for the two of them, they adjusted their garments and weapons, not caring for the chaotic battlefield, quickly swept past the cliff platform, and plunged into the fork where the Japanese had fled...
......
In the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, the sound of hooves and footsteps was heard along the mountain path, as Wang Daoxuan and others led a thousand of Wuzhou Guard elites, finally arriving at the cliff platform.
Though the rain had stopped, the mountain mud had not dried.
The soldiers held torches, the flame casting a halo of yellow in the forest mist.
Raising their eyes, they saw the massive object sprawled across the cliff platform. Even those seasoned in military service couldn’t help but gasp, and suppressed murmurs and the rustling of armor spread through the ranks.
It was the corpse of the Black Earth Mother.
Its form no longer bursting with a violent swell, it lay like a mountain of decay between the mud and broken wood, exuding an indescribable stench of rot and soil.
The night wind carried the stench, many soldiers had to cover their noses, faces expressing shock and doubt.
Wang Daoxuan stepped forward, calming the unrest, ordered Ma Qianhu to have a guard at the periphery, while he and Zhou Qingyuan approached for a closer look.
He crouched down, sensing the remaining aura, his brows slowly furrowing, speaking deep, "Judging by its form and smell, it resembles the ’Chaos’ remnant bloodline mentioned in ancient texts. It’s said that in Ancient Times, when heaven and earth were indistinct, Chaos Qi would form into a beast, shapeless, it loved to consume Earth Vein Yin Sha."
"In later generations, mutant bloodlines occasionally exist where Earth Veins are blocked or on Ancient Battlefields where miasma accumulates, known among people as ’Tai Sui’ or ’Earth Mother,’ but in truth, it’s mostly this kind of being."
Silently observing for a while, Zhou Qingyuan finally withdrew his gaze from the massive corpse.
This prestigious Jade Emperor Sect Tianshu Hall Steward, bearing the Thunderstruck Peach Wood Sword, maintained a stoic expression, and on hearing Wang Daoxuan’s words, nodded slightly, picking up the conversation: "What Daoist Wang said is not wrong. This thing being here is not by chance."
His gaze swept over the cliff terrain, then looked towards the deep pit left by the Black Earth Mother’s emergence, his tone grave, "Please observe, though the cliff’s terrain is perilous, it’s located in a depression in the heart of intersecting mountain ridges. The mountain for movement is like a dragon, the water is the Dragon Vein, Nanling’s mountains’ Dragon Veins crisscross."
"This place, I fear, is a ’node’ of one of such Earth Vein Intersections."
He paused, surveying the surrounding officers and Wang Daoxuan and others, continuing, "In the Lingnan historical chronicles, there is obscure mention of an old event. Around the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there seems to have been a great calamity here, unrelated to war, but a ’land change’."
"The records are fragmented, only stating the mountain collapsed, the ground cracked, miasma was rampant, and within months all living creatures over a hundred li dwindled, villages nine out of ten vacant, some survivors claimed to see ’black gas gushing from the ground, Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.’ Afterwards, Mystical Sect seniors suspected it was caused by a sudden eruption of Earth Vein Evil Qi, but there was no evidence, gradually becoming a mystery."
"For there to be thirty-six such places is truly frightening!"
