The Blade-Wielding Legend

Her left sleeve was rolled up, and a claw mark deep enough to see bone wound from her elbow down to her wrist. The flesh was turned back; though Golden Sore Medicine had been applied, a bluish-black hue still seeped through.

Kuai Dayou was carefully using a bamboo tube to change the medicine on the wound beneath Lv San’s ribs. It had been grazed by a Kakarinja’s Poisoned Shuriken— the wound itself was not large, yet it was black and purple. Fortunately, Long Yan’er’s Detoxification Gu Worm had in time sucked out most of the poison...

These past few days, they had gone through one fierce battle after another. Though they managed to break out each time, everyone was already wounded, their spirits utterly exhausted.

Kong Shangzhao used a tree branch to scratch on the dust-covered ground: "...The main routes from the Capital City to the ports of Jiuzhou and Nagasaki must by now have been sealed into an iron barrel by the Yin Yang Hall and the Shogunate’s spies."

"Along the West Sea Road and South Sea Road coasts, every major port capable of putting to sea will surely be heavily guarded. Our wanted posters are probably plastered all over the docks and bars." His voice was hoarse, steeped in deep fatigue, yet his gaze remained sharp.

The tree branch jabbed hard at the map, then drew toward that colder, more desolate region in the North. "Given the situation, we can only do the opposite!"

"What do you mean?" Sha Lifei asked.

"Head north!"

Kong Shangzhao drew a route with the tree branch. "Pass through Chuyi and Lu Ao, go straight to Ezo Land (Hokkaido). The Japanese hold weak control over that place; most of it is a mix of exiled criminals and Ezo Earth People who refuse the king’s rule."

"We’ll find a way, near the northernmost tip of Hokkaido at Wakkanai or Sorachi, to locate a hidden fishing village, then seize or purchase a sturdy fishing boat, cross the Dada Strait, and reach the Nuerhan Governorate (Vladivostok) in one stroke!"

"That was once the old territory of the Mongol Yuan Eastern Expedition Province. Though desolate now, it is still homeland of our Divine State! As long as our feet step on that Land God’s soil..."

"Nuerhan Governorate?"

Sha Lifei paused his wiping motion, his brows knotting tightly. "Old Kong, have you frozen your brains?"

"That damned place lies even farther North than Liaodong! It’s already late autumn now; the winds and waves in the Dada Strait are more sinister than the Yin Wind at the Ghost Gate."

"A normal fishing boat? I’m afraid we won’t make it ten miles out before we become offerings to the Sea Dragon King!"

"What Brother Sha says is not false; the risk is enormous." Kong Shangzhao admitted frankly. "But staying in the heartland of Japan is even more certain death. The pursuing troops will only grow in number, and the net of encirclement will only draw tighter!"

"Heading north is dangerous, but there lies a sliver of life. The Japanese would never imagine we’d take this road to doom. Besides..."

He glanced at Li Yan, who sat with eyes closed, regulating his breath. "If Brother Li can take one more step forward at this juncture, our chances will increase by a fraction."

Everyone’s gaze unconsciously turned toward another corner of the hall.

Li Yan sat cross-legged on a mat before a headless Buddha statue, his back straight as a pine.

No radiant light flared around him, nor did any terrifying aura spill out; there was only an ultimate "stillness." It was as if even the light and shadow of the campfire falling upon him became thick and slow.

Days of high-intensity slaughter, the repeated squeezing of Thunder Astral Yin Sha, and the wounds to his Divine Soul were like hammer blows at the edge of his limits, again and again.

At this moment, in this brief chance to catch his breath, the near-defiant self-healing of the Daluo Dharma Body was rapidly knitting and nurturing his shattered meridians, his dried-up Qi Sea, and his wounded Divine Soul.

Each heartbeat was like a heavy drumbeat, driving the viscous, mercury-like flow of Gang Qi and Sha Qi within him as they slowly coursed and fused.

Under Inner Vision, deep within his Qi Sea, the one palace and four floors were becoming clearer and more solid than ever before. The building was not resplendent with gold and jade, but showed an ancient stone texture weathered by wind and frost.

The building quivered faintly, emitting a low hum only Li Yan himself could "hear," as though calling for a higher-level metamorphosis.

That was the opportunity to break through to the fifth floor!

After completing the North Yin Fengdu Technique, he had already had several chances for great leaps.

For instance, by condensing a second palace, he would gain the Divine Skill of the "Fengdu Nine Springs Command Token," thereby commanding the Ghost Gods of the Yin Bureau outright, far more forceful than the Unattainable Summoning.

And the fifth floor would allow him to completely stabilize the Eight Generals of the inner altar.

Only to see that above the Central Palace, as thunderclouds rolled, bolts of lightning wrapped in Yin Yang Gang Qi continuously gathered overhead.

A towered pavilion formed steadily.

And around it, there were also eight small palaces, within which eight Yin Si Divine Generals were enshrined, now becoming ever more solid.

In the region of the Li Palace, the palace was blood-red, and the Divine Statue within had a ghostly face and red hair, its gaze like lightning. Upon its shoulders perched a golden eagle whose wings were like blades and eyes razor-sharp— this was the Fengdu Flying Eagle General, first among the Eight Generals, Marshal Wei Xi...

The palace of Zhen Palace was wreathed in azure vapors; the blue-faced, three-eyed Divine Statue glared with round, furious eyes, the third eye on its brow opening and closing like lightning. In its hand it held an octagonal Golden Hammer, runes flowing along the hammer’s body, with a faint rumble of Thunder hidden within. This was Marshal Wang Jing, the Ghost Shackling General...

The palace of Dui Palace gleamed with a metallic luster. Within, the Divine Statue had a reddish-brown face, its eyes bulging round like copper bells. In its hands, an enormous octagonal Iron Hammer hung heavy as a mountain, the hammerhead faintly wreathed with the wailing cries of wronged souls. This was Marshal Meng E, the Executioner Ghost Torture General...

In Kun Palace, black water pervaded everywhere. Within it stood a Black Water Bull-headed Giant God, its horns thick and curved, its breath like thunder. The Iron Fork in its hand flashed with a cold light, as if it could pierce through the barriers of Yin Yang. This was Marshal Che Zi, the Chasing Soul General...

More importantly, he vaguely sensed the existence of another world—cold, desolate, the very feeling of the Netherworld.

He immersed himself in this strange metamorphosis, the discussions of the outside world seeming not to reach his ears. The chance to break through was right before him, like a thread of faint light in the darkness, requiring his full concentration to grasp it, to stabilize it.

"...Ezo Land is bitterly cold; October snowstorms are commonplace."

Long Yan’er opened her eyes. The Gu Worm in her palm gently vibrated its wings, letting out an extremely subtle hum. "Not many of my Gu Worms can endure the cold. I must prepare some Fire-washing Cloth in advance to wrap the nests. Lv San’s Poison Bee Swarm will likely not survive long in the wind and snow of Hokkaido."

"No matter!"

Lv San patted the demon gourd at his waist, his voice weak yet firm. "The swarm can enter the gourd and go dormant. As long as we keep the queen alive, it’s enough."

Kong Shangzhao nodded. "Good, it’s settled then. Make the most of the time to rest, treat your wounds, and stock up on dry rations, fire-starters, and salt. Once Brother Li... hmm?"

He had not finished speaking when his gaze once more fell upon Li Yan.

He saw Li Yan, who had been sitting motionless like a stone carving, tremble ever so slightly. It was not the spasm of injury, but more like a Strong Bow drawn to the utmost, that natural, almost imperceptible loosening of the string after being filled to the brim with power.

An invisible wave of air spread out from him as the center, silently expanding.

The campfire suddenly sank downward, its flames flickering, casting shifting light and shadow across everyone’s faces.

The fine dust and withered grass on the ground were pushed outward in a ring by this faint yet utterly pure power. The wind coiling within the hall seemed to stall for an instant, and even Sha Lifei’s movement of wiping his gun barrel froze.

Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.

There was no blazing light shooting from his gaze; instead, they were even deeper and more reserved than before, like two ancient pools whose depths could not be seen, reflecting the dancing campfire.

A qi as steady as a mountain yet harboring the explosive force of Thunder naturally flowed forth from his body.

The weariness on his face had not completely vanished, but that weakness stemming from the very source of his life was entirely swept away, replaced by a kind of refined sharpness and weight.

He was like a stubborn piece of iron that, after being tempered a thousand times, had finally burned away its impurities and revealed the hidden edge within.

The Fifth Floor!

Astral Bane circulated; the spirit was whole and the Qi abundant.

The tower of the mind stood firm; Divine Soul Power surged!

He silently let out a long, turbid breath, the exhalation lingering, as though expelling all the bloodshed, exhaustion, and gloom of the past few days.

His gaze swept across his companions. He inclined his head slightly, said nothing; everything was contained in that silence.

"You did it?" Sha Lifei’s eyes flared with joy as he asked in a low voice.

Li Yan rose to his feet and loosened his muscles and bones. His joints gave off a dense series of soft popping sounds, like beans being stir-fried, brimming with a sense of power. "Go."

He uttered only a single word, yet his voice was steady and carried confidence.

Everyone’s spirits lifted as they moved into action at once.

They doused the campfire, shouldered their packs, and helped the wounded to their feet.

Night Crying Man was once again carried on Wu Ba’s back. He lay sprawled across Wu Ba’s broad shoulders, opening his eyes in a daze to gaze at the leaden sky outside the hall and the howling mountain wind.

Li Yan turned his head to glance back at the great hall once more.

Unattainable Summoning still had no response, yet his Astral Order was already usable, though the Yin Department Soldiers remained beyond summoning.

But within his sea of consciousness, the Eight Generals of the Inner Altar of the Yin Bureau were already raring to go...

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