Chapter 184: Summoning Ghosts and Commanding Gods
The black fog grew thicker and thicker. Though it was daytime, it felt like night. Qin Mu and the others could barely make out their direction. Looking up at the sky, they could still see the sun, but it was not dazzling at all—it resembled a pale circular halo in the darkness, its light even dimmer than the moon's.
They looked around and could only see the green mountains transformed into hazy black peaks.
Chaotic noises came from behind. Someone shouted, "A few escaped—three men, three women, and a big lion... Don't leave! Pick up my head! Come back—"
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he glanced at Shen Wanyun.
Shen Wanyun understood. The flying sword in the sword case on his back shot out, rapidly digging a long hole in the ground, and he lay down inside. Having encountered the strange phenomenon of the dead coming back to life for the first time, he had been somewhat panicked, but now he had calmed down.
Qin Mu waved his sleeve, sweeping nearby soil over Shen Wanyun, burying him underground.
The group moved forward. Not far behind them, several screams rang out.
"Someone is hiding in the dirt, ambushing us!"
"My head was chopped off! Who saw my head?"
"Shut up, idiot! How are you talking if your head is gone?"
"Oh, I see. No wonder I searched for so long and couldn't find it."
"Which senior brother has seen my leg? Please, I'd be eternally grateful."
...
Qin Mu had Dragon Qilin stop. Shen Wanyun quickly caught up and said, "There should be no more pursuers. Let's hurry."
Suddenly, faint singing came from within the fog. This song was even more eerie than the one heard earlier from the river—it had no rhythm or cadence, sounding very stiff.
Qin Mu told them to pause, then quietly crept toward the sound. He saw the singers.
They were several "corpses" singing and casting spells, performing Soul Summoning in the dark forest. Their bodies were tattered, and their rituals in the darkness were deeply unsettling.
"Dead people performing spells?"
Qin Mu was momentarily stunned, then thought of the Nine Nether Sect's techniques, which seemed to blur the line between life and death.
If such techniques were pushed to their limits, could they break the boundary between life and death and achieve immortality?
The Nine Nether Sect's techniques were far from granting immortality. They merely pulled souls from the underworld into their own bodies.
They had to continuously activate Soul Summoning. If they stopped, their souls would be dragged back to the underworld, and they would truly die.
"No wonder those corpses are also using Soul Summoning," Qin Mu thought. "They must keep casting it to keep moving. These dead ones are not weak in cultivation. Better to avoid them."
He did not disturb the dead and quietly retreated. "Let's change direction."
They hadn't gone far when they encountered another group of Nine Nether Sect disciples performing rituals. Besides these dead disciples, he also saw several Corpse Immortal Sect disciples manipulating corpses, hunting soldiers who had escaped from the city. Flying zombies soared through the air, stepping on yellow talisman paper.
Qin Mu frowned and changed direction again. "Let's head to Deer Mountain. The Nine Nether Sect's corpses are buried there. They resurrected and attacked the county from there, so it must be empty now!"
Everyone was tense. The black fog was now filled with Nine Nether Sect and Corpse Immortal Sect people. The Corpse Immortal Sect had been wiped out by Abyss Chu Yu, and their disciples' corpses were likely buried nearby. The Nine Nether Sect had resurrected them as well.
Clearly, the Nine Nether Sect had come prepared, catching Abyss Chu Yu off guard. If this continued, Li Prefecture itself was in danger.
"There must be a ruthless mastermind behind the Nine Nether Sect," Qin Mu thought. "Someone who would sacrifice so many of their own disciples for victory!"
They reached Deer Mountain, where there were few people and the black fog was thinner.
Shen Wanyun, Yun Que, and the others began to relax. Once they crossed this mountain and left the fog-covered area, they would be temporarily safe.
Suddenly, rhythmic chanting came from the mountain. Everyone tensed again, looking at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu frowned slightly and whispered, "This chanting is different. It's not Soul Summoning—it's another spell."
Yue Qinghong and the others couldn't tell the difference. They had no knowledge of the Nine Nether Sect's Soul Summoning, but Qin Mu had studied it and sensed something off.
"Stay here. I'll check it out!"
Qin Mu gave the order and crept silently toward the chanting. As he neared, his steps grew lighter. In a mountain hollow ahead, he saw an altar with a dozen male and female priests performing a ritual.
The altar was built from bones, each side about three zhang and six or seven chi long. The platform was paved with skulls, and at the four cardinal points stood white banners inscribed with runes made from blood mixed with cinnabar.
At the center of the altar stood an eight-armed demon god statue. One leg was bent, the other crossed over its knee. Its eight arms were pressed together in pairs, and it had four faces, each with three eyes.
The priests were each controlling a talisman treasure floating in the air. The talisman had many facets, each bearing a rune. As the priests chanted, the runes on the talisman's facets lit up, shining on the demon god statue. Each spot illuminated caused a rune on the statue to glow.
The talisman rotated, lighting up rune after rune on the statue.
By now, most of the runes on the statue were lit.
"Summoning Ghosts and Commanding Gods Talisman Command!"
Qin Mu's heart shook. "This is the Hongshan Sect's Daoist art! They are disciples of the Hongshan Sect, which was wiped out!"
These dozen or so male and female priests were all cultivators. They had clearly been performing this secret ritual for some time. The Hongshan Sect, after being destroyed, was plotting revenge and had allied with the Nine Nether Sect and the Corpse Immortal Sect!
Qin Mu connected this with the timing of the Nine Nether Sect's attack—right when the Imperial Academy scholars had just sailed between Li Prefecture and Deer County. This meant someone had precise knowledge of the scholars' movements, even the exact time they would arrive.
The Imperial Academy scholars on this expedition were elites from various cultivation realms. In the future, they would become officials of the Yan Kang Kingdom, replacing the current batch of officials from various sects and families.
Most current officials belonged to the old era, while the Imperial Academy scholars represented the new era.
If Qin Mu and his group were wiped out, the Yan Kang National Teacher's new era would lose a core group of supporters.
"This expedition was ordered by the emperor. Only Gu Li Nuan and a few high-ranking first-rank ministers knew about it in advance," Qin Mu thought, his eyes flickering. Among those ministers, someone had definitely betrayed them.
He wanted to watch the Hongshan Sect disciples summon the demon god, but once it was summoned, they would all be dead.
Qin Mu quietly retreated and told Shen Wanyun and the others what he had seen. "Thirteen cultivators, all quite skilled. If they summon the demon god, none of us will escape. We must kill them and destroy the altar before that happens! Who will join me?"
"Kill cultivators?" Yun Que and Yue Qinghong were startled. "Thirteen of them?"
Qin Mu glanced at them. "Are you afraid?"
Yun Que stammered, "A bit... They're cultivators, and there are thirteen."
Qin Mu said solemnly, "If we don't kill them, once they summon the demon god, not only will we die, but all of Li Prefecture will be annihilated!"
Shen Wanyun pondered and asked, "Is the Hongshan Sect a spell-based sect?"
Si Yunxiang tightened the sword case on her back and said, "I've heard elders talk about the Hongshan Sect. They specialize in soul-based spells and are not skilled in swordsmanship or combat techniques. Back then, the National Teacher destroyed the Hongshan Sect by leading a group of cultivators who only practiced swordsmanship into the mountain. After the sect was wiped out, the scattered disciples likely didn't learn orthodox spells and wouldn't be deep in combat or sword arts."
Qin Mu said, "The National Teacher used swordsmanship to kill them. We won't use swords—we'll use combat techniques. With swords, we can't match their spells. But in close combat, spell cultivators won't have time to cast spells before we cut them down! Wanyun, Yun Que, Qinghong—I've seen your combat skills. They're impressive. Do you have the courage?"
Shen Wanyun said firmly, "If you dare, I dare!"
Qin Mu looked at Si Yunxiang, who lowered her head shyly and said, "Yunxiang will follow the Imperial Academy Doctor's lead."
Qin Mu then looked at Yue Qinghong, whose eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement. "I've never faced anything like this. How could I miss it? Wolf Slave, get ready!"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on Yun Que the monk. Yun Que hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "If I don't enter hell, who will? I'm in!"
Qin Mu said, "I'll charge out first and clear the way to the altar. You follow me. Fight up close and finish quickly—no delays! The altar is three zhang and six or seven chi on each side. In such a tight space, think through your moves and rehearse them in your mind!"
Yue Qinghong trembled with excitement and chuckled softly, "Following you isn't so bad. Our first battle is already this thrilling. I can hardly wait!"
Qin Mu crouched and moved forward, with Shen Wanyun and the others behind him. When they reached the mountain hollow, they saw the demon god statue on the altar, its runes seven or eight-tenths lit. The thirteen priests were still circling the altar, chanting in what seemed like an ancient ritual language.
Qin Mu's heart pounded. He suppressed the urge to rush out and interrupt the ritual, whispering, "Observe the terrain. Once you're ready, we strike. Ling'er, take Dragon Qilin to the other side and make noise to distract them."
Fox Ling'er quickly led Dragon Qilin around the altar to the right.
After a moment, Yue Qinghong whispered, "Ready!"
Qin Mu waved his hand. Fox Ling'er leaped out of the grass, with Dragon Qilin roaring behind her as if hunting.
The thirteen priests on the altar were startled. Seeing the fox and Dragon Qilin, one priest laughed. "Just a big lion hunting..."
Before he finished, a flash of blade light appeared. Qin Mu had already reached the altar, wielding twin sabers. With a swing, heads flew!
Combat Technique: A Single Line Between Heaven and Earth!
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