Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 885 Bloody Feud

Xiao Ran's voice was cold and sinister, sending a chill down Wangcai's spine. He turned around and looked at Chang Baisui with murderous intent. He took a step forward and stood in front of Chang Baisui. To Chang Baisui's surprise, he kicked the fool who didn't know his own death and sent him flying.

Chang Baisui was kicked more than ten meters away, his body slamming heavily to the ground like a sandbag, leaving him dazed and disoriented. A sharp pain shot through his chest, as if several ribs were broken, and a metallic taste filled his mouth. He struggled to lift his head, his face covered in dirt and blood, his eyes bloodshot with pain and disbelief, glaring fiercely at Wangcai, forcing out a hoarse voice through clenched teeth:
"You! You dare!!!"

However, faced with Chang Baisui's furious gaze that seemed to spit fire, Wangcai didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, let alone look at him directly.

Today is different from the past!
Wangcai sneered inwardly. In the past, this little evil spirit would indeed have had to kneel and kowtow before Chang Baisui, respectfully and tremblingly calling him "Prime Minister."

But today, the person standing behind him is Plum Blossom Taoist. The fact that he didn't kill him on the spot with this kick is already giving Master Liu face.

"continue."

Xiao Ran's two simple words were more chilling than the cold wind from beyond the pass.

Wangcai immediately understood, straightened his back, and his small eyes flashed with a fierce light. He shouted in a sharp voice to the procession and the front, "Anyone who blocks the way before the Plum Blossom Emperor will be killed without mercy!"

The group transformed into a plume of black smoke, rolling forward and rushing into the Chang family's gate.

"Your Excellency has gone too far!"

The group had just entered when they heard an angry shout.

Then they saw two red lights flashing in the distance. The light appeared even more scarlet and dazzling in the haze, like two blood-red eyes locking onto them in the haze.

"Click! Click!"

Suddenly, Wangcai felt the ground beneath his feet soften, and the ground twisted and wriggled as if it were alive, quickly becoming covered with fine, cold, and dark-glowing snake scale patterns!
The courtyard of the Chang family in front of them was completely swallowed up by the rolling, thick, ink-like haze.

The gloom was not still, but was surging and condensing violently, as if some enormous thing was awakening within it.

Next second,
A colossal, unimaginably large python head, like a mountain rising from an ancient abyss, fiercely tore through the rolling dark clouds and emerged!
The enormous, triangular head covered in dark scales simply hung there, obscuring most of the sky.

Those two scarlet eyes stared at the group, making Wangcai, who was walking at the front, feel a chill run down his spine.

The overwhelming pressure poured down like tangible seawater, carrying the chilling and ferocious aura of ancient, cold-blooded creatures.

The scarlet vertical pupils slowly rotated, finally settling on the coffin where Xiao Ran lay.

"I've heard of the Taoist's methods, but I've never heard of them. How dare you be so rude, injuring my disciples and smashing my gate!"

Like muffled thunder rolling across the earth, accompanied by faint, inhuman hissing sounds, the echoes reverberated from the direction of the giant python.
Inside the coffin, Xiao Ran opened her eyes, her spiritual power spreading out, instantly causing a gust of cold wind to billow, making the guiding coins that had fallen around her swirl rapidly in the air.

"Since I have already sent a letter to show my sincerity, you may not welcome me, but you must put me in a tough spot. Is this how you treat a guest?"

If Xiao Ran were here in her own capacity, it would be understandable for her to walk in upon arriving at the gate.

But when Xiao Ran revealed his identities as Plum Blossom Taoist and Yin-Yang Inspector, the other party actually insisted on walking in himself, even though the gate between the Chang family and the main gate was not just a matter of one door.

This is a clear show of force.

It would be a joke if Xiao Ran actually walked in.

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, the giant snake remained silent, staring intently at the coffin, completely unable to discern Xiao Ran's true intentions.

A moment later, the giant snake suddenly flicked its tongue: "Your Excellency has quite the air of an official. In that case, I would like to see what Plum Blossom Taoist's methods are. Let's see what skills you have to get past my Python Coil Mountain."

As soon as the snake finished speaking, Wangcai immediately felt the snake's body tumbling beneath his feet, as if the sea was churning, making him unsteady on his feet.

As the saying goes, "A snake winds its way along a winding path, a python coils around a mountain; each coil and loop represents a new obstacle."

The giant python has now coiled itself around the mountain, its body bearing down layer upon layer with the force of a landslide, crushing everything in its path. Even a malevolent spirit like Wangcai is beginning to succumb to its power.
"Little tricks!"

Inside the coffin, Xiao Ran smiled slightly. This Seventh Master Liu's methods were nothing special. Although his magic was domineering, it was inferior in his eyes.

Xiao Ran used his immense mental power to manipulate countless guiding coins around him, instantly transforming them into a paper bridge that pierced through the python's body.

At the other end of the bridge, there is a path leading to the underworld, and the high walls of the City of the Wrongfully Dead can even be vaguely seen.

In an instant, the wandering ghosts following behind the procession climbed onto the bridge and used it to travel to the underworld.

Seeing this, Master Liu's forked tongue flashed coldly, and just as he was about to make his move, the paper bridge suddenly collapsed and crashed heavily onto Master Liu.

Although it was just a paper bridge, when it landed on Master Liu, it felt like Mount Tai was pressing down on him. Master Liu let out a shrill scream of pain, but he couldn't move.

Xiao Ran's procession had already reached the bridgehead when Xiao Ran's cold voice was heard from inside the coffin: "I am ordered to oversee Yin and Yang, to guide the souls of the dead to the underworld, and to suppress all evil spirits. Do you, a mere mortal, think you can handle this responsibility? Do you really think you are a dragon crossing the river, a demon in the world?"

Master Liu trembled, feeling a surge of frustration, but he had no words to express his bitterness.

Xiao Ran's move may seem unorthodox, but it is actually a legitimate and righteous path, yet it is also a clever trick.

Using the method of performing a ritual to appease the souls of the dead to suppress him made Master Liu feel extremely aggrieved.

"broken!"

Inside the Chang family's hall, the two elderly people opened their eyes, their faces showing a strange expression.

The two elderly people were named Hu Jindao and Huang Sifeng.

Both were legitimate disciples of the shamanic order and senior figures in the martial arts world. Although they started at a lower level than Chang Dawei, after landing in the Lost City, they relied on their own methods and their own establishments to become arguably no less powerful than Chang Dawei.

The two men, though seated, were fully aware of the commotion outside and immediately realized that Master Liu was about to collapse.

They were even more shocked by the methods of this Plum Blossom Taoist.

This wasn't even a fight with Master Liu; the other party didn't even need to lift a finger. It was just a simple, routine maneuver that made Master Liu lose face.

The difference in their methods is so vast that they are not even in the same league.

"Help!"

The two old men exchanged a glance, no longer daring to hesitate. They took out three sticks of incense from their sleeves, blew on them gently, and the incense lit itself. They held them high above their heads and chanted, "Open the hall!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

Behind the two old men, a huge hall appeared, the door was wide open, and two wisps of green smoke flew out and rushed out of the hall.

At that moment, Xiao Ran was pressing down on Master Liu with a paper bridge when suddenly a thought struck him. He saw two wisps of green smoke fall down, revealing a fox and a weasel.

The two stood at opposite ends of the bridge, their hands clasped together in a mudra.

Then the fox opened its mouth and called out, "Come!"

The word "Come" caused the surrounding void to tremble, and Wangcai was also in a daze, unable to distinguish north from south, up from down, left from right.

Then they heard a weasel's shout from the bridge ahead: "Go!"

Now Wangcai felt completely limp, like a lump of mud, and didn't even have the strength to stand up.

He was an evil spirit, yet in that back and forth, he completely lost the ability to resist. This technique was a secret art from the Five Immortals Hall.

Confused and disoriented.

The Five Viscera refer to the five internal organs: heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and stomach.

The three paths refer to life, death, and the divine.

When the five internal organs are confused and the three paths are in chaos, even the greatest abilities cannot be used.

Just then, the coffin was slowly opened a crack, and a piece of joss paper flew out. The joss paper folded suddenly in mid-air and instantly transformed into a delicate plum blossom.

Before anyone could react, the plum blossom petals suddenly unfurled, and a ray of bone-chilling light burst forth from them—this light was not scorching, but rather a deathly white hue imbued with the aura of the underworld, like a rift torn open from the depths of the netherworld!
The bright light swept across the bridgehead, and Hu Baye and Huang Baye, who were forming hand seals and casting spells, were the first to be hit.

The two bodies stiffened abruptly, and a shrill scream burst from their mouths. They were unable to move because of the plum blossom, and felt as if they were about to be beaten to the point of their souls being scattered.

This is precisely the method of the Zhou family's paper art, but with Xiao Ran's current mental strength, the effect is completely different from before.

"We are convinced, we are convinced. Daoist Master has withdrawn his supernatural powers, we are convinced."

Master Huang hurriedly begged for mercy.

Hu Baye was already lying on the ground, trembling.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran withdrew his spiritual power. After the light dissipated, the giant python in front of him had disappeared. Hu Baye and Huang Baye also returned to the two old men in the hall in a flash, closed the door, and refused to come out again.

"cough!!"

In the hall, Chang Dawei coughed violently, his face extremely pale, his gaze fixed on the doorway with terror. As a local tyrant who once ruled over this region, he was now being forced to lower himself, his head held high. Shocked, Chang Dawei finally understood the meaning of the saying, "There are always people more powerful than you, and the sky is always higher than the heavens."

Calming himself down, Chang Dawei stood up from his chair. Although unwilling, he forced a smile and said, "As expected of Plum Blossom Taoist. Let's go out and greet him."

The crowd looked at each other strangely, but dared not put on airs any longer, and all got up and walked out.

In the hall, the other two evil spirits were pale and stiff. They dared not have any other thoughts and obediently stood up and followed behind the group.

At this moment, Xiao Ran's coffin had already been placed in front of the Chang family's mansion. The originally grand procession, including those wandering ghosts, had all vanished without a trace.

The honor guard was originally borrowed by Xiao Ran, so now that they had arrived at their destination, they should leave quickly.

"Crack!"

As the coffin lid opened, everyone's eyes focused on the slowly opening coffin, and their breathing became lighter.

Plum Blossom Taoist.

Legend has it that a single plum blossom can be passed down through three lineages, becoming the ancestor of the Yin sect and the pinnacle of the arts of magic. Everyone wants to see what this Plum Blossom Taoist looks like.

The heavy coffin lid slid open slightly, releasing an intense, oppressive aura that flowed out like ink, instantly causing the temperature in the hall to plummet.

A pair of modern shoes stepped out of the coffin and landed steadily on the cold ground.

Immediately afterwards, a figure calmly stepped out of the coffin.

When Xiao Ran's figure was fully exposed to the bright lights of the Chang family's hall, time seemed to stand still.

To be honest, Xiao Ran wasn't exactly handsome, but he had sharp features, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, and he exuded a gloomy aura, which made him quite pleasing to the eye.

But for a moment, no one could quite grasp the idea.

"So young??"

"Wait a minute, how could this person be the Plum Blossom Taoist?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, finding it impossible for Xiao Ran's appearance to match the image of the Plum Blossom Taoist in their minds.

Chang Dawei's face turned even uglier. He could tell that Xiao Ran in front of him was a modern person just like himself, and even younger than him.

This made Chang Dawei feel like he had been tricked.

Xiao Ran seemed to see the annoyance in everyone's eyes, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, it seems that my appearance has disappointed you all."

"This……"

The old man from the Hu family frowned, stepped forward, and bowed to Xiao Ran: "You call yourself the Plum Blossom Taoist, but that doesn't match the image we know at all. May I ask, are you really the Plum Blossom Taoist?"

The elderly Hu family member had also weathered many storms and seen everything. He wasn't so reserved and directly expressed his doubts.

Xiao Ran actually quite liked this, thinking to herself, "If you had done this earlier, you wouldn't have gotten a beating earlier."

Faced with the old man's questioning, Xiao Ran retorted, "I'll give you the title 'Plum Blossom Taoist,' but who among you dares to bear it?"

"This……"

The old man from the Hu family was taken aback, but after thinking about it carefully, he immediately understood: "Please come in!"

The others quickly made way, no longer pressing Xiao Ran about her identity.

As Xiao Ran said, not just anyone can bear this title, and they would accept it even if someone impersonated them.

After all, the consequences behind those four words are too great; who would dare to impersonate them?

Xiao Ran followed the group into the Chang family's main hall. The hall was magnificent and the luxurious decorations clearly showed that a lot of money had been spent. In the current context of the Lost City and the rampant evil spirits, it was indeed not easy for Chang Dawei to achieve this level.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran turned her gaze to Chang Dawei, who was following behind without saying a word.

As the host, Chang Dawei should have been at the front, but he didn't know how to deal with Xiao Ran.

Although he was also a professional, the feeling of Xiao Ran standing in front of him made Chang Dawei feel uncomfortable all over.

Both are professionals, but the other party is younger and stronger. Most importantly, Xiao Ran's aura alone overshadows him, making him the center of attention.

This intense sense of frustration made Chang Dawei very unhappy.

Despite his displeasure, Chang Dawei still stiffly invited Xiao Ran to sit down.

“Um…” He wanted to address Xiao Ran as “Sir,” but looking at the face that was even younger than his own, Chang Dawei couldn’t bring himself to say it. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Daoist Master, I apologize for my rudeness earlier. May I ask what business you have with us?”

Although Chang Dawei forced a smile, everyone could see that his face was full of reluctance towards Xiao Ran.

"It is said that when you come to a mountain, you should pay your respects to the mountain gate and when you come to a river, you should stay at the dock. Since we have come to a treasure land, we should naturally greet the host."

Xiao Ran's words put Chang Dawei at ease, and he immediately felt much more comfortable.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran followed up by saying, "The Five Immortals Hall is an old establishment in the Northeast. I know the rules, but please help me get across."

Upon hearing this, Chang Dawei's relaxed expression froze again.

So, the people who came weren't here for themselves at all, but for the Five Immortals Hall.

The so-called "bridging" was nothing more than having them go to the Five Immortals Hall to pass on a message for Xiao Ran.

They're being treated like pawns.

How could Chang Dawei be in a good mood? However, Wuxiantang was indeed his ancestral home. Even Liu Qiye, who was behind Chang Dawei, dared not call himself Qiye in Wuxiantang. No matter how bad Chang Dawei's mood was, he dared not say anything bad about Wuxiantang.

He glanced at Master Hu and Master Huang beside him.

The two elderly people frowned and did not agree rashly. They said, "We dare not make decisions on this matter on our own, but we can pass on a message for you. As for whether the elders of the Five Immortals Hall are willing to see you, that is not up to us."

"That's fine too."

Xiao Ran nodded. He didn't really expect this to work out. If it didn't, getting into Changbai Mountain might be more troublesome, but it wasn't impossible.

However, by then, the variables will increase dramatically, which will make things less pleasant.

After all, it would be a disgrace for a dignified Taoist like Plum Blossom to stoop to the level of a thief.

Seeing that Xiao Ran did not force them, the two elderly people immediately relaxed.

At this moment, the old man from the Hu family casually asked, "We haven't yet asked for your honorable name, Taoist priest, so that we can have an explanation when we go back."

Xiao Ran was silent for a moment before finally speaking, "My surname is Xiao."

"resemble!"

Upon hearing Xiao Ran state her surname, the two elderly people, Hu and Huang, raised their eyelids and their previously relaxed expressions suddenly tightened.

The old man from the Hu family stared at Xiao Ran for a while, then asked, "Judging from your accent, you're from the Central Plains. Do you know where you're from?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran already wore a bitter smile.

As expected, what was bound to happen couldn't be avoided.

When Xiao Ran introduced herself just now, she actually hesitated for a moment.

But thinking about it carefully, there's no point in hiding it. Once you run into someone from the Changchun Association, they'll expose you as soon as they open their mouth. People will inevitably think you're guilty and have ulterior motives.

Seeing the old man pressing for answers, Xiao Ran simply admitted frankly, "It's Central Plains, Luoyang."

"Los Angeles!"

Upon hearing the place name, the two elderly people, Hu and Huang, changed their expressions drastically and immediately distanced themselves from Xiao Ran.

The old man surnamed Huang stared at Xiao Ran with wide eyes and an unfriendly expression. "Luo City, surnamed Xiao? Are you familiar with the Zhao, Zhou, Li, Xie, Sun, and Yang families?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran turned to look at the two elderly people and readily admitted, "We are as close as family."

"Oh my god! It really is you." The old men from the Hu and Huang families changed their expressions drastically, their eyes turning red as they stared intently at Xiao Ran. "Then you should know that you and we are mortal enemies."

(End of this chapter)