Blade - Unbound

Li Yan barked, "Careful. Don't move around!"

He quickly shielded Sha Lifei and Lu San behind him.

The Taixuan Orthodox Sect's spirit forces were sweeping in from every direction. Wang Daoxuan naturally knew how to respond, but Sha Lifei and Lu San had no experience with such a situation and needed to be warned.

At a time like this, the greatest taboo was moving about recklessly. From the scent, Li Yan judged that the approaching forces were most likely Enforcement Yin Soldiers.

Although this type of spirit force was relatively stable and would not act recklessly, they were still a vast mass of yin souls. If controlled poorly, they could easily clash with living people.

On the other side, the Daoist from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect also shouted a warning, "None of you move!"

At this moment, violent winds were raging all around them, sending leaves flying through the air. Dense yin mist surged and churned, blotting out the moonlight until they could no longer see their hands before their faces. All they could hear were strange rustling noises within the howling wind.

Every soldier felt a chill rise in his heart. They stood trembling where they were, not daring to move.

Fortunately, they had not lit any torches. Otherwise, if they had seen white frost spreading across the ground and countless footprints appearing out of nowhere, they might have panicked and fled in every direction.

Within a few breaths, the violent winds had already swept into the distance. The enemies opposite them had fallen completely silent. On the mountainside farther away, the scattered fires were also going out one after another, as though the entire stronghold were gradually being swallowed by darkness.

Li Yan stared into the distance with a grave expression. No wonder spirit forces were held in such high regard. Without sufficient protection, there was simply no resisting such overwhelming might.

The stronghold opposite them clearly lacked that ability.

Seeing that there was no longer any movement on the mountain, the Daoist turned and gave a slight nod. "Commander Huang, it's done."

"Light the torches and seize them!"

Countless torches were immediately ignited at Huang Wenzhong's command. The blazing firelight drove back the darkness and dispelled the soldiers' fear.

The group advanced with their torches raised. Before long, they discovered many people lying on the ground, all dressed in coarse, heavily patched clothing.

At first glance, they looked like ordinary destitute refugees, but every one of them carried a weapon, and the webbing between their thumbs and forefingers was covered in thick calluses. They were clearly all trained fighters.

They had caught a big fish!

Delight flashed across Huang Wenzhong's face. He hurried forward, grabbed several men at random, and tore open their collars. Each one bore a tattoo of a vicious beast resembling a tiger, but with a pair of wings.

"It really is the Heavenly Saint Cult!" A sharp gleam flashed in Huang Wenzhong's eyes. Turning around, he shouted sternly, "Tie them all up! Don't let a single one escape!"

Even the Taixuan Orthodox Sect would not use spirit forces to carry out mass slaughter, lest the backlash from the blood qi cause the troops to lose control. Thus, those people had merely been knocked unconscious when the yin baleful energy assaulted their souls. They lay motionless, but none had died.

The garrison soldiers immediately stepped forward, took out hemp ropes, and bound every last one of them tightly. Every soldier wore a broad smile. This was practically free military merit. The rewards from the army would certainly be generous.

The Heavenly Saint Cult?

Li Yan's expression changed slightly when he heard the name. Naturally, he had heard of them. The most recent great uprising of refugees had occurred several decades ago. They had been organized by a prominent jianghu figure known as the Heavenly Saint King.

According to rumor, not only had the man been a master in the Astral Jin Realm, but he had also possessed strange arts that allowed him to summon deities, command ghosts, and control demonic troops in battle. He had been extremely formidable.

After his death, an organization called the Heavenly Saint Cult had risen throughout the Jingchu region. Although it was not as powerful as the Maitreya Sect, it entrenched itself in the mountains, frequently opposed the imperial court, and was responsible for numerous cases.

Just the year before, it had even organized an attack on Shangyong County.

Li Yan had thought the tattoo was of a winged tiger, but if these people belonged to the Heavenly Saint Cult, then the beast they bore was something else entirely. It was a Qiongqi!

Has the Heavenly Saint Cult also set its sights on the new-style gunpowder?

Li Yan and Sha Lifei exchanged a glance, both wearing grave expressions. The waters were becoming frighteningly muddy...

With that thought, Li Yan quickened his pace. His current objective was to use the Military Surveillance Department to locate the old monk who cultivated the Fox-Heart Art and complete his mission for the Underworld. It would be best to distance himself from this mess as soon as possible.

The relationship between refugees and the imperial court was an impossible tangle!

From the refugees' perspective, they merely wanted to work their land in peace without suffering exploitation and oppression from officials, landlords, and wealthy gentry. Yet there were always people determined to force them to bow their heads.

From the imperial court's perspective, however, the refugees were a massive powder keg buried in the heart of the realm. As long as the issue remained unresolved, the court could never rest easy.

Li Yan genuinely wanted no part in such matters.

Just as the Ghost Fox had said, the stronghold was extremely well hidden. It sat halfway up the mountain, concealed by towering peaks and dense forest, with formations arranged around it. As Li Yan hurried through the area, he noticed that the centers of many tree trunks in the surrounding forest had been hollowed out. These hollows contained small shrines and spirit tablets, along with traces of incense offerings.

They were used to worship Yin Deities and ask for their protection. Once outsiders drew near, they would encounter ghost walls and unconsciously avoid the area. Even wild beasts would not dare approach.

No wonder the Ghost Fox had said it was difficult to enter. With so many Yin Deity tablets present, they too would have become trapped if the spirit forces hadn’t broken through them.

By now, those Yin Deities had likely all been captured by the Enforcement Yin Soldiers and escorted back to the City God Temple, where they would be disciplined and added to the ranks.

More unconscious people lay along the way. Like the others, they were all members of the Heavenly Saint Cult.

Once they entered the stronghold itself, however, the scene changed entirely. The settlement was fairly large, with paths and fields crisscrossing in every direction. All around them were rice paddies, while small bundles hung beside the ponds.

Common folk called these things "hanging bundles." Rice straw was wrapped around seeds and suspended beside the ponds to help them germinate.

In addition, a small Earth God temple stood at the village entrance. Bundles of seeds had also been placed before the statue, asking the deity to watch over them. Unfortunately, even the Earth God they worshipped had already been taken away.

Outside a wooden residence, an old man lay unconscious with a child in his arms. The terror on his face had yet to fade, and the soldiers bound them all.

Wang Daoxuan sighed, unsure what to say. Even Lu San's expression became ugly.

Huang Wenzhong, standing nearby, seemed to guess what they were thinking and calmly explained, "Don't worry. Other than the remnants of the Heavenly Saint Cult, the elderly and children will not be harmed. They'll be relocated to specially established refugee villages. The land there is fertile, and the area is far better than this place. As long as they farm peacefully and stop associating with the Heavenly Saint Cult, they'll be able to live out their lives in peace."

Wang Daoxuan shook his head slightly. "The mountains may be dangerous, but no one governs them here. Common people are not livestock. It is not enough merely to give them food. Moreover, if their fathers are beheaded, the hatred will only remain buried in their hearts."

"Time washes away every hatred!" Huang Wenzhong's expression remained unchanged as he replied coldly, "All beneath heaven belongs to His Majesty. If they had simply remained peacefully hidden in the mountains, that would have been one thing. But some people refuse to remain peaceful, and in the end, they will inevitably be used as pawns.

"If they had truly lived peacefully in the mountains, would the case in Shangjin City ever have happened?"

Wang Daoxuan sighed and said nothing more.

Lu San hesitated before asking, "Couldn't you just arrest the ones who committed crimes?"

"No." Huang Wenzhong shook his head. "Some villains are exceptionally skilled at using ghosts and deities to delude people. This place is clearly a stronghold of the Heavenly Saint Cult. I have only come to arrest people. If the situation grows more serious in the future, it will be the army that comes instead. Then, the entire village will be razed to the ground, without a blade of grass left standing!"

Seemingly unwilling to discuss the matter any further, he quickened his pace and ordered in a deep voice, "Release the mountain guard dogs. Search carefully!"

The Military Surveillance Department had brought several mountain guard dogs into the mountains, but muzzles had been placed over their mouths. They had also been trained to stay silent until they were released.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The moment the muzzles were removed, the dogs began barking wildly. The men led the vicious hounds through the village, searching everywhere. Before long, they made a discovery.

"Sir, there's a hidden passage here!"

"The people inside are unconscious!"

"Drag them all out!"

The Military Surveillance Department had discovered a secret passage inside a large residence near the pond. The underground area had been completely hollowed out, and many people had been working inside.

As the contents were carried out one after another, not only Li Yan but everyone else also stared in shock.

Charcoal, saltpeter, sulfur, animal fat...

This was clearly a gunpowder production site. Although it only manufactured ordinary black powder, the quantity was astonishing! It was more than enough to blow up the entirety of Shangjin City.

In another residence on the opposite side of the pond was an area used to manufacture firearms. Besides ordinary explosive charges, there were also several extremely intricate weapons, including fierce-fire oil carts, fire caltrops, and other devices.

"So it was here all along!" Huang Wenzhong's eyes filled with delight. Even Captain Liu beside him was trembling with excitement as he said, "Sir, gunpowder has been appearing on the black markets of Shanzhou, Yuzhou, Ezhou, Xiangzhou, and the surrounding regions, but we've never been able to trace the source. It seems we may have caught ourselves a very large fish..."

Hearing this, Li Yan and the others exchanged meaningful glances. So the Military Surveillance Department had never been able to trace the source of the gunpowder involved in the ancient tomb case in Chang'an. But this village in the mountainous region of Jingchu had been the source.

The matter had become far more serious. Producing gunpowder was no simple task. Manpower was only one part of it; many of the necessary materials had to be transported in from other provinces. Distributing it for sale across different regions likewise required passing through numerous checkpoints.

Just how many people were involved?

The mere thought made one's scalp tingle...

Seeing this, Li Yan completely made up his mind. He absolutely could not wade any deeper into those muddy waters!

He formed the Yang Seal and wandered through the village. At last, he stopped in front of the ancestral hall. Torches blazed inside, where many soldiers were searching. Men from the Military Surveillance Department were also leading the mountain guard dogs around the place.

Li Yan's divine ability could not detect the slightest scent. However, the Summoning Writ had grown slightly hot. Without revealing anything, he walked inside.

"Greetings, Mr. Li!"

Several soldiers and men from the Military Surveillance Department immediately nodded in greeting. Although Li Yan and Huang Wenzhong were only temporarily cooperating and had experienced a few minor frictions along the way, everyone had witnessed his abilities and held him in great respect.

Li Yan deliberately remained calm and asked casually, "Have you found anything?"

A young man from the Military Surveillance Department stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Mr. Li, this is the village's ancestral hall. According to the inscription on the stele, they belong to the Lu clan from Yuzhou, who migrated here during the wars between Song and Jin. They also conduct illicit worship of the Heavenly Saint Lord."

As he spoke, he pointed inside the ancestral hall. Li Yan looked deeper in and saw a rather tall statue upon the altar. It had prominent brow ridges, deep-set features, and a long beard hanging over its chest, giving it a distinctly domineering air.

Judging from its facial features, the figure even seemed to possess some foreign ancestry. More importantly, this so-called Heavenly Saint Lord was dressed in an imperial robe and crown embroidered with the sun, moon, and stars. Such regalia was reserved for emperors!

Li Yan could not help shaking his head slightly. "They really are courting death..."

Huang Wenzhong also walked in, and his expression darkened upon seeing the statue. "They certainly are! I had long heard that the Heavenly Saint Cult worshipped a dead man as its divine master and was attempting to gather followers and rebel once more. Hmph! He was beheaded while alive. What use is he now that he's dead?"

Li Yan shook his head slightly. "I wasn't talking about him."

He was walking by one of the ancestral hall's pillars when the long blade in his hand suddenly trembled and stabbed into it without hesitation. Wood fragments exploded outward, and a figure leapt out from within. Bald and dressed in black robes, it was none other than the escaped Monk Kuxin.

The man was certainly cunning. Ordinary people hiding themselves would choose either a cellar or the inside of a statue. Yet he had hollowed out one of the ancestral hall's pillars and used some unknown method to evade both the hounds and divine sensory techniques.

Had the Summoning Writ not grown hot, Li Yan truly would not have found him.

Having been discovered, the monk immediately flew into a rage from humiliation. "You little bastard, die!"

His martial ability was extraordinary, and clearly at the peak of the Dark Jin Realm. With several booming palm strikes, he sent the surrounding soldiers flying backward into the walls, blood spraying from their mouths.

Huang Wenzhong snorted coldly. "Great Vajra Palm?"

With a sweep of his hand, he drew a flexible sword with a metallic ring. The sword blossoms resembled drifting snow and frost as he prepared to charge forward.

Li Yan had naturally already attacked with his blade. He employed a subtle burst of force, seeming almost to shrink the ground beneath his feet.

At that moment, Monk Kuxin suddenly pulled a copper tube from his robes and yanked the iron chain attached to its rear.

Damn it!

Li Yan's scalp prickled. He hurriedly dodged and, in the same motion, kicked Huang Wenzhong, who was following behind him, to the side.

It was a Nether Torch!

Li Yan had obtained two of them before, so naturally, he knew how powerful they were. After using them both up, he had even dismantled them, hoping to restore them or uncover how they were made. However, not only was the internal mechanism ingenious, but he had also been unable to decipher the formula for the phosphorus fire and oil mixture inside.

He had never expected to encounter one again in that place. As for Huang Wenzhong, Lu San still needed his help to have the arrest warrant revoked, so Li Yan naturally could not allow him to die.

Li Yan had put considerable force into the kick. Huang Wenzhong flew backward, struck a pillar, and fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented. He was just about to curse when his heart jolted.

A scorching stream of fire had erupted from the tube. Burning oil splattered everywhere, and even when it landed on the ground, it continued blazing fiercely as thick smoke rose.

Huang Wenzhong was badly startled, and hurriedly hid behind a pillar.

Seeing that the two men had dodged, while a large force had yet to arrive outside the ancestral hall, Monk Kuxin gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with determination. He removed a sachet from his waist and took out a shriveled heart. Bringing it to his mouth, he inhaled sharply.

In an instant, sinister winds swept through the surroundings. A stream of dense purple smoke visible to the naked eye was sucked out of the heart and into his mouth.

"Hee-hee... Hahaha!" The eerie laughter of a woman seemed to echo through the wind.

At the same time, Monk Kuxin's entire body began trembling. His head swayed back and forth at an unnatural angle, while the blood vessels in his eyes burst until they became completely blood-red.

He moved so quickly that he seemed to vanish, appearing beside a wall in an instant. He grabbed an unconscious soldier and lifted him from the ground. With a wet tearing sound, he ripped open the man's chest and abdomen with his bare hand, tore out the still-beating heart, and held it beside his mouth before inhaling gently.

The blood qi transformed into crimson mist and poured entirely into his mouth. The strange aura surrounding him grew increasingly powerful.

Huang Wenzhong felt his scalp go numb at the sight. "A demon!"

Meanwhile, Li Yan had already gripped the Summoning Writ. He formed a hand seal as he chanted solemnly, "Heaven has its order. Earth has its laws. By the authority of the underworld, the soul is seized. Let the living withdraw!"

In an instant, the sinister winds fell still. An invisible force rose from the ground, and the entire ancestral hall immediately grew dark, cold, and terrifying. Every flame was extinguished, dropping the hall into complete darkness. Li Yan felt all the sounds in the area disappear at once, as though he had entered the meditative state of cultivation.

Clatter... Clatter...

The sound of chains rang out.

At that moment, everyone could hear it. At the same time, a shrill woman's voice tore out of Monk Kuxin's mouth in the darkness. Then, accompanied by the sound of chains, it vanished...

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