Yin Yang Soul Searcher

The Tokuun Mountains.

Shen Fangzheng and his entourage hurried to the foot of the Tuyun Mountains.

"The mountain range is so vast, where do we even begin our search?" one of the hall masters asked.

"I suggest we split up and search to see if there are any clues left by Master Shimizu. The Tuyun Mountains are shrouded in miasma all year round, and it is impossible for ordinary people and beasts to survive in there. The traces left behind will not be destroyed, so the clues should be easy to find."

The two hall masters who were speaking looked at Shen Fangzheng, awaiting his opinion. He was the most powerful and also possessed the deputy hall master's magic weapon. Everyone followed him.

Shen Fangzheng frowned and said, "Separating would be faster, but I'm worried about the dangers in the Tuyun Mountains. If we split up, we could easily be picked off one by one."

The other hall masters were all inferior to him in strength, and he was also carrying the magic weapon, which made him quite worried.

Just as Shen Fangzheng was showing hesitation, a hall master suddenly exclaimed, "Come and see!"

There was an open space with low-lying grass and trees, and scattered bits of flesh and blood. The blood had long since dried, staining the grass and trees red.

"These bits of meat." Shen Fangzheng's expression was grave as he picked up a piece of meat from the ground to examine it. "This should be the meat of some kind of wild animal."

"Aren't there no ferocious beasts in the Tuyun Mountains?" a hall master asked doubtfully.

"It's not surprising that one or two ferocious beasts occasionally survive," Shen Fangzheng shook his head. "What's strange is whether this was the work of the Qingshui Hall Master? Why smash the beasts? They could have just slit their throats; why go through all that trouble?"

"Look here," the hall master who discovered the bloodstains pointed ahead and said, "There are signs that the grass and trees have been trampled, and quite a lot of them. Someone must have run into there."

"This must have been left behind by Master Shimizu. They may really be facing an insurmountable danger." Shen Fangzheng said gravely, "Let's not split up yet. Let's search along this road and be careful of our surroundings."

The hall masters had no objections. Shen Fangzheng and another person walked in front, while the other two hall masters followed behind, keeping watch on their surroundings. They headed deeper into the mountains.

Unbeknownst to them, a giant eagle spread its massive wings and swiftly swooped past them overhead. Given the eagle's keen eyesight, it had clearly noticed them...

Yang Liu and Jinxiu stood guard in front of the formation set up by the Master of Qingshui Hall.

The stunningly beautiful Jinxiu looked up at the sun on the horizon and frowned. "Why hasn't Lord Peng arrived yet? The First Prince's army is already quite close."

"You think you can plunder the Crown Prince's army? You're not far from death!" The head of the Qingshui Hall looked like he was asking for a beating.

He learned from their conversation that the demon race wanted to abduct the auspicious beast that the eldest prince was escorting. He was anxious, but he had no way to get the message out. He could only vent his resentment by hurling insults at the enemy.

The green willows, unable to bear his foul mouth, plucked two handfuls of willow branches from their hair and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the floating token.

Unfortunately, it wasn't very effective...

Just then, a loud eagle's cry suddenly echoed over the Tuyun Mountains.

Jinxiu looked in the direction from which the sound came from, her face lighting up with joy: "They're here."

Upon hearing the eagle's cry, Yang Liu revealed a cruel smile and said to the dying Qing Shui Hall Master, "I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

Despair filled the eyes of the Master of the Shimizu Hall, and the other Onmyoji and martial artists accompanying him also wore expressions of anxiety. Instead of reinforcements from the Onmyo Palace, the demon race's support arrived first...

"Brother Sun, slow down, slow down. I'm just an ordinary person; I can't take this!"

Bai Jueming clung to Sun Tai's arm, his legs wrapped around Sun Tai's legs, like a sloth hanging from a tree.

Martial artists of the third rank already possess the ability to fly, but the distance is limited, and they need to land to recover their cooldown time after flying a certain distance.

To get there as quickly as possible, Sun Tai flew for a distance and then started sprinting on the road. He switched between the two routes seamlessly without taking a break.

After Bai Jueming was lifted into the air, his robes fluttered wildly, and the strong wind blew his face crooked. This was unlike the last time Cheng Yanbing carried him on a wild run; this was a proper flight.

Sun Tai had no choice but to land, letting Bai Jueming catch his breath. This was someone the Deputy Hall Master had entrusted to him. He couldn't afford to actually kill him.

Bai Jueming was panting heavily, his hands supporting his knees, looking like he was about to die.

Do you martial artists really enjoy leading people around like this? Can't you consider the feelings of us lower-level cultivators?

Sun Tai glanced at the sky; the sun was about to set. There was no time to hone his skills, so he said, "Don't catch your breath. This time I'll carry you on my back. Just hide behind my cloak and you'll be fine."

Before Bai Jueming could speak, Sun Tai picked him up and covered his body with his cloak. They soared into the sky.

This time, Bai Jueming didn't feel the bone-scraping wind, and he cursed inwardly. "You had this trick up your sleeve, why didn't you use it sooner? Were you just playing me for a fool..."

After the eagle's cry, the giant eagle circled twice above the mountain range before swooping down towards Yang Liu and his companion.

Before the giant eagle even landed, the powerful winds whipped up by its wings bent the surrounding vegetation low and bent over. The lowest-lying vegetation was even uprooted, leaving a bare patch of vegetation.

The beasts behind Yang Liu and Jinxiu were forced to prostrate on the ground by the giant eagle's powerful aura, letting out low growls, but they dared not act rashly.

Opposite them, the token of the Master of the Clear Water Hall trembled slightly in the air, and the group hiding in the cave felt the pressure.

Master Shimizu had no choice but to drag his severely injured body and forcefully steady the trembling token. He spat out a final mouthful of blood.

The moment it landed, the giant eagle transformed from its beastly form into a man draped in a black robe.

His eagle eyes were deep and sharp, revealing an innate coldness and vigilance.

Jinxiu swayed her hips as she walked forward, her voluptuous figure bouncing with each step. She placed one hand on the man's shoulder and said with a hint of resentment, "Lord Peng, why did you take so long to arrive? You've kept me waiting for so long."

"Stop talking nonsense, are you all ready?" Peng Li shrugged. "Don't get my feathers dirty."

"**", Jinxiu rolled her eyes and muttered two words in an annoyed tone. Then she changed her tone and asked, "Why did it take so long? What happened?"

Peng Li was speechless for a moment. He couldn't very well say that he had broken his bone last night and that his feathers had been burned off, and that he had been treating his injuries until now.

He could only say coldly, "It's not too late now, we haven't delayed anything important. Let's get started!"

Yang Liu interjected, "You destroy this formation first. I want to kill that Onmyoji inside with my own hands." After saying that, she stared fiercely at Master Qingshui.

"The two of you together couldn't even take him down?" Peng Li asked incredulously, turning to look at the people inside the cave.

"..."willow.

"..."beautiful.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Peng Li didn't waste any more words and directly reached out and squeezed the token floating in front of him.

A gigantic phantom of an eagle claw appeared out of thin air. The sharp claws seemed capable of shattering gold and splitting stone, directly enveloping the formation and everyone in the cave.

The runes on the token lit up, forming a glass-like protective shield. Inside, everyone displayed their unique abilities, reinforcing the formation with their own power.

However, under the terrifying grip of the eagle claw phantom, the formation clearly faltered, first emitting a slight cracking sound, followed by a sound like shattering glass.

With a "bang," the formation finally failed, and the floating token fell to the ground.

Master Shimizu finally coughed up another mouthful of blood and fainted.

Yang Liu, holding a willow branch, walked forward with a sinister grin.

Upon seeing this, the two martial artists beside the Hall Master of Qingshui immediately grabbed him and fled into the nearby woods.

The accompanying Onmyoji risked being attacked backfire by forcibly weakening Yang Liu.

The difference in strength was too great. Yang Liu only paused slightly, then casually swung her whip at the Onmyoji, causing several of them to cough up blood and collapse, severely injured.

This is what low-level Onmyoji are like...

Without killing the Onmyoji on the ground, Yang Liu's goal was clear. She quickly chased after Master Qingshui.

"Found it!"

Shen Fangzheng and another hall master rushed ahead to clear the way, and saw three people dressed as Yin Yang Hall running wildly towards them.

"Die!" Yang Liu, from another direction, relentlessly pursued the three, wielding a willow branch. Upon seeing the approaching figures, she instantly straightened the willow branch, using it as a sword, and hurled it fiercely towards the back of the Qingshui Hall Master, near his heart.

The Master of the Clear Water Hall is currently in a dazed state, and both martial artists are at their last gasp. If this sword strikes, Peng will likely die without a chance of survival.

"Stop!" Shen Fangzheng held the Yin-Yang fish talisman in his hand and rushed forward at high speed, waiting for the three people to enter his casting range to activate the talisman.

The high-speed throwing of the willow branch created a whooshing sound. The two martial artists who were riding the Qingshui Hall Master back looked back, realizing that they could not dodge in time. The willow sword rapidly enlarged in their pupils.

In the blink of an eye, thanks to their excellent teamwork, the two martial artists simultaneously released their grip, causing the unconscious Master Qingshui to fall face-first into the mud.

Then, two martial artists pounced on top of Qing Shui Hall Master like stacked rice dumplings, shielding him with their bodies. Dying like this would at least earn them the title of martyr; the Imperial Advisor wouldn't mistreat their families, and their descendants would enjoy a life of luxury!

Unfortunately, the two did not get what they wanted.

"go!"

Just as Liu Jian was about to skewer the three of them like candied hawthorns, Shen Fangzheng shouted loudly, and the sound of the Yin-Yang fish talisman cutting through the air rang out. With a "bang," it collided with Liu Jian.

The yin-yang symbol emitted a large amount of black and white energy, which enveloped the three people lying on the ground.

At the same time, Liu Jian seemed to have reached the end of his time and collapsed to the ground.

The three survived.

Yang Liu, who was following behind the three, stopped and stared intently at Shen Fangzheng, who was dressed in yin-yang clothing, with a gloomy gaze.

The three hall masters surrounded Hall Master Qingshui, ready to launch a counterattack at any moment.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly rose behind Yang Liu, and Peng Li, in his beast form, flapped his wings and soared into the sky, hovering above everyone's heads.

Two corpses were still clutched in the eagle's claws, which were as sharp as shattering gold and splitting stone, the claws deeply embedded in the skulls of the two Onmyoji. As Peng Li released his grip, the two corpses fell in front of Shen Fang.