Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

"Anything else?" Zhang Jingqing frowned, a bad feeling creeping over her.

"That's all, Master." Zhang Huaiyi stood there, awaiting his fate, his emotions fluctuating wildly.

Tian Jinzhong felt very uncomfortable and exclaimed, "I never thought that demon could break the Golden Light Curse."

"It's normal that things are broken. The world is so vast, and there are many extraordinary people. It's not surprising that anything can happen."

Zhang Jingqing began to worry about the proposal in the letter. The demon's strength was unfathomable and might pose a great threat to Sanyi's friends.

Just as he was hesitating, Zhang Zhiwei made the decision: "Master, please don't worry about it."

"As long as the devil dares to come to Longhu Mountain, this place is ours to call the shots. Let our friends at Sany make the choice. We respect their wishes. We must pass on the contents of this letter."

Seeing that his words made sense, Zhang Jingqing also made up her mind and instructed Tian Jinzhong:

"I'll trouble you to make another trip to Jinzhong. Try to contact Sanyi's friends through Xiaozhan or the Lu family."

“Alright! Master, I’ll set off now,” Tian Jinzhong replied.

"Ah."

After he left, Zhang Jingqing looked at her two disciples, her tone slightly serious:

"It'll be in the next couple of days. Make sure you all prepare well. Don't neglect any of your usual training. Get yourself into top condition so that we can prevent any trouble caused by the sorcerers."

"Understood, Master."

The two spoke in unison, bowed, and left the room one after the other.

......

A deserted temple.

The campfire burned slowly in the quiet atmosphere, reflecting Li Muxuan's dejected expression. The bloodstains on his forehead had dried, and his dusty hands picked up a charred pheasant leg and mechanically put it into his mouth.

Old Duan sat upright to the side, holding a golden talisman, covering it with his Qi, and muttering incantations. The mysterious power rippled outwards like waves.

Just then, Wugensheng, who had ended the contact, opened his eyes again. Suddenly, he felt a strange movement in his palm, like the touch of ants crawling. He subconsciously looked down.

"My brother and his martial uncle have no intention of letting you off the hook. You'd better watch yourself!"

With a slight exertion, Wugensheng caused the dark blue characters on his palm to completely dissipate.

Li Muxuan looked this way, his lips moving slightly: "Sect Leader... I've thought it through, I want to go with you."

"it is good..."

A bittersweet smile appeared on Wugensheng's lips as he teased Old Man Duan:

"You're really something, old man. This naughty child wouldn't listen to my advice and just ignored it. I never thought you would enlighten him."

The liquid-like golden light gradually dissipated. Old Duan put away the talisman and said absentmindedly, "If you don't listen, give me a slap. You're teachable."

"Oh, you really are."

Wugensheng scratched his head in shame: "If I had known it was so effective, I would have tried it too."

Old Duan's physical strength and energy had almost returned to full capacity. Seeing that it was almost time, he frowned and asked, "Can we set off now?"

Chapter 49 The Coffin of Death Casts a Yin Body

"of course."

Wu Gensheng stood up, glanced at Li Muxuan, and said, "Let's go."

Old Duan staggered to the outside of the deserted temple, where the golden talisman he held between his fingers began to burn, its crimson characters growing ever brighter.

After Li Muxuan and Wugensheng crossed the threshold and arrived in front of the temple, he put his arms around the shoulders of the two juniors and reminded them, "Hold on tight."

"call out--!"

Before the words were finished, a golden light shone from the ground, soaring into the sky and carrying Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan straight into the clouds, tearing through the sky and disappearing at the edge of the horizon.

A sharp gust of wind rushed towards them, making their clothes flutter and their hair fly wildly.

The vast and expansive scenery unfolded beneath Li Muxuan's feet. As he gazed at the ever-passing landscape, his thoughts drifted far away.

Time seemed to pass in an instant, yet also in several hours.

When Li Muxuan came to his senses, he was met with a desolate, barren mountain in front of him, with graves everywhere and even many rotting corpses lying on the mountain road, being eaten by vultures.

A thick fog shrouded the rugged mountains, concealing the eerie and ominous atmosphere, yet the nauseating stench of corpses seeped into every inch of the soil.

"call out--!"

A dazzling golden light swept into the misty mountain ridge and fell into a dark, remote mountain area.

"boom!"

The ground was shattered and dusty from the powerful impact.

Duan Lao'er's face was deathly pale, blood was flowing from his mouth and nose, and he looked completely exhausted. He had carried two people across dozens of mountains and rivers, which almost cost him his life, and his internal energy was nearing its limit.

“Master, if you can’t take a break, why do this?”

Seeing the old man's hands and feet twitching and almost kneeling down, Wugensheng quickly helped him up.

"It's alright, Sect Leader."

Old Duan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked up at the withered figure standing before the cave, and grinned:

"Hey, this is really rare. It's been so many years since I've seen you, you old viper."

"Yes, Fellow Daoist Duan, how have you been?"

As Granny Liu leaned on her cane, a gentle smile gradually appeared on her weathered face.

"More than a decade has passed, and I never imagined that you would have mastered the Golden Escape Flowing Light technique. How delightful!"

"Sect Leader, please come in with me."

She turned and walked slowly down the rock tunnel where oil lamps hung, with Wu Gensheng and the others following behind.

In the sweltering environment, a thick, pungent smell of blood seeped from the stone walls, almost tangible, making the already murky air even stickier.

Li Muxuan looked somewhat uncomfortable and resistant. Old Duan, who was standing nearby, noticed this and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Relax and let this energy enter your internal organs. It will not rot your body; on the contrary, it will be beneficial."

"..."

Li Muxuan remained silent, but his already slow pace became more natural.

A moment later, led by Granny Liu, the group arrived at the end of the cave, where a vast, swaying pool of blood-red water rose and fell in the deep, sunken pit.

"this...."

Standing on the stone path, Li Muxuan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, instinctively feeling fear, his blood almost freezing.

The complex herbs, bones, and rare animal entrails, soaked in blood, exude a fragrant and profound aroma.

Wugensheng looked down calmly, crossed his arms around his body, and took off his shirt to reveal his muscular physique.

"You've worked so hard on this, sir..."

"It's not complicated. I've long since mastered these techniques."

Granny Liu slowly unfurled a roll of dark brown sheepskin. As she murmured, the ancient characters densely covered on it began to wriggle like black worms, then coalesced into lines and fell into the blood pool.

A dark green aura emanated from her thin body, gradually enveloping Granny Liu's entire body.

The ceremony was elaborate. When she opened her eyes again, the blood pool below began to tremble and shake. Two stone coffins gradually rose from the bottom of the pool, and their lids were lifted to reveal their dark interiors.

"Sect Leader, Young Friend Li, it's ready..."

Granny Liu turned around, her smile indifferent: "Go in."

"Okay... thank you very much." Wugensheng clasped his hands in greeting and bowed deeply.

"Sect Leader, what exactly is this?"

Li Muxuan pressed on anxiously, sweat trickling down his cheeks. His intuition told him that the stone coffin floating above the blood was extremely ominous, and that going inside might lead to disaster.

"The coffin of the dead is cast into a ghost body."

Before Wugensheng could answer, Granny Liu offered her explanation:

"This is a secret technique from the Southern Frontier. If you and the sect leader encounter any misfortune at Longhu Mountain, you can use this coffin to prolong your remaining lives."

“What she said is true; I’ve been here before.”

Wugensheng gave a brief reply, then jumped down, fell into the coffin, and sank to the bottom of the pool.

After a moment's consideration, Li Muxuan took a step forward. Just as he was about to jump, Granny Liu raised her cane to stop him.

"After being placed in the coffin, it is crucial not to circulate your Qi; simply let it fall into a natural sleep."

"Take this. If you encounter anyone from the Trinity Sect, take it immediately without hesitation."

A hand, as withered as tree bark, held a bottle of secret medicine and handed it over.

Li Muxuan hesitated before accepting the gift, placing it in his bosom, bowing to the old woman in thanks, and then, without saying another word, jumping into the stone coffin in the blood pool, where he was submerged by countless drops of blood.

Inside the dark, damp coffin, Li Muxuan could feel countless strange, wriggling creatures covering his entire body, causing him to become increasingly numb, his consciousness to fade, and him to fall into a deep coma.

......

On the stone steps, Old Duan sat on an oval boulder, glancing sideways at the blood pool, and couldn't help but sneer:

"Old man, you're really generous. When I was almost beaten to death by that old Taoist priest, you didn't even let me use it."

The words carried a accusatory tone, but Granny Liu remained unperturbed and retorted:

"You're joking, old friend. Even if I opened the coffin and invited you in, I doubt you'd dare to go in, would you?"

"If you're willing, I'll give you another coffin for the dead."

Old Duan's eyes were cold as he refused, saying, "No need for that. That thing is filthy. You can keep it yourself."

"There's no chance..."

Granny Liu looked up, her figure forlorn, and recalled with a sigh:

"Thanks to Old Man Zuo, my Yin body has exhausted all its chances of being afflicted. If there is another calamity, I will be in big trouble."

"...You've committed enough sins in this life, it's not easy for you to be alive now."

Old Duan sighed. As an old acquaintance, he knew what had happened back then. It was too cruel. Even he, who was slightly involved, would have been beheaded if he hadn't escaped quickly.

"Besides, our enemy is dead, and our sect, which we have painstakingly built up, is now utterly disgraced. Why hold onto any more obsessions? Wouldn't it be better to return to the Southern Frontier, far from the strife, and enjoy our old age in peace?"

"not good."

Granny Liu's words were concise and to the point; she was determined to fight the San Yi Sect to the bitter end.

The two stopped their idle chatter and waited there. After an incense stick burned out, and the blood trembled again, the two coffins floated up.

Granny Liu raised her cane, which trembled and fell to the ground. The coffin opened, and two unconscious figures were pulled out from a distance and fell to the ground.

Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan were covered in filth, their faces were terribly pale, like corpses, and they had stopped breathing.

"Old vile woman, are they alright?" Old Duan reached out and touched Wugensheng's forehead, finding it eerily cold.

"They'll wake up soon. Take them out and get them out of here."

Granny Liu continued to use her secret technique, and the stone coffin in the distance gradually closed, revealing two identical ghost bodies sleeping peacefully inside, each with a glittering white aura between their brows.

"A good tactic..."

Old Duan was amazed by what he saw. He turned around, grabbed one person's ankle with each hand, and left without looking back.

Chapter 50 Prelude to the Bloodbath

The night was as dark as ink. In the study of the Lu family residence.

"Dong Dong Dong!!!"

A slightly hurried knocking sounded, and Old Master Lu was holding a wolf-hair brush, writing on a flawless white paper. His characters were strong and elegant, neat and refreshing.

"Come in--"

The moment the aged voice rang out, the simple and austere door was pushed open by a single hand, and Lu Xuan hurriedly entered, looking anxious.

"Uncle, there's news about Jin'er!"