Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 88 The Feast in the Demon's Den
The bright moon was full, the evening clouds dispersed, and the night was as clear as day.

The silvery light spilled across the ground, and the grass was covered with dew like a thin layer of frost. The elite soldiers of the Tuanjiang School walked lightly through the southwestern suburbs, startling a few fireflies.

Zou Ding relaxed, watching the fireflies flicker and dart about, then looked up at the moon.

"Brother Chengzhi, which moon is rounder, the one in Guanzhong or the one in the south?"

Yuwen Chengzhi knew him very well and understood his meaning:
"Guanzhong is mostly mountainous. Brother Zou practices his skills on the Qinling Mountains. Because of the obstruction of trees, when he looks at the moon, he often feels that the moon is like a jade plate hanging from the pine branches. With so many oblique branches, how can the moon be complete?"

Luo Changshou, Vice Sect Leader Yang Chengbi, Lion King Huo Yu, You Qiuyan, and several elders and protectors of the Tuanjiang Sect were all completely bewildered.

With a formidable enemy at hand, how can we have the leisure to discuss the waxing and waning of the moon?
Zou Ding nodded: "That's why Master often said that martial arts should not be narrow-minded. To exhaust the martial arts is to exhaust the world. He told me to leave Guanzhong so that my eyes would not be closed by the forests of Nanshan."

Sect Leader Luo and the others nodded in agreement.

Demon Spear truly lives up to his reputation as a martial arts master; his spear techniques reveal his unique insights.

"but."

Zou Ding looked disappointed and pointed towards the Black Stone Mortuary ahead:
"Sect Leader Luo, I'm afraid we'll be empty-handed. Let alone a living person, we didn't even hear the rustling of a mouse."

"Your information is too inaccurate, or perhaps you have been tricked by the demonic sect."

"It's hilarious that so many people were mobilized for an abandoned mortuary, and what's even funnier is that I ended up participating in it too."

He revealed a self-deprecating expression, as if he felt that his path in martial arts had been marred by another stain.

Yuwen Chengzhi still hoped that the Tuanjiang Sect could act as lackeys of the Yuwen Clan like the Haisha Gang, so he gave Sect Leader Luo face:
"The people of the Demonic Sect are cunning and treacherous, but lack courage."

"Sect Leader Luo readily accepted the invitation, demonstrating great courage and skill, far superior to the secretive members of the Demonic Sect."

Luo Changshou stared at the mortuary right in front of him, his brows furrowed with anger: "Young Master Chengzhi, let's search the mortuary first."

"Surround them!"

"Yes!"

Nearly four hundred elite soldiers from the Tuanjiang faction surrounded the mortuary. If the people inside had already escaped, they would burn the mortuary down.

The rumors circulating in the county town then fell apart on their own.

Lion King and You Qiuyan stood aside, seeing Luo Changshou's gloomy face, and knew that he needed to kill someone to vent his anger.

However, it has nothing to do with the Sea Sand Gang if Sect Leader Luo is holding his breath.

Seeing that there was no unusual activity at the mortuary, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

The two exchanged a glance, then looked at Yuwen Chengzhi.

Next time, I must tell Young Master Chengzhi in advance not to get into unlicensed taxis. It's really not worth offending the Demonic Sect for the sake of the Tuanjiang Sect.

Fortunately, nothing bad happened tonight.

The mortuary was unusually quiet; not a single insect chirp or bird call could be heard.

The surroundings were silent, and suddenly it felt somewhat eerie.

Fortunately, the Tuanjiang faction has a large number of people; if someone came here alone, they would probably have some reservations.

The towering firewalls of the mortuary were right in front of us, vines climbing over them, and the vermilion gates were half-open.

Before Luo Changshou could make a move, Zou Ding was the first to rush out.

He had said at the banquet that he would be the first to act, how could he go back on his word? Even if there was only air in the mortuary, he should be the first to take a breath.

Without even moving the spear, Zou Ding pressed down with both hands, and a surge of immense power suddenly rushed towards the red gate.

With a crack, the door frame shattered, and the wooden planks crumbled.

Among the Li clan in Guanzhong, there was a master named Pang Yu, who was proficient in the "Tai Xu Cuo Shou" (a martial arts technique). Pang Yu's teacher was acquainted with Zou Ding's master, Yao Mao.

Therefore, this palm strike contains the power of the Great Void Palm, which is truly extraordinary!

The explosion at the vermilion gate shattered the lifeless silence of the mortuary.

With this palm strike, Zou Ding declared his arrival.

"Hahaha!"

He laughed loudly, then leaped into the mortuary courtyard!
Outsiders saw it.
After entering the mortuary compound, the unusually fierce Zou Ding remained motionless, looking around as if he were 'investigating' something.

Luo Changshou and the others didn't have time to think much about it.

Zou Ding had already taken his first bite of meat, so everyone else should at least have a sip of soup.

Luo Changshou, Yuwen Chengzhi, Yang Chengbi, the three elders of Tuanjiang, the Lion King, You Qiuyan and others all rushed into the mortuary.

As soon as you enter
These fierce and ruthless members of the Tuanjiang faction suddenly fell silent.

Eight black coffins stood upside down to the east of the blind paper horses, and bizarre corpses with blood flowing from their seven orifices sat cross-legged in front of the coffin forest, the blood clearly visible.

However, everyone's noses were deaf, and they couldn't smell the blood at all.

Luo Changshou followed Zou Ding's gaze and slightly raised his eyes.

His chest suddenly contracted as if someone was pressing down on it, and his heart pumped out a large amount of blood to keep him breathing.

Now I finally understand why Zou Ding remained silent after entering the manor.
At this moment, like Zou Ding, he dared not move or speak.

A chilling and solemn aura enveloped him from all sides.

The moonlight shone on the eight coffins, on which lay eight silent figures, resembling eight corpses.

But this is not a dead person.

Instead, they blended completely into the night at the mortuary, making it difficult for others to notice them.

Those with such skill in the martial arts world are all top-tier figures among first-rate individuals.

Only by returning to one's innate state after birth, or by cultivating innate methods, is it possible to control one's breath with such subtlety.

Looking across the entire Nanyang region, only Yang Dalongtou, the leader of the Crescent Blade, who stands at the top of the eight major powers and numerous sects, possesses such skill.

And such a person

There were actually eight people in the mortuary.

He didn't know any of these eight people, and he knew nothing about their methods.

Luo Changshou's gaze shifted, and he saw a woman in a brightly colored palace dress, who seemed to be a former imperial concubine who had emerged from the imperial tomb. She was gazing at the moon, her expression cold and melancholic.

Meanwhile, the corpse-faced man wearing an imperial crown, exuding an aura of death, was carefully wiping the giant scissors with a white cloth the size of a handkerchief.

The fat man in the monk's robe had eyes like two ghostly flames. He raised a hand on the coffin, and in the darkness, his hand appeared crimson, pulsating with malevolent energy, and the moonlight distorted upon touching it.

The slender woman was gently stroking a fiery red rapier, its blade seemingly composed of fireflies, its light flickering and shimmering with a magnificent, romantic hue.
魔窟
This is an absolutely terrifying abyss!
Luo Changshou's anger dissipated by most. The wine he had drunk today refluxed from his stomach and rolled down his throat repeatedly.

The Lion King of the Sea Sand Gang beside him had now transformed into the 'Cat King'.

Because the zombie-faced man wearing a towering crown was staring at his head.

The Lion King considered himself to be low-key enough, not standing in the front, and wondered what was wrong with him.

His hair was so frizzy and messy, like a clump of unruly weeds, that even the Emperor would not tolerate such disorder if he were in the Yunshou Mountain cemetery.

Zou Ding looked at the strange man carrying the one-legged bronze figure on his back, his mind no longer able to recall what heroic words he had uttered before.

He was very polite and bowed to the eight people on the coffin: "Esteemed seniors, my master is Yan Pingzhao, the master of spear magic in Guanzhong. I also have close ties with the Yuwen clan."

Yuwen Chengzhi said respectfully, "I am a son of the Yuwen clan, and my father is Yuwen Huaji, the Grand General of the Eastern Capital Imperial Guard."

Both of them were eager to retreat, but then the woman in palace attire gazing at the moon chuckled:
Is the moon rounder in Guanzhong or here?

"here."

Without hesitation, Yuwen Chengzhi said, "A full moon is a perfect match for a beautiful woman. Now that you are here, there is no moon more round than tonight's."

The woman in palace attire smiled and said, "You're quite the smooth talker, junior brother. Could you do me a favor?"

Old Zhou sighed, "Of course, we'll allow him to live for another half an hour."

"Okay, okay, okay~~~~!!"

Yuwen Chengzhi's expression changed upon hearing the sound, but the eerie voice of the woman in palace attire had already begun.

The most fearsome aspect of the Demonic Sect is undoubtedly its ability to kill.

Especially for the weak,

Among the four major demonic sects' secret techniques and arts, the Bewitching Sect is most skilled in seductive arts and illusions. At this time, the Tuanjiang Sect had many people and great power, so she did not hold back at all.

The seductive and illusory sounds from the Bewitching Records had just begun to resound.

She immediately took out a nine-hole bone flute from her sleeve, placed it to her lips, and slowly played the "Ant-Capturing Illusion Technique".

This function uses subtle true qi to communicate with the spirit in the acupoints, directly piercing the Tinggong acupoint on the hand, causing the person to have the illusion of "ten thousand ants crawling into the brain", thus triggering the illusion of "limb swelling".

Once infected, one's movements become immediately sluggish.

The members of the Tuanjiang Sect had never dealt with such demonic arts before and were instantly struck by it.

The other seven experts didn't need any prompting; they simply slipped out.

The previously restrained aura suddenly collapsed and pressed down on the group of experts at the forefront!
A fiery red longsword slashed past Yang Chengbi, the deputy leader of the Tuanjiang Sect, as Yang Chengbi resisted the demonic sound while gathering his strength to strike with his palm.

But as soon as the palm wind was formed, it was burned through by the fire sword, and then the sword pierced through the heart meridian!
Yang Chengbi clutched his heart and stared wide-eyed. This was a martial art he had never seen before.

His heart was instantly scorched by a surge of scorching true energy, making him feel a kind of dryness like an endless desert. His consciousness collapsed in the desert and was buried by a cloud of yellow sand.

The moment Yang Chengbi closed his eyes, he saw the zombie man wielding giant scissors sweep past him, and then the head of Huo Yu, the Lion King of the Sea Sand Gang, flew high into the air.

At that moment, his hair flew wildly, looking both tragic and majestic.

The Emperor, pleased to have eliminated this thorn in his side, unleashed the Five Emperors' Mace Technique and charged into the crowd.

Luo Changshou completely forgot about avenging his son, about anger and saving face, and about eradicating the demon's lair.

Now I only hope that I can live a long life, as the meaning of my name suggests.

run--!
When the demonic sound suddenly attacked, Luo Changshou was lucky and didn't suffer the first wave of attacks.

Zou Ding truly deserves to be a disciple of a grandmaster.

He cultivated superior innate internal energy, so his ability to counter the subtle and the demonic sound far surpassed that of ordinary people. He wielded his spear technique and faced off against the powerful old monster who used a one-legged bronze man!
Yan Ping, wielding the demonic spear, emerged from Guanzhong and traveled the world for decades.

His spear techniques were incredibly varied and intricate, hence the name "Demon Spear".

As the eldest disciple, Zou Ding certainly had reason to be proud.

He gripped his short spear and, despite the interference of the demonic sound, landed several blows on the bronze monster.

A mocking smile appeared on You Niaojuan's ugly face. "The Demon Spear has some skill. Your disciple isn't bad."

"However, that's all."

He grabbed one of the one-legged bronze figures' feet and slammed the hundreds-of-pounds-weight weapon into the shadow of the spear.

Zou Ding shouted loudly, and the hair on his chest stood up straight like spears.

He had practiced his skills on the Qinling Mountains for many years. At this critical moment, he remembered his master's teachings and stopped thinking about anything else. He simply recalled his decades of hard work.

The Qinling Mountains, like a dragon, coursed through his heart. Finally, he lived on the spear!
The Qinling Mountains are magnificent, the winds and clouds on the dragon vein change color, the clouds part to reach three thousand fathoms high, the snow embraces the Zhongnan Mountains for twelve springs, following all kinds of spear shadows to strike the weary bird!

At that moment, in the face of life and death, he felt the essence of the Demon Spear's spear technique.

I left the pass precisely for this reason!

The master of the demonic sect looked serious, and the bronze figure in his hand suddenly flipped from reverse to upright, his true energy changing from flowing to flowing in reverse.

This is a heretical and evil practice of the rebels!

In an instant, the true energy within the spear shadow was reversed and severed. The bronze figure, bearing the might of a grandmaster, smashed the short spear with a single blow and struck Zou Ding's body with a thud.

The wrinkled tripod flew backward, crushing the paper horse, but managed to maintain its half-squatting posture and not fall.

"Not bad, this spear technique has a certain flair. It made me use our sect's secret technique. You can be considered to have died with honor."

Zou Ding clutched his chest and actually chuckled.

He naturally knew that the person in front of him was of the same level as his master.

"I left Guanzhong too late and lacked experience, otherwise... otherwise you wouldn't have been able to kill me so easily today, and... that woman too."

He pointed at the woman in palace attire who was playing a bone flute.

This person kept using demonic sounds, which made him feel a sense of injustice.

Yu Niaojuan, however, was proud of it and let out two more unpleasant laughs: "How childish."

He ignored Zou Ding and charged into the crowd like the others.

Zou Ding's heart pulsed, and a second surge of true energy erupted from his heart—it was the reverse-flowing true energy.

The methods of the demonic sect master broadened his horizons once again.

But all of this is meaningless now.

Zou Ding lay sprawled in the courtyard of the mortuary, his eyes fixed on the sky, the paper horses beside him collapsed.

This is the fate of those in the martial world. He harbors no resentment, and with his last bit of strength, he grabs the paper horse and places it before him.

The paper horse looked like a crooked tree branch on the Qinling Mountains.

The moon in my eyes doesn't seem so round anymore.

He closed his eyes with a sense of relief, feeling as if he had returned to Guanzhong.
"I really am from the Yuwen Clan. I can give you anything you want, just spare my life, please spare my life!!"

Yuwen Chengzhi stared at the strange man in monk's robes before him, his heart filled with terror.

Old Zhou sighed with disdain, pointing to Zou Ding over there:

"Your friend dares to fight us head-on, he's much tougher than you. Doesn't your Yuwen family have the Ice Profound Force? Why don't you know how to use it?"

"Yes, yes, but my skills are too shallow."

"Useless! He can't even learn a martial art like the Ice Profound Force."

"A piece of trash like you only makes rice expensive if you stay in this world."

Old Zhou sighed and scolded him, then his expression softened: "But I promised my senior sister, so you can live a little longer."

He gave a sinister smile, and before Yuwen Chengzhi could react, he was struck by Old Zhou's sigh and rough finger!
He shuddered as his acupoint at the center of his chest was struck.

He wanted to gather his strength to resist, but he couldn't even focus his energy in his dantian.

The crimson evil energy violently broke through the mortal acupoints, piercing the Tanzhong acupoint and transforming the energy channel.

This method is incredibly ingenious.

Old Zhou's eyes flashed with a profound light that others could not see, and he sent another stream of true energy into Yuwen Chengzhi's body.

This has transcended the categories taught in the Barehand Sect; it is not simply Crimson Fiend True Qi, nor is it the kind of martial art he is good at, such as Barehand Palm.

By breaking through the orifices and concealing evil, one nourishes the spirit with evil, cultivates other kinds of things, borrows demons from the outside, borrows the Tao from the outside, and creates an extremely evil heretical path.

Those whose paths were broken had not practiced Taoist arts and were unable to raise demons, thus belonging to the unorthodox path, which is called the "remnant path".

The remnant of the Dao is the lowest level of this extraordinary skill that Old Master Zhou sighed about; it can only be reduced to dregs.

It is called the dregs of the broken path.

"I hate waste the most. Even if you become scraps, it's fine, hehe."

He pressed his hand repeatedly on Yuwen Chengzhi's Tanzhong acupoint, and a miracle occurred. The evil energy merged into the true energy in Yuwen Chengzhi's body, and the energy flowed through the Tanzhong acupoint, traveling through the Ren and Du meridians, completing the cultivation trajectory of the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Method.

After one cycle, return to the Tanzhong acupoint.

At this moment, the true energy in the Tanzhong acupoint has undergone a slight change.

Though subtle, it truly exists.

This subtle change is almost comparable to the purity of Zhou Tianshi's demonic energy.

Old Zhou sighed with satisfaction.

Yuwen Chengzhi underwent the baptism of the highest secret of the Heavenly Demon Strategy, something an ordinary martial artist could not possibly withstand.

His eyes then turned bloodshot, covered with spiderweb-like blood vessels.

He went into a state of frenzy.

Old Zhou didn't feel any heartache at all, and kept activating his Tanzhong acupoint, releasing qi one after another.

Yuwen Chengzhi's energy and spirit were repeatedly squeezed out.

Old Zhou sighed and tossed it into the coffin.

With a flick of his toes, he lifted the coffin lid, and the black coffin lid closed seamlessly.

After finishing this task, he plunged back into the crowd to continue catching people.

Around Blackstone Mortuary, the screams were faint, because many people died without being able to scream.

But the sound of them fleeing for their lives was very loud.

The Tuanjiang River became a turbulent current, flowing towards Nanyang County and submerging it.

Some martial arts practitioners who had come to watch the show hadn't even had time to react before they were drawn into the battle by the rapidly approaching figure.

One moment they were watching a play, the next they were in a coffin.

Even the fastest funeral team, paired with the most skilled sorcerer, could not possibly handle a funeral so quickly.

But
Old Zhou had such methods.

Even when the man with the sword and the woman with the fire sword killed too quickly, Old Demon Zhou had to step forward to interrupt them, telling them not to waste their time and to capture some prisoners alive.

The entire southwestern suburbs.

It has become a feast for demons, and the delicious delicacies on the table can still move.

"this?"

Elder Yun, who was watching the show, was dumbfounded, especially when he saw the man in the bamboo hat wielding a sword.

Her emotional turmoil caused her to reveal her true nature in her hidden place.

This is no small matter!
Although it was only a minor flaw, it led them to encounter ruthless and extremely cautious demons.

You Niaojuan pinpointed Elder Yun's location almost immediately.

Elder Yun was greatly alarmed, but she wasn't necessarily that afraid of encountering a master of the demonic sect.

But there are far more experts here than you can imagine!

not good!

You must inform the Queen of the Underworld.

The Evil Extreme Sect has been out of the public eye for a long time, yet it possesses such terrifying resources!
Yu Niao Juan rushed straight towards her, and Elder Yun could only move.

At this movement, Zhou Laotan and the Great Emperor both rushed over.

In their eyes, Elder Yun was more than just a feast.

She still harbored doubts, wondering if the other party had discovered her secret.

Therefore, such a master must be killed without a doubt!

run--!
Elder Yun had no second thought. She unleashed her full power and fled for her life. None of these eight masters were weaker than her.

As soon as you exchange a single blow, you'll be held back by the opponent's true energy.

Tonight is a doomed night!

She could never have imagined that coming to see a play tonight would cause such a huge disaster.

Evil Extreme Sect. Evil Extreme Sect.! !
The words seemed to echo in my mind again: "I treat Empress Yin as an equal."

Behind her, there were a series of whoing sounds, some of whom possessed even greater lightness skills than her.

Elder Yun held his breath and led them to a location closer to Nanyang City.

These masters' lightness skills far surpassed those of the onlookers, causing chaos in the countryside. Any martial arts practitioners who were even slightly intelligent fled towards Nanyang.

"Fellow practitioners, I have no hostility. I am only here to see which path you are from."

Elder Yun's words reached the ears of the eight people, but had no effect.

The sound of wind breaking grew increasingly intense.

As one of the nine top masters of the contemporary Yin Gui School, she rarely feels this sense of crisis anymore.

Right now, we're revealing our trump card:

"Friends of the Holy Ultimate Sect, I have informed Empress Yin of this matter. Let's leave it at that."

"Hmph~!"

"The Yin Gui Sect had better not interfere in our affairs. These people tonight are definitely related to you."

"The Yin Gui faction has caused trouble in our territory; we'll remember this debt."

After making some harsh remarks, Old Zhou and the others did not pursue the matter further.

As disciples of the Evil Emperor, they were naturally arrogant.

But that doesn't mean they're stupid.

Now that they were close to Nanyang City, there was no point in continuing the pursuit. They couldn't very well charge into the heart of the city, where tens of thousands of men were stationed. They had no choice but to avoid their advance.

Moreover, offending the Empress Dowager rashly would be a huge problem.

That woman is really not someone to mess with.

This time, we've won against the Yin Gui faction; it's time to stop while we're ahead.
……

(End of this chapter)