The Blade-Wielding Legend

Like a slippery fish, silently passing through the invisible barrier.

Entering the military encampment area, the sense of vigilance was even stronger.

Though it was late at night, patrols of foot soldiers were frequent.

Five men per team, carrying long guns or iron cannons, marching in step, eyes alert.

In the corridors between the barracks, there were fixed sentry posts not far apart, torches crackling and illuminating faces both tired and tense.

Li Yan even saw, in some shadows of the barracks, figures almost merged with the darkness quietly crouching.

They were night-watch ninjas, breathing steadily, barely noticeable if not for Li Yan’s sharp perception.

He became even more cautious, following the direction sensed by Wang Daoxuan’s Compass, moving towards the place with the densest Evil Qi in the depths of the encampment.

Along the way, he avoided several concealed array nodes: some delineated by circles of salt with rune-inscribed pebbles placed within; others had talisman paper plastered on wooden stakes, with yin energy faintly coursing through the paper.

The further he went, the attire of the patrolling soldiers differed slightly, with more samurai dressed in simple doumaru (a type of Japanese armor) or armor, carrying tachis, with stern expressions.

A faint, indescribable stench began to permeate the air, mixed with the smell of incense and metallic rust.

Finally, he saw the area tightly shrouded in black cloth.

It was the same shed visible on the hillside.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered it wasn’t a single structure but a gigantic cluster of connected sheds, surrounded by a thick wooden fence forming a separate area.

Guarding the entrance of the fence were armored samurai, flanked by two shrine officials in white hunting clothes, wearing black hats, holding Zi Bows and exorcism charms, standing solemnly with closed eyes.

The black cloth shed area covered a vast space; Li Yan could clearly feel multiple chaotic, violent energies pulsating inside.

At times a low moan, at times a grating sound like fingernails scratching wood.

The source of the bizarre sounds heard earlier.

The shed area was too tightly guarded and difficult to infiltrate head-on.

Li Yan decided to go around to the side, discovering that the black cloth did not completely touch the ground, leaving gaps at the bottom for ventilation, and some seams of the sheds allowed for a glimpse inside.

He chose a spot in shadow near the edge of the fence, where the shadows were dense and the guard’s sight was obscured.

Silently approaching, Li Yan pressed his eye close to a seam in the black cloth.

The lighting inside the shed was dim, relying only on a few oil lamps for illumination.

What met his gaze was rows of huge cages made of massive logs and iron bars, each the size of half a room.

Dark silhouettes filled the cages.

Li Yan focused intently, his heart sinking.

They were not the ethereal spirit forms of Netherworld soldiers as he had imagined, but real, twisted, deformed humanoid monsters!

In the cage closest to him, there were about seven or eight "things" trapped.

They roughly retained a human shape, but were far more muscular and burly than ordinary humans, with bulging muscles almost tearing the tattered clothing that might have once belonged to soldiers or civilians.

The skin colors were bizarre, some were dark like coagulated blood red, others gleamed with metallic indigo or gray-blue hues.

Most heads were deformed, with bulging forehead and cheekbones, some even sprouting short, curved horns.

Mouths grinned, revealing uneven, sharp fangs, drool dripping from the corners.

Under the dim lamp light, their eyes reflected a beastlike dull glow, devoid of reason, filled only with pure bloodthirst and frenzy.

At the moment, most of these monsters were curled up in the corners of the cages.

Some were unconsciously banging their heads against the cage walls, making a dull "thud, thud"; others were clawing and tearing at each other, emitting low growls.

The bottom of the cages was filthy, scattered with gnawed remnants resembling bones and excrement.

The stench, even through the cloth, was faintly detectable.

This was definitely not the work of Yin Department soldiers.

Li Yan instantly concluded.

Legendary ghosts might appear horrifying, yet carried some supernatural and ethereal traits.

But these before him were more like living humans, forcibly corrupted, twisted, and demonic by some sinister force, filled with a savage beast-like nature.

As he observed, the Hook Paper he had been carrying close to him suddenly heated up without warning!

Not the gentle warmth warning of danger, but a scorching sensation as if thrown into charcoal!

Li Yan shuddered with fear, then suddenly understood.

No wonder the Qi felt familiar; it turned out to be an evil ghost nurtured in the Netherworld of the Daluo Law Realm!

He had taken on this type of task before, and every time it was "Black Well Blood Water."

These evil ghosts had low intelligence, retaining only the instincts of devouring and destruction, capable of attaching to living people, polluting and demonifying them.

Unexpectedly, in this tiny land of Japan, the Jianmu Organization somehow summoned and controlled a large number of these primordial evil ghosts from the depths of the Netherworld of the Daluo Law Realm, attaching them to living people, transforming them into these slaughter-driven creatures known as "Ghost Soldiers."

No wonder the Hook Paper reacted; this was a blatant challenge to the "Yin Law"!

These were just the "regular goods" imprisoned in the outer cages.

Li Yan cast his gaze deeper into the shed, where the Evil Qi and sense of oppression were stronger.

Faintly visible was an even larger coffin-shaped container made entirely of black iron, wrapped in heavy chains, placed alone on a stone platform.

The surface of the container was covered with dense and twisted patterns, completely different from the surrounding Shintoist runes, exuding a chilling evil energy.

On the ground around the iron coffin, there seemed to be eerie patterns drawn with dried, blackened bloodstains.

Inside there was likely the "Artificial Demon God" embryo created by the Jianmu Organization using similar methods but with more advanced evil skills!

Perhaps it’s the prototype of a complete "Night Crying Man" creation, or something even more terrifying.

This military camp was essentially a factory for mass-producing demonified weapons and experimenting with evil sorcery!

The Jianmu Organization is simply a group of madmen...

At that moment!

Li Yan felt a sudden chill down his spine.

Not a chill from cold, but a feeling of being locked onto by a cold, piercing gaze.

Simultaneously, the surrounding temperature plummeted without warning.

In the sky, pale snowflakes began to drift down!

Li Yan realized something was wrong; the Water Escape Technique, while it could conceal him, was sensitive to extreme cold changes, causing an inevitable slight disturbance in his form.

Without hesitation, he quickly dodged to the side!

"Whoosh—!"

A sharp cold breath swept past where he had just stood, instantly covering the ground in white frost.

The source of the chill was a white-clothed Onmyoji who had quietly appeared not far ahead.

This individual appeared to be around thirty, with a delicate, pale face, long hair draping over his shoulders, wearing pure white hunting clothes, over which was an Array Feather Weave embroidered with hexagonal stars and snowflakes.

He held a crystal clear ice mirror in his left hand, forming a seal with his right, his gaze as cold as frost, firmly locking onto the spot where the Water Escape Technique’s fluctuation revealed Li Yan.

Winds and snow unnaturally gathered around him, vaguely revealing the outline of a graceful feminine figure hovering there.

Shikigami, Snow Woman?

Li Yan squinted slightly, recalling that the intelligence mentioned only high-level Japanese Onmyoji could control such shikigami.

"Who dares to spy on the military camp’s forbidden grounds?"

The Onmyoji spoke, his voice like clashing ice, but unfortunately, Li Yan couldn’t understand a word.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Almost simultaneously, sharp, piercing gong sounds suddenly exploded throughout the camp!

In an instant, the once silent camp roared to life, like a beehive struck by a boulder!

The nearest patrols of foot soldiers reacted swiftly, shouting in Japanese that Li Yan couldn’t understand, raising long spears as they surrounded him.

Even more troubling, on the nearby watchtowers and higher grounds of the barracks, soldiers with iron cannons (matchlock guns) appeared, their dark muzzles gleaming in the firelight, all aimed squarely at the area where Li Yan stood.

Were this to happen within the Divine State, it wouldn’t even be a consideration.

With so many evil ghosts, he could simply summon the Yin Department Soldiers and capture them all in one swoop.

Alas, this place was far from the Divine State.

However, Li Yan was not worried in the slightest.

He allowed a cold smile to spread across his lips, drew the Duan Chen Blade, and, with a look of terror from the Onmyoji, swung it directly at the iron cage beside him...

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