At this moment, the corners of the mouth slowly curved upwards.
"Heh..."
A soft sneer broke the dead silence in the room, and a chill arose.
"Li Yan... truly brave! Dare to venture alone into this dragon’s den and tiger’s cave? Really think this is still the territory of the Great Xuan Dynasty, with the Mystic Sect’s protection and the court’s hawks paving the way?"
He leaned slightly forward, the candlelight fully illuminating the murderous intent in his eyes.
"Without the Central Plains Court and the Mystic Sect as the guise of intimidation, merely a few pugilistic world ragamuffins are just throwing themselves into the net!"
"As for the Great Xuan Dynasty..."
His tone changed, "Split the army in two? Station troops in Korea by land, send the navy across the sea in a distant expedition... childish!"
"The land route is long and treacherous; the sea voyage exhausts the navy, with storms, reefs, disease all as deadly foes, not to mention..."
"The Korean battlefield shall shatter the Great Xuan’s Qi Fortune in a single battle!"
He suddenly stood up, his black robe billowing without wind, "Li Yan may be foolish, but he has some Qi Fortune. Now that these rats have caught the scent, sooner or later they’ll reach the threshold of ’High Heaven.’ So be it..."
He looked towards two indistinct figures standing in the shadows.
Their aura was as deep and condensed as a chasm mountain, surrounded by an almost solidified cold sinister Sha Qi, exactly the Earth Immortal Level tribute relied on by Jianmu.
"I must immediately head to Korea, oversee the larger picture, and implement this ’Grinding Plate’ plan. As for matters here... I leave it to you two Immortal Masters, assisted by the full cooperation of the ’Longye Group,’ to set ambush and eliminate!"
"This..."
One of them, an old Taoist with dry white hair and blackened eyes, spoke in authentic Central Plains dialect: "He is a living Yin messenger, we’re too late to hide..."
The other person’s face was also full of hesitation.
"Rest assured."
Zhao Changsheng smiled indifferently, "This place is far from the Divine State, the hand of the Yin Bureau doesn’t reach so far, and Li Yan’s Hook Paper is a useless thing."
As he spoke, his voice suddenly turned severe, "In any case, these people must be removed!"
"Yes!"
The two Earth Immortals nodded slightly, their voices hoarse.
The masked female ninja bowed even deeper...
......
The night in the Capital City was deep, the waning moon hidden among the clouds.
Due to recent unrest, rumors spread among the people that there was a Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, so every nightfall, households shut their doors tightly.
However, in this ink-colored night, there was an area bustling with activity.
It was the Yin Yang Hall in the Capital City.
This place long transcended the scope of former officialdom. In the chaotic times and the struggles of various forces, it expanded into a massive, distorted, bizarre market district.
High and low wooden buildings stood in rows, with colorful lanterns painted with divine and ghostly talismans hanging between flying eaves and architraves, casting a dim red and ghastly green light on the interwoven streets and alleys.
The air mixed with a pungent aroma of incense, cheap powder scent, grilled fish’s fiery aroma, the sour stench of inferior liquor, and the smell of blood intertwined with the sweetness of Yin Sha.
The cacophony of voices was intense yet carried a strange sense of oppression.
Ronin carrying Tachi scanned fiercely; odd merchants wrapped in Wu clothing quietly bargained in front of stalls; cultivators in various hunting clothes, monk robes, witch’s clothes hurried their steps; there were also many vague faces, their hoods concealing their faces, flitting like ghosts among the crowd...
The goods sold here were far from ordinary:
Adorned skulls with talisman papers, deformed baby embryos soaked in unknown liquids, short knives engraved with curse texts, broken artifacts allegedly summoning low-level Fu Sang Gods, faintly luminous minerals, "life-saving" protective talismans...
Even in dark corners, some were selling mysterious "Shikigami Embryos" and "Living Materials."
In the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Mystic Sect had bans, and magicians rarely revealed themselves to common folk.
But in Japan, materials for practicing Evil Skill could be openly traded.
In the distance, an old teahouse by the river had a window facing this noisy den of evil spirits quietly open a crack.
Tanui Nagashige, in inconspicuous gray clothes, pointed below at the brightly lit, ghostly marketplace, lowering his voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the current Yin Yang Hall. Kamo Tadayuki nominally remains the highest official here, the ’Yin Yang Head,’ but this place is full of mixed beings, tangled in forces from all sides."
"The General Mansion, Great Daimyos, temple and shrine, Ranger Group, even Jianmu’s minions have secret posts here for dealing, spying, and struggling."
His finger quietly swept across a few seemingly insignificant corners, "See that talisman shop with the ’Kamo’ lanterns? It’s the business of Kamo Tadayuki’s confidant ’Qing Liu’s House,’ also serving as his ears..."
"Next to it, the bar with beast skin flags is a base for one faction of the Chuyun Grand Shrine. Opposite, in the depths of a dark alley, the building with ghostly blue lanterns reportedly has ties with the ninjas of the Tokugawa Family..."
Wang Daoxuan’s gaze was as sharp as a hawk, scanning the pugnant and rising Sha Qi along with Wish Power below, the needle of the Turtle Shell Compass in his hand trembling slightly.
His face grave, he whispered, "So much Evil Qi!"
"This place has become a lair of demons, with many Arrays set up. Once trapped here, with so many magicians, don’t expect to escape easily."
"Exactly."
Tanui Nagashige nodded, a flash of insight in his eyes, "Kamo Tadayuki’s lair is deep within that highest ’Observatory.’ It’s heavily guarded, with multiple Arrays, and skilled individuals in place. Forcibly breaking through... the risk is too high, may expose our whereabouts and startle the snakes."
"Regarding the ’High Heaven’ entrance, or the specific method to rescue Ah Shi, Kamo Tadayuki surely knows, but prying his mouth open is as hard as climbing to heaven. Yet... while ’tiger’ can’t be moved, perhaps its minions can be."
He held out three fingers, "Kamo Tadayuki relies most on three confidants:"
"Qing Liu’s House, managing logistics and some experimental records within the Hall, cunning and doubting, greedy; Black Tomb, responsible for guarding forbidden areas and transporting ’special materials,’ fierce and brutish, fond of wine..."
"White Hidden Master, overseeing Divination and ritual texts, solitary by nature, rumored... to have a penchant for collecting the Four Pillars of Destiny and personal items of those with special destinies."
He shifted his gaze to Li Yan and others, "Our target is one of these three. Qing Liu’s House is greedy, Black Tomb is violent, White Hidden Master is eccentric... each has their flaws."
"I’ve managed to obtain their recent whereabouts and preferences. Gaining control of one and extracting the information we need is the best strategy. It offers a much better chance than directly facing Kamo Tadayuki."
Sha Lifei leaned against the window with arms crossed, squinting at a vendor below selling "Waterproof Talisman coated with River Monster’s blood," sneering: "Cowardly scum, this ghostly place indeed has all sorts of demons and gods."
"Which target shall we strike?"
Tanui Nagashige’s gaze traversed through the chaotic light below, eventually fixing on the blood-red small alley entrance illuminated by lanterns, where several Ronin were surrounding a staggering drunkard.
"The ’Ghost Market’ is busiest at midnight, also when various secret transactions occur. Tonight, ’Black Tomb,’ after finishing his shift, habitually sneaks out for pleasure and drinking... his flaw lies precisely in the cup and his violent temper..."
As he spoke, the window gap closed silently, plunging the loft back into darkness.
Outside, the lights of the Yin Yang Hall burned eerily, the chorus of voices, spell incantations, clashes of objects, and cries of unidentified creatures blending into a bizarre symphony.
...
The strong smell of alcohol mixed with the fiery scent of grilled fish and the sweet, cloying scent of cheap powder nearly condensed into a fog visible to the naked eye, surging from the open doors of the "Chaotic Cherry Blossom Tavern."
The door curtain lifted, and a towering, stout figure stepped inside first.
It was Black Tomb.
His chest was bare, revealing knotted muscles and several hideous old scars.
Behind him were seven or eight equally rough Ronin or foot soldiers with Tachi at their waists, each with a greasy sheen on their faces, their eyes carrying a residual fierceness.
Inside the tavern, an instant silence fell, followed by an eruption of greater clamor, mixed with deliberate flattering greetings.
"Lord Black Tomb!"
"We saved the best spot for you!"
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter